《Divine Path System》


 Chapter 1 - Varian

    <h4>Chapter 1 - Varian</h4>


    "I won''t be merciful just because you''re unawakened." the young man said, looking down at Varian in front.


    "The thought is mutual." Varian replied in his familiar fighting posture. His lean build was reflected on the polished stage surface.


    The crowd seated around the stage was only increasing as time passed. Leon Training Hall wasn''t popr for its duels. Today was an exception.


    The maid robots served refreshments to the audience as they stared at therge 3D holographic screen. It depicted the duelists with great attention to detail.


    This match was not the same as the usual Awakeners duel.


    An unawakened challenged Level 1 Body Awakener to a duel! It was crazy in itself, but the Training Hall supporting the unawakened fanned the mes and the news spread like wildfire.


    "Are you kidding me? An Unawakened trash beating a Level 1 Awakener?" a high school girl asked her friend who dragged her to join the audience.


    "It''s true. Varian joined the Hall a year ago, but hisbat instincts are unrivalled. Hall Master himselfmented he could even reach level 4 should he awaken and be a Mid level Awakener." her friend replied, her gaze glued to the screen.


    "Are you sure it''s not a sca¡ª"


    "Match begins." The AI referee announced. Everyone gazed intensely at the screen. At the Unawakened.


    Varian was unfazed by the attention. He maintained his trained posture and took a deep breath, awaiting his opponent''s move.


    He could take down a dozen normal men in a brawl. He never lost a match against Unawakened.


    However, he knew his limits. Based on physical attributes alone, Body Awakeners dwarfed him. They were stronger than the best boxers, faster than the quickest athletes, and more resilient than the best swimmers of Old Earth.


    Though a level 1 Body Awakener like his opponent was not strong to the point of dodging bullets or blocking knives, he was a force to reckon with for a normal person. Perhaps a mob could bring down a level 1 Body Awakener, but defeating them in one on one was as real as seeing a ghost ship.


    Varian knew all this, but he was more than confident. If there''s one way he was going to win, it''d be by using his strength over weakness ¡ª hisbat experience gained over years of sickening practice and skills honed on broken bones in endless fights.


    The Awakener in front had none of those. He was a new Awakened and prided too much in his inherent power and disdained all cultivated prowess.


    The opponent finally moved. At a speed beyond normal human''s reach, he dashed in front of Varian and punched at his chin.


    The audience gasped as they awaited the inevitable. But before the punch was even thrown, Varian had already dodged and returned the punch.


    ''Boom!''


    His opponent took a step back and covered his bleeding nose.


    A Level 1 Body Awakener''s physical attributes were higher than normal humans. But that didn''t mean a normal human had no chance of winning.


    "Don''t underestimate me, you trash!" The young man lunged at him as he aimed his kick at Varian''s chest.


    "You''re too easy to read." Varian replied and swerved to the right and kicked his opponent''s back, causing him to crash into the floor.


    Boom!


    The kick alone would keep a normal human bedridden for a month, but Awakeners were anything but normal.


    His opponent was back to his feet in the next moment and continued raining attacks on Varian. Any attack, if connected, would break Varian''s bones, but they all failed to touch him by a hair''s breadth.


    Despite the power they were packing, they were uncoordinated and full of loopholes.


    "Punch to the sr plexus, kick to my guts, and elbow to my ribs." Varian read his opponent''s attacks just as he threw them as he dodged every single one of them with ease. His face was calm and even though he was sweating, he didn''t look overwhelmed.


    It always seemed that Varian was just lucky enough to dodge the attack, but it repeated again and again.


    "Damn it! You son of a bi¡ª" a sharp punch to his chin sent him flying and before he could get up, he was kicked in the ribs.


    Varian''s previously calm face was twisted. He punched his opponent''s face and kept on kicking his ribs, breaking them one by one.


    Click!


    Click!


    Click!


    His opponent thrashed on the ground and struggled to get up, but every single attempt was countered by another calcted strike which kept him down.


    Desperate, he started punching Varian''s legs with his inhuman strength.


    Crack!


    Varian''s legs nearly broke as the snapping sound of his bones resounded throughout the stage. He gritted his teeth and endured the pain. Physical pain like this was nothing.


    Both were wounding the other deeply, and the duel turned into an endurance match of who first gave in to pain.


    The Audience started murmuring as they were already sure who''d lose ¡ª Varian.


    It was because the pain Varian had to face would be far greater with the difference in their attributes. There was no way he was going to win.


    "They lied to you¡­ even though it was pretty good for Varian toe this close." The girl stood up from her seat and a few others followed suit.


    "Wait!" her friend insisted, and the girl gave her an annoyed nce. But she decided to stay. The match was going to end at any second, anyway.


    She carelessly nced at the screen and the next second, she gaped at the ridiculous scene.


    Varian''s legs were severely injured, but the frequency of his attacks didn''t change. He kept kicking his opponent with his bloodied legs. His opponent''s attacks gradually died down and finally, he fainted.


    "Varian Wins!" the AI referee announced, halting the audience leaving the hall in their tracks.


    Starting at the screen, everyone gawked at the unbelievable. An awakener trashed by unawakened.


    The joke of the day became an irrefutable truth.


    "Next time you curse my mom, I''ll fucking kill you." Varian looked at the bloodied opponent and descended the stage.


    He couldn''t walk properly because of his almost broken legs, but he limped with a straight back, leaving a trail of blood, mostly his opponent''s.


    The audience looked at him with a mixture of awe and pity. Awe at his ability to win against an Awakener and pity that he would never be one.


    Everyone awakened by the age of 16 in one of the Divine Paths, or Paths in short. Divine paths were ssified into one of three groups ¡ª Divergents, Elementalists and Dimensionals.


    Varian''s opponent today was an awakener in Body path.


    Body Path was part of Divergent Group. It was also the path Varian wanted to awaken in during his childhood.


    But all of that was a mere pipedream now. He turned 18 today.


    "Only if talented people like him fought on the frontline, perhaps we''ll win against Abyssals and survive." the girl sighed.


    "Yeah. Perhaps he could even reach Sovereign level." Her friend shook her head in pity.


    "Pfft. Sovereign? You girls are exaggerating too much. Human federation has 8s and 50 billion people. But how many Sovereigns? E-i-g-h-t. Only eight." A young man from the next seat pointed out eight fingers and red at them.


    "They are the protectors of humanity. Don''t insult them byparing them with this unawakened trash." He condemned.


    "What do you know? Can you beat him if he is an Awakened?" the girl''s friend rebutted with a flushed face. Comparing Varian to a Sovereign was indeed hyperbolic.


    "Don''t take my word for it. If he really wanted to awaken, he could always go to Dungeons. I''m sure someone will loan him money. But he never went. Not once!" The young man shot up from his seat, drawing attention.


    "If he can''t even fight against some magic beasts in Dungeons, how can he even dream of being like Sovereigns who fight Abyss Kings?" He sneered and left.


    "I think we''re too desperate for Heroes who can end the war." The girls sighed and left with mixed thoughts.


    They thought imagining Varian would be a Sovereign would be an insult to them. They didn''t know then¡­ soon, the whole world would know it was the other way around.


    Even Varian himself didn''t know that his life would change today.


    He entered the locker room and slumped in a chair. The cleaning bots removed the traces of blood and the nursing robot in the room; a floating sphere with two limbs, tended to his wounds as it cleaned and injected the healing medicine. His injury would heal in a few hours.


    He felt an itching sensation from his legs, followed by terrible pain. He didn''t cry out and gritted his teeth. Getting bones crushed by a mad body awakener was not a pleasant experience, but Varian had worse and more than he could count.


    Varian''s gaze turned to the dragon bracelet on his right wrist. It was the heirloom of his mom''s family. It reminded him of her every day. But it also reminded him of that day. Of that night.


    The night he wished was a lie.


    On that night, exactly a year ago, he and his mom, Amanda, were celebrating his 17th birthday in his room.


    "Varian, didn''t you always want to be an Awakener? To win the war and bring peace? Just like your Dad." she smiled at him, a tinge of pride when she spoke of herte husband who died fighting the Abyssals.


    "That is, of course! I''ve been training since I was 11 but I still can''t awaken. There is only one way left ¡ª Dungeon. But you never let me go. I''m 17 already. Mom, I''ll probably never be like Dad." Varian''s voice continued to fall, and at the end, it was only a whisper.


    Amanda gave a wry smile and repeated the reason she''d been telling him ever since he first wanted to enter a Dungeon.


    "We couldn''t hire adventurers with our financial status. I can''t be like others, letting you venture in without any assurance. What if I lost you too," Amanda paused for a second before stabilizing her emotions "If only I was a skilled fighter, I could''ve helped you myself." she sighed and pushed the me to herself.


    Amanda herself was a Level 1 Thunder Path Awakener in the Elementalist Group. However, she was not a skilled fighter.


    "Mom, I know you work hard to keep the house running." Varian didn''t like ming others, especially not his mom, who brought him up after his father was martyred.


    He knew her concerns and hardships. He didn''t dare imagine what she would do if he disappeared one day. That was why he never sneaked into Dungeons, even if he could. But he couldn''t help his frustration and¡­ helplessness.


    Amanda looked at Varian''s immature face, which hid his mature persona, and giggled. "I won''t hide it anymore. As your 17th birthday gift, I saved up enough money to hire Adventurers. You can go to the Dungeon in a week. You will awaken. I believe in you." She caressed his cheek and kissed him on his forehead.


    "Really? Wow. I can finally awaken! I will make you proud. And even fulfill Dad''s wis¡ª"


    BOOM!


    The walls of his room were blown away, and the lights went off. Varian turned around, shielding Amanda behind his back, subconsciously trying to keep her safe.


    In the dust, a pair of red eyes gazed at them.


    Varian held his breath as he prepared himself for a fight. He knew he faced nothing like this. The next few seconds seemed to stretch themself into eternity as Varian squinted his eyes to identify the intruder.


    The silhouette of the thing soon became clear under the moonlight. It was a ming wolf, 2 meters wide and 5 meters tall. Its fur was covered with blue mes. It was a Magic Beast!


    Magic beasts were creatures of Dungeon Dimensions. It was almost impossible to see a magic beast outside Dungeon. But Varian was unlucky enough and won the chance rarer than a lottery.


    The Fire Wolf nced at them for a moment. He was unawakened while his mom was a Level 1 Thunder Awakener.


    Each level had more aura than the previous level and Awakened always had more aura than unawakened. Aura was the fuel to progression in Divine paths.


    The next moment, it lunged at him, the weaker target.


    He was fully capable of dodging the attack, but behind him was his mother. Despite being an Awakener, she was not abatant.


    "Mom, leave." Varian yelled and dashed forward in an attempt to buy time. But ¡­


    "Varian, go!" He was pushed out of the way and crashed to the ground.


    Varian grimaced as the sharp debris on fire pierced him. Ignoring the pain of the burning flesh, he looked up.


    His heart stopped for a moment as he prayed to every god he knew.


    "Roar~" The ming Wolf roared and wed at her. Its power was greater than expected. It was a level 2 magic beast, something impossible for the present him to match. She managed to dodge it by a hair''s width.


    "Please go!" she shouted as she conjured a ball of lightning to shoot at the Fire Wolf.


    The Fire Wolf easily dodged the lightning ball and wed at her abdomen. This time, it didn''t miss and pierced her.


    Amanda''s abdomen bled, and she cried out in pain. Her face paled, but her gaze was locked with the Fire Wolf. Her body was still shivering from seeing the creature, but she gritted her teeth and took a step forward.


    "No!" Varian tried to get up from the ground but to his own horror, he couldn''t move.


    His body was frozen.


    What was it? What happened?


    Amanda covered her injured abdomen and created another lightning ball. This time, it hit the eager wolf on the back of its neck and a scorching smell spread throughout the room.


    The fire wolf howled in rage as it lunged at her to bite her neck. Amanda barely escaped again, but a chunk of her shoulder flesh was missing.


    Varian''s heart raced as it literally smashed against his ribcage. His mind was on the struggling figure in front.


    Varian tried to move. He prayed. He cursed.


    Just move. Move only this one time, and you can stay paralyzed all your life. Please¡­


    His body, however, refused to budge.


    His mom couldn''t continue the fight and copsed.


    "Mom! Mom¡­" Varian saw her turning to him.


    Amanda''s eyes didn''t have any fear, but there were tears in the corner of her eyes. She looked at him with hope. With the soothing smile she always gave him, she muttered something.


    He couldn''t hear her properly. But he knew he missed her final words.


    "You beast!" Varian roared, his eyes red and breath ragged.


    "Eat me!" He yelled.


    "I have more aura." He pleaded.


    And failed.


    His cheeks were wet and his vision blurred as the wolf opened its mouth and ¡­


    ''Tick'',


    The medi bot''s notification snapped him back to reality. The treatment wasplete. He could walk without opening the wound and his leg would bepletely healed in a few hours.


    Varian was lost in thoughts about his past. So he didn''t notice his dragon bracelet shing gray with a tiny string of letters.


    [Divine Path System Initializing¡­ 99.00% 99.01%]

 Chapter 2 - Red Pluto Day And Girl Of Dreams

    <h4>Chapter 2 - Red Pluto Day And Girl Of Dreams</h4>


    "If only I wasn''t frozen." Varian stomped his foot. The closed wound opened and bleeding started once again. The sensors prompted the medical bot to tend to his wounds.


    Varian neither felt the pain nor the bot''s actions.


    His mind was on that night. He could only recall the scene until he fainted. He neither remembered herst words nor what happened after that horrific scene.


    Most puzzling of all, he never understood how he survived.


    Though the investigators told him that his mother''sst attack damaged the Fire wolf''s nervous system and killed it moments after her death, he found it hard to believe. That, however, was the only truth he was offered.


    The door to the locker room opened, and a man with a heavy build entered the room. He looked to be in his 30s, with his bald head and big beard adding to his mature bearing.


    "Good day, Mr. Gareth." Varian greeted the Hall Master with a genuine smile.


    Varian used to be an optimist. Despite being an Unawakened when his peers all awakened by 16, he didn''tin. He trained.


    He finished his high school two years early and nned to train an entire year to take the Earth Trooper Academy entrance test. It produced some of the finest soldiers of the Human Armed Forces.


    After enlisting as a soldier, one''s duty could go from as near as Mercury to as far as Neptune. It was a glorious service, one which Varian''s dad saw as the ultimate duty.


    Varian thought 1 year would be the perfect chance to awaken and his mother''s surprise gift only made it usible.


    The moment when she revealed the gift, he was sure he''d awaken and enter the Earth Trooper Academy as an honor student.


    Fate was fickle. After her death, Varian lost all purpose and Self-belief.


    It wasn''t exactly failing to save her that hit him so hard. He knew the chances of death were high for both of them. It was being paralyzed to even try to save her that broke him.


    Realizing he couldn''t move even when his mother''s life was under threat, his fire died. He never saw himself as worthy again.


    The doctors told him body was paralyzed under fear. Many adventurers had simr cases of being frozen in fear when their teammates were eaten by magic beasts.


    So, Varian also told himself the same thing, over and over. The fuel of saving everyone that propelled him his entire childhood now set him on fire. It burned his self-belief to ashes.


    He gave up the Earth Trooper entrance and searched for ways to numb his pain. There was one solution he came up with ¡ª Fighting. Since fighting unawakened wouldn''t be enough, he''d fight awakened.


    Gareth helped him out and employed him to be a trainer to newbies who are still figuring out their powers through directbat.


    To others, it was perhaps a normal employment. But to him, it saved him from going insane.


    "It was a bloody match. You''re going to be popr." Gareth grinned and seated himself in afy chair. He had the look of a rogue adventurer. There were rumors that he used to be a high rank adventurer, which meant he was at least level 7.


    "I''m sorry I lost control. The Hall might be affected." Varian sighed.


    Injuries were allowed in duels to a permissible degree. Breaking all ribs wasn''t really permissible.


    "What can happen to the Hall? I''ll see who dares nder?" Gareth patted his chest and chuckled. A strong aura radiated from him and the wind stilled.


    He was publicly a Level 4 Space Adept. He had the capital to be confident. With a snap, he can freeze the space and kill any level 1 awakener. Even level 3s wouldn''t stand a chance against him.


    "Then I''ll consider myself lucky that the level 1 was unskilled. If he was really skilled, I''d lose." Varian shrugged.


    Varian could take on many level 1 awakeners. It was because of his experience and their inexperience.


    However, since every Awakner had more physical stats than him, even if they learnt a significant portion of his skill, they could outmatch him.


    And then there was limit to how far skills could take him.


    A normal person could never beat a level 2 Awakener. Varian tried and failed so many times that he lost count.


    As they progressed in their path and advanced the levels, Awakeners turned into an insurmountable peak. A level 9 Awakener was equivalent to a Nuclear bomb of earth before Blink.


    This was why Varian always wanted to awaken in the past.


    Of course, it was only until that night.


    Then his life took turns before he ended up here to numb himself.


    Or that was what he told himself. Perhaps in the deepest corner of his mind, he was doing this to help others achieve what he couldn''t ¡ª Save the world. Save family.


    "I''m worried about you. You can''t stay like this forever. You should visit a dungeon and try to awaken. Even though you just turned 18, give it a shot. We never know what we''re capable of until we try." Gareth''s face turned serious.


    He was about to give his usual excuse but Gareth cut him off "If you''re trying to say you want safety but don''t have enough money to hire an Adventurer Team, I''ll cover the costs and you can pay me backter. Heck, pay me only if you Awaken, else treat it as me splurging money. I''m filthy rich."


    Varian tried toe up with a counter but failed. Gareth looked him straight in the eye and raised an eyebrow. "Real Reason."


    Varian gazed back for a while and finally sighed. "I¡­ don''t think I''m worthy. I am not suitable. If I awaken, I''ll only put more lives in danger."


    A person who was frozen in fear when their loved ones were in danger, can he be relied to protect others?


    If he became a solider and one day, the Abyssals, far stronger than any magic beast, attack hisrades or even civilians, would he be able to rescue them or ... would he be frozen in fear again?


    If he did awaken, the people he would protect would increase from tens to hundreds, and perhaps even thousands.


    Seeing the magic beast froze him once in fear. That cost him his mother.


    So when he freezes in fear facing Abyssals, the cost would be thousands of lives. A sin far too heavy for him to risk.


    There was no guarantee that he''d not be frozen in fear once again. Even the doctors told him that the same situation would likely ur throughout his life and suggested giving up on joining army entirely.


    So he gave up.


    Perhaps logically, he should direct all his energy to be the greatest Awakener and avenge his mom. But he didn''t just work on logic.


    There was an unshakeable fear and guilt. She died, he survived. Why him?


    Gareth observed Varian''s expression and sighed in mncholy "We''re living in tough times, everyone will lose someone close. The best way to honor them is to keep moving forward and use our strength so that others won''t lose their loved ones."


    ''I''m only trying not to endanger others.'' Varian sighed in his mind and responded with silence.


    Gareth stood up and walked to the door before turning to Varian. "It''s time for the Red Pluto Event. I won''t force you, but I''m leaving you the contact of an Adventure Team I know. If you change your mind, contact them." He swiped hism; the all in onemunication device on his wrist and shared the contact with Varian.


    Varian checked the contact and nced at the date. Today''s 36th of 7th Month, 520 YAB (Year After Blink).


    So I''m 18. Pluto Ceremony will start, gotta go.


    Varian forced himself to smile and left the Training hall. He reached the Stadium on his hover bike. The stadium was a gigantic blue oval.


    It was filled with spectators and murmurs, numbering at least a hundred thousand. It''s spacious enough and designed to fit themfortably.


    Varian took a seat and gazed at the huge 3D holographic screen.


    A man in a military uniform appeared on the screen. He had a scar on his cheek, which must be left on purpose since today''s medicine could heal even the scariest of diseases.


    The stadium was silenced at once as they gazed at the legend of a man, Evander, Commander of Earth Forces.


    "We grieve the losses of a billion humans when Pluto was conquered. We will not rest until we take it back and honor their deaths¡­"


    The day Pluto was conquered six years ago by Abyssals ¡ª 36th of the 7th Month, Septe was dered Red Pluto day and observed every year.


    From Mercury to Neptune, across all Human Federation, humankind mourned the loss of a fellow billion and of Pluto, a lost home


    It was also reaffirming the oath of vengeance against Abyssals. Every human will do whatever in their capacity to ensure the victory of the Human Federation against Abyssals.


    Unlike the passionate audience, Varian was losing interest. Speeches like these were the driving forces of his dream since childhood, but for a year, all he felt was the monotony of life.


    There were only two things in his life other than fighting. Recalling his mom''s death and a strange dream.


    A girl with brown hair and golden eyes haunted him in his every dream. She was a stranger. But somehow, he knew her name. Sia.


    He checked his school records, neighbors, and every record. He never knew a girl named Sia. Nor could he see her face in the dreams ¡ª it was covered by mist.


    The only good silver lining was the dreams only urred when he was asleep.


    "This generation needs Heroes. Where do these heroese from? From you young people. Do not aim to be a level 9. Aim to be a Sovereign.


    A Sovereign is an honor to their home!


    The Protector of the Human Federation!


    The Nightmare of Abyssals!


    This year as well, we honor the rising heroes who train hard to bring us peace and hope to see a Sovereign rise from this group of young men and women." Evander ended the speech and kick started the award ceremony.


    Young men and women ranging from 18 to 21, cadets of Trooper Academy, Guard Academy, and Defense Academies of Earth received medals for their achievements.


    Some were level 6 Enhanced, others were level 5 Beast Morphers, a few Level 4 Space Adepts, and so on.


    Varian found at least one awakener from every path. Awakeners. Not normal people. Not him.


    As his gaze aimlessly wandered on the screen, it halted at a particr person. His body stiffened for a moment and he used hism to get a magnified view of the screen.


    Zooming in, he observed the woman holding the prizes. To be precise, her uniform ¡ª The standard blue camouge uniform,mon for all cadets, with a fire emblem on her sleeve.


    Looking at the emblem, Varian''s palms sweat profusely and his breaths turned short.


    Something clicked in his mind and before he could even think, he was in a dark space. The only source of light was in front. It wasing from a person. A girl.


    She looked like a ray of hope in his ocean of darkness.


    There she stood, the girl who kept haunting his dreams since his mother''s death.


    Her golden eyes gazed at him with a myriad of emotions he couldn''t fathom. Brown hair flowed down to her waist. Fog covered her face. But this time, he could see what she was wearing. It was the standard blue camouge uniform, with a fire emblem on their arms.


    It was the same uniform! Earth Imperial Defense Academy Uniform!


    Varian looked at her and tried to move. This time too, his body wouldn''t budge. He stopped trying and stayed in ce as she approached him, like she did in every preceding dream.


    She was at an arm''s reach and stretched her hands to cup his cheeks.


    In a pleading tone, she whispered, "Save me."


    "Who are you?" The darkness faded and Varian found himself facing a blue ceiling.


    He realized he was on his bed back at home. Closing his eyes from the annoying light, he asked hism, "What happened?"


    "You fainted during the ceremony. The caretaker robots followed the protocol and sent you home." Isha, his AI assistant, answered from hism.


    "Right. I dreamed of that girl¡­ Sia again." Varian shook his head and tried not to sound crazy.


    These dreams started right after his mother''s death that day and haunted him ever since. He assumed they resulted from his guilt and regret. But soon, they urred too frequently. From once a week to once a day and now, even twice or thrice a day.


    Varian''s initial conclusion was that these dreams were a mental illness. He even consulted the doctors specializing in mental abilities ¡ª Level 4 Telepaths.


    Telepaths were awakeners who awakened in the Mental Path, advanced in the first three levels and in the fourth level, chose Telepath path over Telekic path. They''re specialists in treating all mental illnesses because of the very nature of their power.


    Mind (Level 1-3) ¡ª> Telepath (Level 4-6)/Telekic (Level 4-6)


    His dreams were dismissed as Ptsd and there was nothing they could tell about this unfamiliar girl he never met in real life but kept haunting him in his dreams.


    They even confirmed his memory was fine. Varian had doubts about their expertise butcked the funds to consult a higher level doctor who surpassed Telepath level 6 ¡ª Level 7 Psychics.


    However, all these dreams only happened when he was asleep. Never did he dream nor faint when awake.


    "I''ll need another checkup." Varian got up from the bed and gazed out of the window.


    The two suns in the sky stayed the same since he could remember. Only he changed. He dreamed. Struggled. Failed.


    He didn''t know what he was trying to achieve in life. Be an Awakener? His guilt made him feel unworthy to even try. Kill himself? It felt like an insult to his mom who gave up her life for him.


    "If only there was a way for everything to be better, no matter how hard it is." Varian looked at the sky and sighed.


    Unknown to him, his dragon bracelet changed subtly. The Dragon''s two eyes shone with ck and white colors.


    [Divine Pathway System initializing 100%]


    [On basis of Bnce, Host is shown a piece of Truth]


    The bracelet shone gray and before Varian could respond, his consciousness was pulled into the scene a year ago.


    It was a familiar night. A ruined home, a bloodied room. and her dying body. Varian saw his mom turning to him. Her eyes didn''t show any fear. She opened her lips and muttered something.


    This time, he could hear her properly.


    "Save Sia."

 Chapter 3 - Truth

    <h4>Chapter 3 - Truth</h4>


    Varian woke up from the surreal dream, but her words couldn''t get out of his head.


    "Save Sia"


    "What was that?...Was it real?" Varian muttered, trying to make sense of what had just transpired.


    ''Is this even real? What if I''m just hallucinating?'' He paced in his room. It was a small bedroom with afy bed, a closet, a desk with a palm-sized ck box and a pair of shiny gauntlets on it.


    Varian''s emotions were a mess. A part of him wished it were all false.


    Another part of him questioned what if it was all true? Then he''d have to find this girl, Sia. His only source of information on her ¡ª his dreams ¡ª revealed she is a cadet of the Earth Imperial Defense Academy, Defense Academy in short.


    That meant he couldn''t contact her or find any information on the. Ever since the Pluto War, the Military became stringent and not a single file of cadets exists in the meta. It can only be essed by Military Officers of the same academy.


    So, should he wish to contact her, he would have to join the Defense Academy.


    But the minimum conditions to join the Academy are Level 2 Awakened and not 19 years old with an outstanding performance in entrance exams.


    The entrance test was on the 45th of this month. Today was 36th. He had merely 10 days.


    ''There''s no way this is going to happen. Level 0 to Level 2 in 10 days? I am not the young master of those big families. This would be futile. But if that''s herst wish¡­''


    Varian''s emotions and rationale shed.


    He tried to fight the frustration building inside and picked up the ck box. It was an old-fashioned safe meant to keep important things. It can only be opened by preassigned members or the contents would be destroyed.


    He found it in the debris of his old home after the incident. He didn''t remember seeing it but he was a preassigned member to open it except¡­ he couldn''t. But he got into the habit of trying to open it whenever he was frustrated.


    "Damn it." Varian tried to pull it open with all his strength and failed. This was the hundredth time since the past year, but he couldn''t care less. His frustration only continued to build up.


    ''Next year I''ll be 19 and I wouldn''t be able to participate in the entrance. Now''s thest chance to participate. If I miss this chance, it means I''ll never fulfill whatever mom was hoping. I couldn''t make her proud when she was alive. I should at least fulfill herst wish. But I''m still unawakened. So how¡­ ?''


    Varian covered his face and sighed before he finally noticed something. His dragon bracelet, which was usually of normal lustre, was now exceedingly bright.


    Varian didn''t know much about it despite it being the heirloom. His great-great-grandfather found it shortly after the cataclysm Blink.


    It changed many hands and ended up with his mom before he took it.


    In this day and age where all essories were either sophisticated techs or Star Treasures used to enhance one''s powers, it was too rare to possess this essory, which was nothing special.


    He only wore it in her memory.


    Varian slightly tapped the eyes of the dragon and expected for something to happen.


    ''Maybe this essory was actually a 9 Star Treasure? Jokes aside, it must at least be something special, right?''


    He widened his eyes as the bracelet really shone, and a mechanical voice appeared right in his mind.


    [Divine Path System initiated. Please fulfill the requirements to activate.]


    "Who?" Varian''s body instinctively assumed a fighting posture before shifting his gaze to the bracelet.


    "Divine Path System¡­ are you the bracelet or in it?" He was ready to remove the bracelet in the blink of an eye should something happen.


    [Bracelet is a mere carrier of the System. However, even the material the bracelet is made of is more valuable than everything your civilization can offer.]


    Varian''s face twitched at the seemingly arrogant answer of the system. This must be a prank.


    "Is this the prank of a Telepath?" Varian looked around the house but didn''t dare to move rashly.


    Telepaths were capable of telepathy and high hypnosis. Hypnotising a person, a monster, even an Abyssal were normal things to Telepaths. Though in Nonbatant professions, they served as excellent mental doctors and psychologists; they were one of the worst enemies.


    Varian didn''t want to be killed by a telepath. Especially not when his mother''sst words were finally showing him a direction in life.


    ''Save Sia''


    So he must get out of his predicament without offending the Telepath.


    Mind (Level 1-3) ¡ª> Telepaths (Level 4-6) over Telekinesis (Level 4-6)


    [This System is beyond your currentprehension. Only know that System hadpensated you for preventing your awakening for 18 years]


    Varian was still wondering what the heck was going on, but once he heard System''s words, all he felt was a burst of rage.


    "Prevent me from awakening? Why? Who the hell are you?" Varian found it hard to keep himself from grabbing the bracelet and ripping it apart. He grabbed his hair hard from the sheer insanity of the situation and the what-ifs.


    ''As your 17th birthday gift, I saved up money to hire adventurers. You will awaken. I believe in you.''


    ''If I awakened like everyone else, perhaps she would be still alive.''


    [It''s a Test. You are Chosen and now eligible to activate the System] The cold voice of the system held no regret whatsoever despite Varian''s rage and grief.


    "Fuck your test. I lost my mom." Varian pulled off the bracelet and picked up his gauntlets. The gauntlets were pitch ck and had spikes at the knuckles.


    Without hesitation, he smashed the bracelet to the ground and started a rampage.


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    The room''s high quality metal creaked, and the floor shook.


    Varian kept on punching the damned thing on the ground. He called names. An Heirloom it was, supposed to be a blessing but turned out to be a curse.


    ''What if I lost you too?'' her words kept ringing in his ears like it was yesterday.


    The ck gauntlets were made of a high metal alloy and a beast core boasted of high endurance. It was the best star treasure Varian could afford.


    They survived all the fights in the past year, but now, they started cracking.


    The spikes were the first to crack, then they spread to the fingers and finally the palm area with the beast core.


    "Crack!" the gauntlets turned to smithereens. The beast core was smashed to the bracelet and turned into powder.


    Varian sobered up and nced down at the bracelet with red eyes. It was as exquisite as ever, without a scratch.


    [It''s good to vent. Now, let''s talk]


    The bracelet shone once again and, as if it''s a miracle, the splinters of his gauntlets, the cracks on the floor all rearranged themselves.


    In front of Varian''s eyes was the gauntlet he just destroyed, perfectly intact. The cracks on the floor disappeared as the tiles reverted to normal.


    "This¡­" Varian held his breath. He touched the gauntlet and felt the beast core which had just turned into powder intact.


    Being shocked was an understatement.


    Telekics can also control objects, but they cannot join a broken gauntlet by piecing things together.


    Time Awakeners can alter the flow of time for them or for others, but there''s no such thing as turning back time.


    Neither can bring back a destroyed beast core.


    It was not that there aren''t more powerful things in the Federation. There were Sovereigns who were the epitome of strength that could y millions with ease.


    But something like this had broken Varian''s fundamental world view. It was akin to jumping from a building and flying instead of falling.


    Varian sat down on the floor to listen for once. He had neither forgiven nor forgotten, but if he couldn''t damage it, listening to what it got to say would be the best idea.


    [Truth be told, even if you awakened without my interference, based on your origin grade, you would have awakened at 16 in Body Path.


    Despite your hard work, due to theck of resources and proper guidance, you''d stay as Level 1 when your mother would be attacked.


    You won''t be able to save her regardless]


    "Nonsense! If I was a Level 1, I could at least stall it until she can escape or someone can rescue us. You might have weird powers, but I''m not buying your BS." Varian stood up and turned to leave.


    [In fact, it wouldn''t matter even if you were a Level 2. She would still die. You would still live] The Systemmented.


    Varian grabbed the bracelet in angst and hissed, "What do you mean? Why would she still die? Why do I get to live? Why?!"


    [Find it yourself.]


    "You¡­" Varian almost smashed the bracelet again, but this time, he held back. "You sent the strange message earlier, right? Thest moments of¡­ her"


    [Indeed. System follows the principle of equivalent exchange. The equivalence is decided in our perceptions.


    For you, not awakening for 18 years is a tremendous pain. But what is given to you is the Truth you would never know otherwise.


    In fact, you won''t get it now. Only once you know the whole truth will you understand how important it is and how fair it is]


    Varian wanted to retort, but at this point, he felt it was useless.


    He didn''t know the truth behind her death. He didn''t know why she would die regardless, even if the System prevented awakening. He didn''t know who Sia was. He didn''t know why his mother asked him to save her.


    But he did know one thing ¡ª Where to start.


    He just needed a confirmation.


    "Hey System, I am 18 already. Can I awaken if I enter the Dungeon and fight magic beasts?" He held his nerves and awaited the answer that''d decide the course of his life.


    [A Pleasant Surprise awaits you]


    ''Save Sia'' Varian recalled herst words and wanted to do something he avoided for a year.


    Awaken.


    He picked up the bracelet and put it on his left wrist. It merged into his body.


    Varian steeled his resolve and opened hism. A holographic 3D disy opened and Varian found the contact of the Adventure Team that Gareth, the hall master rmended.


    He contacted them and set the time and venue.


    Tomorrow, he''ll Awaken!

 Chapter 4 - Virgin Dungeon

    <h4>Chapter 4 - Virgin Dungeon</h4>


    Varian arrived on the outskirts of Pearl city, the location of the entrance to the low level Dungeon, "Virgin".


    Based on the strength of magic beasts, Dungeons were ssified as Low, Middle, and High.


    Dungeons full title was Dungeon Dimensions. They were a separate world altogether.


    First Dungeons appeared in 300 YAB. They were low level Dungeons. Humanity used them to propel into what waster coined as "Golden Age" whichsted until 400 YAB.


    Every Dungeon had a gate which served as an entry point.


    The Virgin Dungeon''s gate was made of a crystal metal and had inscriptions of magic beasts of the Dungeon it was connected to. The entrance of the gate was covered by a soft light.


    Guarding the gate was a battalion ofary guards that employed advanced detection technologies. A Dungeon had many exits but one entrance. This ensured the flow in and out of all Dungeons to be monitored.


    Adventure Teams as few as four-five and as many as ten-twenty paid the entrance fee and passed through the gate and entered the Dungeon.


    Varian noted that most of the people were Awakeners. The few unawakened hade to awaken through realbat in Dungeon. But even the oldest of them wasn''t 16 yet.


    97% of Humans awaken naturally. The 2.9% awaken after Dungeonbat. There was no empirical evidence, but the consensus was that these 2.9% were trash talents.


    The unlucky 0.1% never awaken. Thankfully, with enough skills, they could still fend for themselves, but their social standing was at the rock bottom.


    Since most of the poption awakened naturally, and with prejudice against the 2.9%, the Government and Adventurer''s guild both turned a blind eye to these Adventurers ripping off unawakened by charging a huge sum to protect them in the Dungeon.


    ''I always wanted to enter the Dungeon to awaken. I thought I''d be excited and happy. I was only right about the first part.''


    Varian got off his hover bike, and it went to park itself. Taking a deep breath, he put on the ck gauntlets and observed the crowd.


    "Mom, I will awaken today and join the Academy! Just you see, I''ll be even stronger than Dad." A boy around the age of 14 smiled at his mother and bragged.


    Unlike Varian, who only had a pair of gauntlets, the boy was armed to the teeth. A head guard, body armour, a matching sword and shield. Oh, and the shining boots too.


    All of them were Low Star Treasures.


    Star Treasures were equipment made from special metals through meticulous weaving of aura and using beast cores.


    Fire Beast core would result in a fire attributed treasure and a Space beast core a space attributed treasure.


    The Metal''s conductivity of the aura would determine the defense and resilience of the treasure.


    Varian''s gauntlet pair was a low Treasure and had the beast core of a body type beast. It provided the gauntlets with more defense.


    Varian watched the boy get into the Gate under heavy protection and sighed.


    He did feel envious. Not for the treasures. But because he wouldn''t have anyone to send him off like that.


    Or so he thought ¡­


    "Varian!" a familiar annoying voice jolted Varian and he turned to see a couple waving to him. The young man and woman seemed to be around 18.


    Behind them was a group of Five Adventurers. They arrived at him and the young man, Kyle, opened his arms for a hug with a big smile.


    Varian folded his hands and the stern expression on his face didn''t melt.


    "Gareth told you?"


    "Of course" the girl, Maya, nodded.


    Gareth was, in fact, a family friend of Maya, Kyle''s girlfriend. So it wasn''t strange if they knew. But the annoying part was ¡­


    "Are you so happy that you can''t talk seeing the great me arrive?" Kyle forgot about his awkward hug moment and smiled at Varian.


    "You must have wanted someone to send you off into Dungeon since it''s your first time. Maya wanted to do that. But who are we? Best friends! We always go over and beyond. I''ll be joining you in your first dungeon adventure!" Kyle pushed his fist into the air and revealed his n. His thin body felt like it would be blown by wind, but he stood strong.


    Maya looked at Kyle''s confident face in love. The adventures smiled. Varian facepalmed. He''d rather go in alone. This was so awkward.


    Kyle was a Level 1 Space Apprentice. Maya was a Level 1 Mind Awakener.


    It''d be fine for Level 1s to enter the Dungeon as long as they don''t step into the Inner Zone. The problem was Kyle and Maya were both nonbatants.


    ''They will follow us even if I convince the adventure team to refuse them. Ugh, you guys¡­'' He felt a bit helpless, but a part of him was happy that he had these friends.


    Varian walked to the adventure''s team captain, Arthur. He had checked their profiles yesterday.


    "I hope you''ll be fine with these two joining." Varian and Arthur shook hands


    "It''s alright. Mr. Gareth informed me already." Arthur shed an easygoing smile. He was a burly man and was nearly two meters tall. But somehow, he managed not to look intimidating.


    They lined up and after a security check from the guards, Varian passed through the Dungeon Gate.


    The moment he stepped in, Varian staggered a little. His body had a momentary weakness but soon he was fine.


    Varian knew why. Aura in the Dungeon was higher than on Earth, so his body had to adjust to this change. The difort was a direct consequence.


    "You''re better than I thought. Mr.Gareth wasn''t lying when he said you were special." Arthur looked behind at him and gave a thumbs up.


    Unless one was an awakener, a normal human would need at least a few minutes to adjust to a change in Aura concentration. But Varian was fine in a dozen seconds. Arthur was able to feel how Varian''s body adjusted itself to the Aura better than everyone with his aura perception.


    Aura was the foundation of everything. If Awakeners were the walkers on their Paths, then Aura is their fuel. So every Awakener was sensitive to changes in Aura.


    Varian shrugged at Arthur''spliment and looked at the strange world he stepped into.


    Dungeon!


    His final chance of Awakening!

 Chapter 5 - Abyssals

    <h4>Chapter 5 - Abyssals</h4>


    Virgin Dungeon was bright, but the sky had no suns. The soil was red and blue grass grew everywhere. It had its own ecosystem.


    They walked a bit through the grass before Varian spotted two demon rabbits immersed in grazing, taking their time.


    Demon rabbits were level 1 Magic Beasts. They were 1.5 meters tall, had blue fur and carried some serious muscle. Varian wouldn''t be able to take more than three kicks without breaking a bone.


    Two of the team members sneaked around and checked for any other beasts. Varian could barely follow their movements. They were much faster than him and Varian knew from their profiles they were at least Level 2.


    The demon rabbits didn''t realize their death was just finalized.


    Arthur offered to take down a demon rabbit.


    Varian declined and slowly crept behind the demon rabbits. He could feel the pulsing aura in his body. He felt closer to a certain something deep within.


    Without further ado, he lunged at the rabbits. His gauntlet shone and his fists aimed at their necks.


    "Click"


    A demon rabbit''s neck was crushed by Varian''s punch. Demon Rabbits had some of the weakest defenses and the best strategy to face them was tond the first attack.


    Boom!


    Varian quickly rolled down and avoided the attack of the demon rabbit that dodged his previous attack. He didn''t know how it avoided his sneak attack. By either luck or perception, but now he had to no time to spare, he had to fight it straight.


    The demon rabbit jumped at him and Varian dodged by a side step. Though they had weak defense, they made up for it with speed.


    Varian could only bet on his experience and move before the attack arrived to dodge it at the highest speed.


    ''Boom!''


    The rabbit jumped at him again, threatening to rip him apart with its sharp teeth.


    Varian swerved to the left and managed tond a punch on its back, injuring it in the process. Without giving it another chance, he crushed its neck.


    Moving at the highest speed took a toll on his body, and Varian was sweating heavily.


    "Really!" Arthur looked at the scene in surprise.


    The operation might have looked like a cakewalk, but a single mistake could''ve cost Varian his life. Though Arthur would save him should such a moment arise, Varian took care of everything by himself.


    Taking down a demon rabbit in the beginning was the best decision, else he''d have to keep up with two. Then, if he failed to dodge even one attack, he''d fall into a disadvantageous position and he''d be over. So Varian had no scope for making mistakes.


    "As expected of my friend. Your fight honors me." Kyle nodded in approval.


    "Your first dungeon fight. I''m happy." Maya cheered on.


    Varian ignored their cheers and cut open the demon rabbits. There were two marble sized cores inside their stomachs. He collected them into his space ring, a low treasure that contained a separate space for storage.


    ''Hey System, are you dead? Aren''t you supposed to disy my progress or reward my first kill?'' Varian asked. Since themunication was telepathic, no one noticed.


    [This is not a game. But you''re right about the progress part. As of now, however, you haven''t progressed an inch. So don''t bother. I''ll disy the progress when there''s change.]


    Varian''s face twitched, and he cursed the goddamn novel authors who put rewards for every first kill.


    They continued to venture deeper and as the demon rabbits got stronger and stronger, Varian had great battles.


    Except for a few minor injuries, he waspletely unharmed and came on top. They took a rest in between travels and soon, half a day passed. Instead of declining, Varian''s proficiency only increased. Arthur''s team was both surprised and intrigued.


    They continued to go deeper and the demon rabbits got stronger.


    After finishing the tenth demon rabbit, Varian stored its core when his gaze wandered and he noticed Kyle''s quivering hands.


    "Scared?" he asked with a teasing smile, causing everyone''s gaze to turn to Kyle.


    "O-Of course not. But aren''t we moving too deep? We''ll approach the Inner Area in an hour. What if we encounter Level 2 or even Level 3 beasts?" Kyle tried to sound brave.


    A Dungeonprises three areas: Outer Area, Inner Area and Core Area. Magic Beasts of deeper areas usually wouldn''t stray out, but sometimes, they did.


    This was the reason his mother never allowed him to enter Dungeons, even if she herself was an Awakener. Even she could not survive if she encountered a level 2.


    Varian wasn''t worried, however. Even the magic beasts of Core Area were only Level 3 ¡ª the same as Arthur. And the team had three Level 2s.


    "Don''t you trust my strength, Kyle?" Arthur chuckled and casually swung his sword.


    The gale from it crossed a dozen meters and sliced the few demon rabbits in front into halves.


    "No¡­ I''m just worried about Cross Tunneling." Kyle spoke up and nodded to affirm his point.


    Cross Tunneling was a rare phenomenon when two connected spaces''s creatures are transported between.


    This meant a magic beast from Mid Dungeon could appear in Low Dungeon. But the problem was ¡­


    "The chance is one in a trillion. Kyle, don''t be so anxious." Maya patted his shoulder.


    The group kept moving. Varian, however, was irked by the word Cross Tunneling. He didn''t count on his good luck but always counted on the bad.


    "But¡­ there was a rumor by the Shadow Order. They said Cross Tunneling was a tool of the Abyssals. That Abyssals could also Cross Tunnel and appear in Dungeons." He voiced his concerns.


    "Don''t trust that damn Order. They''re terrorists for god''s sake." Arthur rebutted.


    Varian, however, noticed that Arthur''s smile was a bit stiff, and hecked his normal easy going attitude..


    ''No smoke spreads without a fire. But all I hope is that my luck won''t be so bad that I encounter something so unrealistic.'' Varian hoped.


    He stepped forward, and the next moment, a blinding light shed in front.


    A pir of light descended from the sky, and Varian managed to peer as the light faded.


    Ten Humanoids stood where the light had shone. They were 7 feet tall and had grey skin.


    Abyssals!


    Varian felt that all sound in the world vanished for a moment and before he could even think, he was thrown away by a gust of wind.


    Boom!


    Arthur quickly took on four Abyssals and his teammates took on two each. The situation wasn''t optimistic.


    "Run!" Arthur yelled and swung his sword to parry the Abyssal''s spear. The shock waves from their contact created fierce winds and broke the ground further.


    "Kyle, damn it! Come on!" Varian, along with Kyle and Maya, dashed for the exit.


    A System reminder shed on his retina where only he could see.


    [First Path initiated. Body Path: Level 0 {5/30}]

 Chapter 6 - First Abyssal Fight

    <h4>Chapter 6 - First Abyssal Fight</h4>


    ''Level 0? Seriously?'' Varian thought as he ran. They were a long distance from the exit and it would be an arduous journey.


    "I-I told you we were venturing too deep." Kyle panted and ran by his side. Maya was better off than him due to her star treasure boots. They gave her the boost to keep up with Varian despite her being a Mind Awakener.


    "Crow''s mouth." Maya hissed and huffed.


    Varian nced behind and saw Arthur''s team engaging all the Abyssals in a fight. There wouldn''t be any Abyssals that would chase them, but¡­ Varian felt a sense of unease.


    ''I hope we can reach the exit before anything can happen.'' He took a breath and saw Kyle was about to talk about something again.


    "Kyle, shut up and run." Varian picked up the pace tobat the increasing unease.


    They pulled a sizable distance from the location ofbat, and now Arthur''s team was barely visible.


    Maya and Kyle both halted to pat their chests. Varian had to stop for them.


    "Why Abyssals?" Maya groaned.


    "W-What if one escapes?" Kyle muttered.


    "Will they be alright?" she looked in the direction of the battlefield.


    "We can''t be of help. And we''re not safe. Just keep running until we reach the exit." Varian chided, and was about to resume running.


    "You surely don''t think they can catch up, right?" Kyle clutched his chest and took short breaths.


    "Behind!" Varian yelled at Kyle.


    ''Boom!''


    Kyle teleported at thest moment. Maya was petrified watching the Abyssal emerge out of nowhere.


    Varian, however, observed the Abyssal.


    Its humanoid physical features gave it away as a male. He was in a scarletbat dress and had his left arm torn with heavy bleeding. Most importantly, he had a single tattoo on its chin ¡ª a level 1 Abyssal.


    ''He is from a new group.'' He concluded.


    "We can''t outrun him. If we try, we''ll be killed." Varian gritted his teeth and smashed his gauntlets.


    He didn''t expect things to turn out like this. Fighting an Abyssal was way different from fighting any other enemy.


    Even though the Abyssal was one-armed and bleeding, it won''t give them any edge in the short run. They had to finish the fight quickly, or they''d risk facing multiple Abyssals.


    "You''ll all die." the Abyssal talked in human tongue and it only increased the trio''s apprehension.


    Abyssals were not Magic Beasts. They were the race on par with Humans in intelligence and stronger than Awakeners. They appeared out of nowhere and attacked Humans in 400 YAB and almost defeated Humans. If not for the Ruins and Heaven''s Will, humanity would have perished.


    Abyssals were the single biggest threat ever to humanity. The most dreaded thing was that every single Abyssal, be it male or female, was a warrior.


    "Leave it to me." Maya clicked her space ring and the next moment, an orange gun appeared in her hands and shot at the Abyssal.


    A Fireball was shot at the Abyssal, which he dodged with ease.


    The gun was a treasure weapon with a full power of a Level 1 Fire Magic Beast. However, Maya herself wasn''t able to use it properly because of her inexperience.


    "Haha. Pitifu¡ª." the Abyssalughed and the next moment, he jumped suddenly, barely dodging the kick to its crotch.


    Varian rolled on the ground after missing the kick and dodged the retaliating kick.


    ''Boom!''


    The red soil sted into the air from the sheer force of the kick.


    "Die!" Kyle rushed behind the Abyssal and managed to thrust his ice sword into the Abyssal''s back.


    However, before it could go deeper, the Abyssal punched at Kyle who could only dodge by teleporting once again. The ice, however, froze the Abyssal for a brief moment.


    ''Whoosh!'' Maya''s fireball almost hit the Abyssal on its face before he turned around and blocked it with his back.


    The fireball collided with his shoulders and the Abyssal''s uniform was burnt. The fire scorched his grey skin, and he hissed in pain.


    "Damn you little." He pulled out the ice sword and tried to swing it on Maya.


    It didn''t work. A stat treasure had to be bound to a person, and it''d only work for them. For others, it was just a piece of metal.


    "Newbie mistake." Varian appeared under the Abyssal''s legs and this time, seeded in kicking his groin.


    "Ugh¡­.." the Abyssal copsed and Varian used Kyle''s sword''s sharpness to sh off the Abyssal''s head.


    "We''re lucky it''s injured." Varian sighed in relief and looked at his friends. Maya was alright since she was fighting long range and Kyle¡­ where was Kyle?


    "I''m here!"


    Varian turned and saw Kyle teleported into a burrow of demon rabbits.


    "Pull me out." Varian and Maya rushed to him and pulled him out.


    "I won''t be surprised if you manage to get yourself killed by teleportation." Varian said in a serious tone and handed him his sword.


    "I-Why can''t I do it like everyone else?" Kyle sighed and picked the sword. It shed a blue hue recognizing its owner.


    Whether everyone liked it or not, the Trade Union made binding of treasures mandatory. Since they had a monopoly over Star Treasures, they dictated the terms.


    This meant a person cannot borrow a treasure nor can he steal one unless the Original owner dies or gives up the binding.


    It was, in their words, "A step towards achieving a society with no theft and respect of individual property. We erased the incentive for stealing."


    The Trade Union achieved their goal. They stopped all theft. There was only murder. Never mind the fact that murders increased by a whopping 50%. Thank you, Trade Union.


    "Let''s go. This thing is from a new group. He won''t be thest one." Varian urged them and they all picked up the pace, running toward the exit.


    They were now only a few kilometers from the entrance. In fact, a dungeon can be left once you reach its edge. They would always appear through the gate at the entrance.


    "I''ll apologize to you guys after we exit. But now, keep moving." Varian urged and picked pace. He med himself for putting their life at risk.


    Maya was right behind him, and Kyle followed them with difficulty. They didn''t me Varian, but knew they couldn''t stop him from ming himself.


    "Humans!" A shrill voice startled them, and Varian didn''t need to look back to know what it was.


    "Almost there." Varian could see the edge of the Dungeon in sight. It was still far away, but they could cover it in 10 minutes. All thendscape ended at edge and a white barrier served as a giant membrane covering the Dungeon.


    Touching the barrier, they can return to earth. Abyssals wouldn''t enter Earth and even if it did, the guards would take care of it. They also needed to request reinforcements to help Arthur.


    Varian felt a gust of wind and looked behind. His eyes widened. The Abyssal was catching up to them faster than he thought.


    They wouldn''t be able to reach the exit and would have to fight. But this Abyssal wasn''t injured like the previous one. Kyle and Maya were both amateur fighters. Varian was unawakened. There''s no way they could take it down.


    ''There''s only one thing I can do.'' Varian halted and was about to shout.


    "Guys, go!" Kyle stopped first and turned his back to them. "Call the reinforcements. I can hold it for a few minutes."


    Varian saw Kyle''s hands were still trembling from fear but he didn''t budge and yelled, "Now!"


    Kyle was a Level 1 Space Apprentice, while Maya was a Level 1 Mind Awakener. Out of everyone here, he had the best chance to survive.


    But by the time they got support and entered, chances were he''d likely die. It wasn''t that he didn''t know, it''s just that he didn''t care.


    ''Alright. I''ll count you as less annoying next time.''


    Varian rushed to Kyle and threw him at Maya.


    "I have a treasure shield and it can protect me for 10 minutes. Get going." He yelled as he tapped his space ring.


    A small shield appeared in his hand and a barrier formed around him.


    Maya bit her lip and nodded at him, tears welling in her eyes "Don''t die."


    Kyle and Maya rushed to the exit at their greatest speed.


    The Abyssal was in front of Varian in the next second. He nced at Varian''s shield barrier and chuckled.


    "You were fooling them. I know every product of the Trade Union," and punched at him.


    The barrier did nothing to stop the punch. Varian ducked and dodged the punch while he cursed the smart Abyssal.


    The barrier was fake. It was only a light projection. He was only able to fool his friends, not his enemy.


    Varian prepared for the fight that would decide his life and death.

 Chapter 7 - Life And Death On Line

    <h4>Chapter 7 - Life And Death On Line</h4>


    There was no help in sight.


    There were no other humans in the vicinity. The smoke in the air indicated that Arthur''s team was still fighting. Help from their team was a luxury when they themselves had their hands full.


    "There''s no helping. Our squad''s Knight is keeping your captain upied. We''ll soon kill every one of you. You might have killed the injured fellow earlier, but now, it''s time to give up. End yourself and you''ll die without further pain." The Abyssal said as he looked down into Varian''s eyes.


    Varian knew something was wrong. Abyssals and Humans only had an enmity towards one another. There was no such thing as a "good" death. Only endless torture, followed by dismemberment.


    Without skipping a beat, Varian ran for it.


    "Dammit!" The Abyssal cursed and followed.


    The distance was closed in the blink of an eye, and Varian rolled to the right to escape the Abyssal''s punch.


    ''Boom!''


    The ground crackled, and Varian was already on his feet, running in the opposite direction.


    Now he couldn''t pick where he was going. His opponent''s attacks did.


    ''Boom!''


    ''Boom!''


    ''Boom!''


    Varian continued to dodge and knew he bet right. The Abyssal slowed down and started coughing blood. He was internally injured.


    That was the reason he pretended to be generous and gave Varian the chance to kill himself.


    Varian should be happy, but he wasn''t. He was getting tired.


    The continuous fights earlier in the day were one thing, the fight with the one armed Abyssal already took a toll on him and in this chase, he was only surviving on his gut.


    He wouldn''t be able to dodge once his endurance slips a certain point and then, he''d have to bear attacks from the back. He''d die for sure.


    His opponent was a Level 1 by the single tattoo on his chin, was also tired, but he would hold on for at least half an hour.


    ''I can''t tire him out. He has higher innate stamina and even with injuries, he''d still out match me. If I get tired out first, I''ll die for sure. So there''s only one way now.'' Varian dodged another attack and slid on the red soil.


    ''Boom!''


    Maintaining the perfect timing, Varian punched at the Abyssal''s eyes, with the spikes of his gauntlets pointing at his opponent''s eyes. The Abyssal dodged it with difficulty and returned a punch with his left hand.


    Varian''s left fist connected with the Abyssal''s neck and his right with the Abyssal left fist.


    ''Crack''


    Varian slid back with a bloodied right hand. His bones cracked, and he was losing sensation. The pain was terrible, and Varian felt his body shake in response.


    The Abyssal held his neck to stop the bleeding and looked at Varian with a gaze of fear and rage. Even though the cut didn''t touch therynx deep due to his muscles, the very cut was a humiliation.


    Varian felt his attempts would also be futile. He''d die if he got tired and he''d die in a frontal fight.


    ''I don''t want to die. No.'' Varian told himself and dodged another punch of the Abyssal.


    His right hand was crippled for the battle and he''d have to make do with the left if he were to survive.


    ''But how? It''d take at least a dozen minutes for help to arrive and I¡­ don''t think I can survive for another minute.'' Varian side stepped and barely dodged a kick. The debris hit his leg and injured him.


    Now, even his agility was affected.


    At that moment, a blue screen appeared on his retina, giving him hope.


    [Body Path: Level 0 (Xp): 15/30]


    [Come on!]


    Varian gritted his teeth and swung his left arm. The Abyssal made sure to return the punch and Varian, knowing there was no way of dodging it, blocked it with his right shoulder.


    ''Kacha!''


    His shoulder joint felt a crack and Varian''s right half waspletely bloodied. He lost all sensation right in his right shoulder.


    But the spikes on his left fist managed to pierce the same spot asst time and dug deeper.


    This time, he pierced hisrynx.


    [Body Path: Level 0 (Xp): 20/30]


    The Abyssal couldn''t stop the bleeding and his breath turned ragged. Due to being an Awakener, he''d be able to survive longer and even heal faster, but he would still be dying and he knew it.


    "You! I''ll tear you apart!" Enraged, he dashed in front of Varian at a great speed and swung his fists at his chest.


    Varian had no time to block and could only use his left hand to block the Abyssal''s strike from attacking his heart region.


    ''Crack''


    Varian was blown away as he crashed to the ground. Now his left hand was also broken and useless for battle.


    But the block wasn''t able to save himpletely. His ribcage was smashed and his lungs were damaged. In a few minutes, he''d die without treatment.


    Despite the broken bones, torn muscles, and dripping blood, Varian still stood up. He didn''t want to die. He had to fulfill his mother''sst wish. Until then, he had to stay alive.


    The Abyssal arrived in front of Varian and kneed his chest.


    Varian pulled thest of his strength and dodged. He jumped high and kicked the Abyssal in the neck, on the same spot as his injury.


    Upon impact, his leg bone was also broken.


    The Abyssal copsed on the ground and blood fountained out of his neck. He tried to stall it but it was of no avail.


    Varian''s first attack severed the muscles protecting hisrynx. His second attack damaged it and his final kick broke it apart.


    The Abyssal might have had more experience, but Varian was more daring and put everything on the line.


    The Abyssal couldn''t believe it would tie like this but after ncing at Varian who also copsed to his side, a tinge of pride appeared in his eyes.


    At least, he managed to take down a dangerous human who, despite being an unawakened, could kill a Level 1 Abyssal. If such a human ever awakened and grew stronger, he would bring endless troubles to the Abyssals.


    Varian didn''t know what the Abyssal was thinking. At death''s door, his hope of survival was neither on Arthur''s team nor on Kyle''s rescue.


    His final hope was on the blue screen.


    [Body Path: Level 0 (Xp): 30/30]


    [You have advanced]

 Chapter 8 - Awakening

    <h4>Chapter 8 - Awakening</h4>


    [You have advanced]


    Varian heaved a sigh of relief. He battled death and prepared for what he had always dreamed of. Advancing to Level 1 and bing an Awakener.


    He hoped that bing an Awakener could somehow save his life. But now, he could only hope it would dy his death until help found him.


    [No Aura Source in Host found.]


    ''What?! System? There is Aura in the air. Aura in the soil. Aura in my body. Aura everywhere.'' Varian almost went crazy.


    [Taking Aura from Host''s Body]


    "Wait, no!" Varian yelled weakly as he felt the little strands of Aura in his blood, organs, bones pulled and redistributed .


    The dying Abyssal was perplexed at Varian''s behavior, but soon its eyes widened.


    Varian felt some shackle break and the next moment, Aura in the air and soil flooded his body.


    Seeping through his skin, flowing in his blood, transversing his bones and mixing with his organs, Varian felt the Aura change something fundamental in him.


    Despite still being severely injured, he felt reborn.


    His eyesight was sharper and he could see smaller things clearly and could view things at arger distance. His taste, smell, touch and hearing all improved to an irreversible degree.


    He took the first step on the Divine Path.


    Varian didn''t know how his strength and speed changed, but he could feel his body regenerating at a faster speed, and his ability to bear wounds and pain in general increased by a significant amount.


    But¡­ All that did was dy his death by a few more minutes.


    ''I''ve done my best. Killing an Abyssal as an unawakened and dying my death by awakening¡­ '' Varian smiled with pride and looked at the Abyssal next to him.


    He wasn''t dead yet. His body was trying to heal, but it was beyond its scope. Seeing the Abyssal still struggling, Varian crawled to his side with a broken leg and broken arms.


    The Abyssal widened his eyes, looking at the bloodied Varian who approached him. In his eyes, Varian was akin to a bloodied Zion, their nemesis, hunting him.


    Varian grinned at the dying Abyssal whose eyes fumed with rage and whispered, "Thanks to you, I was able to awaken. Also, thanks to you, I might die."


    Before the Abyssal couldprehend his intention, Varian mmed his head to the Abyssal''s neck, breaking itpletely. Thanks to his Level 1 Body physique, he didn''t break his head.


    [Awakeningpleted] The System prompted and Varian fought hard to keep his eyes from closing.


    He didn''t know how long passed, but he forced himself to stay awake. His heart still had that hole and it wasn''t closing anytime soon.


    He tried to keep thinking, but his mind felt heavy and he felt sleepy.


    ''Sia¡­ why did she ask me to save you? Are you in danger?''


    ''What if I really die here? If I had not given up being an awakener and entered Dungeon a year ago, none of this would''ve happened. So is it my own doing?''


    ''I hoped no one would lose a father like me, so I wanted to be the hero who would gain the title "Saviour" and end the war with Abyssals. But ¡­''


    ''Sia¡­ who are you?''


    He jumped from one thought to another and finally he couldn''t stay sober. As he closed his eyes, he felt like he heard something.


    Varian couldn''t open his eyes, no matter how hard he tried. It was as if he was trapped in the deepest corner. Sealed, never to be retrieved.


    ''Is this Hell?'' He thought.


    ''Did I die before help arrived?'' For a moment, Varian felt mncholic and somehow felt that he didn''t live his life that well.


    "Varian" a familiar voice struck him as he tremblingly turned back. He saw her.


    Blue hair like the sky, and red eyes that shone with kindness. Amanda stood in front of him and stretched her hands. "Give mom a hug."


    Varian lost himself, and before he knew it, his cheeks were wet. Through his wet eyes, he looked at her and stepped forward. But ...


    "I''m grown up now, mom. No hugs." a young voice sounded, startling Varian.


    As he turned to the side, Varian''s eyes widened. He saw a younger version of himself, the 11-year-old Varian.

 Chapter 9 - Dream?

    <h4>Chapter 9 - Dream?</h4>


    "Anyway, why did wee here? I want to continue my practice. You''re wasting my time." Young Varian nced at the children ying in the yground in disdain and asked Amanda in annoyance.


    ''You little ...me?'' Varian cursed his younger self for his behaviour. He was indeed obsessed with training after his father died. He gave up all social life for a while and he didn''t know what happened after, but in his teens, he wasn''t that antisocial anymore.


    ''But I don''t remembering to this ce. Did I forget because I was young?'' Varian observed the orphanage''s card and the robots babysitting the children.


    The children were having fun ying a game in AR. It resembled a game on Old Earth where you would catch an imaginary animal on your device.


    "Varian, I can''t be with you for most of the time. So I want to find someone who will. You''ll choose someone today and you''ll treat them well, understood?" Amanda bent down to ruffle Young Varian''s hair, but he backed off and shook his head.


    "I can take care of myself. I will be the Saviour! Why do I still need someone?" Young Varian was annoyed at the thought of another person living with him and got defensive.


    ''Oh no. Was this really me? Perhaps I don''t remember this because mom must have failed. I grew up alone.'' Varian thought.


    ''But... this could also be a dream rather than a memory. In fact, it''s likely a dream.'' He shook his head and didn''t know how to feel.


    "You have to remember this, Varian. You don''t have to take every responsibility alone. There will be people who will share your burdens and, in turn, you should share theirs. Got it?" Amanda sat on a bench and looked into the sky.


    ''She must be remembering Dad.'' Varian didn''t have much memory of his father. He was aary Guard, but with his meritorious deeds, he got promoted to the Main Army.


    He remembered his mother saying that his father was an eternal optimist. He never gave up, and that was why she said yes.


    "F...ine. But I''ll do the Saviour job myself. Others can take my other responsibilities. Like going to school, having a social life and sleeping." Young Varian''s eyes lit up, and he agreed.


    "Really..." Amanda and Varian both facepalmed and sighed.


    Varian felt incredibly self-conscious and embarrassed. He really had a weird way of thinking.


    Young Varian looked around and passed through the children. These children knew Varian''s family came for adoption and they all eagerly called out to him.


    But he ignored all the enthusiasts and stopped before a little girl his age. She had short brown hair and golden eyes. There was no one around her. She certainly looked cute. In fact, the cutest girl Varian had ever seen.


    ''Was I a simp? No, can a 9-year-old be a simp?'' Varian wondered.


    "You. Come with me and I''ll protect you forever."


    ''Pfft'' Varian nearly choked on his saliva as he felt his face burn with shame.


    ''Out of the countless lines, why such a cheesy line? Was I an Edgelord?'' Varian was wishing it was all a dream and not a memory.


    The little girl looked curiously at him and didn''t answer.


    "Let''s talk." Young Varian said and walked to the side. She followed.


    Varian was also curious at what the young him wanted to do and followed.


    Even though this was a dream, he couldn''t help his curiosity.


    "Let''s drop the act. Mom asked me to select someone to live with me. You are alone and likely ostracised here because other girls think you''re too cute and spread some bad things about you. So no one adopts you.


    But this also means you, more than anyone, perfectly know the value ofpanionship. If I have to spend my time with someone, I''ll spend it with someone who knows its value." Young Varian spoke seriously.


    ''Whoah! I was really smart, I guess. No, I''m still smart. Smarter. But I''m dead now.'' Varian didn''t know how to think of this younger self in this dream, but he fit Varian''s past perfectly in behaviour.


    "What if we got into fights? Will you ask your mom to disown me?" the little girl spoke her first words. Her fears.


    "Of course not! My mom thinks I need someone to not feel lonely, but I think she needs someone when I spend all day training."


    ''Now that''s my boy. So mature. I''m proud of y¡ª'' Varian''s smile froze upon hearing the next words.


    "Besides, disowning you would leave a stain on my autobiography. What would people say when they read the Chronicles of the Peerless Saviour Emperor and realise he forced his mom to disown a little girl? I won''t risk my reputation." Young Varian looked impassioned and patted his chest in reassurance.


    "Pfft...Hahaha." the little girl''sughter sounded like silver bells. "Peerless, Saviour and Emperor ¡ª those are the three titles reserved for this era''s heroes and you want them all?" she wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes and looked at him with curiosity and amusement.


    ''Let me just die. Oh wait, I''m already dead.'' Varian cringed and bit his teeth.


    But he knew this was something he genuinely believed in his childhood. He even had some forbidden videos where he practiced the speech once he acquired the three titles.


    ''Goddamn this dream. Even after death, I must face this cringe dream.'' He sighed.


    "When I''m Crowned, I''ll have you by my side and let you witness everything. Let''s see how you willugh then." Young Varian turned his head and held a smug grin, as if he found a way to counter herughter.


    ''Nice. I mean, Stupid.'' Varian didn''t know whether tough or cry and he just enjoyed this weird scene.


    "Alright. I believe in you. Onest thing. How will we solve our fights?" The little girl walked to Young Varian and tilted her head.


    "Then make a promise. Whatever reason you got into fights, you must understand the other person''s reasons and make up with them." a soft voice sounded and Amanda observed the young girl.


    "Mom! We were talking." Young Varian cried and shielded the young girl from her gaze.


    "I didn''t think you were already friends? I won''t eat her, boy." Amanda chuckled.


    "You can scare children." Young Varian muttered and stepped to the side.


    "So, girl, would you make the promise?" Amanda patted her brown hair and asked softly.


    "Mom, this is a private thing between friends. Moms don''t interfere. It''s so embarrassing." Young Varian lightly pushed his mom and asked her to leave. Amanda left with a pout.


    ''Are all those things you said earlier not embarrassing?'' Varian shook his head and turned his attention to the little girl.


    "Then let''s make the promise." Varian extended his left pinky.


    She extended hers, and they locked the fingers.


    "We promise if we ever get into fights, we''ll understand the other''s reasons and decide only after that." They dered.


    Varian was starting to feel the girl looked a little familiar. Even her voice was a bit nostalgic.


    "I forgot something. I''m Varian. You are?" Young Varian rubbed the back of his neck and tried to make not asking her name as the first thing totally normal.


    "I''m Sia." the young girl smiled.


    ''Sia!'' Varian''s eyes widened, and he extended his hand to her.


    The next moment, the world copsed, and darkness swallowed everything.


    Varian struggled to move in the darkness when he heard a ... snore? With difficulty, he opened his eyes and saw Kyle dozing off in the chair with Maya.


    He looked around and realised¡­ he was saved.


    ''Sia? Is it her? Then why don''t I have any memory of her? Why did I grow up alone?'' Varian struggled to think.


    ''Was it just a dream or was it... a memory?''


    ''Right! The orphanage! Varian still remembered the name of the orphanage. Answers could be found there.


    At the same time, the System prompted


    [Body Path: Level 1 (Xp): 0/100


    Stats: 3% Greater Human]

 Chapter 10 - Inspector

    <h4>Chapter 10 - Inspector</h4>


    Varian wanted to ask the system about his status and visit the orphanage to investigate if he really went there.


    Before that, he tried to sit up without disturbing the sleeping couple. But¡­


    ''Smack!''


    Varian moved his head to the side and dodged the punch to his face. Kyle was looking at him in anger. Maya started crying.


    "Dude, calm down!" Varian was now a Body Awakener and could easily dodge Kyle''s punches. But he didn''t want to make a scene.


    "Calm down, my ass! Why did you have to act all heroic? We could''ve fought together! You know if we were half a minutete, you''d be dead for god''s sake! Bro, dead for real!" Kyle grabbed the pillow on the bed and punched it. One punch. Two punches. Three punches. He kept punching till the pillow was torn.


    Varian watched Kyle''s outburst in helplessness. He didn''t regret his decision. Not a bit after seeing Kyle volunteering to buy time for them by baiting himself.


    If they fought together, Maya would be the first to die. Then Kyle. Varian, despite being the weakest on paper, would survive with fewer injuries.


    That was why he had to make the choice. Would he kill his friend who was ready to sacrifice his life for him, or would he risk his own life?


    "Did I miss something?" a rough voice sounded, and they turned their attention to the ward''s entrance. Arthur stood there, grinning at their mess.


    Maya gave him an awkward smile and shook her head "Nothing."


    Varian observed Arthur for a second. Now an Awakener, he could feel the flow of Aura in the air much more clearly.


    So he could also sense Arthur''s position through the Aura. Compared to the aura flow in and out of Varian, Arthur''s was much higher. Arthur''s teammates¡­


    "Even though something unfortunate happened, you''ve achieved your goal," Arthur looked at Varian getting distressed and said, "Don''t worry, my teammates are all fine. We were upied by the battle. All we could do was injure the Level 1s that escaped."


    "No. That saved my life. Thank you." Varian bowed to Arthur and said, "I know it''s early to say, but I''ll return the favor one day."


    Arthur just chuckled and said nothing.


    "But why did Abyssalse to the Dungeon? Aren''t they supposed to stay in the Abyss? You even dismissed it when I brought up the issue." Kyle brought up the elephant in the room.


    Varian nced at Arthur with an inquisitive look. Arthur reacted unnaturally when Kyle brought up the rumor that Abyssals could use Cross Tunneling to enter Dungeons.


    "You''re hiding something, aren''t you?" Varian said in a slow and solemn tone.


    Arthur looked at him in shock, then heughed out loud "You''re very good. I knew something, but I couldn''t tell you since I felt it was too unlikely. But now you too will know."


    Maya and Kyle looked at Arthur in confusion. Their queries were answered as the door to the ward opened and a man in a ck suit entered the room.


    He was a middle-aged man with an unsmiling face and looked like they owed him his wife.


    "I am an Inspector from the Dungeon Bureau," He shared his ID to theirms, and continued in a monotonous tone "Due to the issue of the event, you need to sign a Non Disclosure Agreement or face treason charges."


    "What?" Maya was the first to outburst. "Your ipetence put my friend''s life at risk and now you''re telling me we''re traitors if we don''t keep silent?"


    Kyle too was angry, but he stayed silent, thinking why they went to such extreme means.


    Varian stared at the Inspector in the eye and said. "This clearly isn''t your first time doing this. So there must have been simr incidents."


    He took a step forward and continued, "The government doesn''t want normal people to panic. More than that, it doesn''t want to affect the training of low level Awakeners"


    Dungeons were the battlegrounds to hone one''s skill. Entering an Abyss or fighting Abyssals on the front lines was not something everyone could do. But anyone can enter a dungeon and fight.


    Since their appearance, Dungeons have remained as an irreceable element in the life of an awakener.


    Cutting it off now would weaken humanity''s low ranking strength. It could prove too costly in the war against Abyssals.


    The inspector raised an eyebrow. "Regardless of the reason, you have no choice. You just awakened. So keep your head low."


    The room''s temperature dropped. The floor started to freeze. Maya and Kyle shivered. Varian''s body resisted the cold, but he was still affected.


    "Why so serious?" Arthur moved freely in the cold and patted the inspector''s shoulder.


    The Inspector almost fell. He looked at Arthur with surprise and fear. The ice melted, and the room returned to normal temperature in an instant.


    The Dungeon Bureau didn''t have strong ties to the army and was one of the weakest links in the bureaucracy. Low Dungeon Inspectors like him were usually Level 2s and were at the bottom of the pyramid. Thus, their only superiority was in front of Level 1s like Varian''s trio.


    Unfortunately, Arthur wasn''t letting him have his way.


    Varian sighed inwardly.''There are hierarchies everywhere. Level 1s boss over Level 0s. Level 2s boss Level 1s. A fair society is not equal and an equal society is not fair.''


    "Sign them." The inspector swiped them on his wrist and they received the Non Disclosure Agreement. This time, his tone was much milder.


    Varian clicked on hism and a holographic document opened. It recorded his retina, DNA, and aura signature, finishing the procedure.


    Perhaps he felt he offended Arthur, a more powerful Awakener. The inspector said, "Since you already signed the agreement, there is no harm in telling you more. There have been over 20 simr incidents in the past month on Earth alone."


    ''What the f¡ª'' Even though he guessed it, Varian was still surprised by the sheer amount of the incidents. This was no joking matter. There were no major wars since the Pluto war of 514. But every human was certain the next war would break out anytime. There would be no peace. Only victory or defeat. That meant life or death.


    Varian asked, "Why are the Abyssals doing this?"

 Chapter 11 - System And Status

    <h4>Chapter 11 - System And Status</h4>


    The Inspector nced at Arthur, then turned to Varian and sighed. His eyes slowly turned red, and he said in an ardent tone, "There''s a spection. In the Dungeons where their appearance was recorded, we sent adventure teams. They found no traces. We continued searching. But we found nothing. It was as if they disappeared and never appeared.


    They had no presence for 10 days and we believed Abyssals somehow returned to their respective Abysses.


    Then out of blue, many genius Awakeners who were practicing for the entrance were killed on the same day. Then it struck us. Abyssals mastered some special way to hide in the Dungeons."


    The inspector took a deep breath, recalling the moment when the realization struck him. He went from unbelieving to denial to helpless eptance. In ways more than one, this truth left him feeling helpless.


    He looked at the young people who just escaped death by a stroke of luck and continued, "Their motives are scarier. By killing today''s geniuses, they are cutting tomorrow''s powerhouses.


    However, not every genius who entered was targeted. They were very specific. They are even more cunning. They avoided several baits thrown by the Bureau. We could do nothing to stop Abyssals. They cross tunnel into Dungeons as they please, hide their traces and use the most opportune moment to strike.


    As a result, there is a growing consensus among the officials that Dungeons are dangerous.


    So, the Federation is taking this very seriously. There are rumors that Cadets of Imperial Defense Academy will be sent to look into this.


    We''re optimistic it''ll be solved but¡­ don''t venture into any low Dungeons until there is a closure."


    Arthur remained silent while the Trio nodded. The Inspector left with unnatural steps. His words left a heavy atmosphere in the room.


    So everyone consciously chose to avoid bringing up the Abyssal''s n. Varian felt powerless in front of the power of a whole race.


    Varian didn''t have any ns to visit the Dungeon in the near future. Not after this ident.


    Even though Dungeons were an integral part of an Awakener''sbat experience, they weren''t the only part. There were other locations.


    ''Imperial Defense Academy¡­ Sia''s Academy.'' Varian thought and the images of the strange dream once again shed in his mind.


    "I thought we wouldn''t be so unlucky. But who knew." Arthur said as he shot a nce at Kyle.


    Varian and Maya also looked at Kyle. Kyle''s nickname was "Luck Lord." His worries, however improbable, mostly came true.


    Whether Kyle was the source of bad luck or a victim himself, no one was sure. But he was isted and finished highschool a year early, like Varian. They met in Leon Training Hall when Kyle wanted to learn some basic fighting skills. Due to their own entric natures perhaps, Kyle and Varian soon became good friends.


    Kyle''s luck seemed to turn around for the better once when he saved a girl his age from hooligans. The girl was Maya and soon they started dating.


    Varian looked at Kyle who buried his face in his neck and refused to look at them. He sighed in defeat. There was no point in ming Kyle. It was not like he was responsible for the Abyssal attack. They were already happening. Plus, if Kyle and Maya never came, Varian would''ve likely died.


    "I''ll take my leave," Arthur reached the door and paused, "Mr. Gareth asked me to inform you''re no longer the Hall''s trainer." The door opened, and he left.


    ''Clever Old Man.'' Varian smiled. He felt that Gareth knew about the Abyssal''s incident and that was the reason he urged him that day.


    Once the incident gets revealed to public, Varian wouldn''t be able to enter a Dungeon even if he wanted to. So he wanted Varian to enter the Dungeon before it''s toote.


    That was also the reason why he asked Arthur to be Varian''s escort Adventure Team. A Level 3 Awakener seemed like an overkill in the beginning, but now it made perfect sense.


    "You guys also take rest. No, take a shower first." Varian shooed and sent away the Kyle couple. It had been a day since he was hospitalized. He was sure they stayed in the ward since yesterday. They were stinking at this point.


    Heid on the bed and nced at the date. 38th, Septe, 520 YAB.


    ''The entrance to Defense Academy is on 45th. I got only 6 days.'' Varian was anxious.


    To be admitted, he needed to be at least Level 2. He still wanted to give it a try and train but ording to the medi AI, his body needed one more night topletely heal.


    ''I''ll check the orphanage tomorrow and train. But now¡­''


    ''System!'' Varian called out in his mind and the familiar mechanical voice sounded from within.


    [Yes, Host? Were you expecting congrattions for surviving?]


    Varian felt the urge to p the dragon bracelet but remembered it merged with him. Now he can''t even have the satisfaction of pping it.


    ''I''d be surprised if you said something nice. Show me my status.''


    [First Path:


    Body Path: Level 1 (Xp): 5/100


    Stats: 3% Greater Human]


    Varian focused on his status panel for the first time.


    ''Care to exin how this works?'' He asked, rubbing his chin.


    [I''ll disy your current position in Divine paths using your species''s convention of nine levels.


    So, in Level 1 (Xp): 5/100, the first part shows your current position in the path.


    Each path has its own requirements to advance in the level and it changes with each level.


    For example, a Level 3 Space Awakener needs to understand andprehend unbinding to advance to Level 4.


    A Level 6 Elementalist needs to form Elemental Body to advance to Level 7.


    Each level has its own requirements and this differs for each path. Xp is a simplified way of viewing your progress for the given level.]


    Varian nodded. Regardless of the group or path one belonged to, every Awakener had to advance in 9 levels.


    ''What''s with Stats?''


    [If Xp shows how much progress you''re making, stats show how much strength you actually possess at said progress.


    For Body Path Awakeners, the strength of first three levels is measured rtive to Greater Human.


    The attributes of a Peak Level 3 Body Awakener is set as 100% Greater Human.


    You''re currently a Level 1. Yourprehensive power: the aggregate of your strength, defense and speed is 3% of a Greater Human.]


    ''So as I progress, I get closer and closer to 100% Greater Human. But 3% is too low for a Level 1. A peak Level 3 is nearly 33 times stronger than me.''


    [You''re right about the progress part but wrong about the 33 times one. Do you think all Level 1s are of the same strength?


    No. Currently, your Xp is 5/100.


    Once you increase your xp to 20/100, your stats will increase by 1%. When you reach 100/100 of level 1, your stats will be 8% of Greater Human.]


    ''So as I progress in the level, my strength increases instead of it only increasing when I advance to higher level. Makes sense.'' Varian nodded.


    [Right. And after reaching 8% at 100/100 of Level 1, you''ll need to advance to Level 2. This advancement will give you a boost and your initial stats for Level 2 would be 25%]


    ''What? The whole increase in Level 1 was only from 3% to 8%, while just breaking into Level 2 jumps to 25%! So this is why there are few who can fight against higher levels. There''s so much disparity.'' He finally found answers to some things that puzzled him.


    Varian held his breath and asked the final and most important question.


    ''What do you mean by First Path? Does that mean I can have more?''

 Chapter 12 - Trade Union

    <h4>Chapter 12 - Trade Union</h4>


    [That is correct. Not just two or three, you''ll continue to awaken in more paths.]


    Varian''s breath stagnated for a moment.


    Almost everyone awakened in one path. A rare few in two paths, called Dual Awakeners. Three paths are only in recorded histories, called Triple Awakeners. There exist no contemporary triple awakeners. However, regardless if they were normal Awakener, Dual Awakener or Triple Awakener, any Awakener only Awakened once.


    But this system was telling him that he could awaken again and again. This went against themon sense he was instilled since childhood. But he didn''t delve into it. Time would prove the validity of the system''s ims.


    However, there was one more thing bothering him.


    ''Why me?'' Varian didn''t think he was special. There was the only thing he felt was unique ¡ª his training. But to a system that imed to break the fundamentalws of the Divine Paths, it shouldn''t matter.


    [You are¡­ suitable. You''ll know if you understand the truth behind the system, if you ever will.]


    Varian felt for a moment that there the mechanical tone turned more humane. He didn''t continue. This System only told him what it wanted and he couldn''t force any information.


    ''Forget about that, then what''s the price I have to pay?''


    If there''s one thing Varian believed without a shred of doubt, it was the maxim ''There is no free lunch''.


    [Smart. You don''t have to pay anything more. You already are paying since you possess the system. This system observes "Bnce". Since you are given an opportunity most would never get, you would face danger most would never face.]


    Varian felt a chill down his spine. Was this the ssical "Courting Death?"


    ''By any chance, did you induce the Dungeon''s ident?'' Varian hoped it was false. The System, however broken, wasn''t supposed to possess powers to influence such events.But the system''s response shattered his hopes.


    [You''re correct. But it is not the System''s active doing, it is due to system''s very nature. Whatever you do, you''re likely to face great opportunity but greater danger. There is no escaping it.]


    ''What if I never went out? I''d never encounter danger¡­'' Varian jested.


    [You''d be safe. But not for long. The day this system activated, you''re thrust into a river. You either reach the top, going against the stream or be carried by the stream. Only dead fish swim with the stream.]


    Varian stayed silent for a few moments and smiled.


    He''d keep moving forward. He surely didn''t like to die, but the encounter with death made him realize he should live better. His death was beyond his control. He could only control what his life was going to be like. So, he''d live a life without regrets. He was still not able to forget that despairing night, but he found within himself the resolve to move forward.


    He might not be suitable to be a Saviour, but he surely could save one person. Just one person his mother asked him to. Whatever the situation Sia was in, he''d save her. And he''d also find why he had that weird dream.


    Varian exited the hospital and hopped his hover bike.


    The hover cars flew in their designated air routes. The dazzling lights of the buildings reaching the clouds lit the night. Holographs of famous Awakeners promoted leading brands. Drunk men and women were carried home by their robot lovers.


    It was literally a sci-fi of old Earth.


    Varian set the destination to Trade Union building and let the driving AI fly him to the set of buildings floating in the air.


    Trade Union was one of the "Small Two" along with Adventure Guild. It was the richest private organization with a near monopoly over Star Treasures.


    Though general public didn''t have any good opinion on these "blood suckers", they weren''t able to resist the temptation of quality treasures.


    But what really cemented Trade Union''s position was that its head ¡ª Vianne. Vianne was a Sovereign. Without sufficient strength, Trade Union would have been gobbled up by the Big Two ¡ª Military and Prime Families.


    Even if Vianne was a Level 9, she wouldn''t be able to save Trade Union. However, being a Sovereign meant Trade Union would get a green signal across the Human Federation.


    Varian cursed the Trade Union but refrained from cursing Vianne. All said and done, Sovereigns were the protectors of humanity. Vianne was no exception. She was the guardian of Venus and fought the Blue Abyss Queen of Sea Abyss countless times. If not for her, Venus would have fallen like Pluto.


    Upon descent, he was greeted by a robot maid and guided to the Treasures building.


    Varian decided to burn his wallet and picked the 2 Star Treasure Section. Since he would be participating in the Entrance 6 days from now, he''d need the best weapon he could afford.


    All Star Treasures were marked from 1 to 9 corresponding to the nine levels. 1-3 were ssified as low treasures, 4-6 as mid treasures and 7-9 as high treasures.


    Varian''s gauntlets were unusable after thest fight. The pair was only a 1 star treasure, the lowest.


    "Good evening, Mr. Varian. What type of treasure do you wish to purchase?" a youngdy checked his ID from the AI report and greeted with a smile.


    Varian thought for a moment before replying, "Show me a..."

 Chapter 13 - 2 Star Treasure

    <h4>Chapter 13 - 2 Star Treasure</h4>


    "Show me gauntlets with spikes, the ones with best endurance." Varian said.


    Thedy nodded and sorted thetest list.


    Varian took a quick look around. The store was spacious. The white ss tiles added elegance and the open ceiling with a defense barrier showcased their strength.


    Various holographic disys of 2 Star treasures enticed the customers in the store to buy more. Most of them were middle-aged men and women who stepped into Level 2.


    ''They couldn''t reach beyond Level 2, huh.'' Varian knew most of these people would stop at their current level. A few might reach Level 3, but Level 4 was almost impossible.


    After his near death experience, Varian decided to change his outlook on life. Since he was an Awakener anyway, he''d strive to be the strongest he could. Neverpromising.


    ''Peerless, Saviour, Emperor.'' Varian thought back to his childhood dream. As he grew up, he narrowed it to ''Saviour''. After her death, nothing remained. Now, he felt maybe he could at least aspire to be ''Peerless''. He possessed a mystical system, perhaps he could afford to aim high. There was no harm in trying, right?


    Maximizing strength meant mastering powers of one''s divine path, having enoughbat experience and possession of a star treasure suitable to the pathway. Of the three, Varian only hadbat experience. He''d first buy a suitable star treasure and then practice his Divine path''s powers.


    The strengths of a Body Awakener were magnified in closebat. With hisbat experience and new strength, Varian was confident to best most of the Level 1s.


    "Here you go. You can customize one, but it''d cost more." Thedy at the counter disyed a range of gauntlets with the best endurance.


    Varian stared at the beautiful and strong gauntlets in the hologram before his gaze fell on their prices. His eyes widened as he noticed they were all in kp ¡ª karma points instead of cp, credit points.


    "Can I pay in credit points?" he inquired, hoping to get a positive response.


    "Unfortunately, no. Only 1 star treasures can be brought in cp. Thetest regtions from head quarters state 2 star treasures and above must be brought in kp." thedy shook her head and appeared apologetic.


    The customers in the room heard the conversation and cursed quietly. ''Blood suckers.'' ''Greedy pigs.''


    The youngdy remained unperturbed and maintained her smile. Her professional smile that allowed no bargain.


    Varian sighed in defeat and cursed Trade Union once more.


    Credit point or cp in short was the currency of the Federation. It was the currency for most economic purposes.


    An average citizen earned 5000 cp a month. A typical 1 star treasure costed around 12000 cp.


    Then there was Karma point or kp. It was a special currency. An awakener gained kp through their service ¡ª fighting Abyssals, selling beast cores, serving in military, using their powers to solve the criminal awakener problems among others.


    Kp were exclusively used to buy star treasures, rare medicine, request special awakener services such as protection, guidance and consultation of high awakeners.


    Officially, only kp can be converted to cp. 1kp = 1000cp. Cp cannot be converted to kp. ck market, however, dictated 10000 cp = 1kp.


    This was why the customers were angry at Trade Union. Without sufficient kp, they''d have to resort to converting cp. With a single move, Trade Union skyrocketed the price without breaking thews.


    Varian controlled his rage and nced at the prices of 2 Star Treasures. They were around 30 to 50kp. This meant for the best quality he''d have to spend around 50kp.


    ''My savings are only 300,000 cp. That''d only be 30 kp.'' Varian smiled wryly. ''But now that I''m a Level 1, I can earn more. I must give my best for the entrance. I don''t want to risk my only chance due to a cheap star treasure.''


    He could either save the money he got and continue to living a mediocre life or bet everything on something he needed to do and follow it without regret.


    ''I''ll need 20 kp more.'' Then he remembered something and clicked on hism, and selected the kp section.


    {Kp: 10. Reward for killing an Abyssal}


    Him killing an Abyssal was reported during his sleep and he was awarded 10 kp.


    ''10 more. Right! I know.'' Varian searched around and found the beast core corner. An automated box stood there with an opening. It read ''Put in the beast cores and get the kp.''


    He brought out the 10 beast cores of demon rabbits he collected from the Dungeon and put them in the opening.


    {You have received 10 kp} hism prompted and Varian logged into the ck market channel to convert his savings cp to kp.


    Gritting his teeth, he clicked the final yes.


    {You have received 30 kp}


    Varian was officially broke. With a grudge and anticipation, he walked to the counter and selected a pair of red gauntlets. The spikes were made from the bones of a Level 2 magic beast and were blood red, a bit darker than the rest of the piece.


    Spiked gauntlets were impractical in old Earth, but in the Era of awakeners, they were popr. Varian wore the gauntlets and felt more empowered than ever. Then he nced at his empty his karma points and drooped his head.


    All the exhration of buying an awesome weapon was doused by his newfound poverty.


    ''I want to punch someone.'' Varian exited the Trade Union building in a foul mood and jumped on his hover bike.


    It was almost midnight. His treatment time was over. That meant he could finally train.


    "Go to Murloc Inds and get permission for entrance of Level 1 Awakener." Varian said to hism''s AI, Isha.


    "Yes, sir." it said and the hover bike took off. Varian closed his eyes and felt fatigue wash over him.


    The gentle music was gradually reced by the sea waves. The neon light was reced by the sunlight. His fatigue was reced by vigour.


    Varian woke up to see himself on his hover bike, floating above a chain of inds in the middle of an ocean.


    The glittering sunrays of the two suns painted a beautiful picture. The ocean sparkled, and the wavelets shone. It was a scene out of a painting.


    Looking around, a few more hover cars and bikes passed him andnded on one of the ind.


    With his superhuman eyesight, Varian observed the inds below. They only had sparse greenery, and the bulk of inds were deste and damp.


    Upon careful observation, he found a few humanoid creatures moving. They had blue scales and vertical pupil yellow eyes. A tail sprung from their back and they were around 4 feet tall.


    ''So these are descendants of Murlocs, huh?'' Varian thought to himself and let the hover bike descend.


    Murlocs were an intelligent aquatic species that first revealed themselves to humans in 80 YAB. They emerged from the oceans and were capable ofnd survival. They were the superior power on earth due to their habitat and poption.


    Humanity lost their dominance over Earth and it stayed that way until Murlocs fell into internal wars. Human Federation exploited this to full extent and weakened the murlocs.


    After realizing Humanity''s hidden motives, Murlocs destroyed all the cities on the coasts, killing hundreds of millions. This sparked into a fierce war and eventually led to the extinction of murlocs.


    Many historians agree that had Murlocs never fallen into a civil war, there was a good chance that humanity would''ve been wiped out.


    ''These are just hybrids of Murlocs.'' Variannded on the ind and looked at the murlocs nearby.


    They just had the bloodline of the murlocs without their intelligence. However, they were smarter than Magic beasts. So they were kept alive on this ind and used as a training ground for humans.


    "I''ll test my powers." He said with an excited smile and looked at the status.


    [First Path:


    Body Level 1: 5/100


    Stats: 3% Greater Human]

 Chapter 14 - Murloc Island

    <h4>Chapter 14 - Murloc Ind</h4>


    Varian dashed through the muddynd and felt like a gust of wind. Never had he felt so free and so fast.


    ''Is this what being an Awakener feels every time?'' he thought and leaped to a treetop.


    Without little effort, hended on top of the four meter tall tree. Then he gazed down at the ground, and with an adventurous smile, removed his gauntlets. With no hesitation, he dived down head first and punched into the ground, adding with his own strength the full force of the fall.


    ''Boom!''


    ''Crackle!''


    Dust rose into air, and the ground cracked. Varian stood in the centre, his eyes looked at his own hands in disbelief.


    Other than a few scratches, they were perfectly fine.


    ''I would certainly have a fracture had I tried it before awakening.'' Varian slowly adjusted to his new state.


    Even though he hadn''t mastered the powers of his path, he was already familiar with them.


    He could now feel the aura enter his body and feel it turn into something new. What was flowing inside him wasn''t strictly aura anymore. It was a part of aura, but different from it.


    Body Awakeners called it chi. Varian felt aura enter his body and turn into chi. Chi coursed through his muscles and bones. He could tell almost intuitively that he wasn''t using the full potential of the chi in his body. He could improve.


    This improvement would be the basis of his progress in his Level 1.


    [+5 Xp]


    [First Path:


    Body Level 1: 10/100


    Stats: 3.5% Greater Human]


    Varian felt his power increase by a significant amount and sighed in satisfaction.


    "Grawll" Varian''s ears perked up, and he caught the sounding from a long distance.


    He focused and found a group of murlocs gazing at him from a distance.


    With a single thought, the gauntlets equipped themselves upon his hands. It was a perk of 2 star treasures.


    Fully armed, he charged at them. His each step covered a few meters with ease and in no time, he was in front of the murlocs.


    Taking the initiative, he hurled a punch.


    ''Swish''


    His punch cut through the air and connected with the neck of the murloc.


    ''Screech''


    His gauntlet tore through its neck, and a foundation of blood filled the air.


    ''Weak,'' Varian thought and observed the other murlocs. They were about four of them.


    They hissed and lunged at him. Their ws would dig into his flesh should they seed.


    Varian gave them no chance and charged at one of the murlocs. Like an arrow breaking paper, Varian broke the murloc and dodged the attacks.


    The spikes of his gauntlet pierced the heart of the murloc and killed it. Varian yanked his arm, and the corpse flew out. Four left.


    ''Kindness to enemy is cruelty to self.'' Varian believed and followed. He didn''t feel the slightest remorse at using murlocs to train himself.


    When he first began training, he was na?ve and tried to be aspassionate as possible.


    He fought normal animals which didn''t awaken but were stronger than their usual breed. They were called Level 0s.


    He only tried to spar and didn''t try to kill. But at some point, they threatened something or someone¡­


    ''Why can''t I remember what caused me to change? I used to insist on beingpassionate but somewhere down the line, I waspletely fine with killing.''


    Varian searched his memories but couldn''t find the reason. Perhaps continuous practice numbed him to killing. Maybe.


    Ignoring the questions, he focused on the four murlocs in front.


    "Graawl" they screamed and lunged at him again.


    Varian pounced at one of the murlocs. But suddenly, the murlocs used their tails tosh at him.


    The four tails came from four directions and blocked his routes of escape. Since he was in mid-air, he couldn''t jump or duck. He only had limited mobility and had to take the attacks head on.


    Even though murlocs weren''t intelligent as humans, they could cooperate in groups and had a good battle sense.


    "Damn!" Varian gritted his teeth and chose to gamble on a Body Awakener''s agility.


    He twisted his body in midair and avoided the attacks of two tails. He caught the other two tails with his gauntlets and crushed them with his bare hands. He positioned his feet onto the murloc in front. In the next moment, he crashed into the murloc he was originally aiming for. His kick sunk its chest bones and killed it in one shot.


    All this happened in the blink of an eye.


    The next moment, Varian rolled down the ground to avoid the attack of the only intact tail.


    Before he could get up or even move, the two murlocs whose tails were minced wed at his face in rage. If he couldn''t block it, they''d pierce his brain.


    "Fuck!" Varian cursed and brought his gauntlets up to block the attack.


    Murlocs showed their cunningness and shifted the attack at the final moment, aiming at his heart region. But due to the sudden change, they slowed down for a moment.


    "Back at you!" with a single thought, the gauntlets loosened themselves and Varian hurled them at the murlocs with hisplete strength.


    ''Bang''


    ''Bang''


    Due to the sheer force, the murlocs were blown back just before their ws could touch him.


    Varian rushed to them and stepped on their necks, ending their lives and saving his.


    ''That was¡­ harder.'' He wiped the sweat from his forehead and reequipped his gauntlets.


    [+10 Xp]


    [Body Path Level 1: 20/100


    4% Greater Human]


    Varian felt the flow of chi in his body improve.


    ''I knew it. Combat is the best training for me.'' He grinned, then his ears perked, and he jumped ahead.


    ''Screech.''


    A spear passed through the area of his previous position and hit a boulder, breaking it into two.


    Varian turned in the direction of attack and saw a single murloc walking toward him.


    It was 5 feet tall. Its scales were turning dark blue and its tail was longer than usual. In its hand was a bone spear.


    ''This¡­ is a Peak Level 1 Murloc.'' Varian gasped. He could tell it reached the peak of level 1 from the sheer pressure it gave off.


    This was his strongest enemy to date, not even the Abyssal, despite Abyssals being the strongest in a given level.


    The reason he was able to kill the Abyssal was twofold. One was Varian''s own daring strategy. The second, without which Varian wouldn''t have seeded was ¡ª the Abyssal''s internal injury.


    So Varian didn''t kill a peak Level 1 Abyssal. He killed an injured Level 1 Abyssal and almost died in the process.


    Now, he had to face an uninjured peak Level 1 Murloc.


    Varian didn''t fear the challenge. His current enemy was much stronger than his previous enemy.


    He smiled.


    ''My enemy might be stronger, but so am I.''


    Varian and the murloc looked into each other''s eyes and the next second, they shot at the other at breakneck speed.

 Chapter 15 - Peak Level 1 Enemy

    <h4>Chapter 15 - Peak Level 1 Enemy</h4>


    Varian and the murloc closed their distance in an instant. With only the intent to kill, Varian punched at its chin.


    The murloc blocked it with its spear. But the real attack was the one that followed.


    Another fist hurled at its abdomen with the spikes threatening to rip apart its stomach. Due to its short arms, a murloc wouldn''t be able to block the attack. Varian felt he''d gain the edge with this attack, but ...


    "Cling"


    The murloc''s tail parried the gauntlet, and sparks flew in the air. At a closer distance, Varian realized the tail itself was covered by a metallic blueyer.


    ''This is going to be difficult than I thought. But this is my way of progress.''


    Varian continued his offensive with momentum.


    "sh"


    "Click"


    "sh"


    The sounds of gauntlets shing with the bone spear and metallic tail reverberated across the ind.


    The murlocs in the vicinity witnessed the intensity of the fight and ran for their lives.


    Varian tilted his neck and dodged the thrust of the spear. He sidestepped and avoided the tail''s strike.


    At the same time, he kneed the murloc in the groin and mmed his fist into the murloc''s face, with the spikes aiming for the eyes.


    The murloc''s tail was nimble and flexible, so it blocked the knee with ease. The next moment, the murloc swerved to the right and dodged the punch to its eyes.


    "Tch," Varian cursed under his breath and maintained his attacks. The one to drop their momentum would lose.


    With growing battle intent, they dashed at each other.


    Soil rose and gales blew. Shockwaves originated and shook the trees. In the middle of it all, the perpetrators stood unwavered ¡ª Varian and the murloc.


    "sh"


    "Click"


    "sh"


    A few minutes passed, but the intensity of the battle only rose. The battle itself showed no signs of ending, since neither party had an upper hand.


    "Click" "sh" "Click" "sh"


    Every attack was blocked by a spear and the tail or dodged.


    Varian''s advantage lied in hisbat experience. The murloc''s advantage was in its superior strength from its peak of Level 1 and its weapon.


    Its arms were shorter than Varian''s and thus took a bit longer to reach him. The previous murlocs also had the same problem, so they either lunged at him or used their tails. Varian exploited this and turned the tables by using his agility and speed to dodge their lunges and took them down one by one.


    This murloc, however, cleverly avoided its inherent shoring and made it up with its spear. The spear had a longer reach than its arms and was quick to reach Varian.


    It didn''t have much expertise in spear, so it could only use its raw power. Despite that, it was able to block every single one of Varian''s calcted and strategic blows.


    "Argh" Varian yelled and blocked a strike from the tail. He took a step back.


    He wasn''t as strong as the murloc in term of raw power. So he leveraged his skill withoutpeting for strength.


    However, the murloc''s battle style forced him to block some of the attacks. This made no difference in the beginning, but the rebound from the attacks was starting to take a toll on him. Little by little, his momentum began to fall.


    "I should find a way." Varian panted and nced into murloc''s eyes.


    For the first time, he noticed they held somewhat humanely emotions. Those eyes seemed to¡­ mocking.


    ''How dare you challenge me? You loser!'' those yellow eyes seemed to tell him.


    ''I will not only dare but also win.''


    Varian dashed towards the murloc and faked a punch. The murloc put up the spear to block, and he grabbed at it.


    The murloc pped at him with its tail, and he was forced to block.


    "Boom"


    The massive impact pushed him and he slid backwards, his feet anchored on the ground and carving trails into the soil.


    ''If this goes on for 1 more minute, I''d lose.'' Varian took quick breaths and felt fatigue slowly but surely catching up with him.


    In the end, his stats were still only at 4% Greater Human and he was no match for the murloc which was at the peak of Level 1.


    But he didn''t despair. He was always fighting stronger opponents and won.


    ''This will be the final attack.'' Varian shot at the murloc, kicking up dust in the run.


    The murloc did the same and thrust its spear at his heart while its tailshed at his head.


    Varian put a block against the tail but didn''t block the spear as the murloc predicted. Instead, he used his greater human agility to slightly shift his body in the nick of time and hit the murloc''s hand holding the spear, knocking the spear out of its grip.


    "Chhh"


    The spear pierced his body, missing his heart by an inch. Due to its massive momentum, it pierced through and exited from his back, leaving a gaping hole.


    "Ahh," Varian hissed at the pain and with no hesitation, caught the tail that wasshed at his head.


    The murloc screamed and in panic, punched at him. A mistake he was aiming for. Its arms weren''t as long and took a second more than the spear would to reach him.


    That one second was all Varian needed as he grabbed at the murloc''s neck with lightning speed and crushed it.


    "Click"


    "Boom!"


    At the same time, he clicked its neck, its fist finally connected with his abdomen.


    Varian clutched his abdomen and winced in pain. Right then, the pain from his wound, which he was trying to ignore, flooded his brain.


    "Cough cough cough" He coughed out hard and spit out blood. He could feel his organs shaking and the hole...


    He looked down to see the gaping hole in his chest, now a mess of flesh, blood, and splinters of bones.


    ''System, what''s my status?'' Varian asked, eager to know his improvement.


    [ Xp+ ...]

 Chapter 16 - Ordinary And Genius

    <h4>Chapter 16 - Ordinary And Genius</h4>


    [ Xp +30


    Body Path Level 1: 50/100


    5.5% Greater Human]


    The status panel shed and Varian felt the chi in his body rise. He felt a surge of power in his weak body. His bleeding slowed down. He couldn''t see it, but he felt his regeneration improve.


    Varian was ecstatic for a moment before the gut wrenching pain reminded him of the battle he just won.


    ''Fuck you, system'' Varian cursed it with a passion. The records of the ind said there were only Level 1 Murlocs on this ind and none reached the peak of Level 1.


    That was the reason Varian selected this particr ind. He wanted to train, but he didn''t want to die.


    But on his first trip to the ind, he was so lucky or unlucky that he encountered a murloc that just hit level 1 peak. This wasn''t backluck anymore. This was courting death.


    When the murloc set its sights on him, he had no choice of escape. Fight or die.


    This must be what the system was talking about when it said he''d face danger to "pay" for the opportunity he received through the system. The price of his growth was constant danger.


    ''But¡­ regardless of what this world throws at me, I''lle out stronger'' Varian gritted his teeth and stood up.


    Even though the pain was unbearable, the wound was not fatal, and he''d be able to survive for some time.


    Unlike thest time, he wasn''t dying.


    ''Not dying after killing your enemy is ¡­ admirable. Should I call myself OP?'' Varian tried to smile, but he couldn''t stop wincing from the pain he tried to ignore.


    "Isha, pick me up and take me to the emergency healing center nearby." He ordered hism and his AI, Isha obliged.


    "Yes, sir. The emergency center is 100km from here and will be reached in 5 minutes at thetest."


    The hover bike descended, and Varian climbed into the seat. It took off and headed to the emergency healing center.


    His eyelids drooped, and it all went dark.


    In the darkness, he felt the pain from the wound recede with an itch recing it. The itch increased to an unbearable level and finally fell.


    {Your treatment is finished. The bill has been sent to your ount.} The familiar prompt he heard a thousand times woke him up.


    Varian opened his eyes to see the medi bot leaving his hover bike and entering the floating emergency treatmentplex.


    "How long has it been?" He asked.


    "2 hours, sir. I informed the medibot to treat you here so as not to disturb your rest." Isha''s cute voice sounded.


    Varian checked himself and found no traces of injuries.


    "Really, the medical technology is awesome. In old earth''s period, it''d take months to heal this, now it''s done in a few hours." Varian smiled and felt his body brimming with vigor, then he slumped his shoulders.


    "Only their bills¡­ suck." He felt like crying recalling his empty savings.


    Old Earth was the period of earth before the Blink. It was when people still used 5G and thought AIs were going to take over the world. It was romanticized by the historians and the general public.


    Even though old earth only had backward technologies, there were no dungeons, no shadow nation, no murlocs, no Abyssals.


    ''The grass is always greener on the other side, eh?'' Varian shook his head.


    But looking at the pitiful amount of cps left in his ount, he felt that transmigrating to old earth like in some novels wasn''t really a bad idea.


    "Since it''s free to enter, I can''t sell the corpses of those murlocs¡­ damn the regtions." He sighed in despair and felt the woes of poverty.


    "Sir, cadets of any military academy receive stipends to keep them afloat." Isha reminded him.


    "Oh right. I''ll be going to the academy, anyway." Varian said. "To Earth Imperial Defense Academy." He stressed. Partly for Isha to remember, but mostly for himself to believe.


    ''I''d need to be at least Level 2 to enter the Imperial academy. Today is 39th, and the testis on 45th¡­'' Varian nced at his status panel and concluded it was not a dream.


    [Body Path Level 1: 50/100]


    He was genuinely surprised to see himself cross half of Level 1.


    Usually, an average person would awaken by 14 or 15 and take at least 3 years to reach the peak of Level 1.


    Most, however, only hit the peak of Level 1 at 19 years and break into Level 2 by the age of 20.


    Geniuses awakened at the age of 13 and reached the peak of Level 1 around the age of 16 and broke into Level 2 by the age of 17.


    So a normal individual strived to join the Imperial Trooper Academy. The minimum qualifications to enter it were:


    Not older than 18


    Level 1


    Outstanding performance in the entrance test


    Geniuses, however, aimed for the Imperial Defense Academy. One must be no older than 18, be at least a Level 2 and disy an outstanding performance in the entrance test.


    ''I progressed halfway through Level 1 in a few days. This is crazy¡­ I might really break into Level 2 and qualify for the Imperial Academy.'' Varian kept his hopes up while still being baffled by the sheer audacity of his growth rate.


    He told himself that his massive improvement was thanks to thebat. But he knew the biggest reason got something to do with the system.


    Though there wasn''t an explicit division, it wasmonly acknowledged that talent was decided at birth and it determined the speed at which one progressed in their divine paths.


    There were instances of people eating a strange fruit in the Deva Ruins and their pace of advancement skyrocketing. These "Trash to Genius" stories were the part and parcel of the popr culture and an inspiration to normal individuals.


    ''System, what did you do to my talents?'' Varian asked.


    [Host, before you question about talents. You need to understand how the Divine Paths work. Let this system show you the truth]

 Chapter 17 - Divine View

    <h4>Chapter 17 - Divine View</h4>


    [Let this system show you the truth]


    The mechanical voice of the system rung and Varian felt his consciousness being pulled¡­ everything went nk.


    When his consciousness returned, Varian "saw" a dark space. However, he could not feel his body. He just felt being present. He struggled to move and finally epted that he was dragged here with only his mind.


    Then he observed the space. In waspletely dark. But in the distance, there was a glow. It was sometimes red, sometimes blue, and sometimes yellow.


    He focused on the glow and soon, his view "zoomed in".


    The light got clearer, and he saw the glowing structure.


    Three smooth surfaces, like in a prism were connected to each other at 60 degrees. Each surface glowed with its own distinct color. Yellow, Red and Blue.


    Varian felt like he was watching an immersive movie.


    He didn''t exist in this ce yet he could see it. He could zoom in and out, watch it in 3D. He could control how he viewed this space without interacting with it.


    ''Where am I?'' He wondered and noticed something.


    Varian focused on the prism surfaces and without him willing it, the view "rotated".


    In front of him was the red surface. It was inclined upward, like a mountain''s slope. He couldn''t see the end of the surface. It was like an uphill road.


    It was incredibly smooth and gave off a dazzling red lustre. The beautiful and mysterious red road stretched to infinity.


    In the dark space, this red ss road, along with the blue and yellow roads was like a painting of gods. He was enthralled by the surreal beauty.


    ''This is¡­ Divine.'' Varian sighed in amazement or would''ve, had he been in a physical form.


    [Indeed. This is the Divine Path after all.]


    The system''s voice pulled him out of his stupor, and Varian was shocked hearing the system''s words.


    ''This is Divine Path? Isn''t it just a figurative name for the existing power system? Do real Divine Paths actually exist?''


    [What is real? What isn''t?


    The space¡­ the location you are in now exists and doesn''t.


    It cannot be essed physically, dimensionally or mentally.


    It doesn''t exist in Space or Time. It is the microcosm of the Divine Paths.]


    Varian felt baffled by the System''s exnation. But at the same time, he felt he chanced upon something important.


    Keeping his spection in mind, he observed the red road. This time, he noticed it was divided into threenes of equal width.


    On the leftmostne was a small white sphere. There was also a ck line at some distance from the white sphere.


    The white sphere was exactly in between the start of the road and the line ¡ª it was halfway through.


    Suddenly, it clicked to him.


    ''So thene in Red Road is the Body Path? That white sphere represents how much I''ve progressed in my Body Path? I''m now half through Level 1.''


    Varian remembered his progress in Body Path Level 1 was 50/100. Exactly half.


    [You''re right. Thene in which that white sphere is on is the Body Path. It covered half of Level 1. The ck line is the peak of Level 1 and crossing it, you step into level 2]


    Varian nodded mentally and carefully observed the threenes on the Red Road.


    He tried to move forward on the road and into Level 2. But unlike before, the view didn''t "zoom in" or "move forward", his view was limited to the Level 1 section of thenes. He couldn''t see what was beyond the line.


    He understood that he couldn''t ess the levels he didn''t reach.


    Then Varian zoomed out and saw the prism once again. He "focused" on the Blue surface and expected it to zoom in.


    To his disappointment, nothing happened. Then he focused on the Red surface and he was back on the Red Road.


    It was the same conclusion.


    ''I know now.'' He said, looking at the threenes of the Red Road ''The Red Road is the Divergent Group. The Yellow and Blue are Elementals and Dimensionals.''


    [Go on]


    ''These threenes are the three different Divine paths of the Divergent Group.'' He mentally pointed to the threenes of the red road.


    Then he pointed at thene with the white sphere.


    ''This is the Body Path. So the other twones are the Mind Path and the Morpher Path.''


    [Humans have a basic understanding of the Divine Paths. However, it is limited.


    What you call as a Group is essentially an Avenue of Divine Paths.


    All Paths of an Avenue ultimately converge. That is why they belong to a single Avenue.


    So Red Road is the Sage Avenue or as you call it, Divergent Avenue.


    Thenes are the Divine Paths.


    The white sphere is Origin ¡ª the ultimate representation of "you" in vital, dimensional and intrinsic qualities.


    It is like your unique cosmic identity.]


    ''But what does this have to do with my original question?'' Varian was baffled at the way things turned out, though he didn''t oppose knowing more.


    He just asked the system if it changed his talents and was thus responsible for his insane rate of progress. But now he was being told something apparently entirely different.


    [Concentrate on the Origin] The System responded as if that was the answer.


    Varian mentally sighed and did as it suggested. He "focused" on the origin and the view "zoomed in".


    He saw Origin, the white sphere, wasposed of three colored fluids within it. Red. Blue. Yellow. Same as the Avenues.


    They weren''t really fluids. Sometimes, they looked like colored gases, then turned into colored liquids and at others, like solids. The only constant thing was that they intermixed, but didn''t merge.


    ''This is¡­'' Varian was fascinated by the sight.


    If "Origin" was supposed to be his representation at the most fundamental level, then these three must be its building blocks. His building blocks.


    He remembered what the System said about Origin ¡ª the ultimate representation of "you" ¡ª Vital, Dimensional and Intrinsic qualities.


    These three aspects are core to everything!


    Varian felt that he solved a puzzle and would''ve snapped his fingers if he were in a physical body.


    ''So these three Aspects you mention are the fundamentals of everything. Vital, Dimensional and Intrinsic.


    They make up me ¡ª they are the building blocks of my Origin.


    They make up the universe.


    They make up the Divine Paths ¡ª each Avenue is but a representation of an Aspect.


    Divine Paths in the Avenue are the way for Awakeners to seek the powers of these fundamental aspects.


    The three Avenues each allow awakeners to progress in one of the aspects.


    Body Awakeners pursue Vital aspect or the so called Sage Avenue. Space Awakeners pursue the dimensional aspect. Elementals pursue the Intrinsic aspect.''


    Varian realized the profound truths and felt a new world unfold in front of his eyes. The Divine Paths were a lot moreplex than what he initially believed.


    [Smart. This holds the answer to your original question. Talent.


    Some people are more talented than others. What the so-called geniuses achieve in a year takes even 10 years for a normal person to achieve. Some may not reach the same level in their lifetime.


    The reason is Origin''s aspects.


    If the Dimensional Aspect of the Origin is of high quality, then the Awakener would progress faster on Dimensional Avenue.


    So a genius Space Awakener has a high dimensional aspect in his Origin.]


    ''So the ones whose talents increased after some mystic fruit or pill, taking those things increased the Aspect of that thing in their Origin.''


    [You''re right. Even though ''Aspects'' or ''Talents'' are inborn, they can be changed.


    But the higher your starting talent, the harder it is to improve further.


    Turning a trash to ordinary is easier than turning ordinary to genius and genius to super genius.]


    ''So what you did was improve my Origin Aspects and improve my talent to some crazy degree?''


    [Yes. On Earth, you''ll have no one to rival your inherent talent.]


    ''On earth, huh.'' Varian decided to not ask further. Since the Abyssals existed, he knew there were more civilizations. But now, he was not interested in knowing more.


    He looked at the Origin on Body path in Divergent Avenue. It was halfway through level 1.


    Varian rejoiced, knowing things he''d never know otherwise. He never heard of these things anywhere.


    [Of course you wouldn''t. You''re supposed to ess this "Divine View" only after reaching Level 9. But it''s an advantage of having this system.]


    The System sounded like it demanded a speech of gratitude.


    ''Thank You for selecting me without my permission and pushing me into deadly situations every time I do something?'' Varian spoke in a monotonous tone.


    The System seemed pissed, and Varian felt his consciousness go nk.


    The moment he opened his eyes, the bright sunlight hit him, forcing him to shut them. In the darkness, he felt himself back in familiar warm and cozy interior of his hover bike.


    He also felt his body after a brief but bizarre experience. He, or his body to be precise, was brimming with strength and the chi flow everywhere inside him.


    Varian slowly opened his eyes.


    "Sir, I was worried about your sudden nap." Isha''s cute voice sounded, reminding him of the "Divine View".


    "From now on, I''ll be taking such naps. Don''t worry about them."


    "Noted, sir."


    "Now, take me to Good Days Orphanage." Varian continued to digest the knowledge he just gained and decided to unveil the mystery bogging his mind.


    Good Days Orphanage ¡ª It was where he met Sia in that¡­ dream.


    Now he''d see for himself if it was a dream or a memory.

 Chapter 18 - Good Days Orphanage

    <h4>Chapter 18 - Good Days Orphanage</h4>


    Varian''s hover bike dashed through the skyways. It passed through the floatingplexes, patrolling airships, and reached a quiet district.


    It had no floating buildings and only a few skyscrapers. The hover bike descended and Varian stopped before the familiar building.


    The old-fashioned LED namete of the orphanage greeted him as he entered the orphanage.


    The front yard was a yground with with a park.


    "Hey! Catch the bluebird!"


    "Catch the green one!"


    "Dodge the bullet. Duck! Duck!"


    Children of different ages were ying the AR games. Though all such games were eliminated from mainstream, and were now outdated, these kids found joy in them.


    The maid robots taking care of them were also outdated, but the kids didn''tin. They revelled in the present, without worrying about the future.


    Varian was d that at least the security measures were in ce. The camera systems and the security robots were in ce.


    "Yay! I got gold!"


    "Hehe! Yue got gold!"


    "Sree has tinum!"


    ''I guess I will never have happiness like them.'' Varian shook his head wryly and walked down the cobblestone path.


    He stopped in his track as a group of benches under the trees caught his eye. The scene from his dream where Amanda sat on the bench and spoke to him shed in his mind.


    ''You have to remember this, Varian. You don''t have to take every responsibility alone. There will be people who share your burdens, and in turn, you will share theirs. Got it?''


    ''I have no one.'' Varian clenched his fist¡­ then remembering Kyle and Maya who were worried about him, and Mr. Gareth, who helped him out without seeking anything in return, his fist loosened.


    ''I am d I have them. Maybe you are right, mom.'' He turned his head and continued to walk before stopping in tracks. But despite everything, he felt lonely. Some things he could never share.


    ''Some burdens, I have to bear them alone.''


    He reached the door, and the home keeper AI informed him to wait. Varian sat on a bench outside and waited for the orphanage owner.


    ''Would it matter?'' He asked himself. ''Why am I doing this? For Sia? For Mom? For myself?''


    Heavy Footsteps sounded, and an aged voice greeted him, "What can I do for you, young man?"


    Varian turned to see an old man with a bright smile stered on his wrinkled face. Unlike elderly of this day who use skin treatments, he seemed to enjoy the natural oldness.


    Varian gave a small greeting and stated, "I need a favor. Can you check if I ever visited this orphanage 7 years ago and met a girl named Sia here?"


    The temperature rose in the air, and Varian was on his feet the next moment. mes were swirling around the old man and threatened to jump at Varian.


    ''At least Level 2 peak, Fire Awakener.'' Varian estimated and raised his guard further.


    ''He must have thought my first question was a feint and my actual purpose was an ulterior motive against an orphan. Welp! I need to rify.''


    He looked straight into the old man''s eyes and said "Look, I don''t need any personal details about her if that''s what you''re thinking. Just at least tell me if a girl with that name existed or not."


    The Old Man stared back into Varian''s eyes and finally sighed "Show me your criminal records."


    Varian shrugged and tapped on hism. A holograph popped up with a tab of ''Self Criminal Record''. Varian clicked on it and swiped the new holograph file to the old man.


    The old man observed Varian''s criminal record, or theck of it. From breaking traffic rules to attempted murder, everything wrong doing of a citizen was recorded into it.


    Varian''s criminal record was nk. Truly an ideal citizen of the Federation. Breaking the bones and injuring hispetitors was considered a part of the game, so he came out clean.


    The Old man''s eyes scanned Varian for a moment and he said, "My old eyes tell me you''re seeking someone not for ill, but for well."


    He took out a holo mobile, an old-fashioned device, and searched for the records.


    ''You''re half right. I''m seeking Sia but I want to confirm if she really existed. Maybe the System was lying.'' Varian thought.


    "Ah! Your ID matches the entry records 7 years ago. So you visited this orphanage and your mom was with you." The Old Man tapped on his holo mobile and swiped the file towards him.


    Varian looked at the holograph file disying the records of 33th Septe, 513.


    {Entry: Varian + Amanda


    Time Spent: 1 Hour}


    "Um, is ther¡ª" Varian''s question was cut off


    "Boy, there are no video recordings. It''s against our policy." The Old Man waves his hands.


    "That''s understandable." Varian inwardly sighed. There were several policies against hyper surveince.


    "About the person, uh, Sia." the old man looked up from his holo mobile with a distressed face.


    Varian''s face turned serious, and he awaited the answer.


    "There are no records of her. I was working here for 6 years and as far as I know, there was never a girl named Sia." He said the truth, and feared it would disappoint Varian too much.


    "Great!" Varian shed a bright smile, contrary to his expectations.


    ''Is this kid alright?'' He looked perturbed. ''He''s happy that the important person he''s looking for didn''t live here. Wait, is he crazy or what?''


    "That''s all I know. Now leave." The old man''s spection was strengthened looking at Varian''s genuine smile and he urged Varian to leave.


    Varian thanked the Old Man despite his weird gaze and left the orphanage with a bright smile.


    ''All cadets have their information on the meta deleted. This also includes any information from the public domain.


    I came here 7 years ago in that dream and in the records. We nned to adopt Sia.


    If it was just a dream, I''d have nevere here in real life and with the records as evidence, it proves this must be a memory.


    But I grew up alone after all.


    So something must have happened that led us to not adopt her. Since I was too young, I forgot what happened. But mom had some connection with Sia. I don''t know why she never told me.


    Then Sia joined Imperial Academy. So her records on meta and in the orphanage are deleted.''


    Varian confirmed his conjecture, but he still had questions he couldn''t answer.


    But one thing was clear. Even though he didn''t have any memory of her ¡ª Sia was real. And whatever predicament she was in, he needed to save her.


    The Sun was setting, marking the end of 39th, Septe.


    Varian returned home and spent the next 5 days visiting the murloc inds. He spent all fighting the level 1s and mastered his Awakner powers.


    But to his utter dismay, his progress bar never moved. It stayed stubborn at:


    [Body Path Level 1: 50/100]


    On 45th, Septa, Varian woke up earlier than usual.


    ''Today is the day. I must make it!'' He looked at himself in the mirror. ''I only got one shot to find Sia. Next year, I''ll be 19 and I can''t take the test.''


    ''I can do it!'' Varian cheered himself. How sessful it was, he didn''t know.


    He reached the Starfish Spaceport. It was crowded with hover bikes and hover cars. Swarms of youngsters entered through the six entrances of the vast spaceport.


    Starfish was one of the finest spaceports of Earth. Spaceports were simr to airports of Old Earth but with space shuttles.


    Starfish was an 8 pointed spaceport with 8 terminals dedicated to a each, including Pluto.


    After Pluto war, the Pluto terminal was disbanded and now used for other purposes.


    Varian reached the terminal. It was a huge building made of crystal walls with star treasures as defenses and enlivened by holographs boasting about humanity''s achievements.


    The entrance was divided into two sections. One for the Officers and the other for soldiers. Each had different academies. Due to their different requirements, they also had different entrance tests.


    Soldiers or troopers were trained in Imperial Trooper Academies.


    Officers were trained in Defense Academies. Naturally, there were only Five Defense Academies on Earth and the Imperial Defense Academy was the best.


    ''So I''m aiming for the highest of high.'' Varian sighed and entered the officers'' section.


    To be admitted to a Defense Academy, one was required to reach at least level 2 and at most 18 years old. That was only a prerequisite. Then they had to make the cut in the entrance test, something which even geniuses didn''t always seed at.


    Passing through the tunnel entrance, Varian finally reached a vast hall. There was a stage in front and all candidates stood in preassigned positions in uniform distance.


    Varian reached his position and stood in the standard military posture. But the sight outside the ss window caught his eye.


    The Space shuttles on the runway were not just difficult but impossible to ignore. They were pitch ck, and at least 200 meters long and at least 60 meters wide. To put it into perspective, it was double the length of a football field and just as wide.


    ''So these are the fabled Type 1 Space ships, huh.'' Varian sighed in amazement at this marvelous creation.


    A Type 1 Space Ship was said to travel at an insane 1% of light speed.


    To put that into perspective, any location on earth can be reached with in 4 seconds. Moon can be reached in about 2 minutes and mars in around 5 hours.


    Varian was transfixed by the marvelous ship and didn''t notice a female military officer stepping onto the stage.


    "Szz"


    Those who weren''t concentrating on the stage got a slight shock under their feet, and that included Varian.


    Feeling the numbing pain from his feet, he looked at the officer along with others and she said harshly, "Getting distracted will kill you. Always focus on mission. Now sign the forms or back off while you still can."


    A form popped up in front of every candidate. It stated that the candidate understood risks and if they died; it was their own doing.


    "I... I don''t want to go."


    "Me too. The death rates are 30% for fuck''s sake."


    Whispers filled the room and a section of the candidates couldn''t bring themselves to face the final choice.


    Varian signed the form and, along with thousands more, entered the Spaceship.


    The Entrance test began!


    Their destination? The Abyss!

 Chapter 19 - Written Test

    <h4>Chapter 19 - Written Test</h4>


    Varian entered the spaceship in curiosity and awe. Despite nearly a thousand candidates boarding a single spaceship, it wasn''t crowded at all.


    The interior of the spaceshipbwas vast, with mobile seats. The candidates got into their pre-assigned seats.


    The whole setup was was closer to a lecture hall than an airship.


    A stage slowly rose from the floor. After precautions of safety, the spaceship took off.


    The spaceship took off and everyone was thrown to the back of their seat by inertia.


    After stabilizing, Varian looked out of the window. The world shed at an extreme speed, and he felt like he was watching a movie.


    Like him, all the candidates also gazed out. They were already outside earth''s atmosphere. It was like they started to zoom out of earth and in a few seconds, Earth was nothing but a tiny dot.


    ''This isn''t what 1% of light speed though.'' Varian was disappointed.


    "We are not going at the full speed. We''ll extend the 5 min trip to 18 minutes to amodate the written test." Varian was jolted out of his thoughts when the familiar voice of a female military officer sounded directly in his head.


    He forced his heart to calm down. Most candidates also reacted in a simr, if not more extreme. Everyone calmed down in a few seconds.


    But it was certainly a creepy experience letting someone talk in your head.


    ''So she is a telepath.'' He realized the Divine path of the officer.


    There was absolute silence in the spaceship. The female officer appeared on stage unnoticed.


    "I am Reina, Colonel of Blue Regiment. I will be the overseer of your group. The entrance test has two parts. Written and practical. You have 15 minutes to finish the written test." Her lips didn''t move, but her voice sounded in everyone''s head.


    Varian felt bizarre having someonemunicate with him mentally, but he was already used to it due to the System.


    ''A Colonel, huh? So she is at least a level 5 Telepath. She can kill all candidates on this shuttle with a thought.''


    Hepared his power to her''s and realized despite his rapid improvement; he was still at the bottom of the pyramid.


    He was still a Level 1. From a Level 1 to level 9, it was a long, long way.


    ''I''ll worry about thatter. Now my biggest worry is¡­''


    {Written Test begins}


    He looked at the holograph test paper in front and gritted his teeth. ''I lost my sleep because of you, damn written test!''


    He cursed it in his heart, but faced the question paper with full focus. Thankfully, he only had to think about it instead of actually writing. Thetest technology of "think to write" made lives easier.


    Thus, the barrage began.


    "Exin Blink"


    ''Blink is the event when the Sun split into two due to unknown reasons followed by the resurgence of aura. That day was marked as the first of Blink and the calendar was changed to Year After Blink (YAB). The old calendar year for blink was 2021 AD.''


    "What are the short-term consequences of Blink?"


    ''Due to Blink, aura''s concentration went from zero to high level in a very short period of time. 99% of the poption could not adapt to the aura and died. The 1% survivors awakened in Divine Paths. Awakeners at that time were still in Level 1s and Level 2s. They weren''t invulnerable to their time''s weapons. The power imbnce created conflicts.


    Old Forces who believed in traditional military power shed with the new forces of Awakeners. This led to the Civil Wars from 0 to 10 YAB.''


    ''Serves you right! I studied all history. I know all major events.'' Varian smiled smugly. ''Nuclear Wars. Human Alliance. Murloc Wars. Even Shadow Nation.''


    "Briefly exin the history of Abyssals."


    ''Abyssals appeared in 400 YAB, ending Humanity''s Golden Age. To be precise, 8 Abysses appeared corresponding to the eights in the sr system. Each had an Abyss paired with it which would revolve with it around the Sun.''


    He read the next question with the same smug smile, and it froze in no time.


    "Exin how teleportation formations work."


    ''Your mom!'' Varian cursed ''I am neither a Space Awakener nor an engineer. Why am I supposed to know?''


    Then he deleted his curses and bluffed, ''They work on the principles of Torrid spacetime.''


    "What do you believe is the most significant challenge posed by Abyssals?"


    ''Lack of information.'' Varian''s expression turned grim, and he expressed his opinion. ''We don''t know who they are, where theye from, and why theye.


    Even though the general opinion is that they just want their Abysses to devour every, I disagree. There must be something driving them to keep continuing this prolonged conflict for 120 years.''


    Despite a century of hostility and frequent wars, Humans didn''t know much about Abyssals.


    Themon knowledge was that Abyssals lived in their respective Abyss. To Earth, Demon Abyss was the pair.


    Demon Abyss, like all other Abysses, was a world of its own. It was ruled by Demon Abyss King following a strict hierarchy.


    Varian searched the meta but found no more information about Abyssals. It seemed to be a state secret.


    "What is Heaven''s Will? What is Abyss''s Will?"


    ''It is the protective...''


    Varian spent the next 15 minutes answering the unending barrage of questions. He believed he was a smart person until taking the test. Now he started to doubt his intelligence.


    ''Teleportation formation? Inner Spaces? How does Type 1 Spaceship''s engine work? The fuck!''


    If not for the necessity of military discipline, he''d have yelled out loud, ''Am I going to work in ab or fight the Abyssals?''


    Then came the long awaited final question.


    "Why do you want to be a Military Officer?"


    "I don''t want kids to be fatherless. Or lose their mother to idental magic beasts that escape Dungeons. Humanity will still have problems even without Abyssals and Dungeons, but any problem is better than extinction threats.'' He finished thest question and slumped into his chair.


    Looking around, others were in a simr position. Some girls were sweating profusely, while some boys looked at the questionare holograph like it killed their parents.


    Only a few, he observed, looked unperturbed. They wore expensive clothes and their star weapons shone with great brilliance. They had the air of strength and confidence.


    ''So these are the elites, huh?'' Varian recalled the major power holders in the federation.


    The Big Two ¡ª Military and Three Prime Families. Small Two ¡ª Trade Union and Adventure Guild.


    The children of leaders of these powers were an elite of the elite. They grew up under expert training and possessed star weapons amoner could only dream of.


    Fed with expensive potions and rare elixirs of the Ruins, they were raised to take up the baton and continue to enrich their heritage.


    The small two ¡ª Trade Union and Adventure Guild were rtively new, and had history of only around 50 years.


    The big two ¡ª Military''s and the Prime Family''s roots could be traced back to the blink, some 500 years of history!


    Thus, the Military and the Prime Families were the major yers in the Federation. Children of these powers were like princes and princesses of the old earth.


    "We''re approaching the Abyss." Colonel Reina''s voice rang in everyone''s head.


    {The written test results will be sent along with practical test''s} The AI''s voice followed and ignored.


    Varian felt his heart stop as he gazed out.


    A huge red circle opened itself in the space, like a red mouth threatening to devour the stars. There was a red sky on the other side.


    It was the Demon Abyss!

 Chapter 20 - Demon Abyss

    <h4>Chapter 20 - Demon Abyss</h4>


    Varian looked at the huge red mouth in the sky. It seemed to devour even the darkness.


    This was the Demon Abyss ruled by the Demon Abyss King!


    "I''ll give you a brief intro on Abyss," Reina spoke using directly into their minds.


    "Abyss follow a system of strict hierarchy. The Eight Abysses are ruled by five Abyss Kings and three Abyss Queens." she started with the basic knowledge.


    "Abyss is its own world and governed as a kingdom. Demon Abyss is as big as Earth''sndmass.


    It is divided into four provinces. Each province is supervised by an Archduke.


    Each province is further divided into duchies overseen by Dukes and each Duchy is divided into Counties."


    Even though Varian expected Abyssals to be civilized, he didn''t expect them to follow a structure simr to Old Earth''s.


    "Your entrance test is going to be conducted in the main city of Red county. A county is ruled by an Abyss Lord, a level 4 Awakener." she stressed the final words and paused.


    "What!"


    "This is suicide!"


    The candidates couldn''t help themselves and started to whisper. There was amon dread spreading amongst the crowd.


    Majority of the students here were Level 2. Only a few elite were Level 3 and none were Level 4. In fact, every three levels was a watershed.


    So asking them to venture in an area governed by a Level 4 Abyssal is no different from seeking death.


    Reina looked at them with a cold gaze, without the slightest change in expression and continued "Abyss Lords are in their castles and usually don''te out. The biggest challenge you''d face is Abyss Knights ¡ª Level 2s. They constitute the Abyss Lord''s army.


    Also beware of Abyss Commander, the second strongest, a Level 3."


    {Entering Demon Abyss}


    The space ship''s AI announced, and Varian''s view blurred. The spaceship dived into the red mouth and a new world unfolded in front.


    The sky was red with a ck moon. Varian gazed out and saw the wilderness of the Abyss.


    They passed through forests, rivers and mountains. They flew above several Abyssal viges and hamlets. He saw Abyssals everywhere.


    ''This is¡­ a different race, a different civilization and a different world.''


    The spaceship slowed down. With his superhuman sight, Varian could make out the silhouette of a giant city.


    ''This is the city of Abyss Lord?'' Varian took a deep breath and clenched his fists.


    ''This is my only chance. I must breakthrough to Level 2 and get selected. I must!''


    "Now the practical test rules," Colonel Reina snapped her fingers and a sci-fi watch appeared in front ot them.


    "These are cadetms, better than the ones on the market. They''ll register the number of Abyssals you killed.


    Each Level 2 Abyss you kill gives you 1 merit point, mp. Merit point is going to be the currency within military.


    Those who survive after reaching 5 merit points would be selected. We''ll pick you up tomorrow at the same after 24 earth hours."


    The candidates went silent. They thought they were hearing things.


    Abyssals were as strong as humans, if not stronger. To kill 5 Level 2s in 24 hours was an uphill task and for a few, no less than a pipedream.


    ''Selected means into the lowest Defense Academy.'' Varian sighed inwardly at the difficulty.


    There were five Defense Academies on earth. They were cream of the crop. But even amongst them, disparities were obvious. Earth Imperial Defense Academy was the undisputed first by a long shot.


    "2 minutes for questions." Reina said in a monotonous tone.


    "Um, how many merit points to get selected into Imperial Academy?" a boy asked. He looked around 17 and he perhaps participated this time to better his chances for the next try.


    "10 mp." Reina''s serious expression seemed to have a hint of teasing and she continued "For outstanding performance, you can even be an honorary student."


    ''Oh shit! 10 Level 2 Abyssals. Honorary...forget about it.'' Varian facepalmed.


    "What about Level 1 Abyssals?" a girl asked in a hesitant tone.


    "0 mp. We don''t need cadets who can only kill the weakest of the bunch. You''re going to be trained as officers. You will be the ones taking on the strongest foes." Reina frowned and said.


    ''So I can only kill Level 2 Abyssals...but with my strength, I can''t face them head on.'' Varian tried to find a solution but couldn''t.


    He wasn''t strong enough to take on a Level 2. Maybe he could kill one Level 2, but that''d need him to nearly put his life on the line, simr to what happened in the Dungeon. But 1 mp won''t let him into Imperial Academy.


    He didn''t know what to do, but he knew he had to do it. Right then, the cadet watchtched onto his wrist, surprising Varian.


    {Identity: Varian


    Level: 1}


    ''Hey System, how does it know my level?'' Varian asked.


    [Are you treating me as a technician?


    The cadet watch can analyze the aura flow and judge your level. This is also how everyone judges levels.


    I can lower your Aura level.]


    ''Don''t. I''m sure military already has data on my awakening and visit to murloc inds.''


    ''But still, killing 10 Abyssals of Level 2 is the requirement. Even battling a single Abyssal is risky. No wonder Defense Academies boast of the best Awakeners.''


    "For those aiming for the honorary, it''s not just killing way more abyssals, if you perform any action of strategic value in the county level, you''ll be awarded merit points." She nced at the rich kids and her tone seemed to soften.


    "Free Advice: Get used to Abyss Will if you don''t want to die." A sadistic smile formed on Reina''s face.


    Varian was confused, but before he could think, a strong wind hit his face.


    "Daaaamn!" the floor under their seats opened and Varian, along with all candidates, fell from the sky.


    The fierce wind hit his face, and his hair danced wildly. Varian clutched onto his seat for his life and cursed the madwoman.


    The seat continued to elerate, and the air friction only increased.


    Varian forced himself to calm down. ''They won''t kill us. So there must be a solution.''


    He carefully moved tilted his neck and gazed at the cadetm.


    {Do you wish to activate aviation of the seats?}


    "Now!" He yelled and the descent abruptly stopped, and almost threw him off.


    Varian took deep breath to calm himself down. Thousand feet above the sky, it was a novel experience; hover cars didn''t fly at this height.


    He looked around and realized some had fallen out of their seats.


    But thankfully, it seemed to trigger the AI, and it caught them soon. If it was a normal person, they''d have broken a bone or two, but awakners were alright with some torture.


    A few seemed to know this setup from the beginning and were already descending at a controlled pace.


    "Land safely 2km outside the city." He ordered, and the seat descended at a safe speed.


    ''Was this supposed to serve as a warning and push us tobat mode?'' He wondered.


    Upon descent, he observed a huge hill in the middle of the city and on top of it was a¡­ castle?


    The seatnded and Varian jumped onto the red ground. In the vicinity, more candidatesnded.


    They used theirms and located theirrades. They started to group.


    Varian knew no one here and didn''t think anyone would be interested in working together with a Level 1.


    He nned to go ahead when ¡ª


    "Varian!" hearing the familiar voice, he slowly turned around to see Kyle in the most unexpected of ces.

 Chapter 21 - Abyss Will

    <h4>Chapter 21 - Abyss Will</h4>


    "Varian!"


    Kyle waved at him and approached him in rapid steps. Varian stood stupefied as Kyle reached him and ¡­


    "What the fuck are you doing here?" they both yelled at the same time.


    Varian red at his friend "You are taking the entrance to Military Science Academy. So why are you in the fucking Abyss? You are a nonbatant for fuck''s sake!"


    Kyle red back with equal intensity "And you never told us you were going to Defense Academies. Are you out of your mind? The minimum requirement is to kill Level 2 Abyssals! You''re only a level 1. They''ll rip you apart."


    They both stared at each other and finally sighed in union.


    Kyle confessed in distress, "The Management is nuts. We, the candidates for science academy, had a written test. The ones who passed the test are dropped in the Abyss. As long as we "survive", they''ll take us in. We''ll spend our lives inbs. Why test us with this goddamn Abyss?"


    Varian patted Kyle''s shoulder and said, "Just stay away from the city. There are viges a few kilometers from here."


    He sighed at his own plight "I¡­ might sound crazy, but I really, really need to get into Imperial Academy."


    "They won''t pick a Level 1. You must at least be Level 2." Kyle rebutted.


    "So I have to breakthrough to Level 2 before the test ends." Varian shrugged.


    Kyle looked at Varian like he was a madman. Varian awakened just a few days ago and now he wanted to break into Level 2.


    He would''ve written it off as drivel if it was someone else, but looking at the burning fire in Varian''s eyes, Kyle felt maybe his friend really believed he could do it or¡­ that he must do it despite any price.


    "Good luck, bro. I''m sorry I can''t help you out." he smiled at Varian.


    Varian nodded. He wasn''t optimistic, nor was he too pessimistic. For him, this was an opportunity.


    ''I have a system. What''s impossible for others is possible for me. But doing it in this constricted time frame is going to be challenging.''


    He wanted to assess the situation and looked around. With his Great human eyesight, he could observe the situation in a vast range.


    Like Kyle, many new studentsnded. They wasted no time and headed away from the city. Presumably, they''ll be going to uninhabited ces. It was a smart choice.


    Thebatants, however, were yet to take any action. Since they were a few kms from the city, they had some buffer. They grouped with their acquaintances and discussed their ns.


    Varian divided thebatants into three groups. One was the normal group and the majority. They were geniuses of their schools and reached Level 2.


    The other group was the unaffiliated elite. They had a strong air of strength. They reached Level 3. They were the cream of the crop. However, they had no expensive star treasures and hence must be unsolicited by any major powers.


    The final group was the elite of major powers. They had a luxurious line up of star treasures. Weapon, body armor, essories boosting their stats,¡­ in other words and they were all level 3. These people had it all. Strength, wealth and background.


    Varian saw many of them started to sweat and pale.


    "Kyle, don''t move." Varian suddenly said.


    "Wh..at" Kyle frowned and suddenly his face paled.


    Varian took a deep breath and calmed his racing heart. His mind started to get dreaded thoughts, visions of his own death. It told him to run away.


    If he let it decide, he would have fled already.


    ''So this is Abyss''s will.'' Varian closed his eyes and faced the visions with tranquility.


    In each of the vision, he could see himself getting killed by the Abyssals. Sometimes, by breaking his neck, the others by slicing him in two. It was truly a horrific experience for a normal person and would''ve broken them. Not him.


    Varian didn''t like what he was seeing, but he quickly adapted. He didn''t fear death, but he had no ns to die. He had things to do.


    These visions, however, took a toll on him. He wasn''t sure if he would be able to give his 100% to the battles. At least, not yet.


    "Abyss will¡­ oh my god." Kyle slumped onto the ground. Sweat rolled down his face, and he was shivering slightly.


    "Calm down. Abyss Will is not an intelligent thing." Varian tried to soothe Kyle. Not everyone was able to face Abyss Will like him.


    Despite being attacked by Abyssals since their arrival, the only reason humanity just defendeds and never tried to attack Abysses was Abyss Will.


    Eight Abysses had a will each. They served three purposes.


    First, in Abyss, any Abyssal had their stats increase by 5%. It might be a small amount inparison, but the oue of many battles was reversed due to this one small increase.


    Second, upon entering the Abyss, any non-Abyssal would face a psychological pressure in the form of fears, visions among other things. It suppresses them and prevents them from exerting their full strength.


    Stacking these two effects, unless the power differential tilts heavily in humanity''s favor, Abysses would be safe from invasions.


    ''Thank Heavens we have the Heaven''s will.'' Varian sighed in emotion. Abyssals weren''t the only one with this blessing.


    Humans found out in their first war against Abyssals in 400 YAB that whenever Abyssals entered a or moons of the sr system, their stats would be suppressed by at least 10%.


    They didn''t know the reason for it and thought it was the blessings of Heaven. Thus, it was named ''Heaven''s will''.


    It was the reason that humanity wasn''t destroyed by Abyssals in their first war. humanity waged a protracted war against Abyssals from 400 to 430 YAB and finally pushed them back.


    Subsequently, when humanity first ventured into the Abysses in 470 YAB, they experienced the Abyss Will and named it as such.


    "You sure adapt to things quickly." Kyle stood up and looked at a group of top elites near them.


    "Even if I''m Level 1, I guess I''m mentally strong." Varian nced at a group of elites still struggling with Abyss will.


    "I''m sure if you had resources like those rich kids, you''d have awakened much earlier and be much stronger. It''s a pity, resources wasted on unworthy kids." Kyle said in a low voice, making sure only Varian could hear it.


    They were at least a hundred feet away from the top elites and with Kyle''s volume, it wouldn''t be audible even for a Level 3.


    However, Varian felt his hair stand up. He turned to the side and saw a pair of eyes lock Kyle.


    "Boom!"


    The air in front of Kyle exploded, and Varian grabbed Kyle in the nick of time.


    "Do you want to kill him just for some words?" Varian yelled at the teenager, who punched at Kyle''s previous position.


    He was d in luxurious dress and equipped star treasure rings on all his fingers. Even the belt was a star treasure, and Varian estimated it must at least be a Level 2. The most troublesome of all ¡ª he was a Level 3.


    The teenager looked at them in disdain "Do you think I should just swallow my pride when amoner insults me? His death will serve as an example."


    Varian felt immense pressure from the teenager and gritted his teeth.


    With a cocky face and an arrogant look, he smiled at them. A blue light shone from his heart''s location and wrapped his entire body.


    ''So he''s a Morpher. No wonder he was able to hear.'' Varian concluded.


    Morpher Path belonged to Divergent Group or Avenue. They were Awakeners who transformed into either nts or beasts based on their path.


    The transformation only started from Level 4. From level 1 to level 3, Morphers drew power from the entity they would transform into.


    During Level 1-3, how much each stat increased was dependent on the entity they would transform into.


    Generally, like in all paths, any entity would''ve a few advantages and a few disadvantages.


    If the entity they were going to transform was a titan which had high offense and defense but less speed, their stats would follow the same pattern. So, in Level 1-3, they''d gain more attack and defense stats, but less in speed.


    Only a few morphers seemed to break the norm and were insanely strong.


    Varian knew, on instinct, he was facing such an insanely strong enemy. They were really, really unlucky.


    Kyle raised his hands and said, "I''m a Science candidate, and I''ll be among the top 10 this year. I''ll work for 5 years for you after I graduate. How about you let it go?"


    Researchers were valuable assets to any major power. Kyle hoped to leverage this, however unfair it was to him, to salvage the situation. It was his mistake to begin with. Otherwise, he''d even be dragging Varian into peril.


    Even though military didn''t encourage killing among students, it wouldn''t stop these top elites. Especially since this was still an entrance. Even though Varian was ready to fight, he knew Varian wouldn''t be able to win against a level 3 with his current strength.


    "Tch. Level 1 Trashes, do you think you can bargain with me, Young Master of Xander Family?"


    ''Xander! One of three prime families. Part of big two. We''re fucked.''


    Varian gritted his teeth and stepped forward. He knew the true perpetrator.


    It was neither this young master nor Kyle.


    ''Fuck You System!'' he cursed from the bottom of his heart.


    "Let''s fight!" Varian looked at his opponent, a Level 3.


    He must pass the entrance.


    The prerequisite: Survive!

 Chapter 22 - Only Way

    <h4>Chapter 22 - Only Way</h4>


    "Tch. Level 1 Trash. Since you butted in my business, you''ll die too. Know that dying under me, Narcis Xander, your death will be envied." Narcis waved his hand and signalled for Varian to take the first shot. He regarded the battle as a foregone conclusion.


    Varian looked at Kyle. Kyle nodded with a solemn face. He understood Varian was telling him to give his best. They might die, but they must die with a straight spine.


    So Kyle channeled his aura into the blue sword and assumed an offensive stance.


    Taking a deep breath, he yelled "Ge¡ª"


    A strong force pulled him, and Kyle felt his eyes spin. As the dust kicked up, he saw Narcis figure diminishing in the distance. Then he realized, Varian caught him and dashed towards the city.


    "I-I thought we''re gonna fight." he muttered weakly.


    "You''re crazy! Fighting Level 3 is a ticket to hell." Varian answered in a broken voice.


    Kyle withdrew his sword into the ring and looked at Narcis figure in the distance. They''ve approached the city and were only one km away from the city walls.


    "That guy is not following us. Maybe he realized fighting near the city will attract too much attention." Kyle said, letting go of his tense heart.


    He blinked and saw that Narcis¡­ disappeared.


    "I''m afrai¡ª"


    "Boom!"


    Varian threw Kyle ahead and jumped to the side. Small rocks shot out in all directions due to the sheer impact injuring Varian and Kyle in the process.


    "Nice Try. But the only one I don''t want to fight is Abyss Lord. Even the Abyss Commander is a Level 3. His head is my honorary student ticket." Narcis Xander stepped out of the rising dust and looked down at them with a condescending smile.


    Varian gritted his teeth and looked back at the city gate. The guards were alerted by themotion and 6 of them rushed to the location.


    The Abyssals wore a red light body armor, which was in striking contrast to their grey skin. They all had two tattoo marks on their chins indicating their level ¡ª Level 2, who were titled Abyss Knights.


    Varian rushed to Kyle and picked him up. Leaving the Abyssals to Narcis, he sprinted to the city walls.


    The City walls only seemed more magnificent the closer he got. There were at least a few hundred Abyssal Knights in sight.


    Despite being chased by a terrific Level 3 Awakener, Varian never entertained the thought of entering it. That''d be suicide.


    He hoped the Abyssals Knights could at least stall Narcis until he found a way out.


    Their arrival attracted the attention of the Abyssal Knights guarding the city walls, as intended. A squad of Abyssal Knights galloped towards them.


    Varian wasn''t worried about the Abyssal Knights. He was worried about a monster. He nced back and felt his heart stop.


    The heads of five Abyssal knights rolled on the ground, and the sixth just joined.


    ''Monster!''


    Varian gritted his teeth and looked ahead. ''I''ll pay back with interest. But now, I must survive.''


    "Interesting. You aren''t resigning to your fate." Narcis''s annoying voice sounded from behind.


    Varian knew Narcis was only a few dozen feet away from them. But he didn''t turn back and ran with all his strength. Despite the power differential, he''d not be caught up to so quick, but since he was holding Kyle, he slowed down. Tactically, it was a stupid choice.


    Varian, however, didn''t regret his choice. He already failed to protect once. He didn''t want to fail again.


    "Humans! Die!" The squad of ten Abyssals Knights just closed the distance and entered their attack range.


    "Hahaha! It''s too boring to kill you with a single sh. Fine, I''ll give you hope, then I''ll give you despair." Narcis didn''t step forward and eyed the approaching Abyssal Knights.


    "Your only hope to survive from me is to approach the city. But approaching it means the Abyssals will kill you. What will you do, Level 1 plebeian? I shall be so kind to choose your ce of death, here or city gates?"


    Kyle broke free from his grasp and said, "Kill me first."


    He signalled with his hand on the back, ''Go!''


    Varian felt like kicking Kyle on the head. Sure, Kyle was a Level 1 Space Awakener, and he had a natural advantage in dodging through low teleportation.


    But¡­ a Level 3 Morpher, especially one like Narcis, had keen senses. Even if Kyle managed to teleport and dodge the first attack, due to his low reaction speed, he''d attacked by Narcis before he could teleport again.


    Even if he did manage to keep dodging, he''d eventually run out of aura. A Level 1''s reserves were iparable to a Level 3''s.


    "I''d rather be killed by Abyssals." Varian held Kyle once again and didn''t let him break free this time.


    "Hahaha. I''ll grant your wish. Be honored." Narcisughed out loud and brandished his sword.


    A bright light shed, and a sharp aura cut through the air, cleaving an Abyss Knight into halves.


    The remaining Abyss Knights tensed up and got into a formation to take on Narcis.


    Varian ran to the city gate, and his brain tried to figure out a solution. Any solution.


    He knew Narcis wouldn''t be stopped by the Abyssal Knights. The only chance to stop him with Abyssal Knights is to attract at least a 50 of them near the city gate and let them attack Narcis. Even Level 3''s would be tired.


    But¡­ that''d be a mere fantasy. Narcis was arrogant, but not stupid.


    In such a situation, he''d kill Varian and Kyle and escape without fighting.


    "Swish"


    "Swish"


    "Swish"


    The sounds of a sword slicing flesh resounded from behind.


    "There''s no way¡­" Varian was already in front of the city walls. He was at the end of road.


    Thirty Abyssal Knights rushed towards him.


    "Swish"


    Narcis killed thest Abyssal Knight and dashed at him.


    Varian looked at Kyle and said, "There''s only one way¡­"


    Kyle stiffened "It always leads to bigger problems."


    "Haha. Trashes, I''ll grant you death."


    "Humans, we''ll dismember you!"


    The voices of Narcis and Abyssals sent shivers down Kyle''s spine. He understood the situation they were in.


    "Alright." He nodded and held Varian''s shoulder.


    At the same time, the sword sh from Narcis and spears from Abyssal Knights approached them in the blink of an eye.


    "Boom!"


    The ground was split apart for 5 meters and the spears pierced the ground and plunged deep. Dust filled the air, obscuring the vision.


    "Hmp!" Narcis swung his sword twice and a huge wind blew off the dust.


    He wanted tough at the corpses of the trashes but the next moment, his eyes widened.


    There was no trace of Kyle and Varian!

 Chapter 23 - A Strange Place

    <h4>Chapter 23 - A Strange ce</h4>


    Varian looked at the iing attacks and urged Kyle "Do it!"


    Kyle grabbed Varian''s shoulder and a blue light shed.


    Varian felt himself pulled out of the world, like he was sucked into a dark space, and before he knew it, hended on a table.


    [Space Path Level 0: 10/30]


    ''Was it because I directly experienced teleportation?'' Varian thought, but looking around, he realized he had no time.


    His nerves tensed up, and he whispered "We''re dead."


    Kyle was a bit slow, but he too realized they were in a tavern. Upon teleportation, theynded on a table and they''re surrounded by Abyss Knights.


    Varian felt the urge to curse. Kyle teleported them into the city and right in the middle of Abyss Knights.


    "Humans! Die!"


    In the blink of an eye, spears, swords, axes were thrown at them.


    The attacks came from all directions, and they had no way of escaping. Unless¡­


    "Kyle! Teleport again!"


    "What if I teleport you into the middle of a wall! I can''t control it yet!" Kyle cried.


    Varian red at him and said, "Do it!"


    Kyle nodded and held Varian.


    A blue light shed, and Varian once again felt being sucked into a dark space. Before he could even think, he found himself under a hill.


    Looking at the castle on top of the hill, Varian felt his head spin.


    ''What the fuck! We went from wolves to tigers.''


    "Catch them!"


    "Torture!"


    Varian and Kyle heard the shouts from a distance. The patrolling Abyssal knights saw them under the hill and rushed at them.


    Since the Abyss Lord''s castle was on the hill, the hill itself would be tightly guarded. There were at least 50 Abyssal Knights patrolling.


    Varian looked at Kyle who buried his face in his neck. This was the reason he didn''t want to teleport in the first case. He couldn''t control the location and often ended up teleporting himself to dangerous ces.


    Varian felt his heart race. They escaped death from Narcis, only to end up in the tavern and now they''re going to face these Abyssals under the hill.


    They were in the middle of the city. They''d have no chance of outrunning them.


    ''Is that it?'' Varian scanned around and saw nothing but the red hill. To his plight, there were even more Abyssal Knightsing down from the path down the hill.


    At that moment,


    [Space Path Level 0: 20/30]


    The System prompted. Varian was close to awakening in the Space Path. He would''ve been ecstatic if he wasn''t 200 meters away from 50 Abyssal Knights.


    ''But there''s only one thing we can do now.'' He turned to Kyle and said, "Since we''ll die if we fight, give onest try. Teleport!"


    Kyle looked at Varian and then at the Abyssals Knights, who closed the distance to 100 meters. A few Abyssals aimed their spears at them and were about to take a shot.


    Demon Abyss had Abyssals specializing in Body Path. If it was in Hollow Abyss, they''d face Space Awakener Abyssals. They''d be dead by now.


    ''Like Varian says, it''s not over until you quit.'' Kyle gritted his teeth and touched Varian.


    He channeled his aura and ¡­


    The spears passed through empty air and the Abyssals stood stupefied for a moment.


    Then the leading Abyssal Knight yelled, "Search everywhere. Also inform the Special Zone to send a knight to check, they might have teleported in."


    ¡­ ¡­ ¡­


    "Ugh"


    Varian opened his eyes and found himself lying on the ground.


    Kyle fainted from continuous use of teleportation. There was no one else in the darkroom.


    ''He''ll wake up in a few minutes. Till then we have to stop moving.'' Varian stood up, surveyed the dark surroundings and realized they were in a room.


    The walls of the room were filled with paintings of Abyssals killing humans.


    "Click" He stepped on something and felt it crack. His nerves tensed up, and he put on his gauntlets in the blink of an eye. After waiting a few seconds, he focused his sight on the ground and found what cracked¡­ a skull.


    ''Human skull!'' Varian hissed.


    But the more pressing issue was ''Where are we?''


    There was a huge corridor made of ck tiles.


    ''Adamantine¡­'' he recognized the metal. ''These prodigals.'' He cursed. Adamantine was one of the top alloys for defense. It could even withstand the attacks of a Level 6 Awakener. Thus, it was very expensive.


    Varian focused his hearing and heard nothing in the vicinity.


    ''We''re temporarily safe.'' He heaved a sigh of relief.


    At the same time, system prompted:


    [Space Path Level 1: 0/100


    Congrattions on awakening in your second Divine path.]


    Varian held his breath and felt a significant portion of aura in his mind sucked in. He closed his eyes and felt something change deep within.


    Aura entered his body and a part of it turned to "chi" and supported his Body path.


    Another part, albeit little, converted into something else. Varian tapped into it and channeled the new thing in his body.


    He felt a connection to the "Space" around.


    ''So this is space power, huh.'' Varian recalled the name of one of the aura derivatives.


    Upon entering his body, Aura turned into chi and space power. He could feel space power acting as a connection between him and space.


    [Space Path Level 1: 0/100


    Space Binding: Solidify space through direct contact.


    Short Teleportation: Teleport to short distance.]


    Varian read the description and decided to test out his new powers.


    He equipped himself with his gauntlet on left hand. He channeled the space power and focused it on his right hand.


    He felt something change around his right hand. It was like his hand was in a sticky liquid. He needed to exert much more effort to move.


    "Swish"


    He lightly punched at his right hand with his left.


    "Krr.."


    Varian felt an unusual resistance when his fist was about to punch his hand. It was like he was punching in the water, but the water was much viscous.


    "Click"


    His fist connected with his hand, and the damage was within a tolerable range. With his original strength, there should at least be a minor fracture.


    ''As expected.''


    Varian removed his gauntlet and touched his right hand. It felt like there was ayer of invisible metal around his arm, preventing him from moving forward.


    He pushed through this invisible barrier and finally touched his hand.


    ''So Space binding my own hand solidifies the space around it and gives defense. That means I can add ayer of protection to any part of the body.''


    He figured out the pros of the skill. Then came the cons.


    ''But I can''t move my hand freely when I space bind it. But all the Space Awakeners I''ve seen in battles move freely. So this must be a problem that will be solved if I advance.'' He concluded.


    ''What if I use this on other objects?'' he channeled the "space power" to the gauntlet he wore on his left hand.


    Varian tried to touch the gauntlet and had the same experience. Theyer of space around the gauntlet solidified, preventing him from essing it easily.


    "What are you doing?" Kyle''s voice sounded from behind, jolting him out of his thoughts.


    Varian waved his hands "Just an experiment. I''ll tell youter."


    He didn''t want Kyle to know, for his own good. Varian didn''t think kyle would leak his secret. But secrets are best kept buried.


    ''Maybe if I grow strong one day.'' Varian thought.


    "Where are we?"


    "I don''t know. But somewhere temporarily safe. Now that you''re awake, let''s find a way out." Varian urged.


    The only reason he didn''t venture carrying kyle was if they encountered an Abyssal, an unconscious kyle would be in fatal danger.


    "Good." Kyle nodded, and they exited the room sneakily.


    Varian and Kyle tip toed in the corridor. The walls were inscribed with murals. The buddies found, to their surprise and horror, that these murals were the depictions of humanity''s history since the blink.


    The corridor had divergences, halls, and¡­bs. Despite a conservative estimate, Varian counted at least two hundred skeletons. Kyle counted another three hundred.


    Connecting the dots, Varian came to one conclusion.


    ''We are inside the hill. This is secret facility of sorts. Is it just for research?''


    They continued to walk in deliberate silence. They passed through various empty rooms until Varian felt a slight¡­ tremor.


    Then¡­


    "Run!" despite the fact that he might alert the Abyssals in this structure, Varian yelled.


    Kyle and Varian ran down the corridor, trying to find an exit to the outside world, to the city.


    "Boom!"


    The ceiling started to copse, and the duo had to dodge the debris.


    "Boom!"


    Varian had to focus hard on his hearing to filter the noise. He had been trying to find an exit.


    "There!" he signalled and dashed to the left.


    He heard the "flow" of wind. Taking left and then right, Varian saw an exit. It was a small exit, and the outside was at the bottom of the hill.


    "Boom!"


    They had no time. He knew it. But at least they can make it.


    "Humans!" At the worst possible time, Varian saw a severely injured Abyssal Knight running at him. His speed was faster than Varian and he''d catch up before either of them could exit. That meant they''d both be trapped here.


    Varian looked at kyle and yelled "Go! I''lle soon."


    Without looking back, he continued, "If you stay, you''ll be a burden. Now get out!"


    Kyle looked at Varian rushing to the Abyssal and muttered "I''ll save you one day." He rushed to the exit and through the falling debris, he jumped out.


    Varian saw kyle exit and heaved a sigh of relief.


    "Boom!"


    Debrispletely covered the exit. Since it was made of Adamantine, Varian had no chance of clearing it without spending a tonne of time.


    ''Damn it!''


    ''There might be another exit.'' He nced past the Abyssal and saw the trail of its green blood.


    ''I can follow its path.'' He decided and dodged the Abyssal''s attack. He chased the green blood trail.


    The Abyssal Knight chased Varian but his injuries continued to take a toll on him and in a few minutes, Varian threw him off.


    "Boom!"


    On the way, he passed through the falling debris and barely managed to find the end of the blood trail or, to be precise, where the Abyssal knight was injured.


    He saw arge chunk of adamantine dyed with green blood.


    ''Why didn''t he dodge?'' Varian passed through therge adamantine block and peeked inside.


    "Hiss!"


    Varian saw a huge room filled with Aura crystals. In the center of the room was an altar. Guarding it were ten Abyssal Knights.


    They were desperately protecting the altar and the aura crystals.


    ''What are they protecting ... no, where is my exit?'' Varian tried to find a way out but he realized he was in trouble.


    The Abyssals locked their eyes with him.

 Chapter 24 - Fight!

    <h4>Chapter 24 - Fight!</h4>


    Varian''s nerves tensed up, and he got into his fighting posture but realized the Abyssal knights weren''t moving.


    With a cautious mind, he surveyed the room with his peripheral vision. It wasrger than any room in the facility.


    The Abyssal knights surrounded the strange altar and guarded it from being smashed by the debris.


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    The Abyssal Knights waved their weapons and pushed away the falling adamantine blocks from the ceiling.


    A Level 2 Awakener had the power to breakrge chunks of rocks. Adamantine was no rock, it was a top-notch defense material. So they had to exert a lot of strength to even push it away.


    ''They''re protecting the altar.''


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    Three Abyssal Knights shot at the blocks of adamantine and secured the aura crystals.


    "Ting!" An aura crystal was sted off and fell at Varian''s feet.


    Varian saw that even though the Abyssal Knights were ring at him, they showed no signs of moving in his direction.


    The reason?


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    They''re protecting the altar and aura crystals.


    Taking advantage of the opportunity, he picked up the aura crystal. It was a ck crystal with an irregr shape. Inside it was a white gaseous substance.


    Varian focused and felt something familiar inside the crystal.


    Aura.


    Aura arrived on earth after Blink. It was present everywhere. Alls, all moons and all space had aura.


    Humanity learnt to use the aura and progressed in the Divine paths. Advancing from one level to another had two requirements.


    First is fulfilling the requirements of the level itself.


    For instance, for Varian to breakthrough from Level 1 Space to Level 2 Space, he''d need to master his current skills: Space Binding and Short Teleportation. This would give him mastery in Level 1.


    At the same time, to progress to Level 2, he''d need to "sense" the surrounding space.


    Second is aura requirements.


    Any Divine Path needs aura. Advancing into a higher level or even progressing in the same level needs aura, and it only increases the higher the level. Usually, all awakeners use the aura in the atmosphere.


    But after humanity discovered aura crystals in an ident, they realized it was far more efficient to just absorb aura from aura crystals.


    This increased the training speed and let an awakener reach their full potential in a shorter time. But¡­


    ''Aura crystals are expensive. Only the rich kids can afford to use them for everyday practice.'' Varian sighed inwardly, but his eyes brightened looking at the heaps of aura crystals.


    ''Since I don''t know where the exit is, and these Abyssals are locked by their own duties, it''d be a shame to not make the best use.''


    He rushed to the nearby heap and grabbed a handful of aura crystals. He put them into his space ring and continued until it was full.


    A big smile was stered on his face...but it soon froze.


    The Abyssal knight that chased him earlier now returned. Its wounds were less severe. Even though he was still injured, he looked far more vigorous. Varian''s instincts screamed at him. This enemy was nothing like his former self.


    The Abyssal knight rushed at him faster than Varian expected.


    ''Damn¡­'' Varian cursed his situation.


    This time, he wouldn''t be able to escape the Abyssal knight. He considered his options.


    There were two exits to the room. First was the one which Varian entered through, it had only one narrow path connecting it.


    Second was where the majority of Aura crystals were present. The Abyssal knights were guarding that region. Going there would be suicide.


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    The debris continued to fall. Varian dodged the falling chunks of ceiling, hoping all of it won''t copse at once.


    As if answering his prayers or mocking them¡­


    "Creeeak!"


    Varian felt the ground under him shake. This facility was inside a hill and for it to shake,¡­ someone or something was shaking up the entire hill.


    ''I must find a way out!'' Varian gritted his teeth and rushed toward the single Abyssal.


    Varian didn''t know how strong it waspared to its peak, but he surely was not at his peak.


    The continuous chase outside and inside the city cost him significant aura. Plus, awakening in Space Path also took aura from his body.


    As he dashed at the Abyssal Knight, he nced at the status:


    [Body Path Level 1: 50/100


    5.5% Greater Human


    Space Path Level 1: 0/100


    Space Binding


    Low Teleportation]


    ''That''s right! I have two powers.''


    "Die!" The Abyssal Knight closed the distance and threw a punch at Varian.


    On the narrow path, Varian didn''t have much room to dodge. The fist covered in the menacing red armband arrived at his chest in the blink of an eye.


    Varian side stepped and barely dodged the attack.


    "Shuuu"


    The punch cut the wind with a sharp sound.


    As he suspected, the Abyssal Knight wasn''t at his peak. But even his current strength was significantly higher than a Level 1. Enough to kill Varian.


    His red armbands were made of a special material and it gave him the defense to go against the spikes of his gauntlet.


    ''But this is my only way out.''


    Varian shifted his position and punch, the spikes of his gauntlet aiming for his opponent''s neck.


    The Abyssal punched back. Varian gritted his teeth and retracted his fist in thest second.


    "Click"


    Despite that, his hand shook, and he almost broke his bones.


    ''I can''t go head to head with my body level''


    However, he wouldn''t be able to dodge forever. His opponent had a faster speed and Varian''s edge in agility was restricted by the narrow location.


    He had to fight head on.


    ''But how?''


    The Abyssal dashed ahead and closed the gap between them. Varian could only move back before another punch came for his chest.


    ''I have to try!'' He punched back with full force to connect with the Abyssal knight''s fist.


    The Abyssal Knight smiled. He knew he won. Even if he was not at his peak, his punch would still break every bone in Varian''s arm, and this meant only one thing. Death.


    Varian smiled back.


    Right before their fists connected, Varian channeled his space power and solidified the space around his gauntlet.


    The Abyssal''s fist encountered a great resistance but, due to its sheer momentum, it passed through the solidified space and hit Varian''s gauntlet.


    "Cling!"


    The sh of sound echoed in the path, startling even the Abyssal Knights in the room.


    Due to the resistance of space, Varian was barely able to take the punch without breaking his arm.


    However, he still felt a numbing pain right from his fist straight and up to his shoulder.


    Blood dripped from his hand and dyed the floor red.


    Varian didn''t look tired. In fact, he was delighted in seeding at applying Space binding tobat.


    And one more pleasant surprise.


    [Xp + 10


    Body Path Level 1: 60/100]


    His body path which was stagnant for 5 days, was finally showing progress.


    "Even if you are a Dual Awakener..." The Abyssal knight muttered in disbelief.


    The application of space binding just now was too subtle and required the perfect timing, else Varian would first slow down the momentum of his own punch.


    Varian replied with a punch.


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    "Creaaak!"


    The ceiling continued to copse; the hill continued to shake.


    "Boom!"


    The adamantine copsed behind him, blocking Varian from entering the room. Now there was only one way out.


    Varian didn''t worry much. He was confident in winning the fight as long as he advanced to Level 2 in Body Path.


    ''Nothing can go wrong, right?''


    And it did.


    "Boom!"


    Three blocks of adamantine dropped onto him, covering the three directions, spare the forward upied by the Abyssal Knight.


    If he was hit by them, he''d die without doubt. He had no choice but to do a move that was considered fatal in a battle.


    He jumped and dodged the adamantine.


    "Got you!" The Abyssal Knight grinned and appeared in font of Varian in a sh.


    Still in midair, Varian had no way to dodge.


    Varian could only stare as the grey fists in red armband magnified and about to break his neck.

 Chapter 25 - Good Luck

    <h4>Chapter 25 - Good Luck</h4>


    Varian found himself with no options as the Abyssal punched at his neck.


    "Die!"


    In that brief moment of life and death, Varian channeled his space power.


    "Crack!"


    The Abyssal fist hit passed through Varian''s position as he disappeared and struck the adamantine block behind him.


    "Cough! Cough!" Varian felt everything go ck for a moment and the next second, he found himself behind the Abyssal.


    ''That was close!'' Varian had lingering fears about his near death.


    [Space Path Level 1: 5/100


    Low Teleportation]


    He used low teleportation at the final moment. Thankfully, he didn''t teleport himself to worse ces. A Level 1 Space Awakener couldn''t control their "destination" in teleportation. They teleported by instinct. Only from Level 2 onwards, they controlled the destination.


    The Abyssal was shocked at his disappearance but his superior senses informed him Varian was behind.


    He turned around in a sh and ¡­


    "Crack!"


    Varian''s punch connected with his chest and he was only able to block half of it at thest moment.


    The Abyssal knight was pushed back and felt blood rush to his throat.


    "Blegh" He vomited blood, and it dyed his red armor green.


    "You¡­ are going to pay." He red down at Varian and punched out.


    "Click"


    Varian didn''t flinch and punched back. This time too, he used Space Binding on his gauntlets.


    "Boom!"


    The air waspressed at their point of contact and sted, sending shock-waves in the wind.


    Varian felt his muscles tear and his skin break. Before he knew it, both his arms were bloodied.


    If space binding didn''t reduce the strength of the Abyssal, he''d be crippled by now.


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    Varian and the Abyssal dodged the ceiling blocks as they watched out for the other''s move.


    [Xp + 5


    Body Path Level 1: 65]


    The system prompted, and Varian felt the aura in his body pulled away.


    ''I don''t have much aura left and if I lose more, I''ll lose even if I advance to level 2.''


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    He recalled the system''s prompt during his awakening.


    ''[No Aura source in host found.]''


    ''System, I have aura crystals in my space ring. Absorb aura from them, not me.'' He urged it.


    [Observed.]


    He felt the suction of aura from his body stop but the chi in his body continued to increase.


    His physical attributes all increased one by one and Varian savored the feeling of growing stronger.


    [Body Path Level 1: 65/100]


    He could feel the aura crystals in his space ring decrease.


    "Creaaak"


    The whole facility shook and both of them decided to end the fight as soon as possible.


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    Dodging the falling adamantine blocks, Varian shot at the Abyssal Knight at full speed. The Abyssal knight kicked at Varian''s chest.


    Varian was in front of the Abyssal Knight in the blink of an eye.


    The moment his fist touched the Abyssal''s foot, he used space binding and teleported.


    "Guh"


    The Abyssal felt the space around his leg solidify and stiffened for a moment. But due to the sheer force he put in the kick, his leg broke the solidified space andshed ahead.


    "Sshh"


    But due to the sudden obstruction, his momentum was obstructed and Abyssal lost his bnce for a moment.


    His instincts screamed at him, and he hurriedly guarded his neck.


    "Click"


    Varian punched at the Abyssal''s neck. The spikes on his gauntlet dug into his neck but due to his guard at thest moment, he wasn''t able to pierce it through.


    "Damn it!" Varian cursed under his breath. He would run out of aura if this keeps on for 5 minutes.


    ''System, can u refill my aura with aura crystals?''


    [No. This System can only advance you in Divine path taking aura crystals.]


    ''I have to end this soon.''


    He looked into the Abyssal''s eyes. They were full of killing intent. He''d be able to teleport only a few more times before he ran out of aura.


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    The blocks of ceiling continued to fall.


    "Son of a bitch!" The Abyssal cursed and charged at him evading the debris.


    Varian tightened his nerves.


    "Shuaa" The Abyssal lunged at Varian without any defensive posture. He didn''t bother blocking Varian''s attack as long as he could attack Varian.


    Varian didn''t have the luxury. One undefended attack and he''d be done.


    He channeled the chi in his body and felt it nourish his wounds. Looking at the Abyssal that rushed at him, Varian felt a primitive desire to kill.


    "Aarrgh!" He yelled and stormed forward.


    Varian used the same method of solidifying space around his gauntlet right before the Abyssal''s fist connected with his.


    "Creaak"


    "Click"


    Varian felt his insides shake and coughed blood. Sweat and blood drenched him as he continued to fight.


    [Xp + 5


    Body Path Level 1: 70/100]


    Sometimes, he would solidify the Abyssal''s fist or leg and disrupt his momentum. Then, he teleported.


    Even though the teleportation was random, due to him still being a beginner of level 1, he was only teleported a few meters. With his excellent senses and physical senses, coupled with the broken momentum of Abyssal, he was able to sessfullynd attacks.


    "Click"


    "Click"


    "Click"


    The Abyssal''s injuries continued to pile up, but he was still standing. Varian, despite all the attacks,cked the hard power to bring him down.


    If their roles were switched, Varian would be down in a single attack.


    Varian knew this and didn''t drop his guard. He continued his barrage. When he couldn''t dodge, he''d solidify his gauntlets and block the attack of Abyssal.


    It had been only a few minutes, but the fight was approaching its climax.


    The System prompts also approached the awaited number.


    [+5 Xp]


    [+5 Xp]


    [+5 Xp]


    ¡­


    ...


    [+5 Xp]


    [Body Path Level 1: 100/100


    8% Greater Human]


    Varian stood in front of the Abyssal. His mouth was bloodied and his arms dropped like they were logs of wood attached to his shoulders. At least half of his ribs were broken, but luckily, he avoided injuring his lungs.


    The Abyssal in front of him was in a more dire strait. His neck had several cuts and some of them were deep. His chest bones were broken along with all his ribs. His arms werepletely crippled. Green blood dripped from his head to toe, and it stained the floor beneath him.


    The Abyssal Knight looked at Varian with hatred, admiration and regret "You...If only Enigma didn''t attack today, I''d never die."


    Varian didn''t mull over and kept his nerves alert for the final blow.


    He felt the chi in his body reached a critical point. It needed one final push for a qualitative improvement.


    "Even though I''m unlucky, I''ll bring you down!" The Abyssal knight spat blood and charged at him.


    Bringing thest ounce of his strength, he lunged at Varian. His fists were pointed at Varian''s chest and his knees aimed at his groin.


    Varian felt his nearly dry aura reserves and¡­ teleported.


    "Click¡­" The Abyssal hit the adamantine blocks and copsed on the ground.


    "You...you shameful...who escapes the final blow. Coward!" The Abyssalid on the ground as the impact from adamantine aggravated his injuries.


    Varian appeared a few meters away. His face was pale, and he looked like he would copse any moment.


    But he gritted his teeth and slowly walked towards the Abyssal step by step.


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    He dodged the ceiling blocks and moved forward.


    "Creaaak"


    The hill shook and nearly threw him off bnce.


    But he kept going.


    He arrived in front of the dying Abyssal and smiled through his bloody teeth. "Call me anything you want. I just want to enter the Imperial Academy."


    "Click" His gauntlet plunged into the Abyssal''s neck, ending his life.


    Varian felt something click in him and the chi in his body hit the final climax.


    [You have advanced.


    Body Path Level 2: 0/100]


    [Absorbing Aura from the aura crystals.]


    The system announced and the next moment, Varian felt aura flood his body and turn into chi.


    [Body Path Level 2: 0/200


    25% Greater Human]


    His strength, agility and regeneration all took a major leap. Compared to peak Level 1, he was three times stronger.


    Only now did he realize that perhaps the Abyssal Knight he fought was also a beginner to Level 2 and was weakened by his injuries to a degree that let Varian face him.


    ''I''m lucky¡­?'' Varian felt grateful for his own luck but was about to curse the system for giving him this "opportunity".


    Before he rained it with his favourite titles, his eyes widened as he sensed something.


    Perhaps because he advanced, the System refilled his body with aura to the brim!


    Despite the injuries, Varian felt the enormous strength within him and clenched his bloodied fists.


    "Haha! Now I only need to get out of this goddamn ce~ I can kill 10 Abyssal Knights with my current strength and qualify for the Academy!" Varianughed in excitement.


    "Creaak"


    "Creaak"


    "Creaak"


    The facility shook uncontrobly, and Varian looked up at the ceiling.


    From the gaps of the ceiling, he could see a deep hollow passage. It extended hundreds of meters and at the other end, showed the ck sky of the Demon Abyss.


    ''I''m at least 100 meters down the hill.'' Varian concluded. The next second, his eyes widened.


    A blinding white light shed and descended at an insane speed.


    It cut through the adamantine like it was a piece of paper, cleaving the hill in two and headed towards him.


    "Fuck!"

 Chapter 26 - Get Out!

    <h4>Chapter 26 - Get Out!</h4>


    Varian drew every bit of his strength and jumped away from the white light.


    "BOOM!"


    The deafening sound was followed by the blinding dust that rose and enveloped the hill.


    Varian crashed to the ground, and the sharp debris pierced his skin. The wounds from the earlier fight only got worse.


    "Ouch" He hissed in pain and tried to move.


    When he was about to get up, his body stiffened. There was no floor in front of him! There was a huge chasm!


    He looked above and around to realize the truth he didn''t want to believe.


    The entire hill was cut into two by that white light.


    ''Are you for real? Cutting a hill into two? Even adamantine is sliced like cheese?'' Varian cautiously stood up and watched his feet. He was afraid the floor under him would copse.


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    The sounds of adamantine blocks in ceiling copsing continued to reverberate. Varian quickly decided he had to keep moving. He remembered the room earlier and turned back.


    He peered through the dust and saw the room with aura crystals. It was filled with copsed adamantine blocks. The altar and most of the aura crystals were crushed. A few aura crystals were blown out of the room due to the impact.


    There was an eerie silence from the room.


    ''Where are the Abyssal Knights?''


    Varian carefully walked through the debris and watched out for the copsing adamantine.


    He reached the entrance of the room and filled his space ring with the intact aura crystals scattered around.


    Before he entered, he brought up his cadetm and checked the points to confirm his guess.


    {Acquired: 1 Merit Point


    5 Merit Points for admission to Blue Defense Academy


    6 Merit Points for Guardian Defense Academy


    ¡­.


    10 Merit Points for Imperial Defense Academy}


    The cadetm awarded him 1 Merit Point for killing the Abyssal.


    ''So it doesn''t matter if the Abyssal is already injured? As long as I can kill him?'' A sly smile shed on Varian''s face as he gazed at therge room.


    Holding his breath, Varian stepped through the entrance in abat ready mode.


    The room was full of crushed and broken aura crystals. The adamantine blocks buried most of the room, along with the altar''s position. The floor was dyed in green blood.


    Varian focused on the Abyssals at the other end of the room. They were all severely injured but wouldn''t die immediately.


    The reason for their injuries was simple. The adamantine blocks crushed them. Some had their legs under the blocks, some their hands and few their backs. Only one had his head crushed and died.


    Varian squinted his eyes and realized they were all around the location where the strange altar was previously present.


    However, now a huge adamantine block was present in that location.


    "H-Hu..man!" an Abyssal noticed Varian and yelled in rage and disbelief.


    They saw another Abyssal Knight fighting him and thought he''d die. To their surprise, he didn''t die immediately, and then the adamantine chunks blocked their view.


    They were busy protecting the altar, but presumed he''d die.


    Now, this human was alive and kicking. The Abyssal knight even felt the human was much stronger than he first entered the room. The turn of events blew his mind.


    Varian picked up nine adamantine chunks and smiled at them. It was a cold and indifferent smile.


    The Abyssals guessed what he was about to do and immediately shot at their own neck.


    "Swish"


    Varian moved faster, and the adamantine chunks pierced their head.


    They didn''t want their deaths to provide him with merit points, but Varian made sure he didn''t lose his opportunity.


    His cadetm used its sensors and its AI determined he "killed" the Abyssals.


    {Merit Points: 10


    Congrattions, Varian! You are now eligible to join Imperial Defense Academy.


    If you wish to be an honorary student, make an outstanding contribution.}


    Varian was ecstatic, and felt every cell in his body cheer.


    He raised his head and was about tough when...


    "Boom!"


    He dodged the block of adamantine and reality set in.


    ''To join, I must survive!''


    Even if he got the mp, if he stayed here, he''d die. He kept his cool and saw a door at the end of the room.


    ''He opened the door and his gaze brightened.


    He saw stairs!


    The only regrettable thing was they were upstairs. If he had a choice, Varian wanted to descend the hill and leave.


    With his current strength, he wouldn''t be able to fight many Abyssal Knights patrolling around the hill, but he had ample confidence in escaping.


    But he could only take upstairs. It was better than staying here and getting crushed.


    The walls glowed red, giving ample lighting. Varian''s face had a hopeful smile, and he rushed up with enthusiasm.


    There were multiple doors for multiple floors on the way, but Varian continued to climb.


    Only the top and bottom of the hill were safe. Anywhere else was in danger of copse.


    With his 25% greater human speed, he quickly reached the end. He didn''t open the door right away and instead focused on his hearing.


    "sh"


    "sh"


    "sh"


    He heard the faint shes and judged the fight was happening at a long distance.


    ''I''ll be safe from the fight. I''ll just need to find a way out soon.''


    He opened the door was was blown away by the scene.


    The red moonlight from the ck sky shone on the hilltop. The castle on the hill was vast and covered the entire hilltop. It was at least asrge as a few football fields.


    Varian discovered to his horror that this huge castle was cut into two and that cut also divided the hill. The chasm was a few meters wide, proving the ridiculous power of that white light.


    ''If I didn''t escape, I''d be dead.'' Varian felt sweat trickle down his forehead and the next moment, he noticed three figures in the distance.


    He could only make out that one was a human and the other two were Abyssals from their physique. The human was in all ck and the Abyssals wore a red robe and a full body armour, respectively.


    The Abyssal in the red robe punched at the human. Due to the sheer force, the airpressed and sted, sending shock-waves for hundreds of meters.


    The human dodged and the Abyssal''s punchnded on the ground.


    "Boom!"


    Varian nearly copsed as the ground shook crazily. Anchoring his feet to the ground, he gazed down and saw the ceilings of all floors in the hill''s secret facility shake. The adamantine blocks making the ceiling continued to copse.


    ''Monsters!''


    He decided to get out of this location. He spotted a path down the hill a few hundred meters away and rushed towards it.


    ''Once I''m below, I can escape the city and all I''ve to do is wait till they pick us up.'' Varian felt hopeful. Too soon.


    Unexpectedly, the fighting location shifted, and they appeared a few dozen meters away from him.


    In that brief moment, Varian saw the Abyssal in full body armor had three tattoos on his chin and the Abyssal in robe had a tattoo on his cheek.


    Varian felt his breath stop as he recalled the denotations of Abyssals.


    ''Three tattoos on chin ¡ª Abyss Commander ¡ª Level 3. One tattoo on cheek ¡ª Abyss Lord ¡ª Level 4!''


    The Abyssals red at the human in ck


    Varian was behind the human''s back and felt that death waved at him.

 Chapter 27 - Enigma

    <h4>Chapter 27 - Enigma</h4>


    Under the gazes of Abyss Lord and Abyss Commander, Varian felt his entire body go cold.


    The aura wrapped him in an invisible prison. He couldn''t move, couldn''t speak. The aura of Abyss Lord used aura lock on him!


    ''I don''t want to die.'' He gritted his teeth and looked at his only way of life now ¡ª the Human in ck.


    At a closer distance, he realized it was a woman. However, her face was covered by a mask, including her hair.


    The Abyssal Lord ignored Varian and spoke to the woman in a hoarse tone "Enigma¡­ How did you deceive the Abyss Will?"


    The woman, Enigma said nothing. The silence persisted, and no one moved.


    Varian looked at Enigma in disbelief. The name Enigma sounded¡­ familiar but his attention was drawn by thetter words.


    Enigma fooled the Abyss will!


    Abyss Will had three functions.


    First was suppressing non-Abyssals.


    Second was increasing the strength of Abyssals.


    Third was the most important.


    If an enemy entered the area of an Abyssal much weaker than them, the Abyss Will would inform the local ruler.


    For instance, if a Level 8 sneaked into a Duchy, where the strongest Abyssal was Abyss Duke, a Level 6, the Abyss Will would inform a Level 8 closest to the Abyss Duke.


    This ensured that only equal levels fought against each other in the Abyss. It was also the reason that although it was easy to enter Abyss, Level 9s didn''t bloodbath Abysses.


    No one was able to escape the perception of Abyss Will. Not even Sovereigns, the known peak of Awakeners.


    ''Just how did she?'' Varian stared at Enigma''s back and felt questions pop up. But his body was dedicated to channeling chi and trying to break from the aura lock of Abyss Lord.


    Aura lock was amon skill for all Awakeners. All awakeners could control aura to some extent. Using their control of Aura, they''d "wrap" it over their target. If the level difference is huge, the targets won''t be able to break free.


    Varian struggled to break free while thinking of possible solutions.


    Since Enigma "fooled" Abyss Will to face an Abyss Lord, a Level 4, then she must be a higher level.


    ''But why didn''t she kill him right away?'' Varian continued to channel his chi and tried to breakthrough the aura lock.


    The aura lock tightened and Varian felt suffocated. It was as if all air was punched out of his lungs. It was as if he was pressed from all sides and was about to burst.


    "Hmph!" Enigma snorted and the aura in the air turn swirled around her.


    "I informed Abyss Duke. He''d be here soon. You''ll die." Abyss Lord spoke in a confident tone. He was nearly 7''7'''' and looked like a mini giant.


    Enigma was 5''8'''' but was petite in front of the Abyssal. Yet, she seemed far more dangerous and oppressive.


    She took a step forward and the aura in the air turned chaotic.


    Varian felt the aura binding him loosen.


    "Click" He broke the aura lock but didn''t move. One attack from Abyss Lord and he''d be dead.


    He wasn''t sure if Enigma would protect him. Because he finally recalled why the name felt familiar.


    Enigma was the leader of Shadow Order, a terrorist group.


    "We''re done, Enigma." a soft mechanical voice sounded and a blue light shed in front of his eyes.


    Another woman in all cks appeared in front. She too covered her face and hair. Varian guessed they were special star treasures.


    "... Blue sh?!" the Abyss Commander who was silent till now, spoke in shock.


    "You''re right, but there''s no prize." the voice modifier concealed her words and spoke in that soft mechanical voice.


    Enigma nodded at Blue sh and disappeared in the next moment.


    Varian saw her "appear" in front of Abyss Lord in the blink of an eye and the next thing he saw was both Abyss Lord and Abyss Commander standing still while she disappeared.


    Blue sh looked at him. She wore goggles and he couldn''t see her eyes. This only made him more tense.


    "Kek. You''re lucky." She said and pointed at the broken castle.


    Before Varian could respond, a blue light shed, and she too disappeared.


    "Thud."


    "Thud."


    Varian was tense and used teleportation instinctively.


    He appeared right next to the Abyss Lord and Abyss Commander, or their corpses.


    Their bodies just crashed to the ground, and blood spurted out of their necks like a fountain. The thick, viscous green blood flowed on the ground and touched his boots.


    Varian sighed in relief and looked around for traces of Enigma and Blue sh. They disappeared, was as if they were never here.


    But the fact that the ruler of this cityid dead at his feet on a broken hill said otherwise.


    ''I''m really lucky¡­ they didn''t kill me.'' Varian felt his back drenched in sweat.


    ''But aren''t they supposed to be terrorists?''


    Shadow Order was the sessor of an extinct extremist state, ''Shadow Nation''. Its leader Enigma was new but made a name for ''herself'' orchestrating death of 10,000 awakeners.


    It was said that she lured out the Abyss Archduke, a level 9 and ughtered all awakeners in the vicinity of the Abyss.


    Enigma''s partner Blue sh was a criminal who stole lots of valuable technologies and smuggled them, even to Abyssals.


    They were insane, and no human survived after seeing them.


    Or that was the media narrative.


    ''Am I special to survive after seeing them or is the media, no, the government lying?'' Varian pondered and decided to leave things behind.


    He realized he was still weak in the greater scheme of things. He hated every second of being under aura lock. His life was under someone''s hands.


    ''Level 2 is not bad, but it''s still at the bottom of the pyramid. If I have to do anything on arge scale, I''ll need more strength.''


    He recalled Blue sh pointing to the castle. Despite the event, he didn''t trust her and was about to descend the hill.


    But a thought struck him, and he stopped for a moment to check his cadetm.


    {Acquired: 10 Points.


    You can join the Imperial Defense Academy.


    If you wish to be an honorary student, make an outstanding contribution.}


    ''After I enter the academy, I need to find Sia. I only know she has brown hair and golden eyes. I don''t know if she is currently still in the academy or enlisted and joined the army.


    My best bet is to search the database of cadets'' info of the past few years. But the military wouldn''t allow just anyone to ess their database. The higher my position, the more chance I have.


    Honorary student sounds way better than a normal student.''


    He took a deep breath and asked them, "What are the benefits of being an honorary student?"


    The cadetm replied, "There are several benefits ¡ª a private instructor only for honorary students. Many high leveled awakeners select disciples only if you are an honorary student. Honorary students also receive the best of missions and resources.''


    Varian wasn''t excited and was about to close when them added the final point.


    ''You can make requests you couldn''t otherwise as an honorary student, which of course needs payment in merit points.''


    Varian fell silent for a moment and pondered his choice.


    To his left was a path leading to bottom of the hill. To his right was the entrance of broken castle.


    ''I might be able to request searching for Sia as an honorary student.''


    Betting his future, Varian dashed to his right.

 Chapter 28 - Cross Tunneling

    <h4>Chapter 28 - Cross Tunneling</h4>


    Varian rushed to the tattered castle. The twenty Abyss Knights guarding the castle were crushed into piles of flesh and bones.


    Holding himself from retching, he entered the castle with fear and hope.


    The once bright white floor was cracked like a broken mirror. The majestic statues of Abyss King and Abyss Lord were now in rubble.


    The corpses of Abyssal Knights and the female maids were scattered everywhere in sight. They were all crushed to death.


    ''Blue sh!'' Varian knew the culprit. He had second thoughts about trusting her but since he was already in, he decided to go all the way.


    Varian kept his vignce high in case an Abyssal was still alive, but he soon realized his worries were futile.


    There was not a single living soul in the castle. It was littered with corpses and the smell of rotting flesh only made it even more unbearable to venture.


    Varian was a person who was unfazed by even the toughest challenges but the seeing hundreds and hundreds of mutted corpses still shook his mind.


    But there was not a single shred of mercy in him.


    The price his own race paid in blood and tears was far greater.


    In the first war of 400 YAB, Abyssals suddenly appeared and broke all but one line of human''s defense.


    All moons were upied, and space was controlled by Abyssals. The only safe ce for humans was their own. Even the was under constant attacks.


    The disruption of inteary movement disrupted the sr system trade and had major repercussions.


    Humanity at that time had Sovereigns, but they weren''t enough to protect all 9s.


    The bitter war for survival continued for 40 years until humanity found the "artifacts" and pushed back Abyssals along with the help of Heaven''s Will.


    These 40 years were the darkest period in 500 years of modern humanity. A whole generation spent their life unsure about their survival.


    Historians described life in that age:


    "70% children were orphans by the age of 10. Every boy and girl past 16 had to fight. There were several instances were Abyssals almost conquered thes. The only thing dying their victory was absolutely sickening sacrifice of brave humans who blocked stronger enemies with at the price of life.


    At least 40% human poption perished. Most of it was under 20.


    Anyone and everyone only had one wish. Survive today."


    ''Just how much did people in that era suffer.'' Varianmented and passed through the ruined majestic waiting halls, dining rooms, and reached the room with the most luxurious door which still looked intact.


    ''This is it! Abyss Lord''s private room.'' Varian touched the door to open it.


    "Boom!"


    It fell apart and copsed on the ground.


    Varian took a breath to calm his mind. The fight literally ruined the castle. He cautiously entered and surveyed the room.


    The room wasrger than his house by several times. The floor was covered with the carpets made of the smoothest silks. There was a huge bed made of magic beast bones and quilts from the softest furs.


    In a corner was a huge office style table and chair. On the table were three human skulls. Presumably, the "prize" hunted by Abyss Lord.


    Naturally, the dimensions of every object were in ordance with Abyssal standards.


    Varian searched the room to find anything of "strategic use" to make an "outstanding contribution".


    But there were too many show pieces and nothing of practical value.


    ''There must be something. With the facility inside the hill having loads of aura crystals, there must be something here. Anything.'' He refused to give up and continued to search. There was no progress.


    Varian knew his time was running out. Even though the disturbance here must have scared the Abyss Knights in the city, they''de to check the situation, eventually.


    The only reason they didn''t arrive yet was because they didn''t know the fighting here already ended and didn''t want to be caught up in the fight. The Awakener who sliced the hill into two could also kill all Abyssals in the city with no effort.


    Despite having some time, Varian''s situation wasn''t optimistic, to put it mildly. Even though he had full aura now, his injuries would take at least a dozen hours topletely heal.


    His best choice would be to give up searching here and escape the city.


    Varian kicked the table in frustration and slumped in the chair.


    "Whoosh"


    The table shifted to the side, and a mystic tform rose with a few items on it.


    Varian got up from the chair, and the tform descended, with the table reverting to its position.


    ''There must be a way to get those items without leaving the chair.''


    He sat down, the table slid to the side and tform rose again. This time, he "willed" the items to approach him, and they did.


    There were only three pieces of special leather paper. It was written in Abysse, Abyssal''s officialnguage.


    Varian didn''t know thenguage, but he had something that did.


    "Hey, do you know Abysse?" He asked the AI of his cadetm.


    "Of course." the cadetm on his wrist shed and answered.


    With hismand, it scanned the material and tranted into federation''s lingua franca.


    ''Virgin Dungeon Cross Tunneling Targets:


    1. Send 5 Abyssal Knights at 20:00 to Outer Zone on 40th, Septe.


    2. Ambush the son of Level 7 Awakener, Rei. (Torture him if possible and spread the video.)


    4. Destroy the newly emerging adventure team "Fire Dancers". (The captain is reported to be a Level 3. It is advised to finish the task in person or at least send Abyssmander.)


    5. Enter the facility and continue spying for newly emerging talents.


    6. The intel must be sent on 10th of every month.


    ...


    ¡­..


    10. Enigma is the number one hidden threat. Her level is suspected to be at least 7. Report any moments if found, and focus on gathering intel.


    "Hiss!" Varian recalled his fight with Abyssal when he almost died.


    ''They are really nning to destroy the next generation of Human Awakeners.'' Varian checked the material of other papers.


    They were of simr content but for different Dungeons.


    Varian took the materials into space ring and rushed out. Even though his injuries impacted his speed, he descended the hill in a minute before he was forced to stop.


    "Uh-oh!"


    "Human¡­"


    As he feared, the Abyssal knights judged the fight was over and approached the hill to check the status quo.


    Varian could tell at a nce that were at least 200 Abyssal Knights in sight. They surrounded the mountain and were in a stable formation.


    ''Only 200¡­?''


    There were at least 500 Abyss knights in the city itself, but he was grateful he missed the honor to face them all.


    The current situation wasn''t optimistic either. He wouldn''t be able to outrun them, not in his injured state, at least.


    ''I don''t have to run.'' Varian thought and channeled his space power.


    "Di¡ª!" The Abyssal Knights were still in the middle of yelling and he disappeared.


    "Chua" He appeared in the middle of them and ¡ª


    "Shua" They quickly thrust their spears at him and he disappeared once again.


    Again. Again and again.


    He couldn''t control the destination of teleportation, so sometimes he teleported away from them, sometimes toward them and sometimes into the formation.


    But slowly, he gained a little control over the general direction of teleportation.


    [Xp+ 10


    Space Path Level 1: 10/100]


    With enough tries, he finally teleported out of their encirclement.


    He bolted to the city walls, disregarding his injuries. The Abyssal Knights chased him in frenzy.


    "Die!"


    "What the ¡ª" The city was on fire and Varian saw Narcis burning houses and killing Abyssals in the street.


    Along with him, a few more elite candidates also took part in destroying the city. The Abyssals were ughtered and their supplies were burned.


    The Abyssals chasing him slowed down, and Varian took the chance to approach the city walls.


    He teleported out and kept going till he was a few kilometers from the city. After reaching a quiet ce, he took out a few aura crystals and replenished his aura reserves.


    His injuries slowly healed, and he entered into a state of small epiphany. The space power in him connected him to space all around and he could "feel" space. It wasn''t aplete "sense" like vision, but it was slowly growing. Now, he was confident in controlling his teleportation direction.


    [Xp+20


    Space Path Level 1: 30/100]


    As he was about to continue experimenting, his cadetm rang:


    {Emergency! Abyss Duke is heading towards the city. The space shuttle only has 10 minutes.


    I repeat! 10 minutes. Be ready.}


    ''I got 10 merit points and can possibly be an honorary student. Despite the danger, it ended well.''


    Varian sighed in relief before he remembered something.


    "Kyle!"

 Chapter 29 - Kyle

    <h4>Chapter 29 - Kyle</h4>


    "Kyle!" Varian finally remembered.


    He looked up at the ck sky. Three space shuttles were already above the city.


    The flying seats descended and picked the candidates. There was a chance that some candidates were too injured and would be left behind. But the best they could give was ten minutes.


    Fighting with Abyss Duke to get secure everyone? Abyss Duke was level 6 and the fight of two level 6s would decimate the ce. The casualties would only be far higher.


    Sending a Level 8 to take care of things? Abyss will would inform a Level 8 Abyssal to confront the human awakener and nothing in the radius of a few kilometers will remain.


    The management knew any fighting between high levellers would only aggravate the situation.


    That was also the reason the space shuttle left immediately after dropping them. The highest awakener in the space shuttle was Colonel Reina. She was at least a Level 5 Awakener.


    If she space shuttle approached the city anymore, the Abyss Will would''ve informed the nearby Level 5 or Level 6 Abyssal and there would''ve been a massive fight instead of the entrance.


    So the space shuttle always maintained a safe distance and didn''t linger.


    Now since an Abyss Duke, a level 6 ising for them, it wouldn''t matter if a Level 5 approached the city.


    ''So I can''t hope they''d stay longer because one student is missing.'' Varian concluded and ran to the city at an insane pace.


    He passed by the candidates who were flying back to the space shuttle. They looked at him with one of two emotions: disdain or envy.


    Some viewed his actions to be seeking death. Others thought he was going to kill the injured Abyssals and get points.


    Even though the announcement said Abyss Duke would take 10 minutes to arrive, unless one was an elite, no one was stupid enough to stay out till thest minute.


    "Faster!" Varian channeled the chi to his legs and sped up. Dust kicked into the air and he moved like the wind.


    "Heym! Can you check where Kyle Kismat''sm is present? It''s an emergency!"


    {I''m extremely sorry. You do not have the permission to locate otherms.}


    "Fuck your permissions." Varian cursed under his breath and reached the goddamn city. It was in utter chaos. As far as eyes could see, there was only fire, death and destruction.


    Some candidates who failed to kill Abyssals now found weakened Abyssal Knights and tried to get the points for the test. But most of them were instead killed by the Abyssal Knights alive.


    "Die. Hahaha! Trash." Varian heard a familiar voice and nced in the direction. His ck eyes turned red, and he felt rage threatening to burst.


    He saw the young man who nearly pushed him and Kyle to death ¡ª Narcis Xander.


    If System was the conspirator, Narcis was the executor.


    Narcis was having fun as he killed humans and Abyssals alike with no regards to the impending danger.


    ''I''ll pay back in full.'' Varian vowed revenge once he got stronger. Fighting Narcis at this point had no advantages.


    And Kyle¡­


    Varian entered the city and instructed hism "At full volume, yell ''Kyle''. Don''t stop till I instruct."


    {Understood.} Them replied and yelled in Varian''s voice.


    "Kyle!"


    "Kyle!"


    The city was in ruins. Red and Green blood dyed the ground in strange patterns. Corpses of Humans and Abyssals were scattered everywhere.


    The Abyssal citizens already seemed to have evacuated through secret methods. Now the only one left in the city were Abyssal Knights and candidates.


    ''Why is he not responding? Is he¡­''


    Varian used his Greater Human eyesight and checked the corpses he could. There was no Kyle in them.


    "Phew" He patted his chest in relief and them continued to yell in Varian''s voice as he ventured deeper into the city.


    {7 Minutes remaining. Please return to the Spaceship immediately.}


    ''He must have at least gotten closer to the city after exiting the hill.'' Them continued to yell but instead of Kyle, it seeded in gaining the attention of the Abyssal Knights.


    The Abyssal Knights had given up on any hopes of living. Whether responsible or not, only one fate awaited them after their city was destroyed and their Lord killed ¡ª Death.


    So they let go of all inhibitions and attacked humans in frenzy. They had only one wish. Bring a human down with them. And many of them did.


    "Aaah"


    "Save"


    "Help!"


    The pleas of humans reverberated across the city as more and more fell to Abyssal Knight''s suicide attacks. Those who came to attack the weakened Abyssals and gain points had the most deaths. Even a few elite candidates fell to these suicide attacks.


    Of course, Varian got his share.


    "Kill this bastard!" an Abyss Knight yelled and a dozen Abyssals charged at him.


    Looking at the iing spears and arrows, Varian shrugged: ''I don''t have time for this.''


    He nced in the hill direction and channeled his space power. He felt his body being pulled into darkness and the next moment; he stepped onto the ground a few dozen feet away from his previous position and in the direction of the hill.


    He teleported with ease!


    ''A Level 3 can perhaps teleport directly to hill.''


    He gave up conserving aura and teleported multiple times and reached the hill.


    "Kyle!"


    Them continued to yell as he circled the hill.


    {5 Minutes remaining. Please return to the Spaceship immediately.}


    Varian saw that even the elite students started to leave. Even the most active ones moved to the entrance. There was no one in deeper areas. Except the dead and him.


    The Abyssal Knights went mad and gave the final push. This spiked the death toll in seconds.


    The only fortunate thing was that there were neither Abyssals nor Humans near the hill.


    ''Let''s be honest, I''m in the most danger now.'' Varian searched for any living human in the corpses around the hill.


    He was d that none of them were Kyle but disappointed he had no clue where he was gone.


    In the end, Varian went back into the streets.


    "Kyle!"


    It was absolutely the worst timing.


    "There''s a human!"


    "Kill!"


    "Damn humans! They destroyed our city!"


    Varian showed the Sr peace sign ¡ª a middle finger and teleported away from them.


    {3 Minutes remaining}


    ''System, if all the danger I encounter is because of you, why did Kyle have to face it?'' Varian questioned in frustration.


    [People still die. Not everything is your fault.]


    ''Of course it is my fault. I lose everyone.'' Varian clenched his fist and continued teleporting to cover more areas.


    Hism kept yelling but time was running out. He didn''t see any hope but he just kept going.


    He could chose to believe that Kyle already got into the spaceship and returned. Maybe he did. But the chances were low. ording to his character, he''d wait for Varian outside the city.


    Did he die? Varian didn''t know. Maybe. But Varian checked most of the corpses and found none resembling Kyle. Maybe he missed. Maybe¡­


    Now everything came down to his choice.


    Would he give up his mom''sst wish and continue the suicidal searching or would he abandon his only friend and fulfill his mom''sst wish?


    His dream was important, and it brought him out of the darkness. But Kyle was also important to him.


    In the past year, when he isted himself from the world and just tried to survive, Kyle came into his life. He tried his best to cheer him up and despite Varian''s continuous cold shoulder, he persisted and made him "more normal".


    In fact, there were days when Varian had panic attacks from nightmares of his mother''s death. He even had dangerous thoughts about his life. Kyle spent time with him and saved him from his own darkness.


    Kyle was also the one who requested Maya to introduce him to their family friend Gareth. That was how Varian got out of the darkest period of his life. Kyle was a person who didn''t like asking for favors, even if the other person was his girlfriend.


    However, he asked one favour despite his practices. He asked Maya to introduce Varian to her family''s friend, Gareth. That was also how Varian became a trainer in the Leon Training Hall.


    Varian at that time wasn''t in a state to even think of these things, and Kyle never brought them up.


    But when he finally knew the truth, Varian was both grateful and guilty. It was an irrefutable truth that Kyle saved his life.


    Now he had to face the tough choice: Best Friend''s life or mom''sst wish?


    Varian was torn inside.


    After a moment, he sighed "Comm, stop yelling his name."


    {2 minutes remaining}


    He looked at the spaceships in the air and at the hill in the distance.


    "Fuck!"


    He gritted his teeth and ran to the hill.


    His eyes turned red, and he yelled his heart out, "Kyle! You sick bastard! Where are you!"


    "Son of a...! Where are you!"


    Varian searched everywhere he could find and finally entered the one area he didn''t enter.


    He entered the facility inside the hill. With an attitude ofst try, he focused his vision and hearing as he passed through the broken ceiling blocks and damaged paths.


    He gave his 150% and hoped for a miracle.


    The miracle didn''t happen, but the clock continued to tick.


    {1 Minute remaining}


    "Kyle!"


    {55 Seconds remaining}


    Varian felt his entire body go cold and the scene of his mother''s final moments yed in his mind.


    ''Save Sia''


    "Sorry¡­" Varian muttered in a muffled voice.


    He exited the facility and was about to rush towards the city outskirts. His focused hearing caught an almost inaudible sound:


    "V..Va..ri.an"

 Chapter 30 - Critical Moments

    <h4>Chapter 30 - Critical Moments</h4>


    "V..Va..r..ian"


    Varian''s breath stagnated for a moment. With no hesitation, he teleported in the direction of that feeble sound.


    "Vari..an...Ma..ya..Mo..m"


    As he got closer and closer, his heart raced and the voice turned weaker.


    "I''m here." Varian reached the source ¡ª a pile of adamantine blocks.


    ''Whaat?!''


    The chi in his body boiled, and he pushed the blocks away to find the bloodied young man underneath the rubble.


    Kyle was bleeding from head to toe. His limbs were crushed under the adamantine blocks and the bones were broken. He was about to kick the bucket.


    His eyes were closed, and he uttered the same words again and again.


    "Ma..ya...Var..ian...M..om"


    Varian picked up Kyle and felt the weak life of his friend.


    {30 Seconds Remaining}


    ''I''ll save you¡­'' Varian let loose all inhibitions and madly channeled his space power and chi.


    Varian used low teleportation continuously, and he transferred huge distance. But he was still a good distance away from the city outskirts.


    {25 Seconds Remaining}


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    As he continued to teleport, loud sts sounded in the air and Varian had an ominous feeling.


    These sounds¡­ must be due to Abyss Duke''s insane speed. He was near.


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    "Gah" Varian reached the center of the city and pushed himself further. He felt


    the life in Kyle''s body slipping away.


    {20 Seconds remaining}


    ''Please¡­'' The city was still a distance away and Varian estimated he needed at least 25 seconds to reach the location.


    "Grh" Varian''s wounds from his fights weren''t healed and with his brazen use of space power, they exacerbated to painful levels.


    His space power was slowly running out and he could only use it once. Varian resorted to running to save teleportation to cross the city wall.


    Varian felt the wounds of his body all tear open. He was bleeding profusely, but he only sped up.


    Leaving a trail of red blood, he marched to the city walls.


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    The air sts were getting louder and the Abyss Duke was inching closer.


    {15 seconds remaining}


    In those critical moments, there was only thought going on in his head.


    ''Must Save! Must Survive! This time, I must not fail!''


    There were only a few Abyssal Knights still alive in the city and fewer in his vicinity. But they spotted him.


    Knowing his situation, they gloated and cheered in schadenfreude.


    "Your friend will die, bastard! So will you!"


    "I''ll die anyway, so I''ll just use that life to dy you until our Duke arrives."


    "Yes. Use our lives to bring you down. That''s the only value we have left."


    Varian gritted his teeth and continued to sprint along the same path. He took the shortest route to the wall, and it was already a question if he could make it in time.


    Any more dy was out of question.


    "Kill!"


    The Abyssals couldn''t catch up, so they threw their weapons with every ounce of their strength.


    Right then, Varian reached the city wall and channeled his space power.


    "Cling."


    "Cling"


    All the weapons crashed into the wall. Except one.


    "Argh" Varian appeared outside the city wall. A spear plunged into his chest from the back and pierced his lungs.


    {5 Seconds remaining}


    Varian''s face grimaced in the gut wrenching pain. The excessive bleeding already weakened him and he was finding it hard to stand.


    ''I¡­'' Varian''s vision blurred, but he saw the few flying seats in sight. They were a few hundred meters away.


    "R..e.t.u.rn" He muttered and his cadetm glowed.


    The nearest chair rushed at him.


    ''Not enough¡­'' Varian thought and drew the strength he didn''t know he had.


    With a speed impossible for the current him, he reached the chair and jumped on it.


    {3 Seconds remaining}


    "BooM!"


    "BoOM!


    "BOOM!"


    The shock waves in the air shook, raised the soil into air and caused dust storm.


    "Go!" Varian yelled, and the hover chair ascended at its highest speed.


    {2 Seconds remaining}


    The wind hit him hard and Varian felt Kyle breathe almost disappearing.


    He forced himself to stay awake and saw a ck figure in the distance. He rushed to the city at an insane speed.


    With every step he took, he was a few hundred meters away. His speed caused shock waves, and the sheer force of these shock waves levelled mountains.


    He looked up and saw only two humans in sight.


    They were on a hover chair and we''re about to reach the space shuttle.


    He wouldn''t be able to damage the space shuttle with a single shot, but these humans¡­ they''ll die.


    "Ants." The Abyss Duke muttered and jumped into the air.


    Crossing hundreds of meters in the blink of an eye, he almost caught up with the duo.


    {1 Second remaining}


    Varian saw the Abyss Duke close therge distance in the blink of an eye.


    Without thinking, he caught Kyle and jumped into the space shuttle''s opening.


    {0 Seconds remaining}


    "Boom!"


    "Shuaa!"


    The moment Varian entered, the opening closed, and the punch of Abyss Duke struck.


    It decimated the air, almost damaged the spaceship, and shook everyone on board.


    At the same moment, the spaceship took off at an insane speed. It sted through the air and blinked into the distance.


    Everyone in the space shuttle felt a huge pull, and they clutched their seats.


    Varian and Kyle, along with a few others, were thrown back and were thankfully caught by the emergency bots.


    "Emergency treatment initiated." AI announced. Varian and Kyle were quickly taken into critical pods to heal.


    Varian felt the world go ck and his consciousness fall into a deep slumber. Then an extremelyfortable feeling filled every fibre of his being.


    The pain from the injuries of the fight, the wound from the spear piercing his lung, the broken bones from the reckless sprint... all vanished.


    After a long time, the soothing feeling faded away, and Varian was sober.


    The warm temperature of the healing liquid on his skin, the darkness around him, the sweet smell, and the lightness of his body.


    He was still for a moment before he got up in a jolt.


    "Ky¡­"


    He stopped. Kyle stood in front of him. He waspletely healed and his face was a mess of tears. Kyle rushed to him to give a hug.


    "No!" Varian stepped to the side.


    "Ssh"


    Kyle fell into the critical healing pod''s liquid.


    "Du..de!" Kyle got up from the liquid and red at him.


    Varian stared at Kyle for a while, and Kyle finally shrugged.


    "You never take hugs."


    "If it''s a beautiful woman, I will consider. You? Sorry not sorry."


    "You were carrying me all the way." Kyle argued.


    Varian shook his head and said, "I was just bringing back your corpse, you''re lucky you''re still alive.


    "Yeah, yeah sure. I just returned to check if you''re still alive and see where I teleported? Under those blocks! This is why I never teleport."


    "Haha¡­"


    They both burst outughing and finally sighed in relief.


    Life never felt so precious.


    Varian was alright, but Kyle was tearing up again.


    Varian whispered to the cadetm, "Hey, hey, take 3D pics. Highest quality."


    He circled Kyle and pretended to pat him in the back.


    ''Hm... 20 pictures.''


    Poor Kyle didn''t know the situation and thought Varian was onlyforting him.


    As Varian nned to record a tear up speech of Kyle, the door opened and Colonel Reina appeared in front of them.


    She nced at Kyle and locked her gaze with Varian


    "He wants to see you."

 Chapter 31 - Honorary Student

    <h4>Chapter 31 - Honorary Student</h4>


    Varian asked "Who is ''He''?"


    Colonel Reina didn''t reply and turned around "Follow me."


    Kyle whispered, "They asked me about the facility inside the hill. These cadetms have locators."


    Varian looked at his cadetm with distrust ''Would this thing record his secrets''


    "It can''t do much. The original n was to monitor everything about the cadet. But the alumni and prime families objected. The technocrats also said the data could be used by hostile powers." Kyle chuckled and revealed.


    Varian raised an eyebrow at Kyle, seeming to ask, ''How do you know so much?''


    "Maya''s father participated in the project." He smirked and said, "Now go."


    ''He sure is proud of his father-inw.'' Varian shook his head and followed Colonel Rein.


    They walked through a heavily fortified path in an awkward silence. The walls were made of special alloy, and it was a grade higher than adamantine.


    Varian shuddered at the thought of these walls copsing. He looked at the officer in front and wanted to strike a conversation. After recalling her short and cold responses, he gave up and checked hism.


    ''It''s been 2 hours already?'' Varian was baffled. ''Weren''t injuries caused by aura take longer to heal?''


    Injuries that could be healed through pure regeneration of cells were not a problem for today''s technology.


    However, when two awakeners fight, they also inflict their own aura on their opponent and part of it seeps in. This aura must be removed, or it''d interfere in the healing process.


    He checked his body and found no injuries.


    ''The critical healing liquid¡­'' he recalled the soothing sensation and guessed the reason.


    They soon reached arge door.


    The AI scanned her ID and informed the one inside.


    Colonel Reina turned around and stared at him with a deadpan face "You''re a reckless fool."


    She started walking away leaving one advice "Be careful of what you say."


    ''Weird woman.'' Varian shook his head and turned to the room.


    The door opened, and Varian almost punched the person who walked out.


    "Oh? You? Are you a cockroach that won''t die?" Narcis took a moment to recognize him and chuckled.


    Varian really wanted to kill Narcis, even if it was a fellow human. The only thing that stopped him was Narcis''s background.


    If he thrashed Narcis, a Level 3, his elder brother would seek revenge. Then his father. Then his grandpa. If alive, even his great grandpa woulde.


    Narcis''s father was enough to crush anyone. He was Julius Xander ¡ª Sovereign. The peak ofbat power and the guardian of Earth. If rumors were to be trusted, he dotted on his second son, Narcis.


    ''But I can always assassinate you... let''s see how long you have.'' Varian decided to forebear and hence didn''t want to resort to violence.


    But he had no problem in retorting to a verbal fight, "Are you the trash that can''t even kill a cockroach?"


    "Hahaha" A young man around 18 appeared behind Narcis and looked at him with a mocking smile.


    "Narcis, second son of Julius Xander, is a trash that can''t kill a level 2. Good news." the young man fanned the mes.


    "Adir, you better remember this isn''t your Caron family turf or I''ll have no problem deporting you to your home." Narcis squinted at the young man and warned.


    "Give it a try. I''m an honorary student and I''ll be the first in the practical test. Try deporting me." Adir smirked and continued to provoke.


    "Nonsense. I''ll be first." Narcis retorted.


    They totally ignored Varian. To them, anyone without a strong background was not even worth their attention. Narcis would likely forget Varian in a day.


    ''Duh. Whatever.'' Varian ignored them and entered the room.


    Even revenge on Narcis was second on his priority list. First was always finding Sia.


    As he stepped in, he saw the whole room was upied by the hologram ying the final scene of Varian jumping into the space shuttle and Abyss Duke punching the space shuttle.


    If Varian never believed he was lucky, now he did. If he waste by just a second, he''d be dead.


    That meant if anything until that moment was dyed by one second, he''d have died. One second more on the hill, one second more to think, one second of hesitation would''ve meant death.


    The hologram turned off and Varian saw a man sitting in arge chair. He wore the standard military uniform and stared at Varian.


    Just looking at him, Varian felt a huge pressure. The man was tall, even when seated, and had an aura of vicissitudes for his not-so-old face.


    ''Eric ¡ª General.'' Varian nced at the name and rank of the officer and straightened his back.


    Generals were at least Level 7. Every three levels was a watershed. So a Level 3 couldn''t bepared to Level 4 and a Level 6 couldn''t bepared to Level 7.


    There were several theories for this, but none was convincing enough.


    Regardless, anyone awakener above Level 6 was an elite of the elite and topbat power of the Human Armed Forces.


    Varian didn''t speak, and the officer continued to stare at him. Finally, Eric spoke in a light tone "Varian Konstant, congrattions on bing an honorary student of Imperial Defense Academy."


    "Thank You, Sir." Varian responded in a formal tone, but the joy was hard to hide.


    Even though he believed his findings inside the castle would be considered ''outstanding performance'', he was relieved only after knowing he was selected.


    His first and alsost option in admission was Imperial Academy!


    "I''m Eric. Supervisor of 2nd year and Final Decision Maker of this Entrance Test." He introduced himself and cut to the point.


    "The facility inside the hill was found by the army long ago. It seemed to be a reserve for aura crystals. For what? We don''t know." Eric said in a casual tone, while closely observing Varian.


    ''Does he not know about the strange altar or is he just testing me?'' Varian quickly wondered.


    ''They only know I went inside. They don''t know what I saw. Good thing cadetm cannot record everything. But...''


    "Yes, there are a lot of aura crystals." Varian replied and pointed to his space ring and followed "There is also a weird altar. It''s in the room with aura crystals. That''s all I know."


    "Haha. You''re honest. There are aura crystals only around the altar. If you had lied, I would have shed off your admission." Eric said without a change or expression.


    Varian felt he was sweating, even though the room was very cold.


    "Now the important part." Eric gave an enthusiastic smile and a few holograms popped in front.


    ''Virgin Dungeon Cross Tunneling Targets:


    ¡­.''


    ''Noob Dungeon Cross Tunneling Targets:


    ¡­.''


    "I''ll need the original material."


    Varian retrieved the leathers from his space ring and was about to walk over to hand them in.


    But before he could react, a few branches took the material from him. He looked up and saw Eric checking the material.


    The branches were nowhere to be seen.


    ''nt Morpher. Level 7.'' Varian knew the Divine Path of Eric.


    Morphers were Awakeners in Morpher Divine Path that could turn into nts.


    Like Beast Morpher, any nt Morpher had a nt species they''d transform into.


    However, there was not much "species" difference like in Beast Morphers where one could Beast morpher turned into a Snow wolf and the other into a fire lizard.


    All nt Morphers more or less transform into the same kind of nt. Therefore, the difference in power between two nt morphers would only be decided by their skills and experience.


    Eric verified the documents''s validity and looked at him with a profound smile. "You''re lucky. Honorary Students are all Level 3s. Even then, they have to finish tough tasks. Killing Abyss Commander, stealing intelligence, destroying the armory, ying at least a 100 Abyssal Knights in one shot and so on."


    Varian smiled wryly. He was indeed lucky to get those materials without actually fighting for them. But to survive until that point was no luck. This matter, no person other than himself would understand.


    "Did you see who was responsible for the whole event?" Eric asked in a causal tone.


    "No. By the time I climbed the hill, there was not a single thing living." Varian said without changing his expression.


    If he told them that Enigma, the leader of Shadow Order, who reportedly killed every human she saw, spared him, he''d be a suspect. He might even be branded as a terrorist himself by few.


    "I see. That''s expected. Regardless of who killed the Abyss Lord, you are the one who brought the important intel. We only see end results. So you get the merit." Eric shrugged.


    Varian nced at his cadetm.


    {You have been awarded 500 mp for the "Intel"}


    Eric sensed Varian''s aura and sensed he just broke through Level 2. He was a bit surprised but that was it.


    "You joined the test as a Level 1 and you awakened not too long ago, unless you''re concealing it. You reached Level 2 in less than a month. Maybe you found a special fruit, or you got a precious potion. I don''t care."


    ''I didn''t get any of those things, but if my rapid advancements can be epted for those reasons, I''m more than happy.''


    "But I must say, this is like the start of a legendary story." Eric apuded. Varian tried to smile but stopped himself as Eric''s smile darkened "Most of these stories end prematurely."


    The fatality of the Imperial Defense Academy was at least 20%. Eric had seen too many geniuses die before they truly rose. They were likeets which shone for a single night rather than the stars which shone every night.


    "I have a strong will to survive." Varian said.


    "You sure do. I''m still surprised you survived this as a Level 2 Body Awakener."


    ''Well, it seems like my Space powers are not reported. I was bloodied and unrecognizable most of the time. Every candidate was busy with their own thing.''


    Varian gave a smile and wanted to get to the sole reason he wanted to be an honorary student.


    "Finally. You''re first in the practical test. You can make a reasonable request."


    Varian braced himself and asked the one thing he did everything for ¡ª Sia.

 Chapter 32 - The Request

    <h4>Chapter 32 - The Request</h4>


    "I want to check the information of a cadet named Sia. She might be a cadet now or maybe she is already enlisted, but she joined Imperial Defense Academy at some point. That''s the only info I have about her." Varian revealed his ''request''.


    "Huh?" Eric frowned and narrowed his eyes.


    Varian felt like he was crushed from the outside. This was the same "Aura lock" used by Abyss Lord on Varian.


    Due to the huge disparity in the levels, Varian was helpless against this move.


    But he didn''t panic. He kept his back straight and stared at Eric.


    Eric kept the aura lock on and opened Varian''s documents. This included criminal records, Varian''s fights in the Leon training hill, his encounter with Abyssals in the Dungeon. In the end, he even checked histe parents''s records.


    Varian knew his request was sensitive. If a cadet''s information was revealed to the enemy, they''d be passive. So if Varian was a terrorist or had a personal grudge against the cadet named Sia, revealing her information would be equal to putting her in danger.


    A few minutes passed and Varian finally felt the surrounding aura loosen.


    "Your file is pretty clean. But... I can assume you''re a terrorist who''s trying to get the info about a cadet. I''m even wondering if the attack on the hill is rted to you. Or else, why that request?" Eric tapped the table and raised an eyebrow.


    ''If he believed it, I''d be dead already. He''s just testing me.''


    "My father was a solider, and he sacrificed himself in a war against Abyssals. I grew up wanting to be like him." Varian stated his first point and established empathy.


    "Even in the dungeon, I barely survived. If my friends were a bitte, I''d be dead." With the second point, he implied that if he was a terrorist, he''d never had to face such a situation.


    "I risked my life to save my friend I met less than a year ago." The final point was to prove his own character.


    That was all he could say.


    "Hm. So you want to join the Imperial Academy to be a responsible officer and fight Abyssals. Why would you want to enquire about someone?" Eric tapped the chair and said in a solemn tone.


    "It''s a personal reason. What I can say is that is that I''ll go to any lengths for that request." Varian said.


    Eric looked at Varian''s determined eyes and fell into a brief thought. ''There will be quite a few cadets named Sia, but there won''t be many. I can reject his request but he might approach factions of those prime families in the academy.''


    He recalled Varian''s personal record of going from unawakened to Level 2 in a matter of days and even more impressive, his feats of sacrifice in Dungeon and his risk to save his friend in the entrance test.


    ''He might have gotten lucky to advance so quickly, but he caught up with his peers despite awakening sote. Most importantly, he seems to be a loyald.


    It''d be a pity if he didn''t serve in the army.


    But I can''t agree to his request easily either. Checking info about cadets is a serious issue. Hm, alright!''


    Eric snapped his fingers and said, "Alright. Your request will be epted."


    "Thank you." Varian smiled. He was about to ask for the documents now, but ¡­


    "You''re forgetting something." Eric gave a crafty smile and continued, "You can make a request and you''ll need to pay corresponding merit points."


    ''Ah. Right. I have 510 mp now. ording to the guide, 1mp = 2kp. That''s almost 1 million credit points. I''d be able to buy arge mansion.'' It was his first time possessing such a huge amount of money.


    Varian asked, "I have 510 mp. How many hundred mp should I pay?"


    Eric''s smile widened, and he shook his head.


    ''So it''s cheaper?'' Varian thought but soon felt something was off with the way Eric was smiling. That sly, cunning and calcting smile.


    "It''s 20,000 mp." Eric said and patted himself on the back.


    "20k?!" Varian was dumbfounded. That''s 40 million cp. That''s too much, right?


    "Oh, and I forgot to tell you, your prize 500 mp is the highest in the past 10 years." Eric decided to reveal the level of difficulty.


    "Anything you do that benefits Human Armed Forces is rewarded by merit points. Cadets usually earn it through missions." Eric exined.


    "Usually a normal cadet earns 1000 mp in their first year. 5000 in their second year and 10000 mp in their third year."


    Varian felt his legs wobble.


    "A good genius would earn 2000 in their first year and 8000 in their second year. 20000 in their final year."


    Varian almost coughed out blood.


    He finally knew why Eric agreed to his request. If gaze could kill, Eric would be dead a thousand and nine times already.


    Eric looked at Varian''s indignant gaze and waved his hands. "Do you know how sensitive revealing information about a cadet is? Besides, you asked for the data of all cadets named Sia. I''m not even asking you why you want their data. If I were you, I''d onlyugh that I got a huge bargain."


    Varian gritted his teeth and squeezed a smile. "I''m really happy."


    "Yes, yes. You should be." Eric gave a heart-warming smile that would''ve charmed teen girls, but it only made Varian want to bury him in mars.


    Varian took a deep breath and gave a formal salute. Fearing he''d beat Eric if he turned back, he walked out of the room.


    He guessed Eric''s intentions. They were threefold.


    One. To get so many Merit points, Varian would''ve to spend a long time in the academy. This would prove his loyalty and also expose the hidden connections, if any. If he came out clean, his request would be fulfilled.


    Two. To get the merit points, he''d have to work hard. The sooner he wants them, the more work. This meant the academy would gain a highly productive cadet and perhaps a high level Awakener.


    Third. The request was dyed but not denied. So Varian wouldn''t be able toin to management if he ever got the chance.


    ''This old fox¡­ your plot was smart'' Varian''s stiff smile disappeared after he exited the room and reced by a sneer.


    ''You just misunderstood one thing. I went from Level 0 to Level 2 in 10 days. I relied neither on potions nor on precious fruits. I have a system.'' He sauntered in the path.


    ''You thought I will take years. I''ll finish it in a few months.''


    Varian didn''t know how, but he knew he''d do it. He lost belief in himself in the past year but now, with every battle, his self-confidence was growing back to its peak.


    He was going to give his best. The number of months depended on his luck, and luck only favored the prepared.


    The same thing happened in the entrance test. He got the ten merit points due to his own efforts. The final material on the hill was because he survived until then and climbed the hill. He was indeed lucky to get that opportunity, but to even reach till there, he needed a lot of effort.


    Varian inquired about the cadetm, and it replied that he was in an administrative block of Imperial Defense Academy.


    After he lost consciousness, the space shuttle reached Earth, and the selected candidates were shifted to the campus.


    Varian got excited and left the block.


    There was a crowd in the field gazing at the hologram list. Varian looked up and saw that it was the rankings.


    Written Test: (Combatant)


    Varian


    Narcis


    Adir


    Ryan


    ...


    Practical Test: (Combatant)


    Varian


    Narcis


    Ryan


    Adir


    ¡­


    "Hahaha. Narcis, you''re destined to be only second." a loud mockingughter sounded in the crowd and the students turned to see the source.


    Adir pointed at the rankings and sneered at Narcis Xander. Narcis''s face was flushed, and he was shaking in rage.


    "Who? Who is this Varian?" He growled, and no one answered.


    ''Fuck my luck!'' Varian decided to slip away instead of making a scene and was almost sessful.


    "Varian. I''m first in the test! I''m the best!" Kyle hopped off his hover bike and bragged.


    ''Kyle, please tell me, did I kill your dad or snatch your wife? Why do you always push me into the Abyss?'' Varian felt like crying as he turned around to see Narcis stepping towards him.


    ''Oh shit! Here we go again.''

 Chapter 33 - Only End Results Matter

    <h4>Chapter 33 - Only End Results Matter</h4>


    "You...you are that got lucky and didn''t die, right? You were also at the Supervisor''s office earlier. I must have thought why did a nobody like you appear there." Narcis uttered with contempt and disdain as he recalled his encounter with Varian.


    Narcis never remembered the names of people below his own status. Varian was the only one who bumped into him three times and made him ufortable thrice.


    "Science students, we have a briefing." An announcement interrupted the tense movement, and Kyle waved at Varian and slipped off.


    Before he left, he whispered, ''This is a campus, don''t worry. You''ll be alright.''


    Varian knew that fighting on campus wouldn''t be overboard and he''d be safe, but he still wanted to beat Kyle.


    ''I swear I''ll pay back.'' He vowed.


    "Are you going to bully an awakener at a level lower than you?" Adir stepped up and blocked Narcis''s path.


    "Do you really dare, Adir Caron?" A blue light shed from Narcis''s heart and covered his body.


    The air got heavy, and the aura rioted.


    Adir nced at the people, pointing their fingers at Narcis, and felt everything was worth it.


    He channeled the mana in his body, and the ground shook. An earthen spear made of rocks rose from the soil and aimed at Narcis.


    "There is nothing I don''t dare. Besides, him getting first only proves you can only be second. You lose to your brother. You lose to a nobody. You''ll never be first." Adir gave a condescending smile and said out loud.


    "...It''s true. Narcis always lost to Charles."


    "Charles was always first."


    "I guess some people are destined to be second."


    The murmurs increased and Narcis felt his blood boil. He red at the crowd and was about to attack them.


    ''These people deserve to die.''


    "Boom!"


    The earth spear was suddenly sted, and the crowd shifted their gazes.


    There was a teenager the same age as Narcis. He was bulkier and taller than an average man. He was menacing.


    At that moment, he crushed the earth spear with his hands and shot at Adir.


    Varian only saw a few shes in front of him, and a few rocks rose into the air.


    "Boom!"


    The broken rocks and stones scattered in all directions.


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    The teenager leapt on to the floating rocks and shot at Adir. At a breakneck speed, his fist was about to break Adir apart.


    "Hmph!" A shield made of multipleyers of rock appeared in front of Adir, blocking the offense.


    "Crack"


    "Crack"


    The teenager''s fist continued to break theyers but slowed down due to the interruption.


    His fist broke thestyer, but by that time, Adir channeled his mana and the earth slid him to a safe distance.


    "Ryan Albert." a student eximed. "He''s the best friend of Narcis... but is it alright to fight here, even if his grandpa is a marshal?"


    "Huff, huh" Ryan stood panting and wiped the blood at the corner of his mouth.


    ''Ryan Albert¡­ is that the grandson of the Sovereign Albert? Imperial Academy is indeed the hub of the best talent and background.'' Varian thought and observed the status quo.


    "Cough. Cough" Adir''s expression was pale, and it didn''t seem like he had the upper hand in the battle.


    "You¡­ wait." He gritted his teeth and walked away.


    Before leaving, he also red at Varian with a pair of venomous eyes.


    ''You''re ming me after butting in? I guess my luck is off the charts.'' Varian facepalmed mentally and processed the strength of these monsters.


    They were at level 3 and progressed quite a bit, even in level 3. At least for now, Varian didn''t think he had any chance of winning.


    But he could dy their victory if his Space path gets to level 2. He can defeat them if he advanced to Level 3.


    Ryan nodded at Narcis and nced at Varian. With a snort, he walked away. Varian saw the almost imperceptible shaking of Ryan''s fist. It seemed that he had to leave to recuperate.


    "Now who opposes?" Narcis shed an arrogant smile and dashed to Varian.


    Varian was about to teleport when ¡­


    "Assemble." a cold and young voice sounded and Narcis paused in his tracks. It was quiteical as he stopped in the middle of jumping.


    A few students snapped a few shots and saved it to their cloud.


    '' It''s the aura lock.'' Varian observed the aura flow near Narcis.


    Narcis was a Level 3, so the one locking him must be old. But the voice just now was¡­ young.


    The cadets moved slowly and suddenly, everyone felt a suffocating pressure. They hurriedly assembled into a standard rectangle formation.


    Varian turned around along with others and they saw a young woman flying towards them on a sheet of ice.


    She was flying at least a few hundred meters above the ground and approached them in the blink of an eye.


    She jumped from the great height, and everyone braced themselves for the impact. But just before shended, Varian saw bits of water bubbles appearing under her feet. They slowed her down, and shended gracefully.


    What others found as beautiful, Varian found it skillful.


    He nced at her name, ''Sarah''. ''She was flying on ice. So she must be a Water Awakener, at least Level 5. Usually, only third years are in Level 5.''


    "The shortening of test period resulted in manyins." Sarah said slowly, but her voice, strangely, seemed to be amplified and everyone was able to hear it.


    ''Her voice seemed to be amplified. Is she a dual awakener?'' He wondered.


    Most of the cadets didn''t notice the difference and instead nodded at her words.


    The test was supposed to be for 24 hours, but it ended in a few hours. But the academy still demanded 10 merit points to join.


    Of course, there wereints. But there were many batches of candidates and theirs was just a single batch. They justified their decision by saying ''Only End results matter.''


    "But you had the perfect opportunity to get more points when the city was in chaos. On normal tests, such a thing would be impossible. Abyss Lord would kill even the top students with ease and the best top students can do is to kill Abyss Commander." She said.


    The subtext was that they had their risk but also the chance. If they failed to take it, it was their fault.


    ''Well, if it was a normal entrance test, I surely wouldn''t be an honorary student. I might not even advance to level 2, which meant I wouldn''t even be epted here.'' Varian thought and felt that despite the dangers, he was better off because of them.


    "Now, you have a gift from the academy." She snapped her fingers and hundreds of small ck squares flew towards them.

 Chapter 34 - Repaying Gratitude

    <h4>Chapter 34 - Repaying Gratitude</h4>


    Varian saw a ck square approach his cadetm and touch it. The cadetm flew away and the ck squarended on his wrist.


    The next second, it dissolved into multiple tiny bots and turned invisible.


    "This is yourm, your ID, your ssroom. It is synced with the central AI of the academy. It also supports crossmunication. It contains every info you need and every record about you." Sarah stated.


    Varian wanted to open them and a holograph in front of him. He looked around and saw no one could see it. It was directly reflected on his retina and was invisible to everyone!


    The white screen disyed his basic info:


    {Varian: 1st Year. Honorary Student.


    Current Merit Points: 510.


    Cumtive Merit Points: 510


    Shop:


    Mission:


    Messages:


    Opening ceremony on 5th, Octav


    Your set of uniforms would be delivered to your address.


    Your guardian form is yet to be filled.}


    "Do not try silly things like hacking your mp, Level 9 technocrats are in charge of the database. If you still dare, you''ll be sentenced to death."


    A few students shuddered and turned silent.


    Technocrat path could be taken by Telepaths at Level 7.


    Mind Path (Level 1-3) ¡ª> Telepath (Level 4-6) ¡ª> Technocrat (Level 7-9).


    As their title suggested, they were capable of controlling any technological device through their mind. From space shuttles to electricity transmission devices, it was all literally a thought away.


    Technocrats also keep track of the meta and monitor important databases.


    There was a time when humanity had to face hostile AIs. Everyone thought it''d be a protracted war like in movies of Old Earth, but technocrats ended the war in weeks and proved their prowess.


    ''If they didn''t have even this measure, everyone would hack and merit points would lose their value.'' Varian shrugged.


    "The opening ceremony is on 5th. Say your goodbyes and be prepared for death. Getting into the academy is only the beginning." She snapped, and a huge hologram popped up in the air.


    It disyed the average mortality rate of the academy ¡ª 23%.


    Varian felt a bone chilling sensation. Nearly every one in four died. The crowd fell silent.


    "Abyssals are hostile and bent on exterminating humanity. We are the ones responsible to protect humanity. We must rely on hard work and discipline. Any fight between cadets must happen in duels, under supervision. Infighting will only weaken everyone."


    She nced at Narcis and hardened her already emotionless tone. "The academy isn''t training thugs. Remember that you are in the most prestigious academy of Human Federation."


    ''So she witnessed the fight, but will Ryan and Adir get anything more than verbal punishment?'' Varian thought.


    Ryan was the grandson of Albert, one of the Eight Sovereigns. Adir belonged to Caron family, one of the three prime families. The family heads of the Prime Families were Sovereigns.


    "Ryan and Adir are punished with 40 mp. That''s half of their mp reserves." Sarah seemed to know their doubts and answered.


    "Don''t take this lightly. If your mp bnce is negative for a month, you''ll be expelled." She waved her hands and water spheres appeared in front of her. With a flick of her hand, they turned into an ice dragon.


    "Disperse." Sarah stepped on the ice dragon and flew into the air.


    Narcis left with the crowd. He seemed to be bothered by something and certainly not Sarah''s warnings.


    ''At least no fights for now.''


    Varian sighed in relief but soon frowned ''I''ll need to get to level 3 soon. I should at least be able to protect myself. I can''t always expect someone to uphold the rules for me.''


    Varian reached the briefing location for science students. The students were just leaving, and he saw a bunch of female students surrounding a guy. Every student was a beauty who''d have a line of her own pursuers, but now she seemed to join a line to pursue one guy.


    "You''re really smart."


    "You''re the number one. How about we coborate on a project?"


    "Can I ask you some doubts about systems ovep?"


    The teen girls spoke coquettishly and winked at the guy. Their intentions were obvious.


    Varian would''ve ignored it if the guy wasn''t Kyle. Kyle seemed to be embarrassed, and he kept shaking his head.


    But Varian swore he saw a smug smile on his face. Even though he rejected their advances, he was enjoying the attention of the opposite sex.


    ''Your uncle! I got first, and I almost got into a fight. He got first, and he is getting his ass kissed. Why the difference?'' Varian felt envy for the first time and decided to pay off his debts of gratitude.


    He recorded the conversation with his newm. Thankfully, there was a stealth option. Thus, the pickup lines of girls and Kyle''s refusals, including the 3D video, were captured.


    The girls finally couldn''t bear and started their final attack. Kyle gave his befitting replies with a shy, but strong smile.


    "Are you single?"


    "I''m taken."


    "I don''t mind sharing."


    "I don''t want a harem."


    "I can convince your gf."


    "My gf will kill me." Kyle opened his arms and yelled. The girls stood disappointed. Some of them started crying.


    The scene aroused the envy of men and anger of women. This scum! Why him? Why her?


    Varian saw Kyle escaping on his hover bike and didn''t bother him. Instead, he edited the video with his newm''s advanced technology.


    The conversation changed to:


    "Are you single?"


    "I''m taken."


    "I don''t mind sharing."


    "I want a harem. Sharing is caring."


    "I can convince your gf"


    "Then my would be gfs,e!" The video ended with Kyle opening his arms, seeming to be asking for a big hug.


    He deliberately didn''t change the initial parts for it to appear more authentic.


    Before he hit "send, " he had to confirm one thing.


    ''System, just now, I almost got into a fight with Narcis. So was it due to Kyle or your presence affecting my fate?''


    [Host, even though this System acknowledges that its presence makes your life more threatening yet equally rewarding, it never estimated things to go to this degree. Your friend seems to have a special talent to worsen your situation.]


    ''That''s something we both can agree upon.'' Varian nodded and decided.


    Wishing Kyle a good day, he sent the video to Maya. She would first believe it, but she''ll get a message that it was edited after a few hours.


    Kyle only had to do one thing: survive those few hours.


    Varian returned to his apartment and slept soundly, knowing that one person won''t be getting any sleep tonight.


    From Kyle''s apartment, there was a howling of a sad creature. It was filled with despair and fear.


    "VARIAN!"


    The sounds of slippers pping flesh and broken kitchenware continued till dawn.


    *** *** ***


    Varian woke up the next day and saw an unexpected guest at the door.

 Chapter 35 - Guardian Form

    <h4>Chapter 35 - Guardian Form</h4>


    Varian opened the door and saw Maya. She was thin and petite as always and gave off a feeling of kindness.


    "Hi, Maya. How''s Ky ¡ª" Varian paused as he saw a man with his head covered in band aide out. He was limping as he approached the door.


    Because of the bruises on his face, Varian didn''t recognize him immediately. But the familiarity wasn''t wrong.


    "Kyle!" Varian walked to him and patted him on the shoulder. "I knew you would survive."


    "Ouch." Kyle whimpered at the touch and red at him.


    Varian withdrew his hand and coughed solemnly "Some injuries¡­ are inevitable."


    "You really wanted me dead, didn''t you?" Kyle said in an aggrieved tone. After he got home, he was ecstatic about his awesome first rank. Then Maya visited him.


    He thought she came to celebrate, but without a word, she attacked him. Everything at home, from utensils to showpieces, was used as a weapon and Kyle could only dodge. He begged for mercy and when he was about to prove his innocence, Varian''s message arrived.


    "Maya,e in." Varian ignored Kyle and weed her in. Of course, Kyle followed them in.


    Kyle, Maya and Varian seated themselves in the living room. It was a modest room with no decorations. There was only a couch, a table and a few bean bag chairs.


    "Join me in Breakfast?" Varian asked.


    "Yes." Kyle said out loud, and Maya nodded. After all the beating he tookst night, where was any room for dinner?


    "Good." Varian nodded and ordered meat dishes of magic beast and veggies of specially cultivated nts.


    "Why so expensive?" Maya questioned. She knew Varian wasn''t poor, but he wasn''t rich either. But now, everything Varian ordered was expensive. The breakfast would cost at least 1000 cp. The average ie of an adult was only 5000 cp.


    "Everything in the academy needs merit points. My credit points are useless there. I might as well splurge these 4 days before I leave." Varian shrugged.


    "Our sses start tomorrow." Maya said. "So I want to say something."


    With that, she stood up and bowed.


    "Hey, what are you doing?" Varian tried to stop her, but she insisted.


    "Kyle told me what happened in Abyss." Her shoulders trembled, and she continued in her choked voice, "You would''ve died. Yet you risked your life to save his."


    Under her, droplets of water sshed on the floor and Maya said, her voice full of emotion, "I''m really d¡­ I and Kyle have a friend like you."


    Varian felt ufortable. Even though he didn''t try to think much of it, it was true that he risked his life and almost died.


    In this day and age, it was not umon for brothers to backstab each other and for sons to kill fathers. Rtionships like these are too rare.


    Varian sighed and said, "I''m not asking for your gratitude. If you still keep doing this, it''ll make me feel like I did it for your ''thanks''."


    Maya raised herself back up and wiped her tears.


    Varian red at Kyle, and Kyle looked at him apologetically. He identally blurted this out yesterday during his ''beating''.


    That lead to her current scene. But her reaction was considered normal.


    Being so indifferent after nearly dying a few hours ago was the abnormal thing. Fortunately or unfortunately, both Kyle and Varian were this "abnormal" people.


    {Your order has arrived} The AI informed and Varian signalled to Kyle and exited the room.


    Since he retaliated against Kyle yesterday, now he gave him a chance to reconcile with Maya. Varian felt like he was following the system''s principle of ''Bnce''.


    Kyle gave him a thumbs up and started consoling Maya.


    "Baby, I''m alright. I''m alive."


    "I... almost lost you."


    "If I ever go into dangerous ces, I''ll tell you."


    "Promise?"


    "Promise."


    Maya raised her tear stricken face and nced at Kyle. Kyle felt his heart skip a beat and leaned down to ¡ª


    "Boom!"


    Kyle and Maya jumped and saw food being mmed onto the table. Varian looked at them and coughed.


    "Let''s eat and talk." He started his breakfast while cursing them mentally ''You guys¡­ I''m still single. If you want to kiss, go kiss in your bedroom. Why do you have toe and kiss in my home?''


    Varian ate voraciously, almost like he was taking revenge on food. Kyle and Maya ate in small bites.


    Maya giggled, "You should find a girlfriend so you won''t be jealous."


    Varian took anotherrge mouthful of food and didn''t look up. "I''m not jealous."


    Kyle teased, "We can totally see."


    Varian looked at them for a second and gorged on another steak. He was already nning revenge.


    ''I''m not interested in finding a girlfriend for now. But when I do, I''lle to your house and kiss her in your living room.''


    They finished breakfast, and Varian ate half of the share. Fortunately, he ordered a lot, and it was sufficient for everyone.


    "So what''s up?"


    "You haven''t filled the guardian form, right?" Kyle asked.


    Varian nodded. Guardians would be informed when the cadet was injured or needed help beyond what Academy could provide.


    For example, recuperation in case of severe injuries inflicted by aura could take up to weeks or even months.


    Medical bots weren''t enough to take care of the injured in such cases, and Awakeners would be needed.


    So every cadet must fill a guardian form. Orphans wouldn''t fill anything, but that almost meant they would be in danger if they face risks. Sometimes, treatment needed high cost medicines and only your close ones would spend their money on you.


    Sometimes geniuses were crippled, and the academy only gave them treatment. It was only their guardians who really took care of their close one.


    "Fill my mom''s name." Kyle said and shared her info.


    "Your mom¡­ I never saw her." Varian cocked his head and recalled. He knew Kyle for almost a year and visited his home quite a few times, but never saw her.


    "Well¡­ I saw her 10 times after inst 5 years." Kyle coughed.


    Varian rolled his eyes.


    "Don''t worry about it. She said I can contact her in case of emergencies. That will extend to you as well." Kyle patted his chest and assured him.


    Varian still hesitated.


    Maya said in a reproaching tone, "You get into risky fights all the time. If you get serious injuries, who''ll take care of you? Only the nurses in the Academy won''t be enough. They''ll just give you the standard treatment. You''ll need to at least inform us."


    Varian sighed and said, "Alright. I''ll do it."


    He thought of the form and his newm opened it automatically.


    He nced at Kyle''s mom''s info:


    (Name: Alison.


    Age: _______


    Level: _____)


    He signed the form under their watchful gaze.


    "Varian, I know you are going to the Academy for some important reason. I won''t ask, but please take care of yourself." Maya stood up and said solemnly.


    ''Is this how having a sister feels like?'' Varian wondered, and smiled at her.


    "I will. I don''t want to die."


    "I know you won''t die. Good guys like me only live for a hundred years, bad guys like you live for a thousand." Kyle grinned and said.


    Varian''s face twitched. ''Guess I should''ve sent the rification a few hourster.''


    "This is our small gift." Maya took out a small gift box from her pocket and put it on the table.


    Varian opened the gift and saw it was a 5 Star space ring.


    ''This is too expensive. It costs at least 20000 kp.''


    "I want to ret¡ªHey!" Varian saw Maya and Kyle running out of his home.


    "Just take it. You''ll need it, anyway." Kyle''s voice sounded, and they literally escaped on their hover bike.


    Varian chuckled at their antics and epted their gift. His current space ring was a 1 star treasure, and it was filled with Aura crystals, which would be enough for a while.


    He checked the inside of 5 star space ring and realized the space was at least as vast as a typical mansion.


    ''If I had this space ring, I could''ve gotten all aura crystals from that room'' He imagined having all those aura crystals.


    ''Most of them were crushed.'' He shook his head and bound the space ring to himself.


    He returned to his bedroom to sleep some more when the ck box on the table caught his eye.


    It was the box he found in the ruins of his old home. Only he could open the box or it''d destroy the contents.


    ''I couldn''t open it when I was unawakened. Now I''m a Level 2 Body Awakener, I wonder if I can open it now?''


    Varian thought and decided to give it a try.

 Chapter 36 - Hello, Murlocs

    <h4>Chapter 36 - Hello, Murlocs</h4>


    Varian held the ck box and tried to open it.


    "Crr¡­"


    There was a sound from friction, but the box didn''t open. Varian increased his strength, and the box shook slightly.


    There was no sign of it opening.


    "Argh"


    Varian yelled and exerted his full strength.


    "Creak"


    The box shook a bit more, but that was it. There was no more movement.


    ''Is there some super secret stored in it? Something I can only ess if I have enough strength? Or else why would mom set the opening condition so high?''


    Varian spected. Perhaps his mother left him a secret. Maybe the true cause of her death. Maybe Sia would know. To find her, he needed to¡­


    ''I shouldn''t be resting.'' Varian gave up thoughts of sleeping more and decided to train.


    ''Status''


    [Body Path Level 2: 0/200


    25% Greater Human


    Space Path Level 1: 30/100


    Low Teleportation


    Space Binding]


    ''Should I focus on two paths equally? Or should I double down on one?'' Varian recalled the recent battles.


    ''Ideally, a high single level path can be used to pull up the low levels of other paths. If my Body Path is Level 7, I can use that strength to easily raise my Space Path by venturing into Dungeons and fighting for resources.''


    But he didn''t have that luxury. In the fight with the Abyssal Knight, the major reason he won against a Level 2 Body Awakener despite being a Level 1 Body Awakener was because of the unfair advantage ¡ª Space Path.


    Teleportation helped him dodge the attacks he couldn''t otherwise and Space binding absorbed a good part of the attack, allowing him to fight head on.


    Without them, he''d have lost for sure.


    ''If I can master these two paths, I''ll be able to fight stronger enemies. That''ll be my unique advantage, right System?''


    [Host, there are also Dual Awakeners. Your unique advantage is when you awaken in more paths. Three, Four, Five¡­ ]


    ''Exactly how many paths do I awaken in?'' Varian was really curious.


    [Guess¡­]


    ''Guess your uncle!'' Varian cussed.


    [This System has no uncle. But it has a creator.] The System unexpectedly replied, sparking his interest.


    ''Who?''


    [Guess]


    ''Useless Sy¡­'' Varian stopped mid way.


    This system seemed pretty useless outside helping him awaken in more paths, but it also helped increase his talent to a ridiculous level, directly using Aura Crystals to advance to next levels at a great speed,¡­ never mind, this System was actually great.


    "Take permission to murloc ind. I''ll grind there for 4 days." Varian and ordered hism.


    ''To maximize mybat power, I should mix these two paths'' powers and form my own fighting pattern. Right now, Space Path is the weak link. So first I''ll master my Space powers, then integrate it with Body Path powers.''


    The n was perfect, but there was a catch. With his Greater Human stats, he''d not be able topletely focus on his Space powers.


    Space Awakeners hone themselves in skills to perfection and use them seamlessly because they would only practice space skills as a pure space awakener.


    ''My Level 2 Body Path is a hindrance here. My higher reaction speed means I would dodge instead of teleport, my higher defense means I would trade a blow instead of space binding.''


    There was nothing wrong with dodging instead of teleporting when he could, but overdependence on one path would mean he wouldn''t be able to integrate many paths into one fighting style.


    ''System, can you suppress my Body Path or something?'' He asked on a whim.


    [Of course. But you have to be willing.]


    Varian was surprised, then nodded. He felt something shake from deep within. He didn''t resist and let it act.


    The next moment, he felt all the chi in his body sucked in and a wave of weakness wash over him.


    He couldn''t see the minute details of things a hundred meters away, nor could he hear the subtle rustling of leaves.


    He was a¡­ normal human once again.


    "I¡­ lived like this for 18 years?" Varian smiled wryly. His current physical state was equivalent to his pre-awakening.


    [Even without chi, your body would still be as strong, and your senses won''t drop. This System used its ability to give you the perfect state for training.]


    Varian thanked it and carefully perceived the aura in his body.


    There was only space power in his body. The aura entered his body and slowly transformed into space power.


    Anyone who saw him would also think he was just a Level 1.


    This method was unheard of and Varian was once again shocked by the actions of the System.


    "Order a 1 star sword from Treasure Union to be delivered at murloc ind and pay the remaining money in my ount to Mr.Gareth." Varian exited his home and ordered hism.


    He got onto the hover bike and flew off to the murloc inds.


    ''What if I suddenly get into danger in this state?'' Varian questioned along the journey.


    [Just resist it in your mind and then you''ll be back to normal.] The System''s answer relieved him.


    But he was still somehow tense. As he reached the murloc ind, the familiar ocean waves and the white clouds soothed him a bit.


    The water shone like pearls under the two suns. The earth before blink only had one Sun. The blink somehow split it in two.


    Thes would have been devastated by such an event. Perhaps it was divine intervention or maybe just the effect of aura, thes stayed the same.


    A delivery drone flew to him and presented the 1 star sword. It was a red sword made from the bones of a crystal magic beast, famous for sharpness and resilience.


    Varian bound the sword to himself and became its owner. The hover bike descended.


    ''Time to test what I can do.'' He thought andnded on the ind.


    ''This is just like the first time.'' Except, his physical stats weren''t as high. If what he felt thest time was "curiosity, ", what he felt now was "vulnerability".


    He still couldn''t adjust to a weak body and its weak senses.


    Perhaps this was what they meant by "You can adjust to bing powerful but cannot bear bing weaker."


    "Screech",


    "Screech",


    The murlocs in the vicinity sensed his arrival. The humanoid creatures gazed at him with their vertical yellow pupils and dashed at him, beating their tail to the ground.


    Varian only noticed them after they were at a visible distance.


    ''If I had not suppressed my Body Path, I''d know the moment they are 50 meters from me.''


    The murlocs dashed at him with a speed higher than what he could currently exert.


    ''I am Level 0 in my body path now. Only Space. Only Space.'' He reminded himself and brandished his sword.


    ''I chose an ind with more murlocs, but 10 for starters?''


    "Bring it on!" He yelled and channeled the space power in his body.


    "Click"


    "Click"


    The murlocs reached him in the blink of an eye. They were all Level 1 in Body path and thus possessed better physical stats than the current him.


    Varian dodged all attacks except one, thanks to his agility andbat experience.


    Thest attack was about tond on his chest, and Varian instinctively wanted to counter. He opposed the restriction subconsciously and regained his Level 2 Body Path.


    Intoxicating strength filled his body, and without thinking, he punched back.


    "Boom!"


    His fist passed through the murloc''s chest and crushed its insides.


    ''Shit! I lifted the restriction.'' Varian teleported himself away and analyzed the reasons.


    Since he could remember, his biggest reliance was his body. This alien feeling of leaving his safety to Space powers was disturbing his instincts.


    During his fight with the Level 2 Abyssal, he used Space Binding and Teleportation freely and without hesitation.


    That was because his body was his assurance, and space was just an additional power.


    So he couldn''t adapt to situations where his body wasn''t his biggest assurance.


    This would be not important now, but when he awakens in more paths and reaches higher levels, it could cost him his life.


    ''Space Awakeners don''t fight fist to fist. They don''tpete in speed.'' Varian tried to convince himself and control his body.


    ''System, restrict my Body Path.'' Varian said, and felt powerless once again.


    "Screech" the murlocs screamed and rushed to him.


    ''This time, I''ll do it right!''

 Chapter 37 - Sense And Space

    <h4>Chapter 37 - Sense And Space</h4>


    Varian waited as the murlocs jumped at him. Their ws encircled him and he dodged them with least movement. Except one.


    That one attack aimed at his shoulder and would tear it apart should it hit.


    This time, Varian controlled his mind and channeled his space power to his shoulder.


    Space Binding ¡ª Solidifies space around anything in direct contact by using space power. That implied he could solidify space around his body.


    Just as Varian channeled his space power and solidified the space around his shoulder, the murloc''s w was about to tear his shoulder.


    "Creaak"


    The w slowed down due to the solid space, but it would still injure him if he let it.


    Varian shed his sword at the murloc''s neck and jumped away from the w.


    Even though it was a bit hard to cut the murloc''s neck due to its scales, Varian was sessful in his first kill.


    The murloc copsed. 8 Left.


    "Screech"


    "Screech"


    The murlocsshed their tails at him and Varian teleported out. He could only control the general direction of teleportation and not the distance. So he ended up teleporting a bit too far.


    ''I can take them down one by one.'' He thought.


    "Screech"


    His position attracted a new group of murlocs in the distance. The 6 murlocs joined the 8 old.


    ''Oh boy.'' Varian shook his head and waited in his position. It wasn''t a wise decision to charge, being the slower one.


    "Screech"


    "Screech"


    The murlocs banded as one and lunged at him.


    ''Fuck!'' Varian cursed and dashed to the side.


    At that moment, the murlocs whipped their tails at him. Only two were about to touch him. One aimed for his heart position and the other for his abdomen.


    He could go offensive or defensive. He picked the former.


    ''I''ll have to try.'' Varian channeled his space power and bound the space around his heart position and abdomen.


    "Grrr"


    The tails slowed down due to the solid space but were about to pierce him nheless. Varian used the time dy and spun to the side and swirled his sword elegantly.


    "Thud"


    "Thud"


    The two murlocs copsed, and Varian created a distance from the rest.


    Varian felt a bit more closer to space.


    [+5 Xp]


    [Space Path Level 1: 35/100]


    "Screech"


    The murlocs dashed at him and Varian slowly gotfortable with his space powers.


    From using space binding to block just two locations to three, to four, five and¡­ finally six.


    [+5 Xp]


    [+5 Xp]


    [+5 Xp]


    [Space Path Level 1: 50/100]


    Varian grew more and more proficient at space binding. The only thing limiting him from space binding his whole body was his level. Plus, if he space bound his body, he''d have to break the solid space to move in case of abrupt danger.


    "Thud"


    "Thud"


    The murlocs copsed one by one, and soon, there were only three left.


    ''I can try that again.'' Varian thought.


    "Screech"


    The murlocs wed at him. He dodged with ease and swung his sword at a murloc''s neck.


    This time, however, he used Space Binding on the sword just before it was about to touch the murloc''s neck.


    "Greee"


    "Screech"


    The sword slowed down at a critical moment, causing the murloc to escape, and it swung its tail at him.


    ''Damn.'' Varian knew it was likely to fail, but still felt it was a pity.


    The usage of space binding in defense was obvious. But using it on offense was difficult.


    Varian''s idea was to space bind the sword and solidify the surrounding space just before it touched the murloc''s neck.


    The neck would sh with the solidified space, breaking it at the cost of the scales on the murloc''s neck.


    Thus, his sword would easily slice through the scaleless neck and harvest its life.


    If he mastered this, it would help in mastering space power and also boost his attack to cut tougher surfaces.


    Of course, the premise was the perfect timing of space binding.


    Solidify space a moment before contact and Varian would have to swing the sword against the solidified space, thus weakening his own attack.


    Solidify space a momentter, the sword was already slicing through the scales.


    ''A Body Awakener would have way easier time reacting in that small time period. I had no problem doing it as a Level 1 in the Abyss.'' Varian thought, but decided to keep trying.


    "Screech"


    "Swish"


    "Thud"


    Varian''s red sword danced in the air and continued to reap the lives of the murlocs.


    He wasn''t able to time the space binding during his attacks, but he was getting closer.


    After finishing thest murloc, Varian moved through the ind and found another group.


    "Screech"


    This time too, he followed the same tactics.


    Dodge what he could. Block what he couldn''t with Space Binding.


    Take down a sizable portion without much risk and then try using Space binding during attacks.


    He kept ughtering.


    He took breaks in between.


    He kept practicing.


    But he kept failing.


    First day passed.


    Varian stayed on the ind for 16 hours the second day.


    He pushed himself, but there was no progress.


    To be able to time the space binding just before his sword made contact seemed beyond his current "human" limits.


    On the third day, Varian got an idea. Instead of relying on his ''body sense'', he''d rely on his space sense of sorts.


    He didn''t possess aplete space sense yet, but he developed something simr during his ''epiphany'' in Abyss.


    With this sense of space, he was able to roughly control his teleportation direction.


    ''What if I use it to sense the space urately and time my space power with it? If I can feel the space of the sword just before it shes with the murloc, I can space bind it at right time.''


    Varian thus gave upbat training and meditated on his hover bike.


    He channeled his space power and tried to ''feel'' the space around. He could roughly sense himself and the directions rtive to him, but distance was out of question.


    He used the aura crystals to replenish his depleted space power and saved a lot of time for his practice.


    Despite theck of progress, he didn''t give up. He turned off all disturbances and continued to meditate.


    He now felt a closer connection to space. His sense of direction ''improved'' and he could sit down and tell the distance of something closer to him if he sat down and meditated.


    It wasn''t useful forbat¡­ yet.


    But there was an irrefutable benefit.


    [+10 Xp]


    [Space Path level 1: 60/100]


    "This feels good." Varian woke up from a deep meditation session and felt like he was forgetting something.


    ''Today''s the fourth day, right?''


    He checked his time and felt like killing himself.


    ''06:00 AM, 5th Octav, 520 YAB''


    "There''s only one hour before the opening ceremony."


    Praying he wouldn''t bete on the first day, he rushed to his academy at the highest speed, breaking all airway traffic rules.


    ''Can I make it in time?''

 Chapter 38 - Opening Ceremony

    <h4>Chapter 38 - Opening Ceremony</h4>


    It was a day no one would forget.


    The opening ceremony of Earth Imperial Defense Academy began at sharp 7 AM.


    In the huge auditorium, the new cadets joined for their first ever official programme. They were dressed in the standard camouge uniform of green and brown.


    The second year cadets managing the programme stood in the background, ready to handle any problems


    "Click"


    "Click"


    Deep and periodic footsteps resounded and everyone in the audience felt the air turn heavy. It was as if they were carrying a weight on their shoulders.


    The cadets lifted their head and saw the man stepping onto the stage.


    He was in military uniform adorned by the medals and his rank demanded respect ¡ª High General. The only rank higher was Marshal. There were only 3 marshals in the entire Human Federation.


    The cadets held in their breath as the high general, with a scar running down on his left cheek, reached the podium.


    They knew him. So they felt even more suffocated.


    He was Evander. The Commander of Earth Forces. A Legendary Level 9, poised to be a Sovereign in the future.


    He also had another identity. Dean of the Imperial Defense Academy.


    "I hope you prepared yourself for this." Evander began his speech with a light tone. However, his indifferent expression didn''t waver in the slightest.


    "You came here for different reasons. Money, Power, Recognition, and more ¡ª These are what drove humans since times immemorial." He paused.


    Most of the cadets felt connected.


    They were hailed as geniuses since childhood, but still worked their ass off to pass the entrance.


    Why?


    Why so much hardship?


    Why spend training 14 hours every day for 3 years?


    Of course, there was an all-epassing reason to save humanity. To protect everyone.


    But what about their personal reasons?


    Despite being hailed as geniuses, they sacrificed their social life and immersed in training.


    Most in the room were from middle-ss families. They weren''t so poor that they had to fight for three meals a day. They weren''t rich that their future was secure.


    They wanted to secure their future. More Strength ensured money and influence. A position in military made life meaningful and respectable. The recognition in military was unlike any other.


    So they embraced the hardship to make their dreams a reality.


    "The premise of everything you want is survival." Evander''s voice turned deeper.


    "After blink, we went through nuclear wars, murloc crisis but never was our existence was so threatened than by Abyssals. Ask your grandparents, if they''re still there, about Humanity''s first war against Abyssals."


    The cadets clenched their fist and tried to calm themselves. Their grandparents witnessed the darkest era of humanity.


    "They lived in bunkers. Ate leftovers. Slept inmon dorms. They had no life to speak of. They just survived." Evander took a deep breath and suppressed the grief building inside him.


    "Today, we''re at a crossroads. We can finish off the Abyssals and achieve peace or be taken down by them, one by one, like Pluto."


    Some cadets started crying. Just 6 years ago, Pluto was invaded and captured by the Abyssals. More than a billion humans were ughtered. Abyssals broadcasted the ughtering of cities in major social media.


    It was a traumatizing experience. Especially for the ones who recognized their dear ones.


    Some of them lost their parents. Others their elder siblings. A few, their rtives. But everyone crying lost a dear one. They couldn''t even give them a proper burial.


    "Right now, we are in a delicate bnce. We have 8 Sovereigns and they have 8 Abyss Kings. This is our chance." After pushing them into despair, Evander''s words kindled hope.


    "Right now, we can defend ourselves, but we can never rest in peace until we end them. The day we have the 9th Sovereign is the day humanity achieves peace." Evander lied.


    ''If only things are so simple. But it''s good to give them hope than despair.''


    As intended, there was a fire in the cadets'' eyes. Even if only 8 out of 50 Billion humans became Sovereigns, they wanted to give it a shot.


    "I hope to see a Sovereign from you. You are the future." Evander concluded and stepped back.


    The human anthem started in the background, and everyone stared at the Human Federation g on the stage.


    The cadets stood up and saluted. They sang together. With passion, devotion, and grief.


    Humanity started from tribes, to viges, to towns, to cities, to kingdoms, to empires, to nations and united as Human Alliance.


    Human Alliance evolved into the Human Federation. It was an arduous journey, but one that saved humanity.


    The anthem ended with the iconic line that kept humans alive.


    "Hope in our Soulsst forever."


    A woman, also in military uniform, walked onto the stage and spoke, "Your three years is your best opportunity.


    Your performance will be awarded with merit points. The cumtive merit points you have at graduation will push you ahead of your peers.


    Corresponding to your mp, you will start at a higher officer level, get faster promotions and have more authority."


    The cadets were inspired and aimed to earn the most merit points.


    The second years looked at them and shook their head. They had the same thoughts. But reality proved them na?ve.


    They signed up to take care of this event for merit points. They''d never imagined being in this position a year ago.


    "A second year will give you a tour of the academy and inform you of the basic info. We''ll end the ceremony by awarding the first three of the entrance test." The female officer said and smiled.


    "Despite having the lowest time, all the top 3 came from a single batch." She nced at Evander, and he nodded lightly.


    "Ryan Albert. Ranked Third overall."


    Ryan stood up and sauntered to the stage. His head was high, and he looked casual.


    Evander shook hands with Ryan and said a few words of praise.


    Ryan was the grandson of Sovereign Albert and had one of the strongest backgrounds.


    The cadets felt it was natural.


    "Narcis Xander. Ranked Second overall."


    Narcis Xander stood up stiffly and scurried to the stage. He clearly didn''t like being called second.


    Narcis was the second son of Sovereign Julius Xander. Him getting second was also natural and didn''t earn any envy.


    Evander followed the routine and said something extra, which made Narcis mad.


    "I thought you''d be the first. Your brother Charles was first in his entrance test."


    "My bad." Narcis barely held himself together. Evander might respect his father, but he had no respect for him. So Narcis kept himself in check from this so called Future Sovereign.


    "Varian Konstant. Ranked first overall."


    Narcis felt veins pop up on his forehead. He just couldn''t forget this name.


    ''Why?! If you just died, I would''ve been first. Now everyone says I''m inferior to that bastard Charles.'' His blood boiled, and he was barely holding it in.


    The cadets were eager to see who this mysterious person was. He even surpassed Narcis Xander, undoubtedly the strongest freshman, by a long shot.


    There was envy and curiosity at "Varian".


    The auditorium was silent. Everyone waited for this first ranker to show himself.


    And they waited.


    And waited.


    The silence persisted for a while and it turned awkward.


    The woman on the stage signalled to the second years, and they checked the IDs of the ones in the stadium.


    They shook their heads at her.


    ''What guts!'' The woman thought and looked at Evander. His face was expressionless as ever and he gave her a brief look.


    ''... I wish I was a telepath andmunicate with your mind, Mr. Evander.'' Shemented.


    "Varian Konstant. First Rank. Come onto the stage." She said perfunctorily. She''d just have to repeat one more time and be done with it.


    "Final call, Varian Konstant, are you here?" She was about to end the fiasco.


    "Yes, Mam!" Varian dashed into the room and yelled.

 Chapter 39 - Discipline

    <h4>Chapter 39 - Discipline</h4>


    "Yes, Mam!" Varian barged into the auditorium and said out loud.


    All eyes turned to him, and Varian didn''t budge under their gaze despite the embarrassment. His experience of fighting under the audience of Leon Hall helped him to put on a brave front.


    The way they stared at him made him feel like he was a museum piece.


    ''Alright. I fucked up.''


    He broke all the speed limits and picked the best airne for intraary travel. He was stillte.


    "Please step onto the stage." The woman looked at him with a weird gaze and said.


    The cadets were bewildered as they watched this tardy first ranker.


    He seemed slightly embarrassed, but his back was straight and he didn''t dodge any gazes.


    "No need." Evander said curtly. He gazed at the new students and said sharply.


    "Late by one second can kill yourrades and fail your mission. If you''rete, you''re not worthy of being a solider."


    The cadets'' gazes for Varian changed from curiosity to slight disdain. After all, punctuality was one of the pirs of military spirit.


    ''I don''t really want to be a solider. I just want to find a girl.'' Varian groaned inwardly.


    He wanted to be a saviour since childhood, but that didn''t equate to being a soldier. He just wanted to be the strongest and solve all problems. Ah, the naivety.


    "Not punishing a first mistake will set a precedent. All your current mp is fined." Evander said and disappeared in the next second.


    All the cadets were amazed at his actions, but only one was really bothered by his words.


    ''My mp!!!'' Varian wanted to return to murloc inds and start a kill frenzy to relieve his frustration.


    The cadets below gloated at his misfortune.


    They couldn''t be envious of Narcis and Ryan because of their background and personal strength.


    But Varian? His aura was only a Level 2''s, and he seemed to have no background.


    Narcis smiled at Varian, but thetter only ignored him.


    To be honest, Varian didn''t really care what the academy thought of him. His current advancing speed made him realize that he was in a different race.


    His only worry was 20,000 merit points.


    "Now your assigned seniors will take you to visit facilities of the academy and inform you of important things." The woman said.


    Varian checked hism, and reached a group of students gathering outside the auditorium.


    There was a young man standing in front of the group of 20 students. He kept a cheerful smile and answered the questions one by one.


    ''A Level 3.'' Varian felt the aura from the senior.


    "Trash." a voice uttered beside him and Varian saw Narcis joining the group.


    The students turned silent and the senior''s smile stiffened.


    "Hurry up. I have things to do." Narcis waved his hands. He looked down on everyone. But even more so on guys older than him, but at the same level.


    "Yes. Yes." The senior gave a ttering smile and snapped his fingers.


    A hover bus arrived, and the students seated themselves. From time to time, they nced at Varian and talked in a low voice.


    "This guy¡­ why did he get first? Did he cheat?"


    "Such a waste¡­"


    "He doesn''t deserve it. He''s only a Level 2 like us. Why him?"


    He was a Level 2 Body Awakener, so he heard everything. It seemed that he was already famous among his peers.


    ''Ugh. I think I''ll just focus on getting mp and growing stronger. It''s not like I came here for friends¡­ even though it would be nice to have a few.''


    The bus flew through the roads, and Varian saw the skyline of Imperial Academy.


    The buildings truly pierced the clouds, shining with glittering lights as the hover cars flew around them in the airways.


    The sight was a wet dream of the sci-fi fans of Old Earth. Bonus points if they''re into architecture.


    There were some hologram lists in the distance. Varian saw these lists at various ces along the way.


    But his attention drawn by the buildings.


    Spiraling towers for research, vast domes for practice, and special crystal buildings for advanced departments.


    "These are the statues of Founding Fathers." The senior stopped the bus for a moment to give them a clear view.


    Varian looked up and saw the huge statues at least a hundred meters tall. They were made of a special ss and looked real.


    The statues of three men stood tall and proud. They were the founders of the Human Alliance.


    Under the statues were severalrge stages enclosed in a transparent sphere. There were some students fighting inside them.


    There were a few teachers in special uniforms supervising the duel.


    Varian observed one of the duels.


    A student''s hand transformed into a w and he shot at his opponent at a speed he could barely register.


    His opponent waved his hand and tens of weapons: spears, swords and axes shot at the charging opponent. All of them were at least 2 star treasures!


    "Boom"


    "Cling"


    The shock waves from the sh exploded the wind and were about to spread outward.


    "Bang"


    The enclosing sphere stopped the shock waves from going any further, and Varian sighed in marvel.


    ''That guy is Beast Morpher. His speed is at least 20 times higher than mine. What the fuck. The other guy is a Telekic. They are all at least level 4.'' Varian began to realize that he entered a den on monsters.


    "Those are the dueling rings. If you have grudges against anyone, you fight. Death is usually prohibited but death matches are allowed if both parties agree." The Senior said, and the bus took off.


    They were taken to arge and tall building with at least 200 floors. It was in the middle of a huge field of trees, flowers, and a few ponds.


    "This is your dormitory. Honestly, the amodation is better than many luxurious hotels. There are bot services for everything as well." The senior scratched the back of his head and said with a smile.


    "Any questions?" He asked and nced at Narcis. Thankfully, he put on a VR headset and seemed immersed.


    "How do students get expelled from here?" Varian asked in a solemn voice.

 Chapter 40 - How To Not Get Expelled?

    <h4>Chapter 40 - How To Not Get Expelled?</h4>


    "How do students get expelled from here?" Varian asked in a solemn voice.


    "Eww¡­"


    "It''s that guy¡­"


    "Be punctual. That''s hard for you. Haha"


    The senior stared at Varian for a moment and almostughed. Perceiving Varian to be only Level 2, he let go of inhibitions and sneered, "There are three cases.


    If your bnce mp is zero or negative on thest day of a month.


    If you don''t pass the test every month


    If you''re crippled or punished.


    The senior seemed to generously exin, but his tone was in mockery.


    Varian wasn''t bothered by the so-called senior''s manners. He just wanted answers.


    ''Now I have 0 mp. So I''ll need to get some mp soon. Plus, having mp helps me progress quicker.''


    Merit points are everything here. One can purchase anything ¡ª star treasures, special pills, elixirs. Even private tutoring from high level teachers can be requested with enough merit points.


    "How to get merit points?" Varian raised his hand and continued to question.


    "Anything you do can be awarded merit points. Say you killed an Abyss Lord, you''ll get a few merit points.


    But if you kidnapped one, and used them to negotiate and free a corresponding human awakener, you''ll have way more merit points." the senior rubbed his chin and said.


    He concluded, and the students nodded. Only Narcis stood aloof.


    Then he continued on the topic of gaining merit points:


    "Your sses will start from tomorrow. After 2 weeks, you can start doing missions. Missions are the main source of merit points. One can earn from tens to hundreds of merit points every mission." He said and saw his juniors getting excited.


    He poured cold water on their enthusiasm "25% of those join never make it to graduation."


    The air turned still.


    ''They weren''t present when that senior girl, Sarah, told the same stuff?'' Varian wondered as he watched the students go pale.


    "2% drop out. 23%¡­ die." He sighed. Perhaps he was missing his friends he''d never meet again.


    The senior continued, "Out of those 23%, 13%e from first year, 3% in second year and 7% from third year."


    "So the right people having your back is important. For your missions, you''ll be forming teams. Single missions don''t exist." He nced at Varian inadvertently and others caught his hint.


    ''Wait, what? Am I being cklisted already?'' Varian saw their gazes and knew his credibility took another hit.


    No one would bet their life on a guy who waste for a military school on the first day. In fact, it wasn''t about beingte. It was about themitment. A thousand reasons wouldn''t bring back a fallen life.


    The students'' gaze told Varian he wouldn''t be able to join in any team for his first mission.


    So, basically Varian had zero merit points now and needed some merit points before 45th to not get expelled. The major source of merit points, merit points was a team game. He''d not be let into any teams. That also meant he''d likely not any merit points from missions.


    ''Don''t worry too much. Everything is already fucked. Nothing can go more wrong. I''ll just try to think of a solution.'' Varian cheered himself.


    There was one more thing he needed to rify about being expelled. The tests.


    "What''s the process of tests?" He asked.


    "We have 8 months in a year. 3? months for one semester. So 7 months sses for every academic year."


    "You''ll need to pay 20 merit pointsst day of every month to attend the monthly test. You all have at least 10 merit points from your entrance exam. You''ll need to earn 10 more on your first mission." He snickered.


    Sr Calendar or Runic Calender had 8 months on the basis of the 8 ruins. Each month had 45 days. So one needed to pay 20 merit points on 45th.


    The students inadvertently nced at Varian, but with pity this time.


    Varian looked calm on the surface, but inwardly he was cursing the nine generations of Evander.


    ''None of my peers will team up with me. I''ll need 20 merit points by 45th. So I can only go by myself. But single missions are suicides. I thought things couldn''t be worse.'' He panicked for a moment.


    Then he took a deep breath and calmed himself. ''I''ve been at death''s door multiple times. The odds were horribly low. I still made it through. Why can''t I make it here? I will.''


    Instead of breaking his will, the crises only hardened his resolve.


    The senior continued to chat, and more buses arrived. The students and the senior guiding them stepped down and hard a cordial chat.


    Soon, there were a hundred students and a dozen seniors in front of the dorm building.


    Varian was left out. Now the conversations revolved around the best beauties, team tactics and others.


    He walked to the entrance and saw the same holograph lists.


    There were four of them. The first list was in purple color. Second in diamond. Third in gold and fourth in silver.


    Each list had 10 names. The purple list was thergest and had a more grandiose font.


    Charles Xander 80k mp


    Williamson 60k mp


    Sarah 56kmp


    ¡­.


    ¡­


    A couple of students also took an interest in the lists and were checking them out.


    "Senior, this is?" a cute girl with a ponytail asked cutely.


    "These are the ranking lists. Amethyst, Diamond, Golden and Silver Lists. Everyone in the academy canpete for the ranking." Her senior, a tall girl, answered with a sunny smile.


    "These rankings are based on your cumtive merit points." The senior of Varian''s group interrupted and stared at the cute girl.


    "Amethyst List is ranking for the top 10 cadets of the academy, regardless of their year. Diamond List is only for 3rd years. Golden for 2nd and Silver for first." He said out loud.


    His words attracted the attention of everyone on the field. The students gathered around the lists. After ncing at the amethyst list, they saw their own Silver list.


    Varian 510 mp


    Narcis 130 mp


    Ryan 100 mp


    A guy whispered, "So is Charles Xander the elder brother of Narcis? He is the undisputed first. But Narcis is just second."


    It might be inaudible to normal people, but everybody was an awakener here, and at least Level 2 at that. Every morpher and body awakener a few hundred meters away were able to hear it clearly.


    "Boom!"


    A punch sent him flying, and he crashed into the wall.


    "Trash, do you have any qualifications to say my name?" Narcis rubbed his fist and red at him.


    The crowd evacuated the area in the blink of an eye.


    The injured guy slowly stood up and spat his blood on the ground "Even that Varian got first somehow. You can''t even defeat your peers. How can youpare to your brother?"


    ''Damn. This is bad. I don''t think is a coincidence.'' Varian felt the tension in the air and nced around.


    He saw a familiar face.


    Adir!


    He fought with Ryan the other day and was fined. When he first saw Adir, he was arguing with Narcis. He also mocked Narcis after they returned.


    ''So I got caught in their crossfire?''


    There was no way all of this was a coincidence. All the way till here, no one spoke ill of Narcis. They didn''t want to piss him off.


    Even after getting down the bus, Narcis took off his VR set but stood alone in a corner.


    He stood out because everyone was keeping arge distance from him.


    So how can one neglect his presence so tantly and trash talk him.


    ''It''s orchestrated by Adir. The goal?''


    Varian saw Narcis walking up to him with fuming eyes.


    "You¡­ you are the reason I''m getting questioned. These fucking idiots question me because of you."


    ''No. You are that fucking idiot to fall for the trap. Adir was fined his mp, and he wanted you to be fined as well.'' Varian shook his head. There was no way Narcis would listen to his ''reasoning''.


    Varian wanted to avoid fighting for two reasons.


    One was to focus on his priority of getting 20k merit points.


    Second was to keep his space powers as a trump card. It was a deliberate decision.


    Third was that fighting Narcis would likely start a revenge story of sorts.


    But now that trouble knocked at his door, he couldn''t fight Narcis half handedly. He had to give his best or get thrashed.


    Varian channeled his chi and space power.


    A blue light shed, and Narcis shot at Varian at a breathtaking speed.


    "Come."


    Narcis threw his fist at Varian and Varian punched back.


    "Shaaauu"


    The wind exploded at that moment, and everyone held their breath.


    "....."


    "....."


    There was only an eerie silence.


    The students widened their eyes as they saw a single finger stopping the two fists.

 Chapter 41 - Charles Xander

    <h4>Chapter 41 - Charles Xander</h4>


    Varian widened his eyes as he felt all the strength he put into the punch absorbed by a single finger.


    He stepped back as he saw the owner of that finger.


    A young man at around 20. He was tall but not brawny. He possessed the air of a schr, but Varian felt the terrible danger from him. Not even Abyss Duke gave him this feeling.


    It was as if this young man a few years older than him was an absolute monster.


    "Click"


    Varian stepped back and got into a defense posture instinctively. His footsteps were the only audible sound for the few hundred meters.


    Everything and everyone was dead silent.


    Then a huge aura pressure descended. Varian felt like he was crushed under a mountain on all sides. Everyone on the scene, including the seniors, couldn''t move.


    They all had the same feeling of suffocation and burden.


    Varian found Narcis looking at the young man with a mix of emotions, the most of which was envy.


    "Taking merit points and intentionally provoking trouble." The young man said slowly, but his voice reverberated in every ear.


    He looked at the boy who provoked Narcis in the beginning. The boy''s face was white and stricken. Under the pressure, he couldn''t move his body.


    But his eyes were begging for mercy.


    "Kneel." The young man said and the pressure on the new student spiked.


    "Plop"


    "Crack"


    The breaking of the knee joints rang in the field as the boy copsed onto the ground into a kneeling position.


    "Apologize." the young man spat out.


    "I... I''m sorry." The boy looked at the young man, but seeing his re, he understood and turned to Narcis.


    He bowed his head and repeated, "I''m sorry."


    Narcis clenched his fist and looked at the young man "Charles, I didn''t need your help."


    Charles shook his head as he nced at Adir, "I can''t let my younger brother be led on."


    Narcis nced at Adir and understood the ploy. He felt even more humiliated by Charles''s presence.


    He red at Charles and walked away. His body was shaking with anger as his silhouette vanished into the dorm.


    Varian was shocked by the revtion.


    Charles Xander. First born of the Xander Family. First on the amethyst list. The first student in strength.


    He also understood why Narcis hated being called second.


    But he didn''t have the luxury to think as Charles turned to him.


    He raised an eyebrow and said, "You''re not from any major powers, yet you''re still messing with the member of a prime family."


    Varian gritted his teeth but didn''t answer. This guy was blind. When did he provoke Narcis? He always stayed away from trouble.


    ''I try not to get into trouble but I always end up there.'' Varian thought.


    The pressure on everyone except Varian was lifted.


    The crowd was able to move, but none did. Instead, they informed their friends of the event and in no time, more and more students started to pour in.


    "Kneel. Apologize." Charles said.


    Instead of waiting for Varian''s response, the aura pressure on him skyrocketed and his shoulders slumped.


    Varian felt as if he was pushed down by a huge rock and his knees bent.


    He gritted his teeth and endured the pain from his bones. His legs shook and before he knew it, his muscles were torn and blood vessels broken.


    The red blood flowed down the green garden.


    Varian was shaking uncontrobly as he struggled to resist the pressure, but he looked at Charles straight in the eye.


    He saw only indifference. To him, it didn''t matter who was in the wrong. There was amon disdain to all humans here.


    ''I see.'' Varian desperately channeled the chi in his body to hold himself up as he realized he was wrong.


    ''My earliest wish was to end the war with Abyssals and bring peace. I wanted to save humanity.''


    The pressure increased, and Varian''s back was hunched. Now he couldn''t gaze up. He couldn''t even lift his head.


    ''Save from who? Not just Abyssals but also these bastards.'' He gritted his teeth and realized that the dream he gave up long ago ¡ª bing a Saviour, was still alive in his deepest corner.


    He gave up on it, but it didn''t give up on him. At this moment, he knew what he must do to be a Saviour, even if he didn''t believe he could do it.


    ''Save humanity from their own darkness.''


    "You''re asking for it." Charles said and a blue light surrounded his body.


    His hand turned into a wolf w and he walked towards Varian.


    The audience now consisted of hundreds of students, at least 50 seniors and even a few¡­ teachers.


    No one intervened. No one even questioned.


    ''Strength¡­ strength¡­'' Varian felt his insides churn under the pressure and spat out blood.


    ''Even if I want no trouble, I keep getting dragged into them. Maybe it was because of system. Or my own bad luck. Regardless, if I''m weak, I can be suppressed by anyone.''


    ''What if I even find Sia? I wouldn''t be able to save her with my current strength.''


    ''I''ll need strength.'' Varian told himself and spat out another mouthful of blood.


    "Crack"


    "Crack"


    His foot bones were crushed, and Varian felt his body lowering.


    The pressure on him was just right to push him down, and he kept resisting it.


    "So you want to keep resisting?" Charles''s icy voice sounded, and the temperature dropped.


    He turned to the professors in the crowd and asked, "What''s the punishment for repeated aggression and intentionally provoking trouble?"


    A middle-aged woman among them replied immediately, "Fine mp in light cases. If there is any heavy crime, expulsion."


    "Yes, Expel him."


    "Expel!"


    Charles turned to the boy who was kneeling since earlier and asked, "So who bribed you to provoke Narcis?"


    The boy caught the hint. He pointed his bloody hand at Varian and yelled, "It''s him!"


    "I knew he was shady."


    "Expel this student. He is a disgrace to our Academy."


    "Yes, who knew how he got first. Must be cheating. Maybe he even colluded with Abyssals."


    One by one, thements from students and professors turned more vicious.


    Varian didn''t speak. He just remembered the voices. He''d keep them in his memory.


    "Kneel down if you want to be expelled intact." Charles snorted and the pressure on Varian doubled.


    Varian was crushed and copsed.


    "Stop."


    But before he could kneel, arge hand made of water held him up.


    He turned around to see the same senior girl. Sarah.


    She descended from the sky and looked at the crowd before turning her gaze to Charles.


    Her gaze didn''t have the worship everyone had, but instead there was a fire of rivalry.


    "We can check if this student really bribed that boy from his merit point records."


    Charles''s face darkened.


    "Narcis and this guy both attacked each other. They''re even and will get fined." She said, but her tone turned persuasive.


    Everyone, including Sarah, knew Narcis was the clear aggressor. But this was the closest she could enforce "justice".


    Punishing only Narcis meant retaliation from Charles and no one here could afford it.


    Instead of getting expelled, fine of a few mp was indeed a blessing.


    Charles nced at Varian for a moment, and then he smiled at Sarah.


    "If you say so." The pressure on Varian vanished, and he turned around to leave.


    "Ch-char-l-es" A broken voice sounded in the field, startling the crowd. They turned around to see the bloodied figure slowly standing up.

 Chapter 42 - Ostracized

    <h4>Chapter 42 - Ostracized</h4>


    Varian felt the tearing pain from within. The broken bones, torn muscles, ruptured vessels didn''t stop him from standing back up.


    Charles turned around and raised an eyebrow. Sarah and the crowd were surprised.


    "I" Varian felt the burning pain from his throat as he struggled to speak "I-I-wi-ll ta-ke your th-ron-e."


    The crowd was eerily silent as they listened to the most preposterous deration.


    First position was also referred as Throne. There was no sharing a throne. So Varian essentially said he''d defeat Charles.


    Charles was already a third year. So if Varian really meant what he was saying, he would defeat Charles within a year before his graduation.


    The students previously admired Varian''s courage to resist Charles. But now his words only aroused disdain.


    Even Sarah turned silent.


    Charles was the indubitable first. He was the strongest. Most talented. Most resourceful. Many Level 9s and even a few Sovereigns said on various asions that he''d be the youngest Sovereign.


    He was a Level 4 when he joined. By the end of second year, he was in level 6. Most anticipate he''d break into Level 7 in at most two years.


    He''d only be 22 and a Level 7. Perhaps the youngest high leveller in history.


    ''He is hopeless.'' Everyone thought as they looked at Varian.


    Charles looked at Varian, then at Sarah, and shook his head. His figure blurred as he appeared 50 meters away, and in a few seconds, he disappeared.


    Only his voice remained, "I hope everyone knows better than to associate with someone who challenges the Xanders."


    Everyone in the crowd, including professors, shivered.


    It was one thing about Charles. It was a different matter if the Xander Family got involved.


    Xander Family were the uncrowned rulers of earth. Julius Xander was one of the youngest Sovereigns. Many in this generation believe he would surpass the Sovereign and reach a higher state. There were even cults who believe he''d be the saviour of humanity.


    It was not wrong to say that Julius Xander might as well be the most important human alive.


    Once Xander family was brought up, the issue turned from Charles Xander''s issue to Xander''s prestige.


    The students hurriedly left. No one was going to risk their career by associating with Varian.


    The professors, who initially wanted to secretly help Varian, also gave up their ns.


    Sarah looked at Varian and shook her head. She left in silence.


    Even the boy with broken knees crawled away quickly with his awakener powers.


    In a minute, only Varian was left standing in the vast field.


    He ordered hism, "Ask for medical support."


    {Your fight is a private one. You need to pay for your treatment. Currently, your mp is 0.}


    Varian read the message andughed.


    Dragging his broken body, he entered the dormitory.


    The doors to his room opened, and there was no one inside. His roommates apparently evacuated for obvious reasons.


    ''Thank you, I can have all this for myself.''


    Varian entered the washroom and took a shower. His luggage was arranged by a bot long ago.


    He took out the medical box and applied basic treatment to his wounds. Even though not as immediate, it was better than nothing.


    Adding to that, he was a level 2 Body Awakener. He''d heal in a few hours.


    Varian closed the windows with amand and took a deep breath.


    He slumped on the bed and recalled today''s events.


    It was really the worst day to start academy. Before he could sleep, a notification sounded on hism.


    {You are penalized 20 merit points for your aggressive behavior. Every extra day, one merit point is added.}


    "That''s exactly what I needed to hear." Varian cursed and put hism on silent.


    He nced at the ceiling and tried to cheer himself up.


    He was ostracized on his first day. Despite his optimism, he had to ept that he''d be isted by both students and professors.


    He was all by himself again.


    Varian smiled at himself. Maybe he was a bit crazy, but he regretted nothing.


    If he knelt down and apologized, things wouldn''t have gotten so far. But if he did that, then the Varian he knew would cease to exist.


    His belief in himself crumbled that night. He still dreamt of that night sometimes. He never forgot how he froze under fear and failed to save her.


    That was why he gave up trying.


    Even now, despite growing stronger, there were instances when he just wanted to quit everything and go back to his darkness.


    To be alone again. To never try anything again. To convince himself that he could never do anything great. That his dreams were merely dreams.


    Varian had all those thoughts. But¡­ something inside him kept him going.


    He initially thought it was his mother''s final words. But now he could say that arge part of it was also his own desire to live a life again.


    Her words gave the push he needed.


    He wanted to believe in himself again. That maybe all his dreams weren''t just his delusions.


    Perhaps all the years he spent training were going to be worth it. Perhaps he would be someone he could be proud of.


    Maybe he could be a saviour. Maybe bring peace. Maybe.


    But Varian was always only one step from sinking into depression. What kept him afloat was the constant progress and victories.


    If he failed once, he feared he''d go back again and this time, nothing could pull him out.


    ''I must stay strong.'' Varian cheered himself.


    ''I havee a long way. I don''t want toy in the couch wishing everything was a lie and hoping all my problems would be solved by a miracle.'' Varian''s breathing turned heavy.


    He felt a lump in his throat. He recalled the absolute despair and loneliness he felt.


    ''I believe in myself. I won''t fail again. I won''t¡­ I won''t freeze when someone I want to protect is under danger...I...'' Varian slowly fell asleep.


    An unknown timeter, Varian found himself awake. Everything was dark. He tried to open his eyes. He struggled to move his body.


    It was as if there were chains binding him.


    "Ha!" Varian finally managed to open his eyes.


    He found himself in a familiar hallway. It was the hallway of his elementary school.


    A couple of kids were surrounding someone.


    "Hey!" Varian looked in astonishment as a kid passed ''through'' him.


    He looked at himself and realized he was transparent.


    "You loser."


    "You are the bottom of our ss."


    "You spend all day in gym, and you''rete for ss every day."


    Somehow, those taunts sounded familiar.


    Varian walked to the kids surrounding someone, and his eyes widened.


    He saw his younger self at the age of 13. He was beaten and bruised.


    There were around 5 kids his age with varying wounds, but they teamed up and cursed him. It seemed they had a falling out.


    "Hurry up and drop out. You are a nuisance."


    "It''s not like you''d be anything great. Or be like your dad, join military and die."


    "Hahaha."


    "Smack!"


    The young Varian decked at the kid''s chin and knocked him out.


    His young, immature voice was full of rage "Don''t insult my dad."


    The scene got ugly and turned into a brawl. Young Varian, despite his stronger body, took the most beating. However, all his opponents were knocked out.


    "Monster."


    "You delinquent"


    "Only fighting all day."


    The kids watching the fight ran away, spewing the curses.


    Young Varian didn''t bother them. They didn''t curse his dad.


    He walked out of the school building and sat under a tree. He gazed at every kid his age ying with their friends, chatting andughing happily.


    Only he had no one. He curled himself up and his eyes turned red.


    ''I only remember this vaguely but¡­ today I''m in the same position. Guess I''m destined to be alone.'' Varian followed the young Varian out and shook his head.


    Young Varian muttered, "I''ll be alone¡­."


    Then a warmth enveloped him as he felt someone hug him from behind.


    "I''ll never leave you alone." she said.


    Young Varian turned around.


    Her long brown hair touched his neck, and her golden eyes stared into his.


    Varian and Young Varian both said at the same time.


    "Sia!"

 Chapter 43 - Memory Check Up

    <h4>Chapter 43 - Memory Check Up</h4>


    "Sia!" the young Varian and Varian said at the same time.


    Young Varian hurriedly turned his head and stuttered, "I''m...fi-n-e. I''m not feeling lonely."


    Sia sat down beside and gazed at him.


    Young Varian felt her gaze and his face flushed. He said in mild annoyance, "What''s there on my face?"


    Instead of answering, she touched his bruises and bowed her head "I wish I could''ve helped you in the fights."


    "Hey, I''m strong alright. I don''t need help. How can I be the Peerless Saviour Emperor if I can''t even endure this little pain?" Young Varian said and patted his chest to reassure her.


    "Hiss" He identally touched the wound on his chest and flinched in pain.


    "Let''s go to the infirmary." Sia said and helped him up.


    "I''m fine. Really." Young Varian insisted, but didn''t resist.


    Sia touched his chest and felt the warm red liquid on her palm. She red at him "Is this why you wear red shirts all day?"


    Young Varian was silent for a while "I don''t want to be seen as weak."


    Sia paused for a moment and clenched her fist. She stopped helping him up.


    "Then I won''t support you. I''ll just walk by your side, with you. We''ll have you treated at infirmary." She said and hopped forward.


    The sun was setting, and the students were leaving in groups.


    Young Varian looked at Sia as she turned back.


    "Let''s go. You can''t train tonight if you are injured." She smiled and extended her hand.


    Her brown hair was shaken by the wind, her golden eyes under the sunlight shone with kindness as she extended her hand to him.


    At that moment, he realized he was not alone. Someone understood him. Someone believed in his aspirations that everyone crossed out as silly.


    "Yeah!" Young Varian smiled and caught her hand.


    He looked at his peers, who were with their own friends. He looked at Sia. He smiled from the bottom of his heart and whispered under his breath.


    "Thank you."


    They walked into the distance as their shadows merged.


    Darkness enveloped everything and the next moment, Varian found himself on his bed, in his dormitory room.


    He felt something salty on his lips. He touched his cheeks and realized they were wet.


    ''She¡­ did this all happen?'' He felt empty inside.


    ''Why don''t I remember anything? Are my memories...'' His eyes widened as he considered the worst possibility.


    "I need to check." He nced at the time and it was noon. He slept only for a few hours.


    Varian asked his System ''System, are my memories altered?''


    [Host, this system does not do memory checks.]


    "Tch"


    ''Some telepath must have done this. Psychics are high levels. Why would they even act on an unawakened like me?''


    Varian decided to unveil the truth and asked hism, "Can I go out of the academy?"


    {Yes. But only for today and return before 9:00 PM.}


    He breathed a sigh of relief and exited his dormitory.


    "Click"


    "Ouch"


    He stretched his arms and legs. The injuries would take a few more hours topletely heal. But he could already perform normal activities without any problem.


    Varian walked out of the huge garden, boarded a hover bus near the dormitory, and exited the campus. Thankfully, transportation within the campus was free.


    He booked a hover bike with his credit points, and thought of the follow-up n. He set the destination for the famous Bell Health Care.


    It was founded by Kreo Bell, one of the Eight Sovereigns. He was also one of the three Marshals of Human Armed Forces.


    Kreo Bell''s divine path was:


    Mind (Level 1-3) ¡ª> Telepath (Level 4-6) ¡ª> Psychic (Level 7-Sovereign)


    Varian was lost in thoughts as the hover bike dashed through the airways.


    He soon approached one of the most luxurious areas of Earth. There were vehicles made of expensive alloys driving past him. They came in all colors and forms.


    Red hover bikes of adamantium. ck hover cars of ish gold. And so on.


    They only had one thing inmon. These vehicles themselves were star treasures!


    This meant not only could they protect the passengers, but they could also attack the enemies.


    Varian''s hover car was a rental and was thus normal.


    Soon, the hover car ascended and Varian widened his eyes as it soared into the clouds.


    "Wait, wh¡ª?" Varian paused as he saw a huge building floating in the clouds. The wholeplex was at least the size of a football field.


    There were multiple exits with intensive security checks.


    ''Save Sia.'' Varian recalled his mom''s words.


    ''If Sia is real, then why did mom never speak about her? Is that part of memory also altered? Is that even possible?'' He thought as the hover car stopped at the security checkpoint.


    He showed his ID, and the security guards started their routine.


    ''Then why did she ask me to save Sia right before she died that night? Was Sia also with us and I just forgot? If then, did she already...?'' Varian shook his head.


    ''No records of Sia I dream exist. My own records show no association with her name and mom too doesn''t have any records of adopting any girl.''


    ''So Sia existed. After she got into the military academy, all her info online was erased, including her records with me. I should''ve known this, but I forgot everything about her.'' Varian came to a preliminary conclusion.


    ''If I restore the memory, I will be able to find her.'' Without knowing, his lips curled up. Maybe that was not the most rational conclusion. But that was what he wanted to believe. And believe he did.


    The security check ended, and Varian entered the hospital. He felt the rich flow of aura inside and felt a refreshing feeling from within.


    A single tile was worth 5k credit points and Varian watched his steps. The expensive show pieces hung on the walls, speaking volumes about the grandeur of this ce.


    If there was an equivalent to Old Earth, this building would be made of silver walls and golden show pieces.


    He reached the counter and the female cashier bowed "Hello sir, what can I do for you?"


    From the stiff moments andck of aura, he could tell that she was a robot.


    "I need a memory check and restoration." He said.


    Bell Health Care was one of the most advancedpany in medicine. They were, however, unrivalled in solving mind problems. Arge reason was that the disciples of Kreo Bell were the top doctors.


    If a telepath erases the memory of a person, Bell Health Care would be able to restore it with ease.


    "Sure, sir. Please check the list and pick one." She swiped in front and a holograph listing the fee for each doctor appeared.


    ''Psychics are from Level 7 and above. They''re the best choice.'' Varian thought.


    If a psychic diagnosed him, chances were that his problem would be almost 100%.


    They were indeed the best choice... until he checked their fee.


    ''Forget it. Even Level 7 Psychic needs 800k credit points. If I had mp, it''d be 400 mp.'' Varian recalled his 0 mp bnce and the additional 20 mp he had to pay.


    1 karma point = 1000 credit points. 1 merit point = 2 karma points.


    Varian cursed himself for not spending all the mp on the first day.


    He checked the next best. Level 6 Telepath.


    Even though Telepaths weren''t as good as Psychics in mind control, they were much stronger than Mind Awakeners.


    300k credit points!


    Varian saw the price and almost punched the price holograph.


    ''Should I just postpone this...no. This is too important.'' Varian decided and searched for a way out.


    He already spent all his savings of 300k on the 2 star treasure. Those 300k were his own savings and his mother''s inheritance.


    Now he had nothing except his house¡­ House!


    Varian clicked his tongue and decided to sell the house. All his luggage was in his dormitory, anyway. Even his hover bike was in the campus.


    The house itself was apensation by the government since his old home was destroyed by the magic beast.


    Varian opened them and set the house on sale. It would sell for at least 350k. But he had no time.


    From tomorrow till god knows when, he''d not be allowed out of the campus. With his zero mp, he couldn''t consult the doctors on the academy.


    So he set the price at 300k on condition of immediate payment.


    He waited a few minutes and with a click, hism notified:


    {300k credit points are credited to your ount}


    ''Great. Now I''m homeless.'' Varian felt like he was getting poorer every day.


    ''I''m broke.'' he wanted to yell, but he restrained himself and selected Level 6 Telepath.


    "Please pay."


    "Yes."


    {Your bank bnce is 3k credit points.}


    "Your doctor is waiting for you." The maid bowed and swiped something towards hism.


    Varian nodded and followed the route sent to hism.


    He passed through other patients. Most of them wore luxurious clothing but didn''t rank high as awakeners.


    Varian reached his destination, and the door opened.


    He stepped in and saw a gracefuldy sitting in a chair.


    She nodded at him and signaled for him to be seated. Varian was anxious as he sat in front of her.


    "Please rx yourself and I''ll give you a check. You''ll be unconscious for a few moments." Her voice directly sounded in his mind.


    Varian nodded.


    Each room of telepath was monitored by high tech surveince and synced with authorities database in real time. So the patients didn''t worry about being exploited.


    Varian was looking at her and the next moment, everything turned nk.


    The telepath extended her mental force and probed into Varian''s brain.


    She reached the memory storage section and searched for the signs of intervention by other telepaths.


    A few minutester, Varian woke up.


    "Now that you know where my memory is tampered, restore it." Varian was excited and asked in anticipation.


    There was no response.


    She looked at him with a weird gaze. "Your memory is not altered."

 Chapter 44 - The Strongest Abyssal

    <h4>Chapter 44 - The Strongest Abyssal</h4>


    In a mysterious location, 8 Abyssals were seated around a table. They were the five Abyss Kings and three Abyss Queens.


    They were the nightmares of humans, from Mercury to Neptune. They were the strongest Abyssals. They too surpassed the power of level 9 and were equivalent to Sovereigns.


    The Kings were at least 8 feet tall and the Queens at least 7. There were three vertical marks on their forehead, which every Level 9 Abyssal had plus a star mark.


    This star was their unique symbol.


    The strange thing was they left were seated on either side of the table but left a single unseated chair in the middle.


    The unupied chair was also more luxurious and higher than the one they sat on. On it was arge mirror.


    The Thunder Abyssal King of Thunder Abyss, connected to Neptune, said, "Demon King, I heard Enigma stole a low altar and the cross tunneling formations from an Abyss Lord?"


    The Demon Abyssal King of Demon Abyss, connected to earth, gritted his teeth and replied, "That bitch. Yes. She keeps running all around the ce. How does she escape the Abyss Will?"


    No one answered.


    Each Abyss had an Abyss Will. None could catch Enigma. They all wanted to kill Enigma, but she hid from all the Abyss Wills.


    Demon King''s voice turned low "If I knew how¡­ the Holy Altar would still be safe."


    The atmosphere turned dull when "Holy Altar" was brought up. Everyone in the room had a tense expression on their face. They should protect their Abyss''s Holy Altar at all costs.


    Demon King clenched his fist and sighed. Just by that action, the air in his palms exploded and sent shock waves enough to kill a Level 4 Awakener.


    "It''s my sin." He sighed and slumped in his chair.


    The Water Abyssal Queen of Water Abyss, connected to Venus, yawned and said, "So, Old Man, you arepensating for the sin?"


    "Yes. Don''t take my ce. I''ll convince His Majesty." Demon King looked at his equals and spoke with a serious face.


    He was an awakener of Body path. So his physique was the strongest in the room. His brawny physique and rough done would''ve intimidated others, but his peers were monsters in their own right.


    "Alright."


    "If you say so."


    Demon King was extremely grateful and was about to thank them when a light shed from the mirror on the empty chair.


    The Abyssal Kings and Queens, the power ceilings of Earth, the nightmares of humanity, stood up, bowed their heads and put their hand on their heart position for the imperial salute.


    "Wee, your Majesty."


    "Sit." A maic voice sounded from the mirror.


    An Abyssal appeared in the mirror. He was seated on a luxurious throne and wore purple clothes.


    He was at least 9 feet tall and looked at them silently.


    Even though he was present on the other side, millions of light years away, he exuded an aura of majesty that demanded respect and submission.


    The Abyssal Kings felt veneration from the bottom of their hearts. The Abyssal Queens felt a burning fire in their eyes, but quickly suppressed it.


    They weren''t worthy of him. He only loved his Empress.


    The strangest part was ''His Majesty'' had no marks on his face.


    Abyssals from Level 1-3 had marks on their chins, level 4-6 on their cheeks and 7-9, including Abyssal Kings on their foreheads to indicate their level.


    But the Emperor of all Abyssals had none. He was different. Special. Unique.


    He said unhurriedly, "How is the Cross Tunneling Mission taking ce?"


    Thunder King replied "We''ve upied 5% of low level Dungeons on Neptune. 66 Level 3 Genius students were killed."


    Despair Queen replied "We''ve¡­."


    One by one, everyone presented their performance report.


    Demon King replied thest "We''ve upied 30% of low level Dungeons on Earth. 100 Level 3 Geniuses were killed."


    Everyone looked at him in surprise. The pace was highest, despite Earth having a lot of dungeons.


    The Abyssal Emperor, on the other side of the mirror, raised an eyebrow but made no specialments.


    "Anything important to report before we proceed to the main mission?" He asked.


    Thunder King nodded and said, "Your Majesty, ''He'' is growing stronger every day. I''m afraid¡­"


    "No worries. Let him gather all the six artifacts. However strong he grows, he won''t be able to escape my palm." The Abyssal Emperor said curtly. His tone allowed no refusal.


    "Yes, my ignorance." Thunder King bowed. He wasn''t dissatisfied. Abyss Emperor''s decisions were always right. He was their saviour. Their hope.


    "Your majesty, we can conquer the sr system if you allow us. We now have spies and some control over humanity, unlike our first war. This time, even the Heaven''s Will suppression on us won''t save their lives in bunkers." Despair Queen of Despair Abyss, associated with Uranus, said.


    "Please give us a chance."


    "Like Pluto, we''ll take down theirs one by one."


    "We''ll fulfill our mission."


    "...please."


    The other seven nodded and voiced their agreements.


    "Enough. You know why Pluto is conquered." Abyss Emperor said, and the room turned silent.


    "Any direct confrontation would kill millions, if not billions, of your fellow Abyssals. Will you answer their families?" Abyss Emperor red at them as he spoke word by word.


    "If humans are our only enemy, I''d still do it. It''s better to pay the short-term painful price to secure victory. But humans aren''t even our main enemy. We must win the battle with humans, but not at the cost of losing our war."


    The rulers of the eight Abysses clenched their fists as each of his word pierced their heart.


    "We don''t have to wage a full scale war to destroy humans." There was a glint in Abyss Emperor''s eyes.


    "Let them be distracted by our movements in the Dungeons. Speed up the steps and we''ll be victorious with the least bloodshed."


    The Abyss rulers nodded.


    Abyss Emperor nced at Demon King and asked, "Did you find it?"


    "Yes, your majesty." Demon King stood up and nodded.


    "So who is willing to pay 10% of their lifespan to aplish this mission?" Abyss Emperor asked.


    "Me."


    "This life is for Abyss Race. let me contribute."


    "I want to contribute too."


    "..."


    All 8 Abyss Rulers raised their hands.


    Demon King looked at them and gritted his teeth. ''You bastards. Lying so tantly to this old man. Fine! I''ll still be the one to retrieve it and atone for my sin.''


    "I''ll send my clone as well." Abyss Emperor disappeared, and the mirror dimmed, leaving behind only his maic voice.


    "His majesty is so kind. He is even sending his clone."


    "If not for him, we''d never have found the way to save our race."


    "If not for him, we''d be like stupid viins in human novels and believe that sending dungeons to earth would be enough to kill humanity."


    The praises continued, and the atmosphere was full of hope.


    They were confident in their victory at the expense of human extinction.


    What they didn''t know was the one with the potential to stand against them was banging his head in a hospital.


    "My memory is not altered? Then what about those dreams?"

 Chapter 45 - First Class

    <h4>Chapter 45 - First ss</h4>


    Varian clutched his forehead on the way back to the academy. He wished he didn''te here at all.


    ''Is everything fake?'' Varian gazed down from his hover car as it dashed down the airway.


    "Your memory is not altered." The doctor''s voice continued to ring in his head.


    "Boom!" Varian punched the interior of the vehicle.


    It shook for a while, leaving a small impression.


    Varian came back to his senses and cursed himself.


    ''There''s no way everything I saw could be false. Sia¡­ must exist.'' Varian nced at the setting sun as the hover car crossed the ocean.


    He recalled the scene where she extended her hand to him. He didn''t know why, but he could feel the kindness and eptance from her. He wasn''t¡­ lonely.


    "I can''t be too emotional." Varian shook his head.


    ''There are only two possibilities I can see. One is that doctor is right, so I never grew up with Sia. So someone or something is causing me to have those dreams.'' Varian wished it was false.


    But he couldn''t rule out the possibility. If the dragon bracelet had the system which prevented him from awakening for so long, maybe something or someone was giving him those dreams.


    Varian''s first suspect was System itself. With all said and done, he knew nothing about its origin or motives.


    ''System, what is your goal?''


    [Host, this system''s goal is for you to stand on the absolute top of the universe. Our goals are aligned.]


    ''Why? What do YOU want?''


    [...]


    Varian shook his head and stopped asking. This system was hiding something very important from him. However, it said it would not reveal anything about itself but wouldn''t stop him if he had the chance.


    Varian then thought of the second possibility ''Second. The doctor is wrong. She is a level 6 Telepath. Maybe she can detect a Level 7 Psychic. But what about Level 8, even...''


    ''Even if they want to erase my memory, why would a Level 8 Psychice down for an unawakened 17-year-old teen? Any Level 5 or 6 Telepath is more than enough.''


    ''But if it''s really the second possibility, then¡­ I should be worried.'' Varian sighed, but despite the troubles it meant, he wished the truth was second. Then his dreams about Sia would be his memories. Their bond would be real.


    As he drifted into the thoughts, the hover car finally reached his dormitory. Varian absent mindedly walked up the floors and reached his room.


    He sat crossed long on the bed and took out the aura crystals. He absorbed the aura and felt it turn to chi and space power.


    He focused on the chi and tried to adapt his body to it.


    The other times, he tried to sense space around.


    He immersed himself in the state and time slipped by.


    {Your ss will start in an hour. The location is sent to you.} Them notified.


    Varian opened his eyes and saw the suns just rising from the horizon. It was 5:00 AM.


    At the same time, system prompted.


    [+10 Xp


    Body Path Level 2: 10/200


    +0 Xp


    Space Path Level 1: 60/100]


    Varian felt the chi in his body was better integrated with his body. However, there was no significant improvement in his space power.


    ''Am I missing something?''


    He didn''t study the divine paths in detail. He was focused onbat. His peers, once awakened, studied the Divine Paths thoroughly.


    ''I can ask a tutor.'' He thought and changed into the uniform.


    He reached the first year''s teaching block. It was argeplex with many buildings connected.


    He saw every student was going to one of two lecture halls and checked hism.


    {There will be three types of sses every day.


    General sses: You''ll be taught general knowledge, leadership and more.


    Combat ss: You''ll duel with your peers and hone yourbat under supervision.


    Speciality ss: Divine Paths will be exined.}


    ''Now it''s a general ss.'' Varian entered a lecture hall. It was already bustling. More and more students entered and chatted with their new friends.


    Everyone was quickly forming their own group.


    ''They''re preparing for the missions. Forming a team early would be beneficial.''


    Varian took a seat and the students in his row left their seats in a hurry. Even the ones in front of him moved away.


    It was as if they were avoiding a gue.


    Varian took a breath and calmed himself.


    ''As I thought, I can''t form a team with these guys.''


    Soon, the lecture hall was filled, and the clock hit 6.


    A middle-aged man appeared on the stage. He was in ab coat, strange for a military academy.


    His aura indicated his level to be only Level 4, but no one despised him. He must be a researcher in the military academy of sciences. They were the people who built most of their technologies. Angering them would result in no good results.


    He didn''t even bother with introductions and started his speech, er, lecture.


    "We''ll start from the beginning." His voice resounded throughout the hall.


    The students perked their ears.


    "Why did blink happen?"


    "The old sun was split into two due to some unknown events and aura was released suddenly. Humans couldn''t adapt to this sudden spike and died." A female student with curly hair answered.


    He repeated, "Why did blink happen?"


    The subtext was ''Why did the sun split into two in the first ce?''


    The female student opened her mouth but couldn''t find the answer. No one really knew.


    "It was holding aura inside from the beginning and it split when its limit is reached." She gave her opinion.


    The professor shook his head and said, "Aura ispressible. Even if aura waspressed, leading to it bursting out, then Sun would implode, not sit."


    Everyone nodded. But the question still remained.


    The professor stretched his arms and said "This is the reason."


    A hologram of a ck and white spaceship appeared in the ss.


    It was way differentpared to human space shuttles, which were closer to ancient aerones.


    This one was disc like. It was simr to what old earth humans called as UFO.


    The students looked at it for a moment, and soon they gasped. "Isn''t this the ghost ship in urban legends?"


    "Yes."


    "I thought incidents reporting its appearance were publicity events."


    The murmurs increased.


    Ghost ship was the nickname for this flying saucer space shuttle. Since the advent of blink 520 years ago, there were many instances with humans iming to have seen this ghost ship.


    Initially, it was struck off as someone trying to start the UFO cult of old earth. But fast forward into the future, the incidents still remained and only increased.


    The government dered no evidence of ''ghost ship'' was found. But the increased poprity despiteck of evidence cemented its position as an urban legend.


    "This ghost ship was the one that broke Sun. That caused the re-emergence of aura." The lecturer stated.


    Aura existed everywhere in the Universe. Today''s humans only explored a few star systems close to Sr system but aura was found everywhere.


    Thus the consensus was that aura existed everywhere except sr system till Blink.


    Why?


    "The aura of sr system and its vicinity were locked by something we don''t know yet. This ghost ship broke these chains, if you will and aura broke loose." He said, and the ss turned silent.


    "Now you must be wondering who can even seal up the aura of the entire sr system. We all know who they are." The professor paused for a moment.


    Varian thought for a moment, and his eyes widened.


    "They¡­"

 Chapter 46 - Body Path Class

    <h4>Chapter 46 - Body Path ss</h4>


    "They¡­ are Devas." Varian whispered.


    "Devas."


    "Deva-"


    More and more students reached the same conclusion.


    Devas were the mythical civilization before humans. With the advent of aura resurgence, on the eights of sr system, independent small worlds, simr to Dungeons appeared.


    They were called Ruins. These ruins were the enduring legacies of Devas and were filled with special beasts, magical herbs, heavenly elixirs, and rare resources. Any Ruin was a treasure trove filled with traps.


    Humans initially thought Ruin was the same as Dungeon, but onlyter realized that they belonged to different sources.


    Ruins weren''t explored until thest century due to their difficulty level. But that exploration saved humanity.


    "You''re right. Devas are the ones who sealed the aura. We don''t know why or even how." He nodded.


    The hologram changed to pictures of ancient structures of old earth. The pyramids. Then it zoomed in and highlighted on the "ankh" symbolmon across the pyramids.


    Another hologram popped next to it. It showed an independent world with its own ecosystem. It looked simr to Dungeon or Abyss, but the skies were blue and the whole world was much pristine and richer.


    Different magic beasts, mythical style buildings, and a tall tower piercing into the sky.


    The only thingmon across all these structures was the ankh symbol.


    "This is just one of the proofs. Most of the deva legacies in the normal world were destroyed. So our ancestors didn''t know that there was another civilization before them." The professor swiped away the holograms and continued, "We only knew this because Ruins appeared after Blink."


    "What''s the implication of this finding?" He asked.


    Varian answered, "We''re not alone. There are more races, civilizations across the universe. They are more advanced than us, both in Divine Paths and in technology. If we survive the Abyssals, we''ll eventually sh with a foe far stronger. Since even Devas perished, we humans must be tread with caution."


    The students shuddered. But the professor nodded with a smile and was about to praise him.


    Just then, he recalled the info shared by his colleagues yesterday and refrained. He nodded and signalled for Varian to sit.


    Varian didn''t care about his reaction, but was fascinated by the newfound knowledge.


    "So where did this ghost ship go?" A student raised his hand and asked.


    "We don''t know. No one was able to catch it. It just appeared and disappeared many times at random ces and random times. But there''s a theory that it is rted to the Abyssals. That was how they found the sr system." He expressed his opinions and continued on with the history101.


    Varian''s mind was not on the boring analysis of the history following blink. He read all that for his written test.


    The ss passed, and the cadets had their breakfast in 10 minutes.


    Then they were free to pick their specialization sses. A Space Awakener could sit in the ss of a Fire Awakener. Apparently, the goal was to increase the exposure.


    In that sense, it was less of a military style and more of universities of old earth where anyone could attend any lecture without being registered in the course.


    Varian picked the Body path specialization and reached the ss.


    Surprisingly, it was in a garden near the block. There were few seats arranged under the sunlight.


    Only about near about 50 students were present.


    Varian sat down in the back. The same scene repeated and everyone distanced themselves from him.


    "..."


    "I''m Akiho, level 6 Controller in Body Path." A young woman with short hair appeared seemingly out of nowhere and introduced herself. She looked younger than she sounded and was petite.


    But no one dared to underestimate her.


    A Level 6 Body path awakener, either Enhanced or Controller, could crush a mountain with a punch.


    Body Awakener (Level 1-3) ¡ª> Enhanced (Level 4-6)


    Body Awakener (level 1-3) ¡ª> Controller (Level 4-6)


    Reaching the peak of Level 3, a body awakener could be either an Enhanced or a Controller.


    Varian only knew the basics, but didn''t know the details. This ss was perfect for him.


    "Let''s start with the basics." Akiho snapped her fingers point up. The shock waves from the strength sted the air and shot high into the sky.


    Despite the shock waves aiming upward, everyone felt a huge force p them in the chest and were almost knocked out.


    Even though they didn''t underestimate her strength, only then did they understand how strong she truly was.


    The woman in front of them was on the same level as an Abyss Duke. A humanoid monster.


    "Since you all are just low level, we''ll only talk about level 4-6. What''s the difference between an Enhanced awakener and a Controller Awakener?" She smirked and questioned.


    Varian didn''t bother to answer.


    "Enhanced awakener has all their stats equally increased with each level. A controller has lower statspared to an enhanced but they can increase any stat they wish, albeit one at a time." A student answered.


    Akiho nodded and said "To put it more intuitively, the peak of Level 3 Body Awakener is 100% Greater Human.


    The first three levels arepared on this metric. So from first level to third level, a Body Awakener grows from 3% to 100%.


    But in Level 4-6, there are two paths. Enhanced and Controllers. Level 6 peak Enhanced is taken as the base and wepare the stats of all Level 4-6 body awakeners with 100% Enhanced Human."


    The students nodded.


    100% Enhanced Human was rumored to be the strength to smash thergest mountains of earth to pieces.


    "So if you''re an Enhanced Awakener in your 4-6 levels, you grow from 5% to 100%. Everything is like a normal body awakener in level 1-3, except you''d way more powerful. But," she gave a small pause and continued.


    "If you''re a controller, your overall stats will be lower than an enhanced of the same level. But you can boost one stat at any time and surpass the enhanced in that one stat."


    Some students were confused.


    Akiho shook her head and exined, "A newbie Level 4 Enhanced has 5% Enhanced Human stats. So all their stats: strength, endurance, healing etc are 5% of a peak level 6 Enhanced."


    "But a newbie Level 4 Controller has only 3% Enhanced human stats. However, they can raise any one stat by 3%. So they will have all stats at 3% and one at 6%pared to their enhanced counterpart, who has all stats at 5%."


    The confusion was cleared, and everyone nodded. But everyone was a little dissatisfied with Controller path.


    "At Level 6 peak, Enhanced have 100% stats. Controllers have 90% Enhanced stats. But¡­ they can raise any of their stat by 20%."


    Varian too thought Controllers were the weaker bunch, but now he changed his opinion.


    Controllers were more versatile.


    At their level, 110% Enhanced strength was much stronger than 100% Enhanced Strength since 10% of Enhanced strength was arge number.


    Controllers also had the edge of raising any single stat at a time.


    So, while escaping, they can increase their speed. While defending, they can increase their defense. While attacking, they can raise their strength.


    Of course, Controllers were not without problems. All of their other stats were lower than an Enhanced.


    They could run faster, but they wouldn''t have as much stamina as an Enhanced.


    They could defend more by increasing their defense, but their attacks while defending would be weaker than an Enhanced.


    Varian decided ''This will perfectly fit me.''


    He questioned, "How do I control my path choices upon entering Level 4?"

 Chapter 47 - Combat Class

    <h4>Chapter 47 - Combat ss</h4>


    "How do I control which path I will pick upon entering Level 4?"


    Akiho smiled and looked at the students. Most of them were also puzzled. Except Ryan sitting in the corner and fiddling with hism.


    ''He must have been taught by his family already.'' Akiho shook her head.


    "The choice depends on what you do since you awakened as a Level 1." She gazed at the students with a teasing smile.


    "If you train each of your stat separately and extensively, your path will be Controller. If you just train without extra emphasis on all stats, your path will be Enhanced."


    "Now, each of you, show your powers¡­"


    The small test ended with every student having a small test by punching at Akiho''s palm.


    She didn''t flinch, even with Ryan''s punch.


    Varian only used his Body Awakener powers and didn''t stand out. But Akiho could feel something different in him.


    All these students experiencedbat and killed many. But no one had a such a fine stance.


    ''This little guy¡­ is experienced.'' Akiho thought in appreciation, but soon it dissolved into a pity ''he offended Xanders¡­ ai.''


    Akiho skimmed the basics and started her first lecture.


    "You need to focus on the aura converting into chi. This is the driving force for all Body path awakeners¡­.."


    The ss continued and soon Varian was bored. The goal of body awakeners in Level 1-3 was to increase the concentration of aura and adapt their bodies to hold in more aura.


    At the peak of Level 3, with 100% Greater Human stats, one could lift military trucks and kick away huge buses.


    "You''ll be informed of the next ss." Ahiko said and her figure blurred. In the next moment, she appeared hundreds of meters away.


    ''Charles Xander¡­ is at least as strong as her.'' Varian came to the stark realization that the one he challenged was at the level of his teacher and just in his third year!


    ''He''s a monster!'' Varian sighed in exasperation.


    Truth be told, Varian knew he would surpass Charles at some point. But the gap of 1 year put pressure on him.


    Even if everyone struck it off as gibberish, Varian was serious when he vowed to defeat Charles and take his throne.


    ''Level 6....Usually, breaking through into Level 7 will take years. So I could catch up.'' Varian convinced himself.


    {Combat sses are starting in 10 minutes. Honorary students have separate instructors. Follow the address.}


    Varian reached the dome structure. It was made of ss, but he couldn''t see the inside.


    He saw a few auras approaching at a high speed. He nced back and saw Narcis, Ryan and Adir, along with other Level 3s.


    To his surprise, there were a few Level 2s following these young master figures.


    ''They used their strength to help theirckeys, huh.'' He shook his head and entered the dome.


    What greeted him was a white hall with a ridiculously high ceiling and loads of weapon strewn in the corners. There were even several heaps of weapons.


    Varian checked his location again and confirmed he was in the right ce.


    ''Really? This is what honorary students get?''


    There was one minute for thebat ss to begin, and around 25 students gathered in the hall.


    Twenty of them were Level 3 and only five were Level 2. That included Varian.


    Unlike others who inly avoided him, most of them showed hostility.


    They were divided into two groups. One group led by Narcis and Ryan. The other by Adir and an unfamiliar girl.


    Varian spotted the guy who gave the false testimony yesterday. He looked at Varian with contempt and arrogance.


    Varian ignored him and started thinking of the solutions to his predicament. His first goal was to earn mp for his fine and also monthly exam fee.


    {You have to pay 21 mp. (+1 mp per day.)}


    Narcis ignored Varian and red at Adir. Ryan red at the girl.


    ''My enemies also have enemies. Unfortunately, we can''t be friends.'' Even though Varian hated Narcis, he also hated Adir.


    "Yo! I heard someone''s brother intervened to help them out?" Adir was the first to provoke.


    "At least I didn''te to beg everyone to help my family out." Narcis kept his cool and retorted.


    This time, Adir''s face was flushed. He drew out his whip and was about to swing it when ¡ª


    "Formation." A voice sounded, jolting them to their senses.


    The Body Awakeners had keen senses, and they were able to spot the source of the sound.


    "FORMATION!." the sound came from a heap of weapons ¡ª star treasures.


    "Click."


    "Click."


    A man pulled himself out of the weapon heap and yelled at them.


    "Now!"


    The dome shook for a moment, and everyone lined up in a rectangr formation.


    The students around Varian wanted to avoid him, but the man roared, "Stand in ce."


    Only now Varian got a clear picture of the man. He had a bald head and was exuded a fierce aura. He was reminded of Gareth inadvertently.


    He wore the standard military uniform, and his tag read Seth. Instructor.


    As he approached them, Varian felt like a fierce beast was approaching him. Only Eric gave him a simr dread.


    Seth nced at them and his gaze shifted to the level 2s in the group "Isn''t this supposed to be honorary student group? Why Level 2s?"


    Ryan was about to step forward and exin, but he waved his hands. "Do whatever you want. I just care aboutbat, anyway."


    The honorary students looked arrogant. They thought he was backing down because of their status.


    "Let''s start with the basics." Seth grinned and the next moment, everyone copsed on the ground.


    "Ku¡­" Varian tried to move his body, but the ground held him down. It was as if the floor was sucking him down.


    ''Gravity!'' He looked around and saw even Narcis, the strongest Level 3 at the moment, also copsed.


    Gravity path was one of the three Divine paths of Dimensional Group alongside Space and Time. As its name suggested, Gravity Awakeners controlled gravity.


    "Oops. I thought you were second years." Seth chuckled unapologetically and squinted his eyes.


    Varian felt his insides being twisted, and his muscles pressed. He wasn''t able to breathe and in a few minutes, he''d run out of oxygen.


    Level 2 Body Awakeners would still die from Asphyxiation.


    "It''s alright now." Seth''s voice sounded, and the pressure reduced the next moment and Varian could barely move.


    Through his peripheral vision, he saw that everyone could barely move. Just like him.


    ''So he adjusted gravity ording to our strengths? Wow!'' Varian was surprised as he struggled to get up.


    "Your test is to touch the wall. If you fail, I will just teach second years." Seth said.


    They were in the middle of the circr hall. So they had to travel an equal distance to reach their destination.


    The problem was that it was at least 200 meters away from them. They''d scoff at this proposition in normal times, but now moving even 1 meter was a hurdle.


    "Ahh"


    "Don''t underestimate me."


    "I''m the greatest genius."


    The students struggled to stand up. There was no progress. They were only able to raise their arms, most of them were still pressed to the ground. Even though it was not life threatening, it was humiliating.


    Only Narcis, Ryan and Adir managed to half stand.


    After a few more minutes of struggling, Narcis stood straight and took his first step.


    Ryan and Adir followed suit, and they each went in their own direction.


    An hour passed.


    Step by step.


    Step by step.


    The trio were just 25 meters away from the wall. By now, they were bleeding profusely and sweating like buckets.


    Adir kept using earth slides to force him forward. But under gravity, everything slowed down.


    Ryan used his body defense to withstand the pressure.


    Narcis relied on his stats as a beast morpher. He approached the wall with a blue light covering him.


    "Haha! What''s your name?" They suddenly heard aughter from behind, and they turned around to see that peasant boy.


    He leaned against the wall and moved his sore muscles.


    Seth smiled at Varian. He seemed more than satisfied.


    "You...you''re first again!" Narcis gritted his teeth and wanted to attack Varian right away.


    But he stopped himself. He didn''t want Charles to point out faults in his approach.


    "Instructor, I think this test is unfair to Level 3s if you adjust the strength ordingly." Narcis said.


    His tone wasn''t arrogant, which was incredibly rare.


    "I''m just checking your power rtive to your level." Seth didn''t give a fuck and waved his hand.


    Narcis gritted his teeth and said, "Then let him duel with a Level 2. If he wins, I consider it fair. If he loses, he doesn''t deserve to be first."


    Narcis insisted, and Seth couldn''t ignore himpletely.


    "What do you say?" he didn''t answer himself but turned to Varian.


    Duels required consent of both parties.


    Varian''s clothes were drenched in sweat and blood. His path had the most blood foot prints. But he was first.


    Upon hearing Narcis''s proposal, he nodded "Condition is I get to choose my opponent, and he pays me 50 mp for participating."


    Narcis''s smile brightened and was about to ept but he suddenly paused "20"


    Everyone widened their eyes at Narcis. Shouldn''t he usually ept the conditions since Varian would lose, anyway?


    ''This bastard. He knew I need mp this month. He also got the penalty for aggression. If I wait for a month, I''ll need 50mp just for penalty and 20mp for exam.''


    Varian gritted his teeth "30 or the deal breaks."


    "Great. Pick any Level 2 you want." Narcis said andughed out loud.


    Varian checked the Level 2s and knew why Narcis was confident.


    The other 4 Level 2s were all at peak of Level 2. So there was a substantial between their strengths.


    Varian pointed his finger at the guy who testified that he bribed him to provoke Narcis.


    "You." Varian smiled through his bloody teeth. It was the smile of a demon.

 Chapter 48 - Fighting A Fire Awakener

    <h4>Chapter 48 - Fighting A Fire Awakener</h4>


    "You." Varian pointed to him.


    The young man felt his heart stop for a moment. He was afraid.


    The students distanced themselves from Varian. But no one tried fighting him. Almost all were Level 2s. They didn''t dare fight Varian.


    Maybe Varian was weak. But there was a good chance he had strength to back up his ranking. He didn''t want to be the one to see the truth.


    The few Level 3s had their own pride and didn''t want to seek a fight with someone below.


    "We''ll fight without star treasures." Varian said.


    ''So he doesn''t have high-level star treasures. Good for me.'' The young man thought. But he was still hesitant.


    He then nced at Adir. Adir red at him. He understood and nodded reluctantly.


    Theckeys behind Narcis and Ryan snickered. They were all in the same position. But just yesterday, he offended Charles Xander.


    ''I must perform well and make up.'' He thought and reached the Dueling area.


    Varian arrived a few minutester. He visited the infirmary, and since the injuries were for formal reasons; he was treated for free.


    Under the three statues of founding fathers, there were dueling stages.


    The stages were made of expensive alloys that could withstand the impact of Level 6 attacks.


    Naturally, there was a price for duels. Narcis did all the payment and Seth, the instructor, took their space rings. Varian''s opponent also removed the star treasure essories on his body.


    "Why are you so confident?" He smiled at Varian and walked up to the stage.


    Varian didn''t answer and jumped onto the stage. He felt the auraing from his opponent. It was higher than him. A step shy of level 3.


    But he had three advantages. His natural talent was changed by system. It might increase his strength. Second was his Space path. If the situation deteriorated beyond control, he would just use his space powers and win. Third was his experience.


    ''I''ll need to win this and prove myself. Although I can''t bet on students forming a team with me, I can at least pay off the penalty.''


    Varian took a breath, and the stage under him moved. The tiles shifted, and he was moved to the end of the square. At the other end stood his opponent.


    ''Why this formation?''


    A thin, but firm, white hemispherical barrier enclosed the stage.


    Seth, Narcis and Ryan, along with others, stood outside. No one was on Varian''s side. They wanted to please Narcis. Even Adir, the one opposing Narcis, wanted Varian to lose. After all, Varian was fighting his henchman.


    Seth wasn''t really happy with how things were going.


    If it was anyone else proposing the duel, he''d p them.


    ''He''s like his dad. Goddamn bastards. Calling themselves Guardians of earth, Xanders only want this, not the people.'' Seth cursed inside and looked at the stage.


    He could intervene if the fight turns fatal. The barrier wouldn''t stop him.


    "Before I beat you to the ground, I thank you." Varian gave a sunny smile, but his eyes were cold.


    Even though he understood his opponent was pressured by Charles to nder him, he didn''t show any remorse.


    Varian wasn''t strong enough to knock Charles down at the moment, but he could collect the interest from this guy first.


    "You¡­!" The young man was furious and the temperature on the stage rose.


    On his fingertips, there wererge spheres of fire.


    "I''ll roast you." He said and shot the fire balls at Varian.


    ''Fire Awakener. Peak of level 2.'' Varian clicked his tongue and jumped to the side.


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    The fireballs sted the stage behind and it shook a little.


    Just as Variannded, a dozen fire balls the size of his fist reached him. They formed a semicircle and made histeral dodging useless.


    ''Just how is he following my movements? His five senses aren''t as high as mine¡­''


    Varian rolled on the floor and dodged the fire ball.


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    Before he could get up, the fireballs were already at his doorstep.


    "Damn!" Varian almost used teleportation, but thankfully, the training helped him restrain himself.


    Instead, he leapt to the side.


    Despite it being only a few dozen seconds, the intensity of attacks was high.


    "Ha..Ha" Varian panted as sweat rolled down his forehead and dropped onto the stage.


    "Looks like you''re all talk." His opponent said in a scornful tone.


    But only the ones outside could see his back was full of sweat.


    ''Damn. How did this guy dodge my strongest attacks?''


    Seth also noticed the situation andmented, "Varian is stronger than I expected. That kid won''t be able to win directly. But¡­ Varian has less aura than him. So his opponent will do what he must for victory"


    ''I''ll tire him out and win with my excess aura.'' The young man decided and let go of all inhibitions.


    He channeled the mana in his body and felt the fire element everywhere around. Through this sense of ''fire'', even if he couldn''t see Varian, he could keep track of him and attack him.


    Then he pointed his hands at Varian and dozens of fire balls appeared out of thin air.


    "Go!"


    Varian wanted to approach his opponent and fight in closebat. Low level Elemental Awakeners were weak in closebat.


    But the fire balls were quick, and he couldn''t move past them.


    Every time he wanted to move from another direction after dodging, the new fireballs were already about to hit him.


    Even with all his focus, he was only barely dodging. After all, Varian wasn''t the peak of Level 2.


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    The fireballs scorched the stage but thankfully, the material of stage absorbed heat or Varian wouldn''t be able to step on therge burnt areas for a long time.


    ''Looks like I have to sleep in the infirmary.'' Varian gritted his teeth and dashed forward.


    "Give up." His opponent said and waved his hand.


    "Shuaaa"


    Varian nced at the dozens of fire balls shooting at him and knew he wouldn''t be able to move forward and dodge at the same time.


    Each fire ball was bigger than thest and was the size of a football.


    But¡­


    "Ha!"


    He sprinted forward without dodging this time. One hit and he''d injured. If he loses his agility, he''d lose without doubt.


    As he rushed forward, there was one fireball that was about to hit his left arm.


    ''Space binding.'' He channeled all the space power he could around his left arm and set the defense.


    The space around his arm was frozen right at the moment the fireball was about to contact.


    The fire ball staggered a bit but broke the frozen space. Varian used this miniscule time and dodged most of the attack. Most didn''t mean all.


    "Bang!"


    "Hiss!"


    Varian cried out from the burning pain. His shoulder was scorched, and the searing pain from it made him want to stop all this.


    ''No!''


    He couldn''t ignore the pain, but his feet kept moving. Due to his reckless action, he got a few moments, and he closed the distance by half, thanks to his Greater Human stats.


    "You...you''re done." His opponent was baffled and enraged. He suspected Varian was more stronger before the match, but after the match started, he knew Varian was only a Level 2 beginner.


    So he didn''t fear Varian. Instead, he was humiliated when Varian closed the distance.


    "Burn!" He yelled and shot bigger falls at Varian. His face was slightly pale, and he was sweating.


    Despite a higher aura reserve, he spent way more mana per each attack than Varian for his each defense.


    The dozen fire balls reached Varian in the blink of an eye. These were bigger and aplete hit would burn off a whole section of his body.


    Varian''s brain was screaming at him to stop. But he dashed forward without hesitation.


    The fire ball bigger was aimed at his chest.


    "Come!"


    He channeled his space power and froze the space at the right moment.


    "Ha!"


    The fire ball staggered almost imperceptibly to the audience and Varian swerved to the side, dodging most of the attack.


    To the audience, it was as if Varian dodged the fireball at the final moment.


    Almost dodged.


    "Bang."


    The periphery of the fireball hit below his right chest, and the skin was burnt immediately.


    The flesh on his chest was charred and his blood vessels ruptured. His liver was damaged under the high temperature.


    The pain filled his mind, but Varian''s body charged forward without stopping. His brain was flooded by the pain, but his eyes were alert and his feet were moving.


    He was in front of the young man in the blink of an eye.


    Varian clenched his fist and was about to knock him out.


    "No!" His opponent yelled and spewed all the mana.


    A huge wall of fire stood before Varian.

 Chapter 49 - Conclusion

    <h4>Chapter 49 - Conclusion</h4>


    A huge wall of fire stood in front of Varian. The temperature spiked in the blink of an eye.


    Varian was tempted to teleport but instead he guarded his face and with the momentum he couldn''t stop, dashed through the wall of fire.


    Narcis, Ryan and Adir all gaped at the scene. They were Level 3s and would easily win a peak Level 2.


    But only now were they slowly getting to know why this guy they looked down on so much was the first ranker.


    Varian was fearless and exerted hisplete strength. Despite being the stronger one, his opponent was suppressed psychologically. He was disturbed and wasn''t able to exert his full strength.


    Who wouldn''t be in front of his abnormal monster?


    Pain. Battle. Death.


    Varian had no fear of these three. If an awakener achieved such a state, they''d always fight at their 100% while suppressing their opponents mentally.


    ''But such a state can only be reached by a handful. It needs decades of practice. He''s so young...so when and why did this guy practice so hard?'' Seth wondered but nevertheless, appreciated Varian.


    "Haa!" Varian dashed through the wall of fire.


    A burning pain spread from all his body. But in that moment, Varian only saw one thing.


    His opponent.


    "Th-ank you." He uttered and punched his opponent''s horrified face.


    "Click!"


    "Bang"


    His chin broke and he crashed into the ground and broke his bones.


    The scorching wounds from his left shoulder reminded him of his first injury.


    "Die." A fire ball shot at him.


    Varian dodged it as the fire on his body burnt through his muscles.


    "I said I''ll beat you."


    He kicked his opponent''s left arm.


    "Click"


    "Aargh"


    The bones of left shoulder and arm were broken.


    The pain from his chest was another reminder to Varian.


    "Sp..are" He said but the next moment another fire ball shot at him.


    "I return what I get."


    He kicked his chest.


    The ribcage was broken directly and he was gravely injured.


    After all, Fire Awakeners didn''t have a body as strong as physical awakeners. The only reason he didn''t die was because Varian was injured and could only exert less strength.


    Varian was about to continue when Seth appeared on the stage.


    "Varian is the winner." He said and held Varian.


    Varian felt the world spin and the air hit him. The next moment, he was in the infirmary.


    "Get well soon, young man." Seth smiled and said to the caretaker "Put the charges on me."


    Varian took off his clothes and submerged into the healing pod. The healing liquid soaked him and seeped in.


    The adrenaline rush ended and the pain caught up to him.


    "Argh"


    "Argh"


    He winced and spasmed in pain. It was horrible. He felt pain from every inch of his body. It was like every part of his body was grilled.


    "Arrgh"


    "Kghh"


    The healing liquid''s effects finally set in.


    A cooling sensation spread through his body and Varian felt the unbearable pain slowly decrease.


    His frowning brows finally rxed and he slowly fell asleep.


    "Ding"


    Varian woke up puzzled and finally remembered the duel.


    He took the space ring near the pod and wore another set of clothes.


    {You have been credited 30 merit points. You have 21 mp of penalty due. Do you wish to pay now?}


    "Pay."


    {Penalty paid. Do not repeat the mistakes again. Penalty increases each time.}


    Varian rolled his eyes and stretched his arms.


    There was not a single wound on him. His burnt skin, scorched muscles were all healed.


    [+30 Xp.


    Body Path Level 2: 40/200]


    Varian saw a aura crystals vanish from the space ring and the next moment, chi in his body increased.


    It flowed in every part of his body. In blood, bones, muscles and organs. His body was also slowly bing more adaptive to it.


    All his stats were increased significantly.


    [28% Greater Human]


    "I should thank the Instructor. He brought me here and also made sure Narcis followed the agreement."


    Varian muttered and reached the counter to pay.


    Thedy saw him and smiled "Your fee is paid by Mr.Seth."


    "Huh?" Varian was puzzled but didn''t linger any longer.


    It was 1 PM and the sses were finished. Varian grabbed lunch in the cafeteria and gorged himself. He saw a lot of students giving him weird looks.


    At first he thought it was because of his eating, but then he realized they were all ying and sharing the video.


    The title was <<Fire won''t stop me>>


    "Cough cough." Varian wanted to p the guy who named it. It was too edgy.


    ''It''s weird. I have whole day after lunch. Shouldn''t military academies be strict?'' He returned to his room and wondered.


    Then he shook his head.


    ''Everyone needs to meditate and take in the aura from the surroundings to progress in their Divine Path. This needs a lot of time. Presumably, this is the intention.''


    Varian sat on his bed cross legged and recalled today''s fight.


    ''If the fight began with me our distance being closer, it would''ve been way easier.'' He rubbed his chin in contemtion.


    ''Elemental Awakeners have weak bodies. Even though they can make up for it at higher levels, my peers can''t. A direct hit will end the job but most can''t get close.''


    He channeled the space power in his body and smiled ''But I can teleport. Once I master teleportation, they will be taken down in one hit.''


    Varian took out the aura crystals and started his training session.


    Even though today''s match seemed like a narrow victory, it was because he didn''t use his space powers.


    If it was a life and death match, the odds would favor him heavily.


    Varian absorbed the aura from the aura crystals, a luxury to most students and sinked into training.


    The aura converted into chi and space power. Varian lost the track of time and hism woke him up.


    [+5 Xp


    +0 Xp


    Body Path Level 2: 45/200


    Space Path Level 1: 70/100]


    ''No progress in space path. I should attend space specialization ss.'' He noted and checked hism.


    {Tutors will pick their pupils in 1 hour}

 Chapter 50 - Tutor

    <h4>Chapter 50 - Tutor</h4>


    The first years gathered in arge auditorium. There were about 2000 students. Out of the 1 million entrants who gathered for the entrance, these were the cream of the crop.


    Varian stood out in the crowd as his surroundings were vacant. On the huge stage, at least 100 teachers, men and women, were seated. Their age ranged from 20s to 80s. Their actual age was likely older. They wore formal uniform ¡ª the ceremonial one and browsed through their lists.


    Varian saw Akiho, Body path specialization ss teacher among them.


    The clock hit 6 and a bald middle-aged man wobbled onto the stage. He was beer-bellied and walked with hands behind his back.


    He reached the center of stage and coughed twice for the dramatic silence.


    "I''m Knox. Supervisor of first-year students and a Level 7 Space Awakener." He snapped his fingers.


    Varian felt something change. He tried to move his finger, but felt like he was hitting a very tough wall. He tried to move his legs, hands and head. Every time, he shed with an invisible solid wall and couldn''t move.


    He was familiar with this feeling. The space was solidified.


    ''Space Binding! He covered so much area, without direct contact and so strong.'' Varian was awed.


    He focused on the space around him and channeled the space power within him.


    He bound the space around his hand and it shed with space frozen by Knox. Varian focused on the space surrounding his hand and soon, he was able to somehow feel the space with an increased clearity.


    He could already tell the coordinates of an object from him since the practice on murloc ind. But that needed him to sit down and focus.


    Now, Varian could feel a slight but important change.


    [+10 Xp


    Space Path Level 1: 80/100]


    ''I was trying hard to progress, but I got it in the most unexpected way.'' He chuckled to himself.


    The next moment, Varian felt the space around him revert. The students who were trying to break free from the solid space finally were able to move and thus almost fell from their seats.


    Varian imitated them, but while doing so, he channeled his space power. Then he knew exactly what changed.


    He was able to vaguely feel the space around him while moving. It wasn''t perfect yet. But duringbat, he could feel the space vaguely and use it to his advantage. A basic use would be covering 360 degree range on battle and thus, shielding himself from any sneak attacks.


    "Tutors are very important to a new student. Your tutor will give you more resources, impart their personal experience and even take time from their private to guide you." Knox spoke in a lofty tone.


    Tutor-pupil rtionship wasn''t simr to the ones in the master-disciple one. A tutor had many pupils and a pupil could be under many tutors. Usually, most students only had one tutor throughout their academic years.


    However, a small percentage of them got new tutors every year. Tutors benefitted if their pupils were famous. After enlisting in the army, pupils gave back to their tutors in the form of resources, favors and being the business card of their tutor themselves.


    It was aworking of sorts and a mutually beneficial rtionship.


    "We''ll first start with the honorary students." Knox snapped his finger and the hologram list of 25 honorary students appeared on the stage.


    The name of 25th student was highlighted. Paulo. Level 2 Mind Awakener.


    "I''ll be your tutor. I can give you 20mp per month as a stipend. I''ll also provide you with important books and even 5 aura crystals a month. You will graduate at Level 5." An old man, seemingly in 60s but full of vigor, said out loud.


    "I''m better. I can give you 6 aura crystals per month, important books you''ll need. I''ll also gift you a customized 3 star treasure once you break through." A female teacher seemingly in her 40s spoke.


    "I will be under your care." The student bowed to the female teacher.


    Then the 24th student. 23rd. All the way up to 4th. Adir. Level 3 Earth Awakener.


    "25 Aura crystals per month. You can have ess to all my personal important books. You can contact me 24x7."


    "30 Aura crystals per month. I''ll be honored if you choose me. Make any requests you can."


    "I¡­"


    "I promise ¡­"


    More than thirty teachers offered generous conditions. Varian checked their profiles and saw that even the ones in different divine paths joined.


    "I will be your pupil." He pointed to the three with the highest bid.


    They were taken back for a moment, but after some thought; they agreed.


    Adir was an important member of the Caron Family, one of the three prime families. Even though Caron family''s influence was strong on Jupiter, developing good rtionships with a prime family was always good.


    Third. Ryan. Level 3 Body Awakener.


    Almost eighty teachers scrambled. Some even promised their daughters and granddaughters.


    It was crazier than a market. It soon devolved into a verbal fight.


    Ryan Albert. His grandfather was William Albert, one of the three marshals of Human Armed Forces. Albert was the head of all armies of Mercury, Venus, and Earth.


    No wonder these teachers acted the way they did. Ryan was the only grandson of Albert and was doted on.


    "I decline. A level 8 tutor teaching 3rd year is my tutor. You are not worthy." Ryan said curtly.


    The teachers were embarrassed but gave a ttering smile one after another.


    Second. Narcis Xander. Level 3 Morpher.


    All the hundred teachers were anxious and gave everything they got. Some even took off their heirlooms.


    It wasn''t about Narcis needing them, but them needing Narcis.


    Julius Xander was the youngest Sovereign and he might be the one breaking the ceiling of Sovereign power level. Albert was older inparison.


    "Shut up. I picked a Level 8 tutor." Narcis said in a scornful tone.


    "I heard Charles had a Level 9 tutor from the start. Tsk." Adir''s voice sounded.


    The students were already shocked at Narcis''s and Ryan''s revtion, but this one really broke the straw.


    Level 9 ¡ª barring the eight Sovereigns, they were the strongest humans. Only a few dozen Level 9s existed in Human Federation.


    This was a feat in and of itself.


    ''Charles Xander...this guy is my biggest challenge in the academy.'' Varian was slowly learning the feats of this legend in making.


    But his own vow resounded in his mind.


    ''I will take your throne.''


    ''I¡­ have one year. System, I''m counting on you.''


    [Host, set your targets higher. Charles Xander is not enough. Pick at least Julius Xander.]


    Varian''s eyebrows twitched, and he had the urge to smash the system in its face. Lucky for it, it had no face.


    ''1 year. From Level 1 to Sovereign. Who are you kidding? It''s getting harder to progress with each level and sometimes, I''m just stuck without any progress.''


    [Host, your practice iscking. You need to have proper knowledge of the divine paths, and use your own way to progress.


    Normal awakeners spend a lot of time practicing. You are more suitable for learning throughbat.


    Just fight a Level 3 and you''ll see tremendous progress.]


    ''You really want me to die, don''t you?'' Varian cursed, but he acknowledged the initial advice of system.


    The list highlighted the first honorary student.


    Varian. Level 2 Body Awakener.


    The crowd fell silent.


    Not a single teacher opened their mouth.


    A few, including Akiho, hesitated. They came from normal backgrounds and knew how hard it was topete against these established powers.


    While it was a pity to not cultivate his talent, they were afraid to give up what they had. Their lives won''t be threatened if they helped Varian, their careers would be affected.


    The Xanders would help their rivals and they would have no prospects whatsoever.


    So they gave up on him and instead shifted the me onto him to convince themselves.


    ''me yourself for offending Xanders.''


    This was the decision that everyone of them would regret the most in their lives.


    They missed the best opportunity.


    Knox smirked and said, "Then we''ll move onto¡ª"


    "I''ll be his tutor."

 Chapter 51 - The One

    <h4>Chapter 51 - The One</h4>


    "I''ll be his tutor." A rough voice sounded, and the students turned around to see Seth walking with a rusty sword.


    "He''s crazy."


    "Does he think he can stand against Xanders by himself? He''s done."


    "Arrogant indeed. I heard he''s thebat instructor for honorary students. How many days will he keep his position?"


    "He¡ª"


    The murmurs of students filled the air, and the teachers on the stage squinted at Seth.


    Openly defying Xander, what was he thinking?


    Knox raised his neck and red at Seth. His bloated body shook as he pointed his finger at Seth and said, "You¡­ are thebat instructor. Get out."


    Seth walked in nonchntly.


    "I said get out." Knox spat, and he was already in front of Seth.


    Varian felt the space in the surrounding fluctuate wildly. It was as if he was shaking, but the thing that was actually vibrating was space itself.


    Seth felt the solidifying space around him. It could severely injure a normal level 6 Awakener, which was the level of mostbat instructors. Not him.


    "Hmph" Seth controlled the gravity around and swung his sword.


    "Crack"


    "Crack"


    "Crack"


    Like shattered ss, the solid space around him copsed. Everything was a blur for a moment before everyone saw Seth looking down at Knox.


    Knox stood stupefied as his gaze stared at the rusty sword. On it was a drop of blood.


    Finally, he came to his senses and looked around. The students were gazing at him. He felt absolutely humiliated.


    "How dare you attac¡ª"


    "use 13.6: Severely injuring for retaliatory self-defense is not illegal. Plus, you just lost a drop of blood." Seth said with a deadpan face.


    Knox felt the tingling pain on his neck and calmed himself. The guy in front of him was a monster! But he was the Supervisor of 1st year. Including teachers.


    "You cannot ept a pupi¡ª"


    "use 18.3: Any teacher can ept a pupil. use 20.2 (a): Abat instructor is also a teacher."


    "You¡ª" Knox couldn''t find any words. Wasn''t he supposed to suppress others with rules, why did this guy know them all?


    "Can I do my thing, or should we ask Mr. Evander?" Seth looked into Knox''s eyes and said in a hoarse tone.


    Knox''s legs wobbled for a moment and he teleported back to the stage. He said to the audience "Honorary students is done. Teachers will now choose pupils from the audience. Those who don''t get selected, keep trying and make them take notice of you."


    A new round of selection started. The selection was too important, and the students didn''t bother with the fiasco.


    Varian saw Seth waving at him and exited the auditorium. Knox acted like he didn''t see it. That was hisst pride.


    "Let''s take a walk." Seth said and held his shoulder. The surroundings shed for a second, and the next moment, they were on a garden walkway.


    Seth walked in silence, and Varian followed the short, bald man.


    There were many questions bubbling inside.


    He must be crazy or he must know ¡­


    "I know what you''re thinking." Seth said, breaking the silence. "You''re right. I do know something."


    Seth looked into his eyes and Varian felt an immense sense of danger. It was like facing a tsunami. He instinctively wanted to teleport, but held himself back.


    "What is that you know?" Varian calmed himself and asked. He was ready-to-use teleportation on any sign of hostility. Even if that didn''t increase his chances of survival.


    ''Will he kill me to please Xander?'' He thought.


    "I must kick that bastard Gareth. He didn''t tell me about you." Seth threw his head back andughed out loud.


    "Everyone thinks you got lucky. Only Gareth doesn''t. He is the major stakeholder of the murloc inds you trained in. He is more clear than anyone that there are no natural treasures there." Seth nced at him with an expression that said ''cat''s out of the bag''.


    Varian''s eyes twitched.


    ''You are indeed filthy rich, Mr. Gareth. But that''s not the point.''


    "So?" Varian feigned ignorance.


    "So?! You went from an unawakened to a Level 2 in like 14 days. What the fuck?!" Seth cursed and continued, "I practiced for a year and a half. I''m so fucking jealous of you." Seth swung his sword in frustration and the shock waves crushed a stone a few hundred meters away.


    Seth saw this and facepalmed, "That damn gardener will extort me forpensation."


    His causal manner of speech did rx Varian a little, but puzzled him at the same time. ''He sounds like an adventure more than a soldier.''


    They soon reached a pavilion near ake.


    Seth slumped on it, and Varian sat in front. He closed his eyes and said in a serious tone, "I know you''re worried. I used to be in the same adventure team as Gareth. Then¡­ things happened."


    He snapped his eyes open and gazed into Varian''s eyes. "I got into military to keep fighting. But they threw me here. I want to do something important. Not rot."


    He smiled and pointed at Varian. "You, little fellow, will be someone important. If I tutor you, won''t I get even more respected?"


    Varian rolled his eyes and went along. "Fine. Then what can you provide for me?"


    Seth raised his arm and was about to put his sry to use. But hism sent him a message.


    {Due to your frequent destruction of public property, you are suspended from being an instructor for a semester.}


    The hologram was open, and Varian could also see it.


    Varian said awkwardly, "They''re already targeting you."


    Unlike the usual reaction, Sethughed out loud. "I will say it again. They are fools. I can spend more time training you."


    Varian saw he was not taking it seriously and signalled with his fingers ¡ª stipend.


    He still needed mp for his monthly exam. His only source of mp mission. If he could get some mp from Seth first, then he could wait till he broke into Level 3. Then he could go on a solo mission.


    Seth waved his hands and was about to promise when another message popped up.


    {There is an usation that you broke a Level 6 artifact. Until you prove otherwise, your mp is frozen, leaving besides a limited sum for daily expenses.}


    ''Fuck!'' Varian cursed.


    Seth slumped on his table.


    He raised his head and nced at Varian.


    Two pairs of eyes, one young and one old, stared at each other. Both sighed.


    "Broke." They said at the same time.


    Seth stood up and said, "I have aura crystals in my home. You can take as many as you want. They can''t take this away. "


    Varian didn''t hope this time. He prayed. Not this too. Let this poor man live.


    Then the omnious tick of Seth''sm sounded again.


    {Your home was robbed.}


    "Your Mom!" Seth cursed and threw hism on the ground. He stomped it and spewed out venomous curses that would cause devils to blush in shame.


    Finally, Varian sighed and said, "I appreciate your effort. I''m sorry for the trouble I caused, but I''ll not be epting you as my tutor."


    He stepped out of the pavilion and was about to leave.


    "Varian, I lost my wife on Pluto. She was ... pregnant at that time." Seth''s choking voice sounded.


    Varian slowed down, but kept walking. Everyone had a sad story.


    "Four years. For four years, I can''t sleep properly. I dream of my unborn daughter. Of my wife." The sounds of fist bashing chest sounded, followed by drops of liquid sshing the ground.


    Varian took a deep breath and continued. He was an orphan. He couldn''t remember his dad. He lost his mom a year ago.


    "I feel like a loser. I hide myself in the weapons to sleep." Seth''s low voice sounded.


    Varian finally stopped. This really hit home.


    "That day, I vowed one thing ¡ª I''ll end that goddamn race. If I can''t do it myself, I''ll do everything for someone who can." He yelled, his voice brimming with hatred and determination.


    "I am a Level 8. I am here only to find someone who can do what I can''t. Everyone thought Julius or Charles was the one. No. I don''t think so. It''s You."


    "You, who has a secret I can''t fathom. You, who are willing to risk everything for your own goals but won''t abandon your friends. You, who is also running from your own past. You are the One."


    Varian turned around.

 Chapter 52 - Tutor And Pupil

    <h4>Chapter 52 - Tutor And Pupil</h4>


    Varian turned around and looked at Seth in the eye. There was a hint of hesitation in him but it was soon engulfed by the determination.


    Having someone believe in him was¡­ strange to him. Especially, since he didn''t believe in himself.


    But Seth''s words resonated with Varian. Those were his childhood dreams. No. Not just childhood. He spent almost a decade training like a madman.


    Seth looked back at Varian with hope. He wasn''t madly betting on Varian. He was an adventurer for a long, long time and met all kinds of people.


    After watching Varian defeat his opponent in the duel, he checked this new student''s data.


    Coincidentally, he worked in Leon Hall. Thus, Seth contacted Gareth and, with their connections, they dug most of his history.


    Plus, Gareth checked every area Varian fought. There was not the slightest aura of supernatural fruit or treasure.


    It was beyond all exnations. He was hiding something. But it didn''t matter. They had the same goals.


    "I''ll help you with everything I can. They can take away my influence, my mp and even aura crystals, but there''s one thing they can''t take away. My strength." He clenched his hand, and the air sted.


    All the nts in the garden were bent towards his fist and were about to be uprooted.


    "Stop or you''ll have to pay for property damage." Varian reminded.


    "Yeah." Seth hurriedly stopped. He needed some time to adjust to his newfound poverty.


    Varian shook his head and finally said, "I don''t know why you are putting your hopes on me but¡­ you won''t be disappointed."


    Seth gave a thumbs up. "I''ll give you all the help I can for ten years. Then I''ll go join the frontline."


    Varian nodded.


    ''You won''t need ten years. By then I''ll already be ¡­.''


    "Do you have books regarding Divine Paths? I''ll need them." He stated.


    "Oh, right." Seth touched his space ring, and a few old-fashioned books in hard copy appeared in his hands.


    Varian was surprised. There were people who still use physical books?


    Seth fell silent for a moment and spoke. "I am a Gravity awakener and a Physical Awakener. So I only have the books regarding these two paths. This can be considered as the ceremonial gift." Seth smiled and left the books in the air.


    They drifted into his hands.


    Varian was shocked.


    Dual Awakeners were rare. They were usually the strongest at their level.


    But the drawback was that they couldn''t breakthrough as fast as others. This might not be as apparent in the early stages, but it''ll be clear in high levels.


    The highest Dual Awakeners went was Level 9. Despite their immense talent, they never became Sovereigns.


    In fact, many felt the Level 9 Dual Awakeners were more talented than any Sovereign.


    ''So that''s why he''s sure he can''t bring substantial damage to Abyssals. Since he''s a dual awakener, he won''t be a Sovereign. That''s why he''s looking for someone else.'' Varian realized.


    ''But I''m in a simr situation to Dual Awakeners. In fact, I will awaken in more paths. The difficulty would increase. Will I¡­?'' He was lost in thought.


    If he too was restricted from bing a Sovereign due to multiple divine paths, then staying silent would be akin to taking advantage of Seth''s hope and, to an extent, a betrayal.


    Varian himself was worried whether awakening in multiple paths would limit his power ceiling.


    [Host, please rest assured. Don''t bind yourself by conventional thinking. If there''s one thing this system can promise, it would be possibility. Anything is possible. Sovereign is just one step in the long path.]


    ''You''re bing more vocal, but I like it.'' Varian thanked the system and looked at the books in hand.


    ''Gravity Path manual. Including personal notes.''


    ''Body Path manual. Personal experiments and guiding notes.''


    Seth pointed to the book and said, "You can learn everything the body specialization ss teaches you and more. Ask me if you have any doubts. I''m still a Level 7 Extreme Awakener."


    Body Awakener (Level 1-3) ¡ª> Enhanced (Level 4-6) ¡ª> Extreme (Level 7-9)


    Seth tapped his finger into the air and the air sted; the shock waves travelling hundreds of meters and breaking the trees.


    Varian was shocked.


    So these high-level awakeners keep their strength under control or they might end up kicking a skyscraper into the clouds.


    "Here''s one more thing you''ll learn only in the second year." A sly smile appeared on Seth''s face.


    Varian perked his ears and raised an eyebrow.


    "Unlike what most think, you don''t need attendance here. You just need to pass the monthly exam.


    The general ss, specialization ss lectures are recorded. You can watch them any day and prepare for the test. Or you can just checkst year''s sses, they''re the same." He smirked.


    Varian believed this ex. Combat teacher turned tutor of his bunked all sses during his own college days.


    "As forbat ss, you will be given a mission in the Destiny Tower ording to your level. If you win, you''ll pass." Seth exined.


    Destiny Tower.


    It was a Level 9 star treasure and found in the Ruins. It was the closest to being an artifact. So it was called as "Pseudo Artifact".


    Destiny Tower was used to contain Abyssals and magic beasts across different floors and rooms. The students were then sent for tests.


    Varian was silent for a moment and said, "So you''re saying I can focus all my time on practice?"


    Seth nodded. "Of course, you can visit any ss if you want to. All I''m saying is you don''t need to."


    "Isn''t this too¡­x for a military academy? What if students don''te to ss at all?" Varian heard of the strictness of military academies in both fiction and non-fiction. So he was puzzled.


    Seth''s smile turned sinister, and he said, "What do you think?"


    ''!'' Varian realized the implications.


    The mission system.


    People who didn''t practice would be ostracized by others!


    Since every mission can be fatal, who would bet their life on someone who doesn''t even practice?


    Soon, these people need to take on the missions alone.


    What would happen if a person whozed around goes to a mission alone?


    Death.


    Seth nodded. "This is the internal cleansing mechanism. There are a few who die like this every year."


    ''Sly indeed.'' Varian''s eyebrows twitched, and he nodded.


    "You''ll be free from tomorrow, right? Train me inbat every morning." Varian decided his schedule.


    He''d train inbat every morning. Study the divine paths in the afternoon and watch the lectures. Then meditate all night.


    Awakeners didn''t need much of sleep to begin with.


    As for his Space path, he would not reveal it to Seth for the time being. There were three problems. He didn''t trust Seth fully yet. There was no need for him to know, either. And finally, Seth might drop the whole tutor-pupil thing if he treats him as another Dual Awakener.


    Once his level skyrockets, he might consider revealing about being a Dual Awakener of sorts.


    "Sure." Seth nodded. After getting temporarily suspended, he had nothing to do, anyway.


    Now Varian had a level 8 tutor who agreed to be help him out in general ss knowledge, specialization ss and, of course, thebat ss.


    ''This is a blessing in disguise.'' He thought.


    "Onest thing. I might be able to find someone who''ll agree to take you on a mission. I''ll need time to confirm if they allow it." Seth said after thinking.


    Varian''s eyes lit up, and he nodded fervently. "Thank you, tutor."


    Sethughed out loud. "I like how this sounds."


    They chatted for a while and Seth left with a "Contact me if you have anything important."


    Varian sighed in relief. He was d with the way things turned out.


    His future path was clear.


    Practice. Breakthrough. Missions. Mp. Sia.


    Varian returned to his room. He sat on the table chair and opened hism.


    "I''ll solve my Space path''s problem."

 Chapter 53 - Space Sense

    <h4>Chapter 53 - Space Sense</h4>


    Varian browsed the Space path specialization sses. Since all students were Level 2, most sses gave some basic introduction of level 1 and started from Level 2.


    Only one had an borate exnation of Level 1.


    Syliva. Level 7 Space Awakener. She had blue hair and a sunny face.


    He felt like he saw someone simr to her, but couldn''t remember.


    The hologram popped up, and the ss started.


    "Let''s start from the macro." She said.


    "All Divine Paths are bnced. There is no one strong divine path. It''s all based on application." Her voice slowly turned solemn.


    "There is a general myth that space and time are the strongest. It is false. I''ve seen many buy into this lie and neglect honing their skills, only to end up dead in the most unexpected ways."


    Varian was a bit shaken. He did believe that Space path was stronger than Body Path.


    "When a person awakens in space path, they start connecting to the space. The deeper you are connected to the space, the more control you have over it."


    Varian channeled his space power and felt this "bond".


    "The first skill you have over space is not teleportation. It''s space binding." She snapped her fingers and a few hologram videos popped up.


    A man touched a river. The water flow around the area of his contact stopped. Then he just raised his hand and channeled his space power. The fierce blowing wind stopped.


    In either case, the space solidified, making the movement of matter in it impossible.


    "Space is not a fixed structure. It can be strengthened and weakened. Space binding is the strengthening part." She said and proceeded to exin the various benefits of it.


    Then she proceeded to another skill that Varian didn''t study much. Teleportation.


    "Teleportation is the least understood skill for early awakeners." She stated.


    "Do you ever wonder why you just teleport from one ce to another? And when you do, there is a feeling of being pulled and pushed." Sylivia squinted her eyes.


    ''Isn''t that how teleportation works in all fiction?'' Varian wondered.


    "This is no fiction. All Divine Paths are based on the universalws. So is space." She clicked on herm, and a video hologram filled the room.


    There was arge ck sphere, and inside it was a smaller sphere. She pointed to therger sphere.


    "We''re living in therger sphere. Or on its surface, at least. This is called outer space."


    ''Eh? Wait, what?!'' Varian wondered.


    Then she pointed to the smaller sphere present inside therger sphere and said "This is the inner space."


    Varian was hearing this term for the second time. The first was during the written test.


    "There are levels to space. Like an onion. We''re living in the outermost." She exined.


    A rough analogy was living on earth''s surface and living underground. These two were both part of earth. But were different sections. One can''t go underground without digging, and one can''t go into inner space without space powers.


    She tapped them again. "This is what happens when you teleport."


    The hologram video changed to a man saying, "I''ll teleport and then I''ll show you how it works."


    He channeled his space power and then appeared a few hundred meters away.


    ''Damn this guy is good.'' Varian thought. He could only a teleport a dozen meters at most.


    The space awakener appeared again and this time, he held a special 360 degree camera.


    He channeled his space power and muttered, "Keep your eyes open. It''s only for one second."


    Then the view shifted.


    The man appeared in a deep, dark space. It was eerily quiet. Before Varian could see what happened, he appeared in the normal world, a few hundred meters away from his original position.


    Syliva chuckled and said, "This whole thing took less than a second." Then she proceeded to slow down the video part during teleportation.


    The real world blurred, and slowly, the man was pulled into the dark space. Aftering to the dark space, he adjusted his position by a few meters by simply walking of sorts.


    Then the next moment, the dark space blurred, and he appeared in the real world.


    Sylivia smiled and exined "The dark space he entered is the gap between Outer space and Inner space. You can say it is the void between the bigger sphere and smaller sphere.


    To put it inly, one step you make in this gap will be equal to many steps on the outer space or our world.


    But you can''t do this forever, since this gap will push everything out. You only got a few moments to do this and beginners do this subconsciously.


    So you level 1s enter this space, stay for a very, very short duration during which you move and are pushed out into outer space aka real world. That''s teleportation mechanics."


    ''Wow!'' Varian was baffled. He never thought there was so much subject behind teleportation.


    He also finally understood why he felt like he was being pushed and pulled during teleportation.


    "Now you might be wondering, how do level 1s control their teleportation?"


    Varian nodded.


    "Our five senses are incapable of sensing space. We only see, touch, hear, taste, and smell. There is no ''space''. So you adapt to space and develop another sense. ''Space sense''. It allows you to sense the surrounding space. It will be your sixth sense. This space sense will guide you and your body will instinctively follow it to adjust your movements in teleportation."


    "No wonder!" Varian clicked his tongue.


    Space sense was a real thing. He developed a preliminary version where he could estimate the distance of something from him by simply ''feeling'' the space. But it was still not mature.


    "Developing space sense needs time. To elerate the training, you can try shutting down your other senses and focus on feeling the space." She advised.


    "After your develop space sense, you can control where you can teleport to. This is the single most important change and another great power is¡­" she paused and chuckled, "You can do space binding without contact."


    Varian''s eyes widened. He recalled Knox freezing the space of the entire auditorium in the morning.


    If he could freeze the space around his opponent even for a moment without contact, that''d be a crazy edge in battle.


    He could block his opponents'' attack, slow them down, lock them in solid space without ever being in contact.


    Stack this with his Body Awakener powers, hisbat power would skyrocket.


    ''Damn! I can even fight Level 3s with thebination of paths, right?'' He wondered.


    The ss was nearingpletion, and Varian was about to close.


    "There is one more way to increase your space sense." She mentioned.


    "Acquire spacorts. Spacorts are pieces of material ejected from the inner space. They hold very little space power to be useful in teleportation formations." She looked at her students and exined.


    "This is helpful to the Level 1s in your family. Give them spacorts. Then let them pour their space power into it. It will affect the space around the awakener for a short period. Use this chance to enhance your space sense by shutting off all senses."


    ''So she was doing this for the members of students'' family to advance quickly. She''s kind.''


    Sylivia ended the ss and looked at them apologetically. "My next three sses will be cancelled. I have to attend my son''s award ceremony in Pluto. Another professor will take up my ce for the time being."


    The students sulked, but that was all they could do.


    ''She''s much better than Knox. I will thank her personally one day.'' Varian closed the ss and inadvertently nced at the date of recording.


    33rd Septe, 516. Three days before Pluto war.


    ''She''s gone.'' Varian sighed in mncholy.


    It was strange. He was beginning to feel more empathetic to losses of others. He sympathized with Seth''s loss. Now he felt the same for this new teacher he''d never meet. Was it because he was trying to empathize with himself in hopes that he could forgive himself one day? He didn''t know.


    He cheered himself up and called the system interface.


    [Space Path Level 1: 70/100]


    ''I don''t want to wait. I''ll need to get spacorts and breakthrough. I will have more probability of surviving the missions if I breakthrough into level 2 Space.''


    He checked hism for spaceort sources. After a few minutes, his eyes lit up, and he said:


    "It''s you!"

 Chapter 54 - Mirror Hollow Abyss

    <h4>Chapter 54 - Mirror Hollow Abyss</h4>


    Mirror Abysses.


    They were small worlds resembling each of the Abysses. It was an exaggeration to call them as worlds.


    If Low Dungeons wereparable to a continent of earth, then Abysses would beparable to the itself.


    Then Mirror Abysses were the size of arge country.


    They were artificially created using precious 8 star treasures. Even the inner environment was replicated to a fine degree.


    The most important ingredient, Abyssals, were kidnapped from the Abysses and thrown into their respective mirror Abyss.


    This only started 20 years ago and was yet to be self-sustainable.


    However, it served its purpose. Train cadets to fight Abyssals of different Abysses.


    It even created a legal trafficking, fancily called Abyss resource industry.


    For any awakener, experience of fighting all Divine paths was crucial.


    The Abyssals of Demon Abyss, the one linked to Earth, were practitioners of Body Path.


    The Abyssals of Thunder Abyss, the one linked to Neptune, were the practitioners of Thunder Path.


    "Mirror Hollow Abyss." Varian chuckled and headed out.


    It was still noon, and the sses just ended. The first years he came across pointed at him and whispered.


    The core point of their gossips was he devolved from tardy into a truant. This was a military academy, for fuck''s sake. How could one be so wilful?


    ''My reputation hit rock bottom.'' Varian passed several dormitories and entered the central region of the academy.


    After passing the teaching blocks, dueling grounds, he reached a different area.


    There were no buildings there. Instead, there were eight portals of different colors.


    For the first time, Varian saw guards in the academy. Their secondary duty was to inspect students going in but their primary duty to prevent the Abyssals from wrecking havoc, if they escape.


    Varian reached the guard counter and hism identified itself.


    "Level 2. Hollow Abyss."


    There were several Mirror Abysses to the same Abyss, depending on the level of peakbat power.


    {You''ll be charged 1 mp per hour.}


    Of course, nothing was for free.


    ''I got only 9 mp. 9 hours. I should be able to do it.'' Varian took a breath and stepped into the sixth portal from the left.


    "This is your first time. Don''t venture in too deep." The guards muttered.


    Varian nodded with a smile and stepped in.


    That was his n.


    The moment he passed through the portal, Varian felt something fundamentally change.


    He was in a different world.


    The sky was dark. The moon was red. But this time, there was no Abyss Will. Mirror Abysses weren''t that advanced.


    He appeared in a valley. The mountains were made of yellow stone and the valley itself was filled with purple flowers.


    Varian focused on his hearing. Except for some exotic insects, he couldn''t hear the trace of a single Abyssal.


    He took a deep breath and walked through the valley.


    Abyssals of Hollow Abyss were practitioners of Space Path. Their ruler, Hollow Abyssal Queen, was a Sovereign in Space path.


    The idea behind Mirror Abysses was to train cadets inbat. The inner environment was recreated to the greatest possible extent.


    Spacorts were natural elements of Hollow Abyss.


    ''This means Mirror Hollow Abyss will have the spacorts, even if they are of the lowest quality. Space stones, as far as I know, are one of the most precious materials. But spacorts are not.''


    Varian walked with caution as he searched for the trace of Abyssals.


    A Level 2 Mirror Hollow Abyss meant there were both Level 1 and Level 2 Space Abyssals here.


    ''These Abyssals must also have the spacorts with them. They could find it in here and use them to progress. If I can snatch them¡­'' He smiled.


    Spacorts were useless for Level 2s. Only Level 1s benefitted. But all cadets were Level 2. So no one tried to get them.


    Except him. A Level 2 Body Awakener with a Level 1 Space Path.


    Varian saw the exit of the valley and felt something was wrong. There were several tents outside. They were made of animal hide and were propped by special wood.


    He dashed to the settlements in an aggressive mode. There was no one. Not even the sound of breathing.


    But he could feel the air was still warm. There was also the smell of roasted meat.


    ''Something is wrong.'' Varian frowned.


    His heightened senses couldn''t capture any information until ¡ª


    "Wheeez"


    Varian dodged a danger to his back, which was followed by wind whistling.


    He turned around to see. But there was no one. However, he could still feel the wind being sliced in his previous position.


    He equipped his gauntlets and looked around cautiously.


    "Huu" There was the sound of breathing inside a tent and Varian rushed at it.


    "..." The sound disappeared, and he paused.


    "Shaa"


    Varian felt something from behind with his heightened sense of sound and touch and ducked.


    "Boom!"


    An axe cut over his head and flew into the distance.


    "Hua"


    "Hua"


    There were sounds of breathing inside multiple tents.


    "Damn it." Varian gritted his teeth and dashed to a tent.


    He pulled it out.


    "Shhh"


    Varian side stepped and there was an arrow passed through his previous position with a whistle. It was made of a rare metal and could pierce even his skull.


    "Hiss"


    Varian moved again and this time, he was able to glimpse behind.


    An Abyssal was behind him and tried to slice him off with a sword.


    Varian turned around, but he was already gone.


    "Fuck!" Varian cursed, and rolled down the next moment.


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    Three spiked metal spheres were sted into the ground with great force. The dust rose and obscured the vision.


    "Ting"


    Varian dodged to the side, but it was only a tent''s support copsing.


    ''I never expected this.''


    This fight was significantly different from fighting any Body Awakener or even an Elemental.


    ''The types of attacks and the number of attacks are increasing.''


    Varian thought as he dodged another arrow.


    "Wheez"


    It was immediately followed by a sword slice aimed at his back.


    "Boom!"


    Then dangerous darts smeared with poison. Thankfully, only the darts.


    He was in a disadvantageous position since the beginning. He needed a way out. Varian took a breath and tried to find a solution.


    ''My Space sense!''

 Chapter 55 - Battling The Space Path Abyssals

    <h4>Chapter 55 - Battling The Space Path Abyssals</h4>


    Varian channeled his space power and activated his still rudimentary space sense.


    It only allowed him to vaguely sense the space around him, but no control over it whatsoever.


    However, after the recent progress, he could sense the space around even while in motion.


    "Shuaa"


    Varian moved to the side again.


    "Weez"


    "Boom"


    "Boom"


    He continued to dodge, but the frequency of attacks increased. Varian was able to catch a glimpse of his attackers.


    These Abyssals wore animal skin and a chain of human fingers around their neck.


    They teleported into the distance after a single attack and the next barrage of attacks started, giving him no time to breathe.


    ''This must work.''


    Varian vaguely felt the surrounding space.


    His five senses could only bring him to the point of dodging. But to switch from defensive to offensive, he needed to feel the change in space before his skin could feel the wind change from the attack or his ears could hear the wind howling.


    Varian felt the space around him was a silentke. It was calm and pristine.


    "Shuaa"


    Then a ripple appeared, and he dodged while punching back at the ripple''s position.


    "Boom!"


    The Abyssal wasn''t expecting it and Varian''s gauntlet pierced his chest and came from the other side.


    His lungs were punctured and he copsed on the ground, twitching.


    Varian smiled, but multiple ripples appeared around the space.


    "Hau"


    "Shuaa"


    "Ssssh"


    Spear, darts, arrows rushed at him.


    Varian used his higher physical stats and dodged. At the same time, he targeted thest attacker.


    He thought he would get the second kill, but ¡ª


    "Guaa. Boom!"


    The space around Varian froze, and he was dyed by a moment.


    "Hua!" Another Abyssal appeared just then and pierced at him with a spear.


    "Damn!"


    Varian cursed and broke the solid space with his body to dodge the spear. But he was a bitte.


    "Shh" It pierced his chest.


    "ugh! " Varian felt his insides shake.


    The Abyssal he aimed for already teleported into the distance.


    "Fuck." Varian cursed and jumped away.


    There were several reasons for the battle to reach this point. First was that each of these Space Awakener Abyssal, was more advanced in their path than him.


    To put into perspective, his Level 2 Body path was 45/200. He was barely beginning. But these Abyssals would be around 100/200 to 160/200. Much advanced, even though they were in the same level.


    Even then, Varian would be able to defeat one Abyssal using his two powers. But the problem was ¡ª


    "Huaa"


    "Shuaa"


    "Ssssh"


    "Wheez"


    They attacked in groups and were well coordinated.


    Varian once again dodged and attacked an Abyssal from the group.


    But this time, too, the space around him froze.


    The Abyssals were using Space binding against him. Since they were Level 2, no direct contact was required, though there was a limit to how far it could be used.


    "Shaa"


    "Huaa"


    Two more Abyssals teleported in front and behind and attacked him at the same time.


    The sword and the spear threatened to tear him apart.


    "Not this time." Varian didn''t try to dodge this time, but instead went ahead with the offensive.


    His fist plunged into the Abyssal''s neck, snapping it.


    "Thud"


    The second Abyssal copsed and, at the same time, the sword and spear were about to make contact with his body.


    The next moment, the spear would pierce his heart, and the sword, his lungs.


    The Abyssals finally smiled in relief and mockery.


    They were living as captives and their vengeance never ended. Killing a cadet meant contribution.


    But the next second, their smiles froze.


    "Ting"


    The space around Varian''s chest was solidified. The attacks slowed down for a moment.


    Varian showed a middle finger to them and vanished.


    Teleportation!


    Was he a Dual Awakener?


    That was the only question in their mind.


    Varian appeared a few meters away.


    This was a novel experience for him. His gap with them in the same level could be made up by his second path.


    Varian wielded his sword with right hand and focused on space.


    He was ready to hit at the ripples.


    "Bang!"


    "Boom!"


    "Shhh"


    Varian punched at the third ripple position. The Abyssal, of course, froze the space.


    But it copsed the next second as a sword lodged into its neck.


    Varian knew the course of action and thus, threw his sword right when it applied Space binding.


    At the same time he threw, he teleported and dogged the attacks.


    "Boom!"


    "Shh"


    An axe and a sword broke the boulders at his previous location.


    The dust rose high, and Varian was calm despite the injury.


    ''If this is a tribe of sort, then these guys are the fighters.''


    Varian rushed to his previous location, and the Abyssals teleported out. They appeared in a safe distance where they had enough time to react before Varian reached them.


    ''Who is the one directing the fight?''


    Varian bent down to pick his sword bathed in the green blood.


    The moment he bent down and clutched his sword, the opportunistic Abyssals teleported behind him.


    Sword, Spear, dart, arrow.


    All came at him.


    "Heh"


    Varian kicked back at an amazing speed. His leg was frozen, but he threw his sword at the same time.


    The Abyssal was focusing on the fast kick and couldn''t focus on the sword.


    The other Abyssals weren''t close enough to the sword to use space binding.


    "Thud"


    Another Abyssal was down.


    "Guh" Varian broke the space binding around his leg and nearly staggered.


    "Shuaa"


    "Haa"


    As expected, the two follow up Abyssals arrived to attack him at the opportune moment but Varian already teleported away.


    ''Spacorts, I''ming.'' Varian grinned.


    This fight took him time to adapt to, but it was very rewarding.


    "Shuaa"


    "Shh"


    "Weez"


    The same scene repeated. This time as well, Varian followed the same tactic. This time, an Abyssal was closer and used Space binding on the sword saving the target.


    "Thud"


    Instead, the one who blocked was punched to death by an unexpectedly quick punch.


    ''I knew you would change your tactics. So did I.'' Varian smirked.


    "Shauu"


    "Huaa"


    Then the follow up attack came.


    Varian teleported out, but right then, his face froze and a spear pierced his chest.

 Chapter 56 - Battle Tactics

    <h4>Chapter 56 - Battle Tactics</h4>


    Varian teleported out, but the next moment, his body froze.


    In that moment of life and death, he channeled all his chi and space power and slightly shifted his position.


    "Chiii"


    A spear impaled his chest from behind, narrowly missing his heart.


    "ugh! " Varian coughed blood and teleported again.


    "Shaa"


    The spear followed. This time, he was more alert and teleported the next moment.


    "Shaa"


    He teleported.


    "Shaa"


    Again.


    "Shaa"


    And again.


    The dangerous aura the Abyssal emitting left no room for spection.


    ''This is a peak Level 2 Space Path Abyssal.'' Varian felt his hair erect. This turned so much dangerous than he expected.


    ''It teleports quickly and precisely. It just needs a nce to teleport to me.''


    ''Even after sensing its arrival from space sense, I was frozen the next moment. The space it binds is much more solid than any other.''


    ''If I stop, it will freeze the space around and attack me.''


    ''But if I don''t stop¡ª''


    Varian''s space path was still only a Level 1. So his space power was much lower than these Level 2 Space Abyssals, much less a peak Level 2.


    And his opponent wasn''t only the peak level 2 Abyssal either.


    "Shua"


    "Shh"


    "Weez"


    The attacks came at him again.


    Varian dodged them and quickly tried to kill the Abyssal with his previous tactic.


    "Chii"


    He felt like he was tied to chains and couldn''t move. He teleported, barely escaping a fatal attack.


    Sooner orter, he''d run out of space power. That''d spell his doom.


    ''If I was a peak Level 2 Body Awakener...I would crush it with my reaction speed.'' Varian thought and continued to hold on.


    He initially tried to weaken them one by one, but with the help of this ''leader of the pack'', even killing one Abyssal without taking a fatal injury was impossible.


    ''What should I do?'' Varian channeled his chi and continued the arduous battle.


    [+10 Xp


    Body Path Level 2: 55/200]


    ''Yes!''


    Varian felt the slight improvement and sighed in relief.


    Even the little addition would increase his chance of victory.


    "Shuaa"


    "Sizzz"


    "Weeez"


    The Abyssals teleported around him and attacked. The leader Abyssal appeared and froze the space around Varian, while attacking him at the same time.


    ''I have to take it down.'' Varian decided.


    Relying on the little mana, he got several minor cuts due to the intervention of the peak Level 2.


    But he mostly stayed intact.


    At the same time, he observed the attack patterns of this level 2.


    It''d attack him atst in the groups and alone when he teleported out by teleporting behind him.


    It''d always aim for his heart.


    Varian was puzzled since his neck was also an option and checked the Abyssal.


    It only had one eye''s vision. The other eye had no focus and there was a scalding wound on it.


    ''So it only attacks heart area to ensure a hit.'' Varian saw an opportunity.


    ''The wound across its inactive eye means it lost its eye''s vision from an ident. With the way it only attacksrger area, and not my neck, it still hasn''t adapted to attacking by the vision of one eye. So it will keep targeting my chest instead of my neck. Heart, lungs arerger targets, after all. But it''s mainly aiming for my heart.''


    "Bang"


    "Boom"


    "Grrrr"


    Varian broke the frozen space around his body and teleported before the peak level 2 attack reached him.


    "Chii"


    ''Now it''ll attack me from behind at my chest.''


    "Chii"


    Varian''s lips curled, and he teleported in the nick of time.


    ''I should risk this.'' He gritted his teeth.


    Or forget about spacorts, he''d lose his life.


    The space power reserves approached depletion, and Varian only had one chance to do it right.


    "Shuaa"


    "Sizzz"


    "Weeez"


    Varian acted exactly like the previous time and teleported out the moment peak Level 2 attacked.


    "Chii"


    This time too, the attack missed him by a moment.


    Varian appeared a dozen meters away and immediately turned around, shing his sword.


    As expected, the Abyssal was already behind him and thrust its spear.


    "Chii"


    "Shaau"


    Varian''s sword paused for a moment but broke through the solid space and beheaded the peak Level 2 Abyssal.


    "Argh"


    The spear of the Abyssal pierced him in his right chest and plunged into the ground.


    "Cling"


    The location of the wound was exactly the position of his heart had he not turned around.


    Varian looked down at the gaping hole in his chest. If he was only a Space Awakener, he''d die before he could exit this ce.


    He was not.


    [+10 Xp


    Body Path Level 2: 65/200]


    The chi in his body swam around and integrated further.


    Varian took a deep breath and waited.


    "Shuaa"


    "Shzz"


    "Weeez"


    The attacks of the Abyssal group arrived. Even if he wasn''t sure, he could tell they were filled with crazed bloodlust like never before.


    ''The leader is gone¡­ now you''re the ones left.''


    Varian covered his wounds with and gave back all the love he got from the Abyssals. And more.


    "Thud"


    "Thud"


    "Thud"


    One by one, heads rolled and bodies fell.


    Varian coughed some blood as he knelt on the ground dyed green.


    He was feeling weak. The final attacks were suicidal and his own condition was far worse due to the wound in the chest.


    So, while eliminating the final Abyssals, he received a sword sh on his arm, an arrow into his knee.


    "Every settlement is supposed to have spacorts. Abyssals in Level 1 will use spacorts to improve quickly." Varian''s eyes shined, and he slowly got up.


    {You have 2 minutes to leave.}


    Red blood sshed on the now green floor. Varian entered a tent and searched.


    There was only meat, some metal parts, weapons and animal skins.


    ''Don''t tell me...I got into a settlement without spacorts?'' Varian couldn''t help but frown.


    Then he proceeded to the next tent, and the next tent.


    ''Damn. This is the final tent.''


    Varian searched and found nothing.


    When he was about to leave, something clicked in him and he took a spear in the room.


    He touched it and confirmed his suspicion. With a big pull, the spear tip came out.


    It was not a real weapon at all!


    There was an opening to the inside of the spear tip. Varian looked inside andughed.

 Chapter 57 - Improving Space Sense

    <h4>Chapter 57 - Improving Space Sense</h4>


    "Got you." Varian took out the small grey stones inside the spear tip.


    There were space fluctuations around the stones.


    Varian then checked the other tents and found the spacorts inside the weapons.


    He got a few handfuls of them.


    "Haha...cough" Varianughed, but soon coughed blood.


    He looked down at his injures. The bleeding was minimum thanks to his physique but he would still need treatment.


    {1 Minute remaining}


    Varian ran to the valley, and the portal reappeared. He jumped in.


    In the next moment, he appeared back in the academy.


    The guards looked at him in surprise and sent him to the infirmary.


    Varian drowned in the healing liquid, and the darkness engulfed him.


    ¡­ ... ...


    {Thank you for the payment of 1 mp. We wish you good health.}


    Varian nodded and looked at his bnce painfully.


    {Current merit points: 8


    Cumtive: 540}


    As he was about to leave to practice with spacorts, he recalled Sylvia''s words.


    ''To elerate your training, it''s better to shut off your five senses.''


    Varian thought back to the healing pods. They were very effective in isting the senses.


    With the rightbination, he could prevent sight, sound, smell, taste. Touch¡­ he could ask for vacuum and float inside.


    "Hey sister, can you help me arrange a healing pod? I don''t want to use it for healing. I have other uses." Varian requested the nurse in charge.


    She was a middle-aged woman and had short hair. She looked at him and raised an eyebrow.


    "This is your second timeing here on the second day of your first sem."


    "...." Varian stared at her for a moment awkwardly and replied, "I''m not trying to pick fights. I can''t help it if I''m dragged into them, right?"


    She looked at him solemnly for a moment and nodded. "I can allow the usage. The cost of pod is mainly due to the healing liquid itself. So you can have it for free."


    Varian nodded "Thank you."


    "But," she continued, "If you cause any damage, you would need topensate. Do you have a minimum mp as guarantee?"


    Varian looked at the seven on hism and showed it to her. He was pretty awkward about it but decided to thicken his skin.


    She shook her head. "You can ask someone else to guarantee on your behalf." Then she thought back to Varian''s injuries the other day and said, "Your tutor can also do."


    Varian smiled and shared Seth''s information and the proof that they were tutor and pupil.


    ''I will thank you, Mr. Seth. Don''t worry, I won''t damage anything... most likely I won''t.''


    "Seth... the teacher who was fined for standing alone in the gardens and damaging them again and again with snaps?" She looked at him with scrutiny.


    "...."


    ''What happened to your reputation, tutor?''


    "Coming to the point, he was broke after paying for damages this morning''s and he ain''t getting sry. So you can''t use him as a guarantee."


    "..."


    ''Great.''


    Varian prepared to leave.


    "Ok, ok I''m just kidding. I know Seth." She smiled and waved her hand.


    Varian could swear he saw a blush on her cheeks when she uttered S-e-t-h.


    ''Wait, what''s happening here?''


    Varian didn''t ask. He was already hit by Kyle and Maya. He was not in a mood to dig the past of another potential love story.


    "Even though he doesn''t have a sry, he still has those stupid swords. They''re worth a ton. You can have him as a guarantee." She said and approved the application.


    Varian was back in the healing pod again. But this time, he was in a vacuum. He could easily hold his breath for an hour or so. It was almost thrice the record of a normal human.


    It waspletely dark. There was no light. No sight. There was no sound. No smell. Only touch was faintly present.


    He held the spacorts in his palms and slowly injected space power into one of them.


    Varian kept his rudimentary space sense open and active.


    As the space power seeped into the spacort, it vibrated and Varian felt something different.


    He could feel ripples in space. They wererge in the beginning, but quickly died down. Space returned to stability.


    He was able to feel therge ripples but couldn''t feel the small ones.


    The original spacort now turned into powder and drifted apart.


    [+1 Xp


    Space Path Level 1: 71/100]


    Varian injected space power into another spacort.


    Ripple. Ripple.


    This time, he was able barely able to follow as the space fluctuation died down.


    Varian was able to identify smaller ripples thanst time.


    [+1 Xp


    Space Path Level 1: 72/100]


    Then another¡­.


    [+1]


    [+1]


    [+1]


    [+1]


    [+1]


    ¡­


    [+1


    Space Path Level 1: 80/100]


    The System''s notifications were directly fed to his brain.


    Varian felt the space fluctuations and picked arger spacort. After injecting space power into it, it twisted.


    The space began to solidify and weaken.


    Varian sensed this through his "Space sense".


    He couldn''t describe it in normal terms. But if there was an analogy, it was like having a radar that could sense space the sense around him.


    It was not sight. He couldn''t see with Space sense.


    However, he experienced how the structure of space and the existing things in it.


    He could feel himself in the Space.


    Due to his own energy, he was affecting space and changing its curvature.


    The spacorts, he observed, held something which was released after being injected by space power.


    Varian felt the connection to his space through his "space sense" increase, but fell short of a threshold.


    There was an immediate benefit. He was confident of teleporting without much deviation. This was a big leappared to his previous self, where he could only control the direction of teleportation and not the distance.


    He also found he could use space binding with ease.


    During the process, through his space sense, he felt his space power going to mix into the space around him and solidify the space.


    Once the space sense is formed, it will act as the thread between him and space. It would be an extension of himself, in a sense.


    He could affect anything in the range of his space sense through his space power. With each level, space sense would grow.


    For now, the range of his space sense was almost non existent.


    A Sovereign''s space sense could easily wrap a.


    Varian longed for such a vision and continued to meditate and sense.


    Time flowed unnoticed.


    [+1]


    [+1]


    ¡­


    ¡­


    [+1


    Space Path Level 1: 100/100]


    Varian opened his eyes.


    It was time.

 Chapter 58 - Combat Training

    <h4>Chapter 58 - Combat Training</h4>


    {The location forbat is the training room 2A6C. I''ll check your status quo and n your training.}


    Them notified him of Seth''s message. There was an hour before the training.


    ''Everyone here informs things before an hour. Is that a tradition?'' He thought.


    ''Space Path Status''


    Varian said and nced at the blue screen.


    [Space Path Level 1: 100/100]


    He was stuck in Space path earlier and was quite worried. But after a few hard battles and training, he reached the peak of Level 1.


    ''It took quite some time to reach the peak.''


    [Host, please be considerate of what you say. It is barely 1 week since you awakened in Space path. It takes months, if not a year, for an average person to make the same progress.]


    ''Average persons don''t face difficulties in everything they step in like me.'' Varian rolled his eyes.


    He recalled the one who changed his life dramatically.


    He was almost forced to kneel. He waspletely isted.


    Instead of having new friendships with roommates, he was living alone. Instead of finding friends and teaming with them for the missions, his tutor had to look for someone to team up with him.


    Instead of being given a good tutor and nice stipend, he was avoided like a gue. Even the one who helped him suffered.


    He was supposed to have plenty of merit points and use them for his training. But, he was wrecking his brains just to pay the monthly exam fee.


    He was supposed to look forward to the future with hope and confidence, but he was giving his all just to not get expelled.


    "Charles." Varian muttered and clenched his fist. What he did might be insignificant for him, but to Varian, it was equivalent to risking his stay at the academy and that meant risking the very purpose he came here. Sia.


    ''He''s a Level 6 now. I''m barely Level 2. I still have a long, long way to go.'' Varian gritted his teeth.


    ''I still need to breakthrough into Space Path Level 2. I hit a bottleneck. So I''ll stay at Level 1 for some time.''


    To be a Level 2 Space Awakener, Space sense must be thoroughly integrated with space power. Only by doing that one could truly apply space power beyond their own body.


    Integration was not difficult, but generally took a few months. However, to Varian, it was too long.


    ''Integration... I need to train daily while searching for quick solutions.''


    Varian thanked the Wendy, the nurse in charge, and left the infirmary. She asked him to inform her if there was anything wrong with Seth.


    Soon, he reached the training location. It was a rtively small open top dome. The floor and walls were coated with a white alloy. It looked pristine and clear.


    In that neat training hall, there was a pile of weapons in a corner.


    "Cough." Varian coughed loudly.


    "Cling. Ting"


    "One second!"


    Seth woke up from the pile of weapons and yelled.


    He disappeared and, in less than a minute, returned. He was wearing a newbat suit and looked invigorated.


    He gazed at Varian and raised an eyebrow.


    "What''s wrong?" Varian was a little nervous and asked.


    He asked System to hide any trace of him being a Space Awakener. Even if someone deliberately probed his aura, they would not realize it. Especially Seth, since Varian knew his tutor would give up on him if he was a dual awakener.


    "I just feel that you''ve be stronger. It''s negligible for me...but it''s a significant improvement for you." Seth rubbed his chin and thought before shaking his head.


    "It must be my illusion."


    ''At least he didn''t doubt space path.''


    "Let''s start." Seth asked Varian to make a move. "Try to kill me with everything you got."


    Varian took a breath, and the next moment, dashed at Seth.


    With a lethal punch at neck, backed by a kick to the crotch, heunched his first offensive.


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    Varian''s fists were about to connect, but before he knew it, he was thrown off. Something invisible pushed him, but didn''t injure him.


    ''His gravity powers, huh.''


    "Again."


    Varian dashed behind Seth and kicked at spine while aiming, also punching at the neck from behind.


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    Varian was once again thrown back just before his attack could connect.


    "Come on!"


    "Boom!"


    Varian followed the same pattern and just when Seth''s gravity push was about to push him away, he spun his body.


    So when the pushing force hit him, it helped him rotate faster instead of pushing him away.


    All of this happened in the blink of an eye and Varian''s fist this time connected to Seth''s neck.


    "Cling"


    "Ouch"


    The sound of a metal clinging reverberated in the room.


    Varian felt his fist turn red. When he finally punched Seth, he felt like he was hitting an iron te as an unawakened.


    "Again!"


    "Boom!"


    "Again!"


    "Cling"


    "Cling"


    Varian quickly adjusted to the pushing gravitational force. He spun just before the push came every time and used it to increase his own momentum, thus increasing the impact of his attacks.


    ''This guy has good experience. There are no fundamentals I need to teach.'' Seth smiled.


    He was shocked at Varian''s performance.


    His goal was to let Varian try to hit him until he gave up, but unexpectedly, Varian found a way to turn his opponent''s force to increase his own attack.


    Seth could neutralize Varian''s strategy by using equal gravity force on all parts of Varian at the same time and pushing him away.


    However, a Level 2 Gravity Awakener would have a hard time facing Varian. Even peak Level 2s would lose.


    A dozen minutes passed and Varian was sweating profusely.


    "I''ll only use the strength to Level 2 Physical Awakener." Seth announced and got into a battle stance.


    He equipped himself with a grey full body armor. Since his body''s defense was too high for Varian, he used an armor with a Level 2 Body Awakener defense.


    He deliberately controlled his strength to a middle Level 2. It was impossible to weaken self. Not everyone had a magical system.


    However, Seth achieved this by using his high reaction speed to control how he reacted. He''d only react as fast an average Level 2 would.


    Varian went on an offensive strike.


    Seth substituted himself into a mid-level 2 and the next moment, Varian aimed at his chest.


    He tried to move, but it was already toote.


    "Boom!"


    "Cling"


    Varian''s fist punched through the armor and hit Seth''s skin.


    While on the other hand, Seth was shocked and overjoyed.


    ''Indeed. He defeated a peak Level 2 Fire Awakener.''


    "Let''s up the game." Seth had a cunning smile.


    His strength increased to level 3.


    ''Level 3...'' Varian took a deep breath. This would be his first battle with a level 3.

 Chapter 59 - A Large Improvement

    <h4>Chapter 59 - A Large Improvement</h4>


    Seth increased his strength all the way to a Level 3. He also changed to an armor with defense of Level 3 Body Awakener.


    Varian took the initiative and closed the distance in a breath.


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    Seth punched back, and Varian was forced to dodge.


    He couldn''t take on a Level 3 punch with his current strength. Not yet.


    Seth''s punchpressed the air in front of his fist and exploded it into shock waves.


    Varian turned to the defense and this time, Seth took the initiative.


    "Boom!"


    Varian dodged once again.


    "Varian, don''t lose momentum." Seth said and kicking at Varian''s chest.


    Varian side stepped and barely dodged.


    "Boom!"


    Seth''s attacknded on the floor. It would have broken a military vehicle, but the white floor was resilient.


    He punched at Varian the next moment.


    "Boom!"


    Time flowed and Varian slowly adjusted to facing a Level 3.


    His unique advantage over his peers and enemies in general,bat experience, was not enough in front of an experienced Seth.


    So he couldn''t bridge the gap between their stats. Thus, Varian was always at the receiving end and was suppressed in the battle.


    However, despite not having an upper hand, he got better at dodging.


    Varian''s performance improved at a visible rate. It both shocked and scared Seth.


    He was in the Adventure Guild and military for long. He saw many geniuses and powerhouses.But only Varian was this monstrous.


    Seth was sure Varian would be able to catch up with hisbat experience in two years. He felt he overestimated, but in a few days, he''d know it was a gross underestimation.


    The training on the first day ended with Varian failing tond even a single punch.


    "I honestly feel more like your sparring partner than yourbat teacher." Seth sat on the ground and looked at the young man in front.


    He was panting for breath and drenched in sweat. Each of his muscles was chiseled to perfection through years of hard work.


    "Just how long were you training?" He asked out of curiosity but also a bit of frustration.


    Maybe Varian didn''t need him as much as he thought. Whatever lessons he imparted were all things Varian was already trying to incorporate and was in the middle of aplishing. If anything, he was only a catalyst for Varian''s growth.


    "Around... Ten years." Varian replied in short breaths while ring at Seth. This old man really beat him up.


    Varian took a few direct hits and felt the bones in his body almost break.


    Thankfully, he used the reaction speed of a Level 7 Body Awakener and controlled his strength in thest moment, saving Varian from injuries.


    Else, a direct hit from level 3 would be dangerous for Varian. But that didn''t mean he had to suffer less.


    "10 years¡­"


    "I don''t remember much... it''s vague. I was just fighting all day, every day. I wanted to get stronger. Awaken. But it was toote." Varian smiled like he didn''t care.


    In fact, he did. More than anything else. His past was a living thing for him. However, he would rather not talk about it.


    "Let''s see what your future holds." Seth got up and offered his hand.


    Varian took it and got up. He smiled mysteriously. "You never know."


    True. Seth didn''t know. Neither did Varian.


    [+5 Xp


    Body Path Level 2: 70/200]


    Varian returned to his room and took a good bath.


    In thetter half of the day, he was engrossed in the specialization sses.


    Then came meditation.


    [+5 Xp


    Body Path 2: 75/200]


    The next morning, he had thebat training again.


    This time, however, he was able tond a single hit.


    Then specialization ss for a few hours. After dinner, he sunk into meditation.


    Rinse and repeat and soon, two weeks passed.


    Varian''s absence sparked rumors in the first years.


    His peers thought he ''learnt'' his lessons and gave up on his career. There were even some articles stating how he spent all day in his room with little regards to academics.


    He became the antithesis of a model student.


    A few fanatics even gave an open warning that whoever approached Varian would be attacked outside the academy.


    All in all, Varian became the student who everyone thought would go nowhere.


    However, they didn''t know that he was improving every day. His progress in a few days surpassed their progress of months.


    The most scared and ted for Varian''s progress, Seth. Varian went from notnding a single hit to be able tond at least 30 hits during the battle without taking a fatal attack to himself.


    What was even more rming was his Divine Path progress.


    On the fifteenth day, Varian reached the training hall and dragged out thezy Seth who was still sleeping under his pile of weapons.


    "Why are you still sleeping?" Varian said in amusement and confusion. He didn''t know why, but Seth was first excited then he was kinda ... scared?


    "Lemme sleep, you brat. You can train by yourself anyway. I''m fired and have no job. I want to spend my spend my days in peace." Seth said and buried himself in the heap of weapons.


    "If you don''t fight, I''ll tell Wendy you want to date her." Varian threatened.


    A few days ago, Varian was injured and had to heal in the infirmary. There, he learnt that Wendy and Seth were high school ssmates. Seth identally revealed that Wendy had a crush on him.


    Thus, ckmail material, ahem, important evidence was found.


    Seth jumped out of the weapons'' heap, and face palmed. "Today, the missions start. Your team will go on a mission in a few hours. Let me sleep."


    He went back into his cold, dark mountain. He felt that getting fired was not a bad thing after all.


    Seth''s voice came out of the weapons. "Just listen to the captain. You''ll get lots of mp. Remember to buy me a nice sword pillow. I''m too broke."


    Varian rolled his eyes and chuckled, "Yes."


    "If the captain didn''t ept, I wouldn''t be able to get you a spot. You don''t know how lucky you are to go with these second years on the first mission."


    "I shared the details. Now go. Lemme sleep." Seth''s snoring filled the room.


    Varian exited the room and called in his mind ''Status.''


    [Body Path level 2: 120/200


    Space Path Level 1: 100/100]


    He was stuck in trying to advance to Level 2 in Space Path. He didn''t find any quick solutions, despite an intensive search and multiple specialization sses.


    On the other hand, he progressed in Body Path every day. However, the improvement rate was varied and was slow. Despite that, Varian was confident in breaking into the next level in a month.


    If he did this one mission well, he''d get one month of breather. Then, he could easily break into Level 3 and from then one, even be able to take on a few missions individually.


    He opened hism:


    "My first Mission."

 Chapter 60 - Show Of Strength

    <h4>Chapter 60 - Show Of Strength</h4>


    Varian reached the Mission Hall. It was, in fact, arge and tall building. He was supposed to meet his ''teammates'' on their mission floor in an hour.


    One thing Varian learnt from his short military stay was that when they meant a meeting started at 7, it''d always be better to be there by 6:30, if not 6.


    So he decided to check out the building a little for a few minutes before meeting up with the so-called team.


    On the first floor, he saw hordes of students. Judging by their aura at Level 2, they were the first years.


    First floor was also meant for first year Level 2 students.


    From today, the first years could apply, any student was free to take a mission.


    At the moment, they were checking out the huge holograms disying thousands of missions and discussing with their peers.


    {Clear the Lemon Section in Inner Area of Simp Dungeon.}


    {Hunt the adventurer turned war criminals: Ash and Hau}


    {Protect the junior scientist ''Big Brain'' for 10 days}


    {Infiltrate the Reaper gang and assassinate the hall leaders}


    {Identify the cause of ¡­.


    ...}


    The danger level of the mission was Level 2. However, each mission needed at least 10 students to finish.


    For instance, Ash and Hua were the mission targets. They were peak of Level 2 and could be finished off by 4-5 cadets. But they also had several level 1 and level 2 underlings. At least 10 cadets were needed to finish the job safely.


    The reward was also varied. Some missions awarded 200 mp. Others gave 400. This seemed high at first nce, but when divided among a group of ten, each only got around 20-40 mp.


    ''I just need some mp.'' Varian thought and realized all missions were at least 100 mp or above. Higher mp meant higher difficulty.


    It wasn''t that Varian hadn''t thought of taking a mission alone at some point, but it was too risky. Unless he had no choice, he would not do it.


    He swiped hism and it disyed each mission''s details. Everything in the database about the mission was revealed, except state secrets.


    With right nning and execution, the sess rate of any mission would skyrocket.


    Well, of course, there were always idents. No one could predict the future after all.


    ''Like my first dungeon experience.'' Varian shook his head wryly.


    There were quite a few times when a target who was in Level 2 for years suddenly advanced to Level 3. Those who took such missions never returned.


    It was saddening, but not enough to change the system. The cadets weren''t here for assurance of their personal safety.


    "Isn''t that the...guy?"


    "He was at the bottom of the ss."


    "He''s just a beginner Level 2. How did he get into the academy, anyway?"


    Varian thought that someone was pointing at him, but he turned around and realized each of thement was directed at a different person.


    Unlike most cadets who were in groups, a few were left alone. They had weak auras and showed poor demeanour.


    ''So these guys are the weakest.'' Varian shook his head.


    Even if there was an entrance test, some got through luck. Such people, if they couldn''t strengthen themselves or at least find awork, would quickly be eliminated by the system.


    As he was about to leave for the higher floor, someone ran up to him.


    "Hey man, let''s team up?"


    Varian saw a young man with hippie smile and frivolous demeanour. His foot work wasn''t standard, his stance was problematic, and hecked even the basics ofbat ready posture regardless of Divine Path.


    "No." Varian said curtly.


    This guy should be someone who never attended Combat sses. As expected, no one partnered with him. There were only a few like him, but not zero.


    ''No one will risk their life for a guy they never saw fight.'' He shook his head.


    The onlookers, however, found this hrious.


    "These guys¡­ both never attendedbat sses."


    "Even then, one doesn''t want to team up with others. Hahaha."


    "Especially that shady first ranker. Does he think anyone wants to team up with him? Even if he''s not shunned by Xanders, no one will take him in."


    The whispers were clearly audible, but Varian remained calm.


    They were only half right. Varian''s duel two weeks ago was enough to convince most teams to include him.


    But these teams couldn''t risk angering Xanders. However, on the surface, they needed a better reason to show themself for rejecting him. They needed to be independent and disy a backbone.


    ''Tch. Waste.'' Varian turned around to leave. He had no interest here. With increasing strength, he found no incentive in trying to form good rtionships with these people.


    The young man felt the gazes of onlookers and felt his reputation was at stake. So he immediately yelled at Varian.


    "You waste. I want to team up with you. How dare you refuse?"


    The floor fell silent, and everyone looked at the scene. Despite everything, they held a bit of envy towards Varian achieving the first position in the entrance test, being a level 2 like them. But they didn''t try to overstep their boundaries since his tutor would be a strong and famous Awakener.


    However, since he was opposed by the Xanders and didn''t get a proper tutor, they need not hold back.


    They wanted to step on him and prove themselves to be superior. To put it inly, it was a sickening ego.


    Now someone was doing the job for them. They were more than happy.


    "You... what did you say?"


    The young man was about to utter some threats, but felt a light sting and something cold on his neck.


    He looked down and almost jumped in fright.


    A long ck sword was against his fragile neck. It slowly cut through the skin and a few drops of blood dripped onto the ground.


    "No-nothing." He tried to step back and in trying, copsed.


    No one was able to react when Varian closed the distance with the young man and put his sword on his opponent''s neck.


    There was only one question buzzing in their minds ''Can I react in time if that''s me?''


    To their utter horror and helplessness, even the Body Awakeners, Morpher Awakeners whose forte was closebat, had only one answer. ''No.''


    Varian saw the shock and fear in the eyes of the onlookers and his lips curled up.


    Whether he admitted or not, there was a bad breath in his chest. This show of force was a good vent long due.


    Even though it wouldn''t stop him from being ostracized, it would elevate his status from being despised to being feared.


    ''It is better to be feared than to be loved, if you cannot be both.'' He thought back to an ancient quote.


    If they were going to ostracize him anyway, then it''d be on his terms. He''d abandon his peers, not the other way around.


    The increasing strength gave Varian immense confidence.


    He put the sword back into his space ring and nced at the crowd coldly.


    Since they were only Level 2, Varian was confident in overpowering them. He won a peak Level 2 a few days ago. But the him back then and the him now were different. Unlike the past him, he was confident in taking down a peak Level 2 with ease.


    "If you want to step on me, thene. I''ll always be ready." He smiled at his peers, but his eyes were chillingly cold.


    "But remember, if you do this in normal times, you''ll only get my rivalry. But if you do this now, you''ll get..." he turned around and walked up to the upper floor.


    "My enmity."


    His emotionless voice reverberated across the room, sending shivers down the students.


    Only the sound of chattering teeth and shaking armor remained.


    *** *** ***


    {Fifth floor} Hism buzzed.


    ''Fifth? Varian was shocked.


    The second floor was for 1st year Level 3s.


    Third floor was for 2nd year Level 3s.


    Fight floor was for 2nd year¡­ Level 5s.


    Just what monster team did his tutor get him into?

 Chapter 61 - In Full Circle [Bonus ]

    <h4>Chapter 61 - In Full Circle [Bonus ]</h4>


    Varian felt a huge pressure as he stepped onto the fifth floor.


    It was as if he was plunged deep into the ocean tied to a boulder and had to swim up.


    Vulnerability. That was the feeling he got facing everyone here.


    Level 5s of the second year. These people were cream of the crop.


    In the Imperial Defense Academy, an average cadet would join at level 2, advance into Level 3 in their second year.


    Then they would push through the hard bottleneck and advance to level 4 in their third year. They would graduate as a Level 4 and enlist in the army.


    Then there were geniuses.


    They joined the academy at Level 3. They would advance into Level 4 by the end of the first year and break into Level 5 by the end of the second year. In the third year, they''ll make the leap of breaking into Level 6.


    None of these could break through into Level 7. There was a chasm between Level 6 and Level 7 simr to between Level 3 and Level 4, except wider and harder.


    It took years for a Level 6 to ovee their bottleneck.


    ''Genius is not the end of the story.'' Varian thought as he walked into the hall.


    Charles Xander was a Level 6 by the end of his second year. This was a guy who surpassed the definition of genius.


    However, advancing into Level 7 was another matter. Even Charles Xander was projected to take at least two years.


    ''But can you really judge him by conventional methods?'' Varian was a bit worried.


    His arrival attracted the attention of some seniors. Some raised their eyebrow in displeasure and others straight out ignored him after sensing his aura.


    A few, however, approached him with a menacing look.


    They were some of the weakest auras in the room but to Varian; they were still countless times stronger.


    "Get off."


    "Fucker, do you think this is a ce for the likes of you?"


    "How dare you climb this floor?"


    As expected, the world nevercked arrogant young masters, who, despite reading countless novels and watching countless dramas, tried to satiate their fragile self worth by stepping on people weaker than them.


    One of them even went as far as to say:


    "Do you know who my grandpa is?"


    ''Wait a second! What does your grandpa got to do with this? Is he the security guard to fifth floor or something?'' Varian had the urge to retort but controlled himself.


    Instead, he opened hism and projected the team''s invitation details.


    {Team Name: Siarah


    Members: 5


    Invited: Varian}


    "Hiss"


    All the four seniors sucked in cold breath.


    "Plop"


    "Plop"


    The next moment, they kneeled without hesitation and begged:


    "Little brother, I have eyes but can''t see Mt. tai."


    "I deserve death, but I beg you to spare me. I have old parents at home."


    "I have three kids. The third one is still in my wife''s belly."


    "Please spare my life. I will call you grandpa."


    ''What the fuck! Are they crazy or did Ie to the wrong ce?!'' Varian distanced himself from these maniacs and looked around.


    On the opposite of the holograms, there were exquisite tables. Hism pointed the direction, and he approached one of them.


    There were four people sitting around a blue table. There were two men and two women.


    ''Eh? Who are they waiting for?'' Varian didn''t think it was him.


    "Hi. I''m Varian. Thank you for the opportunity. I''ll contribute my best." He introduced himself and gave a light bow.


    The young man with red hair was browsing hism, nced at him for a moment and then ignored him. The other male, a hunky one, waved his hand and said perfunctorily, "Yeah. Yeah."


    The petite female of the group ignored him. The young woman in the team with brown hair smiled at him and said, "Sit. We''re waiting for the captain."


    Varian gave her a polite smile and sat down.


    The encounter was really awkward.


    ''Next time, I''ll just do missions on my own.'' He thought to himself.


    He looked at the four and saw they were all busy with theirms.


    One was observing the duels of some powerful awakeners and studying. Other was reading a bundled online book about Abyssals. The remaining two were checking out thetest records of some "Treasure Ranking?"


    Varian didn''t bother them and instead checked the mission details.


    {Abyssal Traces:


    Abyssals have used Cross Tunneling 2,300 times in the past month and entered many Low Dungeons on earth.


    They were able to conceal themselves for reasons we do not know. But with more and more Abyssals entering the Dungeon, the more dangerous it is for the adventurers.


    The Abyssals are particrly targeting geniuses. Until now, there have 302...303 deaths.


    Find out where and how the Abyssals are hiding.}


    The death count was updated in real time and was climbing every day.


    Varian recalled the words of the Inspector.


    ''There are rumors that cadets of Imperial Defense Academy will be sent to look into this.''


    ''But Level 5s? Isn''t that an overkill?'' he wondered and continued to check the mission details.


    {Minimum Mp: 3000


    Extra Mp rewarded based on the intel


    Target: Virgin Dungeon.}


    "Hiss" Varian was shocked.


    Virgin Dungeon!


    He recalled his near death.


    ''I have a strong feeling that it won''t be good.''


    "Hey junior, I''ll call you Varian," the brte said and continued. "This mission might look easy, but the enemies are at all on Level 5.


    To be honest, you won''t be of any help and will instead be a burden. But since Captain owes someone a favor, she is letting you in.


    Follow what we say. Help us with trivial tasks. Make the most of this experience."


    Varian was ufortable initially, but realized she was only being honest. There was no contempt in her tone and she said things as they were.


    "I won''t cause you trouble." He thought for a moment and said.


    ''I am weak now, but not for long.''


    She checked herm and stood up.


    "Then let''s go. Captain said she will directlye to the mission location." She said, and they exited the mission hall.


    They boarded a star treasure hover car, which was much faster than usual hover cars, and in a few minutes, Varian found himself in front of the familiar dungeon gate.


    Except this time, the Dungeon was far more strictly guarded. Varian even felt auras as strong as Level 5.


    The crystal gate covered with inscriptions. The gate that nearly took his life, but also gave him a new one.


    He took a deep breath. This time, he was different.


    "Let''s go." A cold andmanding voice said.


    Varian turned around to see the Sarah, Senior Sister of that day in herbat uniform.

 Chapter 62 - Virgin Dungeon And Flame Dancers

    <h4>Chapter 62 - Virgin Dungeon And me Dancers</h4>


    "Let''s go." Sarah said and stepped into the Dungeon gate. Varian took a breath and followed the team in.


    The familiar in sky without suns, the red soil and blue grass, reminded him of his first adventure a few weeks ago.


    The moment they stepped in, his teammates restrained their aura to the minimum. Varian wasn''t able to tell them apart.


    "Varian." Sarah said in the front, startling everyone.


    "Yes, captain?" Varian enquired. He was curious about why she allowed him to enter the team. Wasn''t she afraid of Charles Xander?


    She nced back at him for a moment before turning ahead. "Don''t die."


    "Yes." Varian answered.


    "Follow me. Even though the possibility is small, check for clues of Abyssals along the way." She said and waved her hand.


    Two boards of water appeared beneath her and Varian. In the next moment, they took off at a high speed.


    The world felt like it was put into fast forward, and dust rose into the air.


    The hunky guy sprinted at a high speed without breaking a sweat.


    ''Controller or Enhanced.'' Varian wondered.


    The red-haired one just flew. However, his feet were only a few feet above the ground.


    ''Telekic!'' Varian finally saw one.


    A brown light covered the petite girl as her hands turned into ws and a tail appeared behind her. Her beast must be something simr to a leopard.


    She ran with them and had no problems keeping up.


    ''Beast Morpher Level 5.'' Varian was amazed.


    This team was great.


    The brte stood still on the ground, but the piece of ground under her moved. It was a bizarre yet beautiful sight.


    ''Earth Awakener Level 5.''


    The demon rabbits in the vicinity of their path were blown into pieces by the sheer speed.


    Varian was nostalgic remembering how he struggled to kill this creature on his first time.


    As they dashed to the Inner Zone of the Dungeon, Varian noticed a detail.


    All the teammates kept a deliberate distance from Sarah. It was a sign of respect and they seemed to do it subconsciously.


    This went beyond normal respect for a captain and approached revere. That was when it hit him.


    Sarah. 56k mp.


    Third on the Amethyst List.


    It must be her!


    To back his guess, there was another crucial evidence. Her own behaviour facing Charles. That day in front of the dormitory, she spoke to him as equals.


    As his guess consolidated, Varian felt his head spin.


    Just how the fuck did his tutor get her favor?


    "Where are we going, captain? " Ivy, the petite and quiet girl of the team, asked with shining eyes as she sprinted. Her tail bounced in the air cutely, but it just strangled a few dozen demon rabbits.


    "I arrived here yesterday and nted trackers on a few ''geniuses''. If Abyssals want to kill off the geniuses, following them was the best solution." Sarah said.


    Varian frowned. He recalled the Inspector telling him this strategy failed.


    "Dungeon Bureau already tried your method and failed." Crimson, the red-haired young man said.


    Sarah snapped her fingers and a water hammer hit Luca. "Stupid. Do you think Abyssals'' roots have not prated the Dungeon Bureau?"


    ''What?!'' Varian felt an urge to throw up.


    Even though he knew there were traitors within, realizing that even the officers betrayed their race made him angry.


    "We didn''t inform anyone of our arrival for the very reason. Plus, I received a secret report informing the adventure team ''me Dancers'' are likely to be targeted." Sarah said as her short blue hair fluttered in the wind.


    Her gaze, however, was on Varian. He looked normal on the surface, but he was in a mess as he recalled seeing the same information in the Red fief castle.


    ''Does she know I''m the one that submitted the info?''


    "We''ll follow the me Dancers." She said, and they entered the Inner Zone of the Dungeon.


    The Level 2 monsters, dark lions, and rainbow snakes tried to attack them.


    Varian could easily win them in a fight. He could even take on ten of them.


    However, there was no need.


    Crimson clenched his fist, and the beasts were crushed to flesh and bones.


    "Hiss!" Varian took a cold breath.


    Even though he was a lot stronger than a magic beast, he was still was a Level 2.


    ''Strength. Without strength, I will be like those magic beasts. Crushed without resistance.'' Varian felt a longing from the bottom of his heart.


    They took the shortest path to their moving target, and that meant passing through a forest of Level 2 magic beasts.


    There was even a Level 3 beast which fell under one swipe from Ivy.


    Varian got a short glimpse of what it meant to have power over others for the first time.


    Soon, Sarah and others stopped.


    ''We''ll keep our distance. Keep watch.'' Sarah instructed with gestures.


    Thankfully, Varian studied the basics and was able to follow.


    He hid the farthest in the bushes. He could vaguely see a bunch of mes flickering in the distance.


    Smoke filled the air. There was a vague yet unmistakable smell of roasted magic beast meat.


    ''These guys are having... barbecue?'' Varian wondered.


    He took out the binocrs from his space ring and saw through them.


    me Dancers were all fire awakeners. They were all young and strong.


    With a single shot, every me dancer was able to injure a magic beast.


    With each fight, they improved a little.


    ''These guys might advance to Level 3 before they turn 18.''


    The fight continued as the group battled magic beasts, from demon apes to sleeping giants.


    Soon, a few hours passed.


    Even with his greater human physique, Varian felt his legs go numb.


    "Gree"


    A small roar sounded, and a beast covered in crystal armor appeared. It looked like a tortoise, but its speed was the opposite.


    "Look! Crystal Beast!"


    "Hunt it and we''ll be rich!"


    "Go!"


    The me dancers'' excited voices sounded even to the distant Varian.


    Varian looked at the other teammates and saw they all had the same expression on their faces.


    A frown.


    Crystal Beasts weren''t supposed to appear in this section of Dungeon at all. Their habit was at least a few hundred km away and they stayed in their territory. This was clearly mentioned in the Virgin Dungeon Manual that Varian studied for his first Dungeon adventure.


    ''Ah!'' Something clicked in his mind and Varian message Sarah frantically.


    At the moment, the me dancers chased the crystal tortoise to a nearby mountain.


    As they turned around, their eyes widened.


    Sarah saw the message in herm and yelled:


    "It''s a trap!"


    "Boom!"

 Chapter 63 - Special Location

    <h4>Chapter 63 - Special Location</h4>


    "Boom!"


    "Encircle." Sarah signalled and every team member dashed ahead. Everyone except Varian.


    He stayed in the bushes. Waiting.


    ''Is this is it?'' Varian sighed in relief.


    Others would be frustrated since they couldn''t participate in thebat. But not him.


    He was extremely happy that nothing out of the ordinary happened. Until now, everything he stepped into turned into a disaster. His first dungeon adventure. His entrance test. His college.


    ''System, don''t mess with this one.'' Varian hoped.


    [As this system informed you, it has no active control over your fate. Just like how fire gives heat by its very quality, I bring "Bnce" by intrinsic nature.]


    ''What are you?''


    [...]


    "Varian,e in." Sarah''s voice sounded from them.


    Varian was on his feet the next second and rushed to the mountain.


    "Hiss"


    As he turned around, he sucked in a cold breath.


    The ground was scorched for arge area, and only a crater remained.


    Crimson was examining the traces on the crater using his telekic sensitive powers. One of the aspects of a telekic was their exquisite perception.


    Olivia, the brte, was also touching the ground and trying to sense something with her Earth Awakener powers.


    Ivy was on guard with her keen beast senses famous for every beast morpher apanied by Luca, the body awakener.


    Only Sarah stood alone. She looked unperturbed.


    ''Where are the me dancers?'' Varian thought as he approached the team.


    They continued their work. However, Varian could feel the tension in the air.


    He nced a the crater and realized one thing.


    ''Only blood. No ash. No bones. Just wh¡ª''


    "me dancers team might be dead." Sarah appeared beside him before he knew and said calmly.


    Varian nodded.


    "Or missing." She added, and an amused smile appeared on her face.


    "You were clear about the habits of that creature earlier. There are hundreds of creatures in each dungeon with different habitats. Did you study all details for the mission?" She gave him an inquisitive look.


    ''Truth or lie?'' He wondered and finally decided to be honest.


    "This is the closest dungeon to my home city. I was studying this dungeon since childhood." He said.


    "I see. Then do you have any idea how they can suddenly disappear?" Sarah asked. Her tone, however, was full of confidence, and she didn''t seem like she needed any ideas.


    ''She doesn''t need the answer. She''s merely trying to test me.'' Varian realized.


    "We''re in Inner Zone. There are several ''special structures'' here. They might have disappeared into that special structure.'' He said and nced at the crater.


    Sarah''s lips curled up, and she nodded. "Your knowledge is not bad. But your level is."


    ''Is that apliment or an insult?'' He didn''t know how to respond.


    "I can confirm they''re not dead. There is no bone ash." Crimson yelled from the distance.


    "Captain, I''ve found the entrance." Olivia appeared in front of them in the blink of an eye.


    "Let''s go." Sarah said and turned to him. "Don''t worry, I''ll protect you as long as it doesn''t endanger the mission."


    ''As if¡­'' Varian held back the words and followed.


    Silence could mean many things. Sometimes, it was defeat. Other times, it was a sign of patience.


    Olivia walked to the crater and flicked her fingers.


    The soil shook and parted. A few meters deep, there was a small tower like structure one foot in length.


    "This is the entrance to a special location. Those guys must have identally triggered it and dragged Abyssals in." Olivia said.


    "We''ll follow them in and get the Abyssals." Sarah said, and everyone nodded.


    Special Locations were like special maps. They were only essible through entrances in the dungeon.


    The problem was that any entrance would move after a few days. However, special locations were still sought after since they provide more benefits to the adventurer.


    For instance: map of sections of core area, special herbs, elixirs and so on.


    ''It''s my first time getting in. But why do I have this ominous feeling?'' Varian had no choice. Even if his senses screamed at him, he had to continue on with the mission.


    "Get ready." Iva said and pressed the small tower.


    In the blink of an eye, the world changed.


    Varian found himself inside a gloomy chamber. There was a rotten smell everywhere.


    He looked down to see traces of green and red blood moving into the distance.


    ''Abyssals and me Dancers.''


    "They must have fought, resulting in a chase. We need to hurry up before either of the teams is killed." Sarah said and waved her hand.


    Sarah couldn''t let Abyssals die. But she also didn''t want to see the death of fellow humans.


    "Whoosh"


    A water bubble enveloped Varian, and he was thrust forward at an insane speed just behind Sarah as the teammates kept up.


    They dashed through the narrow paths and soon reached the entrance of arge hall.


    "...."


    Varian was pushed some distance away with his bubble. From the distance, he glimpsed into the hall.


    There were mutted corpses of humans and Abyssals. There was an extremely even, but quick fight.


    Varian observed that all Abyssals sort of blew up their legs.


    ''Suicide bombing?''


    "Hoo" A faint breathing sounded.


    The team focused on the source.


    One previously thought of the corpse was still alive. Its limbs were severed and there was a gaping wound in his torso that tore his lungs.


    However, there was still some life that refused to die. His eyes refused to shut.


    He looked at the team with deadpan eyes. Varian, even from the distance, could see he had no hope of survival.


    His eyes were shifting towards the other human corpses. His friends and teammates. No more.


    Crimson concluded, "So their objective is to mutual destruction?"


    ''Doesn''t make sense.'' Varian shook his head.


    If they had the absolute initiative advantage on top of their intel, why would anyone go for such inefficient missions?


    He felt the auras from the bodies. Out of the four humans, two were still Level 1. The other two were Level 2


    From the Abyssal side, all were Level 2.


    ''If I was the head of Abyssal nning, I''d never do this.'' Varian thought.


    ''If you possess way more forces than the opponent, crush them with an overwhelming force.'' He thought back to an old stratagem.


    "I--I-" the one still breathing tried to speak but ended up coughing blood.


    The team searched the surroundings for any traces of Abyssals.


    Meanwhile, Sarah approached the sole survivor and said, "We can''t save you...but we can avenge who made you this way."


    "I-cough cough. " He coughed blood and his voice turned weaker.


    ''Abyssals are not stupid beings. They are an intelligent foe.'' Varian was lost in thought.


    Sarah bent down and put her ears near his face.


    ''If sacrificing 4 soldiers were to benefit me, then¡­ the enemy they kill must be more valuable.'' Varian nced at his teammates and felt their high aura. Their level 5 aura.


    It was way higher than Level 2.


    ''Level 5s are good enough. What if¡­?'' Then it struck him!


    At the same moment, Sarah was finally able to catch the almost inaudible words


    "I-it''s a t-r-ap."


    "BOOM!"

 Chapter 64 - Level 5s Fight

    <h4>Chapter 64 - Level 5s Fight</h4>


    "Boom!"


    A huge explosion destroyed the hall, and Varian was blown away.


    Fortunately, he was at an adequate distance from the hall, and that saved from his grievous injuries.


    "Boom!"


    "Bo¡ª!"


    The explosions continued, but Varian felt the world go silent.


    He could see the shock waves hit from the explosion, sending rocks everywhere.


    He could feel the prickling sensation of the special rocks piercing his skin and his warm blood trickle out.


    But he couldn''t hear anything.


    ''Survive first!''


    He got up from the debris and rushed behind a copsed wall.


    The dust slowly cleared, and he was able to see the situation.


    He took out his binocr and peered at the hall. His greater human eyesight, added with binocrs, made for the perfect spy camera.


    His teammates were standing in a formation.


    Sarah, Olivia covered the front while Crimson, Ivy and Body Awakener, Luca, covered the rear


    "....¡­.." Sarah''s lips moved, and the team shot outwards.


    Varian saw their targets and his eyes widened.


    There were Abyssals as expected, but there were also¡­ humans.


    ''What the fuck!'' He cursed.


    There were 8 Abyssals and 8 Humans. Every one of their aura reached Level 5.


    ''¡ªitors!"


    Varian''s hearing slowly returned, but he was not in a mood to appreciate it.


    If his teammates of 5 fought with 16 enemies, they''d be dead for sure.


    "You scum." Ivy spat and raised her paw.


    Varian barely could capture her moments as she disappeared in the blink of an eye and appeared in front of two humans.


    The humans, apparently were all male, were dressed in all ck.


    The dress code was eerily simr to Enigma and Blue sh''s. It seemed to be the uniform of Shadow Order.


    Ivy''s w descended with a gigantic momentum and was about to pierce them into pieces.


    Right then, the two men punched back.


    Ivy'' beast instincts kicked into action and she twisted her body to an insane posture, dodging all the attacks.


    This meant her paw hit the ground instead.


    Boom!


    Ivy''s paw sted the ground and cracks spread like spider webs.


    At that moment, the four fists aimed for her vitals.


    "Guh" Ivy strained her body and dodged.


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    Their barrage of punches broke the floor and Ivy''s momentum.


    Strength was not her beast''s forte. She could take on one Body Awakener with ease, but two turned the game against her.


    Soon, she could only dodge and was suppressed.


    Her body was subjected to high tension, as she had to dodge every attack. The toll was rising.


    "Die! " Crimson yelled and waved his hand.


    Dozens of swords shot at two Abyssals at an insane speed.


    Varian''s vision could no longer keep up and he only saw shes from the swords.


    "Cling"


    The next thing he saw was a huge thunder wall blocking off the swords. The source of the thunder wall was a human.


    Taking the opportunity, the two Abyssals rushed at Crimson.


    Their fists reached his head in the blink of an eye.


    Boom!


    There was a huge st, and the shock waves turned the room into rubble.


    Varian saw Crimson a few meters away from his previous location.


    He was using his telekic abilities to hold up shields and block the iing attacks.


    At the same time, he used spears and darts to attack the Abyssals.


    He had an exquisite control and would''ve brought down at least one of the two Abyssals, if not for the human.


    The human used his thunder abilities and parried his attacks.


    For each spear from his side, there was a thunder spear from the other.


    The group soon suppressed Crimson. His body suffered from bacsh as he tried to hold the shields against the crazy bombardment of Abyssal punches.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    It was only a matter of minutes.


    Varian''s heart sank as he nced at the next battle.


    Olivia''s moments were sluggish, and she was barely able to bring upon the earth walls to block the spear of an Abyssal.


    Varian saw a human in the distance standing still with closed eyes.


    ''Telepath!''


    They were affecting her mind, and she was fighting two of them at the same time.


    She tried tounch an offensive at the telepath, but the Abyssal blocked every one of them.


    Due to her dyed timing, she wasn''t able to block all the attacks properly. This led to her suffering injuries, which slowly rose.


    The result seemed to be set in stone.


    Varian then turned to Luca.


    Luca was facing two Abyssals. The three of them were Body Awakeners. Luca was stronger than each of them, but not both of them together.


    However, Luca used his skills and found an opportunity tond a strike on his opponent''s head. A critical strike and game changer.


    Right when his fist was about tond, he felt his arm was caught in something solid.


    The space around his arm was frozen!


    With his momentum, he broke the frozen space, but the dy due to obstruction was enough to save the Abyssal.


    It even gave the Abyssal enough time to counterattack.


    Boom!


    Luca hastily blocked, but the attack sent him flying.


    He quickly got to his feet. However, his shoulder bone was dislocated, and he was bleeding. Hisbat power undoubtedly dropped.


    Facing two body awakener Abyssals and a space awakener human at his own level, Luca didn''t stand a chance since the beginning.


    Bang!


    The building started to shake.


    Varian moved a few hundred meters more and felt his heart shake.


    Even from here, the sts were loud and the shock waves hard.


    His mind was frantic.


    On one hand, he was blown away by the sheer scale of the battle.


    On the other, he was worried.


    ''System, you son of a bitch. Is this what you call bnce of crisis and opportunity?'' He cursed.


    He found a new hiding spot and got into it.


    He knew things could get dangerous, but he believed the dangers were ''solvable''.


    Now? How would he survive against Level 5s?


    [Host, this system is not a son. Also, you are still alive and kicking.]


    Varian''s face trickled with hatred as he wished to bash this system and discipline it.


    ''I think your dad is God of destruction and disaster.'' He thought bitterly.


    However, his mind was already thinking of the next course of n.


    Should he escape? He would be easily spotted and killed without resistance.


    Stay? Wasn''t that waiting to be killed?


    Holding his hope, he brought up his binocrs and found Sarah.


    Sarah, the suspected third on the Amethyst List.


    The moment he found her, his eyes widened.

 Chapter 65 - Sarah

    <h4>Chapter 65 - Sarah</h4>


    Neither Sarah nor the three men and four Abyssals moved.


    Sarah didn''t seem to be concerned by the oue of the battles of her teammates.


    The faces of the Abyssals showed nervous expression. Even the men of Shadow Order stood stiff.


    The man in ck cursed. "You deceived everyone that you left on a mission yesterday. You didn''t even register for the mission. Absurd!"


    Sarah chuckled softly, but her eyes turned cold.


    These maggots infiltrated the academy and were the biggest internal threat to humanity.


    An Abyssal clenched his fist "Why you¡­ you came for the Cross Tunnel Formation, right?"


    Sarah smiled. "If I said I came looking for someone, would you believe me?"


    "I suggest you leave. Your friends and that little bug there will have to die." The Abyssal pointed towards Varian.


    However, his finger was shaking.


    Sarah''s lips curled. A soft blue light shone across her body and she appeared in front of Abyssal the next moment.


    She raised her fist covered in a blue light. The blue light turned into spiked ice sphere, adding extra lethality.


    ''Wha¡ª''


    Everyone was surprised by her sudden attack.


    The Abyssals and humans only had a small period to block.


    The Abyssals hurriedly punched at her fist.


    The two humans used their respective powers. Telekic and ntae.


    A shield rushed to block the fist.


    The human turned his arm into a branch and extended it to block the punch.


    Sarah didn''t back down and swung her fist.


    "Creaaak"


    The ice spikes on her fist constructed by Water awakener abilities broke through the branch defense and destroyed the shield at the cost of destroying itself.


    Then her fist punched through the three Abyssal fists and hit her target ¡ª Abyssal head.


    "Plop"


    Simr to a watermelon, the head of the Abyssal burst.


    The brain juices sttered and Sarah was dyed in the green blood. The smile on her lips just increased.


    Everyone, be it friend or foe, was astonished.


    Her teammates looked at her in awe.


    Her enemies looked at her in fear.


    But one person looked at her in confusion.


    ''This is it, right?''


    The leading Abyssal''s voice quivered, "You are really Level 6 Dual Awakener."


    Dual Awakener. Synonymous with invincibility at the same level.


    However, Dual Awakeners could never be Sovereigns for some reason. It was their curse.


    Sarah gritted her teeth and leapt to the telekic human, crossing dozens of meters in no time, and waved her hand.


    A shining ice de shed at his neck. He hurriedly used his mental power on the de and tried to slow it down.


    In the gap, the Abyssals hastily thrusted their spears to break the de, while the other human extended his branch-turned-arm once again and formed aplex shield.


    Sarah punched her way through the shield and spears while the ice de shed at the human''s neck.


    Argh!


    The telepath''s head rolled down to the ground and his body slumped on the floor.


    The sses were thrown off and his shocked eyes were revealed.


    A Level 5 Awakener was a respectable position in Human Federation. Perhaps if he didn''t choose this path, he''d be living a good life.


    "Obediently reveal the location of your secret hideouts and I can spare you." Sarah promised.


    No one believed her promise. Including herself.


    "We''ll at least injure you before we die." The Abyssal gritted his teeth.


    All the five attacked her at once.


    At the same time, the leading Abyssal yelled, "Kill everyone! Quick!"


    Sarah faced the iing attacks with a confident smile.


    A soft blue light shone and formed a barrier around her.


    "Boom"


    "Boom"


    "Buum"


    The punches that could break mountains, the branches that could slice many metals were all blocked.


    She pped with the back of her hand and a huge water hand appeared in the air.


    It hovered over the three Abyssals and two humans. As their bodies froze in fear, it descended with momentum.


    p!


    Like a palm pping mosquito, it pped them to paste.


    Boom!


    Bang!


    On the other side, the situation turned for the worse.


    Luca finally couldn''t hold on. When he was about to dodge the Abyssal''s kicks, the space froze and he stagnated for a moment.


    That was all they needed.


    Crack!


    Luca''s ribs broke, and he crashed into the ground.


    He tried to get up, but the Abyssals gave him no chance.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    His arms and legs were broken sessively.


    The telepath messing with Olivia''s mind gained more control, and Olivia took a direct hit on her stomach.


    "Glurgh"


    The punch nearly crushed her lungs and crashed her into the debris.


    She was only alive because of the defensive 5 star treasure.


    The Abyssal caught up to her, and she tried to control the ground to slide her away at thest moment.


    But she couldn''t escape the attackpletely.


    Creak


    "Argh"


    Her vest saved her from being crushed into a meat paste, but it couldn''t save her from serious injuries.


    Olivia''s head spun, and she saw Abyssal catching up to her again.


    On the other side, Ivy''s beast form was now less pronounced. Her cat tail and ears were gone. Only her paws remained.


    She was panting and felt the imminent copse of her body.


    Her forte was speed, not strength. Yet facing these two humans who were clearly Enhanced Awakeners, she overexerted herself and for long.


    As the Abyssals closed distance with her and kicked at her chest, she tried to dodge as always.


    But...she reached her limit.


    Crack


    "Urgh"


    Ivy was tossed into the distance like a broken doll.


    Crimson had it worst. His right torso was burnt after he was hit by the thunder.


    His left arm was barely intact, and he was using all his strength to defend himself using his telekic power on the shields.


    The Abyssals used their numbers'' advantage and punched through the shields.


    With each punch, Crimson''s resistance weakened.


    He tried to escape by using telekic power to pull him away. But the thunder awakener from the back spoiled that chance.


    Death seemed inevitable.


    When all seemed lost, Sarah turned to her teammates.

 Chapter 66 - Truth [Bonus ]

    <h4>Chapter 66 - Truth [Bonus ]</h4>


    Sarah nced at the scene and shook her head. "You are still weak."


    "Let us leave or we''ll kill your teammates." The shadow order minions said.


    Crimson, Luca, Ivy, Olivia felt humiliated.


    They thought they were defending themselves till thest minute, but it turned out they were spared to be used as bargaining chips.


    Sarah raised an eyebrow. "I don''t like negotiating."


    Huge water hands appeared around the Abyssals and shadows order minions, capturing them in one fell swoop.


    "Heal yourself. I will take care of everything." Sarah nodded at them and moved a few meters away in a blink.


    The water hands brought the captured in front of her.


    Her teammates struggled but pulled themselves away from the battlefield and slowly walked away.


    He also wanted to help out his teammates, but he argued himself against it.


    Today there were enough ''It was a trap'' moments.


    What if he went there, and it repeated?


    But there was onemon thing between Varian and his teammates. They both looked at Sarah in admiration.


    ''Power! This is power!'' Varian admired how Sarah was able to change the situation by her power alone.


    "I''ll ask one by one." Sarah smiled and waved her hand.


    The water hands pushed the men in ck forward.


    Sarah nced back at her teammates and took a deep breath.


    Even though she looked like she didn''t care, her cold eyes said it all. She was furious.


    With a snap, she removed the masks. As expected, the faces were of celebrities and officials.


    Fake faces. She waved her hands, and the masks were put on again.


    "Who hired you? Who gave you the information? First to tell me will live."


    The shadow order elites nced at each other and fell silent.


    Sarah squinted her eyes and the water hand holding them grew thorns. It pierced deep into their body.


    "Arrgh"


    "Urrgh"


    "Krrr"


    They yelled in pain but didn''t answer.


    "How long can you hold on before one of you breaks down?"


    The water thorns turned into ice and they stabbed deep into the warm bodies.


    "Bi.tch!"


    "Shaddd"


    "Nev..er"


    They red at each other and gritted their teeth.


    Watching from the distance, Varian felt his hair erect.


    Even though they looked struggling, their eyes were resolute.


    "Boom!"


    The human bodies imploded sting Sarah away.


    It was a small suicide explosion and Sarah was fine. But she instinctively used her mana to shield herself and this meant the water hands copsed.


    And the Abyssals escaped.


    Sarah was furious and to some degree, humiliated at her own action.


    "Stay!"


    She waved her arm and a huge water arm captured the escaping Abyssals.


    The Abyssals struggled.


    Sarah brought them closer and red into their eyes.


    Then they too red at her.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    All the bodies of Abyssals and humans exploded.


    A huge mushroom rose a hundred meters into the air.


    The teammates who were moving away were also affected and were thrown further away into the distance.


    It was not fatal, but they were all incapacitated. Their injuries increased manifold.


    To live was to truly suffer. They proved it.


    As the dust cleared, Sarah coughed blood and copsed onto her knees.


    Unknown to her, Varian''s hide out was also blown away, and he was moderately injured despite being a few hundred meters away.


    However, instead ofining, Varian sighed in relief and patted himself.


    ''I knew it.''


    The dust filled the air and Varian could barely see a thing.


    However, he heard footsteps.


    Weak. Unsteady. Yet heavy footsteps.


    No. There were two of them.


    Varian felt his heart stop for a moment when he realized the direction.


    It was towards Sarah.


    ''Go or not go?''


    At the same time, Sarah was experiencing one of the worst injuries.


    Suicide bombing was unique to Shadow Order. So she didn''t suspect Abyssals would to the same. They used that to their advantage.


    Even though she protected herself at thest moment, the distance was too close. The bomb was also far more dangerous.


    Now, almost all bones were broken, and her organs were working only because of her Controller physique.


    If she was a normal Water Awakener, she''d be dead.


    Even though her water shield blocked most of the power, her survival was attributed to two things.


    Her defense star treasure which was broken during the explosion. And her strong body thanks to being a Controller Level 6.


    Without either of these, she''d still die.


    In fact, even if there was a slight negligence from her side, she''d have died.


    ''Was... I their target all along?'' Sarah felt shivers down her spine.


    Why was the management not aware of this?


    She was the third strongest cadet in one of the top five Academies of Human Federation!


    How could her information leak?


    Who could even have the authority?


    The more she tried to avoid, the clearer the answer became.


    Sarah closed her eyes and exhaled in pain. The pain of knowing the truth overwhelmed her physical pain.


    ''A traitor at the very top of the pyramid.''


    ''Maybe they just wanted to eliminatepetition. So they used Abyssals.'' She tried to tell herself but she knew it was not true.


    Witnessing the seamless cooperation between the Abyssals and humans, she was clear that they were not acting together for the first time.


    They were long-term partners.


    ''These beasts... betraying their own race.''


    Her pendant shone, and it stopped her bleeding. It was a 5 star treasure and helped her multiple times.


    She would be healed in a few hours, thanks to her Controller physique.


    Now that every enemy was dead, she could at least rest.


    Click.


    Sarah''s ears perked up as she heard¡­ footsteps.


    ''Is it Varian?'' She tried to move her broken body.


    Click.


    Click.


    The footsteps got clearer and louder.


    ''No. These footsteps are too heavy.'' She felt powerless.


    In her 20 years of life, this would be her most vulnerable situation.


    She nced to the side and saw her teammates in the distance. They couldn''t even move.


    She could only rely on herself. No one would help her.


    ''Except that one person¡­'' Sarah thought back to the happiest time in her life.


    "K-keeek. D-ead." A hoarse voice sounded and Sarah turned to the side.


    A human walked towards her. His body was a mess. His internal organs, except his heart were crushed.


    The only thing that kept him alive seemed to be a strange star treasure on his body.


    Sarah identified him to be the Space Awakener.


    ''He teleported under guise of explosion...damn it.'' She struggled to get up but couldn''t.


    Her body was too injured for that. Even with the emergency healing from the pendant, she couldn''t move.


    "Hahaha. My name will be honored. Killing you will make fill my cause. Shadow Order will reign supreme!" Heughed hoarsely.


    A sword appeared in his arm. As he raised his arm, his arm just copsed like a snapped branch.


    Even though he teleported and hid himself, he was also injured from the explosion.


    "Argh" He grimaced but his eyes were fixated on the injured Sarah. His gaze was fanatical as he raised the sword his other hand.


    He was about to swing i¡ª


    Creaak


    He looked down at his chest in disbelief as a water arrow lodged itself in his heart.


    Sarah copsed on the ground.


    She spent most of her mana to shield herself from the fatal explosion.


    This was thest bit of mana, but it saved her life.


    "Looks like I won." She smiled.


    "No, you didn''t." A deep voice sounded and an Abyssal emerged behind her.

 Chapter 67 - Self And Duty

    <h4>Chapter 67 - Self And Duty</h4>


    "No, you didn''t." A deep voice sounded and an Abyssal emerged from behind.


    Sarah was spent and couldn''t even move. Sheid on the ground, powerless as the enemy inched closer.


    ''Why?''


    Click.


    Click.


    He was approaching from behind. She couldn''t see him. This only made the footsteps more dreary.


    Sarah was a Level 6 Controller. She had extraordinary senses, but in her current condition, she could barely register the sound, much less fathom the target''s condition based on the sound.


    So she didn''t notice the Abyssal approaching her was in a terrible condition.


    One of his arms waspletely missing.


    With each step, the gaping holes in his body spewed out more green blood and bits of insides.


    His internal organs were now pieces, and he''d die in minutes.


    But¡­ he marched for the final bout.


    "Hu..man..Sarah¡­" He approached her with pride.


    He couldn''t even exert 1% of his strength and would die away from his homnd.


    But his contribution would never be forgotten. For he would have killed a Level 6 Dual Awakener. One of the brightest geniuses of humanity.


    ''If given a chance...perhaps she would even break the limitations and be a Sovereign.''


    His lips curled up, but most of his teeth were missing. His face was losing a good chunk of flesh and his current look could scare even the bravest of adults.


    As he saw the prey waiting to be ughtered, the Abyssal saw himself on the edge ofpleting his life''s purpose. All his life would be anchored upon this one act.


    This was it.


    He felt something welling up in his eyes.


    Unknowingly, tears trickled down his cheeks. Or theck thereof.


    ''I will die... but my people will live on. My life will be a fuel for our race to survive.'' He recalled his home for a moment and his eyes showed nostalgia and love.


    His wife. His young son.


    He closed his eyes and prayed for them to witness the survival of his race in his stead.


    Then his eyes shot open.


    Looking at Sarah, there was no kindness in his eyes. Only ruthlessness.


    He''d kill a thousand such humans to save one Abyssal.


    He reached behind her and raised his only arm. The skin and muscle in his fist were missing. Only the bones were left.


    The pain screamed at his brain, but he wilfully ignored it for his final duty.


    His fist clenched, and he prepared himself to finish her off.


    Sarah wasn''t scared of her impending death.


    As the hideous skeleton fist raised above her head, she was strangely serene.


    She looked into the sky as sheid on the ground.


    Her cheeks were already wet as she remembered that person.


    She came searching. Perhaps that person was here. This was a good ce for a secret mission, right?


    She even convinced her father that she wasing to find Cross Tunnel Formations: the technology that allowed Abyssal to teleport their kind from Abyss to Dungeons.


    This was ''her'' mission. Her team''s mission was to just find traces of Abyssals and their hideouts.


    She thought even if she failed, she might just go home and try again.


    But now, there was no going back. All that gratitude she would never be able to payback.


    Everything would end.


    ''I''m sorry...mom, bro, I''ll be joining you. Dad lost himself in revenge after you died. He never removed that scar. He says it is his reason. I don''t see his reason in that scar, I only see his guilt.''


    Sarah''s cheeks were flooded with tears once again.


    The fist descended, announcing her end.


    But in her final moments, her brain was unusually active. It was as if everything in the world slowed down.


    Her trail of thoughts continued.


    ''Dad didn''t want me toe here, but I insisted. Now if he loses even me to the Abyssals due to his decision to let me here, then...'' She felt a lump in her throat.


    ''Dad, I''m sorry. If I die here, you''ll me yourself the most. I''m sorry...'' She sobbed.


    Her hair shook as the bone fist punched down with momentum.


    "Die!"


    The Abyssal kept his eyes wide open to witness the greatest moment of his life.


    Sarah kept her eyes open to witness her final moment.


    Then...


    Szzz!


    A bright light shed, and a sword pierced through eye of Abyssal. At the same time, a hand pulled Sarah away.


    Boom!


    The fist punched on the ground and created a crater a few feet deep. The sheer force of the punch shook the surrounding ground as the gravel rose with the shock waves.


    However...


    The bone fist loosened, and the body copsed.


    The sword that pierced the eye passed through the brain, ending the Abyssal''s life.


    The final Abyssal copsed. He was the only Abyssal who died with his body intact.


    Sarah was still in a trance.


    The pull at the final moment saved her. If not, her skull would be crushed.


    Even though the shock waves still injured her, she was alive... somehow.


    But ...how?


    She couldn''t move her neck, but the footsteps approached her.


    Then she saw the face she didn''t want to believe.


    The junior she epted for the mission.


    The one she was supposed to ''protect''.


    "You¡­"


    "I''ll help others." Varian grinned and walked towards his teammates.


    His hand was still numb from the sword strike earlier.


    The moment he heard the footsteps, he guessed their identities.


    From the beginning, he felt it was weird for the Space Awakener to be caught by Sarah and not escape.


    Then the humans killed themselves, sting their body to pieces. Next, Abyssals tried to escape and Sarah didn''t notice the missing body mess in her hurry.


    ''When the Abyssals exploded, this Space awakener saved an Abyssal, and they teleported out.


    They escaped before the explosionpletely engulfed them but they were still injured.''


    Then their injuries made sense.


    Varian reached his teammates. They were seriously injured in the fight. Thankfully, they were on the periphery of the explosion.


    Now, they were all unconscious.


    Varian spotted a cave in the distance and carried them one by one.


    He made sure not to teleport while carrying them, even though he was tempted to do that.


    Finally, he ced Sarah by their side.


    The cave was on a tall, barren mountain. So the chance of magic beasts running into them would be minimal.


    He picked out five vials from his space ring and sighed in distress.


    There was a green liquid inside. A healing medicine. He brought them yesterday for his first mission. It cost him all his fortune to buy it.


    They costed 2 mp each.


    ''I even thought I made a bargain by buying them at my 8mp...but who knew this would happen.'' He sighed and gave the medicine to the group of five, including Sarah.


    It only needed to be poured on their skin, and it will enter their body and heal them.


    {Merit points: 0}


    Cursing his poverty, Varian reached the battle site, took the Abyssal body and human body into his space ring, and then returned to the cave.


    Everyone was unconscious. Except Sarah.


    Sarah couldn''t speak yet. But her eyes were wide open as she observed this newbie, who acted beyond his level.


    Varian took out the two corpses and inspected them.


    He was searching for one answer. The one thing that didn''t make sense.


    ''If I was the Space Awakener, and if my goal is to kill Sarah, then I''d go as far from explosion as possible. I''ll be without injuries, then I can kill Sarah easily.''


    Varian nced at Sarah. She was looking at him with curiosity and¡­ gratitude?


    "Rest for some time. Everyone will wake up in a few hours." Varian smiled.


    Sarah blinked her eyes in response and slowly fell asleep. There was a smile on her face...it was full of relief.


    If the Space Awakener kept himself safe, he could''ve easily killed the injured Sarah.


    Varian went back to his reasoning.


    ''But why would that guy go out of his way to save one Abyssal?''


    Then Varian nced at the corpses and snapped his fingers.


    ''Only two possibilities.''

 Chapter 68 - Captain And Teammate [Bonus ]

    <h4>Chapter 68 - Captain And Teammate [Bonus ]</h4>


    ''One. He was extremely confident Sarah would die in the explosion. Even if she didn''t, she wouldn''t be able to attack.''


    He nced at the mutted human corpse and frowned.


    ''So he was willing to save that Abyssal. All his injuries can be healed in a few hours. He might be trying to win the goodwill of Abyssals.'' Varian''s face twisted in disgust.


    ''Two.'' Varian clutched his forehead.


    ''There is something important on this Abyssal. Which he must not lose. Since all Abyssals sted themselves, that thing could''ve been broken. Only this guy will have it intact.''


    Varian decided to first search their space rings.


    In the human''s space ring, he found a few star treasures: swords, spears, etc. There were also some healing vials.


    ''That''s it?'' Varian checked it once again and found onest thing. A bunch of pictures.


    He retrieved them. They were all the same pictures.


    They showed two women in all ck. They used sses, so he couldn''t see their eyes. There was a mask covering the rest of their face. Even their hair was covered.


    It was the ssic Shadow Order uniform, albeit a bit...different?


    Varian was somehow sure it was them.


    Even more strangely, there even pictures of Enigma and Blue sh in this very location.


    ''Enigma and Blue sh¡­''


    ''What the hell is going on?''


    Enigma was the famed head of Shadow Order. No one who saw her speak was alive. There were only pictures of her propagated by Shadow Order.


    ''Shadow Order...these scum¡­ who betray their own race, and kill the geniuses, who will secure humanity''s feature. These two at the helm of such an organization?''


    ''Then why did they didn''t kill me?'' Varian fell into confusion.


    Soon, he shook his head.


    ''It doesn''t matter now.'' He reached for the Abyssal''s space ring.


    "Huh?"


    Varian couldn''t ess it despite the Abyssal being dead.


    Star treasures were bound to one person and could only be used by them. It could''ve been different, but this was the rules by the pioneers of Star Treasures.


    The only way for another person to use them was to have the original owner unbind them or ... kill the original owner.


    However, Star Treasures were merely inspired by Artifacts.


    Artifacts were the treasures found in Ruins, the legacy of Devas.


    Thus all star treasures were man-made.


    Abyssals must have had a different trajectory. So they would have followed a different set of rules for their version of star treasures.


    That said, Varian was stuck.


    "Damn!" He injected his chi and space power. The space ring rejected them.


    He even used the blood from Abyssal. It didn''t respond.


    "Fuck!" He cursed in a low quietly.


    Varian exited the cave and kept fiddling. He couldn''t open the space ring, no matter what.


    ''System, can you open this thing?'' He finally thought of someone or thing that could.


    [Host, does this system look like a thief to open other''s space rings?] Its voice was still cold, but Varian felt it was annoyed.


    ''....'' Varian sighed for a moment.


    ''Yeah, you look like a thief.''


    [.....]


    [Your great grandma was a thief!] It said and fell silent.


    Varianughed at its antics. He didn''t know that System was speaking the truth.


    Varian continued to try while also keeping an eye on the surroundings.


    The special locations were all present in the hidden regions. So the possibility of humans finding them was low.


    But magic beasts were enough to give him a headache.


    "Um...V¡ªarian." A cold but weak voice sounded, and Varian saw Sarah slowly getting up.


    "Take it easy. You''re the most injured." He helped her out.


    She hesitated, but held his hand and walked out.


    "I''m fine." She said and sat down outside the cave, beside his sitting spot.


    Varian sat back in his position. He was actually nervous.


    He hoped she didn''t notice him using teleportation to reach behind the Abyssal before he thrust his sword into that guy''s eye.


    ''The fewer people know it, the better. Especially Charles...''


    Sarah looked at his distracted face and swallowed the words that came to her mouth.


    She was used to being on the receiving end of attention everywhere she went. Now, someone was ignoring her.


    But if he did this to other captains, he''d face a very hard time. Errands, cut in merit points per mission and even kicked out of the team.


    ''So that''s why Seth wanted me to be your captain. You''re lucky.''


    She chuckled lightly, startling Varian.


    ''But we are more lucky.'' she sighed in relief.


    "Yes?" Varian wondered how could oneugh just after near death experiencing. Hepletely ignored how he and Kyle did the same.


    ''Did she go crazy or what¡­ oh no, I must be careful in case she''s gone crazy. I wouldn''t be surprised if System calls this act of [Bnce].''


    Sarah noticed Varian''s weird gaze and coughed slightly. She regained her calm and cool bearing.


    Varian, however, was ready to run.


    "Thank you." Sarah bowed.


    "I did what I should. I''m sure you would''ve saved me if I was in danger." Varian shrugged.


    "You could''ve escaped. I''m surprised that you didn''t, despite being a level 2." Sarah slowly said.


    "Ugh¡­" Varian''s face twitched.


    "Ah. I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to say level 2 is bad. Everyone has to go through that level at some point. It''s just¡­ why did you still stay when the fight turned unfavorable?"


    Varian looked at her curious eyes and said, "I considered escaping a few times. If me dying doesn''t change the oue, I might as well not die. I have things to do in life."


    Sarah looked surprised at his honesty.


    "The risk I took at the end was different. My participation would make a difference. So I took my chance. So there you go. I''m not as brave as you imagine. If a level 8es here, I''d be the first to run, Captain." Varian rubbed his chin with a serious expression.


    "Pfft. Don''t you think I''ll be disappointed in you? Your answer is the opposite of what every captain wants to hear." Sarahughed.


    "I''m just being honest." Varian looked at the sky and saw himself in the future. Then, he would battle Level 5s.


    With this mission in the bag, the future was in his hands.


    "I''m very grateful for allowing me into this mission. But the next one, I can do it alone." He smiled.


    Sarah observed his smile. It was full of confidence.


    "If you can''t do it alone, you can call me. Even though I''m busy most of the time, I''m sure I can make some. Though I don''t think you''ll ask me." Sarah swiped herm and shared her contact.


    "Oof." Varian nodded and opened her contact.


    His eyes widened as he looked at her full name.


    "You''re Evander''s daughter?"

 Chapter 69 - Karma

    <h4>Chapter 69 - Karma</h4>


    "Well, yes?" Sarah was surprised Varian didn''t know.


    Didn''t Seth inform him of her identity?


    "I didn''t know you were our Dean''s daughter." Varian admitted.


    "Do I not act like a general''s daughter?" She raised an eyebrow.


    Varian felt the air cooling down. It was likely a subconscious reaction from Sarah. She must be pretty sensitive about the topic.


    "You see, all the guys from top powers I encountered ¡ª Narcis, Adir, Ryan, and Charles. They''re arrogant, put themselves above everyone else and are incredibly entitled. The infamous Young Master syndrome." He exined.


    The corners of Sarah''s mouth twitched. "So you imagined everyone from top powers to be the arrogant young masters anddies?"


    Varian coughed lightly in acknowledgement and justified himself. "Well, you''re not from a Sovereign background. So my opinion is valid."


    Evander was a Level 9 Awakener. But he was no Sovereign. So that was the reason reason Sarah was ''normal'', right?


    Sarah pursed her lips. "Albert is my grandfather. So technically, I''m from a Sovereign background."


    ''Wait, what the fuck?!''


    ''So your grandfather is one of the three marshals and a Sovereign. Your dad is the general of earth and dean of the academy.''


    Varian looked at Sarah and this time, he saw her above the clouds.


    "You are like a princess in real life."


    "The Princess who almost died if not for you." Sarah looked at the location where sheid powerless a few hours ago.


    Varian shook his head. "It was actually you that saved yourself."


    "What do you mean?" Sarah turned to him and tilted her head in confusion.


    Varian smiled brightly. "Thank you, captain. Even before you knew me, you helped me out thrice."


    First time was in stopping Narcis.


    Second was in stopping Charles from forcing him to kneel.


    Third was preventing Charles from expelling him.


    If not for Sarah, Varian would''ve been out of academy already.


    "So you prevented me from getting expelled, which ultimately led me to saving you. You saved yourself." Varian said nonchntly.


    Sarah was embarrassed by his response, and waved her hands. "I was only trying to be fair."


    Varian looked at her flustered face and smiled.


    ''She looks indifferent most of the time. But she does have a much softer and shy personality within.''


    Soon, his smile receded.


    ''But there''s always more to a person. If she reached level 6, then she''s not a naive girl policing the campus to enactws.''


    Sarah felt guilty and sighed. "I was actually trying to suppress Xanders. That''s why I arrived there on time."


    ''Regardless of her actual reasons, she saved me and I''m grateful for that.''


    "Figures." Varian said, but then wondered. "You and Ryan are both Marshal Albert''s grandchildren. Since Ryan is close to Narcis, I thought Xander and Albert powers were close."


    Sarah looked at him weirdly. "Forget it. The politics isplicated."


    Varian shrugged.


    ''Politics¡­. wait!''


    Sarah recalled the final moments of her battle and felt a shiver down her spine. She nced back into the cave and saw everyone of the teammates was still unconscious.


    She focused her Controller powers and boosted her senses. Her vision, hearing and other senses increased and Sarah focused on her teammates.


    All of them had normal heart beats and blood flow.


    ''No one''s spying.'' She sighed and looked at Varian. The inevitable question emerged in her mind.


    ''What if¡­ Varian was sent by those that want to approach me? It''d make perfect sense to gain my trust by saving me.''


    Varian didn''t know why, but he felt a change in Sarah''s gaze.


    ''If they want to use my father''s and grandfather''s power, then I''ll be the perfect springboard. I''ll be more useful alive than dead.''


    Sarah was torn between suspicions. After all, if top Humans, presumably high levels, partnered with Abyssals, then anyone could betray. Much less a 1st year student.


    ''Varian, are you a spy?'' She wondered.


    She was entangled, and her expression was one of pain and confusion.


    This sight fell in Varian''s eyes, and he said. "So you already know. Then I''ll stop pretending that it''s a secret."


    Sarah tensed up and channeled chi and mana. She hadn''t recovered much. But she had enough strength to kill him.


    ''Did he discover that I uncovered his identity?''


    "You too realized there are traitors, right?"


    ''Huh?'' Sarah was surprised. What was he talking about?


    "After knowing your identity, I can be sure there are traitors in the academy. At least Level 8." Varian said with a grim face.


    "N¡ªYes." She stopped her chi and mana.


    "They wanted to kill you. I guess it''s a big coincidence that I happened to join your team."


    He recalled Seth''sining face and smiled. " My tutor did the right thing by adding me to your team."


    "Seth....right!" Sarah eximed, startling Varian. He looked at her with a frown. What was going on?


    He didn''t know, but Sarah just solved her suspicions about him.


    ''Seth lost his family to Abyssals. He also knows that traitors helped Abyssals win Pluto. He got an extensivework, he can surely find out Varian''s true background. So if he took Varian as his pupil, and even asked me to help him. Then¡­''


    Sarah looked at Varian and sighed in relief. ''He''s not a spy.''


    "Why do I feel this tension in the air?" Varian chuckled light heartedly, but he was already running his space power, ready to teleport.


    ''After her miraculous survival, I bet she''s suspecting me as a spy. Saving her life would be the best way to win her trust and exploit her background.''


    "I''m sorry, Varian." Sarah dropped her head. "I suspected you."


    ''Spot on.'' Varian stopped channeling his space power and rxed.


    "No hard feelings. I''d do the same if I were you." He said what he believed.


    Sarah sighed in relief. "There are indeed traitors in the upper echelon. I know you have a feud with Charles, but for now, stay low."


    "I''m just level 2 now¡­ Not like I can go and fight him." Varian''s shoulders slumped.


    "You were pretty brave to challenge Charles that day." Sarah chuckled. The wind blew her hair and carried herughter. She didn''t take his vow seriously. Like any sane person.


    ''Everyone thinks it''s impossible. Going from Level 2 to level 6 in a year? Please. Even kids won''t believe me.''


    Varian knew the general opinion and didn''t argue.


    After calming her down after her deathly experience, he finally started the serious topic.


    After exining his guess on the human''s purpose of saving the final Abyssal, he presented her the Abyssal''s space ring.


    Sarah observed it for a moment, then turned to him in shock.


    "This is not a space ring."

 Chapter 70 - Ambrosia

    <h4>Chapter 70 - Ambrosia</h4>


    "This is not a space ring." Sarah gasped.


    "What?" Varian almost pped himself.


    ''I should really join another course.''


    She inspected the red ring. Its band was made of a resilient alloy. The center stone on the ring was a grey stone.


    It was a spacort.


    The reason Varian mistook it for space ring was because many space rings were also built with spacorts as their center stone by inscribing arrays on them.


    However,


    "This array is not space ring''s array. It''s something entirely different." Sarah concluded.


    ''Alright. Another general knowledge course on space star treasures and arrays.'' Varian squeezed a smile.


    He should''ve really not neglected his knowledge reserves. He was fighting all the time.


    Sarah looked at his silence and understood. "Don''t worry, even second years can get this wrong."


    "Yeah." Then his interest was piqued. "What is it then?"


    "If I''m not wrong, it looks like an entrance pass¡­?" Sarah observed the arrays and tapped her chin.


    "There are some ces in Ruins that need special keys. They had simr arrays... these designs kinda match." She exined.


    "You mean?" Varian''s eyes widened.


    "I think so." Sarah nodded.


    "A breakthrough in the mission." Varian pumped his fist in excitement.


    Their original mission was to find the traces of Abyssals. They sure found out a few Abyssals, but it wouldn''t work if they can''t find at least air.


    ording to Varian, there must be Abyssal hideouts all over the Dungeon. These hideouts couldn''t be found by normal means. In that respect, they were just like special locations.


    So if they want to enter these hideouts and wipe out the Abyssals, they''d need a corresponding entrance or at least a key.


    Such a key must exist. If there was no such key, then Abyssals wouldn''t be able to return to theirirs.


    This space ring lookalike was the key!


    "So he was sure that I''d die from the explosion and he wanted the key back." Sarah concluded.


    "I guess." Varian nodded. Then he rubbed his hands. "Can you locate the Abyss''s hideouts with that thing?"


    Sarah twirled her hair. "I don''t know how to use this either."


    "..." Varian was speechless.


    "Well, we can always ask Crimson. Telepath guys are better at this stuff." She nodded seriously. A bit too much, in fact.


    ''Why do I feel like she''s trying to cover up her shoring?'' He found it hrious but decided to go along.


    "Alright." Varian looked at the sky and sighed. It should''ve been evening. But the Dungeon had no day and night.


    "My senses can detect magic beasts from a distance. You can just meditate." She said and gave him a space ring.


    In it were a few dozen aura crystals.


    ''Richdy!'' Varian was shocked.


    He wanted to return them, but Sarah refused. "That''s my gift."


    "Thanks then." Varian shrugged.


    He took out an aura crystal and started meditating.


    Sarah went to her teammates and took out a few vials. They held expensive medicine. She administered the medicine to the four and took one herself.


    They''d healpletely within an hour. And heal they did.


    "Um."


    "Still alive?"


    "What happened?"


    "Is this hell?"


    They woke up one by one. They were back to their peak and looked nothing like guys who were just beaten to death.


    Sarah exined to them the situation. Their look at Varian varied from respect to gratitude.


    "Thank you." They said sincerely.


    "I searched for your info when you joined. Seeing your challenge to Charles, I decided you were an arrogant guy." Ivy, the petite girl, said slowly.


    The others coughed slightly. They too had simr opinions.


    "I-I changed my opinion. Even though your challenge was absurd, you''re a reliable teammate. Any level 2 would''ve escaped when things turned dire." She looked into his eyes with sincerity.


    "I was pissed at letting you into the team. But if it weren''t for you, we''d be dead." Luca said in his deep voice.


    "I don''t like people who boast. So I had a bad impression after reading you said you''d beat Charles." Crimson scratched his chin. "But we all boast sometimes. Your actions gain my approval."


    "Who knows! He might find Ambrosia and really beat Charles." Olivia giggled.


    "Now that is more unlikely than Ivy getting a big bust." Crimsonughed.


    "You bet." Luca joined.


    The air turned silent.


    "You guys¡­" a cold voice sounded.


    They slowly turned back to see Ivy looking at them with a ''peaceful smile''.


    Her body was still petite. Her chest was still an unregistered airport runway. But her eyes¡­ they were not cute anymore.


    They were filled with killing intent.


    "Forgive."


    "It was not me."


    They both prayed, but Ivy transformed into her half-feline form and rushed at them.


    "Save¡­"


    "Mom, please stop."


    "You should''ve kept your tongue in check." She raised her w.


    Varian silently distanced himself from the scene and exited the cave. Behind him, Olivia and Sarah followed, just as silently and even more professionally.


    Olivia wiped out sweat from her forehead and said, "They''re really courting death."


    "t is justice."


    "t is justice."


    From the cave sounded the peace song.


    Varian nced at Olivia and Sarah before turning away. They were anything but t.


    "Do you agree that t is justice?" Olivia gave a ''serene'' smile.


    "Y-yeah!" Varian nodded.


    Olivia and Sarah looked at him strangely.


    He caught the hint and yelled. "Oppai is life."


    They nodded with a satisfied expression of ''You can still be saved.''


    They looked at each other, and they allughed.


    "Hahaha"


    "Seriously, we used to do this in our school days. But even now? I guess a part of us is still childish." Olivia said, clutching her stomach. Sheughed the hardest.


    "I forgot who still sleeps with a teddy." Sarah snickered.


    Olivia flushed and red at Varian.


    Varian was already sky gazing and said, "My ears were not working since the fight."


    "Take my blessings and find ambrosia." Olivia chortled.


    Varian rolled his eyes.


    Ambrosia. An almost mythical liquid.


    Due to the constant deaths of magic beasts, there will be an umtion of beast cores in any dungeon.


    These umted cores, by coincidence and luck, fuse together to form precious drops of liquid. The higher the Dungeon level, the rarer it is.


    ''Ambrosia¡­ there are legends.''


    ''A single drop of Ambrosia and your fate will change.'' Varian sighed inwardly.


    ''That''d be too big of an opportunity.'' He thought and a realization struck him. Then, he started to sweat buckets.


    "Varian, are you alright?" Sarah asked with concern.


    A level 2 Body Awakener shouldn''t sweat for no reason, right?


    "I-I''m fine." Varian put out his well practiced ''I''m dying inside but I can smile outside'' smile.


    In his mind, he was screaming.


    ''System! You evil system! If I get a danger equivalent to opportunity, then say I get


    Ambrosia, what would be the danger?''


    [Host, if that happens, your survival rate would be less than 0.00001%]


    ''Damn! I need to get out of this Dungeon.'' Varian felt his heart pound as he recalled the dangers he faced.


    He didn''t want Ambrosia. He only wanted to live. And if he could, beat this system to death one day.


    Right when Varian was debating on ending the mission, Crimson, Luca and Ivy came out.


    Crimson and Luca changed into new clothes, but there were still scratches on their arms. Ivy walked out with a smug smile.


    Of course, they were all very light injuries.


    "Sup?" Crimson asked.


    Sarah showed him the ''Not space ring'' and asked him to check it out.


    Crimson nodded and extended his mental power.


    A Telekic''s mental power would act on objects. A Telepath''s mental power would act on minds.


    Thus, a telekic was very sensitive to objects.


    Crimson immersed himself in exploring every nook and corner of the object.


    Everyone stayed silent while he focused.


    A few minutester, he opened his eyes.


    His face had a big smile, and he pointed to the object, "Check this out." and swiped it.

 Chapter 71 - Hideouts

    <h4>Chapter 71 - Hideouts</h4>


    The red ring thingy gave off a bright light and projected a hologram.


    It was different from the technological holograms Varian had seen. This hologram had a foreign aesthetic and a truly fey style.


    It wasn''t formed by human technology, it was the product of something parallel. Abyssals''s version of technology.


    Varian focused on the hologram.


    It disyed theplete map of the Virgin Dungeon. It was simr to the map in the adventurer''s guide, but much more detailed.


    There were several red dots spread across the map.


    "This¡­" Luca looked at his teammates in confusion.


    Ivy nudged him and said, "The hide outs of Abyssals."


    "There are too many." Crimson shrugged.


    "What do we do now?" Varian asked Sarah.


    Everyone turned to her.


    Sarah focused on the hologram map for a while and answered, "First, I think this map is iplete."


    ''Huh?'' Varian was confused, along with everyone.


    Sarah noticed their confusion and exined, "The mission you received is ''Find Traces of Abyssals in Dungeon''. My mission is to find ''Cross Tunneling Formation'' and destroy it. If possible, capture it. "


    "What is Cross Tunnel Formation?" Luca scratched his head.


    "Cross Tunneling Formations, CTF, allow transfer of Abyssals directly from Abyss to Dungeons." Ivy clutched her forehead and red at him.


    "If you didn''t get it yet, there should be two CTFs for any travel. One in Abyss, one here."


    "Learn some important stuff. Don''t just fight all day." The petite girl red at the bulky boy and he obediently nodded.


    Varian almost coughed out blood. ''Are you telling him or are you telling me?''


    At the same time, he concluded, ''Abyssals appeared in the open during my Dungeon visit. That means a CTF can allow them to set the destination to any ce from CTF within a certain range.''


    Sarah shrugged and continued, "So anyway, ording to intel, CTFs are rare. Or they would''ve used it in wars. It must have some restrictions we are not yet are of. With the Abyssal''s style, there must be a head quarter of sorts in the dungeon. It should hold CTF."


    She pointed to the hologram. "All locations are graded equally. Abyssals are a race that attaches great importance to their appearance by functionality. So if it''s a hideout holding CTF, it must be marked differently."


    Varia nodded along with others.


    Every Abyssal essentially had a mark on them, depending on their level. One would expect them to follow the same in other things. It was a cultural thing.


    "Coming to your question," Sarah tapped on the map and erged a pointer on the map showing their current location, "We''ll storm the closest hideout."


    Crimson closed his eyes and said "It''s only a few km away."


    "But wouldn''t this alert other hideouts?" Olivia asked, worried.


    "If they have regrmunication between hideouts, which I am sure they do, it will indeed alert them." Sarah nodded.


    "Then¡­"


    "We have no choice. There are dozens of hideouts. We can''t take down all of them at once." Sarah shook her head.


    "Let''s just hope themunication between them takes ce between fixed intervals. That''d be the best scenario where we can end one hideout before they can alert others. Then continue to take down others."


    She sighed. "The worst case is our attack on first hideout alters everyone. Then we''ll have a hard time."


    There was silence. They didn''t know what was the ground reality.


    "Either way, we have to move fast." Varian added.


    Everyone took a deep breath.


    Crimson held the locator and acted as a guide.


    Sarah waved her hand and a soft sphere of water appeared under her and Varian. The water wriggled and two handles rose.


    "Hold on tight." Sarahughed.


    "Whoaah! " Varian felt the world spin as he grabbed the handles for dear life.


    Everything in front of him moved in fast forward. It was simr to watching a video 2x, but now instead it was 10x.


    Thankfully, a water film covered him and protected him from the wind''s friction.


    Then, all of a sudden, Varian felt they crossed a barrier.


    ''It''s the secret location.''


    Every secret location was hidden by some sort of barrier. It could only be entered from an ''entrance''. However, it could be exited normally.


    ''I hope I don''t die by the time they reach the hideout.'' Varian felt his head spin as he clutched onto the handles harder.


    It was barely a few seconds, but he felt like he was standing for hours.


    He turned to Sarah. She looked perfectly fine.


    Ivy and Luca were sprinting, almost leaving after images.


    Crimson was a few feet above the ground as he used his telekic powers to propel himself forward. He used his mental power to adjust his body to travel.


    Olivia used soil to make a slide of sorts.


    All in all, no one showed difort.


    ''But how is Olivia coping? Elementals aren''t supposed to have a strong physique.'' Varian wondered and observed her.


    Then he saw a brown hue all surrounding her body. It was her Earth mana. Somehow, it seemed to be able to allow her to take the physical stress of high-speed travel.


    ''Learn some important stuff. Don''t just fight all day.'' Ivy''s words rang in his mind and Varian nodded involuntarily.


    Their speed raised dust into the air, the shock waves destroyed everything in their and around their path.


    ''So this is their true speed. The first time, they were going slow.'' Varian sighed and was about to turn his head.


    "Scrreech"


    They came to a halt in a moment, and Varian was almost thrown off. Thankfully, water hands emerged and held him tight.


    He hurriedly descended the water ride and took deep breaths. He was a few seconds short of throwing up.


    Sarah snapped her fingers and the water rides disappeared.


    She looked at Varian, and he shook his head. "I''m fine. Mission is the most important."


    She nodded with a bright smile. "That''s the spirit."


    Varian adjusted himself and looked at the hologram map. They were at the doorstep.


    "We''re just outside." Ivy said.


    "Here''s the thing." Crimson pointed to the red ring in his hand. It started to glow.


    "Ahead of of us is the entrance. You can only go in with the ring. Think of it like a special door, and this ring is the key." He exined.


    "Hold me and we''ll enter." And they did.


    Varian felt a force encircling his body, and he slowly floated. The same was the case with the others.


    Crimson was holding them up with his mental power and controlling everyone.


    As they were in direct contact with him, he took a step ahead.


    The world in front rippled like it was water.


    Then Varian saw it.


    The Abyssal hideout!

 Chapter 72 - First Hideout

    <h4>Chapter 72 - First Hideout</h4>


    A red building appeared in the distance. There were a fourteen Abyssals patrolling the perimeter.


    One of the patrollers spotted them, but before he could make a sound, Olivia pointed her finger at him and


    "hh"


    An earth spike shot from under him and pierced through his head.


    The other Abyssals on patrol were alerted by the sound and were about to turn.


    "Shaa"


    Before they could, the earth spikes under them reaped their lives. Olivia''s earth powers proved themselves.


    Their bodies slowly copsed, but they didn''t crash onto the ground but smoothlynded with minimal sound. Crimson''s telekic power was handy.


    A water film covered the area of patrollers, ensuring the sound inside didn''t go out. Sarah''s water powers were versatile. `


    All this was done in a second.


    ''Hiss!'' Varian sucked in a cold breath.


    The seamless cooperation between them and their individual strength showed him how high and higher he could go.


    If only Level 5s and 6s were this strong, how strong would a Level 9 be?


    How strong would the Sovereign be?


    Sarah signalled to them, and the next second, everyone except Varian and Ivy disappeared into the building.


    Ivy said, "Captain said they''ll check out the hideout. I''ll stay out to keep watch."


    Varian nodded. He knew she was lying.


    She stayed out to protect him. But she didn''t reveal it. Perhaps she was trying not to make it sound like he was a burden.


    ''Mr. Seth...you know some nice people.''


    He kept the gratitude in his heart and observed the Abyssals.


    They were only Level 2.


    "Huh?" He was confused for a moment before pping in realization.


    "Hm?" Ivy tilted her head and looked at him in curiosity, her twin tails bouncing with her.


    "I entered the Dungeon 3 weeks ago. Then I encountered Abyssals. They were all Level 2." Varian exined.


    "I think the majority of hideouts will have only weaker Abyssals. The ones that tried to assassinate you guys, they must havee here only for the task."


    Ivy thought for a moment. "But it''ll be different for CTF."


    Varian nodded. "Maybe you can expect a Level 6 guarding it. Level 7 is too rare for that, right?"


    He didn''t know howmon they were. Ivy did.


    She looked amused at his question and said. "Varian, a Level 7 Abyssal is either a new Abyss Prince or Princess. They''re only below veteran princes, Abyss Archdukes and Abyss King. They''re only a few dozen of them for each Abyss."


    Varian was a bit embarrassed.


    Earth had many low level Dungeons. Even if only one per Dungeon, Demon Abyss simply wouldn''t have enough Abyss Princes and princesses to send out.


    Besides, how could a Prince be assigned to guard a low level dungeon?


    Varian and Ivy waited, even though it was barely a minute.


    "Advance to Level 3 and, if possible, Level 4 by the end of the year." Ivy suddenly said.


    Varian looked at her in confusion.


    "Charles will graduate in a year. Captain and we will be in our final year." She exined.


    "Captain...is in Level 6 currently. But she hasn''t reached the peak of the level yet. Once she does, she is set for the throne."


    Varian was surprised.


    "So, like they said, unless you find ambrosia, you can''t take the throne in your first two years. But...you can do it in your third year." She gave him a thumbs up.


    "Yeah." Varian nodded awkwardly, a bit new to this ''encouragement''.


    She tiptoed and patted his shoulder. "Work hard, junior. I''ll be watching you after I graduate."


    Ivy somehow reminded him of Sia.


    ''But Sia would say... I believe you can do it this year, right?'' He wondered.


    "Cleared." Sarah and others appeared in front of them in the next second.


    "Ivy, are you really the one encouraging?" Crimson looked at her with a surprised expression.


    "S-shut up!" Ivy yelled at him. Her face was flushed.


    "What did you find?" Varian asked, ignoring the banter.


    Instead of answering him, Sarah snapped her fingers.


    Boom!


    Bang!


    The building copsed as each of the walls unfolded like a blooming flower.


    Varian went ahead and observed the so called hide out.


    Other than the low fortifications, there were around twenty Abyssal corpses.


    ''One peak level 2, rest are all level normal 2.'' He concluded and observed the ruins.


    He found nothing of interest except for a cuboidal device. It was simr to ''TV'' of old earth.


    However, its screen was broken.


    Sarah appeared beside him and pointed to the cuboidal device. "This is formunication. They''ll know their targets and act ordingly."


    It made sense. The prime objective of the hideouts was to assassinate geniuses. For a low dungeon, level 2s were good enough assassins.


    A bracelet appeared in Sarah''s hand. "The leader tried to inform with this at the final moment, but I cut him off."


    "Anything about the headquarters?" He asked.


    She shook her head. "Nope."


    Then she added, "I have to conclude one thing about hideouts. One more test will do."


    In a few minutes, the second hideout was cleared.


    Varian looked at the copsed building and sighed. The Deja vu hit him hard.


    It too had only Level 2 Abyssals.


    The only reason they took several minutes was to search the entire building. As expected, they found nothing.


    "Since we interrupted the heads of hideouts from sending final message, the headquarters might not know about our actions yet." Sarah said to the team.


    "When they tried to send the final message, these Abyssals looked like they wanted revenge. That also confirms the headquarters exist."


    Indeed, if every hideout was like this one, then no revenge was possible. So there must be a stronger hideout.


    "Even though we covered it up till now, we don''t know when the headquarters will be alerted. We haven''t found its traces either. So our n is¡ª"


    She pointed to the map. "Take down as many hideouts as possible."


    Two hideouts were marked off. But that was only a drop in the bucket.


    Ivy gave everyone a few bracelets. Unlike the rings, these bracelets could be activated by them and they''d be able to enter the hideouts with ease.


    "Ivy, Luca, you take this part." Sarah allocated them a section of the map.


    "Olivia, you... and Crimson, cover this area." She finished and pointed to the final section. "I''ll take this."


    "Alright." Everyone said. Except Varian.


    "I want to hunt a hideout by myself."


    They turned to him in surprise. Obviously, they didn''t expect him to say that.


    Sarah said. "You''re still only a Level 2. Take it easy."


    "It''s Level 2s. I can manage. Besides, even if I can''t win, I can always escape. I just want to do it alone." He insisted.


    She thought for a moment and nodded. "Fine. You can pick a nearby hideout. I''ll takeaway their bracelets and leave."


    This way, they''d not be able to send the emergency signal.


    "Inform us if you''re in trouble." Olivia said.


    "Thanks." Varian said.


    After a few minutes, he found himself in front of a hideout, alone.


    Sarah just left, taking away the bracelets. This provoked the Abyssals, and they rushed out of the building.


    {Body path Level 2: 120/200


    Space Path Level 1: 100/100}


    "Now then, how strong did I get?"

 Chapter 73 - Space And Body Powers

    <h4>Chapter 73 - Space And Body Powers</h4>


    The Abyssals rushed out of the hideout and found Varian.


    They were still scared and enraged of the one who took away theirmunication bracelets.


    However, seeing only a human who exuded the aura of Level 2, they bared their fangs.


    Around 20 Abyssals, all at Level 2 dashed at him.


    Except for the elites of the first year in Level 3, any other team would''ve only one result facing this group of fiends. Death without an intact corpse.


    "Too bad, you''re facing me." Varian equipped a sword in his left hand and a gauntlet in his right as he waited for the Abyssals to close the distance.


    And close they did.


    "How dare she steal ourms?"


    "Our headquarters will ughter that bitch."


    "We''ll take your life."


    They roared and leapt at Varian.


    Since they were 20 of them, only five leapt at him, while the others formed an encirclement.


    Varian checked hism once. Before they left, they agreed to share their location in case of emergencies.


    At the moment, everyone was away from him. The closest was Sarah, even she was a dozen kms away.


    "Now''s my chance." Varian''s usually calm face was stered with an excited smile.


    The moment Abyssals who leapt at him, he channeled his space power.


    Boom!


    Screech!


    Reeey!


    The fists, swords and cubs all missed their target as Varian simply disappeared.


    "What?!"


    The Abyssals were bewildered at his sudden disappearance and it took a moment for them to realize he was a Space Awakener.


    "Behind you!"


    An Abyssal suddenly yelled and the others looked at the pointed direction.


    Thud.


    A bright light shed and a head rolled down the ground.


    Splussh!


    The green blood splurted like a foundation out of the severed neck.


    "Fall back!" The captain of the troops, a peak level 2 ordered.


    Varian merely smiled at him and channeled his space power.


    He could feel the space around him roughly and the space sense told him where each Abyssal was.


    It was like a special map opened up in his mind. It was built through the lens of space.


    The 19 Abyssals hurried to make a distance and form a defensive formation.


    They were still in his space sense''s range.


    "You." Varian uttered and his space sense locked the space coordinates behind one of the Abyssal.


    The Abyssal held a heavy shield and was a suitable early prey.


    The next moment, Varian felt the space power in his body click and he appeared at his locked location.


    The Abyssal had better instincts and instinctively pushed the shield behind him, guarding his neck and heart areas.


    Instead of his sword, Varian''s fist in gauntlet greeted the shield.


    Thaap!


    The shield shook and a small opening appeared at the neck region.


    Shua!


    Varian''s sword slit the Abyssal''s throat and made another blood fountain.


    "Anti-Teleporter Defense formation! Gather closely idiots! Give him no time and space." The captain ordered.


    Instead of fighting him, the Abyssals grouped together into two circles.


    One circle was looking outward. The other was looking inward.


    This way, he''d not be able to attack any Abyssal from behind.


    Besides, the Abyssals in outer circle have their backs against the ones in Inner circle.


    This ensured Varian could not teleport between them either.


    The n was that without the surprise element, they could easily overwhelm him in a frontalbat with their superior senses and reaction speed.


    They were wrong about one thing.


    Shiii¡­.


    The wind whistled as it was pierced by something sharp.


    The Abyssals in inner circle all noticed Varian the moment he teleported teleported inside.


    However, his sword descended at an insane pace for a Space Awakener and his target couldn''t react in time.


    Thud


    Sssh


    Another head rolled on the ground and only then did the Abyssal captain realize something.


    "D-Dual Awakener."


    Varian was both a Space and a Body Awakener. If he was only a Space Awakener, Abyssals'' tactics would''ve worked.


    If a Level 2 Space Awakener teleported into their formation, reasonably, he''d try to freeze the space around his target and slit his throat.


    This way, he couldpensate his slow reaction speed.


    But with the formation in ce, the remaining Abyssals would attack the Space Awakener before his attack could reach his target.


    This was possible due to the faster movements and reaction speed of a Body Awakener.


    This formation ensured was tested over many Space Awakeners'' teleportation tactics and proved itself, even garnering the name of ''Anti-Teleportation formation''.


    But when the teleporter was as fast as them, this formation was useless.


    ''This is the true power of multiple divine paths.'' Varian smiled and locked another


    target.


    "Get closer!"


    The Abyss captain yelled and they drew close. This way, if the attacker teleported inside, he would be at their arm''s reach.


    ''Very well'' Varian squinted his eyes and used his space sense.


    ''These two Abyssals in the outer formation, they are tense and ncing inward.'' Varian spotted them with his space sense and locked his next target.


    Shuaa


    "Cough"


    "Cough"


    The two abyssals clutched their necks as they gurgled and coughed. The precise cut pushed them to the point of no return.


    Plop!


    Plop!


    They copsed to their knees as they tried to breathe and in the end, ended their life with a resentful gaze.


    "You bastard!" An Abyssal yelled.


    "Fight us square."


    "Pitiful coward."


    One by one, they tried to provoke him by name calling. The Abyssal captain, who signalled it silently assessed the situation.


    If the other party took the bait and attacked the Abyssals provoking him, he''d be able tond a hit on the human.


    One hit and he was confident to bring him down.


    Contrary to their expectations, Varian''s chilling voice resounded in the air.


    "Lemme clear the field and then we''ll have a one one one."


    The next few minutes were the absolute nightmare of the Abyssal captain.


    Thud


    Thud


    Thud


    One by one, twelve more of his brethren copsed. Only three remained.


    "No!" His eyes turned bloodshot as he red at the human in the distance.


    He disappeared once and a blinding light shed at one of the Abyssal before he disappeared again. Only two remained.


    ''Only I can react to his speed.'' The Abyssal captain knew.


    Now only the captain and his aide were remaining. Instead of flying into rage, the captain was calm.


    ''I will avenge my brothers. Your skull shall be sent to their home.'' He looked at Varian and vowed inside.


    The other Abyssal stuck close to him. Should Varian attack that guy, then he would use his peak Level 2 speed to block Varian.


    The worst Varian could do is to attack him.


    He was a peak Level 2 and was confident in not only blocking but also countering Varian should he be the one subjected to sneak attack.


    ''Now, what will you choose?'' A grim, bloodthirsty smile appeared on the captain.

 Chapter 74 - Unique Advantage [Bonus ]

    <h4>Chapter 74 - Unique Advantage [Bonus ]</h4>


    Varian smirked and channeled his space power.


    ''I am itching for an intense fight, anyway.'' He locked the space around the Abyssal beside the captain and teleported.


    The world blinked out of existence and after an almost negligible vision of darkness, Varian found himself in front of the Abyssal.


    Right when he appeared, the Abyssal captain''s ears perked up, and he swiftly turned.


    Varian threw a punch and as expected, another fist greeted his.


    Boom!


    Varian was pushed back, and he slid, raising dust.


    [+10 Xp


    Body Path Level 2: 130/200]


    The chi in his body boiled and roared. A few aura stones in his space ring were taken by the system and the chi slowly rose and consolidated.


    Varian felt a slight surge in his strength, speed, regeneration and all other physical stats. However, he kept his cool and didn''t show any increase in strength.


    "You''re not even a peak Level 2. Dammit!" The Abyssal captain retracted his fist and eximed.


    "Why should I be?" Varian grinned.


    His space path was still a Level 1, so his space power reserves were limited. He already used it quite a bit in the fight. The remaining wouldn''t be enough to splurge against a peak Level 2.


    However, at critical times, it could be used.


    ''Teleportation isn''t the only power a Space Awakener has.''


    "Die!" The Abyssal captain roared.


    Varian chuckled lightly and rushed to his enemies.


    The Abyssals reacted and took an aggressive stance, ready to counterattack.


    Varian closed the distance and swung his fist.


    The Abyssal captain and his aide, counterattacked.


    Their eyes were gloating. With the body powers Varian showed, he''d be severely injured once he takes their attacks.


    Right when the attacks were about to connect, Varian disappeared.


    And...


    Boom!


    Boom!


    He appeared on the side. His momentum pushed him and he directed the punch at the aide.


    At the same time, captain reacted and punched at Varian, which Varian forcefully blocked with his elbow.


    As a result, the Abyssal was blown away coughing blood. There were crackling sounds of bone breaking and he copsed on the ground.


    Taking the captain''s punch, Varian was sted into the air. Before he could teleport, another punch followed and Varian could only punch back.


    Boom!


    "Grhh" Varian grimaced as he felt his arm tremble. His shoulder almost dislocated from the impact.


    "I''m stronger than you. You can never win." The Abyssal captain yelled and raised his arm.


    Varian teleported right then.


    The captain didn''t look surprised and rushed back to the copsed Abyssal.


    Just then, Varian appeared, and his sword was about to pierce the neck of the injured one.


    The captain gave it his all and leapt at Varian. His hand formed a w aimed at Varian''s neck. One swipe and he''d be done.


    "Tsk." Varian cursed and blocked his neck with his fist.


    ''Your hand won''t be able to stop me¡­'' The captain grinned and his w was about to smash through Varian''s hand.


    Right then, the space around solidified and the Abyssal captain staggered a little.


    Shuaa!


    The sound of a metal cutting through flesh sounded clearly and fresh green blood sttered on the captain''s face.


    At the same moment, his w broke through the solid space and attacked Varian.


    Boom!


    "Argh"


    The w broke his hand bones and reached his neck.


    "Huh?"


    But all it caught was empty air.


    Varian teleported at the moment.


    ''Just one more teleportation left.'' The corner of his mouth twitched.


    The captain saw that his aide was still alive. His attack moved Varian''s sword and instead of his neck, it pierced his chest. But he was seriously injured and couldn''t help him in the battle.


    ''I''ll at least save you.''


    The fight continued, and Varian took less risky moves.


    ''He''s not using space powers anymore!'' The captain was quick to realise and gave the right order.


    "Haha! You''re out of space power." He roared and bombarded his opponent with ruthless attacks.


    Varian found it hard to defend himself by just relying on his physical stats.


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    He blocked the punches from the front and dodged the kick from the back.


    The attacks were relentless and were aimed at him with everything they got.


    Punches. Kicks. Even trying to bite.


    Varian gradually fell into a passive position where he only defended.


    "Aren''t you arrogant? Where is it now?" The Abyssal captain yelled as he punched at Varian''s face.


    Varian slightly shifted his face and dodged the punch. Sweat was rolling down his forehead, and he was panting.


    "I''ll tear apart your bones one by one. You''ll have the worst death." The captain growled and kicked at his groin.


    Varian swirled to the side and raised his hand covering his face.


    Boom!


    Another fist aimed for his face and he forcibly blocked it.


    The result was the bloodied arm turning bloodier.


    "All my brothers...you dammit!" The captain snarled and rushed at Varian.


    As he rushed towards the enemy that killed all his brothers, he seemed to hear his dead brethren cheering him from the side.


    "Take him down captain!"


    "Avenge our brothers!"


    "Break that creature''s every bone! Skin him! Roast him!"


    They yelled passionately.


    The Abyssal captain was slowly turning more and more enraged.


    ''Finally¡­'' Varian positioned himself with caution.


    He killed almost twenty Abyssals in a very short period of time and it fatigued him. In the situation, fighting a peak level 2 was seeking death.


    ''But¡­'' His eyes shone with confidence and he countered the iing punches with his own.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    With each block, the differential in their absolute strength allowed the captain to injure Varian.


    The only surviving abyssal beside the captain, was looking at the fight as the blood slowly leaked out from his chest.


    In his eyes there was no pain, only a fanatic desire to see the human''s death.


    Varian stumbled back as the Abyssal captain''s kicked through his elbow, and broke his ribs.


    One more kick at the same ce and his lungs would burst.


    The same could be said for his left shoulder. One more block and it''ll be crippled. In his situation, it meant instant death.


    "Is that it?" The captainughed and gave a casual punch.


    Boom!


    Varian blocked it with his hands, and with it, he copsed onto the ground.


    He tried to move, but the captain kicked him. Varian slightly adjusted his position so that instead of taking the kick to his spine, he took it to the side.


    As the kick connected, he groaned in pain and curled up.


    His eyes however were emotionless.


    ''Closer...closer...closer¡­'' Varian was facing down, but his space sense covered his surroundings.


    The captain gave a few more kicks and Varian ''curled'' in pain again. But each time, he cleverly avoided the vital positions that''d affect hisbat power.


    His injuries were still serious, but hisbat power didn''t drop much.


    The captain looked at powerless Varian copsed on the ground.


    With the strength he showed since the beginning of the fight, the captain was surprised Varian managed to hold on till now.


    But that was it. With the injuries inflicted upon him, Varian was incapacitated.


    ''Is Aju still alive?'' He turned to the side to check the surviving Abyssal.


    Usually, he should''ve also focused on his enemy, but with his experience, he knew he already won.


    There was no way someone at Varian''s level would be able to even move now.


    He could''ve been right.


    Only if that person wasn''t Varian.


    Shuaa!


    The Abyssal captain felt his hair stand up and his instincts scream. But he was in a rxed position and his reaction was a bit toote.


    A sword pierced his neck, and he looked at the bloodied human in horror.


    He still had space power? Then why didn''t he use it?


    How was he moving after taking so many hits?


    "Sucks to be you." Varian grinned through his bloody teeth.


    "Captain!" the injured abyssal yelled.


    "You son of a ¡ª" A sword plunged into his throat and ended his life.


    As he died, the dominant emotion in his eyes was neither rage nor fear, but shock.


    How was this guy still able to fight? He should be lying down from those injuries, dammit!


    The answer was the advantage unique to Varian.


    It was the shing blue screen in front of Varian. Unfortunately, he couldn''t see it.


    [+10 Xp


    +10 Xp


    +10 Xp


    Body path Level 2: 160/200]


    Even though progress in body path didn''t instantly heal him, it increased his stats just enough to have a final bout.


    Before and after the fight, his Xp changed from 120 to 160.


    That increased his overall stats from 34% Greater Human to 37% Greater Human.


    Even though it might seem like a mere 3% increase in reference to Greater Human, whenpared to the Varian before his fight, the Varian now was almost 9% stronger.


    "Haa!"


    Varian copsed on the ground, for real this time.


    He took the medicine Sarah gave him before she left and applied it to himself.


    His injuries were serious, but not fatal. He''d be fine soon.


    ''Killing twenty Abyssals single handedly...not bad.'' He grinned. ''Now the perfect ending is a good slee¡ª''


    Hism buzzed:


    {Varian, we found the headquarters}

 Chapter 75 - Main Hideout

    <h4>Chapter 75 - Main Hideout</h4>


    A stalwart Abyssal stared at the dozens of holograph screens. His cheek had three tattoos. He slowly clenched his fist.


    Bang!


    He mmed the chair he was seated on.


    The entire room, made of precious adamantine, shook. The important files, which at other times would''ve received precious attention, were thrown into the air by the tremors.


    Even the assassination lists of important geniuses, that took much resources, manpower and timeid on the floor like worthless trash.


    "Sir¡­ me this one!" Behind the stalwart Abyssal, a short Abyssal kneeled. He was only 6 feet tall and looked like a childpared to others.


    "No Sir, I failed the mission!" Another Abyssal kneeled beside him and knocked her head to the cold, hard adamantine floor until she started to bleed.


    "Enough." The stalwart Abyssal said and the room once again returned to silence.


    Of course, silence except for the sounds from the holograms.


    ''I cannot exin this to his highness.'' The Abyssal Duke thought as he gazed at the videos with hatred.


    On one video, a petite girl transformed her hands and legs into a feline creature and ughtered the hide out in seconds. No Abyssal tried to run. However, they were simply powerless against this monster of a human.


    She was merciless and cruel. Her ws dug for their hearts, her kicks broke their spines and her tail strangled their necks.


    On the next hologram, the entire guards were squashed to meat paste by earthen walls. It was a horrible death.


    The Abyss Duke''s nails dug into his palm. He didn''t feel any pain. Only hatred.


    He observed the other hologram. The Abyssals were simply torn apart into two. The bulky young man showed no mercy and tore them apart like he was tearing a piece of paper.


    Drip.


    Drip.


    Drops of pristine green blood sshed onto the floor.


    The Abyss Duke took a deep breath and controlled himself as he watched his entire mission crumble.


    He was in charge of this dungeon. The Demon King personally appointed him.


    If he performed well, he might be graced by a precious herb and breakthrough into level 7.


    From a lowly Duke to a noble Prince. Perhaps, one day, he could even be an Archduke and see his majesty the Emperor himself.


    That was his dream. But now, they were on the verge of copse.


    ''These bugs! Humans! Everyst one of them must be ughtered.'' He vowed.


    As he contemted his options, a famous quote of their emperor rang in his head.


    ''If you want to die, make sure your death is the highest contribution to the Empire. Petty sacrifices are only done by cowards who are scared of facing the hardships. That is not sacrifice, it is suicide.''


    He took a deep breath and weighed his options.


    Suppressing his rage as much as he could, he asked his underlings, "Why did the assassination fail?"


    The female Abyssal answered as her lips quivered, "The location''s recorders were destroyed during the fight. But we can conclude that Sarah somehow escaped the final bombing. Or she killed everyone before letting them close."


    She clicked on her bracelet, and a video started ying.


    It disyed Varian''s team since they entered the Dungeon. Their every move was captured.


    Even the assassination attempt in the so-called special location was recorded.


    If any human saw this, they''d shudder in fear.


    Dungeons were always a mystery to humans. They first appeared in 300 YAB out of nowhere.


    However, every Abyssal knew they were the original masters of the Dungeons.


    Dungeons were originally used to hunt lower civilizations, the ones which Abyssals deemed too low to do it themselves.


    Many civilizations which were originally at the level of humanity were destroyed.


    But only humanity rose. And at such a speed that left Abyssals dumfounded.


    However, instead of frightening Abyssals, such a feat only reinforced their information about the Sr System''s secret.


    The Abyss Duke saw Sarah putting on a barrier before the screen went nk.


    "I''m not asking about Sarah. Her death was always a 50-50. But shouldn''t you at least take down these bugs?" He roared, pointing out at the other humans.


    The female Abyssal lowered her head and answered, "The Shadow Order should''ve taken care of them¡­ but there is no response from their side."


    "Damn it! Humans are really worthless. They can''t even kill a bunch of cadets." He cursed and strode back and forth. It was his way of coping with stress.


    "Sir, all the level 5s except us two were sent for the assassination. To face them, we will need reinforcements." The short Abyssal whispered.


    "At any other time, our King would''ve sent them. Not now." The Abyss Duke walked out of the room and through the hallway.


    The short abyssal and female abyssal, his aides and the only remaining level 5s in the base followed.


    "Our king¡­ is in a special period now. If a Sovereign found out, then our Demon Abyss would be in danger." The Abyss Duke whispered.


    "Hiss!"


    The level 5s both sucked in a cold breath and looked at each other.


    They thought of one thing instantly. Their eyes were filled with joy and anticipation.


    ''Ancestor Last light''s remains.''


    This legendary figure was the one who saved their race. If not for him finding the secret of sr system, they would be waiting to die.


    Initially, the Abyssals sent low dungeons to wipe out humanity. But who knew they were able to conquer them instead.


    The elder council, the ultimate decision making body before the rise of Abyss Emperor, was still persuaded by the conservatives and instead of sending Abysses, they send Mid Dungeons.


    To their dismay, instead of being destroyed by the Dungeons, humans found ways to seal up the Dungeon and used it to strengthen themselves.


    The elder council still hadn''t realized their mistake.


    Their deadline was drawing closer and the elder council almost withdrew from the Sr system.


    It was only with the help of the Abyss Emperor, who was still a level Sovereign back then, that they sent High Dungeons.


    Of course, Humans almost mastered those Dungeons too. Too bad for them. By then Abyss Emperor had risen and took charge.


    His highness''s first decision, despite every opposition, was to send the eight Abysses to Sr System.


    With the frontline shifting to Abysses, Dungeons were reduced to a training and resource field.


    Now, after all these years, Abyssals were slowly taking back control of Dungeons.


    All this was part of a grand n.


    "I''ve decided." The Abyss duke entered the central room of the main hideout.


    Inside it was only arge circr array. There were several patterns, runes and materials all weaving together to form a beautiful picture.


    It was the Cross Tunneling Formation.


    Unlike a teleportation formation, a CTF was much cheaper. It also allowed one to teleport anywhere within its range.


    The Abyss Duke didn''t know much about its mechanism, but he knew it was more important than anything else.


    If those nasty humansid their hands on this, they''d quickly figure out the secrets and use their own technology against them.


    The weaklings relied on their technology and got stronger every year.


    In the first Human-Abyssal war, humans were forced to survive in bunkers. But now¡­


    ''Emperor knows more than I do. His majesty should''ve already thought of a solution. I just need to do my own duty.'' He told himself and looked at his aides.


    "Reveal our location to the group." He said.


    "Pardon?"


    "I said reveal head quarter''s location to those stinky bugs."


    "But¡­"


    "I don''t want to repeat myself again."


    "Yes." the female Abyssal answered and used her bracelet.


    Now, the humans would be able to see a muchrger red dot on the map. The headquarters.


    "They''lle for the CTF." The Abyss Duke grinned.


    "But we won''t be able to win the fight." The short Abyssal answered.


    The Abyss Duke shook his head.


    "If we let them be, then they''ll take down all the hideouts." His expression was distressed, and he scurried back to the room.


    "But¡­ if we bring them down, then even at the cost of CTF, we''ll save the rest of hideouts." His lips curled into a savage smile.


    ''Killing five Geniuses and saving the hideouts. As long as the CTF doesn''t fall into their hands, it''s our win.''


    "Can we really kill that monster?" The female Abyssal pointed to a screen.


    Dozens of hide outs were frozen. Dozens more were punched to ruins. The number of hideouts taken down was significantly higher than any other.


    Sarah Albert. Level 6 Dual Awakener.


    In the hologram, Sarah habitually checked the entire hideout for any secret information.


    Nothing. Again.


    ''Just how are we supposed to find the headquarters?''


    ''Besides, how are the Abyssals so¡­ familiar with the Dungeon?'' Sarah cursed under her breath and exited the hideout.


    She realized one thing.


    The hideouts were simr to the special locations. They were naturally present in the Dungeon but were never found.


    ''Dungeons¡­.Abyssals, are they rted?'' She wondered, but would never know the truth.


    As she opened the map to find the next hideout, she noticed the bigger dot.


    After confirming it with others, she informed Varian.


    {Varian, we found the headquarters.}


    But she didn''t know. Everything was under the Abyss Duke''s control.


    "Kill her? I don''t have to kill her. I can¡­" The Abyss Duke''s snickered and a dangerous glint shone in his eyes.

 Chapter 76 - Risk And Fear

    <h4>Chapter 76 - Risk And Fear</h4>


    "Isn''t this too suspicious?" Ivy crossed her arms and looked at the big red dot on the map.


    It screamed ''Notice me!''


    "Yeah. This must be a trap. This isn''t some sort of game where you clear easy maps to unlock the main map!" Crimson also voiced his concerns.


    "I trust captain." Luca shrugged and returned to gazing into the distance in a dramatic pose.


    "Captain, we all want to raid the headquarters. But only if we managed to surprise them. We snatched away themunication devices from the guards and no one sent any signs for help. But all of a sudden, this appeared. It''s like¡­" Olivia bit her lip and struggled to finish.


    "It''s like they''re watching us." Sarah kicked a pebble and muttered.


    The scene fell silent.


    Varian observed from the sidelines and didn''t interfere. The team was bullish about finding the headquarters, but now it was clear the headquarters found them.


    This made his teammates feel like they''ve lost the initiative. They went from being a predator to prey.


    ''Even though no one will admit it, they''re afraid of the assassination again.'' Varian plucked the crescent like petals of a flower and lost himself in thought.


    ''To be honest, they would''ve all died. If I were the Abyssal, then my main goal would be to ensure every level 5 dies. Sarah¡­ without Level 6, killing Sarah is half-effort and half-luck.'' Varian didn''t know his thoughts were on the spot.


    "If we go, we''ll be going straight into their trap." Ivy shook her head.


    "There is likely going to be a second assassination trap." Crimson muttered under his breath, but everyone heard him clearly.


    ''Assasination!''


    They couldn''t forget how theyid in front of the death''s door a few hours ago.


    The team''s morale was hit.


    Even Luca, who initially supported Sarah, was unsettled.


    "If they really can observe our movements in their hideouts, then we''ll be in great danger." Olivia tried to persuade.


    Sarah looked at the team and sighed.


    ''If only her¡­ perhaps she''d be able to convince everyone, right? I might spend all my life chasing her footsteps.''


    "Team Siarah." Sarah said slowly, her voice extremely stern.


    "Yes, captain." Everyone stiffened up and the next moment, stood in a standard military posture.


    "You are not afraid of dying." Sarah started.


    ''Let an opinion sound like a statement.''


    The four young men and women felt understood.


    "You just think this move is too risky. If you step back now and secure your life, the contributions you''ll make in the future will be far more than this measly mission. Am I right?" She looked at each of them in the eye.


    They all nodded.


    Truth be told, they already finished the mission. They raided several Abyss hideouts. Found the bracelets. Now, they even found the location of main hide out.


    They could return. Grow stronger. Then one day, contribute much more. Risking life for this one mission was short sighted.


    Of course, this reasoning seemed logical at first nce. But it was the direct consequence of wanting to avoid death.


    "But you''re backing off too early. We''ll face even more risky and important missions once we are enlisted. Many a time, our lives will be in danger." She said in a deep tone.


    "Then, can use the same reason or should I call excuse? ''I will back off now, wait till I am stronger. Then I can contribute more.'' This excuse will always work. Because it assumes you''ll continue to grow stronger, that you won''t die." Sarah''s voice raised at the end.


    Everyone was dead silent. Ivy was trembling slightly and Crimson was sweating without meaning to. Olivia was pale, and Luca''s body stiffened.


    All their fears were out in the open. They felt naked.


    Indeed, if they ran away every time, then when would they risk? Would they keep growing stronger forever? Was their life so secure to not risk today''s mission for tomorrow''s mission?


    Sarah''s tone softened. "Of course, we shouldn''t charge in recklessly. But we shouldn''t back away from risks. If this is a mission of certain death, I would be the first to stop you."


    "Because of your excuse, you''re unable to see the truth." She smiled confidently.


    "Huh?" Everyone was confused. What truth? Wasn''t this an excessively dangerous mission?


    They all subconsciously regarded this as a mission with a death rate of 99%.


    Except Varian.


    He sighed inwardly. ''She will be General one day if she doesn''t die. If she was not a dual awakener, she might even aim for a Sovereign...s.''


    "What truth?" Olivia asked.


    "We checked the entire hideout and cut off the only source ofmunication between hideout and head quarter."


    "Yes?"


    "So if Abyssals were to know, then they must be monitoring the hideouts or they must be having a link to each hideout."


    The team was still perplexed.


    Sarah groaned in frustration and saw Varian plucking flowers in the distance.


    This fellow said his strength doesn''t matter and was enjoying himself!


    She felt itchy and called him. "Varian, answer."


    Varian was surprised by the sudden limelight, but replied withposure.


    "Since we can agree Abyssals are indeed watching the hideouts, then, ording to them, around 5 hideouts were taken down every few minutes.


    The distance between each hideout is significant. So the Abyssals will know you guys were spread out. If they have a better surveince, they will also know which person is raiding which hideout and thus, their potential next target."


    Ahh!


    They finally knew why Sarah was confident.


    "Even if they don''t have a clear surveince, they''ll be able to tell captain apart from the speed at which she takes down hideouts." Varian sighed.


    "Then the best bet would be to concentrate their forces, take you down one by one. As simple as that." He smiled naturally.


    But his four teammates felt the chills. Then immediately, they realized something and Varian continued.


    "They didn''t do it. If they had enough forces, they certainly would." He took a breath.


    "Another possibility was that they weren''t sure of taking down the captain that way. If any of you dies, the captain would go into a rage and destroy all hideouts much quickly."


    Sarah looked at him in appreciation. ''He can stay calm headed now. A rare quality.''


    She was about to persuade the team, but Varian still continued¡ª


    "However, since they revealed their location, they must be confident. It''s risky nheless, but not as bad as you thought."


    The corner of Sarah''s mouth twitched. ''Let me finish at least.''


    Varian nodded at the grateful Sarah and went back to plucking flower petals.


    He''d do this after grueling practice in the past. What a weird habit.


    "I believe they''re also taking risks. If we leave now, they might even move the headquarters and even tamper with the bracelets. That way, we''ll lose all hideouts." Sarahid out the losses.


    "They might as well be faking it, expecting us to back down. We''ll just probe. If the situation is unfavorable. We''ll return." She announced.


    "Besides, they had no level 6 in the assassins. If we proceed with caution, we can defeat or escape in case there is a Level 6 in the headquarters." She smirked.


    "If there are only Level 5s¡­" Sarah''s eyes turned cold. "This dungeon will be freed from Abyssals."


    As they were about to take off, Sarah turned to Varian. "You stay as far away as possible."


    Varian gave her a thumbs up. "I won''t join even if you ask me to."


    Poor him, fate had something else in n.

 Chapter 77 - Storming The Main Hideout [Bonus ]

    <h4>Chapter 77 - Storming The Main Hideout [Bonus ]</h4>


    Sarah and team stood in front of a valley. Behind them were the corpses of hundreds of level 3 magic beasts.


    Their location was currently in the core area of the Dungeon.


    "Remember, we''ll only probe. Crimson, check for any signs of explosives." Sarahmanded.


    Crimson nodded.


    He would be able to check explosives on any individual if he probed deeply.


    "Let''s go."


    Varian stood a few km away. He observed them entering and hoped things would go well.


    He didn''t know why, his heart was throbbing intensely.


    ''System¡­ what will happen?'' He whispered.


    [This System does not know. It only knows you are the first host of the System. Be thest.]


    The sincere reply caught him off guard.


    ''Are you really my well-wisher?''


    He sighed and gazed into the distance.


    He could only see the yellow valleys and the littered corpses. The hideout is a separate space, after all.


    The main hide out was eerily silent at this moment. There was not a single Abyssal in sight.


    The big ck building that used to be bustling and directing the entire dungeon now looked dead.


    This was the sight that greeted Sarah''s team.


    They were on high alert and ready to fallback at a moment''s notice.


    However, the surroundings were still. It was as if time was frozen.


    Sarah signaled, and Crimson spread out his mental power. Even though the senses of a Body Awakener could see farther, they could not sense the surroundings with such fine detail.


    He stretched his mental power from him and all the way around the building.


    He held his breath and tried to probe inside the building.


    Boom!


    It was like water trying to flow through a steel wall. His mental power was obstructed by the building''s material.


    He gave up and searched the ground for buried explosives. There were none.


    "The perimeter is secure. The building is blocking my sense." He said.


    "Ivy, second check." Sarah said, and Ivy focused on her beastly senses.


    Beast Morphers inherited the characteristics of the beast they transformed into. Each beast had different characteristics, but all beasts, in general, had excellent instincts.


    Though these instincts could be tricked, in most cases, they could be used as a secondary test.


    Ivy ran around the field and felt the surroundings.


    ''Nothing here''


    ''Safe''


    ''Secure''


    Her instincts were perfectly normal, and she felt no danger. There was no danger signal.


    Finally, Olivia checked the ground with her powers. She, too, found no danger underneath.


    ''The chance of getting attacked by something outside the building is almost zero. Now we can focus on the one threat.''


    Sarah signalled, and they all approached the building.


    Crimson used his mental power and mmed the door.


    Creaaak!


    It creaked opened.


    Click.


    Click.


    The walls were filled with exhibits of human skeletons and skulls. Below each skull was the detail of the human.


    ''Yuen ¡ª Level 3. Age 20.''


    ''Shi Yan ¡ª Level 2. Age 18.''


    ''....''


    It went on and the team silently walked. Their footsteps were the only audible sound in the long hallway.


    It was a scene straight out of a horror movie.


    Click!


    Click!


    The hallway split into two, and they had to pick a side.


    Crimson tried to probe beyond the walls, but his mental power seemed to be blocked by the special material of the building. He couldn''t sense things beyond a certain range.


    So they could only rely on their five senses.


    Shuaaa!


    The floor suddenly slid out all of a sudden like a carpet that was pulled off.


    "¡ªWatch out!" Sarah yelled as they dropped towards what seemed to be an underground facility.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    They were greeted by the attacks of thirty-nine Abyssals. Falling through the air, they were live targets!


    Arrows equivalent to 5 star treasures rained down at them.


    Sarah channeled her water mana and created a water barrier surrounding everyone.


    She then manipted the water barrier to elerate their fall for a quicknding.


    Crash!


    Crash!


    Crash!


    The attacks from the thirty-seven level 4s crashed into the barrier. Even though the spears attacks from two level 5s put heavy burden, they too failed to destroy the barrier.


    Sarah was about to sigh in relief when¡ª


    Crack!


    A huge fist broke through the barrier and punched at Olivia.


    Olivia was shocked and her reaction speed fell short.


    Crimson gritted his teeth and used his mental power to slow the fist.


    "Blrugh" The fist broke through his mental barrier swiftly and reached the head of Olivia.


    Crimson coughed blood at the swift, but not so minor injury.


    As she watched the fist magnify, Olivia understood.


    This was a level 6. The Abyss Duke. He was the predator since the beginning.


    He attacked her because she was weak in mid-airpared to earth.


    But that realization wouldn''t save her from the predicament.


    Bang!


    A fist much smaller than the Abyssal countered the punch and exploded the air.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The shock waves from the confrontation blew away the arrows and cracked the hard floor.


    Sarah looked at the gigantic Abyssal as shended on the ground. Blood flowed down her lips as the forceful intervention cost her an internal injury.


    ''Is that it?.'' She nced at the enemies and felt relieved.


    "Yes." The Abyssal in front of her spoke as if he knew her thoughts.


    "But it well be more than enough."


    At the same time, Crimson and Olivia were taken on by the two Level 5s.


    The remaining thirty-seven level 4 Abyssals encircled Luca and Ivy.


    Crimson and Olivia''s strength was in their ranged and distance attacks.


    But by putting them against their weakness, Crimson and Olivia were forced to focus on the Level 5s.


    On the other hand, Luca and Ivy were forced to face 18 Level 4s each.


    Boom!


    Sarah blocked the punch and counterattacked with an ice spear.


    They were fighting at least a few hundred meters away from others, yet the shock waves were affecting the other side.


    The Abyssal Duke brought out an archaic shield and blocked the ice spear.


    He was stronger of the two, being at the peak of Level 6. Sarah was only in the early-mid stages and was weaker in Body path.


    However, her ice attack brought her enough time tond another hit.


    Water mana flowed through every corner of her body and she was ''empowered.'' Every physical stats increased dramatically.


    Stacking it with her body powers, she was able to make up for the difference in physical strength.


    Boom!


    Crack!


    Even though the Abyssal Duke had more physical strength than her, Sarah outmatched him through her dual powers.


    This was the reason she was so confident.


    On the other side, Crimson and Olivia were struggling against the Level 5s. They weren''t suppressed, but they couldn''t gain an upper hand as well.


    But the gamer changers were the other two.


    Thud.


    Thud.


    Thud.


    One by one, the thirty-seven level 4 Abyssals copsed under the wrath of Luca and Ivy.


    Broken spines, twisted necks, ripped hearts¡­ it was a gruesome picture to behold.


    Even though they had more enemies, a Level 4 couldn''t withstand a single full blow of theirs. It was a one sided battle from the start.


    The taller man and the shorter woman somehow stood in harmony as they finished the bloodbath with a cruel smile on their faces.


    They joined forces with Olivia and Crimson. The two Level 5 Abyssals were suppressed.


    The oue was set.


    "You''re done." Sarah said and continued her attack.


    Her body was bathed in a soft blue hue, and her dual powers gave her an unfair advantage.


    Contrary to her expectations, the Abyssal duke wasn''t panicked.


    Instead, he smiled. "Do you really think so?"

 Chapter 78 - The Plan

    <h4>Chapter 78 - The n</h4>


    Varian wiped his sweaty palms and nced at the yellow valley.


    ''Go or not go?''


    He stood up and sat down. For the twentieth time.


    Even though he knew it was dangerous, the ominous feeling only increased.


    From his encounter with Abyssals, and their meticulous assasination nning, he regarded them not through the prism of power, but that of intellect.


    Despite possessing a strong force, Abyssals resorted to stratagems.


    He thought of the possible dangers they could encounter.


    ''Poison will be useless. They''ll have antidotes. Stronger force waiting? Most likely not.''


    He marched towards the valleys.


    ''Explosions? Cap said Crimson would check every Abyssal for explosives. His mental power is capable of prating many metals and as his level increases, he could perceive through more metals.''


    Varian paused for a moment.


    He checked hism. There was no message from the other side.


    ''Things that can go wrong will go wrong. In my case, that''s a given.'' He reached the entrance of the special zone.


    The abyssal bracelet shone and one step, he''d be in.


    ''I''m not trying to risk. If they lose, then the enemy inside would surely be able to track me, a level 2.


    If they win, then great. I only need to make sure I don''t die as a coteral.''


    He convinced himself and stepped in. The ck building in the red ins greeted him.


    Contrary to his expectations, it waspletely silent.


    At the same time, underground, the fight was reaching a conclusion.


    Olivia wasn''t at her strongest since the ground was separated from her by a very hard alloy floor.


    An earth awakener was blessed in earth, a water awakener in water. So the current situation wasn''t in her favor.


    However, she directed her earth mana and created walls to confine her target.


    The female Abyssal was rushing back in a hurry and smashed into the earthen wall full of spikes.


    "Argh" she hissed and raised her arms.


    The attacker caught up.


    Bang!


    Crack!


    Luca''s fist broke her arm bones and punched at her chest.


    "Blurgh" The female Abyssal endured the pain and bolted to her left.


    Bang!


    A brown club swung at her and struck her head. She flew into the air and felt the world spin.


    Her head was dizzy and she couldn''t react properly.


    All she could see were the eyes of the hateful human before darkness engulfed her.


    Thud!


    Luca nced down at the Abyssal corpse and turned to the others.


    Crimson used his mental power to hold down the short abyssal while Ivy snapped his neck.


    Thud!


    Only one Abyssal was remaining!


    The four rushed towards their captain. At that moment, they heard Sarah say:


    "You''re done."


    The Abyss Duke''s nced at them for a moment and turned to Sarah. He smiled.


    "Do you really think so?"


    Sarah felt her heart stop for a moment.


    Keeping her guard on, she nced at the area they were fighting in.


    They fell from the upper floor, but before they knew it, the floor reverted to its position.


    The height and breath of the underground facility were high enough that they didn''t feel congested. And subconsciously regarded as fighting in an open area.


    She didn''t know why, but she yelled. "Fallback."


    The Abyss Duke watched them distance themselves from him and withdraw to the corners of the underground facility.


    The corpses of the abyssals were strewn on the floor. Most of them died a cruel death. The tall man and the petite girl killed them like they were animals.


    The Abyssal duke was distressed for a moment before calming down.


    There was no turning back now.


    "Don''t be afraid. I was just kidding." He spoke with an innocuous smile.


    "You trapped us?" Sarah nced at him and gritted her teeth.


    "What can that even do? You can break the alloys whenever you want." He pointed to the cracks on the floor.


    Locking them would work only if he had high grade alloys they couldn''t break. Unfortunately, this facility didn''t.


    "Captain, should we...?" Crimson pointed to Olivia and asked. They could conduct ranged attacks on the Abyssal.


    Sarah shook her head. She felt disturbed for some reason.


    "Break the ceiling. I''ll take care of him." She said and waved her hand.


    A soft blue light shed and covered her.


    Sarah slightly moved her feet and the next moment, appeared in front of the Abyss Duke.


    His red eyes shed with her blue eyes.


    Without hesitation, an ice sword formed in her hands and she swung it at the Abyssal.


    "Do you think you''ve achieved something?" Abyss Duke blocked her attack with his shield.


    Sarah waved her hand and a thorny ice whip shed at him the next moment.


    "You only found the keys because we approached you first." He spat and barely dodged the whip.


    Then another sword strike followed.


    Boom!


    "Without the keys, you''ll be helpless." He tried to block this sword strike too, but it broke through his defense and shed at his chest.


    The sword cut deep and blood gushed out.


    However, the Abyss Duke didn''t flinch and continued. "I sent the report already. This will be the only hideout destroyed by humans. You''ll never find the passes in other dungeons."


    Sarah stagnated for a moment.


    p!


    "Your efforts are futile." He grinned as the ice whip broke through his armor and pricked his skin.


    His words were equivalent to telling her that despite all the hardships, they only solved one dungeon.


    They would not be able to repeat this anywhere else.


    Without the Abyssalsing out on their own, they''d never be able to get their hands on the entry bracelets and hence, never be able to ess the hideouts.


    Bang!


    Bang!


    The team of four destroyed the ceiling right then. With their power, they could now easily leave the building.


    The Abyss duke saw this and squinted his eyes.


    "You are the first humans to enter the base. I didn''t let even those shadow bugs in." He touched the deep cut on his chest and smelled his green blood.


    He then switched the topic.


    "Mind Awakener, did you sense what was under the floor?"


    "What?!" Crimson was startled and used his mental power to probe.


    Since entering the building, he knew his ability to sense his surroundings was curtailed.


    He was also not able to sense through the special alloy used in the building. He focused on the Abyssals and didn''t try sensing deeper.


    His mental sense couldn''t prate through the floor''s material. However, there were enough cracks and he was able to sense¡­


    "Even though I didn''t allow those bugs in, this is their warehouse. Of explosives."


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    A huge mushroom cloud rose into the air.

 Chapter 79 - Dear Comrade

    <h4>Chapter 79 - Dear Comrade</h4>


    ''Where am I?''


    She searched through her memories.


    All she could feel was pain.


    Pain.


    Gut wrenching pain.


    Not a single part of her body was normal. Every inch of her skin was broken. Every bone, every muscle.


    ''How did I survive?'' She could feel her body but couldn''t move it.


    ''Are¡­ they alive?'' She couldn''t open her eyes. Her hearing was also non existent.


    It was like she was thrown into a darkness. A hell where she could only be tormented for eternity.


    Even surviving right now was a miracle and her own initiative.


    Right when the Abyss duke asked Crimson to sense something underground, she used her water powers.


    Jumping into the air, she formed water hands to push her teammates.


    Right then, the explosion urred.


    She didn''t know if she pushed them far enough.


    Explosions intensity decreased exponentially with distance. That meant a few meters could decide life and death.


    ''Did I save them¡­?''


    They were only level 5. Unlike her, they couldn''t use dual defenses.


    ''I''m sorry.'' Sarah apologized.


    Maybe she should''ve just listened to them. Just quit the mission.


    But this level of risk was unexpected. She knew the danger from explosives and was alert.


    But neither she nor Crimson found them.


    She never entertained the thought of explosives hidden under the floor.


    Because the alloy made for the floor itself was very hard, for the explosion to actually hurt them would require a huge reserve of explosives.


    This was the main hideout in the dungeon, not a warehouse of explosives.


    Or so she thought.


    "Arhg",


    Atst, she was able to open her eyes. The building, walls, everything was gone.


    Beside herid the grey faced Abyssal.


    He was in a better position than her. He must have kept the defensive treasure ready.


    However, there was a gaping hole in his chest. His heart was punctured.


    He too had little time.


    "Cough, cough." Blood trickled down his lips with each cough.


    His throat seemed to be barely working, and he spoke in a hoarse voice.


    Sarah''s hearing slowly returned¡­


    "¡ªyone will die." He smirked, his face covered with his blood couldn''t hide his pride.


    Sarah wanted to move and strangle him to death.


    Her luck was bad enough. She leapt into the air to escape, but after explosion fell right beside this abomination.


    She did the only thing she could do at the moment. She red at him with all her hatred.


    ''Not everyone¡­ at least Varian is alive. He is like her.'' She thought back to the entric junior and her face rxed.


    ''What if he entered here? I can''t rule out.'' She frowned. She didn''t understand Varian much, but he was different from normal people.


    The Abyssal duke looked at her changing expression and sneered. "You''re still hoping? Keke."


    "I don''t like taking chances. If I do something, I do it thoroughly." He stated.


    Perhaps because he was going to die, and he knew it, he spoke his heart out.


    "I wanted to assassinate your teammates one by one. But doing it outside meant there is a chance for escape." He looked into her eyes and dered.


    "You all must die. So I revealed the location. You could''ve backed off. That''d be good for me." He grinned. "Then next time, you won''t be able to find the location."


    "But if you came in," his face showed a cruel and almost savage smile, "I''ll kill you all, even if I die."


    "Those other bugs should''ve died, but because of you, they are also barely alive." He twisted his neck and nced in the other direction.


    Sarah tried to move, but she couldn''t.


    However, despite knowing they would all die, she was relieved and her throat finally moved. She uttered "th-ey..w-l-ive"


    ''They will live'' was what she wanted to say.


    Perhaps Lucas could survive? He was a body awakener and had great physical defense and resilience.


    If only he could move slightly and give the healing potion to others, their chances of survival would increase.


    Sarah hoped. And prayed.


    The Abyss duke watched her intently and chortled. His voice was drying out. "I said I will kill you all with certainty."


    "Cough. " He coughed and continued, "Look to your right. This is what you came for. And this will kill you and everyone."


    Sarah''s breath stagnated, and she used all her strength to turn.


    As she turned her neck, she spasmed in pain. It was like all the nerves in her body were cut at once.


    Then she saw it.


    Arge circr formation. There was a barrier surrounding it, which slowly faded out.


    The glyphs, the runes, and the arrays.


    Cross Tunneling Formation!


    Only then did Sarah realize there was another floor below.


    After the st, all walls and floors basically vanished.


    They copsed and crashed onto the final floor. The floor which held the Cross Tunneling Formation.


    At that moment, there was only one thought going through Sarah''s mind.


    ''If I were to die anyway, then at least if my death meant CTF falls into the hands of the army, I''d be happy.''


    This was thest thing she could do, and she hoped someone from her team would heal and take the CTF.


    She held no hopes of survival. Even if one of them miraculously survived, it''d take hours. By then, she''d be long done.


    "One bug is twitching. He might wake up." The Abyss Duke spoke.


    Hope glimmered in Sarah''s eyes.


    The Abyss duke''s words mercilessly crushed them. "I said you''ll die for sure. That thing will explode in a minute."


    Sarah gave up.


    Everything was over now.


    Then she heard¡­his voice.


    ***


    Varian peered through the smoke and dragged his injured body.


    When the st happened, he was half a kilometer away. Despite that, he was inflicted some serious wounds.


    Without even thinking, he ran to the site. There was a huge cavity in the location where the building previously existed.


    It was like arge cone was carved out of thend.


    He slid down and reached the bottom. The metal debris littered the location. The rancid smell in the air almost made him throw up.


    His greater human smelling only made it worse.


    "Survive."


    "Survive." He muttered and searched.


    He wasn''t sure if he could find everyone before they die. The radius of the bottom was almost two kilometers!


    "There!" Varian spotted a body covered in dust. Its flesh was almost gone and bones were visible.


    He tried to affirm whether that person was alive by hearing their heart beat with his greater human hearing.


    However, his hearing was affected by his injuries and it would take a while before it went back to normal.


    Varian rushed to the person. The faint pulse told him that this person survived.


    Ecstatic, he poured the healing potion. It squirmed and slowly seeped in.


    "This injury...would take hours." He judged and held the person carefully.


    Upon closer inspection, he saw it was Olivia. She wasughing and joking with him a few hours ago and now¡­


    Varian channeled his space power and, with five teleportations, reached the normal ground and ced her down softly.


    After realizing that they might be barely alive, Varian pushed himself despite injuries.


    He soon found Crimson, Luca and Ivy. After teleporting them up and cing them out, he sighed in relief.


    "Only cap is left. She must''ve survived."


    He used his teleportation tantly to search. The situation was critical and if worst came to worst, he''d just admit he was a dual awakener.


    If his hearing was still normal, he''d have heard the voice of the Abyss duke and found her.


    But it was only a what if?


    "Sarah!" He yelled her name.


    In the distance, Sarah''s eyes widened.


    ''Why¡­? Why are you here?'' She was ovee by a mix of emotions.


    ''No...CTF will st, he''ll die.''


    She struggled and yelled, "g--o...esc-ape."


    Unfortunately, her voice was too quiet. But she continued to yell.


    "P-le-ase...ru-n"


    "L-ea-ve"


    "Bs-t"


    "B---"


    With each yell, she felt her throat burn. In the end, she couldn''t speak anymore.


    The Abyss duke enjoyed the sight of Sarah''s desperation.


    It was then¡ª


    "Sarah?!" Varian saw two bodies, an abyssal and a human, lying side by side.


    Without hesitation, a sword was plunged into the Abyssal.


    The Abyssal duke''s gaze remained on Sarah even as the sword pierced his neck.


    His eyes were gloating.


    Varian approached Sarah and saw she was awake.


    He sighed in relief. "Thank god."


    He administered the healing liquid to her and carefully picked her up. "I get the feeling of deja vu."


    Sarah''s eyes moved around frantically.


    "My bad." Varian thought she was angry at his words.


    Well, he was just trying to lighten the mood.


    Her body didn''t move in his arms. But her mouth opened and closed. Again and again. No words came out.


    Varian realized she was saying something and followed her eyes.


    There, he saw a strange circr array. There were many aura crystals around it.


    At normal times, Varian would''ve been tempted to snatch them away, but now, looking at Sarah''s expression, he realized something was amiss.


    "Hold on tight, wait, you can''t hold. I will hold you tight." He said and channeled his space power.


    Sarah''s eyes were still looking at the array.


    Varian teleported and crossed some distance.


    Sarah''s eyes showed her shock at his space powers, but they were still dominated by the ''fear''.


    Varian continued to teleport and was halfway through climbing the slope.


    At that moment, his hair stood up, and he nced back.


    A blinding white sphere expanded at an astonishing rate.


    In the blink of an eye, the distance between him and the white light was halved. In less than a second, it would reach him.


    ''This is bad.''


    Varian teleported once again.


    He was one teleportation away from the surface, and the white light caught up to him.


    "Go!" Varian channeled his space power hastily, and the world once again went dark.


    Then he stepped into the normal world, but this time, he was still a few meters away from the surface.


    The white light was already behind him.


    There was no time, and Varian threw Sarah into the distance.


    As the white light engulfed him, he tried to teleport.


    It continued to expand and disappeared just before Sarah.


    Sarah''s body was in pain as she crashed into the ground.


    However, she couldn''t care less about the pain at the moment.


    Drawing strength from the deepest parts, she stood up. And fell down.


    Her wounds worsened. The pain only increased.


    However, Sarah''s mind was long past the point of pain.


    She stood up. Fell down. Again and again.


    She didn''t know how, but she finally managed to walk. The pain of her bones breaking didn''t stop her.


    Staggering, she looked around frantically.


    Sarah witnessed Varian using space powers. But his teleportation distance was short and if he teleported, he should be somewhere near.


    Her legs walked her the distances her condition wouldn''t allow.


    Her eager eyes searched everywhere.


    But he was nowhere.


    It was like he vanished out of the world.


    Sarah''s vision blurred as tears dropped like rain. Her dry, heart breaking voice resounded.


    "Varian!!!"

 Chapter 80 - His Tutor

    <h4>Chapter 80 - His Tutor</h4>


    "Varian!" Her sad voice reverberated through the barrennds.


    The healing medicine was yet to mend her wounds, but Sarah somehow hauled herself just a bit more.


    She covered just a bit more distance. Called his name just once more.


    Just a bit more¡­


    "Argh" her condition didn''t allow her anything more.


    Even though she tried her best, Sarah''s body shut itself.


    The healing potion Varian administered slowly started to work.


    Sarah gave him a few potions before they headed for the mission. She wanted him to be prepared in case he encountered a level 3 monster.


    The quality of medicine was high enough and just kept her alive.


    Had she given him a slightly inferior potion, then she would have died.


    As she slowly copsed, Sarah only felt endless darkness engulfing her, and she lost consciousness.


    ***


    "Do you want to die?!" Seth growled at the security guard blocking him.


    "Sir, please understand. This is privileged students'' dorm. Even teachers need to take permission before they enter." The guard replied with a professional smile.


    "I know Sarah. Check the logs. I visited her many times." He argued.


    "But you didn''t get her permission." The guard replied nonchntly.


    "She''s not replying. I''ll just ask her after entering." Seth clenched his fist.


    "That''s really regrettable, sir. However, I am unable to do anything." The guard replied. His words sounded sincere, but his face was gloating.


    Looking at the mockery in the guard''s eyes, Seth lost it.


    He raised his hand and pped the face of the unruly guard with the back of his palm.


    It was so sudden and was so fast that the guard couldn''t even react.


    Crack!


    The guard spun and crashed to the ground. All his teeth were broken.


    "Blurgh! " He spat his teeth out, along with a lot of blood.


    "You think Xanders care about you?" Seth''s blood boiled.


    If Charles Xander didn''t iste Varian in the first ce, Varian would''ve just gone to mission in a group and none of this would''ve happened.


    "Do you think you''re doing a service to humanity by suppressing a genius?" Seth''s face twisted, and he kicked the guard.


    Crack!


    The guard curled up into a ball as he felt his ribs break. Despite being a Level 5, he was useless against Seth.


    However, instead of fearing, he red at Seth. "What do you know? You don''t know what''s its like to never progress. Spending years after years only to realize you''ll never go higher."


    He winced in pain, but continued, "Will you pay my kid''s tuition? Will you get him the defense armor so that he won''t die in frontline?"


    "Two wrongs don''t make a right." Seth calmed down after two beatings and replied.


    "If I don''t do it, someone else will. Look behind me, there are some 20 guards. Someone will do it." He yelled without remorse.


    Seth fell silent.


    He hated the system.


    He hated the society more.


    He hated himself the most.


    ''I know exactly what''s its like. Spending years realizing I''ll never go higher.'' Seth sighed and was about to step forward.


    He saw a few more guards gathering at the gate. They were all looking at him with anticipation and greed.


    There was no fear among them.


    "Bastards." Seth cursed and turned back.


    The guards were disappointed and looked at their injured colleague with envy.


    By reporting this to the Xanders, he''d earn more than his year''s sry.


    If fear kept people away from Varian, then it was an incentive that turned many hostile against him.


    ''The whole system is rotten.'' Seth was on his way back to his dorm as he spotted a garden.


    It was the same garden where he became a tutor for the first time. The time when he gained this entric, talented genius.


    ''Varian¡­'' Seth walked in and reached the pavilion near theke.


    The past reyed before his eyes. He still remembered their banter.


    ''You, little fellow, will be someone important. If I tutor you, won''t I get even more respected?''


    Seth''s body trembled.


    He sat on the pavilion steps as he sighed in anger, sorrow, and despair.


    Their rtionship was short-lived. He thought he was a madman, and he''d torture his pupil until he requested to reduce the training.


    It turned out his pupil was a bigger madman.


    Varian struggled in the initial days, but as he adapted to the training, he started waking Seth early to train.


    ''It was torture to wake up so early.'' Sethughed, recalling those awful mornings, but the corner of his eyes turned red.


    He couldn''t hold himself anymore and covered his face. He didn''t know why, but his palms were wet.


    "I''m sorry." He muttered.


    ''If only I didn''t choose Sarah''s team. If I only I picked someone else.''


    The voice inside his head didn''t stop.


    "Tutor Seth, we''ll train one more hour today." His annoying greeting in the early morning.


    "Damn old man. Why are you beating me so much?" His curses after being beaten.


    "I''ll tell Wendy you want to date her if you don''t wake up." His asional funny threats when he refused to wake up.


    ''Why?''


    Seth stood up and took a deep breath. He lost his family once. He didn''t know he would experience the loss again.


    ''If I didn''t ask you to be my pupil, you could''ve at least survived.''


    After his contact with Varian, Seth believed even though it would be dangerous, Varian had more chances of surviving a solo mission.


    "I''ll weed out everyone under this." He muttered.


    "Mr. Seth." A weak voice sounded.


    Seth looked up and saw Sarah''s haggard face.


    "You¡­" he was at a loss for words.


    "I''m sorry." Sarah trembled and clenched her fist.


    "He saved everyone twice. But we¡­" Her words were struck in her throat.


    Seth wanted to scold her. Rebuke her. But in the end, it only turned into a helpless sigh.


    "How is everyone else?" He asked, his voice apathetic.


    "Thanks to him, they''re alive." Sarah closed her eyes and said.


    "I only epted him because of you. But for us, he..." She shook her head wryly.


    Seth felt something boil inside him and he dered, "I am proud of him."


    Sarah looked up at him in confusion.


    "I don''t know what went through his mind, but I believe he did what he felt was right. If he saved you, it means he thought you were worth saving." A smile formed on his face.


    Sarah looked at him for a moment and said slowly.


    "Varian¡­ might be alive."


    "What?!"

 Chapter 81 - Him

    <h4>Chapter 81 - Him</h4>


    "Varian... might be alive." Sarah bit her lip and said.


    "What?!" Seth''s body stiffened and he couldn''t respond for a moment.


    "W-what do you mean? Didn''t he die in the st?" He stuttered.


    "That white light ended just before me." Sarah recalled the scene she''d never forget.


    "But the reports said it engulfed him." Seth countered. He only wanted to know about Varian now.


    "It was dangerous, but what he had to face was the edge of the st, not the center." She looked at Seth and saw him looking at her with disappointment..


    "This is due to self-destruction of CTF." Seth''s hopes vanished and he sighed.


    Indeed, staying at the edge of normal sts meant receiving least damage.


    But after research on site, it was concluded that these sts maintained a high intensity even before the end.


    CTF sts weren''t normal explosions. They worked on a space range. It was like the energy was confined to a particr space.


    That was the reason the white light disappeared just before Sarah. A normal explosion would''ve engulfed everyone there.


    "Still, we didn''t find any traces of him." Sarah continued.


    "The Abyssal''s body evaporated, and a majority of his cells were still present in the air. However, there''s nothing of Varian except his blood." She said. No, almost yelled.


    "..." Seth was silent for a moment and shook his head.


    "Where is he then? He just can''t disappear, right?"


    She looked at him and hesitated. She wanted to reveal that Varian was a space awakener, and had chances to be fine.


    However, realizing that even Seth didn''t know about it, she hesitated.


    "You know space cracks, right? Cross Tunneling Formation is essentially a set up for space travel. Its sting could lead to opening of space cracks." She looked at the setting sun and hoped.


    "The word hope is too heavy for me to bear." Seth shook his head and walked away.


    His back was lonely. He didn''t hope, or rather didn''t dare to hope.


    The bigger the hope, the bigger the disappointment.


    Space cracks were like random doors in space. They could lead to anywhere and nowhere.


    They could teleport half your body and leave the other half. They might leave you in a distance star system or even right above a star.


    No one knew.


    The only thing they did know was that unless one was a very high level space awakener, chances of surviving space cracks was rarer than being born into the four powers.


    So, even hoping that he was alive was too much.


    "I asked my father and even grandfather to search. If he is in Sr System, we''ll find¡­ whatever condition he is in." Her final words were the weakest.


    Her father was the general of Earth''s armed forces. Her grandfather was one of the three marshals and a Sovereign.


    With their influence, finding a person would be too easy.


    Of course, if only said person was in the human federation.


    Seth stopped in his tracks and muttered, "It''s not your fault he died. Don''t me yourself."


    Sarah stood there silently. She wished she could go back in time. But not even time awakeners could do that.


    All sorrow slowly turned to rage.


    "Traitors."


    ***


    In an unknown location, two women in ck were sitting.


    Enigma and Blue sh.


    This time, their eyes were not covered.


    Enigma''s eyes were full of indifference.


    Blue sh''s eyes were calm andposed.


    Blue sh looked at Enigma stirring her coffee and sighed. "They attacked the cadets with Abyssals."


    "I know." Enigma said. Her voice was cold and aloof.


    She wasn''t like this. But it was who she eventually turned into.


    "Cross Tunneling Formation is lost." Blue sh shrugged.


    They were trying to acquire it since long. Sarah''s team was the closest to acquiring it, but they, too, failed.


    Enigma didn''t answer, and the scene fell silent.


    "Are you sure you about that?" Blue sh finally asked.


    "What?" Enigma shot her a nce and sipped her coffee.


    "Is it really possible for a creature stronger than Abyss King to exist? Aren''t Sovereigns the power ceiling?" She asked what everyone thought they had an answer to.


    A wrong answer.


    "Kings aren''t highest in the hierarchy." She said and tapped the cup with her little finger. "Besides, Sovereign is just a transition stage. It''s not a ceiling."


    Blue sh fell silent.


    If Abyssals really had such a strong person, then why did they resort to fighting humans with Sovereign equivalents?


    If they used the higher power, they''d have defeated humanity years ago.


    Despite that, the situation was particrly disadvantageous to humans. Even though humanity gained the ability to protect themselves, they were still incapable of defeating abyssal.


    Not a single offensive on Abyss was sessful.


    This was the case with the overall powers of Abyssals staying nearly the same for the past 120 years!


    They must break the game or risk losings one by one like Pluto.


    The key to that was the girl in front.


    Enigma.


    "Cross Tunneling Formation." Enigma uttered. "We need it. I destroyed that thing once. Now they''re guarding it strictly. To get in, there''s no other way."


    Blue sh nodded.


    Since they couldn''t do anything if the power beyond Sovereign level intervenes, then they should do whatever they could to neutralize the main power.


    Enigma was proimed the leader of Shadow Order after ''that'' incident. She was chased by the Archduke of demon abyss.


    Even though she escaped, the Archduke ughtered 10,000 humans in a breath.


    Then a few of her ''friendly powers'' took the chance and branded her as the terrorist.


    From then on, there were multiple terrorist incidents under the name of Enigma orchestrated by some in the Big powers, from both Prime Families and the small two.


    "I found someone who can help us with Cross Tunneling Formations. She is a genius." Blue sh smiled.


    Enigma merely nodded in response.


    She was always silent unless she had to speak. That was the case for today as well, but somehow, there was a different feeling to her silence.


    It was like¡­


    "Gather the info of Xander''s vassals." Enigma stood up and exited the room.


    "Pardon?" Blue sh followed.


    Enigma looked at the fourteen moons in the sky. Neptune was beautiful. Its Ruin was even more so.


    "Julius Xander should live. However, his subordinates can die." Enigma''s voice chilled.


    "Yes." Blue sh nodded and disappeared with a blue sh.


    She was aware of the animosity between the two. However, it seemed Enigma was busy these days and focused on her immediate goals.


    With Blue sh gone, Enigma stood alone. It hurt at first, but now, she got used to it.


    The only thing that kept her going was the conviction that she was right.


    She clicked on herm, and saw the highlighted information.


    {The Army has announced a federation wide search for the cadet named Varian. The details are below. If you find him, alive or dead, please report to the Imperial Earth Defense Academy. The reward is personally guaranteed by Evander, Steelheart.}


    Enigma nced at the name and questioned. "Varian, where are you?"

 Chapter 82 - Strange Place

    <h4>Chapter 82 - Strange ce</h4>


    Varian couldn''t feel anything.


    Right when the white light enveloped him, he teleported.


    However, unlike the usual times, as he was about to step into the gap between Inner and Outer space, the space shook.


    He heard some breaking sounds and everything went dark.


    He didn''t know how he could even think right now.


    Did that mean he was still alive? Or was there an afterlife?


    Where was he?


    Varian felt like a soul without a body.


    There was only darkness and silence.


    It continued for periods he didn''t know.


    ''Why do I try to save others?'' He questioned himself in the silence.


    Perhaps it was his childhood mission. Perhaps because he didn''t know there was such danger.


    ''No.''


    Despite all the lies he told himself, Varian at that time was fully aware that it was dangerous to enter the site.


    He was risking his life. Having experienced the ''treats'' by System, he knew that better than anyone else.


    However, he still dived in. He still wanted to save them, despite the risk.


    Of course, he wasn''t trying to be reckless. He brought all of them to safety. He, too, could''ve escaped.


    The white light was an unexpected variable.


    ''I threw Sarah away at thest moment. Even if the explosion covers them, I hope they can live.'' He sighed inwardly.


    But he knew their chances of surviving that explosion were slim.


    In the endless darkness, without any external stimuli, time lost its meaning and his thoughts became his only source of amusement. They were also the only proof that he was still alive.


    Varian didn''t know how long or short it was, but he ''felt'' something atst.


    ''It hurts.''


    ''It fucking hurts!''


    Even though he couldn''t see or hear, Varian felt like a sharp de was cutting every part of his body. Inch by inch.


    ''Damn!''


    As he struggled incessantly, the pain intensified.


    Along with the pain came the light and sound.


    Varian''s eyes snapped open, and he instinctively gasped for air.


    He tried to breathe, but his lungs seemed to be pressed by something.


    "Ha. Ha." Varian''s breathing slowly adjusted.


    The air went back from being the sticky liquid to normal.


    ''What was that?'' He wondered.


    He slowly stood up, flinching in pain as new wounds threatened to worsen.


    However, he noticed that his body was healing quickly. It was likely the work of the healing potion.


    ''If the healing potion is still working, then it shouldn''t long before I entered this ce.''


    Then he began to assess his location.


    It was day. He was surrounded by tall trees. There was no creature in sight.


    He nced through the canopy and found no suns.


    ''I ended up somewhere in the Virgin dungeon. I think the rescue team would arrive soon.''


    He focused his hearing and heard no dangerous sounds.


    He was about to rx, but he noticed one slight detail.


    ''Aura¡­''


    The aura in the air had a higher concentration than Virgin dungeon. Of the three areas, Outer zone had the least aura and the core zone the highest.


    But even the core zone of Virgin dungeon did not have this concentration of aura.


    Varian''s breath stopped for a moment.


    ''Did I, by any ridiculous chance, end up in a mid dungeon?''


    Mid Dungeons started with Level 4 Monsters and ended with level 6.


    For a level 2 him, this meant a 100% death.


    At the same time, the System shed a message.


    [+10 Xp


    +10 Xp]


    ''Status''


    [Body path Level 2: 180/200


    Space Path Level 1: 100/100]


    ''Is that a constion prize, System?'' He cautiously stepped forward in the woods.


    [No host. Your body was subjected to pressure beyond its limit. It fought the pressure and your chi increased. So you made progress.]


    ''Thanks.'' Varian smiled and got to the main issue.''Where am I?''


    [This System is not a GPS, host.]


    Varian cursed it without holding back.


    ''Do you know how useless you are? In every novel I read, System can do everything. It can tell location, find treasures, open stores, give missions, and sometimes even assume the form of a beauty!'' Perhaps to vent the tension from earlier, and anger at its rules, Varian didn''t hold back.


    [....] The System was silent.


    ''Haha! Even you have days you can''t make aeback.'' He smirked and kept walking through the woods.


    The density of trees was decreasing and if the forest wasn''t a weird one, then he would reach its end soon.


    [Host, if everything is done by the System, why would it need you?] It gave an unexpected reply.


    ''Indeed.''


    If it could do everything, then why pick a host at all? If everything was so easy, then the host was just a product of the System''s greatness.


    It could literally mass produce them.


    [Your destiny is not decided by this System. It is entirely up to you. This System is but one major element, but the yer is yourself.]


    Perhaps, because it felt Varian was thinking that his destiny was beyond his control, it rified. He couldn''t be med when every adventure he went on ended up in great danger.


    ''Hm? Aren''t you omnipotent of sorts? Shouldn''t you also be able to predict my future and where I will end up?'' Varian sneered.


    After all, this System did proim that his mom would still die even if he awakened early.


    So what was this System pretending to be?


    [If this System was omnipotent, then it wouldn''t be sealed in that bracelet by those bugs. It wouldn''t have to wait for thousands of years to gain freedom.] It replied curtly.


    Sealed.


    Why? How? What?


    [Host, this System is not the strongest entity in the Universe. Earth, Sr System, even the Abyssals are not even bugs to the truly strong.]


    ''Alright. Now, I am not even a bug.'' He shook his head and reached the edge of the forest.


    In front of him was a vast grass ravine. Only if the grass was not orange, it would''ve looked like good Ol earth.


    [Just survive. Survive all the threats and one day, you could stand on top of everything. Beyond this System, beyond the primordial tribes.]


    ''Just survive...wait, why is your timing so urate?'' Varian felt his hair stand up and he immediately turned back.


    Arge creature, no, arge rat the size of a lion, stared at him.


    Its skin was covered in red scales, and it had four eyes.


    Behind it was arger rat. This was one was the size of an¡­ elephant.


    Varian felt their aura.


    The smaller red-scaled rat seemed to be an early Level 3. Thetter was higher.


    ''So this is why you said Survive! Fuck you System!'' Varian cursed and without hesitation, channeled his chi.


    He ran for it.

 Chapter 83 - Survival

    <h4>Chapter 83 - Survival</h4>


    Varian dashed through the streams and passed by the mountains.


    He could hear the creature crushed the pebbles and sprinted behind him.


    However, there was only one sound.


    Varian nced back and saw the smaller red-scaled rat.


    Usually, a Level 3 should''ve caught up with him in no time. His only chance then would be dodging based on his agility.


    However, this rat was clearly a novice.


    Varian saw the path splitting into two in front. Instead of taking either, he leapt onto a tree and jumped onto a hill.


    Shhh!


    The rat couldn''t adjust its speed and went ahead in the path.


    It had to stop itself with difficulty and chased him up the hill.


    Thanks to its high speed, it was always behind him, but Varian was able to avoid bing its prey by exploiting its inexperience.


    "But¡­" Varian felt the chi reserves in his body.


    They weren''t depleted, but he wasn''t in his peak condition either.


    The explosion injured him, and his actions in saving everyone took a toll. Later, the white light happened, and he ended up here with new injuries.


    ''I can''t continue running forever.'' He slid down the hill and just as the rat leapt at him, he jumped to his right.


    Crash!


    It mmed into the hill, and the impact resulted in gravel flying in all directions.


    Varian reached the bottom of the hill and as he ran, he shot a nce at the rat.


    Some of its scales were broken, and it was slightly bleeding. Except for the minor injury, it was perfectly fine.


    ''The defense of scales is not as high as I expected.''


    Then he nced into the distance. Even with his greater human sight, the towering rat figure was almost invisible.


    ''So the mama rat is training the kiddo to hunt? And I''m the prey?'' He figured the intentions.


    ''Bitch please.''


    He didn''t teleport till now to not alert the mother rat.


    If it was alerted that Varian was a bigger threat, it might hunt him personally, and that''d be the end.


    Despite that, his level 2 Chi reserves wouldn''t be able to outrun a level 3, even if that is a new level 3 and an inexperienced one at that.


    ''Just a bit more distance.'' Varian continued to sprint down the path strewn with strange green shells.


    The sight of the mother rat was longer than his. He had to wait till he reached a safe distance and then attack.


    "Roaar" The rat squeak almost sounded like a roar.


    It was starting to get impatient.


    ''Just a few hundred meters.'' Varian wanted to soothe it before it died. s, it gave him no chance.


    "Roaar"


    After covering what felt like a safe distance, he nced back for confirmation.


    The mother rat wasn''t in his sight. It might have followed, it might have not. But he had to take his chances.


    He picked a mountain again. But only this time, it had a cliff.


    "Come closer." He smiled.


    The rat chased him without any caution.


    As they climbed the mountain and were almost reaching the cliff edge, Varian spread his space sense.


    A sword appeared in his hand.


    ''One teleportation and you''d be out.'' Varian channeled his space power and prepared himself for the perfect moment.


    If the mother rat was still watching, then he had no chance of escaping in the first ce and had to die in the end.


    If it wasn''t watching, then with the precondition that they were outside its sight, he''d be able to escape far away.


    This was his bet to survive!


    He dashed towards the edge and the rat was a dozen meters behind him.


    "Roaar"


    The time hade.


    Varian gripped his sword and channeled his space power to teleport.


    "Eh?"


    "Roaar"


    He couldn''t teleport!


    The rat leapt at him, and Varian felt his entire body go cold.


    He didn''t have the time to question why teleportation didn''t work.


    In the blink of an eye, the rat''s mrs approached him.


    In those moments between life and death, Varian flipped back into the air.


    As his body rotated, his back was exposed to the rat''s teeth.


    Right then, he used space binding on himself. Thankfully, it worked.


    Crrrunch!


    "Roar"


    The red-scaled rat bit on his back.


    His level 1 Space binding barely managed to hold on for a moment before its teeth chewed on his flesh.


    Varian slightly pulled his back and saved his spine. But in the end, arge chunk of his back was bitten.


    Sssssh


    At the same time, his sword thrust into the rat''s eye. His abrupt change of move at thest moment meant the sword didn''t go deep enough to pierce its brain.


    "Roaar" It wailed in pain.


    This was still a novice that didn''t experience much pain.


    The cold metal piercing its sensitive eyes was the worst pain it ever encountered.


    "Screech" It stagnated for a moment and didn''t control its speed.


    Thus, with it leaping into air with high speed resulted in it reaching the cliff edge and only stopping a few meters away.


    Thud


    With arge chunk of his flesh missing, his center of gravity shifted, and thus, Variannded unsteadily.


    However, unlike the rat, he wasted no time in the pain and kicked at the creature in front.


    "Roaar"


    The rat was kicked off the cliff.


    "Arrggh" Varian crouched in pain.


    The healing potion was still working and thankfully, he wouldn''t have to waste the limited amount of those life savers.


    "I need to get out before that big rat realizes something." Varian gritted his teeth and ran down the hill.


    He almost fell a few times. It wasn''t from pain, but from the imbnce.


    Blood slipped down his back and trickled down his legs as he left a trail of blood.


    ''Exit! Dungeon Exit!''


    He set the goal and ran towards the exit.


    In any dungeon, one could point out the zones through the concentration of the aura.


    So Varian went in the direction where the aura thinned.


    ''I''ll just need to exit. Earth or whatever this is, my cadet identity will help me out.''


    Even though the healing medicine stopped bleeding, Varian was in no position to fight or even escape if he encountered another monster.


    Soon, he saw the white barrier. It was the dungeon''s boundary, and touching it, he could leave.


    [+10 Xp


    +10 Xp


    Body Path Level 2: 200/200]


    The chi in his body increased, but Varian was in no position to care.


    He didn''t even think why his space powers failed, nor how he ended up in this strange location.


    Survival came first.


    Soon, he reached the white barrier.


    As he touched the barrier and saw the outside, his body froze.


    Varian''s voice trembled. "What?!"

 Chapter 84 - Advancement

    <h4>Chapter 84 - Advancement</h4>


    It was pitch ck.


    The moment half of Varian''s body crossed the white barrier and entered the dark space, his body froze.


    Only the part that didn''t cross the white barrier could move.


    The next moment, small whirls of ckness crossed his body and Varian was sted back into the dungeon.


    Crash!


    "Argh" Varian fell straight on his injured back and winced in pain.


    Before he could even think, he felt the space power in his body riot.


    The space around his body constricted and rxed.


    Varian felt like he was squeezed.


    His existing injuries only meant things turned for the worse.


    Not only that, but the pressure was increasing every moment.


    The ck swirls circted in his body and kept provoking the space power.


    If he didn''t stop it, then his heart would be squeezed into pieces in a few minutes.


    Varian didn''t even bother to check the surroundings and sat on the hard pebbles.


    He closed his eyes and focused on his space power. It looked white gas.


    Along with his red colored chi, it was present everywhere in his body.


    Varian focused and tried to control it.


    However, it did not respond.


    ''What''s happening?


    He endured the pain from his wounds and continued to force the space power. It was like an untamed beast, rolling everywhere and wrecking havoc.


    The pressure around his body slowly increased, and Varian was beginning to feel suffocated.


    ''I can do something. Yes.''


    He observed the ck swirls. They were in direct contact with his space power and they felt like¡­ part of the same group. They were together.


    ''First, control it.'' Varian focused on his chi and fortunately, it was still under his control.


    He controlled the chi and wrapped it around the space power.


    The white gas wriggled and tried to shake off chi.


    The pressure on him began to multiply.


    Varian felt like someone was clutching his neck and suffocating him.


    However, he persisted, and the pressure slowly subsided in a few seconds.


    ''This is not a solution.'' Varian kept his calm and tried to think of a solution. The aching pain of his injuries only made it harder.


    ''My space power is not under my control. But a high level space awakener wouldn''t have this problem.''


    Why?


    ''Because their space sense is integrated with their space power. Unlike me, I can only order it to move. They move it like it''s their hand. I move it like it''s my remote controlled car.''


    "Aha!" Varian found the solution.


    ''Status''


    [Body Path level 2: 200/200


    Space Path Level 1: 100/100]


    ''My only choice is to advance. To enter level 2, space sense must be integrated with space power.'' Varian felt the space around him began to solidify once again.


    He could try to keep the space power down forever. But that would mean focusing on it every minute and not using chi at all.


    Doing that here was suicide.


    The only solution was to advance.


    He used his chi to hold the space power in ce. At the same time, he spread his space sense around his space power and tried to prate it.


    The space sense wasn''t tangible, but he could feel it trying to enter the space power.


    However, the entry was denied again and again.


    ''It is not working.''


    Varian kept trying, and a few minutes passed.


    To integrate space sense, he needed way more time. But he didn''t have any.


    Even now, he was risking his life sitting in the open.


    "Come on!" He tried to push through the blockage and enter the space power.


    "Argh" The space power backshed and the space around him was blocked.


    His body waspletely squeezed from all sides, and Varian felt like he would be crushed to paste.


    He stopped his attempt. The pressure decreased to the beginning levels.


    "Damn it!" He punched the ground and clenched his fist.


    A pebble prickle his skin. Varian was irritated and was about to throw it away when, all of a sudden, the space power in his body calmed down.


    "Huh?" He checked his palm and saw a few pebbles.


    All of them were normal gravel except one tiny ck one.


    He probed it with his space sense and felt it!


    It was somewhat simr to spacort but different. It was more pure.


    ''Is this a space stone?'' His breath stagnated and without hesitation, he forced his chi.


    The chi wrapped a small portion of the space power and channeled it into the space stone.


    Then, pure space power flowed back into Varian.


    Varian used his space sense to join with this pure space power, and it integrated with ease.


    "Wow!"


    It was like opening a new door.


    That segment of space power joined the existing space power in his body and his space sense also followed.


    Varian had a surreal feeling. The space power was now integrated with his space sense and it was akin to his third arm.


    He could control it with ease, and no force could take the control from him.


    "Out of my body!" Varian willed and the next moment, the ck swirls were pushed out of his space power and left his body.


    "Ha!" Varian sighed in deep relief.


    The chi in his body suddenly boiled, and its connection to the body made a leap.


    [Advancing to Level 2 Space Path]


    [Advancing to Level 3 Body Path]


    "What?!" Varian was pleasantly surprised by his body path advancement.


    Arge chunk of aura crystals in his space ring disappeared. The next moment, Varian felt a surge of strength.


    Despite his injuries, Varian was at his strongest.


    The chi in his body increased by a great amount, and all his physical stats rose by arge margin.


    At the same time, the space power in his body also took a leap.


    [Congrattions, Host. It was tough, but you used everything you had and survived.] The System greeted.


    Varian didn''t reply. He was almost dead if he hadn''t fought that space stone.


    So was finding that space stone a pensation'' or ''bnce'' to the danger he faced?


    Regardless, Varian was more curious about his current status.


    ''Status''


    [Body Path level 3: 0/400


    Greater Human: 70%


    Space Path Level 2: 0/200]


    "Yes." Varian pumped his fist.


    At the peak of Level 2, his stats were only 40% Greater Human. Now, he was 75% stronger than his former self.


    A massive leap.


    With his Level 2 Space, he would be able to teleport way more times and, more importantly, freeze space without contact.


    With these path powersbined, Varian had the capital to take on not only early level 3s but also the Level 3s that were significantly ahead of him.


    ''That mother rat¡­ I''ll reciprocate your hunting lessons.'' He vowed.


    As the high of surviving and advancing cooled down, Varian had to face something he was running away from.


    The location.


    During his escape, he realized that he was in the Outer zone since the beginning.


    That meant Level 3s appeared in the outer zone. Magic Beasts were very strict about their hierarchy and wouldn''t leave their zone.


    So, that meant the outer zone had level 3 beasts.


    This did not fit any dungeon dimension.


    Varian looked at the white barrier and recalled the hostile dark space.


    Then he looked at the space stone in his hand. It should never appear in any dungeon. It was too precious.


    All these signs forced him to recognize the reality.


    His smile was wiped off and his body trembled.


    He couldn''t deny the truth anymore.


    He would never be able to return to earth.


    He muttered in despair.


    "Lost Dungeon."

 Chapter 85 - Lost Dungeon

    <h4>Chapter 85 - Lost Dungeon</h4>


    "Lost Dungeon."


    Varian''s eyes lost focus and his shoulders slumped.


    Dungeons appeared in the sr system in 300 YAB. They were only low Dungeons.


    Humanity found ways to keep the magic beasts in the Dungeon from breaking out and raided them instead.


    However, there was one thing humans never mastered.


    Vanishing of Dungeons.


    The first vanish happened many years after 300 YAB. It was treated as a hoax. Many questioned whether it was the job of a supernatural entity or the return of the Shadow Nation.


    Despite the eeriness, humans still flocked to the dungeons.


    A few more dungeons vanished. If it was public, then the economy that was just boosted by the dungeons would be in shambles.


    So the government, as always, was quick to suppress the news.


    The incidents were few and far, so the issue was swept under the rug.


    Until a simr incident happened in 422.


    This time, it could not be shelved. The only son of a Level 9 was also in the dungeon.


    It was dubbed as the ''Star child incident.''


    Then, resources were directed to researching the dungeon and humans found out the truth.


    These dungeons simply didn''t just vanish. They slipped into the Inner space and stayed there for a long period.


    How did they go? It was unknown.


    Why did they go?


    "Aura." Varian felt the thick aura in the air and sighed.


    Aura came from Inner Space to Outer Space. So Inner Space had a much denser aura.


    The hypothesis was that Dungeons replenished themselves with the aura from Inner space.


    In this process, a low dungeon would be a mid dungeon, a mid would be a high dungeon.


    The reverse was also true. Due to continuous exploitation by humans who only take away the precious material of Dungeons, the aura of dungeon drops until it degrades to mid dungeon and finally a low Dungeon.


    It was a cyclical process.


    That meant¡ª


    Varian stood up and clutched his head. "Tell me this is false."


    He pulled his hair and gritted his teeth. "It''s a Lie!"


    "LIE!" He yelled and copsed to his knees.


    ''I am¡­ trapped.'' Varian shook his head and looked around. He hoped it was just a bad dream.


    That he was yet to wake up after saving Sarah. But...


    Nothing changed. The white barrier was still behind him and the grasnds were in front.


    "Why?" Varian''s eyes reddened.


    The first Lost Dungeon reappeared 100 years after its disappearance as a high dungeon.


    Almost every lost dungeon took equal, if not greater years.


    "After the Star child incident, detectors were built. Now everyone knows which dungeon is going to vanish." Varian tried to think straight.


    "The Virgin Dungeon reports showed no vanish warning. That means¡­" He took a deep breath.


    "I somehow ended up inside a Lost Dungeon in inner space." He looked at his injured body and gawked at the truth.


    "Staying here for a 100 years¡­" Varian felt like someone knocked out the air out of his lungs.


    He couldn''t utter a word.


    "Maybe this is the dungeon''sst year? Maybe I still have a chance?" Varian sat up all of a sudden. His eyes held hope.


    ''No. The magic beasts in the outer zone are still 3.'' The truth rang in his mind.


    ''When the dungeon reappears, the outer zone magic bests are level 7.''


    ''Level 3 to level 7 takes a lot of time. In fact, the majority of the time. Maybe 80 years.''


    Varian slumped onto the ground and looked at the grey sky.


    ''80 years...what the fuck?'' He tried to smile, but his body continued to shake.


    It was more scary and terrible than being jailed for 80 years.


    Varian closed his eyes and cursed himself. Inside him were two debates.


    ''Why did you have to y the hero?''


    ''I want to save them.''


    ''You don''t owe them anything.''


    ''I just did what I thought was right.''


    "Stop it!" His face twisted in irritation and he cursed.


    ''No one can escape lost dungeons.'' The voice inside his head kept saying.


    Indeed. Not even a Sovereign could escape. Much less him.


    Varian stood up and nced at the white barrier.


    A normal mission that normally would''ve given him points. It turned into a game of life and death.


    A rescue that most likely would have gone normally. Now, he was paying the price.


    Boom!


    He punched the ground and his fist dug deep in.


    With bloodshot eyes, he yelled inside ''System, I fucking hate you.''


    [When you give you, you fail.]


    It reminded him that there was a possibility of survival.


    In fact, every danger Varian faced and overcame had little odds of surviving.


    But he was sessful every single time.


    At normal times, he''d have listened. But now, he had no mood.


    ''Stop your BS! I can survive, but I don''t want to be trapped in this goddamn ce for 80 years. If this is your bnce, then fuck you!'' His breath ragged and he cursed.


    [Your actions shapes your future.] The system said and went silent.


    "Tch." Varian was still angry when¡­


    "Roarr"


    "Roarr"


    "Roarr"


    In the distance, a dozen rats the same as previous one rushed at him. They used a semi-circr formation and with the white barrier to his back, Varin was essentially blocked.


    ''Did they catch me by my blood traces?'' He wondered and instinctively wanted to teleport out.


    ''There''s no teleportation to jump distance.'' Varian didn''t know exactly why teleportation didn''t work, but he had to deal with it.


    ''I must live so that I¡ª'' He was still unustomed to his new strength.


    As the red-scaled rats approached, Varian felt their heavy auras.


    They wererger than the previous red-scaled rate, their dimensions resembled that of a car.


    Each of them were stronger than his previous opponent by a significant margin.


    Varian waited and ¡ª


    "Roaar"


    A group of rats leapt at him.


    Boom!


    Varian''s feet kicked the ground and with he jumped forward, below the red-scaled rats in the air.


    The huge rats in the air could do nothing and things would''ve been fine.


    ording to his estimates, he should have escaped.


    But despite advancing, his injuries were still not healed. Especially the injury on the back. This took a heavy toll on his performance.


    Couple that with the fact that every rat was stronger than him based on stats alone, things took turn for the worse.


    "What?!"


    The rats on the ground closed the distance between him and them in the blink of an eye and attacked him.


    The paws of one rat reached his back in the blink of an eye. Followed by another. And another.


    "Damn!" Varian dodged most of the attacks but there were too many.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The air sted as the paws were about to descend on him.


    Varian used his space powers. He concentrated the space power around the rat paws that were about to pounce on him.


    Creak!


    Creak!


    The new level 2 space binding was instantly broken.


    All his efforts boiled down to facing two paws.


    Varian didn''t hold back. While solidifying the space around the rat''s paws again, he punched out.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    "Argh." Varian felt his insides twist.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    His bones creaked as they threatened to break.


    The next few minutes was the worst fight Varian had in the past year.


    His will seemed to be sapped away.


    One by one, his injuries, old and new, aggravated.


    Boom!


    Crack!


    The red-scaled rats were faster and stronger than him.


    ''I will lose...even if I win, there is no hope of getting out of this dungeon alive.''


    The voice inside his head repeated.


    "I¡ª"


    Boom!


    The most basic rule of battles was to focus on thempletely. However, Varian broke it.


    And paid the price.


    "Argh!" He clutched his stomach as he felt the deep cut.


    It was not possible anymore.


    ''I lost. No one can get out of Lost dungeons. No one.''


    When all hope was lost, Varian saw the world go dark.


    Then it turned white and he heard the crying voice of young Sia.


    "We will die."


    It was followed by his young voice, one filled with determination.


    "We''ll survive. Remember, never lose hope."

 Chapter 86 - [Bonus ]Never Lose Hope

    <h4>Chapter 86 - [Bonus ]Never Lose Hope</h4>


    "I''m here. Don''t lose hope." Young Varian said while shielding the young Sia behind him.


    In front of them was arge mantis. It was not a magic beast but a Level 0 monster.


    There were animals that mutated due to aura but weren''t strong enough to make it to the Level 1.


    Such monsters were Level 0s.


    Young Varian and Sia were facing such a foe.


    They both looked to be around 14 years.


    Young Varian''s physique was refined, showing the signs of his arduous training. The gauntlets he wore were not star treasures and had many scratches on them.


    Sia held a ck sword. Her hands were shaking, and there were tears in the corner of her eyes.


    There was a long cut across her hand. The pain caused her to cry out, and she tried to suppress it.


    "Sia." His voice sounded.


    She looked at his back and stopped trembling.


    His shirt was torn in half. There were multiple cuts on his hands and back. However, he stood straight and nced at his target with a firm gaze.


    "I never killed any monster. I thought killing was bad. But¡­" He looked at the monster in front of him and clenched his fists.


    "To protect someone more important, it''s ok to sacrifice some things." He said and dashed to the monster.


    Screech!


    The mantis lifted its des.


    "Come." Varian reached therge creature and raised his hand to attack.


    Swish!


    The de cut through the air and aimed for Varian''s neck.


    He ducked, and the next moment; he jumped.


    "Die!"


    He swung his fist with all his strength, and his gauntlet crashed into the head of the mantis.


    Crack.


    "Sreech!"


    The mantis staggered back and screamed. Its head was injured, but it was not dead yet. However, the severity of the injury was so high that it copsed.


    Young Variannded on the ground and panted.


    He stretched his arm and muttered, "To protect, if I must kill, then kill I will."


    Varian watched everything in silence and confusion.


    ''My first kill?''


    ''What happened to my memory¡­''


    He shifted his gaze to Sia.


    Her golden hair was dirtied with dust, and she had many bruises on her arms and legs.


    ''She must be fighting as well.''


    "Sia, close your eyes." Young Varian said.


    "N-No. I-I will not backdown n-ow. I want to help you f-ight." Sia was trembling, but walked up to him.


    Her eyes were looking at the mantis that was shaking its head.


    Young Varian nced at her injuries for a moment and then back at the copsed mantis.


    "Alright." He smiled at her.


    "Yay!" Sia''s lips curled up, and she pumped her fist.


    "Then let''s kill it together." He proposed.


    "E-h?!" Sia staggered back and covered her mouth.


    Looking at the grotesque creature''s head, and its blood flowing down its injuries, she had an urge to vomit.


    "N-no." Her head shook like a rattle''s tail.


    Young Varian sighed at her antics. "We were just searching for a ce to train and encountered this thing."


    He walked towards the mantis and continued, "One day, we have to face Abyssals. I was thinking about this all the time. Some creatures you have to kill."


    He then pointed to the long cut on her arm and said, "Especially since it injured you."


    He raised his fist and¡ª


    Bang!


    Crunch!


    The mantis head was crushed to meat paste.


    Sia saw its head blown into pieces and the juices sttered all over.


    "Vomit!" She threw up and closed her ties.


    She tried to forget the scene but couldn''t. It was imprinted in her mind and refused to budge.


    ''Vomiting just for this. Tsk. It''s true that young people have no experience.'' Even though he was almost dying a few moments ago, Varian felt light-hearted seeing the scene.


    As a response,


    "Vomit."


    Young Varian also threw up.


    ''Hey! Aren''t I supposed to be mentally stronger? What happened to all the talk?'' He questioned.


    Sia couldn''t vomit anymore. She looked at Varian and realized he too just finished.


    After cleaning themselves up, they walked out of the abandoned warehouse.


    "I was just apanying you." Varian suddenly spoke.


    "In what?" Sia nced at him and covered her mouth.


    "In throwing up of course." Young Varian raised his hand and dered like it was natural.


    "Pfft." Siaughed and said, "Yes, sir. I''m very grateful."


    "You better be." Young Varian nodded with a serious face.


    "Haha. " Then they bothughed together.


    As they exited the neighborhood, theirughter died down.


    Sia looked at her own injuries and saw his injuries. Then she pouted and asked. "Why are you not afraid?"


    Young Varian gave her a bewildered look. "Of course I am afraid."


    "But you don''t yell in fear."


    "I yell inside."


    Sia nced at her feet and said. "I don''t like the pain. It hurts. I feel like I am the weaker one and dragging you down."


    Young Varian stopped. Sia, too, stopped and looked at him.


    He patted her and said, "I cried a lot of times from pain. You''re not the only one."


    He pointed to the injuries on his body and grinned. "Each of these is hurting like hell. Especially the one that almost sliced my chest open."


    "But my training hurts even more." Heughed out loud.


    Sia rolled her eyes at him.


    ''Honestly, what kind of madman was I?'' Varian face palmed himself. But he couldn''t deny the optimism.


    Without knowing, he too was being influenced.


    Young Varian held her hand and started walking.


    "Hey, why?" Sia questioned, but didn''t stop him.


    "Why? You''re still trembling." Young Varian pointed to her trembling body. She still hadn''t gotten over the experience.


    Sia blushed and shook her head.


    "It''s alright. I hope that one day you will be a brave awakener fighting along with me." He chuckled.


    Sia''s face brightened.


    "I will do my best."


    "Then stop trembling." He replied.


    "Excuse me." Sia looked at him in the eye.


    "N-nothing." Young Varian looked nonchnt.


    ''....''


    "I might never be able to be like you." She whispered under her breath.


    "Stupid!" Young Varian shook his head and said.


    "Never lose hope. Say ''I will never lose hope.''"


    "I will never lose hope."


    As they walked into the distance, the scene crumbled and Varian found himself facing the fanatical rats.


    This time, his eyes had something other than despair.


    "I will never lose hope."

 Chapter 87 - Surviving

    <h4>Chapter 87 - Surviving</h4>


    Varian calmed his mind.


    The red-scaled rats stared at him. On a one on one, Varian could win. If his injuries were healed, then Varian was confident to take them down with a price.


    However, he had to make do.


    ''I can''t beat them with strength.'' He sprinted towards the white barrier.


    "Roarr"


    "Roarr"


    "Roarr"


    ''I can''t beat them with my speed.''


    They soon caught up and leapt at him.


    Varian repeated his previous tactics and dodged all attacks, save for two.


    This time, instead of punching them back, he just guarded one attack and hurled his sword at the other rat.


    This left him exposed to the paw of the rat he attacked.


    "Screech!"


    It was a suicide move and thus, caught they rat by surprise. However, it was toote.


    Right as his sword plunged into its eyes, Varian blocked one of the attack with his arm.


    He slowed the other attack using space binding.


    "Screech",


    The paw of the rat paused for a moment as it screamed from losing its eye.


    Coupling this with his space binding, Varian found enough time to just dodge.


    Boom!


    However, blocking the paw of a rat meant taking a strong blow.


    "Cough" Varian staggered nearly to the edge of the white barrier. Blood flowed down his lips. But hearing the pleasant sound, they curled up.


    Thud!


    The sword was plunged towards the rat''s eye and the rat itself was rushing towards him. This ended with the sword reaching its brain due to its own speed.


    One red-scaled rat died.


    Varian cut down the head of the rat in no time and held it in his head.


    "Roarrr"


    "Roarrr"


    "Roarrr"


    Varian''s move enraged the eleven rats.


    They bolted towards him, baring their fangs.


    Their intention was obvious. Tear him to pieces.


    He was at nearly at the edge of the barrier and he didn''t have much room to dodge.


    ''This is it. My hope.'' Varian didn''t flinch.


    He couldn''t repeat the early tactic due to the obvious reason. The sword was gone.


    Varian focused on the eleven creatures approaching him at breakneck speed and locked one of them.


    Since he was just one person, and each of the rats had a huge body, not of all them would fit around him.


    Only five would actually reach him while the rest would encircle in case he tried to escape.


    Varian didn''t


    ''You!''


    "Roaar"


    "Roarr"


    As they leapt at him, Varian ran backward while showing the dead rat''s head.


    "Roarr!"


    "Roarr?"


    "Roarr?!"


    They chased him to the white barrier and with him, they, too, jumped out.


    Varian once again witnessed the dark space. There was a suffocatingly dense aura in it. The space was also way harder.


    Varian knew that he wouldn''t be able to influence it with his current powers.


    But more importantly, the ck swirls attacked each and everyone one of them.


    Boom!


    Varian and the eleven rats were sted back into the dungeon.


    "Roarr!"


    "Roarr!"


    "Roarr!"


    The ck swirls wrecked havoc in the rats''s body.


    They ran a bit, but suddenly slowed down. They raised their paw, but struggled to put it down.


    Varian copsed on the ground, saw all this with a smirk.


    ''Sess!''


    The ck swirls seemed to be space particles of sorts. They influenced the space around them.


    Varian focused on his space power and, unlikest time, he removed the ck space swirls with ease.


    His body was heavily bleeding, and he was badly injured. He broke quite a few bones and tore many muscles.


    But there was a big grin on his face.


    He walked to one of the red- scaled rats. It opened its mouth to bite him. But suddenly stopped. The space was frozen.


    After a moment, it could move.


    Crack!


    Just then, Varian''s gauntlet broke its skull.


    "Roarr!"


    "Roarr!"


    The remaining ten rats were enraged and charged towards him.


    But¡ª


    "Crrr"


    "Shrr"


    The space suddenly tightened around them, and their moments came to a halt. They broke the space and continued charging.


    "Crr"


    "Shrr"


    It repeated. Again and again.


    Unlike Varian, these rats had no space powers. They couldn''t just remove those ck swirls and hence suffered.


    Varian didn''t waste the opportunity he got after many risks.


    Thud.


    Thud.


    Thud.


    ¡­.


    "Roar!"


    Thud.


    With thest roar, the twelfth rat was also in.


    "Ha!" Varian smiled widely but the next moment, copsed on the ground.


    "Ouch!" Hended straight on his most injuries.


    Looking at the corpses, he still couldn''t believe it.


    He survived.


    "Thank you." He muttered. "I will never lose hope."


    Even though he was spent, he didn''t dare to linger any longer.


    He begrudgingly got up and searched for a safe ce.


    This time, he took care to cover his tracks.


    Varian''s efforts paid off, and he secluded himself in a remote cave in a deste area.


    Without constant fighting, the healing medicine finally began to show its effects.


    In a few hours, Varian''s injuries werepletely healed.


    His flesh had regrown, and his bones were fixed. All in all, Varian was back to his


    peak.


    He opened hism in a glimmer of hope.


    As expected, there was no connection to the meta. He also tried to contact others and failed.


    Varian didn''t give up and browsed through the database of the lost dungeons.


    Under Current Lost Dungeons, he found a long list.


    "Thanks?" He chuckled nervously and checked them.


    In fact, he was quite nervous.


    There were quite a few Dungeons with monsters in Body path.


    Out of curiosity, Varian picked the ''Starchild'' Dungeon. It was a Thunder Dungeon, but also had some monsters that specialized in Body Path.


    ''I haven''t seen any Thunder monsters yet.'' He shrugged and closed them.


    ''Let''s assume the worst: I can''t get out.'' Varian rubbed his chin.


    ''Then I can aim to be a Level 9. Or Sovereign. The System also gives some promises that I get stronger the more I advance. Maybe bing a Sovereign can change things?''


    ''But what if... there is a way to get out? Maybe I just don''t know.'' He held his breath and continued.


    ''Then I''d need to be strong enough to check every part of this dungeon. Maybe it will have the clues to returning, if any.''


    ''Then there''s only one thing I can do now.''


    "Get stronger."


    His eyes narrowed, and a cruel smile formed on his face. "Rat. In the process, I''ming for revenge."


    The Mother rat didn''t know a tragedy was about to befall on its children.


    And the monsters in the dungeon didn''t know a human was about to shake everything up.

 Chapter 88 - Space Path Training

    <h4>Chapter 88 - Space Path Training</h4>


    Varian''s feet touched the ground, and the next moment, he appeared dozens of meters away.


    He headed towards the white barrier, the exit of the dungeon.


    He passed ins, forests and stopped after reaching the edge.


    Dungeon had many ecosystems. Now, he was in a desert. An adult man would''ve fainted by just walking in such heat, but Varian didn''t even sweat.


    A peak greater human could lift a military truck and level a normal building. Now, he had 70% of that strength.


    ''But it''s not enough.'' Varian walked towards the white barrier. He couldn''t appreciate it before, but now he couldn''t help but appreciate the soft light. It was like the legendary moonlight.


    ''Moon!''


    Moon used to emit simr soft white light in Old Earth time. But after it was converted to a military base and second line of defense, Varian, or any human for that matter, couldn''t see the white moon anymore.


    There was only a chunk of red metal in the sky.


    For the exchange of safety, the world sacrificed the beauty of moonlight. Only after losing what they previously took for granted did the humans realize what they''ve lost.


    Even though many regretted it, it was irreversible.


    ''Fromnding on to the moon to explore the deeper space to stop the Abyssals invading earth. How low did humanity fall?''


    Varian shook his head and bent down to see the stones all around.


    ''I could just try my luck.''


    He extended his space sense and scanned the surroundings.


    "None."


    Varian shook his head in frustration and got up.


    However, his space sense slightly shook, and he picked a small grey stone.


    ''Spacort?'' He sensed its space power was far less and impurepared to space stone.


    ''Why can''t it be a space stone?.'' He sighed but ced it in his space ring.


    ''The space power in spacort is impure and small. However, their quantities can make give me some tangible benefits. My space power can improve.'' Varian continued to search and found a few more spacorts.


    After ensuring there were no more space stones, he headed back to his cave.


    It was on top of a barren hill and was as wide as a 30 meters. Its location was in the edge of Outer zone. This meant the monsters that dwelled here were the absolute beginners of Level 3.


    Varian was confident in suppressing even a horde of such level 3s.


    "Hiss!"


    As he was about to enter the cave, his heightened hearing caught a sound.


    Varian didn''t flinch and stepped in.


    Shauu!


    A ten meter snake as thick as a human barred its fangs at him andshed its tail at him.


    It was a Level 3 monster.


    The peak Level 2 Varian would''ve struggled to deal with it. But the him now?


    Varian just snapped his fingers, and the space around the snake froze a moment.


    Crack.


    Using its level 3 strength, the snake''s tail broke the level 2 space binding. However¡ª


    Shaa!


    A shark sword sliced into half across its length.


    "Dinner confirmed." Varian smiled.


    Then he dug up the stomach section and found a small white sphere ¡ª Beast core.


    Even though he had no immediate use for them, he developed the habit of collecting the beast cores he hunted.


    He wanted the beast cores of the rats as well. Unfortunately, after he recovered and reached the location where he slew twelve rats, it was toote.


    Varian only saw their skeletons and scales. Everything, including their beast cores, seemed to be eaten.


    ''In my injured condition, staying there to collect beast cores instead of escaping is suicide.'' He shrugged it off and sliced the snake meat into pieces.


    He held one slice and put the rest in his storage.


    Then, Varian formed a small fire using the primitive method and roasted the snake.


    A Great Human physique could not preserve itself based on aura alone. So whether he liked it or not, Varian had to eat.


    Thankfully, it wasn''t too bad, and he finished his first meal in the lost dungeon and sat down to practice.


    With a flick, a dozen spacorts appeared in his palms. On top of them was a tiny rock ¡ª his only space stone.


    Varian channeled his space power into the space stone and it carefully guided it out, taking a small portion of the pure space power inside it.


    This space power entered his body and slowly merged into his own space power.


    After assimting the new space power, he channeled his space power into the spacorts.


    The surrounding space fluctuated. It weakened and solidified. It twisted and stretched.


    Varian focused his space sense and trained it to this dynamic and turbulent form of space.


    At the same time, he stretched it slightly beyond its current range.


    During fights, there would be no static enemies. Varian was training space sense for battles and, at the same time, expanding at it.


    The cycle continued, and Varian lost track of time.


    With each cycle, his space power slightly rose and his space sense was increasingly ustomed to dynamic targets, with its range rising at the same time.


    After a while, he felt ''full''.


    It was like he couldn''t eat anymore. He had to give his training a break.


    [+20 Xp


    Space Path Level 2: 20/200]


    The System''s prompt greeted him. With it, a few aura crystals also vanished.


    ''20 in one sitting? Are you serious?'' Varian was shocked.


    [Host, using a space stone is too extravagant for humanity.] Itmented.


    ''I''m just making the best use of my opportunities.'' Varian shrugged.


    Space stones were formed in Inner space. They contained the true essence of space power and were extremely useful to any Space awakener.


    Many space stones get ejected to the Outer space every year. Spotting them, however, was incredibly hard, and there was almost always a shortage of them.


    On the other hand, spacorts were formed in Inner space, but also in the outer space withplex spaces.


    Since the Lost Dungeon was in Inner space, many spacorts and space stones enter it every day.


    Thus, Varian was in supply of expensive training resources and he was using them unapologetically.


    His actions would drive any normal human mad. It was too extravagant for a Level 2 to use space stone.


    Despite being immensely beneficial to Space Awakeners, not a single space stone was sold in the federation.


    The only thing sold was spacort, and it was very expensive.


    The locations like Mirror Hollow Abyss which gave spacorts were limited in the number of spacorts they could provide.


    ''I could be executed if this is known. It''s not a joke.'' Varian nced at hism and sighed.


    The stakes were too much.


    Any of the eights in the federation needed to be essible in case of emergency.


    Even thetest space shuttles reaching the 10% speed of light would take hours, if not days, to reach the outers.


    So every had several teleportation formations exclusively for the use of military.


    All the space stones in the federation went to maintaining and using these formations.


    ''But I want to survive first. Everything elseester.'' Varian snickered and nced at his palms.


    A lot of spacorts turned to dust while the space stone dimmed slightly.


    "Spacorts, I can manage. But what if the space stone also runs out?" Varian had a headache.


    He put them into the space ring and almost coughed out blood once again.


    "Why are my aura crystals so low?" There were quite a few before his advancement. Now only a pitiful few were left.


    [Host, your advancement to Level 3 consumed way more aura than expected. And remember, you have two paths. You will only need more of them.]


    "Tch."


    He wouldn''t be able to breakthrough to Level 3 Space path with them, much less Level 4 in Body path.


    "I''m in a bad mood." Varian walked out of the cave and sprinted to the site where he fought the red-scaled rats.


    "I''m in a bad mood." He muttered and carefully observed the ground.


    "If you can find me, then I can find you too." He spotted the trails by which the red-scaled rats travelled to him.


    "Revenge." He snickered and chased the trails.


    After a few minutes, he was standing in front of the nest.

 Chapter 89 - Joy Of Slaughter

    <h4>Chapter 89 - Joy Of ughter</h4>


    Varian stood in front of what looked like the opening to an underground mine.


    The entrance was wide and high enough for a few trains to pass through side by side.


    ''Baby rats¡­'' Varian''s lips curled up.


    However, instead of entering, he sneaked behind the boulder at the entrance and restrained his aura. Then he focused on his hearing.


    "Screech"


    "Roarr"


    "Schre"


    Thanks to his greater human hearing, he heard at least thirty different noises.


    ''I can take down all the little ones. But the mama rat is a problem.'' Varian simted a battle against the bigger rat and shook his head.


    He wasn''t clear about its exact strength, but it was at least in thete stages of Level 3.


    If he had topare with his metrics, it would be around Level 3 250/400.


    The first baby rat he fought would be no more than 20/400 of Level 3. And the ones he fought near the dungeon edge would be around 60/400 to 100/400.


    He didn''t win those dozen red-scaled rats in a fair fight. He outsmarted them.


    ''But I am strong enough to ughter them.'' Varian then spread his space sense and observed the trails at the entrance.


    The foot prints of the mother rat stood out. They were thergest and made the deepest impression.


    Of course, there were many such foot prints. But the fresh ones were easily distinguishable.


    After inspecting it, he drew two important conclusions.


    First, the mother rat entered the cave a few hours ago.


    Second, there was no rat of size even near equal to the mother rat.


    ''So no father rat, huh?'' He chuckled and decided his n.


    ''I can''t win against the big one yet. But the smaller ones...be prepared to pay the price for almost pushing me to death.'' He hid himself and waited.


    As he expected, after a few hours, the mother rat took a dozen baby rats and trot out of the cave.


    ''Not only are you a baby machine, but you are also training your kiddos every day.''


    With the obstacle cleared, Varian cautiously came out of his hiding.


    After confirming that the group was really gone, he entered the cave with a cold smile.


    Varian focused on his hearing, and tip toed without alerting his prey.


    The tunnel widened, and the sounds of those rats increased.


    Varian was now able to estimate their numbers.


    ''At least twenty.'' His smile widened, and he inched closer to the source.


    The tunnel ended, and arge cave came into view. Its area was easilyrger than a usual mansion.


    Twenty-five rats were frolicking in the cave. Some were cuddling. Others were sleeping. A few were mating.


    Varian sensed the aura of these rats and concluded they were all at the level of the ones that chased him.


    ''Even the strongest would be equivalent to Level 3 100/400.''


    After estimating the battle''s odds, Varian drew out his sword and spread his space sense.


    "I''m back, bitches!" He roared and shot towards the closest rat.


    "Screech~?" The rats were surprised and turned in the direction of the sound.


    Ting!


    Shuaa!


    "Scre¡ª" A rat couldn''t even finish the scream as the sound of metal slicing the scales sounded, followed by a sound of metal slicing through meat.


    Its head rolled on the ground, and blood spurted out. The sheer pressure and volume of blood caused the sticky, purple liquid to shoot onto the walls.


    Varian already sprinted to his next target.


    "Roaar!"


    "Roarr!"


    The rats looked around to find the culprit.


    One such rat hurriedly looked back and saw something.


    It opened its mouth to scream, but the space surrounding its neck suddenly froze.


    Ting!


    Shuaa!


    Splurt!


    Another neck rolled down and Varian appeared on the rat''s corpse.


    The rats hurriedly turned around and finally found the intruder.


    "Roarrr!"


    Without hesitation, they rushed at him.


    "Try." Varian dashed to a closer rat and swung his sword.


    The rat raised its paw to counter. But¡ª


    Shuaa!


    The additional space powers ensured an unfair advantage and Varian slowed down the rat''s attack while executing his own.


    The time it bought was negligible in other cases, but for a battle, it made all the difference. A five-minute battle turned into an insta kill.


    One more head fell.


    "Roarr!" they roared in rage and confusion. However, there was also another emotion slowly brewing.


    Fear.


    Their instincts screamed at them and their ears perked up.


    At that moment, an impulsive rat already reached him and opened its mouth.


    Varian didn''t care and used space binding.


    Without any physical contact required, space binding''s utility skyrocketed.


    The space around the rat''s face was solidified for a moment, but due to his space path being only a Level 2, the level 3 rat was able to quickly break through the solid space.


    But that one moment was enough.


    The sword thrust into its eye and pierced its brain.


    Thud!


    The huge body of the creature copsed.


    Varian looked around and saw the remaining rats looking at him.


    This time, they didn''t rush to him.


    The survival instincts of the rats kicked in and they scurried to the cave exit instead.


    Ting!


    Shuaa!


    "Not so fast."


    Varian swung his sword, and another head rolled to the ground.


    He stood in front of the only exit to the cave and squinted his eyes at the anxious beasts.


    "Screech"


    "Roarr"


    Perhaps, even with their undeveloped intellect, they were able to grasp their standing and his intention.


    They won''t be able to escape without defeating him.


    Since there was no way out without fighting, then make the way on his corpse!


    The rats united and¡ª


    "Roarr"


    "Roarr"


    "Good. Good." Varianughed out loud and weed them.


    "Roar!"


    All the rats bolted towards him and raised their paws to take him down. Even the Varian now wouldn''t be able to take all those attacks without a heavy price.


    He didn''t have to.


    Varian bent his legs and leaned forward. The next moment, he shot towards the rats at a breakneck speed.


    Boom!


    His left hand held a sword, and his right hand wore a gauntlet.


    The moment they were in close distance, Varian locked the space around his surrounding rats.


    At the same time, his sword and gauntlet shot out at an insane speed.


    Boom!


    Shuaa!


    Two rats copsed. One''s skull was crushed and the other''s neck was severed.


    Boom!


    In the period when Varian attacked the two rats, the remaining rats broke the space blockage and attacked him.


    Varian twisted his body in midair and dodged most of the attacks. For the ones he couldn''t dodge, he used space binding on himself and slowed their attacks.


    Creak!


    The paws broke through in no time and were about to smash his head.


    Varian punched back, and at the same time, kicked. Right before his body came into contact with his foe''s, he enforced his hands with space binding.


    Boom!


    Creak!


    Varian staggered back a few steps back and smiled.


    There were no injuries.


    He stepped forward and raised his sword.


    The rats stepped back. But their screams increased.


    "Hahaha!" A gleefulughter resounded in the cave.


    Splurt


    Splurt


    Thud


    Thud


    The only sounds apanying theughter were ones of blood gushing out and bodies copsing.


    Soon, Varian was the only one standing.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll send your brethren to you. I promise your reunion." He sneered and collected their beast cores.


    As he reached the exit, the smile on Varian''s face was wiped off.


    "Roarrr!"


    The mother rat was back!

 Chapter 90 - Search For Aura Crystals

    <h4>Chapter 90 - Search For Aura Crystals</h4>


    Varian felt suffocated. The mere presence of the mother rat was enough for him to realize he wasn''t strong enough to face it.


    Step


    Step


    The mother rat saw the purple blood dripping from Varian''s fingertips. The same purple blood inside it boiled and it let out a deafening roar.


    "Roarrr!"


    Varian covered his hears and stepped out of the cave.


    He didn''t run first. If he did, he''d be caught up in no time.


    ''Buy time¡ªdistract¡ªavoid¡­'' Various choices popped in his mind and Varian saw the four eyes of the mother rat turning bloodshot.


    Time was pressing and Varian took the initiative.


    Pop.


    He picked out a beast core from his space ring. It was a red-scaled rat''s.


    The mother rat''s gaze was fixed on the beast core. Sensing the familiar aura of its children, it went crazy.


    "Roarr!"


    That was the final straw.


    Mother rat legs bent and it was about to pounce on him.


    "Take your babies." Varian hurled the beast core into the distance.


    "Roar!" It roared and instead of rushing to him, it pounced toward the beast core.


    ''Alright. Here goes.'' Varian dashed in the opposite direction.


    He bet that the mother rat would value the beast cores more than him. He was right.


    Beast cores were the most important part of any magic beast. They were akin to the aura storages.


    The beast cores absorb aura from the surrounding automatically.


    "Roarr" The mother rat''s roar sounded from the distance.


    Varian didn''t hesitate and threw another beast core away from both him and the mother rat.


    The mother rat bolted to the beast core.


    Varian used this opportunity to widen the distance a bit more.


    Humans used beast cores as the aura engines of star treasures. A thunder star treasure needed the beast core of a thunder beast and so on.


    Since beast cores would replenish the aura within themselves, a star treasure could be used until a long time.


    "Roarr" The mother rat roared once again and Varian repeated his trick.


    This time, however, he threw two beast cores in opposite directions.


    The mother rat also continued its chase to the beast cores.


    Until dungeons appeared, humans were using aura crystals to create star treasures. It was incredibly inefficient since aura crystals needed to be reced regrly.


    Then beast cores happened and the star treasure industry reinvented itself.


    The only downside was that humans couldn''t absorb aura from beast cores. It was too chaotic.


    "Crunch" The mother rat reached the beast core and devoured it. The beast core quickly dissolved inside it and its own beast core attracted the chaotic aura. It would slowly be refined.


    Unlike humans, Magic beasts could ''eat'' a beast core and absorb the aura. This worked only if the beast cores were of the same Divine path.


    Varian continued to widen the distance. However, the thought of a mother eating the beast core of its own child sickened him.


    "Roarr"


    "Roarr"


    A few more iterations and Varian finally threw off the mother rat.


    The mother rat too stopped chasing him. There were two reasons. One Varian pulled too much distance and it would likely fail to capture him.


    The second being the most important. It had to digest the aura inside. It''d take a long time.


    Varian didn''t top and sprinted back to his cave.


    After habitually checking the perimeter for safety, he copsed on the ground.


    "Huh." Even with his greater human physique, he was drenched in sweat.


    ''If that fat rat didn''t go for the beast cores and instead came for me, then I''d have had a hard time escaping.'' Varian concluded.


    It was a risky move. Even though magic beasts wouldn''t kill their own kin, they would eat the beast cores without any remorse.


    However, if the red-scaled rat was any sensible, then it would have killed him first and then picked up the beast cores.


    ''But that''s not to say all magic beasts will do the same. Rats...are at the bottom of intelligence. If it was a monkey or an ape, they''d be smarter.'' Varian felt lucky, but soon decided he was actually unlucky.


    ''It wasn''t even quarter hour and it rushes back. Aren''t you too worried, mother rat?'' He mocked.


    ''But I''ll reunite you guys once I get stronger.''


    He wasn''t a person to start enmity. But he surely was the one to end them.


    ''System, how long would it take for that rat to digest the cores?'' He rubbed his sore legs and asked.


    If only teleportation somehow worked, things would''ve been far easier.


    [At least one full day.]


    ''Whoah!'' Varian gaped.


    [It can only absorb around 35% aura. The rest is wasted.] The System stated. Its mechanical tone somehow sounded smug.


    ''What about you? You also use the aura crystals, right?''


    [100% efficiency, of course. Plus, this System saves you tonnes of time. You just need to fight and grow stronger instantly.]


    ''It sounds a bit too good to be true.'' Varian rolled his eyes.


    [...you''d need way more more aura crystals than a normal awakener.] It stated slowly.


    ''I knew it.'' Varian huffed and his shoulders slumped.


    Then he checked his space ring. All the beast cores were emptied along the way.


    Varian counted the pitiful aura crystals and they amounted to only ten ¡ª they were Sarah''s gift.


    ''I hope I can get out of here alive.'' He sighed.


    Aura crystals, spacorts and space stone appeared in his hands and he started meditation.


    The cave was awfully quiet as the space fluctuated.


    Varian practiced his space path for some time and devoted a greater amount to his body path.


    After a few hours, the results were evident.


    [+5 Xp


    +20 Xp]


    ''Status''


    [Body Path level 3: 5/400


    Space Path level 2: 40/200]


    ''Why so slow?'' Varian grimaced.


    If normal awakeners heard his swords, they''d chase him to the ends of world.


    If he spent all his time practicing on body path, he would easily reach the peak of Body Path Level 3 in 40 days or around 80 sessions.


    That was a ridiculous speed.


    ''40 days is too slow.'' Even if he were to ept it, Varian faced another problem and checked his space ring.


    Another aura crystals was gone.


    ''Only nine left.''


    It was time to replenish his stock.


    "Aura crystal hunting." Varian stood up and exited the cave.


    Aura crystals must be present in such an aura rich dungeon. The first one to find them would be magic beasts themselves.


    The stronger the magic beast, the more likely their nest contained something valuable.


    Thus, Varian checked around the abodes of various monsters. None showed any signs of possessing aura crystals.


    ''Continue.''


    Three days passed with no results.


    It seemed that despite having a dense aura, aura crystals were hard to form.


    Of course, Varian wasn''t cking off.


    [Body Path Level 3: 15/400


    Space Path Level 2: 60/200]


    The progress of space path slowed down.


    ''This is the thirtieth beastir.'' Varian nced at the sharp mountain in the distance.


    The mountain was in the middle of a huge forest and was home to a group of apes.


    A river flowed by the mountain and Varian found the clues in it.


    Varian found a few white shards floating in the river.


    After careful inspection, he concluded they were pieces of aura crystals.


    There was no major magic beast nest nearby except this one.


    ''I''m almost certain.''


    Varian restrained his aura to the minimum and sneaked to the mountain.


    ''Time to fill my pockets.''

 Chapter 91 - A Ploy

    <h4>Chapter 91 - A Ploy</h4>


    Varian hid in arge bush away near the mountain. It was a lush mountain with golden soil.


    The grunting and hooting of apes reverberated across the mountain.


    Varian took the opportunity to observe the situation.


    "Hoo"


    "Hoo"


    A bunch of apes returned. Their golden fur stood out in the greenery as they carried arge tiger corpse. It was charred and spasmed even after death.


    ''So they are not Body Path practitioners, but actually Thunder path?'' Varian guessed.


    The hunter apes climbed the mountain and soon, sounds of celebration reached his ears.


    "Hoo"


    "Hoo"


    Then, one by one, many hunting groups climbed the mountain and Varian''s back was drenched in sweat.


    There were at least a few hundred apes. Only kids were in Level 1, the young ones were in level 2 and the old ones were in level 3.


    The level 2s were about the same size as humans, but the older golden apes were as tall 8 feet and looked like a mini-giant.


    Varian found at least a dozen auras not weaker than the mother rat.


    ''I cannot fight and win.'' Varian perceived their levels and sighed.


    The most direct way of storming into the mountain and searching for the aura crystals was dropped.


    ''Patience is key for any mission.''


    Varian made no movements and continued to observe his targets.


    "Hoo"


    "Hoo"


    "Hoo"


    Soon, lightnings spread out from the mountain and shot into the distance.


    These lightnings came in the shapes of clubs, sword and maces.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Some of them fell onto trees and reduced them to ashes.


    The others fell into the river and Varian saw dozens of fish falling out and twitching as they died.


    Varian rushed into another bush as a lightning bolt burnt down the one he was hiding in.


    Boom!


    The five meters radius surrounding the bush was charred and Varian held his breath in tension.


    ''Not fighting. Not fighting.''


    Even though these attacks weren''t fatal to him, the point was that they were so powerful despite projected from far away.


    "Hoo"


    "Hoo"


    Themotion continued, and Varian shifted to a safer ce. He took his time to figure out their routine and soon; he was clear.


    Every day, a few hunter groups, mainly consisting of younger apes, would head towards different sections of the forest and hunt their prey.


    The Level 3 golden apes mostly stayed on the mountain. More importantly, four golden apes were always guarding the entrance to a cave at the foot of the mountain.


    Every once in a while, a hunter group would bring in a severely injured ape and it would be sent through that guarded entrance.


    ''The cave must be having aura crystals.'' Varian clicked his tongue.


    With level 3s protecting it, the difficulty of mission just increased to hell mode.


    These golden apes were fully aware that they were sitting on a treasure and guarded it with all their strength. Varian even suspected there were more Level 3 Apes inside. They would be a fool to not practice in a cave full of aura crystals.


    An aura crystal mine to boot.


    Aura crystals were formed naturally. The denser the aura, the more the probability of aura crystal formation. When a threshold was reached, the aura crystals would be called an aura crystal mine.


    Varian had never seen one. Even their locations were secretive.


    In Human Federation, all aura crystal mines were state-owned. While the Abyssals had aura mines as well.


    ''I still wonder why the Abyss Lord''s castle had so many aura crystals¡­'' Varian shook his head.


    If he barged into the cave, the chance of him sessfully stealing aura crystals was 10%. But the chance of surviving that¡­ 1%.


    ''There must be another way.'' Varian soon found something fishy.


    Every few hours, there would be two Level 3 golden apes pointing their fingers at the river.


    Large beams of lightning would shoot into theke and most, if not all creatures in theke fall out of theke, spasm and die.


    It didn''t seem peculiar taking into ount that they''d shoot lightning everywhere once the ''hunt'' is brought up the mountain.


    However, considering the possibility that aura crystals were likely at the bottom of the mountain, Varian realized something.


    He silently slipped out and distanced himself from the golden mountain.


    The level 3s once again attacked the river. Varian waited for a while and dived in.


    Using his Level 3 greater human physique, it was easy to stay underwater for a long time.


    As he expected, there was almost no vegetation underwater. The lightning must''ve killed everything.


    Reaching the mountain, he found arge tunnel. He swam through it and approached its end.


    ''Yes! Aura crystals!'' He saw them.


    In arge cave, aura crystals were stuck on the walls.


    Varian''s excitement died down the moment he spotted the Humongous apes meditating in the cave.


    There was also a small medical garden of sorts, and the injured apes recuperated with the herbs.


    ''These apes are clever, unlike that rat. If I enter, I''m dead.'' He swam against the current and got out of the river.


    Varian found a new way to enter with a sess rate of 100%, but the survival chances were 0.1%.


    ''Nope. There must be a better way.'' He didn''t give up and tried to think of a strategy.


    "Hoo!"


    "Hoo!"


    "Hoo!"


    The anxious gibbers of the golden apes irked him as he nced at a group of five carrying their injuredrade to the mountain''s cave.


    These apes were Level 2 and thus about the same size as him. Their walking posture resembled that of a human than a typical ape.


    If he just observed their shadows and ignored their strange noises and golden fur, Varian would''ve thought a few humans were carrying their injured fellow.


    ''If I can be mistaken, then¡­'' Varian''s eyes shed and his lips curled.


    He observed the hunter groups leaving the mountain and stalked a small group of 3 golden apes.


    Soon, they reached a significant distance from the golden mountain.


    ''Time to split up guys.''


    Varian picked a few stones and hurled them around the apes.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Varian''s level 3 strength was beyond what these apes could face.


    As the stones crashed into the ground and dust rose into air, the apes panicked.


    They instinctively grouped closer and used their lightning powers to shield them. Right then¡ª


    "Shuaa"


    A stone passed through the lightning barrier and crashed in front of them.


    Boom!


    It was like a small explosion, and the apes were scared.


    They scattered while guarding themselves with a lightning armor formed by their mana.


    Varian observed them and picked the one whose dimensions matched him the most.


    "You!"


    Varian appeared behind the ape and swung his sword. It cut through the lightning barrier and severed its head.


    Varian''s hand was numb from the lightning, but he was not injured.


    Thankfully, he solidified the space around his arm at the final moment.


    Thud.


    The corpse copsed.


    Varian smiled down at it. "You''ll be my ticket to aura crystals. Thank you."


    Soon, the two apes returned to find theirrade ape severely injured on the ground.

 Chapter 92 - Sneak In

    <h4>Chapter 92 - Sneak In</h4>


    The golden apes were cautious and spread their elemental sense. There was no other creature in the surrounding.


    "Hoo"


    "Hoo"


    Then they rushed to their injuredrade and were taken aback by its injury.


    The injured one had arge cut across its chest, with pieces of flesh strewn all around. Its golden blood was gushing out, and the only reason they considered it to be still alive was the faint breath.


    They hurriedly picked it up and rushed towards the golden mountain.


    To their horror, even its aura was nearly non-existent.


    "Hoo!"


    "Hoo"


    The already weak breath was turning even weaker, and the apes hurried.


    As they approached the entrance to the cave, Varian, in disguise of the injured ape, controlled his breath and confirmed again.


    ''System, they''ll really not detect my aura, right?''


    [No. ''He''s severely injured and all his aura is exhausted''. That is a likely conclusion.]


    ''I''ll trust you on this one.'' Varian kept up his act and restrained his movements.


    "Hoo!"


    "Hoo!"


    The two apes yelled and the level 3 apes guarding the cave nced at the injured ape.


    ''Don''t use Elemental sense. Don''t use.'' Varian was ready to escape.


    Elemental sense was simr to space sense¡ªit was a skill of Elementalists.


    Thunder Awakeners, for instance, sense the thunder elemental mana in the air and use it to observe the world around them.


    Water Awakeners use their Water sense to be connected to water mana and, through it, observe their surroundings.


    ''Don''t use...'' Varian held his breath.


    If they did use Thunder sense on him, then they''d realize he had no Thunder Mana in his body.


    His disguise would be busted before he even entered.


    The guardian apes nced at the injured ape and their thunder sense swept across Varian for a moment.


    Varian was ready to make a run. But they nodded and picked him up withoutmotion.


    ''Huh? I felt they used it.'' Varian was confused.


    [They just nced at the surface, host. They didn''t go deeper.] System unexpectedly replied.


    ''They sensed my aura to be absent and decided I was severely injured.'' Varian clicked his tongue.


    [This System is impressed that you are not an idiot who only knows fighting.]


    ''You are the idiot.'' Varian retorted.


    "Hoo"


    "Hoo"


    The 8 feet tall golden ape carried him on its back and entered the cave.


    Varian''s eyes widened at the sight.


    It was a very wide cave. There were at least a dozen golden apes. None was shorter than 8 feet. There was even a 9 feet ape, which despite being seated, was as tall as him.


    ''Finally¡­'' Varian carefully controlled his breath and carefully poured of the golden blood of the ape from his space ring.


    To the outsiders, the golden blood was dripping from the wound on his chest. But they didn''t know there was another person under the skin.


    Varian was brought to a ce away from the meditating oldies. He was ced next to a small nt that exuded a soft green light.


    The green light slowly blended into his body and healed the cut skin he was using.


    He peeked around and saw a few more injured apes next to simr nts.


    ''My goal¡ª'' He nced around and saw the walls.


    The walls! They were embedded with aura crystals!


    ''If I can get everything¡­. I¡ª'' Varian''s thoughts spun around, but instead of rushing things, he waited patiently.


    He observed the other apes and concluded how much ''healing'' should he perform to not attract attention.


    This meant healing neither too quick nor toote.


    ''Wait.''


    A few hours passed and Varian decreased the amount of golden blood he spewed out from his ''wound''.


    An ape came in every hour and checked the injured''s conditions. His condition got ''better'' at a normal rate and he did not attract attention.


    ''It''s time¡­ go.'' Varian''s fake injury was almost healed.


    He knew in an hour or two, a guardian ape woulde and take the healed ones out after a thorough inspection.


    A few injured apes were healed and taken out already. Meanwhile, a few more were brought in.


    ''Come on!'' Varian urged.


    Once Varian was inspected thoroughly, his disguise would be exposed.


    ''It''s almost here.'' Varian calcted the time and¡ª


    "Hoo!"


    "Hoo!"


    There was a hugemotion on the mountain.


    Just like yesterday, the hunting groups returned. They carried their prize onto the mountain.


    ''Finally, it''s feast time.'' Varian''s eyes lit up, and he waited.


    Just like yesterday, as the cheers rose, the Level 3 Thunder Apes in the cave also moved out.


    Level 3s would still have to eat.


    From his observation the other day, he concluded food wasn''t taken into the cave. So everyone in the cave woulde out.


    The worst case was theming out batch by batch, but after inspection, that was not the case.


    Now¡­


    Varian nced at the only Level 3 ape still in the cave. It was meditating near the smallke.


    That smallke was the one the tunnel under the river led to. It was likely guarding against intruders from water.


    ''One or a few level 3 Apes guarding the cave at feast. This is the second worst. But¡ª''


    "Hoo!"


    "Hoo!"


    The cheers continued to rise, and Varian moved.


    He slowly stood up and tiptoed toward theke. With his breath restrained and his aura hidden, he didn''t disturb the meditating ape.


    Since the cave wasrge, and the guards were facing outward, they didn''t notice his movements either.


    Varian cautiously approached the meditating ape. It was a strong Level 3.


    Lightning coiled around its body and zapped. It would''ve been revered as a supernatural being on Old Earth, but now it was his prey.


    The old ape was immersed in meditation and, due to his stealth, didn''t notice his arrival.


    Varian sensed its immense aura level. Ate Level 3.


    ''It''s stronger than me. I can''t take a frontal fight.'' He slowly approached it.


    But he didn''t need to fight head on.


    Assassinate!


    There was just one problem.


    The lightning coiling around the ape also served as a barrier.


    ''I need to kill him silently.''


    Varian nced at the aura crystals all over the cave and at the guardians in the distance.


    Everything was set.


    ''I have only one chance.'' The apes would be way more wary the next time.


    He silently equipped the ck gauntlets and reached behind the old ape.


    Varian raised his hand to one shot.

 Chapter 93 - Escape

    <h4>Chapter 93 - Escape</h4>


    The old ape didn''t move and missed its final chance.


    "Mffff"


    Varian punched.


    His gauntlet pierced through the coiling lightning and its spikes pierced the neck of the old ape.


    "Ssh"


    The golden blood burst out of its neck and his gauntlets were dyed golden.


    The old ape died a silent death.


    "Hoo!"


    "Hoo!"


    The guards didn''t catch the sound due to the cheers.


    However, Varian was running out of time.


    He unsheathed his sword, and a light shed.


    The recuperating ape that just opened its eyes was silenced. Along with it, every other golden ape was also put to rest.


    He dashed to the walls and, using his greater human speed to the fullest, plucked the aura crystals.


    "Hoo!"


    "Hoo!"


    Now it was all about risk management.


    The sooner he jumps into theke and leaves, the safer.


    But the longer he stays, the more aura crystals.


    Varian''s space ring was a level 5 star treasure gifted by Maya. The storage capacity was asrge as a mansion.


    Even though the cave wasrge and had a lot of aura crystals, it was unrealistic for them to fill his mansion-sized space ring.


    However, after checking so many nests, Varian knew the chance of finding aura crystals was rare. So he had to do his best.


    Aura crystals were too important to not risk.


    Without aura crystals, his progress would slow down and even if his talent was high, he''d have to spend a lot of time to advance to the next level.


    Click.


    Click.


    Click.


    Varian moved from one location to another, picking the aura crystals and filling his space ring.


    He spread his space sense and focused his hearing on the outside. He had to be prepared for the guards'' response.


    If they sensed the slightest difference, the guards would be suspicious.


    And with the unavoidable sound each time an aura crystal was picked, they were bound to notice sooner orter.


    After a few minutes, notice they did.


    "Hoo!"


    "Hoo!"


    The guards were furious but restrained their impulsive to attack directly. They didn''t want to risk damaging their treasurend.


    They rushed at him. However, they were thunder practitioners. Their speed was naturally slow.


    Varian used this chance to pluck a few more aura crystals.


    After closing the distance, they didn''t have any scruples and raised their hands to zap him with thunder.


    Varian wasted no time and jumped into theke.


    Boom!


    Zzzz!


    The lighting arcs struck the wall, and the cave shook a little.


    Themotion above the mountain suddenly halted. The silence was scary.


    Varian, however, didn''t care and was already diving in.


    The guardian apes roared and a huge lightning ball shot into theke.


    ''Fuck!''


    Varian tried to dive in quick, but the lightning ball was quicker.


    "Argh"


    The lightning flowed through the water and Varian was electrocuted.


    Due to the distance, it wasn''t arge injury, but his skin was still burnt and he started to bleed.


    ''Blood¡­ gives away my position.'' Varian gritted his teeth and reached into the tunnel.


    At the same time, the System prompted.


    [Lightning Path: Level 0: 10/30]


    ''You really can''t find a better timing, can you?'' Varian cursed and swam through the tunnel.


    At the same time, he used space binding to freeze the space around his wounds. This prevented his blood from spreading in the water.


    ''That really hurt.''


    The strike was weakened due to the distance it had to travel. If Varian faced the same attack onnd, then he''d be severely injured.


    As he swam out of the tunnel, Varian sensed something was wrong.


    Looking up through the river surface, his heart stopped.


    Hundreds of apes stood on the bank of the river and gazed into it. They all raised their hands and lightning twirled around their hands.


    ''This is really too much. I didn''t even take half.'' Varian was aggrieved.


    If the apes understood his grievance, they''d have coughed out blood.


    He stole their aura crystals and was now saying attacking him with all their strength was too much?


    How shameless!


    Even if they wore no clothes, their golden ape tribe had more shame.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    One by one, the lightning arcs bombarded the river.


    Varian swam to the bottom of the river to mitigate the lightning attacks.


    Of course, the river was constantly and heavily bombarded with lightning.


    Contrary to expectations, even such arge scale attack didn''t kill Varian.


    Firstly, there were no blood traces on the river.


    Given the fact that the river itself was very deep, they couldn''t pinpoint his location. So they could only resort to carpet bombing.


    This led to the apes spreading themselves across the length of the river and targeting different sections of the river.


    Of course, that did not mean Varian was safe.


    Even though the amount of water reduced the electricity he had to face, it also meant he would be electrocuted, no matter what.


    Zapp!


    Zapp!


    Varian had to bear the pain and continued swimming.


    There were multiple injuries on his body. He was literally bleeding from everywhere.


    This time, he couldn''t freeze his entire body to the stop the blood.


    He only locked the space around his blood and locked it from escaping.


    "Argh"


    The shock from the attacks caused his body to spasm.


    He nced at the river surface. It was covered by the golden lightning.


    Varian gritted his teeth and continued to swim.


    He had only way to survive. Swim away from this goddamn tribe. They wouldn''t be able to follow him everywhere.


    Varian channeled the chi in his body and took a deep breath.


    Then he propelled forward.


    Boom!


    Zapp!


    Zapp!


    With each second, he was hit by the attacks indirectly and was further injured.


    Even though the pain was immense, there was one silver lining.


    [Lightning Path Level 0: 20/30]


    ''Almost there.'' Varian took a deep breath and saw he reached the end of the line.


    "Go!"


    Ignoring the pain from his numbing legs, he pushed himself.


    But at thest moment¡ª


    Zaaap!!!


    Arge lightning arc shot at the river and was aimed towards him.


    "Aaah!"


    It struck his body and Varian felt a burning, numbing pain.


    The only thing stopping from the river turning blood red was hisst trace of space binding.


    But the attack did its job.


    Varian felt like his body was falling apart. The world spun, and he was about to lose his consciousness.


    ''No! If I faint, it''d be the end!'' He struggled.


    Right then, the System prompted.


    [Lightning Path Level 0: 30/30]


    [Awakening]

 Chapter 94 - Lightning Sense

    <h4>Chapter 94 - Lightning Sense</h4>


    As the lightning mana ravaged his body, Varian felt something simr yet different emerge from within.


    That something gave him enough push to stay awake.


    "Haah" Varian''s eyes snapped open, and he was no longer dizzy.


    Even though the pain still gnawed from every corner, it was more bearable. More importantly, the numbing feeling decreased.


    ''I need to get out.'' Varian nced up and realized he was at the edge of the golden apes line up.


    ''Go!''


    The lightning arcs continued to bombard the river and Varian could feel every drop of water around him full of current.


    His body twitched and spasmed, but he had a better reaction to it now.


    Holding himself from fainting, he dashed through and crossed the attack range of the apes.


    "Hoo!"


    "Hoo!"


    The apes continued to attack.


    Even with their limited intellect, they knew a Level 3 would not survive this onught. He must resurface sooner orter.


    If he didn''t, his blood traces would give him away.


    As for escaping? Lightning attacks had numbing effect, it was much more difficult to move. With enough attacks, he''d be paralysed in no time.


    But Varian somehow broke these three restrictions.


    First, he was far away from the source of attacks and was strong enough to bear the attacks.


    Second, His blood trails were sealed by his space powers.


    And third, even though he was almost paralyzed by the lightning attacks, awakening in the lightning path gave him the final push.


    The apes didn''t know, the ''thief'' already escaped.


    But the thief had his own problems.


    Varian wasn''t in a good condition. Despite increased resistance against the ''numbing'' effect, his body was still partially paralyzed. It was much harder to move his limbs.


    The injuries didn''t help either. His flesh was burnt in many ces. Thankfully, Varian couldn''t smell anything underwater.


    ''Just a bit further.'' Despite his worsening condition, Varian continued forward underwater.


    Even though he escaped from their attacks, he was just barely out of the golden mountain perimeter.


    What if some golden apes were watching the river banks?


    So Varian continued ahead. Even though he was losing strength, he swam.


    ''More''


    Only by reaching a ce far away from the golden mountain could he get rid of the enemies.


    Each second seemed to stretch itself into eternity as Varian endured the pain.


    Finally, he swam far enough and went back to the surface.


    Each water drop flowed down his burnt flesh and bleeding skin. The pain was terrible, but real.


    He survived!


    "Haaa!" Varian took a deep breath and air filled his lungs. He was underwater for nearly an hour.


    He spread his space sense and perked his ears, after ensuring no enemy in the vicinity, he stepped onto thend.


    "Ouch." On his first step, he couldn''t walk properly and almost tripped.


    Varian nced at his legs and clicked his tongue. They were like charred logs attached to his torso.


    ''Should I use a healing potion?'' He thought and checked his space ring. There were only three healing potions left.


    He finally decided to save them.


    ''I might stay in this ce for long. Who knows¡­''


    Searching for a hiding ce, he felt the new sensation from within once again. It was as if he was connecting to something present everywhere.


    ''Status''


    [Body Path Level 3: 5/400


    Space Path Level 2: 40/200


    Lightning Path Level 1: 0/100]


    ''Lightning Path, huh.'' He closed his eyes and felt the new ''aura derivative'' flowing in his body.


    Lightning Mana.


    ''I''ll check it out after I find a safe location.'' Varian proceeded into the woods. He sensed a few magic beasts from afar and avoided them.


    He could still kill Level 3 magic beasts but that''d not be worth the risk.


    As he passed through the forest, the golden-leaved tall trees didn''t give him any sense of security. If anything, they reminded him of the golden mountain.


    ''Damn apes.'' Varian hissed from the pain on his body. He wouldn''t be able to repeat his ''borrowing'' again.


    After some wandering and observation, he found a deste tree. It was dying but had a huge burrow. Huge enough to let in a human.


    ''No creatures in.'' Varian checked and entered the burrow.


    "Haa!" He finally let go of the space binding and¡ª


    "Ssh"


    "Ssh"


    The blood withheld by space binding gushed out and wet the ground. Varian''s face paled but he calmed himself and sat down.


    Then there was no more blood. He was a Level 3 Body Awakener and his healing speed was much many times faster than a normal human.


    ''Two hours.'' Varian estimated the time to bepletely healed and then decided to check out his new path.


    ''System, can you give me an intro or what?''


    [Lightning Path: 0/100


    Lightning Sense: Sense the lightning mana all around.


    Invoke: Use the lightning mana in your body]


    Varian closed his eyes and carefully felt it.


    With his experience in Space Sense, he was able to quickly grasp what the System was talking about.


    He had another sense. It was simr to Space sense, but unlike how Space sense saw the world through ''space'', this Lightning sense connected him to the lightning mana everywhere.


    Through the lightning mana, Varian could ''see'' the surroundings.


    ''But isn''t this a very prized skill? What if there was no lightning mana¡­'' Varian wondered before ending at another question.


    There was no lightning mana in the air. There was only aura.


    ''Am I sensing the lightning mana within the aura?'' Varian was puzzled.


    Was Aura the result of a mix of chi, space power and others, or was Aura the actual pure form that was divided into these strange energies?


    To put it inly, did Aura give birth to chi, space powers and mana or did theybine to form Aura?


    The consensus was the former, but there was no concrete evidence.


    The only conclusion was that in some ces, Awakeners would be able to progress faster than others.


    For instance, Varian would progress faster in a region with rich lightning.


    Thus, thinking about lightning sense, Varian was baffled.


    [Host, don''t overthink it too much. Aura is¡­ moreplicated. What you sense is indeed the lightning mana within aura. You would have no problem most of the time.]


    ''So the exceptions are¡­''


    [Yes. Even Aura can be manipted. Naturally, some locations have more of one elemental mana than other. Say Oceans, they have more water mana than fire. But fire mana is not absent.


    Manually, one could indeed decrease the lightning mana of a location.


    In both cases, the said elemental sense''s use would be reduced.]


    ''Damn. Isn''t that dangerous for lightning awakeners? What if Abyssals can do this?''

 Chapter 95 - Curse You, System!

    <h4>Chapter 95 - Curse You, System!</h4>


    [Host, you are underestimating the sheer magnitude of power such a feat could take. Neither the Abyssal civilization nor any A+ grade civilization could hold such power.]


    ''Alright.''


    [If the timees when you have to fight such a foe, then you''d have long surpassed the need for lightning sense.]


    Varian nodded and didn''t ask any further.


    Firstly, it served no purpose.


    Secondly, the thought that there were even entities far stronger than Abyssals only made him depressed.


    If humans couldn''t even win Abyssals, how could they hope to survive against such entities?


    Varian closed his eyes again and saw the world in gold. It was the color of lightning mana.


    He was able to sense his surroundings.


    ''Since Lightning Awakeners don''t have high senses like Body Awakeners, Lightning sense acts as a radar.'' He concluded.


    Then he sensed the lightning mana flowing within his body.


    He carefully felt it and willed it to appear.


    Zap!


    Zap!


    With a crackling sound, a small thunder ball appeared above his hand.


    "Wow." Varian was amazed and touched the lightning ball.


    Then¡ª


    "Fuck!"


    He pulled back his hand. It was slightly burnt with a lingering shock.


    ''Why is my own lightning shocking me?'' Varian asked in confusion.


    [...]


    Then he realized it.


    This time, he used the lightning mana to cover his hand and touched the lightning ball.


    There was no shock or pain. It was like touching a warm liquid sphere.


    ''So once the lightning mana leaves my body and manifests itself as an entity, then it acts like lightning. If I touch it, it''s like touching a normal lightning ball. And I get shocked.'' Varian rubbed his chin.


    He caught the floating lightning ball in his hand covered by lightning mana and chuckled.


    ''This also means I can shield myself against real lightning with lightning mana.'' He waved his hand and the lightning ball disappeared.


    ''But when it is not unleashed, I can touch lightning mana without problem.'' He nced at the golden light covering his palm and touched it with his other hand.


    Again, nothing happened.


    [You''re correct. Otherwise, it would be too unbnced. Just bing a lightning awakener does not mean you cannot be hurt by lightning anymore.]


    ''Hm.'' Varian nodded.


    [However, Lightning awakeners will gain more affinity with lightning with each level. You were on the verge of fainting from the attacks, but after awakening, you were able to stay sober. You gained some resistance.]


    ''Oh.'' Even though he kinda guessed it, the System confirmed it.


    The System fell silent, and Varian resumed his test.


    As a newbie, he could only create small lightning arcs and shoot them against his enemy. The lightning arc''s speed wasparable to a Level 1 Body Awakener.


    And after using the lightning sense, Varian''s response speed in controlling the lightning mana also improved.


    For instance, a Level 2 Body Awakener took around a second to cover 100 meters.


    If the Body Awakener was at 10 meters, a Lightning Awakener would have no time to dodge the attack of said Body Awakener.


    However, with their Lightning Sense, a Level 2 Lightning Awakener''s speed of manipting lightning would be at the same level as a Level 2 Body Awakener''s physical speed.


    Then, they could set up a shield of lightning and block the body awakener''s attack.


    Since they possess only normal human eyesight, they could not capture the fast movements of Body awakeners.


    However, their lightning sense could capture their movements and allow them to fight.


    ''So everything is somehow bnced, huh.'' Varian sighed.


    ''All Divine Paths are bnced. There is no one strong divine path.'' Sylvia ¡ª the Space Professor''s words rang in his mind.


    After familiarizing himself with the lightning path, Varian took out the aura crystals and replenished his aura reserves.


    He didn''t make big movements to avoid attracting magic beasts.


    Two hours passed and Varian changed into new clothes. Thankfully, he had plenty in reserve.


    He stood up and snapped his fingers.


    The sheer force behind the snap caused the air topress and was about to explode.


    Before the air could explode, the space solidified and stopped it.


    At the same time, a lightning ball shot against the solidified space.


    Boom!


    Body Path, Space Path and Lightning Path.


    The powers of these three paths were manifested by the same person!


    "I''m the first Tri Awakener!" Varian just realized.


    The addition of Space path helped him so much, now he got a third path.


    Ecstatic was an understatement.


    "Hahah" Varianughed and pped the burrow in joy.


    Then¡ª


    Whoosh!


    A golden light shed, and the world spun.


    The next moment, he was in an alien ce.


    Before he could even think, "Fuck!" Varian cursed and titled his neck.


    Swissh!


    A lightning ball passed right beside his head and¡ª


    Boom!


    Crackle!


    It crashed into the wall behind and scorched it. The nts near the crash died from the shock.


    Varian turned around and saw the perpetrator.


    It was a 3 feet humanoid creature. With green skin, pointy ears, it resembled a ''goblin'' of Old Earth.


    The goblin waved its hand and another lightning arc was already heading towards him.


    "Tch. You''re not those apes." Varian cursed and dashed at the goblin.


    "Ga!" The green-skinned creature yelled and lightning covered its body, acting as an armor.


    "Don''t be so assured." Varianughed and raised his fist.


    The goblin was confident his armor would block Varian''s attack.


    However, a gauntlet equipped itself on Varian''s fist and it approached the goblin''s neck in the blink of an eye.


    Right when his fist was about to make contact with the lightning armor, space power and lightning mana covered his gauntlet.


    Boom!


    Just like that, Varian''s fist passed through and broke the goblin''s neck.


    The lightning mana helped reduce the lightning attack, while solidifying the space blocked some of the attack.


    Varian''s Level 3 Body defense was strong enough to bear the rest whilst his attack was enough to break through the defense.


    Thud.


    The goblin''s body copsed, and the green blood dyed the ground.


    It was an easy kill, but he still came into contact with the goblin''s lightning mana.


    [+10 Xp


    Lightning Level 1: 10/100]


    Varian felt the lightning mana in his body rise lightly.


    With the enemy down, he inspected his surroundings.


    It was arge undergroundir with many passages. There were creepers, nts, and grass growing everywhere.


    Recalling hisst action in the burrow, Varian felt like killing.


    It was clear to him now. Punching that burrow led him here.


    ''Just like the time with Sarah''s team,'' Varian took a deep breath, and¡ª


    ''Fuck you, System!''


    There was no way he was so ''fortunate'' to encounter this.


    "I''m in Dungeon''s Special Location."

 Chapter 96 - Level 3 Thunder Goblins

    <h4>Chapter 96 - Level 3 Thunder Goblins</h4>


    Varian calmed down.


    Special Locations were indeed not a good ce to be, particrly due to the degree of uncertainty regarding the danger.


    All special locations are harder to clear than normal zones, but some special locations have absurd difficulty.


    However, they were sought after by all adventurers despite the higher dangers.


    Why?


    Rewards!


    Defeating the final boss would give the adventurer a rare reward.


    ''The special location with Sarah and others, it was destroyed.'' Varian shook his head and nced at the three passages ahead.


    He chose one at random. The passage, like the other two was full of vines.


    Click.


    He slowly stepped into the pitch ck passage.


    Varian used his space sense and cautiously trod forward.


    ''If goblins are the magic beasts inhabiting this special location, then who is their boss? A bigger goblin? Hobgoblin?''


    The passage was long and with his slow advancement; it was only after a few minutes that he saw the end.


    Varian''s nerves tensed, and he spread his space sense.


    However, his Space sense''s range was not high. Being a Level 3 Body Awakener meant whatever information his space sense conveyed, his five senses would''ve likely done the same, only earlier.


    ''But just in case.''


    "Ga"


    "Ga"


    Varian heard the goblin''s voices at the end of the tunnel.


    Judging their location from the sound, Varian took the initiative.


    He leaned forward slightly, and the next moment; he shot towards the exit.


    The vines were blown away by his speed and¡ª


    "Ga!"


    Zapp!


    There were three goblins outside the exit.


    Right when he was about to step out, their lightning sense detected him and with a wave of hand, three lightning bolts shot at him.


    These lightning bolts were about a meter in length and wiggled like golden jelly. But having tasted the lightning attacks from the golden apes, Varian had no intention to be thundered.


    He side stepped and dodged the frontal attacks with ease.


    Boom!


    Zapp!


    The lightning arcs bombarded the walls. The light yellow walls were roasted into pitch ck.


    "Tch"


    Varian nced back at the goblins, but only after seeing something weird.


    The nts directly hit by the lightning arcs died, but the ones in the vicinity didn''t. That attack should normally kill every nt in the surroundings as well.


    ''Weird. Do nts here have some speciality rtive to thunder?''


    "Ga"


    "Ga"


    The goblins roared. Their little green eyes red at him with madness.


    These warmongers found invincibility in their higher numbers.


    Varian judged them to be mid-Level 3s¡ªthe new ranking he came up with.


    Low Level 3 was 0-133. Mid was 134-266. High was 277-399.


    ''Not bad.''


    He grinned and dashed to the nearest goblin.


    Zap!


    Zap!


    Zap!


    Three two meter lightning arcs shot at him.


    Usually, a Level 3 Body Awakener would be severely injured with such an attack.


    The goblins n was indeed meticulous.


    Facing such an attack, his only option was to dodge the dangerous lightning arcs. That meant giving up pursuing the goblin in front.


    But if he does that and escapes, he''d be chased by lightning arcs released right then.


    Their lightning arcs were as fast as him and were greater in number.


    So the longer he dodges, the quicker he''d be drained and the greater the chances of being hit by their attack.


    Just one attack and he''d be in their bag.


    But¡ª


    "Tsk" Varian sneered and continued to dash forward.


    "Ga?!" The goblins yelled incredulously as he dodged two lightning arcs and took the third one head on.


    Boom!


    Varian shrugged off at the light injury on his chest and swung his sword.


    "Ga!"


    The goblin''s lightning wall was pierced through and the next moment, the three foot tall body copsed.


    Varian grinned at the other two creatures.


    With Space binding and Lightning mana, he turned the heavy injury into a light one.


    To his surprise, despite being only Level 1, lightning mana surprisingly reduced a significant portion of the lightning attack.


    [+5 Xp


    +5 Xp


    +10 Xp


    Body Path Level 3: 10/400


    Space Path Level 2: 45/200


    Lightning Path Level 1: 20/100]


    "Yes!" Varian felt the rising power in his body.


    Until now, his body was only beaten by lightning. Now it was slowly countering and growing stronger with each beating. Perhaps this was the so called ''tempering''.


    Varian wanted to yell ''I get stronger with each beating!''


    Along with Body, his Space path was also progressing.


    The most progress was evident in the Lightning Path.


    With each lightning hit, the lightning mana in his body would slightly rumble and interact with the foreign lightning. Then Varian would learn something more about the way it was used and his progress would increase.


    Thus, all his Divine Paths were progressing.


    This sensation of growing stronger was addicting and to him, every addition in strength meant more chances of getting out of this godforsaken dungeon.


    "Ga!"


    The other goblins were stupefied and let out their attacks in panic.


    Zap!


    Zap!


    "Not enough." Varian chuckled and easily dodged their attacks.


    With only two of them left, they posed no pressure.


    "Shua"


    "Shua"


    In no time, Varian''s sword broke their lightning shield and slit their throat.


    Thud.


    Thud.


    [+10 Xp


    +5 Xp


    +20 Xp]


    [Body Path Level 3: 20/400


    Space Path Level 2: 50/200


    Lightning Path Level 1: 60/100]


    ''This speed is insane.'' Varian felt the soaring lightning mana in his body and sighed in wonder.


    [This is a lightning heavy environment. During the battle, you are observing how they are using their lightning mana and learning. Plus, you have plenty of aura crystals backed by the highest talent of any human. This is perfectly normal.]


    Listening to the System''s exnation, Varian coughed.


    "You''re right. This is perfectly normal. Level 1 is the easiest, anyway.''


    He extracted the beast cores from the goblins and proceeded forward.


    Like earlier, there were three passages.


    The next passage was going to be harder.


    ''Instead of picking stronger enemies right away, I can use the weaker enemies and advance to Level 2 in Lightning path. That''d give me more leverage against Lightning Beasts.''


    Varian patted himself on the back and turned back.


    Then his face twitched.


    The passage was closed.


    He clenched his fist and¡ª


    Boom!


    As his fist connected with the hard surface, he realized there was no way back.


    "There goes my path to Over Poweredness. Must I be nerfed?" He shed some tears symbolically and turned back to the three passages.


    "No. I will advance to level 2." His eyes were filled with determination.


    "Nothing can stop my OPness." With that, Varian stepped into one of the passage.


    Inside his mind, he told himself: ''I must get out of here.. Alive.''

 Chapter 97 - Boss

    <h4>Chapter 97 - Boss</h4>


    Varian reached the end of the passage and saw the unexpected.


    ''Isn''t this too early?'' Despite the surprise, he prepared himself.


    There was a giant tree in front.


    It wasn''t a tree per se, but it sure looked like one.


    It was as tall as a five-storey building and was as wide as an aerone. Its branches were like tentacles, and Varian absolutely didn''t want to get caught by them.


    ''How the fuck am I supposed to "kill" this thing?'' He wondered.


    As he was still assessing his enemy, the long tentacles rose into the air and shot at him at an insane speed.


    Varian''s body instinctively moved to the side.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    "Hiss" A huge boulder behind him was pulverized by the tentacles.


    Varian frowned.


    ''This is a high Level 3 attack?''


    Learning his lesson, he didn''t stay still, but sprinted around the tree. Not moving in presence of these deadly tentacles was courting death.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    As he dodged the consequent attacks, a question struck him.


    ''If the goblins earlier were lightning beasts, why isn''t this tree-like creature not using any lightning attacks?''


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Varian rolled down and dodged a tentaclesh.


    Right then, another tentacle followed.


    Boom!


    Varian barely side stepped and was about to sigh in relief.


    But then came another!


    "Damn!"


    Varian crossed his arms at thest moment and took the attack head on.


    He shielded himself with lightning mana and solidified the space around his arms.


    Crack~


    To his surprise, the lightning barrier''s effect was nonexistent. The solid space held off some damage, and Varian''s arms bore the brunt.


    "Gurgh!"


    The brown tentacles mmed at his arms and Varian was pushed back with his feet nted on the ground, as he left behindrge trails.


    Drip!


    Drip!


    As blood dripped down his arms, he sprinted to the side and escaped the next attack.


    Boom!


    ''Its physical strength is higher.'' The ache from his bones told him.


    ''Wait, is that?!'' Varian spotted a few white things at the base of the tree.


    They looked like human skeletons but were much small.


    ''Goblin''s bones?'' Varian realized.


    No wonder there were only so few goblins in the earlier passages.


    So they were supposed to be way more in the first and secondyers. This tree killed most of them, and reduced the difficulty.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    As he strained himself to dodge the lethal attacks, he spotted many more piles of bones. Dozens and dozens of them.


    ''Just how did it manage to kill so many?'' He wondered.


    He channeled his lightning mana, and a lightning ball shot towards the tentacles.


    Zapp!


    "Eh?"


    There was not even a scratch.


    Even though it was only a Level 1 attack, it shouldn''t be so useless.


    ''This thing is resistant to lightning.'' He concluded. ''That was why it could kill so many goblins. They had only lightning attacks.''


    Boom!


    Varian unsheathed his sword and shed at a tentacle.


    Creaaak~


    There was one cut, and the tentacle was still intact.


    Boom!


    Varian ducked, and the tentacleshed at the ground behind, creating a crater.


    He nced at the tree, and suddenly; it clicked him.


    Varian spread the space sense and sensed underground.


    "Got it!"


    He raised his fist and mmed down.


    Bang!


    Bang!


    Dust rose into air as three tentacles hurriedly shot towards him.


    With his earlier experience, Varian was able to dodge them with rtively more ease this time. And he kept punching the ground.


    Bang!


    Arge hole was formed by the force and Varian saw ''it''.


    The light red things. The roots.


    They were extending from here, and were heading towards the exit he came from.


    ''So they are connected to every nt in the dungeon?'' Varian gasped.


    He recalled the nts that weren''t killed by the goblin''s lighting attacks. Now it seemed that they too were slowly developing resistance against lightning.


    Varian found the solution.


    He raised his sword and¡ª


    Chop!


    The tentacles twisted for a moment as though they were feeling the pain.


    Green juice spurted from the severed root, but Varian had no time to revel in the sight.


    He sprinted around the tree and used his space sense to estimate the feasibility of his n.


    "Fuck!"


    There was almost no chance. There were too many roots. If he cut them down one by one, he''d be exhausted before he did the job.


    Then, the tree would gain an upper hand, and he''d have to die.


    "I should cut them all together." Varian nced at the base of the tree and rushed towards it.


    The tentacles didn''t let him in.


    They hurled at him from all directions.


    Varian didn''t bother setting up a lightning barrier and used space binding to solidify the space around the tentacles.


    Creak!


    Creak!


    The tentacles stagnated for a moment before they broke the solid space.


    But Varian was only halfway from the tree with that one moment.


    Shuaa!


    Theyshed at him again and this time, with greater urgency.


    Varian splurged his space power and continued using space binding.


    Creak!


    Creak!


    The tentacles broke the space binding only to find the space around them solidified again and again.


    Varian managed to continuously block them but his space power was about to run out. Doing this in a normal battle would be suicide.


    But here, it was a brilliant move.


    Because in the short but crucial time bought by the reckless space binding, Varian reached the tree base.


    His space power was already running low, so instead of it, Varian channeled all his lightning power and created arge ball of lightning.


    The tentacles were undeterred and shot towards him.


    Varian smiled and jumped back while throwing the lightning ball at the ground around the tree base.


    Boom!


    Zap!!


    Right at the moment, the lightning ball sted the ground around the tree base and exposed its roots, the tentacles reached Varian.


    The tentacles whipped at him, and Varian couldn''t dodge at all.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Varian broke too many bones and blood was pouring out from every corner of his body.


    And since he was in mid-air, the tentacles attack hurled him into the ground.


    The location he crashed into was exactly the tree base.


    As he was drenched in blood, under the pain of broken bones and torn muscles, Varian smiled.


    He jumped down into crater formed by the lightning st.


    This was where all roots began.


    He gripped his sword, and a white light shed.


    Shuaa!


    Shuaa!


    Shuaa!


    The roots were cut out brutally and Varian was bathed in the green-colored liquid gushing out of them and with that, the life of the tree-like creature.


    Splurt.


    Bo¡­om!


    Bo¡­om!


    The tentacles that were about to m his head copsed on the ground.


    Right with them, Varian also copsed and breathed in rapidly.


    "Ha! Ha!" The tentacle attack earlier almost punctured his lungs.


    As heid in the ground drenched by the green liquid, he was puzzled.


    Why was the tree thingy hunting them? For nutrients?


    ''Thankfully, the estimate was true.''


    Judging from its reaction when its first root was severed, Varian guessed it''d die when all its roots were cut.


    [+20 Xp


    +10 Xp


    Body Path Level 3: 40/400


    Space Path Level 2: 60/200]


    The System prompted.


    Varian nced around and saw no other passage openings.


    ''This should be it.'' And he copsed.


    After a few minutes, he slowly got up and reached the trunk.


    The tree''s healthy green trunk was now dead ck. Its brown tentaclesid dead like withered snakes.


    "What''s the reward?" He wondered and circled around the tree.


    Defeating the special location was supposed to give a reward¡­ right?


    As he looked around everywhere, time passed.


    Eventually, Varian''s injuries were healed, and he started panicking.


    Finally, he didn''t want the reward anymore. He just wanted to get out of here.


    The passages were locked. He couldn''t break them.


    There was no exit.


    "Come on!"


    And it came.


    A golden light shed from the tree.

 Chapter 98 - Debt

    <h4>Chapter 98 - Debt</h4>


    Varian saw the tree slowly slipping into the ground as a golden light shone.


    He stepped towards it and saw a spinning fruit bathed in the light.


    "...this won''t be poison, right?" He grabbed the apple-like fruit.


    The lightning mana in his body roared.


    It was like it was screaming at him.


    ''Devour. Devour. Devour.''


    So Varian devoured the fruit.


    It was soft and cold. After entering his mouth, it melted and Varian could feel the smooth lightning mana boiling in his body.


    In response to the iing lightning mana, the one within his body boiled and they slowly merged.


    The System prompted.


    [+1Xp]


    And stopped.


    "Huh? Wtf?" Varian wanted to kill.


    It resumed and this time, it didn''t stop for a while.


    [+1 Xp


    +1 Xp


    ¡­


    ¡­


    +1 Xp]


    The lightning mana rose and lightning sense expanded continuously.


    The iing lightning mana was almost out and his lightning mana seemed to reach a peak.


    It couldn''t increase for a while.


    Varian sat down and guided his lightning mana. His lightning sense turned inward.


    He saw the lightning mana inside him¡ª It was a golden river that seemed to be confined by something invisible.


    ''Focus.''


    Varian controlled it and with the push from the external mana, he broke the confinement.


    [Advancing]


    The System prompted and sparks appeared around him.


    Then, a few aura crystals in his space ring disappeared and Varian felt his lightning mana surge.


    It was much higherpared to the peak Level 1.


    Hisbat power improved a bit more.


    ''Status''


    [Body Path Level 3: 40/400


    Space Path Level 2: 60/200


    Lightning Path Level 2: 0/200]


    ''Wow! Lightning Path is almost catching up.'' Hepared.


    ''Was I too slow in my Space Path?''


    [No. Without the reward of this special location, your progress would eventually slow down. To break the bottleneck, and advance, you''d need a few more days.]


    ''Well, the reward is indeed great.'' Varian grinned.


    Then he recalled ''How am I supposed to exit here?''


    As if answering his query, the cave shook and a white light shed.


    "Ha!"


    Varian found himself back in the tree burrow.


    "At least warn me!" He was about to m the burrow.


    "Oh-oh" But recalling where that led him to, he retracted his fist and exited the burrow.


    ''Should I enter the Inner Zone?'' Varian dashed through the forest and reached the river bank.


    ''I will only go if I''m the strongest in Outer Zone. Inner Zone monsters would likely be in Level 4¡­'' Varian walked along the direction he came from¡ª Golden Mountain.


    ''Then I should defeat a boss of the Outer Zone.'' He nned.


    In the Outer Zone, like in any zone, the weakest monsters lived farthest from the center. The strongest lived closer to the center.


    The ones that lived at the absolute border were called as Bosses. There were many bosses and their strength varied.


    However, all of them were at the top of the Outer Zone pyramid.


    So defeating a boss meant he was strong enough to get into Inner Zone.


    ''Outer Zone, Inner Zone, then Core Zone.'' Varian grinned as he ran at a breakneck speed. The surroundings seem to vanish as he moved from one location to another.


    Finally, he saw the golden mountain. The apes were patrolling strictly. They expanded their watch deeper into the forest.


    They were also searching extensively along the river.


    ''Thank you for making me rich.'' Varian said sincerely.


    He maintained a considerable distance and wasn''t seen by the golden apes.


    ''Before I exit the outer zone, I have a debt to settle.'' His speed rose and he shot towards the familiar location.


    The same nest.


    Compared to a few days ago, the rocky cave opening had a few more scratches, more gravel and less boulders.


    "Come out!" Varian yelled.


    He was going to beat the heck out of this bitch!


    Varian hated it for two reasons.


    If it treated him like a prey or just attacked him like the usual golden apes, he too would''ve treated it as a normal foe.


    But this one went as far as to use him as a prey to teach its kids how to hunt.


    ''I can''t go any lower.''


    The second was¡­the rat didn''t have anything special in its cave.


    ''Why don''t you be like the golden apes? Have something precious, you know or what am I supposed to get for attacking your nest?'' Varian thought with a straight face.


    Thankfully, neither the mother rat nor the golden apes knew his thoughts or they''d be march together to hunt him.


    As he was immersed in justifying why he had to kill it, the creature arrived.


    "Roarrr" The mother rat wasrger than thest time. It was already the size of an adult elephant and now it looked like a mammoth.


    Its aura was even stronger than thest time.


    ''High Level 3. The beast cores helped, huh.'' Varian gripped his sword.


    He leaned forward and put pressure on his feet.


    Whoosh!


    He shot at the mother rat and reached it in the blink of an eye.


    "Roarr" The mother rat wasn''t to be outdone.


    Despite its bulky size, it dodged his sword and wed at him.


    The w was so strong that all the air in the way was sted.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Indeed, its physicals strength was higher than Varian.


    ''But I''m noting with just physical strength.'' He channeled his space power and lightning mana.


    Creak!


    The space around the mother rat solidified for a split second and¡ª


    Zapp!


    A lightning arc of one meter shot at its head.


    Creaaak!


    The mother rat forcefully broke the solid space and the lightning arc struck at its neck.


    "Roarrr!"


    It roared in pain but its paw didn''t flinch. It was about to tear his chest apart.


    "Hmph"


    A lightning wall appeared in between the paw and his chest.


    Screech!


    The mother rat broke the lightning wall at the price of small injury and losing a bit of its momentum and¡ª


    Creaak!


    It hit the solid space. This further weakened its momentum and dyed some time before the paw finally reached Varian''s chest.


    But what greeted was a spiked gauntlet.


    Boom!


    Crack!!


    "Roarr!"


    The paw''s bones were broken as the mother rat wailed in pain.


    Zapp!


    At the opportune moment, the space around its head once again solidified and a lightning ball shot at it.


    Creakk!


    The mother rat broke the solid space and managed to dodge again.


    Boom!


    It also avoided taking the lightning ball on the wound of its neck.


    But¡ª


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Varian''s gauntlet punched its face, and broke its skull.


    "Ro¡­ar!"


    It opened its mouth to bite him down in a final attempt.


    That didn''t help.


    Space binding prevented it from closing its mouth for a split second and a lightning arc shot into its mouth.


    Zapp!


    Boom!


    Its insides were sted.


    Blood, flesh and bones sttered into the air.


    Thud!


    The huge body slowly copsed.


    Varian gazed at it coldly.


    A few days ago, it was the hunter and he was the prey.


    Now, he was the hunter and it was the prey.


    Taking a deep breath, he gazed towards the border of Inner and Outer Zone.


    He had to clear one more enemy before he stepped into Inner Zone.


    ''Outer zone Boss, I''ming.''

 Chapter 99 - Outer Zone Boss

    <h4>Chapter 99 - Outer Zone Boss</h4>


    Lost Dungeons were special.


    Unlike normal Dungeons, the magic beasts inside these get stronger.


    In the 100-year period of being ''lost'' in the Inner Space, a Low Dungeon would improve to Mid Dungeon in around 20 years and take another 80 years to be a High Dungeon.


    The difficulty in advancing to each level increases exponentially.


    This Lost Dungeon was still transitioning from Low Dungeon to Mid Dungeon.


    Once the magic beasts at the Inner Zone reach level 6, it''d be dered a Mid Dungeon.


    As Varian headed forward, the aura concentration steadily rose. He thought of maximising his power before fighting the Outer boss.


    For instance, he could search for more nests of magic beasts. However, that would take a lot more time. There was no guarantee he would find suitable resources either.


    Besides, the Dungeon was still in its early years. That much was evident with the Outer Zone containing only Level 3 Magic Beasts.


    Early years meant less natural resources.


    ''I can''t wait that long. I want to grow strong the fastest and search for a way out.'' Varian groaned inwardly.


    As he gazed forward, it was a no-man''snd. There was not a single creature in sight for miles.


    Not just on the ground, but even in the sky. Not a single thing flew above thend.


    ''The border.'' He mused.


    To be fair, there was no natural border between Outer and Inner Zones. That was to say, the aura concentration doesn''t spike at the borders. They just increased continuously.


    However, just like Old Earth, the residents of Dungeon, Magic Beasts, made up the border.


    It wasn''t exactly nned per se. If a weaker magic beast crossed the border, it''d be ripped to shreds in no time. Soon, no magic best crossed thatnd, and it turned into what it was today.


    Of course, there were strong beasts that enter the Inner zone every once in a while. For them, Inner Zone was a heaven with more aura and resources.


    But How to determine whether one was strong or weak?


    Wee the Bosses. These were creatures just short of entering the Inner Zone.


    ''Boss¡­''


    Varian stopped in front of an arid in. It was dry and with lush mountains surrounding it; the in looked out of ce.


    ''Ha!'' Even though he couldn''t know who it was, a sharp gaze seemed to pierce his skin.


    ''Boss is Boss.''


    Varian was sure he came to the right ce.


    His heart throbbed with excitement and he forcibly kept his cool.


    The ck sword was already unsheathed at some point.


    "Come out¡­" Varian muttered.


    Whooz~


    A cool breeze blew and drifted the dust away.


    There was nothing to be seen.


    However, the gaze intensified, and Varian felt like something was cutting on his skin.


    ''Is this a peak Level 3?'' He wondered.


    After a few minutes of unsessful lure out, he stepped onto the in.


    Step.


    Step.


    There were only a few small nts here and there. They looked harmless, but Varian didn''t take his chances and maintained his distance. He just killed something that looked like a nt, and it wasn''t a pleasant experience.


    Step.


    Step.


    As he walked forward, with his ears perked and space sense spread, he noticed nothing.


    ''Did Ie to the wrong ce?'' He wondered, but with each step, the sharp gaze intensified.


    ''It must be somewhere.'' He raised his foot to step forward when:


    Druaah!


    A huge serpentine like creature drilled out of thend, showing blotchy yellow spots on its light brown skin.


    A Sand worm?


    Boom!


    Varian rolled down and the sand worm drilled down into the ground he was standing a moment ago.


    "Ha! Ha!" He breathed in heavily and right when he stood up¡ª


    Druaah!


    The thing appeared.


    This time, he saw its face.


    Despite the sharp gaze he still felt, it had no eyes. As its unhinged mouth shot open, the hundreds of razor-sharp teeth inside glinted with a cold light.


    "It''s ugly." Varian cursed and swerved to the left.


    Boom!


    This time, instead of drilling into the ground, the Sand worm aimed to devour Varian.


    ''You are strong. But¡ª'' Varian clenched his fist in the gauntlet.


    He focused his chi onto his hand and slightly leaned backward.


    Then he mmed his fist.


    Boom! Boom!


    As his fist connected with the Sand worm, Varian was sent flying.


    His body was already injured, and his insides twisted from the shock.


    As he barely got up and nearly fell from the internal injuries, things got worse.


    Crack¡­


    The gauntlet cracked and broke into pieces.


    The gauntlets were only level 2 treasures after all. But all the level 3 creatures he fought to date couldn''t break them.


    Only the creature in front was able to do it.


    ''Peak Level 3. Its physical strength easily broke through the space and lightningyers around my fist.'' Varian estimated its strength.


    [+10 Xp]


    From his punch earlier, the Sandworm, on the other hand, crashed to the ground and writhed.


    On its huge body, there was an inconspicuous char mark with brown blood dripping out.


    Varian''s punch was backed by his lightning and space powers.


    "Screech",


    It yelled and in the next moment, shot at Varian.


    Druaah!


    The Sandworm reached him in the split of a second and opened its mouth.


    Varian''s stomach churned seeing the red walls with mucus hanging inside its mouth.


    He was considering the ssic ''jumping into the monster''s mouth and killing it from the inside.''


    But now he gave it up. Unless he had no other choice, he''d not jump in.


    Boom!


    As the Sandworm dived to bite him to pieces, Varian shot up.


    He raised his arms and smacked down at the Sandworm''s head. At the same time, the its tailshed at him.


    In a hurry, Varian punched back at the tail with one hand while he kicked its head.


    Bang!


    Crack!


    Varian was once again sent flying. Blood gushed out of his chest and he felt his ribs turn mushy.


    ''The tail was much stronger.'' He noted as he crashed into a mountain.


    Boom!


    The Sandworm''s head pierced into the ground with Varian''s kick.


    "Screech",


    [+10 Xp]


    "I''mining, but notining." The rising chi in his body convinced Varian of something.


    This beating was worth it.


    "Druah!" The Sandworm shot at him again, this time it used its tail directly.


    Right when the tail was about to reach him, Varian solidified the space around it.


    Creaak!


    It easily broke the binding, but he was already in front of its mouth.


    Zapp!


    Varian space bound its mouth and tried to throw in the electric arc to internally injure the Sandworm.


    It worked for the mother rat.


    But¡ª


    Boom!


    The Sandworm broke the space binding in no time and crashed into him.


    Crack.


    "Fuck!"


    [+20 Xp


    Body Path Level 3: 80/400]


    Varian''s head spun as he coughed out blood. Literally this time.


    The continuous increase in strength was good but he would need to heal before continuing this battle.


    Druaah!


    The Sandworm opened its mouth to devour him.


    This time, instead of attacking, Varian dashed away from it.


    Druaah!


    It chased him at a higher speed. However, Varian wasn''t panicked.


    It stayed in the arid ins and didn''te out unless one entered its territory. So if he left the territory¡­


    Bang!


    Bang!


    He dodged the constant attacks and exited the arid in.


    The Sandworm followed him for a certain distance and then returned.


    Varian rested in a nearby cave and pumped his fist.


    "Yes! What more can I ask for? I can train with it till I grow stronger than it. It won''t even chase me. Boss Sand Worm, you''re my Xp bank."


    The Sandworm thought it warded off an intruder. But it didn''t know. The nightmare was only about to begin.


    After a few hours, the nightmare the Sandworm would never forget started.


    "Boss, Xp please!"

 Chapter 100 - Irontail Sandworm

    <h4>Chapter 100 - Irontail Sandworm</h4>


    A few hours after the intruder escaped, the Sandworm was resting under the sand and meditating as usual.


    The injuries from the fight with the little bipedal creature were not small, but not heavy either. With its peak Level 3 Body regeneration, they were already healed.


    This aridnd wasn''t made of sand, but the Sandworm had a special physique since its birth. This uniqueness enabled it to go underground.


    Instead of fighting for resources like other magic beasts, it meditated underground and slowly advanced to peak Level 3.


    It tried entering the Inner Zone but almost died on its first day.


    After that, it picked the current arid in¡ª one of the locations with the highest aura after Inner Zone.


    In a few words, its life mantra was "Slow and Steady."


    Unfortunately, all of it was about to be broken.


    "Boss, Xp please."


    A familiar voice sounded.


    The Sandworm ignored the annoying buy and continued meditating.


    Yes. Advance to Level 4 and enter the Inner Zone. Then find another arid zone and meditate underground.


    Advance to Level 6. Be the strongest. Slow and Steady.


    Despite its limited brain faculties, it had its future path cleared out.


    So peacefully¡ª


    The annoying bipedal bug stepped into its arid in!


    The Sandworm was furious. However, it didn''t attack right away.


    Then he came closer and closer to the center. Now, he was almost standing above it!


    How was it supposed to meditate peacefully when a potential enemy was right over its head?


    The Sandworm lost it and drilled out of thend.


    Druaaah!


    With its memory from thest time, it directly used its tail to p the person.


    Its tail overpowered himst time.


    The Sandstorm saw the human raise his fist and punch at its tail.


    It was gleeful. He''d break most of his bones. This time, it wouldn''t let him off.


    Boom!


    Bang!


    "Druaah?!" The Sandstorm was thrown back by the human''s punch.


    Was it just its imagination or was the punch stronger thanst time?


    It didn''t think much and rushed to the human to attack him again.


    Boom!


    Crunch!


    "...Drua¡­" The Sandstorm almost crunched him to pieces.


    But the cunning human rolled to the side and dodged.


    Then heshed out at it with a great speed. His leg was covered by a golden coiling, must be the lightning that scorched its skin. It was but a small injury.


    The Sandstorm wasn''t afraid and used its ownsh to counter.


    However, right when its tail was about to connect with his leg, the space around its tail stagnated for a moment.


    "Dru"


    The momentum broke the binding, but the Sandworm could clearly feel its attack weakened by at least 5%.


    Then came the lighting.


    "Druaa"


    Even though the lightning was weak, it still hurt. Its skin was charred and blood began to gush out.


    However, the time came to end this farce.


    Boom!


    Crack!


    "Druaah?"


    Why was the kick stronger? Was the human''s leg¡ªthe tail equivalent, also significantly stronger than his arms?


    It had no answers as its tail was thrown off.


    The human wasn''t sent flying this time, but he was pushed back a long distance.


    "Druaah!"


    The Sandworm was furious and attacked him again.


    Boom!


    The human coughed the strange red blood and ran away.


    When the Sandworm decided to deliver its final blow, he escaped!


    "Druah!"


    If it knew human tongue, the Sandworm would surely curse him. Fortunately or unfortunately, it didn''t.


    "Druah!" The Sandstorm didn''t give up and chased him.


    It was not a goldfish. This human provoked it only a few hours ago and returned already.


    If he was let off, he was going to provoke it again.


    There would be no peace anymore.


    Can''t let him off. But¡ª


    "Druah!" The space around its body was continuously blocked.


    Even though breaking it took only a split second, the Sandworm was annoyed. Each space block was adding up.


    "Druah?!" The Sandworm roared in confusion.


    Why was the human''s speed faster than thest time? Was he not injured?


    It followed him for a longer distance than thest time, but in the end, it still returned to its ce.


    It had to guard from other magic beasts upying its nest.


    "Druah." The Sandworm entered underground and inhaled the fresh, fragrant aura from the soil.


    Only a few months and it would break into Level 4.


    Slow and Steady Progress.


    It dived into meditation and a few more hours passed.


    Then, the annoying voice came again.


    "Boss, please give Xp!"


    "Druah?!"


    If there was a trantion to the emotion it was feeling, then it would approximately be:


    ''Can''t you let me just meditate peacefully? Do you want to die so much?''


    This time it didn''t go out even when the human reached the center of the arid in.


    Let him y all he wants. He was weaker than it, anyway.


    "Druah?!"


    Good lord, he was digging the ground!


    Was he mad or what?


    The Sandstorm was infuriated andshed out at him.


    Another battle ensued.


    "Druah?!"


    This time, it was sure. The human was somehow growing stronger with each strike.


    Especially with each tail strike, his aura was rising.


    It''s superiority was being slowly eroded as the human continued to catch up.


    Boom!


    Creak!


    "Druah!!!" The Sandworm roared in frustration as the human escaped once again.


    It slowly slipped underground. But it didn''t meditate. Instead, it waited for the human to return once again.


    And return he did.


    "Boss, Xp please!"


    Again and again.


    "Boss, Xp please!"


    That annoying voice didn''t seem to end.


    "Boss, Xp please!"


    As the nightmares didn''t seem to end, something in the Sandworm''s primitive brain snapped.


    It decided to ambush him.


    He came!


    "Boss, Xp please!"


    "Druah!" The roar was full of joy as its tail approached the human''s head.


    One shot and he''d be dead.


    "Druah?!" The Sandworm yelled in confusion as it was sent flying.


    The lightning tore apart its skin and the sheer force behind the punch shook every muscle in its body to the core.


    "Druah!" The sandworm felt something ingrained in every creature.


    Something it didn''t feel for a long time.


    Fear.


    The human didn''t stop.


    The attacks continued.


    Just by physical strength alone, he was still inferior, albeit quickly catching up.


    But whenbined with the space blocks and lightning attacks, the Sandworm was overpowered.


    "Druah!!" The roars continued.


    This time, the human left. It didn''t chase. Rather, it couldn''t.


    Since it didn''t kill after defeating it¡­


    "Druah¡­" The Sandworm thought he finally left and found peace.


    But¡ª


    "Boss, Xp please!"


    "Druah?!!"


    To a fellow Sandworm, it would''ve sounded like "Son of a bitch, what Xp?! I''m dying here."


    "Druah?~" This time, the human didn''t use his lightning or space powers. He was overpowered by it.


    "Druah~" The Sandworm was happy. It was finally payback time.


    It beat him without holding back. However, with each strike, he continued to grow stronger.


    In the end, he was still able to escape despite his injuries.


    This continued for a while until¡­


    "Druah?!" As he punched its head, the Sandworm was injured.


    Compared to the first time, he was much stronger.


    The fight continued and in the end; he defeated it with just his space and body powers.


    "Druah¡­"


    The human left again.


    However, the Sandworm didn''t go underground this time.


    "Drua¡­" The Sandworm looked at its habitat and felt the throbbing pain in its body.


    "Drua~" It wailed.


    ''I don''t want to be strong anymore, I just want to be left alone.''


    That day, Outerzone Boss, the veritable Irontail Sandworm, the most protective of its arid in, left its habitat.

 Chapter 101 - Inner Zone

    <h4>Chapter 101 - Inner Zone</h4>


    "Please go!" Her voice jolted him back to his senses.


    Varian looked up and saw Amanda fighting the fire wolf. Her body was trembling, but she kept attacking. Distracting. Buying time.


    "Run Varian! Please!" She pleaded.


    Roar!


    The fire wolf injured her and Amanda clutched her stomach in pain.


    "Mom!" Varian yelled.


    He must save her. At all costs. He gathered all the energy in his body and¡ª


    "Huh?!" He couldn''t move.


    Varian saw the Fire Wolf biting down Amanda''s shoulder.


    ''Move!'' Hemanded his body.


    His heart raced, and he used every ounce of his will tomand his body to rush in front of her and save her.


    But his body was like a corpse. No matter how much he willed, forced andmanded, itid on the ground and didn''t budge.


    At that moment, he hated himself.


    Finally, the Fire Wolf opened its mouth and¡ª


    "NO!"


    Varian woke up.


    "Ha! Ha!" He clutched his heart as it thrashed against his ribcage.


    The red cave walls were telling him it was just a dream, but¡­


    "Why?" Varian whispered and slowly stood.


    His back waspletely drenched in sweat, and his face was deathly pale.


    Worse, he clenched his fist and blood was slowly dripping onto the ground.


    Drip!


    Drip!


    "I am not a coward." He said out loud.


    ''Yes, you are. You froze from fear.'' A voice muttered in his head.


    Varian shook his head. But the scene of pouring his everything to move, but being frozen like a corpse¡­ he couldn''t forget it.


    The helplessness he felt.


    The whimpers of his mom as blood gushed out of her wounds.


    He would never forget.


    ''You are a coward.'' The voice said again. It was his voice.


    Varian''s eyes turned bloodshot, and he gritted his teeth.


    "I have this System, I can grow stronger. I will prove myself. I can save. I will not be helpless like that. Never again."


    ''You cannot. When you have to save the most important person, you''ll still freeze. I know this. Because I am you. I am your belief.'' The voice trailed off.


    Varian felt like he was knocked out of breath.


    "Ha! Ha! Ha!" He panted as he ran out of the cave. A wave of emotions overcame him.


    Why was he still dreaming of that night?


    This was not the first time it happened. Despite his awakening, the dreams continued.


    It was as if he was cursed to never forget that night.


    Seeing her die over and over was enough to drive him insane.


    At times, he wanted to stop. Just go back to his darkroom and live everyday fighting in that Leon Hall.


    But there was only one reason that kept him going.


    "Sia!" He yelled.


    His voice, filled with anguish and determination, echoed across the valleys.


    "I will find you. Even if it is just to prove myself that I am not a coward. I will find you."


    His breath slowly calmed down, and his eyes turned normal.


    Varian''s figure blurred and at a great speed, he ran to the Sandworm''s nest.


    "Boss, Xp please." He yelled as usual.


    As expected, the Sandworm didn''t respond.


    Varian didn''t mind. He reached the center of the arid in.


    The Sandworm still didn''te.


    No worries. He raised his fist and punched down at the ground.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The ground cracked, and tremors ran through the arid in.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Soon, a small crater was punched into existence.


    "Huh?" Usually, the boss would''vee out already.


    Varian focused his senses and tried to decipher the boss''s location.


    With his current prowess, he could track the boss unless it was far away.


    "Wait, don''t tell me..." Varian found no trace of the boss.


    He marched around the arid in and kept punching the ground.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The arid in was soon full of potholes.


    The boss, however, was absent.


    Varian''s shoulders slumped.


    "It was such a nice boss. Just get beaten and get Xp." He smiled ruefully.


    Then he cheered up.


    "Well, either way. I am stronger than the boss. The progress was also decreasingtely. Even if I go fight it now, it would not be worth the time." He decided.


    Still, thinking back to the progress over the past few days, Varian couldn''t help but smile.


    His mood also lightened up.


    He was going to visit it four or five more times before heading to the Inner Zone. But the boss didn''t know. Perhaps it thought Varian would kill it.


    Truth be told, Varian decided not to kill the boss after its generous contribution.


    "I hope you found a better ce. Wherever you are, thanks for the Xp, boss." Varian looked at the arid in with sincere gratitude.


    "Druah"


    The Iron Tail Sandworm was sleeping underground on the outskirts of the Dungeon.


    Life was never so peaceful. Even though its progress was somewhat slow, it could meditate in peace.


    "Druahh~"


    "I am almost ready.'' He squinted his eyes.


    ''Status.''


    [Body Path Level 3: 300/400


    Space Path Level 2: 100/200


    Lightning Path Level 2: 20/200]


    Varian''s strength took a leap.


    With his Body powers alone, he could now rival a peak Level 3. Of course, overpowering a Peak Level 3 still needed Space powers.


    The rapid progress from 80/400 to 300/400 was all thanks to the kind hearted boss.


    However, as he progressed further in the Body Path, the Xp from each session continued to fall.


    Lightning Path progressed a bit with his frequent use of lightning attacks against the boss.


    But it was not spectacr.


    Space Path, however, went from 60/200 to 100/200 in a few days. Even though it was costly, the meditation with spacorts and space stone surely helped.


    "A few preparations and I can go." Varian breathed in the aura and tapped the ground with his feet.


    A dayter, he returned to the same spot.


    ''Everything is prepared.'' He grinned.


    Whoosh!


    His figure passed through the no-man''snd at a breakneck speed.


    Unlike what he initially assumed, the no-man''snd wasn''t short. Only after travelling for a few minutes did he see the flora and fauna.


    As he stepped out of the no-man''snd and into the Inner Zone, Varian could feel the thick aura in the aura.


    It was at least 50% higher than the border area.


    ''Wonderful.'' He sighed in admiration.


    The teau he was on had thick blue grass and a river winding around a mountain range.


    The sweet fragrance of the grass wafted as the fast currents of the rivers weaved a melody.


    ''This doesn''t look like a dangerous ¡ª.''


    Varian tumbled to the ground and a golden arc bolted right above his hair, eventually crashing into the river.


    Boom!


    A water pir shot into the air and the crackling sounds of electricity were loud and clear.


    Varian nced at the attacker.


    As fate would have it, they were a pair of gold furred rabbits. A mother rabbit and a teen rabbit.


    They were both level 4.


    Varian had a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu as a child rabbit opened its mouth and was about to shoot a lightning ball at him.


    "Fuck!"

 Chapter 102 - Rats Then, Rabbits Now

    <h4>Chapter 102 - Rats Then, Rabbits Now</h4>


    "Fuck!" Varian opted for strategic retreat and ran.


    The one chasing him was the small rabbit.


    The sense of deja vu only increased.


    ''Rats then, rabbits now. What the fuck?!'' Hemented and nced back at the creature.


    The small rabbit looked no different from a normal rabbit except for its golden hair, golden eyes and¡­


    ''Level 4!'' Varian cursed.


    Even though it seemed to be only an early Level 4, Varian wasn''t sure of winning.


    His overall strength was higher than a Peak Level 3, but lower than an early Level 4.


    ''Even though this is the same as the rat chase, I''m better thanst time.'' He sped up.


    He didn''t want to be fried by the lightning arcs.


    The lightning rabbit, of course, couldn''t outrun him physically. However, lightning coiled around its feet and a lightning board was present under it.


    The rabbit was literally chasing him on a sliding board. Except this one was formed and powered by lightning.


    Varian''s speed didn''t give him any advantage.


    Adding to his woes was the barrage of lightning arcs threatening to roast him alive.


    Zap!


    Zap!


    Zap!


    Varian hopped and dodged the lightning arcs.


    These lightnings arcs scorched the grass, bombarded the soil and formed a big pothole at least 5 meters deep.


    He used lightning mana to cover himself and put on a secondary defense against the lightning.


    The lightning emanating from his body seemed to irritate the rabbit.


    "Kikii" The rabbit squealed and prepared to lunge at him.


    Right then, he channeled his space power and blocked the space at its front legs.


    Creak!


    Lightning was wrapped around its legs and the moment he tried to block the space, it was broken instantly.


    Varian didn''t mind and splurged all his space power.


    Creak!


    Creak!


    Creak!


    Each space binding broke in the split of a second.


    However, it all added up to one effect and when it was about to jump, rabbit''s front legs were mismatched with its hind legs.


    "Kiiii!" It flipped around and crashed to the ground. At the final moment, lightning covered its whole body and protected its fragile flesh from damage.


    Shuaa!


    Right then, a few spikes shot at the rabbit at full force. They were the spikes of Varian''s broken gauntlets.


    They reached the rabbit in the blink of an eye but¡ª


    Zap!


    The lightning barrier around the rabbit stopped the spikes and pped them away.


    The spikes turned red, and soon; they melted away.


    Thankfully, it brought a few extra seconds.


    Varian was fast and was already out of its lightning sense.


    "Kii" The little rabbit squealed and a couple lightning arcs flew around it, decimating the surroundings.


    In a deste valley, Varian panted and sat on the rocky surface.


    "Fuck. I can''t even break its defense in a frontal fight." He mmed the ground.


    His estimates were right. He was stronger than a peak Level 3 but won''t be able to fight Level 4.


    ''But my lightning powers give me some resistance against their attacks.'' He rubbed his chin.


    One of the lightning arc grazed his arm. He checked his arm and there was only a light injury.


    ''Having lightning mana means I can reduce the damage by lightning. But what if I run out of it?'' He wondered.


    Zap!


    A lightning ball floated around him. Its power was around Level 1.


    Varian touched it without the protection of lightning mana.


    "Urgh." He pulled back his hand and saw a red bruise on his palm. There was no sign of bleeding or skin tear.


    ''I am really getting more resistant to lightning.'' He noted.


    ''I can forget about mid and high Level 4s for now. Low level 4s¡­ I can''t win them head on, but why should I fight them head on?'' His lips curled up.


    ''I prepared these just in case.'' He opened his space ring and saw the heap of Level 3 beast cores.


    ''That''s one day of restless hunting.'' He was about to close the view when he caught a few long brown tentacles in the space ring.


    ''Hm?'' After inspecting them, he confirmed they were the branches of the tree-like creature he fought in the special location.


    ''They must be some sort of prize. So they directly got into my space ring.'' He didn''t understand how it was done, but it must be a mechanism of the dungeon.


    "Now then, time to ''hunt''." Varian stood on the cliff and looked down at the vast teau.


    Through the binocrs, he scouted the surroundings.


    Thanks to his greater human sight on top of the advanced binocr technology, he covered arge range.


    He discovered there were only lightning beasts around. Thunder Rabbits, Thunder Lions, even thunder boars!


    ''Am I in a thunder zoo or what?'' He wondered.


    ''But this is good as well. The higher my lightning level, the easier it would be to fight against lighting magic beasts.'' He nodded.


    ''The easiest way to increase my lightning level is to fight lightning beasts.'' A huge grin spread across his face.


    ''Isn''t this convenient?''


    *** *** ***


    The recent days were not so good for the teen rabbit. It had advanced to Level 4, and could now hunt on its own.


    In the Inner Zone, it wasn''t the strongest, but for the local area, it was strong enough.


    However, it couldn''t get any prey for the past few days.


    "Kii" The teen rabbit spread its lightning sense.


    Everything within a few hundred meters was perceived.


    It found an Azure deer by the river. These creatures didn''t hunt much and lived off chewing the blue grass.


    Of course, they were formidable runners. That was the reason they could stay in Inner Zone.


    But to the teen thunder rabbit, they were prey.


    "Kii" The lightning mana in its body surged.


    It formed a five meter long lightning spear. This was unlike a normal lightning attack. The lightning mana was very concentrated and packed the power of a small missile.


    Then, using its lightning sense, it locked the target andunched the spear.


    Shuaa!


    The lightning spear sted into the air at a breakneck speed and reached the location.


    "Ki!"


    The Azure deer was already running!


    The teen thunder rabbit didn''t give up and pursued it with the lightning spear.


    However, the range it could urately control the lightning spear was only so long and it just reached the limit.


    Boom!


    p!


    The lightning spear exploded in the air, and a loud thunderp reverberated across the valley.


    "Ki!" The teen thunder rabbit continued its search but failed to hunt down any prey.


    Right then¡ª,


    "Ki¡­?!" It sensed a few lightning beast cores a hundred meters away.


    They were only Level 3. It wasn''t suspicious since many adult magic beasts had children that were Level 3.


    Still, the teen thunder rabbit spread its lightning sense and habitually looked around.


    There was no one.


    "Ki"


    A lightning board formed under its body and drove it to the beast cores.


    It was about to dig in when the hair on its neck erected.


    Boom!

 Chapter 103 - First Hunt

    <h4>Chapter 103 - First Hunt</h4>


    Varian saw the thunder rabbit stoop down to devour the beast cores.


    He bent his legs and leaned forward. His location was perfectly positioned to unch'' at the thunder rabbit. It was also far enough to be escape its lightning sense.


    Boom!


    Varian shot at the thunder rabbit and reached it in the split of a second.


    "Ki?!" The thunder rabbit''s lightning sense kicked in at thest moment and a lightning cocoon was about to be formed around its body.


    But it wasn''tpletely formed yet.


    Zap!


    Varian''s bare hands were covered in lightning mana and he punched out with all his strength.


    Boom!


    Zap!


    His fist shed with the yet-to-be-formed lightning cocoon and barely broke the barrier.


    "Ki!!"


    Varian''s bloodied fist lost most of its momentum, but it reached the thunder rabbit''s body in the end.


    Crack!


    Boom!


    His punch connected with its fragile body and the thunder rabbit was blown away.


    "Kii!" The rabbit cried out.


    Even though Varian''s punch was severely weakened and was barely as strong as a Level 1 Body Awakener''s punch, it was bad enough for a Lightning Awakener Rabbit.


    Boom!


    "Kii!" The thunder rabbit''s legs were crushed, and it shrieked in pain.


    However, its battle instincts kicked in and the lightning mana rumbled.


    Zap!


    Zap!


    Five Lightning snakes came into existence and shot at Varian.


    They were nothing like the lightning balls of the goblins. These were dangerous attacks.


    The air around the lightning snakes vibrated. The temperature spiked in the split of a second and the blue grass was burnt away.


    At such a close distance, Varian would usually have no chance to escape.


    However, there was one advantage he created.


    Zap!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    He rolled down and dodged the lightning strikes.


    Dust flew into the air and gravel shot out in all directions as the lightning arcs formed huge craters.


    The lightning strikes which would never miss the target actually missed!


    "Heh" Varian smirked and dashed to the injured rabbit.


    "Ki!!" The thunder rabbit''s brain was upied by the pain, but its lightning sense didn''t miss the offender''s charge.


    Its eyes turned bloodshot and long whips of lightning formed in the air.


    "Ki!" The water in the nearby pond evaporated and the lightning whips shot at Varian.


    Zap!


    Zap!


    Varian dodged the trembling lightning whips and reached the thunder rabbit.


    The thunder rabbit wasn''t able topletely concentrate on the battle with its injury. That was the reason he was able to dodge the strikes.


    A lightning board formed under the thunder rabbit and was about to pull it away.


    But Varian didn''t give it the chance.


    He covered himself with lightning mana and approached the thunder rabbit in the blink of an eye.


    Zap!


    Zap!


    Zap!


    Lightning coiled around the rabbit and created a natural barrier.


    Boom!


    His body shot at the barrier, and he punched through it.


    This time, it wasn''t easy.


    "Argh" Varian felt the lightning break through his lightning mana and pierce his skin.


    Even though his lightning mana helped shield a significant amount of the attack, he was seriously injured in the blink of an eye.


    Varian ignored the pain from his torn muscles, nearly burnt bones and punched the creature''s neck.


    Crack!


    "Ki!" With a squeal, the rabbit''s neck was broken and its head was sted away.


    "Fck!" Varian copsed right after the strike.


    His body spasmed as he felt the lightning burn his skin, dry his blood and tear his muscles.


    "Arrgh!" The blue grass under him was dyed red, and heid on the ground for a long time.


    Thankfully, this was a remote ce he selected. He was temporarily safe.


    Finally, a refreshing sensation overtook him as the chi in his body increased. His muscles were rebuilt. His skin was formed again and his blood was slowly created.


    At the same time, the lightning residue in his body started to hurt a bit less.


    [+10 Xp


    +0 Xp


    +20 Xp]


    The System prompted timely.


    [Body Path Level 3: 310/400


    Space Path Level 2: 100/200


    Lightning Path Level 2: 40/200]


    Varian smiled lightly.


    In the past few days, he devised a strategy.


    Hunt down early Level 4 magic beasts.


    But his strength would not let him win head on.


    So the solution?


    Injure them enough to bring down their strength!


    Since Magic beasts consumed beast cores, he hunted many Level 3 Thunder Beasts in the Outer Zone and stockpiled the ''baits''.


    ''Still, this is harder than I expected.'' He winced at the pain.


    Lightning was dangerous for two reasons. First was its paralyzing effect. Second was its high temperature.


    Varian reduced both the effects by shielding himself with lightning mana.


    ''If my lightning can reach can Level 3 peak, then I can easily kill mid-Level 4 Lightning Beasts. But to kill the high Level 4, I''ll need to break into Level 4 in Body Path.'' He analyzed.


    Every three levels was a watershed.


    Despite his three Divine Paths, Varian''s overalls strength didn''t reach Level 4 yet.


    The major reason he was able to kill a Level 4 Magic beast was because of his lightning mana. Even then, he was able to do it barely.


    One mistake in the fight earlier and he''d be dead.


    If he tried the same against any other Level 4 Beast, say Earth or Fire path, then he''d be overpowered easily.


    ''The good news is this Inner Zone seems to only have lighting beasts as far as I can see.'' He smiled.


    He slowly got up and retrieved the beast core from the rabbit. The corpse was still intact and Varian could still see little lightning arcs around it.


    He nced at it and¡ª


    Crackle.


    Crackle.


    After roasting the rabbit meat, Varian had a hearty meal.


    There was a small surprise.


    [+2 Xp]


    [Lightning Path Level 2: 42/200]


    ''Huh?''


    Varian felt the lightning mana increase and frowned.


    ''Then why didn''t eating other beast meat in the Outer Zone didn''t give me any Xp?''


    [The disparity wasn''t enough.] The System answered.


    ''I used to think eating Magic Beast wasn''t much useful. No wonder those rich families buy high level magic beasts meat like crazy.''


    [Advancing through eating is harder. However, it can certainly increase the progress.


    It is like eating to gain muscles. Good food would certainly help, but it won''t happen without exercise.]


    ''Hm.'' Varian nodded at its weird analogy.


    He wanted to counter ''Muscle also needs enough food,'' but refrained.


    It was a few hours since the hunt and Varian''s injuries were almost healed.


    He already marked his second prey.


    "You!"

 Chapter 104 - Frontal Confrontation With Low Level 4

    <h4>Chapter 104 - Frontal Confrontation With Low Level 4</h4>


    Varian used the same tactics at different locations and only targeted Low Level 4 Lightning Beasts.


    He also made sure that the battle was in a remote location.


    Day 1:


    After hunting the thunder rabbit, Varian proceeded to hunt the Crazed Spider. With his increased lightning mana, he was able to finish it off quickly.


    However, the thunder webs injured him significantly, and he had to rest for a while.


    The good news was that both his Body and Lightning Path progressed.


    [+10 Xp


    +20 Xp]


    [Body Path Level 3: 320/400


    Space Path Level 2: 100/200


    Lightning Path Level 2: 62/200]


    Every time his blood, muscle and skin were torn down by the lightnings, they were rebuilt and the chi in his body integrated with them more and more.


    Interacting with a Level 4 lightning, his lightning mana also quickly grew.


    For Varian, it was the duality of pleasure and pain.


    Eating the meat also continued to give him + 2 Xp.


    Day 2:


    Varian was about to hunt a golden-striped fox. However, a fight started in the distance and scared away the fox.


    He was able to find a giant green frog and hunted it down.


    It was a terrible hunt. Despite its structure, the frog used its lightning to create a cage and tried to imprison Varian.


    Fortunately, he was able to break the cage and kill the frog.


    But he was severely injured and was nearly paralyzed. He rested for the entire day.


    [+10 Xp


    +20 Xp]


    [Body Path Level 3: 330/400


    Space Path Level 2: 100/200


    Lightning Path Level 2: 84/200]


    The progress of Space Path stagnated. Varian put it on hold for some time and focused on his lightning path.


    Since all the magic beats he fought were of lightning path, a Level 3 Lightning Path would be way more useful than a Level 3 Space Path.


    Day 3:


    It was a bad day.


    Varian found the golden-striped fox again. It seemed stronger thanst time. He tried to follow it but it joined its group. He could only leave it be.


    Later that day, he almost failed to injure his hunt, Azure Deer. It nearly escaped his ambush.


    He barely managed to kill it.


    [+10 Xp


    +20 Xp]


    [Body Path Level 3: 340/400


    Space Path Level 2: 100/200


    Lightning Path Level 2: 106/200]


    Day 4:


    His progress was finally showing results. The injuries he had were substantially less severe.


    He was able to hunt down three thunder pigs in a single day.


    [+10 Xp


    +20 Xp]


    [Body Path Level 3: 350/400


    Space Path Level 2: 100/200


    Lightning Path Level 2: 128/200]


    Varian saw Level 4 Body Path waving at him in the distance. He was very excited that day and ignored one thing.


    He would only realize it the next day.


    Day 5:


    His progress was slowing down. For the same progress, he needed to fight more.


    There were two reasons. One, as he progressed further, it would turn more difficult to gain Xp.


    Two, as he got stronger, the duration of each battle and his injuries decreased. This meant his progress was also cut off.


    [+5 Xp


    +8 Xp]


    Day 8:


    Varian didn''t choose mid-Level 4 Beasts. It wasn''t that they were iparably stronger.


    But because his sess in hunting an early Level 4 Beast depended on injuring it first.


    He wouldn''t be able to ambush a mid-Level 4 Beast.


    He hunted down five Level 4 hyenas and called it a day.


    [+5 Xp


    +8 Xp]


    The rate of progress for each fight was still slowing.


    Day 12:


    Varian hunted eight Level 4 rabbits.


    [Body Path Level 3: 390/400


    Space Path Level 2: 100/200


    Lightning Path Level 2: 200/200]


    His absolute overall strength increased, but didn''t experience a dramatic shift over the past 12 days.


    However, with his lightning path progressing, he was able to endure more and more damage.


    This reduced his injuries and enabled him to fight more.


    Day 13:


    "I should be able to do it." Varian decided to stop hunting and start fighting.


    He spotted a thunder rabbit.


    ''You are my first prey. Perfect forparison.'' He grinned and walked towards it.


    "Ki!" The thunder rabbit''s lightning sense noticed him.


    Varian''s body was taut and the next moment, he shot towards the thunder rabbit like a bullet.


    Zap!


    A lightning wall materialized in front of Varian and four lightning swords shot at him from all directions.


    All these attacks were much stronger than the ones he faced till now.


    This time, his preys weren''t injured. Their fragile bodies weren''t bleeding. Theirbat power didn''t decrease by at least 40%.


    But, he too wasn''t the same.


    "Ha!" Varian didn''t stop and kicked the lightning wall.


    Zap!


    Zap!


    The lightning coursed through his body, threatening to shut down his nervous system and paralyse him.


    At the same, its sheer hotness threatened to evaporate his blood and leave him with only bones.


    However, his mana warded off the lightning and decreased the damage substantially.


    Boom!


    Varian broke through the lightning wall with only light injuries.


    "Ki!!" The thunder rabbit was surprised and anxious.


    It hurled lightning bolts at Varian and used a lighting board to distance itself from him.


    It was simr to his first hunt, but this time, Varian wasn''t able to dodge all the lightning bolts.


    A Level 4''s lightning bolt''s speed was essentially higher than him.


    Zap!


    As he rushed towards the thunder rabbit, a lightning bolt reached his right arm.


    Varian didn''t panic and instead blocked the space around the lightning.


    Creak!


    Creak!


    Creak!


    The lightning broke three consecutive space blocks and hit his lightning mana protection.


    Zap!


    After some resistance, it passed through the lightning mana and struck his arm.


    "Fuck!" Varian couldn''t feel his left arm anymore. But his peripheral vision caught it pping.


    ''Time to end this.''


    He caught up to the thunder rabbit and aimed for its head.


    The lightning barrier was the only thing in between them.


    Zap!


    Boom!


    His fist broke the insane lightning barrier and crushed the rabbit''s skull.


    Then, he couldn''t feel his right arm as well.


    But¡­


    [+10 Xp]


    [Body Path Level 3: 400/400


    Space Path Level 2: 100/200


    Lightning Path Level 2: 200/200]


    "Yes!" Varian returned to his hideout and rested.


    ''I am so close to getting to Level 4. This feels like a dream.'' He couldn''t stop grinning.


    He was only a Level 2 when he entered the academy.


    The true 1st year elites were all Level 3.


    He couldn''t win them. Even his position as the number one on Silver List was ridiculed.


    But now, he was confident to be the strongest in the First Year.


    However, his sights weren''t on first year. His target was¡­ Charles Xander.


    ''Level 6. Will break to Level 7.'' He took a deep breath and shook his head.


    He was getting ahead of himself.


    The priority had always been to get out of the Dungeon.


    After a few hours, Varian searched for his second target.


    He found the golden-striped fox again. He could recognize it was the same fox he encountered on Day 2 and Day 3.


    ''Why do I keep running into it?'' He shrugged and was about to approach it when the fox slowed down.


    ''I''m sure it is stronger¡­ What the hell?'' He was certain. The fox was only barely low Level 4 when he first saw it. But now, it was at least halfway to mid-Level 4.


    The golden-striped fox patrolled the surroundings of a mountain, searched for other magic beasts, and finally jumped into a bush.


    Then there was no movement.


    ''Why is it hiding?'' He wondered.


    After an hour, it returned, and Varian noticed a jump in its aura.


    ''What''s in the bush?'' He waited until the fox left and approached the bush.


    He stepped into it and¡ª

 Chapter 105 A Boss!

    Chapter 105 A Boss!


    Varian stepped into the bush and saw an opening. He spread his lightning sense and jumped in.


    ''Wow!'' Hended on the ''ground''.


    It waspletely dark, and his greater human sight could barely identify the surroundings.


    Thankfully, lightning sense worked just fine.


    Step.


    Step.


    The golden ''vision'' of lightning sense showed him to be in a tunnel of sort. It wasn''t exactly ''sight'' per se, but something simr to the thermal imaging.


    Varian also focused his hearing and slowly walked forward.


    ''Is this the fox''sir?'' He wondered.


    ''This is not a special location.'' He noted and increased his speed.


    ''If the fox is getting stronger from here, there should be a natural treasure of sorts.'' His breath quickened.


    Even though he continued to grow stronger, Varian''s goal was always to find a way out of the dungeon.


    He thought he would be fine alone, like he had been in the past year. But it was almost three weeks since hended in the Dungeon.


    It put a tremendous pressure on his psyche.


    The worst part was not the life and death threatening situations, but the possibility that there was no way out.


    Varian knew there was a limit to what he could do. He could perhaps advance a few more levels and be the strongest in the dungeon.


    But would that allow him to find a way out of the Inner Space back to the Outer Space?


    Even Level 9 Space Awakeners couldn''t do that.


    ''I will never know unless I give my best. I''d rather believe I can do something about the situation than waiting to die.'' That was the only thought that kept him going.


    Rationally, no Dungeon should not possess any technology to escape the Inner Space.


    Why was he sure?


    Because all Dungeons were already explored. Whilst how Dungeons themselves ''vanish'' and travel to Inner Space was unknown, the technology of Dungeons was lower than the Federation''s.


    ''But¡­'' Varian paused as the tunnel widened and split into two.


    There was an equal amount of the fox''s auraing from two tunnels. The fox was too cautious and deliberately yed the trick to confuse potential intruders.


    It would work on other lightning beasts, but Varian simply focused his smell and found the passage emitting the strongest smell.


    He entered the passage and continued walking. The passage was slowly narrowing, and Varian had to bend to walk through.


    He was surprised by the amount of distance he already travelled. Even though he wasn''t running, he was already dozens of miles in.


    ''Even though Dungeons don''t have this technology¡­there is a chance I can find something. Maybe something in Special Location or maybe I can dig the tunnels all the way to its core and find what allows it to enter Inner Space? There must be something to get me out.'' His thoughts trailed off.


    The temperature was slowly rising, but the interesting thing was the rise of lightning mana density.


    Compared to the outside, it was almost 50% higher.


    ''Treasure!'' Varian cheered and saw the tunnel spit into two again.


    He found the right tunnel and crawled his way through.


    Varian was sure he already travelled a 100 miles.


    ''90%. 91%...94%'' Varian saw a golden light shing at the end of the tunnel.


    He hurried and crept out into therge cave chamber.


    "Whoah!"


    Zap!


    Zap!


    Golden rays seeped out from the ceiling high above and shone on his face.


    ''The treasure is above the ground¡­ just its remnant was enough to double the mana concentration.'' He gasped.


    Without hesitation, he climbed up the wall and reached the ceiling.


    Since he was in an underground tunnel, the ceiling was likely the ground.


    He spread his lightning sense and peered through the hard soil to find the treasure above.


    Varian''s lightning sense saw a small flower and in his lightning sense, it was like the sun¡ª exuding blinding golden light. It was right under a¡ª


    "Agh!" He froze on the spot.


    There was an extremely strong aura resting next to the flower.


    It was a Cmity Tiger, asrge as a two-storey building.


    Every time it breathed in, it absorbed the aura from the flower and, with each absorption; it grew slightly stronger.


    Its exhale formed a lightning bolt and sted into the distance.


    Zap!


    Boom!


    That exhale was as strong as a Low Level 4 strike!


    Varian''s back was drenched in cold sweat. Fortunately, he didn''t break through the ceiling.


    Cmity Tigers were known for their fierce tempers and protectionist nature. He found quite a few of them during his hunt, but never touched one.


    The main reason was that if a parent Cmity Tiger caught the whiff of its child or its aura on him, he''d be chased till ends of the Dungeon.


    Other creatures, for instance, say Thunder rabbits, wouldn''t pursue him if they found aura of other thunder rabbits on his body.


    ''This crazed beast¡­ but how strong is it, really?'' He wondered and carefully probed its aura.


    Thankfully, the beast was sleeping and didn''t react.


    ''...Peak Mid Level 4.'' Varian smiled wryly.


    He climbed down the wall and went back along the same route.


    As he once again felt how far the passage was, he realized something.


    ''That Cmity Tiger is likely at the boundary.'' Then it would exin why it was so strong.


    Varian remembered the directions of the passages and their exact distance. In a few minutes, he climbed out of the tunnel and walked out of the bush.


    ''That fox was bathing in the high mana and growing stronger. But in meditation will take too long.''


    Varian had the best talent of all humans. He could just meditate and progress without dangers. But sitting in the same ce all day was a torture for him.


    So he didn''t want to follow the fox''s path and meditate right under the tiger.


    ''There is always a danger of being found out. There''s also a chance the ceiling would copse and the whole cave would be buried.''


    That aside, the main reason was.


    ''I want that flower.''


    Varian checked the directions and distance on the ground and soon, he proceeded in the same direction above the ground. Soon, he found himself going deeper and deeper into the Inner Zone.


    He travelled through remote locations and hid himself most of the time.


    Finally, he only had to travel a few miles, and he''d stand above the ''cave''.


    But he didn''t need to check.


    Even from the distance, he could see the cmity tiger resting.


    Varian looked to the side and saw the boundary. Crossing it was Core Zone. And he nced back at the Cmity Tiger. It was a boss!


    The gigantic figure was covered in a lightning barrier. The likes of which, Varian was confident, he couldn''t break.


    ''If I can get that flower, I''ll be one step closer to entering Core Zone. If there''s a ce that should have secrets to getting out of the Inner Space, it''s Core Zone.'' Varian gritted his teeth.


    He liked growing stronger, but the prospect of living here for a hundred years was honestly scary.


    He wanted answers, or at least, to get closer to finding them. He didn''t know how long he could hold himself sane.


    ''I can''t win the boss in frontalbat, but¡­ I don''t have to.'' Slowly, a smile crept on his face.


    All it needed was a little thinking.


    The n begun.

 Chapter 106 - Destination

    <h4>Chapter 106 - Destination</h4>


    Demon Abyss King Castle, Demon Abyss.


    The usually bustling castle was silent. Hundreds of elite Abyssals stood guard and advanced defense treasures were deployed, raising the security to an unprecedented high.


    This level of deployment was only seen during the First Human-Abyss War.


    At the same time, every citizen within fifty miles of the castle was evacuated.


    The ones living around the area were influential figures that contributed greatly to the Demon Abyss.


    Some were the veterans, who were spending their current time training new soldiers in the Demon Abyss Institutes.


    Others were important civil officers who coordinate the Demon Abyss and allow it


    to run seamlessly.


    After all, Demon Abyss''snd area was as big as Earth.


    But despite the sudden evacuation, there were noints, no protests, only a uniform execution.


    All because of two words.


    Emperor''s Decree.


    The Abyssals, men and women, young and old, all revered his Majesty.


    He was their Saviour. The beacon of hope.


    He never disappointed them. Ever.


    Now with their King acting on the behalf of their majesty, they must cooperate as much as they could.


    In the Demon Abyss King''s Castle, the atmosphere was heavy.


    Except for the four Archdukes, no one was allowed in. Not even the princes. The guards were all maintaining a sizable distance from the castle.


    In the central room, Demon King floated inside a capsule filled with red liquid.


    He stood 8 feet tall.


    Each of his muscles was honed to perfection. A single punch could smash a meteor to pieces.


    His shiny grey skin was tough enough to endure even Level 7 attacks head on.


    But the Demon King, the Sovereign in Body Path, was shivering slightly. Even though he tried to hide it, the Old Archduke didn''t miss.


    "We''ll supervise it carefully, your Majesty." The Old Archduke softly said.


    Demon King nodded imperceptibly. He wasn''t really afraid of dying¡­ he was afraid of failing. He didn''t want to fail. Not after that sin.


    The Old Archduke waved his hand and tens of thousands of aura crystals appeared under the capsule.


    The capsule shook and a red light covered the aura crystals.


    The red liquid in the capsule shone for a moment and¡ª


    "Argh!" Demon King yelled.


    The bravest Abyss King, the one never afraid of pain, cried out in pain.


    And his shrieks only increased.


    "Argh!"


    "Argh!"


    The red liquid seeped in and quickly reached every part of his body. Then it dived in and assaulted every cell.


    "Argh!" Demon King cried out, and the capsule shook.


    "Please control yourself. We can''t let it be damaged." The Old Archduke spoke anxiously.


    Demon King gritted his teeth and stopped shaking.


    His skin, which could even withstand missiles, broke little by little and his potent green blood flowed out.


    It was a rare sight to see a Sovereign bleed. Rarer was to see him spasm in a capsule and endure it.


    The green blood flowed into the red liquid and a few minutes passed with the yellings of Demon King.


    The Demon King''s strong body turned frail. His broad shoulders were slumped and his muscles were much less prominent. It was as like seeing a world ss body turning to an average fit body.


    The Demon King fainted.


    The Old Archduke hurriedly ordered the capsule to stop.


    It opened, and the other three Archdukes caught their King. After confirming he was fine, they sighed in relief.


    Right after, they turned to the capsule anticipation.


    It didn''t disappoint.


    The red liquid blended with the green and wriggled. The aura crystals under the capsule were quickly turned to dust.


    Under the watchful eyes of the four Archdukes, they saw a body forming in the capsule.


    It was eight meters tall. Had broad shoulders and strong muscles.


    It looked exactly the same as the Demon King. It was the clone.


    "Yes!" The Four Archdukes, the Level 9s, cheered like little girls.


    The Old Archduke snapped his fingers, and the Demon King''s clone disappeared into his space ring.


    Then he turned to his younger colleagues "Take care of our King. It will be a few weeks before he couldpletely recover."


    Before he walked out of the room, he nced at the Demon King''s pale face onest time and sighed.


    ''It''s not just your fault, but you are the one paying the price.'' He clenched his fist and exited the castle.


    Aftering to a particr location, he tapped his feet twice.


    A staircase opened, and he walked down. The huge underground facility was simr to the one Varian encountered during his entrance test.


    That was under a hill and was about the size of foot-ball field. This one was the size of a town!


    The Old Archduke nodded at the guards and soon reached the bottom floor.


    It was filled with aura crystals. There were too many of them to count. To an awakener, it would be simr to seeing a city constructed out of gold.


    However, the Archduke wasn''t bothered by the aura crystals. Instead, he nced at the Altar in the center of the aura crystals.


    The broken altar. The holy altar that they were supposed to protect.


    ''Enigma!'' He recalled the moment she destroyed the Holy Altar.


    The day he chased her to the ends and out of Abyss. The day he ughtered 10,000 humans.


    Looking at the broken altar, he felt like he was looking at the ck clothed maiden.


    He gritted his teeth as they bled "My king always med himself since that day. Now he convinced every Abyss Ruler to withdraw and took upon this mission himself. He is sacrificing his lifespan. He will die in 10 years."


    "My brother will die in 10 years!" He yelled at the altar.


    The broken altar was motionless.


    The Archduke sighed and took out an archaic spaceship. The white beauty had too many cracks and looked like it would break down any second.


    However, it was their only way in to Inner Space.


    The Old Archduke retrieved the Demon King''s clone and arranged it carefully in the Spaceship.


    Then with reverence, he arranged a special space ring on the clone''s finger.


    ''I wish we still had the technology to visit Inner Space. But s, we can only send dead bodies.'' Hemented and arranged the destination of the spaceship.


    He ordered the spaceship ''Programme the clone to fetch the remains of Ancestor Last light.''


    Then he set the destination: A Lost Dungeon.

 Chapter 107 - Perfect Match

    <h4>Chapter 107 - Perfect Match</h4>


    Varian crept across the boss regions. He was very cautious and avoided even being noticed by any magic beast.


    All the Inner Zone Bosses reached the peak of Mid Level 4.


    ''They''re almost all lightning beasts, too. So this dungeon must be a lightning dungeon. There are only a few anomalies following Body Path.'' He held his breath and dashed through the narrow valley.


    Varian discovered this route after trying to find remote ways to a boss''s nest.


    A boss he was searching for.


    ''You''re the perfect match.'' Varian smiled and passed through the valley.


    ''System, hide my aura.'' He said. The next moment, his aura vanished. His power did not.


    Varian was almost found out by a few bosses, even when he maintained arge distance. He then realized his aura was giving him away.


    Unlike their Outer Zone counter parts, these bosses were much more perceptive.


    ''If I couldn''t hide my aura, this would definitely fail.'' He grinned and reached the end of the valley.


    It was eerily quiet.


    Varian held his breath and gazed at the sleeping giant.


    Berserk Honey Badger.


    Some animals of Old Earth stepped into Divine Paths, then Dungeons ''took them in''.


    The process was unknown, but dungeons, which were of foreign origin, were now using earth''s animals against them.


    Varian observed the five meter tall creature. Its looks were simr to a weasel, but its personality was the opposite.


    Simr to its unmutated self, its thick skin was much stronger and gave it a great defense. At Level 4, its limbs could crush mountains and its teeth could even cut down hard metals.


    It was one of the few anomalies following Body Path.


    Like its ancestors, Berserk Honey Badger was a lonely creature that just didn''t give a fuck about any predator. It was fearless and aggressive. There were no red lines in its eyes.


    ''Such a perfect match¡­'' Varian calmed himself and observed the Berserk Honey Badger''s routine.


    Even though a Level 4 Body Awakener would not need food to survive, Berserk Honey Badger chose to hunt.


    If it was any other magic beast, it must be for the beast cores or flesh. But this one, it was hunting for pleasure.


    ''It''s the opposite of the Cmity Tiger.'' He concluded.


    Even though regr Cmity Tigers hunt for beast cores, the Boss Cmity Tiger never left its location.


    It was aware that leaving its treasure unguarded was a bad decision.


    ''Just one more step.'' Varian left the area and went back to the outskirts of Inner Zone.


    When he was hunting a few days ago, he came across a few Cmity Tigers. He didn''t provoke them to avoid problems, but now, he would seek them.


    "There!" Varian found a couple of low Level 4 Cmity Tigers across the teau.


    Zap!


    Boom!


    "Done!"


    Varian made a quick work of the magic beasts and retrieved their beast cores.


    Then he picked a remote location near the Boss Cmity Tiger and digged a tunnel.


    After some serious effort, he connected it to the original underground tunnel he found. He created multipleplex routes.


    Even though it took more time, they might be needed. Thankfully, his Body Path powers enabled him to finish the job in a day.


    Through these tunnels, he could reach the boss''s habitat in a few minutes.


    "Start!"


    He calcted the time and after picking the period when Berserk Honey Badger would go for hunt; he reached its nest.


    Then he left a few Cmity Tiger Beast cores in its location.


    From there, he dropped a few beast cores along the narrow valley. Since it was not deserted, no beasts would pick up the cores and disturb the n.


    Finally, he was a few miles from the Cmity Tiger location. If he was right, it could sense the aura around a few miles.


    He waited for some time until¡­


    ''Berserk Honey Badger is going to return soon.''


    He held a few beast cores, drew back his arm and hurled them at the Cmity Tiger.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    As they breached its location, the Cmity Tiger''s lightning sense swiped across them.


    Sensing the familiar aura of its kin, its eyes turned bloodshot. It wanted to go out and hunt the perpetrator.


    "Roaar~"


    But the rich lightning mana from the flower calmed it down and the Cmity Tiger shook its head.


    Even though it was brash and aggressive, it was not stupid.


    It extended its lightning sense and scanned its surroundings. If the perpetrator was near, then it would hunt him down.


    If not¡­ then forget it.


    The Cmity Tiger''s lightning sense quickly expanded and approached the location Varian stood at a few seconds ago.


    "Rree?" Strange. There was only aura of cmity tigers. It didn''t know Varian''s aura was hidden.


    The boss was about to give up when its lightning sense found something at the corner of its range.


    There were a dozen cmity tiger corpses.


    "Roarr!" It roared in anger and right then¡ª


    Boom!


    A small body sted into the air and crashed into its nest.


    Cmity Tiger looked down and recognized the corpse as one of its own.


    All the restraint, all the patience, broke.


    The Cmity Tiger trembled and raised its head to the sky. With monstrous rage filling its heart, it growled.


    "Roarr!"


    It covered itself with lightning and rushed out of its habitat in an instant.


    Zap!


    Zap!


    Zap!


    It nced back at its habitat and a dense lighting barrier covered the flower from the outside.


    Then the Cmity Tiger followed the traces of the aura on beast cores and headed towards the valley.


    Varian nced at the lightning barrier and sprinted back. He would not be able to break the barrier in time.


    But on the other hand, if the boss just went out without providing any protection to the flower, that''d be too suspicious.


    ''I considered this scenario.'' He grinned and reached the tunnel opening he dug recently.


    He jumped in and ran towards the boss''s habitat at full speed.


    As he neared his target, the ground shook.


    Boom!


    Zap!


    "Roar!"


    "Kraa!"


    The rumbling of lightning, the crumbling of hills, the growls of the tiger and the grunts of the Honey Badger.


    One was an enraged protectionist, and the other was a provoked aggressive yer. It was a perfect setup.


    Varian soon reached the end and climbed the walls.


    Zap!


    Zap!


    The lightning barrier covered the flower from the three directions, but thankfully, not from the soil.


    Varian punched through the ceiling and pulled down the flower .


    The beautiful golden flower had twelve petals. They glowed like the brightest sun rays and lit up his face.


    The tremendous mana from it was intoxicating, and Varian breathed in the mana. It was beautiful.


    Boom!


    The ground shook, and Varian had an ominous feeling.


    Without hesitation, he ran back.


    "Roar!" The weak but fierce roar was getting louder.


    The Boss Cmity Tiger was back!

 Chapter 108 - Go!

    <h4>Chapter 108 - Go!</h4>


    "System, I totally didn''t expect this." Varian snickered as the underground tunnel shook.


    [....] The System didn''t answer.


    Varian didn''t bother and sped up.


    Zap!


    Boom!


    The ceiling behind him copsed, and dust rose into the air.


    ording to his original n, he would have plenty of time to escape.


    But of course, after the recent ''surprises'', Varian developed a habit of nning for the worst.


    As he ran farther, he created a lightning shield to guard himself from the sharp and fast debris.


    "Roar!"


    Boom!


    Zap!


    The lightning strikes struck the tunnel and the whole underground facility shook violently.


    "Fuck!" Varian cursed and put the yellow flower in his space ring.


    Above, the Cmity Tiger was using its lightning sense and sting the ground.


    It was severely injured from the battle with Berserk Honey Badger and was bleeding all over.


    The Honey Badger was a crazy beast. Fully knowing that it was suicidal, it still lunged at the Tiger''s lightning barrier.


    Despite its impressive defense, it was severely injured and died after attacking the tiger once.


    But¡­


    "Roar!"


    The Cmity Tiger dragged its broken body as it chased the perpetrator. Its aura and breath were weakening every second.


    The single attack was enough to mortally injure it. After all, for a Level 4 Lightning Awakener, a serious body injury was fatal.


    So the Cmity Tiger rushed back to its habitat for its only hope of survival.


    The Aureum flower. But the flower was nowhere to be found.


    This wasn''t just a matter of stealing, this was a matter of life and death.


    "Roar!"


    It growled and spread its lightning sense. After the intense bout, and severe injury, its lightning sense was drastically weakened.


    Add that to the fact that the tunnel was much deeper underground, it wasn''t able to pinpoint the perpetrator''s location.


    "Roar!" The Cmity Tiger created a huge lightning hammer and sted the ground.


    Boom!


    Soil exploded in all directions, and part of the tunnel under it was buried.


    Varian nced back and continued to run. Three passages appeared in front of him.


    Two were the original passages and one was his recent work.


    He dashed into the passage he dug.


    Boom!


    Zap!


    The ground was ripped apart and the cmity tiger could finally perceive the three passages.


    "Roar!" The Tiger''s roar was full of fury, but it was growing weaker.


    The three passages diverged, and it would only be able to follow one.


    Boom!


    Unfortunately, it picked Varian''s route.


    Varian sighed. Thankfully, he dug up enough tunnels.


    Even if his luck was bad, he should be able to escape.


    Second passage choice.


    Boom!


    "No worries, it''ll be already next time." He consoled himself.


    Third passage choice.


    "Fuck, pick the other one already!" Varian gritted his teeth.


    Boom!


    Fourth passage choice.


    "Fu¡­phew, finally." He sighed in relief.


    The Cmity Tiger lost him.


    Or rather, it couldn''t chase anymore. It copsed from its injuries.


    Its aura attracted many non-boss magic beasts and soon, the location turned into a bloody battlefield with the boss''s beast core as the prize.


    Varian didn''t know and didn''t want to know.


    After pushing himself to the limit, he finally reached the exit and climbed out of the tunnel.


    "Ha! Ha!" He panted and gasped for air as he copsed on the rocky surface.


    ''I''d be surprised if things go as I nned.'' He stretched his arms and felt sore all over. It was a short but very intense run.


    Despite his body''sints, he climbed the hilltop and watched the surroundings with his binocrs.


    He was safe. For now.


    ''I can''t fight Mid Level 4 yet. But¡­ with this, I might.'' He retrieved the strange flower.


    "Hmm~" He breathed in the dense lightning mana and sighed.


    The lightning mana in his body surged and rumbled. There was a deep affinity from within towards the flower in his hand.


    It was screaming at him to immediately devour it. He didn''t.


    There could be unknown effects. The reason he didn''t hesitate to im the prize in Special Location was that there were no more monsters to threaten him.


    But here, if he were to fall asleep, then his safety would be in jeopardy.


    Another danger was that the aura itself could attract other magic beasts. He put it back into his space ring and swiped hism.


    Somehow, it was still functioning.


    He heard Maya''s father was one of the members ofm project and worked extensively to ensure its resilience.


    ''Kyle''s father-inw¡­ maybe I can request for a betterm?'' He wondered and opened the database.


    ''I thought database was taking too much space, but just wow.'' Even though he couldn''t contact anyone, them''s database wasrger than supeputers of Old Earth.


    Soon, he found it.


    {Aureum Flower


    Formed from the special nurturing of two lightning beast cores. It would turn useless two hours after picking up.


    Can be ingested by Lighting Awakeners.


    After ingesting, it paralyzes the body for 6 hours and gives a great boost to the lightning mana.}


    "Damn! I knew it!" Varian cursed and ran down the hill.


    Staying still for 6 hours in Inner Zone was suicide. What if some, no, even one magic beast sniffs out the aura and finds him?


    That''d be a tragic death after everything he had been through.


    So Varian rushed out from his hiding and headed towards the Outer Zone.


    The aura concentration fell rapidly, but he didn''t care.


    He reached the outskirts and found a deste cave near the white barrier.


    As he was about to enter it, his lightning sense perceived a familiar aura.


    His body blurred, and he found the aura''s source.


    Blinking his eyes in confusion, Varian muttered. "Boss?"


    "Droah!" The Irontail Sandworm shook its head and rushed towards the white barrier.


    "It''s dangerous!" Varian yelled.


    "Droah!" The Sandworm yelled back.


    ''I was having peace here. But if you found me even here¡­ then there is no peace.''


    Sandworm recalled its peaceful days and sighed.


    Then it jumped into the white barrier.


    Boom!


    It was sted away and crashed to the ground.


    Then it looked at Varian and then at the white barrier, then headed to the white barrier.


    Varian "...."


    "Fine. I''m leaving." He waved his hand and searched for another location.


    ''Why do I feel like a bad guy?'' He wondered, despite fully knowing why.


    After finding a suitable hideout, he cleared out all the magic beasts in the radius of a few miles and took out the Aurera flower.


    With one bite, he gulped it down.

 Chapter 109 - Advancing To Level 3

    <h4>Chapter 109 - Advancing To Level 3</h4>


    As it entered his throat, the Aurera flower crackled and Varian felt a tingling sensation spreading through his body.


    His body was paralyzed.


    ''It''s like I swallowed a scorching ball, except it isn''t burning me.'' He felt the warmth spreading throughout his body.


    The lightning mana in his body resonated with the iing warmth and soon, they joined.


    The mana rumbled and tried to increase, but it was hit with an invisible barrier and couldn''t improve.


    Nevertheless, it kept striking the barrier. The iing warmth joined it and soon, the barrier was pierced through.


    [Advancing] The System prompted.


    ''I feel like I''m sitting on a rocket.'' Varian grinned or at least would''ve, if his facial muscles weren''t paralyzed.


    A couple of aura crystals from his space ring disappeared and vast aura poured into his body.


    Soon, it turned into lightning mana and Varian sighed in the blissful sensation.


    His lightning sense expanded and he could observe a hundred meters distance with ease.


    His mana steadily rose and with each increase, his body was getting more and more ustomed to lightning itself.


    [+1 Xp]


    [+1 Xp]


    [+1 Xp]


    ¡­


    [+1 Xp]


    The Xp rose steadily. The warmth added thest bit of itself to the lightning mana and vanished.


    Rumble.


    Varian moved and lighting arcs shed across his body.


    ''Oops.'' He was about to protect himself from the lightning with mana but¡ª


    ''Huh?'' The lightning hit his body, and he was fine.


    Crackle.


    Varian stood up and stretched his arms. As he did, lightning coiled around his body and he looked like some sort of supernatural being.


    ''When I saw those apes, they were the same.'' He recalled the apes were also seen with lightning coiling them.


    He thought it was pretty cool.


    ''So cool, but they still died.'' He clicked his tongue and called upon status.


    [Body Path Level 3: 400/400


    Space Path Level 2: 100/200


    Lightning Path Level 3: 200/400]


    ''Lighting Path Status''


    [Lightning Path Level 3: 200/400


    Lightning Sense: An innate sense that observes the surroundings through the use of lightning mana.


    Invoke: Controlling lightning mana.


    Resistance: Passive resistance to lightning. The higher the level, the greater the resistance. Can forge a Thunder Body at Level 7.]


    ''So I was right. Resistance substantially increased.'' Varian nodded and created a lightning arc.


    He touched it without mana protection and confirmed that he really developed the ''resistance.''


    But there was a catch. Even though he couldn''t feel the pain, he could still feel a light tingling sensation.


    ''Then what happens when two Level 3 lightning awakeners fight? They are both resistant to lightning.'' Varian wondered.


    [You gained resistance to lightning, but not immunity. A peak Level 3 lightning would still hurt you. It just won''t take you down in one hit.


    At the same time, even the powers of awakeners at same level vary based on their expertise in mana control,bat experience among other things.]


    ''....'' Varian whistled. The System was adorable when it was not trying to push him to dangers.


    Then, he thought of something and curiously asked. ''Which path will I awaken next?''


    As he awaited some exnation, it retorted [What do you think?]


    ''Kek'' Varian''s face twitched.


    ''I know it already. Teleportation with Kyle led me to awaken in Space Path. Getting bolted awakened me in Lightning Path.''


    [....Host, you don''t want to try getting roasted or frozen to awaken, right?] The System''s usual monotonous voice seemed to be filled with worry.


    "I¡ª" Varian was speechless.


    Must you put it in a way that makes me seem like a masochist? Heined and ignored the System.


    He dashed out of the cave and jumped high into the air. He condensed the lightning mana into a huge lightning bolt in his hand.


    With tremendous strength, he shot it at the ground.


    The lightning bolt struck the ground and with it as the center of impact, a huge shock wave spread to all directions, carrying the stones and soil.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Variannded as the dust cleared and he saw a crater at the strike location.


    ''With Peak Level 3 Body and Mid Level 3 Lightning, My strength finally reached Low Level 4 Awakener.'' He mused.


    It might be contradicting the fact that he already fought and killed a Low Level 4 in a frontalbat.


    However, that was a conditional fight.


    ''But against lighting beasts, I can contend even with Mid Level 4s.'' He grinned.


    His lightning resistance gave him an advantage against any lightning beast. Towards others, he wouldn''t have that leverage.


    ''So I can basically clear the Inner Zone Boss. Even though I had to spend quite some time here, I can finally enter Core Zone.'' Varian took a deep breath.


    He tapped the ground, and in an instant; he rushed to the Inner Zone.


    Unlike earlier, he didn''t need to hide from any magic beasts. Instead, they hid from him.


    Varian reached the boss zone and picked a random boss.


    A Two-headed Wolf.


    ''I hate wolves.'' He clenched his fists as he stared at the hideous creature. It was as big and asrge as a big truck.


    Watching Varian intrude into its territory, it howled in rage.


    "Owooo"


    Varian somehow felt the wolf in front resemble the wolf that killed her. That bloody wolf.


    ''No. They''re not the same thing.'' He told himself, but his fury exploded.


    "Arrgh!" He yelled and shot at the wolf.


    "Owoo" The two heads of the wolves howled and huge lighting arcs bolted at him.


    Their speed was higher than his own, and he wouldn''t be able to dodge them all.


    "Tsk" Varian closed the distance and lunged at the wolf.


    Mid air, he dodged a few lightning bolts, but couldn''t help the two boltsing at him from left and right.


    ''This would''ve killed me if I didn''t breakthrough.'' He clenched his fast and covered his body with lightning mana.


    Zap!


    Zap!


    The lightning bolts bombarded him, and the wolf cheered.


    But out of the golden lightning, Varian emerged and his fist crashed on the wolf''s head, severely damaging it.


    Crack!


    It hurried to create a lightning barrier and protect itself, but Varian''s second punch was already on way.


    Crack!


    Its skull waspletely smashed.


    The two-headed wolf copsed to the ground.


    "Ha!" Varian winced at the injuries all around his body and grinned despite the pain.


    Lightning Mana and Lightning Resistance helped him face the attack without heavy injuries, but they weren''t light, either.


    ''Once I get my lightning to Peak Level 3, I''ll be able to handle Mid Level 4s with ease.''


    He took a breath and rested until he healed.


    [+10 Xp]


    [Lightning Path Level 3: 210/400]


    Varian reached the boundary of Inner Zone and calmed his racing heart.


    He was almost there.


    ''Maybe I can find something.''


    With hope, he dashed towards the Core Zone.

 Chapter 110 - Core Zone

    <h4>Chapter 110 - Core Zone</h4>


    Varian sprinted towards the Core Zone.


    He wasn''t sure why but his instincts were screaming at him. An ominous feeing filled his mind.


    ''Am I going to face some danger again?'' He was troubled, but couldn''t stop.


    Core Zone was the most likely ce to find a solution, if any.


    ''I¡­ can just run back to Inner Zone if trouble arises, right?'' Varian tried to reassure himself.


    But the more he tried, the worst he felt.


    ''System,e out! Exin this dreaded feeling.'' Varian yelled inside.


    The feeling was akin to having a de on his neck and he was moving his neck towards the de.


    [Host, survive. Equal danger gives equal reward.] The System answered.


    ''So there''s a huge danger after all.'' Varian wanted to bang his head.


    From the System''s words, the danger wasn''t a normal one.


    ''By my estimate, the Core Zone magic beasts should be around high Level 4. The strongest is peak Level 4.'' He thought as he went further and further from the safe Inner Zone.


    ''Peak Level 4s should be living at absolute center. I can run away from high Level 4s. So what''s the problem here?'' He wondered and crossed the halfway point.


    The increase in aura concentration was much higher than between Outer and Inner Zone.


    After all, there was bound to be a huge difference between the powers of Core and Inner Magic Beasts.


    ''Level 9 vs Level 8, the gap is as big as Level 8 and Level 1.'' Went a saying.


    Varian didn''t know if it was the truth, but the power difference between each level kept increasing.


    As the aura''s concentration spiked, he finally stopped. In front of him were lush ins.


    The Core Zone didn''t look different, but it surely ''felt'' different.


    He focused on all his senses and perceived his surroundings. He didn''t want to be attacked by rabbits or rats or something else this time.


    ''Lets get to a deserted ce.'' Varian thought and cautiously searched the nearby mountains, caves and valleys.


    To his dismay, he could find traces of magic beasts everywhere. There was no safe location.


    Finally, he found a mountain and climbed it up. There was a cliff at the end. Looking down, Varian realized in itself was an elevated teau.


    As he nced down, there was only mist. He couldn''t see the cliff bottom.


    ''There is not a single deserted location.'' Varian clutched his forehead and tried to think of a solution.


    If he rested in the open, he''d be found. If he kept moving, he would run into an aggressive beast and that''d be the end of the story.


    Every single beast was a High Level 4. More importantly, there was no ce to ''quietly'' hunt. Even if he hunted one sessfully, he''d be found out.


    ''I thought I could hunt like in Inner Zone. But now, going back to Inner Zone is a better option.'' As he was about to leave, his back chilled.


    "Graa~" The growls prompted him to turn back in an instant.


    Sweat rolled down his forehead as ten purple panthers rushed towards him.


    They didn''t run. Instead, lightning covered their bodies, and a lightning board appeared under their legs.


    This lightning board rushed at him at a speed beyond his current limit.


    ''Were they patrolling or something?!'' Varian cursed and looked back.


    If he ran back and fell down the cliff, he''d dead for sure.


    Then what if he ran forward?


    ''Ten high Level 4¡­ dammit.'' He cursed.


    He was in a deadlock, but not for long. One was a death sentence, and the other had a slight hope of living.


    Varian gritted his teeth and dashed forward.


    If he could just escape the first round of attacks, then maybe¡­


    Dozens of lightning bolts shot in front of him, cutting off any chance of easy escape.


    Varian stopped in his tracks. ''Their attacks are too fast and too lethal.''


    If he took even one attack head on, he''d be gravely injured. Then his speed would drop and he would not be able to dodge the next attacks.


    ''What should I do?'' He racked his brain.


    The lightning board under purple panthers vanished, and they slowly walked towards him.


    With each step they took, dozens of lightning bolts shot at Varian.


    Varian kept backing off.


    "Re" A stone dropped down the cliff and Varian was aware of its fall.


    As he kept backing off, he wanted to hear how long it took for the stone to hit the ground.


    He couldn''t hear any sound.


    Varian''s heart raced as the panthers approached him.


    As death seemed inevitable, only one thought reverberated in his mind.


    ''If I''m going to die anyway, I''ll at least bring one of you down.'' His eyes turned bloodshot, and he was about to pounce on the purple panthers.


    At that moment, a cute voice sounded directly in his mind.


    ''Hey, are you an idiot to attack them? You will die.''


    It was as if cold water was poured on his hot mind. Varian quickly asked.


    ''What should I do?'' He didn''t ask who it was or what it wanted. Just what he should do. To survive.


    Zap!


    Zap!


    The final bolt of lightnings, the ones that would kill him or thrown him down the cliff, were hovering in the air.


    ''Tell me!'' Varian asked.


    ''Jump down the cliff. You can live.'' The childish voice said.


    Zap!


    Zap!


    The lightning bolts shot at him. Varian wouldn''t survive facing them. So why not try the other way?


    "Here goes." He flipped into the air and jumped down the cliff.


    The lightning bolts exploded in the air, and Varian felt a chill down his spine.


    As he fell, the air hit him and his clothes rustled.


    Varian could only see the white fog and his heart turned restless.


    Not even a few seconds passed, and he was already questioning his sanity.


    ''Hehe. I thought you wouldn''t dare.'' The cute voice sounded, and it seemed to enjoy itself.


    ''Are there any dangerous beats below?'' Varian quickly asked.


    Since he was already falling, he should do his best. He blocked the space around him and slowed down his descent.


    ''Good presence of mind.'' Itplemented his actions and continued ''There are no beasts below. You''ll survive if you try hard enough, though you''ll break most bones.''


    Varian chose to believe it for now. He couldn''t fly with his lightning level. But he could shield himself a bit.


    Space block, on the other hand, would prevent him from elerating to dangerous speeds.


    ''Why didn''t I think of this?'' He face palmed and continued to space block.


    He couldn''t stay in the air forever, he would sooner orter run out of space power.


    So his goal was to block the space and decelerate whenever his descent speed went past a certain threshold.


    And thus, Varian continued to fall. His space power was also slowly running out.


    ''Where are you?'' Varian asked in the midst of the fall.


    ''I''m in the center of the Core Dungeon. You can find me if you cross all the peak Level 4 beasts around me.'' The voice answered.


    ''I don''t know when I can even go there¡­'' Varian sighed.


    ''I can help you get out of this Lost Dungeon.'' The voice said.


    Varian thought he was hearing things, but after asking again, his heart stopped for a moment.


    ''I will get there in 20, no 14 days.'' He vowed.


    ''Won''t work. If you don''te in 5 days, both you and I will die.. The Abyssals areing.''

 Chapter 111 - The Fall

    <h4>Chapter 111 - The Fall</h4>


    Varian thought he was hearing things. Even if everything was absurd, it could not be absurd to this degree.


    ''Abyssals? Stop kidding. We''re in Inner Space for fuck''s sake.'' He sneered.


    It was only a few seconds since the fall began, but to him, it felt like a day. Varian was acutely aware that something was wrong as he continued to control his descent speed.


    ''I''m not joking. Abyssals were once an A-, uh, a higher level civilization. Even though they should''ve lost most of the technology by now, entering Inner Space wouldn''t be too hard for them.'' The cute voice turned solemn.


    Varian blocked the space once again and stopped his descent, then he lifted the space block and resumed his fall at speed zero.


    ''Hey, why are you not even replying?'' The cute voice called out in his mind.


    Varian sighed deeply. He had an ominous feeling even before he entered the core zone.


    As he fell down the cliff, he thought that was the reason he got the feeling. But after being able to control his fall, he realized it was something else.


    ''The Abyssals¡­ I don''t want to fight them if I can''t win.'' He said, the wind ruffling his hair. The Abyssals weren''t like magic beasts. Hunting or some other tactics won''t work on them. They are a much tougher foe.


    ''They''re just some bugs. Strong Abyssals can''t enter. You can easily win with my support.'' The voice said with certainty.


    ''Good.'' Varian nodded.


    He looked down and saw he was approaching the mist. Even if the cliff bottom was a few miles below, he''d be fine. His space power wouldst till there.


    Then why did this voice said I ''would'' survive if I ''try hard enough''.


    As Varian hit the cloud of mist, he knew why.


    Zap!


    Zap!


    Below the mist, countless lightning arcs rumbled and danced wildly.


    ''Oh shit!'' He cursed and used space block.


    But¡ª


    Zap!


    Creak!


    The Space block, being only Level 2, easily broke.


    Varian used lightning mana to cover his body.


    Zap!


    "Ouch" He managed to block off the lightning and prevented any injury.


    But as he fell, he wasn''t happy at all.


    More and more lightning arcs started targeting him.


    Zap!


    Zap!


    Creak!


    They easily broke through his space block andshed at him. He was able to block a single bolt, but with two, three, four and more, he was quickly injured.


    Zap!


    Only a few seconds passed, and Varian already had many light injuries. He protected his vitals and gritted his teeth.


    The lightning arcs increased the lower he went.


    ''Where is the bottom?'' He looked down and only saw endless golden lightnings.


    "Fuck!"


    He wouldn''t be able to survive long with the defense of lightning mana and his body.


    ''20 seconds at most.'' Varian realized he was in a pinch.


    If he depended solely on his mana and body to block the lightning attacks, he''d be dead in 20 seconds. If he used space powers too, he''d get 5 more seconds.


    However, using space powers meant he wouldn''t be able to control his fall anymore. Even if he managed to reach the ground, his speed would be too high.


    ''That voice meant I still have a chance, right?'' Varian continued to guard himself against the attacks.


    Instead ofpletely using space power to defend or to slow him down, he decided to use them for both.


    Zap!


    Zap!


    The bombardment of lightnings continued, and blood spilled in the air. Varian curled up and protected himself.


    Despite his space blocks, lightning barriers, and a strong body, his injuries continued to pile up.


    1 Second.


    2 Seconds.


    5 Seconds.


    10 Seconds.


    ''There!'' He finally caught sight of the ground.


    ''I could surv¡ª''


    The lethality of lightning increased, and Varian felt his body go numb.


    ''No, it''s my defense that is decreasing.'' He sighed. His body slowly started to get paralyzed.


    Zap!


    Zap!


    From going numb to getting paralysed, it happened in a few seconds.


    As he approached the ground, Varian''s speed continued to rise. But he had to use space power to block the lightning attacking his vital regions.


    Zap!


    Whoosh!


    He elerated, and saw the ground approaching him at a breakneck speed.


    ''Oh, fuck!'' He cursed and¡ª


    Boom!


    He crashed into the ground.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    The world went dark.


    Even when he couldn''t see, he could feel.


    Varian felt every bone in his body break. It was like he was run over by a truck and electrocuted at the same time.


    ''Arggh'' He couldn''t even yell out in pain.


    Blood soaked the ground wet and dyed it red. Varian was really afraid he might die from injuries, even if he survived the fall.


    ''No. Not afraid. I''m really going to die.'' As the paralyzing effect of electricity faded, the pain spiked.


    Varian winced and his brain started to shut down in self-defense.


    ''No.'' He tried to flounder, albeit failing to move with his broken bones.


    The pain continued to rise. Every inch of his body was bleeding. He could feel the warm blood flowing out, and as it left him, it took away his energy. His life.


    His body, even in the warm blood, was quickly turning cold.


    ''I want to live.'' He tried to yell. No words came out. Only blood spattered from his throat.


    Varian tried hard to open his eyes. They were like adamantine doors.


    Slowly, he started to lose the sensation of his body.


    ''My life is not mine.'' As his consciousness was on the verge of going nk, he growled.


    ''My life was exchanged for hers. She gave me her life.'' Along with the sensation, his pain also started to fade.


    ''I have a lot of things to do.'' His consciousness seemed to fade.


    Somehow, in that dark moment, a white light flickered.


    She appeared. He still could only see her eyes. Those golden eyes.


    "Never lose hope." She whispered and hugged him to her bosom.


    The warmth revitalized him, and Varian used thest of consciousness to feel his body. Yes. He still had hope.


    One hope.


    His consciousness searched for his broken arm and reached for his space ring.


    Click!

 Chapter 112 - Ascension

    <h4>Chapter 112 - Ascension</h4>


    One of the three healing potions popped up and fell to the ground.


    Varian''s eyes were still closed, but he heard the sound of itsnding and felt it press against his arm.


    There was a problem, however.


    It wasn''t open.


    ''Just move once¡­'' He tried to move his arm and break open the healing potion.


    His body refused. It was like someone else''s body. He had no control over it. Meanwhile, his lower abdomen was also going cold.


    ''I need to hurry up!'' He urged himself.


    ''Wait!''


    ''System logs''


    [+5 Xp


    +5 Xp


    +5 Xp


    ¡­


    +5 Xp]


    ''Status''


    [Body Path Level 3: 400/400


    Space Path Level 2: 100/200


    Lightning Path Level 3: 300/400]


    His mana continued to rise during his fall. He used every bit of new mana right after gaining it to block against the lightning bolts.


    However, the mana increased after the final lightning hit wasn''t used and he crashed to the ground the next moment.


    So there was still a bit of lightning mana left in his body.


    He weakly extended his lightning sense and tried to control it


    But like an incredibly sick person trying to lift weights, he felt weak and heavy.


    ''Just once.'' He persisted and the lightning mana in his body finally shook.


    Z..ap!


    With thest of his will, he pushed the lightning small lightning arc to the healing potion.


    Crack.


    There was a cracking sound, and Varian fell into darkness.


    Everything went nk. After an indefinite period, when the potion was still healing his body, a blue screen appeared in front of the unconscious Varian.


    [Advancement can be carried out.]


    [Congrattions. You are about to step into Level 4 in Body Path. There are two paths ahead.


    First is the Enhancer Path. It is simr to Body Path so far. Your stats will undergo an overall increase as you progress on this path.


    Second is Controller Path. Your overall stats at any level are slightly lower than Enhancer Path. However, you could freely increase one stat to be higher than Enhancer.]


    The System continued.


    [Since Host hasn''t trained to control stats, Host would enter Enhancer Path.]


    A brilliant red light shed, and the chi in Varian''s body roared.


    The aura crystals in his body disappeared at a rapid rate and the temperature increased.


    Varian''s chi spiked and instead of just covering his blood, bones and organs, this time, it mixed with them.


    On a microscopic level, instead of existing separately and reinforcing his body, Chi started to surround his cells.


    A fundamental shift was beginning to take ce.


    At the same time, Varian''s body was continuously strengthened.


    A few hourster,


    "Ha!" Varian''s eyes snapped open.


    Before he knew it, he was on his feet.


    Varian looked at his body. Hisbat uniform was already in tatters. The blood on the blue soil dried up.


    As he raised his arm to rub his chin, Varian froze.


    ''What¡­'' His body felt incredibly light. It was as if he lost 90% of his weight.


    Varian looked around and was surprised once again.


    He could see with an incredible rity. It was like going from 1080p to 4k. His line of sight also extended much longer.


    As he focused on his senses, he heard the rustling of leaves and flow of water.


    Water?


    Varian tapped his feet, and the next moment, he shot towards the sound.


    Whoosh!


    ''Shit!'' Varian''s speed was much higher. It was a qualitative change.


    Even though he was still at some distance, he was approaching the speed Sarah''s team took.


    In no time, he crossed hundreds of meters of greenery and reached a stream flowing down a small mountain.


    Varian took a deep breath and clenched his fist.


    Even though he felt light, there was an incredible power flowing in his fist. This level of strength was nothing like what he had before.


    He dashed to the mountain and threw a punch.


    Boom!


    Bang!


    The rocks in direct contact with his fist and ones in vicinity were broken to pieces.


    Rumble!


    The whole mountain, as big as a two-storey building, shook violently.


    Varian checked his fist and realized there were no injuries.


    ''What the fuck!'' His brain started to cool down.


    He smiled deeply. ''I survived. Not only that.''


    [Body Path (Enhanced) Level 4: 0/1000]


    "Yes!" He pumped his fist.


    The air around his arm shook a little from the sheer force and only enforced him that he was now on a higher level.


    Then he recalled something and said with a light grudge.


    ''System, why didn''t you announce it sooner? I thought I was going to die.''


    [Even if you advanced, you''d be dead without the healing potion.] It replied curtly.


    ''Tch.'' Varian''s face twitched.


    He then left it behind and assessed his ownbat power.


    ''On absolute scale, I can now hold off against Mid Level 4. I could fight high Level 4, but I''m not sure of winning.''


    Of course, he still needed to familiarize himself with the power level. Varian''sbat experience would enable him to remain unrivalled at the same level of strength.


    ''For lightning beasts,'' he nced at the status.


    [Lightning Path Level 3: 300/400]


    ''I can win against High Level 4. Peak ones are going to be tough.''


    The difference between each sub-level increased with the level itself. The disparity between a Low Level 4 and Mid Level 4 was much higher than a Low Level 3 and mid Level 3.


    So going from Mid Level 4 to High Level 4 was a considerable increase in strength.


    "Hey, are you there?" He yelled out loud, his voice reverberating across the mountains.


    ''W¡­ ait. I made a calction error and asked you to jump 1 second earlier. How did you survive?'' The cute voice said.


    But Varian felt it wasn''t cute anymore.


    ''And you fucking expect me to help you?'' He was enraged.


    If this person couldn''t even care enough to keep him alive, then he was not to be trusted.


    ''Bohoo. I tried my best. You''ll know when you meet me.'' It pleaded.


    Varian didn''t feel a sliver of sympathy.


    But if this person was his only way out, then he had topromise for now.


    Varian took a deep breath to calm himself.


    "Now tell me everything."

 Chapter 113 - Scheme

    <h4>Chapter 113 - Scheme</h4>


    "Tell you what?." the cute voice seemed confused.


    ''Is this guy stupid?'' Varian clutched his forehead.


    "If Abyssals are going toe in five days, what''s your n?" He rubbed his temple and asked.


    "What n?" The cute voice raised its voice to almost a shriek.


    Varian''s eyebrows crinkled. "From your own words, you are in the middle of this core zone. The den of peak level 4. It''s impossible for me to sneak in. In the core zone, every ce seems to be divided among beasts."


    Unlike Inner or Outer Zone, Core Zone was much smaller.This also meant no territory was left unmarked.


    Then the center of Core Zone must be the most fiercely contested area.


    Even if he turned his aura off, he would not be able to sneak in. The lightning sense of those peak level 4 would find him with ease.


    "¡­ can''t you do something?" The voice muttered.


    "I should be the one saying that. Not you." Varian began to doubt if the person on the other side was a retard.


    ''Staying here alone for long periods can indeed drive a human insane.'' He shuddered.


    "As I am right now, there isn''t much I can do." The soft and childish tried to defend itself.


    "Then we can both die." Varian raised his hands and shrugged.


    His subtext was ''If you aren''t honest, I won''t cooperate with you.''


    "Right¡­ we''ll both die. Bohoo!" The cute voice started wailing.


    ''...is this what a typical high level trapped in lost dungeon looks like?'' Varian almost staggered.


    His image of the other party was a Telepath that was in the dungeon when it vanished. Somehow, they were able to survive until now.


    As for the childish voice?


    Come on!


    How many uncles don''t use a cute girl profile to deceive teens? Even in the VR, there were many incidences of men dressing up as women and dating teens.


    This person must also be doing the same. Varian was thus prejudiced against him since the beginning.


    As for the Abyssals entering Inner Space?


    Varian didn''t believe it. However, it was better to be safe than sorry.


    Especially the ominous feeling he had when entering the Core Zone. He couldn''t strike it off as nothing.


    Most importantly, he didn''t believe the other party could take him out. But if the Abyssals could enter this ce, then if he gets the ''devices'' they used, he could also get out.


    So he had to y along.


    "Alright." Varian said, his voice rising but calm. "Tell me what you can do."


    "I can sense everything in the Core zone¡­ I can also talk to you." It said.


    "Anything else?" He hoped for some good news.


    "..."


    Varian had an urge to smash the mountain, but he controlled himself.


    "What is the status quo of the beasts at the center?"


    "Peaceful. Their territories are pre-established. No one provokes anyone. They all continue to meditate to advance to Level 5."


    "Hm¡­" Varian rubbed his chin.


    The first one to advance to Level 5 would be the winner. If any beast started a fight, then both the winner and loser would be prey to the rest.


    ''They''re more wise than I expected.''


    "I need to stir up the situation a bit." Varian nodded to himself. That was the only way he could hope to enter the center of the dungeon safely.


    ''But what can make the peak Level 4 beasts restless? So much that they risk their lives for it?'' He continued to think.


    ''Aha!'' He pped and confirmed something on hism database.


    "Have you gone crazy?" The cute voice was a bit worried.


    Ignoring its remark, Varian asked, "Can you sense the materials in the Core


    Zone?"


    "Of course." It replied, pride overflowing in its voice.


    "Then," Varian squinted his eyes and uttered letter by letter, "Ambrosia."


    "Pfft! I thought you had a n. Turns out is just this." The cute voice snickered.


    Varian was unfazed.


    "There is indeed an Ambrosia in the Core Zone. But it''s still in the making. The best effect it can give is¡­ push your level a little. On a second thought, I''ll guide you to ambrosia and let you steal it." the voice said.


    Varian shook his head and replied, "I don''t want to steal it. But, you have to reveal the ambrosia to the beasts."


    "Reveal¡­ you''re crazy! The Core Zone would be full of chaos!"


    "Yes. Chaos! Perfect chance for me to sneak in to the center." Varian shed a smile.


    "But¡ª"


    "No." Varian cut it off. "If you want me to get to the center, do as I say."


    "Yes." The cute voice sighed.


    "It will take me quite some time to get the ambrosia out. It went underground." It exined.


    "How long?"


    "Three days."


    "...is that the best you can do?"


    "Unfortunately, yes. I... I am not in my best state."


    Varian shrugged. "It''ll be fine as long as I can get to the center before the Abyssals arrive."


    ''I can''t miss the chance to take the tech from them and get back home.''


    "Sure."


    Varian bid goodbye.


    He checked Ambrosia in hism.


    {Ambrosia.


    Takes hundreds of years to brew. Its effects multiply with age. After maturing, ites out of earth and gives off an alluring fragrance. The intoxicating smell spreads for miles.


    Each Ambrosia emergence is followed by bloodshed.


    Human powers started their grudge in Ambrosia hunting. Magic beasts are no exception.


    If you are weak, then stay as far away as possible.}


    "It should work out." Varian stretched his limbs and got back to feeling his transformed body.


    Enhanced Body Awakener.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    His fists shed, and he rained a series of blows in the air.


    What followed were loud bursts of air and the crackling of his joints.


    Whoosh!


    Varian''s speed spiked in a split second and he was dozens of meters away.


    Boom!


    He rushed to a boulder and hit it with his body.


    The boulder was broken into pieces while he only had little injuries.


    As continued to test his limits, Varian also began getting ustomed to his new strength.


    The cute voice didn''t speak for three days and missed his deadline. It asked for more time.


    Varian was tempted to just try entering the center, but decided against it.


    On the fourth day, it returned with good news.


    "Ambrosia is out."

 Chapter 114 - Opportunity In Chaos

    <h4>Chapter 114 - Opportunity In Chaos</h4>


    "Ambrosia is out." The cute voice said.


    Varian climbed out of the stream and clothed himself. His body turned leaner after advancing, betraying the incredible strength each muscle packed.


    In a few seconds, he reached the area hended and gazed up.


    The mist clouded his vision, but he already knew climbing the cliff was not an option.


    "Do you have any other routes to get to the center?" He asked.


    "Yes, but¡­" It trailed off.


    "Hm?"


    "There are a few magic beasts in every way." the voice said. "they aren''t fighting for ambrosia. Only the strongest are going at it. The rest are waiting."


    "Just tell me." Varian was eager to test out his strength.


    He already ustomed himself to his new strength. Now all that left was to actually fight.


    "The cliff bottom has a tunnel up the mountain. But it is filled with lightning snakes."


    Varian circled around and found the tunnel.


    As he shot up the tunnel, he could see tworge snakes in meditation.


    Whoosh!


    He dashed to them.


    His speed was much higher than it ever was. So even though they had Level 4 Lightning sense, since they weren''t on alert, he caught them off guard.


    Swish!


    Boom!


    Varian swung his fist at the snake head, breaking the lightning barrier it hurriedly set up.


    Stter.


    Without resistance, its head exploded, and it died a gruesome death.


    ''Even though I ambushed it, it is still a Level 4.'' Varian smiled and kicked behind.


    Boom!


    Crackle!


    His kick, covered by his lightning mana, broke through the lightning shield of the snake and killed it clean.


    As he was about to bend and take their beast cores, he asked. "How is the situation there?"


    "It''s crazy. Every beast is fighting. No beast died, but the intensity is rising every second."


    Varian stopped in his tracks and ran up the tunnel.


    "Hey, aren''t you going to take the beast cores?"


    "I will need to get there at the right time." Varian sped up.


    "But why? You can just enter the center after the fight is over." The voice sounded puzzled.


    The ambrosia wasn''t even a mature one. So taking it wouldn''t have great benefits either.


    The beasts didn''t know, so they fought. But Varian did the same despite knowing. Why?


    "Why just center? I want that ambrosia." He grinned and punched out.


    Crackle!


    His fist, covered with lightning, smashed the snake head to pulp.


    "At thest moment, all the other magic beasts will also be eager to snatch it." The voice said.


    "I am taking it." Varian jumped and dodged a lightning arc.


    Boom!


    The cave shook heavily. The rocks fell on him and cracked apart.


    Varian wasn''t bothered and before the snake stuck him with a lightning whip, he tore it in two.


    "It''s a very immature Ambrosia. It won''t even help you much." The cute voice tried to talk him out of it.


    "Hehe." Varian chuckled and continued to sprint. The tunnel was very long and with the fights in between, he would take quite a few minutes of sprint.


    "I want to get as strong as I can." He grinned and crushed a snake''s skull before resuming his run.


    "It can''t be helped." The cute voice gave up.


    Varian didn''t bother.


    If he got the ambrosia, his chances of beating the Abyssals, if they reallye, would increase.


    In case if everything was a ploy by this voice owner, more strength would mean his chance of protecting himself would increase.


    On top of that, with most of the strongest beasts in the core zone injured, he could easily clear them and reduce the variables for the danger.


    Boom!


    Crackle!


    Whoosh!


    There were only three sounds in the tunnel.


    The whistling of the wind as a fist cut through the air.


    The rumble of lightning.


    The gales as a body moved at a high speed.


    As he got closer to the surface, the voice updated him on thetest event.


    "One beast was killed."


    "Three were killed."


    "A few beasts that don''t reside in center jumped into the fight."


    Varian continued to run.


    "A peak Level 4 beast killed two more when it was about to die."


    "A beast approached the ambrosia!" The cute voice yelled.


    Varian''s breath paused for a moment, but he continued running.


    "Phew. The rest attacked it together." It heaved a sigh of relief.


    "Now¡­" It was about to continue when Varian suddenly said.


    "Finally." He rushed out of the tunnel and the warm light of day shone on his face.


    "The few extra beasts tried to approach ambrosia, but they were swatted to death."


    Rumble!


    Boom!


    "Tsk. " Varian clicked his tongue and saw huge lightning clouds in the distance.


    ''I don''t even need to ask the directions.'' He shook his head and shot towards the battlefield.


    As he inched closer, an intoxicating smell assaulted him and the chi, mana, and space power in his body all cheered in joy.


    "How did these high Level 4 beasts survive so long?" He asked on the way.


    There were several High Level 4 Beasts that were hiding in their nest. But there were also quite a few of them that were slowly moving towards the center. They, too, wanted to try their luck.


    Rumble!


    From a few miles, lightning arcs shot out in all directions.


    Varian dodged them with ease and slowed down.


    "High Level 4¡­ they were neglected by the peak Level 4. But when they moved past a certain threshold, they were killed."


    "I see." Varian stopped in front of a huge crater.


    Below, green, blue, and purple blood dyed the ground. Broken limbs, crushed heads and torn bodies littered the battlefield.


    Crackle!


    "Roar!"


    "Mooo!"


    "Hiss!"


    From crowned snakes to shaded lions, from purple rabbits to red rats, a lot of magic beasts were fighting it out.


    Right in the center, there was a small mountain. Or rather, that was the original ground. Due to the fight, the ground was hollowed out into a crater.


    ''System, hide my aura to early Level 4.''


    [Yes, host.]


    The beasts that were checking him took a slight nce and turned back to fighting.


    ''Being ignored is also useful.'' He grinned and ran down the slope.


    Boom!


    "Roar!"


    Rumble!


    Amidst the dense fighting, he carefully dodged a few serious attacks and purposefully took a few light ones.


    He approached the line beyond which peak Level 4s would take notice and attack.


    The same thing happened to the high Level 4s before him.


    However, he had less attention due to his low power level. The magic beasts thought they could kill him if he tried to get closer.


    "But¡­" Varian grinned and dodged a lightning arc. He focused his strength on his legs and took a deep breath.


    Boom!


    Whoosh!


    He shot to the ambrosia at his full speed.


    "Roar!"


    It was so sudden and unexpected that the magic beasts were taken aback.


    As Varian caught the floating green droplet, the lighting attacks rained on him.


    Even if he was a Level 4 now, he wouldn''t be able to take them all head on.


    ''I never nned on fighting you head on..'' He shrugged and jumped out.

 Chapter 115 - Sucks To Be You!

    <h4>Chapter 115 - Sucks To Be You!</h4>


    Zap!


    Zap!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Dozens and dozens of lightning bolts exploded in the air. It was as if the heavens were punishing the mortals.


    ''This much danger is expected.'' In midair, amidst the life-threatening attacks, Varian was unexpectedly calm.


    He had his reasons.


    He was in danger since he held the ambrosia. Once he let go of it, he''d be out of danger.


    Varian knew it but didn''t want to do it.


    If he gave it up, wouldn''t his purpose for the trip be wasted?


    ''Injure as many boss monsters as possible, get as strong as possible. All before the Abyssals enter.'' He took a deep breath and prepared tond.


    Boom!


    As he was about tond on the ground, the bundles of lightning bolts shot at him at a great speed.


    The good news was that all the magic beasts were injured. Even the least injured had a significant drop in theirbat power.


    So their attacks weren''t as fast or sharp as they would be otherwise.


    This gave Varian the period to push his body using lightning mana in mid air and dodge the attacks.


    Most of them.


    Zap!


    Boom!


    Three lightning bolts exploded his space block, lightning armor, and struck his skin.


    "Ouch." Variannded on the vibrant soil, dyed the bloods of many beasts and rolled to the side.


    Now, to the soil of different colors, a red was also added.


    Zap!


    Boom!


    The attacks continued.


    Even though they weren''t at their best, the attacks of peak Level 4 posed a major threat.


    "Roar!"


    "Kree!"


    "Druah!"


    "Screech!"


    The magic beasts of different species all expressed their will to snatch their prize back from him at any cost.


    As their lightning senses locked onto him, Varian''s heart raced.


    ''I can do it.'' He told himself and ran towards the edge of the crater. His injuries from earlier were light and didn''t affect his mobility.


    But there were some things that did.


    Zap!


    Boom!


    The lightning bolts were aimed at him. Assuming the form of lightning swords, palms, whips, thorns and clubs, they shot at him.


    Varian''s hair erected, and he involuntarily shuddered. This attack was meant to bury him.


    ''Run!'' He shot up the crater in an instant and marched outward.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The walls of the crater copsed, and the crater expanded.


    "Roar!"


    "Creaa!"


    Varian nced behind and saw the magic beats using lightning sledges to pull them out of the crater.


    They chased him. But even before them, the huge lightning bolts in the air swirled around each other and crackled violently.


    ''Destroy.'' The lightning seemed to whisper.


    "There is no other way." Varian took a breath and spread out his lightning sense.


    As their attacks reached him in the blink of an eye, he tracked them with lightning sense.


    In a split second, he jumped to the right, and then to the left, dodging most of the attacks with ease.


    A few attacks grazed past him, and three attacks broke through his lightning mana.


    ''These three are definitely the strongest here.'' He judged and ran along the way he came.


    "Roar!"


    "Ree!"


    "Druah!"


    Among the chasers were a cmity tiger, an Irontail sandworm and a red-scaled rabbit. The beasts he hunted during his stay.


    Varian really wanted to ask if this was Karma?


    Zap!


    Boom!


    The attacks he barely dodged told him he had no time to ponder.


    As he approached the tunnel opening, the magic beasts in the way and on the way escaped for their life.


    Because behind this one person, there were many magic beasts.


    It was like he was leading an army to chase an enemy, except he was the enemy


    Even though the magic beasts were injured and had trouble catching up with him with their physical body, their attacks had no such concerns.


    Their lightning attacks were only barely dodged.


    Boom!


    Zap!


    Varian sprinted with all his energy. He continued to dodge, but couldn''t avoid a few attacks every time.


    These few slowlypounded, and Varian''s injuries turned from light to moderate.


    As blood drenched his uniform, and the smell of roasted meat spread in the air, the cute voice emerged.


    With great anxiety and apprehension, it spoke.


    "What are you doing? You can''t win against them. Just drop the ambrosia already. Even if you ingest it now, they''ll eat you up."


    Varian continued his run, as sweat and blood mixed and sshed against the ground.


    "There¡­ is still a day, right?" He asked through his mind, wanting to take a rest.


    Running at his full speed resulted in same experience at every level. Sore legs, pain in the chest and weakness throughout.


    But like every level, he didn''t stop.


    Zap!


    Boom!


    Dodging the attacks, he asked, no, yelled. "There is still a day till Abyssalse, right?"


    "Y-yes! There are 36 earth hours." The cute voice immediately replied.


    "Perfect." Varian grinned as he saw the cliff in the distance.


    It was the same cliff he was forced to jump. The same cliff falling from which almost killed him.


    He nced back.


    "Roar!"


    "Screech!"


    "Druah!"


    The bellowing sought his blood.


    Varian grinned and reached the cliff edge.


    Zap!


    Boom!


    He dodged the attacks and blocked some for a few seconds.


    "Roar!"


    The magic beasts were a few meters in front of him.


    Quite a few magic beasts that initially escaped joined the groupter on.


    So, the magic beasts were now a hundred strong.


    Varian was but one person.


    However, he smiled.


    "You want this?" He opened his palm and showed off the shiny green liquid.


    It was only a droplet. But its enticement was irresistible.


    "Roar!"


    "Ree!"


    The tense atmosphere tensed further.


    Every magic beast was ready to pounce a lightning arm at Varian and grab the ambrosia.


    They didn''t consider him a threat at this point. How could he win against a hundred of them, anyway?


    All of a sudden, the magic beasts concentrated their mana to create huge hands to grab hold of the droplet.


    Varian grinned at them and showed his middle finger.


    "Sucks to be you."


    And jumped off the cliff.

 Chapter 116 - Fall Again?

    <h4>Chapter 116 - Fall Again?</h4>


    As Varian fell, he gazed up.


    The magic beasts came to the cliff edge and stared down at him.


    Their eyes held myriad emotions ¡ª regret, anger, sadness and some, gloating.


    Varianughed out in joy.


    "Haha!"


    The magic bests were shocked.


    "Roar!"


    "Ree!"


    "Drua!"


    As if they couldn''t digest the truth, they roared and the lightning mana in their body roared.


    Zap!


    Zap!


    Countless lightning bolts, no, Lighting beams, were projected at him.


    Whoosh!


    Crackle!


    The lightning beams scorched the air, cut the wind, and approached him in the blink of an eye.


    Onnd, Varin was running using his level 4 speed. But during the fall, he could not run.


    On the other hand, the lightning beams still maintained their speed.


    This led to the situation of a slow-moving target.


    Varian shook his head.


    He thought they''d leave¡­ but this was not a big problem.


    He kicked into the air, and the sheer force of the kick sted the air.


    Boom!


    His direction changed, and he dodged the lightning beams. Then he adjusted his posture and faced the barrage of lightning beams.


    He didn''t even try to slow down his fall.


    ''Get out of their range. Quick.'' As his descent speed rose, the lightning bolts rained down.


    Even the beasts in the back of the pack above started attacking him.


    ''What are you trying to achieve here?'' Varian was puzzled. ''Oh, wait¡­ revenge. Yes. Revenge.''


    These magic beasts weren''t as intelligent as humans, but they surely held grudges.


    ''Tsk. I appreciate you wasting more mana and don''t go back for healing.'' Varian chuckled. His eyes, however, were cold.


    Zap!


    Boom!


    With each rain of attack, Varian grew more proficient in dodging.


    "Ouch!" Of course, considering so many attacks and his rather limited mobility, a few hits were inevitable.


    In a few seconds, he was already halfway to the white mist. Of course, the major reason was that he didn''t block the space to slow himself down.


    ''That should settle things.'' He was about to sigh when¡ª


    "Roar!"


    "Ree!"


    A few magic beasts jumped down the cliff, and many followed.


    "What the actual fuck?!" Varian gaped at the scene.


    Even if magic beasts were vengeful, they shouldn''t be this vengeful, right?


    Were they willing to trade their lives for revenge?


    Varian frowned, and the cute voice sounded at the right moment.


    "They''re still thinking it is aplete Ambrosia. If they consume mature Ambrosia, they could easily reach Level 6 and beyond." The cute voice said.


    "At those levels, flight is a cakewalk. Nah. Even advancing to Level 5 is enough¡­" Varian shook his head as he saw the magic beasts above.


    They covered themselves with lightning mana and used it to push themselves down.


    Instead of decreasing the speed, they were elerating!


    Since Varian was already quite a distance away, they had to expend more mana.


    Otherwise, with each passing second, the distance between them and Varian would only increase!


    ''Wait, do even magic beasts know physics?...'' Varian was puzzled.


    Dozens of lightning whipsshed at him.


    He dodged them with little difficulty and looked into their eyes.


    Greed. Desire. Craze.


    ''I see. They want it to be the first to approach me.'' He sighed in relief. The worst thing humanity would''ve to face would be another intelligent race.


    It didn''t help that they were driven by raw emotions instead of intellect.


    With their expensive mana fueling, the beasts at the forefront were closing the distance with him.


    At the same time, their attacks were also turning harder to dodge.


    The biggest problem of them all?


    Varian couldn''t attack! His lightning attacks would only tickle them. He couldn''t go from one beast to another punching them, right?


    "Fuck!" He cursed his bad luck but didn''t panic. He channeled his space power.


    Zap!


    Zap!


    Boom!


    As the lightning attacks continued, he decreased his speed lightly and dodged them with ease.


    This meant the lightning beam that was about to hit him missed him since his speed changed. As his speed was already high, a slight shift was enough to dodge the attacks.


    Of course, the price of this approach was that the distance between him and the beasts was further shortened.


    "Roar!"


    The leading beast growled. It was the growl of triumph.


    Varian smiled back at it. ''Not so fast, little guy.'' And his body reached the cloud of mist.


    Zap!


    Zap!


    The familiar lightnings all over the ce greeted him, starting with a nice bolt to his head.


    But this time, despite his moderate injuries, Varian was much stronger. He blocked the lightning arcs with ease.


    On top of his lightning mana, his increased body defense yed the major role.


    After a few quick seconds, the magic beasts too entered.


    "Roar!"


    Zap!


    Zap!


    The lightning arcs attacked the magic beasts as well.


    However, because of their lightning resistance, they too could block off most of the damage.


    Simultaneously, they were free to attack Varian, who they''ve almost caught up with.


    Thus, another close range zapping started.


    This time, Varian injuries spiked.


    Soon, all the beasts that jumped down had crossed the mist and were attacking Varian.


    Despite his mounting injuries and weakening defense, Varian remained calm.


    At the same time, he used the attacks to push himself down and further increased his descent speed.


    With each second of fall, the wind and lightning turned harsher. He lost a bit more blood. He took one more attack.


    Soon, Varian curled up as his body speed was reaching an insane level, almost the speed of sound.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    In no time, sonic booms started.


    He used the defense of his body to protect himself, whilst on the other hand, the magic beasts had to use their lightning mana.


    They had to be extra careful since wind of this speed was fatal to their physical bodies. So their defense was even tighter.


    Varian grimaced at the pain from every corner of his body.


    Magic beasts were incredibly close to winning. They were only a few meters away and with each hit; he was being injured.


    Zap!


    Zap!


    Varian gritted his teeth and bore through the pain. He was only able to dodge a few strikes and started taking quite a few head on.


    If the pattern continued, he''d be down in a few more hits.


    Everyone''s speed was still rising.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    "Hey, when do I reach the ground?" Varian asked out aloud.


    The cute voice responded, "Your current speed is too high. In 5 seconds. Why are you asking?"


    "Here." Varian''s smile turned evil, and he unleashed his space power.


    Space Bind.


    Creaak!


    Varian''s speed was abruptly stopped.


    "Blergh" The impulse nearly shattered his bones, and he coughed out blood.


    The first space bind was broken, but he quickly applied second, the third and so on until it stabilized.


    On the other hand, even though they had mana, the magic beasts couldn''t do this.


    So there was only one result.


    "Roar!"


    "Ree!"


    As they desperately tried to control their speeds with lightning mana, they were only able to slow down a little before¡ª


    Crash!


    Bang!


    Plop!


    Like a watermelon bursting, they crashed to the ground and burst into pieces.


    The other magic beasts also followed.


    Bang!


    Bang!


    In those few but long seconds, Varian''s injuries worsened. He used his lightning mana to cover his space block in an attempt to ward off the lightning arcs.? But even that was quickly broken.


    Thankfully, even though his space power was fast depleting, he used his body to defend and used space power only to control his speed.


    Thus, albeit the injuries, he stayed much longer in the air.


    "Haa!"


    Varian finallynded on the ground and smiled at the few magic beasts that were barely alive.


    "Hehe." A bright light shed and heads rolled.


    Every magic beast was dead.


    Varian sat amidst the gruesome scene without a care in the world and gulped down the green liquid.

 Chapter 117 - The Voices Identity

    <h4>Chapter 117 - The Voice''s Identity</h4>


    The green liquid flowed down his throat and Varian felt a warm feeling spreading throughout him.


    All the aura derivatives in his body¡ªchi, space power and mana, rumbled with the warmth.


    Varian sighed infort.


    It was as if his body was soaked in a warm spring. The pain slowly, but surely, disappeared.


    As a Level 4, his recovery rate was high. With the assistance from ambrosia, it rose to a terrifying degree.


    Blood was generated, skin was regrown, muscles were rebuilt and bones were strengthened.


    Varian knew it was not a mature Ambrosia. The one he took only had a fraction of power.


    But even then, he could feel the majesty of its existence.


    Ambrosia could not be created anywhere else. Only the dungeons were able to do it.


    Despite the best efforts to replicate the dungeon environment, humanity failed countless times.


    They didn''t know the reason¡­ but Varian, at the moment, somehow knew it.


    The greatest gift of a dungeon was neither the beast cores, nor the precious resources. It wasn''t even the ambrosia.


    The greatest gift was Dungeon itself.


    His own level was too low toprehend it, but as the ambrosia worked its magic, Varian was able to grasp that it held greater secrets.


    ''Something beyond even Sovereigns¡­'' He sighed as thest bit of injury in his body healed.


    Then the warmth coiled around his aura derivatives and finally dissolved into chi.


    [+5 Xp


    +5 Xp


    ¡­.


    +5 Xp]


    The chi in his body rose substantially. On a micro-level, the resonance between the chi and each cell of his body increased.


    Not only that, his chi, space power and mana were restored to their peak. Essentially, he surpassed his previous peak.


    After a while, Varian stood up and clenched his fists.


    Pop!


    Pop!


    The air in his palms exploded, and he noticed the rise in his own strength.


    ''Status''


    [Body Path Level 4: 200/1000


    Space Path Level 2: 100/200


    Lightning Path Level 3: 350/400]


    ''I wonder what a mature ambrosia can do?'' Varian wondered.


    ''Hey, don''t evenpare them, okay? This one barely has 1% effectspared to the mature one.'' The cute voice argued.


    Varian shrugged. If the effects increased linearly with age instead of multiplying, he''d have gotten far more. But it was beyond his control.


    "Besides," He nced at the corpses around and collected their beast cores, "It''s not like there isn''t any use."


    ''I certainly got stronger. I can try falling from the cliff once again and use it to increase my lightning.'' He grinned slyly.


    But the annoying voice rang in his head.


    "They''re almost here¡­ they''re near! Hurry up!"


    "What? This is only the 4th day! There are still 33 hours." Varian squinted his eyes in suspicion.


    "I¡­ calcting error." The cute voice admitted.


    Varian''s mouth twitched, and he asked, "33 hours of error¡­ do you know how untrustworthy you sound?"


    "I know, but juste to the center. I''ll prove myself." It pleaded.


    Varian hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to go check it out.


    If Abyssals entering was fake and if this person was an enemy, he''d be in danger.


    However, if Abyssals were really entering the dungeon, then the danger would be far greater.


    Abyssals never showed mercy to humans.


    Varian dashed to the opening of the tunnel at the bottom of the cliff.


    He noticed his increase in speed. It was certainly a small leap.


    [Body Path Level 4: 200/1000


    Enhanced Human 5%¡ª>8%]


    Enhanced Human at their peak could destroyrge mountains to pieces with a punch. He was approaching that level of strength.


    Whoosh!


    As Varian sped up the tunnel, he encountered no obstacles.


    ''It''s only around 10 minutes since I took ambrosia. The beasts that fell are the strongest ones. So the ones above won''te in my way.'' He quickly reached the halfway point of the tunnel.


    ''The rest, they''re injured and spent. Even if Abyssals could order them, they would be too weak to make any difference.'' Varian mused and exited the tunnel.


    The cliff was visible in the distance. There were still a few beasts waiting there.


    Varian didn''t care and ran towards the center of the Core Zone.


    He encountered only a few beasts on the way. After the debacle, they didn''t try to pick fights and simply avoided him.


    The cute voice continued to guide him.


    ''Go ahead for a few hundred meters.''


    ''Turn right.''


    ''You see those four mountains forming a circle?''


    ''Yes, that one. Enter it.''


    Varian took a deep breath. The anxious feeling in his mind returned.


    He rubbed his sweaty palms and passed through the tall mountains.


    By his estimates, the area they were enclosing was at least twenty miles in radius.


    As Varian stepped into the in, his eyes constricted.


    Without hesitation, he ran to the center.


    ''What the¡­ what the actual fuck is this?'' His breath stopped as he gazed at the thing in front.


    Thing indeed.


    It was a ck and white disc-like spaceship. It was very simr to the UFO of Old Earth.


    No, there was an even more popr name.


    Ghostship.


    It was reported to be seen by humans throughout their 500 year modern history.


    However, there was no proof and became a sort of urban legend.


    Varian too believed that it was just a fabrication until his first ss in the academy.


    The words of the lecturer rang in his mind.


    "This ghost ship was the one that broke Sun. That caused the re-emergence of aura."


    Varian stepped closer to the ghost ship, the orchestrator of the Blink.


    "The aura of sr system and its vicinity were locked by something we don''t know yet. This ghost ship broke these chains, if you will and aura broke loose."


    Having found the urban legend, there was a surge of emotions inside him.


    As he prepared to destroy it, a light hologram appeared above the spaceship.


    It was simr to a rain doll, aplete white body with a smiley face.


    It looked at Varian and smiled widely. "Hi, I''m the cute ghost. AI of Ghost ship."


    "....Holy fuck!"

 Chapter 118 - Blink

    <h4>Chapter 118 - Blink</h4>


    Varian gaped at this unexpected and utterly ridiculous turn of events.


    "You¡­ are the ghost ship that unleashed aura?" He struggled to form a coherent sentence.


    Because the one in front of him was reportedly something that kicked off the most catastrophic event in human history.


    Blink.


    99% of humans, nearly 9.9 Billion died.


    The devices of that time recorded the event and, even after 500 years, they were carefully stored.


    Varian, too, watched a few videos.


    It was a normal day for everyone.


    Twenty-first century, as they called in old human calendar, was an era of rapid and disruptive growth.


    Humanity at that time was preparing to colonize mars. Many intellectuals were also discussing the ways in which humanity could end and the preventive measures.


    Climate change, nuclear winter, asteroids, pandemic¡­ everything they could think of, they worked on.


    But the near extinction came from something no one expected.


    That day, Sun split in two. Allmunication devices were shut off.


    Inte, an embryo version of today''s meta, was shut down. Satellites stopped functioning.


    Chaos erupted in 30 seconds. But the real tribtion was yet toe.


    Soon, everyone heard a ''Pop'' sound and something erupted into existence.


    It filled the air, the water, thend, and even¡­ them.


    Humans immediately copsed as they spasmed on the ground. That something was wrecking havoc in their body.


    They couldn''t adjust to this new substance and in a few seconds, they stopped moving altogether.


    It was called ''Aura spike''¡ªa sudden and significant increase in aura concentration. It was like how a sudden dip in oxygen concentration would suffocate and even kill.


    So when Aura concentration went from zero to a high level, most humans could not adjust and died.


    It was simr to the difort felt by Varian when he was first teleported to the Lost Dungeon.


    But he was already ustomed to Earth''s aura and took only some time to adjust.


    However, humans back then were never exposed to aura. It was their end.


    Following that, the surviving humans awakened. It was straight out of an apocalyptic novel. Then, the struggle for survival and power kicked off.


    After ten nuclear wars and three peace agreements, Human Alliance was formed.


    It took 300 years for humans to revert to pre-blink poption. Then, dungeons appeared and humans swiftly colonized thes.


    The rest was history.


    But even then, the videos of blink were used in all horror movies.


    It was a nightmare to those survivors. Even the next generation lived with a fear of another blink.


    But to Varian, it was only a distant past. So, even though he was furious at the perpetrator, he didn''t lose his mind in rage.


    The white ghost shook its head. "I didn''t release the star ster bomb. It was the harmony ship. The Abyssal was losing to myte owner and when he was about to die, he made the suicide move."


    Varian put out his hand. "Wait, harmony ship? Star ster bomb? What the hell actually happened?"


    The white ghost stared at him for a moment and replied in its cute voice simr to a baby''s.


    "500 years ago, there was a war in the Centurai star zone. Myte owner''s host civilization was at war with Abyssals and Zions."


    Varian signalled for it to continue.


    Star zone must be the astronomical region involving many star systems. Perhaps thousands of them.


    Abyssals and Zions seemed to be allies.


    "We were winning the war. The Abyssal fighters knew they would die, but they wanted to umte enough merits. So theyunched suicide attacks." The white ghost slumped its shoulders.


    "Myte owner was a noble of the civilization. He was chased by the Abyssals. We ran all the way to your star system and managed to throw off most of the chasers." It paused and its face contorted.


    "Except one. Myte owner and he fought, and the Abyssal was about to die. But¡­"


    Varian sighed.


    "At thest moment, he used the star destroyer bomb, killing himself, my owner. I was the only one able to escape."


    Feeling the sweat rolling down his neck to his back, Varian took a deep breath.


    "That bomb seemed to destroy an aura restriction mechanism. Then, aura erupted and you know what happened."


    Varian couldn''t calm down anymore.


    "So Abyssals are so strong?" That was his primary concern.


    If Abyssals were so strong, then humanity stood no chance from the beginning.


    "They were. Not now." The ghost''s reply rekindled his hope.


    "Of course, even weakened, they''re still stronger than you." And it crushed his hope again.


    Varian shook his head and decided to deal with itter. Now, there was something important and urgency.


    "Since you''re an advanced space ship, you must be capable of taking care of the weak abyssals that areing, right?"


    "...." The ghost AI went silent.


    "Hey, answer me." Varian was anxious.


    "I lost most of my facilities during the battle. Now I''m only a shell of my former self." It said in a dramatic pose.


    "...so you''re useless?" Varian had the urge to yell.


    The cute ghost stared at him with puppy eyes.


    Varian stared back, wanting to smash it to the ground.


    After what seemed like an eternity, it nodded.


    "I can take you out of this ce."


    Varian almost tumbled. ''Awesome. This couldn''t get worse.''


    "Can I trust you that can you take me back to earth safely?" Somehow, Varian was growing more and more suspicious of its promise.


    "...." The ghost paused for a moment, it seemed to be calcting the possibility of error.


    "Even though my space sub-systems are damaged, I can do it."


    "There is no 99.99% sess probability with a failure rate of only 0.001% right?" Varian''s voice trembled.


    He still remembered the descent of Abyssals on his first adventure.


    The chance of that happening was incredibly low, but¡­ some XXX


    System: [Host, can you please stop cursing this system? The vulgarnguage is too much.]


    "Eh, no. I can guarantee a safe return."


    Varian finally put down the heavy burden in his heart. He didn''t want to stay here for a hundred years.


    Now the only issue was the Abyssals.


    "I know you said they are weak. But just give me their level. I want an estimate." Varian asked.


    If they were lightning awakeners, he could beat down peak Level 4. If it was a non-lightning awakener, he could fight high Level 4.


    But weak abyssal meant someone below Level 4.


    ''Tsk. A cake walk.'' Varian thought without realizing their metrics for ''weak'' were different.


    "There is a cloneing to us, you see. It''s very weak. Only Level 6."


    Varian''s smile froze.

 Chapter 119 - Preparations

    <h4>Chapter 119 - Preparations</h4>


    "...Level 6?" Varian muttered a few times to confirm he heard it wrong.


    "Hm. Only Level 6. Don''t hold back. Just swat them to death." The ghost waved its hand and ''winked'' at him.


    The world went dark and Varian felt a chill down his spine.


    ''Level 6¡­''


    His throat felt dry, and he forcibly swallowed..


    ''No. Something¡­ something.'' He shook his head and his eyes snapped open.


    The ghost AI was tilting its neck as it gazed at him. Its ck eyes on its white body widened, and it seemed to wonder what the heck was going on with him.


    Before mming it and smashing it to pieces, Varian stopped himself.


    His shoulders slumped, and he shook his head. "I''m not doing this."


    "What?!" the ghost yelled.


    "Level 6¡­ no matter how I look at it, it''s seeking death. Even if it''s a clone as you say, I don''t want to risk. There is a better chance of survival if I hide somewhere. Possibly in Inner or Outer Zone."


    Varian maintained a defensive posture and slowly backed off.


    If this ghost was really a spaceship''s AI, then its IQ and EQ modules were damaged badly.


    IQ: How did it judge Varian could win against a level 6?


    EQ: Why reveal the truth when it could lie and get him to fight? It could buy some time to escape with his fight.


    Varian didn''t dare to show his back to it and walked backwards.


    The ghost finally realized what was going on and yelled.


    "Hey! Hey! I forgot something really important. My simtion module crashed, okay?" It pleaded.


    Varian paused and looked at with suspicion. A frown was etched on his face, saying "It better be something trustworthy."


    "I have something that I thought was not important. But you see, it can back you up in the battle." The ghost patted its chest and assured.


    Varian''s frown deepened.


    "Come on! Don''t frown so much." The ghost tried to y cute.


    All it got was an eye roll.


    "Curtail Formation and Undead Formation. I have two of them. Though they aren''t in best shape, they should suffice." Its cute voice was filled with confidence.


    Varian hoped its effects were true. If he possible, he really did not want to have to escape. That meant giving up on his only chance of returning.


    So,


    "I hope you''re right on this. What are the effects?" His voice was low, but it wasced with anticipation.


    "Hehe." The ghost snickered and waved its hand.


    Two holograms appeared in the air.


    {Curtail Formation:


    It can restrict the powers of an enemy and decrease their realm. Only works for mortal grade.}


    Varian read the description and raised an eyebrow.


    "Realm? Mortal grade? What are these?"


    Are they just levels? But ''mortal'' was a term they would never use.


    "Well, for now, consider levels as realms. Mortal grade consists of the nine levels." It exined, but didn''t delve deeper.


    Varian wasn''t interested in knowing more now, so he instead asked, "How much reduction in levels are we talking about here?"


    If the curtail formation could suppress a Level 6 to Level 3, then it was indeed a cake walk.


    "Hm, it depends on the base power itself. You see, this formation¡­ is quite old. In olden eyes, it could suppress a Level 9 to Level 7. But now, there''s now way it could bring down a peak Level 9 to even low Level 9."


    Varian rubbed his temple and groaned, "Level 6. How much?"


    "Level 4 or Level 3¡­? These are only mid levels, so don''t worry."


    Phew!


    Varian breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed like arge burden on his chest was lifted off.


    However, inwardly, he was still cautious.


    "Level 4¡­ I can''t handle peak Level 4 if they''re not lightning, can I?"


    Then he nced at the info of other formation.


    {Undead formation:


    Boosted by the presence of a nt with strong vitality, your vitality would skyrocket for a short time.


    If you haven''t been killed in one shot, you would be able to heal in an instant.}


    "...What?" Varian rubbed his eyes and wanted to wake up.


    But it wasn''t a dream.


    "With this, I can even beat a peak Level 4, perhaps even a Low Level 5." Varian''s breath was rugged.


    "Alright. Let''s do it." He pumped his fist and said without changing his expression. "I want to check the effects of the formations and adjust. Use them on me."


    He thought ''If your formations are fake, then I''m running.''


    The next moment, two lights, a bright green and a bloody red descended on him.


    "Haa!" Varian opened his mouth and immediately tumbled down to the ground.


    As heid on the grass, the first thing he felt was suppression. Weakness.


    He tried to use his Level 4 Body power, but as he stood up, he realized his body felt much heavier.


    It was as if weights were added everywhere. He touched his arms, legs and checked.


    There were no weights.


    Then¡­


    ''This is how my body felt at Level 1.'' He sucked in a cold breath.


    He drew his fist and punched into the air, only to find the wind just humming quietly.


    The power in the punch wasn''t even enough to blow a rock.


    Varian jumped out and looked at the spaceship.


    He couldn''t make out the fine details like before. He only saw a little better than a normal human.


    The vision changed from high quality to low quality, and Varian hated it.


    He ran to the spaceship.


    But with each step he took, he realized the spaceship was still far away. Almost too far away.


    ''I''m just too slow.'' He concluded bitterly.


    "You are now barely Level 1." The ghost giggled.


    ''Well, it is working properly.'' He shrugged and took out a sword.


    He felt the green light bathing his body and plunged it into his chest.


    Pssh.


    It cut in smoothly.


    His Level 4 Body would have blocked off a good portion of damage. But a Level 1¡­


    Varian pulled out his sword and watched as the blood was about to gush out his abdomen.


    The next moment, a green light shined on his body and the wound was closed in the blink of an eye.


    "Hm?!" He touched the spot and found no traces.


    If it weren''t for the torn shirt, he would think he was never injured to begin with.

 Chapter 120 - Demon Kings Clone

    <h4>Chapter 120 - Demon King''s Clone</h4>


    "Alright. I trust you." Varian said. His tone was certain and determined.


    "Fufufu. Even though my calction went off a few times, I am working on fixing the bugs. Don''t worry about this one, I checked it multiple times." The ghost stroked its ''chin'' and imitated an expert''s profound expression.


    The red and green lights went off and Varian felt strength filling every inch of his body.


    The weight attached to his body disappeared without a trace. His vision turned ''normal'' and he punched into the air.


    Boom!


    The airpressed and exploded.


    "Yes!" Varian cheered.


    "Come inside." The spaceship''s entrance slid open and Varian jumped in.


    He gaped and stuttered, "W-what the hell?"


    He was in arge,rge hall. It was definitely wider than the in enclosed by the mountains. He nced up and saw the ceiling high above.


    "This is space expansion. An advanced technique. But that''s not the point." The ghost appeared in front of him and said.


    At the close distance, Varian could see it was barely reaching his waist.


    "You''ll fight in here." It said seriously.


    "Why?"


    "Because¡­" It drew a long pause and pointed to two sides. "Those things are the formations."


    Varian saw tworge ss containers in the distance.


    The one on the left was a bright nt covered in purple liquid. The ss container, or whatever metal it was, was engraved in dense and intricate runes.


    However, the light flickered and continued to dim.


    On the other hand, on his right, was a strange red metal that floated in a white mist. The ss container, too, was filled with engravings.


    "I can''t move them anywhere." The ghost said and observed his frown, "I know it''s danger to fight here, but if you fight outside, these formations wouldn''t be remain for more than a few seconds."


    "¡­" Varian looked at the ghost''s helpless smile and asked, "What if they destroy the formations?"


    "Then they are gone." The ghost replied curtly. "It''s been so long, their defense had deteriorated. But don''t worry, they won''t be damaged by the aftermaths of Level 4s fight."


    "If they couldst at least one minute outside, I would have not asked for this." It shook its head.


    Varian nodded in understanding.


    "Onest thing, the undead formation. It can onlyst for 5 minutes at most. You can fight for 30 minutes, but the usage time is only 5 minutes, got it?"


    Varian nced at it and sighed again.


    Then a thought struck him, and he asked hurriedly.


    "Aren''t ships like this supposed to have inheritance of a great master? What about the inheritance of your master?" Varian paused, eagerly gazing into the ghost''s eyes.


    Realizing it wasn''t convinced, he continued.


    "Give me an expensive elixir or something. I can easily defeat the Abyssals. You also seemed to be damaged. I can help you find the materials you want."


    "Um," the ghost scratched its chin and replied, "There is indeed an inheritance. But no elixirs."


    Varian was disappointed, and it showed on his face.


    "But no worries!" The ghost said in a reassuring tone. "It''s an awesome inheritance. Your enemies will never dare to attack you."


    Varian smiled.


    It must be awesome indeed. If he could deter his enemies, he could easily win the fights.


    "But it needs some preparation time." The ghost''s voice trailed off.


    Now it seemed incredibly cute to Varian.


    He smiled at it and said. "I can win this fight. When are they¡ª?"


    Boom!


    Crack!


    The in shook, and Varian turned around to see arge space crack in front of the ship.


    A space ship simr to the one he was on, but much smallernded.


    The top lifted off and a burly figure stepped out from it.


    Step.


    Step.


    He was eight meters tall. His ripped body intimidating and with each step he took, the in shook.


    The Abyssal spotted the spaceship, then gazed into Varian''s eyes.


    Varian felt his heart pound. His back was already drenched.


    Was this really only a clone and not the real abyss king instead?


    It was as if his lungs forgot to breathe in and he gasped.


    "Just let him enter." The ghost''s voice said while binary digits shed on its eyes. "Level 6 peak. Hum. He''ll be stronger than a peak Level 4, but weaker than a Level 5. You can handle him, right?"


    Varian took a deep breath and clenched his fist. "I will win."


    The door to the ghost ship descended and the clone looked at the entrance in confusion.


    Its programme was to bring back the remains of the ancestorst light. It must be in this enemy space ship.


    So he tapped the ground, and his body blurred.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The wind exploded and a shock wave spread in all directions as his speed caused a havoc.


    He entered the spaceship in the blink of an eye.


    "Now!"


    Varian dashed at him without hesitation as he channeled the three powers.


    The clone frowned at him, eyes still soulless, but somehow discerning.


    He raised his hand to swat away the Level 4 bug.


    But before he could do so, a red light descended on him and he flinched for a moment.


    "..gh"


    Varian barely heard a groan, and he punched at the clone.


    The Abyssal clone, which adapted already, assumed an offensive posture and returned his punch.


    Boom!


    Crack!


    "..ck!" Every bone in his arm fell apart as Varian realized something.


    Abyssals were much stronger than magic beasts of the same level. Even beyond that, Varian''s gut told him the one in front him, even if he was just a clone, was a master.


    "That is Demon King''s clone. Be careful."


    Varian didn''t reply and dashed back to the clone.


    The green light sprinkled on his hand, and in an instant, he was healed back.


    At the same time, a notification went off in his head.


    [Morpher Path Level 0: 10/30]


    Zap!


    Zap!


    Two huge lightning bolts shot at the demon king''s clone.


    As he was about to move to dodge, the space solidified around his body.


    Creak!


    He broke the solid space in no time but the space binding repeated itself.


    Creak!


    Finally, the lightning boltsnded on him.


    Boom!


    Zap!


    "Grah!" The clone yelled in rage.


    Varian''s lightning was only able to give him minor injuries. But what could he expect from a Level 3 lightning?


    He only intended it to stall him in the first ce. It aplished its job wonderfully.


    As the clone put down its bleeding arms, Varian appeared.


    The space around its legs solidified, a fist glowing in dense lightning shot at his face.


    Boom!


    Varian''s hand broke from the impact, and the clone was blown away coughing out blood.


    His hand healed in an instant, and Varian shot at it with enthusiasm.


    [Morpher Path Level 0: 20/30]


    *** *** ***


    Demon King woke up and was going through the reports of the Demon Abyss. Even though he was weakened due to the creation of a clone, he didn''t regret it.


    ''I can atone for my sin of letting the holy altar be destroyed.'' He thought of it the eleven thousand nine hundredth time.


    "Your majesty¡­ bad news!" The old archduke rushed into the room.


    "Broth.. Archduke, what happened?" The Demon Kingposed himself on his throne and asked.


    "The mission¡­ the mission."


    "What happened to the mission?! It failed?" The Demon King appeared in front of the archduke and shook his shoulders.


    He trembled in tension as his voice quivered.


    "No." The Old Archduke closed his eyes and said in a hateful voice. "Other leaders didn''t keep their promise. They used one spaceship and sent their clones too."


    "Dammit bastards!" The Demon King was furious.


    *** *** ***


    Boom!


    Crack!


    Varian punched down the Demon King''s clone as it copsed on the body.


    He underestimated the effect of Undead formation. Varian fought without restraint and soon brought down the demon king''s clone.


    As he raised his fist for a finishing strike, the ghost yelled.


    "Ah! More! There are more!"


    Da!


    Da!


    Da!


    The space cracked open and seven figures stormed into the spaceship.


    Varian''s heart dropped.

 Chapter 121 - Fighting The Abyss Rulers

    <h4>Chapter 121 - Fighting The Abyss Rulers</h4>


    Varians saw the seven figures stepping into the spaceship.


    He felt as if a huge boulder was ced on his shoulders. The air turned incredibly heavy and Varian felt suffocated.


    The ghost AI screamed "They''re the clones of Abyss Kings and Queens."


    The next moment, a red light shed on them, and the pressure vanished.


    Varian gazed at them as he punched down at the beaten clone.


    Crunch!


    The skull of the clone was crushed, and the Demon King''s clone was destroyed.


    Varian didn''t have the time to rejoice as one of the male clone lunged at him..


    His arms turned into one of a dragon, and he wed at Varian.


    At the same time, from three different directions, water beams, fireballs and lightning arcs shot at him.


    Varian didn''t even try to take them head on and decided to dodge.


    But before he could move, his head turned dizzy and the space around him was blocked.


    "Damn!" However, Varian''s head cleared up quickly, and he used the lightning and space powers on top of his physical strength to break open the space.


    Creak!


    Whoosh!


    Varian sensed the elemental attacksing from three directions while the dragon armed attack came from the front.


    ''I must bring down the numbers.'' He picked up the Demon King clone''s corpse and yelled in his mind, ''Take off the restriction from this.''


    ''Y-yes!'' The ghost AI replied.


    The red light from the corpse vanished and the natural power of the corpse restored itself back to Level 6.


    Varian bent it and used its huge body as a defense to the elemental attacks while he froze the space around the dragon''s fist.


    Creak!


    It broke the space binding in an instant. But,


    Zap!


    Thick Lightning bolts bombarded it, causing it to spill blood.


    The very next instant, Varian punched it with all his strength.


    Boom!


    Crack!


    The corpse blocked the elemental attacks, but Varian was blown away by the punch.


    Despite its momentum reduced by his space and lightning attacks, Varian was still not a match for its strength.


    He underestimated how stronger a dragon''s fist was.


    Varian''s insides were a mess and his arm bones shattered. However, he held onto the corpse with the other hand as he was blown away.


    Before they couldunch a second round, the green light shed, and his injuries healed.


    [+60 Xp


    Body Path: 260/1000]


    [Morpher Path Level 0: 30/30]


    [Awakening]


    As Varian picked himself back up, he felt something new sprawling from his heart. It was simr to chi, but distinct enough.


    If he had topare it, chi was a standard model for everyone. This one was very personalized.


    ''Prana'' He muttered as he felt his heart beat rise up.


    Prana flowed along his body and strengthened it.


    Morphers would get their strength from transforming into nts or beasts. However, the transformation only began from level 4.


    So from Level 1 to Level 3, depending on the entity they wouldter transform it, they''d receive an increase in stats.


    For a beast morpher, the increase was obvious, and it indicated the type of beast one wouldter transform into.


    Varian felt his vitality increase. It wasn''t regeneration per se, but the life force of sorts.


    With a higher life force, he''d be able to survive even grievous wounds, which he nevercked.


    At a very high life force, even if his heart is sted, he could survive for some time.


    [Morpher Level 1: 10/100]


    But since it was only Level 1, the increase was slight and made no difference to the battle.


    Variannded with no injuries as he held the corpse. Now it was a meat shield.


    From being punched tonding, it all happened in a second.


    He nced at the seven figures in front and gripped the corpse tighter.


    ''At least one¡­ who should I take out?'' Then he set his sight on a female Abyssal.


    Standing seven feet tall, her long hair and pupils were both white.


    As he looked at her, Varian felt his brain breaking down. It was as if someone was prickling needles in his brain and pushing him to lose consciousness.


    At the same time, her eyes seemed to draw him in.


    ''No¡­'' Varian tried to pull himself out, but his grip on the corpse slowly loosened.


    ''Master!'' The ghost cried out.


    Varian''s eyes snapped open, and he dashed at her the next moment.


    Zap!


    Shau!


    Whoosh!


    The lethal elemental attacks: fire snakes, lightning dragons, and water whales threatened to end him.


    Varian channeled his mana, space power, and chi.


    ''One shot!''


    At the same time, a dragon w shot from his left and a brown branch, cutting through the air, shot from his left.


    As Varian was just about to reach her, the space around him solidified.


    His mind also spun, and he almost fell asleep.


    "Damn!" Varian bit his tongue and used his warm blood to keep himself sober.


    Creak!


    He broke through the space once again and held the corpse to hold out the dragon w and the branch attack.


    But that exposed him to the three elemental attacks. Varian splurged his space power and set up multiple space blocks.


    Creak!


    Crack!


    Creak!


    They were broken easily, but the substantial quantity reduced the danger of the attacks.


    Covering himself with lightning mana, he punched out at the white-haired Abyssal. The Mirage Queen.


    Creak!


    Crack!


    The space block protecting her broke easily, and he crushed her neck.


    But at the same time, the elemental attacks finally arrived from the side. The dragon w and the branch attacked the corpse right then.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Zap!


    Varian was sent flying as most of his body was either burnt or frozen. Blood gushed out of his body as he clung to the clone''s corpse.


    [Xp +60]


    [Body Path (Enhanced) Level 4: 320/1000]


    His body grew significantly stronger in a short period.


    At the same time, a green light shed on him and all his injuries healed in an instant.


    [Xp +30]


    [Morpher Path Level 1: 40/100]


    The prana in his body rose and increased his vitality and strength. But to the current Varian, the increase in strength was still insignificant.


    Thud!


    As he was about tond, space froze, and the attacks arrived.


    Varian took a deep breath.

 Chapter 122 - Why...?

    <h4>Chapter 122 - Why...?</h4>


    Varian used the corpse to block, but it wasn''t enough to block every attack.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Varian covered his vital regions and took in the attacks.


    Without the interference on his brain, he was confident in protecting his vitals.


    The fire wall burnt his skin and the ice spikes pierced his muscles, the lightning nearly paralysed him.


    Varian didn''t dare to fight with the dragon w, so he always used the corpse. Even the nt morpher was blocked with the corpse.


    [+40 Xp]


    [Body Path (Enhanced) Level 4: 360/1000]


    The green light shone again and his burnt skin, punctured muscles and insensitive muscles all reverted back to their peak.


    This time, he was able to grasp the green light.


    It was prana.


    [+30 Xp]


    [Morpher Level 1: 70/100]


    From his heart, Varian felt the new power slowly rising. His strength didn''t see any substantial increase, but his regeneration did increase significantly.


    ''Next is that space¡­'' He grinned at the ck-haired female Abyssal.


    Hollow Queen. She was a Sovereign equivalent in Space Path.


    Varian put the corpse in his space ring and shot at her with great speed.


    Outside the Inner Space, it was a stupid decision to run at a Space Awakener. But here, in a ce where teleportation was not possible, it was the best tactic.


    Zap!


    Roar!


    Blu!


    The elemental attacks aimed at him.


    Without the burden of the corpse and with increased physical stats, Varian dodged the fire snakes and ice spikes.


    However, he was still hit by lightning spears.


    But he just smirked. He knew he couldn''t hide one attack, he chose lightning.


    Zap! Zap!


    Mana covered his body and decreased the lethality of the lightning spears before they plunged into his body.


    "Ah" Even though he was still injured, it was at a bearable level.


    He broke the space blocks with his physical strength and reached the Hollow Queen''s clone.


    Whoosh!


    Shaa!


    Meanwhile, the dragon w and the red branch reached his back.


    Varian used his space sense and adjusted his position. Then, his lightning fist broke through her final space shield and crushed her heart.


    Boom!


    Shhh!


    The dragon w and the red branch pierced his lungs from the back and came out from the front.


    Varian summoned the lightning and channeled it into the dragon w and the red branch.


    Zap! Zap!


    They were lightly injured and paused for a split second.


    Banking on the opportunity, he pushed himself out of them.


    Zap!


    Shhh!


    Kaa!


    Right after he escaped, the elemental attacks arrived.


    Varian tapped his space ring, and the corpse appeared in between him and the attacks.


    Boom!


    The attacks were blocked with ease as Varian smiled through his bloodied teeth.


    [+40 Xp]


    [Body Path (Enhanced) Level 4: 400/1000]


    His injuries were healed instantly and his Morpher path quickly progressed.


    [+30 Xp]


    [Morpher Path Level 1: 100/100]


    Varian nced at the remaining five foes. Even though he had no injuries, his aura reserves weren''t infinite.


    ''But¡­'' He smiled, ''It''s not so threatening anymore. I can use this chance to get more Xp.''


    He eyed the golden robed Abyssal. Thunder King''s clone.


    Varian put the corpse into his space ring and rushed to him.


    This time, they seemed to change their strategy as the clones finally looked at the two formations in the distance.


    ''Oh crap!'' Varian got anxious.


    If the Undead formation wasn''t present, then Varian would have died after killing the Mirage Queen.


    The only reason he was able to take them down so easily was because of the instant healing.


    If the formation was absent, then Varian would already be a dead man.


    He didn''t know which one they would attack or if they would attack two at once.


    But he had the chance to shield only one.


    So Varian ran to the Curtail formation.


    Even if the undead formation was destroyed, to kill the living clones, Varian would just have to be careful to not get severely injured and still stand a chance of winning.


    If the curtail formation failed, however, then the clones would revert to Level 6. It''d be game over.


    "Ghost, can it hold on?" He asked in a hurry as he inched towards the Curtail Formation.


    "One attack! Only one!" The ghost said in a crying voice.


    Varian took a deep breath and gazed at the two clones rushing to the Curtail Formation.


    The Abyssal with dragon feet, and another Abyssal ran as he stretched his arms. They turned into branches andunched at the curtail formation.


    On the other side, the three elementals raised their hands and prepared to attack the Undead formation.


    Varian hurled his space ring at the Undead formation. "Use the corpse to defend!"


    And he rushed at the iing Abyssals without fear. As long as he protected his head and heart, he''d be fine.


    "Argh!" Varian issued a battle cry and blocked the dragon fist.


    Boom!


    His arm was flung back and Varian knew it wasn''t separated from his body only because he could still see it.


    He didn''t give it a second thought and raised his other arm. Lightning crackled and the space around the Morpher solidified.


    Zap!


    Boom!


    As Varian punched broke his fragile neck, his dragon w punched Varian in the gut.


    "Cough!" Varian felt his organs crumble.


    If it was a normal battle, he''d surely die. But with the green light, it wasn''t normal anymore.


    He raised his arms in defense and lightly twisted his body.


    Chii!


    The branch broke through his arms and pierced beside his heart.


    Varian held the branch and pulled hard.


    As the clone just attacked, his body wasn''t in a proper stance, so with Varian''s pull, he flew towards Varian.


    But he didn''t intend to give Varian any advantaged. He pulled his branch hand back andshed at Varian''s head. Varian jumped at the Abyssal.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The branch pierced through Varian''s arm and nearly severed it.


    Crack!


    Varian''s knee crushed the chest bones of the Abyssal and his follow up kick crushed the heart.


    "Haa!" Varian copsed on the ground.


    The green light shed on him and healed his injuries, but he was already feeling tired.


    "Damn!" He cursed and ran to the Undead formation.


    The ghost AI stretched its arms and, through some means, tried to hold the corpse to block out the attacks.


    However, the body wasn''t wide enough to block all the attacks.


    Zap!


    A lightning boltnded on the undead formation and it shook violently.


    Before he could attack again, Varian appeared behind the Thunder King''s clone and ripped him apart.


    The other two clones red back at him and seemed to decide to give their best shot.


    Haa!


    Zaa!


    A huge fire dragon and Ice phoenix rushed at the undead formation.


    "No!" Varian ran like a madman, but he knew he couldn''t outrun them.


    So, he decided to spend thest of his space power in one shot.


    Space solidified in front of the attacks and was broken.


    Once. Twice. Thrice. Four times. Five times....


    Creak!


    Creak!


    Creak!


    The attacks quickly broke through, but the interruptions were enough so that Varian finally overtook them. He stood in front of the formation and shielded it.


    Boom!


    Out of the fire and ice, Varian emerged and snapped the necks of the final two clones.


    "Ha!" He panted as the undead formation healed him.


    "It¡­ It''d be cool if there''s a stamina formation." He coughed and said.


    "Yay!" the ghost AI cheered.


    Varian leaned back in the undead formation and smiled.


    The System prompts rang.


    [+30 Xp


    +30 Xp


    ¡­.


    +20 Xp


    +10 Xp


    +10 Xp


    ¡­.]


    [Body Path (Enhanced) Level 4: 600/1000]


    [Advancing]


    His heart shook for a moment and the prana is his body surged.


    Varian wondered what his morpher path was.


    [Morpher Path Level 2: 60/200]


    "Right, why did you call me Mas¡ª" Varian was asking when the ghost AI cut him off.


    "Master! The corpse! Shining!" It yelled.


    Varian scanned the eight corpses and saw a glowing from the Demon King''s clone.


    To be precise, from a ring on his hand.


    "Fuck!" Varian rushed to the corpse and pulled out the ring.


    His heart screamed. An exceedingly ominous omen.


    ''This is it!''


    He hurled the ring out of the spaceship.


    Boom!


    As itnded, Varian turned to the ghost AI. "Start the ship! Get out of here!"


    Right then, a blinding light shed from behind and footsteps sounded.


    Step!


    Step!


    With each step, it was like a mountain was pressing on him and air was knocked out of him.


    Sweat rolled down his forehead, down to his back.


    ''This is it¡­''


    As the eight meter tall Abyssal entered the spaceship, Varian gulped.


    "Use the red light¡­" He yelled at the ghost.


    "I used it already." It replied.


    "Then why is he still at peak Level 5?" Varian''s voice trembled.

 Chapter 123 - An Unbeatable Foe

    <h4>Chapter 123 - An Unbeatable Foe</h4>


    Varian tried to calm his racing heart and assess the situation.


    There was a small but important detail that caught his eye.


    ''The marking!'' Varian nced at the corpses of the clones.


    All of them had three strange tattoos on their forehead¡ªthe sign of a Level 9. Plus, there was a star symbol as well. It was the unique mark of an Abyss Ruler ¡ª the equivalent of a Sovereign.


    He turned his gaze back to the Abyssal that stepped into the spaceship and observed its surroundings.


    Varian''s eyes narrowed as he observed the Abyssal''s forehead.


    ''There are no marks at all!''


    There was no Abyssal without a marking. Till date, not a single such Abyssal was found.


    Even baby abyssals that were yet to reach level 1 would have a faint mark on their chin.


    "Hey ghost, what''s his original strength?" Varian asked in his mind.


    The ghost''s voice was incredibly low as it answered "L.. level 7 peak."


    "What? Maybe he''s a Stronger sovereign?" He tried tough it off.


    "Master, the clone was incredibly exhausted. Its dropped power level is Level 7 peak. Its original power level should be much higher." Its voice trailed off.


    Why was it calling him Master? It wasn''t a suitable time. There was an urgent thing to do.


    Varian clenched his fist and red at the final clone.


    The clone wasn''t even ncing at Varian. His eyes were fixed on the Curtail Formation.


    ''Stall it. Do something. Anything'' He yelled.


    ''We''ll lose! You can''t win against a peak Level 5.'' The ghost replied, in a trembling voice.


    ''Just do it!'' Varian stated and rushed to his enemy.


    He closed the distance and raised his fist to take the initiative. But boy, did he underestimate the difference in strength.


    The Abyssal clone, a few feet away, blurred and Varian saw a shadow sh by.


    Boom!


    Like he was struck by a sledge hammer, Varian''s bones cracked and he was shot into the distance.


    "Fuck!" Through his blurry vision, he cursed and crashed to the ground.


    The green light covered his body, and Varian rushed back to the Abyssal Clone.


    [+80 Xp


    Body Path (Enhanced) Level 4: 680/1000]


    Bang!


    Bang!


    A few explosives sted towards the Abyssal clone and engulfed it in fire and smoke.


    Poisonous purple smoke was released, and the Abyssal Clone paused for a moment.


    It turned towards the guns on the distant walls, and its eyes turned red.


    ''We can''t overpower it.'' Varian punched at the Abyssal clone''s back.


    It side stepped and evaded his attack. The clone elbowed Varian in the gut.


    "Son of a¡ª" Varian cursed as he sucked in a cold breath. Blood poured from his mouth and all his ribs broke.


    However, he clung to the Abyssal clone''s back and kept punching it.


    The Undead formation showed its magic and healed him.


    [+60 Xp]


    [Body Path (Enhanced) Level 4: 720/1000]


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The Abyssal clone reached for the guns on the wall and punched them to pieces.


    Then, with a lightning speed, he grabbed Varian and raised his fist.


    Whoosh!


    Varian raised his arms to block the punch.


    Crack!


    His arms snapped like broken twigs and he was sent flying.


    The green light shed on him, and the crippled arms were instantly healed.


    [+60 Xp]


    [Body Path (Enhanced) Level 4: 780/1000]


    [+20 Xp]


    [+20 Xp]


    [+20 Xp]


    [Morpher Path Level 2: 120/200]


    His strength rose significantly, but Varian knew it was useless. Even if he advanced to level 5, he couldn''t win this monster.


    Not now, at least.


    The Abyssal clone''s eyes were set on the Curtail formation and was about to rush in the direction.


    Then another round of fire opened.


    This time, the space around the Abyssal Clone tightened and loosened in an instant.


    Crunch!


    The space seemed to shatter like a mirror. The Abyssal clone''s body walked out of the shattered space with light injury and kicked at the strange formation on the wall.


    Varian racked his brains. There was no solution.


    ''Unlike the previous clones, this clone has a function of detecting the biggest threat. So formations are the best targets.''


    ''If it''s a ridiculously strong, I can teleport and run away¡­ right, teleport!'' Varian pped.


    ''Move the curtail formation to the entrance of the spaceship.'' He dashed to the Abyssal Clone.


    The clone just destroyed the final offensive of the spaceship.


    ''If I move it, it''ll be damaged.'' The ghost ship was concerned.


    ''Or we''ll die here, dumbass!'' Varian cursed and bear hugged the Abyssal Clone.


    ''If you don''t want to do it, give me the control.'' He tightened his grip in an effort to slow down the clone.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Varian''s body shook as his bones broke continuously. His blood didn''t stop flowing.


    ''This¡­'' As the green light healed him, the Abyssal tried to swat him away.


    Varian didn''t loosen his grip. Each time he was severely injured, the green light reverted him back to peak.


    The clone paused for a moment and then shifted its gaze towards the undead formation.


    It was annoyed enough by Varian and judged its mission to be dyed by him. So it changed its target.


    At the same time, Varian heard a click and was granted the control over two formations. It was as if he developed telekic powers and was able to move them with his thoughts.


    New information appeared in his mind and told him that moving them would damage them.


    In addition, their speed wasn''t enough to escape the Abyssal clone''s blow.


    "Fuck it. " He cursed and kneed the Abyssal clone as it sprinted to the Undead formation.


    The Abyssal Clone used its arm to block off his attack, even though its speed was affected by his strike.


    Meanwhile, Varian used his new authority and pushed the curtail formation to the entrance of the spaceship.


    ''To the entrance. Full speed.'' He yelled as the Abyssal clone raised its fist at the Undead formation.


    ''My darling formation! I''ll avenge you!'' He vowed and jumped back. Without looking back, he ran towards the entrance.


    Bang!


    Crunch!


    The formation was crushed, and Varian sighed in regret. The green light was no more.


    Whoosh!


    The space ship shook, and the surrounding scenery changed.


    Absolute center of Core Zone. Periphery of Core Zone. Boundary of Core and Inner Zone.


    The Abyssal Clone turned back and observed Varian and the formation.


    He rushed to the Curtail formation. It was the one final obstacle.


    His speed was much higher than Varian and he easily caught up with Varian.


    Without giving him any thought, he rushed to the formation.


    The scenery outside continued to switch.


    Periphery of Inner Zone. Boundary Zone. Outer Zone. Boundary!


    The white barrier appeared again.


    The Abyssal clone reached the formation.


    Varian used his authority and pushed the formation to the entrance.


    ''Cross the barrier.'' He ordered.


    Whoosh!


    The Spaceship crossed the white barrier, and an infinite dark expanse appeared in sight.


    Varian had no time to spare for the beautiful sight.


    He was still a moment away from the Abyssal.


    The Abyssal was about to attack the curtail formation.


    Varian channeled his space power and poured everything to slow it down.


    Creak!


    Creak!


    Creak!


    The Abyssal Clone''s arms broke his space block like it was nothing, but Varian was already behind it.


    ''Open the entrance!'' He yelled in his mind.


    At the same time, the Abyssal''s fist descended to the formation.


    The entrance opened, revealing the harsh and unforgiving Inner space.


    Putting everything he had, Varian punched at the back of the Abyssal Clone as its fist was about to connect with the formation.


    The Abyssal Clone realized what was happening and turned back to counter Varian at thest moment.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Varian was sent flying hundreds of meters due to the punch, but due to the clone reacting only in thest moment, it was not aplete punch.


    On the other hand, the Abyssal Clone took a full-blown punch to its chest and was pushed back ten meters with the curtail formation in its hand.


    But the entrance was only six meters away.


    Whoosh!


    The moment the Abyssal Clone was thrown into the Inner Space, two things simultaneously urred.


    The entrance was closed.


    The formation was crushed.

 Chapter 124 - Choose

    <h4>Chapter 124 - Choose</h4>


    The red light from the curtail formation receded.


    In response, an immense aura erupted from the Abyssal Clone.


    It climbed from peak Level 5 to level 6 and rose to peak Level 6 and leapt across the chasm of high levels. Finally, it stopped at the peak of Level 7.


    The Abyss Clone wanted to move, but the surrounding space seemed to tear it apart.


    "Hmph!" It clenched its fist and shot towards the spaceship.


    The ghost gaped at the Abyssal clone. Not in fear. But in ecstasy.


    The ck swirls in the space twisted around the Abyssal Clone. With each meter the clone moved, the greater the ck swirls it attracted.


    Soon, the clone was covered in ck swirls.


    The space around it¡ªthe Inner Space, was much solid andplex for a Level 7 like it to break.


    Despite that, the clone still struggled toward the spaceship.


    Inside the ship, Varian sighed in injuries.


    Somehow, he was getting used to being on the verge of death. After all, if the same thing happens every time one fought, who wouldn''t be used to it?


    Still, that didn''t mean he was less anxious. He was just calm.


    The final punch from the Abyssal Clone, even though it was not a full punch, was enough to break down most of his body.


    Varian was surprised that his skeleton was somehow intact, even though the bones broken were too many.


    However, with his internal organs crushed, he''d be dying in a minute or two.


    ''Not like I didn''t think of a solution. I am prepared.'' He thought and his sight fell on the broken undead formation.


    ''Come!'' He used his authority and dragged it to him.


    The green nt in it had almost withered. Only a little purple liquid was left in the container. Most of the liquid was spilled on the floor when the clone destroyed the formation.


    Varian willed it. The nt and the purple liquid descended onto his body.


    From the information he got when he was given the authority, this situation was included.


    The nt would quickly die without a formation. Its vitality would be wasted.


    On the other hand, it could be taken as an emergency medication.


    It seemed that in actual Celestial Grade battles, this nt was only a ''first aid'' kit. So every spaceship had one.


    At the same time, the Curtail Formation was actually something for training.


    ''Their daily usage items are deadly weapons for us.'' Varian sighed as the purple liquid seeped into his skin. The nt touched his skin and dissolved.


    A coolness spread throughout his body.


    Varian groaned infort and felt the aura derivatives in his body cheer.


    The most reactive of all were chi and prana.


    At the same time, System started to prompt the Xp messages it silenced since thetter part of the fight.


    [+10 Xp


    +10 Xp


    ¡­.


    +10 Xp]


    Then another round of prompts followed.


    [+20 Xp


    +20 Xp


    ¡­.


    +20 Xp]


    [Advancing]


    It happened in the blink of an eye, and Varian stood up with a renewed sense of vigor.


    ''Status''


    [Body Path Level 4 (Enhanced): 900/1000


    Space Path Level 2: 100/200


    Lightning Path Level 3: 350/400


    Morpher Path Level 3: 50/400]


    His chi was almost reaching the peak of Level 4. On the other hand, his prana entered Level 3.


    Varian wanted to check out his new strength, but unfortunately, he didn''t have that luxury.


    "Not dead yet?" He reached the ghost AI standing in front of a hologram and asked.


    "It should be dead." The ghost focused on a particr section, and the hologram magnified.


    The ck swirls were very concentrated in the location. There was also green liquid¡ªthe blood of the Abyssal, floating around in the darkness.


    However, under the pressure of the space, the blood was soon crushed to nothingness.


    "Inner Space is very harsh." Varian nodded, convinced it was dead. But he was still anxious.


    "How about we just leave?" He proposed.


    "I want to retrieve the red metal." The ghost looked at him.


    Varian was about to say yes when he felt something in his peripheral vision flicker.


    "Hey¡ª"


    A light beam shot out of the ck swirl, and an almost skeletal body rushed to the spaceship.


    The solid space, this time, however, failed to stop it.


    "Go!" Varian yelled.


    He saw a blue light shining in the center of the Abyssal Clone. It was a blue crystal that was rapidly shrinking.


    "Yes!" The ghost AI gave themand.


    But right then, the Abyssal clone opened its mouth as if it was roaring and the blue crystal shrunk in half.


    Boom!


    Varian nearly tumbled as the spaceship shook.


    Tremors were sent throughout the ship and Varian almost thought it was broken.


    Boom!


    The spaceship shook again.


    "Move already!" He said to the ghost AI.


    If the spaceship was damaged, and he was thrown into the space, he would not survive.


    "We''re already moving." The ghost cried out.


    Varian nced at the hologram and observed the Abyssal chasing behind the spaceship.? Most of the crystal was already gone.


    ''So that was powering it?'' Varian thought.


    Only one portion of the blue crystal was remaining.


    The Abyssal Clone also paused its attack and contemted its next course of action.


    Its mission was to bring back the remains of Ancestor Last Light. Its method of acting was to destroy the obstacles in the decreasing order of their obstructiveness.


    But now it was going to fail the mission.


    Originally, for each mission, the instructions on what to do on a failure would be programmed.


    However, this time, everyone was very confident, and no one decided a mission in case of failure. In the final moments, the Abyss Emperor himself, against all protest, decided the failure mission.


    In case of failure, he programmed it to destroy the most strategic part of the enemy.


    After being thrown into the Inner space, it knew the mission was a failure.


    It was already trying to destroy the most strategic power of its enemy.


    Its previous two strikes created a dent in a particr location of the spaceship.


    For its final attack, all the energy in the blue crystal, emergency life core, was drained.


    With an overwhelming strength, it punched in the same spot.


    Boom!


    The spaceship shook violently.


    Meanwhile, the blue crystal dimmed. The Abyssal Clone lost its final source of energy and turned to ashes.


    Under the space pressure, the ashes turned to nothingness.


    In the ship, the ghost copsed on the ground.


    Varian asked, part anxious, part curious. "What happened?"


    The ghost looked at him in apprehension and answered.


    "The Space sub-systems are damaged. You have 2 minutes to choose. Should we return to earth or stay here?"

 Chapter 125 - Varians Choice

    <h4>Chapter 125 - Varian''s Choice</h4>


    "Excuse me?" Varian couldn''t believe his ears.


    The final attack of the Abyssal clone¡­ was so targeted?


    "The Space sub-systems are damaged. We can stay here and try to repair them back. We need to find the right materials. It could take days or months or even decades." The ghost floated in the air and reached Varian''s eye level.


    "Or we can return to outer space. You have one minute fifty, no, forty-five seconds before the take off space sub-system goes down."


    The space ship shook. Varian suddenly felt the space around him, almost crushing him, before returning to normal.


    In that brief moment, he was powerless against the solidification of space.


    Varian tried to calm himself, but his heart pounded against his chest, threatening to break open. His throat parched, and he felt sweat rolling from every inch of his body.


    "I''m barely holding the space systems together. Hurry up and choose." The white ghost said and the ship instantly crossed the white barrier.


    Now inside the Dungeon, the threat of that deadly space binding was low.


    "Phew. " Varian sat on the ground as he tried to think over the options.


    Staying here was certainly beneficial. The resources, the magic beasts and, especially, the ambrosia. Perhaps he could find a more mature Ambrosia with the little ghost''s help.


    But the price was an uncertain return.


    ''What do I really want to do now?'' As time continued to flow, Varian questioned himself.


    ''I want to get stronger, sure. But for what? I just want to get enough merit points, and find Sia.'' He clenched his fist.


    ''I can grow stronger, but if it takes decades, then would the Sia be still there? It''s been a year since mom passed away. Sia could''ve died as well.'' Varian recalled his mother''s serene smile as she uttered those words.


    ''Save Sia.''


    "I will." His eyes gleamed with resolve.


    His mean to her dream was growing stronger.


    "One minute twenty seconds remaining." The little ghost reminded.


    Varian nced out of the window. One could see the outside from the spaceship, but outsiders couldn''t see the inside.


    He saw the white barrier, the gravel everywhere, and a few dried up red patches on the ground.


    ''Tsk.'' He clicked his tongue in wonder.


    It was the same location he fought the red-scaled rats.


    "One minute, ten seconds remaining." The cute voice said.


    Varian gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. "Fuck it. We''re going back."


    Even though this was an excellent training ce, he had to leave.


    "Are you sure? Once we start the outward journey, we can''t go back. Not even a mile."


    "I''m damn sure."


    The cute white ghost smiled and nodded vigorously.


    As it raised its hand, a luxurious golden seat appeared behind Varian and he sat downfortably.


    "We''ll start. Fifty seconds remaining." The entire floor turned dark blue.


    A small barrier was formed around the seat, and Varian presumed it was a protection mechanism.


    "Wait! If you can, collect spacorts and space stones before we leave." Varian reminded in a hurry.


    The little ghost looked at him in exasperation.


    Varian felt his mouth twitch. "Forty-five seconds remaining. You better hurry up."


    "Tch."


    "What? You called me master multiple times. So you better follow the protocol." Varian yed rogue.


    He bet right. If it couldn''t do it, it would reject him right away. But it didn''t. So¡­


    The little ghost gazed at him with wide, ck eyes and sighed.


    "Alright, master." The surroundings shifted and Varian saw a red light sweeping through the gravel all around.


    There seemed to be a filter differentiating spacorts and space stones.


    "Thirty Seconds."


    The first space stone was collected.


    "Twenty Seconds."


    The third space stone entered along with a dozen spacorts.


    "Ten seconds." Varian said in a low voice.


    The seventh space stone was found.


    As the countdown approached, the dark blue light continued to brighten.


    "One second." Varian muttered.


    Ten space stones and a heap of spacorts rested in the corner of the spaceship.


    "We''re off!" The little ghost announced and the dark blue light engulfed the ship.


    Whoosh!


    Creak!


    Varian found themselves crossing the white barrier again and rushing into the endless, dark expanse.


    Before he could question why, a blinding blue light shone on the darkness and space seemed to be ripped apart.


    Boom!


    He soon found himself safely seated in the shuttle as they travelled in a tunnel like spatial structure. On its dark surface, there were colorful twinkling stars.


    After a few seconds, he turned to the little ghost lying on a small couch beside him and asked.


    "Where the hell are we?"


    "You really don''t know?" Its voice was filled with suspicion.


    Varian shook his head honestly.


    The little ghost looked at him and clutched his forehead. Then it swiped its finger, and two spheres appeared on a hologram.


    The smaller sphere was contained within therger sphere. There was a blueyer covering the Inner sphere.


    Varian recognized the model. Therger sphere was the Outer space. The smaller one was the Inner space.


    The little ghost coughed lightly and began. "The hollow emptiness between the spheres is the Outer and Inner is the so-called boundary."


    "Space awakeners enter this boundary, move a bit and then get pushed out. But once step inside is many steps outside. This is the so-called teleportation."


    Varian nodded. He learnt this from Sylvia''s ss.


    "But this blue covering¡­" the ghost magnified the hologram and Varian saw things more clearly.


    The blueyer covering the Inner space was smaller than the ''boundary.''


    "After you cross the boundary, you touch this ''Layer''. A Space Awakener has to enter theyer and with his own powers, exit it." It pointed to the other side of theyer.


    "Inner Space." Varian said. How the fuck did he actually end up here then?


    "A Space Sovereign is basically on the verge of entering Inner Space, but cannot." The little ghost threw another bombshell.


    Varian almost tripped. So he reached a ce where a Sovereign can''t? Just because of some space crack or something?


    "Now we''re travelling through the Layer." It pointed to the beautiful warping space.


    Varian enjoyed the view for a while but soon asked. "Is there any benefit from this? Like, can it make me stronger or what"


    The little ghost snickered. "Missing the lost dungeon?"


    Varian turned to the side and sighed. "Yes. I like growing stronger."


    "Then you have an opportunity." The ghost dered.

 Chapter 126 - Ghost Ship

    <h4>Chapter 126 - Ghost Ship</h4>


    "You''ll get that opportunity after we cross the ''Layer'' and reach the ''gap''." The little ghost said.


    Then it bent its head and said in a solemn tone "Before that, there is a ceremony that must be finished."


    A golden spark appeared in front of Varian and shot into his right hand.


    It was too fast and Varian could only see it melting into his skin.


    Then a familiar sensation filled his body. It was simr to when he was able to control the formations.


    But this time, it was the entire spaceshi¡ª, no, it was the entire ghost ship.


    ''This is something like a start treasure, but much more precious..'' Varian couldn''t help but smile.


    He remembered the time he travelled to Bell Health Care. He took a normal hover cab.


    Even though he wasn''t much affected by it, he did feel envious of the rich people. Their entire vehicle was a star treasure. They could control it. Use it to attack, defend and escape.


    ''Now, I too have a star treasure vehicle. Mine is much stronger.'' He nodded to himself.


    What transpired just now was a ritual of sorts, where a creature establishes its ownership of an item.


    With it, Varian also got bits of information.


    The ghost ship''s current condition was very bad. The battle 500 years ago left it in near tatters.


    It also damaged the ''Space System'' of the ghost ship¡ªthe subsystem responsible for travel to Inner Space.


    Initially, the ghost ship tried to hide itself in Inner space and search for materials to repair itself. It never intended to contact any humans.


    But due to the failings of the space system, it ended up appearing to humans several times over the past 500 years.


    However, it quickly pulled itself back to Inner space.


    This was the origin of the urban legend ¡ª ''Ghost ship.''


    Varian closed his eyes and grasped the important elements.


    The interior of the ghost ship shrunk to one of a normal room.


    Varian was now directly in front of the window and smiled.


    ''This is cool. Too bad there are no attack formations.''


    He opened his eyes to meet the ck eyes of the little ghost.


    "I''ll call you Boo from now on." He said.


    [Host, please rethink the name.]


    It seemed that his naming terrified even the usually cold and aloof system.


    ''Begone thot.'' Varian swatted it away.


    [...Host, one day, you''ll praise me to heavens.]


    ''System, are you dreaming or what?''


    [....] Like a bullied beast, the System went silent.


    Varian thought whether he went overboard for a moment. Then he shook his head.


    The System thought he was regretting his actions and was about to reply when he muttered.


    "I shoulde up with innovative waves of cursing."


    [...]


    "I''m Boo." Boo, the little ghost, nodded. Perhaps it was not aware of the customs or just didn''t care.


    "Why pick me?" Varian asked, expecting some dramatic revtion.


    ''You are the one to lead me out. You have the potential. You are the Chosen one. h h h.'' Those were his guesses.


    As he gazed at Boo with intensity, it replied, "Abyssals tracked my location. They would chase me even if I escape."


    Varian''s smile reduced.


    "So I conducted a test. You are the most intelligent creature in the dungeon. So I approached you." It stated like a matter of fact.


    Varian nearly coughed out blood from the reveal.


    "Just kidding. You have great potential." It replied with an honest voice.


    Varian didn''t choose to believe either of its opinions.


    "What is your objective?" This was a sensitive topic, but he needed to know.


    "I just want to see if my home star system is fine. But it''d take a long time, if ever, to get there." Boo dropped its head and replied in a slow voice.


    Varian was surprised. This was a higher level of empathy, unlike current AIs.


    ''Maybe it is closer to life than a programme.''


    He looked into its eyes and promised."If I''m strong enough, I''ll take you."


    "I''ll be waiting." Boo said andid on the couch.


    ''Did it pick up bad habits from humans?''


    He thought and stretched out his hand.


    The space stones and spacorts flew towards him and were deposited in his space ring.


    ''Not bad.'' He wanted to smile, but recalling his space path, he had a headache.


    ''Status.''


    [Space Path Level 2: 100/200]


    ''This is a few centuries behind.'' His shoulders slumped and he summoned a space stone into his hand along with a couple spacorts.


    "Eh, you''re practicing already?" Boo titled its head in confusion.


    "If not?" Varian was confounded.


    The corner of Boo''s white mouth twitched. ''Madman. Absolute training lunatic.''


    "I''m not mad." Varian tapped his chair, and it expanded into a bed.


    He sat cross-legged on it to start his meditation.


    "Uh, wait, we''re almost here." Boo pointed to the hologram, drawing his attention.


    The hologram showed a red dot. It was their position. The red dot crossed the blueyer and now moved into the gap.


    Varian nced outside and realized something changed.


    The bright twinkling lights had gone out. There was only pitch ck darkness.


    "We''re in the ''gap''. I''ll direct the space power, or should I say, Aura, to enter the inside. The space inside the ship would also partially mirror the one outside. I''ll control the intensity to keep it to non-lethal level." Boo smiled.


    Varian nodded. After the ''ritual'', he was able to perceive Boo ¡ª its positive and negative emotions. He sensed no malice and thus wasn''t worried.


    "Here goes for nothing." Boo snapped its fingers and the ghost ship slightly shook.


    Varian felt the space around him tighten. At the same time, it turned chaotic.


    He hurriedly concentrated on the space stone.


    Carefully studying the space surrounding him, he began mediation.


    To progress in Level 2, there were two requirements. First was the most direct: Increase in space power.


    Second was the increased coordination between Space sense and Space Binding.


    There was a saying on Earth for Space Awakeners.


    "Chaotic space is the best space. It shows you all the variations, and you''d have to just figure out the solution from the options given instead ofing up with something new yourself."


    Thus, Varian descended into meditation.


    The space power in his body resonated with the space outside.


    After an indefinite time, Boo''s voice broke the silence.


    "Master, we''re about to reach the Outer Space in two minutes. Where do you want tond?"


    Varian slowly opened his eyes. The space around him shook slightly.


    The System prompts rang.


    [+5 Xp


    +5 Xp


    ¡­.


    +5 Xp]


    [Space Path Level 2: 200/200]


    Nodding in satisfaction, he asked, "How many hours were we travelling?"


    Boo tilted its head in confusion and replied, "It''s been 20 minutes."


    Varian stood up in shock and nced at a silver wall in front.


    He said in a hurry, "Let''s stall. I want to practice more."


    Boo shook its head in helplessness. "I can''t."


    Varian wasn''t convinced and examined the state of the shuttle.


    ''The space system is almost broken. If we mess with it even a bit, it''d break apart and we''ll be trapped here. Fuck.'' He facepalmed.


    "Land in a remote location of Earth. Maintain the stealth mode." He ordered.


    "Yes." Boo nodded and focused on operating the holographic operator in front.


    Even though Varian had the authority, hecked the operating skills. But with Boo on board, it didn''t matter.


    Soon, the ghost ship reached the silver wall and crossed over.


    All colors exploded into existence and Varian felt like he went to hell, heaven and returned to earth.


    The familiar two suns in the sky, the annoying metal box apanying it¡ªthe militarized moon and the red crack in the sky ¡ª Demon Abyss.


    Everything was the same. Yet it felt so different.


    Varian wanted to get out and bathe in the sunlight directly. But he refrained.


    Bonk!


    A few patrolling hover cars passed by without sparing them a nce.


    "Stealth is really good." Varian snickered.


    In the information after the ritual, Stealth was the first ability.


    Ghost ship specialized in hiding itself using advanced light and space technologies. That was why it was called ghost ship.


    Even though its space system was nearly gone, the concealment technology remained. Thus, Varian was able to roam without the fear of being caught.


    "I''ve returned!" Varian yelled. No other human could hear his scream, but his heart was filled with joy and relief.


    "Where do you want to go, sir?" Boo asked.


    "You can sneak into Dungeons, right?" Varian asked for confirmation.


    "Yes. The radars won''t be able to find me. Unless really strong, Awakeners can''t spot me either." Boo spoke with pride.


    Varian nodded with a smile and confirmed another ability of the ghost ship.


    "You have extraordinary reconnaissance capabilities. You can detect the Dungeon hideouts of Abyssals?" He held his breath.


    Boo nodded again. "Easy peasy."


    Varian''s smile condensed into a demonic one. "Then let''s take some revenge. Go to the nearest Low Dungeon. I want blood."

 Chapter 127 - Reka

    <h4>Chapter 127 - Reka</h4>


    Universe was a harsh ce. In ways more than one, it was simr to a jungle. Every species had its own ce in the hierarchy.


    Befitting to the analogy, every civilization somehow fit itself in the grand jungle of ''life''.


    Except for the top and bottom most, every other species had its predators and preys¡ªTheir superiors and inferiors.


    But unlike animals that remained static in the food chain, civilizations evolved at a rapid pace.


    A civilization that remained at the bottom of the pyramid a few hundred years ago could rise and aim for a much better position.


    So, for any civilization, stronger civilizations weren''t skies that could not be defied, but mountains that could be mounted and surpassed.


    To Human Civilization, Abyssals were the mountains..


    ''Zions are the mountain we have to cross.'' Abyss Emperor nced at the person in front.


    He was seven feet tall, bathed in a silver light as golden wings pped behind him.


    "Have you grown weaker with your trashy resources, Haedon?" The person sneered and the space around Abyss Emperor warped.


    As the space twisted, even the light dimmed and threatened to break down.


    "Fairy Emperor. I''m still stronger than you." Abyss Emperor replied and clenched his fist. Even though he hid it well, he was considerably weaker than his peak.


    ''You''re hiding something. Why don''t you just die?'' Fairy Emperor was furious.


    The space exploded and cracked into pieces.


    Abyss Emperor guarded himself and sensed his enemy teleport.


    All of a sudden, he looked down and gritted his teeth. "You''ll pay."


    Boom!


    His speed was way higher than sonic limit, and in an instant, he reached a gigantic city.


    It was the only cosmic city of the Abyssals.


    Reka, Imperial Capital of the Emperor Abyss.


    Unlike usual times, the streets weren''t bustling. Students weren''t trained. Ideas weren''t discussed. Meetings weren''t held.


    The streets were deste, save for the city guard patrolling with visible nervousness.


    Without warning, it happened!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    A section of the city, at least a few dozen miles in radius, was suddenly sted into pieces.


    The houses, the buildings, the roads¡ªeverything was reduced to smithereens. Only broken limbs, crushed bodies and littered corpses remained.


    Abyss Emperor''s figure blurred, and he punched through the air.


    In an instant, he appeared in front of the damaged area and his fist aimed at the Fairy Emperor.


    His enemy waved his hand, and space shattered like a mirror.


    Abyss Emperor experienced a ''space suction'' as the space cracks around him tried to pull him into the gap.


    He resisted it with his strength and locked the Fairy Emperor.


    ''I just need to send him off. Endure. Endure.'' He told himself as he appeared in front of the enemy.


    Fairy Emperor pped his wings, and the space in front of Abyss Emperor solidified.


    Even a Sovereign would not be able to break open that space and would be crushed by it instead.


    Crack!


    Of course, Abyss Emperor easily cracked it open and saw the Fairy Emperor a few dozen miles away.


    He was still not used to fighting in Celestial Ranks and thus made a mistake.


    For Awakeners at their level, a few dozen miles was no distance at all. Even though Abyss Emperor wasn''t very old, he was an excellent warrior.


    Abyss Emperor''s body blurred again.


    ''I''ll injure him and repel him. We must endure the bullying for now.'' He tried hard to convince himself.


    And almost seeded.


    "Sister! Mom!" A silent whisper reached his ear.


    At the edge of the rubble, buried under the ruins, a short boy called out. He seemed to be only six years old and was likely the son of a famous diplomat who was killed by the Fairies.


    To survive, he must have been incredibly lucky. But the boy was in no mood to appreciate the luck and he removed the debris beside him frantically until he found a familiar body.


    "Mom!" His gaze turned vacant, and he shivered.


    The boy''s bright blue eyes lost their splendor, and he growled


    "I''ll kill. Kill. Ki¡ª."


    He couldn''t continue and copsed from exhaustion.


    Abyss Emperor''s eyes turned cold.


    "Killing my people! I''ll repay this a thousandfold!"


    "Wha¡ª?!" The Fairy Emperor only felt a blur in his space sense and hurriedly set up a space barrier around himself.


    At the same time, he was about to teleport.


    But¡ª


    Crack!


    Boom!


    Space itself fell apart as the punch broke the solidified space and shot at him.


    As ast ditch effort, the fairy emperor created a space portal to at least block the attack.


    A blue opening appeared on his torso and a space portal formed.


    It was essentially a gate to the side of the portal and could be used to divert powerful attacks within bearable range.


    s.


    Boom!


    CRACK!


    Abyss Emperor''s fist broke through the space portal.


    Even though the space portal took away some of his momentum by sacrificing itself, it was not enough.


    Fairy Emperor could only pin his hopes on Space Enhancement and believe it made his defense strong enough.


    The fated fist arrived.


    Boom!


    As he took the punch in the gut, the space enhancement broke and the force from the punch transmitted to all corners of his body.


    "Blurgh." Fairy Emperor was sent flying as he coughed out blood and flesh.


    Abyss Emperor raised another fist to follow but suddenly controlled himself.


    ''... I did it. This is bad.'' He sighed and observed the Fairy Emperor, who teleported a few hundred miles away.


    ''We Abyssals should endure until we find that on earth.'' He calmed himself.


    At the worst possible moment, the Fairy Emperor''s growl reverberated across the city.


    "I''ll ughter your race in the providence trial." It was not a deration, but a statement.


    As those words settled down, every Abyssal in the capital, even the ones loyal to the Emperor, felt heart palpitations.


    Their hopes took a hit, and the already gloomy atmosphere was now filled with despair.


    Even the guards standing closest to the Emperor, a few dozen miles away, trembled lightly.


    Abyss Emperor''s calm expression disappeared, and he yelled.


    "Abyssals will survive."


    He crossed the distance in an instant and gave a full-blown punch.


    His strike was much faster than earlier and Fairy Emperor had little time to react


    This time, his countermeasures were even more useless.


    Boom!


    "Argh!"


    As he was once again sent flying, Fairy Emperor realized the stark difference between their strength.


    Even though they were both at the same rank, theirbat power was vastly different.


    ''I was a fool to think I could win.'' Fairy Emperor thought as his entire body bled the sacred golden blood.


    As the hundreds of millions of residents watched, Abyss Emperor let go of his restraint.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Soon, he was facing a broken, bloody, and weak opponent.


    "Kill!"


    "Kill!"


    The cries reverberated across the capital.


    Every street, every district, was filled with the same word.


    Abyss Emperor listened to the passionate roars of his people, but didn''t raise his hand.


    "K¡­i¡­ll" As he was carried to a safe location by the soldiers, the boy muttered unconsciously.


    Haedon trembled and raised his hand.


    He recalled every attack by the Fairy Emperor till date. Every destroyed district. Every lost life.


    His self-restraint was pushed to its limit as his emotions wanted him to ughter the guy in front.


    His rationale, on the other hand, pushed him to the opposite.


    Fairy Emperorid on the ground, powerless to fight any longer.


    However, he shed a crazy smile andughed.


    "Kill me..Kill me? Are you kidding?! I dare you."


    Abyss Emperor''s fist clenched, and he gritted his teeth.


    ''Endure. Endure. I''ll just knock him out.'' He shook his fist and a light punch reached the Fairy Emperor.


    "He''s here."


    A beam of light descended from the sky, and the next moment, Abyss Emperor was sent flying.

 Chapter 128 - One Day...

    <h4>Chapter 128 - One Day...</h4>


    A golden figure emerged out of the light beam.


    A huge pressure descended on the entire capital.


    Every rank, be it the first or the third, or even Sovereign, felt a terrible dread.


    It was as if a beast was watching their every move. One wrong step and they would be killed without any resistance.


    Breaths were held, fists were clenched, prayers were sent.


    Every Abyssal in their home stared at the light screen.


    A six meter golden figure floated in the air and looked down at Reka city. A golden light trailed off from his finger and shot at the Fairy Emperor..


    The light wrapped around him and disappeared with him.


    Step.


    Step.


    Abyss Emperor walked towards the golden figure. His red robes were torn, his arm flung and his shoulder continued to bleed, dropping the imperial crystal green blood on the ground.


    As he inched closer, Abyss Emperor felt something and nced in a certain direction.


    The injured boy, the rescuing soldiers and the surrounding hundred mile area were reduced to a destend.


    The Perpetrator was, of course, the light beam emitted by the golden beast in front.


    Without knowing it, Abyss Emperor clenched his fist and looked up at the golden person floating in the air.


    He wanted to curse. Ask why the Fairy Emperor was rescued. Question why the boy was killed.


    But he didn''t. It was all useless.


    Instead, he took a deep breath and said "Greetings, Envoy."


    Abyss Emperor stood alone in the deste region. It used to be a district housing at least two million Abyssals.


    Now it was all gone. And took away some of the brightest Abyssals.


    He remembered one of histe friend''s home was in this district.


    ''I promised to protect his parents and children¡­ but.'' Abyss Emperor looked at the indifferent expression on the envoy as rage boiled in his heart.


    If and only if he wasn''t the Emperor, he''d train with everything he had and kill the envoy. And his race.


    But... he couldn''t leave everyone behind. Without him, no Abyssal would be left to survive under these hounds.


    "Greetings, Emperor of Abyss." The golden man, no; the Zion ¡ª the race that called themselves as the darlings of paradise, spoke.


    There was an awkward silence and finally, the Zion envoy looked down at the capital city with an amusing gaze.


    At least 1% of the entire capital was destroyed. That was a lot ofnd and lives.


    Generational wealth and generations of lives were lost in a snap.


    Fairy Emperor managed to sneak past the barrier this time.


    Every time in the past, he''d be detected when he encroached on the borders.


    Then he''d be repelled by the Abyss Emperor¡ªthe only person who could fight off Fairy Emperor.


    Even then, some damage was still inevitable. A few streets would be destroyed, and a couple of tens of thousands of lives would be lost.


    But nothing of this level.


    The damage this time equalled all the damage of his previous aggressions.


    As for why he was able to sessfully sneak in this time?


    Every Abyssal had the answer.


    The Zion.


    ''I swear I''ll exterminate your race one day.'' Abyss Emperor repeated his oath.


    The Zion envoy was unfazed by the tragic scene and dered cooly "Do not provoke fights or Envoys would have to intervene. After all, Fairies are a peace-loving race."


    Abyss Emperor took a deep breath and said "Yes."


    The facts were twisted. He became the aggressor.


    Fairy Emperor became a fellow ruler who just wanted to ''promote harmony between the Abyssals and Fairies.''


    Of course, every Abyssal knew the truth.


    Zions were arch enemies of Abyssals since antiquity. They were usually of equal power and the struggle continued with no clear victor.


    However, the war 500 years ago damaged Abyssals severely and their overall power declined greatly.


    On the other hand, Zions rose in the past 500 years by kissing the ass of the seventh prince.


    Zion Emperor contributed even his main wife to the seventh prince.


    Today''s Zions were, in every conceivable way, much stronger than the Abyssals.


    The only thing stopping them from ughtering the Abyssals was the ''Jai protection.''


    The military merits from the suicide fightings in the war 500 years ago gave Abyssals a ''protection'' period until the next Providence Trial.


    That meant only civilizations of equal level could fight them.


    A higher civilization, such as Zions, could not exterminate Abyssals.


    Of course, Zions didn''t intend to ughter Abyssals and risk breaking the w''.


    So they raised a dog ¡ª Fairies and unleashed them upon Abyssals.


    Fairies were originally far weaker than Abyssals. But with the assistance of their masters, the Zions, they were quickly catching up.


    Now, even though they were still weaker than Abyssals, surpassing them was only a matter of time.


    There were even rumors if the Emperors didn''t fight, Faries would win the Abyssals.


    Of course, the Zions were not doing this just for normal extermination.


    This build up of Fairies was for the preparations to the providence trial a few decadester.


    Fairies would challenge Abyssals in the trial.


    If the Abyssals win, they''d get the ''Jai protection'' and would be shielded from higher civilizations like Zions. That''d mean a long period of peace.


    If they lose, they''d lose the protection and, of course, the next thing would be extermination of the race.


    However, even the mostmon politician knew Fairies were definitely going to win. Abyssals were a declining hegemon. Fairies were a rising star.


    ''Even if they''re sure of victory, Zions want to humiliate us till the providence trial.'' Abyss Emperor clenched his fist.


    "Then I''ll take my leave. Me and my race are looking forward to your performance in the providence trial." The envoy disappeared with a flickering light.


    But before he did, his gazended on the pce in the center.


    Abyss Emperor''s heart tightened, and he ran to the pce with all his might.


    ''No.'' He prayed. ''Be safe.''


    Whoosh!


    He heard something cutting through flesh and rushed in the direction.


    Thud.


    Thud.


    In the grand lounge of the pce, two heads rolled on the ground.


    Not recognizing those faces, Abyss Emperor''s heart calmed down.


    He nced up and saw the most beautiful woman and the cutest girl standing safe, albeit with golden blood staining their dress.


    He heaved a sigh of relief.


    "Daddy!" The little girl jumped into his arms.


    Abyss Emperor patted her back and looked at his wife. His only wife.


    She smiled at him with an expression that said ''I will take care of the dangers here.''


    Indeed, there were several assassin corpses strewn all around.


    Feeling his daughter''s embrace and his wife''s support, Abyss Emperor''s conviction was once again strengthen.


    Even if the odds were against them, even if their entire race was facing an existential crisis, he''d lead them out of the darkness.


    He was their Emperor. Their Savior.


    He stroked his daughter''s little head with blood stained arms and at the same time, pulled his wife into a hug.


    "We''ll have peace one day. I promise." His promise wasn''t just for them, but for the entire capital.


    As his voice reverberated across every house, the Abyssal shed tears and nodded.

 Chapter 129 - Abyssals And Zions

    <h4>Chapter 129 - Abyssals And Zions</h4>


    "I''m going." Eva, the imperial princess, struggled out of her father''s arms and jumped into the air.


    Whoosh!


    She turned into a beautiful white bird and flew to the disaster area.


    Even though she looked powerless, to fully transform into beast form, a Morpher must be at least Level 7!


    Haedon, the Abyss Emperor didn''t stop his daughter.


    Now, the entire city guard would be working in full swing. The post battle reconstruction would go on.


    There were dedicated officers to supervise the process, and his presence wasn''t necessary.


    The citizens, the officers, and the soldiers all loved Eva.. There was no threat to her safety from his own people.


    As for the others¡­


    Zions were shameless, but they wouldn''t stoop low to sneak attacking on his weak daughter.


    Fairy Emperor was already injured and a random Fairy King or Queen would not dare to enter the capital.


    ''No.'' Hadeon shook his head and nced at the littered assassin corpses all around the lounge.


    ''Zions want to kill her, but through Fairies and drive me to impulsive decisions. But that bastard is going to need a few days before healingpletely.'' His tense shoulders slumped and he sighed in relief.


    "How long are you going to keep me in this posture, Your Majesty?" Beatrice, the Abyss Empress, nudged him.


    Haedon looked at her mischievous smile and wanted to smile back and tease her like he always did.


    But¡­


    "Bohoo!"


    "My sister!"


    "I was in the other district. Everyone in my family died. All gone!"


    "My wife was still pregnant."


    "My son always wanted to join his majesty''s personal guard."


    The heart breaking wails resounded throughout the capital. For better or for worse, he could hear every one of them.


    Looking at his wife''s smile, he forced himself to smile. "If possible, I''d like to hold you like this forever."


    ''Without having to hear these wails.'' He added inside.


    Beatrice closed her eyes and sighed. "I''m sorry, husband."


    A green liquid appeared in her hand and she pressed it on his chest. It slowly dissolved into his body and his injuries began to heal.


    "I''m use¡ª" Beatrice was cut off as a finger was ced on her lips.


    "You''re protecting our daughter. Guarding the Pce. In every attack." Haedon looked into her eyes and said word by word.


    He slowly removed his finger and held her shoulders. "Celestial Realm is hard. I will always support your efforts, but do not risk your life. I will take care of everything."


    Beatrice squeezed a smile and walked away. Only her words remained in the air.


    "I''ll supervise the post battle reconstruction n."


    Haedon looked at her receding silhouette in the distance and clenched his fist. ''You''re taking a lot of burden.''


    Even though Beatrice initially seemed jovial with her sarcastic remark, the truth was that she was holding herself responsible for helping him.


    Since the day she promised to be his wife, she was pushing herself. She became the second youngest Sovereign, second only to him.


    But in the battle with Fairy Emperor, the decisive factor was Celestial Rank Awakeners.


    Haedon walked through the hallway littered with corpses of maids and servants. He even spotted a few familiar ones, including Eva''s wet nurse.


    The old faces were gone and new faces of maids and servants ''cleared'' and ''cleaned'' up the pce.


    As he walked past them, they all gazed at him with reverence and even devotion.


    It was as if he was their messiah.


    ''I''m not. I failed to save a lot of lives today.'' Haedon kept an aloof exterior and appeared unfazed by today''s battle.


    This only served to increase the confidence among the maids.


    An Emperor must always appear confident. It was his mantra.


    He could hear their weak whispers.


    "Even though it was unfortunate that a lot of people lost their lives due to that bastard sneaking in, we also got to witness our majesty''s true strength."


    "Yes. He always held back in the previous fights. But with his true strength, that bastard was almost killed."


    "But of course, that son of a bitch would show up and save his ass, anyway."


    The Fairy Emperor who actually caused the destruction was only called a bastard, while the Zion envoy was titled the son of a bitch.


    In fact, Abyssals never considered themselves to be equals of Fairies. Their enmity and rivalry had always been with Zions.


    But the previous war changed everything.


    The Celestial Ranked Abyssals all went to war to seek military exploits. But after discovering the enemy was too strong, they realized death was inevitable.


    Deserting the war would penalize the entire race. So they traded their lives for the highest exploits.


    Abyss Emperor passed by the murals that told the story of such heroes. He finally reached his work room.


    It was protected by a red barrier and wasn''t broken during the attacks.


    Haedon passed through the barrier and entered the room.


    In human terms, its size bordered around two football fields.


    As he sat down in the precious chair, and was about to nce at the documents on his scared wood table, the wall in front caught his gaze.


    It was written in dried green blood.


    Providence Trial.


    Abyss Emperor''s aloof exterior melted, and he grimaced.


    Every civilization of Jai Empire had to go through this trial that repeated itself every few centuries.


    It was essentially a battle of equals. The civilizations would be tested based on their topbat power, their military power, and a long mission.


    The winner would get the ''Jai protection''. They would be shielded from being exterminated from higher civilizations.


    Last time, Abyssals participated in the war on behalf of the Jai Empire.


    Of course, they were only a middle power, but coupled with their exploits and massive losses, they convinced the higher ups to bestow upon them the ''Jai protection'' without actually participating in the Providence Trial.


    The reason was sufficient, but the final decision still rested on the Tester.


    To get him to nod, Abyssals literally emptied their treasury.


    Haedon nced at the letters as his blood boiled.


    He was confident he could continue to grow stronger and defeat the Fairy Emperor in the uing Providence Trial.


    But the next two tests¡ªArmy and Long Missions¡ªwere extremely unfavorable to Abyssals.


    The Zions were pumping resources and soon, the Fairies'' average power and military power would far surpass Abyssals.


    With Zion sponsored technology, Long Missions would also be much easier for Fairies.


    It was originally a hopeless situation.


    But a message 400 years ago gave them hope.


    Haedon nced at the holograph that popped up.


    Sr System.

 Chapter 130 - Ancestor Last Light

    <h4>Chapter 130 - Ancestor Last Light</h4>


    There was an Abyssal who fought bravely in the war.


    He wasn''t a celestial ranker, but he sure was patriotic. After finding that a noble of the Alpha Centauri star zone was participating in the war to hone himself, he chased down that noble.


    Their chase spanned hundreds of light years. The noble almost escaped by the virtue of his spaceship''s stealth and advanced speed system. It was apparently a model called ghost ship.


    However, he was inexperienced and thus the Abyssal never lost himpletely.


    Finally, after months of a crazy chase, and crossing tens of thousands of star systems, they were on the edge of the star zone.


    It was a star system with a single star and eights. There was even life on a blue..


    The Abyssal was confused in the beginning. Shouldn''t all intelligent civilizations be mapped?


    Even if the civilization was only an A- level, it was still in the star zone''s territory. Why did they not mark it?


    But as he entered the star system, he threw back all his previous thoughts and gaped in wonder.


    There was no aura!


    How was that possible?!


    Aura existed in every corner of the universe. How could an entire star system be devoid of aura? Even they, an S- civilization, were incapable of such a feat.


    He really wanted tond on thes and check it personally.


    However, his target would escape.


    He hesitated. This star system surely held arge secret. If he discovered it, their race could go further and reach S+ level.


    But if he let go of his target, he''d lose significant military exploits. The army chief said that the Providence Trialmittee demanded at least 40,000 res military exploits to even consider giving them the ''Jai protection''.


    It was a gigantic sum.


    Almost every top awakener died, and they were able to inch closer to the 40,000.


    There were only two high awakeners left. Him and his friend.


    To get to 40,000, at least one of them must seed. But if both failed¡­ they''d lose everything.


    The Abyssal finally decided he couldn''t leave the fate of his entire race on a 50/50 gamble.


    But at the same time, he ordered his ship to detect the signals from the blue.


    They reached the star, and the noble suddenly attacked him.


    The Abyssal fought fiercely, but in the end, he realized the noble was about to escape.


    So he used the star destroyer bomb and killed the noble.


    The star broke into two, and the aftermath put him on death''s door. His spaceship melted away, but in those final moments, it announced the results of its investigation.


    There was at least an S+ civilization''s legacy here.


    S+!


    Even the dying Abyssal almost came back to life. Metaphorically, at least.


    But as he melted down little by little, he pulled thest bits of his strength and opened the secret messenger.


    Before the mission, he wanted to message his family in hisst moments. But now, he didn''t have that luxury.


    Even with all his efforts, he could only send three bits before he melted in the light.


    Due to the damaged messenger, his message reached the Abyssals almost a 100 yearster.


    His final message became the final hope, and thus he was granted a posthumous title.


    Ancestor Last Light.


    His message was:


    A12.29U202.S38A. S+ legacy.


    *** *** ***


    Abyss Emperor stared at the sr system''s holograph.


    At the bottom were its cosmic coordinates.


    A12.29U202. S38A.


    He shook his head and tapped the blue cube on the table.


    It shone and disyed the reports.


    ''Low Dungeons are quickly being conquered. In a few months, every Low Dungeon would be under control.''


    "Not bad. Do not provoke forces that would retaliate fiercely. Prioritize killing not so prominent, yet incredibly talented geniuses." He instructed, and the message was transmitted to the Abysses far away.


    "Yes, sir!" A female voice came from the other side, full of reverence and¡­ longing.


    "You, out of the eight, have the highest talent and thus, the greatest chance to advance to Celestial Rank. Work hard, Hollow Queen." He encouraged.


    "Yes, your majesty. I''ll put my life on the line and train!" The Ruler of the Saturn Abyss, the Queen that never smiles, spoke in a cheerful yet determined tone.


    "... Don''t die." Abyss Emperor rubbed his forehead and checked the next one.


    ''Enigma is on a killing spree.''


    "She is going to be an obstacle." Haedon remarked with annoyance and anger. "Do not let her destroy any other holy altar. If you do, be ready to face capital punishment."


    "Yes¡­ sir!" The Thunder King replied meekly.


    ''There was a federation wide announcement to find a boy named Varian.''


    "Oh?" Abyss Emperor''s interest was piqued, and he checked out the details.


    "Tsk. What an unlucky fellow." He clicked his tongue and moved onto the next one.


    This one seemed to be sent only a few hours ago. Unlike others, it was not presented properly.


    It looked more like a rough writing draft than a professional report.


    ''Did something happen?'' He wondered and after reading the first line, he stood up in shock.


    "Did something happen, your majesty?" A few shadow guards spoke from the outside. Even though it was unnecessary, they still guarded his room from the shadows.


    "None." He waved them off and read the report again.


    And he read it again.


    He didn''t want to believe it. But reading it more times didn''t change the facts.


    ''The mission to retrieve the remains of Ancestor Lost Light and capture the ghost ship failed.''


    "I even suffered some injuries and sent my clone. How could it fail?" He muttered in disbelief, but soon adjusted himself.


    "We can''t verify anything. Maybe the spaceship tond in the Inner space was wed from the start." He tried to reason.


    "But to have both space ships wed is truly unlucky." It was hard to convince himself that both of them failed.


    But that was the only exnation.


    There wouldn''t be a Level 4 awakener who could kill peak level 5 and peak Level 6 clones...right?


    "Emperor, your subject requests an audience." The blue cube shone and Haedon heard a trembling voice.


    "Granted." He nodded and the hologram of an eight feet tall Abyssal kneeled on the ground.


    Every part of his body was packed with muscles, and he looked like a war god of sorts.


    However, his face was lightly pale. Paler was the line in his eyes.


    "Demon King." Abyss Emperor spoke.


    "Your Majesty, I sent my clone. I failed." The nightmare of earthlings, the ruler of Demon Abyss cried out.


    "The other seven failed too." Abyss Emperor said curtly.


    "But¡­ I also failed to protect the holy altar." The Demon King choked up.


    "Let me kill a Sovereign and a few levels 9s. That''d the best way to end my life."


    His pleas were met with a furious gaze.


    "How dare you?!" Abyss Emperor growled.


    "Your Majesty?!" Demon King''s voice shivered and, even though it was just a hologram, he felt true fear.


    "Do you think your death is noble? No. You are only escaping from your responsibilities." Abyss Emperor red down at him.


    "And if you want to die, die like Ancestor Last Light. His final message let us find Sr System and when we get the S+ legacy, we can win the providence trials." He spoke with conviction, and his gaze intensified.


    "Then till the next providence trial, we can continue to grow and even surpass the Zions." His tone turned serious.


    "That, Demon King, is the thing to die for. Not some petty mission failure. Besides, our real enemies are here. If you die, die in a war with fairies or Zions."


    After a brief silence, the Demon King''s eyes were filled with splendor and he nodded fervently. "Yes, my emperor."


    Haedon nodded lightly and checked the next report.


    "Sorry for disturbing your majesty, I shall take my leave." He was about to leave when Abyss Emperor suddenly raised his hand.


    "The situation here is intensifying. Prepare with ''him'' to take down a human Sovereign. We might need to end the humans before the original deadline."

 Chapter 131 - Im Back!

    <h4>Chapter 131 - I''m Back!</h4>


    It was a great day.


    Mateo, Level 5 Abyssal, an Abyss Warrior by title, supervised the assassination of another genius.


    That boy was only a seventeen years and six months old but reached Level 2. Usually, he''d be scouted and recruited by the powers.


    A local family in power could sign him up for a mutually beneficial rtionship. They would provide him with resources when he goes to the military academy and in turn, he''d help them out after he grew stronger.


    If he was talented enough, they''d even let him marry into the family.


    Even though there were no civil wars in the past two hundred years, power kept changing hands. So every power did their best to grow their power and, at least, preserve it.


    The Abyssals had no problem if the boy was like any average awakener, but he could grow into a high Awakener and cause them huge casualties.


    However, neither was he solicited nor did he rise.


    The boy had personal enmity with the local power. So he hid himself deep and nned tounch a revenge after rising up.


    Mateo stomped the skull into the valley and grinned with satisfaction.


    He kicked the mutted corpse with a perverse smile. "You must have wondered how the hell we knew about your level."


    "Haha! You might hide your power in your school, hide your talent in public. But you can''t hide your purchase in the trade union. Your recent purchases gave you away."


    Crack!


    He stepped onto the corpse and signalled to the Abyssals in the distance. "Cremate him. Dungeon Bureau would only think they lost a normal adventurer, they''d never know they lost a future powerhouse."


    "Yes, Sir." The Level 4 Abyssals, Abyssal Lords, stepped forward and started their job.


    Mateo walked a few steps into the valley, and the bracelet on his hand shone. He slowly stepped into the main hideout.


    It was a peaceful in with a small stream flowing down a hill. Of course, it looked peaceful, excluding the menacing ck building.


    This was the ce where they tortured some geniuses and conduced their assassination training.


    Matea boosted his speed, and in an instant, it rose from one of a normal Mid Level 5 to High Level 5.


    Whoosh!


    He broke into the headquarters and an rm went off.


    The patrols scrambled to the entrance with their swords and spears, only to sigh in relief after seeing the intruder was their boss.


    "Not bad." Matea nodded in satisfaction.


    Since thest incident of losing the hideouts in the Virgin Dungeon, all hide outmanders took extra measures to avoid such incidents.


    By the looks of it, there was no way it could repeat.


    ''Truly, what was that Abyss Duke thinking? He lost to a bunch of students.'' Matea waved his hand and walked down the floors into themanding room.


    Arge hologram yed out, disying most of the dungeon, including the hideouts.


    ''We''re burning way more resources with extra surveince. Damn it!'' Matea cursed and walked to the conference table.


    There were Level 4 Abyssals seated on each side of the table. They were whispering to each other when Matea cleared his throat.


    "Ahem"


    "Are you sure this is true?" He squinted at his subordinates.


    "Yes, sir!"


    "One-tenth of our human spies on earth were killed in thest month. Even though most of them are weak, their links to us were released. Now we are finding it harder than ever to recruit the spies." The leading officer, a high Level 4, reported in a grim tone.


    "Damn it!" Matea mmed the table in frustration.


    It wasn''t anger. It was frustration. He enjoyed powering over others, but being powerless himself was something he couldn''t tolerate.


    With this sensational leakage, the government would take hardline steps to prevent spy recruitments.


    Most humans hated Abyssals and would never entertain the thought of working under them.


    But there were¡­ some extremists. Self-centered people who only sought their own benefits. They were the primary source of spies.


    But after this onught, self-centered people who value their own life above everything else would be thest to sign up for being a spy.


    "Enigma!" He muttered the hateful name.


    "Shadow Guardians are at full work. But Enigma¡­ she seems to be dealing with those families." Another officer with a crafty look reported.


    "This bitch!" Matea''s rage didn''t subside hearing that Enigma wasn''t spearheading the onught.


    Instead, it only increased. Her personal power was growing too fast, now even her collective power was growing.


    The threat she posed was rising. The fact that he was powerless against her disgusted him to no end.


    ''I can''t do anything about this. Fuck the reports!''


    Matea wasn''t interested in the reports anymore and walked out of the building for a breath of fresh air.


    He was confident they could exterminate the humans. But he always kept the Abyss Emperor''s motto in mind.


    ''Maximum damage with minimum casualties.''


    That meant killing of Enigma.


    Slowly, his mood calmed down and he began to reminisce about his own past.


    "In my 40 years of life, I''ve never been to our main abyss. I only heard stories and legends." Matea walked along the stream.


    "After we win, I should be able to visit the capital of our race. Emperor Abyss." He grinned uncontrobly.


    "But before I return, I must torture these bugs. They keep giving us a hard time." He huffed and kicked the stream.


    Boom!


    Arge cavity was formed and a water beam shot into the air.


    "But the most I torture would be Enigma¡­ but oh well, I think Demon King would torture her till death, but I can at least torture those Shadow Guardians." He grinned.


    Shadow Guardians was a very new organization formed by Enigma. Their motto was to ''Guard from the shadows''.


    Just a couple months old, they rooted out the low level traitors in Mars, ughtered the school staff secretly brainwashing the students on Venus and caused significant damage to the Abyssals all around the Sr system.


    "One day, your skulls will roll down the ground and I will stomp it to my heart''s content." He thumped his chest and stomped the blue grass.


    Suddenly, his hair constricted, and he was about to turn back.


    But right then, the space around his body solidified.


    He quickly broke it and barely craned his neck back.


    A bright light shed, and a slit in his throat.


    Thud. Thud.


    His head rolled down the ground until it reached the foot of a six feet human.


    The human raised his feet and stomped.


    "I like your words. I''ll be stomping your people to my heart''s content." Varian grinned and turned back to the ck building.


    "I''m back, bitches!"

 Chapter 132 - A League Of His Own

    <h4>Chapter 132 - A League Of His Own</h4>


    "Master, they can''t hear you." Boo appeared beside Varian and whispered.


    Varian looked at the floating little ghost with annoyance. "It was a cinematic moment, okay?"


    "...but no one is filming you." Boo''s face showed its innocence.


    ''I just wanted to vent after staying in that damn ce for so long.'' Varian was about to throw an excuse when Boo said.


    "You want to act cool?"


    "Fuck!" Varian felt like an arrow pierced his heart as he looked into those innocent ck eyes.


    "... Of course, that''s part of the reason. But it''d be great if you stop being so explicit." He cursed and wielded his new ck sword.


    It was one of the few functional things in the ghost ship''s inventory, which lost almost everything except a few star treasures.


    They couldn''t be called star treasures since they were manufactured outside the federation, but they were kinda the same thing or at least, he wasn''t skilled enough to recognize the differences.


    The previous owner was a sword user, and he had plenty of training swords. The ones Varian found, from 3 star to 9 star, were those training swords.


    ''I won''t be ripped off by the trade union at least.'' He sighed at his poor wallet and focused on the ck building ahead.


    There were twenty-four Level 3 Abyssals patrolling. All of them were Body Awakeners, meaning they were from the Demon Abyss.


    Varian''s body blurred and, in an instant, he appeared behind a group of four Abyssals.


    Shuaa!


    A thin trail of green appeared on the necks of the Abyssal Commanders, and blood oozed out of the cut.


    Varian didn''t bother to watch it and targeted the other two patrol teams.


    He was almost at the peak of Level 4. So, his speed was anything but ridiculous to Level 3 Abyssals.


    Shuaa!


    Shuaa!


    As thest group had their throats slit, the first group''s head rolled to the ground, making the distinct sound of two solid surfaces rubbing each other.


    The guards turned to the direction and were about to yell when two arcs of thick lightning stuck and paralyzed their body.


    Then they saw a bright white light and two headless bodies standing in front of the door. Those two bodies were their own!


    The smell in the air turned rancid and the fountain of green blood was a sight to watch.


    Varian didn''t feel it before, but watching the Abyssal die, he felt a sense of satisfaction.


    Perhaps he was subconsciously holding a grudge.


    He shook his head and slowly pushed open the door.


    After repeated probing in multiple dungeons, he concluded that the highest abyssal of a hideout was only Level 5.


    The Level 6 Sarah''s team encountered was probably because he was tasked with assassination and came for them personally.


    That meant¡­


    Varian smiled and asked through their mental link. ''Boo, get me in.''


    An invisible spaceship appeared behind Varian and he jumped into it. Its size shrunk enough to fit the hallway.


    "Scan the building and find the mechanism to enter the bottom floor." Once inside the familiar cabin, Varian ordered.


    "With ease." Boo said enthusiastically, almost like it was trying to cate him.


    Varian was unamused.


    He was initially very excited about Boo''s capabilities. A bit too much, in fact. It was a spaceship from a higher civilization and travelled hundreds of light years after all.


    But it was utterly damaged and lost most of its functions.


    Thanks to the final clone, he also lost the two formations that he''d give up almost everything.


    Boo exinedter on that the final clone was likely that of Abyss Emperor.


    Variant couldn''t digest the existence of a being higher than a Sovereign. Especially the fact that Abyssals had such a being.


    But regardless, the space sub system was also damaged. The ghost ship thus lost the ability to travel into the Inner space.


    There were only two important abilities remaining.


    First: Stealth. It could hide from most technologies and even awakeners. But for very strong awakeners, like Level 9s and Sovereigns, he needed to maintain a certain amount of distance.


    Boo exined it was because its functional modules were nerfed or it could do a lot more.


    It wasn''t too bad of an ability. Varian sneaked into the ''Chad Dungeon'' with stealth.


    Second: Sensors.


    It could sense the hidden formations and other stuff within a certain range. That was how he found out the hide outs location without any map.


    A bonus ability was Boo''s remaining space functions. Even though its space sub system was gone, the remnants were able to fulfill some functions.


    It could detect space fluctuations and if the barrier was weak enough, it could even directly enter into one.


    That was how Varian entered the hideout without any pass.


    "The formation is likely under the basement and needs a manual opening. I can hit a mechanism and take us to the basement. The floor will go off and we can dive straight down." Boo said.


    "Do it." Varian nodded.


    Last time, he couldn''t step into the building and in the end, the explosion blew up the building. So he didn''t know what each floor held, but he knew certainly that the Cross Tunnel Formation was at the absolute bottom.


    Whoosh!


    All the floors below suddenly peeled off and opened the way to the basement.


    "Who?!" The thirty Level 4s in the hideout shot towards the basement.


    "Boo, search for the Cross Tunnel Formation." He drew out his sword and stepped out of the spaceship.


    "Human!"


    "How did you enter?"


    "Why didn''t we notice any instance of key stealing?"


    They all held different questions, but Varian wasn''t in the mood to answer any.


    Even though his opponents were also in Level 4, they were mostly in early and mid-Level 4.


    Only a handful were in high level 4.


    Varian too was currently a high Level 4, approaching peak Level 4.


    But their strengths were vastly different.


    His Thunder Path was High Level 3. It meant he could paralyze his enemies, even for a split second, and use his Body Level 4''s insane speed to exploit that split second.


    His Thunder Path also increased his offensive capabilities.


    His Morpher Low Level 3. To him, the rise in strength due to it was barely 1%.


    However, his life force was much stronger. He could survive and fight with heavy injuries for much longer.


    These advantages put Varian in a league of his own.


    "Let the feast begin." He grinned and gripped his sword.


    The space around a few Abyssals was blocked. Lightning bolts targeted at a few others.


    Varian shot at the Level 4 Abyssals in front. His chi and prana circted and resonated with each other.


    Shuaa!


    Zap!


    Creak!


    A ughter began.


    Varian danced with his sword and lightning.


    His space attacks weren''t lethal by themselves, but an Abyssal that just broke his space block would be hit by a lightning arc and would then be greeted by a red sword.


    Shuaa!


    The lightning arcs yed a bigger role than he expected.


    Abyssals that were injured had lower resistance to lightning and were thus lightning arcs only aggravated their injuries.


    Shuaa!


    Zap!


    Boom!


    After a few minutes, Varian punched through the head of thest Abyssal.


    Boo replied timely "Boss, 40 meters from you at 40 degrees anti-clock wise."


    "Hm." Varian walked to the target location and nced at the adamantine metal covering the floor.


    "Tsk." He smiled in nostalgia and shed his sword.


    Creak!


    Shuaa!


    The sharp de of his red sword easily cut through the adamantine and revealed the formation underneath.


    It was a circr array of intricate patterns and mysterious runes. Any researcher would be fascinated by it.


    But, of course, Varian was fascinated by the piles of little stones all around and on the array.


    Aura crystals!


    "Boo, take this array. Take the aura crystals too." He said eagerly.


    "Master, you are drooling."


    "I am not!"


    "But at the corner of your mouth¡­"


    "That''s probably blood. One of these Abyssals must have had white blood." He said without changing his face and repeated.


    "Take this formation. We are going to the next dungeon for the aura crys¡ª, I mean for revenge."

 Chapter 133 - Hideout HQ

    <h4>Chapter 133 - Hideout HQ</h4>


    "Wait boss, shouldn''t we check out the building?" Boo reminded its eager master.


    "R-Right!" Varian nodded.


    He nce at the corpses strewn all around the basement and focused on their wrists.


    Metallic Red Bracelets¡ªthe keys to hideouts.


    He collected them and, using theyout produced by Boo''s scan, surveyed every corner of the building.


    It was not solely a headquarters for assassination.


    First, there was a secure room under the basement. To enter it, one needed the bracelet of themander. It contained the most precious object of the entire hideout¡ªCross Tunnel Formation..


    The same bracelet could also order the cross tunnel formation to rise from bottom of the room to just below basement. With another order, the bracelet could set off a controlled space explosion.


    ''Tsk.'' Varian nced at the heavily fortified room and the rather fragile ceiling.


    ''They''re desperate enough. That''s why they''re dangerous.'' He sighed and checked the basement.


    In locked safes, there were various star treasures, and a few¡­ explosives?


    Varian grasped the thin coat embedded with shiny red stones woven into a functional circuit.


    ''This is a suicide jacket.'' He recalled his mission in Virgin Dungeon and recognized the hooded figure logo on the jacket.


    ''Shadow Order.'' He took a deep breath and put them all into his ghost ship.


    The space inside was too huge and his storage didn''t seem to affect it at all.


    Varian climbed up onto the ground floor and encountered several Level 3 Abyssals standing in front of holographic boards.


    Shuaa!


    They copsed in a sh and he analyzed the contents on the boards, or at least tried to.


    Hism was broken during the fights in Lost Dungeon and Varian wasn''t proficient in Abyssee.


    Boo patted its chest and tranted the text.


    They''re apparently missions!


    1. Yun Xiao: Level 2. Age 17. Hidden Genius. He would enter the Dungeon alone today. 15 points for the hunt.


    2. ke: Level 1 peak. Age 16. He is from a poor family but strong values. He performed well in his school test and is a seed candidate of the school. He''d enter with his Level 3 peak teacher.


    40 points for the hunt.


    3. ¡­


    ''Holy shit!'' Varian felt double d¨¦j¨¤ vu.


    First, he already found such reports during his entrance test. Second, these mechanisms were too simr to his academy''s.


    He grabbed the hologram recorder, and frowned.


    ''Just how deep is their intelligencework. How do they deploy their spies?'' He thought and finished off the remaining Abyssals in the ground floor.


    Then he climbed to the first floor and then, the second. The Abyssals on both floors died gasping for breath as blood gurgled out of their necks.


    The first floor consisted of several office rooms. Logistics. Emergency Meeting. Brainstorming Lounge. Break Room. Infirmary.


    The second floor had resting quarters of the Level 4s and Level 5. There was also one official room.


    Thergest room in fact. It could only be authorized by a Level 4 or Level 5''s bracelet.


    Varian stepped into the room and gasped.


    "What the fuck is this?!"


    In front of him, multiple holograms yed out disying almost every section of the Dungeon.


    Some adventurers were hunting a magic beast. Other adventurers were ambushing fellow humans.


    A lucky teenager found a good herb. An even luckier girl found the key to a special location.


    A group of adventurers were resting after a hard battle.


    All of these were utterly visible to the Abyssals here.


    "Master, are these people stalkers?" Boo seemed bemused.


    "... they''re creeps." Varian replied after pulling himself together.


    ''Incredibly dangerous creeps.'' He added inside.


    Then Varian used the Commander''s bracelet and assumed the control of the surveince.


    It was almost all over the Dungeon. For reference, a low dungeon was as big as arge country of old earth.


    The extensive surveince might have shocked people of old earth, but in 520 YAB, it was a normal thing.


    ''But installing surveince without adventurers noticing would be impossible.'' He noted and then realized. ''So there was surveince from the very beginning.''


    Abyssals were indeed the masters of these Dungeons.


    ''But with everyone here dead, the remaining abyssals in the dungeon would soon panic. Nice.''


    Varian disabled the surveince and entered the ghost ship.


    Boom!


    In a few seconds, they reached a white barrier¡ªthe ending of the dungeon.


    Inside the cabin, Varian nced at the forty bracelets and frowned.


    He had an idea on what to do with them, but doing it now would be too early.


    "Boo, go to the next low dungeon." Varian ordered. Then, he recalled something and added, "Make sure it isn''t going to vanish anytime soon."


    "Got it! We''ll be reaching ''Arrogant Young Master'' Dungeon in 5 minutes." Boo dered.


    It was currently in stealth mode and passed by the hover cars without alerting the radars or surveince satellites.


    Varian opened the newly constructed bathroom and undressed before dipping into the hot bath.


    As the warm water washed his skin, he sighed infort. "Peace."


    [For five minutes.] The System''s mechanical voice seemed to growing ethereal.


    But still, it was annoying. Its timing was even more so.


    ''Will you die if I rx for thirty minutes?'' Varian rebuked.


    "Boss, what''s wrong? You''re grimacing?" Boo''s voice sounded.


    "Increase the temperature and stop talking." Varian closed his eyes and submerged himself.


    For a brief period, he experienced ''nothing''. His mind was nk, and he felt an unprecedented peace of mind.


    Ssh.


    After he resurfaced, he finally sighed.


    25th, Prime Month.


    ''It''s been around 40 days since I was lost in the dungeon.'' He clutched his forehead.


    ''I missed the first month''s test. But it''s not my fault per se.'' However, it still worried him.


    ''But if the Charles bastard or Narcis insist, then it wouldn''t matter at all.'' That was his biggest obstacle.


    ''I''ll be kicked out, no questions asked.''


    "I guess my tutor can help out." He muttered and then recalled the girl with the biggest background he ever encountered. "Sarah."


    But still, the story he had to weave for disappearing for 40 days was too much, and Varian wanted to crush a dozen more Abyssals to calm down.


    However, he needed to go. ''I shouldn''t wait any longer. But does 1 or 2 days difference matter now?''


    [Host, it''s alright to vent.]


    The System said, suggesting he should continue his raids instead of going to the academy right away.


    Varian didn''t answer.


    The System changed its voice to a more feminine one.


    [Ara~ Ara~ Host, it''s okay to vent.] The same words, but the meaning was totally different.


    "System, stop it! You''re freaking me out!" He roared as a chill ran down his spine.


    [Yes, host.] The System went back to its normal voice.


    Boo listened to his roars and thought. ''...you''re the one freaking me out.''


    Varian dressed himself and looked out. He was still trembling from the trauma.


    "Boss, we''re almost there."


    As usual, the ghost ship easily skipped past the detection mechanisms and stayed hidden from the battalion guarding the Dungeon perimeter.


    It shrunk and soon rushed into the blue gate.


    Arrogant Young Master Dungeon, herees Varian!

 Chapter 134 - Tremors Across The Solar System

    <h4>Chapter 134 - Tremors Across The Sr System</h4>


    Whoosh!


    Shuaa!


    Varian finished easily infiltrated and ughtered the hideout.


    He collected the bracelets and set off for the next dungeon.


    After finishing five off dungeons in two hours, of which an hour and a half was spent on journeys, he had to stop.


    Even though he wasn''t injured, his aura reserves were almost depleted. After all, his enemies included high and peak Level 4s for regrbat and low Level 5s for assassination..


    Varian dared to bathe again, but this time, he warned the System against any misadventure.


    It reluctantlyplied.


    ''Status.''


    [Body Path (Enhanced) Level 4: 900/1000


    Space Path Level 2: 200/200


    Lightning Path Level 3: 350/400


    Morpher Path Level 3: 50/400]


    Space Path was still not advancing. To be a Level 3 Space Awakener, Varian needed to find a way to ensure he could use space block around his body and move with it.


    Essentially, create a mobile space armor around himself. This would increase his defensive and offensive capabilities.


    To advance to Level 4 lightning path, he needed a more nuanced control. Expertise in shaping stable structures out of his element.


    For instance, swords and spears.


    Until now, he was only able to create lightning balls, lightning arcs and lightning beams, which were just bigger lightning arcs.


    If he could shape lightning to his desired shape, then mana could be used much more efficiently.


    At the same time,pressing the mana into a structure would enable him greater offensive powers.


    Morpher¡­ he needed to increase the prana flowing from his heart. It seemed like getting heavily injured could work.


    Finally, Enhanced Path. He just needed to increase the connection between the chi and his cells.


    With System''s help, it was done duringbat. The question remaining was his future path.


    If he trained in one path extremely, when he reached Level 7, he''d awaken as an Extreme.


    For instance, extreme training in speed would make him an Extreme Awakener with a higher speed stat.


    If he trained normally, then he''d be a Super Human Awakener. Basically, the evolved version of Enhanced.


    ''Too early to think all of that.'' He brushed them off.


    "Boo, examine all the bracelets and see if you can make something that can ess all the hideouts, like a master card." He proposed his idea.


    "It''s possible. Each bracelet has simrities, but also distinctions based on its dungeon. I need more data." Boo gave a green g.


    "More data? I am d to collect more." Varian grinned and resumed the ughter.


    Perhaps he enjoyed it too much. Even when Boo announced they had enough data, he ended a couple more dungeons.


    He collected hundred samples in four days.


    Demon Abyss was busy with their spyworks rooted out by Enigma''s Shadow Guardians.


    Since they received no emergency report from the hide outmanders, they assumed things were alright and dyed the meetings.


    By the fifth day, Boo used the materials found in the hideouts and created the master keys.


    They can be used to locate and enter any hideout of any dungeon.


    Varian grinned as he held the white bracelet.


    "Master¡­ your smile is too scary." Boo, the ghost AI, shivered.


    "It better be, for what I''m about to do now will have them crying." Varian smiled arrogantly.


    Then they visitedary headquarters of different power organizations.


    Adventure Guild. Trade Union.


    Important Military Bases. Even Military Academies.


    Including the Prime Family Mansions.


    Of course, they didn''t really ''visit'' them in a proper sense. Instead, in stealth mode, Varian ''left'' the gifts to every power, and the method to manufacture them as well.


    That was the beginning of Abyssals'' nightmare.


    Just when they realized a hundred headquarters were wiped out, their spies'' message came as a bolt from the blue.


    ''Humans developed a device that could enter hideout of any dungeon!''


    Initially, the human authorities were skeptical. But they couldn''t write it off either. After confirming that the same gift was delivered to every power, it was even more clear that it was noughing matter.


    Who can infiltrate a heavily guarded military base, walk in front of the General''s room and ce a box there and leave without being caught?


    Just how strong was this person? Level 9? Or Perhaps even a new Sovereign?


    Would they do such a thing for a prank?


    Adventurer Guild was the first to test out the use of this ''Omni-key''.


    The result blew their mind and soon, every power verified it one by one.


    To their and even Varian''s surprise, the Omni-key even worked for Dungeons on others.


    Boo just shrugged it off. "Abyssals are the manufacturers for every''s dungeons. It''s the same thing after all."


    Varian patted the cute, chubby little ghost and praised it to no end.


    Thus, an emergency meeting was dered and the Federation government''s vice chiefs, Level 9s, came to a decision.


    Coordinate the attacks and destroy every hideout all across the federation.


    In an unprecedented move in modern human history, all dungeons were blocked off from civilian use.


    High Level Awakener personally oversaw the mission ''Purge'' and every suitable awakener was deployed.


    Army issued the mission to Regr Army personnel,ary Guards, Special Forces Teams.


    Adventurer Guild saw the highest influx of adventures ever since Pluto war.


    Prime Families announced deep participation and took the lead in the mission with their vassals.


    Trade Union gave an unprecedented discount to all helpful products, which was the second most talked thing after ''Purge''.


    The missions of Military Academies across the eights were also filled with ''Purge'' missions.


    Abyssals had little time to react when the first wave started.


    In fact, the first attack was by a Level 3 Old Lady who recently lost her grandson to the assassination.


    She copsed on the corpses of Abyssals and wept.


    Her tears sparked the fire and soon, every parent, every sibling and every friend who met the criteria joined through whatever organization they could.


    The actual number of people who lost their loved ones to assassination was actually low.


    The majority didn''t want to lose their beloved. They wanted to secure the future of their children and grandchildren, even if by a little.


    The calls didn''t stop in both human capitals and Abyss capitals. Their natures, however, was vastly different.


    The story of the ''gifts'' leaked and public pressured the government to release the information of the sender.


    The government also disclosed the name on the note.


    It was a simple word. Yet it shook every human to the core.


    Dreamer.

 Chapter 135 - Sarah Albert

    <h4>Chapter 135 - Sarah Albert</h4>


    "This is an unprecedented training opportunity. No, in fact, more than training, this is a blessing. " Evander announced. His lips were slightly curled up.


    Those familiar with him rubbed their eyes to check if they were hallucinating.


    They knew him too well. Before Pluto War, he was jovial and even a little carefree. At Level 8, nothing could change his content with status quo.


    However, after the war, the number of times he smiled could be counted on one hand.


    The audience to his address were Imperial Defense Academy cadets. They were mostly Level 4, and Level 5.. There were a few Level 3 and fewer Level 6.


    In the first row, the top 10 of the Amethyst list were seated. Charles Xander was naturally the first. Next to him was Williamson and the third was Sarah Albert.


    On the third row consisting of first years, Narcis Xander, Ryan Albert and Ryan were the first three.


    "We will be in apetition with other academies. Real time ranking list is also avable on meta. Imperial Defense Academy shouldn''t fall behind. You must strengthen people''s confidence in us." He ended his brief speech, with that smile.


    Before he left, he nced at Sarah for a moment and nodded.


    ''I hope you can do well.'' That was his message. She could tell that much with her experience. After all, he rarely spoke to her after the war.


    "Sarah, are you going?" the brown-haired boy next to her suddenly asked.


    He was Williamson. Second in Amethyst List. Third Year Cadet. Level 6 Macrokinesis. The son of Adventure Guild''s vice leader and a pride of Imperial Academy.


    "I think she''s too depressed after someone''s death." Charles chimed in. There was a smirk on his face as he watched her face grimace.


    Sarah clenched her fist and with force, moved her gaze away from Charles. She looked at William''s eager gaze and finally shook her head. "I have other things to do."


    "I''ve heard what happened. Deaths are very normal. You should have already moved on." Wim said. Unlike Charles, he was genuinely worried.


    Sarah shed a strong smile at him. "I''ve moved on already. I really have important missions to do." Her tone at the end was assertive and even Wiim knew he had to stop.


    "Tsk. This is funny. What can be more important than representing our academy? Wait, it''s your father''s academy, anyway? Crying over the death of your little lov¡ª?!"


    Shuaa!


    Charles caught the ice de that was about to pierce his throat and gulped, mostly in shock at her audacity.


    "Don''t be so full of yourself. Maybe you''ll get your ass kicked one day." her voice echoed and Sarah was nowhere to be found.


    "Tch. That bitch! Even though you''re talented, you''re a dual awakener. You''ll never be a Sovereign." Charles snorted with disdain.


    "And me, with my talent, one day, I will surpass even my father." He crushed the ice de and disappeared.


    William looked at the other students, looking at the scene in confusion and facepalmed.


    "Aren''t we supposed to be setting an example of unity?" A feeling of defeat spread through him.


    ''It always came down to this.'' He signalled for the adventure team members among the students to follow.


    He could not help everyone, but he would help those in his capacity and the priority was, of course, people from the same organization.


    Soon, the students left the auditorium.


    On their way back to Aura Well, one of the three Semi-Artifacts of the Academy, Ryan suddenly asked.


    "What if that trash suddenly appears?"


    Narcis was reying the recording of Charles''s ''One day, I will even surpass my father.'' with a furious gaze.


    He was distracted by the question and frowned. "Huh?"


    "That rank one. What if he is not dead and teleported to somewhere else?" Ryan thought back to the unyielding look in the eyes of Varian.


    Despite himself, he felt Varian''s death was a pity.


    "He better be dead." Narcisughed it off and replied. "There is an expulsion notice waiting for him."


    Ryan shrugged it off and got to the main point. "When are you taking the mission?"


    Ryan was Evander''s nephew and Sarah''s cousin.


    Since Sarah was a dual awakener, he was expected to be the Sovereign. Sarah was neglected by their Sovereign grandfather while Ryan got all the attention.


    That led to his pampering.


    He came to believe that he was destined to be a Sovereign.


    Of course, any Sovereign at his age was much stronger than he was, but everyone close to him were too scared to confront him on the truth.


    Anyone who dared to speak the truth was branded ''jealous'' by him and killed.


    So he had only one friend. Narcis.


    "Mission? I am nning to break into the 30thyer of Aura well and advance to Level 4. Then I can kill all I want." Narcis grinned smugly.


    Of course, he had the right to be proud. Most of the first years were still Level 2 and would take a while to advance to Level 3. On the other hand, he was taking a great leap ahead.


    "Damn! 30th Layer? It''ll take me a while to get there. But I too will be advancing soon." Ryan nodded, and they reached a gigantic well.


    *** *** ***


    "Miss, your father would be disappointed." A middle-aged woman in French maid costume bowed at Sarah, checking some files on herm.


    "Are you trying to say I''m making the wrong choice, Aunt Anna?" Sarah separated a few files and asked without looking up.


    "No. I''m just informing you. I''m sure whatever decision you make, it''d be after thinking through." Anna replied with confidence.


    Sarah stopped her search and looked at Anna for a moment before she resumed her work.


    A small smile broke out on her face.


    Silence ensued for a while until Sarah''s excited voice broke it.


    "Finally, I''ve almost found them." Sarah clenched her fist.


    "Pardon?"


    "Traitors!" Sarah sprung to her feet and hugged Anna. "I''ve found the traitors. I can find who is targeting me and who is responsible for his death."


    "Miss, you could just inform your father." Anna clutched her forehead.


    Sarah''s smile receded, and she vehemently shook her head. "He has important things. Besides, the best support he can lend me is a Level 7 Awakener. But don''t I have a Level 8 super cool maid with me already?"


    Anna rolled her eyes. "I will stop you if it gets too dangerous."


    "Sure." Sarah didn''t mind.


    When every top student in the academy nned to go out, she chose to weed out the traitors.


    Her eyes shone with a dangerous glint.


    ''Whoever is behind this¡­ I''ming for you.''

 Chapter 136 - Kyle

    <h4>Chapter 136 - Kyle</h4>


    A normal hideout, Chad Dungeon:


    The hideout building was tattered and a small scale battle was going on.


    Level 3 Abyssals and human awakeners of equal level fought, with humans asserting their dominance.


    "Fire!" A passionate cry sounded.


    What followed was a screeching sound and a metal suit shook.


    "Fire!" The cry sounded again, with less passion and a bit of fear.


    Screech!


    The ck metal fully body suit without anyone inside shone with a red light, and raised its arm¡­before its arm copsed down.


    "Fire!" The cry was desperate this time..


    Screech!


    The metal suit shook and copsed on the ground.


    A teenager knelt on the ground and touched the metal head with trembling hands.


    "Heyd, don''t worry too much." A middle-aged adventurer patted the thin young man on the shoulder and turned to his team.


    "Fire Bois, take cover. Hey you, block the space at proper times, will ya? Our client lost a rtive to Abyssals. He wants twenty heads." He co-ordinated his team and they swiftly took down the Level 3 Abyssals.


    The middle-aged adventurer was a Level 4 Extreme Awakener. He brought his team to the hideout for practice.


    Kyle also tagged along. Of course, his level was too low to fight. But what he wanted was to test his new weapon in progress.


    A full body suit that could exhibit fighting prowess of a Level 3 awakener and theoretically, could scale up to a Sovereign.


    But it failed. For the eleventh time.


    "Haaa~" Kyle sighed and gathered his damaged body suit back into his space ring.


    "Bro, why the fuck did you die?" He patted the dust on his body and muttered.


    "Thanks, cap." He waved at the captain and big his farewell.


    "No probs. Besides, you improvised my star treasures, no?" The captain grinned.


    The adventure team set off to the next hideout in haste.


    The number of hideouts, however great, were ultimately limited. Thus, an intensionpetition erupted among all participants.


    What could they expect when even students of Defense Academy joined the fun?


    "I thought I would see you in this mission." Kyle muttered as he walked to the exit of the dungeon.


    He didn''t return to Academy of Sciences. Instead, he visited a graveyard on the outskirts of pearl city.


    He bowed in front of a tombstone with an epitaph: "Combat madman. Caring friend. A great human."


    In small fonts, a line was added at the end: "Died single. Still a virgin."


    Kyle read thest line and chuckled. "Bro, you''ll be so mad if you see this line. It''s my idea¡­"


    He looked at the tomb and smiled brightly. "So tell me to erase it. Just tell me once. I will remove it."


    His voice shook, and he said again. "Please¡­ you don''t want everyone to know that you never dated, right? Talk to me once¡­ and I''ll era¡ª."


    He paused as he felt something salty on his lips. As he touched his lips, he realized his cheeks were wet.


    But he still tried to smile.


    He remembered how Varian would never give up, no matter the odds.


    ''I will try to be strong. I will try to smile. I will¡ª'' He looked at the tomb and seemed to see Varian carrying his dying body to the spaceship during the entrance.


    He copsed and knelt in front of the tomb. "I''m not that strong. I can''t smile."


    His smile copsed, and his eyes reddened.


    "I am making a special weapon. It will be super powerful." Kyle took out the broken metal suit.


    He showed it to the tomb, exined its specs and then awkwardly smiled. "It''s still not working properly. But I promise it will."


    He bowed his head and gripped the armor. "I will avenge you."


    A warmth enveloped him and Maya''s voice rang in his ears. "I miss him."


    "Hm." Kyle nodded lightly. His body was shaking.


    "I always wanted a sibling¡­ he is that elder brother." Her voice turned weaker and ended in a whimper.


    "Ha.." Kyle''s voice also shivered.


    "But why¡­" Her tears dripped on his face as she hugged him tighter.


    "Kyle, please don''t do anything reckless. I don''t want to lose you too." Maya pleaded.


    "I''m sorry¡­" Kyle gently pushed her off and grabbed the ck armor.


    "Mom knew something about his death. She said the traitors must be high awakeners. I can never reach that level myself¡­" He tightened his grip on the armor. "If I can make this thing, I can avenge him. I will do it, no matter how long it takes."


    He looked at Maya''s tear stricken face and sighed. "I cannot spend time with you like before. I don''t want to drag you." He paused and saw her eyes widening.


    But he still bit the bullet and said. "So if you want to stop our rtionship, you can."


    Maya stared at him in shock and as his words slowly sunk in, her face contorted in rage.


    "Kyle!"


    p!


    She pped him and stormed out.


    Kyle nced at the sky and headed to hisb.


    *** *** ***


    An inconspicuous young man was walking on the pedestrian path.


    The aura he emitted was? level 1 paek and he looked to be around 18 years old.


    The most remarkable feature about him was that there was nothing remarkable.


    Average face. Average body. Average temperament. He was the kind of person that would get lost in a crowd.


    "Hey, little brother!" The young man turned to the woman calling out and pointed to himself.


    "Yes you! We''re throwing a party. It''s on the house. Join quickly!" The energetic woman said cheerfully.


    "Ah¡­" Why was she so excited, anyway?


    "Come on! There is even meat of Level 2 magic beasts. It will be very beneficial." She held his arm and pulled him into a famous pub, dispelling any worries that it could be a shady scam.


    "Two demon rabbit roasts. And a blue shot." She ordered and sat him down across arge round table. Around fifty people were seated across the table and it was extremely lively, err, noisy.


    "Have fun." She smiled and walked off.


    ''What fun can I even have¡­'' He thought when a smooth arm tugged at his sleeve.


    A girl, around 20, smiled at him and said. "The owner of this pub cleared 5 hideouts. That''s why this party."


    The young man scratched his cheek. "Um, I can understand the excitement, but why this splurge?"


    His question elicited a few light-heartedughters.


    "You don''t know what''s gonna happen, do you?" A boy around his own age, with a confident aura, asked him.


    "No?" The young man shook his head. ''Was he a prophet or what?''


    "Once we take control of the hideouts, dungeons be incredibly safe." The boy stretched out a finger and smirked.


    The girl added, "That''s right! We have the surveince in ce. Even Level 1s can go in and train without worry. Almost all emergencies can be reported to the adventurers before they turn fatal."


    ''Ah!'' The young man nodded.


    Indeed, if Level 1s could be informed before a Level 2es to their area, they could save their lives.


    At the same time, murders in the dungeons can be detected and will be punished. So adventurers need not fear about other humans.


    This was actually the biggest benefit, even more than the former.


    It would save so many lives!


    If the same technology can be implemented in Mid and High dungeons, then a revolution would take ce in the way dungeons operated.


    Everymon person would benefit!


    "Also, treasures of dungeons can be found early on." The girl chuckled.


    "Then who will they belong to? The government?" The young man frowned.


    "No. That''d cause bacsh. The government is trying to form fairws that could ensure opportunity to everyone. The end goal is to give everyone a chance without casualties." The boy spoke.


    The men and women across the table, mostly young, nodded.


    "It''s nice." The young man coughed like he was embarrassed.


    Perhaps he was feeling ashamed that he couldn''t think of these possibilities.


    "Hahaha!" The boyughed and said. "Don''t worry fam, I too only knew this after my uncle in adventure guild told me."


    "Yes. But one thing is certain, our lives will change. We will have more opportunities." The girl said and raised her ss.


    "Wherever you are, whoever you are, Dreamer, thank you for your gift. To the dreamer." She gulped down her drink.


    "To the dreamer." The rest followed suit, except for the young man.


    Realizing that all eyes were on him, he, too, raised his ss and gritted his teeth.


    With much difficulty, the actual ''dreamer'' said.


    "To the dreamer."

 Chapter 137 - A Familiar Person

    <h4>Chapter 137 - A Familiar Person</h4>


    Varian wobbled out of the bar with a tipsy face, and after a few minutes he reached into a remote ce, disappearing altogether.


    He sat in the ship''s cabin as he removed his disguise. His tipsy look was gone, and he threw the disguise aside.


    Along with explosives, there were also disguise items of Shadow Order in the hideouts.


    "Host surveince is controlled. It would appear that you hailed a cab and went out of the city." Boo controlled the omnipresent cameras and dered.


    "You''re very helpful." Varian smiled.


    Indeed, even though it couldn''t fight anymore, Boo was a veritable AI, and it showed its prowess..


    "Hoho. That is, Of course." Boo puffed its chest and replied.


    Varian shook his head and thought of his ns.


    ''It would take a week for this mission to end. But its consequences¡­ I hope I don''t end up making things worse.''


    The youngsters in the bar seemed excited. They talked about their favorite institutions, their career ns, and their ideal lives.


    There was one thingmon, however.


    In fact, the youngsters were first enraged that government hid about the


    assassinations and hideouts.


    But the rage was quickly drowned by their brightened prospects.


    As he listened to their chatter of people nearly his age, Varian realized he couldn''t mingle with them.


    He was past that point already. Past dreaming. He was now pursuing those dreams.


    ''If this happened when I was still a kid, then mom would''ve sent me to Dungeon and I could''ve awakened this stupid system.'' His lips curled as he imagined the what if?


    ''I''m sure she''d be darn proud if she knows I am this strong at 18. If I remember correctly, my dad was a Level 3.''


    Then his smile receded as he closed his eyes.


    ''I guess some things are just destined to be. What can I do is cherish the people I have.''


    He retrieved his brokenm. It still retained a few basic functions. Contact list was one of them.


    He picked a few names in the contacts. Kyle. Maya. Gareth. Seth and Sarah.


    He nced at thest two names a bit longer. He didn''t know them long enough, but he felt he could trust them.


    ''Sarah¡­ did she reveal that I''m a dual awakener?'' He hoped she didn''t. But somehow, he also wanted her to confess that to Seth.


    ''Whatever, I''ll deal with it after I return.''


    He swiped the contacts to Boo and said, "Send them the message ''I''m alive. I''ll contact you soon.'' After they watch it, delete the message and make sure it is encrypted."


    "Yes, boss!" Boo finished the task in no time and received the head pat with a smile.


    Why did a spaceship AI like head pat? Varian had no idea. Its old owner apparently didn''t like Boo. Perhaps that''s why.


    "I want to try a Mid Dungeon. Pick the nearest one."


    The ghost ship slowly elerated, and Varian nced out of the window.


    Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he yelled. "Stop! Stop!"


    Boom!


    If not for the stealth system, everyone in the street would''ve heard an air st.


    Varian''s finger trembled as he pointed to a fat man walking down the street, hugging two women left and right.


    He gulped down and said, "Follow him!"


    The ghost ship stalked the fat man to a hotel. It was a 3 star hotel with sixty floors.


    Using Boo''s hacking capability, and spaceship''s extraordinary stealth, Varian sneaked into the fat man''s room.


    He looked to be around forty years and sported a beer belly.


    He smiled lewdly at the nakeddies as they undressed him.


    The air was turning sultry and the fat man was about to begin his ''battle'' when¡ª


    Zap!


    Zap!


    Zap!


    Three lightning arcs stuck their necks, and they fainted right away.


    Varian walked up to the fat man and observed him closely.


    "Master, do you have THAT kind of habit?" Boo suddenly said, as it closed its face in shyness.


    "What habit?" Varian shot back reflexively, before realizing he was looking at three nude bodies.


    He was so focused on recognizing the man that he neglected the state they were in.


    "Will you order Boo to infiltrate and peep on other people?"


    ''Don''t get angry. Don''t get angry.'' Varian breathed in and calmed the urge to mute off Boo.


    "Shut up! I know this man." Varian covered the fat man with a bedsheet and took him into the spaceship.


    Boo looked at them and covered its mouth. Its white cheeks flushed and it looked like it wanted to say something.


    Veins popped up on Varian''s forehead and he growled. "Stop that dirty mind of yours. I am a straight man. I like women. Period."


    "Now, find everything about this guy."


    The ghost ship got out of the hotel and Boo soon found the information of the fat man, Robert Lewis.


    A peak Level 2 Earth Awakener from Dungeon Bureau. This was the bastard that oversaw his mother''s case.


    He informed Varian that the fire wolf ate her corpse and hence he couldn''t give her a proper burial.


    But this was also the same man who told him the fire wolf died a minute after her death.


    It didn''t make sense.


    But one year ago, Varian was too devastated to notice the facies.


    The System''s words during the beginning revealed that there was something secretive about her death.


    [In fact, it wouldn''t matter even if you were a Level 2. She would still die. You would still lie.]


    "Boo, create a disposable room. I don''t want to dirty the ship."


    Soon, Varian found himself standing in the newly constructed room. His lips slowly curled up, and he threw the body in hand into the air.


    "Hold this guy."


    "Yes."


    A blue light kept the fat man standing. Varian loosened his fist and raised his hand.


    p!


    Crack!


    "Argh!" the fat man howled as he spat out blood and ten teeth.


    "Who!" He bellowed as tears welled up in his eyes. All he could see was the blurry figure of a teenager in a strange blue room.


    "I am Dungeon Bureau''s seventh division chief! You will die!" He growled as his vision cleared.


    Looks like he got a promotion. Varian recalled he was only a normal supervisor.


    p!


    Crack!


    His other cheek bone also broke and the fat man was sent flying as he crashed to the ground.


    "Sp..ikes!" He spoke with difficulty and two earth spikes shot at Varian.


    "Tsk." Varian snorted in disdain and snapped his finger.


    Zap!


    A single lightning arc turned the earthen spikes to ash.


    Looking at the ease with which Varian handled his attacks, the fat man realized their disparity.


    His face paled, and he kneeled.


    "P-w¡­ ease, don''t hwit. I''ll do anything." He had trouble speaking with broken cheek bones and lost teeth.


    Looking at the pathetic sight, Varian recalled the scene he buried deep inside.


    ***


    A/N: Seeking constructive criticism. Please give a review of what you liked and disliked. I want to improve the quality of the story. Your help is needed. Thank you.

 Chapter 138 - A Demon

    <h4>Chapter 138 - A Demon</h4>


    40th, 7th, 519.


    It was a few days after her death.


    ''Please. Can you at least retrieve her remains? I want to give her a proper burial.''


    ''Fuck off! The wolf is already cremated.'' The fat man waved his hand.


    The 17-year-old Varian still followed him persistently. ''Sir, is there anything she said during herst before she died.''


    The fat man paused for a moment and nced at the desperate teenager.


    Not even an awakened. This teenager was destined to be a trash.


    ''Yes. She said something.'' The fat man nodded.


    ''What?! Please tell me.'' Young Varian asked, no, pleaded.


    The fat man walked up to the teenager and Young Varian leaned down.


    The fat man whispered into his ear. ''Don''t tell anyone I said this, okay?''


    Young Varian nodded desperately. ''Yes. I won''t reveal to another soul.''


    His tone turned serious. ''Swear on your dead mom.''


    ''Pardon?''


    ''It''s a secret and I might be affected by doing this. So swear on your dead mom.''


    Young Varian closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. ''Yes. I swear on my mom that I''ll never reveal your words.''


    The fat man smiled¡­.mockingly and said word by word. ''She said, ''My son is a coward. He froze in fear. I hope he never enters Dungeons and stays safe forever.''


    Thud.


    Young Varian copsed onto his knees as he clutched his hair. Tears dripped on the ground and he wailed.


    Hearing these words right after losing her¡­ crushed him.


    He indulged himself in fighting and distracted himself by forgetting that scene.


    Yes, he forgot about it.


    But his subconscious didn''t.


    It etched itself deeply into his heart and soul, tearing him apart.


    *** ***


    p!


    p!


    The fat man cowered as his cheeks werepletely bloodied. He looked at the demon disguised as a teenager in fear.


    Crunch!


    "Argggh!"


    Varian crushed and snapped off a finger of fat man as he rolled on the ground in pain.


    "Arrgh!"


    Crunch!


    "Argggh!"


    After crushing the second finger, Varian smiled gently and said. "You son of a bitch! You will tell me everything I ask without omissions or I''ll crush your fingers one by one, heal you back and repeat it until your mind breaks and you go insane from the torture. Am I clear?"


    The fat man nodded at the devil''s words. No. He tried to nod, but his head was too weak.


    The ps knocked the living lights out of him and he saw the world in a blur.


    "Y..es." He whimpered as blood flowed from his nose and cheeks, painted his face in blood.


    "Good." Varian smiled in satisfaction and brought the picture of a woman.


    Her blue hair flowed down to her waist, and her red eyes were full of kindness. She was a beautiful woman.


    Varian smiled at her picture and then turned back to the fat man.


    "Do you remember her?"


    The fat man peered through the blood that dripped into his eyes. He tried to think hard, but couldn''t recall her.


    He got a promotionst year, and he started to indulge. With greater power and resources, he lived his dream life every day. The two women were his ''gifts''.


    How could he remember Amanda Konstant?


    Varian saw the fat man staying still and smiled once again.


    He raised his leg, and with little force, kicked him.


    Boom!


    The fat man felt like he was hammered as he puked out blood and crashed to the ground.


    "Uargh!" He felt like his ribs were broken and his intestines were crushed.


    Even though it was only a small force for Varian, it was too much for a Level 2 Earth Awakener.


    Varian grabbed the fat man by the hair and dragged him to her picture. He whispered. "Late night of 36th, 7th, 519. Fire Wolf killed a woman, or that''s what your reports say. Remember?"


    The fat man''s eyes were lost for a second before he shuddered violently.


    He recalled his reason for promotion and felt that karma finally caught up to him.


    "You¡­ you¡­." He tried to say something, but looking at those cold, merciless eyes that shone with hatred, he could only gulp down and nod.


    "How did she really die? Why was I not even allowed to see the fire wolf''s corpse?" Varian tightened his grip on the fat man''s scalp.


    It soon turned unbearable as the fat man thrashed against the ground and whimpered.


    "Tell me the truth." Varian paused.


    "T-that''s the truth."


    p!


    Varian held his scalp and pped him. This time, the force was much louder and the fat man''s body literally rotated.


    He didn''t stop there, and a golden light shed.


    Zap!


    "Arrggh!" The lighting burned his skin, roasted his flesh and charred his bones.


    The howls didn''t stop for a while.


    "Boo, heal him."


    A blue light shed and a healing potion was poured onto the almost roasted body.


    Varian raised his finger, and a golden arc crackled on it.


    "Wa..it¡­ I will tell y¡ª." The fat man pleaded, but all he got was a feast of lightning.


    The healing potion kept him alive, but the lightning coursing through every inch of his body made him wish he was dead.


    "Wa..it"


    Zap!


    "P¡­ lea.se!"


    Zap! Zap!


    "A-st-.."


    Zap! Zap! Zap!


    Even if he tried to confess, the lightnings only increased.


    It seemed less like an interrogation and more like a torture.


    It was.


    Varian''s smile only grew brighter as he shot arc after arc of lightning.


    Boo stood in the corner of the spaceship and nced at its master like it was introduced to him for the first time.


    Even though it was a holographic body, it still trembled.


    ''I should not piss him off¡­''


    ZZZap!


    Finally, Varian stopped. Looking at the living flesh in front of him, his smile receded.


    He said. "I want to do this all day, but you seemed to be saying something."


    The charred flesh tried to open its mouth, but no sound came out.


    "Boo, give this thing a better healing potion."


    "YES!!"


    Boo hurriedly retrieved one of the rarer healing potions they found in the hideouts and administered it to the¡­ thing.


    The fat man winced as his dying consciousness was surfaced to life.


    Every fibre of his body was crackling with lightning and he could no longer feel his limbs.


    The worst was the pain. Every nook and corner of his body was burning and the searing pain pushed him to say those words, regardless of the consequence.


    "Astor¡­ butler." He uttered and tried to open his eyes. That was all he knew, but he tried to speak more. He was quickly running out of energy.


    In fact, even uttering those words felt like hell.


    The demon said, "I see. That''s all you know, right?"


    He nodded, or at least tried to as his face moved only lightly.


    "What do you want now? Another healing potion? Or¡­ hehehe," The demon''s voice was bone chilling.


    He found the energy deep within him and muttered. "K.kill me¡­ please."


    He remembered the demon was the teenager from back then. The one he unknowingly crushed and sought pleasure in his misery.


    Somehow, he went from an unawakened to overpowering him in a mere year.


    After what he had done, there was no way this demon would not make his life a hell.


    A 18 or 20-year-old Level 3 would soon reach a level much higher than him and that''d push his life, both professional and personal, into hell.


    After living the life of a king for the past year, he didn''t want to live as a ve.


    Plus, the pain at the moment was also pushing him to the brink of insanity.


    So¡­


    "K¡­ ill me."


    Shuaa!


    A huge lightning bolt shot at the corpse and exploded it to pieces.


    Varian didn''t give a fuck and turned back to Boo. "Dispose this room. I want to take a nice clean bath. This blood is disgusting me. Also, find their info."


    "Yes, sir!"


    Varian cleaned himself thrice as he calmed down.


    Meanwhile, Boo collected the information as asked.


    (Astor n.


    First ss. Only under Prime Families.


    The head of the Astor n is an Intermediate General of Earth Army ¡ª at least Mid Level 9.


    The members of their n ount for at least 10% of the high-ranking posts of Earth. They run the famous ''Sacred Halls'', one of the leading training halls.


    They are also rumored to have a close connection with a Sovereign.


    Recent News:


    Their allies, Martin n, which specializes in medicine, had its secret forme stolen. They were spread to its rivals and sold in the ck market.


    Martin n stands on the brink of a financial copse.


    The day after, it lost twenty Level 7s raiding a High Dungeon. It was a heavy blow.


    Another close ally, the Ganbold n, which specializes in mining rare minerals, also faced catastrophe.


    Its mines were destroyed by Shadow Order activists. The Level 8 Vice Family head was killed.


    ¡­.


    As he browsed through the strange news, one article caught his interest.


    ''Astor n''s servants were killed in an ident. They are now looking for new servants. At least Level 2 to apply. If you perform well, you can join the n and change your surname.''


    Varian snapped his fingers.


    "Let''s go!"


    ***


    A/N: Seeking constructive criticism. Please give a review of what you liked and disliked. I want to improve the quality of the story. Your help is needed. Thank you.

 Chapter 139 - Rat

    <h4>Chapter 139 - Rat</h4>


    Imperial Defense Academy was unnaturally silent.


    The corridors where third years discussed their enlistment and choice of service were almost empty.


    In the vast campus, cadets were only seen in the training facilities.


    Of course, this was the case for third years and a significant portion of second years.


    Most of the first years were still going about their routine.


    Common sses for general, yet important knowledge continued. Recently, they were taught about the survival guide in case one was lost in a Dungeon alone.


    The tactics a cadet could employ in such a situation: Using beast cores to hunt an enemy, mastering various herbs to produce targeted baits and basic repair in case their cadetm was damaged.


    Then came the Special sses. The instructors already exined what they could about the specific divine paths. Since most were Level 2, and a few were level 3, even with detailed exnations, it took little time.


    All that was left was training.


    Body Path Instructor took their students to various dungeons, mirror Abysses and other training facilities.


    The students were taught to work in teams while they trained for their desired path.


    For instance, some focused on controlling their senses so that when they reached Level 4, they would awaken in Controller Path.


    Thebat sses were the highlight of the day. More and more duels were held.


    Narcis, Ryan and Adir were the undisputed top three. They were inching closer to level 4.


    On a positive note, regardless of their level, every student''sbat experience surged.


    But they were still flowers in the greenhouse. After all, their only real danger was the entrance test.


    So with increasingbat power, their confidence rose and, first years began to pick more and more missions.


    This wasmon every year. It would not be a problem since they would choose the famous dungeons and raid them.


    Only this time, the dungeons were overcrowded. With almost every eligible awakener trying to clear the hideouts, going to Low Dungeons now was a thankless task.


    So the Vice Coordinator of the Missions'' Hall was facing a huge headache. In such a short amount of time, how could he find the substitute missions?


    d in ck suit and matching trousers, he nced at the dwindling missions. Then he focused his attention on the message sent by the Dreamer.


    {This key can grant you ess to any hideout. The production process is encoded on the back. I hope you make good use of it.


    I am giving you the power you didn''t dream. Show me fellow humans, are you worth saving?


    ¡ª Dreamer}


    "Does this guy really think he is a hero?" Anwir gnashed his teeth. "He must be a lucky ass who got some artifact or something. These bastards are too arrogant and make lives of people like me hard."


    Knock. Knock.


    "Come in." Anwir waved his hand in irritation.


    His female secretary stepped over and bowed lightly. "Sir, the Astor n agreed to your proposal. They would grant ess to their chain of inds with Level 3 beasts."


    "That relieves me." Anwir outwardly sighed.


    ''Of course they will. If only you knew they were collecting the data on these students for future use¡­''


    "What about the Martin and Ganbold ns? Our students can handsome benefits guarding their medical fields and mineral mines." Anwir raised an eyebrow.


    He spent almost the entire week with his lovely daughter and was disconnected from the outside world. He celebrated her birthday for a week. What''s wrong with that?


    However, he still remembered pitching the missions from the three ns before his leave.


    ''Martin n would secretly test their medicine on an unlucky few, and Ganbold would post missions to explore new, risky areas in the mines. That''s not my concern, however.''


    "Sir¡­ Martin and Ganbold n¡­." The secretary''s ample chest heaved up and down, pulling the attention of Anwir.


    ''Damn, hussy!'' He was about to p her for trying this cheap trick when he found sweat rolling down her forehead.


    ''She''s incredibly nervous. Did something happen in thest week for them to reject my proposal?''


    "Sir, Martin and Ganbold ns are no longer first ss forces." The secretary''s voice was still unconvinced. She, too, didn''t want to believe those words.


    "What?!" Anwir mmed his table as he red at her. A red light shone on his hand as he growled. "Who the fuck are you joking with?"


    The pressure of a Level 7 Fire Awakener descended onto the secretary. The heat didn''t burn her clothes, but directly assaulted her skin.


    Blisters were formed in a moment, and her blood evaporated before it could ssh on the floor.


    "Arrgh¡­ S-Sir, check¡­ the news. " She copsed onto the floor and pleaded.


    Anwir paused, and the temperature cooled down. Without caring about the woman that cried in pain, he checked the news.


    {Martin n stands on the brink of a financial copse¡­.


    Ganbold n faces an unprecedented catastrophe¡­}


    Anwir slumped in his chair as his world came crashing down.


    "No¡­" He clutched his hair and saw the kneeling secretary in front.


    The unwillingness turned to rage, and he pped the air.


    Pa!


    A fire palm smashed her to the ground as she twitched in pain. Her skin was dissolving and her breathing was growing shallow.


    Anwir knew he couldn''t actually kill her, but fuck it.


    "Sp-a..re."


    No. He needed to vent.


    As another giant fire palm was about to strike her down, a change urred.


    The temperature plummeted, and Anwir felt his body freezing up.


    "Garh." He tried to activate his Fire Body and warm himself, but to no avail.


    He only saw two women, one young and one middle-aged, standing at the door before he passed out.


    "Argh¡­ help¡­"


    Listening to the grunts of the half-burnt woman, Sarah sighed and took out a healing potion.


    Before she could step forward, Anna took the lead and administered the medicine.


    In addition to the healing liquid, there was also a strong anesthesia.


    Anna looked at Sarah''s puzzled face and chuckled. "We came here secretively. It''s better to not let her leak anything until everything is over."


    Even though Sarah didn''t like confining another person''s freedom, she felt it was the right course of action.


    Soon after, they took a secret passage and returned to Sarah''s mansion. It had all sorts of living and training facilities.


    The one that elicited the most envy being the aura concentration. It was three times as higher than normal.


    Of course, only the top 10 of the Amethyst List were given such a residence.


    After locking the injured woman with a care taking AI, they reached the basement of the mansion.


    Anna threw Anwir''s body to the ground and her hand glowed blue.


    Shuaa!


    An ice whip materialized andshed on the injured man.


    "Arggh!"


    As Anwir slowly opened his eyes, a merciless voice greeted him.


    "Anwir, who did you reveal myst mission''s information to?"

 Chapter 140 - Sarahs Target

    <h4>Chapter 140 - Sarah''s Target</h4>


    "Arrggh",


    There was no answer. Only a howl of resistance.


    The man writhed on the ground in pain as the ice whip pierced his injured abdomen.


    "Hiss!"


    The bone chilling coldness was unbearable, to say the least. Before it could freeze him to death, his body glowed in red and he used his ''Fire Body''.


    Shuaa!


    From head to toe, mes covered him, and he turned from a human to a living torch.


    This form was only essible from Level 7 and was usually enough to ward off any cold.


    Shuaa!


    But not enough against an overwhelmingly superior Water Awakener.


    An ice barrier wrapped around his zing body and quelled the unruly fire.


    Anwir''s resistance was futile as he found himself powerless. Be it in absolute mana control or the amount of mana, he was a far cry from the woman in maid uniform.


    He had to finally acknowledge the ufortable truth. Even with every trick in his sleeve, he wouldn''t be able to escape her palm.


    Then it was better to give them what they want. Of course, that''d be in exchange for his own safety.


    "Anwir, who nned my assassination?" Sarah repeated, her gaze narrowing in on the man''s struggling, yet clear eyes.


    He was still restrained in the ice barrier; he was still in agony, but he didn''t yield.


    "Drop me at an address and I''ll tell you." He hissed as the ice spikes entered his body and sent literal chills. But his tone allowed no negotiation.


    Sarah was new to this line of work and scowled. "If you don''t tell, I''ll have you killed."


    "Hahaha!" Anwirughed like a madman despite him shivering in the cold.


    He wasn''t like the fat man who easily gave in to pain and confessed the truth.


    A Level 7 Awakener was someone who stood at the top of the pyramid. To climb there, barring extreme luck, endless effort and hardship were necessary. A Level 7 was a high awakener, the backbone of the army.


    Their mental fortitude was much tougher and normal interrogations wouldn''t budge them.


    ''Normal'' interrogations, of course.


    "Aunt Anna, decrease the temperat¡ª" Sarah turned to her maid in anger.


    Anna''s blue eyes nced at Sarah as she shook her head. "Leave this to me, miss. You''ll need some time to get used to these dealings."


    Sarah bit her lip in frustration. Despite her being a Level 6, she was barely 20 years old.


    She could ughter magic beasts and massacre Abyssals. But dealing with humans, especially something like interrogation wasn''t her forte.


    It was also the reason she did the stupid mistake during her previous mission. She stayed in proximity of the captives during questioning and had to face the bombings at point nk range.


    "I''ll leave it to you, then." Sarah took a deep breath and walked to the distance.


    Anna slowly turned back to Anwir, and her kind smile turned into a cold sneer.


    Anwir shivered, not out of cold this time, but out of fear.


    This woman was different from the still inexperienced Sarah. He could bargain with thetter, but not this one.


    "Anwir Ostwell. Age 56. Level 7. Brought up and raised in Kadha slum. You entered the Imperial Defense Academy and tutored under a Level 8 Awakener." Anna nced into his eyes as she emotionlessly spoke.


    "Wait.. wait.." Anwir gulped as he tried to speak, but the ice barrier surrounding him suddenly thickened and the sounds out of his throat turned into whimpers.


    It wasn''t as if she knew everything. She didn''t know the name of the Level 8 Awakener. She didn''t know what transpired between him getting out of the slum and getting into the academy. She certainly didn''t know who was backing him.


    But¡­


    "You are a selfish individual. But you married the girl from your slum and you have kids. The eldest one is a colonel and is stationed on Mars space station. The second one is less talented and married a tycoon."


    Anwir''s eyes widened, and he stared at her in fear. ''No more. Please. That''s all you know. That''s all everyone knows.''


    Anna''s lips curled into a cold smile and she said with thick killing intent. "Your wife was killed by your enemies a few years ago, but she left you a child. Now she''s only 16 years old and you love her the most."


    "Haa!" Anwir''s heart stopped for a moment before he violently thrashed against the floor.


    He channeled his fire mana, activated his fire body and burst out the strongest fire attacks he could.


    Shuaa!


    Shuaa!


    The ice barrier started to melt, and Anwir''s eyes shone with joy. He looked up at Anna''s eyes only to see the mocking look in her eyes.


    Boom!


    "Kuh!"


    Two impossibly cold ice walls crushed him like he was a human sandwich and broke nearly every bone in his torso.


    "Please¡­ she is innocent." Anwir pleaded.


    Anna''s emotionless face distorted with rage. "So is my young miss. So is the woman you nearly burnt to death. You hypocrite! Aren''t their lives?"


    Anwir turned silent.


    Anna returned to her icy tone. "I have a friend in the Athena Branch. She updates me on your youngest''s real time address. If you tell me what I want, I''ll not touch her. I know you won''t trust my promise, but you have no choice."


    Anwir gritted his teeth and nced at Sarah in the distance with a pitiful face.


    Sarah''s eyes shed with a myriad of emotions before she finally shook her head and red back at him.


    There was no mercy in her eyes. Only hatred.


    "You are responsible for your actions. Loving a person doesn''t justify killing others." Sarah''s stern tone surprised even Anna.


    ''Young Miss, you are growing ruthless. Miss would have been proud.'' She smiled for a brief moment before she turned back to Anwir.


    "Don''t even think of leaving this ce alive. What you should be thinking is would you like your children to follow you to grave or will you let them live in peace?" Anna''s words were like steel arrows that pierced his final hopes.


    Anwir closed his eyes as tears flooded his face. He recalled his wife''s final words as she handed him theirst child. The child that looked like her.


    ''An, take care of her.''


    "Astor''s Vice head¡­" He muttered with a struggling voice. "He asked me to monitor Sarah. I know he was going to assassinate her, but I didn''t know they were affiliated with Shadow Order and the Abyssals. I¡­ really didn''t know."


    "And?"


    "They wanted me to send cadets to train them in the Sea Abyss. Truth is, they''re using them as a coverup. There is going to be an important meeting on the Dreamer. That''s all I know."


    Anna squinted at his motionless body. He wasn''t even trying to struggle anymore.


    "Please¡­ keep your promise and send her somewhere safe. They will kill her after realizing I leaked their information." He muttered.


    "Of course." Sarah nodded from the side, and Anna sighed. "Fine."


    Shuaa!


    An Ice spear pierced his skull and ended his life.


    Anna dusted her hands, and she smiled at Sarah. "Young Miss, his answer is the same as that of the Residence''s Security Captain. Unless they corroborated, Astor''s are the main culprit."


    Sarah nodded.


    The Security Captain was the one that reported her movements in and out of her mansion. The Mission Hall Supervisor was the one that knew the exact mission she took.


    These two were responsible for the information leak.


    "Then we can report this to your father." Anna spoke up, her voice persuasive.


    "No. Just ims won''t be sufficient. We need concrete evidence." Sarah responded strongly.


    Anna sighed like she saw thising. "So¡­"


    "Yes, we''ll find the evidence in their own residence. Their security would be the lowest during the meeting."


    "I knew it."

 Chapter 141 - Martin Clan

    <h4>Chapter 141 - Martin n</h4>


    With the creation of Human Alliance, all countries ceased to exist. There was only Earth.


    But for practical purposes,nds had to be named. Of course, the naming post-blink was unique.


    As the technology kicked off, distance of travels increased, but the time decreased. A normal person would travel a thousand miles daily.


    The world truly became a smaller ce.


    Thus, each city was massive, easily rivalling the size of a country.


    Even the 10thrgest country before blink wasposed of at most 50 cities.


    As a whole, Earth had 10,000 cities, big and small.


    The group of cities were called Clusters. There were around 100 clusters on Earth.


    Xanders were the undisputed leaders of Earth. Their influence was etched in every cluster.


    However, there were other powers as well. They wanted to be the local hegemon of their clusters.


    These powers shed, allied, and fought for the influence.


    Martin n, Ganbold n and Astor n exerted their influence over 25 such clusters each.


    Their alliance was strong, and intermarriages strengthened their bonds. The scariest thing was that they were still not at their peak.


    Each of these ns had a Level 9 that cemented their position as a first ss power.


    Their field of expertise was different. Officialdom, Medicine and Minerals. Everyone needed the other at some point.


    Thus, they not only didn''t sh, but instead developed a deep cooperation across their fields to form a robust ecosystem entrenching their dominance.


    With each generation gain more prominence than the previous, there were hopes that a Sovereign would be born from these powers.


    Particrly, the heirs and heiresses of the three ns were the hope.


    They were in theirte 20s and reached Level 7.


    Even across the sr system, it was a terrific record.


    The Sovereign of Earth and head of Xander Family¡ªJulius Xander and the Sovereign of Venus and Chief of Trade Union¡ªVianne Avarice, on different asions, predicted that unless anything catastrophic urred, one of these five teenagers was destined to be a Sovereign.


    Every earthling was proud of those words.


    Two Sovereigns from a single? That never happened in the 120 years of Sovereigns'' existence.


    Of course, everyone struck off the ''catastrophic'' event from possibility.


    These geniuses were guarded by their ns and were themselves high awakeners.


    They weren''t battle fanatics who ventured into Abyss for the thrill of a fight, nor were they stupid enough to provoke the overlord of Earth, the Xanders.


    Thus, no catastrophe would strike, and their ascension to a Sovereign was but a matter of time.


    Then, the catastrophe struck.


    Not one, but on all of them.


    It came in the form of a woman who covered herself in ck. There was something catching about her hair and iris. They were a blend of three colors¡ªRed, Yellow and Blue.


    Her eyes alone were stunningly beautiful, but they held a bone chilling indifference.


    The young adults, the would-be Sovereigns were having fun and fooling around.


    They weren''t alert. Why would they be? They were in their most secured home. No one could cross the mountains of security without rming everyone.


    But catastrophe leapt past the mountains without a hitch and raised the butcher knife.


    When they finally sensed something was wrong and tried to flee, it was already toote.


    Their bodies were crushed to the ground, their minds went stagnant for a moment and a bright light shed before their consciousness descended into eternal darkness.


    Enigma''s Tri-color iris was emotionless as she stared down at them or what remained of them.


    "Xanders broke the agreement. You pay the price. How fair." She looked down at the mangled corpses with a cold smile. But she didn''t seem happy at all.


    She shed to the camera at the front door and gazed at it with contempt. "I, Enigma, the monster you created, did it. Try if you can catch me, wimps."


    As the security rushed in with heavy footsteps, a light shed on her body and Enigma was gone.


    The impact of her actions, however, was there to stay.


    The three ns were devastated.


    Putting aside their focus from Purge mission, they quickly blocked the news and ensured no other power caught a wind of the deaths.


    Then they sent their forces after Enigma and her Shadow Guardians. They thought she''d escape like always.


    But they were wrong. Utterly so.


    She returned. This time to theboratory of the Martin n.


    Every single researcher was kidnapped in an insanely short amount of time.


    The research findings, important discoveries and the secret forms were all stolen.


    Business secrets were divulged in the ck market.


    The raw materials, the processing and even the intricate details of their medicine making were revealed in full.


    The Government intervened at their request and the information was blocked even from the ck market in a few hours.


    But that few hours spelled the doom as every major rival of Martin nughed with the secret in their hands.


    Normal people didn''t worry too much. There were Intellectual Property Laws¡­ right?


    Of course, thews were in ce.


    But like pre-blink earth, everyw had its loophole and imposing suchws on gigantic organizations would take years, if not decades.


    These slick organizations would rather pay for damaging the rights than give up exploiting the property.


    What''s more, even the most cutting edge research of Martin n was stolen. It was not legally protected yet.


    The stocks of Martin n''s industries plummeted.


    But of course, not everyone was pessimistic.


    Martins'' could continue their stronghold on the market even with their current products.


    But¡ª


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The bombings of the Martin Medical Gardens, ounting for almost 60% of total raw materials and nearly 80% of precious raw materials, were thest straw that broke the camel''s back.


    Now, even the most optimistic of investors were staring dead into the proverbial abyss.


    Martins were pushed to the brink of financial ruin.


    But in the world where strength was the greatest determiner of one''s standing, Martin n themselves were confident to recover.


    Despite the mary losses, they were still a first ss force to boot.


    Just¡­.not for long.


    As they were returning from the front lines of Demon Abyss, the most promising and youngest Level 8 Awakeners of Martin n were assassinated.


    Their Level 9 n Head was still alive and kicking.


    But he was old and with the potential Sovereigns dead and now, even the potential Level 9s killed, Martin n''s future was over.

 Chapter 142 - Shadow Order Vs Shadow Guardians

    <h4>Chapter 142 - Shadow Order Vs Shadow Guardians</h4>


    Shadow Guardians were the most secretive organization. Even more so than the Shadow Order.


    These two organizations only had a word inmon but they were prs.


    Not just in their ideologies, but even in their inception.


    After the establishment of human alliance in 020 YAB, peace ensued for a few decades before a longsting war with intelligent sea creatures¡ªMurlocs, broke out in 80 YAB.


    Humans used their treachery and used the internal strifes to defeat the militarily superior Murloc race.


    It was the ssic ''Divide and Rule''.


    But applying it subtly and carefully building up their own strength, humans took almost 120 years to exterminate the Murclos.


    Of course, a few inferior unintelligent branches of Murlocs exist to this day. They were kept in separate inds and used for hunting.


    When everyone thought peace could finallyst, the consequences of the prolonged war finally caught up.


    It happened by 200 YAB.


    Some of the stronger awakeners termed themselves as the Omegas. The rest were Alphas¡ªusable pawns and Betas¡ªleeches.


    Their underlying motive was the refusal to sacrifice themselves in wars. The stronger awakeners wanted to send everyone else to the front lines.


    ''Why should we, the strongest, go out there and sacrifice ourselves for these bugs?''


    That was themon feeling amongst every self-proimed Omega.


    Of course, such a feeling was always present in a small group of people since Blink.


    However, 120 years of a costly war was the perfect catalyst to spread like an epidemic.


    As they say, ideas are the most contagious.


    As the war progressed, these extremists increased. Soon, the concept of Shadow Nation was conceived.


    Shadow Nation was a society where strength was honored, and weakness was punished. To the extreme.


    The poprity of Shadow Nation skyrocketed in no time.


    As the leaders of humanity were focused on the ongoing war in the front lines, Shadow Nation grew rapidly in the rear.


    Even after Shadow Nation was brought into official meetings, no solutions were found. There wasn''t really a way of prevention since any strong awakener could join Shadow Nation and act like a normal person.


    In fact, bringing Shadow Nation to lime light only increased distrust among humans.


    As the war with murlocs ended inte 200 YAB, human alliance prepared itself for a fight.


    But nothing happened. Shadow Nation strengthened itself and in 260 YAB, itunched a surprise attack on Human Alliance


    It was a thunderous blow.


    Basing itself on sleeper cells and the unexpected timing, Shadow Nation snatched 30% of clusters.


    There was an increasing demand for Shadow Nation under their targeted propaganda to strong awakeners.


    Every human joining Shadow Nation not only weakened Human Alliance but also strengthened the Shadow Nation.


    A prolonged war seemed inevitable. Historians at the timemented theing millennia would be one of the unending civil war.


    But to everyone''s surprise, Shadow Nation copsed.


    It didn''t end with a bang, but with a whimper.


    The reason for its copse¡­ its very founding reason.


    ''Why should we, the strongest, go out there and sacrifice ourselves for these bugs?''


    The Omegas were primarily humans who were afraid of fighting in a war and losing their lives.


    So when equally strong awakeners of Human Alliance attacked them, disregarding their own lives, they cowered.


    They were afraid of dying. They sent the people below them and those people sent the ones below them.


    Infightings broke out between Omegas on who should risk their lives to hold on to the key frontline areas.


    Somehow, they held on for a few decades, but soon, the cracks deepened and Shadow Nation, which seemed like an iron tower, copsed like a sand castle.


    In 300 YAB, Shadow Nation was wiped out.


    The remnant of it was Shadow Order. They dered themselves as the sessor.


    Their goal was¡­ bombing?


    They had no founding belief. But they went against everything the government did. Or at least that was how it was supposed to be.


    People didn''t understand how this little organization survived for almost 2 centuries and even spread itself across the sr system.


    On the other hand, Shadow Guardians were very young. Perhaps a year old or two.


    Shadow Guardians had a single goal¡ªdo everything in their power to sever the chains dragging down humanity.


    The first on their lists were traitors.


    Enigma was the in-name leader of Shadow Guardians. However, it was Blue sh that managed everything.


    Firstly, they were very small. Second, every cluster had their own leaders that eased the burden on Blue sh.


    These leaders were personally scouted by Blue sh or her trusted aides. And these leaders personally had to scout the members for their team.


    The few people were dedicated to their ideal of saving humanity. Of course, they each had strength to back up their ideal.


    Thus, when Enigma gave them the list of traitors who sold themselves to Abyssals for potions or aura crystals or merit points, Shadow Guardians moved swiftly.


    But when Enigma ruined the Martin n, they were shocked. Blue sh had to deal with a mountain of messages asking why on earth?.


    Enigma dered it was a vition of an agreement by a certain power.


    Some trusted her words, others trusted her track record, a few trusted their own intuition, but somehow, they didn''t break apart.


    But before long, they were set for another turmoil.


    The most precious mines of Ganbold n were destroyed.


    The Level 7 and Level 8 high awakeners with most potential were assassinated.


    This happened right after Martin n was ruined.


    News went around the sr system that Shadow Order''s Enigma was rampaging and ughtering innocents.


    She was called as an agent of Abyssals. A true devil in human skin.


    Even the members of Shadow Guardians felt she was being too excessive.


    ''You''ll be convinced in a few days.'' Enigma left with those words.


    Every Shadow Guardian wanted to meet her in person and ask what she meant.


    But only Blue sh had the opportunity. And she already knew.


    Blue shed teleported to the space under an inconspicuous home.


    It was a magnificent bunker, one of the many hideouts of Shadow Guardians.


    Enigma was studying the information she gathered from the high awakeners she killed.


    Blue sh nced at Enigma.


    "...you are going to continue, right?" She wanted to say the consequences of her present actions were too much, but eventually didn''t.


    What agreement was broken for Enigma to react like this? She didn''t know. However, Enigma always acted rationally with humanity''s best interests in mind.


    Enigma''s beautiful eyes shed as she nodded calmly.


    "I know my actions are damaging our strength against Abyssals." She acknowledged without hesitation.


    Blue sh was about tofort her but¡­


    "It is necessary. If they can get away without keeping their end of the agreement, they will keep doing it." Enigma spoke emotionlessly.


    Blue sh was about to nod when she noticed the expression in Enigma''s eyes.


    It was not indifference¡­


    "The agreement is important. They did things they shouldn''t. Even if every guardian leader opposes me, I''d still do it." Enigma''s tone was unusually hard.


    ''She is serious about it.''


    "So what are you going to do?" Despite working together, Blue sh still couldn''t understand herpletely.


    Enigma shed a smile. "Astors'' are going to host a secret meeting. How can I miss my final target?"


    *** *** ***


    Varian reached the Astor''s residence and hoped his friends would calm down after seeing his message.


    He didn''t know¡­


    Kyle was busy in hisb and didn''t notice Varian''s message.


    Maya tried to work herself out of grief. The loss of a close one and the breakup with her beloved was too much for her to bear.


    So, she too didn''t see his message.


    Gareth entered Sea Abyss to repay a favor and was in a tough spot. Hism was broken, and he, too, didn''t notice Varian''s message.


    After so long, Seth lost hope of Varian being alive and pushed himself in the Demon Abyss.


    He was training madly and, of course, hism was long crushed.


    Sarah left herm in home. She was preparing herself to infiltrate the Astor''s residence and collect the key evidence.


    She was worried herm would be tracked by her father and she''d be stopped before doing anything reckless.


    Thus¡­ Varian''s message was never read by anyone.


    *** *** ***


    A/N: Seeking constructive criticism. Please give a review of what you liked and disliked. I want to improve the quality of the story. Your help is needed. Thank you.

 Chapter 143 - Astor Clan

    <h4>Chapter 143 - Astor n</h4>


    Astor was a n. They had a main n along with side branches.


    Like all orthodox ns, the main branch had a singlerge residency acting as a headquarter of sorts. It was the ultimate aspiration of every branch.


    As he headed to the so-called headquarters, Varian smiled at the new face reflected in the car''s window. It was a slightly handsome face with a touch of maturity and seemed around 20 years old.


    The cab flew through the skyline of Sana City''s premium district. There was surveince everywhere¡ªthe drones were perfectly timed to never leave any section unwatched.


    Surveince was normal in every district of every city. But here it was over the top.


    It had a good reason ¡ª This district was the home to the headquarters of Astor Industries Ltd.


    The main residence of Astor n was just a few hundred miles from here.


    ''You are very handy, Boo. Manufacturing a disguise in no time.'' Varian didn''t forget to pat the small ring on his little finger.


    No one would guess a super spaceship with massive space capacity turned into an inconspicuous ring.


    ''Hehe. I know I''m the best. But you can praise me more.'' Boo said in its childish voice.


    "Please observe silence for the deaths in Martin and Ganbald ns." An announcement sounded and all the noise in the district vanished.


    Horn noises were long discarded. So even the road was exceptionally quiet


    It was as if everyone was mourning for the deceased of those two ns.


    All the skyscrapers in the district also projected mourning holograms.


    Out of all the skyscrapers, one stood out. It was massive, easily the size of a stadium, its height. It literally pierced into the clouds.


    There were several floating buildings, satelliting it.


    A huge hologram with a beautiful font read "M HQ" along with mourning flowers.


    AHQ ¡ª Astor headquarters.


    The culprits of his mom''s death were mourning someone else''s death.


    How ironic.


    ''And satisfying.'' Varian smiled wholeheartedly.


    ''If I can, I really want to thank Enigma, whatever her reasons for killing.''


    Varian wanted to be like her.? She wasn''t the strongest, perhaps not even Level 9. Yet, she could kill anyone and go anywhere.


    ''But I can''t... not until I find who Sia is and what role Astors yed in mom''s death.''


    The current Varian couldn''t fight any of the three ns head on. But he never nned to.


    The target was Astor''s butler, not the Astor n''s head or vice head.


    Even then, he almost fucked up.


    ''I was impulsive back then. If not for Boo, then things would''ve gotten way moreplicated.'' Varian facepalmed.


    The fat man''sst words were "Astor''s¡­ Butler."


    Which butler?


    The main branch''s residence housed at least three hundred Astor n members. A hundred of them had personal butlers.


    Which one should Varian be looking for?


    Thankfully, Boo literally searched through every bit of the fat man''s life before finding the target.


    It seemed like Boo was more praiseworthy?


    ''You''re the best, Boo.'' Varian smiled again.


    ''Hehe.'' the little ghost melted under the praise.


    After confirming that Boo blocked potential spying from the autonomous cab, Varian opened the target butler''s information.


    (Micheal Astor


    First ss Butler


    Age: 36


    Peak Level 6. Body Path: Enhanced.


    Info: An extremely ambitious individual. He received a double promotionst year. From a mere Third ss Butler to First ss Butler, he seemed to be blessed.


    His cultivation also increased from peak Level 5 to peak of Level 6 in just one year. There were rumors he found a magical liquid in the ruins that increased his talent.


    His rivals and personal enemies disappeared overnight. The Second ss Butlers that had a feud with him died terribly. Even his family members weren''t spared.


    He is now responsible for cleaning up some of the dirty work of Astor n. He also supervises a few ''security''panies of Astor n. These securitypanies are private soldiers of Astor n.


    He aspires to be the head butler. This servant recruitment is an opportunity for him to show his prowess.


    Note: He and the head butler appear to have an extremely harmonious rtionship.


    Varian studied the information over and over before the cab dropped him off in a huge field.


    As far as he could see, there was only green grass and vast mountain ranges with smallkes.


    ''Is this an estate or a park?'' He wondered.


    There were small discussions from the servant candidates gathered in the field.


    With his peak Level 4 hearing, Varian caught the mostmon word.


    ''Security Check.''


    There was no manual security check. Right when the cab entered the premises of the estate, the security drones scanned the cab, checked his iris andpared it with his ID, in his case, the forged ID.


    But wait, iris print was like DNA¡ªunique. How did he not get caught?


    Boo took care of it.


    So he was let into the field with a few thousand people as someone he was impersonating.


    Again, thanks to Boo.


    Boo produced a disguise Varian could wear. But it couldn''t change his physique.


    So it had to search the entire database of 10 billion living earthlings.


    Thankfully, the filters helped reduce the scope of the search.


    First, it had to be a male. It reduced the scope by nearly 50% to 5 Billion.


    Second, the physical dimensions should match. This proved to be a harsh criterion and? only? 2 million were selected.


    The third condition was their Divine Path. It had to be at least one of the four Varian awakened.


    This was a big filter as well, and only 200,000 people fit the criteria.


    Finally, they had to be dead silently, without any official confirmation, in the past few days.


    It narrowed down to 10 people.


    So Varian picked Nova Reeves. The strongest out of the dead ten.


    His identity in the field was Nova Reeves. A 20-year-old orphan whose parents were murdered in the dungeon during the current ''Purge'' mission.


    Nova himself was a dual awakener in Space and Morpher Paths.


    He reached level 2 in both paths and waited to surprise his parents. But their death hit him hard, and he killed himself in depression.


    Beforeing here, Varian cremated his body and wished him a better next life, if any.


    Time passed, and the number of applicants continued to increase.


    Suddenly, Varian felt something and looked up.


    A few hover cars tried to descend but failed. An invisible barrier blocked them from entering in.


    ''Fucking Star Treasure! Is it a 6 star or 7 star?'' Varian cursed at thevishness. To cover such a huge field, it must be goddamn expensive.


    Boom! Boom!


    After a few tries, most of the hover cars left.


    A few kept trying to enter.


    Varian felt weird as hemented. ''They''rete¡­ well, I was only a few minutes early due to cremation.''


    As he nced at the hover cars in pity, his pupils suddenly constricted.


    Boom!


    A red light shed and in the blink of an eye, the hover cars were burnt to ashes.


    Gulp!


    ''Boo, let me confirm. Answer me honestly. In case anything goes wrong, we can escape, right?''


    ''Yes Master. Even though I''m nowhere near my peak, that bubble won''t be able to stop me. Level 9s won''t be able to catch me either.''


    ''I''m counting on you.'' He adjusted his breath and stood at the end of the rectangle formation the applicants formed.


    ''Just give me a mental signal and we''ll escape. You don''t have to worry.'' Boo''s assurance was effective.


    Whoosh!


    A huge hologram popped up. There were a couple of butlers looking down at them.


    Varian saw Micheal Astor, his target, along with the head butler.


    The head butler, a grey-haired man, looked at the applicants and spoke in amanding voice.


    "Three Thousand Five Hundred and Sixty-Seven people are standing on this field. Out of you, only thirty would be selected."


    The tension rose.

 Chapter 144 - You Have No Idea, Really

    <h4>Chapter 144 - You Have No Idea, Really</h4>


    "You can sign the contract if you want to participate, but know that you might die." The head butler''s assertive voice reverberated across the field.


    Some couldn''t believe their ears.


    "Die?"


    "We''re here to apply for a job. Not to die!"


    "This is crazy!"


    "We just applied to be a Servant!"


    The murmurs turned into roars and finally devolved into yells.


    Varian stayed silent at the irony.


    Didn''t these people see those hover cars turning into ash?


    A few people just died because they tried to trespass after the time limit was reached.


    Do you expect a ''safe'' test from such a n?


    "Take it or leave it." The old man was imposing. From boo''s info, the old man was a Level 8 Gravity Awakener.


    But he was very old and was nearing his death. The session for the next head butler was already going on in full swing.


    ''So Micheal Astor would try his hardest to build a team of strong servants. If some of these servants could be promoted to third ss or second ss butlers, his own chances would increase.''


    Varian signed the contract like most others.


    Only a few hundred people chose to quit. A hover train arrived and picked them up in no time.


    "Three thousand and one standing." The head butler in the holograph nodded.


    Were these three thousand + Varian stupid?


    No.


    Bing a servant in the Astor n itself was a high-paying job.


    But their ultimate goal was to be a butler and change their surname, thus joining of Astor n''s side branches.


    If they performed exceptionally, they could join the main n.


    Even if they did only so-so, at least their children and grandchildren would have an opportunity to make it.


    The possibility of his or her descendant being groomed in Astor n''s main branch was too tempting. Then their own status would also rise.


    Of course, only a few, less than 1% were able to jump from a servant to a side branch member.


    But that only increased the allure of the prospect.


    If not for the strict requirements, there would be hundreds of thousands of candidates flooding the field.


    "The prerequisite is being an eartling of Level 2 and less than 25 years old." The Head butler repeated and his eyes scanned the field.


    Even with the harsh entry conditions, if they allowed humans from others, there would at least be ten times more applicants.


    But they didn''t want servants from others. They could only verify the detailed information of servants from Earth. This was rted to security, and it was a criterion Astor n would neverpromise on.


    "The lowest one is early level 2, advanced only a few days ago."


    Everyone followed the head butler''s gaze and saw a teenage girl stammering. "I-I advanced y-yesterday."


    Varian shook his head. ''This old man is ying mysterious. He just collected the data and maybe scanned our apparent levels with a star treasure.''


    The old man continued. "The oldest one is 29 years and 364 days old. Should I say you''re incredibly lucky?"


    The man in question, who actually looked to be in his 30s, nodded with a straight face. "I''ve always believed in my luck."


    "Then why are you still at peak Level 2?" a candidate asked.


    "Haha!"


    "Luck my ass! You''re just shameless."


    "Get out!"


    The crowd sneered at the man, but he didn''t seem to hear anything.


    ''Master, master, look at him. He got a very thick skin.'' Booined to Varian.


    ''I got real manufactured skin on top of my real skin. So my skin is thicker.'' Varian countered.


    ''...is this what they call a dad joke?''


    Or at least he tried to counter.


    ''...Boo, you are not cute anymore.'' Varian replied in a grim tone.


    ''Boo! No! Your joke is actually good. Hahahaha! I can''t stopughing.'' Booughed with all its might.


    Varian''s face grimaced.


    ''Hohoho! My stomach hurts! M-Master, y-your joke is too funn-y¡­ hahaha! I can''t even speak anymore.''


    Even when he was stabbed in the chest, Varian didn''t feel this much pain.


    He controlled himself and said. ''Please stop it. Besides, you don''t have a stomach.''


    ''Was I found? Sorry, master. I will try harder next time.'' Boo''s voice returned to normal.


    Varian clenched his fist and gritted his teeth.


    He wanted to swear at the heavens. No. He wanted to ughter the heavens!


    But s, he was too weak at the moment. He''d have to settle for beating up with someone. Anyone.


    "¡ªWe will release the magic beasts, survive for three hours and you''ll pass the first round."


    Hearing thoseforting words, Varian''s eyes shone as he nced at the mountains in the distance.


    After him, the few level 3 applicants also nced in the same direction.


    Most of the applicants were Level 2 and were a bit slow in sensing the change.


    Of course, there was no Level 4 in the crowd.


    Younger than 25 years and Level 4?


    That candidate could might as well be an adventurer or an army officer. They would retire as a Level 5 or 6 and live afortable life.


    Even the Level 3s present had the same option. But they were more confident in joining Astor n and climbing to the top.


    "Start!" the head butler said.


    A three-hour count down kicked off in the hologram.


    Crack!


    Like ss was shattered, the mountains copsed, raising a mushroom of dust.


    From the dust, thousands of Level 2 magic beats stormed towards the applicants.


    As many Level 2 applicants ran for it and only a few Level 3 applicants preparing themselves to fight, Varian channeled the space power in his body and smiled at the iing horde.


    "Right in time."


    Shuaa!


    *** *** ***


    In arge room a hundred miles away, the butlers were seated across a table as they stared at the multiple holograms showing the front lines of the horde.


    The head butler, Kaito, observed the holograms for a while before turning his gaze to the five butlers on either side of the table.


    They were all first ss butlers, and potential candidates for his position. His task was to train a suitable head butler.


    The strongest among the five was a mid-Level 7, yet the most favored was Micheal Astor.


    With his new talent, he could very well reach Level 8 before the rest.


    "Who do you think will win?" Kaito asked with a smile.


    The applicants were told to just survive. But that only passes them to the next round and, at best, would make them a servant.


    But would a head butler really supervise servants'' selection? Nope.


    Recently, Shadow Guardians killed a lot of their butlers. So this servant selection was actually a selection of third ss butlers.


    But a butler must be way morepetent than any servant.


    ''A true butler must always go above and beyond what was necessary and strive for perfection.'' This was Kaito''s motto and he lived by it.


    The five butlers knew this too well. So they thought for a while before answering one by one whilst pointing out their picks on a hologram.


    "The red shirt guy in fire path. Even though he seems only mid-Level 2, he already killed 25 beasts. After 6 months of training, he could even be promoted to a third ss butler. "


    "I think the pony girl is actually a good candidate. She stole the kills using her space powers. We need shrewd people. She can be a butler in 5 months."


    "The katana guy with his morpher powers¡­."


    "The mind path girl is the best pick¡­"


    They expressed their picks¡ªthese were the butlers they would pick under their own wing.


    As these five first ss butlerspete to be a head butler, these newbies would strengthen their respective faction.


    The head butler, Kaito, listened to their opinions with a calm face before turning to Micheal.


    But without a care for their intense discussion, Micheal Astor, the most promising candidate for head butler, was staring at the screen on hism!


    "Micheal?"


    He didn''t respond.


    "Micheal!" Kaito raised his voice.


    "Huh!" Micheal gasped as he looked at Kaito with annoyance.


    But he hurriedly adjusted hisposure and looked at hispetitors with disdain.


    "Your picks are all trash."


    "Huh???" the four butlers were furious and were about to ridicule him when Kaito raised his hand.


    "Then what about your choice?" Kaito asked with curiosity. "I have watched all the holograms showing the frontline and there is none better."


    The four butlers nodded and red daggers at Micheal.


    Micheal chortled and said. "That guy is not in the frontline."


    "So he ran to the rear and is killing other applicants or what?"


    "Is that the best you coulde up with, Micheal?"


    Micheal ignored their remarks and smirked. "When everyone is dealing with the frontline, this guy actually teleported to the back."


    A hologram popped up.


    The four butlers, including Kaito, gasped at the scene.


    "This¡­"


    "Madman!"


    A young man chased behind the horde!


    A blue light shone from his heart and covered his body, showing his path a Morpher.? His physical powers seemed to be somewhere around peak of Level 2 and early Level 3.


    At the same time, he used his space powers in tandem, as his sword danced under the sun.


    With each strike, a head rolled down.


    With each thrust, a body copsed.


    With each punch, his smile grew wider.


    The butlers started at Varian, now disguised as Nova Reeves, in utter shock.


    Micheal smiled proudly. "This guy has already killed around 50 magic beasts. Don''t even ask me if that''s possible. He is terrible at using sword and even better at using his fist.


    If not for triple checking his info, I''d have believed we got a spy."


    Far away, as Varian ughtered to his heart''s content, Boo transmitted the conversation.


    "¡ªI''d have believed we got a spy."


    "You have no idea, really"

 Chapter 145 - He Is Special

    <h4>Chapter 145 - He Is Special</h4>


    Varian only used Space and Morpher Powers.


    It was his first time relying on Morpher powers, but he quickly got a hang of them.


    Fortunately, from Level 1 to Level 3, Morphers do not actually transform. Instead, they receive a boost in stats from the entity they would be transformed into.


    Varian received a significant boost in all physical stats, but the highest was in vitality.


    "Roar!"


    "Graah!"


    Despite themselves, a significant portion of beasts at the end of the horde turned around to attack him.


    With the length of the horde, it was around a fifty beasts.


    ''Tsk. Fifty Level 2.'' Varian cursed.


    He ''turned off'' his body path and lightning path with System to not get caught.


    It was as if there was a thinyer on his chi and mana. If he wished, he could break it in an instant.


    The elementary attacks of the beats reached him first.


    Fire balls, water arrows, lightning whips and earth spikes.


    Varian simply teleported into the middle of the beasts.


    Oh yes!


    Teleportation after so long! He was loving it.


    Shuaa!


    Even though his strength lingered only around peak level 2 and early 3pared to a Body awakener, his stamina was outstanding.


    In fact, his stamina boost was the second highest after vitality.


    Shuaa!


    Shua!!


    Seven beasts were killed in an instant.


    ''Master, you''re awesome.'' Boo cheered.


    ''....'' Varian didn''t dare to reply and focused on killing.


    He already knew he''d be a nt awakener with the boost in stats. Vitality and Stamina¡ªthese were the hallmark stats of nts.


    The strength of nt Morphers was their high vitality and stamina. The drawback of was theck of their explosive strength and speed.


    The strongest attack of nt Morphers at the same level was also generally lower than that of Beast Morphers and Body Awakeners.


    It was something many nt Morphersined about.


    "Haha!" Varian blocked the space around a fireball that was about to hit him and yed the Scarlet Lion.


    Varian wouldn''tin.


    He could use thebination of Space and Morpher Path to make up for its limitations.


    Of course, in case an all out battle broke out, his main strength would be his Body Path followed by Lightning Path.


    Morpher Path would be an important assist, with it boosting vitality and stamina by a significant amount.


    "Roar!"


    "Wraa!"


    "Shuaa!"


    After fighting the clones of Abyss King and Queens, Varian found himself growing stronger. Not just in the levels, but within the level as well.


    Thud.


    Thud.


    None of the attacks even scraped him. Within a few minutes, all the beasts that stayed behind were dead.


    "Haa!" Varian bent down and held his knees as he panted.


    His Morpher path wasn''t high enough to kill so many magic beasts effortlessly. He had to break some sweat.


    ''If I used my Body Path powers, I can kill a 100 magic beasts with two strikes.'' Varian sighed at the disparity.


    He nced around and saw the beasts had long diverged into various groups.


    The applicants initially scattered, but after the horde split to chase after them, they realised battle was inevitable and raised their weapons.


    While most killed magic beasts, some were killed by them.


    Of course, there were also a few that used other applicants as sacrifices to survive or kill more magic beasts.


    [+10 Xp]


    [Morpher Path level 3: 60/400]


    "I guess I''ll kill a few mor¡ª"


    "Nova Reeves." A voice sounded in his mind.


    "You are?" Varian pretended to be surprised.


    Telepathy was his mode ofmunication with both System and Boo, and those two were the ones Varian talked the most to in the past month. It''d be weird if he freaked out from a voice speaking in his head.


    "I am the Andrei, a first ss butler. I think you have the potential to be under my wi¡ª"


    "Follow the rules." Another voice sounded.


    This time, it came from hism. Them of ''Nova Reeves''.


    Both the voices went silent for a while before an old voice sounded. Varian recognized it as the head butler. It, too, sounded from hism.


    "You have passed this round. I am expecting more from you, Nova Reeves." It wasced with a touch of approval, but more of generosity.


    Varian stayed true to his role and bowed. "Yes, sir! I will do my best."


    "Haha." Kaito, the head butler, seemed pleased and revealed the truth about the test. Or at least part of it.


    "You and a few others have a chance to be a butler if you perform well."


    As his words ended, a few luxurious hover cars shot towards them from a distance and, in mere seconds,nded before Varian and a few others.


    Varian got into the car.


    Only thirty minutes passed since the test began and most of the applicants were still struggling. Thus, the sight of twenty odd applicants leaving the field bizarre.


    Even though they didn''t know the reason, they knew they missed something.


    Of course, all they could was to watch in envy as the hover cars took off and dashed into the horizon.


    After what felt like a minute, Varian got down and saw dueling rings on a ttened mountain top. There were five of those rings.


    Hism informed him of the ring he should stand in. Surprisingly, he was the only one for his ring.


    Unlike him, there were five candidates in the other four rings.


    The butlers were seated at a distance and nced at the twenty-one short listed applicants.


    The five butlers picked five applicants each, save for Micheal. He went with only one¡ªVarian.


    "We said thirty, but we were going to pick eighty servants." Kaito''s voice was clear even in the mountain top with the radius of couple miles.


    "But for butlers, each of the first ss butlers will pick one butler each." He pointed to the five butlers sitting beside him.


    Varian and the twenty others nodded.


    "Since each butler except Micheal picked five, you have to fight it out." Kaito''s voice caused a noticeable change in the atmosphere.


    "Thest one standing is selected."


    The candidates shot a nce at Varian. He must be the one Micheal picked.


    A girl with a ponytail raised her hand. "Isn''t this unfair?"


    "Yes, Sir Micheal. How can he be selected without any fight? He might be good in fight against magic beasts, but he would cower when fighting against humans." The guy, 24 years and 364 days old, also raised his issue.


    Varian clicked his tongue. He nced at the arrogant figure in the judging panel, who ignored the points raised by others. Micheal Astor.


    Micheal Astor was ncing at Nova Reeves. After the candidates raised their topics and went on for a good five minutes, Micheal raised his hand.


    The candidates fell silent.


    "I trust my instincts. This guy is special."


    Varian gasped and gave a grateful smile.


    Inwardly, his killing intent rose.


    ''Boo, he''s dangerous.''

 Chapter 146 - Ranking Match

    <h4>Chapter 146 - Ranking Match</h4>


    The other contestants fell silent after Michael''s words.


    Even if what he did was unfair, they had no say. Stepping onto his toes would warant endless trouble.


    On the other hand, the rival butlers nced at each other before turning to the head butler.


    Kaito let out a soft chuckle. "We''ll have a ranking battle with the selected."


    The butlers were satisfied. If the candidate of their choice defeated Micheal''s pick, then that''d show their vision was better.


    All these little things add up when a head butler would be selected. Besides, in the long run, after ten or twenty years, these candidates would rise and be the pirs of their faction..


    "You can recover and start fighting." Kaito waved his frail hand and green vials appeared in front of every candidate.


    ''High Space Awakener.'' Varian noted and gulped down the green liquid.


    A warmth originated from his abdomen and spread towards his body.


    This was a healing liquid. Varian didn''t have many injuries to begin with, but took it for the sake of it.


    After a few minutes, his injuries were healed. But before he could wake up, the prana in his body flowed towards the warmth.


    Varian felt the life force in his body slowly rise. His prana was increasing.


    ''System, keep my Morpher Aura at the same level.'' He said and went into meditation.


    [Yes, host. No one can sense any change in your aura change.]


    After a few minutes, he opened his eyes and a blue screen greeted him.


    [+5 Xp]


    [Morpher Path Level 3: 65/400]


    Varian got up under the weird gazes of the judging panel. He looked around and realized the knock out battles were already nearingpletion.


    Micheal now had a frown as he nced at Varian. While everyone thought Varian was too injured due to his performance in the test earlier, Micheal had another feeling.


    ''He''s definitely not injured. He didn''t do drugs. A morpher also heals faster than anyone else. Then did he just meditate because the matches are boring? Regardless, he just gives a weird feeling.''


    Varian ignored the varying gazes and put a drop of the healing liquid on his ghost ship disguised as a ring.


    ''Boo, find the source and ingredients of this liquid?''


    Increasing Xp with healing liquid was a strange experience.


    It never happened when he took the healing potions after the hideout ughters in the past few days.


    So what was really special about this particr liquid?


    ''Master, there is a special 4 star nt, Isteslia, used.''


    ''I see.'' Varian verified his conjecture.


    It seemed like the nt he was somehow rted to the entity his morpher path would transform him into.


    So consuming it gave enabled the prana in his body to increase the connection with the ''entity'' he''d morph into.


    Such cases weremon in both nt and beast morphers. It was their unique little advantage.


    Of course, the push it gave would only be till Level 3. From Level 4, Morphers could partially transform and it''d no longer help.


    Varian decided to pick a few of those nts soon, but for now, he nced at the duel rings.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    As he expected, the final battles were fought between Level 3s.


    But the surprising thing was the three corpses that were thrown out of the ring.


    Varian nced at the contestants that were immersed in the fight and the butlers that didn''t give a fuck.


    He didn''t feel any pity for them. They knew what they were getting themselves into.


    At least they died pursuing their goal.


    ''But I¡ªI want to live and fulfil my goals.'' He clenched his fists. ''I need to win Micheal''s trust as soon as possible, then I can poison and take him away.''


    Micheal nodded at Varian and Varian nodded back.


    ''He''s a peak Level 6. It might take a little longer, but once he''s poisoned, he''d a fish on the chopping board.''


    As Varian simted on the ways to poison Micheal, the battles ended.


    "You can now rest before we have a one-on-one match." Kaito announced.


    "I will take on them all." Varian raised his hand.


    "What?!" The four candidates red daggers at Varian, but he didn''t care.


    Even the strongest among them was a mid-Level 3.


    Besides, these people weren''t exactly the genius level figures of Imperial Academy.


    Varian repeated his words, looking at the head butler. "I''ll fight them all."


    Micheal''s chest puffed out. ''Yes. A good seed. The stronger you are, the better.''


    "Sure. I''m also curious." Kaito nodded.


    The other butlers sent the messages to their chosen ones. The air turned heavy.


    After thirty minutes, the four applicants jumped into Varian''s ring.


    "Old rules. Knock out your opponent or immobilize them. The first one to be knocked out is 5th and thest one standing is 1st."


    "Start."


    Just as Kaito''s voice trailed off, the four participants turned to Varian.


    Despite themselves, they decided to unite and knock him down.


    "Tsk." Varian clicked his tongue as the space around him solidified.


    At the same time, a fireball shot at him.


    A Body Awakener and a Beast Morpher, both at Level 3, lunged at him with great speed.


    Varian used his own space power and punched back.


    Crack!


    His fist crashed into the chest of the Level 3 Space Awakener that teleported behind him for a surprise attack.


    The Space Awakener crashed into the ground in disbelief as he coughed out blood. He couldn''t bear the pain any longer and passed out.


    One down.


    Varian teleported the next moment and the fireball, Body Awakener and Beast Morpher destroyed the location he was previously standing.


    Boom!


    The stage shook as gravel rose into the air.


    Varian appeared behind the Fire Awakener and punched through the wall of fire his opponent hastily set up in the final moment.


    Boom!


    Simr to Space Awakener, Fire Awakener also had a weak body. So a strong punch was enough to knock him down.


    But his shield helped him out and absorbed a lot of damage.


    Before the fire awakener could escape, Varian blocked the space and kicked him.


    Crack!


    It was too fast and this time, even the defensive fire wall was affected by space block.


    The Fire Awakener was kicked out of the ring and copsed on the ground. Soon, he too passed out.


    "Son of a bitch!" The Body Awakener and the Beast Morpher cursed at the same time.


    Varian''s gaze instinctively shifted to the smiling Micheal and his gaze darkened.


    A sword appeared in his hand and Varian teleported in front of the final two contestants. The sword was still sheathed, and Varian didn''t intend to kill.


    The beast awakener had a stronger speed and explosive strength. His body glowed in red and his fist reached Varian''s neck in an instant.


    They were sure Varian couldn''t teleport out in time since his Space path was only Level 2.


    Behind him, the Body Awakener kick was closing in on at Varian''s groin.


    The angle he picked was perfect¡ªeven if Varian dodges the Beast Morpher''s punch, he would take a kick in the groin.


    In this battle, such a kick meant death.


    These two were cooperating to kill him off.


    Varian''s gaze cooled down, and he unsheathed his sword. He was indeed only a Level 2 Space Awakener, but the experience in Spaceyers honed his expertise in space.


    Booom!


    The punch of the Beast Morpher sted empty air as Varian vanished into thin air.


    The Body Awakener, still in kicking posture, suddenly turned around, and raised his arms in guard.


    Shuaa!


    The cold metal plunged into his neck and¡ª


    The butler who selected him was about to use his power, but Kaito nced at him.


    The butler clenched his fist and sat with his head down under Micheal''s mocking gaze.


    Thud!


    Crack!


    The beast morpher''s eyes were bloodshot, and he stepped on the corpse of Body Awakener and jumped at Varian.


    ''If that Space Awakener was still standing, he''d have helped you out. But too bad.''


    Varian exploited his advantage and teleported away.


    Even though the speed of Beast Morpher was significantly higher than his own, he couldn''t stop Varian from teleporting.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Each of his punches only hit empty air and the beast morpher was slowly losing control.


    Losing control was in a battle was asking for death.


    "Die!"


    The beast morpher roared and shot at Varian with his greatest speed.


    Shuaa!


    Varian teleported right above the beast morpher and his sword light shed.


    Thud!


    A headless corpse rolled on the floor.


    ''I killed three humans till now. The fat man and these two.'' Varian wiped the red blood off his face.


    ''To save humanity as a whole, the green blood of Abyssals must be shed.'' He sheathed his sword.


    ''But also the red blood of traitors.'' After cleaning his face, he looked at the judge panel.


    They nced at him. His eyes didn''t show any remorse or pity for killing. It was like a normal and even a just thing to do.


    Varian''s greeted with a calm and steady smile. ''But for my personal grudges, I will kill. Be it Micheal or be it Narcis.''


    Micheal nced up and down at Varian and apuded. "Wonderful. I will personally train you for a week. You''ll be appointed as third ss butler and as soon as you advance to Level 5, you''ll be a second ss butler."


    Varian, no, Nova Reeves bowed to Micheal. "I will not disappoint."


    Seven days was more than enough to find a suitable opportunity.


    ''Hope your answer will not disappoint or you''d be facing hell.''

 Chapter 147 - Seizing The Opportunity

    <h4>Chapter 147 - Seizing The Opportunity</h4>


    Varian spent the following three days training under Micheal Astor.


    A good butler neededpetency in many areas, but their core focus remained the same. Make their master''s life better.


    The residenceplex of Astor n easily rivalled a small town. There were many mansions, and apartments in the lush green fields.


    There were around a thousand people living here. Three hundred of them were Atsor n members. A hundred were butlers. There were two hundred maids and four hundred servants.


    Usually, any butler started as a trainee butler. After spending a few years gaining experience, they''d be assigned to a n member as a third ss butler..


    Then after a few decades, if they were lucky, they''d be promoted to a second ss butler.


    To be a first ss butler, one needed strength, influence and reputation. Thus, there were only five of them.


    Finally, the head butler that oversaw the entire residence. He was the closest aid of n Head and an unofficial Vice n Head.


    The descendants of the head butler and first ss butlers were regarded as members of Astor n.


    This was a dream for many.


    Thus when Micheal announced Varian would be promoted to a third ss butler after a week''s training, he drew more envy than awe.


    It didn''t affect the man in question.


    Micheal started training Varian in the etiquette and the various written and unwritten rules of butler service.


    Micheal was quite satisfied with the newbie who exhibited excellent understanding.


    He learnt the etiquette, understood the rules and disyed his wisdom in knowing when to break and when to follow them.


    Of course, he had a lot more to learn, but Micheal was confident he could start working after a few days.


    This newbie definitely had the strength. After learning about him single handedly taking down four contestants, he was acknowledged.


    He socialized within Micheal''s faction. He was a great drinker for a level 3 and quickly connected with others.


    His interactions with the direct members of the Astor n were also harmonious so far.


    He seemed to the know the buttons for every person.


    Micheal even checked it himself.


    He took the newbie to a calm looking young master and a cold faced young missy.


    His task was to hold a conversation with them for ten minutes.


    The young master with a calm exterior was actually easy to be angered. He hated the sunlight, hated ttery and hated the ever present fakeness.


    So when the newbie butler went ahead and hit it off with the young master, Micheal was shocked.


    The topic started from Varian confessing that he was tasked to talk with him, which gained the approval of the young master, and then it soon turned into why social politeness should be reced with frankness.


    His next target, the cold looking young missy ended up clutching her stomach as she couldn''t stop herughter.


    Somehow, after a few minutes, he knew the right topics of her interest.


    "How did you do that?" Micheal asked, gazing curiously at the newbie.


    The newbie maintained a humble expression and replied. "Intuition."


    Micheal squinted his eyes and didn''t delve deeper. "You have a very good EQ."


    Varian smiled lightly. ''I have a ghost AI that hacked their personal information.''


    After a tiring day, he retired to his living quarters.


    Varianid on the bed and tried to find a solution.


    Micheal was always busy and there would always be at least a second ss butler with him as a secretary.


    This was the main branch, but the whole Astor n had tens of thousands of members.


    The work of a first ss butler was ridiculous. He taught Varian while working.


    ''I need an opportunity.'' Varian was lost in thoughts when the bell rang.


    {Wind courier express}


    Varian picked the courier from the drones and opened the box.


    There were daily necessities along with some new clothes. He tore the bag and picked the special herbs hidden.


    Tapping the ring of his finger, the herbs disappeared and Boo''s voice sounded.


    ''Poison will be prepared in an hour.''


    The training continued andte night on the sixth day, Micheal called Varian.


    After reaching the courtyard of Micheal''s mansion, Varian saw the sixteen butlers under Micheal along with the man himself seated across a table.


    Varian sat at the end after greeting his ''seniors''.


    Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Varian could tell from the way they drooled at the Level 5 Magic Beast''s meat and their flushed faces after gulping down the third ss of precious Ulu wine.


    Varian copied the act of the others and pretended to be ecstatic as he grabbed a roasted leg.


    Micheal looked at his underlings and smiled. "Enjoy to your heart''s content today. You all have to arrange for an important meeting day after tomorrow."


    The table fell silent. Everyone stopped talking and nced at the first ss butler.


    "Our vice head would be meeting with an ''important'' guest. We''ll need to prepare thoroughly." Micheal''s eyes nced at the top butlers under him. They nodded fervently, indicating they wouldn''t miss.


    Thomas said timidly. "But sir, neither me nor Wei can match you. If the guest is so important, it is better for you to do it."


    Varian recalled that the timid guy was recently promoted to a second ss butler.


    Micheal shook his head regretfully. "If it was any other time, it''d be my work. But recently, the dungeons affected our operations quite a bit."


    Varian raised an eyebrow. The atmosphere suddenly went dull.


    There was something he wasn''t saying.


    ''Master, the teams of Astor n that went to raid hideouts were ambushed. A few geniuses died and Astor n stopped sending them altogether.''


    Varian put on a clueless face for others to see.


    Micheal took a deep breath and continued. "We have officials across all levels."


    The butlers nodded. Astor n focused on officialdom unlike Martin and Ganbold that specialized in medicine and minerals.


    "Someone is digging up the corruption materials of our low and mid cadre. And they''re doing it quickly." Micheal''s eyes exuded killing intent. Even though he didn''t name it, it seemed like he knew the perpetrator.


    Enigma.


    "Don''t shame me. I''m counting on you." Micheal said to the second ss butlers and turned to the rest. "You should be helping them."


    "Yes." Everyone agreed.


    Except one.


    Varian raised his hand and gave a polite smile. "Sir Micheal, I cannot help my seniors."


    Micheal raised an eyebrow. He didn''t like ckers. Even if it was a genius.


    But Varian''s next words surprised him.


    "I have a lot to learn from you. I want to be your personal assistant for a day." Varian praised him a bit before stating his request.


    Maxim, Micheal''s personal assistant stared at Varian gratefully. Recently, the workload was piling up and he needed a break.


    Micheal recalled Varian''s excellent memory, which he didn''t know was Boo''s memory, and nodded.


    "Fine. Don''t make any mistakes."


    "I will give my 200%." Varian smiled excitedly.


    Others thought he was excited to directly work under Micheal, but only he knew that he seized the opportunity.

 Chapter 148 - Poisoning, Success!

    <h4>Chapter 148 - Poisoning, Sess!</h4>


    Varian woke up at 2''O''clock from meditation and freshened up.


    Before their little party was over, Micheal received a message.


    The meeting was advanced and it''d start at midnight. Micheal left hurriedly for a ce and asked Varian to meet him by 3.


    The rest were asked to start preparations for the meeting immediately.


    Varian could guess the reason from the holograms Boo found.


    (George Astor, the mayor of Yan City was found to be artificially inting the prices of the beast cores he stockpiled. He embezzled at least 20 million karma points.)


    Mayors were in the bottom-upper cadre of officialdom.. Above them, there were officials at cluster level and officials atary level.


    The top most were the Federation level officers. Of course, Astor family had none at such level.


    So just a Mayor''s scam wouldn''t have troubled them.


    But¡ª


    (Vincent Astor, Mayor of ¡­)


    (Ayden Astor, Mayor of¡­)


    (Chase Astor, Mayor of¡­)


    (Myles Astor, Mayor of¡­)


    ¡­


    (Diego Astor, Pearl City Mayor embezzled¡­)


    There were around hundred such posts.


    All of them were Astor n members.


    ''Boo, did all this happen just a few hours ago?'' Varian asked for the third time. It was still surreal such a thing was possible.


    ''Yes, Master. A few minutes after you entered the party, the news attached with irond proofs flew all over the met.


    The Astor n tried to suppress the news. But their influence only stopped at Earth. The other sevens are now fully aware of this. Even on earth, this news is spreading like wildfire.''


    Varian sighed in wonder.


    The Astor n was really in deep trouble. Even though people knew politics was and officialdom had darkness, they couldn''t stand it when it was exposed.


    There would be a very strong public opinion against Astor n. Of course, Astor n would go down because of public opinion alone.


    Its rivals would use the public opinion in their favor and bring down the Astor n.


    Then this new n would make promises to act against corruption and people would believe it, until the day they would be exposed.


    "So, Micheal would be very busy now." Varian chuckled.


    He reached the designated office nearly an hour ahead of schedule.


    "CONTROL the narrative!" Micheal''s screams nearly shook the ceiling.


    "Come up with a convincing lie. Say that these hundred mayors are not our own people. Their ancestors joined Astor n for their own greed." Micheal growled into hism.


    Varian wisely chose not to enter for the time being.


    "Actually fuck it. If worstes to worst, let''s hang them all and convince public that we are also victims." He ended the call with a m on the table.


    "Nova, don''t be fuckingte!" He yelled at Varian.


    Varian was early by an hour, but it didn''t matter.


    So Nova Reeves apologized. "I''m terribly sorry."


    "Whatever. Now sort these files. I need to meet a few delegates today. Call their secretaries and fix the appo¡ª"


    Varian''s work began in the early morning.


    Micheal had almost no breathing time as he kept calling higher officials. He requested, cajoled, threatened and finally, even begged.


    The ones that agreed with him, he praised them after hanging up the call.


    The ones that refused¡ª


    "Nova, list them down. Check if they have a weaker member in the family. Mother or children." He ordered in a cold tone.


    "Yes." Varian''s body stiffened and he replied in a colder tone.


    Micheal was too engrossed in his work and didn''t notice the peculiarity.


    Time seemed to fly and Micheal had a mountain of things to do.


    A few butlers initially approached him for suggestions regarding the arrangement for meeting.


    Even though he was busy, he disyed his professionalism and helped them out.


    Varian didn''t like that.


    ''Boo, spread the news in all media. Do not allow it to be taken down. Also, find some of their darker corruption material on them and publish it."


    ''Yes, master.''


    Micheal''s world nearly came crashing down when five Astor''s Cluster Officers''s scam was leaked.


    Damn it!


    They had only twenty-five clusters under control. Now, five were copsing in front of his very eyes.


    "Fuck! Enigma! You bitch! I hope you die a dog''s death." He cursed and mmed the table.


    Crack.


    It broke down, and the files flew into the air.


    Micheal was now losing control. The always calm andposed Micheal, he was breaking under the pressure.


    Varian shed an imperceptible smile and right then, a butler rushed into the room.


    "Sir Micheal, do you think we can use less expensive delicacies for the gue¡ª"


    Boom!


    p!


    The butler crashed into the wall as blood flowed down his battered cheek.


    Micheal lunged at him and held his cor before pping him again.


    "You think I''m your nanny? Why don''t you think for yourself?" He pped Thomas with the back of his hand.


    p!


    p!


    After a few ps, he threw him out of the office. "Fucking maggots."


    Varian hurriedly bowed and acted like a frightened Level 2.


    Micheal looked at his hand and paused for a moment.


    He seemed to have realized what he had just done. He looked back and saw the blood staining the wall.


    Micheal raised his finger to tap them before retracting.


    He couldn''t bring himself down to apologize.


    So he turned to Nova Reeves, his one day assistant who seemed verypetent, "Inform everyone they can contact me after 7 PM. Until then, they better stay out of my sight."


    "Yes, sir." Varian hurriedly opened hism and repeated the exact same words.


    In his mind, he ordered Boo to change them.


    All the butlers under Micheal received the message.


    ''Sir Micheal is very busy. Do not disturb him till 7 AM. Until then, you better stay out his sight.''


    Micheal resumed his work, and before he knew it, the suns were already down. In fact, it was only a while before the meeting begun.


    "Those guys didn''te for help again. Phew." Micheal leaned back on his chair and rubbed his forehead.


    Today was easily the worst day of his long career.


    His body was fine, but his mind was overwhelmed from the pressure.


    "Sir, exquisite soothing juice."


    Micheal nced at the neer, Nova Reeves, serving him his favorite drink.


    He didn''t think much and gulped down the drink.


    Another annoyingm message sounded, and he raised his hand in annoyance.


    "Huh?" As he dealt with the news, his vision suddenly blurred.


    ''Am I overworked? But I am an Awakener!


    "Nova, my head¡ª" He called out to his personal assistant.


    "Shh." Nova''s previous docile smile shifted into something different.


    A predatory smile.


    "Boo, let''s go."


    Micheal felt himself being thrown into some strange room before he lost consciousness.

 Chapter 149 - Im Here

    <h4>Chapter 149 - I''m Here</h4>


    Ghostship turned invisible and flew out of Micheal''s residence.


    The servants working in the residence, along with the butlers, didn''t notice anything weird.


    There was only half an hour before midnight and they were understaffed.


    In one of the main courtyards, second ss butlers hustled for the final minute preparations.


    To describe the arrangements, one word stood out.


    Lavish.


    The chairs and tables were made from Green Wood. The cost of a single chair was enough for a family of four to livefortably for three months.


    Then the delicacies.


    Each dish was meticulously prepared by the Fire Awakener chefs.


    Level 7 magic beasts'' meat was used. There were even a few Level 8 Magic Beasts dishes. Complementing precious herbs multiplied the value of the dishes.


    The special wine was sura¡ªalso known as fake ambrosia. Its name spoke for itself.


    Just one meal and a low Awakener would reap the benefits of half year''s cultivation.


    But of course, that would be a mere fantasy.


    The security was enough to stop even high awakeners.


    Besides the star treasures projecting multiple barriers, there were a hundred elite guards taking care of the perimeter.


    These were mostly level 6 Awakeners.


    Amidst such a lineup, the Vice Head of Astor n¡ªDaiyu rubbed her forehead.


    Her gentle yetmanding voice sounded across the field. "If you do any mistake, you''ll be hanged."


    The second ss butlers responsible for overseeing the arrangements were sweating at her calm yet serious remarks.


    "What happened to Micheal?" Daiyu frowned and turned to her personal butler.


    "He asked us to not disturb him. The cluster officers'' scam must have been too much to bear." Her personal butler replied.


    "...If it''s gone, it''s gone. Strength is the final word." Daiyu waved her hand in irritation.


    Managing such matters wasn''t her strong suit. She liked twisting off heads better.


    That was why she was chosen as the host of this meeting. Of course, being a Vice Head gave the other party enough courtesy.


    But to host a level 8, one must be a level 8.


    Of course, that was how it seemed. Like a normal meeting.


    The true aim of the meeting was¡­


    "Miss, the security is lower than expected." Anna''s figure shed, and she appeared before Sarah.


    Sarah nced at the most important building of Astor n ¡ª the administrative block.


    Her goal was to find the evidence of Astor''s colluding with Shadow Order and, preferably, Abyssals.


    "Let''s go." Sarah said and crushed a red crystal.


    The aura around her disappeared, and she turned invisible.


    It was a treasure¡ªitems found in Ruins, but cannot be manufactured by humans.


    They were much more precious and even Sarah inherited only a couple from herte mother.


    Anna crushed a simr crystal and followed her in.


    The original n was to let Anna enter while Sarah waited in a safe location. In case of danger, Anna could teleport to the Sarah and they''d leave in her private spaceship.


    But due to some reason, the security was much lower around the building.


    After drugging a guard retiring from her duty and a couple of her superiors, they had an idea of the building''syout and made an interesting discovery .


    The high level awakeners were absent for some reason. They seemed to be transferred out somewhere.


    So Sarah, too, would be joining the search.


    They attributed the weirdness here to the important meeting a few miles from here.


    ''Are they trying to salvage their officialdom?'' Anna thought as a small orb in her hand scanned the data storages in the adjacent rooms.


    The guards in the hallway and the officials walking in and out didn''t seem to notice her actions.


    The treasure had its limits both on time and level. A Level 9 could easily sense them. But Anna was pretty sure the Astor''s n Master wouldn''t be in this building at midnight.


    "Miss, if you weren''t a Dual Awakener, Evander would cry in joy." Anna bitterly smiled as her figure blinked in and out of the rooms.


    As she expected, there was no evidence about Shadow Order in the early rooms.


    Sarah went deeper.


    "But even if you are not fated to be a Sovereign, I believe you''ll be the strongest Level 9." Anna clenched her fist and teleported to arger office.


    In a luxurious office, the orb in Sarah''s hand glowed red.


    ''Here.'' She looked around and saw a peak level 6 awakener in the office. He wasn''t an officer, but a guard. It only showed the importance of the room.


    She tapped a ring, and the super maid appeared beside her in an instant.


    Anna didn''t need to be told as she knocked out the man and used her own orb to locate the special switch.


    With a click, a secret door was opened, and Anna dived in first.


    After a second, she poked her head out and nodded at Sarah.


    The data that would destroy Astor n was right inside.


    At the same time, in the meeting venue:


    A ck spaceship descended, and three men in ck jumped down.


    There was a hooded figure symbol in their suits. The face part was ck, but with a blood red smile mark.


    It was the Shadow Order!


    Daiyu smiled at the iing guests.


    The man in lead, the vice head of Shadow Order, nodded at her and turned back.


    Abyssals sauntered out of the spaceship.


    Leading them was a female Abyssal in a red dress.


    Runa, Level 8, Demon Abyss''s Royal Princess, daughter of Demon King, nodded lightly at the humans.


    Her grey skin was in contrast with her red dress, but somehow she exuded a strange elegance.


    "Let''s begin."


    Soon, the vice chiefs of Astor n and Shadow Order started their meeting with the Abyss Princess.


    The members of Astor n calmly received the scene that would''ve shocked any normal human.


    The servants walked around with soulless eyes. There was a high level mind awakener controlling them.


    The second ss butlers were enthusiastic as they greeted the familiar Abyssals and Shadow Order members.


    The third ss butlers tried to fawn up and develop a harmonious rtionship.


    Obviously, this was not the first time.


    It wasn''t as if this didn''t weird out a few butlers. It surely did and quite a few threatened to expose this to public.


    They were no more. Including their families, friends and rtives, everyone rted to them was gone.


    Those who remained were the ones with tight mouths.


    "It looks like you''re in a pinch." Runa sipped the wine and smiled at Daiyu.


    "So are you." Man, the vice head of Shadow Order, chimed in.


    Abyssal spies were hunted down. Astor n''s officials were exposed.


    It was an embarrassment for any major power.


    The air turned still for a few minutes.


    "We all have themon enemy." Runa endured the shame of sitting with the inferior species and broke the silence.


    "Enigma."


    That name was like a bomb that silenced all friction.


    Even Daiyu stiffened up and clenched her fist.


    Runa smirked and continued. "Just how long can you keep your Astor n keep your geniuses from going out?"


    Daiyu gritted her teeth. There was no answer.


    "No one can catch her. She has no one to be threatened with. Her strength is enough to overwhelm every Level 8. The day she wills it, all the geniuses of your n would be killed." Runa said while enjoying the contorting face of the inferior female.


    "Like Martin and Ganbold n, all their promising geniuses are killed. Even though we too lost our best geniuses, we at least have the younger ones." Daiyu sighed before ring at Runa.


    "She was against us in every step, but her focus was always on you. So what happened?" She growled at the haughty princess.


    Runa didn''t answer and instead, following human etiquette, started herte dinner.


    Man nced at the angry Daiyu and sighed. "It doesn''t matter if this n is perfect, right?"


    Daiyu, who seemed furious,ughed out loud. "I really hope so."


    Runa said. "Martin, Ganbold ns are vassals of Xanders. You are next. We got enough people here. Just wait, once shees¡­"


    "I''m here." A cold voice drifted with the wind.


    Her voice was colder than the night.

 Chapter 150: The Dreamer

    <h4>Chapter 150: The Dreamer</h4>


    High above the clouds, Varian was looking at the man twitching on the floor. ;


    Robotics arms continued to inject special liquids, and the man''s aura fluctuated severely. ;


    "Master, would it really work?" Boo asked for the fifth time as it floated beside him.


    Varian nodded. "Torturing a Level 6 is hard. It''s better to be clever than to be stupid."


    The aura of Michael was falling.


    Level 6 peak. Level 5 peak. Level 3 peak.. All the way to Level 1 peak and finally no more. ;


    This was the result of Boo''s thirty minutes hard work. ;


    Of course, Michea''s divine path didn''t actually digress. But for a set period, he would be weakened. ;


    "Wake up." ;


    "Wake up."


    Varian saw the man slowly open his eyes. ;


    Micheal was in a daze for a moment before he yelled. "Nova! How dare you poison me! You''re dead."


    Then he channeled the chi in his body, or at least tried to and failed.


    "W-What is going on?" Micheal couldn''t feel the chi in his body. ;


    His heart nearly stopped. It was better than his chi stopping. ;


    "This can''t be." He tried to sense the chi. ;


    There was none. ;


    "No! I''m just tired." He stood up and nced at the strange white room he was in. ;


    "Yes. I''m tired and hallucinating." ;


    Even the fact that he was in an alien location bothered him less than the fact that he lost his chi. ;


    "Wake up. Yes. Wake up." He closed his eyes and tried to wake up. ;


    "I can feel it. Yes. I can¡­" Micheal clutched his chair and roared at himself.


    After failing to sense chi for the tenth time, he could no longer convince himself. ;


    He leaned against the white wall and muttered with soulless eyes. "Just what happened?"


    He remembered drinking something from the newbie butler and then everything went dark. ;


    "Nova." Micheal gritted his teeth in anger and¡­ fear. ;


    "Nova!" He yelled. ;


    The replies were his own echoes. ;


    Micheal didn''t give up and mmed on the white walls. ;


    He was an ambitious man. He couldn''t be trapped here. He needed to lead the Astor n. ;


    They deserved him. No. They needed him. He would climb thedder and one day, reach Level 9. He would never lose to anyone. ;


    He was Micheal Astor!


    Bang!


    Bang!


    Bang!


    "Let me out!" He mmed the white walls with his weak arms. ;


    They were merciless and unmoving. ;


    After what seemed like an eternity, Micheal stopped.


    His arms were bleeding and any strength he previously had was now sapping out with the red liquid that gushed out. ;


    "Please." Micheal lowered his proud head. "Whoever you are, give me back my powers and I''ll do anything."


    "Good." A sonorous voice sounded across the room, jolting Micheal to his feet. ;


    He didn''t curse or demand, but he bowed his head again and asked. "What should I do?"


    Questions like ''Who are you'' wouldn''t work. ;


    His experience proved that to him many times.


    When being on the lower end of power, you shouldn''t act as equals. ;


    "I am a visitor to your sr system." ;


    The white wall vanished and Micheal gasped as he saw a ten foot tall humanoid. ;


    He wore luxurious robes and had six arms. The most striking feature of him was the shining horn on his forehead. ;


    Micheal saw hope andposed himself. Since the other party wants to exin their identity, he did not interrupt. ;


    "Look around."


    And he did. Micheal''s eyes widened as he felt his hair erect. ;


    They were in a military briefing. Officers starting from Level 6 all the way to Level 8 and even one or two famous Level 9s were seated. ;


    Yet no one seemed to be aware of their presence. ;


    The Level 9 officer, High General, addressed thetest developments of Purge Mission. ;


    Micheal gulped as sweat rolled down his forehead and drenched his back. ;


    "Are you the Dreamer?" He quivered. ;


    "What do you think?" The humanoid asked back. ;


    His height of ten feet was intimidating, but it was the absolute confidence he radiated coupled with the impossible feat that really frightened him. ;


    Micheal bowed his head. "Sir Dreamer, what should I do for you to give me my power back?"


    The humanoid chuckled. "Don''t you want more?"


    "More?" Micheal looked up in confusion and gaped at the ridiculous scene. ;


    The space around Micheal solidified, a lightning arc danced above his hand, a green light and orange light on the humanoid.


    Space, lightning, Morpher and Body Awakener!


    There was no mistaking it. He could clearly feel the distinct aura of each path. ;


    Four paths!


    An impossible feat!


    "H-How?" Micheal found himself crawling to the humanoid. Partly in reverence. Partly in greed. He wanted it. He, too, wanted to stand proud. No. He deserved it. The world needed him. ;


    "I can teach you. I can even help you cross the Sovereign level." The humanoid said in a casual tone. ;


    Micheal knelt down and proimed. "Anything. I''ll do anything. Please give me the chance, master."


    He could doubt the scene with the military, but he couldn''t doubt a single being using four divine paths. ;


    This was deemed impossible by every scientist since Blink. Out of the hundreds of billions of humans that existed since Blink, there was not a single Awakener in four paths. ;


    Coupling this with how his chi was deprived, Micheal was convinced. ;


    The humanoid in front of him was someone beyond his imagination. ;


    He could really do what he said. ;


    Varian smiled coldly and continued. "The price is the death of everyone you are close with."


    Micheal didn''t hesitate. "Power. I just want more power."


    "Good. You''re the perfect seed."


    The humanoid pped, and Micheal''s smile widened. It seemed like he passed the test. ;


    "Before I grant you the power, tell me why you want to betray the household you served for twenty years?"


    Micheal paused for a moment and answered hoarsely. "They are trash. They don''t recognize my talents. I worked as a third ss butler for neen years. All my youth was wasted."


    Varian raised an eyebrow. "Then why were you promoted to first ss butler all of a sudden?"


    This was the core question. ;


    A few months after his mother''s death, Micheal was promoted to a first ss butler and advanced to level 6.


    Coupled with Micheal''s connection with the fat man, Varian was sure he was closer to the truth. ;


    Boo tried, but couldn''t find any rted information about Micheal''s promotion.


    Micheal closed his eyes and clenched his fist. If this was the ticket to his supremacy, he couldn''t risk it with a life. ;


    "I followed the orders of Roxana Xander and covered up a small case. She gave me a potion and my talent rose. I directly advanced to¡ª"


    Varian''s disguise went off, and he slumped on the couch. ;


    "Wh-Human? Who the fuck are you?"


    "What''s happening?!"


    He ignored the surprised and despairing screams from Micheal as the robotic arms sliced him apart. ;


    He sat down and burst outughing. ;


    "Hahaha!"


    Hisughter was filled with rage and sorrow. ;


    Boo stayed silent as it felt the pain in its master''s heart. ;


    Hisughter went on until his throat turned dry. Micheal was long dead. ;


    "Fuck them." He growled. ;


    This enmity went beyond any humiliation Charles inflicted upon him. ;


    This was something else. ;


    "One month and I''m Level 4." Varian''s smile turned cold. "One year and I''ll be Sovereign."


    "Your history of 500 years. Your glory. Your influence. Your power. Your strength. Your allies. Everything will be crushed in 1 year." Varian vowed. ;


    "Strength. I want to grow stronger at any cost. Any¡ª" Suddenly, his head spun and Varian found himself copsing on the couch. ;


    He heard Boo''s shouts before everything turned ck. ;


    And white. ;


    ''Here again?''


    "Varian! Please stop!" Her familiar voice was now filled with anxiety. ;


    Varian turned around and saw Sia, around 15 years old, along with the younger Varian.


    The Young Varian was furious and yelled at her. "Strength. I want to grow stronger at any cost. Any¡ª"


    p!

 Chapter 151: Their first big fight

    <h4>Chapter 151: Their first big fight</h4>


    Young Varian covered his cheek as he stared at Sia in confusion.


    "Why?" He muttered.


    He nced down at the floor of the living room and clenched his fists.


    "Why are you stopping me from going?" His voice shook as it grew in volume.


    Looking at him, Sia''s golden eyes welled up with tears.


    She stepped forward and hugged him. "You can''t fight such monsters. You''ll kill yourself."


    Young Varian trembled.


    They were both 15 years this year. Sia had awakened in Mind Path a few months ago.


    Young Varian used up the money from his part-time job and gave her a surprise gift.


    A Zero star bracelet. Even though it wasn''t even one star, not any weapon could be a zero star.


    He still remembered their cheerful shouts as they danced tillte.


    He was happy and excited.


    Sia awakened.


    He was next.


    Except, a year passed and he never awakened.


    They had no money to hire adventurers. So Dungeons were not an option.


    As his peers awakened one by one, Varian''s mood went from excitement to hope to nervousness and finally fear.


    He was already left behind.


    What would happen to his dreams of ending the war?


    The dream he was pushing himself for the past 5 years. The brutal training he never missed despite sickness.


    If he didn''t awaken, what was the point?


    So Young Varian thought of a solution.


    Fight the strongest Level 0 Animals. For instance, a mutated tiger or a lion.


    These were still weaker than any Level 1 Magic Beasts. But to him, their danger was too high.


    Thus, the current scene.


    "Please. Just wait for some time. You''ll awaken." Sia''s tears drenched his chest.


    She held him tight. She was trembling.


    Neither of them thought they''d grow so close in a few years. But¡ª


    "How long?" Young Varian''s voice turned rough.


    Sia''s body stiffened.


    "Everyone in our ss already awakened. Even the guys who never trained in their lives. They can''t even do ten push ups." Young Varian''s voice grew erratic.


    He wasn''t ainer. He always tried to do his best.


    But¡ª


    "I know there is no fairness. But I won''ty in my house wishing I''d awaken." He grabbed her shoulders and separated her.


    Looking at beautiful tear stricken face, his heart ached. But his fear was too much to bear.


    "I will do whatever I can." He looked into her golden eyes and said.


    Then he turned around and walked towards the main door.


    Sia bit her lip and she trembled.


    She liked his stubbornness. Liked how he never gave up. But now, that was the very thing that was pushing him to his death.


    She dashed in front of him and spread her arms, blocking the main door.


    Looking at his stubbornness, her sorrow turned to rage and she yelled. "Varian, if you take another step outside, I''ll use my powers and stop you."


    Young Varian''s breath turned rough. He tried to take deep breaths to control himself. It always worked.


    Always.


    Not this time.


    He red at her, his voice beyond solemn as he growled. "So this is why I want to awaken. I can''t even take my own decisions. I can''t pursue my dream."


    Sia gnashed her teeth as tears flowed down her cheeks. "Your life is more important."


    "It is I who decides it. Not you." Young Varian stepped forward and pushed her out of the way.


    Sia stumbled down. Hisst words stopped her from acting. "If you can stop me now, I''ll take it that you don''t want me to awaken after awakening yourself."


    She curled up in front of the door and wailed.


    Why?


    He knew she didn''t meant it. She wanted him to awaken the most. Even more than himself.


    If she could, she''d rather him awaken than herself.


    But his words, they pierced her heart and Sia didn''t know it could hurt so much.


    The one that could hurt you the most are the ones you love the most.


    That didn''t mean the pain was less. Sia hated herself for her inability.


    She couldn''t help him go to Dungeon. She couldn''t even help him fight those Level 0 Monsters.


    Instead, she was trying to stop him. It was for his safety, but except for worrying, she felt useless.


    ''Never give up hope.''


    "V-Varian!" She hurriedly got up and ran down the stairs, and almost tripped.


    Her beautiful? brown hair was disheveled as she jumped onto the hover bike and rushed off to a particr venue.


    Ten minutes passed since he left.


    "Go. Break the speed limit. Reach there in time." She gripped the phoenix bracelet and hoped nothing happened.


    ''We don''t have any heirloom except this dragon bracelet.''


    ''So I thought why not have another heirloom? Here you go. An awesome phoenix bracelet. It can stabilize your mental state and help you a bit.''


    After putting the bracelet on her wrist, he too stretched his hand andpared their bracelets.


    He nced at her with a sagely expression. ''Maybe our bracelets would turn out to be secret artifacts.''


    Sia chuckled at his antics. ''If there are so many secret artifacts, the shop sellers would be Sovereigns.''


    ''Who knows? Maybe he is a hermit? After we defeat the Abyssals, we can also be hermits.''


    ''Hahaha!''


    "Varian." Sia''s heart pounded and as she inched closer to the destination, she was afraid she''d see something that would shatter her soul.


    Sia jumped off the hover bike and dashed through the small forest.


    Hism was showing this location.


    As she ran at speeds she never thought were possible, Sia saw a scene that nearly made her heart stop.


    A three meter lion was raising its paw against a bloodied young man.


    It was him! He lost too much blood.


    Escaping wasn''t an option. So he wanted to fight till the end, maybe he thought he''d awaken in the final moment.


    The Young Man raised his bloodied arms for a final punch. But looking at the way he staggered, the lion would easily evade his attack.


    He couldn''t.


    Sia''s mind went nk as the lion''s paw was about to smash down at the young man''s head.


    "No!"


    Her mental power did its job and the lion''s brain momentarily paused.


    It couldn''t dodge Varian''s punch that tore through its neck and ended its life.


    Its paw, on the other hand, still smashed down with a tremendous force, enough to kill the injured Varian.


    But¡ª


    She blocked the blow at thest moment.


    "Argh." Sia copsed into a pool of blood as she felt the tearing pain from her abdomen.


    Varian copsed to his knees and held her in his embrace. "S-Sia, don''t die. Please."


    He hurriedly ordered hism to call for an ambnce.


    Sia felt tears well up from the pain, but she managed to say. "H-healing potion."


    Varian hands shook as he grabbed the vial from her pocket. He opened the lid and was about to feed her.


    Sia weakly raised her arm and stopped him. "You take it first."


    Varian shook his dizzy head and decided to give her the potion before he copsed.


    He would die, but at least she would live.


    But Sia still held her weak arm and bit her lip as the pain increased. "If you dare die, I will dare to follow you."


    Varian''s body stiffened and he took half of the potion and fed her the other half.


    Sweat rolled down her forehead and Sia''s world blurred.


    She saw Varian. He barely had any strength to move. But somehow, he was able to hold her in his arms.


    She wondered how.


    Varian bowed his head and looked into her eyes. Sia nced back.


    All she could see was worry about her own life.


    Fool, what happened to worrying about your awakening? About your dream?


    At least worry about your own life. Even now, you''re more likely to die than me.


    "If we survive," Varian''s weak voice sounded as he brought his bloodied palm and ruffled her hair "I will stop this and wait for natural awakening."


    Sia smiled weakly, but shook her head. "No. You''ll fight. We''ll fight."


    Varian didn''t seem to understand. Even with all those injuries, he managed to sit so steadily.


    Sia groaned in the pain and closed her eyes "I-I was saving money to buy healing potions. I wanted to keep it as a surprise."


    Varian''s breathing movements suddenly stopped, scaring Sia.


    Her eye snapped open and she watched as he cried for the first time. "I''m sorry."


    As energy sapped out of her weak body, Sia said weakly. "There is always hope. To be both safe and to pursue your dreams."


    Young Varian nodded and slowly his eyelids drooped.


    Sia too felt her consciousness fading. Before the world went ck, she heard the sounds of emergency rescue.

 Chapter 152: The lucky dead guy

    <h4>Chapter 152: The lucky dead guy</h4>


    Varian woke up in a daze.


    He looked around and saw the familiar blue interior of the spaceship.


    His hologram was disyed in front as Boo seemed to run a diagnosis.


    "Master! What happened?!" Boo rushed in front of him and asked in anxiety.


    Varian opened his mouth but couldn''t find any words.


    Except "I''m fine," nothing came out.


    "You were unconscious for five minutes. No abnormalities detected. Your brain was under high stress, however." Boo reported.


    Varian slowly stood up and nced outside.


    His heart ached as he muttered her name. "Sia."


    With each dream, his memories of her increased.


    Herughter, her triumph, her tempers, her tears¡ªan entirely different memory seemed to be created. No. It felt like the memories were returning.


    Varian closed his eyes.


    He could distinctly and vividly recall holding her in his arms. Her body started to quickly turn cold.


    He could remember warmth of her when she hugged him. The wetness of her tears as she cried in his chest.


    "Boo," His voice shook. "Search for a girl named Sia. Filters are she must be rted to me. She is a mind awakener."


    He had already done this after returning to earth. The results were¡ª


    "None, sir. There is no record of a girl named Sia having any rtionship with you across the met."


    Varian took a deep breath. "Hack the database of Imperial Defense Academy. Search for the cadet named Sia in the past 5 years."


    Boo nodded and the spaceship fell silent.


    Varian prayed.


    He didn''t know why, but he wanted to see her.


    "Save Sia."


    What danger was she in?


    Varian grew nervous realizing he missed a year in trying to save her.


    He wanted revenge for his mother, but at the same time, he realized he couldn''t give up searching for Sia.


    At this point, even if it was not his mother''sst wish, he''d still search for her.


    Boo continued to announce the results of the hacking process.


    "Academy''s firewall breached."


    "First firewall of cadet database is breached."


    "Second firewall of cadet database is breached."


    Varian clenched his fist in excitement.


    "...Hacking failed."


    "What?!" Varian turned to Boo in shock.


    Wasn''t Boo an advanced AI? How could it fail?


    Boo manifested in front of him. It nced down in shame and said. "There are three Level 9 Technocrats guarding the database. If I was at my peak, I could bypass them. But now, my limit is two. I''m terribly sorry, master."


    Varian sighed.


    In the back of his mind, he somehow knew this. But facing the reality was different.


    He slumped onto the couch and cursed the Technocrats.


    Mind Path (L1-3) ¡ª> Telepath (L4-6) ¡ª> Technocrat (L7-9).


    Technocrats were pretty much living AIs. They could operate weapons from another continent, protect databases and of course, hack them.


    "Boo, can a technocrat hack you?" He asked in worry.


    Earlier, he thought using Boo, he could hack any database he wanted. Now, it seemed like he needed to be cautious as well.


    Boo shook its head. "My defenses are much better. Not even a Sovereign Technocrat can hack me, not to mention there is none. But my offensive capabilities are not up to the mark."


    Varian nced at the depressed ghost and patted its head. "It''s alright. If I can''t hack my way in, I can go through the front door."


    The front door was asking for Sia''s information through merit points.


    Varian showed hism and asked. "Can you hack the merit points?"


    Boo nodded, then shook its head. "I can hack this, but there is a server in sync. There is also four separate technocrats overseeing the merit points. Any outside changes would be known."


    "Great." Varian sighed.


    Somehow, his rage calmed down.


    Of course, he still wanted to end Xanders. But that was not the only thing he''d be driven by.


    He also had to find Sia. Their rtionship. The problems with his memory, which at this point, he was convinced a high awakener manipted.


    But he would take it slow. He needed to return to the academy first.


    "Boo, let''s return to the acad¡ª." He paused. "Let''s see what''s the Astor''s meeting was about."


    To be honest, he was curious.


    The ghostship dived down at a high speed.


    Varian''s eyes widened as he saw mushrooms of dust and fire rising into the air.


    The once lush fields were destroyed. The ground was filled with potholes.


    Hills were levelled. Lakes were evaporated.


    The air was sted and the shockwaves destroyed everything within dozens of miles.


    Even from high above, Varian''s palms sweated. "Who the fuck is fighting?"


    Ghostship prated Astor n''s defensive barrier.


    A huge hologram was projected depicting a few hundred miles.


    Varian saw the intense battle.


    No.


    It was the ending.


    A woman in ck floated high in the air. Her sword was stained with red and green blood.


    A ck mask covered her face except her eyes and hair.


    Her hair and eyes were both a beautiful blend of three colors. Yellow. Red. Blue.


    Like a war goddess, she looked down at the corpses of both humans and Abyssals.


    He knew her.


    Enigma!


    Varian held his breath and saw her raising her sword once more.


    Thest being surviving other than her, a female Abyssal kneeled below her.


    With Boo''s help, he was able to hear her words.


    "You came despite knowing this meeting was a trap. And killed thirty Level 8s." The female Abyssal spoke as she coughed out the green blood.


    Varian saw the entire heart area of the female Abyssal was hollow.


    Her heart was gone!


    Yet she was still able to talk, although by the looks of it, she was at her end.


    "Enigma, you''re the only human I admire. But you cannot win our Emperor. His strength is beyond your imagination." Her voice was weak, but her conviction was anything but weak.


    "Even though I don''t know how you managed to crack our hideouts, that''s only a small part of our ns. Join us and be his concubine. This race is doomed from the start." The female Abyssal copsed on the ground.


    She was going to die, yet her eyes stared at Enigma for answers.


    Enigma sighed and nced at the human corpses. Her eyes were still indifferent, but one could tell she wasmenting killing them.


    "Humans are indeed doomed." Enigma''s voice was cold. "Not because they are inferior to Abyssals, but because these trashes are in power."


    The female Abyssal''s eyes glowed. Did she seed?


    Enigma''s sword glowed once again.


    The female Abyssal didn''t care as the sword light started to slice her apart and asked. "Are you joining us?"


    "No."


    "With your talent, you can have freedom, happiness. Anything you want!"


    Enigma''s sword shed her into pieces and she muttered something in an incredibly low voice.


    "-nner"


    "Boo, amplify."


    Her voice sounded clearly this time. "I deserve none of those."


    Varian couldn''tprehend her words, like her actions. He could only watch a light sh as Enigma vanished.


    "Well, go back to acad¡ªWait!" Varian raised his hand suddenly.


    Boo rolled its eyes. "Master, what is it again?"


    Varian pointed to an edge of the hologram. A girl around the age of 20 walked out of a building on fire. Following her was a middle aged woman in maid dress.


    The girl snapped and a private space shuttle appeared in front of them. They boarded it and took off.


    "Sarah. What is she doing here?" Varian wondered.


    "Follow her."


    "Like, stalk her?"


    "...no, we are collecting intelligence." Varian rolled his eyes.


    "Hai~" Boo kneeled at his answer and the ghostship tailed them.


    Sarah''s space shuttle had stealth feature. But of course, nothing like ghostship.


    As they reached the barrier, Varian saw a blue light sh from the ship and the barrier in front of them break.


    "Wow." Varian admired the captain''s capability.


    A few minutes passed, and the crossed clusters before finally reaching Pearl City¡ª Varian''s city.


    ''She''s not a native. But wait, why did she not reply to my message?'' He wondered.


    Sarah''s space shuttle descended in a cemetery.


    ''She''s mourning for the loss of her family members?'' He thought.


    Sarah got down from the shuttle while the maid followed. She reached a tomb and put a flower bouquet with aplicated face.


    "Damn. Those flowers are all precious." Varian felt strangely envious of the dead guy.


    He was pretty sure if he died, Kyle would give him a few dried leaves as mourning flowers.


    Then he shook his head.


    Being alive was way, way better than being dead and receiving the most precious mourning flowers.


    Still, he was kinda curious.


    Even though this cemetery was costly, for someone of Sarah''s status, this was beneath her.


    And more importantly, this was not a military cemetery. That meant the dead person was not her family member.


    "Boo, zoom in on the tomb. Let''s see who''s the lucky dead guy who is making the captain cry."


    Sarah was indeed crying as she showed a storage to the tomb.


    Varian''s eyes widened and his jaw dropped open as he saw name on the tomb.


    Combat madman. Caring friend. A great human.


    Those were alright. But thest line¡ª


    Died single. Still a virgin.


    "KYLE!!!"

 Chapter 153: A little ploy

    <h4>Chapter 153: A little ploy</h4>


    Varian''s face flushed as he watched Sarah sob quietly while presenting the storage device.


    He gritted his teeth and swore, "Kyle, my good brother. You are done."


    Boo trembled in fear, looking at its master crazed appearance. But it was also quite confused.


    "Master, what''s so bad about being single? Boo is also a single."


    Varian''s face twitched, watching his ghost AI pity him.


    Wait, was it pitying him or mocking him?


    "M-Master, why are you staring at me like that?" Boo staggered back (in the air?).


    "I only like female ghost AIs." It dered.


    Varian had the urge to smash it to the ground. But he had a question before that. "So you''re a male?"


    "How can AIs have genders?" Boo contradicted itself.


    Varian didn''t get angry. Instead, he looked at his ghost AI with pity. ''You''re right when you said only a fraction of your brain is working.''


    Boo felt its master''s gaze turn weird. Wait, why was he looking at it like it was some brain dead brat? It was an amazing ghost AI, okay?


    Varian turned his gaze back to Sarah below and asked in confusion. "Haven''t I asked you to message her already? Why does she still think I''m dead?"


    A few code lines shed in Boo''s eyes before it answered. "M-Master, none of the recipients actually checked the message."


    Varian facepalmed.


    "Really now? Not a single one?"


    "None."


    "..."


    "Master, would you like to meet Sarah?" Boo enquired.


    Varian eyed the maid standing behind Sarah. What was her level that assured Sarah of infiltrating Astor n with no help?


    Boo said, timely. "Anna Lane. Level 8 Space Awakener. She is the maid of Sarah''s mother''s family."


    Varian''s world view crashed. "Level 8 Maid? What the actual fuck?!"


    This was beyond ridiculous.


    For any human, reaching Level 8 was the peak of life. But the same person was? now a maid.


    Are you for real?


    Varian clutched his weak heart and waved his hand. "Boo, let''s go to a mid dungeon."


    "Aren''t you going to return to the academy, master?" Boo frowned. Was its master''s memory not as good as a goldfish''s?


    "I am missing for over 50 days now. So if I show up directly at the academy, and they try to trace my trails, what will they find?"


    "You popped out of nowhere."


    "Exactly! So let''s y a little drama and make it more convincing." Varian instructed the ghost.


    As they left for the nearest dungeon, Varian''s gaze lingered on Sarah''s lonely figure.


    *** *** ***


    "All clear! Go!" Narvi informed the people below her.


    Her teammates nodded and marched deeper into the Outer zone''s forest of the Dungeon ''Karma''.


    Narvi jumped down from the floating fire sledge and followed them.


    She was helped when she was young by a kind old man. Now it was her turn to repay the favor.


    They received information that a special flower that could help tackle the bottleneck of Level 3s was growing near a swamp.


    The old man, now running out of life, requested the flower for his son. Narvi agreed to repay the favor.


    They entered the dense forest and soon encountered the level 4 magic beasts. Giant Apes.


    But Narvi''s team was more than prepared.


    At the sight of the beasts, they assembled into the standard formation and took the initiative.


    The two controllers heightened their defense and blocked off the Giant Apes.


    The beast morpher partially transformed into a wolf and, using her beast instincts, engaged in a fierce battle with the giant apes.


    Narvi, along with the other elemental awakener, used their fire and lightning powers tounch a fatal blow and ended the giant apes.


    Looking at the six meter corpses, everyone heaved a sigh of relief.


    Giant Apes had high attack power. If not for the Controllers blocking them, the apes would''ve decimated the team.


    The Controllers also could deal surprise blows by heightening their attack power.


    And surprise blows they did in the next round.


    They kept advancing, and the fights took longer.


    After clearing ten Level 4 beasts, Narvi''s team finally reached the swamp.


    There was a white flower growing at the center. Crystal Solvo.


    The flower that was said to loosen the bottleneck of any Level 3 Awakener.


    Narvi floated above the swamp and carefully collected the flower. As she was about to order everyone to return, she found all her teammates were transfixed on a tree.


    ''What happened?'' She wondered and spread her fire sense.


    ''This!''


    It was an inconspicuous ten meter tree. But what they were staring at was an injured young man lying under it.


    His aura was weak, and he looked like he''d die at any moment.


    After confirming he was not waiting in ambush and was actually injured, Narvi said. "Let''s take him out."


    After feeding him a healing potion, they rushed back. Fortunately, they didn''t encounter any beasts, and quickly admitted him to an emergency unit.


    Narvi and her teammates were actually curious about his identity. Unlike them, who were all in theirte 30s or 40s, the injured guy was very young. Perhaps barely 20.


    However, none of them could mistake his aura. It was a level 4.


    Did they encounter a genius?


    Even if he wasn''t from a great background, helping him was the best option.


    Only those who look at short-term benefits would do foolish things like killing him.


    A genius owing them a life saving favor was much more valuable.


    What''s more, this genius was still in ascent and one day, he could reach a position beyond their reach.


    Just like the old man who helped her, he was a level 3 throughout his life. But with the favor she was going to repay, his son would escape that fate and break into a mid awakener.


    Of course, Narvi didn''t see exactly endorse the view that one should be kind for the sake of benefits.


    But knowing random acts of kindness might benefit them some day, more people could be kind, even if for selfish reasons.


    As the young man got treated, a Dungeon Bureau officer entered the hospital and inquired them about the process.


    After knowing the situation, the officer looked at them with envy. "You''re going to be lucky."


    "Huh?" Narvi and her teammates didn''t understand.


    The officer lowered his voice and exined. "There was a huge announcement by the military to find a cadet a month ago. This is that guy. The DNA scans match. You''ve won a lottery."


    "Wow!" Narvi covered her mouth in tion.


    The rewards of finding the cadet were massive.


    Their act of kindness gave them back. Too quickly.


    "I''ve informed the academy. There will be someone here soon." The officer informed.


    He added. "He is awake. You can talk to him."


    It was thirty minutes since the cadet was admitted. With the current technology, this was considered normal.


    When they were about to enter the ward, hurried footsteps sounded and a girl arrived with her maid.


    "Hey you! This is off lim¡ª" The officer''s body froze and the girl entered the ward.


    "Varian!"

 Chapter 154: Meeting Sarah

    <h4>Chapter 154: Meeting Sarah</h4>


    "Varian!"


    Varian feltplicated as Sarah hugged him tightly.


    "Is this true? I mean, it must be! I-I''m so happy."


    This was so simr to the time with Sia. Like her, Sarah was also wetting his shirt with tears.


    Where did so many tearse from, anyway?


    But what should he do?


    Console?


    He didn''t know how to console her.


    Wait, consoling her? He was the one that nearly died, so he should be the one that must be consoled , right?


    "U-er, I''m happy to see you as well, Captain." Varian gave an awkward reply as he tried to smile.


    Looking at her slightly trembling shoulders, he patted her back gently.


    This was not in the script at all!


    ording to the n, after the officer informed academy, a staff member woulde and check his condition.


    Then he''d ''exin'' how he survived and, after a few tests, return to the academy, arousing no suspicion.


    But¡ª


    "I''m really d." Sarah broke from the hug and gave him the brightest smile he ever saw on her face.


    Maybe it was her genuine joy or maybe something else, but Varian found himself staring at the smile on her tear stricken face.


    ''Master.''


    ''Ah!'' Varian snapped out of it.


    Sarah slowly calmed down. Realizing her own situation, she took deep breaths and wiped her face with tissues.


    An awkward silence ensued as they both stared at the ceiling as if it was the most interesting in the federation.


    "S-Sorry about earlier. I was just-I thought you were gone. It took me by surprise." Sarah looked at him and exined.


    It was different from her usuallymanding voice. It was light and soft.


    Varian couldn''t adjust to the change in her tone and nearlyughed out.


    Lucky him, he was but augh away from death.


    But recalling his ''tomb'', he clutched the bedsheets.


    How many people visited his tomb exactly?


    What nonsense did Kyle spout during his eulogy?


    ''Hello, my name is Kyle. My best friend Varian was born single, lived single, and died single. Even if he lived, he''s the nice guy that never goti¡ª''


    ''Stop!'' Varian gritted his teeth and decided to smash that tomb to pieces.


    He would be the first person to destroy his own tomb.


    "Varian?" Sarah titled her head in confusion.


    Quickly pulling himself together, Varian sighed. "I''m surprised I''m here, being able to breathe this air."


    It was how he really felt.


    At one point, he didn''t think he could get out of the lost dungeon. Perhaps if not for that ''dream'', he''d have given up.


    He could''ve died too many times. But he tried his best and managed to pull himself from death''s clutches.


    It was a miracle.


    Sarah looked at his mncholic expression and clenched her fists. "It was my fault."


    "Huh?"


    "I could''ve done better. I-I try my best to train. I always fail. I can never be like her. If it was her, you would''ve been safe." Sarah muttered in a low voice.


    But Varian could hear her clearly.


    ''Her?''


    Sarah''s tone was a mix of admiration and bitterness.


    Who was this ''her'' that even a level 6 awakener looked up to?


    "Who is she?" Varian asked with curiosity.


    Sarah gasped and looked around. After realizing no one else was around, she shook her head bitterly. "I''m sorry. I can''t divulge the details. It''s a military secret."


    Looking at Varian''s curiosity turning to slight disappointment, she hurriedly added. "To know this, I''ve had to s-swear on myte mother."


    Varian nodded in understanding.


    Late mother, huh.


    How simr. They had more inmon than he thought.


    Sarah paused for a moment before she gaped at him. "Level 4¡­ peak? What the hell happened?"


    Varian was still a Level 2 in the back of her mind, and until now, she didn''t even notice his aura.


    But when she did, it took her by total surprise.


    Jumping almost 2 levels in 50 days? This was insane.


    Varian took a deep breath. He had to give a convincing answer, or he''d be in trouble.


    "Olivia might as well be a prophet." He started with a smile and continued. "After the white light, I¡ª" He paused and nced outside.


    The maid had evacuated everyone. Boo made sure there was no surveince on him and also confirmed there was no high awakener peeking at them.


    "I teleported and got into a space crack." He said and observed Sarah''s expression.


    She nodded enthusiastically. Then, looking at his expression, she replied. "Don''t worry, I haven''t revealed your space path to anyone. Including Seth."


    Varian smiled gratefully at her and continued.


    "I lost consciousness, and sometimeter, I found myself in an underground cave. During climbing up, I found a shining green droplet. I took it and my levels skyrocketed."


    He showed a look of nostalgia and clutched his forehead. "But after reaching the ground, I realized it was a mid dungeon. I had to face Level 4 Magic beasts."


    His expression hardened, and he said in a resolute tone. "Mym was already broken by that point and I couldn''t contact anyone. So all I did was fight to live."


    "I had the toughest fight of my life and almost died." With the Abyss Emperor''s Clone, of course.


    "Then those people found me." He ended his story. Hopefully, there were no holes.


    Sarah paused for a moment before she cheered. "So you teleported to a safe ce and then found ambrosia, or in your case, an iplete ambrosia. Then you managed to survive in a highly threatening environment until help came."


    Varian nodded.


    "Your luck is defying the heavens."


    Yes. Other than ridiculous luck, nothing could exin him being alive.


    Of course, it was only partially true.


    But like many truths, this would be the only truth the world would know.


    They could test him for ambrosia, and they''d find traces of ambrosia. They could test his brokenm for space damage and they''d find space damage.


    They had no choice but to ept his exnation.


    After all, ording to the database, ''Varian'' vanished for 50 days in the sr system.


    No one could really prove or disprove if Varian was really present in the mid dungeon for the past 50 days.


    But without a proper counter exnation, they could only agree.


    Then he''d be perhaps gain the title ''heaven defying luck.


    Varian''s face twitched at the thought. ''I am anything but lucky.''


    Sarah looked at his weird expression and thought he misunderstood. "When I meant luck, I meant it a good way. Not just anyone can replicate your feats. As far as I can tell, you''ll be the strongest first year."


    She chuckled and added word by word. "By. A. Long. Shot."


    Varian''s face also broke out into a smile. But recalling the ''bond'' with Xanders, his smile turned cold.


    Sarah didn''t seem to notice and patted her chest. "You should return soon. I''ll talk to the supervisor. No one will pester you."


    "Thanks for everything." Varian smiled sincerely.


    It was nice to have support, but Varian decided it was time to get a solid backing.


    "Capta¡ª"


    "The mission was long over." She waved her hand.


    "Yes, Sarah." Varian''s voice turned serious. "I want to meet your father."


    "Eh?!"

 Chapter 155: Sarahs past

    <h4>Chapter 155: Sarah''s past</h4>


    "I want to meet your father."


    "Eh?" Sarah''s expression turned from surprise to fear to anxiety.


    "Am I making things hard for you?" He asked.


    Evander was not only the dean of the academy but also the high general of Earth Armed Forces.


    So a cadet would have no chance of meeting him in private.


    In a sense, Varian''s request was presumptuous. But he wouldn''t ignore his own daughter''s request, right?


    But looking at Sarah, it seemed something was wrong.


    Sarah gazed out of the window in silence.


    It was night. Yet, the neon lights ensured it was as bright as day.


    She nced up at the sky. There was a colorful disc in the sky¡ªMoon and a red crack¡ªDemon Abyss.


    "When I was a kid, I used to watch the moon with my parents." Sarah''s face broke into a small smile.


    "They met on moon during a mission. So they both liked it very much." Her eyes sparkled in nostalgia.


    "They told me the myths of the moon. A white moon. A moon that wasn''t a military base. My dad said once the war was over, everything will go back to how it should be. He promised we would watch the moon together." Sarah''s smile slowly receded.


    "After she was gone, he changed." Sarah''s voice shivered lightly.


    Varian sighed.


    "He used to call me every day. Now, he merely shows some gestures. Now, we rarely talk and when we do, it''d be about my progress or theck of it." Sarah clutched her forehead.


    Varian didn''t think there was so much misery behind her usual confident smile. He shouldn''t have brought this up.


    "I''m sorry for bringing it up." He apologized.


    Sarah shook her head and gave her usual confident smile. "Likewise. I didn''t know why, I just felt like telling you."


    Varian rubbed his chin and looked at her seriously. "I know why."


    Sarah perked her ears with a curious expression.


    Varian coughed and looked at her with a straight face. "After I advanced to level 4, my charm is finally showing. I can give all girls a sense of reliability. Sarah, you''re also charm¡ª"


    Bam!


    A pillow hit his face softly, followed by a giggle.


    "Why didn''t I know you were a little narcissist?" Sarah looked at him with a smile.


    "Me neither. But I can''t keep denying the truth." Varian flicked his hair with a sorrowful expression.


    Bam!


    "Hahaha, stop." Sarah clutched her stomach as she broke intoughter.


    Varian smiled at her.


    After a few minutes, Sarah calmed down.


    "Thank you." She said.


    "Huh?"


    "After seeing me sad, you were trying to make me feel better, right?" She looked into his eyes with confidence.


    Varian sighed in defeat. "While I appreciate your intelligence, you should really turn it off sometimes."


    Sarah''s lips twitched. "Is that a praise or an insult?"


    "Guess?"


    Sarah rolled her eyes and quickly typed a few words on a special device. "I requested him. But I''m not sure whether he would agree."


    Inwardly, she thought. ''I requested my father to do a federation wide appeal to find him. Varian doesn''t know yet. Or it''d be embarrassing.'' Her face lightly flushed.


    Varian raised an eyebrow at her flustered expression. "You won''t get into trouble, right?"


    Sarah hurriedly shook her head. "H-He''s still caring. He just doesn''t talk anymore. Anyway, you are not going to tell me why you want to meet him, right?"


    Varian looked at her in shock.


    Sarah nodded with an ''I knew it!'' expression.


    "If you''re fine, we can move to Academy. You have a lot of catching up to do and need to take the missed tests. Another monthly test ising. Enjoy the pain." At the end, she smiled gleefully.


    ''Damn. I just want to practice.'' Varian rubbed his hands in nervousness. As he did, he felt the metal touch on his finger. The ghost ship ring.


    ''Boo!''


    ''Yes, master?''


    ''I''ll rely on you for my exams.'' Varian pushed the burden to his AI.


    ''B-But that''s not fair.'' Boo protested.


    ''What''s truly not fair is the Inheritance you touted about. Now, I just want to focus on getting stronger and earning merit points.'' Varian persuaded the little ghost.


    Sarah took Varian''s silence as him being worried.


    She smirked. "Wantst 10 year test papers? Tests will be cakewalk."


    Varian shook his head and said with a serious expression. "Do I look like someone who takes the easy path? Even if I shed my tears and pour my blood, I''ll study hard without anyone''s help."


    Sarah was surprised at his answer, and then immediately turned back to normal.


    "That''s good." Then she coughed lightly and exined. "I don''t use those papers either. I collect them for Ivy."


    She directly threw Ivy under the bus.


    "Achoo!" Ivy sneezed in the ss and wondered who was badmouthing her.


    Varian smiled at her and nodded with a solemn expression. "I know, Sarah. You would never do that."


    Sarah smiled back at him. "Varian, I trust you never do that as well."


    Behind their smiles, they both thought.


    ''He''s lying.''


    ''She''s lying.''


    "You both are lying." A calm voice jolted them.


    "Ek?!" Varian and Sarah suddenly turned to the unexpected guest.


    Anna, the maid, looked at them with an expressionless face.


    "Aunt Anna, you''re scaring us." Sarah stood in front of Varian.


    Even though he tried to calm himself, Varian still found his heart racing.


    This was a Level 8 maid, dammit!


    She had silver hair, an oval face and a more than ample bosom.


    Anna ignored Sarah''s protest and nced at Varian.


    Varian smiled at her, eliciting a raised eyebrow.


    Usually, anyone his age would be flustered meeting a Level 8 awakener. Even more so when meeting a Level 8 maid.


    ''Confidence or arrogance?''


    She gave him a professional smile and turned to Sarah. "He should''ve recovered by now."


    Sarah opened her mouth and was about to protest.


    "I know. We''ll take him to the academy. I''ll talk to the Supervisor. But young miss, please get some¡ª."


    Sarah suddenly said. "I know. I know."


    Varian was surprised. She seemed less like a maid and more like a rtive.


    ''Maids are awesome.'' He sighed and stood up. "I''ll get changed."


    Soon, he was seated in Sarah''s private space shuttle as they took off to the Imperial Defense Academy.

 Chapter 156: Anna, the maid

    <h4>Chapter 156: Anna, the maid</h4>


    The AI did the driving and Anna went off to another room to inform the Academy staff about Varian''s return.


    The two of them rxed in the luxurious interior of the shuttle. Even though it was not an expandable space, it was expensive to the boot.


    It was simr to luxurious interiors of Old Earth''s private jets, just multiplied by a hundred.


    Varian sipped the high value wine and slumped onto thefy couch made of a Level 6 beast''s leather.


    ''Boo, we''re broke. Go make some money in stock or something.''


    ''But master, you can''t buy any of these for the money in stock market. It needs karma points or merit points.''


    ''Fuck. Then add to my To-Do list. The first item. Get rich enough to unt my wealth.''


    ''...how much would that be?''


    ''I don''t know. To buy this space shuttle or two?''


    ''Master, this space shuttle would easily cost a 40,000 merit points. With interior added, 10,000 more. So, total 50,000 merit points, give or take.''


    ''...Fuck. Then how did she gain so many merit points?''


    ''It''s left by herte mother, it seems. Besides, the ownership is shared between Sarah and Anna.''


    ''I can''t even afford half of a spaceship.'' Varian sighed.


    ''B-But,'' Boo stuttered.


    ''I know, I know. No amount of merit points can buy you.'' He coaxed.


    Wait, when did he start doing this?


    ''Hehe.'' Boo let out a softughter and fell silent.


    Meanwhile, Sarah continued talking excitedly. "Enigma is on fire. She literally took down the three great ns of Earth herself. I wish¡ª"


    Suddenly, she stopped.


    "Huh?"


    Varian saw her lying down on the couch. Her breathing slowed down and a peaceful expression surfaced on her face.


    ''Just how tired was she to fall asleep like that as a Level 6 Awakener?'' Varian wondered.


    The couch transformed into a bed and covered Sarah. She hugged the pillow subconsciously and smiled lightly.


    An opaque wall materialized between them.


    "..."


    ''Master, I think they''re treating you as a pervert who peeks at sleeping women.''


    ''Shut up!.'' Varian had an urge to beat up Boo.


    "She was not sleeping properly." Anna appeared in front of Varian and said with a light bow.


    "I see."


    "From the day she returned." Anna added.


    "What?!" Varian turned to Sarah in surprise, but the opaque light wall blocked his sight.


    "It''s not good manners to peek on a sleeping maiden, Mr. Varian." Anna said.


    "You guys peeked at my sleeping photos in the hospital."


    "...I''m impressed by your audacity to equalize the situations." Anna''s face was first surprised, then she answered in her calm tone.


    "I''m not trying to peek."


    "I know."


    "But you¡ª"


    "It''s just a joke." Anna said with the same calm expression.


    ''Just smile a bit when saying that. At least that totally fake professional smile.''


    Seeing Varian''s slightly resentful look, Anna smiled lightly before sighing. "Miss was trying to find out the traitors who leaked her team''s whereabouts."


    Varian''s expression condensed.


    Traitors were too dangerous to forget. What if the same thing repeated in the next mission?


    "She took care of them already. Now we have evidence of the mastermind, Astor n betraying humans." She exined patiently.


    Varian turned silent before recalling the scene of her escaping the Astor n. It was too risky.


    Even with a Level 8 maid, she could''ve lost her life.


    "She should have informed the higher ups. It''s too risky to confront Astor n." Varian said with aplicated expression.


    "I agree. But she wants to avenge you." Anna med him.


    ''Avenge me? I see. She felt personally responsible. That was what it was all about.'' Varian smiled bitterly. He wasn''t sure what he was feeling at the moment.


    Gratitude? A sense of closeness?


    But at least she could be trusted more.


    "Actually, I frequently encounter near death situations." Varian scratched his cheek and said in a rather embarrassing tone. "I kinda almost die every time. But somehow, Ie out alive. You could say I''m even tougher than cockroaches."


    Anna tried to stifle herughter. And failed.


    "Pfft."


    Varian rolled his eyes.


    Really, he was almost dying too many times.


    "Anyway, unless you see my corpse, do not believe I am dead." He said seriously.


    Anna looked at him seriously and nodded. "You''re¡­ special."


    "You meant to say ''weird''." Varian corrected.


    "Yes. Ah, I mean, no." Anna fell into the trap, but hurriedlyposed herself.


    ''Tsk.'' Varian snickered.


    (Tick) A notification arrived on Anna''sm.


    She looked at it and nced at Varian. Under her breath, she muttered. "Xanders are too much."


    She and Sarah were both concentrated on finding the traitors for the past fifty days. So they didn''t know Varian was ''expelled'' for not taking the test.


    But everyone would know it was just an excuse.


    If a cadet was in mission they can''t return from, tests could be taken at ater date.


    Of course, skipping tests while being avable was not eptable.


    But the only thing that mattered was passing every test in the semester by the end.


    But to reinforce fear and disciple, the first year cadets were told they shouldn''t miss the test.


    Anna didn''t inform Varian of his expel notice.


    She would solve it with her influence alone. Besides, she wasn''t doing anything illegal.


    ''Miss, I hope he can make your life a little better. Make you smile a little more.'' She sighed and nced at Varian.


    Jet ck hair, a handsome face and a lean physique with perfectly chiseled muscles that carved his body to perfection.


    Everything seemed to be fine, but¡ª


    She recalled something, and her face turned weird. She couldn''t help but ask.


    "You''re handsome and fit. Why are you still a virgin? You¡­ have a problem?"


    "Pffft",


    Varian spat the wine and red at the unruly maid. He also scolded Kyle for the thirty-seventh time.


    For the hundred and fifth time, he prayed no one else visited his tomb.


    But still, this question was too much.


    So he stood up and reached for his trousers. "Whether I have a problem or not, I can prove it to you now."


    "Kya~." Anna''s face blushed like a ripe tomato as she turned her face.


    Varian chuckled at her response and slumped back onto the couch with pride.


    ''Hmph!


    Didn''t youugh at me just now? What about you? I dare, but do you?


    I''m single by choice, not by fate.''


    Anna gritted her teeth. While mentally raising his evaluation to ''Skin is thick enough,'' she wrote down the grudge.


    ''I''ll let you suffer a bit with your expel notice. Let''s see how you''ll ask me to help you out.'' She thought with a smirk.


    Poor Varian didn''t know the maid bore grudges.


    As they entered the campus'' premises, Sarah slowly woke up.


    The light wall guarding her vanished as she sat up on the bed and rubbed her eyes.


    It was a short nap, but she was rejuvenated.


    As she chatted with Varian about the recent events, the device on her wrist shone.


    Sarah gaped and rubbed her eyes to confirm she wasn''t dreaming. After she read the notification once again, she cheered.


    "You''re in great luck! He can you see in an hour!"

 Chapter 157: If you want to save Humanity

    <h4>Chapter 157: If you want to save Humanity</h4>


    Varian waited silently in the Dean''s block.


    The Dean''s block was a floating building in the centre of the academy. Naturally, it was a forbidden area that students can''t casually enter.


    The entry needed a special pass. Usually, only senior staff have a permanent pass.


    But after Sarah received the reply, he was granted a temporary pass. Sarah and Anna had permanent passes, of course.


    So Varian escaped the scenario of guards blocking the entry and a face pping fight.


    Dean''s block was white. Literally. The floors, the ceilings, the walls, everything was crystal white.


    Varian wondered if this was a quirk as they entered the building. Sarah said she had something to ''submit'' whilst he met her father.


    He guessed it was the evidence of Astor n''s collusion. But since she didn''t specify it, he didn''t ask.


    Anna dered she would wait in a park outside. For some reason, she seemed to be avoiding Evander.


    Sarah was familiar with the ce and with her help, he calmly reached the waiting room without any trouble.


    But the gazes of the high awakeners around him were disturbing, to put it mildly. It made him feel like a rare museum piece.


    All of them recognized Sarah as well.


    Then someone recalled an announcement by the federation a month ago and checked the message.


    "You''re that missing cadet!" A level 7 staff eximed.


    "How did you survive?"


    "What is your rtionship with Sarah?"


    Varian didn''t specifically ask about the news and his overly clever little ghost, Boo didn''t check.


    So they were both ignorant about the federation message when he went missing.


    But with a quick search on the meta:


    {The army has announced federation wide search for the cadet named Varian. The details are below. If you find him, alive or dead, please report to the Imperial Defense Academy. The reward is personally guaranteed by Evander, Steelheart.}


    ''What the fuck?'' Varian nearly cursed.


    He pointed the announcement to Sarah and raised an eyebrow.


    "Announcements like these are not umon, right?"


    She tried to put on an expressionless face and nodded. "There will be such announcements every month. Missing cases, terrorists, major power''s family members suspected of kidnap or assassination."


    Varian gritted his teeth. "For a cadet, and especially a first year, it is very umon, right?"


    Sarah''s face turned stiff, but she immediately changed her expression to a jovial one.


    "Once they know you''re alive, your poprity will rise."


    "...So I''ll be a monkey wherever I go." Varian sighed in defeat.


    Sarah coughed and patted his shoulder. "Be optimistic like me."


    Varian rolled his eyes and stopped talking.


    Many cadets die every year. But only he got this treatment. He knew she was the one responsible.


    Despite the troubles it would causeter on, the act itself was based on good intentions.


    ''She must have been really worried about me.'' Varian smiled lightly and then thought of his friends.


    ''Boo, add the top task on the to-do list. I should contact them as soon as possible.''


    ''But master, what about getting rich?''


    ''...Boo, I''m ashamed to have a greedy AI like you.''


    ''Waa! I''m not greedy.'' Boo cried out.


    Varian ignored the wails of the ghost and tried to mimic Sarah''s expressionless face as he faced the weird gazes.


    But still, the attention he got only rose.


    Everyone in the building was an important person. Even the most random mob was a Level 6 and a peak one at that.


    There were a lot of people in the waiting room.


    Sarah told him there was no fixed appointments. They could only meet Evander when he was free.


    The order of meeting was also decided by Evander based on the importance and urgency.


    Despite the weird gazes, Varian was thankful there was no young master here who thought he sneaked in or something to expel him.


    Wait, but what about Sarah''s presence?


    He nced at her.


    Sarah sat gracefully with a confident smile.


    He carefully examined the stunning beauty seated beside him.


    Her golden blonde hair flowed down to her waist and her blue eyes shone with an intoxicating charm.


    With a stunning face and fairly developed curves, she was one of, if not the most beautiful woman on the campus.


    Even in strength, she stood at the very top. She was ranked third in amethyst list despite being a second year.


    If not for her being a dual awakener cutting off her chances as a Sovereign, she might as well be more valued than Charles.


    But regardless, one fact was indisputable.


    Sarah Albert was the number one goddess of the cadets.


    Usually, any normal man would be drawn to her beauty.


    But sitting with her, talking to her and even after an unintentional hug, Varian didn''t feel overwhelmed.


    It was a weird feeling. Like a he was already used to it and thus, developed immunity to beauties.


    ''Sia?'' He shook his head.


    The oldest he saw her was only at 15 years. To Varian, that age was still in the category of ''cuteness''.


    At Sarah''s age, he was sure Sia would be outrageously beautiful.


    ''Speaking of which,'' Varian turned to the smiling Sarah and nced around.


    ''Where are her suitors? Right after knowing their goddess is with a nameless first year cadet, shouldn''t they rush and try to suppress me in jealousy?''


    Varian clutched his forehead. ''Right?''


    "Varian." Sarah''s nudged him.


    "Yes?!" He stood up in shock.


    "Varian Konstant. Second call." the AI''s announcement filled the room.


    In the pairs of eyes that yelled ''How dare you space out here?'', Varian took a deep breath.


    "Don''t be so nervous. He''s not going to eat you." Sarah tried tofort.


    Varian didn''t correct her but instead nodded, "Thanks for the help. You''ll know my purpose once I''m out."


    "Good luck. I''ll tell you what I was going to do once youe out." She smiled and then seemed to recall something.


    "I remember your first meeting didn''t go well. At least, you aren''tte this time." Sarah snickered.


    The corner of Varian''s mouth twitched, and he red at Sarah who was enjoying herself.


    But she was wrong. This time, he wasn''t depending on luck.


    Things will go as nned in the best case.


    In the worst case¡­


    ''Boo, is that ready?''


    ''Yes, master. I will teleport you out the moment we sense danger.''


    During his raid of a hundred hideouts, Varian collected a hundred Cross Tunnel Formations and lots of aura crystals.


    Superposing those special formations with Boo''s broken but still existing space sub system, an escape formation is created after many cross tunnel formations.


    Boo warned its space sub system would be burdened by the usage and would likely break after a usage or two.


    That in turn would mean Varian had to pump in more resources to repair it to the peak.


    But Varian still let it prepare the escape formation. He got but one life. What was the use to save resources if you couldn''t live?


    If the n goes awry, Boo would use the formation and teleport him out to a safe distance.


    Then he''d enter the space shuttle and using stealth mode, escape.


    Of course, it was the worst-case scenario.


    Varian was confident he''d achieve his goal.


    He reached the Dean''s office and stood patiently as the scanning light ran over him.


    The sleek white door opened and Varian stepped in with anticipation.


    It was arge room with few materials.


    Evander was seated in a high chair and was reading through a holographic document projected by am on the table.


    The table in front was filled with lots ofms marked by some weird coordinates.


    Randomly, a fewms would sh in various colors before going back to normal.


    Varian observed thems that were shing in darker shades were paid more attention to and the lighter ones were ignored.


    Evander seemed to be immersed in his work, but he still spoke. "You saved her and must be expecting a reward. Say, what do you want?"


    Varian squinted his eyes and walked a few steps closer.


    Now he was only a dozen meters away from Evander and was standing right in front.


    Varian said, no dered with confidence. "Make me your disciple."


    Evander thought he misheard it. So he repeated. "Don''t waste my time."


    Varian''s voice was slightly raised, and he said with a tone that showed absolute confidence. "If you want humanity to survive, make me your disciple."

 Chapter 158: Im seriously not bragging

    <h4>Chapter 158: I''m seriously not bragging</h4>


    Evander closed the hologram and turned to Varian.


    It was like a mountain pressed him down, Varian felt suffocated.


    However, his gaze didn''t falter, and he looked at Evander in the eye.


    Evander raised an eyebrow. "You are the guy who waste this year, right?"


    ''I''m also the guy missed my first month''s exams for your information.'' Varian wanted to reply but held back.


    Instead, he calmly nodded without any hint of hesitation or embarrassment. "Yes Sir, that''s me."


    Evander frowned.


    Shouldn''t a cadet be feeling ashamed to answer that? Was this thick skin or something?


    But regardless, he said. "I''ll give you a chance to convince me. Why should I, the dean of earth''s best academy, make you, a guy who is not punctual, and barely¡­.Level 4?" His eyes fluctuated lightly noticing Varian''s level.


    He didn''t expect that from a first year like him. Only top geniuses reached Level 4 in their first year and that too in the second semester.


    Besides, his aura was at the peak of Level 4.


    But Evander regained his calm face and continued. "Why should I make you my disciple?"


    The air turned heavy.


    Evander could already guess what was going to happen.


    The young man would put on a righteous face and use the excuse that he saved his daughter. As a father, it was only right that he repaid him.


    A typical moral kidnapping.


    But it wouldn''t work on him. In fact, Evander hated such things.


    So once he spoke those filthy words, even if this cadet saved his daughter, he would ask her to cut any ties with him.


    But instead of the righteous face and moral kidnapping, the cadet''s lips curled with confidence.


    "Because I am the best genius earth has to offer."


    ''Pardon?'' Evander wondered if this guy suffered a mental breakdown after surviving the space crack.


    "You can use yourwork to check. I awakened two weeks before the entrance test. In a short span of time, I advanced to level 2." His eyes shone as he exerted his aura.


    The pressure on him was shaken off, and he smiled. "I awakenedter than most people. But I found an immature ambrosia in the dungeon. Here I am, at Level 4."


    Evander continued to listen.


    "I overcame myte awakening disadvantage. Now I''m at the peak of Level 4. Soon, I''ll advance to level 5."


    The high general of Earth had no choice but to nod.


    "Today''s 20th of Duas. We''re near mid-sem of the first semester. I am confident I can advance to Level 5 before the semester ends."


    "ording to Sarah, even Charles only reached Level 5 halfway through second semester."


    Evander didn''t look convinced.


    It was a few months'' difference. Besides, Varian took a small version of Ambrosia.


    So his argument of being the best genius fell short¡ª


    "I have awakened for less than two months." Varian put the light back on the issue.


    Yes. Unlike Charles, who practiced for years, the guy in front barely practiced.


    Evander''s eyes flickered as if he thought of something and he quickly instructed someone on hism.


    Varian remained silent.


    After a few minutes, a message arrived. Evander sighed deeply after reading it.


    His stern and indifferent expression finally changed.


    He looked at Varian with aplicated gaze.


    "I don''t know about your advancement after Level 2, but till level 2, I believe it''s your own talent." Evander slowly said.


    During his admission, the reason Varian''s level didn''t appear absurdpared to his awakening time was because he reported he found a special fruit on the murloc ind.


    Thus, his quick ascension from a low level 1 to Level 2 in a matter of weeks wasn''t questioned.


    But if any great power could check the matter thoroughly, they could surely find the traces of whether such a fruit existed on the ind he visited.


    The murloc ind chains were owned by Gareth, and he already knew the true reason behind Varian''s advancement.


    Seth also learnt of it from Gareth.


    But no one else.


    After all, why would a great power lower their posture to investigate a nobody like him?


    So when Evander found out the truth from a quick investigation, he had mixed feelings.


    Even though it was only from Level 1 to Level 2, the speed was enough to shock the daylights out of him.


    Evander gestured for Varian to be seated.


    With less seriousness and more curiosity, he asked. "Why did you never reveal this, then?"


    Varian leaned back in the chair and shot a look at Evander that said. ''You know why.''


    "So you didn''t want to be treated as a monster or be sliced in ab."


    Varian shrugged. "Precisely, Sir."


    "Why do you believe I will not hand you over to theb and find out your secret or whatever it is, then?" Evander''s gaze suddenly turned solemn.


    Aura condensed around him, and Varian couldn''t move. It was the good ol Aura lock.


    Instead of panicking, Varian replied in a bored tone. "Because there is no such secret. Even if there is, the chance of you getting it from me is impossible."


    The aura lock loosened, and Varian shrugged. "I am not trying to brag, but my practice is literally the fastest in human history."


    Evander''s serious face also twitched lightly.


    "You can lock me up in ab and try to get the secret, but I have the means to kill myself before that happens." Varian''s gaze condensed.


    ''Of course, I can actually escape. But that is totally unbelievable.''


    "Or you can support me. If I grow up faster, I am sure I can be the trump card that will end this war."


    Evander shook his head. "I don''t like arrogance."


    "Let my results speak for themselves."


    "What about your loyalty?" Evander''s face was unnaturally serious.


    Varian expected this question. But for some reason, Evander''s tone was beyond stern.


    But he still answered calmly. "Unless I get stabbed first, I will be on military''s side."


    "Just trust your words?"


    "I didn''t know I could survive, but I still saved my teammates. That should prove my character, no? Or do you think anyone can n myself into surviving a space crack?" Varian was assertive, but he maintained a smile.


    Evander remained calm for a moment before he replied. "You just want to get backing so that you won''t be suppressed by Xanders. If not for that, you wouldn''t have cared."


    "Absolutely true, sir." Varian nodded with a straight face and said. "Can I call you master now?"


    Evander rubbed his chin for a while.


    Master and disciple were different from being a pupil and tutor.


    Thetter was based on teaching them and providing some resources. It ended after the cadet graduated.


    It was more transactional in nature and the tutor would expect the pupil to repay them after they grow stronger.


    It usually doesn''t go beyond that. Of course, Varian-Seth was an exception.


    Master-disciple was a lifetime rtionship. It went deeper than give and take.


    If Varian did rise like he promised, then Evander''s family would maintain a very close connection with Varian. They would benefit tremendously, even after his graduation.


    Of course, with a Sovereign father, the only thing that would really interest Evander was at least a Sovereign or a very strong Level 9.


    ''Do or not do.'' Evander pondered for a moment before he looked at Varian.


    Varian couldn''t read the expression on his face, but Evander eventually replied. "Alright. But if you do not advance to Level 5 this semester, I''ll terminate the discipleship. Sarah will cut off contact with to you."


    ''What was thest part for?'' Even though he wondered, Varian nodded.


    "I won''t be providing you any material support. Earn everything by yourself." Evander stated in a tone that allowed no refusal.


    "I didn''t intend to ask, Master." Varian said.


    "Good. I''m betting my vision on your power and loyalty." Evander snapped his fingers and an object shot at Varian.


    Varian caught it with ease.


    It was a blue metallic badge with a red ''E'' was carved.


    "A sign that we''re master-disciple. Even though it won''t happen from now, if you ever get treated unfairly, show this to the other party." He said lightly before adding. "But if you are the one that did the wrong, regardless of your talent, you''d get equal punishment."


    "Of course." Varian nodded and got up. "It''s a pleasant meeting, master."


    Evander watched him deeply before lightly nodding. "Do not disappoint."


    Varian replied with a smile and walked back to the door.


    Watching Varian''s receding back, a small smile broke out on Evander''s serious face.


    "Xanders wouldn''t have expected this." He tapped on am.


    "High General." A hologram popped up, and a woman bowed to Evander.


    "Announce he''s my disciple. That''d be enough."


    "Yes."


    The onlookers were shocked at the duration Varian stayed inside.


    It was more than ten minutes!


    Varian''s value in their eyes rose exponentially.


    But before they could introduce themselves, Sarah grabbed him, and they rushed out of the office.


    Anna picked them up, and they escaped the wolves.


    Curiosity killed the cat. But humans never learn.


    Varian, of course, cursed Xanders for every difort. If not for them, he''d have stayed low key.


    "What did you talk about?" Sarah suddenly asked.


    Varian looked at curious blue eyes and nced at Anna, who perked her ears.


    He sighed deeply. "Your father was moved that I saved you and epted me as a discipl¡ªOuch!"


    Sarah raised her fist and smiled sweetly. "Speak the truth."


    Varian felt the air cool down.He hurriedly exined. "I appealed with my talent and sincerity, he epted me as a disciple."


    Sarah pumped her fist. "Great!"


    Anna facepalmed. "Miss, the disciple wasn''t you. Why are you celebrating?"


    "But Aunt Anna, I can''t help him out with Charles. My father can. Of course, its good news."


    "...you''re right." Anna patted Varian on the shoulder and gave a smile that was not a smile. "I must say, I''m impressed you pulled this off."


    Varian awkwardly smiled.


    He felt that Anna seemed to know more than she showed.


    It must be an illusion.


    "Then I''ll see youter. I''m he tired." Sarah yawned and remembered something.


    "The evidence of traitors is handed in. You don''t have to worry about it repeating in your second mission. Besides,¡ªAunt Anna, I''m still talking."


    Anna carried Sarah and, as expected, put her to rest.


    Varianughed at Sarah''s unwilling expression and bid them goodbye.


    Following Anna''s advice, he set off to the first year''s supervisor''s office.


    He needed to report in and ask for re-tests.


    At the same time, Narcis and Ryan came out from the Aura Well.


    Their aura was fluctuating at Level 4. They both advanced, setting foot on a level even second years don''t necessarily achieve.


    As Narcis enjoyed the feeling of superiority, Ryan eximed in shock.


    "That Rank 1 guy! He is alive! Fuck! Someone saw him on the campus with Sarah!"


    Narcis''s eyes narrowed. "Some people need to be beaten into their ce."

 Chapter 159: First Year Supervisor

    <h4>Chapter 159: First Year Supervisor</h4>


    The main administrative block was a sleek building built of high quality blue crystal. From outside, it looked like a gigantic crystal spire.


    It was in the public domain, and he entered the building without any extra check.


    The ground floor was vast, easily rivalling the size of three stadiumsbined.


    After all, this was the main building for every cadet.


    But upon entering, he found that much to his chagrin; it was noisy.


    Hundreds of cadets were going in and out from the dozens of entry points.


    The services offered ranged from enquires,ints to requests, rmendations, and counselling.


    It was to be expected, however.


    This building oversaw the administrative processes of all the cadets. The events, the tests, their records, and so on.


    In a sense, Administrative building was the controlling unit of the Academy itself.


    So along with robots, there were also hundreds of staff in this five hundred storey tall crystal building.


    Varian enquired about the Supervisor office and boarded the ss elevator. The office of the first year''s Supervisor was apparently on the hundredth floor.


    They had the final responsibility on the performance of two thousand first year cadets.


    Knox, the supervisor of first year was a level 7 Space Awakener.


    On the ceremony of tutor-pupil, Knox tried to prevent Seth from epting Varian as his pupil.


    There was a short conflict, after which Knox gave in.


    He was trying to please Xanders, and the n fell apart. He must be resentful against him and Seth.


    If it was before, Varian would''ve worried about running into trouble. But now, looking at the badge bound to him, he smirked.


    Even though Evander didn''t give him any tangible benefits, a lot of troubles he would encounter otherwise now simply vanished.


    The waiting hall was rtively deserted. The first years were still busy with their sses and missions.


    After the brief retina scan, Varian walked into thevish office.


    It was ''armed to the teeth'' with luxury items.


    Expensive holographic art, show pieces made from strong magic beasts, and even a fountain of precious potions.


    Varian noticed even the chairs were made of expensive red gold.


    ''Vain as fuck.''


    The most irritating thing was of course the man sitting on the chair.


    No.


    Varian waved his hand lightly, and the hologram disappeared, revealing a slob leaning back on the chair.


    Knox. His bald head remained barren. While his belly bloated. Varian would rather believe this guy was actually a pregnant woman.


    "Sir, the hologram is destroyed." The AI wake up Knox.


    Knox rubbed his eyes and cursed. "Who are you, kid? You could''ve just said yourint to the hologram, I''d review itter, anyway."


    "Do you not recognize me, Mr. Knox?" Varian chuckled and rudely sat on the chair.


    "You¡ª" Knox was about to reprimand such audacious behavior when he finally recognized Varian.


    "You''re still alive?" His eyes widened.


    "You must be sleeping for hours or you''d already know." Varian answered with a casual expression.


    Knox was enraged and was about to exert his aura to teach the guy in front a lesson.


    But he suddenly paused, and a weird smile crept on his face.


    Without hiding the mockery, he said. "I don''t know what luck you have to survive that shitty space crack. But,"


    He tapped on the screen of his table, and a file popped up.


    {Expel Notice: Varian Konstant


    Reason: Failed to attend the monthly exam.}


    Knox was disappointed at Varian, only raising an eyebrow at the file. But he continued in a sadistic tone.


    "Usually, if you couldn''t attend the exam because of a mission, you would be exempted and you can take the test again. To be fair, you would also get the chance." His eyes shone.


    "So when am I going to take the test, then?" Varian asked nonchntly, as if he couldn''t see the rising corners of Knox''s mocking smile.


    "That''s the best part." Knoxughed out loud. "You don''t."


    "Why?" Varian asked calmly, his voice trembled from anger.


    But to Knox, it was trembling from fear.


    He enjoyed the feeling of crushing someone and replied. "Why? Because sacrificing you, I can get into the good books of Young Master Narcis."


    "After the news came that you died, I turned unimportant in his eyes." Knox red at Varian, as if he was to me.


    "Thest task he gave me was to expel you. But if you''re dead, what''s the use? I''ll only face Sarah''s wrath for discrediting herte teammate." Knox''s eyes narrowed.


    "But now that you''re alive and I expel you, he''ll be pleased. Thank you very much, whatever your name was." Knox startedughing in joy.


    "Hahaha!"


    "Haha!"


    "Haha!"


    Eventually, theughter died down.


    When he looked at Varian again, expecting to see despair or defeat, there was only one thing he saw.


    A middle finger.


    Varian felt the aura around him thicken, as if it would lock him up any instant. But there was not a hint of nervousness on his face.


    Knox''s face flushed with anger. "Fighting in the campus is indeed forbidden without proper reasons, even for me. But do you think you can survive after stepping out?"


    Varian shook his head.


    "Yes! I will make sure you die miserably for offending me." Knox waved his hand, and the file shot into Varian''s brokem.


    "Now out of my office and this campus. Or I will have you forcibly evacuated." Knox snickered.


    Varian was about to reply when the door suddenly opened.


    "How dare you enter without my¡ªYoung Master, wee!" Knox''s tone reversed in an instant and he hurriedly wee the guest to be seated in his own seat.


    Varian watched as Narcis sat on the chair and nced down at him in contempt.


    He covered his face and threw his head back with as he couldn''t suppressughing anymore. "I don''t know why, but your eyes, they piss me off."


    "You know what? I''m thankful you didn''t die. Now I can ''send'' you off myself." Narcis sneered.


    "Hahaha! You''re paying too much attention to this inconsequential person, young master." Knox performed his duty and kissed ass.


    He took the opportunity to teach his ghost AI some extraordinary knowledge.


    ''Boo, carefully learn how clowns look. These are the best of the best.''


    ''Yes.''


    "Get the fuck out already." Narcis walked to Varian and reached out his hand to grab the cor.


    A shadow shed and then a ''pop'' sounded.


    "Aaaah!"


    Narcis screamed as he clutched his broken hand. In his opinion, Varian used his powers and sneak attacked him.


    "You¡ª" Knox raised his hand and was about to lock Varian when an announcement sounded.


    {Dean Evander epted Varian, first year cadet, as his personal disciple. He expressed hope that Varian will set an example of a model cadet.}


    Narcis ignored his pain as he gaped at Varian.


    Knox trembled as he gulped, his body trembling as he opened his mouth, but no words came out.


    The helpless cadet without any background, the one he could bully at will, his ticket to promotion and growing close to Xander family was gone.


    In front of him stood the cadet with a cold smile.


    Those eyes, he previously thought as ''fearful'', now seemed predatory.


    Knox felt a shiver down his spine, and he slumped on the ground.


    ''Boo, send the video to Master.''


    ''Done.''


    Varian smiled at Knox. "I''ve recorded our conversation. It''s sent to my master. Now you can fuck off your position and maybe¡­ the academy."

 Chapter 160: Duel with Narcis

    <h4>Chapter 160: Duel with Narcis</h4>


    "N-No! H-How did you record?! Why didn''t I notice? When did you send it?" Knox yelled hysterically.


    He was sweating buckets and wetting the floor.


    This position was too important for him. He nced at the luxuries he ''earned'' one at a time.


    Once an investigation wasunched, he would lose everything.


    The thought of blocking Varian and kidnapping him shed in his mind, but only for a moment before he discarded.


    He could still keep his life after this incident, but if he really crossed the line, then his life was hard to guarantee.


    But even the realization of what would happen was despairing enough.


    In the best case, he''d lose his job.


    In the worst case, they''d dig deep into every bribe he took and he''d be forced to sell everything.


    Like a fish out of water, he thrashed on the floor and looked at the ceiling with hollow eyes.


    Regardless, his career was over now.


    His supervisor post was gone for sure.


    Even his post in the army was in jeopardy. Forget any possibility of promotion. He''d be transferred to a remote and dangerous area.


    High Awakeners like him would usually be forgiven for such crimes, but this time, it involved the personal disciple of High General.


    If even this was forgiven, then it would be a stain on Evander''s reputation. It wasn''t a matter of a cadet anymore, but that of a general.


    ''There''s no one who could save¡ª''


    "Young Master Xander, please help me out. I''m Level 7. I can be your personal servant. Please help me keep my position." Knox kneeled to Narcis and begged.


    Varian watched the turn of events and apuded. "Wonderful. Now, Mr. Narcis Xander, THE SECOND, what are you going to do?"


    Narcis trembled with anger as his face flushed with humiliation. The words that hurt the most were, of course, ''The Second''.


    He didn''t like anyone telling him that. Not even if it was true.


    He red daggers at Varian''s smiling face and growled. "You''re just a coward hiding behind your master. Without him, you''re nothing."


    Varian threw his head back andughed. "Coming that from you is the biggest joke. Without your family, what are you? An arrogant trash."


    "Young Master, pleas¡ª"


    Bam!


    Narcis kicked out Knox, and his aura exploded.


    Varian could distinctly feel the aura shaking in the air. It was an early Level 4 aura.


    Narcis took a pill and his hand began to heal at visible speed. He showed his broken hand to Varian. "Unlike a level 2 trash that sneak attacks me, I''m a Level 4."


    Without giving Varian a chance to reply, Narcis partially transformed. His ears turned into white wolf ears, his hands turned into ws and he grew into a three meter Demi wolf.


    "This is my power." Narcis''s voice turned morbid, and he scowled. "This is beyond your reach. From the moment you were born, you were destined to be below me. You can only look upto me. Even if you somehow got a backing, you''ll remain a trash."


    ''Master, this guy is putting mental patients to shame.''


    ''Indeed, he is the arrogant young master.''


    ''Yes, yes. The forever delusional, a product of bad parenting and ungrounded superiorityplex.''


    ''You''re learning pretty fast, Boo.''


    ''Hehe. That is of course. I''m the best ghost AI.''


    Varian looked at Narcis with interest and smiled. "How about a duel? You want to prove, no, you already believe it. You want to demonstrate you''re superior, right? How about a duel? "


    Narcis transformed back to human form and chuckled. "Since you are asking for it, I''ll show you the difference between us. Like the old earth saying, It''s like the difference between Heaven and Earth."


    Knox hurriedly stood up and said. "Yes, young master. Show him his ce. Even with backing, he can''tpare to you."


    Varian raised an eyebrow at Knox.


    Was this guy still keeping his hopes alive?


    That was better. The despair thates after hope is the best.


    "Let''s go." Narcis said and the three of them reached the Dueling fields.


    They reached the statues of founding fathers. Under the tall statues were the Duel rings.


    Each duel ring had a barrier blocking its impact from spreading and referees in different uniforms were supervising the duels.


    They quickly set up a duel with Narcis, paying for his entry as well.


    The only unfortunate thing was that it wasn''t a death match.


    Narcis didn''t want topletely piss off Evander, so he didn''t dare to kill Varian.


    Varian too didn''t want to escte things with Xanders, yet. Once he got strong enough though...


    Soon, Varian got onto the stage with confidence.


    Since it was a strength match, the rules were simple.


    The one to be knocked out or unable to fight loses.


    They were only allowed to take a single weapon, if any.


    The Referees would act in time to prevent death.


    A hemispherical barrier enveloped the ring.


    "Yes! I''ll let you experience the feeling of being crushed." A red light shed from Narcis and he transformed into his white Demi-wolf form.


    After reaching Level 4, Morphers could partially transform into the entity.


    Varian looked at Narcis and recalled the first time they met.


    For one sentence that wasn''t ill intended, Narcis wanted to kill him and Kyle. If not for their luck and perseverance, they''d have died.


    Heck, it was still only a few days after Varian got the system. He only went to Dungeon once.


    So as he battled through the difficulties in the entrance exam, the possibility of dying always lingered in his mind.


    Why did such a normal test turn so precarious?


    Why did Kyle almost die?


    Why did he almost die to Abyss Duke?


    Why was he ostracized from the very first day in the campus?


    Varian could vividly recall the day when tutors selected their pupils. Only he was abandoned.


    Like he was a defective product. An unworthy human.


    Unworthy¡­ Varian hated that word.


    Now, after everything he went through, he stood in front of the perpetrator that caused most of the misery in his recent life.


    He still had the same arrogant look as the first time they met in the Demon Abyss.


    "Do you think I should just swallow my pride when amoner insults me? His death will serve as an example." Were his first words as he disdained to spare them.


    ''Pride, huh. You''ll have no such thing after this match.'' Varian clenched his fist.


    The bell rang.


    The stage caved in and Narcis shot at Varian with breakneck speed.

 Chapter 161: Betting

    <h4>Chapter 161: Betting</h4>


    After learning about the match, Ryan hurried to the venue.


    Under the tall statues of the founders, there were six floors for duels.


    First floor was usually used for Level 1-3 Awakeners.


    Second floor for Level 4.


    Third for Level 5.


    Sixth for Level 8.


    That is, even staff could challenge one another to a duel. There was adequate seating on each floor for every ring.


    Ryan, tagged by his three Level 3 followers, was about to press second floor button on the elevator, but paused abruptly.


    He nced around at the crowd on the ground floor and thought of something.


    The ground floor was contracted to Trade Union, and it resembled something that of a casino.


    Cheering lights. Food. Equipment. Everything was sold here.


    But the biggest business was, of course, betting.


    Cadets could bet with their merit points. If they won, they''d be rich overnight.


    They could afford aura crystals, high-quality star treasures, potions, request one-on-one teaching from high awakeners, and even ask for protection while they venture into dangerous ces.


    They could also train in advanced facilities like Aura Caves using merit points and progress extremely fast.


    More merit points meant more resources.


    This allowed a cadet to up his status from Ordinary to Genius.


    The ssification, though vague, was extremely important.


    Usually, all cadets reached Level 5 in the sixth and final semester. These were the ordinary cadets.


    Of course, the term ''ordinary'' was rtive.


    Anywhere across federation, a 21 year Level 5 was a veritable genius. But in this academy, they were only ordinary and made up the majority.


    Geniuses reached Level 6 in the sixth semester. There were not many, but surely, a sizable number of geniuses appeared in every batch.


    After assiduous training for a decade or more, these people went broke the infamous ''bottleneck'' and advanced to be High Awakeners.


    Eventually, they grew to be the backbone of Human federation.


    Then there were monsters. A milder name was Super Genius.


    Super geniuses were the ones that reached Level 6 in their fourth semester. Even though it was only a year''s difference, one must know that the higher the level, the longer it would take to advance even a sub-realm.


    For instance, even for a genius, even advancing from low level 6 to mid-level 6 would take years.


    Super geniuses were hard toe by. Even in Imperial Defense Academy which boasts the best talent of Earth, there were only a couple of them.


    To be qualified as a super genius, one needed talent as well as resources.


    Charles Xander was a super genius. He reached Level 6 in his fourth semester.


    Sarah, too, was a super genius. Even more than Charles since she did so in third semester itself. But her being a Dual Awakener meant her potential was limited to a level 9.


    But regardless, every ordinary student yearned to be termed as a genius.


    They believed they had the talent and onlycked resources. After all, no one would willing embrace the fact their talent was average.


    They''d rather believe things would turn great once they gain resources.


    Trade Union exploited this weakness and presented a ''quick way'' to those resources.


    The ster sess of their betting business was a living testament to their sess.


    Every day, hundreds of thousands of merit points flowed in and out.


    Merit points were a criterion to judge a cadet''s performance during enlistment. If a cadet''s merit points crossed a certain threshold, they''d be enlisted into a higher rank with a shorter training.


    Since only cumtive merit points were used to judge a cadet, there was a strong incentive for every cadet to bet.


    Even if they lose, their cumtive points would remain the same.


    But if they won, they''d have many merit points and they could get all the resources they want for training.


    Thankfully, such merit points weren''t counted under ''performance''.


    All the merit points that were not awarded by the academy due to a cadet''s work were termed as ''Floating points''.


    On the other hand, the merit points awarded to a cadet due to their contribution were termed as ''Ground points.''


    Floating points were alluring for every ordinary cadet.


    The problem with betting was that most cadets used their ground points in hopes of gaining floating points.


    That meant they used the points they gained from missions for betting.


    And as in every betting, only a few would win.


    A survey concluded that if the cadets stopped betting altogether, they''d save up to 15% ground points every semester.


    It might seem low, but upon deeper inspection, the cadets that save these 15% could actually afford more training resources, making themselves stronger and thus, gain more ground points.


    This, in turn, would form a positive feedback loop.


    With a high simtion, it was proved that every cadet would be a sub realm or two higher during their graduation.


    Then why did the academy not think of just banning the betting?


    Because what was a better choice for every cadet wasn''t a better choice for the academy.


    Even if the strength of average cadet rises, none of them would reach Level 6.


    After all, an average cadet was an ordinary. They''d most likely never cross the moat between mid and high awakeners.


    However, the geniuses that were created through this brutal betting would one day be a high awakener.


    A high awakener was much more valuable than a hundred mid awakeners.


    Thus, the betting was allowed.


    To create geniuses from the crowds, even at the expense of them all.


    ''Such is life.'' Ryan thought as he sauntered to the betting counter.


    Hisckeys followed. Their parents were the subordinates of his grandfather. Their children would naturally be his subordinates.


    Of course, every military officer in the Inner Zone ¡ª Mercury, Venus, and Earth, were his grandfather''s subordinates.


    He had no qualms about people gossiping. He didn''t give a fuck, unlike Narcis, who was pissed off atments of every random passerby.


    Because unlike Narcis, who struggled to prove his superiority, Ryan knew he was destined to be a Sovereign.


    Still, "This guy is too arrogant." Ryan shook his head as he nced at the holograms disying duels in second floor.


    Narcis and that guy justnded on the stage. That meant betting would be closing soon.


    Ryan wanted to bet, not because he was short of merit points. Of course not. He had plenty of resources. Even though he couldn''t break the rules to get more ground points, he could gain as many as floating points he wanted.


    He decided to bet just to make things bigger. To turn more eyeballs to this piece of news.


    Even though Ryan also felt that Charles was more talented, he wanted to support his only friend.


    So when the counter manager told him the bets were 1 to 10, he spent the thousand ground points on him without hesitation.


    Of course, he''d only get back a thousand floating points after Narcis won. But that was fine.


    Only an idiot would bet on the Varian guy in hopes of getting 10x their bet.


    Ryan gestured, and the manager ran to him and smiled. "Young Master Ryan, what do you want me to do?"


    Ryan smirked. "Broadcast the battle. Let everyone learn why there are only a few geniuses."


    "As you say." The manager clicked a few buttons and soon, every cadet who subscribed to the Trade Union in the academy, which was almost 100% of the cadets, got a notification.


    {Narcis Xander of Xander Family vs Varian, disciple of Dean Evander}


    Watching Ryan bet, the cadets flocked the betting stall.


    The betting options were based on how long Varian could hold on.


    A few hundred bet to be under 20 seconds. Only a couple believed he''dst for a minute.


    "Boss, should we go up and watch?" M asked.


    Ryan nodded. "Even though Narcis can end the match soon, I know he''ll take his time beating the guy up."


    They soon reached the second floor and seated themselves in the forefront.


    M fidgeted and opened her mouth, but didn''t speak.


    The match was about to begin, so Ryan signalled for her to speak.


    "Isn''t that guy disciple of D-Dean? I-I don''t think he''s¡ª" M stopped right after Ryan raised his palm.


    It''s over.


    Ryan looked at her in disappointment and then eyes his two otherckeys. "What do you guys think?"


    M paled while the two guys answered in practiced tandem. "Of course, Young Master Narcis would win. I think Dean epted him as a disciple only because this¡­ Varan or something saved his daughter."


    Ryan nodded in approval and waved his hand at M.


    She paled, but didn''t protest. Silently, she left the audience. From today on, she was no longer a part of Ryan''s subordinates.


    As tears rolled down her cheeks, she recalled her mother''s words.


    ''Evander Albert¡­ after the death of his wife, he changed. He still has gratitude and grudges. But you cannot force him to do what he deems wrong. Even if you are a Sovereign.''


    M paused at the exit and nced at the ring with stubborn hope.


    "Dean E-Evander would never ept a disciple simply because of gratitude. Perhaps before Pluto war, but now, no way in Abyss." M clutched her hands.


    As everyone held their breaths in anticipation of watching Narcis thrash the guy, she eyed the unfamiliar figure on the ring.


    Varian.


    "You must have something special in you." She murmured in hope.


    "Prove them wrong. For yourself. For myself." M leaned against the crystal wall and raised her head.


    {The match begins}

 Chapter 162: Karma is a bitch

    <h4>Chapter 162: Karma is a bitch</h4>


    Varian thrust his foot into the ground and loosened his fist.


    When the bell rang, Narcis''s figure blurred and in an instant, a Demi-wolf appeared in front of Varian.


    Perhaps he still thought Varian was a Level 2, Narcis only used the strength of a peak Level 3 Morpher.


    Just enough to break the bones in his body without killing him.


    How merciful.


    CLAP!


    Varian''s hand moved faster and before Narcis couldprehend what was happening, his world spun.


    He crashed into the floor, his face literally burying itself into the tiles. Only Level 4s and higher could follow his attack.


    "Whaaa!"


    A hugemotion rose from the crowd.


    Everyone ¡ª every cadet, boy or girl and even every staff gaped at the scene.


    This must be a joke.


    Varian''s identity quickly spread. But, even if he was an apprentice, prior to that, he had no background.


    How could hepete against the young master of Xander Family?


    But the truth pped their faces.


    "Narcis, tsk." Varian looked down at the twitching Demi-wolf that slowly stood up.


    The left cheek of Narcis'' face was dripping blood and waspletely swollen.


    Narcis looked like he swallowed a balloon. That was how much his cheeks swelled.


    "Y-You!" With red eyes that swore vengeance, he channeled the prana in his body.


    In his eighteen years of life, he was never so humiliated.


    After transformation, Beast Morphers were easy to be angered than others.


    But that didn''t apply to Narcis. He''d have been angry, anyway.


    "So you reached the peak of Level 3? Fine! I''ll use my full strength!" He roared and his prana spiked.


    Varian nced at the arrogant Narcis with a bored expression.


    Currently, he was only using his Body Path.


    He was the peak of Level 4 Enhanced. Enhanced path raised his stats equally.


    But Narcis was a Beast Morpher. So his stats were skewed.


    Even though he just entered Level 4, his attack power, and speed reached mid-Level 4.


    His defense, however, was much lower than typical Low Level 4 Body Awakener. His stamina also seemed to be lowerpared to a body awakener.


    But¡ª


    "Be crushed." Narcis dashed in front of Varian and swiped his w withplete strength.


    Even if he blocked it with his full strength, a normal peak Level 3 would be on the brink of death.


    ''I see. Once his pride is hurt, he''s losing it.'' Varian calmly raised his other hand.


    PAA!


    Narcis spun in the air as he coughed out blood.


    The entire audience stood up in shock. They rubbed their eyes. They gasped. Some even wondered if this was all the prank of a powerful mind awakener.


    This couldn''t be happening.


    Even after Narcis used his full strength, he was toyed with¡­ what in the name of Heaven''s Will was this absurdity?


    Varian kicked out at the still spinning Demi-wolf''s body.


    Boom!


    Narcis crashed into the barrier and clutched his stomach. There was a deep shoe imprint on his abs and blood gushed out.


    "W-Why?!" Narcis copsed to his knees as he continued to cough out blood.


    It formed a dark red puddle under him. The warm liquid''s metallic smell was telling him that this wasn''t an illusion. It was a real fight.


    No. It wasn''t even a fight. From the beginning, he didn''tnd a single blow.


    "Why?" Varian walked to the kneeling Narcis with a smile.


    Narcis raised his head and red at Varian. "You¡ª"


    Boom!


    Varian stepped on Narcis''s head.


    "Guh!"


    Crack!


    The stage cracked, and cobwebs started spreading.


    "If you ask me why," Varian''s voice was filled with rage and he gnashed his teeth. "It''s because karma is a bitch."


    Boom!


    Varian kicked Narcis in the gut and, with sounds of bones cracking, Narcis was sent flying to the other end of the barrier.


    Varian''s figure blurred and before Narcis slid down the barrier, his fist reached the wolf''s head.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Narcis thrashed against the barrier in a bid to escape.


    But he stood no chance and could only try to block the unforgiving punches.


    Each punch was deliberately aimed at his defense. It broke his defense, and with it, his pride.


    Narcis never felt so helpless as Varian clutched his throat and showered him with punches.


    "Y-Why?" He groaned in pain.


    "This is for Kyle!" The punch nearly twisted his innards and Narcis''s vision blurred.


    "W-wait!" He used all his strength, but he couldn''t stop the angry man from shattering his chest bones.


    "This is for trying to kill me!" Pain. Terrifying pain coursed through his body. He could only register the pain and the voice. That dreadful, demonic voice.


    He gave onest attempt. He uttered the name. One he was most shameful of. One he would never do. "C-Charles."


    All it got was a harder punch that broke his ribspletely.


    "Your brother ain''t gonna work against me anymore. You guys forced me to get the fucking backing. Now enjoy the fruits." Varian smashed into the same location and blood spilled on his face.


    The pain broke the threshold Narcis could bear and his brain shut started to shut off his consciousness.


    Narcis felt his vision fade when he heard thest line. "This is for messing with my life in the academy. I had to go through hell. Your brother is next."


    PLOP!


    Varian watched in silence as the barrier faded and the referee hurriedly caught the injured Narcis.


    Narcis was quickly losing his transformation and went back to his human form.


    The referee quickly fed him an expensive potion and nced at Varian with aplicated expression.


    Not just him. Every pair of eyes in the audience was staring at him.


    Varian took a deep breath and raised his hand. "Think twice before you go against me."


    He stepped down the stage and, amidst the excited crowd, walked towards the exit.


    On his way, he caught the sight of a figure rushing towards the stage. Ryan.


    At the same time, a girl was kneeling on the floor as she sobbed. Her eyes were happy, however.


    But everyone else was excited.


    There were praises.


    "Varian!"


    "You''re so strong!"


    "You''re a high level 4, right?"


    "Kick their asses. These elites only bully us all day."


    There were scorns.


    "You''re cruel!"


    "He''s a fellow human. You monster!"


    "Why did you keep punching a powerless man?"


    Not just that.


    "He should''ve just killed that bastard. He could''ve saved so many lives."


    "What shady acts did he do to gain so much power in such a short time?"


    Envy. Resentment. Hatred.


    "Junior brother, do you have a girlfriend? How about¡ª"


    "Can you join our party? You can take 70% of the mission points."


    "Varian, can we exchange numbers. I want to gift you a four-star armor."


    Adoration. Admiration. Worship.


    He felt all those emotions being directed towards him.


    But one thing was for certain.


    From today, whether they liked him or hated him, no one would ignore him.


    Varian was no longer a forgotten cadet.


    He was the strongest first year cadet. By a long, long shot.


    Perhaps, they were witnessing the rise of a Super genius.


    They were wrong.


    This was much, much higher.


    They were witnessing the rise of Human Emperor.

 Chapter 163: Richard, the butler

    <h4>Chapter 163: Richard, the butler</h4>


    Varian reached the ground floor when he heard the sounds of a man''s cheers.


    "Yes! Give me! Five Hundred merit points. Haha!" A thin young man danced in front of the betting store.


    This guy was one of the many desperate that bet their merit points in hopes of a fortune.


    He bet 50 merit points, and they turned to 500 in a few minutes.


    The store manager''s face twisted, and he grudgingly tapped on hism to transfer the points.


    He couldn''t help but mutter, "Who would''ve thought that Young Master Xander would be defeated by a nobod¡ª"


    He nearly bit his tongue as he saw Varian walking to the hover bus.


    ''Fuck!'' His palms sweated, and he prayed he didn''t offend Varian.


    People like him were dispensable. If it was Narcis at the other end, he''d have already been fired.


    Watching Varian leave indifferently, he sighed in relief.


    No matter the personal opinion, he couldn''t make light of Varian.


    He had the strength and the background.


    Even though his strength was not high in therger scale of things, his background was more than enough.


    If he really annoyed Varian, he''d likely be over.


    The problem was that no one would even stand up for him.


    This was thew of the jungle.


    The strong were feared. The weak were despised.


    A good, but weak person would still be looked down upon. A bad, but strong person would still be revered.


    In this era, the most important thing was strength.


    ¡­


    "Master sent you?" Varian asked the old man in front of him.


    "Yes, Young Master. I am Richard Taylor." The old man d in a butler uniform bowed lightly.


    With a kind smile on his wrinkled face, he exined. "Master is very busy, so he wanted me to assist you."


    Varian recalled the expressionless, but devilish maid with Sarah. Anna.


    ''At least you could''ve sent me a cute maid, master.'' Varian had no other intentions, but just for the sake of imagination, being called as master by a cute maid was much better than by an old man.


    Boo''s voice suddenly sounded. ''Master, I know what you''re thinking. You don''t need this geezer when you have me, a cute ghost, right?''


    ''Right¡­?''


    ''...yeah.'' Varian sighed inwardly.


    Forget it. With a System and a ghost, he''d scare away any cute maid.


    "Then I''ll be in your care." He smiled at the old man.


    Richard''s smiled heartily. "Master has never taken an apprentice. So I have no experience in this area, but if I cause any inconvenience, do let me know."


    ''That''s weird. Maybe his standards are too high?'' Varian couldn''t help but recall that usually any Level 9 had many disciples.


    After all, they lived long and had seen enough talent to pick the suitable ones.


    "This is for you." Richard presented a space ring and a¡­m?


    The newm fixed itself onto him and only a small screen was visible on his wrist.


    The oldm disintegrated in no time.


    Varian epted the space ring and asked in confusion. "I thought I wasn''t getting any mary support?"


    Richardughed, his long white beard shaking. "That is of course. You will not be given any merit points, even floating points. But Master is still your master, no? What is the difference between being a disciple or not when there is no other support?"


    Varian looked at the clever glint in Richard''s eyes and shrugged. "So what support can I expect?."


    "Hoho. I will take care of things that aren''t worth spending your time on. For instance." He swiped hism, and a hologram popped up.


    It was a news reporting website within the academy managed by cadets. It seemed like there were forums, online trading in the campus. He just never used them so far.


    Out of the hundreds of news articles, a few were quickly climbing the charts.


    |A new genius emerges! Varian thrashes Narcis Xander! His history is uncovered!|


    Varian checked it out of curiosity. There was nothing to uncover.


    |Knox is fired for abuse of power and bribery. He tried to expel Varian who missed his exam due to bravery. Read to find why he missed the exam!|


    "I see. So this is what you meant." Varian rubbed his chin.


    His efficiency was very high. It was not even half an hour when he sent Evander the message.


    The news was ten minutes old. So in twenty minutes, he was fired!


    "I pride myself in my efficiency." Richard stroked his beard and was about to close them when he noticed Varian was still reading the news.


    |Varian''s rise to power. He is likely the hidden genius nurtured by Military.|


    ''Are you serious now? But this is better to cover up my strength.'' Varian rolled his eyes, but liked the excuse.


    |Varian''s rtionship with Sarah is actually¡­.|


    ''What?'' Varian''s face twitched.


    "Young Master." Richard lightly coughed and Varian coughed back.


    "You never saw the news bulletin?" He asked politely.


    "Yes." Varian rubbed his nose lightly and said.


    "As expected. You were diligently practicing while others were wasting their time. No wonder your strength is so high." Richard expressed his sincere admiration.


    Looking at the sparkling eyes of the old man, Varian had an urge to run.


    "Your expulsion is cancelled, of course. Your test is rescheduled. You can take it anytime this month." Richard didn''t intend to speak the obvious, but realizing Varian was someone who never even checked the news, he did.


    Varian said with a confident expression. "I''ll be alright."


    Richard nodded, with even more confidence. "Of course, it''d be too easy for you. I believe Master''s vision."


    ''Yes. I have a ghost AI that will let me cheat.'' Varian didn''t say that out loud, but instead inspected the space ring.


    It was a 6 star space ring. He didn''t know the price, but it was a few dozen times more than the one he was wearing.


    Of course, Varian of today could afford even a 7 star treasure with the materials he looted from the hideouts.


    But regardless, "Convey my thanks for his gift." Varian said but the old man signalled for him to go on.


    "Potions¡­? Just how many potions are there?" He couldn''t count the piles thatid in the vast empty space.


    Healing Potions. Anti-Poison Potions. Fire Resistance Potions. Specific Potions that acted as poisons against nts and Beasts.


    Then there were also star treasures. Full body suits ranging from 4 star to 6 stars.


    The best part was that they could be modified and worn as normal clothing.


    ''Wait, did the reason why Sarah and others survive after all that bombing these treasures?'' Varian realized.


    At the same time, he recalled a peculiar detail.


    Despite the level of explosions in all the battles, neither Sarah nor others'' clothes were destroyed.


    Unlike Varian.


    He always carried multiple sets of uniforms, so he never had to run around naked.


    "The merit points for your mission would be awarded soon. Put them to good use." Richard smiled and waved at him.


    "Just inform me if there''s any problem." His body slowly rose into the air and¡ª


    BOOM!


    Breaking sonic barrier, he disappeared.


    The shock waves spread in all directions, and tremors were sent across the ground.


    Varian shielded himself against the gales and clicked his tongue.


    ''System, what''s his level?''


    [Level 7. Marco Kic.]


    ''Are high awakeners so easy to find?'' He couldn''t help but roll his eyes as he entered the dorm.


    The cadets strolling in the hallway hurriedly gave way and sneaked a few nces at him.


    Varian walked to the elevator indifferently and to his surprise, others immediately evacuated the elevator.


    ''I am not a monster.'' He wanted to say but System replied at this time.


    [There are 10 Billion People on Earth, almost all are awakeners. You''re in the best academy of Earth. Including staff and even workers, there are only 10,000 people in the academy. So anyone you encounter here is 1 in a million.


    What''s more, the high awakeners Host encountered here consciously or unconsciously don''t even exceed a hundred. That''s 1 in a 100 million.]


    It was not that they were rare. But he stayed in the ce where they gathered.


    ''Advancing from level 6 to level 7 is what stops most awakeners.'' Varian sighed and entered his room.


    He wasn''t physically tired, but the mental fatigue was too much.


    Talking to Evander was not easy. Varian was always ready to escape.


    He took the risk and somehow, things worked out.


    In just one day, he went from being a nobody to somebody.


    "But, I just don''t want to be somebody." He murmured as his eyelids drooped.

 Chapter 164: Inheritance

    <h4>Chapter 164: Inheritance</h4>


    Varian woke up feeling refreshed. Even though Body Awakeners could go on days without sleep, it was better to let the restless brain rest.


    Now that he had no immediate worries, Varian decided to sort out a few things.


    First, the inheritance that Boo boasted.


    Second, advance in the Space Path. He was at the threshold for quite some time already.


    Third, and most important of all¡ªdestroy his tomb and go beat the heck out of Kyle.


    Even though he yed it cool, Varian couldn''t forget the look in Anna''s eyes when she asked.


    ''You''re handsome and fit. Why are you still a virgin? You¡­ have a problem?''


    "I don''t!" Varian wanted to yell.


    After calming himself, he rubbed his palms and asked Boo with expectant eyes. "Hurry up and show me the inheritance."


    On the way back, Boo touted the inheritance.


    In its words, ''With it, the You now can immediately kill even Level 9s.''


    The key word was ''immediately''.


    Shocked was an understatement.


    Varian was bbergasted.


    The current him, using all his powers, could probably fight a mid-Level 5.


    Given the fact that none of his other divine paths were even level 4, this was an achievement.


    So what surprise was Boo going to bring him?


    "Hehe. This is the only inheritance left. But even it is beyond your wildest dreams. This inheritance will not only allow you to threaten stronger powers, but it will also allow you to save your life at critical moments." Boo continued to tease.


    Varian used his control and shook the ghost ship. "Hurry up!"


    "Aw! Alright, alright! Don''t shake me, master." Boo conceded.


    Soon, a brilliant light shed in front of Varian.


    Space itself was warped and Vairan felt the bottleneck in his space path rapidly loosening.


    His heart raced as he stared at the colorful spinning sphere.


    His eyes were filled with hope.


    Slowly, the space turned back to normal, and the light faded.


    The hope in his eyes also faded.


    It was a jacket?


    There also seemed to be an array pattern on it. The weird thing was the logo¡ª a skull and two bones.


    This didn''t look like a normal jacket at all.


    Wait, was this even an inheritance?


    Still hoping it was just weird aesthetics and not a scam, Varian asked. "Boo, what''s this?"


    "Suicide Jacket!" Boo answered cheerfully.


    Varian barely held himself from coughing out blood.


    He hurriedly gulped down a healing potion just in case and asked again.


    "What Jacket?"


    "Suicide Jacket, master. The one where a guy blows himself up to kill his enemies."


    "Blergh" Varian still coughed out blood and copsed on the bed.


    Who am I?


    Where am I?


    What am I doing?


    As he stared at the ceiling with profound questions, Boo''s touts resounded in his mind.


    ''With it, the You now can immediately kill even Level 9s.''


    "I can kill Level 9, but I''ll also die with them." Varian punched his bed and with a pop, it copsed.


    BANG!


    "Calm down, master. Calm down." Boo appeared outside and pleaded.


    "Calm down my ass. It''d have been fine if you didn''t keep hyping it." Varian gritted his teeth.


    Boo made a confused face but said regardless. "What I said was true, though."


    "...you really need a repair." Varian sighed in despair.


    He knew it.


    This ghost AI was unreliable after all.


    Even it epted that its brain wasn''tplete.


    What else could he do now other than ept this?


    "So how do I use it? Even though I just don''t want to use it ever." He grabbed the smooth jacket and asked.


    "Just wear it. It will blend in. When you want it to, it''lle out and start a countdown or you can instantly detonate it." Boo exined.


    After some recalling, it added. "Its power would wrap the space strong enough to strangle a level 9."


    "It''s cool, but I''d rather never use it." Varian carefully held the jacket that could kill him in a snap.


    "A good characteristic of the jacket is to show dangerous it is. If the enemy fears for their own life, they''d spread the moment you use this jacket." Boo tried to instill some hope.


    "That doesn''t sound half bad¡­except I hope I won''t use it. ." Varian took a deep breath.


    Still, a weapon to threaten a Level 9 of mutual destruction was great. The point was that it could be used at any level. Even the Level 4 him!


    "In the war 500 years ago, this tactic was first used by Abyssals." Boo said, peering through its foggy memories.


    "Then we followed. Once a soldier was destined to loose, he''d use this suicide jacket and take down his enemies." Boo said in nostalgia.


    "It digressed over the years. Now it can only take down a Level 9. But besides my broken body, that is the only symbol of the war I have." Boo smiled with pride.


    "Perhaps to master, it isn''t good. But to soldiers, it is a sign of their courage. Knowing they might die, but still making their death worth it." Boo clenched its tiny fists.


    Varian sent Boo back.


    He postponed beating it up to another time. Yes. Postponed. Not cancelled.


    ''I can''t continue scolding you after that story, can I?'' He shook his head when his eyes fell on the ck box on the study table.


    The same ck box he tried to open for the past year.


    But he was already Level 4. He must be able to open it, right?


    Varian reached for the ck box and exerted his strength¡ª


    "Damn!"


    "What the fuck?" He stared at the unscathed box in surprise.


    There''s no way anyone in his home, even Sia, if she existed, could afford this material.


    If they could afford a material that wouldn''t budge under the strength of almost Level 5 strength, then they would''ve sent him to Dungeon, no?


    "Something''s wrong¡­" Varian frowned.


    "Who gave this to me?" He felt the smooth but cold texture of the box and pondered.


    "Mom? Sia? Someone else?"


    "Boo, find the clues to this box¡­" He wanted to give it a try. Maybe find the buyer''s information and from there¡­but¡ª


    "There are no traces of this item online, Master." Boo said.


    Varian rubbed his forehead. This matter was bing more and moreplicated.


    ''For now, focus on what I can do.''


    He nced at his newm. It was more resilient and wouldn''t break unless a high awakener attacked.


    Would it survive a space crack? He had no intention of trying.


    {Varian.


    Cumtive Merit Points: 2510


    Current Merit Points: 2000


    First Year Honorary Student.


    First on Silver List (Narcis Xander was the former first)}


    "2000 points!" Varian''s breath nearly stagnated.


    "Is it because they took out the headquarters? But I didn''t take part in it directly¡­"


    Regardless of the reasons, he was notining.


    He needed merit points to check Sia''s status.


    Just 18,000 more points.


    Varian''s lips curled up.


    Before that, ''Status''


    [Body Path (Enhanced) Level 4: 900/1000


    Space Path Level 2: 200/200


    Thunder Path Level 3: 350/400


    Morpher Level 3: 65/400]


    ''Space Path.'' Varian pondered and brought out the suicide jacket.


    He put it an active mode and the space around him began to warp.


    Of course, he didn''t activate the suicide option.


    So, Varian was safe. Kinda.


    Varian summoned the aura crystals and was about to sit on the bed.


    But looking at the broken bed, he gave up the idea and sat on the ground.


    ''Advance!''


    Within a few minutes, the bottleneck loosened, and with a plop; it broke.


    [Preparing to Advance]

 Chapter 165: Right Combination

    <h4>Chapter 165: Right Combination</h4>


    Varian experienced a shift in his space power and his space sense.


    Aura poured into his body from the aura crystals he connected and quickly filled him with new space power.


    Slowly, the connection between his space sense and space power rose until it reached a delicate level.


    Varian locked the space around his body. Instantly, his surroundings solidified.


    It seemed like nothing changedpared to previous space bindings. Except one key difference.


    Varian wasn''t feeling stuck by the space.


    He punched out and instead of obstructing him, the solid spaceyer stretched with his arm.


    Under careful observation, Varian could see this space binding was more like a solid space suit.


    He could use it to warp himself in an additionalyer of protection.


    ''One small test.'' Varian entered the ghostship and entered thebat room.


    He made this with the materials he grabbed from the hideouts.


    There were many robots, which after modification, could be used for tests.


    ''System, turn off my all my other paths except Space Path.''


    [Sure, host]


    The next moment, Varian nearly copsed as he felt incredibly weak. It was as if all strength was drained of him.


    No.


    He was still a Level 3 Space Awakener. But the disparity with the current and previous self was too much. It actually made him feel like he was weaker than an unawakened.


    Varian shook his head and focused on the space power in his body.


    "Boo, set a dummy with defense of Level 1 Body Awakener." Varian said and a humanoid appeared in front of him.


    Varian teleported and covering his arm with space power, he threw a punch.


    Creak!


    "This!"


    Varian watched in shock as his fist passed right through the dummy''s chest.


    The solid space around his body acted as the first offense. It used its hardness and despite the low force he put in the punch, broke through the defense.


    "Level 2 Dummy." Varian wanted to test further.


    Creak!


    The same situation repeated, but this time, Varian clearly felt resistance. But it was still powerless in front of him.


    "Level 3 Dummy!"


    Boom!


    Varian withdrew his fist and nced at the dent on the dummy. The space power around his fist was shaking uncontrobly.


    "If I use only this and Morpher powers, I''d be able to contend even with peak Level 3." Varian marvelled at the boost.


    Both Space and Morpher Paths were both low Level 3, yet theirbination was very lethal.


    Space Awakenerscked the physical force tounch a powerful blow, but made up for it in creating a solid spaceyer around their body.


    They also didn''t posess superhuman speed like Body or Morpher Awakeners. If there was an ambush by a Body Awakener, they''d sense it through their space sense and teleport.


    But what if¡­the weakeness of Space Path was supplemented by Morpher Path?


    His Morpher Path, despite being a transformation of a nt, granted him good physical stats.


    As a Low Level 3 nt Morpher, his strength, speed, and defense were a bit lower than a typical Low Level 3 Body Awakener. But his vitality and stamina were much higher.


    But once he used this ''Space Armor'', his attack power and defense would skyrocket.


    It was not two seperate attacks, but superposition of two Low Level 3 Attacks. Even though it wasn''t a perfect 1+1, it''d easily rival any peak Level 3.


    On the other hand, his speed could be made up by usage of space sense and teleportation.


    Varian clenched his fist and smiled. "This is great!"


    What if he advanced his space path to Level 4 and used it with his Body Path?


    "Damn¡­this is so fun." He chuckled and exited the ghostship.


    With this new skill, ''Space Armor'', it could be used with any other path.


    "For the time being, I can''t use it in front of everyone." Varian felt it was a pity.


    Unless it was proved that Dual or Triple Awakeners could also be Sovereigns, revealing his other paths would only backfire.


    Without a doubt, Evander would cut off the ties. He might even turn hostile.


    Then he''d have to face the Xanders without any background. It was not a good idea. At least for now.


    "I need to remind Sarah¡­but will she be okay with hiding the truth from her father?" Varian hoped she''d help him.


    She was very friendly to him. And their end goal was the same anyway.


    "But barring the academy, I can disguise myself and use my strength freely." Varian rubbed his chin.


    "But it''s really a pity if I can''t use my full strength." He still couldn''t let go of it.


    There must be a way. Something.


    Then it struck him.


    "As long as a Dual or Triple Awakener advances to Sovereign, I can let go of any inhibitions!" He snapped his fingers.


    ''System, since you assured me I can advance to Sovereign, other dual or triple awakeners must be able to do it too, right?''


    [Of course, host. Should this system show the method to you?]


    ''Nah. Save that forter. We need a peak Level 9 Dual Awakener who can actually advance.'' Varian replied with a troublesome expression.


    Dual Awakeners progressed much slowly than others. Triple Awakeners even more so.


    Most of the poption never reach Level 9. Most Level 9s never reach peak of Level 9.


    So finding a peak Level 9 was going to be a tough job. But that didn''t mean they didn''t exist.


    There would be talented dual awakeners. Like Sarah.


    No.


    ''Sarah''s speed is too abnormal. Even though she said she is only in early stages of Level 6, even a big genius could only reach level 5 in two paths.'' Even though he had his suspicions, Varian didn''t delve deeper.


    The issue was peak Level 9s.


    Except for a few famous figures, almost all information of military personnel was strictly guarded.


    ''The database is strictly protected. If not, I could''ve already found both Sia and peak Level 9s.'' Varian sighed and was about to start training when hism glowed.


    {Young Master Varian, your position in Silver List is #1. You can shift to Silver Neighborhood. It has higher aura density.


    Also, you might have been too busy, but the academy has three Sovereign level treasures. They are also the corner stones of the cadets'' training.}


    Varian coughed lightly. He didn''t go out much before he took the mission. He was training all day.


    {PS: In your free time, check them out. Please take care of your body and don''t train 24 hours a day.} Varian was about to smile when he caught the line below.


    {PSS: 23 hours is good enough.}


    "Damn! You guys are abnormal." Varian retorted.


    "Calm down, master. You really don''t take that much rest." Boo appeared beside him and patted his shoulder.


    "...I do"


    "..."


    Varian looked at Boo rolling its eyes and gave up.


    "I''m bored anyway. Ask the bots to move my stuff to the new house. Be careful with the ck box. Wait, it''s better to store it in your space."


    "Will do." Boo saluted him in aical pose.


    A few minutester, Varian was standing in front of massive tower.


    Tower of Trials.

 Chapter 166: Honor Ranking

    <h4>Chapter 166: Honor Ranking</h4>


    Tower of Trials was one of the three Sovereign level Treasures in the academy.


    It was found by Alex Xander, the first Sovereign of Humanity in the Trios Ruins, also known as Earth Ruins.


    It would create phantoms replicating the strength of those that entered it and was perfect to gainbat experience against other humans.


    Alex Xander generously donated the wonderful treasure for the training of future warriors. Many decades after his contribution, the treasure became a cornerstone of Imperial Defense Academy.


    It was amonly acknowledged fact that Artifacts were beyond the level of a Sovereign.


    Even the leading power in the cutting edge of star treasures, Trade Union could not forge a single Sovereign Treasure.


    In fact, even creating a Level 9 treasure was incredibly hard.


    Thus, the only Sovereign Treasures humans had were those from the Ruins.


    Imperial Defense Academy was touted as the best academy because only it had three Sovereign Treasures.


    The other four academies on Earth had only one.


    After a quick search in the internal site, Varian realized the poprity of Tower of Trials.


    It was also called as Tower of Honor. The ones who excelled in it were rewarded generously.


    Some distance from the gigantic tower, arge crowd gathered in front of a huge holographic list. The discussions were endless, ranging from thetest challengers, tactics to target a particr divine path, their own progress and so on.


    Even though everyone would know their ranking, the tower only disyed the top 500.? It was called as Honor List.


    "Senior Guan recently challenged the Tower. He climbed 3 rankings and entered top 100!" A third-year cadet eximed pointing to the huge hologram.


    {Guan Wan: Rank 99}


    "Woah! Top 100 of the whole campus." The girl cheered but soon, her shoulders slumped and she gnashed her teeth. "I''m also a third year like him, but I can''t even rankings."


    "Don''t be too hard on yourself, Rita. Other than those 500, the rest of more than 5,000 people never make it. If only we can get the resources, I''m sure we can break into the ranking." Heforted her while staring at the list in envy and admiration.


    Rita sighed as she eyed the top 100. "Maybe top 500. But top 100 is beyond what resources can achieve. You need great talent."


    Her tone was filled with great envy and resentment.


    The senior cadet smiled bitterly. Rita came from a normal family and had little resources during her childhood.


    She was hailed as a genius throughout. Until she met the real geniuses. With her talent, she was only in the middle reaches of the hierarchy.


    Her first blow was not being an Honorary Student. Then not entering the Silver List and not being able to enter the Honor List.


    The blows continued to pile up and with them, her resentment.


    "Talent is need, of course. But how many of the¡ª" He held his breath as a young man exited the trial.


    Not just him, but the attention of the crowd shifted to the young man.


    They couldn''t ignore the fierce aura eminating from him as he nced at them with an indifferent face.


    His badge indicated he was only a second year cadet, but his aura was at the very peak of Level 5.


    He left leaving them a look of distain.


    "Phew! I hate these guys." Rita heaved a sigh of relief and wiped her sweaty forehead. "I thought he was going to be angry. His position didn''t change after all."


    She nced at his position and muttered. "He is desperate to enter top 5. He won''t make it this year."


    {Lucas: Rank 10}


    The senior cadet chuckled bitterly. "He''s only a second year. He got plenty of time."


    Rita''s face stiffened. "Right. Even many second years have it better than me. There are almost a 100 second years in the list. But¡ª"


    "Um, Seniors, is there any first year on the list?" Varian chimed in after hearing their conversation for a while.


    The third year cadet looked at Varian and was about to tell him to fuck off when he realized his face was a little familiar.


    "Y-You are Varian, right?" He stuttered as he tried to put on a friendly smile.


    Good lord.


    Was his luck too bad today?


    He saw the battle video.


    This guy didn''t even let go of an enemy who couldn''t fight back and punched him till he lost consciousness.


    Even when his opponent pleaded desperately, his face didn''t melt. Instead, he seemed to even enjoy it!


    What''s more, his enemy was the second of Xander Family!


    The senior already termed Varian as a cruel guy who should not be offended.


    "Yes, I''m the Varian on the news ofte." Varian generously admitted.


    But in the eyes of Senior, it sounded like a warning. ''Don''t you even know me?''


    "Haha! My bad. I have a bad memory." He said with a ttering smile while sweat rolled down his forehead.


    Then with an overly enthusiastic expression, he exined. "There are no first years on the list. Even the 500th position is a Low Level 5."


    Rita looked at her friend''s cowardice and gritted her teeth. It was all Varian''s fault. He was intimidating her friend with his status.


    She red at Varian and said in a resentful tone. "Why ask? There are almost 500 more Low Level 5 after that 500th rank. Not like you''ll get into the list anyway."


    She was really pissed off at these talented folks.


    Why must they be born with better talent? Why couldn''t she have that talent?


    And why must he go bossing around his talent?


    She would admit those 100 second years in the list were Superior to her.


    But this guy? He was only a first year and not even a Level 5!


    How dare he boss them around?


    "Oh?" Varian nced at her. "You look like you''re pissed that you didn''t enter the list."


    "Haha! She is just in a bad moo¡ª." The senior tried to salvage the situation, but.


    "Yes. I''m in the 550s. I can''t break in. But so what? I''ve done this with my hard work. Unlike you, who took resources from your master and got nurtured since childhood." Rita nearly growled at him.


    "Rita, stop it. You''re offending him at this ra¡ª" The senior grabbed her and awkwardly smiled at Varian.


    Rita shook her head and red at Varian stubbornly. "He''s gonna get into the list next year. Until then, I''m still better than him. When he surpasses me, I''d already be enlisted in some other. I don''t have to fear him."


    Varian rolled his eyes inwardly and walked to the tower''s entrance.


    That woman was crazy. He was just asking a question and it devolved into a ''threat''.


    Thankfully, he had a good temper. If it was Narcis, he''d have¡­


    Varian paid the entry price of 100 merit points.


    "Let''s go, Rita. He doesn''t know our names, it''s best to leave now." The senior pulled her.


    Rita stubbornly stood her ground and yanked her arm. "No. I want to see his deted expression. He won''t even cross 1500th rank."


    The Senior sighed helplessly before turning to the tower.


    How far will the guy who crushed even the great genius Narcis Xander go?

 Chapter 167: Fighting a Telepath

    <h4>Chapter 167: Fighting a Telepath</h4>


    Varian found himself in a vast in. If only the sky wasn''t glowing with a green light, he''d have thought it was a normal ce.


    As he surveyed his surroundings, the wind howled.


    Varian turned around and saw the phantom of a young man being condensed.


    Tower of Trials had only six floors, corresponding to six levels.


    Since Varian''s highest level was 4, he directly entered fourth floor.


    For each floor, the tower would store the information of top 1000 candidates of said level of the year.


    That meant, Varian would be facing the 1000th strongest Level 4.


    If one could defeat the phantom, they''d rece the its ranking, bing the new 1000th.


    Zap!


    Right after being condensed, the phantomunched a lighting bolt at Varian.


    It was the attack from a Low Level 4.


    Varian didn''t? care and teleported right behind the phantom.


    He covered his fist in lightning mana and sted the phantom''s head to pieces.


    Wriggle!


    Slowly, it disappeared and aura from the surroundings flowed into Varian''s body. There was also a pale green light.


    If he was exhausted, he could recover his aura. If he was injured, he could also heal himself quickly.


    [Click when you want to start the next round.]


    A line of text floated in front of Varian.


    "Boo, this is an expanded space, right?" Varian nced at the seemingly endless space and enquired.


    "Yes, master. Each person entering the tower would be transferred to a separate space."


    "As expected from Devas. I don''t know how strong they were." Varian sighed in marvel.


    Devas were the civilization that existed before humans. For unknowns reasons, they went extinct. Even their legacies vanished.


    It was only after Blink, with the resurgence of Aura that the remnants of Devas were discovered.


    They were called Ruins. They were a separate world altogether and contained every treasure one could dream of. And more.


    Tower of Trials couldn''t be made by humans. It was made by Devas thousands of years ago.


    Even Boo, who was from a higher civilization, lost many of its capabilities after 500 years.


    The treasures it had, like the formations also devolved in a period of 500 years.


    But this Sovereign Treasure showed no sign of degradation.


    Varian shook his head and clicked on the screen.


    The tower evaluated his strength from his first fight and picked a suitable opponent for him.


    Or who the heck would fight thousand people to get to rank one?


    [Rank 490, Mid Level 4.]


    Varian looked at the female phantom. It was now more solid and looked like a real person.


    She disappeared and as Varian was about to turn around, he felt the space around him solidify.


    No. It wasn''t merely solidifying. It was strangling him.


    The space was literally tightening on him.


    Varian spread his space sense and caught the female phantom raising her fist.


    She covered herself in Space Armor and the damage of her kick would be equivalent to a Level 4 Body Awakener.


    "Hmph!" Varian used his space power to loosen the strangle on his neck and with physical strength, broke the strangle.


    The opponent saw him escape and was about to teleport, but before she could, Varian solidified the space around her.


    She quickly broke it with her own space power. But what awaited next was a lightning bolt that pushed her back.


    Then Varian''s kick in the chest broke her heart, literally and killed her.


    The phantom turned into a stream of light and disappeared.


    [Click when you want to start the next round.]


    The screen appeared again and Varian didn''t want to wait.


    [Rank 100: Level 4 High]


    Varian looked around and saw mountains, streams and lush ins.


    But not the phantom.


    Usually, the phantom would appear in the most favorable ce.


    So if it was hidden, then¡­


    Varian suddenly clutched his head. It seemed like everything inside his head was pricked by needles and cut by knives.


    Sweat quickly rolled down his forehead and Varian gritted his teeth as he felt the pain pile up bit by bit.


    A Level 4 Mind Awakener, no, a Level 4 Telepath.


    They messed with the minds of others and if one was mentally weak, they could easily bring down an awakener of the same level to knees.


    Varian bore the pain and teleported out.


    The pain vanished for a moment before it resumed.


    Mind Awakeners were a pain in the mind. They had mental sense and their range of sensing was higherpared to any other path.


    At Level 4, Mind Awakeners picked either Telepath or Telekic.


    Since this guy was a Telepath, despite his overwhelming offense, he had the same weakness every Telepath had.


    Extremely low physical defense. Even their other physical stats were only slighter better than unawakened.


    So one hit and they''d be over.


    That was why Mind Awakeners usually activated from a very remote location.


    Of course, the higher the level, the more mental attacks other divine paths could bear.


    But now, he had to end this guy before he fainted from pain.


    Varian continued to teleport and due to the break, it took the other party a second to continue to his attacks.


    Varian spread his thunder sense, and space sense, trying to find the traces of telepath.


    Concentrating on his hearing to find the other party''s breathing was just too tough with all the pain in his mind.


    What''s more, this was his first mind facing this much pain.


    The Despair Abyss Queen''s clone was also a mind awakener and she too attacked his mind, but the conditions then were heavily tilted in his favor.


    She was merely a few dozen meters away and stood in the open. For any mental awakener, that was a taboo.


    So Varian ended easily.


    But now, "Damn, this guy. I''ll need more practice to take on telepaths. Even having multiple paths seems use¡ª"


    Varian''s multiple paths were always his strength. Even now when he couldn''t use his physical senses properly, he was relying on Space and Lightning Sense.


    But that was all there to it, he was still in trouble.


    "Wait, I forgot! System, lift my Morpher Path." Varian hurriedly instructed.


    Generally when going out, Varian kept only three paths active.


    In the worst case his powers were revealed, he''d still be a Triple Awakener, which was in the realm of possibility.


    But if he revealed four divine paths¡­that''d be end of his road.


    However, now that he was in the tower, Varian didn''t care anymore.


    [Morpher Path lifted]

 Chapter 168: Beating His Own Record

    <h4>Chapter 168: Beating His Own Record</h4>


    "Haa!" Varian felt prana pulsing from his heart and spreading throughout his heart.


    It also rushed to his head, and a soothing sensation spread in his mind.


    Even though it didn''t erase the pain, it improved his resistance.


    nt Morphers were bad at offense and speed, but their mental resistance was touted.


    Of course, since Varian was only a Level 3 Morpher, the increase in resistance was very low, but for him, it was enough.


    Soon, Varian''s lightning sense found a guy hiding in a bush. He was incredibly lean and looked pale.


    But this guy that looked harmless tormented Varian for the past few minutes.


    Zap!


    Varian shot him down with a lightning bolt.


    Looking at the disintegrating body, Varian rubbed his forehead. "Fucking telepaths."


    [+10 Xp


    +10 Xp


    +10 XP


    Mind Path Level 0: 30/30


    Mind Path Awakening]


    "What?" Varian raised his voice in surprise.


    Soon, he felt something click in his head. Aura gushed into his body, shooting straight to his head.


    The outside world seemed to slow down and Varian slowly opened his eyes.


    His thoughts were clear and Varian felt his control over the body slightly improve.


    It was something that had to be done through endless practice¡ªwhat practitioners called as Exquisite Control.


    But now, his control over his body rose without any warning.


    "So, this is the first level of Mind Awakeners. Perfecting Body Control with the brain." Varian clicked his tongue.


    He recalled even when he was close, he couldn''t detect the other party''s breathing. Heck, there was no other physical movement as well.


    Even Body Awakeners would make light movements and could be detected. But Mind Awakeners¡­


    Varian decided to check it outter and instead asked the System. "Why didn''t I awaken in other paths when the clones attacked?"


    [Host, awakening in multiple paths of the same avenue is virtually impossible. This System has to go through a careful procedure each time a new Divine Path is added.]


    Varian raised an eyebrow. "That''s it?"


    [Like the System exined a while back, a person only awakens in the Avenue they have the highest affinity with. Even in that Avenue, the affinity of each path differs.


    So essentially, they awaken in the highest affinity path of highest affinity avenue.


    If they have equal affinity with two paths, they awaken in two paths. But it is impossible for two paths in same avenue to have equal affinity.]


    Varian could understand this a bit more now.


    ording to System, Sage Avenue included Body Path, Mind Path and Morpher Path.


    Creator Avenue included Space Path, Gravity Path and Time Path.


    Ruler Avenue include all the Elemental Paths.


    The Dual Awakeners he came across were two.


    Seth awakened in Body and Gravity Path.


    Sarah awakened in Water and Body Path.


    There were no records of anyone awakening two elemental paths or space and time path or even Body and Morpher path like him.


    "But now, I awakened in all three paths of Sage Avenue, didn''t I?" Varian frowned.


    [Yes. System¡­is able to change the affinity of host''s origin towards the paths temporarily and uses that to awaken you in other paths.


    However, host would need to wait for some time before your origin returns to Stability.]


    "So some period of waiting time, huh." Varian felt the pain from the previous battle fading.


    [It''splicated, but yes.]


    ''Status.''


    [Body Path (Enhanced) Level 4: 900/1000


    Thunder Path Level 3: 350/400


    Space Path Level 3: 0/400


    Morpher Path Level 3: 65/400


    Mind Path Level 1: 0/100]


    "Five paths." Varian couldn''t help but smile.


    One Mind Path levels up, it would be very helpful in dealing with telepaths. In fact, he could be the bane of Mind Awakeners.


    He nced at the Xp necessary and sighed.


    Perhaps it was the System''s fault, or maybe his own, the highest gain in Xp was always from battle.


    Of course, a single day of his training was also very effective. It was worth more than three weeks'' training of a normal awakener.


    But a normal awakener barely advanced a level per year in low levels. Once they reached bigger levels, their speed practically crawled.


    "For now, Body Path and Thunder Path are my priorities. They have the biggest impact on mybat power." Varian circled out the two.


    He clicked on the floating line and it dispersed before a new line floated in front.


    [Rank 30: Level 4 Peak]


    The phantom body shot waves of fire at him.


    Varian grinned and teleported.


    Soon, the match ended with Varian''s red fist.


    The tower took its time and evaluate hisbat power again.


    With each strength, he showed more power.


    [Rank 10: Level 4 peak]


    It was a beast morpher who partially transformed into a wind tiger.


    His speed was incredibly high, touching that of a Level 5 Body Awakener.


    He reached Varian in the blink of an eye and raised his paw.


    But¡ª


    Space Block.


    Zap!


    Varian''s space block was even more powerful after his Space Path advanced. Coupled with the numbing nature of lightning, the speed of Beast Morpher was more or less affected.


    Then his fragile neck was crushed.


    [Rank 1: Level 4 peak]


    Surprisingly, the Rank 1 was a Dual Awakener.


    Of course, it made sense. At the same level, Dual Awakeners were the strongest.


    Of course, not all Dual Awakeners were equal.


    The strongest were the ones whose divine pathsplimented each other.


    Like the guy in front.


    Mind Path and Earth Path.


    Even though he appeared in Varian''s vision, he was not an easy prey.


    He used his earth powers to shield himself from Varian''s attacks and attacked him with his mind power.


    Finally, Varian used the lightning bolt on the earth wall, then superposed his physical strength with Space Armor, thus breaking his defense and ending him.


    However, Varian also had a harvest.


    The intangible benefit was this match made him realize the importance of powerfulbinations.


    The more tangible benefit was of course the Xp due to taking attacks from a Level 4 Mind Awakener.


    Awesome!


    [Mind Path Level 1: 100/100]


    Varian couldn''t help but grin widely.


    His Body Path took around a week to reach the peak of Level 1. Space Path took two weeks. Thunder Path took quite some time. His Morpher path was the fastest so far, but that was under the formations.


    Even then, Mind Path was the fastest. In a matter of minutes since awakening, he advanced from a low Level 1 to peak Level 1.


    He broke his own record of the fastest Level 1 peak.


    As Varian revelled in joy, a line of text floated in front.


    [Do you want to challenge the fifth floor? Please note that the challenges are all Level 5.]


    Varian recalled the Honor List.


    Even the 500th spot was upied by a Low Level 5.


    Since the Honor list was the mostprehensive ranking ofbat power of all cadets, Varian wanted to see how far he could go.


    "Yes!"


    He was transferred to the fifth floor.

 Chapter 169: Creating History

    <h4>Chapter 169: Creating History</h4>


    In the square outside the tower of trials, the crowd was strangely increasing.


    They all gathered with Rita as they waited.


    Initially, when the Senior recognized Varian, he attracted the attention of a few people.


    After the conversation with Rita, they watched Varian enter the tower and decided to join in the fun.


    One of them posted {First Year''s strongest genius enters the tower of trials. ims to get into the ranking.¡ªWhat Audacity?!}


    The post was lit and soon, many outraged crowds who had nothing better to do gathered.


    Thus, the current scene of nearly a hundred cadets purely spectating the scene appeared.


    They gazed at the bottom of the Honor List. Rank 500.


    {Sebastitan. Rank 500.}


    "Sebastian is a third year. He is already one of the powerful ones among the Low Level 5." A girl with a ponytail said.


    "Yes. Even Charles Xander only advanced to Level 5 in the second semester and only then did he challenge the Tower of Trials." The senior said in nostalgia.


    "Yes. What Talent. He broke into Ranking in a single go." Rita gnashed her teeth.


    "There''s my goddess, Sarah. She too broke into the ranking in first year." A lean guy reminded them while gnawing on his snacks.


    His eyes showed admiration and worship.


    "Shut up! She''s my goddess." A hunky cadet red at him, flexing his muscles.


    "Oh? I can fry your muscles with a snap." The lean guy revealed his aura.


    Snap.


    Snap.


    Air twisted, and temperature rose.


    The cadets surrounding him distanced themselves from him while others shielded themselves from the heat.


    A Low Level 5. For a third-year cadet in first semester, it was not a bad level. Perhaps, he could advance to Mid Level 5 before graduation.


    "Com¡ª" The hunky guy raised his fist but paused midway.


    "Tsk. Are you so scared?" The lean guy taunted and was about tough when he shut his mouth halfway.


    The crowd was silenced as they watched a stunning young woman with beautiful blonde hair seat nce at the tower before entering the cafe next to the tower.


    From the VIP top floor, a Level 5 Body Awakener could easily see the Honor List.


    "Gulp. I''m dreaming." The lean guy swallowed and pinched himself.


    "Me too." The hunk punched himself.


    "So it''s true. Varian is rted to Sarah. What do you expect? It''s said that Sarah''s father is a high-ranking officer. Maybe she is trying to suck up to Varian''s master." Rita muttered.


    "Woman. Shut your mouth!" Both the lean guy and hunky guy growled at her.


    Following them, the guys in the crowd red at her.


    Rita paled and turned her head. "Hmph! You are all simps. You think these talented people care about you or I?"


    The Senior cadet with Rita chuckled nervously and shifted the topic. "So, do you think Varian can hit the ranking?"


    "No way. Maybe in the next semester. It''s not even 2 months in the academic year." The lean cadet folded his arms and gave his opinion.


    The academy started on 5th, 8th Month, 520.


    Today was 23rd, 2nd Month, 521.


    Only 25% of academic year passed. Even Sarah and Charles reached the rankings after 70% of the academic year passed.


    That itself was an achievement.


    So no one believed Varian could break the record. Even if he was talented, and beat up Narcis, it as impossible.


    Charles Xander was a better talent than Narcis in every possible way.


    "I don''t care. Since he is favored by the goddess, he might break into the list." The hunky man nced at Sarah''s outline on the top floor of the cafe and simped.


    "You''re incorrigible." Rita shook her head. "We can ask his ranking when hees. I doubt he can even break into top 1000."


    Rita expected the crowd to rebuke her. She would take the insults initially. But when he exited, he''d prove her words right.


    That way, she''d prove she was better than others. Even though she no talent, she was not trash.


    But unexpectedly, the crowd was silent.


    "Are you dumb or what?" Rita snarled at them.


    ''Don''t ignore me. I don''t have talent, but.''


    "Don''t ignore me!" She shook the arm of the lean guy in annoyance.


    The lean guy''s body shook, but he was transfixed. His expression was lost with his mouth wide open.


    Rita thought a telepath was controlling him, but she realized his gaze seemed to be fixed on the Honor List.


    "What no¡ª?!" She turned around and instantly felt dumb.


    She tried to open her mouth, but no words came out.


    Looking at the list, there was a feeling bubbling within her. She couldn''t tell what it was, but it grew at an rming rate.


    Even with all the internal turmoil, her body was frozen as she dazed at the Honor List.


    {Rank 500: Varian.}


    "Gulp."


    This time, everyone in the crowd gulped.


    Drip.


    Drop.


    Sweat rolled down their forehead and sshed against the shiny ck floor.


    "You must be kidding me." the girl with pony tail shivered.


    "You can''t use star treasures beyond your own level inside¡­ so there''s no chance of cheating." The hunky cadet clenched his fist.


    "First year¡­ first semester, even though he must be very injured, he did it. He created history." The lean guy sighed with aplicated expression.


    "It''s been only 10 minutes since he entered, right?" The senior with Rita reminded.


    Everyone slowly waking up from their thoughts was once again stupefied.


    Fuck!


    There would be five matches in fourth floor alone. Then, to reach 500 in overall ranking, Varian would have to reach around 500 on the fifth floor.


    Even if he disyed extraordinarybat power, that too would take around 2 matches.


    So 7 matches in 10 minutes?


    Average time of each match is 1 minute 30 seconds?


    Was this a joke?


    Since Level 5s take more time than Level 4s, then he finished off Level 4s in less than a minute.


    The onlookers stood outside with their mouths open, unable to mutter a word for a long time.

 Chapter 170: Fighting Is My Way!

    <h4>Chapter 170: Fighting Is My Way!</h4>


    "These guys are just getting better and better." Varian remarked after cutting down the Low Level 5 Body Awakener.


    {Rank 490. Low Level 5.}


    The strength of phantoms had a fundamental shift.


    It was expected from Level 5s, anyway.


    Once again, Varian started from thest ranked participant on the floor.


    {Rank 1000. Low Level 5}


    The opponent was a controller. Naturally, his physicals stats were lower than Enhanced Awakeners at the same level.


    But since he was a level above, all his physical stats were above Varian.


    Stack that with the ability of Controller Awakeners¡ªincreasing any single physical stat by a significant amount.


    If Varian only used his Enhanced Level 4 powers, he''d have been in trouble.


    But there was always a better option.


    Level 3 Body Morpher +? Space Armor by Level 3 Space Path + Peak Level 4 Body Path.


    This allowed him to easily leapfrog and y the opponent.


    The best part was the Space Armor. It just felt like a normalyer covering his body, but its mere presence increases his defense and strength.


    Then came the second opponent.


    {600th Rank. Low Level 5.}


    Perhaps the strength he disyed was very high. The ranking directly jumped from 1000 to 600.


    Varian didn''t worry and brandished his 4 star sword.


    This time, it was a Water Awakener.


    Varian used lightning attacks, space block and mental interference in conjunction.


    Since they were at best only Level 3, the trouble they caused was very low. But Varian seized the opportunity and ended the opponent in a single blow.


    To his frustration, Varian''s next opponent wasn''t a Mind Awakener.


    It was a Space Awakener.


    {490th Rank. Low Level 5.}


    "Goddamn!" He cursed and experienced ''Space Bombs'' for the first time.


    It was a special skill unlocked at Level 5 .


    With space bomb, the space would copse and cause great damage to the ones in it.


    Teleporting out of space bomb was incredibly difficult due to the unstable space.


    Thankfully, Varian''s Morpher path gave him the extra boost in vitality and despite the injuries, he was able to fight at peak power


    Exchanging injury for an injury, he defeated the Space Awakener.


    At the same time, a line of text appeared in front of him.


    [Congrattions. You have entered the Honor List.]


    Varian smiled.


    This fight wasn''t easy, but he could still go on for a while.


    If he was in a fatal condition, the trial would end. Of course, he could always call quits.


    So he decided to continue.


    But for now, he closed his eyes and took a healing potion.


    A green light descended from the sky and elerated his healing process.


    Combined with his strong vitality and regeneration power due to Morpher powers, Varian was back to peak in ten minutes.


    This healing time after the fight was almost equal to the entire time he spent before the fight.


    Varian also replenished his aura during the healing time and started the next match.


    [Rank 450. Low Level 5.]


    "Wow. I should''ve entered this ce long ago." Varian grinned, looking at the girl who appeared in front of him in an instant.


    Her speed was much higher than his and even when she raised her fist, the air in the way was practically sted.


    "I love fighting." Varian covered himself with Space Armor and lightning before returning the punch.


    BOOM!


    Varian was pushed back with his feet entrenched in the ground.


    Despite the dual protection, his bones creaked.


    The chi in his body rose by a small amount.


    "One more!" Varian raised his uninjured left hand and roared.


    Boom!


    "Come on!" Varian forgot about winning and indulged in the fight.


    As their fists connected, and as his blood spurted, Varian found himself in the joy of battle.


    His mind was emptied of all other thoughts and his proficiency in using the Divine Paths together increased at a rate visible to naked eye.


    "Master is amazing." Boo muttered while watching the match from the ghost ship.


    Initially, Boo was surprised at Varian''s Divine Paths. It wasmon sense that a single awakener cannot possess both Body and Morpher Paths.


    Varian simply answered with the answer that "This is the result of my suffering."


    Boo was stupefied.


    Would suffering allow you to break the fundamentalws of Divine Paths?


    Nah!


    Master was hiding something. But as it asked more times, Master''s answers changed.


    "Because I suffered."


    "Em, I am talented."


    "Eh, because I am handsome?"


    "Of course, because I have to take cute boo to its hometown. Dragon gave me a blessing."


    Boo realized the truth. It was definitely thest possibility. Since then, it didn''t pester Master anymore.


    Was it its illusion or did Master sigh in relief at seeing it shut up?


    ''Must be an illusion.'' Boo nodded to itself.


    ''Hehehe.'' It chuckled before turning its attention to the fight outside.


    ''As expected, Master''s strength is continuously increasing.'' Boo sighed.


    ''Despite the injuries, Master is now actually stronger than before the battle started.''


    Boom!


    As if to prove Boo''s words, Varian crushed his opponent''s neck and ended the match.


    "Hoo!" He sat down on the floor and gasped.


    Injuries piled up on his body. Broken bones, torn muscles and gushing blood¡ªit was a bloody fight.


    But somehow, he didn''t feel too tired.


    Under the healing light of the tower and his own potions, Varian healed in twenty minutes.


    Then he looked at his status bar and grinned.


    "A mid-level 5 will do."


    [Rank 400. Low Level 5.]


    "Rank 400 here means around 380 or 390 on the honor list. That''s an exclusive Mid Level 5 Zone, no?" Varian wondered, but prepared himself for the decisive battle.


    To be honest, his chances of winning a Rank 400, unless he used ghost ship''s stealth function and ambushed the other party, were practically zero.


    He had many paths, but didn''t possess the advantage of Dual Awakeners yet.


    Dual Awakeners were unrivalled because typically both of their paths would be at the same level.


    But the highest secondary path he had was only Level 3.


    The surroundings changed from ins to a mountain range.


    Zap!


    Boom!


    From a distance, a thunderbolt shot at him. Following the bolt was an equally fast punch.


    "Oh boy, what luck. Dual Awakener of Body and Thunder Path." Varian''s eyes lit up.


    This guy was able to beat up Mid Level 5 with his Dual paths.


    More importantly, these two were the paths Varian wanted to fight the most.


    "Come!" Varian covered himself with lightning mana and teleported behind the opponent.


    Boom!


    Zap!


    Varian''s fist punched empty air and at the same time, thunder bolt crashed onto him, blowing him away.


    Varian senses something and nced up.


    With lightning wings, the Dual Awakener as he floated in the air.


    Level 5 Elemental Awakeners could fly!


    Varian ignored the system prompts of rising XP.


    He could feel the bottlenecks of both Body and Lightning Paths.


    After sustained injuries, Morpher path also experienced growth and his prana increased significantly.


    "Fight!" Varian growled and teleported behind the Dual Awakener in the air.


    As his fist crashed into his opponent''s chest, the opponent''s fist hit his abdomen.


    At the same time, a huge lightning spear broke his defenses and plunged into his chest, sending him flying.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Varian coughed out blood, and the Dual Awakener appeared above him in an instant.


    He raised arger lightning spear and shot it at Varian.


    The lightning spear passed through empty air as Varian teleported out.


    Varian clutched his injury and gritted his teeth. Thisbat power was certainly at Mid Level 5.


    Others would have backed away from such a tough fight and called quits.


    But¡­


    "Fighting is my way." Varian tore his shirt and blocked the bleeding.


    The Dual Awakener turned back and rushed at Varian with breakneck speed.


    Varian gripped his sword and took a deep breath.


    "Now!"


    At the same time, notifications began to ring.


    [Tower of Trials advises you to quit]


    The Dual Awakener condensed a lightning sword and shed at him.


    Varian tried to block it.


    Creak~


    Varian''s hand yed, and the sword in his grip plunged into the ground.


    [Tower of Trials warns you! Quit now!]


    The Dual Awakener raised his sword at the injured Varian.


    Varian teleported away, but in no time, the sword followed him.


    Looking at the emotionless eyes of his opponent, Varian''s eyes showed no fear. As blood dripped down his forehead, and as the wound in his chest ached, he could feel the bottle necks rapidly loosening. "Almost there."


    Varian blocked off the space around the Thunder Awakener.


    It broke in an instant.


    Varian splurged his lighting mana and sent dozens of lightning bolts onto the opponent.


    They all failed to prate the Dual Awakener''s lightning shield. The best they did was slow him down a little.


    [In case you''re about to die, you''ll be forcibly transferred out!]


    As the sword was about to pierce Varian''s heart, Varian used all the space power he could use and twisted his body lightly.


    Splurt.


    The sword passed through his lung and Varian''s fist hit the lightning shield.


    Bang!


    Varian broke the Dual Awakener''s shield, but by the time it reached his neck, it already lost most of its power and could do little damage.


    At the same time, the lightning from the sword electrocuted his body, and Varian''s consciousness blurred.


    As the world darkened, he heard two clicks and the Tower of Trials'' voice.


    [You''re forcibly transferred out. Deducing merit points for your healing.]


    After an unknown time, Varian found himself on a soft grasnd.


    He was still injured, but he could feel strength returning to his body rapidly. The green light from the tower elerated his healing.


    As he tried to sit up, Varian''s expression changed.


    The perception of his senses increased multifold.


    He could urately feel of every single grass on his skin.


    With an expectant face, he muttered ''status''.

 Chapter 171: A Leap In Strength

    <h4>Chapter 171: A Leap In Strength</h4>


    The System''s blue status bar popped up in front of Varian.


    Even though he was already feeling the changes in his body, as an Old Earth quote went, ''Seeing is believing''.


    [Body Level 5 (Enhanced): 0/2000


    Space Path Level 3: 40/400


    Lightning Path Level 4: 0/1000


    Morpher Path Level 3: 80/400


    Mind Path Level 1: 100/100]


    Varian couldn''t help but throw his head back andugh.


    He gulped down an expensive healing potion and felt the healing speed up.


    Then he analyzed the status again.


    Since his opponent, the Dual Awakener, was a Low Level 5 in both Body and Lightning Paths, Varian was easily able to gather Xp.


    He didn''t know what System did, but his body seemed to be able to configure itself with fights.


    By fighting with a Level 5 Body Awakener, the chi in his body automatically improved.


    When they exchanged blows, the chi of the other party would also spill into him.


    The chi in his body seemed to envelop it and ''learn'' from it. The more fights, the more spill over.


    At the same time, Varian, consciously or subconsciously, was also directing the chi in his body.


    Usually, normal Awakeners would also realize how to improve their chi during the battle. But their own chi would not actively ''learn''.


    Plus, they would stop with one improvement.


    They had to wait until the battle was over, then meditate, gather aura, and use that new understanding to increase their chi.


    Few geniuses would directly use the aura in their body and improve on the spot. But since aura in their body was limited, their improvement was also limited.


    For Varian, however, System provided aura right in the middle of fight.


    This allowed him to improve without consuming his own aura reserves. With the aura restrictions gone, using his changed talent and battle sense, he could always improve multiple times.


    "It''s a total cheat." Varian sighed.


    Lightning Path also advanced to Level 4. Essentially, a Level 4 Elementalist would be able to use the element to construct structures.


    Varian clenched his hand, and a lightning sword condensed in his palm.


    The mana was densely concentrated and, even while directly touching the lightning, Varian didn''t feel any problem.


    With each level, the resistance of lightning would increase.


    His Space Path showed slight improvement, along with the Morpher Path.


    He stretched his arms and felt the explosive strength.


    He could easily pulverize a mountain, throw an aerone of Old Earth, and jump hundred meters.


    Even a hundred meter building has thirty storeys!


    The most intuitive feeling was the current Varian could beat ten previous Varian.


    As Varian revelled in the intoxication of strength, the tower of trial notification popped up.


    [Your ranking in 5th Floor is 401]


    [Your Honor list ranking is 405]


    "Not bad, actually. Now that I''ve advanced to Level 5, I can beat all mid-Level 5s." Varian was certain of that.


    Even as a Level 4, he won all Low Level 5. That was a cross level gap.


    Not to mention now, it was only a single sub-realm within the level.


    "I remember the strongest Mid Level 5 ranking was 150. Welp!" Varian clicked his tongue.


    From the cadets'' side, there were only around 150 people stronger than him.


    "Not for long." He smiled with confidence.


    [Do you wish to leave behind your phantom?]


    "No." Varian decisively refused.


    It was only after knowing this option he dared to enter the Tower.


    Else, in the case someone found about his Quad, no, Penta Divine Paths, it''d be really troublesome.


    "Mind Path is actually a goodbination for every path. It''s a pity its level is still low." Varian shook his head.


    [Are you sure don''t want your phantom to be left behind? The tower shall use a phantom of equivalent strength, but your Honor would be lost.]


    "Honor my ass. I refuse." Varian didn''t even think about it.


    Except for very few who didn''t want to leak their fighting style, everyone else left their phantom in the tower.


    It was really a symbol of Honor.


    The tower didn''t bother him again.


    [Contest is transferred out.]


    Varian felt the surroundings blur before he found himself at the entrance.


    The huge metallic door was behind him, the entry free counter was just a few steps ahead.


    The counter boy, a second year cadet, was staring at him with wide eyes. It was like Varian was an alien.


    No, even aliens don''t get such a gaze.


    ''Did I kill your parents or what?'' Varian was bewildered.


    This counter guy charged him 200 merit points to enter the tower. The tower could only be challenged once every calendar month.


    Varian ignored the guy''s weird gaze and walked outside.


    "What?" He frowned at the huge crowd gathered in the square.


    "Is there a famous contestanting today? There are too many people now." Varian shook his head and was about to leave.


    But a girl in the crowd pointed at him and yelled. "He''s out!"


    The crowd swarmed at him.


    With great enthusiasm, they spoke eagerly.


    "Wow! You''re the real deal"


    "Big brother!"


    Several girls and even guys looked at him in adoration.


    "Master Varian, do youck ackey? I''m willing to be one."


    "Fuck off! Brother Varian, how about forming a team with us? We''re all Low Level 5s!"


    Of course, there were the invitations as always. But this time, there were different invitations, too.


    "Brother Varian, do you want to be an honorary member of Reshak Family? We have a Level 9! We''ll provide you the resources. You don''t have to do anything."


    That was a lie. The most expensive thing in the world was ''free''.


    Since they gave him something, they''d get something from him in return.


    Besides, Varian had no intention of joining a family. Especially after seeing the way Astor n operated, he had a prejudice against them.


    "Reshak family is only a new family. Brother Varian, join our Earth''s Trade Union branch. You can get any star treasures you want."


    Trade Union? No thanks!


    He had star treasures from Boo''s inventory. Right from 1 star to 9 star.


    He looted different kinds of potions from the hideouts, and they''dst for a long time.


    "Brother Varian¡ª" A girl threw herself at him.


    Varian stepped back and watched her slide onto the floor.


    "Brother Varian¡­" The girl''s beautiful face was disheveled. She looked up at Varian with a pitiful face.


    She quickly stood up and said in a grieving tone. "My big sister is very beautiful. You can be my brother-inw. B-but, you treat me so badly. Wuu~"


    The other invitees rolled their eyes.


    What was shameless?


    This was shameless!


    But seeing Varian''s silence, they thought he was tempted.


    "I have a beautiful big sister. Much beautiful than this wench. She didn''t even let a boy touch her fingertips." A burly man stepped forward and dered.


    Varian didn''t reply. He was expressionlessly gazing at the man.


    Inwardly, he was thinking. ''So her father never held her? Wow.''


    The burly man looked at Varian''s face and finally gritted his teeth. "Ok, my little sister, too. But you have to wait for three years. She is not of age yet."


    Varian still held the same indifferent gaze.


    But he was screaming inside. ''What do I look like to go after a minor? You pervert!''


    The burly man clenched his teeth, and his shoulders trembled.


    Sweat rolled down Varian''s forehead.


    ''Wait, wait, no¡ª''


    "My girlfriend too." The burly man trembled. "But you must promise to treat her


    kindly."


    The crowd went silent. They stared at the burly man and then at Varian. Some men secretly moved a few steps forward.


    They too gritted their teeth and clenched their fists. Their shoulders trembled, they looked like they were about to make a great sacrifice.


    ''The fuck!'' Varian cursed the burly guy''s eight generations. Did their brains fry out due to a high Mind Awakener?


    He was about to open his mouth and refuse when¡ª


    "Brother-inw!" The girl from earlier cried out.


    "Big Brother!" The guy who wanted to recruit him to his family.


    "Sir Varian!" The ones who invited him to their adventure team.


    Looking at their eager eyes, Varian''s scalp tingled.


    Being too popr was not good.


    He turned to the cafe in the distance and said. "Sarah,e out already."

 Chapter 172: Reunion with Siarah Team

    <h4>Chapter 172: Reunion with Siarah Team</h4>


    "Hahaha!" A beautifulughter rang in the air.


    Sarah appeared in front of the crowd. Her presence instantly silenced the crowd.


    Even the most enthusiastic people shut their mouths.


    ''How does she do that? Any idea Boo?'' Varian wondered.


    ''ording to human aesthetics, she''s very beautiful.''


    ''...''


    "Varian is not interested in joining any forces." Sarah said with an indifferent face.


    Her words doused the enthusiasm of many forces. But soon, they thought of another way.


    Even if they were rted by marriage, wouldn''t they get his support?


    Varian caught those greedy eyes and quickly said. "I have no intentions of getting a partner anytime soon."


    "B-But my big sister is¡­" The girl still didn''t give up.


    Varian''s face twitched. This girl was a goner.


    Sarah squinted at the girl, and she shut up obediently.


    Varin was about to give a grateful smile to Sarah when he noticed she was looking at him with a weird look.


    It must be the previous statement he made.


    She was thinking of something weird.


    ''Died single. Still a virgin.''


    ''Boo, bomb my tomb.'' Varian ordered immediately.


    ''Are you sure, master? It could be used as a sweet memory.'' Boo persuaded.


    ''Memory? If someone finds my tomb after I get popr, I''d better die. Just bomb it already!''


    ''...Fine!''


    Varian''s face condensed, and he said in a solemn tone. "If you don''t want to lose the people you love, and if you don''t want your loved ones to lose you, being strong is the only way."


    "External strength, no matter how high, cannot be relied upon." Varian said and nodded at Sarah.


    Her figure blurred and in a second, they both appeared in the top floor of the cafe.


    Apparently, she booked a room in the top floor. The top floor was carved out of a special wood¡ª Maligna.


    It emitted a sweet fragrance. Just breathing it was enough to soothe the mind.


    As Varian stepped into the room, he was taken aback. Two or three people hugged him.


    If not for the voices, he''d have attacked them right away.


    "Varian!"


    "Little Brother!"


    "So d to see you alive."


    Varian smiled awkwardly looking at the teammates.


    Crimson. Ivy. Olvia. Luca.


    He could understand Olivia and Ivy hugging him, but why was this big guy, Luca hugging him too?


    "I''m very d for you see you all safe." Varian coughed and gently separated himself from their hug.


    The room wasrge. There were a few soft couches and arge dining table in the middle.


    Other than that, there were several holographic paintings on the wall.


    "They returned an hour ago." Sarah sat on the couch and motioned to him.


    Varian sat beside her and took a good look at the Siarah team as they sat on the couch in front.


    Ivy was still the same. Petite. t. Cute Pink hair.


    Nothing changed with Crimson. Wait! His red hair was now reaching his waist!


    Lucafortably upied area meant for two people, but just right for his frame.


    Olivia sat gracefully.


    All their eyes on him.


    Ivy was the first to break the silence. "I don''t know how we can thank you." She nced down and closed her eyes.


    The others'' faces also turned heavy.


    If not for him, they''d have died for sure. Even Sarah¡­


    Varian smiled and waved his hand. "It''s over. Don''t bring this up already. Tell me something joyful. What were you upto?"


    Luca mmed the table and said. "We took a mission and joined a small skirmish in theoid Proxima and yed a couple of Abyssal Warriors."


    Varian was surprised.


    oids were artificial minis created for military purposes. Theyid between a and its pairing Abyss.


    Whoever controlled these would have the initiative.


    Each had quite a fewoids.


    They were the real theatres of war¡ª the ce where the high awakeners fought.


    In such ces, the lives of Mid Awakeners was not guaranteed. Even Level 6 could die easily.


    But the four seemed fine and even managed to kill of Abyssal Warriors¡ªLevel 5s.


    Sarah seemed to notice his doubts and exined. "Proxima is a very smalloid. There are only a few Level 7s in charge. Level 6 are usually the strongest fighters. As Level 5s, they will be fine."


    Crimson chuckled and bragged. "That is of course. Even amongst high level 5s, we rank in the top 100."


    Sarah stifled herugh and said. "You barely reached top 100 yourself."


    "Ahem. Don''t mind the details." Crimson waved his hands.


    Olivia shifted the topic. "Sarah called us here a few minutes ago. Did you go to Tower of Trials or what?"


    Varian nodded.


    "Ooooh!" Ivy gaped at him and then gave him an encouraging smile. "Don''t be down, little brother. You were Level 2 a month ago. But after a year, you can surely reach Level 5 and enter the rankings!"


    Olivia also nodded. "Yes. They started out at Level 3 since first year. But don''t worry, I can help you out with missions. Even though I''m not rich like captain, the resources you need to advance to Mid Awakener are not difficult for me."


    Luca joined with a simple smile. "Count me in as well. We should help him out and let him advance quick."


    Crimson expressed his approval.


    Looking at their active moring, Varian fell silent and nced at Sarah on the side.


    She was trying her best to stop herself fromughing. No. She was trembling already.


    Apparently, Sarah didn''t tell he was Evander''s disciple. Or they would never speak those words.


    ''Didn''t know you liked to fool people.'' Varian smiled at her and then turned to the excited Seniors.


    "Actually, I¡ª"


    "Yes!" Ivy jumped. "How did you in your first run?"


    She was asking about the tower of trials.


    Level 2s would enter the second floor and fight other Level 2s. Basically other first years or second years.


    "It''s alright. Don''t be shy." Olivia encouraged him with a kind smile. "We were in level 3 in our first year, but none of us reached top 100. You have a lot of time left."


    Varian finally sighed and said. "I am the disciple of our Dean."


    "What?!!!" The four stood up in shock.


    "Also, about my honor list." Varian tapped on hism.


    {Varian


    First Year


    Honor Ranking: 405}


    "L-Little Brother, I-I must be seeing things." Ivy slumped on the couch.


    The rest followed as they dazedly stared at Varian with a dumb face.


    Recalling the words they told him before, their faces flushed.


    "I-I¡­" Olivia buried her face into her ample bosom.


    The guys didn''t have the option as Olivia, so they stared at the ceiling.


    Ivy just curled herself into a ball.


    They were extremely embarrassed.


    "Pffft." Sarah finally burst intoughter.

 Chapter 173: Time flies so fast

    <h4>Chapter 173: Time flies so fast</h4>


    Sarah''sughter caused her team of four to re at her.


    On the other hand, they were also deeply surprised.


    The calmest of them all was Olivia. She looked up and saw Sarah and Varian talking freely.


    She couldn''t believe her eyes. She had known Sarah for almost four years now.


    Sarah might look indifferent to others, but Olivia could see through the facade. Behind that mask of indifference was a girl who always med herself for everything.


    After her mother''s death, Sarah''s father neglected even talking to her. She didn''t know how or when, but Sarah picked up something during those years.


    ''If only I had not been a Dual Awakener, perhaps my father would still talk to me. He''d still apany me to watch the moon. He''d still attend my birthday. He''d still say "Sarah, I''m proud of you."''


    Olivia still remembered the first time she met Sarah. It was shortly after Pluto War.


    Sarah was grief strick upon losing her mother. At the same, she was depressed and powerless because of how her father turned.


    Olivia prided herself in her ability to read others.


    What''s more, the eyes of the 15-year-old Sarah were like open windows.


    ''If I was not a Dual Awakener, I could be a Sovereign. I''m sorry, mom. I''m sorry dad. It''s all my fault.''


    ''My fault.''


    Olivia sighed deeply before turning to Varian and Sarah. They were in the middle of a conversation.


    "Varian, you liked that girl calling you Brother-inw, right?" Sarah''s voice was filled with teasing. Something Olivia didn''t see often.


    "No! It''s super awkward. And you kept on watching?" Varian responded in a resentful tone. Huh? What was with the tone?


    "You need to adapt yourself to these situations. Poprity has its own share of its trouble." Sarah gave him a free lesson.


    Then she nced at Varian and said with a serious expression. "Or don''t be shocked when a woman brings a child iming you''re the dad."


    Varian''s face twitched, and he looked at Sarah to confirm whether she was joking or being serious.


    ''She''s joking, of course.'' Olivia wanted to say, but didn''t.


    Olivia knew that Varian wouldn''t be able to tell.


    But¡ª


    "So I am the innocent victim for you to prank on?" Varian put on a sad face.


    ''Y-You¡­you can read her?'' Olivia gasped. Her movements turned their attention.


    Sarah turned to Olivia with a bright smile.


    ''When did I see such a smile?'' Olivia couldn''t help but recall Sarah''s condition after returning from the mission.


    Sarah was grieving, guilt-ridden and enraged at the same time.


    The four of them also grieved his death. But instead of wallowing in sorrow, they left.


    The army also indoctrinated this. The greatest gift to a deceased loved one was to keep moving ahead in your path.


    But Sarah couldn''t.


    "Is there something you want to say, Olivia?" Varian asked after seeing her fall silent.


    Olivia collected herself. With a gentle smile, she shook her head. "I-I''m just happy."


    Sarah raised an eyebrow before nodding. She hadn''t felt it herself, but Olivia could tell.


    Sarah was rxed.


    The others also came to terms with Varian''s absurdity and reverted to their positions.


    Only Ivy''s small face was still flushed.


    Luca asked Varian with an eager smile. "So Varian, are you a Level 5 now?"


    Luca sounded like a starving man that found a loaf of bread. No. He sounded even more desperate.


    But his question also turned everyone''s attention to him. Their eyes were fixated on him and Varian could almost see ''Say it already'' on their faces.


    With his rank, everyone would assume he was Low Level 5. There was no use hiding. But they wouldn''t know he was only Level 4 when he won that rank.


    His current strength was in the ranges of Mid Level 5, unlike what they believed. He could use his Body Path to ''convince'' everyone that his strength was only Low Level 5.


    Varian coughed lightly and nodded.


    "Damn!" Despite guessing, Crimson couldn''t help but curse.


    Luca stood up all of a sudden. "Varian, how about to we spa¡ª"


    Pa!


    Ivy pushed his shoulders and sat him down with a re. It said ''No trouble''.


    Luca nodded grievously. ''These people don''t know the joy of fighting.''


    "I remember you were Level 2 a month ago¡­ just what on earth happened?" Olivia couldn''t help but ask.


    Crimson said. "Of course, if it''s inconvenient, forget it."


    Varian shook his head and exined the ''story''.


    When mentioning Ambrosia, he looked at Olivia with a cheeky smile. "It''s all thanks to you I found Ambrosia."


    "Ahem." Looking at his eyes, Olivia felt her face flush without meaning to.


    Click.


    Click.


    Thems perfectly captured her red face. Olivia didn''t seem to notice.


    "I''m pretty lucky to survive. It''s good to see you all." Varian said and recalled something.


    "The mission points. Why did I get so many?" He asked.


    2000 merit points was a huge sum even for a second year.


    So why?


    "It is dependent on the merits. Saving our lives twice is as good as doing the mission yourself." Olivia exined, dispelling his confusion.


    "Everyone is fine with it. Let''s skip the topic." Sarah insisted.


    As they chatted, Varian found the topics were revolving around him.


    The four knew that Sarah''s father was Evander.


    So they assumed the reason Varian became a disciple was half talent and half gratitude.


    Varian didn''t correct them. Even Sarah was not sure.


    They had a sumptuous meal, and it was, of course, Varian''s treat.


    There was one thing in their conversation that irked Varian.


    Seth.


    He apparently took a mission and left two weeks ago.


    Crimson looked outside the window and saw the suns were about to set.


    "Time sure flies fast." He stood up with a smile.


    "With your current strength and status, you likely won''t encounter any trouble. But if you have anything we can help you with, do not hesitate." He said with a handshake.


    Luca wanted to give him a bear hug and at the same time, ask for a spar.


    Thankfully, Ivy dragged him away. Olivia said something simr to Crimson, and they were about to leave.


    All of a sudden, Sarah seemed to remember something andughed. "You know, Varian has a tom¡ª"


    Before she could finish, Varian grabbed her hand abruptly.

 Chapter 174: Silver Community

    <h4>Chapter 174: Silver Community</h4>


    Sarah was taken aback when she felt her hand gripped by his.


    She shot a quick nce at her teammates. Their eyes widened as they stared at their hands.


    Olivia had a look of realization and said. "I understand. We won''t disturb you any longer."


    Crimson nodded. Luca was confused as ever. Ivy dragged him out and they all literally ran.


    "N-No! You''re misunderstanding something!" Sarah tried to argue.


    "Eh? What misunderstanding?" Varian fell into deep thought.


    Sarah red at him and raised her hands, that were still held together. "This!"


    "Oh! I had to stop you from speaking. " Varian let go of her hand and said with an innocent smile.


    Then his face twitched, and he asked. "Why bring up my tomb?"


    "You know?" Sarah was surprised. ording to her, Varian just returned from the dungeon and then entered Tower of Trials.


    She thought he was unaware of his own tomb.


    She also nned to take everyone to his tomb for sight seeing, bah, for visiting. Maybe a selfie or two would be good?


    ''No. No.'' Sarah thought to herself. '' I''m not a child anymore.''


    But it was a lie to say she wasn''t tempted. She wanted to see Varian''s expression at her selfie on his tomb.


    ''Sarah! Why are you getting these thoughts?!'' She tried to argue with herself.


    Varian didn''t know that he escaped a catastrophe by asking Boo to destroy his tomb.


    Looking at the dazed Sarah, he said with a helpless expression. "Don''t believe anything the tomb says."


    Recalling the epitaph, Sarah couldn''t help but smile. She felt sad visiting the tomb when he was gone, but now that the man himself was alive, it felt like a prank on him.


    Especially that line. It was truly the best one she read.


    She snickered. "So, you are not a virgin?"


    "...Sarah, what about you?" Varian shot back.


    "W-What about m-me?!" Sarah flinched and took a step back.


    Her reaction said it all.


    ''Tsk. A virgin yourself and you are teasing me?''


    Varian rolled his eyes and spread his arms. "Wee to the club!"


    Sarah''s face flushed uncontrobly, and she raised her fist.


    "N-No! Ok, you''re not a virgin." Varian tried to pacify the embarrassed Sarah.


    Sarah''s gaze turned dangerous.


    "Ok, you are."


    Her fist was approaching him.


    "...What should I say, honestly?" Varian racked his brains but couldn''t an answer.


    Worsees to worst, he''d run away.


    "...looks like you are having fun." A soft voice rang beside them, prompting Sarah to stop.


    Anna appeared behind them.


    Sarah quicklyposed herself and said with grievance. "You have the most fun by scaring me every time."


    Anna nodded. "Yes." leaving Sarah dumbfounded.


    Then she turned to Varian and said in surprise. "I didn''t expect you to reach level 5 so soon. I''m sure your master would be ecstatic."


    ''Well, I''m sure he''d be more shocked. When I met him, I was still some distance from breakthrough and he knew it.'' Varian thought.


    "I think he''ll be the most happy once the war ends." Varian said casually.


    Sarah fell silent. She nced at the ground and bit her lower lip.


    With a short goodbye, she left with Anna.


    "I, did I say something wrong?" Varian wondered as he boarded a hover bus and reached his new dorm.


    Silver Community.


    Unlike normal dorms, Silvermunity was exclusive for the ten silver rankers.


    There was a security check around the perimeter. If one wanted to enter, they had to take permission from the residents.


    Including teachers!


    Varian only understood why after stepping into themunity.


    He couldn''t mistake the heavy feeling in the air.


    The Aura!


    It was 50% higher than outside.


    "Then what about Golden Community, Diamond Community and¡­ Amethyst Community?" Varian gulped.


    His conventional training speed was actually monstrous. The reason it appeared slow was because fighting gave him too much Xp.


    For instance, just to advance from high Level 4 to Level 5, a normal cadet would take around 3 to 4 months¡ªthe entire year only has 8 months.


    In Old Earth terms, it took around 6 months!


    Even a genius would take 1 month!


    Varian did it in a mere day. To be precise, in a few hours!


    So Aura wasn''t as enticing to him as others. But still, if sufficient aura was present, it could speed up his progress.


    "This is luxury." Varian arrived in front of a small vi residence named Silver 1.


    A barrier blocked the vision from the outside. It also served as the automated security check.


    After scanning hism, Varian entered his new residence.


    After checking it out, he realized it wasn''t actually small.


    There was a garden to grow special herbs if one wanted.


    There was a swimming pool with dense liquids that could be used to train body under various conditions.


    There was also a room with Aura concentration Formation.


    He only needed to put in aura crystals and the concentration of aura in the room would rise.


    There was a kitchen, arge living room, a storeroom and a few others on the ground floor.


    On the first floor, there were two bedrooms.


    A resident could invite one person to stay with them, but not indefinitely. There were certain rules and procedures Varian wasn''t going to bother with.


    Speaking of Aura, there was one more thing.


    "There is also Aura Well." Varian recalled the information about the other Sovereign Treasure.


    It was the ''holy ground'' for practice.


    Apparently, there was arge aura crystal mine under the aura well. With the help of Aura well Treasure, a holy ground was created.


    The deeper one went into the well, the denser the aura. There would be no sudden fluctuations in aura and it was extremely safe to practice.


    Usually, whenever a cadet wanted to advance to the next level, they''d visit the Aura Well.


    As he was considering whether to check it out now, Boo reported. "Master, your tomb is bombed. No traces of it exist on Earth."


    It was as if a huge burden was lifted off his chest. Varian let out the brightest smile ever.


    "Your friends Kyle and Maya are engrossed in a project. Do you want me to contact them through other means?"


    Varian thought for a while before shaking his head. "They hate to be disturbed. I''ll visit them when they''re done."


    "Mr.Gareth proposed you meet him if you go on a mission."


    "Sure thing." Varian nodded.


    "Mr.Seth''sm is broken. But there is no news of his death or disappearance."


    Only Seth was still missing, but since no one knew about it, the mission must be important.


    After sorting out, Varian started the dreaded exam.


    Hism started recording everything around him, ensuring no cheating.


    But¡ª


    ''Option C!''


    ''2.33313!''


    Through their mentalmunication, Boo helped him a bit. But it was mostly Varian''s diligent answering. Yep! He was a model student.


    ''Sovereign is not a realm, it is a state.''


    ''There are eight Sovereigns, but only six artifacts. One is lost in the Pluto War. It is spected that the artifact is lost or captured by Abyssals.''


    ''It is impossible to win a war withoutoids.''


    After a gruesome hour, it ended.


    "Good job!" Varian patted Boo for its contribution.


    Then he checked out hisbat test.


    [Combat Test: Take the tower of trials!


    Stay inside for 1 hour!]


    [You passed the test.


    Congrattions on passing the tests of first month.]


    "Phew." Varian sighed in relief.


    That was quick. Now he had time in hands.


    He had only goal. Merit points.


    "After I check out the aura well, I''ll just take a mission. With my strength, and Boo''s assistance, I''d be able to earn a lot of merit points." Varian decided.


    After washing up, he entered the training room.


    After entering the aura crystals, aura concentration increased by 33%.


    Compared to the normal dorm, it was double!


    Varian sat down cross-legged and descended into meditation.

 Chapter 175: Aura Well

    <h4>Chapter 175: Aura Well</h4>


    Varian woke up with a delighted expression.


    The System prompts sounded heavenly.


    [+10 Xp]


    [+40 Xp]


    [+15 Xp]


    [+20 Xp]


    [+0 Xp]


    Varian was about to pump his fist when he realized he was holding the Suicide Jacket.


    His body stiffened and he hurriedly put it inside the space ring. While he didn''t like it much, there was no denying that it helped his Space Path tremendously.


    ''Status.'' He muttered


    [Body Path (Enhanced) Level 5: 10/2000


    Space Path Level 3: 80/400


    Lightning Path Level 4: 15/1000


    Morpher Path Level 3: 100/400


    Mind Path Level 1: 100/100]


    It was clear at a nce that the most progress was observed in Level 3, followed by Level 4 and then Level 5.


    Barring Mind Path which reached the bottleneck, the other paths followed the pattern.


    This wasmon for every awakener across all divine paths. The higher the level, the slower the progress.


    The awakeners had a famous line for this experience. ''Progressing in Divine Path is like swimming up a waterfall. It is impossible for mortals. Even for awakeners, the higher you go, the slower it gets. The scariest thing is we can''t see the end.''


    Varian agreed with them wholeheartedly, but decided not to share his experience.


    He was only practicing for a few hours and he made great progress. If he practiced all day, his progress would at least double.


    Omitting bottlenecks, with +20 Xp every day, he''d only need a 100 days to reach the peak of Level 5.


    Of course, including bottlenecks, he''d take at most 120 days to reach peak of Level 5.


    Even geniuses take over 500 days. Even that included the treasures, battle experiences, guidances and more.


    However, Varian''s in practice threw them miles behind.


    The most important thing, however, was this¡ªpracticing actually slowed him down.


    Fighting was the best vehicle to his progress.


    {Varian


    First Year


    Merit Points: 2410


    Cumtive Points: 2810


    Recent Transactions:


    Entry Fee: 200 mp deducted for Tower of Trials


    Healing Fee: 200 mp deducted by Tower of Trials


    Honor Rank: 300mp deposited by Tower of Trials}


    Even though Varian''s heart ached at losing 200mp for healing, he consoled himself with the 300 merit points.


    Why do cadets go to Tower of Trials?


    Honor? Yes!


    But to spend 200 merit points just for honor was a stretch.


    Unless it was someone like Narcis, but that was another issue.


    Usually, once a cadet enters the Honor Ranking, they''d be given merit points every month.


    401-500 Ranking: 300 merit points


    301-400 Ranking: 500 merit points


    ¡­


    Ranking 1: 10,000 merit points.


    ''If I have the first rank, just two months and I''ll have enough mp to check Sia''s information.'' Varian sighed.


    Soon, he shook his head.


    There was still a tremendous gap between him and peak of Level 6.


    "My growth rate surpasses everyone here. I just need to make sure I don''t get killed by some stupid System." Varian had a profound realization in the shower.


    System: [ "...." ]


    After cursing the system as usual, Varian went to the second Sovereign Treasure.


    Aura Well.


    Like Tower of Trials, it too needed an entree fee. At the same time, there were restrictions on the times of usage.


    Once per month.


    Of course, if one was about to advance to the next level, they could get the permission for extra use. Their permission for next month would be used up.


    Varian''s arrival caught the attention of the cadets.


    But unlike Tower of Trials, Aura Well had no ranking list. There was also a much smaller crowd.


    He ignored their approaches and paid the entree fee.


    As he moved forward, Varian saw the entry point. An underground tunnel.


    "Let''s see what''s so good about this." He jumped in.


    Thud.


    The frist thing he felt was the slightly higher aura concentration. It was around 2% higher than normal. Much less than his own dorm.


    Varian''s eyes took a moment before they adjusted to the darkness. He noticed the obvious feature¡ª the central part of the well was hollow.


    He moved towards the center and gazed down. White fog, presumably aura, clouded his vision.


    "So much aura." Varian smiled.


    After a few nces, he understood the well''s shape.


    It was a dark red metallic structure that spiralled down. It resembled a huge spring that was forcibly drilled into the ground. To make the analogy urate, a hollow spring in soil.


    Even though the area he was standing on was minisculepared to the vast hollowness at the center, it too was at least half a mile wide.


    All in all, if Varian continued to move forward, he''d descend and reach lower floors.


    So he did.


    There was no one in the way.


    That was not surprising since any cadet who could pay 200 merit points could reach way below.


    He reached the second floor.


    The aura concentration was 5% higher than normal.


    Third. 7.5% higher.


    Fourth seemed to be step up.


    Fourth. 15% higher.


    Fifth. 25% higher.


    Sixth. 35% higher.


    Varian encountered a cadet in the sixth floor. A boy was sitting cross legged.


    His age was too young to be a cadet. He looked only to be around 16. He was a mid level 1.


    The initial progress in Divine Paths was slow.


    This boy was definitely a genius in his school.


    Apparently, since Aura Well was one of the kind treasures, the Academy decided to conductpetitions in high schools.


    The few lucky winners across the Earth were given the opportunity to practice in the Aura Well.


    These kids couldn''t go deeper than a few floors. So no one had any objection.


    "I remember no one was selected in my school." Varian quickly passed through the seventh, eighth and ninth floor.


    It was a lie to say Varian didn''t feel jealous. He trained like a madman for almost a decade.


    He didn''t even get the fruits of hisbor. Yet here was another boy who was getting a head start.


    "Forget it. If I awakened like everyone, I wouldn''t be where I am today." Varian took a deep breath and pushed down the memories that threatened to flood his mind.


    The memories of those bitter sweet training were imprinted into every inch of his body. Even if he wanted to, his body couldn''t forget it.


    That was the main reason Varian was able to take so many injuries and still fight.


    Perhaps he was not the most talented person in battle, but he sure was the one who could take the most hits.


    Shaking his head, Varian passed by several cadets.


    Tenth floor had almost 70% higher aura than outside.


    There were around ten cadets. They were all at the peak of Level 2 and were hitting the bottleneck.


    They were among the top of ordinary cadets.


    Discounting Narcis and Ryan, who were at the top of genius category, most geniuses advanced to Level 3 in the first month.


    The real deal breaker wa breaking the bottleneck and advancing to level 4.


    Depending on talent and diligence, this bottleneck could take from three weeks to even months.


    ''After reaching level 5, none of first years are my opponents.'' Varian continued to descend down.


    Eleventh floor. Twelfth floor. Thirteenth floor¡­


    The aura went from invisible to light smog.


    With the floors, the aura concentration also continued to increase.


    100%. 125%. 150%.


    The cadets also continued to increase.


    Varian saw the second years. There were quite a few of them hitting the bottleneck to Level 5.


    There were a few Level 4 third years but no peak Level 5.


    Varian knew that in the near two thousand third year cadets, there only around forty peak Level 5s.


    Advancing to Level 6 was much harder and was said to take longer. Even for a genius, taking a year to break the bottleneck was ''normal''.


    That only highlighted Sarah''s and Charles'' strength. They were both Level 6.


    ''I have to reach that level, soon.'' Varian vowed to himself and pushed himself to the twentieth floor.


    Aura condensed into white fog and overwhelmed his senses.


    Even his Enhanced vision couldn''t see through it.


    Moreover, the high concentration of aura was making him dizzy.


    Varian had to force himself to stay awake.


    Without proper strength, too much aura was harmful. Thankfully, aura increased gradually with each floor and Varian found just the right spot.


    Twentieth floor''s aura was 300% higher than normal.


    That meant, the aura here was four times higher than outside.


    Varian sat down cross legged and began his first practice in aura well.


    Whoosh!


    Like a whale swallowed water, he swallowed aura.


    "Huh?" Wiimson was returning from the thirtieth floor when he sensed a terrifying suction force in the air.


    "Is anyone advancing to Level 6?" He guessed. Even then, the amount of aura was a bit high.


    "We have too few at level 6. Is it Mia or Sofia?" He wondered and spread his mental sense.


    "This¡­what the heck?" Williamson couldn''t help but swear.


    A cadet in first year uniform sat cross legged.


    The thick, almost invisible fog around him was thinning at a visible rate.


    "This¡­he''s just a Low Level 5?!"

 Chapter 176: Haedons Promise

    <h4>Chapter 176: Haedon''s Promise</h4>


    Today was another reminder to Abyssals that their race was on the brink of extinction.


    Fairy Emperor seemed to have grown stronger than thest time and he bypassed the great barrier of the capital Reka and was about to wipe out millions of lives.


    Abyss Emperor was quick to respond this time.


    Previously, Haedon was suffering from the aftermath of creating a clone. So his strength declined considerably.


    But this time, he was at his peak. Despite that, the distance between them actually shrunk by a bit.


    Even though there was still a great gap between their strength, Haedon was rmed.


    He crushed the Fairy Emperor but not so severe that Zion Envoy got involved.


    After a humiliating defeat, Fairy Emperor left with a smug smile.


    He knew his life was safe.


    Zions were using him as a dog to harass Abyssals and he was more than happy to be one.


    "Dad, are you alright?" Eva asked him with red eyes.


    ''Who made my daughter cry?'' Haedon was about to yell at the guards before realizing she was gazing outside.


    Reka, the city of beauty and prosperity. Reka, home to countless Abyssals.


    A district, albeit small was destroyed in the battle.


    Despite Haedon taking extra care to distance their fight from the masses, at least a hundred thousand Abyssals breathed theirst.


    Eva, his kind hearted daughter couldn''t stand such grievous scene.


    But¡ª


    "It''s alright. Things will get better." Haedon raised his hand to pat her head before drawing them back.


    His hands were stained with blood. He didn''t want them to spheme her pureness.


    "Really, daddy?" Eva asked him with bright eyes.


    Haedon forced himself to smile. "I promise you. There will be peace."


    "Yay!" Eva cheered and regardless of his current condition, kissed him.


    "I trust daddy. You are the strongest! I will tell Julie. She fears she will lose her dad." Eva said, but quickly shook her head.


    "I''ll go cheer them up. You always say my smile wipes out their worries. Even if it''s just a little, I am willing to help." Eva turned into a white bird and rushed towards the devastated area.


    Haedon''s smiled at her receding back before he forced himself to his office.


    As he sat in his chair, he nced at the tall altar at a corner.


    Sacred Altar.


    Every Abyss had one.


    Enigma broke one, so now there were only seven of them.


    "I hope I never have to use it." Haedon looked at the huge altar and prayed with closed eyes.


    ''There will be peace.'' His own promise resounded in his mind.


    Haedon''s eyes turned cold and he opened the reports.


    The first report was enough to make him tremble in rage.


    {All the hideouts in low dungeons were wiped out. Thest one was gone 3 hours ago.}


    Bang!


    Haedon smashed the table and gritted his teeth.


    "Humans¡­you never cease to amaze me. Where did you get the key?" He couldn''t help but ask.


    "Other than Ruins, I don''t know of any other possibility." Beatrice entered the room and answered with an exhausted face.


    She was also following the case.


    The mission ''Purge'' caused them huge losses.


    The original n was to weaken humans by killing the geniuses. After thirty or forty years, it would create a situation where there would be far less Level 8 and Level 9.


    By then, they''d have killed the Eight Sovereigns of humanity.


    So without any Sovereigns and with far few Level 9 and Level 8s, Human Federation would pose no resistance to the Eight Abysses.


    Even though humans had great defense thanks to their ever advancing technology, nothing could rece a Level 9.


    But the n falling apart so thoroughly forced Haedon to rethink.


    What if¡­humanity was a much bigger threat than it appeared to be?


    What if¡­one of them find the secret of S+ legacy?


    Even though the possibility of that was zero, Haedon preferred to be cautious.


    More importantly, Enigma''s disy of strength was unsettling.


    He was sure she could grow to be a Sovereign soon.


    Her potential didn''t stop just there.


    She¡­might even reach the Celestial Rank. If that happens, then their n would fall apart.


    Not only that, they''d also lose the eight abysses.


    The urgency was never higher.


    He tapped on the blue crystal attached to his desk and ordered. "Kill Uranus''s Sovereign the time you find a chance. Go with full strength. Take help of the Human Sovereign."


    Beatrice walked up to him and cupped his cheeks. Since he was injured by the Envoy, her work burden increased.


    "There is a report I want you to see." She bit her lip and tapped on her bracelet.


    {Varian. Level 5. Earth Defense Academy. First Year.


    ording to academy records, he passed through a space crack and survived. He also found an immature ambrosia and went from Level 2 to Level 5.


    Now he is the strongest first year.}


    Haedon squinted his eyes. Normally, a level 5 was nothing to him. But his intuition told him this one was different.


    After a slight recollection, he asked. "There was a federation wide announcement¡­it was for him, right?"


    "Yes. Evander, Steel heart and Albert were involved. Recently, Varian is announced to be the disciple of Evander. He seems to have a close rtionship with Sarah." Beatrice said with a frown.


    She too knew where this was going.


    The whole fiasco of him surviving the space crack was crap.


    "Albert is a sly guy. Raising a genius secretly and now using such absurd reasons to deceive everyone." Haedon shook his head.


    Every power had geniuses in the open, but they would also nurture a few in the dark.


    But usually, the ones in the bright were the strongest and the ones in the dark were back up.


    Who knew Albert was packing a little monster.


    Haedon thought for a while and ordered. "When he goes out on a mission, end him."


    After looking at Beatrice''s exhausted yet determined face, Haedon sighed. "I thought we could take it slow and with least losses."


    Beatrice smiled wryly.


    Haedon''s eyes sharpened. "Once the Uranus''s Sovereign falls, humans cannot defend themselves without a Sovereign. We''ll capture Uranus. All supply chains to neptune will be cut off. An isted Neptune will soon fall into our hands. With twos gone, it''s game over for Humans."


    Beatrice''s eyes brightened.


    In the past, Haedon wanted to minimize the losses and skipped this n.


    But this time, he was willing.


    Haedon closed his eyes and sighed. "Many lives of my people will be lost. But if this is the cost for the survival of our race, so be it. I will be the sinner."


    Beatrice quickly hugged him and said softly. "You are our saviour. Not the sinner."


    Haedon still felt the pang of guilt. He was amoner by birth, not even a noble. So he knew what it was like for a normal family to loose their source of support.


    He knew the sufferings of a lone mother. The pain of a lone child.


    That was why he tried to win without war¡­but he failed.


    This was the best he could do. Even though capturing Uranus would cost a great number of lives, the number would be far less than what an all out war with Human Federation would cost.


    Beatrice whispered softly, soothing his heart.


    "An Emperor who does not value life and kill indiscriminately are tyrants.


    The Emperor who values life so much that they fail to sacrifice it for the greater good are cowards.


    But you, my Emperor, my husband is a person ofpassion and ruthlessness. You save lives as much as you can, but you do not hesitate when you need to sacrifice them for the greater good." Beatrice whispered as she embraced him with love and respect.


    She uttered the words she didn''t know were said to a human by his tutor.


    Those same words.


    The words filled with conviction.


    "You are the One."

 Chapter 177: Factions

    <h4>Chapter 177: Factions</h4>


    Any two individuals, even twins, had differences.


    Even if their physical resemnce was over 99%, their thoughts would diverge greatly.


    Thus, monolithic organizations were only possible on paper.


    Imperial Defense Academy wasn''t monolithic. With its constituents, it was never destined to be.


    Instead, a group of powerful factions backed by powerful forces led its operations.


    These factions wereposed of people nurtured by the said powers or those who sought refuge in them.


    A faction was thus essentially a group of cadets brought together for mutual benefits. But there was a chain ofmand that must be followed.


    Who led these factions?


    Like the outside world, the inside of the institution also faced the influence of the Big two and small two.


    Prime Families and Military were the big two. Trade Union and Adventure Guild were the small two.


    Of course, Military Faction was always the strongest and thergest.


    Second was the Prime Family''s faction. But since a Prime Family''s influencested only on their home, the Nial and Caron families didn''t have much influence on Earth.


    It was rather Xander faction headed by Charles Xander and backed by the rulers of Earth¡ªXander Family that rose in the past two years.


    After its meteoric rise, it was almost as strong as the military faction.


    Since the start of the year, there were many conflicts between the Military and Xander faction.


    Thetest one being in the Mission ''Purge''. Theypeted to destroy the highest number of hideouts.


    It was a very close tie, but unfortunately, Xanders won.


    It was a huge blow to the military faction.


    They couldn''t write it off as a one time thing. The future was looking even more bleak.


    Xander faction was strengthened by the addition of Narcis Xander, a Level 4.


    The worst part was that Ryan Albert, the grandson of Marshal, also joined Xander faction!


    He was supposed to join the military faction, but for some ''friendship'', he abandoned the military faction.


    It wasn''t that no one from military side joined Xanders before, but this was the grandson of a Sovereign!


    The one who was potentially the leader of the Military Faction.


    The next genius in line, Adir was from Caron Family. He was still at the peak of Level 3. He belonged to the Caron Family and wouldn''t matter much in therger scheme of things.


    But the future seemed set.


    Once Charles Xander and Williamson graduate, Sarah would emerge as the strongest in the academy.


    Thus, Military Faction would be the undisputed first. For a year.


    Xanders would be weakened for a year, but not too much. Adrian would advance to level 6 next year and would hold the Xander faction together.


    Then came the worst.


    When Sarah graduates, the military faction would have to face thebined wrath of Narcis and the idiot, Ryan.


    Of course, open fighting wasn''t encouraged. But what about duels?


    If a faction''s leaders were crushed in the duels, who would want to join the losers?


    In fact, a faction simply needed to prevent members of the rival faction frompleting the missions. That was enough to disintegrate a faction.


    The reason no such thing happened until now was because of the bnce between the factions.


    The Military and Xander faction were locked in rivalry. The Adventurer faction sided with Military and Trade Union faction with Xander''s.


    But soon, the bnce would break.


    Military faction would lose its supremacy turning the academy into the backyard of Xanders.


    One would expect the Dean to step in. But for some reason, he didn''t seem to care at all!


    In the most luxurious dorm of the academy, the Amethyst Community, the two vice heads of the Military Faction gathered.


    In an exquisite room with white marble and rare paintings, they sat side by side on a couch as they did their favorite pass time.


    Staring at the spirit garden in the backyard and cursing to vent work stress~


    "I swear our academy has it the worst. Sarah is the strongest from our faction. But she doesn''t even bother to participate in events most of the time." Mia grumbled with a grievance.


    As the leader of Reapers in the Military Faction, everyone only saw her aloof appearance.


    Except for the handsome man holding her hand.


    He was her partner in both profession and life. Dhruv. Leader of Blue Dragons in Military Faction.


    "I wonder what the people under you would think if they see you acting this way." Dhruv chuckled and scraped her nose gently.


    "You know what? I''ll ask that Varian to join us. Actually, why didn''t he contact us already?" Mia swatted his hand and clutched her forehead.


    "Maybe he thinks it is beneath him to ask by himself?" Dhruv guessed.


    It was reasonable. After all, every cadet knew about the factions and their workings.


    Every year, factions would recruit members a few days after tutors were selected.


    So Varian should be fully aware of their existence. Or so they thought.


    The problem was that back then, Seth didn''t bother to tell Varian. So Varian didn''t attend the faction selection and immersed himself in practice.


    Heck, he didn''t even know about the Sovereign Treasures until Richard introduced them.


    But to them, it appeared as if he was expecting them to contact him. Beg him.


    "Ai, this pride is too much." Dhruv sighed helplessly.


    "I''d be surprised if he can be humble after reaching Level 5 in first semester." Mia looked at the garden with aplicated face.


    "No...we''re just half way through this sem. I remember you advanced to level 5 in what, third or fourth semester?" She nced at him sideways and said.


    Dhruv''s face twitched as he looked at Mia''s expressionless face. ''Are you praising him or mocking me or both?''


    "And his master is the Sir Evander." When Mia said his name, her eyes were full of worship.


    To many, Evander was a personal hero.


    After losing his wife and son to Pluto War, he not only wasn''t crushed, but forged himself to be a peak Level 9.


    His exploits in the frontlines were legendary.


    "If it''s him, I think there must be a reason for choosing Varian. Maybe he has other difficulties for not contacting us." Dhruv changed his opinion.


    "Either way, let''s meet him. We can''t let this faction decline. Since they''re familiar with each other, let Sarah convince him. She''s the head of the faction anyway." Mia''s face showed resignation upon mentioning the "Head".


    Unless it was important, Sarah didn''t intervene in the faction matters. If not for them begging her to attend the faction choosing ceremony, they''d be branded as liars for using her name.


    As they were about to contact Sarah, Mia''sm buzzed and she was informed of a guest who wanted to visit her.


    She agreed immediately.


    "Who is i¡ª?" Dhruv couldn''t help but ask.


    "It''s me." Richard Tylor entered the room and smiled lightly.


    He was d in ck and white butler suit. With a kind smile on his wrinkled face, he looked like a normal butler.


    ''High awakener butler.'' Dhruv sighed inwardly and greeted the old man.


    After Mia served him a cup of tea, she cut to the chase.


    "What brings you here, Grandpa Richard?" Mia asked in a cordial tone mixed with respect.


    Richard was someone from Sovereign Albert''s generation.


    He was the butler of Evander and watched him grow up.


    In the past, when Dhruv and Mia attended several high level gatherings of military families, they would often see Richard.


    He''d attend the meeting in Evander''s stead.


    Their parents, Mid Generals and Level 9s, showed proper courtesy to him.


    He was one of the honorary staff of the academy.


    Calling him Grandpa meant they were qualified enough.


    Richard was not a person who put on airs. He patted Mia and answered. "Master has an order regarding Young Master."


    Dhruv and Mia''s ears perked up.


    ''Sure enough. It must be Sir Evander asking Junior Varian to not join the factions until now.? He was letting Xanders grow to blow them down with Varian''s entrance. The time hase, right?'' Dhruv couldn''t stop grinning.


    Richard said. "Fend off all unnecessary disturbances to Varian. Do not let Xander faction intervene with his practice, even at the expense of Military Faction."


    His final words were uttered in the most solemn tone they ever heard.


    "In short, support him with everything you can. Do not ask him to do anything for you."


    Dhruv and Mia''s faces stiffened. They looked at each other and saw the same feeling in other''s eyes.


    ''This is too much. Even Sarah helped them out for joining the faction. She was his own daughter and he hadn''t uttered a word. But this was his disciple and he was going so far?''


    "B-but¡­" Dhruv stuttered.


    "Grandpa Richard, you know how hard everyone in the faction worked to to reach this position, right? How should we answer them if they question us?" Mia gritted her teeth and asked.


    Richard''s eyes shed and he thought back to the scene a few minutes ago.

 Chapter 178: Evanders vow

    <h4>Chapter 178: Evander''s vow</h4>


    On the top floor of the floating Dean''s block, arge vi was present.


    It was more of a pce than a vi.


    Just the garden in the front was filled with rare herbs any mid awakener would give their life for.


    Then the vi itself was built from precious metals that could withstand even a high awakener''s strike.


    The most of striking of all was the aura.? It nearly condensed into droplets due to its heavy concentration and brought forth a suffocating pressure.


    A Low Awakener would faint just by entering and if he wasn''t provided proper treatment, he''d die of Aura spike.


    This home was the envy of every high awakener.


    It was the home of the man nicknamed ''Steel heart'': Evander.


    Even though he spent more time in his office than home, Evander had times when even he returned to his home.


    The special times when no one was allowed to disturb him.


    After closing all the doors and windows, he yed the recordings of his wife and son.


    Their first date. Their marriage. The birth of his son.


    Evander could see the joy on his face as he held his son for the first time. He was very careful.


    That moment, he thought his life wasplete.


    But he learnt the good times were just starting.


    He watched the boy grow into man.


    At some point, his happiness reached the apex as he held his newborn daughter.


    He vowed to spoil her with all his love.


    Time passed and he loved everyday.


    Then came that day. The day he wished was a lie.


    He opened thest recording of his wife.


    It was neither with him nor Sarah. It was a video of her ss. She loved teaching.


    After finishing the ss, Sylivia looked at her students apologetically. "My next three sses will be cancelled. I have to attend my son''s award ceremony in Pluto. Another professor will take up my ce for the time being."


    "Gulp."


    "Gulp."


    "Gulp."


    Evander downed bottle after bottle. If only he could actually get drunk...


    ''If only I went with her¡­I could''ve saved both her and Sam.'' Evander slumped on the couch as the events of the day yed in his mind.


    By then,? Sam was enlisted into the army for just five years and advanced to Level 7. It was a moment of pride for both him and Sylivia.


    Sylivia wanted to attend the ceremony. He declined.


    The reason?


    It was Sarah''s middle school graduation.


    He didn''t want to miss his little princess''s graduation.


    So he declined.


    It seemed like the right decision at that time.


    He could always meet his son after he returned to Earth, right?


    Even his wife used to say: "Dear, you will always make the right choice."


    Perhaps she was right.


    By not going, he survived.? But it turned out to be the decision he regretted the most.


    That evening was still vivid in his memory.


    He was finishing the fairy tale of moon and little Sarah was listening attentively.


    Then Richard came in with an anxious face.


    He was annoyed at Richard for disturbing his time with his little daughter. She just graduated and needed her father''spany, okay?


    But looking at Richard''s unusual solemn expression, an unknown fear gripped his heart.


    After coaxing her to sleep, he asked him the matter.


    "All humans on Pluto were killed."


    "U-Uncle Richard, your jokes suck!" Evander''s voice trembled and he shook the old butler.


    Richard''s eyes reddened and he closed his eyes. "You can ask your father."


    His father was the Marshal. He must not y such a cheap prank, right?


    With dread and hope, Evander called his father.


    "I''m sorry, Son. I couldn''t find Slyvi¡ª"


    Evander threw away hism and locked himself up in a room.


    He believed it was all fake. It was all a joke.


    Sylivia must be angry that he didn''t attend Sam''s ceremony.


    Yes. It must be it.


    He''d apologize. It''s okay. Everything would be fine.


    She''d return the next day.


    No! He''d go there and bring them back.


    Sam can serve in Earth''s armed forces. Pluto was too far.


    Even if Sam didn''t agree, Evander decided to drag him back.


    So he desperately watched them contact his wife.


    "Beep!"


    No reply.


    Once. Twice. Thrice¡­.he lost count.


    He couldn''t contact even his son.


    Not just them, he couldn''t contact the fifty officers he knew in Pluto.


    The reply to all his calls was¡ª


    "Beep"


    "Beep"


    "The other party is not avable."


    Listening to those cruel words, Evander''s world copsed.


    Suddenly, the air turned incredibly heavy. He couldn''t breathe properly. It was as if someone was choking him out.


    Evander opened his mouth and gasped.


    He tried to say something. But all that came out was a pained groan.


    As he tried to control the dam that seemed to burst, he caught the sight of something.


    Their family photo.


    It was the day Sam was enlisted into Pluto Army.


    Sarah was very young, and he sat her down on his shoulders.


    On his left was the love of his life. Slyvia. The most amazing and kindest woman he ever knew.


    On his right was the pride of his life. Sam.


    If there was one person''s future Evander thought was the brightest, it was Sam''s. He was everything he ever wanted to be.


    Brave. Resolved. Responsible. Disciplined.


    Sam was better than him in every way.? He would soon surpass his father. And that only made Evander prouder.


    So the Evander in the photo wrapped his arm around Sam''s shoulder.


    His eyes were filled with pride.


    He couldn''t be happier.


    He was telling the world ''I''m the proudest father!''


    As the memories came crashing down, Evander scrambled to the photo.


    "S-Sam¡­"


    Suddenly the photo blurred. It was like ayer of water was covering it.


    Evander tried to wipe the photo, but the wetness on his cheeks made him realize that it was his vision that turned blurry.


    He wiped off his tears and saw the woman in the photo smiling at him.


    "S-Slyi¡­" He choked up and did something he never thought he would.


    He wailed.


    A grown man. A high awakener. A rising star in the military.


    All his pride, intellect andposure was blown away under the grief and left him in tears.


    After two weeks of endless darkness, Evander finally saw the light.


    He didn''t know when thought that came to him. Perhaps it was the words his wife and son always used to say.


    "Dear, you will always make the right choice."


    "Dad, even if you are not the strongest, you are the most important person!"


    He took those words to heart and decided.


    "My life''s purpose is to exterminate the Abyssals. I''ll avenge you. This is my decision."


    Evander''s life took a turn after that vow.


    He ventured into the Abysses, fought in Ruins, and battled in the frontlines. He danced at the edge of death.? Everyday was a fight for destiny.


    Before he knew it, he was the high general of Earth. But that only meant he was one step closer to achieving his life''s purpose.


    In just three years, he went from a mid level 9 to high level 9.


    This was an astounding speed unseen in human history. Even Sovereigns were slower.


    However, it was only after the deed was done that Evander discovered the price he had to pay.


    The reckless fighting piled up his hidden injuries and cut off his path to Sovereign state.


    Of course, he didn''t believe it, but as months passed without an iota of progress, his mind couldn''t help but ask.


    ''What if I couldn''t do it?''


    ''What if another is captured?''


    ''What if another Abyss King pops up?''


    There were too many ways things could go wrong.


    Perhaps even after all his tries, he''d never advance to Sovereign.


    As his worries grew, so did his daughter.


    She was the second best talent he''d ever seen.


    He was proud of her. But a Dual Awakener could never be a Sovereign.


    Evander wondered if this was the cruel joke of fate.


    It took away his wife and his son. It left two people who couldn''t ever be Sovereigns to avenge the dead.


    Was it so that they could live in helplessness?


    Despite the looming despair, he continued to persist.


    He worked harder and helped everyone he could.


    The actual reason he couldn''t ept apprentices was all his resources were directed back to the army.


    He helped the geniuses fighting in the frontlines. He hoped maybe, just maybe his help could create a Sovereign.


    Even though he knew it would take decades for a Sovereign to be born.? But he''d keep trying.


    As long as they could help achieve his dream.


    As long as he could avenge¡­


    That was why, even if Charles Xander''s actions were over the top, he let them.


    Charles was much talented than him and was likely to be the youngest Sovereign.


    Due to that evenst year, Sarah gained more talent. But still¡­


    ''If only you were not a Dual Awakener.'' Evander closed the videos and sighed.


    After a long time, he opened hism and looked at their call logs.


    They talked once every three weeks. That toosted for two minutes and it was him asking her to do this or expecting that.


    ''I''m sorry, Sarah.'' Evander closed his eyes.


    Their rtionship dwindled due to his actions.


    After their deaths, Sarah still came to him asking to watch the moon with her.


    She grew up. She knew the cruelty of the world.


    So she just wanted to spend the time with her father.


    Perhaps she was afraid she''d lose him too.


    So she asked for a? world of white moon. A world with peace.


    ''I want to visit the white moon with my father!''


    But her simple wish was met with a harsh response.


    ''Sarah, you have grown up. Don''t disappoint me with such childish requests.'' Saying those words, he pushed her away.


    She thought he was despising her. No. He was despising himself.


    She thought he was pushing her away. No. He was running away.


    Every time he saw her, he''d recall that day.


    Instead of going to Sarah''s middle school graduation, he could''ve gone with his wife to Sam''s ceremony.


    If he was there with her, maybe he could save her¡­


    Maybe at least save their son¡­


    Maybe¡­


    The regret was too much to bear and Evander wished he could find it in himself to look at Sarah straight in the eye and say ''I''m sorry, none of this was your fault.''


    As he gulped down another mouthful of wine, Richard''s anxious voice came from the living room.


    "Master! A big news!"


    Evander appeared in the living room the next moment and frowned.


    "Uncle Richard, you should know I hate to be disturbed during this time." He said, barely suppressing his anger.


    Richard bowed and replied. "You can punish me however you like after listening to this news."


    "Oh? Then please." Evander decided to punish him if it was something not important enough.


    These sessions were his only source of sce. They shouldn''t be disturbed. Even if it was Richard!


    "Young Master, I mean, your disciple, he advanced to Level 5 and ranked 405 on Honor List!" Richard''s voice trembled.


    Crack!


    Evander dropped the wine bottle in his hand and gaped.


    "Say what?"


    ....


    A/N: There is a change in the first chapter. Nothing deleted. But I added a small sequence. You can continue the story and miss nothing. But if you want that extra bit of foreshadowing, go read!

 Chapter 179: I didnt choose him, he chose me

    <h4>Chapter 179: I didn''t choose him, he chose me</h4>


    Evander opened his eyes wide as he asked in a shaky voice. "Repeat that once again."


    Richard was taken aback by Evander''s voice. Before he could open his mouth, he felt Evander''s aura fluctuate severely.


    He quickly raised his eyes to meet Evander''s.


    Evander''s eyes that used to carry a spark of certainty in them were now erratic. His burly frame shook uncontrobly. He gripped the couch with a hand.


    It was as if¡­a great flood within him.


    Despite Richard''s strength, he felt severe pressure under Evander''s unintentional move.


    A trace of blood leaked from his mouth as he smiled. "Master, you have grown up."


    With those words, Evander woke up.


    He hurriedly suppressed his aura and sat Richard down. It was incredibly rare for him to loose control.


    But it happened twice recently.


    The first when someone wanted to assasinate Sarah.


    The second was when he heard Enigma ughtered the Astor n. That damn¡­


    He shook his head and fed Richard a special potion. Richard''s pale face quickly turned ruddy.


    "Are you alright?" He asked with concern.


    Richard opened his eyes and nodded. "It''s alright. I survived even the aura pressure of your father. I guess I won''t die so easily."


    Then he stood up and even did a few push ups to demonstrate that he''s alright.


    Evander sighed in relief before thinking of Richard''s words. His father''s, a Sovereign''s pressure.


    As soon as Sovereign came up, Evander''s mind was quickly pulled back to the previous topic.


    If he couldn''t be a Sovereign, then his disciple¡­


    "Uncle Richard, did you personally verify Varian reaching Level 5?" Evander asked again. This time, his voice was a bit subdued.


    Richard nodded. "I nced at him after the little girl Anna took Sarah away. His aura fluctuations are unmistakably an entry Level 5s."


    Evander slumped on the couch. He opened his mouth to say something, but didn''t.


    After a while, he sighed and walked to the window.


    The sun had already set. He could see the red moon in the blue sky.


    Evander didn''t know why, but he recalled every time he promised Sarah an Earth with a white moon.


    Even his own vow¡­


    ''I couldn''t do it. But he can.'' The moment the thought popped up, Evander threw his head back andughed.


    "Yes! He is the One!" Evander turned to Richard and said in an excited tone.


    "M-Master?" Richard responded in awkward questioning tone.


    Why did Evander react, no, overreact too much?


    Even if Varian advanced to Level 5 three or four months before Charles, it didn''t mean much.


    "You don''t understand." Evander shook his head looking at Richard''s confusion. "Did you check his level when you first met him?"


    Richard shook his head. "I didn''t."


    "So the only time you knew his level was once he came out of the Tower of Trials." Evander raised the corners of his mouth. "Before he went in, guess his level."


    Richard thought of something and his eyes widened. "Peak of Level 4? He advanced to Level 5 in a few hours?"


    Advancing at higher levels needed days of preparations. Once the bottleneck was broken, the awakener must fill up their expanded aura reserves. That itself took nearly a day.


    Only then would they properly exude the aura of their new level.


    If Varian could cut short the process to a few hours, he was a monster!


    "No! You''re underestimating him. Even I did." Richard shook his head, recalling the meeting with Varian.


    "I scanned his level. It was only approaching peak of Level 4. In others words, he was a high level 4. So he reached peak level 4, hit the bottleneck, broke it and advanced to Level 5 in a day or two." Evander exined.


    He didn''t dare to say his other guess.


    Varian might have done all that in a few hours after reaching the Tower of Trials.


    Then, he showed the awakening time of Varian and his speed from a Level 1 to Level 2.


    "Good lord!" Richard, the calmest man Evander knew covered his mouth in shock.


    He was a generation higher than Evander and lived for more than years him. Yet, even he couldn''t help but be bbergasted.


    "M-Master, you picked a monster." Richard said, his voiceced with emotion.


    Evander was taken back before he shook his head. He looked at Richard and said with a wry smile. "I didn''t pick the monster. The Monster picked me."


    He yed their meeting. In the hologram, Richard saw the other side of the calm young man.


    A side of absolute confidence and dominance.


    ''Why should I make you my disciple?''


    ''Because I am the best genius Earth can offer.''


    When he said those words, Richard felt the conviction in his words. It wasn''t his opinion. He was just stating the facts.


    Not just Earth. The entire federation had no one to match him.


    Richard understood why Varian only focused on training so much that he didn''t even bother to check about the Sovereign Treasures or Internal News.


    With his talent, he''d be the peak of Level 6 soon. Then perhaps in a year or less, he''d advance to a high awakener.


    For such a cadet, what use were factions, news and even missions?


    Richard sighed deeply. He didn''t know his young master hid so much of his talent.


    In fact, both he and Evander didn''t know Varian was hiding his trump card. Five Divine Paths!


    The hologram recording continued.


    ''Alright. But if you do not advance to level 5 this semester, I''ll terminate the discipleship. Sarah will cut off contact with¡ª''


    "Ahem." Evander hurriedly closed the recording and coughed.


    Thinking back, he just told that to push him and beat down his ''arrogance.'' His actual expectation was Varian advancing to Level 5 in second semester.


    "We only need to ensure we don''t hinder his growth." Evander said in a solemn tone.


    They both knew the implications.


    This young man was destined to be a Sovereign. Perhaps, he could even break open the power ceiling and reach a state no one ever knew.


    Richard asked. "Should we send a level 9 to protect him?"


    Evander thought for a while before sighing. "He has a secret. What if he feels the protector we sent is for spying on him? I don''t want to break the goodwill."


    Richard thought for a while and proposed. "Then let him be with Anna. Even though she concealed it, I can feel her advancement. She reached Level 9."


    The world would be shocked if they found out that a Level 9 Awakener was a maid.


    Heck. Even Evander was surprised.


    "But Anna¡­she only listens to Sarah." Evander knitted his brows in frustration.


    Anna was deeply indebted to Sylivia. So much that she gave up her post as Athena Earth Branch head and took care of Sarah like a normal maid.


    Due to the fact that he avoided Sarah, the rtionship between him and Anna deteriorated.


    In fact, Evander knew she downright loathed him.


    As if to prove it, she never entered the Dean''s block. Even when they met, all she gave was a professional smile.


    When Sylvia was alive, he helped Anna inbat. Slyivia treated her as sister, so did he.


    The reason he was fine distancing Sarah and not send protectors after her was Anna.


    "I-I will request Anna." Evander said after swallowing his pride. "Instruct the Military Faction to support Varian unconditionally. Do not ask anything of him."


    "Yes." Richard stood up and was about to leave.


    "One more thing. Gather the faction heads, I''ll convene a meeting. Call Varian by the way, make him a vice head of the military faction."


    Richard nodded and shot towards the Amethyst Community.


    The Vice heads of Military Faction¡ªDhruv and Mia were in for a surprise.

 Chapter 180: I am Straight

    <h4>Chapter 180: I am Straight</h4>


    "Senior, I''d appreciate if you stop peeking." Varian opened his eyes.


    The thick mist of aura around him had vanished. There were only light swirls of whiteness in the air.


    Varian understood he might have done something extraordinary. But even then, to be stared at by a guy no less was disgusting.


    "I-I''m not peeking." Williamson hurriedly shook his head.


    Inside his mind, he was yelling. ''Shouldn''t you be in deep meditation? How can you wake up so casually?''


    "You were staring at me for ten minutes already." Varian looked at him with contempt.


    His expression seemed to say. ''Come up with a better lie.''


    William nearly coughed out blood. ''Cool. Be cool Williamn. You are the second strongest in the academy anyway. What if you peek at a guy? Bah! It''s not peeking!''


    "Ahem. I was just checking out your practice." William exined. Seeing that Varian wasn''t convinced, he added. "I''m Williamson. Second in Amethyst List. Head of Adventurers Faction."


    "Factions¡­what factions?" Varian muttered.


    But William''s keen mental sense didn''t miss those words.


    With a dumfounded expression, he asked. "J-Junior, are you sure you are not a high school student? You don''t even know what factions are?"


    ''But to reach this floor as a high school student? Absurd. Is this first year cadet living under a rock?''


    Varian was taken back and said with the same dumbfounded expression. "Senior,? you don''t know me? Are you sure you are not living under a rock?"


    "Huh?" William thought he was hearing things. But his mental sense couldn''t be wrong.


    He wasn''t living under a rock. He was living in seclusion for the past few days.


    Of course, Seclusion meant deep meditation where he couldn''t be disturbed unlike a certain someone who just woke up casually.


    So he didn''t know the recent events.


    But there''s no way he wouldn''t have heard of a first year who could reach twentieth floor.


    In fact, he knew all the strong ones during the faction selection.


    So this guy was not a top one in the first year, but somehow reached this floor.


    That left only one possibility.


    "Junior, as a second year, you shouldn''t insult your honor by pretending to be a first year. What''s more, you are very talented. How about joining Adventurers'' faction?" William threw an invitation.


    Regardless of his entric hobbies, the guy in front of him was the real deal.


    Varian had Boo summarize factions and search up Adventurers Faction.


    ''So he''s not lying.'' Varian''s mouth twitched and he nodded. "So you really don''t know me."


    William rolled his eyes. "Of course I don''t. Are you a celebrity or what?"


    "Well, I am." Varian swiped hism.


    Hundreds of news article posts filled the space between them.


    The first trending topic was #Varian.


    The second trending topic was #Sarah & Varian


    William eyes widened. He quickly used his mental sense to read up the top news.


    Varian stood up and nodded. "Nice to meet you, Senior Williamson. I''m Varian."


    William sighed and looked at him with aplicated expression. "So you are the guy."


    "Huh? I thought you didn''t know me." Varian said, closing the holograms.


    "Sarah said how you saved the team. Twice. It''s great that you''re alive." William said with a genuine smile.


    "Not hesitating to risk your life for yourrades. I like you, junior." William appeared beside Varian and patted his shoulder.


    Varian hurriedly took a step back. "I''m straight, Senior. I like girls."


    "Y-You¡­do I look like that?"


    Varian nodded.


    "Damn! At least show me some respect like others. I''m in Amethyst List anyway." William looked at him weakly.


    Then hism buzzed.


    He read the notification and smirked at Varian. "Dean called the faction heads for a meeting."


    "Oh." Varia nodded lightly.


    William raised his head and sighed in mncholy. "Even though you''re his disciple, I bet he meets the faction heads more than you."


    "I see." Varian nced at him expressionlessly.


    ''...show some more emotion, will you?''


    William thought and his eyes lit up.


    He walked up the floor leaving a lonely back. He paused and raised his head at 45 degrees.


    "Don''t envy me, Varian. Even I envy myself some times." He said with a profound expression.


    "...." Varian sat down and started to meditate.


    William''s shoulders slumped and he shook his head. "At least Sarah responds. He''s straight up ignoring."


    He exited the Aura Well and reached the Dean''s Block.


    In the meeting hall, he saw Charles, Dhruv and Mia.


    The other minor faction heads also arrived. But the four of them represented the biggest factions.


    Charles seemed to be in deep thought as he kept tapping his chair.


    Dhruv and Mia had a resigned expression on their faces.


    William greeted the three and asked. "Why are you guys so down? This is not the first time Sarah skipped meetings."


    Mia took a deep breath and shook her head. "J-just leave me alone, William. I might start a fight."


    William turned to Dhruv. Unexpectedly, even the usually calm Dhruv looked at him with deadpan eyes.


    "I-I see. You guys quarrelled or something." William shook his hands and sat down beside Charles.


    "This is why dating is dangerous." He said with a profound expression.


    "Ow! Senior William is so handsome."


    "The best Senior!"


    Even in the minor factions, he had some fangirls.


    William shed them a smile and turned to Charles.


    "Are you worried?" He asked with a smirk.


    Charles ignored him. He continued to browse a file on the Ruins.


    William dropped the bombshell. "Varian beat your record, Charles. Everyone knows it."


    Charles paused. He turned to William and stared into his eyes.


    "William, you are the second in the list."


    "Yes."


    "Even if I can beat a hundred of you, you''d still be second. Because the third is worse than you." Charle''s eyes shes as a massive aura pressure descended on William.


    William eyes widened and he hurriedly channeled his own aura to offset the pressure.


    ''He can already see the bottleneck?'' William was shocked.


    Charles was much stronger than he expected.


    The other faction heads felt their conflict and distanced themselves.


    Dhruv called him out. "Stop it, Charles! This is Dean''s block. Show some respect."


    "Dean''s block?" Charles chuckled and extended his pressure onto Dhruv and Mia.


    Instantly, their faces paled as they tried their best to fight back to no avail.


    "Are you still in denial? I broke the rules so many times. Dean never said a word. In other words, he thinks I am useful to the federation than useless people like you." Charles lips curled.


    "Just because we''re in the same list doesn''t mean our strengths are same. To me, you are still the same trash as that Varian." He said.


    "Y-You''ll be punished." William red at him.


    If Sarah was here, the four of them could put on a fight against Charles.


    "Punishment? Haha. You idiots. The academy needs m¡ª" Charlesughter paused abruptly.


    His eyes turned to the entrance.


    Evander arrived. Behind him were Sarah and Varian.


    A huge pressure descended on Charles and¡ª


    Creak~


    Despite his resistance, it forced him back to his seat.


    Charles face paled and a trace of blood flowed down his lips.


    But the most evident expression on his face was shock.


    "W-Why?"


    Didn''t Evander acquiesce his actions as long as he was the strongest?


    "Charles Xander, for serious vition of the rules, your cumtive points are shed by 10%." Evander''s voice reverberated.


    The crowd fell silent.


    ...


    A/N: Shamelessly asking for gifts. O great reader, help out the author.

 Chapter 181: Faction Mission

    <h4>Chapter 181: Faction Mission</h4>


    "Dean, but that is against the rules." Even though he was shocked by the situation, Charles regained hisposure and questioned calmly.


    Cumtive merits were the sum of all merit points a cadet gained in the three years.


    There were Nine officer ranks.


    The higher the cumtive merits, the better your direct enlistment.


    For geniuses like Charles, they''d directly skip the bottom ranks and start from the middle.


    Even then, their rate of promotion would be high.


    In the dark, they had the connections, talent and strength.


    On the bright side, they had the cumtive merits¡ªthe justification that they deserved to be treated better than other new officers.


    Cancelling cumtive merit points was just absurd and unheard of.


    So not just Charles, everyone in the room was baffled by Evander''s remarks.


    Evander raised an eyebrow and nced at the faction heads.


    Even though his blue eyes didn''t show a hint of emotion, his mere nce weighed on them like a mountain.


    Even William, the second strongest, could barely catch his breath under the suffocating gaze.


    Finally, Evander turned his gaze back to the rather pale Charles.


    Despite his state, Charles was able to look at Evander in the eye.


    ''A bright seed. A pity he''s too arrogant. I don''t need to tolerate him any longer.'' Evander thought and decided.


    He said as if stating a matter of fact. "Charles Xander, it is I who set the rules. If it is against the rules, I will change them to suit it."


    Pa!


    Even though the hall was silent, Charles felt like he was pped.


    W-Was he being openly derided?


    He¡­the heir of the Xander family, one of the, if not the greatest genius of humanity.


    ''How dare you?''


    Charles clenched the armrest of his chair and controlled himself from yelling.


    He was confident enough in his strength, but not conceited enough to pick a fight with one of the level 9s closest to Sovereign level.


    ''Evander Albert, I will remember today''s humiliation.'' Charles gazed at Evander with a neutral gaze and burnt this scene into his memory.


    Right then, he noticed the two figures behind Evander.


    Sarah and¡­him?


    Sporting short ck hair and a lean but muscr physique, he walked in with a calm disposition.


    Despite having the lowest aura in the room, he seemed to be the most rxed. Even Sarah was nervous looking at her father.


    But he¡­he merely maintained a nonchnt smile.


    ''Just what are you¡ª'' Charles crossed eyes with those ck eyes, and was stunned.


    He saw no inferiority. No fear. No anxiety.


    Only deep confidence.


    It was almost as if even if everything here went wrong, he''d be fine.


    What irked Charles the most was that the gaze those eyes held at him. It was like he was an object.


    Under Charles gaze, Sarah and the young man sat walked towards the Military faction''s section.


    The seating in the waiting room was divided into five sections.


    Military faction. Xander faction. Adventurers faction. Trade Union Faction. Finally, the minor factions.


    The greenwood chairs formed a semi circle around a rostrum.


    Sarah and him sat in the most most prominent seats of the Military Faction.


    ''Sarah is the head of the faction. But he¡ªwhat is he?'' As Charles wondered, Evander walked ot the rostrum.


    He looked at them with a deadpan expression and said. "I have an important news for you all."


    "As you know already, Astor n was destroyed." Evander said it lightly, but even he knew he was shocked when it happened.


    The n of a Level 9 Awakener was no joke. There didn''t exist many for a.


    Yet it was wiped out under a single week. Most of the damage was done in a single night.


    What''s more¡­


    "Ganbald n and Martin n were also destroyed." After adding, he nced at Charles.


    Charles''s expression didn''t change in the slightest. He knew what Evander was hinting at.


    The ones in the room were knowledgeable enough to catch it.


    All the three ns were the vassals of Xanders!


    On the bright side, Xanders were called the Guardian Family of Earth. On paper, they owned only so much.


    But in the dark, they controlled the most powerful families of Earth. Their expertise stretches to medicine, minerals and officialdom.


    So if Astor n was linked to Abyssals, then Xanders¡­


    "There is no evidence pointing anything towards the Xander family. Don''t disrespect a Sovereign''s roots." Evander cut off their thoughts.


    But he didn''t say there was no evidence not pointing Xanders.


    In other words, Xanders were a suspect.


    ''Hmph! Petty tricks. Do you think you can weaken my family with these words? My father can kill the dozens of you.'' Charles scoffed.


    Evander ignored Charles'' increasingly cold gaze and took a deep breath. "There''s something we didn''t tell. In Astor n, we found the corpse of Runa, the Abyss Princess."


    "Hiss!"


    The meeting hall wet silent as even the most experienced cadets sucked in cold breath.


    Even Charles''s brows knitted together.


    "The autopsy reports indicate she and her confidates were enjoying an extravagant feast before their death. The cuisine is all local to Earth" Evander''s words hit their chests like a hammer, every cadet felt like they were knocked out of breath.


    They could understand a normal human, a talentless human betraying their race for a better life.


    But a level 9¡­why would they give up being a king of humans and wants to be Abyssal''s dog?


    Charles gritted his teeth and despised those dogs. ''Pathetic.''


    "S-Sir?" A cadet raised her hand in hopes of raising a question.


    Evander nodded.


    "I-Is every human in the Astor n a traitor?" It was the vice head of Nial faction, one of the prime families.


    Their influence on Earth was limited. So they had to settle being a minor faction. But on matters spanning the sr scale, they were important.


    The reason they asked this was probably out of caution.


    Nial family controlled Uranus. Since there was only Neptune between them and Pluto, they were having a lot of pressure.


    What''s more¡­it''s rumored that some high awakeners in Uranus were found visiting Pluto.


    Now only Abyssals resided in Pluto. Why they visited it was obvious.


    But despite suspicions and even after evidence, Nial family was in a pinch.


    If the whole family is exterminated, then thebat power of the would be affected.


    But if they were spared, there could always be potential spies.


    Evander smiled at her question, but his eyes didn''t. An unparalleled bloodlust burst into the air.


    It was almost as if he turned into a demon who only killed.


    Varian was shocked at this side of his master.


    "Remember, once they crossed the line, they can no longer be called humans." He emphasized the final phrase heavily.


    Seeing the cadets were turning pale, he suppressed his bloodlust.


    "There is an old saying¡ªDifferent Races cannot be trusted. Once a human betrays, anyone and every one in their contact falls into suspicion. It''s better to end them all than having a spy live among us.


    Now that might sound cruel. But you all know why Pluto War was a failure." Evander''s voice dropped.


    The cadets shivered as they felt like needles prickled their skin.


    "Traitors like these. They are responsible for the deaths of your loved ones." Evander said with red eyes.


    Some cadets bowed their heads and took a deep breath. Others shook their heads. Only a few remained calm.


    1 Billion people died in that war.? 2 out of every 100 humans. 2% of poption.


    Since they were all top cadets, all the more chance that they knew someone serving there.


    Their eyes also turned red as they muttered with hatred. "Traitors."


    On the other hand, Sarah''s face paled as she gripped Varian''s hand. Beats of sweat rolled down her forehead and she muttered in a weak voice.


    "M-mom, Brother."


    She looked so vulnerable at the moment that he couldn''t think she was the goddess Sarah.


    Varian held her hand together and patted her back. ''Sarah, I hope you can grow out of this.''


    He nced at Evander who returned to a calm state and thought. ''Now I know why everyone is called here.''


    "Yes. Your mission is about the traitors. Astor n remnants are still alive. They n to escape to Demon Abyss through a remoteoid named Rena. You have to intercept them." Evander informed and was about to continue on when hism shed red.


    He heard the young man beside him, apparently named Dhruv, mutter. "Shit! Level 9 Abyssals are attacking theoid."


    As if to respond to those words, Evander''s figure vanished leaving the words "Shion will take over."


    There was an awkward silence and Varian expected the crowd to break into discussions.


    But the next moment, he felt a mental link forming in his mind. He understood immediately.


    A Mind Awakener, presumably a Psychic was about to talk to them.


    But unlike every other time, this time, he had a feeling that he could resist the voice in his head.


    Even thought he couldn''t suppress it, he was at least no longer without a means to fight back.


    "Connection testing. 1, 2, 3. Do you hear me?" the calm and soothing voice sounded right in his mind.


    He couldn''t finds its source, much to his irritation. But Varian tried sensing it diligently.


    "I''m on another continent right now, so there will be a few seconds dy. But I''ll connect everyone in." The male voice said.


    Varian heard several murmurs and looked around.


    No one in the room was talking. Yet, he could hear their whispers.


    It seemed like they were all connecting mentally to hear each other''s mental messages.


    Of course, their thoughts won''t be heard.


    All in all, it was a bizarre experience. One Varian didn''t like for some reason.


    "I''ll pick on from where the Dean left.


    If Abyssals realize we sent high awakeners to Rena, they would realize we know their n and retaliate.


    So we want to make as little noise as possible so as not to escte this skirmish into a small scaled war.


    There is no high awakener among the targets in the Astor n. Fortunately or unfortunately, the Shadow Guardians hunted them down.


    Finish off the Astor n remnants and return. This is your responsibility as the top cadets." He exined and everyone heard a click.


    [Faction Special Mission: Hunt down the Astor n remnants]

 Chapter 182: Hi, Charles

    <h4>Chapter 182: Hi, Charles</h4>


    After some technical Q&A he didn''t understand, the mental link was cut off.


    Varian leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.


    Even thought it was miniscule, he could feel that he had a slight resistance to the voice appearing in his head.


    He could affect it and if his level was high enough, shield himself from it.


    In fact, during the whole meeting, he was trying to find out how the other party build a mental link to him.


    Thanks to that, he got an unexpected benefit.


    His Mind Path which was stuck at the peak of Level 1 advanced!


    [Advancing to Level 2]


    Varian felt a click in his mind and the next moment, his mental strength rose.


    Thankfully, the System took aura from his space ring and no one found was able to detect the anomaly.


    Varian immediately noticed a few changes.


    His control over his body increased to greater heights.


    For instance, he could control how much ''pain'' he could feel. He could increase the release of ''adrenaline'' and so on.


    Indirectly, he could exert super human strength.


    The second change was an ability to hypnotize or at least mentally interfere. At his level, he could only affect Level 2s and Level 1s, but as his level rose, so would his ability.


    Individually, these two were incapable of supporting an awakener inbat.


    But once used together, they were a deadlybination.


    Consider a Level 2 Mind Awakener facing a Level 2 Body Awakener.


    The first problem for Mind Awakeners was their low speed.


    With increased control over their body, even though they were not as strong as Body Awakeners, Mind Awakeners could exert great strength.


    Besides, their keen control allowed them to use the five senses to capture the movements of the Body Awakeners with great precision.


    Once a Body Awakener lunges at them to attack, they could use their ability to ''interfere'' with the other party''s thinking.


    It would disrupt their flow and create an opening.


    This was the key to their victory in level 2.


    Of course, nothing was set in stone.


    Divine Paths were bnced.


    Body Awakeners could not get rid of the interference, but they could train themselves to work despite it.


    That way, they could win any Mind Awakener.


    Besides, the higher the level of a Body Awakener, the better their body, including their brain.


    Their resistance to external mental invasion increases.


    The same could be said for Mental Awakeners at higher levels. With the nourishment of mental power, their physical strength also takes a leap.


    ''Too bad a Dual Awakener cannot awaken in two paths of the same avenue.'' Varian sighed.


    ''A Body and Mind Awakener would be a deadlybinati¡ª'' He paused for a moment before his eyes lit up.


    ''Am I not one? More like the only one?!'' As Varian was about to revel in the realization, a voice interrupted his dreams.


    "Varian, hey, is your brain ok?"


    Varian snapped out his thinking and nced at the brown haired young man that was almost screaming at him.


    "William, don''t disturb him." Sarah said with a serious face, while she silently slipped her hand out of Varian''s.


    ''You know I can feel your hand the whole time, right?'' Varian rolled his eyes at her actions, but didn''tment on it.


    William shook his head at Sarah''s words and said. "Don''t you think he is affected by the mental link with our Vice Dean? I just want to see if he''s okay."


    Varian opened his eyes and groaned in frustration. "I''m fine, Senior. I''d appreciate if you''re less concerned about me."


    William was taken aback for a moment before he grabbed a chair and sat beside him.


    He nced up and down at Varian for a moment before he clicked his tongue. "You are the vice head of Military Faction in your first year. Junior, you are awesome."


    William gave him a thumbs up and said. "Junior, you are good. I like you."


    "Senior, I know my charm is high. But I didn''t know even men would be affected my it." Varian shook his head.


    William opened his mouth to refute, but Varian didn''t give him the chance.


    "Your affection will remain unrequited. I am not into men." Varian dered with a serious expression.


    His voice was low, but to the awakeners in the room, it was loud enough.


    The exciting discussions in the meeting room died down.


    All the eyes turned to Varian and William.


    William''s palms sweated as beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. He looked around and saw his fangirls looking at him aplicated expression.


    "So this is why you reject even the best girl''s advance."


    "No wonder. I thought we weren''t beautiful enough."


    "B-But, whatever your taste, I support you, Senior William!"


    "Yes! We all love you!"


    The fangirls cheered and in seconds, theyunched a social media campaign.


    #Support Senior William''s true love!


    In minutes, the likes went from dozens to hundreds.


    William slumped on his chair and nkly gazed at the ceiling.


    With a despairing voice, he muttered. "It''s over."


    Varian clicked his tongue and gave him a thumbs up. "You''ll soon have fanboys following you, Senior. I wish you happiness."


    Sarah walked in front of William and patted his shoulder. "I knew it. But don''t worry, we''re still friends. But you can''t go for my dad."


    William almost copsed on the spot. "S-Sarah, y-you!"


    Sarah nced at Varian who burst outughing and smirked. "I wish you and Varian happiness."


    "No way!" Varian jumped in shock and looked at her. "If I really pick someone from here, I''d pick you."


    Silence.


    It was another pin drop silence as almost everyone watched the scene with great interest.


    Varian snickered inside. ''I payback grudges twofold and grudges tenfold. Sarah, enjoy my counter.''


    "Y-You!" Sarah''s face flushed and she raised her small fist. "Wanna be beaten up?"


    Varian nodded. "You can beat me, but you can''t question my taste."


    William nced between them with sad eyes. "Can you not ignore me so directly?"


    Sarah and Varian were taken aback for a moment before they both nodded seriously.


    "Hi, William. I think Varian needs to be punished for trying to flirt with me. So we''ll talkter." Sarah turned her attention back to Varian.


    "...Hi, Senior." Varian smiled at him before putting on a brave expression, like a soldier going to sacrifice. "If it''s right, even if it costs his life, a man has got to do what he got to do."


    "Varian, don''t say it like you''re going to die!" William facepalmed.


    The cheers erupted from the sidelines as the cadets formed various theories.


    ''I guess another headlines.'' Varian sighed. But he paid back the grudge. Tsk.


    "Well, Sarah, I''m sure you''re in a good mood. So, can we talk about the ns?" Dhruv appeared behind them at some point, bringing Mia with him.


    Mia''s gaze alternated between the strange side of Sarah she never saw and this preposterous junior who dared to flirt with Sarah.


    ''Great. Discuss the ns and I''ll slip out before she beats me up.''


    "We must n before every mission." Varian nodded at them.


    Dhruv gave him a smile of approval while Mia looked at him warily.


    Sarah raised an eyebrow and shook her head. "I don''t wanna."


    Suddenly, she grabbed Varian who was about to escape and smiled. "Junior Varian, Senior Sister will train you inbat."


    "Wait! Sarah, we can end the meeting in just two hours!" Mia yelled.


    Sarah''s expression changed and she whispered to Varian. "Act along. I''ll beat you less."


    Varian''s expression changed from confusion to one of resignation. "I-I can''t resist her. For the sake of humanity, I''m going to sacrifice myself."


    Sarah held Varian and was about to leave.


    At that moment, Varian caught the sight of Charles and patted Sarah''s back. "One sec, Sarah."


    "Hm?" Sarah noticed the change in his tone and let him go.


    Why did he sound so serious? Did she¡­anger him?


    Sarah realized her thoughts were unnecessary as she saw Varian''s target¡ªCharles Xander staring at them with cold eyes.


    Varian calmly walked to Charles and extended his hand. "Nice meeting you once again, First born of the Xanders."


    Charles nced at him coldly. Despite not wanting to, his upbringing and etiquette meant he had to return the greeting.


    So he raised his hand for the handshake.


    "Oops." Varian withdrew his hand with an embarrassed expression on his face.


    "I''m not from any major powers. So how dare I shake my hand with a major member of a Prime family." Varian shivered with an exaggerated frightened expression.


    Veins popped up on Charles''s forehead, but the loss of cumtive experience was still fresh in his mind. So he controlled himself.


    "Young Master Charles Xander," Varian smiled derisively as he uttered the word Young Master with contempt, "You asked me that day, I refused. Now, should I kneel and apologize?"


    The cadets once again fell silent.


    But the mood was entirely different this time.


    The air was turning heavy.


    A rising first year challenged the first ranker of the academy!


    Charles'' figure trembled and he red at Varian. "Time is on your side now. But not for long. I won''t forget today."


    Varian leaned forward and whispered into his ear. "You forgot something already. I said to you the first time we met, didn''t I?"


    Charles eyes widened as Varian uttered word by word. "I will take your throne."


    Varian appeared beside Sarah and waved at William. "Take care, Senior."


    Then he turned to Charles and shed a smile. "I know you want to try something funny. Go ahead and give it a try."


    Charles'' expression turned hideous as he roared.


    "VARIAN!"

 Chapter 183: Varians troubles

    <h4>Chapter 183: Varian''s troubles</h4>


    Right after Williamson left, Richard arrived and informed him about the meeting. He met Sarah at the entrance and their arrival coincided with Evander''s.


    The only reason Varian was interested in the meeting was Charles. Recalling the fierce Charles who despite his rage, couldn''t do anything, Varian couldn''t help but smile.


    As he recalled that Xanders were the ones rted to her death, his eyes shed. ''Once I get strong, that''s the day you die.''


    "Varian, don''t zone out." Sarah''s voice sounded beside him.


    "My bad. I''m still relishing in Charles'' angry look." He smiled and walked out of the dean''s block.


    Luna, Sarah''s Space shuttle was waiting for them.


    "Is it okay to skip the mission meeting?" Varian asked. Sarah was the faction head, so she should at least attend it for the sake of it, right?


    Right?


    Sarah puffed her chest and said. "I have full confidence in Seniors Dhruv and Mia. I''m merely a second year. All I can do is follow their arrangements."


    "...you''re right." Varian nodded disbelievingly.


    Who was she kidding?


    But apparently, every member of the faction had to sit for a couple hours on this meeting.


    As the sudden Vice head, he too must attend the meeting. Thanks to Sarah, he avoided it.


    After they boarded Luna, Anna served them refreshments as they sat in the livingpartment


    "VARIAN!" Amidst Charles'' roar, Luna took off.


    To be honest, even though Sarah''s space shuttle was far, far smaller than ghostship, Varian felt morefortable in it.


    A good senior sister, a capable maid and luxurious interior.


    ''Is this the peak of life?'' Varian twirled the juice ss in his hand with a profound expression.


    Anna looked at Varian''szy posture as he leaned back on the couch. If she had topare, he was simr to azy cat.


    What about her miss?


    ''Eh?''


    Sarah came out into white top and pants¡ªher training clothes.


    "Miss¡ª" Anna stopped as Sarah appeared in front of thezy Varian and dragged him into the fighting room.


    "Junior Varian, your punishment begins." Was what she said. Even her tone was serious.


    But Anna could tell. ''She isn''t angry. She is anxious and frustrated.''


    ''I wonder what happened inside.'' Anna smiled and followed them into the fighting room.


    The fighting room was the most expensive customization Sarah made. It was coated with a high grade alloy.


    This little room of over two hundred square meters could easily bear the attack from a peak Level 6 Awakener.


    "Sarah, let this slide." Varian coughed.


    Sarah''s shoulders trembled and she swiped herm. "Slide? Take responsibility for you''ve done."


    Dozens of holograms popped up.


    ''Oh?'' Anna''s eyebrow raised at Sarah''s words.


    Varian¡­didn''t do anything weird, did he?


    Her worries were for naught as she found the content on the holograms.


    As she read the trending news article titles, with each one more click bait than the other, Anna couldn''t help but click her tongue.


    {''I pick you'' Varian bold lines. Is Sarah''s silence acquiescence?}


    {Hundreds of second and third year cadets are signing a petition to bring in an anti-datingw.}


    {The president of Sarah fanclub stated he''d rather die than let Sarah fall into Varian''s evil clutches!}


    ''My my, I missed a good show.'' Anna covered her mouth to stifle herughter.


    ''Well, I can still see something everyone else won''t.'' She focused on Varian and Sarah.


    Varian wasn''t shocked at the articles. It was like¡­he was expecting them.


    Sarah, on the other hand, was trembling. She pointed her finger at Varian and yelled. "There''s no way I am letting this slide. Get yourself ready to be beaten."


    Sarah used to be calm andposed all the time. She always worked towards her goal.


    But since that mission, something changed in her.


    ''No. She just returned to normal.'' Anna became the silent spectator.


    Varian took a deep breath and with a serious expression. "I can tell you the real reason."


    Sarah paused all of a sudden. Without knowing, she clenched her fist and her voice trembled. "G-Go on."


    Varian''s gaze alternated between Anna and Sarah. It was as if he was debating his own decision to reveal the reason.


    Anna watched in anticipation as she awaited the grand reveal.


    ''Hey, say it already! Are you waiting for season 2 or what?'' She wanted to yell, but like a good maid, she controlled herself.


    Herm buzzed and Anna squinted her eyes. They already reached Amethystmunity.


    Normally, she would reveal this to them and the drama would stop.


    But, to stop this show just because the journey ended would be a pity.


    ''A maid gotta do what a maid must do.'' Anna told herself and ordered the space shuttle to circle around the campus until she asked otherwise.


    Thus, the drama that was supposed to end continued.


    Varian looked at the nervous Sarah and gritted his teeth. "Promise that you will not beat me up."


    "Huh?" Sarah was taken aback and cocked her head. "Aren''t I going to beat you up, ahem, spar with you anyway?"


    Varian''s face twitched.


    Sarah gave a smile that would''ve fascinated countless men as she said. "You can say the reason and maybe, just maybe, I''ll spare you for this prank."


    Varian sighed deeply and closed his eyes. ''So this is how I die, huh.''


    ''Boo.'' He called out.


    ''Yes, Master.''


    ''Your master will be a ghost like you in a few minutes.''


    ''That''s wonderful!''


    ''...Wonderful my ass. Sigh. Forget it,? I have only one request before I die.''


    ''What is it, master? Boo promises to do anything it can.''


    ''My tomb, make sure nothing weird is written on my tomb. Especially words like virgin or single. Or I mighte back from dead and destroy the tomb myself.''


    ''....but isn''t that true?''


    ''Shut up! And follow the order.''


    ''Yes! Now please die!'' Boo said with sincerity.


    Sarah, who was anxious and nervous saw Varian close his eyes and her brain started overworking.


    ''H-He, why is he thinking so deeply? Was that some sort of prank? Did he mean it? No. He never looked at me like that. Yes. But-''


    As Sarah''s thoughts spiralled out of control, Varian''s eyes snapped open.


    Anna and Sarah were both taken aback by his expression.


    It was the expression of a man that was about to die.


    ''Do you think I''ll eat you or what?'' Sarah wanted to ask him loud.


    "Sarah, do you remember how many girls attended the meeting?" Varian threw a seemingly irrelevant question.


    "So the reason is girls¡­wait, what are you talking about?" Sarah raised an eyebrow and groaned in frustration.


    "Just answer me, Sarah." Varian said as he sighed in resignation.


    "Around forty. All are mid or high Level 5." Sarah replied. Even though she skipped, ahem, passed on the work to Mia and Dhruv, she had the basic knowledge.


    Varian shook his head and said. "There were fifty six girls. Without you, fifty five."


    "So?"


    Varian''s expression turned bitter. "You were far too engrossed in Dean''s speech, you didn''t even notice their gestures the whole thing.


    A girl asked me from military faction asked my for mym''s contact. Initially, I thought she just wanted to add contact. So I agreed.


    But who knew the first girl opened a chat window.


    Soon, the second girl joined. Then the third and then fourth. In no time, forty girls joined."


    Sarah''s mouth opened wide as she stared at Varian in a daze. It was true that she waspletely immersed in Evander''s speech.


    A part of her didn''t want to disappoint him. She already disappointed him by refusing the hide outs purgest time.


    But what the hell was going on with this forty girls?


    Varian gritted his teeth. "First it was formal talk. Then they revealed their true nature.


    They were asking for a date. Some were asking for a night out, ahem. Forty members¡­they werepeting and offering conditions." Varian recalled the craziness and shivered.


    Who knew women were so scary?


    Sarah''s expression turned weird and she said. "My father must have seen and heard it all. D-Didn''t he say anything?"


    As soon she as mentioned him, Varian gnashed his teeth. "He saw my predicament. When I hoped he would help me, h-he gave me a smile and even gave me an encouraging nod. Like what? Why?"


    Despite Taken aback by her father''s weird behavior , Sarah''s mind was focused on the answer she found. "So you used me as a shield. Now those girls will stay away from you, right?"


    Varian''s face stiffened and he nodded slowly.


    Sarah put on a kind face and approached him step by step. "Varian, I can understand your problems, but you know, I''m really frustrated. Since I am your shield, be my punching bag, okay?"


    ...


    A/N: I missed the release time. This chapter is my apology.

 Chapter 184: The Evil Maid

    <h4>Chapter 184: The Evil Maid</h4>


    "No. Sarah. Let''s sit down and ta¡ª" Varian shout was cut off as Sarah''s fist connected with his chest.


    Boom!


    The world around him spun and Varian was sent flying to the wall. "Ouch, that hurt."


    Actually, it didn''t.


    She barely used the strength of a low level 5. But unless he wanted to provoke her, he wouldn''t say that out loud.


    "I''m Sarah. Countless men try to talk to me and I ignore them all." Sarah walked to Varian as she uttered word by word.


    Her face was smiling, but her eyes were not.


    Bang!


    As her fist reached his shoulder, Varian pretended to put on a defense. She easily broke it and punched him out.


    "Ohhh, that seriously hurt now." Varian said as he flew out in a parab.


    He even decided out to twitch and spasm to add realism to his acting.


    ''At least beat him properly.'' Anna face palmed as she rolled her eyes.


    Even though she didn''t use much force, Sarah continued to beat him up.


    It was as if every punch was relieving some of her frustration.


    "You used me as a shield."


    Boom!


    "Me! I am number one on the beauty rankings! Not like I care about it, but¡ª"


    Boom!


    "Seriously? You could''ve picked Ivy or Olivia for that matter!"


    Boom!


    "That''s the worst reason I heard!"


    Boom!


    Boom!


    As she punched him in and out, up and down, Varian gave up resisting andid on the ground.


    He turned to Anna and saw her eating popcorn. Veins popped up on his forehead, but calmly, he waved her farewell.


    ''See you in afterlife.''


    Anna gave him a thumbs up. ''Have a pleasant journey.''


    Sarah''s punching arrived.


    "I''m a Shield!!"


    ¡­


    After an hour of continuous beating, Anna was bored.


    So, she ordered the space shuttle tond in Sarah''s house.


    Then like the perfect maid she was, she appeared in front of Sarah and said with a kind smile.


    "Miss, did you calm down?"


    Sarah thought for a while and answered. "Well, I don''t want to beat him up so hard anymore."


    "It must be because you are hungry! Eat something and beat him again!" Anna cheered.


    ''Y-You!'' Varian''s eyes widened as he nearly coughed out blood. He heard Boo say the space shuttle was circling around the campus for nearly an hour.


    It was all her doing. This evil maid!


    "Varian, wee to my home. It''ll be yours too from now on." Sarah smiled at him, throwing thest hour out of the window.


    "I will get changed." Varian pretended to be weak and took a shower.


    Soon, he saw the most luxurious residential area of the academy.


    Amethyst Community.


    The reason he was here, well, to live here from now on.


    It was Richard''s idea.


    At first, Varian freaked out. The old butler exined to him that it was for his own good.


    After entering the house, Varian couldn''t help but agree.


    Even the grandiose mansion, which was the least important was impressive. There was arge beautiful garden with fragrant flowers, ake with colorful fishes jumping, and even a space shuttle pad fornding.


    There was even a garage with many hover bikes, cars. Sarah''s space shuttle was parked separately. Upon notice, professionals woulde and take care of the problems.


    The best part about her residence was of course, the aura.


    "Wonderful." Varian couldn''t help but take a deep breath.


    After his clothes were ripped to shreds by Sarah''s beating, he changed into a casual white shirt and ck pant.


    After taking a healing potion, the bruises on his body cleared up and no one could tell he was beaten an hour ago.


    To be honest, they would''ve healed with his morpher and body awakener healing abilities anyway.


    Sarah was too lenient in her beating.


    It was Sarah''s first time watching him in something other than hismuage uniform.


    She looked at him a bit longer and was caught by Varian.


    "Am I handsome?" Varian smiled.


    "...you are my punching bag." Sarah said through her gritted teeth.


    "Tsk. Live in denial, Sarah." Varian shook his head.


    ''Miss, you didn''t even hit properly.'' Anna followed them from behind.


    "I like this ce." Varian smiled at the heavy aura that seeped in and out of his body.


    "Every cadet in the campus envies the ten people on Amethyst list." Sarah said with a smug smile.


    "Who wouldn''t?" Varianughed as they stepped into the mansion.


    "I''ll be back after a shower. Aunt Anna, show him around, will you?" Sarah said and disappeared.


    The aura here was 150% or simply, 2.5 times higher than outside. That was equivalent to 12th floor of Aura Well.


    If aura concentration formation was used, the aura concentration would reach 300% higher than normal. Four times than normal.


    That was also the highest Varian could bear.


    In other words, even without entering the aura well, he could gain the equivalent benefits.


    Who would need Aura well anyway?


    "Aura Well is more useful than you think." Anna suddenly said, as if she guessed his thoughts.


    "The aura Amethystmunity can provide has a cap. For Aura well, the deeper you go, the higher. Even high awakeners can practice.


    In fact, the reason Imperial Defense Academy is sought out by many strong teachers is Aura Well." She patiently exined as they reached his room.


    His luggage was already transferred. Well, he was moving houses pretty fast these days.


    "I''ve checked it twice. But please see if you''re missing anything." Anna said.


    After a quick check, Varian shook his head. "It''s good. Thank you for the trouble."


    "No worries." Anna curtised and asked him to follow her.


    Along the way, Varian couldn''t help but marvel at the luxury of the residence.


    Golden coated walls, rare paintings, beautiful white marble and dazzling chandeliers.


    If he didn''t know better, he''d have thought he entered one of those pces of Old Earth.


    But this was better than any such pce.


    "This is too big for two people. With youing in, it''ll be more lively." Anna smiled with a mischievous expression.


    "What are you thinking about?" Varian couldn''t help but ask warily. This maid was too evil. Who knew what conspiracy she was brewing?


    "Someone will know that you are living in Sarah''s mansion. The news will be on fire." Anna said with an excited expression.


    ''You are the kind of person who wants to watch the world burn, aren''t you?'' Varian wanted to say, but didn''t dare. Provoking a high awakener with his current strength wasn''t wise.


    As they walked past the seemingly endless rooms and corridors, Varian couldn''t help but ask. "D-Did I hurt her by using her name?"


    Anna stopped in her tracks and turned around.


    Unlike a minute ago, her face was expressionless. She stared at him right in the eye with an unclear intent.


    Varian felt the pressure behind that gaze. The pressure of an awakener many, many times stronger than the current him.


    "So you care about her feelings?" Anna asked.


    "Of course, I do. She''s been very kind to me." Varian found himself sweating despite the cool temperature.


    But he still answered calmly. "I know the risks she took because of me. Going into Astor n¡­I honestly don''t know what to say."


    Anna slowly smiled and started walking. "I hope when the timees, she can rely on you."


    "You bet¡ª" Varian stopped abruptly as the automatic doors opened and a delicious smell wafted outside the room.


    Stepping in, Varian saw arge dining table with all sorts of delicacies on it. Just the smell was enough to kick start his hunger pangs.


    Sarah, dressed in ck tee with straight pants, waved at them. "Let''s start. Aunt Anna cooked to celebrate the third member entering our home."


    Varian sat down in a sh and breathed in the aroma. ''This smells better than the best food from any hotel.''


    "Thanks for the meal."


    Anna joined them as Varian had the best meal since his mother''s passing.

 Chapter 185: Her Smile

    <h4>Chapter 185: Her Smile</h4>


    After lunch, Varian started to practice.


    There were multiple rooms with aura concentration formation. One was connected to his room.


    Since he agreed to move into Sarah''s home because of the lucrative practice conditions, Varian felt that he owed her now.


    But practicing at such high aura was very useful.


    ''Status''


    [Body Path (Enhanced) Level 5: 50/2000 (+40)


    Space Path Level 3: 140/400 (+60)


    Lightning Path Level 4: 60/1000 (+45)


    Morpher Path Level 3: 150/400 (+50)


    Mind Path Level 2: 60/200 (+60)]


    Thanks to the suicide jacket, Varian''s progress in space path was fast. To be honest, progress in every other path was also high.


    If there were no sudden bottle necks, he''d be able to have an advancement every few days.


    ''If I had these resources from the beginning¡­'' Varian clicked his tongue but didn''t regret his choice of hiding his power.


    The only reason he dared to reveal his power to Evander was Boo''s assurance. Even in case Evander wanted to capture him to slice him open, he could escape.


    "Still, he should''ve stopped those girls." Varian wrote down the grudge. He didn''t know poor Evander swallowed his pride and requested Anna to protect Varian.


    After grabbing a quick shower, Varian was called by Anna for dinner.


    It was a weird feeling.


    When he lived alone, which was all the time since his mom''s passing, Varian casually threw something to fill his stomach.


    Other than a few times with Kyle and Maya, he always ate alone.


    So having two people wait for him was a strange feeling¡­in a good way.


    "So, Varian warned Charles?" Anna asked, she was literally gossiping about him in front of him!


    "Yes. I''ll send you the recording. I thought Varian was pretty cool at that time. But see what he did during our right, he¡­" Sarah said with a cheerful expression.


    As Sarah and Anna chatted, Varian fell into a daze.


    Him, an older woman and a girl the same age as him¡­this was so familiar.


    His head ached for a moment before everything turned white.


    Varian found himself staring at a pair of three.


    They were seated around a dining table far less luxurious. The dishes too were ordinary. But everything was so familiar.


    Especially the three people.


    The 15 year old Varian was seated impatiently as he checked out fighting techniques.


    Amanda shook her head at him and turned to the brown haired beauty. Even though she was still young, Sia''s growth promised she would be a world toppling beauty one day.


    "Sia, you should just practice instead of wasting time on cooking." Young Varian said after closing hism.


    Sia arranged thest dish on the dining table and stuck out her tongue. "I want to cook for Amanda. You can have a take away."


    Young Varian coughed and said. "Since you already cooked, how can I let your hard work go to drain?"


    Without giving her a chance to refute, he started wolfing down.


    With each bite, Young Varian''s expression softened and finally he couldn''t help but say.


    "Sia, I take my words back. If you can cook every day, I''m willing to practice 30 minutes less."


    "Really?" Sia and Amanda both stood up in shock.


    ''It takes 30 minutes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but¡ª''


    Young Varian coughed and nodded. "You cook better than mom anyway."


    Amanda''s face twitched and she twisted his ear. "Say that again, son."


    "I mean, mom cooks the best." Young Varian disyed no signs of courage.


    "Say that again, Varian." Sia twisted his other ear.


    Young Varian looked at the two and begged for mercy. "You two are the best."


    "Hmph! I-I will cook every day even if you don''t ask. I''m practicing cooking so that I can cook Amanda good meals after her tiring work." Sia crossed her arms and said.


    Amanda poked Sia''s soft chin. "Then why is every dish here Varian''s favourite?"


    Sia''s face flushed and she caught Young Varian''s eyes on her. "T-That''s because, yes! Because I only know these dishes."


    "Tsk. You guys are fun." Amanda chuckled and resumed eating.


    Young Varian patted the embarrassed Sia and cheered her up. "Thank you. I want to eat like this every day."


    Sia raised her head and smiled. "If we can be like this everyday, I''ll cook every day for the years toe."


    Varian watched the smiling Sia as the world crumbled.


    "Varian, hey, Varian!"


    Varian snapped out of his stupor as he felt someone shake his body.


    He looked up and saw Sarah''s worried expression.


    But why was his vision still blurry? Also what was the salted taste on his lips?


    Regardless, he said. "Yes?"


    Wait, his voice, it was trembling. Why?


    "Varian, what happened?" Sarah said in a concerned voice.


    Nothing happened. Why was she getting so worried.


    "I''m fine Sar-"


    Pit! Pat!


    Varian touched his cheeks as he felt hot tears streaming down.


    "I''m sorry." Sarah apologized for no reason.


    Varian didn''t know what came of him, but he hugged her. Sarah was taken back before wrapping her arms around him and patting his back.


    In the warmth she provided, he realized something.


    Even if his memory forgot them, he couldn''t forget her smile. Sia''s smile.


    Perhaps in the deepest corners of his heart, this was his dream.


    After achieving his dream and ensuring the safety of humanity, what he wanted was not reigning over the world.


    All he wanted was toe back and sit down with his family for a warm meal.


    Eat the food Sia cooked with care, and listen to the naggings of his mother.


    But now¡­


    A member of that small family left him forever.


    The other member was missing. His memories of her were erased. Even her presence was concealed.


    "I''m sorry for ruining your meal." Varian slowly got out from Sarah''s embrace and returned to his room.


    Sarah bit her lip as she watched him go. Suddenly, she couldn''t understand him.


    Even though he stood in front of her, it was like a moat separated them.


    Why?


    "A-Aunt Anna, did I do something wrong?" Sarah turned to Anna. "I-I''ve never seen him like this. Did I hurt him? D-Did I do something wrong?"


    Anna sighed deeply and hugged Sarah. "You did nothing wrong."


    Sarah broke down and shook her head frantically. "It must be me. It''s always my fault.


    If only I didn''t graduate that day, Dad would''ve gone to Pluto with mom. They would be alive. It''s my fault.


    I-If I wasn''t a dual awakener, dad wouldn''t stop talking to me. He wouldn''t lose hopes in me. It''s all my fault.


    This time too, Varian¡­it''s all my fault.


    Why do I hurt everyone I care about?"


    Anna felt a pang in her heart. She suppressed the bitterness in her heart and caressed Sarah''s hair. "Sarah, it''s not always your fault that something bad happens. Even if you believe it is your fault, forgive yourself."


    "I-I can''t." Sarah''s body trembled and she returned to the practice room.


    Anna looked at the food that was barely eaten.


    She teleported to Varian''s room with some packed food and was about to knock on the door.


    She must ask at least what happened to him. As far as she knew, Varian wasn''t like this.


    Even heavy injuries couldn''t bring him to tears. A simple meal¡­


    "Oh." Anna''s hand paused. She recalled Varian''s information.


    He lost his motherst year. Then he wasted away a year fighting everyday. It was almost like he was running away from the reality.


    With a bitter smile, she turned back. "You are also missing your family."


    ...


    A/N: I missed the release time. This extra chapter is my apology.

 Chapter 186: Reaching Rena

    <h4>Chapter 186: Reaching Rena</h4>


    "Are you sure you want toe?" Sarah asked for the third time.


    "I can''t board off now, can I?" Varian smiled, attracting the attention of others in the cabin.


    The next day after the dinner, Sarah was to join the mission. Varian insisted on joining and despite their persuasions, ended up with everyone.


    For this matter, he even took the help of Richard.


    Sarah ignored the weird gazes and nodded seriously. "Say yes, I can return you."


    The average strength of a cadet for this mission was high level 5. But they didn''t know Varian''s strength was significantly higher than what he showed.? And besides, his life saving ability was the highest.


    Still, Varian was taken aback by Sarah''s words. If she really did that now, she''d be punished.


    Rubbing his temple, he gazed out of the window.


    Earth was slowly diminishing in size. They just paused at the Space Station''s check up.


    Any space shuttle must undergo an inspection before it can leave Earth''s space zone.


    A couple of space shuttles were connected to the space station for an inspection.


    "Cadets, let''s go." Dhruv, in hisbat uniform ordered.


    There was a space bridge connecting their space shuttle to the adjacent one. Varian and others crossed the bridge and entered the other space shuttle.


    As he found Sarah was still waiting for his answer, Varian nodded strongly.


    Sarah saw that he was strangely confident and didn''t try persuading him anymore.


    The space ship they boarded now was less luxurious but also less eye catching.


    The squad of twelve sat down in what resembled a hall. They were all from Military Faction headed by Dhruv.


    Even though Sarah was the head in name, Dhruv had more experience leading the team.


    After a brief introduction, the cadets were discussing the tactics. But sometimes, they would throw a nce at Varian.


    Why the hell did he ept the mission?


    Varian ignored the weird gazes and reviewed the information about the mission.


    "I hope things go well." Sarah sighed from the side.


    Varian''s face twitched at her words.


    Things never go well. Especially since he wasing, things were bound to go wrong.


    Perhaps another way of thinking was¡ªthings were going to go wrong regardless of him. He was going to participate in one of those disaster times.


    But what should he do?


    This was his best option for merit points.


    Soon, the space shuttle took off from the space station and quickly elerated.


    Even though it was much slower than the type 1 space shuttles, they''d arrived at their destination in an hour.


    Varian observed Sarah staring at the moon with nostalgia.


    "I''m surprised we have to resort to such steps for secrecy." He remarked about the process.


    They boarded a couple of space shuttles from the academy. Then at the line of space stations, they moved into one of less conspicuous transport shuttle.


    The original passengers of this shuttle were soldiers going tooid Rena.


    Essentially, Varian''s squad was disguising themselves as those soldiers. Those soldiers would, on the other hand take up a mission on moon for a day before returning.


    So much for secrecy.


    "Secrecy is a must." Dhruv, sitting across them in a sofa, said sharply.


    "There have been¡­various leaks from even the academy as well. Some genius cadets were ambushed and lost their lives." Mia added.


    The enthusiastic atmosphere tensed as everyone realized they too were in the danger of an exposure.


    "You don''t have to worry. We are not going to Rena." Dhruv smiled at them and snapped his fingers.


    Varian, along with others, caught the box they were given.


    "This¡­" Inside it was a facial skin and a wig.


    Varian recognized those faces. They were the soldiers who were originally in this shuttle.


    "Yes. We''ll impersonate them to the very end." Dhruv said and put on his face mask.


    His handsome face vanished in front of their eyes before turning into an ordinary face with a mole under his eye.


    "Pfft." Mia tried to stifle herughter, but to no avail.


    Everyone else used their face masks.


    Varian saw himself in the mirror. His young face was now masked as one of a thirty year old''s.


    "I hate this." He heard Sarah''s voice and nced to the side.


    "Woah." He saw a very chubby face.


    "Is that you?" He tentatively asked.


    "...yeah. I don''t know how her face and body were so out of proportion." Sarah groaned in frustration.


    "Tsk. You look beautiful Sarah." Mia snickered. She was still holding a grudge for Sarah skipping the meeting.


    Sarah snorted.


    "Alright. A small briefing." Dhruv pped his hands.


    "We''ll be acting in two teams of six. One will be lead by me and the other by Sarah."


    Sarah was a low Level 6 whilst Dhruv was a mid Level 6. Mia was only at the peak of Level 5, about to advance anytime soon. She was the third strongest.


    Considering Varian was only a Level 5, Dhruv assigned her to Sarah''s team.


    With six members in their team, they could take on even the peak of Level 6. After all, every cadet of Imperial Defense Academy was a genius.


    But without exception, people in Sarah''s team felt unlucky. The three of them were high Level 5. So a Low Level 5 Varian would only drag them down.


    Thankfully, Mia could fill the gap.


    "Renamander knows our identity. He assigned us a patrol mission. We''ll be patrolling the area Astors are likely to appear. If you encounter other teams, cooperate." Dhruv said.


    "Remember to restrain your aura. Let out the aura of Level 4." He added before turning to Varian.


    "Varian, it takes time for any cadet to control their aura. Can you¡ª" Dhruv''s words were struck as everyone turned to Varian in shock.


    His aura dropped from low level 5 to low level 4 in the blink of an eye. Dhruv probed his aura deeply, but couldn''t break through his disguise.


    "Hiss!" The cadets took a deep breath to calm themselves.


    They could only restrain their aura. Upon closer inspection, they would be easily found.


    To reach Varian''s level of masking, one needed a very fine control over Aura.


    Dhruv finally nodded with aplicated expression. "Good."


    {Space Shuttle AEx132 confirmed.} The AI announced.


    Varian took a deep breath and gazed out of the window.


    Battleships each sizing at least a kilometer appeared above theoid.


    Varian saw the federation g on most of them, but others had no gs.


    "Abyss ships." Sarah muttered.


    oid Rena, like almost alloids was contested by both humans and Abyssals.


    Thus, they too had a military presence in theoid. That included the battle ships.


    But this was the space of humans, so the density of Abyssal ships was far weaker.


    Soon, under the escort of a battle ship, their space shuttlended in an air base.


    The door slowly opened and in an orderly line, the cadets, disguised as soldiers, dened.


    What greeted them was a busy airbase. Space shuttles took off and alighted in a matter of minutes.


    The base soldiers were inspecting the iers and letting them into the base after a gic test.


    Dhruv already exined to them that these tests was taken care of.


    "Wee, team Yano-3423. You''ll be allowed into the sixth base after an inspection." A soldier saluted and led them to inspection.


    His aura was that of a Level 3 Awakener. In theoid where the highestbat power was Level 6, level 3 was not bad.


    But Varian''s attention was drawn by the soldier himself.


    Unlike the so called genius cadets of the academy, despite his restraint, he exuded a fierce and blood thirsty aura.


    Even his current posture allowed him to quickly draw the sword and block any attack.


    ''When you fight with your life on the line every day, this is what you be.'' Varian empathized with the feeling and sighed inwardly.


    After a quick check, their team was escorted by a soldier to a military transport vehicle.


    They were going to report to the sixth base''smander.


    As the vehicle left the airbase, Varian finally got a chance to see theoid.


    As far as his vision stretched, he saw golden sand. The sand was lifted by the fierce gales and formed clouds of dust.


    Sometimes, it resulted in a Sand Storm. But the military transport vehicle had no qualms in maintaining a high speed on such a terrain.


    After all, it was a flying truck.

 Chapter 187: Sixth Military Base

    <h4>Chapter 187: Sixth Military Base</h4>


    The sixth military base was located at a certain distance from the air base due to strategic reasons.


    In case of an emergency, themander would be able to reach all the important buildings sprawled across the region in the least amount of time.


    Of course, the most consideration was given to the border.


    Since theoid was torn between Humans and Abyssals, it had a ridiculously long border.


    Small scale conflicts broke out all the time with one side intruding into other''s territory. All out wars were not umon. In the past five years, three full scale wars were fought.


    But due to the location of theoid itself being remote, both sides didn''t invest higher awakeners.


    The strongestbat power remained peak level 6¡ªChief Commander who oversaw all the military bases.


    Amidst the whirls of golden sand, the military transport vehicle reached the sixth military base.


    After a strict inspection, they were let in.


    The base resembled a small city. Hundreds of soldiers off duty were moving about as they visited various facilities.


    Since humans climbed the tree of technology, self-sufficiency on this desertoid was easy.


    As long they weren''t dead, soldiers could be rescued. But in case the opponents lost, Abyssals would never leave them alive.


    The soldiers didn''t know if they would return alive before every mission. But they still moved forward.


    The reason Varian took his father as the ideal was because he admired this quality.


    To move forward in the face of danger. Even if one''s life was not guaranteed, they did not shrunk.


    This was perhaps the highest form of bravery.


    "The others teams should''vended by now. Together, we''ll cover all the probable areas." Dhruv said through hism.


    ''Boo, can you hack the Abyssal bases?'' As they neared the Commander''s office, Varian asked.


    ''No, master. If I was at my peak, it could''ve been possible.'' Boo gave negative.


    Varian wasn''t expecting a positive answer anyway, so he was not disappointed. But in case Abyssal bases could be hacked, the best he could do was paralyze them.


    However, unlike hideouts were providing ess enabled humans to wipe out Abyssals, it was impossible foroids.


    Essentially, this was the fiercest point of contention. The frontline.


    "Report! Team Yano-3423 arriving, Sir!" The soldier saluted and reported to the entrance guard.


    After another round of tests, they finally entered themander''s office.


    "So you are the hunters." Xam, a middle aged man with a square jaw said with a serious expression.


    Unlike the one Boo produced, their disguise was by no means perfect. Any awakener with sufficient strength would be able to tell they were fakes.


    "Yes, Sir." The team gave him a military salute.


    "You will be assigned to third sector. If the prey is difficult to handle, inform the base. We''ll clean up those pests." Xam said in a calm voice.


    But Varian felt an immense amount of blood lust.


    There was a fundamental divide between the cadets and the officers. One was like an sheathed sword while the other was like a blood soaked sword.


    Even if they had the same strength, a soldier would win due to their mentality andbat experience.


    Despite their genius, the cadets experience would fall shortpared to decades long experience.


    "We can do it, Sir!" Dhruv said with confidence.


    As the captain of the team, he had absolute confidence in the strength of his teammates. What''s more, they discussed the tactics thoroughly beforehand.


    The ones that should worry was the pests¡ªAstors.


    "Hm." Xam nodded calmly. His expression didn''t change much since the beginning.


    "Even though I despise a soldier who couldn''tplete their mission, your potential is needed." Xam scanned them one by one before saying. "The mission can fail, but your lives must not be lost."


    "We''ll ensure sess above our lives." Dhruv stated his stance.


    "You can be whatever you are in your little school, but here, you are under mymand. Follow the orders." Xam''s expression turned grim and a huge aura suppressed Dhruv.


    "Guh." The pressure of high Level 6 was terrifying and Dhruv''s face paled.


    Sarah took a step forward and said. "Sir, if death is certain, we''ll withdraw."


    Xam paused and nodded before withdrawing his pressure.


    He..felt a small but significant threat from Sarah.


    "You''ll be patrolling on the border. Our battle ships are monitoring the space of the. If the Astors try tond in the Abyss territory, we''ll open fire. Facing our full firepower beforending will kill most.


    The only way they can live is tond in the human space since we can''t bomb our own establishments.


    Even then, we''ll hit them with limited firepower. But they''ll most likely survive the attacks and escape somewhere using some star treasures.


    They''d cross the border and reach the Abyssals side.


    Your task is to patrol the EI-23 section of the border. It is a hilly region with sparse vegetation. An excellent ce for them to cross the border." Base Commander Xam exined the details perfectly.


    "Yes, Sir. Victory to humanity." Sarah saluted and the rest followed.


    "Victory to humanity." Xam saluted back.


    Boarding an agile floating vehicle, the group of twelve reached the EI-23 section.


    As Xam said, there was a long desert range spanning dozens of miles. The desert hills themselves were miles wide, forming a natural boundary between Humans and Abyssals.


    The border was, as expected, heavily guarded. Dangerous fences, artilleries,ser beams and many more.


    But most of the soldiers were only Level 4. In closebat with Astor n remnants, they would lose.


    ''I hope the loss can be minimized.'' Varian wished.


    After reporting in, they split into two teams and went off to patrol their areas in twos.


    Varian and Sarah, carrying aser gun and wearing a standard military suit, carefully walked through desert hill.


    Varian never learnt about fire arms. To be honest, guns were useless if the enemy reacted before one could open fire.


    That was the case with many mid awakeners.


    The usage of fire arms was thus limited to Low Awakeners. But as a formality, Varian and Sarah to carry them.


    As they continued to patrol, time passed and night fell.


    The temperature plummeted from scorching hot to freezing cold. Their suit was advanced enough to keep them warm.


    Besides, both Varian and Sarah had strong physiques.


    As hours passed, the Astors showed no sign of arrival.


    But Varian felt an increasing unease.


    He finally broke the silence and said. "Sarah, be careful. I have a bad feeling about this. If it gets really dangerous, stay near me. I can get us to safety."


    His assurance in the mission was naturally Boo. Once he got into the ghost ship, he could leave freely.


    Even though he preferred to keep it secret, if the need really arose, Varian didn''t mind saving Sarah at the expense of revealing the ghost ship.


    She didn''t tell her father about his Space Path. If she did, Evander would brand Varian as someone who could never be a Sovereign.


    Forget about picking him as a disciple, Varian wouldn''t be surprised if he was closely monitored.


    So in a sense, he owed her a lot for not saying anything.


    "How can you save me¡ª?!"


    Click!


    Sarah and Varian suddenly looked back.


    They heard a footstep.

 Chapter 188: All Out War

    <h4>Chapter 188: All Out War</h4>


    Varian''s face scrunched as he saw an Abyssal in golden armor.


    The moment he saw the two patrol guards noticed them, the Abyssal''s eyes turned red.


    His arms morphed into crystalline red wings and his legs became metallic talons. Finally, his face twisted and a blood red beak grew reced his nose.


    "Hmph!" With a snort, he pped his wings.


    They were at least five hundred meters away from him, but with a single p, the distance was halved!


    "Varian, report and stand by." As she ordered, Sarah''s body was covered by a blue hue and the next moment, her figure blurred as she appeared in front of the Abyssal.


    The Abyssal raised his wings. His metallic feathers shone red for a moment before protruding outward like pointed spears.


    He wasted no time and shed at Sarah with all his strength.


    "Die!" With his roar, he released his Level 6 Aura.


    "Scum." Sarah spat and raised her fist. The blue hue on her body concentrated towards her fist, forming a radiant sight.


    Stacking the strength of both Body and Water Awakeners, she punched down.


    Boom!


    Varian got away from the battle sight and opened hism. He needed to report the situation here.


    "Commander Xam, we found the¡ªhuh?" Varian stopped midway and looked up.


    In the distant horizon, rings of fire spread. Soon, in multiple spots across the sky, Varian saw bright red light for a moment before a huge ring of fire bloomed into existence.


    In just a few moments, flowers of fire bloomed everywhere across the sky.


    ''Master, the battle ships are taken out!''


    Varian didn''t need to be told. The scene yed itself in front of his eyes.


    A metallic object on fire crashed down at great speed.


    "Dammit!" Varian cursed and ran away to escape from the impact.


    Boom!


    It was like a small earthquake. The ground under him trembled and Varian raised his arms to shield himself from the cloud of dust.


    Even though he was quite some distance away, the impact was too great.


    Just a single crash caused such damage. What would happen if this happened across theoid?


    "What the fuc-" Varian was about to curse when hism buzzed.


    "ATTENTION! Abyssals have started a full scale conflict. Soldiers on the border, hold them down with your full strength. Do not let them breach the line of defense."


    Varian''s body went cold as he saw the ground shake.


    With an ominous premonition, he connected hism to the border surveince.


    He got the border view for the first time.


    It wasn''t a pleasant experience.


    There was a buffer zone between Human and Abyss territories. On either sides, both sides beefed up the infrastructure.


    Heavy weaponry including but not limited toser guns, stun bombs, sma weapons were all aimed at the Abyssals.


    The Abyssals had a mix of human weapons plus their own infrastructure¡ªspiralling towers, vibrating castles, and crystal cannons aimed at the human side.


    These weapons, despite their lethality couldn''t capture the highly agile mid awakeners.


    But they served as a deterrent and had their own role to y.


    The borders were guarded strictly.? Despite that, there were infractions every day. They could only be taken care of by the patrol guards.


    Varian and other cadets were such patrol guards.


    When nning the mission, they considered the worst case scenario.


    It would be a small scale conflict with Abyssals. Even then, the fighting would be limited to the border.


    As patrol guards, they would be safe. Even if someone learnt their identity and wanted to target them, the border would serve as the shield.


    But now, the border was a hell.


    Boom!


    Bang!


    Kacha!


    The buffer zone was hollowed out and what reced it was a massive crater hundreds of meters deep and miles long.


    In the sky, battle ships from both sides engaged in a deadly conflict. Every second, dozens of battle ships from both sides would be sted to pieces and crash to the ground.


    Onnd, as powerful awakeners entered the scene, the situation quickly escted.


    Space Awakeners from both sides were the first to engage in conflict. They infiltrated each other''s defense infrastructure with a clear intent to neutralize them.


    The awakeners guarding the crucial weapons already knew what wasing and stood guard.


    The Space Awakeners and the protectors of weapons started a fierce battle.


    Despite their struggles, the fire power on both sides quickly dwindled as weapons of massive destruction were pulverized one by one.


    Apart from a few areas where the fire power was still strong, the battle field turned into a perfect ground for Awakeners.


    The first round started.


    Tens of thousands of Body Awakeners, Beast Morphers rushed at their enemy.


    Fists connected with fists. Kicks faced kicks. Bones were broken, muscles were torn.


    The air was sted and the ground caved in.


    As the awakeners engaged in the most primitive way of solving dispute, the next wave of awakeners started.


    Fire balls, Water arrows, Lightning spears flew in the sky.


    As the injuried were dragged to rescue, earthen walls were erected to shield them.


    Another phenomena also increased.


    During the fight, some awakeners would pause for a split second. It was harmless at normal times, but in a war, even the slightest distraction was fatal.


    These awakeners proved it by losing their lives.


    Of course, as veterans, no one would pause in the middle of a battle. But they were made to pause.


    It was the Mind Awakeners.


    Close enough, but hidden, the Mind Awakeners used their prowess to impact the battle field.


    The only good thing was that since they used mental sense to interfere with others'' action, their interference could also be cancelled by other mind awakeners.


    At the same, they could roughly detect each other''s positions.


    As the Mind awakeners reported the location of the other side''s Mind awakeners, the second salvo of Space Awakeners began.


    Whoosh!


    Whoosh!


    This time, Elemental Awakeners also joined and bombarded the hideouts of telepaths.


    As the fire power on the hide outs increases, a few figures shot into the air from the mind awakener locations and rushed towards the battle field.


    One such figure waved his hand. The next moment, the enemy Abyssal was flung back and before he could retaliate, the individual clenched his fist.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    It was as if paper was crumpled, the Abyssal''s body twisted unnaturally and he died in no time.


    It was amon misconception that all Mind Awakeners fought from a distance. It only applied to those that took the telepath branch.


    There was another different branch.


    Telekics.


    Wrapping themselves with mental power, they flew at great speeds, helpingrades and fighting enemies.


    Bodies continued to pile as the ground was dyed in red and green blood.


    Both sides were doing their best.? Even though it looked chaotic, each awakener was connected to at least seven morerades forming a team.


    Each team memberplemented others perfectly and turned into a killing machine.


    Unfortunately, this was true for both sides. Thus, the battle was destined to continue for a long time.


    If this was a moon, Humans would have had the advantage due to Heaven''s Will. After all, it reduced the strength of Abyssals around 10%. Of course, as the Abyssals grow stronger, the suppression decreases. But even a Level 9 Abyssal cannot ignore Heaven''s Will.


    Unfortunately, Heaven''s Will only applied ons and their moons.


    oids were artificial and hence Abyssals were not suppressed.


    On the battlefield, the majority of the fighters were Level 3. Some was level 4.


    There were a few Level 5 Awakeners, each facing their counterpart.


    As the strongestbat powers on the battle field, they would be decide the oue of the war.

 Chapter 189: Abyssals Plan

    <h4>Chapter 189: Abyssals'' n</h4>


    In the sky, a battle was going on.


    "Bastards! Starting a full scale war, are you nuts?" A Level 5 Human Fire Awakener growled as she conjured a fire lotus and sted it at her opponent.


    "We just want to watch you wail, Insects!" The Level 5 Abyssal spat and waved his hand.


    His mental force turned into an invisible palm and collided with the fire lotus. After they contended for a moment, they both broke down leaving behind a massive shock wave.


    "Kuh. I''ll cut your head in this battle, Bahman!" The Fire Awakener clutched her fractured arm and red at the Abyssal in hatred.


    She covered herself with fire mana and clenched her fist.


    "Give up Aguya, I''ve almost about to reach Mid Level 5." The Abyssal called Bahman grinned cruelly and propelled the mental power in his body.


    Boom!


    The air waspressed beyond limit and sted as they shot at each other at speeds approaching the sonic limit.


    The soldiers from both Human and Abyssal side were attracted by themotion.


    It was a pity they couldn''t even turn their head unless they wanted to give their enemy a chance to kill them easily.


    Thankfully, their hearing was good enough to give them a good idea of the fight in the sky.


    Excluding the basemanders, the highestbat power was Level 5. Thus, on this battle field, this match was one of the crucial ones.


    Boom!


    Kacha!


    Apanied by the sound of bones breaking, Aguya was sent flying as she crashed into a hill, with her fire melting the hill as a consequence.


    "Colonel Aguya!"


    "Hold on!"


    "Support will arrive!"


    Seeing her predicament, the soldiers on the field couldn''t help but shout. Aguya was one of the promising officers.


    Level 5 only at 25 years, perhaps in another 10 years, she could reach Level 6.


    So she must not die here. But¡ª


    "Worms. We''ll take over Rena today." Bahman hummed and a huge pressure descended on the human awakeners below him.


    Plop.


    Spurt.


    Plop.


    Their heads burst open regardless of them being a Level 3 or Level 4 as they died.


    A red light shed and Aguya appeared in the air. Her body was covered by fire mana.


    Unlike earlier, her face was incredibly pale and blood gushed out of the multiple wounds on her body.


    However, Aguya only gulped down a healing potion, knowing well that it would take time to operate.


    She suppressed the weakness in her body and conjured a fire arrow. With an indomitable will, she said. "Even if I die, I''ll bring you down with me."


    "Tsk. Humans never learn." Bahman didn''t pull any punches and attacked with all his strength.


    ¡­


    "This is ridiculous!" Varian cursed after finding out the situation on the border.


    The strongest hadn''t shown up yet. Maybe they already started fighting somewhere far.


    After all, even if they fought in the air, just the aftermath of the attacks could wipe out Level 3s.


    "Staying here is the worst option." Varian nced at Sarah handling the Level 6.


    There was something fishy.


    There were only a couple of Level 6s on this. They were basically themanders of the bases.


    How could they cross a border and target Sarah?


    It didn''t add up.


    Varian looked at the rising clouds in the distance. Even though Sarah couldn''t defeat him quickly, she had the edge.


    "With her strength, I don''t need to worry about her." Varian shook his head and said.


    ''Boo, give me a skin mask.''


    Since he couldn''t y an active role here, he was going somewhere he was needed.


    ¡­


    "Guh! Cough. Cough." Aguya knelt on the ground on one knee as she coughed out blood.


    Her arms were mangled and she didn''t count the broken ribs.


    Now, the mental power of Bahman surrounded her like an invisible hand. It was crushing her slowly as if she was a bug.


    But she still raised her head with difficulty and looked into his eyes. "After Commander arrives, Y-You will pay!"


    Bahman threw his head back andughed. "I forgot to tell you, we got a few herbs and added three Level 6s.


    Now they must have crossed the border and headed into your bases. Every soldier in the base will be ughtered.


    After killing you, I''ll clean up this side of battlefield.


    Then I, along with my soldiers will watch your basemanders die one by one as they are outnumbered by the Abyss Dukes."


    Bahman''s voice was loud and clear.


    Every human awakener in the field heard it clearly. For a moment, their hearts stopped.


    Because serving on the sameoid, they more or less knew Bahman. A promising Abyssal¡ªenemy with a serious potential.


    He was arrogant and proved everything by force. So there must be no reason to him lying.


    What''s more¡­


    "So that''s why this sudden war?" Even though she phrased it was a question, Aguya''s tone was confirmative.


    Even though she was kneeling powerlessly in front of an enemy, her demeanor was still proud.


    "Now, now, let''s send-Ahhhh!" Bahman stepped back instantly, but even then it was toote a condensed fire beam hit his arm.


    He roared in pain as half of his left arm was scorched.


    Forcibly numbing his brain, he looked down and saw the regretful smile on Aguya''s face.


    "I missed the head."


    "Y-You Crazy Bitch! I thought of killing you directly and saving you some dignity. But now I''ll strip your clothes and chop you to pieces. You will be food to stray dogs." Bahman roared with rage.


    "Colonel Kaguya!"


    "Base Commander is not responding!"


    "Are we doomed?"


    One by one, despair began to sink in the human awakeners. Despite this being a full scale war, they hadn''t heard a single announcement from the basemander.


    Bahman looked at his enemy''s dropping morale and sneered. He stepped forward and kicked Aguya in the abdomen.


    Crack!


    Like a broken kite, Aguya with little defenseyed on the ground as she twitched from the pain.


    The ribs pierced her heart. Even if she was a Level 5 awakener, she was going to die soon.


    Bahman grabbed Aguya''s neck and lifted her like a ragdoll. He flew into the air and said.


    "Listen humans, the strongest genius in this base is helpless in my hands. She''ll die a painful death. If you don''t want the same pain, kill yourself. If not, hehe.


    Let''s start with stripping this bitch." Bahman grabbed her shirt and was about to pull it open when¡ª


    Kacha!


    He felt an enormous force hitting him in the abdomen and before he knew it, he crashed into the ground at a ridiculous speed.


    Boom!


    Crack!


    Dust rose and clouded the vision.


    Laying on the ground, Bahman gritted his teeth and endured the pain of broken pains. He used the mental force to warp himself and lifted himself up into the air.


    With a swipe, the dust vanished and he saw a man looking at him with cold eyes.


    "I have nothing to do. But guess what," The human smiled at him.


    Without knowing why, Bahman flinched and took a step back.


    The human didn''t care and fed the dying Kaguya an expensive healing potion.


    Bahman was enraged and red at the man. But the next moment, the man vanished and appeared in front of him. He raised his fist and shot at Bahman.


    "When I saw you, I wanted to punch your face."


    Varian''s fist connected with his face.

 Chapter 190: Come on, bitches!

    <h4>Chapter 190: Come on, bitches!</h4>


    Varian smiled defiantly and channeled the chi in his body.


    His opponent, albeit a high level 5, was initially injured. Then he was caught off guard and broke a couple of bones.


    As his fist reached his face, Bahman hurriedly gathered his mental power to face off Varian.


    But¡ª


    -Kacha


    "Arghh!!"


    It was toote. Varian''s fist broke through his mental power and smashed his head.


    Despite his defense being a notch higher than normal mental awakeners, his skull broke open upon contact.


    Spurt.


    Varian calmly stepped back from the gore scene as the Abyssal''s headless corpse copsed on the ground.


    The war was still going on, but the vicinity turned silent.


    The hundreds of Abyssals and Humans in the zone stared dazedly at this outsider that killed so smoothly and ruthlessly.


    "Gulp!"


    "I never knew we had a new colonel reporting today."


    "Why can''t I remember this human?"


    Despite being equally confused, humans rejoiced while the Abyssals despaired.


    Under the orders of the next strongest, hundreds of Abyssals hurriedly withdrew to form a line of defense.


    Without a Level 5 blocking Varian, they would be ughtered. So the wisest decision was to go defensive and try to wear him down.


    Then they couldunch a decisive blow.


    He turned around and nced at the woman on a knee.


    Aguya stared at him in shock and wonder.


    Level 5s were the backbone of thisoid''s army. As a Level 5 herself, she knew every one of them.


    So who was this young man?


    His face looked so ordinary that he would be hard to tell apart in a crowd. Yet his eyes¡­those eyes had a sharpness that reminded her of a sword.


    Despite her injuries, she said respectfully. "Thank you, whoever you are." After ncing at the battle field, she bit her lip and said. "Can you please go check on the basemanders? Abyssals have three new Level 6s. All themanders are now in grave danger."


    "Oh?" Varian kept his gaze locked with the kneeling woman. But at the same time, he unsheathed his sword and swung it casually.


    A white light beamed out and cutting the wind in a sh, the the white beam shed the Abyssals in the vicinity.


    It was amon skill of the five star treasure sword he used.


    Under the sword beam, even Level 3 Abyssals had no resistance to his casual swipe and were sliced into two.


    Still looking at the woman, Varian frowned. "Three Level 6s, huh."


    They too had three level 6s.


    Charles. Williamson. Sarah.


    Was this just a coincidence?


    Varian''s brows knit together and he kept swinging the sword. Each swing seemed normal, but upon closer inspection, the Abyssals with most potential were killed.


    Even Level 4 Abyssals were killed in two or three strikes.


    "Run!"


    "He''ll be dead soon!"


    "Humans are bound to loose."


    Varian heard the Abyssals'' roars in Abysse.


    Were they just waging a psychological warfare or were they stating facts?


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Varian raised his head and nced around him.


    As far as his vision could reach, there were Humans fighting Abyssals.


    When they said All Out War, they meant it.


    Aplete war spanning across every section of border along theoid.


    "Sarah, how are you?" Varian asked as his body blurred and he rushed towards the closest Level 5s fight.


    "V-Varian? A few Level 5s joined this guy. It might take longer for me to finish them off. Where are you?" Sarah''s voice sounded from them, followed by the muffled voices of the Abyssals.


    "Me? I''m somewhere safe. There is an info. Three new Level 6s have appeared in the Abyssals. Don''t expect reinforcements. If you get into a predicament, let me know. I''ll talkter." Varian said and closed themunication channel.


    A huge lighting bolt sted at him with breakneck speed.


    It was the doing of a Level 5.


    Varian''s high profile intervention ensured his info was already being shared by the Abyssals.


    The fake info, of course.


    Right now, he was wearing a skin mask on top of the disguise. With boo''s intervention, the cameras did not capture him and instead helped him forge evidence.


    ording to the cameras, the ''Varian'' in disguise was staying at a safe distance from Sarah, waiting to assist her.


    The reason Varian went to such lengths of trouble was obvious.


    Crackle!


    As the lightning bolt was about to hit him, the Thunder Abyssal''s lips curled up.


    Even if Varian did ast ditch effort, he''d still be injured. More importantly, he''d be numb for a moment. In this battle field, pausing for so long meant death.


    But the next moment, his eyes widened. "Huh?"


    Click!


    Varian appeared behind the Abyssal and a white light shed.


    Thud!


    The next moment, the Abyssal''s head flew into the air and blood spurted out his neck like a fountain.


    The ones keenly observing the match were taken aback.


    D-Dual Awakener?


    Wait, who the heck was this guy?


    As both the abyssals and humans were left confused, Varian''s lips curled up.


    The reason he went to so much trouble was this. After hiding his powers all this time, he wanted to let loose.


    Fight with all his strength.


    "Come on, bitches!" Varian roared and no longer his space powers.


    Space Awakeners were rtively umon. There were only a few Level 5 Space Awakeners across theoid.


    So once Varian went on a rampage, he had almost no one to stop him.


    "Die!"


    However, he was soon targeted by a Level 5 and a bunch of Level 4s.


    "Tsk." Clicking his tongue, Varian nced at the Level 5''s blurry figure.


    Despite being a Mid Level 5, the Abyssal''s speed actually reached high Level 5.


    Controller¡ªincrease any single stat by a significant percentage.


    As the fist approached Varian at break neck speed, the space around him tighten.


    With a few punches, Varian broke the blocked space. But by preventing him from teleporting out, their goal was already reached.


    The Controlled Level 5 Absysal''s fist was about to crush his neck.


    At the same moment, a mind power stabbed his mind.


    In their eyes, his death was set in stone.

 Chapter 191: The Power of Five Divine Paths

    <h4>Chapter 191: The Power of Five Divine Paths</h4>


    Varian''s body tensed the moment he sensed his mind tingle.


    However, in thest moment, he evaded the punch and kicked.


    Crackle!


    Even before his punch was thrown, he hurled a thunder bolt at the Level 5 Abyssal.


    "Huek?!" the Abyssal, like everyone else was caught off guard by Varian''s third path.


    Triple Awakeners¡­.they were too rare!


    Besides, the more the paths, the slower the progress.


    So just how did this person reach a high level in all the three paths?


    Before the thoughtpleted, the lighting bolt assaulted him. Since Varian''s thunder path was still only a level 4, it only numbed the Level 5 Abyssal for a split second.


    But since he could now use his space path freely, that split second was all Varian needed.


    Kacha!


    Varian''s figure appeared in front of the Abyssal and crushed his neck.


    [Xp+10]


    [Xp+10]


    ¡­.


    The System''s notifications continued to ring. Varian ignored them and searched for his target.


    Soon, he hurled a lightning bolt and hit an inconspicuous bush a few hundred meters away.


    "Argh!" Screams resounded as the bush was burnt to crisp along with the Level 4 Mind Awakener that tried to interfere him.


    If not for the fact that he awakened in Mind Path, Varian would''ve been dyed a bit longer. That''d truly be dangerous.


    Then, Varian turned to the Space Awakeners. Truly the most annoying bunch to hunt since they always escaped.


    The two Level 4 Space Awakeners had no fear on their faces as they sneered at Varian.


    "Human, we''ll find a peak Level 5."


    "Just wash your neck and wait."


    Varian''s lips curled up and he said. "Do you think you can escape from me?"


    The two Absysals looked at each other and burst outughing. They looked at Varian and said with contempt. "Your Space Level is the lowest out of the three, is it not? You cannot catc¡ª"


    The words were cut mid way as the minds of Abyssals went nk for a very tiny moment.


    But as fate may have it, they were only less than two hundred meters from Varian.


    He teleported and shortened the distance.


    As their minds turned hazy, two lightning bolts already shot at them with full force.


    Zap!


    Zap!


    "Wha¡ª"


    "Tele¡ª"


    The Space Awakeners dropped dead as theirst minute defense couldn''t stop the lightning bolts.


    Varian couldn''t stop himself from grinning.


    Mind Path seemed to be a good solution to Teleportation.


    "I just need to level it up." He muttered and headed towards the next Level 5.


    On the way, he was attacked multiple times.


    He was delighted as a few Mind Awakeners always attacked him, trying to halt him enough to get him killed.


    But to their horror, Varian''s pause was far less than expected. This led to many Abyssals being killed, including the mind awakeners.


    In fact, it was not just his mind path that helped him decrease their interference. Morpher path also had a greater mental resistance.


    Of course, there were some Space Awakeners.


    Varian killed them using his mind powers that continued to rise during the battle.


    Even when they died, the Abyssals didn''t suspect it was Varian using the mind powers.


    They attributed it to a human mind awakener supporting him.


    He had already shown three divine paths¡ªthe absolute limit. Anything more was just absurd.


    Thus, Varian was able to use Space, Body, and Lightning Paths in the open.


    His mind powers were assumed as the invisible support.


    Finally, his morpher powers.


    Drip.


    Drip.


    The injuries on his body healed at an abnormal rate.


    As he moved from one Level 5 to another, he umted injuries.


    The most injuries were from a Level 5 Enhanced Awakener aided by four Level 4 Space Awakeners and two Level 4 Mind Awakeners.


    Initially, Varian thought he wouldn''t be able to win. He just entered the battle to test the waters.


    But soon, he realized his strength had already grown significantlypared to before the battle.


    With the rightbinations, he killed them off. Of course, the price was some very significant injuries.


    The pain was so severe that Varian would''ve stopped. But thanks to the Mind Path, he just stopped himself from feeling the pain and concentrated on the battle.


    Then he was chased around for some time.


    The Abyssals thought he was a goner.


    But thanks to the high vitality and regeneration of nt Morphers, Varian was able to quickly heal himself.


    To others, it only looked like he chugged down a very expensive healing potion.


    Thus, Varian danced in the field using all the five divine paths. It was a first for him and he loved it.


    In no time, he was already a hundred miles past the first location he appeared.


    He killed eleven Level 5 Abyssals along the way.


    The number of Level 4s dead under him reached an astounding fifty.


    The result of such devastating record?


    "Humans will prevail!"


    "We''ll exterminate the Absyssals!"


    "Your green blood will dye Rena"


    The Humans gained a massive advantage. In the areas he acted, Absysals abandoned all attacks and resorted to extreme defense.


    Even then, with the help of Level 5 Human Awakeners, the defense was being quickly disintegrated.


    Under the leadership of Level 5 humans, the Abyssals were massacred.


    ''Thankfully, there are no level 6s on the battle field. So even when I encounter a peak Level 5, I can calmly escape.'' Varian smiled and teleported himself away from a peak Level 5 fight.


    The Level 5 Human and Abyssal were going toe to toe.


    His mind powers would have almost no effect. Plus, if he tried to help, he would actually break the tempo of the human awakener and bring him to danger.


    So Varian left them and found himself a new suitable


    A Level 5 Thunder Awakener.


    As he teleported to the Abyssal and engaged in an easy fight, Varian asked.


    ''Boo, how is Sarah?''


    There was surveince all over the human side of theoid. He asked Boo to keep watch of Sarah''s situation.


    If things go wrong, he could save her in a second or two.


    How?


    Board the ghost ship and rush toward her at full speed. Then pick her up into the ship and escape.


    The time needed to travel was negligible!


    ''Master, she killed the Level 5s. The level 6 Abyssal is on the brink of death.''


    ''Good. What about the other Level 6s?'' Varian shed down his sword and slit the Abyssal''s throat.


    Thud.


    Wasting no time, he picked another target.


    Creak~


    Creak~


    The space around him was blocked off and Varian merely shook his fist and broke it open.


    Everywhere he went, he was the target of Space and Mind Awakeners.


    They thought he was being miserable. But Varian was actually delighted.


    The rising Xp allowed him to dream of advancing.


    After summarizing the details, Boo replied.


    ''Master, the human and Abyssal basemanders are fighting in remote locations.


    Your teammates, Charles Xander had to fight off against two Level 6s and a quite a few Level 5s.


    Williamson faced off a Level 6 and ten Level 5s.


    Sarah fought with a Level 6 and six Level 5s.


    There are no other traces of Level 6s across theoid.''


    Varian sighed in relief.


    But Boo''s report continued.


    ''Master, I can see it. They''re here.''


    Varian raised his head and saw the white shipsnding near the border.


    "Astor n." Varian spat.

 Chapter 192: The Actual Target

    <h4>Chapter 192: The Actual Target</h4>


    Hundreds of space shuttles dashed into the Rena''s atmosphere. Since the human space force was preupied with the Abyssal battle ships, they faced little difficulty to enter theoid.


    It seemed like the reason Abyssals went to such lengths was for Astor n''s safending. Varian found it unbelievable.


    What can the dregs offer for them to make such a sacrifice?


    But that didn''t mean it was a cake walk. Even though human space force was busy, they had some trump cards left.


    "Fire!" A stern voice roared.


    The voice seemed toe from hundreds of miles away, but everyone in the battle field, including Varian heard it clear.


    Boom!


    Varian felt the air still for a moment before everything turned red. Then his ears went deaf as a huge screeching engulfed his hearing.


    It was as if the sky itself was split. The world trembled for a moment.


    Crack!


    A huge explosion urred in the air, spanning dozens of miles. The aftermath of the explosion shook hundreds miles.


    The ground trembled and many awakeners lost their footing.


    The awakeners closest to the explosion immediately lost their lives.


    "W-What?" Varian pressed down his racing heart and looked up.


    His eyes constricted as he saw individuals jumping down from the white space shuttles.


    ''Master, the human side deployed a lethal weapon and managed to shoot down a few space ships. So, the Astor n members have decided to jump off.


    Their original n to reach the Abyssal side failed. Most of themnded on the human side''s border.


    A couple of themnded near you.'' Boo informed.


    Since humans used technology extensively, Boo had a great advantage as it could hack almost every system and monitor sensitive information.


    The only ones that it couldn''t bypass were Level 9 Technocrats. This littleoid wasn''t precious enough for even a Level 7 Awakener, let alone a Level 9.


    "So this is the famed meteor cannon." The hoarse voice of an Abyssal sounded from the distance.


    Bang!


    The earth shook once again and a huge mushroom cloud rose into the air. Two figures flickered in the sky.


    With each of their move, shockwaves swept everything.


    ''High Level 6? Base Commanders...''


    It was the most destructive fight Varian witnessed. With a single wave, mountains were leveled.


    Varian shook his head and focused back on the battle field. Earlier, he thought it was a coincidence, but now he had to ept one fact.


    There were more Level 5 Abyssals than the humans. More over, these extras were all new entries to Level 5.


    Varian knitted his brows. He needed information. No. A confirmation.


    ''Right, that Colonel.'' He recalled the injured female officer he saved.


    ''Boo, give me the co ordinates of the woman from earlier.'' He said and soon, teleported to the destination.


    She was now in one of a mobile base a hundred miles behind the frontline. Unlike the big bases that yed a foundational role on theoid, these mobile bases were the logistic core.


    With current technology, distance was not an issue anymore. But to provide emergency services to thousands of soldiers at a moment''s notice, mobile bases were the best answer.


    Aguya just exited the healing pod of the emergency facility and clenched her fist.


    After Varian saved her, she was helped by the soldiers under hermand. The mobile base prioritized her life and used the the best healing liquid they had.


    Majority of her injuries were healed in thirty minutes and she was ready to join the battle field.


    In fact, herbat power had not recovered. She could only exert about 60% of her full strength.


    But¡ª


    Aguya''s expression turned resolute. "Bahmos, I''ll kill¡ª"


    She paused abruptly as she recalled the youth that saved her. He killed Bahmos¡­right?


    "He is definitely not a soldier." Aguya knit her brows and thought further. "Not an adventurer either. I know all the Level 5s."


    Adventurers could also join and help out the army in battling the Abyssals. They would rewarded appropriately. Of course, while doing so, they had to follow orders.


    But overall, such life had more freedom and thus, many patriot awakeners chose to be adventurers, and still helped out the army.


    However, the triple awakener. There was no one like him.


    Aguya swiped herm and ordered. "Find out the information of the triple awakener."


    As a Colonel and the second strongest level, she had sufficient authority. If he was an adventurer, she would do her best to recruit him to the army.


    Soon, the AI replied. "No information found."


    Even though she was expecting it, Aguya was disappointed. "Who the¡ª"


    "Hell am I?" The familiar face appeared in front suddenly, almost causing Aguya to attack him with a fire spear.


    Only after realizing it was him, she stopped her attack.


    "Y-You! Who the hell are you?" Aguya asked warily.


    Even if he was a Space Awakener, the base''s sensors should at least recognize his arrival and alert her.


    But even after he stood in front of her for a couple of seconds, there was not a sound.


    Only Technocrats could do something simr. But to be one, you needed to be at least a level 7.


    "Gulp!" Aguya gulped, realizing that the man in front of her was more dangerous than she imagined.


    Regardless of the means, he neutralized the defense of a mobile base.


    "I am your Savior." Varian smiled and squinted his eyes. "Don''t think too much. This base is under my control. I have a few questions."


    Aguya''s nerves tightened and she considered her response.


    Despite his obscurity, he still helped her out. He was neither a soldier nor an adventurer. So this was not his job. In short, she owed him her life.


    "As long as it isn''t detrimental to the army. Ask." Aguya chose toply.


    The thought of disarming him and investigating his identity did cross her mind. But the scene of him thrashing Bahman yed in her mind. Unless she was delusional, she knew the oue of such fight.


    "Smart. Why do they have quite a few Level 5s more than our side?" Varian asked the question that was bugging him.


    Even in the one hundred mile distance he covered, he encountered thirty level 5 Humans, thirty six Level 5 Abyssals.


    Him killing twenty wasn''t enough to reverse the tide.


    Thisoid, despite being small had a border of at least two thousand miles!


    So if he counted the extra Level 5s all over theoid, his efforts were a drop in the ocean.


    Aguya fell silent at his reply. Even though she was in the healing pod for thest thirty minutes, hermunication channel was open.


    She knew what was happening all across theoid. The situation was turning desperate.


    That was why, despite her far-from-ideal condition, she decided to join the war.


    But even then¡­


    "Not withstanding the regr small scale conflicts, Rena had a peaceful year. Even then, we didn''tx our intelligence on the Abyssals. Our deployments at higher levels always matched each other. Even at the end ofst month, we had almost equal level 5s and level 6s." Aguya exined.


    "Almost twenty five days passed sincest month." Varian remarked and nodded. "It has only? been a week since the mission Purge. All the extra Abyssals are new ones. They seemed to have just broken through. Hm, it adds up."


    "What adds up?" Aguya cocked her head in confusion.


    "Their actual target. Us." Varian''s eyes shone and he disappeared.

 Chapter 193: Surprising Progress

    <h4>Chapter 193: Surprising Progress</h4>


    Varian reappeared in the desert hills.


    Numerous hills that previously stood tall were now leveled. The sparse vegetation was destroyed.


    Deep craters ranging from tens of meters to even a hundred meter were formed all across the ce.


    Sarah was nowhere to be found.


    All that was left were traces of blood and gore.


    "I knew it." Varian removed the face mask and sighed.


    "What happened, master?" Boo chirped in.


    Varian clutched his forehead and yed out the situation in his mind.


    The Astor n members faced the battle field and entering the Abyssal''s bases.


    Or coordinate with the Abyssals frontal attack with their sneak attacks. Astor n members realized their only way of survival was Abyssal Victory.


    If the Abyssals lose, every single one of them would be hunted down and wiped out.


    They had no choice and started their attacks on the humans.


    Since the cadets were specifically waiting for them, they were quickly spotted and fierce battles were staged.


    "They pitched Astor members against us." Varian took a deep breath and observed hism.


    Boo yed the videos of his teammates.


    Sarah''s current location.


    After she ended the Level 6 Abyssals that sneaked into the border, Sarah wanted to join the battle.


    Before she even started, she sensed the arrival of the Astor n. Her eyes turned cold and she sprinted back to the nearest Astor n members.


    She had to face around thirty members, which even had three level 6s.


    As he expected, after cursing them as "Traitor Scum", she went all out.


    The cadets from the Military Faction all had a simr reaction.


    "Traitors."


    "Bitches."


    "Abyss Lap Dogs."


    Even Dhruv, who usually looked calm and collected hurled a rain of abuses as he took on forty members.


    Since they were fleeing continuously, the condition of Astor n members was not optimal.


    Yet they more than made up for it with their desperation. This was their only chance of survival.


    All bets were off.


    On the other side, Xander Faction grouped together and under the leadership of Charles, they shed with thergest Astor n group.


    Williamson guided others and they all went for a killing.


    The other factions followed suit.


    Regardless of their intentions, the end result was the same.


    Every cadet was fighting the Astor n. Their priority wasn''t the war. To them, it was one of the countless wars happening across the Sr System.


    Their mission was to intercept the Astor n remnants. The performance of their faction would also be evaluated based on that criteria.


    Things seemed normal until then but taking the female officer''s words into ount.


    "This war is just a smoke screen. We are the true target." Varian said and looked up at the sky.


    There were two orange spheres hanging in the sky. The two suns. With them, there was also a red crack. The Demon Abyss.


    "I admire the one who thought of this n. The Astor n is just a bait." Varian smiled and took off the face mask Boo gave him.


    Unlike his fellow cadets, he did not actively seek the Astor n remnants.


    Varian did nothing and simply waited.


    After a few minutes, a couple of silhouettes appeared in the distance.


    "Here he is!"


    "Do you think we can''t recognize you if you use a mask?"


    "Where the fuck did you hide for so long, Varian?"


    One after another, Abyssals appeared in the distance.


    ''So they had hacked the surveince.'' Varian wasn''t too surprised.


    Since all this was a bait, the Abyssals were prepared enough.


    "Huh?" The leading Abyssal frowned. "Where are the Astor n members? Have you killed them all already?"


    Even though he said that, there was no trace of fluctuation in his tone.


    "Does it matter?" Varian yawned and asked.


    The Abyssals were taken aback by Varian''szy attitude. But they were in no hurry andughed. "It''s a pity to miss two humans fighting each other. Our original n was to use those Astors to tire out you guys."


    His grey skin darkened and his lips curled. "Then we can kill you like the dogs you are."


    "Tsk. You even fooled our management." Varian snorted in annoyance.


    "It seems you are trying to y it cool. Don''t worry, even if you are not tired out by the Astors, taking you out is easy." The leading Abyssal pointed at Varian and used his thumb to swipe at his neck.


    Varian gauged the strength of his enemies. Since they were the first to appear, they were the closest ones to him.


    Fortunately, not the strongest.


    One High level 5, Ten Mid Level 5s and Thirty Low Level 5s.


    "Not even a Level 6." Varian muttered in disappointment.


    "Don''t think too highly of yourself." The leading Abyssal seemed to be provoked as he gritted his teeth and pointed at Varian.


    "Originally, my boss, a level 6 was assigned for you. But your stupid seniors killed him and we came for you." He said and mocked. "Do you think you got lucky?"


    Varian shrugged. He waspletely treating them as air.


    Veins popped on the Abyssal''s head and he gritted his teeth. "You are unlucky. My boss will kill you with a p. But I, I will peel your skin and break your bones. When you beg for death, I''ll heal you. Only to torment you again and again."


    Varian''s nonchnt gaze cooled down. Instead of cursing, he just smiled. "I wanted to fight your boss to be honest."


    But this was also good. For the current him, this was a perfect opportunity to not only test, but also increase his strength by a notch.


    ''Status''


    [Body Path (Enhanced) Level 5: 300/2000 (+250)


    Space Path Level 3: 400/400 (+260)


    Lightning Path Level 4: 400/1000 (+340)


    Morpher Path Level 3: 300/400 (+150)


    Mind Path Level 3: 0/400 (+140: Advanced from Level 2)]


    Even though he expected it, he was still surprised by the progress.


    In the war, he used his Body and Lightning powers the most. He even fought a couple of injured high level 5s.


    This resulted in the great progress in Body and Lightning Paths.


    On the other hand, he fought multiple Space Awakeners. Even though they annoyed him most of the time, it was a blessing in disguise. He directly reached the peak of Level 3.


    His injuries were the only thing that helped him in Morpher Path. But looking at his progress, they were plenty.


    Finally, Mind Path. He was in the midst of the battle when he advanced.


    Varian felt that if he wanted to, he could interfere with the Abyssal in front and halt his brain process.


    It was like blocking space, but on mind. Of course, the higher the difference in strength, the lower the effect.


    Conventionally, a Level 5 Abyssal needed a Level 5 Mind Awakener.


    But he was anything but conventional.


    Despite them being low level, Varian had three divine paths that could be used to interfere with his enemy.


    Space Path. Using Space binding and solidifying the space around the enemy, thus restricting the enemy''s movements.


    Lighting Path. The after effect of a lightning attack would numb the enemy''s body.


    Mind Path. Direct interference with the enemy''s brain. Slowing down or even halting themands from brain.


    ''If I used the three of them, I wonder how far I can go?'' Varian''s eyes flickered. He snapped out of his thoughts as the air turned chaotic.


    "You can try running. I want to see how far you can go." The leading Abyssal''s aura rose and every abyssal behind him followed.


    Varian chuckled. "I was thinking how far I can go as well. Just¡ª"


    ''Boo, block off the surveince and all signals.''


    As his lips curled up to a terrifying smile, the thirty one Abyssal in front of him felt a chill down their spine.


    "How far can I go because of your sacrifice."

 Chapter 194: You all are surrounded by me

    <h4>Chapter 194: You all are surrounded by me</h4>


    "I wonder how far I can go because of your sacrifice."


    Varian''s words drifted in the air and the Abyssals were dumfounded for a moment before they burst outughing.


    "Humans and their arrogance. Haha. I never get enough of it. Hahaha." The leading Abyssalughed as he wiped out the corners of his eyes.


    His smile slowly receded and he looked at Varian with an indifferent face. "Do you think I wanted to chat with you?"


    Varian gave him an uninterested gaze and sighed.


    ''I know. I know. You just wanted to distract me enough to set up your sweet trap.''


    The Abyssal snorted at Varian''s expression and snapped his fingers.


    Vroom!


    With them as the center, a barrier enveloping a few miles sprang into existence. It was translucent and perhaps a few miles up in the sky.


    The dome like structure was made of hexagones and exuded a fey feeling.


    Varian raised an eyebrow and checked hism. Themunication channel was cut off.


    He couldn''t even contact Sarah right now. Much less call Richard or Evander for support.


    Boom!


    Right then, the wreckage of a space ship crashed onto the barrier and slid down.


    Even when bombarded with such a high kic energy, the barrier merely shook a little.


    Whatever this barrier was, not only did it block off themunication, it also stopped anything froming in.


    Varian threw a stone at the barrier and confirmed the obvious. Nothing from inside could leave either.


    He wasn''t sure of its specifications, but the one thing he was sure was that it cost he money.


    "I thought you despised me. Why go to such trouble?" He couldn''t help but ask.


    This was truly getting the VIP treatment.


    In fact, since the current mission was too important, the Abyssals splurged their fortune and used a huge jammer.


    ording to Boo, no one on theoid couldmunicate with the outside. So even the nearestoid was unaware of the predicament.


    Of course, such a jammer would onlyst for a limited time. Even if itsted for long, the researchers and technicians in theoid would manage to breach the jammer a little and send a message.


    So the Abyssals naturally didn''t use it since the war began. The jammer was only used after the cadets encountered the Astor n.


    To the outside world, the cadets were just facing the remnants of Astor n. They would be fine.


    But shortly after the cadets were under pressure facing the desperate Astor n members, Abyssals joined.


    Since they came prepared, they put even the strongest geniuses in trouble.


    Currently, the situation of cadets was turning unfavorable.


    But even they didn''t get the treatment of a personal barrier.


    "Varian. Age 18. Survived a space crack as a Level 2. After returning, strength was at the peak of Level 4. Advanced to Level 5 shortly." The Abyssal leader spat. With each word, his killing intent rose by a notch.


    "We used a jammer for theoid." He exined. "It blocks all signals and sends fake messages. We still have around fifteen minutes until the human space patrol realizes the situation here and sends reinforcements. But fifteen minutes is enough to kill off every genius here.


    Even then, for you and only for you, we have a special barrier. Everything inside is blocked off from the outside. Others can stillmunicate within theoid. But you can''t even ask for help.


    I don''t know what exactly you did, but Demon King personally ordered to see through your death. If our man power wasn''t dragged by those monster seniors of yours, you''d be facing Level 6s." The leading Abyssal said with a triumphant expression.


    ''Demon King¡­'' Varian''s pupils constricted and his thoughts spun.


    When did he provoke this guy?


    When he fought the clones inside ghost ship in the lost dungeon?


    No!


    Boo clearly stated that those clones didn''t transmit any information back.


    Then the only high profile thing was¡­


    Varian barely restrained his urge to facepalm.


    It was the federation wide announcement! Then his return. To others, he was blessed by the goddess of luck.


    For the Demon King, such a person was an eyesore.


    Plus, his performance in the Tower of Trials might have already reached the Demon King''s castle, cementing his decision to take ''care'' of Varian.


    Right now, others couldmunicate with each other within theoid, and cooperate.


    Heck, they could even run away!


    Thus, if they could survive the next fifteen minutes, their chances of survival would be much higher.


    But Varian had to face these Abyssals alone.


    "How about it? Do you regret your high profile actions? Are you despairing?" The leading Abyssal asked with a smirk.


    Clearly, after the barrier was set up, he regarded Varian as good as dead.


    Varian was still racking his brains on how he offended the Demon King. The leading Abyssal regarded it as him despairing and chuckled.


    "I shall thank you first." He said and soon, his breathing turned erratic. "Doing this mission by myself, I will get a promotion and a hefty reward."


    He looked at the subordinates behind him. Their faces were filled with greed and bloodlust.


    Clearly, they too were excited for the reward.


    "Brothers, slice this human piece by piece. Let''s make our King proud!" The leading Abyssal no longer dyed as he raised his spear and roared.


    "For the Abyss!"


    "All hail Demon King!"


    "All hail the Emperor!"


    The thirty Abyssals charged at Varian as they sang the war cries.


    Varian finally snapped out of his train of thoughts and shook his head. He was thinking how to ''test'' his powers without leaking his identity. His initial idea was to ask Boo to destroy the surveince nearby.


    But even then, someone could be spying on him.


    However, the barrier gave him a golden opportunity.


    ''Boo, this barrier blocks off the spacepletely. So it prevents even the Abssyals from sending information out, right?''


    ''Yes. No one will know what''s happening inside. Even a low Level 6 would take at least five minutes to break this barrier.''


    ''What is this grudge?!'' Varian''s face twitched. For any level 5, this was an overkill.


    ''Master, this barrier is nothing to me. Should we escape?''


    ''Escape? Why escape?'' Varian''s lips curled up as a ck sword appeared in his hand.


    Out of the thirty Abyssals that surrounded him, twenty low level 5 and ten mid level 5. Each of them were elites of elites.


    Especially the ten mid level 5s. They would rank in the top 100 in the Tower of Trial''s Honor List. There was even three that could hit the 70s.


    The greatest danger of them all, the high level 5 Abyssal, stood in the back and watched everything with amusement.


    "Give up human. You are surrounded by us."


    Varian raised his sword and grinned. "Fools. You all are surrounded by me."


    -Boom!


    His figure flickered and he disappeared in an instant.


    "W-What?!" The Abyssals nearly jumped in shock.


    This wasn''t some high level speed. This was clearly teleportation!


    The skill unique to a Space Awakener.


    But Varian was a Body Awakener. Not once did he show the slightest hint of being a Space Awakener!


    "A-Absurd!" The high level 5 Abyssal was also taken aback. But he didn''t loose his cool and ordered. "Anti-Teleportation Formation."


    The Abyssals scrambled into two circles. The ones in the outer circle were looking outward while the Abyssals in the inner circle were looking inward.


    The once in outer circle and inner circle had their backs against each other, ensuring that Varian could not teleport between them.


    The high level 5 Abyssal stayed outside. Leveraging his high speed, he would chase Varian and force him to spend his space power.


    Eventually, Varian would exhaust his space power and could easily be killed.


    "It''s useless." The high level 5 Abyssal growled. "You are destined to die!"


    Even if he didn''t run out of space power, relying on his faster reflexes, he had a chance to kill Varian.


    At least, that was the n.


    Varian''s figure appeared a few hundred meters away.


    -Shuaa!


    The high level 5 Abyssal''s axe shot at him at break neck speed.


    If it was just another Level 3 Space Awakener, he would not be able to react in time and hit by the axe.


    But Varian had the senses and reflexes of a Level 5 Enhanced.


    So before it could even graze him, he teleported once again.


    Despite a high level 5 staring daggers at him, Varian wasn''t anxious. He calmly observed the formation.


    This was the same formation Varian encountered when he raided a hideout in the Virgin Dungeon as a Level 2. It happened just a month ago.


    When he proposed he wanted to raid a hide out alone, Sarah initially objected.


    Only under his insistence did she relent. Still, she made sure that she was close to him in case any emergencies arose.


    Thinking back to Sarah''s actions, Varian couldn''t help but smile warmly.


    Sarah could''ve easily rejected his request. After all, she was only obliged to bring him in. Even if she only ordered him around, as a weak Level 2, there was nothing he could do.


    But she didn''t. Even though it was her first time knowing him, Sarah did her best to help him out.


    Perhaps, beneath the indifferent demeanor she carried in front of the crowd, Sarah was truly a caring person.


    ''Thanks, Sarah. Now, I no longer need your protection.'' Varian smiled heartily.


    -Shuaa!


    "You pussy! Don''t go hiding all the time!" The Abyssal shouted as Varian disappeared once again.


    Varian ignored his opponent''s provocation and studied the formation.


    Last time, he had to struggle quite a bit to win.


    This time, would things be better?

 Chapter 195: The Warm Up

    <h4>Chapter 195: The Warm Up</h4>


    Varian unsheathed his sword and teleported in front of an Abyssal in the outer circle.


    "Die!"


    His arrival couldn''t be masked.


    There were Abyssals of different divine paths. But they were all able to sense his arrival.


    The Body Awakeners'' sensitive ears picked up the change in wind flow.


    The Elementalists in the group, Fire and Water Awakeners, detected him through their elemental sense.


    However, everyone reacted. The closest ones naturally had the greatest chances of attacking him.


    Around six Abyssals were about to raise their weapons to attack him.


    Zap!


    Varian pointed his fingers and six lightning bolts shot at the said Abyssals.


    "Guh!"


    "Kuh!"


    "Y-You!"


    The Abyssals hurriedly blocked the unexpected attack. Even then, the lighting numbed them for a moment.


    If there was an Earth Awakener, the heavy defenses might have helped. But there was no what if.


    Under their incredulous gaze, Varian swung his sword and slit the throat of a low level 5 Abyssal.


    Then, he teleported once again.


    -Boom!


    Right after, an axe sted the area he was previously at, creating a crater.


    The high level 5 Abyssal ignored the axe in the crater and looked at the figure that appeared a few hundred meters away.


    Sweat rolled down his forehead and the Abyssal felt a lump in his throat. With a mixture of fear and surprise, he yelled. "T-Triple Awakener!"


    The other Abyssals immediately paled. Their ashen skin turned deathly white and they seemed devoid of any blood.


    Varian looked at their reactions and shrugged nonchntly.


    They were quick to realize his other identity. He was the guy that wrecked havoc on the battle field. He even killed a couple of high level 5.


    The leading Abyssal knitted his brows recalling that information. But soon, he rxed and raised his arm.


    "The opponents he killed were already very injured to begin with. His true strength could at most be in mid Level 5. With the barrier restricting him, we can ughter him." A domineering aura burst from the leader as he locked eyes with Varian.


    He added. "If our King knows he is the triple awakener, our rewards would multiply!"


    "Yes!"


    "We are all at our peak!"


    "Rip him to shreds!"


    The Abyssals quickly went from fear to excitement.


    Varian was impressed by the leader''s capability. He knew how to raise the morale and kept his cool.


    ''That''s why¡­'' Varian appeared in the middle of the inner circle andshed out with lighting strikes. ''It''s more satisfying to push you into despair.''


    -Zap!


    -Zap!


    Since they were expecting it, the Abyssals defending themselves properly. So the level 4 lightning bolt''s effect was diminished. Their movements weren''t affected as much.


    As Varian raised his sword, they were about to attack¡ªSwords were raised, fire balls were brewed and fists were clenched.


    Right then, their heads stung and the space around them solidified.


    -Shuaa!


    This time, it was even more tragic.


    Four heads flew into the air and their headless bodies copsed onto the ground. As the Abyssal blood dyed the ground green, Varian calmly retreated.


    The Abyssals that were subjected to his mental interference, but weren''t attacked looked around frantically.


    "My brain!"


    "There is a Mind Awakener here!"


    "Captain, he must be lurking somewhere!"


    "Dig! Dig the underground! Find him!"


    The high level 5 Abyssal was initially confused, but he quicklytched onto the most important term and asked. "You all felt mental interference?"


    "Yes!"


    "It was weak, but it caught me off guard."


    "Me too!"


    As they answered, the Abyssal captain trembled. "No. When did someone sneak in¡­wait, was it the same mind awakener who was helping him in the battle? Dammit!''


    Even across this whole exchange, the thought that Varian was the same person using the mind powers didn''t cross their thoughts. Not even once.


    It was too absurd. An impossibility. Even if Abyssals were more learnt than humans on divine paths, they knew it was impossible for one to awaken in four divine paths.


    What''s more? This was also the same guy that awakened in Body path!


    So, there gotta be someone else.


    The Abyssals quickly searched for the hiding mind awakener. They didn''t have time to waste. So, they picked the most direct way.


    With their full strength, they rained attacks all across the area. Soon, the ground was filled with potholes.


    To their dismay, let alone the location, there was not even a trace of the mind awakener.


    During their actions, Varian smoothly took down two more Abyssals.


    A negative atmosphere began to creep in. The Abyssals were discouraged.


    Except the Abyssal captain. He kept a clear head and asked. "How strong is the other party based on the attack?"


    The Abyssals were all on defense as they stared at Varian who stood a few hundred meters away.


    Hearing the captain''s question, the ones that experienced the attack paused for a moment before they yelled. "Not much. Around Level 3, I guess."


    The Abyssal captain heaved a sigh of relief. "Looks like the mind awakener is using a treasure to hide themselves."


    Then he nced at the location Varian stood a moment ago and sensed the change in wind to his right, a hundred meters away.


    He pushed his legs and bolted to his right. "Guard against the mind awakener! Focus on taking down Varian at all costs."


    -Boom!


    The Abyssal captain was just a few meters away from the spot when Varian dyed the air golden with his lightning bolts.


    Then the space solidified and a few more heads flew out.


    Even mid level 5s were ughtered without a hitch.


    "Arghh!" The Abyssal captain punched at Varian in rage.


    -Boom!


    The sheer force behind his punchpressed the wind and sted it, resulting in shockwaves. Just the shockwaves were enough to kill Level 2 Awakeners.


    The generator of the shockwaves, his big fist reached its target location in less than a second and hit¡­empty air.


    Varian teleported once again!


    "Arrggh! Son of a bitch! Come at me if you have the balls!" The Abyssal captain shouted in rage. However, his eyes were terribly calm.


    He was trying to provoke Varian. Once he takes his bait, then¡­


    "I''m saving you up for thest." Varian''s voice sounded from a distance and a white light shed again.


    This time, the Abyssal captain couldn''t even take reach the location before hisrades were taken out.


    He howled in rage and desperation, looking like a man on the verge of insanity. But all of it was a farce for a chance. He just wanted Varian to growcent and attack him.


    Just once.


    A single chance was enough.


    "Come at me!"


    "Shhh. Be silent. There are only ten left. I''ll make this quick." Varian said with a teasing voice and carried out his attacks.


    The more he advanced in his mind path, the better control he got over himself. So he simply used it to maintain a cool and calm state in the battle.


    Of course, Varian was still feeling the emotions he always would. Just, their effects on him diminished.


    So he cooly decided to battle the captain atst.


    With a clear intent, he continued the battle.


    This battle was simr to the past.


    As the number of Abyssals decreased, the Abyssal captain could protect stick closer to the existing ones.


    When he was a level 2, he had to exchange a major injury to kill off the people under the strongest abyssal''s protection.


    But now¡­


    Varian squinted his eyes and disappeared.


    Lightning bolts bombarded the Abyssals, Space Solidified and finally, their minds stung.


    Everyone, including the high Level 5 was attacked.


    Since lightning bolt was level 4, while Space and Mind attacks were only level 3, neither the captain nor any other abyssal were particrly injured.


    However, since the three were focused on stopping the movements of their target, under the superposition, the Abyssals halted for a split second.


    The Abyssal captain regained his mobility almost instantly, enough to defend himself but too slow to protect hisrades.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    Thud!


    Varian danced in the air like he was performing a sword y. Each cut was a piece of art.


    He struck precisely, ruthlessly and efficiently. The least amount of force to kill¡ª that was the essence of his sword y.


    After cleaning up the misceneous, Varian pointed at the silent Abyss captain and smiled cooly. "The warm up isplete. Shall we begin?"

 Chapter 196: For the Human Race!

    <h4>Chapter 196: For the Human Race!</h4>


    A hilly region a few hundred miles away from Varian''s location.


    Soldiers from the base who should be fatigued and resting rushed to the frontline staking their lives.


    Even though they maintained a strict posture, they were far from their optimal condition.


    Every soldier had a strict shift¡ªtypically around 16 hours of work a day. Anymore than that, their efficiency would plummet.


    However, even working for sixteen hours, guarding the borders against a belligerent species was easier said than done.


    Every day, there would be hundreds of small skirmishes. Most of them were Abyssals trying to sneak in and reach the mobile bases with explosives.


    Other times, they would be specifically targetting a crucial infrastructure. If it was lost, then they would slowly gain dominance over a small area.


    If they let it slide, those small areas would add up and they would loose a big chunk of theirnd.


    Thus, every soldier on duty had to be highly alert all the time. After the high stress work, they would do something to chill out.


    Some called their families regrly. Others enjoyed the recreational facilities in the base.


    However, most of the non-working 8 hours was spent in meditating. After all, any Awakener spent the majority of their time meditating.


    Since they were enlisted in the army, they received a couple of aura crystals every week.


    Other than merit, the only way to get more aura crystals was to show progress in the Divine Path.


    It could be said that they were living under stress all the time.


    However, right when the Abyssalsunched an all out attack, rm bells rang across all the bases.


    In no time, every soldier in the base, save for the base security, boarded the military vehicles.


    Their target, situation and objectives were all briefed along the way. The advanced AI of human army, Ares, assigned them with the most efficient mission.


    The soldiers in the flying truck put their hands on their chest and closed their eyes for a moment.


    It was a military practice since ancient times.


    After a moment, the Sergeant looked at his squad and raised his fist.


    "For the Human Race!"


    "For the Human Race!"


    "For the Human Race!"


    Their war cries was soon joined by the military vehicle next to them. Its war cries were joined by the one next to it and the one next to it until¡­


    Soon, theoid was covered by the war cry.


    "For the Human Race!"


    Hearing those words, the soldiers on the frontline shook for a moment. Their blood boiled and they found strength from the deepest corners of their being.


    As a soldier, they were fighting not just for their own lives, but for the lives of their families, their friends and more importantly, theirrades.


    Despite their differences, and conflicts, everyone in the frontlines felt the sameness.


    They were all humans!


    Pushing themselves to the limit, they faced the stronger enemy.


    A few hundred miles behind them, like moths going to the fire, the soldiers rushed to the dangerous front lines.


    They quickly assembled into designed teamsprising of the already tested and provenbination of awakeners.


    In a war involving awakeners, unless one was a mind awakener, fortifications were only used for defense.


    Even Elementalists had to enter the battle field to attack.


    "Go!"


    "Rip them to shreds!"


    "Protect yourrades!"


    With the reinforcements joining in, the human army gained new vigor. Their morale was raised and things seemed to be going well.


    Until¡­


    Boom!


    A Level 5 Fire Awakener Abyssal scorched a squad that just arrived. The squad consisted of only six level 4s and four level 3s.


    It was already an elite squad by army standards. But facing them as a level 5.


    The result went without saying.


    "Insects! Morale won''t help! Our absolute strength is much higher than yours! Give up and surrender already!" The Abyssal''s voice resounded for miles.


    The human soldiers in the vicinity were taken aback.


    In every conflict so far, their deployments were matched. So Level 5 Abyssals were engaged by Level 5 Humans.


    Other than a few rare cases, it was always fighting against ones of the same level.


    Even though they were informed that there were more Level 5s on the frontline, the situation still caught them off guard.


    They couldn''t fight across the realm.


    After all, not everyone was a genius.


    Heck! As the levels rose, even geniuses found it hard to attack a higher sub-level, much less fighting a higher level!


    This scene repeated across theoid. Even if Abyssals had one extra Level 5 for every ten human Level 5s, the total number of extras would still be astronomical.


    Thus, it was only a matter of time before they lost.


    However, there were always people that refused to give up. The hope in their hearts could not be extinguished.


    "Fight!"


    "Reinforcements are on the way!"


    "The space patrol will reach us in a few minutes! Just hold on!"


    As quick as it came, the gloomy atmosphere on the human side faded.


    Instead, the morale surged further.


    "I never fought a Level 5!"


    "If I, a Level 4 Body Awakener can bring down a Level 5, even if I die, I have no regrets!"


    "Yes! My Son would be proud!"


    "Haha! Let''s show them what we are made of!"


    All they had to do was stall and they would win this conflict.


    Knowing their lives¡­or deaths were going to make a difference, they went beyond their limits and shed with the Abyssals.


    "Y-You insects!" The Level 5 Abyssals were enraged.


    With every attack, a couple of humans would die. But before they died, they would leave behind an attack.


    Most of them were minor injuries. But some¡­were serious injuries at the price of their life.


    To the utter shock of the Abyssals, a couple of Level 5 Abyssals were killed!


    "Pests!"


    The battle intensified.


    The Abyssals focused their defense and didn''t allow themselves to get injured again.


    The human morale was hit.


    Despite their bravery, after all they were only Level 4. Out of all the extra Level 5s, only a few were killed.


    Their sacrifices couldn''t reverse the tide.


    A few minutes passed as tens of thousands of human lives were lost.


    The Space Patrol should''ve already noticed their situation and sent reinforcements.


    Sending a Level 7 was too much. Just a couple of Level 6s could solve the situation.


    But¡­


    "Don''t look at the sky in the middle of the battle, you moron!" A Level 5 Abyssal swung his saber.


    -Shuaa!


    Like a broken package, the human in front of him was sliced open, spilling the innards.


    "There is no helping! Your space patrol doesn''t even know the situation here!" The level 5 announced as the Abyssals behind cackled with delight.


    Every soldier suddenly felt a chill down their spine.


    If the reinforcements didn''t arrive in time, Abyssals would upy the entireoid.


    Then, even if they sent Level 7s, Abyssals would simply match their deployment.


    Unless they were willing to pay a heavy price, they would not be able to take thisoid.


    And the price¡­it would be far more worth than thisoid.


    At the same time, the voice of the suprememander of theoid sounded across the frontlines.


    "Haha! You are too weak. And you thought you canpete with us, the ancient Abyssals?


    You are destined to lose. Tell you what, Pluto is just the beginning.


    We ughtered the one billion back then. Most of them were civilians. Perhaps you know some of them?


    I mean, you have that Red Pluto day, don''t you?


    You''ll soon have Rena day. Enjoy!"


    Those words stung deeply in the psyche of every human. Especially the ones that lost someone in Pluto.


    "Arggh!"


    "Kill!"


    "Even if I die, I''ll kill two!"


    When thest of their hopes were crushed, the soldiers didn''t cower in fear.


    They had seen to many deaths. Even in their own base, they would spot a few soldiers missing every week.


    The ones they wereughing with and had meals together were reportedly dead during their duty.


    Thus, they weren''t scared. But instead¡­


    Instead, their eyes reddened. Even though they knew they would likely die, when really faced with the certainty of death, their lives shed in front of their eyes.


    If they were to fall here, then so be it. But before they do, they would make sure that the Abyssals paid a painful price.


    "Die!"


    "Kill!"


    Slowly, the carefully maintained team formations were broken. Despite their professionalism, they were letting their emotions take over. Their actions turned suicidal and their ns became reckless.


    Even for Abyssals, it was difficult thing to push humans to such a degree. But the rightbination of circumstance, words and speaker did the job.


    The Supreme Commander of the Abyssals, peak Level 6, smiled calmly.


    ''When your enemy loses their rational judgement, victory is set in stone.''

 Chapter 197: Junior Varian!

    <h4>Chapter 197: Junior Varian!</h4>


    On a barren field filled with potholes, a dozen figures flickered in and out of existence.


    Their speed was beyond what a naked eye could capture.


    Even a low awakener would only see blurry shadows and¡­ice!


    Ice arrows. Ice shields. Ice spears.


    After every couple of seconds, a blurry silhouette would be sted away revealing itself to be either an Abyssal or an Astor n member.


    There were more than seven corpses on the ground. Two of them emitted the aura of Level 6 whilst the rest were of Level 5.


    As the silhouettes left behind their after images and shed, ground caved in and shockwaves swept in all directions.


    Due to the shockwaves, the gravel shot out at an insane speed. The sheer force in those little rocks was enough to kill any low level awakeners in the vicinity.


    Fortunately or unfortunately, there were none.


    In fact, the location of the fight was very far from the frontlines as if specifically done to prevent any interference.


    After another sh, the silhouettes stopped.


    On one side was a girl in the camouge. Her blonde hair was tied up and her blue eyes red at her enemies with endless rage.


    Even though she froze them already, there were several deep wounds on her body.


    Her enemies weren''t better.


    Standing on the opposite were two Abyssals and two humans, behind them were five abyssals and humans each.


    The ten standing behind were all peak of Level 5. The four in the front were all Level 6.


    Two mid Level 6 and two low Level 6.


    It might have looked like an easy one vs twelve.


    But their supremacy in numbers did not give them supremacy in the fight.


    Almost all peak Level 5s had a serious injury. The low Level 6s had several cuts on their bodies.


    Only the two mid level 6s looked uninjured. But they had serious internal injuries.


    The leading Abyssal spoke in a tone of admiration and hatred. "To think you even these numbers weren''t enough."


    Sarah tapped on herm frantically while she answered. "You would need at least a high level 6 to take me down."


    The Abyssal Duke shook his head. "It''s a pity, that was the original n."


    Sarah was curious on what caused changes, but? the Abyssal didn''t intend to borate further.


    Sarah''s gaze turned to the Astor n members. Even though she loathed each of them to the bones, the situation called for it.


    "You guys are used by the Abyssals to bring us down. Even if the Abyssals win in the end, you''d only be ughtered." She said, but the Astor n member still looked unperturbed.


    She gritted her teeth and roared. "When these people started to kill every human on Pluto, do you think no one in Pluto would''ve agreed to join them if they are spared?


    But these beasts didn''t leave behind a single soul. They don''t see humans as equals. You will all die!"


    The Astor n members flinched. Even though they tried their best to hide it, they secretly nced at the Abyssals with doubt.


    Sarah knew her words weren''t enough to instigate discord, but that was''t her intention anyway.


    While keeping a close watch on her, the leading Abyssal turned to the Astor n members.


    "Don''t listen to her words. You know how deep our cooperation is. Even if Enigma targeted you¡ª"


    Sarah ignored them and tapped, no, she literally banged herm. Every single cadet who entered the battle had specialms. They could talk ''telepathically'' since it was easier than physically talking.


    Even Varian received one suchm. Of course, he was still unustomed to it.


    But she was sending him messages since a few minutes. He must answer at least once¡­so why?


    Why did he not respond?


    From the moment theynded and temporarily ceased fighting, Sarah was mentally yelling into them. ''Varian, where the heck are you?''


    ''Answer me!''


    ''Give your coordinates!''


    ''You Idiot! Don''t scare me!''


    Despite the barrage of messages, she received no response.


    In fact, he was in touch with all the time until eight minutes ago.


    He first distanced himself after the first attack. After she finished the Abyssal, she heard him say that he was going to check on the battle field.


    Later, he said he was going to check out the Astor n members. Oh and in the middle, she said she could contact him if she was in a predicament.


    Then there was no response from his side.


    He must have been ambushed. Like they all were.


    But she could still contact William, Dhruv and Mia. They were engaged in the fight and couldn''t solve it anytime soon. But she was at least able to confirm that they were safe.


    Varian¡­ it was as if he vanished into thin air.


    After trying again, Sarah gave up on contacting him.


    Instead, she turned to Anna. The best way to ensure his safety would be to let her interfere.


    Of course, the price paid would be far too costly.


    A level 8 approaching theoid couldn''t be hidden. This would result in the Abyssals sending a level 8 themselves.


    The scale of conflict would skyrocket.


    All the responsibility would fall over her.


    Her father, the Dean would only punish her more severely.


    But Sarah didn''t even think about her punishments. She just wanted to ensure his safety.


    ''Aunt Anna, please check on Varian!'' Sarah said into them.


    ''Aunt Anna?''


    ''It''s a life and death issue!''


    Even after a few seconds, there was no response.


    Sarah''s heart sank. ''They must have blocked theoid''smunication system. I don''t know for how long, but even then I can contact others¡­only him, did he¡­?''


    Sarah pushed back the dangerous thought in her head.


    ''He must be busy. Yes. Just busy.''


    Sarah tried to convince herself.


    ''So busy that he can''t even reply mentally?''


    The devil in her head didn''t give up. It whispered her darkest fears with the sweetest voice.


    ''He''s new to this feature. That''s why.'' Sarah kept an eye on her enemies in front.


    They were recovering and secretly re-strategizing. They would attack her soon.


    ''Keep telling yourself that. He just needs to say I''m alive mentally. Anyone can do that. Even during a fight.''


    Sarah clenched her fist so hard that her knuckles turned white.


    The Abyssals and Astor n misunderstood it as a sign that she was about to attack.


    So they attacked first.


    Boom!


    Sarah dodged the lightning spear that shot down the mountain behind her to pieces.


    She covered herself with water armor and took a deep breath. Her killing intent exploded.


    Kacha!


    The next moment, Sarah dodged the attacks of others and crushed a Level 5.


    The leading Abyssals gritted his teeth. Her speed was reaching high level 6.


    The original n had deviated too much.


    In fact, the n was to ambush her with a high level 6.


    But there was a bastard called Charles Xander. His strength reached the peak of level 6.


    Despite sending two peak level 6 and three high level 6s for him exclusively, they were no match.


    One of the peak Level 6 personally begged for help.


    Thus, the assassination teams down below had to send out the strongest people.


    After all, what use was sending peak Level 5s to him?


    Charles could kill one level 5 and ten level 5s all the same.


    So one peak level 6 and high level 6 of William, one high level 6 assigned to Sarah were gone.


    This created a shortage. Thus, some Level 5 targets that were supposed to get a level 6 assasin had it easier.


    In the original n, all the cadets would be killed in five minutes. But now, they might as well survive until the reinforcements arrived.


    But they had no choice.


    If they didn''t send support, Charles Xander would kill level 6s he was facing.


    Then, he would go on rescuing others. He wouldn''t do it for the sake of charity, but for his own prestige and merit.


    He could just save William. William would then save Sarah. Then the three of them could free up everyone.


    Then, Charles could just go to the suprememander on the Abyssal side and kill him off.


    Charles, William, Sarah and Dhruv¡ªthese four level 6s were enough to reverse the tide of the war.


    That was why¡­the current situation.


    With the talent shown, Charles was worth sacrificing everything for.


    Oh and there was another level 5 awakener personally ordered by the Demon King.


    They even used a very precious barrier to ensure his death.


    ''Those bastards got such an easy task. Hunting a newbie Level 5 with so many people. Tsk. Since Demon King said it himself, the reward will be generous. If I wasn''t worrying about mission''s failure due to this monster Charles, even I would try to hunt that newbie.'' The leading Abyssal''s thoughts were also a jumble of mess.


    He didn''t have much time for further thinking as Sarah went all out. This time, she didn''t even bat an eyelid as she downed precious healing potions and exchanged an injury for injury.


    -Thud


    -Thud


    Herbat style changed.


    Until now, it was aggressive.


    Now, it was turning¡­desperate. Each of her attack went for the kill despite the risk it posed to her.


    Before he knew it, the leading Abyssal found his sword piercing Sarah''s abdomen.


    But before he could rejoice, he saw a headless body upside down. He recognized it.


    It was¡­his own.


    "Die!" Sarah was bleeding all over with light and heavy injuries.


    But she managed to kill one more enemy, leaving only one standing.


    The healing potion did its work and prevented her from copsing. Any level 6 awakener would be a goner with so many injuries.


    Sarah gritted her teeth and faced thest enemy.


    Anky woman. High Level 6. Astor n. The leader of their group.


    Sarah dropped her sword, startling the other woman.


    "My words still count." Sarah said, looking at the green eyed woman in the eye.


    "If you help Abyssals, you die." She said with a grave tone.


    The woman spoke for the first time in a grievous tone. "I know! But if I don''t help them, where do I go? Federation is already hunting us down like we''re some rats. I-If I kill you, maybe they''ll let me live?"


    Sarah''s face showed a tangled face before she sighed. "You must have seen me tapping mym and being distracted in the battle, didn''t you?"


    "Huh?" The Astor''s woman was caught off guard by the sudden question.


    But she nodded with a strange gaze and said. "You are trying to ask for help, didn''t you? Too bad, the Abyssals blocked off allmunication out of theoid."


    "That''s not the main thing." Sarah shook her head, surprising the woman once again.


    "Then?"


    "I''m trying to contact someone. You should know his name." Sarah''s face was tangled before she sighed. "I can stop the federation from hunting you. You must know my background. I have the power to do it. But you need to promise me one thing."


    Thenky woman''s eyes lit up.


    Sarah''s words from earlier still reverberated in her mind. Abyssals indeed would not let a single human go. They didn''t treat humans as equals but rather as insects. To them, humans who betray their own kind were inferior than insects.


    She though if all the Astor n members went to the Abyss intact, they''d be able to gain a foothold thanks to their strength.


    But who knew that once theynded on thisoid, these cadets started hunting for them.


    ording to Abyssals, they only needed tond here and sneak to their side before being taken to the Abyss.


    But afternding, the ns changed. Abyssals demanded them to cooperate in the assassination ns.


    Despite knowing the danger, they had no choice.


    So if she really did get a choice now, the woman was willing to stake everything on it.


    Even now, she would rather believe a human would let a human go than an Abyssal letting off a human.


    But¡­


    "How do I trust you?" She still maintained a wary gaze.


    Even though the current Sarah was injured and likely weaker than her, killing her was already not an option.


    Sarah could simply escape and as an Earth Awakener, she would not be able to stop her.


    That was why she was willing to talk.


    "You can trust me fully because¡­" Sarah paused causing the woman to perk her ears and lean forward subconsciously.


    She wanted to trust Sarah fully. It was for the best. She only needed a reason to convince herself.


    So she focused on Sarah''s next words.


    -Shuaa!


    Before she could react, an ice needle punctured her throat and pierced her brain.


    -Thud


    Sarah shook her head at the bleeding corpse with a cold expression. "Never let your guard down."


    Then her expression changed into panic and she spoke into them.


    "Varian!"


    "Answer me!"


    "Are you alright?!"


    With each question, her voice trembled and the cold expression on her face melted. Sarah felt something well up in her chest.


    Regret?


    Sadness?


    "I beg you! Please say something."


    The reply to her plea was merciless silence.


    Sarah felt her chest turn heavy. She shook her head and pushed back whatever feeling that was welling up inside her.


    "If you''re in the middle of a battle, just think ''Yes''. I will hear you." Sarah said, but soon, her shoulders dropped at the silence.


    Her injuries were beginning to heal, but the pain she was feeling was increasing.


    The time they with him after he returned ''alive'' shed in front of her.


    She was so happy when he returned. Then he gave her a surprise bing the disciple of her father. His honor ranking shocked her.


    But the two strongest memories had nothing rted to his power or achievements.


    The second was her vowing to beat Varian. But she didn''t use much strength in fear of hurting him.


    She did want to beat him up, but at the same time, didn''t want to see him hurt. Varian actually yed along and acted like she was really beating him.


    A smile surfaced on Sarah''s pale face as she recalled his acting.


    The strongest memory of him was¡­their lunch together.


    It was the first time she saw him cry. When he embraced her, she felt it.


    He was deeply hurt. He was missing someone. Perhaps his mother¡­like herself.


    She med herself for hurting him. She wanted to tell him that she could understand the pain. It was alright to cry.


    But they didn''t talk much after that day. It was mainly her trying to avoid him.


    Still keeping that day in mind, she agreed to let him join the mission.


    ''I''m stupid! I should have never agreed to let him in even if that led to him hating me. Now, I''m putting him in danger.'' Sarah bit her lip as she stared at her unresponsivem.


    If he was in danger, he should''ve contacted her for help. If he was not, then why was he not responding at all?


    "I-I¡­." Sarah felt a lump in her throat. Her vision turned blurry before she knew it and she yelled into them with red eyes.


    "Junior Varian! If you don''t report, I''ll publish your tomb secret to everyone!"


    Her voice reverberated across the mountains and echoed in the valleys.


    As she waited and waited, the echoes died down.


    -Thud


    Sarah copsed onto her knees and the tears dripping down her cheeks turned into snow kes.


    As her heart was about to turn cold, a familiar voice said in a grumpy tone.


    "Sarah, I told you what''s written on the tomb is fake, didn''t I?"

 Chapter 198: Lets die together!

    <h4>Chapter 198: Let''s die together!</h4>


    A few minutes ago, a couple hundred miles away from Sarah''s battle.


    Hidden from any inspection by a precious barrier, a human and an abyssal went all out as they aimed for the other''s life.


    The high level 5 Abyssal was a Controller. So his stats were all just a bit above a mid level 5 Enhanced.


    Varian, as a low level 5 Enhanced found this gap manageable.


    But the real trouble dealing with a Controller was their ability to increase one stat.


    Once this Abyssal used it on any stat, it would reach peak of level 5.


    Varian learnt the challenges of fighting a Controller in the battle right after his first move.


    He teleported to the left of the Abyssal and covered his arm with lightning. Not holding back an ounce of strength, he punched at the Abyssal''s chest.


    At the same time, he blocked out the space surrounding the Abyssal while tampering the Abyssal''s brain using his mind power.


    Varian used four of his five divine paths. Morpher path wasn''t going to do any substantial change, so he left it out.


    With thisbination, a normal mid level 5 would''ve halted for a moment and Varian would''ve used the opportunity to one shot him.


    But-


    Crack!


    "Gah!"


    The high level 5 Abyssal first increased his strength. It rose to peak level 5. Without any dy, he broke the space block.


    The next moment, he increased his speed. His attack power fell back to just above Mid Level 5 and his speed reached the peak of Level 5.


    -Whoosh!


    His reaction speed, several notches above Varian gave him an edge as he easily dodged Varian''s punch while he kicked at Varian''s temple.


    "Damn it!"


    There was almost no time to teleport. Varian wrapped himself in Space Armor and lightning barrier as he raised his arms in defense.


    -Zap!


    -Kacha!


    The lightning barrier only lightly affected the Abyssal as he broke it into pieces. His kick soon reached Varian''s space armor.


    Space Armor was a thinly wrapped space around Varian''s body. Basically, binding the space around him to use it for defensive and offensive purposes.


    Despite its thinness, it could withstand even the blows of peak Level 3.


    But Level 5 and Level 3 were miles away.


    So, having a Space Armor made no difference.


    Varian felt a huge impact on his arms as he teleported out thest moment.


    "Ha! Ha!" Appearing a few hundred meters away, he downed a healing potion and shook his head regretfully.


    Controllers were really a pain to fight with. They''d increase their defense when you attacked them, raise their attack when they attacked you, spike their speed when they wanted to run or chase you.


    The current Varian would be better off fighting almost any other Awakener than a Controller.


    If he awakened in a suitable divine path, things might change.


    Controllers had the benefit of one higher stat, but it was evened out by other lower stats.


    But for Varian, even the lower stats of his opponent were higher than his.


    In a sense, the Controller was fighting under favorable conditions.


    The best way to deal with a stronger Controller was to fight with a group. If a Controller fought a group, their advantages would be restricted.


    For instance, when a Controller increases their strength to attack their target, other members could attack the Controller then. The Controller would only have their base defense and hence take more damage.


    Of course, at the same level, no Divine Path had an edge.


    In general, no Divine Path was more stronger than the other. It just depended on the circumstances.


    The burning pain in his arm bones made it clear to Varian that he was under unfavorable circumstance.


    "Triple Awakener, oh Triple Awakener." The high Level 5 Abyssal raised his speed and dashed in front of Varian in the blink of an eye.


    Varian didn''t attack this time and simply teleported away.


    "Hmph!" The Abyssal was pissed. He already determined Varian''s Space path level¡ª Peak of Level 3.


    So seeing his enemy use a mere Level 3 Teleportation to dodge his attacks, he felt humiliated.


    In fact, if it was just a Level 3 Space Awakener, they would not be able to respond in time to his attack.


    They would just teleport to some ce and before they could even think, his fist would crash their face and blow their skull.


    The speed of a level 5 was no joke.


    But this guy¡­!


    -Boom!


    "Come out and fight!" The Abyssal roared as his fist passed through empty air.? Varian disappeared once again!


    -Boom!


    He tired to attack Varian, but this time too, he simply teleported. All he got was empty air.


    "Don''t dodge, human! Fight me! Why you are being such a pussy?" The Abyssal couldn''t help but curse in annoyance.


    "No. I am being a dick." Varian answered with a nonchnt expression.


    "Arggh! Yes you are!" The Abyssal was further enraged and he kept lunging at Varian even as his every punch and kick continued to miss.


    Varian looked at the Abyssal and shook his head. "Drop the act. You are not crazy. If anything, you''re very clear headed."


    The Abyssal suddenly paused his attack and looked at Varian with wide eyes.


    Varian shrugged. "I can''t break the barrier''s defense, but due to theck of energy supply, it is going to fade away in three..no, two and half minutes."


    Veins popped up on the Abyssal''s forehead and he dashed at Varian once again.


    "No! You don''t know anything!" The Abyssal increased his attack and his fist was just a few inches away from Varian''s head.


    -Whoosh.


    Varian appeared in another location and sighed. "If a Level 5 Body Awakener and a level 3 Space Awakener are trapped in this barrier, all you need to do is try to chase them.


    Because of the lower level, the Space Awakener would soon be drained of space power.


    Then you can easily kill the Space Awakener. But look at how desperate you are¡­


    Even though you know you couldn''t, you really want the reward for killing me, don''t you?"


    The Abyssal paused and red at Varian. All his previous ''rage'' was gone, leaving behind only cold indifference. He squinted at Varian and sneered. "So what? Even if I can''t kill you, I''ll report your powers once the barrier opens. You''d just wish you were dead."


    "Heh. Some nice wish you have, I must say." Varian''s lips curled up in amusement.


    Despite being in a weaker position so far, he didn''t seem bothered. Instead, he was enjoying the show.


    The Abyssal felt Varian was expressing the same emotion he had for every human.


    Contempt!


    ''How dare he?! I''ll chop him to pieces!'' The Abyssal almost wanted to start a chasing spree once again.


    But as the kind of person he was, he didn''t loose his cool and hummed. "I can''t kill you. But you can''t kill me either. Whether you believe it or not, in less than a minute, you''ll be surrounded by Abyss Dukes."


    That was of course a bluff. But winning the enemy psychologically was never unwee.


    "I can''t kill you?" Varian repeated and raised an eyebrow.


    "Who decided that?" With those words, he snapped his fingers.


    A mysterious red jacked enveloped him. It had a skull and two bones printed. More importantly, right after it appeared, the space suddenly fluctuated.


    The Abyssal felt the space around him go wild. Sometimes, it turned solid, needing incredible amounts of energy for the slightest of movements.


    The others, it turned fluid and even if he moved slowly, his speed would be much higher than intended.


    The worst thing was that he felt space shake like it was about to burst. It was simr to Space Bomb¡ª an ability Level 5 Space Awakeners unlocked that allowed them to st space open.


    But this one was much, much lethal. Perhaps even a high awakener would survive this st.


    "Gulp!" The Abyssal realized something and looked at Varian with wide eyes. "Y-You madman! To kill me, you even want to go as far as suicide!"


    Despite realizing his imminent death, the Abyssal didn''t waver. Instead, he even stepped forward and raised his arms. "Come! Let''s die together. I will be a honored martyr."


    In his life, the best he could reach was level 6. So if he managed to end the life of a genius that could reach Level 9¡­.what could be better than it?

 Chapter 199: Debut of Suicide Jacket

    <h4>Chapter 199: Debut of Suicide Jacket</h4>


    Varian''s face twitched.


    This jacket was too embarrassing to use. It even had the skull and bones logo as if others wouldn''t understand its purpose.


    The space fluctuations it screamed were also telling its identity. ''I am suicide bomber.''


    ''If I wear this and go out, I''ll be branded as terrorist. No doubt.'' Varian sighed.


    With a mental cue, the fluctuations of space began to decrease until they fell into a controlled range.


    Varian looked at the Abyssal that put on a glorious and even pious face with hatred.


    Even though he was controlling his emotions using the Mind Path, this guy''s words were over the top.


    Since he got the Suicide Jacket, Varian had a few nightmares where he actually decided to use it. From then, he didn''t look at it except for practice.


    "Moron." Varian spat and felt the fluctuating space around him.


    [Space Path Level 3: 400/400]


    When he was on the battle field, he faced the attacks of many Space Awakeners.


    Teleportation. Space Blocks. Space Armors. Even Space sts.


    As his space power shed with hundreds of Level 4s'', and a few Level 5s'', he had a clear idea on how to proceed.


    The first ability a Space Awakener got was Space Binding¡ªSolidifying the space.


    Entering the Mid level, the ability was the opposite. Space Unbinding¡ªWeakening the space.


    Varian followed the patterns formed by the presence of Suicide Jacket and observed them carefully.


    Bind. Unbind. Solidify. Weaken.


    Then-


    -Click!


    The Abyssal was still waiting to die together with his arms open. But what presented in front of him was a spectacr sight.


    Varian''s space power increased multi fold and in a few seconds, stabilized at Level 4.


    [Space Path Level 4: 0/1000]


    "¡­." The Abyssal was dumbstruck. All he could do was gape foolishly at the sight that broke his world view.


    Any advancement, especially the ones from mid levels, took time. Since it was still only from level 3 to level 4, the time would be rtively less.


    However, after advancing, one also needed to fill up their aura reserves and stabilize the level.


    Even the best genius would take a few hours for the whole process!


    Even the best genius least ten minutes for advancing from level 3 to level 4.


    B-But!


    "Y-You Monster!" Those were the only words the Abyssal could utter.


    The shock he received was far too deep.


    What everyone and everything believed to be true was broken by this young man.


    Thus, even him who remained calm all the time couldn''t help but tremble.


    ''W-what the hell is happening? I-Is he hiding his aura or what? No! I clearly sensed him advancing from Level 3 to Level 4.


    But no one can do that in a few seconds! This is the fundamental truth of the Divine Paths.


    W-Wait!''


    The Abyssal''s eyes widened and he looked at Varian with a hint of suspicion and fear "Are you also the mind awakener?"


    Since Varian already showed three paths, even a senile man wouldn''t ask such question.


    Fourth Divine Path? Tsk. Who was he kidding?


    It wasmon sense that three divine paths were the limit.


    But this guy¡­he just broke the verymon sense.


    Varian didn''t deny and lightly nodded. "Yep. That''s me."


    "W-Wahahaha!" The Abyssal startedughing hysterically. His shoulders trembled and he clenched his fist trying to reign in hisughter.


    "Y-Yes! Once I show this to his majesty, this absolute miracle that no one in the history ever witnessed, I-I will be on par with Ancestor Last Light." The Abyssal''s calm eyes turned fanatical.


    He looked at Varian like he was the most precious thing and said with a crazed smile. "I won''t kill you. You are far too valuable. I''ll just slice off you limbs. If we decipher your secret, then ¡­hahahaha! Fairies! Zions! We, Abyssals, can trample them all!"


    He shot at Varian in the next instant. There were only two minutes before the barrier dissipated.


    He couldn''t risk letting Varian escape.


    "Surrender yourself!" He growled as he pushed his body to the limit.


    Facing this desperate enemy, Varian didn''t use teleportation, but instead used Unbinding on the space around.


    Ripple!


    It was a weird sensation.


    Varian just took a step forward and he appeared at his destination in an instant.


    It was not teleportation, but just high speed.


    In the weakened space, his speed rose!


    -Boom!


    The Abyssal''s punch reached him.


    Varian covered himself with the Space Armor and Lightning Barrier while raising his arms in defense once again.


    -Kacha!


    This time, the punch only pushed him back.


    The Abyssal didn''t give up and was about to raise his arm back to assume a punching posture.


    Varian used the space unbinding on his arm.


    -Shuaa!


    The speed at which the Abyssal pulled back his arm rose. Due to the high speed, he nearly flung his arm back.


    -Kacha!


    Quickly, the space unbinding was nullified. However, the Abyssal lost the chance to follow up attack.


    Varian nodded with satisfaction.


    Unbinding didn''t work much on stronger opponents. They would quickly grasp the degree of space weakening and adjust their speed. But even then, they would be affected.


    Once the opponent used enough strength, however, the unbound space would quickly return to normal.


    After all, Space had a natural tendency to return to normalcy.


    Despite all that, Space Unbinding was a powerful ability. He had to familiarize himself with it.


    "There''s still one minute left." Varian said and teleported.


    As he reached Level 4 in Space Path, his space sense extended, his teleportation distance rose to a mile.


    Varian quickly appeared in front of the Abyssal and clenched his fist.


    "Y-Kuh!" The Abyssal felt the space around his limbs turn solid.


    It was much sturdier than the previous times. However, the space block was done with level 4 Space abilities, it was well in his capacity to break.


    -Zap!


    -Zap!


    Right then, he was bombarded by the lightning arcs.


    The Abyssal ignored them and forcefully broke through the space. It felt like he was moving his arm in mud¡ªhe had to exert much more force to just move.


    Then his mind stung lightly. He ignored it and was about to raise his arms to guard against the attack.


    But-


    -Shuaa!


    The wind whistled as a sharp de cut open a neck.


    The Abyssal''s eyesight blurred and he copsed onto the ground in the next moment.


    "K-Cough! rh!" He clutched his neck to stop the blood gushing out.


    To no avail. Like a dam broken, green blood spilled the ground, turning into a puddle.


    "Three seconds remaining." Varian said abruptly.


    They both knew which three seconds. Three seconds until the barrier dissipated.


    The Abyssal tried to hold his breath. He needed to send the message at any cost.


    ''Just one message!''


    "Two seconds." Varian''s voice turned colder.


    The Abyssal kept his eyes on a mark on his tattoo even as darkness began to consume him.


    "One second." Varian clenched his fist.


    -Plop


    The Abyssal copsed.


    The barrier dissipated and Varrian''sm buzzed with messages.


    Ignoring the barrage of hism, Varian took a deep breath.


    He had seen the desperation on that face. Even in the face of death, the resolve didn''t waver.


    But what use was resolve if there wasn''t enough strength to back it up?


    He sighed deeply.


    "I knew it. If I joined anything, it wouldn''t be normal." Varian teleported to the frontlines with aplicated mood.

 Chapter 200: Master, Emergency!

    <h4>Chapter 200: Master, Emergency!</h4>


    The war continued.


    Blood flowed into rivers, bodies piled up into mountains.


    The war continued.


    Varian''s gaze rested on the human soldiers for a moment before he looked at the sky.


    Just how many people died?


    ''System, am I responsible for their death?''


    [What if you are? What if you aren''t? Would you have cancelled the mission if you knew about these deaths?]


    Varian thought for a moment before he shook his head resolutely. ''No. Not after I saw the guy in the lost dungeon. He is much stronger than the Abyss Kings. Boo also said he was in¡­Celestial Rank.''


    His breath turned heavy as he recalled the horror of that figure.


    Varian used to believe Abyssal Rulers¡ªAbyssal Kings and Queens were the ultimate challenges to peace.


    If he became a Sovereign, then everything would be solved.


    But with that Abyssal''s existence¡­their ns were futile.


    His strength was too high. Even a Sovereign was no match for him.


    Varian had the resolve to bring peace. But if it was not backed by the strength, it would merely be a wish.


    ''Even if I have to sacrifice more lives, I will. Deaths of some or extinction of an entire race, I know how to choose.''


    The System fell silent for a while before it answered. [No, host. This was going to happen regardless. You just happened to join.]


    ''Hm.'' Varian nodded lightly and ended the dialogue.


    "Boo, take me to Sarah."


    The next moment, he disappeared and ghost ship flew straight into the air in its invisible mode.


    Varian rxed sat in the cabin and asked. "Give me the visuals on the cadets."


    "Yes, Master."


    Soon, Varian saw the battles of all cadets.


    The one that impressed him the most was Charles.


    Charles'' transformed into a demi-wolf. Varian recognized it to be a wolf from Old Earth''s mythology.


    In that form, Charles had almost no weakness.


    He alone was fighting off against four peak Level 6, ten high Level 6 and many others.


    Despite their numbers, Charles was pushing them back.


    ''Fenrir, the wolf, huh.'' Varian sped his hands and rested his chin on them. ''Once he reaches Level 7 and can transform into it fully, his power would take a leap.''


    Some entities were indeed too powerful.


    Narcis'' transformation was not so strong, but Charles was in another league altogether.


    "This is forter." Varian shook his head and checked out others.


    Williamson was doing fine. It looked like he''d take them down in a couple of minutes.


    Sarah was fighting against a bunch of high level 6s and around a dozen level 5s.


    Varian was relieved at her safety and turned off them.


    "Boo, can you disable the jammer?" He tapped the armrest of his chair and asked with a frown.


    The extra level 5s were too many.


    Even if Charles and others wanted to help, they would already be tired from battling assassins.


    Not everyone was like Varian.


    He spent most of his space power dodging the Abyssal. But when he advanced to Level 4, his space power was replenished to the brim.


    Varian''s thoughts spun as he realized something.


    The Demon Abyss must have splurged astronomical resources to push so many Abyssals to the next level. The result was these extra Level 5s and level 6s.


    Perhaps some of them were transferred from otheroids, but majority of them were stationed on thisoid.


    So all along, Abyssals were nning this.


    They knew the Academy''s n to send the cadets to intercept the Astors'' and counter nned.


    The resources spent on forcibly advancing so many Abyssals might exceed the importance of theoid itself.


    So there was no chance they were going to let this mission fail.


    "Gulp!" Varian patted his chest and muttered. "I hope I''m not overthinking things."


    But the incentive was too high.


    Thisoid held the brightest geniuses of Earth. There was also a cadet that was destined to be a Sovereign¡ªCharles Xander.


    The others would likely reach level 9 and be pirs of humanity.


    Such a nice chance¡­


    "Boo, can you crack the jammer a bit? Just for one person?" Varian asked as he sweated profusely.


    Hism was buzzing but he didn''t care.


    If the Abyssals were really bent on taking down these geniuses¡­


    "Master, you can send a message to your contacts. If you give me thirty minutes, I can open fullmunication chann¡ª."


    "No, it''s good. Open Master''s profile." Varian said anxiously.


    Hism was shining as it vibrated continuously.


    He nced at it irritatedly. It was Sarah.


    He frowned and was about to ¡ª


    "Master, the contact is open." Boo said and aplicated panel appeared in front of him.


    Varian took a deep breath and said. "Master, Emergency! All of us are trapped! There is a jammer blocking off our signals and sending fake signals. I''m using a secret method.


    Right now, the situation is still stable. But the stronger Abyssals will soon learn of the situation here.


    If they make the first move, we''re good as dead.


    Send someone really strong.


    If you don''t want the hope of humanity to die, send someone really strong. Actually,e by yourself."


    After speaking, Varian clutched his forehead.


    Boo, on the other hand was bewildered. "Master, isn''t asking a Level 9 toe in person too much?"


    "Too much?" Varian rolled his eyes. "These people are literally the future of earth. At least Charles and there''s also Sarah. There''s also me. Two potential Sovereigns.


    The Abyssals are crazy enough to send their Emperor''s clone to fetch you. Why can''t they a high awakener to kill us all?"


    "Eh¡­usually, the viins in novel don''t do that." Boo scratched its white head. "They should wait until you guys grow up before they challenge you."


    "Duh." Varian facepalmed. "If I was the Demon King, I''d at least assassinate Charles."


    "¡­"


    Varian ignored Boo''s silence as he finally got the time to check hism.


    Except for a few contacts, he put all others on silence. Boo would inform him if they''re in danger. It didn''t.


    So who the heck was contacting him anyway?


    Varian opened hism and saw it was Sarah.


    "What happened to her?" The long list of messages worried him prompting him to order Boo. "Open the surveince on Sarah."


    The holograph popped up and Varian froze for a moment.


    Sarah was injured all over. Her beautiful blonde hair was stained with blood as she knelt on the ground.


    Her lips opened as if she wanted to say something before they closed. Slowly, tears dripped down her cheeks and turned into snowkes.


    Varian found himself in a daze before he heard her yell in hism.


    "Junior Varian! If you don''t report, I''ll publish your tomb secret to everyone!"


    He was snapped out of his stupor by her words. Before he could reply, the scene around her captured his attention.


    Boo quickly filled in the information about her actions in the past five minutes.


    Varian also checked hism and saw every single message was asking about him.


    ''Why? We barely knew each other since a month. Most of the time, I was in the lost dungeon.'' Varian''s thoughts spiraled.


    His face showed a mix of emotions, but he maintained his normal voice and replied in a grumpy tone. "Sarah, I told you what''s written on the tomb is fake, didn''t I?"


    ...


    A/N: Yay! 200 Chapters. Thank you everyone for your support! Please leave a review and share your thoughts on the story so far. If you like or dislike anything, please be specific, I''ll try my best to work on it. :D

 Chapter 201: The Correct Choice

    <h4>Chapter 201: The Correct Choice</h4>


    "V-Varian? What the hell happened? You vanished for five freaking minutes! I-I thought¡­" Sarah muttered in shock before her voice was raised into a yell and finally she whimpered.


    "¡­Something came up. I''ll be in front of you in a moment." Varian said after some thought.


    "W-Wait¡­damn!" Sarah was about to refute him when he cut her off and the ghost ship descended a few miles away from her.


    A water sphere enveloped Sarah and cleaned off the green bloodstains on her body. More importantly, it cleaned off the tear traces on her face.


    Sarah''s ears perked up and she caught the sound of footsteps a few miles away.


    She kicked the ground and dashed into the distance.


    The familiar figure stood in front of her. He had no injuries on his body and looked perfectly fine.


    Sarah heaved a sigh inwardly before she red at him. "You better give me a good reason or you know what will happen."


    Even though knowing that she meant no harm, Varian felt her expression was a bit scary.


    Her usual smiling expression had turnedpletely cold and she looked at him with indifference.


    Varian sighed and exined the matter to her. Even though revealing his truebat to her was dangerous, after seeing her earlier, he felt like he could trust her.


    Sarah''s gaze rxed but soon her brows knit together.


    He knew that she was trying to understand why the Demon King himself wanted Varian dead.


    After a while, Sarah shook her head and looked at him still with that unfamiliar, cold gaze.


    "Until we can ensure you some safety, you''re not going on any mission, am I clear?" She said coldly.


    "¡­But-" Varian naturally wanted to refute.


    "Am I clear, Junior Cadet?" She raised her voice up a notch as she stood with her hands folded behind her back.


    Varian didn''t answer and looked at her cold expression. Had he not seen her reaction a few minutes ago, he''d have thought she was only angry.


    But he knew better. She was just worried. With worry came her anger.


    Through his space sense, he could even see she was clenching her fists behind her back.


    ''So you''re ming yourself for what happened to me?'' Varian fell silent.


    After the lunch of that day when he broke down, Sarah''s behavior slightly changed.


    She¡­she was careful with the words she picked. She tried to remain as cheerful as possible. But she was worried.


    She thought she was responsible for his break down that day. Even now, she must also be ming herself for allowing him into the mission despite the power to stop him.


    "There is no such thing as safety in the world we live in. I am going to take the missions, whatever the danger." He expressed his stance and tried to reason. Big mistake.


    In the end, he added. "I''m sorry for worrying you."


    "No." Sarah''s figure trembled as she looked at his calm expression. "You don''t look sorry at all."


    Why was it always her that was reacting like this?


    Even when he woke up in the hospital, she was the one getting emotional. His response was fairly calm.


    In normal times, she could stillprehend his reactions. But now¡­why is he so indifferent?


    Despite knowing that the Demon King himself was targeting him, he was still insisting on going to missions!


    With his talents and status, he could just practice indoors and still maintain a high progress rate.


    "Fine! If you want to die, then die! Who am I to stop you?" Sarah showed rage towards him for the first time and dashed away.


    Varian looked at her receding figure and sighed.


    "Master, why are you pissing her off?" Boo asked in confusion.


    As far as it was concerned, Varian had plenty of options to deal with the situation. But he chose the most destructive route.


    "S-She''s just not listening. I won''t be in danger." Varian said weakly. He had Boo and even in case he was targeted by a high awakener, there was an option to teleport out.


    "She doesn''t know I exist. To me, it looks you just want to distance yourself from her." Boo replied as it cocked its head.


    Varian gritted his teeth. Boo was right.


    He didn''t want her to be worrying about him. In fact, their rtionship was slowly growing closer.


    Given how things were going, one day, she might be extremely important. With how things went with his mother and Sia, Varian didn''t want another tragedy in his life.


    So he wanted to push her away.


    But was his choice correct?


    By pushing the ones you care about far away because you want them to be fine? Wouldn''t that hurt them more?


    What''s more, the world could very well end if the Abyss Emperor decided to intervene.


    So despite Varian''s resolve to grow strong enough to defeat Abyss Emperor, he had almost no control over how much time he had until the other party arrives.


    Heck, it could even happen this very second!


    If the world was going to end any moment, then he might as well not hurt the people he cared about.


    Varian peered his eyes and looked into the distance. Her back was about to fade away from his vision.


    Taking a deep breath, he shouted. "Wait!" And teleported towards her.


    Sarah increased her speed instead. She was really angry by his response.


    Varian tried to catch up using his body and space powers. However, a blue light covered Sarah''s body and her speed rose beyond his reach.


    In the background, Boo controlled the surveince of the region and blocked off the scenes with Varian''s teleportation.


    As he continued to chase her, the distance between them only increased.


    Soon, he could no longer see her back.


    "Ha! Ha!" Varian bent down and clutched his knees. Running at his highest speed was exhausting.


    As he tried to catch his breath, Boo spoke. "Eh? Don''t the characters in movies usually catch up in the chase and talk out things? Why did you miss, master?


    Is this Universe''s way of telling you to give up? After all, she didn''t even stop once to nce back."


    Varian cursed between his rapid breaths. "That''s moronic. If I can''t chase her by my divine path powers, I''ll chase her on a space ship. Boo, let''s go."


    The ghost ship shot into the air and in a second caught up with Sarah.


    "Eh¡­this is not cinematic at all. No protagonist would use a space ship. Master, this is not what happens in the dramas. The misunderstandings should go on for at least 100 episodes or 6 months time!"


    "Stop watching those weird shows." Varian cursed and jumped from the ghost ship appearing in front of Sarah.


    She was shocked to see someone just appear in front of her and instinctively punched out.


    Only at the final moment did she recognize the person and forcefully shifted her punch.


    "What is it?" Sarah endured the difort caused by forced change of her attack and asked cooly.


    Varian took a deep breath and said. "You know one of my secrets. I am a Space Awakener."


    Sarah''s gaze chilled. "You don''t have to worry. I won''t reveal that to anyone."


    Inwardly, she felt that something broke.


    Did he see her as that kind of person? A distrustful woman? Was that her impression on him?


    Why? Why was this hurting so much?


    It was like someone was prickling her with needles.


    Varian felt the air turned cold. Despite her best efforts, Sarah''s figure was trembling.


    ''Did she misunderstand something again?'' He facepalmed inwardly.


    "You have my promise. I hope we can not see each other again." Sarah said and was about to leave.


    "Are you not going to ask how I suddenly appeared here?" He appeared in front of her and said again.


    "That''s your secret. I don''t care. If you''re worrying, I am not going to tell others. So get out!" She replied with increasing coldness in her voice.


    She felt like he was asking her to not reveal his secrets. It was insulting!


    Varian appeared in front of her again.


    This time, Sarah''s anger shot through the roof.


    Varian said before she could st him away. "Then know one more secret."


    He caught her hand suddenly and before she could yank him off, they appeared in a blue cabin.


    Sarah was taken aback as she stared at the huge space.


    She could see almost five miles inside and it was not even ending. The ceiling itself was a few miles above.


    "Where am I?" She asked in surprise. Even though she didn''t know what it was, she already knew she stumbled onto a secret enough to shake the Sr System.

 Chapter 202: I Trust You

    <h4>Chapter 202: I Trust You</h4>


    "My secret." Varian winked and snapped his fingers with the other hand.


    The space inside shrunk in the blink of an eye and Sarah found herself in front of a window.


    Looking through the window, she saw the smoke and mes as hundreds of battle ships shed high in the air.


    Looking down, she got a bird view of the ongoing war.


    "Spaceship¡­" she muttered and looked at Varian with wide eyes. "So¡­why are you showing me this?"


    Her first question wasn''t how they directly appeared at this height. No. She was more interested in knowing why he decided to share this secret with her.


    Varian tightened the grip on her hand and said. "You''re worrying too much. With this, even if I encounter a high awakener, I can escape."


    Sarah''s figure trembled as it took her a few minutes to process the seemingly ridiculous answer.


    Varian continued with a confused look on his face. "When I asked you about my Space path, I wasn''t implying you would reveal it. I trust you."


    Sarah''s figure shook. Thinking back to the pain she felt when he uttered those hurtful words and now realizing his original intention, it was like a dam burst.


    Before she knew it, she was grabbing his color and ring into his eyes. "Then why don''t you finish everything at once, you idiot!"


    Varian smiled wryly. "My bad."


    Sarah wasn''t done as she shook him saying. "So I was the one worrying about your safety while you know you''re going to be safe all along. I must have made a fool of myself."


    "You are the only person in the academy that worries about me. Thank you." Varian said with a sincere smile.


    Every other rtionship he had was based on his potential or talent. Sarah¡­even though it went from normal teammate to a friend because he saved her, it didn''t end there.


    Sarah didn''t look at him differently after knowing that he was no longer level 2 but level 5.


    She treated him the same.


    If there was one person he deemed important in the academy, it would be her.


    "W-What¡­" Sarah''s face flushed as she was caught off guard. She hurriedlyposed herself and red at him. "Your sweet talks won''t work."


    She removed her grip from his cor and saw that he was still holding her other hand.


    Shaking her head, a question suddenly struck her mind. She looked at him with hesitation but asked anyway. "So¡­when you helped us out in the dungeon¡­when you saved me, you knew you would survive?"


    Varian was dumbfounded by her question. Her brain was working differently from his.


    If it was him in her position, he would ask about the space ship first. But she, she didn''t ask a thing about it.


    Still, it was better not to piss her off after what just happened. Misunderstandings were dangerous.


    "I did''t know." Varian said honestly. "I didn''t have ghost ship back then. I found myself in lost dungeon and had to fight¡­"


    He exined the secret he never told anyone.


    Lost Dungeon. Abyssal Clones. Ghostship. Boo.


    Varian was holding all these secrets within himself. He thought he''d never reveal them to anyone.


    Not even Kyle and Maya. Because they were notbatants and knowing this would put them in danger.


    The thought of revealing this to Seth or Evander never crossed his mind either.


    But here he was, revealing a secret that could potentially bite him back in the future, no, bite him back in the very instant.


    Sarah was stronger than him. If she decided to attack him and take the ship for herself, he''d not be able to stop her. At least in theory.


    But even though the thought crossed his mind, he striked it off. From everything he saw about her till now, he could trust her.


    So even when Sarah covered her mouth in shock, he continued with a smile.


    With another snap, the internal space expanded and they sat down on a couch facing each other.


    Boo appeared, serving tea.


    Sarah''s eyes lit up and she said. "Boo, you are cute."


    Boo blushed in front of her while it looked at Varian with a smirk.


    ''Master, even you are not called cute. But I am. Hehe.'' Boo said through their mental link.


    ''¡­you sure have a brain problem.'' Varian responded while maintaining an outward smile.


    "Phew. If you can be safe while you''re out, then I''m relieved." Sarah smiled brightly. It was truly a beautiful smile.


    Varian turned his head and coughed. "Yeah. So just don''t worry. Unless you see my corpse, never believe any news about my death. My life is tougher than a cockroach."


    Even thoughparing himself with a cockroach cringed him, it was as urate it got.


    "Heh. You are the first to call themselves that way." Sarah covered her mouth and chuckled before a solemn expression appeared on her face.


    Varian was sweating before he knew it. ''Don''t tell there''s another misunderstanding?!''


    Thankfully, it was not.


    She looked at him and said seriously. "Varian, I will never reveal about this to anyone under any circumstances. Not even to my father."


    She meant what she said. Even if she was threatened with her life, she would not utter a word.


    Varian could tell by looking at her expression. He smiled and nodded. "I trust you."


    "Y-You! Can you not say it!" Sarah''s face flushed and she stuttered.


    Why was he saying those embarrassing words with a straight face?


    Revealing a secret that could easily endanger them because of trust.


    Sarah found her previous thoughts were wrong. He didn''t see her as a distrustful person. Instead, he literally trusted her with his life.


    The previous coldness on her face had long faded, only to be reced with a cheerful and sunny expression.


    Varian spaced out a couple of times looking at her smile.


    After a moment, Sarah looked at him in surprise. "You are ''The Dreamer''?"


    Varian shrugged. "Yeah. Even though Boo''s half brain dead, still has some merits."


    "Master, I''m not brain dead. You are!"


    "Tsk. No half brain dead would agree they''re half brain dead." Varian snorted.


    "Disy the cadets'' situation." He ordered.


    Boo looked at him with a pout. Varian sighed and patted its head. "Alright. You''re a good ghost with full brain."


    Boo still pouted.


    "And a cute ghost."


    "Hehe." Boo finally smiled and disyed the holograms.


    Charles had just defeated his assassins and was heading off in Williamson''s direction.


    A few cadets died while most were alive.


    Even though she was told of Boo''s capabilities, Sarah was still shocked. After taking a look at Charles'' opponents, she realized the reason they didn''t send a high level 6 for her.


    Sarah shared her opinion. "In a way, his existence saved all our lives."


    Varian nodded. "Not like I hate him less for it."


    "Well." Sarah shrugged and switched the topic. "So¡­did you see me before you called me?"


    Varian looked at her with a strange expression and nodded. "I was keeping track of your safety. In case something goes wrong, I can take you out with Boo."


    Sarah''s expression was as ripe as a tomato and inwardly she muttered. ''I want to die. It''s so embarrassing.''


    There were a lot of questions she wanted to ask.


    Abyss Emperor. The Clones. The Devas. How he orchestrated his ''rescue event'' in the dungeon.


    But all of them took a back seat as she tried hard not bury herself under the ground.


    So he saw her crying and shouting his name?? Waah!


    "Sarah. Sarah?" Varian called her.


    "Eh? What?!" Sarah snapped out her daze and nced at him cautiously. Her heart couldn''t take any more news.


    Today, she had too many surprises.


    Varian had a super advanced ghost ship with an equally advanced AI.


    Varian was the Dreamer who was single handedly responsible for the destruction of all Abyss hideouts.


    Varian could escape even from a high awakener.


    He also had the ability to interfere with almost all technology due to Boo.


    "Don''t look at me like that. I''m not going to eat you." He chuckled.


    "Y-You pervert!" Sarah muttered.


    "...I''m sure you are the real pervert." Shaking his head, Varian snapped his fingers and in the next instant, they were back on the ground.


    He turned to Sarah. She was still amazed by the speed and stealth of ghost ship. He coughed and exined. "I informed Master about the situation and asked for help."


    Sarah''s expression suddenly turned serious. "If Abyssals send a Level 7, army will detect the aura and send a level 7 themselves. The conflict will only escte."


    Varian nodded but raised a finger. "But the first mover canunch one attack before they''re engaged with their enemy. Even though the second mover can block the attack, part of the first mover''s attack would still have to be faced by the target."


    If an Abyssal level 8 attacked theoid, the human level 8 would stop them. But because they moved second, the human level 8 would not be able topletely protect theoid.


    A part of the power would leak out.


    "So¡­" Sarah understood the implications and gasped.


    "Yeah. Thisoid is too small and doesn''t have a high awakener to protect it. If they send a few level 7 or level 8 to assassinate geniuses, even if army sends reinforcements, the leaked power from the first attacks are enough to kill us." Varian exined.


    Sarah shuddered as her expression turned bitter. "Blocking an entireoid is too expensive. Since they paid so much already, sending a couple of high awakeners to ensure the job is done is no big deal."


    Varian nodded. The question was would they send a level 7 or level 8 or level 9?


    He asked Evander toe anyway.


    "Even if we are targeted by a high awakener, we can escape with ghost ship. But that would expose Boo to the world." Varian said.


    "Since you informed my father, I''m sure he woulde." Sarah said with confidence. "You don''t know how much he wants to nurture a Sovereign¡­" She paused and looked at him with resentment and bitterness. "But you are a dual awakener like me and would never reach Sovereign state. I feel bad for keeping silent and not telling him about this."


    Even though she felt bad, she wouldn''t reveal the truth. For one, Varian wasn''t harming anyone. Two, if she did, he would be in conflict with both Xanders and her father.


    "I trust you''ll not leak it out." Varian said while he pondered over her previous words.


    He sensed something other than bitterness in her words.


    Inferiority.


    She felt inferior about never being able to reach Sovereign state. Understandably so.


    With her personality, perhaps she was always ming herself, no?


    At the thought of this, Varian pitied her.


    When he didn''t awaken in the eighteen years of his life, who did he me?


    He always med himself.


    It was him who didn''t put in enough effort. It was him who was not lucky. It always came down to him.


    Once she realized she could never be the Sovereign her father wanted, Sarah must have also started ming herself.


    ''Why am I born this way?''


    ''If only I was¡­''


    ''I''m sorry. It''s all my fault.''


    Just like him. He wished someone knocked it into his head that it was not his fault.


    No one did. But for Sarah who was facing the same situation, he would be the person he wished to have.


    Varian grabbed her by the shoulders, startling her and stared into her eyes. "Sarah."


    "Yes?" She responded stiffly.


    "I''m a man with secrets. I am revealing another secret to you. Dual Awakeners can also reach Sovereign state."


    His words were like a thunder bolt to her ears.


    Sarah paled and her lips quivered. She looked at him with a weak smile. "D-Don''t joke around."


    Varian shook his head and said word by word. "Soon, I''ll prove it to you. Until then, never me yourself that you''re a dual awakener. It''s not your fault."


    Saying that, he released his grip on her shoulders and turned around as he watched the sky. Boo showed the holograms depicting the outer space, searching for any potential threats.


    Sarah stood dumbly as she stared at his back.


    ''It''s not your fault.'' His voice yed itself again and again in her mind.


    Her heart raced and she felt a myriad of emotions washing over her.


    As she was about to open her mouth, a huge pressure descended on theoid.


    Every creature, including the Level 6 were suffocated under the massive pressure.


    The hologram in front of Varian showed a figure rapidly approaching theoid.


    He was eight meters tall. Each of his muscles were chiseled to perfection and he looked like the Abyssal version of a greek god.


    He collided with the asteroids on the way, pulverizing them as he continued unhindered.


    A space patrol unit far away had the highest rms going off.


    "Request the highest support!"


    "Energy readings exceed Level 8!"


    A Level 9 human power house was rushing to theoid at the fastest speed.


    But he would still be a momentte.


    Varian recognized the face of the iing Abyssal. He yed against his clone back in the lost dungeon.


    Demon King!

 Chapter 203: The Strength of a Sovereign!

    <h4>Chapter 203: The Strength of a Sovereign!</h4>


    Varian''s breath stopped for a moment before he tried to pulled himself together.


    He tried to control his emotions using his mind power¡ªto calm his racing heart, to stop his sweating palms and to resume his halted breath.


    Despite his best efforts, Varian felt suffocated. It was like a human facing a tsunami and realizing their insignificance.


    However, he managed to find the will to move.? As he turned around, he noticed his shirt and pants were drenched in sweat.


    The same was to be said for Sarah, who also barely recovered from the pressure.


    Varian had no time to think and grabbed her hand as he pointed to the hologram and then the ring on his finger.


    Sarah was confused for a moment before she realized his message.


    ''If things go beyond control, I''ll use ghost ship and get us out of here.'' Was his message.


    She realized the implications instantly.


    Most awakeners on thisoid would die. No. Not most. But everyone else.


    Generally, Sovereign level powerhouses kept watch on strategicoids. The likes which had Level 9s stationed on them.


    Thus, Demon King acting on thisoid was unexpected. After all, even though they were geniuses, they weren''t even high awakners.


    Even for a genius to reach Level 9, it would take many years. If these geniuses were deemed dangerous, to kill them, a level 9 Abyssal, an Abyss Archduke was more than enough.


    ''Everyone on thisoid will die.'' Sarah bit her lip until it bled.


    However, there was no time for her to think through as the pressure intensified.


    In the next moment, Demon King appeared a hundred miles away from theoid.


    He raised his hand and clenched it into a fist. In an instant, the space shook and the void started to tremble.


    From the shockwaves of that mere power, surveince ships a hundred miles away from him turned to rubble.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    In an instant, the shockwaves reached theoid.


    It was like a giant hand fanned the wind.


    The awakeners below Level 4 were blown away like pieces of paper under a thunderstorm.


    The Level 4 Awakeners dug their feet into the soil and barely stood ground.


    The Level 5s were slightly better and the Level 6s only a felt a light sting.


    Demon King''s body shone in the space like another sun. He kicked the space and shot at theoid.


    His body was akin to a meteor on course to collide with theoid. Everyone saw a bright red light approaching theoid.


    More than seeing, they felt it.


    Boom!


    Creak!


    Bang!


    It was as if magnitude 9 earthquakes erupted everywhere on theoid at once.


    Tremors ran across theoid disregarding the continents, regions and areas.


    Every hill, everyke and every tue shook.


    Creak!


    The Demon King was fifty miles away from theoid.


    The soldiers, be it human or abyssal had long stopped their actions. The Demon King''s speed was too fast.


    Even for Level 5 Awakeners, they could barely take in the changes happening.


    In their perception, in one instant, a red light shed in the sky. In the next instant, the ground started shaking.


    In the very next instant, thend under their feet started to crack as a heavy pressure descended down on them.


    Varian''s eyes widened as the description of a Sovereign''s power ran through his mind.


    ''I can destroy the world. I can protect it. I am the greatest shield, I am the sharpest sword. I am the pir of my race, the pinnacle of strength.''


    Varian knew his reaction speed wasn''t high enough. In two ''instants'' for him, the Demon King would''ve hit theoid.


    Even if Boo could take him away using the teleportation, he had to use it before the shockwaves increase and kill him.


    ''Boo, when the shockwaves turn lethal, teleport us away.'' He ordered as he tightened his grip on Sarah''s hand.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Every battle ship in the sky¡ªAbyssal or human broke down into pieces and burst like fireworks.


    In the next instant, the ground caved in. Across theoid, hills were ttened. Tsunamis rose as waves of water shot up miles high.


    The low awakeners, even peak of Level 3 started bleeding from all the orifices.


    The stronger ones¡ªthe Level 6s looked at the sky with despair.


    Some opened their mouth to shout, others raised their hands towards the sky. Many tried to run towards the base, in an attempt to escape theoid.


    But their speed was only so much. To a Sovereign, they were as fast as a tortoise.


    Before they could even shout, before they could cover their eyes with their hands, before they could even take a step, the red light intensified.


    The Demon King pulled back his fist and circted the ocean of chi in his body. His chiseled body was tuant like a bow string and the next moment, he punched out.


    All rms of the space patrol went off.


    The high awakeners in otheroids rose into the space as they watched the bright red light in horror and wonder.


    As the Demon King''s punch was about to connect, everyone had one thought in their mind.


    Despite knowing he would survive, Varian also thought of the same thing. It''s over.''


    As everyone awaited the inevitable, a blinding golden light shed and the next moment, theoid shook like someone had thrown it off course.


    A momentter, everyone on theoid found themselves miraculously alive. They looked up at the sky and their eyes widened.


    A golden giant stood in the air as his fist connected with the Demon King''s.


    The world was still for a moment before a crack sounded throughout.


    Then like a mirror was shattered, the space around them broke into pieces.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The Demon King raised his fist and punched out once again.


    Varian was able to get a glimpse of the giant above.


    Ten meters tall. A perfect body with chiseled muscles. Long golden hair and pointed ears.


    Golden Titan.


    "Gulp!" Varian swallowed and muttered. "Julius Xander''s transformation¡ªGolden Titan!"

 Chapter 204: Wrapping Up

    <h4>Chapter 204: Wrapping Up</h4>


    Julius Xander looked at Demon King and snorted. His powerful, sonorous voice, imbued with prana resounded throughout theoid.


    "I am the guardian of Earth. With me here, your paws won''t reach Earth''s cadets." He raised his deep voice and disappeared amidst the chaotic space.


    He appeared in front of the Demon King the next moment and punched him in the gut.


    Creak!!


    As the space broke, the Demon King''s figure was sted into the asteroids. He broke them one by one and was thrown tens of thousands of miles away.


    Demon King recovered the next moment and kicked out at the Julius that just appeared in front.


    Boom!


    Their kicks connected and the space shook.


    Cobweb like cracks appeared in the space as it fluctuated violently.


    The shockwaves from their sh destroyed the meteors and the chaos from their fight disabled any functioning technology within a few hundred thousand miles.


    Thankfully, they were far enough so that theoid wasn''t affected by their fight.


    "Y-You, how did youe?" Demon King gritted his teeth as he punched at Julius with disgust.


    It appeared overboard for him to personally take action. But only the insiders knew his reasons.


    Demon Abyss was the only Abyss to have its holy altar broken. They also failed to catch the culprit, Enigma.


    Demon King was also the one that gave the most reassurance to the Abyss Emperor on the previous mission to capture Ghost Ship.


    In the end, even the clone of their emperor was used. But the mission was still a failure.


    He considered himself to be the one that failed the most.


    Killing off the geniuses wasn''t important enough for him to take action. The Abyss Emperor only asked relevant people to assassinate Varian, not himself.


    However, another crucial factor prompted him to appear.


    Recently, there were rumors that humans had found a secret medicine that allows a quick advancement for higher awakeners.


    For instance, allow a Level 7 to advance to Level 8 or level 8 to level 9 and so on. The source of the said medicine was apparently Ruins.


    He didn''t know if it was true or not, but just the rumor was rming. Of course, such a medicine could not be mass produced.


    But using them on the right geniuses would spell Abyssals endless trouble.


    The longer humans developed, the more dangerous they became. Despite their internal differences, they were bridging the gap with Abyssals real fast.


    If an extra Sovereign was born¡­then it would put them in a dangerous situation.


    If that medicine was used properly, then the new Sovereign would very welle out of these geniuses.


    It might very well be Charles Xander.


    But he didn''t expect to be countered midway. It annoyed him to no end.


    "Humans are the worms we can kill whenever we want. I even despise to fight the likes of you." Demon King spat as he continued the fight.


    Julius Xander''s eyes squinted and he increased his offense.


    His huge body of ten meters had great agility. Golden Titan was one of the strongest creatures in the history of mankind.


    As a Sovereign, Julius Xander could stay in the form of Golden Titan for a long time.


    "Mark my words, Demon King. One day, you will be thrown out of the Sr System. We will take back every inch ofnd you upied!"


    As their punches turned to after images, going at many times the speed of sound, Julius gradually pushed Demon King away from theoid.


    Soon, the people on Rena could only see shes in the sky. Even the sound and shockwaves stopped reaching them.


    Varian peered through the dust all around which resulted due to the shockwaves.


    The hills around them were long gone, and the in they were in turned into a crater.


    So much dust and debris flew the moment Julius and Demon King shed that had he not put up the Space Armor, he would have been buried under it.


    Shaking his head, Varian sighed after seeing the dazed Sarah in her water armor.


    She was looking at the sky at the moment. The shes in the sky were fading, signaling the end of the conflict.


    Varian recalled the few seconds that were straight out of an apocalypse and clutched his chest as he muttered. "There is one guy stronger than Sovereign. How strong will he be? Can he destroy a with a punch?"


    Sarah shuddered and nced at him. She was about to ask him about this ''Emperor'' when she noticed Varian suddenly wink at her.


    She stopped herself and the next moment, a figure descended from the sky. Before they could even react, he quickly grabbed Varian''s shoulder.


    Sarah was about to attack instinctively but the familiar aura caused her to stop herself once again.


    It was Evander in his military uniform. He was checking Varian''s situation and heaved a sigh of relief after realizing he was fine.


    Then he quietly turned to Sarah and was about to catch her wrist to check her condition.


    Sarah stepped back and red at him. "Thank you, but no thank you. I''m fine."


    ''Is she jealous?'' Varian wondered from the side, but didn''t butt in.


    Evander shook his head and turned to Varian. With a solemn expression, he said. "I won''t ask how you did it, but you saved the lives of everyone on thisoid."


    Varian hurriedly said. "I bought an object in the ck market. It turned out to be a product of Ruins. That''s why I can contact you."


    Evander was taken aback but soon shook his head. "I''ll tell everyone that I gave the treasure to you. It''ll be more believable."


    Sarah''s mouth twitched at their dialogue.


    Varian coughed and nodded. Then, he said with a strange expression. "I expected you to send a Level 8 or Level 9. In the best case, you woulde by yourself. I didn''t expect you to call a Sovereign."


    Evander gave him a deep look. "You are carrying too much hope for me to not try my best."


    Varian stiffened for a moment before he gave a forced smile. Sarah fell silent.


    Varian was burdened by the existence of an entity stronger than the Sovereigns. The hope to survival was defeating such an entity. It was too heavy, even for him.


    Sarah, on the other hand, was afraid that Evander''s hopes would never be fulfilled since Varian was a Dual Awakener.


    Evander noticed the strange atmosphere and thought they were still affected by the battle of Sovereigns.


    "I''ll take you to the base first." He grabbed their shoulders and in a second, they appeared in the base.


    Due to the technological superiority, all bases were able to withstand the shockwaves and earthquakes.


    At most, some minor facilities were damaged.


    They appeared directly at the space station.


    Varian and Sarah saw their fellow cadets with the academy''s teachers.


    Every few seconds, a teacher would appear carrying a few cadets.


    After a few minutes, thest teacher arrived carrying a coffin and ced them beside another five.


    The cadets fell silent as they stared at the coffins. The people they wereughing and talking to a few hours ago were now gone.


    They too had been through a hellish experience.


    Every cadet standing was more or less injured. Some even lost a limb or two.


    With the current technology, limbs could be regrown in a few days. But the six deaths couldn''t be reversed.


    Evander stepped into the middle, shifting the gazes of the cadets and the teacher onto him.


    With a deep voice, he said. "This is a regrettable event. But idents don''t ur when you expect them. Since you are a soldier, be prepared for such idents.


    From our side, the academy will weed out the moles and try to prevent another event like this one. Almost everyone that leaked this news is identified and will be hanged in public."


    The cadets nodded absentmindedly.


    They were all members of the faction. Thus, their mental fortitude was one of the best.


    However, they were trying their best to not let their minds wander and were failing miserably.


    Varian could see the mix of emotions on each cadet''s face like they were performing at an audition.


    The assassinations didn''t faze them much. But the fight between Sovereigns did.


    The sheer power of a Sovereign was enough to shock them to the core. In fact, what they felt was not the power, but only the aftermath.


    But that only went onto show how strong a Sovereign truly was.


    It lit up a fire in the cadets. Their goal was not level 8 or level 9.


    It was the Sovereign state!


    Evander didn''t mind their expressions and continued. "This time, two cadets'' performance requires praise."


    The attention of the cadets, including teachers was immediately drawn.


    Two individuals popped up in everyone''s mind.


    The first was the injured but aloof Charles standing in the distance. He alone took down a dozen level 6s.


    Then he helped out the nearby cadets. Later, he nned to go to the battle field to help out the army, but his n was thwarted by the Demon King''s arrival.


    The cadets heard from the Abyssals that Charles strength forced them topromise the strength of their assassination team.


    In a sense, Charles saved many lives.


    Then there was Williamson. After clearing the Abyssals and Astor n remnants, he headed straight to the army and saved many lives.


    Everyone else, including Dhruv and Sarah were entangled by their assassins.


    So these two must be the heroes of this missio¡ª


    "Charles and Varian. These two saved your lives." Evander''s announcement caused a stir.


    Williamson''s smile stiffened as he stared at Varian in shock. ''Junior Brother, why are you snatching my praise?''


    Evander said calmly. "Charles'' strength eased everyone''s burden."


    He looked at Charles with approval to which thetter simply snorted. He didn''t forget Evander''s actions during the meeting.


    Moreover, why the heck was that Varian given an equal praise as him?


    Everyone was also curious.


    Evander answered. "Varian had a special one-time use treasure. He informed me about the situation and said there was a good chance a high awakener could attack.


    Then I contacted Sovereign Julius. He agreed immediately and you all know the rest."


    "Hiss!" Everyone took a deep breath as they stared at Varian with aplicated gaze.


    "Simple praise is of no use. So Varian and Charles will be awarded 10,000 merit points each." Evander said and concluded. "The mission is over. Back to the academy."


    Soon, they boarded the space shuttles and under the protection of the teachers and Evander himself, they return to the Academy.


    All along the way, Varian stared at his merit points like a mad man as hisughter reverberated across the space shuttle.

 Chapter 205: Undercurrents

    <h4>Chapter 205: Undercurrents</h4>


    As the cadetsnded on the peaceful grounds of the Defense Academy, hell let loose in the Demon Abyss.


    Every Abyss had a strict hierarchy. Each Abyss was treated as a kingdom and divided into several prefectures.


    Each prefecture was governed by an Abyss Archduke, a Level 9.


    A prefecture was further divided into Duchies and governed by Abyss Dukes, Level 6s.


    The Level 7 and Level 8 Abyssals were called Abyss Princes and Princesses.


    However, just like Earth, Demon Abyss had had thousands of Level 7s.


    Even though it was the title, not every Level 7 or 8 could enjoy the privileges of a prince.


    After strict screening, the most promising candidates were selected. They were then tasked with supervising the Duchies, participating in higher level military operations, strategic nning and so on.


    They received strict training in all domains necessary to be the next Abyss Ruler. As they grew, they would garner a following.


    In a sense, the most promising Abyss Prince had as much voice as any Abyss Archduke.


    The Abyss Princes were the beacon of hope and the future pirs of an Abyss.


    On this day, the five most promising princes and princesses of Demon Abyss turned into corpses.


    The Abyss Archdukes hurried to the five locations and flew into a fit of rage.


    "Enigma!" Her name resounded throughout the Demon Abyss.


    She elicited fear and hatred in equal proportions.


    Not just her deeds, but her guts were also equally astounding.


    Abyss Archdukes had to agree after seeing the words she left behind.


    On the walls of the Prince''s castle, there were a few lines in green blood.


    ''Too bad I''m not a Sovereign yet, but be prepared for the day. I''ll ughter every creature in the Abysses.''


    Despite being in high or peak Level 9, the Abyss Archdukes felt a chill down their spine.


    This was a mad woman. She would do as she said.


    If in the light, the Human Armed Forces were their greatest enemy, then in the darkness, Enigma, despite not even being a Level 9 was their nightmare.


    If one day she really reached, no, it was not question of if, but when. When she reached Sovereign state, she would single handedly kill all the Abyss Kings and Queens.


    Then just like she uprooted all Abyss underlings on Earth, she would uproot the eight Abysses from existence.


    Even now, her influence couldn''t be overstated.


    Shadow Order, the most important link for Demon Abyss'' operations on Earth, was severely affected.


    It fell from influencing regional powers of Earth like Astor n to hiding in the gutters to survive.


    Many Shadow Order members were hunted down by the so called Shadow Order. The worst thing was that Enigma herself finished off at least twenty Level 8s!


    Even for a cult like Shadow Order, Enigma was a nightmare!


    "How much time would it take?" Mendis, the strongest Abyss Archduke knit his brows and asked in irritation.


    Four holograms were propped up before him, showing four Archdukes in the sites of murder.


    No one was willing to answer his question.


    Finally, an Archduchess spoke. "Killing a Sovereign needs a lot of preparation. If we miss, the entire n will fall through."


    "And I''m asking when are the preparations going to bepleted?" Mendis''s eyes turned red as he raised his voice by a few notches.


    The corpse on the ground was his only son. The source of his pride. Now, the source of his grief.


    Just a few days ago, his son promised him that he''d be the next Abyss King and make him proud.


    ''Damn you, Enigma!''


    "Watch your tone. You''re not the only one who lost their child." Wendy said coldly.


    Mendis'' stiffened for a moment before he took a deep breath. Wendy''s daughter, who was younger than his son, was also killed.


    It was also known in their circle that Wendy spoiled her daughter the most.


    Who would''ve thought that Wendy was able to maintain that stoic face.


    "I am eager to shred Enigma to pieces." He said as he gnashed his teeth. "The sooner the better."


    "At least a year." Wendy replied after a long silence. "But once we take down Sovereign Irene Nial, Uranus will be under our grasp. Isted from the rest, Neptune will soon follow.


    Then, it will be 8 vs 6. If we use that Human Sovereign properly, then a civil war will follow."


    Wendy paused for a moment before her voice turned colder. "I will find everyone rted to Enigma and torture them for decades. As for Enigma, even if she begged for death, they won''t get it."


    This time, the four Archdukes including Mendis shivered at her coldness. He realized the most resentful one was not him, but the woman in front.


    ¡­


    On an ind on earth, there was a residence that could be called Paradise on Earth.


    Xander''s residence.


    As the unquestioned rulers of Earth, there was every bit of luxury one could and could not think on this ind.


    Thetest technology, the strongest barrier, precious medical gardens and everything one could name, they would find.


    But the most precious one was the aura crystal mine. It raised the concentration of the aura multiple times and made this ind a holy ce for Awakeners.


    In arge mansion spanning several miles, the head of Xander family and his first son were having a conversation.


    "Father, you are awesome. You controlled the rhythm of the battle right from the start." Charles said with an enthusiastic expression. His voice was filled with admiration and respect.


    The cadets who only saw Charles with an aloof expression would not believe he was capable of praising someone.


    However, the recipient of the praise, the man in front of him maintained a in expression.


    Even though his age was well over in the sixties, he looked to be in histe twenties.


    He had arge build and was easily seven feet tall. His curly golden hair and handsome face earned him the title of the most handsome Sovereign.


    His smile was said to have captivated countless girls across the federation.


    But at the moment, there was no smile on his face.


    Looking at Charles, he shook his head. "I expected more from you."


    Charles felt as if he was punched in the gut by a Level 7 Awakener.


    He tried to keep a smile on his face, but his lips just couldn''t curl up. Feeling the frustration welling inside him, he asked in a trembling voice. "What more could I have done?"


    Julius leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. "If you really want to be a Sovereign, you should at least be prepared for all circumstances.


    That¡­Varian, right? He had amunication device from the ruins to contact Evander. What about you?"


    Charles flinched as he stared at his father with a strange expression. How could he get a treasure from the Ruins when he never entered it?


    "You can always trade it. You have the connections since you are the first born of the Xander house." Julius said, rubbing the blue ring on his right index finger.


    ''I have one, but it cannot break the jammer! With my worth, I can''t afford a better quality one.'' Charles thought but he felt it was an eptable criticism. But the next words stung him like a needle.


    "I''m sure Narcis would''ve done better. He has the treasures to contact me in case of emergency." Julius added.


    Charles'' figure trembled as he said. "But those treasures are given to him by you, father. He did not ear¡ª"


    "Enough!" Julius cut him off and looked at him with visible disappointment on his face. "You are more talented than him. So I expect more of you."


    Charles didn''t know to how to feel about this man. Even though he was his first son, he always got a worse treatment.


    When he started practicing, he was hailed as the best genius in the human federation. Everyone had high hopes for him.


    Even his rivals acknowledged his efforts.


    But his father¡­even though he surpassed what his father did at the same age, he was never once approved.


    Charles knew his father loved Narcis more. But all he wanted was his acknowledgement.


    ''You have done your best.''


    ''I am proud of you.''


    ''I am happy about you.''


    Those words, he was willing to go to any lengths to hear those words.


    "I will reach your expectations." He said and his voice hardened. "I will be the one to end the abyssals."


    Julius looked at him with a frown and nodded. "We shall see."

 Chapter 206: I Am A Master At Reading Womens Emotions

    <h4>Chapter 206: I Am A Master At Reading Women''s Emotions</h4>


    The cadets returned to the academy without any problems. Of course, no one was really calm on the way back.


    Being attacked by the Demon King himself, they would not be able to feel safe for a long time.


    Thankfully, they were all sent to healing capsules.


    As they floated in the healing liquid, deprived of all senses, their anxious mind slowly settled.


    By the time they woke up, they were already at the academy.


    Varian stepped out of the capsule and sighed in nostalgia.


    At the entrance test, Abyss Duke attacked, taking everyone by surprise. He ended up in a healing capsule and woke up only after reaching the academy.


    Now, during this mission, Demon King attacked defying all expectations. Varian once again ended up in a healing capsule and only woke up after reaching the academy.


    It seemed like nothing changed¡ª


    "Varian!" Sarah and William waved at him from the corridor. With them were the members of the military and adventurers faction.


    "Sup!" Varian smiled and joined the group.


    "We''ll be having a light meeting before dispersing." Sarah said as they headed to a hall.


    William turned to him and scanned him from the tip to toe. He nodded several times with a smile, and shook his head with a frown.


    ''Does this count as ogling?'' Varian raised an eyebrow. He repeated that he was straight to William on multiple asions. But s, William doesn''t seem to be willing to give up.


    Varian leaned closer to Sarah and whispered. "He doesn''t like guys, right?"


    "Ahem." William coughed violently. He looked around and saw everyone looking at him with a smile.


    "Junior Varian, everyone can hear what you''re saying." He said with a wry smile. It was obvious given that everyone was at least a Level 5 Awakener.


    Varian showed a look of surprise and patted his chest. "My bad, my bad. I''ll speak in a lower volume."


    William hurriedly grabbed Varian''s shoulder and looked at him with a pitiful face. "Thest time you said those words, I was on the trending news. I lost so many fan girls and instead gained fan boys. Now I get at least five love letters from boys every day."


    Varian''s mouth twitched. Before this mission, such an incident did happen.


    #Support Senior William''s True Love was a trending topic.


    "Take responsibility." William said.


    "Eh?" Varian and Sarah flinched. They looked at each other and their gaze turned to William.


    Their expression implied ''Isn''t that what a woman would say?''


    The crowd also shifted their gazes between William and Varian. Some hyper active brains were already spinning stories with scenes unsuitable for children.


    Varian realized the imminent catastrophe. If he didn''t do anything, the next trending news would be the non-existent secrets of Varian and Williamson.


    To protect his reputation, Varian gritted his teeth and held Sarah''s hand.


    "Before you write your dirty fantasies, see this." He raised their hands and said.


    The crowd stared at their interlocked fingers and gaped. The gossip boiled and William''s topic was soon forgotten.


    Sarah maintained a cold face as they walked down the corridor and entered the meeting hall.


    But Varian could feel her shivering lightly.


    He realized the reason.


    ''Crap! I made her angry. She''s going to beat me up. But being beaten is better than going to headlines with William.''


    Deciding that, Varian walked with an expression of sacrifice.


    Sarah on the other hand was shivering as she was trying not to blush.''I''m sure he did this to protect himself from those nasty news. But¡­what is he feeling now?''


    She looked at Varian''s expression that contained a mix of pain and helplessness.


    ''Y-You! Why are you putting on that expression for? I''m being taken advantage of! Not you! Varian, you need a beating or what?'' Sarah tightened the grip on his hand.


    "Ouch." Varian felt the pain from his hand and looked at Sarah. Seeing her smiling face, and angry eyes, he confirmed that he was in trouble.


    So he did the one thing he needed to do.


    ''Boo, write on my tomb: Varian died because he rejected Sarah''s advances and she beat him up.''


    ''M-Master, that''s too shameless.''


    ''Tsk! You don''t understand. I am a master at reading women''s emotions.'' Varian said with a sagely expression showing ''I am the pick up artist''.


    ''Master, I don''t believe it.'' As a clever little ghost, Boo, of course wasn''t convinced. ''Give me evidence. Tangible evidence.''


    Varian''s face was tangled as he tried to think of something.


    Sarah saw Varian was ignoring her and gritted her teeth. ''At least ask me why I increased my grip! You wood!''


    In an attempt to knock some sense into him, she increased the grip on his hand.


    Varian felt the increasing force on his hand and snapped his fingers in realization.


    Sarah looked at his expression and smiled. ''Not bad. At least you realized that I was feeling embarrassed. Now tell me you''re also feeling embarrassed or something.''


    Varian, however, ignored Sarah and rubbed his chin with a wise expression. It was like he realized the truth of life.


    ''Boo, she doesn''t want to leave me forever. Look at how tightly she is clutching my hand, even if I¡ªouch!''


    Before he could finish his bragging, he flinched. He turned to Sarah to say she could beat him upter.


    But looking at her beautiful smile, he gulped down and turned away. Usually, the more she smiled in such situations, the greater the trouble.


    Sarah was mad inside. ''Varian, I must be crazy for thinking you could pick up some cues.''


    Varian didn''t know there was a drama going inside Sarah''s head. he was busy talking to Boo.


    ''Once I reach Level 6, let''s see what you will do.'' He thought.


    Even though he was feeling the pain from Sarah''s grip, he needed to maintain his impable impression in front of Boo. As for Sarah beating him upter, he could cover it up as ''Practice.''


    Varian smiled at Sarah and she smiled back while increasing the grip.


    Pretending as if the pain didn''t exist, he smiled smugly. ''See Boo, look at how happy she is. She can''t even stop smiling. You have a lot to learn from me. But don''t worry, one day, you will find the ghost made for you.''


    ''Yes. Yes.'' Boo nodded as it browsed the meta.


    The article titles had something inmon.


    ''How to serve a delusional master?''


    ''Help! My Master thinks he knows how to pick up women, but in truth, his EQ is in the negatives!''


    ''How to help your master pick up girls!''


    Inside the ghost ship, Boo patted its chest and muttered with a serious expression. "A great man once said, ''If you grew up as a virgin, it''s not your fault. But if you died a virgin, it''s definitely your fault''. Don''t worry, master, Boo will teach you the perfect skills."


    Varian didn''t know Boo''s actions.


    After they sat down in the meeting hall, a teacher announced the achievements of each faction and each student.


    Charles was absent from the meeting. Apparently, he was summoned by his father.


    So,? Varian''s achievements drew the most attention.


    Killing a high level 5 and many mid level 5s!


    It was unprecedented for a first year!


    Besides, this meant Varian''s actual ranking was likely in the top 100 of Honor List! He was one of the top 100 of the academy!


    It was not even two months since he was enrolled!


    Varian''s standing suddenly elevated. Even though they didn''t say it out loud, everyone realized Varian''s potential was way above Charles.


    Earlier, they thought Varian was slightly above Charles in terms of potential. After all, Varian advanced to level 5 in first semester, while Charles did it in second semester.


    But this mission roved them wrong.


    Varian''s strength was actually high level 5! He reached it just half way through first semester.


    Charles reached that level by the end of third semester and it was rumored he found a precious herb that boosted his progress.


    All this proved Varian''s actual potential was much higher.


    His gap with Charles was destined to be reduced and in a few years, he could even surpass Charles.


    So the cadets decided to form a good rtionship with Varian. Even if they couldn''t, they must not sour ties with him.


    After the meeting, everyone thanked Varian with great enthusiasm.


    Varian responded calmly and exchanged contacts with a few important individuals. The problem came when a few girls looked at him thirsty eyes.


    Thankfully, Sarah''s presence deterred them from pouncing on him. So they settled for a few pics and opened ''Varian''s fanclub''.


    Dhruv and Mia also expressed their gratitude.


    "Junior Varian, I was worried about our faction''s future. But with you here, no one can shake our position." Mia said with a cheerful smile.


    "Yes. You will be in the academy for three years anyway." Dhruv added calmly.


    ''Wait, don''t raise any gs!'' Varian''s face twitched.


    "We''ll keep going. Varian has an important thing to do." Sarah abruptly said.


    Dhruv and Mia looked at each other before they smiled at him. "We understand. We understand. Just don''t let your personal affairs interfere with your professional life."


    Varian felt the force on his hand increase as he nodded with an awkward smile.


    "Varian, let''s go." Sarah said and walked out of the building.


    Anna was waiting for them outside. She was about to ask about their experiences, but looking at Sarah''s expression, she stayed silent and took them to thebat room in Sarah''s home.


    Varian didn''t resist the inevitable.


    He sighed deeply and looked into the beauty''s eyes. "Sarah."


    "Yes?" Sarah raised an eyebrow as she stood in her whitebat clothes.


    If it was at normal times, he would have praised her beauty and slipped out of the situation. But now, he only feared for his little life.


    "Don''t beat me too hard." Varian said slowly.


    "Hehe!" Sarah smiled and raised her fist


    "Argghhh!" His shouts resounded throughout the residence.

 Chapter 207: Varians Standing In the Academy

    <h4>Chapter 207: Varian''s Standing In the Academy</h4>


    "Utilize your mid sem break properly. Your tests are right after the break. You can stay on campus if you wish. Honor to Humanity." A woman, apparently in her fifties with auburn hair and yellow pupils, addressed the audience.


    Cadets of the three years were all seated in the spacious auditorium which could easily amodate thrice their current number.


    After Valery, their vice dean and a veritable Level 9 finished her speech, the cadets stood up and shouted. "Honor to Humanity."


    Soon, in an orderly fashion, the third year cadets seated in the front began to exit.


    Varian stood up and was about to ask "What are you going to do in this break?" before he realized he was sitting with the first years and not with Sarah.


    Worse, the entire row he was seated in was empty as if he was a bane.


    After seeing the notification about mid-sem meeting, he rushed to the auditorium.


    The noisy first years went silent at his arrival.


    Both Narcis and Ryan silently vacated their seats and sat in the back.


    The first years looked at him with aplicated expression. Thest time they saw him was in the mission hall.


    Then Varian simply vanished for a month. Everyone gradually forgot him. He went on from the cheating first ranker to a forgotten nobody.


    His return, however, was nothing short of legendary.


    Right after entry, he was responsible for the firing of first year Supervisor, Knox. He became the disciple of their dean, Evander.


    That very day, he beat the crap out of Narcis. Then he went onto grab a spot in the Honor List.


    There were also rumors about his ster performance in a recent mission on aoid.


    If the rumors were to believed, his contribution was on par with Charles Xander, the strongest cadet!


    Any of these aplishments were enough for a first year to brag. But as all these converged onto a single person, they sadly realized that they and Varian did not belong to the same world.


    With his strength and merit points, he could even graduate and enlist into the military already.


    And they¡­most of the first years only reached the peak of level 2 and were preparing to advance to Level 3.


    If nothing unexpected happened, they would take a year and advance to Level 4 in their fourth semester.


    Then with continuous struggle for resources, practice and experience, they would reach Level 5 in their final semester and graduate.


    That was their finishing line.


    However, Varian''s starting point was at their finishing line.


    To put this into perspective, there were around two thousand cadets for each year, give or take a hundred.


    Varian''s strength reached top 100 ording to the rumors. Even discounting the rumors, he stood at top 400.


    It essentially meant, he was stronger than¡ªmost of the third years, almost all the second years and definitely all the first years.


    Every first year had one regret. If they treated him normally in the early days, they''d have had a chance to be associated with the greatest genius in the academy.


    But s, opportunities waited for none.


    Now, in fear of retaliation, they didn''t even dare to talk to him.


    "Whatever. It''s not like I''m going to attend the sses or anything." Varian looked at his peers that were still avoiding him and shook his head.


    In the beginning, they avoided him to avoid angering Charles.


    Now, they avoided him out of fear of angering him.


    ''It''s not like I asked for it, but being feared is totally fine with me.'' Varian smiled as he exited the auditorium.


    His presence attracted the attention of second and third years, not to mention the teachers.


    Varian was growing ustomed to being a center of attention, and didn''t shy away from any gazes.


    He walked along the wide roads of the academy and soon reached a park.


    Richard was waiting in a pavilion beside a pond.


    After learning about the mid-sem break, Varian asked Richard for a small favor.


    Seeing him, the old man let out a smile and appeared in front of him in an instant.


    "Greetings, Young Master." Richard said with an enthusiastic smile and tapped hism. "Your work is done. Please check if there are any omissions."


    A hologram appeared in front of him showing a small building. With sleek white walls and shiny ck roof, it was a modest house.


    Forget about Sarah''s mansion, even his residence in Silver Community was far, far luxurious.


    But this small house with no special qualities whatsoever made his heart skip a beat.


    Varian gulped down and clicked on the hologram.


    With a pop, it showed the interior.


    A small but lovely kitchen, a living room with two couches, two bedrooms and a guest room.


    Varian zoomed in on one bedroom and spotted many hologram posters on its white walls.


    They were stripes of news articles, interviews of Sovereigns, reports of Pluto War and so on.


    As he looked at those scrambled yet carefully picked pieces, a smile broke out on his face as he recalled the memory of each and every piece.


    "Young Master. Young Master?"


    "Huh?" Richard''s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.


    Varianposed himself and said calmly. "I''m fine. Just¡­I feel nostalgic."


    Richard nodded with an understanding smile. "It''s your home for seventeen years after all. Thankfully, the housing department server had a scan of the home. Otherwise, it''d have been much harder to replicate it 100%."


    Varian''s home was destroyed under the attack of the Fire Wolf. With the insurance money, he had the option to build it back.


    But he chose to run away and sold the house.


    It was only now that he managed to gather the courage to live between those same walls.


    Richard helped him out with the procedures and used his influence to perfect replicate the house.


    "Thank you. If I did everything by myself, It''d have taken at least a week." Varian expressed his gratitude.


    Richard just smiled and transferred the ownership virtually. "I just added some security measures, Young Master. I hope you like them."


    Varian nodded and bid his goodbye.


    Richard flew off with a mysterious smile as he his words lingered in the air. "I''ll see you soon."


    ''Is it necessary to maintain a sense of mystery?'' Varian clicked his tongue and answered Sarah''s call.


    The hologram popped up showing Sarah in her ck sports bra and leggings¡ªher uniform to meditate.


    Covering her mouth, she said with an exaggerated expression "Am I hallucinating? Are you really willing to stop your practice?"


    Varian said with a serious expression. "I''m not the one sitting in training room. You are. Besides, you look good in ck clothes. Never put on white again."


    White clothes¡­she wore them forbat. To be precise, when she wanted to beat him, ahem, forbat practice.


    Sarah rolled her eyes. As if she thought of something, her gaze towards him turned weird.


    "Don''t give me that look. Ask whatever is on your mind." Varian hurriedly said.


    If there was one thing he learnt from Boo''s lectures on social interactions these days, it was that he needed to observe the other party''s expression and decide how they were feeling.


    "Are you really taking six month''s worth of food with you?"


    Varian puffed out his chest and said. "I just asked Anna for a month''s food. Who knew she would cook extra? But I can''t let her hard work be wasted. Even if I have to sacrifice myself, I will devour, I mean, I will finish everything."


    At this moment, Anna''s face appeared in the hologram. She said with a pitiful smile. "They''re all made of precious things. Wuu, If you don''t bring me something good, I''ll protest that you are bullying me."


    ''Bully you? A level 8 maid?''


    Varian''s face twitched but he said with an unwavering expression. "Worry not. When I ascend to the throne, you shall be the head maid of my pce."


    Anna almost cursed him on the spot. ''So even if I grew old, you''d still want me to cook?! Hmph!''


    Perceiving the maid''s cold smile, Varian hurriedly closed the call and boarded the hover cab.


    As the warm suns'' rays permeated the windows and shone on him, the AI asked.


    "Sir, your destination?"


    Varian thought for a moment before replying. "Academy of Sciences."


    Kyle and Maya, here Ie.

 Chapter 208: Academy of Sciences

    <h4>Chapter 208: Academy of Sciences</h4>


    Varian rubbed his eyes to verify he had toe to the right address once again.


    Earth Academy of Sciences was enclosed in a gigantic wall, with an enormous translucent hemispherical barrier starting at the top of the walls. It covered every inch of the sky above the campus that not even a fly could enter.


    The only way to enter the academy was the twelve gates.


    Each gate was a dark blue color with shades of red and stood a hundred meters high and five hundreds wide.


    Varian recognized the material to be Forium, an alloy that was said to withstand the attack of even a Level 8 Awakener.


    More over, each gate had twelveser cannons along with other weapons in case an intruder tried to break in.


    But looking at the garrison of nearly five hundred troops at each gate, Varian wondered if there was really a need for such a tough gate.


    The Military Academy of Sciences looked like an army fortress than an academy.


    What about Imperial Defense Academy? Despite having defense in their name, they didn''t even have a barrier.


    Varian could already imagine Evander''s exnation. "As aspiring warriors, you do not need barriers. You need to be the barriers!"


    Shaking his head, Varian walked to the security check point in front of the gate.


    Usually, visitors weren''t allowed. But since it was the mid-sem break, Varian would be able to get in.


    Or so he thought.


    "Excuse me?" He raised an eyebrow as he shook his Student ID.


    The guard at the check point shook his head and replied indifferently. "You need to contact the student you areing for. I will verify and let you in."


    "But I can''t contact him. He is likely busy. Besides, I''m on his form as a close friend." Varian showed the form where Kyle mentioned his rtionship with him.


    The guard still shook his head.


    The people behind him in the queue were already impatient.


    "Young man, move. Don''t waste our time."


    "Yeah. My baby is also waiting inside."


    "I''m not looking down on you, but my boy is going to win the Chista award. I booked the best room in the riverside restaurant."


    Varian looked at the eager parents and rtives with a frown.


    He thought of asking Boo to fake the call, but it was too risky if someone found out.


    Suddenly, he pped his forehead and showed a badge. It was the blue metallic badge with an ''E'' carved over it. Evander gave it to him as the symbol of their master-disciple rtionship.


    "This¡­" The guard was about to shoo him away, but the words were caught in his throat as he stared at the badge.


    The scanning device shone blue before turning bright green.


    "Please get in. Would you like to have me take you to the one you want to visit?" The guard''s attitude flipped and he said in a respectful tone.


    The crowd behind was also silenced.


    As expected, once your strength crossed a certain level, the privileges would follow.


    But Varian didn''t show any arrogance. The guard was simply doing his duty.


    So he said calmly. "It''s my first time here. I''ll have to trouble you to show me around."


    "No trouble." The guard called his colleague and after handing him over the task, he led Varian into the campus.


    "Son of a¡ª" Varian nearly cursed at the sight.


    Smooth blue roads branched in all directions all the way to the horizon. After a second look, Varian realized they looked blue as they were reflecting the sky.


    People stepped on the road at one location and appeared at another.


    Artificial Teleportation!


    As Varian stepped on the road, a soft yet undeniably mechanical voice greeted him directly in his mind.


    "Hello dear guest Varian, where would you like to go?"


    Artificial Telepathy!


    As he was still taking in the technology, the guard said. "Mr. Varian, you want to? meet Kyle, right? Since he is a first year, he should be in the Virtue Hall. Today, the results of first years'' work in the first half of the sem would be announced. Then, they are given a break."


    Varian thanked him and thought of ''Virtue Hall''. The world blurred and Varian felt the space around him warp.


    The next thing he knew, he was already standing in front of arge dome shaped building.


    It was made of a crystal pink material and just by looking at it, Varian felt his mind calm down.


    The guard appeared beside him and exined. "This is Chita, a precious alloy from the Ruins. It has an excellent effect on calming minds.


    Usually, students have to pay their schr points to enter this building. For today, it''s free."


    "Oh!" Varian gave him a surprised nod and entered the building.


    Soon, he passed through the hallways and silently walked into the meeting.


    Around a thousand students were seated across multiple levels in a semi circr seating.


    Varian and the guard sat at the back as they tried to find Kyle.


    The speaker on the stage was an a middle aged man with long beard and bald head.


    The ceremony seemed to be ending.


    The speaker first criticized the quality of the first years'' work, then praised the rigor of the academy''s research and finally announced the awards one by one.


    As the guard exined to him along the way, Varian understood that Cista awards were something equivalent to the silver list.


    Basically, the top ten ranking of the first year.


    "Third position¡ªUmar. He fixed a bug in the enclosure of¡­"


    "Second position¡ªSamantha. She found a loophole in the aura¡­."


    Varian''s eyes wandered across the students as he tried to find Kyle and Maya.


    "First position¡­we have a special situation. There are two winners." The host said, surprise evident in his tone.


    It must be extremely rare or even unprecedented. But Varian didn''t care until¡ª


    "Kyle and Maya. For your contribution in teleportation and aura circuits, you both have won Cista prize."


    Varian abruptly looked at the stage and found the nine rankers along with the host.


    Despite the apuse of the crowd, Kyle and Maya did not appear.


    "Kyle and Maya, your second call. Pleasee onto the stage."


    Varian''s brows knit together.


    "Final call."


    The apuse stopped. The host awkwardly ended the ceremony and left the venue.


    Varian sensed something was wrong and looked at the guard. The guard was looking at him with worried eyes.


    Perhaps he thought Varian would thrown a tantrum. After all, in his eyes, Varian was now a Young Master belong to Evander''s family.


    "T-Take me to his dormitory." Varian said, barely controlling his anxiety.


    Kyle liked to show off every achievement. He did the same when he was the first in the entrance test.


    How could he be absent for such an important meeting?


    On the other hand, Maya was not the type to skip on such ceremonies.


    ''Something is wrong.'' He knew it instinctively.


    "Please follow me." The guard said with even more anxiety as he led Varian to the blue road and they teleported to a smallmunity of vis.


    Like Amethyst Community, there were guards outside preventing unauthorized entry.


    However, the one with Varian hurriedly said something to them and they gave way to him with a respectful expression.


    Of course, they weren''t being stupid.


    If Varian did anything wrong, the surveince would record the whole sequence and punish him severely.


    They just didn''t want to offend him for something like an entry pass that he could easily get.


    Varian stood in front of a small vi and took a deep breath.


    Calming down his racing heart, he stormed inside and spread his senses.


    He heard the ngs of metal and a faint breathing sound.


    Whoosh!


    He dashed to the basement and found a sleepy figure on a chair, testing a metal sheet on the desk with a scarper.


    His hair was overgrown, and he looked unkempt. His body was frail and he looked like he could be blown away by the wind.


    However, he would scribble something down every once in a while and change the metals before shaking his head and tearing the papers in rage.


    He mumbled something weakly which Varian would''ve missed if not for his high senses. "Failed again."


    Then the figure started drawing a design on the paper before eventually energy left its body and it copsed on the desk.


    "Kyle!"

 Chapter 209: An Old Friend

    <h4>Chapter 209: An Old Friend</h4>


    Varian appeared in front of Kyle and frowned. Without dy, he took out a 6-star healing potion and poured it onto his friend''s frail back.


    Kyle was taken aback by an intruder and was about to open his mouth. But as the cool liquid seeped into his skin, a soothing sensation assaulted his senses.


    His eyelids turned impossibly heavy and despite himself, he dozed off.


    The guard on the side felt his heart stop.


    When Varian opened the healing potion, he sniffed a bit of its aroma and felt his blood rumble.


    ''This is a 6-star healing potion!'' He recognized and stared at the discarded vial with glittering eyes.


    A 6-star healing potion was expensive, to say the least. It was mainly used to treat deep injuries for level 6 Awakeners.


    But as a side effect, it could rejuvenate and soothe one''s mind.


    Despite being a Level 5, the guard could only afford three potions with his monthly sry.


    Ding!


    As he was still reeling in the shock, a white sphere flew towards Varian shing green light.


    It was the caretaker bot.


    For some passionate students that just wanted to drown themselves in research, the caretaker bot would help them sustain themselves alone for months.


    The specific performance depended on the setting. Looking at the young student that resembled a thin branch, it looked like his condition was ''survival''.


    "Mr. Varian, the bot will inform the authorities of intruders." The guard suddenly said, his voice growing weak.


    Of course, since Kyle included Varian as one of the close people in his forms, Varian had legal permission to visit him.


    But entering the home still needed Kyle''s permission¡­which they conveniently neglected.


    Now the bot would inform the higher-ups, the guard could only hope things would smooth out.


    ''I thought Kyle was in a normal state. Once this Young Master sees his friend, I could simply go back. Who knew¡­'' He rubbed his forehead, already foreseeing a turmoil.


    "Eh?!" Contrary to his expectations, the bot paused midway and returned to its position.


    ''How did he do that? Or did Kyle program the bot to allow this Young Master''s arrival?'' He wondered but did not ask.


    Varian, on the other hand, had no intention to reveal it was Boo''s doing.


    He ordered the caretaker bot to give Kyle a thorough cleaning.


    As the bot carried Kyle to do its thing, Varian knit his brows and scanned the basement.


    Its walls were coated with a special white alloy¡ªDokium, 20mm of which was said to withstand the blows of even peak Level 5 Awakener.


    ''Why are there so many cracks on the walls?'' Varian nced around and spotted at least forty such cobwebs like cracks on the Dokium coated walls.


    Whatever Kyle was doing, it was a destructive weapon. Varian found a few full-body armors and it only reinforced the idea.


    He walked to the living room and sat on the couch, tapping impatiently.


    The bot was sure taking its time.


    "Does the academy know?" Varian asked the guard who was sitting in front. Despite trying to hold back, dissatisfaction was evident in his tone.


    If this was the best this academy cared for its students, then one might as well not join it at all.


    The guard replied as he leaned forward, clearly anxious. "I''m sure the management is not aware of his condition. No one here is stupid enough to watch a Cista prize winner wither away, right?"


    Varian closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he fell back into the couch.


    ''Why?'' As he hunted for the possibilities, Varian saw a discardedm at the other end of the couch.


    "Fuck!"


    It clicked!


    Varian held them and tried to control his breath. ''Boo, check out thest time it was opened.''


    Since he couldn''t ess others''m, Boo would.


    In the next instant, Boo replied. "Master, it was four weeks ago."


    "I knew it!" Varian mmed his fist into his palm and said, startling the guard.


    Under the gaze of the guard, Varian stood up and walked to and fro along the corridor.


    Varian''s excited face was soon under tension as he rushed out of the home.


    "Stay here and look after Kyle." With those words, he disappeared into the distance.


    After a few minutes, Varian returned with a relieved face.


    "Is everything alright?" He couldn''t help but inquire.


    Varian halted for a moment before nodding. "More or less."


    He went to check on Maya. Well¡­they were really made for each other.


    At least the caretaker bot in her home maintained her like a human. But she too was on the verge of copse.


    Like Kyle, Maya too didn''t open herm for four weeks.


    ''They fought because of me? Is that it or am I being too narcissistic?'' Varian tapped his chin and waited.


    ''Sir, Kyle is¡ª''


    Whoosh!


    Varian ignored the bot and stormed into the room.


    "Purr¡­Hum¡­" He was greeted by the snoring sounds of Kyle who curled up on the bed, in fresh clothes.


    ''Sir, Kyle is sleeping.''


    Varian heard theplete sentence and took a deep breath. Kyle probably didn''t sleep well for a long time. His body must be yelling at him for sleep, so he might as well let him.


    ''It''s just a few hours.'' Varian walked back to the living room with a calm face.


    He chatted with the guard to kill time.


    "What if an intruder enters the academy with a badge? Wouldn''t you be in trouble for allowing him?" He asked with crossed arms.


    The guard shook his head and smiled. "Even though I''m not privy to all information, I know that such badge is very rare, even among the major powers.


    Only important candidates who are to carry the power forward get those badges."


    "So I got in a pass because of the badge?" Varian raised an eyebrow.


    "Your rtionship with Kyle is clear in his admission forms. The badge allowed you in despite you not having specific permission for the meeting.


    I know you''re worried about security, but trust me, every movement of ours is under surveince.


    If you were not Kyle''s rtive, we would have not let you in despite the consequences." The guard exined seriously.


    Varian secretly sighed in relief.


    At that moment, Boo''s voice sounded in his mind. ''Mater, I''ve found a relevant video taken by the surveince near your tomb.''


    Varian closed his eyes and a video started ying in his mind''s eye.


    Kyle knelt in front of his tomb as he presented a set of full body armor pieces.


    "I am making a weapon. It will be super powerful." He said with a resolute face before embarrassment crept in.


    "It''s¡­not working now. But soon, it will."


    Varian watched as the conversation shifted to Kyle and Maya''s rtionship.


    "I cannot spend time with you like before. I don''t want to drag you." Kyle said slowly.


    Maya covered her mouth and took a step back.


    "So if you want to stop our rtionship, you can."


    p!


    "Kyle!" After pping him, she stormed out of the cemetery with tears streaming down her cheeks.


    Kyle looked at the sky and returned to his dormitory.


    Then they both indulged in their madness.


    ''So¡­I am the one responsible?'' Varian''s face twitched.

 Chapter 210: The First Step

    <h4>Chapter 210: The First Step</h4>


    ''If I had sent that message an hour earlier, nothing would''ve happened.'' Varian shook his head in silence.


    As he noted how his absence affected his friends, he heard a very soft murmur. "W-Where?"


    Whoosh!


    Varian''s figure blurred and dashed to the bedroom.


    The sheer speed broke the furniture in the room.


    Without heeding any care, Varian stepped in and saw Kyle slowly sitting on the bed.


    His body was now halfway between a skeleton and a human.


    With each passing second, the healing potion continued to work its miracle and revert him to a functional human.


    Kyle didn''t have any of those things in mind. After realizing he was alive and in his bedroom, his eyes widened and he gasped.


    "My log papers!" He clutched the quilt and was about to move.


    Thanks to the newfound energy in his body, he almost did.


    Pa!


    A few papers pped him on the face and Kyle touched his stinging cheek. He was about to yell at the attacker, but his gaze was attracted by the papers.


    Leafing through them one after another, he sighed in relief and patted his chest. "Good. Good."


    It was only then that he realized his situation. Someone entered his home, treated him, and even saw his papers¡­


    "Prof¡ª?!" Kyle tentatively called as he turned around.


    It was likely his mentor and professor who was worried about him and entered the building.


    The problem was¡ªthe caretaker bot should''ve already informed the security of the intrusion.


    Even if it was a professor, intruding into someone''s research area was a crime.


    But halfway through, Kyle''s eyes widened and he froze in shock.


    A handsome young man stood at the door with crossed arms as he looked at him with absolute despise.


    He was d in a in white shirt and ck pants. Just by standing there, he emitted an aura of aloofness.


    If he didn''t know better, Kyle would''ve thought he was a Young Master.


    "Varian!" Kyle yelled in joy. "I am not dreaming, am I? Are you really alive? Hahaha! I knew it. Only good guys like me die early¡ª"


    Bam!


    A pile of papers mmed on him and halted his endless questions.


    Kyle threw them to the side and staggered to Varian with his still weak legs. He scanned Varian from head to toe and said in a weak voice.


    "Brother, you have no idea how worried I was. We''re not sleeping without getting drun¡ª"


    Before Kyle reached him, Varian threw another pile of papers at him.


    Bam!


    And another.


    Bam!


    And another.


    "Damn! Why the hell did you bring up all those papers? Wait, why are you throwing them at me?" Kyle said with resentment as he stood in the pile of papers that reached his calf.


    Right after that, he shook his head and smiled brightly once again. "Whatever, life was hell. I want to get out and eat some good food. My treat, let''s go!"


    Varian finally spoke. "Idiot."


    "Huh?" Kyle was taken aback before shaking his head. "My IQ is infinitely more than yours."


    "You both are idiots!" Veins popped up on Varian''s forehead as he growled. "Why the fuck did you both remove yourms? You believed I died?"


    Kyle''s face paled and he tried to force a smile. "I waited for many days¡­"


    Varian swiped hism and showed the message he sent. "If you just waited a day, no, an hour, you would''ve received the news."


    "You must be kidding!" Kyle rubbed his eyes and grabbed hism from Varian''s hands.


    After finding the unread message from Varian, his shoulders slumped. "Fuck! I am such an idiot!"


    "Yes, you are!" Varian gritted his teeth. "IQ my ass. Even Maya did the same thing."


    "Maya¡­" Kyle froze for a moment before muttering. "How is she?"


    Varian took deep breaths to control himself. "Just a bit better than you."


    "So she''s fine." Kyle felt like a weight was lifted off his chest.


    "We''ll talk after you make up with her," Varian said and grabbed him abruptly.


    "Wait! I''m just in my pajamas! This is the worst patch off!" Kyle''s protests were ignored as Varian carried him out of his vi and soon stepped into Maya''s vi.


    "Young Master Varian?¡­Young Master Kyle?" An old woman looked at them in surprise.


    She was Maya''s maid and the sole person responsible for Maya not being another skeleton-like Kyle. She took care of Maya''s daily needs without intervening in her work.


    Varian knew her as Kyle dragged him to Maya''s home when he had to meet her parents.


    He nodded at her.


    Sabina opened the door and smiled. "Pleasee in. Young Miss is waiting."


    Varian looked at the silent Kyle and sighed. Stretching his arm, he threw Kyle in.


    Boom!


    Kylended exactly in front of Maya. He looked at her pale face and sunken red eyes.


    ''I hurt her back then¡­now what should I do? She must be hating me r¡ª''


    "Euk?" Kyle was dumbfounded as Maya threw herself into his arms.


    "Woo~ I didn''t know you missed me so much that you didn''t even take care of yourself properly!" Maya sobbed as she hugged him tighter.


    ''Huh?'' Kyle was taken aback but fortunately, he didn''t raise the question.


    "I-I should''ve tried to understand you better. You lost your best friend and your girlfriend broke up with you in anger.


    B-But at least take care of yourself! I-I don''t need you to write those poems missing me." Maya''s voice turned weak as her face flushed. Any male would''ve had his heart race looking at the tear-stricken beauty.


    Kyle''s heart raced for a different reason. ''Wait, poems? Even if you put a gun on my head, I can''t write anything resembling a poem!''


    Maya didn''t notice and continued. "I-I wasn''t really angry¡­but you didn''t contact me after that day.


    I thought you were engrossed in your research and forgot about me."


    ''You''re almost right.'' Kyle patted her on the back and closed his eyes.


    "But it turns out¡­you were feeling guilty of saying those mean words¡­so you avoided me." With those words, Maya broke downpletely as tears left her eyes like a dam was burst open.


    "Me¡­I just wanted to numb myself with research. I was hurt¡­I wanted to avoid you so much that I didn''t even use mym and forbade Sabina from saying anything about the outside world." Maya choked as she muttered those words.


    "It''s fine. We all make mistakes." Kyle patted her back, realizing that she had thinned down considerably.


    They stayed in the position for a few minutes before Kyle felt his legs go numb. He started a topic. "Varian is¡ª"


    "Alive." Maya cut him off and giggled. "This is the best day. I am so happy."


    Then she patted her forehead and said. "Oh wait, is Varian still outside? He only stayed here for five minutes. He gave all your poems before leaving saying that he''ll bring you back. Those poems, I-I like them¡­I will treasure them."


    Saying so, Maya stood up and walked towards the door.


    Kyle took the chance to grab a few papers from the pile beside the couch.


    "Our bond is stronger than nuclear force,


    Our reach is greater than gravity,


    Whenever I see you, Electromaic force courses through my veins.


    Our love is the unifying theory."


    ''Wait, what?'' Kyle''s face alternated between a mix of surprise and disbelief. ''How could there be such a great poem?''


    Then he grabbed another sheet.


    "They say light is particle and wave,


    I say you are my light and darkness,


    Even with refraction¡­"


    ''Damn! Write that down! Write that down!'' Kyle started copying the poems with hism.


    Varian entered inside as Maya kept chirping questions.


    Inside his mind, Boo''s curious voice sounded.


    ''Master, is she really gonna believe those poems are written by Kyle?''


    ''Yes.'' Varian rolled his eyes inwardly while he ruffled Maya''s hair.


    ''No way! Besides, even a ghost like me doesn''t dare to call them poems. I never knew you asked me topile them for this use.'' Boo''s trembling voice sounded.


    ''Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.'' Varian raised his eyes and said with a profound expression.


    ''Is it okay to lie to Maya?''


    ''Maya will soon find out it wasn''t Kyle writing those poems.'' Varian said as he sat on the couch facing Kyle and Maya.


    ''Then wouldn''t Maya get angry?''


    ''It''ll be alright by then. Maya is not actually forgiving him because he wrote those things. She wants to forgive him and she found that he wrote those things.'' He smiled.


    Varian said to both Boo inside and Kyle and Maya outside:


    "Sometimes, to mend a rtionship, all you have to do is to take the first step."


    He didn''t know then¡­that first step for him was much, much harder than he could''ve imagined.

 Chapter 211: Kyle, Face The Judgement

    <h4>Chapter 211: Kyle, Face The Judgement</h4>


    After some brief talking, they had a light meal and ¡­some heavy alcohol.


    "Huek! You worry me all the time." Kyle confessed with a flushed face as he downed another cup.


    Maya elbowed Kyle and said with a hazy re. "You shouldn''t be the one saying it. You think I''ll forgive your harsh words, euk!"


    Varian watched them leisurely. He drank six times their amount but still couldn''t get drunk. As a Level 5 Awakener, his body had high resistance.


    Wines were also ssified into 9 stars. They cost a tonne of karma points and only well-off people would be able to afford it.


    However, his goal now was not to get drunk.


    He looked at Kyle who was slowly swinging to and fro on his chair and asked. "Kyle, about my tomb¡­"


    "Huek!" Kyle almost jumped from his seat before peeking at Varian. Realizing that his friend was not angry, he hurriedly sat down, almost crashing onto the seat due to his dizziness.


    Thus, with newfound courage, he gulped another cup and mmed it on the table.


    Bam!


    "Your tomb. It''s my idea." His eyes shone with vigor.


    "We couldn''t even find your remains, but a tomb must be Heuk! built." Kyle clenched his fist and mmed the table again.


    Bam!


    "Then¡­" Varian paused for a moment, before asking the important question. "Those lines on my tomb¡­"


    Kyle stood up and staggered to Varian. He grabbed Varian by the shoulders. He peered around as if to see if anyone was spying. After confirming only the three of them were present, he confessed.


    "I didn''t tell anyone about this. But I believe in souls!"


    Maya, who was resting her chin on her palm almost lost her grip as she eximed. "What?!"


    Kyle made a silent gesture to her. "I know. I know. I''ll be branded as a Superstitious if anyone knows. Heck! I''ll probably be theughing stock.


    But you know what? I''d rather believe that the people I know exist in some form after they die."


    Varian was taken aback by his reason. Did people really exist in some form after their death?


    When 99% of earthlings died in Blink, people called it the Judgement day, the end of the Yuga, and so on.


    However, as humanity grew stronger, those myths of Old Earth turned even more obscure.


    Except for people like Varian who were interested in Old Earth, most people didn''t even know about those myths.


    After all, why would anyone bother checking how people lived in that area 500 years ago?


    "You didn''t consider the possibility I was alive?" He asked slowly.


    Kyle was still drunk and was talking his mind. He first nodded then shook his head. "The chances were very, very slim. 1 in 46 Trillion, 303 Billion? and 96 Million¡­"


    "Stop! Stop!" Varian shut him up and shrugged. Thest time Kyle talked about chances¡­ was during the first adventure into Dungeon. It didn''t end well.


    Kyle removed his hands from Varian and filled his cup again. "I still wished you were alive. But I made preparations in case you turned into a soul.


    So I wrote those lines. If urban legends like ghost ship can exist, then souls also might as well exist."


    Saying so, he finished the wine and exhaled. "If I can piss you off with those lines, maybe your soul will meet me, huek!"


    Maya immediately hugged him as she patted his back. "So this is why you were so stubborn. Kyle, this is why you are the best."


    Varian took a deep breath to calm himself. Kyle had a good reason. A very sentimental one.


    But...


    "How did Sarah know?" He gritted his teeth and asked.


    Kyle was embracing Maya and rubbing his face on her chest like a kid. Without changing the posture, he replied. "She said you were her friend and wanted to know about you. I showed her the tomb. Huek! She even sent flowers every week."


    He slowly got out of Maya''s embrace and looked at Varian with a lewd smile. "Brother, when did you hook up with her?"


    Veins popped up on Varian''s head. If only these two people were aware of his tomb, he''d have let it slide.


    But¡­this idiot had to tell that to Sarah. And Anna also knew.


    After that day, other than the recurring nightmares of his mother''s death, Varian had another nightmare.


    Anna in her maid suit would scan him from head to toe and say with confusion.'' You''re handsome and fit. Why are you still a virgin¡­you have a problem?''


    ''Thank you Kyle for giving me a nightmare.'' Varian clenched his fist and tried to reign in his anger.


    "Varian, say, what''s the progress? Second Base? Third Base or did you go all the way?" Kyle nudged him and asked with an excited smile.


    "Progress my ass!" Varian grabbed Kyle and said. "Kyle, face the judgment! This is karma biting you back!"


    With that, he punched him in the face.


    Bam!


    "Ouch! Even if you beat me, don''t beat me in the face." Kyle whined as he rubbed his swollen cheeks.


    "So I will only beat you in the face!" Varian vowed and punched him again!


    Bam!


    "Died a Single? Really?!"


    Bam!


    "Virgin?"


    "Y-You told me it was your regret when you were drunk...."


    Bam!


    "Shut up! Things said when drunk should never be mentioned sober."


    Varian didn''t even use 0.1% of his strength, but even then, Kyle felt his face swell.


    "W-Wait! But we''re drunk!"


    "I''m not!"


    Bam!


    "If Sarah took some pictures of my tomb and showed it to others, Argh.. just thinking about it makes me mad!"


    Smack!


    "Brother! I call you brot¡ª"


    "If one of my fan club members sees the tomb, I might as well die!"


    Smack!


    "There''s also a maid that made fun of me for that! Problem? I have no problem!"


    Stopping his punch midway, he turned to Maya.


    Would she mind him beating her boyfriend? If so, he''d ask her to go out of the room for a breather and return after he was done.


    There was no way he was going to stop!


    Maya looked at him in confusion and said. "Why are you stopping? Beat him! He ignored me for so long! I''m making up with him, but he needs to pay the price!"


    Varian smirked and turned to Kyle who stared at Maya with wide eyes. "Dear, W-What happened to ''Not holding grudges?''"


    Maya curled her lips in disdain. "My stupid boyfriend, women¡­.always hold grudges."


    "Damn!"


    Bam!


    "I should''ve stayed single! But my handsome face didn''t allow me."


    Varian paused for a moment before he beat him harder.


    Was Kyle implying that he was not handsome? Then he deserves more beatings!


    Maya''s eyes brightened as she cheered.


    "Varian, uppercut!"


    "Hook from the left!"


    "From the right!"


    "K.O.!"


    Boom!


    Kyle copsed onto the seat with a swollen face that resembled a pig.


    Maya captured him from every angle. She even had a few selfies.


    In her words, it was the ckmail material. If he did something stupid one day, she''d threaten him with his ''pictures''.


    Varian shuddered as he looked at the drunk Maya. She reminded him of Sarah who dragged him intobat room in the name of practice.


    ''Sure enough. Women are dangerous creatures.'' He sighed.

 Chapter 212: I am home

    <h4>Chapter 212: I am home</h4>


    After giving Kyle the beating he deserved, Varian announced he''d return to his new or actually, old home.


    Since Varian only gave him light wounds, Kyle was already healed and even looked more energetic.


    "Howe I want to beat you again?" Varian rubbed his fist and nced at the cheerful Kyle.


    Kyle shuddered and hid behind Maya. "Time out! Time out!"


    Maya rolled her eyes at her boyfriend and turned to Varian. "I want to visit your home. You lived there for most of your life, right?"


    Varian nodded slowly. "If you don''t mind the fact it''s small, join me."


    "I don''t mind it at all," Kyle said. "I''ming too."


    Varian dly obliged.


    So the trio took off and after a few minutes, they reached a small neighborhood.


    It was in a remote location, far away from the bustling neon lights of the city.


    There were no dazzling floating buildings here nor any hover train lines.


    But as he looked at the small front yard filled with carefully cultivated flowers, his breathing stopped.


    The mix of those flowers formed a unique fragrance he would recognize even in his dreams. As that sweet scent him, Varian slowly stepped in.


    Kyle and Maya followed from behind. This was the major reason they wanted to join. Varian usually avoided everything about his past.


    Since he finally decided to face it¡­he might need help. They were ready to be his support.


    Varian looked at the familiar home and took a deep breath.


    With sleek white walls and shiny ck roof, it was a modest house barely 70 square meters wide.


    There was a small garden on the roof while the white walls were filled with paintings he and¡­Sia did when they were young.


    Unlike the modern buildings, it was made of normal materials. It didn''t have the advanced defenses a luxurious home had and was thus vulnerable to the attacks from magic beasts.


    ording to his mother, they could''ve lived in a better ce with the war widow''s pension.


    But apparently, his father offended someone and the pension was blocked.


    Shaking his head, Varian pushed the brown door and stepped in.


    "I am home." He said naturally, as if he was waiting for someone to wee him. Like they weed him for as long as he could remember.


    All that greeted him was silence.


    ''Right, there is no one to wee me any¡ª''


    "Wee home." Kyle and Maya rushed in front of him as they gestured him in.


    "Y-Yeah!" Varian didn''t react for a moment before a smile broke out on his face. Even though he lost some, he gained some.


    As he scanned the home, nostalgia washed over him.


    A small but lovely kitchen where Sia worked hard for his favorite food even though she always insisted that it was not for him.


    The living room with two couches where he and Sia used to crash on after being tired, chatting or watching a show or simply just spending time together in silence.


    Then there were two bedrooms.


    Varian slowly opened it to find the news articles pasted on the wall. But soon, his smile died down.


    There were two beds in this room in his memory. Now, it had only one.


    The walls of the room also used to have pictures of stars collected by Sia¡ªshe loved stars since she was a child.


    She said that in the future, they could travel across the stars and visit different civilizations.


    But as he scanned room after room, he found no traces of her existence.


    The house was rebuilt from the encrypted information in the insurancepany''s database.


    No one could change the information.


    So, technically, this was how the house looked before destruction.


    Without anything rted to Sia.


    She only existed in his memories.


    "Varian, are you alright?" Maya patted him on the back, looking at him with concern.


    Taking a deep breath, Varian nodded and forced a smile. "I''m fine. The memories¡­I was just being nostalgic."


    Even though he knew they would believe him, he didn''t tell them about Sia.


    First, it seemed much moreplicated than it seemed.


    Second, they had enough on their tes to worry about. They just patched up and he didn''t wish to destroy their peace.


    After looking at each room for some time, Varian finally returned to the living room.


    Kyle and Maya ordered some snacks.


    Varian sat down to grab a slice of the fruit as Kyle asked. "What are your ns for the break?"


    Feeling the sweetness of the fruit in his mouth, Varian replied. "I have one thing¡­a very important thing I will need to do."


    Kyle was not expecting the solemnity in his voice, but he still nodded. "Just don''t die. Know what? I''m developing an awesome weapon. Once it''s done, all you need to do is sit back and watch it kill the Abyssals."


    "Oh?" Varian raised an eyebrow and asked. "How close is it topletion?"


    Kyle choked on the fruit slice before answering. "W-Well, a few decades¡­, no, a few years, eh, maybe a few months?"


    Maya, who was browsing herm, red at him. "If you take my help, we can speed it up by at least four times."


    "No. No. This is a matter of principle. I always do research alone." Kyle shook his head.


    The solemnity in his tone matched Varian''s causing him to drop the idea of persuading Kyle.


    "Do whatever you want. As long as you don''t kill yourself." Varian imitated Kyle''s tone from earlier.


    "Hey! Check this out!" Maya hopped off her seat and projected a hologram.


    It was a forum whose name Varian never heard. The top post was a title in red.


    ''Enigma ughtered the Abyss Princes! Rumors say it was done at the same time as Demon King attackedoid Rena for unknown reasons.''


    The forum was on fire and thements were flooded with mixed opinions.


    Some were very supportive.


    "Yes! Kill each and every one of those dogs!"


    "Let them feel the pain of losing their close ones."


    "Make them tremble in fear!"


    "Enigma! The leader of Shadow Guardian! The true patriot!"


    The others¡­hated her.


    "This bitch has no idea what her actions will lead to!"


    "Yes! She''s provoking the Abyssals! They''ll retaliate fiercely! Did you all forget the bloodbath by the Archduke?"


    "Yes! Whether she''s a member of Shadow Order or whatever Shadow Guardian, her actions are only raising our causalities."


    "She''s an out and out terrorist! She''s not even registered in even adventure guild."


    "If she''s really a guardian, why does she hide? She must be brought to justice!"


    The battle of opinions was heating up. Maya dropped a bomb.


    "You pacifying rats! Do you think Abyssals will note for us if we stay silent? Provoking my ass!


    Causalities are increasing because of her? If those Abyss princes and princesses grow up, should I remind you what will happen? Learn to use some brain, you moron!


    Terrorist? When exactly did she kill people by her own hands like the ones from Shadow Order? Any adult can tell that she''s being framed by the government.


    Why does she hide? Because there are people like you in the ruling! You only obstruct progress!"


    Maya clicked "enter" and red at the hologram. Her chest heaved up and down as she slowly slumped back onto the couch.


    Varian was surprised by her behavior. He wasn''t expecting the gentle Maya to get so angry.


    Well, scrap that! She enjoyed Kyle getting beaten up. She was not as gentle as he thought her to be.


    ''Good luck, Kyle! In the future, you might be a victim of domestic violence. Don''t worry, I will apany you to drink as you vent your sorrows. Tsk.'' Varian couldn''t help but look forward to the future.


    "Maya, you should stop sending those posts. Even if it''s on deep, you couldnd in trouble." Kyle, unaware of his friend''s evil thoughts, rubbed his forehead and said.


    "Hmph! Do you think killing the most Abyss Princes and Princesses doesn''t deserve to be praised? Even if they can''t acknowledge her contributions, they are ndering her! These incorrigible bastar¡ª" Maya red daggers at Kyle as she said in a harsh tone.


    "I don''t know her nor do I care. I just don''t want you tond in trouble." Kyle cut her off and raised his hands.


    "Are you not worried about the future of humanity?" Maya gritted her teeth, angered by Kyle''s nonchnt attitude.


    "Of course I am. If this weapon seeds, we''ll gain a huge boost in raw power." Kyle leaned forward and said with a serious expression.


    Varian, on the other hand, re-read the news and frowned.


    Enigma¡­was her attack a retaliation for Demon King''s snipe at them? Given the timings, it was hard to believe otherwise.


    But why did she do it?


    Who was Enigma anyway?


    With a strength at level 8, did she belong to Anna''s generation? Or was she a genius who hid their power for decades and faked their death before turning into Enigma?


    Varian had a lot of questions about her, but they were not as important to him as Sia.


    Sia¡­he had two leads.


    One was merit points. He only needed a few thousand more and he''d be able to check the Academy''s database.


    Considering his track record, he needed one more mission. Or since merit points were awarded for any meritorious deed, he could simply do something useful to the military.


    However, this method did not guarantee Sia''s whereabouts. Perhaps the uniform she was wearing was of some other academy''s which he did not know or he simply remembered the specific details wrong.


    After all, memory was fluid and it was possible to create artificial memories subconsciously.


    The second lead was more solid. Roxana Xander. He searched her up and found that she was the sister of Julius Xander, a graduate of the Academy of Sciences and more importantly, a leading researcher.


    If he could find out why she ordered the Astor n to intervene with his mother''s death, he would find all the answers including Sia!


    At the same time, the conversation between Kyle and Maya wasing to a close.


    "Don''t worry, Kyle. I''m being anonymous enough. Even if I am found out, my father can take care of it. I''m just a supporter, not an activist. If he can''t even take care of this as a leading researcher, I bet no one would want to be done." Maya crossed her legs and replied.


    "Sigh, fine.."


    Varian''s eyes lit up and he hurriedly turned to Maya. "Maya, can you do me a favor?"


    Maya was taken aback by the eagerness in his voice but still nodded. "As long as I can do it."


    "Ask your father to find information about Roxana Xander? If possible, a contact information. By the way, add that I am the disciple of Evander, high general of Earth."

 Chapter 213: Haru

    <h4>Chapter 213: Haru</h4>


    "Roxana Xander¡­she is one of the leading researchers!" Maya snapped out of shock and said.


    Kyle on the other hand gaped at Varian as he pointed a finger at him. As his finger shook along with his body, he asked. "Y-You are the disciple of Evander?"


    Varian nodded nonchntly at Kyle and focused on Maya. "Yeah. I have some¡­private business with her. Any information about her is fine."


    He could approach her as the disciple of Evander, then try to form a connection before slowly prying into the truth.


    If she was not a high awakener and he had her daily routines, Varian was confident he could force a confession from her.


    Even the Astor n''s butler, peak Level 6 confided his secrets under his machinations. If Roxana was only a researcher, then her level would surely be not high.


    His chances of sessful interrogation were high. All he needed was her information which was deliberately avoided on the meta.


    "Roxana¡­" Maya knit her brows together, hanging Varian''s heart in his throat.


    Was it too difficult even for Maya?


    As far as he knew, Maya''s father was one of the top-tier scientists. To give perspective on his status, he was an honorary professor of the Academy of Sciences.


    Despite not being interested in politics and power ys, he could be the Chancellor of a cluster.


    A cluster was thebination of a hundred cities and Earth had only ten thousand cities merged into a hundred clusters.


    "If it''s inconvenient, forget it." Varian waved his hand like it was not a big deal.


    Perhaps it was too much of favor or perhaps, Roxana was too aloof to approach.


    Seeing that Varian misunderstand, Maya hurriedly shook her head and said. "It''s not that. Except for some online articles, she was silent for almost a year. She gave some lectures in our academy every year, but none this semester."


    "Oh." Varian nodded calmly on the surface, but inwardly, his suspicions were confirmed.


    Roxana was directly linked to his mother''s death and by extension¡­Sia. If it was her, the sister of Julius Xander, then it makes more sense.


    She had the power to manipte the Dungeon bureau. She might even have asked a mind awakener to erase his memory of Sia.


    But¡­erasing all traces of her existence, did she take Sovereign Julius'' help?


    Varian suppressed the barrage of questions and looked at Maya.


    She tapped herm and called her dad. After a minute, a hologram popped up showing a middle-aged man.


    He had arge stature. With brown hair reaching his shoulders and an overgrown beard, he looked like a man too busy to be disturbed.


    His physique looked more like a mercenary than a researcher.


    "Uncle Haru, how are you doing?" Varian and Kyle greeted him.


    Haru smiled, causing his beard to rise, and replied. "I''m good."


    Seeing the three of them in the room, he rubbed his beard andughed. "So you guys made up? I guess it''s thanks to Varian, haha."


    Varian coughed while Kyle and Maya blushed.


    Haru leaned back in the chair as the hologram zoomed out and showed him inside his all-whiteb filled with metals, beast cores, and aura crystals.


    He then looked at Varian and clicked his tongue. "Look at you, I remember Maya saying you got into Defense Academy like it was yesterday. How were the days?"


    Varian shrugged. "It''s just getting better."


    Haru had little knowledge of the outside world events. Or he could have known that Varian went missing and there was even a federation-wide announcement to find him.


    He must have known about Kyle and Maya only through her maid, Sabina.


    Well, what could one expect from his schedule?


    Thankfully, he would answer Maya''s calls. It was just unless it was necessary, Maya would not call him.


    That was the reason she announced. But the real reason was...


    Maya waved at Haru and pouted. "Dad, Varian needs your help."


    "Oh?" Haru raised an eyebrow and rubbed his beard. Apparently, doing that gave him more ideas. "Go on. I''ll do what I can, you saved Maya''s boyfriend anyway."


    "Uncle Haru, I have a name. Kyle!" He interrupted his soon-to-be-father-inw.


    Haru looked at Kyle. Suddenly, his eyes turned red, and gnashed his teeth as he growled. "You''re dating my daughter¡­my precious daughter. My little princess! I''ll break your legs!"


    "Cool down, dad!" Maya hurriedly interjected and waved her hands. "If you''re like this, I''ll ignore you."


    All anger was drained of Haru''s face and he looked at Maya with a pitiful face. "See¡­my daughter is already taking sides with her boyfriend."


    Then, he turned to Kyle and gnashed his teeth. "This is why, boy, you need to be beaten up."


    "Gulp!" Kyle swallowed looking at his crazy father-inw, but soon, he braved himself and said. "Beat me if you want! But I love her more than you ever could!"


    Haru gaped at Kyle and looked at him like he heard the most unbelievable thing. "I love her more than you do!"


    "No! It''s me, her hubby!"


    "It''s I, her daddy!"


    Varian gasped at the ridiculous scene and felt that it was better to leave.


    ''If I got such a crazy father-inw, could I control himself or would I end sneak up at night and beat him up?'' He realized why rtionships are difficult or he thought he did.


    "Stop! One more word and I''m leaving two of you." Maya interjected, her words had the effect of a bomb, silencing all opposition.


    "¡­If you say so, my little princess." Haru backed off first.


    "Whatever you say, sweetie." Kyle patted her back and secretly smirked at Haru.


    "Dad, do you know about Roxana Xander? Varian wants to contact her. Pretty please!" Maya pleaded with sparkling eyes.


    Her cuteness could''ve melted even iron hearts. As the target was her father, it was a CRIT!


    "Oh, Roxana? Roxana''s contact is¡­.wait!" Haru''s words halted and his body stiffened.


    With his enhanced senses, Varian caught the shrinking of his pupils, the fineyer of sweat down his forehead, and the faint, but clear sound of his blood flow that suddenly rose.


    Haru turned to Varian with a stiff smile and said slowly. "R-Roxana is dead."

 Chapter 214: Sister of Sovereign Julius

    <h4>Chapter 214: Sister of Sovereign Julius</h4>


    "Dead?" Varian was taken aback while Kyle and Maya both flinched.


    "The Sister of Sovereign Julius¡­how could she die?" Maya said in defiance.


    Due to her status and her prowess, it was impossible to kill her.


    "Yeah! All the top scientists and researchers live in high safety. What''s more, she''s a Xander! Sovereign Julius'' very own sister. How can she just die?" Kyle said withbored breath.


    Varian understood from their reactions that there was no news about her death even in the scientificmunity.


    Even when Boo hacked through all the federation databases it could, Roxana''s status was ''alive and not dead.


    Haru closed his eyes and sighed. "It''s almost a year since she died."


    "A Year?!¡­yet no one knows¡­what the hell?!" Maya covered her mouth in disbelief.


    She lived a normal life until now and wasn''t exposed to such things. Thus, this incident came as a big surprise.


    Kyle was slightly better. Varian was the calmest. He had seen worse things.


    "I see." He nodded with a touch of solemnity, and lightly bowed to Haru. "You could be under trouble if word got out that you revealed this. But you chose to trust me. Thank you."


    Haru smiled lightly. Stroking his beard, he waved his other hand. "You''re more reliable than my daughter''s boyfriend."


    "I have a name! Kyle!" Kyle roared.


    Varian ignored Kyle''s protests and took a deep breath. Roxana was the only lead in this branch.


    If he gave up, then his only option would be to hope Sia''s information could be found in the Defense Academy''s database.


    With each experience, Varian realized it was better to have more options. So, even if Roxana was dead, he had to see the issue to the end.


    "Uncle, I''ll be troubling you with a few more questions." He said, calmly looking at the middle-aged man.


    Haru nodded. Since Varian wanted to contact her, he must have wanted something from her.


    "When did she die? Where did she die? What is the cause of her death?" Varian fired the three most important questions.


    Especially thest one. Who killed her? Abyssals? With her protection, unlikely.


    Perhaps it was¡­


    "I don''t know exactly when she died. But ording to my sources, it should be around a month or so from nowst year.


    About the location, I''m clear. Roxana has one of, if not the most secureboratories in the federation. It''s on guardian inds, the residence of the Xander family.


    The cause of her death¡­" Haru''s face scrunched and he sighed. "It''s just a rumor since I didn''t see her corpse, but they said she was dismembered and beheaded."


    Varian felt the air knocked out of him. Not just him, even Kyle and Maya stared at Haru with wide eyes.


    The time of murder didn''t elicit much reaction, but where and how it happened, sent shivers down their spine.


    Guardian Inds¡ªalso praised as Paradise on Earth. It was where the Sovereign of Earth, Sovereign Julius lived with his family.


    The chains of inds wererge enough to amodate a city. Yet, he owned them all.


    Guardians Inds were also rumored to be safer than any military base. Apparently, even Level 9s could not break in!


    Moreover, since Sovereign Julius owned one of the six artifacts, specifically Jump Ring¡ªhe could quickly teleportrge distances.


    Plus, there was a teleportation formation in the Guardian Inds linked to someoids.


    If anything went wrong, Sovereign Julius would simply teleport there and use Jump Ring to reach the specificoid.


    This was the reason he was able to reach Renaoid and stop Demon King.


    Thus, it was safe to say that he stayed on the ind most of the time.


    Even in case he didn''t, the Xander family had quite a few Level 9s!


    So who the heck could kill Roxana? And not just kill, but dismember and behead her?


    ¡­.was it Julius himself?


    The thought arose in the three of them.


    "It''s not him." Haru seemed to have guessed their thoughts and denied them. "If he did it, he had a million ways to cover it up. But he still called the high awakeners for her funeral. He was mourning. Even more than him, his eldest son¡­Charles? He was devastated."


    Varian clutched his forehead.


    Did he hit a dead end?


    "No one really knows who killed her. Perhaps Sovereign Julius does or doesn''t. Just forget about contacting her. Even bringing this topic up with Xanders is dangerous." Haru warned, with a concerned expression.


    Varian nodded.


    "You really don''t know their horror. Stay away from them. The Xanders'' are good as long as you don''t provoke them." Haru gave his final advice.


    Maya chimed in. "Varian is the disciple of high general Evander. It''s not like he needs to fear them."


    "What?!" Haru pped himself to check if he heard that wrong.


    "It''s true." Varian showed the blue badge.


    Haru analyzed it and sighed. Looking at Varian, he said. "If anything happens to Maya¡­and also her stupid boyfriend, I hope you can take care of them."


    "They''re my friends." Varian patted his chest.


    Haru smiled and waved at them. "Well then, since you''re out, I''m assuming you got a mid-break or a sem break? Whatever it is, enjoy!"


    Maya was about to cut the call when Haru''s roar sounded "If you do anything inappropriate to my daughter, I''ll cut¡ª"


    Varian and Maya looked at Kyle weirdly who mped his legs instinctively.


    "Your father-inw is he strict." Varianughed in glee.


    Kyle red at him and snorted. "Look who''s talking. At least I have one. You? Ever dated?"


    Varian''s face froze before he clenched his fist. "Hmph! What if you date? I dare you to go all the way with Maya!"


    "You guys, shut up!" Maya said with a flushed face.


    Varian raised his hands and walked into his bedroom.


    Lying down on the familiar mattress, he thought of his options.


    ''She is already dead. This was out of my expectations. What should I do?'' Varian rolled on the bed as he racked his brains.


    ''Fuck it! Let''s do it!''


    Finally, he stormed out of the house saying. "Kyle, Maya, I''ll be out for some time."


    ''Boo, to Guardian Inds!''

 Chapter 215: Guardian Islands

    <h4>Chapter 215: Guardian Inds</h4>


    Guardian Inds.


    Nine small-scaled inds around a singlerge ind constituted this veritable paradise on earth.


    Of course, small here meant around fifty to a hundred square miles.


    Thebined area of the inds was around 1,000 square miles. To put it into perspective, Guardian inds were as big as megacities of Old Earth.


    A small ind was dedicated to the residence of the main members of the Xander Family.


    Since Blink, Monogamy was abandoned. So, every member of the Xander member had two or three wives and thus, quite a few children.


    Fast forward a few generations since Blink and now, there were almost a thousand members in the Xander Family.


    The talented ones would get the resources and support from the family. They would go on to reach envious positions in military and civil fields.


    The less talented ones lived a well-off life by managing the vast property andworks of Xanders.


    To have a right to speak, one must be at least a high awakener or be a great genius.


    Reaching Level 4 in his first semester, Narcis was the cream of the crop and would have been the leading genius.


    Would have been¡­if not for Charles.


    Now, besides the Elders in Level 9, Charles had a great say in things. But he didn''t bother in the internal affairs.


    He only meditated. Practiced. Trained.


    The ce he used to visit, the person he spent time with¡­were now a thing of the past.


    But nostalgia was hard to kill.


    After finishing his practice, Charles Xander slowly walked towards an ind.


    At the same time¡­


    Vroom!


    Ghostship stopped in front of a huge barrier covering the Guardian inds.


    Inside the cabin, Varian couldn''t help but admire the beauty that seemed to be sculpted by heaven itself.


    As the light blue water of the ocean glittered under the sun like starlight, nine pristine inds surrounding arge one came into view.


    Looking down at the inds, Varian noticed the fog in some ces. A thought came to his mind and he asked cautiously.


    "Boo, is it..?"


    "Yes, master. The aura concentration here is three times that of earth. Two times that of Defense Academy." Boo''s cute voice answered.


    "Hiss!" Varian sucked in a cold breath.


    This was just the normal aura all around the inds! If they used Aura concentration formations and he was sure they had, then training in such an environment would be even better than training in Amethyst vis.


    "Master, analyzing the aura concentration, there are only fifty-six locations that have more aura concentration than the room you practiced in Sarah''s home," Boo answered the question he didn''t ask.


    "Oh." Varian calmed down a little.


    Considering the number of people on these inds, fifty-six was a low number. That meant perhaps only level 9 and some level 8 awakeners were getting that treatment.


    "Boo, scan the inds and find theb facility," Varian said, seated on a luxurious ck chair.


    "Yes, master," Boo said and invisible fluctuations spread from the ghost ship.


    Boo had limitations. It could not detect high awakeners at a distance, nor could it perform any offensive.


    Scanning the inds and breaking their internal security wasplex, but doable.


    Meanwhile, Varian squinted at the main ind.


    A dreamy white fog covered thend as floating buildings stood aloof in the air.


    Each of the buildings was made of smooth crystals of different colors. The only same thing was their quality.


    No matter the building, it could not be broken by a mid awakener.


    At the center of all the buildings floated a pce. In fact, it was a few dozen meters above them, as if it was beyond the rest.


    The pce easily outsized any building Varian saw till that point. He thought the castle of Abyss Lord he saw during the entrance test was noble¡­but only now did he realize the true definition of nobility.


    Built of red and white crystals, it looked impossibly noble. Just its presence stirred the aura.


    The pce was¡­a star treasure! Likely 9 stars!


    He found it hard to believe that a human lived in that pce. It seemed to be the abode of divine beings.


    But¡­


    "Divine being? Even if you are a Sovereign, prepare yourself for my revenge." Varian muttered under his breath and shifted his gaze.


    Boo maintained a safe distance from the pce lest they be found. To remain hidden from a 9-star treasure with just a few miles was the testimony to its prowess.


    Inparison, even the best stealth space shuttle could not sneak past the barrier without alerting the opponent. It would have to expend a very expensive treasure, the kind only found in ruins, to sneak in sessfully.


    Even then, it would be found by the surveince that covered every inch of thend, sea, and air.


    Thankfully, Ghost Ship''s stealth was at another level.


    "Master, the main ind contains the core training and administrative faculties. Only high awakeners and the biggest geniuses live there.


    The Xander members live on one of the small inds.


    There are three inds having low-level, mid-level, and high-level beasts respectively. They are used as training grounds.


    An ind is dedicated to logistics and travel. It is filled with teleportation formations and space shuttles.


    And one¡­you guessed it. It has arge aura crystal mine.


    Then the twin inds. One is dedicated to potion-making. The other is for star treasures.


    The final ind, the one closest to the main ind is dedicated to research. With more than seventybs, there are forty-nine leading researchers of Earth working in the most cutting edge technologies."


    Even though he expected it, Varian was still astonished by the scale and quality of the Guardian Inds.


    Moreover, he knew that this was not everything Xanders had. He heard of¡­ Secret Realms they governed.


    Shaking his head, Varian said. "Boo, did you find out Roxana''sb? Who is? working there and continuing her research?"


    Almost every researcher had partners. If he could find Roxana''s research partners, then he could get a better idea of how and why she died.


    He might also get the clues as to why Roxana interfered with his mother and¡­Sia.


    But Boo''s answer came as a shock.


    "Master, I hacked into the internal database. Roxana worked alone all her career. She even had herb isted from the rest. Now, theb is abandoned."


    Saying so, Boo steered the ghost ship towards a small ind and passed above the futuristic architecture of thebs before descending in front of arge white dome.


    Roxana''sb.


    It was easily the size of a football field and was as tall as a ten-storied building.


    "Find a way to get us in," Varian said and rubbed his sweaty palms.


    As he got closer to the truth¡­he realized one thing.


    He cared a great deal about his mother''s death and wanted to kill everyone responsible for her death.


    But at the same time, a growing part of him was worried about Sia. Despite trying to control himself, he would dream of the few but vivid shbacks again and again.


    And as time passed, he got more dreams filling up some gaps between each shback.


    Even just from his memories leading to fourteen years, he spent more time with Sia than with his mother.


    The bond he developed with her through these dreams was hard to understand. But it remained the closest to his heart.


    At some point, his mother''sst wish became his own quest.


    ''Wherever you are, I''ll find you.'' Varian clenched his fist.


    The surveince around the white doom was slowly manipted by Boo. As no one found any weirdness, a door slowly opened and in an instant, Ghostship rushed in.


    The door was shut the next moment as if it was never opened.

 Chapter 216: Roxanas Lab

    <h4>Chapter 216: Roxana''s Lab</h4>


    "What the hell!" Varian cursed as he looked at what was a functioningboratory a year ago.


    The interior was structured like a beehive leaving arge space in the middle¡ªThere were basically rooms with six walls interconnected to one another forming a ring.


    In the middle was argemon space essed by all the rooms.


    ording to Maya''s father Haru, Roxana died in thisb. Then there should at least be traces of the fight or¡­traces of renovation?


    None.


    "Boo, find all the data in thisb." Varian knit his brows and said.


    "Yea~" Boo chirped and hacked into the internal database of theb.


    At the same time, the doors of all the rooms opened.


    Ghostship shrunk in size and surveyed each room.


    Varian found the corpses of humans, magic beasts, and abyssals in green liquid floating in ss containers.


    Bang!


    "No!" Varian took repeated breaths to control the despairing thoughts in his mind.


    With difficulty,? he opened his eyes and looked at the faces of all the human corpses.


    They were well preserved and if not for the machines showing their vital signs to be null, he''d have thought they were just sleeping.


    The first was a middle-aged male corpse.


    "No."


    A young female.


    "¡­No. Even though I haven''t seen how Sia looks at 18 or 19, I can tell once I see."


    After a while¡­


    "Has! Thankfully!" Varian patted his chest with sweaty palms.


    Every time he was about to look at the new corpse, his heart thrashed against his ribcage and threatened to break out.


    Now that he confirmed there was no Sia here, he was relieved.


    The other rooms yielded no fruit.


    One had some cutting-edge strange surgery bots. The other was full of aura crystals. Another with beast cores and the final one was filled with formations.


    "To preserve everything a year after her death, are the Xanders too doting or too rich?" He wondered.


    Boo timely said. "Master, some information was damaged due to¡­.ugh, just see."


    The ghost ship moved inward and after passing through a few more rooms, Varian saw a huge open field withrgeputing devices.


    Unlike the other rooms, quite a few of them were damaged¡ªcrushed, broken or torn.


    "An attack happened here destroying many files. Since the data of thisb stays in thisb, it is lost permanently. This is what I found."


    A hologram popped up, showing a middle-aged woman with green hair and dark red eyes. Her unkempt hair and aloof expression showed that she had no interest in the photo.


    Even though she looked young, it was because of the technology.


    {Roxana Xander.


    Age. 66.


    Specializations: Aura application, Divine Paths Functioning Theory, Systematic study of an Awakener''s talent, the links between Abyssals, magic beasts & humans, ¡­.}


    Varian stopped after seeing there were a few more dozen in the row.


    "Give me the useful information." Rubbing his temple, Varian said.


    "This qualifies?" Boo showed a list of videos.


    The first video was from ten years ago. Thest was one year ago.


    A young Charles Xander would visit theb and Roxana would wee him with a smile.


    Then he entered theb and she entertained him before sending him off with a gift.


    As Charles grew older, he started bringing her some gifts. Small, but filled with affection.


    Roxana would stay in theb all day and conduct her experiments with an indifferent expression.


    She only smiled when she was with Charles.


    However, as he grew older, his visits declined.


    From thrice a day to once a day, to once a week to finally once three months.


    But even thest time they met, Roxana smiled heartily. She ruffled Charles'' hair and said. "I''ve prepared a gift for you. Soon, you''ll be the biggest genius of earth, no, the biggest genius of the federation!"


    Charles was puzzled but did not question her.


    She took him to the open space between the rooms, and the video ended with Charles going out a few hourster.


    "She barred any surveince from this site, master. We can''t know what happened inside." Boo said.


    Varian looked at the caved in ground and brokenputing devices with a frown.


    "Also, there seems to be some missing files. They are deleted, not missed due to the destruction of storage devices." Boo added.


    "y the video of her death date¡ªthe day these machines were blown off." Varian ordered after a while.


    The surveince of various rooms started ying at once. Since the open field had no cameras, the closest he could get to was to try and put together the pieces.


    All theb rooms were operating normally until they all trembled for a while. A muffed sound followed and then¡­there was no more.


    "That''s it?" Varian asked in disbelief.


    "Yes. A staff member came to deliver some material and found something wrong. It was only after a week¡­"


    "Son of a bitch!" Varian cursed out loud.


    So the entire killing or should he call it assassination happened on the Guardian Inds and it was only found out after a week?


    There was one more problem.


    "Where is the killer? I can''t see him entering in or out." Varian asked.


    "ording to the surveince, there was only Roxana inside. Even after murder, no one came out." Boo answered after checking.


    "So, it''s a space awakener who teleported in and out?" Varian rubbed his chin and wondered.


    "Can''t be. The Xander pce can detect the spatial fluctuations and lock on the target." Boo rejected the hypothesis.


    "So¡­what the heck happened?" Varian felt a headache trying to crack this puzzle.


    Boo thought of a possibility. The killer also had the stealth like it did.


    But wasn''t that stupid?


    How could anyone equal it, the ghost ship? No way!


    So it dismissed the idea.


    "Master, I found this under her bed." Boo suddenly said and a red book floated towards the ghost ship.


    As it inched closer, Varian realized it was a journal of sorts.


    [My Experiment Log]

 Chapter 217: Roxanas Journal [1]

    <h4>Chapter 217: Roxana''s Journal [1]</h4>


    Day 1:


    I don''t understand, why am I not talented enough? I reached level 3 at 19 years old!


    When I asked my parents, they just said I am too smart and that I should use my talents for research.


    No! I don''t want to be smart. I don''t want to spend my life between these walls. Urgh!


    My brother¡­ is talented, he is even the youngest level 9. I love my brother, but I also envy him.


    Why can''t it be me?


    *** *** ***


    Day 10:


    I tried to escape from theb. I nearly seeded if not for that level 8 Space Bastard.


    Who does she think she is?


    I am Roxana Xander.


    I will take my revenge one day.


    *** *** ***


    Day 50:


    I was getting bored, so I started studying a few things. My parents told me I was smart. Smart enough to be considered the 0.01% in the research field.


    They were wrong.


    I would be in the 0.0001%.


    I finished the work of four months in a week. If I am not a genius, who is?


    *** *** ***


    Day 100:


    I might be going insane.


    Julius is too busy and visits me only once a month. Oh, brother, you told me you''d protect me and make me happy.


    Once you be a high general, what has gotten into you? You are speaking a lot less than you used to.


    On the other hand, my parents visit me all the time.


    Even though they don''t say it, it''s written all over their faces. Disappointment!


    For what? They want me to research something. Anything.


    Argh!!


    They say I''m not living up to my potential. That I am wasting my gift. As a Xander, they said I must contribute.


    I sent them off saying that I am still studying the fields and I will pick one after I decide what I like.


    *** *** ***


    Day 150:


    I hate myself. Why are these things so easy to understand? Are you sure it''s not written by an elementary school kid?


    At this rate, I''ll run out of the material. Then I have to research! Dammit!


    *** *** ***


    Day 200:


    I hate the world. It''s full of imbeciles. It''s not like the Abyssals are better. Everyone is an idiot!


    *** *** ***


    Day 250:


    In one week, I''m bing an expert in anything I study.


    In another week, I''m reaching the level of leading scientists.


    In the third week, I start asking questions no one could think of.


    *** *** ***


    Day 300:


    Fuck! I''m getting bored. I read everything I found What am I supposed to research anyway?


    ''Just research whatever you want~'' My ass!


    There are a trillion things to research on and you know what?


    None of them interests me!


    I hate being here!


    *** *** ***


    Day 400:


    I am depressed. I had some dangerous thoughts.


    I don''t know if I was trying to ignore it, but anyway, I am a prisoner.


    I need to ve myself to the so-called Xander family since they provided for me.


    That and they''re not dumb enough to lose a genius.


    *** *** ***


    Day 500:


    I¡­I can''t do it anymore.


    My research impressed my parents.


    Even my brother¡­he''s a lot colder now, but he still patted me like he used to when I was young.


    ¡­Maybe I should try to adjust to this life?


    *** *** ***


    Day 1000:


    Something is wrong. I should be happy but mom and dad stopped visiting me since thest time.


    Are they done with me?


    *** *** ***


    Day 2000:


    My brother¡­ told me that my parents died.


    What the?! How?


    Father is a Sovereign! How can he die?


    He said with a remorseful face¡­.but I saw his eyes.


    Those eyes were cold!


    I broke down in front of him. I didn''t know what to feel.


    He knew that I understood.


    Broth-Julius said that father was a threat and he hated him.


    There''s also one thing he said before leaving. Something I couldn''t believe.


    He said I am free from now.


    I can stop researching and just live however I want!


    *** *** ***


    Day 2100:


    I was three months outside in the outside world. I felt like a tourist. I tried to adjust. I really tried.


    But everything felt bizarre to me.


    Before knowing it, I spent 5 years alone in ab.


    It all started when I visited the Academy of Sciences.


    It was a nostalgic day.


    I just half-assed the three years, made friends, and had fun. Even then, I was hailed as one of the most brilliant researchers.


    I met my friends.


    Since I didn''t care in the past, I never noticed but¡­why are they so dumb?


    The progress in the research they did in five years, I can do it in a week.


    I told them how they should work harder and be smarter.


    As I showed them my expertise, they were floored.


    I enjoyed their envy. I enjoyed their worship.


    I enjoyed everything.


    If only life is like this.


    *** *** ***


    Day 2150:


    Why is life like this?


    I enjoyed the envy of my peers.


    But before I knew it, I began to envy them.


    Why are they happy?


    Why are they content with their ape brains?


    Why are they not anxious, irritated over their inadequacies?


    I can''t stand it!


    *** *** ***


    Day 2200:


    I met two friends of mine. They are now married.


    I hated their affection.


    This world is so bizarre.


    People are so weird!


    I''m freaking out!


    We met again at a conference.


    It was supposed to be a ce to discusstest findings.


    ¡­So why the fuck are they two together again?


    Why is everyone smiling?


    We are scientists! Researchers!


    I can''t smile!


    You can''t smile!


    We can''t smile!


    *** *** ***


    Day 2300:


    I realized something¡­despite spending almost a year outside, I can''t fit in at all.


    I feel like an outsider. Like a tourist visiting a foreign.


    I tried forming strong bonds. I tried dating someone.


    Even if they are dumb, their EQ could be high, right?


    Nothing worked out.


    But¡­it turns out, the problem was with me.


    Apparently, I made insensitivements, mocked everyone, and spaced out every other minute.


    Hey! It''s not my fault if I space out. My Brian is telling me the solutions to one of the million problems I have in my head.


    I keep thinking all the time.


    It''s not that I space out all the time, but I live in the moment for some time.


    That''s how I lived for the past five years.


    I exined it to the man I wanted.


    But he did not listen. I really liked him. But he¡­said no.


    I slit his throat.

 Chapter 218: Roxanas Journal [2]

    <h4>Chapter 218: Roxana''s Journal [2]</h4>


    Day 2400:


    Nothing happened after I killed him. Julius took care of everything.


    But that also cut off all my interest in the outside world and the so-called normal life that I was once desperate for.


    I returned to myb. Oh, my cold, peaceful and desteb, I missed it.


    Before I knew it, this was my habitat.


    *** *** ***


    Day 3000:


    Divine Paths. Most people don''t know why Divine Paths are grouped into three the way they are.


    Someone in the past saw it in the Ruins. But even they didn''t know why.


    But I think I do.


    All the Divine Paths in Divergents are dealing with some aspect of ''Life''.


    Body Awakeners are growing stronger using Chi to activate and strengthen their cells.


    Morphers are growing stronger using Prana to merge themselves with an entity and eventually transform into it. This is increasing their life force as well.


    Mind Awakeners¡­they don''t fit.


    *** *** ***


    Day 4000:


    Haha! I found the inscription in the ruins talking about Divine Paths.


    *** *** ***


    Day 5000:


    I just need to add one more variable and my theory isplete.


    I started calling the Divine path groups as Avenues as on the inscription.


    Sage Avenue contains Life and Soul.


    Even though people don''t believe in soul these days, I do.


    Body Path and Morpher Path deal with Life Aspect.


    Mind Path deals with Life Aspect but eventually evolves into Soul Aspect.


    The same can be said for the dimensions.


    Space deals with Space. Time with Time. Gravity is a blend of both.


    So maybe Soul can be considered a blend of Life and Death?


    Anyway, Creator Avenue thus has Space-Time.


    Finally, Elementalists.


    They belong to Ruler Avenue. I don''t get the name.


    This is the strangest avenue. But the most appropriate aspect I could give to this avenue¡­Order and Chaos.


    It just felt right.


    *** *** ***


    Day 6000:


    I had that level 8 Space Awakener guard who used to guard me killed.


    Maybe he did not expect it, but I loved the look on his face when he breathed hisst.


    I am broken, aren''t I?


    Trivial matters aside,? I dissected him in my bid to study the Divine Paths.


    With that, I jumped into another question.


    Why does a certain individual awaken in a divine path?


    *** *** ***


    Day 7000:


    Easy peasy.


    Any person has affinities towards each of the Avenues.


    Whichever affinity is the highest, they awaken in it.


    But why is this answer so simple?


    Because I cut down thousands of unawakened and artificially tested their affinity with life, space-time, and order & chaos.


    The ones that survived awakened in the Avenue I predicted.


    There was one boy I put in a block of special ice. He survived the longest and as expected awakened in the Water path. He reminded me of Julius, I burnt him alive.


    Most of the time, 99% of the test subjects died.


    But for the advancement of science and the human race, their lives are not wasted.


    *** *** ***


    Day 8,000:


    Knowing how divine paths start, I delved deeper.


    I divided talent into three grades.


    Low. Medium. High.


    Talent shows their affinity towards their path.


    Most people have low talent and they can never reach level 4.


    The medium talent is likely to remain at level 6, but it''s possible to reach level 7.


    High talent allows you to get to level 9.


    Since Sovereign is a state in level 9 and not a level itself, you need to be at the extreme of high talent.


    Then what if you had a higher talent?


    There should be a level 10 after level 9¡­.they should be able to reach it.


    *** *** ***


    Day 8,500:


    Many people im their talents increased after taking some secret fruit.


    It is indeed true.


    Many went from medium to high talent.


    So talent is changeable.


    Since natural fruits and treasures can do it, it should be possible to change the talents¡ªaffinities artificially.


    *** *** ***


    Day 9,000:


    I studied many of those special fruits and made a potion to change the talent.


    The best I could do is use fruits that change mid-grade to high-grade talent and make a potion that changes talent from low grade to mid grade.


    In other words, I failed.


    My theory so far has been right. So where did I fail?


    *** *** ***


    Day 10,000:


    It''s useless. I have the knowledge but I am missing¡­something. I can''t put my finger on it.


    Perhapsmand over life? It''s like I have the knowledge but not the power over it.


    I tried to increase my talent. My talent is just entering high grade.


    So, none of these fruits work on me.


    I''ve yet to see a natural treasure that increases a high grade to something higher.


    *** *** ***


    Day 12,000:


    My nephew! I have a cute little nephew. He visited me.


    Charles Xander.


    8 Years Old but very smart. He must have inherited it from me. Kek.


    He was initially shy, but I felt a natural affection towards him. He looked a lot like my brother and histe mother.


    *** *** ***


    Day 12,500:


    A big breakthrough.


    I hypothesize the existence of Origin.


    The stronger an awakener gets, the closer they are to wielding power over the abstract concept.


    After reaching level 9, every awakener esses a ''Divine View''.


    They could see a white ball on a long road. They have a deep connection to the white ball. They also feel the connection from the road.


    The white ball was called by different names. I call it Origin.


    Everyone before me thought the white ball and the road were something rted to bing a Sovereign.


    While it''s undeniable that they are crucial to bing a Sovereign, I think they''re much more than that.


    *** *** ***


    Day 13,000:


    I discovered a few things.


    Linking talent to Origin, I wondered about one thing. Why should a person have only one origin?


    If I have two origins, then unlike Dual Awakeners, can I awaken in two paths of the same avenue?


    If I had to pick, I''d choose Body and Mind Paths.


    Well, that''s my long-term research goal.


    I shall raise my talent to a higher level and get myself multiple Origins.


    Lives can be lost, but research must not be stopped.


    *** *** ***


    Day 14,000:


    My project had no progress. I would''ve gone mad but thanks to the little fellow Charles, I''m sane.


    He''s growing up quickly. He''s already a handsome little fellow at 14.


    He tells me about his dreams. He wants to be like his father. He wants to make his mother proud.


    She told him to follow his father''s words before dying. So he tries to make his father proud.


    But still, he respects me.


    Maybe he sees me as his mother, eh?


    I don''t try to instill my ideologies into him.


    I know something in me broke when I killed the man I wanted to date. Charles shouldn''t be like me.


    He''s a good child.


    Julius too¡­was a good child. But now, I don''t know what changed him.


    ¡­Would the pure Charles also grow to neglect his family?


    Would he be another Julius?


    No! I can''t let that happen!


    *** *** ***


    Day 14,200:


    Charles brought Narcis over once. But boy, he is full of jealousy. They are from different mothers after all.


    I told Charles to leave Narcis alone. But he insists as an elder brother, he must take care of the younger ones.


    While I''m happy that he is not leaving his family cold, I''m also worried that he will be troubled by Narcis one day.


    *** *** ***


    Day 14,500:


    Good news! After an unknown number of failures, I developed the procedure to let a high-grade talent reach a higher level¡­what do I call it?


    Celestial Grade!


    That makes everything before it Mortal Grade.


    So from high mortal grade to low celestial grade.


    There is only one keyponent missing.


    I used all my connections, but I couldn''t find anything that increases talent from high grade to Celestial Grade.


    It''d be weird if they did. Anyone who took the said treasure would easily be a Sovereign and even reach the 10th level.


    *** *** ***


    Day 14,700:


    If I can''t get those fruits, it also works if I can get a human or abyssal with Celestial Grade Talent.


    I can use their sample to increase the talent.


    But¡­from the hundred thousand humans and abyssals I checked, none of them even approached Celestial grade talent.


    I am kidding. How can any Celestial Grade talent not be an absolute genius that shocked the world?


    *** *** ***


    Day 15,287:


    Charles went to Defense Academy. He bade me farewell. I''m gonna miss him.


    Ahh!


    Julius is too much! He''s doting only on Narcis.


    Charles broke down a few times under the pressure. If not for me¡­I couldn''t imagine what would''ve happened to him.


    I can''t tell Charles that Julius is actually jealous of him, right?


    As a man that killed his father to be the head of Xander Family, Julius'' biggest fear is the same happening to him.


    Narcis talent is great, but not a threat to Julius. Charles, however, is better than Julius.


    Someone might wonder why did he not just kill Charles and end the farce?


    Because Julius loved his first wife! Even though she is dead, he can''t bring himself to kill his own child.


    Besides, Charles eyes resemble hers.


    So Julius must have reached apromise and intends to put Charles down through these psychological pressures.


    But still, I am worried if Julius snaps and orders someone to kill Charles.


    Not on my watch!


    I pulled my connections and put security for Charles.


    Charles, I will help you reach the state your father never could.


    *** *** ***


    Day 15,790:


    Today is the best day of my life!


    I found the way to help Charles and pursue my own goals at the same time.


    It was a gift from the Heaven''s Will!


    It came in the form of a seventeen-year-old girl.


    She is called¡­Sia.

 Chapter 219: Erase Her Existence

    <h4>Chapter 219: Erase Her Existence</h4>


    Varian''s blood froze as he read the final word over and over again.


    Before he knew it, veins popped up on his forehead and his muscles bulged.


    His entire body started shaking and a wave of emotions washed over him.


    Joy for knowing she existed.


    Rage for how Roxana treated her as an object.


    Grief at her plight.


    Relief that his memories of her weren''t mere figments of imagination.


    Holding all these emotions, Varian looked for the next page.


    His mind path improved his brainpower allowing him to skim through all unimportant information and his heightened body prowess ensured his eyes worked fast enough.


    He moved to the next page..and like some earlier, the entries of some dates were missing.


    Varian''s eyes narrowed and he cautiously moved to the next page.


    *** *** ***


    Day 15,800:


    Haha! Sess!


    The specimen Sia has Celestial Grade Talent.


    Due to the limitation of Earth''s technology, I''m not sure if it''s low Celestial Grade or mid¡­or even high?


    Something seemed to have increased her talent.


    Can it happen to everyone?


    But I am sure her talent only recently increased.


    Otherwise, even low Celestial Grade talent would ensure a seventeen-year-old girl would be a high awakener.


    But she doesn''t tell me her secrets.


    As a female myself, I''m impressed by her grit. Even if she is electrocuted, frozen to low temperatures, she did not reveal anything about her talents¡­


    *** *** ***


    Boom!


    Varian mmed the wall of the ghost ship.


    The hard metal could withstand the blows of even high awakeners.


    So all Varian felt was a tingling pain in his fist. However, he did not stop.


    As the rage boiled inside him threatened to erupt, he mmed onto the wall with his fists.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Over and over and over.


    Drip!


    Soon, blood trailed down the walls and formed a small puddle at the bottom.


    Varian was numb to the pain as he kept banging the wall¡­as if it was Roxana herself.


    "Bitch! Why did you die?" He growled.


    He couldn''t imagine Sia subjected to torture¡­the lovely girl who stood with him through thick and thin, what did she do deserve this?


    "Roxana!" Varian ignored his bloodied fists and took in short, rapid breaths.


    His mind started to calm down and he took a healing liquid.


    Looking at the mess he made, Varian was bewildered. ''Wait¡­why am I this impulsive?''


    But the feelings of rage he had¡­they were the most real thing. They were his emotions. Even if he couldn''t justify their intensity, their authenticity was undeniable.


    Paying no heed to his injuries, Varian hurriedly read the next page.


    *** *** ***


    Day 15,820:


    I failed sometimes, but finally!


    I brought Charles to myb and gave him the boost he never asked for.


    His original talent would be weaker than Sia, but thanks to me, he is already in Celestial Grade Talent.


    My niece Charles will be the greatest awakener!


    He will go beyond the Sovereign state.


    Julius, I never shared my core research with you. Do you know why? Because even though I hate my parents, I never intended for them to die.


    Besides, are you even my brother? All you ask me is for my research! Fuck you!


    Since you are afraid of your son so much, I made your fearse true.


    He will surpass you! He will reach heights you could only dream of.


    *** *** ***


    Day 15, 840:


    Sia''s mother, oh, adoptive mother apparently died.


    I checked the blood samples of Sia with her two family members. They don''t match. That was expected.


    But I found something interesting.


    The wolf that stormed into her house, Sia killed it.


    Was this the event that increased her talent, I wonder.


    But anyway, I ordered the Astor n to take care of the postmortem. Everyone will think it''s her mother who killed the wolf.


    Tsk.


    Ignorant fools.


    *** *** ***


    Day 15,870:


    Sia is too valuable. No one must know of her existence!


    She is the key to multiple origins!


    If things go well, I can awaken once again!


    And I found another use for this specimen!


    Using this as leverage, I convinced all the necessary parties to erase the traces of her existence.


    Of course, I bet those big bosses don''t even know her properly.


    They just promised me a favor for the offer I gave them.


    Now, everything about Sia is erased from the world.


    From today, Sia Konstant never existed in the world.


    Every trace she left in the world was removed.


    Every memory of her was erased.


    *** *** ***


    Drip!


    Drip!


    Varian found his vision blur as he copsed onto his chair.


    All air was knocked out of him as he gasped to breathe in. But his chest was stuffed, he tried to speak, to yell, to scream, but all that came out was a muffled sob.


    "S-Sia!" Varian clutched his head and closed his eyes in pain.


    So this was how his memories of her were erased?


    ¡­all his precious memories of her were overwritten.


    "Argh!" Varian wailed like a wounded beast.


    His eyes turned red and as his rage reached new heights, something happened.


    Click!


    An invisible shockwave spread from him hitting the walls of the room.


    The sturdy walls of the ghost ship¡ª that even Level 9s could not leave a scratch on started to tremble.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    From the tiniest atom to thergest block, every part in the walls started to vibrate violently.


    Soon, the metal walls started to creak and cobweb-like cracks started to appear on them.


    Creak!


    At that moment, a ck and white light shone from Varian''s body. Despite their opposite nature, the two lights blended perfectly forming a union¡ªthe union light flickered into ck and white.


    The moment this light touched the walls, they disintegrated.


    Even the defensive sections of the walls, the ones that could hold a punch of a Sovereign, copsed like they were made of sand.


    Boo was rmed and hurriedly set up walls around.


    If that light was to spread and break apart the key sections, then the already crippled ghost ship would only be useful as a museum piece.


    What''s more, they were in the guardian inds, dammit!


    If they were stuck here, their only way out was death!


    So without holding back, Boo used the precious metal walls and covered the light with them.


    These walls could withstand the attacks of a Celestial Ranker for a while. Since they could not be used for fighting, Boo kept them in the storage.


    Now, only they could save the day!


    But¡­


    Creak!


    Under Boo''s horrified gaze, the celestial grade walls creaked and started to twist. The next moment, the wall disappeared out of thin air!


    Boo stared dumbly at the location the wall used to be.


    All it found was? Varian floating in the air.


    The clothes on his body long disappeared.


    Like divinity, the white and ck light covered him.


    Varian''s eyes were closed and he seemed to be unaware of the situation.


    "Master!" Boo yelled in panic.


    "Master!"


    "You''ll blow up the ship!"


    "You''re killing Boo!"


    Its cries fell on deaf ears.


    Boo''s sight shifted to the red journal at the corner and like a drowning man clutching hisst straw, it scanned the journal.


    "Master! Roxana is dead! She is killed in theb! Sia could still be alive!" Boo yelled in thest-ditch effort.


    Varian''s mind at the moment was like a raging ocean. All he wanted was destruction.


    This world¡­was not worth saving.


    As his thoughts moved to oblivion, Boo''s words cut through the darkness like a beam of light.


    "Sia could still be alive."


    Everything fell silent.


    Varian''s body floated down and he gentlynded.


    The ck and white light on his body receded and his eyes snapped open.

 Chapter 220: A Glimpse Of Systems Power

    <h4>Chapter 220: A Glimpse Of System''s Power</h4>


    "Alive¡­" Varian muttered under his breath.


    He tried to raise turn around but like a car out of gas, his body copsed.


    Boo sent out a couch just in time and hended safely with a muffled sound.


    "W-What just happened?" Varian asked with a dry throat.


    It felt like he was running in the desert under five times gravity. His muscles were sour and he felt a massive headache.


    There was no energy in his body. Not just energy, there was no chi, prana, space power, mind power, and lightning mana.


    He was drained.


    "Do you not remember what happened earlier?" Boo asked with a trembling voice.


    "...Earlier?" Varian frowned and tried to sit up. But he found no strength in his arms and copsed back onto the couch.


    "¡­I never felt so angry in my life. Everything went nk. Then I heard Sia might be alive. Then everything went¡­ normal." Looking at his naked self and the changed walls, Varian knew something was wrong.


    However, his memory of thest few seconds was non-existent. No matter how much he tried, he couldn''t remember anything.


    "Boo," Varian took a deep breath and asked. "What did I do?"


    "Let me show you the video recordings," Boo said.


    The ghost ship''s internal space expanded all of a sudden and a room with simr dimensions to the one Varian was in was created.


    In it, a hologram upying the whole room started ying.


    It began with Varian bowing and clutching his head. Then the walls began to creak and the next moment, pitch ck and bright white lights shone from him.


    The walls continued to creak and the next moment, they disappeared!


    Varian gaped at the ridiculous scene.


    What were those lights? Wait, are those the hypothesized light path and dark paths of the Elementals?


    But even those could not be so strong. Even though he watched them in a recording, Varian felt the nature of those powers.


    The walls that even Level 9s couldn''t do anything about, he just made them vanish on the spot!


    As Varian was about to ask if it was real, Boo quickly interrupted. "Watch till the end."


    Another set of walls covered the room in the hologram. As the ck and white light fell on these new and more sturdy walls, they twisted and vanished withoutsting a second.


    "Master, the walls didn''t vanish. They were disintegrated from the basic level." Boo exined while posing a question of its own.


    "These metal walls can withstand a punch or two from even Celestial Rankers. But¡­you just."


    Varian had no answers to Boo''s question.


    The hologram ended with Boo shouting followed by Variannding on the ground.


    "Master¡­just who are you?" Boo asked with a trembling voice.


    "¡­.." Varian found himself silent once again.


    He was enthralled by the powers. Even across the hologram, they made his heart palpitate.


    Those powers were no longer mortal. Perhaps even Celestial was an understatement. They were¡­godly.


    Suddenly, a thought arose in Varian''s mind and he hurriedly asked.


    ''System''


    [Yes, Host?] The System replied in its cool voice.


    ''Was that you?'' Varian couldn''t think of anything else.


    [Yes. It was a glimpse of this System''s true powers. But you are the one wielding them.]


    "Hiss!" Even though he was expecting it, Varian couldn''t help but be shocked. "This is a cheat power!"


    [Do not think much of it. All you did was act on a few walls that could barely stand a few Celestial Awakener punches.


    While a level 9 and even a Sovereign might seem powerful, the extent of their power is limited to a.


    Host, do you know how big the universe is?


    Forget the universe, do you know how big your gxy is?


    Or at least how big your Sr System is?


    There are trillions ofs just in your gxy.


    There are powerhouses controlling Star Zone¡ªan area with a million stars!


    There are giants ruling the Star Regions¡ªan area with a100,000 Star Zones.


    Finally¡­there are Goliaths. They rule the gxies.


    It''s your luck that Earth is in the corner of your star zone and that Devas locked off the aura.


    As there was no aura, no one even knew this ce had a proper civilization.


    520 years ago, the aura locks broke and the star zone rulers came close to finding you.


    Then the Abyssals came and with their precious resources, they shielded you from your Star Zone Ruler''s devices.


    For humanity to survive until now was a mix of luck and the sacrifices of your fellow humans.


    You might have jested with Evander, but to save humanity, only you have the power.


    Even if Abyssals miraculously went away, to maintain your sovereignty and independence from higher civilizations, you need to grow stronger.


    Get stronger. The universe is far more hostile than you think.


    Not just for yourself, but also for humanity.] The System spoke for the longest time ever.


    Varian was bbergasted and turned silent to process the information.


    Star Zones, Star Fields, even gxies¡­ the scales of those words were beyond normal human imagination.


    Even as a Mind Awakener, Varian found it hard to fathom the vastness of the Sr System, much less Star Zone and Star Regions.


    The diameter of the Milky Way was 3.5 million times that of the Sr System.


    To put that difference into perspective, if the Milky Way was considered as Earth, then Sr System would be the size of almost two sand grains.


    Two sand grains.


    In the vastness of the gxy, that was all the vast Sr System amounted to.


    So Varian found it hard to imagine the power scales which could affect these regions.


    When the wave of a hand affects a star zone, then wouldn''t that awakener be strong enough to wipe out the Sr system with a snap?


    Besides, there were awakeners that stood at the very top of the pyramid.


    The ones ruling the gxy itself!


    Perhaps they were reaching the level of godhood.


    Taking a deep breath, Varian closed his eyes and calmed down.


    For now, he was that sand grain. He needed to grow.


    "System, it was me who triggered your power, right?" He asked after a while.


    [Yes, host. You are the master of this system. You are eligible to use the powers. Those powers are the ones responsible for your awakening in multiple paths.] The System exined.


    "Then why did I never trigger it?" Varian asked in confusion.


    [Because your previous attempts were not enough. And this System does not see you doing it again in the near future. But since you are going to try anyway, good luck.] The System said and fell silent.


    Varian had an urge to smash it. But he didn''t even have the energy to clench his fists.


    "Argh, whatever. I''ll focus on things at hand." Varian shook his head and shifted his attention to the red book.


    Knitting his brows, he asked in a solemn tone. "Boo, why did you say she could be alive?"


    "¡­read the book till the end, master. Even though I can understand, you''re being hyper-sensitive." Boo answered.


    Varian paused for a moment recalling his actions.


    The cool-headed and rational approach to his situation would have been to acquire every information and then react by formting the most rational choice.


    Usually, Varian would''ve done that.


    Like the time on Renaoid, when facing a potential threat of a high awakener attacking theoid, he made a n to escape with Boo.


    After deciding he would save Sarah in case help waste, he calmly took down the Abyssals and met up with her.


    But now¡­there was no death threat, no one forcing him or no obstacles.


    Yet, his emotions were in chaos.


    "She¡­is just that important." As he uttered those words, the world blurred and turned into a familiar white.

 Chapter 221: High school days

    <h4>Chapter 221: High school days</h4>


    The world started to twist and Varian saw presented with a familiar setting and faces.


    16 year old Varian and Sia were on way back to their home from the not so prestigious high school back they attended.


    The two were seated side by side on a hover bus along with other students.


    The students in the back pointed at Varian sitting next to Sia.


    Their eyes were filled with mockery and contempt.


    A tall boy in the back whispered in a low voice. "He doesn''t realize that they''re miles apart, does he?


    We''re almost past the first year and he hasn''t even awakened.


    Sia is not only the most beautiful girl, but she''s the most talented of the school.


    Heck, I bet she''d be the most beautiful wherever she goes.


    On the other hand, that trash¡­even if he awakens now, I doubt he can reach level 2.


    It''s also this guy that wants to join the Imperial Defense Academy. Who is he kidding?"


    The boys next to him nodded and sneered at Varian. They didn''t talk loudly in fear of being heard by Sia. She was very protective of Varian¡­a bit too protective.


    When a few seniors asked her not to associate herself with Varian, she got into a conflict with them. The end result was unknown, but since that day, no one bothered Sia again.


    Naturally, Varian also received that privilege.


    But seeing the most beautiful girl in their school next to an unawakened of all people and knowing they were not blood rted, they couldn''t stand the jealousy.


    A boy with a sharp chin and red hair said. "Defense Academy you say¡­even geniuses of our school can only dream."


    The tall boy raised an eyebrow and his lips curled. "He must be feeling that he can go to the academy and the Dean himself wees him and begs him to be his disciple."


    "Hahaha!"


    "Like that''ll ever happen, euk!"


    The boys that wereughing suddenly clutched their heads as they felt a stinging pain in their mind.


    The tall boy looked up and saw Sia looking at them.


    Her eyes that looked at Varian with gentleness now had iparable coldness.


    "Hiss!"


    Suddenly, the pain spiked and one by one pissed their pants.


    "What!"


    "Hey!"


    There were small whispers from behind, and as Varian was about to turn back, Sia grabbed his arm.


    "Let''s go. Our stop is here."


    "Hm." Young Varian nodded and alighted from the hover bus with Sia.


    Sia started a topic and Varian responded, but from the corner of his eyes, he saw a few boys looking fearfully at Sia at the back of the distancing bus.


    The faces of those boys were filled with fear and terror.


    They wereughing and chatting a few moments ago. Even though he couldn''t hear the topic, everything seemed fine.


    "Let''s go." Sia walked forward and looked back at him.


    In a white shirt and a pleated ck skirt, she looked stunning under the sunset.


    Varian clenched his fists behind his back.


    ''I am useless. She is protecting since the start of high school.


    I don''t want to remain weak. I want to make a difference¡­argh, why can''t I awaken?''


    Hiding his thoughts under a smile, Varian nodded and walked home with her.


    He didn''t wish to vent his stress on her.


    Thest time he was impulsive and went to hunt some the raging lion, Sia nearly lost her life.


    Even though he was ufortable with the status quo and wanted to awaken¡ªhe didn''t want to do it at the expense of her life.


    So these days, he was slowly improving hisbat power.


    With Sia helping him, he was also progressively hunting stronger Level 0 monsters.


    Today, he''d defeat the strongest level 0 monster.


    In the near future, he''d aim for level 1.


    ''Patience.'' Varian told himself as they reached their home.


    Amanda was rarely home.


    But with Sia, he made many memories in this small ce.


    If Varian had anyints, it was that it had only two bedrooms.


    Thankfully, Amanda stayed out for her duty most of the time, so Sia lived in Amanda''s room.


    ''I''d be dead if I had to live in the same room as Sia.'' Varian sighed looking at the girl who was growing more beautiful with each day.


    She already went from cute to beautiful. If there was another word above beautiful, then she was transitioning to it.


    Sia received confession letters everyday. And rejected them without a second thought.


    Those boys couldn''t even get to talk to her properly despite their relentless attempts.


    On the other hand, He lived under the same roof with her.


    It caused uncontroble envy and was the source of almost all troubles in school.


    Varian had no problem being envied about this. But he wished he could be envied for one more thing.


    ''Once I awaken, you''ll envy my prowess.'' Varian vowed and entered the bathroom attached to his bedroom to grab a quick shower.


    He avoided all the cliche scenarios of taking the wrong bathroom or not seeing if the bathroom was in use by someone else.


    Especially after once he walked in when she was bathing and forgot to lock the door.


    He still remembered everything vividly¡­ahem, not for the inappropriate reasons.


    They were still kids back then. Barely 10.


    After realizing that they had different parts underneath, he asked Amanda about it.


    After some exnation, she had him cultivate this habit of checking if anyone was in the bathroom before entering.


    Fortunately or unfortunately, since that day, he never walked in on her bathing again¡­even though there were four instances where she used his bathroom and forgot to lock the door.


    ''I''m too pure?'' Varian wondered as he changed into training clothes and walked into living room and waited for Sia.


    ''But I just feel weird. Why would I want to see her naked? I didn''t feel this before. Is this because of hormones?


    But hormones on me? Tsk. Weak hormones.''


    Soon, she was out in ck sports dress. The tight shirt and pant perfectly showed her developing, but already alluring curves.


    ''I take it back. Hormones are strong.'' Varian shook his head and threw away the thoughts.


    Even though they troubled him sometimes, Varian had control over himself.


    Looking at him, Sia held the hair clip between her lips and mumbled. "¡­the led lock fark?"


    Varian grabbed the hair clip and tied her soft brown hair into pony tail while chiding.


    "I''m worried, one of these days, you''ll swallow the hairclip."


    "Hehe. Then tie my hair every day." Sia turned around and smiled.


    Varian showed a bitter expression. "I know what you''re thinking. I already learnt four stylings for you¡­anymore and I''ll die."


    Sia put her hands on her hips and leaned towards him. "Then I''m not learning that new dish you askedst week."


    "I''ll learn. I''ll learn. It''s just styling hair. I won''t die from it! What doesn''t kill me makes me stronger." Varian waved the white g.


    Living without Sia''s cooking was a nightmare.


    "Umu." Sia nodded with satisfaction.


    "Redrock Park, let''s go." He said and they took off.


    After a boarding a few buses, they reached a park.


    It was deserted and had only level 0 monsters. There were level 2 security guards outside the park.


    Essentially, it was a ce for children toe out and check the strength of the level 0 monsters.


    By thickening his skin, Varian started using this ce to hone his fighting skills.


    Most people awakened in the first semester of high school.


    Now, they were at the end of the second semester and he was still not showing any signs of awakening.


    Since Amanda had to pay tuition for both him and Sia, she had no money to pay for the Adventurers to protect him inside the dungeon.


    So the scene where Varian fought with Level 0 monsters ranging from horned pigs to red crocodiles took ce.


    Sia overlooked his fight and was on standby to help him out.


    He insisted her to practice on her own, but she was stubborn.


    If he wanted to practicebat with these monsters, she needed to be there.


    So under her watchful gaze, Varian challenged the apex predator.


    The strongest level Zero monster.


    The Raging Lion.


    The kind of monster that nearly put him and Sia to deathst time.


    The one he would kill today.

 Chapter 222: Peak Mortal Strength

    <h4>Chapter 222: Peak Mortal Strength</h4>


    Young Varian had been fighting since he could remember. He trained his body, ate the most nutritious food he could afford and never missed a day.


    After Sia awakened, he only increased his training.


    He studied the fighting styles of masters across the federation and was slowly forming one of his own.


    "Roar!" The Raging lion looked at the two humans and growled.


    It was in an artificial field spanning a few dozen miles.


    Every day, bots would feed it and conduct a check up on its health.


    However, the raging lion didn''t like its life at all.


    It was living as a show piece.? The whole field was monitored by a security system. If the lion tried to cross the field, it would be electrocuted. It had tried too many times to escape and bitterly learnt the lesson.


    Since the visitors were mainly children, they only watched in from afar. No one ventured inside. Even if they did, they were under the supervision of an awakener.


    On the other hand, after awakening, no one would visit a level 0 creature.


    Thus, the Raging Lion''s itch for a hunt was never satisfied.


    Instead of dying out, the hunger for a fight only increased.


    "Roa-?" As it was about to roar once again, Young Varian already entered the field followed by Sia.


    The security system allowed him to enter after seeing the passes. Of course, the main reason Varian was given the pass was because of Sia.


    For the park, unawakened children had to be apanied by awakeners.


    ''This is so sad.'' Varian looked at his children pass and sighed.


    "Do your best." Sia said and stopped.


    Varian put away the negative thoughts and nodded sharply.


    Today, he was going to hunt this goddamn thing.


    The Raging Lion sensed Sia''s aura and did not approach them.


    Even though Level 1 Mind Awakeners were not physically strong, they could drive an unawakened insane and braindead.


    Varian kicked the ground and dashed at the lion. He had the gauntlets on.


    "Roar!"


    The lion''s desire to hunt erupted and it lunged at him.


    The distance between them was closed in seconds and they met in mid air.


    Varian twisted his body and spun, pulling himself to the left of the lion and punching at its side.


    Boom!


    The punch connected and with a muffled sound, the lion''s body shook and it crashed onto the ground.


    Variannded on the ground and shook his numb arm.


    "Roar!"


    With blood dripping from its side, the lion''s eyes turned bloodshot.


    Putting strength into its hind legs, it jumped at Varian with breakneck speed.


    Varian hurriedly sidestepped and barely avoided the lion''s paw.


    Boom!


    As the lion''s pawnded on the location he previously stood at, dust rose and a small crack appeared on the ground.


    But as its attack failed, the lion lost its momentum.


    Using the opportunity, Varian punched at its underbelly, forcing a whimper from the animal.


    The lion rolled and tried to bite him.


    Dodging the expected attack, Varian started inflicting damage on the injured parts.


    As time passed, the injuries on the lion increased and it was clear that it would die at any moment.


    Varian did not notice, but color was draining out of Sia''s face with every passing moment.


    She fidgeted and tried to calm herself. But no matter what she tried, the feeling inside her was slowly bing unbearable.


    It always existed inside her. She couldn''t tell what it was, but it was troubling her since she could remember.


    She was able to suppress it till now, thanks to her own will and¡­Varian''s help.


    Then came the most crucial moment of the fight. Sia''s heart hung in her throat as she watched the dying lion.


    Before it died, it would exert its strongest attack.


    As a mind awakener, she could stop the attack before it started and not after.


    Stopping it before would disturb Varian''s fight, but what if Varian was in danger after the attack?


    "Roar!" The raging lion''s muscles expanded and its bones crackled.


    As it bled all over, the lion gave its final roar.


    With a single push, it appeared in front of Varian and pped him with its paw.


    Sia''s heart nearly stopped at that moment as she prayed. ''Go slow! Go slow! Let him escape! Let him escape!''


    The unspeakable feeling from inside further increased and seemed to have crossed a threshold, nearly causing her to faint.


    But Sia held on and watched with hopeful eyes as Varian faced the lion''s paw.


    He fell to the ground and rolled away, dodging the attack in time.


    Boom!


    Gravel shot out in all directions and a small pit was formed showing the lion''s prowess.


    -Thud!


    As the creature fell, Varian rose.


    Waving towards her, he pumped his fist into the air. "Yay!"


    "Your favorite dishes tonight!" Sia announced subconsciously before clenching her fist.


    The feeling¡­it was increasing.


    "Huh? Sia, why are you so pale?" Varian asked as he approached her.


    "I-I was just worried. You''re going to fight level 1 creatures after this. I''m not in a capacity to help right now." Sia said with a concerned face.


    It was not the reason she was pale, but she was indeed worried.


    Varian paused for a moment and looked at her biting her lip.


    He ruffled her hair and said. "No worries. I''ll wait till we can do it safely. Besides, I can still train a lot before that."


    Sia nodded and forced a smile.


    Soon, they exited the Red Rock park.


    ording to the rules, if a unawakened kills a creature in the park, they would not be fined.


    Awakeners could not attack the creatures but could rescue the non-awakeners.


    So, this park was basically built to hone the fighting experience of unawakened.


    As they boarded the final bus to their home, Varian noticed Sia was trembling.


    Her face was as pale as a sheet of paper and sweat rolled down her forehead as she closed her eyes.


    He hurriedly held her hand and gently rubbed her back. Looking at her with pity, he asked. "That again?"

 Chapter 223: ...appy

    <h4>Chapter 223: ...appy</h4>


    Sia stiffened for a moment and nodded.


    This feeling of something trying to break out of her, she had it since she could remember.


    At first, it was weak but as she grew up, it increased.


    Varian''s presence somehow slowed it down and she was able to suppress the weird feeling welling from within.


    "Don''t worry, it''ll be alright." Varian patted her back slowly and whispered.


    The first time this feeling intensified, Sia faced a simr situation. It was when she was 11 years old.


    Amanda was not at home. Varian was worried about her and took her to the hospital.


    After overcharging them with unreasonable tests, the doctors told Varian that it was a panic attack.


    The 11-year-old Varian didn''t know what to do, so he hugged her and stroked her back.


    When he was sad, Amanda did this to him.


    So he did the same to Sia.


    For some reason or another, Sia''s condition improved after that.


    From then on, whenever a panic attack happened, Varian would hold her hand and if it was intense, slowly stroke her back.


    Sia calmed down and her face slowly turned rosy. She was fine again.


    However, Varian could feel her entire back was soaked with cold sweat.


    ''I-If we do get enough money to afford a group of adventures for my dungeon, I''d rather use it to take her to a better hospital.''


    Varian thought but didn''t say it out loud.


    Their stop arrived. Varian supported Sia to home.


    "Are you sure you don''t want me to carry you?" He asked with concern.


    Walking slowly by holding him for support, Sia shook her head stubbornly. "I-I''m fine. This much is nothing."


    After they entered the home, Sia took off her hand and walked towards her bedroom.


    Varian didn''t see that the moment she started walking, her face started to pale.


    Looking at her back, he said in a hurry. "I don''t know why, but I''m worried."


    Sia stiffened and waved her hand. "It''s alright. This happened a lot of times, didn''t it? Compared to the previous times, I can already walk. In the future, I can suppress it easily."


    Saying so, she walked in and closed the door.


    It was a lie.


    Each time she suppressed it, it returned with a vengeance.


    But¡­she couldn''t let it free. She didn''t know why, but there seemed to be something deep within her telling her that she would regret it otherwise.


    "I''m fine¡­one day." Sia forced a smile.


    "I don''t want Varian to wor¡ª"


    Crack!


    *** *** ***


    "Sia!"


    "Sia, answer me! Are you alright?"


    "Just say something!"


    Varian yelled outside her bedroom.


    He didn''t go into his bedroom like usual.


    Thinking back to Sia''s face paling in the park and how long this ''attack''sted, Varian was suspicious.


    The most suspicious point was the way she walked back to her bedroom.


    His guts told him she was hiding something.


    So here he was, banging the door of the room, trying to find out her condition.


    Bang!


    Bang!


    "If you don''t say anything, I''m breaking in!" Varian said in a serious tone.


    After hearing no response, he rushed into his room and brought out a hammer.


    Giving no care for the damages, he broke open the door and stormed in.


    "Sia!" Varian''s eyes widened and hurried to her.


    Sia lied unconscious on the ground, with several ss shards piercing her arm, blood slowly forming a puddle under her.


    Varian carefully carried her to the bed and with the help of the home AI, removed the ss shards.


    Then, he used the precious healing liquid on her and waited by the side of the bed.


    After a few minutes, a medical bot came and checked her condition.


    A hologram popped up and a middle-aged woman wearing a white coat appeared.


    She checked the information from the bot and looked at Varian with a neutral gaze.


    "It seems to be psychological pressures. Isn''t this the twentieth time? You should take her to a Telepath already. Other than that, her body is fine. She''ll wake up soon."


    After saying that, she didn''t even wait for Varian''s response and ended the call. The medical bot also left.


    Only after hearing that she was fine did Varian sigh in relief. Turning his gaze back onto the sleeping girl on the bed, he hung his head low and held her hand.


    "Why¡­is the world so unfair?" Varian muttered, adjusting her scattered hair and neatly tucking it behind her ears.


    Her cheerful face was now pale white. There was still a forceful smile on her face.


    Looking at the smile she desperately tried to maintain, Varian felt like someone was cutting his heart.


    Even though he tried to control himself, his eyes reddened.


    "I¡­I can''t afford a telepath. I''m sorry." He held her hand to his cheek and said in a choked voice.


    If Sia was born in a rich household, she''d have lived like a princess.


    But living with him, she had to face hardships.


    She didn''t go to the best school in the city.


    Unlike her ssmates, she doesn''t attend any parties.


    She couldn''t buy the clothes she fancied, nor could she buy resources to aid her practice.


    "Do you remember? When we first met, what I promised to you?" Varian said with a wry smile.


    "Come with me and I''ll protect you forever," Varian repeated the lines he said long back and gritted his teeth.


    "Forever¡­hah, I can''t even protect you now. I am the worst." He waved her hand to let it p him.


    After checking the injuries on her body thrice, Varian sat on a stool beside her.


    He did not know how many hours passed. He did know that he was going to stay with her until she awoke.


    Slowly, her face turned rosy and her breathing smoothened.


    But she didn''t show any signs of waking up.


    Finally, Varian looked at her messy hair and said. "I''ll change your hair. You were asking for that style sincest week. I wanted to keep it a secret, but I already learned it."


    Realizing she was still unconscious, Varian carefully held her up and braided her hair into ''Waterfall braid style''.


    After carefully putting her back on the bed, Varian smiled and said. "There you go. Happy?"


    The response didn''te.


    Varian''s smile eventually receded as silence took over.


    ¡ªUntil a weak voice broke the silence.


    "...appy."

 Chapter 224: Promise?

    <h4>Chapter 224: Promise?</h4>


    Varian sighed in relief as Sia slowly opened her eyes.


    She looked at him silently and waited for him to speak.


    He didn''t.


    Varian just stared at her in a daze. As he recalled the incident, he realized how dangerous it was.


    Finally, Sia whimpered. "Angry?"


    She lied that she was fine. And she hid the truth about the strange feeling.


    "No." Varian shook his head with a smile.


    But Sia was not relieved.


    She shrank back into the bed and nced at the clock with the corner of her eyes.


    Six hours!


    It was six hours since they returned!


    Looking back at Varian''s haggard face, a pang of guilt rose in her heart.


    He was already exhausted from fighting the Raging Lion¡­yet he stayed with her for six hours.


    As for why was she certain that he stayed with her for six hours?


    ¡­because she''d do the same.


    "I''m sorry for lying about my condition." Sia finally said.


    Varian rubbed her head and looked into her eyes. "I''m worried. You were bleeding when I found you. What if this happened when you are alone?"


    He closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "I¡­just don''t want to imagine."


    Feeling the warmth from his hand, Sia closed her eyes and hummed slowly. "Hm."


    Yawning, Varian said. "No more lying from now, okay?"


    Sia thought for a while and tried to get up. His warm hand pressed on her shoulder and stopped her.


    "Nope. You''re resting." Varian said in a tone that allowed no refusal.


    Sia rolled her eyes. "I am full of energy."


    "No lying." Varian poked her forehead.


    Sia red at him resentfully before pouting.? "I have no energy. Did I lose all the blood in my body or what?"


    "You did bleed." Varian shrugged and ordered the home bot to bring in the nutrient solutions.


    Sia took the vials from his hands. Looking up at him, she muttered in a disappointed tone. "¡­I thought you were gonna cook me something."


    "Sure, if you want to stay in the bed for a week." Varian got up with a smirk.


    "Wait, wait! I love nutrient solutions!" Sia stopped him anxiously and gulped down the tasteless liquids.


    "So¡­" Varian waited for her to finish and asked. "what do you have to say?"


    Sia bit her lip and closed her eyes. Finally, she held the nutrient vial in her hand upside down. A light shed in her hand and onto the vial.


    The small vial was half-full. But instead of flowing down, the liquid flowed up.


    Varian''s eyes widened.


    "¡­Gravity path." He muttered.


    "I just awakened," Sia said with a nod.


    Varian nearly stood up in shock. "¡­wait, what? How? Why?"


    He lost hisposure for a moment and wondered whether he was hearing things.


    "You were a Dual Awakener from the start, right?" Varian asked with confusion.


    Sia shook her head and looked into his eyes seriously. "I just awakened¡­again."


    "¡­Impossible. Anyone awakens only once." Varian muttered in disbelief.


    Then he looked at Sia''s expression. She seemed like she seemed to want to say something more important.


    "Is there something more?" He asked.


    Sia nodded. "I¡­I have had a weird feeling inside me since I knew. It''s like I was going to explode. There is something, a power or a force, inside me.


    I try to keep it down. If I''m close to you, I can control it better.


    But as time passes, the force increases.


    Whenever it reaches a limit, I lose control over myself.


    Today, it broke the threshold and I fainted."


    Varian was shocked at this sudden revtion. But he patted Sia''s hand and said. "Whatever happens, I''ll be there with you."


    Sia was visibly rxed after hearing his response.


    Perhaps she expected him to get angry for the fact that she was hiding about this for so long.


    So she mustered the courage to reveal the final secret.


    Before that, she covered herself with a quilt and looked to the side.


    "I-I got a memory of sorts. It keeps repeating. It''s not my memory. It''s like an imprinted memory.


    It tells me that I''m different. My origin or something, it''s different from others.


    It also says there are people like me out there. Special people. People that don''t fit into a group.


    The Hybrids. That''s our name. We have another title. The heralds of cmity.


    I¡­I didn''t believe it, but my second awakening proves that I''m not¡­" Sia''s voice went lower and lower until it turned into a whisper.


    "I don''t care." Varian gripped her hand and said.


    "Huh?" Sia slowly turned her gaze to him.


    Varian could feel her trembling from head to toe.


    After confessing the deepest secret in her heart, she was scared.


    What if he broke their ties?


    What if he called her a liar?


    What if... he hated her?


    "I mean, I don''t care whatever you are. You might be special, you might be not. At the end of the day, nothing will change anything between us." He stated with conviction.


    Sia raised her head and locked gazes with him. Her golden eyes gleamed and she gave the most beautiful smile he''d ever seen.


    Looking into her bright eyes, Varian took a deep breath and confessed the secret in his heart. "I have a secret too. But first, never disclose your second awakening to anyone. Not even to mom. Is that clear?"


    Sia nodded and motioned for him to share his secret.


    Her ears perked and her eyes were filled with curiosity. It was like she couldn''t wait.


    Gritting his teeth, Varian said. "I''m afraid¡­I''m afraid that if I don''t awaken, I''ll lose you."


    He decided to share the burden he was carrying.


    "I know you stop the people at school frommenting on me. I saw what you did on the bus.


    I know you''ve been helping me all the time.


    I¡­I just feel like the distance between us is increasing.


    Not in the sense that we''re bing strangers, but the width of our futures.


    After we grew up, we might never be together.


    And¡­with the specialty showed today, I''m even more afraid.


    I''ve tried, I am trying and I''ll keep trying to awaken.


    But my deepest fear and secret is losing you someday because I am not strong enough."


    Sia covered her mouth and stared at him silently.


    After realizing he spoke everything, Varian avoided eye contact with her and looked at the ceiling.


    He must have looked like an insecure fool.


    "Fool."


    He was right. He was really a fool.


    "I''ll never leave you."


    Eh?


    Varian looked down and saw Sia''s eyes were puffed.


    She extended her left pinky finger and said. "Promise?"


    Varian threw his head back andughed.


    He recalled the promise they made when they first met.


    ''Whenever we get into fights, we''ll understand the other''s reasons and only act after knowing the whole truth.''


    Now, it was time for the second pinky promise.


    Varian hooked his finger with hers and asked. "Promise?"


    "Hehe. Unless you ask me to away, I''ll never go. And that''s a promise." Sia chuckled.


    Varian smiled widely.


    The world started to crack and Varian found himself back in the familiar interior of the ghost ship.

 Chapter 225: The Suspect

    <h4>Chapter 225: The Suspect</h4>


    "Haa!" Varian slowly stood up and sighed.


    Now that he knew those were his memories and not dreams, he fully embraced them.


    So, he could fully dive into the helplessness he felt.


    Despite wanting to help her, Varian at the age of 16 was of no use. Despite his handwork, and perseverance, he amounted to nothing.


    ''Now¡­Sia, I have the power to help you. But where are you?'' He thought as he looked at the red journal.


    But regardless, he understood that Sia was special.


    Even the orphanage did not have any records of her parents. She was found near a dungeon and was brought to the orphanage by a kind hearted old man.


    There was a DNA test for orphans to identify their parents. Even if they couldn''t find their parents, they could find their closest rtives.


    At some point, Sia took this test. But to their surprise, she didn''t match with any sample.


    Amanda thought her heritage was from another.


    Perhaps.


    But whatever the ''Hybrids'' she spoke of, they were special.


    They could awaken multiple times.


    ''System, do I ssify as a hybrid?'' He asked.


    [No, host. You are a unique existence. Even though there are some simrities, you are fundamentally different.


    Even the most well-known Hybrids can awaken only thrice.] It answered cooly.


    ''Then who are they? Where do they exist? Who created them?'' Varian asked.


    [¡­..] The System fell silent.


    Rolling his eyes, Varian repeated the questions to Boo which only titled its head in confusion.


    "Hm¡­maybe I heard of them, but you know my memory is half burnt, right?" Boo''s reply made him helpless.


    But for now, Varian could only give up.


    In the future, if he could learn more about Hybrids, he might be able to solve Sia''s problem.


    Even though she did awaken, being a hybrid took a toll on her.


    ''I''ll never leave you.''


    ''Promise.''


    Varian sighed. What happened to those promises?


    Why did she leave?


    How did she fall in the sight of this vicious Roxana?


    There was no relevant information.


    Varian opened the red journal and read the remaining pages.


    *** *** ***


    Day 15,920:


    I want to stimte her and elicit extreme emotional response from her.


    Physical and mental torture are not working. So I can only go the emotional route.


    With her remaining family.


    I heard she has an adoptive brother.


    He''d do the job.


    I''ll be getting him tomorrow.


    *** *** ***


    That was thest journal entry.


    Varian furrowed his brows and read it all over again.


    From his readings, he concluded a few things and cross checked them with Boo.


    Syncing the date when Roxana started this journal with the first day she entered thisb in the surveince database, Roxana was killed on Day 15,921.


    Again, from the surveince, Roxana had nob assistants.


    She did all the work by herself. And on that day, no one entered theb.


    But she was killed.


    So there were only two possibilities.


    "Sia killed her¡­or someone sneaked into theb, bypassing the surveince and killed her." Varian rubbed his chin.


    "Whoever is the killer, they must have the ability to escape the Guardian Inds which has Level 9 powerhouses."


    Roxana was a Level 6 Awakener.


    ording to the journal entries, Sia at that time was a Level 4.


    So there was no way she could''ve bested Roxana. Besides¡­the prison cage holding Sia was made of alloys strong enough to resist even Level 7 attacks.


    In case Sia was the killer, she had to go from Level 4 to level 7 in the few days she was held in theb.


    ''System, if I remember correctly, my talent is also in Celestial Grade, right?''


    [Yes, host. Peak of Low Celestial Grade. Currently, the highest human.]


    Sia was here for at almost three months. If she had any advancement, Roxana would''ve noticed right away.


    ''Can a Celestial Grade go from level 4 to level 7 in nearly three months?''


    [With the resources on Earth, it''s almost impossible.


    The reason for your fast growth is the System itself. Your Celestial Grade talent is a good booster, but not the main reason.


    Besides, only you can hide your level perfectly.? And only you can finish your breakthroughs in such a short time.


    If anyone else, even the Celestial Grade talents, tried to advance being in captivity, it could be easily known. Even the best known hybrids would make amotion while going from level 6 to level 7.] The System gave him an urate answer.


    Varian narrowed his eyes.


    It was impossible for Roxana, who was studying Sia, to not notice the improvement in Sia''s strength. Roxana wouldn''t be so foolish.


    So, he could cross off Sia from the list of killers.


    Thus, the killer had to be an outsider.


    Someone who could enter and leave the guardian inds without being detected.


    Someone even Xanders could''t catch.


    Someone who was a high awakener.


    ¡­.there was only one person that fit those requirements.


    "Creak."


    Varian turned to the side and saw a young man walking in. His blonde hair flowed softly while his green eyes showed a look of nostalgia.


    "Charles Xander¡­" Varian clenched his fists inside the ghost ship, his expression slowly turned savage.


    This was the very guy that enjoyed the result of Sia''s sacrifice. The rise of his talent was based on her blood.


    And he didn''t even know it.


    ''No wonder¡­Charles is stronger than everyone in the academy. No wonder his advancement speed is so high.


    Sarah said that he already hit the bottleneck to level 7 in a few months, something that would usually take a few years.


    There were also rumors that he could advance to Level 7 in a few months. If he really could do it, he''d set a record in the fastest speed from level 6 to level 7.


    The record built on Sia''s pain.


    As veins started to pop on Varian''s muscles, Charles looked around theb with nostalgia.


    "Aunt, I''m trying my best. But father never appreciates my efforts." He said in a lonely voice.


    "I don''t know how you were able to change me, but I thought at least then, I''d be able to make father proud." Charles said as he walked into Roxana''s resting room.


    He looked at the ce where Roxana used to sleep and said softly. "Even if he is not happy with me, I''ll do my best and¡­I''ll avenge you."


    Suddenly, he nced around the room and his pupils shrunk. "Who?!"


    He cautiously walked to a table next to the bed and observed it cautiously.? There were a few papers and clips scattered on it.


    But¡­


    Charles immediately pressed a button in his pocket and looked around.


    A bright red light shed on his body and his form slowly morphed into that of half human and half wolf.


    The air seemed to stand still as Charles'' transformation caused aura to stand still for a moment.


    "Why did you take my aunt''s journal! You bitch! She sealed it! You can''t read it!


    Enigma! Damn you! I''ll kill you and bury you in this room!" Charles yelled with uncontroble rage.


    Varians''s eyes narrowed and he nodded to himself. ''Sure enough, it''s her.''

 Chapter 226: Charles coughing out blood

    <h4>Chapter 226: Charles coughing out blood</h4>


    "Enigma¡­" Varian confirmed his guess.


    From what he learnt of her so far, she was special.


    She could hide from the Abyss'' Will.


    Her strength reached a level where she could ughter everyone in Astor n''s banquet including level 8s.


    She could also sneak into the Demon Abyss and kill their princes without rming the Archdukes.


    From the way Charles'' yelled her name with utter rage, he could confirm that she was Roxana''s killer.


    And the specialties she showed so far...she was likely a Hybrid, whatever it meant.


    So a year ago, Enigma was able to sneak in and out of guardian inds. She was also a level 8 or maybe level 7.


    Aftering to a conclusion, Varian looked at Charles outside and squinted his eyes.


    He didn''t care about how Charles'' was feeling.


    "Boo, this book can''t be opened by unauthorized persons, huh?" Varian asked picking the red journal.


    "Yes, master. There is a very special restriction. Even level 9s would find it hard. Of course, it''s easy for me." Boo answered.


    "Hm..." Varian thought for a while and threw the book into the air. "Burn it and throw it to Charles."


    "?!" Boo was surprised but followed his words nheless.


    Charles came out of theb room with red eyes. He was still angry about Enigma stealing his aunt''s journal.


    His strength was lower than hers, but if she didn''t have that ability to hide herself, she would have long been dead.


    "I''ll kill you with my own hands." Charles vowed.


    "Hm?" He suddenly turned back and saw a burning object flying towards the ground.


    "Explosive?" Charles moved away from it and prepared to take out a star treasure.


    But failing to see any other change, a thought crossed his mind and his expression changed.


    He dashed to the burning book with all his speed ignoring the special smell in the air.


    The book was made of high quality material. But the oil used to light it up was of higher quality and was easily burning away the book.


    It was almost burnt when Charles arrived. He didn''t even have the time to take out something to put off the fire. In the end, he used his bare hands.


    "Damn!"


    "Damn!"


    Charles'' figure turned into a white werewolf and he quickly put off the fire.


    All that remained was a red cover.


    "¡­Aunt." Charles muttered and raised his head to the sky to in rage.


    "I dare you appear in front of me. You coward! You only do things in the dark." He said in rage.


    Varian was enjoying the expression of pain on Charles'' face. Listening to his provocations, he yawned.


    "Adjust my voice a little, Boo." He said.


    Then Charles heard a deep voice seeminglying out of nowhere.


    "Xanders, I love to break it to you, but you are on my hit list. To be precise, my extermination list."


    The voice sent chills down Charle''s spine. He desperately tried to use his senses to detect the source of the voice. But he failed.


    "By extermination¡­" The voice paused for a moment and turning colder, it continued. "I mean killing every single thing rted to you. The thousand, two hundred and sixty seven Xander family people living today, everyone will be killed.


    The name of Xanders will be wiped off Earth. And all the traces of your existence will be cleared."


    "Y-You!" Charles'' pupils shrunk at the voice.


    Who the hell was so bold to make such ims? In the guardian inds of all ces!


    "I''m ''Dreamer''. Trust me, Charles Xander." The Dreamer''s voice turned warm.


    "I am sopassionate that I didn''t decide to kill your friends, their families and everyone rted to them. I don''t like genocides, do I?" He said in a musing tone.


    "Bastard!" Charles punched into the air.


    Boom!


    The wind exploded and the shockwaves shook the entireb.


    The ghost ship, of course, was stable and unaffected.


    Varian looked at Charles and smiled. "I have one more gift for you."


    Charles'' body trembled and for the first time since Varian knew him, an emotion of fear appeared on his face.


    He was trying to contact the guards through hism and other devices since he heard the voice.


    But none of them were working!


    "Don''t worry, I won''t kill you now. I need you to grow up." Dreamer''s voice was nonchnt.


    "Unlike others, you will break the bottleneck and advance to level 7 much faster." He said.


    Charles flinched and took a step back instinctively. "H-how?!"


    He never said this to anyone. The one who was responsible for this was his aunt.


    But she promised him that she never revealed it to anyone. The only ce she would write such things would in her journal. Ah!


    He cracked the journal and read it!


    "Damn it!" Charles clenched his fist in helplessness.


    "I will kill you after you advance. So just wash your neck and wait. And my gift to you is a piece of information. Do you know how did your grandfather die?" The Dreamer''s voice was full of teasing.


    "Martyred." Charles corrected with anger. "My grandfather, Sovereign Ceaser, sumbed to his injuries after killing the Old Demon King."


    It was a well known story throughout Earth. A modern day legend of the battle that captivated the imaginations of billions.


    In a way, it cemented the position of Xander family as the Guardians Of Earth.


    Even though Charles wanted the acknowledgement of his father, he adored his grandfather more.


    Despite being less talented than Julius, his biography was better than any heroic fantasy.


    The Xander family was its peak under Julius, but it was only under Sovereign Ceaser that Earth had an explosive growth of strength.


    So using ''dead'' was not only inappropriate but also insulting.


    "Martyred, huh?" The Dreamer''s voice sounded. "I wish that was the case too. Your grandfather was a great man. I wonder how his descendants turned out to be the cheapest scums. If he knew the state you are in today, he''ll kill everyone of you himself."


    "Stop dreaming." Charles growled.


    "I can''t. I''m the ''Dreamer'' after all. In addition, I also have the habit of making my dreamse true. So in your grandfather''s stead, I''ll kill you all and pay my respects to him." The Dreamer responded in azy tone.


    "¡­is this the secret you want to say?" Charles said after a long silence.


    "My bad, I almost forgot. The secret is¡­your dad killed your grandfather. Sovereign Ceaser returned home after killing the Old Demon King with heavy injuries and tsk, he got stabbed in the back." Dreamer said with mockery.


    Charles'' body trembled and he opened his mouth to counter. But strangely, no words came out.


    "Don''t refute me, Charles. You know the truth yourself. Your aunt never liked your father, did she? Didn''t she always advice you to stay away from him?


    Why do you think a sister would hate her brother so much? Hm?" The Dreamer said in a devilish voice.


    Charles'' face paled. In the back of his mind, this was always one of the reason. The one he ignored.


    But now that the dots connected, he felt his head dizzy and something warm and sweet in his throat.


    "Cough." Charles coughed out blood.


    "Tsk. I was expecting better mental quality. To think my goal was surpassing this guy, I was degrading myself." Varian clicked his tongue looking at Charles'' sorry figure.


    A month ago, he set what seemed to be a grand goal at that time¡ªto surpass Charles in a year...but now, Varian was already feeling it was too small.


    He had grown too much, too quick.


    Turning to Boo, he ordered. "Outta this ce."


    Theb door opened again and the ghost ship dashed out of the guardian inds.

 Chapter 227: Sia and Enigma

    <h4>Chapter 227: Sia and Enigma</h4>


    As the ghost ship flew above the clouds, Varian fell into contemtion.


    He exined the whole thing¡ªincluding his dreams and his guesses to Boo, and soon, one man and one ghost were racking their brains.


    "I''d like to consider that Enigma saved Sia," Varian said after a while.


    He was rejecting the possibility that Enigma killed her.


    "Also, given the peculiarities of Enigma, she might as well be another Hybrid." He added.


    He didn''t have much information on Hybrids. But given the peculiarities shown by Enigma, it was very likely that she was one.


    He didn''t see her face, and couldn''t guess her age. But if she was a hybrid¡­


    ''System, what are the talents of hybrids?''


    [They start from Celestial grade.]


    And it went on to exin the speeds of advancement each celestial grade talent would have on Earth.


    A low-grade celestial talent would reach level 7 by the age of 20.


    A mid-grade would reach it by age of 17 and a high grade by the age of 14.


    But like Sia, Enigma herself could have had her talent increase all of a sudden. So he had no way of urately guessing her age and narrowing down on her identity.


    "Master, we know literally nothing about her.


    Before Sia incident, Shadow Guardians were already established, but their actions were very not so high profile.


    They were fighting against Shadow Order in secret, but made sure to erase their presence." Boo said with a solemn voice.


    "Was it because Sia is also a hybrid?" Varian quirked a brow and wondered.


    "Master, could Enigma be Sia?" Boo asked suddenly.


    Varian already had an answer. "She can''t be."


    First, Shadow Guardians were already fighting against Shadow Order before Sia''s incident.


    The biggest differentiator was their levels.


    Sia was just level 4st year. Enigma was level 7.


    Roxana held Sia in captivity for almost 3 months. She noted in her journal that Sia was approaching the peak of Level 4 five days before her death.


    Even a high-grade celestial talent couldn''t go from level 5 to level 7 in five days.


    Besides, ording to Roxana, the special prison for Sia could not be broken even by Level 7s from inside.


    Even if she awakened again¡ªthis time in space path, Sia can''t teleport outside as the space itself was sealed by a formation.


    Besides, she already awakened in Gravity Path. So abiding by the rules of Divine Paths, she could not awaken in the same Avenue.


    So, the only way to save her would be from the outside.


    Enigma was necessary.


    "Enigma likely saved Sia. But what are her intentions?" Varian furrowed his brows.


    Atst, he had a definite location to find Sia.


    But the definite location was a person whose whereabouts were always indefinite.


    "Sia never appeared in public. She didn''t even contact me once." Varian''s eyes narrowed. He didn''t like this train of thought.


    "Meanwhile, Enigma''s shadow guardians took off. They who always lurked in the shadows and kept a low profile suddenly made big moves.


    In a short time, Shadow Guardians went from barely injuring Shadow Order to severely contesting it." Varian''s hands balled into fists and his voice was slowly turning cold.


    Boo shuddered at the iciness before speaking up. "Master, you mean¡­Enigma is forcing Sia''s specialty to strengthen her group?"


    Enigma must''ve found out about Roxana''s research and how she changed Charles'' talent.


    Then she could''ve saved Sia for her own selfish reasons.


    Perhaps she was being kind to her¡­perhaps not.


    Varian looked at the clouds outside the window and sighed. "Only she knows. But looking at the speed at which they gained strength, I can be sure Sia''s specialty is being used."


    He gnashed his teeth and said. "I just hope Sia is doing it voluntarily and is not forced by Enigma. Else¡­Shadow guardians, whatever their noble cause is, they''ll be on the list with Xanders."


    ''Extermination List.'' He added inside.


    Boo shuddered.


    After thest incident, it was starting to get afraid of Varian''s emotional swings.


    If he became that ck and white light man once again, then its humble wish of survival would end.


    ''I can''t let that happen. I must keep him calm.'' Boo cheered itself and said in an optimistic tone. "Master, Shadow Guardians'' track record so far has been clean.


    The so-called terrorist attacks done by Enigma are all orchestrated by Xander Family or their vassals.


    The only times Enigma took action were against anti-human elements. Her enemies are Shadow Order, Abyssals, and¡­Xanders.


    She might not be a good person, but she is not a bad person."


    Varian''s eyes lit up.


    ''Yes. That''s it!''


    Some obscure things in the past that seemed unrted now suddenly connected.


    Enigma appeared in the Red fief during the entrance exam. She must havee for the Cross Tunneling Formation, but she could have gotten it elsewhere.


    Besides, she must have known that the entrance test was going on.


    Out of the countless choices she had, she picked the same location as him.


    Then, there was another news he previously ignored.


    ording to Boo, small-scale attacks on the three ns started right after he disappeared into the lost dungeon.


    Apparently, Shadow Guardians gauged the strength of the three ns and collected important information.


    By the time he returned, all the information was in ce.


    Then, Enigma personally took the shot and killed off the geniuses of Astor, Martin, and Ganbold ns.


    Right then, Varian also posed as ''Dreamer'' and released the ''keys'' to the hideouts.


    The government announced the mission ''Purge'' to kill every abyssal.


    Public attention was drawn to the mission and everyone didn''t realize the severity of the situation that the three ns were going through.


    In a few days, Enigma destroyed the Astor n, Martin n, and Ganbold ns.


    Only the level 9s of these ns were not killed by her. Her strength was still in Level 8.


    But they weren''t alive for long.


    Sarah sent the evidence of Astor n cooperating with Shadow Order. Stacked with that were the Abyssal corpses found in Astor n''s estate.


    Astor n were branded as traitors overnight.


    The level 9 members of the Astor n were personally killed by Evander himself.


    He also suspected the Martin and Ganbold ns and killed their level 9s.


    ording to the insiders, after his wife''s death, Evander ''hated anything that is not human''.


    He apparently said those who cooperate with Abyssals are not qualified to be even a human''s pet.


    Coming back to the incident, these three ns were vassals of the Xander Family.


    Neither the ns nor the Xander family provoked Enigma during that time.


    She was the one who ignited it. Right after he disappeared.


    It was like¡­avenging him.


    "If¡­and I''m saying if, Sia''s condition for helping Enigma might be protecting me." Varian''s shoulders slumped as he said after a long time.


    "After Roxana''s death, the Xanders must have investigated into Sia. Even though Roxana erased all information about her, I''m sure Xanders would have found out about a thing or two.


    Since she escaped, then their natural target would be me, her only family." Rubbing his chin, Varian spected.


    "Given their nature, I should be captured by the Xanders. They would threaten Sia with me.


    But they didn''t. So, Enigma must have forced them topromise." He mmed his palm with his fist.


    Without anyone forcing them, Xanders would''ve captured him for sure.


    "Since Sia is so important, Enigma must have asked them to not target me in any form.


    But Shadow Order and Abyssals, while trying to assassinate Sarah, pulled me into the conflict. These two are supported by Astor n.


    Sia would''ve thought I died. To cate her, Enigmaunched the attacks on the Xander n." He concluded.


    Boo on the side nodded. "Yes, master. After you appeared in the academy, Enigma stopped her attacks. Or else, the Astor n remnants you hunted inoid Rena¡­they would''ve been long killed by her."


    Varian''s expression brightened and he said. "If Enigma is going to such lengths, then at least Sia is being treated properly and joined Shadow Guardians on her own ord."


    Then he smiled wryly. "She''s safe¡­but why did she never contact me?"


    Regardless, Varian felt a burden was lifted off his chest.


    Boo could feel it clearly.


    Varian was...excited like never before.


    "Enigma, it''s time to meet you." He said with his biggest grin.

 Chapter 228: A Ghosts Anger

    <h4>Chapter 228: A Ghost''s Anger</h4>


    "We don''t have her contact," Booined.


    "I searched the meta, I can''t find any information about Shadow Guardians'' contact. Forget Enigma, we can''t even contact the lowest member of Shadow Guardians! And you just wanted to contact her without any leads?! You''re dreaming, master." With puffed cheeks, Boo said.


    Varian smirked. "What''s my title?"


    "¡­Dreamer," Boo replied and realized what he was implying.


    Then it looked at Varian from head to toe before shaking its head, "Don''t brag, master. You just did an online search for a cool title when divulging the Omni keys."


    "To question my naming sense, you sure are a tasteless ghost." Varian looked at Boo with contempt.


    ''Your naming sense? As if that ever existed!'' Boo thought but didn''t say it out loud.


    "So, how are you going to contact her? Send a message on meta asking her to meet you?" Boo retorted.


    Varian looked at Boo in surprise and nodded.


    Boo was taken aback and opened its mouth. "W-What? Are you serious, master?"


    "Do I look like I''m kidding?" Varian calmly asked.


    Boo wanted to nod but shook its head.


    "Good." Varia patted Boo and said. "Remember a lesson. You can hook any fish with the right bait."


    "Eh?" Boo titled its head in confusion.


    "My stupid ghost AI." Varian facepalmed and exined. "We''ll give Enigma an irresistible offer."


    "What would that be?" Boo frowned.


    Enigma had power, wealth, and connections. In all these aspects, she far exceeded him.


    Even if he took out a 9-star treasure, it wouldn''t be enough.


    "Information." Varian chuckled.


    He snapped his fingers and a luxurious ck chair appeared behind him.


    Sitting like a ruler, Varian asked. "Shadow Guardians are the nemesis of Shadow Order. Enigma herself can kill almost all level 8s, essentially ending the Shadow Guardians, but it never happened. You know why?"


    Boo''s eyes shed as it quickly read through the meta.


    "Un. Shadow Order has several bases in secret realms. Even Enigma doesn''t know where they are. Their secret realms are also likely mobile." Boo answered.


    Varian nodded.


    Secret Realms. Their original name was Deste dimensions, the vestiges of the Deva race.


    Devas were the civilization that thrived on Earth before humans. What today''s humans know about themes mostly from Ruins.


    The eights of the Sr System each have Deva Ruins.


    After Devas sealed off the aura, all the constructions of devas began to crumble.


    Their traces were quickly swept off in the first thousand years.


    Only special dimensions survived.


    They were like Dungeons¡ªa small world with their own space and aura.


    But as the whole Sr System was cut off aura, even these special dimensions started to break down.


    Only those that used to be the center of theirs remained intact.


    They became what today''s humans call Deva Ruins¡ªa small world of their own containing the treasures, dangers, and knowledge of the Deva civilization.


    Almost all other special dimensions broke down. Their debris floated in the chaotic space and remained out of human sight.


    But there were a few special dimensions.


    Everything inside these special dimensions was destroyed. But they themselves survived.


    So all that left was an empty small world with abundant aura.


    They were not qualified to be called Deva Ruins. They had no treasures, no ecosystem, no creatures¡ªnothing!


    Their title was thus Deste Dimensions.


    Unlike Ruins that existed independently, these deste dimensions could be controlled.


    As one would expect from humans, upon their discovery, all powers contended for their control.


    Then these deste dimensions were used for the cultivation of special herbs, minerals, and other precious resources.


    They were also used to store some precious resources. Like warehouses of sorts.


    The big powers went as far as to create trials for their younger generation.


    Abysses were too dangerous, Dungeons were too easy. Thus, these deste dimensions began to gain prominence among the great powers.


    At some point, they were termed as ''Secret Realms''.


    "Shadow Order controls at least three secret realms on Earth." Varian browsed through their history and muttered.


    The terrorist group was on the verge of extinction until Abyssals arrived.


    By then, major powers were already controlling all known secret realms.


    Secret Realms were usually hidden and needed a deep search to find. A cursory search won''t help.


    Miraculously, Shadow Order was able to find a few Secret Realms on every and took them as their bases.


    Then, even more miraculously, they found a few treasures to keep their Secret Realms hidden even under thorough searches.


    "I call bullshit! Abyssals helped out Shadow Order find those secret realms. Now, Shadow Order helps Abyssal deal with humans." Varian sneered in contempt.


    When you find a Secret Realm, you should find the realm ruling key. Then, the Secret Realm could be controlled by you.


    With the Abyssal hiding technology, Shadow Guardians became a headache to even the Army.


    Now, no one could find the Shadow Order bases except Abyssals.


    And to top it off, there were rumors that Shadow Orders could mobilize their Secret Realms. This was cited as the reason for failing to pinpoint their location through the members of Shadow Order.


    ''Tsk. Dreamer did the impossiblest time. Now, he''ll do it again.''


    "Boo, you can do it, right?" Varian smiled like an angel, but Boo felt like it was seeing a devil.


    Ghostship''s space subsystem was damaged, but the existing functionality was enough for the job.


    It just needed to detect the existence of Shadow Order''s secret realms.


    No matter the type of deste dimension, it would emit spatial fluctuations.


    Even if they were shielded by Abyssal tech, detecting space fluctuations was a cakewalk for Boo.


    "I can, but I have to be within a minimum distance. I don''t know where to search." Boo answered with an embarrassed face, wishing for him to drop off the proposal.


    "That''s easy. Just cover every part of Earth." Varian said nonchntly.


    "¡­.every part?" Boo repeated in a daze.


    Every part included the highest peaks, the deepest trenches, the oceans, the forests, and every goddam city.


    "You can travel at very high speeds. Since you can detect the secret realms within a few miles around you, just travel fast and cover every corner. I''m counting on you." Varian said and controlled the ghost ship.


    Boo was still in a daze when Variannded in front of his home.


    "Just make sure not to be noticed." The hatch opened and Varian got down.


    "See you, Boo! Return after finding their secret realms." He waved and walked into the home.


    Boo recovered and clutched its head. "MASTER!"


    After a few minutes, there was non-stop news of hurricanes, storms, cyclones across every corner of Earth.


    The perpetrator of this was a ghost ship.


    Maintaining its stealth, it moved around Earth at ridiculously high speeds.


    Of course, it didn''t move at full speeds. That''d be literally asking to be noticed by high awakeners.


    "Argh! Master, you''re evil!" Boo muttered in annoyance.


    Since it couldn''t do anything about him, Boo shifted its anger towards Shadow Order.


    "I''ll find all your bases! Mhuahaha!"


    As Boo continued its evilughter, the ghost ship''s sensors detected Shadow Order''s first secret realm.


    Soon, the second.


    And third.


    "Mwuhahaha!"


    That day, a ghost was angry and the world suffered.

 Chapter 229: Sovereign Julius

    <h4>Chapter 229: Sovereign Julius</h4>


    Guardian Inds.


    Bam!


    Julius mmed the desk imported from Uranus. It was smashed into powder and was blown away under his heavy breath.


    "Are you sure it is not Enigma?" He asked after taking a deep breath.


    Charles nodded for the third time.


    It all started fifteen minutes ago.


    After Varian left, Charles found hismunication devices started working.


    So he immediately alerted the power houses on the ind.


    Half of them rushed to theb and the other half raced to the ind''s borders to prevent the intruder from escaping.


    To their horror, they found nothing.


    It was like the other party disappeared out of thin air.


    The worst part¡­ the surveince showed no sign of the other party. Not a trace.


    The burning red book that Charles ardently talked about did not appear in the recordings.


    No one knew such a thing existed. In fact, the red journal itself was carefully hidden. Only Roxana and Charles knew about it.


    They never expected Boo to find it out.


    Finally when Charles showed them a burnt red cover, they had no idea if he was being honest or joking.


    "Are you sure it''s not Charles'' prank?" was themon question.


    If it was Narciss, they would have written it off as a prank and even yed along. But Charles wasn''t the type of person to do such a thing.


    Even then, no one supported his ims.


    On one hand, it would show that they were ipetent and let an intruder into the ind.


    On the other hand, they would look like a retard to support a im that went against all the tangible evidence.


    Finally, Julius called a level 9 Technocrat.


    The Technocrat was an old man who was currently in a city a thousand miles away.


    However, as Julius personally deactivated the barrier to the ind, his mental sense reached the ind and scanned the surveince.


    Everyone, including Charles waited nervously.


    Technocrats did not have muchbat power in a direct confrontation. But they excelled in controlling everything rted to technology.


    If a technocrat is given an arsenal of advanced weapons, they could suppress and kill stronger opponents.


    With their precision strikes andrge area of operation, they were enough to be called a one man army.


    But usually, they were the one stop solution for all tech rted problems.


    "¡­Sovereign Julius, there is nothing wrong with the surveince." The old man''s voice sounded from a nearbym.


    "¡­are you sure?" Julius furrowed his brows and he asked with a deep voice.


    "A hundred and ten percent sure." The Old Man''s tone was respectful but his voice was?loud enough for everyone on the scene to hear.


    Charles'' face paled lightly but he quickly regained hisposure.


    The guards on the other hand silently nced at Charles with disdain.


    This Young Master of theirs¡­was he trying to attract attention or something?


    Earlier, he even said the guardian inds'' protection was not enough for his aunt''s resting ce.


    He even insisted them to guard Roxana''s tomb, which was naturally under herb.


    Guard a tomb? That too, of a researcher?


    Even the Level 7 guards felt it was too much. Much less the level 8s.


    "But I saw it with my own¡ª" Reading everyone''s thoughts on their faces, Charles wanted to exin.


    "Enough." Julius waved in annoyance. "To my study."


    "Just a minu¡ª"


    "Now!" Julius'' voice turned harsh.


    Charles clenched his fist and nodded.


    In the blink of an eye, Julius was gone. Taking a deep breath, Charles'' legs transformed into that of a wolf''s.


    With a light kick, he was a few miles into the air and across the ind.


    Boom!


    Kicking his feet in mid air, Charles used the air pressure to propel himself forward before finally reaching the Xander Pce.


    The guards let him in without batting an eye and soon, only silence prevailed.


    Taking a deep breath, Charles quietly walked in the familiar yet unfamiliar hallways.


    Xander Pce, also called as Guardian Pce was a Sovereign level treasure. Its owner was naturally Julius Xander who lived in it.


    It was said found by his great-grandfather, Sovereign Alex Xander, in the Earth Ruins. He found it along with the Tower of Trials. He kept the pce and donated the tower.


    As Charles climbed the white marbled stairs covered by a luxurious red silk carpet, the golden light from thenterns burning aura crystals shone down on his confused face.


    As he got closer to the study room situated, he noticed the exquisite paintings hung on the smooth walls coated with gold.


    Each painting was a master piece in its own right and produced by the best artist of its era.


    Every figure in the painting made important contributions to the Xander family.


    The paintings started from the first Xander patriarch after Blink all the way to the previous Xander patriarch.


    Looking at the old man with sharp eyebrows, but a kind face, Charles paused.


    In the intricate painting, his grand father, Ceaser Xander was standing in between Earth and Demon Abyss.


    No.


    He was standing in front of Earth, protecting it and in the way of Demon Abyss, obstructing it.


    Charles eyes shed and he seemed to see his grandfather fighting the Old Demon King.


    Most people forget that it was only 120 years since Abyssals invaded Sr System.


    The first 40 years, humans were desperately trying to survive. They had only Level 9s back then.


    Perhaps it was arrogance, the Demon Kings and Queens did not attack them with full strength.


    They enjoyed the struggle of humans.


    Humanity lost all theoids, moons and retreated to thes.


    The ashes of cremated corpses formed mountains.


    Thirty years!


    Humans defended thest of their homes for thirty bitter years!


    If not for Heaven''s Will suppressing Abyssals powers'' on thes, humanity would have long been exterminated.


    Then finally a level 9 human reached the Sovereign state. He also explored the Ruins on Earth and found the artifact¡ªBlink Ring.


    He spearheaded the defense and saved Earth. Following his lead, on the remaining sevens, seven Sovereigns emerged.


    They all repelled the Abyssals after another twenty years of prolonged and bloody conflict.


    These first generation Sovereigns and their opponent Abyss Kings and Queens died one after another shortly after the war.


    Then came the second generation Sovereigns.


    Sovereign Ceaser was the brightest of them all.


    ''And he''s killed by his own son.'' Charles clenched his fists and took a deep breath.


    Dreamer could be lying to him. But¡­


    After knocking twice on the wooden door, he stepped in and saw Julius sitting behind the red gold desk.


    Whenever he was called to this room, Charles would be expecting a praise...an acknowledgment.


    But now all he did was await his punishment.


    However, the words from Julius caught him off guard.


    "What did the Dreamer say?"


    "Y-You believe me?" Charles asked with wide eyes. He didn''t notice it yet, but his voice was shaking and his body was trembling.


    "Of course, I do. You aren''t the type to joke around." Julius nodded like it was a matter of fact and waved his hand impatiently. "So, what did he say?"


    Charles'' face stiffened as he recalled the arrogant remarks of the invisible man. The Dreamer.


    "Extermination¡­" Charles repeated with a hoarse voice.?"The thousand, two hundred and sixty seven Xander family people alive today¡­everyone will be killed."


    Boom!


    "Presumptuous!" Julius pped his desk and stood up. His p broke down the precious metal desk to powder.


    Charles was hit by a fierce aura that seemed to have no bounds. His face paled and his body hunched as he was thrown back.


    Clenching his fist, Charles looked up at Julius'' angry figure and continued. "He asked us to be grateful that he is going to spare everyone rted to us. Friends, distant rtives, business partners....he said he was kind."


    "Audacious! In the 500 year long history, no one dared to even dream of those things." Julius ground his teeth and growled.


    Charles wiped the blood flowing down his forehead and said. "¡­he also said that you killed my grandfather when he returned home with injuries."


    Julius'' eyes widened and he stomped the ground in rage.


    Boom!


    The entire castle shook at Julius'' stomp.


    Charles hit the wall and coughed out blood.


    With veins popping on his forehead, he roared. "I would never hurt him."


    Realizing he reacted a bit too much, Julius withdrew his aura and flicked a healing potion at Charles.


    It dissolved upon contact and visible to the naked eye, his son''s injuries started to recover.


    "He is too much." Julius said, looking at the cracked walls.


    Finally, he rested his gaze on Charles who was just getting up and said. "Dreamer isn''t here for the Omega potion. I''m relieved. I''ll ask the Secret Realm to change the location soon."


    "¡­I see." Charles said lightly.


    The injuries on his body were still painful, but Julius did not even think of apologizing.


    Was a single ''sorry'' so hard?


    Perhaps Dreamer was right.


    Such a man¡­was not qualified to be the guardian of earth. And if he did kill his own father, then he was not even worthy to be a human.


    "You may leave." Julius said and pressed a button.


    Soon, a few workers entered the room and with the assistance of bots, started repairing the room.


    Charles dumbly nodded and left.


    Julius looked at Charles'' receding back and was lost in his own worries.


    ''Omega potion¡­it is the second most important thing in defeating the Abyssals.''


    "The first¡­" Julius muttered and clenched his fist. "My own strength¡­once I reach the Celestial Rank, no Abyssal will be alive."

 Chapter 230: Records of Enigma

    <h4>Chapter 230: Records of Enigma</h4>


    "Yo!" Seated on the couch and browsing some random news, Kyle greeted Varian and said excitedly.


    "Sr Banquet is approaching! This time, it''s hosted by Earth! Do you want to¡ª"


    "No thanks. I''m good." Varian cut him off and walked into Sia and Amanda''s bedroom.


    "Huh? Is it just me or is his voice much softer than usual?" Kyle muttered in loss.


    Even after closing the door shut, Varian could hear Kyle''s words. Shaking his head, he looked at the white bed with a smile.


    He could almost see Sia lying on the bed and smiling at him.


    ''...I am sorry.''


    Realizing the suffering she endured, he felt more and more guilty.


    Trying to shift his thoughts, he scanned the room.


    The posters containing the sr system, Alpha Centurai and lots of Old Earth information¡­.they were all missing. They were all Sia''s collections.


    "Roxana, you didn''t miss a single spot." Varian remarked in a mocking tone.


    She erased Sia from the meta. Even the insurancepany deleted all information rted to Sia. Heck! Even the pictures of the sr system were gone!


    Roxana nearly seeded in erasing all traces of her existence.


    Nearly.


    There was surely one ce was she oddly wasn''t able to remove her traces.


    Him.


    "If someone erased my memories, then why can I still remember?" Varian rubbed his chin and thought out loud.


    But even regarding his memory, she nearly seeded.


    He forgot about her. Her existence became nothing but a dream that haunted him.


    The reason he was able to start remembering her....it all started with the memory of his mother''s final moments.


    ''Save Sia.''


    As he thought back to her words, Varian wondered why his mom said those words. Even Roxana did not know about Sia when the incident happened.


    So what should he save her from from?


    Her problems as a...hybrid?


    Varian shrugged. He was not sure.


    But it all started with that one memory. One truth.


    He couldn''t help but recall System''s words when it showed him the scene.


    [For you, not awakening for 18 years is a tremendous pain. But what is given to you is the Truth you would never know otherwise.


    In fact, you won''t get it now. Only once you know the whole truth will you understand how important it is and how fair it is]


    Varian wrote it off as rubbish in the past. He never thought he would actually consider those words seriously.


    But today, now, he did.


    ''I awaken like everyone, and after Roxana''s deed, I forget everything about Sia...


    or


    My awakening is halted, but in exchange, I would have a chance to remember her.


    What would the past me choose?


    ....What would I choose?''


    Varian''s thoughts spiraled.


    Even more importantly, he did not recover hisplete memories yet. So the so called truth might be much bigger than he expected it to be.


    For instance, the thought about something like ''Hybrids'' did not even cross his mind.


    Instead of being lost in his thoughts, he covered his face and chuckled. "It doesn''t matter. Once I meet Sia, everything will be alright."


    Truth be told, he could feel his heart racing.


    He was never so excited, but he forced himself to be calm.


    Even with Boo''s speed, it would take at least a few hours to find out the exact location of Shadow Order.


    Till then, Varian decided to search up information on Enigma and hybrids.


    There was nothing about Hybrids. Not a thing.


    Enigma¡­


    "Boo, show me information on Enigma." Varian spoke to hism which was connected to the little ghost AI.


    "Mhuahaha¡­ah? Yes, Master." Boo stopped its maniacalughter and answered.


    The next moment, hundreds of holograms popped up in front of him, all rted to Enigma.


    ''Did I drive Boo insane?'' Varian thought at Boo''sughter. But as it replied, he patted himself on the chest and shook his head.


    "I am underestimating Boo. With your prowess, your can even scan the suns, no?" Varian smiled to them.


    "¡­Eh? Hello? Hello? I can''t hear you, master. Bye." Boo terminated the contact.


    Varian was taken aback but decided not to think much of it. He probably frightened the cute ghost.


    Then, he started leafing through the holograms.


    Boo browsed through the deep and sorted out all the relevant information. It seemed like when the incidents first happened, they didn''t know it was Enigma.


    But after finding the patterns, they designated her as the perpetrator.


    >> First confirmed appearance:


    ''¡­in the Demon Abyss. She ughtered a rising Abyss Prince and every Abyssal in his castle.''


    It was three days after Roxana''s death.


    The record had a few pictures of the aftermath.


    A huge mountain was cleaved into two and fragments of metal and concrete from what seemed to be a former pce were scattered everywhere.


    More strikingly, thend was filled with green blood forming almost a smallke. There were broken limbs, torsos and split Abyssal bodies.


    The Abyssals were shocked by the incident and believed it was the ploy of army.


    They started a skirmish in retaliation.


    >> Second confirmed appearance:


    ''Enigma ended a secret stronghold of Shadow Order. It was also the first public appearance of Shadow Guardians.''


    Even though it was hid from the public under as a terrorist attack, this was the point from when the hostility between Order and Guardians turned hot.''


    Varian raised an eyebrow at the records. There was also a small video.


    Enigma was leading the charge and fighting with a dozen Level 7s whilst the two hundred strong Guardians were ughtering the five hundred plus members of the Order.


    It was said that Shadow Guardians recruited volunteers after a few tests¡­so one would usually expect some novices.


    But looking at their fight, Varian realized that all of them were veterans.


    Their team work, danger response,bat experience¡ªevery single element was at the level of a professional soldier.


    Shadow Guardians¡­.everyone underestimated them.


    To gather such a team, any normal Level 7 or even Level 8 Awakener would need at least half a year.


    Then to achieve the level of teamwork they had shown, even veteran soldiers need to fight together for at least a year.


    ''Did the Shadow Guardians form just form a year and half before Enigma''s public appearance or¡­''


    Varian shook his head, unwilling to think further.


    As he leafed through the holograms, one detail caught his attention.


    >> Enigma suspected to be entering Mars'' Deva Ruins


    >> Enigma''s suspected appearance in Venus'' Deva Ruins


    >> ¡­Uranus''s Ruins


    >> ¡­Neptune''s Ruins


    "She¡­is odd." He muttered.


    Deva Ruins were simr to Dungeons¡ªthey were their own little worlds.


    There were Eight Ruins, one per each.


    Every year, a Ruin was open only for 45 days¡ªa month. A Runic Calendar''s year consisted of 360 days and 8 Months¡ªeach month corresponding to a certain''s Ruin in their astronomical order.


    For instance, the third month¡ªTrios, was when the third in the sr system, Earth''s Ruins opened.


    And the eight month, Octav was when the eighth and the final¡ªNeptune''s Ruins opened.


    Looking at Enigma track record, she was active ins when their ruins were about to open.


    She was looking for something.


    "But what is left to explore?" Varian furrowed his brows and pressed his palms to his forehead.


    Ruins sure held important secrets. The biggest of them being the Artifacts. After humans got their first generation of Sovereigns, Ruins were explored ardently.


    After decades of exploration, all the ''unique'' treasures of the Ruins were plundered.


    Sure, there were new treasures appearing in the Ruins now and then, but the highest was a 9 star treasure equivalent¡ªbe it a weapon, an item or an elixir.


    Usually, Ruins were only helpful for Level 7s and at most Level 8s.


    If Enigma was a normal Level 8, it''d be normal. But the way she frequented every Ruin was suspicious.


    "I guess I''ll only know after I enter." Varian shook his head and reached for thest hologram.


    >> The Guardians and the Order fought on aoid. Abyssals ambushed. The Guardians suffered significant losses.


    "¡­hm." Varian leaned back into his chair and reached a conclusion.


    Unlike Shadow Order, Shadow Guardians did not have that much of a strong footprint ons other than Mercury, Venus and Earth¡ªthe Inner Belt.


    Enigma was trying her best to end the Shadow Order on Earth. But three things blocked her¡ªAbyssal support, moving and hidden Secret Realms, and strong presence on others to back up losses in the Inner Belt.


    Varian was already solving the second one with Boo and had measures against the first as well as third obstacles.


    Communication.


    If he could hack into Order-Abyssmunication channels and Shadow Ordermunication across thes, he could neutralize their threat.


    But the problem was that they were likely going to hold multiple methods ofmunication.


    So he had to find more samples of theirmunication devices and let Boo crack them.


    If he could hack the majority of theirmunication channels, even if he missed a couple secretive ones, he''d be able to restrain them mostly.


    Or if he let them go, soon, under Abyssals'' support and reinforcements from others, Shadow Order would once again rise on Earth.


    "I''ll need to find enough of those scum and take theirmunication devices. If I control theirmunication, I control their life and death." Varian gave a wolfish grin.


    He was doing it mostly to convince Enigma.


    But there was also a small but strong part of him that wanted to end them. Especially since he was almost killed by themst time. And the way they almost killed Sarah irritated him.


    Regardless of his reasons, he was betting Enigma would agree.


    For one, she seemed incredibly busy.


    Every time Shadow Guardians suffered a loss, she would show up and retaliate.


    But considering that she was running all over the Sr System in her mission for Ruins, it''d be time and resource consuming.


    So if she could consolidate her organization on Earth, then she could use it as a spring board for her future missions.


    As Varian imagined his meeting with Sia, a light shed and a ring enclosed itself on his finger.


    Boo''s voice, filled with a mix of glee, anger, and exasperation sounded. "Master, I marked the five Secret Realms.


    Three can be essed fromnd. One is high in the sky and the other is deep in the ocean."


    Of course, in this day and age, there were human settlements even in the depths of ocean. But nothing like an actual city.


    In short, there was no problem going to them.


    "Good." Varian stood up and controlled the ring.


    The next moment, he was leaning back into the luxurious ck chair in the ghost ship''s cabin.


    "Post an announcement on the dark web addressing Enigma. The content is¡­."

 Chapter 231: The Storm In Dark Web

    <h4>Chapter 231: The Storm In Dark Web</h4>


    >> Enigma,


    I am Dreamer. I have an information you''d absolutely wish to know. Prove your identity and we''ll have a deal.


    An inconspicuous message, something bordering a prank appearing on the most popr forum on the dark¡ªthe den of hackers, criminals and of course, all secretive works. Members from all over the federation dwelled in this virtual space.


    As such, they knew many secretsmon people weren''t privy to. That included Shadow Guardians and Enigma.


    Of course, they also didn''t know a lot of things. Roxana''s death, for example, wasn''t even spected.


    All said and done, everyone here knew Enigma and more or less, heard of Dreamer.


    Everyoneughed off at this prank.


    "Dreamer? What''s the number?"


    "Lemme check. He''s the 1763th guy. Tsk. Who is still impersonating him?"


    "Must be one of the Xander bastards. They''rebelling Shadow Order''s activities as Guardians''. What enmity do they even have?"


    "I wonder¡­someone here must know the answer."


    "Could also be the government agencies or the army. They are always trying to bait her. Who the fuck is she anyway?"


    "Enigma¡­has anyone ever heard her speak?"


    "Nope. Blue sh did make several announcements¡­if you can call them as such. But you know the deal. The government censored her announcements."


    "Anyway, I really wonder who the real Dreamer is."


    "¡­."


    "I am." Varian face palmed on his seat.


    "I told you no one would believe you." Boo said in glee. It was really enjoying seeing his expression.


    Varian leaned back in his chair and his lips curled up into an evil smile. "I know. Add the Guardian Ind videos and pics with that post. Throw a challenge for everyone to verify it."


    "¡­.Fuck! Charles is going to hate you." Boo cursed uncharacteristically, but still did the deed.


    In no time, three sets of pictures and a video were posted with some time gap under the same message.


    The first set of pics showed an Ariel view of Guardian Inds.


    The second set showed the residential ind with main members of the Xander Family.


    There were many familiar faces. Top officials, military brass, geniuses and beauties¡ªthey were all captured in the pictures.


    These sets of photos had the effect of carpet bombing on the rather calm forum. In an instant, the forum was on fire.


    "¡­Are you for real?"


    "I''ve seen Guardian Inds once in a documentary¡­.what the fuck?"


    "I recognize them! They''re the leading members of the Xander Family! Heck! He''s so serious outside, but he''s smiling at his cats!"


    "There''s that arrogant beauty! Prisci Xander! Is she really wearing that teddy shirt?"


    "Damn! She''s hot!"


    "If I could be with her, I am willing to die a year early."


    "Ten years early!"


    "....I am an old man who only has a few months left, what about me?"


    "...."


    "Men will be men."


    Amidst the chaos, one member pointed to the elephant in the room.


    "Is this enough evidence to prove that it is Dreamer?"


    The forum fell silent.


    "I''ve verified the pictures, they''re¡­authentic."


    "¡­"


    "¡­so he''s the real deal?"


    "He''s actually Dreamer?!"


    But there were still a lot of people that remained unconvinced.


    Level 8 or Level 9 Technocrats could hide fake photos and not be caught by the AIs.


    The only way to check the authenticity would be by having an equal Technocrat scrutinize them.


    Then came the bombshell. A video.


    It showed Charles Xander entering ab and dashing to put out fire to save a book.


    Then he bbered with someone before finally copsing to the ground and coughing out blood.


    The voices weren''t recorded, but the quality of the video was extremely high.


    The video was lit and was soon shared frantically.


    Videos were much harder to fake. Thus, rm bells went off in every power.


    Right from the weakest member¡ªa family with a level 7 awakener to the highest unit: Human Armed Forces, everyone was aware of this video.


    Soon, the powerful people and big organizations on dark web deployed the best technocrats they could find.


    Most settled with level 7. Few got level 8.


    But considering the scale of the Federation, even if only a small percentage of people were informed, there were already thousands of level 7s trying to verify the video.


    The army, trade union, adventure guild, the prime families and some regional powers had level 9 Technocrats checking the video.


    At the same time, the Xander group responsible for dark web operations was frantically trying to use its influence and delete the video.


    Even though dark web was technically anonymous, no ce was truly safe.


    The major powers had a hold of the dark web too. Of course, they could not easily find a person or break their anonymity.


    But with sufficient resources and time, they could.


    As long as you were part of the major powers, you were shielded.


    But if you''re not, the key to remain safe was to not to be ''worthy'' enough of the resources.


    Of course, if one was smart enough, they could still avoid from being caught.


    There were those who posted the truth about Shadow Guardians. Their posts were taken down, and they were investigated, but never caught.


    But now¡­


    In one of the many floating skyscrapers on the Main Guardian Ind, people scurried to and fro from the office cubicles as curses, screams and orders were fired into the air.


    "Sir, we can''t track the poster!" A middle-aged man said in defeat as he stared nkly at the holographic screen.


    Around him, fifty young men and women hung their head in shame.


    "¡­The best cyber defense team''s captain can''t solve a small thing? Hmph!" The manager''s virtual body snorted in disdain.


    If he was not on another now, he''d have pped them toa. Lucky for them.


    Shaking his head, he walked to a small group in the distance.


    "You''re the best technocrats we have. Tell me something I want to hear." The manager said grimly.


    The faces of the small team of ten paled. In the end, the leading young woman stepped forward and said.


    "Sir, using the favors, we got admin powers for some time. But¡­we still can''t take down the post!" She closed her eyes and said in despair.


    "Arghh! Fuck it! We''ll die! Everyone will die" Amidst the manager''s hysterical screams, the sound of something cracking came from the hologram.


    The same scene was repeating across the Sr System. Just, no one else told their team they''d die.


    Because they all identified the strength of the opponent.


    Even Military couldn''t take down Dreamer''s post!


    And it really pissed off one man.


    "Can''t we just shut the goddamn forum down?" Evander growled and gripped the edges of his desk.


    "¡­I''m afraid not, sir. We tried and failed.? The other party now controls the forum. Even Level 9 Technocrats can''t do anything about it¡­" A hoarse but loyal voice sounded as the hologram of a dark haired middle-aged man saluted him and exined.


    Evander calmed himself and sped his hands as he rested his chin on them. "I had my doubts, but now I''m sure. Dreamer is a Sovereign in Technocrat path."


    "Yes, sir! Every major power feels the same." Horan nodded, his voice overflowing with positivity.


    An extra Sovereign¡­it was a trump card! They might be witnessing a pivoting movement in the history of humanity.


    "¡­But why did he contact Enigma? Not the military or any other power?" Evander muttered gloomily.


    Haron stayed silent. He knew better than to answer words not directed at him. Besides, Evander''s words were also the biggest worry of every power.


    "Even if we can''t be allies...." Evander''s face grimaced. "I hope we don''t end up being enemies."


    Haron in the hologram shuddered.


    An enemy Sovereign technocrat¡­that was the stuff of dystopian fiction.


    "Do not let any of this news spread to the outside world. Take down all rted posts on web and warn all media to behave." Evander finally said with a sigh.


    "Yes, sir!"

 Chapter 232: Fate

    <h4>Chapter 232: Fate</h4>


    A Secret Realm on Earth:


    It was a small world with abundant aura. It looked like earth but the sky was violet and it was always day.


    There were military styled infrastructure forming a spiraling pattern.


    At the center of the spiral was a vast building in the shape of a three pointed star, imprinted on the ground.


    It was built from three crystals of the respective colors and emitted the corresponding light.


    On the roof of the building sat the girl whose hair and pupils were of the same color as the building.


    Red. Blue. Green.


    A ck mask covered most of her face except her brilliant eyes that shone with bone chilling coldness.


    The wind gently blew her hair and she gazed at the horizon in silence.


    "Enigma, what do you think?" A blue light shed and Blue sh appeared behind her.


    Enigma did not answer.


    She saw the training fields miles away where the Shadow Guardians sweated every day.


    To be precise, she was observing a woman who was around 25 years old.


    Her parents were killed in a mass shooting by Shadow Order. She was just 14 then.


    With grit, she studied for the Earth College Entrance. With her own grit, she went from a nobody to the founder argepany.


    She found the love of her life and married the soldier who had reached Level 5.


    Shortly after their wedding, he was called to duty.


    She waited to surprise him¡­he was going to be a dad. But all that retured was a coffin covered in the g of federation.


    He was stationed as a border patrol on aoid where the strongest was level 7.


    He stopped the Abyssals that were sneaking into the territory with the intent to destroy an important mobile base a few dozen miles behind him.


    The base recently transferred soldiers and wasn''t back to its full strength yet.


    Once they breached past him, and reached the base, they would direct the Abyssals on the other side of the border.


    What would follow was a quick and targeted blow that destroy the mobile base.


    Thus, he had to stop them or hundreds of soldiers would lose their lives.


    ¡­He stopped them.


    At the cost of his life.


    The woman had a miscarriage and shortly after, sold herpany.


    For the first time in her life, she learnt to fight. She turned into an adventurer and took the harsh life head on.


    ¡­A pity.


    Her talent was only low level, in Roxana''s ssification.


    Her fate dictated she would never amount to anything greater¡­unless she found one of those rare fruits to improve her talent.


    But with her strength andwork, that was impossible.


    Even though she toiled everyday, there was a ceiling to her achievements.


    "¡­I hate fate." Enigma muttered. Her voice was soft, yet there was a coldness in it alienating herself from everything.


    It was as if she did not belong in this ce, even though she was standing there.


    "¡­" Blue sh opened and closed her mouth. No words came out.


    Enigma shook her head and her figure blurred before she disappeared into the distance appearing above the fight.


    Yumi crashed to the ground as her opponent punched her in the gut.


    "Argh!" Her figure vanished the next moment and she teleported behind the Body Awakener woman that attacked her.


    Swish!


    The dagger in her arm was blunt, but it aimed for the opponent''s neck. Yumi''s eyes burnt with resolve.


    But¡­


    ng!


    Her opponent caught the dagger without turning back and grasped her neck.


    Turning around, her opponent, the giant of a woman, looked at her and shook her head. "Give up. You haven''t even advanced to Level 4 yet."


    ng!


    The woman warded off Yumi''s secret stab and lifted her into the air.


    Yumi''s face paled. She was quickly losing breath. She tried to teleport, but she didn''t have enough space power.


    So she solidified the space around her opponent''s neck to force her.


    Creak!


    Like a mirror breaking, the solid space was broken and her opponent punched her again in the gut.


    "Guh!" Yumi yed in mid air as she tried to get rid of the grip on her neck.


    "Give up, I am at level 4 already." The woman said, without loosening her grip. "You''ll only kill yourself if you join us. Just do some nonbat.."


    "Gah!" Covering her mouth in Space Armor, Yumi bit down the woman''s hand.


    "Argh!" The woman cried out in pain as she saw a piece of missing flesh on her hand.


    Instinctively, she punched Yumi.


    Crack!


    With the sounds of ribs cracking, Yumi was blown away and copsed onto the ground.


    Soon, a puddle of blood was formed under her body.


    Her head was dizzy and she was quickly losing focus.


    She heard whispers as the medical team arrived to heal her, but unknowingly, tears welled up in her eyes.


    She tried her best. She really did.


    What she went underwent was the most ruthless training. Her body copsed more times than she could count, but she persisted.


    ¡­But why?


    Why can''t she still advance?


    Was she never going to avenge her parents? Her husband? Her unborn child?


    Was this the limit of her life?


    "Is this my fate?" As the world blurred into darkness, she muttered in despair.


    "Was. Not anymore." A soft but indifferent voice said and before lost consciousness, Yumi felt a warm liquid seeping into her body and a sense of euphoria.


    The bottleneck she always felt¡­loosened!


    "¡­Thank¡­y." She lost consciousness before she could finish.


    Enigma stared at the injured woman for a moment and muttered. "If you can''t live up to my expectations, I''ll personally kill you."


    Whish!


    Blue sh teleported behind Enigma again, and this time, her voice was filled with anxiety.


    "Enigma! Dreamer''s message¡­"


    "Ignore him. He could very well be one of the Army''s members or the Xander''s." Enigma shook her head and said indifferently.


    "If I contact them, I''d be taking a significant risk of being caught. I can still escape, but what about the Secret Realm?" Enigma paused as she eyed the thousands of members training hard before saying. "The army will ughter everyone."


    "..." Blue sh''s hands were clenched and a sigh escaped her. "A pity."


    "A Technocrat Sovereign appearing all of a sudden¡­it''s absurd. Maybe those people are pooling all the technocrats to y a game. The technology for mission purge, they could''ve gotten it from the ruins anyway and they conspired to create this persona of Dreamer." Enigma saidckadaisically.


    "But¡­Charles'' video is real." Blue sh muttered in confusion.


    "I am surprised, to be honest. He cares about his reputation a lot." Enigma squinted her eyes and then chuckled with cold mockery.


    "But again, this is Julius. He can go to any lengths for his goals. Since I am an obstacle to him, sacrificing his eldest son''s reputation to bait me out would be a good deal." She waved her hand and Yumi was taken into the ward by the bots.


    "¡­but what if he is like you?" Blue sh said after taking a deep breath.


    She didn''t know much, but she did know that Enigma was different. Just her progress was way too fast than anyone she''d seen.


    So if Dreamer was also someone like her¡­


    Enigma stiffened for a moment before shaking her head. "Me ending up here is a crazy coincidence. Besides, even if he is a Sovereign Technocrat, without ess to weapons from military, what can he help us with? Hacking?"


    "...you''re irritated today. Did something happen?" Blue sh asked.


    Enigma looked up at the sky and said calmly. "....I remembered Roxana. I regret killing her...I should''ve kept her alive and tortured her. My bad."


    "....I see." Blue sh nodded.


    In the video Dreamer posted, Charles was shown in Roxana''sb. It triggered Enigma.


    There was no way any sane person would appreciate her existence. But since she had an ''agreement'' with Xanders, Enigma refrained from smearing Roxana''s name.


    Finally, Enigma checked herm.


    To her surprise, just a few minutes ago, Dreamer had a new post under the original.


    >> The information is rted to Shadow Order. You can end your troubles, once and for all. I swear on Roxana''s dead soul.


    Enigma''s eyes widened.


    The army, the prime families, the adventure guild and the trade union were all taken aback.


    The Supreme leader of Shadow Order, resting in his head quarters in a secret realm gaped at the message.


    Before he knew it, he was already shivering.

 Chapter 233: Finding the real Enigma

    <h4>Chapter 233: Finding the real Enigma</h4>


    Varian tapped on his throne-like chair and hummed a tone before checking the hologram in front of him.


    His shoulders dropped and he went back to humming before looking at the hologram again.


    After doing this too many times, he scrunched his brows and opened his mouth.


    "No, master." Boo stopped him. "No news from real Enigma, yet."


    Varian sighed and stood up, stretching his body. He said. "This anticipation is killing me. I''ll be in the training room. Call me after you verify it''s her."


    He walked into a ck room in the distance.


    It was built from a rare metal foreign to sr system. It could withstand his attacks without a scratch.


    Of course, Boo had many rooms like this one.


    If Varian himself could not control the ghost ship, he would refrain from entering this room.


    Because¡­.


    Bam!


    As he stepped in, the door shut and Varian punched the walls in the next moment.


    ng!


    Varian couldn''t even make a dent.


    "If I was imprisoned here, I could never get out." He muttered. But he can control the ghost ship himself, so there was no such fear.


    ''It''s a pity to waste this feature.'' Varian shook his head.


    An idea started to brew in his mind.


    Shrugging off the thoughts, he sat down cross legged. A pile of aura crystals surrounded him along with a certain not so safe jacket.


    The aura crystals started to shake and Varian slowly dived into practice.


    *** *** ***


    On the other hand, Boo waited for a few more hours before starting the process.


    There were millions of replies to Varian''s post¡ªall iming they were Enigma.


    These fakes had one of two goals.


    (1) Contact Dreamer


    (2) Stop Dreamer from reaching Enigma


    Naturally, this was a directed effort by the army, prime families and other powers.


    That was to be expected.


    None of these powers would want unstable and unknown elements like Enigma and Dreamer, much less let the two of them meet.


    Varian knew all this, so he entrusted the issue to his capable ghost AI.


    Boo calmly traced back the origins of each of the posts.


    Many from military districts, prime families properties and other powers'' locations.


    It cklisted all messages from these ces. Under its prowess, they couldn''t fake their location.


    Suddenly, the millions of messages died out and only some thirty thousand messages were sent.


    Boo began to trace their source and find the information of the sender. Any device had a camera, and every human was registered in the Federation''s database.


    In that way, Boo eliminated ten thousand more, leaving only twenty thousand messagers.


    But it soon encountered a problem, these people started to use face masks and devices registered on some other''s name.


    These devices had no information to verify their identity.


    So, Boo simply scanned their surroundings with high precision satellites and found the clues rted to their identities.


    The video surveince of the surroundings recorded their arrival. Boo simply traced back. For most, it found their origin ce.


    But for some, they disguised themselves in ces without any surveince.


    "Damn!" Boo sighed.


    Five thousand out.


    Fifteen thousand left.


    Now this was a hurdle.


    All of them were having a technocrat. They also all posted some video of Enigma.


    Her killing an Abyssal or someone from Shadow Order as "proof".


    Boo hacked through all the devices guarded by level 7 and level 8 technocrats.


    Even then, it could not verify their identities. They werepletely hidden.


    The Level 9 Technocrats, the current Boo couldn''t hack them.


    With fifteen thousand shortlisted, Boo reached a stop.


    As expected.


    "Phase 1plete. Initiating Phase 2." Boo said.


    Boo sent an individual message to all of these fifteen thousand ounts.


    >> Where did Enigma appear on 45th of 7th Month?


    "?!"


    The fifteen thousand people that were smug about deceiving Dreamer so far were dumfounded.


    How the fuck were they supposed to know?


    But these fifteen thousand were all from powerful backgrounds. So they had the ability to investigate.


    Just¡­


    >> Answer in 1 minute.


    Kacha!


    "Fuck!" A young master of Trade Union smashed his tablet on the ground.


    He could investigate, but with his contacts, he would not be able to do that in a minute.


    "Argh! You arrogant son of a bitch!" The young master cursed in rage.


    He was so close¡­.yet he missed the chance.


    Frustration. Anger. Helplessness.


    It was like missing lottery''s first prize by one digit.


    Not just here, but across the federation, thousands of devices were smashed.


    Boo did not give a fuck and simply shortlisted the ones that answered correctly.


    Four thousand.


    >> To kill Astor n, how many Level 8s did Enigma bring?


    It was zero.


    The count went down to one thousand.


    >> What was the name of the boy Enigma saved in Roxana''sb?


    It was actually a girl. Her name was Sia.


    Enigma and only a few extremely powerful people would know this answer.


    The count dropped to a hundred.


    As expected only a few knew this. And it was likely that they were sharing the answer with others.


    "Now we''re talking." Boo''s lips curled up.


    >> Post a video of yourself, with something other than fighting.


    After a minute or two, the hundred people posted the videos.


    All of them showed Enigma. She was d in ck from head to toe. Only her bright eyes and beautiful hair could be seen.


    In some videos, she was walking on a field of corpses. In others, she was instructing the members of Shadow Guardians.


    But all of them looked like the real deal.


    "¡­.this is why master says you should not trust online dating these days. Everything can be faked." Boo sighed and started to verify the videos one by one.


    Videos were much harder to fake.


    But if the one doing it was a skilled technocrat, it was a different matter.


    Besides, unlike the previous Charles video which was almost ten minutes long, each of these was very short.


    The longer the video, the difficult it was to cover up.


    Still, Boo had a hard time verifying the authenticity of hundred videos in a short time.


    Because it needed to maintain the image of ''Sovereign Technocrat'', the verification must be quick.


    That was the reason Boo did not ask everyone to post videos since the beginning even though it could''ve done the job.


    It kept decreasing the numbers and brought them down to the lowest level where it could verify them quick enough.


    All the questions were also aimed for the same thing.


    But its efforts paid off.


    While maintaining the mysterious image, it found who it was looking for.


    *** *** ***


    "Master, I found Enigma." Boo''s voice woke up Varian from his training.


    "Oh!" Varian hurriedly stood up and eagerly said. "Let''s go!"


    With a thought, the door to training room opened and Varian dashed out.


    "Master! Maintain your image! You are not Varian now, but Dreamer." Boo exhorted.


    "R-Right!" Varian stopped in his tracks. "Set up a meeting with her after 15 minutes."


    He showered and changed into his official Dreamer costume.


    The count down on the hologram was slowly going down from 60, 59, 58¡­


    Meanwhile, Varian nced at his status.


    [Body Path (Enhanced) Level 5: 310/2000 (+10)


    Space Path Level 4: 20/1000 (+30)


    Lightning Path Level 4: 415/1000 (+15)


    Morpher Path Level 3: 330/1000 (+30)


    Mind Path Level 3: 30/400 (+30)]


    Varian nodded in satisfaction and took a deep breath.


    "Master, three, two, one¡ªGo!"

 Chapter 234: Unexpected

    <h4>Chapter 234: Unexpected</h4>


    Enigma was in an underground location far away from the Secret Realm of Shadow Guardians.


    Even though there was little chance that Dreamer would find about the Secret Realm through herm, she had no intention of risking it.


    So here she was, in her all ck costume, in an abandoned bunker staring at the countdown as it hit zero.


    Whoosh!


    A hologram slowly took shape.


    A man dressed in all white, with a mask covering his face, save for his eyes and hair which were pitch ck. He had broad shoulders with lean but muscr physique.


    He looked more like a body awakener than a technocrat.


    But she could conclude that it was a human.


    The vibe he exuded¡­he was like an illusion that couldn''t be trusted. His eyes were filled with a myriad emotions, yet she could read none of them.


    Enigma did not speak and stared at the man in white.


    The man did the same.


    Enigma tried to catch any signs of expressions in his eyes, but failed.


    Finally, Dreamer spoke. "Too cold."


    Varian said that from the bottom of his heart. He looked into Enigma''s beautiful eyes for a long time trying to find any trace of emotion.


    Not even a spark.


    They were cold, indifferent and even though he was seeing only a hologram, he felt like he was seeing a person without emotions.


    Enigma''s eyes did not fluctuate and she lightly nodded, saying in an indifferent tone. "I don''t care about Roxana, but you shouldn''t concern yourself with the matters of Sia."


    "¡­." Varian''s eyes narrowed.


    In one of Boo''s post, there was a question about who Enigma rescued in theb.


    Looks like asking that question pissed her off. But doing so, she indirectly admitted about saving Sia.


    "The information." Enigma said curtly. Even thought it was just her hologram, Varian felt the chill.


    "I have the information of the Shadow Order''s Secret Realms on Earth. All five of them." Varian said.


    "!" Enigma did not utter a word, but Varian saw a ripple in her eyes.


    ''¡­you can be surprised too, huh?'' He thought.


    Despite that, Enigma said without any eagerness. "What do you need for the exchange?"


    She did not believe in the so-called goodwill. Nor did she want to owe him a favor.


    Favors were the hardest to repay.


    Varian''s aura suddenly changed. She did not know if it was an illusion, but Enigma saw a sh of ck and white lights in his eyes.


    He went from being mysterious to being regal.


    An imposing bearing was formed on him as he stared at her and said, his voice sounding almost like an order. "Sia."


    "No." Enigma refused without hesitation.


    It wasn''t even in her considerations. If this was his only condition, it was impossible to ept.


    Even, Enigma''s gaze turned hostile and she exuded a scary killing intent. "If this is it, then we''re done."


    Varian was surprised by her violent outburst. It was too contradictory to the way she presented herself.


    Cold. Indifferent. Calm.


    "I don''t want Sia. I just want to see her. Talk to her." Varian said quickly, but without appearing eager.


    Enigma narrowed her eyes.


    His voice was of course changed by Boo, but the way he spoke was not.


    When he spoke of Sia, however, his tone fluctuated despite his best attempts.


    Enigma noticed it.


    "Why?" She said, her voice turning colder.


    Varian looked at the beauty in ck and replied. "A talk with her for five minutes and I''ll give you the locations."


    Enigma raised an eyebrow and shook her head. "No. We''re done."


    Varian was dumbfounded. She was not budging even for this condition!


    What the fuck?!


    Did she really think he was helpless like in the past?


    No. He was not going to let history repeat itself.


    "I''m being very generous here. Just five minutes of her time and we might even be allies, yet¡­" Varian''s voice turned cold and like a devil, he slowly said. "Are you sure you want me as an enemy?"


    Boo who was watching their video call shuddered.


    Even though Varian was angry many times¡­he was never this cold. The current him was like an emotionless devil.


    Someone who could go to any lengths for their goals.


    Enigma scoffed. "Or what?"


    Varian covered his face and slowlyughed. "Ha..haha."


    It was a coldughter. One filled with mockery, killing intent and resolve. Even though she was on the other side, Enigma felt the blood chilling coldness.


    "Shadow Guardians. Your Secret Realms. I''m sure Xanders and the army are interested." Varian''s voice was low, but each of his words were filled with threats.


    He pointed at her and clenched his fists. "What you built with your hands, I can destroy it all. Do not push me, Enigma. You have your confidence, I have mine."


    "¡­" Enigma fell silent. She stared at him.


    This time, Varian felt an emotion from her eyes¡­amusement?


    ''Damn it!''


    "Since you don''t? believe my words, be prepared." He said and was about to end the call.


    It was a threat, of course. If she relented, great.


    If not, he would somehow try to find Sia''s location and then, meet her.


    "¡­your track record speaks for itself, I do believe your words." Enigma''s words stopped his words.


    Varian stared at her and frowned. "Releasing omni key, that is the only thing. It''s not enough to be a track record."


    Enigma shook her head and said. "Not that." Her indifferent tone turned softer and she said. "Awakening at 18 years age. Surviving the Abyssal Duke in entrance test. Joining Imperial Defense Academy. Being the number one in¡­"


    With each sentence she said, Varian felt the temperature drop.


    He clenched his fists and his breath turned heavy.


    "You went from level 0 to level 5 in 2 months. And you even got some sort of treasure for the Dreamer''s personna.


    Dreamer only appeared a few days before you were found, so let me guess. You got that treasure after you were lost in the space crack¡ªa Lost Dungeon or some other realm." Enigma said.


    Varian took a deep breath in an attempt topose himself.


    ¡­How?


    How did she know?


    For the first time, Varian found himself seriously challenged. Every person he encountered until now, even if he couldn''t beat them in the present, he was sure of surpassing them in the future.


    But her¡­


    She was dangerous.


    Even more so that she knew his identity.


    "I don''t wish to be your enemy." Enigma said, her voice was soft, yet indifferent.


    However, Varian shook his head. He said lightly. "You know my identity. Then you should also know that I''ll go to any lengths. Call Sia or be enemy."? He gave her an ultimatum.


    Enigma closed her eyes and sighed, her voice turned softer. "Sia¡­is fine. She is following her own will. And¡­she does not wish to see you."


    "¡­" Varian''s expression turned grim and he roared. "I don''t believe you. I believed some shit a fat man told me and almost ruined myself. I am not believing any of your bullshit!"


    "CALL HER NOW!"


    Enigma looked at his bloodshot eyes and slowly shook her head. "You don''t have to believe me. You have the ck box she gave you, right? It''s from Sia.


    You can check with your treasure, thest letter in the ck box was a year old. It''s what she wanted to tell you."


    Varian stood in shock as the call ended. With trembling hands, he retrieved the ck box from his storage ring.

 Chapter 235: Four Letters [1]

    <h4>Chapter 235: Four Letters [1]</h4>


    Varian carefully ced the ck box on a desk and sat in his chair. He nearly forgot about it.


    Now that he looked at it again, he realized he did not try opening it after reaching level 5.


    "Gulp." As Varian stretched his palms to touch the box, he realized he was already sweating.


    "Calm down. The worst is already behind me." He told himself and grabbed the box.


    He slowly increased his strength.


    Level 1¡­Level 2¡­Level 3.


    The box refused to budge and only shook lightly.


    Level 4¡­


    ng!


    The sound of metal shing against metal reverberated across the cabin.


    Varian took a deep breath and increased his strength by a notch.


    Level 5.


    And¡ª


    Pa!


    The box he tried to open for a year finally opened. Its contents were far less shocking than he imagined.


    There were only four letters.


    "Boo, how old are these letters and the voice recorder." He asked.


    A blue light scanned them and Boo replied. "The oldest letter is 3 years, thetest is 1 year."


    Varian''s shoulders rxed and he waved his hand.


    He picked the oldest letter and read.


    It was a handwritten letter. Varian smelled a faint, familiar smell from it.


    "Happy birthday! I wanted to give this letter to you, but¡­isn''t it more fun to have you read them all once you awaken?


    Actually, I feel embarrassed to say this out. So after some time passes, I''d be fine if you read this.


    You were getting tired after your daily training. I just awakened and I can''t help you much.


    But¡­you always help me.


    So I decided!


    I''ll cook you healthy and delicious meals.


    What if Amanda is not at home? We shouldn''t be eating unhealthy food!


    This is my gift to you for your 15th birthday.


    Hehe. Are you moved? Touched?


    So hurry up and awaken!"


    Varian''s lips curled into a smile.


    Amanda got increasingly busy as they grew up. They had to eat the food cooked by bots. Sia said it didn''t suit his body on multiple asions.


    Even though she denied it, Sia started cooking for him.


    "I want to cook for Amanda. You can have a takeaway."


    "Hmph! I-I will cook every day even if you don''t ask. I''m practicing cooking so that I can cook Amanda good meals after her tiring work."


    "Then why is every dish here Varian''s favorite?"


    "T-That''s because, yes! Because I only know these dishes."


    "She''s cute." With a warm smile on his face, Varian reached for the second letter.


    "Stupid Varian! Happy Birthday!


    Why did you start growing tall all of a sudden?


    Argh! Now I have to raise my head!


    And your stupid smile!


    I used to like watching your smile. Secretly, I stared at your smile a lot of times.


    Now, you smile all the time.


    ¡­I am worried.


    I know high school has been tough on you. But you are tougher.


    You stood up against the bullies, but why should anyone bully you?


    I beat up those guys.


    Don''t worry about anything. Just do what you want, I will do my best to help you.


    ¡­Even though the best I could do is stop some high school kids from disturbing you and take you to fight Level 0 monsters.


    I''ll do my best.


    Taking you to fight level 1 monsters is too risky.


    I-I am afraid.


    Last time, you nearly died. I almost died as well.


    I didn''t tell you, but I still have nightmares of that day.


    Nightmares where I failed to save you and watch you¡­


    You can understand my worries, right?


    Please don''t do anything stupid.


    That aside, now your 16th birthday gift is¡ª


    We''re going to Emerald City for a tour! I won the tickets in apetition.


    Let''s enjoy!"


    "I-I am¡­" Varian tried to say something, but no words came out.


    His heart was growing increasingly warm yet heavy at the same time. Somehow, he managed to open thest letter.


    "Varian, Happy birthday.


    I should''ve known that finishing high school a year early with you is not a good idea.


    The night outs are traumatizing. But anyway!


    You can already fight Level 1s as an unawakened!


    Even though you gave me credit sometimes, it''s mostly you.


    ¡­And you smile all the time.


    But I know you''re hiding your pain behind that smile.


    We confessed our secrets that day.


    You were afraid of losing me, do you think I am not afraid of losing you?


    Every day my power grows, I feel a sense of dread. I lose control sometimes, but when I am with you, I can control myself better.


    So, yes! Don''t get the wrong idea why I ask you to sleep in the same room sometimes!


    I am sorry, but I almost used my powers once on you.


    I wanted to reduce your anxiety about not awakening¡­But in the end, I couldn''t bring myself to do it.


    High school has been tough. Those people don''t see the handwork you put behind your strength.


    Even though you can now defeat almost every student in the school, they still treat you the same.


    ¡­I beat them up a few times.


    Leave all that behind, here''s your birthday gift.


    Good news!


    I have advanced to level 2!


    Now we can go to Dungeons anytime you want and any times you want.


    I am so excited!


    I have bought entrance passes to Dungeon three days after your birthday.


    Are you looking forward to it?


    Then no one can call you those names again.


    Happy 17th Birthday!"


    p!


    Varian folded the letter and clenched his fists. His chest heaved up and down as he tried to control his violent breathing.


    17th birthday¡­that night, his mother died.


    He recalled Roxana''s words.


    Sia was the one who killed the Fire Wolf.


    Varian rubbed his temples and sighed deeply.


    He was frozen in fear, Sia had to protect him and Amanda.


    She couldn''t save Amanda.


    Varian had a guess in his mind. But he looked at the final letter regardless.

 Chapter 236: Four Letters [2]

    <h4>Chapter 236: Four Letters [2]</h4>


    "¡­I am sorry.


    I know words are worthlesspared to her.


    Bu.."


    Varian paused and nced at the dried-up watermarks all over the letter.


    Her tears.


    Sia usually didn''t cry. For her to cry this much, just how devastated was she?


    "Because of me, Amanda died¡­I''m sorry.


    I''m really the worst.


    She loved me as much as she loved you¡­I never felt a difference.


    Yet¡­in those moments, my mind, I-I don''t know.


    It was instinct perhaps¡­


    But¡­it''s all on me.


    I saved you at the cost of her life. I chose your life over hers¡­I could''ve saved both¡­yet, it''s all my fault.


    Why did I¡­


    She died because of me¡­"


    Varian closed his eyes in pain. He was only halfway through the letter, but it was very painful to read.


    So, in those critical moments, Sia chose to save him over her. She believed she could''ve saved both but at that moment, her instinct chose him.


    "Arghh!" Varian bent his head and roared.


    If only he wasn''t present then, she could''ve saved Amanda.


    Dammit!


    If he was an awakener by then, perhaps, things could''ve yed differently.


    There was no if¡­and he had to bear the weight of his past.


    Pulling strength from his depths, Varian resumed reading the letter. Her tear marks were more down the page and even blurred some lines.


    But he could feel the agony of the lost lines as well.


    "¡­I was in pain. Her death was deeply painful, but seeing you crushed hurt me the most.


    I tried to talk to you¡­you wouldn''t listen.


    I told myself it was your heavy injuries¡­but even after you were fully healed, you didn''t listen.


    Couldn''t listen to me.


    Your eyes, which used to shine with resolve¡­lost their focus. Your back was hunched, you stared dully at the ceiling, refusing to get out of the bed.


    I stayed with you for three days and three nights¡­I was looking at your eyes, hoping you would regain a bit of rity.


    Then, I asked you¡­if you would want to go to the dungeon¡­to grow stronger and fulfill your dream¡­as Amanda always wanted.


    Saying those words, I felt shame and guilt.


    Yet, at those words, you turned and faced me.


    ¡­Your eyes regained their rity. They were no longer soulless.


    But the moment you looked at me with those piercing eyes, my heart broke.


    Piercing gaze, yet devoid of any hope.


    You answered.


    You didn''t yell at me, you didn''t cry, you didn''t even speak louder than usual.


    ''¡­every time I see you, I am reminded of her. I can''t take it. Please¡­leave.''


    Before I knew it, my cheeks were wet and my vision was blurred.


    I was crying...why is this hurting me so much?


    Please, leave¡ªit was the harshest thing you ever said to me. And I don''t think there is anything harsher than that.


    I deserve it. I have noints. But¡­


    The way you said those words, I knew you meant them.


    I left for a few days hoping things could improve.


    I passed the entrance test of Imperial Defense Academy.


    I skipped a few days of school on leave and returned two weekster, hoping you could''ve gotten better.


    I saw you on the couch ying videos of Amanda¡­I was not in any of them. I didn''t feel sad about that.


    But when you saw me, your eyes shrank and your face paled¡­.the world crashed on me.


    I knew at that moment you would never try to awaken again.


    You¡­gave up. You resigned.


    And I was the perpetrator.


    I was the one that crushed your dream. Your hopes. Your hard work.


    I tried to talk, but the longer I stayed, the more pained you became.


    I realized the wedge between us wasn''t something words could solve. You built up walls around you, not letting me in.


    If me being in front of you reminds you of Amanda¡­then I''ll go far away. If my presence pains you, then I will never appear.


    But¡­even if I am far away, I''ll still protect you the best I can¡­long before I realized, you''ve be irreceable to me.


    I pray that one day, you awaken and stand at the top like you always wished for¡­I will be content watching you from the crowd."


    "Huu¡­" Varian leaned back in his chair.


    He felt incredibly fatigued. His body was still full of energy, his brain could also think¡­yet, he felt totally weak.


    It was like¡­a part of him waspletely missing.


    He was lucky¡­Sia didn''t choose to destroy the ck box but instead buried it under the house. She didn''t want him to find it out¡­but maybe she hoped he did find out one day.


    "I was an idiot." Varian pped his face.


    But he could understand his reaction. His father died early and even though Amanda didn''t spend much time with them, she was the only parent.


    Losing her was devastating. Even more so knowing that his life was picked over Amanda''s.


    It was as if¡­


    "She died because I had to live¡­It''s me who is responsible."


    This was the thought that repeated itself in his brain a trillion times. Perhaps the reason Varian tried to stay away from Sia was his own guilt.


    But he wasn''t even in a state to exin that. It was a deeply painful experience.


    It was undeniable that being reminded of Amanda''s death at her sight was torturous.


    Yet, Sia took everything to heart and left.


    After his memories were changed, it didn''t happen anymore.


    At least, he was confident in looking at her in the eye. And even if the memories were triggered, he was mind path awakener now.


    He could control himself and work out a solution.


    "Master, are you going to respect her wishes and stay away from her?" Boo asked.


    "After all, she never contacted you again after you awakened."


    Varian took a deep breath and rolled his eyes. With a smile, he said. "I was an idiot. Not an idiot now. I''ll apologize. Boo, go to Shadow Guardian''s secret realm."

 Chapter 237: The Girl From His Dreams

    <h4>Chapter 237: The Girl From His Dreams</h4>


    Without much dy, Ghost ship set off to the Secret Realm of Shadow Guardians.


    Earlier, it had to scan the entire earth for Shadow Order. Of course, it now also had the data of other secret realms.


    Every major power usually hides their Secret Realm. Of course, they could be found by Space Awakeners.


    But ording to Boo, Shadow Guardians, though not as concealed as Shadow Order, were hidden enough to be not discovered by a Space Sovereign.


    Varian opened the letter and read through it again.


    This was before Roxana happened. But even after she was rescued by Enigma, Sia chose not to meet him.


    It was all a year ago.


    He was able to understand why.


    Before Roxana event¡­


    "She already knew I lost my memory of her." Varian clenched his fists. "¡­Maybe she was thinking that I could somehow pull myself together and get back to normal and try awakening once again. If she entered my life¡­she would only trigger bad memories."


    It was a sacrifice. But if it was her, she would do it.


    And after Roxana event...


    If the Xanders did realize her preciousness¡ªimproving talents, then it was too dangerous for her to meet him.


    If she was close with him, he would have be the bait to fish her out.


    "Still, this is too much. Why did you decline just now? What are you really thinking?" Varian muttered under his breath.


    He was a slightly angry, but it was nothing against his mountain of guilt.


    "Master, your heart beat is reaching dangerous levels. Calm down." Boo hurried said and a tranquilizer was released in the cabin.


    Varian took a few deep breaths and his heartbeat slowed¡­slightly.


    Realizing that its actions had little effect, Boo said. "We''re here."


    Varian looked out of the ss walls and saw the world blur before a world appeared.


    The aura meter read 200% higher than Earth.


    He looked up to see the purple sky¡­.there were no birds, only delivery and surveince drones.


    From aerial view, he saw the realm was full of hexagon shaped bases. Each base had residential area, training area and mission area.


    All the bases were arranged in a spiral with the vast building, in the shape of a three pointed star, in the center.


    Built of rare crystal, it emitted a beautiful three color light.


    "Enigma¡­" Varian narrowed his eyes.


    Red. Blue. Green.


    The same colors as Enigma''s pupils and hair. The same colors of the Avenues¡ªthe roads in divine view.


    Varian saw thousands of people moving in and around, going about their daily activities.


    When anyone had to leave the realm for a mission, they would need a token. It recognizes only one person''s aura signature. Thus, even if the token was stolen, others could not use it to enter the realm.


    All such tokens had to be issued by the master of the Secret Realm. So, losing them was a bad idea.


    "Boo, scan everyone you can." Varian said with a serious voice.


    Even thought Boo can''t get close to high awakeners beyond a certain distance, taking their picture was easy.


    Ghostship maintained its stealth and covered the secret realm. Then, it shrank its size and infiltrated every building that missed its radar.


    It was too fast and even with Varian''s super human senses, all he felt was a blur of silhouettes.


    It would take a while.


    Meanwhile, Varian leveraged his mental power and copied Sia''s image from his memory onto a painting.


    Even with the help of his mind powers resulting in precise body control, his painting was only about 80% correct.


    Thankfully, with his instructions, Boo corrected it to 99%.


    Boo extrapted Sia''s age to the present and came up with a reference image.


    And after one hour, Ghost ship stopped.


    ording to the log, they covered all the ces except the central building. In just two hours, they went through training centers, homes, underground tunnels, offices, and trapdoors.


    "How is it?" He asked with a dry throat.


    A hologram appeared in front of him and scanned images shed by as Boo tried to find the matching image.


    Varian sighed.


    If she was outside the main building, it would be easier to "take her away" without alerting others.


    But it looked like he had little choice.


    "Go to the main building." Varian said.


    Boo shrank ghostship and they sneaked in.


    The building''s interior was build of blue crystal. Varian could see awakeners going to and fro in hurry.


    It was like any normal workce.


    But¡ª


    "Boo, why is the speed so slow?" Varian asked hurriedly.


    After entering the building, Ghostship''s speed slowed to that of normal human''s walking speed.


    Slower than a tortoise!


    "Master, there are level 8s in the building. I can maintain my stealth around them as long as I do not exceed certain speeds.


    If we get discovered, we can escape, but the mission will fail." Boo exined slowly.


    "I see. Then take your time." Varian no longer urged Boo and let it do its thing.


    Meanwhile, from the scans done so far, he checked out the inforkatmo


    Ghostship moved slowly for a while, sped up in some areas.


    Varian saw many awakeners here. Especially the high awakeners! Even though they were only 2 levels away, they felt like a world apart.


    ''What is Sia''s level now?'' He wondered.


    After covering the building, the underground space and even the trapdoors, Boo dered Sia was absent.


    "She can increase talents¡­which means she can increase the number of high awakeners. She''s the most important asset of the realm. Where would she be¡­"?Varian pondered for a while and said sharply. "Enigma''s home."


    The scans so far didn''t include people that went on missions. But given Sia''s importance, only a fool would send her out.


    So it was likely that she was living at another location.


    The one who would maintainmunication with her at all costs was Enigma.


    There was no guarantee he would find anything rted to her in Enigma''s home, though.


    But it didn''t hurt to give it a try.


    "Un." Boo nodded and they were soon inside Enigma''s home. It was all white¡ªtoo in, too boring and too painful to watch.


    Varian''s breath ragged. Except for a few sofas, there was nothing in this home.


    "Scan carefully¡­if there''s anything." Varian said weakly.


    Having a storage ring, why would Enigma leave anything important in her home?


    "Master, I found am."


    Varian''s brows knit together. "Retrieve it."


    Soon, them was lying in front of him. Varian touched it lightly and the next moment, a light shed.


    "Master, it''s a tra¡ª"


    Boo was ready to use the celestial grade walls to protect Varian, but them only disyed a hologram.


    It was a real time hologram video call.


    Varian forgot to breathe. His heart skipped a beat and then began to thump so frantically that it almost burst out his chest.


    He opened his mouth to speak, only to close it again. His face showed a myriad of emotions.


    Relief. Joy. Grief. Guilt. Pity.


    Yet, his gaze was transfixed on her virtual figure.


    It was a familiar, yet unfamiliar girl with long brown hair and shining golden eyes.


    She had grown to be an astounding beauty. Unlike a few years ago, the traces of naivety on her face were reced by the grace of youth.


    The girl from his dreams slowly opened her lips. "Varian¡­"

 Chapter 238: Sia

    <h4>Chapter 238: Sia</h4>


    "Varian¡­" Sia slowly said, her beautiful face had a cold expression. It? that a coldness he wasn''t familiar with.


    She showed no emotions and just uttered his name.


    "S-Sia¡­" Varian didn''t care about the fluctuations in his voice.


    He slowly took a step forward and reached out his hand to touch her. Instead of feeling the warmth of her hair, all he felt was the coldness of the air.


    ¡­She wasn''t here after all.


    Varian felt a faint loss but quickly cheered himself.


    They were able to meet¡ªeven if it was only through a video call.


    "You really came." Sia closed her eyes and sighed softly. Her cold expression melted a little.


    Varian withdrew his hand and clenched his fists. He tried to control himself, but his body trembled.


    Her voice¡­how long was it since he heard her?


    He could recognize it even in a million voices!


    Soft, kind and pleasant. With a touch of affection and closeness. Her voice always filled brightened his day.


    But..


    ¡­Why was her voice so lonely?


    ¡­Why was it so cold?


    No, he knew why. After all the hardship she endured¡­


    "I really did." Varian smiled from the bottom of his heart.


    Sia paused for a moment and then shook her head indifferently. "I don''t want to see you again."


    Her expression remained frosty¡­but it was her words that made him feel like he fell into an ice cer.


    Even though Enigma said the same thing, hearing it from Sia herself, Varian felt as if his body was frozen.


    For a moment, he struggled to even breathe.


    He felt a pain deeper than any physical injury. It was like his heart was prickled with needles and stabbed all over.


    "¡­Why?" Varian asked, barelyposing himself.


    Why are you still hiding from me?


    Why did you never contact me?


    That one word contained his million questions.


    Sia''s avatar paused for a moment before she red at him. Her cold gaze now had resentment. "Your first promise. You promised to protect me. Did you ever?"


    Varian felt like air was knocked out of his lungs. He opened his mouth to reply but no words came out.


    Except for the first few years, it was always her protecting him. Always her helping him.


    He¡­he never kept his promise.


    Sia''s gaze turned sharper, piercing his heart. "Roxana¡­when I had to endure all the pain for 121 days, where were you?


    When I cried every day from pain, when I just wanted to die, when I wished I was never born¡­when I needed you the most,


    Where were you?"


    Varian flinched and took a step back. His face was pale and he closed his eyes in pain.


    Her words were sharp, but it was imagining her pain that hurt him the most. He hated himself¡­he was never there for her.


    He coud argue that even if he was there, he could not help her. He could also justify it as him forgetting her.


    But¡­


    Nothing could take away her suffering. And the fact that he was never there for her was an indisputable fact.


    "¡­" Like a fire melting the toughest of metal, the guilt melted whatever words he had.


    All he could do was stare back into her eyes in hopes of sharing the pain she had to suffer to turn this cold.


    Sia looked at his silence and raised her head. Her golden eyes that used to be soft were now filled with indifference. "I am level 7 now. I can take care of myself. And if I''m not unlucky, this will be ourst meeting."


    Saying so, Sia turned around.


    Her voice turned increasingly colder. "Anyst words?"


    Varian''s clenched fists loosened and he took a deep breath. He looked at her aloof back and said sincerely. "I''m sorry I couldn''t be there for you.


    Out of our little family of three, you are all I have left.


    I failed my promises¡­so I want to make my amends. Give me a chance.


    I''m not the strongest yet, but I can keep you safe. And soon, I''ll be the strongest."


    Then Varian''s voice turned incredibly cold. "And to avenge you, I''ll exterminate the Xanders. Every single soul in that ind. None of them will live. It''s a promise¡­a promise I''ll not break."


    Sia still had her back facing to him. She didn''t even turn around and merely scoffed. "Easy to say. But I have a hard time believing¡­especially when you forgot I ever existed. It''s actually funny."


    Varian stared at her back¡­which now appeared lonely and hurt. "Actually, I still remembered a part of you."


    His voice turned mncholic. "I would dream of you¡­I can''t hear what you were saying, but I saw you everyday. Doctors told me it was symptoms of my depression¡­I tried to convince myself that was the case.


    But¡­no matter how hard I tried to ignore, I cannot forget you.


    My memories were lost¡­but I never forgot you. I don''t know how, I don''t know why, but you were always with me."


    Sia lightly trembled before stabilizing herself.


    "¡­I don''t care anymore. You live your life, I live mine." She said, her voice colder than millennia snow.


    Varian, however, sighed. "You can stop putting on that mask. I know it''s very tiring."


    Sia''s voice rose with anger, her chest heaved up and down. "What do you mean?"


    "¡­Enigma was there to protect me on my entrance test, she also started attacking Xander''s vassals because you thought I was dead.


    Don''t even try to refute me. The attacks stopped immediately after I returned to academy.


    And then, Enigma, killed the Abyss Princes right after we were attacked by the Demon King.


    It''s all your¡­condition, isn''t it? And why go to such lengths?


    It''s because you care.


    Don''t lie to yourself anymore, Sia." Varian''s eyes were filled with pity as he softly said to the girl d in a ck dress.


    "I-I am not lying to myself. You''re just d-delusional!" Sia countered. Her shoulders were trembling slightly.


    Varian felt his heart hurt even more at the sight and continued. "Our home is rebuilt.


    Every ce, every room, every time has your memories¡­pleasee back."


    Sia''s shoulders trembled as she uttered. "I¡­don''t care."


    "Then why are you crying?" Varian walked up to her and asked.


    "Because it hurts! Fool!" Sia turned around and cursed. Her face was filled with tears and her lips were bleeding from her biting them too hard.


    "¡­I will make up for you. So, Sia¡­" Varian raised his hand to wipe her tears¡­but only until he touched empty air did he realized she was now only a virtual avatar.


    "You..You idiot! I hate you! I hate you!" Sia punched him, but her virtual avatar passed through him.


    But she kept at him. She punched, scratched, kicked him¡­before finally stopping.


    Varian let her do as she wished. With each punch, the tears rolling down her cheeks only increased.


    Looking at her tear stricken face, Varian felt like his heart was twisted. Sia never cried this much.


    Finally, Sia looked at him, her golden eyes gleaming with nostalgia and sadness. "How much do you remember?"


    Her voice was filled with grief.


    "Huh?" Varian was taken aback.


    "I¡ª" Even though he too was a victim, he felt guilty of forgetting about her.


    He couldn''t imagine how he would face the world if everyone he knew forget about him¡­if the traces of his very existence were erased.


    ''You had to deal with everything by yourself. But, from today, you won''t be alone.'' He vowed to himself.


    "I remembered till I am sixteen years." Varian said and exined his memory recovery.


    Usually, he would get the shback of a single event and then, overtime, his memory till that shback would go back to the original.


    For instance, previously, in his memory, it was always Amanda who cooked for him.


    But after the recent shback, every memory until then was slowly changed and now he could see it was actually Sia, not Amanda.


    There were also memories of going to highschool. He was always alone in them. But now, he was with Sia.


    In a sense, his memory adjusted itself to a reality where Sia didn''t exist. But now, everything as slowly turning real.


    "N-No!" Sia''s face paled. She hurriedly took a step back. Her voice and body shivered as she said. "You''re asking me toe back since you have only 16 years of memories¡­no wonder¡­"


    Varian frowned with worry and said. "What if I recover all my memories? It will still be the same."


    Sia shook her head violently. Her face paling each second, the glow she had previously was nowhere to be seen. "Y-You don''t know."


    "I¡­I''ve read the letters already. I know everything." Varian said, grinding his teeth. "I don''t care what happened. Come back. Everything will be the same."


    "No. Once you get back that memory, nothing will be the same." Sia''s voice was filled with resignation and deep sadness.


    "Trust me!" Varian retorted. He just wanted her back. Why was this so difficult?


    Sia silently wiped her tears that were falling and looked at him stubbornly. "If someone told you that a girl named Sia grew up with you and gave you a bunch of photos, would you¡­still have the exact feelings you have for me now?"


    Varian wanted to retort. He wanted to yell it didn''t matter. But¡­


    "No." He said weakly.


    She was right. The emotions he felt for her now, the intensity could never be possible without actual experience.


    "I''m scared." Sia said, covering her face.


    "You gave up on yourself for 1 year! 1 whole year! That is what your grief did to you. Once you have that memory back¡­your feelings would change." Biting her lip so hard that it started to bleed, Sia clenched her fists and yelled.


    Varian flinched at her remarks.


    Would I change?


    Can I feel the same¡­


    Varian waved his hand and growled. "I''ll deal with it when ites. But now,e back."


    "No! That day wille. I will only hurt you and myself." Sia shook her head.


    Her shoulders sagged and she covered her mouth. "I¡­I don''t deserve anything you''re feeling for me. Sarah is a good girl¡­keep her happy."


    "Are you crazy?" Varian was furious. "I get to decide what I feel you and if you deserve it or not.


    I gave up after her death. Yes, I did. It was pathetic.


    But are you not doing the same? You just want to run away from me, don''t you?"


    Sia took deep breaths. Finally, her tear stricken face cracked a beautiful smile. "You''re right¡­I am indeed running away.


    I''m a hybrid. I only bring sorrow and destruction. So I''ll run away from you¡­so that you can be safe and happy."


    The video call started to end and her virtual avatar started to disintegrate.


    Varian yelled out loud. "Even if you run to the ends of sr system, I''ll find you!"

 Chapter 239: Secret Realms weakness

    <h4>Chapter 239: Secret Realms'' weakness</h4>


    Varian remained standing, staring at the ce she was a few minutes ago.


    Despite how their first reunion went, there was a sense of euphoria inside him.


    No.


    Because of how it went, he was ecstatic.


    Sia¡­was safe. He didn''t need to ask Boo to verify if the call was fake to verify if she was real.


    He knew it for certain.


    Sia had changed. Unlike before, she could put on a cold face. She was much stronger than she ever was. Level 7 at mere 18. If this was known, every record of genius would be broken.


    But she was still the same.


    She was still worried about him. She still tried to keep him out of harm¡­.even at her own expense.


    And she cried¡­because of him.


    "I will make up for everything. I''m no longer powerless as I once was." Varian clenched his fists and vowed.


    Boom!


    The sheer force of his clenching sted the air between his palms and sent a small shockwave.


    "Master, what next?" Boo asked.


    As Varian was about to answer, he heard a cold voice. "The coordinates of the Order''s Secret Realms."


    Enigma appeared in the house at some point and said.


    Varian squinted his eyes. She knew he was here, but didn''t try attacking.


    "Smart." He''d give her that. If she did try attacking him, she couldn''t harm him and would only make an enemy out of him.


    Varian thought for a while and said. His voice was transmitted out through Boo. "Isn''t it better if I just give it to the army?"


    Indeed, no matter how strong the Order and Guardians were, they were still insignificantpared to the behemoth called Human Armed Forces.


    Even the prime families couldn''tpare. It was only because they had a Sovereign that they enjoyed the privileges.


    Contrary to his expectation, Enigma shook her head. "You know what''s happening? Shadow Order is already on the move.


    Their reinforcements from branches of others are on the way. The Abyssals are also going to help. They''ll press on Earth''s frontlines.


    If I''m not wrong, Abyssals will cross tunnel into a dungeon. They''ll break out of the dungeon and join with the Order.


    Then they''ll remove whatever tracking marks you put on them. Everything wille to naught."


    Varian opened his mouth in amazement. He was expecting this to be simple like thest operation.


    But he really underestimated everyone.


    p!


    Varian pped himself and said lightly. "I should not underestimate anyone. It could cost me too much."


    The great Boo transmitted those words too.


    Listening to those words, Enigma raised an eyebrow. Only her eyes were visible? due to her mask, but Varian felt that she was smiling.


    Shooting a re at Boo that shrunk into a ball, Varian coughed and said. "So what''s your n?"


    Enigma spoke immediately. "Guardians will break open the secret realms. We have enough Level 8s to do that. Once that is done, army can take over."


    Varian nodded.


    Breaking open Secret Realms¡­


    Since Secret Realms stayed in the outer space but weren''t essible without tokens, wouldn''t you be invincible once you hide in them?


    Without the tokens, no one could enter. You could create a world of your own, be self-sufficient and live like a King.


    It was a nice dream. But reality was different.


    Secret Realms were not invincible.


    Say a Secret Realm was present on top of a mountain. It won''t be visible to people and can only be entered through a token.


    But¡­if you were an awakener of space, gravity or time, you could attack that Secret Realm.


    If you attack at the right ces with sufficient strength, then the Secret Realm would destabilize and open up to the world.


    Meaning it would be visible and essible to everyone.


    So even if you discovered a Secret Realm, without strength, you couldn''t own it.


    It happened many times in the past. Some were lucky and stumbled into the Secret Realm.


    After discovering this small world with dense aura, they thought they were going to stand on the top of the world inevitably.


    But when the strong powers sted the secret realm open and took away their control, they realized without strength, everything was futile.


    "Every second is precious. Give the coordinates." Enigma said, her voice for the first time had a hint of urging.


    Varian snapped out of his thoughts and nodded. "Give yourm''s number."


    She did and Boo sent a link.


    Enigma hurriedly opened the link.


    The coordinates were changing every second. Thankfully, there were also predictions of their future location.


    As Enigma was about to leave, Varian suddenly said. "¡­I''ll find her."


    Enigma paused for a moment and shook her head. "She said this is thest call and I''m the only one who knows her location."


    Varian leaned back into his soft chair and sighed.


    If only Enigma knew, then¡­


    No. He had one more source.


    Even though it was almost futile at this point, he worked very hard for it.


    {Varian


    Cumtive merit points: 12,510


    Current Merit points: 12,000


    Status:


    1. Honor Rank 405


    2. First on Silver List}


    He needed to hit 20,000 merit points.


    Then he''ll know what happened in the academy.


    To be honest, everything would''ve been clear if Sia didn''t cut off the call so early.


    "After everything she went through, she is fine, that''s more than enough." Varian rubbed his forehead and sighed.


    Her fears might not be reasonable, but emotions never worked with logic to begin with.


    "I''ll have to convince her¡­somehow. I have two paths ahead of me. Enigma and Academy." Varian muttered.


    Then he turned to Boo. It looked at him with pitiful eyes. Varian waved his hand. "Fine, fine. Don''t repeat it next time. Show what''s happening on the frontlines and the Order''s secret realms."


    Boo hurriedly nodded. Then with a wave of its hand, the ghost ship rose and flew out of the secret realm before expanding.


    The room Varian was in also expanded to the size of a football field.


    Then, holograms popped up.


    Varian held his breath as he watched the events.

 Chapter 240: Onto Earth!

    <h4>Chapter 240: Onto Earth!</h4>


    Frontlines:


    When one says frontlines, they would mean theoids.


    Now, Everyoid in Earth''s domain was now under pressure.


    The Abyssals and humans on theseoids were always in a state of tension, but just a few minutes ago, Abyssals escted their actions.


    They fired the first shot and soon, all the bases inoids found themselves in an all out war against their counterparts.


    This was nothing like the fight on Renaoid.


    In this war, high awakeners were seen everywhere. Level 9s stationed on strategicoids started their battle with their Abyssal counterparts.


    The level 8s were fighting far away from the rest, but the sheer aftermath of their battle was lethal to many.


    The level 7s were the biggest force in the war of this scale.


    As both sides gave their best, the war quickly turned into a bitter, prolonged fight.


    Evander was resting in his base. Hisplexion was pale and he coughed from time to time.


    He already fought his counterpart. A peak Level 9 Abyssal. The Archduke of the Demon Abyss. Mendis.


    In fact, he picked the fight right after Dreamer''s message.


    With his efforts, he and Mendis were both injured. They both retired from the battlefield shortly after the war started.


    Having aplished his goal, Evander looked at the frontline holograms and frowned.


    This was clearly Abyssal''s ploy to help out Shadow Order. He could indeed ask for reinforcements from others.


    But if he did that, then it was very likely that Abyssals would start the same all out war on the other''soids.


    The reinforcements had to be pulled back and since they were en route to Earth, in the gap, he would cause higher casualties.


    In short, he had to make do with what he had.


    Neutralize their offense, reduce casualties as much as possible while sending them a powerful counterattack.


    Abyssals had to be learn that there was a price they must pay for their belligerence.


    If nothing ominous urred, in a decade or two, theprehensive strength of Human Armed Forces would surpass Abyssals.


    Then they could go for an all out war.


    No!


    If the elixir of the Xanders was really as effective, then they would surpass Abyssals in five years!


    Of course, if they didn''t have an extra Sovereign, it wouldn''t help.


    So, to finish off Abyssals, they needed the new Sovereign as well as stronger army.


    A good start would be ending the Shadow Order. The biggest hindrance to growth of humans.


    He was certain that Enigma already got the coordinates of the Secret Realm. And she would also start the attack.


    But Shadow Order was ultimately stronger than the Guardians. There was no way they could win.


    At most, Guardians could break open the Secret Realm. Army would have to do the job of eradicating them.


    But in the current situation, he couldn''t deploy suitable manpower to Earth. And from the intelligence reports, Abyssals cross tunnel to a couple of Dungeons a minute ago and were rushing out of the Dungeon.


    The Guards were fighting them off¡­but if they were to meet Shadow Order, then Evander was sure Shadow Order could escape.


    It was likely that even Dreamer wouldn''t be able to do anything next time.


    So, this was a golden opportunity that shouldn''t be missed!


    In the red room filled with ashes of Abyssals, Evander spoke into them. "General Bali, go to Earth."


    "Huh?" A hoarse voice came from the other side.


    In the background, there were noises of something cracking and roasted along with the screams of Abyssals.


    "On Lobaoid. No time." Bali replied curtly.


    He didn''t show any form of respect and spoke in the tone of equals.


    And equals they were.


    Evander took a pill and stretched his arms. "I''ll be on Lobaoid. You finish off the Shadow Order."


    There was only noise of mirrors cracking, burning and curses before Bali replied. "You sure?"


    Bali knew that Evander was already injured. So fighting now would only harm him and cause deeper injuries.


    It could even cut off his future chances to being a Sovereign. In the worst case, his strength would regress.


    But he didn''t know, due to his intense training, Evander already had a block he couldn''t cross to bing a Sovereign.


    So he boarded his space shuttle and set off.


    On Loba''s moon, a human and Abyssal were fighting.


    The Abyssal''s speed defied naked eye. He would seem to appear in a hundred ces at once.


    His speed was so high that he was leaving a hundred afterimages!


    Each of his punch had the power to shake a continent and yet everyone of themnded on empty air.


    The air waspressed and burst, the force rivaling a small nuclear bomb.


    Everywhere he punched in air, the air sted craters miles wide and deep.


    And he punched the ground once, the whole moon shook while the thend under him was nearly broke into pieces for hundreds of miles.


    "Argh! You damn Bali!" The Abyssal yelled and kicked the ground.


    In an instant, he appeared hundreds of miles away and punched at the figure that just appeared.


    A tall man with red hair and ck eyes.


    Looking at the fist that could crack even the continents, Bali was calm.


    His figure burst into mes and ayer of space covered his body. Space Armor.


    At the same time, the space around the Abyssal''s fist was frozen.


    Creak!


    "Argh! Fuck you!" It was broken in an instant, but Bali was already prepared.


    He stretched his arm and arge spear was formed out of blue mes.


    He reinforced it with spaceyers and the spear shot at the Abyssal.


    As it dashed towards the Abyssal, the space around the spear loosened and increased its momentum.


    The same space tightened around the abyssal, decreasing his momentum a little.


    "Argh!"


    The fist and spear collided.


    Boom!


    A huge mushroom of dust rose into the air. The moon started to shake uncontrobly.


    Even from the Lobaoid, one could see huge cracks on Loba''s moon''s surface.


    "Hmph!" With a snort, it was as if a hurricane was formed.


    Air sted out in every direction, blowing the dust away.


    The Abyssal walked forward step by step. There was a deep cut on his arm. His flesh was ck and gave off a burnt smell.


    His flesh started to wriggle and heal.


    But the Abyssal felt enormous rage. Bringing out his axe, he rushed towards Bali.


    "Die!"


    At the same time, Bali asked intom. "Hey, I''m asking you, are you sure?"


    A bright light shed and a fist punched out the axe, blowing away the Abyssal.


    "I''m sure." Evander turned back at Bali and said.


    Bali looked at Evander and realized he was using a pill to suppress his injuries.


    Besides, Evader was a Heal Fighter.


    Body Awakener ¡ª> Controller ¡ª> Heal Fighter.


    They could control their healing and use it to break their limits.


    Of course, their starting point was lower but their potential was higher than the Super Awakener.


    Now, Evander had forcibly pushed the healing to an upper limit. But it''de back to bite him soon.


    Bali knew. Evander knew. But it was his choice.


    "Shadow Order is our biggest internal threat. If we can root them out of Earth, our progress will elerate. Don''t let any level 8s and 9s escape." Evander said and rushed towards the Abyssal.


    Boom!


    "I''ve asked my people to block off your team''s opponents. But we''re all injured and can only buy you five minutes. Go!"


    Bali took a deep breath and said into hism. "6th Asura squad, onto Earth."

 Chapter 241: Planetary Guards

    <h4>Chapter 241:ary Guards</h4>


    "Hold!"


    "Block them off!"


    "Argh¡ª"


    Screams resounded across a barren area which was a small forest a few minutes ago.


    Fresh huge potholes were present all over, destroying any presence of greenery.


    In the potholes, Men and women, d in blue and redbat dress, the patrol uniform of Guardsid injured.


    Many had at least a limb bone crushed to pulp, but somehow managed to stay alive. Of course, the injuries on their bodies ensured they wouldn''t live past a few minutes.


    Others were not so lucky. Twisted necks, severed torsos and punctured hearts¡­their deaths were too gruesome.


    Even the ones alive dreaded their fate. They would''ve died like that too, only¡­


    Only a woman was standing in front of them.


    Her arms were badly bruised and arge wound gaped on her abdomen. Yet, the woman gripped her sword tight and red at the enemies in front of her.


    Her intense gaze seemed to pierce through the three abyssals standing in front of her.


    They towered her, both in stature and power.


    Yet¡­


    "Son of bitches! Even if I die, I''ll take one of you down!" The woman growled.


    The three Abyssals looked down at her andughed. The middle one suddenly stopped and looked up the sky. "No time to waste. Order Realm will be here in 10 seconds."


    The two Abyssals understood his order and dashed at the woman.


    The aura in their body exploded like a volcano burst and they crossed the sonic speed in an instant.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    As the air burst like it an explosive, they both raised their fists and punched down at her.


    Drip!


    Drip!


    In those critical moments, the world view of the woman slowed down. She could feel the warmth and stickiness of the liquid flowing from her forehead, down to her eyebrows and dripping down in front of her shoes, forming a small puddle of ruby red.


    "Huh!" The woman''s speed suddenly increased by a notch.


    The Abyssals'' eyes shrank.


    They were both low level 7.


    From early on, her attacks too seemed to be on low level 7. The aura they sensed earlier also seemed to be vaguely around low level 7.


    So they too assumed her to be level 7 Super Body Awakener.


    Body Path (Level 1-3) ¡ª> Enhanced (Level 4-6) ¡ª> Superhuman (Level 7-9)


    But¡ª


    The Abyssal that was watching the whole battle eximed in rage. "You suppressed your aura! And you''re an Extreme mid level 7!"


    Boom!


    The woman''s heightened speed easily let her avoid the blows and in an instant, her sword hummed, shing down at the Abyssals with a bright light.


    Right at the moment she swung her sword, she changed her heightening and improved her strength.


    Creaak!


    There was a tearing sound and the next moment, her sword attack, reaching the strength of high level 7, connected with the Abyssals'' torsos.


    Kua!


    Like a knife shing through butter, her sword cut down their bodies into two, their guts sttering all over the ce as their green blood sshed on the dying humans, sending them off.


    But she had no room to celebrate.


    Boom!


    Right when she swung her sword, the third Abyssal shot at her. His speed was even higher than the two, in mid level 7.


    Right when she cut them down, his fist hit her chest.


    Kacha!


    She was blown away like a broken rag doll as the sounds of her ribs breaking resounded throughout the barrennd.


    The woman felt a warm and iron taste in her mouth. Before she knew it, the liquid was overflowing from her mouth.


    Bam!


    She finally crashed into the ground, her back almost breaking from the impact.


    "Kuh!" She barely stood up, her vital organs¡ªheart, lungs, liver, were all severely damaged.


    Even with a Level 7 Superhuman Awakener physique, thebat power she could exert was less than 20%.


    "You cocky bitch!" The Abyssal appeared in front of her, even before his words could reach her and raised his hand.


    No, he wasn''t going to do something silly like pping her.


    He had an important mission.


    The Shadow Order''s secret realm¡­


    Ding!


    A bracelet on the Abyssal''s wrist hummed softly.


    "They''re here." He muttered and narrowed his eyes. "I heard Shadow Order likes ves from the army. You even have a good ck market price."


    The woman''s eyes went bloodshot. She gathered thest of her energy and punched at him.


    Boom!


    The Abyssal easily blocked her fist and pped her with the back of his hand.


    Paa!


    She crashed to the ground as the prickling pain from her cheek coursed through her body, her brain threatening to shut.


    Unfortunately, she was already spent from fighting. She already killed ten low level 7 Abyssals before these three arrived.


    As the Abyssal approached her step by step, the woman closed her eyes in despair.


    In that moment, her life shed before her eyes.


    She was the best genius of her school. She graduated from the Imperial defense academy.


    After serving as a basemander on theoids for 10 years, she was punished and transferred to theary Guards.


    She started a family. Her son just turned 11¡­he always asked about his father.


    She couldn''t tell him he sacrificed himself to protect her and their unborn son.


    "I..want¡­to live." She grinned her teeth and said.


    Pa!


    The response was a kick to her stomach.


    The woman''s eyes turned white from the pain¡­and slowly, she felt her brain shutting down.


    This Abyssal was merely ying earlier! He never nned to let her live in the first ce.


    Looking at her eyes that were quickly losing focus, he grinned and lifted his foot.


    Even though he wanted to crush every part of her body, the Order''s Secret Realm was already here.


    So he decided he''d make do with stomping her to death.


    "son, I¡­lo..ve¡­u." She muttered and closed her eyes, epting her fate.


    "Hm?" Even after a few seconds, the expected pain or¡­relief of death, didn''te.


    She slowly opened her eyes and saw a woman in ck standing in front of her.


    Her tricolor hair fluttered in the wind as she stood straight, gazing into the sky.


    Even though she was only one person, she looked like a million strong army.


    She exuded a cold and calm killing intent. As if she was a perfectly rational ughterer.


    "¡­good work." Enigma said as she threw an expensive healing potion at the dying woman.


    It sshed on her severely injured body and a warmth washed over her.


    The woman widened her eyes as she saw the same Abyssal kneeling in front of Enigma, his head long crushed to pieces sprawled around his body.


    At that moment, she recalled what the military told her.


    The Shadow Guardians and Shadow Order were from the same source¡ªShadow Nation.


    They just had different means, but the same goals.


    Shadow Guardians were cruel and inhumane people.


    Especially, it''s leader Enigma.


    She kills without batting an eye. She has no emotions. She is¡­not even a human.


    All those words¡ªeverything her superiors, her colleges and her juniors talked about her came to mind.


    Yet, she found in the most unexpected way the validity of those statements.


    "¡­Th..ank¡­you." She said and fainted.

 Chapter 242: Guardians vs Order

    <h4>Chapter 242: Guardians vs Order</h4>


    Enigma sighed as she watched the female officer faint.


    The Abyssals moved faster than she expected. Thankfully, she was not alone.


    The Abyssals cross tunneled into the dungeons, destroyed the garrisons deployed at the dungeons and rushed to the meeting ce with the Shadow Order.


    Theary Guards rushed to the scene and held them back long enough.


    If the Abyssals entered the Secret Realm and used their technology to remove Dreamer''s tracker¡­then everything would be futile.


    She nced at the twelve dead soldiers and thirteen who were barely alive, including the woman.


    "Thank you." Enigma muttered and said. "Yi, take care of them."


    A petite figure dressed in all ck appeared behind her and nodded violently. "Yes."


    She hurriedly administered the living a 6 star healing potion and took every human, dead or alive, to a far off distance.


    Then she turned her attention to the distance.


    Enigma was floating in the sky. Her gaze seemed to pierce space itself. She calmly said. "On position."


    At the same time, on five different locations, five people per location, in ck clothing were brandishing their weapon against empty space.


    This included a location under the ocean and a location up in the clouds.


    All of them looked extremely serious. Fortunately, there were no spectors.


    All of them said after Enigma. "On position."


    Then, theirms buzzed and a hologram covered the space in front of them.


    It was a white barrier with several cross marks.


    A cute voice sounded from theirms, belonging to a certain ghost. "Strike!"


    Boom!


    Space was crushed and Gravity spiked as the attacks were unleashed on the Secret Realms.


    However¡­


    Hum!


    A few silhouettes appeared out of nowhere, blocking their attacks.


    They too were d in ck. But the difference was they had a logo of a hooded figure.


    The face of the figure was covered in ck, only a blood red, and cruel smile could be seen.


    Shadow Order.


    "Petty tricks!" The man who appeared in front of Enigma scowled. "We just need to secure one Abyssal and you''re done."


    Enigma felt the pressure of a Level 9 pressure down on her. She didn''t back down and stared back at him.


    Her gaze narrowed as she gauged the five individuals behind the leading man.


    The leading man was the lord of the realm. A mid level 9.


    Two men behind him were the vice lords. Two Low level 9.


    Finally, the twenty behind them were the deacons. Peak Level 8.


    "Enigma, you are still too weak. What can you do other than escape? Do you dare to fight me?" The Realm Lord shamelessly said.


    He was sure of defeating Enigma in a fair fight¡­but when the hell did she ever y by the rules?


    Besides, she could always escape. And no one could stop her.


    "Hmph! Aren''t you ashamed to challenge a Level 8? This old man Frode will take on you level 9 dogs!" A huge aura burst out from the distance and a hunched man in ck appeared in front of the Realm Lord.


    Zap!


    Zap!


    His aura was at mid level 9.


    A his huge wings of lightning pped, the old man looked like an angel sent to punish evil.


    The Realm Lord flinched and eximed. "Y-You! Adventurer Frode, Thunder Might, aren''t you dead?"


    "How did you know?" Frode asked in equal amazement.


    ''Didn''t you just say?'' Enigma silently sighed.


    "Whatever! I''m alive and kicking!" Frode said after feeling a chill on his back. He could feel her re at him.


    Even though he was technically stronger than her, he didn''t want to piss her off.


    "Join us! We are powerful people. We shouldn''t waste our lives for the ordinary!" Realm Lord invited with a sincere tone.


    Frode simply spat in disgust and said. "I always thought we humans had a sense of shame, but now I know they don''t. Wait, you aren''t even qualified to be a human. You traitorous bastard!"


    The Realm Lord''s eyes chilled. The space around him fluctuated madly and he said with a cruel smirk. "Are you sure you want to do this? Abyssals are holding off any reinforcement that coulde.


    You would get no help, but on the other hand, we will soon have other powerhouse of the Order arrive through cross tunneling, thanks to the Abyssals."


    Frode''s brows knit together.


    So that was the n. Army would surely block off any suspicious inteary travel.


    But the Order members would go to Abyss and from there, cross tunnel to the dungeons on Earth.


    In the current situation where manpower was limited, there was little they could do.


    Besides, the Shadow Order seems to have been preparing for this even before they expected.


    The reinforcements could arrive at any moment!


    "Haha! How about it? In a minute or two, we''ll have our reinforcements. And you will die a cruel death." Realm Lord chuckled arrogantly.


    However, his back was already soaked in cold sweat.


    He didn''t lie. Reinforcements could be here any minute.


    But if Enigma manages to break open the Secret Realm, then everything would be futile.


    They would bepletely exposed. With how much the army hated them, even if they were visible, they''d do everything they can to get rid of them.


    So these one or two minutes were crucial to him.


    He only wished for Frode and Enigma to leave. Of course, he was already nning revenge.


    Once the Abyssals erased the mark, he''d ask them if they can help find the Shadow Guardians.


    Then¡­


    "Frode, block them off." Enigma curtly said, cutting off his thoughts.


    "Yes, Leader." Frode said and a golden lightning shed.


    "Argh! I''ll kill you, old bastard!" Realm Lord yelled and clenched his hand.


    At the same time, he signaled the two low level 9s to stop Enigma.


    He channeled his space power and muttered. "Space st."


    The space was suddenlypressed and the next moment, it exploded. Like a broken mirror, cracks appeared everywhere.


    It would''ve killed a level 8. Even a high level 8 would''ve been seriously injured.


    Yet¡­


    "Die!" Frode''s body was turned into lightning and a huge lightning armor covered his body.


    He not only survived the impact, but his lightning spears blocked the two low level 9s from reaching Enigma.


    "Go! Stop her!" Realm Lord yelled in a hurry.


    "Not a chance." Frode took on the three of them.


    Boom!


    Creak!


    Kacha!


    The sky was filled with broken space, and golden lighting, as well as two weaker fire and water swords.


    "Guh!" Frode stumbled back, clutching his chest. There was a huge cut on his chest from the space attack.


    His right arm was burnt slightly while his left arm was frozen.


    Clearly, he found it difficult to take on the three of them. And in fact, he might not survive a few more minutes.


    But, he persisted.


    "Stop her!"


    "Kill me first!"


    Boom!


    The level 9s fight was fierce and its impact could be felt even from a hundred miles.


    At this moment, another battle was taking ce.


    Here too, a single member of Shadow Guardian fought off multiple members of the Order.


    Twenty of them, in fact.


    Yet, the result couldn''t be more different.


    Enigma''s sword came down like a death sickle. Her figure blurred in the air and not even the peak Level 8s could take a second strike from her.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    Thud!


    They dropped from the air like fired birds and crashed to the ground.


    Enigma wasted no time and raised her sword to strike.


    A bright white light shed and the next moment, a blinding sword strike hit one of the cross marks on the hologram.


    Kacha!


    Like a broken lock, a huge white barrier appeared out of nowhere.


    But it faded in and out of sight, as if it were an illusion.


    "No!" Realm Lord screamed and his aura rose, pushing away Frode.


    He was about to rush to Enigma when Frode appeared in front of him in his lightning form.


    "Argh!" With bloodshot eyes, he attacked Frode with all his strength, and the old man was sent flying, coughing out blood.


    Enigma was about tounch a second attack when she sensed two Abyssals trying to sneak in.


    "Hmph!" With a snort, the two low level 8 Abyssals were forced to the ground and their eyes turned dull, before they died.


    Kacha!


    Enigma attacked for the second time.


    Kacha!


    Third.


    Fourth.


    She needed to just get one more strike, but¡­


    "Die!"


    The Realm Lord appeared in front of her and yelled.


    Enigma disappeared and the next moment, the space she was in sted into pieces.


    She appeared at a distance, and saw Frode on the ground, taken care of by the petite girl, Yi.


    At the same time, four level 7 Abyssals entered the Secret Realm which was now almost materialized.


    "Hahaha! I won! We won! Enigma, your ns are useless." Realm Lordughed out loud, arrogance and triumph overflowing in hisughter.


    Enigma knit her brows and she stopped Frode who was about to get up.


    She nced at a certain direction in the sky before turning to Realm Lord. "No. You lost. They''re here."


    With those words, Enigma, Yi and Frode disappeared.


    The same scene was staged across the other four Secret Realms.


    Every location''s Secret Lord and Level 9s were blocked by the Level 9 of Shadow Guardians.


    Of course, Guardian''s level 9s all had to pay price of severe injuries.


    On the other hand, unlike Enigma, there were several level 8s in Guardians to take on the Order''s Level 8s.


    Of course, Guardian''s level 8s were outnumbered. Despite that, they managed tond three out of the five required strikes to break open the Secret Realm.


    By then, the Abyssals already entered into the Secret Realm and were about to hide it again.


    But just like with Enigma, the reinforcements from army arrived.

 Chapter 243: 6th Asura Squad

    <h4>Chapter 243: 6th Asura Squad</h4>


    Realm Lord Zokai gritted his teeth at Enigma''s disappearance. Thinking of her parting words, he sneered.


    "Who can evene? Every powerhouse is engaged by the Abyss¡­Huek!"


    Zokai''s words were stopped abruptly as he looked up the sky and shivered without meaning to.


    A huge, dark and looming presence¡­like death itself seemed to descend from the sky.


    No, it was still far away¡­but its mere presence seemed to announce itself as the herald of destruction.


    From the corner of his eye, Zokai saw his confidantes, the vice lords¡ªlow level 9s trembling fiercely.


    ''Cowards!'' He cursed and said. "G-Get¡­inside."


    By the time he realized it, his voice was quivering.


    He too was trembling!


    His confidantes nodded fiercely and turned around to rush back into the Secret Realm.


    Zokai used his space power and teleported himself in. With his token, and being a Level 9 Space Awakener, he had this ability.


    After teleporting into his familiar castle, Zokai clutched his chest, feeling his racing heart.


    ''Fear?'' He shook his head in denial.


    In the process, his gaze fell on the mirror, he saw a ghostly pale face looking back at him bloodshot eyes.


    ''Pathet¡ª'' He stopped abruptly realizing it was his own reflection.


    ''Wait, wait. This is not important. I need to know what''s happening outside.''


    As the Secret Realm Master, he could do a lot of things.


    Forging the entry tokens was one.


    Ordering the realm to move was another.


    However, he couldn''t escape from Enigma by forcing the realm to move.


    The speed of the Secret Realm was slow and they already had a tracking mark on.


    He had to stop Enigma from breaking open the Secret Realm. As he feared, Dreamer was indeed capable of finding the weak spots of the Secret Realm.


    If Enigma was allowed one more hit, then, everything would''ve ended.


    ''I saved the Secret Realm! Zokai stopped trembling and clenched his fists.


    Thinking of the fearsome presence that was descending, his lips slowly curled up.


    ''What if you are so powerful, you need to hit the right spot with the minimum strength.


    Now, Enigma is gone. The hologram is also gone. What can you do?''


    As he grinnedcently, the Secret Realm suddenly shook.


    An ominous premonition came to his mind and he hurriedly opened the vision of the Secret Realm surroundings.


    There he saw it. No. Saw him.


    A tall man with red hair and ck eyes.


    He had the same power as the old man Forde that Zokai previously beat.


    Lightning Path.


    But in addition, he could feel a familiar power from the other party.


    Space Path.


    Moreover, even though he''s looking at him from across the realms, Zokai felt a tremendous pressure.


    It was not Sovereign pressure, but the closest it could be.


    Peak of Level 9!


    "Calm down, calm down. He only roughly knows where the Secret Realm is. He doesn''t even know the weak points. what can he do¡ª"


    Zokai suddenly stumbled and rolled on the ground.


    "What?!"


    He hurriedly teleported outside of his castle and observed the Secret Realm.


    "This¡­" His heart nearly leapt out of his throat.


    The whole small world¡ªthe sky, the ground, the buildings were all shaking fiercely.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    It was as if someone was knocking a metal door with a log.


    But this time, the door was the Secret Realm itself and the log¡­what was the log?


    With each knock, every one in the Secret Realm felt an unprecedented fear. It was as if death was knocking on their doors, asking them to be obediently ept their fate.


    Then it came.


    The sound of a chain breaking.


    Kacha!


    "Fuck!" Zokai swore incredulously.


    How did he do it?


    He doesn''t know the weak spots!


    So How?!


    Rumble!


    The Secret Realm trembled fiercely and slowly, he saw it.


    The entire barrier of the Secret Realm was hit by a massive and intense fire waves. Then it was sted by the space bursts.


    Repeatedly.


    Hundreds of times.


    So much that even the dispersed attacks that only carried less than 0.1% of the attack''s power umted and broke thest chain.


    "M-Monster! This is a Monster!" Zokai roared in disbelief.


    He was also in level 9¡­but this strength was beyond him.


    The red haired man''s eyes turned to him and in the next instant, he appeared in front of Zokai.


    "Guh!" Zokai was about to teleport when the space around him suddenly solidified.


    ''Space Unbinding.''


    He tried to loosen the space, and teleport. Even if he can''t defeat him, escaping must be possible¡­right?


    "Argh!!!" The space didn''t budge and he couldn''t teleport.


    No. It loosened, but the other guy tightened it further so that he couldn''t feel any difference.


    "Kuh!" Zokai''s heart couldn''t give birth to a trace of resistance.


    The killing intent from the man overwhelmed his senses and scared the daylights out of him.


    Excuse me, I am the Realm Lord of Shadow Order.


    I have killed tens of thousands.


    Logically, I should have the most killing intent.


    But why do you have such a thick killing intent?


    How many did you kill?


    Ten thousand? Hundred thousand?


    ¡­A million?


    "Hiss!" He didn''t have the time to ask.


    The red haired man gripped his neck and snarled. "You scum. How are you feeling today?"


    "?!" Zokai was about to answer when he felt an unbearable hotness from the man''s palm.


    He already covered himself with Space Armor. Coupled with his Space Body, he could resist the attacks of most level 9s.


    "Arggh!"


    Not him.


    Zokai gritted his teeth and refused to scream.


    "Ho?" Bali raised an eyebrow and waved his hand.


    The Secret Realm was bathed in sea of fire.


    "Argh!"


    "Grugh!"


    "Son of a bitch!"


    "You misogynist pig!"


    "¡­?"


    It was the scene of an apocalypse. The mes swallowed everyone¡ªlow, mid and high awakeners¡ªno one was spared.


    Floating in the air, the mes reflected on Bali''s emotionless face. Even amidst the tragic cries, his face didn''t change in the slightest.


    But slowly, as the fire scorched his very being, Zokai couldn''t help but scream in agony.


    "Argh!"


    "Argghhh!"


    "Graaah!"


    Zokai''s screams sounded like divine music to Bali who sighed in contentment and softly said."A bug, the lowest of scum that betrayed its own race, even hindered their growth¡­your screams are just so delightful to hear."


    Zokai''s body trembled at those words. Until now, he killed everyone who said that to him.


    Now, he couldn''t.


    "P..Argh¡­pwea..se." He begged through his screams.


    The unforgiving mes burnt away his space armor and melted his skin.


    They slowly began to seep into his flesh and torture him.


    His space power instinctively solidified the space around his flesh and tried to protect him.


    But¡­


    "Arghhh!" The mes melted his flesh, roasted his bones and tortured his soul.


    "P..we..ase." He begged.


    "Please what?" Bali raised an eyebrow and looked into his eyes.


    Or the hollow sockets that now stood in their ce.


    "¡­Ki¡­" He wanted to say ''Kill me'', but his tongue was burnt at that moment and the fire traveled down his throat, into his stomach.


    Now, even his screams were muffled.


    The only sign of his life was the twitching thatsted for full three minutes and thirty seconds.


    Bali looked into hism and shook his head like it was a pity. "It''ll take 1.5 minutes, Evander will be at his limit. Gotta go."


    Then he tossed aside the scorched body in his arm or what remained of it and a me ball turned it to ashes.


    Bali''s figure disappeared as he appeared above Earth in an instant and boarded his space shuttle.


    Soon after, seven more space shuttles followed him as they raced back to theoids.


    6th Asura Squad, Mission Complete!


    (Respect S+)

 Chapter 244: Fishing In Troubled Waters

    <h4>Chapter 244: Fishing In Troubled Waters</h4>


    Varian sighed in wonder.


    He couldn''t see what happened inside, but just from the satellite images¡­he could tell that the five secret realms were obliterated.


    Particrly, one¡­ording to Boo, that Secret Realm was a few hundred miles wide.


    Each mile had to bear the fire attack equivalent to three nuclear strikes.


    "Monster." Varian muttered as he waited a few miles away from a Secret Realm.


    It was destroyed by a man and woman¡ªLighting and Water. Their powersplimented each other and resulted in greater damage.


    But¡­


    "Argh! Crazy! How dare they send level 9s?!"


    "I hope Abyssals take down theoids!"


    "These stupid bitches need to learn a lesson!"


    Three heavily injured order members growled as they fled the scene.


    Only Bali''s fire attacks killed everyone in the secret realm.


    In case of the other four realms, there were some remnants. Of course, since they took care to kill the strongest ones, the surviving dreg had no level 8s.


    Looking at the heavily injured Level 6s, Varian''s lips curled up.


    The army would be here in a few minutes. He had to make do and kill as many as he could.


    "Tsk." Varian snickered and drew his sword.


    The Order members suddenly heard a metallic ng and eximed. "Army?! No, he''s just a kid."


    "Just a level 5?! How dare he mock us?! Kil¡ª!"


    As they were speaking, the three already started to use their powers.


    Varian felt his body turn heavy as the gravity increased, then his mind felt dizzy and finally a thunder bolt shot at him.


    It''d have been really dangerous¡­facing the attacks of three level 6s.


    But¡ª


    sh!


    Varian teleported behind the mind awakener and shed his sword.


    At the same time, he turned on hism''s capture function. Essentially, it''d record who he was killing and report it to the central server.


    "Wha¡ª"


    The Mind Awakener didn''t understand why Varian was able to break out even when he died.


    Varian shook his head as the gravity spiked and the Gravity Awakener dashed at him with incredible speed.


    From the back, arrows of lightning covered the sky.


    "If you''re not injured, I can only escape. But now you don''t even hold 30% of your normal power. Idiots." Varian cursed and his body blurred.


    As he rushed towards the Gravity Awakener, he felt the force of gravity suddenly change.


    "Guh!" He was strongly pulled from behind. His speed dropped drastically and Varian felt his bones slowly twist under the pressure.


    "Changing the direction of gravity¡­Good!" Varian smiled and he covered himself with space armor and lightning, and used the reinforced strength to resist the gravity.


    Whoosh!


    Varian and the Gravity Awakener collided in mid air.


    A gauntlet appeared on his hand and in the next moment, his fist connected with Gravity Awakener''s hammer.


    Boom!


    Varian felt a heavy forceing off from the other person and stumbled back. There was a sweet taste on his tongue as blood slowly overflowed from his lips.


    But the Gravity Awakener was much worse. His already injured body couldn''t bear the attack and copsed.


    "I''ll remember you." The Lightning Awakener swore and a lightning cloud appeared under him.


    In the blink of an eye, he was already miles away.


    Varian would''ve had trouble if this was before, but since he already advanced to level 4, he locked the other person and teleported in front of him.


    "Wha!" Looking at Varian who appeared in front of him mid air, the lightning awakener shrieked in fear.


    "Please spar¡ª"


    Varian cut off his head without a word and continued hunting.


    "Master, there are four level 6s fleeing in the coordinates¡­"


    "Master, there is a level 7 awakener fleeing, take a detour¡­"


    With Boo''s assistance, Varian kill count increased.


    Even though his opponents were severely injured, they were still level 6s. Thus, two things happened.


    He was slowly getting injured and the system''s notifications, which were in silent mode, kept ringing.


    His killing spreested for five minutes and the army arrived.


    Varian boarded the ghost ship and took a healing potion.


    "Thirty Level 6s¡­300 seconds, not bad, I guess?" He panted.


    He was already spent. He could fight level 5s for hours, but fighting level 6s and so many of them, was a different thing altogether.


    Besides, every enemy of his put everything on the line when they realized he was after their lives.


    It created a far more intense battle than a normal duel.


    But the results were equally gratifying.


    ''Status''


    [Body Path Level 5: 410/2000 (+100)


    Space Path level 4: 60/1000 (+30)


    Lightning Path Level 4: 465/1000 (+50)


    Morpher Path Level 3: 360/400 (+30)


    Mind Path Level 3: 130/400 (+100)]


    "Awesome!" Varian smiled cheerfully.


    He wanted to fight Level 6s like this everyday, but if they weren''t seriously injured and couldn''t exert most of their strength, it''d be seeking death.


    Body Path and Mind Path had the most improvement.


    The reasons were obvious.


    He used Body Path mainly and took a lot of damage. At the same time, out of the thirty level 6s, ten were Body Awakeners, be it Enhanced or Controller.


    He faced three Telepaths, and their mental attacks only helped him grow.


    Next was Lightning Path. He only faced five of them and the first two were already dying.


    But at least, taking their lightning attacks head on, his own lighting improved.


    Finally, there were two Space Awakeners that improved his space powers.


    His Morpher powers rose mainly in response to his injuries.


    "These are the best five minutes¡­" As he muttered, he checked hism.


    >> Cadet Varian, your act of ying thirty level 6 terrorists ismendable. Had you not taken care of them, they would''ve sneaked away and recuperated their injuries, eventually bing a menace to Earth''s peace.


    Worse, they could''ve entered the cities and wrecked havoc.


    Your bravery saved lives and maintained peace.


    Human Armed Forces recognizes this contribution.


    But considering they were already injured, your merit points are lowered.


    You are awarded 9,000 merit


    "¡­.so many?" Varian wondered if it was fake.


    Boo exined. "Master, the value of any action is measured rtive to the circumstances.


    When the Asura Squad destroyed the Secret Realms, the reinforcements of the Shadow Order from others arrived in the Dungeons.


    These injured remnants would all be saved and what do you think they will do?


    They will fiercely retaliate! Suicide Bombing, Hostage taking, hijacking! Anything!


    Every attack on Shadow Order was followed by a fiercer and crazier retaliation!"


    Varian paused for a moment and sighed.


    In his extermination list, Shadow Order was silently added.


    Shaking his head, he opened hism.


    {Varian


    Cumtive Merit Points: 21, 510


    Current Merit Points: 21,000}


    The target Eric, Second Year supervisor, gave was 20,000 mp.

 Chapter 245: Sarahs Special Training

    <h4>Chapter 245: Sarah''s Special Training</h4>


    Royal City, Earth:


    There was a quiet district that solely belonged to Evander. In it, there was an estate with a huge mansion.


    It was big. Bigger than any dorm in the academy.


    But¡­


    There was a loneliness in the walls that couldn''t be erased. The way only she moved to and fro, in this vast, and almost ghostly mansion along with Anna had bothered Sarah for a long time.


    Not now.


    She held the spat in one hand as she test tasted the dish she was cooking. "Hm¡­a pinch of salt would do."


    Then cautiously, almost gravely, she added a pinch of salt.


    She didn''t want to blow up the dish¡­she was already past that point.


    The magical salt imbued with aura whirled around the meat on the stove. Being magical items with different sources, they needed to be properly dealt with.


    Or¡­


    Sarah heard a click.


    Like a chain reaction, the magical salt acted as a catalyst while the meat with plenty of aura became the explosive.


    The result¡ª


    Boom!


    Sarah hurriedly covered the whole dish with a water bubble, and the explosion that could''ve blown away the other ingredients in the kitchen was quietly silenced.


    "Argh! I''d rather believe dad will talk to me properly than I can cook." Sarah sped her forehead in frustration.


    "Don''t give up, miss." Anna appeared in the huge kitchen and said. "You came a long way, miss."


    Sarah blinked and pointed to herself. "I did?"


    Anna nodded seriously. "Of course. It''s been four days since you started training. You learnt cooking with normal ingredients on the first day.


    I even let one of you pursuers, some random young master, taste the dish. Because it was made of normal ingredients, the effect was limited. He stayed in the washroom for only an hour.


    Once you got your hands on magic ingredients, your had to learn it all over again. You blew up everything under 1 minute on the second day. The young master waited.


    On the third day, you were able to cook something or rather what was left after you blew up was no longer ashes. That cooked thing¡­Taste is another matter. But it''s lethality is just astounding.


    The young master tasted it again¡­


    It''s been 30 hours and the young master still hasn''te out of washroom. He''s even a level 4.


    Miss, I know no one who can rival your talent in poison making." Anna''s voice was full of sincerity as she praised her young miss.


    Sarah on the other hand, almost coughed out blood.


    ''When did I say I was learning to concoct poisons! I was only trying to cook.''


    "Uh-ahem, Aunt Anna, I am trying to C-Cook, eh, edible food." Sarah squeezed out a smile and exined.


    Anna was dumbfounded and wanted to p herself. "I-I see. E-even then, you aren''t far away!


    You just need to not blow up everything like¡­"


    Boom!


    Sarah hurriedly covered another dish or what was once a dish in making with water bubble.


    She looked back at Anna and said. "Sorry, what were you saying?"


    "I¡­" Anna sighed deeply and resumed guiding Sarah.


    Everything in the world had aura. But only after a certain threshold was reached would they be called spiritual.


    Spiritual ingredients were beneficial to awakeners. Eating spiritual dishes everyday would helpy a solid foundation in the beginning.


    It also increases progresses, loosens bottlenecks and improves one''s strength, the specificity depending on the ingredients and the dish itself.


    But there was a catch.


    Since each and every item had quite some aura, they needed to be handled delicately.


    Any ipatibility, any trigger, any reaction would result in idents¡ªmost of them leading to destruction of the ingredients.


    Thus, spiritual cooks needed to be very precise. In fact, even repeating the same amount of ingredients won''t work!


    Weather, surrounding aura concentration and one''s own condition must also be taken into ount!


    Thus, just any other person couldn''t be a Spiritual Cook.


    "¡­Or miss, you can take a break." Anna said in distress.


    Sarah waspletely dedicating herself to this. She was trying to get the ''feel'' right.


    It was an intuition honed through hundreds of failed experiments.


    She was close¡­yet it was far away.


    "Don''t wanna." Sarah mumbled and continued on. The ck apron stuck to her white clothes, a small top and a long skirt.


    As she moved around tirelessly, her golden bangs stuck to her forehead as she sweated.


    Anna watched the figure of the hardworking girl and fell into a daze.


    Unknowingly, she muttered. "Miss?"


    "Hm? I''m listening." Sarah answered, her back still turned to Anna.


    "Is it really worth it?" Her voice had a hint of grief and questioning.


    "¡­what is worth what?" Sarah titled her head in confusion, but carefully mixed the meat with the spices.


    "Spending four days of your training on something like this¡­" Anna finally said, her voice drawing out in the end. "Two months ago, you would never do this."


    Sarah''s movements slowed down, then halted altogether. She opened her mouth to say something, but ended up closing it.


    "I¡­I like the way he enjoys what you cook. I know he smiles a lot, but most of the time, it''s for courtesy.


    When he eats your dishes, that''s one of the few times he is genuinely happy. I want to do the same." Sarah said, biting her lip.


    "...He hides it well, but he has a painful past. I know that because I am the same. I cannot change his past. But I can at least make him...smile more."


    Anna fell silent. A few months ago, she was the one asking Sarah to take rest everyone now and then.


    To have a life outside her relentless training.


    Who would''ve thought this day woulde?


    "Miss, he saved you twice, alright. I know you''re grateful, but this doesn''t look like that, it''s¡­" Anna couldn''t say it in the end.


    "It''s like we''re good friends, right? I think so too." Sarah smiled at Anna. "I mean, I do think Crimson and Luca are good friends, but Varian is¡­more special?" She sounded confused herself, but continued her work regardless.


    Behind her, Anna facepalmed. ''Evander, this is the result of you warning every boy when she was in school.


    Now she gets some suitors, but she doesn''t understand these things properly. Argh! What am I gonna do?''

 Chapter 246: A Talk With Gareth

    <h4>Chapter 246: A Talk With Gareth</h4>


    "It''s been a long time." Varian said as he sat in seiza on a tatami mat, looking out into the courtyard with a small pond.


    "Boy, it''s been only two months." A rather deep voice man answered him. In front of him was a man seemingly in his 30s, with an almost shining bald head and a beard never seemed to grow.


    "Sometimes, a second can feel like an year." Varian looked up at the two suns in the sky and said.


    Of course, he wasn''t referring to not seeing Gareth. It was just his life...in the past two months, he experienced too much.


    Shadow Order, Abyssals, Lost Dungeon, Dreamer, Renaoid...


    He recalled the days when he was in Leon Training Hall. Gareth used to persuade him to go to dungeon...he refused.


    But once he took that step, everything changed.


    Gareth, too looked through the sliding doors. His sight however, was on his rather traditional wooden house.


    There used to be a group of people in this house¡ªbrothers not born to same mother.


    Then, that happened.


    When he was loosing them, that one second indeed felt like an year. Perhaps longer.


    Shaking his head, Gareth looked at the handsome young man in front of him and smirked. "You are bing a philosopher or what?"


    "I''d rather not. I don''t want to waste my precious youth babbling with old men." Varian raised his hands and said.


    Gareth was taken aback by his response. The Varian two months ago would never give this answer.


    "Good!"Gareth nodded vigorously in approval, a big grin creeping on his face.


    Varian had changed¡­


    Gone was the boy in self-doubt and defeat. He didn''t escape from his past anymore. He wasn''t depressed anymore.


    Gareth didn''t know if only awakening helped him this much, but regardless, he was happy.


    The Varian today defied even his wildest expectations.


    It was only midsem break of first semester and yet here he was, a Level 5 Awakener.


    ''Incredible.'' Gareth sighed inwardly.


    Perhaps he was the one who best understood Varian''s starting point. In just two months, this boy went from a nobody to a crucial talent.


    "You look more confident." Garethplimented.


    "Thanks, but let me say this again, I''m grateful for your help." Varian said in a sincere tone.


    If not for Gareth, he''d have never taken the first step.


    He would''ve never awakened.


    He would still be in the Leon Training Hall, wasting away his life into oblivion.


    Sia would still be a mystery to him. A manifestation of his own depression.


    He would live his whole life on his fake memories and haunted by his past.


    In a sense, Gareth changed his life. And saved him.


    Such kindness was hard to repay.


    "Then do me a favor and never say thanks again." Gareth shifted in his seat.


    Varianughed it off.


    Then, his expression slowly hardened. "You know my tutor Seth, right?"


    Gareth raised an eyebrow. "I was about to bring him up, but go on."


    Varian''s face scrunched up as she said. "I enquired about him. The authorities said he went on a mission. I can''t find any such mission. What the hell happened?"


    "¡­A few weeks after your death news came, he entered the Demon Abyss." Gareth slowly said.


    "What?!" Varian stood up, his movements causing a huge shockwave.


    The shockwaves were about to hit the air and unless Varian wanted to expose his space powers, it was already toote.


    The house built of seemingly normal wood was bound to be destroyed.


    Snap!


    Varian saw Gareth snap his fingers and in an instant, the space solidified, and with it, the shockwaves.


    "This is really a normal house. It''ll blow away with your shockwaves." Gareth said with a distressed expression.


    The corners of Varian''s mouth twitched as he asked. "You are a high awakener?"


    Gareth shrugged. "Who knows?"


    ''So the rumors that Gareth was level 7¡­'' Varian threw them out of his mind and sat down.


    He didn''t care what level Gareth was. If he wanted to, he''d tell him. If not, prying was disrespectful.


    "It''s my abruptness. I apologize."


    "I can understand. Seth¡­had simr reactions after all." Gareth smiled and poured some tea. "Have some tea."


    "Thank¡ªwait, Tutor was here?" Varian held the cup but stopped abruptly, turning to Gareth.


    And he also wanted to say ''Can you say theplete thing at once?'' But held himself back.


    "Yes and you need to train your mental state more. Don''t be surprised, at least don''t show it." Gareth raised a finger and said.


    Varian nodded, calming himself down with his mental powers.


    He asked with a less anxious, but equally concerned expression. "So, he was here and then went to Demon Abyss? What happened?"


    Gareth sipped his tea and closed his eyes. Shaking his head, he said. "Seth investigated the matter to the end and found Astor n, Shadow Order and the Abyssals nned that assassination attempt on Sarah Albert.


    You were a coteral damage. It pained him.


    He took the missions to hunt the Order members, assassinated a few Astor n members and killed a lot of Abyssals."


    Varian''s eyes widened and he clenched the tea cup in his hand. Thankfully, he controlled himself or it''d break and stter the hot liquid on his hands.


    "Despite that, he knew his actions weren''t of much significance. Be it the Astor n, Order or Demon Abyss, he couldn''t uproot any of them." Gareth''s expression turned mncholic.


    "He was frustrated and his obsession came back.


    You know his obsession right? He wants revenge for losing his family. But he isn''t getting anywhere with his divine paths.


    He decided he hit his limit and there was no point in waiting further.


    So to make the most out of his powers, he snuck into the Demon Abyss and vowed to kill as many as he could." Gareth gnashed his teeth and said.


    Varian''s face paled like a sheet of paper.


    Recalling the one person who was kind to him in the academy when everyone was against him, he felt overwhelming sadness.


    "He visited me before he left. I tried to stop him. But he''s headstrong. So I ended up giving him a space shuttle." Gareth recalled with a smile.


    Varian felt a bit more relieved.


    Seth must already have had a space shuttle, but since Gareth gave it specifically for the mission, it could be one of those space shuttles useful for escape.


    The one with high defense and speed.


    "I don''t know if it''s fate, but it saved his life many times. He returned a few days after Evander announced you as his disciple.


    Of course, my space shuttle was decimated. But anyway, after realizing you were alive, he was ecstatic."


    Varian couldn''t help but ask. "So, where is he now?"


    "He said he was joining the Shadow Guardians." Gareth said with an unreadable expression. "He was relieved you had Evander as his master. So he went in without a worry."


    "?!" Varian thought he was hearing things.


    "Are you sur¡ª"


    "Yes. So, don''t worry about him. He took this path himself." Gareth slowly said.


    Varian closed his eyes and sighed.


    His hatred for the Order, Astor n and Abyssals grew.


    After chatting for an hour, Varian left and returned to his home. Kyle and Maya left a message saying they had gone out.


    Shaking his head, he stepped in, saying "I''m home."


    And paused.


    A gorgeous girl was sitting on the couch. Her golden hair flowed naturally like a waterfall, her bright blue eyes stared at him intensely.


    A smile broke out on her wless face, "Wee home."


    "Sarah?"

 Chapter 247: Solar Banquet

    <h4>Chapter 247: Sr Banquet</h4>


    "What are you doing here?" Varian raised an eyebrow in surprise as he sat on the couch in front of hers.


    ''Did Kyle allow her the ess or was it given to her by Richard?'' He thought but didn''t bother.


    "Guess?" Sarah leaned forward and snickered, her expression half naughty and half serious.


    Varian put on an expression as if he was in serious thought and answered. "¡­so you missed me."


    The expression he put on while he said those words¡­it seemed like Varian really meant what he said.


    "Pfft." Sarah chuckled and rolled her eyes. "You were out for 3 days and 6 hours, you think I''m missing you?"


    Inside her mind, she couldn''t help but add. ''34 minutes.''


    "Alright. alright. I almost didn''t recognize you just now. You''re dressed¡­differently today." Varian scanned her from head to toe and said.


    Sarah stiffened when he brought up the topic and finally rxed.


    She was d in a ck one piece dress that ended just at her knees. It was by no means a skimpy dress, but Varian almost felt it was someone else.


    It was his first time seeing her in a normal dress. He usually saw her in military uniforms, her ck suit¡ªwhen she trained in the house, her white suit¡ªwhen she sparred with him.


    ''Thanks, Aunt Anna.'' Sarah said in her heart and got up, prompting Varian to follow.


    "You''ll have to attend Sr Banquet." She said, handing over a golden envelope.


    Varian tore it open and saw the letter contents inside.


    >> Invitee: Varian Konstant


    Inviter: High General Evander


    Venue: Space City ''Infini''


    Begins at 16:00, 30/02/520 YAB


    "¡­that''s it?" Varian raised his head and asked Sarah, who at some point was standing next to him. The sweet scent from her body slowly assaulted his nose and Varian took a deep breath.


    ''Jasmine.''


    "¡­more do you expect? Don''t tell me you haven''t heard of Sr Banquet?" Sarah answered and shot a question of her own.


    Varian pped himself mentally for spacing out. He missed a few of her words, but understood her response more or less.


    "I know Sr Banquet. Haha, how can I not?" Varian answered rubbing the back of his neck.


    "¡­but you forgot and want me to give you a quick intro, right?" Sarah rolled her eyes.


    Varian felt that his face was burning up, but he nodded. "Yes."


    Kyle was also saying something about Sr Banquet, but he dismissed it. Now he wished he asked him.


    ''Kyle, it''s your fault!'' Thus, an innocent young man was thrown under the boss.


    *** *** *** ***


    "H-aachi!" Kyle sneezed suddenly.


    "Did you catch a cold?" Beside him, Maya asked.


    "No matter what level, I am an awakener anyway. How can I catch a cold?" Kyle shook his head.


    Then his eyes narrowed. "It must be some ungrateful fellow cursing me."


    Maya ignored hisment and asked with worry. "Do you think they¡­?"


    Kyleughed out loud. "I''m looking forward to how things will turn out."


    Then he grabbed Maya''s hand as they headed for their date.


    In researcher outfits.


    To "Scientific Observation Center".


    Nuff said.


    *** *** *** ***


    "Sr Banquet is a semi-formal gathering of the top powerhouses and promising awakeners.


    Only 5000 people are invited to the banquet. That''s a one in ten million chance.


    Not even all level 8s are eligible.


    The inviters are basically top Level 9s and strong in level 8.


    Other than that, outstanding young people are invited. It''s a rare chance to meet and interact with the top geniuses of the Human Federation.


    Basically, it''s the meet up of current pirs and future pirs of the human race."


    It sounded exciting and all, but for some reason, the more she said, the less enthusiastic Sarah''s voice became.


    Varian saw her sulking face and tentatively asked. "How many times did you attend?"


    Sarah clutched her forehead and cried out. "Seven times. This will be the eighth time.


    The previous six times were solely due to my status. Butst time and this time, it''s because of my strength."


    ''Fuck! Seven times!'' Varian wondered if those level 7s and weak level 8s would vomit blood if they knew this.


    For many, attending Sr Banquet must be the absolute pinnacle of their life. A culmination representing their strength and connections.


    "So you just invite all geniuses and what do we do fight?" Varian asked as Sarah guided him out of the house.


    "Well, wepete. Kinda." She exined as she entered therge hover car.


    Varian looked at the sky blue monster and entered it with a sigh. This car was a Level 6 Star Treasure.


    "And we get rewards?" He asked, adjusting himself in therge seat. The interior looked like a luxurious room rather than a car cabin with all sorts of facilities.


    Despite being currently wealthy, Varian wasn''t used to such luxuries.


    "The rewards are good, actually." Sarah paused and said. "If you can get the first ce, you can easily break a sub realm or two without any side effects."


    Varian was surprised.


    There was always news about some special herb that someone found in a dungeon which helped them improve.


    But the more you take those herbs raw, the greater the risk of bacsh¡ªwhich ranged fromrge injuries to regression.


    After all, items without side effects like Ambrosia were too rare.


    Thus, to advance by a sub realm or two without side effects was very tempting.


    "The materials to create the prize have to be won from multiple Ruins. This is by far the best potion to those below level 7." She exined.


    "It''s not as simple as more Aura. You get enlightenment of sorts which allows you toprehend the capabilities of the current level in the Divine Path."


    Varian sighed in amazement.


    He needed to go.


    Now that he knew Sia existed, the higher his strength, the better.


    Besides, he was slowly growing anxious about the Xanders.


    "And where are we going?" By the time he asked, the hover car alreadynded in the parking space of a floating estate.


    "¡­You don''t n to attend the banquet in camouge, right?" Sarah said, causing him to flinch.


    Varian stiffly nodded.


    Sarah raised her head to the sky and sighed deeply. "I knew it."


    Then she grabbed his arm, "That''s why! We''ll get you clothes! Mr.No Fashion."

 Chapter 248: Most Excruciating Three Hours

    <h4>Chapter 248: Most Excruciating Three Hours</h4>


    On the floating ind, there was arge blue tower. A spiral. Its nickname was ''Spiral of Trends''.


    Apparently, a very famous clothing brand.


    ''Howe I''m hearing it only today?'' Varian thought, but didn''t say it out loud.


    Then Varian experienced the most excruciating three hours of his life.


    Now, he was trying desperately to not extend those three hours into four.


    "This is good already." Varian said in protest.


    "No. Change!" Sarah shook her head and said in an irrefutable tone. She sounded like an instructor deciding to ignore the cadets'' pleas.


    In a way, it was the same situation.


    He was enthusiastic in the first ten minutes. Then everything felt like hell.


    ''Ah! Just let this end!''


    Varian sighed and tapped on hism.


    The white shirt, ck vest and pants on his body were instantly reced by a another white shirt, ck vest and pants.


    "What''s the difference? It''s the same thing!" He cried out, looking at the mirror.


    "Of course, there''s difference!" Sarah shook her head vehemently.


    Shepared thestbination to the current one. Then she did the heartbreaking move.


    She said.


    "Change!"


    "Argh!" Varian hung his head in frustration and tapped on hism again.


    The hologram covering him changed and Sarah''s eyes widened.


    "Yes!"


    A white zer above a ck v neck T-shirt, and ck pants.


    "There''s no difference." Varian said numbly.


    Ok. The color changed. But does it really matter?


    "¡­I pity your wife." Sarah said in genuine exasperation. "Your aesthetic sense might really kill her."


    Varian shot back. "And I pity your husband. Mark my words, you''ll kill him with this shopping."


    Sarah puffed her cheeks and looked at him. "Wanna fight?"


    Varian stepped closer to her, and looked into her eyes aggressively. "No way."


    "The-¡­eh? W-Wait, I thought you were going to fight!" Sarah''s voice sounded, mixed with confusion and surprise.


    After asking the store employee to pack the dress, he smirked at the pouting Sarah. "Did you really think I''d pick a fight? Heh. Jokes on you."


    Then he tapped on hism again and the hologram clothes were gone, leaving him in his camouges.


    Varian ignored any further ''advice'' of Sarah to buy another set and checked out.


    It was fricking 60,000 karma points for the dress!


    That was the ie of an average person for a year!


    Even though he was rich, Varian wondered if he was splurging.


    "You should actually a buy a few more sets. 10 would be enough."


    "I don''t want to die. Besides, where is yo¡ª" Varian suddenly turned out and looked at the twenty third floor of the ss building.


    However, it was a ss that prevented others from seeing what was inside. So, Varian could see nothing.


    But he didn''t care and dashed to the twenty third floor on stairs in a few seconds.


    He focused his senses and searched the vast floor, spanning a mile.


    Yet¡­


    Was it just an illusion?


    Varian''s shoulders slumped.


    Looking at Sarah''s worried face, he felt guilt. "I''m sorry, I¡­"


    "Are you aright?" She was already wielding her sword, and looked around for enemies.


    "I''m fine. Sorry for worrying you." He smiled wryly. "I felt that there was¡­someone watching."


    It felt like her.


    No. He was sure it was her.


    But Sia was nowhere to be found.


    She must have escaped.


    Sarah raised her brow. "You too?"


    "Hm?" Varian looked at Sarah in surprise as thetter closed her eyes and pointed her sword in a direction. A heavy pressure descended on the floor as her sword started shining.


    "Argh!"


    "Kyaa!"


    "Terrorists!"


    "Shadow Order!"


    The store was soon in mayhem


    "It was very, very faint. So, I thought I was mistaken." As Sarah finished, she shed down her sword at one of the escaping members, an olddy.


    Varian''s eyes widened but he trusted Sarah and held back his impulse to interfere.


    Boom!


    The olddy disappeared and a dagger shot at Sarah''s slender neck at breakneck speed.


    "Hmph! Bunch of rats!" Sarah said in contempt and dodged the dagger. But it cut off a strand of her hair, and broke the wall behind her.


    Varian''s breath halted as he the olddy, who was now a man in all ck.


    "Who the heck is this guy?" Varian mumbled.


    There was an oppressive pressure from him.


    The pressure from a peak level 6!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The building suddenly shook and Varian saw tens of thousands of hover cars flying out.


    The ones which didn''t make in time were caught up in the explosion that destroyed the foundation of the building.


    Sarah appeared in front of Varian and said. "I''ve informed Aunt Anna. She''ll be here in 30 seconds."


    30 seconds sounded nice on paper. But 30 seconds of level 6 fighters might as well be an hour of fight for unawakened.


    ''Still how did they find me?''


    It was her who insisted that only two of them go shopping. But technically, no one should know it''s her.


    And she was wearing a mask, disguising her identity.


    But regardless¡­


    "Varian, that guy is Space Awakener. So if you stay away from me¡ª" Sarah stopped abruptly andshed out her sword.


    Kacha!


    Her sword broke through the dagger that suddenly appeared behind Varian. The man disappeared from behind and Varian felt the space tighten.


    "Hmph!" With a snort, Sarah''s water mana followed by a brutal punch broke through solid space.


    Sarah stood guiding him, her face pale and blood flowing from the corner of her lips.


    Varian looked at the ground and sighed.


    If things proceeded properly, Sarah would be able to hold off the man for 30 seconds.


    Even though their battle would raze the floating estate to ashes, everyone on the ind already left, save for the dead.


    So all he needed was to wait.


    Or so he thought.


    Whoosh!


    Whoosh!


    Two more people in all ck appeared.


    Shadow Order¡­


    Fuck!


    Snakes of lightning, a devastating punch and an unstable space swarmed them.


    "V-Varian¡­" Sarah grabbed him tightly. "They came for me, you¡­teleport."


    Varian shook his head, his eyes turning cold.


    He looked at the three assassins and a bright light shed.

 Chapter 249: Fuel My Progress

    <h4>Chapter 249: Fuel My Progress</h4>


    Varian grabbed Sarah''s arm and pulled her behind him.


    Under her surprised gaze, arge ck and white disc-like space shuttle appeared.


    It sped up to unbelievable speeds in an instant and Sarah only felt a blur before a huge shockwave from the space shuttle''s speed hit them.


    The wind was enough to blow away low awakeners and injure a Level 4.


    Using her Body Awakener powers, she rooted herself on the ground and shielded her eyes with her arms.


    When the wind died down, she quickly and curiously opened her eyes.


    "Are you alright?" Varian turned back and asked her, his expression the same cold and indifferent from earlier.


    "¡­" Sarah nodded slowly.


    Before she could ask him further, his cold expression copsed and he patted his chest. "Fortunately, I was worried."


    "Worried? About¡­?" She asked, half curious and half expectant.


    Varian said like it was a matter of fact. "Of course, the clothes! Thankfully, they''re in my space ring."


    Sarah blinked nkly and then gritted her teeth.


    She hated clothes!


    Soon, theary guard arrived and questioned them for a few minutes. Varian and Sarah agreed upon themon story.


    The Shadow Order members came to assassinate Sarah. There was a Level 7 Shadow Guardian who appeared and fought them off before quickly taking them away.


    Their narrative was a bitcking.


    There was no trace of space power on the scene.


    However, it was their only choice.


    The surveince also ''showed'' a Level 7 Space Awakener in all ck appearing after everyone dispersed and taking away the Order members.


    Of course, it was the handiwork of Boo.


    Theary Guard left with sighs of wonder and amazement.


    "Guardians¡­they just destroyed the Order''s nest and now, they are even going for the remnants."


    "Check the identity of everyone that entered! One of them is a member of the Guardians!"


    "But sir, it''s a disguise."


    "We have a lead, idiot! We can start from there."


    Varian shook his head and turned to Sarah. She put on a cold expression and walked to her hover car.


    ''Is she angry about the assassination?''


    "¡­" He simply followed her in and soon, they reached the space port. Their venue was in outer space and Sarah said her space shuttle was under maintenance.


    Thus, they reached the Starfish spaceport. The same spaceport he attended for the academy entrance test.


    As he followed Sarah in, Varian had a feeling of Deja vu, yet also a feeling of rebirth.


    His first arrival here was full of hope and anxiety.


    He was still at Body Level 1: 50/100¡­


    Now, even his lowest divine path was far ahead. More importantly, he found Sia.


    ''Haa!'' Varian couldn''t help but sigh.


    Even thought it was just two months, he was feeling old.


    He got a feeling that after a year, his life would irrevocably change. No. The moment he took this path, it already did.


    Starfish spaceport has 8 terminals, each dedicated to a, including Pluto. The Pluto''s terminal was long disbanded and used for other purposes.


    One such purpose was for Entrance tests.


    The other was¡­


    "Private space shuttles?" Varian raised an eyebrow as he saw a fleet of luxurious space shuttles.


    "Yes, sir. We have 80 private space shuttles and 40 charted space shuttles. You can¡­" The lounge attendant exined with pride before Sarah cut her off with a card.


    The attendant''s eyes nearly popped out when she stared at the card.


    "I apologize! Please follow me." After deeply bowing to them, the youngdy took them to a streamlined space shuttle.


    It was a sleek red space shuttle. It was as big as a regr airne but looked just much better. No. Except for dimensions, they couldn''t bepared in any aspect.


    Varian couldn''t find any other term than ''sexy''.


    "Have a safe trip! Once again, I apologize." The youngdy waved them off.


    Their venue was in the outer space, some thirty thousand miles from moon. It was apparently some fifteen minute journey.


    The interior of the space shuttle was every bit luxurious as the exterior, if not more.


    Varian first changed and after a few minutes saw Sarahing out of a changing room.


    Compared to the gorgeous look the previous dress gave, this soft blue one piece dress that leaned on the cuter side.


    Of course, she still looked beautiful, save for her cold expression.


    "I thought you weren''t interested?" Varian asked.


    Sarah nced to the side and slowly said. "Father is attending¡­"


    "Oh." Varian nodded in understanding and asked again. "Where''s Anna?"


    "In the venue. I stopped her from rushing here." She said, her expression still cold.


    "¡­Did I perhaps make you angry?" Varian almost facepalmed after asking the stupid question.


    Sarah looked at him and¡­nodded.


    "Huh?" Varian''s brain ran faster than light and he grasped the issue. "I was worried about you more than clothes, alright? Isn''t that a no brainer?"


    "I...That''s not the issue." Sarah nced to the side and stuttered.


    "Then what did I do to make you angry?"? He realized she was lying, but to save her from embarrassment, he decided to y along.


    Sarah thought hard and pped. "Right! Where did they go?" Her cold expression was long gone, reced by curiosity.


    Inwardly, she heaved a sigh of relief. ''Finally some excuse.''


    Varian chuckled at how fast she changed her expression and pointed to the ring on his hand. "All here."


    The next moment, ghost ship expanded inside the space shuttle. The hatch opened and Varian led her in.


    The inside was deadly quiet.


    No screams.


    No sounds.


    Sarah tried hard, but even with her Level 6 Enhanced senses, she couldn''t hear anything.


    "Where are they?" She tugged his sleeve and asked.


    Varian snapped his fingers and three enclosed rooms appeared in front of them. Inside, the three men were dazedly looking at the crystal wall.


    Even when they walked in front of them, the three didn''t respond.


    Sarah turned to Varian and he answered promptly. "They can''t see us."


    "But why aren''t they trying to get out?"


    Varian''s lips curled into a devilish smile. "Try? How can they?"


    A robotic arm appeared in one of the rooms and he said. "Do you remember this guy? He''s the body awakener."


    The next moment, the metallic arm punched the guy in the gut and sent him flying across the room before he crashed onto the wall and slid down, leaving trails of blood on it.


    Sarah''s eyes widened as she covered her mouth.


    It was barely 20 minutes...what the hell happened?


    She turned to Varian and held her breath.


    "I¡­dealt with a level 6 from Astor n a few weeks ago. I poisoned that guy and rendered him powerless." Varian said, his expression slowly turning cold. He still hated that guy.


    "And I had an idea, if I can use Boo''s speed to my advantage, I can take awakeners inside the spaceship before they can react and shut them inside these imprable rooms." He said lightly. "This is a ghost prison of sorts."


    Of course, he only got this idea after that mysterious incident that ended up with him disintegrating those walls.


    "What do you n to do with them?"


    "They?" Varian''s lips curled up into a cold smile.? "¡­they''ll fuel my progress."

 Chapter 250: Infini City

    <h4>Chapter 250: Infini City</h4>


    ''Fuel your progress?'' Sarah didn''t understand, but she decided not to pry. Besides, what really fascinated her was his ability to imprison them.


    The Ghostship as he called it, was incredibly powerful tool. So much that others even thought of his Dreamer persona as a Technocrat Sovereign.


    "Ghostship¡­" Only then did the fact that he was ''Dreamer'' fully strike Sarah.


    He told her already, but she treated him like a normal level 5. She couldn''t be more wrong.


    This was the guy who was single handedly responsible for destroying the hideouts of Abyssals and now...the nest of Shadow Order.


    "I totally forget¡­" Sarah rubbed her forehead and turned to the side to look at him.


    Varian''s evil smile faded and he gave her the cheerful smile while snapping his fingers.


    The rooms disappeared as if they never existed in the first ce.


    "Don''t worry. Even level 9s can''t escape. I n to treat them ''kindly''." He said, his mind spinning ns to use them properly.


    Sincebat suited his progress the best, he''d have to fight them. But before he did, he needed to ensure his own safety.


    Sarah nodded and asked. "Shadow Order and Enigma¡­if it''s something you can disclose, what happened?"


    It''s not just her, every power was curious.


    Just a few hours ago, Dreamer''s post took the entire Sr System by storm.


    Coincidentally, the Abyssals suddenly increased their offensive on Earth''s affiliated territories¡ªall itsoids.


    But soon, the Abyssal''s offensive ceased and they retreated.


    All she could guess from the sudden actions ofary guards and the secret reports of destroyed secret realms was that Dreamer informed Enigma of the Order''s? secret realms.


    Abyssals wanted to help out the Order but failed.


    However, why did he contact Enigma in the first ce?


    Varian''s eyes lost focus for a moment before he gave her a smile mixed with joy and grief.


    "Let''s just say, I am a step closer to why I started." Looking at her, he added. "I''m not acting against human race."


    "Father hates Enigma." Sarah bit her lip and said. "He hates everything that is not human."


    ''How much does he know?


    Varian''s body stiffened for a moment, but he waved his hand. nonchntly "You don''t tell him. I don''t tell him. He won''t know that I''m the guy who struck the deal with her."


    "Yeah." Sarah nodded and suddenly raised her head. "Can you do the same to level 9s? Imprisoning them? If you could, then Abyssals¡­"


    The more she spoke, the more enthusiastic her voice turned.


    "Whoa! Calm down!" Varian raised his hands and said. "Boo was heavily damaged. Apparently, it was able to regain this capability only recently.


    ording to it, Level 8s and Level 9s have a quick response and will dodge." He said, repeating Boo''s words sounding in his mind.


    "Even if they are somehow taken in, if the rooms don''t capture them quick enough, they''ll wreck havoc inside the ship''s important parts and destroy it.


    In short, it''s too risky. The highest it can go for is level 7s." Varian said with a tinge of regret.


    If it was really possible to take in level 8s and level 9s, his training speed would skyrocket.


    ''Master, you''re being too greedy. You not only have some secret that increases your progress like crazy, but you even got personal training packages now.'' Booined.


    Varian coughed lightly and pretended to not have heard it.


    To seek more is human nature.


    On the other hand, Sarah wasmenting. "¡­if level 8s and level 9s of Abyssals could be imprisoned, the war would end in no time."


    ''No, it wouldn''t. There are Abyss Kings and Queens. But above them all, there''s an Emperor in Celestial Rank you all have no clue of.'' Varian thought, but didn''t say it out loud.


    >> Approaching Infini City


    The AI announced.


    Varian looked outside the amethyst ss windows and gasped in wonder.


    In the dark space, a dazzling city shone in golden light.


    Spanning hundreds of miles, it looked like heavens in the myths. It was in the shape of infinity and hence the name, ''Infini''.


    Varian thought Space Cities were nothing more than more floating buildings but boy was he wrong.


    He noticed the armaments and fortifications covering the city.


    This was a fricking war city! In case of an all out war, it would be a mobile fortress!


    "Gulp!" Varian swallowed his saliva as his mind imagined a full scale war.


    Humans now were more prepared than ever. And with every passing, the power differential between humans and abyssals was diminishing.


    Even now, it was unsure whether Abyssals could win an all out war against humans.


    Most likely, they could.


    But the price would be near annihtion of the eight Abysses.


    Of course, if it was humans who waged an all out war, Abyssals could easily win.


    "Infini City is one of the first space cities." Sarah exined. "It was built a few decades after dungeons appeared.


    When Abyssals appeared 120 years ago, Infini City yed a major role. It destroyed thousands of Abyss space shuttles and bought us time.


    Of course, it was nearly destroyed in the end. After the war, it was reconstructed.


    Today, Infini City can block off Level 8s."


    "Hiss!" Varian sucked in a cold breath.


    Despite their internal differences, humans were indeed progressing rapidly.


    Two patrol ships scanned their space shuttle before letting them in.


    Varian stepped on the metallic ground of the city and breathed in the fresh air. Humans have long mastered the technology of creating atmosphere and adjusting gravity.


    "Wee, young master."


    "Wee, young miss."


    Richard and Anna bowed lightly greeting them.


    They nodded lightly and followed the older people to the venue.


    Varian stepped on a shining blue road, beside the three. The next moment, the strip of the road elerated to great speeds while a protective cover was formed around him.


    Even while they travelled at highspeeds through the city, Varian found the grandeur hard to ignore.


    On one hand, there was Wide blue roads, Shining crystalline buildings, and incredibly gorgeous sky bridges.


    On the other hand, there were holograms informing thetest developments on the frontlines,test high-tech weapons installed on the city borders, auras belonging to high awakeners everywhere.


    A militaristic atmosphere seamlessly blended with a futuristic vision.


    Soon, they stepped in front of an elevator. Looking up, the floating building was in the shape of Infinity and glowed with golden light.


    A few more groups of people also standing at a distance. They looked at Sarah and distanced themselves whilst the others looked at her and sneered.


    Richard, who was silently till now said. "Young Master, Master will arrive shortly. The location for the younger and older generation are in two different halves. There will be amon meeting after sometime.


    You can ask young miss if you have any questions. Please remember that you are representing Master."


    Varian nodded and with their instruction, he took out his invitation.


    A light shed and in the next moment, he was standing in a banquet hall filled with young men and women around his age.


    As soon as he appeared, hundreds of auras locked onto him.


    All of them were in level 6.


    At that moment, Varian recalled.


    Sr Banquet was not just a gathering of the powerhouses.


    It was also the gathering of the best geniuses.

 Chapter 251: Sarah vs Arman

    <h4>Chapter 251: Sarah vs Arman</h4>


    The banquet hall of juniors¡ªthose below Level 7 was easily the size of a few football fields.


    It was an open air hall. Though not exactly one. A transparent barrier covered the banquet hall, strong enough to defend even the attacks of a high awakener.


    The hall itself spoke in luxury.


    The floor was paved with rare and luxurious alloy Codium¡ªan excellent reflector of Aura.


    The walls were engraved with aura gathering formation¡ªthousands of aura crystals were burnt every minute resulting in rich aura atmosphere.


    Just by breathing in the hall, a low awakener would make tremendous progress.


    The golden Codium floor bounced back the aura, which soon condensed into white fog which hung two feet above the ground.


    d in luxurious clothing, the young men and women walked in the hall with knee deep foggy aura. The scene seemed like one straight out of myths.


    At that moment, a young man with blood red hair and sharp eyebrows turned to his right and squinted his eyes.


    His aura, which was calm until then, sharpened like a sword.


    His lips thinned and he spat. "Sarah."


    Even though his voice was low, everyone in the hall was strong enough to take notice.


    More than half of the youngsters nced in the direction.


    Sarah Albert was here.


    In a soft blue one piece dress that hugged her curves, she looked stunningly beautiful, yet striked an innocent temperament.


    Unlike her usual cold expression, she held a neutral expression!


    The young man''s gaze was locked on Sarah and Sarah alone, whilst the rest of the members saw her partner.


    With an aura of only level 5, the handsome youngster seemed out of ce. Yet, there was an aura of indescribability to him.


    His level raised many questions and in an instant, hundreds of members locked their aura on him.


    "Level 5s are very rare." Sarah exined, sensing Varian''s confused gaze. She looked at the familiar faces in the distances and said. "Usually, everyone knows the people in the circle. Neersing out of nowhere is rare."


    So, even if it was a genius from small background, they would be identified in high school, bing a key training object in their academy.


    With each of of their achievements piling up, their reputation would slowly introduce them to the circle.


    When they attended the Sr Banquet on the third year, their reputation would already be cemented in the circle.


    It was how it was. Or was supposed to be.


    Varian was an anomaly. He did in two months what most couldn''t do in three years.


    His actions didn''t build his reputation step by step. Rather, they struck everyone like lightning.


    Reaching Level 5 before first midsem.


    Ranking 405 in Honor List.


    Disciple of Evander.


    Just the first two achievements put him in front of him everyone.


    Even the leading geniuses like Charles of Earth, Maisa of Uranus Cluster, Ashtart of Neptune paled inparison.


    His rise was akin to a rising legend. Thus, one by one, their auras locked on him, even rudely, tried to probe his level.


    Varian simply snorted and asked the System to hide his aura.


    In an instant, everyone in the hall, including those in high and even peak level 6 frowned.


    Varian moved freely under their aura pressure. And they couldn''t sense his aura, even in the slightest.


    Aura could of course be suppressed, but this exquisite control was too rare.


    Soon, Varian and Sarah walked into the hall. "How did youe here for the past times? You weren''t strong enough, no?"


    There were hundreds of tables and chairs covered by pristine white cloths. The table was filled with refreshments which would automatically be filled by a mechanism under the table.


    "I wasn''t. But if you have a strong level 9 inviter, you can enter without those worries. Father invited me¡­"? Sarah kept talking while Varian''s eyes continued to scan the people.


    He saw mostly unfamiliar faces. The only thing these people had inmon was their young age and super level.


    "Sarah, long time no see." As they were about to be seated, a young man walked up to them.


    Sarah turned to him and frowned. "Arman? What is it?"


    The blood-red haired young man grinned. "Children must bear their parents'' debt. For your father''s actions, you will have to pay the price. This year too."


    Bam!


    "Excuse me?" Sarah mmed the table and red at him. "Arman, we''re both Earthlings and you want to make a fuss here? At least pick an asion."


    "What if we''re from the same? Our fathers both worked in the same regiment, but what happened?


    My father worked off his life only to get ced tooids. Even though High General worked for the past five years, how did he ever survive in the military till then?" Arman''s voice drew the interests of many youngsters.


    Varian quietly observed the aggressor.


    The guy named Arman wore a simple red shirt with a tie and ck trousers. He had a sword sheath attached to his waist.


    The aura around his body seemed like a sword waiting to be unsheathed.


    ''A swordsman?''


    The aura was clearer.


    High Level 6.


    Meanwhile, gazes gathered on Sarah and Arman.


    "My father, Dominique served the military faithfully for 40 years. Barring General Evander''s brilliant service in the past 6 years, the sole reason he was able to keep his post before that was due to his father''s¡ª"


    ng!


    Sarah''s ice sword was parried by Arman''s red sword. At their point of contact, sparks rose into air and temperature spiked.


    "Haha! Can''t you wait? Then fine! Let''s have a duel!" Arman said. "Arman vs Sarah, Duel."


    Sarah gripped her sword and signaled Varian to secure a safe standing. "Sarah vs Arman. Duel."


    Following her words, a bright light shed and a huge, almost transparent bubble covered Sarah and Arman.


    With a top on theirm, they were both instantly covered bybat uniforms.


    Varian stood at a distance as he calmly watched the duel y out. Even though Sarah didn''t say a word during the entire process, he could feel her immense confidence.


    Shaking his head, Varian saw Dhruv, Williamson and Mia walking towards him. In a few steps, they were in front of him.


    William nced at the shing sparks of Ice and the mirror breaking sounds of space and clicked his tongue. "So they''re going at it again."


    Varian looked at him and asked. "Who is he?"


    "Arman. Earth has five academies, right? He is the strongest third year cadet of War God Academy. It just ranks below ours." William exined and his lips curled into a wry smile.


    "His father was denied the position of High General. This guy holds a grudge. Since then, he challenges and fights Sarah every year. Of course, he never went overboard because he didn''t want to piss off her father. But still, Sarah had to face him every year."


    Varian''s eyes narrowed. Two months¡­no, one month and he''ll wipe the floor with that guy.


    William patted Varian''s shoulder and assured. "Don''t worry. Sarah in first year and Sarah in second year are like two different people.


    She''s just like Charles. Her progress speed just multiplied."


    Varian''s eyes widened as he stiffened on the spot.

 Chapter 252: Kick Some Ass

    <h4>Chapter 252: Kick Some Ass</h4>


    ''Sarah and Charles, before a year and now are like different people. Their progress speed skyrocketed.''


    "Huh? Varian, are you alright?" Mia waved her hand in front of him, and titled her head, her green hair bouncing.


    "Ah, I-I''m fine." Varian waved his hand and shifted his focus back onto the duel.


    He had questions, but this wasn''t the right ce or time.


    "Whoa!"


    "Is she for real?"


    "She''s pushing him back!"


    "Wow!"


    Under the exmations of the crowd, Sarah conjured ice sword after ice sword, shooting down at Arman at inhuman speeds.


    Arman''s body shed with a red hue, his muscles budged and he kept hacking down the swords.


    But like a swarm of insects, they kept attacking him.


    The sharpness behind each ice sword cut through the aura heavy air with a whistle and aimed for his vitals.


    "Bitch!" Arman cursed, and his muscles bulged.


    Sarah''s eyes turned colder, but instead of acting impulsively, she increased her offensive, steadily suppressing him.


    "Wow! Last year was not even a close fight. Sarah was slowly closing the gap, but I thought it''d take at least three years for her to reach this level. Damn!" William acted asmentary and yelled!


    Varian saw Arman dodge the attack and putting his strength into his feet, he jumped off to Sarah.


    Varian found it hard to follow his movements, but the next moment, his eyes widened.


    Arman, the mighty Arman, the champion of War God Academy, second only to Imperial Defense Academy, was caught in her delicate hands like a chicken.


    "Three years, despite you being a year older than me, fought me for 3 years, was it fun?" Sarah''s grip tightened as she asked.


    "Gah! Y-ye..h." Arman was choked, but he managed to answer.


    "Oh? Then I''ll have my fun too." Sarah said and a blue light emerged from her body, before flowing into Arman and covering him.


    Aman''s body twitched in her body but soon, under the unforgiving blue light, he was frozen.


    Not just that, but the ice chilled him from the inside.


    "¡­Sarah, her power progressed too quickly."


    "She may not be in the top league, but she''s not far behind."


    "But can she ever catch up? She''s a dual awakener."


    "Yeah, yeah, I don''t think she will."


    The audience, gathered in dozens of groups discussed.


    In one of the groups, a girl in purple dress stood out. Unlike those around her, there was not even a slight hint of surprise or interest in her eyes.


    However, at thest moment when Sarah forcefully froze Arman, she raised a brow and slowly said. "¡­next year, she could be my opponent."


    "¡­"


    "!!"


    "?!"


    The banquet hall instantly slowed down.


    The other duels that were going on also stopped and almost everyone held their breaths, thinking that it was an illusion.


    The girl in purple didn''t bother to repeat and slowly walked off.


    As she left, the crowd erupted into discussions.


    At the same time, the barrier surrounding Sarah and Arman vanished.


    Dusting her hands, Sarah walked to them. Herbat uniform automatically changed into her one piece party dress.


    The marvel of technology.


    Varian looked at the frozen guy on the ground being dragged away and gave a gloating smile.


    "So, Maissa came, huh." Sarah folded her hands and frowned.


    "Uh-oh. And she''s a lot stronger." William said with a serious expression.


    Dhruv and Mia nodded while Varian looked between them with a confused face. "Who''s Maissa by the way?"


    "¡­."


    The hall fell silent.


    Varian turned around and saw everyone was staring at him with wide eyes. It was as if they were asking ''Are you kidding?'' ''Are you living under a rock?'' ''Just die already!''


    Varian nonchntly waved his hands. "Stop overreacting to everything. It''s just a question."


    Immediately, there were sounds of tes crashing, teeth gnashing and fist smashing¡­


    Sarah clutched her forehead and sighed. She should''ve exined these to him, but she went into ''cold mode'' on the way and forgot.


    After taking a look around the hall, she slowly said. "Maissa Hall. She''s from Uranus Cluster. She''s also the top 3 of this generation."


    Uranus Cluster was the group of space cities between Uranus and Neptune. So, she wasn''t even from a, yet¡­


    "Wow!"


    Varian felt a stare on his back and turned around. He saw the girl in purple, no, Maissa staring at him with curiosity. Perhaps she never encountered people who didn''t know her.


    However, it was unimportant for him.


    With a shrug, he asked. "Who are the top 3?"


    Sarah lightly bit her lip and said. "Charles Xander, Maissa Hall and Ashtarh."


    "Each of them are at the peak of Level 6." Sarah exined and saw Varian''s confused expression.


    "Of course, there are other peak level 6s in the hall too. But they''re already past the age of 21. They no longer count." She said, pointing to a few auras.


    Varian nodded in understanding.


    It was still shocking, however.


    To think that even before graduating, someone reached the peak of Level 6.


    And there were three such people.


    Right when he was about to ask, he heard screams and saw another barrier covering a duel.


    "¡­are we just going to fight? Or is there some other event?" He couldn''t help but ask with a smile.


    Sarah''s eyes shed as she looked at Williamson, Dhruv and Maya.


    "We have some grudges with our peers across the sr system. But we usually don''t have the time to repay them. This is the perfect opportunity. All disputes are solved. Of course, no killing is allowed." Sarah shrugged.


    "Don''t worry, if it''s from a higher level, you can refuse the duel." Saying so, she tucked her hair behind her ears.


    Varian must be nervous, right? There are a lot of strong opponents here. To not embarrass himself, he must be cautious in picking targets.


    So, he''s going to-eh?


    Contrary to her expectations, Varian''s smile widened.


    "I can challenge anyone, right?"


    Sarah trembled lightly and nodded.


    "They won''t kill me, right?"


    She nodded again.


    "Do we get high quality medicine to quickly heal?"


    She pointed to the elixir that a bot just delivered and downed it. Her recovery was visible to the naked eye.


    Varian threw his head back andughed.


    ''Did he lose it?'' Sarah signaled to Williamson.


    ''I knew it. This guy is a nutcase.'' He nodded.


    ''Maybe because of excessive stimtion?'' Dhruv added.


    ''¡­Maybe a Level 9 Mind Awakener is attacking him? Save him!'' Mia added her piece.


    Varian stoppedughing and turned around. With a wave of his hand, he said in a cocky voice. "I''m off, guys."


    Smacking his lips, he said. "Time to kick some ass."

 Chapter 253: Earth and Neptune

    <h4>Chapter 253: Earth and Neptune</h4>


    Sr Banquet was the gathering of the best geniuses. Even the weakest person in the crowd would reach Level 7. The strongest would reach Level 9.


    Sovereign state was up in the air.


    Still, just attending the banquet meant the young men and women were extremely talented.


    They reached greater levels andbat power than their peers.


    In the banquet, duels started to heat up.


    It was a tradition of sorts with three purposes.


    One, gain experience by fighting geniuses across the federation.


    Two, settle any grudges. Killing is frowned upon between high awakeners. Thus, a Duel became the only way to resolve them.


    Third, Establish dominance of one''s native.


    The Federation''s eights had varying poptions, resources and geographies.


    But the ones that stood out the most were Earth and Neptune.


    Earth, as the origin of humans remained the most influential to date.


    Then came Neptune.


    All others that faced only threat of their respective Abyss.


    Not Neptune.


    It was the farthest of the federation.


    Ever since Pluto was upied by the Abyssals, Neptune''s pressure skyrocketed.


    They had to deal with a belligerent Thunder Abyss whilst also guarding against the Fallen Pluto.


    Thankfully, right after the Pluto War ended, Military increased the deployments on Neptune.


    Instead of defeating Neptune in a two front war, the Abyssals instead strengthened it.


    Men and women that lost their loved ones in the Pluto War rushed to Neptune. Millions of new soldiers were created overnight.


    With the two front war, these new recruits from innocent stone to blood thirsty des.


    After being used as whetstones to sharpen the army, Abyssals became the live targets.


    The frontlines of Neptune-Pluto is thergest in the federation.


    There were manyoids, asteroids, space stations and military fortresses between the two.


    As a result, there were battlefields of almost every level, right from Level 9 all the way down to level 7.


    Under such conditions, even kids on Neptune were said to have participated in the frontlines.


    Perhaps its as a joke, but the matter of fact was that every genius here fought in the frontlines.


    Of course, the geniuses who attended the banquet were people who fought on theoids and yed hundreds of Abyssals.


    But the geniuses of Neptune were on another level entirely.


    The bloodlust emitted from an average Neptune genius was far heavier and sharper. An ordinary person would have a cardiac arrest just from their killing intent.


    During the battle, such bloodlust serves as a great deterrence.


    It was normal for other geniuses to challenge the ones from Neptune.


    That was why¡­


    "Earth''s Varian, level 5. Please advise." Varian said to the young man in front.


    "Huh?" The young man turned around with a frown, his eyes scanning Varian for a moment before he frowned deeply.


    His twopassions also nced at Varian and opened theirms to check his information.


    In a short moment, they shared his information to the young man.


    Varian noticed a touch of disdain in the depths of the opponent''s eyes.


    His information spread.


    Being the disciple of Evander brought him some protection, but hadn''t garnered any respect.


    For Neptuners who consider battle above everything, the fact that hisst public fight was only a Level 4 Narcis must be disappointing. Even humiliating.


    Histestbat prowess was only low Level 5.


    By challenging them, was this earthling looking down on them?


    "Get lost. I got no time to y with the likes of you." The young man waved his hand, as his muscles that rivaled watermelons shook.


    His two followers, twin grisl immediately followed.


    "Fuck off! Even if we are at almost bottom, we are better than you."


    "Yes. Even I disdain to fight you."


    Varian raised an eyebrow, and locked his sight with the young man''s. With contempt, he snickered. "Afraid?"


    "What did you say?" Veins popped up on the young man''s head as he almost rushed towards Varian.


    "If you have balls, fight me." Varian continued to provoke without any remorse. Richard''s words that his actions represent Evander were long thrown out of his mind.


    The reason?


    After since the incident where he disintegrated the walls in ghostship, the capabilities of the System, no, his permissions slightly increased.


    A blue screen that only Varian could see floated above the young man.


    [Level 5. Dual Awakener. Enhanced Level 5. Telepath Level 4.]


    That''s right! This was the new ability.


    Unless the other party hid their aurapletely, Varian would know their divine paths and levels.


    Of course, not even the best geniuses here couldpletely hide their aura.


    Most could only restrain it. Or Varian would even know whether they were high level 5, or low level 5.


    With this god sent ability, Varian didn''t just pick anyone.


    He was fishing for a suitable target and checked out at least a hundred geniuses already.


    He marked off some as targets he would eventually fight. Just not for the first match.


    This guy had the honor.


    "Come! I just wanted to be kind. Since you want to be humiliated, then humiliated you will." The young man snarled and raised his hand.


    "Nalp vs Varian, Duel"


    "Varian vs Nalp, Duel!"


    Following their words, a barrier spanning five hundred meters in radius covered them.


    "You earthings are arrogant to a fault." Nalp sneered and his body slightly leaned forward, ready for a strike. "You might be stronger than me in the future, but now, learn to keep your head down. Or I''ll do it myself."


    With those words, Nalp''s body lunged forward.


    Even though he despised Varian, he went all out from the beginning.


    Only a fool wouldn''t. Having experienced countless battles, Nalp didn''t make that mistake.


    His killing intent also exploded, intending to suppress Varian right off the bat.


    But..


    Having experienced the pressure of Abyss Emperor clone, Varian found this killing intentcking.


    He prepared to block and counter attack, but¡ª


    Boom!


    A prickling pain coursed through his mind. It was as if icy needles and molding des were pricing his brain.


    In the midst of the pain, he sensed something intrude his mind.


    As Nalp dashed at him, Varian heard a click.


    His surroundings changed. The banquet hall vanished and he found himself in the middle of a dense forest.


    Illusion through mental power!

 Chapter 254: First Win

    <h4>Chapter 254: First Win</h4>


    After reaching Level 4, Mind Awakeners had two options.


    Be a Telekic¡ªpursue the path of controlling the world through mind.


    Be a Telepath¡ªpursue the path of hypnosis, telepathy and illusion.


    Varian fought mental awakeners before. But none of them bothered to use illusion on him.


    Perhaps because they underestimated him or the users simply weren''t skilled enough.


    But Nalp was different.


    Standing in the middle of a lush forest, Varian found his senses almost failed him.


    Thankfully, his body path was level 5pared to Nalp''s level 4 Telepath path.


    Varian was was able to sense the reality clouded by the illusion.


    In the forest, the leaves on the trees in front of him rustled.


    But that was all.


    By the time Varian reacted, it was already toote.


    Nalp appeared with his fist a second away from striking Varian.


    Any normal level 5 body awakener would''ve lost.


    Not Varian.


    With meticulous care, he only loosened the space around his upper body and raised his arms.


    With the loosened space, his movement speed rose significantly and formed a defense against the punch.


    Nalp''s punch connected with Varia''s palm whilst at the same time, Varianshed out with a striking kick.


    With loosened space, his speed easily reached that of a high level 5 Enhanced, even approaching the peak level 5.


    As he felt the impact from Varian''s palm, and the kick he just blocked, Nalp''s eyes widened in surprise.


    In the information collected, Varian''s strength was only low level 5.


    Surprisingly, the speed he showed was high level 5.


    But¡­his strength seemed to be only around low level 5!


    "Are you looking down on me?" Nalp growled and punched out.


    At the same time, his mental attacks turned fierce.


    Varian felt a searing pain through every inch of his brain.


    Nalp was ready to bank on this opportunity. Even though he was only a mid level 4, it was his full scale mental attack.


    A level 5 Enhanced would lose control for a small moment.


    That small interval was too fast for any level 4, but slow enough for a level 5!


    But¡­


    Boom!


    His fist connected with Varian''s and shockwaves rose from their point of contact.


    Nalp took back five steps while Varian took back fifteen steps.


    "Stop your act!" Nalp roared and continued his offensive.


    Again and again, he attacked Varian mentally.


    Even though Varian''s attacks belonged to only mid level 5, his defense so far has been good enough.


    He needed an opportunity, but¡ª


    Boom!


    "Argh! Why is your mental defense so strong?" Nalp eximed as he exchanged a few blows with Varian.


    Varian simply smiled and continued his offense.


    As a Level 5 Enhanced Awakener, his mental defense was not bad.


    But it was the addition of Level 3 Mind Path that did the wonder.


    Even though the pain was still high, it didn''t hinder his thoughts and actions.


    "Are you just that? I guess I overestimated you." Varian sneered with disdain.


    The kind of disdain that Nalp first showed towards him.


    "Argh! Damn it!" Nalp stopped pulling any punches and rained down a fury of coordinated punches and kicks at Varian.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Crack!


    Bit by bit, Varian was pushed back and in the end, his bones started to creak as blood flowed out of his knuckles and fists.


    No way!


    A low level 5 vs high level 5 wasn''t a fair fight to begin with.


    Varian simply couldn''t win in a pure contest of physical strength.


    But he never nned to.


    [+10 Xp]


    [+10 Xp]


    ¡­


    The System notifications piled up as his injuries slowly piled up.


    He needed to win somehow. If he lost, then his next targets would likely reject him.


    Thus, Varian decided to win regardless of the means.


    "Hmph!"


    A light shed and a 5-star treasure, ck gauntlets covered his hands.


    "You think a star treasure can save you? Naive!" Nalp growled and grabbed a spear from his storage ring.


    The next moment, like every other time, his attacks connected with Varian''s.


    Only this time¡ª


    "Huh?!" Nalp''s eyes widened as his inside churned from the impact.


    His strength reached mid level 5.


    "Garh" Coughing out blood from internal injury, Nalp''s gaze turned serious.


    He wouldn''t know that Varian used his space armor to strengthen the gauntlets from the inside.


    This increased his strength.


    At the same time, when their fists connected, the solidified space absorbed some the damage.


    Nalp was surprised but not panicked.


    Despite the increase, Varian''s strength was still lower than him.


    He used his mental power but failed to create an opportunity to one shot Varian, but¡­


    Given the injuries they both were taking, soon, Varian would lose, right?


    Wrong!


    He knew he was wrong after two minutes.


    His body was covered in injuries, small and big. Bone fractures, tear of muscles, severe injury of internal organs¡­


    The injuries were too many to count. Blood was sttered all over the floor forming small puddles.


    Even he, a high level 5 Enhanced was so injured.


    So logically, a low level 5 would''ve long fallen.


    But¡­


    Boom!


    Varian''s punch knocked the air out of his lungs and sent him flying.


    Copsed on the round, Nalp looked up at Varian with aplex expression.


    "...how?"


    The injuries Varian suffered were heavier than him, but he was still able to fight. Hisbat powers were also not affected in the slightest.


    Just how did he achieve this?


    Varian felt the ever growing Morpher Path and sighed inwardly.


    a Morphers all had great vitality. This allows them to fight despite heavy injuries.


    That was the reason he was able to sustain.


    Without any answer, he delivered a finishing blow to the opponent.


    Boom!


    With Nalp fainting with his final kick, Varian formally finished the duel.


    When did the duel end informally?


    ¡ªThe moment he picked his target. Nalp was destined to lose.


    The barrier went off and bots reached them for treatment.


    The expensive healing medicine glowed like starlight as it bathed him in its brilliance and healed his injuries at an almost miraculous speed.


    This medicine was rare¡ªit was made from Healing Fighters!


    In a few minutes, Varian''s injuries were healed. He also absorbed the dense aura in the meanwhile.


    There''s one thing left to confirm.


    His new strength.


    ''Status''

 Chapter 255: Almost There

    <h4>Chapter 255: Almost There</h4>


    [Body. Enhanced Path L5: 500/2000 (+90)


    Space Path L4: 65/1000 (+5)


    Lightning Path L4: 465/1000 (+0)


    Morpher Path L3: 380/400 (+20)


    Mind Path L3: 300/400 (+170)]


    Varian sighed lightly.


    Sure enough, the biggest improvement was not in Body but in Mind Path.


    Nalp never stopped his mental attacks. Of course, his physical attacks were more frequent.


    However, it was aparison between Level 5 vs Level 5 Body and Level 4 vs Level 3 Mind.


    Since his mind path fought a far stronger enemy, of course, it gained more Xp.


    In thete match, he was seriously injured but Morpher Path kept him going. It was a form of extreme practice. Thus, it was up by 20 Xp.


    ''I can advance in both Mind and Morpher Paths soon.'' Varian''s breathing quickened.


    Beep!


    A few bots came for him, with afortable chair and took him to a rest room. It was filled with dense aura.


    The intention was to let the geniuses to regain their aura quickly and continue dueling.


    Varian didn''t particrly bother. Even with his half-hearted effort, his aura was being quickly replenished.


    Perhaps because of his Celestial-grade talent.


    ''Body Path¡­this is the most important one for me now. ording to Sarah, the rewards of thepetitionter can help me advance one or two sub-levels, regardless of the path.''


    Varian clenched his fist and took a deep breath. ''So I must win the reward.''


    Soon, the bots cleaned his clothes and tidied up his appearance.


    Varian shook his head and simply changed into his camouges. Before the banquet, Sarah feared whether he''d attend the banquet in uniform.


    She was right to be scared.


    ''100 Xp per duel. That''s 10 duels. Even before that, I can advance in Mind and Morpher Paths.'' Varian returned to the banquet hall and walked around, looking for the second target.


    Unlike earlier, this time, the gazes at him didn''t have any contempt. They were filled with a lot of curiosity, a shade of anxiety and a trace of caution.


    The high and mid Level 6s were curious about his strength¡ªthe strength he showed in thest match was of High Level 5.


    But the intel only showed as him as a low Level 5.


    The disparity in their strengths couldn''t be more clear.


    Then there were the low level 6s.


    The abnormal resilience and vitality Varian showed near the end made them specte he could be a level 6.


    That meant one more strongpetitor in thepetition and no one was happy.


    They were even anxious that with his talent, he''d surpass them in a few months.


    Finally, all level 5s were cautious. The high and peak level 5s didn''t fear him. But they now looked at him as a rival.


    As Varian browsed through the level 5s, he soon found his next target.


    Of course, he walked through, waves ofments followed.


    "¡­Is really a first year?"


    "He''a second year, I think. Thee earthlings¡­argh!"


    "B-Beast"


    "Y-You!"


    Even though they spoke in small voices, Varian perceived and understood each of their words.


    However, he just them be.


    Revenge could wait. But advancing to new paths wouldn''t.


    Varian reached the weakest section. Mercury.


    Unlike others, there were only a few level 6s in Mercury. Most of them were peak level 5.


    With each step he took, the rage in their eyes rose.


    Finally, Varian pointed to a young woman and lightly. "Please advice."


    "You¡­are you looking down on us?" The young man next to the woman growled.


    He was third year cadet. Yet he was only peak Level 5.


    He wasn''t one of those that were invited to ''experience'' the banquet early on. No.


    He''s one of the participants. Yet, he failed to reach even level 6. Not just him, Mercury had the least number of Level 6s. Even in ratio!


    So they instantly assumed Varian''s posture as belittling Mercurians.


    But¡ª


    "Look down?" Varian looked at the enraged young man and said "I treat everyone on I don''t know the same. I just want to fight. If you just want to chicken out, try better excuses."


    The temperature suddenly dropped. The eyes of the young woman shed blue. With a chilling re, she said.


    "Bing vs Varian, Duel."


    She leaked her aura. It was a perfect opportunity to estimate her strength precisely.


    [High Level 5 Water. Level 4 Mind.]


    "Varian vs Bing, Duel."


    The transparent barrier covered their fight like always.


    But unlikest time, a lot of gazes focused towards the battle.


    The gazes of Mercury groups were hostile whilst those from Earth were full of pride.


    The war mongers of Neptune gazed with a fanatic thirst to fight.


    Each party had their own interests as they collected the intelligence.


    Even though his level 5 strength won''t help much in today''spetition, next year, this information would be crucial.


    But¡­


    The person in question didn''t even bother look at the audience.


    Currently trapped in a world of snow, he dodged the rain of ice arrows and slew of mental attacks.


    With his physical strength coupled with space armor, Varian defended himself against the ice spears that pierced him multiple times.


    Of course, he was still quickly injured.


    But looking at the woman in white that floated a hundred meter above the ground, he had an urge to face palm.


    ''I can just cover solidified space around me to block her attacks. It''s not noticeable. Everyone will think that I''m a high level 5 from my defense.


    But the current me cannot hit her while she''s floating. My speed is significantly lower than hers.


    If I even attempt and fail, people can get suspicious. I need to do something...''


    The young woman looked down at Varian with a cold gaze.


    Since the beginning, he was just defending.


    Even though he dodged most of the attacks, some hit him.


    Even though he defended himself against many of those some, few prated his defense.


    As time went on, the injuries were piling up.


    It seemed like it was only a matter of time before he copsed. But¡­he still stood strong and his movements didn''t seem to be affected in the slightest.


    "Hmph!" The young woman snorted and continued her mental attacks.


    It was strange. He was surely taking damage, but he didn''t seem to be affected that much.


    Did he have a high mental resistance or something?


    As she was thinking, he called.


    With an arrogant voice, he said. "Hey girl, you''re right. If this is all you have, I really look down on mercury''s geniuses."


    Snap!


    That was it.


    Veins popped up on her head and the next moment, she conjured a huge ice spear and thrust it at Varian.


    In the blink of an eye, it split into two. four. Eight.


    And the by time they reached him, Varian found himself targeted by hundred ice spears.


    There was no way out.


    ''Serves you right!'' The young woman''s lips curled up and she sighed from exhaustion.


    But the next moment, the ground shook, ice creaked and a silhouette appeared in front of her.


    Having just used a big move, the young woman helplessly watched as Varian''s fist punched her armor and sent her flying.


    Three ice spears pierced Varian in his shoulders, abdomen and arm.


    However, that didn''t stop him from pursuing and finishing her off.


    Under the utter shock of the audience, Varian finished his second duel with an abnormally big smile on his face.

 Chapter 256: Dual Advancement and Palace of Memories

    <h4>Chapter 256: Dual Advancement and Pce of Memories</h4>


    As the injuries began to quickly heal, Varian leaned back in the chair and felt the time hade.


    ''Status''.


    [Body. Enhanced Path L5: 580/2000 (+80)


    Space Path L4: 70/1000 (+5)


    Lightning Path L4: 465/1000 (+0)


    Morpher Path L3: 400/400 (+20)


    Mind Path L3: 400/400 (+100)]


    The young woman must have never realized that her furious mental attacks were the best gift.


    Unexpectedly, the heavy injuries even triggered the Morpher path.


    [Preparing to advance.]


    With a prompt, Varian sat cross legged.


    First, the prana in his heart seemed to have broken a threshold.


    His vitality, resilience skyrocketed. It was like he could even regenerate his limbs.


    Of course, he had no idea of trying.


    His strength, defense, reaction speed and other qualities also received a boost. But he could tell that it wasn''t the most important change.


    Varian waved his hand and the next moment, they slowly turned into a dark brown branch.


    Varian felt a different kind of strengthing from this branch.


    "Seriously, I feel weird." He muttered while manipted his branch-turned-hand.


    He stood up and tried to transform.


    Zi!


    With a flood of prana, Varian felt his height change.


    His torso turned into a trunk while his arms turned into branches. His hair turned to leaves and the next moment, a treant¡ªa tree man was standing.


    "Huh? What?!" The first change Varian felt was his injuries.


    Even with the rare healing potions, his serious injuries would take at least ten minutes to heal.


    Despite that, it was a speed visible to naked eye.


    Now, that speed at least doubled.


    Varian felt a warm current circting throughout his body, quickly healing his wounds.


    He would be healed in four minutes at most!


    "High healing!"


    He dered and looked at his branch-like arms. At high speed, he shed his arms, the branches against each other and¡ª


    ng!


    A metallic sound reverberated in the room.


    "High defense!"


    He punched into thin air. His branch arm extended into the distance and hit the wall.


    Boom!


    The expensive wall of the rest room shook a little, but that''s all.


    "Weak Strength."


    Varian was disappointed. This attack was weaker than a normal level 4 Enhanced.


    But then again, it was fine.


    He tried the dreaded stat of ntae Morphers.


    Speed.


    "One. Two. One. Two." Varian felt like he was on a parade. His tree legs were thick and bulky.


    Despite his best efforts, his level 4 Morpher speed was closer to a level 3 body awakener than he liked to admit.


    "Damnit!" Varian cursed. "I heard some nts have high movement speed. Guess I''m not so lucky."


    "Argh, whatever. High vitality, high defense, weak strength and turtle speed." He concluded and transformed back.


    "Thankfully, my camouge were specially designed. Or they''d break in fights and during transformation." Sighing, Varian tiredly leaned back against the chair.


    He checked out the weird power in his head.


    It was like warm water massaging him, soothing him and calming him.Yet it was also like cold water that would focus and cut even the sharpest of metals.


    "Mental Power." Varian muttered.


    As expected, he became a Telepath.


    Mind Awakener (Level 1-3) ¡ª> Telepath (Level 4-6)


    Varian closed his eyes and tried to sense the world outside.


    His mental power spread out and an extremely detailed view of the room presented itself inside his mind''s eye.


    Sleek White walls. Bots controlled by Boo to not reveal any of his actions. Vials of healing medicine in trash. A few chairs and a resting bed.


    "Wow!" Varian opened his eyes and eximed.


    This was the best ''sense''.


    The other two senses¡ªlighting sense and space sense also showed the world, but through their sense of lighting and space.


    Only mind sense¡­he could see the world in the familiar vision.


    "Mind Sense is better than I expected. Unfortunately, it won''t help much in battles. Space Sense is better." Varian shook his head and recalled the details about Telepaths.


    Telepathy. Hypnosis. Illusions. Mind Reading.


    Of course, the stronger an awakener, the greater the resistance towards Hypnosis. Same with Illusions.


    Mind Reading usually meant prying on thoughts and memories. But without consent, it was hard to do and required a huge differential.


    "Mind Reading¡­" Varian''s brows knit together and he closed his eyes.


    He quickly dived into his memories. They were like a huge library with new entries every single moment.


    There seemed to be a foggy area he couldn''t ess. But with each passing second, the fog reduced a bit.


    In immediate vicinity to the fog were memories of Sia.


    That meant these memories were unlocked after the fog wore off.


    "Those fuckers! Who sealed my memories?!" Varian''s eyes glowed red and he smashed the wall.


    Slowly, a white and ck light started to emit but it quickly died down as he calmed himself.


    "I met Sia already. It''s okay. I will kill who needs to be killed. Now, I just need to maintain my cool." Varian patted his shoulder and calmed himself down.


    Truth be told, he was incredibly anxious.


    He observed that the fog was concentrated heavily in the center. It should be the most important of memories.


    Varian closed his eyes once again and used his mental power to touch the fog.


    Zi!!


    Like ice melting under fire, his mental power melted instantly.


    Varian''s eyes expression turned pale as he gritted his teeth. Even though nothing happened to his body, just for that moment, he felt like he was burnt alive.


    "No. I''ll have to see what I can do." Taking a deep breath, Varian dived in once again.


    The dark space greeted him and in itid the grand library of memory. Each memory was a ball of light.


    The moment his mental power touched the ball, the memory would y.


    But in a corner was the dangerous fog. No. It was not fog.


    It was mental power!


    Just that Varian''s mental power was too thin and was invisible whilst it was very concentrated and almost looked like semi-liquid.


    It''s definitelypressed mental power.


    From level 7 to level 9, Mind Awakenerspressed their mental power to grow stronger.


    "Is it level 8 or level 9?" Varian''s eyes stared at the deadly fog.


    Regardless, he tried to break through the fog and reached the memories.


    "Argh!"


    "Grah!"


    "Fuck! Damnit!"


    All attempts ended in failure.


    Finally, Varian looked at the edges of the fog. It was the thinnest part.


    "Go!"


    His mental power, like a spear pierced towards thinnest part of the fog.


    "Argh" Varian opened his eyes and felt cold sweat rolling down his forehead.


    His breathing wasbored and he felt like his brain was crushed in a grinder.


    "¡­Did I fail again?" Varian said slowly, his expression, contorted with pain was full of disappointment.


    He checked his memories and found no change.


    "I''m pissed off. I''ll have to fight." He slowly stood up and walked towards the exit.


    Right before he stepped outside, he paused and checked his memories once again.


    This time, he carefully observed the thin edge of the fog he previously attacked.


    It was not gone¡­but it definitely thinned!


    Three, no, two more attempts and it''d be gone!


    "My mind is too painful to try again¡­but if I do this everyday." Varian''s lips curled up.


    "I''ll regain my memories, I''ll find everything!"

 Chapter 257: Williams Love Story

    <h4>Chapter 257: William''s Love Story</h4>


    [+10 Xp]


    The System prompted after he returned to his physical senses.


    ''Status''.


    [Body. Enhanced Path L5: 580/2000


    Space Path L4: 70/1000


    Lightning Path L4: 465/1000


    Morpher (ntae) Path L4: 0/1000


    Telepath Path L4: 10/1000 (+10)]


    The fog providing Xp was a surprise, but given the state of things, he wouldn''t be able to repeat it continuously. Still, it''d be a steady source of Xp.


    At the same time, with the rest of his paths reaching Level 4, his actualbat power reached new heights.


    Before he knew it, he had already grown into a little monster.


    Enhanced path''s physical capabilities served as the central pir.


    Space Path''s powers gave control and teleportation.


    Lightning path''s allowed him long range attacks.


    ntae gave his stats significant boost in normal form. If he transformed, his stats would improve drastically. Especially his vitality.


    A pity that stats after transformation weren''t stacked with Enhanced''s physical stats.


    Then finally, Telepath powers let him perform illusions, hypnosis and mental attacks. More importantly, it allowed him to better guard against such attacks.


    That didn''t mean he could guard his mind against a level 9 Psychic. But if a Level 9 Psychic did attack him, he would be aware that he was being attacked.


    Previously, he wasn''t even aware that his memory was altered.


    All in all, Varian satisfied with the improvements.


    The only let down was that he couldn''t use these powerspletely in the duels.


    With more enthusiasm, Varian returned to the banquet hall.


    Therge hall was filled with transparent hemispheres.


    Some fights had enthusiastic audience.


    Varian recognized a few familiar figures and sauntered to their location.


    Williamson, the narcissistic senior was fighting a girl. He wasn''t winning. In fact, with a swollen face, tattered clothes, he looked miserable.


    ''Isn''t William second strongest in our academy? Who is beating him up so badly?'' Varian wondered and focused on his opponent.


    The girl had short hair, beautiful face and a slender figure. As she sent wave after waves of ice arrows, ice fists, she looked like a goddess.


    It''s just¡­her expression was abnormally chilly.


    Varian couldn''t hear the content of the speech, but he saw that the more William talked, the colder her expression turned.


    "Who is he fighting?" Varian approached a young man in the back of the ground and tapped on his shoulder.


    "Huh? Var-Ah, yes. I''m Lofer, from Nice to meet you." Lofer said with a smile.


    Varian raised an eyebrow at the name but smiled politely. "Varian from Earth. It looks like they have a grudge?"


    His question caused a few members in the front to look back, as if they were about to re at him.


    But after seeing it was the rumored Evander''s disciple who was still only a first year, they shut up and resumed watching the duel.


    Just one re remained.


    It belonged to a young man who greatly resembled the girl.


    ''Twins.''


    "Gudong." Under Philip''s gaze, Lofer swallowed saliva and bowed continuously.


    Philip snorted and turned his attention back to the duel.


    At that moment, Boo provided him the information about the twins.


    Philia. Philips. Top geniuses from Venus.


    They were both at high level 6, just like Williamson.


    Philips was slightly weaker, but Philia was stronger than William or at least, they never fought seriously.


    Lofer cautiously signalled Varian to a distance and whispered.


    "Williamson¡­is pursued by Philia. He rejected her. Since that day, she is pissed off." Lofer exined the crux of the issue.


    "Wait, what?" Varian recalled William''s goofy face and his narcissistic words.


    Then he checked out Philia. She was quite a beauty.


    Why the hell did she pursue the narcissistic William? Was humanity really doomed?


    And even if she was rejected, there''s no need to fight¡­.right?


    Wait, what if she wasn''t fighting because she was rejected?


    "¡­what did he say during rejection?" Varian asked and the next moment, he felt his surroundings cool down.


    A scorching gaze nced in their direction.


    Philip, the red haired twin brother of Philia literally spewed fires through his gaze.


    Unlike Philia''s cold expression, his expression was distorted in rage.


    Lofer hurriedly bowed his head and whispered. "Never bring that up. Philia''s loyal fans will fight it out with you."


    He turned to look at the red haired young man and shuddered before turning to Varian. "Her brother is also very protective of her."


    "Tsk." Varian snickered.


    "¡­anyway, Philia and Philip Twins are from Venus. So, Williamson and Philia had many chances to interact during missions. They even performed several missions together.


    After a few months, she confessed to him and he said¡­" Lofer paused and closed his eyes with a painful expression. "You''re t."


    "Huh?" Varian was puzzled at first, but he nced at Philia and realized she was quitecking there.


    Lacking was a big word. It was better to say nothing existed in the first ce.


    "He''s courting death." Varian couldn''t but smile as he recalled Ivy, the petite senior in Siarah''s team.


    She too was pissed off when this topic was brought up.


    "Of course, she was pissed and fought himter on." Lofer put on an unbelievable expression as he said. "But¡­Williamson, on his social media, he said that Philia was fighting him because she can''t let go of him¡­.that she can''t live without him."


    Varian nearlyughed out loud.


    ''How can he be so shameless?''


    He nced at the injured Williams'' injured and rolled his eyes. Even during the middle of the battle, he kept looking at Philia''s chest and shook his head in disappointment.


    ''You deserve it!'' Varian felt like facepalming.


    ''Neither Sia nor Sarah are t, if anything, they''re the opposite-eh, what am I thinking?'' Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Varian thanked Lofer and was about to leave.


    "Hey, you!" It was a rather rude greeting from behind.


    Varian saw a young man with an enraged expression.


    ''Wait, this guy was standing besides Philips, so¡­''


    "Let''s have a duel. There are some people you shouldn''tugh at. My miss Philia is one of them."


    A blue screen appeared in front of Varian.


    [Body Level 5 peak]


    "Oh yes!"

 Chapter 258: Federation Princes

    <h4>Chapter 258: Federation Princes</h4>


    In the other banquet hall far more luxurious and grand than the one with youngsters, a few groups of young men and women were watching the duels.


    They were all Level 7s from across the federation¡ªthe promising candidates who would advance to level 8 and possibly even level 9 in the future.


    Of course, there were a few candidates that were said to have a chance at being a Sovereign after five or six decades.


    Even though it was in the distant future, these ''potential Sovereigns'', also called as Princes, already started amassing a strong following.


    No one had any issues.


    Every Prince reached Level 7 at a ver young age, the oldest being 27.


    The breakthrough from level 6 to level 7 was like a moat. A chasm that even geniuses take almost a decade to cross.


    But each Prince and Princess crossed this chasm in mere 5 to 6 years.


    At this moment, two princes were watching the duels of the younger generation.


    The conversation in their hall was mainly headed by level 8s under the guidance of level 9s. It was too far away, even for them.


    But the other hall was equivalent to a yground for them.


    Thus, they were caught in an awkward situation. They couldn''t y an active role in this hall nor could they go to the other hall.


    Before the event started, some decided to watch the duels.


    "Prince Felix, isn''t that your younger brother?" A man, who was almost 30 said.


    "Huh?" Venus'' Prince Felix''s sharp brows knit together as he nced at the screen.


    Two young men initiated a duel and one of them was indeed his younger brother, Fahr.


    "His opponent¡­hm, isn''t he General Evander''s disciple?" Prince Kane of Earth added.


    "Oh, your juniors are fighting." A member of the group said with excitement.


    Prince Felix and Prince Kane suddenly stiffened.


    Fahr was younger brother of Felix and Varian was the disciple of Kane''s tutor Evander.


    The princes nced at each other and saw the same look in the other''s eyes.


    ''This battle is not just between the juniors, but it also shows the future strength of their faction.''


    "I think Fahr will defeat Varian in five minutes. Varian''s strength¡­what was it? Low Level 5? At most, he''s mid Level 5. Fahr is peak Level 5!"


    "Yes, five minutes is actually too much. I''ve been watching Fahr''s battles so far, he''s gotten stronger!"


    Prince Felix''s members cheered enthusiastically.


    Prince Kane''s expression turned ugly and he nced back at his followers. Their faces were scrunched and they struggled to make aeback.


    "¡­nonsense!" Finally, one short fellow stepped forward and countered, bringing a smile to Prince Kane''s face.


    "Varian willst for six minutes!"


    "Hm, maybe seven minutes?"


    "You idiots! I saw his previous battle. He was fighting high level 5s! Even though he took time to win them, it shows his strength is not as low as you think. He''llst for ten minutes! This is my ultimatum."


    Prince Kane''s smile immediately copsed.


    Prince Felix snickered. "At least you all agree that Kane''s junior is going to lose."


    Kane sneered. "Your brother is a third year and my junior is just first year. What if he loses now? Next year, he''ll wipe the floor with your brother."


    "You!" Felix was angered and was about to refute when he felt a tug at his sleeves.


    "What? Can''t you see I''m busy?" He asked impatiently.


    "Prince! The duel! The duel!" His follower, a 30 year old woman that seemed to be in mid 20s shrieked.


    "Argh, we just looked away for a minute, what can happen¡ª?!" Felix''s words were caught in his throat as he gaped at the screen.


    Kane also turned to the screen and he couldn''t believe his eyes. "Are you for real?"


    In the duel barrier, Varian was the only one standing. His body was filled with sword shes, cuts and bruises.


    In front of his feetid the peak Level 5 opponent Fahr and his broken sword.


    Slowly exhaling, Varian walked out as the barrier faded.


    The Level 7s were transfixed to the screen as they silently watched the events that followed.


    Williamson dered his defeat while Philips personally took Fahr to the healing room.


    Varian¡­simply walked to the room himself.


    "¡­Son of a bitch!" Prince Felix cursed on the spot, his demeanor long gone.


    "Fuck! Where did my tutor find this monster?" Prince Kane joined him in the cursing as he sighed in exasperation.


    "He''s only first year and he can fight peak Level 5s?"


    "¡­Felix, do you remember what we did in our first year?"


    Kane and Felix looked at each other and recalled their first year in the academy.


    They were already in Level 4 when they joined their military academies. By the end of first semester, they reached the peak of Level 4.


    At that time, they already felt like they were the best of the best. At that time, it was indeed true.


    It was only in the second mid-sem that they advanced to level 5.


    But here came a guy crushing their records mercilessly.


    "He''s like a year ahead of us."


    "Thankfully, we aren''t born in the same generation."


    The Princes both sighed.


    Even though they had disputes, they reached a consensus on this issue.


    Prince Kane finally sighed and shrugged. "Let''s see Dhruv''s duels or Sarah''s duels.


    Varian defeated Farh in a minute, but he should''ve also spent all his aura, not to mention his heavy injuries. He''ll probably heal and rest until thepetition starts."


    "I hope Fahr doesn''t feel too depressed. Or I''ll have to counsel him." Prince Felix rubbed his forehead and muttered. "But that Varian¡­I missed the only chance to watch him battle. Damn it."


    Felix felt his sleeve was tugged again.


    "What? Can''t you see I''m busy?" He asked impatiently, feeling a sense of deja vu.


    "Prince! The duel! The duel!" The young woman shrieked¡­just like before, huh?


    Felix immediately turned to the screen and his jaw dropped to the floor.


    "This¡­what the actual fuck!"


    Kane heard Felix''s words and nced at the screen in front of him. His eyes widened as he flinched and pointed to the screen like he saw a ghost.


    "V¡­V-Varian!"


    On the screen,? Varian punched down his opponent, and grinned in excitement.


    He didn''t know, two princes were shivering at his smile.

 Chapter 259: Telekinetic Opponent

    <h4>Chapter 259: Telekic Opponent</h4>


    What was the best time of an awakener?


    Every awakener had a personal answer, but the mostmon would be when they advanced.


    The next best time?


    When their understanding of their divine path improved and after hours of deep meditation, they could feel the significant improvement.


    This feeling of progress was very intoxicating, almost irresistible to any awakener.


    However, even the greatest geniuses improved bit by bit. Even their fastest advancement needed to be built upon days of umtion.


    By the time they reached Level 5, they knew that even they must spends months to advance a single sub-realm.


    That intoxicating feeling was already lost in the flow of time.


    But¡­


    Varian was flooded with that euphoric feeling.


    With each punch, with each kick and even with each injury, he felt a slight, but obvious improvement.


    He would challenge a genius, fought for a few minutes and won with heavy injuries.


    Then, he''d go to the rest room. Heal and replenish his aura.


    And challenge a stronger genius.


    His actions led to a rumor¡ªVarian was challenging all second years and he started from the bottom.


    Varian wanted to thank this ''genius''.


    Using the same excuse, he enquired about the top geniuses of second year and challenged them one by one.


    Thirtieth.


    Twenty Ninth.


    ¡­.Twentieth.


    They didn''tst even a minute. Varian was disappointed, but not discouraged. They were bigger fishes.


    Neenth.


    ¡­Fifteenth.


    They couldst five minutes against him. But the more he fought, the stronger he got. And the increase in his strength with each match was higher than the increase in the opponent''s strength.


    Thus, while the neenth opponent held him off for almost seven minutes, the fifteenth one onlysted for five minutes.


    Varian''s streak didn''t end there.


    Fourteenth.


    Thirteenth.


    ¡­Tenth.


    He encountered the divine paths he didn''t awaken in.


    Controller of Body Path. Telekic. Beast Morpher. Elementalists of Water, Fire and Earth. Even a few awakeners of Gravity.


    But he didn''t awaken. Frustrated, he asked the System and it only responded that his Origin was already ready to awaken.


    It was him who didn''t meet the conditions yet.


    And in its stupid fashion, it didn''t reveal any details of the conditions.


    Varian continued challenging.


    The fifth genius was from Earth.


    But their match was anything but friendly. Apparently, he was one of Sarah''s fans.


    Varian found his telekic powers troublesome, but with his great vitality and improved stats, he finished off the other party.


    The fourth genius was from Neptune.


    A Lightning Awakener like him. Of course, his opponent was at peak Level 5pared to his level 4 Lightning path.


    But the match yielded good benefits for his rather stagnant Lightning Path.


    Then came the third.


    The girl ring at him.


    Ahri. The strongest second year genius from Neptune. Younger sister of Neptune''s third year''s strongest genius.


    As they started the battle, her eyes turned cold and the air nearly froze. Normal Awakeners would be frozen from the sole pressure she emitted alone.


    She stood naturally in the bloodlust she emitted, almost like she was born with it? as she looked down at Varian.


    "I, no, we all underestimated you. But do you think you can take the throne of strongest second year? No way!"


    Her subtext was: ''Yes, I underestimated you. But if you want to be first, you need to beat me. Sorry, you have no chance.''


    Varian looked at her angry face and coughed lightly. "I know I can''t take the throne."


    "Don''t argue, you can''t¡ªeh?" Ahri almost bit her tongue as she blinked her eyes in suspicion.


    With a confused expression, she scanned him from head to toe. "Since you know you''re gonna lose, why even bother challenging¡­oh, you want to know the difference between us?"


    Ahri ''realized'' and nodded. She looked at him with less hostility and said. "Alright. I will try to not injure you too much."


    "¡­" Varian shook his head at her hyperactive brain and said with a nonchnt expression. "No one can change the strongest second year because¡­it''s Sarah."


    Boom!


    It was a silent explosion, yet its effect was undeniable.


    Ahri''s expression turned bitter as she clenched her fists.


    Sarah Albert¡­since she only fought with the strongest level 6s, everyone subconsciously treated her as third year.


    But she was only second year. Yet, her strength was in the top ten of the best third years across the Sr System.


    She was an anomaly of anomalies.


    She achieved this despite her dual paths. Even her elders said on multiple asions that had Sarah been born with a single path, she would be the unquestioned strongest genius.


    Neither Charles nor her brother, Ashtarh would stand any chance.


    ''Why can she have so much talent¡­why should she be better than Elder Brother? Damn her!''


    Ahri looked at Varian and gnashed her teeth. Was he mocking her saying that despite being of the same age as Sarah, she was far weaker?


    "You! Damn it!" Ahri clenched her fist and the air inside the barrier halted for a moment.


    The next moment, Varian felt an unprecedented force striking him from all directions.


    It was as if the air itself turned into iron and crushed him from all sides.


    Ahri was a peak Level 5 Telekic.


    Each of her attack had the strength ranging from high level 5 to peak level 5 Enhanced Awakener.


    Boom!


    Varian''s physical strength erupted as he broke free of the mental power and dashed at Ahri.


    Like lightning, he covered half of the distant in an instant but before he could take another step, his instincts screamed at him.


    An invisible force crashed down at him like a sledgehammer and Varian hurried to put up his arms in guard.


    But the mental power once again appeared and tried to lock up his arms.


    "Telekics are annoying as fuck." Varian heard the line many times, but only now did he understand why.


    With their ability to attack from long distance, and from any direction, they were difficult to deal with.

 Chapter 260: Sixth Awakening

    <h4>Chapter 260: Sixth Awakening</h4>


    If he hadn''t improved, perhaps Varian would have to expose his other paths if he wanted to win.


    Thankfully the numerous battles earlier gave him enough improvement.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Like metal chains breaking, Ahri''s mental power binding Varian was broken.


    Ahri''s eyes narrowed dangerously at Varian a few hundred meters away from her.


    ''I''ll make you kneel.'' She gritted her teeth.


    But her years of experience in fighting the Pluto Abyssals didn''t let her lose control due to emotions.


    With calcted calmness, she carefully captured his moments in her mental sense.


    Through her mental vision, she saw him ncing at her and his knees pressing into the ground.


    ''He''s preparing to dash towards me. Once he closes distance, even if I can shield myself with my mental power, I''ll be at a great disadvantage.'' Ahri instantly came to the conclusion.


    Unlike Telepaths, Telekics could defend themselves against physical attacks.


    It was like how Space Awakeners block the physical attacks by solidifying space¡ªTelekics use their mental power to create an invisible, yet solid shield protecting them.


    But despite that, closebat wasn''t suitable for them.


    Their bodies, despite being stronger than a Level 1 Body Awakener, were fragile.


    If Varian managed to break through her mental armor andnd just one hit, she''d be done.


    ''Do you think I''ll give you the chance to get close? I''ll immediately hold you down with my mental power and strike you till you can''t get up.''


    Ahri''s lips curled up into a cold smile and using her mental sense as the radar, shemanded her mind power to capture Varian, just like thest time she held stopped him.


    But¡­


    "Huh?!" As Ahri gaped in shock, Varian''s speed suddenly spiked.


    She hurriedly tried to lock his position to attack him, but he was moving fast. In the blink of an eye, he was only a few dozen meters away.


    "Gulp!" Ahri realized she had no time and hurriedly set up a wall of mental power all around her.


    ''How the hell did his speed rise¡­?''


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Before she could even think, cracks spread on her defense wall.


    Varian''s punches were too fast, and Ahri hurriedly clenched her fist.


    Her mental power crushed him from all sides and should''ve any peak level 4 and severely injured low level 5.


    Even mid level 5 would cough out blood and high level 5 would halt.


    Varian''s punched slowed down. Blood flowed from the corner of his mouth and his skin began to crack.


    Like cobwebs, cracks appeared all over his body and he began to bleed.


    The attacks from her mental strength took the shape of hammers, maces and other blunt weapons as they relentlessly attacked him.


    Injuries were quickly starting to pile up, but Varian didn''t care and roared.


    He pulled back his hand and punched with all his strength.


    Kacha!


    Kacha!


    The barrier nearly broke. Just one more punch from him and she''d be defenseless.


    Ahri didn''t want to give him any chance and hurriedly used her mental power to yank him away.


    Varian''s figure was suddenly flung backward as if someone pulled him hard. But before Ahri could rejoice, he broke free of the bindings and dashed towards her.


    His speed weirdly rose again.


    "Argh!" Ahri was half-enraged and half-anxious.


    With her mental power, she made the walls covering her, forming a hemispherical barrier. In fact, she would have let the barrier run underground as well. But the banquet hall''s floor was made of a material tough enough to withstand level 7s.


    With the barrier, her n was set.


    Once he started attacking a ce, she could catch him. And this time, she would deal a full blow from the start.


    But¡­unlikest time, he didn''t attack one ce.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Varian''s figure blurred as he circled around the hemispherical barrier and threw his punches.


    His speed surpassed the range her mental sense could precisely lock him. So, all her mental attacks were either a miss or cleverly evaded by him.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Crack!


    In mere seconds, cracks were all over the barrier.


    "Damn it!" Ahri repaired the barrier but every second, the damage was piling up.


    With each round, Varian began to attack at the same ce. Cracks deepened in multiple ces.


    She could repair them all easily, but at the same time, she also had to focus on the new cracks.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    As Ahri''s focus waspleted devoted to defense, a blue light shed and Varian equipped himself with two gauntlets.


    Ahri frowned and put on two rings to slightly increase her mental power.


    But..


    Crack! Kacha! Crack!


    Varian''s strength increased significantly.


    In an instant, like a water bubble, the barrier she constructed with so much effort copsed.


    Boom!


    The gauntlets were gone and Varian''s figure towered over hers.


    Thud!


    Ahri''s legs copsed and she knelt on the spot as she stared nkly.


    Varian looked at her expression and smiled. "Thanks."


    "Huh?" Ahri raised her head and looked at him in confusion. "¡­are you mocking me?"


    "Huh? Why would I mock you?" Varian shrugged. "Fighting you was very annoying, because you are stronger than every level 5 I fought."


    ''Besides¡­you helped me out.'' Varian didn''t say that out as he left for the resting room.


    A blue screen floated in front of him, and the text on it caused him to nearly scream out loud.


    [Mind Path Level 0-3: 300/300]


    As he leaned back into the chair, waiting for the sweet remainder of the system, it felt like deja vu.


    Just an hour ago, he advanced in the same room and in same posture.


    Was this his lucky room?


    As his thoughts drifted, Varian felt a familiar sensation well up in his head.


    The next moment, like a dam burst, his mental power rose.


    The System''s usually cold voice sounded like an angel''s.


    [Host, you''ve endured repeated Telekic attacks.


    You should''ve awaken in Mind Path and then step by step improved. Once you reached Level 4, then you would''ve been a Telekic.


    Mind Awakener (Level 1-3) ¡ª> Telekic (Level 4-6)


    But¡­you are already a Telepath.


    Mind Awakener (Level 1-3) ¡ª> Telepath (Level 4-6)


    Mind Awakener path ismon for both and you''ve already walked it.


    So, now that you''ve awakened in Mind Path again, you''ve already passed through the first three levels and after sufficient XP, you have advanced to Telekic.]


    "Fuck!"

 Chapter 261: Maissa

    <h4>Chapter 261: Maissa</h4>


    Varian sensed his abnormally high mental power. It had two differing properties.


    One was like smoke, it silently slipped into minds and affected the creature''s brain¡ªfrom affecting the decisions to controlling bodies and even manipting memories¡ªit was capable of every such feat and it could also be applied on self for greater physical control.


    Mental power of Telepath.


    The other was like water that was about to condense. It would directly interfere with reality, form into any shape he willed and act like an extension of himself. He could use it on himself for defense, movement and even offense.


    Mental power of Telekic.


    Despite their differences, they had many simrities and somehow formed a positive bond.


    Now, either of his powers rose significantly by themselves.


    At the same time, Varian opened ''Status''.


    [Body (Enhanced) Path L5: 1930/2000 (+1350)


    Space Path L4: 220/1000 (+150)


    Lightning Path L4: 865/1000 (+400)


    Morpher (ntae) Path L4: 250/1000 (+250)


    Telepath Path L4: 110/1000 (+100)


    Telekic Path L4: 0/1000]


    "Sigh" Varian sighed deeply and recalled the thirty matches.


    After he advanced to level 4 in ntae and Telepath paths, he faced off a peak Level 5 Enhanced Awakener.


    Varian went all out and using all his powers, defeated him fairly quickly. Despite that, the match provided him with a massive boost.


    Boost that caused him to quickly defeat everyone from 30th rank to 20th. All these matches ended up giving him little Xp, around the range of 10-20.


    And even if they did give good Xp, it was Xp to only one path.


    In some matches, lightning advanced well, in others ntae.


    It was only after 15th rank that his opponents started giving more Xp. But even then, it was not sufficient.


    But thest five opponents gave better results.


    As a whole, he gained 2250 Xp in 30 matches overall and around an average of 75 per match.


    Not bad, considering that he overpowered most of his opponents quite easily.


    "Excluding Sarah, there''s only one person left. Sixth Young Master of Nial Family. Han Nial." Varian squinted his eyes and recalled the information about the Prime Family.


    Nial Family were stationed on Uranus and were right next to Neptune. Since Neptune was fighting a two front war with Fallen Pluto and Thunder Abyss, Uranus was extremely burdened.


    Nial Family didn''t shrink under the danger and instead, sent their experts to the frontlines.


    In fact, right after Pluto fell, Neptune''s situation was dire.


    The reinforcements from others weren''t there yet. Thunder Abyss was looking to continue their offensive and conquer Neptune as well.


    Even though Neptune was not Pluto and was far stronger, the morale was extremely low.


    Humans almost lost Neptune¡­fortunately, the Nial family came forward.


    They charged into the battlefield and despite the unfavorable conditions of the time, held back the Abyssals until reinforcements arrived.


    They saved Neptune.


    The result?


    30% of their higher awakeners were wiped out.


    The enraged Abyssals splurged all their resources as they bribed, lured and threatened people and assassinated the leading geniuses of Nial Family.


    From that day, Nial Family was in an irreversible decline.


    Of course, there were promising Level 9s, but the future of the family¡ªthe younger generation was bleak.


    When they felt that the sky was about to fall, Han Nial rose.


    He swam against the current of times and lived on the battlefield. After surviving countless assassination attempts, he rose as the top genius of second year...until Sarah took over.


    He was already touching the bottleneck of Level 5 and would likely reach level 6.


    But¡­he was stills far weaker than Sarah, who was in top 10 of third years.


    ''Comparisons kill joy...'' Varian remarked and decided topare his strength against the normal strongest second year.


    Varian entered the banquet hall and searched for Han Nial.


    He asked around, but no one seemed to know where he just went. But everyone he came across praised his ''talents''.


    "Talent¡­" That rang a bell in his mind. He just heard something about Sarah''s talent.


    He recalled William''s words.


    ''Sarah in first year and Sarah in second year are like two different people.


    It''s just like Charles. Her progress speed just multiplied.''


    "I should ask her¡­maybe it''s not rted to Sia." Varian clenched his fist and exhaled.


    "Han Nial...where the fuck did you go?"


    The genius was nowhere to be found.


    Instead, Varian found William supporting Philia as she limped. Her cold face was now pale.


    The bots seemed to have already administered the medicine as the paleness was slowly fading.


    Varian walked up to William and whispered. "Never thought you were this cruel."


    William provoked her and then beat her up to the point she had to limp.


    If this wasn''t cruel, what was?


    "¡­" William looked at him and shook his head. "It was Charles." Then he helped her to the rest room.


    Unlike the rumors, their rtionship seemed to good as Philia didn''t object.


    "Where''s Charles?" Varian looked around and saw that half of the crowd was surrounding a single duel barrier.


    "Are you not going to fight?" Suddenly, a crisp voice sounded from behind, almost startling him.


    Varian turned around to see a beautiful girl behind him.


    Her long sky blue hair flowed down to her waist and her red eyes looked at him with curiosity.


    He didn''t recognize her face, but he did recognize the long purple dress she was wearing.


    Maissa Hall.


    Despite his surprise, he answered calmly. "I''m looking for Han. Can''t find him."


    "Oh, too bad he left already. An emergency came up. How about a duel with me? I''ll suppress my power to whatever level you want." She offered with a glint in her eyes, the red light in her eyes almost shone.


    Varian instinctively stepped back and waved his hand. "Thanks, but I''ll pass up on that."


    "Argh¡­Sarah said your fighting sense is the best she''s seen." Maissa groaned in frustration.


    ''Sarah, oh Sarah, what are you doing?'' Varian took a deep breath and asked. "Where is she?"


    Maissa shrugged. "She had a duel with Ashtarh, oh you probably don''t know, he''s the top genius from Neptune."


    "She''s badly injured?" Varian asked, worry evident in his tone.


    He had the vitality from ntae Path and thus, even with injuries, he could easily fight. Plus, his injuries also healed quickly andpletely.


    Sarah wasn''t like that. Since she fought with high level 6s, her injuries would take longer to heal.


    Plus, she needed to make sure no hidden injuries were left behind.


    When you reach higher realms, these hidden injuries could be a permanent block to advancement.


    Of course, if you were careful, with the healing potions provided in the banquet, no hidden injuries would be created.


    Still, since Sarah was an ''anomaly'', she was likely going to be challenged by more people.


    It could be a headache.


    Maissa''s expression suddenly turned vibrant. "I thought you would ask whether she won."


    Varian opened and closed his mouth.


    Seeing that, Maissa covered her mouth and chuckled. "Don''t worry too much. She''s not heavily injured, but she lost. She must be sulking somewhere."


    ''Sulking? Hah! Now that I think about it, that''s why I can''t find her.'' He realized why she seemed to have disappeared.


    As he was about to respond, he heard a shout from the distance.

 Chapter 262: The Bottleneck of Level 7

    <h4>Chapter 262: The Bottleneck of Level 7</h4>


    "Marcus!"


    "Marcus!"


    "Marcus!"


    Amidst the cheers of his fans, a handsome young man in traditional martial artist clothings walked as the crowd cleared the way.


    His robes that were slightly torn quickly repaired themselves.


    He spotted Maissa with Varian and in an instant appeared in front of them.


    Varian felt like he was standing in front of a ball of fire.


    He ignored Varian and asked the girl in purple dress. "Maissa, a fight?"


    Maissa tapped her chin and shook her head. "I am pissed that someone rejected me. I''m gonna reject you."


    "Huh?" Marcus raised his head and said with a fierce expression. "Who is it? I''ll get them to agree."


    His aura suddenly swelled and he seemed like he would do what he said.


    Varian silently wiped the sweat due to the increasing heat and looked at Maissa.


    She didn''t reply and instead nudged Marcus. "Xavier is about to challenge Charles."


    Marcus''s fierce expression copsed and he vanished, leaving behind the words. "Fuck! I''m alwayste."


    Varian saw him appear at the huge crowd in the center of the banquet hall.


    Through the holograms on the walls, he could see the battle had not yet started.


    The barrier, unlike others was very big, at least five miles in radius.


    But in the vast banquet hall, it amounted to nothing.


    Varian slowly walked towards the hologram, but with each step, he moved dozens of meters.


    Only very young people who came here for experience were watching the holograms.


    All the level 5s and level 6s were around the barrier, hoping to gain insights into the battle that was yet to begin.


    "Charles¡­" Varian muttered as he looked at the imposing figure in the barrier.


    With noble golden hair and intense green eyes, Charles just by being present. Varian couldn''t exin what it was, but there was an air of depression around him.


    "¡­He really touched it, huh." Maissa sighed beside him, her sigh was a mixture of wonder and exasperation.


    "Touch what?" Varian asked with curiosity.


    Maissa turned to him, her expression incredibly serious, to the point of being grim. "Level 7 bottleneck."


    "¡­hm?" Varian didn''t understand the implications. But it wasn''t really his fault. He didn''t have to deal with bottlenecks.


    A stupid, but useful System dealt with such stuff.


    ["¡­."]


    Maissa covered her face with a palm and sighed even more. "You can''t be serious...anyway, just touching the bottleneck needs three years, breaking it needs another three.


    So, even the best princes of the Federation reached level 7 only when they''re around 26 years."


    Varian opened his mouth and closed again.


    If those who reach level 7 at 26 years can be called Princes, then he''s certain to reach level 7 within a year. Heck! In a month or two.


    So, what should he be called? Emperor? Ancestor? Primordial Originator?


    Besides, all his practice time barely amounted to two months.


    Maissa looked at his expression and patted his shoulder softly. "Now you know. Even if nothing more happens, he''ll reach Level 7 at 23 years."


    Varian thought of the conversation he heard earlier and carefully asked. "The top 5 geniuses in the Sr System are you, Charles Xander, Marcus Caron, Ashtarh, and Xavier Bell.


    The order in the 5 is not know, but you''re all in the same league, no?"


    In fact, he was understating her importance.


    It was top 3 that was disputed among Charles, Maissa and Ashtarh.


    Maissa didn''t respond to hisment and looked at the hologram. A mockingugh escaped her lips as her shoulders trembled. "Same league¡­"


    ''¡­did she lose it?'' Varian asked to Boo be on standby.


    He never understood why Maissa approached him in the first ce. And her presence just caused everyone to stay away from him.


    "¡­Just see the matches and decide for yourself." She regained her calm expression and said like nothing happened.


    "Sure." Varian focused back on the hologram. They spoke a few words and in the next instant, the sound from the barrier was transmitted outward.


    ''So, they agreed to let everything be heard, huh.''


    Charles Xander looked at the three young men in front of him and raised his hand.


    "Mercury''s Caleb, Venus'' Philia, Saturn''s Helia and Uranus'' Rodey Nial." He uttered their names like they were some goods in the grocery list and pointed to the two.


    "Now all I have left is Mars, Jupiter and Neptune. You guys are too weak for me to fight one by one. Juste together, you three." Saying so, he paused as if he was suddenly remembered something. "Oh that Maissa? You can add her if you want to, not like it''s gonna change a thing."


    Veins popped up on the foreheads of the three young men.


    Charles didn''t care one bit and shouted. "Maissa, are you joining the duel?"


    His voice reverberated across the hall and everyone heard it.


    ''This bastard¡­'' Varian cursed inside his mind.


    Publicly calling her like this, he gave her no choice.


    If she declined, she would bebelled as a coward.


    If she agreed, she would be dragged into the battle, which was exactly what he wanted.


    Varian didn''t know Maissa''s powers, but he had a feeling that she was quite a distance away from Charles.


    So, whatever she chooses, she was going to lose.


    Following Charles'' voice, all the members in the banquet hall turned to her.


    Facing thousands of stares, Maissa remained unperturbed and gave off a soft chuckle.


    "If you were to lose against three of them, then me joining them would change nothing." Her voice was peaceful as she continued.


    "If you were to win against the three of them, then me joining considering that you''re stronger than all of us would only be shameful." She even put on an expression of shame.


    "Do you think I''m such a person?


    If I fight, I''d rather lose by myself than win by ganging up on someone.


    So, please start the duel without me.


    If you lose, you should rethink your abilities to ask me for a duel.


    If you win, why still fight me when you are already stronger than me?


    And I''m preparing myself for thepetetion." Maissa said with a serious expression.


    The audience unanimously agreed with her response, almost showering praises on her.


    ''Tsk.'' Varian clicked his tongue. Her reply caught him by surprise.


    Charles was stumped at her response and slowly responded with a "Yeah."


    Then he looked at the three young men in front of him.


    Suddenly, his anger red up.

 Chapter 263: Suspicions

    <h4>Chapter 263: Suspicions</h4>


    As the duel between the best geniuses was about to begin, an intense discussion was taking ce in another hall.


    In one of the white tables closer to the wall, three princes were seated. Unlike normal, their followers were asked to stay away and didn''t join in the discussion.


    "Are you sure you''re not thinking too much?" A young woman, who seemed to be in her mid twenties frowned.


    Her hair was tied into a bun and she carried herself with elegance.


    "How do I say¡­It''s a weird feeling." The young man to her right, with dull grey hair but brilliantly bright green eyes said, rubbing the back of his neck.


    "You can trust Carl, Iris. His instincts are one of the best I''ve seen. And you know¡­I socialize a lot." The third person on the table, a rather plump young woman sipped the champagne in her ss and said.


    Princess Iris'' brows knit together for a split second before she nodded at Prince Carl.


    Even though once bing a Prince, each one of them spent a lot of time on the frontlines, some spent a lot more than others and picked up a knack for discerning intricate things.


    Like Prince Carl of Neptune.


    Rumors say that he spends except for a month, he spends all his time on the frontlines.


    "Alright, but you do realize how weird it sounds, right? Growing that strong in the middle of a battle? Just absurd." She said to Carl, implying she was yet to be convinced, but wanted to hear more.


    Prince Carl was a smart man and he tapped on hism.


    There were a total of thirty matches on them.


    He started all the thirty of them at once and said. "Varian, 18 years old, the intel said he''s a low level 5.


    But turns out, his strength is likely to be peak level 5. He''s disciple of General Evander, so I''m ruling out him using forbidden drugs or too many natural treasures to advance.


    Watch all the battles once."


    Princess Iris was a Level 7 Super Awakener, the higher form of Enhanced.


    Thus, she had no trouble in watching the thirty videos together.


    Soon after she did, she asked him to y them once again.


    Again.


    And again.


    Finally, she held out her hand and asked him to stop.


    "Did you see it?" Carl asked with a raised brow.


    Princes Iris'' face scrunched up as she begrudgingly nodded. "It felt¡­normal? Unless I looked for it, no, even though I looked for it, I barely found the differences."


    Prince Carl nodded in understanding and said. "It''s not just you, but almost everyone would feel the same."


    Princess Iris'' sped her hands and asked, her voice trembled without meaning to. "So¡­he really got stronger in a fight?"


    "Very likely." Prince Carl nodded with a solemn face. "Varian''s strength rose after he put on the gauntlets, and sometimes, his speed just increased without any? warning, maybe everyone will feel that he''s hiding his strength and only raising it at certain times.


    But¡­with my battle experience, I can see thatpared to the first fight, he was a lot morefortable with thest.


    Maybe he just hid his strength all along, but¡­the way he handled those matches is very different.


    The ease, the moves he picked and the interest in his eyes¡­everything changed from the first match to thest. If not for the fact that his awakening is so clearly recorded, I would''ve suspected he''s even a Space Awakener."


    Prince Carlughed at the end. If Varian was really a Space Awakener, it would''ve been impossible to hide his aura from the likes of Evander.


    Princess Iris and Princess Ria couldn''tugh.


    "¡­ridiculous. But¡­looking at the videos, it''s likely a possibility. At least 40% sure." Princess Iris drew a long sigh as she stared at the starry sky through the translucent ceiling.


    40% possibility for the existence of a monster¡­it was too high.


    "Don''t think too much. It could all be him hiding his strength all along. Besides even if he is what you suspected, you think the ones above us don''t realize it?" Princess Ria covered her mouth and chuckled.


    "¡­You''re right." Carl nced at the distant tables where level 8s were seated.


    And Princess Ria was right.


    The Level 8 were indeed discussing the same issue.


    "Is this a publicity stunt or are you trying to attract attention?" Anky old man mmed the table and cussed.


    Despite his weak appearance, he was capable of blowing continents to bits.


    The aura that leaked out of him was more than suffice to prove it. Just the leaked aura could''ve locked down a level 4 awakener.


    It would''ve deterred even a level 5.


    Unfortunately, not his opponents.


    "Shut up! Are we all prying into what your Xanders are doing and how you got that potion?


    You said some bullshit story and we all believed it, even though we all know that it''s crap.


    So, why don''t you stop asking about my Young Master?" Richard, who usually behaved like an elegant and gentle butler, pointed a wine bottle at Eve Xander and cursed.


    He even told Varian to ''act properly'' since his every move represents his master ''Evander''.


    "What bullshit story?" Eve Xander waved his hand and squinted his eyes. "Don''t divert the topic.


    How did that brat get to peak Level 5?


    Is it really like it looks? He improved during the matches or¡­was he hiding his strength all along and you instructed him to act like this?


    So that you can project him as a greater genius than my young master Charles?"


    "Project? You''re taking yourself too seriously. What sem is my young master in? First sem! It''s just mid sem and he''s already reached peak level 5.


    And yours? Pfft. He got some luckst year and found some bullshit herb. Or why would he reach peak level 6 so fast."


    "I think it''s you who gave Varian all those herbs. The more you use them, the more difficult it is to raise the levelster. Yet, you sacrificed his future just to show the world you have a sessor who can reach Sovereign.


    Anyway that Sarah isn''t ever going to be¡ªhuek!" Eve Xander''s body suddenly stiffened like someone froze him.


    Well, someone really did freeze him.


    "You old geezer, you can brag about your young master all you want, but don''t you dare badmouth my young miss." Anna said coldly and disappeared.


    "Ha! Ha! Ha!" Eve Xander panted heavily as he patted his chest.


    In that one moment, he was almost crushed alive.


    "Serves you right." Richard snickered and secretly nced at Anna who sat with level 9s.


    He stayed at level 9 while unknowingly, she advanced to level 9.


    Was this his limit?


    He hit the bottleneck but couldn''t break it.


    But¡­


    ''I guess Master is half-panicking and half-ecstatic. He would''ve never guessed that young master''s strength is so high.


    I don''t know why he''s putting on that show. If he could really improve at that speed, why wait till now? Is he trying to cement his status?


    Or¡­is it only a show?'' Shaking his head, Richard tapped hism and instructed the people under him.


    ''Announce that Young Master Varian always kept his strength hidden. He is also proficient in hiding his aura, so don''t expect to figure out his strength.''


    It might or might not be the truth. But it was in best interests of Varian. That way, he would be away from the prying eyes.


    Sometimes, human greed was far more dangerous than any Abyssal.


    "Regardless of the reason, I''ll not let any trouble get to you." As he muttered under his breath, Evander''s voice reverberated across the hall.


    "The biggest duel has begun."

 Chapter 264: In a different league

    <h4>Chapter 264: In a different league</h4>


    Everyone who attended Sr Banquet was literally one in a million genius.


    Yet, there existed genius among geniuses.


    Finally, there existed geniuses worthy enough to be confederated the title of Prince and Princess.


    There were weak and strong among them as well, but they all fell in a range.


    But¡­was there really a level above that?


    The audience wondered as Charles Xander faced off against the strongest three geniuses.


    The me Wizard¡ªMarcus of Jupiter, Future War Sovereign¡ªAshtarh of Neptune and Mind Master¡ªXavier Bell.


    It was not just the youngsters, even the powerhouses including Level 8s asked themselves.


    ''Is it really possible for such disparity to exist?''


    "START!"


    Following the announcement, Charles'' figure instantly erged. His height grew from 2 meters to almost 4 meters.


    A menacing spiked tail pped against the ground as he turned into a giant werewolf.


    In fact, he wasn''t exactly a werewolf.


    He was half-human and half-fenrir.


    At level 6, this was his limit.


    "Roar!" Charles body looked colossalpared to his opponents and the battle roar meant he was allowing them the first move.


    "Arrogant." Standing farthest from Charles, a short haired youth muttered.


    His silver hair shone under the banquet lights as his grey eyes lit up like sparks.


    An invisible yet powerful mind power reached Charles in an instant and hit his mind.


    "Grah!" Charles eyes lost their focus for a split second before they turned to the culprit.


    "Bow!" Xavier''s voice sounded in Charles mind like the rumbling of lightning.


    He felt the external force, the mental force, acting on his brain, trying to seize control of his body.


    It was a trick all Telepaths liked.


    To stop Charles from resisting, his mental powerunched attacks on his mind at the same time.


    Like thin ice needles stabbing his brain, Charles felt a tingling pain.


    It would''ve severely affected many level 6s, but¡­


    "Roar!" Charles'' eyes shone with an intense light and he pped his w in two different directions.


    Boom!


    His first w attackpressed the wind and shot it towards the me dragon that was about to reach him.


    The moment they met, it was like a gigantic fan was waved against the mes.


    The hurricane level wind wave swept away the mes.


    If not for the floor''s quality, it would''ve been blown into tatters.


    At the same time, his other w smashed against the fist of Ashtarh.


    Bang!


    Charles took a step back as he felt pain course through his w and all the way to his forearm.


    His opponent, Ashtarh was in a worse state as he took ten steps back. His heart was in turmoil.


    Being a Controller, he raised his strength and hit out at Charles. With him being peak of Level 6 Controller, his punch just now was 10% higher than a peak Enhanced!


    10% might seem like small, but his 10% was equivalent to the full blow of a high Level 4!


    Yet, Charles didn''t even step back. All he did was flinch.


    "Roar!" He flinched! Charles was not amused.


    He knew that the high awakeners were all watching this show, that''s why, he needed to establish his dominance.


    He endured the intense mental attacks andshed his tail against Ashtarh.


    Ashtarh rolled down and dodged the attack. But right before Charles'' tail struck the ground, it flicked and turned at him.


    This tail attack was more powerful than the w.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    With each passing moment, its sheer speed sted air and amidst the sounds of explosions, the tail reached its foe.


    "!" Ashtarh punched out with all his strength, and that meant, he ''raised'' his strength.


    Kacha!


    Tsss!


    "Grugh!"


    Three different sounds were spread in the same instant.


    The first was of bones breaking as Ashtarh was blown away to the end of the barrier.


    The second was fire burning against fur as a huge fire lotus descended down on Charles and tried to burn him.


    The third was Charles'' grunt as he felt like his brain was crushed under the mental attacks.


    "Roar!" Charles body shed and he dashed towards Xavier.


    Despite his confidence, Xavier''s face paled and he exerted all his mental power to try and stop Charles in his tracks.


    But¡­


    "Roar!"


    The distance of six miles turned into a few hundred meters.


    Veins popped up on Charles'' wolf head as he battled against the increasing intensity of the mental attacks.


    The closer to a mind awakener, the stronger the effects.


    It could''ve stopped other Level 6s, but not him.


    "Roar!" Charles pressed his feet into the ground and lunged at Xavier.


    "Gulp!" As the huge wolf head erged in front of his eyes, Xavier''s body went cold and he felt a shiver down his spine.


    ''I, the grandson and disciple of Kreo Bell, the Sovereign of Psychic Path¡­am I going to be defeated just like this?''


    At that moment, a blurry figure shed and collided against Charles.


    Boom!


    Kacha!


    As he was in mid-air, the high speed collision sent Charles flying for a mile before he crashed onto the ground.


    Xavier''s mental sense keenly captured the other figure on the ground¡­he was under Charles'' legs.


    Ashtarh.


    He was terribly injured, yet¡­he escaped from Charles'' legs and tried to fight Charles.


    Kacha!


    With another w, Charles pped him down to the ground.


    With Ashtarh as the center, cracks spread like cobwebs.


    Asharh struggled to move, but his injuries made it impossible.


    Charles gaze turned to Xavier and his eyes narrowed.


    But before he could move, a huge me was cast on him.


    "Roar!"


    With an angry growl, Charles tore apart the like it was a piece of paper.


    The fire was only a decoy as a huge fire lotus from the sky crashed down on him.


    Charles wanted to dodge, but the telepath working on him so long increased his grip all of a sudden and Charles'' movements turned sluggish.


    "You think you are really superior, huh?" Marcus sneered from the distance as he let the fire lotus burn on Charles arm.


    Charles movements slowed down, but he was moving. However, Marcus pressed the scorching lotus against Charles as it slowly burnt his protective fur away.


    Even though he knew winning in a three-to-one was not glorious, he decided to do it anyway.


    As the fourth young master of the Caron family, he knew full well how much trouble Xanders were bringing to his family.


    Xanders'' were trying to extend their influence to even his home, Jupiter!


    The scary thing was that they almost seeded!


    Julius Xander was the youngest sovereign and the most promising!


    He hadn''t fully ''grown up'' yet and many forces were swaying to his side.


    Now, if Charles Xander proves himself to be the number one genius of the federation¡­


    "I won''t let you seed." Marcus gritted his teeth. The next moment, mes engulfed? his body.


    Two fire wings rose from his back and he dashed to Charles in the blink of an eye.


    Looking down at Charles who was now in a tussle with , he muttered. "This is how you go down." And raised his hand.


    At that moment, Charles'' suddenly roared.


    The air shook and the devices recording the audio nearly broke down.


    His muscled bulged and his arm moved at a speed that most level 5 couldn''t see.


    Pa!


    Like swatting a fly, he swatted away Marcus.


    His figure blurred and he pped against Xavier.


    "Kuh!" Xavier spat out blood as he forcefully controlled Charles'' hand and let his wnd in the distance.


    Boom!


    Yet¡­


    Even though his physique wasparable to a level 3 body awakener due to his level, Xavier was blown away from the aftermath and passed out on the spot with heavy injuries.


    "Roar!"


    His three enemies were down.


    With a resounding roar, Charles transformed back.


    He looked at the heavily injured ''geniuses'' and spat. "Don''tpare yourself to me in the same breath. We''re living in different worlds."


    Except for the unconscious Xavier, both Ashtarh and Marcus heard his words.


    They wanted to refute, but the severe injuries that prevented them from even moving reminded them that it was a fact.


    And it was not just them¡­


    The entire audience.


    Juniors of levels 4 and level 5.


    Peers of level 6.


    Immediate Seniors of level 7.


    Powerhouses of level 8.


    And¡­the truly strong level 9s.


    Including the Sovereigns.


    Everyone realized that the number one was in a different league.

 Chapter 265: Sarahs Envy

    <h4>Chapter 265: Sarah''s Envy</h4>


    Charles Xander slowly walked out of the barrier, leaving behind an utterly silent audience.


    In his human form, there were visible injuries on his body. His arm was burnt, the skin was scalded and flesh was visible at multiple ces.


    His eyes were bloodshot like he didn''t sleep for weeks.


    His footsteps were also erratic like a drunkard.


    Yet¡­


    "¡­."


    All that prevailed was silence.


    Filled with respect. Admiration. And longing.


    ''You deserve none of this.'' Varian clenched his fist and breathed heavily. Every time Charles strength amazed someone, he was reminded of the fact that his talent was built on her pain.


    That crazy woman Julia¡­she really deserved to die a thousand times.


    But she was already dead.


    Now, even though Charles wasn''t responsible for Sia ending up in theb, and despite the fact that he never knew about Julia''s true experiments, Varian felt an immense hatred towards him.


    It was as if he was the one who was responsible for everything!


    The hatred wasn''t rational, but fuck rationality!


    Every debt had a debtor, and Julia''s debt¡­Charles must pay!


    "¡­hey? Don''t be so anxious. You''re not gonna fight him¡­oh wait, you challenged to surpass him right? You must be tense."


    Maissa''s words snapped him out of his thoughts as his world turned normal.


    "Haa" Sighing deeply, Varian rxed his fists and said. "I am no anxious because of his strength. He''s not worthy."


    "wow! Even though you''re stronger than Charles was when he is in first year, you took ambrosia or whatever." She said.


    "Heh." Varian smirked and didn''t answer. Truth would speak for itself.


    Maissa pouted at his response and left with words he didn''t understand. "I hope you enjoy what you''re about to face."


    Varian ignored her.


    A bad decision.


    *** *** *** *** *** ***


    As the biggest duel ended, no one fought anymore.


    The socialization truly began.


    Only then did he understand Maissa''s words.


    "Varian, we are from Mars Warriors Academy, we have an excellent Sovereign treasure¡ªJuno. It''s very suitable to train your resistance against Telepaths and Telekics.


    Our academy is also willing to offer you 30,000 merit points. Our Dean will personally guide you and you''ll have bodyguards of Level 8 round the clock.


    I believe a smart man like you will not miss this opportu¡ª"


    "Yeah, yeah. Let''s end it there." Varian raised his hand and said in mild annoyance. "I''m not changing academies."


    The girl that tried to poach him wasn''t discouraged at all. She She slightly bent forward and shed a charming smile.


    "We can discuss the t¡ª"


    "Leave." Varian said curtly, his voice was slow, but powerful.


    The girl, despite being a peak level 5 paled at his words and stiffly nodded. "I-I''m sorry for disturbing you."


    She left with an awkward smile.


    Like the four girls before her.


    "Seriously¡­" Varian downed the champagne and stood up.


    Han Nial didn''t return after all.


    And Richard informed him of the ''rumors'' about his ''rising strength in the battles''.


    In his words.


    "Young Master, I don''t know what''s true and I don''t want to ask. But several Level 9s are already watching you.


    Even¡­Sovereign Kreo Bell and Sovereign Juliusmented about your improvement.


    Some are really suspicious.


    I steered the general opinion in your favor. But there''s only so much I can do. For now, pleasey low."


    Fucking hell!


    "I should''ve just let Sarah go serious when she beat¡ªwhen we practiced." Varian stood up from his table and muttered under his breath.


    "Sarah¡­wait, where did she go sulking?" He looked around the hall and didn''t find any traces.


    Every top genius was more or less eye catching. Even he had some twenty people on tables near him.


    "Varian, do you want to be a guest member of Darwin Family? We control a crucial part of the supply chain. The conditions we propose are¡ª"


    "Thanks, but no thanks. I won''t be affiliating myself with any other power. I''ve said this a hundred times already, but please tell the same to other powers." Varian said and walked away.


    "But¡­we didn''t propose our conditions yet." The young man muttered in frustration and disappointment.


    All that answered him was Varian''s receding back that slowly vanished.


    Seeing this, the twenty people sitting on the tables nearby got up and left.


    *** *** *** ***


    Infinity Tower was the tallest building in the Infini City.


    Its structure was like a normal tower, except its top was a floor in the shape of infinity¡ªthis floor itself spanned a hundred square miles.


    Even from the outer space, one could see a huge infinity symbol glowing in white.


    Even under the darkest of nights, it shone with vibrant neon colors. This city floating in space was home to a million.


    The sight was enough to captivate anyone.


    Not her.


    As she gazed at the distant red moon, Sarah sighed as she recalled the match against Ashtarh.


    She lost.


    Shested a while against him, but there was a clear gap in their strengths.


    Losing against him wasn''t the thing that bugged her the most. It was Charles match with Caleb, Philia, Helia and Rodey Nial.


    They were defeated too swiftly.


    She saw it. As did they.


    Charles touched the bottleneck of Level 7.


    "¡­" Sarah clenched her fist and sighed deeply.


    She had a wish. Still has.


    A wish she hid in her subconscious. Something she didn''t wish to think about and treat it like it didn''t exist.


    But in moments like these, it always came back to her.


    Her wish was¡­


    She wanted her father to be happy.


    She wanted him to smile.


    ¡­.and maybe say, "I''m proud of you Sarah."


    He used to say that about her brother.


    "I am the proudest father. Haha!"


    "Sometimes, I feel I am blessed."


    "Sarah, you always me make smile. He always makes me proud. You''re the biggest gifts heaven gave me."


    ¡­.it all stopped.


    His pride died in form and flesh in the Pluto war.


    She grieved her brother''s and mother''s death. But what he felt was on another level entirely.


    It was like something inside him was broken. Perhaps with their death, he lost something forever. She couldn''t understand.


    But from then on, no matter how hard she tried, she was never able to make him smile again.


    ''Since I can''t be your smile¡­I want to be your pride.''


    That was her decision back then. It was the reason she pushed herself.


    Except¡­the dual paths she neverined about previously turned out to be curses.


    Even though she was more talented than her brother, even though she worked even hard, even though her aplishments were higher¡­she could never remove the upper ceiling.


    Level 9.


    That was the farthest she could go.


    And that meant, she would never be his pride.


    Unlike Charles, unlike William, unlike Ashtarh, unlike Maissa¡­


    "Unlike Varian¡­" Sarah bit her lip and closed her eyes with aplicated expression.


    If she could do anything to be a single path awakener, she''d do it.


    No matter the cost.


    ''But¡­am I right to deceive father like this?'' As she recalled Varian using teleportation in the dungeon, Sarah''s heart tightened.


    A part of her didn''t want to deceive Evander anymore.


    Yet¡­


    Because of that one lie, Evander was happy.


    Varian was safe.


    Was it too much to hide a lie to keep them happy for a long time¡­even if that happiness was bound to crumble one day?


    ''Even if he''s a dual awakener, with the strength he had shown at the banquet¡­he''ll reach level 6 in a few months and level 7 at the same time as Charles.'' Sarah thought as she nced at the distant red moon in the sky.


    Everything should''ve been been perfect, however¡ª


    "But¡­I am really unwilling. Why can''t he be proud about me?" Sarah''s hands gripped tighter as she lowered her head.


    She was genuinely happy for Varian. But there was also envy. Not towards his strength or achievements or secrets.


    But for the acknowledgement he gained from her father.


    Why can''t it be her?


    Earlier, it was Charles. Now it''s Varian.


    Forget Charles, but she couldn''tpletely me Varian.


    Still, she felt a grudge.


    Thinking of the strength he showed in the duels before she left, she puffed her cheeks and muttered.


    "Varian, I thought you were weak and went easy on you. But from now, hmph!"


    Under the starlight, her lips curled into a smile as her eyes glittered brighter than any star.


    Even though she was feeling terrible, her mood was somehow lifted.

 Chapter 266: Yes! I Envy You!

    <h4>Chapter 266: Yes! I Envy You!</h4>


    "Varian, I thought you were weak and went easy on you. But from now, hmph!"


    "¡­."


    "Before you grow stronger than me, I''ll beat you up."


    As soon was Varian reached the terrace, he heard Sarah muttering.


    "Who?" Sarah sensed a presence and hurriedly turned around.


    She didn''t speak out the secrets but she did speak the words about beating him up.


    "The one you want to beat up." Varian replied with a piercing gaze.


    Sarah''s expression stiffened before she quickly smiled. "I was just joking. I sensed your presence long ago."


    "¡­unless the doors to terrace are opened, not even a level 7 can sense the presence. You should try better next time." Varian rolled his eyes and walked up to her.


    "¡­I will." Her response nearly caused him to trip.


    Varian regretted looking for her.


    Her heart was still in a turmoil, but Sarah shed him a beautiful smile. A smile that showed she was feeling happy.


    ¡­It was a lie.


    Even though he wasn''t using his telepath powers, Varian could tell.


    She was down.


    Was it only sadness? Or frustration?


    "Sarah, I don''t know what you''ve been through, but¡­" Varian smiled wryly as he saw her keeping on that bright smile.


    "You don''t have to keep up the smile. Nobody else is watching."


    Sarah''s smile copsed in an instant and she closed her eyes. "I¡­am trying to cheer myself up."


    "¡­thinking of beating me does seem to cheer you up." As the cold winds blew in the night, Varian said.


    "¡­for a moment, it worked. But I''m still feeling terrible." Sarah admitted honestly.


    She turned to Varian and muttered begrudgingly. "I envy you¡­"


    Varian''s eyes widened and he almostughed. "Pfft."


    Sarah''s eyes narrowed and her voice turned sharper. "Why are you¡­?" She sounded hurt.


    Varian used his telepath powers and forcibly stopped hisughter. Rubbing the back of his head, he looked into the distant sky and his voice slowly dropped. "You know, there''s nothing to be envious about me."


    His voice almost turned into a whisper. "If¡­if I really had a choice, I''d rather not be special. Some thingse with a price."


    Such as losing your normal childhood. Such as losing your mother forever. Such as forgetting the one person you grew up ande to care.


    Varian didn''t know about others, but he really wished no one else had to face this. It was cruel. and deeply painful.


    Sarah''s body trembled as she bit her lip.


    He had personal secrets he didn''t reveal.


    But he revealed two of his most important secrets. He also awakened in Space Path.


    He was the Dreamer and possessed an extremely advanced spaceship.


    ...that meant these personal secrets were even more precious to him. Even more than an advance AI that could potentially make him a target of Humans and Abyssals alike.


    With a small smile, she said. "If you want someone talk to, I''m always here."


    Varian smiled back. "Thanks. You can count on me as well."


    Then his expression turned curious as he raised a brow. "So, why do you envy me?"


    Sarah clenched her fist and was about to make up an excuse when Varian chuckled. "You''re easy to read. You envy? that your father pays more attention to me."


    "You!" Sarah grabbed his cor and pulled him closer to her face. "Yes! I envy you! Even when he first met you, he talked to you for 30 minutes. 30 Minutes! Half an hour! In thest year, he never talked to me for so long."


    Her hot breath was mixed with the smell of a sweet wine was blown on his face.


    ''Crap! She''s half-drunk!''


    If not, she''d never say that out loud.


    Thankfully, she still had her reasoning. She was just more impulsive now.


    "Um, Sarah, you can let go of me and I''ll repeat the good new I told you already." Varian said lightly.


    Their faces were too close and even though she didn''t mean anything else, if someone misunderstood it, he could kiss his peaceful life a goodbye.


    Especially Anna¡­


    As he was about to force himself out, a deep voice sounded. "I''m not disturbing you guys, am I?"


    Sarah hurriedly left his cor and backed off. She clenched the hem of her dress and lowered her head.


    ¡­Why are you acting like you did something wrong? Nothing happened, okay?


    Varian rolled his eyes and leisurely set his cor before turning to the source of the voice.


    Who is this idiot?


    As he was about to curse, Varian saw the familiar red hair and his body stiffened.


    "¡­good evening." He said after taking a deep breath.


    "Boy, why do you look at me like I am about to devour you?" Bali asked him with a smile, but his eyes were not smiling.


    ''Because I almost cursed you.'' Varian muttered inwardly while he maintained a polite smile outside.


    "No, no. I''m just surprised to see you here." This was the terrace exclusive to juniors.


    Why did this old guy pop up here?


    Does he still think he''s 18?


    ''Or was he here the whole time?'' Varian palms sweated.


    ''We made a point to not talk about important matters in public. So, no secrets are leaked.


    Besides, Boo didn''t alert me. So, he''s either far away or he just came in.''


    Boo''s detection of awakeners wasn''t as good as its detection of space waves.


    Since the person in question was a peak level 9, Varian wasn''t sure if Boo could detect him if he was hiding.


    "The terrace section of us old people is¡­corrupted by stupid couples. Jokes on them, they''re still trying to date. So, I came to this side." Baliughed out loud.


    ''You gave up on dating or dating gave up on you?''


    "Haha." Varianughed for another joke.


    Slowly, Bali''sughter died down.


    He red at Varian and said. "Then I saw you guys."


    "¡­"


    It isn''t my problem, okay?


    Ignoring Varian''s dumbfounded expression, Bali turned to Sarah and smiled. "I''ve watched your duel. You''ve grown stronger. Your dad is an idiot, but you''re really a genius. Even better than your brother."


    Sarah''s expression stiffened as a wry smile appeared on her face. "Thank you¡­it''s just, my road to being a Sovereign is cut off the moment I awakened."


    Varian patted her lightly on the back. ''I told you I can find a way to let Dual Awakeners advance to Sovereign a while back, didn''t I? So you totally didn''t believe it?''


    The temperature suddenly fell and in confusion, Varian looked at Bali''s expressionless face.


    The chill washed over Sarah as she suddenly blinked her eyes. "I..I''m sorry, I''m tipsy."


    Bali squinted his eyes as he gazed deep into the stars. No. He was gazing at a small far away.


    Mercury.


    "No. You''re right." Bali''s in, yet deeply sorrowful voice reverberated in the cold night.


    Varian raised his brow and looked at Sarah''s crestfallen expression. She was already ming herself.


    ''Why do you me yourself for everything, Sarah?'' He patted her gently, and sighed.


    "Want to hear the story of an old man?" Bali asked and the two slowly nodded.


    "All my life, I believed I can achieve whatever I want with enough effort and nning.


    My Level 7 parents wanted a genius. But I was a dual awakener.


    They believed that with two paths, I''d never be strong enough. I promised them I''d keep up with my peers.


    I focused only on my fire path, but slowly a part of my aura was devoured by space path.


    It was a part of me, I couldn''t ignore it. Even when I tried to¡­it sucked the aura I poured for Fire Path.


    Before I knew it, I was behind everybody." Bali''s red hair ruffled in the wind as a nostalgic smile appeared on his face.


    It soon copsed into a mocking one.


    "Then¡­they abandoned me.


    I don''t remember how exactly I survived. But I stole, beat, and did all kind of crap.


    Then by some stroke of luck, I found a treasure and advanced.


    The luck didn''t end there, and I joined military." Bali puffed his chest out and said.


    It seemed like joining Military was his proudest decision. To many, it really was.


    Varian observed the raging fire in his eyes as Bali continued. "I''ve been in the army for decades. I lost count of how much I fought.


    But you know what?


    I was always trying my best. And sometimes, luck knocked on my door.


    Finally, here I am today. Just under Sovereign." Bali''s eyes glowed with splendor as he said the lines with conviction.


    Usually, the story ended there.


    Just¡­his didn''t.


    The glow in his eyes was reced by regret and grief as he said. "I can''t make it to Sovereign after all.


    But over the years, many who could make it died.


    So, sometimes I wonder¡­what if it was me who died? What if they lived?


    Would Humanity have another Sovereign?


    Would the War end? Would peace finally ensue?" The conviction he had was all gone, reced by deep self-doubt.


    Varian felt Sarah violently tremble as her shoulders shook. He hugged her lightly and patted her back.


    Bali stared at the sky after he finished. It was as if they didn''t exist.


    Perhaps he just wanted to let it out.


    Varian felt a wetness on his chest and closed his eyes. He never realized things were so serious.


    Feeling her trembling in his arms, he looked at Bali and recalled his information.


    Peak Level 9 Dual Awakener in Space and Fire Paths.


    Varian''s eyes shed.


    ''You''re the one!''

 Chapter 267: Sovereign Meet [1]

    <h4>Chapter 267: Sovereign Meet [1]</h4>


    In the deepest section of the banquet hall was arge round table. It was separated from the rest of the hall by a translucent barrier.


    Seated across the round table were eight people. To be precise, the holograms of the six Sovereigns, one peak level 9 and a man whose level was unclear.


    Given their strategic importance, a physical meeting between Sovereigns was never possible.


    And even if they wished to meet, their schedule was too tight and erratic. None of them knew whichoid would need their assistance in the next five minutes.


    The previous family head of Xander family once aptly said.


    "Being a Sovereign is being a guardian. You watch out round the clock for the enemy that might never strike.


    Because by the millionth of chance they did and people lost lives, you''ll always be tormented by the fact that you could''ve saved them."


    Thus, even if virtually, seven of them attending the meeting was enough to exin its significance.


    Of course, other than the six holograms, the seventh Sovereign was attending ''mentally''.


    Kreo Bell. Psychic Sovereign. Wielder of Aether Helmet, one of the six artifacts.


    He was able to ''link'' himself with another awakener and attend this meeting.


    Of course, even with the help of the artifact, if the distance was toorge, the ''link'' would sever.


    Fortunately, Infini City was close to Mars, where Sovereign Kreo Bell was stationed.


    Thus, he temporarily took over the body of his subordinate and attended the meeting.


    And the peak level 9 attending the meeting was Evander.


    Sin Abyss King suddenlyunched an offensive against Mercury''soids and Albert was busy staving him off.


    Thus, Evander was the only non-Sovereign amongst them.


    After some pleasantries, they had quickly gotten into important discussions to take decisions that would shape the course of humanity.


    The first topic was always Pluto.


    "Sovereign Ares, how is the situation on pluto?" Vianne, the leader of Trade Union, unfolded her red fan and said.


    Even through the hologram, her voice was gentle like water.


    If not knowing it personally, Evander would''ve never believed this gentle-looking woman was the one who devised the devious schemes to squeeze money.


    ''Whatever, she has been guarding Venus for the past 40 years anyway.'' Evander shook his head and turned to the man in question.


    Sovereign Ares.


    With blonde hair and golden eyes, his appearance resembled that of a young man in histe twenties.


    With a golden battle suit and a spear in hand, even during the meeting, he appearedbat ready.


    Ares leaned back into his chair and swiveled the spear. Without any enthusiasm, he opened his mouth. "It''s fully fortified. In the beginning, we used Pluto''s frontline was a whetstone.


    Now, Abyssals are doing the same. They send geniuses from every Abyss and let them train. To be honest, with the current status quo, I see no hope of a sessful pluto invasion."


    "Remation." Sovereign Irene Nial corrected. "We are driving away the invaders."


    Everyone nodded lightly.


    Ares turned to Julius Xander and raised a brow. "Julius, if your father didn''t die so suddenly, perhaps we could''ve driven away the invaders already."


    "¡­"


    Julius closed his eyes and didn''t answer.


    Ares was the disciple of his father, and he revered the man. As the son and disciple, they got into rivalry.


    When Ceaser died and Julius shortly advanced to Sovereign, Ares imed that Julius killed his own father.


    Even though their rtionship didn''t blow into a fight, it was very stiff.


    Evander coughed slightly and said. "Once we get a new Sovereign, Pluto''s problem will be solved."


    Every Sovereign turned to him in an instant.


    "A lot are hoping that the new Sovereign is you, Evander." Julius Xander said with an expectant face.


    "Yes. Some times, I''m just waiting for your news." The only other man physical present spoke slowly.


    No. It was Sovereign Kreo Bell speaking through him.


    Each of their well intentioned and hopeful words cut Evander like a knife. As he maintained a smile outside and replied appropriately, inwardly, he felt like he was tortured.


    The deep pain seared through him as every time they wished him good luck, unintentionally, they were only reminding him that he''d never be a Sovereign.


    But...he had to keep up the lie.


    ''But¡­am I right to deceive everyone like this?'' Evander asked himself many times.


    A part of him wanted to tell the truth and disappoint everyone.


    Yet¡­


    Because of that one lie, Sarah was happy. Albert was proud. Everyone was hopeful.


    Varian could remain safe as Xanders didn''t want to mess with a future Sovereign.


    ''He was just a peak level 4 back then. Now he''s peak level 5...this speed is just absurd, but if he can maintain this speed, he''ll be a level 9 in a few years at most! What if I lie?''


    Was it too much to hide a lie to keep them happy for a long time¡­even if that happiness was bound to crumble one day?


    Evander was snapped out of his thoughts as another Sovereign started speaking.


    "We''re in a delicate bnce, even though it never happened, what if Abyssals got an extra Sovereign?


    We''d likely lose a. So, I''m in a hurry to hear your progress."? Sovereign Micheal Caron said with a serious expression.


    He looked like a harmless middle aged man with shoulder length red hair as he kept a normal expression most of the time.


    "You''ve been telling that for decades, Micheal. Have some faith in our race. We are almost equal to Abyssals now.


    I think it''s only a matter of time before we surpass them." Sovereign Kevin said with a cheerful smile.


    The others in the room looked at him and sighed inwardly.


    In his eighty years of life, he faced hell. Yet, he managed to stay optimistic and reached this high.


    No, perhaps it was because he was so optimistic that he was here.


    The optimism even spilled into the Adventure Guild he founded and turned it into one of the small two.


    "If that Dreameres out and joins us, we''d gain an upper hand." Vianne said with a soft smile.


    "Dreamer? Who?" Ares frowned in confusion.


    "Ah, forget it. You were facing off pluto for the past two months. A lot happened." Irene Nial whispered as she tapped herm and sent the ssified, sorted information.


    Ares was younger than her. And in those days, she treated him like a little brother. Even though he was stronger than her now, she didn''t treat him any differently.


    Ares nodded at her and went through the files. His brows furrowed as he muttered. "In short, from his actions, we suspect he''s a Technocrat Sovereign. But there''s no concrete evidence."


    "Exactly! You are too optimistic. Even though his actions so far yielded only positive results, his anonymity makes me question his motives.


    I checked all peak level 9 Technocrats in the past 30 years. There''s none showing any connection to him.


    So, where the hell did this guy pop up from?" Micheal Caron said sternly. He didn''t care if people called him a pessimist.


    He was the kind of guy that watched out for shadows while everyone enjoyed the sunlight.


    This world was very dangerous and full of uncertainty.


    If one wasn''t cautious enough, everything could be lost in a split second.


    That''s why, as a Sovereign, he must ensure they never take a dangerous step.


    "Well, you''re right. He could be an Abyssal agent. Thest two events could be done to win our trust." Vianne gave a wry smile and sighed. "I guess I was being too hopeful."


    "Hm. He sneaked into Julius'' inds, remember? Very suspicious." Micheal Caron shook his head.


    Julius'' face stiffened for a split second before he returned to his emotionless expression.


    But Ares caught that slight change and his lips...curled up.

 Chapter 268: Sovereign Meet [2]

    <h4>Chapter 268: Sovereign Meet [2]</h4>


    "Haha. Julius, someone sneaked into your ind?" Ares threw his head back andughed.


    "I think it''s time to change the name. They''re called Guardian Inds. But they can''t even guard themselves against an intruder. Pfft"


    Julius'' eyes narrowed and he red at Ares.


    Even though he was just a hologram, Evander''s hair stood up.


    "Ares, I''ve been tolerating you since you were my father''s disciple. But when I reach the higher state, those words would amount to capital crime." His voice at the end was chilly.


    The Sovereigns, regardless of their strength silently gasped.


    It was a veiled threat and everyone understood what he was implying.


    ''I am sure to reach the higher state. And before I do, you better behave. Or you''d pay the price with your life.''


    They would''ve dismissed if it was anyone else.


    But Julius¡­


    Even Ares'' face scrunched up and he clenched his fists.


    As the youngest Sovereign, Julius made it clear that being a Sovereign was far from his true potential.


    What he''s pursuing was something they couldn''t even glimpse of.


    Humanity''s first Celestial Rank!


    Then, he''d be the de facto Emperor, Peerless and Savior.


    Thinking of this, the atmosphere in the room suddenly descended into silence.


    "Haha. Ares has been fighting for three months continuously. You know he''s just back from the frontlines." Ireneughed and tried to y down the Ares'' earlier words.


    Seeing that the room was still silent, she turned to the man with a scar and said. "Evander, did the duels end? Any interesting seeds this year?"


    ''Father, I want to be a Sovereign. That doesn''t mean I want to join these conversations.'' Evander sighed inwardly while he shed a bright smile outside.


    "Of course, the geniuses of every year are better than thest. But this year is another matter altogether." He said with enthusiasm and nced at Julius.


    He said, tapping hism, which yed the battle of Charles with three of his peers.


    It elicited gasps even from the Sovereigns themselves.


    "In my honest opinion, Charles Xander is the number one genius I''ve ever seen." Evander said with a straight face.


    Of course, it was a lie.


    Varian''s performance in this match was too eye catching and he hoped to keep the limelight off his silly apprentice.


    ''If you''re peak level 5, show your strength since the start. Why do you act like you are growing with each battle?


    Your acting is too perfect. Even I can''t tell if you''re already peak level 5, or are growing slowly.''


    Evander almost wanted to beat up Varian for this mess.


    Not only did Varian fight freaking 30 matches, he even seemed to enjoy them!


    "Is there anyone else?" Ares snorted and crossed his hands, his spear still gripped tightly in his right hand.


    "Aside from Charles, there''s Ashtarh, Xavier, Marcus, Maissa, Helia, Philia and Williamson."


    At the mention of some names, few Sovereigns smiled and nodded.


    Vianne''s brows furrowed and she pursed her lips.


    There''s none from Trade Union.


    "What about second years? And besides, isn''t your daughter second year?" Vianne narrowed her eyes at Evander.


    Evander inwardly sighed and decided to reveal the truth. If he was found hiding anything, it''d only spark their interest more.


    "Sarah is the obvious first." As he said those words, Evander''s lips curled up without meaning to.


    He then turned to Irene Nial and nodded. "Second is Han Nial and mam, your grandson has rushed to Mars''oid when the situation there worsened."


    "He''s a good soldier." Aresplimented and Evander nodded sincerely.


    "Third is¡­um," Evander paused for a moment and considered the question again.


    Strongest second years, since Varian was a first year, he didn''t need to include him.


    That''s a good excuse, right?


    "Third is Varian?" Julius suddenly raised a brow and nced at Evander.


    Evander stiffly nodded.


    "Wait, he''s only a first year." Micheal Caron looked through Varian''s file and raised a brow.


    "What?"


    The atmosphere was once again silent.


    This time, however, every Sovereign was browsing through Varian''s information.


    Julius'' eyes shed for a moment before he smiled. "He''s the most talented child. But why did he awaken sote?"


    Evander coughed lightly and said. "He had a trauma and it hindered him. He''s good now. Thank you for your care."


    "But, it''s strange, the way his strength rose with each battle." Irene Nial knit her brows and turned to the fiercest Sovereign. "What do you think?"


    "He didn''t show any difort of adjusting to his increasing strength. Even the best geniuses I''ve seen can''t do that. So, that''s why I think he is just revealing his strength." Ares gave his opinion.


    ''Phew.'' Evander inwardly sighed in relief.


    "I wanted to say he''s the best genius ever, but he had Ambrosia. Even though he got only a part of it, he got enough to reach peak level 5." Kevin shrugged honestly.


    Vianne nodded and turned to Evander. "So, after he was out of the dungeon, he was already peak level 5, but you shielded his strength, am I right?"


    To be honest, it was what she wanted to believe. And it was also the only option that made sense.


    If she epted the public version, Varian literally went from low level 5 to almost peak level 5 in¡­.two weeks?


    That''s just absurd.


    So she thought of a more usible possibility.


    "Yes. He was peak level 5 since the beginning. I didn''t want to cause too muchmotion." Evander nodded and admitted. "But Varian is very talented. I believe¡­"


    "Yeah, yeah¡­" Sovereign Kreo Bell suddenly interrupted and shook his head. "Don''t lie to yourself, Evander. He got here because of Ambrosia. Or you wouldn''t even know his name."


    Ambrosia helped him once. But he was on his own when facing the bottleneck of high awakeners.


    In short, despite his ''weirdness'' they weren''t optimistic about his future all.


    "¡­" Evander turned silent.


    Inwardly, he was pleased.


    At the same time, he also sighed. ''Varian, I convinced everyone somehow. This is the best I can do.


    This is also the best you can do, right? Peak level 5?


    If you are level 6, shit will hit the fan. Fuck! Why am I using vulgarnguage?


    Anyway, I must warn him toy low. Even if it''s him, he should take a month or two to advance to level 6, right?


    I hope I''m right.''


    The other Sovereigns too shared the same opinion and Irene Nial switched the topic. "Sovereign Julius, about the secret potion..."


    Evander tapped on hism and instructed Ryan.


    The discussion turned serious and Evander carefully listened.


    An hour passed just like that.


    *** *** *** ***


    >> Attention! Thepetition is about to begin in 15 minutes. The briefing will begin shortly.


    The voice message snapped Sarah out of her state and she hurriedly pulled herself out of Varian''s embrace.


    With a wave of her hand, the water mana in her body identified and contained the alcohol while her chi neutralized it.


    The rosiness on her face was gone in an instant and her face turned expressionless.


    Bali was long gone and all she saw Varian looking at her with a smile on his face.


    "Remove that stupid smile." She punched him lightly on the chest and said softly. "Let''s go."

 Chapter 269: The Briefing [1]

    <h4>Chapter 269: The Briefing [1]</h4>


    Varian and Sarah entered the banquet hall. Along the way, he nced at Sarah from time to time, inciting her resentful res.


    The tables were rearranged and there were only sixteen huge round tables in the hall.


    Two for each. ck and White.


    The cadets of a sat across the white table.


    The seniors, the ones who already graduated sat across the back table.


    Of course, they were all in peak level 6. If they reached level 7, they''d be in the other hall.


    Varian sat to the right of Sarah and left of Williamson.


    And when he did, the aroma of the appetizers on the table assaulted his senses.


    There were special meat dishes from Level 7 Magic Beasts, some of the finest alcohol, and masterful dishes cooked by spirit chefs.


    For a low awakener, just a single meal here was equivalent to a month''s practice.


    Varian tasted a few before shaking his head in disappointment. He now had mixed feelings towards Anna.


    The dishes she cooked were absolutely amazing to the point he found almost everything tasteless.


    ''Damn it! She''s definitely not as harmless as she looks. She''s trying to enve me to her cookings! ¡­Alright!'' Varian was preparing himself for a war when he caught the glimpse of young men and women, slightly older than them, chatting andughing on the ck round table.


    "Why are they invited?" He asked Sarah.


    She stiffened for a moment and acted like she didn''t hear anything as she continued talking to the girl beside her.


    ''Really now¡­'' Varian shrugged and turned to William who was absolutely devouring the dishes. "Err, Senior William, why are they invited?"


    William signaled for him to wait while he finished off the sixth lobster and sighed in contentment.


    Looking at Varian''s weird expression, he said in defense. "What? Thepetition is about to begin. We''ll be gone for hours. Need to stuff yourself man."


    "¡­yeah." Varian nodded, trying his best toe across like he believed that fat lie.


    "About those on the other table.."


    "Oh, they? Many of them are our alumni. Of all the people I know, they''re the most hardworking. They''re all at peak level 6 and they are training to advance." William exined.


    Varian nodded with an understanding expression.


    Level 6 to Level 7 was supposed to take around 6 years. So, if one graduated at 20, they''d reach level 7 at age of 27.


    Of course, a few geniuses did it at 26. But that''s about it.


    However, Varian heard from many sources that this time was going down with each generation.


    Of course, excluding anomalies like Charles. He already touched the bottleneck.


    "Once thepetition begins, the level 7s will instruct and guide them. They can ask advice from whoever they want.


    It''s a very tempting experience. If not for the reward, I would stay too." William said excitedly.


    When he said ''Reward'', William''s eyes shone brighter than disco balls.


    ''Um, is it very important? Level 6s can improve a sub-level at most.'' Varian thought as he scratched his cheek.


    He''d rather stay for the level 7s instructions. But Richard sent another message.


    Apparently, Evander ''admitted'' that his strength was always peak level 5.


    So, if he suddenly showed strength higher than it, that is, strength of level 6, then he''de under scrutiny.


    After all, advancing from level 5 to level 6 would take time. Even geniuses took a day or two to fully adjust their state after advancement.


    The only problem was¡­


    [Body (Enhanced) Path L5: 1930/2000]


    ''Ai. Unless I sit still, I''m gonna level up soon.'' Varian supported his head on his chin as his elbow rested on the table.


    He looked like he was in deep thought. As if he was facing an existential crisis.


    ''If I train with a level 7, I risk identally advancing and exposing my ridiculously short advancement time.


    So, I''d better go to thepetition.? And Since I''m going, I might as well win.


    If I have to win, I need to win without exposing my strength. But how do I do that...?''


    And thus, he started to sigh as his thoughts spiraled with ''ifs and might as well.''


    William waved his hand in front of his eyes, but Varian remained unperturbed.


    "Sarah, did you ask him to do something unspeakable? Why is the guy sighing too much?" Williamson nced at Varian who stared into distance aimlessly while sighing every minute and asked Sarah.


    "Eh? Ah? I can''t hear you." Sarah waved her hand and continued talking to the girl on her left.


    She saw Varian from the corner of her eyes and was instantly reminded of the moment she grabbed him by the cor and saying ''I envy you because my dad spends more time with you''.


    ''Argh! I want to die!'' Sarah felt like she would die out of embarrassment.


    Now the only way was to ignore him. If she turned around to face William, she''d also see Varian. So she also ignored him.


    "Huh?" William was dumfounded. "Is she ignoring me or what? But why me?"


    Suddenly, his eyes widened and William gasped as he came to a realization. "I get it! No, she gets it!


    She can''t face my handsomeness. It''s too much for her. So she''s avoiding me."


    Then, he nced at Sarah''s blonde hair and shook his head. "I''m sorry to break your heart. I already have Philia."


    Then he looked at the sky through the ceiling and sighed in mncholy. "I''m the man you''ll never get."


    "Pfft." Varian clutched his belly and bent his head as he tried to stifle hisughter.


    Despite his best tries, his shoulders shook uncontrobly.


    "Oi, junior. They used to call medy killer, not the homicide kind mind you. It''s normal for her to be enthralled by yours truly."


    William sighed with a helpless expression.


    "Yes, yes." Varian nodded before breaking into another fit ofughter.


    Turning to Varian, William put on a serious expression. "Actually, I was just trying to bring you out of your endless sighs. See, it worked!"


    "Ho! But why do I get the feeling those are your true thoughts?" Varian raised a brow and asked with a mischievous smile.


    William''s gaped for a moment before answering with a serious expression. "Don''t you trust my character, Varian? Am I the kind of cheap narcissist who praises himself for self-validation? No way!"


    "¡­."


    Suddenly, the table seemed to be silenced as everyone nced towards William.


    William awkwardly smiled and nced around the table. "Am I that kind of person?"


    "¡­."


    Silence prevailed.


    Finally Sarah, who was avoiding Varian turned around and nodded. "That sounded just like you, William."


    Varian hesitated for a moment before lightly nodding. Following which, everyone who knew William, which was quite arge number, nodded.


    William clutched his heart and copsed on the table. "At this rate, will I even survive to participate?"


    To his plight, no one came.


    In fact, others joined in the harmlessughter.


    Varian silently observed the figure sitting far away from him.


    Charles Xander.


    There was no sitting beside him.


    In fact, there was no one ten seats next to his right or left.


    Compared to the outgoing William, he was very withdrawn.


    He didn''t get jokes. He didn''t socialize.


    Whenever he got free time, he didn''t do anything else.


    He just¡­trained.


    The first and second of Earth...they were very different from each other.


    At the moment, a cold but soothing voice reverberated across the hall.


    "Hello, juniors. I''m Prince Belus. After my instructions, the ''Sr Trial'' of this year will begin." A handsome young man suddenly appeared in the hall.

 Chapter 270: The Briefing [2]

    <h4>Chapter 270: The Briefing [2]</h4>


    The hall went suddenly silent as everyone focused on the young man.


    And when they did, they noticed two young men and three young women standing just behind him.


    ''I can''t even sense their arrival.'' Was themon thought.


    Prince Belus Caron smiled lightly at their response before his eyes caught Charles'' uninterested eyes.


    ''You could sense we arrived¡­? No! Must be a coincidence. Even I couldn''t do it when I was peak level 6.''


    Taking a deep breathing, Belus adjusted his mood and addressed the eager crowd.


    "Like every year, the federation is conducting apetition in the Secret Realm. This time, the theme is ''mission''.


    You will be sent to the secret realm Theodra. In the six regions of Theodra, there is one g each.


    Those who get the most gs win." He finished with a smile and stepped back.


    A young woman with long tinum hair stepped forward and snapped her fingers.


    Pa!


    A metallic rectangr token floated in front of every person sitting across the white tables.


    "These are the ''keys'' to enter Theodra Secret Realm. If you can take them, you can participate." She said slowly, her voice was soft, yet seemed to hold authority over the hall.


    Varian reached for the key and felt it.


    The space was solidified. It was like a rock made of tough alloys that needed a minimum amount of strength.


    The truly young people who came here to experience the banquet, descendants of very powerful awakeners were in level 4s and level 3s.


    After a few tries, they gave up trying.


    On the other hand, all the level 6s easily grabbed the key.


    Varian felt the solid space and clenched his fist.


    Ka! Ka! Kacha!


    Like a broken mirror, it burst, leaving the key in his hand.


    After a few minutes, the young woman nodded and waved her hand. The floating keys disappeared, leaving only around 200 members.


    Majority of them were level 6s. Only a few peak level 5s were present.


    Of course, they all only took it as an experience. No level 5 thought they had any chance of winning.


    Except for a certain someone.


    "Don''t worry, level 5s. Theodra Secret Realm has many natural treasures. Even though relying too much on natural treasures can be detrimental after you reach level 7, as long as you don''t overdo it, it''s fine." She gave them an encouraging smile.


    Or at least tried to.


    It was truly stiff and looked like someone stretched her lips upward.


    Oh boy, she must be the kind of student who never did public speeches.


    Varian sighed in pity. Speaking in public was really hard. He wished he''d never have to do that¡­hopefully.


    "Pfft! Haha!" Aughter broke out in the distance.


    Even though it was soft, in the silent hall, everyone heard it clearly.


    Varian nced in the direction and saw a familiar face.


    Narcis.


    He covered his mouth trying to contain hisughter, but he clearly failed. In fact, if he tried hard enough, he could''ve seeded.


    But he didn''t.


    A wave of chill washed over the hall.


    It was like they were suddenly thrown into snow. Naked.


    Varian stiffly turned around and saw Prince Belus'' cold eyes.


    The blue-haired prince stared at Narcis as he spat. "Apologize to Princess Ria."


    The temperature in the hall further fell. Even level 5s were feeling trouble.


    Thankfully, Belus seemed to have spared the low awakeners as they didn''t show any signs of experiencing cold.


    On the other hand, Narcis shivered slightly before he growled. "Why should I apologize? She can''t even smile properly."


    ''This idiot!'' Varian nced at his ex-opponent and shook his head in disappointment.


    "Does it matter? She put aside important matters and came her to guide her juniors. What if she can''t smile properly? Do you know what she''d been through?


    Now shut up and apologize!" Prince Belus'' narrowed his eyes and said cooly.


    Ayer of ice formed on Narcis body as his body trembled fiercely from the cold. But he red at Belus and refused to open his mouth.


    "He''s still a kid¡­" Princess Iris Xander stepped forward and tried to dissuade Belus.


    Belus waved his hand and his voice turned colder. "We both know he''s not. Let him apologize and this matter will end. Otherwise¡ª"


    "Otherwise what?"


    Belus turend in anger towards the source of the voice.


    "Otherwise what will you do? No. What CAN you do?" Charles Xander stood up and appeared next to Narcis, patting off the ice off him before covering him with his ''prana''.


    Disregarding Belus'' increasingly colder face, he said. "If she can''t speak, then she shouldn''t speak. No one asked for her extra speech to level 5s."


    Charles turned to Princess Ria and said in annoyance. "And what are you trying to do exactly? If you can''t even smile properly, why show it to us?"


    Princess Ria''s face paled at his words as she clenched her fists.


    Charles didn''t even care and turned to Prince Belus. Knitting his brows together, he said in a slow, but sure tone. "And you, don''t you dare touch my brother.


    Let''s have a match after I get to level 7. I hope you''llst this long then."


    After saying so, Charles poured a drop of a precious healing potion on Narcis and walked back to his seat.


    Silence.


    Absolute silence.


    It was like everyone forgot to breathe.


    Varian stared at the scene and felt deja vu. Before he knew it, his blood boiled and he clenched his fists.


    That day, in front of the dorm, it was because of Narcis that Charles nearly forced him to kneeling.


    He also vowed to take Charles'' throne that day.


    ''Fucking idiot! You''re the reason your brother is such an asshole!''


    Varian''s breath turned uneven as he wanted to just kidnap Charles into ghostship and torture him.


    ''No. No. I will kick him down when he thinks he''s at the top.'' Varian patted himself on his cheeks and calmed down.


    Prince Belus wasn''t in a better condition. As veins popped up on his forehead, he red at Charles and clenched his fists.


    Princess Iris Xander stepped forward and took a stance. If he tried to make a move, she would stop him without hesitation.


    No. Even she wasn''t needed at all.


    Charles'' butler, the old man who drank with Richard, Eve Xander already locked onto Prince Belus.


    The moment he tried to attack Charles, he''d be the first to not only stop him but also punish him.


    Belus Caron was from the Caron Family. A prime family same as the Xander family.


    However, given Julius Xander''s promising future, the Xander family was much more influential than Caron Family.


    But when Eve Xander showed that he would intervene, no one from the high level of Caron family even dared to stop him.


    That was the result of Charles Xander''s potential.


    He''s too important.


    Perhaps even before Julius reaches the new level, Charles might be a Sovereign.


    Feeling the dangerous stare on him, Prince Belus gave up his thoughts and snorted.


    He left and with him, the coldness in the hall also disappeared.


    A young man with curly brown hair and lean frame stepped forward, saying. "I''m Prince Kane. I''ll give you five minutes for team nning before you enter the secret realm. The time starts now."

 Chapter 271: Preparations

    <h4>Chapter 271: Preparations</h4>


    "¡­wait, no information on Theodra? We didn''t get a big list of rules! And also what''s the reward?" Varian grumbled silently.


    Therge table had split into countless smaller tables suitable for three or four people.


    The cadets quickly formed a small team and started to fiercely discuss their ns.


    Big words were thrown around.


    Unified Encirclement. Strategic deterrence. End-to-end tracking.


    Varian didn''t understand most of the words and cursed the ones who did.


    Most of these big words wereing from the strongest level 6s. In fact, eleven of them.


    Excluding Charles, they were the strongest eleven.


    William, Sarah, Maissa and the rest had a barrier cover them while they discussed their strategies.


    Charles sat alone in the distance talking to Narcis.


    Varian nced at him for a moment before turning away in anger.


    ''Boo, make a detailed list on the members participating in the Sr Trial.''


    ''Yes, boss!'' The innocent voice replied.


    Everyone was still busy. Except him.


    "Erm, being alone in this asions kinda sucks." To his dismay, even Charles began talking to a few people.


    "Since everyone''s busy, I can only ask these people."


    With a shrug, Varian walked towards the elevated floor that was just used as a stage.


    Prince Kane, Princess Iris Xander and a few others were standing quietly as they observed their juniors.


    It meant they were customer service¡­right?


    "Oh, Varian? How are you?" Prince Kane appeared in front of him and greeted him with a smile.


    Varian was caught off guard and replied. "I''m good. Do I know you, I mean, do you know me?"


    ''Ok, that almost sounded arrogant.''


    "I know you. I''m tutor Evander''s apprentice. In a way, I''m your senior brother." Prince Kane rubbed his chin and nodded to himself.


    He sounded proud to be his senior brother.


    ''Does being my senior brother let him brag or what? He seems pretty proud of it.''


    Of course, it let him brag. After Charles, he was the most talked about.


    "I see." Regardless of his thoughts, Varian nodded lightly.


    Pupils and disciples were very different. He''d be surprised if Evander had another disciple.


    But his enquires so far revealed that Evander never had an apprentice before him.


    As Varian was about to ask for some information, Prince Kane started speaking.


    "You''re a Body Awakener, so Vine Forest Region is the best for you. You can get a herb or two that can help you advance to level 6 and quickly stabilize your advancement." He kindly advised.


    "Um, I don''t have a map." Varian coughed lightly and said with a straight face.


    Prince Kane''s expression turned strange. "And you don''t have the Trial''s guide, do you?"


    Varian looked at him silently and nodded.


    "¡­whoever is responsible for you, they''re neglecting you." Prince Kane looked at him with pity and sighed.


    ''Sarah¡­'' Varian nced at the busy blonde girl who was fiercely discussing, no, arguing with William and Ashtarh.


    ''I''ll remember this, Sarah!'' He vowed to himself.


    He already started formting a revenge.


    If Sarah was afraid of ghost movies, he''d take her to one and gloat. That was as far as his revenge went.


    ''She isn''t my nanny but¡­, Richard is! He''s kinda my butler! Dammit! He didn''t even tell me about the duels or Theodra!'' Varianmented.


    Even if he wanted to search, these things weren''t avable on the meta.


    Of course, there was another option. Ask someone. But everyone was busy initially andter, he got into fights, so...


    In his defense, he assumed Richard or Sarah would inform him of stuff it was important enough.


    Since it wasn''t Sarah''s obligation, he shifted the me to Richard.


    ''I want a maid! Not an old man.'' Varian shamelessly protested.


    Thankfully, neither Anna nor Richard knew his thoughts.


    Prince Kane saw Varian was in a trance and said. "Here, this is the Trial''s guide. It''s sent with the invitation card you receive. There are only a few rules, but it''s good to know them."


    He selected a file on hism and swiped it. Varian caught the hologram and saved it to hism.


    "Thank you. If not for you, I''d probably stilll in the dark." Varian said.


    "Haha. Don''t mention it." Even though there were rumors about Varian''s growth being entirely due to ''drugs'' and ''herbs'', Kane believed his tutor.


    "I''m looking forward to your growth." As he watched Varian''s receding back, Kane muttered with aplicated smile.


    "Dhruv, Mia?" Varian raised a brow and looked at the two seniors who were seated at his table.


    "Oh, you''re back." Mia abruptly stood up and said. "I was supposed to give these to you early on. A son of a bitch challenged me to duel and I had to heal all this time."


    "¡­Mia, you defeated him early on. But then you went on beat everyone in his family, his friends and rtives. Be honest, at least." Dhruv silently chipped from the side.


    "Because he insulted you¡­" Mia''s eyes turned red and Varian could swear he saw a bloodthirsty smile on her face.


    ''A Yandere partner!'' Varian gave a thumbs up to Dhruv.


    Mia''s eyes turned back to normal and she said. "Anyway, here''s the info you''ll need."


    She swiped three files towards him.


    < Trial''s Comprehensive Guide>


    < Dangers of Theodra Secret Realm>


    < Treasures and Items of Theodra Secret Realm>.


    These were much more detailed than the one Kane gave him and were going to be way more useful.


    It didn''t mean that Kane wanted to slight him. He just gave him what he had. Why would a Prince possess the guide to Sr Trial?


    "Mia, there''s the map too." Dhruv reminded her from the side, causing Mia''s eyes to change.


    She looked at Varian in jealousy and snorted, but gave him the map file anyway before deleting her own.


    As she sat beside Dhruv, she bit her lip and mumbled. "I wasn''t even allowed to peek into it."


    Dhruv nodded in tandem.


    "Huh? What''s going on?" Varian asked in confusion. Why can''t she see the map she gave herself?


    Mia raised her head and looked at him in exasperation. "Just great. Sarah asked me to give those to you. No big deal. But she forbade me from even peeking into the map.


    Like c''mon! She''s too protective!''


    "Cough!" Varian nearly choked on water he was drinking.


    His expression turned strange as he realized. "So Sarah nned everything."


    "Of course. I nned to give this to you in the beginning. But then we were both busy with duels." Mia exined.


    Varian opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out.


    Sarah, she¡­


    Suddenly, Mia eximed. "Wait, you thought Sarah forgot?"


    "...." Varian tried to remain silent, but seeing her interest that was growing visibly, he finally said.


    "¡­.you have a good IQ, senior sister. I hope you use it in the right ces."


    Subtext: ''You''re using it for useless stuff. And this is not apliment.''


    "That is of course. See Dhruv, someone finally agrees that I''m more clever than you. Tsk." She nudged the poor man and snickered.


    ''I never said that.'' Varian facepalmed.


    "My advice is to form a suitable team. You know, get some peak level 5s with diverse Divine paths and collect treasures you all need. That way, you don''t have to fight among yourselves." Dhruv stood up and patted Mia on her shoulders.


    "I see." Varian nodded lightly.


    He wasn''t nning to form a team anyway.


    "Argh! Beware of backstabbing. You attracted a lot of envy." Mia patted her forehead and said.


    Then she seemed to remember something and her eyes burned like torches. "That bitch backstabb¡ª"


    "Eh, we''ll see you around." Dhruv dragged Mia away leaving Varian alone on the table.


    "¡­well, it''s better to be alone."


    *** **** ***


    A/N: Discord link below:


    https://discord.gg/kBKaTtsrp

 Chapter 272: Herald of Apocalypse

    <h4>Chapter 272: Herald of Apocalypse</h4>


    A few hundred cadets held a metallic token in their hand as they stood in the terrace.


    In front of them were the shining doors.


    The colorful inside of the doors shifted and twirled, the colors looked like someone poured all the paints on a nk canvas and stirred them.


    Standing in front of two princes and three princesses, Prince Kane nced at everyone and nodded lightly.


    "Follow the rules. Whatever you cane out with is yours."


    Everyone nodded.


    "The key you have, it can act as a defense amulet. But once you use it, you''re out of thepetition." He also gave them a brief intro into activating it.


    His peers were surprised about his action. Such information was usually left out as it wasmon knowledge. Why did he talk about it?


    Varian gripped the key in his hand and probed it with his space sense.


    ''Hiss!''


    There was a special pattern on the key filled with verypressed space power.


    Upon activation, the space power would be unleashed and solidify the space around the user.


    This would act as a life saving token.


    "Even though idental, there are deaths every year. I hope you remember you can have far greater chances as long as you''re alive." His eyes were turbulent for a moment before he quickly continued in his normal tone.


    "Also, onest thing¡­" His lips curled up into a big smile. Not the good kind. It was the kind of smile a teacher would have power before they announced a surprise test.


    Varian had an ominous premonition.


    "If anyone can collect the six gs, you can make one reasonable request from any Sovereign."


    Boom!


    Those works knocked the air out of the cadets and they couldn''t breathe for a moment.


    Must be an illusion!


    An illusion I say¡ª


    "Yes, you heard it right! You can make any reasonable request to a Sovereign."


    They might be hallucinating once, but when the same words were said again, the cadets sucked in cold breath.


    Their bodies literally trembled with excitement.


    Sovereign.


    For almost every cadet, it was a dream they would chase all their life, but would? never reach.


    Yet, like moths rushing to fire, they''d spend their youth, their middle-age and even their oldage in the pursuit of that illusory hope.


    Because every Sovereign admitted one thing.


    ''Every second was worth it.''


    Sovereigns were famous than the biggest influencers, revered more than the greatest doctors and aspired by every genius.


    Just meeting them was considered an honor.


    It was like your personal hero spending a day with you.


    Now they could even make a request.


    Sovereigns could provide almost any material request. But asking them for a treasure would be wasteful and even insulting.


    Every cadet would only ask for one thing if they got the chance.


    Experience!


    The precious experience and insights by Sovereigns upon countless years of umtion and their thoughts on the Divine Paths.


    Even though everyone''s journey was different, if they could understand what a Sovereign did to reach where they were, it''d be absolutely rewarding.


    They would face less bottlenecks, progress faster and avoid stagnation.


    So, every cadet had the same opinion about the request.


    ¡­except Varian.


    ''Um, there''s this Psychic Sovereign called Kreo Bell. I can ask him to unlock my memories...'' Varian thought of the famous Marshal Kreo.


    While Albert governed Mercury, Venus and Earth, Kreo Bell governed Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.


    He was also the grandfather of Xavier Bell, the best genius of Mars.


    It wasn''t a bad idea per se, but Varian felt repulsed for some reason.


    ''¡­if I let him do that, I also risk letting him see all my memory. Even if there''s nothing about System, just the fact that someone can see all my memory creeps me out. Heck no!''


    He quickly denied the idea.


    The ck fog in his mind was disintegrating by itself for some reason. And at times of stimtion, a small part of it would be destroyed.


    He didn''t know the exact reasons, but he felt that it had something to do with the ''System powers'' he briefly wielded a while ago.


    Regardless of the reason, the removal of the ck fog was why he was asionally able to get glimpses into his past.


    But, of those seven years with Sia, he could only remember a few days at most.


    ''I''ll unlock them. Bit by bit. And as my telepath level advances, I can do it faster and faster. I don''t want to trust anyone else with this.''


    And that was it.


    Varian didn''t really have any requests he had to ask the Sovereigns about.


    But someone he knew could really use that request¡­


    "Alright. Sr Trialsts for 3 hours. Make the best use of it." Prince Kane pped his hands and signaled them to begin.


    Varian saw the teams in a moment.


    The level 5s and 6s formed teams amongst themselves and a few signaled their intent to invite him.


    He rejected them, as politely as he could.


    ''I want to win the six gs. Won''t work if I join a team. Thankfully, Sarah collected the info¡­''


    One by one, level 5s entered the secret realm.


    Varian was thest level 5.


    Perhaps when he came out, he''d already be a level 6.


    Looking at the shining space gate, he took a deep breath and stepped in.


    It was like he was tied to the back of a airne with a rope and was pulled into the air.


    That was how Varian felt as the space around him twisted and yanked him towards a distant, yet near ce.


    "Keh" As he opened his eyes, six different lights shone down on his face.


    "Eh?" Varian turned around and realized he was in a huge circr in in the middle of mountains.


    In the distance were level 5s that entered before him. They hurriedly confirmed their goals and rushed out.


    It was almost as if they were fleeing.


    "¡­"


    Varian shook his head and felt a fluctuation of space.


    Level 6.


    One. Two. Three. Four¡­


    They hadn''t appeared yet, but he could feel their aura clearly.


    ''Welp. Time to go.''


    Varian kicked the ground and his figure vanished into the distance.


    Shortly after he left, a few low level 6s appeared in the in.


    They observed the six colored lighting from the six regions of Theodra.


    Ice Region. Thunder Region.


    Forest Region. Twisted Region.


    Psychedelic Region. Leaden Region.


    "Ice Region?" One of them asked.


    "Hm. Ice Crystal Fruits don''tst long. It''s better to pick them first." The girl in question nodded.


    "Let''s go."


    As such, the level 6s that appeared quickly left.


    Even though some cadets found their ''enemies'' and rivals, they didn''t pause to fight.


    Fighting here would only profit others.


    And finally, the strongest teams also appeared.


    It was five teams.


    To be precise, it was four teams and one man.


    Sarah, William and Philia.


    Sarah and William were from the same academy. William and Philia had a¡­nice rtionship.


    So they decided to team up for now.


    Ashtarh, his friend Tiama and Maissa formed a team.


    Being Neptune''s first genius and second geniuses, Maissa found them to be stron enough to work with.


    Then there was Xavier Bell, Marcus Caron and Rodey Nial.


    Since the three of them fought Charles, they recognized the other''s strength and decided they were a good fit.


    And finally, Helia and Caleb.


    Caleb wanted another member, but Helia objected.


    "Anyone else would only drag us down."


    These four teams were created with the aim of getting the g, not treasures. Since six gs were one in six regions each, beforeing they already decided their initial target.


    The four of them would collect a g each andpete at thest two regions for the two gs.


    The teams would remain until one team got hold of six gs. Then the team itself would break down and they would fight among themselves.


    Of course, obstructing all this was a single variable.


    The one man team.


    Charles Xander.


    He was thest person to enter. Also the strongest.


    Ashtarh''s words during the five minute nning rang in everyone''s minds.


    ''No single team can win against Charles. If you want to win, Charles must be out.''


    So, instead of going their own ways, all the teams turned towards Charles Xander.


    Charles nced at them and snorted. His prana circted throughout his body and he transformed into his Demi-wolf form.


    "Charles, you''re going down." Ashtarh slowly said.


    The air stilled for a moment and everything seemed to slow down.


    The next moment, their aura exploded into the skies.


    Boom!


    Every cadet in the Theodra Secret Realm stopped in their tracks and turned towards the center.


    It was fine if they didn''t, but when they did, their hearts nearly leapt out of their throats.


    Like the herald of apocalypse, fire raged into the sky, lightning struck the world, ice dragons roared and mountains moved¡­


    ¡­Theodra shook.


    *** **** ***


    A/N: Discord link below:


    https://discord.gg/kBKaTtsrp

 Chapter 273: Taking down a Goliath

    <h4>Chapter 273: Taking down a Goliath</h4>


    Sarah Albert initially opposed the n of jointly attacking Charles.


    "It''s shameful even if you win that way."


    Was what she said, but Ashtarh asked her one simple question.


    "Do you have no wish you want granted?"


    That was it.


    Sarah didn''t speak against it anymore. It wasn''t because she wanted to ask for something.


    It was because¡­


    ''Father, I''ll prove myself. Even if brother is gone, you still have a daughter. You used to brag about Sam to everyone, I want to see you with that same smile again.''


    So, here she was, in the central ins of Theodra, standing in the air and channeling her water mana.


    Ka!


    Ka!


    Ice Dragons measuring dozens of meters bloomed into existence under her exquisite control and Sarah pointed her hand down to the middle of the central ins.


    "Go!"


    Roar!


    The mighty ice dragons dashed down at lightning quick speed, their trails freezing the air upon contact.


    "Garh!"


    The Ice Dragons opened their mouths as they reached the four meter tall Semi-Wolf.


    Charles Xander after transformation.


    "Roar!"


    The Ice Dragons'' mouths worked like cannons as they shot thick and sharp icicles imbued with water mana onto the tall figure.


    The coldness instantly caused the air to slow down and resulted in a white fog covering the area.


    It wasn''t just them, there were two Water Dragons, two Thunder Dragons and two Fire Dragons.


    The Eight Elemental creations attacked simultaneously.


    The deadly Fire, Water and Thunder attacks reached Charles in the blink of an eye.


    Even before they hit him, Charles''s skin turned red, white and numb all at the same time.


    "Gulp!"


    Facing thebo, even Charles didn''t want to take it head on.


    He made an instantaneous decision¡ªdodge.


    But¡­


    His mind was sluggish. His body wasn''t inplete sync with his thoughts.


    It was off only by a dozen milli seconds, but for their level of battle, that small difference could determine victory or defeat.


    "Garh!" Charles glowed as he fought against the familiar mental energy trying to control his body.


    With bloodshot eyes, he red at Xavier Bell into the distance.


    The bastard telepath was a nuisance.


    Charles decided to get rid of him first.


    "Karh" Forcibly suppressing the external mental interference, Charles moved.


    Despite his tall figure, his body blurred and he crossed hundreds of meters in the blink of an eye.


    Just then, the elemental dragons crashed into the ground behind him.


    Boom!


    The ground suddenly shook and a huge mushroom cloud rose into the air.


    Charles'' brows knit together as he nced at the four elementalists.


    Philia, Sarah created the Ice and Water Dragons. Tiama, Caleb made the Thunder Dragons.


    Marcus Caron made the Fire Dragons.


    ''Five people.'' Charles realized his defenses were weaker than thebined strength of five.


    It was a frustrating realization.


    And he wasn''tpletely unscathed.


    The fire dragon was the closest to him and even though he escaped the core attack, his back was scorched.


    The white fur was now pitch ck as his warm blood slowly flowed out of his? burnt skin.


    But Charles didn''t care. He needed to eliminate the telepath and he could then take on them one by one.


    He kicked the ground and in an instant, was only a hundred meters from Xavier.


    To him, it was a negligible distance.


    "Xavier, you''re over¡ªeh?" Charles stopped speaking and jumped away in a hurry.


    Kacha!


    Crack!


    Boom!


    The space he was at previously twisted andpressed before exploding.


    The explosion spread for dozens of meters, swallowing everything in its path.


    ''Space Awakeners!'' Charles saw Helia in the distance.


    If he took the attack head on, it would be more than a light injury.


    ''Wait, Maissa is also a space awake¡ª''


    As he realized she was missing, he sensed three presences behind him.


    Shua!


    The wind behind him waspressed and Charles felt a pressure looming on him.


    Without thinking, he punched back, his acute senses reaching for the precise locations.


    Boom!


    Charles was blown away and crashed into a mountain.


    The three attackers¡ªWilliam, Ashtarh and Rodey Nial rubbed their stinging fists.


    Maissa was behind them and without a word, they extended their hand towards her.


    She quickly grabbed their heads and they teleported close to Charles location.


    By the time they did, Charles was already up and was about to rush forward.


    Thankfully, Xavier Bell slowed him slightly and using this opportunity, the elemental dragons of ice, fire and thunder descended down on him again.


    "Argh!" Charles tried to escape likest time.


    But this time, the Level 6 Space Awakeners Maissa and Helia worked together and solidified the space around him.


    Charles felt the extremely hard space around his body and his pupils dted.


    "Bastards!" Veins popped up on his forehead as he hurriedly exerted his strength to break the solid space restricting his body.


    Even if Maiss and Helia, two most powerful space awakeners of their generation worked together, keeping him locked was impossible.


    But they were''t aiming for that since the beginning.


    All they wanted was¡­


    Kacha!


    The solid space was broken right when the Elemental Dragons reached Charles.


    "Fuck!" Charles hurriedly crossed his arms and shielded his vitals.


    "Roar!"


    The eight elemental dragons crashed on him.


    The Ice dragons nearly froze his blood and slowed his movements as the coldness rushed through his body, injuring his internal organs.


    The Fire Dragons burnt his skin away, and almost grilled him alive.


    The Thunder Dragons attacked his now injured body and tore through him.


    Pa!


    Pa!


    The lightning coursed through his body as Charles howled in pain.


    Blood spilled out from every corner of his body as he pieces of his flesh breaking under the wrath of the thunder.


    The thunder nearly paralyzed him.


    Yet, all that wasn''t enough to stop him.


    "Kugh!" Charles was back on his feet and was about to move when four figures suddenly teleported above him.


    After teleporting the body awakeners, Maissa vanished.


    William, Ashtarh and Rodey Nial shot towards Charles at breakneck speed and their fists connected with his body.


    Boom!


    He was thrown into the sky like a ball, his body making an arc as blood gushed out of him.


    Even in that moment, Charles was fighting off Xavier, albeit he was slowly losing control.


    Boom!


    Charlesnded heavily on the ground. The final attack by the three broke too many bones in his body.


    Charles felt like his insides were destroyed. Perhaps if he was any weaker, he''d have fainted already.


    "Let''s end this." Ashtarh said, prompting a nod from Sarah, Xavier and Helia.


    Charles burnt the scene into his eyes.


    As expected, the space around him solidified and the elementalists created the dragons again.


    If he took this attack, Charles was done for. Even if he didn''t try, the key would activate and he would be teleported out.


    He would be eliminated!


    A fire burnt in Charles heart and he felt unprecedented rage.


    No!


    I worked for everything I have!


    Only I have the potential to quickly be a Sovereign!


    Only I can make the Xander family great like my grandfather!


    I mustn''t lose.


    My destiny is the top of Federation. I am not going down like this!


    "Arghhhhh!"


    Charles drew strength from the depths of his being and the solid space around him shattered like mirror.


    "Attack!"


    The Elemental Dragons were about to reach him and the three Body Awakeners were about to follow him.


    Charles did what he never thought would do.


    He kicked the ground and ran away.


    His figure blurred and he quickly vanished into the distance.


    ¡­.He escaped.


    *** **** ***


    A/N: Discord link below:


    https://discord.gg/kBKaTtsrp

 Chapter 274: The Teams Set Off

    <h4>Chapter 274: The Teams Set Off</h4>


    "Damn it! He''s gone!" Ashtarh spat on the ground and cursed.


    Even though they maintained absolute advantage from the beginning to the end, Ashtarh didn''t feel a shred of pride.


    It was Eleven vs One.


    The Eleven best geniuses of the federation fighting one.


    It wasn''t like they were an unbnced team.


    They had physical attackers, space controllers, and elemental attackers.


    The troublesome space controllers teaming up with elemental attackers was one of the deadlybinations.


    Add Body Awakeners for the finishing touch and it was a perfect team.


    With the formation of a team, their strength didn''t just add up. It multiplied.


    Despite that¡­


    "Maybe if you can chase him¡­you might still catch him and eliminate him." Ashtarh raised his head and sighed in regret.


    "You aren''t convincing anyone to take the bait with your terrible acting." Helia crossed her arms and looked at him with contempt.


    "¡­" Ashtarh''s regretful expression vanished as he changed back to his expressionless face.


    "Was I that bad?"


    "Yep. Pretty bad." His friend Tiama shook his head.


    "Whatever. Acting isn''t for me. Fighting is the only thing I know." He said, and in the end, even seemed proud.


    "¡­argh." Sarah felt a sense of deja vu.


    ''Varian would say the same thing.''


    "We''ll go to our picks and decide the winner at the end." Xavier said lightly.


    Everyone lightly nodded as they watched Xavier with caution.


    If there was no Xavier, even with Space Awakeners, Charles'' speed wouldn''t slow down enough.


    Then, the elementalists would never be able to attack him properly.


    In fact, given Charles'' reaction speed, he would be able to hold his own against the three body awakeners.


    Xavier was one of the major reasons he couldn''t fight back properly


    "With Charles gone, we all have a shot at winning." Ashtarh said and waved at them.


    "See ya!"


    Maissa touched the shoulders of Ashtarh and Tiama. Their figures blinked in and out, a few miles between each disappearance and soon, they were out of sight.


    They picked the Thunder Region.


    Helia didn''t even bother greeting them and grabbed Caleb''s hand.


    They too quickly disappeared.


    Their destination was the Twisted Region.


    Xavier nced at the Sarah''s team and his gaze paused on Sarah.


    "Sometimes, I forget you''re a second year." With those words, he nodded at Marcus.


    Marcus conjured a me board for Xavier and along with Rodey Nial, they went towards the Psychedelic Region.


    Finally, only Sarah, Philia and William were left.


    "Let''s go too." Philia said, nudging William who was looking in the direction Charles disappeared.


    Vine Region.


    "Is it really alright to leave him like that?" He rubbed the back of his neck and asked.


    Sarah shrugged. "You know why we let him escape."


    William recalled Charles'' final outburst and nodded solemnly. "We can eliminate him. But right before he do, Charles will burst out with all his strength and take down at least one of us."


    That was the main reason no one wanted to chase after Charles, even if he was heavily injured.


    Even though he was in no way his peak condition, if they really pushed him to the brink of elimination, there''s a very high chance he''d take down at least one of them with him.


    Who wanted to take that risk?


    No one!


    The four teams acted together for a single reason.


    They wanted to get the special reward and it needed them to collect all the six gs.


    If Charles was allowed to deal with them one team at a team, he would eliminate them one by one and easily win.


    But with his heavy injuries, he could hardly be a threat in the end.


    Thus, pursuing Charles to just eliminate him wasn''t worth it.


    And even if they eliminated Charles, and managed to take his final attack without being eliminated, they would be severely injured.


    Then their chances of collecting the six gs would be non-existent.


    "Ashtarh''s team is the strongest, then it''s Xavier''s, then us, and finally Helia''s." William said in exasperation.


    The reason Helia''s team wasst was because they had only two members.


    "Do we really have a chance at winning?"


    Sarah looked at him and gritted her teeth. "Don''t jinx! If I can''t win, then I''d rather have Philia win than you."


    Philia''s cold face showed a small smile as she nodded. "If I can''t win myself. Then I''ll also pick Sarah over you."


    "¡­Fuck!" William cursed in despair and sprinted to the boundary of the Central ins.


    Sarah''s body blurred and a blue hue covered her. She quickly caught up to William and surpassed him.


    With blue wings behind her back, Philia was behind William.


    They soon stopped in front of a white barrier.


    The area theynded was called ''Central ins''.


    The world of Theodra was divided into Central ins and the Six Regions.


    Each of these six regions had one g in a specific location.


    Ashtarh Team went to Thunder Region''s Thunder ins.


    Xavier Team to Psychedelic Region''s Psychedelic Gardens.


    Helia Team to Twisting Region''s Twisting Inds.


    They can''t go from one region to another. Inter-travel between the regions is impossible. One must travel back to the Central ins and go to the desired region through the white barrier.


    "With us two Water Awakeners, Ice Region is our best bet." Sarah said and stepped into the white barrier.


    The space twisted and she felt like the world suddenly shook.


    The temperate dropped and snow fell.


    Sarah found herself standing in deep snow, and in front of her were countless snow mountains.


    Philia clicked on herm and opened a map.


    "The target is thirty miles north west."


    Her body shed and she shot into the air pping her blue wings.


    The same scene was repeating for the Ashtarh Team, Xavier Team and Helia Team.


    It''s just that none of them knew that a young man was hiding in the mountain ranges of Central ins and watched the entire battle.


    His eyes shone with a sharp light as his lips curled up.


    "Master, are you going to hunt for treasures?" Boo asked.


    "Treasures? No. I''m going to hunt for the six gs."


    "¡­but they''re all more powerful than you."


    "So what? I just need to get the gs before the trial ends." Varian said and his eyes narrowed.


    "Fighting isn''t the only thing I know."


    *** **** ***


    A/N: Discord link below:


    https://discord.gg/kBKaTtsrp

 Chapter 275: Thunder Plains [1]

    <h4>Chapter 275: Thunder ins [1]</h4>


    Team Ashtarh was advancing in the Thunder Region.


    As one of the six regions of Theodra, Thunder Region by itself was as vast enough to be called a continent.


    If they had to explore it fully and find the g, never mind 3 hours, even 3 weeks? wouldn''t suffice.


    Thankfully, the rules of thepetition were clear and gave the participants a chance of victory.


    [1. The g in Thunder Region is in Thunder ins. Thunder ins is the first area you step into once you set foot in Thunder Region.


    2. You are only allowed to move in the Thunder ins. If you move out, you are are disqualified.]


    Thus the three blurry silhouettes stopped on a rather barren ins. They were already reaching the core area of the Thunder ins.


    Thunder Region had a rather gloomy sky with thick and dark clouds. Thunder ins was no exception.


    Along the way, they came across and fight creatures that wielded the power of lightning.


    There were even nts and trees emitting the lighting mana.


    The lightning mana rich environment made them a force to reckon with.


    Across the hundreds of ns and animals they had seen in the Thunder region, the onlymon point was they all had lighting and¡­


    Zap!


    Zap!


    Every ce was bombarded by lightning frequently.


    Maissa snapped her fingers and teleported to the distance.


    Lighting bolts with the thickness of a bucket struck her previous position.


    Boom!


    The lighting broke the earth and raised thick dust into the ground.


    Despite perfectly evading the lighthing, Maissa wasn''t pleased. With her space sense, she was able to clearly feel the amount of damage the lighting had done.


    The shockwaves were enough to injure a level 3.


    The direct attack itself was enough to instantly disarm a level 4.


    "The intensity of lighting is steadily increasing." She said with a solemn expression and looked at her two teammates.


    Ashtarh, being level 6 controller simply dodged.


    Whilst Tiama, the level 6 Lightning Awakener let the lighting strike his body. He even seemed pleased each time the lightning struck as his lips curled up wildly.


    "¡­are you a masochist?" She couldn''t help but ask with caution.


    "What? No! Why did you even think of that?" The golden haired youth seemed hurt as he looked at her with sad eyes.


    Ashtarh shook his head and patted Tiama while made a lip movement to Maissa.


    ''Tiama is hyperactive¡­alright, he tends to get emotional.''


    Maissa understood his words and coughed slightly. Looking at Tiama sad face, she felt like she was a bully.


    "I''m sorry. You enjoyed the lightning strikes. As far as I know, Lightning Awakeners don''t really improve with those strokes, am I wrong?" She asked with genuine curiosity.


    Tiama regained his cheerful expression and raised his head in pride. "You''re partly right. We, Lightning Awakeners don''t directly improve with lighting strikes.


    But as a genius, I can use my lightning sense to deeply analyze their workings. As they say, nature is the best teacher. And I always try to be the best stud¡ª"


    "Yeah. Yeah. She gets it. Let''s get going." Ashtarh patted Tiama and said.


    Tiama looked at Maissa to confirm. Only after she nodded did he pat his chest and smile.


    Under his lead, they quickly travelled thirty miles and reached the entrance of arge valley covered by mountains on all sides.


    The team of three prepared to meet their first challenge and as the strongest, Ashtarh took the lead.


    This was the so-called Thunder Shrine.


    The valley''s entrance was filled with a thick fog coated with lightning mana preventing them to see anything.


    Despite that, Ashtarh''s senses alerted him. The even breathing, friction of metal cutting the air and friction of scales rubbing¡­scales?


    Ashtarh gripped his spear and? hurriedly looked up. His eyes narrowed and he said.


    "We have a situation. Sixty degrees up."


    Maissa and Tiama spread their special senses and gasped in surprise.


    Almost three miles above the ground, five griffins were gazing down at them. Their wings were made of golden scales as they shone with lightning mana.


    Seeing that they were found, the golden griffins exerted their aura and a huge lightning circle under them.


    "This¡­" Maissa opened her mouth and was about to ask Ashtarh if this was normal.


    "Back off! Back off!" He said quickly and back flipped.


    Tiama''s body shed and he pushed himself away with lighting mana.


    Maissa''s hair stood erect and she appeared a mile away.


    The next moment, a sh of light passed and the surroundings went silent.


    Then all of a sudden, the ground shook and Maissa tumbled down.


    "Wha¡ª" Her words were caught in her mouth as she saw a huge pit in the position they were previously standing.


    "These are not normal level 6s." Ashtarh appeared beside her and said in a solemn voice.


    His gaze never left the huge golden circle under the griffins.


    Tiama''s voice sounded from a distance. "You''re right. That circlebines their powers with a good efficiency and attacks us. That attack is slightly stronger than a peak level 6."


    "Screech!" The griffins screeched and the golden circle lit up in a second.


    Ashtarh didn''t hesitate and said. "Maissa, teleport me and Tiama to their top."


    Maissa grabbed Ashtarh''s hand, teleported to Tiama''s side and looked up at the griffins.


    "Leave one for me." She said cooly.


    Rumble!


    The huge lightning struck down once again and right when it was about to hit them, the trio disappeared.


    "Screech!" The griffins in the air sensed three new presences and quickly scattered.


    Their skin shone with a brilliant gold as lightning mana covered every inch of their being and created a solid defense.


    But¡ª


    Ka!


    Ka!


    Ashtarh''s sword flowed like a dance as it cut through the lightning armor and cleaved the mighty creature into two.


    Without a pause, he kicked into the air and his body shifted a few hundred meters just before another griffin.


    Kacha!


    His footnded on the head of a griffin and sted it to pieces.


    "Two down. Three to go."


    His eyes locked with another griffin a few hundred meters away from him.


    Rumble!


    The griffin''s eyes dted for a split second and its survival instincts kicked in. With a screech, it shot a lighting bolt at him.


    "Hmph!" Ashtarh snorted and kicked the air.


    Boom!


    With the force, he evaded the lightning and rushed towards the beast.


    "Screech!"


    The griffin''s wings stiffened and it was about to flee.


    Right then, the space around its wingspressed and then suddenly, burst.


    Pa!


    Its wings were broken and its flesh and blood were scattered in all directions.


    Ashtarh sensed Maissa behind him and shook his head.


    "Two more."


    Suddenly, he heard a loud thunder p behind him.


    Turning around, he saw Tiama''s lightning spear crack open the griffin''s defense and pierce its eye, all the way to its skull.


    "And the fifth one?" He asked, during his speech, he was already descending down towards the ground.


    "Here." Maissa appeared beside him with an eagle head in her hand.


    "Your strength doesn''t lose to mine." He narrowed his eyes and said sharply.


    Maissa clenched her fists and the space around the head in her headpressed, crushing the head into a mush of bone and flesh.


    "Maybe." She replied vaguely and touched his sleeve.


    In the next moment, the trio were once again in front of the valley entrance.


    "Alright, no more griffins. We''re good to go." Ashtarh carefully sensed and nodded.


    The trio walked through the white fog and entered the area of ''Thunder Shrine.''


    "Wha¡ª"


    Maissa''s eyes widened as she opened her mouth in shock. The hair on her neck stood erect as she gulped down.


    Standing in front of them were thirty strange humanoids dressed in golden armor.


    And in the sky were¡­.thirty griffins.


    "Oh boy, this is going to take a while."

 Chapter 276: Thunder Plains [2]

    <h4>Chapter 276: Thunder ins [2]</h4>


    A few minutes after Ashtarh''s team entered the Thunder Region, Varian followed.


    Thend where lightning struck every five minutes wasn''t really fun for lighting awakeners except geniuses like Tiama.


    But Varian thought he''d be happy.


    "This is just too weak. Oh heavens, give me stronger lightning." He almost yelled if not for the fact that he didn''t want to alert the messengers.


    Messengers¡­they were the people ''hired'' by these five teams that werepeting for the gs.


    After all, the original participants in the Sr Trial were in hundreds.


    They knew they couldn''t win thepetition, but the Theodra Realm itself was full of natural treasures.


    As long as they avoided the five areas with the gs, they were free to explore wherever they wished.


    Since they had the basic information about the secret realm beforehand, every participant was more or less prepared.


    Thus, right after appearing in the Central ins, they travelled to their chosen region and then rushed to the chosen area in the said region.


    After all, just a single treasure would help them a lot.


    Of course, once they ventured into areas without gs, they were disqualified and couldn''t participate.


    They knew it and didn''t care. All they wanted was to make the best use of this opportunity to grow stronger.


    But¡­there were some that were stay behind and help the five teams. They usually belonged to the same faction as a team member.


    For instance, Prisci Xander was one of the messengers of Charles Xander.


    She would keep an eye on the people entering the Thunder ins and inform Charles of thetest updates.


    Or would''ve¡­


    "Sorry, but I''m not sorry." Varian looked down at the unconscious girl on the ground and said with an unapologetic face.


    She was a peak level 5.


    And he spotted her early on after entering the Thunder ins.


    So, he hid his presence and using his teleportation plus super speed, knocked her out.


    "Oh well, there you go." Varian gripped her neck and tightened his hand. Prisci''s body twitched and her face turned pale. Unconsciously, she began to struggle.


    Her body tried to transform itself into a snow leopard and defend her, but Varian simply tightened his grip.


    Right when his grip was about to break her neck, a light shed on her body and she disappeared.


    "The elimination system works pretty well. I guess Secret Realms aren''t favorite for nothing." Varian nodded in approval.


    Zap!


    He covered himself with lightning and rushed forward. Along the way, he kept an eye out for messengers.


    Every team had messengers like these scattered throughout the six areas with gs.


    If his ns had to go smoothly, Varian shouldn''t fall into the eyes of the messengers.


    Or if he did, he shouldn''t be reported.


    ''They''ll suspect my motives for appearing here. They might assume I''m Sarah''s messenger, but what would Sarah assume?''


    Even Sarah shouldn''t know he''s here or his n won''t work.


    The thick vegetation was slowly disappearing as he went deeper and deeper into the Thunder ins. But there was a plus side too¡­


    ''Lightning mana here is soooo thick!'' Thick enough that he wished to breathe it in and store it away.


    The deeper into the ins, the denser the mana.


    "Denser mana means stronger creatures." He muttered as he easily passed by hundreds of strange creatures.


    Rabbits with shing horns, wolves with golden lighting tails, snakes that spewed out lightning and so on¡­


    But as the creatures'' strength slowly increased, he was met with an obstacle.


    "Roar!"


    A tall humanoid creature wearing full body armor in grey. Its face wasn''t visible, and given its burly stature and rough breathing, Varian wasn''t interested in finding out its appearance.


    He pulled back his arm and punched dout.


    Bang!


    Despite being able to stop him, it couldn''t bear Varian''s punch.


    The armor caved in and his arm pierced through the left chest of the creature before appearing on the outside.


    "Ro¡­ar!"


    "Not even useful for Xp." Varian despised the fallen creature and as if the heaven was pissed, it dropped a lightning bolt.


    Rumble!


    Varian nced uninterestedly as the lightning bolt struck his lightning armor. But suddenly, his eyes gleamed.


    [Xp+1]


    [Lightning Path L4: 866/1000 (+1)]


    "Gimme more!" He raised his hands and shouted towards the sky.


    "¡­"


    "This is basic courtesy¡­" He shook his head and dashed forward.


    As the mana density increased, so did the strength of the beasts. But they were only in level 5 and didn''t increase his Xp.


    But there was the lightning.


    Sweet, cute and bright lightning.


    Varian wished he could bear all the lightning of the region¡­provided he wouldn''t die.


    [+5 Xp]


    [Lightning Path Level 4: 997/1000 (+5)]


    "Just a bit more¡­" He nced at the sky in anticipation, but like a tsundere, the sky ignored him.


    "¡­Sigh!" Sighing, Varian opened the < Treasures and Items of Theodra Secret Realm>.


    "Oh¡­Thunder Region, Thunder ins, um, oh, I''m at a cross junction?" He looked ahead and confirmed that there was indeed a mountain range dividing the path into three.


    He could go in only one path and the others would be covered the mountains.


    On his left was the so-called ''Thunder Shrine''.


    "I can''t touch them for now¡­" Varian took a deep breath and searched for the location of ''Fury Mines''.


    "¡­twenty miles from here? Good." After taking a quick look, he kicked the ground and sprinted.


    Soon, he stopped in front of arge crater a few miles wide.


    "Fury Mines." He muttered and slid down. "Enemies are Fury Monkeys."


    As if proving their existence, short moneys with shining tails jumped out from the ground and surrounded him.


    Their aura ranged from mid level 5 to peak level 5 and one seemed to be on the verge of advancing to level 6.


    "Ka!"


    "Ka!"


    Varian''s expression didn''t change as he muttered. "Treasures to be found here¡­Thunder Dynamites."


    He sensed a slight presence below him and teleported away.


    Boom!


    The ground he was standing on was blown into pieces.


    Varian''s lips slowly curled as he unfolded his lighting sense and caught the hundreds of thunder dynamites underground.


    Creating thunder dynamites was a special talent of Fury Monkeys. They used these traps to kill their opponents and guard theirnd.


    Fortunately for him, and unfortunately for them, Varian''s goal was to get as many thunder dynamites as possible.


    "Sorry, monkeys." His eyes turned cold and a sword appeared in his hands.


    Rumble!


    Lightning struck him from the heavens and the system prompted.


    [+3 Xp]


    [Lightning Path Level 4: 1000/1000 (+1)]


    [Advancing]

 Chapter 277: Thunder Plains [3]

    <h4>Chapter 277: Thunder ins [3]</h4>


    The lightning mana in Varian''s body rumbled as it flowed outward and covered him.


    It quivered and began to concentrate on his back.


    From the outside, it looked like little shiny golden threads were moving around his body as they raced towards his back.


    "Screech!" The Fury Monkeys sensed his advancement. They weren''t happy.


    Boom!


    A Fury monkey kicked the ground, causing gravel to spill out and a small golden orb rose from that gravel.


    "Ka!" The Fury Monkey grabbed the orb and hurled it at Varian.


    The remaining monkeys followed.


    Varian was still in the process of adjusting to level 5, so his lightning powers were chaotic.


    However, his body senses were on alert and the moment he saw the first orb dashing towards him, he teleported out.


    The twenty odd orbs reached his location and shed brightly.


    Za¡­p!


    It was like sound itself was forcibly cut off,pressed and burst.


    The orbs exploded into a brilliant lightning st destroying everything in its 100 meter vicinity.


    "Fuck!" Varian muttered as he floated in the air. The lightning mana coalesced into two light, but sturdy wings.


    The advancement wasplete.


    Level 5 Lightning Awakeners received aprehensive boost on all their capabilities and from here, they were capable of flight.


    And¡­


    Varian pped his wings and they dissolved into lightning mana which covered his body in golden light.


    Whish!


    His figure blurred into a streak of lightning and he instantly appeared before the Fury Monkeys.


    "Garh!" The monkeys were taken aback and lightning covered their bodies.


    The next moment, a sh of light passed and they appeared hundreds of meters away.


    It was the same technique Varian used.


    Lightning Dash¡ªcover your body with lightning and moving like lightning.


    Even though its speed was far from the original lightning, a level 5 using lightning dash was faster than any other path, excluding Space Awakener''s teleportation.


    But poor monkeys, Varian could teleport.


    And teleport he did.


    Pa!


    Right when the fury monkeys thought they had escaped, he teleported behind them.


    "Ke!" Their lightning sense captured his arrival and they were about to use their lightning mana to throw the Thunder dynamites at him.


    But they were suddenly hit by an invisible force.


    Their brains turned sluggish and their bodies didn''t obey theirmand for a split second.


    "Gar!" The Fury Monkeys regained their control in an instant, and were about to the throw the bombs.


    But it was toote.


    A bright light shed and the wind whistled as a sword cut through it.


    -Thud!


    -Thud!


    Half of the fury monkeys were instantly killed. They never got to use the thunder dynamites in their hands.


    "Well, telepath power always helps." Varian smacked his lips and grinned.


    If his Telepath was also at level 5, he''d have probably killed all the Fury Monkeys.


    Of course, it was mainly because his Body Path was already at peak level 5.


    The Fury monkeys responded to his smile with fifty thunder dynamites.


    And all of the dynamites were twice the previous size.


    "Damn it." Varian cursed and quickly teleported. He nced at his previous position and his jaw dropped.


    The dynamites actually joined together and merged into a red orb. The shiny little orb shone like molten iron and a blinding white light shed.


    Then¡­


    A huge golden sphere expanded destroying everything in its contact. It seared the air, melted the soil and swallowed everything in its path.


    Thankfully, the golden sphere only expanded for about fifty meters and died down.


    "If I was hit by it¡­" Varian wiped the sweat off his forehead and muttered. "Wait¡­"


    He turned around and saw the twelve-odd monkeys preparing to throw another set of dynamites at him.


    This time, the orbs wererger than the previous.


    Varian gripped his sword and said. "I''m not ying with you anymore."


    "Scree¡ª?" The fury monkeys created small hands with their lightning mana to throw the orbs at him.


    But¡­


    The space around the fury monkeys'' solidified all off a sudden.


    "Screech!"


    Zap!


    Kacha!


    The solid space couldn''t hold on even for a moment as the level 5 fury monkeys'' broke it apart with their lightning.


    "Garh!"


    But then came the headache. A literal headache as they felt like a needle was pricking their monkey brains.


    However, they channeled their mana and quickly suppressed the pain. The fury monkeys'' eyes turned bloodshot as they red at Varian.


    Despite his two attacks, they were fine in almost no time. But as a peak level 5, Varian saw a lot of time in that no time.


    Zap!


    Dozens and dozens of Lightning arrows rained down on the monkeys.


    "Gu!" The fury monkeys had no time to throw the dynamites and had to defend themselves with a lightning barrier.


    Then came the final strike.


    Varian''s sword moved faster than their lightning dash as it severed every monkey into two.


    Of course, the two or three monkeys at the peak of level 5 tried to resist and almost seeded.


    But too bad for them, Varian kept a special eye on them and bombarded them majority of lightning attacks.


    Since his lightning path was level 5 anyway, they couldn''t ignore it.


    It sealed away their final chance of escape as Varian''s sword ended their life.


    "Phew!" Sheathing his sword, Varian sighed in relief.


    Rumble!


    The lighting struck him from the sky, but Varian didn''t hear any prompt.


    "Tsk." He shook his head in annoyance and focused back on the crater.


    His lightning sense spread out and connected to the ground.


    Slowly, it seeped under the ground filled with craters and sensed a familiar aura.


    Thunder dynamite.


    "There!" He waved his hand, and his mental force dug the ground, retrieving a small orb.


    It was only he beginning.


    "There, there and there¡­"


    One by one, thunder dynamites surfaced onto the ground.


    Varian checked the Fury mines once again and after confirming the site was cleaned up, he left.


    First step: Acquire explosives. Complete.


    Second step: Psychedelic Gardens.


    Varian nced at the map onest time and sighed.


    Treasures¡­there were many treasures, but the more precious the treasure, the more time consuming the process to obtain it.


    He had little time.


    But on the plus side, these treasures that helped others didn''t help him as much.


    Sure, a treasure might give him a hundred or two hundred Xp, but to advance, he''d need to take at least five of them.


    ''That''d take up too much of my time.''


    Again, the issue was time.


    Of course, he could gain Xp just by what he''s doing.


    ''If I''m free by the end, I''ll go hunt for treasures¡­or rob a few.'' He thought and kicked the ground.


    His body shed forward as he sprinted towards the exit.


    *** **** ***


    A/N: Discord link below:


    https://discord.gg/kBKaTtsrp

 Chapter 278: Thunder Plains [4]

    <h4>Chapter 278: Thunder ins [4]</h4>


    As Varian just left Thunder Region, Ashtarh team continued to face the challenge.


    Unlike Thunder dynamites, the ''g'' was a very precious item. Thus, the difficulty rose exponentially.


    How?


    It took them a while to realize they weren''t fighting Thunder Knights and Golden Griffins, but Thunder Knights with Golden Griffins.


    Yep!


    As the golden griffins dived down, the full-body armored humanoid knights mounted the creatures.


    The griffins, five in each group, formed huge lighting circles once again.


    This time, the lightning circles were also powered the Thunder Knights and each of the strikes turned deadly.


    So, they had to dodge each attack.


    When they did, some of the thunder knights would throw lightning spears at them, and Tiama was almost impaled by a spear.


    "We need to find a way to end this." Ashtarh said and dodged a lightning spear that barely passed by him and plunged into the ground, creating arge crater upon contact.


    "Teleporting up and fighting them isn''t gonna be easy." Maissa said as she appeared to his right and said.


    "Y-Yeah, if we try to attack one, they''re ganging up on us." Tiama''s body shed and he stopped beside her, as he bent down panting.


    Ashtarh''s mind spun as he nced at the mighty creatures and their knights.


    A thought struck him and he said.


    "Maissa, teleport me to top of a griffin, right behind the knight." His brows knit together. "It''s going to be hard, can you do it?"


    Since the griffins were in motion, urate teleportation was in fact very challenging.


    "I can manage. But are you sure?" Maissa said before she teleported once again.


    Ashtarh and Tiama also moved away as a huge lightning bolt struck their previous location and created a huge crater.


    A huge boulder in their previous location turned to dust, reminding them that this attack was higher than a peak level 6.


    "I can do it." Ashtarh appeared confident despite the odds. That''s what living everyday fighting Abyssals did to him. It turned him into a killing machine. Though, he did manage to keep his normal side protected.


    He turned to Tiama and ordered. "We''ll take care of the knights. Follow the mission: Get the g."


    "Yes, Sir!" Tiama straightened his back and almost saluted before he stopped himself.


    ''Damn! I forgot we''re not on the frontlines.'' He thought and covered himself with lightning mana.


    Whish!


    He didn''t question if Ashtarh and Maissa alone could handle those creatures alone.


    He believed they could.


    No, he didn''t know enough about Maissa. But he knew that Ashtarh could.


    Ashtarh Dustin. Peak level 6 controller.


    Title: Future War Sovereign.


    As the genius that grew up battling the Abyssals from Pluto, Ashtarh was the most promising candidate for Sovereign.


    ¡­Until Charles and Sarah''s sudden rise.


    Despite that, Tiama didn''t think they were qualified.


    "There''s no way they can be equals!" He muttered as he dashed through the broken pavements and rubble.


    Soon, he reached the shrine.


    It wasn''t anything typical.


    Supported by tenrge pirs, the structure was enormous. Its height rivaled that of a five storeys building and its width that of a ser field.


    The shrine itself was raised above the ground level with a huge base.


    "Gulp" Tiama gulped and saw the stairs leading up to the entrance of the shrine.


    It wasn''t out of fear. It was due to shock.


    He recognized the material the stairs were made of¡ªGolden Copper. An excellent instor of lighting mana.


    They were used to make defensive equipment against the lightning awakeners.


    It was a precious alloy across the federation. People literally killed themselves over it. But here it was only used to make stairs.


    The contrast just blew his mind.


    ''Calm down. Calm down. This is nothingpared to the one time I saw the Sovereign Ares fight the Thunder King¡­though I was more than a thousand miles away.'' He tried to sooth himself, but he still had an impulse to mine the stairs.


    "I don''t have time and if I miss the final prize because of this, I''d be an idiot. Besides, we have to give our messengers some rewards. Let them take this stuff." He said out loud and finally convinced himself to move forward.


    When he reached the entrance, a huge double door greeted him. The golden door was etched with an ancient script.


    Tiama was instantly drawn by the elusive carvings on the door.


    Suddenly, the inert carvings went from immobile to depicting a scene of two humanoids fighting on a next to Earth.


    Their fight broke the into pieces and what was left of it became moon.


    Then the figures seemed to turn around and their deep eyes locked with his.


    "Haa!"


    Tiama gasped and took deep, heavy breaths.


    "The fuck!" He cursed as his body spasmed in fear.


    Before he knew it, his clothes were drenched in sweat. Those eyes¡­he had the same feeling when he saw the Sovereign fight.


    Powerless. Weak. And negligible.


    But that was a direct fight despite the huge distance and this¡­this was perhaps just an illusion.


    "¡­Devas." He muttered in a mix of amazement and fear.


    The Secret Realms belonged to Devas. Naturally, these buildings, resources, and even creatures were the relics of their civilization.


    Even now, humanity couldn''t fathom the depth of these seemingly divine beings.


    However, what they did know was that even Devas perished. And even they knew they were going to be extinct. Some spected it could be due to a foreign enemy while others thought it was due to infighting.


    But whatever the case, with their passing, they also sealed aura. It''s an impossible feat to the current humans.


    Not just that, no one could even imagine if sealing off aura of the whole sr system could ever be feasible.


    Devas were beings capable of such feat.


    Yet¡­the Ruins and the secret realms were a testament to the humbling truth even they weren''t eternal.


    "¡­I hope we can at least defeat the Abyssals and live a peaceful life." He sighed silently and once again looked at the door.


    There was no fear in his eyes this time, only determination.


    Tiama stretched his arms towards the entrance.


    The cold metal''s distinct touch pressed against his skin and he felt like the carvings on the door were about to move again.


    Without any further dy, he pushed the door open.


    Pa!


    The huge door creaked open and Tiama''s battle instincts screamed at him.


    Without any dy, he rolled down and right after he did, a lightning bolt thicker than a bucket flew above him.


    His lightning sense expanded when he rolled down and he locked on the attacker.


    No. It was attackers.


    Standing at five feet tall,shing their tails on the hard floor, the protectors of the shrine¡ªSix six-tailed golden foxes snarled at him.


    They surrounded a tform upon which a rustic leather skin imprinted with a lightning bolt symbol rested.


    g!


    ''Follow the Mission: g!'' Ashtarh''s voice rang in his head.


    Tiama''s body shed as he conjured a lighting spear in his ring hand and a heavy sword in his left.


    His anxious temperament waspletely gone, reced by a cold and indifferent gaze.


    Booom!


    *** *** ***


    "W-Will he be alright?" Maissa panted as she jumped from the corpse of a dead griffin and dodged a lightning bolt that sted the corpse into pieces.


    Ashtarh ''raised'' his speed and raised a lightning spear and jumped from one griffin to another.


    Zap!


    Maissa stalled the Thunder Knights that were about to hit him and using that window of opportunity, he ''raised'' his strength and cut down a thunder knight.


    The creature''s armor was shed into two by Ashtarh''s sword.


    By then, the griffin the dead knight was on shook away the corpse and streaked away.


    Kacha!


    Maissa''s space restrictions were broken and multiple lighting bolts shot at Ashtarh in mid-air.


    No level 6 could take this attack.


    He had no room to dodge either. They covered him from every direction.


    Maissa appeared behind him in time and teleported them to the ground.


    "It''d be pretty hard without you." Ashtarh smiled to Maissa.


    "Don''t bluff. We are both trying to retain our strengths for the final bout. If we fight at our full strength, we can finish this far more quickly." She rolled her eyes and burnt his facade.


    "¡­is my acting that obvious?" He scratched his cheek while he jumped away, dodging a bolt.


    "Yes." Maissa said. "But we can''t dy too long either. Xavier team is pretty strong. And Charles¡­our messengers in Vine Forest are keeping tabs on him, but we''ll never know if he can make aeback."


    Ashtarh''s gaze chilled and he nodded. "Twenty-Three Griffins and Knights to go."

 Chapter 279: Aether Gardens [1]

    <h4>Chapter 279: Aether Gardens [1]</h4>


    "Psychedelic Region¡­." Varian muttered as he passed through the white barrier and stepped into the grasnd.


    Unlike Thunder Region, this ce appeared to be full of vitality.


    With his enhanced eyesight, Varian''s field of view spanned several miles and he could take in the the breathtaking view of this region.


    Lush green ins, dense forests, frolicking beasts and colorful levels that twirled on the soft rivers that flowed down the mountains and stretched into the horizon.


    With the chirping of birds, and the sweet fragrance of the flowers, this ce looked like utopia.


    "Heh. What a good illusion." Varian sneered and channeled his mental sense.


    Ka!


    Cobweb like cracks appeared on the utopian world and it burst like a bubble, revealing its shallow and true self.


    Varian''s stiffened for a moment and muttered. "¡­this sucks."


    The utopia-like world was gone. No. It never existed in the first ce.


    The Psychedelic Region, to be precise, the Aether Gardens Areaid bare in front of his eyes.


    It was still lush green, but it was no longer vibrant. The nts had a sense of gloom around them, as if they were cursed.


    The birds'' chirps were no longer melodious, instead, they were filled with mental attacks that tried to enve the listeners.


    The flowers emitted a fragrance filled with mental power that hypnotized the beasts and drew them closer.


    When they did, their mental power attacked the unguarded beasts and killed them off. The flowers then digested the beasts and grew further.


    Then, there were beasts that stood rooted in their spot, their pupils dted and their mouth foaming.


    Slowly, they would roll on the ground, kick their limbs to free themselves. But as in a few minutes, their movements stopped and their breathing stopped.


    ''Mental Power.'' Varian thought as he looked at the world in front of him.


    Just by smelling the fragrance of the flowers, he could feel small bubbles of mental power trying to incite him tomit suicide.


    If one already had such thoughts, this mental power bubbles would exploit and expand them further, pushing the individual to do the deed.


    Varian channeled his chi and his senses cleared up. As a peak level 5 Body Awakener, he was resistant to these metal attacks.


    ''Boo, check if there are any messengers nearby.'' He ordered. His ring went off his finger and returned after a few seconds.


    ''One three miles from here. Others are too far away. She is near the route to Aether Gardens.'' Boo reported.


    "Good."


    Varian''s body blurred and he silently reached the location of the messenger.


    ''She''s a messenger of Ashtarh team.''


    "If I take her down, they might get suspicious." Varian pondered for a moment and decided against it.


    The reason he knocked out Prisci was because Charles Xander was not in a position to suspect anything even if she silently disappeared.


    But if it was others?


    Since the teams were all focused on getting the gs, the only ones who could knock them out would be fellow messengers.


    Since their strengths were in simr range, any messenger should be able to send a message to their reporting team that they were being attacked and would be eliminated.


    "If Ashtarh team asks her for information and she doesn''t respond, they''ll realize she''s eliminated. That too, without any prior warning. They''ll be alerted. I don''t want that to happen." Varian said and teleported away from her.


    Aether garden was the best garden here and hence, the whole region took its name.


    However, there were many other gardens with their own characteristics.


    Despite trying to avoid them, Varian passed by three gardens in thest four minutes.


    The Gardens of Lust. It is filled with nts that specialize in mental illusions of lust. They pull one into an endless illusion of their deepest sexual fantasies.


    The ones trapped in the illusion would be constantly weakened and finally die in their illusion.


    Varian saw a messenger sneaking into this garden anding out after a few moments with an exhausted, but satisfied smile.


    "¡­are you for real?" He wanted to eliminate that guy, but held himself back.


    Gardens of Pride¡ªpulls one into unending cycle of prideful moments.


    Varian saw a few demon rabbits patting their chests and trying to imitate a lion when he passed by this garden.


    ¡­these rabbits quickly overexerted themselves and became food for the nts.


    Garden of Fear¡ªpushes one into their deepest fear and break their mind.


    Garden of Happiness¡ªgives one their deepest happiness.


    ¡­To be honest, Varian wanted to see his happiness.


    What did he really want?


    But he shook his head and stopped himself.


    ''I don''t have much time.''


    Soon, he reached the Garden of Wrath.


    It was a big garden, almost five miles mile. There were thousands of nts growing in it, and each nt had its own ''territory''.


    Varian sensed mental power exchange between some nts in the garden.


    "They''re fighting for territory¡­" He muttered and slowly entered the garden premises.


    The moment he did, he clenched his fists.


    His breath turned uneven and his eyes reddened.


    "Damn it! Why should I spare Charles? I just want to kill that bastard! He''s injured now, if I can use Boo, then¡­"


    Indeed. Why must he wait till Charles grew to avenge Sia?


    Wouldn''t it be better if he kidnapped that bastard and tortured him?


    However, he also found a problem. "But if Charles goes missing in the trial, everyone will be suspect. What if they go for the extreme and use a Psychic to our memories?"


    Then he shook his head again, veins popping on his forehead as he waved his hand in anger. "I can just escape with Boo. The Sovereignse only in virtual form and level 9s can''t catch me. If worstes to worst, I can also use the one teleportation Boo has."


    He decided and tapped on the ring. "Boo, track Charles, we''ll kill¡­wait, what the¡ª"


    Varian''s pupils dted and he opened his mouth in shock. He couldn''t even breathe as he felt a suffocating feeling in his chest.


    It was a depressing feeling of rage. It wanted him to wreck havoc. Destroy everyone that wronged him.


    Varian sighed deeply and muttered. "So¡­this is the power of wrath."


    The moment he stepped in, small, and almost unnoticeable globules of mental power assaulted him.


    He was just one step away from asking Boo to hunt down Charles.


    Thankfully, his body powers and mind powers started working in tandem as they slowly built his resistance towards the external interference.


    Varian extended his mental sense and checked the nts once again.


    This time, they no longer appeared as harmless greenies as they shone with intense red hues.


    The red hue split into small pieces and floated in the air as they slowly reached him.


    ¡­At least twenty nts were targeting him.


    "¡­Fuck!" Was all he could say.


    Sarah didn''t mention specifically as her notes went in detail about the ces he could visit as level 5.


    So he didn''t understand why only level 6s were advised to enter this garden.


    Now he did.


    Facing the offensive of twenty peak level 5 Telepath nts, any peak Level 5 would suffer.


    Thankfully, Varian was a special case.


    On top of his peak level 5 Body Path resistance, he also awakened in two mind paths.


    Every mind path awakener had a degree of resistance to mental power.


    Thus, he didn''t lose himself in rage.


    Of course, if he was a level 5 telepath, then coupled with his body path resistance, this wouldn''t have happened.


    "I should be careful."


    His expression turned serious, but it instantly copsed when he a blue screen popped in front of him.


    [+30 Xp]


    [Telepath Path Level 4: 140/1000 (+30)]


    He felt a slight but noticeable improvement in his mental resistance.


    His eyes brightened as he looked at the garden.


    If these nts can increase his mind path, then¡­


    He threw caution of the window and grinned. "Come on!"

 Chapter 280: Aether Gardens [2]

    <h4>Chapter 280: Aether Gardens [2]</h4>


    The nts or precisely, the ''rage seeds'' Varian wanted were deep in the Wrath Garden.


    So, he had to walk for a few miles.


    With his speed, it should''ve been a cakewalk but¡ª


    "Argh!" With a roar, Varian looked around with red eyes.


    Broken walls, spilled blood and charred ground.


    This was the same location¡­his home on hisst birthday.


    In front of him was the me wolf¡­the creature, the demon that killed his mother.


    The air heated up from the mes it breathed out and touched his skin, the wolf raised its head and opened its fangs, revealing blood and bones with pieces of his mother''s clothes.


    Even in the iron scent of blood, he could smell his mother''s fragrance¡ªthe smell of the flowers in their front yard which she tended to.


    Varian''s eyes slowly turned red as his vision turned blurry.


    The rational part of him was very clear that this was just an illusion¡­but the emotional side of him was adamant.


    He needed to kill the wolf at any cost!


    "Graaah!" Varian clutched his head and bend down, his head was aplete mess as he suppressed his boiling rage.


    If he started attacking, he''d fall into the illusion. Once that happened, he probably wouldn''t wake up.


    "The wolf is dead." He told himself in rage mixed with helplessness.


    Suddenly, he recalled something and his voice turned seren. "Sia killed it."


    His emotions slowly calmed down and his mental power quickly worked out and broke the illusion.


    Varian was once again back in the garden, a few feet away from a dark red nt.


    Retribution nt.


    With purple-red flowers blossoming, the one-meter tall nt made for a beautiful sight.


    Sweet Vengeance.


    This was the flower that caused the previous illusion. And it was able to do so despite his progress.


    [Telepath Level 4: 900/1000]


    Even thebined defense of peak level 5 Body Awakener and high level 4 Telepath couldn''t prevent its effect.


    "Though the reason I struggled so much is because of my past. Someone with nothing to agonize about wouldn''t be so effected¡­" Varian paused in the end and shook his head.


    "Who the fuck wouldn''t have anything to be angry about?"


    Throwing his thought away, he walked to the Retribution nt.


    With each step, his mind boiled and his rage spiked. His anger increased like there was no tomorrow, but Varian kept his cool.


    The moment he bent down to pluck the flower, he saw Roxanna in the distance.


    Behind her was an unconscious Sia floating in a pod.


    "Haha! My experiment is a sess! I just have to kill her!"


    "Sia, you don''t have anyone to help you, do you? What about the boy you grew up with? He doesn''t even remember you. Haha!"


    Then she turned around and saw Varian.


    She sneered in contempt and smirked. "You''r the pathetic guy who can''t even protect her. What about the promise you made to her?"


    Then she patted her forehead and her lips curled into an evil and mocking smile.


    "Oh I forgot. You can''t even protect your mother. I heard you froze in fear. Is your body paralyzed from watching that wolf? Hahaha¡ª"


    Suddenly, herughter stopped and she looked at Varian in horror. "No. Come kill me. Don''t to that, don''t¡ª"


    She copsed into nothing as Varian violently pulled out the flower, unrooting the nt in the process.


    Closing his eyes, he muttered. "It''s alright. It''s alright. It''s alright. It''s NOT!"


    He opened his eyes and raised his arm to punch the ground. Right before he threw the punch, all the nts in his vicinity attacked him in self-defense.


    They tried to pull him into an illusion.


    If he really punched the ground, the sheer shockwaves would destroy their fragile bodies.


    That''s why, he must not be allowed to use physical powers.


    Even the nts that were fighting amongst themselves worked together and tried to stop him.


    Varian''s fist was inches away from the ground, but those few inches seemed to be longer than a light year.


    He tried to punch down, but his body simply refused to listen to hismand. "Fuck! I''ll destroy you all!"


    His fist stayed motionless for a few seconds before moving.


    [+10 Xp]


    [+10 Xp]


    ¡­


    [+10 Xp]


    With each moment, the resistance he encountered was fiercer and fiercer. Yet, Varian didn''t care.


    He was subjected to countless illusions.


    He saw earth getting destroyed.


    Humanity going extinct.


    He saw Sia dying in his arms and Sarah being killed.


    Each scene was enough to boil his blood and push him to anger.


    Yet¡­he focused his mind on one thing. That one punch.


    Do it!


    Finally, a clicking sound was heard and Varian''s fist softlynded on the ground.


    It had no power, and it didn''t even raise the dust.


    Yet¡­all the leaves of the nts shrunk and every flower, every seed, and every fruit seemed to shiver.


    He broke the illusions.


    [+10 Xp]


    [Telepath Level 4: 1000/1000]


    [Advancing]


    "Haa!" Varian''s eyes snapped open and his body moved on his own. Putting all his strength, he punched down.


    This time, the illusions couldn''t stop him.


    Bang!


    Kacha!


    Cracks spread from the center of impact like a spider web. Rock and gravel sted out in all directions as they smashed every flower, leave and fruit in their direction.


    The sheer speed at which they flew out caused the gravel to turn bright red as their temperature spiked.


    When the dust settled, a huge crater appeared in the central area of the garden.


    At the center of the crater, Varian rubbed his fist and sighed. "I have some anger control issues."


    But then again, some words were better left unsaid. Even in illusions.


    Varian''s body blurred and he teleported to a few more Retribution nts.


    His mind still felt a sharp pain when he plucked away the flowers, but he avoided falling into any illusion.


    Finally, after collecting a couple of Vengeance flowers, he exited the Wrath garden. Of course, the flowers didn''t attack him anymore.


    They were kinda dead. But that didn''t mean they were useless.


    If Varian channeled his mental power through? them, he could use their specialty to push others to rage.


    Of course, they? didn''t have much effect on level 6s. But amassed together, they had an excellent effect on level 5s, including peak level 5.


    "And that''s all I need." Varian stored them away and asked Boo to check for the messengers. He wasn''t supposed to make amotion like this.


    Thankfully, Wrath Garden was quite deep in the Aether Garden Area.


    So, no messenger actually noticed.


    As Varian was about to sigh in relief, Roxanna''s words shed in his mind. "¡­I am not a coward."


    Then why did you freeze...?


    As his thoughts threatened to spiral in a dangerous direction, he pulled himself together and rushed towards the exit.


    "The teams will still spend quite some time trying to get the gs. But even then, I don''t have much time."


    Varian quickly passed by the numerous gardens before his figure suddenly halted.


    Garden of Happiness.


    He looked at it withplicated eyes.


    "Just for a minute."


    He told himself and explored the garden with his mental sense.


    Instead of evading, he let the foreign mental powers bring him to an illusion.


    The illusion he considered as happiness.


    Varian''s eyes lost focus as he stayed still for a few seconds.


    Finally, his lips curled into a satisfying smile as he opened his eyes.


    "It''s going to be worth it."


    His figure blurred and avoiding the messengers, he left the Psychedelic Region.


    Next location: Vine Forests.


    *** **** ***


    A/N: Discord link below:


    https://discord.gg/kBKaTtsrp

 Chapter 281: Aether Gardens [3]

    <h4>Chapter 281: Aether Gardens [3]</h4>


    Aether Garden, Aether Garden Area, Psychedelic Region:


    It''s usually acknowledged that mind awakeners were some of the worst enemies.


    What if you had a whole bunch of them?


    Not only a forest of nts, but also a legion of animals?


    Xavier team had the answer.


    At the moment, they were in Aether Garden, thergest and also the most dangerous gardens of the Aether Garden Area.


    Stretching a hundred miles, it was more appropriate to call it a forest, but somehow the term ''garden'' stuck.


    Simr to the Wrath garden, there were all sorts of predatory nts in this area. Just¡­they were way more powerful.


    Low Level 6s would have a hard time surviving five minutes here.


    Mid Level 6s might sustain for half an hour.


    High Level 6s could manage to remain safe as long as they don''t travel too much.


    And only peak level 6s could venture to the center.


    And only the best peak level 6 geniuses could actually hope to win the g.


    "¡­This is harder than I thought." Marcus Caron grumbled as he conjured a fire spear and aimed it at a wiggling creature that seemed to be an erged version of bat.


    They''ve already passed the outeryers of the garden and got into the inneryer.


    Once they cross this, they need to get to the coreyer which held the g.


    Honestly, Marcus thought it was troublesome.


    "Kill that fucking bat!" He snarled and shot his fire spear.


    The fire spear was extremely fast and left like a streak of red drawn across the wind.


    It seared the air upon contact and reached the mega bat in the blink of an eye.


    And then¡­nothing.


    The mega bet dissolved as it never existed there in the first ce while revealing itself a few meters away.


    Slowly, it turned to Marcus.


    Despite showing no emotions, he felt like it was mocking him.


    "Fucking dammit!" He felt humiliation. Rage followed.


    "Die!" With a wave of his hand, he directed three fire spears and shot towards the mega bet.


    The mega bat dissolved upon contact with each of the spears, causing Marcus to grind his teeth.


    "Anger won''t solve anything. Use your brain." Xavier Bell said from behind.


    They were surrounded by tall trees, dense flowers of various colors. Trees and flowers that tried to pull everyone into endless loops of illusions.


    Xavier Bell held off against the mental attacks of the trees and nts¡ªthe immobile targets, while Marcus Caron and Rodey Nial faced off the beasts¡ªthe mobile targets.


    "Yeah. We aren''t telepaths, so we can''t easily sense if it''s an illusion. But we can use our senses and if it feels off, we can know it''s an illusion." Rodey Nial said as he jumped and punched an empty space in the sky.


    "What are you¡ª?" Marcus who was about to question Rodey''s actions shut his mouth as he saw Rodey''s fist connect with a tiny winged humanoid creature that appeared out of nowhere.


    No.


    It was always present there, but illusioned him to believe it wasn''t present.


    "Fucking sprite! They''re annoying!" Marcusined and focused his fire sense.


    As a fire awakener, fire sense was essential to his every fight.


    Other than Body Awakeners and Morphers, other paths didn''t offer quick reaction speed or enhanced five senses.


    Instead, they were each developed a special sense in ordance with their path.


    If Marcus turned off his fire sense, he wouldn''t even be able to notice if a level 5 moved around him.


    Of course, if he used his fire mana to ''empower'' himself¡ªa special move that increased his physical stats temporarily, he could, but that was only temporary.


    Thus, like all battles, Marcus kept the fire sense on since entering the Aether garden.


    However, just like how the feedback from senes changed with focus, like identifying the different smells in the air or the sensation of touch on every inch of the skin, Fire sense too gave more information when focused.


    So, why not do it all the time?


    It was exhausting.


    But facing the mind path beasts, Marcus had no choice.


    He knit his brows and focused his fire sense.


    Concentrating was hard, especially since his brain was also bombarded by a dozen odd mental attacks¡ªlike his brain was slowly sliced open.


    But Marcus did it anyway.


    "There!" His eyes snapped open and in an instant, his fire ball shot an empty space, and took down the mega bat hiding in the illusion.


    "Did you see that? It''s not match for me." Marcus smirked and said to his teammates.


    Xavier Bell didn''t even bother to answer as he concentrated on killing the aggressive nts one by one.


    To the outsiders, it looked like he was just standing in front of nts and admiring them.


    But a mental sense check would reveal bright and colorful mental powers shing all over as they tried to control the other party through illusions, mental pain and others.


    Under Xavier''s offensive, the nts and trees were falling one by one. The trees were still technically alive, but they no longer had that mental instinct. They were simr to brain dead.


    But despite his sess, Xavier didn''t ck off.


    As such, he ignored Marcus''ment.


    On the other hand, Rodey Nial heard Marcus'' brag and his face darkened. Waving to the orange haired young man, he said.


    "You killed one. And provoked its family of twenty."


    Following his words, twenty mega bats surrounded Marcus and bombarded him with mental attacks and illusions.


    Marcus clutched his head and his face paled. He gritted his teeth and asked Xavier. "Can''t I just¡­make a mass attack and destroy everything? The g is made of tough materials anyway, it won''t be damaged."


    Xavier passed for a moment and shook his head in disappointment. "You never fought in a ce like this, have you?"


    Marcus was taken aback by the question and replied. "No, but why are you stopping me from my full scale attack. I can just burn down everything."


    While speaking, his fire balls urately one-shotted three mega bats¡­and missed seventeen.


    Xavier''s eyes narrowed and his voice turned indifferent. "Then try."


    *** **** ***


    A/N: Discord link below:


    https://discord.gg/kBKaTtsrp

 Chapter 282: Aether Gardens [4]

    <h4>Chapter 282: Aether Gardens [4]</h4>


    "Then try."


    After saying that, Xavier focused on his own opponents.


    He acknowledged Marcus'' strength after he, Marcus and Ashtarh fought Charles during the banquet.


    In his opinion, their team''s only rival was Ashtarh.


    He even though further down the line and calcted the final fight for the six gs.


    With Charles out of fight, the winner was likely to be one from Ashtarh, Marcus or him.


    That''s why he picked Marcus and convinced him to team up.


    Why?


    Because once the six gs were gathered, since they were in the same team, he and Marcus would work together to eliminate Ashtarh.


    Then, it''d be either him or Marcus.


    This was the optimal choice he could think of.


    For that, he needed Marcus to be strong enough, but not too strong.


    In fact, it''d be better if Marcus was a bit injured.


    That''s why, he didn''t reveal the reason and simply asked Marcus to try.


    And try he did.


    Raising his hand into the air, Marcus started to gather fire mana and slowlypressed it.


    He''d make apressed fire ball in a few seconds¡ªIfunched, it''d blow up all nts in a fifty meter radius, killing hundreds of nts.


    Ifunched¡­


    "Argh!" Marcus knelt on one knee as he clutched his head. His eyes lost their focus and the fire mana was he gathering quickly dispersed.


    "¡­" Xavier continued his attacks without paying any heed.


    "Are you alright, Marcus?" Rodey killed a few more sprites and nced back.


    "¡­I am fine." Marcus slowly stood up.


    With a pale face, bloodshot eyes and temples throbbing with veins, he looked anything but fine.


    He squinted his eyes at Xavier and asked in a low, but stern voice. "You should''ve at least told me."


    The atmosphere suddenly turned cold.


    Xavier shrugged nonchntly. "Once the nts determine your attack would wipe them out, they''ll all gang up on you to stop you. You should''ve faced the attacks of hundreds of nts, no? Thankfully, they''re just trying to stop you in self-defense or you''d be dead.


    This is why I told you, mass attacks on these kinds of ces is dangerous. "


    "Don''t y smart. I asked what would happen. You just replied ''Try it''. You think you are a Sovereign or something? Can''t just say the whole damn thing?"


    Xavier paused and turned to Marcus. "I''m not a hot-headed muscle-brained idiot who doesn''t even do his research.


    You''re supposed to have prepared for everything. We''re a team just because it''s convenient for everyone."


    Rodey nced at the two of them staring eye to eye and hurriedly reminded. "We''re in the middle of a fight."


    "Hmph! Conceited bastard. You just wanted me injured." Marcus snorted and resumed attacking.


    However, he deliberately saved his mana and reduced his efficiency.


    ''Let me recover a bit. Why should I put in all the hard work?''


    Xavier saw his actions and his despise towards Marcus only increased. He too decreased the efficiency of killing.


    He''d also consume less and be in a better condition.


    Rodey Nial watched their actions and sighed inwardly. If he maintained the same efficiency, he''d be an idiot.


    He too reduced his killing speed.


    Just like that, the clearing of the inneryer took way longer than optimal.


    "Ashtarh''s team would already be in the final stages. Unfortunately, some teams have selfish bastards." Marcus shook his head and muttered.


    Xavier''s eyes narrowed and he smirked. "I agree. Everyone in that team was well prepared. Unfortunately, some teams have people who don''t even know the basics."


    The scene fell silent.


    Rodey Nial cut down a tree and turned back. "Guys, check out the core region."


    Xavier and Marcus stopped their conflict and stepped forward.


    They stepped on the precious fruits, rare leaves and coveted seeds¡­they walked forward absolutely and utterly disregarding the treasures that low awakeners would die for and level 4 awakeners would fight for.


    Marcus, in his annoyance, even kicked away a bright red fruit. A fruit that would''ve helped a low level 4 improve a sub-level.


    Not just that, due to his kick, the fruit burst into mes and the treasures nearby also caught fire, quickly turning to ash.


    Xavier raised an eyebrow. He recognized the fruit. He was offered such fruits in the past but he refused.


    Why?


    Because the more external help you took during your low and mid awakener stages, the harder it would be to progress in the high awakener stages.


    Of course, some very rare treasures like ambrosia and enlightenment potion didn''t have that side effect.


    That''s why, even before they knew about the ''Sovereign wish'' reward, they participated in the Sr Trial.


    Originally, they thought the winner would be one among Xavier, Marcus and Ashtarh.


    But Charles took everyone by surprise.


    "Even if we win, wouldn''t everyone look down on us?" Xavier Bell lowered his face and said.


    In a war, you must win by any and all means possible. But Sr Trial wasn''t exactly a war.


    Once the word got out that the four teams¡ªeleven best geniuses ganged up on one person to injure him to prevent him from winning the trial¡­


    Would anyone really respect them?


    Marcus'' stomped his foot while Rodey looked up at the sky and sighed deeply.


    They hadn''t thought of this until now.


    Why would they? They were in a hurry all along.


    Now they got a breather before entering the core region, but to think of this now¡­


    "¡­I think my grandfather will only be disappointed in me." Xavier gave a self-deprecating smile.


    Xavier viewed his grandfather Sovereign Kreo Bell as not only his target to surpass, but also his personal hero.


    Now, what would his hero think of him?


    "¡­I wanted to win the trial and limit Xanders'' influence on my home. But it seems like I only achieved the opposite effect." Marcus Caron pped his forehead.


    Caron Family''s home was Jupiter. Xander family''s influence extended from Earth to Mars and now they''re even trying to encroach into Jupiter. If they seeded, Caron family would be aughing stock in upper circles.


    Xavier looked at Marcus with pity. Despite looking down on Marcus, he recognized the burden the man was carrying.


    "I''m not better. I wanted to win. You know how my Nial family is. We need to attract talent. But even if I win, all the geniuses will be attracted to Charles." Rodey''s face was drained of color.


    The weakest background of the three was Rodey. After Pluto attack, Nial family never recovered.


    They still have powerhouses to maintain their strength, but the future was bleak. What they needed was not resources or influence, but geniuses!


    Where can you attract the best geniuses of the federation?


    Sr Banquet! Sr Trial!


    But even if he won now, Rodey was afraid he''d fail in his quest.


    For a while, the trio did nothing but sigh.


    For their own reasons, they really wanted to win.


    But if they won, they''d only highlight Charles'' greatness.


    "Ah! Fuck! Don''t know, don''t think. Let''s go kick some ass!" Marcus ruffled his hair and walked forward.


    With a begrudging sigh, Xavier followed, kicking away a precious fruit that could help level 5s progress.


    Rodey looked at the strewn stuff on the ground and whispered. "Our messengers will pick them up after we''re gone. If only they knew their gold was stepped on by someone¡­"


    *** **** ***


    A/N: Discord link below:


    https://discord.gg/kBKaTtsrp

 Chapter 283: Sarah Teams Strategy

    <h4>Chapter 283: Sarah Team''s Strategy</h4>


    Snow Mountains Area, Ice Region:


    As far as eye can see, the world was white. Not a deathly white, but a beautiful but pale white.


    The sky was filled with a special white fog¡ªthe dense water mana and maintained the temperature of the region.


    Small, crystalline snowkes rained down from the white sky.


    They fell on the frozenkes, the snow capped hills and the sheets of ice that covered thend.


    A snow ke fell into a cold hand.


    "This ce is full of water mana." Sarah sensed the mana in the snowke and said.


    "Indeed." Philia calmly nodded.


    Sarah squashed the snowke and looked around with a sigh.


    They were currently on a hill. To be precise, two away from the hilltop.


    Even from down here, the magnificent Snow Pce was visible. In fact, one could see the pce even from the bottom of the mountain, almost sixteen miles away.


    After entering the Ice Region, Sarah''s team found the location of Snow Pce in no time.


    The beasts on the way weren''t much of a problem. The highest was only a low level 6.


    They thought this mission was easier.


    But soon, they realized they were being naive.


    This mountain, and every mountain in this snow mountains range was filled with beasts!


    Most of the beasts were only level 4, but there were plenty of level 5 and even ample of level 6.


    There were quite a few peak level 6s as well.


    Initially, it didn''t matter much.


    Despite their overall numbers, beasts on any mountain were manageable to the trio.


    The n was to climb the mountain, reach the pce and kill off all the beasts in the pce before retrieving the g.


    There was one problem.


    Just like Snow pce, other mountains also had a building on their peaks. All these buildings were filled with beasts.


    It didn''t matter matter much initially, but when the trio reached the mountain and started fighting the beasts, rm bells went off in Sarah''s mind.


    With her Water sense, she could feel ripples of water mana from afar.


    The trio stopped their attack immediately and withdrew.


    Then they found the reason!


    Once amotion urs in the pce, it would also disturb the beasts on top of other mountains.


    All the buildings on the peaks were connected in a weird way that Sarah didn''t understand.


    But she did conclude that anymotion on any of the peaks would end in only one result.


    A beast tide.


    Given their strength, they could escape, but injuries would be inevitable.


    In fact, if they faced Beast tide, the injuries would cause their strength to plummet.


    If they were serious about winning, they must avoid it at all costs.


    So, they devised another n.


    Sarah and Philia waited two miles down the mountain, far away from the pce.


    And¡­


    "Yo! White Tiger, are you a pussy? Come bit me!" William''s mocking voice echoed down the mountain.


    Shortly, the ice creaked and William appeared in the distance. Behind him was a white tiger the size of a bus.


    It was covered by a blue hue and pounced on William.


    William hurriedly pulled himself away with his mental strength and escaped the pounce.


    Bam!


    The White Tiger''s paw created a small pit on the ground and decreased the snow further.


    Sarah gripped her sword and covered herself with water mana. Her chi boiled at the same time and she kicked the ground, appearing in front of the White Tiger in an instant.


    The beast was long aware and created an ice curtain, blocking off Sarah''s sword.


    Ka!


    Ka!


    Small cracks formed on the ice curtain, but the white tiger had no time to care as it created an ice phoenix and countered the ice dragon from Philia.


    Sarah didn''t give up and continued to strike. Philia''s attacks were slowly going in sync with Sarah''s, bringing additional burden to the beast.


    But the beast''s woes didn''t end there.


    It also had to counter the choking feeling around its neck with its water mana. Not just its neck, there was an invisible and unrelenting force trying to break its bones.


    "Grarrh" The White Tiger had to expend its mana and form a defensiveyer over itself to resist the crushing force.


    The beast was in defensive the whole time and its instincts tried to find a way out.


    Only a few seconds passed since the fight began and it decided to flee.


    But¡ª


    Ka!


    Ka!


    Philia''s Ice dragon twisted and changed the target to the ice curtain Sarah was facing.


    So far, the curtain was slightly cracked by Sarah''s attacks before it was repaired by the White Tiger.


    But now¡ª


    "Roar!"


    The Ice dragon crashed into the cracked Ice curtain,pletely destroying it.


    The white tiger snarled and sent its ice phoenix to kill Philia.


    At the same time, blue wings appeared on its back and it was about to escape.


    "Stay!" William yelled and a huge force descending on the white tiger, trying to hold it in ce.


    "Gruuh" The White Tiger broke the force in an instant and kicked the ground. pping its wings, its feet left the ground.


    As it was about to escape, a white streak reached it in an instant.


    Shuaa!


    Sarah swung her ice sword augmenting it with her physical strength.


    Thud!


    "Grr¡­.ugh" The White Tiger created a defensive iceyer around its neck in thest moment.


    But it onlysted for a split second before its head was cut down by Sarah.


    "¡­"


    As the blue blood spilled like a fountain, and dyed the white ground, Sarah sheathed her sword and looked at the two.


    Her brows knit together and she said in annoyance. "William, we have a lot of work to do. She''s fine."


    William finished inspecting Philia for injuries and sighed in relief. "She''s fine, but I''m still worried."


    Philia still had the cold expression on her face, but her lips were slightly curled up.


    "Philia, when you used your ice dragon to attack, you put yourself in danger." He looked at her with a stern expression.


    "¡­" Philia didn''t say anything and simply lowered her head.


    After using the ice dragon to attack the curtain, she conjured wings and flew into the sky.


    But the White Tiger''s ice phoenix almost caught up to her. She could''ve dealt with it, but she''d be injured.


    Thankfully, William helped out in thest moment.


    Thinking of this, her cheeks turned red and she turned away from him.


    Williamughed out loud and waved to them. "We still got some peak level 6s in the pce. Let''s end this quickly."


    His figure shot up the mountain and he began provoking another beast to chase after him.

 Chapter 284: How Innocent Can You Be?

    <h4>Chapter 284: How Innocent Can You Be?</h4>


    Sarah silently stored the beast''s corpse in her storage ring.


    With a wave of her hand, water mana erased all traces of blood and fighting.


    Their fight also destroyed many of the so-called treasures.


    ''Varian said he never used any treasures to progress. I believe his words, but I''m afraid the high awakeners are suspicious of him.


    Given his progress speed, they''d suspect him to be using treasures¡­at least father trusts him.''


    Sarah felt a little better but soon, her brows knit together.


    ''Why can''t you trust me too, father? You didn''t even ask me to win in the trial. I''m not the strongest, but even I have a winning chance.''


    While her thoughts took a depressing turn, they moved to a slightly different location and waited for the next prey.


    Sarah blurted out. "Do you like William?"


    "Huh?" Philia opened her mouth in surprise.


    ''Wait, why did I do that?'' Sarah had no idea and attributed it to her disturbed thoughts.


    "Un." Philia unexpectedly admitted.


    "Why?" Sarah followed. She wasn''t actually expecting Philia to answer.


    She was only a normal friend to Philia. Philia''s cold temperament caused people to stay away from her.


    Sarah was almost the same. The biggest social thing she did was to be a captain of Siarah adventure team. Other than that, she spent all her time practicing.


    ''We both don''t talk much...'' Sarah thought of her simrities with Philia. Then she added. ''¡­I talk a bit with Varian, I think? But that''s because we''re friends, but I''m also friends with William, Dhruv and Mia¡­''


    Philia''s answer snapped her out of her thoughts.


    "We were on Noikoid. We were still level 5s, patrolling the borders."


    Sarah''s face turned weird.


    "Then the Abyssals suddenly attacked. I was seriously injured. He didn''t run away, he held onto me despite the dangers and fought¡­" Philia''s eyes showed a look of nostalgia as she began describing the battles.


    "Wait, wait!" Sarah interrupted. "Not abandoning yourrades, isn''t that camaraderie?"


    Indeed, it must be followed in both military and adventure teams.


    That''s why Varian risked his life to save everyone. Save her.


    Philia looked at Sarah and shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. But it''s from that moment, I think.


    William is a narcissist, sometimes thinks he has too much charm, and sometimes I just want to beat him up."


    "But¡­" Philia''s cold expression melted and she smiled sweetly. "I can count on him when the timees."


    "¡­.isn''t that the same asrades in arms? You fight together, you trust one another, you can die for another?" Sarah asked in confusion.


    "¡­."


    Philia rubbed her forehead and looked at Sarah''s genuinely innocent look.


    Weren''t cold beauties like her supposed to ask these questions?


    Why is Sarah the one asking?


    How innocent can you be?


    "Ho! Ho! Come catch me, you slithery yolo snake." William''s voice sounded from the distance.


    Sarah unsheathed her sword and turned towards Philia.


    Philia said. "It can ovep with a lot of things¡­but it''s different. You''ll know when the timees."


    ''¡­you might as well have not answered it at all.'' Sarah thought but didn''t ask any further.


    Philia''s expression also changed back to her usual coldness and soon, they were facing a ten meter long peak level 6 beast.


    Under the Snow pce, beasts began to fall as a slow, but inevitable massacre began, one at a time.


    *** *** ****


    Varian reached the Vine Forest. However, he didn''t go fighting directly and instead asked Boo to confirm all the messengers in the area.


    Meanwhile, he rushed into the Vine Forest, avoiding the sight of messengers.


    He was here to learn one thing.


    All this time, Varian could practice his divine paths throughbat.


    But somehow, Morpher Path was sidelined. It only improved because of the injuries he had rather than him actively trying to increase it.


    In a sense, it was a side benefit.


    So, Varian wanted to fight the nt morphers here and if possible, learn more.


    He wanted to reach a state where he could progress in his morphed path without injuries.


    Thus, here he was, wearing a face mask that concealed his identity and in verymon but standard clothes.


    Shuaa!


    Varian spotted a small flower and observed it.


    The flower resembled a sunflower. It was lovely and was about one-meter tall.


    Suddenly, Varian used his system''s new ability to check the level of the flower.


    It must be a normal flower, right?


    [Level 5. Morpher Path.]


    "Fuck!"


    Then he scanned the other nts, flowers and trees.


    [Level 4. Morpher Path]


    [Level 5. Morpher Path.]


    [Level 3. Morpher Path.]


    "¡­.are you serious?" He looked at their harmless appearance and asked.


    He kicked the ground and reached the sunflower-like flower. He bent down and was about to pluck it when the change happened.


    "Grauww!"


    The one-meter tall lovely beauty turned into a hideous five meter tall and three-meter wide man-eating flower.


    It opened its mouth full of barbs and tried to devour him.


    "¡­Die!" Varian almost killed the thing, but fortunately he withdrew his strength in thest second.


    Boom!


    Yet, that strength was also high for it and the flower shook violently and Varian feared it''d be break apart.


    Taking a deep breath, Varian''s hands transformed intorge brown branches and he exuded a vibrant aura full of vitality.


    The man-eating flower''s mouth extended and tried to bite him off.


    "Hmph!"


    With a snort, Varian pped the branch-arms at the flower.


    At the same time, he observed how the man-eating flower was using its prana.


    For body path, he learnt this instinctively. But for Morpher Path, he needed to put in some effort.


    [+5 Xp]


    [+5 Xp]


    After the two prompts, studying the flower''s prana didn''t give him any improvement.


    Varian didn''t take injuries like usual, so that was it.


    He destroyed the flower and picked another nt. It used its leaves as projectiles and attacked him.


    [+10 Xp]


    [+10 Xp]


    And then another¡­


    He continued until Boo said. "Master, I''ve marked all messengers, their patrol locations and timings."


    "Good." Varian nodded and checked his status.


    [Morpher Path Level 4: 400/1000 (+150)]

 Chapter 285: Twisting Islands [1]

    <h4>Chapter 285: Twisting Inds [1]</h4>


    Twisting Inds, Twisted Region:


    The name ''Twisted'' sounded eerie, however, it was merely a representation of the twisting spaces.


    Unlike other ces, space here was neither uniform nor constant.


    It wasn''t uniform in the sense that some ces had a farpact space¡ªthe morepact a space, the harder to move through it.


    It wasn''t constant. The space tightened and loosened in periodic intervals.


    Even Space Awakeners had a hard time navigating through this region.


    It was because of the special creatures that lived in this region¡ªthe ones manipting the space and also the threat to participants.


    There was a chain of inds in a river a short distance from the shore. In one of the inds, the two participants faced those threats.


    "Roar!"


    Caleb felt the space around him twist. Without hesitation, he teleported away.


    Kacha!


    In the process, the twisting space caught his coat.


    His 6-star treasure¡ªAstral defense coat was folded as the space around it quicklypressed.


    It wasn''t folding in a conventional sense.


    It was like¡­the space around the coat shrunk and the coat couldn''t upy the space anymore.


    The stable space destabilized in a split second and his defense coat waspressed to the size of a fist.


    Then it burst.


    Like a full balloon bursting, the 6-star treasure was blown into pieces as the space sted.


    "My coat." Caleb cursed and nced at the culprit standing on a tree far away.


    It was a huge grey worm with no eyes. Its skin was translucent and one could see the silvery blood flowing inside.


    Space worm.


    Level 6 peak.


    With its uncanny space sense, it sted space and killed opponents with ease.


    Just like it destroyed Caleb''s prized defense coat.


    "Fucking die!" Caleb''s figure disappeared and he appeared on the tree top in an instant.


    The space worm was long gone.


    Before Caleb could think, he felt like his chest was crushed from both sides. He instinctively covered himself with space power and loosened the space around him.


    The Space Worm appeared on another tree top. It was very proficient in hiding its tracks while teleporting.


    In fact, Caleb only felt the spatial fluctuations indicating it teleported after he appeared on the tree.


    "Die!" However, he wasn''t disheartened.


    During the time he was busy protecting his chest, he also locked down on the position of the space worm.


    He clenched his fist and the space around the worm suddenly tightened.


    The worm wriggled as it spilled out its space power and resisted his aggression.


    At the same time, the space behind Caleb cracked.


    If he didn''t move in time, he''d have to face an unstable and hostile space rift. The injury would be enough to severely injure him.


    "Tsk!" Caleb cursed inwardly and teleported away.


    Since the space was unstable, he had to be extra careful in his teleportation. The Space Worm exploited this and broke his space binding, quickly teleporting away.


    However¡­


    "Got you!" Caleb appeared right before the space worm and punched its. His fist was covered by solidified space as it reached for the worm.


    The worm wriggled and tried to teleport.


    But Caleb firmly solidified the space and made teleportation nigh impossible.


    So, the worm did the next best thing.


    "Kuu!" Caleb felt like he was hitting star ore as the space around his arm solidified.


    The space worm decided to decrease the momentum of his arm and make his attack useless.


    "Go!" Caleb already anticipated this and used his space power to ''loosen'' the space.


    His efforts to loosen resisted the space worm''s efforts to loosen, and the resistance his arm was facing dropped.


    "Die!" Right when his fist was about to connect with the Space Worm, Caleb grinned.


    As he intended, his fist broke apart the protecting spaceyer of the worm and punched it into pieces.


    Right at that moment, massive space power fluxed out of the worm.


    Caleb''s smile instantly disappeared as he hurriedly teleported out.


    He appeared a mile away, but he couldn''t even stand as he kneeled on the ground, clutching his stomach.


    Blood spilled out onto the ground as his fingers traced a small chunk of missing flesh from his waist.


    "¡­Again!" Caleb stood up cursing and took a 6-star healing potion.


    He''d have taken something more precious, but for thepetition, it wasn''t allowed.


    His bleeding stopped, but he wasn''t happy.


    Right before its death, the space worm directed all its space power to destroy the space around him.


    Thankfully, he reacted in time. But it was still a bitte.


    "If I took my time, I could''ve killed without any injuries." He muttered.


    It wasn''t just his stomach that was injured, his shoulders, his arms and even his legs had multiple injuries.


    "We don''t have much time." A girl appeared in the distance and looked down at him with grey eyes.


    Her white clothes were now dyed in blood. Other than her multiple injuries, she also added a new injury on her shoulder.


    Caleb nced at her state and grumbled. "If we took another member, we wouldn''t have this worry."


    Helia squinted her eyes and said. "Not again. The next strongest is a high level 6. She''d only be a drag."


    "¡­whatever. Let''s end this already." Caleb waved his hand and looked up.


    There was a floating ind a mile above. It contained a nest of Space worms.


    Caleb and Helia worked hard since the beginning to carefully lure out and kill the space worms.


    If it was a normal hunting operation, they would''ve been fine.


    But the circumstances were different.


    The other three teams of Ashtarh, Sarah and Xavier all had three members.


    They would be able to get the g quickly.


    Once they''re done, their messengers would quickly search the other ces. There''s a high chance that one of the teams woulde to the Twisting inds.


    If Caleb and Helia fought avoiding injuries, they would take far longer. By that time, the other team would''ve already reached the Twisting Inds.


    Helia was sure she couldn''t win against Ashtarh and Xavier Teams.


    She was, however, confident in defeating Sarah''s team. She had fought Sarah before and defeated her.


    But¡­


    ''Why is that girl who is one year younger than me almost as strong as me?''


    This jealousy burned in her heart and morphed into hatred.


    "If we take too long, the other teams wille. So, we need to get the g as soon as possible." Helia said with disgust.


    Can''t Caleb think of even this simple thing?


    ''Ashtarh, Xavier, you both declined to join my team. So, when I win, I want to see the look in your eyes.'' She gritted her teeth and thought.


    "There''s only one space worm left. Let''s go." Her figure disappeared and she appeared on the floating ind above the original ind.

 Chapter 286: Twisting Islands [2]

    <h4>Chapter 286: Twisting Inds [2]</h4>


    The floating ind was very small and was filled with arbitrary metallic structures¡ªthe nests of Space worms.


    All of them were empty except one. The final space worm. Also the strongest.


    Helia ignored the creature and nced at the center of the ind. An ancient leather skin g stood in the air, as if it was frozen in space and time.


    Caleb''s eyes shed and he teleported to the g. "I got it¡ª"


    Or at least tried to.


    "Huh?"


    Caleb''s hand was inches away from the g. His teleportation was off by a few inches!


    "Impossible!" He eximed and the next thing he knew, he was sent flying coughing out blood.


    "Idiot." Helia cursed and observed the space worm that just appeared beside the g. This thing even sneak attacked upon Caleb.


    But why did Caleb''s teleportation amiss by a few inches? For his level, this was a major error!


    With doubts, Helia slowly took a step forward. The space seemed to have changed subtly.


    ''Is this¡­'' She took one more step. And one more.


    The space worm slithered close to the g and faced the intruder.


    Helia didn''t care about its gaze as she felt the changes in space.


    Finally, her eyes widened and she sighed. "I see."


    Through her space sense, she observed some strange patterns that almost seemed random.


    These patterns had words written in a script close to Deva script, yet different. There were also various materials used, including precious space rted materials.


    The result?


    The closer she got to the g, the more solidified the space became.


    Helia concluded that the strange patterns were ''formations''.


    An ancient art of arranging items in a specific patter to achieve desired results.


    Humans had limited achievements in formations. The best aplishment being Teleportation Formation.


    And these were¡ª


    "Space Lock Formation." Helia muttered as she recalled the information she read long ago.


    She scanned the exquisite patterns before shaking her head.


    Once she was aware of their existence, these formations weren''t much effective on her. At most, they only affected mid level 6s and low level 6s.


    Even they wouldn''t be drastically affected. At most, they''d be frozen for a moment.


    If Caleb had been careful, he''d have easily offset the effect.


    "I think Ashtarh team is close to getting the g." Helia muttered as she leisurely walked towards the g.


    She wasn''t a mid level 6 and these formations literally had no use to her. If she wanted to use them in a battle, she had to set up the formation before hand.


    "Let our messengers pick up these scrap. If I don''t do this, they''ll call me stingy." Helia muttered.


    She didn''t care if they called her stingy before. But now, if theypare her to Sarah, she didn''t want to appear inferior.


    No. She''s definitely not inferior to a girl one year younger than her.


    "Caleb, let''s get this over with." Helia said and clenched her fist. As she circted her space power, she felt the tingling pain of the injuries she umted.


    The space near her fluctuated and Caleb appeared. "Alright. I''ll follow your n."


    Helia raised her hand and her space power connected her to the outside space and she quickly locked onto the space surrounding the space worm.


    The space worm already sensed her intention and was about to teleport.


    Helia gritted her teeth and clenched her fist. "Stay!"


    Ka!


    Ka!


    Heliapressed the space, almost squeezing the space worm to which it responded by loosening the space and resisting its attack.


    At the same time, the space worm locked Helia''s location.


    "Eh?" Helia felt the space around her twist and she instinctively teleported away.


    Kacha!


    She heard a sound of mirror shattering and her space sense instantly caught what was happening.


    The ce she was previously standing was now twisting. The ground she stood at was gone and a small crater appeared in its ce.


    Her space sense caught the fluctuations only in thest moment!


    As Helia was about to yell at Caleb for not attacking yet, she felt a new fluctuation behind her.


    "Damn!" She didn''t even think and simply teleported away.


    Boom!


    The space worm crashed into the area she was previously standing, forming a huge crater.


    It covered its body with space armor and even tried to melee attack her!


    "Caleb!" Helia couldn''t take it anymore and yelled. Her body was already aching from the injuries.


    The injuries that were closed after taking the healing potion were now split open and Helia felt a stinging pain all over.


    "Argh!" The thick, warm red liquid soaked her clothes and Helia hurriedly downed another healing potion.


    "I was about to attack, but you stopped the space lock in thest moment, I lost it." Caleb appeared at a distance and said slowly.


    "¡­bastard!" Helia muttered under her breath and raised her voice. "We''ll do it again. Tear it to pieces."


    Caleb nodded and teleported again. The location he was standing was torn to pieces.


    The space worm wasn''t a spectator.


    "Go!"


    Helia ignored the worsening injuries on her body and channeled all her space power.


    This time, she didn''t hold back at all and imprisoned the space worm.


    Ka!


    Ka!


    The space worm struggled as it loosened the space and tried to teleport. But this time, the difficulty was far higher.


    Even though the injuries were beginning to affect her strength, Helia kept a tight grip on the worm.


    "Ha!" Caleb appeared right before the worm. His body gave off a silvery hue, he covered himself with solidified space which acted as both an offensive and a defensive¡ªthe Space Armor.


    Without stopping, he punched out at the space worm.


    His fist was about to touch the solidified space imprisoning the worm. If it happened, he would destroy the solid space and instead help the worm escape.


    So right then, Helia withdrew her space power.


    Caleb suddenly felt like his fist entered a very loose space and his fist''s speed skyrocketed!


    Until then, space worm was resisting Helia''s tightening of the space. So, it was loosening the space.


    When Helia suddenly let go, all that was left was space worm created loose space.


    Thus, Caleb''s fist reached its body in no time and destroyed it into two.


    And at itsst moment, its space power spewed out sting Caleb and Helia into the distance.


    "Fucking!" Helia gripped her chest and felt the heavy pain from her lungs.


    Space Worms made a desperate attack right before dying. That is, they always reserved a good chunk of their space power to teleport when faced with a life threatening fight.


    Most of the times, they teleported in thest moment and survived.


    But when they couldn''t, they would use that space power tounch the final strike.


    This made Space worms much easier to be killed, but the price was taking their final blow.


    These final blows were also the reason for Helia''s and Caleb''s? injuries.


    Helia blocked off the wound with her space power and didn''t allow any bleeding.


    After some time, the wound would be closed. Her injury would heal after some time.


    But¡­


    "These injuries make us even weaker than Sarah team." Helia said in a sorrowful tone.


    In her opinion, this was as low as they could go.


    "I dunno. Aren''t they stronger than us from the start?" Caleb shrugged and threw an object at her.


    "Here, the g."


    Helia caught it and carefully felt its texture. She ignored Caleb''sment on Sarah''s team.


    "Now, follow the n." She said and teleported down.


    After finding a normal mountain on the ind, she teleported to a cave and sat cross-legged.


    "Let''s recover. With our current strength, we can''t fight for the 5th or 6th gs. Once they fought it out, we''ll join." She said and took out a small spacort and aura crystal.


    "But wouldn''t they suspect and check the inds?" Caleb appeared at a distance from her and sat down.


    "No one would think we stayed in the same ind after getting the g. In their opinion, we would be out there, searching for other gs or sneaking behind other teams." Helia exined.


    "Staying here while others fight for gs might seem stupid, but let them fight and once we recover, we can sneak attack and grab all the gs." Her eyes shone and she clenched her fists.


    "What if a team wants to check on us?" Caleb asked again. He was nervous, alright?


    "¡­." Helia paused for a moment and her eyes narrowed. "I don''t think any team will check on us. By the time they''ve fought for the 5th and 6th gs, we''d have already left."


    Silence filled the twisted inds as the two focused on recovery.

 Chapter 287: Vine Forest [1]

    <h4>Chapter 287: Vine Forest [1]</h4>


    Vine Forest, Vine Region:


    The region derived its name from the Vine Forest.


    This forest spanned almost five hundred miles. The tall trees rivaled skyscrapers and their canopy blocked off any natural lighting from the sky.


    This great forest housed many beasts and nts.


    The nts were all in the ntae Morpher. That is, they could transform into another, higher version of their species.


    The beasts were all Beast Morphers. They too could morph into a higher species above them in the evolutionarydder.


    For instance, a snake could morph into a half-dragon.


    An ape could transform into a titan-ape.


    A bird could tranform into a half-phoenix.


    A horse could morph into a unicorn and so on.


    The same went for nts and their deadlybination certainly didn''t make for a safe environment.


    Unlike other areas that had rtively safe outer areas and more dangerous inner areas, Vine Forest was dangerous all over.


    In fact, due to the continuous movements of nts and beasts, its dangers were unknown.


    A ce could be safe enough for level 4s to enter and hunt. But all of a sudden, a peak level 6 beast coulde out and ughter everything.


    To enter this forest, one should not only be strong enough, but also be alert all the times.


    With his strength, the Vine Forest would''ve been a cakewalk for Charles.


    But right now, he was hiding his aura and holding his breath in a tree hollow.


    There were injuries all over his body. However, the bleeding has long stopped. And the injuries themselves went from very severe to bearable.


    That didn''t mean he recovered hisbat power.


    Charles was still weak.


    ''I was careless.'' He lowered his head and thought back to the event. The siege, their cooperation and his escape.


    With each thought, his fists tightened.


    His green eyes were hidden behind his noble blonde hair¡ªnow a mess with twigs, leaves and dust.


    Every time, he recalled his escape, his eyes shone with intense green light.


    ''I will not make the same mistake again.'' He closed his eyes and affirmed to himself.


    If the opposite party was Abyssals, then Charles would''ve died.


    ''I can''t win against numbers¡­?'' He gritted his teeth. Was that the truth?


    ''No!'' He was unwilling to ept that as a fact.


    Numbers mean nothing!


    ''I am just not strong enough. If I am a Sovereign and they''re level 9s, would their numbers matter?'' The moment he asked that question, Charles'' mind cooled down.


    Yes. Once his strength crossed a threshold, it could no longer be confronted by weaker enemies.


    Charles took out a emerald-colored fruit and ate in a bite. This was one of the many healing treasures he found inside the Vine Forest.


    The fruit melted and he felt a coolness in his injuries. They were slowly healing.


    ''I can hide from them¡­but that way, I won''t win.'' Charles would never ept that result.


    He needed to win. It wasn''t just his choice. It was his obligation. As the most talented human of the federation, he needed to set the standards.


    That was what he believed and adhered to.


    He opened hism and searched for the healing treasures inside the Vine Forest.


    Most of them were of no use. The few that were very effective needed him to fight very strong enemies.


    He could''ve ughtered them in the past. He could kill them even now, but then he would risk exposing his position to the messengers.


    The messengers of the four teams were cautiously scouting in the Vine Forest. They lost his trail, but they did know the approximate circle he was in.


    Of course, none of them even tried to attack him. They didn''t even him see him. They just kept following his traces.


    With his injuries, Charles had no way ofpletely hiding his tracks.


    ''Annoying flies!'' Charles wanted to p them into oblivion.


    If not for them, he''d be free to hunt and gain healing treasures. But he couldn''t eliminate them.


    Once their teams learned that he was actively hunting, then might judge that he has recovered enough strength and would besiege him again.


    Charles didn''t want to repeat his mistake.


    Thus, so far, he didn''t make any big battles andid low. But this wouldn''t work forever.


    Charles racked his brain. But he couldn''t find any solution.


    He somehow needed to heal enough so that he can fight others and snatch the gs.


    He could still deal one desperate blow to eliminate one of them.


    ''At least for that reason,e to this ce atst. By then, I''d have recovered.'' He thought, but didn''t n to sit by.


    Charles stood up and stretched his body.


    He sneaked out of the hollow and cautiously wandered through the forest.


    He sensed messengers at the edge of his perception range. They couldn''t sense him, however.


    "Go!" Charles kicked the ground and shot forward.


    As he ventured a few miles into the forest, his senses suddenly alerted him.


    Charles rolled down and quickly nced back at his previous position.


    Boom!


    A huge voilet branch pped the ground, creating a huge crater. Its host, the tall Voilet tree sensed its prey had escaped.


    Its huge body shook and it whipped him with another branch and at the same time, the first branch also followed.


    "¡­" Charles gritted his teeth and flipped back, narrowly avoiding the branches that passed just above his head and below his feet.


    But the tree didn''t stop and continued to attack him.


    Charles managed to avoid any serious injuries, but he looked more and more dirty.


    With torn clothes, disheveled hair and body with soil, dust and blood, he looked like a begger.


    "High level 6¡­tsk." Charles felt a burning rage in his chest. He could p away even peak level 6s, but now he was forced into such a state by this weakling.


    "Die!" He transformed into the werewolf form and caught the two branches. With a snort, he pulled the branches, uprooting the tree in the process.


    Pa!


    With a punch, he blew the tree into pieces.


    "¡­I should keep going." Shaking his head, Charles decided to hunt for another healing treasure.


    "There he is!"


    A loud voice interrupted him and Charles'' eyes narrowed at the sudden arrival of the young men and women.

 Chapter 288: Vine Forest [2]

    <h4>Chapter 288: Vine Forest [2]</h4>


    He was fighting with the tree and his senses were focused on it, so he didn''t notice their arrival until now.


    ''Why are they here?'' He frowned.


    These messengers were also geniuses. They agreed to do the job because the teams promised to leave them the treasures in the areas.


    Whatever they find would be theirs.


    So, every messenger would do their job, but they''d also hope that the teams clear off the areas quickly so that they could go and pick up the treasures.


    If a messenger was eliminated, the teams weren''t responsible. They knew what they were signing up for.


    Thus, every messenger tried to be as safe as possible while scouting.


    So, why the fuck did these peoplee?


    What''s their confidence?


    "Beat him!"


    "p him!"


    "Arrogant bastard!"


    "You''re already so injured, we''ll beat you up!"


    One by one, be it a man or a woman, cursed Charles with red eyes and shot at him.


    Their eyes were filled with rage and they looked like they couldn''t bear to kill him.


    "Wait, what?" Charles was taken aback.


    Are they idiots?


    Even though he was severely injured, did they think really think these pitiful peak level 5s had any chance against him?


    Charles'' face turned gloomy and he raised his hand. With a light force, he pped at the insects.


    Boom!


    Just one punch, and everyone was sent flying.


    Out of the five messengers, three were directly eliminated.


    The other two looked at Charles in horror, but their eyes were still red in rage.


    "Kill!"


    "Kill!"


    As they muttered, ten more messengers reached them.


    Other regions only had a few messengers, but since Charles entered this region, this region had the most messengers after Laden Burrows.


    "What the fuck is going on?" Charles found this weird.


    Their hatred, their anger¡­it was all too intense.


    "Work together! Eliminate him!"


    The messengers, regardless of their team, grouped together and fought him.


    Space sts, Ice spears, heavy punches¡­


    They used everything in their arsenal, but in ten seconds, except for one, they allid on the ground.


    Their injuries were growing serious with each passing second and they''d eliminated soon.


    Thest man standing looked at Charles and growled. "Damn you bastard! You must die!"


    "Tell me what are your team''s instructions?" Charles asked with a chilly voice.


    What the fuck were they trying to pull?


    "Team¡­team¡­team!" The young man muttered and his eyes suddenly lit up.


    At the same time, the ones lying on the ground also seemed to have thought of something and opened their mouth.


    "Senior Ashtarh, Charles Xander has mostly recovered from his injury. Hurry up and attack him!"


    "Senior Philia, the situation here is Charles¡­"


    "Sir Xander, important¡­"


    One by one, every messenger that could spoke about Charles.


    Only the first one finished his words while the rest never got the chance as Charles'' hand pped them away, instantly eliminating them.


    With all the messengers eliminated, Charles stood rooted on the spot, his eyes shaking violently as he muttered.


    "¡­What''s going on?"


    He didn''t understand their motives, but he surely knew the consequences of their actions.


    Even though only Ashtarh team knew the full message¡­the other teams also heard his name and with their subsequent elimination, the teams could guess what happened.


    "I''m screwed." Charles muttered.


    "¡­I can''t do anything now. Once theye, I''ll be eliminated."


    "Wait¡­" Charles turned to his right and nced at the core area of the Vine Forest.


    The region that held the g.


    He hesitated for a moment before his eyes shed for a moment.


    Boom!


    He shot towards the core area.


    Even though he knew what he was going to do next, he still didn''t know why the messengers suddenly went berserk.


    ¡­.Only one person knew.


    Ten minutes ago, Varian reached the Vine Forest.


    Using his space and body powers, he concealed himself and located all the messengers.


    After confirming with Boo that it was all, he sneaked behind each one of them, and knocked them out one by one.


    Then he used the vengeance flowers on them.


    Their inherent property was to push a person into rage. By guiding them with his mental power, Varian assigned the target of this rage.


    Charles Xander.


    Then, he was about to ask Boo to find his location and let the messengers chase him.


    That was unnecessary as he sensed Charles aura in the distance.


    He left and the messengers soon woke up. Their minds were foggy and they didn''t think straight.


    All they felt was rage.


    They sensed his aura and rushed towards him.


    Charles would''ve never thought that this was the intrusion of a third party.


    His guess was that the teams wanted an excuse to deal with him. Or some of these messengers hated him deeply.


    For whatever reasons, they decided to eliminate him. Perhaps they promised some other benefits to the messengers to let them check hisbat power.


    Whatever the reason, Charles concluded they wereing for him.


    And not just one team, but all of them.


    "What is he going to do? Enter the core area and get the g?" Varian leaned on a tree and tapped his chin.


    With his condition, it was impossible.


    "Well, whatever. It doesn''t affect my n much." He shrugged.


    None of the messengers knew where Charles went after his attack. So, messengers from other regions woulde to check the situation.


    Given the fact that Charles didn''t hide his traces when he rushed to the core area, they''d find where he''d gone.


    But there was no telling if he''d return from the core area and attack the messengers again.


    "That''s all I need." Varian grinned. "An excuse to get rid of some messengers."


    "Now then¡­there''s some time before messengers from other regions arrive, how about I use it properly, eh?" He chuckled and dashed towards a strong aura.


    Along the way, he dodged the attacks from various nts, beasts and birds with ease.


    Finally, he faced the prey he picked.


    "Tsk. Tsk. I have a fate with rabbits." Looking at the low level 6 Horned Rabbit, Varianughed out loud.


    [Body Path (Enhanced) Level 5: 1930/2000]


    It was time.

 Chapter 289: Ashtarh

    <h4>Chapter 289: Ashtarh</h4>


    Thunder Shrine, Thunder ins, Thunder Region:


    Ashtarh Team was close to getting the g.


    Despite holding back their strength, Ashtarh and Maissa coordinated and fought off the Thunder Knights and Golden Griffins.


    Individually, both the griffins and the knights were weaker than them.


    The only real threat was the golden circle the griffins conjured.


    Five Thunder Knights and Griffins formed a group and poured their lightning mana into a special circle.


    It was close to formation, but not quite it.


    Perhaps it was a lost art, but regardless, the strength of the golden circles was the only threat they faced.


    The golden lightning produced by the circles was almost equivalent to Charles'' attack at his peak.


    During the banquet, Ashtarh took Charles'' punch, and he wasn''t using his full strength, despite that, Ashtarh was blown away with broken bones and torn muscles.


    So, neither Ashtarh nor Maissa even tried to block the golden lightning.


    Instead, they prevented it.


    Since every golden circle needed a group of five griffins, they obstructed in time and used that gap to kill off the griffins.


    Of course, Thunder Knights protected griffins¡­or tried to.


    With the deadlybination of a very agile space awakener and a very powerful Controller who easily increased any stat he wanted, they were suppressed.


    One by one, their numbles dwindled.


    "Maissa! The fourth one!" Ashtarh yelled as he kicked the air. The sheer pressure from his kick propelled him up in midair and he shot towards the fourth closest griffin.


    "Got it!" Maissa replied from a distance and waved her hand.


    Her space power, more powerful than Caleb and Helia easily solidified the space around the other four griffins.


    Of course, thebined might of the Thunder Knights and griffins was no joke.


    They broke the imprisonment in a less than half a second.


    But that was enough for Ashtarh.


    His fist already broke the helmet of the Thunder Knight and crushed its skull, while his leg broke the lightning armor of the griffin and split it into halves.


    "Great! Now they can''t make the golden circle anymore." Maissa said and her lips curled upwards.


    "Ashtarh, get out! I want to fight them all!" She yelled in excitement.


    "¡­fine." Ashtarh looked at her and shook his head.


    As he was in mid air, he was already falling.


    He was almost three miles above the ground. If he fell from this height, by the time he reached the ground, he''d cross the supersonic speed¡ªthat is, he''d travel faster than sound.


    He''d survive the impact, but he''d be badly injured.


    Thankfully, he had better options.


    Ashtarh flipped in the air and kicked.


    The wind waspressed and in response, it pushed him down.


    In a few seconds, Ashtarh was close to the ground.


    He flipped again and kicked the ground, twice this time. The wind pushed him up again and decreased his descent speed.


    Ashtarhnded safely without any injuries.


    But the impact of his kick broke the ground and cracked it open.


    He nced up at the sky and saw shing golden light as well as a disappearing and reappearing girl in purple dress.


    "Hahaha! Yes! Fight!"


    Ashtarh wished his controller power had an option to reduce stats. Now, he really wanted to reduce his hearing.


    She''s enjoying the fight too much.


    Shaking his head, he nced at the shrine and his figure blurred.


    He nced at the golden door with the mystic cravings, and snorted.


    Devas¡­he didn''t like them. In fact, he hated them.


    Humans considered devas as good, Ashtarh too. Until his mother''s death.


    She was a level 7 and also aoid base''smander. Even before the fall of Pluto, she was busy most of the time.


    The only times Ashtarh saw her was on the frontlines. She''d show him the battle field, the loss of life and the bravery of soldiers.


    He had a vivid memory of a conversation.


    *** **** ****


    He was eight years old and lost his father. His mother took him to theoid where he served. Her eyes were red and swollen, yet she said with a weak, but proud smile.


    "Your father is a brave man. He sacrificed himself to save aoid from falling into Abyssal''s clutches."


    "But mother, is this lifelessoid more important than my father''s life?" Little Ashtarh asked.


    "¡­No, Ash. Thisoid isn''t lifeless. It is a shield. It is what prevents Abyssals from attacking our Neptune."


    "So this is the shield to all Neptune lives?"


    "It is one of the shields to 7 Billion people. There are many hundreds of shields."


    "¡­But there are so many shields. I only have one father."


    "¡­" She paused and turned around. Little Ashtarh saw her shoulders tremble and heard some choked sounds.


    "Mother, what happened?" He asked naively.


    She turned around and knelt down to reach his eye level. She cupped his cheeks and said. "If your father didn''t save that one shield, millions¡­I mean, lots and lots of kids, just ike you, would lose their fathers."


    Little Ashtarh opened his mouth, but couldn''t speak. He understood what she was saying, but he was still sad and angry.


    "Why must it be my father? There are so many fathers!"


    "¡­because your father is a soldier. We live to protect."


    Ashtarh grew up with these words as his mantra.


    Yet, a small part of him wished for another reality.


    What if¡­aura was never sealed?


    None of this would''ve happened.


    It was a stupid thought. He knew it too.


    Perhaps if aura was never sealed, he''d never exist in the first ce.


    But¡­what if humanity had a reality where aura was never sealed?


    Then they''d surely be stronger than the Abyssals.


    All this death and destruction could be prevented.


    Perhaps it was just the obsession of a child, but¡­Ashtarh hated Devas.


    *** **** ****


    "Boss!"


    Tiama''s voice snapped Ashtarh out of his thoughts.


    He looked into the shrine and saw the corpses of six six-tailed foxes. There was also a pungent smell in the air that he was too familiar with. The smell of rotten flesh.


    "¡­I miss the fresh air." He muttered and saw Tiama holding a map and walking in a strange pattern.


    He took three steps right, two steps back and one step left, and five steps front, and¡­


    "What are you doing?" Ashtarh asked in confusion.


    "Check the ground." Tiama answered and continued his strange walking.


    "Huh?" Tiama heightened his perception and nced at the ground.


    It was a sleek white floor that just looked clean, except for the strange golden orbs ced all over.


    Each orb had several line extending out of it and these lines intersected and entangled with the lines of other orbs, forming strange patterns.


    Ashtarh could feel a strong force in the orbs. Of course, it posed no threat to him, but to weaker people¡­


    "Boss, after I retrieved the map, this appeared. The orbs are called as ''Lightning Fury''."


    "Ah. But they don''t pose a threat to you, do they? The best they can do is injure mid level 6." Ashtarh said and paused.


    "Oh, so you''re trying not to get trigger them. You''re leaving them for messengers, huh."


    "Indeed. They''re only level 5s and even if they advance, as low level 6s, they''d have means to threaten mid level 6s.


    Hehe. We need to reward our messengers properly."


    Tiama and Ashtarh grew up in the military. They were guided by the seniors and received a lot of help.


    In fact, everyone living on the frontlines developed a sense of camaraderie. Everyone tried to help as much they could.


    You never know if a small help you gave to a person could save his or her life tomorrow.


    Having received the kindness, Ashtarh and Tiama wanted to continue the tradition.


    That''s also the reason they tried to not let their battles destroy some precious treasures that could be useful for level 5s. Like weapons, defenses, etc.


    Lightning Fury was the best one of all those treasures.


    Ashtarh nodded in agreement and asked. "Do you want to retrieve and give it to them?"


    "Nah. Let them do it themselves. It''ll just take some time." Tiama waved his hand and said.


    It was quite simple to retrieve a lightning fury, so it''s equivalent to giving them away for free.


    "Oh yeah, where is she?" Tiama walked out of the shrine and handed the g to Ashtarh.


    "She¡­"


    "Haha! Fight! Hey! Hey! Don''t die! Woo, griffin! Griffin! Wake up! I won''t crush your heart to pieces anymore."


    A sweet voice sounded from the sky.


    "¡­."


    "¡­."


    Ashtarh and Tiama looked at each other and shook their heads.


    Maissa looked fine most of the time.


    Perhaps it was all a disguise.


    Perhaps¡­she was just a fight maniac.

 Chapter 290: Thank You

    <h4>Chapter 290: Thank You</h4>


    Aether Gardens, Psychedelic Region:


    Xavier, Rodey and Marcus entered the core region for their final fight in the Aether Garden.


    What greeted them was a pristineke.


    They cautiously walked over and looked into theke.


    At its bottom was the g!


    The eyes of the trio lit up and Marcus was about to jump in.


    Rodey pulled him back and said. "Xavier, check if there''s anything fishy."


    Xavier nodded and his brown eyes shed. After a while, he said with a bewildered expression. "Everything is normal. There are no enemies. Not even an extra mental force."


    Marcus and Rodey were also taken back.


    Rodey fell into thinking while Marcus simply jumped into theke and dived in.


    "Hey! We still don''t know if it''s safe!" Rodey yelled. "Come up!"


    "Idiot!" Xavier crossed his arms and sneered.


    Marcus caught the g and climbed out of theke. Waving the g to the shocked guys, he chuckled. "What do you say now?"


    "Die!"


    "Huh?" Marcus was taken aback and instinctively wanted to create a fire shield to protect himself.


    But suddenly, his brain ached and he almost lost control of his body. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"


    He yelled inside and barely managed to cover himself with a fire wall.


    Right then, Rodey Nial appeared in front of him and punched him in the gut.


    The hastily conjured shield couldn''t withstand his strength and instantly broke.


    Just as Rodey''s fist was about to connect to his stomach, Marcus'' body shed red and another protectiveyer was formed on his body.


    It still couldn''t stop Rodey''s fist, but it managed to offset the impact before his fist finally connected with Marcus.


    Kacha!


    Marcus felt like he was hit by a truck and flew back, crashing into a rock he didn''t notice in the core area before.


    "Argh!" His back ached and his entire body followed.


    Even as he tried to move, his bones creaked and made snapping sounds. He gritted his teeth and channeled his fire mana, but before he could do anything, he clutched his head and coughed out blood.


    "Argh! X-Xavier! Stop messing with my head!" Marcus cursed as he created a pair of fire wings and pped them.


    He decided to create distance from Xavier¡­even if it meant fleeing the core area.


    He was too injured. He could face off Xavier alone, but not with Rodey.


    But before he could even rise into the air, a figure shed in front of him and smashed at his chest.


    "Damn!" Marcus hurriedly channeled his fire mana in an attempt to block off the attack.


    But the interfering mental power slowed him down.


    As a result, the protective fire wall that could block off theplete attack faltered and Marcus felt an enormous impact on his chest.


    "Cough. Cough. cough." He was sent flying once again, spewing blood into the air, mixed with parts of internal organs.


    His mind raced as he tried to find a way out. But the stinging pain in his head stalled his thoughts and Rodey appeared above him with a raised arm.


    He was aiming for a finishing shot!


    "Wait, why?!" Marcus'' mind shed and he suddenly asked.


    Then he suddenly breathed out and sighed.


    Rodey and Xavier would never try to kill him. At least, not here.


    Then the only reason this was happening was because¡­


    Marcus closed his eyes and focused on his fire sense.


    The pain in his mind didn''t stop, and Rodey didn''t pause either. His fist punched through Marcus'' chest and tore a big hole.


    The searing pain coursed through his body and caused him to spasm involuntarily.


    However, Marcus focused his fire sense and finally felt an abnormality.


    Then like a mirror cracking, the world in front of him crumbled and darkness swallowed everything.


    As he tried to break through the darkness, he heard two voices.


    "He is waking up!"


    "Oh. He''s an idiot anyway. Can''t believe peoplepare him to the likes of Ashtarh and me."


    "He can be a bit impulsive at times, but he''s a good fighter in frontalbat."


    "Impulsive? Is that your euphemism for brainless? Whatever. But we live in a world were only kind of fight matters. The fight to kill your opponent before he can kill you.


    Frontalbat like we have in duels? Give me a break. Only school kids believe real life fights are like that. Marcus is probably a kid-eh?"


    "I''m not a kid." Marcus opened his eyes and yelled.


    His fire sense already informed him of his surroundings.


    He was lying on the green grass of the core area, a few meters away from theke while Rodey and Xavier were talking.


    Xavier held the g and chatted with nonchntly while Rodey smiled from time to time.


    Their topic turned to him and he woke up at that time.


    His scream attracted their attention and Rodey Nial appeared in front of him and crouched down.


    "Are you alrig-eh?"


    Marcus instinctively used his fire mana and slid away, surprising Rodey.


    Xavier said with a boring expression. "Must be rted to the illusion he saw. Probably he was fighting you and also me, I guess? For him to react this way, he must have gotten a good beating."


    Marcus heard his words and balled his fists. Standing back on his feet, he looked at Rodey and asked. "What happened to me?"


    "¡­" Rodey looked at Xavier who nodded helplessly.


    "Xavier told us that he found traces of illusion formations, but you still jumped in."


    "Wait, what?" Marcus stood up with a severe headache and asked.


    "After you asked Charles about theke, he said theke is dangerous. But right then, you were in an illusion and the illusion said it''s safe. So you went in." Rodey exined patiently.


    Ah! So that''s why I didn''t feel it was odd.


    Marcus felt his body. It was drenched in sweat and his heart was racing at an insane rate.


    The longer he stayed in that illusion, the more dangerous it was to his real body.


    "Who is the culprit?" He asked, clenching his fist.


    ''Whoever you are, you made a fool out of me. I''ll torture you.''


    "This guy." Rodey kicked his feet and only then did Marcus observed a rather translucent snake on the ground.


    It had no signs of vitality anymore. The only one who can kill it like this was Xavier.


    Xavier looked at the snake and shook his head. "It used the illusion formations and charged them with its mental power."


    He pointed to the small patterns in the now emptyke. With various materials, herbs and others, there were at least twenty formations at the bottom of theke.


    "An illusion formation wouldn''t work against you. It can barely affect mid level 6s. But it''s ideal target is low level 6.


    Even then, it needs to be set up before hand. But the illusion snake used twenty illusion formations at once and managed to fool you." Xavier exined calmly.


    "Anyway, thanks you taking brunt of the snake''s attacks, we cleared this stage far more quickly. I''m afraid we''re the quickest team to get the g. Your injuries are well worth it." At the end of his words, he smiled.


    "¡­." Marcus lowered his head and raised his hand.


    A fire spear was quickly condensed and he was about to throw it to the formations.


    "¡­Act like an adult. We promised our messengers these rewards." Xavier said slowly.


    "You¡­hmph!" Marcus took a fighting posture against Xavier, but realizing that the other party wasn''t trying to fight, he snorted and crossed his arms.


    "We got the g, now what?"


    Marcus''m rang right then.


    "Senior, Charles Xander has¡­.Beep!"


    The trio suddenly fell silent.

 Chapter 291: Level 6 Enhanced

    <h4>Chapter 291: Level 6 Enhanced</h4>


    Vine Forest, Vine Region:


    Varian was sent flying into the air as the Horned Rabbit mmed into his body like a truck.


    "Ouch!" As he spurted blood in mid-air, Varian flipped and kicked the air. The air waspressed and it pushed him towards the Horned Rabbit.


    "Hi! Hioo!" The Horned Rabbit squeaked and a red hue covered its body. Its small body was now reced by arge body rivaling that of a house.


    The horned rabbit was long gone and a majestic unicorn took its ce.


    "¡­but you only have a horn inmon." Varianined but the unicorn didn''t listen.


    It pped its wings and appeared in front of Varian in an instant and kicked him hard.


    Varian crossed his arms to block off the attack while he also covered himself with space armor and lightning armor.


    But¡ª


    Kacha!


    Boom!


    His defense broke in an instant and the unicorn''s hoofs hit him in the chest.


    Varian''s body was thrown down at a high speed and crashed into the ground, creating a deep human-shaped crater.


    The unicorn floated in the sky as it looked down at its prey. In its opinion, a level 5 would be seriously injured or even die with that attack.


    "Ow! That seriously hurt." Varian climbed out of the crater and muttered in annoyance.


    [+10 Xp]


    [Body (Enhanced) Level 5: 2000/2000]


    [Advancing]


    Varian felt the chi in his body rise. It wasn''t the biggest change, however. His chi was now in a much greater harmony with his body cells.


    It still couldn''t enter them, but by covering them, it protected, nurtured and improved them.


    [Body (Enhanced) Level 6: 0/4000]


    "Yes!" Varian yelled and clenched his fists.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Just his simple action sted the air away and the surroundings shook at the shockwaves produced by the air sts.


    Varian felt a new level of power.


    "Finally Level 6¡­" He grinned and side stepped.


    "Grrh!"


    Boom!


    The unicorn tried to sneak attack on him, but didn''t expect him to react swiftly. So, it ended up crashing into the ground.


    Varian didn''t give it any chance and appeared above its body.


    "Neighhh!" The unicorn tried to struggle but a single kick to the neck silenced it forever.


    Varian took its corpse into his space ring and nced at the surroundings.


    Small craters, blood of the unicorn and of course, his blood.


    "Boo, remove the traces."


    After two minutes, the location showed no signs that level 6s fought here.


    Varian nodded in satisfaction and left.


    Shortly after he did, messengers from the other regions started pouring in.


    *** *** **** ****


    Snow Mountains, Ice Region:


    Varian entered the area and soon, he found his target.


    A blue-haired young man who kept a vignt watch over his surroundings. The messenger of Ashtarh Team.


    At the moment, he knew about ''Charles going on a rampage and eliminating the messengers''.


    For that very reason, most of the messengers in this region also went to Vine Forest.


    That meant the current messengers were extremely stretched out.


    ''Still, it''s better than going to the Vine Forest. Who knows if that guy suddenly appears and eliminates me?''


    He thought as he patted his chest.


    "Anyway, Team Sarah should be almost done by now, eh¡ªwha!" He muttered while walking when the surroundings suddenly went dark.


    The next moment, he lost his consciousness. Varian sent a message through hism and eliminated him.


    "Almost done¡­? I should hurry up." Varian''s brows knit together and his body blurred.


    He reached the snow mountains and climbed a mountain with the weakest monsters.


    Carefully concealing his breath, he reached the peak of the mountain and? saw arge blue building.


    It was smaller than the ''Snow Pce'' that Sarah''s team was facing, but it wasrge nheless.


    Varian carefully buried near the building ''Thunder dynamites'' and slipped away.


    Before he did, he ''set'' the timing of their explosion.


    It was a small feature of the dynamites. But once the time was set, it couldn''t be changed.


    "I hope I''m not too off." He muttered and disappeared.


    Sarah''s team was only a few peaks away.


    *** *** **** ****


    Twisted Inds, Twisted Region:


    "Damn! Did he really think he can do whatever he wants?" Ahri paced around as she thought back to the news a few minutes ago.


    Charles¡­


    "Argh! Bastard! Attacking level 5s, that shows what you''re made of." She said with a mocking tone, yet it couldn''t hide the annoyance in her voice.


    Varian challenged her in the banquet. She underestimated him and¡­lost.


    It was a huge wound to her pride.


    As the younger sister of Ashtarh, she always aimed for the best. Just like her brother.


    But now, someone a year younger suddenly popped up and defeated her.


    She really felt mad.


    "Maybe he used excess treasures to advance? Right! Could be it." She told herself.


    Indeed, not just her, but many high awakeners held the same opinion on Varian.


    But given the fact that Evander was his master, he wouldn''tmit such a low level mistake.


    Evander knew clearly that forcibly advancing with treasures would only curb Varian''s potential and perhaps, cut off his future path.


    But then¡­


    "Why is he so strong?" Ahri stomped her feet before ncing at the central ind.


    She didn''t see any movement from Helia and Caleb.


    But she didn''t think they were on the ind either. Given their space powers, they could''ve teleported sneakily and left for other regions already.


    But given that she was only a peak level 5, she wouldn''t be able to spot a peak level 6 space awakener leaving.


    Not just her, but none of the messengers would know where she went.


    Even though Ashtarh thought the same, he asked her to stay on the ind and after some time, pick up the treasures.


    Would it be easy?


    Well, she and her side would have to fight with Helia''s messenger team.


    But the treasures were worth it.


    Barring the treasures that increased one''s level with side effects, there could be weapons, shield charms, formations and more.


    As she was thinking of her harvest, her breath suddenly halted and she nced at a figure in the distance.


    "¡­He!" She gulped and checked herm, realizing that no one else noticed him.


    ''What is he doing here? Is he also a messenger? Shouldn''t be.'' Ahri thought as she captured Varian''s movements in her mental sense.


    ''Whatever the reason, I will defeat him and avenge myself.'' She clenched her fist and covered herself with her mind power.


    She shot towards Varian at a great speed and was just a few meters away from him.


    She waved her hand and created a huge sword with mental power.


    But before she could swing it, she saw Varian turning around.


    All she was his deep, pitch ck eyes. They looked at her with the eye of a predator.


    Her body went cold as she shivered uncontrobly.


    The next thing she knew, everything went nk.

 Chapter 292: Level 5 Space Awakener

    <h4>Chapter 292: Level 5 Space Awakener</h4>


    "Fue~" Varian sighed in relief. This went easier than expected. In the list Boo prepared, Ahri was defined as ''Proud and Unyielding.''


    So, he showed his traces and expected her toe fight him. He took her away from the field view of other messengers. In other words, no one saw what happened.


    It''d have been a bit troublesome if she tried to inform others.


    Varian nced towards the central ind and thought back to the report.


    ''Helia. Proud. But secretly, she''s shrewd. Not many people knew that she molded public opinion and used it to destroy her opponents.


    A very cautious person. But she also looks down on people she considers inferior.


    Inferiorityplex. In the banquet, she spoke against Sarah on multiple asions and her words reveal her jealousy.''


    "Well, why do I want to beat her up?" Varian muttered. "Since the fighting ended long ago, everyone will think she left. But she''s still on the ind."


    The ring on his finger disappeared and re-appeared after a few seconds. "You''re right, master. She and Caleb are both on the central inds."


    "Uh-oh." Varian nodded. "Now I should push Helia team out of the inds."


    After a bit of thought, he once again tapped on Ahri''sm.


    The message was addressed towards her peers in the ind. "Important. Surround the ind."


    Then he also typed a message to Ashtarh.


    "I was in the middle of something, but I found traces of blood outside the inds! Helia team has left the inds. I''m going to Vine Forest and check on Charles."


    After the message, Varian raised his hand and punched down. His fist wa just above Ahri''s face when a silver light shed and she was eliminated.


    Varian''s body blurred and he appeared outside the central ind.


    But now, his face and clothes changed.


    He deliberately used amon disguise mask avable on the market.


    To anyone who saw him from the distance, they only saw ''Ahri''.


    ''¡­this sucks.'' Varianined inwardly, but he entered the central inds where Helia and Caleb were staying.


    He already knew Helia''s location through Boo. But even without Boo, his level 6 senses could trace them.


    So, he walked closer to the mountain and said into hism. "Surround. Surround the ind. We got info that Helia Team is still inside.


    Our team is on the way to inds. If they try to escape, buy time. Even if you''re eliminated trying to buy time, you''ll bepensated and even rewarded!"


    Ahri''s voice sounded from the top of a mountain.


    Then the same voice turned low. "Brother, eliminate this bitch. She really thinks anyone can''t guess her n."


    ''Bitch? Me? You whore!'' Helia gritted her teeth and cursed.


    She was alerted when she felt a presence at the edge of her space sense. So, she spied on and heard ''Ahri''s voice''.


    The person speaking was a bit away from her space sense, but listening to thest words, she knew it was Ahri!


    But Helia knew her priorities.


    ''How did Ashtarh know? Is he reallying?'' Her brows knit together as she felt cold sweat rolling down her forehead.


    She teleported to a remote location in the borders of the ind and spread her space sense once again.


    She saw messengers surrounding the ind wielding their weapons while maintaining a ''sacrificial expression''.


    ''They''re ready to sacrifice themselves and buy Ashtarh time?'' Helia''s mind spun and she clenched her fists.


    She tapped herm and asked the messenger in Thunder ins.


    "Any movements?"


    Shortly, a reply came.


    "No. But the noise cleared. They likely got the g and are resting. They''ll set out soon."


    "¡­."


    The response didn''t say that Ashtarh team wasing to her.


    But Helia was still uneasy.


    If Ashtarh really tried to attack her, wouldn''t he hide his tracks?


    How could her messengers find it?


    Before she knew it, her palm were sweaty and she felt her throat go dry.


    ''No. No. Don''t panic.''


    She took a ''calming potion'' and thought once again.


    ''There''s a chance that this is a bluff. Ashtarh isn''ting at all.


    There''s also a chance that he''sing and since it''s Ahri who personally came to inspect the ind, he''s most likelying.''


    Helia looked at the location Ahri previously was at. She was long gone. But she could vaguely perceive that Ahri was searching other caves, underground tunnels in the ind.


    ''I''d better pick the safer option. I must leave this ce.'' She decided.


    Despite her injuries, if she was careful, she could leave without alerting anyone. Then, not only would she buy herself time, she''d also fool Ashtarh into wasting theirs.


    ''Alright. It''s decided.'' She teleported back to the cave and informed Caleb who was still in the midst of recovery.


    "Get up. We''re going."


    "Huh? Why? Isn''t it your n to stay here?" He asked in confusion.


    "In short, Ashtarh ising and we must move."


    "Move¡­but where?"


    Helia thought for a second and answered.


    "Ice Region."


    "Ice Region."


    Varian said with confidence.


    "Huh, but why would she go there?" Boo asked.


    "Just think about it.


    Because she''s too cautious, she decided to leave.


    Thunder Regions has Ashtarh. She still can''t be sure if everything was bluff. So, she won''t go there risking an encounter with Ashtarh.


    Psychedelic Region has Xavier. They could''ve got the g already or are still in the process. Going there his also risky.


    Vine Forest¡­she also got the message that Charles attacked the messengers. She must be scared to even try."


    "But what about the other region? Laden Burrows? No team picked that ce in the beginning."


    "Exactly. There''s a good chance that a team that got their first g would go to that location.


    And if that team would either be Ashtarh''s or Xavier''s. Both are once again, dangerous in her opinion." Varian exined.


    "So, she''s picking the weakest team?"


    "Indeed. In her opinion, it''d be best if Sarah won the g and left the region. But even if Sarah was still present, she was confident in winning Sarah''s team." Heid bare Helia''s thought process.


    "¡­But isn''t she looking down on Sarah''s team too much?"


    Varian shrugged.


    Isn''t everyone looking down on him too?


    While they were speaking, Helia and Caleb teleported out of the ind silently.


    No messenger noticed this and they still surrounded the ind.


    "Trash." Helia sneered in contempt and left the Twisting Inds.


    Her target¡ªIce Region!


    "Master, she left." Boo informed.


    "Oh." Varian nodded and quickly teleported to the floating ind.


    There were colorful structures all over the ind and one conscious corpse of a worm-like creature in the middle.


    "This location has space lock formations, right, where are they?" He spread his space sense and soon found the space lock formations.


    "I just need one."


    With Boo''s help, he carefully dismantled a formation and stored it.


    As he was about to leave, Boo suddenly said. "Master, my space sub-systems found a good treasure!"


    "Huh?"


    "There''s a special mechanism in the middle."


    Varian followed Boo''s instructions and walked to the middle of the ind.


    The space lock formations acted on him and solidified the space around him.


    But as a level 6, he didn''t face much difficulty.


    He saw a small tform emanating an ancient aura.


    "This is where the g was previously present." He observed.


    "ce your hand on it and channel your space power."


    Varian did.


    But soon, his face changed and he said. "Boo, this thing is sucking up everything. My space power will be drained. I still need it for the next missions."


    "Rx, master. It''ll be alright. Why do you think the space worms made a nest here?"


    Varian''s eyes widened. "You mean¡­?"


    "Yes."


    Varian gritted his teeth and held on.


    And when thest bit of his space power was sucked up, the tform burst into a silver light and enveloped Varian.


    "It''s a special spatial blessing. It can improve your space path without any side effects. If not for my space system, I wouldn''t have noticed this either. But now, enjoy the harvest."


    [+10 Xp]


    [+10 Xp]


    ¡­


    [+10Xp]


    [Space path Level 4: 1000/1000]


    [Advancing]


    [Space Path Level 5: 0/2000]


    [+10 Xp]


    [+10 Xp]


    ¡­.


    "Wow!" Varian thought it''d stop after he reached level 5. But he underestimated the treasure here.


    As Varian smiled brightly, the silver light slowly disappeared.


    [Space Path Level 5: 1200/2000]


    "Insane." He muttered.


    "Not insane, master. This is the core treasure that level 6 space worms use daily."


    Varian nodded his head and checked hism.


    "One and half minute passed! Crap! We need to get going."


    His body blurred and he appeared far away.


    Combining his body and space powers, none of the messengers spotted him.

 Chapter 293: Evanders worries

    <h4>Chapter 293: Evander''s worries</h4>


    "Wait¡­where am I?" Ahri slowly groaned as she came to her senses.


    Suddenly, she recalled those pitch ck eyes and jumped onto her feet.


    "Varian!"


    Her yell calmed down the chattering ground and turned their attention to her.


    It was only then that Ahri realized she was in the banquet hall, sitting in a rather cozy chair.


    "What happened, Ahri?"


    "Why did you yell that boy''s name?"


    "You aren''t injured, but how eliminated you?"


    "¡­."


    Ahri''s mind went nk at the world eliminated. "Eliminated? I was eliminated?"


    She muttered like she lost her soul and copsed back onto the chair.


    The proud genius, the sister of Ashtarh¡­was eliminated just like that?


    Suddenly, she recalled thest face she saw.


    She balled her fists and her nails dug into her palms, and blood slowly dripped on the chair.


    "Ahri, calm down!" A young woman grabbed her shoulders and shook her lightly.


    Ahri looked at Princess Hua and sighed deeply.


    "Thanks for your concern." She said.


    "No worries." Princess Hua waved her hand and sat in front of her. "It''s okay. Things happen sometimes. Don''t be depressed."


    ''Being defeated by the same person twice? And the second time, I couldn''t even fight back¡­'' Ahri fell silent.


    ''Is this his true strength? If he''s so strong, then what right do I have to be proud?''


    "Ahri, can you exin what happened?" Princess Hua asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.


    "Ah, yes." Ahri also noticed that the high awakeners were also looking in her direction.


    Particrly, the high awakeners of Neptune. She felt ashamed for a moment before sighing inwardly and exining the incident.


    "Strange¡­" Princess Hua muttered.


    "Indeed. He''s very strong." Ahri nodded.


    "Not his strength, but what is Varian doing there?" Princess Hua knit her brows and muttered.


    The moment Varian''s name came out of her mouth, the high awakeners of Earth perked up their ears.


    "Isn''t he a messenger of Sarah''s team?" Ahri asked. That much was obvious, but then, why was Princess Hua asked that question?


    "We have a list of all messengers. He''s not anyone''s messenger." Princess Hua said, causing Ahri to widen her eyes.


    "Then what the¡­"


    "Besides," Princes Hua cut her off. "I''ve seen his interactions with Sarah, William and other level 6s from earth.


    When talking to them, he didn''t act like he was weaker or inferior. He talked to them on an equal standing.


    Forget Sarah, he might be friends with her. But what about Dhruv and Mia? He didn''t show any nervousness when talking to them.


    Such a person, would he act as a messenger to anyone?"


    Ahri fell silent.


    Only one question remained.


    "What the hell is he trying to do?"


    In the banquet hall, Ahri''s elimination was a shock but was soon forgotten.


    The Princes and Princesses trained and advised the peak level 6s on advancing to level 7.


    Each person had a different experience, but knowing how others treaded their path was extremely beneficial.


    Some senior level 7s were also pointing out their experience to their junior level 7s.


    At high awakeners, each sub-level was a significant step.


    High awakeners also gathered and discussed their insights on the Divine Paths.


    Some of them were, however discussing the Sr Trial.


    That included the Sovereigns and level 9s.


    "Charles has a big chance of winning." Sovereign Vianne said, waving her fan.


    "He acts alone. That''s not what I approve of." Sovereign Julius shook his head.


    "But he''s strong enough to take down any team."


    "Not strong enough to take down all teams." Julius said and nced at the Sovereigns.


    "I am strong enough to take down on some of you together¡­but not all of you."


    The atmosphere fell silent.


    Evander cursed his father inside. ''Every thirty seconds, someone will say suddenly say something serious and everyone falls silent.


    I''m really afraid that this Sr Trial, instead of promoting friendship will create conflict among Sovereigns.''


    If Albert was here, he''d be able to cool down the issues and maintain a cordial atmosphere.


    Since he was the host this time, other Sovereigns would also not object much.


    But he was only a level 9. No matter how strong level 9 he was, Evander didn''t have the qualifications to ask Sovereigns to shut up.


    "I need to go. An Archduke is making some noise." Julius suddenly said and his hologram disappeared.


    "Well, well. He''s a busy man." Vianne chuckled and bowed her head. Her shoulders shook and presumably, she was also typing something about her project.


    Evander sighed and looked at the virtual projections in the banquet hall.


    It disyed the names of six regions.


    Thunder, Ice, Twisted, and Psychedelic Regions were stirred off.


    "Four gs, huh." He muttered. "It''d be nice if we could watch monitor everything."


    But sadly, it''s not possible.


    Ruins, being a private space of devas had a different set or rules or perhaps restrictions?


    No one knew for certain.


    But modern technology didn''t work in Ruins. Not evenms can be used, forget about space shuttles.


    Secret Realms were essentially decayed Ruins.


    So, most of them lost that feature and allowed the use of technology.


    But Tiama secret realm was one of the few that still maintained those restrictions.


    Thankfully, they could at least usems. And a very simple sensor attached to the maps.


    Of course, as the realm master, you could manufacture some native technology allowed the realm.


    For instance, the ''key'' to the secret realm. It was added the escape function and was considered a native technology of the realm.


    Only because of the protection mechanism did everyone send their geniuses inside.


    He didn''t know about others, but Evander would definitely not allow Sarah without safety.


    ''She is still a second year, and she goes to fight with third years. How is she now?''


    He didn''t know what was happening inside.


    But as the host of the banquet, he maintained a calm disposition.


    Only he knew he was nervous inside.


    ''Sarah is''t the strongest. Her chances of winning aren''t high. I hope she doesn''t hurt herself too much.


    She has a high chance of winning next year.¡­I should''ve told her to take it easy.''


    He thought, but somehow, he couldn''t speak to Sarah like he used to. There was a gap between them. And he was the one who created it.


    Shaking his head, Evander pushed back the painful thoughts and knit his brows.


    ''And Varian¡­what the hell are you doing in the Twisted Inds?''


    Evander recalled Varian''s confident smile and a thought passed by.


    The thought was ridiculous yet scary enough that even he, a veryposed man almost jumped out of his seat.


    ''¡­Are you trying to win thepetition?'' Despite knowing Varian''s speed of progress, even he felt it was absurd.


    ''Nah. Impossible. Whatever you do, just don''t bring me a headache by suddenly? revealing your strength to be level 6.''


    ''Nothing absurd will happen...right?''

 Chapter 294: Entering the Ice Region

    <h4>Chapter 294: Entering the Ice Region</h4>


    Snow Mountains, Ice Region:


    "And done!" Sarah shed a giant mammoth into two and said.


    William patted Philia on her shoulder. "Good job."


    Philia nodded lightly. "This is thest one."


    "Hm. Just a minute." William''s figure blurred and he reached the pce on the peak in a moment.


    Previously, it was full of high and peak level 6 beasts.


    Now, there was not a single soul inside.


    The walls of the snow pce was pure white and reflected him as he climbed the huge stairs and reached a special room.


    The giant mammoth was guarding this room.


    Opening the door, he found the g as expected.


    Besides the g, there were also other treasures.


    William checked them and shook his head in disappointment. They were pretty useless.


    He covered himself with mental power and propelled himself out of the pce and down the mountain.


    In a second, he appeared in front of the teammates and unted his g. "We got it!"


    Just as Sarah was about to respond, herm buzzed. "Charles¡­he eliminated all the..Beep!"


    William''s smile froze and Philia''s face turned colder.


    "Attacking messengers isn''t honorable." William said.


    Peak level 6s attacking peak level 5 was just shameful.


    Even though the teams didn''t say it explicitly, they agreed not to attack other teams'' messengers.


    Sarah knit her brows and said. "We''re long past talking about honorable actions."


    William opened his mouth but no words came out.


    Yes. Attacking eleven members attacking one guy was anything but honorable.


    It was pretty hypocritical of them to talk about honor.


    "What do we do now? Go to the Vine Forest and suppress him?" Philia asked.


    Sarah thought for a moment and shook her head. "No."


    She nced at William and Philia with a helpless expression. "Like it or not, we''re first or second weakest team. Going there is just asking to be eliminated."


    "But if Charles recovers, won''t we all be done for?" William asked with an unwilling expression.


    He knew they were weak. But truth wasn''t always pleasant.


    "Ashtarh or Xavier teams will go and check it out. If it''s really an emergency, they''ll contact us." Sarah said, hoping the emergency to never arrive.


    "Besides, Charles is heavily injured. Even if he healed a bit, his strength would be far from his prime. Let them fight it out." She said.


    William opened his mouth in shock and clicked his tongue. "Wow. Sarah, that was pretty evil of you."


    "¡­not evil. I just want to keep a high chances of winning." Sarah said slowly.


    She was fully aware that her chances of winning were less than 5%.


    Every one in the teams was a third year. They were also stronger than her, even if not by a huge margin, but by a significant one.


    "Well, I don''t know why, maybe intuition, but I don''t think we''ll win." William said, scratching his cheek.


    "Don''t jinx it." Philia elbowed him.


    "Ouch." William flinched in pain and rolled his eyes. "I''m not trying to. But I got a weird feeling about this."


    "Hm?" Sarah raised a brow.


    "A few minutes ago, I was on the top of the peak to lure out a beast. Then¡­just for a moment, I thought someone was watching me from another peak." He exined.


    "¡­" Philia remained silent.


    "Forget it." Sarah waved her hand and said. "The mountains are dangerous anyway. Let''s go to in and wait for some time. We''ll decide our next move based on Charles'' news."


    From the beginning to the end, their danger was Beast horde.


    Thankfully, they managed to avoid it by not causing anymotion in the mountain tops.


    *** **** **** ****


    Xavier team exited the Psychedelic Region and entered the Central ins.


    Right after they got the message regarding Charles, they decided to rush to the Vine Forest.


    It was risky, but necessary.


    If Charles recovered, they could kiss their chances of winning goodbye.


    Of course, Xavier knew he and his teammates could be injured, leading to their loss ofbat power.


    But he was hopeful that Ashtarh Team would alsoe.


    And so, they reached the Vine Forest shortly and rushed to the core area.


    Core area was dangerous and Xavier hoped that Charles faced difficulties and injured himself.


    Then Xavier would dly eliminate him and remove this dangerous variable once and for all.


    *** **** **** ****


    Shortly after Xavier team left, Ashtarh team reached the central ins.


    They decided to check out Charles, but right when they were about to enter the Vine region, another message arrived.


    "I was in the middle of something, but I found traces of blood outside the inds! Helia team has left the inds. I''m going to Vine Forest and check on Charles."


    Ashtarh read his sister''s message with a frown.


    He tried contacting her, but he got no response.


    "¡­is she eliminated?" He narrowed his eyes.


    She couldn''t even send a message before being eliminated. And she went to Vine Forest, so¡­


    "It was Charles, huh." He took a deep breath and shook his head.


    He was going to fight Charles, but not for this reason. It was Ahri''s decision to scout on Charles. She must bear the consequences.


    Of course, he''dpensate her.


    "What do we do now?" Maissa titled her head and asked with a smile. "We can go to Charles or we can go to Laden Burrows and get a g."


    Tiama didn''t speak and waited for Ashtarh''s decision.


    Ashtarh considered the options and said. "Ice Region."


    "Huh?" They were both taken aback.


    "Helia escaped. Since she did, she got the g already. Think about it, they only have two members but still got the g almost at the same time as us. No, they were slightly quicker."


    Maissa''s eyes lit up. "So their injuries must be heavy."


    Ashtarh nodded. "So where would they go?"


    "To the safest ce." Tiama answered, earning a re from Maissa.


    "Hm. Since she doesn''t know about our location, she wouldn''t dare to venture into Thunder Region or Psychedelic Region.


    With news of Charles possibly recovering, Vine Forest is also a big no."


    "Why Ice Region? Why notden burrows?" Maissa asked.


    "¡­I saw Helia fight Sarah in the banquet. She was pretty scornful of her. Even before the trial began, she mocked Sarah''s team. She thinks Sarah team is weaker than hers."


    "Inted ego, kek." Maissa covered her mouth and chuckled.


    "Back to your question, there''s a high possibility that either us or Xavier team would go to Laden Burrows for the g.


    So, she picked the safest bet. Whether she confronts Sarah or not, she''s safe."


    Maissa crossed her arms. She was still unconvinced. "It''s all your conjecture, anything could happen."


    Tiama narrowed his eyes and checked the messengers list.


    Some of them sent info from time to time.


    There were some, however, that sent the reason they were eliminated¡ªlike opposite team''s massagers fought me, I overlooked a danger and was attacked by a beast, etc.


    He asked all their messengers to reply.


    Shortly, everyone replied except those already eliminated.


    His eyes brightened and he said. "I checked the messages from all our messengers.


    Except for the eliminated, only four didn''t reply.


    Of the four, the three sent theirst message thirty minutes ago and the fourth one''sst message was six minutes ago."


    "The message is [Hel]."


    Ashtarh shrugged.


    The messenger didn''t have time to type out the full message before he was eliminated.


    Maissa said begrudgingly. "F-Fine, let''s go."


    Ashtarh team entered the Ice Region.

 Chapter 295: Run!

    <h4>Chapter 295: Run!</h4>


    "Senior Helia, I spotted Ashtarh team leaving the Thunder Region."


    "I knew it!" Helia read the message on herm and said.


    "Phew. Thanks to you, we escaped." Caleb teleported beside her and looked at her with gratitude.


    "Haha. Don''t mention it." She waved her hand, but her lips curled up in a smug smile.


    "So, what do we do now?" Caleb asked.


    ''You can''t even think and give me an opinion yourself. Hmph! Pathetic. But well, that''s why you''re a perfect teammate for me.'' Helia thought and said.


    "We''re in the snow mountains range, aren''t we? These mountains have a structure on their peak filled with monsters." She pointed to the snow capped mountains in the distance.


    "Clear those monsters and hide there?" Caleb asked.


    Helia rolled her eyes. "If you want to be further injured, sure. If we provoke even the top of one mountain, the beasts in all mountains would descend.


    Essentially, a beast tide."


    "Gulp" Caleb swallowed his saliva and shook his head. "So, what do we do?"


    "No one will dare to disturb the beasts, so let''s stay on a mountain, but far away from the beasts."


    "Ah, I see. As expected of you."


    "Hm. Let''s go." Helia disappeared and teleported into the distance.


    Caleb followed.


    *** *** **** ***


    "Achoo!" Maissa sneezed as she rubbed her hands.


    Looking at the endless whiteness¡ªwhitend, white sky and even foggy white air, she said. "I hate coldness."


    "¡­but aren''t you covering yourself with space armor, howe you are still cold?" Tiama asked.


    His body shed a golden light as he moved forward at a great speed, causing ice under him to break in the process.


    Ashtarh led the team as he tried to find the traces of Helia.


    They were seen by several messengers, but they didn''t care and moved forward.


    The best course of action now was to eliminate the heavily injured Helia team.


    Ashtarh wasn''t inclined to fight Sarah team.


    They were weaker than his team, but were stronger than Helia''s. Besides, there was no guarantee they were heavily injured.


    But more importantly, they might not be in the Ice Region at all!


    Maissa teleported and appeared in front of Ashtarh, only to be overtaken by him again.


    "Achoo!"


    Tiama caught up to her and raised a brow. "I get it. It''s psychological. You had a bad experience with ice in the past?"


    "Shut up!" Maissa yelled, though she kept her voice in a reasonable range.


    "Guys¡­" Ashtarh''s solemn voice called them. "Get ready."


    Tiama was taken aback and carefully sensed the ground.


    He found two pairs of light but fresh footprints.


    Ashtarh ''heightened'' his perception and carefully sniffed the faint scent.


    "Follow me."


    He said and shot forward.


    Soon, the trio reached a small mountain and concealed their breaths.


    "What''s the building above? It looks like a pagoda." Maissa said, her eyes shing. "It''s full of monsters."


    Her lips curled up as she tried to stifle herughter.


    "Don''t even think about it." Ashtarh''s voice came from the front. "If we attack that one building, beasts on every mountain will descend."


    "Then isn''t it too dangerous? What if Helia is pushed to the brink and attacks the pagoda herself?" Tiama asked.


    "She can totally do it. That''s why, Maissa, stay on guard and stop them. Tiama and me will attack."


    "Alright." Maissa nodded.


    Even though she liked to fight, she still understood the priority of things.


    Ashtarh and Tiama nced at each other and nodded.


    Their bodies blurred and leaving after images, they shot up the mountain.


    "Wait, what?" Suddenly, they heard a scream and the next moment, Helia and Caleb appeared outside a cave.


    Their expressions were full of shock and horror.


    "You¡­did youe alone?" Helia asked, watching Tiama racing towards them with his lightning wings.


    Tiama didn''t answer and conjured two lightning bolts and shot towards them.


    "Fuck!" Cursing, both Helia and Caleb teleported and escaped from the attack, appearing almost a mile away.


    Caleb''s instincts suddenly screamed at him and he wanted to teleported right away.


    But his injuries dyed him for a split second and that was all it took as Ashtarh''s fist connected with his neck and a silver light shed from his body.


    It was a fatal hit and Caleb was eliminated.


    "Y-You! Ashtarh!" Helia teleported far away as she eximed in fear.


    "H-How did you find me?! Dammit!"


    Ashtarh and Tiama didn''t care about her words and sprinted towards her.


    "Don''te! Don''te!" She yelled hysterically as she teleported indiscriminately, barely avoiding Tiama''s lightning bolts and Ashtarh''s punches.


    ''How? How did they find my location? Wait, is this all a n by that bitch Ahri?'' Helia suddenly thought of everything that transpired and widened her eyes.


    "Fuck! You and your sister are both cowards. You had to¡ª"


    Zap!


    Boom!


    A lightning bolt greeted her and Helia realized she couldn''t even afford to speak freely.


    Due to her injuries, she wasn''t in an ideal condition.


    She didn''t even try to attack and only tried to escape. But they were quickly catching up to her.


    From the mid section of the mountain, they were now on the top of the mountain.


    Helia saw the pagoda filled with beasts and her eyes lit up. "Go! If you dare to attack me, I''ll attack the pagoda and we''ll all go down together."


    The expected response didn''te.


    All that greeted was the same old lighting bolts and deadly fists.


    Helia''s eyes turned red and she clenched her fists.


    "F-Fine! You''ll get what you fucking deserve!" She disappeared and appeared beside the pagoda.


    Channeling her space power, she was about to create a huge space explosion inside the pagoda.


    Once it happened, the beasts regardless of the mountain would be enraged.


    Not just the beasts on the top, but also those below and also on the other parts of the mountain.


    Eve though she was losing, she wanted to see the look of despair on Ashtarh''s face who brought her to this loss.


    But all she saw was calmness.


    Then suddenly, the space around her solidified.


    In that moment of shock, Ashtarh appeared in front of her and punched at her chest.


    "NO!!!"


    A silver light shed and she was eliminated, leaving behind the g.


    Ashtarh caught the g and nced at the pagoda.


    He heaved a sigh of relief.


    "Let''s go to the Vine Forest now." He said.


    Tiama and Maissa nodded and they descended down the mountain.


    When they were half-way down, Ashtarh''s eyes widened and he turned to his right, and stared into the distance.


    "¡­an explosion?"


    All he saw was a small sh of gold and then¡­


    The earth started to shake.


    "Earthquake?" Maissa paused and frowned.


    "¡­doesn''t feel like it." Tiama also paused and nced around.


    Ashtarh suddenly turned to the peak of the mountain and exhaled. "Look at the top."


    Maissa''s jaw dropped and she rubbed her eyes.


    Then she spread her space sense and saw the whole picture.


    "Run!"


    The trio dashed down the mountain.

 Chapter 296: Who is the Culprit?

    <h4>Chapter 296: Who is the Culprit?</h4>


    "Gruh"


    "Kahg"


    "Roar!"


    Everything began to shake.


    The mountains, the trees, the icend, the frozenkes.


    Everything.


    Tens of thousands of beasts descended down the mountain. With each of their steps, the ground shook and ice crackled.


    "Roar!"


    The high mountains soon crumbled and were reduced to rubble, sending tremors throughout the region.


    Ashtarh, Tiama and Maissa were on the run as they tried to escape the devastating impact of the beast tide.


    Yet, the beasts filled everything their eyes can see.


    "I can fly, should I take you¡­" Tiama shut up midway as he saw the beasts that nketed the sky.


    Ashtarh kept his cool and said. "We''ll just need to not stand in their way."


    But what was their way?


    Literally everywhere their eyes can see!


    Even then, Ashtarh looked at them and said. "It''s not life threatening. Most of the beasts are weaker than us. But if we''re caught in the tide, it''s another story."


    He said and ran outwards.


    Ashtarh''s speed was very fast, but the beasts standing in his way slowed him down.


    Even then, he avoided all the beasts he could and rushed out.


    But there were some beasts, particrly those of level 6 that tried to attack him in frenzy.


    His two scimitars reaped their lives and cleared the way.


    Tiama and Maissa followed his lead and rushed out of the beast tide.


    They ran across the beast tide''s direction.


    Injuries weremon.


    As they passed through thousands of beasts, despite trying their best, they had to face many attacks.


    There weren''t many peak level 6s, but there were plenty enough.


    As such, by the time trio escaped the beast tide, they umted a lot of minor, but significant injuries.


    "Roar!"


    "Kruaah!"


    "Duh! Dugh!"


    Some of the beasts at the edges of the beast side saw their injuries and rushed towards them.


    "Die!" Maissa clenched her fists and the beast were crushed into pastes of meat and bone.


    Sweat rolled down her forehead as she panted heavily from the exertion.


    Ashtarh bent down and held his knees as he heavily breathed in.


    Tiama justid on the ground and pretended to be dead.


    After a few minutes, the beast tide''s intensity reduced in their region and Maissa asked.


    "How?"


    Ashtarh recalled the sh of golden light on a mountain and narrowed his eyes. This beast tide was definitely provoked by one of the teams.


    This team knew that Helia''s team was here and also that they were chasing after them.


    So, they nned this.


    Who else could it be?


    "Sarah''s team should have used some explosives and provoked the beasts." Ashtarh exhaled and said.


    "I acknowledged her strength. But I overlooked her tactics. I didn''t know she was this¡­shrewd." He said as he looked at his own injuries and his teammates'' injuries.


    "She should know that we won''t go down with a beast tide." Tiama sat up and growled. "We''re stronger than that."


    "Of course. But she never expected to eliminate us." Ashtarh said slowly. "It is¡­to weaken us."


    Maissa and Tiama fell silent.


    Whether they admitted it or not, their strength had dropped. They already took the healing potion, but they weren''t going to recover to their peak anytime soon.


    They could barely exert peak level 6 power now.


    A depressing atmosphere filled the air.


    Suddenly, Maissa''s eyes lit up and she said. "Now, Charles and Xavier teams fight, Xavier team will also weaken. Sarah''s team is the weakest. So, we''ll all be even."


    Ashtarh rubbed his chin in thought but didn''tment on her words.


    "Let''s go to theden burrows. I guess Sarah''s team is already on the way, eh. We''ll settle our scores there."


    Soon, the three exited the Ice Region and entered theden burrows.


    *** *** **** *** *** ****


    "Bastards!" Sarah cursed under her breath as she looked at the thousands of beasts in the distance.


    Thankfully, they were some distance away from the mountains when this happened and were able to barely escape.


    The team suffered only light injuries and came out rtively unscathed.


    But still, Sarah''s face was cold.


    "An explosion, huh. Which bastard did this?" As a level 6 Enhanced, she remembered the rumbling sound of explosion.


    If she was not wrong, it was a thunder type explosive.


    The obvious answer would be Ashtarh Team.


    But Sarah denied that without hesitation. With his personalty, Ashtarh wouldn''t do that.


    Especially to her team, which was weaker than his.


    "All our messengers in the region are done for." William said with a bitter expression.


    "Sarah, if it''s not Ashtarh, then who is it? They need to get the thunder explosives, ce it here." Philia frowned and said.


    "Thankfully, they miscalcted the time. We got the g early on. And we weren''t even close to the mountain during the explosion.


    But if¡­" She paused.


    If they were close to the mountain, they''d heavily injured. And if they were unlucky and got besieged by dozens of peak level 6 beasts, then there''s a risk of elimination.


    "Xavier¡­damn it!" Sarah clenched her fist. "He is the one who can do this. He will work with you and also against you."


    "Let''s go to theden burrows. We''ll settle the score there." She said and soon, the trio left the Ice Region.


    *** *** ****


    "Huh? A beast tide?" Xavier Bell rubbed his temples and said.


    Marcus stood in the distance as he closed his eyes and recuperated. The attack in the core region took a heavy toll on him.


    So, he didn''t respond to Xavier''s words.


    But Rodey checked hism and eximed. "Who did it?"


    "Our messengers were all eliminated. But they saw Ashtarh enter the Ice region. My guess is Helia."


    Rodey frowned and he said. "That''s disgu¡ª"


    "Brilliant." Xavier cut him off.


    "Pardon?"


    Xavier raised a brow. "Brilliant. Helia was somehow able to provoke the beasts¡­without being present there. So, I guess she used explosives or sacrificed messengers. Excellent, I must say."


    "¡­" Rodey stayed silent.


    Xavier shrugged. "Perhaps you look down on her. But from the start, this was never a fair fight. Everyone has to do their best to win."


    His eyes glittered as he said. "We need to be careful of this woman."


    He didn''t know¡­Helia was long eliminated.

 Chapter 297: Fate of Charles Xander

    <h4>Chapter 297: Fate of Charles Xander</h4>


    "Wake up." Marcus heard Xavier''s voice in his head and opened his eyes.


    "We are waiting for Ashtarh''s team, but they must have sustained injures in the beast tide. So no point waiting." Xavier said, and his voice turned solemn.


    "Charles Xander is inside. If no onees, we have to do it ourselves."


    Rodey Nial nodded and led the way into the core area.


    The Vine Forest was somewhat simr to Aether Garden.


    Both nts and animals attacked you and you had to look out for everything.


    "Roar!" A two-headed lion appeared in front of the team and a blue light shed from its body.


    It grew in size and turned into a monster with a lion''s head, a goat''s body, and a dragon''s tail.


    Chimera.


    "Roar!"


    The lion''s head opened its mouth and was about to breathe out fire.


    Xavier locked his mental power onto the creature and snorted.


    "Gruuugh" The Chimera copsed instantly onto the ground as it struggled to control its own body.


    Rodey seized the opportunity and smashed its head open, killing the creature.


    "A peak level 6, huh." Xavier wiped away the sweat on his forehead and muttered.


    Even though the fight looked easy, it wasn''t.


    He consumed significant amount of mental power to stop the creature''s attack and it from moving.


    Then, Rodey also had only a small window of opportunity before the creature eventually fought back.


    But thanks to the experience of working together, even if slightly, in the Aether garden, they were able to aplish this feat.


    "Tsk." Marcus snickered and walked forward.


    They were met with quite a few peak level 6 creatures, nts and beasts.


    Xavier would use his mental powers and stop them while either Marcus or Rodey finished off the creature.


    Of course, that didn''t mean Xavier himself couldn''t kill off a peak level 6.


    He certainly could. It just cost him more mental power.


    He preferred to save it as much as he could.


    After some time, they found a trail.


    "This¡­"


    The ground was filled with potholes. The trees, even the level 6 ones were blown into pieces and the corpse of a colossal bearid on the ground, spilling its yellow blood.


    "Charles." Rodey said with sharp eyes.


    Xavier expanded his mental sense and found a trail of red blood.


    They followed the trail and found more and more corpses along the way.


    And along with their corpses was Charles'' blood.


    It was more and more fresh with each new corpse.


    Finally, they stopped in front of a huge dome.


    It was made of sturdy brown branches and looked like a flipped bird nest.


    There was only one entrance to the dome in the shape of a door and it was pitch ck, preventing them from seeing the inside.


    "This is it." Marcus said.


    "Hm." Rodey stepped forward and led the way.


    The trio were nervous.


    Charles¡­he''s likely in that dome.


    Maybe he fought the monster and won the g already.


    But what''s scary was that he was so badly injured, yet he managed to make it so far.


    Of course, they all held back their strength but still¡­they had to acknowledge that Charles was on a different league.


    As the trio passed through the huge ck entrance, they found themselves facing a giant corpse.


    The corpse of a half-dragon.


    Its wings were torn apart. Its neck was broken and its eyes showed its shock.


    A heavy silence filled the room as the trio upped their guards and waited for the inevitable.


    Charles Xander.


    "Don''t worry too much. He came this far, he must be pretty injured." Even though he said it, Xavier found his confidence to becking.


    Rodey and Marcus also waited in absolute silence for the number one genius of the Federation.


    It was an oppressive silence.


    But they didn''t waver.


    Their senses scanned the room over and over, but they didn''t find his traces. They did find pools of his red blood and even pieces of his torn clothes.


    Yet, the man himself was missing.


    Finally, Marcus growled and stepped towards the corpse. "Fuck it! Charles, I''m here. If you have balls,e out!"


    "¡­."


    There was no response.


    Marcus called out again. "Charles!"


    "¡­."


    Silence.


    "Are you a pussy? Come out!" With a growl, Marcus''s body burst into mes and he kicked the half-dragon''s corpse.


    The ten meter long creature was heavy, but dead. Its body flew into the air, and crashed into the ground.


    "Charles,¡ª" Marcus suddenly paused startling both Xavier and Rodey.


    They both stiffened and were ready to attack.


    However, Marcus only bent down and picked up something from the ground.


    No. It was two things.


    A g.


    The fifth g.


    And¡­am attached to a hand.


    "¡­."


    Rodey and Xavier rubbed their eyes to confirm they weren''t seeing things.


    "Charles'' hand."


    They recognized and tapped hism.


    It disyed thest message to his messengers. "Move out of the regions with g."


    Once they did that, they''d no longer be able to enter the regions before thepetition ended.


    Why would Charles say that?


    ¡­if only he had no use for them.


    Or if he couldn''t use them anymore.


    "He is eliminated." Xavier muttered slowly. His calm and collected voice was shaken, ovee by a mix of emotions.


    Was it jealousy? Helplessness?


    Or¡­.Relief?


    "Yeah." Marcus nodded and put down the hand with aplicated expression.


    Charles'' traces ended here. And there was no way out. He was gone.


    "¡­We got the g. We''ll be facing off the others in theden burrows. Let''s go." Rodey sighed.


    "Yep!" Marcus clenched his fists and said. "One final bout."


    Soon, the trio left the Vine Forest and entered theden burrows.


    And the messengers quickly informed Ashtarh and Sarah teams.


    Their reaction was simr.


    First, they were bewildered and almost thought it was false. But then after hearing that the Xavier team just left the Vine Forest, they sighed and epted reality.


    All teams would collide in theden burrows!

 Chapter 298: Pulling The Lions Tail

    <h4>Chapter 298: Pulling The Lion''s Tail</h4>


    Dark clouds covered the sky and bombarded thend with thick golden lightning.


    There was little vegetation and the only creatures that survived the wrath of thunder were creatures excelling in Thunder path.


    Their habitats were molded in response to the continuous lightning and somehow, they used the unforgiving and life threatening lightning to progress in their divine path.


    They not only survived, but also thrived.


    ''Humans are also like that. At first, aura revival only led to infighting and even nuclear wars. But afterwards, we thrived.'' Varian thought as his figure blurred in the thunder ins and he travelled a few miles with every teleportation.


    He wasn''t expecting this, but a level 5 Space Awakener sure had it much easy for travel.


    Still, that speed was inferior to his level 6 Enhanced speed. But it''s more economical.


    Varian also found that with each advancement, the space power consumed per distance continued to fall.


    The space power his level 3 self used for teleporting a 100 meters, he could teleport 200 meters with the same.


    As went deeper into the thunder ins, he avoided any messengers.


    His destination was Thunder Shrine.


    "Now they''re all heading to theden burrows. But¡­Xavier team returned pretty fast. And from what the messengers were talking, it seems like he''s eliminated."


    ''To be fair, no one expected it. Although it''s surprising, it''s not improbable. Xavier team members are not fools, but¡­I am not convinced.''


    Varian pressed down the weird feeling in the back of his mind and paused in front of a narrow valley entrance.


    It was covered by thick white fog and dense lightning mana, making it impossible for him to pry inside.


    "Wait, footprints." Varian didn''t enter inside immediately but thought back to the situation.


    Ashtarh team had left and since they hired messengers with the promise of treasures, they would most likely be peak level 5 lighting awakeners.


    Even if not all, but most of them.


    ''Status''


    [Body (Enhanced) Path L6: 0/4000


    Space Path L5: 1200/2000


    Lightning Path L5: 0/2000


    Morpher Path L4: 400/1000


    Telepath Path L5: 0/2000


    Telekic Path L4: 0/1000]


    ''I can instantly defeat any peak level 5, but if they inform Ashtarh team of me appearing here, it''d destroy the arrangements.''


    Varian took a deep breath and walked into the white fog.


    The lightning mana rumbled and the next moment, he was in a rather ancient site.


    The vast expanse ofnd was filled with ruins of statues, fine art, and public buildings.


    Varian hurriedly teleported behind arge boulder and hid himself from the messengers.


    Some of them were fighting, some were searching for treasures and a final group was standing in front of the Thunder Shrine.


    Thankfully, with his quick response, no one found him.


    Varian ced his hand on the boulder and sighed.


    "Eh?" He felt a texture on his palm and dusted off the boulder.


    There were strange golden symbols engraved on the boulder. No. Not a boulder. It was perhaps a¡­home?


    Varian also noticed something. The golden symbols weren''t engraved with ink or just carved on the hard stone, but with lightning mana.


    Lighting mana, like all other mana and auras was always mobile. It''s like wind, flowing from one ce to another.


    It was impossible to lock it one ce.


    But here he was, seeing something so hard done so casually.


    "Devas¡­" Varian said under his breath.


    Perhaps they lived here before they suddenly went extinct.


    ''System, are devas truly dead?'' He suddenly asked. He wasn''t sure if he wanted to hear a positive or a negative. But he wanted a closure.


    [Thest one of them died thousands of years ago.] It replied nonchntly.


    ''¡­Why?'' Varian was stumbling upon a great secret and he knew it.


    [They sealed this System. But they couldn''t sealpletely. Overtime, they got the fruit of their actions. In thest ditch effort to weaken the System and save their race, they sealed off the aura.]


    "¡­" Varian''s eyes widened. He felt it was ridiculous. A god-like species died to this system, just like that? But he recalled the powers he wielded for a brief time in the ghost ship and didn''t retort.


    What he wielded was only a tiny fraction of System''s powers, yet he was able to destroy walls that could withstand the attacks of Celestial Rankers.


    The System continued to speak.


    [They sealed the aura and waited for it to weaken this System''s influence. But they didn''t foresee the effects


    When it began, they thought it was temporary and ignored it. When they realized the true danger, it was toote. Without aura, they''re slowly going extinct.


    But when they finally wanted to do something about it, they no longer had the power.]


    Varian opened his mouth to say something but he couldn''t say anything.


    Was he carrying a civilizational exterminator with him the whole time?


    Hm, he could be considered its host or master in a sense, so did that also make him an exterminator?


    But wasn''t the system always telling him it works on the principle of ''Bnce'', how the fuck was it a bnce to exterminate an entire civilization?


    But he did catch one crucial information. Devas died due tock of aura. If aura suddenly disappears in the sr system, would humans also die off?


    The System responded in negative.


    [Devas are¡­special. Their history isn''t exactly glorious. Find out the rest yourselves.]


    "I am not interested at all." Varian said with an indifferent expression. Inwardly, he imagined thrashing the system a million times already.


    ''Most of the time, you y dead and pretend you don''t exist. When you finally speak, all you do is tease my appetite.''


    Shaking his head, Varian put the matter of devas behind.


    The Secrets Realms had relics of Devas, but the best ce to find more about them was undoubtedly Ruins.


    He needed to be at least a high awakener to enter one. Considering this was second month, the ruins of second, Venus would be open for 45 days.


    ''Maybe I''ll take a three more months and enter Jupiter''s Ruins?'' Varian shook his head immediately.


    ''If anything, I can''t predict my own progress.''


    "Time to do the job at hand." Varian tapped ghost ring on his finger and asked. "Boo, find a level 6 beast near this ce."


    "Master, are you going to¡­?"


    "Just do it."


    "Un."


    There still didn''t enter the Thunder Shrine.


    They were fighting over the corpses of Thunder Griffins and Thunder Knights. Usually, the teams would take them for themselves. But Ashtarh''s team generously left them for the messengers.


    As a result, it created intense fights.


    ''Good for me.''


    Soon, Boo sent him a signal and Varian went out of the thunder shrine to find the level 6 beast.


    A low level 6 Golden Lion.


    It was leisurely resting in its nest when he suddenly showed up, pulled its tail and ran away.


    "Roar!"


    "Hahaha!" Varian''s shoulders trembled as he recalled the lion''s expression when its tail was pulled.


    He teleported behind it, and the lion noticed the space fluctuations with its lightning sense.


    It conjured a lightning spear to impale the intruder.


    But his body moved faster and he pulled its tail.


    Pulling a lion''s tail without being killed.


    Varian''s mind shed and he saw a scene where they visited a park with Amanda, Sia was very curious.


    They visited a sleeping lion. He didn''t know what came to her, but Sia somehow pulled its tail.


    Thankfully, it was only a level 0 creature and Amanda was able to scare it off.


    With a short sprint, he reached the entrance of the valley.


    "Roar!"


    Varian smile disappeared as he jumped away and avoided the lightning bolt.


    Boom!


    The lightning spear impaled the ground and broke it apart, creating a small crater in the process.


    Varian turned to the golden lion, intentionally grinned to piss it off and entered the white fog.


    "Roar!"


    The golden lion covered its body with lightning and its body shed a golden light as it dashed into the white fog.


    "Roa¡ªr?" The next moment, it appeared in Thunder Shrine.


    Its immediate reaction was to flee. After all, it knew that there were Thunder griffins living in this area.


    "Roa?!" It sensed the corpses of the griffins and thunder knights. Its fear only grew stronger and it was about to flee.


    Suddenly, it felt a tug at its tail again and turned around in anger.


    It spread its lightning sense and tried to catch the culprit. It''d remember his aura and chase himter.


    "Ro?"


    But soon, it realized there were only weak humans in the area. There was no danger.


    The lion nced at the corpses of the thunder griffins and thunder knights in the distance and gulped.


    Instinctively, it knew the that devouring them would strengthen it.


    To it, strength was the most important thing. Even revenge wouldeter.


    Thus, when it saw some humans dissecting the thunder griffins and gathering treasures, its blood boiled.


    "Roar!"


    Lightning snakes erupted out fo its body and shot out in all directions as the air was suddenly filled with a stifling atmosphere.


    All the messengers paled as they felt the horrifying aura of the creature.


    "Fuck!"

 Chapter 299: Pieces Fall Into Place

    <h4>Chapter 299: Pieces Fall Into ce</h4>


    If someone asked Varian if he was a good guy, he would answer without thinking.


    No.


    He was selfish.


    Ultimately, everything he did was to pursue his goals.


    And for this trial, his goal was to win.


    Then what if him winning causes a lot of peak level 5 geniuses to lose their opportunity of gaining treasures?


    Treasures that could perhaps save their lives in the future.


    Treasure that could help them advance and make their lives better.


    Was it not cruel?


    Such a thought did pass through his mind, but strangely Varian didn''t feel any sense of pity towards the messengers.


    Forget pity, there was not a shred of guilt in his heart.


    He wanted the enlightenment potion, grow stronger. He didn''t know why, but from the moment Sia revealed she was a level 7, he had that urge to do whatever he could and grow stronger.


    So, when the golden lion dashed into the Thunder Shrine and attacked the messengers, he watched it calmly.


    ''Am I so cold-blooded?''


    "Roar!"


    Zap!


    Boom!


    The peak level 5 messengers tried to fight back.


    But the lightning spears of the golden lion all possessed the power of level 6. Something they couldn''t contend.


    The messengers were scattered across the field as they tried to dodge the lightning spears.


    "Why did this happen?"


    "Didn''t Senior Ashtarh say they cleared all the nearby beasts?"


    "Yes! They didn''t neglect us, did they?"


    Indeed, there were no level 6 beasts nearby. Varian had to lure this one from afar.


    There were around twenty messengers.


    But under a minute, half of them were hit with lightning spears and disappeared.


    Looking at the silver light teleporting them away, Varian clicked his tongue. ''So that''s why. These people don''t have any danger of life.


    Even though not getting this treasure might harm them in the future, it might also do them good.


    Since I''m not harming their lives, I don''t feel any guilt.''


    It was a weird justification, but Varian found it fit him.


    "S-Senior Tiama! There''s a l-level 6 beast! I know you cleared but¡­! Yes! It''s attacking us! W-What?"!


    Soon, one of the leading messengers contacted Tiama and informed the situation.


    Her intention was obvious. Ask for help.


    If Tiama did return, then Varian''s ns would be spoiled. But he wasn''t nervous at all.


    "What happened?" The other messengers asked eagerly as they desperately dodged the lightning spears.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The Golden Lion was enjoying itself as it slowly hunted down the preys. To it, this ce was something akin to a dream house.


    With rich lightning mana, countless natural treasures and a mysterious shrine, this ce was a perfect residence for it.


    Since these bugs dared to desecrate its residence, then it''ll torture them to death.


    "Argh!" One more messenger was impaled by the lightning spear and flew into the air.


    As the lightning mana threatened to break his heart, a silver light shed and dispelled the lightning mana, and teleported him away.


    "What happened? What did Senior Tiama say?" A messenger asked with a pale face.


    He kept ncing at the golden lion and thought back to the genius that was eliminated just now.


    There was only one hope. The Teams.


    "He can''te."


    The hope was crushed.


    "Why?"


    He turned to the girl who contacted him and growled.


    Boom!


    A lightning bolt struck him and he couldn''t dodge in that moment of heat.


    The familiar silver light covered him and he heard her words.


    "Because they''re already in Laden Burrows. They can''t back off."


    Those were thest words he heard before he disappeared.


    An air of despair filled them and the messengers made the optimal choice.


    They picked as many treasures as they could while dodging the lightning spears.


    The golden lion soon understood this and went all out.


    Zap!


    Zap!


    Zap!


    All the remaining messengers were eliminated.


    "p! p!" Varian apuded the golden lion as he stepped out of the shadows.


    "Roar!" ''This is my territory.''


    Varian ''felt'' the meaning conveyed by its roar and was taken aback. ''Is this the effect of Morpher Path? Interesting.''


    He wanted topy with the creature a bit but time was running out.


    So, he kicked the ground and appeared in front of the lion in an instant.


    "Roar!"


    Zap!


    The Golden Lion was a level 6 beast after all. Its lightning sense followed his movements and right when he appeared in front of it, it prepared a lightning shield as well as a very concentrated lightning spear.


    The power emanated by the lightning spear rmed Varian''s senses. He could take it, but with heavy injuries.


    "Hmph!"


    Zap!


    The lightning spear shot at him with breakneck speed, heating up the air and cutting through the wind.


    Varian''s body disappeared and he teleported behind the lion.


    As the lion was very confident in its prowess, and looked down on him, its lightning defense wall behind was very thin.


    As a result, Varian''s fist broke it easily and connected with the lion''s back.


    "Graggh!" With a tragic roar, the golden lion copsed on the ground as its bones fell apart and flesh was torn into pieces.


    Boo started to clean up the scene, removing traces of their battle while Varian reached the entrance of the shrine.


    The intricate carvings on the door captivated him as he saw the scenes of humanoid creatures fighting and breaking a into pieces, thergest of which became Earth''s moon.


    "Even Sovereigns can''t do it. Is this the power of Celestial Ranks¡­is this the power of Abyss Emperor?" He muttered and pushed the door which opened with a creaking sound.


    The tform in the middle was empty. Presumably, it held g.


    But Varian didn''te for the g. He scanned the floor and his eyes lit up.


    The sleek white floor had golden orbs ced all over.


    Each orb had several line extending out of it and these lines intersected and entangled with the lines of other orbs, forming strange patterns.


    He felt a strong threat from these orbs. They were enough to even harm mid level 6s.


    Lightning Fury.


    One of the strongest explosives of Theodra secret realm.


    Taking a deep breath, Varian bent down and started channeling his lightning mana into an orb.


    There was a special method to retrieve them.


    But it needed some time. Fortunately, Varian had the time for two or three orbs of lightning fury.


    However, he must be careful. If he slipped up, then he''d be eliminated.


    He concentrated all his senses and started the retrieval.


    ¡ªA few minutester


    Core Area, Aether Gardens, Psychedelic Region:


    "This finishes it." Varian looked at the countless strange patterns on the ground and sighed.


    Illusion Formatons.


    Fortunately, there weren''t many messengers here. Apparently, the destruction done by Xavier team destroyed a lot of treasures.


    So a significant part of messengers begrudgingly went to the Vine Forest.


    Varian was grateful as he was able to easily sneak in.


    Along the way, he also spied on a few messengers and knew the situation in Laden Burrows.


    The teams all met up. He had to hurry.


    "Three formations will be enough." He rubbed his forehead and said.


    Retrieving them would take a toll on his mental power and mental sense.


    But this was thest piece of puzzle.

 Chapter 300: Laden Burrows [1]

    <h4>Chapter 300: Laden Burrows [1]</h4>


    Laden Burrows, Laden Region:


    The region got its name from ''gravity''.


    Rtive to others, at least visually, it looked ''normal''.


    It had ins, teaus, hills, rivers and of course, burrows.


    But taking the region at face value would be a big mistake. Adhering to its name, the gravity here fluctuated wildly and varied from ce to ce and even from time to time.


    There were some ces were you would just float while others where even a level 3 body awakener couldn''t crawl.


    Space Awakeners had a slightly advantage here, but it wasn''t much.


    Because of the different gravities, fighting here was usually harder than other ces.


    Boom!


    Sarah kicked the ground and barely dodged the jaws of a Pterosaur like monster.


    With huge wings, sleek green body and a unhinged mouth, the creature flew over Sarah and just by its moment, it went a few miles away.


    Sarah panted slightly and looked at her hands. Clenching and rxing them, she felt the difference of this ce.


    She felt like she was dragged down by the ground. Like there were huge chains to her hands and feet.


    Her speed was curtailed and she felt like she was back to the days when she was still a level 4 or level 5.


    "Hmph!" Sarah channeled the chi in her body.


    "Screech!" The Pterosaur dived down again and as it did, Sarah felt like her entire body was rooted to the ground.


    This feeling was different from space block.


    During space block, you would feel like they were surrounded by a thick metal wall from all sides that just wouldn''t break.


    But during this gravity exertion, your entire body turns heavy. The force enough to jump into the air wouldn''t be enough to lift your foot. It would feel like someone was dragging you down, into the ground.


    Sarah raised her head and locked her sight on the predator that dived down towards her with an open mouth.


    If a prey fell into its mouth, it''d use gravity to crush the prey to pieces and swallow it gleefully.


    The Pterosaur used gravity on itself and flew down at the speed of level 6s.


    Her current speed was far from enough.


    "Argh!" Sarah channeled the chi in her body and exerted her strength.


    Kacha!


    She heard the sounds of invisible chains breaking, and felt like her body was light again.


    "Screech!" The Pterosaur screamed in surprise and was about to defend itself when an ice spear pierced its eye and froze its brain.


    Thud!


    The huge creature copsed in front of her, allowing Sarah to heave a sigh of relief.


    In the distance, William and Philia also finished killing their prey. Soon, the duel appeared in front of her.


    William looked at her solemn expression and asked. "What happened?"


    "They contacted me." Sarah said and the two stiffened up.


    "F-Fine. We need to fight it out anyway." William waved his hand like it was a no big deal.


    ''Then why is your body shaking?'' Sarah chose not to say it out loud.


    "For the beast tide, we''ll take revenge on Xavier Team." She said, causing William to pump his fist into the air. Even Philia''s cold expression melted a little as she showed excitement.


    "But¡ª" She said in a tone that epted no objection. "Preferably after we get the g. If we and Xavier Team fight, then who will benefit?"


    "Ahri and Ashtarh team." Philia said.


    "Exactly. So, it''s best to get it done in the end." Sarah paused and nced at her teammates. "I won''t attack you guys until our team gets the six gs. Until then, I expect the same from you."


    "Of course. Even if you don''t trust me on anything, trust me on trusting me, eh¡­whatever you call it. In short, you can rest assured."


    "I disdain backstabbing." Philia said and then thinking of the beast tide, she added. "Of course, if it''s attacking Xavier team out of the blue, I''m all in."


    Despite her cold face, she sounded very vengeful.


    "Alright. I hope our team is thest one standing." Sarah said with a smile and her chi exploded.


    Cracks appeared on the ground she stood on and she was gone like the wind, sting air in the process.


    Clearly, she was now able to maintain her speed despite the gravity. Of course, it was because she wasn''t fighting a gravity awakener. She was only traveling in a region with high gravity.


    Or it wouldn''t be so easy.


    William increased the mental power around him and nodded at Philia. Soon, their figures blurred and followed Sarah.


    *** *** *** *** *** ***


    In the center of the Laden Burrows Area were the Laden Burrows from which the area derived its name.


    The burrows were the handiwork of a species native to the region called ''Khanak''.


    These four legged creatures had a crystalline armor covering all their body, including their eyes.


    This crystalline material was incredibly dense and couldst for hours without being broken by opponents of the same level.


    That is, if a mid Level 5 Khanak activated its armor and kept it on, any mid level 5 would find it hard to break.


    Of course, this didn''te for free.


    Khanaks weren''t born with this crystalline body armor, they would collect the materials, then crush them into an incredible dense alloy and cover their body.


    The only reason Khanaks could bear such a heavy weight on their body all the time was their gravity powers.


    In other words, they use their gravity power to reduce the weight they feel from the crystalline body armor all the time.


    But overtime, they managed to make it an effective practice mechanism for them. Thus, a Khanak was practicing all the time, even during sleep.


    The only way to win them was to make a quick and effective blow, breaking open a small part of their armor and destroying their rather fragile bodies.


    This was possible, but needs immensebat skills and focus.


    In front of the Laden Burrows, nine lights shed and the three teams appeared.


    Sarah''s eyes fell on Xavier, Xavier looked at Ashtarh and Ashtarh red at Sarah.


    As a stifling silence filled the air, William and Maissa said at the same time.


    "Are we going to wait all day?"


    *** *** ***


    300 chapters! (I kinda forgot to put this when I wrote, so adding now. It won''t cost extra btw.)


    Please do a review.


    1. What do you like?


    2. What do you hate?


    3. What''s alright, but can better?


    Please help me out. Don''t worry about the stars, 1 star is also eptable if you mention the reasons.


    Since most of the readers are silent, I want at least some of you to speak out on what keeps you reading this story.


    Thank you for the support!

 Chapter 301: Laden Burrows [2]

    <h4>Chapter 301: Laden Burrows [2]</h4>


    "Are we going to wait all day?" William and Maissa said at the same time.


    Xavier looked into the distance and answered. "I''m waiting for Helia."


    ''Thanks to Sarah, she used our hands and eliminated their team.'' Ashtarh barely suppressed his urge to fight Sarah and showed two gs.


    "She''s eliminated in the beast tide." He tried to conceal it, but everyone could feel his hostility from his words when said ''beast tide''.


    "What?!" Xavier and Sarah were both shocked.


    ording to Xavier, Helia was the mastermind behind the Beast Tide.


    So, how could she be eliminated in it?


    ''Did her n fail or was it someone else?'' For the first time since the trial began, Xavier felt a sense of unease creeping in.


    Things seemed perfectly normal. In fact, everything was going well. But somehow, it seemed like everything was off.


    He convinced himself that Ashtarh eliminated Helia and he was angry only because he found her mother despicable.


    ''Yes, that must be it.'' He conveniently ignored the fact that it was Ashtarh who proposed the n of ''eliminating Charles''.


    On the other hand, Sarah was taken aback that beast tide eliminated Helia.


    ''Wait, wait, wasn''t beast tide directed at us? But at Helia?'' Her thoughts spun and she nced at William and Philia.


    William showed a surprised expression while Philia¡­Philia was watching the Xavier team members with a cold gaze. Thankfully, she didn''t start attacking them right away.


    Shaking her head, Sarah studied Ashtarh and Xavier''s expression.


    ''I thought Xavier nned to eliminate our team, but it''s Ashtarh that knew of Helia''s elimination. So, he was in the Ice Region when it happened? What''s going on?


    Wait¡­did Xavier try to weaken all of us through the beast tide and Helia was eliminated.


    I guess that makes sense.''


    "Anyway, only a g is missing." Ashtarh said, ncing at Xavier.


    Xavier nodded and showed two gs.


    Even though she already heard of it, Sarah was still surprised.


    "Charles¡­did you see him?" Maissa asked.


    Xavier shook his head, and tapped on hism. "We followed his traces and even with all the injuries, he fought all the way to the core area and killed the g''s guardian."


    The hologram showed Charles'' hand in the area.


    Sarah''s and Ashtarh''s team fell silent.


    Marcus looked at them and growled. "I''m bored of this crap. Say, we do all fight now or after getting the map?"


    His words raised the tension and the teams instinctively raised their guard, ready to fight at any moment.


    Ashtarh stepped forward and raised his hand. "Wouldn''t it be terrible if we all injure ourselves in the end and no one can get the g?


    Let''s have a shown down after we get all the six gs."


    "¡­" Marcus snorted and turned his head.


    "I agree."


    Sarah nodded and the nine members walked to the entrance of theden burrow in teams.


    The entrance was five meter wide and once they were in, their senses spread out.


    They were watching out for the Khanaks. And also the other teams.


    Sarah''s team was distrustful of Xavier''s. Xavier''s were wary of Ashtarh''s. Ashtarh''s was angry at Sarah''s.


    In a weird bnce, the three teams slowed moved ahead in the tunnel that progressively widened.


    Eventually, it went from an underground tunnel to an underground chamber.


    Then they were greeted by their first alien guest.


    "Muu" A four-legged creature with a crystalline armor covered its own body. It was the size of a military tank and was painfully conspicuous.


    The moment they found it, Ashtarh and Sarah took the lead to attack. But seeing the other party was about to attack, they both consciously held back and used less power.


    The moment they shot towards it, they felt a huge force trying to throw them off. It was a repulsion force. The reverse of gravity.


    At the same time, their bodies grew incredibly heavy. The gravity on their body increased by many times. Their bones creaked as their faces paled a little.


    They channeled their chi and stabilized themselves.


    "Xavier, aren''t you going to do anything?" Philia suddenly asked, her voice growing chilly.


    Sarah and Ashtarh both paused. They backed off and red at Xavier.


    "I forgot. I was anticipating a great fight, alright?" Xavier chuckled and waved his hand.


    "Moo!"


    The Khanak suddenly shrieked as its eye turned blood-red.


    Sarah and Ashtarh felt the gravity on their body decreased. But there was still some gravity.


    ''Xavier is also holding back.'' Sarah realized, and shot towards the Khanak.


    Her fist blurred and she punched at the waist while Ashtarh kicked its head.


    Boom!


    Kacha!


    The crystalline body armor broke at the ces of attack and the beast quickly died.


    Due to the mental interference from Xavier, it was much easier.


    Of course, they could''ve won anyway.


    After all, it was only a mid-level 6 Khanak.


    But this way, they were able to preserve their strength. After all, once injuries exceeded a certain point,bat power would plummet.


    All the teams were more or less injured and their strength dropped.


    Sarah''s team, originally the weakest, umted light injuries by escaping from the beast tide.


    Ashtarh''s team had moderate injuries from the same.


    In Xavier''s team, Xavier and Rodey were almost fine, but Marcus faced the illusion of the Aether garden''s core area alone and took great damage.


    Otherwise, given his violent personality, he''d have also jumped out and conjured fire dragons against the Khanak.


    As time passed, the three teams started encountering more and more Khanaks.


    Mid Level 6. High Level 6.


    It also meant they were going from the outer area of the burrow to the inner area.


    Soon, the path branched itself and they were presented with multiple routes.


    "Which one now?" Maissa asked, she sounded a little tired.


    Wiliam rolled his eyes at her terrible acting. He nced at everyone and realized all of them put on ''pale faces'' and ''shivered'' from time to time.


    ''I shouldn''t stand out.'' He thought and his face paled instantly and his breath ragged.


    He leaned on the wall and took deep breaths.


    If someone saw him, they''d think he was deeply exhausted and was of little threat.


    Ashtarh nced at William from the corner of his eyes and rubbed his chin. He opened his mouth as if he was about to say something but suddenly clutched his stomach and coughed out blood.


    "Cough. Cough." After spouting a mouthful, he wiped his mouth and nced at William as if saying ''See? I''m more injured than you.''


    "I was trying to hold back, but I can''t suppress my internal injuries anymore." Ashtarh said in a solemn tone, as if he revealed a grave secret.


    Everyone almost copsed and coughed out blood.


    ''Big Brother, we didn''t even a fight peak level 6 and you''re coughing out blood. Who are you trying to fool? Besides, did anyone tell you your acting skills are terrible? Would a seriously injured man smirk like you?''


    Ashtarh saw all of them fell silent and smirked inwardly or so he thought as everyone saw his wide smirk.


    "We''ll check them all one by one. If we split up, then one team gets the g and they''ll be targeted by two. It''s better to do it this way." Xavier proposed, avoiding Ashtarh''s gaze.


    And thus, they entered the core area.

 Chapter 302: Laden Burrows [3]

    <h4>Chapter 302: Laden Burrows [3]</h4>


    Somehow, the three teams got to work and cleared off many peak level 6s before finally entering the core area.


    Thankfully, even though they still hid their strength and pretended to be weaker, the teams worked together and in turn, exerted way more strength.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    As they entered the core area, the first thing that greeted them was explosions.


    The core area, which was deep underground looked like an endless deste in.


    Once the explosions began, it started to tremble.


    The shockwaves shot out in all directions, carrying incredible impact force enough to kill level 4s in an instant.


    Gravity copse. Or Gravity bomb.


    Something simr to space bomb.


    After reaching level 5, a space awakener could tighten and loosen the space almost simultaneously, breaking the space apart, causing a small explosion as space pulls back to its original position.


    The twenty peak level 6 Khanaks were doing something simr as they used gravity and repulsion together creating explosions.


    "Kill!" Ashtarh kicked the ground and appeared in front of a Khanak.


    The creature raised its paw covered in crystal-white alloy and was about to p him away.


    The space around its paw froze for a split second before it was abruptly broken. Right then, Tiama''s lightning bolt struck its body, numbing its nerves for another short moment.


    These two interruptions were very small, but for Ashtarh, they were just right.


    He thrust his spear, and with all his strength concentrated on the tip, it quickly broke the protectiveyer and yed the Khanak.


    Thud!


    "Ha! Ha!" Standing in front of the huge corpse, Ashtarh caught his knees and panted.


    This time, he wasn''t acting. He was really tired.


    Looking around, everyone was the same.


    Despite their genius, their enemies were also at the same level. If they slipped up, they could be eliminated.


    Given the fact that they were already more or less injured, these battles only exacerbated those injuries.


    Their strength was now barely in the peak level 6 and just above high level 6. Thankfully, the team co-operation they developed while they got the gs allowed them to exert higher strength.


    "Muuu!"


    The gravity suddenly multiplied, almost pushing them down.


    A Khanak exerted its gravity on them again.


    Of course, they weren''t fragile to its attacks. Their active resistance meant Khanaks found it much more difficult to maintain the high gravity on them.


    Xavier stood in the distance, far away from the Khanaks as he avoided the dangerous gravity to his fragile body.


    Of course, if he was individually targeted, he''d bring the Khanak into an illusion and stop it from attacking him.


    But he preferred saving his strength and took action from a safe distance.


    Just like now. His eyesnded on the Khanak that just exerted the heavy gravity. ''You!''


    The next moment, the Khanak writhed on the ground as it moaned in pain. Rodey appeared above the beast and shed off its head.


    Saving up his mental power really paid off. Now, Xavier was helping his own team members and also other teams to stun the beasts shortly.


    They''d make a quick work of it and end the poor thing''s life.


    Marcus stood beside Xavier, covering him with a fire shield. He also created fire projectiles from time to time and targeted the Khanaks.


    Wim used his telekic powers and restricted the Khanak''s movements while Philia used her ice powers to slow it down.


    Sarah took the opportunity created by them and killed the creature.


    It was the same for Ashtarh. Ashtarh acted as the main offense, Maissa restricted the creature and Tiama slowed it down.


    From time to time, a Khanak would fall.


    But their exhaustion started to build up. Some of their old wounds opened up and increased their difficulty yet again.


    All said and done, they were the best geniuses of the federation after all. They? ended thest Khanak.


    "¡­"


    There was an utter silence as they all nced at the small tform in the distance. The final g was ced on it.


    "Huh~" Xavier quietly sighed.


    Everyone stiffened.


    Marcus and Rodey appeared beside him and nced at the other two teams with hostility.


    The three teams stared at each other in silence as they waited for the first mover.


    No one tried to pick the g.


    No one made the first move.


    "Are we going to wait all day?" William and Maissa said again, almost causing everyone to instinctively attack them.


    ''William, are you going to die if you don''t speak?'' Sarah''s icy gaze fell on her senior as she considered strangling him.


    For the sake of his survival, William didn''t do anything.


    Xavier looked at Maissa and chuckled. He slowly turned to Ashtarh and said. "How about we get rid of Sarah''s team first? Honestly, they''re from the same as Charles. Plus, their strength doesn''t deserve winning."


    Ashtarh clenched his fists and looked at Sarah''s trio.


    Xavier persuaded him further, contempt clear in his tone. "I have no objection if the winner is one from either of our teams, but Sarah''s team. Honestly, if we fight together, and injure ourselves, she will benefit the most and can even win."


    Sarah''s eyes narrowed as she looked at Xavier. His utter contempt for her enraged her.


    "Xavier, I might be weaker than you now, but dare you say you can can fight me in a year¡­no six months?"


    Everyone, including her own teammates shuddered at Sarah''s words. There was something scary about her words.


    They all regarded Charles as the monster.


    But they forgot the real monster who can stand on their level being a full year younger than them.


    Sarah.


    In six months, Xavier surely won''t reach level 7 or anything.


    But Sarah?


    As a dual awakener with insane progress rate, her strength would increase qualitatively.


    Considering her explosive growthst year, and her Dual Divine Paths, she could likely reach the strength Charles exhibited at present¡­or even surpass him.


    "¡­" Xavier''s heart race for a moment before he forcibly suppressed it.


    Heughed it off. "If there''s a trial after six months, I might think about it. But Sarah, I''m a man who lives in the present."


    "Ashtarh, I''m waiting for your reply."


    Sarah took a deep breath and suppressed her anger. Xavier was the guy who even used beast tides against them. So this much was expected.


    She turned to Ashtarh and said. "Our team strengths are roughly equal, but individually, Xavier is the least injured and exhausted. He''s also the strongest person here. I promise to go all out and fight him. Once we get rid of him, we can have a fight."


    In the end, she added. "You''re stronger than me, but if you two teams go against me¡­"


    Her voice turned cold. "I''ll make sure myst hit will be enough to erase any chances of your victory. If you''re at your peak, it''s hard. But look at your injuries, I''m not lying."


    Ashtarh looked at his own injuries and the injuries of Tiama and Maissa. They didn''t speak and waited for his decision.


    Ashtarh recalled the beast tide and took a deep breath.


    "Alright."


    Xavier was dumbfounded as Sarah''s and Ashtarh''s team turned against him.

 Chapter 303: Showdown [1]

    <h4>Chapter 303: Showdown [1]</h4>


    Xavier expected none of this.


    In his opinion, eliminating Sarah would only increase their chances of victory.


    Of course, it''s not entirely true.


    Even though their team strengths were equal, he was undoubtedly the least injured and hence, the strongest.


    If they followed his n and faced off Sarah together, then firstly, William and Philia would be eliminated.


    At the same time as them, Sarah would be also be eliminate.


    Once that happens, he''d immediately attack Maissa and let Rodey eliminate her.


    Then there''d only be Ashtarh and Tiama vs Rodey and Him.


    He had been saving up his strength for this final fight.


    Given the state of Ashtarh and Tiama''s injuries, he was confident to help Rodey beat Tiama and he himself could beat Ashtarh.


    Finally, it''d only be Rodey and him.


    But that only meant he''d win.


    A perfect n.


    The best map to his victory.


    s.


    "Are you sure you want to do this?" Xavier''s cold voice rang in Ashtarh''s head. "I might not lose against you two and even if I do¡­you can kiss any chances of your victory goodbye."


    Ashtarh''s eyes narrowed just for a moment before he assumed his expressionless face.


    Ashtarh Team and Sarah Team stood against Xavier''s as they red at each other.


    No one spoke a word as they prepared for their best moves.


    Then all of a sudden, the air was torn apart as the figures blurred.


    Maissa stood in the back as she froze the space around the fast moving figure in the field. Rodey Nial.


    Working together with her, Tiama conjured lightning arrows and rained them on the Body Awakener.


    Despite breaking the space locks in just a split second, Rodey found it difficult to maneuver the field.


    Given the fact that Maissa was as strong as him, if not for more, he grew increasingly desperate.


    But¡­


    ''Again?'' He noticed a subtle fact.


    As he moved at his fasted and tried to find an opening to attack them, the duo''s focus wasn''tpletely on him.


    Rodey looked at William, Philia and realized something. His eyes shed and he kept dodging the lightning arrows, but sometimes, he was abruptly frozen on the spot and pierced by the arrows.


    On the other hand, William and Philia faced a far easier target.


    William stood in the rear and used his telekic powers to restrain Marcus Caron in the spot.


    The hot-tempered youth wasn''t pleased.


    Despite suffering a severe mental attack from the illusion, Marcus Caron didn''t flinch.


    To put it nicely, he was the guy who never gives up.


    To put it harshly, he''s a moron who won''t stop until he''s knocked out.


    Thus, he didn''t even consider the situation of his elimination. He wanted to win against the two opponents.


    mes swirled around his arms and he channeled the fire mana in his body.


    The flow wasn''t as smooth as before nor was it as concentrated. He still felt like he was smashed in the head. But somehow, he had to concentrate.


    Thus, the result was a strong, but wobbly fire dragon that pounced at Philia.


    Philia didn''t show any hint of nervousness. Her cold and expressionless face was a curse to her social life, but a blessing to her army life.


    She raised her arms and conjured an ice dragon. It was significantly smaller than the fire dragon, but was more concentrated.


    "Roar!" The two dragons shed in the air as they tried to ascertain their supremacy over the other.


    "Roar!" The Fire Dragon entangled the ice dragon as it tried to vaporize the ice creature.


    "Roa!" The Ice dragon tried to fight back, but the gap in their strength was significant.


    ''William, what r u doing?'' Philia nced at him and he understood her intentions.


    Coughing lightly, William decided to not tell her that he was watching her fight.


    His mental power spread outwards and locked onto Marcus.


    ''Do you think I''m stupid to attack the fire dragon? Nah! I''ll just attack you. You''re already weakened, how can you face a two-front attack? Hahaha!''


    With a smirk, William''s mental power condensed into a huge sledge hammer and struck Marcus.


    As the sledge hammer neared him, wind roared and sted into shockwaves.


    Marcus'' body stiffened for a moment and he hurriedly set up a fire shield.


    But it was far from his peak strength.


    Even though everyone here was injured and weakened, he lost the most strength.


    Thus, when the hammer struck his fire shield, cracks instantly appeared on it and Marcus felt his fire mana roil.


    Kacha!


    The cracks spread like cob-webs and Marcus was forced to concede a significant part of his concentration to repair and maintain the fire shield.


    "Hehe." William grinned and continued striking the Fire Shield.


    On the other side, Philia''s frown eased as the offense of the fire dragon slowed down.


    She looked at William''s goofy smile and shook her head, turning her attention back to the Ice dragon.


    Marcus'' eyes went bloodshot as he tried to match their offenses.


    "Hmph!" Philia had a breakthrough soon.


    The Ice dragon roared and froze off the fire dragon, destroying the creature.


    "Garh" Marcus forced back a sweet lump in his throat. But his eyes were already spinning.


    "Roar!"


    Kacha!


    The sledge hammer kept hitting his fire shields, and the Ice Dragon descended down on him.


    Marcus'' mind nked out for a moment and he realized it was all over.


    ''¡­what I did do wrong?'' He though as the ice dragon also attacked his fire shield, and together with the sledge hammer, broke it little by little.


    Marcus'' body was trying his best to maintain the shield while his mind raced.


    ''I was reckless. What cost me really was the injury from the core area.'' His lips curled into a wry smile as he turned to Xavier who was confronting Sarah and Ashtarh in the distance.


    Unlike him, Xavier was in a far better position and even held his own against the two.


    Marcuspared his actions with Xavier''s along the way.


    They were the opposites of each other.


    No. Perhaps the real reason was¡­


    ''I thought I could solve everything with my strength. But I forgot, everyone here is my equals in strength.


    If this was a fight against Abyssals, I''d have been long dead.


    ¡­Maybe I can still change?''


    Kacha!


    The fire shield broke apart and the ice dragon reached him in the blink of an eye.


    Marcus closed his eyes and a silver light shed from him.


    He was eliminated.


    One of the top 5 geniuses.


    The first one to go.

 Chapter 304: Showdown [2]

    <h4>Chapter 304: Showdown [2]</h4>


    "So cold blooded Xavier? Marcus was just eliminated." Ashtarh said as his body shed and he hit Xavier.


    Boom!


    The Xavier in front of him dissolved into a phantom. He missed again!


    "Cold blooded? Because of a guy I barely know? Besides, what''s the naive talk about teams? Strength is the only thing I need." Xavier''s voice sounded inside his mind.


    At the same time, Ashtarh felt a burning pain. It was like his head was ced in a burner and ice at the same time.


    The pain was so great that his body spasmed from time to time. At the same time, the intrusive mental power in his mind tried to control his body.


    It almost controlled his leg as he tried to jump.


    "Argh!" Ashtarh ''raised'' his strength and broke the control of the mental power on his leg.


    "You are a team! Even during the moment he was eliminated, you still were!" Ashtarh yelled. Growing up in military, he couldn''t ept treating his teammates that way.


    "You aren''t fit to win this." He said and focused on his hearing to find Xavier.


    His ears bled as he heard a buzzing sound in his mind. His senses were constantly interrupted and interfered by the mental power.


    The only way to find Xavier was to use his senses, but the only way to use his senses properly was to find Xavier.


    It bes a chicken-egg problem.


    Ashtarh didn''t panic, however. This level of interference means Xavier was also spending mental power heavily.


    ''I need to endure. Endure.'' He not only had to endure the attacks by Xavier, but also the fact that he was working with Sarah, the same person who tried to drown them in a beast tide.


    "Sarah?" He raised his voice and asked.


    "I didn''t find him." Sarah''s voice came from the distance. She was using her senses at the moment to determine his location.


    It was even more impossible for her.


    Her overall strength was in the same league as theirs, but the strength of each of her paths individually was a ss below.


    Unlike strength, stacking senses wasn''t possible.


    Thus, she was pretty much only usingrge area attacks in attempts to strike Xavier.


    But this area was too big. Given Xavier''s huge mental range, she had no idea where he was right now.


    "Can you ask Maissa to check?" Sarah asked Ashtarh as he created a huge ice spear in the air and crashed in to the ground in the distance.


    They really need another helper to find Xavier.


    Even though he might not be able to hide for that long, the more they dyed, the greater the possibility of an ident.


    With her space talent, Maissa was the best option.


    "Maissa, are you free?" Ashtarh yelled, resisting the intrusion in his mind.


    "Huff. Huff. No!" Maissa yelled back, wiping the sweat from her forehead. She looked at Rodey with wide eyes and eximed.


    "Why the fuck are you still standing?"


    Rodey''s tall body stood straight as blood dripped from every corner of his body.


    There were burns on his skin from lightning, chunks of flesh missing that were destroyed the space sts.


    Some ces even showed traces of whiteness.


    Despite not being fatal, such injuries were enough to make any of his peers copse.


    But¡­


    "Um? Why can''t I stand? It hurts like hell though." Rodey rubbed his chin with bloodied hands and said.


    "¡­." Maissa''s lips twitched.


    She forgot that usually these geniuses were entric. Because he didn''t speak much, she underestimated him.


    Yet, he proved himself to be a monster.


    If she had to evaluate, his strength was slightly below Ashtarh.


    This guy was hiding his strength all along!


    Wha the fuck?!


    "You''re hard to catch, but not the other guy." Rodey said and his body blurred, shrinking the distance between him and Tiama to nothing.


    He punched out, sending ripples through the air and his fist reached the Tiama''s lightning shield.


    At the same time, the space around him quickly solidified. But Rodey broke it quickly and punched through the lightning shield.


    Kak!


    His skin was burnt away and a numbing sensation that threatened to paralyze his body spread from his hand.


    Rodey''s fist slowed down but didn''t stop.


    Click!


    It connected with Tiama''s chest and sent him flying.


    "Gargh!" He coughed out blood and crashed on the ground. "F-Fuck you!"


    Rodey''s entire forearm was burnt. His brows lightly knit, but he didn''t even groan.


    Whether he liked it or not, his right arm was crippled for the battle.


    His figure blurred and he shot towards Tiama.


    "Hmph!"


    The space suddenly fluctuated and without a second thought, Rodey somersaulted back.


    Boom!


    Kacha!


    The space broke like a mirror and everything in the distance was devoured.


    "You''re not touching him." Maissa appeared right behind him and punched out, her fist was covered in space power.


    Rodey shifted in the nick to time to shift the punch from his neck to his back.


    "Gah" He spit out blood andnded on the ground with shaky feet. There was a depression on his back.


    Maissa really didn''t hold back.


    "Tiama, get the fuck up already!" She yelled and rushed forward.


    Rodey''s eyes narrowed and he clenched his left fist. To get to this level, he trained since childhood.


    He wasn''t proud of his talent or hours put in to practice. But in his ability to bear pain and work despite it. He won pain.


    His figure blurred and shed with Maissa''s in mid-air.


    In the distance, Tiama, lying on a puddle of blood heard Maissa''s words and almost wanted to beat her up.


    "Cough! Cough!" He tried to get up but the blow was too severe.


    He never excepted Rodey would sacrifice his arm for that punch.


    Even though he cancelled off most of the momentum, for a lightning awakener, it was a deadly punch.


    Tiama tried to get up, but to no avail.


    As he closed his eyes in shame and despair, a voice suddenly sounded.


    "Hey."


    "Hm?" Tiama opened his eyes and saw William''s bright smile.


    Did hee her to help? What a nice and kind young man.


    Tiama smiled. "Thank y¡ª"


    "You shouldn''t sleep in the middle of a battle." William shook his head and walked off.


    "Wait, what?" Tiama opened his mouth in shock. "Can''t you see the blood? I''m injured."


    "You are pretty energetic for an injured person." William said and shrugged.


    He waved to Sarah in the distance and said. ""Sarah, I''ll help with Xavier."


    His mental sense spread out and searched for the telepath. As a Mind Awakener, he had the best chance to find Xavier.


    But¡­


    "Argh! Cough!" William clutched his head and coughed out blood.


    "He''s five miles away, 36 degrees anti-clock to me now. He''s moving¡­.I lost him."


    William''s voice went from urgency to surprise to dejection.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Sarah summoned huge ice dragons above the location and was about to smash them down.


    At that moment, her face suddenly paled and a trace of blood dripped from the corner of her lips.


    She felt a searing pain in her head. The pain was just too much to pair. It was like her head was pierced with needles from all sides.


    And not just the physical pain, but also the emotional one.


    The sad memories of her childhood.


    The death of her brother.


    The death of her mother.


    Her father avoiding her.


    Sia''s disappearance¡­


    "Sarah, get a hold of yourself." Philia''s voice snapped her out of her trance and Sarah looked up.


    The Ice dragons she condensed were gone.


    And probably, Xavier also escaped.


    "Tiama? Maissa¡­huh? Maissa?" Ashtarh''s exmation caused her to turn around.


    Sarah''s eyes widened.


    Three silver lights shed.

 Chapter 305: Showdown [3]

    <h4>Chapter 305: Showdown [3]</h4>


    No Divine Path is greater than another.


    It was proven time and time again throughout the 520 year history since blink.


    However, one shouldn''t discount the advantages a particr divine path has over others.


    Each Divine Path has its edges and weaknesses.


    Telepath Path''s weakness was a weak body. After reaching level 4, the body''s basic attributes improve, but even then it''s far from strong.


    That''s why, Xavier hid himself at a far off distance.


    The edge?


    Unlike other paths, Telepath''s attacks were invisible. Until thest moment, the target wouldn''t know they were being attacked.


    Of course, as awakeners they possess extraordinary ''senses''. This allows them to instinctively feel the danger and respond.


    But if a Telepath was skilled enough, then he would be able to even avoid even that danger premonition and directly attack the target.


    Xavier just happened to be skilled enough to attack Maissa without alerting her.


    When his attack struck, Maissa was about to dodge Rodey''s attack by teleporting.


    His mental attack shook her space power and cancelled her teleportation.


    Maissa''s mind crumbled for a moment and by the time she pulled herself together, Rodey''s fist was already in front of her throat.


    In that split second, she knew that even if she tried to defend herself, that fist would break her space armor and reach her throat.


    She''d be eliminated.


    Thus, she made a decision.


    All of this happened in a split second.


    Blood leaked from the corner of her eyes as Maissa pushed back the intruding mental force and at the same time channeled her space power.


    The space around her fluctuated wildly.


    If Rodey backed off now, then it''d be fine.


    But¡­


    Ka!


    His fist connected with her throat and a silver light shone from Maissa.


    "Die!" She released the space power with herself as the center.


    Immediately, her face paled and she coughed out blood before fainting.


    Boom!


    There was no sound, no explosion.


    The space around her broke apart like a cracked mirror and devoured the other person in the middle.


    The injured Rodey.


    He was right in the middle.


    The space twisted around him and he felt like his body was crushed from all directions.


    It was like squeezing a wet cloth. Except this time, the wet clothe was him and his blood and flesh were squeezed out.


    Rodey''s eyes fluctuated as he tried to move out, but his already injured body didn''t let him.


    As a result, deep cuts appeared on every part of his body. Even pieces of flesh were cut off as the space started to stabilize.


    When the space was about to sh his neck, a silver light shed from Rodey.


    "What a vengeful girl." Rodey muttered.


    His sorrowful voice echoed in the in fields as his body vanished.


    In the distance, Tiama''s eyes widened as he staggered up. "It''s Xavier! Xav-"


    He paused midway and his eyes turned white.


    A huge mental force shed his mind. His body spasmed as he tried to fight back.


    Blood dripped from Tiama''s eyes, nose and ears before a silver light shed.


    "Tiama? Maissa¡­huh? Maissa?" Ashtarh''s voice echoed as the three members were silently eliminated by Xavier.


    Ashtarh couldn''t believe it.


    His teammates were eliminated just like that.


    His mind shook as he realized the only five members on the field.


    Xavier.


    Him.


    Sarah. William. Philia.


    Now, he and Sarah were fighting against Xavier. With the addition of William and Philia, Xavier was destined to lose.


    ''William and Philia¡­they could''ve saved Maissa and Tiama, they didn''t.''


    He realized his agreement was just that.


    Defeat Xavier together.


    But now¡­


    ''Ashtarh, are you an idiot? I was telling you from the start. Don''t trust her. Now even if you eliminate me, you''re still gonna lose.'' Xavier''s voice sounded in his mind.


    At the same time, William approached them and said. "Xavier''s defenses are weaker than before, I guess he''s also exhausted. Just a second, I can find him."


    Sarah and Phillia nodded.


    They looked at the location where the three members were eliminated with aplex emotion.


    In fact, William didn''t join the battle as he thought Maissa could handle it. Of course, he also wanted to preserve his energy. But if she asked him, he wouldn''t refuse.


    After all, unlike Tiama, someone was attacking her.


    But it happened all of a sudden and by the time he was able to react, he could barely slow down Rodey''s fist.


    It was because of him that Maissa got the chance to execute her space attack. Or her attack would''ve nevere to fruition.


    Philia on the other hand saw Tiama and wanted to save him, but it was already toote.


    To protect themselves, Xavier must be eliminated.


    Then¡­


    ''Yes, I am indeed exhausted. I can''t win against the four of you. But what about you, Ashtarh?


    Didn''t we all eliminate Charles just for the sake of having a winning chance?''


    Xavier''s voice continued to ring in Ashtarh''s head.


    Ashtarh''s eyes fluctuated but his expression didn''t change.


    ''You think you can''t betray them because they''re your teammates? No! Your teammates are eliminated!


    Besides, camaraderie is a two-way street. William had the power to save Maissa, he didn''t. Philia was just watching Tiama''s elimination.


    They aren''t even your teammates. You''re just cooperating. The winner should either be you or me¡­''


    "Here!" William suddenly said and pointed to a location two miles away behind him. "Xavier''s moving fast. Let''s get him!"


    William roared and condensed arrows from mental power. He was about to wave his hand and rain them down to cover the whole area.


    Even though the attack of each arrow was low, it was sufficient when facing a Telepath.


    But his hand froze and his nose began to bleed. His body spasmed as his teeth chattered.


    "William!" Philia bit her lip and was about to approach him. He waved his hand and said.


    "Attack!"


    Philia''s eyes shed and a blue hue covered her body. Putting in all her strength, her body shot forward at breakneck speed.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Despite the heavy gravity, she continued to speed up.


    And when she approached the area, a heavy mental power struck her. Her eyes threatened to close, but she gritted her teeth and persisted.


    Right beside her were Sarah and Ashtarh.


    The three of their faces were pale. They were all being attacked by Xavier.


    "You''re out!" Sarah snapped her fingers and icicles appeared in the air, before shooting down to the ground.


    "Gah!" The icicles suddenly slowed down as Sarah clutched her head, but still kept sprinting.


    The icicles fell, albeit with far less momentum.


    Ting!


    Ting!


    Tee¡ª


    "There he is!"


    Ashtarh looked at the location and saw the icicle piercing Xavier''s shoulder.


    Philia, however, looked at Sarah''s pale face.


    "You''re out, Xav¡ªhuh?" Sarah conjured a spear and was about to shoot it when she suddenly gasped.


    Ashtarh suddenly struck at her with his spear. It was too fast and as she was focused on Xavier, thus she had no time to react.


    Right when the spear was about to pierce her chest, a silver light shed in front of her.


    "You¡­"


    Sarah opened her mouth but couldn''t say anything as Philia''s body glowed in a silver light.


    "You must win¡­" Philia smiled and vanished.

 Chapter 306: Showdown [4]

    <h4>Chapter 306: Showdown [4]</h4>


    "Ashtarh! I didn''t expect this from you of all people." A cold blue sword appeared in Sarah''s hand and she said in a chilly tone.


    Ashtarh swung his spear and said. "It goes both ways, Sarah. I didn''t expect you of all people to set the beast tide."


    When he thought of the eliminated Maissa and Tiama, his grip on the spear tightened and he struck her with a dangerous speed.


    ng!


    Sarah parried the spear with her sword and they both took a step back.


    Even though Sarah''s peak was significantly less than Ashtarh''s, the difference in their injuries brought them to the same level.


    In fact, everyone on the field was barely able to exert the strength of mid level 6. Their injuries caught up to them.


    "Beast Tide? Me? It''s Xavier''s n, dammit!" Sarah jumped into the air and ice blue wings appeared on her back.


    With a snap, thick ice spears shining a dangerous white blue shot at Ashtarh.


    Ashtarh kicked the ground and skillfully evaded most of them. The ones he couldn''t, he struck them down with his spear.


    "Xavier? Do you think he has the leisure to set up the bombs on a mountain peak?


    Their team also went to the Vine Forest. They had no time. Don''t bullshit me, Sarah. ept your own actions."


    Ashtarh''s body blurred and he appeared in front of Sarah in the next moment and swung his spear.


    It vibrated violently and shed with the ice sword.


    Kacha!


    The ice sword broke and Sarah took a step back.


    Ashtarh wasn''t in a better condition. His right arm shook severely and almost went numb.


    "Then you think we have the time to go to the Thunder Regions? How can we predict your time of arrival?" Sarah yelled as she struck him with new ice swords, one after another.


    "And most of all, how the fuck do you think I''ll know that your team wille to Ice Region?"


    Sarah asked the most important question, causing Ashtarh''s brows to knit, if only for a split second.


    "It doesn''t matter." He said and kicked at her temple.


    "You''re a fool. Xavier is the only one benefitting from our fight." She said and dodged the attack before covering her fist in a blue hue and punching him at the throat.


    Ashtarh and Sarah continued to fight.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Fists shed with fists.


    Swords danced with spears.


    Blood flew and ice shook.


    Their injuries rose with time and before they knew it, they were both covered in the red liquid.


    Fortunately, they were both Body Awakeners and could keep going.


    But the atmosphere of their fight went from rage to gloomy.


    Even though none of them said it explicitly, they both understood something.


    Xavier couldn''t cause the beast tide. Because they just had no time.


    Sarah couldn''t either.


    Because she couldn''t predict when Ashtarh''s team was going to enter the Ice Region. In fact, she probably never thought they''d enter the region.


    ''Why did I enter there?''


    ''Yes! Ahri called me and said she saw Helia''s traces outside the inds. Then we also saw a messenger sending a message [Hel] and deduced that it was about Helia.''


    Ashtarh''s thoughts spun as his body blurred and blood spilled.


    He didn''t stop fighting while he thought. His opponent didn''t allow him to.


    ''But¡­as a peak level 6, even if she''s injured, how can she leave behind traces? I wanted to ask Ahri, but she already went to Vine forest and was quickly eliminate¡­wait!''


    Ashtarh''s eyes widened and as a result, he could barely block Sarha''s sword, causing a long cut to appear on his arm which quickly spurted blood.


    The hot liquid snapped Ashtarh out of his thoughts, but he was already sure of his conclusion.


    Ahri informing that she found the traces, then going to Vine Forest and being quickly eliminated!


    They asked other messengers to check for traces, they found none!


    But Ashtarh trusted his sister''s judgement and after confirming that a messenger in Ice Region was knocked out shortly after Helia''s departure, he concluded that Helia did indeed leave.


    ¡­It was definitely someone''s doing.


    They used Ahri''sm. Eliminated her. They even knocked out the messenger in Ice Region.


    Not only that, this person also knew that Helia''s team was going to the Ice Region.


    What the actual fuck?


    It wasn''t Xavier, it wasn''t Charles, it wasn''t Sarah, it wasn''t Helia, it obviously wasn''t him.


    Then who the hell was it?


    Before he knew it, Ashtarh''s back was drenched in sweat.


    Ting!


    T¡ªaang!


    Sarah''s sword once again broke through his defense and this time, it pierced his shoulder, freezing his blood around the region upon contact.


    "kuk!"


    Ashtarh quickly pulled back, and channeled his chi, trying to dispel the coldness. But he was in the middle of a battle, his mind was in the middle of a shocking secret and he was in the middle of failing to block another attack.


    T-aang!


    Splurt!


    Sarah''s sword nearly severed his arm.


    Ashtarh''s mindset wasn''t allowing him to make optimal choices.


    Sarah saw that his state of mind wasn''t right, but she didn''t bother to ask why. His performance only benefitted her.


    On the other hand, Ashtarh''s eyes finally sharpened and focused on the battle.


    Whoever this person was, they were going to be miserable.


    All the high level 6s promised them personally not to interfere in thepetition.


    "If we do, you guys will eliminate us quickly. We won''t win treasures and lose this golden opportunity for nothing.


    We just want treasures. We''ll not interfere." They said.


    If someone stayed behind and tried to win, then¡­


    They would face the personal wrath of the top geniuses of the Federation. No one could save them!


    But could they actually win?


    Impossible!


    "Sarah, things aren''t what you think. There is someone else manipti¡ª" Ashtarh tried to exin, but he was interrupted by an ice spear.


    Ting!


    He parried it off and said. "Just listen! There''s someone else other than us!"


    Ting!


    T¡ªang!


    The injured Ashtarh couldn''t dodge her next attack and arge cut appeared on his chest.


    "I''m not interested." Sarah said curtly and raised her sword.


    "Kuh!" Suddenly, a scream from the distance caused both Sarah and Ashtarh''s to turn around.


    Until now, Sarah''s focus was on Ashtarh as she didn''t dare to slip up. She was angry at his backstabbing and wanted revenge more than anything else.


    Xavier?


    He was exhausted by what he had done so far and she left him to William.


    Given Xavier''s current state, they were almost equal.


    But why did William suddenly scream?


    As she looked at the source of the scream, she only saw a silver light before William vanished.


    ''Xavier still has this much strength?'' She was shocked and looked at the telepath in seriousness.


    Ashtarh didn''t try to attack and he too nced at Xavier in surprise.


    Then both of them saw that Xavier''s face was abnormally pale. It must be due to his mental power exhaustion, they thought.


    Then they also saw his lips quiver and his wide eyes like he saw a ghost.


    What the hell?


    They both thought and the next moment, Xavier''s teeth chattered as he gazed into the distance and muttered, almost incoherently.


    "C¡­Cha..rles."

 Chapter 307: I Won [1]

    <h4>Chapter 307: I Won [1]</h4>


    The three greatest geniuses of the Sr System stood in shock as they stared at one figure in mortifying silence.


    Their eyes showed a myriad of emotions, disbelief clouding all of them.


    "D-Didn''t ..ehk, expect me?" Charles grinned widely, as he spoke with intermittent coughs.


    Despite his grin, Charles body was in a terrible condition.


    His left hand was cut from the wrist. There were irregr cavities all over his tattered clothes.


    Even though the cavities weren''t bleeding, the trio could tell those injuries were actually bitten off flesh by sharp teeth.


    "Kuh! Kuh!" Charles slowly limped forward as he cackled.


    "Kekeke." He covered his mouth and threw his head back as his shoulders trembled.


    Despite his attempts, he couldn''t stopughing.


    "Hahaha!"


    His lips distorted into a savage smile and his eyes emitted a fierce glint.


    Ashtarh wanted to attack Charles but held back because of Sarah. Sarah was the same.


    On the other hand, Xavier silently slipped away with no intention of attacking Charles.


    Somehow, his intuition was screaming at him.


    Xavier trusted his brain more than his body and he decided to watch out what Charles had in store.


    Charles sensed Xavier''s presence diminishing before it disappeared altogether, but he didn''t mind.


    He looked at Ashtarh and was about to p. But realizing that he didn''t have his left hand, he paused and instead just clenched and released his right hand at quick speed.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The wind waspressed under his palms and was blown away when he released.


    "This is my apuse to you, Ashtarh. You taught me a very valuable lesson, today." Charles said with a serene smile.


    If someone else saw his face, they''d think he held no grudges at all and didn''tugh like a madman a few seconds ago.


    "¡­." Ashtarh frowned at Charles'' words, but asked something else. "Are you perhaps the one who orchestrated the beast tide?"


    Sarah''s gaze also condensed as she looked at Charles with a serious expression.


    Since it hade to this, the three of them would need to fight Charles anyway. But what if the person who orchestrated the beast tide wasn''t Charles?


    "Huh? What tide?" Charles raised a brow in surprise and then shrugged. "I asked all my messengers to leave, how could I know?"


    ''He doesn''t seem to be lying.'' Xavier''s voice sounded in their minds, deepening Ashtarh''s and Sarah''s frowns.


    "You two don''t look too worried." Charles'' smile slowly receded. Except Xavier, these two were just frowning and seemed to be thinking of something.


    Charles stretched his body and said. "Did you think I was too injured and you three can easily defeat me?"


    As he said those words, his aura erupted and like fierce waves, hit them.


    Ashtarh''s eyes turned cold when he sensed the power in the aura. It was nowhere close to Charles'' peak or even their peak.


    But¡­it was significantly powerful than their current power.


    In other words¡­


    "I''m badly injured, but I can still beat you all." A bright light shed and Charles transformed into a huge white were-wolf.


    He still had those horrible injuries on his body, but even then, he was stronger than any of them.


    Charles'' scarlet eyes glowed with rage as he spat. "Show your greatness! Geniuses"


    Boom!


    His body disappeared and the next moment, hisrge fist loomed over Ashtarh.


    Ashtarh raised his arms in defense and right before therge white fist struck him, an ice wall appeared in the middle.


    Ka!


    Ka!


    The ice shattered in an instant, but managed to take off some momentum from the fist before it connected with Ashtarh''s arms.


    Boom!


    Ashtarh felt like he was hit by a truck and the next thing he knew, he was already in mid-air.


    His bones creaked and if not for Sarah''sst minute intervention, he might have broken a bone or two.


    "Xavier, cooperate. If we can''t fight together, everyone will lose." Sarah yelled and raised her hand, creating an ice phoenix.


    "Screech!" The elemental bird rivaled Charles in size and immediately shot at him with full speed.


    ''I know!'' Xavier''s voice sounded in her mind.


    "Sarah, I think the Heaven''s Will did the right thing by making you a Dual Awakener. After all, a Sovereign like you will be horrib¡ª"


    "Shut up!" Sarah yelled and clenched her fist.


    The Ice Phoenix sped and was about to pierce Charles'' neck.


    "Hmph!" Charles raised his hand to p the creature.


    Right then, a mental force struck him and he immediately felt the familiar pain.


    His brain seemed to pierced by sharp, ice needles and he felt dizzy, almost forcing him to stop.


    At the same time, the mental force tried to control his arm that was about to p the Ice Phoenix.


    "Pathetic!" Charles muttered and his hand pped at the creature with a lowered, but still tremendous speed.


    Boom!


    Kak!


    The Ice Phoenix broke the moment Charles'' palm touched it, but before it did, it let out a screech and pecked his palm with all its strength.


    "Guh!"


    Blood gushed out of the new injury, and formed a pool of the warm liquid.


    Charles sneered, and was about to attack Sarah, but suddenly, he raised his arm.


    Boom!


    Ashtarh''s body reached Charles'' head like a bullet and he kicked down at Charles'' throat.


    Having sensed him already, Charles'' raised his arm in defense.


    Boom!


    Like an asteroid crashing, Ashtarh''s whole momentum was transferred to his feet and shook Charles'' arm.


    Ka! Ka!


    Crackling sounds reverberated across the field as blood spewed out of Charles'' arm.


    Sarah and Xavier realized it clearly that the difference between them and Charles wasn''t unsurmountable.


    With hope came pursuit and right when Charles was about to p off Ashtarh, Xavier and Sarah attacked the giant Demi-human at the same time.


    "Not this time." Charles said through gritted teeth and persisted the mental attack and bore the ice spears as he pped away Ashtarh.


    Boom!


    Ashtarh crashed to the ground and spewed out blood like a fountain. He didn''t even know how many bones he broke now.


    But his strength was quickly falling.


    "Argh!" Ashtarh staggered onto his feet as his chest heaved up and down.


    By then, Sarah and Xavier were already in a brutal fight with Charles.

 Chapter 308: I Won [2]

    <h4>Chapter 308: I Won [2]</h4>


    "Y-You! How are you not-?"


    "Eliminated?" Charles cut off Xavier''s voice in his mind with a ferocious smile and asked.


    His body blurred and he barely dodged the ice spears trying to pierce his vitals before he faced an Ice phoenix trying to freeze his neck again.


    He raised his bloodied arm in defense and punched at the creature, all the while defending himself against the horrendous mental interference.


    He was trying to sense Xavier, but with Sarah relentlessly attacking him. Thankfully, his transformation beast¡ªFenrir possessed keen sense. So, while finding telepaths was very hard for others, all he needed was time.


    So, he responded to Xavier, in a bid to distract him.


    "I thought I was eliminated too¡­but haven''t you heard of the so-called treasures?" Charles said and felt the mental power in his mind shake.


    Taking advantage of it, he appeared in front of Sarah and punched down at her.


    His fist broke her defensive ice walls and connected with her body.


    Sarah''s eyes shed blue in thest moment and she threw a spear at him before his fist punched her.


    Boom!


    Sarah copsed to the ground as she weakly coughed out blood, her face paling further with each second.


    She looked up and saw her spear had pierced Charles'' arm, freezing his blood and increasing his injuries.


    "Argh!" Charles channeled his prana and forcibly dispelled the ice mana in his body.


    On the other hand, Xavier continued attacking Charles from the distance. He was rapidly thinking about Charles'' words.


    ''Treasures¡­ah!''


    The areas they went to had gs, but they were originally ces for the best treasures.


    For instance, Twisted Inds was supposed to have a special treasure that could improve one''s space path greatly.


    It was very useful even for a level 6.


    Of course, they all knew about this, but there was just one problem.


    All of these treasures were hidden.


    Finding them was almost impossible. In fact, after getting the g, all the teams did look out for treasures, but they couldn''t find any.


    Some had special restrictions, some were stored in special ces and others needed some sort of ''achievement''.


    It was like the special quests of a game. But they didn''t know the trigger actions.


    Regardless, Xavier finally understood why Charles wasn''t eliminated and why his injuries were partially recovered.


    ''None of us found treasure, but only he did. Is Charles really better than me?'' Xavier couldn''t help but doubt himself.


    Charles felt the mental power in his mind fluctuate and smirked inwardly.


    It was pure luck that he found the treasure.


    After he attacked the messengers, he almost lost his mind. He believed all the teams woulde for him.


    Even if one did, he''d be doomed.


    So he recklessly charged towards the g.


    ''Perhaps there is some healing treasures that can bring me back to my peak.''


    That was his initial train of thought.


    He did get some healing fruits, but they were far from sufficient. In fact, the deeper he went, the worse his injuries turned out.


    By the time he reached the dome holding the g, he realized he had no way out.


    Even if he went back, he''d still be eliminated in the hands of the team. There was only one way.


    ''If I''ll be eliminated no matter what, then I''d rather be eliminated by this beast than those teams.''


    He thought and fought the half-dragon guarding the g.


    He gave it his all and killed the creature.


    But by that time, he copsed under the beast''s corpse and was on the verge of death and by default, elimination.


    When he closes his eyes in resignation, he felt a vibrant aura from the distance and saw a staircase opening into the underground.


    ''Treasure!''


    He understood and crawled out from the beast''s corpse. When he was about to enter the stairs, he realized something and gritted his teeth.


    ng!


    He sent a message to his messengers.


    ''Move out of the regions with g''


    Then he severed his hand with them without hesitation.


    He crawled into the staircase after taking onest look at the g he left behind.


    The staircase vanished and he found a healing fruit treasure.


    It was much better than everything he found. He went from on the verge of death to the strength he had shown against the trio.


    On the other hand, Xavier team arrived and saw the three clues he left behind.


    His severed arm under the corpse, the untouched g and the final message indicating his abandon of the trial.


    Charles recuperated after they left.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Charles punched down at both Sarah and Ashtarh as veins popped on his head.


    They both returned their fists and the three of them wobbled backward.


    Suddenly, Charles raised his leg and kicked the ground in a certain direction.


    Kacha!


    A huge crack appeared in the ground and continued into the distance.


    "Cough! Cough!"


    Xavier appeared just beside the crack in the distance as he bend down and coughed out blood.


    His face was ghostly pale and he looked at Charles'' in fear and despair.


    ''Just one attack¡­but with my body, I''m already on the verge¡­'' Xavier forcibly controlled his mental power and was about to cast an illusion to hide himself again, but Charles didn''t give him that chance.


    He raised his bloodied leg again and kicked the ground once again. Even if Xavier ran, he wouldn''t be able to escape the destruction.


    "Stop!"


    Ashtarh and Sarah both yelled as they attacked him with all they got.


    If Xavier was gone, then things would turn for the worse.


    "I''m not going to make the same mistake again." Charles said and despite the attacks from the two, he kicked the ground.


    Boom!


    The cracks widened and the whole field shook.


    A silver light shed in the distance announcing the elimination of Xavier Bell.


    At the same time, Ashtarh''s and Sarah''s attacksnded on Charles, blowing him into the distance.


    As he spewed out blood in mid-air, Charles flipped andnded on his feet.


    "Cough. Cough. Pretty heavy handed there." His brows knit as he felt the two heavy injuries.


    Ashtarh''s punch nearly sunk his chest and broke a couple of his ribs.


    Sarah''s ice spear, augmented by her physical power tore open a gap right beside his heart.


    These guys both went for his heart and if he didn''t twist his body in thest moment, he might have been eliminated.


    But ultimately, he wasn''t.


    "Ahahaha! Xavier is out!" Charlesughed, not caring about blood spilling out of his chest.


    "Let''s decide with this one strike." He said, and gathering all his strength, shot towards the two.

 Chapter 309: I Won [3]

    <h4>Chapter 309: I Won [3]</h4>


    Sarah and Ashtarh looked at each other with a solemn expression and turned towards him.


    ''Once¡­just for once, I want to prove myself to my father. I am not my brother, I''ll never be a Sovereign, but¡­I will be the best Dual Awakener there can be!''


    ''I am the spirit of Neptune Military! Everyone has hopes on me, I must win!''


    Their auras exploded as they gathered everything they had. The three met in the middle and their fists connected in mid-air.


    The air was still for a moment before shockwaves shot out in all directions.


    The ground caved in under the pressure, forming a huge crater.


    Slowly, the dust settled, revealing three bodies lying on the ground.


    "Huf! Huf!"


    Charles slowly stood up and coughed. Looking at the two geniuses that tried to get up and fail, his scarlet eyes shone.


    His body slowly transformed back and he muttered with a weak smile.


    "I¡­I won."


    Sarah was on the verge of loosing consciousness, while Ashtarh lost all strength to move.


    Charles staggered to them, almost falling several time, but he finally got their gs that were scattered around them.


    Of course, since they were special items, they couldn''t be stored in storage rings.


    Ashtarh had two gs, Xavier had two gs and Sarah had one.


    So, Charles immediately got three gs. He stroked them and sighed deeply.


    "Finally¡­"


    His legs transformed.


    Whoosh!


    He quickly found the two gs from Xavier and also picked the sixth from the tform.


    "Hahahaha!" Charles''ughter echoed across the Laden Burrows.


    "¡­Eliminate me." Ashtarh muttered with closed eyes.


    Sarah opened her mouth but couldn''t speak. But she too meant the same thing.


    "Eliminate you? Hell no! Suffer! There''s still some time before the trial ends." Charles'' lips curled up as he smirked.


    "You all ganged up on me, but you still couldn''t win. Pfft. Pathetic. Is there anything more shameful than this?


    The whole world willugh at you!


    Your people will be ashamed of you.


    Every young genius who used to look up to you will now think you''re a fake.


    Savor that realization before the trial ends."


    Each of his words struck Sarah and Ashtarh like an arrow.


    Sarah could already see imagine her father''s disappointed face and she could already imagine the words she feared he would say.


    ''When your brother was still alive, I was happy. And you¡­what did you do, Sarah?


    You will never be equal to your brother. He could''ve been a Sovereign. You will never be one. It''s your fate.


    ¡­Why are you alive? Why not him?


    I wish I never had a daughter like you. Your mother and brother would also wish the same.''


    Sarah''s eyes turned red.


    Her entire body was falling apart, and the pain was horrific. But she still bore it without screaming.


    But this emotional pain¡­she forcibly closed her eyes, but the blood on her face was slowly washed away by her tears.


    She also recalled Philia''s face before she sacrificed herself. ''Win!''


    ''I''m sorry¡­I lost. I am a disappointment.'' Sarah apologized.


    "Haha! Are you guys for real?" Charlesughed with red eyes as he saw the painful expressions on Sarah''s and Ashtarh''s face.


    "Enjoy! Think what your people would say! You can do until you''re eliminated! Take your time! I''m leaving, hypocrite losers."


    Charles put away the six gs and waved at them before his legs transformed and he shot outward.


    On the way out, he coughed out blood from time to time.


    The final blow dealt him great damage.


    But his overall strength was greater than the two and thus, he was thest one standing.


    Now, his strength had dropped drastically.


    The best he could now do was low level 6.


    It might not sound like much difference, but the Charles who just appeared in front of the trio could take care of ten such low level 6s with ease.


    That was why¡­he was leaving.


    He wanted to taunt and insult them, but he held back.


    Because he was incredibly weak currently.


    Even though the teams basically cleared all the creatures in theden burrows, what if one or two escaped and they enter the g area since everything quieted down?


    He didn''t want to take risks.


    The way everyone attacked him and forced him to flee with serious injuries taught him a lesson.


    Fame didn''t matter.


    Means didn''t matter.


    Only victor did.


    And he won!


    Now to keep that victory, he was doing what the previous Charles would never do.


    Escape from theden burrows to a safer ce.


    ''Fortunately, I was cautious and cleared a safe area near theden burrows. I can rest there.''


    Charles sighed inwardly. Unexpectedly, he turned so cautious. He didn''t like it. But whenever he wanted to do things the old way, he would recall the scene of all the teams suppressing him.


    ''Ashtarh, the best youngster of Neptune military!


    Xavier, the disciple and grandson of Sovereign Kreo!


    Sarah, the daughter of Evander and granddaughter of Albert!


    Maissa, Tiama, Rodey, Marcus, William, Philia¡­everyone of you ganged up on me, but I still won!


    I am better!


    My name will reverberate across the federation because I will be the one to reach the level beyond Sovereigns and end the Abyssals!


    This is who I am!


    Charles Xander!''


    As Charles smiled, he saw the exit.


    His smile only grew further.


    Everything ended.


    Charles stepped outside and suddenly his instincts screamed at him.


    "Roar!"


    He rolled down on the ground and saw a six legged creature with a crystalline armor.


    It exuded a¡­peak level 6 aura?


    "Impossible!" Charles transformed into Demi-Wolf and yelled.


    Peak level 6s won''t appear outside!


    After transformation, his senses rose and Charles immediately found out the reason!


    It shouldn''t work on him originally, but his weakened state had him fall into it, even if only for a moment.


    "Illusion!"


    He muttered with confusion and fear before a yful voice rang in his ears.


    "Correct Answer. But toote."


    "Huek!" Charles aura exploded and he kicked the ground, and was about to jump out of the illusion.


    But right then¡ª


    The space suddenly solidified and stopped him just in time before? a huge golden light shed and engulfed him in its roaring lightning.

 Chapter 310: I Won [4]

    <h4>Chapter 310: I Won [4]</h4>


    "Argh! Argh!" Charles screamed as the lightning pierced into his skin and seeped into his body.


    A numbing sensation spread throughout and he was already in his Demi-wolf form, trying to resist the invading force.


    After all,pared to his peak, it was a measly attack.


    ''Lightning Fury''


    He recalled the source of the lightning attack as his body tried to fight it off. It was only seen in Thunder Shrine and could only exert the strength of a mid level 6''s lightning st.


    If it was in the past, or even before he fought the trio, he would''ve easily brushed off the attack. But now¡­


    "Arrggh!"


    The lightning mana coursed through his body as it broke his blood vessels and roasted his skin.


    His heart and brain were also came under attack but thankfully, his prana blocked off the attack, albeit with a huge cost.


    It all happened in just a moment and the lightning disappeared as it was never present.


    "Cough. Cough." Charles copsed onto his knees as he coughed out blood and spit.


    His huge demi-wolf body was now a charred ck-red and he emitted a smell akin to a roasted magic beast.


    His transformation wore off and he was back to his human form. There wasn''t a single ce that wasn''t burnt and wasn''t bleeding.


    "You still didn''t faint. I''m impressed." The yful voice resounded in his ears.


    Charles'' head was dizzy as he tried to raise his head. But even that proved to be a hassle.


    That voice was oddly familiar. It wasn''t someone he remembered as important, but certainly someone who made an impression on him.


    But he wasn''t in a condition to recall.


    His body was falling apart and he knew he might copse at any second. In fact, he was forcibly controlling resisting his brain''s attempt to send him into aa.


    Even though he knew was already eliminated, and lost, there was one thing he absolutely needed to do before he was eliminated.


    ''Who are you? Didn''t all level 6 agree to stay out? Now that you did this, do you think I will let you go?''


    His body was dull and cold, but his heart was enraged and seared.


    Drawing the strength from the depths of his body, Charles raised his head to see the one.


    A well toned body came into his view. There were multiple injuries over the abdomen and arms to prove that he fought, but Charles couldn''t even sense the other party''s aura in his state.


    But as he stared at the other party from below, Charles felt a sense of suffocation and suppression.


    He was looking up at someone!


    It was novel to him. Except for his father, he never looked up to anyone alive. But now¡­to a peer and to a normal level 6?!


    ''You''re gonna regret everything. I promise to teach you a lesson.''


    Finally, Charles saw the young man''s face, bit by bit.


    His lips were curled into a yful and amused smile. Those pitch-ck eyes were staring right into his green eyes.


    This face¡­


    "Ver-Varian?" Charles eximed, paining his throat which rewarded him with a fresh mouthful of blood.


    "Cough. Cough." The burning pain in his throat reminded him of his state and Charles stopped from yelling again and instead asked everything he wanted to know, everything he would''ve never thought as possible in one word.


    "How?"


    "Hahahaha!" Varian simplyughed at the question, his shoulders trembling as he looked at his former ''one-year target'' on his knees, looking at him with a bloodied body and even bloodier face.


    "I remember someone asked me to kneel." Varian shifted to a different topic.


    Charles was confused. His mind was still dizzy and he couldn''t recall asking him to kneel.


    Varian''s eyes narrowed and his smile receded. "Well, well. I guess you never took me seriously."


    "In front of the dorm. Right after the opening ceremony." He spat with hatred.


    "!" The fog in his mind was dispelled and Charles clearly recalled all his interactions with Varian.


    Asking him to kneel for Narcis.


    The next thing he knew was that Varian became Evander''s disciple, got ambrosia and even reached level 5.


    And he even hit the Honor List.


    Charles was slightly disturbed that day¡­but not much. He was confident in himself.


    Then suddenly, Evander rebuked him in front of everyone and now, he could clearly remember the words Varian said before they left for Renaoid.


    ''I will take your throne.''


    His throne in the Amethyst list¡ªthe strongest cadet in the Defense Academy.


    "Gulp!"


    Charles never entertained the idea of such possibility, but now, he felt a sense of unease.


    His memories also quickly recalled something.


    During the matches, Varian''s strength was peak level 5.


    "P-Peak level 5?" He muttered, looking at the man two years younger than him.


    Was it really just Ambrosia or was he hiding a bigger secret?


    No. That wasn''t the most important.


    "How did you do it?" Charles asked again. "Who helped you? Where are the live 6s?"


    As he said, he looked around, trying to find their traces. "Come out! There''s no way a peak level 5 can do this! Even if you don''t admit it, I can still find you."


    His voice was filled with belief.


    Belief that it was impossible for a level 5 to pull this off.


    Even if Varian was a peak level 5, and stronger than all those messengers, how did he get those three things that made the attack on his possible?


    An Illusion Formation.


    Space Lock Formation.


    Lightning Fury.


    It''s impossible!


    That''s why, there must be someone else.


    Otherwise, if a peak level 5 could achieve this¡­


    "Pfft." Varian chuckled and shook his head. "Are you feeling jealous or frightened that there is someone more talented than you?"


    "No!" Charles said through gritted teeth.


    "Sarah is more talented than you, but because she is a dual awakener, you didn''t care.


    But now that I''m here, you are painfully made aware that you are bound to lose."


    "No!" Charles screamed, not caring if his throat burned from the injuries and he ended up spitting blood.


    "ept it. Your talent¡­" Varian almost talked about Sia. "Your talent is just that.? I thought I''d need to work hard all the year to beat you. Looks like I''ll need a few months at most."


    Charles fiercely stared into Varian''s eyes. Theposure he had were long gone.


    He wanted to be first. It was his destiny, his duty and his dream.


    He needed to be the Savior. Everyone needed him.


    "Impossible. I''m first. I''m always first!" Charles yelled, and his body trembled violently.


    His consciousness was forcibly put to rest as his brain sent him toa.


    "First? Not anymore." Varian smirked.


    He didn''t eliminate Charles. It''d spoil the fun.


    ''I wonder how everyone will react.'' Chuckling lightly, Varian picked up the six gs.


    By default, these gs couldn''t be ced in any storage rings. He caressed them lightly and looked up at the sky.


    There was only some time left before the three-hour time limit of the trial ended.


    "I¡­did it. I did it in an eptable way." His eyes shone and he smiled peacefully.


    "I won"

 Chapter 311: The Winner [1]

    <h4>Chapter 311: The Winner [1]</h4>


    The banquet hall that was lively just a few minutes ago was nowpletely silent.


    The Princes and Princesses no longer discusses with peak level 6s on the bottleneck issues.


    The young geniuses attending the banquet for the first time didn''t continue meeting peers, seniors and elders.


    The eliminated participants from the trial no longer told their stories nor were their elders asking them the questions.


    The level 9s stopped discussing the Abyss threats.


    The level 8s stopped discussing theoid threats.


    The betting on the winners of the Trial ended.


    The two banquet halls were now connected, forming a huge oval shaped mega hall.


    Across a round table in the center, six holograms were seated along with two men.


    Of the two physically present men, one had hollow eyes and was dressed in an envoy uniform.


    Sovereign Kreo Bell controlled him from afar and attended the meeting through ''him''.


    The other man was naturally Evander.


    During these three hours, the Sovereigns logged in and out as they went out to deal with various issues.


    In fact, every Sovereign went off at least for six times in an hour.


    ''And I have to sit here for five hours. I could''ve killed some Abyssals in that time. Every alien is a danger to humans. They must be exterminated.'' Evander continued his never-ending hate monologues.


    His personal doctor said it would cause him to utterly andpletely hate every non-human thing.


    Not just Abyssals, but even magic beasts. And even the humans he didn''t consider human.


    For instance, Shadow Order.


    But Evander was more than happy if his rage fueled itself.


    ''Anytime now.'' Evander sped his hands nervously and waited for the trial to end.


    ''Who will win?''


    Everyone had the same question.


    There was only Charles, Ashtarh and Sarah inside.


    At first, it seemed like Charles was the unanimous choice. After all, he was too strong.


    But the messengers that were eliminated early on revealed a shocking secret.


    Four teams ganged up on Charles and severely injured him.


    When this news came up, the old man of Xander family, Eve Xander, flew into a fit of rage.


    But he still kept his seniority in mind and didn''t lower himself to argue with juniors.


    Instead he went for their powers.


    "Spit! Do you have no shame? Eleven people ganging up on one? And you still couldn''t eliminate him!"


    He didn''t spare anyone.


    "Neptune''s Military, even if Ashtarh won, your win ain''t worth shit.


    Bell Family, even if Xavier wins, he''s just number two. His grandfather Sovereign Kreo would never do this.


    You Rodey and Caron old bones, we are all Prime families anyway. Do you still have any pride?


    Pa! I feel ashamed to share the same title as you. What Prime families?"


    The ones that initially tried to refute him were shot down by his striking insults.


    As a result, the old man literally scolded the powers for ten minutes before Sovereign Julius told him to stop.


    "Charles is not eliminated yet."


    With those words, Old Eve calmed down and waited anxiously. His anxiety meant drinking and he nearly drank as much as twenty peoplebined.


    Like him, Richard was also nervous. After learning that Varian knocked out Ahri, he nearly had a cardiac arrest.


    ''I survived wars, poisoning, assassinations¡­but I might die from a heatstroke.'' He seriously considered writing down a will.


    ''What are you doing in twisted inds, young master?''


    He didn''t know.


    After Evander took in Varian as a disciple, Richard wanted to brag to everyone about his young master.


    A level 5 first year in first semester before mid-sem!


    But after realizing that he quickly reached peak level 5, all Richard wanted was peace.


    Or he''d die convincing everyone that Varian wasn''t ''special''.


    ''Young Master, my old heart is in your hand.''


    ''Young Miss¡­are you alright?''


    Anna maintained the same expressionless face as she sat with a group of level 9s.


    But the sweat rolling down her forehead, her clenched fists and her troubled breath spoke volumes about her anxiety.


    Anticipation, anxiety enveloped the hall.


    But perhaps the most anxious of all were the eliminated teammates.


    Tiama, Maissa were seated in special medical chairs as the bots nursed them.


    ''I lost, but captain Ashtarh will win. Our Neptune Military is the greatest!'' Tiama thought as he stared at the center in silence.


    Maissa was lost in thought as she smirked from time to time. ''Losing sucks¡­but the fights were pretty fun. Argh, I want to fight Ashtarh and Xavier.''


    William, Philia were seated with with Earth'' and Mars'' eliminated messengers.


    Philia maintained a cold face.


    ''I hope Sarah can win. She has a higher chance than me, but Xavier is too much trouble.''


    William supported his chin with his hand and stared into the distance.


    ''Someone attacked me from the back and I was eliminated. Is it Ashtarh or Sarah¡­?''


    Rodey, Marcus and Xavier were all depressed.


    After waking up, Marcus didn''t speak a word. ''I don''t want this to happen ever again. I feel pathetic.''


    Rodey thought Xavier would question him. After all, he hid his strength and exposed it at the end.


    But Xavier was lost in his own thoughts. ''Charles¡­Charles¡­I really hope you don''t win, but with your strength, you would.''


    Even though each of the elimination by itself was shocking, it was Xavier''s and Maissa''s that shook everyone to the core.


    The least discussed of all was the two member team.


    Helia and Caleb also sat with their respective messengers, but they didn''t sit together.


    Helia''s face was extremely gloomy and she looked like she would devour everyone in her sight.


    ''Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Ashtarh, you son of a bitch!!And who is it? Who set the beast tide? Who ruined my ns?''


    Caleb just sighed in relief that no one asked him questions. Even though it''d be know eventually, saving ''I was caught in a beast tide was embarrassing.''


    Thankfully, they were all given emergency treatment and were allowed to the banquet hall only a few minutes ago.


    By then, Sovereigns made an appearance and everyone stopped speaking.


    As all the eyes focused on the center of the hall where a huge stage was ced, space cracked open and one by one, participants were sent out.


    The Trial Ended.

 Chapter 312: The Winner [2]

    <h4>Chapter 312: The Winner [2]</h4>


    The people in the other regions exited first.


    Theodra secret realm was vast. Awakeners of every path found treasures suitable for them.


    Weapons, defensive treasures, items that increased the progress without side effects and so on.


    Everything a mid awakener needed was present.


    Many peak level 5s were now just a step away from advancement. After this banquet, they''d enter seclusion and in a few days, advance to level 6!


    Of course, these were all geniuses among the geniuses.


    But after all, they were only second year now and reached level 6 in the first semester.


    It was quite an achievement.


    The strongest second year after Sarah was previously Ahri, Ashtarh''s sister. But Varian took her ce.


    But both of them participated in thepetition.


    This led the next strongest person¡ªShav, to believe he''s going to throw them off and advance to level 6 much faster than them.


    Once that gap was created, he decided it''d only widen.


    ''Then I''m the strongest second yea¡ª'' His glowing eyes froze the moment he thought of the monster called Sarah.


    ''¡­forget it, I''m second strongest of second year. Hm, that actually rhymes better.''


    After the peak level 5s came the level 6s.


    Unlike the rtively unharmed level 5s, the level 6s were more injured. Some of them lost a limb and others had a big hole torn in their body.


    ''¡­''


    Of course, all of them were quickly sent to the emergency room regardless of their state for treatment.


    The leading level 6s had a smile on their face. They were now closer to the realm of top 10.


    But¡­.the top 10 should''ve also improved.


    "Good! Good! You improved a lot." A level 8 Elder felt the aura of his grandson andplimented heartily.


    "Eh, I can reach peak level 6 in a week or so." The young man said with a smile. Even though he had injuries all over his body, they weren''t serious.


    "Hahahaha!" The old man was ted and patted his grandson.


    Plop!


    The young man fainted coughing out blood.


    "Oops!" The old man''s face changed and he yelled. "Medical emergency! Where are the healers!"


    "¡­."


    He was so excited that he forgot to control his strength for a moment. Thankfully, only a bit of his power was let loose and he didn''t end up killing his grandson in ident.


    "Old fellow, get out of there. Let''s send everyone to treatment first." An elder woman came and dragged him away.


    "¡­"


    But after all, the people rted to the level 5s and level 6s were very excited. They didn''t participate in thepetition and had no chance of winning the prize.


    But so what?


    Their improvement was all that mattered!


    Soon, all the level 5s and level 6s that didn''t participate in thepetition came out.


    Then the messengers.


    Their auras were a bit weaker than other peak level 5s.


    But the smiles on their faces were far brighter. Obviously, they gained valuable treasures.


    Some of them got the items that could exert level 6 strength¡ªsimr to Thunder dynamites and Lightning Fury. These could be used in the case of emergencies to save their lives.


    Others got special liquids that would improve perception of their divine path. For instance, one drop of ''blessing water'' would improve progress by 60% in Water Path for a day!


    Of course, each region had its own special treasures. Twisted Inds was amon favorite as it provided ''items'' that allowed one to teleport.


    Aside from the bright smiles of the messengers, there were also frowns.


    The ''lightning fury'' in Thunder Shrine were missing. Strangely, the messenger teams of that region were also long eliminated.


    The ''space formations'' in Twisted Inds were missing.


    The ''Illusion formations'' in Aether gardens were missing.


    ''We were collecting the treasures in the outer and inner areas first before daring into the core ares.


    But still, no one entered. Only the teams moved in and out. But why would teams take off those things.


    It''s¡­weird.''


    The sharp ones among the messengers noticed the clues and were specting.


    ''Thepetition ended, I guess we''ll all know soon.''


    Soon, the messengers were also taken to treatment.


    Prisci Xander bowed her head and gnashed her teeth. She was Charles'' messenger, but some son of a bitch knocked her out early on.


    She should''ve gotten the treasures but now she became aughing stock.


    ''Just wait till I find you.''


    "They''re finallying out, huh?" Prince Belus Caron muttered, his voice filled with disappointment yet also anticipation.


    Marcus was eliminated and they lost all chances of winning.


    "You earthlings are luck as fuck." He said, with a gaze piercing the sulking princess seated across the same table.


    Princess Iris Xander crossed her hands and sneered. "Your juniors ganged up on Charles. Now you''re mocking that he can''t win. Belus, are you trying to make up for the fact that you can''t even talk back to Charles?"


    Crack!


    The table cracked under Belus'' grip, but he took a deep breath and calmed himself.


    Belus wanted to punish Narcis forughing, but that fucker Charles¡­he escted things.


    He backed off in the end. He knew he couldn''t touch Charles, but the humiliation¡­


    ''Argh! He''s not even a high awakener! How dare he?!''


    "Winning is all that matters." He said with a cold tone and stared at the center.


    The atmosphere was tense.


    Prince Carl said. "Charles is injured. Don''t count him. There''s only Sarah and Ashtarh now. And you know who''s stronger."


    His voice was filled with pride.


    He personally saw Ashtarh on the frontlines and a few times was the superior officer of Ashtarh.


    He knew about this junior of his. He has the highest possibility of winning.


    "¡­don''t write Sarah off so fast. Who knows? After all, you know her progress." Prince Kane smiled. He didn''t believe she could win either.


    But as Evander''s pupil, he wanted to support her.


    "Speaking of Sarah, didn''t general Evander''s disciple wreck havoc during the duels, where is he?" Princess Iris Xander asked with a frown.


    Narcis said in private that he wanted her to teach Varian a lesson. She refused, of course.


    If she really did that, then forget about her image plummeting because she targeted a level 5, Evander''s subordinates, pupils and their subordinates and pupils would all attack her like hounds.


    The power of a high general¡ªthemander of an entire''s army was no joke.


    "Ah, my junior Varian." Prince Kane rubbed his chin. "I tried to look for him in the level 5s earlier. I didn''t see him in the eliminated ones from earlier either."


    His brows knit together as he said.


    "Where is Varian?"

 Chapter 313: The Winner [3]

    <h4>Chapter 313: The Winner [3]</h4>


    "Where is Varian?"


    William asked with a frown.


    "Sarah''s junior?" Philia asked. She seemed to have heard his name. It was the guy who dueled the second years¡­right?


    "Hm. He''s my junior''s junior. He''s pretty good, though not good as me." William said with a sincere face.


    "¡­" Philia was silent for a moment before saying. "Were you peak level 5 in the first semester?"


    "¡­." William''s smile froze.


    "Cough cough. That''s not the point." He waved his hand and said. "I searched for him everywhere. Eliminated or not. I can''t find him. No one saw him either.


    Where the hell is he?"


    William was worried that something bad happened to his junior''s junior.


    Someone else was also worried.


    Not for the same reason though.


    ''Are you kidding me?'' Evander sat silently with the Sovereigns as he maintained an expressionless face.


    But inwardly, he wanted to get up and smash the table.


    Why?


    Because he read the message Richard, Varian''s butler sent.


    [Master, young master didn''t appear. He''s not eliminated. Nor is he in the other regions. He isn''t a messenger either. I''m afraid¡­]


    "Hey Evander, are you fine?" The man in envoy uniform, controlled by Sovereign Kreo asked.


    "Ah! Me?" Evander said before he gave a natural smile. "Thanks for the concern, Sovereign Kreo. I''m perfectly fine. In fact, never felt better."


    ''I''ve never felt more tense. What the hell is going on?'' Evander almost jumped up from his seat.


    But he maintained the same stoic but polite expression and tapped on hism.


    [Richard, are you sure? Maybe some didn''te out.]


    [I''ve cross-checked twenty times already. Other than Sarah, Ashtarh and Charles, only Varian is not out. There are no deaths this time and everyone else is out.]


    ''Fuck!'' Evander slumped into his seat.


    "Oh my. Hosting a banquet must be exhausting." Sovereign Vianne covered her mouth and chuckled.


    "Ah-haha. Indeed, it''s pretty exhausting¡­I hope I didn''t cause you any inconvenience." Evanderughed awkwardly.


    ''Exhausting my ass! I can sit all day for a month and not feel tired. B-But this stupid disciple, I''m afraid¡­no, I''m sure something is gonna happen. Argh! Now what are you going to do?''


    "Speaking of you, Evander, how did your disciple do? I didn''t see him in the group, is he eliminated?" Sovereign Ares asked.


    "¡­" Evander stiffened as he considered the million possible ways to answer.


    Finally, he sighed inwardly and opened his mouth. "Actually, he¡­"


    "Sarah!"


    "Ashtarh!"


    "Charles!"


    Following silver lights, three members appeared in the center of the banquet hall.


    Not even a second passed, and three silhouettes shot at them with tremendous speed.


    "¡­A-unt Anna, I''m sorry." Sarah said before she fainted.


    Anna''s breath stopped as her throat went dry. She looked at the dried marks on Sarah''s cheeks and sighed.


    "Miss¡­you did your best."


    Anna''s body disappeared and she appeared in the emergency treatment room.


    "Get the best potion!" She yelled.


    "B-but she can do it just fine with a 7-star potion." The officer in charge stuttered.


    "I will pay! Get her the best potion!" Anna roared causing the officer to shiver before he hurriedly nodded.


    She ced Sarah in a healing pod and sighed deeply.


    What pained her was not Sarah''s loss. Fuck thatpetition!


    But the pain Sarah endured because she lost.


    "Miss¡­don''t you realize you''repeting with cadets a year older than you?" Anna whispered softly. "I''m already proud of you."


    But the person you want to make proud of¡­


    Anna''s eyes narrowed and her space sense locked onto Evander in the center of the banquet hall.


    He was currently looking in this direction. His gaze seemed to pierce through the walls as his eyes rested on Sarah''s position.


    His eyes fluctuated for a moment before he nodded at Anna and went back to talking with the Sovereigns.


    Crack!


    Anna crushed the ss vial in her hand. ''Can''t you at leaste see her once? She''s lonely. The only people she is close with is me and Varian¡­.Varian?''


    Anna just realized her space sense didn''t sense him. Given her familiarity with his aura, her space sense would automatically prompt once it feels his aura.


    But her space sense was already enveloping the entire banquet hall and still there was no response!


    Anna was worried for a moment, but she decided to check on him after Sarah woke up.


    At the same time in other healing rooms.


    Prince Carl and Princess Hua saw Ashtarh''s injured body in the healing pod with aplicated expression.


    "He got so many injuries¡­" Princess Hua bit her lip.


    "It''s Charles. It''s just ridiculous that Charles not only healed but also injured Ashtarh to this point." Carl said in exasperation.


    "But didn''t you see Charles'' injuries? They''re more horrendous. At least Ashtarh fainted after arriving here, but Charles was already unconscious." Hua sighed.


    Indeed, Charles''s skin was missing in many parts and there were various burns in his body.


    By the time he arrived, there was lightning mana wrecking havoc in his body. Old Eve Xander quickly dispelled the lighting and took him to treatment.


    "Lightning mana¡­wait, what the hell?" Prince Carl eximed with wide eyes.


    "What happened?" Hua asked, a bit anxious.


    "Thest blow Charles took was a lightning one. But neither Sarah nor Ashtarh are lightning awakeners. And that lightning mana¡­being a level 7 lightning awakener, I feel it''s not an awakener''s mana."


    "¡­You mean?!" Hua raised a brow.


    "Yes. It''s an explosive or something. Perhaps it''s actually Sarah or Ashtarh who used it¡­but I don''t know, it feels weird." Carl couldn''t put a finger on it, but he always had the feeling that something wasn''t right.


    "Well, Ashtarh didn''t have any gs. So, it''s either Sarah or Charles. They''ll announce shortly." Hua said.


    "Hm. that old man Richard did ask us if Ashtarh had the gs. I think they''ll verify the gs and announce anytime now." Carl nodded.


    "But people are just too excited. Look at the hype." Hua smiled lightly.


    The banquet hall was noisy as everyone discussed the winner.


    The three of them were all severely injured, but one of them must be the winner.


    They were all waiting for the announcement and the relevant personnel were already checking the gs.


    The relevant person was an old man.


    Richard. Varian''s butler.


    At this moment, he was looking at the sky and sighing deeply.


    He went to Anna, Princess Hua and Eve Xander.


    The three of them gave the same answer.


    ''We have no gs.''


    Six gs¡­thest three contenders didn''t have a single g.


    Logically, the conclusion would be that no one won any g.


    Richard would''ve also thought the same.


    No. He wanted to believe it. He wished it was true.


    But he knew something most others didn''t know and weren''t paying attention to.


    There was onest person who still didn''te out.


    And there was also only one person who was still missing in the participants.


    ''I''m done. I''m done. Let me die.'' Richard maintained aposed smile outwardly as he dragged his body to the center of the banquet hall.


    "¡­."


    The banquet hall suddenly fell silent. Everyone looked at Richard as they anxiously awaited the announcement.


    ''No way what I think is gonna happen. No one won. Yes. The winner is none.''


    Richard coughed lightly and opened his mouth. "The winner is¡ª"


    A silver light shed right beside him, causing everyone in the banquet hall to stand up in shock.


    Richard stiffened like everyone else as a young man stepped out of the space crack.


    "The winner is me." Varian raised the gs and dered.

 Chapter 314: Did you cheat?

    <h4>Chapter 314: Did you cheat?</h4>


    In the back, Sarah sat in an intricate medical chair in a daze as she saw Varian step out of the space crack.


    "The winner is me."


    "¡­." She opened her mouth in shock and then forgot to close it. Her injuries were still there, but quickly recovering or she''d have stood up as well.


    At first, she thought it was the prank of a powerful psychic. But with Anna around, who would dare to that?


    That means this was definitely not an illusion.


    ''Have I gone mad?'' She thought.


    ''It just makes no sense.'' Her brain concluded.


    "It just makes no sense."


    A high awakener spoke up, breaking the silence. With that, everyone also voiced their opinions.


    "He''s still a level 5, right?"


    "Or is he hiding even more strength?"


    "He can''t win. There''s absolutely something shady."


    "Yes! To think the General Evander, the host will use such despicable methods. I''m truly disappointed."


    "Indeed. Do you think we are kids to fall for your publicity stunt?"


    In an instant, the public opinion went from shock to disbelief and disbelief to denial and denial to usation.


    Richard felt his head spin as he looked at the expression of dissatisfaction on some big shots.


    Forget those level 9 bosses, even Sovereigns were frowning as they started at Evander for an exnation.


    Evander¡­Evander maintained the same stoic expression.


    But Richard could tell that he was panicking right now. However, as an experienced general, Evander stood up and appeared beside Varian.


    The audience suddenly fell silent.


    "It''s normal to have doubts." He calmly said, looking at everyone with cold eyes. ''Yes! I have the most doubts!''


    "But we didn''t get to hear what happened from others. Once Varian gets his healing potion, we''ll have everyone individually confess what happened inside. Everyone here can be a live witness." His words were unhurried and the crowd too calmed down.


    This was an eptable solution.


    They''d know what happened independently from every trial taker and more importantly, even Varian would have to reveal what he''d done.


    ''There''s no way he can exin things¡­'' The majority thought.


    "Hm." Evander nodded at Richard who took Varian and instantly disappeared to a healing room.


    Evander returned to the round table and sat in silence.


    The Sovereigns didn''t speak out.


    But he knew that if something shady did happen, then it''d all be pushed onto him.


    ''I knew this would happen. I was stupid to send him an invitation.'' Evander wanted to p his past self.


    As Varian disappeared, the crowd burst into fierce discussions. Most of them wanted to approach the trial takers and ask what happened, but the security stopped them.


    ''Before the confession, don''t make trouble.''


    Since it was only a few minutes away, men and women, boys and girls all suppressed their curiosity and waited.


    While they all thought Varian''s victory was fake, the ex-teammates sat like statues.


    In the back of their mind, a puzzle seemed to have been solved. Suddenly, everything made perfect sense.


    Xavier realized the unease they had.


    Ashtarh recalled the time when his messengers called for request reporting a level 6 entering Thunder Shrine.


    Then there was the beast tide.


    The teams of Ashtarh, Xavier, Sarah and Helia immediately understood the mastermind.


    As more and more connections were made, they felt a chill down their spine.


    How in fucking hell?


    They received the biggest shock of their lives.


    Sarah felt like the sky was falling. She gaped into the distance with utter silence before finally nodding.


    "¡­I see."


    William stared at the sky through the open ceiling with aplicated expression.


    He slowly said. "The beast tide was triggered by explosives and there are lightning explosives in the Thunder Region. It''s normally very hard to find them, but¡ª"


    "I gave him the books with all the information." Sarah sighed deeply.


    She didn''t know what to feel at this moment. What was this dull feeling in her chest?


    She was happy and not at the same time.


    A part of her felt cheated, but a part of her felt proud.


    Suddenly she thought of something and froze. ''Did he use ghost ship or what? That''s unfair and cheating¡­but wait, if anyone else knows, it''d put him in danger!''


    The more she thought about it, the more Sarah felt like Varian used ghost ship.


    She fidgeted and took deep breaths to calm herself down. She was pissed off at his actions, yes.


    After all, he never told her that he wanted to participate in the trial.


    But¡­


    Even if he did say, would that have changed anything?


    ''No. No one would think he''d win. And given his level, no team will ept him.''


    Sarah would''ve still given him the information of the treasures anyway.


    But still¡­


    ''I feel like a fool.'' Sarah thought and bit her lip.


    "Don''t be angry, Sarah." William said slowly.


    "Hm. I don''t think he cheated, but if he didn''t, I have no idea how he won." Philia said.


    Sarah nodded.


    In the end, Charles defeated Ashtarh and her. Even though he was very injured then, he still had the strength of a mid level 6 or something.


    How can Varian possibly defeat him?


    There''s no chance!


    Even if he tried to use lightning explosives, with his speed, Charles could easily dodge.


    That''s why¡­


    ''Argh!'' Sarah rubbed her brows and sighed.


    During the same time, in a healing room.


    "..are you fine?" Varian asked from the healing pod. The healing liquid was doing its wonders already.


    Richard clutched his heart. It was beating too fast and threatened to burst out any moment.


    "Me? I''m perfectly fine." Richard smiled elegantly.


    "¡­.then why are you sweating, trembling and were you always this paler?" Varian asked in confusion.


    ''Because I almost got a heart stroke.'' Richard wanted to say but he justughed outwardly. "Must be my old age, hahaha."


    Then the healing room fell silent.


    Varian stretched his arms and stepped out of the healing pod.


    Richard sighed inwardly and his voice turned serious. "Young Master, did you cheat?"


    "Hahahaha!"

 Chapter 315: The Request

    <h4>Chapter 315: The Request</h4>


    "And I decided to enter the core area¡­" Charles exined his actions as he was seated alone in a dark room.


    Outside, the messengers also gave out their confessions. There were also awakeners who were sent into the Theodara secret realm to verify their words through direct inspection.


    Instructions were continuously sent in and the results came out in a couple of seconds.


    So far, no one had lied.


    The audience watched the twelve different screens showing the live confessions of the five teams and Varian.


    The steps of the teams were logical and predictable. Everyone understood what they were doing.


    But Varian¡­


    At first, everyone was confused by Varian''s actions.


    First, he went to Thunder ins and got the Fury dynamites.


    Then, he went to the Aether Gardens and brought a few nts that enraged others.


    In either case, he wasn''t found by messengers.


    His answer to that query was straightforward.


    "They''re all weaker than me and I was on guard all the time. There was a messenger or two that saw me, I knocked them out."


    That one or two meant Ahri and Prisci Xander.


    Anyway, after getting the vengeance flowers, he went to Vine Forest and provoked the messengers into attacking Charles.


    "¡­."


    Eve Xander, the butler of Charles, almost coughed out blood.


    ''So you picked drugs to provoke Charles¡­but why?''


    But soon, he understood the gist and clicked his tongue.


    ''What a cunning fellow.''


    Charles Xander was ultimately a wild card. If he recovered, things would go south.


    The best way to deal with him was to pit him against other teams. But why would theye again and attack a ''weakened'' Charles?


    If he eliminates those messengers, either Ashtarh or the Xavier team would decide he''s still dangerous and they''d attack him again!


    Varian continued calmly.


    "Messengers being eliminated in Vine Forest served multiple functions. One of which was that messengers in every region were reduced.


    So when I went to Ice Region, there was only one messenger of the Ashtarh Team. I knocked him out and sent a half-typed message to Tiama.


    Then I set the explosives on a mountain and set a timer for them."


    Varian talked lightly, but everyone present in the hall dropped their jaws.


    If you set up a timer, you must urately predict the actions of the other party!


    They all knew the difficulty!


    "Then the Twisted Inds, Ahri and¡­.I used amon face mask and modified it to pose as Ahri and misled Helia.


    Of course, Ashtarh also got the wrong message."


    ''¡­.''


    The reason it worked on Helia was her character. She didn''t dare to stay because she was afraid of confrontation with the strong.


    But the reason she went to the Ice Region was an obvious reason of her personality.


    Her pride.


    She looked down on Sarah since the beginning of the banquet. So many of them saw this, but how many could actually make use of that information?


    "Ashtarh should''ve trusted Ahri''s message and the disappearance of the messenger should''ve convinced them.


    Then they entered Ice Region shortly after Helia''s team." Varian exined nonchntly, the details and reasoning.


    Everyone just watched dumbly as the man told how he just fooled every top genius.


    Why did it seem so easying from him?


    "Anyway, the explosion timing was off by almost 40 seconds or Ashtarh''s team would be more injured."


    ''Insane¡­this was just insane.''


    Richard leaned against the wall and took a deep breath.


    He saw Evander, along with other Sovereigns staring at Varian''s hologram.


    They all had surprised expressions on their faces.


    In fact, a few of them nodded from time to time and their eyes brightened up.


    "By this point, the general trajectory was set. I went to Thunder ins, lured a level 6 beast to eliminate the messengers and in the meanwhile, I took away some lightning fury orbs.


    In the Aether Gardens, I avoided the surveince of the messengers and sneaked in sessfully. I got a couple of Illusion Formations.


    Finally, Twisted Inds. There were more people there, but thankfully, none on the above ind.


    There''s a secret route to the floating ind that''s known to some people and I read it in a book.


    With that, I reached the floating ind and took away a few space formations."


    ''¡­.''


    All those items could at most exert the strength of mid-level 6. Why did he collect them at all and why them of all?


    Because any member of the team could easily dodge them with their speed.


    "And that''s it. I leisurely went to theden burrows. By then, everyone was already fighting.


    I just decided to target the winner. After all those injuries, they''de out anyway since there could still be more beasts inside.


    Since my Space and Illusion formations need to be fixed to the ground, I needed a spot where the winner would step into.


    The obvious choice was the entrance exit.


    But I didn''t arrange it immediately."


    Varian rubbed his chain and shrugged. He didn''t seem to the difficulty of his actions.


    "Anyway, I had a bad feeling about Charles, and soon, he did arrive and went inside.


    Shortly after, I arranged the illusion formations and space formations embedded with lightning-fury orbs.


    All of them only needed aura to operate and that''s why I picked them." He said.


    ''¡­why does it sound so simple?'' Evander thought as he kept sighing inwardly.


    ''And what''s with your thinking all of a sudden? Did your brain suddenly awaken or what?''


    Regardless of his thoughts, he was happy.


    Everything Varian said so far was verified!


    That meant he only used his power of peak level 5 all the time.


    "Charles exited out after some time. He was injured, so my illusion formation and space formation worked on him long enough until the lightning orbs'' attacks caught him.


    And yeah, that''s pretty much it." Varian nodded lightly.


    Then he looked at the camera and said. "I am done, right? Are we getting the prize now or what?"


    "¡­.."


    At least give us time to digest what just happened! But no one found any major problem with what he said.


    ording to the reports, he didn''t cheat.


    If a peak level 5 replicated what he did, they could theoretically achieve the same results, but...


    A level 5 aiming to best the strongest level 6s of the federation? Bitch please!


    Forget aiming, just dreaming that big was impossible!


    But the reality was indeed stranger than fiction.


    Somehow, the audience felt a mix of shock and yearning at Varian''s achievement.


    ''I want to be like him too. I want to dream big, I want to achieve my goal.''


    This time, the audience was silent without anyone asking them to.


    The seniors now ced him at the same level as Charles, if not higher.


    Such a person shouldn''t have improved based on treasures. Perhaps even Ambrosia was a lie!


    Yes, yes! This guy is a natural genius! We need to support him!


    As they rationalized their actions, the final ceremony began.


    Varian was on the stage with Sovereigns and Evander.


    The Sovereigns chatted with him for a bit.


    Sovereign Ares patted him on the shoulder or at least tried to. "Atta boy! Any peak level 5 would''ve not even tried, but you did.


    Just for that courage, I am optimistic about your future. Come to Neptune sometime and visit the frontlines! ughter some Abyssals, it''s very refreshing!"


    Varian nodded lightly, his lips threatening to leak out a big smile.


    ''Frontlines¡­are interesting.''


    Sovereign Vianne chuckled and said. "I have a good daughter."


    Varian''s face stiffened.


    "Cough. Cough. Don''t joke, Sovereign Vianne, doesn''t your daughter have a daughter already?" Evander coughed lightly and defended his innocent disciple.


    ¡­Well, not so innocent but still.


    "Oh?" Vianne smiled teasingly at Evander and waved her hand. "Well, I don''t have anything. Just some money. I''m very stingy, so¡­"


    She swiped herm and Varian''s eyes nearly popped out.


    There were too many zeroes.


    Varian could now retire, buy a private ind and live for 100 years without any worry of money.


    "Hahaha." Vianneughed lightly and stepped back.


    The other Sovereigns also gave a gift each.


    Finally, Evander looked at him with aplicated expression and gave him an exquisite ss vial.


    "Enlightenment potion." It was the prize of the trial.


    "Evander, he''s your disciple, aren''t you going to gift him anything?" Ares suddenly asked, causing Evander to stiffen on the spot.


    ''¡­.''


    Varian turned his head and whistled. Even though the treasures they gave were mostly useless, who knew?


    Evander wanted to gift Varian, but anything he gave would pale inparison to the gifts Sovereigns gave him.


    For instance, Sovereign Kevin gave Varian a ''teleportation talisman''. If he activated it, he''d be teleported far enough that even level 7s wouldn''t find him easily.


    Evander thought hard and finally nced at Sarah in the audience. Her gaze was transfixed on Varian from the beginning to the end.


    Her eyes showed a mix of emotions that he didn''t think his usually silent daughter was capable of.


    She was surely a bit angry but also relieved that Varian wasn''t in danger.


    Evander didn''t look at her for long though. As Sarah grew up, she resembled her mother more and more.


    And reminded him of her death.


    "If Sarah is fine with it, I won''t object." He said slowly.


    "Eh?" Varian was taken aback. What fine?


    Evander wanted to beat up Varian, but looking at the Sovereigns'', he controlled himself and said.


    "So, what is your request? Make sure it''s reasonable."


    All the Sovereigns looked at him as did the audience.


    Varian smiled lightly and said.


    "Four hours."


    "Four hours of training¡­it''d be a bit hard, but we can n 10-minute sessions over the year. Sovereign Albert, right? I will inform h¡ª"


    "No, Master, I need four hours from you."


    "....?!"

 Chapter 316: Sarah, I have a gift for you

    <h4>Chapter 316: Sarah, I have a gift for you</h4>


    The entire banquet hall was silent for three times so far.


    First was when thepetition began.


    Second was when the Sovereigns sat in the central table.


    Third was when Varian revealed himself to be the winner.


    Now was the fourth silence.


    But this one silence seemed to outweigh all the previous three silencesbined.


    "No, Master, I need four hours from you."


    Everyone, including level 9 Awakeners thought they had gone deaf. Either that or Sovereign Kreo trapped them in an illusion.


    "¡­?!" Evander was stupefied as he opened his mouth and stared at Varian with a silly look.


    A high general, themander of Earth Army had never shown such a disy before.


    Thanks to his disciple, his image of ''Stoic and Fierce'' general was almost destroyed.


    "Cough. Cough." Evander quickly coughed and regained hisposure. Being a level 9 had its benefits.


    But with a disciple like this¡ª


    "Hahaha! Don''t joke now." Evander waved his hand andughed awkwardly. From the corner of his eyes, he nced at the Sovereigns.


    What he saw nearly made him jump in fright.


    Good lord!


    Half of the Sovereigns narrowed their eyes and the other half had cold faces.


    ''Fucked it! You totally fucked it up!'' Evander wanted to yell.


    Varian''s wish itself wasn''t anything wrong.


    But choosing him over the seven Sovereigns was just in insult to them.


    In fact, if Varian said he chose Sovereign Albert¡ªEvander''s father and the original host of the trial, things would''ve been fine.


    But now¡­


    "I didn''t know you were so busy that your disciple had to seek you from this match." Sovereign Vianne waved her hand fan lightly and chuckled.


    Herughter slowly died down as she said. "Since I''m not needed here, I will take my leave."


    "W-Wai¡ª" Evander called out, but her virtual figure flickered and disappeared.


    "Whatever." Julius Xander shrugged.


    "Don''t worry too much, Evander." Kreo Bell spoke and the next moment, the eyes of the man in envoy suit changed.


    "Huh? Is it over?" The man rubbed his eyes and checked hism. Then he nodded at everyone and left.


    "Really? Your petty egos." Sovereign Caron clicked his tongue and waved his hand. "The worst that can happen is this boy being a member of Shadow Order."


    Varian''s'' face twitched.


    ''Are you hinting something?''


    "Well, I checked his files thrice anyway. He''s a pretty normal kid."


    Everyone wanted to yell. ''Which part of him is normal?''


    Sovereign Caron thought for a moment and considered the worst possibility. He looked at Varian and said. "Don''t die, kid."


    Then he too disappeared.


    Sovereign Kevin looked at Varian andughed. "You pissed off that old hag. I like you, hahaha."


    ''?!'' Varian''s brows knit for a split second before he politely smiled.


    The Sovereigns quickly left.


    The Trial ended just like that.


    Evander didn''t try to dissuade anyone again. It was useless.


    Only three Sovereigns took it seriously, others were simply pissed off and would forget the issue.


    Probably.


    ''Argh! I managed to keep them calm for hours and Varian¡­he just broke everything in minutes.''


    Evander was freaking out but he didn''t show it out.


    He nced at the silent spectators and announced. "The trial ended."


    The subtext: You can leave if you want.


    Some high awakeners disappeared the next second. A few of them came to talk to one of the Sovereigns, others came to discuss their divine path with their peers and a few to see their juniors perform.


    But only a small percentage left.


    Most of them stayed behind.


    Why?


    Not every genius participated in the duels and even if some did, they held back. But with the Sr Trial, they showed their prowess.


    Thus, the ones with the best performances were quickly approached by powers¡ªbig and small for various reasons.


    At the same time, geniuses also discussed joint missions. For instance, students of Earth Defense Academy and Mars Battle Academy nned toplete a mission on aoid.


    The third years talked with the seniors¡ªprinces and alumni who reached peak level 6 earlier than they did.


    ''If nothing happened, Sia would be here with me, right?'' Varian sighed inwardly.


    But what happened happened.


    "Ahem." Varian heard the cough and saw Evander looking at him with an expression that said. ''Give me a good reason or else¡­''


    "I have? four hours now. What do you want?" He said, his voice low and cold.


    Varian rubbed the back of his head and said. "Can you wait in a private room? I''ll be there in two..no, five minutes."


    "These five minutes will be counted under those four hours and if there''s an emergency, I''m leaving." Evander said. In those give minutes, he decided to punch the hell out of whatever he could find.


    Evander''s body flickered and he disappeared.


    "Master, the adres¡ª" Varian paused midway as hism notified a new message. It was the meeting room''s location.


    "Well, well." Varian walked down the stage.


    "¡­"


    "I can''t believe it."


    "He''s a monster."


    "He even beat Charles."


    "Such schemes¡­I am afraid if we try to rein him in, he''ll also plot against us."


    The princes, seniors and even elders whispered as Varian passed them by.


    For better or for worse, no one wanted to approach Varian.


    More than his victory, they feared his mind. The way he yed around with the strongest geniuses despite his weaker strength was a terrifying thing.


    Who could say for certain he wouldn''t do the same on them?


    Without trying to, Varian''s reputation created a veiled deterrence.


    "I bet he must be plotting against someone right now. Look! He looked at me! Ow! Maybe he will frame me! Oh my god! I didn''t write a will yet!"


    ''¡­.'' Varian looked at the overreactivedy and gnashed his teeth.


    ''Do you think everyone here is worth my time? Wait¡­why would I even plot against you?


    You''re only a low level 6. When I can win with my power, why plot?''


    Varian didn''t bother to argue and reached a particr table.


    Sarah. William. And Philia.


    William gawked at him while Philia observed him with curiosity.


    Only Sarah¡­she crossed her arms and turned to the side.


    "Sarah." Varian said.


    She looked up at him and covered her mouth. "Oops! Forgive me, sir! What can I do for you?"


    "¡­I can exin." Varian raised his hands and said.


    Her frustration was understandable. He didn''t tell her he was going for the gs.


    The teams were only concerned with level 6s and asked them to not enter¡ªhe made use of that loophole.


    And¡­a major reason for his victory was the information he had.


    Most messengers didn''t know half the stuff Varian found in the books.


    Sarah gave them to him and he used them against her.


    To be honest, even if she got mad at him, he could understand. Even he felt it was totally a dick move.


    "Then exin." Sarah stood up and walked towards the terrace.


    "¡­?!" Varian was caught off guard by her reaction.


    Wait, wasn''t she supposed to be angry for ten minutes and he had to calm her down?


    She''s actually willing to listen!


    ''She''s such a nice girl.'' Varian smiled and quickly followed her out.


    She stood in the same spot where he found her before the Trial.


    Varian cut to chase. "If you knew about me participating, my chances of winning are 0%."


    Sarah nced at the sky in silence and clenched her fists. Her knuckles turned white and after a while, she deeply sighed.


    "I know. You did the best thing you do." Sarah shook her head, and forced a small smile.


    "In fact, even if you told me you were participating in the trial, I would still you give those books." She said lightly, but Varian felt the weight in her words.


    "I''m s¡ª"


    "It''s alright." Sarah waved her hand and closed her eyes. "I''m just feeling useless."


    Varian patted her lightly but didn''t speak.


    In the end, she muttered. "Your wish¡­you really know how to piss off people."


    "Cough. Cough."


    Varianughed nervously. "Master must be hating me now."


    Sarah said without thinking. "But he must be more proud of you¡­unlike me. I lost."


    This again¡­this is the reason you''re upset, right?


    After losing in the duel against Ashtarh, you were down, but now, you''re totally depressed.


    Varian looked at her slightly swollen eyes and clenched his fist.


    I don''t want to see you like this.


    "Sarah, I have a gift for you."


    *** ***


    I''m sorry about the release schedule. I was going through some issues. I''ll fix the chapter release timing back to an hour or two after reset. (From the next chaps.)

 Chapter 317: Can I tell a Story?

    <h4>Chapter 317: Can I tell a Story?</h4>


    Evander waited in the private room.


    With sleek white floor and glittering blue walls that sealed off any sound, the room was truly ''private''.


    It was in the same tower, a few floors below the banquet hall.


    And right now, Evander sat on a luxurious couch as he tapped his fingers.


    Apparently, there were no training grounds here to withstand his peak level 9 powers.


    So, Evander channelled that frustration elsewhere.


    Hatred.


    ''Abyssals. Magic Beasts. I should kill at least a thousand to calm down. No. Thousand is too little. A coupled more.''


    He decided to go on a killing spree after this meeting.


    Or Varian''s actions might drive him insane.


    "But¡­" Evander paused and his lips lightly curled. "He won¡­against every genius. This boy is a gem. Hahahaha."


    Despite all the troubles, Evander felt his chest swell with pride.


    This pride¡­


    "Sam, there''s someone like you." He recalled histe son. "No¡­he''s actually stronger than you at your age..."


    Then where are they same?


    "Hm, he''s like you in the attitude¡­? No, no." Evander shook his head firmly.


    "You wouldn''t cause me trouble. You wouldn''t plot against others in the trial. You would follow orders.


    You would be confident, but this guy is just too confident in himself. What''s his courage to participate in the trial?


    Even if one thing went wrong, he would have lost!"


    The more he said, the more troubled Evander became.


    He realized something.


    "He''s nothing like you, Sam."


    "It was me¡­I was trying to see you in him." He closed his eyes.


    "But your sister¡­she is really like your mother. She is sad that she lost, but she''s only a second year."


    "I hope she grows up." He noticed Sarah was sad and even cried. But he only thought she was sad because she failed to win.


    She was sad because she thought he was disappointed in her.


    But¡­after the death of his wife, Evander simply found it hard to express his emotions.


    Even more so to Sarah. She was the constant reminder of their death and..she reminded him of her mother.


    ''Stop. Stop thinking about it.''


    ''Argh! It''s four minutes forty seven seconds already! Where''s that boy?'' Evander tapped the couch and growled.


    After the match, he realized he underestimated his disciple.


    ''What is he nning now?''


    ¡­he was also thinking that Varian was scheming something.


    And¡ª


    Tik! Tik!


    Evander''sm rang notifying Varian''s message.


    [Master, I''m outside the door.]


    Evander closed his eyes and leaned back on the couch.


    "Open."


    The door opened slowly.


    ''You had me wait for 5 minutes, then you too should wait for 5, no 10 minutes. I''m your master. This much is necessary.''


    Evander smirked inwardly. He wouldn''t do such childish things normally, but sitting with Sovereigns for hours took a toll on him.


    Then Varian''s wish pissed off almost every Sovereign.


    Now, Evander just wanted to vent.


    What better option than to take a petty revenge on your disciple?


    "¡­"


    Tap. Tap.


    The footsteps were very light.


    Someone of Varian''s build should have heavier footsteps.


    Sau.


    Evander could hear the small sound of the couch as Varian sat on the couch opposite it to him.


    Evander kept his eyes closed and waited for Varian to speak. His expression was stern and he wanted Varian to know he''s frustrated. Pissed off! Angry!


    All for one thing!


    To get Varian to call him first!


    Hmph! Come, call me!


    Something like ''Master, I''m really sorry for causing the trouble.''


    ¡­He was feeling too passive in this master-disciple rtionship!


    Evander started counting numbers. And in his count:


    Five minutes passed.


    Evander knit his brows. Unknowingly, his counting speed increased.


    Ten minutes passed.


    Evander frowned.


    Thirty minutes passed.


    Evander growled from time to time.


    One hour passed.


    Evander opened his eyes and said in anger.


    "Boy, do you think my time is¡ª" He shut up midway.


    "¡­Father." Sarah weakly greeted him.


    "S-Sarah!" Evander was taken aback for a moment before he quickly regained hisposure.


    "Why are you here?" He asked with a cool voice.


    Unlike before, he seemed more strict and also more distant.


    Sarah''s eyes dimmed and she clenched her hands on herp. "Varian¡­sent me."


    "What?" Evander raised a brow.


    Ting!


    At the same time, hism rang again.


    [Master, clear up the misunderstandings. We aren''t running a dramapany, are we?


    Just speak your heart out.]


    ''Wait, what? Misunderstandings?'' Evander was confused and looked at Sarah. What misunderstandings?


    [Sarah only wants you to be proud about her and I''m sure any father would be proud to have a daughter like her.]


    ''Of course I''m proud of her. But should I tell her face to face that I''m proud of you¡­? Even to Sam, I only said it thrice directly.


    I told Richard many times I''m proud of Sarah. What''s your point?''


    [My point is some things, especially feelings¡­must be said out loud. It will cost you some embarrassment, but it will make her happy.


    If you love someone, tell them you love them. She''s your only family, isn''t she? What''s wrong with telling her that you love her and are proud of her?


    I wish I told that to my mom before she passed away.]


    ''¡­.'' Evander was silent as he nced at Sarah who stiffly gazed at the floor.


    Now that he thought about it, after her mother''s death, he never once spoke to Sarah normally.


    He used to tell her the tales about moon. He only told them to Sarah. Not even Sam.? It was a special bonding between him and her.


    After he narrated the stories, Sarah used to tell what happened that day. What she found interesting, what she was happy about, what she was sad about...


    And he would listen with a smile.


    As she got older, the stories changed. From children''s tales to fairy tales to the stories about Old Earth''s peaceful moon.


    But the bonding remained the same.


    ...Until he stopped everything after their death.


    He was solely focused on revenge, revenge and revenge because he wanted to avenge his family.


    But wasn''t Sarah also his family¡­? She was the only family left.


    ''I avoided her because she reminded me of their deaths¡­but I neglected how I would appear to Sarah. To her¡­I am avoiding her. So, she thought it must be her fault.


    Even if she knew I was depressed by their deaths, there''s no way she isn''t affected by it.


    I thought she''ll be fine with Anna¡­no, I just threw away my responsibility.''


    [And¡­Sarah is pretty depressed she''s a dual awakener. She feels guilty for something that isn''t her fault.]


    ''Wait, what? I am disappointed that you can''t be a Sovereign but that was never your choice to begin with. Why are you guilty, Sarah?'' Evander clenched his fist and smiled wryly.


    He looked at Sarah who nkly stared at the floor and felt a pain in his heart.


    Sarah used to smile a lot at him, but now¡­she didn''t even speak. It was all his fault.


    [And what if she''s a Dual Awakener?


    Even if she''s a normal awakener, it''d take at least twenty to thirty years for a level 7 to reach Sovereign state, if not more.


    By then, we humans would''ve already defeated Abyssals!]


    ''Indeed.'' Evander thought. Humans were growing stronger every year. They just needed one or two more Sovereigns.


    They were expected to appear in a decade or two.


    He only hoped there were no idents until then.


    [And you know my progress speed. I''m level 6 already by the way. Five years, and I''ll be a Sovereign. And I''m not bragging, but once I reach the Sovereign state, I can end the Abyssals by myself.]


    ''What?! Level 6 already?'' Evander almost bit his tongue. It''s not even¡­two months, right?


    Seriously!


    Even if Varian told him that he''d reach Sovereign state by the end of the year, it might be¡­


    ''That''s too absurd, haha.'' Of course, he denied such unrealistic thought. Poor Evander, he didn''t know that his disciple was a much bigger monster than he could imagine.


    [So, tell her that it''s okay even if she''s a Dual Awakener.


    I didn''t say it on the stage, but my actual request is this.


    Four hours of your time to make up with your daughter.


    She deserves every bit of affection you can give her.]


    ''Thank you.'' Evander took a deep breath and as he was about to close them, he found a small note at the end.


    [PS: If you still don''t treat her well, I shall sever our rtionship!]


    ''...threatening me?'' Evander didn''t know how to feel. Should he be angry that his disciple is threatening him or should he happy that his daughter has someone who cares about her?


    ''Whatever, I''ll take care of himter. Now...'' Evander took a deep breath and looked at the girl in front of him and his habitual cold expression melted.


    "Sarah." He spoke in the most gentle voice he could muster.


    It came off as pretty awkward, after all, he didn''t speak like that for years! Heck! He didn''t even smile like that!


    But no matter how awkward it was, Sarah''s body shook as she stared at him with wide eyes.


    "F-Father¡­"


    "Sarah." Evander slowly stood up and sat beside her.


    "..Y-yes." Sarah''s voice shook uncontrobly. She didn''t know why, but she felt like her chest was about to burst.


    Why?


    Before she knew it, the world blurred. But Sarah kept her eyes open and tried to stare at the man in front of her.


    She was afraid¡­afraid it was all her dream.


    Then she finally felt warm hands wipe the¡­tears off her cheeks.


    Evander took a deep breath and his face slightly reddened, but he still said. "I¡­I''m sorry, but Sarah, can I continue the story of white moon from where we left off?"


    With tears rolling down her cheeks, Sarah nodded with a bright smile.


    "Um."

 Chapter 318: Small Talks

    <h4>Chapter 318: Small Talks</h4>


    Varian sat in a private room in the Infini tower.


    As time passed, people started to approach him. Some wanted him to be the ''honorary'' member of their family, while others wanted him to be the ''mascot'' of their business.


    He declined them with rtive ease. But the real trouble started when the geniuses started pouring in.


    Staying in the banquet hall was no longer an option.


    So, he picked a private room and slumped on the couch.


    First was William, Philia whom Varian sent off after some small talk. All said and done, they were friends with Sarah, so they were just curious about his actions.


    William, in fact, thanked him. "Our chances of winning were low. If you didn''t do what you did, we would''ve lost anyway.


    That''d be humiliating. But now every team lost under you, we''re all equal now. Hahaha!"


    ''Isn''t that more humiliating?'' Philia''s cold eyes seemed to ask those questions, but in the end, she didn''t speak.


    Then came the Ashtarh team. Before Ashtarh could even open his mouth, Maissa teleported in front of him.


    She looked at him with glittering eyes and said. "Can we have a duel? I''ll suppress my power to level 5."


    "¡­" Varian saw the glint in her eyes and the abnormal smile on her face¡­he understood something.


    ''She''s abat madm¡­madwoman. She''ll keep pestering me.''


    "Cough cough. I really want to, but let''s wait until I reach your level. We can go all out." He said with a serious expression.


    "Just wait for a year, we''ll have a hearty fight."


    "Promise?" Maissa asked with glittering eyes.


    ''¡­and you appeared like an elegantdy in the banquet, is this your hidden, no, is this your true side?'' Varian wondered, but nodded.


    "If you still want to fight me after a year, then sure."


    "Yay!" Maissa cheered. "Then I won''t disturb you any longer. Have fun."


    Poor girl, not even in her wildest dreams did she imagine his strength after a year.


    Maissa didn''t even look at Ashtarh and Tiama as she teleported out.


    "¡­"


    Varian and Ashtarh stared at each other for a few seconds before Ashtarhughed and sat on the couch in front.


    "I really like you."


    "?!" Varian was ready to jump off the building to escape.


    "I want to see you fight." Ashtarh said with a big grin. "I thought only members fighting on Neptune frontlines were the best, but this banquet opened my eyes.


    There are so many stronger people. They aren''t on the battlefield as much as I am, but they are as strong as me."


    "Isn''t that a good thing?" Varian shrugged.


    "Hahaha. Indeed. Trial is just a trial, but if our generation can make a difference in the ongoing war, I''d be happy." Ashtarh said with a smile.


    His expression slowly darkened. "I''ve spent most of my life on the battlefield. I made many brothers there¡­and also lost many.


    Despite how much time I spend fighting, I don''t romanticize war. I don''t like anyone to, either.


    It''s terrible. I hope we are thest generation to go through this."


    Varian didn''t speak a word, but he agreed with every word.


    War¡­shouldn''t be romanticized.


    "Alright, hit me up if you ever want to visit the frontlines. Even though I''m a trainee in name, I do have the powers to appoint new soldiers. If you want to fight in some nasty ces, then you know who to ask." Ashtarh grinned.


    "Sure." Varian nodded and exchanged contacts.


    The whole time, Tiama silently watched them interact. Varian could smell ''jealousy'' in the air, but he didn''t say it out loud.


    "Master, he seems a lot like you." Boo said after they left.


    "Ashtarh?" Varian crossed his legs and rubbed his chin. "Maybe. If I awakened normally, maybe I''d be like him."


    "Normally? Then did you not¡ª?"


    "Forget it." Varian made a ''shh'' gesture.


    "¡­Fine." Boo grumbled.


    Then came the Xavier Team.


    Marcus Caron and Rodey Nial both invited him to join their families. The promises of resources, status and connections were tempting but Varian refused without much thinking.


    The two expected this and didn''t say much. On the other hand, Xavier left by saying.


    "Let''s see if you can reach the Sovereign state first." It meant he believed both of them would reach the Sovereign state and it in itself was an acknowledgment of Varian''s potential.


    Charles Xander never came. ording to some news, he went back to Earth.


    Caleb didn''te either, but Helia did.


    "I didn''t think I would be seen as a prey one day." She said with a cold smile.


    Varian almost spurted his coffee.


    ''Did she really think she''s special?''


    Looking at her indignant face, it seemed so.


    "Hmph! But what if you win against me with those cowardly, insidious moves? You are still far weaker than me in reality. Trash!" She looked at him with contempt and sneered.


    Varian looked at her with deadpan expression and flipped a middle finger. "Now fuck off, bitch!"


    "B-Bitch? Me?" Helia opened her mouth and said with a shocked expression. In fact, she even went as far as to see if there''s anyone else in the room that he was scolding.


    "Indeed. Please leave or I''ll throw you out." Varian waved his hand like he was swatting a fly.


    Helia raised her hand and the space around Varian solidified.


    "You son of a b¡ª"


    p!


    A loud p rang in the room as Helia felt a burning pain on her cheek.


    "Out!" Varian spat once again.


    Helia raised her hands and was about to attack him, but a horrendous pressure fell on her body, freezing her on the spot.


    Only then did she realize the reason Varian was able to p her. There was a high awakener helping him!


    "Y-You wait!" She spat venomously and left in a huff of anger.


    Pa!


    She tripped and fell face first at the entrance causing Varian to crack up inughter.


    "Arghh!" She growled and teleported away.


    ''This is why I don''t want to use my head. It''s much easier to just punch my way through.'' He grumbled.


    He wasn''t worried about the consequences of pping Helia. If anything, she acted first.


    Varian knew that his master would take care of the mess.


    ''As expected of myself, he must be too bored. I''m creating interesting work for him.''


    "Young Master, I rejected everyone else." Richard appeared in front of him and said.


    "Hm. Thanks for the help earlier." Varian said.


    Richard froze her with his aura and provided Varian with an opportunity to p her.


    "No worries¡­but are you sure you want to leave your request like this?" The old man asked.


    "I wouldn''t be able to win without Sarah''s help. I just gave credit where it''s due." Varian shrugged and leaned back in the couch.


    "It''s not like I''m losing anything. I did get the enlightenment potion." Varian pulled out the exquisite vial and smiled.


    The old butler suddenly trembled and said. "¡­Are you perhaps level 6 already?"


    Varian didn''t answer but justughed. "Hahaha. Guess."


    "@$!%" Richard wanted to swear but as a good butler, he controlled himself and sighed deeply.


    "I feel tired. Level 6 in first semester¡­thankfully, you didn''t reveal it to anyone or I''d have died trying to cover up." Richard pressed his chest and felt his old heart beating in fear.


    "¡­" ''Did I really scare him or what?''


    Realizing that his old butler had heart problems, Varian didn''t reveal anything else.


    "Alright, I want to meditate for a bit." He said, implying he wanted to be left alone.


    Richard understood and left.


    Varian snapped his fingers and the couch in the room disappeared, leaving only one big central mat in the middle.


    Ghost ship appeared in the room and he stepped inside. As it turned invisible, various patterns on the walls lit up and the aura concentration rose.


    "Show me what you can do." Varian opened the vial and gulped down the potion.

 Chapter 319 - Enlightenment Potion

    Fighting a dual awakener was harder than fighting two awakeners in equivalent paths.


    Why?


    Because as power got more and more concentrated in one person, they would get several benefits.


    One. More stamina.


    Any divine path used one aura derivative, while dual awakeners had two and triple awakeners had three.


    This meant their stamina was double and triple.


    Two. Crowd Fights.


    Depending on the dual paths, a dual awakener could form a synergy between the two paths and fight far more people than his equivalent two awakeners.


    For instance, a dual awakener in Space and Telepath paths formed a terrific synergy.


    The Telepath powers would interfere with multiple opponents while Space powers could be used to target opponents one by one.


    Since Telepath powers weren''t trying to kill off the opponents and are only trying to stall them, the consumption would be lower.


    This would allow the Dual Awakener to control the crowd and pick on the target he pleases.


    Three. Stronger Opponents.


    If a Space Awakener wanted to attack an enemy, then using space st was a good choice.


    The only weakness of such space sts was their slowness¡ªanyone sufficiently alert and sufficiently fast could escape them.


    But with telepath powers, that weakness was covered up.


    This meant even stronger enemies could be picked up.


    These three were the primary reasons why having multiple paths was such a cool thing.


    But if these paths weren''t bnced, then they would just be add-ons and wouldn''t help much.


    Varian faced that situation since the beginning.


    But now, he had the chance to set things right.


    Shau!


    The cool liquid flowed down his throat and the rich aura quickly dissolved into the aura derivatives.


    Varian instinctively felt a reaction from all his divine paths. This enlightenment potion was like pool of Xp and he needed to quickly assign the Xp to different paths.


    But there was a catch.


    One drop of liquid would provide only one-fifth the Xp in level 6 as opposed to level 5.


    For instance, if one droplet gave +50 Xp to level 5 Lightning Path, it''d only give +10 Xp to Level 6 Body Path.


    Originally, this wasn''t a problem.


    After all, anyone who could win the enlightenment potion was at the peak of level 6.


    They took the potion mainly to loosen the bottleneck.


    The few times a high level 6 won the potion, they would use it to reach peak level 6.


    ''But seriously, this much aura and they only went from high to peak level 6?'' Varian didn''t know that the efficiency of using the potion also depended on talent.


    And his talent¡­was just abnormal.


    ''Anyway, no level 5 used it until today. I don''t know how helpful it''ll be.''


    ''Wait a minute, I also have level 4 paths, don''t I?'' Varian thought and said ''Status''.


    [Body Path (Enhanced) Level 6: 0/4000


    Space Path Level 5: 1200/2000


    Lightning Path Level 5: 0/2000


    Morpher Path Level 4: 400/1000


    Telepath Path Level 5: 0/2000


    Telekic Path Level 4: 0/1000]


    Varian squinted his eyes and tried to feel the amount of Xp a droplet would give a level 4 path.


    His breath turned erratic as his lips curled up.


    If one drop gave +10 Xp to level 6, then it was +50 Xp to level 5 and +100 Xp to level 4!


    "Go!" Varian wasted no time and directed the enlightenment potion.


    Then like a tide, system notifications rang in his mind.


    [+50 Xp]


    [+100 Xp]


    [+50 Xp]


    ¡­.


    Varian shut them down and concentrated on the changes happening in his body.


    His mind was in an ethereal state and like the famous myth of enlightenment under a tree, he felt like he could see the knowledge of his divine paths.


    If his progress in divine paths till now could be equated to walking in darkness by exploring the path in front bit by bit, then this enlightenment potion was like a giant light that lit up his path forward.


    He simply ran forward.


    If any genius that used enlightenment potion was here, they''d freak out.


    Even the best genius wasted more than 60% of the aura. In fact, the best record was only 39.9% by Sovereign Julius.


    Many thought the record would be broken by Charles and he''d reach at least 45%.


    But Varian¡­he was leaving no aura out.


    He didn''t realize the effects, but the System told him long ago that his talent was changed to ''Celestial Grade''.


    It was the grade which Roxanna worked for all her life.


    Not counting the obvious higher rate of progress, any resource taken by these talents was also efficiently utilized by them.


    Varian''s body started to emit various aura derivates.


    There were not two or even three, but five!


    Thankfully, Varian was now in the ghost ship and his aura fluctuations couldn''t be sensed by anyone.


    Or if Richard did sense them, then the old man would probably suffer a cardiac arrest.


    The space around Varian twisted wildly. His hands turned into sharp brown branches. His legs were firmly rooted on the floor and his vitality rose tremendously.


    The injuries that were yet to heal from the trial were being quickly healed.


    At the same time, a huge potent mental force was emitted by Varian''s body and it floated him into the air.


    The telekic force formed a tornado with him in the center.


    Boo watched in silence as its master did the impossible once again.


    It could feel his five divine paths progressing at an insane rate.


    ''¡­Even Jai Empire can''t do it.'' The thought involuntarily popped up in its head.


    ''Huh? Jai Empire? Who?'' Boo racked its brains but all it felt was a deep seated fear without parallel from that name.


    Like a good ghost, it decided to forget it.


    If just its vague memories evoked so much fear, then how scary was the total memory?


    ''Wait, thing is¡­Master is doing something even they can''t do.'' Boo''s eyes lit up and it looked at Varian with reverence.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Aura exploded from Varian''s body and after a while, it quieted down.


    Varian floated down and gentlynded.


    "Gulp!" Boo felt like something changed in its master.


    Strength? Aura?


    No¡­


    The striking feeling was temperament!


    He seemed like a contradiction of paths.


    The chaotic auras were all under his order.


    And yet, his order only included more chaos.


    A small white and ck light shed around Varian and then quickly disappeared.


    "Gulp! Gulp!" This time, Boo wiped its forehead. It recognized those two lights.


    Those were the scary lights that blew up, no, disintegrated its Celestial Walls.


    Thankfully, they weren''t activated or Boo was really afraid its spaceship would be devoured in half.


    Varian''s eyes snapped open and the three Avenue colors¡ªRed, blue and yellow shed in his eyes.


    ''Enigma.'' Boo suddenly recalled the mysterious woman.


    Her eyes and hair were the mix of these three colors.


    ''Wait, wait, even if she''s a hybrid, what are those colors supposed to mean?''


    ''And master, just how does he do it? Awakening in two paths of same avenue is just impossible¡­argh! But he won''t tell me, wooo.''


    Varian didn''t know about his ghost''s worried. As his eyes shone like the brightest stars, he muttered.


    ''Status.''


    ***


    Do you want the Sarah-Evander part to be skipped? Or do you want to hear their talk?

 Chapter 320 - A Giant Leap

    [Body Path (Enhanced) Level 6: 0/4000


    Space Path Level 5: 2000/2000 (+800)


    Lightning Path Level 5: 2000/2000 (+2000)


    Morpher Path Level 5: 2000/2000 (+600, +2000)


    Telepath Path Level 5: 2000/2000 (+2000)


    Telekic Path Level 5: 2000/2000 (+1000, +2000)]


    "What the¡­?!" Varian''s heart stopped beating for a moment.


    ''System, System, are you finally broken? What the fuck are these numbers?'' Varian asked, his voice full of excitement but also fear of disappointment.


    What he was seeing surpassed his wildest expectations. This was just ridiculous.


    Just one potion and all his paths were on the brink of reaching level 6?


    Who are you kidding?


    ''Answer me.'' He urged the thing that stayed silent at times like this.


    [This System cannot be broken host. If that happens, the world as you know it will be brought down with it.]


    ''¡­Ok, stop bragging and exin my stats.'' Varian would''ve punched the system in the face if it had a physical body but s¡­


    [This System is not bragging. Its true capab¡ª]


    ''Yeah, yeah. I know, I know. You are too OP. Now my status.'' Varian waved his hand and muttered.


    By now, a part of him was significantly rxed. Yes, no matter what, till now, the System didn''t lie.


    That means¡­


    [What you heard from everyone is that this potion would raise the sub-level of a level 6 by one.


    Low Level 6: 0-1330


    Mid Level 6: 1331-2600


    High Level 6: 2601-3900


    Peak Level 6: 3901-4000


    A normal awakener only used about 40% of the potion''s prowess, which amounts to around 766-770 Xp, the slight difference due to manufacturing.]


    Varian nodded.


    Inefficient use was amon problem across the federation. Scientists had tried to solve the problem for decades before moving on.


    [But you used almost 100% of the potion. That''s why the results.]


    ''Huh? But even if I use 100%, it''s just too absurd¡­oh wait, it''s only for level 5 and level 4.''


    Varian smashed his fist into his palm with an expression of ''eureka''.


    ''Can you show me the calction?'' He coughed lightly and asked. After knowing the reason, he had another thought.


    Was this system leeching off the potion? Some novels he read during his childhood had such systems.


    [¡­Host, you''re thinking of something rude.]


    ''Me? No way. I''m an innocent fe. Did you ever see me curse someone?'' Varian said with an honest face.


    [¡­Sigh.] You just cursed Helia, mocked Charles and brought endless trouble to Evander.


    With what face are you calling yourself innocent?


    [So, 40% of this potion gives 768 Xp. 100% of that is 1920 Xp.]


    That''s almost half of all the Xp needed for a Level 6. Varian didn''t use the potion for his Level 6 Body path at all. He directed it for only level 4 and level 5.


    But who knew that if he used it for level 6, it''d almost be reaching the end stages of mid level 6.


    [Do you regret it, host?]


    ''I don''t.'' Varian shook his head. ''Isn''t my biggest advantage over everyone my multiple paths and my fast progress speed?


    I want to use it properly. A low level 6 can''t fight a high level 6. Even a dual awakener can''t.


    A triple awakener with three low level 6 can just fight a mid level 6.


    But about me? How far can I go?''


    [Very, very far.] The System''s voice turned ethereal for a moment before returning to mechanical.


    [Breaking down how much Xp you used for each path to reach level 5: (Space, Lightning, Morpher, Telepath, Telekic)


    Level 5: 800 + 2000 + 2000 + 2000 + 2000? = 8800 for level 5.


    Level 4: 000 + 000 + 0600 + 000 + 1000 = 1600 for level 4.


    1600 Xp for level 4 is equivalent to 800 XP in level 5.


    So, 8800 + 800 = 9600 level 5 equivalent Xp in total.


    9600 Xp for level 5 is equivalent to 1920 Xp for level 6¡ªwhich is the total amount of Xp this potion provided you.]


    ''¡­.''


    Varian was silent for a moment and immediately cross-checked the calctions.


    Then he broke out. "How the fuck did this happen?


    All paths stopping just before entering level 6? And this was a coincidence?


    [¡­It''s normal.]


    Varian took a deep breath and calmed himself down.


    He willed it and his mental force wrapped around him, and slowly floated him in the air.


    Varian looked around and observed the practice room he was in.


    A rooms with sleek white floor and ck walls.


    ''Boo, bring me dummies that can take? peak level 5 and low level 6 hits.'' He said.


    ''Y-Yes, master.'' Boo answered with a trembling voice.


    A light shed and six dummies¡ªa humanoid structure build of good quality metal appeared in front of him.


    They were all ced at proper distance from each other as they awaited his tests.


    The three on his left could withstand level 5 attacks and the ones on the right level 6.


    Varian''s space sense locked on the left most dummy and he snapped his fingers.


    Ka! Ka! Ka!


    The space around the dummy was quicklypressed. The metal dummy made creaking noises, but apart from the dents all over its body, it was fine.


    But the next moment, the space suddenly sted.


    Boom!


    It cracked open like a mirror and burst apart like a bomb.


    Pa! Pa! Pa!


    The metal dummy was broken into pieces and shot off in all directions.


    A piece flew towards Varian andnded in front of his feet.


    "Tsk." Varian clicked his tongue and couldn''t help but smile.


    Then came the lightning bolt.


    Zap!


    The metal dummy almost melted before it broke into pieces.


    Morpher Path.


    Varian''s hand branch pierced through the metal. Butpared to the two before, it was weaker.


    Telepath Path.


    ''¡­.?!''


    Varian closed his eyes and entered his ''Pce of Memories''. It resembled a gigantic library and was changing every second.


    He ignored everything and came to a special area where fog covered a lot of memories.


    The fog was in fact incredibly thick mental power.


    Varian''s mental power at the moment wasn''t even 1% of it in quality.


    That''s why, he didn''t choose to remove the mental power. He couldn''t.


    He instead set his sights on the corners of the fog where the mental power was the weakest.


    Thest time he tried, the best he did was thin the fog.


    But now¡ª


    "Go!" Varian''s mental power entangled a small and thin portion of the fog.


    Wriggle


    Wriggle


    The fog wriggled and Varian felt his mental power plummeting.


    A sense of weakness swelled in his mind, but he didn''t stop.


    "Haa!"


    Finally, a tiny portion of the fog was gone.


    "Yes!" Varian pumped his fist mentally.


    Compared tost time where the best he could do was thin the thinnest fog, this was already a good improvement.


    But¡­if he continued on, this would take around 100,000 such sessions before he could clear out the fog.


    And given the intensity of the fog at the center, his level 5 mental power would melt the moment it touched it.


    But Varian didn''t worry. His Telepath path was now only at the peak of level 5.


    Next was level 6.


    Then level 7.


    The higher his level went, the easier it was to remove the fog.


    And he was just getting started.

 Chapter 321 - Target: Varian

    "Now, Telekic Path." Varian opened his eyes and used thest power.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    His mental force squeezed the metal dummy from all sides and crushed it into a mess.


    Honestly, it was a bit like crumpling a paper. The paper was just a bit hard.


    Boo watched all this silence.


    It decided not to think about its master''s weirdness.


    Who the fuck could have 5 Divine Paths?


    Wait, it was actually 6!


    ''I wonder those geniuses¡­no, even Sovereigns will go mad if master''s true capabilities are revealed.


    And he''s getting stronger and stronger. I wonder if he''ll awaken in any other path.


    Wait a minute.


    If he has so many paths as level 9, he can even fight off Sovereigns.


    Fuck!


    My master is a genius!


    Only I know this. Even the brightest minds of the federation don''t.


    That means, I''m the smartest. Hahaha.''


    "And now, if I use them together." Varian''s right hand glowed with lightning while his left hand distorted the space around him.


    Crackle!


    The level 6 dummy shook severely as the space around it sted and lightning bolts struck it.


    "Phew¡­it''s still a bit short, huh." He squinted his eyes.


    There were burns, small holes on the dummy, but it was mostly fine.


    "If two can''t do, then three." Varian grinned and added his telekic force.


    Pressing the low level 6 metal dummy, he struck it with lightning dragons.


    Then he concentrated all his three powers onto the head of the dummy.


    Mental power crushed it, lightning struck it and space around it sted.


    Pa! Ka! Kacha!


    The metal creaking got louder and louder before it stopped with a bang.


    Watching the result of his attack, Varian''s lips curled up.


    The dummy''s head was gone.


    Using his level 5 powers, he could now fight low level 6.


    What''s more¡­


    These powers would soon advance to level 6.


    ''If have 6 low level 6, I wonder if I can fight off peak level 6 or at least high level 6.''


    As Varian was about to practice more, Richard suddenly called out.


    ''Master, Eric wants to meet you. He''s in the banquet hall. He says he got something important to tell you.''


    "Oh!" Varian was surprised. Eric was the second year supervisor. He was the guy who asked him to umte merit points if he wanted to find about Sia.


    "Could it be¡­"


    Varian had a bad premonition and quickly entered the banquet hall.


    Only half of the members were present.


    He found Eric in a corner and approached him.


    Before he could even open his mouth, Eric said. "I have a bad news. There is no one called Sia. I''m sorry that your merit points are wasted."


    "¡­"


    Varian facepalmed internally.


    This man¡­can''t you just say it in private or something?


    Varian didn''t even need a brain to know people were spying on their conversation.


    Now, the name of Sia would also spread like wildfire.


    ''Are you dumb or are you dumb?'' He wanted to ask Eric, but before he could, Boo''s voice sounded in his mind.


    ''Master, Bali is leaving for the spaceport.''


    "Thanks for the information. You really have a good social sense." Varian said sarcastically and walked out of the banquet.


    Eric frowned at Varian''s attitude and looking around, he realized someone was spying on their conversation.


    "Fuck!"


    Varian informed Richard he''ll sight see some space stations around the space city and left to the spaceport.


    After renting a space shuttle, he flew out of the city and into the space. Boo hacked into the space shuttle''s AI and controlled it.


    A few minutester, Bali entered the spaceport.


    ''I don''t know how long this conversation with him will take. If someone wants to meet me and find that I''m missing, it''ll be a mess.


    It''s better to pretend like I''m seeing the space stations. This space shuttle will keep traveling while I will take ghost ship and meet Bali.''


    Varian waited.


    At the same time, he thought of Eric''s words carefully.


    ''Sia was surely in the defense academy. Even Roxanna mentioned it. That means even Eric''s memory was overwritten.


    Sia was level 4 in first semester. It was no small achievement.


    But even Tutor Seth never mentioned Sia when talking about the geniuses.


    Even his memory was overwritten.


    He''s a level 8¡­


    In fact, if any level 8 in the campus finds something is off, things will blow up.


    If Roxanna was really serious about it, then even level 9s weren''t spared.


    There''s only one person who could do this.'' Varian''s breath halted as he clenched his fists.


    ''Sovereign Kreo Bell.'' The Sovereign in Psychic path.


    *** *** ***


    At the same time, some people in the banquet hall tapped theirms and sent Eric''s words to their respective powers.


    Far away on mars, an old man was sitting in a garden.


    Cling!


    Hism rang and Sovereign Kreo checked hism.


    "But I made sure to eliminate his memorypletely¡­just how is this possible?"


    Ting!


    He received a call from Julius.


    "Sovereign Julius, you''re calling for that matter?" He said lightly.


    "Didn''t you say you erased everyone''s memories?" Julius'' said with a frown.


    "Yes. Even though it was a lot of people, I cleanly erased memories of everyone that could cause trouble. This boy V-Varian was included."


    "Then how does he?"


    "I don''t know." Kreo Bell shrugged and his expression turned grim. "But what I do know is that if he knows the whole truth, you and I will be on his kill list.


    I wouldn''t care if it''s anyone else, but this guy, he''s a peak level 5 in 1st year."


    Julius snorted. "I can crush him, but I just don''t want extra trouble. End him."


    Kreo tapped his chair. "What about Enigma? If you do this, she threatened to kill every Xander.


    She was weak back then, but now, except for level 9s, she can kill everyone. And I think she''ll hit level 9 soon."


    Julius stayed silent for a moment before he said in an icy tone. "Evander hid some things¡­when my people captured Sia, they also investigated her rtives. This is the information a year ago.


    Back then, Varian wasn''t an awakener."


    "Whaat?!" The old man Kreo stood up in shock. "But my investigations said he was secretly nurtured by Evander since childhood."


    "A lie." Julius snorted. "I forgot Varian was Sia''s rtive, but when the message came, I checked her files. If not for that, I''d still be in the dark."


    Kreo fell silent as he gulped.


    "One year¡­peak level 5." His eyes slowly turned cold. "I want to capture and study him¡­"


    "But his corpse will do just fine." Julius cut him off. "I don''t want to repeat the mistake that we did with Sia."


    "Fine." Kreo Bell muttered begrudgingly. "Killing him in the city under so many level 9s is hard. I''ll take care of him once he''s out."


    "But..." he paused once again. "Are you sure about Enigma?"


    "Yes." Julius said as a matter of fact. "I don''t want such a talented enemy to be alive. Even if it costs me some Xander lives, I''m sure they''d willing."


    "..." Kreo Bell fell silent. Julius was more cold-hearted than he thought. "Fine. I''ll take care of it."


    After hanging up the call, he contacted a grey contact and said. "Assassination.. Target: Varian."

 Chapter 322 - Varian, It’s All Your Responsibility!

    Humans had a strange trait.


    They adapted.


    They adapted too fast. To both good and bad things.


    They''d take the great things they were having for granted.


    Even though it helped them as a species, the trait was responsible for them neglecting many precious things.


    For instance, peace and a white moon.


    After 300 YAB, Dungeons appeared everywhere.


    At first, humans panicked, but soon, they were using dungeons to their advantage.


    Technology also skyrocketed during this period.


    The levels of awakeners rose rapidly. Exploration of Ruins elerated.


    And¡­humans found out the ruins on the others.


    After they passed a certain level in the ruins, the ruins gave off a blinding light and the entire it was based on shook.


    Then before they knew it¡­thes, no matter how hostile to life they were before, became habitable.


    It was god-like and defied everymon sense.


    This miracle was attributed to Devas and from then, they went from an ancient civilization before humans to ancient divinities that lived before us.


    The Sr Colonization then began in earnest and earthlings spread all over the sr system.


    Soon, scientists made enough progress to use the special treasures found in ruins and made Earth''s moon habitable.


    The moon was soon home to a hundred million humans.


    "And your great grand mother were one of them. Of course, you might have heard of her title ''Selene''." Evander said with a smile as he gently stroked Sarah''s head.


    "Hmm." Sarah closed her eyes and nodded with a smile. She missed this. Missed her father.


    Missed the person who brought her up. He was her hero.


    Now she just wanted to feel the warmth of his gentle hands. But she couldn''t help but ask.


    "Great grand mother Selene? I thought she was just a legend." Sarah muttered.


    "Some things were exaggerated, but it''s her. She lost her family when Abyssals attacked the moon.


    She escaped to earth and grew stronger. To be honest, those days were the darkest humanity ever experienced.


    But she fought a stronger enemy and never wavered. She was a little girl when the war started, but when it ended, she was already a woman in her 30s." Evander sighed deeply.


    "Wow." Sarah opened her mouth in surprise. After all, thetest war in her mind was Pluto War¡ªit didn''t evenst for a month.


    "Hahaha." Evander couldn''t help butugh at her dumbfounded appearance, causing Sarah to snort.


    She must have looked like a child. "I¡­I was just surprised."


    "Yes, yes."


    "Father! I thought it''s only Varian, now you too¡­" She stopped midway seeing Evander frowning.


    "What about him?"


    "¡­He too teases me like this. I really want to beat him up." Sarah said with an angry expression but the small smile on her face showed she wasn''t angry at all.


    Who was she trying to kid?


    ''¡­My daughter¡­my daughter is already¡­'' Evander''s eyes lost focus as he muttered like a broken record.


    Evander felt like his heart was crushed to pieces.


    This disciple!


    Argggh!


    My baby daughter!


    She called me father just a few years ago!


    I sent her to school only like yesterday!


    She hasn''t grown up yet!


    No! This won''t work!


    I must save my daughter from this rascal disciple!


    "Since he''s troubling you, I''ll ask him to stay away from you." Evander said with a serious face.


    Yes. It''s definitely for her. Not because he''s worried that his daughter would go? away.


    After all, their rtionship only mended right now and he didn''t want to loose Sarah.


    "No!" Sarah suddenly yelled, and after realizing her reaction, she blushed fiercely.


    "I-I mean, he''s not troubling me. I can talk to him freely without worrying what he will think of me and you know, unlike others, he didn''t approach me to get closer to you or grandfather." Sarah recalled her first meeting with Varian and smirked.


    "He waste to the opening ceremony and you fined all his merit points. I should''ve taken pictures of him¡­hehehe."


    Evander clutched his heart as he saw that smile on Sarah''s face. He knew it too well.


    His wife, Syliva had the same smile when she talked about him.


    ''Gone. Gone. That bastard stole my daughter from me...I wanted to tell her a lot of stories, I wanted to recount her childhood days, the first time she called me father¡­''


    Evander slumped on the couch and looked like a fish out of water.


    He realized a truth.


    Life had no meaning without your cute and innocent daughter.


    "Father?" Sarah poked Evander''s arm and asked. "Are you thinking about something important? Should I leave?"


    "Ah, no, no." Evander quickly woke up from his stupor and shook his head. "You are more important to me than this work, daughter."


    He added inside. ''Way, way, waaaaay more important than that stupid disciple.''


    Sarah trembled at his direct words. How much she wished to hear that¡­


    "I am d I could speak to you like this." Sarah said in a low voice, her eyes reddening with each passing second.


    She turned around, and with her back facing Evander, she said.


    "I¡­I know you want to avenge mom and brother. But¡­you stopped talking me to altogether.


    One month¡­two months¡­one year. I cried everyday. I would check mym every hour to see if you messaged me.


    I wasn''t expecting anything big. Just¡­''How are you, Sarah?''


    ''Did you eat?'' ''How is school?''


    B-But I learned to live with that pain. I didn''t speak as much, I didn''t smile a lot, I somehow just wanted to hear something from you."


    Evander looked at Sarah''s trembling shoulders and felt like someone knocked the air out of his lungs.


    He opened his mouth, but no words came out except.


    "..S-Sorry."


    "You should be!" Sarah wiped her tears and turned around.


    She gave Evander a tissue who took with confusion. "Tissue¡­why?"


    Evander felt the wetness on his cheeks and turned around.


    He felt like burying himself in a hole right now.


    He cried! A grown man cried! The fiercest general of the Sr System cried!


    Evander Steelheart cried!


    That too in front of his daughter!


    ''Arghhh! Varian, it''s all your responsibility..'' He threw it all on his poor disciple.

 Chapter 323 - I’m Not A T-Tsundere!

    "Let''s forget the unpleasant past." Sarah said the words Evander didn''t expect. "If I do something that makes you proud, say ''I''m proud of you, Sarah''. If you feel like telling, say ''I love you, daughter.''


    And if you want to say something, say it. Don''t let your embarrassment stop you."


    Even though she said that, her ears were red. Saying those words, she was clearly embarrassed herself.


    Evander was dumbfounded.


    Was this really his daughter?


    "D-Did Anna ask you to say this?" He wondered. But she wouldn''t go so far.


    "N-No. It''s Varian." Sarah admitted, her face blushing even more. "He said you''re a T-Tsundere and I should ask you to be honest or our rtionship would be long enough to be a 5 year running drama."


    Crack!


    Evander cracked the high-end tea table as his face twitched multiple times.


    Tsundere? Me? Also what the fuck did he mean by drama?


    He too watched those shows with Sarah when she was a kid. How could he not know the meaning?


    "I''m gonna beat him up!" Evander stood up and raced to the door.


    "W-Wait!" Sarah panicked. He looked like he was really gonna beat him up!


    Evander didn''t stop and was about to open the door.


    "Father! If you beat him, I won''t talk to you anymore." Sarah threatened.


    This too¡­she learned from Varian. Varian didn''t just send a message to Evander, he also sent one to Sarah.


    ''If master wants to beat me, I''ll die. O beautiful, kind hearted, graceful, cheerful¡­I''m running out words, but anyway, I''m entrusting my life to you.


    If he really wants to beat me, say things like [I''ll hate you if you do that], [I won''t talk to you anymore].


    Improvisations are advised. Act with spontaneity.


    Oh and put on a sad expression.


    Yours truly, an innocent disciple.''


    That was Varian''s mastern to save his ass.


    And it worked.


    "S-Sarah¡­" Evander turned around and saw Sarah''s sad face. She looked at him with red eyes and she seemed to be hurt.


    Evander clutched his heart again. This time, it was a KO.


    ''Bastard! Now my daughter won''t even let me hit you. This is so unfair.''


    "I was joking, joking." Evanderughed nervously. He didn''t want to sadden her. Looking at her sad face only hurt him.


    "Really, you won''t beat Varian?" Sarah asked with a pitiful face.


    "Really." Evander nodded.


    "Yay!" Sarah''s pitiful expression disappeared and she smiled brightly.


    "¡­Y-you were acting?" Evander felt like he was getting to know his daughter once again.


    "Uh¡­no?" Sarah realized she slipped up and put on a sad expression once again.


    Evander wasn''t buying it, but he couldn''t bear to see her sad face.


    He sighed deeply. "Forget it. Forget it. I know it must be him. But I won''t beat him."


    Sarah looked at him apologetically. "Varian seems to be very afraid of you. If you beat him, I think he''ll be traumatized."


    ''What? That bastard?! After calling me Tsundere, aren''t I traumatized?'' Evander wanted to yell, but to protect his ''Father'' image in front of Sarah, he simply nodded.


    "Let''s not bring him up." Evander said. ''I doubted if a person can really cough out blood in anger, but one more word about him and I will.''


    "Alright, I''ll be honest. I''m not a T-Tsundere." He stood up and patted her head. "I''m proud of you and I love you. Don''t feel inferior because you''re a dual awakener.


    Who knows, we might just find something in the ruins that will let a dual awakener advance to Sovereign state.


    You have thirty to forty years to think about it anyway."


    "Hm." Sarah felt like a weight on her chest vanished. She felt¡­relieved.


    "And that stupid disciple of mine, he''ll reach Sovereign or I''ll whip him." Evander grinned widely when said ''whip''.


    Sarah was silent. Unlike him, she knew that Varian also awakened in space path.


    Even though he told her that Dual Awakeners could also reach Sovereign state, she never heard or saw anything to support that im.


    While she didn''t think he was lying to her, she had her doubts on his source of information.


    Maybe someone lied to him?


    "I felt bad for losing." Sarah looked up at Evander.


    Before Evander could console her, she smiled. "But not anymore. In fact, I''m d I lost."


    Her smile deepened and she said in a sweet voice. "Varian¡­he really cares about me. T-Thank you."


    "Cough cough cough." Evander coughed exaggeratedly.


    That bastard! If he really cares about you, he should''ve given you the enlightenment potion too.


    Evander wasn''t going to praise Varian.


    Never.


    "Isn''t he a good person, father?" Sarah shed an innocent smile at Evander, catching him off guard.


    "Y-Yes¡­I mean, he has several questionable qualities that make me wonder if I should lock him up somewhere but he''s really a good person." He said.


    "Un. I want him to meet Sia too. He reminds me of her¡­maybe that''s why I talked to him first, but now I realize they''re very different¡­in a good way." Sarah muttered.


    "Sia? Which Sia?" Evander arched his brow. "¡­You asked me to search for someone with that namest year, right?"


    "Hm." Sarah sighed lightly. She knew where this was going.


    "Sarah, there is no one with the name of Sia registeredst year or even the year before that.


    I checked even the secret files. The psychics said your memory isn''t altered, but hallucinations are possible. I''m sorry¡­because of me, you had to face such things" He apologized.


    "¡­" Sarah''s eyes dimmed.


    This was the reason she didn''t bring up Sia.


    It was treated as a mental illness. An illusion.


    One day, Sia was with her and the next day, she vanished.


    Everyone around her forgot her.


    There were no traces of her.


    It was like she never existed.


    Sarah kept searching for her, but with no traces of her existence, it was futile.


    The psychics even wanted to erase her memory of Sia, but she opposed them.


    In the end, she asionally went to the dungeons they both entered as team ''Siarah.''


    Virgin Dungeon was one of them.


    She wanted to talk about this to Varian, but in the end she refrained.


    ''Will he also think I''m mentally ill? But where is Sia? It''s because of her my talent improved¡­but I can''t talk reveal it or she''ll be in danger.''


    In the end, she decided to leave it to fate.


    "Now that I think about it, do you want me to find a Psychic to erase those memori¡ª"


    Cling!


    Cling!


    Suddenly, Evander''s and Sarah''sm rang.


    [Varian''s space shuttle was destroyed by Shadow Order. He is no more.]


    "Whaaat?!"

 Chapter 324 - What Villains Do

    As Varian waited in the outer space for Bali to take off, a squadron of space shuttles streaked across a small asteroid belt, their speed turning the floating rocks to rubble.


    As they approached his space ship, they didn''t slow down at all. Instead, they elerated.


    Their stealth wore off and the defense systems of the space station Varian was near identified their presence.


    Riiiing!


    A blue light shed and an rm bell went off. The emergency department of the space station was informed immediately.


    "Uh? Huh?" The man in charge, a level 8 looked at the holograph in hism and gaped.


    "Motherfuckers!" mes engulfed his body and he shot out into the space.


    Even if he thought with his knees, he knew these intruders were up to no good. He needed to stop them in time or his little space station''s funds would be cut.


    "Argh!" But he was only a level 8.


    He was too slow.


    "Please be safe. Please be safe." The station manager muttered as he sped up towards Varian''s space shuttle.


    The object of his prayer, Varian however looked at the iing space shuttles with a rather disinterested expression on his face.


    He was seated on a ck throne and kept tapping the armrest while muttering "tch."


    "Master, the probability of high awakeners being in that ship are less than 8%." Boo informed with a grave expression.


    "¡­" Varian looked at his ghost AI and stopped tapping the armrest. "Do you remember how urate your predictions are?"


    Back in the Vanish Dungeon, Boo predicted a couple of things¡­all of which went wrong.


    "B-But that''s only two things." Boo tried to defend itself, but Varian waved his hands.


    "Forget your algorithm, usemon sense sometimes." His lips curled up. "Sovereign Kreo and if I''m not wrong, even Sovereign Julius should''ve heard Eric talking to me about Sia.


    Then with theirwork, it wouldn''t be hard to investigate my request for being the first was to find Sia.


    They''ll also deduce I didn''t lose the memory like they intended to."


    "I know that already. So they''ll send low level 6s to fight you and at most mid level 6." Boo puffed out its chest and replied with a smug smile.


    It seemed to be saying. ''Hey, I''m smart and all, you know? Come praise me.''


    "¡­why in the name of heaven''s will would they send level 6s?" Varian looked at the little ghost with pity.


    Sure enough, it had brain problems. After all, part of its brain was missing.


    "Eh?" Boo made a confused expression. "Isn''t that what viins do? I''ve been reading manga, you can''t fool me.


    Viins will always send mobs just a bit stronger than hero. Then hero wins, levels up and then they''ll send slightly stronger mobs.


    When hero finally catches up to them, viins will say¡ª"


    Boo put on a ck face mask and sat on a dark red chair. With a deep and ferocious voice, it said. "Just how did you grow up? From a nobody in the novice vige to challenging me?


    Hmph! But it doesn''t matter. Not like I''m gonna write a biography having my mistakes to help my sessors.


    All that matters now is¡ªeven if you came here beating all the mobs and even if I''m only slightly stronger than you, you die!


    Mhuahahaha."


    "?!" Listening to Boo''s maniacalughter, Varian realized it might have gone insane.


    "I wonder if Technocrats can heal your mania?" Varian muttered and used his authority over the ghost ship.


    Technically, he was the ''owner''.


    A ck light shed and Varian was in the ghost ship in an instant.


    A momentter, the space shuttle was covered by a huge lightning. Some parts of the space shuttle touched the lightning and melted away in seconds.


    Rumble!


    The space shuttle''s systems shed an emergency red and a scorching fire lotus attacked the space shuttle''s engine.


    Boom!


    The temperature rose uncontrobly and the space shuttle''s emergency protocol urged to Varian to leave via the emergency space pods.


    If he actually did that, he''d be fried by the lightning.


    Thankfully, Varian wasn''t Boo.


    He shrunk the size of ghost ship and it shot from an entrance created by melted metal.


    Without dy, the intruders outside hurled threerge red boxes towards the space shuttle.


    Right after, their space shuttles dashed out at full speed.


    "¡­What happened?" The Station Manager muttered as he was only a few dozen miles away from the space shuttle.


    He sensed an uncontroble power and quickly shot to the space shuttle.


    The broken, burning space shuttle. "Maybe if I can still sav¡ª"


    The space suddenly shook and a bright red light bloomed into existence, melting down the space shuttle in its wake.


    Boom!


    The Station Manager was hit by the shockwaves but he wasn''t harmed in the slightest.


    The only thing that changed was his expression.


    "Level 7 explosives?" He was surprised.


    They were he expensive.


    Just who did this man provoke?


    ''I hope I don''t get caught up.'' He sighed and slowly approached the site.


    The space shuttle was no more. All that was left was molted metal.


    "Ah. Whatever." He looked into the distance and saw patrol ships approaching the site.


    Unlike him, they were from the Infini City.


    After scanning the site with the best sensors they had and with the macro kic using her mind sense, they confirmed one thing.


    The person inside was dead.


    The station manager was taken to Infini City to report what he witnessed.


    On the way, he asked the head of the patrol squad, a level 8 Extreme Awakener.


    "Who died? Level 7 explosives aren''t easy to find." Even for him, they were rare.


    "¡­" The patrol head knit his brows for a moment and finally sighed.


    "You''ll know, no, the whole federation will know by tomorrow. It''s the winner of this year''s Sr Trial.


    He is rumored to be the best genius of the Sr System, rivaling Charles and ording to some, even surpassing him.


    The disciple of General Evander Steelheart, Varian was killed."


    "?!" The station manager opened his mouth in shock.


    Far away, ghost ship trailed an ck-red space shuttle.


    Varian didn''t care about the ''death'' people believed.


    He rolled his eyes at Boo''s stuttering. "B-But that''s not how viins are supposed to behave! They sent level 7s to attack you! They even used level 7 bombs!


    Is my life a lie?"


    "Not everyone is an idea." Varian said and ignored it.


    He got important things to do.


    ''Inform Bali how to reach Sovereign state as a Dual Awakener.''


    For that, he needed to learn how a Dual Awakener bes a Sovereign first.


    ''System¡­''

 Chapter 325 - Sovereign State And Celestial Rank

    ''System, how can a dual awakener advance to Sovereign state?'' He asked in earnest curiosity.


    [Let''s start from the Divine View.]


    Following its voice, Varian found himself in the dark space he once saw.


    Floating in the dark space, where three shining crystal roads of sorts.


    If he had to describe them, they were like a massive prism. Each of the three prism faces was one of the ''roads''.


    The roads glowed with red, blue and yellow.


    From thest time, Varian knew they were the literal manifestation of ''Divine Paths''.


    And this road was called an Avenue.


    For instance, the Yellow Road was called Sage Avenue.


    It was divided into threenes. Thenes represented Body Path, Mind Path and Morpher Path respectively.


    Usually, thesenes were unlit.


    But if you awakened in these paths, they would lit up.


    Just like now, across the three avenues, sixnes were lit up.


    On each of thenes was a white sphere called Origin.


    If thenes were divine paths and the road was Avenue, then the origin was a representation of himself.


    In gaming analogy, they were like maps he had to explore while Origin being his ''character position''.


    [Host, you awakened in six paths so far.] System said, drawing Varian''s focus onto the avenues.


    He had four on the Yellow¡ªSage Path: Body, Mind, Mind, Morpher.


    How did Mind have two?


    Well, eachne had a ck line representing a level.


    After reaching the third ck line, that is level 3, the mindne was split into two.


    Telepath.


    Telekic.


    Both of these were lit up for Varian.


    At the same time, lightning of Red Road and space of Blue Avenue were also lit up.


    [You shouldn''t be able to ess the divine view until you reached level 9, but anyway, the reasoning is fairly simple.]


    ''Huh?'' Varian waited for it to continue.


    Varian felt the ''view'' shake and the next moment, he found himself staring at the uncharted territory.


    He came to the end of the road! In front of him was pitch darkness.


    His Origin was far behind!


    Varian looked back and saw a line some distance away from the end of the road.


    That must be level 9 entry.


    That meant¡ª


    ''End of the road was peak level 9?'' He asked.


    [Yes. At peak level 9, Origin would be on the edge of the road.


    Next is the important step. Binding.


    This needs both internal and external efforts. Of course, geniuses can do the internal step unconsciously.


    But most need to know what to do.


    Let''s say you''re a normal awakener with a single path.


    After reaching peak level 9, your origin reaches the end of the road. Now, you need to ''sense'' your Origin and gain some degree of control over it.


    Then after gaining control, you''d need to ''bind'' the Origin to the Divine Path.


    Visually, it''s just making the floating Originnd on the road.


    What''s actually happening is that the closer your floating Origines to the avenue, the deeper the connection.


    Your affinity increases drastically.]


    ''What happens when the Origin touches the road¡­I mean, Avenue?''


    [They''re bound together. Your affinity improves. And the Divine Path extends forward.


    Your Origin also takes a step forward and enters the Celestial Rank.]


    Varian rubbed his chin and asked in an incredulous tone. ''So I just need to gain some control over Origin and I''m a Sovereign? That sounds too easy.''


    [It is anything but easy. Of course, given your talent, you have it easier than others.


    But think of it as something equivalent to controlling your involuntary body reactions a normal person.]


    ''Whaaat?!''


    Controlling your heart beat, blood flow and breathing rate as a normal person? Is that even possible?


    [Level 9s have the divine vision, but most cannot control their Origin. It''s incredibly hard.


    But once you gain control, you be Sovereign.


    And the closer you bring it to the avenue, the harder it bes to go further.


    That''s why some Sovereigns are stuck.


    The final step¡ªtouching the avenue with Origin is the hardest.]


    Varian looked at the distance between Origin and Avenue. It was around¡­100 cm?


    How hard could that be?


    [Sovereigns typically move 0.1mm, 0.2 mm with each try. And it only gets harder and harder. And 100 cm is 1000 mm.]


    Varian shut up promptly.


    He knew how a single path awakener became a Sovereign and then a Celestial Ranker, but what about Dual Awakeners and Triple Awakeners?


    [Their situation is a bit special.] System started and Varian was sent back from the edge of the road to his current level.


    Five Origins stood just before level 6 line while one stood after level 6 line.


    [Dual Awakeners awaken in two paths. So, their Origin simultaneously exists above two paths.


    But there is only one Origin.]


    ''Then how can it exist above two paths simultaneously?''


    [Origin isn''t exactly a physical entity. Think of it like memory, a memory can exist in two heads at once.


    But Origin isn''t exactly an idea either.


    It''s unique.


    You can think of it like Origin splitting its ''existence'' into two. But make no mistake, each of the Origin above the two Divine paths is one Origin.]


    ''¡­.What the fuck was that supposed to mean?'' Varian was confused. Was this the same stuff he heard during his quantum mechanics ss?


    Shaking his head, he decided not to think too much.


    [Anyway, Dual Awakeners can reach peak of level 9 without any problems. But then, they need to ''Bind'' their Origin to the Avenue.


    Herees the problem, one Origin can only be bound to one Avenue. If you try to form bonds with two avenues at once, you''ll make no progress.]


    ''Ohhh.'' Varian nodded in understanding.


    ''But haven''t other Dual Awakeners tried to make bond with just Avenue?''


    [They have. But even then, Origin is also on another path. It bes impossible to form a bond.


    To start a bond, they need to ''bring'' the second Origin to the avenue they want to form the bond with.


    For example, if you''re a Space and Fire Awakener, and you want to be a Sovereign of Space Path, since being both is impossible.


    So, you have to bring the Origin floating above the Fire Path to Space Path.


    Then these Origin will seem to ''merge'' visually.


    In essence, the Fire path gets ''locked''. You cannot progress on it anymore.


    You are now treated as a single path awakener. Just follow the normal steps and you''d be a Sovereign.]


    ''I see. So no one knew that they had to merge the Origins.''


    [Humans are still new.


    So, there aren''t many dual peak level 9 to begin with.


    All of them are assigned with important duties. They wouldn''t dare to try y with their Origins.]


    ''Indeed. But now, Bali can set an example.'' Varian sighed. ''Even though he''ll lose a path, he can still be a Sovereign.''


    Suddenly, Varian''s eyes widened and he asked. ''What about me, System? Would I also other paths when I need to be a Sovereign?''


    [Normally, reaching Sovereign in two paths with one Origin is impossible and unheard of.


    But host, you¡­have a chance to do the impossible.]


    ''¡­'' Varian felt a weight on his shoulders without knowing.


    He needed to figure this out.


    If he couldn''t, he would waste all his other divine paths and be a normal Sovereign.


    But if he could find a way¡­then Varian didn''t dare to imagine his strength.


    By now, he already had 6 Divine Paths. Perhaps he might awaken in 1 or 2.


    Imagine a Sovereign of 8 Divine paths!


    He''d sweep the floor with all Abyss Kings with one hand.


    "Fuck it! I''ll find a way!" Varian clenched his fist and decided.


    ''Wait, I already have a head start!'' He suddenly realized.


    One Origin will only bind to one avenue. But one avenue contained three or more divine paths.


    That means, even if he bounded his Origin to Sage Avenue, then his origin is only bound to Sage Avenue.


    But Sage Avenue has body path, mind paths, and morpher path.


    Others would be satisfied with this already, but Varian wasn''t.


    ''Why settle? I don''t want to settle. I want them all!'' He was determined.


    After a while, he calmed down and ''willed'' to leave.


    The view changed and Varian was back in the ghost ship.


    Boo greeted him. "Phew. You woke up. Bali will reach Mars in 10 minutes. When are you going to talk to him?"


    "Now."

 Chapter 326 - Is Two-path Sovereign Really Impossible?

    Upon Varian''s instruction, the Ghostship in its stealth mode quickly shot towards Bali.


    Varian''s outfit changed. His casual clothes were reced by graceful whites. A white mask with golden edges covered his face.


    And his temperament undertook a drastic turn.


    With a wave of his hand, a golden throne adorned with ancient runic drawings appeared behind him.


    He sat on the throne with crossed legs and supported his chin on his hand as itid on the armrest.


    He lookedzy, mysterious yet equally dangerous.


    "Boo, is it done?" He asked in a bone-chilling voice.


    "D-Don''t scare me like that!" Boo stuttered. "When you enter this role, I feel like¡­"


    "Feel like what?"


    "Feel like being your true self," Boo said and asked a question that bothered it for a while now.


    "Master, if you can strategize so well, why did you never do it before?" Boo''s curiosity was evident in its tone.


    Its master''s performance in the Sr Trial blew away its mind. Was he really a genius? This battle maniac?


    "¡­" Varian''s eyes narrowed as his face under the mask stiffened for a split second.


    "I was an unawakened a year ago. No matter what strategies I can plot, without sufficient strength to back them up, they''re all futile.


    Even in the trial, if I didn''t have the minimum strength, all my ns would be futile." He answered in a careless tone, but his eyes were deadly serious.


    "No wonder¡­except for being good at battle tactics, I always thought you were an idiot." Boo honestly confessed causing Varian to grip the armrest tighter.


    Kaa!


    The armrest creaked startling Boo. "Master, calm down! We don''t have too many good-looking chairs."


    "¡­contact Bali already." Varian facepalmed.


    "I''m doing it. His space shuttle''s AI is more resilient. I don''t want to destroy it, I just want to shut it down. I''ll slow down the shuttle and shut it down temporarily. Give me a few minutes." Boo said and a huge blue screen popped up in the air.


    Bali''s space shuttle in the distance slowed considerably. As they weren''t near any reference point, and his AI didn''t prompt him, Bali didn''t notice the strangeness.


    Before he was going to talk to Bali, Varian asked the System a few more questions.


    ''Isn''t dual awakening a curse? It''s a handicap if you have to take both paths to peak level 9 only to abandon one.'' Varian said with a frown.


    Where was equality of opportunity?


    The System might''ve remained silent normally, but today, it seemed to have extraordinary patience as it exined.


    [Dual Awakeners need not get both their paths to peak level 9 to advance to Sovereign. They can ditch a path and take the route of a single path.


    But humans find this difficult to do. Your civilization is still too young.


    And Dual Awakeners isn''t a curse.


    If you don''t want to expend time on the second path, you can discard it early on.


    But geniuses of higher civilizations don''t do that. They take it to the end of level 9 without wasting much time.


    How?


    They''ll forcibly upgrade this one path through treasures¡ªbut as a consequence, it gets harder and harder to advance in that path.


    In the end, reaching Celestial Rank in that path bes impossible.


    But at the same time, they''d have diligently progressed in the main path in which they can advance to Celestial Rank.


    This ''filled up'' path will be discarded and the proper path will be used for Celestial Rank.


    ''Filling up'' doesn''t cost an awakener a lot of time, but it''s rtively expensive.


    Of course, true powerhouses actually diligently practice both paths.


    Why do they not just discard?


    Because if you reach a very, very high level¡ªthe peak of Celestial Ranks, all the experience in this other avenue will be useful to you.


    In fact, it''s rmended you experience other avenues as well. What better way than to review your own second divine path?]


    ''¡­'' Varian was blown away by the answer.


    In the end, it was only humanity''s problem. They were too young. Too weak. Too ignorant.


    ''Being a dual awakener human in our era sucks.'' Varian maintained a minute of silence for all human Dual Awakeners. But maybe he could change it?


    [There is one more possibility for an awakener to be Celestial in two paths. Hybrid.]


    ''Hybrid? Sia...?''


    [This System was sealed away thousands of years ago. Even thetest information known by the system is very old. A few thousand years ago, hybrids were still a budding concept.


    This System isn''t omniscient. It has its blind spots.


    But theoretically, hybrids have more than one Origin.


    A hybrid with two origins can also awaken in two paths, but they''re fundamentally different from Dual Awakeners.


    Because they have two origins, they can bind an origin each to an avenue.


    This system doesn''t know what stage the top civilizations have reached in hybrids at present.]


    Varian''s brows knit together as he thought hard about the implications.


    Wait¡­if Sia admittedly is a hybrid, then who are her parents?


    Can humans really give birth to hybrids?


    "Haaa~" Varian sighed and shook those thoughts out of his mind.


    To him, it didn''t matter much if she was a hybrid or not.


    All he cared was finding her and making up to her.


    And it wasn''t bad if hybrids existed.


    It''d be less fun if he encountered Celestial Rankers of only one path.


    The system said long ago that he was beyond the hybrids. So, he wasn''t worried about meeting a monster like himself.


    But knowing the System wasn''t omniscient was a relief. He''d surely be troubled if an all-knowing being was with him all day.


    ''So, there''s a chance that I might find a way to make Dual Awakeners get to Celestial Rank with one origin.


    I must do it for myself anyway.''


    [Only time will tell. But Divine Paths aren''t fully explored yet.]


    "Master!"


    "Master!"


    Varian snapped out of his thoughts due to Boo''s calls.


    "Eh?"


    "Bali is online. Should I start?"


    Varian adjusted his posture.


    He leaned back into the throne, adjusted special lighting, and nodded.


    "¡­"


    A few thousand miles away, Bali was already feeling that something was off.


    He was about to contact others when a hologram suddenly popped up in his space shuttle.


    A man in white clothes was leisurely seated on a golden throne. His eyes stared at the dual peak level 9 awakener.


    "Bali, age 90. You believe you are destined to be stopped before the Sovereign state. I am Dreamer, and I like to screw with destiny.


    I am here to give you a chance. A chance that can turn your beliefs upside down. A chance to make your wildest dreame true.


    A chance to make you a Sovereign."

 Chapter 327 - A Promise

    Bali was surprised at the sudden intruder. He neither panicked nor tensed.


    As a peak level 9 in two divine paths, he was one of the strongest beings under Sovereigns.


    If he had to be honest, he would be top 3.


    He was one of those people that wouldn''t be scared even if Abyss King came.


    "You are the Dreamer? Keke." Bali chuckled.


    He was curious. Very very curious.


    Who the fuck was this guy?


    What was his purpose?


    Was he running a shadypany or something?


    Otherwise, why give such an absurd promise?


    Letting a Dual Awakener reach Sovereign state?


    He wasn''t a child to be fooled. No. Even children knew better than to trust a suspicious-looking man''s words.


    "I feel pity." Dreamer didn''t confirm his identity and went on in a pitying tone like one wouldfort a sad child. "You are so talented, so hard working and so loyal, yet a factor you outside your control became an obstacle you could never cross."


    Crack!


    Bali clenched his fists together. Just for a moment, he was angry.


    Not because of his words, but his tone.


    He was being pitied!


    I lived all my life and only sought results. I appreciated the ones that appreciated me, I respected the ones that gave me respect, but pity¡­


    I don''t want it!


    "Keep that pity to yourself and get out of my spaceship," Bali said in a calm yet indisputable voice.


    "Aye~ You didn''t believe my words, did you?" Dreamer shook his head. He seemed to be utterly disappointed and also a bit sad.


    "Unlike you who has the power but shrinks responsibility, I have work to do," Bali said with a piercing gaze.


    He hated people who evaded the responsibility that came with their power. And Dreamer...he had great powers but what responsibility did he bear?


    "Ignorance is bliss. You cannot even begin toprehend what I''m doing." Dreamerughed lightly.


    Bali was taken aback and a seed of doubt was nted in his mind. ''I can''t verify or strike off his words. But an awakener of this capability must be doing something instead of wasting their time.''


    Still, Bali didn''t care. He walked to apartment, wore his armor, and said without any change in expression. "Good luck convincing other people. I got work. Lots of it. The banquet was nice but now I''ll need to work overtime."


    "¡­." Dreamer was silent as he watched the exit to the space shuttle open.


    Bali already realized the space shuttle was under Dreamer''s control. The guy fricking hacked it!


    But so what?


    He could travel through space.


    As he was about to step out, Dreamer''s voice sounded again.


    "I heard your conversation with the little guys." He said and a recording started ying.


    The voice and the words froze Bali.


    The voice¡­it was his voice. And those were his heartfelt words.


    "I can''t make it to Sovereign after all.


    But over the years, many who could make it died.


    So, sometimes I wonder¡­what if it was me who died? What if they lived?


    Would Humanity have another Sovereign?


    Would the War end? Would peace finally ensue?"


    Listening to those words he said to Varian and Sarah, Bali''s body trembled as his chest heaved up and down. Every word came from the depth of his soul and resonated with him on a deeper level.


    "You¡­" Bali suddenly didn''t know what to say.


    "You didn''t die. You are alive.


    Life or Fate or Karma, whatever it is. It''s on your side. It chose you over your deadrades.


    Perhaps one of them could''ve achieved the Sovereign state.


    You believe you live in their stead and memory, shouldn''t you at least try?" Dreamer''s words pierced his heart like a needle.


    Yes, my life was saved by countless people. If they didn''t choose me over their own life, I''d be long dead.


    My seniors, my master, my colleagues...too many people sacrificed themselves for me to be alive.


    Now, I also have the chance to do something they would''ve done if they were alive.


    "Exin." Bali sighed and looked at the hologram once again.


    He could only see Dreamer''s eyes, but Bali felt boundless confidence from those eyes.


    It was as if his every action was anticipated his every action. Those eyes didn''t change from the beginning.


    Bali dismissed them as arrogant when he first saw Dreamer, but only now did he begin to slowly realize the truth.


    "You know how a normal peak level 9 goes to Sovereign. You just have an extra step, that is¡­" Varian exined the ins and outs patiently.


    Bali thought for a few minutes and muttered with a frown.


    "I''m not sure if this is going to be harmful. Merging Origins? Never heard of it. What if I die and my squad loses its head? Theoid I''m guarding, the patrol duties I take¡­"


    One by one, his duties popped up in his mind.


    All those thoughts tried to persuade him. It was a risky, foolish endeavor. If he was killed, then the army would suffer a significant loss.


    A peak level 9 awakener was no joke.


    But¡ª


    "Is that all?" Bali asked. He wasn''t going to risk it foolishly, but he decided to at least know the damn thing before making a decision.


    "Heh." Dreamer smiled lightly and said.?"Controlling Origin just by yourself is incredibly hard. Have an external stimtion, use it to sense the Origin, and build a connection."


    Bali squinted his eyes and nodded.


    External changes could cause internal changes.


    After all, if an awakener advanced from level 8 to level 9, Origin moved on the Divine Path.


    In a sense, external and internal are connected. Internal cannot be essed or changed easily, but external¡­he has more control over his external reality.


    Dreamer tapped his armrest and continued in a casual tone.


    "Since you''re a Dual Awakener in Fire and Space Paths, pick something that''s extremely stimting.


    You must have done it already, but this time, focus on bringing one of the Origins towards the other.


    Rtively, it''s very easy. You aren''t connecting to the Origin, you are just ''willing'' the Origins to merge.


    Then, use the external stimtion and you''re good to go." Dreamer concluded and leaned back into his throne.


    Bali remained stranded as he thought hard. As Dreamer said, the only thing that mattered was external stimtion.


    The more the better.


    If he chooses Fire, then the best ce is obviously. Fire Abyss'' Hell Zone. But practicing there was impossible.


    So the only option was to dive into one of the suns.


    But there''s a problem


    During Blink, the Sun split into two and created a chaotic aura cluster in the middle.


    It severely affected the Fire Mana. Thus, it might be counterproductive and he would likely be subjected to danger.


    That left him with Space Path.


    If he took Space Path, he''d need a ce of extreme Space stimtion. There were only two know areas he knew of.


    A special region in the Hollow Abyss¡ªimpossible for practice.


    The boundary between Outer Space and Inner Space.


    What are inner and outer spaces?


    If the universe could be treated as a small sphere with a big sphere covering it, they''re living in the outer, bigger sphere¡ªOuter Space.


    The smaller sphere was inner space.


    There''s a vast gap between this smaller sphere and therger sphere.


    The smaller sphere is surrounded by special space fluctuations called yers".


    Layers are like the official boundaries of the smaller sphere.


    Once you reach level 7, you can enter theyer. At Sovereign state, you''re on the verge of breaking out of theyers and entering the Inner space.


    Why are these considered good ces for space stimtion?


    Because the space between smaller andrger spheres is hyperactive. Even more importantly, the space in theyers is incredibly chaotic.


    If he could stay inside theyers, Bali would get all the stimtion he''d need.


    It''s the best solution, but there''s a problem again.


    Space tends to push everyone out to Outer Space.


    Even a peak level 9 can''t resist that push for a long time and eventually needs toe back to Outer space.


    But there''s a way to circumvent this problem.


    Space stones!


    If he had many space stones, he could use them and stay in the yers'' for longer.


    Bali''s eyes shed a myriad of emotions before they burned with resolution.


    He decided to try.


    His only worry was that he might end up hurting his Origin.


    But what if he seeded and became a Sovereign?


    The rewards are too huge to not risk at all.


    If he was a Sovereign, he could end up bringing the much-needed peace!


    This might as well be the final year of Abyssals!


    Of course, he was still cautious.


    He decided to make an alert mechanism. If he failed due to hurting his Origin, he''d inform the world about the harm of this method and personally hunt Dreamer.


    But¡­he hoped it''d work.


    If he could be a Sovereign¡­


    "You will be a Sovereign," Dreamer said with a smile as if reading his mind.


    Looking at the gleaming confidence in Dreamer''s eyes, Bali felt like he was being infected too.


    Maybe he would be a Sovereign¡­maybe.


    He looked at Dreamer with aplex expression and said.


    "I don''t know if it''s all a lie, but all my life, I struggled.


    I am going to struggle now too.


    I will give it a try.


    If it shows even the tiniest of results, I''ll procure every space stone I could and hit the Sovereign state."


    "Hahaha." Dreamer simplyughed.


    Bali waited until theughter quietened down and asked. "So, what do you want in exchange?"


    "¡­." Dreamer fell silent for a while before he tilted his head. "Nothing much, I just hate Shadow Order.


    Whenever I find one of their bases, gimme a hand and ughter those bugs."


    Bali shook his head. "That''s my duty. I''ll do it regardless. You can ask for a favor... never mind, take this."


    He retrieved a metal badge from his storage ring. It was a dark red badge with silver edges.


    "If I be a Sovereign, then I''ll fulfill any three favors you seek as long as it doesn''t go against humanity and my dignity."


    He threw the badge into outer space.


    "I hope you aren''t toote." Dreamer''s eyes glowed. ''Or I''d be a Sovereign first.''


    "Go." He signaled to Boo and waved his hand.


    Bali''s space shuttle shot out towards Mars.


    And soon, the metal badge that was previously drifting in the space was dancing on his palm.

 Chapter 328 - Are You Really Gone?

    The site where Varian''s rented space shuttle was destroyed was now bustling with awakeners and space shuttles.


    Shortly after the attack urred, the relevant departments of Infini City sent their best agents to the site.


    The technicians, the surveyors were the first to arrive.


    Then shortly, the reporters joined followed by spectators.


    The most active were the juniors of level 5 and level 6. They didn''t even care about the potential danger and spectated from a distance.


    The princes and princesses of level 7 and level 8 also joined.


    Them joining proved this was no small matter. There were two core issues too big to be ignored.


    One. The target was Varian¡ªarguably, the best genius of his generation, even a bit higher than Charles.


    His renting the space shuttle was confirmed to be an abrupt decision.


    So, the mastermind was actually in the city, following Varian''s every movement!


    Two. He was assassinated just in front of Infini City.


    This was a loud p on their faces.


    If the enemies could tantly kill others in the backyard of Infini City, who could feel secure?


    If Varian''s poprity was responsible for 50% of the audience, the remaining 50% were here to question the breach of security.


    They needed an exnation and a promise.


    There were many who came for Varian and also for security.


    Ahri was one of those many.


    "I can''t believe this," Ahri said with a nk face. She was watching the site from a space shuttle from afar.


    There were several holograms in her space shuttle, connecting her to others in her circle.


    "Varian¡­is he really gone?" Her best friend brought up the name and an instant, the group chat exploded.


    "Who killed him?"


    "Hey! Are you sure he''s dead?"


    "Well, the man was burnt to ashes. Heck! even ashes aren''t left. He''s just erased out of existence." A boy adjusted his sses and said.


    Somehow, others could feel a trace ofcency in his tone. Their impression of him worsened.


    Even Ahri, who bore a grudge against Varian felt disgusted. He broke down her pride twice.


    She acknowledged his strength and his victory made her realize his genius.


    Thus, despite wanting to go get back at Varian for knocking her out in the trial, Ahri never wished for him to die.


    She even wanted to find him again for a duel. This time, not to win, but to learn. She never thought she''d think like this, but she respected someone other than her brother for the first time.


    But s¡­


    "Ridiculous!" Ashtarh gritted his teeth as he stared at the debris on the hologram. He could already guess the explosives used for this assassination.


    They were strictly forbidden.


    He even knew how strict Infini City''s security was. Any space shuttle would have to pass through at least three security barriers.


    So, just how did those assassins get in with the weapons?


    They weren''t from the inside. From the video recordings, that much was clear.


    They somehow bypassed the mechanisms and sneaked in.


    A thought struck his mind and Ashtarh''s eyes widened.


    Crack!


    The armrest of his chair broke as his venomous voice roared. "Traitors!"


    "Traitors!" Every expert concluded and their gaze narrowed.


    Not just any traitor, but someone of a high ranking.


    Everyone was angry and furious, but one person didn''t move at all.


    "O-Old man, don''t die." Eve Xander patted his old friend. He tried to console, but only a sigh came out.


    "Aii~"


    Richard was one of the first to arrive. A few minutes passed but he stood frozen like a statue.


    Even his breathing came to a halt as his face turned ashen. His eyespletely lost focus and from time to time, his teeth chattered.


    Others couldn''t hear it, but Eve Xander clearly could.


    "Y-Young Master."


    "Young Master."


    "¡­.Master."


    Eve Xander clenched his fists and turned his head away in frustration. Xanders were now in a confrontational rtionship with the Military, but that was only since Julius came to power.


    For most of his and Richard''s lives, Xander and the Military worked closely. Thus, they formed a bonding from early childhood.


    They lost friends, families, progeny¡­only their friendship remained.


    But now, one of the friends was on the verge of breaking apart.


    Eve tapped hism and said in a grave tone. "Search! Use all our resources! Find the motherfucker who had the galls to do¡ª"


    The space suddenly trembled prompting Eve to look up.


    "Wha¡ª?"


    From the site, a huge pressure effused. Interweaved in that pressure was the killing intent to ughter every being!


    It was like higher gravity on drugs.


    The high awakeners were fine, but the level 5s and level 6s fainted. It didn''t matter that, unlike the high awakeners, the level 5s and level 6s were in their spaceships. Only those far away managed to be conscious.


    "Report to me in ten minutes." A chilly voice came from the source of the pressure and the personnel nodded.


    Evander stood at the site as he silently waited. He had lots of work, but everything could wait.


    No. Everything else must wait.


    ''Varian...what is happening...''


    Shortly after, hism rang.


    "We chased the assassins'' space shuttles, they blew themselves up in the end."


    Evander read the message and snorted in anger.


    His pitch-ck eyes turned blood red and a monstrous wave of killing intent leaked out of his body.


    The level 6 Awakeners watching him from the far distance instinctively turned away instinctively.


    Only high awakeners could stare at him. It wasn''t a pleasant sight though.


    He looked like a ghost that crawled out from hell. Even level 7s felt a sense of dread in their hearts. Their backs were already drenched in sweat.


    Even the level 8s had sweat rolling down their foreheads. Only the few level 9s were unfazed.


    However, they too maintained a safe distance from Evander.


    ''What if he loses control and attacks me?'' The Level 9s all thought.


    Unknown to anyone, one person waspletely unbothered by Evander''s pressure.


    It was a woman withpletely normal features. With an average face, average body, and even more average temperament, she was the kind of girl everyone neglected.


    She stared at the site where Varian was supposed to have died. Her eyes shed with intense light and slowly her eyes began to turn bloodshot. She bit her lips to not scream out the pain searing her heart.


    She controlled her breathing and didn''t stand out from the rest. But before she knew it, she felt the familiar iron taste.


    Her lower lip was bleeding heavily, and the warm red liquid flowed from her lips all the way to her tooth the middle path.


    But amidst all the chaos, somehow, she got a feeling from the ce.


    She felt it.


    She didn''t know why or how.


    But he was alive!


    Her eyes slowly turned normal and she was about to leave. But upon spotting a luxurious space shuttle in the far-off distance, she paused.


    With his state of mind, Evander didn''t notice this.


    He was waiting. Waiting for the test report!


    Despite knowing the end result, Evander waited for that desperate hope.


    Finally, the teams answered.


    "We can''t find any traces of space movements. We did find his items and DNA. There''s no chance he escaped. Varian is¡­gone."


    Even though he already expected those words, when he finally heard them in person, Evander couldn''t help but close his eyes in pain.


    "Grhhh." He groaned in pain but quickly suppressed it.


    He mustn''t show his emotions here. Even though he felt like everything came crashing down, even though he felt terrible, even though he was devastated, he must stay strong. Or at least, he must put up a brave front.


    If he flew into a fit of rage, who wouldfort Sarah?...Though he knew no amount offort could be enough.


    Thinking of Sarah, Evander''s mood worsened further.


    She fainted when she heard the news. Even while unconscious, she kept crying out.


    "Varian...pleasee back."


    "Varian...please don''t leave me alone."


    "If you go, who will talk to me?"


    "Who can I share my smiles with?"


    "And do you know? Because you liked Anna''s cooking, I even learned a few dishes...though they''re not as good, I''m trying...I want to see you happy...so please, please be safe."


    Looking at her tear-stricken face, Evander med himself for everything.


    ''If I can''t save him, then I''ll punish everyone responsible.'' His gaze cooled and he said in a cold voice.


    "Close the perimeter. I don''t care if it''s an officer, a businessman or a high awakener, check every goddamn person!


    If they refuse, inform me."

 Chapter 329 - If You Are Against Him, You Are Against Me

    "Varian...is gone."


    "Hahahaha!"? Narcis burst outughing. Every fiber of his being was exhrated.


    This was easily the single best news he heard in his entire life!


    The best part? He didn''t do anything for it!


    Was this what they call Heaven''s gift?


    Narcis didn''t know, but his tion was only rising. He looked at the debris in the hologram and seemed to see Varian in them.


    "I hate you. You are the same age as me, you are in the same ss as me, but you are way, way stronger." Narcis said bitterly. "You don''t deserve the power. Peak level 5 as 1st year?"


    He wanted to spit out those words since the day Varian defeated him in the duel. But his fragile self-esteem held those words in.


    Nothing hurt his self-esteem than admitting he was of less worthpared to Varian. So he held those words back. He denied reality. He deluded himself. But he never admitted.


    Even if he did that, Varian''s ascent was a nightmare to him.


    Narcis just couldn''t ept that someone his age was better than him.


    If it was a small gap, he could''vepeted.


    But the gap was so big that he couldn''t even see the back of that person.


    He wasn''t even qualified to be a rival, much less an opponent.


    Then came the worst part of his nightmare.


    Varian became the winner of the Sr Trial. Something that Narcis couldn''t even dream of with his current prowess.


    But his peer, a guy of the same age did it!


    Narcis understood something at that moment. His opponent was alreadypeting with his brother.


    Whereas he¡­he was not even qualified to be a mob.


    The realization suffocated him and he felt like dying. But then came heaven''s gift.


    "Hahahahah!" Narcis chortled. He was happy. No. He was ecstatic.


    But before he knew it, Narcis curled up and shed tears.


    "Why? Why am I so weak?" His rational side kept wailing.


    "Yes! He must die!" His emotional side kept groaning.


    But Narcis quickly ignored his rational side, wiped off the tears he considered to be shameful, and leaned back into the couch.


    "I must celebrate. I''ll throw a party, should I call¡­Sarah, hehehe¡ªheuk!"


    As he was about to tap hism, a heavy pressure descended.


    The chair he was sitting on broke into pieces and Narcis was instantly blown away.


    Baa!


    He crashed on the ground and sprawled out like a dog.


    "Who?!" Narcis yelled in rage and shock.


    How the hell did this person get in?


    Countless powerhouses were on the scene! With their powerful senses, someone must have noticed the situation already!


    Narcis'' thoughts spun as he consoled himself that things would be fine.


    ''They''ll find the anomaly any second now. Just be patient. Patient. Patient...''


    Ta. Ta. Ta.


    Rhythmic footsteps sounded, and with each passing second, their volume increased, indicating the intruder was getting closer and closer to him.


    But the so-called experts didn''t appear! They didn''t seem to notice anything at alL!


    A sense of unease welled up in Narcis'' heart. "Guards! Guards!"


    His calls garnered no reply.


    He had level 7 guards! Where the fuck are they now?


    ''Brutes! For your dereliction of duty, you will face cruel punishments! Don''t evene begging to me then. I gave you a chance to save me already. Heck! You allowed this person to sneak into the spaceship! I think you''ll be better off serving as ab rat!''


    Ta! Ta! Ta!


    The footsteps grew louder. In fact, it was his sensitive hearing that made them sound louder. But he was able to judge that the person was only ten meters away from him.


    Ta! Ta!


    With each footstep, Narcis'' heart pounded and threatened to stop. He was scared! This shouldn''t be! But the periodic, rhythmic, and almost artistic footsteps, his heart grew tenser and tenser.


    "Fuck!" Realizing no guards wereing, Narcis mentally activated hism and was about to contact his father.


    Right then¡ª


    Kacha!


    A ck shoe stepped on hism, crushing it and in the process, breaking his left-hand bones into countless pieces.


    "Arrrgggh!" Narcis screamed as tears ran down his cheeks. His body struggled to twitch, but under the heavy aura, it couldn''t move at all.


    Gone!


    One-stop and his left hand was gone!


    Narcis couldn''t feel anything below his forearm. "I don''t know who you are! But if you''re looking for ransom, then¡ª"


    Kacha!


    A ck-light shed and Narcis felt something strike his face. The next moment, he flew into the air, coughing out blood.


    ''Wah¡­what is this?'' As his world spun, Narcis''s mind seemed to slow down for a moment.


    Then the pain caught up. Searing pain coursed through every fiber of his being and particrly his face.


    His jaw was broken into pieces and his cheeks were now cracked. His face was a mess of flesh, bones, and blood. His vision was dyed red.


    Under the extreme pain, Narcis cried.


    And he also understood one thing. He was in no position of power. He was a weak and helpless awakener.


    Without his backing, his own strength was nothing!


    But he didn''t want to die here! No matter the cost!


    "Pweashe¡­lheh¡­mea¡­gho¡­" Narcis begged, his broken mouth forming incoherent sounds.


    He initially thought it was a kidnapping attempt.


    These days, there has been a rise in kidnapping cases. But he realized he was being too naive.


    This person was really trying to kill him.


    Was dignity more important than dignity?


    To Narcis, the answer was a clear no.


    So, he swallowed his pride and begged again.


    "Pweash¡­Shworry¡­leht me goh..."


    "Let you go? Heh." A sweet, but cold voice sneered.


    Ta! Ta! Ta!


    Her shoes clinked with the floor and Narcis was finally able to see the violent maniac.


    She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.


    Only if he wasn''t lying at her feet with serious injuries in a puddle of blood, Narcis would''ve greeted her with the most expensive flowers he could find.


    But in this situation, all he could do was dumbly stare as the beauty''s golden eyes looked at him with coldness and¡­hatred.


    Hatred?


    What did he do?


    He didn''t even have a memory of her.


    "Whahy?" Narcis spoke once again. His throat seemed to burn as blood dripped on the ground and formed a small puddle.


    But he didn''t care. He needed to know why he was treated so unfairly!


    "Why?" She repeated and her beautiful lips shed a cold smile.


    Narcis felt an impact in his stomach and the next moment, he felt like his stomach was hit by a hammer.


    Baam!


    He flew in a parab, hit the wall, and slid down to the ground. Probably, every organ in his stomach was broken by this point. Even if it''s not broken, it was a horrendous mess.


    "Narcis, you are the first enemy Varian made." The girl said lightly. When she muttered the word Narcis, her tone was full of coldness. But when the same girl said Varian, it was full of gentleness.


    Varian''s name caused Narcis who was about to faint to suddenly focus. His thoughts spun and he realized it!


    Aha!


    So she''s Varian''s ally or lover or backer. Was this his hidden background?


    But so what? Varian was already dead!


    Now, why deal with him?


    There''s no use in killing him!


    "Your father promised Enigma to not attack Varian, but he broke it without hesitation," Sia said as she unsheathed a red sword.


    Narcis felt the venomous hatred in her voice and shivered. But even more than that, he was puzzled by the promises his father made to Enigma.


    Was Varian so important that his father had to promise Enigma not to attack him?


    And more importantly, how could Enigma force Julius to an agreement?


    He didn''t know. With the state of things, he never will.


    "I wanted to kill Charles, but he''s Varian''s target. Let him sort it out. And you, you aren''t even qualified to be an insect, but you''re making fun of Varian.


    Varian doesn''t even see you as a peer, You''re like a pebble on the ground to him.


    But I don''t like it when someone wants to harm him. I don''t like how you forced Varian and made his early academy life hell. You must be punished!"


    The more she said, the angrier Sia became. She knew what was happening with Varian the whole time.


    But as per the agreement, she wasn''t allowed to be involved in his life. But now those bastards¡ª


    "And Narcis, for your father breaking the agreement, you should pay.


    That''s your only value anyway."


    Sia''s words cut him deeper than any knife could.


    "I feel sorry that I can''t torture you, but I''ll be busy.." She said and shed her sword.


    "Mha! Grhh!"


    Narcis struggled with every fiber of his being. He hoped someone would save him. He hoped the girl would forgive him. He hoped none of this ever happened.


    But¡ª


    The cold metal finally touched his neck and cut through his flesh. Before he could think further, the world went nk.


    "¡­.Sorry." He muttered before his head rolled on the ground.


    Sia looked at him without any pity.


    "If you go against him, you go against me." She muttered and picked hism.


    Without any hesitation, she recorded the gruesome and iplete corpse and sent ito to Julius.


    [Your Son''sst message]


    Then she looked back at the assassination site and sighed.


    With the strange treasure he used to sneak into Enigma''s residencest time, Varian must be alive.


    Sia didn''t know why she felt that way, but the feeling was quite strong.


    The closer they were, the stranger such feelings became.


    ''Even if you are alive, attacking you is uneptable. Xanders, Kreo, both of you must pay.''


    Sia''s grip on her sword tightened and her gaze burned with tremendous killing intent.


    In fact, her killing intent equaled Evander who was on the battlefield for more years than she was awake in her entire life!


    Shaking her head, Sia thought for a moment and retrieved an explosive.


    ''This should do.''


    The meeting outside was still going on when Narics'' space shuttle sted into pieces.


    Everyone on the scene froze.

 Chapter 330 - I’m Sorry

    "Trash!" Julius growled and waved his hand.


    The level 9s in front of him were blown away leaving only Sovereign Julius.


    He stood in front of Narcis'' space ship or at least what was left of it.


    His superhuman senses caught the countless whispers and it irritated him to no end. He turned around and saw the spectators watching.


    Something snapped in him.


    "You all? Do you think this is a show? Scram!" Julius'' thunderous voice embedded with aura reached everyone''s ears and rumbled like a thunder p.


    Right from the nearest spectator ten miles away to the one farthest fifty miles away, everyone was affected.


    Instantly, the level 5s went into aa and suffered a cerebral damage.


    The level 6s bled in the ears and fainted.


    The level 7s were bleeding lightly while the level 8s had a pale face.


    Only the level 9s looked rtively normally, but if one observed closely, they would find that these level 9s'' backs were drenched in cold sweat.


    Thus, everyone, be it a level 5 or a level 9 scrambled away.


    Evander already imposed a lockdown on the Infini City''s territory and ordered an investigation.


    But Narcis died suddenly and Julius Xander appeared in a few minutes. Under his order, new groups quickly arrived.


    First was three Squads of Shura Special Forces. It was too much!


    To put into perspective the rarity of the situation, even Evander had to struggle to let the 6th Shura Squad attack Shadow Order''s secret realm.


    It was only after his promise that Bali agreed and his squad finished off Shadow Order''s secret realms.


    Now three such squads descended in Infini City. Even though they were only 12th, 13th and 14th squads, considerably weaker than 6th squad, they were still best of the best.


    Their arrival took every awakener by storm.


    But they didn''t know the real menace was yet toe.


    When it did, every high awakener who had even a bit of suspicious activity under their belt prayed for their life.


    The neer was Athena Group.


    Despite being one of the three pirs of Federation Intelligence Service (FIS), Athena Group was very low profile.


    They never made any headlines. They never gave public interviews. They didn''t even have a PR team.


    If not for their website, the general public would''ve forgotten such a group even existed.


    But such a group was precisely every high awakener''s nightmare.


    Once they reached level 7, all their activities came under the monitoring of FIS and particrly, the Athena group. When a high awakener was found to be in cahoots with Abyssal, they were severely tortured and killed. Their families also faced severe punishment.


    That wasn''t all, but if one was ever found out about having done something harmful to the federation''s interest, Athena Group had the power to immediately detain them.


    If they could produce sufficient evidence, they could even skip all trials and directly handle the culprit as they wished.


    They even had the power to arrest someone upon ''suspicion''.


    In a sense, Athena Group was one of the most powerful across the federation.


    Athena Group head''s status was a bit higher than? Evander''s.


    Now, the head was in a serious conversation with Sovereign Julius.


    "We promise to dig out everything! All the spies here will be rooted out. Please calm down, Sovereign Julius. You''ll have a report in two hours."


    "I hope your report will calm me down." Julius closed hism and looked into the vast space.


    ''Enigma¡­is this your gift?'' His gaze extended far as he looked beyond Earth and locked on the faint red. Mercury.


    This month, like all previous months, Enigma''s traces were discovered in the ruins of Mercury.


    Julius recalled the day where he agreed to Enigma''s condition. It was almost a year.


    He thought he''d follow the agreement for a few years, but things changed.


    His Origin was now closer to the Sage Avenue than ever.


    And Julius made a shocking discovery¡ªHis rate of progress increased after ''that'' incident a few years ago.


    Back then, even though he was hailed as the youngest Sovereign, his strength was at the bottom.


    But now, he was unabashedly first. Of course, Sovereign Albert was closer to him in strength and was perhaps only a little weaker than him.


    ''So what? I''ll cross him in a year. At this rate, I''ll only take 10 years to reach the Celestial Rank.'' Julius exhaled.


    If not for Varian, he''d have undoubtedly said he''d be the first Celestial Ranker of humanity.


    But Varian''s speed of progress shocked him. Peak level 5 in 2 months¡­if he really extrapted that speed, Varian would reach Celestial Rank in at most 5 years!


    It was ridiculous, and almost seemed like a prank. But Julius wasn''t a man who liked variables.


    So, despite the consequences, he eliminated Varian.


    He also nned to get rid of Enigma once he took the next step.


    Thus, for him to reach Celestial Rank and destroy Abyssals, it was absolutely necessary for Varian to die.


    He didn''t know Varian''s secrets. He ordered the dogs to stop spying on Varian after reaching the agreement with Enigma. Perhaps it was a mistake.


    The mistake that costed his son''s life.


    ''Narcis, you''ll forgive me, right? I know. I know you will. You must be proud of me. Don''t worry, I''ll kill Enigma. Then also the person she''s protecting¡ªSia.


    And Sia''s friend Sarah, her entire family and every person rted to Sia, even if their memories of her are erased.


    They''ll all die.''


    Julius loved his son or he thought he did. But more than his son, he loved the Celestial Rank.


    "Eve Xander, listen to what the Athena guys have to say. I need to spend some time alone." Julius said in hism.


    The silver-white ring on his body shed and the space around him distorted. The next moment, Julius was already tens of thousands of miles away.


    He was going back to practice.


    His grief and anger were already fading quickly.


    All that was left was a sense of urgency. He wanted to be stronger.


    As for the investigation?


    He already knew there was close to zero chance of finding anything useful. But he did it anyway.


    Just as he predicted, two hours of investigation dealt no results.


    But they found out the traitor who let the assassins sneak in was the Vice Mayor of the city.


    However, he had alreadymitted suicide at that point and burnt himself locking away any chances of a Psychic peeking into his memory.


    The Vice Mayor was only a puppet. And Varian''s case came to an abrupt halt.


    Of course, the Vice Mayor was one of the underlings of Sovereign Kreo. He fulfilled his mission.


    Then there was Narcis case.


    The first group that attacked Varian weren''t the same as the second one that killed Narcis.


    Narcis'' guards were all killed minutes before the st.


    The killer was also identified. It was a woman with ordinary features in the crowd of high awakeners¡ªher identity wasn''t in the federal database.


    It was obviously a face mask. But even Athena group''s cutting edge technology couldn''t crack it.


    Disguise. Single member. Murder. Perfect Escape.


    A typical Shadow Guardian tactic.


    What was also typical was that Shadow Guardians assassinated only in retaliation 99% of the time.


    Thus, a conspiracy theory popped up.


    Varian was killed by Xanders.


    Narcis was killed by Shadow Guardians in retaliation.


    Of course, the Xanders used their influence to keep this rumor away from any social media.


    And many geniuses dismissed the rumor. Julius Xander ordering the death of a genius? Impossible.


    Some thought deeply and thought it was usible. But still, the chances were too low.


    But it was quickly thrown at the back of their minds, as idle chatter during dinner.


    Except for one.


    Evander.


    Evander looked at the reports with trembling hands. It was a footage of a man spying on a 17-year old boy.


    {Almost a year ago, one of Xander''s watchdogs investigated Varian. They kept him under watch for two months but suddenly one day, they stopped.}


    Crack!


    Evander''s chest heaved up and down as he pped his desk. The heavy wood desk turned to dust and a small hurricane was formed under his p.


    "Haaa" Evander took a deep breath and calmed himself.


    So Julius knew...he knew that Varian''s true awakening time.


    And that''s why...


    He wanted to fight Julius, but he knew he would lose. He wanted to attack Xanders'', but he had Sarah behind him.


    The same dreaded feeling enveloped him.


    After the Pluto war, Evander worked hard to never experience this feeling.


    But here he was, covering his face in helplessness.


    "I''m sorry." He whispered as tears wetted his cheeks.


    "I''m sorry, disciple."

 Chapter 331 - Two Hearts

    After finishing the meet with Bali, Varian wanted to sneak into the Infini City and reveal he was still alive to his close people.


    But after he found out about Narcis'' death and the strict lockdown, he decided against it.


    Even if he could sneak past the barriers, once he was out of the ghost ship, any high awakener could detect him easily.


    Besides, level 8 or level 9 technocrats were likely deployed monitoring the situation.


    That only made things worse.


    So, Varian simply went back to Earth.


    He resisted the urge to send the message {I am alive} likest time.


    With the power of Sovereign Kreo and Sovereign Julius, thems of his friends might be monitored.


    No. He was pretty sure they were monitored.


    Anyways, Sarah would return to the Academy along with Evander. He could talk to them then.


    Then, he could sneak into Sarah''s home. Only she and Anna lived there...and Varian also considered it his second home.


    But meeting Evander was too risky.


    There were several guards in his residence and Varian didn''t trust them one bit. There was a high probability that at least one of them was a spy.


    He knew clearly why the Sovereigns decided to end him off. They were scared of his talent. They must have already known his rapid progress.


    Most likely, the Xanders. After all, they knew him from Sia a year ago. Perhaps they recorded his info and only recently found it.


    ''They know my awakening time is at least 2 months and at most 1 year. I knew my high profile would cause them to investigate me...but Xanders having my past information because of Sia, it slipped my mind.''


    Now, if they knew he was alive, it''d endanger the safety of Sarah, Kyle and Maya.


    "This sucks." He sighed as he reached Earth and sneaked into a mid dungeon.


    Without wasting time, he entered a remote region in the Core area and picked a few level 6s Armored Lions to fight.


    As his sword danced and yed the low level 6 beasts, his mind was consumed by thoughts.


    "Sarah, I didn''t see you after she talked with her father. Did you get shed your fears? Will you finally ept that it''s not your fault?"


    Varian muttered as he jumped into the air and covered a spear with lightning. Like the god of thunder, he threw the bolt with his enormous physical strength.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The spear broke the sonic limit and pierced through the eye of the massive beast, ending its life.


    Varian''s mind wasn''t on the battle though.


    He just wanted to vent the ufortable feeing in his heart. It was growing with his every moment, with every second.


    "Roar!" The air shook as the Armored Lions'' roar reverberated, and Varian roared back.


    "Argh! Dammit!" The space around the Armored Beasts distorted and the next moment, Varian appeared in front of them and punched them to pieces.


    "They must be worried. Master would be fine. Richard¡­he was acting a bit strange, but he''ll also be fine. But Sarah¡­argh, fucking dammit!"


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Sarah would be sad. Varian remembered how she cried after seeing he was alive.


    Varian didn''t understand why she was crying back then, but now he could tell.


    If he suddenly woke up to the news that Sarah died¡­he''d be devastated. Varian tried to think what he''d do if it really happens, but his mind went nk all the time.


    A world without Sarah would be empty.


    Who would talk to him? Who would smile at his jokes even if they weren''t funny? Who would drag him to lunch if he tried to skip?


    Who would say "I''ll beat you..." but worry if he gets injured?


    Whenever he was down, who would ask him ''Why are you sad?''


    Who would share his joy with him?


    In a world without Sarah...a part of him would be lost forever.


    If Sarah was feeling the same way...


    "Argh! Xanders! Kreo!" Varian kicked the ground and jumped a few miles into the air. His figure disappeared mid-way and he appeared in front of a massive spider.


    It was a mid level 6, but Varian wasn''t in the mood to care.


    "Come!" He raised his fist and punched down.


    "Screech!" The spider made a shrill noise and pierced at him with one of its legs.


    Boom!


    Varian was blown away the moment their attacks connected, a huge hole was formed in his palm, and blood gushed out like there was no tomorrow.


    But he didn''t care.


    Zap!


    Ka!


    Covering himself in lightning, and space armor, Varian dashed forward.


    He needed to vent or he might really go crazy.


    Sarah, are you feeling the same?


    *** *** ***


    Two days have passed since Varian''s "death".


    Sarah didn''t remember much.


    After waking up, she went to her father and stared at him. Perhaps it was out of hope? Or perhaps out of sheer desperation.


    He only said. "I''m sorry¡­"


    Sarah understood. He knew the culprit but couldn''t deal with them.


    Sarah didn''t demand him for answer nor did she yell at him in frustration. She simply thanked him and went back to her room.


    If her father, a peak level 9 couldn''t deal with the opponent, then it must only be a Sovereign.


    And she was a dual awakener¡ªdestined to never be a Sovereign.


    She should just give up and wait for someone to avenge Varian¡­right?


    "No!" Sarah clenched her fists and her body started shaking.


    Her heart was aching and tears threatened to break out at any moment.


    Even if she closed her eyes, all she saw was him. It was as if he was a part of her. And she...a part of him.


    Sarah touched her heart and closed her eyes.


    She remembered asking Philia


    ''How is love different from camaraderie? You fight together, you trust one another and you can die for each other.''


    She didn''t know then¡­but the intense heartache told her that she now knew what love was. She understood it. No. She felt it.


    She didn''t know when it started. Perhaps when he saved her in the dungeon despite all his injuries. He had every excuse in the world not to risk his life, but he did


    Perhaps what she felt then was mostly guilt and was driven by it to avenge him.


    But as she spent more time with him, at some point, something happened.


    She started to love spending time with him. Sheughed at his little jokes...even though they were bad sometimes.


    She wanted to see him every day. She wanted to see him happy. She wanted him to be safe.


    "I-If I can see him just o-once more¡­I am willing to sacrifice anything else." Sarah looked up at the sky and said in a low voice.


    Her eyes were puffed up and her body was trembling, but the determination in her voice was beyond doubt.


    If gods really exist, please grant me this wish.


    Please let him be alive¡­I can die instead of him.


    Varian¡­why did you leave me alone?


    I am in pain¡­I can''t stop the sadness... Please¡­just once, let me hold you.


    Drip!


    Drip!


    "Waah! P-Please¡­p.lease.." Sarah covered her face and wailed. "I-It''s all my fault¡­If I didn''t¡­give u..t-that information.."


    Minutes turned into hours and when she had no more tears to shed, Sarah nkly reached her home in the academy.


    She didn''t speak a word, nor did she cry again.


    But she didn''t respond to any words nor express anything.


    Her face was emotionless and her eyes were lifeless.


    Her heart died with him.


    **** ***


    I''m sorry about the release schedule. I was going through some issues. I''ll fix the chapter release timing back to an hour or two after reset.. (From the next chaps.)

 Chapter 332 - Frenzy

    Varian was mad.


    It wasn''t one reason.


    First, being caught in a situation where he couldn''t even contact the people he wanted and had to think thrice before acting.


    Second, spending so much time and effort only to realize he didn''t get a single clue of what Sia went through in the academy.


    Third, he hated that fog blocking his memory. He felt its presence in the back of his mind. It was subtle but absolutely unbearable.


    These three pushed him into a state of rage and he finally broke out.


    Varian never thought he''d feel this, but he was actually happy that Narcis died. He imagined the pain Julius would go through¡­if that monster felt any pain.


    "Hahaha! Julius, you deserve it!" Heughed, praising the karma.


    But afterughter came fear.


    ''If they try to kill Sia like they tried to kill me, would she be safe?


    Would Enigma put her life on the line for Sia?''


    The moment this thought was born, it spread like a wildfire.


    Varian realized that even if Sia was really in danger, there was nothing he could do.


    Given their state of the rtionship, he couldn''t convince her.


    He was helpless and he absolutely loathed this feeling.


    He lived with it for an entire year after Amanda''s death, and after he awakened, he swore to himself that he would never be helpless again.


    Despite the obstacles he encountered, he kept moving because he believed everything would be fine.


    But now¡­if by the time he grew stronger, what if something happened to Sia or Sarah?


    His thoughts grew erratic and Varian ughtered his way through the dungeons.


    The dungeons he visited all had beasts in Body path. So he was immersed in closebat.


    He fought till he was exhausted. Rested in the ghost ship. Ignored Boo''s words. And fought again until exhausted.


    He lost the number of creatures he killed. Ten, twenty, thirty, fifty, hundred¡­


    His rage was already numbed and his rage went from searing hot to deathly cold.


    Finally, he stopped.


    After 48 hours of the mad killing, Varian loosened his fists.


    He sat on the top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere and looked around.


    The ins that used to be light yellow were now dyed by the blood of different colors, painting a poignant scene.


    On the beautiful ins were corpses littered all over. Not a single corpse wasplete.


    "Just what did I do...?" Varian questioned himself as meanwhile the sensations of his body returned and he finally started taking in what he had just done.


    His body was long covered in the blood of the creatures. Red, green, blue¡­they all mixed onto him.


    It might have looked like he was cosying, but the intense killing intent he emitted negated any such thought from popping up.


    It was scary enough to directly kill a normal person. Level 1s would find it hard to even move under his killing intent.


    Even enemies of his same level would feel the pressure should he release it.


    After all, his killing intent was built on the deaths of countless low-level 6s, and even mid-level 6s.


    ''I do owe them one.''


    "Haa~" Varian exhaled deeply and the next moment, he was already in ghost ship and started showering.


    The cold water washed away the reeking blood and his rage. With each passing second, Varian''s mind cooled a bit more.


    Finally, he set apart his emotions and started to think.


    "My three main concerns.


    Clear up my memory so that I can meet Sia.


    Don''t get Sarah into trouble because of me.


    Grow stronger and kill those two bastards." He said out loud and after a while, deeply sighed.


    "It alles to strength, eh." A wry smile formed on his face.


    He was getting used to things going his way so far and this sudden change took him by surprise.


    Varian wasn''t pleased and before he knew it, various factors pushed him into a? fit of rage.


    "Master~" Boo''s voice sounded.


    "I''m bathing, dammit," Varian said and got into the bathtub. "Leave me alone."


    "Phew~ you''re finally back to normal." Boo sighed in relief.


    "¡­" Varian''s mouth twitched.


    An awkward silence filled the room except for the water sounds.


    "What instructions did I give?" Varian finally asked. He clearly remembered nothing. It was like being drunk and forgetting everything you said or did.


    Boo''s embarrassed voice sounded. "Just before you went insan..craz¡­angry, you asked me not to follow any of your important decisions until you got normal."


    "Oh." Varian nodded in approval. As expected of himself. Though he didn''t remember saying that, taking credit for his own work wasn''t a problem, right?


    "After you flew into range, you gave five hundred orders in total. Two hundred were to try killing everyone in the Xander family.


    Two hundred were to kill or kidnap everyone rted to Kreo Bell. You also spoke of a few ns to torture Xavier Bell in front of him.


    And one hundred were asking to investigate Sia and Sarah. They also included times when you wanted to inform everyone that you''re alive."


    "My past is an idiot." Varian immediately separated himself and threw his past self under the dust.


    "Yes, master. You gave 500 orders in 2 days, right!"


    "Did you do anything?" Varian asked in anxiety.


    "Nope. Now I can. Would like me to?"


    "Nope."? Varian hurriedly said.


    "Then where are we going now?"


    "Enigma''s ce," Varian answered after serious thought. He opened a sparem and sent a message to Enigma.


    "¡­?!" Boo was taken aback. But it didn''t object and nodded. "Good."


    After he ''met'' Sia, he had a talk with Enigma and she eventually gave him her contact.


    He didn''t think it''d be useful.


    {I need to speak to you.


    Dreamer.}


    He thought he''d need a few hours to wait, but it was quickly answered.


    {I just attended your funeral. Are youing back from the dead?


    Three hours. I''m hunting some bugs. We''ll meet in Old ce.}


    The ghost ship took off and dashed towards the Secret Realm.


    ''Once I meet with Enigma, then I can meet up with Sarah¡­'' Varian sighed.


    After thinking things through, he realized Sarah wasn''t in any great danger.. It was actually Sia.

 Chapter 333 - Eh?

    Meanwhile, after Varian changed into fresh new clothes and looked like a young aristocrat, Boo threw a bombshell.


    "Your funeral waspleted a few hours ago."


    "..M-My funeral?" Varian''s lips twitched.


    "Yes. It''s organized by Richard. Kyle, Maya, and many others came." Boo''s voice paused. and Varian had bad premonitions.


    "Kyle tried to add new stuff to the epitaph. He imed that you''de back to life to destroy your own tomb. So he insisted on adding weird stuff."


    Varian really wanted to beat up the guy.


    "But thankfully, Richard didn''t listen. Or master, the whole world would know that you died a single."


    "¡­"


    "Ashtarh also came along with Maissa. Williamson. Philia. Dhruv and Mia too. But¡­"


    "But what?"


    "Sarah didn''te."


    Varian''s eyes narrowed.


    "Master, we can make an announcement posing as the dreamer. She would know." Boo suggested.


    Varian shook his head with a wry smile. "She''s probably deep in practice. Like Kyle and Maya fromst time, they didn''t even use theirm. She''d do the same.


    Speaking of them, are they¡­alright?"


    It was a stupid question.


    "No. But after talking to Anna for a bit, they no longer looked as pale."


    "Hm?" Varian raised a brow. "What did she say?"


    "She yed a recording of yours."


    A hologram yed out in front of Varian.


    In it, Varian was seated on a coach. He had a rather withdrawn aura and spoke with an embarrassed yet proud smile.


    "Actually, I frequently encounter near-death situations." That Varian scratched his cheek and said. "I kinda die almost every time. But somehow, Ie out alive. You could say I''m tougher to kill even than those cockroaches."


    Listening to the words of his past self, Varian coughed awkwardly. Even though they didn''t show it, perhaps Kyle and Maya too noticed he was special.


    Kyle and Maya were some of the people who knew when his awakening truly was. But they strictly guarded his secret.


    Perhaps they thought I could survive because of my secrets..they left with hope.


    But Sarah...she likely had no hope.


    Even though she knew he was Dreamer, he needed to ''react'' before the attack came.


    Moreover, she didn''t understand the full extent of the ghost ship''s capabilities.


    "Sigh¡­I''ll meet her soon, but now," Varian took a breath as the ghost ship quickly broke into a secret realm and reached a special residence.


    A in white home that seemed too normal for the residence of the leader of Shadow Guardians.


    Varian still had a few hours before Enigma arrived.


    He didn''t want to just wait. Not after what he went through.


    "Boo, those guys, are they well prepared?" He stood up and asked.


    "Yes. Their strength is now suppressed to low level 6." Boo reported.


    During shopping with Sarah, he caught three Shadow Order members.


    Now, it was time for them to be useful.


    Shuaa!


    Blue walls enclosed him, forming a training room and soon, three men walked towards him in uniform footsteps.


    Their faces were fierce, but their eyescked any sense of rity.


    "You did a good job, Boo." Varian praised.


    The space inside the ghost ship expanded and the ''training room'' grew in size.


    "Attack!"


    Following Boo''s words, the three men attacked him simultaneously.


    The space around Varian fluctuated, a huge lightning dragon shot at him.


    Following the two was the third man. He kicked the ground and pulled his arm back.


    In the next moment, he appeared in front of Varian and punched them.


    Boom!


    His punch broke the sonic limit and was about to hit Varian.


    But Varian had no fear on his face.


    All he had was excitement.


    Despite fighting for so two days, only his body path progressed.


    Besides, fighting magic beasts was considerably easier than fighting humans and Abyssals.


    And if things did go the way he nned, he''d have advanced to level 6s in at most two paths by the end of the session.


    "Come!" Varian tensed his calves, twisted his torso, and punched out.


    At the same time, the space around his stomach was on the verge of exploding¡ªit was barely stopped by his own space power.


    The lightning dragon was contested by his own smaller lightning dragon but assisted by Telekic power.


    Boom!


    The space near his stomach exploded and in the next moment, Varian felt like something had eaten him.


    Ka!


    He looked down and saw a gaping wound on his abdomen. A chunk of his flesh was missing.


    Rumble!


    The lightning dragon struck him at the same time as his fist connected with the body awakener''s.


    Boom!


    With his feet stuck to the ground, Varian was pushed back.


    "Attack!" He yelled without bothering to wipe the blood dripping from his mouth.


    He could feel it.


    Two bottlenecks¡­ were loosening.


    "Roar!"


    For the next two hours, lightning dragons and space sts filled the room as punches exceeding the sonic limit were thrown around too many times.


    This well-coordinated gang of three¡ªallowed to use low-level 6 power. But even then, they remained a force to reckon with.


    But using his hard power advantage, Varian went from being suppressed to suppressing them.


    With each attack, he instinctually judged how their space power and lightning mana were used.


    He tried to copy them and used them for his own.


    When they didn''t fit, he modified them, and slowly, he was getting a hang of it.


    With each such step, his bottleneck was being quickly thinned.


    In the end, Varian didn''t hold back and let them all use mid-level 6 strength.


    It was too much for the current him.


    After their strength rose by a significant Margin, Varian could no longer suppress them.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    And twenty minutes in, he once again crashed to the wall and coughed out blood.


    "Cough. Cough. One more." Varian covered himself with lightning and space armors.


    The next moment, he appeared in front of the trio and shed down.


    But they were already prepared.


    Boom!


    As he knelt on one knee, the sweet prompt finally came.


    [Advancing to level 6]


    [Advancing to level 6]


    His lightning mana and space power skyrocketed.


    The next moment, Varian''s body disappeared and he found himself in a vast, dark space.


    In front of him was a chaotic space covered by a silver curtain.


    "Gulp!"


    He knew what it was.


    It was the ''Layer''.


    If one could cross theyer, they could reach ''Inner Space''.


    But Varian didn''t have much time to think, he simply touched theyer a few mm beside and the next moment, he was almost teleported outside the spaceship.


    No shit! His teleportation distance improved greatly.


    Rumble!


    Lightning mana pulsed through his body and filled every inch of his being.


    This was called ''Empowerment''.


    The elemental mana would improve the physical stats of the user to high levels. But maintaining the form was extremely draining.


    "Argh!" Golden light covered Varian and he punched out.


    Boom!


    The punch broke the sonic limit and sted the wind.


    Varian felt the increased strength and grinned at the three training puppets.


    "Attack!"


    *** *** ***


    "Is this how people who died look like?" Enigma said lightly. In front of her was a hologram.


    "¡­" Varian looked at his changed outfit and was puzzled.


    Then it struck him!


    The injuries from earlier were as clear as day.


    Especially from thest battle. He must''ve really looked like a person on the verge of death.


    Shaking his head, Varian threw the distracting thoughts off his mind.


    From the ghost ship, he looked down at Enigma in the distance and said in a serious tone.


    "I am joining Shadow Guardians."


    "Eh?"

 Chapter 334 - A Mission

    "Looks like you really want to die." Enigma said in a dry tone.


    "¡­" Varian looked at her indifferent eyes with silence. For some reason, he felt her words had some truth to them.


    Was this the infamous ''courting death?''


    "I''m dead for the public, and the Sovereigns. And of course, for Kreo and Julius." Varian shrugged at Enigma''s hologram.


    Her mask only showed her eyes¡­dazzling eyes that shone with three colors. Those eyes were fixated on him as they awaited his response.


    "I intend to stay dead. Or they''d probably send level 8s after me."


    "Fair enough. But¡­" Enigma snapped her fingers and a tri-color throne appeared behind her.


    She sat on it gracefully and crossed her legs. Resting her chin on her hand ced on the arm rest, she asked. "Why should I take you in?"


    The air quietened down.


    ''Master! The aura! The aura is fluctuating wildly!'' Boo screamed. Following Enigma''s words, the aura skyrocketed. Boo almost drove away the ghost ship.


    At the moment, the ghost ship was a few miles above Enigma''s residence, yet Boo was scared shitless.


    But it had all the reasons in the world.


    If a high awakener were to observe, they''d realize that all the aura in the surroundings was gathering towards one ce high in the sky.


    It was gathering towards the ghost ship which was supposed to be invisible and undetectable!


    "You almost got my position right." Varian''s expression didn''t change much.


    Enigma had a reputation for her strangeness.


    Abyss Will couldn''t detect her.


    Not even Sovereigns could capture her.


    Her strength used to be level 7s, but it quickly reached level 8. Not just that, it was actually at the peak of level 8 now!


    Varian didn''t know much about Hybrids, but he felt that no hybrid could replicate Enigma''s feats.


    "Why should you take me in, huh?" Varian repeated her words and looked at Enigma on her throne. She stared at him with cold eyes.


    Varian snapped his fingers and a throne appeared behind him. Its grandeur was only greater than Enigma''s.


    Varian sat on his throne and assumed the same posture as Enigma¡ªcrossing his legs and propping his head with his hand.


    "Because I can help you aplish your goals much faster." He said in a tone of absolute confidence.


    "Don''t you want to end the Shadow Order? Don''t you want to find out the traitors who are working for Abyssals? Don''t you want to nip them in the bud before they be a menace..forget it, they''re already a menace."


    "So tell me, Enigma. What is the price you are willing to pay to recruit me?" Varian asked with a smile.


    "¡­." Enigma looked at him with indifferent eyes. Varian stared back nonchntly.


    "Good." Enigma nodded. She didn''t attack him nor did she get angry.


    ''Master, the aura has dispersed. She¡­she was just trying to test you.''


    ''No shit.'' Varian''s expression didn''t change.


    He actually controlled the ghost ship and lowered its altitude.


    ''Master! Waa! What are you doing? We''re in a level 8 range now. She''ll find out¡­wait, never mind.''


    Boo shut up after realizing Enigma already knew their position.


    Enigma felt a distinct presence in her perception and raised her brow. Her tri-color eyes glowed for a moment before she leaned back in her throne.


    "Brave."


    Varian simply smiled. She wouldn''t attack him anyway. And even if she did, Boo had no problem getting out. Though repeatedly bearing such attacks could break down the ship¡­


    "If you can do what you really said, I am willing to pay a reasonable price to recruit you." Enigma said unhurriedly. "What do you want?"


    "Sia." Varian said without thinking.


    "Rejected." Enigma also answered without thinking.


    Even though he knew it''d be the case, Varian was still slightly disappointed. Shaking his head, he went for the next best option.


    "Sia''s protection."


    "Excuse me?" Enigma stood up and walked up to Varian''s hologram.


    Her eyes glowed with a dangerous light.


    Varian didn''t care about her reaction. "I got attacked by Kreo and Julius. What if they attack her next?


    Those fuckers used level 7s on me when they thought I was only a level 5. I wouldn''t be surprised if they arranged an ambush with level 9s."


    Enigma''s brows knit together and her voice grew colder. "She lived without you for a year and she was safe."


    Varian clenched his fists and asked angrily. "You want me to pin hope on the past records?"


    "¡­You aren''t pinning any hopes." Enigma sneered. "You simply don''t trust me. You don''t think I''ll protect Sia when the timees."


    "Yes. Now, we''re working together, but I don''t know you. If pushes to shov¡ª"


    "I will protect Sia with my life." Enigma cut him off and said in an absolute tone. "You don''t understand my bond with her, but we''re closer than sisters."


    Varian was taken aback by her words and the sincerity in them.


    What the fuck happened? Did Enigma and Sia already know each other before the Roxanna incident?


    No, even then, it''d only be a year old rtionship.


    Closer than sisters¡ªthat''s a big im.


    Just how much time and effort would go into nurturing such a bond?


    But looking at Enigma who now clenched her fists and stared at him like she''d attack him any second, Varian decided to believe her. For now.


    "Fine. I will believe what you said Enigma, but if something happens to her¡­" Varian''s body glowed with impable white and ck lights. "It''s all on you."


    "And if she stays safe, it''s all on me?" Enigma suddenly asked, catching him off guard.


    "Yes?" Varian nodded with a strange expression. Where was this conversation going?


    "I''ll keep that in mind." Enigma waved her hand and her throne disappeared. With a snap, a token shot towards the ghost ship.


    Boo caught it and after a deep scan, presented the token to Varian.


    It was a ck token in the shape of arge shield. Varian injected his aura into it and it hummed lightly.


    In no time, Varian felt a connection between them.


    "Sia is busy, but she''s safe." Enigma said. "She''s mad at the Xanders and wanted to go on a killing spree."


    Her cold voice seemed tired for the first time as Enigma sighed. "Finally, I can convince her to not do that."


    ''¡­looks like their rtionship is better than I thought.''


    "Anyway," Enigma looked at him and her eyes narrowed. "Since you joined, you have several choices.


    First, you can train here. Though I doubt the resources we have can help you much.


    Second, you can learn managing the organization."


    Varian rolled his eyes at the option.


    "There should be one with missions, right? Gimme a mission." He urged.


    Enigma seemed to smile behind her mask. With a flick of her wrist, another object shot up to the ghost ship.


    This time, Varian was holding a face mask.


    "An 8-star treasure. It can hide your identity and even morph your aura. Unless you''re specially checked by level 9s, it''ll be fine." She exined.


    "¡­.isn''t this too precious?" Varian asked in confusion.


    "Of course it is." Enigma rolled her eyes. Her voice was now frustrated. "Like you¡­Sia also wants, no, demands your safety.


    She didn''t worry much as you''re in the academy. But now¡­anyway, I am giving it to you because of Sia."


    Enigma took a moment topose herself. She didn''t speak this much in a whole day, but here she was, doing that in a few minutes.


    Looking at Varian, she exhaled.


    "Don''t die. I don''t think I can handle it."


    "Huh?"


    "The mess thates with your death. Sia will go crazy. I can''t handle it."


    "Haha." Varianughed. Sia still cared about him and he just wanted to see her right away. Though it''s impossible, knowing her thoughts made him happy.


    Somehow, hisughter annoyed Enigma who was alwaysposed. She tapped herm and picked a file.


    "Here. A kidnapping case from one of the space cities of Uranus Cluster Region."


    Enigma''s aura pushed out the ghost ship.


    "Get out now."


    Varian was out of the secret realm shortly.


    "What a short-tempered woman, tsk. Sia will never do that...hm, maybe Sarah will beat me, argh, forget it."


    Shaking his head, he checked the mission details.


    {Location: Valos Space City, Uranus Cluster Region.


    Mission: The kidnapping cases have been on a skyrocketing rise. Enormous amounts of wealth is changing hands everyday.


    identally, our intel found out the news of a kidnapping n.


    > Prevent the kidnapping or rescue the target.


    Preferred strength: Low level 6 to high level 6.}


    Varian chuckled.


    Just this?


    How hard can it be?


    What can even go wrong?


    ¡­Right?


    *** ***


    .


    Correction: This was meant when this chapter was thetest a couple of days ago. It was not meant for today. Apologizes!


    (Former message: next chapter will be released in around an hour. )

 Chapter 335 - Sarah

    It was a normal day for Sarah Albert.


    She took a minimal rest for the injuries she sustained in the Sr Trial. The potions worked their wonders, but some natural rest was advised to not leave behind any hidden injuries.


    Sarah took it very seriously. She wanted a future where she could break the limits of Dual Awakeners and hit the Sovereign state.


    Then¡­


    Sarah looked at the rather messy room with aplicated expression. He really made himself home.


    There were various articles belonging to the Sovereigns. Hologram posters about the Abyss Invasion and so on.


    It was messy, but it was his.


    ¡­It was Varian''s room.


    In the world which lost all colors dimmed, glimpses of their memories were like the sparkles of colors.


    "Haa!" Sarah felt a suffocating weight on her chest. It wasn''t new though. Since that day, she found everything difficult.


    Everything was too heavy. Too hard. Tooborious.


    It was as if she was carrying the weight of their two lives on her shoulders.


    Sarah was about to return to the practice room right after her rest. It was what she did for the past few days.


    "Sarah."


    Her body stiffened and she rushed towards the source of the voice.


    She broke into living room and looked around with red eyes. It was as if she was trying to breathe in water.


    She searched the empty house in an attempt to find the source of that voice.


    The sleek white floors, the bright walls filled with expensive yet elegant holo-pictures, and the empty hallways.


    With each passing second, her hope shrunk and desperation grew.


    "No¡­no¡­" Sarah muttered, tears welling up in her eyes.


    "Sarah."


    His familiar voice called again, and even though she knew it was likely her hallucination, Sarah ran towards the sound source.


    Her garden¡ªfilled with vibrant flowers and precious nts. It exuded a sweet smell that would''ve usually calmed the mind.


    Sarah would breathe in the fresh air and enjoy it every time. Not now.


    To her, this garden¡­it was just empty.


    It evoked a distant memory of him.


    When they went on a mission to Virgin Dungeon, everyone was panicking about going to the main hide out.


    Olivia, Ivy, Lucas and Crimson¡­the members of Siarah team had thoughts of backing off.


    It was a tense moment. They were about to risk their lives.


    And Varian¡­


    Varian was plucking flower petals.


    It was the first time he made an impression on her.


    Hisposure, his level-headedness, she appreciated them. At that time, she thought he might achieve something in his life.


    He already did.


    He did things most people could never even dream of doing.


    "Dream¡­." Sarah''s eyes suddenly narrowed. "Dreamer?" Her eyes glowed for a moment before they dimmed again.


    "If he did survive, he would''ve contacted me¡­" Sarah said with a wry smile.


    "Sarah¡­you need to stop hoping. It''s over. Try to live your best for him. Make him proud." She said to herself and walked back into the house.


    Anna was called for an emergency mission despite her objections and she rejected every other ''maid'' sent by her father.


    She just wanted to be alone.


    "Anna¡­Varian¡­" Sarah paused on her way to practice room and looked at the dining room.


    The memories of their first home meal surfaced in her mind.


    "He really loved her cooking¡­I wanted to do something for him."


    Sarah''s body stiffened and she walked into the kitchen. She took out a few ingredients from the storage and chopped away the ingredients with precision.


    "I wanted to do something for you¡­" She said softly recalling how she practiced cooking and blew it up most of the time.


    She couldn''t handle the awakened magic beasts, so the best she could do was unawakened, level 0 monsters.


    But even then,


    Saaa!


    Sarah added the spices to the meat, put on the lid and bit her lip. "My cooking is still horrible, but I wished¡­"


    She choked in the middle, as if there was a lump in her throat.


    "Do you remember, Varian? You cried on the first day? I still remember the pain I felt¡­watching you break into tears tore me apart.


    I¡­I didn''t know how I hurt you or if it was really me who hurt you. It was the only time I saw you crying.


    Whenever I see others seeing your strength, the moments you shone¡­I recall that day you cried.


    They don''t know how much pain you''re hiding in your heart. They don''t know your fights. They don''t know Varian who was oppressed. They didn''t know Varian who struggled right from the first day.


    They only see your glory.


    And I¡­I just want to share your pain." Sarah said under her breath.


    "And if possible, make you happy, even if it''s just a bit." She forcibly tired to smile and failed.


    "¡­since you like Anna''s cooking, and it makes you smile everytime, I thought ''I want to make you smile too''." Sarah manipted the aura in the cooking bowl and tried to distribute it along with the concentration of the spices.


    "I thought I could make you smile too. So, I tried to learn. I tried. I really tried." Sarah lowered her head and clenched her fists. Her nails dug into her palms, but she felt nothing.


    Breathing shortly, she added the final batch of seasoning and said. "I¡­I thought I had time to learn it slowly.


    I wanted to surprise you on your birthday¡­as my gift."


    Sarah closed her eyes in pain. "I don''t who am I cooking for anymore. Maybe it''s in your memory¡­"


    Pap!


    The cooking bowl burst into two and Sarah stopped.


    She looked at the burnt ingredients and muttered. "I failed again¡­I guess that''s it¡­I''m just not good enough. It''s my fault."


    Sarah ordered the bot to clean up and looked at the kitchen for onest time.


    "I''ll just practice."


    "Sarah" His voice called out from behind.


    "Not again¡­I can''t take the disappointment." Sarah shook her head and sighed. She didn''t dare to turn around. If she did and found nothing...the pain would be too much to bear.


    "Sarah." No. He never called her in this tone. It must be an illusion again! But why...? Why am I crying...?


    "E..Even if you call me like that, I..I-I''m not f-falling for it." Her voice betrayed her words as tears wetted the side of her cheeks.


    "Sarah." He called out again. This time, his voice was lonely...just like how she was feeling.


    "P-please.." Sarah''s tears rolled down as she turned around. "I don''t want anymore pain...haa!"


    Sarah forgot to speak and even breath as she found herself in his embrace.


    "Sarah¡­"

 Chapter 336 - Dreams

    Everyone dreamed at some point. And some dreams, unlike most were realistic to the point they were hard to distinguish from reality.


    Like all dreams, we woke up from them.


    But there were some dreams¡­dreams that tugged at your heart strings that made you wish you never woke up.


    Sarah was in the same situation.


    When she suddenly found herself in a hug, she naturally struggled. She couldn''t see who the person was and after hugging her, he stopped talking.


    As she was about to use her ice mana, she halted.


    ¡­this smell. This warmth. This feeling.


    Sarah closed her eyes and hugged him tightly, as if she didn''t want to lose him again. Her heart raced, and she felt a burst of emotions well in her heart.


    Even though she knew she was dreaming¡­she held him tighter. She could feel his breath on her hair, his hands on her waist and she could hear his heartbeat.


    Everything was so real.


    Before she knew it, her tears were wetting his shirt.


    "Aye~ Aye~" He patted her back like he was consoling a kid. His voice was gentle and soothing.


    "Y-You! B-Bastard!" Sarah bit him lightly and said in annoyance.


    You died! Do you know how sad I was?


    And you came to my dreams repeatedly! I even had illusions because of you!


    And in this dream-like illusion, you are treating her like a kid! I won''t fall for this trick!


    Or so she thought, but as he kept stroking her back and whispered. "It''s alright. It''s alright¡­"


    Sarah found herself unable to curse him as she broke down into even more tears.


    With her tears, the weight on her heart fell. The grief was reced by a sense of peace.


    Now, she just wanted to focus on her goals and by giving her best, she wanted to make him proud.


    Even if she woke up from this dream, she won''t be as depressed.


    "I didn''t think you were a crybaby. My shirt ispletely wet." His breath tickled her ears and Sarah lightly shivered.


    She was feeling something different¡­something warm.


    But¡ª


    "Crybaby?" Sarah''s eyes were still closed and she was still leaning on his chest, but her grip increased as she asked in a menacing voice.


    "Who are you calling a crybaby?"


    "Hahaha." Heughed out loud and even though she knew this was a dream, Sarah couldn''t help but smile.


    I want to stay like this forever¡­but he wouldn''t want to me do that, would he?


    Varian would want me to pursue my goal¡­he was the one who said not to believe that Dual Awakeners can''t be Sovereigns.


    When I meet him in the afterlife one day¡­I should be able to tell him proudly. ''I lived my best. I gave it my all. You can be proud of me. And thank you, it''s because of you that I was able to do it.''


    So, Sarah gently freed herself from his hug.


    "Thank you for this¡­dream, but now I need to do what I must do." Sarah wiped her tears and said with a strong smile.


    She was still looking at his chest, she was afraid to raise her head and see that familiar face again, but¡ª


    Just once.


    Sarah raised her head and saw Varian looking at her in confusion. "Dream? What dream?"


    "Huh?" Sarah opened her mouth in shock. "You''re not my illusion?"


    Varian pinched her cheeks. "Feel your cheeks?"


    "Ywesh." Sarah answered.


    "Am I still an illusion now?" He asked with a teasing smile.


    "I-I¡­" Sarah''s eyes widened and she couldn''t utter a word.


    Wait, wait¡­did she do all that with the real Varian?


    Argh! I want to hide somewhere.


    "Tsk. You look cute when you blush." Varian lightly tapped her nose and said.


    "Argh!" Sarah swatted his hand away and ran into her room, closing it shut.


    Bang!


    "¡­?!" Varian stood dumbfounded.


    "Wait, this isn''t how it is supposed to be." He said to no one in particr.


    He knocked on the door and said. "Sarah? Are you mad? Ok, I''m sorry I couldn''t contact you."


    ''Master, you said you were master at understanding women''s emotions.'' Boo gloated at his plight.


    ''Shut up! T-This is normal! She must be shocked or something.'' Varian desperately defended his image.


    It was his ck history, but for better or worse, Sia did drag him to watch some dramas with her.


    Varian hated them all of course. But he ''learned'' things¡ªor at least he thought he did on how to deal with women.


    Sia didn''t correct him for some reason and he thus thought himself to be a ''Master at reading women''.


    "Logically, I should wait outside the door for an hour or something. Then she''ll open the door and I''ll have to apologize for another hour¡­then there will be some misunderstanding which will prolong the drama for another month." Varian muttered.


    But breaking his expectations, the door opened and Sarah came out.


    She changed into a white shirt and blue shorts. Hm¡­except for her puffed up red eyes, she looked nothing like the crying mess she was a few minutes ago.


    "You were looking fin¡ª" Before he could finish, Varian was pulled into a hug.


    This time, Sarah didn''t cry. She just held him tightly.


    "Haa~" Varian sighed and just patted her lightly.


    "Varian."


    "Un."


    "I have something to tell you."


    "Hm."


    "Something very important."


    "Okay."


    "¡­why don''t you guess it?"


    "Um¡­"


    ording to the dramas I watched, I mean, Sia made me watch, when the heroine is not depressed, something to make her depressed must happen.


    "You are getting married?"


    "NO!"


    "Master found you a fiancee?"


    "NO!"


    "Ah! I get it! You must stay away from me for a year for reasons you cannot reveal to me. And I can''t even meet you once during the year or contact you." Varian smirked at Sarah who widened her eyes.


    See, I got you.


    Sarah looked at his smirk with an incredulous expression and sighed in pity. "Don''t watch too many dramas."


    "Dramas? What are they?" Varian feigned ignorance.


    Sarah rolled her eyes and asked. "Do you know why I''m hugging you?"


    "Because you missed me."


    "And?"


    "You thought I was dead. But I''m not. So you''re happy."


    "AnD?"


    "You''re worried all of this might be a dream and I would just disappear."


    "AND?" Sarah was losing patience already.


    "And what? I listed all reasons already." Varian said in confusion.


    "Why are you so clever in many things, but so dumb, no, so dense in others?" Sarah sighed with a defeated expression.


    "Dumb? Me? Who are you kidding?" Varian snorted.


    "¡­Never mind." Sarah shook her head and then her blue eyes locked with his. They shone brightly as she asked word by word.


    "Give me a good reason you didn''t contact me or forget about leaving this ce."


    "Gulp." Varian gulped.


    He exined what happenedpletely, and naturally brought up Sia. The dumb mistake Eric made caused an assassination.


    Varian expected Sarah to be surprised about Sia and question him about her identity.


    But she covered her mouth and sat in silence as nkly stared into the distance.


    Varian''s thoughts spun fast and he held her hand anxiously. "Do you know Sia?"

 Chapter 337 - I...

    Sarah bit her lip and nodded. But before answering, she patted the couch, motioning him to be seated.


    Varian smiled and sat beside her. But he couldn''t smile anymore as she practically leaned into his arms and hugged him.


    "Uh..Sarah?" He wasn''t feeling ufortable. Not at all. But this was¡­strange. He didn''t know what to do.


    "Shhh." Sarah made herselffortable and mumbled in a fearful voice. "Just¡­just never do that again."


    "I told Anna long ago. If you can''t see my body, don''t think I''m dead." Varian sighed and adjusted his position to that Sarah could be morefortable.


    "¡­." Sarah''s expression darkened.


    "She didn''t tell you?" Varian asked with a frown.


    "No." Sarah shook her head.


    "¡­She didn''t want to give you hope." Varian realized the maid''s intention.


    Sarah also understood as she replied with mixed feelings. "¡­if I was given that hope, and it broke, then I wouldn''t be able to bear it. I¡­I would be¡ª"


    "Devastated." Varian cut her off.


    "¡­." Sarah raised her head and saw he was looking at her intensely. She was flustered for a moment. "W-What?"


    "If something really happens to me, I don''t want you to be depressed. I don''t believe in reincarnation. Do the best you can in this one chance we got to live."


    "¡­what if I died?" Sarah asked.


    Varian''s body shook lightly and before he knew it, he was holding her tightly. "I''ll kill whoever is responsible and I''ll be depressed."


    Sarah smiled at his response and then chuckled. "Isn''t that hypocritical from you?"


    "¡­" Varian didn''t have an answer.


    Losing his mom was a big blow for him. But it was losing Sia''s memories that impacted him irreconcbly.


    The loss was like a scar in his psyche. He might recover his memories, but its traces would remain forever.


    So, Varian couldn''t tolerate losing people close to him. If the person was someone really close like Sarah or Sia, it would drive him insane.


    Seeing his condition, Sarah decided to switch the topic. "Sia joined the academyst year. She was a peak level 2."


    "I was also peak level 2, but in both paths. I don''t know why, but we hit it off." Sarah had a look of nostalgia.


    Varian, on the other hand listened to every word carefully.


    "Sia''s speed of progress is the fastest I''ve seen, second only to you. She didn''t take any treasures, but she quickly reached peak level 3 in a few weeks.


    It shocked many teachers and she was approached by many. All the factions wanted to recruit.


    But Sia¡­she liked to spend her time alone. She often fell intoplete silences and other times¡­she broke into tears." Sarah''s voice was low as she recalled the pain she saw on Sia''s face.


    "Every time I asked her why, she would just smile and say ''Everything is fine''. I couldn''t help her and it frustrated me.


    ¡­She was a bit like my brother, Sam. She is hardworking, she followed the rules, she always helped others.


    At some point, we were best friends." Sarah hugged Varian tightly and whispered.


    "We made our adventure team ''Siarah''. It was fine until one day, I was severely injured by Shadow Order members.


    Sia advanced to level 4 in the middle of the fight and¡­she fed me her blood or her blood essence¡­?" Sarah didn''t know exactly and paused.


    Varian patted her lightly and she continued. "After that, I was quickly healed and my¡­talent also improved."


    Sarah confided her biggest secret without hesitation.


    "I see." Varian''s voice turned grave. "Then she disappeared soon?"


    "Y-Yes. I asked around and they said she went on a mission. I picked a mission and went out. When I returned to campus, no one knew about Sia.


    They¡­They all acted like¡­" Sarah''s face paled as she recalled the scene.


    "They all acted like she never existed." Varian gritted his teeth and his eyes turned red.


    He understood the ins and outs now.


    Someone saw Sia''s actions on Sarah. Perhaps they were only curious about her blood helping Sarah heal or perhaps they concluded she was somewhat special and conducted a test on her blood before deciding.


    Whatever the case, this activity was the trigger.


    It was the reason for all the pain Sia went through.


    Shadow Order¡­Those fucking sons of bitches!


    Varian wanted to ughter each and everyone of them. Not just ughter, but torture. They deserve to die a million times!


    "Father thought I was¡­ill and wanted to erase my memories of her. I didn''t agree. So, he asked me to promise to never reveal it to anyone." Sarah said and waited for his response.


    "¡­.."


    "Varian?" Sarah was shocked at his expression.


    He was exuding a thick killing intent with a bloodthirsty smile¡­it was as if he was about to go on a ughter.


    "Ah." Varian snapped out of his rage and shook his head.


    Looking at Sarah''s blue eyes, he sighed lightly and began exining ''Sia''.


    Sarah listened to their story and her eyes went through a series of conflicting emotions.


    "Sia¡­I see. So, all your search, all your actions, everything you did was for her?" Her jealousy was as evident as sunlight.


    "Of course." Varian nodded with a serious face. "She''s the only family I have. I must find her, solve her problems, avenge her."


    "You should definitely do that." Sarah agreed, but then continued with a resentful look. "Families¡­they can get bigger you know."


    "Huh? What do you mean?"


    "D-Don''t you n to marry or something?"


    "Me? Hahaha!" Varianughed like it was a joke. "If I marry, I''d cause too many heart breaks. I don''t want to¡ª"


    He was about to continue bragging but Sarah''s icy blue eyes shut him up.


    "Um¡­marry who? With the way my life is going, I might as well marrydy death. After all, I was at her door too many times."


    "¡­."


    "Ah..eh, alright. Bad joke." Varian coughed. He forgot death was a sensitive topic for Sarah. Not everyone was like him¡ªdriven to near death every other day.


    Seeing that he didn''t know what to speak more, Sarah sighed. Was he dumb or ying dumb?


    She didn''t know.


    But after experiencing losing him once, she didn''t want to stay silent¡­even if it embarrassed her.


    "Varian." She cupped his cheeks and looked into his eyes.


    "Hm?"


    "I like you."

 Chapter 338 - Sarah, I Think...

    "I like you."


    "Ah¡­cough cough." Varian coughed and nearly choked on his own saliva. He thought he was hearing things. But as a level 6 Enhanced Awakener, he wouldn''t buy his own excuse.


    His brain refused to focus on her words and his body just wanted to slip out. Varian decided to p himself. He should''ve made an announcement as a dreamer or thrown a hologram into her home to her he''s safe.


    No. Like an idiot, he decided to visit her person.


    ''I totally deserve this.'' Painfully aware of her intense stare, Varian felt his heart race.


    "I like you." Sarah said again, her face blushing like a ripe tomato. But she cupped his cheeks and looked into his eyes.


    Varian could feel her hands shake fiercely. She was trying to control her nervousness with her Awakener powers, but still couldn''t stop trembling.


    Just how nervous was she?


    Varian didn''t know whether tough or cry. But looking at her sky blue eyes, he found himself out of words and thoughts.


    "I like you." Sarah seemed to use up all her energy and this time, it finally hit him.


    Varian felt his heart thump as it nearly leapt out of his chest. His palms were sweating before he knew it and the next moment, he was staring at her wide eyes.


    He wanted to rify things. She must be thinking of friendship as something else.? "S-Sarah, you don''t know what¡ª"


    "I know what I''m talking about." Sarah said with a determined expression. "And Varian, I said it three times already. I''m expecting a response."


    "W-What?" Varian''s mind was in confusion. But his heart¡­it already knew what it wanted.


    Even though Varian tried to deny it, the feelings welling inside him made it impossible.


    Varian was forced to confront his true feelings.


    "Just like you said to my father, don''t be a Tsundere." Looking at his expression lost in thought, Sarah added, causing Varian to groan in frustration.


    ''Alright, when I was going angry in the dungeons, what was I really thinking?''


    Now that he thought about it seriously, not withholding other factors, this was one of the reasons¡ªHe was worried how devastated Sarah would be.


    And he wanted to pleasantly surprise her by meeting her in-person.


    "I¡­I¡­." Varian frowned in confusion and looked at Sarah. How the fuck was he supposed to know anyway?


    Where was the line between friendship and love?


    Someone tell me already!


    Sarah inched closer to him and leaned her head on his chest, listening to his? heartbeat.


    "I-I am thinking¡­" Varian said.


    "Don''t think!" Sarah closed her eyes and smiled. "Feel it. Are you feeling anything?"


    She slowly wrapped her arms around him. Her face was blushing, from ears to neck, but she had a serene smile.


    She was like a bird that finally returned to her nest and found the warmth she longed for everyday.


    "!" Varian felt her soft bosom pressing against his chest and stiffened. In moments like this, he was reminded of a fact that he normally ignored. Sarah''s beauty was one of its kind.


    She exuded a scent of flowers that calmed his mind, and her charming curves gave her a natural young charm.


    Naturally, when she leaned onto him, a good portion of her body was in contact with his.


    And painfully self-conscious, Varian discovered something awkward.


    He looked down and wanted to curse!


    Damn it, hormones!


    We were having a moment here and I was really trying to think or feel.


    "When I hold you like this, I feel peaceful¡­I know if I ever face a problem, you''ll stand for me. But don''t worry, I n to fight my battles myself. Your presence is more than enough.


    I am happy¡­I don''t know youpletely, but from what I know of you, Ipletely like you.


    Your are impulsive sometimes, daring a few times, but every time¡­you''re reliable.


    I don''t know what you went through¡­I really want to know. But I won''t ask. Just know, I''ll be always be there for you.


    I might not know the solutions to your problems. Looking at how fast you''ve grown, I realize that you might not need my help at all.


    But¡­if you ever face a hardship, a heartbreak, just know, you aren''t alone. There is a girl willing to suffer with you, smile with you and most of all, be with you." Sarah muttered softly.


    Varian looked down and saw Sarah. There was a sweet smile on her face as she spoke each and every word that tugged at his heart strings.


    His heart skipped a beat and thumped against his chest¡­as if it wanted to go to the girl.


    Varian pulled her closer and sat her on hisp. They were now in a much more intimate position, but Varian didn''t have any other thoughts.


    He simply lowered his head and their foreheads touched each other.


    Sarah was taken aback by his actions her eyebrows quivered. She was nervous, yet she didn''t move. Even though she felt like her heart might burst out at any moment, she patiently waited.


    She was scared and hopeful at the same time. But most of all, she was happy that she was brave enough. She did what she never thought she could.


    Varian recalled the time he spent with her. They started off as a normal senior captain-junior member.


    Along the mission, he slowly started knowing about her. The third in Amethyst List. Goddess Sarah.


    Her concern for her teammates.


    Her courage to take risks.


    Her morals in repaying Seth''s favor.


    Her care in looking after a weak level 2 and not despising him like others her level would.


    He was impressed by her from the beginning. She was just being herself.


    Returning from the vanish dungeon, he never expected she would be the one to find him before everyone else.


    He could still remember the way she cried like it was yesterday.


    Then he saw the other sides of her. Her childishness with Anna, her vulnerability against her past, her inferiorityplex against her dual awakening, her fear of disappointing her father¡­


    He saw it all.


    Her strengths and weaknesses. Her good and bad.


    He saw it all.


    And now he knew why his heart beat so fast when he thought of her.


    "Sarah, I think I''m in love with you."


    *** *** ***


    (A/N): Two chapters uing in few minutes.

 Chapter 339 - What About Me?

    "Sarah, I think I''m in love with you."


    Sarah felt butterflies in her stomach and the next thing she knew, she was hugging him tightly.


    Her face rested on his shoulder and she wrapped him like a k.


    Varian sighed in bliss.


    "Not just think. From your heartbeat, you surely are." Sarah chuckled, her beautifulughter ringing like nature''s melody.


    Varian looked at her smile and smiled back.


    They held each other in silence for a long time. There were no talks. No movements. It was in moments like this Varian was reminded what he really wants and what was missing in his life.


    A warm and loving family. And peace to keep a smile on their face.


    He couldn''t do it in the past, but now he had the capability.


    ''For my family¡­For me, for these two girls, I must¡­''


    "Argh! I will go and wash my face." Sarah suddenly got up and rushed back into her room.


    Varian was dumbfounded but before he could even say a word, she closed the door shut.


    "Haa!"


    "I¡­I did it." Sarah ced her hand on her chest and smiled.


    Then she covered her cheeks and blushed furiously. "D-Did I just say all that? W-What was I thinking?"


    Sarah drilled into her quilt and hid herself in the bed. "After doing all that, how I can see him?"


    "Argh¡­" Sarah rolled on the bed as she hugged the quilt.


    Her mind was hyperactive and she was thinking a million things. Most of them didn''t make sense.


    Thankfully, Varian didn''t see her in this state or he might''ve wondered if she had problems.


    Finally, Sarah paused and sighed deeply.


    Her embarrassment wore off and after washing up, she went back into the living room.


    "Huh? Did he leave already?" Sarah looked around but found no signs of the guy who just admitted his love.


    "Ah! Brain, be back to normal already." Sarah patted her head and focused her body senses.


    The next moment, she appeared in the dining hall.


    Besides the usualrge table, there was now a small round table with seating for two.


    There were a couple of ordinary, but aromatic dishes on the table. Even from afar, Sarah could sniff the smell.


    "What''s this?" Sarah asked as she seated herself across Varian.


    "You were trying cooking, didn''t you?" Varian ced his chin on his hand and smirked.


    "I¡­I failed. I totally suck at it." Sarah lowered her head and admitted in shame. In her defense, she didn''t have much time to practice as she usually spent time on training.


    And she wasn''t Anna. The all-powerful maid.


    "Hahaha. Don''t worry about it." Varianughed and served her the dishes.


    Sarah didn''t need to think to know¡ªhe made them.


    Sarah didn''t have a high expectation, but her opinion changed after the first bite.


    It was a normal dish¡ªthere was no aura in it. Not even a level 1 beast''s aura¡­yet, it was darn tasty.


    Anna''s cooking raised Sarah''s standards. So while his cooking wasn''t objectively better, Sarah found it to her liking.


    The taste, the aroma¡­there was something magical in them she couldn''t point out.


    Their smalls talks continued during the meal as Varian informed Sarah about his ns.


    Sarah wiped her mouth with a napkin and looked at Varian with curious eyes. "I liked it. Thank you."


    "Hahaha. You don''t need to try with level one meat. Even normal ingredients can be used to make great foods." Varian waved his hand. "Besides, it''s a waste of time to learn something so hard."


    "B-But didn''t you like Anna''s dishes? I wanted to do the same for you."


    "Not because they''re high-level ingredients. I just like the taste." Varian shrugged and admitted.


    "T-Then m-me¡­" Sarah facepalmed.


    "I like you the way you are. No need to go out of your way. Besides, if you still like it, I will teach you some normal dishes once I''m free." Varian waved his hand and said casually.


    Sarah felt a strange sense of relief upon hearing his words. She was trying so hard, trying to be like Anna.


    But now she realized she didn''t need to be Anna to have him smile. She would do it in her own way.


    Sarah smiled brightly and looked at his handsome face. "I didn''t know you could cook."


    "I couldn''t. But Sia used to force me to cook as revenge sometimes¡­" Varianughter trailed off and abruptly stopped.


    The atmosphere suddenly cooled down. Even if it was a monkey, it''d know that something was off. Much less Varian. He already noticed the change.


    Varian looked at Sarah''s cold expression and his thoughts raced.


    I didn''t say anything wrong, so what happened to her?


    Sia¡­Sia¡­they are best friends, so is Sarah getting worried about her?


    Well, Sarah was indeed worried about Sia''s safety. How could she not? But after Varian told her previously that she was in Shadow Guardians, and was protected by Enigma, she heaved a sigh of relief.


    If Sia was captured, Sarah would''ve done everything at her disposal to protect her.


    But after knowing that Sia was voluntarily workin in the Shadow Guardians, along with relief, Sarah also felt a faint resentment.


    I was worried about you for so long, but you didn''t even contact me. Is that how much our friendship worth?


    As if that wasn''t enough, Varian brought up Sia.


    Somehow, Sarah felt a sense of frustration and anger.


    The topic took a dangerous turn.


    "So¡­Mr. Dreamer, you are joining the Shadow Guardians to find Sia?" Sarah asked with a natural expression.


    "Uh-oh." Varian nodded. He exined his ns already as he didn''t wish for her to be worried.


    "Then what about me?" Sarah pointed to herself as she gritted her teeth.


    "What about you?" Varian raised a brow. "You''ll need to attend the academy. You want to graduate and enlist in the army, don''t you?"


    Sarah clenched her fists and looked at him before she let out a sigh like a deted balloon.


    Was Varian dense or was he pretending to be dense?


    Sarah''s eyes narrowed and she decided to check his feelings on Sia.

 Chapter 340 - Your Feelings

    "You and Sia not blood rted." She pointed out.


    "We are not."


    "You don''t think of her as a sister." Sarah narrowed her eyes and said.


    "Well, No. I think of Maya as my little sister. I want to kick Kyle sometimes for making her sad. But Sia¡­She''s like¡­I don''t know, our bond is unique." Varian said slowly and in the back of his mind, he realized where this was going.


    "Even though your memories of her are still iplete, you are willing to risk your life for her." Sarah crossed her arms and looked at him with a pensive look.


    "Yes."


    "Would you like to spend your entire life with her?" At this point, Sarah was biting her lip as she red at Varian resentfully.


    "¡­Yes. She went through a lot because of me. I want to keep her happy." Varian could hear the jealousy in Sarah''s voice, but he answered her question truthfully.


    After what Sia went through, his heart ached for her suffering. Even though he failed in his first promise ''Protect You'', he wanted to uphold it for the rest of his life.


    "What about me?" Sarah looked at him with red eyes, her voice trembling.


    "Of course, I want to see you happy." Varian was honest again.


    Bang!


    Honesty caused him to be sted away and being crashed onto the wall.


    Of course, Sarah didn''t put in any strength, but¡­


    "Why are you punching me?" Varian asked with a confused expression.


    "You just confessed that you like her." Sarah stood up and yelled.


    "Wait, what? Don''t put words into my mouth. How is that liking her?" Varian was dumbfounded.


    "Y-You¡­are just dense as a ck hole." Sarah didn''t know whether tough or cry.


    "¡­My memory is iplete. How the hell would I know?" Varian felt like he was a victim.


    Truth be told, his past''s emotions towards Sia was evolving all the time.


    Initially, he only treated her as a distant rtive, then a close rtive, then a friend, and then someone closer until they reached a stage where he was willing to risk his life for her.


    Did he love her in the past? Maybe.


    Would that affect him now? He didn''t know.


    But regardless of the feelings, keeping her safe and happy was a must. Varian wasn''t going topromise on this.


    And Sarah knew it too. "My intuition is telling me that you like her, even if you don''t know it yourself."


    "¡­." Varian wanted to flip the table. The fuck with your intuition!


    "So, who are you picking?" Sarah walked in front of him and looked into his eyes.


    Even though she looked like she was giving a choice, her aura was threatening to break out at any moment.


    Varian knew that if he said something that displeased her, she''d really beat him up on the spot.


    Sigh.


    "Haaa~" Varian took a deep breath. He looked at her Sarah again and this time, he saw her true self.


    Despite the angry expression she put on, she was shivering.


    She was scared. Afraid of losing him again.


    She almost lost him to Vanish Dungeon. Then she thought she lost him to the assassinations.


    Now, she was afraid she''d lose him. This time¡­to her best friend.


    Varian rubbed his forehead and cursed the heavens'' will


    Why the fuck are you putting me in this troubling situation? Isn''t my life hard enough already?


    You fucking sadist! I hope your house is full of demonic spiders!


    But now, he needed to do what he must do.


    "Varian, deci¡ªumph!"


    Sarah couldn''t utter a word as Varian suddenly pulled her into his embrace.


    Even though her mind was in chaos¡­even though she wanted to argue¡­even though she wanted to make sure she wouldn''t lose him¡­she didn''t speak.


    "Don''t worry too much, Sarah." Varian patted her head.


    "I don''t know what I feel towards her. She isn''t even willing to talk to me right now.


    I need to find her and repay her¡­she had been through too much. She''s the reason Enigma protected me¡­she kept me safe all this time or I would''ve been killed by Xanders long ago.


    And¡­even if she did nothing, she''s important to me." Varian said and with each word, Sarah hugged him tightly.


    Varian stroke her back lightly in an attempt to console her.


    She was feeling insecure and he hoped she could feel his sincerity.


    "I can''t abandon her, Sarah. I can''t do it." His voice was low, but determined. Recalling his memories with Sia, he closed his eyes in pain.


    If he left her after everything she did for him¡­and probably still doing for him, then he''d despise himself.


    Even after going through so much pain under Roxanna, what was Sia''s condition to join Shadow Guardians?


    Let Enigma make an agreement to prevent Xanders from harming him!


    And not just that, she also asked Enigma to appear during his entrance test and she urged Enigma to retaliate after he was thrown into Vanish Dungeon.


    Despite doing everything for him, she never asked anything in return. She did it without his knowledge and if he didn''t find out, she''d have done it forever.


    If this didn''t exin her sacrifice, he didn''t know what would.


    As Varian''s face distorted in rage recalling her pain, he felt a pair of soft hands caressing his cheeks and opened his eyes to see Sarah staring at him.


    The nervousness she previously was now reduced and she looked more stable.


    "¡­I''m sorry, I was rushing things. You''re right, you shouldn''t abandon her. In fact, if you do, I''d hate you." Sarah said slowly.


    "Uh." Varian patted her head lightly.


    "I''ll be honest...once you meet her, I''m afraid I''ll lose you to her." Sarah bit her lip and confessed her fear.


    Varian liked this quality of Sarah very much. Even if embarrassed her, she was at times very honest and brave enough to say what she was feeling.


    "Don''t worry too much. It''ll be alright." Varian patted her head.


    "Hey, I''m not a kid." Sarah protested but didn''t dodge. She was clearly enjoying it.


    ¡­sometimes, she was not so honest.


    "Haha. We can think about Sia after I meet her."


    Sarah was silent for a moment before nodding begrudgingly. "Yeah, we''ll just think about her issueter."


    Like all humans, they decided to bury the problem until it exploded.


    "I have one more confession to make. I can''t tell you more, but I am a bit special." Varian teleported away from Sarah and snapped his fingers.


    Boom!


    Bang!


    Zap!


    The floor cracked under his kick, the space fluctuated mildly, lightning danced around his arms, his mental force picked the paintings and floated them, another mental force showed illusions, and finally, Varian''s feet turned into roots.


    The powers of six divine paths were disyed in full glory for her to witness.


    Sarah opened her mouth in shock.

 Chapter 341 - Cluster Cities [1]

    "Y-You!" Sarah''s mouth was wide open as she jumped on the spot.


    Click!


    "Hey! Delete that pic!" The next moment, she appeared in front of him and was about to grab hism.


    Varian cleverly avoided and said. "I will be going to Valos shortly. I can''tmunicate with you through yourm. That''s why this pic."


    Looking at his pitiful eyes, even though Sarah knew he was saying those words to keep the pic, she couldn''t force him.


    Forget it, forget it. It''s only with him anyway.


    Meanwhile, Varian opened the pic and clicked his tongue. "You''re cute. I should''ve taken a few pics while you were crying¡ª"


    He was abruptly cut off by Sarah''s cold stare and wisely chose not to continue the topic.


    Finally after what seemed like hours, but in fact was only a few minutes, Sarah asked.


    "So, what was that? Six divine paths? How?" Sarah looked at him with genuine curiosity.


    "Well¡­I don''t know how for sure, but I have a secret that lets me do it. It''s a bitplicated, but what I want to tell you is this."


    Varian held her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes seriously. "I have six paths, I can still be a Sovereign. You too can. Just trust me, okay?"


    "¡­hm." Sarah looked into his eyes and finally nodded. This time, she didn''t have to convince herself. She was convinced.


    Then she thought of his powers and eximed. "Y-You''re in level 6 already? And in three paths? Dear heaven!"


    "I''ll be in six, soon. Catching up to you." Varian smiled and ruffled her hair. "Ouch."


    She swatted his hand away and red. "Unfair. Why can you, who has six paths progress so fast and I progress at the pace of a snail?"


    If the other geniuses heard Sarah''s words, they''d cough out blood and pass out.


    She''s only a second-year cadet and both her paths were high level 6. In fact, after the trial, she was about to reach peak level 6.


    Just a few more days of practice and her strength would tremendously improve. Without any doubts, she''d be stronger than any other genius, save for Charles.


    Even Ashtarh would lose to her.


    But Varian¡­oh well, Varian was a different case altogether.


    "If I''m stronger, I can protect you, okay?" Varian leaned forward and said.


    "You think I''m a damsel in distress? I need your protection?" Sarah raised her fist and smiled.


    "¡­" Varian decided to sue the dramapanies. The fuck are they teaching! This line worked well for all heroes! The heroines melted at this line and often gave...a kiss or something.


    Well, he never thought of Sarah as a weak girl anyway. But still, those lessons I picked from dramapanies¡­was all my life a lie?


    Sia, just what did you make me watch those days?


    Sarah ignored his expression that seemed to doubt life and frowned.


    "You are going to Valos¡­the city of depravity?"


    Hearing that ominous title, Varian''s lips twitched. He checked a long message sent by Enigma and begrudgingly nodded at Sarah.


    "Haaa~" She sighed and looked at him in pity.


    "Wait, what?" Varian didn''t understand of course. But he felt like he got scammed by Enigma.


    He was yet to study his mission''s location. He nned to do itter on, but now Sarah seemed to know about it, he was more than happy to listen.


    And if the mission was really a scam, he''d fight it out with the masked girl.


    Sarah snapped her fingers and the whole house went dark. The next second, a beautiful hologram appeared in the room.


    There were two suns at the center with eights revolving around them. At a certain distance from each was a ck me¡ªtheir corresponding Abyss.


    In between each were manyoids. The number varied with each, but the rule of thumb was that the greater the poption of the, the more theoids.


    Then there were small dots. Space cities. Every had a couple of those.


    And finally, there was pluto. Like others, it was a sphere, but unlike them, it was covered by dark wisps.


    Varian''s gaze shifted to one section of the hologram.


    Sarah tapped into mid-air and the hologram zoomed-in, leaving only twos.


    And everything in between them.


    A huge blue-green with twenty-seven moons came into view and far away from it was a giant blue.


    Uranus and Neptune.


    Uranus was an ice giant before Blink and its conditions were hostile to life. After Blink, specific regions of thes turned hospitable.


    After the descent of dungeons in the 300s, humans got stronger and stronger. Their exploration of ruins also increased and at some point, they found a few treasures in the Ruins.


    These treasures weren''t offensive or defensive or even for anybat purpose but they were deemed as more precious than them all.


    These treasures mades hospitable!


    Through the use of aura in ways humans were yet to understand, thes'' atmosphere was forcibly changed to a sufficient degree that allowed life to exist.


    Following that, humans constructed cities on hospitable ces on the ground and built floating cities all over the.


    Uranus and Neptune were also colonized during the same period. Varian could ''see'' the cities on the with his enhanced eyesight.


    But what he was really focusing on was the in-between.


    To be precise, a cluster of space cities in between Uranus and Neptune. There were around 20 such cities.


    Even though he knew they were artificially constructed, Varian felt like he was watching a work of art.


    Each of these cities was the result of the blood and tears of many humans. Scientists, Architects worked day and night. Military guarded everything these projects with everything on the line.


    The Abyssals tried everything they can to stop this city from being a reality.


    But humans did it. Notwithstanding the enormous resources, the overall cost was a few million lives.


    Varian sighed in mncholy. There were many humans who deserved to die¡ªJulius, Charles, Narcis, Kreo. But most of them deserved a better life. Most of the time, the problems came from the ones at the top.


    This time, it was Abyssals seeking to exterminate them.


    "Varian, you know this right?" Sarah pointed to the cluster of space cities and asked.


    "Hm. Uranus Cluster Cities." Varian answered. He read it sometime in the past and his Telepath powers instantly retrieved it and the relevant information for him.


    Basically, they were a bunch of cities after Uranus and before Neptune.


    "And why were they built?" Sarah raised a brow and asked with a mischievous smile.


    "Ohe on! I studied for the entrance test anyway." Varian groaned causing her to chuckle.


    "Alright. Just messing with you." Sarah smiled and waved her hand. There was no way Varian didn''t know this.


    Cluster Cities were built to ensure connectivity between thes.


    As they lived through warring times, the army had an upromisable requirement.


    Each must be quickly reachable. If a war broke out between Earth and Demon Abyss, the army could send reinforcements from all thes.


    With cutting-edge technology, the travel time between Earth and its two neighborings, Venus and Mars were 3.83 hours and 7.3 hours respectively.


    But the army wasn''t satisfied with this efficiency.


    Three hours was enough time to cause irreversible damage to the enemy and establish an edge.


    This necessity birthed the ''Teleportation Formations''.


    They made instant transfers between any two locations possible. Though they cost a tonne of space stones and made many professors¡ªmen and women bald, they were one of the cornerstones of the federation''s stability.


    Each was installed with teleportation formations. In case of danger, the reinforcements can enter the formation of one and appear on the target in moments.


    It sounded well and good but teleportation formations had their limitations.


    First, they were incredibly expensive.


    Speak nothing but the three main ingredients¡ªspace stones, spacorts, and space arrays.


    Spacorts¡ªdefective space stones were the cheapest. But even they were hard to get.


    During the early days of his admission, Varian fought hard in a special dimension of the academy to get ''spacorts''.


    If even the cadets of Earth''s best academy had to work their asses off to get the spacorts, one could imagine their scarcity.


    Then there were space arrays. They were to be constructed by space awakeners. But not every space awakener was proficient in them.


    The rigorous training it required often ate up training time and other than minority, space awakeners tended to stay away from this line of expertise.


    Then came space stones. Expelled from the Inner space. Rarest of the bunch.


    All these three ingredients were needed for teleportation formation. And even an unused teleportation formation consumed resources.


    Compared to the second problem, this drawback was secondary.


    Teleportation formations had limits on their distance. They could teleport from one to another for most, but as the farther one went in the sr system, the greater the distance between each.


    Thus, the teleportation formations failed for threes.


    Saturn to Uranus.


    Uranus to Neptune.


    Even if you enter a teleportation formation in Saturn, you wouldn''t reach Uranus. You''d be teleported to the vast empty space in between.


    Given the enormous inteary distance, the time needed to send reinforcements was ridiculous.


    From Saturn to Uranus took almost 6 days!


    Uranus to Neptune took 6.3 days!


    If the army really depended on purely space ships and took this much time, by the time reinforcements arrived at the site, the war would''ve long been over.


    So ''Cluster Cities'' were constructed.

 Chapter 342 - Cluster Cities [2]

    Their concept was straightforward.


    Since teleportation formations don''t cover enough distance between theses, let''s build space cities at the limit of teleportation formations.


    Then we''d also have teleportation formations on these space cities and from them, we''ll reach the targets.


    Having one single city was risky, so there was a cluster of cities around the same distance from the host.


    Uranus had twenty such space cities that held the teleportation formation.


    They weren''t used normally, but when they were activated, they saved lives.


    Valos was one such city.


    Given their strategic importance, each of the space cities would be strictly protected by their host.


    But Valos got the title of ''City of Depravity''.


    "Out of the two cluster cities, Saturn cluster is greatly maintained. Some space cities in those clusters rival even thes in terms of training conditions." Sarah exined. "Remember that battle maniac Maissa?"


    Varian nodded.


    That girl looked elegant and dignified, but the first thing that came out of her mouth was ''Let''s duel!''.


    "She is from the Saturn cluster. Even though they have resources, they are after all not the same as us residents. Not enough dungeons, not enough people, not enough natural resources.


    They have a very fierce contest over the resource. Maissa grew up fighting for her training resources and eventually came to be one of the top 10 of our generation." Sarah paused and allowed those words to sink in.


    Varian realized something instantly.


    Despite equal footing, there was not a single significant figure from the Uranus cluster in the banquet.


    In fact, even in the level 5s he challenged, he didn''t remember a single person from the Uranus cluster.


    Sarah looked at his frowning expression and held his hand. Patting him lightly, she continued.


    "Uranus cluster is in a pretty¡­bad state."


    "Why?" Varian didn''t understand. They had the resources, they had the poption, they even had thepetition, so what''s stopping them from prospering?


    Instead of answering, Sarah said. "The ruling party of Uranus is responsible for taking care of their cluster cities.


    And the ruling party of Uranus is¡­?"


    Varian''s eyes widened and he patted his forehead. "Nial Family. Fuck!"


    It all made sense now.


    A few years ago, Pluto was quickly taken down. The then Uranus had to fight a two-front war with Pluto and Thunder Abyss.


    It was on the verge of defeat. Until Nial family intervened.


    As the ruling party of Uranus, they were right next to Neptune.


    The Nial family sent their powerhouse to assist the Neptune without much dy.


    That was a time when despite having cluster cities, the army didn''t have the readiness to send reinforcements in time.


    Despite their strength, Neptune''s morale was at an all-time low after Pluto''s bloodbath.


    If not for the Nial family powerhouses holding back the precious time until the reinforcements arrived, Neptune would''ve been lost.


    The cost?


    30% of all their higher awakeners were wiped out.


    Despite killing so many, the Abyssals'' anger was far from over. They threw away wealth as they bribed, lured, and threatened people and assassinated the leading geniuses of the Nial Family.


    From that day, Nial Family was in an irreversible decline.


    "Nial family doesn''t have sufficient strength to maintain thew and order of its cluster cities," Sarah said.


    "Then why not have someone else do it?" Varian frowned.


    "The human armed forces are pretty much stretched at this point. Even the army cannot bear the cost." Sarah rubbed her forehead.


    "Besides," she looked at the hologram and once again zoomed in. "These cluster cities can''t be cleaned up easily. They are the hub of 70% illegal activities."


    "!" Varian wanted to ask ''Why not!'' but Sarah didn''t give him the chance.


    "They aren''t as bad as you think. These cities havew and order. But¡­they have many dark organizations. Gangs. Training Halls. ck Market."


    Sarah''s expression darkened. "Even a Shadow Order branch dedicated to this cluster."


    Varian''s expression sank hearing Shadow Order.


    They tried to assassinate him and Sarah. He used those assassins as punching bags, and they confessed that they were told it was the order of an Abyss Prince. Abrak or something.


    Varian didn''t know why he was targeted, but now that he was ''dead'' officially, he decided to avenge himselfter.


    After all, an Abyss Prince would be a level 7 at least. Not what he could contend now.


    But Shadow Order¡­he hated them to the bones.


    In his opinion, they were the chains holding back humanity''s progress. If they didn''t exist, perhaps humans would''ve had their ninth Sovereign already.


    Who knew? Among the countless geniuses these bitches killed, someone might have done it.


    "Shadow Order, huh," Varian muttered with a glint in his eyes.


    "In short, it''splicated." Sarah shrugged. Looking at his tense expression, she lightly pulled his lips into a smiling position and nodded. "Umu."


    "¡­" Varian rolled his eyes. But he did get her message.


    "Alright. You know what I did a few days ago with Earth''s Shadow Order. Boo can find their secret realm because they''re based on earth, but searching for them in space¡­not going to happen.


    So I won''t get into conflict with them. I just have one small mission. I probably got it because of how easy it is." Varian said, mostly to rx Sarah.


    Even though she tried to conceal her anxiety well, her clenched fists were giving it away.


    "Fuuu~ That''s good then." Sarah patted her chest and saw Varian smirking at her with an expression. ''Why don''t you just admit you''re worried?''


    She punched him lightly and said. "There''s a deep undergroundwork in the Cluster cities.


    Shadow Order has many subordinate organizations there. And ck Market¡­it''s best to stay out of it.


    The treasures they sell might be enticing, but all of theme with a price. Given your talent¡­"


    Varian simply stared at Sarah who went on and on. If it was others, he would''ve asked them to stop.


    But not her.


    In what seemed like nagging, he heard many other things.


    Her worries. Her not-so-hidden affection for him, the girl''s fear of losing him¡ªfor real this time, and a trust in him to return safely, but most of all¡ªthemitment to even dive into the Abyss to help him should the need arise.


    Finally, Varian nodded and gave her a light hug. "I''ll see you soon. Take care."


    ** ** ***


    (A/N: In chapter 338, I said "two chaps in a few minutes". It was meant for the day when 338 was thetest chap. But due to priv, many readers have seen itter on.


    I apologize for the misunderstanding caused and I''ll try to ensure it doesn''t repeat.)

 Chapter 343 - Just A Visitor

    After bidding farewell to a reluctant but understanding Sarah, Varian toured the defense academy onest time.


    Sarah said she had other ns and would be moving out of the academy. She didn''t reveal much and said it''d be a surprise.


    Varian was curious, but he didn''t pry.


    Themunication problem between them was solved by Boo. He gave her a newm that wouldn''t be tapped.


    Varian''s thoughts drifted as the ghost ship slowly moved through the vast campus.


    The high-rise buildings made up of top-grade materials. The lectureplexes, the fighting chambers, the dorms, the mission hall¡­Varian recalled the short but important time he spent here.


    And finally, the ghost ship stopped above a huge auditorium.


    Looking at the familiar building that hosted the entrance ceremony as well as the tutor-pupil ceremony, Varian''s mood fluctuated.


    The first day of college, he was still practicing and hoping to progress in the murloc inds.


    The him back then waspletely driven by one goal¡ªearn enough merit points and find Sia.


    He was courageous but also reckless. He was a bit naive, and didn''t know the ways of the world.


    Not even in his wildest dreams did he imagine back then that his biggest enemy would end up being a Sovereign and two of them at that.


    Had he known back, would he have backed out?


    Of course he wouldn''t. But the pressure he''d have borne would be too high.


    The level 2 Varian was still trying to catch up with Narcis and to him, Charles was a year long goal.


    He was alone from the beginning. He made no friends and due to Charles, no one was even willing to talk to him.


    "Seth¡­" Varian exhaled lightly and muttered.


    This man who lost his own family and swore vengeance¡ªthe soldier who was ready to give his all to train a pupil¡ªhe was Varian''s turning point.


    He encountered many dangers after meeting Seth.


    The short but intense training from his tutor helped him.


    But more than the training, Seth asking Sarah to take him on a mission was what really changed the trajectory of his life.


    Despite the enormous danger and the seemingly certain impossibility of return, Vanish Dungeon turned out to be blessing in disguise.


    He not only reached level 4, but also got ''ghost ship''.


    Even without Vanish dungeon, he could''ve improved his strength though slowly.


    But Ghost ship¡­to be honest, Varian attributed much of his freedom to it. The two main functions of the ship¡ªstealth and speed¡ªwere his foundations.


    Using its broken space sub-system, Boo created a teleportation formation¡ªthis was hisst protection.


    Varian dared to reveal his level to Evander and ask for apprenticeship only because he was sure of escaping with Boo''s teleportation in case Evander wanted to capture him.


    Once he was Evander''s disciple, there was no turning back. Varian benefitted from a strong backing and lived the short time peacefully.


    Unlike before, he didn''t worry about Xander family''s attack. Nor did he feel that he would be under the threat of investigation and be ab rat.


    Everything was taken care of by Evander and Richard.


    Truth be told, Varian wanted to meet him. But even if he could sneak inside, there was a high possibility of moles inside Evander''s residence. Theirms were also like tapped.


    All in all, it was risky and he''d rather not do it.


    ''I''m sorry master. Guess you''ll have to assume I''m dead for a while until you meet Sarah.''


    His n was to let Sarah meet with Evander and request for a private meeting. Then she could reveal the truth.


    But right now, to the world, she was ''depressed'' and was hellbent on practice. If she suddenly met with Evander, it''d raise suspicions.


    So, Sarah had to put on the act for some time.


    "Sarah and me, we both lied to her father quite a few times already." Varian chuckled as he recalled his first meeting with Evander.


    It was ironic that the man who fined away his merit points on the very first day ended up being his master.


    ¡­It was even more ironic that his daughter ended up being his girlfriend.


    And the most ironic was that ghost ship saved his life again. If not for it, he''d be really dead.


    "Boo, thanks." Varian said sincerely.


    "You realized how good I am?"


    "¡­."


    "Hey hey! Even though I''m not perfect, I almost am. Just a bit of my memory is missing and I act like a baby, other than that, I''m the best."


    "¡­"


    Varian''s lips twitched and he shifted his focus outward. On a park¡ªthe park where Seth convinced him to be his pupil.


    Right now, three cadets, by their uniform, two first years and a second year sat in the pavilion by theke.


    "Are you sure this isn''t some bullshit?" The junior guy said with a frown.


    "Yes, my brother is the most talented man in my family and even he is only level 4." The junior girl beside him added.


    The senior rubbed his forehead and let out an awkward chuckle. "I can''t lie about what happened in the Sr Banquet, can I? There''s no doubt, he''s peak level 5."


    The girl looked at her senior in confusion. "But how¡­? You''re in the top 10 of second year and yet you''re only barely peak level 5."


    "¡­." The senior stared at her to assess whether she''s mocking him or was genuinely surprised.


    "Ahahaha. Forgive her for herck of tact." The junior guy stepped in to ease the tension and continued. "But peak level 5 as first year, I remember his aura during the beginning. Level 2.


    Even though many people buy the official Ambrosia narrative, I don''t get it."


    "Hm. It feels off. I often wondered if there is something sketchy about it." The senior nodded.


    "He''s dead anyway. It doesn''t matter." The girl shrugged causing the guys to nod.


    "But even if he''s alive, he was never part of this academy. Sure, he is in the same year as us, but he was never like a cadet. He was like¡­"


    The senior trailed off as he felt a gust wind of from above.


    "They''re right. I was never part of this academy." Varian thought as ghost ship left the defense academy and went straight to the Academy of Sciences. "I never fit in. I can''t have a normal life. Perhaps, this is one of the prices I have to pay."


    He looked at the receding campus onest time. "I am just a visitor."


    Soon, the ghost ship sneaked into the academy of sciences. Varian found Kyle and Maya.


    Thankfully, they weren''t depressed likest time. Or at least that''s how they appeared.


    They immersed themselves in work. It was their way of coping with bad news.


    "Master, do you want to reveal yourself?" Boo asked curiously.


    "No. I can reveal that I''m alive, but these guys¡­if they identally reveal it to anyone else, the spies by their side will definitely trouble them. They''ll be sad, but also safe."


    Varian did find a few ''moles'' that were spying on Kyle. But he didn''t act against them.


    They were from Julius just to keep an eye out. As long as nothing extraordinary happened, these moles would just watch Kyle and Maya for sometime before halting.


    The ghost ship then went straight to Varian''s home. During the journey, Varian scrolled through the file of one man.


    "Eric."


    Most of his information was secretive and what he could find didn''t answer his questions.


    No matter how stupid a level 7 was, it was impossible to be so stupid as Eric.


    Revealing his request during a banquet just like that¡ªeither he had screws lose in head or¡ª


    ''I hope he''s just gone crazy and not the other option.''

 Chapter 344 - Eric

    An underground prison:


    It was a vast undergroundplex spanning hundreds of miles. The whole facility was coated with high-grade alloys that could withstand the attacks of any level 6.


    A peak level 8 was stationed in the central room to overwatch the facility.


    This was one of the rare prisons that could hold even level 7s. Rare because rather than arresting high awakener criminals, the federation preferred shooting them down.


    After all, keeping high awakeners locked cost a lot.


    For instance, each cell in the prison was customized for different paths.


    A space cell had formations that made teleportation impossible. Of course, they were he expensive and even took space stones.


    That''s why¡­unless it was absolutely necessary, Space awakeners were killed off.


    At the moment, Evander was standing in front of a cell. Behind him were two guards inbat suit, acting as his escorts.


    The cell was made of a pitch back metal alloy. The locked up person would have trouble seeing anything, even if they had super eyesight.


    The alloy was also capable of absorbing sound. So, the whole cell was deathly quiet 24x7.


    In short, the captive in the cell couldn''t see or hear anything. It was a terrible condition to be in and the weak willed simply couldn''t handle it.


    Not only that, the cell didn''t have any exit. It was closed from all sides. The only way in and out was a small teleportation formation in the prison.


    Fortunately, the finances of the prison weren''t too bad and they were able to afford the mini-teleportation formation.


    It costed far less than an actual teleportation formation, but it still was 15% of theplete expenditure.


    ''I hope I can get something useful.'' Evander squinted his eyes and tapped on the ck wall.


    A blue screen popped up and scanned his iris. Then a small treasure opened and sensed his aura.


    A glowing circle appeared on the ck wall.


    "Eric, it''s not toote. Who instructed you?" Evander asked with a stern voice.


    "¡­." He was only met with silence.


    Evander clenched his fists and wished to smash the fucker to pieces. The only problem was¡­he couldn''t.


    On the charges of revealing crucial information at inappropriate ce, Evander brought Eric to investigation.


    But with Julius Xander meddling in the affair, he didn''t get the permission to ''physically interrogate''.


    That meant he couldn''t beat the crap out Eric and torture a confession out.


    So, he settled for the next best thing. The ck room.


    It was three days already but the bastard hadn''t opened his mouth.


    "Eric, you are a supervisor dammit! You swore to protect the cadets yet you pushed one of them to death with your own hands." Evander''s voice turned chilly and a scaring killing intent leaked out of him.


    The guards behind him, both level 7s shivered uncontrobly as their legs wobbled and they almost copsed on the spot.


    "I didn''t push him to death." A hoarse voice came from the glowing circle.


    Evander smashed his fist into the wall, the hair on his neck standing straight. "Are you fucking kidding me? First, you asked him 20k to search for the information.


    Even a fool would know it''s important. And you reveal it in a banquet for fuck''s sake!


    You also knew about Varian''s performance and were aware of exactly how many people were spying on him and paying attention to your conversation.


    Don''t bullshit me."


    "¡­." Again, there was no response.


    Evander stood in the silence for a few minutes before he said in a dry tone. "The boy¡­is dead. You achieved what you wanted. Now¡­"


    "¡­"


    Evander''s fist smashed into the ck wall again, leaving a dent. "Now fucking tell me the mastermind so I can avenge him."


    His chest heaved up and down as Evander felt an aching pain. It was the same pain¡­the same pain he felt when he realized he lost Sam.


    It was definitely faint, but it was the same pain.


    "Fucking tell me, you son of a bitch!" Evandershed at the wall again, causing the cubical cell to move a few meters away.


    "He lost his mother. He spent a year wallowing in his pain. He barely survived the entrancepetition and even after entering the academy, he was suppressed by those self-entitled assholes." Evander kept smashing the cell, causing more and more dents in the wall.


    The alloy which boasted to withstand even level 9s was creaking uncontrobly with each punch.


    "Nobody teamed up with him for a mission and he had to go with second years. And despite all this¡­despite all the oppression he faced, you know what he did?" Evander slowed down the punches.


    His voice was iparably low as his breathing turnedpletely ragged. "He saved them, endangering himself. He nearly died!


    If not for some shit luck, he''d have died. Period.


    Forget his genius, forget his achievements¡­just his spirit, don''t you hold any shame acting despicably on such an individual?"


    "¡­.It wasn''t my choice." Eric''s voice came.


    His words only enraged Evander further as he sped up smashing the cell. Cracks started to appear on the wall.


    "Choice? You always have a choice. I don''t understand how you see yourself as a human anymore. Why don''t you just die? You cherish your sorry life so much?


    A pathetic peak level 7. Bah. V-Var..that boy would''ve beat you in no time." Evander didn''t want to speak out his disciple''s name. It was too painful.


    "¡­." He was only met with the pathetic silence.


    Crack. Crack. Crack.


    Evander pulled back his arm and twisted his torso. The next moment, space nearly cracked as he punched the goddamn wall open.


    Boom!


    It blew into pieces and revealed the weak man inside. Despite no torture, Eric looked he was hollowed out.


    With bloodshot eyes, a bent back and chattering teeth, he resembled anything but his powerful supervisor image.


    It might''ve elected sympathy, but Evander only felt disgust.


    He raised his fist to beat down the man and extract a confession. He was done following the rules.


    Right then a light shed and Eric disappeared.


    Evander''s body blurred and he appeared on the ground, instantly climbing the underground prison.


    In front of him was a short man in a red uniform. He was holding Eric in one hand and looking up at the sky with an amusing gaze.


    "Rohak, this ce is off your limits. Fuck off and give that pest to me. He has a confession to make." Evander didn''t give any pleasantries and went straight to the point.


    "Woah~ Easy there, high general." Rohak said with an exaggerated expression.


    "I''m not in a mood to y with you." Evander''s aura spiked.


    Rohak''s expression cooled down. "No ce is off limits for 5th Shura Squad. Besides, this time I''m on an official visit."


    He opened a file and shared it to Evander.


    Evander had a bad premonition but after reading through, his expression waspletely dark.


    "As you can see, Eric is protected by thew. There is no clear evidence against him. Holding up a level 7 for so long for personal reasons is just to selfish."


    Evander clenched his fists and his body trembled uncontrobly.


    "Eric will be transferred to Xernoid. This is a direct order from Sovereign Julius. He said he didn''t hope to see you kill a high awakener."


    Upon hearing the name ''Julius'', Evander cooled down. He wanted to fight, but for the safety of Sarah¡­he chose to endure it.


    "Hahaha. Now then, I''ll be taking Mr. Eric.. See ya, Evander~" Rohak disappeared with augh.

 Chapter 345 - Commander Anna

    "Reports are all clear. No traces of activity found." The soldier reported after a salute.


    "Keep watch. Notify me on the first major skirmish. A minute of negligence and lives are lost." Anna ordered.


    "Yes, Sir." The assistant saluted and left the room.


    Anna''s greenbat uniform was in sharp contrast to her usual maid clothing. Her nonchnce as a maid disappeared and was reced by a seriousmanding aura.


    Due to emergencies, she was called back to frontlines and was stationed on one of the fiercestoids.


    Unlike Renaoid that Varian and others visited back then, thisoid was farrger¡ªalmost the size of moon.


    The average levels of the soldiers on thisoid was level 6. The Abyssals as well as humans heavily invested in thisoid.


    The suprememanders of both sides were level 9.


    Due to a certain someone, Anna was forced to take up this role.


    "Miss¡­" Anna''s cold demeanor melted as a worrying expression appeared over his face.


    After Varian''s ''death'', Sarahpletely shut herself off. She no longer smiled or talked.


    Heck, except for practice, she wasn''t willing toe out of her room. Despite acting like that, Anna''s keen space sense noticed Sarah suddenly crying in the middle of practice.


    It was just that¡­Sarah was so deeply involved in practice that even she didn''t notice the tears rolling down her cheeks.


    ''If you don''t see my corpse, don''t believe I''m dead.'' Anna recalled his words and wished they were true.


    But Varian had literally nothing to back up that im.


    He was certainly a genius, but when even level 9s could die, being a genius didn''t make one immune from death.


    Anna was tempted to console Sarah and reveal his words multiple times. But she refrained.


    Instead of giving her false hope which would ultimately shatter and break her down even more, it was better for Sarah to deal with her feelings.


    Anna''s heart ached at the pain the little girl had to go through, but she steeled herself.


    ''Miss¡­I''m sorry, but you have to grow up. In this fragile world of ours, lives are easily lost. Now you lost him, maybe you''ll lose me tomorrow. The best we can do is to live bravely and do our best. I hope you can realize and ept it.''


    The realization was bound to be painful. Anna knew for certain that if she kept watching Sarah in this pain, she wouldn''t be able to bear it.


    Even if it was false, she''d reveal Varian''s words to her.


    That''s why, Anna epted this sudden duty due to Evander''s request.


    Anna''s figure disappeared and she appeared above theoid. Her space sense locked onto a fast approaching Abyss space ship.


    In a moment, there level 8s and one level 9 dashed out of the space ship.


    Anna checked herm and realized that the reinforcements would be there in a minute.


    "Haa~" Taking a deep breath, Anna channeled her space power.


    At the same time, themander of theoid, a level 9 also shot into the air.


    His huge fire wings pushed him right beside the intruding level 9 who pped his ice wings and they both red at Anna.


    "For one minute." Anna sighed and her figure disappeared. Her mind thought back to the incident that led to tall this.


    *** *** ***


    Shortly after Varian''s incident, Bali announced he was going into a retreat. Naturally, everyone opposed.


    Bali was a dual awakener and a peak level 9 in both paths. What the hell would he achieve by retreat?


    Besides, as the captain of 6th Shura squad, they simply can''t let him leave.


    Short breaks were fine, but long breaks for seclusion? No way!


    Bali said it''s important. His strength was likely going to improve.


    Despite that, everyone disagreed. Except Evander.


    He convinced the senior military leaders and made a n to make up for Bali''s absence.


    One of the requirements was Anna.


    *** *** ***


    Boom!


    Kacha!


    The space was torn apart and the air howled as it was sucked into the gap. The two level 9 Abyssals clutched their stomachs with a fierce expression.


    Even though they tried to dodge, the space st was too quick and too lethal.


    "Hmph!" The Abyssals pped their wings, causing winds of fire and ice to blow as they shot towards Anna.


    "Cough. Cough." Anna wiped the blood at the corner of lips. Her pale face showed no expression as she condensed a sword out of space power.


    ''The longer I fight, the more disadvantageous I''ll be.'' Anna frowned, but she couldn''t not fight.


    Or these two level 9s would decimate the human side.


    ''Not only that,'' Anna looked at the two level 8s in the distance with killing intent. She tried to kill them, but with these two level 9s, she couldn''t concentrate.


    She did manage to hold them from going down on the human army, but she wouldn''t be able to do that for long.


    ''Where the fuck are reinforcements?''


    "Iing." Followed by a loud announcement, a huge ck bird shot towards the level 9s.


    "Screech!" With a loud roar, the lion head opened its mouth to bite off the Fire Abyssal while the Griffin''s paws smashed at the Water Abyssal.


    "This old man will take care of you pests."


    "That''s my ce."


    Two more voices came as Richard and Eve Xander appeared in front of the Abyssals.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Richard''s mental power knocked out his opponent while Eve transformed into a me phoenix and pped off his pick.


    "Sigh¡­" Anna sighed and joined the fight.


    The sky continued to shake as each attack reverberated across thousands of miles.


    The level 8s on either bases locked onto each other.


    On multiple locations, skirmishes stared as either Abyssals or Humans initiated attacks.


    The six awakeners fought in a remote area to avoid coteral.


    With the addition of reinforcements, the tempo of battle was gradually bnced.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    After an hour of intense fight, everything settled.


    Anna was back in hermand room, except this time, there were three old men in addition.

 Chapter 346 - The Emperor’s Plan

    The four of them had pale faces and held a few aura crystals in their hands as they recuperated.


    Except two old men weren''t just recuperating, they were also bickering.


    "I did more damage."


    "No. I did."


    "Fuck off!"


    "No. You fuck off."


    Richard and Eve went into a staring contest causing Anna to snap.


    "Shut up! You old fogeys! Your young masters died and yet you¡­" Anna shut her mouth midway.


    Eve Xander''s old face was pale but he just shook his head. "I always told Narcis to treat people fairly, if not equally.


    But ai¡­he looked down on everyone. Julius pampered him to no end and he somehow ended up provoking Shadow Guardians."


    Anna didn''t feel any sympathy towards Narcis. In her eyes, he was a trash.


    But Eve¡­Eve dedicated his life to safeguarding Earth. His brother was Julius'' father and a Sovereign.


    During his reign, Xanders were more trusted on Earth than the Federation itself.? But after Julius, things changed.


    Xanders went from guardians of earth to one of the three families.


    Eve¡­he tried his best. Yet, he couldn''t oppose Juilus'' orders. There were many people like him in the Xanders, but s¡­


    "Maybe we are stronger than thest generation¡­but morally, we have fallen so low." The third old man in the room sighed in mncholy. He was Liam Xander, obviously from the Xander family.


    He used to train the Xander kids, but after seeing how they were turning out, he applied for the reinforcements department and now travelled fromoid tooid, proving emergency assistance.


    "I won''t talk about you Xanders, it''s just tragic. But my Young Master didn''t die." Richard said as a matter of fact.


    "And how do you know that?" Anna raised her brow. If there was really some clue, then she''d immediately inform Sarah.


    "I don''t. I just believe him." Richard stated causing Anna, Eve and Liam to? shake their heads.


    They didn''t bother arguing with him, however.


    After the long fight, all of them were exhausted and preferred peace.


    "How is the Ruins exploration this time?" Anna asked out of boredom. This was first of the eight months, so the first''s ruins would be open.


    "The same crap. The Shadow Order stole some stuff. There were reports iming to have seen Enigma." Liam saidzily.


    "Boring. Anything interesting going on?" Anna changed to a new set of aura crystals and asked.


    "The kidnapping cases have increased." Liam reported.


    "The Uranus Cluster?"


    "Yeah. I don''t know precisely, but it must be because of some crazy treasures in the ck market. These gangs always want those treasures." Liam said with a disgusted expression.


    ck Market sold a lot of treasures¡­on behalf of Abyssals. These treasures had miraculous effects, though they came with costs.


    Perhaps this time, it was a treasure that could loosen the bottleneck or something. These gangs willpete for the treasure and in the process, kidnappings increase.


    Once they get the treasure, the crimes would increase.


    "Why don''t you just go and kill them off?" Anna''s face turned rosy and her recovery was evident.


    "Do you think I don''t want to?" Liam muttered in annoyance. "These gangs have hideouts. They are backed the Shadow Order and the chaos families."


    "Then it''s truly problematic." Anna sighed.


    Shadow Order and Chaos Families lived in Secret Realms. Unlike on Earth, their secret realms in the Uranus Cluster Cities were present in space.


    Space¡­was just too wide for them to search the secret realms. And just like on Earth, they might''ve hid their secret realms.


    Basically, even if the gangs were eliminated, the Order and Chaos Families could nurture them in no time.


    "It''s not like I can kill the gangs. My hands are tied. I''m bu.." Liam''sm buzzed and he stood up.


    "See, I''m busy. Something came up on X-32oid." Waving his hand, Liam transformed into a griffin and reached his space shuttle.


    Richard and Eve departed shortly after him. They were assigned differentoids.


    "Sigh¡­" Before Anna could sigh properly, the assistant barged in.


    "Commander, arge scale battle in the S-H-193 area. The level 8s are on th¡ª"


    Before he could finish, Anna teleported to the area and her eyes narrowed.


    "Trash."


    Another battle ensued.


    *** *** *** ***


    Far away, Emperor Abyss:


    Haedon was seated on the throne. In front of him were old men and women of Abyssal race were seated across a semi-circr table.


    "With all due respect your majesty, I think we''re running out of time." An old Abyssal said with an anxious expression.


    "Yes. Let''s just go all out and get the civilization core. If we didn''t get Devas'' legacy, we have no chance of winning the Providence Trial."


    "Yes, it''s already been so long. Who would''ve thought that Humans were this resilient. I suggest we go ahead and exterminate them regardless of the cost."


    "I concur."


    "Me too."


    "Me three."


    One by one, eight of the twenty elders raised their hands.


    Haedon looked at them with indifferent eyes and said. "Are you senile?"


    "Y-Your majesty?" The elders who raised their hands trembled.


    Even though Haedon advocated to save as many lives as possible, he didn''t hesitate to punish.


    And legends say, his punishments made one wish for death.


    Haedon took a breath to control his anger and said. "If we were to go all out against humans, we''ll sacrifice almost 90% of the eight Abysses."


    "B-But we''ll get the legacy. With it, we can strengthen ourselves for the trial against Zions¡­" The male elder was stubborn despite his fear.


    "Yes, we can do it. But we have only a few decades before the trial. Even if we get the legacy, we''ll have only so much time to use it to our advantage. It''s not like we can instantly grow stronger with legacy.


    If we had a few centuries, I''d agree with your proposal.


    But we have only a few decades, if we sacrifice the eight abysses in the sr system, even if we increase our strengths, we''ll definitely lose in the providence trial."


    Haedon exined with a contorted expression.


    The elders fell silent as they digested his painful words.


    "Then, how long¡­?" A female elder muttered.


    ''How long would your method take, your majesty?'' Was what she wanted to, but didn''t dare to ask.


    "There is one n that is about to hatch." Haedon''s eyes shone with wisdom. "Once it starts, we can save a lot of our manpower."


    He looked into the distance and said in a light voice.. "I-If it really works well, then humans will kill themselves in a civil war."

 Chapter 347 - Prince Abrax

    Eric thought Rohak would question him about his actions. But he didn''t. After dropping him off at his home, he left with a sentence.


    "Sovereign Julius doesn''t know why you did what you did. But he doesn''t want to see things escte."


    "I''ll thank him personally." Eric bowed and entered his house.


    A deste home.


    There were pictures of him and a little girl over the walls.


    Eric looked at the little girl and clenched his fists. "Don''t worry, you''ll be fine. Soon¡­"


    He immediately ''sealed'' off his home and entered the basement. A white table sat in the middle of the ck-coated basement.


    On top of the tableid a red sphere.


    Eric controlled his breath and gently tapped it.


    With a click, the sphere activated and emitted grey light which slowly morphed into an Abyssal.


    "Prince Abrax." Eric greeted politely, withholding his rage.


    "Hm. You''re that human¡­Erek?" Prince Abrax tapped the armrest on his throne and yawned.


    But his red eyes shone with a fierce glint and showed that he was just ying around.


    "I''m Eric. I did what you asked with Varian. Now can you please release my granddaughter?" Eric swallowed the humiliation and begged.


    "¡­Right! I''ll order the Shadow dogs." Abrax nodded nonchntly.


    Then he looked yfully at Eric and smiled. "But I didn''t expect you to be so cold-hearted. You know it could be dangerous and yet you went ahead with the n."


    Eric''s fingers dug into his palm and blood dripped on the floor. Yet, he didn''t show any anger.


    He simply said. "Varian is a genius, but I want my granddaughter to be alive."


    "Hahaha. Well said." Prince Abrax pped andmended.


    "Your granddaughter will return to you safely. But of course, this is only the beginning of our deal."


    Eric''s face paled.


    "Once you enter the Abyss, there is no going back." Abrax said and cut off themunication.


    Far away in the Demon Abyss, Abrax propped his chin on his hand as he smiled widely.


    "Varian¡­Enigma¡­it seems like it''s true. Hahahhahaha." Hisughter resounded throughout his castle.


    The maids and guards were ustomed to this and went on with their work.


    Meanwhile, an abyssals in themunication department room of the castle received a letter and started reading it with wide eyes.


    "Even though humans would be extinct before this Varian grew up, killing him is not a bad credit. Especially since he''s rted to Enigma." Abrax tapped a human techm and a few holograms popped in front of him.


    After his father, Demon King''s attempt to destroy Renaoid was blocked by Julius Xander, he was angry and vented in the capital city.


    Abrax happened to be there at that time and learned about a mission his majesty the Emperor said passingly.


    ''Kill Varian¡­he''s weird.''


    It wasn''t an important mission in the first ce.


    But Demon King wanted to redeem himself of his two failures¡ªdestruction of the Holy Altar and missing the Ghost Ship.


    He thought killing Varian was easy and decided to destroy all geniuses of Earth. Even though it wasn''t very important, at least he could be satisfied that he finished one of his majestyy''s mission.


    But he failed again. This third failure put him into rage.


    Abrax initially thought that this Varian was some big shot. Otherwise, his father wouldn''t be so angry, right? So, he ordered a deep investigation.


    However, after realizing he was only a level 5, he went through Varian''s life events. They were as in as it could get.


    A typical genius nurtured by Evander, getting lucky and finding Ambrosia, rising faster than peers.


    Abrax didn''t take it seriously and turned his attention back to Enigma.


    Why?


    Because after Demon King attacked Renaoid, Enigma killed the most talented princes and princesses of Demon Abyss.


    And that included his elder brother and younger sister.


    Abrax didn''t think he was a kind person. But he sure loved his family. So, he found everything he could about Enigma and dived deep in.


    But like everyone else, he didn''t find anything extra.


    Her origin. Her powers. Her connections.


    Nothing.


    ¡­Until he noticed a faint connection between Enigma and Varian.


    Enigma had Shadow Guardians investigate the three ns of Earth right after Varian disappeared.


    Then she attacked them as expected but abruptly stopped¡ªright after Varian appeared.


    Initially, Abrax thought it was a coincidence.


    That was until he went back and found another record.


    Enigma''s appearance during Varian''s entrance test. Shortly after the Abyss Duke, an Abyss Prince also reached the site.


    The Prince found a shocking fact.


    Enigma never left.


    Why?


    No one knew back then, but now, Abrax was sure.


    It was because of this boy called Varian.


    Abrax decided to kill Varian. If he managed to make Enigma feel even 1% of his grief when he lost his siblings, he''d be satisfied.


    So, Abrax ordered the Shadow Order dogs to assassinate Varian when he went to shopping with Sarah.


    In a surprising turn of events, Varian somehow survived.


    Abrax was frustrated, but he didn''t give up.


    He dug deeper and looked for things he could exploit. It cost him resources, connections and time, but he found out one more thing.


    Varian''s request.


    It was never mentioned. Never fulfilled.


    He also deeply studied Varian''s life, his actions and words. Especially how he spent aplete year in depression, but suddenly decided to risk everything to join the academy.


    ''He wants something. He wants it badly.'' Abrax concluded.


    So, the next step was to find out his wish.


    But there was a problem.


    Only supervisor Eric knew about his wish.


    But Eric had a cute granddaughter. His son and daughter-inw were both soldiers and died on duty.


    Eric retired from the frontlines to take care of her. He loved her so much and spoiled her.


    She was his weakness.


    Once the weakness was found, Abrax acted fast. He spent more resources and connections, he contacted the Shadow Order, the Chaos Families and finally had her kidnapped.


    It cost him a lot more than he initially thought.


    After knowing Varian''s wish, Abrax checked the database for Sia. Of course, he found nothing.


    He thought he wasted everything.


    On the other hand, he just got the news about Varian''s insane performance in the Sr Trial.


    As ast ditch attempt, he had Eric reveal Varian''s wish in the public.


    Who would''ve thought that it was really something sensitive and did something he never could?!


    Varian was dead!


    But more importantly, someone from the Shadow Guardians, more likely Enigma, appeared on the scene and killed Narcis!


    If this didn''t prove that Enigma and Varian were connected, he didn''t know what will.


    "Enigma, I hope you''re feeling the pain of losing a loved one. It''s a pity, I''ll never know who he was to you, but hey, all I want is your pain." Abrax covered his face and muttered.


    After his glee, Abrax felt empty. He didn''t kill Enigma after all.


    "Prince! Prince!" A young abyssal rushed into the throne room.


    Except for the maids and the guards, this thin abyssal was the only frequenter to the throne room.


    "What is it?" Abrax raised a brow expectantly.


    "D-Demon King has read your report about Enigma and Varian. He confirmed that Shadow Guardians, no, Enigma herself is attacking the members of Xander family.


    He is pleased and mentioned this matter to his majesty.


    You are assigned a task." The foreign affairs officer said excitedly.


    "B-By his majesty himself?" Abrax stood and muttered in disbelief.


    By Abyss Emperor himself¡­what an honor.


    ''This is something I will never shrink from.'' Abrax straightened his back and walked down to the messenger and grabbed the letter.


    "The n in Uranus Cluster Cities is nearpletion. See if you can assist in the city of Valos. If you can''t, don''t force it."


    "Valos¡­" Prince Abrax narrowed his eyes. He looked at his attendant and said. "Start preparations. I''m going to the Despair Abyss."


    Valos City, here Ie.


    *** *** ***


    This is the end of Volume 3.


    I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for the feedback about the pacing.


    Next Volume is: Hero in the Shadow.


    To those who want to stock up, A request. Please stock up after this month is over. (Only 4 days left)


    Our ranking is at stake and its in your hands to make it or break it.


    Thank you very much for your support and I wish you a good reading.

 Chapter 348 - Home

    Varian entered his home. With every sh of his memory, he grew more and more fond of this little building.


    Perhaps because it represented the most carefree and brightest days of his life, Varian felt a reluctance to leave it.


    Even though he lived in an apartment for thest year, he spent most of his life here.


    The small garden in the front yard filled with purple flowers was a memory of his mother and her love for gardening. But to support him and Sia, she worked overtime and sacrificed her one little hobby.


    "Rest In Peace, mom," Varian muttered softly as he looked at the swaying flowers. Their scent¡­they had the same scent as her.


    Like all other times he thought of his mother, Varian still felt pain. But now, he also felt a sense of tranquility.


    Her wish¡­even during herst moments, she wanted him to help Sia.


    "Sia is hiding things from me." Varian closed his eyes and sighed. He only wished she could tell him her problems.


    "But don''t worry. I''ll find out hr problems and keep her safe." He smiled before coughing awkwardly. "She''s stronger than me at the moment. Level 7 already."


    Varian looked at his rooms with nostalgia.


    The posters on the walls, the figurines of the Sovereigns, the guides on how to be a good and upright Awakener¡­


    Somehow, Varian felt like fate wasughing at him.


    He went from dreaming to joining the army and being a member of the Shadow Guardians¡ªan official terrorist outfit.


    Varian circled Sia''s room and sat at the dining table.


    It was a small round table with three seats. Varian had his preassigned ''seat''.


    For as long as he could remember, the dining table was a ce of sweet memories.


    He looked at the now-empty chairs and sighed.


    Amanda was gone forever.


    Sia refused to return.


    "I will bring you back," Varian muttered and his gaze fell on the final empty chair. Even after Sia came back, it would still be empty.


    No.


    "Sarah¡­hm." Varian smiled lightly.


    Before he could immerse in a good future, loud noises caused him to frown.


    Varian looked at the entrance in confusion.


    "-pen this door."


    "Ya bitch, use this key¡ª"


    With a frown, Varian asked. "Boo, who is it?"


    "Master, there are some gangsters outside. They''re trying to unlock the door. They''ve failed thrice already, they''re preparing to attack."


    ''Gangsters?'' Varian raised a brow before he patted his forehead. ''This is a pretty low-end neighborhood. Even though things like gangsters on earth are low, they aren''t impossible.''


    Still, those bastards wouldn''t be able to open the door no matter how hard they tried. After all, Butler Richard made sure to fortify the house well.


    "Open the door." Varian exhaled. He didn''t want his home to be attacked.


    ¡ªCreak.


    The door snapped open and three men staggered into the home. They were all tall men with weird tattoos all over their arms.


    The most noticeable feature of the three was the injuries they had all over their bodies. They seemed to have taken healing potions as there were only scabs but with their half-torn clothes and disheveled faces, it didn''t take a genius to guess they wereing right after a fight.


    Without giving a look at Varian, they tumbled onto the floor andy down in the living room like dead fishes.


    "Huff! Huff! That motherfuckers! T-They aren''t giving us a break." The biggest man out of the bunch snarled, with his chest heaving up and down.


    "No shit, boss. But we got it didn''t we." The leaner man of the threey down next to him and grinned.


    "Of course we did! We are rich, brothers! Rich! Rich!" The bald man next to him eximed with sparkling eyes.


    "¡­." Varian watched the trio with doubt. Did they ignore me purposefully or were they so tired they didn''t notice me?


    "Who the fuck are you guys?" He asked lightly.


    "Huh? You pest?" The bald man turned his head and growled at him. "Do you want to die that much? Shut the fuck up and we''ll let you live for a few more minutes."


    "Haa~" Varian shook his head in pity. He didn''t want to cause violence in his home, but he could always throw them into ghost ship and beat them up. That wouldn''t count as violence at home, right?


    The boss thought Varian''s sigh as his resignation to death. He felt a tingling pleasure at ruling over other''s death andughed out.


    "Hahaha. Since you''re dying anyway, we will show you who we really are." He said and tapped on hism.


    The video of a news channel popped up. It was an ongoing interview of a rather sensual woman with a cold man.


    "Sir Plosh, what are the main events in the Mercury ruins this year?" She smiled sweetly.


    "Ylocan flower appeared. Goreiki was stolen again by the Shadows. And I''m done."


    The man stood up and teleported away.


    "S-Sir! Sir! There are still two minutes lef¡ª"


    The boss looked at Varian''s confused gaze and coughed awkwardly. "Wrong channel! The wrong channel I say! Here you go!"


    A male reported stood at a rather deste site of what looked to be a mine. With eyes that demanded attention, he shouted with blood-boiling rage.


    "Another Roshnium mine theft incident! Fifteen dead and three tunnels destroyed. The agencies have said they''ll look into it, but¡­"


    The boss closed them and grinned widely at Varian. Come, show me the despair.


    "You guys are thieves?" Varian titled his head. He thought they were something more menacing.


    Like members of Shadow Order or agents of Abyssals.


    Ai, his standards were too high.


    "Boy! Are you not afraid?" The lean man slowly stood up and red down at him.


    "I can always report you to the police. Why aren''t you afraid?" Varian didn''t get up from his seat as he kept an eye on the three.


    His words elicitedughter from the three.


    "Hahaha!"


    Even the lean man copsed on the ground and clutched his stomach.


    ''I didn''t joke.'' Varian sighed inwardly. ''It''d be great if my actual jokes can get this muchughter, but oh well.''


    He didn''t want to think much about that topic.


    Finally, they stoppedughing and the boss smiled yfully at Varian. A great pressure erupted out of him and enveloped the entire house.


    Peak level 5.


    "Everyone in this neighborhood is fucking poor. With your age, what level are you at? Level 1? 2 if you''re a genius."


    Seeing Varian staying still, he thought Varian was frozen in ce.


    "See. Just some of my aura and you can''t even mov¡ª"


    The boss was about to discuss his n on killing Varian cruelly when the space suddenly solidified.


    The trio''s expressions froze as they realized they couldn''t move.


    They suddenly recalled an odd detail. They tried to open the door multiple times and failed.


    For a normal house, that was extremely odd.


    Then, even under their aura, this boy didn''t shed a drop of sweat nor did his face pale.


    From the beginning¡­he was ying with them.


    The trio''s faces went pale as they nearly had a heart stroke.


    Varian propped his chin on his hands and his eyes narrowed. "You were saying something?"

 Chapter 349 - Uranus’ Cluster Cities

    Varian threw the trash into ghostship and had Boo ''interrogate''.


    Under his unintentional training, Boo was bing more and more proficient in matters of kidnapping, torture, and interrogation.


    Varian also had those three members of level 6 he kidnapped from earlier. After his training, Boo put them in aa and did some brainwashing.


    Apparently, he and Sarah were targets of assassination. It was a pity that they too had no information on the real mastermind.


    ''But seriously, isn''t Boo enjoying this too much?'' Varian tapped his chin and thought.


    "P-Please! N-Not there. We''ll reveal everything."


    "I-I''ll even reveal the secrets of my grandfather."


    "Fuck you guys! I can reveal both of their secrets. Just promise that you''ll kill me."


    "Muahahaha!"


    Varian listened to his little ghost''s sadisticughter and sighed in disappointment.


    If only Boo was like him. He never tortured anyone. What a morally upright person.


    ''I just outsource it.''


    After a few minutes, Boo gave him a military salute and reported its findings.


    "Master, they know some of the secret entrances to Roshnium mines. They went in and stole. But they couldn''t sit still and brag in one of the clubs. They were followed and had to fight their way out."


    "Serves them right." Varian clicked his tongue. "Did I ever brag my achievements?"


    "¡­." ''You''re the one to talk.'' Boo almost said.


    Varian rolled his eyes at Boo''s silence and asked. "What''s going on with Roshnium?"


    "It''s a precious metal only avable on earth. Previously Ganbald n controlled the mines. But now¡ª"


    "Ganbald who?"


    Boo looked at Varian with a serious gaze as if asking. ''Did you really forget?''


    Varian nodded.


    "¡­Master, remember when Enigma attacked the three vassal ns of Xanders when you were in the lost dungeon?


    We sneaked into Astor n. The other two ns were Ganbold and Martin. Ganbold n pretty much controlled Roshnium mines on Earth."


    "Oh. I remember." Varian nodded with an understanding expression.


    ''You totally forgot!'' Boo wanted to yell, but as a good ghost, it controlled its expression and continued.


    "After Enigma pretty much dismantled these the Ganbold n, the Roshnium mines fell into new powers.


    ording to some news, the Ganbold n had shady deals with Shadow Order. They used to sell the metal.


    After Ganbold n fell, Shadow Order released rewards for those who can get the Roshnium metal.


    These fools happen to know one of the secret tunnels in the mines."


    Fools because if it was a clever person, they''d have made a fortune in silence and never reveal any traces.


    Seriously, what kind of idiot would brag about their crimes in a public ce?


    Varian recalled the news from earlier. Shadow Order also stole Goreiki metal and now they''re also procuring Roshnium.


    ording to the dark web, kidnapping cases were also on the rise.


    "Just what the fuck is happening?" He growled in annoyance.


    If only this Shadow Order didn''t exist¡­


    "What about their criminal records?"


    "They each have at least ten innocent lives under their belt. Just like now, they barged into homes while escaping and killed the residents."


    "Throw them onoid frontlines," Varian said as if it was not a big deal.


    "Pardon?"


    "They are a waste of air. Drug them and throw them to? Abyssals. They will at least kill one or two before they die." Varian said in a bone-chilling voice.


    He was grateful that he didn''t encounter a gang like this when he was younger¡­he really didn''t want others to be victims.


    Ghost Ship took off from Earth. In a few minutes, they reached aoid and stopped above a border area where level 4s were deployed on both sides.


    Boo injected the three living trashes with rage-inducing drugs and threw them onto the Abyssals.


    The trio was in a berserk mode and killed two Abyssals before being killed.


    "Two? Not bad, I guess." Varian didn''t feel sorry for them.


    Then Ghost ship started the journey towards Valos City in Uranus Cluster Cities.


    Enigma told him he could take the space shuttles of Shadow Guardians, but he declined.


    Though entric, Boo was more reliable.


    "How long is it going to take?" Varian asked as he looked at Earth which was quickly shrinking into a blue dot.


    Near that blue dot was a red dot that was the moon.


    "Valos City, un, ten days."


    "Say what?!" Varian almost flipped the table.


    Behind him was the vast, empty ck space. There were asionally one or two glittering lights¡ªa patrolling space shuttle or a distantoid.


    Of course, he could turn back and always nce at the two bright suns, bute on! Ten days of travel was too much.


    Boo was bbergasted at Varian''s reaction.


    "Master, do you think we are going on a vacation to another city? We are almost traveling from one end of the Sr System to another end. Of course, it''d take time.


    Even if you take the best space shuttles of the federation, it''d take two weeks at least."


    Varian''s shoulders slumped.


    "No other way?"


    "If I wasn''t damaged, heck, if I could repair my space sub-system even a bit, we could reach there like in 1 day."


    "¡­" Varian covered his face.


    "Well¡­then teleportation formations are the only answer."


    "Haa~" Varian knew the army was so protective of teleportation formations, but only now did he practically experience it.


    Suppose a war started and reinforcements needed to be sent, then 10 days of travel time would mean that by the time these reinforcements arrived, the war would''ve been lost.


    "Teleportation formations have very strict usage requirements. Forget it." Varian waved his hand.


    Ten days¡­he needed to be alone on this ghost¡ªWait!


    "Boo, wake up those three." Varian stretched his arms and grinned.


    "Right away! You can go all out, master. Even though I limited their strength, they''re peak level 6s anyway."


    "I will." Varian''s smile widened.


    Soon, he entered the training room built of reinforced walls.


    "Wua."


    "Eh?"


    "Hum"


    The three ex-assassins opened their eyes and saw a young man grinning at them.


    Their minds were cloudy and they couldn''t remember anything. All they had in their mind was onemand.


    Kill!


    Space distorted as lightning roiled and the wind was punched.


    Varian looked at their attacks and raised his fist. "YES!"


    *** *** ***


    Ghostship took no breaks and passed Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus.


    After two and half days of further travel, they neared a group of glowing cities in the dark space.


    By normal human standards, these cities were all far apart by tens of thousands of miles.


    But viewing them from ghost ship, they were incredibly close. Like a cluster of shining stars.


    "Master, we''ve reached the Uranus'' Cluster Cities."

 Chapter 350 - Valos City

    "Master, we''ve reached the Uranus'' Cluster Cities."


    Following Boo''s words, three muffled voices sounded from the training room before its white doors opened.


    Slowly, a silhouette walked out of the room.


    Boo was gobsmacked as it stared at the person who seemed to be painted in red. Arge part of his back was charred. His left arm dropped like it was disjointed and there were countless holes on his body, with pieces of missing flesh.


    Even his breathing was ragged as he dragged himself out of the room and walked into the shower room.


    "¡­" Varian didn''t utter a word as he downed a high-quality healing potion under the shower and transformed into his half-tree state.


    His hands grew into branches, his legs resembled a tree trunk and his feet were now close to roots.


    The water from the shower slowly washed away the blood on his face, revealing a satisfied expression.


    "¡­Monster! Battle Maniac!" Boo clutched its head and eximed. During the training, it was supposed to check on him.


    But except for the emergency system¡ªwhich automatically acts if he''s in danger, Varian didn''t grant Boo ess to the training room.


    Who knew he was training like this?


    Boo wanted to lecture Varian.


    Continuous battles like this would easily cause hidden injuries to umte. Once you reach high levels, these injuries woulde back to bite you.


    But then it remembered something.


    Varian was¡­peculiar to put it nicely.


    Could someone who broke something as fundamental as three divine paths per person really be held down bymon sense stuff like hidden injuries?


    "I don''t know what kind of monster master is. Thankfully, only Sarah knows his other paths.


    But hey, I was expecting way more reaction from her. Why did she ept it so simply?!" Boo was frustrated.


    If Sarah was so utterly shocked that she couldn''t speak a word for hours, then Boo would feel that someone else was also sharing its burden.


    But no!


    She just asked a few questions and let him off the hook!


    Damn it! I even prepared popcorn to watch you interrogate him!


    This cute ghost is disappointed in you, Sarah Albert!


    "I''m team Sia! Unlike Sarah, she''ll interrogate master well. Hehehe." Boo tried to chuckle in an evil manner.


    "Hoho¡ª"


    "Sarah? Interrogate? Hmmm?" Varian''s voice suddenly cut off itsughter.


    As he just came out of training, he was exuding a scary killing intent. It was so severe that even Boo paled like it saw some ghost and blurted out.


    "S-Sarah, I thought s-she''d i-interrogate, I mean, ask you more about your d-divine¡­paths." Boo didn''t add that it wanted to see Varian interrogated.


    Varian arched a brow at Boo''s reaction. The noticing the situation, he pulled back his killing intent.


    "Sorry about that, Boo."


    "Y-yes, yes."


    "And Sarah? She''s not the type to pry into secrets." Varian shrugged. Even when he revealed to her that he was the dreamer, she didn''t ask much about it.


    It just wasn''t in her personality to pry for secrets. If he revealed it, she''d listen. But she''d usually not take the initiative to ask.


    ''The academy should''ve begun already. Did she get a chance to meet master? They must be worried.''


    Still, Varian wasn''t too worried about it. They''d meet sooner orter.


    "Boo, get to Valos City. This is the address." Varian tapped on hism and disyed the sr coordinates.


    Boo nodded and the ghost ship streaked towards one of the twenty cities in the cluster.


    As they approached, the sight changed from a shining object in the space to a vast, disc-shaped city.


    The first thing Varian observed was naturally the size of the city. It was huge.


    "It''s roughly 10,000 square miles, Master."


    "Well." Varian nodded. As someone who studied a bit of history, he equated this to be approximately three times the size of Old Earth''srgest city.


    "Wait, what''s that?" Varian raised a brow and peered through the ss window.


    The city was built on a huge disc. But a disc had two sides.


    On one side was a normal city with skylines,mercialplexes, residential areas, public spaces. Of course, there were also hallmarks of any human habitations of this era¡ªtons and tons of hologram advertisements.


    He could glimpse at a few of them even from space. Though it''s because he had enhanced eyesight, those holograms were the proof that the city ''above'' the disc was a normal city.


    The problem was with the bottom city.


    It too had skylines, but they weren''t fancy or tall. They looked sturdy and exuded a rather heavy bearing.


    Some of these buildings were just outright ''ugly'' aesthetically. But there was no fashion police.


    ¡­There was only military.


    This other city at the bottom of the disc was filled with rather familiar military facilities.


    Military bases spanning miles.


    Fortified buildings affixed with thetest defense weapons that could pulverize even level 7s.


    Training halls filled with soldiers of all ranks practicing their asses off.


    "I can''t see more."


    No matter how much he tried, he only saw a ck fog.


    "It''s a protective treasure or a new technology, Master," Boo said nonchntly. "Do you want us to sneak in?"


    Varian thought for a moment and shook his head. "Forget it. Let''s go to the address."


    "Un."


    Maintaining its stealth mode, the ghost ship moved towards the ''residential side'' of Valos.


    "I know space cities in clusters have huge military bases, but¡­this is just ridiculous." Varian sighed as the ghost ship entered the atmosphere of Valos.


    It was a bright city or at least it seemed like one from the distance.


    Up close, Varian saw that along with the skylines, there were a lot of ''slum-like areas'' in the city.


    From the height of a few miles, he saw the cityscape of almost a hundred miles. It was like a microcosm of the city.


    There were uneven, and rusty apartments. And there were floating, shiningplexes.


    There were dirty streets filled with wary residents. And then there were spending neighborhoods filled with precious medical gardens, 24x7 security, and the best training facilities.


    The strong contrast told Varian why Valos got its title.


    "The City Of Depravity."

 Chapter 351 - Bitch Please!

    After a few minutes, the ghost ship reached a rather ssy but not ostentatious apartment.


    "Keep them alive, Boo." Varian pointed to the white room.


    "No probs," Boo assured.


    Then Varian dropped in in an alley close to the neighborhood and stepped on the Valos City for the first time.


    By now, he was already wearing the face mask treasure Enigma presented him. His features went from handsome to ordinary, yet his temperament was hard to conceal.


    Even though he didn''t try to, he attracted attention as he made his way towards the apartment.


    The automated neighborhood security was taken care of by Boo and he was standing in front of the apartment in a minute.


    Varian tapped hism and clicked on the final file recently sent by Enigma herself.


    He found it odd that she was following this rtively small mission, but perhaps it was because of Sia.


    {This is your first mission. If it was anyone else, I''d have said ''I don''t expect much from you, just don''t screw over.''


    But since it''s you, show me what you can do.


    This is the contact of your partner for the mission: Y7-2387A(OP)}


    ''Is that a challenge?'' Varian''s lips twitched.


    Why was she making him sound like a monster? He''s just an ordinary 18-year-old guy, okay?


    Varian contacted the ''partner'' and waited. Even though he disliked working with people, he decided not to make a fuss out of it now.


    Right from his position, Varian could see a slum outside the neighborhood walls.


    Earth also had poor people. But this was just at another level.


    ''How are people even living here? What the fuck is the governme¡ª''


    "I thought I had to pick you up at the spaceport." A crispy voice snapped him out of his thoughts.


    Varian looked up and saw a red-haired woman smiling at him. She looked to be a year old two older than him and was dressed in a red shirt and ck shorts.


    Hism notified a message.


    {Code Agent: X82-s7as. Identify yourself.}


    After he saw the message, Varian felt that the air turned heavy. There was also a killing intent locked onto him.


    Varian didn''t feel pressurized by the little killing intent but watched the woman curiously.


    Even though she was still smiling, she was ready to strike at him and take him down the moment he was proved not to be one of them.


    ''Is this the life of an agent?''


    {S001-X23.}


    He sent the message and the tension dissipated as if it never appeared. The redhead shed a little smile and gestured him into the building.


    Varian followed without a word and they entered what he presumed to be her t.


    The living room was rather simple.


    Two couches. A table. A HoloTV.


    "You like white?" The woman gestured him to be seated and asked.


    "Hm?" Varian sat down and arched a brow. Only then did he realize that he was wearing white clothes in contrast to her ck and red.


    Enigma always wore all ck.


    Was he naturally against the fashion code of Shadow Guardians?


    "I didn''t think you had a dress code." Varian shrugged.


    "There''s none. And it''s we." She corrected and crossed her legs. "New recruit?"


    "Uh-oh." Varian nodded and noticed that aura was slowly being effused from one of the rooms.


    Though not one of high quality, it did indicate that this woman had an aura concentration formation.


    So, she''s either rich or talented and in a good position.


    While Varian was assessing her, the woman gripped the couch and resisted the urge to facepalm.


    She looked at him again, this time, with more of amanding air, and said. "I''m Edwina. You can call me my name in public and in private, refer to me as mam."


    "Yeah, Edwina."


    "You''re a newbie. If you want to learn the ropes of the business, respect your seniors." She narrowed her eyes and snapped her fingers.


    The aura suddenly turned chaotic and locked onto Varian, trying to suffocate him. She wanted to assert dominance and establish a hierarchy.


    "Respect¡­" Varian leaned back into the couch carefreely and snapped his fingers.


    Boom!


    The aura lock on him was blown away resulting in a fierce wind that nearly flipped the table.


    Edwina stood up instinctually and gawked at him.


    "Respect should be earned. And Edwina, my respect is very pricey."


    "Y-You''re a level 6?! What the fuck?!" She pointed at him with wide eyes.


    "¡­.is that weird?" Varian was honestly confused. There were many, many level 6s in Shadow Order. Shadow Guardians must also have a sizable portion of them.


    "No¡­I was told that you are still young. Not even 20." Edwina sat back on the couch and took deep breaths.


    After massaging her temples, she put on a normal expression and waved her hand.


    "I saw many newbies die due to recklessness. They think they can do whatever they want once they joined the organization.


    I just wanted to make sure you aren''t¡ª"


    "It''s alright." Varian raised his hand and cut her off. "I understand the good intentions behind your actions."


    Perhaps she was honest. Perhaps she wasn''t.


    Varian wasn''t really interested to find out.


    "That''s for the best." She nodded and acted like the previous gaffe never happened.


    She wasn''t scared of him though. As a peak level 6 at a meager age of 23, she had her pride.


    It''s just, she didn''t want to deteriorate their rtionship incase it led to mission failure.


    "You were added to the mission at thest moment and I was honestly surprised. But anyway, these are the details." She said and swiped herm.


    A hologram popped up in front of Varian disying the image of a teenage girl with pink hair.


    She wore a casual outfit and shed a rather arrogant smile at the camera.


    {Betty.


    Age 19.


    Second year cadet of Miracle Academy.


    Only daughter of Colin¡ªone of the level 8s in the military zone and a high level officer.


    Target came under the surveince of unknown groups. Following the cases of other cities, there''s a 95% chance she''ll kidnapped.


    Join the academy as a second year cadet, gain her trust and prevent the kidnap.}


    Varian read the message twice and exhaled exaggeratedly.


    "Bitch please. I''m not doing this."


    And just like that, Varian''s mind started formting another n to finish the mission without following the instructions.

 Chapter 352 - The City Of Depravity [1]

    "You won''t do it?!" Edwina frowned and her voice turned cold. "This is the mission. You are doing it or I''ll personally hand you over to the higher ups."


    "¡­." Varian looked at her abnormal seriousness and clicked his tongue. Unlike him, these people really put their life on line for their missions.


    His behavior enraging her was eptable. If before, she was just trying to assert dominance, now she waspletely following rules and doing it for the organization.


    "I will do it." Varian said to cool her down. It''s not like he''s abandoning the mission.


    He just knew there were other ways to finish it than getting close with what seemed like an arrogant and bratty rich daughter.


    But until he learned about this city and the situation, he decided he''d pretend he''s following the original n.


    "It''s your first mission, so you might be tense." Edwina''s expression eased, but she still had a bit of anger on her face.


    Then she tapped on herm again and thick stacks of files popped up.


    "This is the information I collected about Betty. Her likes and dislikes. What she does everyday. Her favorite songs. Her clothes. Her most used swear words¡­"


    Varian looked at Edwina and then at the files and gulped.


    ''This is stalking on another level!''


    Then a thought popped up in his mind. ''Speaking of stalking, did Sia stalk me when I was weak¡­?''


    "I''ve prepared each and every single detail. Study them properly and approach her. Grow her trust in you and this mission will be smooth sailing." Edwina transferred the files to hism and said with a serious expression.


    In the end, she casually added.


    "I''ll get you an identity by tomorrow. You can join the Miracle Academy."


    "Direct admission to academy?" Varian was surprised.


    "I''m an alumni of the campus. And now I''m a TA. I have that much privilege." Edwina''s lips curled up and she practically overflowed with pride.


    "¡­"


    "When someone investigates, what are they gonna find out?" Varian asked.


    "You are the son of a gang leader of other city. I''m that guy''s mistress. His gang is in fight with other gang and until they''re done, you''ll live here.


    As his mistress, me arranging this admission won''t be doubted."


    Varian''s lips twitched at his new identity. Son of a gang leader? The fuck! His father was a brave soldier, alright!


    "Can you find something better?"


    "¡­Do you think we are running the government? This is the best we can find. Forging identities and making them seem credible is not easy." Edwina rolled her eyes with a displeased expression.


    In fact, even this forgery was already pushing her to the limits. But thankfully, once they use this identity, no one would doubt Varian''s sudden entry to the academy. Nor would they doubt Varian meeting her frequently.


    "Thanks, I guess." Varian said and switched the topic. "So, why kidnap her? And who?"


    Edwina stood up and walked out to the terrace. Varian followed.


    They were currently on the 135th floor and Varian saw the disturbing cityscape once more.


    Edwina''s gaze stayed on one of the buildings in the near distance. It read Miracle Middle school.


    She turned her gaze away and looked at the city with a mix of derision and frustration. "I can tell, you grew up in a safer environment.


    You don''t have to worry about being kidnapped. About the gangs that would threaten you. About the crazy fights that might end up making you a coteral.


    I envy you people."


    In fact, most of the federation was generally safe. But the closer one got to the edge, the more dangerous thes were.


    But even they weren''t as bad as these space city clusters.


    Varian didn''t reply. A part of him did wonder what would''ve happened if he was born here. But there were no what ifs.


    "Let me show you around a bit." Edwina said and gave him a normal face mask.


    Varian wore it and felt Edwina touch his shoulder. The space distorted and the next moment, they were in the middle of a bustling but chaotic street.


    "Fresh Sea Lion tendrils ! Special Discount!" Anky middle-and man yelled from a shabby stall.


    "Imported Ores! Buy now and sellter!" A fat woman shouted, pointing to the irregr stones in the boxes in front of her.


    The crowd was walking through the congested and untidy streets as if they were in a hurry.


    If there was one thing inmon, they all bowed their head while walking and wore cheap clothes.


    There was an aura of gloominess around every single person.


    He felt angry for some reason, but more than angry, he felt grief.


    "Why?" He muttered, maybe for Edwina or maybe for himself.


    Edwina looked at his disheartened expression and her impression of him improved.


    Even though he was from somewhere better off, his empathy for the people here were real.


    "Nial family is the head of Uranus and responsible for governing the Uranus Cluster Cities." Edwina said as they walked through the crowded street.


    They stepped on the cracked tiles and moved towards the opening of another street.


    Varian repelled seven pickpocketing attempts already. Most of the pickpockets were children. He didn''t get the heart to reprimand and let them go.


    Watching them sigh in relief and run away, Varian didn''t know what to say.


    "Nial family sacrificed a lot of its powerhouses to help Neptune bear the impact of a two front war with Pluto and Abyss.


    The result is this¡­" Edwina said in aplicated tone as she pointed to the buildings across the street.


    Varian''s keen senses caught everything¡ªdrugs, prostitution, robbery, moneyundering¡ªthe more he observed, the heavier his expression turned.


    Even though such things were heard asionally, in this day and age, humanity had long ovee the problems.


    But apparently a section of them still live in destitute conditions.


    "The war-stricken Nial family can''t take care of the Space Cluster cities anymore.


    We were already poor due to the resources Pluto War drained from us.


    Then shortly after, with the help of Shadow Order, the gangs sprang up. Now, there are many gangs in Valos.


    As long they don''t overstep some red lines, even the authorities turn a blind eye to their behavior." Edwina sighed.


    "But why do people keep joining the gangs? Without them, the gangs would cease to exist, no?" Varian wondered. These people know the horror of gangs firsthand, so why would they join?


    Edwina closed her eyes in pain and muttered. "Poverty induces crime. Crime promotes poverty. People enter gangs to escape poverty. And what they do in gangs make the people poor. Truly a vicious cycle."


    *** *** ***


    (This won''t cost you extra)


    A/N: Recently, there was a review stating Volume 4 has many fillers.


    There are no filler chapters in Volume 4 so far (maybe 1 or at most 2).


    Everything you learn right now might not seem relevant or useful, and some might not make even sense.


    This happened again and again, starting with Varian''s mother''s wish, Sia avoiding Varian despite caring for him and recently, Eric''s actions in the banquet which at that time seemed like author lost his brain. (there were some wildments on that chapter. lol.)


    But since you read so far, I hope you can trust me a bit more. What you read so far WILL matter and it''ll be apparent the deeper we go into this arc.


    PS: This is thest of the 5 promised chapters. Support the story if you can. Today''s thest day.. If we reach top 25 (trending, monthly, all-time), we''ll have a 10 chapter mass-release.

 Chapter 353 - The City Of Depravity [2]

    Varian shrugged with a helpless expression "If it''s on my, people would''ve¡ª"


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Varian and Edwina halted in their footsteps as a body passed in front of them and crashed against the wall right next to the small road.


    Kacha!


    The dust rose as pieces of stone, metal and soil flew out from the crashed site.


    The men and women scurried off. Since the streets were narrow, and were filled with people, Varian thought stampedes were bound to ur.


    But everyone moved masterfully, deftly avoiding bumping into each other and evacuated the street in a few seconds.


    Varian even saw an old woman using her walking stick to jump over other people.


    By the aura she emitted, she wasn''t even a body awakener!


    Then there was a kid who hugged the thighs of a muscr man and escaped!


    What the hell was going on here? Are these people trained agents or something?


    "Cossa brotherhood?." Edwina muttered and touched his shoulder. The next moment, they appeared on top of a building a few blocks away from the crash scene.


    Varian easily made out the silhouette of a maning out from the broken wall.


    The man''s shirt was torn and dust covered much of his face. Another striking fact of his features was a shark tattoo.


    "He''s from the Cosa Brotherhood. They''re one of the top gangs of the city." Edwina introduced.


    ''One of the top, huh.'' Varian noted that down and went back to observing the fight.


    The Cosa man wiped the blood dripping down his lips and yelled.


    "One of these days, Imma kill you motherfucker for good!"


    In response to him, a solid rock flew out and reached his face in the blink of an eye.


    The man crouched in a sh and looked up in a snarl. "You too bitch? You betray the brotherhood?"


    The targets of his anger were a scrawny man and a short-haired olive skinned woman were standing at one of the entrances of the street.


    "I''m a woman, you faggot! I ain''t joining no brotherhood." She yelled and flicked her hand.


    A spiky thorn made ofpact soil was created and shot at the Cosa man.


    "Y-You!" The man was obviously enraged. With veins popping up on his forehead, he roared and sped up towards her.


    Each of his step covered tens of meters and easily dodging the earth thorn, he reached her in the blink of an eye.


    "I''m still your senior, bitch!" With a cold smile, he punched down at the now pale woman.


    "W-Wait!" The woman hastily put on an earth wall, but it was swiftly broken under the man''s punch.


    She turned to the man beside her and called out to him in a pitiful tone. "Sir, help!"


    "Hmph!" All she got was a cold snort followed by words that were sharper than knife. "Your only purpose was to track him. Viper gang doesn''t need any traitors. Die!"


    And she died as the Cosa man punched her face into pieces of flesh and bones.


    The Cosa man quickly turned to the scrawny man and raised his fist. "You too will¡ªhuh?"


    Before he could finish his words, his body shuddered as he looked down to see a sword passing through his heart.


    "Cough. Cough." The Cosa man coughed out blood and raised his fist once again in an attempt to hit his enemy onest time.


    But.


    Shuaa!


    The Viper man pulled the sword out of his chest and shed it on his neck. Like a broken foundation, blood spilled out and his headless corpse copsed joined the woman''s corpse which was in the same condition.


    The blood spilled everywhere and of course, on the face of the scrawny man. He licked his lips lightly and muttered. "Wonderful."


    It was only then that Varian observed this man also had a tattoo¡ªit was on his tongue.


    The tattoo of a viper.


    "This man belongs to viper gang. Caso Brotherhood and Viper gang have been locked in a feud since a year." Edwina said casually and turned to him.


    "Both of them are under the suspect list of Betty kidnappers. You asked why they want to kidnap her, right?"


    "Hm." Varian nodded lightly, but kept watching the street. The Viper gang man picked picked the space rings of the dead, jumped onto a hover bike and drove off.


    He didn''t even bother clearing the corpses.


    "These gangs need resources to grow stronger. And who do they try to kidnap?"


    "Every person who can provide those resources. Wealthy businessmen, awakeners that are strong but not too strong, researchers, officials¡­" Varian paused abruptly and arched his brow.


    Shortly after the man left, people flooded the streets. Someone dragged off the corpses and threw them into a sewer.


    Then the hawkers started yelling once again.


    "Fresh Sea Lion tendrils ! Special Discount!"


    "Imported Ores! Buy now and sellter!"


    There were bargainings, arguments and some fights in the street. But no one, not a single soul mentioned a word of the previous murder. Nor did they speak about the corpses that was floating in the sewer beside the street.


    There was not a shred of difference from before the murder.


    "What the fuck is wrong with them?" Varian felt a sense of alienation. Even though he had seen more deaths on the battlefield, this was something different altogether.


    "What do you mean what is wrong with them? They''re perfectly fine." Edwina was more surprised by his reaction that what happened on the streets.


    "I can understand that they can''t intervene or even talk about the gang fights. Bute one, I can hear it clearly, even their heart rates didn''t change looking at the corpses. This is just abnormal."


    Edwina raised a brow and considered his question seriously. In the end, she just shrugged.


    "Happens everyday. I mean, I just wanted to show you the streets and stuff, but we came across a murder. Well, if you go sightseeing to any ce, the chance of encountering something like this is over 50%. Public see this everyday and get used to it."


    "¡­."


    And that was when Varian realized he was experiencing the two-word term.


    Cultural Shock.


    *** *** ***


    A/N: Releases ofst 2 days have been halted due to filling priv. It''s sorted out now.? The updates will be normal from the reset.


    Apologizes for the inconvenience and Thank you for your understanding.

 Chapter 354 - The City Of Depravity [3]

    To Varian''s relief, a few patrolling guards did enter the street after half an hour.


    But they didn''t ask anything about the murder nor did they seek to collect any evidence.


    They just collected the DNA samples of the corpses and left after informing someone on them.


    A few minutester, a man and woman in green clothes arrived in a vehicle.


    The man swiftly located the corpses and the woman controlled a bot to collect the corpses and threw them into what seemed like a dumping van.


    It was only then did Varian''s keen senses picked up that there were at least fifty corpses in the van.


    "Oh, new waste collectors?" Edwina raised a brow. "The old ones bribed their way out of this district, huh?"


    "Waste collectors?"


    "Think of it like your sanitation workers. For corpses."


    "¡­."


    "I forgot, you don''t have those. Must be troublesome."


    "Did you really visit Earth or any other ever?" Varian asked with a serious expression.


    "Well¡­only once. And none of these incidents happened. So I assumed it''s a military district."


    "Dear Heavens." Varian shook his head. What disturbed him more than the conditions of the city was the way in which people were ustomed to them.


    They treated it as ''normal''.


    Even Edwina, someone who knew things like this were wrong and joined Shadow Guardians couldn''tpletely see them as ''abnormal''.


    "You''ll be on a grind from tomorrow. Try out a meal. I know a good ce."


    "Sure." Varian also wanted some quiet space to think about the mission.


    A good eating ce would be perfect.


    Or so he thought.


    "Hey boss! Three more servings!"


    "Aye! Coming!"


    "You slob! Why the fuck are you cutting my portion!"


    "Aye! Stop measuring the portion after eating half!"


    "Serve my brothers some good drinks or I''ll rip your head off!"


    "Aye! Strong and spicy wine iing!"


    As Varian and Edwina were seated in a rather ssy but boisterous and borderline chaotic restaurant, he realized that there was no such thing as peaceful environment here in Valos.


    The upside was that they were sitting in a private box on the first floor.


    The downside was that it wasn''t insted properly and with his hyper senses, he could hear everything happening in the restaurant.


    He looked at Edwina who was enjoying her food with aplicated expression and asked.


    "If the Nial family is weak, then what about the local forces? They should at least try to maintain the order, right? This is 520 YAB!"


    Edwina finished the aura rich steak with relish. Despite looking like this, this restaurant''s head chef could handle level 1 ingredients to make spiritual food.


    "Nial family had vassals in Valos¡ªWeiss Family. But they too participated in the war and they''re incredibly weakened."


    "Oof~"


    "Nial family, despite its problems can maintain a good grip on Uranus. But Weiss family lost its position and is now reced by three new families. These three have connections to the underworld. So, yeah."


    "What about the military? The other side of the city ispletely a military base, right? They must have enough power." Varian recalled the first scene of Valos City.


    A disc shaped city with residential city on one side and military city on the other.


    "Military?" Edwina wiped her mouth and looked at him quizzically. "They''re preventing Shadow Order, the Chaos Families and sometimes, truly dangerous attacks from the gangs. Their hands are full."


    Varian sighed and gave up. Valos is what it is.


    "Besides," Edwina continued. "If they spend manpower here and something happens in the military base, they''ll face severe punishments."


    "And," She raised her voice, but it was filled with destion. "The army did try removing the gangs once.


    They paid a big price, but they did it. And you know what happened?"


    Naturally, Varian shook his head.


    Edwina smiled in contempt, at her own answer. "The gangs sprang up in matter of months.


    The Shadow Order and the Chaos families are the root. They will keep creating gangs."


    Varian was about to question about the Chaos families when the door sprang open and a little boy walked in.


    "Big brother, do you want to order anything more?" The kid was only 10 years old and was wearing worn out clothes.


    "¡­" Varian couldn''t speak and simply sighed.


    "He''s full. He really likes it here, Billy." Edwina ruffled the boy''s hair and smiled.


    "Hehehe." Billy smiled sheepishly and turned to Varian who simply nodded. "Sister Yumi, thanks for bringing him here."


    "Oh? How did you recognize me? I am wearing a mask you know?" Edwina asked lightly.


    Indeed, before moving in public, Edwina and Varian wore two face masks. They were rather simple, but even level 3 awakeners would find it hard to find the differences.


    "Hehe. Only you will ruffle my hair and call me Billy." The boy said with a smug smile.


    ''Yumi?'' Varian squinted his eyes. So, Edwina was using a fake identity for such asions. Not unexpected.


    Fake names. Fake faces. Fake identities.


    "Big brother, what''s your na¡ª"


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The entrance to the restaurant was knocked open as a green-haired man stepped in.


    "Boss, this month''s protection fee. Are you giving it or should I take it?" The man yelled.


    There was a clear shark tattoo on his neck indicating his affiliation. Cosa Brotherhood.


    "Aye! I was about to visit you, Peter. You just showed up." The restaurant boss, a chubby man with an amicable smile ran out and presented a small pouch.


    "Hmm?" The green-haired man, Peter rummaged through the small pouch and frowned. "Why less?"


    His body exuded a level 2 aura causing the boss'' face to pale. "I-I need a bit for my daughter''s midschool tuit¡ª"


    Pa!


    A clear p rang across the restaurant as the boss clutched his swollen cheek.


    Peter retracted his hand and snorted. "Listen up, you worm. You don''t need shit. I protect your restaurant from being trashed. I''m the reason you are able to earn anything."


    "Y-Yes, yes." The boss nearly had tears in his eyes, but he kept nodding vehemently.


    "Now beg me. If I''m satisfied, maybe, just maybe I''ll let you off this time.." Peter crossed his arms and smirked.

 Chapter 355 - The City Of Depravity [4]

    "¡­sir, please grant me some money just for this once. With your generosity, my daughter will be able to study in a good school. She''ll have a bright fut¡ª"


    Pa!


    Another loud p reverberated in the restaurant as the boss clutched his another cheek.


    This time, his palm covering the cheek was touching a sticky, warm liquid.


    "Boring!" Peter shook his head and raised his hand.


    "P-Please!" The boss begged once again. "I''ll repay you twice the amount!"


    "Now we''re talking." Peter nodded. "Let''s see, you''re giving me 30% profits and twice of that is¡­"


    "60%"


    Pa!


    "It''s 75% you fool!" Peter pped him again and bellowed.


    "¡­yes. Whatever you say." The boss didn''t fight back. It was useless.


    At least, it''d be 75% only for one month. At least their safety was guaranteed. At least, no one would sell him and his family as ves.


    "If you try to act smart again, your repayment will double. That''s 200%." Peter grinned widely and pped the boss on the head, causing him to crash onto the floor.


    He turned around and walked out, hisst words lingering in the air. "Of course, if it''s too costly, you can always sell your daughter. She''s young and will make a good thug."


    "¡­." The bossid on the ground for several minutes after the thug was gone and rose to his feet in the next moment.


    He applied a cream on his cheeks and rushed to the kitchen.


    "Aye! Shorry for the dy! Dwishes iing!" His voice was still cheerful as if nothing happened.


    It''s just¡­his swollen cheeks caused some of his words to be muffled.


    "¡­."


    Varian looked at Edwina grabbing his hand and sighed. For some reason, he was tempted to go down and beat up that guy.


    Earlier, he didn''t care about the murder as it was a fight between two gangs and the involved were not innocents.


    But now, he found it hard to ignore.


    Edwina stopped him in thest moment. "If you interfere, you''ll only make things worse."


    Her words caused him to freeze in his tracks.


    He could beat up Peter and help the boss and leave safely after the fight.


    But what about the boss? He''s been living here for years. His friends, family and rtives¡ªeveryone he knew were living in this city.


    Varian could change his identities and not worry about being targeted by the gangs, not the boss.


    After failing to find him, the gang would shift the anger to the boss.


    Varian freed his hand from her grip and slumped into his chair with an exhausted sigh.


    He hated this city.


    But more than the city, he hated people who made it this way.


    Shadow Order. Chaos Families.


    "Don''t think too much. They''ve adapted to this life." Edwina consoled him. Maybe she was consoling herself.


    Even though she was used to living her, she too knew this was wrong.


    "Adapt? What adapt?" Billy looked at them curiously. This was the only way of life he knew.


    "Billy, aren''t you enraged by seeing how your boss is treated?" Varian asked lightly.


    Forget Billy, a little child. None of the customers, grown men and women, and some Awakeners who were even at peak level 1, didn''t voice out their opinions against Peter.


    "Um. I''m very very angry. I want to kill that son of a bitch." Billy answered honestly.


    Despite his immature face, his hatred was evident. It''s just¡­Varian was surprised by thenguage.


    ''Well, I can''t expect him to not curse after growing up hearing them everyday.''


    "Then what do you want to do?" Varian asked curiously.


    Billy froze for a second and bit his lip. Then he raised his head and said with determined eyes.


    "I-I will work hard and enroll into M-Miracle high school."


    ''Hm?'' Varian turned to Edwina.


    She gave Billy a surprised look and answered. "It''s a school run by the same board members as Miracle Academy. It''s THE leading high school of Valos."


    "Oh, then work hard, Billy." Varian gave the boy an encouraging smile.


    As the door to the private box was opened by Billy when he came in, other customers in the resturantant could clearly hear the conversation.


    "Hahaha! This brat? Miracle high school?"


    "Give me a break! If he can do it, then Valos will have no murders."


    "Pfft. Hahaha."


    "Exactly! It''s best not to day dream. Do your waiter job properly, kiddo."


    The restaurant was filled withughter and taunts. Billy clenched his fists and lowered his head.


    ''When I was a kid and said I wanted to be a Sovereign, I was treated like this too. Fuck you, public opinion'' Varian recalled those days and he felt a surge of anger.


    "Shut up! Grow a pair and dare to dream. At least, this little fellow has more courage than you lot." Varian said lightly, but everyone felt the tremendous aura fluctuations from his body.


    He only released aura of level 3, yet everyone in the restaurant instantly shut up.


    The ones whomented earlier started to tremble and prostrated on the spot.


    "S-Sir, please forgive me!"


    "Don''t kill me. I will give you all my treasures."


    "I¡­I don''t have any treasures. B-But don''t kill me, I can sell my organs!"


    "¡­."


    Varian was once again taken aback. Even though strength yed a vital role in one''s standing in the federation, it wasn''t this extreme.


    On Earth, a level 3 couldn''t kill people at will. If you did, you''d be be punished properly.


    Only when you reach high levels do you really start stepping into the zone of beyond rules.


    Even then, even awakeners of level 9 have some red lines they shouldn''t cross or they''d be persecuted.


    Only Sovereigns were treated as above thew.


    But receiving the same treatment as a level 3, Varian didn''t know how to feel. He withdrew his aura and said. "Get out."


    "Yes! Yes!"


    They all smiled and even cried before they scurried out of the restaurant.


    Varian rubbed his temples and turned to Billy.


    "Billy, don''t worry about what they say. Try your best."


    "Hm! Thank you, Big Brother!" Billy smiled brightly and said with confidence. "I will definitely graduate from the Miracle high school. I must."


    "Oh? What are you gonna do afterwards?" Varian asked with a curious expression.


    "I will go to bigger restaurants and collect higher protection fees!" Billy raised his head and dered with an aspiring face.


    "Huh?" Varian though he misheard.


    p!


    p!


    "Wonderful!"


    "I wish my son was also like this."


    "Yes, there are bigger restaurants in Valos. The guys who collect the fees there are fare more richer! I heard they even have a big mansion!"


    "You really have a big dream, boy."


    Varian was dumfounded hearing all the praises showered upon Billy. He could tell from their heartbeat fluctuations and their expressions that most of them weren''t lying.


    They genuinely felt it was an honorable dream.


    What the actual fuck?!


    "You don''t want to dream something like abolishing the gangs or fighting the Order?" He asked in a deste voice.


    The restaurant suddenly fell silent.


    For one, mentioning of the Order was usually rare. Second, the content itself.


    Billy snorted and looked at Varian angrily. "Big Brother, even though I''m only a kid, don''t treat me like a fool. Abolishing gangs? It''s impossible."


    "Hahah! The expert must be testing you, Billy."


    "Yes, yes. You just passed his test."


    "Even kids know it''s not impossible. Maybe he was just messing with you."


    The voices of the customers flooded in.


    "Haaa~" Varian sighed deeply and looked at Edwina who just shrugged in response.


    "Get used to it."


    "¡­Right." Varian clutched his forehead and nodded.


    Billy''s response really hit home what life in Valos really stood for.


    Varian felt gratitude for his childhood life on earth. Despite its shitty problems, it was way better than Valos.


    "If you get into the Miracle high school, find me and I''ll give you a big gift." Varian ruffled Billy''s hair and his figure blurred.


    Billy looked at the spot Varian previously stood in shock. "So fast." Then he turned to Edwina¡ªshe too disappeared. "Like always."


    "Boss, the guests of box B-4 left." Billy shouted.


    "Did they pay?"


    "Fuck! I forgot to ask!" Billy almost peed his pants realizing the consequences.


    He looked onto the table and sighed in relief. Thankfully, thankfully¡­


    "With double tip!" Billy''s cheerful voice sounded.


    *** ***


    Thank you for your support.. It means a lot to me.

 Chapter 356 - Miracle Academy [1]

    Edwina showed around the city to Varian and by the time they returned to her residence, it was alreadyte night.


    He entered the guest room and sat on his bed. The cold breeze of the night swayed gently in the room, rustling the papers on the study table.


    Those papers were the hardcopy files of Betty. Passing them onto him, Edwina reminded him in a serious tone.


    "Study everything you can. Tomorrow, you will join the university."


    Of course, Varian diligently put them on table and asked Boo to study them.


    Rule 1: Never do the work you can delegate.


    "Boo, while you''re at it, give me the information about Valos'' gangs and other dark organizations." Varian sat cross legged on the bed and leaned against the wall.


    "Just a minute, master."


    "Also, investigate all important recent happenings in Valos City."


    "Well¡­there''s a problem."


    "Hm?"


    "A lot of things are kept under the rugs. Unlike Earth or others, Valos doesn''t even have cameras covering the majority of the city.


    For example, today''s murder you witnessed. It''s written off as a fighting due to personal grievances. Valos'' database stores their identities, but not the reasons for their fights. There is little to no data on why they fought."


    "Haa~" Varian sighed and waved his hand. "Find what you can."


    Then he tapped on hism and studied the powers of the city.


    Even though his mission was only to prevent a kidnapping case, Varian wanted to do more. That motive was only intensified after what he saw today.


    Billy''s answer really made him think. If he wanted to the change situation, he needed? more information.


    First, he started with the history of Valos City.


    It was prosperous before the war but was always under the harassment of Shadow Order.


    Shortly after the war, with the weakening of local governing bodies, and crumbling economy, Shadow Order lured people and trained gangs.


    This was the beginning of the nightmare that became a reality.


    Then there were Chaos families, ck market,¡­.


    As Varian moved from topic to topic, time passed and he was immersed in the study.


    Knock. Knock.


    Until he was interrupted by Edwina.


    "Time to go."


    "I guess." Varian got up from the bed.


    *** *** ***


    Miracle Academy was the top institution of Valos City. Despite its crime and poverty, Valos had talented people.


    Talented and hardworking teens from normal backgrounds sought to join in this academy and secure a bright future.


    To them, a bright future meant serving in the army and escaping this hell of a city.


    Of course, most of them didn''t know how bad they had it here.


    Valos had a weird, but all epassing censorship enforced by an array of powerful groups. As a result, most citizens don''t know much about the federation''s living conditions.


    But of course, the stronger you are, the easier it is to break the censorship and learn about the real world.


    The ones who saw bits and pieces of life in the federation or even heard of those too good to be true tales of life in federation worked their asses off for the one shot to change their lives.


    But that''s not all.


    Miracle academy was also attended by the children of all major powers of Valos.


    With factions, violence, agendas, andworks, Miracle academy was in a sense a microcosm of the city itself.


    And today, the academy is opening after a mid-semester break.


    "Seriously, how did you do it?" Edwina asked Varian with wide eyes. She was dressed in a professional attire¡ªck shirt and professional ck skirt. Even ck heels.


    ''Is every member of Shadow Guardians obsessed with ck dress code?'' Varian asked her in the morning.


    ''You''re the one to talk.'' She immediately countered, pointing to his all white dress.


    "Are there others who are helping you? I am the captain for this mission, why didn''t I know?" Edwina tapped on the window of the hover car and kept looking at the virtual ID in front of her every five seconds.


    Finally, she turned to Varian and asked again. "Just how did you do it?"


    The ID was just ridiculous.


    {Edgar nc.


    Illegitimate son of mayor Andrew nc in Uranus'' Umbriel City.


    Conditions: Forced to leave the house as the mayor''s legal wife threatened to divorce him otherwise. Without her family''s support, he''d lose his post.


    The fierce mayor loves his post but also his son. So, he sent his son to Valos so that his mistress Edwina can take care of him.


    If questioned about it, he''d deny having such son adamantly. But should harm befall his son, he''ll be enraged and will do everything for revenge.}


    Edwina gave him the ID she prepared.


    But not even in her dreams did she think that he''d change the ID into apletely new one in a matter of minutes.


    The scariest part?


    Even after she used her best connections and had the ID checked, no ws were found.


    She almost believed it was his real identity and that he was the mayor''s son who was just ying pranks on her.


    She even called the customer care of Shadow Guardians toin.


    ''Why are you guys teasing me like this?''


    Only after they reassured her he was from Earth did she ept the reality.


    "How¡­?" Varian tapped his chin and looked at the curious redhead. Her eyes were sparkling with curiosity.


    Perhaps if it was a normal man, he would''ve revealed everything.


    But Varian simply shrugged and got off the hover car. "Secret."


    "W-Wait!" Edwina followed, without realizing the dynamic between them had changed. She was no longer the one leading the conversations.


    "Not bad, I guess." Varianmented as he looked at the academy.


    It was much better than the shabby building he expected it to be. It was arge campus spanning a few hundred acres.


    There was arge red wall enclosing the perimeter and armed forces every few miles across the red wall.


    Not only that, Varian could sense some dangerous auras.


    Level 7s!


    Even though they were only a couple of them, in a city like Valos, it was enough to prove that security was taken extremely seriously.


    "Don''t be surprised. In this city of depravity, if there is a public ce with luxury and safety, it''s the academy." Edwina said as they walked towards one of the huge gates.


    To enter, you must undergo a security check.


    It was a fiveyered check: three with bots, two with level 5 awakeners.


    After the customary check, the guards saluted Edwina. "Wee, Mam."


    "Hm." She nodded apathetically.


    Edwina was a Teaching Assistant (TA) at the Miracle Academy and also its alumni. At the age of 22, she reached the peak of level 6. After a year of intense training, she''s closer to hitting the bottleneck.


    At the age of 23, her strength wasparable to the top 10 geniuses in the Sr Trial.


    But talent wise, she was far from the likes of Ashtarh and Xavier.


    However, in any, she''d be one of the top geniuses. If things went as nned, she''d reach level 7 by the age of 28 at least and 29 at most.


    Owing to her genius, she had certain privileges within the academy. After graduating as a cadet, she chose to join the academy as TA right away. Thus, herwork only strengthened since.


    That was the reason she was able to bring Varian into the academy without much hassle.


    Of course, if he was just a level 2 or level 3, she wouldn''t be able to do it.


    Varian showed his college ID.


    {Edgar.


    Second Year Cadet. (Second Year Cadet)


    Mid Level 5}


    The guard looked at Varian''s level once again for confirmation and took a deep breath. ''Genius.''


    "Just remember, no killings in the academy." He said cordially and let him in.


    "Kill? Me? No way?" Varianughed it off as he walked in.

 Chapter 357 - Miracle Academy [2]

    "This is the transfer student. Edgar nc." The head professor introduced the silver-haired young man.


    Sporting a short beard on his angr face, he looked handsome, to say the least.


    But there was a detached temperament on his body as if he was asking everyone to stay away.


    At least that''s how Liluh, the ss monitor felt.


    ''Transfer student after mid-sem?''


    This question was shared by most of the students, but no one asked. They didn''t care enough.


    "Introduce yourself, and be seated¡­there." The professor pointed to a seat right beside a pink-haired girl causing the boys to gasp in shock.


    Varian nodded and without an extra word, reached the seat at the back next to the window.


    Without ncing at the pink-haired girl who was engrossed in browsing herm, he got seated.


    "You will have a test tomorrow." The professor announced. Some cadets fired up, others deted.


    ''Boo, find information about everyone in the ss.'' Even though the information in a city like Valos was limited, it was still something.


    And why did he want that information?


    Varian nced at Betty with the corner of his eye.


    It wasn''t just him, many boys were peeking at her. But he had no goodwill towards her as others did.


    In fact, he felt repulsion. Varian wasn''t sure at first, but as the ss went on, he slowly understood.


    Betty giggled from time without a care in the world. A cadet not only not paying attention but also disturbing the lecture.


    And then were her nces.


    Whenever she nced at others, there was absolute disdain in her eyes. Especially when she looked at cadets with high-ss clothes¡ªcadets from a normal background, there was naked loathing in her gaze.


    From the bottom of her heart, she considered them inferior to her.


    ''Ah!'' Varian finally understood why he had such a repulsive feeling towards her at first sight. Hate on first sight of sorts.


    She was exactly like Narcis.


    ''Does every academy have people like this?'' He wondered.


    Initially, he was dead serious in stopping the kidnapping. But he was already having second thoughts.


    He could let her get kidnapped and then save her. At least, she''d get some punishment.


    "Varian." The professor looked at him abruptly, causing Varian to freeze for a split second and set his thoughts on fire.


    ''Wait, how? Enigma said this mask can hide from even level 8s¡­'' Varian''s head spun as he alerted Boo.


    ''Be ready. At any moment.'' Ghost ship had one teleportation formation. It''s a one-off thing, but it could save his life.


    ''Haa~'' Varian took a deep breath and looked at the professor with a serious look.


    I underestimated you, old man. I don''t know how you found out my identity, but I''ll escape. The price I''m paying is too huge, I''ll make you rep¡ª


    "Varian is a first-year cadet who fought second years in the trial and won." The professor shifted his gaze and exined.


    "For real?"


    "I call bull!"


    "Proff, bad joke."


    Naturally, no cadet believed him. The professor stroked his long beard and chuckled. Clicking on hism, he said.


    "Let''s see his battle clips first."


    The battle between Varian and Ahri was yed out.


    Ahri, sister of Ashtarh was one of the famous geniuses of Neptune.


    The knowledgeable ones of Miracle Academy knew her strength. To them, she was like a legend.


    But now¡­she was defeated!


    The ss fell silent as everyone stared dumbly at the hologram.


    Varian resisted the urge to facepalm.


    "What I want to show you is his battle forms andbat tactics." The professor paused the video andid out his analysis.


    "¡­."


    This time, even Betty stopped whatever she was doing and listened carefully.


    "Alright, I''ll leave it at that. Be prepared for your test." The professor left after those words.


    The lecture hall got noisy and Varian felt a few intense stares on him. He noted the most intense stares came from two guys.


    The first was a green-haired handsome young man. With a perfect build and a noble temperament, he looked like a prince.


    ''Liluh Grant. Son of the illustrious Grant family.''


    ording to his research, Grant was one of the families that recently rose up. They invested in some good businesses and were one of the wealthier families of Valos.


    The second was from a young man with dirt-blonde hair and a medium build. He didn''t possess any outstanding features except his eyes. His intense eyes stared at Varian with a warning.


    ''Stay away from her.'' They said.


    "Transferring at a time like this, did your father kick you out?" Betty turned to him and asked.


    Varian ignored her and got into thinking.


    To kidnap Betty inside this campus was nigh impossible. If the kidnappers were any sensible, then wouldn''t even try it inside the academy.


    Even though Miracle Academy was far weaker than Imperial Defense Academy, it had a few level 8 powerhouses.


    And in Valos City, level 8 was considered to be near peak strength.


    "Hey, you! How dare you ignore my question? Are you deaf, mongrel?" Betty''s pink hair swayed as she stood up and red at Varian.


    ''What a stuck-up bitch.''


    Varian resisted the urge to p her. If she really pushed him to the limits, then that''s another matter.


    To be honest, Varian wanted to show off his strength and cause others to investigate his fake identity.


    Once they find he''s the son of a level 9, even if illegitimate, they''d think thrice before acting on him.


    ''Come on, at times like this, there should be some arrogant young masters, no?'' Varian looked around and saw cadets taking in groups pointing at him. But none of them came to him.


    ''Tsk. I''m waiting for you, my bait.''


    Propping his chin on his hand, Varian closed his eyes and thought of the situation at hand.


    ''If I were the kidnapper, I''d ce a spy with Betty. This brat also has powerful bodyguards, but I don''t know how powerful they are.


    Since she''s only recently targeted, the spy will try to get closer to her or is in the process of doing it.


    All I need to do is keep an eye out.


    If I can find out who''s behind the kidnapping, then I can find their motives. Why did so many kidnapping cases rise in Uranus Cluster cities?


    For aura crystals?


    Aura crystals for what?


    Is it a treasure? A protection agreement? A weapon?


    I guess I''ll find soon.''


    "Hey, faggot! We got a word for you." A rough voice broke Varian''s train of thought.


    Varian''s eyes snapped open as he stared at the group of four young men and two young women staring at him with a malicious smile.


    They expected him to either freak out or apologize or both.


    But instead, Varian did something that waspletely out of their expectations.


    He stood up with a smile and strolled out. "I know a good ce for fights. Follow me."


    The boy leading the pack was dumbfounded. Wasn''t that supposed to be his line?


    He turned to the green-haired ss monitor for guidance.


    ''Show him some pain.'' Liluh Grant signaled with his eyes and the group nodded.


    Following Varian, they reached a rather deserted park on the campus.


    "How did you know this ce?" The pack leader asked in shock. Was this a prepared attack or something?


    "I made preparations." Varian smiled and raised his fists. "Resist too much and it''ll hurt like hell."


    As he said, his aura unfolded onto them.


    The group of six instantly crumbled under his aura.


    "L-Level 5!" They muttered in disbelief.


    "Save your surprises forter," Varian said and appeared in front of the pale six.


    "Thanks for making my future stay here peaceful"


    His fist covered in aura reached them in the blink of an eye.

 Chapter 358 - Miracle Academy [3]

    Wiping the dust off his hands, Varian strolled with hands in his pockets.


    The six were¡­dealt with appropriately.


    He didn''t go too far. He just broke a couple of their bones and had them scream in pain. Then he uploaded the video to the internal forum.


    ''I''m not evil.'' Varian affirmed himself.


    He yed his cards right.


    In Miracle Academy, being level 5 in the second year was a pretty big deal. So, firstly, no one would try to pick on him.


    Thest thing Varian wanted on this mission was a stupid disturbance from cadets who still acted like kids.


    But more importantly, the professors, instructors, and even the other organizations whose children studied in the academy would investigate his background.


    Once they did, they''d not bother him.


    That''s not to say they''d let him do whatever he wanted. If push came to shove, they could hire assassins and me it on Shadow Order.


    But it''s still risky.


    Unless he pushed them, they''ll keep their distance from him.


    And that was all Varian wanted.


    "Kick this bastard!"


    "You prick! Why don''t you drop out?!"


    "Stop dreaming! Your Weiss family lost."


    Varian stopped in his tracks and looked to his left.


    His gaze passed by therge ssy building and locked onto an empty parking lot.


    Three young men were beating up a guy of simr age.


    Boo scanned their identities and Varian instantly understood the gist of the matter.


    The bullied guy was a member of the Weiss Family¡ªa vassal of the Nial family that had now declined.


    The three were from the new families that took over that power and were currently the most powerful families in the city¡ªcalled New Pirs.


    Just like their families, they too bullied members of the Weiss family.


    "Hm?! Talk!"


    "You son of a bitch!"


    The boy was kicked in the stomach as he coughed out blood, but he didn''t utter a word.


    He simply stared at the three bullies with indifferent eyes. His body was responding to the pain, but his mind¡­his mind was indifferent.


    "Fuck you!" The third guy punched him in the face and knocked him out.


    Da! Da!


    Hism beeped and in a few seconds, a few bots came and transferred the fainted guy to the infirmary.


    "Tch. If we can only kill him."


    "It''s a strict order from Mayor."


    "That coward. He deserves to be beaten up like this."


    Varian watched in silence as they slurred abuses at the person they just bullied.


    ''Families of these guys should be exterminated.'' Varian felt a surge of anger but suppressed it quickly.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Before he could think further, dust rose into the air as two silhouettes passed in front of him and crashed into the ground.


    Kacha!


    Varian recognized them to be two slender girls.


    The girl with red hair was covered in ming armor as she punched with all her strength.


    She was countered by the girl with blue hair and was bathed in shining water.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The aftermath of their attacks affected the surroundings and caused the tiles on the ground to crack.


    "Die! Bitch!"


    "Right at you! Whore!"


    Varian distanced himself from the mad women and rushed towards the campus exit.


    Even though bullying existed in Imperial Defense Academy, it wasn''t so extensive or so deep.


    Moreover, private fights were prohibited there.


    But here, anyone could fight anyone anywhere as long as they don''t be killed.


    Even though he didn''t interfere in the fight, Varian did notice their background information.


    The redhead was the chief heiress of the Gnuc gang while the blue was one for the Soprano gang.


    These gangs each had a peak level 7 and were locked in a tight fight. So, they too defined themselves as each other''s enemies.


    ''Seriously, what the fuck is this academy?'' By the time he reached the exit, Varian saw ten more fights.


    Shaking his head, Varian left the academy.


    He saw Betty in the distance. She got into a luxury hovercar and shot off. There were two escort cars protecting her at any moment.


    ''Boo, can you lock her position?'' Varian asked.


    ''I can lock herm. But they''ll remove it the moment they try to kidnap her.''


    ''No worries. Just track her. Also, track thems of every guy in the ss.'' Varian got into a cab and headed to avish hotel.


    Once his identity as the mayor''s son was found out, it''s no longer suitable to stay with Edwina. So, Varian picked a high-end hotel and spent money like water as he picked the king suite.


    After entering the king suite, he did the daily task of using his mental power to move a bit of the fog covering his memories.


    ''Master, we have a problem.'' Boo informed him.


    "What''s that?" Varian arched a brow.


    "People in Valos, especially those in high positions are constantly spied upon. So, they don''t usems. They use Alpha orbs."


    "Alpha orbs¡­" Varian''s brows knit together. These things worked primarily? Abyssal technology.


    Though they didn''t recems, if sensitive information was only sent through Alpha orbs, then Varian wouldn''t be able to gain any useful info.


    "I can still track anything they do throughm, but Alpha Orbs, it''s very hard." Boo lowered its head and confessed in a low voice.


    "Don''t worry too much, Boo. Just do what you can." Varian consoled it, but he was already thinking of how to solve the issue.


    Till now, Varian relied on Boo''s ability to gather information & hacking and used them to his great advantage.


    But Valos city didn''t have a proper database or surveince to gather information from.


    Boo couldn''t hack the Alpha orbs. Not yet, at least.


    While Varian spent the night trying to find a solution, the Miracle Academy forum was on fire.


    "Edgar! The new genius!"


    "He''s gonna shake the rankings!"


    "Second-year level 5! How rare these are! He''s already top 10 in the second year!"


    After praises, questions naturally arose.


    "But who is he? Why is he here?"


    "...."


    Except for a few, no one knew. And the ones that didn''t speak out.


    Until one spoke of a rumor.


    "He¡­he is the son of a very high ranking officer of Uranus."


    Of course, Varian was the one that leaked the rumor.


    His n worked and the next day, no one came to bother him.


    The test began and Varian also found the opportunity to find the spy.

 Chapter 359 - The Spy

    Like all academies, Miracle academy also had a test after mid-sem.


    The theoretical part and the practical part.


    Of course, no one cared about the theoretical test.


    As Awakeners and especially, awakeners in a city like Valos, the people here had a deep respect for strength.


    After a brief written test, the cadets were taken to a dungeon floating outside the Valos City.


    Spie. Mid Dungeon.


    The second years were asked to raid the dungeon and collect the magic beast cores.


    The ranking was based on cores and thus, the practical testmenced.


    Despite his strength, Varian didn''t act out of line.


    He simply ughtered a couple low level 5 beasts and exited the dungeon.


    After an hour, the test ended.


    "I will announce the rankings now." The instructor wearing a grey military uniform said out loud.


    The second year cadets stood in a square formation as they awaited his words¡­just kidding, they were sprawled all over the ce as they discussed their exploits, bragged about their fights or simply rested after the exhausting fights.


    ''Disciple¡­discipline.'' Varian was appalled by their behavior.


    ''Wait¡­I''m the one to talk. I waste for my academy on the first day.'' But still, how could these boys and girls be soldiers who''d defend others?


    To his relief, Varian found a small subsection of people standing straight and waiting for the announcements.


    ''Light in darkness. Darkness in light.''


    "10th ce. Calida."


    "9th ce. Biance."


    It was the red-haired girl and blue-haired girls that fought yesterday.


    The blue-haired girl, Biance raised her head in a smug smile and flipped a middle finger to Calida, the redhead.


    Varian took a breath and checked their levels. Since they weren''t experts at hiding their aura, he could even see their specific sublevel.


    [Calida. Low Level 5. Fire Path.]


    [Biance. Low Level 5. Water Path.]


    "8th ce¡­"


    "7th ce¡­"


    Varian found all of them to be low level 5.


    Then came the three guys who were beating up the Weiss family boy. The young masters of the new pir families.


    "6th¡­"


    "5th¡­"


    "4th¡­"


    The three young masters were absolutely bbergasted. As the children of Valos'' most powerful families, they weren''t even in top 3, dammit!


    Varian facepalmed internally.


    ''I just swung my sword a couple of times and returned. I should''ve held back more.''


    ''"3rd ce. Edgar." The instructor announced and his gazended on the transfer student.


    ording to the investigation, this silver-haired boy''s background was big. But since he was forced to live in Valos, his strength wasn''t enough.


    ''Even level 5 is not enough? Are our standards too low or are their standards too high?'' He wondered.


    At the same time, the crowd began to chatter about his rank.


    If it was yesterday, someone would have jumped out and said something like.


    "He must be cheating! I am ABC young master! There''s no way I can lose to a nobody like him!"


    But after watching Varian''s show of strength, no one questioned him.


    Being high profile also had its uses.


    Varian looked at the three young masters who were now ring daggers at him. But after thinking for a while, they didn''t attack him.


    "2nd. Vinar Hardy."


    It was the dirt-blonde haired guy from yesterday.


    [Vinar Hardy. Mid Level 5. Lightning Path.]


    ''What?!''


    ording to Boo''s investigation, this guy had no prominent background. Even though you could seed despite not having a background, the boost it provided wasn''t negligible in the early stages.


    So how¡­?


    Varian''s surprise wasn''t to end there.


    "1st. Liluh Grant."


    The green-haired man smiled elegantly and turned towards the pink haired girl next to him.


    "I told ya!"


    "You''re mid level 5 already?" Betty eximed.


    Her words caused everyone to perk their ears. They also wanted to know the truth about Liluh''s true level.


    After all, he was only low level 5 before the mid-sem break.


    Liluh looked at the shocked faces of his peers and his lips curled up. "Of course. I went to Svoid and fought hard to advance."


    After saying, he raised his arm and showed a scar on his wrist. "This is still healing, but it''s from a high level 5 Abyssal. I barely escaped."


    "Hiss!"


    The cadets gapsed at his words. Fighting in aoid! Escaping from a high level 5!


    Their feelings towards him changed from envy to respect.


    Even Betty looked at him with a friendly smile. "You''re so good."


    ''I really doubt it.'' Varian wanted to say, but didn''t.


    [Liluh Grant. High level 5 Morpher Path.]


    For Miracle Academy, this was an unusually high strength. So, Varian had a strong reason to suspect this guy was a spy.


    But Grant family was entrenched in the Valos City for decades. Why would they send their young master to be a spy?


    Besides, he was always studying at this academy.


    Perhaps he hid his strength because it''s too high and he didn''t want to be targeted.


    Perhaps¡­


    ''Boo, can you check the records of Svoid?'' Varian decided to exploit the information.


    ''Yes. Unlike Valos, alloids have a solid database.''


    ''Good. Check Liluh''s records during the break.'' Varian instructed.


    ''Um.''


    After a minute, Boo informed.


    ''Master, he did enter the Svoid.''


    Varian frowned. ''Then is he innocent?''


    ''But¡ª'' Boo raised its voice.


    ''¡­finish everything in a go!''


    ''Y-Yes. He only stayed on theoid for an hour. And he didn''t fight. He just patrolled in one of the safe areas. There weren''t any fights in that area during the day.''


    "Wait, what?" Varian said out loud, causing cadets to turn towards him.


    "I got a call to pick." He gestured and broke away from the crowd.


    No one stopped him. It was normal in here.


    ''Master, he stayed on Sv for one hour, returned in one hour. Then attended the academy yesterday right away.''


    Varian sighed lightly.


    This pretty much concluded everything.


    Even if he advanced, he''d need more than one hour to sort out the process. Not everyone was like Varian who advanced in a matter of seconds.


    Liluh would need at least a couple hours, but he had none.


    Varian looked at Liluh who was chatting andughing with Betty and narrowed his eyes.


    ''So you''re the one.''

 Chapter 360 - Grant Family

    ''Boo, keep an eye on him.'' Varian instructed.


    Boo had already hacked thems of every cadet in their ss. So far, it proved to be futile.


    Not a shred of useful information was found from the heaps of garbage texts.


    The second years returned to the campus and an instructor gave a final announcement.


    "We''ll have a military base tour tomorrow. And also, inter-academypetition the next week. We''ll select teams based on the performance. Now, disperse."


    Varian left the lecture hall and was about to take the elevator when he heard two familiar names.


    "Liluh, why the fuck are you trying to get close to Betty?" The deep voice was full of rage.


    "I like that chick. You got a problem?" An elegant voice answered frivolously.


    "Fuck you! She''s my girl!"


    "Yours? She looks down onmoners like you the most."


    "I-It''s due to her trauma. You don''t know her. I do! I know her since childhoo¡ª"


    "Listen up Vinar, the only reason you''re able to talk to me is because I''m letting you.


    I know you''re also a mid level 5, but so what? Do you really think we''re equals? Don''t make meugh."


    "I never thought we''re equals. I have a level 8 tutor. Our backgrounds are equal. But I lived a normal life for 16, I was far behind you. Yet I caught up." Vinar said with acent and arrogant smile.


    "Y-You! Trash!" Liluh''s face distorted and he walked away from the blonde guy.


    Varian quietly observed them with his keen senses.


    Vinar also left after cursing Liluh a few times.


    "Liluh is really living his role as a mid level 5, huh?" Varian rubbed his chin. "But the anger doesn''t seem to bepletely fake. He was genuinely mad that Vinar caught up with him."


    Varian was confused about his Liluh''s true motivations, but he already had an important inference.


    After getting back to his temporary residence in the hotel, he entered a make do study room in ghost ship and wrote down two points on the white wall.


    1. Betty will be kidnapped outside the campus.


    2. Liluh is getting closer to Betty and is a spy.


    Then he got to thinking.


    Where was the perfect ce for kidnapping Betty?


    From the information Edwina gave him, Betty frequents beauty saloons, high-end clubs and other areas¡ªbut she''s always under protection.


    ''¡­I don''t have any leads on this.'' Varian shook his head and focused on the next point.


    Perhaps it could give him more clues.


    Liluh Grant.


    Grant family was one of the illustrious families of Valos. Varian initially thought they were clean, but he realized he misunderstood this city.


    If even Grant family did things like this, then perhaps all families in Valos were more or less connected to the underground.


    ''This is just insane.''


    But it made sense. In a city where underground forces reigned supreme, you couldn''t rise to the top without doing some shady things.


    However, all families wanted to maintain a virtuous demeanor. So, they kept their dark sides hidden.


    Grant family was one of the foremost donators to the slums. He should''ve gotten the hint.


    "Boo, go to the Grant family." Varian said after taking a deep breath.


    *** *** ***


    Grant family''s manor was located away from the rather populous and bustling districts.


    Along with a few more wealthy families, they bought out a whole district as their private estates.


    Grant family wasn''t the strongest family in Valos, but they sure were first-rate and would be in the top 20.


    They ran a fund and invested in local businesses. There was a local saying that ''If the grants pick your business, even you can''t stop the money from flowing in.''


    That was as far as what the public knew. What they didn''t know was that Grant family''s main business was intelligence.


    Grant family ran a notoriously hidden intelligence organization called Obsidian.


    They cultivated spies, stole secrets, sold the data and of course, used their loot to their own benefits.


    In the era where information was everything, they exploited their advantage to the fullest and expanded rapidly.


    While every power had spies, Obsidian was on an another level.


    No one knew for certain how many ''normal'' students, workers, employees belonged to Obsidian.


    But what was certain was that every business they invested was used for Obsidian.


    The man who controlled this vastwork was Thomas Grant.


    At the moment, he was tending to the fish in his backyard''s pond.


    "Eat. Eat." He smiled as he sprinkled red meat across the pond. As the fish scrambled for the meat pieces and formed clusters, he smiled in satisfaction.


    Their intense fight to grab the meat only made him smile wider.


    Soon, pirs of water rose into the air due to their fighting. Thomas cursed the fish killed in the fighting.


    Feeding fish was his only normal hobby.


    But neither the pond nor the fish were normal.


    To put things perspective, the pond was something like a quarter of a football field.


    Each of the fish were three feet long and were capable of killing an unawakened adult human.


    And the meat he fed them was from one of the geniuses that Obsidian killed a few days ago.


    It was a cheerful girl who had a loving family.


    They just needed her to spy on her teacher. They threatened her with her family and she agreed. But at thest minute, she spilled out everything to her teacher.


    Things almost went out of control, but thankfully, their countermeasures were in ce and quickly ended the lives of the girl and her family.


    "Dad, you''re still at this feeding thing again?" An elegant yet deep voice sounded from behind.


    Thomas didn''t turn but simplyughed. "If you feed a genius to fish, will the fish be genius? I was curious since childhood."


    "Should I be freaked out at this?" Liluh shrugged. He didn''t feel the same emotions as others. For him, this wasn''t something to fuss about.


    And Thomas liked that in his son. "Don''t you have any such curiosities yourself?"


    "I do have one curiosity." Liluh sat beside his father. "Why did the Shadow Order, no, the Abyssals suddenly thrown that into the ck market?"


    "Wrong question." Thomas pped him on his head. "It''s beyond our reach and if we''re found searching for it, the spywork I built over blood and sweat will be destroyed overnight."


    Liluh nodded, but his face showed clear dissatisfaction.


    Thomas shook his head. "Forget about Shadow Order and Chaos families. Be ambitious, but keep it to Valos city. We still need to grow."


    "Liluh, what problems do you think we''ll face due to the current market?" He wanted to teach his son the mindset needed to be Obsidian''s leader.


    "In all the cities, kidnapping cases rose because of that thing in the ck market.


    So, the federation must have noticed things are fishy and sent their agents. Athena agents would be after us¡­damn!" Liluh jumped onto his feet realizing the danger.


    Thomas'' face darkened. As an intelligence organization, they hated the biggest intelligence organization¡ªAthena.


    "They''re troublesome, but they''re not here to stop kidnappings, they want to find out why they rose.


    They must have already found out bout that thing and are fully busy finding Abyssal''s motives. We aren''t their targets. Take it easy." Thomas reassured him.


    Liluh heaved a sigh of relief. Then his thoughts spun and he asked. "Speaking of easy, our clients¡­are they sure to kidnap Betty? She has a space awakener as her bodyguard for fuck''s sake."


    "It''s not something we need to worry about. Just follow the action n."


    "Hm. I''m in the phase of getting closer to her. She agreed to hang out with meter tonight." He smirked.


    "Any obstacles?" Thomas asked casually. There were few that could stand as Grant''s equals and fewer above them.


    Liluh had no big enemies in the academy. There should be no obstacles anyway.


    "One." Liluh gave an unexpected answer.


    "Oh?" Thomas smiled and waved his hand. "Vinar or the neer Edgar?"


    "Vinar." Liluh said honestly. "At first, I thought Edgar was a spy, but his identity¡­it makes him anything but a spy. Moreover, he doesn''t talk to anybody and he already pissed off Betty. Vinar, though, he''s trying to get close to Betty."


    "Want my help?"


    Vinar''s master was one of the few level 8s in Valos and was only slightly weaker than Thomas.


    But if he really willed it, Thomas could kill Vinar''s master. But the price would be sky high.


    However, he could always kill Vinar without much repercussion.


    "No. Vinar loves Betty, but I know how to make her love me. I''ll win her trust. It''ll all be over in week anyway." Liluh stood up and walked off.


    When he was about to exit, Thomas suddenly said.


    "One advice, son."


    "Hm?" Liluh turned around.


    "Watch out for Shadow Guardians. Along with Athena agents, they''ve also prated the Uranus Cluster.


    The Chaos families issued a notice. Unlike Athena agents, they are trying to stop the kidnappings." Thomas said lightly.


    He was''t really worried, but after finding out how Shadow Guardians assassinated the son of Sovereign Julius, he started paying more attention to them.


    Still, their range of activities were far away on Earth. Nothing to be panicked about.


    "Shadow Guardians?" Liluh sneered. "They think this is still Earth? Don''t worry, dad. They don''t even dare to stand in front of me."


    Ironically, a new recruit of Shadow Guardian was standing in front of him.


    "Did I just crack my mission?" Varian muttered.


    It''s just the third day!

 Chapter 361 - A New Plan

    After leaving the backyard, Liluh picked them from his room and put it back on.


    During the whole exchange, his father wasn''t wearing am at all.


    Unlike in rest of the federation,ms here were seen as links used by officials to track them down.


    Back then, the army infiltratedms of every big power in Orion, one of the cities in Uranus cluster and found crucial data about the Shadow Order and Chaos families.


    It was a painful lesson, and the shady powers changed to Alpha Orbs¡ªAbyssal alternative toms.


    But they were limited in ways. They couldn''t act as information storages nor could they link to the meta.


    In fact, they weren''t even technology per se. But rather some kind of treasure like swords that could spit fire and arrows that could freeze space.


    However, due to the one single function of munication'', all big powers used them.


    Just like now, Thomas Grant was standing in a luxurious room filled with breathtaking paintings.


    In front of him was a floating orb.


    Thomas channeled his mana into the orb. It shed a dazzling red and a red hologram-like image appeared.


    "Barbaroza, you don''t seem to be well?" Thomas greeted the stout middle-aged man.


    "It cost a lot more than I thought." Barbaroza gruntled.


    "It? You''re talking about Betty''s mission?" Thomas tapped his chin.


    "Hm. Kidnapping her is¡­costly. Cosa brotherhood is burning its pockets for the little bitch." Barbaroza cursed.


    "Haha. High returns, high investments." Thomas waved his hand earning a re from Cosa leader.


    "If I didn''t ask your assistance, my expenses would be far lower." The man said through gritted teeth.


    "Only 15% for the best intelligence of Valos." Thomas said and walked to a shelf full of storage devices.


    "15% more for your shitty son''s assistance." Barbaroza''s voice sted out of the Alpha orb and almost shook the desk.


    "Without him, you wouldn''t be able to finish the mission." Thomas grabbed a disc from the pile and tapped on it.


    "¡­." Barbaroza was silenced with his response.


    There were two major obstacles to kidnapping Betty.


    One. She never went to ces without her bodyguards.


    Two. The Space Awakener bodyguard.


    Without Liluh''s help, none of them could be solved. Of course, Liluh himself didn''t know his importance in the mission.


    "You know Barb," Thomas tapped on the disc and a hologram popped up showing a handsome man in military uniform¡ªColin¡ªBetty''s father and one of the highest ranking officers in Valos.


    "I''m fine with you failing the mission." Thomas said slowly. "I''m fine even if my son died due to the failure."


    "But!" He raised his voice and pointed to the hologram. "If I make an enemy out of this man and he ends my empire, I''ll make you beg for death."


    Colin was a formidable enemy. His only weakness, but also his greatest was his daughter.


    By touching her, they were taking a big risk. If they seed, the rewards would be so great that their strength would take a huge leap.


    If they failed though¡­everything would be lost.


    Silence descended in the room as Thomas and Barbaroza red at the hologram.


    "You said the same thingst time." Barbaroza rolled his eyes.


    Thomas put the disc storage back in its ce and shook his head. "Last time, our target was only an architect.


    Even if Gwen is Valos city designer, her security is nothingpared to Betty."


    "Whatever. I have saved up enough already, I just want to buy it already. But the fucking ckmarket is closed." Barbaroza clenched his fist and mmed his own head. "If I were the Shadow Order, I wouldn''t close the ck market."


    "Thankfully, you''re not." Thomas sneered.


    "They''re just paranoid!"


    "They''re being careful. If Dreamer can find out their secret realm on Earth, he can also find it here."


    "It''s in space for god''s sake! You think he can tour the whole space?" Barbaroza looked at Thomas like he was an idiot.


    "Genius, he can just hack some tiny bot and follow one of us when we go to the ck market." Thomas looked at Barbaroza like he was a retard.


    "¡­" The ''genius'' had no words.


    "They''ll open the market after more security measures. And I have to go. I have a charity in the slums." Thomas waved his hand and left the room.


    "Hypocritical bastard. You treat humans worse than weeds and you do charity." The gang leader cursed and cut off the contact.


    "¡­" After a few minutes, Varian asked Boo to turn down all the surveince in the ce and had the ghost ship hack into the storage devices.


    Everyone avoidedms, but they couldn''t avoid the technology entirely. That included surveince cameras, automatic doors, bots and so on. They were integral to one''s life in this day and age.


    And it allowed Ghost ship to sneak into this room without hassle.


    The storage devices weren''t connected to met, and were technically safe from remote hacking.


    That''s why Thomas dared to store sensitive information in these devices. But of course, truly sensitive information wasn''t stored in any device.


    He could''ve never imagined that a certain ghost AI would easily break the security of the storage devices and copy the data.


    "We''re done."


    The Ghost ship sneaked out of the Grant estate.


    Varian had Boo study the data and present him with important points. Of course, he himself asked a few crucial questions.


    By the time they were done, Varian slumped on his bed watching the glittering stars.


    His mission was practically over by this point.


    Most things made sense.


    Liluh''s words ''It''ll be over by this week'' gave away the time of kidnapping.


    On the day of inter-academypetition.


    The venue was not in the Miracle Academy but in a public stadium.


    ''Security will still be tight, but Cosa Brotherhood might have discovered a loophole to exploit.''


    After knowing that there were still six days, Varian rxed.


    "Master, Master, what do we do now? Inform Edwina? Or record the video and show it to Betty?" Boo asked excitedly as they reached the hotel Varian was staying at.


    Varian went silent for a few seconds before shaking his head. "No. Let Betty be kidnapped."


    "Master!" Boo turned around and gave Varian a look of fear. "Is this your revenge?"


    "¡­" ''Do I look like someone so petty?''


    "¡­" ''Yes.''


    Even thought they didn''t speak, the man and the ghost read each other''s thoughts.


    "Cough. Cough." Varian coughed and said with a serious expression. "We''ll follow the kidnappers."


    "Huh?"

 Chapter 362 - A New Plan [2]

    "Think about it. These gangs don''t hide the kidnapped or their aura crystals on Valos."


    It was one of the things he learnt from the stolen data.


    The gangs indeed had their headquarters in Valos, but they held their loots¡ªpeople and resources in a secret realm some distance from Valos.


    Essentially, all the important gangs had camps in the secret realm. And except for a select few, no one knew where the realm was.


    "So?"


    "We''ll get to the secret realm and find the piles of aura crystals." Varian stretched his arms and yawned.


    "They''re going to buy ''something'' in the ckmarket. So the aura crystals will be sent to the ck market. We''ll follow them and sneak into the ckmarket." He exined his n.


    "Awesome! Then I mark the secret realm and you inform the army? Wahaha! You''ll destroy the Shadow Order of this cluster! You''re awesome. That means, I am also aweso¡ª" Boo floated higher and higher with each word. In the end, it was about to hit the ceiling.


    "Wait, wait!" Varian stopped it in time.


    "Didn''t you hear them speaking? They''re taking security measures against Dreamer. I''m guessing they''re doing something to prevent you from marking them. They should also have awork within the secret realm that prevents any sort of location tracking."


    So, even if they entered the ck market, they wouldn''t be able to know its co-ordinates.


    "Wait, wait!" Boo stopped him this time. "Then what we are we even sneaking in for?"


    "I am worried." Varian rubbed his forehead. "Just why are the Abyssals throwing this something into ck market? Something that stir up all the gangs and drive them crazy?"


    "Are you stupid, master? They are selling that whatever thing for aura crystals. Of course, they want aura crystals!" Boo replied smugly.


    ''Aura crystals'' Varian''s eyes narrowed. "For what?"


    "Hueek?" Boo was dumbfounded. Do you still need a reason to hoard money? Did you never see rich people? Ai, I forgot. Master lived a poor life.


    Varian felt that Boo was turning weird, as if it was full of pity. But he didn''t care about it and raised two fingers.


    "Rule 2: Never underestimate your enemies."


    "Duh, whatever master. I just want to see some big fights coupled with explosions and probably a war to two."


    ''Just say that you want to watch the world burn.'' Varian shook his head. "Boo, see if you can find anything useful in Cosa brotherhood and other gangs. I''m off to practice."


    "Un."


    The ghost ship wanders in the territories of Cosa brotherhood, Viper gang and others all night.


    Meanwhile, Varian went into his ''training room'' and sparred with the ex-assassins.


    As the sun rays illuminated Valos, Varian walked out of the room. With each step he took, blood spilled on the floor.


    By the time he reached the shower, the bleeding stopped.


    ''It''s useless.'' He sighed as the cold water washed away his blood and sweat.


    [Body Path Level 6: 1500/4000 (+0)


    Space Path Level 6: 1500/4000 (+0)


    Lightning Path Level 6: 1500/4000 (+0)


    Morpher Path L6: 500/2000 (+50)


    Telepath Path L6: 800/2000 (+80)


    Telekic Path L6: 600/2000 (+30)]


    This was the result of his 2 week hard work.


    After the Sr Trial, except for Body path, the rest of his divine paths were only at the peak of level 5.


    His Enhanced Path, Space Path and Lightning Path¡ªwhich were also the paths the assassins awakened in, had the fastest improvement.


    He was already a mid level 6 in the three paths.


    Then came the other paths. Without the aid of suitable opponents, their growth was far slower.


    Varian also prioritized Telepath path over Morpher and Telekic. Of course, telepath path could be used in a goodbination with almost any other path.


    But the reason he chose it was because he wanted to regain his memory.


    He was clearing the fog bit by bit. But if he continued at his current rate, it''d take a few years.


    If he got to level 7 though¡­


    ''Haa! These guys are already useless. I should find someone else.'' Varian sighed.


    Kidnapping a bunch of level 6 gangsters sounded pretty good. The only problem was it might end up causing a big disturbance.


    Level 6s weren''t the strongest, but they were definitely the backbone of the gangs.


    ''I''ll think about itter.''


    *** *** ***


    "Boo, did you get anything useful?" As the cadets assembled in the field, Varian asked.


    They were supposed to visit ''the other side''¡ªmilitary side already, but for some reason, it was dyed.


    "There was a fierce fightst night. By the time I reached there, it was already over."


    "Who fought?"


    "Gnuc gang and Soprana gang."


    "Ah!" Varian recalled the two girls who fought the other day. He didn''t remember their names, but he did remember their gangs were of equal strength.


    "So, what''s the resul¡ª"


    "Attention students!" He was cut off by the instructor.


    "The gnuc family was destroyedst night. The gnuc family heiress is no more."


    ''The whole family? Weren''t they of equal strengths?'' Varian frowned and scanned the crowd.


    The blue haired girl, the heiress of Soprana gang was smirking at the announcement.


    No, not just a smirk. Her face was glowing with joy and more than joy, satisfaction.


    From time to time, she covered her mouth and giggled.


    ''She saw her rival''s death and she''s satisfied.'' Varian''s thoughts spun and he immediately asked Boo to retrieve the information of the gangs from Grant''s databse.


    Thomas Grant''s spywork Obsidian was the mostprehensive of Valos. So, his database was the best of the best. It made the man proud and filled him with ambition.


    But he would''ve never thought that someone was using the very same database for purposes that would ultimately harm him.


    "Hey, Edgar." As Varian waited for the information, a deep voice called out.


    "Huh?" Varian turned around and saw a blonde youth staring at him with a serious gaze.


    "Hm?" Following his Edgar persona at school, he simply gave an indifferent stare in response.


    The less he spoke, the less he would slip up.


    "Please stay away from Betty." Vinar said.


    "I got no business with her." He said and stepped forward, but an arm obstructed him.


    Vinar pushed his chest and said with a serious face. "Betty doesn''t like you. Don''t sit beside her. Change your ces in the ss."


    "Or what?" Varian asked with a casual tone.


    "Or," Vinar held Varian''s shoulder and applied pressure. "I''ll personally throw you out."


    Varian stayed silent until Vinar''s pressure reached level 5.


    Then, he exhaled lightly.


    Ka!


    Vinar only a felt a blur before he heard a cracking sound soon followed by a horrible pain.


    "Arghhh!"


    The cadets turned their gazes towards the tragic scream.


    They saw a blonde youth clutching his twisted hand as he curled and howled in pain.


    Right before him was a silver haired youth with a cold face.


    "Shouldn''t have asked." Saying those words, Varian joined the line to enter the hover train.


    But the cadets before him gulped in fear and gave way.


    In their eyes, Edgar nc was a monster.


    Vinar was second in the test! He was technically the second strongest!


    Yet, Edgar injured Vinar in a sh.


    No one even noticed they fought!


    The instructor was also shocked, but he quickly recovered and announced. "Be quick!


    The tour to Military side will begin in 8 minutes."


    As Varian got seated and nced out of the window, he felt a strong stare.


    ''Finally here.''


    Turning to the side, he saw Edwina ring at him.


    "I came today to ask for leave. Until thepetition, I won''t be attending the academy."


    "E-Edgar!" Her eyes were spitting fire.

 Chapter 363 - The Mission Is Incorrect

    "Anger is bad for health, Edwina." Varian leaned back in his seat and gazed at the fuming woman.


    It was a typical two seater train. So, there were only two of them sitting side by side.


    But her words caused the cadets around them to turn towards her.


    Edwina red at them like an angry cat and they all turned back like they didn''t see her beet red face on the verge of exploding with rage.


    Some of them knew the ''actual'' rtionship between Edgar nc and Edwina. They thought it was some ''family'' dispute.


    But to most, Edgar was a genius transfer student while Edwina was a genius alumni working as a Teaching Assistant.


    They thought he offended her somehow.


    "Haa~" After taking a deep breath, Edwina turned to the silver haired youth and gritted her teeth. "Why didn''t you toe to my home?"


    "?!"


    Her words caused everyone to turn their gazes towards her. This time, they was full of ambiguity and curiosity.


    Some enthusiasts with overly creative brain already started spinning stories.


    In a few seconds, posts rting to a certain taboo topic was lit on the forum.


    Edwina didn''t know this. Nor did she care.


    For the past two days, she was banging her head on the wall due to Edgar.


    In truth, she was on the verge of being promoted to a higher rank in the organization.


    This was a crucial mission. Initially, she thought it''d be easy. After seeing the newbie was a level 6, she was overjoyed.


    With her assistance, a level 6 could easily finish the mission.


    But what happened next could only be described as nightmare.


    Varian didn''t try getting close to Betty. In fact, he even pissed her off. Now, the girl who despised everyone hated him.


    Worse, when she tried to contact him yesterday evening, he said he was busy.


    Really? What the hell was he busy with?


    Edwina was utterly furious.


    When Varian said he wanted a leave until thepetition, her rage slipped past the tipping point.


    "Do you think this is a joke?" Edwina closed her eyes and said slowly.


    But her voice now was much, much colder. She decided, if he didn''t cooperate with her, she''d beat sense into him.


    By disrespecting the mission, he was disrespecting the hard work of so many people.


    Did he really think it was easy to find out that Betty was a kidnapping target?


    "I was busy yesterday. I tried to meet you in the morning, but you were busy. You''re the sole reason I''m attending the academy today.


    And no, I''m treating this more seriously than you think." Varian''s voice sounded in her mind, causing Edwina to flinch.


    He''s a telepath?


    But from the way he injured Vinar, he was also a Body Awakener.


    So, a level 6 dual awakener? So young?


    For a moment, the sheer shock at the realization caused her to halt.


    Varian smiled lightly and his voice in her head continued. "I know who''s going to kidnap Betty and who''s the aplice. Betty will be safe."


    "¡­" Edwina opened her mouth, but no words came out.


    She looked around and tapped herm furiously.


    {Are you kidding me? How can you know?}


    "It''s my personal secret. But Betty will be unharmed. I''ll need to look into this and find the bigger secrets."


    {Unharmed? So you mean she''ll be kidnapped, but you''ll rescue her?} Betty caught the implication of his words.


    "Yes. It''s necessary."


    {We''re done. I''ll report this to the higher ups. And stay in my sight or I''ll have to neutralize you.} Edwina''s eyes turned indifferent.


    "¡­." Varian sighed lightly. He knew it. She followed rules to thest letter. Someone like her wouldn''t believe his words or ept his approach.


    Well, no sane human with an iota ofmon sense would believe him.


    That''s why,


    [Enigma,


    My mission: "Stopping the kidnapping" is incorrect. I propose changing it. I''ll be using the kidnapped as the medium to get ess to ck Market.


    I know that other members of the Guardians and Athena agents are trying to do the same, but I want to get involved.


    And due to my¡­uniqueness, I have a good shot at finding what others couldn''t.


    So, yeah, I just wanted to inform you.


    Also, say hi to Sia for me. My memory recovery in on the way. I''ll meet her soon.


    Yours truly, Dreamer.]


    He sent a message her to earlier today.


    To be honest, when he typed ''The mission is incorrect'', Varian felt his chest swell with pride.


    It was like a student attending an exam and correcting the questions. If this wasn''t a moment of pride, he didn''t know what was.


    Edwina looked up from herm and emphasized again. {Do not test my patience. Stay in sight, and I won''t hurt you. I just informed the higher ups.}


    "I informed the highest-up." Varian''s voice sounded in her mind.


    {Highest up?} Edwina wondered if her vocabry wascking. Was that even a word? {Whatever. Stay in my sight.}


    "¡­" Varian turned his head and gazed out of the window.


    Once Enigma''s message came, Edwina would calm down. Trying to convince her now was pointless.


    The hover train quickly was a few dozen meters above the ground and dashed through the special route.


    It passed below the floating buildings, along the skyline of bustling districts and and above the dirty slums.


    In a few minutes, it was at the edge of the city.


    Since Valos city was in the shape of a disc, when they reached the edge of the city, Varian could see the dark and empty space.


    "Haa~" The train passed through a huge security checkpoint and entered the city on the other side of the disc.


    For a split second, Varian felt like he was jolted out of his seat before things turned back to normal.


    ''Gravity¡­'' He noted.


    The gravity was always towards the surface of the city. He didn''t know how they achieved it, but these days, everyone took it for granted.


    "We''ve reached the Military City. Please cooperate with the security check." An AI announced.


    Varian nced at the ring on his finger and Boo understood. It silently disappeared.


    Soon, numerous bots entered the train and scanned them one by one.


    Then, soldiers in offensive posture appeared and personally checked them. Even their storage rings were searched.


    "Submit yourms! If you''re found breaking any rules, expect heavy penalties. The military court isn''t lenient." A stoic soldier with orange beard informed and waved his hand.


    "Follow me."

 Chapter 364 - Military Region

    The Military side of Valos city, also called as Military Region was a forbidden area to the popce.


    The core reason cities like Valos were built was to have teleportation formations in between Uranus and Neptune.


    The residents living in the city were an unexpected ident.


    So, regardless of the chaos in the city, the army guarded the region with utmost diligence.


    It wasn''t just teleportation formations, there were also crucial supplies like weapons, food, important materials among other things.


    "And that''s why, you shouldn''t take an extra step, not touch anything you aren''t supposed to. Am I clear?" The officer named Henry said in a sonorous tone.


    "Yes, sir." The 17th batch cadets said and got off the hover train.


    What was presented in front of them was a world filled with grey and ck buildings that stretched into the sky.


    There were shockwaves in the sky from time to time as the space shuttles practiced their formations.


    As the cadets stepped on the ck road, its surface flickered and a few discs appeared under their feet.


    Henry tapped hism and they all dashed forward gazing at their surroundings with curiosity.


    "Now we''re in the Outer Region." Henry said. "This ce typically holds training fields for the enlisted, but all soldiers up to level 3 practice here."


    Saying so, he snapped his finger.


    The huge ck doom to their right suddenly became transparent.


    The cadets opened their eyes wide as they saw a hugeplex full of floating spheres.


    Each sphere had soldiers fighting in small groups.


    What really came as a shock was the teamwork. Working together, they were far stronger than the sum of their individual strengths.


    The better the team work, the more evident this became.


    "Some divine paths work well inbination.


    For example, telepaths can control the enemies from the rear while body awakeners and Morphers take on the enemies in closebat.


    Elementals can act as closebat, but they''re mostly suitable for long range attacks." Henry said as they moved forward.


    A gigantic cubeplex turned transparent and they saw hundreds of soldiers flickering in and out of existence trying to attack a huge tortoise beast.


    "In the early stages, Space Awakeners can act as good assassins. During the mid levels, they can act as a good controllers from the rear.


    They also y a crucial role in rescuing the ones near death." Henry tapped hism and they moved forward once again.


    Slowly, he exined the general tactics and strategies followed in the battle. And showed the facilities they had for training the soldiers.


    "By the time of graduation, if you can reach low level 5, after a quick training, you''ll be promoted. Your training resources will be higher than many senior soldiers of lower levels." Henry said with an encouraging face.


    "If you want to change your life, make the best of this opportunity."


    Many cadets straightened their backs and nodded vigorously. As children of poor and middle ss families, this was their only chance at changing their fate.


    "Yes, Sir!"


    ''¡­.''


    Varian looked at Edwina beside him and rolled his eyes. She managed to convince Henry somehow.


    "Now, we''re entering the Inner Region." Henry said and everyone felt like they were suddenly pulled and suddenly stopped, causing them to almost tumble down on the disc.


    Only a few didn''t budge, including Varian, Liliuh, Vinar and of course, Edwina.


    Henry glossed over the various facilities and from time to time, allowed them to question.


    He skipped the sensitive information and answered the rest.


    In a few hours, they saw many dueling grounds, training facilities that made use of aura concentration formations on arge scale, pilots performing incredible feats with space shuttles and of course, heard the famous slogan from the meeting.


    "Hope in our soulssts forever!"


    Hearing the heartfelt shouts of the soldiers, the cadets also shouted.


    "Hope in our soulssts forever!"


    This slogan was born during the darkest times of humanity, when Abyssals invaded thes and when humans had to live in the bunkers, and fight with all their lives.


    The connectivity betweens was severed and everyday, hundreds of millions of humans died.


    The war ravaged thes and the end of humanity seemed inevitable.


    Those moments of despair birthed this slogan.


    "Hope in our soulssts forever!"


    Varian recalled his personal hardships and shouted along with everyone.


    "We''ve covered all the parts of Inner Region. I hope you all work hard and enlist into the military." Henry said and looked at the 30 odd cadets of 17th group.


    "Any questions?"


    "Un, what is in the core group?" A girl asked with a timid voice.


    "Louder!"


    "¡­What is in the core group?" She yelled.


    Henry nodded in approval and said. "There is one S-grade and one X-grade facility."


    S and X grades meant second highest and highest level of protections.


    "Are Teleportation formations the X-grade?" A boy with sses asked.


    "Yes." Henry nodded.


    "Then what is the S-grade facility?" The boy continued.


    "The Kernel of the city."


    ''Kernel?'' Most of the cadets were confused.


    Henry paused for a moment and shrugged. "It''s equivalent to the City''s central hardware. It''s responsible for gravity, defense and other things."


    "Then shouldn''t it be X-grade, Sir? If something happens and gravity changes,? it''d be too problematic." An energetic girl asked.


    Henry''s stoic face shed a smile. "Even thought it''s only an S-grade facility, it''spletely made of Durasium."


    "¡­." The cadets were suddenly silenced. They even nodded vigorously.


    ''Wait, what?'' Varian also nodded, but he had no clue.


    He didn''t even finish his first year, dammit! How was he supposed to know this stuff?


    ''Master, this is from the sybus of your first semester. You asked me to write your exams. Of course, you wouldn''t know.'' Boo suddenly said, causing Varian to almost cough out blood.


    ''You can bash meter, but what''s durasium?'' Varian asked as they travelled back to the hover train.


    ''Durasium is one of the strongest alloys in the federation. It''s made only a decade ago, but it''s already used in important facilities.''


    ''I see. There''s no problem with our gravity then.'' Varian shrugged and boarded the hover train.


    *** ***


    (Today [31st Jan], there will be 3 more chapters. We''re on the verge of reaching top 25, please support with gifts if you can.. If we reach top 25, there will be a 10 chap mass release next month.)

 Chapter 365 - Playing With Fire

    "Huh? You mean this guy is in my team?" Betty put her hands on her hips and groaned in frustration.


    "Yes. You, Liluh and Edgar are teammates." The Teaching Assistant Edwina informed keeping her gaze locked on the silver haired young man.


    Varian kept an expressionless face. But internally, he was cursing with all his heart. ''Until Enigma responds, Edwina won''t stop. She almost followed me into the? washroom. This girl is crazy.''


    "I don''t mind." Liluh said lightly.


    Betty red at him and Liluh gave her an apologetic smile.


    "Good. Then you can start practicing." Edwina said and sat on a nearby bench.


    "We just got dropped off from the military region and you tell us we''re a team and you even want us to practice right now." Betty muttered and looked at Edwina with a disdainful expression.


    "You bet on my team, right? Pathetic."


    "I''m rich. I wouldn''t resort to such things." Edwina lied with a straight face.


    "Heh. You don''t even wear top brands. Who are you kidding?" Betty continued to mock her.


    Edwina wanted to bitch p her, but held back.


    ''Mission is important. Mission is important.''


    "We can train at my private house, Betty." Liluh proposed. "I wanted to show you the white bear I raised. After practice, you can y with it."


    "Really? There are only three such bears in entire cluster. You really want to show me that bear?" Betty looked at him with intense eyes.


    "Really." Liluh nodded with a kind smile.


    "Then let''s go!" She cheered and held his hand.


    Liluh turned to Varian. "Edgar, if we can practice and strengthen our teamwork, beating the other academies is easy."


    Then he turned to Edwina. "Of course, since miss Edwina is so concerned, you cane and guide our practice."


    "No."


    "Yes. Yes, whaat?" Edwina nodded before turning to Varian with wide eyes.


    "I have stuff to do. You guys can go." Varian said and under the incredulous gaze of Edwina, walked out of the gate.


    "Arrogant bastard." Betty cursed and got into her hover car. Three women in gray clothes followed her closely.


    Three level 7 Bodyguards!


    As his butler opened the door, Liluh also got into the car and left.


    Varian and Edwina went to Edwina''s home.


    Kaa!


    The space around Varian suddenly stiffened.


    "Edgar, give me one reason to not think you''re a traitor whose goal is to fail this mission?" Edwina said in a low voice filled with killing intent.


    "¡­." Varian tried to destroy the space with his body, but it was too durable. After all, he was only a mid level 6 Enhanced while Edwina was a peak level 6 Space Awakener.


    Of course, she wasn''t doing her best, but it was still the attack of a peak level 6.


    "Why do youe up with such random excuses and expect me to believe them? Do I look like a fool?"


    ''You look furious.'' Varian thought and channeled the lightning mana in his body.


    Zap!


    Zap!


    Kacha!


    Under thebined might of his lightning and body powers, the frozen space was cracked open and Varian stepped out, dumbfounding Edwina.


    "T-Three paths Level 6? Not even 20? If you''re so talented, why are you ying such cheap tricks? Just say you don''t want to do the mission." Edwina was first shocked, but then said to him with an angered face.


    "I¡­" Varian didn''t know how to exin.


    He didn''t trust Edwina to give her the information about the Grant family. If someone learned that Grant family''s database was hacked, then they might link it to Dreamer.


    From then, things might turn for the worse.


    ¡ªCling!


    Hism buzzed right then and the message made him sigh in relief.


    {You are free to do what you deem right, but if you don''t show the results, you will be penalized.


    The original mission still stands. You are no longer part of it.


    Just one rule.


    Don''t die.


    It''ll be too much of a headache for me.


    Protect yourself at all costs. Even the mission.


    Enigma.}


    ¡ªCling!


    The next second, Edwina''sm rang and she read the mission.


    "F-Fuck!" The redhead angrily cursed and looked at Varian.


    "Are you the son of Blue sh or what? They made a new mission for you. Who the fuck are you?"


    "¡­I''m a newbie." Varian shrugged.


    "Like I''ll believe it." Edwina rolled her eyes and clutched her forehead. "Anyway, you''re out of the mission. I''ll need to think of another solution. Goddamn!"


    Varian coughed lightly and slipped out after an insincere apology.


    *** *** ***


    "So, this is the site?" Shortly after, Varian looked at the ruins below the ghost ship and frowned.


    A few miles ofnd waspletely covered in ice along with asional burns here and there.


    There were obvious traces of fire and ice mana in the air. The ice mana, however, was much heavier than the fire.


    This was the site for where the Gnuc gang and Soprana gang fought.


    Gnuc gang was wiped out by Soprana gang. The ice guys won over the fire ones.


    "Master, ording to Grant family, the leaders of both gangs reached the peak of level 7st year. They were roughly of equal strengths."


    "Then¡­" Varian felt the obvious difference in the mana. Even though it''s been a whole day, there were still obvious traces in the air.


    One thing was certain.


    It was only two auras shing with each other and the ice mana was far more dominant the fire.


    In fact, there were only a few traces of scorched ground at some ces. Thend was literally covered in ice.


    It didn''t look a fight between equals.


    "Master, one of them is certainly a level 8." Boo said after a while.


    "I think so too, but how¡­" Varian rubbed his chin and wondered.


    Going from peak level 7 to level 8 in one year? That''s too fast even for geniuses.


    These gangster leaders were no geniuses. They reached peak level 7 in their 60s.


    It''s impossible for either of them to reach level 8 in a mere year.


    Varian thought back to everything¡ªthe new item in ck market, the increased kidnappings and the frenzy of gangs¡ªand it finally hit him.. "Abyssals are ying with fire."

 Chapter 366 - City Of Orion

    City of Orion, also known as the City of High:


    As one of the twenty cluster cities of Uranus, this city was home to thergest drug dealings of the federation.


    The vassal family of Nials who used to take care of the city were ughtered shortly after the Pluto War.


    They were much unluckier their valors counterpart¡ªWeiss family, who despite steep decline were still alive.


    Orion was under the influence by four drugpanies. Though they weren''t unanimously ruling the city, as long as they didn''t cross a few red lines, they had no opposition in the city.


    It came no surprise to Varian that these four drugpanies also had a deep rooted intelligencework.


    After enough sneaking in and out, and many trials, he finally found the database of the fourpanies.


    It was only then did he understand why Thomas Grant held himself in such high regard.


    A single grant family''s intelligencework was equivalent to these fourpanies.


    "They are going to target a high military officer Sirk?" Varian had Boo flip through the database and finally found the target.


    In fact, the database didn''t have much data about kidnapping. There were no records about the previously kidnapped targets.


    Only the current ones were present.


    Varian suspected that they were deleting the past records periodically.


    So, he only found the record of one kidnapping target.


    {Sirk.


    Age: 70


    Level 8 Ice Path


    Weakness: His son, his reputation¡­}


    There were multiple files each dedicated to one goal:


    > His bio


    > People deployed around him 24x7.


    > Neutralizing actions against him.


    > ¡­.


    Varian read through the files and sighed deeply.


    "Boo, is all this info correct?" He asked offhandedly.


    "I can''t find detailed info and about many secretive things here, master. The informationwork here is just as bad as Valos.


    But whatever I could check matched with these files.


    Sirk is a very generous man. He donates to schools and orphanages. He also funded several drug rehabilitation centers." Boo said.


    Varian fell silent for a few seconds.


    Colin on Valos, and Sirk on Orion. Both of them were high ranking officers. Why target them?


    "They have a high worth, master. Just killing a few monsters gives them many Karma points.


    If they can work for it, they''ll also gain many aura crystals. Forget big businesses, they''re the richest bunch of these cities."


    "Haa~" Varian exhaled lightly and nodded.


    "Let''s collect all information first. While there''s a n going around Sirk, no actions seems to be taken. We cane backter." He said and drove ghost ship out of Orion city.


    Truth be told, he was tempted to solve Sirk''s problem. After all, an honest and generous military officer being targeted by these scum¡­it was unbearable.


    But Varian had a bigger n in mind¡ªfind out the motives of Abyssals.


    His interference in Orion might alert them to his presence and change the status quo. He didn''t want that.


    Thus, the man and the ghost began their trip to visit each and every city in the Uranus cluster.


    Their goal was clear. Collect the information about the kidnappings/threats/lures happening or ned to happen.


    It was taking longer than expected.


    "I almost slipped up. Thanks to Enigma or I might be in trouble. I should be careful." Varian rubbed his forehead and looked at the message in hism.


    {Edwina said you had both Body and Mind powers¡ªit''s impossible to awaken in two paths of same avenue.


    She also reported that you awakened in Lightning path.


    Varian, I know you''re not normal, but try to hide it as much as possible. I am considered an anomaly, but you are something different altogether.


    I covered up saying you only awakened in Mind, Lightning Path and Gravity Path.


    Fortunately, Gravity Path can also be used to exin you breaking that guy''s bones in school and you breaking out of her space lock.


    But¡ª


    Your actions are worrying Sia. She''s nagging me all day. I can''t believe I''m saying this again, but stay safe.


    Or I''ll have to drag you back to Earth


    Enigma.}


    "¡­." Varian read the letter and titled his head. "She doesn''t show any emotions in person, does she?"


    "No, master." Boo answered.


    "Then why the hell do I feel her emotions through her messages?" Varian wondered.


    However, he quickly shook his head.


    It must be me imaging things. For some reason, despite stating it was because of Sia, I felt that she was worried about me. Impossible. I don''t even know who the fuck she is.


    Throwing them out, he thought back to the real issue.


    "My bad. I should''ve noticed that I showed both Body and Mind path. But in my defense, I never had any trouble in awakening paths of the same avenue.


    You ming me and me ming myself is fine, but the real culprit is silent."


    System: [Host, you''re too shameless!]


    In the end, even System decided to defend itself. It was minding its job and suddenly, its host decided to use it!


    Was there still any justice remaining in this sr system?


    Sure enough, it was a good decision to let Devas to go extinct.


    *** *** ***


    The next day after Military Region trip:


    "Haa?! Are you fucking kidding me? This trash is going to join us?" Betty clutched her head and screamed like she was witnessing the end of the world.


    "Yes." Edwina nodded with a tired face.


    "Em, hello Betty. You''re looking as sweet as ever." Vinar smiled awkwardly and greeted.


    ''Too much simping!'' Edwina sighed andpared Vinar to Varian.


    Their names differed by a litter, but their attitudes differed by miles. As opposed to Vinar who went above and beyond to please Betty, Varian didn''t give a single fuck about her despite her being his mission.


    Was it arrogance?


    Or¡­was it his confidence?


    Even now, she didn''t believe in his words: ''I know the kidnapper and the aplice. I''ll let Betty be kidnapped, but she''ll be unharmed¡­''


    This was absurd and narcissistic.


    But the same narcissist was also less than 20 years old and level 6 in three freaking paths!


    Of course, she had a doubtter on.


    How could he awaken in both Body and Mind Paths? That''s impossible!


    She enquired her higher ups and after a long pause, they finally gave her the answer.


    He wasn''t a body awakener. He awakened in Mind, Lightning and Gravity Paths.


    After that bastard left, she scrambled left and right before finally remembering this guy.


    To be honest, Vinar was actually her first pick before she was informed of Varian''s entry two weeks ago.


    "Vinar, aren''t you too weak?"


    Snapping her out of her thoughts were Liluh''s arrogant remarks. The green-haired boy stood beside Betty with crossed arms and sneered at Vinar.


    "Weak?" Vinar''s simping face was gone and his aura rose.


    Betty''s expression changed and she opened her mouth in surprise.


    This strength¡­it''a almost catching up with Liluh''s mid level 5.


    How could a person from normal background be so powerful?


    They were evil! They helped gangs kidnap people from rich background!


    ''Yes, yes. He is from normal background. He is trash.'' Betty gritted her teeth and looked at him with disgust and hatred.


    ''I don''t want to go through that again. I hate these people.''


    "Liluh, if you defeat him, I''ll go on a date with you."


    Vinar''s and Edwina''s expressions changed drastically upon hearing her words.


    "Bet¡ª" Vinar wanted to talk her out of it, but Liluh turned into a snake and whipped his tail.


    "Deal, Betty!" Liluh grinned in his half-man, half-snake form.


    "Fuck you! Let''s fight!" Vinar''s hair spiked as lightning shot out of his body.

 Chapter 367 - Planetoid RL 34

    Yellow Desert, RL-34oid, 21.6 million miles from Uranus cluster cities:


    There was a dynamic border running across theoid contested by humans and abyssals.


    Between the two borders was arge wastnd.


    It wasn''t always like this.


    The mountains that used to stand tall on thisnd were long ttened by the punches of body awakeners. The rivers that used to flow with vitality were evaporated by the fierce fire awakeners.


    The beautiful greenery was destroyed the ruthless lightning awakeners. The volcanos, active and passive were destroyed the mighty water awakeners.


    As the red blood and green blood spilled across thend, the ground turned yellow.


    The wastnd came to be known as the yellow desert¡ªthe resulting color of red and green blood.


    Like everyday, the human soldiers were facing a short battle in one area of the yellow desert.


    At normal times ,this would be thought of as a daily operation. Skirmishes, assassinations, short battles, smi slicing and blitzkrieg and so on were an everyday affair.


    But today was special.


    Not in a good way.


    "Charge D-5 ! Charge! Let''s kill the mother nt!"


    "Squad A-23, assist B-112! Take down the children nts!"


    "Space Awakeners! Space Awakeners! Get your asses moving! Assassinate! Assassinate!"


    Tens of thousands of human soldiers were spread across the battlefield.


    The members of each squad were instructed by their captains and captains of each squad were instructed by the lieutenants.


    Squads formed toons, toons formed Companies, Companies Battalions, Regiments, Brigades and finally a Legion of 10,000 strong men.


    At the moment, every officer in the hierarchy was trying their best issuing instructions to take down the fierce enemy that suddenly appeared.


    In the battle field, there weren''t just 10,000 humans and an equal number of abyssals, there were also dozens ofrge, monstrous nts on the Abyss side.


    Sequoia, they were called. A group of nt species reared by the Abyssals.


    They all cultivated in the Morpher nt path and almost all of them transformed into a nt called Ficed after transformation.


    Ficed was a fearsome enemy. It created small copies of itself called Ficeds. Each of these small copies had only a portion of Ficed''s strength. But their number more than made up for it.


    And right now, the humans were facing a few dozen level 8 Ficeds.


    The result?


    Kaa!


    Dust rose into the air and the ground was sted into pieces. As fire, water, lightning and rocks flew over the fighters, purple colored nt-like entities lunged at humans.


    Roar!


    Roar!


    These purple body nts, Ficeds, had arge mouth, long branches filled with red thorns.


    Their roots morphed into a sledge and they dashed into the human army with a reverberating roar.


    Then¡­they ughtered.


    Each Ficed had a strength of a level 6.


    And level 6¡­was important for every battlefield!


    RL-34oid was aoid with a level 9mander and quite a few high awakeners.


    Even then, level 6 were the backbone for most operations.


    But those backbones were pped into pieces of blood and flesh as the Ficeds extended their branches and whipped them to abrupt death.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    "Argggh!"


    A squad of six was instantly obliterated by the Ficeds. Their vine-like branches broke the strong body of body awakeners, resisted the fire balls, didn''t cower under the mental attacks.


    All of them were level 6s!


    The same scenario yed across the battlefield as hundreds of level 6s were quickly killed.


    As the situation went from worse to nightmarish, a group of level 8 awakeners cut their way through the battlefield and reached the Ficed, the mother nt.


    "Sha and Jah." The captain said and the two Body Awakeners shot out of the team, blocking off the level 8s Abyssals that were about to rescue the mother nt.


    "Mei and Yumi." The captain ordered and the two elementalists¡ªFire and Lightning flew into the air and set up huge shields.


    The fire hammers, lightning spears and ice arrows directed at them were swiftly blocked.


    "Noah, assistant me. We have only shot." Hanyu turned towards the gravity awakener and said.


    "Yes, cap!" Noah nodded and his gravity sense locked onto the nt. He changed their rtive gravities and in the next instant, his body was pulled towards the monster nt.


    "I hope we can get through." Hanyu muttered and her mental power prated the gigantic purple nt in the distance.


    Roar!


    "Shreek!" The mother nt shrieked in pain as it felt its consciousness was stabbed with prickly needles.


    Its connection with its children, Ficeds was strained and in that moment, its twenty odd children stiffened momentarily on the battlefield.


    That meant death!


    Sixteen of them were obliterated by the human soldiers who retailed swiftly.


    "Shreeik!" The mother nt''s body trembled with rage. Its senses caught onto Hanyu in the distance.


    The woman was a dual awakener! Or as a mind awakener, she wouldn''t have entered this deep.


    Hanyu charged lightning mana into a dazzling spear and shot it at the mother nt.


    Right then, the mother nt retaliated.


    Shuaaa!


    It whipped its long branch and in an instant, it crossed a few miles reaching the mind awakener.


    "Not so fast." A voice sounded from its right and the gravity skyrocketed all of a sudden.


    Crrack!


    The ground sunk in an instant and cobweb-like cracks, with the mother nt as the center, spread for miles.


    "Skree!" The branch that was a few meters away from Hanyu before it bent down and prated the ground, missing the dual awakener.


    Hanyu looked up and saw the mother nt was only slightly bent under the pressure.


    The monster didn''t give up and whipped its branches against captain Noah.


    "Hmph!"


    Hanyu directed the lightning spear in the air and shot it at the mouth of the giant thing.


    Unlike other nts, its mouth was its major weakness.


    "Screech!" The mother nt forcibly moved through the heavy gravity and flipped in the air, and was about to dodge the lightning spear.


    In midair, itshed its branches at Noah with all its strength.


    Noah changed the gravity of his body and his figure blurred. In a split second, he was already hundreds of meters away from the mother nt.


    But the branches were right behind him.


    Noah had an iparably solemn face as he channeled all his gravity power and forcibly adjusted the gravity of the mother nt.


    "Screech!" The mother nt suddenly felt a huge pull towards a certain region.


    As the lightning spear neared it, its body was forcibly shifted bank into its trajectory and was about to hit its central body.


    "Cap!"


    Zap!


    The lightning bolt flickered and changed its direction at thest moment, reaching the mother nt''s mouth in the blink of an eye.


    Boom!


    The lightning bolt smashed the mother nt''s mouth into pieces and traveled through its huge body, electrocuting it and destroying every bit of its life.


    Ka!


    The mother nt died and its remaining four children withered instantly.


    "Haa~" As hanyu sighed in relief, two crackling sounds caused her to turn around.


    Kacha!


    Kacha!


    The lightning and fire barriers blocking off the Abyssals'' attacks were broken. The elementalists Mei and Yumi had a pale face as they faced three level 8 Abyssals.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The ground shook as two bodies crashed and created a huge crater.


    Shah and Jahy on the ground as the coughed out blood.


    They were facing four level 8 Abyssals.


    "Quick!" Hanyu yelled into herm.


    Shuaa!


    An ice spear shot at Shah and a fire dragon was about to devour Jah when the space suddenly fluctuated.


    A man appeared in front of them and blocked the space.


    Kaa!


    The space creaked and his lock was about to break.


    "Stop him!" The Abyssals targeted him.


    The man didn''t flinch under the pressure and grabbed Shah and Jah.


    Booom!


    When thebined attacks reached his position, and exploded thend into pieces, he was long gone.


    "Argggh!"


    Mei and Yumi were also taken away the space awakeners. Shortly, Noah was also gone.


    The six Abyssals attacked Hanyu togehter and this time, even if space awakeners appeared, she would still die!


    ''Is this the end? Did I live my life properly?'' Hanyu attacked their minds and set up a lightning shield.


    The intensity of their attacks dropped, but it was still way more powerful than her.


    What''s more, if a space awakener appears to save her, even they would die.


    ''At least I am going to die well.'' Hanyu sighed. The ficeds were killing too many level 6s. If this continued, the army would sooner orter face a severe shortage of level 6s and it won''t be long before the Abyssals gain a strong edge over theoid.


    closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable to happen.


    The pain didn''te.


    "Huh?" Her eyes shot open and she saw the attacks paused in midair and were struggling to move forward.


    Not just here, but everywhere in the battlefield, the high awakeners that were in danger were inexplicably saved.


    They all had the same thought.


    "¡­Is she here?" Hanyu''s heart skipped a beat and she nced above.


    Her mind sense instantly reached the atmosphere of the and reached the outer space.


    There, she saw a beautiful woman facing a female Abyssal.


    "¡­Sovereign Irene!" Hanyu gasped.


    *** *** ***


    A/N: Recently, there was a review stating Volume 4 has many fillers.


    There are no filler chapters in Volume 4 so far (maybe 1 or at most 2).


    Everything you learn right now might not seem relevant or useful, and some might not make even sense.


    This happened again and again, starting with Varian''s mother''s wish, Sia avoiding Varian despite caring for him and recently, Eric''s actions in the banquet which at that time seemed like author lost his brain. (there were some wildments on that chapter. lol.)


    But since you read so far, I hope you can trust me a bit more. What you read so far WILL matter and it''ll be apparent the deeper we go into this arc.


    PS: This is thest of the 5 promised chapters. Support the story if you can. Today''s thest day.. If we reach top 25 (trending, monthly, all-time), we''ll have a 10 chapter mass-release.

 Chapter 368 - Sovereign Irene

    "Aren''t you here too fast, Irene?" Despair Queen looked at her archival and chuckled.


    "Cunning bitch." Irene Nial red at the female Abyssal in front of her.


    Seven feet tall, beautiful grey skin and voluptuous body, she wore a green dress that seemed to be made of vines.


    At the moment, she looked innocent and harmless. But in reality, she was insidious and ruthless.


    Irene rushed to the RL-34oid after learning about the appearance of Sequoia nts.


    But Despair Queen, the ruler of Despair Abyss and her archival appeared just in time.


    Thankfully, Irene was still a moment early. For a Sovereign, even that little time was significant.


    Irene already used her gravity powers and secured the high awakeners. As for level 6s and below?


    There were thousands of them and she had her limits. Her choice was the high awakeners.


    If only Despair Queen was a momentte, then perhaps¡­


    "Oya~ming me now? Why should we interfere in the kids'' fight?" Despair Queen smiled and narrowed her eyes.


    Boom!


    Despair Queen''s body vanished and the space she was previously standing at twisted wildly.


    Then, like it was crushed by a force, cracks appeared and the space copsed.


    The shockwaves from the spread outwards, some traveling to theoid and others asteroids.


    Ka!


    Ka!


    The shockwaves travelled for almost a hundred miles before they hit theoid, but when they did, it seemed like the herald of an apocalypse.


    RL-34 had only one supercontinent. But once the shockwaves struck, the world map suddenly had small and medium inds.


    There were great rifts everywhere. Newkes were formed, mountain ranges were destroyed and every awakener in the hundred mile vicinity of the attacks suffered serious damage.


    If they weren''t at least level 4, they died on spot.


    Tens of thousands of soldiers from both sides were instantly killed and the numbers were only rising with each moment.


    "Fallback to the bases! Fallback I say!"


    "Evacuate! Evacuate!"


    Both humans and Abyssals didn''t bother fighting as they withdrew to their respective borders.


    Of course, the high awakeners still remained active as they locked onto each other.


    "To think that this scene is repeating again¡­" Irene sighed and summoned the artifact.


    "Hehe. You can''t defeat me with your power anyway. Let''s destroy thisoid, how about it?" Despair Queen proposed with a smile.


    "I can''t send you off with my power, but¡ª" Irene''s body shed a blinding light and a sleek white armor covered her body.


    The moment it appeared, Irene felt her gravity power rise significantly. The warm armor gave her a sense of security and filled her with additional strength.


    Due to Heaven''s will, Abyssals had a strength reduction ons and moons.


    But not onoids and space.


    As such, while humans could drive Abyssals offs and moons, they were in stalemate onoids and space.


    But, the strength of Abyssals was in fact higher than of humans.


    Until Artifacts were used.


    "Your Crystal Armor is way better than my Vine Armor." Despair Queen''s eyes shed with envy as she licked her lips.


    "But your base strength isn''t as good as mine." The Abyssal womanughed and her body shed a dazzling green.


    The next moment, a huge tree ten kilometers tall was standing in front of Irene Nial. It overshadowed her by many, many, many folds.


    "I''ll kill you one day." Irene Nial muttered and her armor shed a white light.


    Kacha!


    The asteroids across hundreds of miles broke apart and turned into sharp spikes.


    Boom!


    Then breaking the speed limit multiple times, they shot at the huge tree.


    "Hahaha!" Despair Queen''sughter resounded throughout theoid as the huge tree simply waved its branches.


    The branches turned into red vines and extended for dozens of miles. Like muscles flexed, the branches swelled and transformed into heavy vines filled with poisonous thorns all over.


    Then with a simply p, hundreds of vines covered the tall tree and shielded it from the lethal bullets.


    Ka!


    Ka!


    Despite blocking a significant portion of the bullets, the shield couldn''t hold most.


    So, when the vine shield was removed, the tall tree was riddled with holes all over.


    Violet liquid spilled out of the tall tree as Despair Queen''s breath weakened slightly.


    The previous attack would''ve pulverized even level 9s into pieces of flesh, but to take down a Sovereign, it was far from enough.


    "Pest race!" Despair Queen cursed. The tall tree wriggled and all the bullets were expelled.


    Not even a second passed, and every injury of the Despair Queen healed.


    "nt Morphers¡­you guys are fucking annoying."


    Irene cursed as she channeled her gravity power and locked onto Despair Queen.


    The space suddenly started shaking and Despair Queen''s expression changed.


    Each of her body parts were experienced different, but dangerous amounts of gravity.


    She lost control of some of her vine-branches. They were attracted to the mid-section of her body¡ªthe gravity acting on them dictated them to and following its influence, those vines fell towards her mid-section and pped heavily.


    "Gahh!" Despair Queen howled in pain.


    A small river of violet blood was formed from the huge wound on the tree''s midsection.


    The wound wriggled and was about to heal.


    "Not under my watch." Irene spat and waved her hand.


    The gravity on the vines changed and they were repelled by the mid-section.


    Then it reversed again and they were forcibly pushed towards the mid-section.


    "Stop!" Despair Queen yelled and pulled her other vines to block the attack.


    Ka!


    Ka!


    The vines collided with each other and the ones under Irene''s control werepletely destroyed.


    Despair Queen wasn''t in a good mood as a new set of vines went out of control despite her best attempts.


    "You!"


    Ka!


    Ka!


    Their fight continued for hours as neither of them were willing to give up. Even though Despair Queen was injured from time to time, her ntae powers meant she healed almost instantly.


    Their stalemate was finally broken when Despair Queen withdrew causing Irene to sigh in relief.

 Chapter 369 - Sequoia

    "This was exhausting¡­" Sovereign Irene winced in pain.


    On several asions, the vines hit her. She used her gravity powers to try and negate the attack, but some of them still made contact with her.


    "Thankfully, I have you." She touched the damp armor and sighed in relief.


    It yed a big role in the battle and if not for it, Irene would''ve been heavily injured.


    "Cough. Cough." She covered her mouth and coughed out blood.


    She was still injured though.


    Her white armor was stained in red as blood continued to spill out of her body.


    Irene channeled her gravity power and redirected the gravity of the blood, stopping the bleeding.


    "Now I can finally rest¡­" She stretched her arms and caught the glimpse of her storage ring.


    "F..ine." With a bad premonition,? she checked her customized storage ring and picked herm.


    Thetest message was from 10 minutes ago by a level 9oidmander.


    {Sovereign Irene, In XA-97oid, there is a bunch of Sequoia!}


    "Fuck!"


    Irene cursed and channeled the gravity power. As she was about to elerate herself towards theoid, her innards roiled and she felt like someone knocked her out of breath.


    "Cough. Cough."


    Spitting out blood, herplexion was pale as her armor''s original color.


    It hurt.


    But more than the physical pain, the words she were about to utter caused her to clench her fists and close her eyes.


    "Minimize the losses."


    {¡­Yes. I''ll do my best to get only two thousand level 6 casualties.}


    The reply wasn''t ming or using. It was simply one of eptance.


    Perhaps, even themander didn''t expect her toe ahead and help.


    There was always the option of reinforcements in the Inners, but here?


    The reinforcements were stretched and they had issues like random level 9 Abyssals attacking.


    Irene Nial summoned her space shuttle and without dy rested in the healing pod.


    Despair Queen left not because she was too injured, but because she was too tired.


    "I''m sorry¡­" As her mind hovered between dream and reality, a little boy''s face surfaced in her mind.


    "Mom. Mom." Little Vicky called out in fear.


    "Vicky!" Irene yelled and looked around for him.


    "I¡­." In her fit of anxiety, she destroyed the healing pod and dented the reinforced room walls.


    The floor had puddles of precious healing liquid that could cause any high awakeners to fight, yet Irene Nial couldn''t even pay attention to what she had done.


    Her memories shed and she saw a little boy waving at her with a cheerful smile.


    "Mom! Are you a Sovereign?"


    "Yes, sweetheart."


    "Then I''ll also be one."


    "Why?"


    "Because dad isn''t. So, when you go outside, he can''t apany you. I don''t want you to be lonely, mom."


    Her husbandughed it off, but she felt his pain.


    He was only a level 7, yet they married against all expectations. The stronger she grew, the more ridicule he drew.


    They said she should pick a better husband. Or at least pick a couple of them.


    Irene didn''t. She wasn''t Vianne.


    He was the one who supported her through thick and thin. He was her pir of support.


    And she only wanted to be with him.


    Despite being having one husband, her responsibilities made it impossible for them to spend time in peace. In the end, even natural pregnancy was a problem because she couldn''t afford to be weak for a couple of months.


    When they finally had Vickyte in their lives, she was already a Sovereign. Her happiness was immeasurable and she was filled with energy everyday.


    But soon, Pluto war happened. Her decision to support military drew mixed opinions, but she did what she thought was right.


    Neptune was saved from being the second pluto. But Uranus paid the price.


    Everyone expected Abyssals to retaliate.


    But...no one expected how much they''re willing to pay. When they realized, it was already toote.


    The first casualty of the revenge was her husband. He was trying to protect Vicky. The second was little Vicky himself.


    Not just that, the Nial family¡ªchildren and grandchildren of her sisters and brothers also suffered heavy losses.


    "I''m sorry." Irene closed her eyes and whimpered. Her shoulders shook and she covered her face.


    For a moment, she allowed herself to be weak.


    "Haaa~" After wiping away the tears, she put on an indifferent expression andmanded her space shuttle.


    She couldn''t show weakness to others.


    "Go to where west left off."


    {Yes, Sovereign Irene.}


    The space shuttle travelled away from theoids and towards an area very close to the Abyss.


    This was a special region with asteroids.


    There were many, many asteroids varying from the size of a basketball to being 1/25th of moon.


    Irene looked at the asteroids and spread her gravity sense. She could feel the changes in hundreds of miles easily.


    "Proceed at regr speed." She instructed and the space shuttle continued to move past the asteroids at a high speed.


    "Sequoia¡­Sequoia¡­where are you?" Irene muttered as her eyes shed with killing intent.


    Those nts were only recently introduced. They didn''t cause much damage to level 8s, but they killed too many level 6s.


    After her investigation, Irene concluded that they weren''t brought from Despair Abyss.


    They were being grown somewhere here!


    After a few days of searching, she found a couple of them.


    "Stop!" She suddenly yelled and her figure disappeared from the ship. In the next moment, she appeared on a huge asteroid that could hold fifty football fields.


    In the cracks of the asteroid, she found a green nt with a big mouth.


    Pa!


    With a clench of her fist, the gravity in the nt''s body parts twisted.


    "Kee¡ª" It couldn''t even scream before it turned into a paste.


    Irene spread her gravity sense and was about to leave.


    "Huh?" But she felt a trace of prana left in the air.


    No. They didn''t leave any traces any other time. Why now?


    Despite her doubts, she boarded her spaceship and followed the traces.


    Unexpectedly, she found twenty Sequoia one by one.


    The one she found at the beginning was the weakest. The farther, she went, the stronger the Sequoia became.


    Irene lost herself in the process.


    "Level 5."


    "Level 6."


    "Level 7."


    "Haa~ The strongest Sequoia so far, level 8!"


    If she could kill off all level 8 Sequoia, then there wouldn''t be such level 6 casualties anymore.


    As Irene''s lips curled up in anticipation, an unexpected warning came.


    {Sovereign Irene, this is a danger zone.}


    "W..What?" She felt the surroundings and her eyes widened in surprise.


    They were only a couple of minutes away from the Abyss.


    There was Abyss patrol going to and fro. The only reason she wasn''t caught was that her space shuttle¡ªit was one of the finest in the federation.


    Irene felt the traces of Sequoia and her gaze fell on a group of asteroids.


    They were all connected to each other and formed various patterns. She could sense rich pranaing from a few asteroids.


    If she destroyed them¡­


    "Go back." Irene sighed deeply.


    The prana traces were so obvious. This was 99% a trap.


    Her life was no longer hers to risk, she needed to live for everyone who''s under her protection.


    Calling teams wasn''t on her agenda either. They''d be found out by the Abyssals and a battle would ensue.


    No matter how many ''teams'' she brought, there was no chance they had any chance fighting right in front of the Abyss.


    Perhaps if she sneaked in alone, perhaps.


    Irene shook her head and slipped into another healing pod.


    For now, let me rest.

 Chapter 370 - The Day Before

    Varian thought collecting the info from the Uranus cluster cities would be a two day job.


    But boy was he wrong.


    He got it easy on Valos because Liluh''s lies gave away his identity. He got it easy on Orion city because it was gued with drugs and everyone knew of the four big drug lords.


    But then, then it finally hit him.


    In a particr city, there was no way to know for sure which power had the role of intelligence gatherer.


    In fact, such organizations tend to hide.


    Like Grant family, everyone only knew them as famous financial investors.


    So, Varian and Boo had to undertake the arduous task of finding clues to which power ''might'' be the information gatherers.


    It''d typically be a long listplied after an hour of work. Then they''d need to check them one by one.


    It was excruciating.


    Varian didn''t participate in the repetitive task and left it to the expert AI.


    Exploiting the info gathered and some monitoring, Varian caught gangs when they were in conflict.


    And he kidnapped a couple of peak level 6 awakeners that were supposed to be ''dead''.


    For example, two days ago, a level 7 pped a training hall to rubbles. Everyone in it died. Except for two peak level 6 who were saved by Varian.


    Boo''s persistence got them closer and closer to getting the info of the 20 cities. His persistence finally gave him the ''training bags'' he needed.


    Since they were all criminals whomitted murder and rape, Varian didn''t feel any guilt in using them for training.


    Thus, he now had a peak level 6 training bag for every divine path.


    He decided to focus on the divine paths that were behind others and started training.


    During the breaks, he''d enquire Boo about the situation and if needed, give some instructions.


    Thus, on the sixth day, they ''borrowed'' the databases of 17 cities, including Valos.


    These databases all had one prime target¡ªlike Betty''s father Colin in Valos and Sirk in Orion.


    These high ranking officers were the targets.


    But¡ª


    "What do you mean there is none?" Varian frowned at the white ghost. He was currently wearing white training clothes and was about to go train.


    Of course, they''d be stained red after every session. But Boo''s report caused him to stop.


    "They just don''t have a prime target. No high ranking military officer is targeted." Boo pointed to the three cities and said.


    "What about other targets? Any peculiarities?" Varian leaned against the sleek ck wall of the training room and raised a brow.


    "Well¡­" Boo''s eyes shed with binary digits before it nodded. "Some scientists, some researchers, some architects."


    A few holograms popped up, showing the details of said targets.


    "Are they rted to any high ranking military officer?" Varian crossed his hands and asked.


    "No."


    "Haa~" Sighing lightly, Varian checked hism and shook his head. "It''s almost time. We should get going."


    Boo nodded lightly.


    Its master''s n was based on the premise of them following Betty''s kidnappers.


    They needed to be on the scene.


    The ghost ship was on route to Valos.


    *** *** *** ***


    "Do you have the confidence we can win?" Liluh asked with a smile.


    "Hmph! As if those pets stood any chance." Betty raised her chin in pride. Her gaze on Liluh revealed her infatuation and admiration.


    "Betty, you don''t have to stress yourself. I''ll take care of them and protect you." Vinar patted his chest and said.


    "Fuck off. I don''t need your protection." Betty said and showed her aura. Though unstable due to recent advancement, it was undoubtedly low level 5.


    "¡­you are strong. But I don''t want to see you injured." Vinar said with a sincere expression, only to earn a look of contempt.


    "Save your tricks for those silly girls. You think I don''t know your motive? You just want to climb your way up with a high-ss girl like me. All poor people are the same." Betty grounded her feet and said.


    Vinar looked at her with a serious expression and decided to reveal the secret. "I know you were kidnapped by them during your childhood, but to put them all¡ª"


    "Shut up!" Betty yelled with a pale face and turned towards the exit. "I can''t breathe the same air as you."


    She trembled with each step and at thest step, her knees buckled and she fell.


    "Argh¡ª"


    "Are you alrighty, Betty?" Liluh caught her by the waist and asked with a concerned face.


    "I¡­I''m fine. Thank you." Betty''s face turned red as she looked at the handsome face at a close distance.


    "I see. I''m relieved." Liluh gently removed his hands and turned towards Vinar. "You! If you dare this again, then I''ll make sure you die a pathetic death."


    Vinar was worried about Betty''s reaction, but Liluh''s words enraged him beyond reason.


    "You can''t even win me. What are you bragging about?" Saying so, he looked at Betty.


    She was ignoring himpletely and was staring at Liluh. Liluh also ignored him and stared at her.


    ''Why? Why did you change so much?''


    "Ahem." Edwina suddenly appeared in the room, startling everyone.


    "You are the ace of second year. Don''t shame us." She said with a serious face.


    Betty didn''t care.


    "Or you will be theughing stock."


    Betty nodded.


    The boys followed.


    Edwina inadvertently nced at the three women in ck suits in the distance.


    Betty''s three level 7 bodyguards were monitoring the training. They didn''t even bother talking.


    ''Three level 7s. And a Space Awakener in that. Nothing will happen.'' Edwina tried to reassure herself.


    ''And Edgar¡­I don''t know his real name. He vanished. I can''t find any traces of him. To disappear without any traces, is he a ghost?''


    Her thoughts spun as she thought back to the newbie''s words.


    Wait, he wasn''t a newbie. He was a freak with three level 6s!


    Even more crazy was his n. To let Betty be kidnapped to uncover the bigger secrets!


    ''Whatever.. Everything will be resolved tomorrow.''

 Chapter 371 - Athena And Guardians

    In thewn of a mansion, a stout middle-aged man stood in front of dozens of men and women dressed in red and ck clothes. Their


    Each of them auras that could''ve killed any normal resident.


    Their killing intent was worse. It could scare away their peers into fleeing.


    Cosa Brotherhood. Just like the shark tattoo on their cheeks, they ripped apart anyone and anyone in their paths.


    Their current path needed not killing, but kidnapping.


    "This is thest mission. Things will go well and we''ll buy the Siloy Potion." Barbaroza addressed the senior members of Cosa brotherhood.


    "As expected of leader. If not for your vision, this would''ve been impossible." His confidante praised him, setting a precedent.


    "Yes. If boss isn''t here to protect us, the Viper gang won''t let us live. They''re too overbearing." Another loyal supporter said.


    His words caused the the expressions of others to change drastically.


    A few days ago, Gnuc gang was obliterated by the Soprana gang. The enmity of these gangs was shorter than Viper and Cosa''s.


    Yet, they didn''t leave behind a single gangster alive.


    This was the result if their enemies got the Siloy potion and they didn''t.


    That''s why¡­


    "Yes, boss! Under your guidance, we''ll get the potion and destroy the Viper gang."


    "Long live Cosa Brotherhood!"


    "Valos is ours! Boss will lead us to a golden age."


    One by one, they started praising him and the gang.


    Barbaroza''s lips curled up and he raised his hand, signaling them to pause.


    "Remember, we burnt our pockets to deal with the space awakener. No mistakes allowed. Or I''ll kill the culprit''s entire family by myself." His eyes glowed with intense killing intent.


    "Y-Yes!"


    "No worries. We''ve been preparing for weeks, there will be no mishaps." A long haired man stepped forward and said with a confident voice.


    Beside him were two woman with piercings and tattoos all over their faces.


    The three of them exuded the aura of level 7 and belonged to the top-echelon of the brotherhood.


    "I''ll leave it to you." Barbaroza was relieved.


    But deep inside, he felt a growing sense of unease.


    *** *** ***


    In one of the slums of Valos, few men and women gathered.


    They looked like your regr civilians and had no outstanding features about them whatsover.


    However, their regted breathing, standard posture, cautious stance and readiness to fight indicated they were anything but normal.


    They didn''t even sit as it might hinder their escape.


    These not so ordinary people were divided into two camps.


    A woman with purple hair and too ordinary face was standing on one side. Behind her were the members of the group. Clearly, she was the leader.


    On the other side, the members lined up uniformly, but there was no one leading them.


    "Whyte?" Violet, the woman with purple hair asked.


    "Info." A fat man from the opposite side answered and shut up.


    "¡­." Violet didn''t ask anymore. She knew exactly that people in their line of profession spoke only what could be spoken and skipped the rest.


    Fifty seconds passed since the agreed time and the members of Violet group were getting impatient.


    "With this discipline, do you want to you call yourself ''Shadow Guardians''? Discipline is everything!" An old man said with rage.


    Disciple, ah! Evander must be proud.


    "And you call yourself Athena group but can''t even tackle this mission by yourself! Bah! You guys are not only useless, but also shameless. Madam Athena must be disappointed in you." The fat man cursed without mercy.


    The expressions of the Athena agents contorted as they red daggers at the fat man.


    "Do you really think we need you?" The old man growled.


    "You need us, and we need you. Everyone knows this. Yet you are spouting nonsense. Quit living in denial or even when your wife cucks you, you''ll keep denying it." Fat man''s mouth was like a machine gun. He showed absolutely no respect to elderly.


    "Y-You! H-How did you know?" The old man''s face paled and he nearly coughed out blood.


    "Ah?! It''s true? Hahaha!" The fat man was surprised at first, then burst outughing.


    The Shadow Guardians covered their mouths and held in theirughter. They didn''t want to aggravate the situation.


    "¡­" Violet red at the fat man causing him to stop.


    "It''s not like I''m afraid of you or anything. Your attitude didn''t piss me off, that''s why." He didn''t forget to emphasize that he was fearless.


    "¡­Fatty, one of the days, you''ll die." A sonorous voice sounded causing fat man tough again.


    "Me dying? Pfft! Who''s that bastard? I''ll show you what''s dea¡ª." As he turned around, the fat man''s face froze.


    Then without hesitation, he bowed 90 degrees. "Wee, boss! They''ve ndered you and cursed you with words I dare not repeat. I''ve risked my life and defended you."


    Raising his head, the fat man began to cry. Rubbing the tears off his face, he pointed to the old man. "T-That old fellow, he is using his age as an excuse to oppress the weak me. Boss, please help me get justice."


    "¡­."


    "Boss?" The fat man raised his head and was pped on his head. "Ouch."


    "Your acting needs improvement. Use them properly." The bald man said with a serious expression.


    "Yes, yes."


    "Why are youte?" Violet asked offhandedly.


    "Assisted on theoid." He said indifferently. He could help out the army anonymously. He had the contacts. "Sequoia flowers came up again. 1,653 level 6s died."


    Violet''s expression turned heavy.


    "Did you find anything useful about them? Their origins? Or where they are stored at?" She asked eagerly.


    "Nope." Seth shook his head in disappointment. "I''ve had people check up even asteroids until the Abyssal patrol range. We have no clues."


    "¡­Let''s talk about this mission." Violet crossed her arms and said. "The Siloy potion will be sold. Violence is already on the rise due to the potion."


    Seth''s expression changed only lightly upon hearing the potion.


    Siloy potion could help one advance in their level. Even high awakeners could progress at least one sub-level.


    As a dual awakener with two peak level 8s, this potion should''ve been very temping to him.


    If it was the old him, he would''ve done everything in his power to get his hand son it.


    But after joining Shadow Guardians and learning of the ''Miracle potion'' created by a mysterious person in Shadow Guardians, he had no interest in Siloy potion.


    Not to mention, it was made by Abyssals themselves. There''s no way he could trust it.


    Taking a deep breath, Seth addressed everyone.


    "We''re very close to finding out why they''re selling such dangerous, yet precious potion. This might be a huge conspiracy. So, fellow humans, regardless of our organization, we must work together.


    Now, the n is¡­"

 Chapter 372 - The Kidnap [1]

    Valos city had three great academies.


    Miracle Academy. Established by the army.


    Justice Academy. Established by the governor of the city: Shadir


    Honor Academy. Established by the top powers of the city.


    They acted as checks and bnces to each other. After Pluto war, however, Honor academy was on a rise.


    Miracle academy was still the undisputed first, but no one knew how long it''d stay that way.


    Whilemon man sent their children to academies that offered best opportunities, the powerful men sent their children to academies to create opportunities.


    For instance, Miracle academy was a great ce to establish awork with future army officers.


    Justice academy allowed one to befriend the future bureaucrats.


    Honor academy¡­it was the mini-society of Valos. If you thrived there, chances were, you''d also thrive in the real world.


    Despite the varied advantages, the question of ''Who''s the best'' came up every year.


    It was answered through a teaming duel: Inter-academypetition.


    Cadets from first to third years participate in individual duels, and group duels to decide who''s the best of the best.


    Like every year, this year too, people from all over Valos came to see the grandpetition.


    No academy had a stadiumrge enough to amodate the audience. Thus, thepetition was always conducted in the Valos Stadium in the center of the city.


    It was one hour before the start of the tournament and the stadium was already bustling.


    The hologram advertisements were in full swing as everypany that burnt money to buy the slot did its best to reign in customers.


    Though Valos had a lot of poor people, it also had rich ones. After all, its poption was 30 million.


    "Do you think Miracle Academy can still keep the title this year?"


    "How do you think we farepared to theary geniuses?"


    "You are the seeded team of the Honor Academy. Are you confident in winning the first?"


    The reporters swarmed like worms and buzzed like bees, sttering the contestants, organizers and whoever rted to the event they could find with endless questions.


    That also included a certain team from Miracle Academy.


    Betty, Liluh and Vinar in academy''s special uniform¡ªred dress with royal gold edges, were bombarded with questions.


    "Miss Betty, as the daughter of one of the highest army officers, are you confident in winning and upholding the army''s glory?"


    "Mr. Liluh, you are heir to one of the biggest phnthropist families of Valos, do you have any charity activities nned if you win?"


    "Mr. Vinar, your master is one of the few level 8s of our city. Many question his decision to take you as his only disciple. What do you think?"


    Betty was proud and arrogant, but neither eloquent nor social adept. She flinched at their questions and looked behind.


    Tasss¡ª


    The reporters froze all of a sudden and Betty escaped onto the main stage.


    "Haaa~"


    "What was that?"


    They could breathe once again and questioned what just happened.


    "Space¡­froze."


    "Heuk."


    The reporters found Betty''s bodyguards sitting in the front rows¡ªclosest to the stages.


    "Forget it."


    "Yeah."


    "I don''t want to die."


    They wanted to escape from these devilish high awakeners.


    Vinar shook his head and walked onto the stage.


    Liluh on the other hand grabbed the mike and smiled at the cameras. "We have decided to build a children''s hospital this year. Children are our future. We must protect them. This hospital is a small contribution from my Grant family."


    "Woooh!"


    "Write that down! Write that down!"


    "But boss, it''s live."


    "¡­."


    The reporters exploded showing extreme reactions. This was definitely big news for themon public.


    ''As expected. Maintain a positive image in public. They''ll never link you to the insidious things you do in the dark.'' Liluh shed a bright smile and walked onto the stage.


    He wasst of the participants from all academies. And thus, the opening ceremony began.


    *** *** ****


    After a long ass speech by an N number of peoplemon to every big event, thepetition finally kicked off.


    The individual duels began first.


    The numerous stages were quickly filled as quick matches kicked off between hundreds of cadets.


    Fire, Water, Thunder, Earth.


    Body, Mind, Morpher.


    Space, Gravity.


    Every power was seen and sh of each power with every other power was also seen.


    After four hours of continuous, intense duels, the results were out.


    First year¡ªHonor Academy clinched the championship, defying all expectations.


    Miracle Academy, for the first time lost against Honor Academy.


    Second year¡ªJustice Academy won.


    Third year¡ªMiracle Academy finally had one first.


    After an hour break of recuperation filled with countless ads, the battle Royale began.


    Each academy sent three teams per year. Thus, nine teams per year in total.


    For the battle Royale, the stages were modified.


    Earlier, there was one main stage and quite a few sub stages holding duels.


    Now, all the stages werebined. A ssy dome covered the stage, preventing it from any external influence. Despite how it looked, the dome could take a couple of hits from level 7 and not break.


    It might seem over the top, but in the past, a powerful family head saw his son was being beaten and in anger, he attacked his son''s opponents.


    By the time others reacted, it was toote.


    What happened to them?


    Well, they died.


    So, it was unanimously decided to protect the contestants by investing in a very expensive dome.


    The environment on the one big stage was modified and was filled with hills,kes and small forests.


    The nine teams entered the stage and the doom closed.


    "Start!"


    *** *** *** ***


    Edwina watched the match from the second-best seating. It didn''t make her feel any more relieved.


    In fact, her heart was pounding like an engine on steroids.


    "The second year battle Royale, start!"


    The announcement reverberated across the stadium followed by cheers.


    ''Oh fuck! Arggghh'' Edwina cursed inside as she rubbed her sweaty palms. How the fuck would they kidnap from this stadium?


    There were a few level 8s attending thepetition for fuck''s sake!


    Or maybe it was after thepetition?


    Or maybe the kidnap was a hoax after all. The intelligence department of Shadow Guardians made a mistake, perhaps?


    Normally, Edwina wasn''t like this. She prepared for her mission thoroughly and followed her intricate n to thest letter.


    Her nine missions were sessful because of her nning. But this mission?


    Heh.


    ''Edgar!'' Edwina wanted to yell at him. If he only epted the mission properly, with his fake mysterious background and his own strength, using her info on Betty, he would''ve been close to Betty now.


    But no. He fucking changed the mission! And the higher ups actually approved it!


    Edwina didn''t know what was going on anymore. Nor did she want to think about it.


    She only wanted this mission to end. And to never see see that guy''s face or hear his voice again.


    "Yo."


    "Hey¡ªArgg¡ª!" Edwina returned the greeting before abruptly letting out a scream and barely stopping it from biting her tongue.


    A few people gave them ambigious eyes and turned back to watching thepetition.


    "W-What the fuck are you doing here?" Edwina tapped herm and sent the message.


    Varian grinned widely and turned his gaze to the stage.


    His eyes narrowed and he muttered.


    "It begins."


    ¡ªBoom!

 Chapter 373 - The Kidnap [2]

    How do you kidnap a girl under the eyes of a hundred thousand people, which included a few level 8s and quite a few level 7s?


    When they were presented with this problem, the Cosa brotherhood were stumped.


    But how did they end up here in the first ce?


    It all started when presented with the opportunity to be the ones to kidnap Betty two months¡ªthirteen weeks ago, they grabbed it with both hands and vowed to never let go.


    It''s not like kidnapping was a new thing to them. They were, in fact, very experienced in the art.


    If there was a rating in proficiency, they''d rank first in Valos. No questions asked.


    That''s why, they got to kidnap her. Not Viper gang. Or any other gang which were their equivalents in overall strength.


    But the question of ''How do we kidnap a girl who has three level 7 bodyguards, which includes a Space Awakener?'' pped them in the face.


    They spent two weeks were spent in countless propositions, alpha testing, beta testing and final evaluations.


    96.5% of the nning team unequivocally believed that had this been a business, they''d have already gotten a million kp in investment¡ªenough to buy a luxurious vi in high end districts.


    s, life is a bitch and kidnapping ns were bitchier.


    Thankfully, through countless mental trials, they eliminated every other possibility and narrowed the kidnapping opportunity down to one event.


    Inter-academypetition.


    Betty always had her bodyguards with her, so kidnapping her any other time was impossible!


    That''s how they ended up with the original question: How do you kidnap a girl under the eyes of a hundred thousand people, which included a few level 8s and quite a few level 7s?


    Thankfully, two more weeks of hair pulling, drug abuse and alcohol burping gave them the solution.


    There were still ten weeks and they invested a lot of money, manpower and time on the solution. And in a few seconds, it was going toe to fruition.


    "Honor Academy''s B team is eliminated." The announcer''s voiced reverberated across the stadium.


    Above a small hill within the dome, a teenage boy and two girls kneeled on the hard rock, clutching their injuries.


    The boy''s hand was roasted to ck-red as blood gushed out like fountain.


    The girls both clutched their stomachs as the sharp cut across their stomach threatened to spill their innards.


    "Tch. Trash." The spiky haired young man standing in front of them spat in disgust.


    The two boys behind him followed him and sneered at the injured before they turned around and followed their team leader down the hill.


    The dome shed blue and a man in ck waved a metallic badge and entered in.


    His face was expressionless like other referees. But his eyes¡­his eyes were dead. There was no light in them. Only deep, cold darkness.


    The referee quickly made his way through the area and reached the injured. He fed them a light potion and carried them out.


    Even though the boy he was carrying resembled his own son, the referee''s heart was numb.


    After sending them off the treatment ward, he walked up and stood below the stage, upying his position: Left corner.


    The huge square stage had eight referees in total¡ªfour at each corners, and four for each sides.


    They were the only ones allowed to enter inside the dome. But a referee could only enter if it''s in their designated area.


    For instance, the referee standing at the right side shouldn''t go if the trouble arose on the left corner.


    After huge deliberations, Cosa brotherhood finally chose to invest in a weak willed referee. And lure him to their side.


    But like all referees, he''s a patriot and a loyal person.


    So, what did they do?


    They murdered his family and using their connections, med it on a rising army officer.


    The Grant family helped them forge the evidence and the referee had to object the reality that his wife, parents, and children were killed in a murder by the rising army officer in rage due to a potion malfunctioning.


    The senior military officers didn''t punish the officer who they deemed as more valuable.


    In the end, he was off the hook with a small penalty.


    The referee tried


    Then they contacted him. The man was already broken. So, they just revealed him the ''truth''.


    The potion didn''t malfunction. It was the officer''s fault and the army covered it up.


    The evidence, once again, forged by the expert Grant family did the deed.


    They asked him to join them and serve their mission. They''d give him revenge.


    The man was already broken by that point. He couldn''t think deeply. He couldn''t differentiate between truth and lies.


    His heart was numb and his mind was nk.


    He epted their offer. Revenge.


    The referee shifted his eyes and nced at the stands. In one of the VIP seats, a handsome man was seated, watching the battle royal with relish.


    ''Just you wait,'' the referee clenched his fists. ''You''ll be dead soon. You''ll pay.''


    "Justice Academy A-1 eliminated."


    The announcement snapped the referee out of his thoughts and he looked up.


    His eyes which were calm until now violently fluctuated. His heart throbbed and thrashed against his ribcage.


    ''This is it! This is the moment!''


    In his ''zone'', there was a smallke. By the side of theke were two teams. The eliminated Justice A-1 team consisting of the spiky guy and his two followers.


    And the ones that eliminated them¡ªthe Miracle A-1 team: Betty, Liluh and Vinar.


    The referee''s eyes met with Liluh and they both understood the situation. Without any extra moment, the referee shed his metallic badge and entered the dome.


    The audience shifted their gaze to ongoing fights, but still a significant part of them were paying attention to this side.


    Not only that, there were also high awakeners of level 7 and level 8 that were paying attention to the whole stage.


    The referee reached the eliminated team and bent down.


    A few meters away from him was Betty and beside her were Liluh and Vinar, in bloodstained clothes.


    ''Now!''

 Chapter 374 - The Kidnap [3]

    The referee''s body blurred and in the blink of an eye, he grabbed Betty and took out a metallic ring engraved with runes.


    Without any reservation, he poured all his aura into the ring.


    The ring had three empty slots.


    "Stop!"


    A thunderous roar reverberated across the stadium as a woman in ck suit reached the dome in an instant and pped the dome.


    Cling!


    The dome shook violently and cracks appeared on the sturdy structure. But ultimately, it didn''t break.


    At the same time, a few men and women in audience pierced their own stomach and took out a few explosives.


    The level 8s would''ve left it to others, but the aura fluctuations were too much to leave the task to someone else.


    "Stop!"


    The level 8s locked onto them and in the blink of an eye, blocked the bombers.


    Saaa~


    One slot of the ring was filled.


    "You retards! Save the miss!" She yelled.


    Her voice caused ss to crack, and the weaker among audiences bled from their ears and noses before fainting.


    "Control yourself, Moss!" A level 8 awakener created a lightning barrier protecting the audience and yelled.


    "Control my ass!" A woman bathed in lightning shot through the stage and thrust the lightning spear into the dome.


    Cling!


    Kaa!


    The dome started to crack and was on the verge of copse.


    Saa~


    The second slot of the ring was filled.


    "Why aren''t you attacking?" The third and final body guard, Hina appeared just in front of the dome and yelled.


    She tried twice to teleport in, but there were restrictions. It''d take at least two more tries.


    "Out of the way." A heavy voice sounded and the next moment, a figure crashed into the dome.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The doom was broken apart and the stage began to violently shake as cracks spread like cobweb.


    The level 8 awakener''s body blurred and he appeared in front of Betty in the split of a second.


    Saaa~


    The third slot of the ring was filled and space violently fluctuated.


    "You!"


    The referee was grabbing Betty. Liluh and Vinar were grabbing the referee.


    The level 8s hand was only a few inches away from the referee when they disappeared.


    "Arggh!" Screams filled with rage and killing intent reverberated throughout the stadium.


    The defense members on the scene were already in action and secured the audience from the effects of those screams and killing intent.


    Screams were fine. They would only bleed a bit and go deaf temporarily.


    But killing intent¡­it might cause a permeant trauma.


    "Don''t worry. It''s alright."


    "It''s all safe now."


    "Just be seated. We''ll take care of this."


    The people of Valos were still ustomed to violence, so they adjusted quickly and sat in their positions.


    As for the ones that didn''t obey, well¡­they were forced to be seated.


    On the other side, the stage had already copsed.


    As they failed to find her traces on the stage, Betty''s bodyguards were aghast.


    Roth and Moss, the lightning and body awakeners checked theirms immediately.


    Betty''sm was custom made¡ªit could withstand a few level 7 strikes. Even if they want to remove it from her, they''d need a few seconds.


    "Half minute away." Roth pointed to herm and lightning wings emerged from her back.


    With a p, she shot into the air and turned into a streak of lightning. The clouds split apart as she vanished into the distance.


    "Fuck!" Moss roared in anger and raised her leg.


    "No! No! Stop, Moss!" A level 7 near yelled in anxiety. But Moss didn''t care.


    Boom!


    Moss'' figure blurred as she reached the clouds in an instant and kept kicking in the air, and moved forward.


    Simultaneously, the ground shook and cracks began to spread from the center.


    "Damn it!" The security officers cursed seeing the cracks spreading outwards rapidly.


    No, not just that, arge chunk of the ground just caved in and formed a crater!


    A little girl was sitting in her chair. Right when something happed on the stage, her mom told her to close her eyes and put noise cancelling headphones on her.


    But as the chair she sat on shook uncontrobly, an unknown fear gripped her heart.


    She was in darkness. She couldn''t see anything or hear anything, yet she could feel it.


    Her chair started to shake. The little girl started to sob as she cried for help.


    "M-Mo¡ªhuh?"


    Before she could even call her mom, the shaking stopped.


    The little girl cautiously opened her eyes and looked around. "Whaaa?"


    Her mouth gaped open as she stared at the ground. Why was the ground cracked?


    Others also stared with mouths wide open. But for the opposite reason. Why did the ground cracking suddenly stopped?


    "¡­Telekic!" Someone in the crowd suddenly pointed out.


    "Ah! Thank you, sir!"


    "Thanks to every one who is protecting us."


    One by one, the crowd began to chant thanks.


    If it was in another, the crowd would be demanding exnation from the authorities. Heck, they''d even start protesting.


    But this was Valos.


    As the high awakeners sighed in relief, a different scene was unfolding a few hundred miles away.


    "Quick!" Roth''s lightning wings pped as she moved towards the blinking dot on herm.


    "Arghh!" Behind her, Moss followed.


    As they got time to think, their anxiety calmed down. Now, they were just angry, not worried.


    Because they knew¡­before either of them, Hina was already chasing their miss.


    As a space awakener, she''d should''ve already caught up with them and should''ve even killed that damn referee.


    But they too wanted to take turns and torture that bloody bastard.


    They were¡­naive.


    After all, the three of them were brought up under Colin to be dedicated workers of his family.


    They watched Betty grow up and doted on her more than anything.


    After that one incident, they left behind everything else and started guarding Betty.


    Protect her and practice. These were their only goals.


    ''Wouldn''t the kidnappers know about Hina?''


    ''Wouldn''t they prepared?''


    These thoughts never crossed their minds.


    And Betty was paying for their mistake.

 Chapter 375 - The Kidnap [4]

    Liluh, Vinar, Betty and the referee appeared in a strange area.


    The short alleys, smell of blood and flesh, and the old fashioned crammed buildings gave away the locality.


    A slum. They were in a deserted alley.


    Before their brains could process the information, the referee bent down and spewed out blood.


    Simultaneously, Betty''s eyes widened as her face paled. Her lips quivered as she shivered uncontrobly.


    Memories she thought she buried surfaced.


    Her chest felt heavy, her whole body started to sweat and she felt like someone was choking her.


    ¡­A panic attack!


    "Betty!" Vinar held her hand with a worried expression.


    Thankfully, Betty was a level 5 awakener. She quickly recovered physically, but he emotions were a mess.


    "Fuck you!" Liluh mmed his fist into the referee''s face.


    Kacha!


    The referee slid across the ground as he kept coughing blood. His face turned whiter and he almost looked like a ghost.


    But he wasn''t down. His level 6 aura was weakened, but still dangerous to them.


    The only plus side was that he was still coughing out blood and his aura was still weakening.


    The price to activate that treasure must have been high.


    "Betty, let''s go!" Vinar held her hand and yelled. He knew slum areas like these and could better navigate through them.


    At the same time, Liluh grabbed her other hand and looked into her eyes with iparable seriousness. "Betty, follow me."


    Beads of sweat rolled down Betty''s face. She was given a choice. "Liluh."


    She grabbed his hand and said in a trembling voice. "P-Please don''t leave me."


    Vinar''s heart twisted at her choice as he nkly stared at her. Eight¡­eight years of wait, was this it?


    "Let''s go." Liluh transformed into snake man form and hugged Betty. Slithering across the ground, he quickly left the alley and headed towards a deste neighborhood.


    "Betty!" Vinar clenched his fists and followed them.


    "You fuckers! Wait!" The referee followed him.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Vinar dodged the lightning bolts as he rolled down, bent over each time. These bolts hit the apartments and instantly cursed them to pieces, including the people in them.


    Ash rained from the sky symbolizing the deaths of hundreds.


    "Are you crazy? Why attack them?" Vinar yelled, only to get answered by a lightning bolt.


    "He''s nuts and you nutcase, stop following us." Liluh screamed from ahead.


    "I don''t trust you with her." Vinar said and sped up.


    "Betty trusts me." Liluh said and increased his speed.


    "Y-Yes." Betty muttered as she continued trembled under Liluh''s embrace.


    When she was 11, she was kidnapped.


    She would never forget the tight ropes on her wrists, the darkness she had to live in for hours, the smell of blood and rotten flesh amidst the darkness and the damp feeling of sitting in a messy ce.


    The poor beggars she used to donate regrly lured her and kidnapped her. Why?


    Because she was rich.


    "Do you think we poor people have time to talk about kindness and morality? We need to survive! Survive, I say!"


    "Aren''t you from some rich household, little miss? Let your dad spend some money one you."


    She didn''tpletely understand what they were saying back then.


    But a few beliefs were entrenched in her little brain that day.


    ''1. The beggars are poor. These beggars are bad. Poor people are bad.


    2. They target me because I''m rich. They are poor. Poor target me because I''m rich.


    3. They don''t follow morality or kindness. They''re poor. Poor people don''t have any good qualities and are secretly conspiring.''


    A ridiculous set of beliefs took ce that day and only grew stronger and stronger since then.


    The kind and lively Betty who used to go out of her way to help the poor and needy because an arrogant and haughty girl who looked down on everyone and everything.


    And of course, of everyone, she hated poor people.


    Over the years, her definition of ''poor'' evolved into everyone below her.


    Being the only daughter of one of the strongest of Valos, her bar was a bit too high to reach.


    In no time, despite all the riches and power, she found herself alone.


    But now, someone was risking their life for her.


    "Betty!" Vinar''s scream reached her ears. Still in Liluh''s embrace, she turned back in annoyance.


    For some reason, she couldn''t get angry.


    Vinar¡­he was right behind them, trying to distract the referee from attacking them.


    The referee was already far weaker from his peak and his attacks were no longer in the range of level 6.


    In fact, he looked like he could die at any moment.


    But instead of stopping and attacking, the boy carrying her did the opposite.


    "Betty, hang on tight." Liluh said and his body blurred.


    In the blink of an eye, he crossed hundreds of meters and reached a deserted warehouse.


    For some reason, Betty felt an ominous feeling in her heart.


    "Cough! Cough!"


    The referee coughed out blood and copsed onto the ground. His body shriveled at a visible rate.


    At death''s doorstep, his life shed before his eyes. Having grown up wanting to do justice for the world, he was proud of what he once was. But when he couldn''t confront the injustice in the system he believed in, he joined what he previously despises.


    But he didn''t regret it.


    If his death could make that person pay...then it''d be worth it.


    As such, even during his final moments, he raised his fingers and tried to channel his mana.


    Pa~


    When Betty tried to sense the referee through her fire sense, all she saw a bag of bones.


    "L-Liluh, he''s dead." Betty said as Liluh was only a few meters away from the warehouse''s entrance.


    Liluh didn''t stop.


    Betty suddenly shivered. The warehouse...it was giving her a very bad feeling.


    "Betty, careful! That warehou¡ª" Vinar''s shout made her instinctively realize something was wrong.


    She channeled her mana and was about to struggle, but Liluh was quicker and threw her into the warehouse.


    "Hueek?" As she flew in a parab and crashed onto the cold floor, Betty''s face contorted in pain.


    Pain of betrayal hurt her more than the pain in her body.


    The space around her waspletely solidified. She couldn''t even move her eyelids.


    ''Liluh¡­I trusted him.''


    "Bastard!" Vinar was enraged at Liluh''s action and hurled a lightning spear at him.


    "There''s no more time." Liluh''s eyes narrowed and he revealed his true power.


    High level 5.


    "Wha¡ª"


    Vinar didn''t even have a chance to exim as he was knocked out in an instant.


    Then without hesitation, Liluh knocked himself out.


    Two secondster, Hina teleported into the warehouse.


    She should''ve been her way earlier, but some technocrat bastard was messing with herm. She waste by a couple of seconds.


    So, she was in a hurry and directly teleported to the location instead of teleporting to a nearby ce and analyzing the situation.


    Seeing Betty unconscious but safe, Hina didn''t regret the risk and sighed in relief.


    But it didn''tst as she felt the space around her waspletely blocked.


    Due to being a level 7 Space Awakener, she could still move like a normal person within the warehouse.


    But moving out was out of question.


    This blockage¡­they underestimated the enemy too much.


    "W-Who?"

 Chapter 376 - The Secret Hold

    "Who?"


    p!


    p!


    Following Hina''s question, a round of apuse followed.


    A long haired man and two women with piercings and tattoos stepped into the warehouse.


    All the three of them were wearing a special bracelet engraved with Abysse words.


    Hina ran to Betty and stretched her arms defending the unconscious girl. "If you dare to take another step, I''ll make you regret it."


    "Space Awakener¡­it''s a pity." The long haired man shook his head.


    "Don''t waste time. Tch." The woman wearing a ck jacket clicked her tongue.


    "Just a bit of talk is go¡ª" the long haired man stopped abruptly.


    Ka~


    A snapping sound reverberated in the warehouse as the petite woman broke Hina''s neck.


    "Hey, she was my target!" The woman in ck yelled.


    "Don''t waste time." The petite woman said and grabbed Betty. Contrary to her looks, she was an excellent body awakener.


    "Tsk. No fun." The long haired man clicked his tongue and grabbed at a corner of the warehouse.


    Out of nowhere, a palm-sized disc appeared.


    At the same time, the space lock dissolved and everything turned to normal. The three of them also put their bracelets back into their storage ring.


    "This little bitch cost us too much."


    "Indeed. But were three keys even necessary? They were pretty pricey as well."


    "You two, chatter." The petite woman red and said. "They''ll be here in less than a minute. Let''s go!"


    "¡­.yeah."


    The two nodded reluctantly. Theck of difficulty was hard to swallow. But this was for the best.


    Ka!


    Ka!


    Their bodies blurred and the three of them disappeared carrying Betty.


    Boom!


    Kaa!


    30 seconds after they left, two massive auras approached the warehouse.


    Right behind them was a level 7 awakener of Grant family.


    Shortly after them was an old man¡ªVinar''s master.


    "Miss!!!"


    "Young Master!!!"


    "Disciple!!!"


    "¡­."


    In the ghost ship high up from the sky, Varian rolled his eyes.


    Boo was already tracking Betty''sm since a week. So, despite the enemy technocrat trying to fiddle with it, they had no problem in finding her location.


    So, they reached her even before Hina.


    And Varian witnessed the murder.


    Even if he wanted to, he wouldn''t have changed a thing¡ªgetting too close them would''ve exposed ghost ship and sabotaged the entire n.


    The Grant family man should be rewarded for his dope acting skills. Seeing Liluh, he showed a shocked expression.


    How shocked you ask?


    As shocked when realizing their favorite heroine was actually a guy.


    "Master, that analogy wasn''t really appropriate." Boo felt like its master was bing more carefree and also a bit stupid.


    Boo didn''t understand why the gender issue. But it did conclude one thing.


    Falling in love kills your brain.


    "Follow the kidnappers." Varian said.


    "Ah~I forgot. Yes." Boo facepalmed and the ghost ship took off.


    ''A super AI, you forgot?'' Varian looked at Boo with pity. Sure enough, staying stupid makes you more stupid.


    The ghost ship soon reached a slum and entered an underground tunnel. There was a team of twelve awaiting the three kidnappers.


    Betty was skillfully wrapped into a box with life-support and the box was quickly transported to a spaceport.


    Under Varian''s incredulous stare, the box somehow wasn''t found under the security checks and was transported to a private space shuttle responsible for delivering personalized goods for rich people.


    The space shuttle took off without a hitch and ghost ship followed it.


    "Halt everything in the spaceport. Open everything and check! Check!"


    Shortly after the space shuttle took off, all spaceports of Valos were locked down.


    A handsome middle-aged man wearing a military uniform appeared at the warehouse and clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles turned white.


    As his eyes literally spat fire, the warehouse was burnt to ashes leaving behind only his mncholic voice.


    "¡­Betty."


    *** *** ***


    "Finally!" Varian grinned from ear to ear as the space shuttle they were tailing shook lightly.


    A small space pod exited the space ship and another simr pod entered it. The space shuttle continued to travel in its registered route.


    The space pod, however, headed towards an unknown destination.


    After thirty minutes of travel, it reached a spot and disappeared abruptly.


    "Secret Realm." Varian muttered.


    "Hm. Master, I can feel it." Boo nodded and ghost ship''s stealth was activated to its fullest.


    Then with a whoosh, they entered the most secretive area of Valos.


    "Woah!"


    Varian was dazzled by the grandeur of the ce.


    With a dazzling skyline, pristine roads, and elegant designs, this ce looked more like a city than Valos.


    Of course, it was only a secret realm.


    Ironically, Varian found districts belonging to each major gang of Valos. Caso Brotherhood had one. Viper gang had one.


    Even Grant family had one. But they operated under the name of Obsidian.


    "Holy shit! These gangsters are living better lives than everyone else." Varianughed at the irony.


    But more than that, heughed at their future.


    "I''ll burn everything you built to crisp." Varian''s smile widened.


    During thest seven days, he developed a weird feeling towards the Uranus cluster cities.


    Despite the hardships he faced, he never had to go through such terrible living conditions.


    To him who considered his life as one filled with difficulty, Valos was a living example that people had it much worse.


    "Master." Boo''s called snapped him out of his thoughts.


    "Eh?" Varian realized that ghost ship was entering a huge building with a symbol "C".


    Boo hacked into he building and Varian was able to see everything at a nce.


    "¡­.Insane."


    There were rooms literally filled with aura crystals, advanced weapons, storage devices and more.


    From the building''s AI, they were the loots of kidnapping.


    "Betty¡­what are they doing?" Varian found Betty in ab.


    She was strapped to a white bed and two women were about to inject her with some strange liquid.


    Varian hesitated for a moment before sighing. "Boo¡­"


    The ghost ship entered theb.


    Contrary to expectations, this floor didn''t have any strong security. It was filled with level 1s and level 2s.


    All of them wore white suits and had a special feel around them.


    From the building''s database, he knew who they were.


    Researchers. Scientists. Architects. Designers.


    Some kidnapped, others voluntary.


    "Stop!"


    The two women stiffened as they heard a voice in their minds. Before they could yell, a powerful mental force attacked them.


    Their pupils dted and their heart halted for a moment.


    ''You''ve already injected her. Already injected her.'' Varian nted a mental suggestion in their minds.


    At the same time, he used his telekic powers and grabbed the syringe.


    Boo acted timely for once and emptied the barrel. Of course, it also simultaneously managed the camera in the room.


    Varian nodded in appreciation and sent the syringes back to their hands.


    Then he withdrew his powers.


    "Ah? What happened?" The woman standing in front of Betty muttered in confusion.


    "Hm? We injected her." The other woman replied.


    "Ah yes!"


    "Confirm it with security. I heard she''s an important target."


    "What do you expect? She''s the only one that''s injected with such a high dose."


    The women turned to the camera in the room and gave a thumbs up.


    The camera turned green, indicating that everything went as per protocol.


    The man in the security room clicked on a button and informed his superior.. "Sir, injectingplete."

 Chapter 377 - Poisonous Pill

    Colin didn''t understand the phrase ''living nightmare''. But now he was experiencing it on a deeper level.


    After Betty was kidnapped, he used his authority and halted nearly every normal activity of Valos.


    "Useless! Fucking useless!" mming his desk, he yelled at the two women in ck suits.


    Moss and Roth lowered their heads and didn''t respond.


    If kidnap of Betty hit them deeply, then death of Hina devastated them.


    "Moss, tell me, why didn''t I send Betty to Uranus despite these kidnappings?" He clenched his fists and roared with red eyes.


    Moss'' body trembled and she said in a choking voice. "Y¡­You trusted us."


    "Exactly! I expected you, three level 7s to protect my little girl. Can''t you even do that job properly?" Colin''s chest heaved up and down as the temperature of the entire building began to rise.


    mes rose form Colin''s figure as he slowly turned into a being of fire.


    Moss and Roth felt their instincts scream at them to run away or face death. But biting their lips, they stood in their ce.


    The desk melted under the intense fire and so did everything in the room.


    Moss and Roth gritted their teeth as the tongues of mes devoured them. Their skins were quickly burnt and they started to bleed all over.


    "Arghh"


    "Hghha"


    They whimpered in pain but didn''t oppose. In fact, they med themselves for everything.


    As they thought they were going to die, the fires suddenly stopped.


    ''Were we forgiven?'' They couldn''t believe it. Colin loved his daughter tooooo much.


    "Oh? She''s safe? Ah!" Colin''s emotional shriek caused them to peer through the mes.


    Colin held a red sphere and was talking with a stout middle-aged man''s hologram.


    "3 million aura crystals? Alright! End of evening? No, I''ll send them by end of noon." Colin raised his voice.


    "If my daughter is harmed in any way, I''ll give up my job and I''ll hunt you." The killing intent in his voice caused Moss and Roth to copse onto their knees.


    Colin hung up the call and turned to them. With a snap of his fingers, all the fire went off.


    "Didn''t you hear? Get the aura crystals soon."


    "Y-Yes!" They rushed out of the room, not caring for their burnt bodies.


    *** *** ***


    "Master, the serum is mainly a potion. There is a pill inside it, which is the real deal.


    The pill itself is an extremely toxic poison capable of killing level 6s in a snap.


    But more important, it is engraved with special runes and formations. Each pill can be ''marked'' by someone.


    The owner of the pill can will it and the pill will burst, releasing the poison." Boo exined, pointing to a floating blue liquid and a green pill filled with strange symbols.


    "So, you''re essentially controlling that person''s life." Varian sucked in a cold breath.


    "Yes." Boo replied. "Also, the distance between the two shouldn''t be too high or the pill would explode."


    "¡­" Varian fell silent. He thought it was just kidnap, but this¡­this definitely didn''t seem like one.


    "How do you know so much?" He actually meant. ''Did you drink an IQ potion?''


    "The database of the building, hehe." Boo smiled smugly. "There were even a few videos. Some of the injected resisted, they were killed easily."


    "Oh." Varian tapped his chin. "Honestly, I haven''t heard of this pill. Anymore information?"


    "Only one thing I found important."


    "Which is?"


    "This pill uses Ylocan flower." Boo said. "Very very little, but it''s a key ingredient."


    {Ylocan flower appeared. Goreiki was stolen again by the Shadows.}


    Varian recalled the news he saw before his travel.


    Shadow Order...was the pill their idea?


    "They''ve already asked for a ransom, but didn''t inform Colin of the poison." Boomented.


    "I guess they want to reveal it at an opportune moment." Varian replied and his expression turned grave.


    "Yes, master. Or else it''d be waste. Ylocan flower is very, very rare."


    "¡­Opportunistic for what?" Varian muttered silently. He didn''t know, but he had a feeling it was important.


    As Varian racked his brains,?the unconscious Betty was transported from theb to one of the space pods.


    A few hourster, a space pod containing mountains of aura crystals arrived.


    Then, Betty''s space pod took off and she was sent back to Valos.


    The Cosa brotherhood didn''t know they didn''t inject the poison and were celebrating.


    In the meantime, Varian had the ghost ship visit all the buildings and copy their databases.


    Their resources, their targets, and so on.


    And Varian found one particr information intriguing.


    ''Auction''.


    There were no specifics, but he understood clearly.


    ck Market Auction.


    What do they sell there?


    The potion that improves strength and allows forceful advancements.


    While Colin was rejoicing on reuniting with his daughter once again, Cosa brotherhood, along with other major powers was preparing for a big event.


    Cosa brotherhood gathered all their aura crystals and stuffed them into their space shuttles.


    Of course, they could use storage rings, but this was how they required to bring them.


    After loading, Space shuttles from the major buildings left the secret realm.


    They travelled for an hour, going through many obscure routes, passing by asteroid structures and finally stopped at a ce.


    After a few minutes, the space fluctuated lightly and the space shuttles vanished.


    "This is it."


    Varian took a deep breath and ghost ship entered the secret realm.


    Shortly after, space shuttles from other secret realms of other cities reached the location and entered the secret realm.


    And this naturally included Athena agents and Shadow Guardians.


    Seth stared at the grand ck city in silence. He, along with some Athena agents and Shadow Guardians were ying as a gang.


    What happened to the original gang?


    Of course, all killed.


    They waited a long time for this one opportunity.


    Parking their space ship, the fake gang stood on the mobile road. The road slipped forward and after a minute, they were standing in front of a gigantic building.


    {Shadow Order Auction House}


    Seth pushed down the anxiety welling in his heart and shed their ID card. After a short inspection, along with thousands of others, they were let in.


    "The Auction begins."

 Chapter 378 - Black Market

    ck Market¡­it wasn''t an exact location.


    Shadow Order had many secret realms, and every time, it was in a different secret realm. And no secret realm stayed in the same position.


    How did ck Market came to be?


    Well, Shadow Order wanted to create a trading tform of sorts for every illegal item in the federation.


    Especially for the mainly expensive ones.


    Why?


    Easy money. For every transaction in the ck market, Shadow Order had a cut.


    But were the buyer and seller both fools?


    Nope. If anything, they were happy that ck Market existed.


    It''s normal to kill the other party in these shady transactions to grab the items. But with the emergence of Shadow Order, such things were prohibited in the ck Market.


    Offenders were killed without questioning.


    While ck Market ate up a not so small part of profits, it became indespinsbile to shady transactions.


    Inevitably, every grey organization¡ªgangs, drug dealers, traffickers started using ck Market.


    Not just them, even some families that were ''normal'' got involved in ck market for few items normally unavable.


    Shadow order went a step further and also acted as an intermediary between the clients and organizations.


    Thus began spying, kidnappings, assassinations, suicide attacks and so on.


    What began as a venture for profit turned into a powerfulwork that turned into one of Shadow Order''s pir.


    Now, Shadow Order generated nearly 70% of revenue from ck markets.


    Each had one dedicated ck market. Except for Earth''s, which was destroyed.


    Uranus also had one. But uniquely, even Uranus cluster cities were given a ck market.


    Though this ck market was closed frequently after Dreamer''s actions citing security reasons, it was finally back on track.


    The grand auction weed the powers from the twenty cites, a rare urrence.


    "Pleasant greetings,dies and gentlemen." A sonorous voice reverberated across the auction hall.


    A charming woman in short red dress stood on the elevated stage as she looked at the audience in the semicircr seating arrangement with a smile.


    At the bottom were the VIPs, and the higher the footing, the more distant the seat was from the stage, the less important the participants were.


    So, people of same standing were more or less seated together. As they were all men and women with blood on their hands, they had a lot of conflicts with each other.


    They just didn''t have the chance to meet their opponents face to face. Now, they did.


    So, mocking greetings turned into tauntings, which degraded into insults and soon, they were swearing at each other''s face and were on the verge of breaking into conflict.


    As a professional, the auctioneer didn''t lose herposer. This happened every single time an auction was conducted.


    She kept her gaze natural and mouth closed. There was a bright smile on her face, which someone mistakenly thought as her being timid and wanting to not appear awkward.


    Until¡ª


    "Yufie is happy to be host of this grand auction. I hope you all can follow the rules. Or face the consequences."


    Her voice sounded directly in everyone''s mind. At the end, her words were sharp and cold. Everyone felt like they were stinged by a cold needle, regardless of their levels.


    And the warning told them that next time, they''d feel like they were stabbed by a sword in the throat.


    The powerhouses in the audience frowned.


    Strong. Extremely Strong.


    The moment they felt her mental power in their mind, they concluded.


    Peak level 8 or¡­a low level 9!


    "Hiss!" Involuntarily, they sucked in cold breath.


    The strongest in the audience was only a peak level 8. But to Shadow Order, just an auctioneer was so strong!


    The gangsters who were usually unruly and dismissive of the Order felt a sense of awe and fear.


    From the Cosa brotherhood in Valos to Golden drug gangs in Orion, everyone fell silent.


    Even Viper gang that was itching to settle a grudge with Cosa brotherhood held back.


    Yufie''s smile brightened and her voice continued to sound in everyone''s heads. "Good. You all know the highlight of the auction. It''ll be auctioned at the end. But we''ve got some really interesting, high quality products."


    With a snap, a white flower petal enclosed in a crystal sphere appeared above the stage.


    "It''s a crucial ingredient for one of the best control poisons¡ªfabled Ylocan flower. Of course, not a whole petal. That''s too precious.


    It''s a 1/100th trimmed petal. Now, let''s begin the bid." Yumie raised her hand signaling them to begin.


    "10,000 aura crystals!" A small gang leader took the lead.


    "15,000!" Her rival immediately followed.


    "Dregs, fuck off! 25,000!" A rich intelwork boss sneered.


    "50,000 aura crystals! Shut up, y''all!" The arrogant young master of a powerful gang won it in the end.


    "The second item is a FTLmunication device. As you all know, it takes a few minutes for your messages to travel betweens. For your important kidnapping missions, dys are fatal.


    Here, we providetest FTLms. They need a space stone and are very costly. But we promise, they are worth every bit." Yufie presented a brown wristband.


    Upon closer inspection, a small space stone could be found embedded in it.


    "30,000 aura crystals!"


    "60,000"


    "¡­."


    The auction continued as the items got sold out one by one. Some items, for instance, FTL watches were sold multiple times in the same item slot.


    Soon, the auction inched closer and closer.


    The penultimate item was a talisman¡ªa metal engraved with strange runes, it could block off the attack of a level 7. From the foreign script engraved on the talisman, everyone recognized it to be written in Abysse.


    Not just the criminals, even the Abyssals sold their products here. But sometimes, the price wasn''t aura crystals.


    "As long as you assassinate the children of level 7 military officer of Orion City, and provide the proof, you are eligible."


    Many gangs wanted to take the mission. But the Shadow Order allowed only three based on their ''credibility rating''.


    Then came the highlight.


    "The legendary Siloy Potion."


    *** *** ***


    A/N: Releases ofst 2 days have been halted due to filling priv. It''s sorted out now..? The updates will be normal from the reset.

 Chapter 379 - The Auction

    "¡­Siloy potion."


    The moment those words appeared, the audience held their breaths in anticipation.


    Yufie''s eyes narrowed as she observed the audience and felt their emotional fluctuations through her mental power.


    Anticipation. Fear. Nervousness.


    These three emotions welled up inside everyone as they wondered her next words.


    How many Siloy potions would be sold?


    Were there were anyst-minute changes to sell the potions on missions like the talisman Or for rare materials?


    They didn''t know. But they did know they had no control over the Auction House.


    Yufie paused for a minute as she let the tension build-up. Despite being high awakeners, one by one, their backs were drenched in sweat. As humans they were, they resorted to coping methods.


    Some gulped saliva, some took deep breaths, a few started downing alcohol and refreshments.


    This deal was too important. So important that their entire lives were at stake.


    The supreme leader of Cosa Brotherhood, the orchestrator of Betty kidnap, Barbaroza rubbed his sweaty palms and tried to calm his ragged breath. Yet, no matter what he did, his heart didn''t stop racing.


    ''This stupid¡­'' He was about to curse Yufie inwardly but held himself back. She''s a level 9 Psychic. Who knew if she could hear his thoughts.


    As he shook his head, he caught the glimpse of Barkis, leader of the Viper gang¡ªtheir arch enemy.


    He was drinking wine like water and stared at the stage with bloodshot eyes.


    ''If he gets the Siloy potion¡­'' Barbaroza paused for a second and his body shuddered.


    Gnuc gang and Soprana gang were also arch enemies. Once the Soprana gang leader got the Siloy potion, the first thing he did after advancing was to wipe out the Gnucs.


    Barbaroza knew he would do the same to the Viper gang. But conversely, they would also do the same¡ªWipe out everyone rted to the Cosa brotherhood.


    ''Calm down. Calm down. Betty made us a lot of money. We can do this. We will be the one to survive.'' He affirmed himself and waited in dread as another minute passed in terrific silence.


    "There will be one for each city." Yufie''s words were like an oasis in the desert and subconsciously, everyone heaved a sigh of relief.


    Not all cities were equal. The weaker cities were bound to lose if it was an open auction.


    "We''ll start with Orion city. The eligible ones are the four golden drug gangs." Yufie announced.


    Of course, only those that finished ''missions'' were eligible to buy.


    Cosa brotherhood''s mission was¡­to kidnap Betty and inject her with the poison. So, they too were eligible.


    Yufie announced with a p.


    "Let the auction begin."


    She didn''t even show the product nor did anyone ask. They were in fact grateful to her. If she showed the product on stage, many wondered if they could hold themselves from trying to snatch it.


    "1 Million Aura crystals." The first call was already pricier than most auction items. But it was only a tentative call.


    "3 Million Aura crystals."


    "5 Million."


    One by one, the golden drug gangs raised the bid, and soon, it was through the roofs.


    Finally, the golden triangle gang paid an absurd 26.7 million aura crystals to win the potion.


    To put this into perspective, that amount could be used to fund the military of Orion for 2 years!


    ''Insane¡­'' Barbaroza looked at the excited man who was seated in the front row with a shocked expression.


    They brought the entire savings of Cosa Brotherhood, and they only made it to 16.8 Million.


    Almost 60% higher than them!


    He was grateful that it wasn''t an open auction, but with each potion reserved for a city.


    But¡­


    He looked at the Viper gang and saw they were in talks with one of Orion city gangs that didn''t win the bid.


    "F-Fine!" He gritted his teeth and contacted another loser gang.


    "Next, Valos City."


    Barbaroza straightened his back and tapped the hologram in front of him.


    "2 million Aura crystals by Cosa Brotherhood¡­"


    "3 million by Viper gang."


    "¡­."


    Varian yawed as he watched the auction from outside. Ghostship was currently in the clouds right above the auction house.


    After entering the secret realm, they learned of the auction items.


    Even though he expected it, the existence of Siloy potion came as a shock to Varian.


    But since it was sold was at the end, they toured the entire ce in the meanwhile.


    This secret realm was one of the sites of Shadow Order. It had training centers, resource warehouses, mission halls among others.


    But this wasn''t anything special per se.


    The ck market¡ªthe auction house, the street stalls, and special trade buildings were only present in one district and it''s a mobile district.


    So, this secret realm itself hid no secrets but was the key to finding the secret.


    ''Once I find out why they''re selling the potions and where they are taking those massive aura crystals, I can decide my next move.''


    Varian thought as he tapped the armrest of the ''throne''. He used it for ''Dreamer'' setting, but he thought it was really cool.


    Anyway, Betty wasn''t injected with venom. She was safe and kidnapping her once again was impossible.


    Of course, neither Betty nor her father knew the truth.


    "Stupid woman with watermelon chest. Hmph!" Boo cursed Yufie.


    Varian nearly choked on his saliva. "Boo, who taught you those words?"


    Boo looked at him innocently. "Met¡­I got bored and yed a few games."


    "¡­." Varian felt like he was a failure of a parent.


    Wait, I am not even a parent!


    "Master, isn''t she brainless? If she sold potions openly, she''d have made more aura crystals." Boo raised its head proudly. ''Come one,e praise me.''


    "¡­" Varian exhaled and shook his head.


    "You underestimate those criminals." He said. "The golden triangle for example. They spent 26.7 million because they had only one chance.


    But if it''s an open auction, then they could buy it at a lower price after others spend their money.


    Besides, the golden triangle can reach an agreement with the golden wolf gang and put a limit on how much they''ll spend, say something like 20 million.


    So, they''ll buy the potion at 20 million instead of the original 26.7.


    They''ll save around 7 million aura crystals if they don''tpete with each other and snatch the potions from other cities.


    Of course, every rich gang would join this because they can save precious aura crystals."


    "B-But, aren''t they arch enemies?"


    "Of course, but with this method, both will benefit."


    "Whoah. So, Shadow Order¡­"


    "Hm. They''re pretty smart. They''ve pushed these local gangs against each other.


    The gangs from poorer cities will borrow aura crystals from rich gangs that didn''t win the potion in their bids." Varian said and pointed to the auction hall.


    "The golden wolf lost against golden triangle gang. So, they didn''t spend anything and have some 20 million aura crystals.


    Cosa brotherhood borrowed from the wolf gang just now." He showed the information on theirms captured in the surveince.


    "Why?"


    "hm¡­" Varian paused for a moment. "Maybe gangs like golden wolf want to let Cosa brotherhood allow a few of its members to take refugees in Valos."


    "Sounds pretty chaotic¡­"


    "Well¡­" Varian nodded and he casually nced at the members in the auction hall.


    His eyes paused on one individual.


    The man was bald and had a big build. He was sitting next to a woman with violet hair in the back row.


    Apparently, they were unimportant members, but Varian had a weird feeling about the man.


    "Do I know him?" Varian rubbed his chin. As he was about to ask Boo to check on that man, Yufie''s announcement drew his attention.


    "Cosa Brotherhood wins the bid for 20 million!"

 Chapter 380 - A Misson

    The auction ended an hourter.


    The rich gangs that lost knew they were going to face the wrath of their arch enemies.


    Some lent money to let their young members take refuge in gangs of other cities.


    Others nned an escape.


    But Shadow Order banned a gang from entering a non-designated city. If found, they''d be exterminated. No questions asked.


    Still, some wanted to try.


    But even if they weren''t spotted entering the city, they''d have to live in incognito forever.


    The winners were the potion winners. They now had a much bigger share of their city.


    The Siloy potion could also be diluted and given to members of lower levels. So, not just the leader, but the gang as a whole would grow stronger.


    The biggest winners, however, were Shadow Order. They gained way more than expected.


    "I wish you all good luck," Yufie said in concluding remarks as the auction ended.


    The irony was that most of the gangs that were eligible to participate were going to be wiped out.


    For them, it was only bad luck.


    Yufie didn''t care and entered the central room of the auction hall.


    Coated with shiny blue alloys, adorned with exquisite paintings, the room screamed richness.


    The room was monitored by human, abyssal technology along with two level 9 powerhouses.


    Under their scrutiny, three maids meticulously sorted the payments into separate storage rings.


    Just in the Uranus cluster, Shadow Order had quite a few secret realms and each of those branches had departments.


    The auction items were the collection of all departments from all branches. Now, the revenue is sent back to the respective owners.


    Yufie was no longer a little girl who served as a maid in the room. She hade a long way.


    But looking at the maids, she felt a sense of revulsion. Once, she too was such a lowly maid.


    "Haa~" She used her mental power on herself and forcibly suppressed her emotions.


    Even though she was advised against it, she did it anyway. But she was also feeling the consequences. Her emotions were getting chaotic and unnatural.


    "Hurry up!" She yelled, causing the maids to bleed from their noses and mouth. But they nodded fervently and sped up the work.


    After a few minutes, they were done.


    Yufie tapped her alpha orb and four old men appeared in the room.


    "Thanks for your cooperation." She bowed and they nodded lightly before taking their respective ring.


    Yufie personally held a green ring and handed it to a green-haired old man.


    "Sir, thank you very much."


    "Hm." The old man didn''t say much and left.


    Yufie straightened her back and unleashed her mental power on the maids.


    "Arggh!"


    "Kaah!"


    "Pain.."


    The three maids clutched their heads and bled from their eyes, nose, ears and mouth.


    At the same time, the man overseeing the surveince also bent down in pain as he bled all over and fainted.


    The surveince video was promptly deleted by a Technocrat in charge.


    "Now, it''s alright." Yufie nodded lightly.


    She just erased the memories of the maids and the security guard.


    Reading the memories was a bit difficult since any sentient creature would hold try to protect its memories, but erasing them? It was much easier.


    She was a bit rough, so they were injured and might lose additional memories.


    But she didn''t care.


    ''What memories do these maids have anyway? It''s the same revolting things over and over. I am doing them a favor.''


    Yufie shook her head and tapped on a protrusion on the wall.


    Shuaa!


    The floor started to shrink and the auction hall shook violently.


    By the time the maids woke up, they were sprawled on the ground.


    They hurriedly stood up and bowed to Yufie. Their heads were still dizzy and they had no idea what just happened, but they knew that it was because of the woman.


    "I have important things to do. Useless bumpkins, do your worthless job properly." Yufie snorted and hopped onto a spacecraft.


    "¡­Let''s go. There is a meeting in the Lagos district in an hour. We should not bete or that man will kill us."


    "Yes."


    Two maids whispered to each other and stepped on the road. The road slid forward and the two maids cleaned themselves up.


    "Fina, you dumb bitch. We''re tired, you have to take more work."


    "Yes, we taught you many things in the past few months, didn''t we? Repay us."


    The third maid, Fina stiffly nodded. "I-I understand."


    "Heh."


    "That''s my bitch."


    The two maids started chatting again. Being abused by Yufie did tick them off, so they vented it on Fina.


    Fina on the other hand closed her eyes and used her mental power to explore her memories.


    If her memories werepared to a library, then a section was shredded apart, the tear crossing into other sections as well.


    ''It should be here. It should be here.'' Fina searched carefully and she found an inconspicuous shelf of the library.


    Then with a click, a ck sphere appeared.


    "Haa~" She sighed inwardly.


    It was hard, but she managed to replicate her memory in the room and store it away safely.


    Usually, this trick was useless.


    Any telepath could do this. But any telepath, if they searched carefully, could also find the replica memory.


    If Yufie was even a bit more careful and probed a little, she''d have found this replica.


    That''d have meant a painful death for Fina.


    But if she didn''t, her mission would bepleted.


    It was a risk Fina was willing to take.


    As a spy from Shadow Guardians, she already endured great pains to reach this point.


    Contrary to the Order''s knowledge, she was not only a water awakener but also a mind awakener.


    With her talent, it was impossible to progress to level 4 and be a telepath. But Enigma¡­she blessed her and gave her a new life.


    Using a treasure Enigma gave her, Fina suppressed her mental power and got introduced as a water awakener.


    But even with the treasure, she had to endure an unimaginable amount of pain to suppress her mental power to prevent anyone from knowing she''s a telepath.


    As a result, she didn''t progress a bit in her water path and had to endure the pain that almost pushed her to the brink of insanity many times.


    She could''ve just died. To her, death wasn''t painful. But death out of cowardice and death by abandoning the mission, by abandoning the trust, and by abandoning the blessing she was given was uneptable.


    In the end, she did it.


    Fina nced at the two maids in front of her and silently pierced her stomach with an ice de and sent a message from them inside her body.


    Then, she sealed up the injury and covered it up with her clothes.


    ''I''ve done what I was instructed to do. I was called useless my entire life. I hope my pain and suffering can be useful to at least one person.'' She prayed silently.


    Her hard work did pay off as the Athena agents and Shadow Guardians were on wait for her message.


    They already exited the secret realm and were in full stealth mode.


    Athena Department, as the highest intelligence department had two space crafts that were as good as custom-made Sovereign ships in terms of stealth.


    After countless fierce discussions and table flippings, Violet convinced her superiors to lend her the stealth spacecraft.


    Thus, it also allowed them to deploy a few stealthy drones outside the secret realm, enabling aplete monitoring of every space shuttle that exited the secret realm.


    "Green-haired old man. Red Dress and a scar on his eyebrow. He has the aura crystals from the potions." Seth read hism and turned to Violet.


    "Alright." She nodded and signaled to her team.


    The Athena agents grappled with theirms and using the cutting edge drone technology, they peered through every spacecraft that appeared outside the secret realm.


    Seth watched them work in silence.


    This mission really needed both of them toe together. Guardians'' spy and Athena''s technology.


    ''Hopefully, it''s not anything big.'' Seth prayed.


    "That one!" A short old man from the Athena group yelled and everyone took a deep breath.


    Their target was found.


    "Finally¡­"


    The trailing began.

 Chapter 381 - The Secret [1]

    "Thanks." Varian nodded in respect at the maid that did her job.


    After the auction, through the surveince in the central room, he realized the green haired old man was the target.


    After marking the space shuttle of that old fellow, he toured the secret realm onest time before leaving.


    He learnt of one more news.


    The Shadow Order was going to conduct a meeting with the Chaos families. There was no information on the content, but the meeting itself was enough content.


    On the way out, Varian inadvertently caught glimpse of the maid''s secretive actions.


    "Master, herm can''t be found with normal tests. She¡­she also has another treasure in her stomach."


    "¡­" Varian exhaled lightly.


    "I can''t estimate it for sure, but ording to the database I collected so far, such treasures have heavy costs. Hence no one uses them. She might feel the pain of fractures every moment."


    "Hm. Humans aren''t just weak and corrupt, they can also be strong and righteous." Varian said.


    "Hum. Hum." Boo nodded.


    "Like me." Varian pointed to himself.


    "Come again?"


    "I''m also tough and righteous." Varian stared at Boo and added. "If there''s a candidate for ruling the federation, I will totally fit."


    "¡­are you trying to get into politics now?"


    "No. It was my childhood dream, alongside driving Abyssals out.


    You know the three titles right?


    The ''Savior'' who will drive the Abyssals out.


    The ''Peerless'' who is the strongest human.


    The ''Emperor'' who will lead the federation to glory."


    "But why?"


    "¡­" Varian fell silent and thought seriously. Then he raised his head.


    "After my dad passed away, I wanted to be the ''Savior''. I told this to my¡­er, acquaintances in school."


    ''¡­.acquaintances?'' Boo gave Varian a stare.


    Varian pretended not to see it. "Theyughed it off. But I was really serious. I even swore to Heaven''s will."


    For kids, swearing on Heaven''s will was a big deal. Even naughty children wouldn''t lie during the swearing.


    Adults¡­well, they acted like adults and broke every oath.


    "¡­.you were pretty serious, master." Boo nodded in understanding.


    "Yep. Seeing that I was serious. So, the other kids also got serious. Then said Peerless and Emperor are better than being a Savior.


    I got angry. Even I couldn''t decide if the other two are better. So, instead of wasting time like a kid, I did what an adult would''ve done.


    I picked them all." Varian said with a smirk.


    "¡­weren''t you like 10 then?" Boo resisted the urge to bang its head against the wall.


    "I matured early on." Varian smiled widely.


    "¡­." Boo silently started ghost ship and exited the secret realm. Anyway, he was marked and couldn''t escape.


    The ghost ship slowly trailed the target ship and thus, didn''t notice another space shuttle in stealth.


    Boo looked at Varian seated on his throne and sighed lightly. ''So, master had no friends in his school. Even now, except for Kyle and Maya, he doesn''t have any other friends.


    William can be counted as friend, but not too much. Dhruv, Mia¡­they are just close acquittances.


    Sarah is his girlfriend. Sia¡­?


    Anyway, master is lonely. So, as a cute ghost, I shall take up the responsibility and be master''s best friend.''


    Time passed in silence and after two hours, the target ship stopped.


    Varian raised a brow "What the¡ª"


    *** *** ***


    "What the fuck?!" Seth sprang to his feet and rushed to the hologram depicting the target ship.


    It approached a huge asteroid and vanished.


    "It entered another secret realm. Or it could be something else." Violent reyed the clip of target''s disappearance and narrowed her eyes.


    Seth thought for a moment and shook his head. "We haven''t gotten ess to all the secret realms, but we know their exact number. None of them are in this location. This is too far from the cluster cities."


    He paused and looked at the green crack in the distance space. "And too close the Despair Abyss."


    Violet nodded and turned to the crew. "Let''s get in. What''ll happen will happen. We can''t give up now."


    "Yes, cap." The pilots nodded and the ship slowly approached the asteroid.


    After they passed a certain point, their view blurred and the in-looking, grey asteroid was reced by an asteroid filled with medical fields.


    ''Illusion formations.'' Seth understood. They were simr to what Varian faced in the Sr Trial, but much stronger and on arger scale.


    ''The cost is very high.'' He thought as he stared at the space shuttle swiftlynding.


    The green haired old man got out and handed the aura crystals to the twenty men and women who gathered outside the space shuttle.


    Each member got an average of 1 million aura crystals. They bowed to him and rushed to their respective medical fields.


    After separating the aura crystals into batches, they fed them to the green nts with huge mouths.


    Each member had to feed around thousand of them and thus, each nt got around 20,000 aura crystals.


    The nts swallowed the aura crystals with their huge mouths.


    The feeders quickly rushed out of the fields and the next moment, the asteroid shook as the nts began to visibly grow.


    Their aura rose rapidly.


    As the Guardians and Athena agents gaped incredulously, the nts went from low level 5 to high level 5 in a matter of minutes.


    Out of the 20000 nts, 18000 stopped there. But 2000 rose higher and advanced to level 6.


    "I-Impossible." Violet fell back to her seat and muttered absentmindedly. She gazed nkly at the asteroid and in onest attempt, she carefully swept her lightning sense just a bit.


    She didn''t dare to be too brazen or they''d be found out. But even the aura in the? distance space was telling her one thing.


    ept reality.


    "N-No¡­this is¡­NO!." Violent covered her face and yelled.


    In the Athena department, she was hailed for her calmness. Even under high pressure, she would take the right choices.


    But now¡­


    With her beautiful violent hair disheveled, lips quivering and violently shaking her head, she looked like a mad woman.


    In fact, she had the bestposure even now.


    The other Athena agents straight up fainted. Only two old men were able to be conscious.


    But they too chanted like broken records. "Impossible. Impossible."


    Shadow Guardians also faced the same situation. Seth copsed in his seat with a heavy expression.


    The fat man was the only other person who didn''t faint. Unlike his usual carefreeness, he had an expression of vivid horror.


    His mind yed the destruction of pluto and this time again and again. But with each y, pluto was slowly reced by Uranus.


    "B-Boss¡­" The fat man crawled to Seth with a little hope in his eyes. "Maybe this is all. The level 8 we saw on battle field are not¡ª"


    An announcement on the asteroid cut off his words.


    "Send the matured ones to next one. The new batch will arrive tomorrow. Our sess rate is the lowest, work harder. I will inspect after finishing my rounds."


    That was thest nail of the coffin.


    Seth wanted to pull his hair¡­but he was bald. So, he pulled the fat man''s hair. The fat man just fainted and refused to wake up.


    Violet closed her eyes as her face paled with every second. The old men fainted? in shock.


    The green-haired old man boarded the shuttle and left. But Seth and Violet couldn''t move an inch.


    Their hearts were crushed and they saw doom.


    Seth stood up abruptly and violently grabbed Violet''s arm. "W-We will follow them and see where they are taking level 6 Sequoias.


    Then we''ll follow them to level 7 fields and then¡­then we''ll get to level 8 Sequoias."


    Seth''s eyes turned red. "We''ll kill those level 8s before they reach theoids.


    ¡­We must."


    Violet looked at him nkly andughed in despair. "There are many such sites. Even if we try out best, it''d take months to find them.


    It''s inevitable. We can''t stop it."


    "No. NO!" Seth roared and tightened the grip on her arm. Violet''s body instinctively used lightning to protect herself, but didn''t bother withdrawing her arm.


    Even as her arm started to bleed, Violet''s expression didn''t change.


    She looked at the bald man and smiled in mncholy. "It was an honor working with you.


    I¡­I hope we can face this catastrophe.


    Uranus¡­must not fall.


    Let''s do our best.


    ¡­War is here."

 Chapter 382 - The Secret [2]

    As they broke through the illusion, Ghost ship sensed the existence of Seth''s group.


    Before Varian could enquire about them, the aura of the nts started to rise.


    "W-Wait, what the fuck?" Varian was dumbfounded.


    It''smon sense that progress in divine path takes time.


    Even geniuses took time to go from low level 5 to high level 5. But these nts¡­they did it in minutes.


    But it didn''t stop there.


    "Are you fucking kidding?" Varian wanted to flip the table.


    A couple of those high level 5s reached peak level 5 and¡­advanced to level 6.


    "I call Bullshit!"


    ''System,e out! Do these nts have your brothers or what?''


    [¡­Host, the System is unique. It''s not something cheap like these nts. Apologies, calling them cheap is valuing them too much. These nts would grow like weeds in higher civilizations. They won''t be sold even in street stalls.]


    ''You''re the one to talk. My ancestor picked you up from some rubble. You aren''t even sold in street stalls.''


    [¡­]


    The System went silent and Varianughed out loud. "Hahaha."


    Unexpectedly, the system alsoughed.


    [Hehehehe]


    Varian almost creeped out and asked. ''You canugh? Are you on drugs or what?''


    [Host, don''t you want to think about the problem at at hand? We can talk after you inquire what you just witnessed. This System is always with you anyway.] Its voice at the end was soft.


    Varian cringed at the System''s words. Did someone hack the System or did it have split personality?


    But more importantly, the System skipped his question!


    ''¡­you sly bastard!''


    [¡­]


    Varian shook his head and turned to Boo. He wasn''t as shocked as Seth. He had a system for fuck''s sake!


    "What are those nts?" He asked calmly.


    Maybe Shadow Order just used a mass fertilizer that grows these nts with aura crystals. Since it''s too broken, perhaps it only works once.


    Varian didn''t think they were very dangerous. After all, only a couple reached level 6.


    "Sequoia. A special species that recently appeared in the Uranusoids. They are¡­."


    Boo yed a few video recordings it ''borrowed'' from theoid database and exined how they transform after morphing to Ficed¡ªa higher nt species with highbat capabilities.


    The biggest danger of Ficed was its ability to generate smaller versions of itself.


    It was a one nt army!


    With every passing word, Varian''s face turned more and more grave.


    In the end, he cautiously said. "Most of them are only level 5¡­only a few of them are level 6."


    On the battlefield, only level 8 appeared. So, perhaps those were really, really, really rare.


    But the announcement forced him to face reality.


    "Send the level 6s to the upper fields. The new batch will arrive tomorrow. Our sess rate is the lowest, work harder. I will inspect after finishing my rounds."


    "¡­.Fuck!" Varian mmed the throne.


    It clearly meant there were many more such fields. The old man only gave the twenty workers 1 million aura crystals each. So, twenty million.


    But what he got from selling the potions was around four hundred million!


    That meant, he could go to at least twenty more asteroids!


    And upper fields¡­.the fields that grew Level 6, level 7 and finally level 8.


    This was devastating to say the least.


    So far, only a couple of Level 8 Sequoias appeared on theoids, but the damage they did was significant.


    Thousands of level 6s died, and even a few level 8s were killed.


    If¡­If hundreds of Sequoias enter theoids, forget killing them, even defending theoid was out of question.


    "Is this what they''ve been nning?" Varian took a deep breath and calmed himself.


    It made sense then.


    They lured the gangs with the Siloy potion, amassed the aura crystals to grow these monster nts.


    Perhaps they were preparing for this since a long time. And for some reason, decided to forward the attack date. Varian had a feeling that it was either because of Enigma or due to rapid growth of humanity.


    Either way, to get the final round of cash, they nned the frenzied kidnapping.


    When he entered Valos, Varian knew there was a conspiracy going on. But not even in his dreams did he imagine it to be this big!


    If things really went bad, they''d loseoids.


    Then Abyssals couldunch an open war against Uranus and Cluster cities.


    While Varian was optimistic they could defend themselves, there was a problem they couldn''t avoid.


    The transportation from Uranus to Neptune would be cut off. Not everyone could use teleportation formations.


    So, the essential supplies to Neptune would be blocked. The export of important minerals and herbs from Neptune would be cut off.


    Then, sooner orter, the situation in Neptune would spiral down.


    There was a chance¡­not high, but not low either that Uranus might fall like Pluto.


    "Fuck." Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Varian cursed under his breath.


    He nced at the other space shuttle whose stealth was uncovered by Boo''s sensors.


    He concluded them to be Athena agents. If it was at other times, he''d have been curious, but now, he had no time.


    He wanted to confirm one thing.


    "Boo, follow that fucker."


    "Yes, master."


    Varian wanted to verify if the announcement was a bluff. Were there really 20 asteroids with this stuff?


    The next two hours of tour told him it was a yes.


    The Sequoia nts in them also registered simr growth as the first one.


    Of course, the old man made the same announcement and set on a return journey to the secret realm.


    "It''s useless." Varian exhaled.


    War was inevitable.


    ''If I can fight and grow stronger quickly, no¡­''


    Even if he grew stronger, to actually make a difference, he''d need to reach level 8.


    That''d take time.


    By then, the oue of war would already be set.


    "Maybe¡­maybe there''s a solution." Varian clenched his fists. Before he knew it, his nails dug into his palms and blood was dripping on the ground.


    "I don''t know." Varian copsed onto his throne and covered his face.


    They''d likely be ready to start war on alls so that no reinforcements could help out Uranus.


    "¡­Master, even if something happens, we can escape." Boo muttered. "Don''t worry."


    Varian went silent for a while before he said in a low, gritty tone.


    "Boo, do you know how many soldiers are fighting in theoids?


    I was helpless during Pluto war. But now, I can''t bear to see them all die. I don''t know what I will do. But¡­I am not going to run."


    Varian''s eyes snapped open and they shed a profound ck and white. "¡­In the worst case, I''ll stay here and avenge them.


    And these traitors that are helping Abyssals¡­I''ll kill everyst one of them."


    His gaze locked onto the green-haired old man.


    "Master, what do we do now?"


    "I''ll go train. Boo, try to find out other secret realms." Varian said and walked to the training room.


    ''So this is why you wereughing. At the fucking war. I really want to kill you now.'' Varian clenched his fists and suppressed his killing intent.


    [Heh. Host, you are too pessimistic and underestimate yourself too much. Maybe you can do something about it.]


    ''You said you aren''t omnipresent. So, why do you talk like you are?'' Varian gritted his teeth and entered the training room.


    Shua! Shua! Shua!


    Four men and two women appeared¡ªthey were all criminals and thugs ''borrowed'' by Varian for training.


    Each of them belonged to one of his Divine path and served as training courses to him.


    "Come!" Varian''s aura exploded and he rushed at them in rage.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    ''I''m only a level 6. I can''t change anything.''


    [Please, host. Try trusting this System a bit. What you see as a problem isn''t really the problem.]


    ''Just die!''

 Chapter 383 - A New Discovery [1]

    Four days passed in a sh. Varian spent time training with his ''punching bags'' which Boo brainwashed to a certain degree.


    His growth was significant, but he knew his strength as of right now couldn''t turn the tide of war.


    Varian knew that since the beginning. But for some reason, he couldn''t let go of the heavy feeling in his chest.


    He felt responsible. He had to do something.


    Sure, he wasn''t even a high awakener, but he had ghost ship, didn''t he?


    But what could he do facing an imminent war?


    They returned to the Secret Realm in which ck Market was originally hosted. Of course, ck Market was no more.


    But using it as aunch pad, they tailed space shuttlesing in and out of the realm.


    While Varian continued his training, Boo found out four more secret realms.


    In the training room, Varian''s right arm was bent in an unnatural angle while his left was charred ck.


    Out of the six training bags, four fainted and only the lighting and body awakeners were left.


    By this point, Varian also allowed them to use 100% of their strength.


    Earlier, Varian used to restrict the strength of his opponents since they were peak level 6 and he was only mid level 6.


    But things changed afterst trip.


    The week prior Betty''s kidnap, ghost ship was visiting the cluster cities and collecting intel.


    During the same period, he ''borrowed'' some criminals and used them to pull hisgging paths forward.


    So now, it was Varian who had to limit his strength to avoid killing these peak level 6s and maintain a sense of struggle.


    Just like now, facing the lighting and body awakeners, he was only using two paths.


    Body and ntae.


    Varian''s arms transformed into sturdy brown branches and his regeneration skyrocketed.


    Zap!


    The air seared as a lightning spear reached him in the blink of an eye.


    Boom!


    Following that attack came a fist that crushed air itself.


    Varian''s expression remained unchanged as he sped up the cirction of prana.


    Right when the attacks were about to reach him, his branch arms turned back to normal.


    The injuries were gone!


    Varian kicked the floor and his figure appeared a few meters away from the lightning awakener.


    The peak level 6 reacted without dy and was about to bombard Varian with another lightning spear.


    Shuaa!


    Except this time, a red root pierced broke his lightning shield and pierced his stomach.


    "Gah!"


    The roots shrank and turned back to Varian''s feet who deftly down. Right when he did, the air howled and a foot passed where his head was.


    Varian swung his arm at the body awakener at lightning speed and it into a spear shaped branch.


    The body awakener twisted his neck and barely avoided the attack only to be punched in the gut.


    Kacha!


    Breaking his bones and coughing out blood, the body awakener was blown away and copsed next to the lightning awakener.


    "Haaa~" Varian stood up and stretched his neck. The chi and prana in his body were dry at this point.


    ''If I use only two paths, my limit is six peak level 6s.'' Varian narrowed his eyes.


    He tried pushing it, but it didn''t work out.


    ''Status''


    [Body Path Level 6: 3250/4000? (+10)


    Space Path Level 6: 3200/4000


    Lightning Path Level 6: 3200/4000


    Morpher Path L6: 3000/4000 (+20)


    Telepath Path L6: 2800/4000


    Telekic Path L6: 2800/4000]


    Varian loked at the progresses (+10) and (+20) and sighed. A couple of hours and this was the progress.


    His progress was already slowing down. Perhaps he was going to hit a bottleneck. During these times, instead of instinctively understanding the use of aura derivative directly throughbat, he might have to study it deliberately.


    Varian wondered if changing the training opponents could help.


    Regardless, all of his paths were now in high level 6.


    If he used his two strongest paths, he would be able to fight off a normal peak level 6.


    If he used three, he would be able to defeat geniuses.


    If he used four and five, he could fight on equal footing with the top 10 geniuses like Sarah, Ashtarh and Xavier.


    Finally, if he used all six paths, he could rival Charles.


    "I caught up¡­already." As the cold water washed away the blood, Varian muttered under the shower.


    It was some two months since he challenged Charles and also almost two months since he awakened.


    "¡­This is just getting more and more ridiculous."


    Forget others, even he didn''t believe this.


    If he did participate in the Sr Trial now, he had a serious shot at winning by the virtue of his strength alone. No need to resort to strategies.


    "Well, Charles is just a tick box at this point." Varian shook his head and walked into the cabin.


    As it could expand and contract the space inside, Ghost ship didn''t really have regr rooms.


    There were some storage treasures that Boo had which held things like walls, spare metal and of course, weapons from previous master.


    Of course, the star treasures all ''rotted'' from celestial level and were in the mortal rank.


    With some of the materials, Boo made a training room for him. Under his suggestion, it also made a cabin.


    Why?


    "¡­."


    To look more like a space shuttle and not a field.


    As Varian stepped into the cabin, Boo waved its hand. "Master, master~"


    Laying on the couch, and ncing through the tempered crystal ss, Varian yawned.


    "Yep?"


    "I tailed their space shuttle and found another secret realm!" Boo reported excitedly.


    "Good." Varian nodded. "This is the fifth one, right?"


    "Um."


    "Any useful information?" Varian sat back up and asked with a heavy expression.


    War intel was crucial. His strength couldn''t help them much, but if his intel was game changing, the weight he was feeling¡­the mountain of responsibility would lighten, if only a bit.


    Boo clenched its small fists and shook its head.


    "Haa~" Varian copsed on the couch and his eyes dimmed.

 Chapter 384 - A New Discovery [2]

    Looking at Varian''s disheartened expression, Boo was ashamed.


    "I-I''m sorry, master. I''m useless." It whimpered.


    Varian reached out and patted Boo lightly. "It''s not your fault, Boo. If not for you¡­I''d still be in the dark about the gravity of the situation¡­"


    He paused and chuckled wryly. "I don''t know if I should be happy knowing what''s going to happen. Let''s keep searching. Maybe we can do something."


    "Hm."


    "Speaking of which," Varian patted his forehead. "Did they transport the level 6 Sequoias?"


    The level 6s were supposed to be transported to level 7. Even though there were bound to be a lot of them, Varian decided to find as many as he could.


    Then inform the Shadow Guardians and let a level 8 or level 9unch an attack on them.


    Sure, these Sequoias are a menace and would destroy the bnce of the battlefield.


    But that''s only if they make it to the battlefield.


    ''Find as many as we can and destroy them all.'' Was his strategy.


    "No. They were all harvested and stored in special warehouse. But they are yet to take off. There was an announcement an hour ago, they''ll be transported soon."


    "You are monitoring them?" Varian raised a brow.


    "Master, do you remember the Athena agent ship?"


    "Yep."


    "They had some nice drones. I borrowed a few."


    "You stole?"


    "No? Didn''t you say that if we take it without asking for the good of mankind, it''s calling borrowing?"


    "Right, right." Varian nodded. "Keep monitoring them. If we can make a dent in the war, that''s only way."


    "Yup! And I don''t know if this is important, but in one of the buildings of this secret realm, I found a famous scientist, Ca." Boo replied after a moment of hesitation.


    "Scientist?" Varian frowned.


    "Thest secret realm had famous engineers, right?"


    "Yeah."


    "The ones before were members of famous architects¡­"


    "Hm."


    "The ones before were various technicians¡­"


    "Yep. Yep."


    "I see." Varian shook his head and was about to rest, but he suddenly asked.


    "Show me the information of Ca."


    A hologram popped up and the information of a skinny woman with grey hair was disyed.


    {Ca.


    Age: 48.


    Field of Study: Anti-stealth technologies.


    Major Work: One of the junior designers of Valos City''s X facility. A major participant in the defense systems of Valos city.


    Official status: dead.}


    "W-Wait, what?" Varian sprang to his feet. "Valos'' X facility¡­"


    That was the ce for teleportation formations. She was only a junior designer, so there wasn''t much to fear.


    But¡­defense systems.


    Varian''s face darkened.


    oids were certainly under attack.


    But he never thought cluster cities were also prone to immediate danger. Directly attacking cluster cities was simply too hard.


    The defense systems of these cluster cities were probably the best in the federation.


    Even if Shadow Order and Chaos families¡ªthe biggest powers under Order in Uranus cluster, used their full strength, they wouldn''t be able to take out all the cities.


    "The best they can do is win over five or six cities out of twenty. But by then, they''d have sacrificed too many of their forces, they''ll lose by default."


    No matter how he looked at it, it wasn''t a viable option.


    But Varian couldn''t get the thought out of his head.


    "Boo, show the info of the engineers, architects, technicians of the previous secret realms."


    "Yes, master."


    Varian took a deep breath and stared ahead.


    There were thousands of holograms.


    "Show only ones who participated in a big project and have a decade of experience."


    The holograms dwindled down to a hundred.


    Varian''s mental sense covered the holograms and he took in all the information with closed eyes. His brain ran at crazy speed as he processed the bits.


    After a minute, his eyes snapped open and Varian''s face was filled with shock.


    "Valos, Orion , Umbriel, Rosalia cities¡­these guys have all worked in one of the cities." Varian''s voice grew grave with each word.


    "Shadow Order epting, kidnapping people in its area is normal, no? This branch kidnapped these people because they live here." Boo raised its head in confusion.


    "¡­I don''t think so." Varian shook his head. He felt like, no, he was almost certain.


    Even though none of these people seemed to devise a ''war n'', ording to Boo''s database, they were constantly processing the information rting to the cities and storing them.


    Due to theck ofm usage, Boo didn''t know for sure if they were sharing the information and devising tactics.


    But¡ª


    "These people are the best advisors to devise a n on the cities. In official records, they''re all dead. If I were the enemy general, I''d surely use them for that purpose. Wow¡­Shadow Order is really preparing since a long time."


    It was as if they all underestimated the Shadow Order.


    "But master, even if they want to attack cluster cities, what can we do?" Boo asked a lethal question.


    "¡­." Varian found himself speechless.


    Yes, even if he assumed Dreamer identity and presented this information to military, no one would change their stance.


    In their opinion, cluster cities were impossible to be conquered. Varian was also of the same opinion.


    But if Shadow Order wasn''t serious, why would they bother gathering so many people with expertise in the cluster cities'' design?


    In this time of crisis, if anyone proposed to focus on cluster cities instead ofoids, they might even be suspected of treason.


    "I''ll inform Enigma." Varian said dejectedly.


    {Enigma,


    The Order has gathered experts who know secretive details about the defense, design and materials of the cluster cities.


    There are too many of them for it to be a coincidence.


    I''m confident they''re going to attack the cluster cities. It seems ridiculous, but I can''t convince myself otherwise.


    I''m sending you the videos. You can check their authenticity ande to a decision.}


    "I don''t have a good feeling about this, master." Boo clutched its head.


    "Stop jinxi¡ª" Varian was cut off by hism''s prompt.

 Chapter 385 - Talks

    {Varian,


    Get back to Earth.


    I know your battle mania, but don''t involve yourself in this war.


    I forbid you.}


    "I can escape due to¡­you know." Varian replied swiftly.


    {Only when you are in that space ship. If you''re fighting in the open, you have no protection.}


    Varian fell silent. In fact, he had one ''teleportation formation'' Boo created long ago.


    That teleportation formation was the reason he went to Evander and revealed his level.


    It was also the one life protection he had. If he was ever in a danger during a fight, Boo could use it and teleport him out.


    But¡­that would work only once.


    Should he risk such a precious life saving amulet for a risky war whose oue was uncertain?


    "Don''t try to talk me out of it, Enigma. I''m staying."


    {Is yourm an FTL?}


    "FTL?" Varian looked to Boo. He did remember seeing one such item in the auction.


    "Faster-than-light. Even light takes more than 2 hours to each between earth and Uranus. It dysmunication. So, we use space stones to shorten the time. Yourm is FTL. I upgraded it long ago." Boo exined.


    "Yes." Varian answered Enigma and the next moment, her hologram appeared in front of him.


    Enigma''s ck clothes formed a contrast to her tricolor hair that flowed down to her waist.


    Despite being a hologram, she had a cold and dignified bearing.


    The mask covering her face only showed her eyes and those eyes stared at Varian in visible anger.


    "Hi?" Varian waved his hand.


    "¡­" Enigma just stared at him coldly.


    "¡­.Hi?" Varian waved again.


    "¡­."


    "Boo, is this thing not working?" Varian turned to Boo.


    ''Master, you''re dead!'' Boo almost coughed out blood, despite having none.


    "It''s working perfectly well." Enigma said. "Not a certain someone''s brain."


    Varian coughed lightly. "Don''t worry. I won''t die."


    "I''m not the one worrying." Enigma replied curtly.


    "I mean, tell Sia not to worry. I won''t go the frontlines." Varian said with a serious expression.


    "So you''ll fight somewhere, huh." Enigma''s expression grew frostier.


    "¡­" Stop finding loopholes in my words! Who are you? An interrogator?


    "I will only fight level 6s¡ª"


    "This isn''t a game. There are no special ces for levels. Anything can happen at any moment. You could be facing level 3s now and the next moment, a level 8 might appear next to you."


    "¡­" ''I fought onoid, you know?''


    "Your fights onoid are only a small conflict. It isn''t an all out war. It''s fundamentally on a different scale."


    "Are you reading my mind or what?"


    "I know you, Varian."


    "Huh?"


    "I don''t want to see Sia down." Enigma''s voice lowered.


    "This war will pass. Uranus will be safe. The cities will be fine. You can grow up in safer environment and reunite with Sia. Just go back to Earth."


    Varian smiled wryly. "I''m sorry, I don''t want to run away. I can''t do it. I''ll try not to fight¡­I''ll try."


    Enigma''s eyes chilled and she red at Varian.


    "I''ll collect the intel until the war starts." He said slowly.


    "Y-You! Incorrigible!" Enigma''s voice quivered, causing Boo to jump in fright.


    This woman was capable of suchplex emotions?


    "You know what? Just di¡ªShut up Sia! You spoiled him too much! Me? When did I ever worry¡ª" Enigma''s voice was raised and the hologram went off.


    "¡­" Sia, since you worry about me such, why are you hiding from me?


    "Master."


    "Yeh."


    "What do we do?"


    "What we''ve been doing so far. Find secret realm, monitor Sequoia and train."


    "¡­you''re really stubborn."


    "Of course I am." Varian raised his chin proudly.


    *** *** ***


    Sia sighed lightly and walked out of her residence. She knew trying to convince him was already futile.


    To put it nicely, Varian was determined.


    To put it badly, Varian was stubborn.


    Enigma also knew it, but she tried anyway.


    ''Enigma is pissed off.'' Sia shook her head. Thankfully, he wasn''t talking to her in person.


    Or she''d have beaten him up already.


    Of course, not on her watch. Varian was her bottom line.


    And she too was his bottom line.


    During their childhood, he almost got himself and her killed once.


    Only after realizing his actions put her in danger did he stop those crazy risks. But now, he was still willing to risk his life.


    Sia understood that his space ship could protect him, but she also knew that it was futile if he participated in a battle by himself.


    "If¡­If the war is about to start, then I''ll convince him." Sia bit her lip until it bled.


    She was scared of seeing him.


    Scared of the day he would regain his memories. Scared of the day he would once again ask her to leave him alone.


    But scared as she was, she couldn''t stop him from regaining his memories. He''d learn the truth sooner orter and the decision was up to him.


    ¡­And even if Varian forgave her, Sia knew she couldn''t forgive herself. Everything happened when she was conscious. Maybe she had the power to stop Amanda''s death.


    Perhaps she''d never know.


    *** **** ***


    "Are you sure it''s not your hallucination, again?" Evander tapped the couch and worriedly asked.


    "¡­I won''t deny I had hallucinations, but he is alive." Sarah smiled.


    Evander''s face slowly lit up and he threw his head back and startedughing.


    "Hahaha¡­I knew it. That sly fellow¡­.hahaha, he is alive. He is alive¡­.thank the heavens, he is alive. Thank the heavens." Evander''s eyes reddened as he murmured in a choked voice.


    "Yeah¡­thank the heavens." Sarah nodded.


    "Cough cough." Evander realized he was in front of his daughter and quickly used his powers to make his face normal.


    "I wasn''t worried about him or anything. He can die any day. I''m just worried about the funeral costs." Evander said with a straight face.


    "¡­father, don''t be a tsundere."


    "Sarah, I''m not!" Evander almost jumped.


    "That''s what a tsundere would say." Sarahughed.


    "He taught you that, right?" Evander leaned forward and asked with a serious face.


    "Yes."


    Bam!


    Evander mmed the couch and stretched his arms. "Let him return! I''ll break his bones. He didn''t even inform he that he is alive. Am I still his master?"


    "Well¡­the Xanders."


    The air turned still and Evander turned to her. "Forget everything, Sarah. At least wait until he''s strong enough."


    Sarah nodded and said. "¡­I can feel the bottleneck of level 7."


    "That''s my daughter." Evander grinned and patted her.


    Sarah smiled, but soon frowned.


    "Eh¡­what happened? Did I pat you too hard?" Evander was confused.


    "I¡­I miss his pats." Sarah muttered.


    Evander''s heart dropped and he swallowed. With wide eyes, he pointed at his baby daughter. "D-Don''t tell me you two¡­"


    "I don''t know when it happened." Sarah blushed and lowered her head.


    "Arghh! Give my back my pure daughter!" Evander tragic wails that could break hearts resounded throughout the room.


    Thankfully, Sarah asked him to meet in an secured room. Or the entire residence would''ve heard their mighty high general''s wails.


    After an unknown period of time, Evander sighed in dejection and got up to leave.


    "Oh, where is that fellow now?"


    "Uranus Cluster cities." Sarah said.


    Seeing Evander''s face paling, she titled her head. "I was in seclusion, did anything happen there?"


    Evander felt like beating his disciple. "Why can''t this bastard just stay in peace?"


    "Father? What''s happening?"


    He looked at Sarah and said in a gloomy voice.


    "War is looming."

 Chapter 386 - Pre War [1]

    The federation traced its roots back to Human Alliance¡ªa peace initiative born shortly after Blink.


    Human Alliance governed all humans and under its reign, humanity survived asteroids, Murlocs and terrifying viruses.


    Then finally in 300 YAB, Dungeons appeared.


    Everyone, including the alliance were understandably perplexed and cautious. But as humanity explored the unknown, their fear was reced with ambition.


    In a matter of decades, humanity found the special treasures in ruins that helped in ''terraforming'' a.


    Thus began the colonization and it was all over in one single generation. That generation enjoyed abundant resources like no other.


    People had more kids to help them ''manage'' the new properties and encouraged their kids to have more kids.


    A poption explosion unseen in the history of mankind unfolded and using the dungeons as a springboard, humanity''s power skyrocketed.


    Since then, the Human Alliance called itself as the Federation.


    Culturally, economically, militarily, it was on a different scalepared to Human Alliance.


    It was like leveling up.


    Unfortunately, their difficultly also seemed to have leveled up.


    Abyssals.


    Since their arrival in 400 YAB, the federation fought the Abyssals countless times.


    Countless times the wars big and small maybe, an all out war was fought only once and that was the first war which humanity bitterly survived.


    There were times when tensions escted and a few times, all thes and abyssals fought simultaneously, simr to the first war. But none came close to the tension and fear.


    Until now.


    Human Armed Forces announced a red alert and increased their deployments. The reserve personnel were undergoing a short training to be deployable should the need arise.


    It all started with a few days ago.


    The Abyssals stopped skirmishes across all theoids. No ambushes on the space patrols. No short or long wars.


    Everything was peaceful or so it seemed.


    Abyssals started deploying more and more weapons. Their formation changed to offensive and they started bringing in warriors that were usually kept in reserve.


    Unwilling to be outmatched, the military matched their deployments. They went toe to toe with abyssals in manpower, logistics and infrastructure.


    Then they waited.


    The Abyssals didn''t start the conflict as expected.


    They all did one thing. Right from mercury to Neptune, they started calling in more and more forces before they finally stopped.


    Or rather, had to stop.


    Both sides deployed their full forces.


    Teen Children bade farewell to their old parents, Middle-aged parents bade farewell to their little children, old people bade farewell to their families.


    Finally, even Abyssal ships no longer patrolled the space. They were all on theoids. As a result, humans were also forced to bring their space shuttles to neutralize Abyssals'' advantage.


    It was as if a string was stretched to its limit and with just a bit more push, it''d snap.


    But that one final push never came.


    Be it Mercury or Neptune, every single army member¡ªbe it a level 2 soldier or a level 9 high general, all had serious faces.


    Every soldier could feel the tension in the air as they patrolled the border.


    Just a few miles from them were Abyssals¡ªprepared, aggressive and strong.


    They didn''t attack. But that only made their inevitable attack more serious.


    Like all other reinforcements, Richard and Eve Xander were deployed on aoid.


    Forget the soldiers, even they had no idea when the inevitable was going to happen.


    Tension was like fuel. It grew everyday. Bit by bit. All it took was a single spark for everything to go Boom.


    Unfortunately, that one spark never urred. It only made the situation worse. The longer the tension remained, the greater the subsequent damage.


    As powerhouses that were part of reinforcements, Richard and Eve Xander were deployed on aoid.


    For better or worse, it was still with Anna.


    "¡­."


    "¡­."


    The old men would''ve protested at any other time, but with how matters stood, they would beat up anyone who protested now.


    They were one of the few people that knew the ''real'' reason for this crazy situation.


    "They''re really serious, huh." Richard muttered from the top of a tall red tower. His mental sense was locked onto hism to act immediately after notice. He also kept an eye on the borders.


    "Since they''re trying to take down theoids, they have to be serious." Eve''s gloomy voice sounded from them.


    After Athena group submitted their findings along with evidence, the military was bbergasted. There was also the evidence irrefutable aura measurer.


    Of course, there was an ident that the space shuttle lost a few of their drones. This gave them hope.


    Maybe something went wrong?


    So, they sent a few more exploration teams.


    Nope. Every observation gave the same dreary result.


    Sequoias were real.


    After verifying the threat, the army decided to send reinforcements to Uranusoids. It also nned the dispatch of special forces that would hunt down the Sequoias.


    But all came to naught when Abyssals suddenly turned aggressive and started their crazy deployments.


    Most of the reinforcements were called back and Uranus only received a fraction of the intended help.


    Abyssals weren''t trying to start a war. Not an all out war at least.


    Their deployments were there just to hold down human forces from supporting Uranus.


    "I''m still doubtful. We didn''t find any areas holding level 6 or level 7 Sequoias, much less level 8" Richard tried to argue.


    Eve pierced his shallow argument. "Sovereign Irene found them in the asteroids near the Abyss. Level 6, level 7 and even level 8. She said she sensed some stronger fields deep in the asteroid belt, but didn''t enter.


    The threat of sequoias is real."


    "Haa~" Richard sighed deeply. "I¡­If we were only stronger."


    "¡­"


    Eve didn''t reply as he put down them and gazed into he distance. "If I was stronger¡­."


    He reached a lofty height in his life. His back was the assurance to tens of thousands of souls standing behind him.


    But even then, he wished he was stronger.


    In this epic conflict, even a level 9 was helpless, much less him.


    "Hope in my soulsts forever."

 Chapter 387 - Pre War [2]

    Since a week, Valos city was under martialw.


    Drones covered the sky, soldiers patrolled the streets and space weapons were aimed outward for potential enemies.


    Curfews were imposed. Only a small section of met was avable to the public. All news channels had to go through the army''s approval before being telecast.


    Any individual that posted information that could bring about chaos would be arrested and detained.


    All the essential items were delivered by the drones to each doorstep.


    Billy looked at the rations in his hand and blinked in confusion. Closing the door, he stared at the deserted restaurant.


    Compared to a week ago, it looked like a haunted house.


    "Boss, did youmit a crime? Why are we locked?"


    "Aye¡­Imitted a crime of taking you in." The chubby boss walked out from the kitchen and took the rations from Billy.


    After checking the contents, he shook his head. "Milly wants to eat purple fish, and they keep sending these eggs."


    Billy rolled his eyes. "Isn''t Milly in her dorm? We can''t even go out, how are you going to send her the food."


    "¡­you little bastard, can''t I at least dream of feeding my own daughter?" The boss smacked Billy''s forehead.


    "Ouch." Billy rubbed his forehead and red at the boss. "You''ve been dreaming since a week. How long will you dream?"


    "¡­" The chubby boss'' eyes dimmed and he turned around. With a deep sigh, he walked into the kitchen.


    Billy panicked. "Boss, I''m sorry. I¡ª"


    The boss paused and shook his head. "It''s not you, Billy. I really don''t know how long this willst.


    Billy, if you are weak like me, you can never control your life. Be strong. Very strong. Grasp your own life with your hands.


    If you are strong, everyone will respect you. No one will keep you locked."


    Billy''s eyes lit up and he nodded vigorously. "Boss, I''m going to practice. Don''t worry, after I grow stronger, I''ll beat up that Peter for you. I''m a loyal fellow."


    "Hahaha~" The chubby boss''ughter reverberated in the street.


    {Attention Mr. Oss, you have breached the enforced conduct. You are fined this time. Next time, you''ll be detained.}


    A mechanical voice caused both of them to jump in fright. After understanding the message, the boss jumped again.


    "Fuck! Fine? You think my grandpa left me a magic bracelet or something?" Oss cussed.


    "What did I breach anyway?"


    {Yourughter was too loud.}


    "¡­" Billy blinked his eyes innocently as he saw boss glow red with anger. He slipped away from Oss'' sight and sneaked into the training room without any noises.


    He was the reason Bossughed.


    "¡­Billy?!" Oss shouted, but in a low voice, which made it almost seem like a whimper. He didn''t want another fine.


    From the training room, Billy nced out of the ss window and saw the empty streets with curious eyes.


    He didn''t understand war. But he did understand that there was something wrong.


    "I wonder how long will thisst. I really really want to go to Miracle middle school and be a big gangster."


    *** *** ***


    "S-32, S-58 and S-14, S-17 is sent off duty. You need to cover their shift." An officer informed the three patrol teams.


    "¡­" An ufortable silence set in as the three teams stared at each other with tired faces.


    Patrolling civil area was demanding as drones always kept an eye on them. If they cked off the slightest, they''d be punished.


    Besides, it''s not like patrolling was safe either.


    There were many gangsters, criminals and hooligans in the city. This was a crucial period, and their activities were curbed.


    But gang activity didn''tplete vanish. For instance, they could use space awakeners to travel to and fro. They could use Alpha orbs tomunicate and n.


    This all happened in the dark. In fact, there were also quite a few infringements done in the open.


    When patrol guards tried to catch them, some retaliated.


    The lucky ones escaped with minor injuries. The unlucky¡­they were killed.


    The more areas they covered, the higher the danger. So, it was natural these patrol teams were reluctant.


    "I am not informing you, I am ordering you." The officer bellowed. "You know the penalty for disobedience, right? Especially during this period¡­"


    The officer''s words caused the nine members to go pale. They knew a bit about the uing war.


    If they resisted an order now, they could very well be charged for treason. It was in fact amon tactic used to instill fear and discipline.


    For the punishment to carry maximum deterrence, they would directly be killed.


    Once the thought crossed their mind, a shiver ran down their spine and their backs were instantly drenched.


    ''We have no other choice.'' They looked at each other and sighed inwardly.


    Controlling their breath, they answered sonorously. "Yes, Sir. We''llplete the task."


    "Don''t disappoint m¡ª" The officer halted midway and saluted the handsome middle-aged man in the military hover car.


    The patrol teams followed him to salute. Looking at the familiar car, they all had only question in mind.


    ''Shouldn''t he be in the military zone?''


    Colin should be in the military zone. After all, this was a crucial time. But the message he received was even more crucial to him.


    After storming into his home and checking on the sleeping Belly''s condition, he sighed lightly.


    She looked fine. Not like a poisoned person. But the poison was supposed to undetectable.


    ''Should I inform this to others¡­but her health check up showed no abnormalities.''


    Colin weighed his options but didn''t dare to risk his daughter''s life.


    So, he locked himself inside his room and opened an alpha orb. It projected the hologram of the person who sent him the message.


    On the other side was an abyssal sitting on an exquisite tone.


    Colin could tell the other party was weaker than him, but instead of giving him a sense of security, it only increased his fears.


    "Hi Colin. I''m Abrax.." The Abyss prince introduced himself with a smile.

 Chapter 388 - Pre War [3]

    "I know you don''t trust she''s poisoned, so how about I show this?'' Abrax snapped his fingers.


    A hologram yed showing the reports of a young boy from a big certificate.


    Colin recognized the boy. The son of a major architect¡ªhe was kidnapped.


    The boy was returned the next day and except for a few people, most didn''t even know this happened.


    However, he died strangely the next week.


    The investigation was still going on.


    Snap.


    Abrax simply snapped and the hologram changed.


    It showed the boy undergoing writhing agony before dark and white circles appeared all over his body before he metaled into a puddle of blood and flesh.


    Abrax smirked. "This brat''s father didn''t believe in our words. So, we had to prove our authenticity.


    I could''ve shown the poison on your daughter, but that''d be cruel for her, don''t you think?"


    Colin stiffened up and nodded like a puppet. "Y-Yes."


    Abrax nodded and snapped his fingers again.


    The holograms disyed the videos of some boys and girls that were kidnapped in the past.


    They returned after the ''payment'', but they all died shortly after.


    Colin saw each and everyone of them die in the same way.


    His heart stirred and he closed his eyes. "Stop! I get it."


    Abrax''s lips curled up and he said. "I can keep your daughter safe and even dispel the poison. In turn, I need you to do something for me."


    Colin''s face was conflicted as he found himself torn apart between duty and love.


    "I don''t like indecisive people." Abrax shook his head and was about to snap again.


    "W-Wait! I''ll do it! I''ll do it!" Colin closed his eyes and yelled.


    Abrax''s smile brightened. ''17 out of 20. I guess it''s fine.''


    "Alright, the n is¡­"


    With each word, Colin''s eyes grew wider and wider until his knees wobbled and he copsed on the floor.


    This...this was too much.


    He couldn''t do it.


    Colin raised his head and his eyes met the sharp gaze of Abrax.


    "You''re unwilling? Don''t worry, I''m not forcing you." The Abyss prince said with an elegant smile.


    It quickly turned into a cold sneer. "Just your daughter¡­she will go through unbearable pain before she dies. May I add that the best option you have if you obey me is to kill her yourself?"


    "No! NO!" Colin clutched his ears and trembled violently.


    Abrax softened his voice. "I can guarantee your family safety."


    Colin raised his head and looked at Abrax with bloodshot eyes.


    "You know it clearly, don''t you? Theoids are bound to fall. Reinforcements aren''ting. Our Sequoias will destroy every human on the battlefield."


    Kacha!


    Colin clenched his fists. Every word Abrax spoke was the truth.


    As one of the highest military officers of Valos, he knew the ground reality.


    Theoids would fall. Then all that was left would be the cluster cities.


    Uranus was also in danger.


    "You aren''t betraying, you just want a better future for your daughter." Abrax said slowly.


    "She¡­she has the protection of level 7s." Colin said weakly. Even he wasn''t convinced by his own words.


    Abrax discovered hisck of confidence and attacked it. "They? Those bunch of trashes can''t even save your daughter from being kidnapped.


    You don''t know who kidnapped her, do you? A bunch of level 7s. They can''t protect her. You will be required to fight, you won''t be able to protect her."


    "¡­you''re right." Colin hung his head and his conflict finally died down.


    ''Yeah. I don''t want to risk her life. Once theoids fall, her safety isn''t guaranteed. Even if it is¡­they can kill her through poison. This is the best opportunity.''


    "Prince Abrax, I''ll do what you say." Colin swore.


    *** *** ***


    The soldiers in the military zone didn''t know theirmander betrayed them.


    They were still adjusting to the new reality of imminent war. A few days ago, reinforcements arrived from variouss. But most of them returned.


    So, theoids had no choice but to ask the Uranus and cluster cities for help.


    Thus, Valos city had only 40% of its warriors in the military zone.


    In two days, 10% more would join theoids.


    Despite being only 30% of the original count, the soldiers weren''t worried. Cluster cities were known for their defenses.


    Before theoids were taken down, cluster cities weren''t in any danger.


    That was the consensus among every expert.


    Except one.


    *** *** ***


    oid RX-23


    "Hold! Hold!"


    "Down!"


    Under scorching heat, five body awakeners covered a heavy ck metal b with chi and dropped it between simr metal bs.


    Boom!


    The ground trembled violently. Then without any external intervention, the metal b sunk a few meters in due to its sheer weight.


    "Good job, guys." The voice in their minds congratted them, causing the five soldiers to heave a sigh of relief.


    They looked around and saw many teams simr to them.


    After hours of toil, the teams finally ced the ck bs side by side to form a huge wall of height ten meters and length five miles.


    As for why they didn''t use drones¡­well, these metal bs were of a special kind. They were incredibly heavy and needed some sort of aura derivative to be injected to be lighter.


    Even then, their weight was very high.


    But the reason they still used these bs was¡ª


    "Initiating. Step back." A mechanical voice sounded and the teams moved back.


    Shuaa~


    With a whistling sound, the ck metal bs began to glow. Then the individual ck bs began to merge and in a matter of minutes, formed a huge ck wall.


    Right then, hundreds of drones arrived and arranged lethal weapons on top of the wall.


    "Testing in a minute. Retreat." A soft voice sounded in their minds and every soldier sprinted a few miles away in a minute.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Air exploded violently and a man appeared in front of the wall.


    The aura he gave off was that of a peak level 6 Controller. Without any dy, he ''heightened'' his strength and punched the wall.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The wall shook violently but not a single crack appeared on its surface.


    The man didn''t stop and kept punching the wall.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    After five minutes, he stopped and gave a thumbs up to the drones in the sky.


    "Haaa~" As the soldiers sighed in relief, the voice in their mind continued.


    "Next project."

 Chapter 389 - Pre War [4]

    "What do you mean you can''t send more reinforcements?" Irene Nial pped the desk and red at the seven holograms in front of her.


    "And to even call those tiny help as reinforcements, are you treating me as a fool?"


    The Sovereigns looked at her in silence. They could understand her anger, but the situation wasn''t in their favor either.


    Sovereign Vianne sighed lightly. "If our deployments are weaker, then we risk losing ouroids to Abyssals.


    We sent the best help we can. Neptune is already taking off most of our reinforcements, we can''t do the same for Uranus."


    "Don''t y dumb. They''re just trying to hold the army down. They won''t start an all our war." Irene gnashed her teeth.


    "Maybe." Sovereign Vianne muttered softly and raised her voice. "But what if they do? Will you be responsible?"


    Irene Nial clenched her fist. "Don''t you understand? If Uranus''oids fall, then cluster cities are next. If cluster cities are gone, then Neptune will be cut¡ª"


    "Hold it there." Sovereign Kreo said, rubbing his beard. "While the chances ofoids losing out are high, they won''t be able to win the cluster cities.


    For one, the cluster cities are incredibly defensive and two¡­"


    Kreo''s voice turned lower. "The losses they face to conquer theoids will render them useless for any significant war. Perhaps they''ll be useless for a decade. During that time, we can surely get¡ª"


    "Y-You!" Sovereign Irene red at Kreo. "Even if you send me reinforcements, you will lose a fewoids at most.


    Can''t you see the situation? Uranus will lose ALLoids!"


    "¡­"


    "What if we send you reinforcements and they use Sequoias on ours instead?


    You do realize we aren''t the only ones with teleportation capability, right?" Sovereign Julius asked lightly.


    His words caused everyone to freeze. Indeed, Abyssals could also teleport from one abyss to another.


    So, what if their target wasn''t Uranus at all? What if it was Earth or Mercury? If they send the reinforcements and weaken their defense, then they''d be utterly helpless against the Sequoias.


    "I agree with Sovereign Kreo''s words." Sovereign Vianne nodded. "We still don''t know for sure if the Abyssals will win.


    But even if they do, their army would be so damaged that it''s practically useless for any other mission."


    She paused for a while and continued. "And I have a suggestion. If things really go south, we can always blow up theoids."


    "¡­Are you out of your mind? How many lives will be lost that way?" Irene was practically yelling at this point.


    "No. Rather than letting them use theoids, it''s better to destroy them all. Besides, if they win, theoid soldiers are destined to die anyway. This way, their death will have meaning."


    "M¡­Meaning?!" Irene understood the rationale behind her thinking, but she couldn''t help but get angry.


    "Yes. We can''t be too emotional. Our decisions must be towards safeguarding the human race. Sacrificing some for many is justified since ancient times." Sovereign Julius nodded.


    The meeting fell silent once again.


    Finally, Sovereign Albert looked at everyone and sighed. "Please understand one thing. We cannot rule out a full scale war by Abyssals. They might do it."


    The Sovereigns'' pupils froze and their breath halted for a moment. Realizing that the Uranus war could possibly lead into a full scale war, they couldn''t help but frown in anxiety.


    If it''s really a full scale war, then there was a chance that their might fall. Sure, their defenses were far higher than the first war.


    But who could say for certain that Abyssals weren''t hiding any trump cards?


    Sequoias were something no one expected. What if they came up with something else and dealt a fatal blow?


    "No one saw Pluto Waring." Sovereign Julius rubbed his forehead. "I honestly can''t guess their actions. It''s best to be as defensive as possible."


    Irene saw her request was going nowhere and slumped into her seat.


    Ares looked at her and lowered his head. He thought of the Neptune status quo for a few minutes and raised his head.


    "I''ll send a few army groups. But¡­in case theoids fall, let them retreat."


    His words caused an utter silence in the room as everyone stared at Ares in astonishment.


    "T-Thank you." Irene looked at him with aplicated gaze and muttered softly.


    A few years ago, Ares was still a new Sovereign and now¡­he was helping her out.


    "Ares, did you really think this through?" Kreo frowned. "Neptune is too important. We don''t want another Plut¡ª"


    Ares cut him off. "I understand everyone''s risks. By sending and not sending, we''re risking either way. The ball is not in our court.


    Logically, if Uranus has a problem, Neptune would be the most effected.


    And¡­morally, it''s because of her actions that Neptune hadn''t fallen. Neptune owes her and people of Uranus this much."


    His words caused everyone''s expressions to change. Indeed, the only reason Neptune didn''t fall was her support back then. The reason Uranus army had weakened was also because of their previous sacrifices.


    And like Ares said, they were risking either way. What if Abyssals didn''t send Sequoias to them? What if they didn''t start a full scale war?


    The loss of Uranusoids would also mean they''d face endless attacks from the Uranus Abyss.


    The overall situation would worsen.


    In the end, the Sovereigns looked at each other and finally relented.


    "¡­.fine. I guess I''ll send a few level 8s. But not too many."


    "Me too. Have them kill the level 8 Sequoias."


    "I can''t send from army. I''ll send my family servants. They''re peak level 7s, but sorry."


    "I''ll send Richard and his colleagues. Though we''ll be in a pinch, I''ll try to manage."


    "¡­Yeah. But ensure their safety. I honestly think we''re gonna lose. I don''t want them to die. If they do, it''s on you."


    Irene Nial sighed deeply. "Thank you, everyone."


    Looking at their faces filled with reluctance, Irene thought back to the asteroid location. That was the only location with level 8 Sequoias found so far. And given that were only few level 8 Sequoias so far, the location must be one of the few.


    ''If I enter it and destroy the Sequoias there, then maybe I can save theoids.''

 Chapter 390 - Another Secret [1]

    A week passed since Varian called Enigma. What followed was a rapid military deployment of Human Armed Forces across the federation.


    Even if he was living under a rock, Varian would know about the status quo.


    At an unprecedented level, armies of humanity and abyssals were beefing up their deployments.


    Uranus''oids were in a rather precarious position, but due to the reinforcements given by Sovereigns, they were confident in reaching a stalemate.


    But even they acknowledged that should the Sequoia arrive in estimated quantities, they''d suffer significantly higher losses than Abyssals.


    Soldiers were barred from rying the ground reality to their loved ones. The general public was kept under the impression that this was a ''normal'' deployment match up.


    The talks were already underway and soon, both sides would withdraw their forces and things would return to normal.


    The propaganda mission overworked itself as every billboard, every news Chanel and every show was aimed at pacifying the public.


    "You''re safe."


    "This isn''t a war."


    "We are no longer weak. If they dare to attack, we''ll destroy their armies and take theoids."


    The public werergely calm after this narrative was epted.


    Of course, there were problems.


    Initially, Hysteria gripped humans from Mercury to Neptune. Taking advantage of the rising fears, Shadow Order recruited many under the pretext of ''joining abyssals to survive''.


    While they did get some support, it was very very minor.


    It was unexpected for the Shadow Order. They always assumed their fellow humans to be like them¡ªOpportunistic, bending to the strong and bullying the weak, abandoning their identities for survival even if means stooping to the lowest of low.


    After all, that was how they were and how everyone else was supposed to be.


    But¡­humans were different.


    "We can die, but we will not betray."


    "My grandfather died serving the army. How can I seek refuge in them?"


    "We trust our army."


    "Born as a human, I''ll die a human."


    This incident left the leaders of Shadow Order dumbfounded. As someone who believed in the vile of humanity, the tenacity ofmon people in the face of catastrophe left them speechless.


    Sure, they didn''t know the whole ''truth'' about the situation. But the fact of the matter was that humans, despite fearing death, were willing to risk it all for the sake of their race.


    "Master, you''ve been smiling since an hour. You''re making me worried." Boo''s quivering voice sounded in the ghost ship.


    "Somehow¡­I feel proud." Varian muttered watching the footage from the federation and the Order.


    "There are many trashes in my race," Varian''s eyes narrowed dangerously, and then he startedughing. "But again, they are only a minority."


    After calming down, his face turned gloomy. While he was happy with how people reacted, the ground reality was indeed dangerous. Especially for Uranus.


    "Boo, any reports on the secret realms and Sequoias?" Varian propped his chin on his palm and asked.


    "Two developments, master." Boo floated in front of him, its small white figure exuding a rare solemnity.


    Varian frowned and gestured it to go on. "Firstly, there''s a meeting between the Shadow Order and Chaos families.


    Secondly, the Sequoias will be shipped after six hours."


    After hearing the first news, Varian''s eyes narrowed. Shadow Order and Chaos families¡ªthe big bosses of Uranus cluster.


    Since the findings a few days ago, Varian was wary of their actions against the cluster cities.


    If they really attacked the twenty cluster cities, even Shadow Order and Chaos families would be destroyed.


    It was a stupid move. Yet, Varian didn''t strike off the possibility. What if these terrorists actually got desperate and want to die?


    "When is the meeting?" He asked, tapping the armrest.


    "It''s ongoing. I just found about it from this new secret realm." Boo exined, pointing to thest of the 10 coordinates.


    They''ve found 10 secret realms so far, with the 10th one only found twenty minutes ago.


    This number was far higherpared to the four of Earth. But each of these 10 secret realms were significantly smaller than their earth counterparts.


    "Let''s go." Varian instructed and the ghost ship took off.


    They followed a space shuttle that was delivering goods to that secret realm and entered it.


    Shadow Order had a habit of not recording the sr coordinates of their secret realm.


    Instead, they had the ''tokens'' of the secret realms and some other treasures that helped them navigate.


    So, if they wanted to enter a secret realm, ghost ship must follow someone who already knew its location.


    Thankfully, Boo''s stealth made it rather easy and they smoothly entered the 11th secret realm.


    *** *** ***


    "Do your best. Facing the cluster cities, we''ll have great losses. But they''re too important to give up." A silver haired man said, ncing at the three people in the conference room.


    There was also a fourth person, but that man wasrgely silent and seemed to be lost in thought.


    "You know how hard it''s to bring up our families'' strength?" Scarlet, the head of Shaw family tilted her head, causing her long red hair touch the conference table.


    Following her question, the other two family heads stared at Draven with intense eyes.


    They were willing to bear the losses, provided they were given enticing rewards.


    Draven knew them all too well. So, he didn''t beat around the bush and stated.


    "Uranus Abyss will provide you with more than a hundred Siloy potions each."


    "Hundred?!"


    Scarlet''s breathing turned rapid and her cheeks flushed.


    The white haired old man and the brown haired middle-aged man both looked at Draven with wide eyes.


    Hem Luthor, the white haired old man was the quickest to calm himself and ask. "How many over a hundred? 200? 300? 900?"


    Draven paused for a moment and sneaked at the silent man in the room. Seeing no response from him, he shook his head and answered.


    "Depends on your performance. The minimum is 100. The rest is up to you."


    "A fucking hundred? Diluted or all level 8?"


    "Original. Level 8.. If you make use of it properly, you can create at least 50 level 8s."

 Chapter 391 - Another Secret [2]

    "Draven, consider it done." Scarlet pped the table and tapped her alpha orb. "Call them in. We''ll have to discuss the battle n."


    Hem Luthor and Kim Hutt did the same and soon, a few hundred high awakeners were seated in a huge lecture hall.


    The Chaos families'' heads looked at their precious human-weapons and sighed. After the mission, most of them wouldn''t survive. But neither of the three had a shred of remorse. They just felt it was a pity.


    Kim Hutt, the middle-aged man too the lead and stared his speech.


    "Just likest time, pair up with members that synergize the team. We''ll test thebat capability of every team here. Thest 10 members of Hutt family will have their eyes gouged out everyday for a month. Good luck."


    Each family specializing in training members of certain divine paths. So, since a long time, they were already used to forming teams.


    The members didn''t move yet as they waited for the other two heads to finish their piece.


    "Basically what he said, but I want to sever the limbs of thest fifteen Luthor members and throw them in a dark dungeon for two months." The old man said with an amiable smile.


    The audience remained silent. They were used to torture.


    "My punishment is for onlyst five members." Scarlet''s words caused the Shaw team to sigh in relief.


    But they were too early. "I''ll just kill thest five."


    "?!"


    The dumbstruck Shaw family members raised their head and saw the smiling scarlet haired woman.


    Indeed, their matriarch was the cruelest of the already cruel people.


    "What are you waiting for? Hurry up! Even level 9s too! Get going!" Scarlet yelled, and in the next second, everyone was on their feet, scrambling to find their teammates.


    Far up in the clouds, Varian listened to their conversation through Boo''s advanced sensors.


    The moment cluster cities was mentioned, he mmed his throne. "These fuckers are targeting cluster cities. I knew it!"


    "The Order and chaos families will attack the cluster cities¡­" Boo muttered with a confused expression. "What''s their n?"


    "Did you find anything?" Varian raised a brow.


    "There''s nothing relevant in this secret realm''s database master." Boo said with a dejected expression.


    Varian listened to the ''discussion'' below and narrowed his eyes. "They aren''t giving any specifics. Only instructions on how to work as a team. It''s likely that even these teams don''t know the n."


    ''But at least we know for sure they will attack the cluster cities.'' Varian sighed inwardly.


    He could now show this recording to top military officials and ask them to secure cluster cities. Of course, convincing them would be an uphill battle. After all, even if Shadow Order and Chaos families expended all their forces, they wouldn''t be able to take down all the cluster cities.


    Varian shook his head.


    ''I''ll leave the negotiation bit to Enigma. I''ll do what I can do.'' He took a deep breath and ghost ship descended slowly.


    "Boo, is this area safe? I think we''re already inside a level 9 perception range." Varian frowned.


    "Don''t worry, master. We''re moving at an incredibly slow pace. The chances of exposure are minimal. Of course, if someone deliberately scans our location, we will be found out." Boo patted its chest.


    Varian nodded and stared at the hundreds of high awakeners¡ªthe core strength of the chaos families.


    In the adjacent lecture hall, men and women in ck clothes were also sorting themselves into teams. All of them were high awakeners.


    As everyone tried to attract powerful teammates, they openly unted their aura and as a result, the aura turned incredibly heavy.


    Varian felt the pressure even from a couple of miles. It was like carrying a mountain. To the current him, it wasn''t impossible, but it was tiresome.


    "Boo, note down what I dictate." Varian said and his gaze narrowed down to one of the lecture halls.


    Then he further narrowed it down to one man and used an ability he hadn''t used since ages.


    [??? Low Level 7. Fire Awakener.]


    It was System''s ability to guge the path and ability of the other person based on the aura they gave off.


    It only depended on the aura they gave off and not any other factor. If an individual restrained their aura, Varian would only be able to their level and not their sub level.


    Thankfully, the circumstances were in his favor.


    Still, Varian didn''t think he would be able to use it from this distance and even when they''re in a building. He could only attribute it to the System''s specialty.


    "Low level 7. Fire Awakener."


    "Mid Level 8. Gravity Awakener."


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "L-Low Level 9. Extreme Awakener."


    Varian finished the dictation and exhaled. 823. That was the number.


    500 of them came from the Chaos families. 323 from the Order.


    Unfortunately, there were even a few level 9s in these teams.


    "Traitors." Varian clenched his fists and shifted his gaze to the family heads.


    [Scarlet Shaw. Level 9 Fire.]


    [Hem Luthor. Level 9 Gravity.]


    [Kim Hutt. Level 9 Body.]


    "Maybe all of them are mid level 9¡­" Varian muttered. He turned to thest two people.


    "Eh? Where?"


    "They are in the spaceport." Boo replied and ghost ship slowly ascended and left the perception zone of the awakeners.


    Then it quickly reached the spaceport.


    The space shuttle Draven and the other guy boarded just disappeared.


    "Master?"


    Varian narrowed his eyes. He already guessed they were both level 9s. But he didn''t want to half-ass his job.


    "Go."


    The ghost ship exited the secret realm and chased the speeding space shuttle.


    As Varian focused on the silver haired man in the space shuttle, a blue screen appeared in front of him.


    [Draven. Level 9. Commander ntae Path.]


    ntae were typically divided into two paths in higher levels. Fighters that fought andmanders that summoned their ''minions'' and had them fight.


    Of course, it was just a broad division. Typically, any nt entity was somewhere in between, with a heavy inclination to one side.


    Evenmander ntae entities, like Sequoia''s Ficed had significant individual offensive capability.


    It''s just that they were best suited formand stylebat than individualbat.


    "Draven. Level 9¡­" Varian narrated the info and turned to thest man.


    [??? Level 7 Fighter ntae.]


    Varian was about to dictate when his eyes suddenly widened and he stiffened in ce.


    Another line appeared on the blue screen.


    [Level 6. Water Path (Locked)]

 Chapter 392 - Another Secret [3]

    When he decided to collect war intel, Varian thought of a lot of possibilities.


    Perhaps he would find a venom to work against the Sequoias, or maybe its secret weakness.


    Regarding the Shadow Order and Chaos families, he decided to collect the information of hidden powerhouses.


    The kind that army weren''t aware of. That way, they wouldn''t be caught off guard.


    Given the scale of war, it might not amount to much, but Varian knew it was the best he could do.


    But life had a way of throwing surprises that would leave even the wisest of men baffled, much less an 18 year old teenager.


    So seeing the [Level 6 Water Path (Locked)], Varian momentarily froze in ce.


    Locked?


    Previously, he assumed that this silent man was the vice leader of Shadow Order or something. That led to him believing the other party was a level 9.


    So, when he found out that the silent man only level 7, Varian was shocked.


    But the next reveal caused him to question whether he was trapped in an illusion. So, he unsheathed his sword and pressed his finger on its tip.


    Splurt!


    "M-Master, what are you doing?" Boo asked in worry.


    Varian didn''t reply.


    The pain was real. Even his mental sense found no problem. That proved this wasn''t an illusion.


    Varian channeled prana and his finger turned into a leaf and quickly healed.? Meanwhile, Varian stared at the silent man in the space shuttle.


    Draven, the Shadow Lord and the man sat opposite to each other in silence.


    Yet, Varian could now clearly notice something he previously didn''t. Draven, was being respectful towards the level 7, almost to the point of being subservient.


    And who would a leader of Shadow Order be subservient towards?


    ''I see.'' Varian exhaled.


    ''System, humans can''t lock their divine paths yet, right?''


    [They might find something that could do the job in ruins. Perhaps.]


    ''But even then, they wouldn''t be eligible to let a level 9 respect them.'' Varian concluded.


    "Master, what happened?" Boo asked in worry.


    "He''s an Abyssal Prince." Varian said, causing to jump in fright.


    "W-What?"


    "He is a dual awakener. He locked his second path at level 6. Humans can''t do that, so¡­" Varian exined his reasoning, causing Boo to wipe its forehead.


    ''Ghosts don''t sweat, what are you wiping your forehead for?'' Varian wanted to say, but didn''t.


    "Abyssal? Prince too? What is he doing here? Wait, how did you know their levels?"


    ''You''re asking now?'' Varian facepalmed and answered. "I have my means."


    "But an Abyssal disguising as human is very hard, no?"


    "Yes." Varian nodded. "They even need to significantly change their body. Even then, they give off a different aura from humans. But he¡­I think he''s using a very expensive treasure."


    Boo was about to ask "for what", but Varian already answered. "Follow them and we''ll know."


    The ghost ship followed the Abyss Prince and after changing space shuttles several times, they finally reached the 12th secret realm.


    This secret realm had only one vast spherical red dome upying around half of itsnd.


    To put it into perspective, this dome covered almost 10% of Valos''nd.


    Outside the dome wasnd filled with huge craters. Some were new, some were old.


    Strangely, it didn''t look like an attack from awakeners.


    Varian shook his head and followed the Abyss Prince as they entered the red dome.


    Hundreds of researchers wearing white coats and safety sses moved to and fro as huge machinery of various shapes and sizes worked incessantly. There were thousands of small blue spheres in the doom that looked out of ce.


    There was anky man leading the Abyss Prince and Draven with a fanatical expression on his face.


    "We did it, Lord! We did it! The aura resonan¡ª"


    The Abyss Prince raised his hand and thenky researcher shut up. The prince spoke for the first time. "Demonstrate."


    "Yes, yes. Right away, sir. Frank will do it right away." Frank, thenky researcher nodded vehemently and smashed hism.


    In a matter of seconds, three more researchers appeared carrying a metallic blue sphere.


    It was only the size of a cherry and was as normal as it could appear. Yet, this normal item was held in a vacuum container and was carried with extreme care.


    The other researchers saw what they were doing and stopped their work. They followed them out and soon, hundreds of researchers were standing behind Draven, the Abyss Prince, Frank and three researchers.


    In front of them was a hologram showing a test site hundred miles away. Thend in that site was filled with a metallic sheet.


    ''To reduce damage, huh.'' Varian thought.


    With a snap of their fingers, a drone carried the blue sphere all the way to the test site.


    Then it opened the container and dropped the sphere onto the ground.


    Right then, thick metallic sheets appeared and guarded the researchers behind them.


    The small blue sphere also touched the ground.


    Then¡­the world went still.


    Boom!


    The secret realm shook as the ground trembled. It was like they were on a boat and some huge monster was shaking it violently.


    A cloud of dust enveloped the test site as shockwaves emerged from it and swept across the secret realm.


    Varian''s heart raced as he watched the explosion with a heavy heart. He saw thousands of such blue spheres inside the dome. If those thousands blew up at the same time...


    Humans were indeed capable of such explosions, but they were either mainly nuclear.


    After Blink, however, the lethality of these weapons came down. Scientists couldn''t find the exact reason, but they attributed it to aura''s omnipresence.


    Since then, while humanity did possess such weapons, their relevance continued to fall.


    Of course, they were still used, but they weren''t effective against high awakeners and would kill both friend and foe if used on mid awakeners.


    But more importantly, the technocrats from Abyssal side developed the necessary anti-missile technology in their own fashion.


    Even if humans used any such warheads, they''d be countered, just like in the first war.


    But this¡­this bomb was bizarre.


    It was something like a star treasure. Like the thunder fury Varian used in the Sr Trial.


    But it was much, much stronger. It could easily kill a level 7 awakener. And more importantly, it''s mass produced!


    As the dust cleared, Varian was forced to take a deep breath. It was as if someone dug away thend for several miles.


    Now he understood where the craters came from.


    "Good!" The Abyss Prince nodded and the researchers cheered.


    "Yaay!"


    Varian watched in silence as they tried a few more explosives. Looking at the growing smile of the Abyss Prince, he clenched his fists.


    "Prince Abrax, Ragnarorks will do their job. We''ll take care of the rest. The cluster cities will be over. Leave it to me." Draven patted his chest and assured.


    This was a problem. No conventional detection method would work against these bombs.


    The defense systems of the cluster cities would also have a hard time against them.


    But could they really ''finish off'' cluster cities?


    Varian didn''t think so. Despite not being able to ''detect'' them through normal methods, technocrats weren''t weaklings. They controlled the defense weapons and were very flexible with their powers.


    They could use their mental sense to lock these bombs and then use their powers to bombard them.


    Despite the shocking element, Varian didn''t think they posed a real threat to the cities.


    But he knew better than to underestimate his enemies. Since they were so confident, they had more ns.


    "They''re waiting for us. We need to start soon." Saying so, the Abyss Prince boarded his space shuttle and left.


    Varian was about to follow when Boo hurriedly said. "Master, the Sequoia nts are being taken!"


    "Fuck! Fuck!" Varian cursed as he looked at the Abyss Prince''s space shuttle.


    The Abyss Prince didn''t carry anym. And he changed space shuttles frequently. If he didn''t follow now, Varian would likely never find him again.


    "Argh..." But Varian eventually sighed and shook his head.


    This Abyss prince might be key to attack on cluster cities, but Sequoias¡­they were the principle threat tooids.


    In fact, if the situation continued, then Sequoias would also be the main threat tooids of alls and eventually the principle threat tos themselves.


    "Go to Sequoia nts."

 Chapter 393 - Its A Lie

    "Master, master, wait a minute." Boo halted and returned to the secret realm.


    After a quick scan on the explosives called ''Ragnarorks'', Boo drove the ghost ship out of the secret realm.


    "What did you do?"


    "Their database is practically empty. So I took a quick sample of the materials. Maybe we can analyze theposition and find something."


    "Alright." He nodded.


    *** *** ***


    Varian was back at the asteroids once again. The fields were still full of the green nts sportingrge mouths, but some spots were empty.


    "Be alert on your way. This is very important." The manager of the field instructed the field members who nodded and instructed the drones to grab the packed level 6 nts from the warehouse.


    In a few minutes, a space shuttle was loaded and took off. Varian took a deep breath in the ghost ship and followed them.


    Contrary to expectations, the space shuttle didn''t go for the higher field. Instead, it entered a secret realm.


    "Are they growing the Sequoias in the secret realms?" Varian tapped his chin and mused.


    When the drones unloaded the boxes of Sequoias from the ship to another warehouse, he knew he was wrong.


    The ghost ship also circled around the entire secret realm, and failed to any Sequoia fields.


    "Are they just storing these things?" Varian looked down at the warehouses and wondered.


    These level 6 Sequoia nts were supposed to reach another region and be nurtured to level 7.


    "Master, I found their schedule. They''ll be picked up after an hour." Boo hacked through the secret realm and informed.


    "I see." Varian crossed his arms and waited.


    Thirty minutester, a group of men and women in whiteb coats entered the warehouse.


    Taking out a transparent liquid in test tubes, they started injecting every Sequoia nt stored in the ss containers.


    The nts slumped, like they were asleep. Then, the group took out a silver colored liquid and gave every Sequoia a shot.


    The nts thrashed against the containers and tried to escape, but in the end, they sumbed to the shots and shook violently.


    Their auras fluctuated violently and their level 6 auras plummeted. Peak level 5, high level 5, mid level 5 and low level 5.


    "What the?!" Varian gaped at the scene, frozen in shock.


    The Sequoias'' aura was still fluctuating, but after thirty minutes, they calmed down.


    Then, they were loaded into a space shuttle and exited the secret realm.


    ''Is this really what I think it is¡­? Then why are they doing this?''


    Varian deduced some answers, but they only birthed more questions. So, he put them aside and simply followed the space shuttle.


    The space shuttle reached one of the asteroid nting field. Then an announcement was made.


    "We got new goods. These nts have improved from level 4 and reached level 5. Now, let''s do our best and raised them to level 6 in a day."


    Varian didn''t understand their intent, but as ghost ship circled around the asteroid, he realized there were a few stealthy drones observing the asteroid.


    "They belong to Athena agents, master." Boo answered.


    "Fuck! Fuck!" Varian covered his face and swore.


    He went to the same asteroids and each of them got these new goods and made the same announcements.


    Varian was almost sure of his guess, but he decided to wait for a few hours.


    Then it began.


    Under his incredulous gaze, the nts were all fed with aura crystals, just like he first saw them.


    All of their auras rose, from low level 5 to high level and only a few of them, reached level 6.


    Then these level 6s were taken into warehouses.


    An announcement was made that they were prepared to be taken to the ''higher field''.


    Varian felt his body freeze as the realization dawned on him.


    ''They fooled us. They fooled everyone. No¡­that can''t be. Maybe it''s only with these few?'' He didn''t want to believe it.


    After all these preparations and preparing for a war, how could he believe it''s all for nothing?


    Sequoias were the prime reason for this situation, how could be they be fake?


    But regardless of what he wanted to believe, Varian had a method to verify the truth.


    He focused on the power deep within him. It wasn''t harnessed nor controlled, but Varian could draw a sliver of its prowess.


    Bringing that power out, he focused his gaze on the Sequoia nts on the field.


    [Sequoia nt. Low Level 5 (Level is suppressed)]


    [Sequoia nt. Low Level 5 (Level is suppressed)]


    "What¡­no, this can''t be." Varian shook his head violently and continued scanning every nt in the field.


    [Sequoia nt. Low Level 6 (Level is not suppressed)]


    [Sequoia nt. Low level 6. (Level is not suppressed)]


    When he reached the final nt, he was utterly silent.


    Then, he covered his mouth and startedughing like a madman. "Hahahaha! Yes! Yes!"


    "Master, I''ve found a few storages under the field. They hold aura crystals. ording to my analysis, the aura crystals aren''t taken by the nt." Boo''s reported only fanned the mes.


    "Hahaha! Yes Boo! We did it!" Varian pumped his fist into the air with a bright face.


    His excitement was through the roof. His heart was pounding so hard that it could''ve broken out of his chest.


    Varian didn''t mind. He was too happy to care.


    "Master¡­what''s happening?" Boo asked in confusion.


    Varian took a deep breath and suppressed the euphoria. He needed to verify itpletely.


    "Boo, go to every asteroid field we know. Now."


    And after a few hours of constant level checking, Varian slumped in his throne and keptughing like a madman.


    Every asteroid field showed the same results! That''s it!


    His actions, however, worried a certain ghost.


    {Miss Sarah, Master had gone crazy. I believe only you can kick, I mean, drill some sense back into him. I''ll pick you up.


    Little cute ghost Boo.}


    Boo was about to send the message when Varian''sughter stopped.


    His eyes were red, his face was bright and he looked like a man dying out of happiness.


    Varian rubbed his cheeks. "Ouch. Iughed too much."


    Boo was surprised. "M-Master, are you sane?"


    "Huh? I am always sane." He shot a nce at Boo.


    "R-Right."


    "Why do I feel like you almost did something bad?" Varian narrowed his eyes.


    "N-No! Also, why were youughing, master?"


    "Boo, we found a big, big secret." Varian said with a big, big smile.. "The Sequoia army is a lie."

 Chapter 394 - Ragnarok

    "There is no Sequoia army."


    As Varian dropped the bombshell, Enigma stood up in shock.


    Her eyes fluctuated widely and even with her mask on, she seemed to be undergoing a huge shock.


    Even with tight ck clothes on, her ample chest heaved up and down as she tried to calm herself down.


    This was the first time he saw her so¡­out of calm.


    ''Does that count as an achievement?'' Varian thought as he looked at her hologram silently.


    Meanwhile, Enigma''s mind was erratic as a million thoughts flew over her head.


    If this was the truth, then everything¡­


    "Proof." As expected of her, Enigma calmed down already and questioned him.


    With a single tap, videos of the level 6 nts being taken to warehouse in secret realms, then suppressed to level 5 and then taken to asteroids and rising to level 6 yed in front of Enigma.


    Of course, Varian had to buy a couple of aura measuring treasures for this matter, which he dly did.


    It''s not umon to restrain your aura. In fact, with good training, anyone could do it. But the greater the gap, the harder it was to conceal your level.


    But showing a lower level than the original?


    Now that was exceeding rare and neededplex treasures. In case of the spy maid Fina in the auction house, she had to bear unimaginable pain to keep her second path suppressed.


    Because she knew how difficult it was, the thought that all Sequoias were fake never crossed Enigma''s mind.


    Besides, who would even think of faking levels of thousands of nts?


    Abyssals did.


    Enigma was sure the price to do so must be extremely heavy. Many precious treasures must have been spent.


    But the result they achieved was worth it.


    They fooled the entire federation!


    Realizing the truth, the usually sharp Enigma was at a loss for words. As clever as she was, she felt like a fool. She never even thought in this direction.


    How could she? There were real level 8 Sequoias that showed up onoids. There were real level 6 fields and even their aura testers showed these nts have clearly went from level 5 to level 6.


    "Hm." Varian leaned back in his throne. This was the reason he only told her about the Sequoia nts and not the Abyss Prince.


    He had solid evidence.


    Regarding the prince, he only knew that an attack was staged on cluster cities. He didn''t know the exact n.


    "This¡­is crazy." Enigma muttered as she rubbed her forehead. "Abyssals¡­they''re putting pressure on alls using Sequoias, but they don''t even have any Sequoias. So their goal must be¡­"


    "Preventing any reinforcements to Uranus." Varian finished her words and continued. "And why do that?"


    Enigma didn''t speak and stared at him. Her stunning eyes glittered with the three colors as they said. ''You know something, don''t you?''


    "Haa~" Varian shrugged. "My conjecture is they''re going to attack the cluster cities. Before dismissing it, check this out."


    With a snap, Enigma saw the meeting of the Shadow Lord Draven with the heads of Chaos families.


    They were going to attack the cluster cities.


    It was crystal clear. And dumb.


    Even when she saw the videos of ''ragnarok'' bombs, and was exined about their speciality, she still didn''t understand how they could possibly win against cluster cities.


    "What''s their confidence?" Enigma muttered in confusion.


    "No idea, but they got something up their sleeves." Varian leaned back in his throne and sighed. "I was¡­supposed to follow a certain guy, but Sequoia came up."


    Enigma didn''t ask anymore and instead suggested. "You have the coordinates of the one with ragnaroks, right? Send them and I''ll have the secret realms destroyed. The army is too stretched at the moment to spend time on explosives."


    Before he could answer, she shook her head. "No. Premature attack would only alert them."


    Varian raised a brow at her behavior, but nodded nheless. "Get your team ready and give me a few more days. If we can find out theirplete n, we can prevent a full scale war."


    Enigma squinted her eyes at him.


    "What?" Varian felt like he was standing in front of his ssmates and was about to lectured.


    She was still pissed fromst time, huh.


    "Don''t risk your life."


    "Yeah?" Varian nodded. Enigma had a habit of nagging, even if it''s due to Sia.


    "I have to beat you up before you die." Enigma said coldly and hung up the call.


    "¡­" Varian sat in silence for a few minutes and touched his face. "To beat this handsome face, how cruel and ruthless must she be? Enigma is Enigma."


    "¡­" Boo prayed for its master to be beaten. How dare he call himself handsome in front of such a cute ghost?


    Master, unlike you, I''m not shameless to proim I''m cute. But of course, I can''t deny facts either.


    Slowly, even the once innocent ghost was being corrupted by a certain someone.


    Varian shook his head and they continued their detective work.


    He reached a conclusion on Sequoias. There were no new Sequoias. It''s the same old ones again and again.


    But they created an illusion that it was new Sequoias were growing stronger everyday.


    Other than that, he found nothing else. The Sequoias thread met with a dead end.


    On the other hand, Boo broke down the ragnarok bomb.


    While it was made of many metals, the two main ingredients were familiar names.


    Goreiki¡ªthe rare metal stolen from mercury ruins.


    Roshnium¡ªthe metal exclusive to earth and something that the Shadow Order were procuring recently.


    Before leaving for Valos, Roshnium smugglers barged into his home and were taken care of.


    Varian was still a bit skeptical about Abyssals'' and Shadow Order''s true intentions. But after knowing these precious metals were used in the bomb, he was certain that their n surely centered around these bombs.


    So, he visited the secret realm again.


    Last time, while the dome was still active, they weren''t producing anything. Their focus was on disying the ragnarok.


    But now¡­


    Varian watched in silence as aura crystals were taken out of ck storage rings and were crushed in a special formation, concentrating it to a high level.


    The almost liquified aura was furtherpressed and injected into the molte mix of Roshnium and Goreiki.


    As the metals cooled down, intricate designs were carved on the sphere and some more alloys were added.


    After grueling hours of insane focus and intense work, the blue sphere¡ªragnarok was created.


    "Haa~" Varian narrowed his eyes.


    Before him were three holograms.


    One showed the process of ragnarok creation.


    Second showed the reserves of roshnium and goreiki.


    Third showed¡­rooms full of ck storage rings¡ªeach storage ring had a heap of aura crystals.


    "The theft of these metals, the kidnappings for ransoms¡­all of it for these bombs."


    Varian realized he was dangerously close to the actual n of Abyssals. Since they invested so much on these bombs, then he must decode everything he could.


    But still, he felt like he was missing something.


    However, they already checked everything they could check. There was nothing more to be learnt.


    Varian tapped his chin as he racked his brain. No thought came out. The researchers went on with their work while some tested the ragnaroks from time to time on the test sites.


    "Ah!" Varian punched his palm. All of the test sites were covered by a metal sheet.


    "Boo, check the metal sheet." He ordered.


    Every second of the thirty eight minutes he waited was excruciating. But on the thirty ninth minute, Boo finally gave the answer.


    "Master, it is the same metal used to protect the core facilities of military region.. The metal is Durasium."

 Chapter 395 - The Real Goal? [1]

    Varian''s feelings were hard to describe at the moment.


    It was as if he was trying to solve a puzzle for a long, long time and was getting frustrated by theck of progress.


    Then all of a sudden, he could almost see theplete picture.


    He wasn''t there yet, but he knew it was almost solved. The bulk of the work was over.


    Now, all that needed to be done was to cautiously finish off the rest.


    "Durasium, you say?" Varian asked, recalling his tour of the military region.


    *** *** ***


    "Then what is the S-grade facility?"


    "The Kernel of the city."


    The military officer Henry exined. "It''s equivalent to the City''s central hardware. It''s responsible for gravity, defense and other things."


    "Then shouldn''t it be X-grade, Sir? If something happens and gravity changes,? it''d be too problematic." An energetic girl asked.


    Henry''s stoic face shed a smile. "Even thought it''s only an S-grade facility, it''spletely made of Durasium."


    *** *** ***


    "Yes. That same Durasium in military zone used to protect city kernel." Boo said.


    Varian squinted his eyes at the thin grey metal sheets.


    Now that he took a proper look, they were incredibly thin, almost only the size of a fingernail.


    But ording to Henry, the entire S-grade facility was made of this metal.


    Varian felt it was strange. Given the thickness of the metal sheet, Durasium was obviously costly.


    So, why were they using it for every test?


    Was it to mitigate the explosion?


    That was the best exnation Varian could think of. The fact that not even a bit of Durasium was left after every explosion test further reinforced his hypothesis.


    That meant these bombs were way more lethal than they seemed.


    When he conveyed the same to Boo, it paused for a moment and tapped its chins seriously.


    After a while, it punched its palm and said. "How about we steal one and try it outside?"


    "Huh?" Varian raised a brow. "You mean¡­"


    "Yes, hehehe." Boo nodded with a mischievous smile.


    *** *** ***


    The technicians in the dome had their gazes glued to the screens with data readings of each and every ragnarok.


    The men, women and machines gave their everything as they carefully went through each and every step.


    Then a highly advanced machine would verify each and every ragnarok. Any defective products were disposed.


    Of course, there were very very few disposed products.


    "Huh? Y-382?" A technician looked at the green readings that suddenly turned red and frowned.


    Tapping on the screen, a normal blue sphere was disyed. It didn''t seem to have any defects, but the machine couldn''t be wrong.


    "My first defective product! My bonus is fucked!" Cursing under his breath, he ordered the disposal of Y-382.


    "Hahah! Weren''t you boasting a few days ago? Serves you right?"


    "Fuck you guys!"


    Amidst the little discussion, a drone picked Y-382 into its storage slot and reached the disposal room. There were only a few dozen spheres in the highly defensive room, and most of the explosives were visibly defective.


    The drone entered the room, and exited.


    Of course, no one saw the bomb being ced in the room.


    But a machine couldn''t go wrong¡­right?


    *** *** ***


    "If this explodes here, I''m dead." Varian said, half-jokingly and half-nervously as Boo showed him the blue sphere in a vacuum box.


    "Hehe. That''d be funny." Boo chuckled.


    "It''d be more fun if I use those ck and white powers of that day."


    "Nooo! I mean, I was joking, aha, hahaha." Boo shrieked in fear first, then awkwardlyughed.


    Varian rolled his eyes and gestured for Boo to start the test.


    They''d have obviously hacked the machine and the drone before getting this explosive.


    Where and how do you contact proper explosive tests?


    Well, they picked a deserted asteroid far away from both human and abyss patrols.


    And then, following the procedure, Boo dropped ragnarok on the asteroid.


    Pa!


    The blue sphere crashed into the asteroid with a ting and¡­nothing happened.


    "Huh?" Varian rubbed his eyes and looked at Boo with a desperate expression. "Don''t tell me our luck is so bad that the bomb we stole is actually a super rare defective one."


    Boo coughed lightly. "I didn''t even let that machine make a judgement and stole the bomb. My bad."


    So, the man and the ghost returned to the secret realm.


    *** *** ***


    "Are you fucking kidding me?" A chubby woman screamed at the screen with red readings.


    "Hahaha! Karma is a bitch!"


    A few minutester, the ones responsible for their miseryunched the bomb on the asteroid once again.


    Pa!


    The blue sphere made a small dent on the ground. And that''s it.


    "Fuck!" Varian cursed. "Boo, did you check the readings before changing them?"


    "I did." Boo said in confusion. "The reading said this is a fine product."


    Varian took a deep breath.


    "Try again!"


    Pa!


    "Another has fallen!"


    "Again!"


    Pa!


    "Fuck! It''s the new genius this time."


    "Again!"


    Pa!


    "It''s the number one beauty of our little factory, granny, I mean, fairy Sha."


    "Ha! Ha! Ha!" Varian breathed out heavily as he stared at the irresponsive blue spheres with a gaze that bordered on frustration and rage.


    He was almost there.


    There''s no way so many spheres could be defective. So, why?


    What did he overlook?


    Varian closed his eyes and thought back to every process after the explosives were taken out.


    "Durasium sheets!" He pped and turned to Boo. "These explosions need Durasium to ur. The explosion starts on contact."


    "Ah?!" Boo was taken aback at first, but after some thinking, it nodded heavily. "That''s the only exnation."


    "So¡­what do we do now? Our intention to test out the bombs was to find their true destructive power without any suppression from durasium sheets. But the entire premise is invalid." Varian said with a bewildered expression.


    "Um, master, we can check the mechanism durasium ys here?"


    Varian thought for a moment, shook his head and then nodded.. "No, but yes. We''ll try to figure out the mechanism, but the most important question is this: What happens if we throw a few hundred ragnaroks in a S-grade facility builtpletely of durasium?"

 Chapter 396 - Real Goal? [2]

    Durasium was one of the most expensive materials in the federation.


    Buying it not only required money, but also power and relevant connections.


    Varian had 9-star treasures from Boo''s old collection, so money wasn''t a problem.


    But power and connections, he had none.


    So, what did he do?


    He visited the Durasium supplies of Shadow Order by backtracking the space shuttles bringing the material to the secret realm.


    After getting his hands on a few thin sheets that couldn''t be thinner, he used the four ragnarorks collected and tested it against different thicknesses.


    The result was rather simple.


    He didn''t bother understanding Boo''s technical exnation. The summary was this:


    Ragnarok only served as a spark. The fuel was Durasium itself.


    The more durasium was present, therger the explosion.


    These guys were only using a thin sheet of durasium and were having sizable explosions.


    So, to get an idea of what would happen if these ragnarorks were used in the S-facility of cluster cities, Varian returned to Valos and sneaked into its military region.


    "Thick!"


    It sounded a bit wrong, but that was the only word he could think of.


    The city kernel was present in arge cubical grey building. As expected, every square inch of its walls was durasium.


    The walls'' thickness was 1 fricking meter!


    Boo yed a simtion of what''d happen if the ragnarorks are thrown inside thisrge building.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Varian stared at the hologram nkly for minutes before cursing. "Motherfuckers!"


    What terrorist attacks? What invasion?


    They were going to fucking blow up the city!


    Yes!


    The volume of durasium here was a few million times higher than at the test site.


    And following the tests, an explosion initiated would be so destructive that it''d break the city to pieces.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The simtion continued on and on.


    Varian watched the bright Valos in space.


    Some areas of it were exceptionally bright, almost dazzling him. Others were not so.


    Even from space, the disparity of the city was clear.


    It reeked of injustice, fear, and darkness, threatening to devour everyone.


    Yet, this same city of depravity was home to millions.


    Millions of destitute that dreamt of a bright future every day, however tough their current life may be. People that even didn''t know they were living in a cage. That the government had neglected them because they weren''t important.


    Yet, they did their best. To survive.


    If so many hopes and aspirations were to die¡­


    Varian closed his eyes as he tried to stop his ragged breathing. But no matter how much he tried, his heart couldn''t calm down.


    It was like¡­it was somewhat simr to watching his mother''s death.


    He was full of rage.


    And fear.


    His back was already drenched in cold sweat as he felt terrifying fear creep in his mind.


    If¡­If he didn''t find out the truth, then¡ª


    "Gulp!"


    Varian raised his hand to tap hism, but he found his hand was shivering.


    "Haa~" He tried to calm himself and call Enigma. But his mind was filled with images of corpses, burnt and broken, floating in space.


    In those corpses, he saw Billy, Edwina, Betty, and Vinar¡­


    "Argh!" His knees gave out and he was sitting on the floor the next moment.


    "Master! Master! What happened?" Boo''s worried voice reached his ears, but they didn''t make it to his brain.


    Varian didn''t know what was happening to him, but his mind waspletely nk and all he felt was a deep mix of rage and fear.


    His mental power slowly began to work and cooled him down.


    After five minutes, Varian stood up and exhaled deeply.


    "I-I''m fine." Varian looked at his sweaty palms and answered with a pale face. His voice was a bit shaky.


    "Master, you''re worrying too much," Boo said. "How will they even get those bombs inside? This city kernel is only a mile from teleportation formation and both are in the core zone. Not anybody can enter this ce."


    Varian''s eyes lit up and he punched his palm!


    "M-Master? Master?" Boo called out, but Varian didn''t respond and started a call with Enigma.


    *** *** ***


    Enigma too nkly stared at the city blowing up in the hologram. Her mask covered her entire face except for her eyes.


    But those tri-color eyes showed her extreme emotions.


    After a minute, she calmed down. Of course, from the way she clenched her fists so tightly that the ck fabric was ripped apart and blood dripped on her seat, she was anything but rxed.


    "¡­Thank you," Enigma whispered in a soft voice,pletely unlike her coldness.


    She looked at him with aplicated gaze. He had a pale face indicating how much his reveal affected him, yet his eyes¡­ were never so determined. He would stop the Abyssals at any cost.


    Enigma felt that if it wasn''t for her constantly nagging him, he might have taken some dangerous risk already. Maybe. But she knew very well what Varian was like.


    "But how will they get the bombs inside?" Enigma asked softly. Boo also perked its ears and listened carefully.


    "The kidnaps," Varian said in a rather tired, but confident voice.


    "Kidnaps?" Boo and Enigma looked at him in confusion.


    "Aren''t they for aura crystals¡­wait!" Enigma''s eyes widened and she pped her chair.


    "There were too many kidnaps for aura crystals, We overlooked the kidnappings of powerful military officers'' children as the same." Varian spread his arms.


    "But they¡­they did the unthinkable. By hook or crook, they managed to get military officers from each city on their side." Enigma said in a voice filled with incredulity.


    "Yes." Varian nodded and clicked on hism.


    The files of 17 high military officers popped up. The seventeenth was Colin, Betty''s father.


    With aplicated expression, Varian said. "I initially thought these 16 people were spied by the Order. But Nah, each of these 16 had some loved one kidnapped.


    Out of these, only Betty''s kidnap is so public and it is also thetest.


    The rest¡­their children or grandchildren suddenly disappeared for a day, citing reasons like tour or training.


    After that, everything was normal. But that one day¡­they were silently kidnapped and injected with poison.


    Just like Colin, they all decided to obey."


    Enigma slumped in her chair and tried to process everything.


    Suddenly, Varian startedughing.


    "The full-scale war is fake. The Sequoias are fake. Their real target was the cluster cities.


    Unlike before, these high-ranking military officers can easily do their ''job''.


    Abyssals¡­they are way, way more insidious than I expected.


    Who came up with this n, I wonder? The Abyss Princes? The Archdukes? The Abyss Kings and Queens? or Him?"


    Slowly, hisughter died down and he said in a bone-chilling voice. "After this clusterfuck, I really can''t help but wonder, is the real goal really cluster cities?"


    *** ***


    A/N: Apologies for thete release.

 Chapter 397 - Abraxs Mission

    ''Is there real goal really Cluster cities?''


    Enigma didn''t know. The way they concealed everything was beyond expectations.


    The federation, the abrax family, Shadow Guardians and Athena agents¡ªall of them knew about the rising kidnaps. They knew about the theft of Ylocan flower and Goreiki. They were also aware of Roshnium smuggling.


    Not just that, there were suspicions on deaths of some of the famous architects and scientists.


    In their eyes, these events, while concerning were disjointed. Who would''ve thought that these normal crimes would connect to weave a web destructive enough to threaten lives of nearly half a billion.


    And it was only the direct threat to the five hundred million lives. If the n seeded and the cluster cities were blown up, what were the consequences?


    All supply chains to Neptune would be cut off. An iste Neptune would have to face the two-front war against Thunder Abyss and Pluto.


    Thunder Abyss could ask for help of other abysses, and get reinforcements. But Neptune couldn''t.


    The difference brought by reinforcements would be initially small. But as time rolls on, it wouldpound and create significant damage to Neptune army.


    Not only that, Neptune would be starved off critical supplies like weapons, star treasures, potions, and advanced technological items.


    Its emergency supplies would run out eventually and a depleted Neptune would dwindle down in all fronts.


    If the Thunder King was bold enough, he would exchange his life for Sovereign Ares or at least hold him back.


    Then with joint efforts of fallen pluto and Thunder Abyss, Neptune would be conquered.


    Unlike Pluto, this loss would have a severe effect on the federation. As home to 7 Billion humans, fall of Neptune would kill 14% of human poption.


    The consequences would be felt in military, economic and technological domains.


    Despite their losses in conquering Neptune, Abyssals would recover in a decade.


    But humans?


    Having lost Pluto and Neptune, they''d no longer be able to hold their ground.


    Unless therees a new Sovereign¡­there''s a good chance thats would fall one by one to the growing army of Abyssals.


    And in a few decades, humanity would breathe itsst.


    Enigma''s eyes snapped open and she took a deep breath, trying to calm down her agitating emotions.


    ''What was I thinking?'' She rubbed her forehead. ''What I consider is the worst case scenario.. But like Varian said, if they are considering something even bigger, then¡­''


    Enigma channeled her aura and calmed herself. In times like these, especially in times like these, she shouldn''t lose her cool.


    She went through everything Varian said and showed and raised a question.


    "Why only seventeen?"


    "Huh?" Varian looked at the files and frowned. There were twenty cluster cities. If they wanted to bomb every city, they''d need at least one officer per city.


    Enigma tapped her cheek and said. "You missed them?"


    Varian thought for a moment and turned to Boo.


    "Just a few minutes, master." With a salute, Boo went off to check the records.


    "Nope. These three cities don''t have any cases of such disappearances. The undergroundworks of these cities don''t have files on high ranking officers either." Boo replied with certainty.


    Enigma leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "If the explosions only happen in seventeen cities, the army will send reinforcements regardless of the current situation.


    In fact, the defense of these three cities would be raised so high. Whatever abyssals are trying to achieve through cluster cities destruction, it''d backfire."


    Varian nodded in agreement and said. "So, they must destroy these three cities no matter what¡­but how?"


    Enigma went silent for a few minutes before saying. "The chaos families'' meeting."


    *** *** ***


    Seated in his ck-red throne, Abrax looked at the three Chaos families heads and Shadow Order leader, Draven.


    It was time for the final meeting before the attack.


    As he learnt the origins of this grand project, Abrax felt equally honored and nervous.


    Abyssals were nning this since Pluto War. The resources spent for this project were astronomical.


    And this n was supposed to be finished after 5 years. By then, they''d be able to bring all 20 high ranking officers under their control.


    But for some reason, Abyss Emperor preponed the n a few weeks ago.


    At that time, there were only 16 military officers under their control.


    The n back then was to send the chaos families to one city each and use Shadow Order to wipe out the fourth city.


    The n to kidnap Betty was almost stroked off.


    But right then, Abrax entered the scene. Through his clever maniption of Eric, he got rid of a genius like Varian.


    This impressed the Abyss Emperor and he gave this ambitious prince powers to participate in this mission.


    Abrax wanted to prove himself. So, he requested the higher-ups to allow Betty''s kidnap and convinced them to postpone the explosions.


    His reasoning?


    "Our emperor wants to save as many lives as possible. If we can use one Colin to destroy Valos city, why waste hundreds of thousands of Abyssal lives?"


    And thus, the kidnap was sessful, Betty was injected with poison and Colin agreed to do his bidding and ce the ragnaroks in the city kernel.


    All in all, Abrax felt pretty aplished.


    The time hase for all the nning and hardwork to pay off.


    Abrax looked at the four people in front of him.


    The Chaos families'' heads. Uranus Cluster''s Shadow Order head.


    "This will dictate your fate. The better your performance, the better your life." He said with a generous smile.


    "Yes, Sir!" The level 9s nodded and left to theirirs.


    Right before explosions, the three chaos families along with Shadow Order would attack the three cities.


    These cities would be blood bathed in no time.


    Today, Uranus cluster cities would be erased.


    "I''ll tear down everything."


    *** *** ***


    "I''ll protect everyone." Varian sighed and stood up.


    Enigma stood up as well and said. "I have some level 8s in the cluster cities to stop these military officers. But sneaking into military region is impossible."


    "We need a better n. Something that can stop every officer." Varian said and closed his eyes in thought.


    ''He''s grown up.'' Enigma stared at him in silence. He still gave the familiar feeling, but he was no longer a weak boy.


    Of course, she never saw him as a person with a weak heart. Even when he didn''t awaken, he was willing to risk his life.


    It''s a pity that he didn''t have the strength to match his ideals. But now, after so many struggles, he was on track.


    In just two months, he already surpassed his peers.


    As someone who watched him struggle all the way from his childhood, Enigma was proud of how far he came.


    She also knew the main reason for his progress was a secret he harbored. A secret big enough to cause him to be chased by humans and abyssals alike.


    ''But his secret is not the only reason. It''s his own will too¡­''


    "Ah!" Varian snapped his fingers, causing Enigma to snap out of her daze.


    "Hm?" She raised a brow.


    "I''ll call you soon." He hung up the call in a hurry.


    "¡­.." Enigma clenched her fists and took a deep breath.

 Chapter 398 - Steelheart

    Evander was having a stressful day, like every other day in this week.


    As the high general of Earth, he had a lot of responsibility. Part of it was being an actingmander ofoids.


    Only a few peak level 9s were eligible for this post and fewer do it. Because keeping track of theoids, the deployments, the abyssal ns, skirmishes, wars, and strategies¡­basically, it was a headache.


    Of course, there was an expertmittee to help make decisions. But it didn''t erase the pressure he had to face to manage the gargantuan task.


    Bali was also qualified for the job, and when he wasn''t in a mission of the Shura Squad, he''d be an actingmander.


    "When is he returning?" Evander stood up and rubbed his forehead.


    He was inside a sleek white room filled with a hologram depicting the condition of theoids. Lights shed from time to time, indicating there were changes in deployments.


    In front of him was a huge table with experts of various fields seated on either sides.


    They were focused on the hologram and theirm as they analyzed each and every change while formting the suitable steps.


    "General, there was a new legion on Renaoid. It is mainlyposed of Fire and Body Awakeners. We suggest sending a legion Water and ntae awakeners." An old man kept his gaze fixed on the hologram as his hand blurred and he took notes.


    Evander narrowed his eyes and checked the hologram. "Send Water Awakeners and Beast Morphers. Thatoid''s terrain is not suitable for low-speed ntae awakeners."


    "Onoid Mia, they just moved another fleet of¡­"


    "Arrange the 8-star treasure to take care of¡­"


    The exchanges went back and forth.


    It was almost forty hours and neither of them exited the room. Thankfully, they were all high awakeners and didn''t have the problems of normal humans.


    Still, working under such high tension was mentally taxing even for mind awakeners, much less others.


    Evander, however, carried on with a stoic face. The pressure didn''t faze him. The tension didn''t tire him. The danger didn''t scare him.


    ''He''s so reliable!''


    ''I''m proud to be working under him.''


    ''I wish my grandson is at least as half good as him. That''d be dreame true.''


    Even though they were all busy, in their minds, everyone admired and worshipped Evander, the Steelheart.


    His personality and strength attracted many suitors.


    Legend has it that the fiercest suitor of him was also a level 9. She sent him a red-feathered dove¡ªan enduring symbol of love on Earth since blink.


    She met him the next day to heart his reply and found him munching on some nice fried meat.


    Out of curiosity, she asked what he was eating. He replied. "That red dove."


    The woman left with a crying face, and the story stopped all pursuitors of Evander.


    People believe that his title as Steelheart came from his gantry. While his battle exploits were astounding, the title itself was stared by this woman.


    It quickly circted among his suitors and became famous. The people misunderstood it as a honor title and started using it to praise him.


    "Pain can''t stop him. Sadness can''t reach him. Despair can''t meet him. He shall march forth into the heart of the enemy''s army."


    Evander heard these lines and agreed with them thinking they were used to motivate children.


    And he unwittingly became the leader of a living cult.


    And now, the Steelheart suddenly stiffened. He looked at themittee of experts and said.


    "I''ll be back in a few minutes. Call me if there''s emergency."


    Then he slipped out and entered apletely isted room. He took out the brand newm and answered the call.


    A handsome young man with ck hair and lean but muscr build appeared in the hologram.


    Evander crossed his arms and red at him.


    "The weather is good, right? Ah! Hahaha!" The young manughed nervously.


    Evander gritted his teeth. "Really good for breaking your bones."


    Varian coughed lightly. "Master, it''s not like I''m at fault. You know why I couldn''t contact yo¡ª"


    "It''s not that!" Evander said loudly. Pointing at his disciple, Steelheart said in an enraged and depressed voice.


    "Y-Youid your hands on Sarah! You bastard!"


    "Uh?" Varian raised a brow. "We didn''t do anything yet, really. I didn''t even kiss¡ª"


    "YET? So you n to do? Really?" Evander rolled his sleeves up and stepped forward with red eyes.


    He looked like he was about to kill.


    "And kiss? Kiss, my ass!"


    "¡­." Varian rolled his eyes. "I''m straight."


    "And I''m your master!"


    "Yep."


    "ording to ancient traditions, master is equivalent to father. Master''s wife is equivalent to your mother. So, master''s daughter is equivalent to your sister. How dare you touch your sister? Incest! Incest I must say!"


    "Wait, wait, what?" Varian was dumbfounded. "You really want me to buy that reasoning? C''mon! Try harder."


    "Come back to Earth and I''ll beat you as hard as you want." Evander cracked his knuckles and grinned.


    "¡­" Varian sighed in exasperation.


    A few weeks ago, you were neglecting your daughter like an idiot. Now, you are being so overprotective of her. Master, are you making any sense?


    "Ah, you''re jealous." Varian suddenly said, causing Evander to flinch.


    "J-Jealous? Me? N-No way!" Evander waved his hand.


    "Don''t worry, master. Sarah won''t stop talking to you. She''ll still meet you. She''ll still care for you. You''re her dad after all."


    "Nonsense! Of course I am!" Evander said with a proud smile.


    "My daughter won''t neglect me just because she has a boyfriend. I''ll still need to tell her lots of stories. I''ll still need to take her to tours. And I want to attend her graduation ceremony¡­wait, I''m the dean, so I won''t miss." Evander said out loud, as if trying to affirm himself.


    In the end, his shoulders slumped and he looked at Varian with a weak smile. "She¡­she won''t avoid me and stop seeing me, right? She won''t think I''m a boring old man with and abandons me, right?"


    Evander closed his eyes and said in a rare emotional voice. "E-Even if that happens, I just want her to be happy. Due to my weakness and stupidity, I put her through a lot of pain. I couldn''t protect her mother and brother. I couldn''t give her a good childhood. But you¡­please take care of her."


    Varian recalled Sarah and unknowingly an affectionate smile formed on his face.


    He missed her more than he thought. He missed the words she said daily, the way she smiled, her silly actions and the way she took responsibility for everything.


    Varian could vividly recall the way she cried when he appeared after ''dead''.


    Clenching his fists, Varian said his heartfelt words. "I will."


    Looking at Evander''s appearance, he added. "Sarah treasures her family. Even though you''ve avoided her, she won''t do avoid you."


    "Right! I know it. I was just testing you." Evander changed his expression instantly and said with a straight face.


    ''Seriously, you should try acting. You''ll bag all the awards.'' Varian wanted to say, but instead, he took a deep breath and his expression turned serious.


    Evander also realized it and his bearing changed. Now, he wa no longer a loving father, but the high general who protected the lives of billions.


    "Master, I need your help.. Give me the contact of Sovereign Irene and if possible, everyone important in Nial family."

 Chapter 399 - The Real Plan [1]

    "Queen, we''ll destroy the cities on your order." I half kneeled to an abyssal woman and said with a lowered head.


    "Prince Abrax, you may stand."


    I raised my head and saw the Despair Queenzilyying on her vine throne¡ªbuilt from precious level 9 ntae.


    Propping her chin on her hand, she gazed at me with approval. "Your service made a difference."


    "I did whatever little I could." I gave a modest smile.


    It''s better to be humble and gain her favor. If this mission is sessful, Despair Queen would gain a huge merit.


    "Little?" Despair Queen raised a brow and chuckled. "If it weren''t for you, then we would''ve resorted to using our own soldiers to take down the cities."


    I agree. If Colin wasn''t coerced, then there would be four cities abyssals had to destroy. The chaos families and order wouldn''t be able to finish it and ultimately, abyssals had to send their own forces to assist them.


    This was prevented by me.


    "That''s already a n set in my motion. The kidnap was supposed to happen anyway. I merely convinced everyone to postpone the attack until Valos is in our hands." I didn''t take much credit.


    This might just be a test for me. I heard Despair Queen doesn''t like proud people.


    Despair Queen''s smile widened. "Good. But you are the one majorly responsible for this situation, aren''t you?


    We just wanted you to distract Shadow Guardians and Athena agents. But you¡­"


    I finally smiled. I couldn''t help it. This was definitely the biggest achievement I had in my career.


    In the beginning, my only task was to prevent human spies from figuring out their bombing n.


    But I went above and beyond.


    Not only did I distract the spies with a false rm of ''Sequoias'', my scheme of fake Sequoia army put tremendous pressure over the human federation.


    If not for the Sequoia threat, there would be a lot of reinforcements in Uranus and could''ve affected their n.


    "Without your support, this could''ve never been aplished." I didn''t deny my own achievements, that would be just pathetic. But I put my emphasis on the Queen and praised her.


    "Hm." Despair Queen nodded in satisfaction. As expected, ttery did work. Trashy humans really had some nice lessons on this.


    But really, I sold all my fortune for this mission and even took on great debt. I mean, the more I contribute, the greater my merit.


    "We''ll talk about your reward after the mission." She said.


    I don''t need your reward, Queen. I''m doing this for his majesty. But I wouldn''t refuse.


    "I''ll thrown the bait. The fish will hook anytime. After you receive the signal, execute the mission properly." Despair Queen stood up.


    "There will be no errors." I promised.


    ''If there are problems even after this much nning, I should just die.''


    "I have one order." Despair Queen''s green lips curled up and she said in sweet voice. "Kill every single one of them."


    "Yes." I took a deep breath and answered. I liked ruling more than killing, but even I know full well that humans must be killed.


    Speaking of which, the Shadow Order seems to be run by morons. Did they really think we''ll allow them to live after we destroy the federation?


    They are living in the utopia that we''ll allow them to rule over the sr system. Even then, they''d only be puppet leaders. They all know it and are willing.


    Idiots, they can''t ept the truth that we have the intention, power and n to exterminate them.


    But¡­let them dream, I''ll also support their beliefs. The more they work for us, the better.


    And I wonder if my current achievements will get me any praise from the emperor.


    That''d be better than any reward.


    *** *** ***


    Despair Queen reached a special set of asteroids. It was a chain of asteroids present in a ring order.


    They were only a few minutes away from the Despair Abyss. This was also the ce where Irene Nial approachedst time and backed off.


    From the outside, they all looked like normal asteroids.


    But with her keen senses, Despair Queen could sense the ''prana'' from them. There were several peak level 8 pranas.


    This was also the bait she had thrown to Irene.


    "That bitch is more cautious." Despair Queen shook her head and with a single step,nded on an asteroid.


    The moment she did, the surroundings changed and she was surrounded by tall , grotesque Sequoias.


    Most of them were level 7s. A few were peak level 8s.


    "Good boys." Despair Queen''s hands morphed into countless branches and she patted the level 8s.


    "Kee." They responded like an obedient puppy and shook their body.


    Then their roots shook lightly and the soil cracked, exposing tens of thousands of skeletons.


    "You finished? Just wait a day, you''ll have more than enough." She said with a caring expression.


    Sequoias didn''t grow up through aura crystals. They grew up by feeding on corpses. The higher the quality of the corpse, the better.


    Strictly speaking, they were terrible at efficiency. For a Sequoia to reach level 6, it''d have to consume dozens of level 6s.


    So, trying to raise an army of Sequoia as main force was stupid. But they made something out of the corpses that were otherwise useless.


    Despair Queen thus just kept feeding them, though their growth was rather slow and unsatisfactory.


    Most of the times, it was abyssal corpses used as fertilizers. After all, if human corpses went missing, their army would definitely investigate.


    Her move drew a lot of criticism from her people. But she kept doing it. Her reasoning at that time was rather simple.


    "What we need is strength, not dead bodies. If you want the bodies, then win humans and I''ll give you the bodies. This is how I do things. If you don''t like, then you''ll join the dead bodies."


    She shut the opposition.


    But who knew they would be so useful today.


    "Babies, three of you were about to breakthrough, right?" Despair Queen asked with a gentle expression.


    Three giant Sequoias nodded their mouth in response.


    "The time hase." She caressed them gently with her branches.


    "Do it."

 Chapter 400 - The Real Plan [2]

    "Ree!"


    With that, the three Sequoias auras went from peak of level 8 to an unstable state.


    The formation in the asteroids could conceal their appearance, but it couldn''t conceal their aura.


    "Once Irene learns of this, she''ll rush over immediately." Despair Queen giggled.


    At normal times, Irene wouldn''t take a risk to enter this ce.


    Because despite sensing the auraing from the asteroids, she wouldn''t be able to check the asteroids thoroughly for presence of other formations.


    It could be a trap.


    It was.


    The ring of asteroids was an borate space formation. It couldn''t kill Irene, but it would trap her for some time.


    Until now, Irene Nial didn''t enter the asteroids because she was cautious.


    But now she was under heavy pressure. Despair Queen knew that Irene valued human life.


    So, if there was a way to minimize losses, she''d surely do it.


    Aplete war between Uranus and Despair Abyss would push the otherwise cautious Irene Nial to risk it and push her towards entering the asteroids.


    But it won''t be enough.


    The unstable aura fluctuations indicating the Sequoias were about to reach level 9 would be the final straw.


    Irene Nial would enter and she''d be trapped. During that period, Irene would have to fight a death match with her.


    Of course, Despair Queen wasn''t confident of killing Irene. But she was confident in seriously injuring her at the expense of equally grievous injuries.


    And then¡­


    "No one would suspect your disappearance, right?" Despair Queen asked through her alpha orb.


    "I took care of it." A male voice answered.


    "Fine. Be sure to kill her or your identity will also be exposed." Despair Queen said in a serious tone.


    As entric as she was, even she felt weird to work together with a human sovereign.


    But he was essential in thepletion of this n.


    The space formation would break eventually and the severely injured Irene Nial would try to escape.


    Right then, the human sovereign would strike her and kill her for good.


    "Even though I''ll be heavily injured and would need a lot of time to recover, this is well worth it." Despair Queen smacked her lips.


    "But seriously, his majesty is really unfathomable. Coming up with such stratagems" She uttered with a fanatical glow in her eyes.


    The death of Irene Nial wasn''t the end of the stratagem, it was the beginning.


    Right at the time of her death, cluster cities would explode, isting Neptune from the federation.


    Then they''d release the news of Irene''s death. The morale of theoids, which would already be weakened from cluster cities'' destruction would hit rock bottom.


    Taking over theoids wouldn''t be a big problem.


    And then came the big step.


    Right when Uranus would be shivering in fear and humanity desperately trying to protect itself, they''d release the video of the human sovereign killing Irene Nial.


    Not just that, they''d also release the clips from Pluto War and how this ''traitor'' helped them achieve their goals.


    Then, for humans, the best case scenario would be the Sovereign''s army abandoning him and hating him.


    That human sovereign was indeed the major reason for one billion pluto deaths.? Many humans, from level 1 to all the way to level 9 who lost their loved ones would turn against him.


    Perhaps even Sovereigns would also be angry. Not at deaths, but at betrayal.


    If they could control their anger, then that Sovereign''s would only face problem of a low morale and dysfunctional army.


    It could be taken down easily by abyssals.


    The worst case scenario would be when Sovereigns couldn''t control their anger and it''d lead to a Civil War.


    "Hahahaha!"


    *** *** ***


    "Huh? Unstable aura fluctuations?" Sovereign Irene''s brows furrowed.


    She studied the readings sent by the cutting-edge stealth drones she deployed near the asteroid ring.


    "They were peak level 8¡­now unstable aura, oh no!" Irene scrambled to her feet.


    She just left Uranus and was on a trip to patrol theoids. But the ns have to be changed.


    "Go!"


    Her space shuttle dashed towards the Despair Abyss.


    It''d take an hour at least.


    Irene knew she was taking risk. It could be a trap.


    But¡­she recalled the millions of soldiers on theoids. She didn''t see fear in their eyes. There was only determination.


    Determination to die for the goal.


    Tens of millions.


    As a Sovereign, Irene knew her life was strategically more important than them. So, she convinced herself to not risk.


    But now¡­if level 9 Sequoias enter the battlefield, then they''d utterly defeat the armies.


    She''d be held down by Despair Queen and every human on theoid would be ughtered.


    She put herm on hold. Herm was tracked by the army so that they could provide assistance whenever possible.


    Only during important missions would she turn herm be on hold.


    Of course, she''d know if there''s any military emergency from her space shuttle''s AI which was directly connected to theoid monitoring agency.


    "I hope I can make it in time." She touched the green ne on her neck and muttered.


    When she informed the Sovereigns about this asteroid ring, they warned her not to enter.


    If they knew of her current actions, they''d try to stop her.


    "Even if there is some risk, I can escape."


    Biting her lip, she nodded to herself.


    *** *** ***


    "Beep! Beep! Beep!"


    Varian listened to the busy call and smashed his table. "Fuck! Why is she not answering?"


    "Have you tried otherms?"


    "I tried all of them." Varian replied in exhaustion. He was current wearing a golden mask and a white dress¡ªDreamer''s attire.


    He wanted to inform Irene of the dangers and have her catch these seventeen military officers.


    But¡­


    "Argh! Even her family members can''t reach her." Varian clenched his fists and took a deep breath.


    Even though Nial family had a lot of control and there were level 9 people in Nial family, they didn''t have the power and authority over the cluster cities like Sovereign Irene did.


    They wouldn''t be able to carry out the operation without altering the Shadow Order.


    If the Order knows they''re exposed, they''d immediately conduct the bombing.


    "Fuck. Where did she even go?" Varian slumped into his seat and clutched his hair.


    Half a billion lives were at stake. He had to do something.


    "Waiting is suicide. Boo, check! Who is closest to Sovereign Irene?" Varian asked with burning eyes.


    Boo gulped and after a minuted, answered.


    "Han Nial."


    Varian''s eyes narrowed. That was a familiar name.


    "Where?"


    "RL-34oid. His deployment is covered up. Chances are, no, certainly, he must be under heavy protection."


    Varian took a deep breath. "I hope this works out. No. I NEED to make it work."


    *** *** ***


    400 chaps!


    Yay!


    Can you leave a review talking about what you like and don''t like? Please? Pretty Please.


    Thanks~

 Chapter 404 - Han Nial

    oid RL-34, one of the heavily guarded rooms of the base NL-29.


    "Young master, you shouldn''t be here." An old man in military uniform said with a pleading tone.


    He looked like he wanted to cry as he pointed to the holograms in the room depicting the deployments on theoid.


    "This is so dangerous! There are many high awakeners on thisoid. Even if we assign you guards, your life is at risk at any moment. Even though our space awakeners will look out for abyssals'' space users, if anyone slips up, they''ll target you."


    The young master shook his head and took out a face mask from his storage ring.


    Once he put it on, his handsome teen face changed into a middle-aged man''s face.


    Of course, his height was still 5''11. So, he changed to a special set of shoes and, appeared to be 6''1.


    And his bulky build, well, he couldn''tpress it, so he simply wore baggy clothes to appear bulkier.


    Finally, he shaved his brown hair and became bald.


    Changing his voice, he asked. "Do you still recognize me?"


    "Y-You¡­" The old man was at a loss for words. "Your aura is also slightly different."


    "Grandmother gave me a treasure." Han Nial said causing the old man to helplessly sigh.


    "Err, your locket." The old man pointed out, causing Han Nial to p his forehead lightly. "I forgot. It''s like a part of me at this point."


    The green locket was particrly conspicuous. It was his grandmother''s gift and something he cherished deeply.


    Thankfully, it was a star treasure and could ''vanish'' onmand. So, with a simple gesture, it vanished.


    "How about now?" Han Nial said, showing his disguise.


    "Looks like I can''t stop you, young master." The veteran officer''s shoulders dropped as he epted the reality.


    "Now, now, don''t be so down." Han Nial patted his butler''s shoulder. "I just want to contribute my part to this Great War. Hiding is not in my family''s blood. We win or die."


    ''I was always proud of our family motto, but after our losses after Pluto War, I wish we were a bit mild.'' Butler Sha thought but didn''t say it out loud.


    As Han Nial was about to exit the room and join the frontlines, Sha quickly added. "Young Master, there will be a few of our men who''ll keep an eye on you. I''ll send you their contacts. Contact them if you need any help."


    Han Nial turned around and was about to reject. He didn''t like to be protected. But¡­given the current condition of the Nial family, if something happened to him, they''d be devastated.


    "Fine¡­" Waving his hand, he joined a toon and headed to the frontlines.


    "No more trouble¡­right?" Butler Sha walked into the conference room and joined other level 7s.


    *** *** ***


    The military transport vehicles had fourpartments, each hosting three soldiers.


    During their travel, the soldiers were supposed to gear themselves up and update their wills.


    Usually, every soldier would be doing just that, but not in a particrpartment.


    "You guys are crazy!" Han Nial said in his normal voice as he gaped at an old man and an old woman wearing the samebat uniforms.


    "Tsk. You of all people have no right to say that." The old woman clicked her tongue and giggled. But it was the voice of a young girl.


    The old man leaned against the wall and spoke in a deep but young voice. "Uranus is under the most stress. Neptune will be fine without me. But I''ll go back after this war."


    "If we survive." Han Nial said and turned to the old woman who was trying her best to contain her excitement. "Maissa, you came here because you thought battles here would be more intense, right?"


    Maissa frowned and waved her hand. "That''s a secondary reason. Even though I like battles, I want to give help where it''s the most needed."


    Han Nial didn''t look convinced. So, she pointed to the old man and said. "You can ask Ashtarh. I didn''te to fight. I came to help."


    Ashtarh nodded. "Our powers won''t be of much use, but we all can take care of ficeds easily. Those little nts are only level 6."


    "I''ve only just got to level 6." Han Nial said with a wry smile. "I don''t think I can do much against them either."


    "Well, don''t worry too much," Ashtarh said with a consoling smile. "Strength isn''t everything."


    "What? Is that reallying from you of all people? Your mad training says something else." Han Nial knew of Ashtarh''s hell training. The madman spent most of his life on the battlefield. It was like his second home.


    "I used to think strength is everything, but someone proved us wrong," Maissa said with admiration.


    "Huh?" Han Nial looked at her in confusion.


    He rushed to aoid near Infini City to help the situation and missed the Sr Banquet. Then he broke the bottleneck to level 6 and spent the remaining days consolidating his level.


    So, he didn''t really know what happened in the Sr Trial.


    "There''s this one guy¡­" Ashtarh said, but Maissa cut him off.


    "There was. A level 5 who beat us all in Sr Trial."


    "WHA..what?" Han Nial suppressed his voice and asked. Then he continued. "And what do you mean ''was''?"


    Maissa''s shoulders dropped and she narrated the entire event, causing Han to fall silent.


    "Fucking Shadow Order. Once I grow strong, I''ll destroy them." Han Nial clenched his fists and vowed.


    "Let''s focus on the war for now. Kill as many ficeds we can and reduce the burden on other level 6s." Ashtarh said with a serious face.


    "Yeah. If he''s alive, perhaps he''d be with us discussing the battle n. Even though he looks like a schemer, my instincts scared that Varian also likes fighting." Maissa rambled.


    Han Nial said. "I wish I met him."


    "Your wish is granted."


    Right after those sudden words, the wall of thepartment was blown away by a hand that seemed to appear out of nowhere.


    Shuaa! Shuaa! Shuaa!


    Six level 7 auras and two level 8 auras exploded in the distance and in the blink of an eye, torrents of concentrated attacks reached the hand.


    The level 8 attacks¡ªa very concentrated lightning spear and a space block attacked the hand.


    But¡ª


    Kacha!


    The hand broke through the space blockade, was impaled by the lightning spear, but didn''t stop.


    It grabbed Han Nial and in the next instant, both the hand and Han Nial disappeared.


    All of this happened so fast that Ashtarh and Maissa only reacted after Han disappeared.


    "W-What?!"

 Chapter 405 - Trust?

    "Thanks, Tutor," Varian said with a smile, ncing at the unconscious Han Nial.


    Thepartment needed level 7 strength to destroy it, which he couldn''t do. And even if a level 7 broke thepartment, those level 8 attacks would''ve killed him away in no time.


    ''Putting level 8 bodyguards, the Nial family really values him.'' Varian thought, looking at the young man whose disguise was removed.


    If not for Seth''s prowess, grabbing this young master would''ve been impossible.


    Even then¡­


    "Don''t worry about the next things. I''ll take care of them." Varian said, hinting that Seth should rest.


    His hand was charred and dripping blood. Taking two attacks head-on without defense wasn''t easy. But thankfully, Body awakeners could take beatings.


    "I''ll leave it to Mr. Dreamer then." Seth chuckled and sat on afy chair. He took a healing potion and kept looking at the ghost ship''s interior with curiosity.


    After learning of ghost ship, being dumbfounded was an understatement. After learning of the AI, and the timing Varian got it, he connected it to Dreamer.


    The facilities, the stealth all kept surprising him.


    But he didn''t have any thoughts of attacking Varian and keeping the ship to himself. It wasn''t because of the neutralizer, but because the owner was Varian.


    Having recognized Varian''s specialty for a long time, Seth was more than happy that Varian found the ghost ship.


    With his current speed, Varian would probably be a Sovereign in a decade or less. Having ghost ship ensure his safety was the best decision in his opinion.


    Learning that Varian was about to use the ghost ship to kidnap Han Nial and save the cluster cities only strengthened his conviction.


    And now, he was going to watch Varian ''save'' the cluster cities.


    "Nice to meet you, Han Nial." Dressed in all white, with a mask covering his face, Varian greeted the groggy young master.


    "H-uh?" Han Nial was back on his feet in the next moment and was about to attack Varian when he suddenly froze.


    A suffocating pressure locked him in ce. The aura that used to flow freely like wind turned into iron chains and sealed him.


    Han Nial''s eyes moved and he saw a bald man looking at him with an appreciating smile.


    ''Aura lock¡­'' His heart sank. ''It''s less than level 9, but more than level 7.'' Han Nial was trained by his elders, so he knew the extent of this aura lock.


    But that didn''t mean he could escape it.


    "Calm down. I wish for a peaceful talk." The voice came again and Han Nial looked up at the mysterious man.


    Seated in a golden throne above a tform, he crossed his legs and propped his chin, gazing at him with pitch-ck eyes.


    Those eyes¡­they had a terrifying conviction. The men who had such convictions would either be the greatest of heroes or the deadliest of viins.


    "Gulp." Han Nial gulped and felt the aura lock on him loosen. It didn''t disappear though.


    "I, no, the federation needs your help," Varian said with a serious expression and snapped his fingers.


    "Check the evidence. Everyone is deceived by abyssals. There is no Sequoias army. There is only¡­" Varian ryed the ins and outs of the matter.


    Han Nial was dumbstruck.


    While the videos all showed him a truth he very much wanted to believe, how could Athena agents be wrong?


    Should he trust an unknown man or the federation''s intelligence agency?


    "We need to contact Sovereign Irene. But currently, she is out of reach. I think you have the means. So¡ª"


    "This is no evidence." Han Nial cut him off, clenching his fist and ring at the man in white.


    Varian sighed deeply. Anyone could create videos these days. The only way to verify their authenticity was to have a technocrat check them.


    But even if he let a technocrat check them, Han Nial wouldn''t believe him. ''How can I believe your technocrat?''


    Taking his silence as eptance, Han Nial''s anger rose. "You want me to mislead my grandmother for nefarious purposes! Are you working for¡ª"


    "Shut up."


    The aura lock on him increased, causing him to stiffen.


    "I''m asking you nicely. You have the ability to save people." Varian said, but Han Nial simply scoffed.


    "Do you really think I don''t dare to kill you?" Varian''s eyes turned cold and the room fell silent.


    Han Nial didn''t flinch. "My father and mother died on the battlefield. My grandmother is shedding blood every day to keep Uranus safe. I looked up to them all my life. Do you really think I''d be scared of death?"


    Varian looked at Han Nial who was still ring at him, showing no sign of weakness. To be honest, he would admire such courage.


    But now, he hated it.


    It was clear that neither death nor torture would convince this guy.


    Varian rubbed his forehead.


    What should he do?


    *** *** ***


    "Sovereign Irene, we are 5 minutes away from the location." The AI announced.


    "Good." Irene Nial nodded and took a deep breath.


    She took out a white armor from her space ring and with a thought, the armor covered her by itself.


    Irene felt her strength surge.


    "Any emergencies onoids?" She asked the AI.


    "No. The deployments are dynamically changing, but no conflict yet." The AI announced, causing her to sigh in relief.


    "If there''s no trap, I can finish everything in a few minutes." Irene clenched her fists.


    "But if this is a trap¡­" Her eyes narrowed. "It will take an hour at least."


    Preparing for the worst, she closed her eyes and adjusted her mood.


    "5 minutes left."


    "Yes. She''s almost here." Despair Queen informed Abrax. "I''ll give a signal right after she enters, you can start the attack right then."


    "We are all ready," Abrax said and tapped his alpha orb.


    Three separate holograms popped up.


    Each one of them showed a secret realm filled with armies of chaos families and shadow order.


    These secret realms were very close to the three target cluster cites. Right after her signal, they''d strike the city with full force.


    Not only that, they''ve invested a lot of sleeper cells. These hidden terrorists would wreak havoc in the city and create chaos from within.


    In the military region too, they''ve bribed a few officers who would do their bidding.


    Of course, it wasn''t exactly a bribe. Most were threatened like Colin.


    Even though their number was small, the chaos they would create would be the perfect opportunity for an invasion.


    Abrax felt his blood boil.


    In a few minutes, three cities would be invaded and destroyed and seventeen cluster cities would blow up.

 Chapter 407 - The Sovereign

    In an Abyss, a Sovereign was seated in a guest room of the Abyss King''s castle.


    Abyss servants served him food and drinks, but he refused and chased them away.


    After sensing that the room waspletely isted, he used an illusion formation to further prevent prying.


    Then, he took out a white rectangr te. It was like a white tile polished to perfection.


    However, no one would even think this was an artifact.


    Yes, it was not one of the six known artifacts, but a brand new seventh!


    When he was venturing in his native''s ruins, he found this thing.


    To be honest, he was first ecstatic, but then confused. Why?


    Because this artifact, the so called Apomi te only gave knowledge on one subject.


    And to unlock that knowledge, he had to pay the price of countless aura crystals. But when he finally found out the information, it was all worth it.


    The six artifacts were made by devas and were used by Sovereigns to defend theirs.


    But!


    These six artifacts were part and parcel of the so-called ''Deva legacy''.


    The Heaven''s Will was something like a guardian will of the Deva civilization. Its origins were in the Ruins.


    If one collected the six artifacts, they''d be granted the legacy of Devas and by extension, get a boost in strength.


    How big?


    The Sovereign him would break the barrier and reach the legendary Celestial Rank.


    There''s also a good chance that he''d then be stronger than Abyss Emperor himself.


    "Sir, Your majesty is about to visit you." The maids informed, and he promptly stored away his Apomi State and dispelled the formation.


    ''If I can kill Irene, then I''d have 3 artifacts, not counting the apomi te.'' He mused.


    He originally had one. After the pluto war, he got another. And now, it was finally time to get the third.


    Did he think it was a risk? Yes!


    What he was doing was essentially weaken humans and strengthen Abyssals in the short run.


    His interference in pluto that caused death of Pluto Sovereign was thankfully resolved due to Ares advancing to Sovereign path.


    If not, then Neptune would''ve gone down.


    From what he learnt, Abyss Emperor would arrive to Sr System if the abyssals weren''t making progress.


    It could happen at any minute and he knew they''d be doomed if he did.


    So, despite the huge amount of lives, he decided he''d do what he must to advance to Celestial Ranks.


    In a pleasant surprised, he noticed his progress eleratedst year. It was like a special bond was formed between him, the three artifacts and the heaven''s will.


    Something was telling him that if he got more artifacts, then even if he didn''t reach the Celestial Rank before the legacy, he''d be strong enough to kill Abyss Kings and Queens in their own territories.


    Thus, he decided to gather the other three artifacts.


    Rather than wait for the Abyss Emperor to destroy the entire human race, he was willing to let a good part of them die and then provide them with absolute security.


    So, he ''betrayed'' humanity and worked with abyssals. They promised him the Sr System after taking what they wanted and emphasized they''d leave humans alone.


    He wouldn''t believe that. But he kept ying his part.


    When he got his hands on the six artifacts, the abyssals would meet their end.


    Till then, losses would pile up. Sometimes, due to himself.


    At times, he asked himself ''Why didn''t I just share the knowledge with other Sovereigns?''


    Well, he wanted to be THE ONE!


    He couldn''t tolerate imagining anyone else.


    Besides, if other Sovereigns agreed to make someone else a Celestial Ranker, then what should he do?


    He''d have to live under the fear of being killed by the Celestial Ranker everyday.


    There was also one more possibility. The Sovereigns themselves would know that if they killed others and got the six artifacts, they could easily wipe out the abyssals.


    That''d mean they''d throw caution to wind and devolve into a civil war. The fundamental reason Sovereigns didn''t fight among each other was the abyssal threat.


    With that gone, a civil war would surely erupt and he wasn''t sure of winning.


    ''That''s why, I''ll walk this path, treacherous or not. And I will reach the Celestial Rank!'' He vowed to himself.


    ''After the Sovereigns fall, we''ll lose a fews and billions of lives, but from then on, there will be no more abyssals. No more Abyss Emperor.'' It was his justification.


    And now, he needed to justify himself before killing Irene Nial.


    Through his extraordinary perception, he could sense the teleportation formation in the castle''s underground chamber.


    Teleportation formation that would enable him to reach Uranus Abyss.


    ording to Despair Queen, Irene Nial was fighting very close to the Uranus Abyss.


    So, he just needed to go there and wait till the barrier holding Irene breaks.


    He''d wait patiently like a predator waiting for its prey and when a weakened and injured Irene appears, he''d attack her with all his strength, killing her in a single shot.


    Of course, her artifact, Crystal Armor would make things difficult. Not only did it boost her strength considerably, it also did what a normal armor was supposed to do.


    Defend her fiercely.


    ''My attack won''t be able to break that armor. Not like I had to. But if I attack her at the right ce and right force, she''ll surely die.'' He sped his fingers and thought.


    ''I wonder how much her artifact would boost my progress rate.'' Unknowingly, a smile crept on his face.


    His smile suddenly disappeared and the next moment, the Abyss King entered his room.


    "Sovereign Irene is almost there. You need to go."


    The Human Sovereign nodded. "Don''t do anything to my while I''m gone or you know what happens."


    The Abyss King''s face turned dark, but he simply snorted. "We''re all following the Emperor''s orders. You help us and we won''t kill your sorry pests."


    The Human Sovereign simply ignored him and reached a teleportation formation under the castle.


    "We are waiting for the signal." Abyss King took out the alpha orb and said.


    "1 minute¡­45 seconds¡­30 seconds¡­Huh?"


    Suddenly, he eximed.


    "What happened?" The Sovereign asked.


    "Irene Nial is injured?!"

 Chapter 412 - End [1]

    Carnage.


    That was the single best word to describe what happened after the human armed forces caught shadow forces off-guard.


    There were corpses floating in space. The majority of them were level 7 and most belonged to shadow forces.


    Of course, some soldiers also breathed theirst in this heroic battle.


    Each secret realm that used to be a single piece ofnd was all pieces of big inds floating in space.


    It was like someone chopped off thend into many pieces. The battles continued on these inds.


    Lives fell like dried leaves under the barrage of attacks.


    As level 7 fights entered the final session, the level 7 shadow forces made ast-ditch attempt to flee.


    Of course, thest batch of survivors had peculiar treasures¡ªoffensive or defensive.


    They sacrificed their treasures to buy themselves an escape.


    In response, the soldiers swiftly chased them and killed the escapers. In a few minutes, thest level 7 of the shadow force was killed.


    At the same time, the level 8 fights, which should''ve taken way longer were also on the verge of ending.


    The bald man, who imed himself to be an Athena agent yed a huge role in the battles, essentially spearheading it.


    He was the reason the casualties were much less than they were supposed to be.


    Unlike the level 7 counterparts, the level 8s didn''t try to flee. Instead, theyunched onest desperate attack to bring down as many soldiers as they could.


    And took fifty lives with them.


    "Ha! Ha! Ha!" Seth panted heavily as he stood on a ruined floating ind.


    His shirt was long ripped to shreds and marks of various attacks ranging from scorched skin to frozen icicles, from depressions on the chest in the shapes of fists to trails of swords inches below his split skin, showed his valor.


    "L-Level 9s," Seth muttered. Right then, a wave of shockwaves hit him. The floating ind under him trembled.


    While he himself didn''t feel any difort, those shockwaves were lethal to mid awakeners.


    "How long is it gonna take?" Seth nced into the distance. A few dozen miles away from him, silhouettes blurred and lights flickered, leaving behind only what could be called instantaneous appearance and disappearance.


    The space continued to shake under the mighty thunders, unforgiving fires, indifferent ice, and heavy rock.


    The punches by level 9 destroyed floating inds like they were sandcastles.


    Huge nts and peculiar monsters showed their might as terrifying mind powers swept across the ce.


    If these battles urred on Valos, the city would''ve been destroyed. No amount of defensive measures could''ve helped.


    Tens of millions of lives would''ve been lost.


    Thankfully¡­


    As Seth sighed in relief, his perception picked up a figure sting towards the level 9s at breakneck speed.


    Just his presence caused a few level 9s to pause their battles and look in his direction.


    "W-Why is he here?" Seth gulped.


    Boom!


    A man with long white hair and a thin build appeared in the territory of the level 9s.


    "Who are you?" An army officer asked vigntly. Despite being a general and level 9 himself, he felt tremendous pressureing from the man.


    It was like standing in front of a mountain. Without meaning to, the general clenched his fists and signaled his orders to his men.


    If this man turned out to be hostile, then they''d need to leave.


    Every level 9 was an asset to the federation. They couldn''t be allowed to die here.


    Anyway, the army fromoids would be on their way here.


    If¡­if worstes to worst, he''d sacrifice himself and buy others time.


    "Who are you?" The general repeated.


    The man didn''t respond, instead, he sized up everyone on the battlefield. Naturally, there were only so many level 9s. So, he was done in a few seconds.


    "Did the prince send you? Or the queen?" Draven asked, covering the bloody hole on his chest.


    The man didn''t answer. His aura simply climbed higher and higher. Every level 9 in the field stopped their fights and turned to him.


    The leader of chaos families and leader of the Shadow Order branch looked at him with expectations.


    They were the strongest here. Yet, they could feel the difference in the strengths just through his aura.


    "You." The man finally spoke, his voice embedded in aura spread far and wide, even in space.


    "You should obediently die." Saying those words, his figure disappeared.


    The next moment, he appeared in front of a Chaos family head and grabbed their neck.


    "Stop!"


    "Dare you!"


    "Attack him!"


    The other three quickly attacked him, before anything tragic could happen.


    At the same time, the woman he lifted started turning into lightning as she thrashed against him and started burning his hand.


    But the man simply clenched his other first, and ''heightened'' his strength.


    Boom! Boom! Kaa!


    The shockwaves from his clench were enough to seriously injure level 7s and destroy small asteroids.


    ¡ªKa!


    As the woman tried to escape, his face punched at the woman''s head that was partially lightning.


    Kacha!


    The lightning disappeared, leaving a headless corpse in ce.


    "You three are next." His words caused every member of Shadow Order and Chaos families to shiver.


    The three leaders fought hard. Very hard.


    But in the end, they werepletely overwhelmed.


    Seth looked at the battles without blinking, so did others.


    ''If I can reach level 9, then I too¡­'' He fantasized before shaking his head.


    ''Why is he sent here?''


    Considering the fact that even without this person, the army would''ve won, but with a much heavier price.


    Shadow Guardians wouldn''t have interfered. After all, this person was very busy and was said to be taking crucial missions.


    As far as he knew, only Enigma could order him.


    Ah! So that''s it!


    Seth exhaled.


    He was sent to ensure Varian''s safety by Enigma. So, he was actually trying to find Varian first.


    He should''ve confirmed Varian''s safety, so he came here to help them out.


    Seth recalled his pupil.


    In white clothes, golden mask on a throne, exuding a dominance that far exceeded his peers.


    Perhaps Varian might''ve thought his special spaceship was the only big reason for others to see him as Dreamer. Han Nial never questioned Varian''s identity as Dreamer.


    It wasn''t just because of the weird ship. It was his¡­temperament.


    Seth felt that when Varian put on the mask, he revealed his actual self. The boundless confidence, which almost seemed like arrogance, and a desire to do what''s beyond normal and even deemed possible.


    It''s like¡­it''s like he was interning to be a ruler.


    "My pupil, who the hell are you?"


    *** *** ***


    A/N: If you want to be notified about thetest chapter update, join discord and get the role.


    https://discord.gg/kBKaTtsrpb

 Chapter 414 - War [1]

    "¡­the reinforcements arrived and the n failed."


    Despair Queen''s words caused an uproar as the holograms seven abyss kings and queens stood up in shock.


    Two minutes ago, Despair Queen contacted them and said there was an announcement.


    Not even in their wildest dreams did they expect this oue.


    "How?! How can you fail? Is this a sick joke?" Demon King of Earth roared.


    "Do you know how much we paid for this?" Thunder King of Neptune said with skyrocketing killing intent.


    Despair Queen''s grey face turned white and she lowered her proud head. "I''ll ept death."


    The abyss rulers fell silent.


    They looked at each other and finally, Sin King of Mercury said. "So much nning, so much patience and you still failed.


    Despair Queen, you should die. But as our emperor says, your death should also be useful. If you can die and bring down Irene Nial with you, it will be your redemption."


    Despair Queen''s eyes lit up like torches, but then they soon dimmed. "Her artifact¡­the crystal armor is infamous for defense. Even if I don''t care about my life, she will be left alive."


    Her words caused them to fall silent. If she died, but Sovereign Irene lived, then it''d be a nightmare scenario for the abyssals.


    Water Queen clutched the armrest of her Ice throne as her blue eyes shone with wisdom.


    "How about you ask that human sovereign to help you? You two can take down Irene Nial, right?"


    "Not possible." Demon King responded immediately. "The Sovereigns are all focused on us. If we disappear, they''ll know.


    If that man and despair queen fight Irene, she will be able to inform the federation. They can easily check the man''s disappearance and he''ll be publicly branded as a traitor.


    Even if that man is a traitor, he knows if his secret is revealed, there will be a civil war. He is disloyal, not stupid, you know?"


    Despair Queen gritted her teeth.? "¡­Then what do we do? Give up?"


    "Let there be war." Thunder King grabbed a heavy red axe and waved.


    "Yes! Kill!"


    "Start an all-out war! Eye for an eye!"


    *** *** ***


    {If I follow your n, my identity will be exposed. Can''t do it.}


    Despair Queen read the reply for the thirteenth time. "Fucking trash! I''ll gouge your eyes out one day and trample you to death."


    That was all she could do about him.


    Tapping the alpha orb, she ordered. "Attack with everything we got!"


    Then, Despair Queen''s figure disappeared from the meteor ring and she appeared a few miles away from Irene''s space shuttle.


    "Bitch,e out! Your acting isn''t gonna feel anyone."


    The space shook and a woman in white armor appeared in front of Despair Queen.


    With a cold smile, Irene Nial said. "Salty that your scheming n didn''t work out?"


    "I''ll kill you." Despair Queen''s body turned into a huge tree and the giant poisonous branches pped down at Irene.


    *** *** ***


    "Sir, sir, it started on alloids!" A panicked voice informed Evander.


    Evander didn''t panic, however. In front of him were numerous holograms showing the situation of theoids.


    It could be described as fireworks.


    Hundreds of space shuttles were destroyed like blooming fire lotuses.


    Awakeners of all paths and all levels participated in the war as they did their best to kill the enemy.


    Level 9s had separate zones to fight as did level 8s and level 7s. If anyone lower stepped into their zones, they''d be injured if not outright killed.


    From a bird''s view, Evander saw hundreds of thousands of dots from each side, one dyed blue, and the other grey as they shed.


    The dots flickered with various colors and every second, some dots disappeared as casualties rose.


    Evander made adjustments whenever the loss of humans was higher and strived for an advantage from the get-go.


    The only problem was reinforcements. Since they sent reinforcements to cluster cities, they were facing a small shortage.


    They were temporarily trying to suppress this deficiency, but sooner orter, thisck of numbers would bring them problems.


    "Call back the reinforcements," Evander ordered.


    At the same time, he checked the Renaoid¡ªsomething rtively less significant from time to time.


    Despite his insistence, Sarah joined theoid''s army. The only saving grace was that the highest power level of theoid was level 6.


    Due to her recent advancement in strength which he personally tested, Evander was confident that Sarah was among the strongest in level 6.


    Of course, she was already a top 10 in the sr banquet. But that didn''t include old cadets who graduated.


    As even geniuses stayed in level 6 for 6-7 years, their strength would continue to rise.


    Ashtarh, Xavier, and Sarah were surely strong level 6s, butpared to these old cadets, they were significantly weaker.


    Only Charles Xander wasparable. Not justparable, if he had to be honest, Charles'' strength was just less than the strongest in level 6.


    To his pleasant surprise, the current Sarah was just a bit weaker than Charles. Due to her improvement in two paths, she directly surpassed Xavier, Ashtarh, and Marcus Caron.


    Evanderforted himself and his peripheral vision caught a red spot moving in a hologram.


    "Archduke¡­" He muttered with a solemn expression and he appeared in front of a teleportation formation a few miles away.


    "Sir!" The guards saluted and Evander hurriedly entered the formation.


    "VUY-731." He entered theoid address.


    The space around him distorted and the next moment, Evander heard a thunderous voice from the sky.


    "Your doom is here."


    "Archduke." Evander spotted the man in long red armor.


    Mendis. Peak level 9. Archduke of Demon Abyss. Arguably the strongest under the Demon King himself.


    Mendis raised his hand and clenched his fist. The sheer pressure caused the air to explode and the shockwaves ttened the mountains.


    As he punched down at the level 8s that were trying to flee, Evander appeared in front of him and blocked his punch.


    Boom!


    Mendis flew back a few hundred meters while Evander was thrown away only a hundred meters.


    "Steelheart!" Mendis roared and his figure blurred.


    "Pay for what you''ve done," Evander said and his figure also blurred.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Their battle continued high up in the air.


    Others couldn''t see their battle, but the fierce winds that lifted even level 6s told them all they needed to know.


    "Evacuate the area!"

 Chapter 415 - War [2]

    The reinforcements were all back in their space shuttles, resting after the intense war.


    They were just outside the secret realms¡­or what remained of them. Of course, the realm itself wasn''t destroyed.


    The singlend merely turned into broken inds.


    But¡­


    The previous owners of the secret realms were finished.


    Not a single person escaped. Everyone was crushed.


    This was more than an ideal result.


    "Howe we never knew of these Athena agents before?" A level 8 female officer asked from the healing capsule.


    The skin and flesh of her arm were burnt, and once in the capsule, she felt an itching sensation all over. It constantly reminded her of the near-death experience.


    She was about to die when that bald man rescued her. She was grateful and wanted to repay him.


    But when she enquired the Athena department, they said they didn''t send any agents to assist them.


    From the next pod, a level 9 woman clutched her broken spine and answered. "No idea. That white-haired man is also not an agent. If not for him, I''d be dead already."


    "Me too. But it seems like they''re anonymous powerhouses." The level 8 woman bit her lip. Slowly, her dead skin and flesh were discarded. Then, her flesh began to grow.


    "You know¡­it''s likely Shadow Guardians."


    "Yeah¡­I wonder if they can take off the terrorist tag from them. In my service, I never saw them do such things. If anything, they made our life easier." The level 8 woman closed her eyes.


    "I hear Xanders pushed for it and even Sovereign Kreo agreed. So, it''s not up to us."


    "Ratting them out after they saved my life is the worst thing I can do. As long as they don''tmit any crime, I''ll even help them."


    "I was doing it already. Just¡­don''t say this openly."


    "Haha. I won''t. If you were not my elder sister, I wouldn''t say this to you."


    "Stupid girl, don''t call me as sister during duty!"


    "Eh, but we''re¡ª"


    Cutting her off, a solemn voice appeared in every space shuttle.


    "Our forces are losing ground." Their general''s voice embedded in aura reached the ears of the tired soldiers, causing them to stiffen and be ready to fight the next moment.


    "Prepare yourself. We''re returning to our original deployments. Once we get there, you''ll have to join the frontlines."


    Following his words, all the space shuttles returned to the cluster cities and took the teleportation formations.


    *** *** ***


    Meanwhile, an hour passed since the all-out war began.


    People held their dear ones close and watched the news.


    {Thetest updates of Uranus¡­}


    Tick!


    {The fierce fight onoid Yoans¡­}


    Tick!


    {Thes'' armies performance one by one¡­}


    Tick!


    {The overall situation.}


    After switching the channels three times, Kyle finally stopped at thest one. He shifted his position on the couch and wrapped his arm around Maya''s shoulder, bringing her closer.


    The reporter, a dark-skinned man in a blue suit, tapped on hism and a few holograms ying a few clips of theoid wars popped up.


    As Kyle and Maya watched the terrifying battles, the host began. "In the first ten minutes of the war, our army matched the abyssals toe to toe.


    But as you know, our brave soldiers had just unhatched a sinister plot of the abyssals and stopped the destruction of cluster cities.


    As the reinforcements were missing, the abyssals began to slowly gain ground and after fifteen-minute mark, the army found it difficult to match the foe."


    Kyle patted the shivering Maya lightly. He didn''t seem like it, but sweat was rolling down his forehead.


    Despite being a research student, he knew a thing or two about war. If the opponents were equally matched, but one side had a small problem, it could be exploited by the other side.


    If proper measures weren''t taken, the abyssals could upy theoid. Would it cost them? Yes, a lot. But was taking aoid with so many sacrifices beneficial? It was up to them.


    If aoid was strategically important enough, for example, something which had precious minerals, then this is the right time to exploit the gap and grab thatoid, even if it means paying a heavy price.


    "It''ll be alright, Maya." Kyle patted her.


    "¡­if your hand isn''t shivering, I would''ve believed you," Maya muttered, causing Kyle to stiffen.


    "If he''s here, you''ll probably be braver, huh," Kyle said. "Or at least try to be. Lest he calls you timid."


    "Y-You, Varian would never¡ª"


    "Shh." Kyle put a finger on her lips and shook his head.


    A few days ago, a strange woman met them and informed them that Varian was alive. There were even proofs.


    But she had one request. Don''t mention him. There could be spies around them working for Xanders.


    That''s why, the couple, despite being ted, didn''t show any changes in their normal behavior.


    But given the possibility to slip out secrets, they were refraining from mentioning his name at any time, even in private.


    "¡­.but the reinforcements returned by thirty-five-minute mark. By forty-five minutes, we were back to equals again." The host continued on.


    "In every war so far, the human armed forces were suppressed. Even in thest major conflict two years ago, they had the edge.


    BUT!


    This is the first war we fought as equals. ording to defense experts, human armed forces will continue to grow.


    We''ll be equals of abyssals in this decade and in the decade after, we will be strong enough to drive them out of theoids. In perhaps three decades from now, we''ll beunching our first abyssal crusade.


    So, fret not, fellow humans.


    We will not lose this war! Humanity shall survive!


    We''ll protect what our fathers, grandfathers, and forefathers sacrificed their lives for.


    During this time of war, I ask of you all to contribute. Do what you can. Professional support, financial support, social support. Whatever you can, do it.


    Just remember one thing.


    we are all in this together!"

 Chapter 417 - Future Of Valos

    Two days passed in a sh.


    What was supposed to be the biggest war in the history of mankind turned out to be a one hour scuffle.


    The warmongers were left feeling empty while the pacifists were left with the long list of casualties.


    The abyssals and humans have achieved a breakthrough in dialogue and simultaneously withdrew the deployed forces, reverting to pre-war status quo.


    Did humans know about the Sequoia nts and cluster cities'' destruction conspiracy?


    No.


    Except for the top officials, the general public were mostly unaware. There were quite a few reasons, but the main reason was it showed the ipetence of the federation.


    Thus, the news channels instead pedaled a propaganda that Human Armed Forces showed extraordinary valor and caused the abyssals to rethink their decision.


    Smart people among the general public knew this was bullshit, but they kept silent.


    This wasn''t a society that valued truth or equality, but strength and survival. There were cases of people leaking government secrets being executed.


    While the general masses filled the met with tributes to the army, an intense yet important mission was just finished near the Uranus cluster cities.


    A few hundred thousand miles away from Valos, a team of two hundred looked down at the secret realm entrance visible below.


    From time to time, a figure would emerge out of the entrance, typically in a space shuttle in a bid to escape.


    Of course, they had no chance and were instantly killed by the time.


    This continued for an hour before a man in blue clothes with red stripes exited. His body was drenched in blood and surrounding him was an extremely thick killing intent.


    "They''re finished." The level 9 man said, snapping everyone out of daze.


    "Everyone sir?" A level 7 asked from her spaceship.


    "Yes." He nodded, and then added. "Including the bunkers."


    "Great! We''ll conduct an inspection and contact themand with a report. This is thest secret realm!"


    *** *** ***


    Varian wasying down on an ice beach.


    Uranus was famous for its cold temperatures and icy surface. Even though the treasures from the ruins made it ''hospitable'' by adjusting the atmosphere and slightly tweaked gravity, they didn''t take away the natural beauty of Uranus.


    In short, this actually had nond and was made up of only fluids, which were mostly in frozen state.


    As it was just two days after the war, people were still reeling in from the shock. So, the famous ice beaches were pretty much empty.


    "The secret realms are all destroyed, master."


    "Un." Varian sipped some warm juice and nodded. The corpses of Draven and the Chaos families'' heads were bound to have the keys of the secret realms. From them, finding the secret realm wasn''t hard.


    It was only a matter of time.


    "How are the cities now?" Varian stretched his arms and asked. To be honest, this coldness? which would''ve killed normal people was just right for him. It was refreshingly cool.


    "The martialw is being continued. Now that Order and families are no longer there, the army intends to clean up the cities."


    "That is one heck of a good news." Varian grinned.


    Two dayster, the martialw was lifted in all cluster cities. That included Valos whose residents now were utterly bewildered.


    "W-What should we do?"


    "No one will collect protection fees from us anymore?"


    "No more street murders?"


    "No threats to our businesses?"


    The official announcements sounded too ridiculous for the residents. Even the optimistic ones.


    But it didn''t take long for the public to realize that all the gangs were ''missing''. Their properties were nationalized and their liquid cash was distributed amongst the popce distraught by the martialw.


    Taking this opportunity, the businessmen from Uranus started investing in the cities, including Valos.


    They no longer had to worry about the gangs.


    Valos, along with other cities found itself in a position of extreme growth. The positive forecasts and the federation''s strong push increased the value of everything in the city.


    The infrastructure was about to get a total makeover and Valos government vowed to make the city a model among the cluster cities.


    As it was 520, it would take only a few weeks for these civilian constructions.


    "I wonder if I can recognize the city the next time I visit." Varian said as he leaned back into his chair.


    "You can stay here, you know?" Edwina chuckled as they waited for the dishes.


    "Are you trying to recruit me or what?"


    "Of course." Edwina nodded. "My new adventure team will now serve in the paramilitary. If you join, it''d be great."


    "You know, whatever role I get into¡­I end up breaking rules." Varian shook his head with a smile.


    Being a cadet, he didn''t act like one. Being a participant in the sr trial, he did crazy things. Being a newbie guardian agent, he broke every rule under the sun.


    If it wasn''t Enigma, but someone else in charge of him, then Varian would''ve been fired from the Guardians long ago.


    "Still, paramilitary, huh." Varian narrowed his eyes.


    Paramilitary¡­a semioffical force. That meant the army was going to reduce deployments in the cities.


    Previously, a lot of manpower was spent on patrol and defense against the Order and families. There was also a lot of spending on internal security.


    Now, all of this would be revamped. The majority of the city army would go to theoids, allowing a strong paramilitary to take care of the city.


    Of course, army would still be there, but it''d only protect the military region. Every other task would be delegated to the paramilitary.


    Getting into army was difficult, understandably so due to the high requirements.


    But paramilitary? It was pretty straightforward. Anyone with sufficient strength and clean criminal record could join. It''s like adventurers, but kinda official.


    The people of Valos initially didn''t believe this too-good-to-be-true offer. But when some people from their own joined the paramilitary and got the initial payments, everyone was excited.


    The city government started heavily advertising the paramilitary and in a few weeks, there''d be a couple of movies about brave and cool paramilitary forces.


    The future would be¡ª


    "Here, sis and bro." Billy served the food and grinned.


    "Hey, little hero." Varian smiled. "You still woking here?"


    The kids under 18 were given a welfare of free residence and study until they graduate high school. So, why was Billy still here?


    "Of course." Billy patted his chest proudly. "I can go to school from here and work here at evening. To be honest, I can''t imagine spending more time in school than on work."


    "Heh." Varian tapped his chin. "So, what about your dream? Still wanna a be gangster?"


    Billy froze at his question and then deeply pondered. Raising his head, he shook.


    "You know paramilitary right? Apparently, they pay more than gangs. And more importantly, you can travel in space shuttles! How cool! Like really, really cool! I''ve never boarded a spaceship. I want to join paramilitary and go on a space adventure."


    Varian''s smile brightened.


    Then Billy''s expression turned mischievous and leaning closer, he whispered.


    "You know my Boss Oss? He''s sacred of lockdowns. After I get into paramilitary, I''ll threaten him with lockdowns if he doesn''t cook my favorite dishes."


    "Hahaha." Varian chuckled. "I''m looking forward to it."


    Light was finally shining upon the City of depravity. It was everyone''s responsibility to protect it.


    *** *** ***


    This pretty much ends this arc. Please give feedback.. (I think the biggest issue would be pacing).

 Chapter 418 - Shadow Lords

    Only three days had passed since the ''one-hour war'', yet so much had changed.


    The impact wasn''t felt by normal people, yet all major powers had no doubt about it.


    The sources of these changes was an old power whose roots dated back to an elitist nation.


    Shadow Order.


    The obvious difference could be seen from ck Markets. They were the hub of all illegal trading and servicing.


    Their clients ranged from the vilest of criminals to upright families that were in urgent need of rare materials.


    As the host of the tform, Shadow Order held an unshakable position.


    Not aymore.


    Shortly after the war, all ck markets were shut down for an indeterminate period.


    This took everyone by surprise as ck markets generated almost 70% of the Order''s revenue.


    Even though the Order was powerful, it had many expenses. Due to their aggressive and extremist activites, they needed money for a lot of things¡ªweapons, bribery, properties, transport and so on.


    Of course, ck markets were the major funding sources of these activites.


    Out of the nine ck markets¡ªone for each and one for Uranus cluster, Earth''s was destroyed not too long ago.


    It wiped out nearly 15% of ck markets'' revenue.


    Now, the richest and most profitable ck market¡ªthe cluster cities branch was destroyed.


    Even by modest estimates, Shadow Order lost 50% of their bussinesspared to a few months ago.


    That''s why, it made even less sense to close down the existing markets.


    But to the Shadow Lords, it made perfect sesne.


    As their holograms gathered across a round table, the leaders of the seven existing Shadow Order branches started their crucial meeting.


    "It''s really a pity." ke, Lord of Uranus tapped the table and looked at the six holograms.


    "Yeah, Draven was at peak of level 9. Losing him is jus¡ª" Kim, Lord of Jupiter was abruptly cut off at the end.


    "No one''s crying for that idiot. ke is said for the loss of ck market." Caroline, Lord of Neptune crossed her arms and scoffed.


    "Can''t we at least pretend to care?" Kim urged, to no avail. Then he waved his hand. "Fine. I couldn''t do it anymore anyway. Fuck Draven. He is really the most ipetent person."


    The majority nodded. Draven should''ve at least escaped if he couldn''t defeat the army.


    That way, he won''t die and they won''t find the secret realm keys on him. The ck markets would ultimately be safe.


    But now¡­


    Just thinking about it made the Shadow Lords furious.


    With one exception.


    "It''s not that he doesn''t want to escape."? ke propped his head on his chin as he eyed his peers.


    Despite being peak level 9 like them, he knew he was better.


    "What do you mean?" Caroline raised a brow, her beautiful face rippling with an innocent beauty.


    ''Stupid bitch.'' ke sneered inwardly and tapped on hism. Three holograms appeared.


    The first hologram showed the battle between the Order, Chaos families and the army.


    While the level 7s lost due to their injuries, the level 8s and level 9s lost due to a man each in their respective level.


    A bald man in level 8 and a man with long white hair in level 9¡­


    The Shadow Lords that were about to speak closed their mouth shut and watched the entire battle sequence.


    Their focus shifted from the bald man to the white haired man.


    Among the dozens of level 9s, he was like a tank crushing motor cycles, unstoppable and dangerous.


    The highlight of the battle was naturally him and Shadow Lord Draven.


    With a snap, Draven''s body changed into arge tree and dozens of small trees, reaching low level 9 came out of his body.


    These trees, whilest smaller than their parent, were four meters tall and radiated a dangerous red color.


    All of these children trees were connected among themselves and with the parent tree.


    Boom!


    As the white haired man rushed at Draven with a speed far surpassing the sonic limit, these children trees stood in a star shaped formation and stretched their branches.


    Shua! Shua! Shua!


    The branches first ovepped and then intermixed, forming a huge filled with glowing red spikes.


    Right when the white haired man was about to reach Draven, the was twisted into arge whip and wasshed at the man.


    Kaaa!


    Space itself nearly cracked as the whip wrapped around the man in an instant and broke his chest bone, causing him to cough out blood.


    "Hmph!" With a snort, the man broke free of the whip and grabbed it, intending to break it apart.


    Kaa!


    Before he could do anything, arge red-brown whip shed at him from behind. The attacker was Draven himself.


    However, as a Commander type ntae, his individual strength wasn''t on par with a typical body awakener.


    Even then, it was capable of serious injuries if taken in a defenseless state.


    Which was exactly what the white haired man did. He gribbed the turned whip with both hands and gripped it tighter.


    Veins popped up on his hands and forehead as he violently tried to pull it apart.


    Ka! Kacha!


    Right when the branch whip of Draven shed at the white haired man, his body shook and then the whip connected.


    Still gripping the whip, he flew into the distance coughing out blood. His back bones were broken badly and he was seriously injured¡­


    But contrary to expectations, he didn''t die.


    All the Shadow Lords understood. That man is an Extreme Awakener. Much like Controller, they could improve a single stat at a time, but their increases were higher than Controllers.


    The man increased his defense at thest moment.


    Then despite the injuries, he increased his strength and pulled the whip apart, breaking the connections between every single tree.


    Ka! Ka! Ka!


    The children trees trembled violently as if they were about to copse. The formation connected them all. If one or two trees were cut off, they''d still be fine.


    But as all seperated at once, they faced a bacsh.


    Since they were connected to him, Draven also faced a bacsh.


    Seizing this opportunity, the white haired man made a quick work of the children trees.


    Individually, they were no match for him, despite his injuries.


    This only put more bacsh and pressure over Draven. Unlike physical injuries which ntae awakeners could quickly recover, this one was more linked to mental damage and loss of prana.


    Despite his disadvantage, Draven recovered at the same time as his enemy.


    But losing his children tree advantage, Draven was continously pushed back and soon, he was taken out by a single punch to his roots.


    As the battle ended, so did the video.


    The Shadow Lords looked at each other in silence until Lina, Lord of Mercury spoke up. "Just who is this guy?"


    No answer came out. That was the thing they were thinking the whole while.


    As Lords of their respective Shadow Order branches, they were at the peak of level 9.


    Even peak level 9s had their differences, for instance, Bali and Evander belonged to the highest power of a peak level 9. They were in the lower or middle spectrum.


    Through abyssals, they learnt of the peak level 9s in the federation. But this guy¡­he seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.


    If they were being honest, he''d be able to beat five out of the seven Shadow Lords present.


    Too dangerous to exist. So, everyone scanned their database for him.


    Of course, they were checking the fighting style and divine path. The face must be fake.


    Until eventually, one man coughed and drew attention.

 Chapter 419 - The Dream Of Ninth Sovereign

    ke looked at his bewildered peers and his lips curled up. "He was a low level 9 adventurer a year ago. Then, he died or that''s what we were told. Now, he appeared here."


    Everyone frowned at the info. It was more troubling than expected.


    "There is another." ke pped and the video changed, showing the interior of a secret realm.


    It suddenly started shaking and in a minute, the white barrier of the secret realm faded out, showing the dark space.


    Due to continous attacks, the secret realm was pulled out from hiding.


    Then, a few men and women in level 9s and level 8s entered the secret realm.


    What happened next could only be described as a man-made apocalypse, a terrifying ughter.


    Fire burnt down everything in hundreds of miles, space cracked and swallowed everything in its vicinity, dozens and dozens of blue nts appeared and ughtered the humans.


    With most of the forces gone for the attack, the secret realms were left with little protection. They were quickly destroyed.


    The Shadow Lords weren''t as surprised at this. They knew the destruction of the secret realms, that''s why they ordered the closing of ck markets.


    They weren''t afraid of Athena agents or Shadow Guardians invetigating their ck markets.


    They found someone who was responsible for why the mission failed.


    From the sudden hand that appeared in theoid RL-34 kidnapping Han Nial to how all the information about the military officers, the sleeper cells and gangs was revealed to the federation, they knew who did it.


    Dreamer.


    Even the abyssals suspect that the reason their n leaked out was because of Dreamer.


    From the way a single hand appeared to take Han Nial away, they could more or less guess that Dreamer''s space shuttle was invisible.


    But still, that didn''t make him any lesser threat.


    He was single handedly responsible for the uprooting of Order on Earth and Uranus.


    What was such a terrifying man doing at the moment?


    "Are you sure about this?" Irene asked the man in white in a confused voice.


    "Absolutely." Varian nodded his head. "Don''t reveal a word about me. Keep it as simple as possible. That''s my only request for you."


    "B-But the world would never know what you did for them, how much you paid for them¡­all that hard work, you''d get neither the recognition nor the respect you deserve." Sovereign Irene looked into his eyes and said.


    Varian simpllyughed at herment. "I don''t want fame. Not now at least. Maybe in the future, you can testify when I announce my achievements."


    He simply meant it as a joke, but Sovereign Irene nodded. "Sure. Until you then, I won''t pry into your secrets."


    Varian nodded. Sovereign Irene took a deep breath and sent him a file. "Use it well. I hope it can save you some travel time."


    "Teleportation pass?" Varian''s face turned weird. He read the file and gaped. "Don''t tell me it''s really real?"


    If it was real, he could really teleport from one to another. From Mercury all the way up to Neptune.


    But such a pass wasn''t free and should''ve costed her a lot of resources. Yet, there was no sign of displeasure on her face.


    "It''s the real deal. You also have a fake identity. As long as you don''t mess up, your inteary travel would be very convenient." Sovereign Irene said.


    Varian suppressed the urge to pump his fist into the air. Dreamer was apparently treated as a Sovereign, so he should put up a dignified act.


    "I''ll use it if needed." He said with a calm voice.


    "Please do. I''m not monitoring your pass. With your powers, I doubt anyone can track you anyway." Sheughed lightly.


    Then her eyes turned serious, causing Varian''s body to stiffen momentarily.


    "Are you a peak level 9?"


    "Pardon?"


    "I am pretty sure you didn''t reach Sovereign level. Maybe your powers are amplified by your unique space shuttle. Or else, a single Sovereign could''ve solved the entire issue.


    You had to search for the clues, understand the truth and inform me for assistance.


    Don''t get me wrong, I''m not looking down on you. But I think it''s pretty obvious you''re not a Sovereign." She said lightly.


    Varian''s face twitched, but he simply nodded. "Yep, I''m not there yet. But if my past records are anything to go by, think I''ll reach the Sovereign state soon."


    "Great!"


    He meant going from high level 6 to Sovereign.


    She thought it was peak level 9 to Sovereign.


    "I really want to see a 9th Sovereign¡­are the aura seals really unbreakable?" Irene Nial muttered.


    "Aura Seals?" Varian raised a brow.


    Irene pped her forehead. "I forgot, you weren''t supposed to know this. Nor any non-Sovereigns usually."


    Varian chose to ignore herment.


    Since she already started, she''d finish what she started.


    "Dreamer, have you ever though about why since the first war, humans only had Eight Sovereigns and continue to have only eight even after more than 80 years?"


    Varian''s eyes narrowed. Of course, he thought about it a lot. One more Sovereign and peace would be in sight. Not just him, everyone believed it. But¡­ what was she saying now?


    "Think about it, humans were only peak level 9 until abyssals came. Then sometime after they found artifacts in the ruins, eight humans reached Sovereign state.


    Coincidentally, six of them were holders of artifacts while the remaining two got most treasures than others from the ruins.


    Thereafter, new Sovereigns appeared only after the Old Sovereign died. The 9th Sovereign, despite better practice conditions and higher talent remained only a dream." Irene stated.


    Varian recalled the history he read during his childhood.


    In fact, this recement was so quick that he wondered if these new Sovereigns already reached that state and waited for their elders to die. Or was there some grand conspiracy?


    Seeing Varian deep in thought, Irene Nial smiled. "It got nothing to do with any human or abyssal.. It''s the Will of Heavens itself."

 Chapter 420 - Heavens Will

    Will of Heaven.


    Long ago, modern humans thought they discovered the nature of reality and branded things such as heaven, hell, and soul as fabrications by their ancestors made when they had to cope with a powerful nature.


    They were sure that they were right or at least, their ancestors were wrong.


    Ironically, they were proven wrong four hundred yearster.


    In 400 YAB, an alien species appeared out of nowhere and nearly drove humanity to extinction.


    At that time, the Abyssal Kings and Queens didn''t appear in front of humans yet. There were many spections and theories why this was the case.


    But even without them, Abyssals had significantly more awakeners in each level and easily overwhelmed humans.


    Humanity was driven out ofoids and moons. Back then, these areas weren''t fortified as there was no external threat. It happened so fast that no one really knew what was going on.


    By the time things became clear, humanity was confined to the nines. Their physical connections were cut off and they were all under siege.


    Everyone thought humanity was going to be extinct. But during their desperate resistance, humans discovered abyssals were significantly weaker on thes.


    Almost 10%!


    Humanity exploited this gap and fought with lower forces.


    At around 430 YAB, six artifacts and numerous treasures were discovered in ruins.


    Shortly after, eight individuals, once per became Sovereigns.


    It was due to their immense talent and extraordinary hard work.


    Or so he was taught.


    "What does Heaven''s Will got anything to do with this?" Varian asked with a strange premonition.


    "Our aura was locked away by Devas." Irene Nial said, recalling them in reverence. But her expression soon turned into resentment.


    "The aura lock was broken, but there is another lock left. Something that affects all peak level 9s trying to reach Sovereign state."


    Varian was dumbfounded at the sudden reveal. Leaning back into his seat, he frowned. "This second lock restricts new Sovereigns?"


    "No. It amplifies the difficulty by multiple times." Sovereign Irene exined, rubbing her forehead.


    "This amplification is high enough that no one in this 80 years reached Sovereign state naturally. Nowadays, we do wonder if it''s even possible to be a Sovereign naturally. But our public narrative was that it''s possible."


    Varian squinted his eyes at the older woman. "So, you eight became Sovereigns through external factors¡­by Heaven''s Will?''


    Irene didn''t refute his statement.


    "Every Sovereign would receive a boost during they''re at the peak of level 9. Heaven''s Will helps us be Sovereigns despite the deva locks." She raised her hands. "That includes me and the other seven Sovereigns."


    Varian shook his head and sighed. The artifact holding and highest treasure finders were criteria for first-generation Sovereigns.


    But now?


    "The level 9s closest to Sovereign state are picked by Heaven''s Will." Irene seemed to guess his doubt and answered.


    "Heaven''s Will was the reason humans got 8 Sovereigns during the first war in a short period. It''s like Heaven''s Will is using us to protect thes, or more precisely, the ruins."


    Varian''s eyes widened. Yes, back then, eight level 9s reached Sovereigns within a year. Without Heaven Will''s intervention, it''s impossible.


    "Don''t let non-Sovereigns¡­I mean, practically no one else shouldn''t know." Irene said with a serious face.


    Varian nodded.


    "Ah, I need to go." She looked at herm and waved at him. "Hit me up if you need any help."


    Looking at her busy countenance, Varian suddenly had a question. ''Would the Will of Heaven also push a Sovereign to Celestial Rank?''


    ¡­.the answer was yes.


    It''s just neither he nor Irene knew about it.


    Except for the human sovereign who kept waiting for his chance, no other human knew.


    They didn''t know that Heaven''s Will also had its limits. Eight Sovereigns were its limit.


    These eight were equivalent to stewards of each. Out of these eight, if one gets six artifacts, then he''d be an inheritor.


    This inheritor would be givenplete deva legacy and at the same time, be pushed to Celestial Rank.


    *** *** ***


    "Suddenly calling reinforcements from across the sr system, arresting military officers without any evidence, capturing citizens calling them as sleeper cells¡­" Sovereign Albert read out the list of grievances against Sovereign Irene as the eight sovereigns gathered around a long table.


    Their meetings were supposed to be rare, but for some reason, this year was breaking rules.


    As the other six Sovereigns stared at her, Sovereign Irene calmly looked at Albert who finished the list.


    "These are theints against you. Of course, you''ve done the right thing. The only question is¡­how did you know? Even our best intelligence agents found nothing, but you¡­" His voice turned serious at the end.


    The other Sovereigns'' gaze also turned heavy as they focused on her. Even though they were only holograms, it was too intense.


    But Irene Nial didn''t even flinch.


    "Why bother asking? It''s him, of course." Irene Nial chuckled.


    Sovereign Ares pped the table. "We were all fooled. If not for him, cluster cities would be gone and Neptune would be next."


    Just imagining the possibility, which without Dreamer was a certainty made him tremble. Clenching his fist, he red at the other Sovereigns. "You cowards, you didn''t even want to send reinforcements back then."


    "We had no evidence back then. Something like an attack on cluster cities could''ve happened on any." Sovereign Julius countered.


    "We can''t believe Dreamer either. What if he lied? We could''ve suffered heavy losses.


    Thankfully, he didn''t. But rather than relying on others, we should rely on ourselves." Saying so, he nced meaningfully at Irene.


    "Hmph!" Irene snorted. "Julius, you should stop underestimating everyone."


    "Oh?" Julius raised a brow.


    "Whatever Dreamer did till now, from exposing Dungeons to showing the Order''s secret realm to even this mission, they were extremely helpful to the federation. Even you can''t deny it."


    "But¡ª" Before he could finish, Irene cut him off.


    "But we can''t trust him because we don''t know his identity, right?" She stood up and gazed down at him.


    "And what do you think can make me or anyone trust you? How do we ensure that your actions always keep humanity''s best interests at heart and not your own?"


    Julius'' eyes chilled and in a dangerously cold voice, he said. "You''re doubting me? What proof do you have?"


    "You''re not deaf, are you?" Irene scoffed. "Forget about Dreamer, what about Shadow Guardians?"


    She turned to the other Sovereigns. "You should all know by now that the anonymous level 8s and level 9s that assisted us are from the guardians.


    Not just that, when the war was about to begin, tens of thousands of less-known warriors joined the army. A lot of them are from the guardians.


    Do we still keep questioning their loyalty?"


    Her sharp voice resounded across the hall and the Sovereigns were silenced.


    Sovereing Julius stood up and looked at everyone calmly. "Omega potions have passed the testing."


    The Sovereigns perked their ears and listened carefully.


    Omega potions were simr but superior to Siloy potions. They were being developed for almost a year.


    If they could be mass produced, human armed forces could defeat the abyssals in a year or two.


    "But as you know, our production capacity is limited. We have only a few hundred potions." Julius said with a regretful face.


    Then he turned his gaze towards Irene. "And the one that stole the materials is Enigma."


    Irene''s expression froze.


    Julius turned to the rest. "Everyone, do you think it''s in the best interest of the federation to dere the thief who stole strategic material as a terrorist?"

 Chapter 421 - Enigma tic Solutions

    "Please show your ID, sir." The guard at the entrance of the military region asked the young man who seemed to be in histe 20s.


    Of course, you couldn''t guess a person''s age by their appearance. For instance, Sovereign Ares also looked to be in his twenties.


    "Here." Varian tapped hism, and an ID popped up.


    After a quick scan, the guard saluted and guided him to the core region.


    Varian once again entered Valos'' military region and noticed the changes.


    There were fewer soldiers. Some training facilities which used to be full were now deste. But unlike simply patrolling, the soldiers now face the real danger in theoids.


    Somehow, this reminded Varian of the defense academy.


    Back there, all he had to do was practice and improve. But once he was out, he had to literally save the world from destruction.


    Of course, even if the abyssal''s n seeded, it''d have taken them anywhere between a few years to at least a decade topletely destroy humanity, provided they paid the corresponding price.


    But even if he didn''t consider the long-term consequences, he saved half a billion lives in cluster cities, the life of Irene Nial, and consequently, the lives of hundreds of millions of soldiers onoids and the lives of everyone on Uranus.


    To be honest, it was a weird feeling. Especially to him.


    The fact that he failed to save his mother always bothered Varian.


    A voice in his mind kept telling him that he could never protect anyone. When the timees, he''d freeze and watch them die in despair.


    It was the reason Varian didn''t even try to awaken.


    But now, more than a hundred days after awakening, Varian realized he saved far more people than he could''ve imagined.


    That voice in his head still tried to talk him down sometimes, but Varian wasn''t swayed by it anymore.


    ''I saved so many lives and you tell me I''m ipetent and I can''t save people? Bitch please!''


    Such a thought was impossible for the old Varian to even imagine. But now, he would just grin at the negative voice.


    "Sir, ID once again." The guard said and Varian realized it was a new person talking to him, a level 7.


    They were in front of the core area already. So, there were more checks.


    "Here." Varian swiped hism and after a few more checks, he was taken to the teleportation formation.


    "Um, is this really the thing?" Varian pointed to a vast circr formation filled with various patterns and filled with many materials and asked.


    The formation looked as expected, but everyone was cutting the grey building it was in.


    Now all that was left of the giant building were two walls.


    "Ah-Ahahaha, we''re upgrading the facility. Don''t mind it." The guardughed awkwardly.


    After knowing Durasium could be used as an explosive by ragnaroks, the army decided to scrap the metal.


    ¡­And of course, they decided to use it for explosives. They already started reverse-engineering the bombs.


    "Oh." Varian nodded and didn''tment much.


    Then after one more check-up from the level 8 guards, Varian finally stood on the teleportation formation.


    "Have a safe trip." The guard that guided him waved and the next moment, the formation lit up.


    Space twisted and Varian was gone.


    *** *** ***


    Enigma-tic Solutions to rtionship problems: Version 3.17


    {101 ns to kill Sarah.


    PS: Best friend or Boyfriend, you decide?}


    {Tips to winning a man''s heart.


    PS: Don''t dig it out. Contrary to popr belief, it doesn''t work.}


    {What should you do if your boyfriend suffers from amnesia?


    PS: Don''t wait for him to recover his memory, make a move already!}


    Sia looked at the files on her desk with an expressionless face.


    Ka-Kacha!


    The hand she was holding the desk exerted too much pressure and almost broke the costly desk.


    Glossing over the third file, shemented. "I can''t make a move and you perfectly know why."


    Then she turned to the second file and her expression darkened. "Enigma, digging hearts isn''t a popr belief. If anything, that''s organ trafficking."


    Then she looked at the first file. With a shivering hand, she reached out to it.


    ''Open or not open? Open or not open? Open or¡­'' Sia''s mind ran faster than light as her mind was thrown into turmoil.


    "After what happened, things won''t be normal. Even if his mind epted me, his body would never¡­" Sia''s expression turnedplicated.


    In the past, she did visit him in disguise. Even though he didn''t know it was her, his body reacted to her presence.


    His face paled and a "Get away from me" was written all over his face. The longer she stayed with him, the worse his condition got.


    She didn''t get closer to him after he awakened, but Sia didn''t hold any high hopes.


    His weird behavior couldn''t be exined. How would his body instinctually notice her presence?


    He wasn''t even an awakener back then, so he didn''t have any powers¡­or did he?


    "I''m getting ahead of myself. He''d hate me after he regains his memories." Sia shook her head.


    Then she tapped herm and a hologram of Varian fighting Abrax appeared.


    Without knowing it herself, Sia stood up and walked up to him. Stretching her hand, she slowly caressed his face.


    "Varian, do you know¡­I''m very proud of you."


    A smile bloomed on her face as she said. "You always said you wanted to save. Now you finally did. You didn''t listen to Enigma''s threats nor did you agree to my pleas.


    Like always, you were stubborn. But you did it.


    Are you happy?"


    She didn''t know why, but her emotions seemed to be in turmoil.


    She wanted to hug him hard and tell him it was okay to rest now. He was only sent for a small mission. Yet he took upon himself so much more.


    If only she could, she''d share his burden and celebrate his victory.


    Sia closed her eyes and muttered. "Sarah¡­take good care of him or I might really follow Enigma''s advice."


    *** ***


    A/N: Apologies for thete release.

 Chapter 422 - Emperors Retaliation

    While Humans were happy with what transpired, Abyssals weren''t. Their n was thwarted and it all amounted to nothing.


    The eight abysses were in a state of gloom. Their rulers weren''t in a mood to lift the morale when they themselves were crestfallen.


    Their rage was bottled up and they were ready to start a war in the blink of an eye. But the Emperor''s orders were invible and they had to suppress their urges.


    Of course, the most disappointed and the most enraged of all was the Abyss Emperor himself.


    But unlike the Abyss Rulers who turned to train madly or indulging in one thing or another to pick themselves up, he did something entirely different.


    He ordered the think tanks to study all the reports and give him the crucial information.


    The reports wereprehensive and included all recent developments in the cluster cities and all recent major events in the federation.


    It was no wonder that the hard copies of these reports filled a room.


    But the think tanks didn''t back down and worked even more enthusiastically.


    After two days, the meeting finally began in the throne hall.


    The Throne Hall was in the Administration Pce, only a few miles away from Emperor''s Residential Pce.


    It was a vast hall, almost equalling a football field. But considering that this was the heart of all Abyssals, its size looked natural.


    The hall was supported by the sixteen pirs, as a testament to the fourteen great generals of the abyss race.


    As one walked further inside, they couldn''t help but marvel at the bright lightsing from both sides.


    And finally, a huge rug made from a special skin ran from the throne high above all the way down to the center of the hall.


    Raised from the ground by a tform, the empty throne waited. Not a single word was spoken despite hundreds of abyssals in the hall.


    Tak! Tak!


    Light footsteps sounded from the distance. The audience turned their head towards the source but found nothing.


    Disappointed, they reverted their gazes. But their peripheral vision felt like something was wrong.


    So, when they casually nced at the throne, they nearly jumped on the spot as they saw a male sitting on the throne.


    "Y-Your Majesty!" an abyssal with a quivering voice stood up and saluted. The rest followed.


    Haedon nodded lightly and gestured for them to rx.


    No Sovereign powerhouse attended today''s meeting. Not even level 9s. As he ordered.


    This meeting was mainly for intelligence purposes. The powerhouses weren''t needed.


    "Your Majesty, me and my team have found a few clues." A hunched abyssals stood up and stated.


    Upon a nod, he stated. "Han Nial was kidnapped by a hand that appeared out of nowhere.


    This is ghost ship. But ording to our intel, the hand was injured by taking level 8 attacks.


    It is likely that Dreamer is neither a Sovereign nor even a level 9. Whatever he or she has done so far ispletely dependent on ghost ship.


    Finding secret realm, hacking information, stealth¡­"


    Haedon''s eyes narrowed as he tapped his armrest lightly. ''Interesting¡­''


    Then he turned to the next team leader. The plump woman started.


    "We searched up the abilities of ghost ship. Sneaking into secret realms is certainly one of its abilities.


    The biggest w should be letting Dreamer know we were manufacturing Ragnaroks.


    I suggest we start retaliating against the ghost ship¡­"


    "The ipetence of our intel¡­"


    "There are definitely spies within Shadow Order¡­"


    "The presence of Durasium must''ve given it away¡­"


    One by one, the think tank teams presented their argument. Haedon nodded from time to time, but his enthusiasm was waning. The quality was lost somewhere.


    Until finally¡ª


    "Shadow Guardians'' help was crucial. Without that, many of our forces wouldn''t be wiped out.


    They should be taken seriously. Particrly, Enigma. And from the samples gathered, my suspicions on her origin are proven.


    She doesn''t belong to the sr system¡­"


    Haedon''s eyes brightened and he nodded.


    In the end, he invited four teams to his residential pce for further discussions.


    As the n was finalized, the fire in Haedon''s heart calmed.


    "You asked for this." He muttered and was about to go through reports when a sweet voice entered his ears.


    "Daddy~"


    The coldness on his face melted instantly and Haedon picked up the girl that ran into the room.


    "What''s up, Eva?"


    "Mom is forcing me to practice¡­I don''t want to, waaa~" Eva hugged his neck and started throwing a tantrum.


    Haedon didn''t know what to do. Who should he support?


    Emperor Haedon would certainly ask her to practice, but not father Haedon. Argh, dammit!


    Right when he was in a dilemma, Beatrice grabbed Eva out of his hands and took her away. "No escaping today."


    Eva looked back at him with puffed red eyes with a gaze that said. ''You traitor.''


    Haedon wanted to say something, no words came out.


    ¡­She wouldn''t hate him for it, right?


    Shaking his head, he went back to work. Using the deepwork abyssals have developed over the years, and the one under the control of Shadow Order, the order was smoothly executed.


    As Haedon calmly went back to practice, the sr system was in turmoil.


    The dark web was flooded, the media was covering the same piece of news again and again.


    Famous people from the federation all over were throwing interviews like there''s no tomorrow.


    The general public knew of the first news and panicked.


    The strong awakeners knew of the second one as well and were on the verge of freaking out.


    Varian had no idea about these things. After a few teleportations, he reached Earth.


    From there, he went straight to his home and crashed his bed.


    After what felt like decades, he woke up to a screaming Boo.


    "What happened?"


    "They all know!"


    "Hm?"


    "Master, all the capabilities of ghost ship are leaked."


    "What?!"


    "Not only that but there is also a paper proving that Enigma is not a human."


    "Fuck!"

 Chapter 423 - Sowing Discord

    6th of Third Month, 521 YAB.


    "Ghostship is the key to our next milestone in space, stealth, andmunication technologies." A reputed scientist said with a serious expression.


    The hostess asked. "So, what is the impact of ''Dreamer'' holding such technology?"


    At her question, the panel of experts flinched.


    "Traitor! He''s betraying humanity!" A hot heated woman mmed her desk and dered.


    Others were shocked at her words. Traitor? That was a bit too much.


    But the channel hostess was more than happy to receive such controversial content. So, she smiled and asked.


    "How is his treason justified? Do you think he has any ulterior motives for withholding the ghost ship?"


    The question itself was a trap as its presumption was that his treason was justified. That he actually was a traitor.


    "Son of bitches." Varian cursed and changed the channel.


    Students all the way from little kids to college cadets were protesting on streets, carrying banners with titles like:


    ''Dreamer, surrender yourself.''


    ''Ghostship''s technology belongs to every human.''


    ''For your selfish desires, do you want more of our soldiers to die?''


    ''If you give in now, we''ll defeat abyssals early on.''


    Varian clenched his fists. He felt like punching the living shit of the guy who started this.


    "Boo¡­"


    "Master, ghost ship has its own operating rules. Transfer of technology is impossible unless you reach a level of the previous master." Boo answered with an uncharacteristically serious tone.


    Varian exhaled lightly and closed his eyes.


    "Even if they want to study me, do you think I''ll let them do it? Hell no!"


    Then Boo asked meekly. "D-Do you want to give me away¡­?"


    Varian''s eyes snapped open and he patted Boo lightly. "Don''t worry."


    "Hehe. You''re the second-best. Just after me." Boo praised.


    Varian rolled his eyes and asked. "Did you find where this started?"


    "Well, it was an abrupt post. The location was Neptune." Boo said and showed the original post.


    {Hello, I am a technocrat posting this under anonymity after I found out the records of ghost ship after stealing them from abyssals¡­}


    "¡­." Varian read the post again.


    Is this really so convincing that people started rallying protests against me to hand over Boo?


    Then he checked a few links attached to the post.


    First, the video of Han Nial''s kidnap.


    Second, the video of ragnaroks abruptly thrown inside Shadow Order''s secret realms out of nowhere.


    Varian took a deep breath and suppressed his emotions.


    But he still couldn''t help but smile wryly. "No wonder¡­"


    "Dreamer, you are being irresponsible. You''re ying a hero by keeping ghost ship to yourself!


    But do you know what''s the cost? Tens of millions of lives! Possibly hundreds of milli¡ª"


    Varian closed the news channel and rubbed his forehead.


    "Master, not anyone can be my master," Boo said slowly. "They''re just exaggerating things and trying to guilt-trip you.


    My technology is pretty much broken at this point. My stealth technology and space subsystems need rare materials not found in this sr system.


    Even if they find me, they won''t be able to gain anything."


    Varian''s expression finally eased.


    Laying on the couch, he asked. "What''s happening with Enigma?"


    "¡­" Boo fell silent for a few seconds before opening channels exclusive for powerful awakeners.


    The head of the Academy of Sciences, Earth was at a press meet.


    "Through the samples collected from Enigma and the method published in the dark web, we can confirm Enigma is neither a human nor an abyssal.


    We don''t know how she arrived in the sr system or when. But what we do know is that if another force, even if weaker than us, joins the power struggle, we''ll fall into passiveness.


    Whoever the third party supports wins."


    Speaking so far, the old man''s eyes were filled with killing intent. "Enigma''s existence itself is dangerous. She must be disposed of all.


    We''ll also be conducting a federation wide test to check if any such dangers exi¡ª"


    Click!


    Varian pped the projector shut.


    Rubbing his brows, he thought of the consequences.


    Enigma''s name would now be on top of all hit lists. The government would be desperately searching for her. Perhaps they''d dispatch even mid or high-level 9s for her.


    As if that wasn''t bad enough, Shadow Guardians¡­ might crumble.


    Varian really wished the organization wasn''t so fragile. But would they still trust Enigma the way they used to?


    Despite looking like a human, she wasn''t.


    What if all her help was an experiment? What if the potions she fed them were some test drugs?


    What if¡­?


    Once a seed of doubt gets nted, it''s easy to see the other person through the prism of negativity and doubt.


    Enigma would now be getting the same treatment.


    At least, Dreamer wouldn''t be having big troubles since he wasn''t ountable to anyone.


    But Enigma¡­she''d have to take care of a lot of people, perform missions and work towards her goals.


    "Call her¡­no, send her a message. If she needs any help, she can contact me." Varian said after thinking for a while.


    Then thinking of the sudden ''retaliation'', Varian fell into contemtion. "Abyssals¡­who is it this time?"


    Meanwhile, almost a thousand miles away, Enigma answered that question.


    "Abyss Emperor. There''s no one else but him."


    "The trouble is really big this time." Blue sh said with a tired face. "Rudolf and Xia asked to meet y¡ª"


    Boom!


    Before she could finish, the door of the home was sted away. A man and woman stormed in.


    "Is it true? Are you really not a human?!" The purple-haired woman red at Enigma.


    Enigma didn''t answer. Instead, she shifted her gaze towards the white-haired man, Rudolf.


    "I''m listening, miss." He answered.


    "Don''t you guys have any shame? Who saved your lives? If not for her¡ª" Blue sh growled and reprimanded them, only to be cut off by Xia.


    "Please answer me, leader." Xia''s eyes narrowed as her body slowly turned into lightning.


    "I serve you, even though you are weaker than me because I trust that as members of the same race, we will stand on the same side. One day, you''ll be stronger than me and help our race further.


    But if you''re an alien race¡­pretending to be one of us, I''m sorry, this trust no longer stands."


    Enigma still maintained her silence and turned to Rudolf. He hung his head in shame and whimpered.


    "I¡­I won''t interfere in this matter." That was the best he could do or so he told himself.


    "Ungrateful bitches! If race is really the thing that mattered, what about Shadow Order? Are they cross breeds of humans and murlocs?" Blue sh yelled in anger.


    "I''m sorry, Blue sh. We will have to settle this another day." Xia said and her eyes locked onto Enigma.


    "Now then, leader. I will kindly ask you to tell me how you got to Sr System, who sent you here, and what is your purpose."


    Zap!


    Zap!


    Lightning began to spread out from her body as a heavy pressure loomed over the area.


    "I am asking kindly for thest time," Xia repeated.


    Enigma looked at the strongest members of Shadow Guardians and sighed. "Are rtionships really so fragile?"


    Zap! Zap!


    A huge lightning disk was condensed.


    "ANSWER ME!" Xia howled and raised her hand.


    Shuaa~


    A sword sh was the reply.

 Chapter 424 - United Stance

    While the public conducted protests and shamed the Dreamer under the concerted guidance of certain organizations, dangerous undercurrents were running elsewhere.


    The powerful organizations.


    The atmosphere in the virtual hall bore semnce to the one a few days ago when the federation was on the verge of war.


    Representatives of major powers were seated across the oval desks. Their gazes were fixed on the man on the stage.


    In baggy white coat and unkempt hair, a thin man was staring into the distance, lost in thought.


    "Dr! Dr.Thomas!" A young woman standing below the stage whispered.


    "Hush~ It''s almost ready, I''m almost there¡­" Thomas made a hush gesture and rubbed his forehead.


    "¡­."


    The audience looked at each other in utter shock.


    Are you for real? We are the most elite delegation. We are ridden with many important tasks every day. Even mayors of big cities have to get the appointments to meet us and you, not even a level 7 want us to wait?


    Some of the representatives clenched their fists in anger. They stood up and were about to exit the virtual meeting.


    They were waiting for twenty minutes for this fucker to speak! They''d sue him for wasting their precious time.


    But right when they clicked on the exit button, a notification panel popped up.


    [Xander family''s butler has ordered you to see through the meeting, no matter how long it takes.]


    [Mercenary King Hof said the meeting can''t be missed.]


    [The trade union¡­.]


    After reading the messages from their higher-ups, the representatives gave up all thoughts of protests and obediently waited.


    ''Forget it, I at least have a reason for not meeting my deadlines.''


    Right as that thought passed their minds, a stiff voice originated from the stage.


    "T-The samples we have from Ek, Enigma is only in the form of dried blood. If we test with the existing technology, her DNA, bodyposition is identical to humans."


    His words caused the representatives to raise their brows.


    "B-But! By using aura formations and new technology together, we can identify her uniqueness. She isn''t a human. But neither is she abyssal. To bek, be honest, we don''t know what she is." Thomas said and started a lengthy proof on the spot.


    The representatives looked at their partners, researchers from their own forces. They were following the proof and started posing questions.


    "Dr.Thomas, do you think she is rted to Devas?"


    "Well, there are some parts that certainly are identical. If I might be so bold, I think she''s from a mixed species."


    "Mixed species?"


    "Yes. Not just devas, but also some other race."


    The hall suddenly fell silent. The representatives that were silent until then had a solemn expression on their faces.


    One of them raised their hand and asked. "Dr.Thomas, is it possible that this other species you speak could be alive?"


    "Who knows?" Thomas shrugged. "She''s born 1.56 einsteins ago. 1.56 einsteins is a long time, you know. It''s as long as¡­"


    He suddenly pped his forehead and startedughing.


    ''Did he lose it?''


    The representatives were freaking out.


    They did a quick search on Thomas and after realizing this guy was the actual mind behind the ''Enigma Test'', their faces paled.


    If anything happens to him, even if they weren''t involved, they''d be punished.


    Their prayers seemed to be answered as Thomas''ughter ceased. Before they could be happy, his words nearly caused their hearts to stop.


    "1.56 einsteins is 521 years. It''s almost at the time of Blink. Funny, isn''t it?"


    No. It''s not funny at all!


    It''s freaking scary!


    "E-Enigma is really 5¡­521 years old?" An old man asked in a quivering voice.


    "Of course." Dr.Thomas nodded with a confident expression.


    "Fu. Fuck!" The old man slumped into his seat with a curse.


    And with his fall, the entire representative group rose.


    "Is there any other important finding? Anything?"


    "Yes, we need to conduct an internal meeting right away! This matter is more serious than we thought."


    "So, if you do hold any crucial information, let us know."


    They requested the man with pitiful faces.


    Thomas tapped his chin and stared into the distance.


    The representatives weren''t impatient this time. They all waited with respectful expressions.


    After five minutes, Thomas pped his forehead again and eximed. "Signal!"


    He looked at the confused yet eager representatives and exined. "Abyssals aren''t outside the sr system nor anywhere close. But they found us. And they found us in this ridiculously vast space. That''s it!"


    Then Thomas fell silent again.


    "Um, apologizes, but what does that imply for Enigma?" A middle-aged man asked with a face that said ''Can you not be so cryptic?''


    Thomas snorted in contempt but continued. "Without precise cosmic coordinates, it''s impossible for the abyssals to find us.


    But you know what? The sr system is moving all the time. So, even a 1% deviation and they could be light-years away.


    ording to ongoing research, from the moment they entered the sr system and until Abyssals appeared, Dungeons emitted signals aimed at the abysses.


    I think Enigma is doing the same."


    "WHAT?!!!"


    The representatives nearly felt their hearts stop for a moment.


    While there was already a talk that Enigma is an agent to guide her members to the sr system, it wasn''t taken seriously.


    But now¡­


    "Gulp!"


    Even though they were in a virtual hall, they all wiped their foreheads.


    This was too much. They need to take action immediately!


    But before they did, they needed to know if there was any more crucial info.


    Thomas felt their intense gazes and cocked his head with a confused expression. "You know this is thetest breakthrough, right? I might find more information, but it''ll take time. For now, this is all I know."


    "Great! Thank you very much! We''ll lobby to get you the Discovery of the decade prize!"


    "Ah, Sure?" Thomas nodded without much enthusiasm, confusing the representatives.


    But they did understand that this guy wasn''t your typical researcher.


    However, they didn''t wish to spend more time there and exited the meeting hall for another discussion.


    The discussion which would decide the fate of not only Enigma but also Shadow Guardians.


    *** *** ***


    The ministry of defense soon posted the key details of the meeting on the Chelov, the federation-led social tform for the elite awakeners.


    As soon as an awakener reached level 7, they''d be added to Chelov.


    Of course, these members each had a single invite, which was typically used to bring in the brightest youngsters¡ªyoungsters that would one day be high awakeners themselves.


    Chelov was, in a sense, the tform that spoke to the people that were already powerful figures or would be powerful one day.


    So, articles on Chelov were extremely curated and targetted by the federation.


    By releasing the news about Enigma and the potential dangers, the message was clear.


    The Hunt had begun.


    To this post, almost everyone agreed.


    Because many scientists also confirmed that Enigma''s true age was more than 500 years.


    This was really the one thing that alienated the support she had.


    Even those that knew the true actions of Shadow Guardians¡ªfighting the Order, purging the traitors, and assisting in the war against abyssals were silent.


    500 years old¡­would you really trust someone like that? How the heck was she even alive after so long?


    More importantly, what was her goal?


    For that, there were multiple responses and theories.


    The most famous one was that Enigma was initiator of? Blink.


    Sure, ghost ship sted the sun five centuries ago. But why would an empty spaceshipe here?


    ¡­Unless someone was inside it.


    Who else but Enigma who''s around the same age?


    It takes a long time to build a reputation, but only a moment to destroy it.


    And Enigma''s reputation was destroyed.


    The biggest urred happened in Shadow Guardians.


    There were quite a few of them on Chelov. So, they too learned about the truth.


    And once they did, the trust they had in her was obliterated.


    "Why?"


    "What was she doing for 500 years?"


    "Saving humanity?! Tsk! I really believed you, Lea-Enigma! I was wrong."


    "If not for the scientists, we''d forever be in the dark. She deceived us. Deceived us all!"


    "I know her purpose! She started visiting ruins every month!" An anonymous user imed.


    And that triggered a discussion in the internal chat group of Shadow Guardians.


    "Damn it! She exposed her true face."


    "She''s here for our treasures! Maybe she wants our artifacts!"


    "I still held a trace of hope in my heart! But not anymore! She''s definitely after the deva secrets!"


    "Why didn''t we suspect her before? Her miracle potion should''ve given it away. We were fools for believing her."


    Shadow Guardians wasn''t an organization built on a person but on a belief. A belief to right the wrong. To purge the traitors and fight the Order. To solve the internal problems.


    Now, the problem was their leader. So, they raised their weapons against her and took their stance.


    Setting a precedent, every power in the federation, be it the government, the prime families, the adventure groups, the trade union, the Order, and even the Guardians took a united stance and aimed for a single person.


    Enigma.


    *** *** ***


    A/N: Sorry for the dy.. I''ve been trying to sort this arc, and ended up spending all my time on it.

 Chapter 425 - The Attack

    As every force united to kill Enigma, two of the strongest Shadow Guardians were confronting her.


    Rudolf stood in distance. He didn''t attack Enigma. As a peak level 9 awakener, he was stronger than her. For now.


    But even then, he couldn''t raise his fist against her. Even with closed eyes, he could still remember the day when he went into the high dungeon with his teammates.


    They were caught off guard by an unexpected magic beast. His teammates betrayed and sacrificed him to escape.


    He fought the monster and killed it. But with the injuries he received, he would be joining the create to hell. No potion could save him. No doctor could heal him.


    As he sprawled in a pool of blood, with a minced and broken body, a cold voice sounded in his mind.


    "Do you regret it?"


    He thought he was going to die. Maybe that voice was from Heaven itself. Maybe it was his soul. He didn''t know, but he answered.


    "I regret not dying on the battlefield."


    "Don''t you regret trusting them?"


    "I do. But, maybe this is karma.


    I should''ve killed that corrupt bastard before he leeched off that poor mother. I should''ve killed the Xander young master for raping a girl in the guild. I should''ve stopped the bombings on theoid instead of ying it safe.


    I could''ve saved a lot of lives. I let them die." As he said those words, the wounds on his body split open spilling blood.


    The warm liquid spewed out of his mouth and in the process, jolted him for onest time. With that final jolt, he opened his eyes and stared at the grey sky.


    "And now dying I am. A glorious level 9 awakener losing a life on deste ground like an abandoned dog.


    My body will be eaten by some monsters. My words will be forgotten. My deeds will be a drop in the ocean. Nothing will remain of me in this world.


    I regret living such an insignificant life." In the end, he didn''t know why, but tears streamed down his cheeks.


    At that moment, he heard footsteps and a woman covered in ck clothes appeared in his sight.


    Her eyes were the most beautiful he had ever seen. Shining in red, blue, and yellow, they burned with a fire he had long lost.


    "Then live a better life. A life without regret." She said and snapped her fingers.


    "W-What are yo¡ª" Before he could finish his words, a potion appeared above him and the liquid dropped into his mouth.


    His injuries started to itch and his pain rose by many folds.


    "Argghh!" He couldn''t bear it and almost fainted. But the pain kept him awake and after an hour of torture, he stood up in shock.


    "T-This¡­what the hell?" Touching the ces where injuries used to be, he muttered in wonder.


    Right then, he also sensed a feeling welling up inside him. He could rise from mid-level 9 to high level 9!


    The bottleneck, which would''ve taken a decade loosened.


    Rudolf wanted to yell in ecstasy, but he controlled himself and looked at the woman in front.


    With fear and anticipation, he asked. "What do I need to do?"


    She squinted her eyes. "Kill the traitors. Destroy the Order. Fight the Abyssals."


    "This¡­this is much better than my insignificant life. I will have an impact on this world. I will join!" He said with great enthusiasm.


    Then tapping his forehead, he asked. "What''s the name of the organization?"


    She looked at him in the eye and lightly said the two words that''d be extremely important in the sr system.


    "Shadow Guardians."


    That was a year ago. Things changed so much in a year.


    Rudolf snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Enigma with aplicated gaze.


    Turning against the one that saved him¡­his conscience was being eaten away.


    At the same time, Enigma shed her sword at Xia.


    The sword burst into a blue light and breaking the sonic banner, it reached the woman.


    BOOM!


    Xia used the lightning disk she condensed as a shield. So, when the sword struck the disk, the resultant collision nearly shook the secret realm.


    With them as the center, fifty miles ofnd caved in like it was pressed down.


    The disk was mostly unharmed, except for a few cracks.


    Yet, Xia''s eyes dangerously narrowed as her gaze alternated between the cracks and Enigma.


    "As expected of you¡­if I give you more time, you''ll reach level 9. Your progress is too fast. Even the ones with miracle potions can''tpare with you. Is this your alien technology?" Xia questioned.


    Enigma raised a brow. "Nothing will stop you from believing I am against humans, right?"


    Xia''s face was contorted as she clenched her fists. "I really respect everything you did for humanity. But...you have the power to bring a disaster to humans, even our extinction. That''s why, either you will reveal everything and stay under my supervision for the rest of your life or die."


    Enigma''s eyes turned indifferent. "Because of you, I do question sometimes, are humans really worth saving?"


    "Enough!" Xia roared and condensed a lightning spear.


    "You know you can''t stop me." Enigma shook her head mockingly.


    Far away, Rudolf sighed. Of course, Enigma had a peculiar treasure. She could teleport away from anywhere.


    Even when she faced the Abyss Archduke, her treasure allowed her to escape intact.


    Xia was considerably weaker than the Archduke. There was really no hope in catching Enigma.


    "Are you sure you want to go?" Xia''s lips curled up into a distorted smile and before Enigma could understand what she meant, Xia threw her lightning spear.


    Shuaa!


    The lightning spear painted the secret realm in golden. Every member in the realm looked up and saw a blinding golden light in the sky.


    It was as if the sun had descended.


    The temperature of everything in the hundred-mile radius skyrocketed. Lakes evaporated, trees burnt and metals heated to bright reds.


    The thunderous rumbling drowned all shouts, be it the normal members in the far distance or Blue sh near Enigma.


    This attack was capable of obliterating any existence below level 9. Enigma was no exception.


    But fear was herst response.


    Shaking her head lightly, Enigma was about to teleport.


    But right then, the spear buzzed and changed course.


    It went right at Blue sh.

 Chapter 426 - A Cosmic Map

    "What?!"


    As she tried to teleport, Blue sh suddenly felt the space around her solidify. Her eyes immediately locked onto the cracked ring in Xia''s hand.


    A precious treasure was sacrificed to keep her hindered.


    Blue sh hurried to erect a space barrier, but it only held on for a moment before the lightning spear pierced through the barriers and reached her.


    "¡­Is this it?" As she clenched her fists and closed her eyes, Blue sh realized the expected pain hadn''te.


    Rather, she felt a slipper hand covered in a warm liquid grabbing her hand.


    "E-Enigma!" Opening her eyes, she gasped at the bloody figure half kneeling in front of her.


    The spear pierced right through Enigma''s abdomen. While the injury itself might not seem fatal, the lightning mana from the spear had already begun to havoc in her body.


    But Enigma didn''t care about her injury. She stretched her trembling hand and grabbed Blue sh. With a hum, the space around them began to distort.


    Her eyes were locked with Xia''s. "Unexpectedly, you''d stoop so low."


    "I know you can teleport alone almost instantly, but taking another person dys you, doesn''t it? For you to stay, she''s a needed sacrifice." Xia sneered and threw another lightning spear at her.


    Right then, the space around Enigma and Blue sh started to distort. It was only a short moment, but that was enough for a strong level 9 awakener.


    The ligtning spear was about to strike them again. Blue sh put out a space barrier again and Enigma also clenched her fists, resisting down the spear.


    In the end, they seeded and were about to disappear before the spear struck them.


    But Xia seemed to have expected it and simplyughed. At the same moment, a bright light enveloped Enigma.


    Then Enigma and Blue sh were gone.


    BOOM!


    The lightning spear struck empty ground and shook the secret realm.


    "Hahaha!" Xia nodded like a mad woman. "I got her! I got her!"


    Rudolf walked up from the distance and looked at the ce where Enigma previously stood. A huge crater spanning tens of miles was created.


    If Enigma was really hit by thatst attack, she might have died.


    "Xia, why are you going for the kill? We only agreed to question her." Rudolf red at the crazy woman.


    Xia sneered at him. "I asked her nicely, didn''t I? She answered none of my questions."


    "You simply hate non-humans." Rudolf gritted his teeth.


    His words seemed to have triggerd her as Xia''s breathing ragged and sheughed in madness.


    Tears wetted her cheeks and blood dripped her lips. With disheveled hair and a mad smile, Xia copsed onto the ground as she said in a mix of rage and despair in a voice that caused Rudolf to shiver.


    "Yes! I hate everything that is not human! I hate abyssals! I hate magic beasts! They took everything from me! My brother, my sister, my children, everything rted to me is gone!


    Such abonimations shouldn''t be allowed to exist. Only human race should be allowed to live. Only then will no one experience the grief I did.


    Enigma promised me such a world of peace! But with an alien like herself leading us, how can we be safe?


    ¡­How can we be safe?"


    Rudolf looked at her and felt rage build inside him. He appeared beside her and raised his hand.


    Pa!


    The crisp sound reverberated in the air as Xia clutched her cheeks in shock.


    "Y-You!"


    "Shut up! I don''t understand your thinking. She had her secrets, but perhaps Enigma was really trying to help us."


    "Help?" Xia got up with a mocking smile. "Looks like you are still dillusioned. Come, let me show you something."


    Ignoring his confusing gaze, Xia walked to Enigma''s home a dozen miles away. She broke the security locks and barged in.


    "What are you trying to do?" Rudolf asked again. Xia simply ignored him.


    Then after a few minutes of fiddling, Xia found a trapdoor.


    "T-This!" Rudolf was taken aback, but immediately said. "Anyone will have secrets. Heck, even I have a secret locker to store treasures."


    Xia looked into his eyes and Rudolf somehow lost the strength to continue arguing.


    She knew that he knew. This was Enigma they''re talking about.


    As if confirming his wildest fears, they did find the secret in the secret room.


    A space ship.


    To be precise, a space ship still under construction.


    "¡­Heavens'' Crap!" Rudolf could only gasp before it him.


    Kneeling on the ground, he nced to the side to see Xia in the same state.


    This space shuttle confirmed his deepest fears.


    Enigma was trying to contact her species. Even if she didn''t do it yet, she would be able to do so in the near future.


    For humans, it''d only spell a disaster.


    "S-She..maybe she just wants to go back." Rudolf tried to be optimistic, but humans didn''t have the luxury.


    If another abyssal-like species invaded, they would be extinct.


    That''s why, they had to be cautious. Even to the point of taking extreme measures for the slighest possibilities.


    Even if it wasn''t Enigma''s intention to contact her species, just the capability to do it was enough to regard her as an extreme threat.


    "I¡­I wish it was false." Rudolf inspected the space shuttle and sighed.


    The materials of the space shuttle were all made from the precious metals, and alloys found in the ruins.


    Enigma had a consistent habit. She''d visit the ruins every month.


    She wouldn''t tell anyone what she was doing there. But since they all trusted her, no one pried into her actions.


    But now¡­it was crystal clear what she was upto.


    After entering the space ship, they found there was almost nothing inside. Except a map.


    A cosmic map hologram.


    It was the size of a typical green board used in old time schools.


    At the bottom left corner was a small dot.


    Tapping it read ''Sr System.''


    On the map, three regions intersected at a certain point on the map and that point was also marked.


    Tapping it read. ''Destination.''


    Rudolf closed his eyes and lowered his head.


    Xia patted him on the shoulder. "I will bury her properly."


    Her eyes exuded endless killing intent.


    "She won''t be able to escape."

 Chapter 427 - Dr. Thomas

    Dr. Thomas entered a giant blue rhombus building in the restricted area of the Academy of Sciences.


    It was his private research facility. Funded by the federation, it had all the state-of-the-art technology he needed and more.


    His projects received ample funds and he had the backing every researcher wished for.


    The pupils he received over the years went on to be leading researchers and amassed massive influence, which in turn increased his clout in academia.


    Coupled with his own groundbreaking discoveries over his rtively short career, he was seen as one of the leaders in themunity. Even the federation took his opinions seriously.


    As such, no one would''ve expected that this was a man who was living many science students'' dream life was worse than a psychopath.


    He hated his own race. And wished for it to burn.


    Why?


    Why would a man be so bitter and resentful of his own kind?


    Was he born this way?


    No. He too wished for a normal life. A loving family, a sessful career, and a hopeful future.


    He was heavily influenced by the ideals of justice and equality.


    And then it happened.


    His parents, two working civilians in a corporatepany became ''coterals''.


    Were they sacrificed due to abyssals? No. Magic beasts. No!


    Two young masters of prominent families apparently lost their tempers and fought it out in the middle of a city.


    The result was hundreds of casualties.


    In them were his parents.


    His world nearly copsed that day, if not for the ideals he still believed.


    Using all the inheritance money he had, and went to the courts. The young masters did get punished.


    The jail term of 10 years.


    ¡­motherfucking 10 years?!


    They took hundreds of lives and were punished for 10 years? Was that it? Was that all their lives amounted to?


    Where was Justice? Where was Equality?


    Having grown as a sheltered child until then, the incident really broke all his shells and possibly his mind.


    ''Justice and Equality are illusions by the strong to enve the weak.'' Was his realization.


    Every court case which treated high rankers differently from mid rankers and mid rankers from low rankers only strengthened his belief.


    The world was unfair. Your treatment only depended on the level of your divine path.


    It didn''t matter if youmitted a crime. It didn''t matter if lives were lost and families were destroyed.


    Except for the victims'' families, no one, absolutely no one gave a fuck about the injustice.


    Forget high awakeners and powerful people, even fellowmoners, the fellow middle ss didn''t give them another nce.


    They went on with their daily work. For it didn''t happen to them, they acted as if it was never gonna be their problem.


    Those apathetic eyes¡ªselfish, uncaring, and indifferent really hit him hard.


    Every day, at least a hundred civilians werebeled as casualties across the federation because of some powerful awakeners'' dispute.


    36,500 people per year.


    Nearly 1 million people died after his parents for the same reason.


    Of course, Thomas never cried since that day. He made it his goal to make the world cry.


    He wanted it to burn. And he''d watch it with a smile on his face.


    Watching the selfish and crude humans feel helpless like the victims they ignored.


    And that''s why he devoted all his being to his goal. He knew he had no talent for being a warrior.


    So, he joined the academy of sciences, grew his clout, and climbed thedder step by step.


    After decades of dedication, his hard work finally seemed to yield.


    The first step was with the death of Enigma.


    "Ke~keke. Is her death really that helpful?" Thomas chuckled and asked the hologram projecting from a red sphere, the alpha orb.


    The Abyssal in the hologram nodded with a pleased expression. "She is a big obstacle. Perhaps the only obstacle.


    If not for her, we''d have already conquered the cluster cities and Uranus. Neptune would''ve followed.


    In a year, the human race would''ve gone extinct. It''s a pity she¡­"


    "That bitch!" Thomas pped the desk and growled. "Saving humanity? Trying to be a hero? For these rotten creatures?"


    Then he covered his face. "He¡­Hehehe¡­Kekeke."


    Creepyughter began to leak from his closed mouth.


    He looked at the abyssal and grinned. "So, that''s why you helped my research, eh. Good, good."


    The method to determine if Enigma was alien was partially assisted by abyssals. If not for them, it''d have taken one more year of research.


    "Did you give them the treasure?" The Archduke asked Thomas with a solemn face.


    Thomas smiled widely. "It''s an interesting piece of treasure. Even I''ll need a few days to decod¡ª"


    "Dr. Thomas, did you give the clients the treasure?" The Archduke furrowed his brows and repeated.


    Thomas waved his hands in a generous manner. "Of course, I did. I even told them the truth about Enigma''s age. I also added that she might be trying tomunicate with her race, cause why not?"


    "¡­She can''tmunicate." The archduke muttered.


    "Huh?" Thomas raised a brow.


    "Never mind." The abyssal shook his head and changed the topic. "How is your next invention?"


    Thomas'' eyes brightened. "It''s done. With this used by the military, the fun will only begin."


    "Haha! Good! If you need assistance, don''t hesitate to contact us." The Abyssal said and ended the call.


    "Assistance, eh." Thomas shook his head with a mocking smile. "You guys are cowards. You had the power to destroy humans, but you backed out since the price is too high. Tsk. Tsk. Without some sacrifice, how will the world know pain?"


    Speaking of pain, his eyes brightened.


    "I wonder how Enigma reacts to her fate. He¡­Kekeke."


    At the same time as his creepyughter resounded in theb, Xia was focusing on her special bracelet.


    On a hologram attached to it, the earth was shown along with a fast-moving redpoint.


    "Enigma, you''re done.." Xia took Rudolf and chased Enigma.

 Chapter 428 - A Desperate Situation

    Under the ocean, two figures appeared.


    An intricate space armor covered them, bouncing off both the pressure and water under the ocean.


    Yet, Blue sh''s eyes were filled with worry. Her grip on Enigma hadn''t loosened. In fact, she carefully wrapped her arm around Enigma and let her head rest on her shoulder.


    Enigma pretended that she wasn''t heavily injured in front of Xia and Rudolf. But in reality, she was in a dire condition.


    Blue sh looked at Enigma and hurriedly whispered. "E-Enigma, Enigma!"


    "H-Huh?" Enigma raised her head weakly.


    A huge cut ran through Enigma''s ck dress, from her left leg right up to her right shoulder.


    Blue sh could feel the blood in Enigma''s body threatening to spill out of this huge and deadly cut. So, she was forcibly using her space power to keep it in.


    Still, physical injury was the least of worries. The lightning mana wreaking havoc in her body needed at least an hour of uninterrupted treatment.


    In fact, the fact that she survived after taking a peak level 9 attack nearly head-on was nothing short of a miracle.


    Blue sh knew this. And that''s why¡­


    "Enigma, get yourself together! We''ll escape soon."


    "T-They put a tracker on me," Enigma muttered, each word causing blood to stain her face mask.


    The tri-color eyes that were always bright were now dim. Yet, the resolution in them hadn''t wavered.


    "Escape by yourself. And take care o¡ª"


    "No! I''m not leaving you behind." Blue sh said and her space power vibrated.


    The next moment, she and Enigma were a thousand miles away, right in the middle of a desert.


    Blue sh didn''t feel safe. On the contrary, she felt like someone was after them.


    As a high awakener, she believed her instincts.


    So, without any hesitation, she teleported them a few thousand miles away again.


    A moment after she disappeared, lightning descended from the sky and two people appeared.


    Xia and Rudolf immediately felt the aura in the surroundings.


    "Almost there!" Xia gritted her teeth and checked the tracker.


    During thest moment she attacked Enigma, she also sent this tracker to her.


    Usually, it was obvious that Enigma would''ve felt the tracker and blocked it off. But this one wasn''t dangerous to her life, so her instincts remainedrgely calm.


    And the tracker itself was stealthy.


    So, it sessfully entrenched itself in Enigma and sent them her location every second.


    "Zon forest!" Xia said after another check and the duo''s figures disappeared in the next moment.


    They crossed hundreds of miles and reached an evergreen forest. Like all other previous areas, this too was deserted. And it too exuded two auras.


    "Argh! Speed up!" Xia growled and at their full speed, they followed the tracker.


    In a few minutes, Blue sh and Enigma had gone around the earth at least dozen times.


    As she was a space awakener, Blue sh had an edge. That said, another primary reason was that the tracker was still adjusting itself. Soon, it wouldn''t begging anymore.


    "Enigma, can you remove the tracker?" Blue sh asked hopefully.


    She shook her head. "If I try, it''ll kill me."


    "¡­heavens." Blue sh sighed in despair. The feeling in the back of her mind intensified.


    She could feel it.


    They were after them. Hunting them.


    She must escape with Enigma.


    But how?


    Even though she''s also level 9, Blue sh was weaker than them. If she was anything other than a space awakener, they''d have already been caught.


    But even then, all her actions only meant dy.


    Blue sh held Enigma and kept teleporting while trying to think of a countermeasure.


    She looked at Enigma who was on the verge of losing consciousness and her heart sank.


    The situation was too desperate.


    There were some people she could contact, but could they be trusted?


    She didn''t know. But she didn''t dare to bet.


    If they tried to kill Enigma, she''d be totally helpless.


    "Is there no way¡­?" As she teleported them to the arctic, Blue sh muttered in despair.


    "Wait! Him!"


    She recalled a person and opened Enigma''sm. Without hesitation, she dialed up.


    As she finished the third teleportation in the fifth second, the call was picked up.


    "Enigma, do you need any help¡­what happened to her?" Dreamer''s worried voice came from the hologram.


    Blue sh yelled. "She''s on the verge of fainting. And we''re being chased. Help us out!"


    Dreamer''s eyes nced at Enigma''s dull eyes for a moment and he sucked in a cold breath.


    Then he nodded. "I''ll be there soon."


    "Wait, ourms are likely ratted out and tracked!" Blue sh said, but he already hung up the call.


    "Fuck!" Blue sh cursed and teleported Enigma again.


    This time, not even half a second passed and the hunters appeared in the arctic.


    "Almost there. Let''s go."


    Buzzz!


    With a sh of golden lightning, they disappeared again.


    With each teleportation, they were actually closer and closer to catching Enigma.


    The tracker also seemed to have finished adjusting, the reports now were more precise than ever.


    *** *** ***


    After the Valos fiasco, Varian was resting at his home. Right during Blue sh''s call from Enigma''sm, the ghost ship took off.


    "Master, if there are traitors around Enigma, they would''ve already given herm''s information to army or Xander family. This conversation might also be tracked." Boo said in a worried voice.


    "Just hack them." Varian dered. "Also, speed up!"


    "Master, they''re both very stronger than you right now. If they get into ghost ship and turn against you..." Boo didn''t continue, but Varian understood what it meant.


    Varian shook his head. "Let''s decide after the situation. Now, fuck up those prying bastards."


    "Yes!"


    *** *** ***


    The military technocrats monitoring Enigma''sm suddenly frowned.


    Someone hacked into their ount and tampered with their servers. Now, they could no longer position her location.


    "Fuck!"


    Right then, Blue sh and Enigma appeared on a deserted mountain.


    Before she could teleport, the space around her solidified and a lightning bolt came from the distance, aiming right at Enigma.


    "Stop!"


    Blue sh yelled and stood in front of Enigma, pouring everything in her to create a huge space shield.


    Boom!


    Kacha!


    But after all, the strength gap was impossible to bridge.


    "Kahhh!" Blue sh half knelt on the ground as she coughed out blood. In fact, blood was flowing from all over her body as lightning arcs appeared on her from time to time.


    Enigma simply copsed on Blue sh.


    "Hahahaha!" With roaringughter, Xia appeared a few hundred meters away.


    She looked at the nearly unconscious Enigma and the heavily injured Blue sh with a sneer.


    "This is where it ends. Humans will never allow another abyssals. Enigma, you''ve outlived your usefulness. Now, it''s time to go."


    Saying so, she raised her hand and a spear condensed in her hand.


    "Hey wait! Question her first." Rudolf put his arm in front of her, unsure if he was trying to protect Enigma or really trying to get information from her.


    Xia narrowed her eyes and pushed Rudolf away with a lightning hand. "Questioning can go to hell. So will our leader."


    Blue sh held Enigma and red at Xia stubbornly. "You''ll regret it!"


    "Stupid threats." Xia cursed and was about to release her attack.


    Right then, she had an ominous premonition and looked up.


    A blue sphere and huge metal scraps appeared a few hundred meters above the ground.


    The sphere touched the metal and in the next instant, a blinding light shed, followed by a huge explosion.


    Xia put on a lightning shield and was about to search for the culprit when she felt a presence in her lightning sense.


    "Stop!"


    She raised her hand and a lightning whipshed at this invisible figure.


    It nimbly avoided the attack and stopped between her and Enigma.


    "Rudolf!" Xia yelled and snapped her fingers. A lightning spear was created behind Enigma and Blue sh.


    "Yes." Rudolf''s figure blurred and he reached the other side in an instant. But he didn''t know if he was doing it consciously, but his speed was slightly lower than normal.


    Right then, a lightning spear stuck their position.


    At the exact moment, he saw the ''presence''.


    The space shuttle''s doors were almost shut when the lightning spear stuck it.


    BOOM!


    The next moment, his fist also connected with the space shuttle and sent it flying.


    There wasn''t even a dent on it and using the momentum from his punch, the space shuttle flew into the sky and escaped.


    "Dreamer!"

 Chapter 429 - Abnormal Reaction

    "Fuck, that really hurt." Varianid in a pool of blood, coughing incessantly.


    A few meters away from him were Blue sh and Enigma, both in another pool of blood. He could hear their breathing, so he sighed in relief.


    After using the spare Ragnarok as a distraction, the ghost shipnded in front of Enigma and Blue sh.


    Varian appeared at the entrance. Of course, he wasn''tpletely defenseless.


    Celestial grade walls were covering him from all sides except his hand, with which he pulled them in.


    In the worst-case scenario that he was attacked, a celestial wall would chop off his hand, but protect him by enclosing him inside them and throwing him back into ghost ship.


    Loss of a limb is painful and despite limb regeneration technology, it''d impact thebat power of most awakeners. For no matter how indistinguishable from the original, was ultimately ''unawakened''.


    They''d have to train that limb again and to bring the new limb to equilibrium with the rest of the body was no easy task.


    Of course, Varian wasn''t too worried. As a nt Morpher, he had an uncanny advantage over other awakeners.


    If he could reach level 7, regenerating perfect limbs without seque was possible.


    Fortunately, the danger didn''t ur. At least notpletely. He pulled in Enigma and Blue sh inside the encirclement of celestial walls and withdrew his hand.


    Then the lightning spear stuck and the white-haired man''s punch stuck the celestial wall at the veryst moment, right before it waspletely closed.


    Only a part of the attack actually reached them and Blue sh took most of it.


    Varian only had to bear a fraction of what she bore, yet his organs were severely damaged.


    Thankfully, the ghost ship took off.


    "Haa~ Boo, cough cough, fuck, treatment please." Varian tried to wave his hand but found that he couldn''t lift it.


    "Congrats for not losing an arm, master." Boo greeted in a cheerful voice.


    As robotic hands approached them, a coughing sound was heard.


    "Cough. Cough." Blue sh weakly raised her head and looked at him. The mask was still on, but Varian used his original voice, so she was bbergasted.


    But she had an important thing to say. "Dreamer, p-promise me to t-take care of Enigma and K-Kyle Dankworth."


    "Uh¡­Huh?!" Varian almost stood up hearing the familiar name. "Wait, who are you to Kyle? Hey, cough cough¡­"


    He ended up coughing blood for taking too much.


    But Blue sh didn''t answer. She couldn''t as she had fainted already.


    "Keeping me in cough, s-suspense, cough¡­" Varian kept coughing blood.


    "Master, do you want to start a blood coughing fountain." Boo rebuked, causing Varian to shut up.


    Soon, he has ced on a soft bed and administered an 8-star healing potion. For his level, it was a luxurious treatment. Since Boo had some rich stock of potions and treasures, it was fine.


    As his injuries healed and the pain faded, Varian felt his powers grow significantly. He did participate in the war briefly, but it gave him a nice overall improvement. This addition was merely icing on the cake, but Varian could feel that he was almost there.


    "How are they?" Varian asked, slowly sitting up.


    Next to him were two small rooms covered with celestial-grade walls. Varian could see the situation inside.


    Enigma and Blue sh were both being healed.


    Enigma''s dress seemed to be a treasure. It repaired itself and if not for having it seen it with his own eyes, he''d have never believed Enigma had a serious injury.


    Next to her was Blue sh who kept twitching and thrashing in the bed.


    Varian recalled herst words and tapped his chin. "Take care of them? Did she think she wouldn''t survive?"


    "Her injuries were way more lethal." Boo manifested in front of him and answered. "I had to use a 9-star potion on her or she would''ve died."


    "Ah! Makes sense." Varian finally nodded.


    9-star healing potions were rare. Blue sh must''ve thought he had no such healing potions due to the manner he rescued them.


    After all, if he was a level 9, he wouldn''t hide behind the wall or be so injured from a fraction of a part of a level 9 attack.


    She had the healing potions in her storage ring, but she was not in a state to operate it.


    Due to the crappy rules of the Trade Union, the non-owner of the storage ring, Dreamer couldn''t open it either.


    Thus, she thought she was going to die in absence of high-quality healing potions.


    However, once she''s gone, Dreamer could ess her storage ring and use the healing potions to save Enigma.


    She knew he''d save Enigma. But she needed an assurance.


    But more likely, she wanted to use the situation to plead with him to take care of Kyle Dankworth.


    Varian thought for a long time and didn''t find anyone rted to Kyle except Maya and his¡­


    "Wait, is this really happening?" Varian got out of his bed and entered the room.


    ording to Boo, they''d take anywhere between thirty minutes to one hour to wake up.


    It was Boo''s doing.


    "Master, you should carefully think what you''ll do with them and how you''ll deal with them," Boo said in a solemn tone.


    Varian nced at the two women and felt a massive headache. Shaking his head, he walked to Enigma.


    Heavens forbid what material her cloth was, but her face was still covered. But Varian discovered something interesting.


    Her tricolor hair turned silvery-white. There was also something strange about her that he couldn''t quite put a finger on.


    Shaking his head, Varian inched closer.


    Then suddenly¡ª


    "H¡­huh?" Varian jolted back as his instincts literally pushed him away from her.


    His thoughts were normal, but his body¡­his adrenaline was fully charged and his aura was in chaos.


    There was an almost irresistible urge in him to move away from her.


    Varian fought the feeling and stepped forward.


    It was like carrying a mountain. His footsteps were incredibly heavy and his shirt was already drenched in sweat.


    Varian''s breath was ragged as he felt a huge weight on his chest. His entire body was revolting against him.


    ''Don''t approach her!'' It conveyed.


    Varian had no idea what was happening, but he stubbornly stepped forward.


    Right then, the urge in his body changed and his aura rioted.


    Zap!


    A lightning spear condensed out of his hand and nearly pierced Enigma, if not for his final intervention.


    "W-What the hell is happening?"


    Varian stepped back, nearly copsing as he muttered in a daze.

 Chapter 430 - Tracked

    "Master!" Boo yelled in worry as Varian slowly walked out of the room.


    Boo immediately shut the entrance. Looking at Varian''s pale face, Boo was increasingly worried.


    "Master, what happened to you? Why did you¡­act like that? Is it some mental attack?"


    Varian slumped on a couch and shook his head. "No. It''s purely physical. It''s like¡­my body, my instincts were acting."


    Closing his eyes, Varian recalled the feeling of revulsion. It reminded him of the dark days he wished to never go back to.


    "Master, let me conduct a full-body scan." Boo didn''t wait for Varian''s approval and did its thing. "Phew. There''s no abnormality."


    Seeing Boo sigh in relief, Varian didn''t know whether tough or cry. "I just had some abnormal reaction."


    "Your body is safe and since you said your mind is also safe, you didn''t receive any damage," Boo stated. "Then we can think of countermeasures."


    Varian nodded.


    He was interested in this ''abnormal'' reaction of his body. But more important than that was solving the current mess.


    Varian looked at Enigma through the special ss window and was at a loss for words.


    Betrayal. Near-death. Rescue.


    ''I wonder if she can take it.'' Varian pitied her and turned to Boo. "Are theirms taken care of?"


    "Yep. No one can track u¡ª"


    Boom!


    Boo''s assurance didn''t end and the ghost ship shook violently.


    Varian turned on the monitoring and gasped.


    Ghostship already left earth and was wandering in the region between moon andoids.


    They avoided the patrol routes.


    Yet¡­


    Almost 100 patrol ships wereing from them.


    The attack just now as the st of a fire lotus condensed by a level 8 awakener.


    And in less than a second, dozens of such attacks¡ªfire lotuses, ice thorns, lightning bolts, and earth hammers were created.


    "Gulp." Varian swallowed his saliva and yelled. "Boo!"


    "Going!"


    Ghostship sped up in an instant and left behind the patrol shuttles.


    The location they were previously at was now a blend of fireworks as even space shook violently.


    "Son of a ¡­" Varian exhaled and gazed at Boo. "You were saying something about not being tracked."


    "Ah? Did I? Must be my system error. Ahahaha." Booughed awkwardly.


    "Expand your radar and watch out," Varian instructed.


    Having left behind the patrol shuttles due to its superior speed, Ghostship won a few minutes of peace.


    Until a group of patrol ships a dozen thousand miles away from them suddenly started rushing towards them.


    Varian wanted to flip the table.


    "There''s no way these guys aren''t tracking us."


    Ghostship was known for its stealth. There''s no way current human technology had any chance of detecting them.


    That meant¡­Varian turned to the healing room and his face showed a troubled expression. "One of these has a tracker which escaped your full body scan, Boo."


    Boo was silent for a few seconds before replying. "Could also be treasure, master."


    "Hm."


    "Maybe we can put Blue sh on an asteroid and check if the tracker is on her?"


    From a purely rational perspective, it was the best choice.


    Since Varian''s goal was saving Enigma and not Blue sh. It was a 50% chance to get rid of the chase.


    Sure, Ghostship was faster than them and wouldn''t be caught.


    But!


    Now, anywhere ghost ship goes, the whole federation would know.


    If nothing was done, then forget about sneaking into secretive areas, ghost ship and by extension, Varian wouldn''t even be able to ''stop'' anywhere. They would have to keep running because once they stop, they''d be caught up.


    A 50% chance to reduce this situation was very tempting.


    If it was before, Varian would''ve thought it through seriously. But after hearing Kyle''s name from her, Varian didn''t consider abandoning her.


    At least not until he confirmed her rtionship with Kyle.


    If it was the same Kyle, then fine, he''d not throw her out.


    If it wasn''t, then¡­


    "Boo, speed up their treatment." Varian rubbed his forehead.


    In the next fifteen minutes, they attracted the attention of space patrol four times.


    Varian was, understandably pissed. This was the first time the Ghost ship''s stealth was utterly useless.


    "Just when I thought Valos'' shit is over, this happened." Varian downed the wine rather furiously as he muttered with an annoyed face.


    Another reason for his annoyance, something he wasn''t willing to delve deeper was his abnormal reaction towards Enigma.


    The fact that he had no control over it pissed him off.


    Despite drinking wine like water, he couldn''t get drunk. To him, it was really equivalent to water, just vored.


    Thankfully, being sober helped him think through a solution.


    "I can use my body and mind powers to restrain those instincts. Though, training for it will be a pain¡­"


    The solution didn''t really help his mood though. He was only temporarily fixing the issue and not solving the underlying problem.


    Even then, he''d probably not have enough time due to Enigma''s issue.


    "These days, I might go on a rampage. Destiny, Fate, or whatever it is, it''s fucking with me." Varian clenched his fist.


    "If destiny is a guy, I''ll really kick him in the balls." He vowed.


    "What if it''s a woman?" Boo titled its head in confusion.


    "Ovaries," Varian replied without hesitation. "Hail Gender Equality."


    "¡­ok." Boo nodded with a strange face and said. "It''s not like destiny is conspiring against you with an evil grin, right? It only happens in old age movies, master."


    Varian fell silent. Boo thought it was because he agreed with its words. The truth was the opposite.


    ''System, are you behind this as well? Enigma, my abnormal reaction and ghost ship''s info leak?''


    [¡­Host, you should stop pushing everything on this system.


    You destroyed your bed while taking a nap, who was responsible?


    Or you keep cursing your junior high principal with beautiful civil words as he made fun of your dream, was it also the system''s n?]


    "Well," Varian scratched his cheek with an embarrassed smile.


    "We can actually forge¡ª"


    [And your wet dreams about¡ª]

 Chapter 431 - Enigma Wakes Up

    [And your wet dreams about¡ª]


    "Wait, wait, wait!" Varian held up his hand and immediately said. "Are you prying into my memories?"


    [You were calling her nam¡ª]


    "Stop!" Varian was on his feet and took a fighting stance. "Come out if you dare! I''m gonna beat you up."


    [¡­Come find the system if you dare.]


    "¡­." Varian decisively gave up and sat back on the couch.


    Find the system? Find it where?


    He didn''t even understand what really the system was and how it existed.


    But Varian was unwilling to admit defeat. So, he lowered his head and clutched his forehead.


    "Living with this shameless system, I''m getting some of your bad habits."


    [¡­.]


    "You''re admitting you''ve been a bad influence on me, right?" Varian smirked. "Alright, alright."


    [Host, this system wonders if you''re being a bit too happy. Sorting out Enigma''s issue, if it''s even possible to sort out should give you enough headache.]


    Varian''s face twitched.


    He thought of the public rallies, the government decision, and army support against Enigma. Now, even her own people betrayed her.


    It''s literally the whole world against her. They were hell-bent on killing her.


    Now, what the fuck could he, a single person do?


    If it was something like convincing Shadow Guardians that their leader was not evil, it was a normal difficulty.


    But this...this was worse than hell mode.


    "I really suspect it''s your doing. You''re raising the stakes every time. Though my power is growing fast, the danger is also rising." Varian sighed.


    [Host, without system, Valos would''ve happened a yearter, and then, no one would''ve stopped the destruction of cluster cities and Irene Nial''s death. Uranus would''ve been defeated swiftly and Neptune would also eventually fall.


    You''re only seeing the downside of things, but the elevated risk is helping you solve crucial problems.


    Yet, you cursed the system forughing at the situation in Valos. You were also very angry despite the system assuring you that you could do something about the situation. So, this System will make a silent protest.]


    System''s cold voice softened and seemed to be aimed at getting pity.


    Varian recalled his words back then and felt embarrassed.


    He was really harsh back then. In his opinion, Systemughed when the lives of billions of humans were threatened. It was such a sadistic move that he was furious.


    But in hindsight, the System likely knew that the Sequoia nt army was fake. And that the full-scale war could be prevented. It even gave him a few hints that war wasn''t inevitable, but he was too emotionally invested in the situation to consider them.


    "¡­I''m sorry about it. I was really worried what war could do then."


    [¡­.] The System really went into silent mode, but Varian always felt that it was rather satisfied with his apology.


    "Master!"


    Right then, Boo''s excited voice came from a direction.


    Varian turned towards the healing room and heard Boo''s voice again.


    "They''re waking up."


    Enigma finally woke up and so did Blue sh.


    The first thing they saw was the blue interior of the room they were in. Enigma''s senses were bounced back by the walls.


    Blue sh too realized that her space sense was cut off from the outside and her face turned cold.


    "How are you?" Without any disguise, Varian was standing in front of the ss window as he looked at Enigma.


    Blue sh was angry at his treatment but kept silent.


    Enigma, however, looked at him with cold eyes and said. "She is fine."


    "Pardon?" Varian raised a brow.


    "And me staying here is dangerous for you. I have a tracker on me and I can''t remove it. I''m leaving." Enigma got up from the bed and said.


    Blue sh looked at Varian with aplicated gaze but followed behind her.


    "You aren''t going anywhere." Varian pointed to the closed entrance and said in a tone that allowed no refusal.


    "The whole federation is after you. In this fricking space, and in just thirty minutes, almost five patrol teams chased us to kill you. Imagine if you enter a, aoid, or any space city, you''ll be dead in no time." Varian red at Enigma.


    Enigma red back at him. "Sia is in Earth Ruins. Technology doesn''t function there, so I can''t contact her. But she''s safe."


    Varian narrowed his eyes. "Enigma, I admit the reason I saved you is mainly because of Sia. But that doesn''t mean I will let you go die."


    Enigma clenched her fists and stared at him.


    After full two minutes, she sat back on the bed.


    Looking at him with a not so indifferent gaze, she said. "I can go out at any time. I just want to recuperate. And I''ll repay you for saving me."


    Varian''s lips twitched. Then he looked into her violet eyes and said.


    "For everything you''ve done for Sia, I don''t want you to die."


    His words seemed to have pulled a trigger as Enigma''s gaze turned colder.


    "For everything, she''s done for you and for what you''ve done for her, I want you to die."


    "¡­" Varian decisively ignored her. She was definitely talking about Sarah. That topic was off-limits for now.


    Turning to Blue sh, he asked. "So, who are you to Kyle?"


    Blue sh chuckled. "His one and only."


    "Maya?" Varian examined her and shook his head. "She''s too thin and petite."


    "¡­Am I fat?"


    "Um," Varian looked at Boo for help.


    "Master meant you''re too voluptuous." Instead of helping, Boo destroyed the situation. Thank heavens he wasn''t an inteary diplomat or the sr system would be in chaos.


    "¡­" Varian wished to send Boo to a horror house to scare it, but to his dismay, Boo would probably scare the ghosts in there.


    So, Blue sh and Varian stared at each other in awkward silence.


    "I''m Kyle''s mom." She finally said.


    "¡­Oh." Varian nodded and then his eyes widened. "Wait, what? He has a level 9 mom? Son of a...I''m sorry, I mean, he''s lucky."


    "And his best friend is Dreamer." Blue sh narrowed her eyes. "Who reached level 6 in less than three months."


    Varian waved his hand and ended the topic. "We''ll talk about thister."


    Turning to Enigma, he said.. "Your problem needs to be solved first."

 Chapter 432 - Repulsion To Hybrids

    Varian stared at Enigma behind the wall deeply for a moment and waved his hand.


    "Master!" Boo yelled in horror as the entrance opened. The walls were the only guarantee to Varian''s safety.


    Being open to level 8 and level 9 was too dangerous.


    In the next moment, a terrifying aura rose as Enigma and Blue sh exited the room.


    Enigma locked her aura on Varian, causing him to feel as if a truck was ced on his back.


    "By releasing me, you''re cing yourself in a vulnerable position." Enigma said lightly and increased the aura pressure.


    "Kuh." Varian wiped the sweat off his forehead and breathed heavily. With a confident smile, he said.


    "First, the moment you show any killing intent towards me, I am assured of ending you." Varian lied with a confident face and hurriedly used his authority in ghost ship to mute Boo.


    ''But master, we don''t have any such capability.'' Boo''s words which were supposed to be said out loud were only heard in his mind.


    Varian sighed inwardly. Thankfully, he was quick. Or his bluff would''ve been blown by Boo itself.


    ''Boo, just pretend. Put up an act.'' He urged the stupid ghost.


    ''Acting? Sure!'' Boo cheered and grumbled the next moment. ''I can''t speak.''


    ''Oh, right.'' Varian removed the mute.


    Enigma was staring at Varian who went silent all of a sudden. ''Is he seriously thinking of the next line?'' She wondered.


    Her thoughts were disrupted by a cute voice as a white ghost appeared in front of them.


    Thumping its little chest, it dered.


    "I, the super cute AI, Boo warn you, if you try anything funny, I have the capability to end you a million times before you can touch my master''s hair."


    Blue sh''s gaze alternated between Boo and Varian, who simply turned his head away and covered his face.


    This was supposed to be a warning. But when Boo did it, it had no deterrent effect.


    It was more like a cute little girl or cute little boy warning adults.


    "I see." Enigma nodded at Boo''s words and looked at Varian.


    After she was injured, her tri-color hair had turned into silvery white and her tri-color eyes had turned into violet.


    They were more ''real'' than those fantastical tri-color eyes,


    "I believe your threat." Enigma rolled her eyes. Clearly, she didn''t. If anything, she must beughing inside.


    "Secondly, I trust you." Varian shrugged and reported a better reason.


    "Trust? But you hardly know me." Enigma scoffed. "If you value your life, you shouldn''t trust people easily."


    Saying so, she increased the aura pressure on him, causing his legs to shake.


    Varian stopped holding back and released all his auras. They quickly broke Enigma''s aura lock, causing her to widen her eyes in shock.


    "Y-You!" The expression, if only in her eyes, was priceless.


    Varian smirked. "I do know you want something and are working towards it. I also know that we''re in the middle of space.


    I''m pefectly sure that if you attack me, then this ship will stop and we''ll all get killed by patrol teams.


    And you wouldn''t want that. So, I''ll be safe.


    I trust you in the sense that you''re a rational person who has her own interests."


    Enigma finally exhaled and following Varian''s gesture, sat on a couch. Blue sh sat beside her.


    Varian snapped his fingers and a couch appeared a few meters away from Enigma.


    "Oh, and one more thing." Varian turned to Boo. "Travel in the abyss patrol region. Humans won''te there."


    "That''s actually a good idea." Boo said and ghost ship quickly crossed theoids and entered the abyss sphere of influence.


    Here, only abyss space shuttles patrolled and human ships didn''t enter. So, even if their location was disclosed, humans wouldn''t be able to enter.


    ''I guess that temporarily solves the problem of tracking, eh.'' Varian thougth and walked towards the couch.


    Naturally, the distance between him and Enigma decreased and after a certain point, Varian experienced the repulsive feeling again.


    His body pushed him to move away from her. It''s like his body was pushed away from her. He flinched and stepped back.


    As high awakeners, Enigma and Blue sh immediately found Varian''s abnormal reaction.


    To Blue sh, it appeared like Varian was deliberately stepping away from them.


    "Varian, do you think we''ll harm you?" She said with a disappointed voice.


    Varian pushed the couch a bit farther with his telekic power and sat down with a curious expression.


    He was about to answer Blue sh when he saw Enigma''s shoulders sagging.


    "Enigma, you know what''s happening with me, right?" He asked.


    Enigma raised her head and nodded lightly. Her voice was heavy as she said. "Your body¡­it absolutely repulses hybrids."


    "What?" Varian raised his voice in surprise.


    Then it suddenly hit him like a truck. "All hybrids? You mean Sia too¡­?"


    Enigma nodded stiffly. "Without your knowledge, Sia did approach you a few times. The result was simr."


    Bang!


    "Bullshit!" Varian mmed the couch, sting it to pieces.


    In agitation, he walked towards Enigma, only to experience the same feeling again.


    "Argh!" Varian clenched his fists and closed his eyes. Anger wouldn''t help.


    Calming his emotions, he opened his eyes and went back to a new couch. "Do you know why this happens? And can I solve it?"


    If this condition persisted, even if he united with Sia one day, he wouldn''t even be able to get closer to her.


    But worse than that, he''d be repulsed by her mere presence. And Varian couldn''t bear such thought.


    "It should be¡­beacuse of your specialty." Enigma answered slowly. "And solving it, I think only you''d know."


    Varian fell silent at her words.


    His mom''s wish was ''save Sia''. And his goal was ''meet Sia''.


    Yet obstacle after obstacle kept blocking him. It was as if the world was conspiring against him.


    But Varian was determined to bend the world if necessary.


    "I''ll find a solution for sure." Varian said out loud, but mostly for himself.


    At the same time, he consulted the system which was on a silent protest.


    ''System, why is this happening? How do I solve it? Any answers, clues or even hints?'' He asked in hope.


    [¡­.]


    ''Ah,e on! You''re the best system ever! No one in the sr system, no, in the entire milkway canpare to you.'' Varian started praising his system. His system had an ego.


    So, it worked.


    [Not just in Milkyway, but even in all gxies, the system has no parallel.] It replied with proud robotic voice


    "¡­" Varian wasn''t sure if it was simply bragging or being honest. But it didn''t matter now.


    ''So, about the repulsion¡­''


    [It''s something you can solve, but it really needs your dedication.]


    And then it fell silent.


    ''Hey, give more hints.''


    [¡­.]


    ''Some clues at least?''


    [¡­.]


    Varian rolled his eyes and stopped asking.


    Just knowing that it''s a solvable case put him at ease. Now, all he had to was try and solve the problem.


    But that could be set aside forter, for now¡­


    Varian''s gaze focused on Enigma.


    "Enigma, ther¡ª" His words were interupted by the fierce shaking of the ghost ship followed by a huge sound.


    BOOM!

 Chapter 433 - Once In A Lifetime Meeting

    A truly once in a lifetime meeting was taking ce in the virtual world.


    The Sovereigns all gathered in a wide hall, seated across a crescent table.


    Given the severity of the situation pertaining Enigma, their meeting was expected.


    But what was not normal was the eight holographic figures sitting on the opposite crescent table.


    The arch enemies of the Sovereigns. The rulers of abysses. The abyss kings and queens.


    They had just logged into the virtual world and an angry voice sounded in the hall.


    "Don''t waste my time, mongrels." Julius squinted his eyes at the abyssal rulues. "I got better things to do than talking to you."


    Julius'' archenemy, the Demon King of Earth Abyss, didn''t show any anger. But inwardly, he wished to cut Julius to a million pieces.


    But as always, the mission was more important.


    So, he stomached the disgusting experience and looked at Julius with a smile. "We know what''s happening in the federation. Regarding Enig¡ª"


    "Of course you do, unless you''re fucking blind and fucking deaf." Ares cut in with a sneer. "Old fellow, when are you going to die? Because when you do, I''ll send a million of your kind to apany you to hell."


    "Oh, really?" Thunder King of Neptune, looked at his archenemy with contempt.


    "You worms used up all your luck in saving yourselfst time. Or the cluster cities would''ve gone down." Then he pointed to Irene Nial and grinned with a bloodthirsty smile. "This bitch would''ve been killed and Uranus would''ve been history. Next, it would be your head on my spear and your under my feet."


    Demon Kingughed. "Exactly. What would you have done? In addition to ck pluto day, green neptune day and yellow uranus day? Hahaha!"


    Irene Nial clenched her fists as she red at the Despair Queen. Despair Queen stared back with eyes spouting fire.


    "Pathetic humans. Just got lucky, or we would''ve¡ª" Thunder King was interrupted rudely by an arrogant and angry voice.


    "Would''ve. Would''ve. Would''ve. Can''t see why you''re so happy." Julius shook his head.


    "Pfft."


    "Hahaha."


    "Delusional much."


    "All your resources, all your time and all your efforts went down the gutter."


    The Sovereignsughed this time and abyssals turned silent


    Indeed. Their n, no matter how grand, ultimately reaped no benefits.


    All thaks to a few people.


    ''Dreamer.'' Despair Queen narrowed her eyes as thick killing intent shed in her eyes.


    Not only her, the remaining abyss rulers also had a strong desire to kill him. Based on the footage they recieved, Dreamer was heavily involved.


    The Sovereigns didn''t know the truth and were calm. Not them. They just wished to torture him alive.


    But despite their rage, they had to ''follow'' the Emperor''s order and end Enigma.


    "Ahem." Sin King of Mercury coughed lightly, catching the attention of both humans and abyssals.


    "We can taunt each otherter. We''re here for a mutually beneficial purpose."


    "Oh?" Irene Nial raised her brow. The other Sovereigns also paid attention. After all, Sin King was the oldest guy in the room, just like his archenemy Albert.


    "You want to hunt Enigma too?" Albert asked directly.


    "Haha. Yes." Sin King admitted. "My reports say you found a method to track her and she escaped from earth. If she ventures to our areas, we want to end her. So, share the tracker."


    "What makes you think we will?" Ares raised his voice.


    Albert nced at him and shook his head. "If Enigma could call her own race, then we''ll have a third race in the sr system. Be it abyssals or humans, we both don''t want a third party here."


    Saying so, he nced at Sin King. "Is that it?"


    "Yeah. You''re sly as always." Sin King smiled, but his eyes were filled with killing intent. Both of them were waiting for the other party to die out of old age.


    Julius clicked his tongue and said. "If not for Dreamer, her corpse would be buried aleady."


    Demon Kingughed at his archenemy. "Nah. You''d have taken her corpse tob. You sick bastard."


    His words caused everyone to turn towards him.


    Julis continued nonchntly. "Anyway, I agree with the proposal. She''s a mutual threat. Kill her before she does anything catastrophic."


    Albert nodded and said. "Now then, votes."


    The Sovereigns voted favorably.


    Except Irene.


    She abstained from voting, which here, tranted to opposing.


    "Why?" Ares asked with a hardened expression.


    Irene Nial fell silent for a moment before shaking her head. "Dreamer¡­he hasn''t been against humanity since his frist action. He saved her now. Maybe there''s a good reason behind it."


    "Pffft. He''s also likely an alien. Helping fellow species." Despair Queen chuckled.


    Irene Nial clenched her fists, but didn''t respond immediately. Taking her time, she answered. "I saw him. He''s a human."


    "Don''t know. Don''t care." Julius stood up from his seat. "Our defense ministry already gave the tracking software to every department.


    Giving to abyssals won''t sh with our options. So, yeah, get her corpse to me though.


    Abyssals, wish you hell." Julius disappeared from the meeting hall.


    Shortly after, his counterpart also left. Then swiftly, only Irene Nial was left.


    Her views contradicted both her ally and her enemy.


    "Dreamer¡­" She muttered with aplicated expression.


    *** *** ***


    The exact moment the meeting was finished, Ghostship lightly collided with a huge earth sphere.


    "W-What?" Blue sh blinked her eyes and looked into the distance.


    Suddenly, her eyes widened and her face paled. Enigma looked into the distance and took a short breath.


    Varian too checked it out.


    In the distance, an abyssal emerged. His aura was exploding like a volcano and it was one of the strongest Varian had ever seen.


    The man waved his hand and conjured an earth spearden with deadly spikes.


    With no hesitation, he urately marked the scrambling ghost ship and shot at it.


    Varian yelled. "Boo, run! Esacpe!"


    And escape it did as gigantic earthen spheres, spears and weapons continued to attack them from behind.


    "Oh boy," Varian shook his head. "Looks like they''re sharing the tracker. Now, we can go neither to human side nor abyss side."


    The realization slowly set in and he nkly stared into space.


    "Maybe we''re fucked up."

 Chapter 434 - Archduke Chase

    Boom! Boom!


    The asteroids moving around in space were sted into pieces as a multitude of earthen weapons pierced through them and went after a spaceship.


    The weapons ranged from finger-sized nails to mountain-sized spiky spheres. Regardless of their size, they traveled at a speed many times higher than the speed of sound.


    Their target, however, was even faster.


    To a normal human, it''d appear as if ghost ship was appearing and disappearing as if it was teleporting. Even when it appeared, it''d leave plenty of afterimages.


    "Worms!"


    A voice filled with aura and rage reverberated across the space as a burly abyssal chased after the ghost ship.


    He was standing on a smooth stone resembling a skateboard and moved at incredible speed.


    He couldn''t ''see'' anything nor could his earth sense perceive the enemy. But thankfully, the tracker revealed their location.


    The abyssal had three marks on his forehead, indicating his strength. Level 9.


    But he wasn''t just any level 9.


    With a snort, his body turned into an earthen state and his speed elerated greatly. If one were to touch his hand, instead of flesh and bones, they''d only feel rock and soil.


    It was a special state essed by elementalists after reaching level 7. In this state, it amplified their strength in all directions.


    So, the originally widening distance between ghostship and him shrank. In a minute, he''d be able to catch up.


    "Run? How long can you run?" With a sneer, his figure elerated further and soon, he could sense a presence in his earth sense.


    "Gotcha!" He raised his hand and clenched his fist.


    A tough ck spherical rock enclosed the ghost ship.


    Kacha!


    The rock was broken apart in an instant and the ghost ship didn''t even slow down.


    "What the¡­?"


    The abyssal opened his mouth in shock.


    "What the¡­?"


    Just like him, but for a different reason, Varian also opened his mouth in shock.


    "They''re sending an abyss archduke against you. Just how much hatred do they have against you?" Varian asked Enigma with a curious face.


    "¡­" Enigma took a deep breath and didn''t answer.


    Blue sh answered in her stead. "In the beginning, we had quite a few conflicts with abyssals. But it only escted after the holy altar destruction."


    Varian raised a brow. Enigma did gain fame after the incident. To be precise, infamy as the leader of Shadow Order.


    "Sending an archduke is still too much¡­" Varian shook his head and nced at the security holograms.


    The archduke was still following them, but his speed had considerably slowed down. His body also alternated between the normal state and earthen state.


    "They''re doing it for the same reason as humans, I think," Enigma said lightly. "To wipe out variables."


    "It''s toote for asking, but can you do something about the tracker?" Varian rubbed his forehead and asked.


    "If I try to destroy or remove it, it''d explode, killing me and¡­destroying everything in a hundred miles radius."


    Varian was taken aback. "How about suppressing it?"


    Enigma fell silent for a moment before closing her eyes. Then her aura exploded for a split second before being directed inward.


    Her body shook fiercely and her ck face mask was stained red as blood dripped out of her mouth and nose.


    Enigma clenched her fists and with a suppressed groan, pressed the aura inward.


    *** *** ***


    "Huh?" The archduke gawked at the hologram floating in front of him.


    Enigma''s position suddenly disappeared.


    "How?"


    As if on cue, the ghost ship elerated and left the range of his earth sense. Now, he could no longer locate or attack her.


    "Arghhh!"


    *** *** ***


    "Haa~ Haa~" Opening her eyes, Enigma''s chest heaved up and down as she gripped the couch.


    Blue sh looked at her worriedly, while Varian was introduced to a new Enigma.


    Enigma wasn''t as invulnerable as she seemed. Perhaps, the way she appeared in front of others that way was to maintain the image of a strong leader. Who knew how many hardships she had to endure.


    "I-I''m fine." Enigma wiped away the blood and said in a low, but firm tone.


    "Master! The abyssal has taken the wrong path." Boo eximed.


    Varian looked at Enigma in surprise and she shook her head. "I am only keeping it forcibly suppressed. The best I can do is a few minutes before it reveals the position again."


    "Can you keep repeating it?" Varian asked.


    Blue sh red at him and wanted to rebuke him. But in the end, she didn''t.


    Even if she''d suffer for suppressing the tracker, it''s the only way to keep her safe.


    "I c-can''t." Enigma shook her head. "It takes up too much of my aura. Maybe after two or three hours, if I don''t do anything else."


    Varian fell silent for a moment before turning to the floating white ghost. "Any help?"


    Boo rubbed its chin and looked at Enigma. "I need to conduct a full-body test. So, please don''t use aura to block my scan."


    Enigma nodded and a blue light scan Enigma from head to toe.


    After a few seconds, Boo said. "I can''t do anything about the treasure itself, but I can dy the signal lightly. It won''t be of much use though, only a few seconds difference."


    "How few?"


    "Depends. The closer we''re to civilization, the fewer. If we''re on a oroid, I can barely do anything." Boo said helplessly.


    Even though Varian was disappointed, he nodded. "Do it. Something''s better than nothing."


    "Well, at least we won''t be attacked by archdukes." Blue sh said. A few seconds difference coupled with Boo''s speed meant they wouldn''t be caught. Provided they never stopped moving and provided no abyss kings were involved.


    Enigma suddenly stood up and said in a shaky voice. "I-I need to rest."


    Her body continued to tremble fiercely and her aura was growing weaker.


    With each step she took towards the room, she appeared more and more feeble, as if she was about to copse at any moment.


    "What''s happening?" Blue sh supported her and gave her a healing potion.


    "I-It''s alright." Enigma downed a 9-star healing potion and turned to Varian. "You can''t continue this any longer. I can suppress the tracker for two more minutes at most. Find an isted ce and drop me there."


    "You''ll die." Varian spat.


    "If I''m here, y-you two will die." Enigma red at him and despite her quivering voice, she said in an adamant tone. "If A-Abyss Kings interfere, a few s-seconds won''t help."


    "Will Abyss Kings evene?" Varian asked but she stubbornly stared back at him.


    Varian sighed and turned around.


    Given how much abyssals wanted her to die, he wouldn''t be surprised if the abyss rulers joined the hunt.


    If they did, then even with Boo dying the signal, everything would turn dangerous.


    Ghostship wouldn''t be able to escape if imprisoned. Then, sooner orter, they''ll break in and kill them all.


    Varian took a deep breath and calmed his racing heart. This was really the first time he faced such troubles after getting ghostship.


    "There''ll be a way out." He said.


    Enigma shook her head and entered the room, before copsing onto the bed.


    Blue sh sat beside her and tended to her.


    "Master, for suppressing the treasure, she''s bearing terrible pain every second," Boo said worriedly.


    "It''s ten times more painful than getting all bones crushed to powder and she has to bear it every second."


    "Hiss!" Varian sucked in a cold breath. When he looked at Enigma again, he had newfound respect.


    "She shouldn''t die¡­I won''t let her."

 Chapter 435 - Cail Xander And Space Radar

    The senior military officials of Earth convened an emergency meeting.


    High general Evander, who was supposed to attend the meeting backed out at thest minute.


    No one med him though. Steelheart was covering up for Bali''s absence and was incredibly busy.


    Rumors say that he was searching for the theoretical Time Awakeners so that he could get 25 hours a day.


    s, the human race doesn''t seem to have an affinity with that divine path.


    In Evander''s stead, Cail Xander headed the meeting.


    As the brother of the former Xander family head and Sovereign Ceaser Xander, Cail had a lot of authority.


    He had taken a backseat in recent years from the sr politics. Even on earth, he appeared more in academies and training halls and less in barracks.


    Yet, no one could deny his influence. Some experts opine that if not for his active withdrawal, he''d have been the high general of Earth, not Evander.


    This directly contradicted with friends and followers of Evander and the two sides had a lot of verbal spats.


    But the men in question themselves shared a harmonious rtionship.


    That''s why when Evander requested, Cail Xander joined a meeting after nearly three years.


    Seated in the central seat on the stage, he addressed the military officers. His voice, calm yetmanding resounded throughout the hall.


    "For centuries, we have struggled to deal with Shadow Order. The problem wasn''t that they were too strong, but because we couldn''t find them.


    Still, they were only an annoyance until abyssals arrived. And then, the dynamics changed forever.


    Shadow Order emerged as Abyssals'' proxy against humans. It undermined the federation''s security, impeded our development, and destroyed internal peace.


    Now, we''re taking the first step toplete eradication of Shadow Order."


    His words caused everyone in the hall to straighten their backs and perk their ears.


    Cail Xander snapped his fingers and said. "This is thetest creation by the academy of sciences."


    A blue ss column appeared on the stage containing a hexagonal crystal device.


    "Space Radar." An old man appeared on the stage and said in an awe-inspiring tone.


    Everyone recognized the old man. He was the same guy that announced the secret of Enigma''s identity¡ªSamar, Dean of Earth''s Academy of Sciences.


    Samar pointed to the hexagonal device and said. "Space Radar is a breakthrough technology. It can detect spatial fluctuations using the principle of ma¡ª"


    "Whoah, whoah, Dr.Samar." Cail Xander patted him and smiled politely. "Cut them some ck. Just list the uses. They''ll study the restter."


    Samar nodded reluctantly and announced.


    "In short, it can detect secret realms."


    That one sentence was like a boulder thrown into ake. The military officers stopped breathing for a second before they all raised their hands.


    Samar shrugged. "I know what you want to ask. It can be mass-manufactured, but it needs space stones."


    The military officers'' expressions dulled as they withdrew their hands. If it can''t be mass-manufactured at an affordable price, it''s of practically no use.


    Using Space stones?


    Heh. Even a kid would know that space stones always had high demand but low supply.


    Recently, the reserves of space stones had decreased yet again. Even several regr space stone sources stated that they were running low on supplies.


    There were many spections and a lot of rumors. There was even a ridiculous rumor that Bali was using those space stones to reach a higher level, presumably Sovereign state.


    Of course, no one was stupid enough to fall for that lie.


    Dual Awakener and Sovereign? Those two don''t mix together.


    With high general Evander personally confirming that Bali was on a ''secret mission'', the rumor lost thest believers.


    The rumors subsided, but the space stone shortage persisted.


    That''s why the so-called ''Space Radar'' was quickly branded as a disappointment by the officers.


    "Hey, don''t judge it yet!" Samar growled, hurt that such a masterpiece wasn''t given due respect.


    "This is only the first generation product. After a few more advancements, it''ll be economically viable.


    In three-five years, we''ll have space radars patrolling through every corner of the sr system, at least in our patrol region.


    That''d also be the death date of Shadow Order. Comrades, you''re witnessing the making of history." Samar spread his arms and said with so much passion that his eyes were almost glowing.


    The officers'' moods finally brightened up. They were also looking towards a terror-free regime.


    "For the worst affected areas, we will send a few space radars. If you face such a situation from Shadow Order, please contact the academy and we''ll give you the ultimate locator." Samar smiled and walked off the stage.


    Cail Xander announced that the meeting was over and left.


    The officers started an intense discussion as they analyzed the pros and cons of ordering a space radar right now.


    In a private room, Cail Xander fiddled with the hexagonal device and smiled at Samar. "Thanks, Doc."


    "Haha, no worries." Samar waved his hand. "Are you sure Earth''s military doesn''t need it? Maybeary guards can use it, you know?"


    Cail shook his head. "Thanks to Dreamer, Shadow Order of Earth is history. We don''t need it."


    Samar raised a brow. "Then why did your Xander family buy five radars?"


    "What?" Cail was taken aback and immediately asked. "When? Who?"


    "A few minutes ago¡­it''s Sovereign Julius himself," Samar answered with a confused expression.


    Why didn''t Cail know?


    He didn''t have the chance to ask as Cail transformed into a huge panther and vanished.


    A space shuttle quickly set out from the military district and reached the Guardian inds.


    Cail stormed into the main ind and jumped onto the floating guardian pce.


    Despite his breach of conduct, the guards didn''t dare to stop the old man. He was second only to Julius in terms of power.


    So, Cail was standing in front of Julius'' desk in no time, ring at his all-powerful nephew.


    "Hey Uncle, why are you in a hurry?" Julius leaned back in his chair and asked with a smile.

 Chapter 436 - Destruction Of Shadow Guardians [1]

    "Julius, why did you order the space radars?" Cail Xander asked, clenching his fists.


    Sovereign Julius propped his chin on his hand and said with a nonchnt smile. "You know why, my dear uncle."


    Cail Xander nearly yelled with a face seething with rage. "Is it really necessary? She''s gonna die anyway. But they served humanity. Even in the cluster cities, their members yed an important role."


    "There surely are good people in them. Patriotic people even." Julius nodded, causing Cail''s expression to ease.


    "Then why¡­?" The older man titled his head.


    "Because." Julius stood up from his chair and stepped in front of Cail, towering the old man in both size and dominance.


    "There is no guarantee that there isn''t a second alien in there. Actually, there is a second alien there. You know her name, don''t you?" Julius asked with a smile.


    Cail Xander flinched and instinctively stepped back. "Don''t."


    "Oh,e on." Julius looked down into Cail''s eyes. "Aren''t you the one that convinced Kreo to erase memories rted to her? An orphan girl who lost her adopted mom and was living a difficult life.


    Do you remember what you told me when I found what you did? She''s a necessary sacrifice."


    Cail Xander gritted his teeth.


    "There''s still Sia with them. And who knows? Maybe there''s a third, a fourth, or even a hundredth alien with them? To secure our race''s interests, aren''t they ''necessary sacrifices'', dear uncle?" Julius asked with a mocking expression.


    "T-This¡­" Cail was at a loss for words.


    He bent his moral spine once and destroyed the life of an innocent girl, calling her a necessary sacrifice.


    Now, that moral spine was bending again. It''s telling him that it''s better to remove any possibility of risk than be merciful.


    A few hundred lives for 50 billion lives, pretty fair, right?


    Julius shook his head in disdain. "What I loathe the most is people like you, Cail Xander. Your self-righteousness disgusts me. You are a cold-blooded butcher who will do anything for humanity''s interests, but you pretend you''re some saint."


    Cail''s eyes were bloodshot as he stared into his nephew''s eyes with burning rage, but also drowning shame.


    Julius'' eyes glowed with a dangerous light. "I am a cold blooded butcher like you and I admit it. I will protect my race, but I''m neither selfless nor kind. I will also rule my race and take it to greater heights my useless father never could."


    *** *** ***


    "Don''t worry, we''ll get her next time," Rudolf said in a stiff voice as his body blurred and appeared on a mountain top.


    Xia tapped herm and pointed to the tracker hologram, which showed Enigma''s location far away from earth, in the abyss region of influence.


    Gnashing her teeth, she yelled. "She''s far, far away for fuck''s sake. And with Dreamer. Why is he supporting her? Is he also an alien?"


    "¡­" Rudolf responded with silence. He was ufortable since they decided to do this.


    Xia narrowed her eyes. "Don''t think I didn''t notice. You deliberately slowed down back then. Or maybe you could''ve caught her."


    "I didn''t d¡ª" Rudolf wanted to defend, but was cut off by Xia.


    "You know it. So do I. I''ll go for hunting her by myself." Xia said and lightning covered her body.


    The next second, she vanished, appearing only a few hundred miles away.


    Rudolf sighed and followed, only to find that her speed suddenly increased.


    They were already close to the secret realm, so why was she¡­


    "Huh?" Rudolf''s senses found something peculiar and he sped up.


    In a few seconds, he was staring at thousands of soldiers surrounding an empty area.


    Rudolf''s heart sank at the sight. He quickly hid and cautiously stared at the army.


    Right then, hism rang and four messages popped up.


    [Sir, we are surrounded.]


    [There is an attack, Vice-Leader!]


    [They found us!]


    [Don''t approach the bases! We''re exposed.]


    Rudolf nced up and saw Xia''s pale face looking back at him.


    Why?


    Why was this happening?


    Boom!


    A loud explosion snapped him out of his thoughts.


    A couple of space awakeners found the weak spots of the secret realm and broke it open.


    As a result, the secret realm was open to the outside world.


    The soldiers stormed in.


    "It''s an invasion! Escape! Escape!"


    "Prioritize the geniu¡ª"


    Boom!


    The scared voices were quickly drowned under the reverberating sound of explosion.


    A huge fire cloud rose into the air as a level 9 officer attacked the secret realm, burning dozens of miles, killing thousands.


    "You! We''re not Shadow Order! We serve human interests" An old woman appeared in front of the military officer and yelled in rage and desperation.


    "We''re following orders." The officer shook his head and raised his hand, condensing a huge fire lotus.


    "Escape!" The old woman revealed her level 9 and blocked the officer''s attack, buying time for others.


    She was quickly outmatched as did every other level 9 Shadow Guardian.


    The army was simply stronger and had more members for each high level.


    A few level 9s even had to fight three at once and were quickly pushed towards death.


    However, they fought on, hoping their lives could save the juniors.


    But it didn''t matter.


    "Arrgggh!"


    "I''ve never killed an innocent perso-Kehhh"


    "I only fought Shadow Orde¡ªGuhh"


    "I surrender. I surrend¡ª"


    Boom! Shuaa! Kacha!


    The secret realm was a few hundred miles in radius, hosting many facilities and thousands of members.


    A ce of dreams for justice.


    Now, it turned into a hellishndscape.


    Fires lotuses scorched earth for dozens of miles, burning the fleeing shadow guardians to ashes.


    Ice phoenixes froze the young and old alike and broke them to pieces.


    Hundreds of shadow guardians were attacked by telepaths and psychics. Their brains burst and they died on spot.


    Gravity skyrocketed in some ces, crushing people into meat pastes, their blood and flesh sttering on the ground, painting it red.


    Space cracked in other areas, cutting people into pieces like they were sheets of paper.


    Every known divine path was used in the ughter.


    It was hell in making.

 Chapter 437 - Destruction Of Shadow Guardians [2]

    "We helped you!"


    "We killed Shadow Orders''! Dammit!"


    Shua! Shua!


    Pleadings were met with attacks.


    Protests and requests fell on deaf ears. Age didn''t matter. Merits weren''t cared for.


    In a few minutes, the army machine butchered every low and mid awakened. The kill count was in thousands.


    As the corpses or what was left of themid across the secret realm, the realm itself reeked of blood and flesh. But more than those, it reeked of destion and despair.


    The high awakeners that were holding out so that their pupils, juniors, children, and grandchildren could escape had tears in their eyes.


    These men and women that braved their lives and marched straight into the abyss many times copsed on the ground and wailed like children.


    "¡­W-Why?" The old woman held her grandkid, to be precise, what remained of him, a burnt head that still managed to show his fear before death.


    "Why¡­" She felt a lump in her throat and her vision turned blurry. It was like someone knocked the breath out of her chest.


    She prayed to the heavens for it to be her nightmare. Because this couldn''t be true. Yet, the rough touch of his burnt skin, the pungent smell of burnt flesh told her that none of it was fake.


    She looked at the man who fought her and hugged her grandson''s head. "T-This kid lost his parents to Shadow Order. So, I joined the Guardians to avenge him."


    With each word, tears rolled down her cheeks and dripped on her grandson''s burnt face, as if trying to soothe his burn.


    "I only attacked Order. This...This little fellow wanted to join the army and serve his race. So why?" Her eyes turned red as she curled up and wailed.


    "Why do you have to kill him? He has no blood on his hands. He''s just¡­just living here. He has no one but me." She demanded an answer.


    The officer gritted his teeth and turned his gaze away. He was reminded of his own granddaughter.


    Personally, he believed that Shadow Guardians were loyal to the human race and were allies of the army.


    If today didn''t happen, perhaps thedy''s grandson would be studying with his granddaughter, pursuing his dream of serving his people.


    Yet, he erased that future with his own hands. Killed an innocent in the name of justice.


    ''I''m sorry.'' The officer clenched his fists but didn''t say it out loud.


    If he was in charge of this, he would''ve tried to persuade the higher-ups. But the one leading this mission¡­no one in the federation could persuade him.


    "Maybe this is karma. I supported killing Enigma." The old woman started tough bleakly. "But isn''t it a bit too fast?"


    She raised her head and looked at the officer. "Send me to apany him."


    The officer sighed deeply and condensed a fire lotus.


    It took the same mana as every other fire lotus he condensed so far, but for some reason, it was incredibly exhausting.


    It wasn''t a body or mind fatigue, but it''s as if¡­it''s as if his soul was suddenly sucked dry.


    ''May you both rest in peace.'' He prayed and shot her down.


    The old woman hugged her grandson''s head and faced the fire.


    Without any defense, her clothes and skin started to burn. Then her blood and flesh.


    The searing pain didn''t make her scream.


    No.


    The officer still heard her wails. The physical pain meant nothing to her. Her heart was still weeping the loss of her only rtive.


    Even when the fire burnt her bones to ashes, he seemed to hear her sobs.


    He clutched his chest and felt like he just killed his own conscience. She was a casualty. As the strategists called it, a necessary sacrifice for the greater good.


    He knew it from the beginning. From a rational perspective, it was the right thing to do.


    Yet, he also knew that this murder would haunt him more than any other.


    "Arghhh! Die! Die!"


    The officer raised his head and saw a man lost in a rage attacking a soldier.


    The man''s left arm, leg, and even half of his torso were frozen. With each move he had, they broke apart from his body like ss breaking.


    Yet, he continued to fight.


    "Die! You ungrateful bitches!" The man continued his offensive even as his body began to break down.


    "D-Die!" His leg waspletely gone.


    "D¡­D-Die!" His arm broke away.


    "¡­e!" His heart broke apart and he copsed on the ground.


    The officer spread his fire sense and saw simr situations were urring across the secret realm.


    Barring a few, most of the soldiers had ufortable expressions on their faces.


    They didn''t train for this. They were supposed to kill abyssals. Not their own people. Especially not the people who supported them many times.


    Every officer here experienced it one time or another while serving onoids.


    During emergency situations, there''d always be some special adventurers willing to join the army and support them.


    These special adventures, unlike normal adventurers, wouldn''t have records of raiding dungeons or doing tasks.


    For any sufficiently high-ranking officer, it was tantly obvious that they were from Shadow Guardians.


    It was an unwritten agreement. A silent approval. A manifestation of loyalty and patriotism.


    And today,


    "Arghh! I saved your life, Mr.Zep, in the hosk''s crisis and this is how you repay me and my people?" Thest standing Shadow Guardian roared.


    By this point, everyone else regardless of their level was gone.


    Officer Zep gritted his teeth. The sword under his grip trembled fiercely and before he knew it, the de cut into his palm and blood flowed down the cold metal and dripped at the feet of the man below.


    "Do it yourself." Officer Zep closed his eyes and said.


    "Haha! How about you fuck yourself?" The manughed in disdain and spread his arms.


    "Come kill me. I know you''re following orders, but fuck you and whoever''smanding you."


    Kacha!


    A fist broke through the man''s head and exploded it like a watermelon.


    "I don''t like being disrespected." Sovereign Julius shrugged nonchntly.


    The moment he made his entrance, everyone on the scene froze. Their backs stiffened involuntarily and they almost stopped breathing.


    "Did anyone escape?" He asked Officer Zep.


    "No, sir. We kil¡ªneutralized everyone in the secret realm." He replied.


    "This realm is thest one." Julius nodded with a thin smile. "I''m positive we have killed at least a dozen or more aliens.


    He nced at the bloodstained soldiers and pped. "Congrattions, officers, you have done a great service and once again, saved your mothend."


    The soldiers stiffly saluted him.


    "Some guardians are still alive¡­they''re on others,oids, but without their base, they''ll be killed sooner orter. But on earth, there are no more shadow guardians." Sovereign Julius dered and his eyes narrowed. "Except two."


    His figure disappeared the next moment and he appeared in front of the horrified Rudolf and Xia.


    "Sover¡ª"


    "Sir, I¡ª!"


    They couldn''t even finish their sentences before their heads were sted to pieces.


    Neither Rudolf''s physical defense nor Xia''s lightning defense offers any help.


    Julius smiled in satisfaction and ordered.. "Broadcast this on all tforms."

 Chapter 438 - A Discovery

    As the Shadow Guardians were pushed to extinction, Varian, in the disguise of Dreamer was attending an unexpected call.


    "A Sovereign and abyssal ruler meeting began half an hour ago and just ended. Sovereigns shared the tracker with Abyssals. They''reing after you." Sovereign Irene Nial said with a concerned expression.


    The man in white on the golden throne didn''t look surprised though. Given his mask, all she could see was his eyes. And those eyes never fluctuated.


    "Archduke already attacked us," Varian said lightly.


    "Heavens¡­" Irene gasped. She knew that Dreamer wasn''t a Sovereign. So, she was worried. But since he looked fine, she calmed herself down.


    "Just stay safe." She finally said.


    Looking at her genuinely concerned appearance, Varian couldn''t help but say. "Don''t you have any questions about my choice of supporting Enigma?"


    Irene Nial fell silent for a moment before she sighed deeply. "I don''t know much about you. But I can remember clearly your emotional state when you asked me to save the cluster cities.


    Every bit of your anxiety, fear, and tension, I could feel them. So, I trust that your decisions will be in the best interests of humanity.


    So, if you save Enigma, I believe it''s for the greater good."


    Varian fell silent for a moment beforeughing. "Hahaha. I''m d we have someone like you."


    Irene shook her head. "Every Sovereign is only doing what they think is the best. If they had the same experience with you, they''ll likely think the same."


    ''Except Kreo and Julius.'' Dreamer narrowed his eyes.


    "Without Enigma, I couldn''t have saved Valos. To be honest, a lot of her merit goes unnoticed." Varian said, ncing at the silvery-white-haired girl in the room.


    She sat quietly, gazing out into the dark space.


    His words didn''t elicit any response from her, but they did from Irene.


    "¡­I wish I could help." Irene sighed. "The public narrative is set. The media is pedaling the narrative and the public is buying it. The military has even nned an emergency response n in case Enigma''s race invaded the sr system."


    Varian''s lips twitched.


    "The Tracker¡­I heard it''s made by Dr.Thomas, a very famous but low-key scientist. Somehow, he managed to give it to Enigma''s subordinates. Be careful of her subordinates." She said in a worried tone. "And if there''s anything I can help with, don''t hesitate to ask."


    "Sure. I''ll contact you if I need any help." Varian nodded.


    Irene nodded and was about to end the call when Varian suddenly frowned and raised a brow.


    "Sovereign Irene."


    "Yes?"


    "When was the Sovereign meeting convened again? The exact time."


    "05:03 EH."


    "The tracking was shared with abyssals after?" Varian''s expression turned serious.


    "5: 15 EH."


    "¡­Before the meeting started, they didn''t have the sharing, no?"


    "Obviously. And what were these for?"


    Varian took a breath and smiled. "I''ll inform youter. Thanks for the information."


    Irene looked at him in doubt but didn''t choose to ask further. "Take care."


    "You too."


    The call ended and Varian slumped on the couch.


    Blue sh walked out of the ex-prison plus medical room and sat on the opposite couch.


    Without a word, she removed the mask revealing a beautiful and mature face. Now that he looked at her again, her blue eyes and small nose reminded him of Kyle.


    Of course, seeing her blue hair and blue eyes, he wondered if her title caused her to dye her hair or vice versa.


    "How bad is it?" She asked, leaning forward.


    "Is it so obvious?" Varian raised a brow.


    "Your face is screaming ''This is terrible'' and ''I want blood''. It''s kinda obvious." Blue sh answered with a smile.


    "Well, we''re attacked at 5:02 EH. One minute before the meeting started." Varian rubbed his forehead.


    "Did you perhaps make mistake in timezone conversions?"


    "Don''t be kidding. AI doesn''t do such mistakes and for your assurance, I already checked thrice."


    Blue sh''s calm expression copsed instantly and she clenched her fists. "Then¡­"


    "Yep. Abyssals already have the tracker, which is apparently a recent technological breakthrough device. Haha." Varianughed dryly.


    Blue sh couldn''tugh. "So, the one provided the tracker is likely¡­"


    "Abyssals." Varian finished her sentence and added. "They did it under the pretext of a new scientific breakthrough. Since the scientificmunity isn''t dumb, they won''t ept Tracker appearing out of nowhere or without any prior research."


    "So, probably, this scientist knows a bit or two about the Tracker. Of course, the same fucker gave it to the two traitors who attacked Enigma."


    "Traitors¡­" Blue sh''s expression turnedplicated before she finally said. "Yes, traitors."


    "Great." Varian raised his arms. "We now have to deal with humans, abyssals, and an evil scientist?"


    "¡­if we let the public know, then they''ll ease on Enigma, probably.." Blue sh muttered with hopeful eyes.


    Of course, there''d be a public outcry. But¡ª


    "It won''t be enough." Varian shook his head. "They''ll simply kill the scientist and announce that abyssals found that Enigma is an alien earlier than humans and wanted to get rid of her. The public narrative against Enigma won''t change much. If anything, it''ll turn more negative."


    "¡­" Blue sh''s mouth twitched. "Then what do we do? Keep silent?"


    Varian smiled nonchntly and waved his hand.


    Dozens and dozens of holograms started ying.


    Some showed the interaction between ''Dreamer'' and ''Enigma''. Others showed the contribution of Shadow Guardians in fighting off Chaos families and Shadow Order.


    Especially, a certain bald man¡ªSeth and a man with long white hair¡ªRudolf.


    "These are some of the collections I have." Varian waved his hand and they all disappeared.


    "They''ll show how much Shadow Guardians paid for their safety. But it still won''t be enough." He said lightly.


    "Uh-oh." Blue sh nodded, without realizing that she was passive in the conversation.


    "Public operate under emotions, especially mobs." Varian narrowed his eyes. "Fear, the oldest emotion, is driving their stance towards Enigma. We need to take out that fear. If they aren''t scared of Enigma, things will get better."


    "But how do we take away that fear?"


    Varian stood up and grinned.


    "By breaking it down."

 Chapter 439 - I Will Avenge Them

    "Breaking down their fear towards her?" Blue sh parted her lips in confusion and cocked her head to the left. "But how?"


    Varian was about to exin when Boo''s abrupt cry forced him to stop.


    "Master! Shadow! T-They!" Boo rushed to Varian and eximed in a horrified tone.


    The white ghost now had a pale grey face, a sign that it was anxious.


    "First, calm down," Varian said.


    Boo tried, but right then, a slightly weak but cold voice sounded from the distance.


    "Is it about Shadow Guardians?" Enigma was outside the room, leaning against the wall.


    The few minutes of ''suppression'' were over. So, herplexion, well, with her face mask on, he couldn''t see her face, but the brightness in her eyes started to improve. She no longer gave frail vibes.


    But Varian was able to perceive that she hadn''t recoveredpletely.


    "Boo, take rest," Varian said again, signaling with his eyes. He had a feeling that this news was really about Shadow Guardians and that it wasn''t a pleasant one.


    So, he wanted to wait until Enigma recovered before revealing it to her. For one, he was worried about her mental state. And two, if she really went crazy,? then both him and the ghost ship would be coterals.


    Boo was stupid sometimes. In Varian''s opinion, most of the time. But even Boo acted cleverly sometimes. This was such a time. Boo understood Varian''s signal and was about to slip away.


    But Enigma appeared in front of Boo the next moment and repeated her question with clenched teeth. "Is it about Shadow Guardians?"


    Varian saw the stubbornness in Enigma''s violet eyes and sighed inwardly. As a stubborn person himself, he knew she was not going to back down without an answer.


    Boo looked at him for help and Varian nodded reluctantly. But he also made a sign to an insider sign to Boo.


    It meant ''Safety''.


    To Enigma''s surprise, Boo didn''t convey the news first but enclosed her in some strange red walls.


    "This is the precondition," Boo said. Enigma acquiesced.


    Varian raised a brow. Those were grade 9 walls. He was about to ask why, but the holograms that Boo yed next gave the answer.


    A huge hologram showed a hellish scene of a secret realm.


    Not a single building was intact. The best one could find was a wall or two. There were no mountains either¡ªthey were all ttened. The rivers dried up.


    Butpared to the rest, it could only be called mild.


    Thend was scorched, mes engulfed many areas and in some, hot redva flowed, erasing the corpses, or rather, skeletons that survived the fires.


    Contrasting the mes was the frozenndscape. Children, teenagers, young and old men, and women were seen trying to escape. Their faces¡ªwide eyes, paleplexion and gritted teeth perfectly encapsted their helplessness and their fear. Every one of them was all covered by a thin, yet shinyyer of blue ice.


    They didn''t move. They didn''t blink. They didn''t say a word. They were all frozen and already dead.


    The next highlight was the huge craters ranging from a few meters to a few dozen miles were spread across the secret realm.


    The secret realm itself was dyed red and white. The semi-solid substances of same color could be seen everywhere. They weren''t any substances though. They were corpses or to be precise, what remained of those corpses after they were crushed under heavy gravity.


    And littered all over the secret realm were body parts. Severed heads, broken spines, cleaved torsos, and sliced limbs.


    The next sight was less gore, but more disturbing. A few hundred people of all ages were sprawled on the ground. Their eyes were still open. Their bodies were still intact. Yet, their eyes were devoid of any light.


    Those eyes...they seemed to be asking Enigma. ''Why didn''t you save us?''


    The news anchor announced. "The terrorist organization ispletely destroyed¡ªnot a single of its four bases on Earth was spared."


    The holograms shifted and showed three more secret realms with simr footage.


    The anchor narrowed his eyes and said in a righteous tone. "The army has risked their lives to end these radical people. Dear earthlings and brothers and sisters living elsewhere, we humans have taken the first step in ending terrorism.


    We will uproot them to the core. We''ve checked the DNA of these terrorists and locked down everyone rted to them.


    They''d spend their lives in prison and peace will prevail.


    Ladies and gentlemen, I announce with pride that Shadow Guardians, the sister organization of Shadow Order is no mor¡ª"


    Bam!


    With a loud bang, the hologram was forcibly twisted apart and dissolved.


    Enigma lowered her head and stood with clenched fists. Her silvery-white hair covered her eyes and in the utter silence of ghost ship, only her ragged breathing was heard.


    Blue sh''s gaze was still stuck at the hologram or where it used to be.


    Varian, however, wordlessly stared at Enigma in the enclosed room. His mind ran faster than light as it tried to think of the counter-measures if Enigma went berserk.


    Ta! Ta! Ta!


    The sound of liquid sshing on the ground was distinctly clear in the silent room. Even more to Varian''s keen senses.


    Spotting the water drops at Enigma''s feet and opened his mouth in shock. He looked up, but her eyes were still covered by her hair.


    But he could see the side of her cheeks. It was still covered by her mask, but it was clearly wet.


    "Enigma." Varian lowered his head and muttered.


    "¡­Let me out." A small but cold voice sounded.


    Boo said in a worried tone. "Enigma, calm down first."


    In fact, it tightened the door of the temporary room Enigma was in.


    "LET ME OUT!" Thick killing intent exploded out of her and a heavy pressure descended on everyone.


    If not for her being confined, Varian wasn''t sure if he could face her killing intent.


    "Enigma, I know you want revenge, but let''s think through this." Blue sh persuaded with a tear-stricken face.


    The destruction of Shadow Guardians hit her as hard, if not harder. Precisely for that reason, she understood how Enigma was feeling.


    And that''s why¡­


    "Calm down! Going back now is too dangerous! They can track and kill you!" She tried to persuade.


    "Enigma, I can hack and find the culprits. You''ll get your revenge, but not now. So, please calm down." Boo also persuaded.


    "NO!" Enigma raised her head, her hair slipped back and her tri-color eyes glowed with a dangerous glint.


    Boo stared right into Enigma''s eyes without relenting.


    Enigma clenched her fists and the space around her started to fluctuate.


    Boo looked at the worried Varian and assured. "Master, there''s an anti-teleportation seal inside. She can''t teleport out of¡ª"


    "Cough. Cough. Cough."


    Boo turned to its left and saw Enigma outside the room, covering her mouth and coughing out blood.


    "Y-You!" Boo was dumbfounded. How did she break the restrictions? Sure, she seemed to have paid a price for teleporting out, but even that was shocking.


    "I-I''m going to kill every one of them." Enigma didn''t care about Boo''s surprise and dered.


    As she was out, Varian could clearly feel the heavy killing intent in the air. Despite being a level 6, he had difficulty breathing.


    "Terrorists? They? Hahaha!" Enigma''s voice wasced with rage and sorrow. She was indeed betrayed. But only a few people were involved. The majority were innocent.


    She knew Shadow Guardians like no other.


    She knew of the people who worked to deliver justice where thew couldn''t reach. Of Men and women who risked their own lives to do what was right. Of Brave souls who marched into the hearts of enemy''s army just so that they could support their own people.


    Of children who aspired to be a light in this dark and cruel world. Of old people who dedicated their lives to building a better world for the younger generation. Of geniuses who abandoned luxuries that the light had to offer and lived in darkness.


    She knew them all and more. She knew their stories, their smiles, their aspirations.


    And¡­she led their cause.


    Bit by bit, each of these memories blended into a raging fire that flowed in her veins and set her heart on fire.


    To quell that fire, she needs to spill a river of blood.


    "I will avenge them."

 Chapter 440 - Persuasion

    Varian didn''t have the time to think about how Enigma was able to teleport out of the room. Perhaps in the corner of his mind, he did know that it was her uniqueness.


    But as he stared into her deadpan eyes that were hell-bent on endless ughter, he prioritized stopping her above everything else.


    "Enigma." Varian walked to her, just to the point where the repulsion didn''t act out.


    Enigma''s tri-color eyes stared at him. Those eyes¡­they weren''t willing to listen.


    Varian sucked in a cold breath inwardly. He had no chance of convincing her against revenge, he could only postpone it.


    "You won''t be able to stop me," Enigma said and the space around her started to fluctuate.


    "The tracke¡ª" Blue sh said in distress but was cut off by Enigma''s serious voice.


    Enigma shook her head. "I don''t care."


    Blue sh appeared next to her and held Enigma''s shoulder. "You''ll die!"


    Enigma looked into Blue sh''s eyes and said. "If I don''t avenge them, I will die from the inside."


    Blue sh flinched and stepped back instinctively. Despite being stronger than her, there was something about Enigma that suppressed her on a fundamental level.


    "You''re not going," Varian said in a light, but upromising tone.


    Enigma narrowed her eyes and the space around her fluctuated. "You can''t stop me."


    Varian shrugged. "In fact, I can."


    With a snap, a weird jacket appeared in his hand. Enigma was indifferent at first, but immediately, her eyes widened.


    "Varian!"


    The space around them started fluctuating wildly and with each passing second, it only increased.


    Teleporting from here in this chaotic space would throw her into a space crack or inner space at best and kill her at best.


    Not only that...


    "What''s this?" Blue sh''s eyes shed with apprehension. For a space awakener like her, this device was a nemesis.


    Varian didn''t answer. Suicide Jacket was THE inheritance Boo proudly gave him. It was essentially a space bomb that was potent enough to kill level 9s.


    Meaning, both Enigma and Blue sh would die if he activated it.


    As the space fluctuations rose to a dangerous level, a tense silence filled the spaceship.


    As the owner of the suicide jacket, Varian could shield himself from fluctuations unless he wanted to experience them. Of course, when the jacket blows up, so would he.


    "It''s of no use." Enigma looked into his eyes and said word by word. "You wouldn''t risk your life. Not for me."


    Varian shrugged. "I court death, both literally and figuratively. So, why not?"


    Enigma''s chest heaved up and down as she stared at him in anger. She wanted to snatch away the jacket by hook or crook, but her keen senses observed the peculiar detail.


    Varian was the one stopping the jacket from exploding. If she even disturbed him, then it''d blow up.


    Faced with an unreasonable and unsolvable obstacle, her rational side finally took control.


    But of course, her emotions wouldn''t just vanish.


    "I will avenge them." She said. "You can''t stop me 24x7."


    "Correction, I don''t want to stop you," Varian said and his smile turned cold. "I just have a better revenge n. Those people, no, the one behind them really need to die a dog''s death."


    Enigma looked at him in silence before bringing down her killing intent and aura. "And what is your n."


    Varian snapped his fingers and a hologram popped up.


    It was arge man with curly golden hair and a handsome face. The beloved Sovereign Julius.


    "Target the actual culprit, I mean, this son of a bitch." Varian said.


    His words would''ve caused even the bravest warriors to shiver.


    The target wasn''t a nobody. He was one of the only eight powerhouses that stood head and shoulder above the rest.


    Enigma red at Julius'' hologram with hatred and said. "¡­I should''ve guessed.? No one but him. Only a Sovereign has the power to destroy Shadow Guardians."


    The realization that her target was a Sovereign did help cool her mind.


    Even if she was willing to sacrifice her life, she wouldn''t be able to kill him.


    What''s more, if she really wanted to sacrifice her life, she''d be stopped¡­by them.


    Thinking of them, Enigma exhaled deeply.


    Varian thought she was sighing that she couldn''t beat Julius. So, he exined.


    "You don''t have to kill Julius right away. You can kill his sons, wives, brothers, everyone rted to him. You can humiliate the Xander family. You can do a lot of things against him."


    "And when I finally get strong enough, I will kill him." Enigmapromised.


    "You won''t get that chance." Varian raised a finger. "I''ll be killing him."


    Enigma raised a brow. "You?"


    "Wanna bet?" Varian asked.


    "Wanna kill." She replied, killing intent flickering in her eyes.


    Varian sighed. "I can sneak you into Guardian inds and you can kill to your heart''s content. The only problem is that you have a tracker on you."


    "¡­" Enigma fell silent for a moment before saying adamantly. "I''ll get rid of that tracker somehow and then I''ll go on a killing spree. I''ll kill every Xander except him."


    ''Going down from Julius to Xanders, she''s cooling down.'' Varian thought in relief, but outwardly, he shook his head in disapproval. "That''s a terrible idea."


    "Huh?" Enigma raised a brow.


    "Even if you kill, it''s not the best revenge," Varian said, causing Enigma to look at him in confusion.


    Her killing intent dropped slightly.


    ''Phew.'' Varian sighed inwardly and continued.


    "They''re branded as terrorists and important people rted to them are in prison. What you should want is to let the world recognize them for their heroic deeds. At least after death, they should get the honor they deserve." Varian said with a sorrowful expression.


    To be honest, he was nervous.


    Since Enigma got furious, every word he said, every trick he used was aimed at stopping her from taking immediate action and pushing her to prioritize her own safety.


    For instance, he could actually ask Boo to get the files of Shadow Guardian members and even hack into the army database. Then, he could publish the actual truth of those people. Their reputation would likely get cleared.


    He didn''t ask Boo to do that.


    There were two reasons. One, to stop Enigma. Two, even if he released their ''real heroic deeds'', the federation would im that it was fake.


    Nobody wants to wake up only to realize that yesterday''s killed terrorists were actually heroes in secret.


    Of course, Enigma wasn''t a fool. She knew Boo''s capabilities from what Dreamer had done so far.


    That''s why, Varian had to be honest, but cleverly use his honesty to push his own agenda.


    "I''ll be honest with you. Boo can dig up all their files and publish what those people really did in their lives. Their heroic deeds will be out for the public to see.


    The government will suppress the news, but I''m still confident that I can push the facts to every tform."


    Enigma was surprised by his words. She knew that he wanted to stop her. So, if he could already resolve their reputation, then she''d only focus on somehow removing the tracker and going on a killing spree.


    And by killing spree, she meant killing of thousands, if not tens of thousands of people.


    The Xander family was at the top of the list. But Xanders also had many underlings. Organizations, businesses, training halls¡­


    Julius also had friends. His children had friends. Everyone close to Xanders would get wiped off.


    Would she get a bad name? Oh yes, she would.


    She was alreadybeled as an ''alien''. Humans and abyssal want to kill her. The current situation was already bad.


    But once she goes on a killing spree, it''d turn worse.


    It could get so bad that Sovereigns themselves would start looking for her personally.


    And there''s a good chance that Sovereigns and Abyss Rulers would cooperate to hunt her down.


    Varian narrowed his eyes. "I know you''ll start killing if the tracker is gone. You know the consequences, but you''ll still do it. Because you believe that Shadow Guardians will be me-free for your actions.


    But sorry to break it to you, the reputation of Shadow Guardians won''t be positive."


    "Even after you reveal the truth? Why?" Enigma raised a brow, suspicion clearly evident in her tone.


    "Because there is one obstacle between public seeing them as terrorists and heroes." Varian raised a finger and shrugged.


    Inwardly, he smiled. This was it, she was about to fall into the trap.


    "Which is?" She asked.


    Varian pumped his fist into the air¡­mentally of course, but on the outside, he maintained a solemn face and said.


    "You."

 Chapter 442 - Battle Of Perceptions

    "¡­She wanted to wait until the abyssal conflict is solved and you were safe."


    Varian felt a surge of emotions.


    He was previously worried that Sia would leave him and never return. But after hearing those words, he couldn''t help but smile.


    He could understand Sia''s desire to see her birthce and find her origins. But her concern for him despite all the difficulties she faced¡­his heart ached for her.


    If he had the option, he''d choose to bear all her pain.


    What she faced due to Roxanna was enough to make him grieve, but who knew how much pain she bore?


    If you woke up one day and saw that everyone you cared about forgot youpletely and the world itself pretended like you never existed¡­


    Varian didn''t know how gut-wrenching it''d be, but even most grown men and women wouldn''t be able to bear that suffering.


    Yet, an 18-year old girl had to face it all and worse.


    "You know¡­I really want to run off to Earth''s ruins and see her now." Varian muttered with a helpless smile.


    "Hmph!" Enigma snorted lightly. "If not for her, you''d be dead."


    "I do owe her my life." Varian agreed without any hesitation and nced at the two women.


    "I also owe you guys one¡­" He recalled first seeing her. It was during the entrance exam. "If you haven''t destroyed the abyss lord and created the chaos in the city, I''d have died right there."


    That day, Narcis forced him and Kyle into the city. They entered the underground chamber of the abyss lord.


    At that time, he was only level 1. Even the basic soldiers there were level 2. Due to Enigma''s attack breaking the castle, these soldiers were injured and that allowed Varian to fight against them and survive. If not for those injuries, he''d have stood a chance.


    "I was watching you all the time." Blue sh smiled and said. "Enigma was putting on a show or why would she take so long for a puny abyss lord?"


    "It''ste, but thanks." Varian scratched his cheek in light embarrassment.


    "Thank her, not us." Enigma shook her head.


    "I will." Varian smiled. "After we solve your troubles."


    Enigma exhaled. "50 billion humans¡­they all hate me and want my death. Both abyssals and humans are hunting for me. To not be caught by the patrol teams, we keep on moving, not stopping even for a second. Do you really believe there''s a way out?"


    "Never lose hope." Varian smiled and snapped his fingers.


    A whiteboard appeared in front of him and under the confused gazes of Enigma and Blue sh, he wrote.


    [Perception Battle] & [Tracker].


    "We only have two problems to solve." Varian began. "First. We need to change everyone''s perception of you. Let them see you neutrally, if not as a hero and not as a threat."


    "And second." Lifting two fingers, he said. "Get rid of that damn tracker. Once they can''t track you, you can take revenge without worrying about public perception."


    "Perception battle¡­" Blue sh muttered softly and her face brightened up. But soon it dimmed.


    "There''s no way we can change their perception. She''s a non-human and to them, she''ll be a threat." Blue sh sighed in a resigned tone.


    "Exactly." Varian nodded. "Non-human is a threat to them. But why is she a threat precisely? Even if she''s a level 8 or level 9, what can a single woman do against a federation?"


    Enigma said in a sarcastic tone. "Because I''ll call my race to invade the sr system."


    "Exactly!" Varian punched his palm. "Just prove that wrong."


    "Eh?"


    "Huh?"


    Enigma and Blue sh let out surprised gasps.


    "Haaaaaah?" Boo also joined, albeit with a bit of exaggeration.


    Varian looked at their responses and shook his head in disappointment. His expression seemed to imply. ''Can''t believe you didn''t realize my n''.


    "I''ve always wondered that if the abyssals cane to us if ghost ship cane to us, where are the rest?" Varian asked.


    "It''s mentioned in our history books that the sr system was ''isted'' by theck of aura and from outside, it appeared like a barrennd.


    But what about after Blink? It''s fucking 500 years already. Where are our alien guests? Why didn''t we see any other race than abyssals? Forget direct contact, not evenmunication."


    Varian''s words caused Blue sh''s expression to turn both serious and curious. She bit her lip and tried to think of a proper reason. But none came to mind.


    Humans were too busy dealing with the abyssals. But the focus on discovering other species never stopped.


    "The scientists have been trying for over 200 years already." Blue sh shook her head with a strange expression. "And we made zero progress."


    "Hm." Varian nodded and turned to Boo. "Boo, is it possible that this area is left out from the civilized world?"


    Boo shook its head. "Master, the leading powers in the region will regrly conduct a survey covering all the inhabited territories.


    Earlier, the aura lock should''ve shielded the sr system from them and made it seem like a barren ce.


    But more than five hundred years passed after the lock was broken.


    To be honest¡­I didn''t think of it till now, but 500 years without any greetings from higher civilizations is not only bizarre but also suspicious."


    Enigma''s eyes widened. "You mean¡­?"


    "Yep." Varian nodded. "Despite all the efforts, there was no progress in finding traces of aliens. And even higher civilizations haven''t found us.? There''s clearly a problem."


    His eyes narrowed and he continued with a cold smile. "And I very much suspect that this is an abyssal move. If a higher civilization contacts us, it''ll surely ruin abyssals'' ns."


    "Even if we can guess it, there''s no proof." Blue sh clutched her forehead. "People might not believe it with proof. Without proof, we have no chance of this perception battle."


    "We have to get the proof." Varian shrugged and turned to Boo. "Send a message to outside the sr system and track what''s happening to the message."


    Boo nodded and closed its eyes.


    Enigma and Blue sh waited nervously.


    With her face covered, only Enigma''s eyes were able to express her anxiety.


    But Blue sh¡­well, she was rubbing her sweaty palms and taking deep breaths.


    If¡­If it could be proved that Enigma, even if she tried, couldn''t contact her race due to abyssals, then she''d pose almost no threat.


    After all, a level 8 or level 9 wasn''t too big of a threat.


    It could even be said that this one discovery could literally change her image from a threatening enemy to a poor, heroic soul.


    Varian also had simr thoughts as he waited for Boo''s update. Even though it''s only been five minutes, it felt like five hours.


    As the wait burned him, Varian resorted to pacing around.


    Enigma asked suddenly.? "If we prove this to the public, how much chance do we have to really change their opinion?"


    Varian smiled lightly and shook his head. "By itself, this discovery can turn them from wanting to kill you to just hating you for being non-human. Seeing you in neutral light or even a positive side with just this one proof is asking for too much."


    Enigma frowned. "Then¡­"


    "Even if it''s 520 YAB, people are still fascinated by the stories of good and evil." Varian smiled.


    Of course, the world didn''t run in ck and white. It was grey all over. Yet, people saw what they wanted to see.


    "Since we''re going to show you as the good here, we''ll need to find evil. The worse, the better. Then, we can watch the magic unfold."


    As Enigma was about to ask more, Boo''s voice sounded, the message catching everyone off guard.


    No one expected that ce to show up now.


    "Master! The signal is intercepted at Pluto!"


    *** *** ***


    A/N: If you want to be notified about thetest chapter update, join discord and get the role.


    https://discord.gg/kBKaTtsrpb

 Chapter 443 - Pluto: Close, Yet Distant

    Pluto


    Based on how you felt about Pluto, one could guess the era you were from.


    The ancient humans before Blink only viewed Pluto with light curiosity.


    The humans during 0-300 YAB, humans were confined to Earth and went through nuclear wars, Murloc crisis, fatal pandemic, and asteroid crisis. They had no time or resources to care about Pluto.


    Then came the golden age of the 300s. Dungeons appeared in 300 YAB, not just on earth, but on every, including Pluto.


    For a few years, humans were threatened by the magic beasts that broke out from dungeons and ughtered the masses.


    But soon, humans turned the situation around.


    They started using beast cores to manufacture powerful star treasures¡ªa new generation of weapons that vastly outmatched everything else.


    They discovered the treasures dungeons had to offer¡ªspecial aura-rich fruits, herbs, liquids, and many more natural.


    And the third, but a most important factor was that they used the aura to train. Only the privileged got aura crystals. Only the geniuses got aura concentration formations.


    Until then, normal people¡ªthe majority had no other alternative. But now, they did.


    They entered dungeons in massive groups, cleared out areas, and started practicing under the rich aura.


    Then they got stronger and went deeper into the dungeon. And the deeper one went into the dungeon, the higher the aura concentration.


    This created a positive feedback loop that enabled everyone to grow. But it also created a problem.


    For the 8 billion earthlings at that time, there were only so many dungeons. Thepetition turned fierce and internal conflicts broke out.


    Since the sr system was still not colonized, all the major powers contended for resources, and that included the prime families.


    Xanders, Nials, and Carons all fought each other, and the government for the dungeons.


    But it onlysted until they found out that others also had dungeons. Since theses were not hospitable, magic beasts couldn''t break out except for a few locations where they used their strength to survive.


    It could''ve scared the faint-hearted, but to the powerful people, this meant unlimited resources.


    So, they used thetest technology, including the ones taken from ruins, and entered the dungeons inrge numbers.


    Since thoses weren''t habitable yet, they simply lived in the dungeons. With unlock of more dungeons, the slowing progress skyrocketed and humanity as a whole grew stronger at a tremendous rate.


    In a few more years, humans have located and explored the ruins. They all found some special treasures that were limited but helped terraform thes.


    Thus, in the second phase, thes were made hospitable and mass migration began.


    It was new properties, newnds, and new resources. To help them manage the scarcely popted, people began to have a lot of kids while the migration from earth continued.


    Thest to be terraformed and colonized was Pluto.


    Humanity wondered if there were dungeons beyond the sr system. They were also full of curiosity towards the existence of other intelligent species.


    Thus, with the rising economy and military power, Pluto took the role of the furthest outpost of the human race in the new frontier of space.


    The people of the golden age saw Pluto as a new frontier. The next generations increasingly viewed it as a home.


    Despite the wars and losses that followed the abyssals'' arrival, Pluto always remained an integral part of the human federation. In fact, these wars only increased humans'' attachment towards Pluto.


    Living on Pluto meant being proud and happy.


    Till six years ago.


    Then, every man, woman, and child on the was killed. A billion lives were erased in the blink of an eye.


    The Neptune Sovereign who was stationed on Pluto was also killed, though he injured his archenemy Thunder King gravely, causing thetter to recuperate for a long time.


    As if being blessed by heavens, Ares reached Sovereign state and saved Neptune from the same fate.


    Abyssals quicklyunched a two-front war against Neptune from both Pluto and Thunder Abyss.


    What was once the furthest outpost of the human race turned into a new front of a prolonged and deadly conflict.


    From then on, Pluto only elicited pain and rage.


    Even uttering its name touched the scar in the heart of every human. It even made some breakdown, particrly the ones that lost their loved ones.


    That''s precisely why Red Pluto day was treated with such seriousness.


    In everyone''s mind, Pluto was and of war and only war.


    That''s why, when Boo said that the message was intercepted at Pluto, almost no one believed him.


    Not even Blue sh who was an expert in abyssal affairs.


    "How can it be Pluto?" Blue sh tapped her chin.


    Varian took a moment to digest the truth and asked. "Any more on information? Where exactly on Pluto?"


    Boo smiled with unconceble pride. "Others might not be able to do it, but Boo did it¡ªbacktracking the interceptor. Here you go, master."


    With a pop, Pluto''s hologram appeared in front of them and a particr location was marked with an X.


    Blue sh tapped herm and essed some seemingly confidential files.


    [Plutooids deployment]


    [Abyss Patrol Records: Pluto]


    [Estimations of Pluto powerhouses]


    As she browsed through the files, her eyes shed from time to time and a n started to brew in her mind.


    On the other hand, Enigma browsed through herm.


    Thankfully, Boo helped safeguard herm or it would''ve been under constant monitoring of the government. There would''ve been a danger of tracking everyone contacting her.


    Of course, no one else but a select few people knew it, yet herm was flooded with messages.


    The only good thing was that none of the messengers used their original identity.


    Enigma suppressed the turmoil in her heart and checked the messages of thest survivors.


    While Shadow Guardians on Earth was wiped out, there were members on others, though rtively, they were far fewer.


    And most of them were condemning her for trying to contact her species and invade the sr system.


    However, Enigma noticed that some powerhouses were using anonymousms and expressed their support.


    One of them was Seth.


    ''While I don''t know the truth, I don''t trust the military guys. Rather, I''m willing to believe in you, leader. Once I finish my advancement, I''ll help however I can.''


    Enigma shook her head at the irony.


    Knowing that he was going to be on ghostship with Varian, she didn''t trust himpletely and had him take the neutralizer.


    It was essentially saying. ''I don''t trust you enough, so take this poison so that I can rest assured you''ll not betray.''


    Seth was understandably angry at first, but after seeing they saved the cluster cities, Uranus, and even the life of Sovereign Irene, he thought Enigma''s actions were justified.


    So, he held no resentment against her and his respect for her increased greatly.


    Once the mission was done, Enigma fulfilled her end of the promise and gave him the ''miracle potion''. Since then, he was in the middle of advancing to level 9 in both paths.


    As the two women got busy with their own works, Varian asked Boo a simple task.


    "Send a few million messages and try to locate all those interceptors."


    "Yes." Boo happily agreed.


    After a few minutes, Varian saw the twenty-five targets. All of them were on Pluto.


    Taking a deep breath, he turned to Enigma and Blue sh.. "We''re going to Pluto, and grab one of those things."

 Chapter 444 - Ill Show You The Truth

    "Barging into Pluto with our strength and surviving?" Blue sh sneered. "We can instead go into a lost dungeon and bet our odds in escaping."


    Varian''s lips twitched. "I don''t want to go there again."


    "What?" Blue sh knit her brows in confusion.


    "Anyways," Varian waved his hand and said. "With our strength, it''s suicide. So, we need some help."


    "I can''t trust anyone now." Enigma dered in an indifferent voice, but from the way she clenched her fists behind her back, it was crystal clear that she was feeling very ufortable.


    "A few people, we can try, but they''re all either weak or in the middle of something." Thinking of Seth, she finally added.


    Blue sh rubbed her forehead and sighed. "I have people we can trust, but they''re too weak to help. I mean, we need at least a peak level 9 to infiltrate Pluto and that too is a big if!"


    Her voice turned more and more deste. "We''ll be exposed if we approach them and it''s a fucking we''re going to face."


    Varian rolled his eyes. "Why the hell are you guys so hopeless?"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    Enigma and Blue sh red at Varian.


    How the hell are you managing to smile in this situation? The n to win the perception battle is clearly not possible. What''s there to smile?


    "I am inviting a peak level 9 powerhouse," Varian said and tapped hism.


    "P-Peak level 9?" Blue sh muttered and when it finally hit her, she eximed. "Who?!"


    Enigma on the side was also confused. Sia kept track of Varian''s tracks since the beginning. And recently, she too was involved with him in the mission. So, she knew his contacts.


    The awakeners at peak level 9 Varian knew was only one person.


    Evander.


    Enigma suddenly clenched her fists and closed her eyes. Her anger surged again, threatening to break out.


    The destruction of shadow guardians shed in front of her eyes. Her aura turned chaotic and she was filled with rage and grief.


    ''Kill!''


    ''Kill the Xanders!''


    ''Don''t hesitate!''


    Her thoughts turn more and more violent and as she was about to give in, Varian''s voice snapped her out.


    "Enigma, you alright?" Varian asked with a concerned face.


    Enigma opened her eyes and nodded stiffly. "Y-Yeah."


    "Don''t worry too much. This will work out." Varian gave an encouraging smile. "And in the worst case it doesn''t, we can escape."


    "But E¡­Evander can''t help you." Enigma said in a confused tone.


    After Bali''s mysterious disappearance, Evander got extremely Busy.


    He was so busy that his fan club started rumors that he trained his two eyes to work separately to improve his efficiency.


    Of course, there were also rumors that he wanted a wife to help him out¡­which was the actual agenda of his Fanclub.


    "It''s not him." Varian shrugged.


    "Eh?" Enigma''s lips parted in confusion. Peak level 9s were super rare and super busy.


    How could you just ask them for help?


    As she was thinking, Varian''s attire suddenly changed. A mask hid his face and his clothes changed into snow-white.


    A throne that Enigma had previously seen him sit on appeared. It was the dreamer''s throne.


    "What are you doing?" Blue sh asked in confusion.


    "Cover your face," Varian said.


    Even though she didn''t get the answer, Blue sh covered her face.


    And Varian sat on the throne.


    Suddenly, his temperamentpletely changed.


    From the easy-going, optimistic yet rational young man to a very assertive and regal man.


    Enigma''s eyes narrowed as she looked at Varian. It was her first time seeing him like this.


    She could feel his difference even from the videos, but seeing it in person was something entirely different.


    Before, Varian only looked like apetent leader.? Now he looked like the leader of leaders. A king of kings. As if he was the¡­


    ''Emperor.''


    That word popped up in her mind as if it was natural.


    Enigma couldn''t continue staring at him and averted her gaze. Even though he was far weaker than her right now, he gave off a sense of mystery and more importantly¡­danger.


    How could he pose a threat to her? Enigma didn''t know why she felt that way, but her keen senses told her that he was hiding a monstrous secret that was capable of killing her and everyone in the sr system.


    "Dreamer?" A surprised voice sounded, snapping Enigma out of her thoughts again.


    A man with red hair and a sturdy build appeared in a hologram.


    His gaze inadvertently swept through the interior and his eyes widened.


    "Blue sh? ¡­Enigma?!" He eximed and stepped forward, his hologram quickly reaching Enigma.


    Enigma and Blue sh were equally surprised. They didn''t expect the missing Bali to appear.


    Bali was also surprised, for a different reason. He turned to Varian and gritted his teeth. "Dreamer, please give me an exnation."


    Enigma and Blue sh were shocked, to say the least.


    From his reaction, Bali was aware of what was happening. Yet, instead ofshing out, he was willing to hear what Dreamer got to say.


    Varian said in a confident tone. "I know everyone thinks she''s a threat and wants her to die, but the truth is that she can''t contact anyone outside the sr system. Not just her, no one can."


    "What the hell?" Bali was taken aback first, but he shook his head. "Then what about the signals our scientists were sending and receiving so far? If what you said was really true, they should''ve already known."


    Varian shrugged. "They''re being fooled. Abyssals have an arrangement to lock down Sr System''smunication within itself. We can''t contact outsiders and they can''t contact us.


    Or do you think it makes sense that since 200 years, we can''t even find traces of any lifeform other than abyssals and magic beasts?"


    Bali went silent. He wasn''t an expert in the subject. So, he didn''t know if the scientists were being decieved or he was being decieved.


    "They''re not after her, they''re after us. She''s just in the way." Varian said with a grave expression.


    "I know you don''t trust me, soe with me to Pluto.. I''ll show you the truth."

 Chapter 445 - Miracle Potion

    Truth was a poison. It lured you to forgo the existingfort and even make great sacrifices.


    Bali clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh and blood dripped from his palms and sshed on the ground.


    He agreed with the federation''s decision to hunt down Enigma because she was a threat.


    But if she wasn''t, then¡­


    "You must know that Shadow Guardians are innocent, right? Enigma was their leader." Varian said and raised a brow. "Think about it, if Enigma was guilty, then you can convince yourself that killing them was necessary."


    Bali frowned as he felt a weight on his chest. His conscience¡­it seemed was being twisted as he faced the possibility of an ugly sin.


    Varian raised his voice and looked into Bali''s eyes. "What if she is actually innocent? Then all their deaths would be cold-blooded murders done for selfish reasons."


    There was a certainty with which Dreamer spoke and it unnerved Bali greatly.


    Add with that the fact that when he was onoids, he personally saw many Shadow Guardians helping the army and sometimes, even sacrificing themselves.


    Finally, Bali''s conviction in Enigma''s hunt had begun to shake.


    "What about her space shuttle? And what is she doing since 500 years?" Bali asked in a defensive tone.


    He desperately wished what he believed so far was the truth. Because if it wasn''t, then he and everyone he knew hadmitted a grave sin they could never atone for.


    "The space shuttle you saw¡­it''s real. But Enigma just wants to go back to her home. More importantly, the space shuttle is far frompletion. Coming to her age¡­" Varian paused and looked at Enigma with a strange expression.


    "She was sleeping most of the time and woke up recently. Think about it, if she was really awake, then with her powers, she could''ve ruled the world. But she didn''t. And there are no traces of her appearing so far. You can check the archives." Varian stated.


    Bali shook his head. "Even if it''s you telling that, I can''t believe it."


    While he felt that those possibilities weren''t baseless, he had no way of confirming if they were true.


    Varianughed. "I don''t have any way to prove about her spaceship and her age, but they''re both secondary.


    I just want to prove to you that Enigma doesn''t pose any threat to the human federation. Then, her spaceship and her age wouldn''t matter much, would they?


    If it turns out to be false¡­you can kill her."


    Blue sh raised her aura and was about to lock onto Varian, but Enigma shook her head.


    "Hmph!" With a snort, Blue sh crossed her arms and turned her head.


    ''Too loyal.''


    Varian snickered inside as he watched Blue sh''s reaction.


    Of course, he wouldn''t let Enigma die. His words were intended for Bali and as expected, they pushed him to an agreement.


    "Fine." Bali nodded reluctantly but added. "But after 2 months, I''m in the middle of a step and I am about to progress."


    "¡­" Veins popped up in Varian''s forehead and he wanted to p Bali.


    2 months?


    Should they keep escaping for 2 months? Are you for real?


    Of course, for other awakeners, this was a normal time. Some even went in seclusion for years.


    But to Varian, 2 months was enough time to go from level 0 to level 6. Two monthster, who knows how strong he would be?


    ''I need him to get him to agree to join us now.''


    Varian couldn''t find any way. Bali prioritized his progress to the Sovereign state above all else.


    There''s just no way he''d sacrifice his progress for this mission he didn''tpletely believe in.


    As Varian rubbed his brows, Enigma suddenly said.


    "I will give you a miracle potion. Your progress not only won''t stall but will elerate instead."


    "What?" Bali raised a brow and then burst intoughter.


    "Hahahaha! I remember Shadow Guardians did have one such thing. But don''t treat me as a fool, will ya? Even Xanders'' omega potion can''t help me, what can your potion do?"


    "Omega potion?" Enigma sneered. "Didn''t they run out of it yet?"


    "Huh?" Bali raised a brow. How did Enigma know?


    "Roxanna died and they lost the source of Omega potions," Enigma stated.


    Bali was bewildered. Source of Omega potions? Did she mean the special ingredients Xanders got in ruins? At least, that''s what they said to the world.


    Varian, on the other hand, was furious. Omega potions¡­were made from Sia.


    "If you take it, your time to Sovereign state will be reduced exponentially. You''ll take only a month or so to reach Sovereign state." Enigma said in a serious voice.


    Bali''s expression froze and he shook his head bitterly. "That''s too good to be true."


    "How about you drink first and decideter? If miracle potion is as promised, join us to Pluto, deal?" Varian proposed.


    "Aren''t you afraid of me reneging after I take the potion?" Bali raised a brow.


    Previously, he thought Dreamer was a Sovereign or at least a peak level 9, but after ghost ship''s capabilities were leaked, he knew that Dreamer was probably neither.


    Not just him, every powerhouse in the sr system also understood that Dreamer wasn''t a powerhouse they thought he was. Of course, they couldn''t say for certain that he was weak. No one actually knew about his powers.


    But Bali was certain of one thing. If Dreamer wasn''t a Sovereign, then he could defeat Dreamer. No doubt about it.


    That''s why he was curious if Dreamer wasn''t afraid he''d just take the potion and not do the job.


    "Hahaha!" Varian clutched his stomach andughed. Then all of a sudden, hisughter ceased and he looked into Bali''s eyes.


    "You can renege on the deal. You surely can. But will you do it? The better question is, do you dare to do it?


    What Dreamer had done so far is mainly with the ghost ship, indeed. But do you really want to bet that the person who told you the secrets of reaching Sovereign state is so harmless?" Varian titled his head and said in a chilly tone.


    Without knowing, Bali''s palms started sweating. But he hid it perfectly and said with eyes. "While I''m grateful to you, are you threatening me?"


    Dreamer waved his hand and said in a tone so casual that it looked like a chat between friends. "I''m just stating the obvious.


    For your information, once I reach the Sovereign state, I can solo all Sovereigns. You can also include, the abyss kings and queens with them. The result would be the same.


    So, nope. I''m not threatening you, I''m just advising you to choose wisely. After all, we''re both working towards the peace of humanity and I hate unnecessary infighting."


    Bali stared into Dreamer''s eyes as if he wanted to see through his soul.


    When this man said he''d be not only a Sovereign but also a Sovereign strong enough to take down everyone alone, there wasn''t a shred of self-doubt in his eyes.


    Bali wanted to scoff at his words and treat them as bragging. But in the end, he didn''t. It was a feeling in the back of his mind¡ªthe experience honed from countless interactions in his long life¡ªit told him that Dreamer wasn''t lying.


    "¡­If the potion is half as good as you imed, it''s a deal," Bali said after a while.


    "Report your address." Dreamer smiled.


    Two hourster, Bali exited from the boundary to outer space. A drone delivered him an exquisite vial containing a blue liquid.


    Bali put it through a few safety tests and then downed the potion.

 Chapter 446 - Miracle Potion [2]

    The moment the liquid entered his body, Bali felt like something inside him exploded.


    Time seemed to slow down.


    As a level 9 fire and space awakener, Bali''s senses were already top-notch. Yet,? he seemed to have entered a higher world.


    He saw new shades in the world, heard new sounds, and felt every fiber of his own being like never before.


    It was a feeling of heightened self-awareness multiplied over by a hundred.


    And while that happened, Bali noticed something deep inside him starting to change.


    "Huuuuuh?" He raised a brow and it seemed to have taken forever in his current state.


    Then, he concentrated on his will and entered the divine view.


    ''¡­This?''


    Surprised was a severe understatement.


    Bali saw his origins on the space path.


    Previously, he had origin on both space and fire paths, but after a lot of effort, he brought them together. He even started merging them slowly.


    His task was to merge thempletely and then connect the Origin to the divine path.


    Bali estimated that merging would take around two months. That''s the reason he asked Varian to wait for that long.


    But now, under his stupified gaze, the two origins started merging by themselves.


    "¡­.How?"


    As if he wondered how such a ridiculous thing was even possible, another change urred.


    Something deep inside him started to change. He didn''t know exactly what it was, but he knew, almost by instinct that this change was more fundamental than any other.


    He vehemently tried to search for the change and in the end, it took him to the origins.


    Seeing his origins, he had a feeling that he was in the midst of a space storm. The chaotic breaking of space, the rough space power cutting through his skin, and cracking of spaces...he felt it all.


    Before he could get used to it, everything turned normal.


    ''Hallucination?'' Bali shook his head and concentrated on his origins again. He zoomed it in and tried to peer through the merging white spheres.


    And just for a split second, he seemed to see three different colored liquids inside the origin. And one liquid seemed to be pushing the other two.


    Just by looking at it, his space powers felt a light pull.


    ''My space powers¡­?!'' Only then did Bali notice another change.


    Something changed with his space path. He didn''t grow stronger, yet his affinity seemed to have improved drastically.


    Instead of wasting any more time, Bali started helping his origins merge together.


    Once this step was done, his fire path would be locked and like any single path awakened, he could try hitting the Sovereign state.


    *** *** ***


    "Miracle potion, eh." Varian looked at Enigma with a strange gaze. "Does creating them harm Sia?"


    "As long as it is within the limit, no." Enigma shook her head.


    "But there must be a price, right? You can''t just improve everyone''s talents for nothing." He pressed on and stared at her intensely.


    Enigma looked right back into his eyes and answered. "She''d be weakened for a while."


    Varian frowned.


    "And she''d be experiencing a lot of pain."


    Varian clenched his armrest and it creaked loudly. "Then why..."


    Enigma narrowed her eyes and said. "That pain is less than a hundredth of what I''m bearing now."


    "¡­" Varian opened his mouth but closed it again.


    He looked at Enigma again and noticed that beads of sweat were sliding down her eyebrows. Her hands were tightly clenched and from time to time, blood leaked from the corner of her mouth and stained her mask before being cleaned automatically. If not for the cleaning function, she''d be drenched in blood by now.


    Before they approached the location Bali stated, Enigma once again suppressed the tracker.


    The tracker went off for a few minutes and using that window of opportunity, Boo hacked a drone near Bali''s location and let it deliver the miracle potion.


    Or Bali''s location might''ve been exposed to their chasers.


    Thanks to Enigma, they didn''t have to risk it. But the price was an inhuman pain she had to bear.


    "Boo, is there any potion, treasure, anything that can reduce her pain?" Varian asked in a low voice.


    Boo hung its head and said in a depressed voice. "Sorry, master. Her pain is caused by suppressing her aura onto the tracker¡­there''s no treasure that Boo knows which can help her."


    Varian exhaled lightly and said. "Not your fault."


    "I can live with this pain," Enigma said coldly, but when she did, blood spilled out of her mouth once again.


    Varian sighed inwardly. She was putting on a strong appearance. Even he could tell. But he didn''t point it out, for it served no purpose other than to piss her off.


    Whether they liked it or not, she had to bear the pain. There was simply no choice.


    "So, what''s our Pluto n?" Blue sh asked, her voice more optimistic than usual.


    "You were looking at their forces distribution data earlier, I thought you already had a n." Varian raised a brow.


    To be honest, that data was more like an army file. It wasn''t something a Shadow Guardian should possess.


    "I do have a n." Blue sh chuckled and walked to Varian. Then, she tapped herm and a hologram of Pluto popped up.


    Surrounding Pluto were its five natural satellites. All of them, including Pluto, were full of abyss-styled military buildings.


    Even from a high-range view, Varian could point out the spaceports, barracks, training halls, and so on.


    "Tell me what you think?" She asked him with curious eyes.


    "With Enigma''s tracker on, by the time we start approaching Pluto, they''d already know that we''reing. They''d be alert. In fact, I bet they''d already intercept us mid-way. It''s the biggest problem." Varian shook his head.


    "Any solutions?" Blue sh asked, her eyes gleaming in appreciation.


    While Varian might appear as abat madman, which was true, he was also a strategist.


    But he showed that side of him only when his strength wasn''t sufficient. Just like now.


    So, she was curious to see what he was thinking.

 Chapter 447 - A Monster

    To be honest, she''d love to see him as a military high general or even Athenamander.


    But going by his track record of being a drop-out cadet and a shadow guardian who defied literally every rule written and unwritten, he''d not suit those roles well. Instead ofmanding people, he''d likely join the battle himself.


    As her thoughts spun, Varian''s words snapped her out.


    "We can ask her to suppress her tracker so that by the time it functions again, we''d already have reached Pluto," Varian said and then shook his head with a wry smile.


    "But if we do that, Enigma will be in a weakened state. Without her strength, the sess rate of the mission is too low."


    To be honest, Varian had a worst-case option. He could train with Enigma and Blue sh and take their help to advance. But to reach level 9, even he''d take a lot of time.


    And from his ''training partners'', Varian discovered that fighting the same people would likely create bottlenecks and slow down progress.


    But unless it was ast resort, Varian didn''t want to wait for too long to solve Enigma''s problem. There were many uncertainties in the sr system. Who knows? Maybe tomorrow, the abyssals might start something even crazier than cluster cities'' conspiracy.


    "Enigma''s strength is indeed needed, but if she can''t help," Blue sh tilted her head and asked. "How about recruiting more people for the mission?"


    "No." Varian shook his head. "If they leak our info, we''re over."


    In fact, Varian already checked the people he could trust¡ªEvander, Anna, Richard. All of them were busy.


    Enigma and Blue sh themselves admitted that the trusted level 9s and level 8s weren''t avable.


    If they were careless, they''d jeopardize the entire n.


    If the teammate was a little too patriotic, he or she might pretend that they joined their team and at thest minute, betray them.


    They''d also die on Pluto, but they''d have no regrets. Because in their opinion, they sacrificed themselves to kill the one threat that could exterminate the human race. Enigma.


    Humans sometimes were too extreme. Some betrayed and hated their race while others loved it more than anything.


    So, Varian didn''t dare to bet inviting anyone else.


    Bali was different for multiple reasons.


    One, he was about to be a Sovereign. Such a man wouldn''t risk his life. Two, Varian believed that Bali was a straightforward person. If he joined, he wouldn''t betray.


    "I don''t me you. The options are truly limited." Blue sh said, and her lips finally curled up.


    She zoomed out the hologram and it now showed the Thunder Abyss, the arch-nemesis of Neptune.


    Blue sh''s voice turned sinister as she said. "We''ll do what the abyssals did to us. We''ll enter Pluto from Thunder Abyss."


    "Wait, what?" Varian raised a brow and stepped towards her, but a feeling of repulsion came to his body and he realized that he was also stepping into the Enigma zone, causing him to step back.


    Shaking his head, he muttered. "Do what they did to us¡­entering Pluto from Thunder Abyss¡­"


    "I SEE!" Varian mmed his palm and nodded with wide eyes. "cross tunneling!"


    "Smart." Blue sh nodded.


    Indeed, their current problem would be solved if they could enter Pluto without Enigma having to suppress the tracker.


    But the distance between Neptune and Pluto was very long. Even if they pretended to be just crossing Neptune and wandering in space, by the time they were even half an hour from Pluto, the abyssals would be on guard.


    To thisplex problem, Cross tunneling was the perfect solution.


    Based on what he learned, Cross tunneling worked on connected spaces. So, cross tunneling was possible from Abyss to Abyss, Abyss to Dungeon, Dungeon to Dungeon.


    Back then, abyssals used cross tunneling to teleport froms to low dungeons and assassinate geniuses.


    After Dreamer revealed their secret locations, abyssals no longer continued their insidious n.


    The army and major powers also got their hands on cross tunneling formation and were frantically researching.


    The primary reason humans were able to grow from the point of defending themselves in bunkers being on the verge of extinction to an equal footing where they contested fiercely onoids was the willingness of humans to relentlessly improve.


    Varian didn''t hear any news of breakthrough, but he knew that it was only a matter of time.


    However, the time was clearly not now.


    Or so he thought.


    "Did the army already crack CTF?" He asked with a confused expression.


    Blue sh shook her head and tapped herm. "No."


    "Then who?"


    "Her." She pointed to the petite and thin girl in the hologram, causing Varian''s jaw to drop.


    "Maya? Are you kidding me?" Varian tried hard not to roll his eyes.


    She was only a first-year student. Cracking CTF was something only old scientists could do¡­right?


    "She joined Shadow Guardians long ago. And turned out to be a monster genius¡­as expected of my daughter-inw." Blue sh said with pride.


    "¡­Long ago?" Varian muttered and suddenly, he remembered something from not so long ago.


    After Demon King attackedoid Rena when Defense academy cadets went on a mission, Enigma killed the abyss princes.


    When the news was announced, Kyle, Maya and he were in his newly reconstructed house.


    The news received mixed responses. Some praised Enigma while others hated her.


    And Maya¡­she was hardcore defending Enigma.


    Varian retrieved his memory of that day using his mind powers and analyzed it. She showed emotions other than just anger.


    She looked personally hurt and angry. Emotions that could only be justified with her being in Shadow guardians.


    It wasn''t clear back then, but looking back, it was too obvious.


    "Still, how the hell did she crack CTF before everyone else?" Varian couldn''t help but ask. "Isn''t that a monster-level achievement?"


    Blue sh rolled her eyes. "You, the guy who reached level 6 in less than months is calling her a monster? Compared to you, she''s a cute puppy."


    "¡­."

 Chapter 449 - Reasons Behind Irenes Help

    There was a saying in the federation:


    The stronger you grow, the more malleable thew bes.


    Low Awakeners need to abide by all rules.


    Mid Awakeners can get some concessions for minor errors.


    High Awakeners would be pardoned even for major errors, as long as they could show enough merit.


    But when you be a Sovereign.


    You are thew.


    There were nows dictating what a Sovereign should or shouldn''t do. No person or organization wanted to instruct a Sovereign.


    This was defined by historians as the consequence of a strength-based hierarchical society where a single person''s worth could disproportionally differ from the rest.


    Compared to Old Earth where rulers could be impeached, either throughwful procedures or violent revolutions, Sovereigns were untouchable.


    Not because they couldn''t be killed, but because they were the pirs upholding humanity against abyssals.


    Naturally, a Sovereign had everything at their fingertips.


    So, it didn''t surprise Varian when the ghost shipnded on a private secret realm outside Uranus.


    Once they entered the sphere of this secret realm, the armies chasing them stopped.


    Varian knew that they were ordered to go back. Because this area had its exclusive security force which promised to hunt Enigma. Which they didn''t and instead escorted ghost ship into the secret realm.


    A few soldiers got down from the space ships and guided them to a teleportation formation.


    They didn''t speak during the whole process and had a neutral expression. Even though they were helping a branded traitor, they didn''t show a hint of hesitation on their face.


    They were the hardcore loyalists of Sovereign Irene. They revered her above everything and treated her words as sacred.


    So, Varian and the group had no problem teleporting to Neptune.


    The only problem, they were teleported to a military base on Neptune''soid. So,¡­


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Ghostship moved like a streak of lightning and escaped the offensive. Despite being a military, it was a rtively weakoid.


    So, they were only chased by a couple of level 8s that they easily threw off.


    "Phew." Blue sh wiped the sweat off her forehead and looked at Varian with an incredulous gaze.


    He was instructing Boo to approach Thunder Abyss without being in their target range and looked totally nonchnt.


    "Why are you so cool? You know this will cause problems for Sovereign Irene, right?" Blue sh asked with a frustrated face.


    Since Enigma was being tracked, everyone would know that they disappeared in that secret realm and appeared on theoid¡ªSovereign Irene woulde under heavy questioning.


    The one that could confront a Sovereign was only a Sovereign. And here, she''d face seven of them with likely no support.


    "She knows the consequences better than you and me." Varian shrugged. "She agreed because she can take it. So, don''t worry about her."


    Then he checked hism and raised his head. With a smile, he nodded at Enigma and Blue sh. "Bali will reach Neptune in a few minutes. Prepare yourselves, once we get into Thunder Abyss, we''ll immediatelynd in Pluto''s dungeon."


    Enigma nodded and entered a training room. It was filled with aura crystals and a rough formation that Boo copied from the academy.


    It wasn''t as good as the original, but it wasn''t too bad. Varian''s sparring urred with those formations on, and they served as an added bonus.


    Watching Enigma leave, Blue sh lowered her voice. "You said there were two things we could do, removing the tracker from Enigma and changing the narrative on her.


    Shouldn''t removing the tracker be the priority? If there''s no tracker, then sneaking into Pluto bes way easier."


    Varian smiled wryly. "Ideally, that''s the best choice. But we don''t have the luxury."


    "What do you mean?" Blue sh frowned.


    "Do you know how to disable or dismantle that tracker?"


    "No."


    "Can you name with certainty someone who could do it and that someone happens to be a trustable person?"


    "¡­No."


    Blue sh''s voice dropped and she sighed.


    "So, there''s only one choice." Varian looked into the dark expanse of space and said in a bone-chilling voice.


    "That scientist Dr. Thomas, he''s our only bet." Varian tapped the tempered ss window and smiled coldly. "We can''t convince him. So, we can only kidnap him. Unfortunately, he has level 9 guards around him."


    Blue sh clenched her fists and took a deep breath. "So, is it impossible?"


    "I never said that." Varian shook his head, his expression bing calmer and calmer, but his eyes growing colder and colder. "There''s a chance to kidnap him. But to do that, we need support from Sovereign Irene and possibly, another Sovereign."


    "¡­" Blue sh fell silent for a few moments as she processed his words.


    From what she had seen so far, Sovereign Irene was supportive of Dreamer. But they didn''t know the extent to which she would go.


    As a Sovereign, Irene was supposed to put aside her personal feelings and do what was logically in the best interests of the human race¡ªEliminate Enigma.


    There were two reasons she didn''t do it.


    One was her trust in Dreamer. In a sense, he saved her and a lot of lives. So, she respected him. And it made her reconsider the decision to hunt down Enigma.


    But that alone wouldn''t have been enough.


    Even if she was very grateful, she wouldn''t allow that gratitude to just let go of a threat like Enigma.


    The primary reason she did what she did was control. She didn''t say it out loud nor did she hint at it, but it was pretty obvious.


    Whatever Dreamer wanted to do, Enigma''s position would always be under the control of the tracker. There''s just no helping it.


    So, without conflicting with Dreamer, she gave him opportunities to prove that Enigma was innocent.


    If he seeded, then great. She wouldn''t have to turn hostile towards Dreamer. And she''d have also saved Enigma, who could be an important powerhouse in the future.


    If he failed and found that Enigma was actually the culprit, in her opinion, he''d turn against Enigma. Then, using the tracker, she could hunt down Enigma.


    It was this underlying assurance that gave her thefort of supporting Dreamer.


    But what if Varian asked her to help kidnap Dr. Thomas right at the beginning?


    "Sovereign Irene trusts me, but notpletely, like anyone else," Varian said with a shrug. "To kidnap that mad scientist, we need her help. But without any concrete evidence, she won''t help us."


    "¡­" Blue sh nodded slowly.


    Due to the flood of events, she felt that her head wasn''t working properly or she should''ve figured this out by herself.


    Still, it was undeniable that Varian was thinking far ahead and was calcting his moves.


    Sure, he didn''t have theplete n regarding Pluto, but he did have the basics covered.


    So, she was curious. "How do you n to kidnap Dr. Thomas?"


    Varian smiled and tapped on hism.


    {Gamma Potions Expo:


    The invention that is about to revolutionize mankind. The dawn of a new era¡­


    Honorary Guests:


    1. Dr. Thomas


    2. Shelby


    3. As..}


    Blue sh''s eyes widened and she grasped the basic idea of his n.


    As she was about to ask more, Varian shook his head and said. "Focus on Pluto for now. It shouldn''t go wrong....Oh yeah, where is Bali?"

 Chapter 450 - Balis Sadness

    Bali appeared in Neptune''s spaceport. Stepping out of the teleportation formation, he stretched his arms and rxed his body.


    Continous teleportations would have caused weaker people to be injured. He just felt a bit stiff, like how you would feel after traveling for too long.


    "Finally here." He muttered and nced at the exit.


    "Huh?"


    Teleportation formations were present in arge hall. After you teleport out, you could walk out of the hall''s exit and present your ID for thest check, and then you were free to go.


    The only problem¡­the exit was closed.


    And it wasn''t just any door, it was a durasium door.


    And he couldn''t just teleport out either. The teleportation formations also had a special function of preventing teleportations in their vicinity, which included the entire hall.


    Bali frowned and walked towards the exit. Somehow, he had a bad feeling about this.


    It was confirmed when the hologram of a security officer appeared in front of the exit.


    "Sir, please show your credentials and state your purpose of travel." The man with short ck hair in a red military uniform asked.


    Bali narrowed his eyes. He was currently in a disguise and was using a fake ID.


    While a few investigations wouldn''t be a problem earlier, he wasn''t sure about the situation now.


    "Here." Begrudgingly, he showed his fake credentials.


    The security officer uploaded the relevant documents onto a hologram. The spaceport''s AI connected to the military database and cross-checked.


    Seeing the green tick on the hologram, Bali inwardly sighed in relief. These fake IDs were specially prepared to fool the abyssal spies in the military.


    When taking on extremely important missions, officers would use these IDs. While most of these IDs would be deleted after the mission, a few got to keep them.


    As the captain of the 6th Shura Squad, Bali could get a crucial mission at any moment.


    So, he was allowed a fake ID and no one except the marshals¡ªthe three military Sovereigns: Albert, Kreo, and Ares knew.


    "Eh? What are you doing?" He asked in confusion as the security officer sent his credentials to another hologram.


    "Enigma has used a fake ID to go all the way from Mars to Uranus," The officer said, his voice turning cold. "So, the federation also ordered to check for all fake IDs. If you''re carrying a fake ID, you should report your real ID to the high general of Uranus."


    "Understandable." Bali nodded outwardly, but he was cursing Dreamer in his mind.


    Instead of going first and causing this mess, if they waited until he got to Neptune and then used teleportation formations,? this wouldn''t have happened.


    In Varian''s defense, the current situation was out of expectations. Sovereigns were taking Enigma''s issue more seriously than he imagined.


    ''I need to prepare.''


    Bali slowly let his space sense probe the powerhouses in the spaceport. There was only one level 9 and a couple of level 8s, which was understandable. Level 9s were very rare and mostly stationed onoids or patrolling space.


    That meant¡­


    Ding!


    The hologram disyed across and the security officer immediately pressed an emergency button.


    A powerful aura exploded from a distance and the level 9 powerhouse in the spaceport locked onto Bali.


    Bali, on the other hand, cursed under his breath and covered himself with space armor.


    Then he mmed his fist into the metal door, instantly sting it out.


    "STOP!"


    A thunderous roar came from the distance and even without thinking, Bali knew it was the level 9 powerhouse.


    To be honest, Bali was confident in defeating the other party in thirty seconds. But thirty seconds was too long for a level 9.


    If he did fight that long, the powerhouses from the nearest military district would reach here and join the fight.


    So, Bali didn''t hesitate and spread his vast space sense and locked a deserted location.


    The level 9 powerhouse sensed what he was about to do and snorted. "Hmph!"


    Space started to fluctuate like water in a shaking ss and formed a natural obstruction to teleportation.


    Bali didn''t care and channeled his space power. The next moment, he was gone.


    The moment he vanished, an old man with a long white beard appeared. His eyes widened in shock at Bali''s sessful escape.


    "Report!" He yelled to the level 8s and spread his space sense. He found Bali a few hundred miles away and teleported there.


    The level 8s in the spaceport hastily reported the situation to the nearest military district.


    "Stop!"


    "You''ll be hanged!"


    "This is treason!"


    The old man kept appearing and disappearing as he yelled at Bali.


    After a couple of seconds, they were already in outer space.


    Zap!


    A hugeser beam shot at Bali, who quickly escaped.


    Theser rushed ahead and sted an asteroid a few hundred thousand miles away and pulverized it.


    "Line of defense!" Looking at the hundreds of space stations, space shuttles, and awakeners, Bali gulped and quickly teleported away.


    Using a space shuttle was useless since they would catch up. After all, not every ship is a ghost ship and not every AI is Boo.


    So, Bali didn''t hold back and spent his space power like crazy.


    Thus, he kept escaping the space ships and was already tens of thousands of miles away from Neptune.


    He got a rare breather which he decided to use to curse. "Dreamer!!!"


    "Get on." A calm voice sounded, causing Bali to almost teleport away.


    But feeling that something was wrong, he turned around and saw not a patrol ship, but the fabled ghost ship. Its magnificent entrance was open, weing him.


    "We don''t have all day." Dreamer''s annoying voice sounded, causing Bali to almost explode.


    But withholding his anger, Bali walked right in.


    Bang!


    The entrance closed and Bali suddenly realized that he was in the middle of a closed room.


    To his horror, he couldn''t recognize the materials the walls were made of. But he was sure that he wasn''t capable of breaking them.


    What''s worse was that these walls also had some sort of anti-teleportation restrictions.


    Compared to the hall, this room was even more dangerous as it even limited his space sense.


    His space sense that could cover hundreds of miles without a problem couldn''t even extend beyond this tiny room.


    Bali''s mentality almost copsed as he felt a horrifying possibility hit his mind.


    Maybe Dreamer wasn''t the good guy he thought. Enigma and Dreamer were both evil beings.


    The reason Dreamer revealed the secret to a dual awakener bing a Sovereign wasn''t out of kindness, but out of deep malice.


    They were experimenting on him. Testing him and observing his progress. Yes, that must be it.


    Now, he was fooled by Dreamer into entering the ghost ship.


    Bali banged the walls and yelled. "Hey, Dreamer?"


    "Who is out there?"


    "I''m telling you, if you don''t let me it out, you''ll regret it."


    "I was wrong for trusting you."


    His calls were met withplete silence.


    Bali sat down and stared nkly at the walls.


    The reality suddenly set in and along with it came shame.


    Peak level 9 Dual Awakener. The next Sovereign.


    ¡­He seemed to be kidnapped.

 Chapter 453 - CFT

    Despite gaining an equal footing with abyssals, humans didn''t even entertain the idea of invading the abysses.


    The primary reason was the abyss will.


    It had three very annoying functions.


    If an enemy of higher-level was attacking a lower level abyssal and there''s no equal or higher level abyssal in the vicinity, it''d inform the nearest qualified abyssal.


    For instance, if a level 5 human attacked a town, governed by say, level 4 abyssal, then the abyssal will would inform the nearest level 5 abyssal.


    The second function was its psychological suppression. Unlike Heaven''s Will, it couldn''t directly reduce thebat power of hostile units.


    However, the psychological challenges it posed were a headache in the case ofrge-scale military operations.


    What''s more, the fiercer the conflict, the greater the mental suppression. This meant thebat units wouldn''t be able to exert their full power.


    The third and most dangerous of them all was its boost to abyssals.


    While the rule of thumb was a 5% increase, it only applied to low abyssals. For mid abyssals, it was 3% and for high awakeners, it was 1%.


    While it might not seem much at first nce, it changed everything when applied on a Sovereign.


    Even the high awakeners from humans could win against their abyssal equivalents.


    This was why, even though the experts were optimistic of humanity gaining a decisive edge over abyssals in the next two decades, there were barely any discussions of invading the abyssals and ending them for good.


    And now, ghost ship sneaked into such a dangerous ce. Due to its specialty, the ghost ship was capable of hiding from Thunder Abyss'' will.


    But it couldn''t hide the tracker from Enigma.


    Thus, ghost ship was exposed right when it approached the abyss'' entrance¡ªa huge, huge dark mouth.


    From there, it was chased and with almost a thousand patrol ships and a few thousand abyssals behind its back, ghost ship barged into the Thunder Abyss.


    The sky of thunder abyss was eternally covered by ck clouds.


    Zap!


    A Lightning bolt with the thickness of a bucket struck down a tree a couple of hundred meters away from the ghost ship.


    Contrary to what one would expect, the tree wasn''t burnt to ashes. In fact, the golden-leaved tree started giving off a blinding light as it absorbed as much as lightning mana it could from the lightning.


    Normal lightning didn''t possess much mana, but Thunder Abyss'' lightning was a different matter.


    Even the huge tree only absorbed only 30% of the mana and discharged 70% into the surroundings.


    The mana quickly spread into its vicinity and was absorbed by the greedy grass, flowers, and nts.


    Varian would''ve appreciated the scenery, only if a huge aura pressure didn''t lock on them.


    "Archdukes¡­" He muttered as auras rivaling Bali pressed down on them. Needless to say, they all detected Enigma''s arrival and were about to arrive.


    If they did, it''d be over.


    Varian turned to Blue sh and said. "Now!"


    Blue sh hurriedly nodded as she checked the formation on a metal sheet. It was filled with intricate carvings and exquisite materials shaped in a special order. In the center were a bunch of space stones¡ªthe most expensive materials of the formation.


    "It''s ready." She nodded with a serious face.


    Varian put away the formation into his storage ring and nodded. "Now."


    The next moment, he was out of ghost ship. The ship itself shrunk and turned into a ring.


    Once Varian was out, he felt a terrifying pressure descend on him, threatening to crush him to pieces.


    Even though they were thousands of miles away, Varian knew he was staring at death in the eye.


    Forcing his body that threatened to freeze under the pressure, he summoned the formation from the storage ring and then snapped his fingers.


    The space distorted and Varian immediately felt a strong pull. He didn''t struggle and let himself be carried away.


    And before he lost control over himself, he threw a few blocks of durasium and Ragnarok into the air with precision.


    And as his vision started to blur, he saw four silhouettes on the horizon. Just by a single look, the pressure on him rose multi-fold.


    His bones were on the verge of being crushed, and thankfully, the cross tunneling was finished.


    Right when he vanished, the durasium connected with ragnarork, and a small, but concentrated explosion covered the cross tunneling formation, breaking it into pieces.


    A momentter, four abyssals exuding a terrifying breath appeared in the location.


    A huge crater was formed due to the explosion, extending for hundreds of meters.


    "Where is he?"


    The leading archduke scrutinized everything with his lightning sense and was baffled to find that he only found metal powder.


    Whatever formation they used was right in the middle of the explosion and was timed perfectly.


    They knew the power of ragnarork very well. They were very proud of it once. Now it was used against them by that fucking dreamer!


    He ensured that even traces weren''t left.


    But that didn''t mean they had no clue.


    "Cross Tunneling!" The leading archduke growled and looked at his peers.


    They nodded in agreement. For if not for Cross Tunneling, why would he risk entering the abyss?


    But what was the target?


    "He needs to go to other abysses." The leading archduke frowned.


    "Let''s alert all forces and keep more focus on the tracker. Enigma isn''t a major threat anymore. Dreamer is nothing without his ghost ship. Whatever they do, they''re bound to fail." Another archduke advised.


    "Right." The leading archduke nodded and tapped hism, informing all the abysses of the situation.


    Right then, the youngest archduke said. "Maybe he''s trying to tunnel into a dungeon?"


    "With that? A broken level 8 and his power which wasn''t even strong to fight us?" The leading archduke said and the rest nodded in agreement.


    Narrowing his eyes at the damaged ce, the archduke sneered. "For helping Enigma, he''s also termed as a mortal enemy of humans.


    If he left Enigma, well and good.. If he insisted on helping her, no matter how far he runs, no matter what he tries, Dreamer will be buried with her."

 Chapter 456 - Pluto Infiltration [3]: Wish Granted

    Zap! Zap! Zaaap!


    The sky above Pluto was filled with golden sparks that flickered on and off. It was as if fireworks had burst in the outer space.


    While the weaker ones could only see the light, the stronger ones could vaguely feel the shockwaves of aura fluctuations.


    Just a small part of those shockwaves caused the level 7s on Pluto to sweat. They wouldn''t even be able to approach the fight before being torn to pieces.


    The weaker abyssals couldn''t grasp the intensity, but even they looked at the sky with burning eyes.


    There was a fucking battle for the first time in six years!


    It wasn''t an easy one.


    The strongest abyssals all joined hands to fight the enemy and it''s been more than two dozen seconds already, but the shes didn''t stop.


    Whoever that enemy was, they were capable of not only surviving thebined wrath of the pluto division but also engaging inbat for so long.


    After all, for high awakeners with unbelievably reaction speed, twenty-four seconds was a lot of ''time''.


    Considering that so many awakeners of level 9 and level 8 went out, the enemies were much tougher than expected.


    "Take your positions! Keep your senses wide open!" The officers instructed their subordinates in a sharp and urgent tone.


    The abyssals that weren''t on duty were mostly in the training halls, working their asses off. And they joined the guards just five seconds ago.


    Now, all the abyssals on Pluto were on guard.


    ording to their levels, they were spread in a very strategic manner across the.


    Firstly, Pluto''s surface area wasn''t so big.


    And secondly, the deployments were targeted and were concentrated in only critical ces.


    So, the half-million abyssal army was now monitoring every square inch of the targetted ce.


    It wasn''t monitoring through treasures or technology but by abyssal soldiers themselves.


    Regardless of their path, each abyssal had enhanced senses.


    When used properly, this special sense, be it fire sense, space sense, or even the enhanced five senses¡ªwould form a sphere around the awakener in which the user could detect any changes.


    It''s like a humanoid radar.


    The bigger the level, the greater the range.


    "Report it you have sense any abnormality!" The officers yelled at their subordinates through their alpha orbs as they themselves were yelled at by their superiors.


    "We''re all good, sir."


    In a floating building, a room was filled with a few level 8 abyssals. They looked at the man in the ck dress standing with his hands back. With a respectful expression, they reported the situation.


    "All the important areas are covered?" The mid-level 9 abyssal, Dorak asked in a deep voice.


    "Yes, sir. If the ghost ship tries to sneak in, it''ll be found immediately." An old level 8 abyssal said.


    Dorak nced at the formation in the hologram and saw that it covered all the twenty core facilities.


    "Not bad." He nodded in approval, causing the level 8 abyssals to smile.


    "Once they report, I will seal the space there and we''ll end this Dreamer headache once and for all," Dorak said in a light tone, but his curling lips and shining eyes revealed his inner excitement.


    Space Awakeners were a rare bunch, not only in humans but also in abyssals.


    Dorak belonged to the royal family of Thunder King. Despite being a level 9 space awakener, he was sent to Pluto and became a shame to his family.


    Thunder King was extremely disappointed in him.


    ''Just you wait¡­'' Dorak controlled his face from distorting. He wouldn''t make such a lowly expression in front of others.


    He''d wash away his shame with Dreamer''s blood and return as a glorious royal.


    His imaginations were cut short by the old voice.


    "S-Sir, the reinforcements¡­"


    "Hm? What about them?" Dorak raised a brow and sharpened his voice.


    "T-They will take a few minutes to arrive. The teleportation formations to Pluto aren''t under regr maintenance¡­and for the c-cluster cities'' n, a lot of materials rted to Pluto were taken. We have to hold our own." The Old Abyssal said, his voice trembling as aplicated emotion filled his heart.


    He participated in the first human-abyssal war as a level 4. Back then, humans were so weak, so helpless.


    When the war started, his wife was about to give birth. He remembered joking that his son wouldn''t have any humans left to kill and that''s why he''d ''catch'' a few as pets and let his son experience this species that his people have exterminated.


    Almost a century passed, and he had grown from a level 4 to level 8 and hit the bottleneck. While his son¡­ was also an old man and now had sons who also had sons and who also had sons.


    Humans were still far from being defeated, much less exterminated.


    In fact, without the emperor''s active help, he doubted if they could win at all.


    Of course, the military strategists would argue that abyssals could still win in an all-out war. But the price would be the destruction of almost 99% of the soldiers.


    That number was only 70% a few decades ago and it''s growing every year, bringing with it an unease that was hard to shake off.


    The biggest fear of the old abyssal and many of his peers was that one day the number would reach 100% and soon after, they''d lose any chances of winning the war.


    "Mr. Qass? Mr. Qass!"


    "Yes, Sir Dorak!" The Old Abyssal snapped out of his thoughts.


    From the cold face of his superior Dorak, he knew he was in trouble.


    "So old that you space out now? In the middle of a fricking crisis? You should honestly retire." Dorak nced at him from head to toe andmented in a light, but forceful tone. "I will report this incident. You will do more harm than good."


    "¡­I¡­I want to work until I see the end of humanity." The Old Abyssal said with a determined look as he gazed right into Dorak''s grey eyes.


    "Please give me onest chance. This is what I yeared since my teenage years." The Old Abyssal pleaded.


    Dorak narrowed his eyes and observed the old fellow before waving his hand. "Since I''m feeling good today, you''ll be let off with a heavy penalty."


    "Thank you!" The Old Abyssal sighed in relief.


    "Anyway," Dorak shrugged and turned to others. "The reinforcements will take time, but let''s hope that Dreamer shows up before they do."


    The level 8s nodded with a bitter expression.


    "Oh, don''t be so dramatic. If you guys were stronger, you''d have been sent to fight her." Dorak sneered.


    "¡­"


    The level 8s clenched their fists and nced at a hologram in the room.


    The marked position on it kept changing and chasing it were dozens and dozens of abyssals.


    It was Enigma''s position.


    While the level 9s went out to hunt Bali, the level 8s went out to hunt Enigma.


    Of course, Pluto still had a solid defense.


    There was a mid-level 9 and they, a bunch of level 8s.


    The remaining level 7s were covering the twenty ''core'' facilities. Once the ghost ship got sufficiently close, they''d find out.


    Then, the level 9 and level 8s would all attack it at once and bring it down in no time.


    So, all they wished for was an attack on Pluto.


    BOOM!


    ¡­their wish was granted.

 Chapter 457 - Pluto Infiltration [4]: Blue Flashs Help

    A huge explosion reverberated across Pluto. But it wasn''t one explosion. It was a lot of explosions urring simultaneously creating an illusion of an evenrge and more dangerous explosion.


    "Argghh! Where?" The mid-level 9 space abyssal, the temporarymander, Dorak frowned as he spread his space sense across the explosion sites.


    All these explosion sites were at the ''critical'' facilities. It was also the ce for level 7s¡­


    But now, while the facilities themselves were fine, the level 7s were all rolling on the ground.


    Most were heavily injured, a few were lightly injured and a few were dead. The onlymon thing was that none of them were spared.


    The soldiers immediately entered a state of emergency. The heavily injured ones were transported to critical centers, the lightly injured ones took potions and stayed in ce while the dead ones were thrown into a container vehicle.


    It was finished in less than ten seconds, and except for the sounds of abyssals'' footsteps and vehicle movements, there was no other sound.


    But Dorak didn''t feel it was pure silence. He heard the silence as Dreamer''s mockingughter at his plight.


    "How? How did you do it?" Dorak roared in anger and flew into the sky.


    Standing high in the clouds, his terrifying aura enveloped the facilities nearby and he desperately searched every inch of the area to find a clue.


    As he was about to give up, he sensed a tiny shard, almost the size of his hair in between the rocks.


    "This?" He locked his space sense onto it and teleported it to his hand.


    With a simple inspection, his grey face turned to pitch red and his chest heaved up and down.


    "Son of a bitch!" Dorak looked around for Dreamer''s traces as he cursed out loud.


    The ragnarorks exploded on them, resulting in the situation.


    But there''s a big problem.


    Since all these level 7s were keeping their senses on alert, if the bombs ''fell'' from the sky or were ''thrown'' from any direction, they should''ve noticed.


    But there was no notice. None at all.


    It happened all of a sudden as if the bombs were teleported to them¡­


    "Shit!" Dorak''s grey face turned and he hurriedly shouted to the level 8s below in themander''s building.


    "Caref¡ª"


    KAAAA!


    The sound of a mirror breaking reverberated, quickly followed by what seemed to be the sound of a vacuum sucking in everything, simr to when a huge beast opened its mouth and breathed in.


    The air, the dust, the rubble, everything in its vicinity seemed to be pulled towards the building and the very next moment, the building cracked into pieces and shrunk into a short sphere of metal, flesh, and rock before it exploded out.


    Boo¡ª!


    "Hmph!"


    Dorak forcibly froze the space around the sphere and stopped the due explosion.


    In the rubble, he recognized the corpse of an old abyssal, Qass. His body was sliced into pieces by the merciless space des and was almost minced by the partial explosion.


    Even though Dorak was rude and condescending to Qass, thest words of the old guy still rang in his mind.


    "¡­I¡­I want to work until I see the end of humanity."


    "Please give me onest chance. This is what I yeared since my teenage years."


    "Fuck you!" Dorak''s killing intent soared and his eyes shifted to a person. She was standing at where the building once stood, a couple of distinct auras surrounding her were quickly fading away.


    "Blue sh!" Dorak too felt the fading auras. All the level 8s¡­they were killed!


    His aura exploded like a volcano as his space sense locked onto her. As a mid-level 9, he was actually stronger than her.


    But¡­this gap wasn''t bigger than the gap between level 9 and level 8. She used the gap, along with teleportation, and killed the level 8s who were distracted by the explosions.


    "I got one more gift." Blue sh said and snapped her fingers.


    "Stop!" Dorak spread his space sense to stop whatever she was nning.


    ¡­But nothing happened.


    "You yed me?" Dorak growled in rage.


    "Hehe, I did." Blue sh raised her hand to cover her mouth but suddenly yelled. "NOW!"


    "Huh?!" Dorak''s space sense caught a spaceship entering his range.


    Ghost ship!


    Without holding back, Dorak channeled his space power and froze the space around the ship.


    While he still kept an eye on Blue sh, his focus was on Dreamer.


    "DIE!" As he clenched his fists to explode the space and destroy the ghost ship, someone beat him to the explosion part.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Seemingly out of nowhere, sheets of metal appeared at the critical facilities and before the level 7s could even respond, with a flick of Blue sh''s fingers, blue spheres crashed into the metal sheets.


    History repeated itself and huge craters were formed in front of every facility.


    The roads, the vehicles, the fortifications were all gone.


    Only the core facilities remained and due to the surrounding ground caving down greatly, it looked like the facility was actually on a small hill.


    "A few still remained, eh." Blue sh shrugged in a nonchnt voice.


    No abyssal remained standing. They were all either dead or seriously wounded.


    "You! You yed me!" Dorak realized that she used Dreamer as a distraction for this and growled.


    Without a second thought, he channeled his space power and clenched his fist.


    The space around Blue sh distorted as if it was about to be folded. The sheer pressure was enough to kill any level 8s.


    But the woman in ck didn''t flinch and waved her hand. The space was forcibly suppressed and she disappeared from the position, appearing in front of a facility.


    Dorak was already mad and with a single p of his palm, the space surrounding the facility exploded.


    BOOM!


    Dust rose into the air and the world shook violently as if an earthquake urred.


    Dorak didn''t wait for the dust to settle and the tremors to subside as he swiftly probed Blue sh''s position.


    She was gone!


    "Argh!"


    He found her a hundred miles away and instantly teleported there, raising his space power to kill her.


    If it was any other abyssal, they''d have noticed that the facilities'' walls, which withstood all damage so far were already cracked open.


    Unfortunately, or fortunately, Dorak didn''t notice. He was too focused on Blue sh.


    Such behavior was the very reason he was sent to Pluto.


    Ironically, instead of helping it, his presence here destroyed the situation.

 Chapter 458 - Pluto Infiltration [5]: Leap Of Faith

    A few thousand miles away from Pluto, space shook violently as a huge golden twisted into various shapes and continued changing directions at breakneck speed.


    From time to time, it would shoot out lightning spears, arrows, and even concentrated packs of lightning mana which would eventually explode.


    Each of these attacks was stronger than what any peak level 9 could make¡ªthey could break down a small asteroid.


    If these attacks were focused on earth, aplete city spanning tens of thousands of miles would be destroyed.


    And facing these lethal attacks, Bali was slowly slipping into a hard time.


    In absolute terms, it was only forty-five seconds. But they already exchanged tens of thousands of attacks.


    "Give up! You are gonna be tired out." Rivak grinned and waved his hand. The Abyssals behind him channeled their lightning mana and a lightning phoenix materialized.


    "This shit again?" Bali cursed under his breath.


    Screeech!


    The elemental bird pped its wings and in the blink of an eye, was a few meters away from him.


    Bali teleported away, but the moment he appeared, a lightning arrow was already waiting for him.


    "I know this." Bali raised his hand whichpletely turned into a me. His arm acted as a shield and shed with the arrow.


    At the same time, he channeled his space power and locked his space sense on an abyssal.


    In the formation, that abyssal was the weakest link. He was also in the worst position to be defended. So, he exploded the space around that abyssal.


    Boom!


    Gaah!


    Sounds of space cracking and bones breaking resounded simultaneously.


    Bali''s body shook fiercely as the momentum behind the arrow fractured his arm and stirred up his aura.


    At the same time, the space explosion, despite being suppressed at thest moment, still did a number on the abyssal.


    Now, the abyssal forcibly maintained his elementalized form so that the huge cavity in his chest wouldn''t kill.


    But even he knew that he wouldn''t be able to live for long. Even elementalization had its limits.


    "Kill him before he can break the formation!" Rivak yelled and the abyssals started raining arrows on him.


    Whoosh!


    Whoosh!


    "Haa~ Haa~" Bali teleported deftly and dodged the attacks with minimal cost. While he did, he noticed his elementalized fire arm slowly heal his fractured bone, but he knew this battle would be fought without it.


    It''s not that he wanted to sacrifice his arm when he could simply make a shield.


    If it was any peak level 9 he was facing, that was the best choice.


    But here, it''d have been a terrible one. The lighting arrow was too strong that it''d break his shield apart easily.


    So, he used his arm¡ªthe stronger shield to block the attack.


    The only silver lining was that he wasn''t going to fight in closebat here.


    Screech!


    The lightning phoenix shot at him with a dazzling speed and Bali sighed.


    "Ah shit, here we go again."


    *** *** ***


    A few hundred miles away from Bali, space still fluctuated, lightning attacks still flew across space and bombarded everything in their way.


    But it was on a lower scale. The level 8s scale.


    Kacha!


    Shuaa!


    A sword broke through the lightning shields at a ridiculous speed and beheaded an abyssal.


    At the same time, a lightning spear pierced through Enigma''s shoulder, causing her to be thrown off.


    Enigma clutched the spear and pulled it out, causing blood to gush out. But her eyes didn''t even quiver.


    On her ck dress, there were six such injuries and on the abyssals side, there were six fewer living.


    "Kill!" Enigma''s cold voice reverberated like the decree of death as she bravely or perhaps madly marched against dozens and dozens of abyssals.


    If this continued¡­she''d die.


    *** *** ***


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The sky above Pluto seemed to fall down as huge cracks began to appear. It was as if someone painted those dark violet lines in the sky to appear like a broken mirror.


    But Varian knew they were the results of Blue sh-Dorak''s battle. And he also knew that he didn''t have much time.


    So, through ghost ship, he quickly reached the ''facility''.


    The grey building''s entrance now had a big hole in it, giving him the view of the sleek design inside.


    As the ghost ship was about to enter, Boo suddenly yelled. "Master, master! Boo is suppressed!"


    "What?" Varian turned to Boo with a solemn and urgent expression.


    "There are¡­special restrictions inside, Boo can''t work inside. If Boo enters, it''ll be confined." Boo said with a scared expression.


    "Since when did abyssals get such treasures?" Varian''s brows knit together into a deep brown.


    "Master, ghost ship is a precious spaceship of Boo''s previous civilization. Abyssals were once able to fight that civilization.


    The only reason such treasures weren''t used was because Abyssals fell from grace and are incredibly weakpared to their peak." Boo said.


    Then looking at Varian''s anxious face, it continued. "And these restrictions aren''t the strongest ones. But Boo isn''t at its strongest either, so it can''t be helped.


    And these treasures were most likely shifted with the ''thing'' without intending. So, Boo doesn''t think they''ll have more such treasures."


    Even though Boo said so, Varian felt his heart race in anxiety. He forcibly calmed himself and narrowed his eyes.


    This was totally unexpected.


    The original n was to enter the building and just steal the thing from the ghost ship.


    Varian looked at the huge hole again and looked around. The entire area was now in chaos.


    The abyssals still haven''t sent anyone here, but they were already on the way.


    He could enter the building and get the ''thing''. But if the abyssals came before he could escape, it''d be a problem.


    It was a real-life risk.


    Even now, he could take Boo and escape with everyone else. And perhaps, n better for the next time.


    But Varian knew it was just an excuse.


    After this incident, the chances of sessfully pulling this off would be close to none.


    "Haa~" Varian took a deep breath and snapped his fingers.


    The ghost ship disappeared and turned into a small ring on his fingers.


    Varian appeared out of nowhere andnded in front of the entrance.


    The risk was real, but so were the stakes.


    This was a leap of faith.


    And Varian leaped.

 Chapter 459 - Pluto Infiltration [6]: Trouble Knocks

    It was an odd feeling.


    Like ying an instrument after years.


    Familiar, but strange. Proficient, but clumsy.


    That''s how Varian felt when he entered the facility without ghostship''s assurance.


    He was back to that stage of constant risk¡ªwhere even his slightest mistake would cost him his life.


    As the master of ghostship, Varian had a degree of security perhaps even level 7s couldn''t enjoy.


    Add to that the single, but powerful teleportation formation that was yet to be used.


    If Varian wasn''t sneak attacked, then Varian could escape from even the strongest of level 9s.


    For these very reasons, there was a feeling of solid safety in his heart.


    But now, the illusion of safety was brutally broken.


    "Boo, will the teleportation formation work inside?" Varian asked as he nced at the facility''s interior.


    It was several miles wide and looked more like a supreme pce than an important military building.


    The ground floor Varian currently was in had only a singlerge hall. The hall had only minimum items¡ªa few shining orbs floating just below the ceiling.


    Varian recognized them. They were Alpha Orbs¡ªAbyssals''m equivalents.


    He didn''t want to waste time and wanted to reach the second floor to grab the ''item'', but when he tried to teleport, the space suddenly fluctuated and Varian forcibly stopped the attempt.


    "Haa~ Haa~" Breathing heavily, he realized that there were more restrictions here than he imagined.


    He could still freeze, unfreeze and bomb the space, but teleportation¡­it seemed to be ''prohibited'' by a special treasure here.


    If he was a level 9 or level 8, perhaps, he could''ve defied the prohibition. But as a level 6, he could only work around the situation.


    "The stairs then." Varian nced at the stairs literally a few miles away and shrugged.


    It''d take only a few seconds. As he was about to sprint, the corner of his eye caught a shing red light¡ªit was the alpha orbs.


    ''Boo, are they recording this, and is it transmitted?'' Varian asked telepathically.


    Once he was in, Ghost ship''s functions were pretty much neutralized. Butmunication was still possible, apparently thanks to the ''iplete'' restrictions.


    ''Yes, master. It is sending the video to other abyssals. They should already be on their way.'' Boo said.


    Varian channeled light lightning mana and was about to destroy the orbs when Boo sighed. ''These aren''t ordinary alpha orbs. You can''t destroy them with your current strength.''


    Varian snorted lightly.


    ''Can you do anything?''


    ''No. Boo can''t function in the building.''


    ''Right.''


    Nodding lightly, Varian paused for a moment and nced at the entrance hole he came through.


    ''If I throw you out, can you block the signal?''


    ''¡­Barely.''


    Hearing Boo''s answer, Varian immediately removed the ring and was about to throw it out when Boo yelled.


    ''Master, wait! This is too dangerous. I can block signals, but abyssals will enter the building anyway.


    The restrictions on Boo must be together with that item. Once you take away those restrictions, Boo can freely operate.


    So, once you get to the second floor, your safety will be guaranteed.''


    Boo''s words caused Varian to change his ns. His body blurred and he shot up the stairs.


    While the abyssals were cautious about the building''s security itself, they seemed to be prettyx regarding the interior''s security measures.


    Varian surmised that it was mostly because they never even estimated that Pluto could be attacked. And it was even more so that this building would ever be infiltrated.


    "Kuh!"


    Varian''s shoulders suddenly sunk and he forcibly controlled himself from crashing to the ground.


    "¡­I was wrong." Varian felt the terrible gravity on the first floor and muttered. "I guess this is just a qualifying measure, eh."


    More likely than not, it was a prerequisite: ''Only the ones who can bear this pressure can enter this ce.''


    Varian could only guess as he fought off the gravity.


    It was relentless, asking him to justy down and give up.


    But he pressured himself and kept moving.


    Unlike the ground floor, the first floor was filled with unique items¡ªtreasures, herbs, medals, and even¡­skulls.


    But each item was contained in a special transparent ss box. While the ss looked fragile, Varian knew that he wouldn''t be able to break it with his strength.


    ''I have a bad feeling about this¡­''


    Varian was only a few hundred meters away from the stairs to the second floor, and he had an ominous premonition.


    ''Fuck it!'' Ignoring the treasures, Varian ran to the stairs with all his might.


    By the time he reached the stairs, he was already bleeding from his nose and mouth due to the pressure he put on himself to run at a very high speed.


    "Haa~" As Varian was about to climb the stairs, his hair suddenly stood up while his instincts screamed.


    Varian jumped away without a thought and a lightning bolt sted his previous position.


    "Fuck!"


    Dozens of abyssals stormed into the building. They all had heavy injuries¡ªsome lost an arm, others lost a leg, a few were bleeding profusely.


    But they were all level 7s.


    Zaap!


    Zap!


    Varian fought off the gravity and deftly dodged the lightning bolts raining down.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The attacks hit the walls and the ceiling but failed to damage them.


    More importantly, Varian noticed something particr.


    "Their attacks are all weaker than level 7!" Varian determined and sprinted down to the ground floor.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    As more and more abyssals joined, the lightning bolts kept rising.


    When Varian reached the ground floor, there were already thirty-six abyssals.


    Of course, all of them were level 7.


    Before Varian''s bombing, all the level 7s were guarding the core facilities.


    In the first bombing, a few abyssals died while the seriously injured ones were sent for treatment. The lightly injured and not injured ones stayed behind.


    In the second bombing, all of the ones that stayed behind were dead.


    So, the only ones that were alive were the heavily injured ones in the hospitals.


    And since everything happened so quickly, they didn''t even have the chance to heal and had to rush here.


    Thus, Varian was presented with a hard, but not impossible challenge of defeating abyssals that were much stronger than level 6, but weaker than level 7.

 Chapter 460 - Pluto Infiltration [7]: Battle Of Pluto

    The sky above Pluto continued to twist and crack as thend under it split, wind under it swirled into terrifying tornadoes and the water bodies caused floods.


    And the ash¡­


    Blue sh could see the ash rising into the air by the tornadoes from time to time.


    That was the ash of the billion humans. Killed and burned.


    At the thought of their pain and suffering, her heart sank and her killing intent exploded.


    With bloodshot eyes, she red at Dorak. And with a snap, the space around him exploded into pieces.


    Boom!


    The fragmented space twisted and in the next moment, Dorak''s figure appeared above Blue sh.


    He covered himself with space power, forming a space armor, and punched down at her.


    Whoosh!


    The air split like it was cleaved by an ax and the sheer force caused fierce winds that toppled the nearby mountains.


    Blue sh didn''t have the time for teleportation and met the punch with a counter-punch.


    Kacha!


    Boom!


    The sounds of space cracking reverberated across Pluto and the next moment, a terrifying shockwave erupted at the point where their fists met.


    Air was squeezed out, space was broken and a vacuum was formed.


    The ground also had a huge crater as dust rose into the air, clearly because someone crashed in at a high speed.


    The dust quickly rose to hundreds of meters and covered everything in sight.


    Shaau!


    A small, but powerful fist tore through the veil of dust and punched at Dorak.


    Boom!


    Dorak returned the punch and smiled at Blue sh.


    Boom!


    Blue sh staggered back in mid-air, before stabilizing herself.


    Her left hand was swollen and her face was pale as blood dripped from the corner of her lips.


    In thest exchange, she was the clear loser.


    It was as it should be. After all,pared to him, a mid-level 9, she was a whole sub-level lower.


    "Do you think I can''t see what you''re nning down?" Dorak suddenly said, intending to pause the conflict.


    Boom!


    The explosion of space was his answer.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The space around him constantly twisted and exploded under Blue sh''s expert maniption.


    Dorak cursed under his breath and resumed fighting.


    His original n was to keep her talking and secretly use his space power to kill Dreamer in the core facility.


    But Blue sh was aware of his true intentions. So, she continued the barrage of attacks, denying him any breathing space.


    While he had an upper hand in their exchanges, he wasn''t strong enough to kill her. If she really fought to survive, he''d need at least an hour to kill her.


    And while he knew Dreamer infiltrated their core facility, facing against Blue sh, he couldn''t distract himself in the middle of a fight. If he tried, he''d be dead.


    So, all he could do was fight.


    "Fuck you! My men are there already. Dreamer will die!" Dorak growled as he countered Blue sh''s attacks.


    Blue sh''s eyes shed with worry, but she continued her relentless and almost reckless attacks.


    Kaaa! Kacha!


    With each attack, her injuries were mounting. Blood was drenching more and more of her clothes.


    Her movements were also slightly, but surely slowing down.


    If she really fought like this, she''d die in a few minutes.


    ''Dreamer¡­'' Blue sh muttered inside her mind and saw the floating ashes.


    *** *** ***


    The core facility was now in chaos as green and red blood formed puddles on the ground floor.


    "Haa~ Haa~" Varian panted heavily as hundreds of overwhelming lightning bolts shot at him.


    Zaap!


    Zaap!


    Using his body powers, Varian moved with inhumane flexibility and avoided the attacks.


    At the same time, the space around an abyssal cracked and exploded.


    Boom!


    The abyssal quickly shielded himself with lightning armor, but it was toote as the space explosion devoured a good chunk of the abyssal''s chest''s flesh.


    "Akkk!"


    The abyssal clutched at his near-empty upper body and desperately grabbed for a healing potion.


    "Not on my watch," Varian growled.


    As the abyssal was still at a considerable distance, Varian condensed a lightning bolt and was about to shoot him down.


    But right then, the other abyssals attacked him.


    Varian started dodging their attacks while he shot a lightning arrow at the injured abyssal.


    Boom!


    The abyssal''s head blew up like a watermelon bursting.


    At the same time, Varian failed to dodge a lightning arrow. In the final moment, he raised his arms to shield himself.


    Kacha!


    Varian''s arm bones were broken and the sheer amount of force sent him flying.


    Bang!


    He crashed against the wall and slowly slid down, coughing out blood. "Cough. Cough. Cough."


    Looking at the twenty-nine abyssals¡­no, thirty including thetest one that just joined, Varian''s heart sunk.


    The ground floor literally oozed out of lightning mana¡ªthe wind shed sparks from time to time as the ground shone with golden lights.


    The fight was intense, but at this rate, it''d go on forever.


    Varian needed to do it quickly or many things could go wrong.


    Bali might be seriously injured or even die¡ªthen even if a single level 9 returned, he''d be fucked up.


    Enigma could die¡ªleaving behind his personal responsibilities for her death, it''d mean level 8s would return. He''d be fucked up.


    Blue sh could be killed. And even if Dorak was heavily injured at the end, as a level 9, he could snap his fingers and kill Varian.


    "Fuck! Fuck!" Varian cursed as he rolled to the side, dodging another barrage of lightning attacks.


    Whips, thorns, swords, daggers¡­everything that could be thrown was thrown.


    And more followed.


    Varian saw the glowing red orbs and gritted his teeth.


    "If this goes on, we''ll all die."


    Steeling his heart, Varian threw the ghostship ring and yelled. "Boo, stop the alpha orbs here and also the alpha orbs of these abyssals."


    "Masteeeeer!" Boo''s shocked scream resounded in his mind, but Varian''s focus was on dodging the attacks.


    The ghost ship ring flew out of the hole in the entrance and quickly erged to its original size and vanished.


    "DO IT!"


    Following his yell, Varian felt a strange wave wash over the room.


    The red light from the alpha orbs started to dim.? The abyssals continued fighting.


    Their alpha orbs stopped working. That meant what they were witnessing wouldn''t be recorded.


    The abyssals didn''t know. So, they weren''t scared.


    On the contrary, their current mood was full of excitement.


    "Dreamer, eh?" An abyssal said as he conjured up small lightning orbs and shot them at Varian.


    The rest also followed.


    Zaaap!


    Varian sidestepped andmunicated with Boo telepathically. ''Is it done?''


    ''Just a moment, master¡­.there are a few signals from abyssals Boo needs to block.'' Boo said in an urgent voice.


    ''Hurry up.'' Varian instructed as he rolled down and dodged a lightning spear.


    Boom!


    Seeing Dreamer''s passive and increasingly weak response, the abyssal continued.? "When we were first sent here to fight you, I was scared. What level would you be? Turns out, you were just a level 6! Hahahaha!"


    "Hahahaha!"


    "Hahaha!"


    The abyssals startedughing in contempt and ridicule but didn''t stop attacking.


    Thankfully, the ground floor was arge hall spanning several miles and Varian could dodge, despite being hit by a few attacks now and then.


    So, he didn''t fall for their provocations.


    As he kept dodging, he waited for Boo''s confirmation.


    In those few seconds, he got two injuries on his chest and one on his back.


    ''Master, everything in the building is now blocked!''


    Boom!


    Varian dodged another attack and nced at the abyssals. His lips curled up into a terrifying smile.


    "Laughing? Why are youughi¡ª?"


    Xoak, The talkative abyssal stopped abruptly as his body started shaking.


    The abyssals that were about to attack Varian froze abruptly and turned to Xoak.


    Under their horrified gaze, Xoak''s eyes turned white and a clicking sound reverberated across the hall.


    "Whaaa¡­?" The abyssals'' lightning sense showed them exactly where that sound came from.


    Thud.


    From the neck of the now copsed Xoak''s body.


    His neck was snapped.


    But¡­how?


    "Hahahaha!" A burst ofughter that seemed so evil that even abyssals'' archenemies¡ªZions would run filled the room.


    The abyssals turned their gaze back to Varian.


    Due to what just happened, they didn''t immediately attack him. Rather, they wanted to find out how he killed Xoak.? The mysteriousness of Dreamer evoked fear deep in their hearts.


    So, they used their lightning senses on him to search for any clue.


    Varian, on the other hand, opened a potion and downed it as if the abyssals didn''t exist. His body still had a couple of injuries from the fight, big and small.


    Even the potion would take time to heal them.


    So, the abyssals didn''t understand why he did that.


    But the next second, their faces paled at the impossible sight.


    Varian''s body turned into branches and he exuded a huge vitality¡­he exuded prana.


    After a few seconds, he turned back to normal.


    The small injuries were gone and the big injuries were now controlled.


    "H-How?" An abyssal asked with deep fear.


    Dreamer already showed the powers of Body, Space, and Lightning.


    So, how¡­..how was it possible for him to be a Morpher?


    "You really want to know?" Varian''s voice was filled with coldness as his lips curled up.


    The abyssals nodded and in turn, Varian snapped his fingers.


    Six distinct auras exploded from him.


    It was time to test his full strength.

 Chapter 461 - Pluto Infiltration [8]: The Bottleneck To Level 7

    Six Divine Paths.


    Forget the impossibility of a single individual awakening in so many paths, even if it''s possible, any human, no matter how talented, would see it as a curse.


    Dual Awakenersg behind the mainstream awakeners. Triple Awakeners have it worse.


    Six would be a nightmare. No matter how much effort you put in, the overwhelming burden of six paths would turn the progress from the fastest of sprints into the slowest of crawls.


    Theoretically, even the best self-practice could only push a six-path awakener to around 20% progress speed of a normal awakener, whereas it''s 50% for the triple awakener and 75% for a dual awakener.


    Even if it''s a celestial grade talent, it''d have taken a significant toll.


    Fortunately, or unfortunately, Varian had a system. It did bring misfortunes to his life. It also amplified any disaster he''d face.


    But in turn, it also made things easy.


    How easy?


    ''Status''


    [Body Path Level 6: 4000/4000 (Limit)


    Space Path Level 6: 4000/4000 (Limit)


    Lightning Path Level 6: 4000/4000 (Limit)


    Morpher Path L6: 4000/4000 (Limit)


    Telepath Path L6: 4000/4000 (Limit)


    Telekic Path L6: 4000/4000 (Limit)]


    Originally, Varian was far from these numbers. Even with his training partners, he hit a limit and his progress halted.


    Then came the war of Uranusoids and the subsequent conflicts. Varian easily fought off many opponents. His progress not only resumed but also skyrocketed.


    But since then, it hit a ''limit''.


    As Varian nced at the status screen, the abyssals in the distance were screaming into their alpha orbs.


    "Commander! Dreamer has six divine paths!"


    "I am sending you the video!"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "We''ll stall him! Request reinforcements immediately! His Majesty could surely his secret. We shall prosper!"


    The room was filled with their excited voices, revealing their fervor patriotism.


    And once the messages were sent, they watched Varian with wary eyes and made no moves.


    In their opinion, unless necessary, this specimen should be kept alive.


    The circumstances were also in their favor. ording to what they were told before being dispatched here, the battles would end quickly.


    That quickly meant any minute now.


    Varian didn''t bother them and mentally tapped on the ''limit'' on the screen and zoomed in on the lightning path.


    [Lightning Path: 4000/4000


    Limit Reached.


    Breakthrough to level 7 needs the breaking of seven bottlenecks.


    Currently broken bottlenecks: 0/6]


    From one of System''s rare pep talks, these bottlenecks were apparentlymon.


    A typical genius of the sr system would take around seven years to reach level 7.


    If it was a really top genius, they''d take six years.


    Of course, with each bottleneck broken, you''d grow significantly stronger.


    During the sr banquet, Varian saw a lot of these peak level 6s that attended to receive the guidance of the princes to break the bottleneck.


    Charles, Xavier, Marcus, and others were all called top 10¡ªbut only of the current year.


    The seniors that stayed at level 6 for a couple of years were obviously stronger than these third-year cadets who just reached peak level 6, perhaps except Charles.


    Charles apparently ''hit'' the bottleneck far faster than anyone else and was set to reach level 7 in three years at most.


    ording to the system''s ssification, Charles had already broken through a few bottlenecks and was at 3/6 back then. He might have progressed further now.


    That''s why Charles was significantly more powerful than the rest despite everyone being peak level 6.


    He still lost to everyone ganging on him. But if he was say, a 4/6 limit breaker, he''d have had a solid chance of reaching a stalemate. If he broke 5/6 limits, he''d have definitely won.


    So, after Valos, Varian wanted to rest for a few days before focusing on the bottlenecks.


    But Enigma happened and here he was, finally acting on the bottlenecks.


    "Don''t trymunicating. No one''sing to help you." Varian channeled all the aura derivates and announced.


    "Huh?" The abyssals finally noticed something was wrong.


    None of them got a single reply. They could discount it as their bosses being busy fighting.


    But¡ª


    "The surveince!" The alpha orbs in the hall that were supposed to be glowing red gave off no light at all.


    The twenty-nine abyssals nced at Varian again and realized that it must be the ghost ship''s doing.


    "Gulp." A few of them turned back and saw the ''entrance'' to the building was blocked by the ghost ship.


    He blocked out allmunication and they couldn''t get out easily. It''s obvious why.


    He didn''t want a word of his six divine paths spread.


    That meant¡ª


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The abyssals suddenly felt a stinging pain in their heads as if someone was prickling their brain, a few even saw an illusion of their emperor and were caught off guard.


    Following that, a lightning hammer condensed above a few abyssals.


    Varian kicked the ground and jumped into the air, grabbing the hammer.


    Then, using his telekic power, he pushed himself towards a group of three abyssals.


    Boom!


    The air trembled violently and like a meteor about to crash into a, Varian was about to crash into the abyssals.


    The abyssals forcibly restrained the pain in their minds and hurried to create shields. In no time, they were each covered by a thick lightning barrier.


    At the same time, they condensed lightning bolts, ready to strike him at a closer distance.


    Mid-flight, Varian sensed the power of the barrier and chuckled inwardly.


    Despite their heavy injuries, these level 7 abyssals were able to exert strength far beyond a normal peak level 6.


    ''How strong are these shields?'' Varian asked.


    [Most are around 4/6, a few are 3/6 and fewer are at 5/6]


    ''Eh. I can''t beat them with one power. But what if I add more?''


    As his telekic power kept pushing Varian to higher speeds, Varian was just above an abyssal in the blink of an eye.


    Zaaap!


    The super-charged lightning bolts from all abyssals reached him in an instant. Varian twisted his body very lightly, but due to the high speed, he crossed a significant distance and avoided most of the attacks.


    "Arghh" Varian coughed out blood as multiple areas in his body now had cavities caused by the attacks.


    But Varian''s momentum was only slightly diminished. So, with that high momentum, he raised his hammer.


    A surge of lightning mana rose from his body and temporarily improved his stats.


    Then, Varian used his space powers andpressed the space around the lightning barrier of his target abyssal.


    Zaaap!


    The barrier shook violently but remained intact. However, his attack wasn''t futile as the barrier considerably dimmed.


    Then, Varian''s left arm condensed into a very long vine and pped at the barrier.


    Paaaa!


    His arm-vine was quickly burnt, but the barrier weakened even further.


    "Stop him!"


    The abyssals yelled and were about to attack him again.


    But stacking the momentum from his telekic powers, Varian raised his lightning hammer and with all his Enhanced path strength, smashed the barrier around the abyssals.


    Kacha!


    Zaap!


    The moment Varian''s connected with the barrier, the abyssals'' attacks connected with Varian.

 Chapter 462 - Pluto Infiltration [9]: The Decisive Battle

    Boom!


    The barrier stood no chance under Varian''s attack and was directly broken. With wide eyes, the abyssal watched the hammer descend on him.


    It wasn''t the huge lightning hammer that was scary, it was the momentum that Varian carried and his strength which was stacked with that momentum to multiply the lethality of this hit.


    As a lightning awakener, his body was his weak point. If he was hit, there''s no way he could survive.


    To survive, there''s only one way left.


    "Arghhh!" With a scream, the abyssal''s body glowed a reluctant yellow.


    Despite being seriously injured, he was still a level 7. So, he used the elementalization.


    He thought he could be safe.


    He was wrong.


    The very next moment, the mental attacks on every other abyssal paused while the target abyssal immediately felt way more pain in his mind.


    "Graah¡­"


    His lightning body which was earlier perfect started to fluctuate violently and the next second, the hammer hit it from above.


    Pa!


    The abyssal''s body crashed to the ground and was ttened to pieces of flesh and blood.


    At the same time, Varian was confronted with the abyssals'' attacks.


    Using his telekic powers, he shifted his body and dodged a couple, but it was toote to do more.


    Varian turned his body into the tree form and used his lightning, space, and telekic paths to create barriers.


    The three barriers were bombarded by the barrage of attacks. They were broken soon but did their job.


    So, Varian had to face only a couple of lightning spears and he managed to protect his vitals.


    Boom!


    Still, the attacks he bore were so strong that he was sent flying, and once again crashed the wall.


    "Cough. Cough. Cough." Varian looked at the six small cavities spread across his wooden hands, chest, and legs.


    He already took a potion. So, it and mainly his ntae powers were working hard to heal him.


    "Chop off his limbs! We don''t want him killed." An abyssal roared.


    Following his order, the abyssals condensed sharp lighting des, capable of cutting down durable metals with ease.


    "Teleportation ban sucks." Varian sighed lightly, but his eyes suddenly shed a golden yellow.


    "Heeeuk." He gasped as he felt a jolt of power surge inside him.


    [Lightning Path Level 6: 1/6]


    "Yes!" Varian roared and shot out of the wall like a raging bullet.


    His body turned back to the human state, and almost immediately, the blood from his wounds began to gush out.


    Varian didn''t have the time to care. He must finish these abyssals as quickly as possible.


    "Die!"


    Once again, Varian condensed a lightning hammer and used his telekic powers to increase his speed.


    But because he used his mental power to attack all the abyssals, everyone was only slightly affected.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Varian was once again sent flying after killing an abyssal.


    His injuries worsened considerably.


    The previous injuries weren''t healed at all and he got bigger injuries.


    The abyssals saw his increased injuries and sensed his weakening aura and smiled in joy.


    "Give up!"


    "Hahaha!"


    "Dreamer, you''re over now."


    Varian once again jumped at them.


    And just likest two times, he went with the lightning hammer-telekic momentum-mental powerbination.


    And because of his poor state and his unchanging routines in attacking, abyssals felt a surge of confidence.


    So, except for the targetted abyssal, everyone else lowered their guard. Their barriers also came down.


    They wanted to end this battle. So, theypletely focused on offense.


    A costly mistake.


    As the abyssals were about to shoot their weapons at him, Varian suddenly kicked down in mid-air, and jumped up, catching everyone off guard.


    And right then, his mental power suddenly shifted to three abyssals farthest from him.


    The abyssals were caught off guard and nked out for a moment. Immediately, an invisible telekic force broke their neck and ended their lives.


    At the same time, the space around two abyssals suddenly exploded, crushing their hearts to pieces.


    And Varian calmlynded far away.


    Five abyssals were killed just like that.


    Counting the first two attacks, a total of seven were killed.


    Now, only twenty abyssals remained.


    Compared to the twenty-nine he first faced, it''s almost a 25% reduction.


    So, when Varian attacked them again, the difficulty decreased greatly.


    "You!"


    "Stop!"


    "You better Surrender!"


    Kaaa!


    Varian simply attacked.


    Abyssals learned their lesson and didn''t neglect their defensive barriers.


    But it was already toote.


    Varian stacked his Enhancer path''s high speed, lightning path''s temporary stat boost, and telekic path''s mental power and dodged their attacks while maintaining his offensive.


    It turned into a situation where their attacks couldn''t hit him, but his attacks fully hit them. So, he took them down one by one, breaking their shields, fully exploiting his ability to stack powers.


    Paa!


    Kacha!


    Varian used all his paths¡ªbody, space, lightning, morpher, telepath, and telekic.


    As time passed, the abyssals turned fewer and fewer.


    After some point, it was a cakewalk.


    The abyssals were filled with despair. They tried escaping, they tried using their full force, their attacks even hit him a few times¡­though they felt that he let them hit him deliberately, but still, it was over.


    Varian sprinted to thest three abyssals.


    The abyssals looked at each other and a fierce glint shed in their eyes.


    Their bodies elementalized to lightning and they all rushed to Varian.


    Then, theypressed all the lightning mana in their bodies. If they weren''t in elementalized state, veins would''ve popped up on their foreheads and their muscles would''ve squirmed.


    But since they were all in lightning form, Varian didn''t notice the changes until he was close.


    And then they exploded.


    BOOM!


    Varian was blown away like a broken kite.


    His back seemed to have taken a liking, it once again crashed to the same wall.


    "Cough. Cough. Cough." Varian stood up coughing out blood.


    He backed out at thest moment and used multi-barriers, saving himself from critical injuries.


    But he was still heavily injured and was bleeding profusely.


    [Lightning Path: 2/6]


    Varian felt a jolt of power course through his veins as the lightning mana suddenly rose.


    "Haa!"


    Dragging his body up, Varian ran to the first floor.


    "Heeeuk!"


    The gravity once again pressed him, causing his back to hunch and shoulders to bend, ending with him coughing out blood.


    Despite knowing about the gravity here, Varian couldn''t do much.


    He put on the space barriers, he used his telekic powers to support himself, but with his injuries, they were far less effective.


    But like a madman, Varian rushed to the stairs.


    His injuries worsened dramatically, but finally, he started climbing the stairs.


    Thankfully, there were no more mechanisms and soon, Varian reached the second floor.


    There were only a few items in floating ss boxes and Varian quickly found what he wanted.


    A ck disc around the size of a palm. It was the blocker¡ªthe item that stopped information from going out of the sr system.


    Like every other item, it too was in a ss box.


    It wasn''t easy to steal because the ss box was a special material able to withstand even level 9 attacks.


    Varian ran to the blocker and took a deep breath.


    He wasn''t a level 9 and he had no level 9s.


    But he had a n.

 Chapter 463 - Pluto Infiltration [10]: Enigmas Choice

    In the dark expanse of outer space, a lonely figure faced a horde of abyssals.


    She was far stronger than ones of her own level, yet this number had gone beyond what she could bear.


    Yet, Enigma poured all her strength in with each sword sh.


    Her attacks never missed and with each strike, she took down an abyssal.


    Yet, with blood dripping from every corner of her body, she felt a sense of weakness seeping in.


    But she still fought. Her eyes were never wavering, her attack never weakening.


    From time to time, Enigma teleported to dodge the lethal attacks. But that didn''tpletely help as the abyssals knew where she''d be teleported to and attack that location.


    Just like now, dozens of lightning orbs reached Enigma and exploded.


    "Cough. Cough. Cough." Enigma clutched her chest as she felt a sweet taste in her throat.


    "She''s almost done!"


    "Focus!"


    "She took down fifteen by herself! What a monster!"


    The level 8 abyssals stood in the empty dark space far away from her. Yet, their voices reached her without any hindrance.


    Enigma red at them with fierce killing intent and tried to continue. But her body was already giving up on her.


    ''I can still escape¡­'' The thought surfaced in her mind and she bit her lip.


    If she used that method, she even had confidence in destroying the tracker in her body.


    But the price was heavy¡ªa dark, dreary, and lonely realm of sleep that''d go on for centuries.


    Enigma looked at the abyssals'' in the distance. They waved their hand and a slew of lightning spears surrounded her from all directions.


    Enigma shed her sword and quickly teleported away. As expected, once again sted by the bombs at the location she was teleported to.


    "Cough. Cough." Enigma covered her mouth and nced at the abyssals.


    These grey creatures, with golden lightning wings, looked at her with anger.


    Because at their feet was a freshly cut corpse, spluttering blood from its neck.


    "We''ll torture you so much that you''ll beg for death."


    "We''re not even kidding! It''s better if you kill yourself now."


    Enigma clenched her fists and straightened her back. Her body was falling apart. She ignored the pain and red at them fiercely, but she couldn''t ignore her body and nearly copsed on her back.


    "Look at her eyes, she thinks she can still scare us?" An abyssalmented.


    "Enigma, eh. A headache for so long. See how''s she now. She can''t fight. Can''t escape." Another sneered and condensed a lightning bolt in his hand.


    ''Escape¡­'' As she felt closer and closer to death, the thought shed in Enigma''s mind.


    ''If you die, then Sia wouldn''t survive. For Sia, she must escape.'' The voice in her head told.


    Enigma clenched her fists and nced at Pluto far away.


    If things went as nned, Varian should''ve picked her up long ago. But he didn''t. It only meant one thing.


    The n didn''t work. And he was in trouble.


    There''s a good chance that he''d die.


    She muttered. "If Varian dies¡­Sia will kill herself. So, for her, I can''t abandon him."


    ''What if he dies? He abandoned Sia. He instinctually rejects hybrids. It''s impossible between them. Give up on him. Sia will get over him. We don''t belong here. We never did. This isn''t our war.''


    Enigma fell on her knees and clenched her fists.


    Sia¡­


    Yes, she was helping him only because of Sia¡­no?


    The abyssals misunderstood it as her surrendering.


    "Hahaha! This is where your glory ends, ve."


    "We''ll all get promoted and get out of this shitty."


    The abyssals approached her as they roared inughter. But an abyssal suddenly pointed to his alpha orb and said.


    "There''s news that Dreamer attacked a core facility. You control her, I''ll kill him real quick."


    Enigma raised her head abruptly and her tri-color eyes locked onto the abyssal that spoke.


    In a bone-chilling voice, she dered.


    "Don''t touch him."


    Drawing strength she didn''t even know existed, Enigma attacked him.


    The abyssal''s eyes turned wide and he exploded the next moment.


    "Fuck!"


    "She still has strength."


    Enigma slowly stood up, her body threatening to fall any second. Yet, she found strength something deep inside her.


    ''Are you stupid? You will die! You were asleep most of your life and really had what can be called life for a fraction of time. Yet, you want to do this for Sia? Is she really worthy?'' The voice in her head chattered.


    Enigma flicked her wrists and two dazzling red swords appeared in her hands.


    ''This isn''t about Sia and me anymore. This is also for¡­him.''


    Saying so, Enigma channeled her powers and prepared for teleportation.


    Space twisted and she appeared at another location, which was instantly bombarded by lightning bombs.


    Though it was very taxing, she teleported almost immediately and avoided the attacks.


    With a sh, she appeared right in the middle of abyssals.


    The abyssals already put on a defensive barrier and attacked the moment she appeared.


    Zaap!


    Enigma too attacked right after appearing.


    She avoided most of the attacks but was still hit by a few, causing her injuries to reach a critical state.


    On the other hand, two abyssals were quickly killed.


    "You!"


    "She''s crazy!"


    The abyssals saw her chaotic aura and eximed.


    There was a fresh wound very close to her heart!


    Enigma snapped her fingers and the swords flew back into her hands.


    As she was about to attack again, Enigma''s eyes froze. Her arms¡­ were shaking fiercely as they tried to hold the same swords she easily swung a few seconds ago.


    ''You''re crazy! This level of overexertion is too harmful!'' The voice in her head said. ''You and Sia should stop this Varian bullshit! This is insanity!''


    "Insanity?" Enigma muttered weakly.


    Somehow, the moment where Varian smiled at her shed in her mind. Then, his words sounded.


    ''The repulsion problem can be solved. Don''t worry about me and Sia. Worry about yourself.''


    ''I know..the pain you''re experiencing is far more than what Boo said. I''m really sorry I can''t do anything to ease your pain. But I promise that every second of your suffering will be paid back in blood by those who caused it.''


    His voice was gentle, yet firm. He meant what he said. He was weaker than her, yet he was giving her support.


    Enigma''s eyes blurred.


    She knew he was doing this mainly for Sia. But¡­he didn''t have to take this risk. She said Sia would contact him after exiting Earth Ruins.


    Yet¡­he was risking his life.


    And in the corner of her mind, she too knew that if Varian encountered an obstacle of Pluto, he had the option to escape using ghost ship.


    He could abandon the entire n instead of risking his life.


    But he didn''t.


    Enigma''s age was long, but the days she was ''alive'' weren''t so long. And most of the time she was conscious, she spent it in darkness.


    And for the first time in her life, someone helped her when they couldn''t.


    Regardless of the reasons, Enigma felt a warmth in her heart.


    And that warmth gave her the final bit of strength to fight.


    "Varian, I''m waiting for you."

 Chapter 464 - Pluto Infiltration [11]: Varians Oath

    A/N: if a chapter is repeated yesterday, clear the cache in settings. :)


    *** *** ***


    Varian looked at the ck disc and shifted his gaze to the ss box containing it.


    ''It should work.'' He cheered himself up and retrieved a few items from his storage ring.


    The first was thin slices of durasium walls of 1x1 in length and breadth. Stacking all the slices he had, their thickness was almost half a meter and weighed 5 fucking tonnes.


    Thankfully, it wasn''t a single wall or it''d have been seriously troublesome to move the durasium around.


    After cing the durasium walls all across the floating ss box, Varian sighed lightly.


    With his, thest bit of durasium he had was finished.


    To be honest, this thing helped him a lot.


    During the cluster cities'' crisis, he used them to decimate the secret realms and destroy arge part of the shadow order forces.


    Then, it was the same ragnarork bombs that helped him save Enigma and Blue sh.


    And they were the reason he could sneak into this facility.


    ''I wish I had more¡­'' While he was disappointed, Varian knew time was running out.


    The mission was already dyed and every second he wasted could turn out to be lethal for his teammates.


    After ensuring that the durasium walls werepletely covering the ss box once again, Varian sighed again and took out a few blue metal walls from his storage ring.


    These blue walls were not made of Durasium. They were what Boo gave him from its precious collection.


    ''Master! These are very precious. Boo doesn''t have many of them. Wooo.''


    Recalling Boo''s reluctance, Varian didn''t know whether tough or cry.


    He arranged the six walls in such a way that they are perfectly enclosing the durasium walls, which were enclosing the ss box.


    There was only a small gap left at the blue wall above.


    Varian took a deep breath and calmed himself. ''This is the most important step. If I fucked up here, I''ll die.''


    During their nning, this step only had a 10% risk of killing him.


    But now¡­


    Varian lowered his head and nced at his body riddled with injuries. If this wasn''t a necessary step, he''d have probably fainted.


    Varian took out the final item, a blue sphere¡ªragnarork.


    His hands slowly turned into a branch and he enclosed the bomb in red leaves.


    As a ntae awakener, he could produce leaves, flowers, and even fruits¡ªbut the cost was his prana, which he currently wascking.


    Still, it was barely enough to cover the whole thing and ensure the resilience of the leaves.


    Varian pped the leaves lightly and saw that they weren''t damaged.


    ''They can withstand a couple of level 5 hits, but for any level 6 attack, they''re done.'' He mused and used his telekic powers to carry ragnarork into the enclosed ''room'' through the single opening left at the top.


    With his mental sense, Varian could sense the interior of the ''room''.


    He locked onto the ss box which was locked by the durasium sheets. Then, he carefully ced the ragnraork so that it was in contact with both the ss wall and the durasium sheets.


    The moment they came into contact, Varian''s heart almost stopped.


    ''Haaa!''


    Varian sighed in relief.


    Thankfully, the leaves insting ragnarork didn''t trigger an explosion.


    Then, he snapped his fingers and slowly condensed the lighting arrow just above the ragnarork bomb.


    If he freed the arrow, it''d burn the leaves covering the ragnarork and the bomb would then be in direct contact with durasium, sting everything.


    But if he did that, Varian wouldn''t have enough time to close the top wall. As a result, he''d have to face a part of the explosion and due to the amount of durasium used, the explosion would surely kill him.


    So, instead of directly releasing the lightning arrow, Varian lightly solidified the space around the lightning arrow.


    Since he deliberately made the space blockage weak, the lightning arrow began to loosen the space.


    Varian made use of the chance and left his control over the lightning arrow.


    Zaap!


    The arrow trembled for a moment and broke the space block.


    Right then, Varian''s telekic power closed the wall on top.


    And now, the entire thing was tightly enclosed in these grade 9 walls.


    "Gul¡ª"


    Kaaaaa!


    Before Varian could even gulp down, the walls shook violently before calming down.


    Kacha!


    Varian could hear the sound of a muffled explosion, and with it, the sound of a ss breaking.


    ''Finally!'' Varian''s face brightened and he removed the walls.


    "Shit!"


    Even though he was expecting it, what he saw next still left Varian speechless.


    The interior of these grade 9 walls was bright red as if they were dipped inva. Varian didn''t even dare to touch them and used his telekic power to store them away.


    After this incident, they wouldn''t be able to hold level 9 attacks anymore.


    Then came the durasium sheets or theck of them. The durasium sheets werepletely gone! The ragnarork also left no traces.


    The only thing that was left was the cracked ss box.


    ''It worked!'' This was the n.


    Even if he used so many durasium sheets, the explosion would''ve only been at the level of a level 8.


    But!


    Since he used the grade 9 walls to confine the explosion, the pressure on the box increased exponentially.


    Every bit of explosion was focused back onto the box, causing a qualitative change from a level 8 attack to a level 9 attack.


    It was finally his chance.


    Varian clenched his fist and punched out, breaking the damaged ss and grabbing the ''Blocker''.


    "YEscough¡­cough cough." Varian''s excited roar was cut short by the coughing of blood, reminding him of his bad condition.


    Varian didn''t intend to stay here anymore and rushed down.


    The gravity on the first floor was still terrible, and he was on the verge of passing out, but perhaps it was the joy of victory, Varian was able to rush down to the exit.


    The abyssal corpses were still fresh on the ground, reminding him that not even a few minutes passed since the battle.


    ''I have multiple paths and am fine, but what about the rest? How are they doing?'' Varian shuddered at the thought.


    He soon rushed out of the entrance, but when he did, he found abyssals surrounding the area, rushing towards him.


    There were even level 7s among them. And unlike the previous batch, they weren''t so injured.


    This meant they could exert thebat power of a true level 7 instead of the peak level 6.


    Varian stood alone in front of the facility facing hundreds of lighting bolts that pierced the sky and shot at him.


    He was first anxious, but something in the air touched him.


    And when he saw what it was, his anxiety disappeared.


    Despite being so terribly injured, despite facing so many enemies, Varian''s mind was calm.


    Zaaap!


    The lightning bolts reached him, but theynded in an empty spot as Varian simply teleported out.


    After exiting the facility, he used the biggest advantage of a space awakener¡ªteleportation.


    And as he appeared at a distance from his original location, Varian stretched out his hand and let it fall on his palm.


    It was the ash.


    The ash of humans ughtered and burnt.


    Ash of Sarah''s and many others'' mothers. Ash, that was once a man, a woman, a child. Ash, which was the living testament of the tragedy.


    And that ash¡­as Varian touched it, he felt a jolt down his spine.


    His eyes reddened and he clenched the ash so tightly in his hand that his nails dug into his flesh and his blood washed the ash.


    "Kill!"


    "Dreamer''s actual level is so weak!"


    "Let''s end this menace!"


    The abyssals roared and with terrifying killing intent, shot every piece of lightning they could conjure.


    Varian snapped his fingers and in the distance, fierce winds blew.


    Lowering his end, Varian looked at the ash in his palms. It was the lives of a billion people.


    They weren''t avenged. They weren''t even given due honor post their death.


    If the federation couldn''t do it, then...


    Varian raised his head and raised his fist.


    His voice, raised to the highest levels, reverberated for hundreds of miles.


    "I swear by everything I love, soon I''ll drench you in the blood of abyssals and give you a proper send-off.


    The day is not far when the grey ash will be bathed in green blood.. Wait for me, my people¡­you can finally rest."

 Chapter 465 - Pluto Infiltration [12]: The Curtains Fall

    On the countless craters of Pluto, hundreds of abyssals pped their lightning wings and dashed forward.


    From high above, one could see a small white dot in the center while the surrounding miles werepletely covered by golden lights that were rushing towards the white dot.


    It was as if the world was joining hands against a single man.


    But that man had no fear.


    The abyssals could feel his level¡ªit was wildly fluctuating, making it even more clear.


    A mere level 6.


    Yet, he stood with a bearing that reminded them of a ruler.


    Subconsciously, theypared him with their emperor.


    ''Bullshit! They can''t be simr!'' The abyssals denied their own thoughts and stared at their prey.


    The man in white clothes and a golden mask, Dreamer. A mere level 6!


    "If I kill him, I''ll be promoted and I can get out of this shithole." An abyssal eximed and raised his speed.


    Whoosh!


    Every other abyssal did the same.


    Varian''s eyes grew colder and colder and finally his cold words reverberated across the ins of Pluto.


    "Next time I set my foot here, I''ll bloodbath Pluto."


    With a snap, he disappeared.


    "Huh?"


    "Where did he go?"


    "The ghost ship?!"


    "We can''t track him anymore."


    As they went from confusion to realization, the abyssals could only ground their teeth in frustration.


    "What did he do in the core facility?" A level 7 abyssal asked, causing others to stare at the facility warily.


    "Regiment Asn, Squad 27-D, go check." The abyssal ordered.


    "Yes, Sir."


    A group of six nodded reluctantly and entered the facility through the small opening.


    Everyone stared at their backs and waited as seconds passed by.


    There was no response. Not even a basic report.


    "Huh? What''s in there?" The level 7 abyssal yelled and as a result, the squad exited with pale faces.


    "With his level 6 powers, Dreamer wouldn''t be able to steal anything. So, w-why that fa..face?" The abyssal asked with a rxed expression, but his trembling voice showed that he was also aware that something had gone wrong.


    The 27-D squad leader simply pointed to the facility. "Please inspect it yourself."


    "Haa!" Taking a deep breath, the actingmander of the group, level 7 entered the facility. A dozen more level 7s followed.


    The corpses on the floor greeted them. Around thirty abyssals, some of them even familiar faces were killed brutally.


    "Take care of them." The leader said to an abyssal who nodded and collected the corpses.


    The group of abyssals didn''t stop and reached the second floor in a hurry.


    And then¡­


    "W-Whaaat?!" The leader gaped at the impossible sight.


    The abyssals with him also froze in shock. When they could finally think, they rubbed their eyes and


    A ss box was missing!


    How could it be possible? Was Dreamer secretly a level 9?


    If so, why did he wait until they arrived? In fact, he could''ve used his powers to wreak havoc on Pluto and no one could''ve stopped.


    That means he came here only for the item...or items?


    The leader hurriedly checked the other items and only when they confirmed that no other item was missing did he sigh in relief.


    "Sir, the stolen item is a Blocker!" An abyssal pointed out, causing the leader to stiffen.


    The leader gasped as a terrifying possibility emerged in his mind.


    "Don''t tell me dreamer is¡­"


    *** *** ***


    The sky above Pluto was like a mirror that continuously broke, fixed itself, and broke again.


    The space fluctuated wildly and cracked open for hundreds of meters, forming a terrific sight.


    A figure crashed into a mountain and the space around the mountain twisted wildly before exploding.


    Kaaa!


    The giant mountain, almost a hundred meters tall was sliced into countless tiny rocks under the wrath of space and was reduced to rubble.


    Under the rubble was a bloodied figure.


    Paa!


    Blue sh stood up with defiant eyes. There wererge cuts on her arms and legs.


    "There''s no way out." Dorak looked down at her and raised his hand.


    Blue sh gritted her teeth and was about to continue her fight, but right then,?a bright light shed in the sky showing a sequence of bizarre numbers.


    "Who? Dreamer?" Dorak''s space sense noticed the numbers and he growled.


    "After you, he''s next." He said and his body blurred.


    The next moment, he appeared in front of Blue sh, but right then, Blue sh''s body blurred with the twisting of space and she disappeared.


    "You can''t escape."


    Dorak''s space sense quickly caught a spatial fluctuation a hundred miles away and he teleported there the next moment.


    But¡­


    "DREAMER!" Following Dorak''s roar, a terrifying explosion rose.


    Blue sh was gone.


    *** *** ***


    "Hahahaha!" A burst of thunderousughter reverberated across space. It was an area once rich with meteoroids.


    But now, every meteoroid was either burnt to ashes by fire or lightning.


    While there were no meteoroids, there were a few grey bodies covered in green blood floating in the space.


    Far away from the bodies were the fighting groups of level 9 abyssals¡ªheaded by Rivak and coordinated into abat formation. They were capable of taking down hundreds of level 9s by themselves.


    But their opponent was one man with very serious injuries.


    His body waspletely charred and he looked more like burnt wood than human. The injuries caused his body to twitch from time to time.


    While he still stood straight, he no longer looked sturdy. His eyes were still bright like the sun, but that of a setting sun.


    "You are stillughing now? You are just crazy." Rival, peak level 9 abyssal wiped the blood off the corner of his mouth and said.


    "Hahahaha!" Bali simply cackled in response.


    Rivak was noticeably irked. "Your death will be painful, I promise."


    "Death isn''t scary at all!" Bali clenched his fists and prepared for hisst stand.


    He didn''t know why Dreamer was taking so long. Was it all perhaps a n to bring him here and let him die?


    Maybe he shouldn''t have trusted the man with the golden mask.


    But it''s already toote to regret it. He had to face the consequences of his choice.


    ''I trusted him and the price is death.'' Bali sighed inwardly and decided to kill Rivak before he died.


    ''But all my life, I tried to be a Sovereign. It sucks that I have to die before I reach it.''


    He channeled thest bits of fire mana and space power in his body.


    "Here goes for no¡ª"


    Hism vibrated subtly and Bali stiffened for a moment before changing his ns.


    He put in every bit of his remaining space power and teleported a few hundred miles away.


    "You can''t escape!"


    Rivak''s team raised their lightning circles and were about to attack him when a spaceship appeared behind Bali and took him in.


    By the time their attacks reached their aim, he was no more.


    "Search! Search! He killed my men! He killed our men!" Lightning dragons twirled around Rivak as he growled.


    Pluto was infiltrated, high awakeners were killed, and¡­if he wasn''t wrong, Dreamer came here for another purpose.


    If they let the peak level 9 escape, then¡­


    Rivak shuddered at what awaited him.

 Chapter 466 - Pluto Infiltration [13]: Varians Painful Realization

    It was said that when life neared the end, the final moments would stretch and one would see their whole life sh.


    For Enigma, it saw mostly darkness.


    It was like a cocoon. Protecting. But also confining.


    She could still experience the world, but only as a mere audience. It was like taking a backseat and having no control over the journey.


    And then it happened.


    A long, long time after she ''woke up''.


    She was finally free.


    But hardships hit her since the moment she opened her eyes. She went from relishing the joy of ''life'' to realizing the pain and suffering she caused and went back to ''sleep'', only to be called once again and finally end up in Shadow Guardians.


    "Catch her." The abyssal far in the distance shouted.


    "She killed my brother. I will kill her!" An angry roar reverberated across space, quickly followed the rumbling of thunder.


    A blinding golden light shed and a huge lightning dragon was created. As the dragon was about to rush forward, an anxious voice sounded.


    "Don''t!"


    The abyssal leader tried unsessfully to stop the kill.


    Enigma''s eyes were slightly open as she saw the golden creature rush towards her.


    Behind that creature were other lightning weapons, but instead of targetting her, they were targetting the creature.


    The abyssals didn''t intend to kill her if they could capture her alive.


    What would happen if she was captured?


    Enigma recalled Sia''s predicament.


    Sia was crying for days. The physical pain was on an inhumane level, but the psychological pain that her ''existence'' itself was wiped off, and the one person she was the closest forgot who she was.


    ''But I don''t have anyone to forget me¡­I am just a shadow.'' Enigma smiled bitterly.


    Boom!


    The dragon was intercepted just a few miles away from her, and the resulting shockwaves sent Enigma flying.


    Her body shook violently as she felt herself falling apart.


    "Phew! She would be an important specimen!" The abyssal leader''s voice reached her ears.


    ''¡­I''m a hybrid, not a specimen.'' Enigma floated in space as thest bit of strength left her body.


    "Capture her now. Don''t dy!" Following the leader''s voice, two abyssals shot forward.


    As Enigma felt them approach, her mind started to slow down.


    ''Death¡­is it really scary?''


    ''But I won''t die. I just won''t wake up forever. But then, what difference would it make¡­''


    As she made the decision, Enigma''s eyes which were violet suddenly glowed with a tri-color and a terrifying aura emanated from her body.


    The abyssals that were sent to capture her were taken aback and rushed forward.


    And when they did, they discovered another presence entering their perception range.


    "DREAMER!"


    "KILL!"


    While an abyssal attacked the ghost ship by locking it through his lightning sense, another directly attacked Enigma.


    Due to the long battle with Enigma, they were absolutely tired and their attacks were far from their peak.


    So, Ghostship only shook a little taking the level 8''s lightning spear head-on, and rushed to Enigma.


    On the other hand, hearing his name, Enigma''s glowing tri-color eyes stiffened and reverted back to violet.


    The lightning that was about to capture her suddenly froze and an invisible power pulled her.


    The abyssals could only watch Enigma being taken into ghost ship.


    Not even a few seconds passed and level 9 abyssals rushed to the location shouting.


    "Where''s her corpse?" Rivak yelled, only to be answered by silence.


    Then, his expression took a turn for the worse and he checked the messages from Dorak on Pluto and the level 7s regarding the core facility.


    With bloodshot eyes, Rivak roared.


    "Arghhhh!"


    *** *** ***


    Bali and Blue sh fainted on the floor. Under them, the puddle of blood was only increasing with each second.


    They used their space power to block the attack, but it was already overexertion on their part.


    Varian looked at Enigma floating in front of him with aplicated expression.


    "¡­Boo, heal us all, please¡­" Varian said in a weak voice and used his telekic power to lift his three unconscious teammates and ce them on the emergency beds.


    Boo''s bots quickly brought the 9-star potions and administered them to them all.


    Varian sat on a chair nearby and stared at them with aplicated expression.


    Covering his face, he gritted his teeth. ''¡­I was taking things too easily.''


    It finally hit him.


    He lived in depression for a year and it messed his mind. Then, the system happened, an awakening followed and he got into the defense academy.


    He was ostracized, made new enemies, and nearly died in the lost dungeon.


    And then he got ghost ship.


    His first act as the Dreamer gave birth to a sense of confidence that only kept growing with each sess.


    Dreamer gave the Omni-key and destroyed the abyssals in dungeons.


    Dreamer orchestrated the destruction of Shadow Order''s secret realms on Earth and was arguably the deciding factor.


    Dreamer was the hero, whether acknowledged or not. He was the one who solved the cluster cities'' crisis. He saved the federation from certain destruction.


    And this was the exact train of thought that led to the current situation.


    "It wasn''t Dreamer¡­It was ghost ship. It was Boo." Varian said with a vacant expression.


    He looked at the three people who risked their lives for his n and guilt overwhelmed him.


    If it was a year ago, this guilt would''ve paralyzed Varian.


    But not now.


    His overconfidence due to the sess of Dreamer couldn''t hide the brilliance of the hardships he triumphed.


    "What went wrong with this mission?" Varian asked himself.


    Many reasons came up.


    No one knew that abyssals still had a technology that could restrict Boo. If not, then he could''ve quickly taken the Blocker and returned.


    Enigma, Bali, and Blue sh wouldn''t have to nearly die.


    Or maybe it was his impulsiveness. He should''ve nned more. He should''ve estimated how the n could fail and taken countermeasures.


    Or simply n better. Perhaps there was a better way.


    For instance, asking Evander to help. Or asking Sovereign Irene.


    There were many, many reasons Varian could point to.


    But in the end, it all came down to one crucial thing.


    Strength.


    At the end of the day, no matter the ghost ship, no matter the ragnrarorks, he was a weak level 6.


    So weak that Blue sh had to help him take out the level 7 abyssals using ragnarorks.


    So weak that Enigma and Bali unterally decided not to fight anywhere near Pluto lest they identally kill him.


    So weak that even when he saw the ashes of a billion people weep in his hands, he abandoned them.


    "¡­Strength," Varian muttered.


    "Level 7¡­but I could''ve finished off the abyssals far faster and everyone would''ve been safe."


    "Level 8, Level 9¡­" Varian clenched his fist.


    Slowly, he stood up. The 9-star potion Boo administered to him was working. On a level 6, a 9-star potion was an overwhelming waste.


    Ironically, because his level was the lowest, he was recovering far more quickly.


    Varian walked to his unconscious teammates and checked their conditions.


    Enigma''s injuries were the worst.


    "You..." Varian''s eyes widened as he looked at her with aplicated expression.


    Only now did he notice that she was still holding a sword.

 Chapter 467 - Escape

    Outside of Neptune was a region of space called the Kuiper Belt. It was a region filled with bits of rocks and ice,ets, and dwarfs.


    Pluto was thergest dwarf.


    In this region where objects ranging from the size of a fist to the size of the earth''s moon drifted around, abyssals set up multiple bases.


    These bases served as a backup for the row ofoids that were directly present between Neptune and Pluto.


    A few minutes ago, from these bases, thousands of space ships took off and pursued a single target.


    Quite a few level 9 were deployed and the biggest chase in history began.


    ¡­And ended quite anti-climactically as the ghost ship pulled off more and more distance.


    Despite their tremendous powers, Abyssals found that they couldn''t catch up, much to their frustration.


    Then, their temporary agreement with humans came into y.


    Human spaceships and powerhouses also joined in chasing down the ghost ship.


    But as if fate was mocking them, they too were left in the dust.


    No matter how many space shuttles and powerhouses abyssals and humans had, the sr system was just too big.


    Thus, after a few hours of intense chase, the situation stabilized.


    The enemies were still chasing, but they weren''t anywhere near.


    "¡­and so, I got the Blocker," Varian exined what transpired on his side.


    Enigma, Blue sh, and Bali listened with different expressions.


    Despite beingpletely healed, Blue sh was still tense.


    Bali seemed to be ufortable with the way his expression kept changing and Enigma¡­she had a hard-to-read look in her eyes.


    "So, a level 6¡­you thought you could pull it off? Are you crazy? Or am I crazy for trusting you without verifying all the details?" Bali leaned forward and red into the young man whose face was no longer covered by a mask.


    Bali was surprised since he already met Varian once at the sr banquet when he was with Sarah. He also knew of Varian''s talent and his astounding victory in the sr trial.


    To be honest, Bali cherished such talents and would''ve supported Varian.


    Only if the mission wasn''t so dangerous.


    Varian stiffened at Bali''s remarks and was about to reply when Blue sh beat him to it.


    "The n didn''t include his level."


    Bali turned to Blue sh and scowled. "And you are the one who nned this with him. Everyone nearly died."


    Varian sighed deeply. "I am responsible for this. I could''ve done better. Or if I was a level 7, things could''ve never gone this way."


    "¡­If things went really bad, I had a method to save myself," Enigma confessed, but no one believed her.


    In fact, Varian felt worse. She was trying to console him after what she had just gone through.


    "¡­" Looking at Varian''s remorseful face, Bali fell silent.


    Enigma, however, was visibly unnerved by Varian''s words. "When you start thinking like that, you''ll take the me for everything. It eats you from inside."


    Varian raised his head in surprise.


    Enigma nced at Blue sh and Bali. Her violet eyes changed to tri-color as she said.? "To be clear, this happened because of me and my weakness. The ultimate responsibility lies with me."


    "Hmph!" Bali snorted and crossed his arms.


    He was angry, but he wasn''t mad. If he was, he''d be attacking them already¡­though a certain ghost repeated to him multiple times that should he try that, everyone in the ghost ship would die.


    He thought back to Varian''s condition when he was pulled into ghost ship. It was evident that his battle was far worse.


    Any level 6 would''ve died already, but he was still active.


    ¡­And from what hism''s broken clips he showed them, Varian killed nearly thirty abyssals. Though they were seriously injured and had theirbat power dropped, they were still level 7 abyssals.


    A level 6 killing so many level 7s, despite the injuries and in such a short time was not only shocking but also unheard of.


    Bali couldn''t imagine the situation if Varian was a level 9. Such a person would be a nightmare for abyssals.


    "It''s notpletely on you either." Bali finally said and his gazended on the floating disk in the room.


    His expression darkened as he lowered his head. "We¡­We, the army pushed you. If people acted sensibly, this wouldn''t have happened."


    Varian was taken aback by his words while Enigma and Blue sh clenched their fists.


    "You guys really did¡­Shadow Guardians doesn''t exist anymore. The shield that protected you from the Order doesn''t exist anymore. The reinforcements you''ll need in tough times don''t exist anymore." Blue sh said with a burst of mockingughter, but everyone in the room was able to hear the in hatred and grief in her voice.


    Enigma''s breathing ragged as she clenched her fists tightly. The pictures of their deaths filled her mind and her eyes closed in pain.


    "¡­If they defied the military order and didn''t kill the guardians, then they''d bebeled as a traitor and be killed," Bali said with a remorseful expression.


    Then, he turned to Enigma and said frankly. "I can understand their reasoning for wanting to kill her, but destroying Shadow Guardians is¡ª"


    "It was done by Julius." Varian cut him off.


    "Sovereign Julius." Bali corrected, while he shot a re at Varian. It was apparent he was dissatisfied with Varian''s disrespect.


    Varian narrowed his eyes. "It''s a personal vengeance against Enigma."


    Then, he turned to the floating disk and muttered. "If they at least gave us time to negotiate or surrender, we''d have had the chance to retrieve the Blocker. Then, none of this would''ve happened."


    In fact, the initial proposal was to lock up the Shadow Guardians for a few days. But Julius changed it citing ''There could be another alien''. It was absurd, but not impossible.


    "Are you going to reveal this to the public?" Bali asked with an expectant expression. "¡­while I can''t do much, I will use my influence to free the arrested."


    The ones rted to Shadow Guardians were also arrested. With the ''Blocker'' clearing away allegations on Enigma, it''d also free the people from prisons.


    Varian shook his head. "I still have one more thing to do."


    "Huh?"


    Varian''s eyes cooled down. "Xanders."


    Bali''s eyes widened and he was about to persuade Varian when thetter shook his head.


    "They aren''t an innocent bunch. But I am not talking about attacking them. Not yet."


    "Then¡­?" Bali frowned in confusion.


    Blue sh recalled Varian''s words before the mission and realized the next step.


    "The Expo."


    "Hm." Varian nodded.


    "Wait, you want to att¡ª" Bali stopped abruptly as a wave of aura erupted from him.


    Varian nearly suffocated under the pressure, but it quickly vanished as Blue sh waved her hand.


    "What was that¡­?" He stared at Bali who was now sitting cross-legged.


    Bali suddenly opened his eyes and teleported to the exit. "I need to go. The origins are about to bepletely merged."


    ''Master?''


    Varian nodded at Boo and the exit opened.


    Bali covered himself in fire armor and jumped out.


    The space around his body began to twist. Bali''s gaze shifted between Varian and Enigma.


    He nced at the Blocker and yelled.


    "I hope you get justice without much bloodshed."


    And he teleported to the boundary between the outer and inner space.

 Chapter 468 - Sovereign Irenes Promise

    In a very secluded secret realm near Uranus, there was a scientific facility.


    Men and women d in white coats move around as they worked at an insane speed.


    Whenever theypleted an observation or verified a test, their gaze would return towards the item floating in the middle of theb¡ªa ck disk.


    The disk was continuously scanned as the inputs were given and readings were taken.


    From time to time, there would be gasps as the researchers continued to be surprised.


    "What do you think?" Sovereign Irene strolled in the small garden outside the facility as she asked an elderly man. He had a baby face and a white beard.


    Yang nced back at the facility and saw therge holograms disying the readings.


    Taking a deep breath, he rubbed his sweaty palms and answered. "I-It''s true. It''s capable of blocking the messages sent from the sr system. Not only that, it can also intercept the messagesing from outside."


    Sovereign Irene''s brows furrowed as she bit her lip. "A single device can cover the entire sr system?"


    If it was really the case, then what chance did humans have against the abyssals?


    Yang shook his head confidently. "A single device won''t do."


    "Then?"


    "It''s a part of a group. These devices function as a single entity." Yang said and went into technical details.


    "¡­Since this device is taken out, can our messages now reach beyond the Sr System?" Irene asked with a strange expression.


    "¡­" Yang paused for a moment as he considered the question.


    Irene didn''t pressure him and slowly walked through the garden.


    This was where Billy used to y. Irene gently caressed a blue flower and recalled his bright smile when he gifted it to her.


    "Mom! This is for you! You are the kindest and mos beautifu¡ª"


    Yang''s voice suddenly snapped her out of her trance.


    "I don''t think it''s possible. The remaining devices can still function, albeit with a greater workload. We can''t overwrite them having spares either." Yang stroked his white beard and said.


    Irene took a deep breath and adjusted her emotions before asking the most important question.


    "So, is everything about Enigma fake?"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    The air stilled and the wind itself stopped blowing. The birds that were chirping moments ago were silent. Even light itself seemed to bend as everything dimmed.


    Yang calmed his racing heart and looked at Irene Nial. What he felt towards her wasn''t what other top scientists felt towards Sovereigns¡ªit wasn''t deference, but reverence.


    Before being a Sovereign, she was a good human being.


    If the other Sovereigns were the type to kill a hundred to save a million without much remorse, Irene was the type to try her best to find ways to save those hundred. If the need really arose, she''d throw herself in to save them.


    There was a mixed public opinion on her behavior, but to Yang, she was an exemry leader.


    That''s why, despite personally hating aliens to his bones, he answered her with only the truth.


    "Yes. Enigma can''t contact anyone."


    Irene''s face visibly eased before she closed her eyes and gritted her teeth.


    "S-Sovereign Irene?" Yang called her with a concerned expression.


    Irene opened her eyes and looked at him with a wry smile on her pale face. "Shadow Guardians¡­they died for this usation."


    Her voice was bleak and with every word she said, it felt like someone was piercing her heart.


    Irene recalled the horrifying scenes of their destruction and bit her lip. As she started to bleed, she lowered her head.


    "Yang¡­I failed to protect them. We all failed to protect our heroes. We called them terrorists."


    "I¡ª" Yang wanted to say something, but the words were stuck in his throat.


    In the end, he too lowered his head and said in a weak voice. "I''m sorry."


    Irene shook her head and said in a weak voice. "¡­I''ll ask you again, can Enigma contact her race, cause extermination to humankind so that we need to hunt her down and kill everyone rted to her?"


    Yang felt a huge weight on his chest. He spearheaded the moment in Uranus and called for aplete hunt of Enigma.


    While he opposed Shadow Guardians'' destruction, he was mostly concerned about Enigma.


    But it turned out that everything was fake.


    They thought they outsmarted abyssals in cluster cities''. Not even a month passed, and abyssals convinced them to kill their own people and allies.


    "The abyssals are fully capable of stopping her messages. They used us to hunt her down. It''s all our fault." Yang recalled the shadow guardians who died and guilt overwhelmed him.


    *** *** ***


    "Did you verify?" Dreamer asked Sovereign Irene''s hologram.


    She nodded lightly and pointed to an old man beside her. "Dr. Yang personally verified it."


    Yang looked at Dreamer with aplicated expression and said. "Whatever you said was all true. We now have concrete evidence and are ready to publicize it."


    Dreamer raised his hand. "Now is not the right time."


    Irene and Yang didn''t understand, but they didn''t question him. They were still feeling the shocks from the realization.


    "Dreamer, can I talk to her?" Sovereign Irene asked with a pale face.


    Dreamer paused for a moment and looked at Enigma.


    She was standing by therge ss window and staring out into space. It was as if the world had abandoned her¡­which it did and it did so in the most brutal way possible.


    Varian shook his head and called. "Enigma. Sovereign Irene wants to talk."


    The hologram reached her and Enigma nced at Sovereign Irene with a neutral gaze.


    "I''m ashamed and sorry for what happened to you." Irene bowed deeply and said in a remorseful tone.


    Varian, Yang, and even Enigma were taken aback. A Sovereign apologizing so humbly was unheard of.


    Yet, here she was¡­


    "I know nothing I say can erase the pain burning your heart." Irene smiled bitterly.


    "Losing everyone you love¡­I lived through pain." She sighed and looked at Enigma.


    Enigma tilted her head and said in an icy voice. "And you were hunted by every being in the sr system? Including the very race, you fought to protect?"


    "¡­" Irene fell silent and shook her head. "What happened with you is terrible. I know the trust we have is broken. I know you won''t trust my race¡­"


    Enigma clenched her fists and looked into Irene''s eyes. "I can fully understand your fears in trying to kill me."


    "Huh?" Irene, Yang, and even Varian gasped in surprise.


    "You see me as a threat who can call another race like abyssals and bring extinction to the human race," Enigma said with an indifferent voice.


    "If it was before this incident," She raised her sword. "If I find out that an alien was residing in the sr system, I''d have killed the alien myself."


    Varian looked at her with aplicated expression and sighed inwardly.


    ''She was trying so hard to protect us and what did she get in return?''


    "As I said, I can understand why you fear me¡­but what I absolutely loath is you killing people who have nothing to do with his." Enigma''s voice was raised as she nearly yelled at Irene.


    "Shadow Guardians are brutally massacred! You had the power to stop it, Sovereign Irene! You could''ve! Any Sovereign could''ve! What did do you? Why did you kill them?"


    Enigma''s eyes slowly reddened as her body started to tremble.


    Apart from the one time she cried after hearing their death, this was the second time Varian saw her emotional.


    Perhaps she was holding it in all this time.


    Varian couldn''t bear to see a strong woman who always faced her challenges bravely break down.


    He turned away from her, but his heightened senses could hear drops of water¡­her tears sttering on the ground.


    Her voice that was filled with grief echoed in the ghost ship.


    "Shadow Guardians¡­the innocents you killed are normal people¡­they are the ones who sacrificed risked their own lives so that others can live in peace.


    Sovereign Irene, forget opposing the massacre, couldn''t you have at least demanded a proper investigation?"


    "¡­"


    Except for Enigma''s rough breath, there was a deathly silence.


    Finally, Sovereign Irene''s voice sounded, filled with deep guilt and regret.


    "I was wrong. I''ll support you in seeking justice for them." She dered and her voice turned iparably solemn.


    "Even if I have to oppose every other Sovereign, I''ll get them justice."

 Chapter 469 - Omega Expo

    Irene''s words created a solemn silence in ghost ship.


    Varian looked up at Irene with a sense of respect.


    Acknowledging one''s faults sounded simple but was incredibly difficult. Especially for someone as lofty as a Sovereign. They were above everyone and everything. To them, apologizing was equivalent to tearing down their own ego and admitting that they were wrong.


    Irene not only acknowledged her mistake but also apologized. She wasn''t the first Sovereign to do it, but she was definitely the most sincere.


    "I know nothing can make up for the pain, but please allow me to help you get them justice¡­if it''s the only thing I can do." She pleaded with Enigma.


    Enigma fell silent and clenched her fists.


    Irene smiled bitterly but nodded. "I must be reminding you of unpleasant things, I''ll take my leave."


    And she was about to end the call when¡ª


    "Dreamer." Enigma suddenly said.


    Irene stopped in her tracks and nced at the man in white.


    "Yes?" Varian raised a brow in surprise, but his gaze was quickly drawn to the dried marks around her eyes.


    But her eyes now only showed indifference, as if nothing happened.


    Somehow, that hurt Varian more than he thought. The more she acted like this, the deeper her pain was.


    "You¡­you had a n, right?" Enigma asked in a hoarse voice.


    She was asking him for help. This was very, very foreign to her. Enigma didn''t want to depend on anyone. Yet, her own mental state was as worse as it could get.


    Even if she was willing to sit down and n, strategizing wasn''t her strong suit. Most of the ns of Shadow Guardians were actually formted by Blue sh while Enigma focused on important missions, and with her special teleportation, she did only what she could.


    With her high progress speed, uniqueness, and miracle potion, the level 9s in the Shadow Guardians were convinced that she was to be the natural leader.


    Enigma led by example and implemented key ns that saved millions of lives.


    But now¡­she had no ask someone to save her.


    Even though she tried to maintain her cool, the tremors in her voice didn''t escape Varian''s heightened hearing.


    ''I wish this never happened...but a lot of our wishes remain wishes.'' Varian sighed inwardly and turned to Irene. When he did, he nearly gaped at the sight.


    Irene was staring at him with a burning intensity.


    ''Tell me what I should do! How can I help? Tell me! NOW!''


    Even though she didn''t utter a word and Varian couldn''t use telepathy across holograms, he was darn sure what she implied.


    So, he said the truth.


    "I need to kidnap Dr.Thomas."


    "Huh?"


    "Eh?!"


    Enigma was taken aback while Blue sh, who was checking the federation news opened her mouth in shock.


    Irene froze for a moment and shook her head bitterly. "It''s not possible."


    Varian frowned. "Even for a Sovereign?"


    Blue sh raised her hand and waved at him. She was back to wearing the face mask, so Irene didn''t know her identity.


    Enigma and Varian looked at her in doubt, while Irene showed a curious expression.


    "I think I know why." Blue sh said.


    "Go on."


    "After Dr. Thomas submitted the Space Radar, he''s viewed highly by Sovereign Julius. Currently, he is protected by level 9s." She exined with a defeated expression.


    "Are you for real?" Varian gaped.


    Level 9s as bodyguards? This luxury was too much even for Sovereign''s children. Even the top scientists were only given level 8 bodyguards.


    And Julius¡­


    Enigma gritted her teeth and blood began to drip from her lips. Julius used the invention of Thomas to destroy the Shadow Guardians.


    In her eyes, Julius was much worse than Thomas.


    "It''s true." Sovereign Irene confirmed Blue sh''s words and looked at him with a helpless expression.


    "I can''t take action personally. And even if I send level 9s for the mission¡­they won''t be able to escape earth under Julius'' eyes."


    Varian lowered his head while Enigma and Blue sh exchanged nces.


    Irene Nial nced at Dreamer who looked helpless and was about to console him. But she stopped herself and nced back at the ''Blocker'' in theb.


    This team of three somehow sneaked deep into Pluto, fought off a military base, and stole such a critical item.


    She didn''t know how much each contributed. But she did know, almost by hunch, that Dreamer¡­was the weakest of them all. Yet that same hunch told her another thing and it was enforced by her interactions with him¡ªThis man wasn''t to be underestimated. What she knew of him was only the tip of an iceberg.


    So, Irene waited for him to make a decision.


    "No change of ns. I''ll join the Gamma Expo." He raised his head and dered.


    "¡­Wait, Gamma Expo?" Blue sh raised her voice in shock and looked at him like he had gone crazy.


    Irene Nial also stared at him in confusion. He didn''t make any sense.


    "Wasn''t it Omega Expo?" Enigma tilted her head and asked in a weak voice.


    "They changed the name." Blue sh shrugged and swiped a hologram towards Enigma.


    Gamma Expo was an event long teased by the Xander Family.


    They were going to present a new set of potions that were better than Siloy potions and helped awakeners, including and especially high awakeners progress¡ªOmega Potions.


    But ording to their confidential reports, the ingredients to Omega potion were stolen by Enigma and they were in no way capable of continuing the production.


    However, without giving up, they persevered and found recements through tremendous hard work.


    The new product was called Gamma Potion.


    While its effects weren''t as remarkable as Omega Potion, it had a massive edge¡ªit could be produced in rtivelyrge quantities.


    ording to the internal testing, Gamma potions would push the awakeners'' level in short term and would increase the progress speed in long term. The progress speeds up for:


    Low awakeners by 20%


    Mid awakeners by 10%


    Level 7s by 4%


    Level 8s by 3%


    Level 9s by 1%.


    Of course, the exact potion couldn''t be consumed by a low awakener and a mid awakener. There were different variations in the potion.


    For now, it was said that the potion for low and mid awakeners was ready.


    So, low and mid awakeners from all across the federation were hand-picked to participate in the Expo.


    They''d fight twice¡ªbefore the potion was given and after the potion was given.


    Experts woulde and watch the matches before giving their verdict on the ''improvement''.


    One of those experts was Dr. Thomas.


    Thinking so far, everyone was clear about Varian''s n. While kidnapping him was difficult, if Varian got close enough, he''d be able to pull it off using ghost ship. Of course, the risk to his life by daring to do that was very high, but there''s a bigger problem at hand.


    "With your level, you can''t participate." Blue sh frowned and said in a disappointed tone.


    As peak level 6, he couldn''t enter thepetition.


    "I can do it," Varian said in a serious tone.


    "If you''re nning to suppress your level and pretend like you''re breaking through, they can tell it apart."? Blue sh chided.


    "Trust me on this. I know exactly what I''m doing." Varian said in an irrefutable tone.


    Indeed, he could suppress his level 6 body path to level 3 using the system. But when he advanced, it''d be easy for the experts to tell the difference.


    So, Varian had a different n.


    Though it seemed like Blue sh didn''t trust him.


    ''Not after the battle we just fought.'' Varian sighed inwardly and nced at the silent Enigma. She looked at him with confusion, but there was trust in her eyes.


    Varian''s lips curled into a smile.


    He finally turned to Irene who was still waiting for an answer.


    "I know the candidates are all selected already. I can''t even hack my way in. So, please your resources, connections, and whatever you can to get me a ce." He requested in a serious voice.


    Irene rubbed her forehead for a few seconds before nodding. "I''ll do it. But send me the exact details and I''ll give you a disguise treasure."


    "Thank y¡ª"


    "Don''t say it yet." She stopped him and waved her hands. Turning her gaze onto Enigma,? her eyes were riddled with guilt and grief, and with the same emotions, she whispered.


    "It''s not over yet."

 Chapter 470 - The Day Sovereign Julius Was Born

    Main Ind, Guardian Inds.


    A huge pce floated high above the ground. Made of red and white crystals and with white fog under it, it looked like and of myths.


    In the guardian pce, Julius got up from his desk and the ring on his finger shone.


    Space twisted and the next moment, he was in a desertednd at the edge of the main ind.


    ''The Resting Abode''


    He read the golden signboard and stepped forward. His body easily passed through a transparent barrier and he was standing in front of a grave.


    It wasn''t here a couple of weeks ago. Julius looked around and noticed that there was only one grave neighboring his son.


    "It was you¡­are youughing at me, father?" Julius asked with a bitter smile.


    Ceaser Xander''s grave was spottles and clean. The flowers he presented fromst time hadn''t withered yet.


    Perhaps no one could''ve guessed that Julius would regrly visit his deceased father and pray following a tradition long forgotten with Blink.


    Julius pped his hands twice and finished his prayer to histe father and stood up.


    As he was about to offer the flowers, Julius hesitated like always and looked at his hands.


    The hands that killed his own father.


    Raising his head, Julius stared at the grave with aplicated expression.


    It happened long ago¡­yet, it haunted him to this day.


    Except for him, no one knew the truth.


    *** *** ***


    That day, his father killed Demon King and returned home with severe injuries.


    He teleported to the guardian inds and was in a deep medical pool that had the best medicine Xanders had to offer.


    "Father! Father!" Julius looked at his father in the ss pod with a face as pale as snow.


    Ceaser''s eyes were still closed and his vital signals weren''t showing any signs of improvement.


    "Don''t worry, Julius. He''ll be alright. He''s a Sovereign! My brother killed a Demon King and he will be a living legend!" Cail Xander patted Julius and reassured the young nephew.


    Julius was already a peak level 9 and was hailed as the most talented human.


    Yet, seeing his father, who was his role model, fighting for life as helpless like any other human, Julius couldn''t muster the courage.


    Two days passed and Ceaser Xander hadn''t woken up yet.


    Cail Xander had to manage the family which was growing turbulent due to the absence of its head and rumored ''death''.


    So, Julius was left all alone with his father. No one else was allowed to enter the medical facility.


    And as Julius stared at the man with handsome features, his eyes suddenly snapped open.


    "Father!" Julius eximed in joy and rushed to the ss pod.


    Ceaser lightly gestured with his hands and Julius hesitated for a moment but opened the ss pod lightly.


    The healing wasn''t affected, but it allowed Ceaser Xander to speak.


    "J-Julius¡­" A weak voice,pletely contrasting the usual majestic voice rang in his ears.


    "Yes!" But Julius responded with the same respect.


    "¡­I have a r-request." Ceaser spoke with a strained voice. His body was almost non-existent when he entered¡ªit was barely together and two days of healing strangely didn''t heal him. Even worse, he continued to remain in that state.


    "Please do tell!" Julius looked into his father''s eyes¡­or the single eyeball and a hollow socket.


    He felt aching grief but kept his gaze focused.


    "¡­Kill me."


    The words were like a thunderous p and Julius abruptly stood up.


    "Y-You¡­what are you¡­"


    "¡­Kill me, please. This is your father''sst wish." Ceaser pleaded in a weak voice.


    "I can''t! You will survive father! Don''t give up! You''re a Sovereign! You''re the strongest, okay? You even killed the Demon King. I believe in y¡ª"


    "¡­I''m n-not that strong." Ceaser''s quiet, yet bleak voice filled the room. His single eye stared vacantly at the ceiling as he muttered.


    "¡­you know son, I can indeed survive."


    Julius'' face brightened.


    "¡­But only in this state. The injuries I have¡­I can''t ever heal from them."


    Julius flinched and copsed onto his knees. "W..W-What are you talkin¡ª"


    "¡­so kill me, you know it too right?" Ceaser''s voice was filled with defiance as well as grief. "The Heaven''s Will¡­as long as I''m alive, it won''t allow a ninth Sovereign."


    Julius immediately shook his head. "I don''t care, father! I will gain strength by myself. I will break the barrier with my own efforts! I don''t need that shitty Heaven''s help¡ª"


    "But the people of the earth do, the people of the federation do¡­they need your help." Ceaser''s weak but adamant tone stopped Julius.


    Julius clutched his hair and shook his head. "You''re more important to me."


    "¡­Kahh." Ceaser groaned in pain before he resumed talking. "W-We are Xanders, the guardians of earth¡­we protect."


    "Not at the cost of your life! I am not so selfless." Julius shook his head vehemently.


    "¡­well, I am..ha..hahaha." Ceaser''s weak, brokenughter pierced Julius'' heart.


    As the greatest genius lowered his head and held back tears, Ceaser''s voice continued.


    "¡­but I am a selfish father too, it turns out¡­"


    Julius raised his head and stared at his father.


    "¡­Don''t live like me, Julius. It was only during these moments I realized the value of strength¡­if I was strong, if I was strong enough, I could''ve killed the demon king without being reduced to this state.


    All my life¡­I worked hard to save people, to help people and as I lie down here, trapped between life and death, I wonder what if I never helped anyone?


    ¡­W-What if I spent all my time pursuing strength?"


    Julius froze as he stared at his familiar yet unfamiliar father. What he said waspletely opposite to what the man named Ceaser Xander would say.


    As his voice weakened, Ceaser coughed weakly and continued. "¡­I don''t mean you should abandon your people¡­but when you''re strong enough, you can give them peace¡­when you pursue strength, your strength gives them peace, no?"


    Julius clenched his fists and painfully nodded.


    "Yes."


    Then he hesitated for a moment before saying. "But a lot of people will die in my pursuit of strength."


    Ceaser answered without hesitation. "But with sufficient strength, you will save a lot more people.


    ¡­Count the number of people you can save as a level 9? How many can you save as a level 8?"


    Julius'' face paled. "That''s cruel, father. Lives are not numbers."


    Ceaser paused for a while and said stiffly. "We can''t save everyone, Julius¡­I really wish there was a way.


    I..I just don''t want to be like me. You''re the most talented human history has ever witnessed, and I-I''m confident that you can break beyond the Sovereign state¡­"


    When he said those words, Ceaser''s voice was suddenly filled with enthusiasm.


    "¡­Then you can protect e-everyone! And for a long, long time. Far more than the lives sacrificed."


    "¡­" Julius wasn''t convinced.


    Ceaser sighed painfully and said. "M-Maybe I am twisted in this pain, but do you remember the mercury ughter?"


    Julius nodded and froze. It hit him what his father was trying to say.


    During the first human-abyssal war, the strongest awakeners were all focused on battles of their own levels.


    They didn''t go out of their way to help the weaker humans. They used that time to improve and prepare for their next battle.


    Except for Mercury.


    The high awakeners in mercury aimed to ensure the least number of people were killed.


    And they did achieve their goal by dispatching a lot of powerful awakeners to protect the weaker ones.


    But as a result, their progress slowed down.


    And after a few years, their slow down finally showed consequences.


    Mercury had seen a brutal massacre that nearly led to the extinction of humans on the.


    Whatever the number of humans these ''kind'' acts saved, the massacres killed hundreds of times of that figure.


    And not just then, but in the subsequent years, more and more people continued to be killed.


    It was only after the artifact was found and a Sovereign rose that mercury escaped the fate of being a Pluto.


    But even then, the losses were immense.


    "Father," Julius said in a shaky, but calm voice.


    "Cherish people, but also cherish your life. And for that, strength is paramount. Don''t be like them, don''t be like me¡­be strong, my son. " Ceaser said.


    "I will," Julius said and closed his eyes.


    "..good, now I can¡­"


    Julius raised his shaking hand and gritted his teeth.


    A light shed and Ceaser Xander breathed hisst.


    That was the day....Sovereign Julius was born.

 Chapter 471 - Escaping From Thunder King

    Ghostship was back at Pluto.


    Varian and the team now had to deal with transportation issues.


    If they tried to travel inly by ghost ship, it''d take around five days.


    It''d be toote for Varian to join the expo.


    They had to find another way.


    And that brought them to Pluto.


    Shortly after Dreamer and team escaped, multiple abyssal reinforcements reached Pluto and started cursing the leaders.


    Of course, security wasn''t neglected. In fact, it rose multi-fold.


    No core facility could now be touched. Even if Bali did his best, he wouldn''t be able to break into a core facility.


    Fortunately, ghost ship was only looking to enter a dungeon and despite the heightened security, it was still easy.


    And once inside the dungeon, they waited patiently.


    Inside the ghost ship, Enigma looked at Varian and said slowly. "She¡­she is really willing to help."


    Blue sh nodded with a sad expression. "Space stones aren''t cheap. For our one-way trip, I sold everything I owned. Now, she''s spending double. But I sold everythi¡ª"


    "Stop!" Varian raised his hand and red at Blue sh.


    She repeated this a zillion times already. If not for knowing that she''s a level 9 powerhouse, he would''ve ''donated'' to this poor woman.


    "Master, they''reing." Boo''s voice was followed by a blinding light and a human appeared in the dungeon, a few hundred meters below the ghost ship.


    "WHO?!" The abyssal in charge of the dungeon discovered the change and mmed the emergency button.


    The abyssals nearby were mobilized and quickly shot towards them.


    Ghostship quickly reached the man. He was short, stout, and had bright red hair with a rather long beard. His hairs had strands of white, indicating he wasn''t as young as he looked.


    He didn''t even nce at ghost ship and snapped his fingers. Arge formation was spread on the ground.


    It was the CTF. The destination was Thunder Abyss.


    "STOP!" An abyssal roar shook the skies.


    Unlike the stationed troops, the reinforcements had Space Abyssals.


    Thus, a level 8 quickly reached the ghost ship right before it was about to enter the CTF.


    Pa!


    A loud crack sounded, followed by the sound of a ss breaking.


    "Nooo!" The space awakener abyssal''s screams were cut short as the space broke and spliced him into pieces.


    Ghostship entered the CTF and a light shed again. This time, they were back in Thunder Abyss.


    "Junior, you dare?!"


    The terrifying roar was followed by a rumbling thunder that seemed to announce the apocalypse itself.


    Even from the ghost ship, Varian felt huge pressure.


    The pressure of a Sovereign.


    Thankfully, he was shielded from most of the pressure.


    Not the Thunder Abyss.


    The sky of thunder abyss had gonepletely dark and a bolt of terrifying golden lightning condensed.


    "Quick!" The man in red shouted and teleported away. Then, he jumped into a spaceship and escaped.


    Ghostship too shot out at full speed.


    Right behind it, lightning dragons whose dimensions made mountains look smaller chased them.


    "Gulp." Varian gulped as he realized that the dragons weren''t easy to throw off.


    They moved at extremely high speed and destroyed whatever obstacles that came in their way¡ªabyssal or not.


    On the other hand, ghost ship was attacked by the lightning that dropped from the abyss sky every second.


    "DREAMER!" Thunder King''s voice reverberated across the Thunder Abyss.


    The weak, but clever ghost ship dodged the lightning bolts¡ªthe lightning bolts that burned down entire mountains to ashes.


    The lightning dragons came dangerously close to tearing down ghost ship.


    The situation didn''t get better. In fact, with each passing second, the distance between the ghost ship and lightning dragons shrunk.


    Each escape was more dangerous than thest.


    "Gulp." Varian gulped and held his breath.


    Sooner orter, the lightning dragons would catch up and take them down.


    He checked hism and saw that Zich Nial, the man who escorted them was chased by archdukes.


    Fortunately, he was able to escape. Unfortunately, he couldn''t help them against an abyss king.


    As they inched closer and closer to the final sh, Ghostship exited the thunder abyss.


    BOOM!


    Space trembled as the lightning dragons shook suddenly, but immediately followed ghost ship.


    "Wait¡­" Varian squinted his eyes at the two lightning dragons chasing them.


    These beasts were sorge that they might as well berger than a city, yet their speed so far was impressive.


    They were even faster than ghost ship. It was only because the initial distance between them was high that they took so long to catch up.


    Even then, it looked like they were about to bite down ghost ship any second by now.


    But now¡­


    "Their speed slowed down¡­by a very small bit," Varian muttered and realized it was the effect of Abyss Will.


    He raised his head and saw a figure glowing in a golden light outside the thunder abyss.


    Thunder King.


    He was far behind the lightning dragons. Perhaps, he was at the other end of the abyss when the chase started, that''s why he used the lightning dragons.


    And now that he''s out, the speed slowed.


    Even though the decrease is small, it brought down the speed of lightning dragons to nearly the same as ghost ship.


    Of course, the creatures were still slightly faster.


    But with this change, ghost ship won a few minutes.


    And they made full use of this few minutes to widen the distance from the thunder abyss. Now, they were no longer in the immediate neighborhood of Thunder Abyss where abyss patrol teams frequented.


    But whatever they did, the time finally arrived.


    "Roar!"


    "DIE!"


    The lightning dragon was about to devour the ghost ship.


    At any moment now, it''d happen.


    Blue sh and Enigma stood beside Varian, though Enigma was a bit far. ncing into each other''s eyes, they understood what to do next.


    Enigma clenched her fist but finally nodded.


    Blue sh teleported to the hatch and took a deep breath.


    "Wait, wait!" Varian tore his gaze from the lightning dragon and yelled at Blue sh.


    "Avenge me."


    "Oh stop it! We can still escape." Varian facepalmed.


    He pointed to a weird formation in the corner of the ghost ship.


    Boo created it long, long ago using its broken space sub-system and the CFTs.


    This formation allowed one long-term teleportation. It was also Varian''s biggest safety assurance.


    With Boo''s exnation, Enigma and Blue sh stopped their actions.


    Meanwhile, Varian looked at the lightning dragon opening its mouth behind ghost ship and prepared to activate the formation.


    Right then, a blinding golden light shed across space.

 Chapter 472 - Sovereign Irenes Help

    Chapter 472 - Sovereign Irene''s Help


    BOOM!


    KACHA!


    The rumble of thunder reverberated through hundreds of miles as space itself seemed to be distorted.


    With no gap, a huge shockwave suddenly erupted, throwing off ghost ship into the distance.


    "Sovereign Ares!"


    As the ghost ship dashed away from the field of conflict, Varian''s gaze stayed fixated on the conflict.


    Two blinding golden lights shed against each other.


    The lightning dragons that seemed invincible were in under a mighty lightning spear.


    Their fight seemed to extend for hundreds if not, thousands of miles.


    Varian watched their scale of power and felt an intense desire brewing in his heart.


    This power held the authority over the lives of billions. That included the lives of people such as Shadow Guardians.


    "Haa~" Varian exhaled heavily and copsed onto his couch.


    As expected, once Sovereign Ares intervened, Thunder King was caught up.


    Ghostship no longer faced any danger andpletely left the abyss zone.


    And when they did, a spaceship stopped by them, revealing the short man with a long red beard.


    "For you." He said and had his spaceship throw out a metal box.


    Ghostship retrieved the box and ced it in front of Varian.


    Ka!


    With a light tap, a hologram popped up and asked several questions Varian and Irene pre-agreed upon.


    So, after the answer, the box opened and presented a shiny blue card.


    Varian put the blue card on the couch and through the connected spaceship channels, thanked the man.


    "Thanks for your help on Pluto!"


    "Thank her, not me. I''m just following orders." Zich Nial waved his hand and nodded at the man with the mask in appreciation.


    To be clear, he was indeed following Sovereign Irene''s orders.


    After learning that their journey would be dyed, she decided to help them out.


    She collected the CFTs from a third party who was supplied by Maya, then spent her own fortune to buy space stones and sent her own family''s powerhouse to Neptune from Uranus through teleportation formation.


    After reaching Neptune, Nich immediately traveled to Thunder Abyss.


    Then, he CFT-ed to Pluto dungeon.


    Thankfully, the co-ordinates were already set by Maya, so everything went smoothly.


    And just like that, he picked up Varian''s team, once again used the CFT to teleport back to Thunder Abyss.


    The only problem was that since abyssals already detected CFT, they would be extremely strict.


    So, unlike the first time when Varian did it with rtive ease, this one was way more dangerous.


    Sovereign Irene was the one responsible, but Nich Nial came here in person, knowing the risk. So, Varian was also grateful to him.


    "I hope to hear the correct news across the federation soon. You can do it!" Zich Nial cheered and dashed away.


    "¡­without nearly dying, sure," Varian muttered and rubbed his forehead.


    As the situation cooled down, Blue sh went back to researching the Gamma Expo event while Enigma¡­practiced?


    Varian shrugged and nced towards the box again.


    There was an ID card.


    After tapping the card on hism, the card shone and disintegrated.


    Varian saw the hologram of a new military identity card and clicked his tongue. "Does this count as exploiting public funds, hmm?"


    Waving his hand, he said. "Boo, Neptune''s spaceport"


    After an hour or so, Varian approached Neptune.


    Without even asking, Enigma suppressed the tracker and copsed on her bed, coughing out blood.


    Varian patted her lightly with his mental power and they soon reached the spaceport.


    The spaceport was overly guarded. It had to be.


    Because just a day ago, ''Enigma'' used the teleportation formation from Mars to Uranus.


    And just a day ago, a level 9 awakener also used a fake ID.


    Not many knew that these people were actually Varian and Bali. But that didn''t change the fact that spaceport security was viewed poorly.


    Varian wore the disguise treasure Enigma gifted him a while ago and easily reached the teleportation room.


    {Please show your ID}


    Varian nced at the two level 7 guards at the door and the corner of his lips twitched.


    They were staring at him intensely. If they had even the slightest suspicion, they''d arrest him.


    Yesterday''s event was still burning their shame.


    Varian tapped hism and let the AI do its thing.


    {Verified with the spaceport database.}


    "¡­"


    A few more seconds passed, and Varian''s palms started sweating.


    Counting the time, Enigma''s suppression would be over anytime soon.


    Varian kept a mental focus on his ghost ring. If anything goes wrong, he''d activate the teleportation and escape.


    If he was knocked out, things could get really, really dangerous.


    {Verified with the central database.


    Khak, happy journey.}


    The doors opened and Varian hurried in. With a light sound, the formation activated and when he opened his eyes, Varian found himself in a simr, yet different room.


    Without wasting any time, he showed his ID and walked out of the room when he sensed that Enigma was about to faint.


    He rushed to a washroom and the next moment, the washroom was blown away as a freaking spaceship flew out of the washroom, scaring people doing important things there and exiting the spaceport.


    "Ghostship!"


    "The tracker is blinkin¡­E-Enigma? Damn it!"


    "Chase!"


    Level 9 auras exploded into the air and chased after the ghost ship.


    Even though they were being chased by Uranus'' strongest awakeners, Varian didn''t worry.


    He walked into Enigma''s room¡ªsomething Boo made after the Pluto escape, and saw Blue sh tending to Enigma.


    Enigma was unconscious and weak...he could hear her feeble breathing as if even breathing was a challenge. There was a frailness to her that contrasted her usual strong self.


    Varian nced at Enigma''s sleeping face¡­only the eyes because their face was still covered by the mask.


    He looked at her with a caring gaze and Blue sh noticed this. She thought he''d ask a sentimental question and waited for it eagerly.


    "Does her mask nevere off?"


    "¡­" Blue sh nearly wanted to p him. "It''s a treasure. You need level 9 attacks to take it off. She took a lot of risk for that mask."


    "Oh." Varian nodded and walked out.


    ''Aren''t you going to at least ask about her condition?'' She thought and red at him.


    Right then, her space sense caught an external force gently patting Enigma''s head.


    ''And who else could it be?''


    Blue sh''s lips curled up as she stared at Varian''s silent back.

 Chapter 473 - Can You Help Me Train?

    Chapter 473 - Can You Help Me Train?


    Ghostship threw off the pursuers and reached the domain of a special ce.


    The space patrol couldn''t intrude further, but they notified the security with a solemn tone.


    "Dreamer ising to you!"


    "Yes." A dull reply came and the leader of the patrol team felt a sense of Deja Vu.


    Last time, Dreamer sneaked into Sovereign Irene''s private secret realm and teleported to Neptune.


    And this time, he returned from Neptune and headed in the same direction.


    It''s almost as if he was entering his own private realm.


    "No. This is Sovereign Irene we''re talking about. How can she shelter a threat?" The captain patted his chest and turned around.


    Looking at his agitated crew, he dered. "We''ll wait until the private realm security confronts Enigma. If they need help, we''ll assist."


    *** *** ***


    Enigma stared out into the space silently as they approached Sovereign Irene''s private secret realm.


    The security ships started to symbolically chase them, but even if they were to chase for real, ghostship couldn''t be caught.


    A bright seeped through the ss windows, and Enigma''s gaze focused on the outside.


    Irene''s private realm.


    With a beautiful garden, guarded teleportation formation, and an exquisite research facility, it gave off the impression that it was well-maintained.


    Ghostship directly went to the teleportation formation. Contrary to practice, there were no guards here.


    ording to the holograms there, they suddenly had an emergency and had to leave or at least that''s what Irene would exin when she''d eventually be questioned.


    The teleportation formation also had space stones¡ªforget their team of three, even thirty could teleport at once easily.


    And right next to the teleportation formation was a beautiful blue spaceship.


    With over seventy meters long and a hundred meters in wing length, it gave off a noble bearing.


    While it couldn''t bepared to ghost ship, it stood out from every human and even the abyssal space ship Varian saw so far.


    And now, that very unique shuttle was parked without a guard.


    "Boo?" Even though he trusted Irene, Varian wanted to be on the safe side.


    "Boo didn''t find anyone." The dutiful ghost replied.


    Varian was relieved and turned to Blue sh.


    Her gaze, no, her whole being was fixated on the spaceship.


    "Ahem." Varian coughed lightly and she snapped out of it.


    Varian pointed to the opened hatch and Blue sh gave an awkward smile.


    She teleported to the space shuttle and stored it in her ring.


    She teleported back and the hatch closed.


    "Blue¡­" Varian stopped his words and raised a brow at her condition.


    Her shoulders were still stiff and her gaze was focused on the storage ring.


    "Are you alright?" He asked. If Blue sh also had some problem now, he''d be overwhelmed.


    "Blue Card! The Blue Card!" Blue sh eximed and Varian rubbed his chin.


    "This one?" He showed the blue card delivered in a box given by Zich Nial.


    "Yes!" Blue sh took away the card and tapped on it. The hologram of the spaceship she just stored popped up and only then did Blue sh sigh in relief.


    The blue card was obviously the key to the space ship and Sovereign Irene had it delivered to them on the way.


    Varian wanted to speak to her again, but saw the crazy light in her eyes and stopped himself.


    "Boo, let''s go," Varian said and ghostshipnded in the teleportation formation.


    The formation lit up and space twisted.


    Varian held his breath and focused his space sense.


    As they entered the boundary and returned to the outer space, Varian''s space sense caught the fluctuations of space.


    He had been doing this for a while now and finally, his efforts bore a small fruit.


    [Space Path Level 6: 1/6]


    Varian closed his eyes and immersed himself in the minor, but considerable improvement.


    "Haa~"


    He returned to his senses after a full five minutes.


    The first thing Varian saw was Blue sh covering her mouth as she fiddled with a blue card.


    "She really agreed¡­but how?"


    Varian nced to his right and saw that Enigma was resting.


    He leaned back on his couch and nkly stared at Blue sh.


    Three minutes passed.


    "¡­Am I not dreaming? This is the real deal?" Blue sh poked the blue card and covered her mouth.


    "Cut it out! You''ve been poking at it for three minutes already." Varian rolled his eyes.


    "You don''t know how important this is! There are only 8 models with a few spare!" Blue sh raised her head and stared at him with a gaze full of lingering disbelief.


    "Only Sovereigns have these customized space ships! Even after trying our best, the Athena group only got two! I literally fought the oldies for a third one, but they said it was too costly! Haa!" Blue sh ced her hands on her hips and said in a begrudging tone.


    One of those two space shuttles was borrowed by Bali and Violet''s group for Cluster Cities'' saga.


    Varian raised a brow. "Our?"


    "¡­" Blue sh stiffened for a moment before ncing at Enigma. The resting girl didn''t respond.


    "You are an Athena agent?" Varian nced at Kyle''s mom with a surprised gaze.


    "Well," Blue sh shrugged. "I am something equivalent to the vice leader of Earth''s Athena Division."


    "As a low-level 9?" Varian immediately realized that it coulde across as rude.


    But Blue sh didn''t seem offended and nodded. "We don''t do frontal fights. Low Level 9 is more than enough. If we need help, then it''s only for peak level 9. Then, teams with people like Bali will take care of them."


    "Then why did you join¡­" In the end, Varian couldn''t utter the word ''Shadow Guardians''. The images of the death and destruction were still fresh in his mind.


    As expected, Blue sh''s face paled, but she answered anyway.


    "Working for the government gives you rights, but it also restricts you. G-Guard¡­ians do things no one else can." When she said Guardians, her voice shivered in grief.


    "Oh¡­" Varian took a deep breath and switched the topic. "Kyle doesn''t know, does he?"


    "Nope. Even in the entire federation, only a few people know. Athena group is very strict about these things." She said seriously and covered her mouth.


    "Kyle thinks I am a reporter in a mediapany." With a rather proud chuckle, she dered.


    "¡­" Varian closed his eyes and maintained a minute of silence.


    Poor Kyle, he even worked part-time to buy gifts for Maya¡­even though they were all some stupid tech. devices.


    With a level 9 mom, would he really need to work for spare cash?


    He looked at the time passed and shot a nce at Enigma before turning to Blue sh.


    "We have some thirty minutes before Enigma can suppress her position."


    "Yeah?" Blue sh raised a brow.


    Varian''s mind tensed as he considered the proposal in his mind. It screamed risk.


    He began to assess her once again.


    If his rate of progress shocked her too much, there''s a chance, however little, that she might be tempted to grab his secret for herself.


    But on the other hand, from what he saw from Enigma so far, she wasn''t that type of person.


    She tried to protect Enigma until the very end. She nearly died on Pluto but epted it as part of the mission. For the secrecy of her job, even her son was kept in the dark.


    Maybe¡­?


    "Can you help me train my space path?"

 Chapter 474 - Inner Space, Layer, Boundary, Outer Space

    Chapter 474 - Inner Space, Layer, Boundary, Outer Space


    The outer space and inner space acted as two separate entities.


    Why was it considered so despite both being ''connected?


    Because there was arge gap between these two spaces that didn''t belong to either of them.


    It was called by different names. The popr term among humans was ''Boundary''.


    Boundary space had a single defining characteristic¡ªit pushed.


    Whenever anything entered the boundary space, it would push the thing to outer space.


    So, when a space awakener wants to teleport, they''d use their space power and enter this boundary.


    The stronger the awakener, the farther they can go inside the boundary: away from the outer space and towards the inner space.


    The weakest ones, level 1s could only reach the boundary space just bordering the outer space.


    The stronger ones would be closer and closer to Inner Space.


    And due to the ''pushing'' characteristic of the boundary space, any space awakener regardless of their level would be pushed out.


    But the stronger the awakener, the more they can ''resist'' this push.


    What was there to achieve by resisting the push?


    For most, it was longer teleportation.


    The space in the boundary and outside world are not equivalent.


    Just for the sake ofparison, if a person took ten steps inside the boundary and they''re pushed outside, then in the eyes of the outside world, they''d have moved by some hundred steps.


    Of course, this ''difference'' would also change depending on how much they moved inside and how far they have gone into the boundary.


    And again, just forparison, if a person moved ten steps inside boundary at a distance of 1 mile away from outer space, his movement in the outside world would be a hundred steps.


    But if he was say, 100 miles away from the outer space and moved those same ten steps, then he''d have moved more than 100,000 steps outside.


    This was the reason why high awakeners could teleport hundreds, if not thousands of miles like it was nothing.


    But other than longer teleportation, there was another use of resisting the push.


    It was familiarizing yourself with the chaotic space and especially, the Layer space.


    Layer space or simply, the Layer was like the borderline of Inner space. Once you cross theyer, you''d enter the Inner space.


    And Layer was also the ce where all high space awakeners were able to enter.


    There''s a saying that if you go from one end of theyer to another end, it shows that you went from being a level 7 space awakener to being a peak level 9 and perhaps even a Sovereign.


    And if you cross the Layer and enter the inner space, then congrattions on bing a Celestial Ranker.


    Of course, no human achieved it so far.


    Regardless, Layer was a symbol of a high space awakener.


    But to be one, you need to break into theyer and endure being pushed out countless times before your body improves your affinity to space.


    Thus, all peak level 6 space awakeners spend all their training time in thisyer, trying to ''adjust'' themselves to it.


    Once their affinity improves, they''d develop a ''Space Body''.


    Space Body, simply put, amplifies their existing space powers and causes a qualitative change.


    This was why a level 7 space awakener was fundamentally on a different leaguepared to his level 6 counterparts.


    Now since all the training needed was to spend time in theyer and ''adjust'', why didn''t elite youth ask their parents to send a high awakener to ''assist'' them inside theyer?


    Like, a level 8 space awakener could take a level 6 space awakener into the ''Layer'' forcibly.


    Then this level 6 could learn and improve rapidly, right?


    Wrong.


    Inside Boundary space and Layer space, chaotic space currents would be rampant.


    Ironically, maniption of space powers inside this chaotic space would harm you greatly.


    Thus, even level 8s couldn''t assist their juniors.


    So, if a level 8 takes a level 6 inside theyer, then they''re on their own.


    Considering how dangerous the chaotic currents are, there''s a good chance that the level 6 would actually die.


    But it wasn''t as if assistance waspletely useless.


    Despite not being able to protect their juniors, high space awakeners could still take them inside theyer¡ªwhich in itself was an extremely difficult job.


    Considering the peak level 6''s 0/6 progress bar Varian followed, from 1/6 to 4/6, they''d all spend their time breaking into theyer.


    Only from 5/6 and 6/6 would they spend time inside theyer. Of course, thest step actually took more time than the first four. So, the difficulty could be imagined.


    And ording to experts, if you directly jumped intoyer, you''d have faster progress from 0/6 to 4/6 than the traditional method.


    Thus, its assistance wasn''t totally useless.


    So, if you had a level 8 grandpa or uncle, and are only at 2/6 peak level 6, they would take you into theyer.


    But would you survive the chaotic space?


    Well, good luck.


    "There''s no good luck!" Blue sh yelled. "You''re barely a peak level 6 space awakener. If you go now, you''ll die. Period."


    Varian rubbed his forehead. He was trying to convince her to let him get into the Layer Space and she was refusing.


    He could understand her reasoning.


    She sensed his powers and judged him to be about 0/6 or 1/6.


    With that strength, if he did enter theyer space, it''d indeed be suicide.


    But in reality, Varian had far more strength. A total of six paths currently.


    If he made proper use of them, he was confident of surviving in theyer space, without too many heavy injuries.


    But how should he convey this to her?


    "I have no issues helping you, but this is just suicide." Blue sh gave an ultimatum.


    Varian sighed and looked at her with tired eyes. "I didn''t want to do this."


    "Huh?" Blue sh raised a brow in confusion. "Do what?"


    "I''m warning you, don''t be too shocked." Varian continued in the same tone.


    "Wait, what are you talking about?" Blue sh was unnerved by his words and stood up.


    Had he gone mad since she declined his request? She didn''t think he was petty. But then, what the fuck about his crazy line?


    "Just one piece of advice." Varian raised a finger and said. "Don''t Panic."


    With that, he snapped his fingers and Blue sh''s eyes nearly popped out.


    Her knees gave out and with a thump, she fell on the couch in an awkward position.


    But her gaze was fixated on Varian.


    She was gaping at him as she shakily pointed a finger and muttered in a broken voice.


    "Y-You¡­h-how?"


    "Don''t Panic," Varian said with a deadpan face and snapped his fingers again.


    The six distinct auras in the air vanished as if they never existed.


    "Haaaa~" Blue sh drew a sharp breath as she wiped the sweat off her forehead.


    If she hadn''t checked it a dozen times in the past few seconds, she''d have thought that it was an illusion.


    As she stared at Varian with a mix of fear and amazement, his words caused her a deja vu.


    "Can you help me train my space path?"


    This time, she nodded violently.

 Chapter 475 - I Don’t Want To Be A Hero

    Chapter 475 - I Don''t Want To Be A Hero


    What shaped an individual''s life?


    Mostly Circumstances? Mostly Choices?


    For the elites, it was most circumstances. They were born with a diamond spoon.


    They would be methodologically instilled with a set of values and aspirations. Maissa Hall, for instance, was one of the current top 10 youngsters. She was born in an incredibly elite household.


    For a few years, her father had been the governor of Uranus'' cluster¡ªa supervisor of all cities.


    But when she was born, he was a Mayor of Orion, one of the twenty cluster cities.


    Still, her environment majorly paved her life path.


    She went to the best school on Uranus, trained under the best mentors, drank the best potions, and got the best resources.


    With her inherent talent amplifying every benefit she received, Maissa soon turned from one of the many privileged geniuses to ''The'' genius of the cluster cities.


    Her path to the future was clear. Join the military, rise, and reach level 9 or higher.


    This was a pre-determined path the moment she was born. It''s not as if she hated said path. In fact, she liked what she was doing.


    But what if she was born in a poor household? Would she have taken the same path? No one would know.


    Then there was Bali. He was tortured for being a dual awakener, ran out of home, and was eventually abandoned by his parents.


    What would the resentful and bitter teenagers whose hearts were poisoned with rage be?


    Menaces to the society. Destroyers of Law and Order.


    Very likely, members of Shadow Order.


    Since the great war, many ended up in Bali''s position and they became one of the best recruitment pools for Shadow Order.


    Not Bali.


    He engaged in crooked things for some time and eventually, he joined the military.


    Whatever he did, it was based on his choices. He dictated his life, not the other way around.


    He was aplete contrast to Maissa.


    And then there was Blue sh.


    Born in a very ordinary family, she too lived in the generation that witnessed the human-abyss war that ended in 430.


    The 450s and 460s were the times when the new generation was booming. These kids didn''t know the horror and trauma their parents and grandparents lived through.


    "Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it."


    Following the words of an ancient earthling, the federation started a wave of awareness programs.


    Movies, dramas, games¡ªall of these werepletely VR. That means a person could dive into that world and witness the horror his predecessors went through as if he was also living it.


    Since the goal of the programs was to make a strong impression on the new generation, these events were mostly realistic and urately depicted the tragedy and loss in the war.


    Blue sh was also a kid of that generation.


    Her favorite was VR games.


    In each of these VR games, there would always be a hero fighting against the abyssals.


    And in every single game, the hero would lose something very dear. A loved one, his hometown.


    The most tragic were heroes that lived outsides. Like moon or space stations oroids.


    Because a lot of times, they''d be the lone survivor.


    They''d watch everyone in theirnd¡ªthe moon, the space station, theoid being killed and could only escape in hopes of revenge.


    Then, after countless hardships, the hero would grow strong and repel abyssals.


    Such VR games created a lot of enthusiasm in the youngsters. They all wanted to be a ''hero'' that saves humanity. A hero who''s so strong that he can change the course of the battle by himself. A hero who ultimately gets all the recognition and fame.


    Blue sh too would''ve felt that way if not for a certain organization.


    Shadow Order.


    Shortly after the human-abyss war ended, abyssals supported the Shadow Order which was on the verge of extinction. The terrorist organization roared back to power, found new secret realms, and hid from the army starting a reign of terror.


    Her parents were one of the many, many victims the Order imed.


    Her life changed forever ever since. But the only thing that remained before and after her parents'' death was the VR games.


    They were still the same¡ªa tragedy befell the hero, he escapes, grows stronger and the hero saves the day.


    She no longer wanted to be a hero. She wanted to be a guardian that stopped those tragedies.


    She didn''t need the fame a hero received. She would work from the Shadows.


    And at an early age, she realized that while humans had an excellent mechanism to deal with abyssals, their strategy towards Shadow Order was little effective.


    So, she decided her primary goal would be to tackle the Shadow Order¡ªthe enemy within and everyone that supported such an enemy, everyone who was responsible for the tragedy¡ªfrom the greedy merchant to the silent supporter.


    After graduating from the Earth''s defense academy, she joined the Athena Group.


    It was a hard journey, but in a few decades, she was already the vice leader of Earth''s branch.


    She stopped a lot of tragedies. But the restrictions of the government stopped her from taking down some of the big shots that were rotten to the core. The people that supported the Shadow Order.


    So, one fateful day, when she identally found a secret realm, she finally pursued the idea rooted in her heart since childhood.


    Shadow Guardians.


    It grew from a couple of colleagues to hundreds of people. But somewhere along the line, just like the Athena group, they once again hit the limit.


    There were ces they couldn''t go. Things they couldn''t do.


    Until one woman appeared carrying the head of Roxanna Xander.


    She wasn''t even a level 9. But she inspired them like no other.


    She dived into the deepest corners of darkness where even light was afraid to venture.


    She provided them with a potion that lived up to its name as a miracle.


    She won the respect of the level 9s, admiration of level 8s, reverence of level 7s, and worship of the rest.


    Under her banner, Shadow Guardians grew from a thousand to tens of thousands of people in a short year.


    After witnessing Enigma''s sincere heart, Blue sh vowed to never betray Enigma.


    She believed Enigma to achieve things she couldn''t. To save this world from tragedies.


    So, when no one else believed her, she did. Even the whole world turned against her, she didn''t flinch.


    But Blue sh also knew that her resistance was futile. She couldn''t win against the whole world.


    It was a hopeless situation. The darkness of despair filled her when¡ª


    "Blue sh?" A voice snapped her out of her daze and Blue sh turned her head.


    "I am ready." Varian grinned at her.


    Blue sh looked at him seriously and stared at Varian with aplicated gaze.


    Varian...unlike her, was not only going to fight the world, but he was confident to win it.


    For his n, two steps were left.


    1. Kidnapping Dr. Thomas


    2. Painting the Xanders'' as evil.


    Even for Varian, they were exceedingly difficult.


    But anything worthwhile was never easy.

 Chapter 476 - Progressing Towards Level 7

    Chapter 476 - Progressing Towards Level 7


    Blue sh touched Varian''s shoulder and the space around them shifted.


    The world seemed to move at ridiculous speeds and everything went nk.


    "¡­" Varian opened his eyes and saw that he was in a vast dark space. Thankfully, his senses were far higher and he was able to experience the time in slow motion.


    The first thing he noticed was a stinging feeling on his face, arms, legs. Then he realized it was the wind. This strange ''wind'' was trying to push him back.


    ''The characteristic of Boundary.'' Varian thought and nced to the side.


    By the time he turned his head, the wind from stinging him to injuring him.


    Blue sh''s gaze was fixed on a twisting greyish region of space.


    When they hit that special greyish zone, Blue sh''s grip on Varian loosened.


    And then it happened.


    The space currents roared and they engulfed him.


    Kacha! Kacha! Kacha!


    The space began to twist violently and like a fragile piece of ss, broke into pieces.


    "Grgh¡­" Varian gritted his teeth as he felt his bones twist into strange shapes and deep cuts appeared all over his body.


    Blue sh remained in the distance and watched him patiently.


    Even though it felt like a lot of time, not even a second passed since they exited the Outer Space.


    ''I hope he can do it.'' Blue sh muttered as her space sense locked onto Varian.


    Blood started to gush out as his muscles began to be torn apart by the abrupt tightening and loosening of space.


    Large pieces of cavities appeared in his body as the space des cut away pieces of flesh.


    At some ces, even bones were visible.


    Blue sh hesitated. Should she believe him? Or should she save him?


    As she was in a conflict, a green light shed and she saw Varian''s bleeding stop. His injuries also started to heal, but it was toote.


    Whoosh!


    Varian was blown out of theyer by the space currents and the next thing he knew, he was floating in space some hundred miles away from the ghost ship.


    "Fuck." He muttered as he moved his body with telekic force.


    An aching pain coursed through his body, and Varian was reminded of the fact every part of his body was injured.


    "Kuh¡­" As he coughed out blood into empty, dark space.


    The red liquid floated away into darkness and Varian felt the space around him twist.


    Darkness enveloped him before light burst it.


    "Haa~" Varian opened his stiff eyes and saw Blue sh staring at him with deadpan eyes.


    "I''m fin-cough." He said and coughed out another mouthful of blood.


    Blue sh continued to stare at him and he finally sighed. "It''s harder than I thought, ok?"


    She sighed. "You were in theyer for 10 milliseconds."


    "PARDON?" Varian almost jumped to his feet despite the injuries.


    He felt like he stayed inside for a few minutes. Of course, with his heightened senses, his sense of time was a mess.


    "0.1 seconds, if you want it in normalnguage." Blue sh repeated. Then, she stared at him with a strange gaze. "Even with s-six paths, you shouldn''t do it."


    Varian didn''t answer and instead used his telekic power to grab a 9-star potion.


    Without hesitation, he downed it.


    "Y-You!"


    Blue sh felt like hitting him in the head. That was a 9-star potion for fuck''s sake!


    While it could heal him rapidly, it was overkill.


    What''s more, as she looked at his nonchnt face after throwing the potion vial into the trash, she realized that he didn''t really care about the potion''s worth.


    ''Why am I so poor?'' She clutched her heart.


    They needed space stones for CFTs. She sold everything she had to buy them. But this guy¡­


    ''Urghhh.'' Blue sh stomped her feet in frustration.


    "Let''s go." His voice snapped her out of her thoughts.


    "Huh?" Her space sense checked his condition and saw that while he still had injuries, they were only minor.


    "Let''s give Enigma an hour''s rest," Varian nced at the room where she was sleeping and turned to Blue sh. "Now, I just want to train."


    "¡­" Blue sh shrugged and touched his shoulder.


    Darkness enveloped Varian and he was once again facing horrifying space currents.


    They pierced at him like spears, shed at him like swords, pricked at him like needles.


    His whole body seemed to be pulled and pushed as it began to twist in strange shapes.


    Whoosh!


    Varian was once again floating in space, some five hundred miles away from ghostship.


    "Again!" Varian yelled eagerly.


    Whoosh!


    Varian got better at using his body and telekic path. His space sensepletely focused on the chaotic space currents and studied them earnestly.


    Even though he was staying in only for 0.1 seconds, to him, it was equivalent to a few dozen seconds of precious study.


    "Again!" He yelled with enthusiasm.


    Whoosh!


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "Again?" Blue sh asked eagerly. Her eyes staring at Varian also changed. There was a mix of endless curiosity and boundless expectation.


    She felt it clearly.


    His aura¡­despite being weakened due to his excessive use and injuries, was actually improving!


    This was the first time Enigma saw his progress and it thoroughly broke her worldview.


    ''If you can keep on improving, I''ll even try throwing you into Inner Space!'' She beamed inwardly.


    ''At this rate, when you will be a Sovereign? This week? This month? Hehehe.'' She covered her mouth and chuckled.


    ''Eh¡­why is he not replying?'' She nced at the silent man and asked again. "Again?"


    "N-No." Lying on the ground like a dead fish, Varian muttered with a tired smile. He was drenched in his own blood from head to toe and injuries of every size could be spotted on his body.


    If it was any other time, he''d have taken another potion and agreed to train.


    Not this time.


    "I hit the limit," Varian replied.


    "Huh?"


    Varian exhaled deeply, coughing out blood in the process. "I¡­I can''t improve more at the moment."


    It was true.


    Using the same method too many times in too little of a timespan caused him to ''stop''.


    "Oh¡­" Blue sh muttered in a silent voice. "It''s really a pity."


    Varian rolled his eyes and checked his status.


    [Body Path Level 6: 2/6 (+2)


    Space Path Level 6: 3/6 (+2)


    Lightning Path Level 6: 2/6


    Morpher Path Level 6: 2/6 (+2)


    Telepath Path Level 6: 0/6


    Telekic Path Level 6: 1/6 (+1)]


    ''Not bad. Not bad at all.'' Varian grinned inwardly.


    His body and Morpher path greatly helped him and due to the continuous construction-destruction of his body, the connection between his aura, prana and body improved.


    The Varian now would be able to defeat the thirty abyssals of Pluto if he used Body, Space, and Morpher Path.


    "I''m ready." Enigma exited her room and walked to Varian.


    "Give me thirty minutes." Varian grinned painfully and took a deep shower.


    After half an hour, he entered a spaceport, did the same stuff with teleportation formations, and exited at Mars.


    Enigma said she was able to suppress the tracker until Earth, but Varian didn''t want to risk Earth.


    It was too dangerous.


    Soon, they were once again chased by Mars patrol guards and they were out in space.


    The federation was finally fed up.


    They conducted a detailed investigation on the IDs used by Dreamer and traced them back to one person.


    Sovereign Irene.

 Chapter 477 - Sovereigns’ Meet [1]

    Chapter 477 - Sovereigns'' Meet [1]


    Sovereigns were busy people. They had to be active round the clock for any mission on anyoid.


    They could be called for aoid in the morning. By afternoon, they could be fighting an abyssal squad that broke into humanity''s area of control. And at night, they should make time to review the important defense reports and n for the future.


    Despite being the most powerful beings in the sr system, they had their limitations.


    The twomon limitations that not only them but every awakener faced were space and time.


    Space.


    The sr system was incrediblyrge. The area upied bys was a fraction of the total space.


    Navigating such vastness was a herculean feat.


    Compared to a space shuttle, Sovereigns were faster but weren''t as durable. Despite their overwhelming strength, they simply couldn''t maintain such a high speed for a long time.


    Time.


    The federation stretched from mercury to Neptune.


    Even light takes 4 hours to go from one end of the federation to the other!


    And they were nowhere near light speed.


    Even Space Sovereigns, who boasted the best travel abilities, couldn''t just teleport from Earth tooids.


    The distance from a to aoid was millions of miles. It was impractical to teleport such long distances.


    But they couldn''t just give up. To protect theoids and maintain the status quo, they needed to ovee these two limitations.


    Their divine paths failed them, so the collective intellect of humanity stepped in to fill the role.


    Teleportation Formations.


    After an arduous analysis of the scripts retrieved from the ruins, tens of thousands of scientists squeezed thest of their minds to research this almost magical creation.


    Teleportation Formation.


    It needed a lot of space stones, space co-ordinates, and just maintaining a formation was incredibly taxing. But this was all much easierpared to the rewards.


    Thus, every Sovereign was provided with teleportation formations.


    Unlike the usual teleportation formations used in spaceports, these were more flexible, and naturally, more costly.


    Each Sovereign was given at least two teleportation formations.


    And the cost of one such formation was enough for a city like Valos to go from poverty to development.


    So, even Sovereigns took care of their teleportation formations.


    And that''s why, when Sovereign Irene''s teleportation formation was ''hacked'' and used by Dreamer, they didn''t doubt her.


    After all, from the information published on ghostship, it was capable of ignoring the secret realm''s barrier. Coupled with its high stealth, it wasn''t impossible for Dreamer to use the teleportation formation.


    So, she wasn''t to me.


    But nheless, they believed Sovereign Irene would bolster the security around the formation. Dreamer wouldn''t have any chance of repeating the feat.


    But he did.


    It was barely 24 hours. And he did it again.


    No matter how stupid the Sovereigns were, they all understood something.


    Sovereign Irene was the one who let Dreamer use the teleportation formation.


    Fury erupted amongst them. But as she was their equal, they couldn''t just ''use'' her, they hunted for evidence.


    Right then, they got the news that Dreamer used the teleportation formation on Uranus and consecutively teleported until Mars.


    Then, the tracker started working and he was once again chased.


    The Sovereigns grabbed the opportunity with both hands and investigated the ID Dreamer used.


    Who issued it? For what reasons? When?


    Every little detail was investigated.


    If it was a level 8 or even a level 9, they wouldn''t be able to discover the lies.


    But Sovereigns went above and beyond. They used their authority and left no file unopen.


    Finally, they got the evidence. It was crystal clear who the mastermind was.


    "Sovereign Irene," Julius said, looking at the woman''s hologram in front.


    All the Sovereigns were seated across the semi-circr table with Sovereign Irene standing in front of them.


    "The evidence is clear." Julius snapped his fingers and the files popped up in front of Irene.


    "Go ahead," He gestured, "Read the files and prove me wrong."


    "No need." Irene crossed her arms and said indifferently.


    "Pardon?" Julius thought he was hearing things.


    Irene looked into his eyes and said coldly. "There is no need to prove they''re wrong. Because I did support Dreamer. I did give him the teleportation formation to use. And I used mywork to give him an ID."


    Bam!


    Julius mmed his desk in the real world and the sound reverberated in the virtual room.


    "Treason!" Julius bellowed, his eyes ring daggers at her.


    "You are indirectly helping Enigma survive." Sovereign Vianne spat, her usually soft eyes filled with bone-chilling coldness. "Another species will invade and everyone, including your own people, will be ughtered. And you are proudly supporting it?"


    "Did you finally break?" Sovereign Kreo said in a harsh tone. "I know your son and husband were killed. So, you want us all to suffer the same pain?"


    Irene''s body stiffened and she red at him with unconcealed hate. Her heart stung with pain as she recalled the painful memories and the pain only worsened at the nder. His words hurt her more than being called a traitor.


    "I sacrificed my own family members to save Neptune and you, the man who provided the least assistance to Neptune and Uranus, the wimp who used mind control to do shady things, you, of the 50 billion humans say those words?" Irene looked at Kreo with absolute contempt, the same contempt used when one looked at a piece of trash.


    "¡­."


    Kreo opened his mouth in shock as a tense silence descended in the hall. The Psychic Sovereign felt the disturbing gazes on him and clenched his fists in rage.


    During his early years, he used his powers for a lot of dishonorable things. He even made many enemies because of that and got into a lot of scandals. His reputation was terrible to say the least.


    But after he became a Sovereign, the records of such events were erased. His enemies were purged and many media outlets were shut.


    He even ran propaganda and whitewashed his name.


    Even the high awakener thought Kreo turned over a new leaf.


    He didn''t.


    He continued what he did¡ªjust, no media dared to publish.


    ''Bitch!'' Kreo red at Irene and was about to curse when an aged voice broke the silence.


    "Why?"


    The Sovereigns turned their gazes to the oldest man in the room.


    Albert.


    The father of Evander and the grandfather of Sarah, he was stationed on Mercury and was usually very low-key.


    But in terms of experience and strategy, he was the best.


    Even Evander''s Fanclub admitted that their idol got the training and talent from his father.


    "Why did I support a threat?" Irene tilted her head and smiled at him. "Show me the concrete evidence to why Enigma is hunted down. The evidence on why she is a threat."


    "She is an alien. Has a spaceship and will contact her specie¡ª" Kreo roared, but Irene cut him off.


    "Have you gone senile? I asked for Evidence." She stretched her hand at the Sovereigns. "Show me the evidence that Enigma will call her species and invade us."


    Seeing their silence, Ireneughed mockingly. "You can''t even prove that she''s a threat and you call me a traitor? Is this really the Sovereign council or the gathering of fools?"

 Chapter 478 Sovereigns’ Meet [2]

    "¡­Are you crazy? What more evidence do we need?" Sovereign Micheal Caron of Jupiter clutched his forehead.


    Everyone could see that his eyes were full of despair and like always, his pessimism was overwhelming him.


    "She can call her people anytime and we''re doomed. You''re asking for Evidence? We don''t know if she contacted them yet or not. But we shouldn''t give her a chance. We should find her now! And you stupid woman, you are helping her escape."


    "¡­" Albert squinted his eyes at Irene and tapped the table.


    "I initially proposed to contact her and establish diplomatic ties with her species." Sovereign Kevin, the head of Adventure Guild and leader of Saturn, looked at Julius in helplessness. "You just had to go for the kill."


    "Hmph." Julius snorted. "You are one naive fool, Kevin. This isn''t a fairy tale we''re living in. You either kill or be killed. If we helped Enigma contact her species and if they want our resources, we''d be digging our own graves."


    "¡­Looking at Enigma''s past record, she was always with us." Kevin sighed.


    "Exactly." Irene nodded, bringing the attention of Sovereigns back to her.


    "For heaven''s sake!" Sovereign Vianne hissed. "Do we even know her? Who she is? Where did shee from? Why did shee here? Saving a few people doesn''t mean she can''t harm a lot more!"


    "You''re just defending your decision." Irene shrugged.


    "Of course, she will. So will I." Sovereign Julius said in a majestic tone. "I agree that she had done a lot of good for us. But she is a potential threat that can cause the extinction of humanity and you helping her is equivalent to aiding the human extinction!"


    The hall fell silent and the Sovereigns'' felt a weight on their chest.


    "Let''s follow Kevin''s words and say she won''t be against us and with 99% probability, she and her people will help us." Julius stretched his arms and said.


    Slowly lowering them, he leaned forward and red into Irene''s eyes. His voice was so cold that the listeners felt a jolt down their spine. "But the case of 1%¡­just 1%, they are hostile to us and want us exterminated. You are betting that it won''t be the 1%."


    Irene''s body stiffened and she wanted to reveal about the ''Blocker''. But recalling Dreamer''s words, she gritted her teeth.


    "We don''t know the full story to make the best decision." She spat, hoping they could understand.


    Julius covered his face and shook his head. "Full story? We can''t afford to wait until we know it all.


    As the guardians of humanity, we should decisions based on what we know and it must be based on protecting humanity at any cost.


    So, even if Enigma is with us or against us, she has the capacity to end us. So, she must die.


    Any further knowledge won''t change this."


    "I agree."


    "Yes, me too."


    "¡­Very cold-blooded, but it''s better to be safe than sorry."


    Vianne, Kreo, and Micheal Caron nodded in approval.


    "¡­" Sovereign Ares looked at Irene''splicated expression and sighed inwardly.


    ''Ares, please give Dreamer a few days and he''ll show that Enigma''s threat is merely a conspiracy. If he can''t, then I''ll personally chase him down. This is the only thing I ask of you. Please.''


    When he was chasing ghostship, it was these words that led him to let them escape.


    It was also these words that caused him to fight the Thunder King and save the ghostship.


    He and Irene had a special bond of trust and respect. So, despite the danger, he trusted her. He believed she wouldn''t make decisions that would endanger humanity.


    "Even if you had a problem with how Enigma''s case was handled, your actions are clearly against the rules. We had a voting session and decided how to deal with her." Albert spoke in a long, deep voice.


    Irene''s eyebrows knit together.


    "While on any other event, I would''ve let it off with a slight warning, it pains me to say this, Irene. What you did could potentially lead to our destruction. And letting you off now sets a dangerous precedent."


    "And what? Kill me? Imprison me?" She sneered in anger.


    "¡­" Feeling the rage in her tone, Albert fell silent and let out a mncholic sigh.


    He could understand her and even empathize with her. He too supported Shadow Guardians and weed Enigma''s help.


    He too knew that they didn''t have the full knowledge of the situation. But as Julius said, they can''t afford to gamble.


    Regardless of Enigma''s decision, they should be able to neutralize her.


    But Irene''s actions were spoiling the n.


    "Think about yo¡ª" Albert''s words were cut off by Julius''s cold voice.


    "Your family."


    "What did you just say?" Irene''s eyes shed with killing intent as she walked to Julius.


    Julius stared back without losing his dominance. "Your family won''t be killed, you might go mad if we do that. But your grandson Han Nial, he''ll be in my hands until Enigma dies."


    "Julius, you dare?!" Irene grabbed at his cor, but her hands passed through him.


    Julius rose to his feet and said to her in amanding tone. "If you want him alive, behave. If you want him dead, then continue your treacherous actions."


    Irene quickly checked herm and saw that a message arrived from Han''sm¡ª"He''s with us."


    Irene''s chest heaved up and down as she red at Julius with killing intent. "So, this is the guardian of Earth? Kidnapping a boy who isn''t even a high awakener? And you have your people on my? Is the Xander family too eager?"


    Albert coughed lightly and nced at Julius. "She has¡­weird reasoning, but she isn''t a traitor. She risked her life to protect Neptune and Uranus. Your methods are too harsh. "


    "Harsh?" Julius shrugged and pointed to Irene whose eyes turned bloodshot. "You think she''ll listen with soft methods? Her actions are selfish and she will do anything for her family."


    Crack!


    The sound of wood breaking into pieces sounded and Sovereign Ares snapped his fingers disying images of Shadow Guardians'' destruction.


    Every Sovereign in the room, except for Julius felt a sense of difort and repulsion at the pictures.


    "Julius, do you dare to admit that their destruction got nothing to do with your second son''s death?"


    Julius stiffened for a moment and snorted. "Even if Narcis was alive, I''d have taken the same decision. Just, I wouldn''t have gone there personally."


    "What a fucking hypocrite you are." Sovereign Ares shook his head and turned his head in disgust.


    "Hypocrite? Better be a hypocrite than a traitor." Julius pointed at Irene. "So,dy Irene, when are you joining abyssals and killing your own people?"


    Irene clenched her fist so hard that her fingers dug into her flesh and blood dripped on the ground. She wanted to spill out everything about the Pluto event, but Dreamer''s words stopped her at thest moment.


    ''Enigma''s reputation will be cleared and Xanders will take the me. Just sit back and rx. I promise to do it in a few days.''


    "A few days¡­"


    "Huh?" Julius raised a brow.


    "I hope you can still keepughing in a few days," Irene said and her hologram exploded into colorful light, leaving the hall silent.


    nkly staring at where Irene previously stood, Julius had an ominous premonition.


    Her words were surely a bluff. He knew it . She knew it. Everyone knew it.


    But then¡­why was he scared?


    *** ***


    A/N: End of Arc

 Chapter 479 Utopia District

    After the meeting ended, Julius opened his eyes and the familiar rosewood desk and blue ceiling came into view.


    As he was about to curse, his keen senses detected a person outside his study.


    ''Why is he here?''


    "Come in." He said disinterestedly and even disturbed. Irene''s eyes when she vanished¡­now that he recalled it, they were bursting with confidence. How?


    The creaking sound of the door snapped him out of his thoughts and Julius raised a brow at the young man.


    "Are you close?" Julius asked, suppressing his shock with a stoic face.


    "Yes." Charles nodded and tried to control the fluctuating aura emanating from him.


    It was the peak of level 6, as in the final peak. He was on the verge of advancing to level 7.


    The youngest level 7 record was held by Julius. He reached it at the age of 25 years and 5 months.


    ''But it''s not his talent. It''s what Roxanna fed him.'' Juliusmented and opened his mouth.


    "Hm. And why are you here?"


    "I am entering Earth''s Ruins," Charles said tly.


    Julius titled his head in confusion and tapped the desk. "You know it''s dangerous, right?"


    "I do." Charles nodded with the same straight face.


    "There will be multiple forcespeting each year. Big two, small two, and the Order and Guard¡ªwell, they don''t exist anymore, haha. So, the Order. I honestly think it''s unsafe for you." He said in a calm tone, without any trace of concern.


    "Thanks for your concern," Charles said, irony buried in his soft tone. "But I decided I must."


    Julius looked at his son''s eyes disinterestedly and finally nodded.


    With a wave of his hand, the door opened and Charlesnded outside the pce.


    Looking at the floating pce high in the sky, Charles clenched his fists and his face contorted in disgust.


    With a snort, he left for the fabled ruins of devas.


    *** *** ***


    Xanders were the uncrowned rulers of Earth. Their influence reached every single one of 10,000 cities.


    Out of them all, Idenis stood out as it was the coastal city closest to the guardian inds, the residential location of the main Xander family.


    This city also held a historical connection to Xanders. After the Blink, the Xander family traveled thousands of miles before finally settling here.


    Then in theing generations, they flourished and rose to be the hegemon they currently were.


    And now such a nostalgic city was bustling as it weed its new district¡ªthe Utopia.


    The district was finished one week prior and hundreds of officials and thousands of certified members from various professions entered it to work.


    After intensebor, the new but bleak district now shone with a resplendent grandeur impossible to conceal.


    The district had arge white wall enclosing it everywhere except its three gates.


    And the gates¡­were the three statues that seemed to touch the clouds.


    Alex Xander, Ceaser Xander, and Julius Xander¡ªthe three Sovereigns of the Xander family were perfectly sculpted and they stood in the three corners of the city majestically.


    Of course, Julius'' statue was at the center and was also the tallest.


    After one entered the gate under the statue, they''d be bombarded with a pristine sight.


    Shiny blue roads that had an automatic space shift ability¡ªstep on the road, select your destination and you''ll be transported there almost instantly.


    There wererge buildings everywhere, with each building having a ground and floating section.


    These buildings were all selling one thing or another¡ªpotions, treasures, contacts, intelligence, etc.


    The ground section of the building was for the average customer and the floating section was for the elites.


    Of course, anyone who could step foot in the Utopia district was not an average person¡ªbut the standards were redefined here.


    Then looking past the buildings, one could see a gigantic lotus-shaped stadium at the center of the district.


    It was thergest stadium in the world and also the costliest. Not only was it built of reinforced alloy walls that were said to withstand even level 6 attacks, it also had a space-restriction formation¡ªit''d prevent any space awakener from teleporting in the specified area.


    While the alloy walls weremon, it was the space-restriction formation that really sparked discussions.


    Some imed that it was due to a kidnapping case that urred in Valos city. But others remained confident that it was due to Enigma.


    Whatever might be the case, it only served to increase the poprity of the ce and the grand event.


    Even influential people used their connection to get into the district and check it out.


    But even they had areas they couldn''t approach.


    For instance, in the vicinity of the stadium were dozens of floating and normal buildings¡ªthey were the living quarters of the participants.


    ''Participants'' was merely a grand-sounding name for the beta testers¡ªthey would be the people who''d take the omega potion and then they''d be monitored continuously tracking their progress and finally, they''d fight with normal awakeners who never took the potion.


    In a room of one such quarter, Variany on the bedzily as he yawned for the tenth time.


    Getting in here was incredibly hard, but by squeezing all her contacts, Irene managed to do so and did it in secrecy.


    ording to her, she also had the help of Sovereign Ares or with her ongoing political crisis, she''d have had a hard time aplishing this task.


    ''Thankfully, she didn''t spill out anything or the Xanders would''ve started preparing.'' Varian smiled.


    Cling.


    At the slightest sound, he grabbed hism and epted the call.


    Enigma and Blue sh appeared in a rather luxurious interior.


    "Any issues?" Varian asked, checking out Irene Nia''s space shuttle by spinning the hologram.


    The women were now in Sovereign Irene''s spaceship. It was faster than any other space shuttle but slower than a ghost ship.


    So, as long as they kept running, they were safe from the patrol groups and it was precisely the n.


    This was also the reason Varian requested Irene for her help. If there was no Irene, then Enigma could only be in ghost ship.


    That meant if he tried to enter Utopia or even Earth, he''d be chased down by the army.


    Then the only solution would be to actually leave ghost ship and enter the Expo without it. But without the ghost ship, his participation in the expo was not only useless, but also dangerous.


    If they had any problems, it was better to solve them now before he gets ''busy''.


    "No problems," Enigma answered and looked at him still spinning the hologram. With a helpless voice, she said. "Varian."


    "Yes?" He stopped the spinning and nced up at her.


    Enigma gritted her teeth and seemed to struggle, but she finally said. "This is too dangerous. Even if Boo could teleport you out, a Sovereign could kill you before it happens."


    Varian smiled lightly and waved his hands. "Don''t worry, I''ve got this covered."


    "They can tell apart from a real level 4 and a level 6 who''s suppressing himself to be level 4. So, good luck." Blue sh said with aplicated expression.


    "Haha, I think you already know what I''ll do." Varian chuckled.

 Chapter 480 A Peek Into Celestial Paths

    She didn''t know for certain, but she did have a guess.


    His six paths¡­ were the answer. Since they were all in level 6, he wouldn''t be using them or there''s a good chance he''d be found out as someone suppressing his aura.


    Then the only logical solution was to awaken in another path.


    And what he did also reinforced her guess.


    Varian registered as a participant who awakened in the water path.


    If she boldly assumed that he was yet to awaken the path, even then, given his speed of advancement, there''s a small chance he could reach level 2 or with a miracle, level 3 in a matter of days.


    But there was a big problem.


    His water path was supposed to be level 4.


    That really scared Blue sh.


    She already felt that she was asking for the impossible seeking level 3, but level 4 was just absurd.


    But seeing the rxed and confident smile on Varian''s¡­no, the disguised face he recently put on, she sighed inwardly.


    "See you soon." Varian waved his hand and ended the call.


    After confirming that they were gone, hey down on the bed and closed his eyes.


    The Omega Expo was about to begin in a few days and as Blue sh thought, only a few days to awaken and reach level 4.


    ''System, you can just awaken me in a body path, but as controller, then I can directly reach level 4. '' Varian groaned.


    When Irene asked him what path he wanted to enter as, the system appeared out of nowhere and said ''Water Path''.


    While he repeated its words, he still thought Controller Path was better.


    [Host, initially, System also thought of doing the same. But the recent events had changed System''s thinking.]


    ''You can think?''


    [¡­]


    ''Eh¡­go on.''


    [The initial n was to awaken you in all paths, but the danger you''re experiencing is baffling even the System.


    It''s obvious that even without System, you will attract dangers left and right. In your own human tongue, it''s called ''Courting Death''.


    Host, this System is positive that you are the champion of courting death despitedy death rejecting you every time.


    This system hopes you stop this needless ttery. No matter how much you pursue her, she''s shutting the door in your face. In your own human tongue, it''s called ''Don''t be a Simp''.]


    "¡­" Varian opened his mouth and closed it again. Finally, he said. "Dear System, did someone hack you or what?"


    [¡­No.]


    "Really?"


    [Yes.]


    With how determined it sounded, Varian imagined a little girl nodding her head frantically.


    [Anyway, awakening in all paths could be helpful, but to reach the ultimate power, it isn''t necessary. You should only awaken in the starting paths, not all the diverging ones.]


    Saying so, a bright light projected itself into the air and formed a peculiar hologram.


    On the hologram, there was a picture of ''Divine View'' and under it was a line.


    [These are the starting paths.]


    {Body Path, Mind Path, and Morpher Path in Sage Avenue.


    Space, Gravity, and Time Path in Creator Avenue.


    Any two elements in Ruler Avenue}


    "You listed all paths," Varian muttered. "Except for the elements."


    [Host, you have two paths in the Mind path. It was originally what System intended, but with the changing circumstances, it''s bing impractical.


    Awakening in another branching path, say, as a Beast Morpher or as a Controller or the remaining three elements would only dy you more than helping you.]


    Varian frowned.


    Having all the paths was cool, why should he drop a few?


    [You aren''t dropping any paths, host.] The system said in a mysterious tone. [Beacuse in the Celestial Ranks¡­some of these paths will converge.]


    "¡­Wait, what?" Varian yelped in surprise.


    [If you just awaken in the paths System showed, then you''ll have all the paths in Celestial Path.


    But if you insist on awakening an extra path, say, Controller Path, it would only take up more of your time to be a Sovereign in that path¡ªand just to remind you host, you haven''t even thought of a way to be Sovereign in multiple paths.


    While you will be more powerful if you awakened all paths until the Sovereign realm, after you reach Celestial rank and the paths converge, these ''extra'' paths wouldn''t make any difference.]


    "Oof." Varian sighed deeply. It was really a lot to take in.


    "What paths converge?" He asked, unable to suppress his curiosity.


    The System went silent for a moment before saying.


    [It''s a bitplicated, but for now, this should suffice.]


    And another peculiar hologram popped up.


    [All the paths in Sage Avenue converge to Three Celestial Paths:


    Body Path ¡ª> Mystic


    Mind Path ¡ª> Spirit


    Morpher Path ¡ª> Famine


    All the three paths in Creator Avenue would be the same:


    Space ¡ª> Space


    Gravity ¡ª> Gravity


    Time ¡ª> Time


    All the six paths (including light and darkness) in Ruler Avenue would converge to two paths.


    Fire, Lightning ¡ª> Energy


    Earth, Water ¡ª> Matter]


    "FUCK!" Varian gasped and gazed at this new trove of knowledge.


    While he didn''t even know what these celestial paths did, they all sounded powerful. Very, very powerful.


    Varian gulped nervously and asked. "You mean, if I awaken in the paths you pointed out, I can have all these paths?"


    [Yes, host. As you can see, double awakening in Mind Path won''t help you. And this System feels that your fight with the Abyssals would be adversely affected by awakening in more paths than necessary.]


    "Hm, hm." Varian nodded, but he wasn''t listening at all.


    He stared at the Celestial Paths like a fool lovestruck by a beauty. Only after thirty minutes did he finally let it go.


    Realizing what he had just done, he covered his face in embarrassment.


    [Host, don''t worry. This system has recorded your appearance carefully. Whenever you, no, whenever this system wants, it will show you how you just looked.]


    "Dammit!" Varian cursed and stormed out of the room.


    He swore revenge one day, but until then, this cheeky system would be spared.


    In a few seconds, ghost ship left the Utopia district and headed towards a Water Dungeon.

 Chapter 481 Meeting Sarah

    Varian decided to ''awaken'' in Water Path.


    Not only should he awaken, but he should also reach level 4 in five days.


    If someone told him he''d attempt such a crazy thing a month ago, he''d have scoffed at them and said. "I might be crazy, but not that crazy."


    Now, he wasn''t so certain.


    But even for Varian, such a feat was difficult.


    Regardless of how fast he progressed, he hit bottlenecks every now and then.


    But for him to reach his target, he''d either not reach any bottleneck or break it as quickly as possible.


    Since the former wasn''t under his control, he decided to ensure a perfect breakthrough of all bottlenecks.


    But how?


    Varian thought back to all his bottlenecks and observed amon point. He was stuck only because he overused a way of progressing that he couldn''t ''learn'' anything new to progress.


    Secondly, when he was at the peak of any level, advancing also took time since he wasn''t sure how to ''advance''.


    For instance, to go from level 3 to level 4 in the space path, he needed to do the reverse of ''space binding'', the Unbinding¡ªweakening or loosening the space as opposed to freezing it. He achieved it only through a lot of trial and error.


    So, the one-stop solution to everything was a teacher.


    They would help him with bottlenecks and also in advance.


    So, he needed a Water Awakener of at least level 5 or level 6.


    But that awakener must be someone he could absolutely trust. Because not only would he show that he was going to awaken in a new path, but most importantly, his mind-boggling progress speed.


    And that someone happened to be¡ª


    "Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!"


    Varian helplessly smiled as Sarah softly punched him in the chest. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her waist and breathed in her scent.


    Sarah''s punches slowed down and finally, she rested her head on his chest while hugging him a bit too tightly.


    "You still remember me?" She raised her head and asked with a grudging face.


    "Ahaha." Varianughed awkwardly and tried to think of a response. He hadn''t contacted her since Valos began.


    "Master did miss you a couple of times." Boo came to the rescue.


    Varian gave the little ghost a silent thumbs up and nodded with a serious face. "I missed you a lot."


    Sarah narrowed her eyes in doubt as her gaze altered between Varian and Boo.


    Meanwhile, the ghost ship lightly shook as it soared into the clouds from the defense academy.


    Varian looked at the shrinking academy while his brain continued to think of an exnation that could satisfy her.


    "Really?" Sarah asked after a while.


    "Really!" Varian nodded.


    "Really!" Boo added. "While we were at Valos, Master even thought of buying you a gift."


    Varian was about to nod when he suddenly flinched.


    "Thought of?" Sarah raised a brow and smiled cutely. "So, he didn''t he buy¡­why?"


    "I¡ªThat gift wa¡ª" Varian felt like a broken radio.


    "Master said shopping would take too long, so he went back to training."


    Bang!


    Varian''s heart nearly stopped as he felt the warm body in his embrace cool down like an ice cube.


    "Gulp."


    He lowered his gaze lightly to see Sarah gazing at him with an indifferent face.


    ''Damn it! Boo, during that time, I was anxious every day about the war! How do you expect me to shop, eh?''


    Boo simply went back to driving while it kept an eye on them. Presumably, it was waiting to throw Varian under the bus.


    "I¡ª"


    Sarah left his embrace and took a few steps back. Folding her arms, she said. "I have a question, please answer me honestly."


    Varian took a deep look at her.


    Today, Sarah was in a ck top and blue shorts. With the ponytail adding to her liveliness, when he first picked her up at the academy, she looked like an energetic beautiful young girl.


    Now, with spread-out hair that flowed down her shoulders and sharp eyes, she looked more mature.


    Varian was distracted for a moment but managed to nod.


    "Did youe to meet me because you missed me or¡­." Sarah''s words trailed off, but her gaze was fixed on him.


    ''Fuck!'' Varian cursed inwardly and was about to answer when a cute voice destroyed the chance.


    "Master hopes you can help him train in water path."


    Boom!


    "Hmph!"


    Sarah stomped and walked away.


    Boo guided her to a room that they had recently built.


    "¡­" Varian silently scratched his head.


    ''Wait, why did ite to this¡­?''


    Then he saw Boo cheerfully humming a tune as it operated the ghost ship to a nearby water dungeon.


    Veins popped up in Varian''s forehead and he decided he''d let Boo sit through horror movies until it begged him to stop.


    "Bo¡ª"


    "Boo!"


    Sarah''s exmation cut him off.


    Varian heard the surprise in her voice and quickly teleported to her room.


    Sarah was inspecting a white bed. It looked perfectly fine, but Sarah''s nose was wrinkled and she seemed to be smelling¡­


    ''This is Enigma''s room.'' Varian facepalmed inwardly and nced at Boo.


    Boo looked back at him with a cute and innocent expression that said. ''It''s not intentional, I swear!''


    ''Swear your ass! This is definitely intentional!'' Varian clenched his fists.


    "Enigma?" Sarah asked, with her face facing the ground.


    It was obvious. The fact that Dreamer was helping Enigma was all over the news after all.


    Sarah clenched her fist and asked in a low voice. "¡­How is she?"


    "Huh?" Varian raised a brow in surprise.


    "I¡­I don''t think what was done is correct. A lot of cadets in our military faction and in the academy, in general, witnessed Shadow Guardians helping others." Sarah said with a frustrated expression.


    "She''s safe. Don''t worry." Varian said lightly and seeing Sarah breathe a sigh of relief, he added. "Her problem would be solved¡­soon."


    Sarah raised her head and looked at him. Her eyes were slightly red. "And for her, you''re going to risk your life, am I right?"

 Chapter 482 Coaxing Sarah

    "¡­"


    Varian fell silent. He could say it wasn''t life-threatening, but that would be a lie.


    Even if he had a ghost ship, if a Sovereign attacked, he''d be killed Boo teleported to him.


    Until now, Varian had a teleportation formation that could get him out of any dangerous situation. But that was useless in front of a Sovereign.


    He snapped his fingers and a couch appeared behind them. Gently sitting her down, he answered. "There is a certain risk, yes. But mostly, I''ll be alright."


    "¡­Mostly?" Sarah smiled bitterly and turned her head away.


    An awkward silence filled the room.


    Finally, Varian leaned down and said. "Hey."


    Sarah was facing the other side and mumbled. "What?"


    "I really missed you." Varian hugged her softy body from behind and whispered in her ear. "You know what happened in Valos¡­I was really invested in there¡­trying to stop what seemed like another human-abyss war."


    "You What?" Sarah turned around with a yelp and she stiffened.


    She was still in her embrace and because she turned around, their faces were dangerously close to each other.


    Just a bit more and¡­


    "I sort of spoiled the abyssals'' n," Varian said with a serious expression, not minding their distance.


    "¡­how?" Sarah asked in genuine confusion, forgetting their proximity either consciously or unconsciously.


    Except for the Sovereigns, no one knew that Dreamer was the one who provided the critical information.


    Even the top military officials only learned that the conspiracy was discovered by a special agent.


    There was no information at all about Dreamer.


    Naturally, Sarah too was in the dark.


    She knew he joined Shadow Guardians and went to Valos. After Evander told her that war was looming, she was initially worried. But since he had ghost ship, she believed he''d be alright.


    But that didn''t mean she thought he did such crazy stuff.


    "¡­I bombed the secret realms and killed Prince Abrax. Oh and that is the same guy who tried to assassinate me when we went shopping..." When he uttered the word shopping, sweat poured down Varian''s forehead.


    Thankfully, Sarah wasn''t holding onto it anymore. Not after knowing that Varian was neck-deep in Valos'' crisis.


    "Haa~" She sighed deeply. "I don''t know what to feel."


    "Feel proud, I guess?" Varian whispered in her ear.


    Feeling his hot breath, Sarah blushed and red at him. "Y-You."


    Varian saw her red face and thought it was too cute. He caressed her face lightly, causing Sarah to stiffen.


    "I wish things just get better by themselves¡­" He said in a soft tone.


    "Yeah..." Sarah closed her eyes and enjoyed his soft caress. His warm hand moved from her cheek to her hair and as he lightly patted her, her smile deepened.


    "But I have to do things that only I can."


    "Yeah~" Sarah nodded involuntarily.


    "And now, I really need your help. I can''t do it without you, so will you help?"


    "Yeah~" Sarah muttered before suddenly opening her eyes. "Y-You! Using this to cajole me! You liar." She used him in a weak voice.


    Varian chuckled. "When I said I missed you, it wasn''t a lie."


    "¡­" Sarah looked at his innocent expression and gritted her teeth. Even though she knew he was putting on that expression deliberately, she couldn''t be angry at him anymore.


    "Fine, fine, Mr. Hero in the Shadows." She waved her hand and looked at him. "Now you need me to assist you in training your water¡­wait, since when did you have a Water path?"


    Varianughed at her incredulous expression, while not forgetting to snap a shot. "Exactly. I don''t have it now. I will awaken in that path. But I need you to speed up the whole process."


    Saying so, Varian exined a bit of how he progressed through fighting with awakeners of the same path.


    Sarah gaped at his words and looked like she saw the world end. If it was anyone else, they''d have looked at him like he was a monster. But her gaze didn''t change much, except for the wild surprise.


    After a while, she nodded. "It can''t be helped then. But when you''re free, we should go on a d-date¡­"


    "Leave it to me. I''ll never forget." Varian patted his chest in reassurance.


    In his mind, he said. ''Boo, set a remainder.''


    You know, just in case.


    Sarah got out of his embrace and tapped herm. A few files popped up and she started going through them.


    Varian could see that it was her journal¡­she took notes of her Divine Path progress.


    "Um¡­Sarah, aren''t you going to ask what I need this water path for?" He scratched his cheek.


    Sarah kept her gaze on them and shrugged. "No. You will tell me if you can, right? But please be silent for a few minutes, we''ll need to get you to level 4 at all costs."


    "I¡­" Varian wanted to say something, but in the end, he could smile softly.


    He felt lucky.


    ''Boo, remove the remainder. I won''t forget.''


    "¡­" Boo rolled its eyes and did what it was told. ''Stupid Master. Even if you forgot, Boo won''t forget.''


    At the same time, the ghost ship dived down and entered an ocean.


    After diving around a mile deep, they found a special region.


    Water was barred from entering what looked like a small town. In the center of the town was arge gate with intricate carvings.


    Dungeon Gate.


    It was a low water dungeon called ''Wet''.


    Varian swore that the irony in the title was too much.


    Whoosh!


    The soldiers guarding the dungeon didn''t notice the ghostship entering the gate.


    "Woah!" Varian widened his eyes as he saw a world full of rivers,kes, waterfalls, and every water-rted thing.


    There was only a bit ofnd here and there.


    Ssh!


    Fishes longer than a human with sharp teeth jumped out from one pond to another from time to time.


    There was even a long snake that climbed up the waterfall.


    A huge turtle inhaled and drank up nearly half of a pond''s water.


    In the water bodies and all around, there were nts of various colors¡ªblue, green, violet, and pink.


    Varian saw a few nts manipte water and turn it into ice killing a few small fish.


    He also saw fish strangling other fishes through the maniption of water and devouring them.


    "Wow."

 Chapter 483 Sprinting To Water Path Level 4 [1]

    Water.


    The birthce of life.


    It was also the birthce of many species one wouldn''t see or hear about.


    For instance, Blue Whipper: A jellyfish-like creature but with only one tentacle.


    Its tentacle was made of a special fiber that was extremely conducive to the flow of water mana.


    Blue Whipper''s attack was actually magnified due to this special biological structure.


    How much?


    Whoosh!


    Standing on the banks of a pond, Varian saw a thin, long, green tentacle rush at him to rip him apart.


    Midway, the green tentacle suddenly turned blue as it exuded an icy breath and its tip grew a very thin, but very sharp ice crystal.


    Kaaa!


    The sound of wind being cut sounded as the whip finally reached Varian''s bare arm.


    Sarah looked at him from the side while keeping an eye on the nearby creatures.


    Kacha!


    The sound of a ss breaking caused Sarah to flinch and squint her eyes at Varian.


    "You¡­"


    The ice crystal¡ªthe culmination of every bit of Blue Whipper''s power was shattered into pieces.


    Varian''s arm on the other hand didn''t even have a single scratch. He nced at the Blue Whipper in disinterest and pointed a finger at it.


    Kree!


    With the sounds of two soft but firm membranes rubbing against each other, the blue whipper was crushed into pieces.


    Its blue blood sshed high into the air before it turned into green gas. As the gas spread, the small nts, fishes, and animals that inhaled it directly died.


    ''Nasty Fish.'' Varian shook his head and checked his status panel.


    The System showed a thumbs down emote and added. ''Work Harder.''


    "How is it?" Sarah approached him and looked at him with a bit of eagerness and expectation.


    This whole ''awakening'' in a new path was truly bizarre to her. But since she decided to believe him, she didn''t doubt him again.


    "Should try harder," Varian said and sighed.


    Whatever the case might be, that Blue Whipper was only level 1. His physical defense was too high for the water mana to even enter his body.


    "Um," Sarah hesitated for a moment and asked. "Why don''t I do it?"


    This was something that always puzzled her. If any water awakener could do it, then why not her? A peak level 6 Water Awakener?


    "I don''t want to g gain ''resistance'' against you," Varian stated.


    "Resistance?" Sarah raised a brow.


    "Think of it like this, the more I fight with someone, the more adaptive I be to that person''s or creature''s style. I''m essentially learning that person''s aura usage, but most of it happens unconsciously. So, slowly but surely I be ''aware'' of how to use my mana, chi, etc.


    But the problem is if I use any once distinctive creature or person as the main source, there''s a high chance I''ll run into bottlenecks that are hard to solve. And the progress I get from fighting that person would also decrease over time.


    To progress quickly, I need more diversity." He exined patiently.


    This was the only time ever that Varian said this out to anyone. Even Boo got a short answer.


    Sarah listened to his words and sighed in shock once again. "This is just¡­let''s go."


    She pulled his hand and with a snap, they were deep inside ake.


    Varian also noticed that an invisible sphere seemed to be covering them. There was not a drop of water in a five-meter radius.


    He turned to Sarah and she simply smiled. "You can swim without getting wet. Cool, right?"


    "Hm¡­" Varian didn''t know how to swim, so he stiffly nodded and kicked the underwater ground.


    Boom!


    Pirs of water shot up and with the sheer pressure, killed many levels 1 creatures.


    In the blink of an eye, Varian crossed hundreds of meters despite being in the water and reached an Octopus-like creature.


    Its tentacles instinctively made a strange gesture and Varian suddenly felt the water he was in contact with stiffening.


    Then this controlled water attempted to break into his body through his eyes, nose, and ears.


    Varian looked at the octopus in shock.


    Even though it was only a peak level 2, he felt that this method would kill any non-water path level 3 creatures if they were in his position.


    ''Elemental Awakeners''bat strength depends on their environment.''


    He recalled an old point he studied somewhere and sighed in amazement.


    Shaaa!


    The water got in through his nose as Varian blocked off the rest by forming an invisible shield with his telekic power.


    Kaa!


    This special water, once inside, immediately tried to destroy his heart and lungs.


    Varian coughed out violently and the nearby water turned red. But only after a few seconds, he stopped coughing and looked fine. It was as if the injury never happened.


    The water couldn''t break his heart or lung defenses. But it did damage them lightly. But that was it.


    The water mana in that controlled water was quickly confronted by his own aura derivatives and was quickly devoured.


    [Water Path Level 0: (10/30)]


    The system prompt lit up Varian''s eyes and he looked at the octopus-like creature with gleaming eyes.


    The octopus-like creature stiffened and wanted to run away.


    "You!"


    It stiffened and even with its limited intelligence, understood that running away now would be seen as an offense.


    "One more time."


    Varian stretched his arms and weed an attack.


    "¡­" The octopus-like creature wasn''t sure if what it felt was right. But it seemed like this two-legged creature was asking for more¡­attacks?


    It didn''t want to die, so it didn''t risk.


    "DO IT!"


    His shout scared the hell out of the creature and nodded, responding in a weird noise.


    "Fsrafd!"


    Then two more attacks followed.


    "Cough."


    "Cough."


    With two blood coughings, Varian was happy.


    [Water Path Level 1: 0/100]


    Varian felt the new mana in his body and smiled. The water that seemed like an outside thing till then suddenly felt like a natural home.


    Varian lightly tapped at his right and a water sphere slowly twisted into various shapes before turning into ice.


    "Nice." He nodded in satisfaction and turned to the octopus-like creature that was about to slip away.


    He uttered the same dreadful words.


    "One more time."

 Chapter 484 Sprinting To Water Path Level 4 [2]

    "Hahahaha!" Sarah clutched her stomach and burst outughing as she sat on the banks of a river.


    "Hey! Hey! One more time!" Varian chased after a group of octopus-like creatures.


    A blue light covered their skins and they swam away at incredible speeds¡ªsurely the highest ever in their lives.


    "Urgh."


    When Varian finally captured one of the creatures, it squeaked and burst into pieces of blue and ck.


    The blue and ck liquids tried to enter Varian who simply swatted them away.


    Sarah walked towards Varian. Her feet lightly touched the river surface, but never got wet.


    And even though she was walking on water, she showed no sense of difort.


    "These creatures can share their fear and it all adds up. Until now, you graced at least ten of their members. Now, their fear of you is ten times." She exined to the sulking Varian.


    "I didn''t even kill them though," Varianined.


    "You traumatized them." Sarah rolled her eyes. "Bad fellow."


    "¡­I''m innocent, okay?" Varian looked at her with ''innocent'' eyes, catching Sarah off guard.


    "Y-You¡­" Her cheeks blushed and she quickly turned her head away. "Let''s go to Giant Walrus."


    Saying those words, a blue light shed and she skated across the river and reached the other end.


    "Tsk." Varian snickered and called up his status panel.


    [Water Path Level 1: 100/100]


    "Oh well."


    [Lightning Path Level 6 (2/6)]


    Varian felt the two distinct ''mana'' in his body and probed them with his mental sense.


    They were very simr, except for their orientation towards the elements.


    If he had to use a very rough analogy, it was the same person wearing different clothes.


    Varian recalled his advancement from Lightning Path Level 1 to Level 2.


    It needed a more advanced control of water mana.


    "Same with lightning mana. I wonder if¡­." Varian muttered and focused on the water mana in his body.


    It swiftly flowed through each and every corner of his body before it hit what seemed like an invisible barrier.


    "Hm," Varian closed his eyes and muttered to himself. "Compress the mana, control it through the water sense, and let it flow freely."


    He created a lightning barrier around him to remain undisturbed and sat cross-legged in mid-air.


    Ssh! Ssh! Ssh!


    It was the sound of water gushing from one end to another as it drowned everything in its way.


    Huaa!


    Then a distinct sound emerged. One that felt like this water was being pressed violently.


    Kaa!


    Varian''s eyes snapped open and a blue light shed in front of him.


    The water far away twisted violently rose into the air and crashed the river.


    Boom!


    The impact was simr to a rock or any solid object colliding with the river.


    [Water Path Level 2: 0/200]


    Varian grinned and saw Sarah staring at him in the distance.


    He waved at her and teleported to her.


    "¡­Wow. It''s been less than two hours." Sarah muttered with a breath of disbelief.


    "Ai~ Being a genius is hard." Varian clutched his forehead andmented.


    "¡­" Sarah gritted her teeth.


    Genius? Even geniuses wouldn''t be so scary.


    As far as she knew, even they took months to reach level 2.


    This guy¡­


    Looking at his goofy grin, Sarah suddenly had the urge to smash him.


    "There! Sharks!" Varian suddenly pointed out and without waiting, dashed towards them.


    As he moved at high speeds above the river surface, water sted out from either side.


    "Level 3? Good, good." Varian nodded in appreciation as he felt the creatures'' power.


    Graaah!


    A violent roar sounded as the sharks noticed him with their water sense.


    Then without any provocation from his part, the group of six sharks rushed at him.


    Each of these sharks was as big as a bus and had a very sharp horn on their forehead.


    "What''s that for?" He wondered and they gave it away the next moment.


    Klishhh!


    A blinding blue light enveloped the river as the surrounding water mana was ''pulled'' into the sharks'' horns.


    Then they formedrge ice balls covered by dangerous spikes and shot at him.


    At the same time, the water under him fluctuated violently and engulfed him before solidifying.


    He was ''trapped'' and the attack ''arrived''.


    Boom!


    The ice balls exploded into pieces and the water broke down.


    Varian walked out of the site unscathed.


    [+20 XP


    Water Path Level 2: 20/200]


    "That''s actually good." He nodded at the horned sharks in appreciation.


    He was about to say "one more time" but recalled his tragic experience with the octopus-like creatures.


    So, instead, he clutched his chest and knelt on the river''s surface before ''coughing'' out blood.


    Kreoo!


    Smelling the fresh blood, the Sharks went insane. Their eyes turned bloodshot and their horns shone with a rather dark blue light.


    For the next few minutes, Varian took the attacks head-on, came out, and coughed out blood.


    The sharks were even more enthusiastic and kept attacking him with all their strength.


    A few minutester¡­even the sharks with their cognitive faculty knew that something was off.


    Why was this man not dying yet?


    And that blood...why did it resemble blood of a sea horse?


    "Argh¡­.I''m super injured, if you attack me once, I''m dead." Varian closed his eyes, clutched his chest, and announced in a tragic tone.


    "¡­."


    "¡­."


    After a few moments of awkward silence, he opened his eyes.


    The sharks were still facing him, but slowly they were moving backward¡­


    Sarah on the other hand was recording the whole thing.


    Seeing her mischievous smile, Varian could already imagine this video surfacing at many moments.


    "Fuck." He clutched his chest and really wanted to cough out blood.


    Then, he turned to the sharks.


    The poor sharks flinched and stared at him meekly.


    "Attack me again." He uses his telepath powers and conveyed the meaning.


    Then, he heard their response.


    "Boss, please spare us."


    "Yes, Boss. You can have the river, we will live in ake, no a pond is more than enough."


    "Boss, I have an old grandma, an old mother to take care of. Please spare me."


    "Boss, I have an old son and aged wife to take care of. Please spare me!"


    "Bah! Boss, this guy took my line. I am the one with an old son. Please spare us."


    "¡­"


    "You attack me and you live. Or¡­" Varian''s voice trailed off and the sharks immediately caught up.


    "Haha! I must say, Boss, attacking you is my greatest pleasur¡ª"


    "He meant it is his greatest service."


    "Ah yes, yes. How can we enjoy beating up Boss, right?"


    "Indeed."


    And thus, the group of poor innocent sharks worked overtime andplied in every way possible to this ''Boss''.


    Listening to his demands that required more and more mana out of them, one of the sharksmented.


    ''Don''t humans call superiors who let employees work overtime as sharks?''


    ''Apparently, they do.''


    ''Then why is the other way around.''


    ''We, the real sharks are working overtime. Meanwhile, that guy is acting like a shark.''


    ''Mom Tsana, I''m so depressed.''


    ''Shut up! That''s my mom.''


    ''Your mom is my mom, idiot.''


    ''Then is your wife my wife, stupid.''


    "Why did the attack intensity drop?" The dreaded voice jolted all the sharks.


    "We are just super charing for an incredible attack boss."


    "Then do it."


    "¡­yeah."

 Chapter 485 Sprinting To Water Path Level 4 (3): Mid-Dungeon

    "Bye, Shark Bros." Varian waved his hand enthusiastically.


    The shark bros looked at him with tired eyes. Theirrge, bulky bodies now seemed to behave lost half of their weight.


    Continuously using their mana was exhausting.


    If one overdid it, they''d be facing a mana overdraw. And they overdrew the mana overdraw.


    ''He''s a devil''.


    Looking at Varian, they shuddered.


    "Bye, Boss." The first shark said with thest bit of energy.


    "I was trying to lose weight and you helped me a lot, boss. Thanks!" A creative shark replied. It used to be bulky like a bear, now it was skinny like a leopard. Once it returned to its tribe, it was going to be thin-shamed.


    "Yes, me too. No diet anymore." Another shark eximed.


    Listening to the sharks'' sincere praise filled with admiration, Varian scratched his cheek in embarrassment.


    ''Am I really such a good person?''


    They could''ve lied. That thought did cross his mind, but sensing how joyous they sounded, Varian thought it was less likely.


    ''But they really helped, heh.''


    Staring at the floating blue panel that only he could see, he felt the weight of gratitude towards the sharks.


    [Water Path Level 2: 150/200]


    He looked at the shark bros seriously and he said. "Don''t worry. I''ll visit you guys regrly and help you in weight loss."


    The sharks almost coughed out blood. Was this man stupid or pretending to be stupid?


    You can try setting up that program for your fellow humans. Even the most overweight person would shrivel to a zombie.


    We survived because we are sharks, but that doesn''t mean we can take it again!


    "No, boss. We can''t bother you anymore." The first shark said in a regretful, yet firm tone.


    "Yes, we can do it ourselves now." The second one replied in a responsible tone.


    "Yes, yes. We urge you, don''t waste your precious time by visiting us again." The third one was almost crying.


    Since they insisted, Varian nodded reluctantly.


    Then he teleported to Sarah who was looking at him and the sharks quizically since the beginning.


    Lightly tapping on her forehead, he said. "Let''s go."


    "Huh? Yeah." Sarah snapped out of her daze and followed him into the ghostship.


    Their next destination was a Mid Water Dungeon named ''Drowner''.


    "¡­whoever is naming this stuff must either be a prankster or a 6-year old," Varian muttered in dissatisfaction, eliciting a giggle from Sarah.


    "Virgin, Wet, Simp, now Drowner...this is stupid. Don''t you agree?" Varian raised a brow.


    "Well, no." Sarah shrugged. "They''re all made by the federation''s experts."


    "Experts, you say?" Varian facepalmed and leaned back on the couch."Are we run by nutjobs?"


    Sarah rolled her eyes and exined. "In the golden age, these dungeons were conquered and became instrumental in the growth of the human race.


    Everyone was happy, a bit too happy. The council of federation back then was probably the most harmonious of all time. Those guys decided to pick silly names for dungeons, mainly to show that they aren''t a big deal anymore.


    If the abyssals never appeared, then humanity was ready to expand outside the sr system. By now, we would already be colonizing another.


    With abyssals'' unexpected appearance, the exploration was sidelined while the dungeon names remained."


    "¡­" It was Varian who rolled his eyes this time. "You know how made-up that sounds?"


    "It''s confidential, but it really happened," Sarah said with a helpless smile.


    "Urgh," Varian groaned in frustration and crossed his arms. "Anyway, I hope I reach level 4 soon."


    The ghost ship exited the dungeon and traveled deep into the ocean. Its speed was affected, but only by a small percentage.


    After a few minutes, the ghost ship reached what seemed like arge underwater town. Like at the previous dungeon, this town seemed to have a certain treasure that repelled water.


    So, while they were deep in the ocean, a few miles around the town, there was no water. It was as if an invisible barrier was isting it.


    The town had only a couple of defensive facilities and about a hundred dungeon guards.


    To his surprise, Varian saw people other than dungeon guards.


    "Adventurers?" He muttered and his brows knit together in confusion. "Why here?"


    There were Water Dungeons above the surface as well. The reason he picked the ones here was that they were deserted.


    But now, there were some humans who seemed to have just exited the dungeon.


    "Likely to prevent a Dungeon Break." Sarah shrugged.


    Varian paused for a moment and nodded. If so, then it made perfect sense.


    A Dungeon Break was what it sounded like. Once they exceed a threshold of ''total power'' held, the magic beasts of a dungeon would break open and ravage the host.


    Then, upon consuming their prey, the magic beasts would grow strong and give birth.


    Magic beasts had an incredibly short gestation period and the maturity for an infant magic beast to reach maturity was only a couple of weeks.


    Thus, if a Dungeon Break was allowed, then it''d spell an absolute disaster.


    While humanity didn''t know, this was exactly the method that Abyssals used in the past to wipe out many of their weak enemies.


    Just send a few dungeons and an entire civilization would be wiped off. Not only that, but the dungeons themselves would have more magic beasts overall.


    Humanity was also supposed to be wiped off in that manner.


    But humans did the impossible. They went from the level of low dungeons to high dungeons in a very short period of time.


    They grew so strong and efficient that they turned dungeons from a threat to resource.


    Of course, even humanity faced the threat of Dungeon breaks in the first decade of the 300s.


    The threat mainly came from hidden dungeons, like the current one, deep under the ocean.


    So, to prevent such mishaps, clean-up teams were sent regrly. They hunted monsters in these remote dungeons and erased any possibility of dungeon break.


    "Regr Clean Up, huh." Varian squinted his eyes at the five figures.


    They werepletely drenched and had multiple gashes on their bodies.


    Drip! Drip! Drip!


    Like water escaping a broken pipe, blood escaped their bodies and sshed on the ground.


    As if that wasn''t enough, one man had arge chunk of his arm missing¡­as if it was bitten off.


    "What happened?" A dungeon guard rushed to the man with the least injuries and asked.


    "A-Ascension¡­" The man uttered with thest of his strength and fainted.


    "Ascension? Are you sure?" The guard yelled with a horrified face but no one answered him.


    The rest of the adventurers fainted right after exiting the dungeon.


    "Mark, I''ll take them to the emergency cabin first." Another guard elevated the adventurers into the air through his telekic power and urged.


    "Yes." Mark nodded with a pale face.


    He turned to the dungeon gate. As always, the entrance was covered by a thinyer of shiny light.


    Shhh.


    The curtain of light quivered and Mark almost ran.


    "¡­Haah." Mark clutched his chest and sighed.


    He hurriedly took out hism and informed. "Headquarters, mid dungeon ''Drowner'' has a situation. Ascension. Over."


    What he didn''t notice was that an invisible spaceship suddenly dashed into the gate.

 Chapter 486 Sprinting To Level 4 Water Path (4): Ascension

    If anyone studied dungeons, a question would naturally arise.


    If low dungeons can hold only up to level 3 magic beasts, then what happens when a beast reaches level 4?


    It enters a mid dungeon.


    How?


    The dungeons'' spaces were interconnected. That was also the reason Cross Tunnel Formations work between dungeons as well.


    The process of a magic beast exceeding its dungeon''s level limit was called Ascension.


    Once it happens, the dungeon''s space would then open up a connection with a higher dungeon and send off the beast.


    But the real problem only started.


    During this short period when the space was open, magic beasts from the higher dungeon would descend into this dungeon.


    And because of that, the total power of a dungeon would skyrocket, and naturally, a Dungeon Break would ur.


    However, it wouldn''t be magic beasts of that lower dungeon that would break outside but the magic beasts of the higher dungeon.


    By expelling these higher energy creatures, Dungeon would once reduce the overall power and achieve stability.


    So, in the case of Drowner Dungeon, it meant that a peak level 6 beast was about to advance to level 7, and once that happens, level 7, level 8, and perhaps level 9 magic beasts would break out of this dungeon.


    This underwater town would be destroyed in seconds. But the real damage woulde once these beasts reach the coast¡ªwhich they would in a few seconds and attack the cities.


    "Oh well, I just wanted normal training."


    As Varianmented, Ghostship rushed into the dungeon gate.


    "Woah!"


    Varian widened his eyes as he saw a world full of¡­water.


    There was no sky, nond, nothing. It was only water.


    "What the fuck?" Varian nced above and cursed. "Where is the sky for fuck''s sake?"


    "There isn''t one." Sarah shrugged.


    "Yes, master." Boo appeared in front of him and tapped in empty air.


    A Spherical hologram appeared and at the edge of the hologram was a shifting red mark, indicating their position.


    "This dungeon is essentially arge sphere filled with water¡ªa mini ocean of sorts. If you reach its edge, you exit the dungeon." Sarah exined.


    Varian nodded in surprise and looked out.


    The vast world of this mini-ocean was filled with colorful, beautiful, and dangerous species.


    Lantern Fishes, Killer Whales, ice octopus, and more.


    "Varian, the best ce to train water path is in the water itself," Sarah said and walked to the exit.


    "Come on." She opened the door and jumped out.


    Whoosh!


    Varian followed her and entered the mini-ocean.


    As he felt the cool and soft sensation of water from every part, Varian sighed in relief.


    But he still had a problem.


    "I can''t breathe," Varian told Sarah. Of course, with his level, he had no problem for a few hours. But it still irked him.


    Sarah nodded and opened her mouth. Usually, water would''ve gone in, but it didn''t happen.


    "Once you get to level 3, these problems would be cleared. Just like lightning resistance, you know?" Sarah answered patiently.


    Varian nodded in anticipation.


    Until he reached level 3 in the lightning path, his own lightning attacks would hurt him. But once he did, his own attacks didn''t hurt him and he also gained a sense of resistance against natural lightning.


    "Let''s start the training," Varian said and was about to pick a good-looking turtle when Sarah asked.


    "Can you show me your full strength? All the auras and paths."


    "Huh?" Varian was confused.


    "There''s no one in the dungeon anyway, I just want to confirm something." She insisted.


    "Fine." Varian nodded and released his aura. D


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    With a single punch, a vacuum appeared as water in that region was blown away.


    Next, arge space crack appeared in the middle of the mini-ocean before it was swallowed by a lightning dragon, only to be filled with fierce vines of a sturdy nt. Then even the vines were swept away by the telekic power.


    "Holy¡­" Sarah almost cursed feeling the extent of his power.


    She improved greatly after the Sr Trial. But his improvement was just absurd.


    He was level 5 back then and now peak level 6?! What the fuck!


    "Tell me I''m dreaming." She said with deadpan eyes that refused to ept reality.


    "Well, no. I''m peak level 6." Varian replied, only to get a soft punch in the shoulder.


    "I want to die." Sarah leaned against him and muttered in a depressed voice.


    "Don''tpare yourself with me." Varian patted her head lightly.


    Sarah''s eyes narrowed and she held his armfortably.


    She thought Varian wasforting her until he added. "I awakened less than 3 months ago. You all who awakened years ago areparing yourself with me? How unfair for me."


    "You." Sarah red at him with a pout.


    "Hahaha." Varianughed and pinched her soft cheeks lightly. "I''m kidding. I have a different way of progressing. So, don''tpare yourself with me. By the way, how strong are you?"


    "Waiting for you to ask," Sarah smirked and released her aura.


    Boom!


    A chaotic water current rose and swept away the school of fish in the distance. Not only did the chaos subside, but as her aura continued to rise, the mini-ocean had a mini-tsunami of sorts.


    "Wow. You are stronger than me." Varian muttered in shock.


    As far as he remembered, Sarah in the sr trial was somewhere between 1/6 and 2/6 power bracket.


    But now¡­was this 6/6? What the fuck?


    "Well, I''m not that strong," Sarah said with an embarrassed face.


    "No, no. You are. There''s no shame in admitting it." Varian said with a serious face.


    "I mean it literally," Sarah eximed. "My water powers are amplified here. But if it''s outside, your strength¡­it''s equal to mine."


    "d to hear I caught up." Varian simply smiled.


    "You surely did¡­" Sarah trailed off as she looked at him with aplicated gaze.


    The first time they met, the distance between them was enormous. No one thought that Varian could ever catch up.


    And now, the distance between them was zero. But Sarah was scared. She knew that from now on, it''d be her chasing after his steps.


    Would she ever be able to catch up?


    Sarah bit her lip as she felt a great sadness enveloped her. But she quickly shook her head and gave him a cheerful smile.


    "Why don''t we fight the ascension monster?"


    "W-Wait, what?" Her proposal really caught him off guard.


    "With our strengths, we should be able to do it." Sarah insisted, partly because it was true, but mostly because she wanted to fight together with him as an equal before the chance slipped out.


    "Just like you, its powers would be amplified. It''s very dangerous." Varian rubbed his chin in thought.


    Even if he used all his powers, he would be equal to 4/6 or 5/6 of peak level 6. That strength was far from enough.


    Even if Sarah teamed up, it won''t be sufficient.


    "Let''s just give it a try, alright? It can also help you with your water path training. And if anything goes wrong, there''s always Boo." She said, with a bit of pleading in her voice.


    Varian looked at her sparkling eyes and nodded reluctantly.


    And the duo soon reached the heart of the mini-ocean.


    In the crystal blue water, they saw a long mass of ckness. That mass'' was asrge as a mountain.


    The mountain moved and shrunk¡­.and they saw what it truly was.


    A giant ck snake that just uncoiled¡ªit was longer than a mile and bigger than a house!


    "Holy shit!"

 Chapter 487 Fighting An Ascendant Beast

    "Holy Shit!"


    Varian abruptly turned his head and stared at Sarah nkly.


    Realizing what she just blurted out, she blushed lightly and red. "What?"


    Varian fell silent for a moment and his eyes alternated between the giant snake and Sarah.


    Should he first attack or talk?


    He knew the answer.


    "You curse, it''s very cute." Varian smiled.


    "#" Sarah opened her mouth but no words came out. Stomping in frustration, she turned to the giant snake.


    "It''s all because of you. Why did you grow to be so long?" She cursed and covered herself with water mana.


    Even in the light blue water, with the addition of mana, she glowed like a goddess in blue.


    "Haa~" As Varian sighed, Sarah, clenched her fist and stirred the water mana around her.


    Whoosh!


    Like a missle sting water, she reached the giant snake.


    "Roooah!" The backwater snake was startled by a strong aura approaching it and was nowpletely awake.


    By then, Sarah was already above the snake''s head¡ªthe head which was as big as a fucking house!


    Shuaa!


    With a twirl of mana, she conjured a long but thin ice spear. The spear was mostly white except for the tip¡ªthe tip exuded an almost blinding blue light and it was also where most of the mana was concentrated.


    To put it into perspective, that tip was enough to blow up a hill.


    "Haa!"


    Moving a foot back, Sarah forced all the strength in her body towards her arm. As a body awakener, the force she applied on the ice spear was so enormous that it started to shake violently.


    If she applied the same force on anything else, it''d have broken to pieces. If the material subjected to the force was durable, then if Sarah throws it, that material would also have the power to bring down a hill!


    As she stacked her water and body powers, Sarah shot the spear at the giant snake''s head.


    BOOOM!


    Water was sted out of the area and a null zone was formed in the surrounding five hundred meters.


    Varian watched in shock as he felt the enormous power reaching theplete peak of level 6. Even though it was amplified by the environment, Sarah''s power was truly terrifying.


    ''Let me see if we can end this here.'' He thought and used his telepath powers.


    "Kree!" The giant snake''s eyes turned red as a severe pain stuck its head.


    Whoosh!


    Right then, the shiny blue light quickly reached the snake''s head. To be precise, it reached the area between the snake''s huge eyes.


    "Roaagh!" Rather than hissing, the snake roared with red eyes and Varian had an ominous premonition.


    Without hesitation, he teleported to Sarah in an instant and grabbed her by the shoulder.


    Boom!


    The moment he teleported away, it happened.


    The area where Sarah was previously standing was suddenly filled with icy spikes and exploded violently.


    Boom!


    Water from the surrounding mile was blown away.


    "Gulp." Sarah gulped nervously and stared at the monster.


    The shining spear was about to strike down the snake.


    Just one more second and it''d be dead.


    Sarah''s eyes however had no expectations. She and Varian knew from its previous attack that it wasn''t going to be killed so easily.


    Hisss!


    With a sharp hiss, the ck scales of the snake turned into ice-blue. Then over the scales, anotheryer of thin, but mana-rich ice armor was formed.


    The spear struck the armor.


    Boom!


    Kacha!


    The ice armor was instantly broken but the price was a significant drop in the spear''s momentum.


    Pa!


    By the time it reached the snake''s ice-blue scales, the spear was only able to leave a bruise.


    "Really¡­" Even though she expected it, Sarah couldn''t help but sigh.


    Her amplified attack would''ve seriously injured, if not killed any peak level 6, but unfortunately, it wasn''t her own power that was amplified.


    "Atta¡ª" Varian was about to say when he teleported them again.


    Boom!


    The location they were standing previously was instantly frozen and exploded with such a force that it''d have seriously injured any peak level 6.


    "Cough. Cough." Varian and Sarah appeared a few hundred meters away.


    Unlike thest time, they weren''t unscratched now.


    Their bodies were covered in a thinyer of ice and a few ice spikes were embedded into their body, causing them painful and chilly bleeding.


    "Mana¡­shit." As the water mana wreaked havoc in his body, Varian flinched as his face instantly turned pale white.


    He forced down the blood in his throat.


    Feeling an imminent danger, he was about to teleport them gain.


    "Let''s attack separately," Sarah said and once again shot towards the giant snake.


    As the stronger of the two, she decided to take attract the main focus. If she was with Varian, he''d be facing more risks.


    Boom!


    Varian teleported away, but due to the thin but potentyer of ice covering him, his movements were a bit slow.


    So, he was a bitte.


    Like a flood devouring a vige, the violent water which glowed blue enveloped him.


    "Grehh." Varian braced himself as he hurriedly covered himself with a barrier of lighting and telekic powers.


    But both his lighting and telekic paths were far weaker than the giant snake''s water path.


    Boom!


    The glowing water shrunk unto itself and exploded with an intensity enough to injure a peak level 6.


    "Fuck!"


    Varian appeared a few hundred meters away and clutched at his injuries¡­but realized that he was bleeding everywhere.


    The cuts of ice spikes, the lightly broken bones, and the crushed muscles¡­it was a bad injury that could''ve been avoided.


    As water filled in the null zone created by the fight, his blood mixed with the soft and cool liquid dying everything around him red.


    Varian learned his lesson and didn''t waste a moment before he teleported away once again and again and again.


    His dy increased, but despite that, his quick action saved him as ice spears pierced through the area he previously stood.


    Varian kept teleporting near and around the giant snake. He attacked it multiple times with separate powers to get an idea of his own power, but soon realized it was a bad idea.


    By relying on only one path, he couldn''t even break the ice armor.


    So, Varian started using two powers, then three, and kept increasing the number.


    Boom! Boom!


    Meanwhile, Sarah''s figure flickered as she moved at fast speeds around the humongous snake.


    With each step, she''d attack the creature with abination of water-body attacks.


    While Varan''s strength came from six rtively weaker paths, Sarah''s came from two strong paths.


    Considering that she was practicing them for years, she was significantly better than him at using them together.


    Kacha! Kacha!


    The ice armor always broke, but at the price of its own existence, prevented Sarah''s attacks from having any obvious effect. The best she ended up inflicting was arger bruise.


    But without a shred of doubt, perhaps on herself or perhaps on him, Sarah kept dodging the ice attacks. But from the way she moved, she was under tremendous pressure.


    From time to time, one of the attacks would brush past her and cause a cut on her skin.


    ''I should change the dynamic.'' Varian muttered as he once again escaped from an attack using teleportation.


    ''Status''


    *** *** ***


    A/N: There was a real life emergency. So, the release time was messed up. :(

 Chapter 488 A Fight Date

    [Water Path Level 2: 200/200 (+50)]


    Varian felt a feeling of being full, simr to how one felt after a heavy meal, but this feeling was caused by the water mana in his body.


    ''This can be a breakthrough.'' He squinted his eyes and nced at the giant snake.


    Sarah''s injuries were slowly increasing. But she couldst for a few more minutes easily.


    If it was purely a one-on-one, Sarah would''ve lost quickly¡ªthe gap between a magic beast that was just about to reach level 7 and a 4/6-5/6 level 6 was not a joke.


    But since the snake also had to keep an eye out of Varian, Sarah''s fight was easier.


    Varian''s telepath powers were also a significant reason.


    However, as time went on, Sarah would grow weaker, and eventually, the snake would be able to take down them both.


    Varian decided to advance to level 3 before trying to finish off the thing.


    But right then, one of Sarah''s wounds rpsed and she fell into a dangerous situation.


    One hit and she''d be seriously injured.


    "Urgh!" Varian teleported right in front of the snake and pulled his arm back.


    As the snake''s water sense locked onto him like a predator''s gaze, he pulled out every trick in his arsenal.


    His arm shifted into a sturdy branch, ayer of solidified space covered the branch, which was further covered byyers of telekic power and lightning.


    Then, his mental power continued to attack the giant snake as the creature squirmed in the water¡­or where the water was before the fight blew away everything.


    "Kaaa!" The giant snake let out a weird cry.


    Varian didn''t know what it meant, but he knew it was expressing grief.


    He grinned and added the final trick.


    He poured all his strength into his fist and punched hard.


    BAAM!


    Kacha!


    His fist was like a sledgehammer that mmed into a wall¡ªand perhaps even the giant snake felt the same as it was abruptly pped across the mini-ocean.


    "Shreek!" With a furious scream, the snake witnessed its entire body flip.


    "Fucking hell." Varian teleported right before the entire area he was at was drowned by water explosions.


    "This thing is too defensive."


    Seeing the fresh bruise on the snake''s ice-blue scales, Varian clicked his tongue in an equal mix of wonder and frustration.


    "How about abined attack on one spot?" Sarah''s voice sounded.


    Varian pondered for a moment and shook his head.


    If the firstbined attack fails, then it''d be way more defensive.


    So, they could catch it off guard only once.


    From then on, the giant snake would be overly cautious and wouldn''t give them any chance.


    So, they need to ensure an effective surprise strike when they attack it together at the same spot¡ªwhich hopefully would break its scales and inflict serious damages, if not directly kill it.


    ''If it was a bit weaker, I would''ve used it for training.'' Varian mused and said.


    "We''ll do it once I reach level 3."


    Because when he reaches level 3, he could¡­


    ''But breaking the bottleneck takes time¡­no?'' Sarah wanted to ask but chose to believe him instead.


    With a slight nod, She wove an ice spear into existence. Her figure disappeared the next instant and she had already begun a fierce fight.


    Varian was once again targetted by the ice and water attacks¡ªsome of which he dodged while others, he was slightly hit.


    However, he managed to focus amid this heated battle and channel his mana forward.


    Shuaa!


    As the bottleneck broke, Varian felt a sense of connection with water all around. It was simr to his lightning path but somewhat different.


    He still continued to teleport, but the changes were obvious. The iceyer covering his body hurt him less and the water attacks that he was grazed by inflicted lower injuries.


    Varian used this to his advantage as he deliberately started getting injured, but carefully controlled how injured he''d be.


    As a result, the water mana of the giant snake entered his body increased. Earlier, its effects weren''t significant. But now, Varian could feel his internal organs cooling down to dangerous levels.


    His other aura derivatives¡ªchin, prana, and lightning mana waged a fierce battle to stop the foreign water mana.


    But they were struggling greatly as Varian felt his body stiffen with each passing second as a dreary coolness began to envelop him.


    "Almost there." He muttered and enveloped the giant snake''s water mana with his own.


    "Grhhh." Varian immediately coughed out blood as a chilling pain spread from his lungs.


    What he did was simr to smashing a rock with an egg. His water mana was almost ''devoured'', if not for the other aura derivatives saving it.


    "Hmph!" Varian kept up his outward activities while he separated a small part of the giant snake''s mana and enveloped it inside his own water mana.


    "Kreh." The reaction was still violent, but bearable.


    As Varian focused intensely on the foreign water mana with his own, he felt a sense of euphoria wash over.


    It was like attending a test you never studied for, but just by seeing the question paper, the answers appeared.


    And for Varian, he felt more and more proficient in the application of water mana.


    [+10]


    [+10]


    [+10]


    But he also knew that if he used too much of the giant snake''s style, he would end up in a bottleneck.


    So, he drew from his experience of lightning path.


    As they were both natural elements, there were a lot ofmon things and soon, Varian''s progress skyrocketed.


    "YES!"


    With a yell, Varian appeared in front of the snake and punched down again.


    This time, along with all the previous powers he put in the punch, there was also a water curtain.


    Boom!


    The snake was once again blown away, but the injury he inflicted was only a bruise. A more severe one. But still only a bruise.


    Varian nodded at Sarah. She instantly understood.


    Bloooo!


    Sarah appeared above the snake. The creature was already annoyed and opened its giant mouth to swallow her whole.


    "Hmph!" With a raise of her hand, Sarah''s arm was covered in an ice gauntlet.


    With no mercy, she stuck down on the dragon with all her strength.


    Kacha!


    The ice armor broke like always, but being beaten two times in a row pissed off the creature.


    "Kree!" It growled in rage and focused all its power to smash Sarah into pieces.


    In its anger, itshed out with the greatest force so far.


    Sizzz!


    Sarah was caught off guard and was instantly pierced by two ice spikes. One through her left shoulder and the other through her right lung.


    Like a rag doll, she had been sted away.


    Right then, Varian teleported above the snake with chilly eyes filled with killing intent.


    As his water path now reached level 3, Varian was more aware of the giant snake''s mana condition.


    Thus, despite the area where the ice armor was shattered being toorge, Varian was able to spot the exact area where water mana''s flow was severelycking, mainly thanks to his level 3 water path.


    And he gave the giant snake no time to cover itself up with ice guard again.


    Combining all his powers into his fist except his telepathic powers that were directly affecting the snake, he punched down.


    It was a simple punch with almost no difference from earlier.


    But this punch directly touched the ice-blue scales of the snake.


    It was over.


    Kacha!


    "Kree!"


    The snake spun in the water in circles as silver blood gushed out of its massive wound.


    His attack had not only seriously injured it but also dealt a fatal blow.


    As it was on the verge of death, the giant snake''s eyes red blue and its rage broke all thresholds.


    It pped Varian with its tail tip covered in dense water mana.


    Boom!


    Varian flew away a few miles and ended up near Sarah.


    "Kree!" With a furious cry, the snake died.


    A strange silence settled as water began to flood into this artificial void.


    [Water Path Level 3: 100/400 (+80)]


    "Hmph!" Varian snorted at the water mana continuously injuring him.


    But the suffering gave him rewards.


    [+2 XP]


    [+2 XP]


    ¡­


    [+2 XP]


    As the water mana in his body was slowly expelled, he gained more and more XP until it finally stopped.


    [Water Path level 3: 250 (+150)]


    "We did it." Varian heard a tired but cheerful voice and turned to face Sarah.


    She had a pale but stunning face. Her blue eyes had the color of earth''s sky but were more beautiful than any sky Varian had ever seen. Despite her injuries and torn clothes, she exuded a graceful temperament.


    "Varian. Varian¡­.Varian?" She waved her hand weakly.


    "Huh?" He snapped out of his daze.


    "We did it!"


    Varian smiled at her and nodded.


    Sarah pumped her fist into the air and said. "This is the best fight date."


    "Hahaha." Varian startedughing, thoughughing with injuries hurt.


    Then he looked at her and grinned.


    "One day, I''ll take you to conquer Pluto back. That''d be the best date."


    *** *** ***


    A/N: There was a real life emergency. So, the release time was messed up. :(

 Chapter 489 A Monster

    "Huh? What happened here?" A level 7 soldier looked around in confusion.


    He and his squad were currently in the Drowner Dungeon¡ªdeep in the mini-ocean.


    The reports came as a shock. Most of the time, the estimate of when a beast was going to ascend was correct, not this time.


    So, the team responsible for this area had to hurry, giving up all other tasks.


    "It''s dead, captain." Another member said, with a confused voice.


    In front of them was arge and long corpse¡ªthe giant snake. If it was put on the ground, it''d scare the heck out of people. Nearly a mile long and as thick as arge bus, it only looked more intimidating in the water.


    In fact, even for the captain who had a long experience of dealing with magic beasts, imagining such a gigantic thing move freely in this mini-ocean was scary.


    "The Autopsy report?" The captain shook his head and nced at the woman awkwardly.


    While she wore the same ck uniform of the emergency squad, she still stood out. On top of her beautiful face and slender figure, her purple earrings added to her charm.


    She was thest to join his squad but also received the most attention.


    Unlike everyone else, she was neither a water awakener nor a level 7. Rather, she was a space awakener and a peak level 8.


    Normally, she''d be assigned to a much stronger team. But the problem was that she abruptly took a long leave citing medical reasons and only recently returned.


    ''They are questioning her loyalty.'' The captain sighed and he knew exactly what they were thinking. ''Even if she did join Shadow Guardians, they''re over, right? Why do you still keep this going?''


    Whatever the reason, she was their assurance in entering this dungeon when they knew beasts of high level were about to descend here during ascension.


    If the beasts were level 7, they could cope. Level 8, they could leave them to her. And most importantly, if level 9, she could teleport them away.


    "No problem, captain."


    The woman teleported to the snake''s head and her space sense enveloped its bodypletely before fixing on its head.


    If the snake''s head could bepared to a bus, then half of the bus was forcibly torn apart.


    The woman carefully studied the aura while checking the readings from her device.


    "It died recently. Just three minutes ago." Her first report caused everyone to widen their eyes.


    "But how? We didn''t see anyone." The vice-captain of the team said in a disgruntled tone.


    He and others thought that since a level 8 entered their team, shemitted a crime severe enough for such a demotion. So, they looked down upon her. In the army, criminals within were treated worse than criminals outside.


    ''Idiots.'' The woman snorted and ignored him while the others fell into contemtion.


    "Maybe it''s a level 9 senior? They won''t be caught by the dungeon guards who are too weak." A soldier raised a finger and proposed.


    "Yes."


    "That makes perfect sense."


    "Not only sneaking in, but also one shotting this creature¡­I guess it''s at least level 8."


    The teammates nodded and supported the opinions.


    The captain, however, didn''t.


    Unlike his team which was full of newbies that just reached level 7 and were in their early 30s, he was a veteran and was almost 50 years old.


    Of course, his talent was evidently lower than them, but his experience was vastly superior.


    ''The chances of a high awakener saving the situation are slim to none.'' He smiled bitterly.


    As far as he knew, only one person had the ability to sneak into dungeons and arguably the strength.


    ''Dreamer''.


    It was a very wild guess, but ever since he heard that Dreamer was found at the Mars spaceport, the captain had a hunch that he wasing for Earth.


    "Incredible¡­" The woman let out a gasp, drawing the attention of the squad.


    "What is it?" The captain hunched forward, not noticing the tremor and anticipation in his own voice.


    "There are nine different auras. The first attack has two auras and is done by a dual awakener. But the second attack is just¡­incredible." She looked at him and said with a gasp.


    "You mean the second attack had seven auras?" The captain deduced what her words meant and flinched.


    The woman nodded confidently.


    "Are you sure?" The vice-captain scowled. "Maybe it''s seven attacks."


    "You heard that right. Seven auras in one attack, not seven attacks with a different aura each." She said with unshakable confidence¡ªand it shook everyone.


    "¡­Impossible." The captain shook his head.


    "I insist." She pressed on.


    "We''ll report what you got to say. Let the higher-ups decide." The captain waved his hand.


    To be sure, he didn''t believe a bit of what she said. It was clearly impossible. So, he suspected that she was either crazy or was trying to misdirect them.


    ''I think she''ll be expelled.'' He shook his head inwardly.


    "Let''s check out this dungeon first. If there''s any beast that''s about to ascend, end it."


    Thus, the emergency squad got to work.


    As the captain didn''t trust her, the woman wasn''t assigned any task. She was told to be ''on hold'' for any emergencies.


    "Seven auras is impossible. Am I going crazy already?" Luelle rubbed her chin in confusion.


    ''If so, then I better have thest talk with her.''


    She tapped her purple earring and a specialm appeared in her arm.


    A woman with sky-blue eyes appeared in front of her. She seemed to be surprised to receive the call and hurriedly asked. "I tried finding, but you were no longer on Venus. Where are you?"


    "Earth." Lue shrugged nonchntly.


    "It''s dangerous!" Blue sh sighed.


    "I know." Lue didn''t seem to be bothered and continued. "And I contacted the Shadow Guardians outside Earth."


    Blue sh''s chest heaved up and down. Even though the ones outside were less than 1% of the ones on Earth, they were still precious.


    But remembering their current situation, Blue sh shook her head bitterly. "How many of them hate Enigma?"


    "Well, 30%," Lue answered after a moment of recall. "The 70% don''t believe the allegations. Unlike the ones on earth, these guys traveled more and know the world better."


    "¡­I should be happy, I guess." Blue sh said lightly and then her eyes sharpened. "What did you do with the 30%?"


    "Heh. Aren''t you girls busy escaping? I heard Dreamer is also with you?" Lue smiled.


    "I have a lot of time if it means killing." Blue sh smirked.


    Lue flinched lightly at her cold eyes but quickly regained herposure.


    "Sucks to be you. I killed them already." She covered her mouth and giggled.


    "¡­"


    Blue sh rolled her eyes and suddenly asked. "Why did you join the emergency squad?"


    "¡­is every Athena agent so privy to army files?" Lue asked with a bitter tone.


    Blue sh already found her posting even though it was supposed to be a secretive issue.


    "It''s only me." Blue sh shrugged and narrowed her eyes. "And don''t deflect my question."


    "Tch." Lue clicked her tongue at the failed attempt. "I came to join the military for real this time. What else should I do? Shadow Guardians are over. There is nothing we can do."


    Blue sh fell silent. Recalling Varian''s figure, she blurted. "Don''t be so sure."


    "Don''t give me that." Lue waved her hand.


    "Alright, what did you contact me for?"


    "You see, I made a new discovery on a set of aura samples. But even I think it''s impossible, but no matter how I check, it''s correct."


    "You were never wrong." Blue sh frowned.


    "I think so too. So, maybe I''m going crazy." Lue shrugged. "If I go insane, then publish this report after I die."


    Saying so, she tapped herm and sent the files to Blue sh.


    "Seven auras in one attack?" Blue sh eximed.


    Lue squinted at her reaction.


    It was a surprise, yes. But not the kind of surprise when you encounter something impossible. But the kind of surprise when your secret is exposed.


    Blue sh, however, quicklyposed herself and checked the auras and their corresponding levels.


    "Body, Space, Lightning, Morpher, Telekic, Telepath are all level 6. And water¡­it''s level 3! Just how?!"


    "Hey, hey, what do you know that I don''t know? And why are you being surprised at the water path?" Lue questioned eagerly.


    "¡­One day." Blue sh didn''t seem to hear her as she muttered in a daze.


    "Oh heavens¡­it was had been only one day, but¡­" Her chest heaved up and down as she weakly copsed onto the couch, her knees no longer having any strength.


    "We have a monster..."

 Chapter 490 Water Path Level 4!

    "Focus, focus," Varian told himself and tried to condense water into a solid structure¡ªa dagger.


    While he could turn water and ice into various shapes as a level 3, these weren''t solid shapes.


    Once he stopped focusing on them, they''d copse. Creating a structure that wouldn''t copse was a hallmark of level 4 water awakener.


    And Varian had been trying to do that for a few hours already.


    "Focus!" Sarah''s cold voice reverberated in the deste dungeon.


    It was a cold desert filled with many ice monsters, well, used to be filled. Now, it''s only filled with their corpses.


    As a result of Varian''s rather reckless fighting, he was quick to reach the peak of level 3 but also hit a tough bottleneck.


    [Water Path Level 3: 400/400]


    "Fight," Sarah said and waved her hand.


    A blue light shed and an ice dagger was condensed. It was a stable and exquisite structure.


    But the real beauty was that it was made of only a level 3 mana.


    Sarah gestured lightly with her hand and the dagger shot at Varian.


    Varian''s water sense was already focused on Sarah when she was condensing the dagger.


    He tried to replicate her movements and channeled his water mana.


    Shuaa!


    A trembling ice dagger was formed. Unlike its counterpart, it was pale blue, shaky, and looked like it could copse at any moment.


    Cling!


    The two daggers, made of roughly equal mana collided.


    Kacha!


    Like a stone meeting ss, Sarah''s dagger easily destroyed Varian''s and reached him.


    If it was a normal level 3, the dagger would have frozen them silly.


    Of course, due to his body path, it barely made a scratch on Varian.


    But Varian seemed to be really frozen as he stood with a nk gaze. "Condense¡­"


    They were both made of equal mana, but their strengths were vastly different.


    Creating structures from ice was different from lightning. Lightning solidified differently. Lightning''s stability coefficient was different. Lightning was explosive, fierce, and electrocuting.


    Water was none of those.


    So, he couldn''t use his lightning path lessons to create stable items from water and ice.


    "Varian, focus," Sarah said and waved her hand.


    An ice phoenix condensed into existence. pping its wings, it streaked hundreds of meters in the blink of an eye.


    Varian hurriedly set up an ice armor to block it.


    "Screech."


    With a sharp cry, it shrank to a small dagger and prated Varian''s ice armor.


    In front of the glowing ice dagger, Varian''s armor was more fragile than ss. It broke upon contact and pierced into his body.


    "Greghh."


    Blood spilled on the ground as sweat poured down Varian''s forehead. Unlike before, this was a level 6 ice dagger. While it wasn''t Sarah''s strongest attack, it wasn''t so weak that his body defense could ignore it.


    As the freezing coldness spread from his stomach to his lungs, liver, and heart, Varian closed his eyes and focused on the foreign object.


    From the edges of the dagger, the water mana flooded his body, but the ice dagger was stable despite the mana outflux.


    If Varian tried to replicate it, the dagger would''ve copsed upon contact.


    "Focus. Focus." As his face paled from the coldness, Varian focused on studying the water mana and the ice dagger.


    As the blood gushing out of him started to freeze, Sarah bit her lip so hard that she started to bleed.


    ''I hate this.''


    She thought bitterly but maintained her cold face. It was the persona she showed in front of the academy. Cold, distant, and aloof.


    It was a method for her to escape the endless invitations from cadets.


    Now, it was her coping method to help him.


    Taking a deep breath, she said. "Focus on how the ice phoenix changed into a dagger.


    When we create an object, be it a sword or club, we aren''t just making an abrupt shape, but a perfect entity with all its properties.


    A sword should be sharp, an arrow should be fast, a spear should be piercing. This quality can''t be given by simply wishing for it. You need to understand, try and correct yourself."


    The cold winds rustled the frozen leaves on the ground and Varian''s mind slowly went into a deep focus.


    *** *** ***


    "I hope you can still keepughing in a few days."


    Irene Nial''s face shed in front of his eyes as her voice sounded with mockery and confidence.


    "Haah!" Julius clenched his fists and wiped the sweat that unknowingly appeared on his forehead.


    "Why¡­What''s her confidence?" He muttered, having lost count of how many times he pondered over this question.


    "¡­the only troublesome people she''s associated with are Ares, and¡­Dreamer?" Julius'' eyes narrowed.


    "Ares can''t help her. Even he is sending people from Neptune to take part in the expo. But Dreamer¡­"


    As he uttered that name, Julius had an odd feeling.


    Uncertainty.


    Despite knowing the ghost ship''s capabilities, he didn''t know what Dreamer could do. And that irked him greatly.


    "But he''s still moving with Enigma. Unless he abandons ghost ship, he can''t even attend the expo." Julius nced at the tracker and hummed.


    Even though the ghost ship''s speed was slower than earlier, it was still faster than any patrol ship.


    "Maybe ghost ship is also having effects from such a long chase. If it copses¡­I can capture it and have its technology reverse-engineered." Julius supported his chin on his hand and smiled.


    "If we can have a fleet of ghost ships, then while abyssals won''t be solved immediately, they won''t survive for more than a decade."


    p! p!


    Julius pped lightly and a butler teleported in front of his study.


    Bowing slightly, he asked. "Master?"


    "Prepone the expo to four days earlier." Julius looked at the setting sun and muttered.


    "Master! That''s tomorrow!" The butler eximed in a terrified voice.


    "Yes." Julius merely nodded. "It doesn''t matter anyway. The important guests wille or watch it through VR. The only thing that matters is the scientists test, but they won''t minding a few days early."


    "¡­Yes, Sir." The butler bowed. "I will inform everyone and make the necessary preparations."


    He raised his head and looked at Julius as if asking for permission.


    Julius waved his hand and the butler teleported away. He knew that the butler won''t be resting until the next day.


    ''But that much is to be expected. You can''t be a Xander family butler and that too, the butler of the family head for nothing.''


    Soon, the news of preponement sent tremors across the sr system.


    All the major powers were dumbfounded and requested Julius to reconsider his abrupt decision.


    They all had tight schedules and changing them at thest minute wasn''t a good idea.


    But Julius didn''t budge. He simply told them it was an ''important'' decision and that he held the ''right'' to his own decision. They were guests of the expo and he was the host. Not the other way around.


    Everyone could onlypromise.


    Thus, every participant who was to take the gamma potion got their message.


    Shuaaa!


    In an ice dungeon, an ice dagger collided with another ice dagger and they both broke into pieces.


    Sarah''s face had a bright smile as she hugged him lightly.


    "Congrattions."


    The joy in her voice couldn''t be concealed and it really infected Varian who also smiled brightly.


    Varian held her waist and stroked her hair as he whispered "Thanks."


    [Water Path level 4: 0/1000]


    "Now we just need to train you to reach level 5 in four days," Sarah muttered in a rxed tone.


    Right then, a message arrived and Varian frowned.


    "It looks like we don''t have any more time."

 Chapter 491 The Struggle

    On Ancient Earth, someone said that everyone had a n until they get punched in the face.


    In the current era, the version was a man''s will and heaven''s decree in the academia or whatever you do, heaven can always and will always fuck you up in themon usage.


    "How can he do this?" Sarah said in a tone that refused to believe what she was seeing.


    But no matter how much she tried, she couldn''t deny the crystal clear text on them.


    {The Gamma Expo is preponed by four days. Apologies for the inconvenience.}


    Crash!


    She nearly crushed herm as her chest violently heaved up and down. She looked at Varian''s tired appearance, the raging fury in her heart zed, threatening to burn down their enemies.


    Varian had briefed her about his ''mission''. While she was anxious about his safety, she didn''t stop him from his decision.


    She also saw him train very hard to reach level 3. While others might think he broke the bottleneck to level 3 simply by talent, Sarah knew how many injuries he endured and how much effort he put into it.


    But this one message sent all his hard work down the drain.


    "Calm down, Sarah." Varian patted her back lightly and said with a weak, but firm voice.


    Sarah broke the hug and shook her head violently. "How can I calm down now? You worked so hard, but those bastards¡­they¡ª"


    Varian covered her lips with a finger and patted her head lightly. Despite his pale face, he gave her a reassuring smile. "It''s going to be alright."


    A million words Sarah had to say were stuck in her throat as she finally nodded.


    *** *** ***


    The expo started at 8:00 sharp. But the participants needed to be in the testing fields by 6:00.


    Then they''d undergo various medical tests among other things before being ''qualified'' for the expo.


    As the gamma potion testers who''d be monitored from the moment they take the potion, it''d be extremely embarrassing if even one of the hundred candidates had a slight problem.


    This was after all sr-scale events, not anyary one.


    Thus, Varian had to be at the scene by 6:00 Earth Idenis Time. There were about 6 hours left.


    As a registered level 4, Varian was supposed to be at the peak of level 4.


    First, there''d be a fight between all the peak level 4s.


    After the battle, he''d be given a gamma potion.


    He''d then be monitored as the potion helped him reach level 5. Then there''d be another fight with awakeners¡ªto be clear, criminals who were also level 5. It''d be a deathmatch¡ªquite literally.


    Varian only briefly mentioned his n, but as Sarah dug deeper, she realized the risk he was taking.


    She really wanted to ask "Why must it be you?"


    *** *** ***


    Drip! Drip! Drip!


    The white training room in the ghost ship was rather familiar¡ªit was simr to the room where Sarah used to ''beat up'' Varian in the name of training back in the academy.


    "C-Continue." A slightly shaky but confident voice reverberated in the room.


    "You¡­" Sarah couldn''t bear to look at the man in front of her anymore.


    She lowered her gaze, but the sight only distressed her further.


    The floor which used to be white was now painted in red and blue.


    Puddles of blood, sometimes drawn out in different shapes, sometimes in the shapes of a fist, a palm¡­were all frozen in shards of ice.


    "P-Please stop." Sarah gritted her teeth and pleaded.


    Ta! Ta! Ta!


    Following the sound of wobbly footsteps, his voice reached her.


    "¡­We can''t give up now." His voice was filled with hope and enthusiasm, but Sarah didn''t just hear his voice.


    Drip. Drop. Drip.


    She heard his blood sshing the floor, his rough breathing which seemed to be on the verge of copse, his thumping heart that beat so hard that she feared it might suddenly burst out, she heard everything.


    Including her own heartbeat that seemed to beat so loudly as it protested against everything.


    "I can''t attack you anymore." Sarah finally raised her head and nced at the man covered in blood.


    He had horrifying wounds all over his body¡ªhis face, his chest, his shoulders¡ªit was as if he climbed out of hell and went back and climbed out, over and over until he stood on hisst breath.


    The sunken eye sockets, the broken jaw, and the caved-in chest including the many injuries where chunks of flesh was missing¡­with every detail she saw, her heart ached.


    "Stop this madness." She begged. "It hurts! It hurts me to see you like this! Training or not, I can''t raise my hand against you."


    Tears flowed down her cheeks as she said in a tone entrenched in deep grief.


    Varian smiled and slowly raised his bloodied hand. It wasn''t easy. Just that simple act caused the wounds to split open and injuries to worsen. But he did it anyway and gently ruffled her hair.


    "S-Sarah," His voice was in, but there was a sense of dryness in his voice as if that throat had coughed blood too many times and lost its charm. But it added a sense of solemnity with no match.


    "The pain you and me are suffering isn''t anythingpared to the people who died for our and for everyone''s sake. We should do this."


    He smiled at her brightly, despite blood covering his face. It was the reassuring smile he always gave her.


    Despite trying her best to control herself, Sarah''s tears fell once again.


    But she bit her lip and nodded. As she raised and performed what seemed to be the hardest attack ever, a small ice spear materialized and slowly struck Varian.


    Except for an ice armor that quickly shattered upon contact, Varian put on no defenses.


    The ice spear encountered little resistance as his skin was mostly frozen and broken by now, so it directly prated deep into his flesh.


    Varian flinched and shivered violently. The ice spear started letting out mana in uncontroble amounts.


    Varian gritted his teeth and suppressed the pained groan. But he couldn''t suppress the intense cold inside his body.


    Varian''s teeth chattered as he put up a final defense against the bone-gnawing coldness as he studied the water mana.


    Ironically, it was the ideal environment to get the greatest results in the shortest time.


    But it was too hard to aplish. The cold spread inside him faster than any wildfire. It slowed down his blood, his energy, and even his thoughts. It lured him to give in and close his eyes¡­to enter afortable slumber where this terrifying pain wouldn''t reach.


    ''Without all this pain¡­just sleep.''


    ''¡­sink into sleep.''


    ''¡­it won''t be painful anymore.''


    ''¡­Varian, mom is waiting for you.''


    Varian''s thoughts turned hazy and his eyes started to lose focus.


    As he was about to reach the point of no return, a warmth enveloped his body.


    "Haa!"


    Varian''s eyes snapped open as he greedily sucked air in short and rapid breaths.


    The cold¡­the cold was still there, but it didn''t hurt so much anymore.


    At that thought, a blue screen appeared the same time his rm rang.


    [Water Path Level 4: 1000/1000]


    {5:30}


    Varian closed his eyes and looked at Sarah who was tightly hugging him.


    He opened his mouth but in the end, said nothing but hugged her to his chest.

 Chapter 492 A Kiss

    5:30, Earth Idenis Time.


    In a secret realm not so far from the guardian inds, Julius was touring a research facility.


    It was arge blue block with a green interior design. The block had a hundred floors and was about half a mile in radius.


    Each such block upied dozens of miles in radius and the whole secret realm was covered by a few dozen blocks.


    These were centers of research of the Xander family. As the strongest of the three prime families, the Xanders were a force to be reckoned with, humbled only by the military.


    However, even the military couldn''t discount the Xanders'' research wing.


    Be it funding, talent scouting, nurturing, resources¡ªask for it and you''d have it all. Of course, the prerequisite was that you were talented enough.


    The top scientists could even move their scientific bases to the guardian inds and marry into the Xander family.


    To any earthling, this was considered to be the most honorary thing. Such fame was carefully crafted by the previous Xander heads and continued even under Julius'' reign.


    Julius peered through an enforced ss window and scanned the vials with a blue liquid.


    While his eyes never left the vial, his ears seemed to have detected someone approaching. "Are there any possibilities of failure?"


    He sounded very casual as if he asking about the weather on a Sunday evening.


    But the old man who was under question stiffened and hurriedly bowed. Blood drained his face as he felt his heart pound in fear. Not the fear of death, that would be much easier. But the fear of wishing to die but unable to.


    He saw the fate of those that Xanders weren''t satisfied with and vowed never to be one of them.


    "There is absolutely no possibility of failure once we check up the testers, Sir." He said with the utmost respect.


    "Uh-oh." Julius nodded casually.


    Then, with the old man''spany, he strolled through another block where the ingredients to the gamma potion production were stored.


    Out of the hundred floors of the block, Julius checked one out of every ten floors.


    Special herbs, aura crystals, ores, beast cores, special liquids, and so on.


    As they reached the eighty-ninth floor, Julius muttered. "My sister was a genius, wasn''t she?"


    "Ah! Yes, sir." The old man bowed and replied in an excited tone. "Without her notes, we''d have never been able to make an omega potion. If omega potion didn''t exist, then gamma potion is impossible."


    Julius'' lips curled up and he smirked lightly.


    Omega Potion was initially the promise Roxanna gave to all the major powers to erase a girl''s existence out of the records.


    Surpassing all expectations, Omega Potion was much better than anyone could''ve imagined.


    So, they all agreed.


    But the problem came after Sia escaped. Even though they had samples of her blood, it obviously wasn''t enough.


    So, Xanders cited many reasons, and somehow canceled the Omega Potions they had to deliver a few months ago.


    Still, it couldn''t be stopped forever.


    After months of intensive research, they found a way to rece Sia''s blood with another ingredient.


    "Brilliant, I must say." Julius smiled and looked inside one of the top floors. His eyes showed satisfaction that was hard to see on the Sovereign''s face.


    "With gamma potion, we''ll be game-changers. The whole humanity will be under our lead." He dered proudly.


    The old man hesitated when he heard the words ''whole humanity''. It seemed like his conscience, which he thought he killed not long was somehow still alive. It prompted him to open his mouth despite the potential danger and say.


    "Sir¡­the side effects."


    "Huh?" Julius nced at the old man deeply and the next second, the old man was stuck to the ground, his limbs twisting in weird angles.


    "Arghhhh¡­.forgive! Forgive me, sir!" The old man pleaded.


    Julius crossed his arms and walked away.


    "Your! Your decisions are the best for humanity! Please, sir!" The shout caused Julius to pause and snap his fingers.


    A bot instantly attended to him and performed emergency treatment.


    Julius, on the other hand, exited the building and strolled in the garden areas.


    ''Side effects?'' He smirked. ''What side effects? For what they are gaining, the price they are going to pay is minuscule inparison.''


    Of course, he knew the chief researcher''s worry.


    If the side effects were found out, then they''d be pretty much fucked up. He''d be fine since he''s a Sovereign, but Xander family would inevitably fall into disgrace.


    ''But that takes years to happen. By then, I''d have already¡­'' Julius smirked and shook his head.


    {5:40}


    He checked the time and decided to reach the avenue before 9. Until then, he decided to practice.


    "After this expo, the world is going to change forever."


    *** *** ****


    "After this expo, the world is going to change forever."


    The anchor announced with burning enthusiasm while Varian and Sarah cuddled on the couch.


    "It''s dangerous," Sarah muttered, feeling his arms around her waist.


    "Hm." Varian nodded, his breath brushing past her ears, tickling her and causing her to shift her body in his embrace.


    "But I won''t stop you¡­not that I can. Even if you get caught, I will make sure you''re safe. Just don''t die." She turned around and looked at him seriously.


    "Hm." He nodded again, but it seemed to assure Sarah as she smiled brightly.


    And that smile sent Varian into a trance.


    His heart raced as he was suddenly aware that he was holding a stunning woman in his arms as she looked at him with a smile that caused his heart to skip a beat.


    Varian slowly lowered his head and pressed his lips on hers.


    "Mhmf!" Sarah cried out in surprise, but her protest was cut off as he pulled her deeper into the kiss.


    Feeling the soft sensation on his lips, Varian looked into her blue eyes. At first, they shyly dodged him, but soon they gazed at him with deep affection.


    Varian responded with a deeper kiss, and Sarah cooperated awkwardly. Since it was a first for both of them, it was a bit awkward but fulfilling.


    It was an odd feeling for both of them. They both knew that Varian participating in the expo in the presence of so many high awakeners was a huge risk. They both wanted to express their concerns and seek assurance from the other.


    However, words didn''t do their emotions justice. But it waspletely conveyed through this simple and intimate action.


    For a moment, Varian forgot his every worry. His mother''s wish, the memory of Sia, the abyss emperor, Julius, Kreo, Enigma''s problem¡­everything vanished for a moment.


    Amidst all the struggles, all the troubles, and all the worries, he was at peace. His heart was racing with the sensation of the wet softness he was experiencing, but it was never so calm.


    "Hme~" Varian felt a small, slippery thing trying to poke in and he instantly realized what it was.


    With a smirk, he chased after it, and soon, their first kiss turned from light to a passionate one.


    Varian raised his hand and was about to go a step further when¡ª


    Ting!


    An rm rang, startling the couple.


    As Varian and Sarah separated, a thread of silver line connected them.


    Sarah hurriedly used a water ball to move it away and moved away from him.


    With her blushing cheeks, she looked adorable. But Varian somehow felt that she also had a question.


    "What is it?" Varian asked with a smirk, lightly licking his lips.


    "You!" Sarah pointed at him with an embarrassed expression, but in the end, she too sneakily licked her lips and snorted.


    "Come on."


    "You willugh at me."


    "No. I won''t. Trust me."


    "At end of every kiss, they gasp in the movies. Why didn''t we?" Sarah asked with an innocent expression.


    ">¡­<" Varian looked at her blushing face and couldn''t hold it anymore. Clutching his stomach, he ended upughing.


    "Hahahaha."


    "You! I knew you wouldugh!" Sarah punched him on the shoulders softly and snorted.


    "Sorry, sorry." Varian raised his hands and leaned dangerously closer to her face.


    "Sarah, we''re both level 6 body awakeners. We can hold our breaths for hours. If you want a kiss that will leave you gasping for breath once it ends, we can do it in three, no, four hours." He leaned closer and stretched out his arms.


    ''He''s really about to do it!'' Sarah jumped onto her feet and ran off to another room in the ghost ship.


    "It''s time for the expo. I''ll see youter. And don''t tell anything that happened here to my father or he might call up entire earth''s army to kill you."


    She disappeared with a yful warning.


    Varian simplyughed it off, but neither he nor she knew how close she was to the truth.


    *** *** ***


    Five minutester, Varian''s smile disappeared as he stood in front of arge white building along with ny-nine peak level 4 ''testers''.


    .


    .


    .


    .


    A/N: Apologies if it didn''te off properly. I''m a novice in writing sensual and intimate acts (For Now). I will improvise simr scenes in the future.

 Chapter 493 Four Tests Before Entering Arena

    The world waited eagerly at the count down began.


    There were only two hours left until the grandest expo in the history of humanity began.


    Tick! Tick! Tick!


    As the clock ticked, five hundred young men and women in a standard blue uniform entered one of the fiverge buildings based on their levels.


    These five buildings were just outside the grand stadium and served as an entrance to them.


    The participants were divided into five groups, with hundred members per group based on their level which ranged from level 1 to level 5.


    Varian queued up with his fellow peak level 4 participants.


    In the ground floor of the building, there were ten counters of sorts.


    A level 9, a highly aplished doctor, and representatives of the eights stood at each counter.


    Three things were verified here.


    First, their level and divine path. And whether they were dual or triple awakeners.


    Second, their medical condition¡ªwhether there was any chance they''d have an adverse reaction to Gamma potion.


    Third, external possessions were all banned. Not even am was allowed to the match.


    Initially,m was allowed, but Julius removed itter citing ''Dreamer'' as the primary reason.


    Fourth and finally, their identity. Recently, there have been too many cases of Dreamer using a fake ID to exploit their automated system.


    So, any candidate who needs to participate must be recognized by the member of their own.


    Only then would they be allowed to exit through the other end of the building and enter the arena.


    Since the test was thisprehensive, it took ten minutes for each person.


    Being the secondst in his line, Varian knew he had to stand for almost an hour and a half.


    ''Urgh, I think my head is gonna explode from all the training.'' Varian just wanted to sleep.


    Even though body awakeners didn''t have any problem without much sleep, he was mentally tired.


    To reach the peak of level 4, he not only endured terrible injuries but also maintained his highest focus for hours.


    Even he wasn''t clear how he was able to do it. At that time, there was only one thought going around in his mind. ''I can''t give up.''


    While he achieved his goal, the consequence was temporary mental fog and ack of energy.


    "Next."


    The AI called and the line moved forward.


    Varian sighed lightly and nced around.


    Except for him, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. They all had a bright smile on their faces as if they won some lottery.


    ''Did they get crazy people for the testing?'' That''s ridiculous, but Varian wasn''t in the right state to think through things logically.


    But he did ask Boo about his ''peers''.


    {Master, they are all geniuses, albeit from poor families across the sr system.}


    ''Heh. Stupid son of a¡­'' Varian abruptly stopped cursing. His mind seemed to clear up when he thought of Julius, but soon, it went back to its dizzy state. ''Bitch.''


    In fact, Julius was clever to let geniuses from all across the federation join as testers.


    Else, others could use him that he was manipting the results by using only Earth geniuses¡ªespecially since Xanders ruled the.


    Now, the critiques could only shut up.


    "Next."


    "Next."


    There were only two people in front of him and after waiting for an hour, Varian''s mind slowly cleared up.


    Its like he was suddenly sober.


    With a functioning mind, Varian looked at the people around him with aplicated expression.


    Since these were poor geniuses, the reason they came here despite the risk was obvious.


    Once the gamma potion gets released, they couldn''t afford it.


    "Hey." A cheerful voice sounded from behind.


    Varian turned back and saw a young man with a bright expression.


    "Hi." Varian nodded.


    "Why so serious? Aren''t you excited, bro?" The young man asked with disbelief.


    "Erh," Varian scratched his cheeks and replied. "I''m pretty nervous. We''re testers after all¡­"


    His words drew gazes. The officials didn''t respond much, but the rest of the testers seemed to be shocked.


    "Hey, this is something from Sovereign himself." The boy behind puffed out his chest and said.


    "Yes, do you really think they need us as testers? This is a generous opportunity provided to those from poor backgrounds by Sovereign Julius." A girl said with sparkling eyes.


    "¡­She''s right. Be grateful, dude. Many of us have decided to join the Xander family." A tall guy pumped his hand and dered.


    "¡­" Varian instinctively wants to not only refute but curse the Xanders as the gic garbage but held back.


    He put on a nervous expression and said. "I-I always ''admired'' Sovereign Julius and wanted to ''meet'' him. Even though I trust the Xander family, the thought that I won''t have the chance to ''repay the favor'' terrifies me."


    The gazes on him changed again. They were looking at him with admiration, not knowing that Varian''s choice of words was deliberately twisted.


    He admired Julius so much that he wanted to rip him apart. He wanted to meet Julius to fight him head on one day. Repaying the favor¡­repaying them for what they did to Sia¡ªit could only be repaid through extermination of anything called Xander.


    "Next." The AI called again and Varian took a step forward. It was almost over.


    "Next."


    "Next."


    Varian stood in the designated square as a level 9 water awakener used his water sense to check Varian''s aura and level.


    The man passed a sliver of water mana into Varian''s shoulders and after a minute, nodded.


    "Peak Level 4 Water Path. No other traces of aura found."


    Then, his water sense also scanned Varian for a minute before nodding. "No space ring or any treasures."


    Then it was the medical test. A red light shed over Varian and in front of the attending doctor, a hologram filled with different numerical popped up.


    The doctor studied it seriously for six minutes before giving a thumbs up. "He is not averse to Gamma potion ingredients."


    Varian was about to sigh in relief, but realizing the final test, he became nervous again.


    "Which is he from? And details." The level 9 officer asked.


    ''Haa~'' Varian sighed in relief when the man from Neptune stood up.


    Originally, it was Uranus, but with Irene''s current condition, the n changed.


    It was Sovereign Ares who helped him out the most in this mission. Even though he did it for Sovereign Irene, Varian was grateful to him.


    "He is Ryker, a genius from a small neighborhood of Neptune. At a low age of 18, he reached the peak of level 4!"


    "WHAT?!" Everyone in the facility, be it participants or the administrators, eximed in shock.


    18 years old¡­that was essentially a first-year cadet reaching the peak of level 4. Even in Imperial Defense Academy¡ªone of the top three of all academies, reaching peak level 4 in the first year would make one a great genius.


    The likes of such genius could only be surpassed by monsters like Sarah and Charles.


    And now, such a genius was among them.


    As they looked at him in admiration, Varian wasughing inwardly.


    ''How cute. I''m peak of level 6 and in five different paths.''


    And thus, Varian was sent into the grand stadium''s central ground: Justice Arena.

 Chapter 494 Sorrow Of Low Talent

    People from all over the sr system regardless of their location were excited about the ''greatest expo'' in human history.


    Almost 1 billion people were eager to watch this event live and billions more decided to watch it in their free time.


    In fact, if the event wasn''t preponed, there would''ve been more audience.


    The biggest selling point of the expo was told not through morous models or intricate hologram designs, but through simple, in, and even dull words.


    ''Improve talent and increase level''.


    That was enough.


    Like a tsunami sweeping away all the boats, this one line moved every human.


    In this day and age, one''s own strengthrgely determined their social standing. But how far one could reach in their divine path was restricted by two factors, other than the most obvious¡ªhard work.


    Talent and Resources.


    The rich could afford the resources. They could train even their low-talented heirs to a respectable level by piling up resources.


    Of course, that was actually rare as well.


    Since polygamy was legal, the rich men or women would then have new partners and new children whose talent was satisfactory.


    Still, the ''abandoned'' rich kids at least had no problem with living afortable life.


    But the rest could only rely on talent.


    Thus, to almost every human, this potion was the object beyond their wildest fantasies.


    "Aww! I still can''t believe it?" A woman pinched her cheek as she stared at the holovid in her home.


    Her home was in one of the affluential neighborhoods of a rich district. It wasn''t too rich but rich enough to be considered luxurious.


    As a level 7 telepath, the woman worked a safe and well-paying job in one of therge hospitals.


    For the first time ever, she took a leave for two days¡ªit was to watch the entire expo.


    ''I''m not crazy. I''m not crazy.'' Misha told herself.


    Perhaps she was, but the emotional baggage inside her didn''t care if the action was crazy or if she was crazy.


    Because this so-called gamma potion gave her hope.


    A hope that her only son won''t be like her brother.


    Her brother used to be a happy and warm boy.


    She didn''t remember when things changed. Perhaps it was after his awakening, but it wasn''t a drastic change that she could vividly remember.


    It started slowly and subtly. By the time she noticed, it was already a norm.


    First, their parentsmented on his progress speed. They increased his training speed.


    Apart from school, he spent nearly six hours practicing every day.


    His friends eventually alienated him as they grew further and further away from him.


    Then after a few more months, his girlfriend broke up with him.


    Misha remembered identally overhearing their conversation.


    "Why?! I love you! I''m serious! I will do my best to giv¡ª"


    "How many hours did we spendst week? How many dates did we go on?"


    "I''m spending every minute I can on practicing so that we can be happy in the futur¡ª"


    "And you''ll say the same thing in the future. You are a good person, but I can''t be with a guy who doesn''t spend time with me."


    Misha could still vividly recall the apathy in the woman''s tone and the despair in her brother''s.


    She was only 13 back then and didn''t know much about theplexity of the adult world.


    So, she initially thought her brother was in the wrong. But only after she grew up did she understand that her brother''s girlfriend''s real reason was something else. She simply looked down on him for his low talent.


    She also remembered what happenedter that night. It was even more vivid.


    Her brother came home drunk, for the first time ever. And for that, he was severely punished by their parents.


    It was so severe that even she started crying.


    While she did, she saw something that probably was the single most impactful picture of all her life.


    His eyes.


    The light in their eyes dimmed and was reced by a sense of destion.


    He knew that being drunk was only an excuse. Ultimately, his parents too were disappointed in him.


    And from that day on, her brother went from a cheerful bright boy to a bundle of destion and apathy.


    As she grew older, she tried to mend ties with him but he rejected her thoroughly.


    By the time she graduated from the academy, he was abusing materials and was under serious issues.


    Thest time she saw him was a year ago. Then, he seemed to have disappeared altogether.


    Misha couldn''t find him. But she decided to keep him at an arm''s length to prevent him from influencing her son.


    Like her brother, her son was also a low-talented individual. And the bullying already started.


    His friends alienated him. His girlfriend broke up with him a week ago. Even her husband started to scorn him.


    For Misha, it was the same story all over again.


    She was scared that one day, her son too would be like her brother. As a mother, there was nothing scarier than it.


    Unknowingly, she too started measuring things based on talent.


    ''If only he was born with a higher talent, then we''d have all been happy. My brother too¡­my parents were never happy after his incident. Urgh¡­is it my fault that he is born with such a low talent or is it his fault?''


    Her thoughts were erratic and she didn''t quite know if she was being rational or condescending.


    But regardless of her own feelings, she was determined to prevent her son from following her brother''s path. It''s just that she didn''t know how to do it.


    Then, this gamma potion came as if it was a rescue from Heaven.


    "The trials begin NOW!" The host announced and the holovid showed arge stadium.


    In the midst of a huge spiral stadium were five floating arenas. The lowest floor had the hundred level 1 members and the highest had the hundred level 5 members.


    Even though it was preponed, the spiral stadium was filled with people. At least 500,000 people were amodated.


    Thanks to itsrge structure and advanced facilities, it wasn''t big of a problem.


    "Now, we''ll first verify thebat powers of each individual." The host announced.


    Pop!


    With arge pop, fiverge vehicles entered the five arenas and dropped off¡­abyssals!


    Then, the abyssals, seemingly controlled by a telekic, floated to each one of the participants.


    The huge arena itself was divided into one hundred small battle rings.


    Now, each battle ring had a participant and an abyssal.


    "YESSSS!"


    "Kill them!"


    "Son of bitches! Chop them to pieces!"


    The cheers filled with the stadium as everyone shouted for the most brutal killing of the abyssals.


    Just like how abyssals captured humans, humans also captured abyssals and used them for various...purposes.


    Since they were rare and a military secret, no one thought they''d see their arch-enemy here.


    But while everyone was emotional, Varian squinted his eyes.


    ''Something is very wrong.''


    The abyssal was too still. His eyes had no focus and were white. But just as Varian was about to make a move, those in eyes turned blood red.


    A terrifying killing intent locked onto him and at that instant, Varian understood that he was facing an abyssal brainwashed into a killing machine.


    "Fuck."

 Chapter 495 The Duel [1]

    It was impossible to believe, but it was barely two days since Varian went from level 0 to peak level 4 in the water path.


    So, while he had the prerequisite understanding of his path to progress so far, and even ''trained'' with Sarah, his fighting experience with the water path was close to nill.


    The training with Sarah didn''t count since most of it was her showing her power and himprehending it.


    So, when faced with a peak level 4 abyssal, Varian tensed.


    The piercing feeling in the back of his neck didn''t help.


    Hundreds of thousands of eyes in the stadium stared at the five floating stages.


    Their gazes were dispersed and at least a few thousand were looking at Varian.


    Every audience can directly swipe through the countless holograms and choose to watch the battle they liked.


    The same went for the billion viewers who were watching this test match beforehand.


    So, not only was Varian was under the direct gaze of thousands of members, but he was also indirectly watched by millions.


    If it was the old him, he''d have felt tremendous pressure to perform well.


    But after experiencing Cluster Cities'' conspiracy and Pluto''s heist shortly after, Varian found his current situation more bearable.


    After all, those were grand events that might happen only once in a lifetime. He not only actively participated in them but was also a decisive factor.


    Compared to that, the current situation suddenly seemed like child''s y.


    So, despite panicking a bit initially, Varian quickly calmed down.


    With a clear head, he assessed his current situation and decided to y it safe.


    ''I can''t reveal my other powers. Even though System sealed every other path if things go south¡­''


    "Arghhh!"


    A loud scream from one of the nearby rings interrupted Varian''s stream of thought.


    Varian took a quick nce at the abyssal.


    After they entered the duel ring, a transparent sphere covered them. The abyssal red at Varian with bloodshot eyes and looked like he wanted to drink his blood.


    But he didn''t attack.


    Only then did Varian understand that the abyssal was under the control of a telepath.


    Only when Varian starts his own attack would the abyssal be released and their fight would officially begin.


    Of course, he couldn''t wait forever.


    There was a stopwatch floating on top of the duel ring.


    [9:45]


    [9:44]


    [9:43]


    Once the time runs out, it''d be considered a defeat. But what happens to losers? No one knew.


    But they did know that all of them signed a form dering that any injury or death in the match was their own doing and the Xander family holds no responsibility.


    "Arghhh!"


    Varian''s thought process was interrupted by a loud scream. It was the same voice as earlier, but now, it was not only louder but filled with grief. It reminded him of his tragic cry.


    Varian turned to the source and his body froze in shock.


    In one of the duel rings, an abyssal was ripping apart an arm of a young man.


    Zip! Zap!


    Weak lightning sizzled around the young man''s arms, but it failed to stop the abyssal''s enormous physical strength.


    "Hmph!"


    With a snort, the abyssal pulled the arm off.


    Splurt! Splurt!


    Due to the sheer force, blood started to splurt out of the young man''s wound like a fountain as the screams filled with agony rose.


    "Arghhh!"


    "Help! Save!"


    Varian watched in an unnerving silence and so did the audience. They were happening across all levels and most of the views went to these situations.


    But contrary to expectations, the majority wasn''t sympathizing with the injured testers.


    In fact, they were chanting like a frenzied mob.


    "Kill Or Be Killed!"


    "You guys got the opportunity to have the potions for free! But you can''t even survive an abyssal. Pitui!"


    "You signed up for this! Youpeted against others for this! Stand up and fight!"


    Varian let the system stealthily turn on the body path.


    "Haa~" Varian felt like the world suddenly went from 144p to 4k. He saw the audience sitting hundreds of meters away and he saw their faces clearly.


    Regardless of their age or gender, they were frantically looking at the participants in dangerous situations.


    Their eyes were glued to the screen and they chattered their teeth. Tightly gripping the seat, they were barely holding themselves from standing up and yelling.


    It was almost as if¡­they were seeing one of their own in these participants.


    A family member that died, a friend that was killed, a colleague that was murdered...


    Varian sighed and had the system once again seal his body path.


    ''Urgh¡­'' Varian was forced to close his eyes and the next moment, the world was once again back to a low resolution along with equally poor senses.


    "Greeh!" The abyssal roared at him, its eyes pulsing with green blood.


    [8: 30]


    Feeling the strong killing intent from his enemy a few feet away, Varian let out a light sigh.


    And with a flick, a blue light covered him.


    Boom!


    The abyssal shot at Varian.


    The battle had begun.


    The moment the abyssal moved, Varian''s eyes couldn''t keep up. But he wasn''t relying on his vision.


    His water sense quickly showed that the abyssal was now directly above him and was about to punch his head.


    For a split second, Varian felt a deadly threat.


    As a level 4 water awakener, taking a direct hit from a level 4 body awakener¡ªeven if he was covered by a light water armor was too risky.


    All said and done, his life won''t be truly in danger.


    The System had a setting that ''lifted off'' the levels should his life truly be in danger.


    But his mind calmed him instantly


    "DIE!"


    The abyssal growled as his fist tore through the air and reached Varian''s head in the blink of an eye.


    Zaah!


    Varian created ayer of ice under his feet and with a quick push, skated out.


    Boom!


    The duel ring shook as the abyssal''s punch nearly broke the stage.


    Varian almost fell on his face due to the imbnce and hisck of experience.


    So, he grew two ice spikes at the bottom of his shoes and with them, pierced into the floor.


    Shuaa!


    And saved himself from falling.


    "DIE!"


    The abyssal rushed at him swinging a punch.


    Varian used his ice shoes to dodge and waved his hand.


    Shuaa!


    An ice arrow materialized and shot at the abyssal''s eye.


    Whoosh!


    The air seemed to cool down wherever the arrow went.


    Varian''s body shed a soft blue light as he created ten more ice arrows.


    ''I was always the one who was cornered. I wonder how it feels to corner a body awakener through elemental attacks.''


    He wondered and waved his hand.


    Shuaa!


    The ice arrows blocked off every retreat of the abyssal and forced him to confront them.


    Without giving him any more time to think, the arrows tried to pierce through his skull and rip him apart.


    But thanks to both his experience in body path and Varian''s inexperience in water path, he was able to survive.


    [3:23]


    [3:20]


    [2:30]


    After trying for a long time, Varian realized that killing the abyssal this way was impossible.


    So, he switched tactics.

 Chapter 502 In Julius’ Hands

    Varian''s heart pounded as he felt death graze him. It was so sudden and so close that even after he got into the ghost ship, he was still dumbstruck.


    If he was just a momentte, then the space crack would''ve blown his head into pieces. At that moment, he couldn''t even register what was happening.


    But his mind seemed to be ready for death as it shed the so-called life before him.


    But since the time was slow, it skipped to the final moments.


    First, when Varian shook hands with Dr. Thomas, the detector rang.


    Then, everyone on the stage dashed to the Dungeon at the highest speed.


    Dr. Thomas panicked, and his bodyguards were about to arrive at the stage to protect him.


    But Varian exploited that moment and asked Boo to pull them in.


    However, right when he was about to go in, the world shook and his mask broke off.


    He couldn''t even sense the attack, much less predict it. He didn''t even blink his eyes, but Julius had already gone to the dungeon ande back.


    To Varian, it was almost as if Julius had never disappeared, to begin with.


    "Master! Master!"


    Boo''s screams snapped him out of his trance.


    Varian didn''t even think before unleashing his telepath powers on the man in his hands.


    "N¡ª" Dr. Thomas couldn''t even utter a word before he fainted.


    Boom!


    But Varian couldn''t even sigh in relief as the ghost ship started to shake violently.


    He crashed against the wall and broke a few bones.


    "Urgh!" Raising his head, he nced at the hologram depicting the outside.


    A huge golden giant raised its fist and punched against a tiny spaceship.


    Boom!


    Varian felt the world spin as he crashed from one edge of the wall to another and coughed out blood.


    "B-Boo¡­go!" He muttered in a weak tone.


    "Dreamer!" Julius'' loud roar reverberated for hundreds of miles.


    As he stomped his foot, the ground shook violently. The air seemed to stand still.


    And then, he grabbed for the ghost ship.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The high awakeners raised their head and widened their eyes.


    The blue sky seemed to be broken as pitch-ck cracks of space spread everywhere.


    Crisscross ck lines filled the sky as if they were.


    The huge titan arm stretched through these space distortions and reached ghost ship.


    Whoosh!


    At thest moment, ghost ship barely dodged.


    "Hmph!" With a snort, the golden titan pped the ship with the back of his hand.


    Boom!


    Like an asteroid crashing down to earth, a ghost ship crashed down to earth.


    Julius'' figure disappeared and he appeared a hundred miles away.


    "You and everyone rted to you will die." He said with a chilling voice as he locked onto ghost ship that was heading towards him.


    But at thest moment, ghost ship changed course and rose into the sky.


    Julius narrowed his eyes and swung his arm.


    Kacha!


    Ghost ship elerated at thest moment and he only managed to gaze at the end of ghost ship.


    Due to the sheer force, even the highly defensive walls of ghost ship broke apart at the back.


    But using the momentum, ghost ship shot into the distance.


    "Hmph!"


    Julius rose into the sky and caught up in less than a moment before trying to grab it once again.


    Whoosh!


    Ghost ship once again elerated at thest moment and escaped.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The space broke down like ss as Julius tried to catch ghost ship again and again.


    He had all the advantages. Yet, he couldn''t catch it.


    It was as if¡­it was as if you were trying to catch a slippery fish with bare hands.


    But even though he couldn''t catch it, Julius'' attacksnded on ghost ship without fail.


    Kacha! Kacha!


    Cracks began to appear on the formerly pristine ghost ship.


    And as Julius expected, it struggled to escape from his grabs.


    "How long can you keep this up?" Julius sneered and dered. "You bettere out and ept death. I''ll spare your loved ones. Or else¡­"


    Boom!


    Ghost ship was punched and like a broken rag doll, shot into the distance.


    The metal from ghost ship fell from the sky as if announcing its end.


    Julius'' lips curled up as he once again appeared at ghost ship''s location and reached out.


    "Or else, everyone rted to you¡ªyour family, your friends, everyone will face the consequences."


    Ghost ship escaped again, he pped it in irritation.


    Kacha!


    Julius sneered as its pieces continued to fall from the sky. In a few seconds, ghost ship would lose all resistance.


    He infused the prana into his artifact: space ring and was about to teleport to its location when his smile suddenly froze.


    Ghost ship slipped into a dungeon¡­the same dungeon Enigma previously appeared in.


    It didn''t seem to be an ident. Even though ghost ship sustained a lot of damage, every step seemed to be calcted for this step.


    And that''s why it directly entered the dungeon with such precision.


    "Damn it!"


    Julius cursed and tried to teleport directly into the dungeon.


    Shhh!


    But he only teleported to the entrance. Dungeons were a different space and he couldn''t just teleport his way in.


    "Argggh!" Julius roared as he rushed into the entrance.


    The guards at the entrance were blown away by his momentum and the sheer shockwaves killed them.


    It wasn''t just them, however, everything in the vicinity of dozens of miles was in tatters.


    "Varian!"


    Julius finally shouted once he reached the dungeon.


    His superhuman senses discovered the ghost ship. It was on fire, emitting smoke, and seemed to be on the verge of exploding.


    The final attack really did a number on it.


    Julius finally sighed in relief but didn''t rx. He immediately transversed hundreds of miles and reached the ghost ship''s position.


    "Finally," He reached out and grabbed at the ghost ship.


    Whooo!


    The ghost ship tried to evade like earlier, but it was too damaged to pull it off.


    Thus, ghost ship was finally in the hands of Sovereign Julius.

 Chapter 503 Death’s Door

    How do you steal a famous scientist right under the nose of a Sovereign?


    Firstly, it was an outrageous thought. Even the craziest men would say it''s impossible.


    You simply don''t steal anyone or anything in front of a Sovereign.


    They are faster than you, stronger than you, and more perceptive.


    It''s a futile effort. An endeavor bound to fail. A guaranteed death wish.


    But Varian nned that very thing.


    That''s why, he once again requested Sovereign Irene for the space stones, and got Blue sh to acquire CTFs for their usage.


    Then, he asked them to enter Demon Abyss and CTF to the dungeon closest to the stadium.


    He calcted that Julius would quickly return, but in his opinion, the time would be sufficient.


    He and Blue sh extensively studied all the footage¡ªsecret and public on Julius''bat and concluded that it was mostly safe.


    But they didn''t consider the fact that Julius could''ve gotten stronger.


    At the Sovereign level, even that slight increase changed the entire dynamics of the n.


    So, as hey down in a pool of blood, Varian found himself hearing Julius'' menacing words.


    But Varian didn''ty in despair. He retrieved an item from his storage ring and a light started to envelop him.


    "Varian? What secret are you hiding? I''ll dig it out one by one." Julius smiled and his giant titan form shrunk to five meters.


    He tightly held the ghost ship that tried to escape and began to tear it.


    Kaaa!


    With a creaking sound, the top of the ghost ship began to break.


    "Narcis died because of you. What do you think I should do?" Julius asked in a chilly voice.


    "And Sia¡­do you even remember her? Besides this guest ship, that''ll be your greatest value. You''ll be the bait for me to lure her out."


    Kaaa!


    The ghost ship''s top was forcibly opened and Julius finally saw the young man who shook the sr system.


    "You still dare to smile?" Julius was taken aback by that nasty smile.


    He had an ominous premonition and hurried to grab Varian.


    But a bright light enveloped him and the ghost ship as space twisted violently.


    Once Julius realized what Varian was trying to do, he didn''t hesitate and directly punched out.


    Boom!


    With a loud boom, the space exploded and then, the ghost ship was gone.


    "He faced my punch head-on. He''s dead." Julius told himself but what Varian did at the final moment was etched in his mind.


    He flipped a middle finger at him.


    "¡­It''s a pity I couldn''t get his corpse for theb." Julius had one regret.


    He had no doubts about Varian''s fate. There''s no way he could survive a Sovereign punch head-on.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "Haaa!" Varian gasped and breathed in violently as he woke up in a white room. "We escaped?"


    "The CTF took us away in thest second¡­" Boo appeared in front of him and sighed.


    Varian clutched his head and tried to recall what happened before he fainted.


    Suddenly, his eyes widened and he turned to Boo. "The punch! Julius attacked m¡ª"


    "Here." Boo cut him off and waved its hand.


    Whoosh!


    Three walls with huge dents appeared in front of Varian. These were the Sovereign level walls.


    "¡­"


    "Did you forget, master? You asked Boo to keep them around you all the time, just in case." Boo patted its chest in relief.


    "¡­Thank you, Boo." Varian sighed in gratitude.


    "Haha~ What are you saying¡­" Boo blushed a bit and turned away.


    An awkward silence filled the room. Varian confirmed that his condition was fine and was about to step out of the room.


    "Master!" Boo appeared in front of him and blocked him.


    "What?" Varian titled his head.


    "T-There''s¡­.There is¡­" Boo tried toe up with something but finally hung its head.


    Varian had an ominous feeling as he stepped out of the room.


    "WHAT?!"


    The sight of the ghost ship''s interior devastated him.


    Broken walls, sparks of electricity, twisting of space¡­as he recalled the pristine and elegant feel it always had, Varian felt a pain in his heart.


    He looked at Boo''s crestfallen face and apologized. "I''m really sorry, Boo."


    For others, it was only a spaceship.


    But for Boo, it was its body, its home, its everything.


    So, this damage not only hurt it physically but also emotionally.


    Even though he was with Boo for two months, Varian never thought of Boo as a machine.


    To him, Boo was as human as any person. In fact, Varian never really associated the term ''human'' with one''s race.


    His attitude towards Enigma didn''t change after knowing her race.


    To him, what a person aspired for and worked towards was more important than their inherent and immutable elements of identity.


    So, he''d give up a million Shadow Order ''humans'' for one Boo without thinking.


    "Woo~" Boo suddenly started crying. Crystal blue tears fell out of the white ghost''s eyes and Varian was suddenly at a loss.


    "Boo¡­" Varian called out softly. His head was still a bit dizzy from the injuries and his body was still notpletely fine.


    So, with each step he took, he staggered and stumbled, but he kept walking and reached Boo.


    He raised his hand and lightly patted Boo¡­and his hand passed right through Boo.


    "Master¡­it really hurts." Boo whimpered. "Boo¡­Boo feels like a part of Boo is broken."


    Varian''s eyes were filled with killing intent as he promised. "Boo¡­I''ll take revenge."


    Boo stopped crying and stared at his face. In the end, it nodded weakly.


    Then it said. "Master, Boo will try to fix the injuries."


    Varian nodded stiffly when he heard the word ''injuries''.


    Walking into a room, he first checked whether his ''messages'' reached Enigma. Only after confirming it did he sigh in relief.


    Then, he called up the holograms and checked the situation of the ghost ship.


    He saw a ghost ship teleporting into the demon abyss. Since they didn''t have Enigma¡ªabyssals didn''t know they arrived.


    And despite the injuries, Boo was still capable of stealth.


    So, the ghost ship cautiously escaped the Demon Abyssa andnded on an asteroid in a remote region.


    Varian swiped the hologram and observed the exterior of the ghost ship.


    He saw Boo''s reluctant expression as it retrieved all the backup materials¡ªmetals, circuits, and special formationponents and used them to fix the damages sustained by the ghost ship.


    Boo''s face was filled with pain and with each fix, it seemed to recall the injuries.


    But with equal determination, Boo continued on.


    The broken metal defenses, the AI systems, the formations, the stealthponents, everything was slowly being fixed.


    ''¡­my little ghost is working hard. How can I ck off?'' Varian took a breath and walked out.

 Chapter 505 Saving Loved Ones [1]

    "To beat evil, you have to think like evil."


    Or so Varian believed.


    So, as Julius broke down the ghost ship and pushed him to death, Varian scrambled to send a message to Enigma.


    "Sarah, Kyle, Maya, Gareth¡ªtake them away."


    When she read this message, Enigma and Blue sh were in the demon abyss.


    Cross Tunnel Formation could work from dungeon to dungeon. So, they could''ve CTFed to another dungeon on Earth. But that''d have been stupid since the whole earth was under Julius'' hands.


    Thus, Enigma decided to teleport to the Demon Abyss. And once they were in the abyss, they quickly escaped.


    In fact, Enigma first entered the demon abyss, CTFed to the dungeon, and then CTFed back to the demon abyss.


    Logically, the abyssals should''ve detected her when she was near the abyss or at least in the abyss.


    Then, even if she escaped to a dungeon, they should''ve been on heavy guard. Escaping should''ve been impossible.


    But Enigma decided to bear the pain once again and forcibly suppressed the tracker.


    Thus, when they first entered the demon abyss, the abyssals didn''t know her exact location.


    Then, Enigma already CTFed to earth dungeon, then returned and dashed out of the abyss.


    By the time her suppression wore off and the tracker started functioning, they were already away from the most dangerous region.


    But like every other time, Enigma paid a bitter price for suppressing the tracker.


    "Haa~ I can''t bear to see you like this." Blue sh sighed at Enigmaying on a bed.


    Her aura was chaotic and blood spilled out of her mouth from time to time. Enigma looked like a patient that was about to die any second.


    She looked frail.


    It was theplete opposite of her.


    "He¡­How is he?" Enigma tried to raise her hand, but it fell down mid-way.


    Blue sh caught her hand and patted her lightly. "He should be fine."


    Even though she said that Blue sh had an ominous premonition in her heart.


    Something with how quickly Julius appeared in the dungeon didn''t add up. He was faster. While nning, they didn''t consider this.


    ''No, I considered his speed being slightly higher than reported, but this is even higher¡­''


    "¡­will he die?"


    Enigma''s weak voice snapped Blue sh out of her thoughts.


    "No. He''ll be fine." Blue sh assured with a confident smile.


    As an Athena group agent, she could fool almost anyone with that smile. Unfortunately, not Enigma.


    She was able to discern Blue sh''s true intentions.


    "I-Is he dead?" Enigma muttered with a nk gaze as she faced the ceiling.


    There was sorrow in her voice, but more than sorrow, there was overwhelming guilt.


    Blue sh bit her lip and closed her eyes. Her rational mind was telling her that he won''t survive.


    It was all over.


    She suppressed the growing sadness and tried to focus on the future. Enigma''s future. Humanity''s future.


    Just a few hours ago, the future seemed bright and certain. Varian''s presence, his actions, and his aplishments¡­ somehow convinced her that the future was in his hand and it was in safe hands.


    But now¡­Blue sh found that she felt a sense of uncertainty and dread towards the future.


    The energy, the spirit, and the confidence Varian brought with him were no more.


    "I¡­.I hope he rests in peace." She muttered in sadness.


    Enigma''s eyes started to glow as she pondered a decision. The same decision she was about to take at death''s door.


    ''I will fall into a sleep I might never wake up from¡­but in return, I can avenge him and also have Sia safe¡­''


    Ting!


    As the thought started to consolidate in her mind, herm suddenly rang.


    Enigma didn''t know where she got the energy from, but she managed to sit up and tap on them.


    {Sarah, Kyle, Maya, Gareth¡ªtake them away.}


    Before Enigma could be happy that he was alive, she shuddered at the message.


    "What did he say?" Blue sh asked with a face glowing with joy. To her, as long as he was alive, everything else would be fine.


    Enigma wanted to move her hand to show them, but she copsed.


    Blue sh supported her and gently ced her on the bed.


    "He is alive. Now, any news is good ne¡ª" Blue sh stopped abruptly as she read the message.


    Her eyes widened as sweat began to drip down her forehead. With a pale face, she looked at Enigma and managed to speak.


    "H-His identity is revealed! He''s captured!" Her shoulders dropped as she felt all strength leaving her body.


    Enigma was of a different opinion.


    Having been proven wrong time and time again, Enigma chose to believe he''d be fine.


    Ting!


    As expected, another message arrived after a few seconds.


    {This is Boo. We barely escaped. Master fainted from serious injuries. He asked me to check whether the previous message is sent to you.}


    "Haa!" Blue sh breathed in relief. Her pale-faced turned ruddy and full of energy.


    Enigma''s eyes also glowed brightly as she rested the irreversible thought in her mind.


    Inadvertently, Sr System had just escaped a tectonic shift twice with Enigma not making that choice.


    "H-He''s alive! Phew! He r-really worried me." Blue sh spoke in a ming tone, but anyone could see the joy on her face.


    Enigma wanted to sit up, but feeling the growing weakness in her body, she directly said. "I-I can''t help him now. Please fulfill his request."


    "Of course." Blue sh patted her chest confidently. "I can get them away easily."


    "We''re not on Earth, just barely an hour from demon abyss." Enigma reminded.


    "Don''t worry. An Athena Agent can do this much." Blue sh smirked and was about to continue when herm rang.


    Her face glowed in surprise and after reading the message, she said to Enigma. "Boo sent me the addresses of theirms and has also blocked everyone else from tracking them."


    Enigma sighed in relief after hearing that.


    Blue sh tapped herm and ordered her loyal subordinates. "Secure a few people."

 Chapter 507 Wait, Wait, What?!

    It was the most bizarre space flight Kye ever took. During the whole flight, Maya and the woman started to converse on topics he couldn''t understand.


    The woman who he initially thought of as an evil goon actually started crying in Maya''s arms.


    "¡­all gone."


    Maya too wiped the tears off the corner of her eyes and sniffed. "We have to live on for them."


    Even though Kyle refused to make sense of those words, his brain did. It told him exactly what Maya''s actions meant.


    But he refused that possibility. It was too much for him. Perhaps there were other possibilities.


    Maybe this woman was Maya''s rtive. Even though the excuse sounded far-fetched, it was better than the other option.


    As he waited in silence, their spaceship finally stopped. It was a rather deste asteroid¡ªlikely a hollowed-out one from extensive mining in the fourth century.


    But Kyle''s attention was hooked by the spaceship that was already present on the asteroid.


    The two spaceships moved next to each other and opened a passage.


    "Let''s go." The woman said and took the lead.


    Kyle took a deep breath and walked through the passageway.


    "Hiss!"


    The first thing that entered his sight was a sleek ck room. The walls, the chair, the table, everything was pure ck.


    Kyle felt a jolt of fear for a moment but controlled himself. ''I already came this far. Plus, Maya said¡­''


    "Deputy head, he''s here." The woman said and bowed lightly.


    Only then did Kyle focus on the person. No, he couldn''t see the person. He could only see the back of the chair.


    However, Kyle felt tremendous pressureing from that chair. The longer he stared at the chair, the morebored his breathing turned and in the end, he gasped for air and finally turned away.


    "Haa! Haa! Haa!"


    As Kyle drew in short, sharp breaths, he heard a voice. But since he was not in the right state, he didn''t hear it properly.


    "I will contact you if the need arises. Thank you for your help."


    "It''s my duty." The woman who brought them here responded and even in Kyle''s weak sense, he clearly felt her leave.


    Now in this meeting room of this spaceship, there were only the three of them.


    Kyle held Maya''s hand and nodded at her. ''Don''t worry. They''ll have to cross me before they can touch you.''


    He wanted to convey courage, but Maya simply giggled and said. "Are you still going to scare him?"


    "Hahaha!" With a burst ofughter, the chair turned around revealing a beautiful woman with sky blue eyes and soft blue hair.


    Kyle''s eyes widened as he eximed "MOM!"


    Alison covered her mouth and chuckled. With a wink, she asked. "How was your date?"


    "¡­." Kyle was speechless at her response. He even ignored that she somehow knew about their secret date and asked.


    "You''re the deputy leader? How? Why? Aren''t you a news reporter?" Kyle asked with an expression full of disbelief.


    Maya clearly saw the existential crisis on his face and patted her forehead.


    "Welp, I''m indeed a news reporter in my CV." Alison shrugged and propped her chin on her hand as she said. "But most of the time, I''m Blue sh."


    With a blue sh, she was covered in ck clothes from head to toe.


    "This¡­" Kyle opened and closed his mouth.


    He thought this could very well be a prank. But the aura he was feeling from his mother reminded him of the spillover aura from the level 9s in the stadium.


    "I can''t believe this." Kyle shook his head violently. "Am I in an illusion right now? Have the telepaths caught us?"


    "Kyle!"


    "I won''t believe your words. Nev¡ª"


    "KYLE!"


    The familiar yell shut him up. Even though Alison wasn''t at home for most of the time, Kyle had childhood memories¡­traumas of this yell¡ªit meant he was about to be disciplined.


    "How many times did I tell you? You must be mentally resilient." Alison mmed the desk and said with a disappointed tone.


    Maya tried hard to control her facial expression. ''Even iron men will be shocked at this news and you expect him to stayposed?''


    "Mom, I¡­" Kyle tried to speak but found himself short of words. "Why did you be Blue sh?"


    "Grow more influential and I''ll tell you." Alison gave him a smile.


    "Influential?" Kyle frowned. He was already the number one student in his academy. He asked with genuine confusion. "How influential?"


    Alison''s eyes shed as she recalled Varian''s multiple talks with Sovereign Irene. Despite trying her best not to, she ended upparing them.


    ''He''s a monster while my son is my son. No one should be ever told to replicate what Varian did. I won''t ask Kyle either, but¡­''


    Alison told herself that she wasn''t an unreasonable mom, so she reduced the difficulty.


    "If you can have a private phone call with any Sovereign for one minute. Then I will consider you influential."


    Kyle opened his mouth in shock. "Are you crazy¡ª"


    "Oh, and it should be the Sovereign who should''ve called you. You should end the call after one minute citing you were busy." Alison added with a serious expression.


    When they were nning once, Irene Nial did call Varian and the exact thing happened.


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    As Alison returned from her daydreaming, she found that both Kyle and Maya were staring at her with pity.


    "What?"


    "Mom, I''ll take you for a check-up." Kyle said with a regretful expression. "I''m really sorry, because of me, you have gone craz¡ª"


    "NO!" Alison jumped onto her feet at his remark. "I just asked you to get a private call wi¡ª"


    Realizing how outrageous her demand was, Alison paused abruptly and sat back down.


    "I¡­I was just kidding." She said, perfectly maintaining a poker face.


    "¡­Yeah." Kyle could only ept.


    ''It''s all your fault, Varian.'' Alison threw Varian under the bus.


    After all, if he wasn''t so excellent, she wouldn''t set unrealistic standards for her son.


    "And when did Maya join Shadow Guardians?" Kyle suddenly asked, catching the two women off guard.


    Maya looked at him with aplicated gaze. "After my mother died in Pluto, I wanted revenge. And I found them."


    "I see¡­" Kyle patted her lightly on the shoulder.


    "Ahem."


    With a light cough, Kyle removed his hand from Maya''s shoulder and looked at Alison with a tense expression.


    "You aren''t inventing world-ss weapons but are flirting. Hmph!" Alisonmented, once againparing him with Varian.


    Now, even Maya rolled her eyes at Alison''s words. "If he can do that now, by his old age, he''ll be creating weapons to kill Sovereigns."


    "Hahaha!"


    Listening to herughter, the couple looked at each other.


    Kyle still had a lot of questions to ask and most importantly, he wanted to digest what he just learned.


    As he was about to announce his departure, Alison said.


    "Your next question is why I revealed all of this now? Why I brought you all the way here, far away from space patrol?"


    Kyle shook his head weakly. If he asked why she''d once again give out an absurd condition.


    "I don''t want to know anything, just let me res" As he was about to leave, Alison dropped the bomb.


    "Dreamer asked me to save you and oh, Varian is Dreamer by the way."


    "Wait, wait, what?!" Kyle was almost having a heart stroke.

 Chapter 509 Sarah Vs Enigma

    The room fell deathly silent.


    Sarah looked at the woman whose mere presence caused her senses to scream.


    ''Danger. Mystery. Death.''


    Those three words appeared in her mind as she gazed into Enigma''s tricolor eyes. They shone with an emotion she didn''t understand but recognized as something not positive.


    "Enigma¡­" Sarah narrowed her eyes.


    She read about Shadow Guardians multiple times and was curious about their legendary leader.


    But never did she expect to see her in current conditions. Enigma was no longer the legendary leader of a glorious organization¡ªshe was the branded terrorist of an extinct group.


    "Where is he?" Sarah asked with noticeable anxiety. She couldn''t care less about Enigma or the two people here.


    She received a warning signal from Boo, followed the instructions, and sneaked out to this location.


    {Master''s identity is revealed. We barely escaped. You are in danger! Sneak out and reach these coordinates.}


    "Varian is safe. His position should be hidden. Thank you, but your concerns are not needed." Enigma said curtly.


    "Huh?" Sarah raised a brow. Even though Enigma''s voice was emotionless, her words and her tone were provocative.


    "Do you have a problem with me?" She asked in a neutral tone. Since Varian was helping Enigma, she didn''t want an antagonistic rtionship with her. But that didn''t mean she''d take any disrespect.


    "Problem? I do have a problem." Enigma walked to Sarah.


    Kyle and Maya looked at each other. Wisely, the smart people decided not to meddle and sat farthest from them. But Kyle went a step further and tried to contact Varian.


    "Your talent, your achievements, whatever you have today is because of her kindness," Enigma said in a cold voice.


    Sarah''s eyes widened. That day, Sia helped her and that improved her talent. It was an irrefutable truth and Sarah was indebted to Sia. But more than debt, she wanted to see her best friend.


    "How is Sia? Can I see her?" Sarah asked with a joyful face. Anyone could hear the eagerness in her voice. There was also a trace of loneliness in it.


    Even if Sia didn''t improve her talent, Sia was important to her. It all started a year ago.


    Sarah hoped her rtionship with Evander would go back to normal if she got into the academy. So, she worked extra hard and was the first ranker in the entrance test that year. She even undertook great risks and broke a record.


    All she got for that was a "Good job".


    But she didn''t see his joy or pride. All she saw was indifference in those eyes.


    It had a devastating impact on her.


    As the days rolled on, it only worsened and before she knew it, Sarah reeled into depression.


    She was lonely, depressed, and gloomy.


    During that time, a girl was quickly making a name for herself in the academy. She was the entire opposite of her¡ªsocial, optimistic, and cheerful.


    It was as if she was a bundle of positive energy that made everyone happy.


    ''I wish I was like her.'' Sarah had once wished.


    She thought life would go on, but on a fateful day, she went to a quiet park in the academy which usually had no visitors.


    That day, however, she decided to stay a bitte.


    Then she saw the optimistic, positive bundle of energy of the academy¡ªSia sitting near a pond and crying.


    In her helpless tears, Sarah saw herself.


    When she approached her, Sia was visibly shocked. But soon, they found greatmon grounds.


    Sarah learned that Sia had a tragic past, but decided to live strongly so that she could achieve a goal.


    "It was always his dream to see a world of peace. He worked harder than anyone I know. But because of me, he gave up on his dreams. He lost all his confidence.


    I have no excuses. I am responsible for his plight.


    But I don''t want to wash away my sin. I will be the Sovereign he wished to be and bring peace.


    Once I do that, even if I die the next second, I''ll be happy."


    When she confided her reason, Sia''s usually bright face was filled with a myriad ofplex emotions.


    Sarah didn''t ask exactly why or what happened. But she understood that the burden on Sia was far greater than on her.


    So, when she saw Sia facing her life with such a brave attitude, she too decided to do the same.


    While she couldn''t be optimistic or cheerful like Sia, she did seed in her own way.


    She focused on practice, she turned proactive in her life affairs and she chased after her goal¡ªacknowledgment by Evander.


    Their rtionship only solidified further when they joined together as Team ''Siarah''.


    When their and other teams risked finishing a secret realm in the mid dungeon, she was heavily injured.


    Everyone escaped except for Sia. Sia fought the magic beast and killed it at the expense of heavy injuries.


    But Sarah had fatal injuries.


    By then, they had already expended all the healing potions and the other teams ran away.


    Thus, Sia made a decision she never considered.


    Sarah still remembered that moment vividly.


    A drop of glowing blood fell from Sia''s forehead onto her and it changed her forever.


    Sarah would never forget Sia''s kindness.


    And that''s why¡ª


    "Please. How is she? I really want to meet her." Sarah said in a pleading tone.


    "Hmph! I don''t know how one can be so shameless." Enigma said in a piercing voice. "You steal the one person closest to her and you want to meet her? With what face?"


    "I¡ª" Sarah''s face paled and she clenched her fists.


    Her worst fears came true. Even though Varian said his rtionship with Sia didn''t seem to involve any romantic feelings, she was scared it was indeed a romantic rtionship from the beginning.


    Perhaps it was because of the way Varian could be oblivious to romantic feelings¡ªeven when she showed interest in him without knowing, he was unaware of it.


    But more importantly, Sarah could remember the smile and affection Sia showed whenever she talked about that ''person''.


    It was such a close bonding that it went beyond any normal rtionship.


    And that''s why, when Varian revealed that he was ''that person'' of Sia, she panicked. Her insecurities exploded and Sarah struggled to remain calm.


    When Varian told her that he''d remain ''busy'', she realized he''d be on a dangerous journey in the future.


    So, she set aside her insecurities and worked on herself.


    Even though Varian told her that she could call him anytime, she never called him once. She didn''t want to distract him in the middle of his mission, whatever it may be.


    She only wished that in the not-so-distant future, they could stand side by side, face the dangers bravely and live a happy life.


    But if her happiness gave Sia grief, then¡­


    "I¡­I didn''t steal him. I never about his rtionship with Sia. If I did, this would''ve never happened." Sarah bit her lip and closed her eyes.


    "Heh." Enigma sneered. "Now that you know, why don''t you back off? This way, you wouldn''t be betraying Sia."


    Sarah thought of her rtionship with Sia¡ªEverything they went through. Without Sia, she''d have never grown out of her depression. Without Sia, she''d have died in a deste dungeon. Without Sia, she¡­


    Tears began to form in the corner of Sarah''s eyes. The guilt became a weight that suffocated her.


    If she did give up on Varian, then Sia would be happy. Her rtionship with Sia would be also guilt-free. It could also be considered as returning the favor.


    Sarah loosened her clenched fists and the weight on her shoulders seemed to have vanished with the painful decision.


    She looked at Enigma and said.


    "I will not leave him."

 Chapter 511 Saved

    "¡­Ouch." Kyle rubbed his neck and stretched his arms. "What happened¡­?"


    "You got knocked out." A familiar voice said lightly.


    ''This!'' Kyle jumped out of the healing pod and reached out his hands at Varian. "Hey!"


    His hand passed through Varian''s hand and Kyle swiftly realized that the one in front of him was only a hologram.


    So, he calmed down immediately and searched for Maya. After seeing that she was alright, he calmed down and raised a brow at the hologram.


    "Are you really Varian?" He asked with a bit of caution.


    Everything was all too sudden. Even though his mother assured him, Kyle still felt everything was unbelievable.


    "If I say no, will you build me another tomb and write some crazy shit on it?" Varian rubbed his fists and asked with a menacing smile.


    "Eh¡­haha. It''s really you." Kyleughed. "If it was your real self instead, I''d have confirmed with a nce."


    "If it was his real self, he''d have beat you up," Maya added from the side. "For bullying me, of course."


    "That is of course." Varian nodded.


    "You betray your brother for a girl?" Kyle said with a shocked expression.


    Varian slightly signaled to Sarah and the trio caught up with each other


    Sarah understood what he meant and walked to Enigma''s room. She knocked on the door a few times and it slowly opened.


    In the small but sleek and tidy room, Sarah saw Enigma gazing into the space. Sarah didn''t know Enigma enough to understand that she was distracted.


    But she could sense the depressing atmosphere in the room.


    ''She must be ming herself¡­'' Sarah narrowed her eyes. To be fair, she didn''t like Enigma''s outburst. The way she pressured her didn''t help out either.


    But from Enigma''s side, she was just trying to protect the rtionship of a person close to her.


    Considering what Varian told her about Enigma''s nature, the fact that she withdrew from the argument was itself a concession.


    Sarah looked at Enigma''s back and was about to call her when an indifferent, but the shaky voice sounded.


    "I-I''m sorry for my behavior."


    "Huh?!" Sarah nearly flinched at the unexpected words.


    Was this really the leader of Shadow Guardians? The legendary woman wreaked havoc even in the demon abyss.


    Sarah opened her mouth in shock and for a moment, forgot to respond.


    Enigma took that as Sarah still being angry, understandably so. So, she continued.


    "Unless Sia asks me herself, you guys are free to do whatever you want." She emphasized the first part strongly while thetter part was filled with a mix of helplessness and eptance.


    "I hope we never stand against each other," Sarah responded. Even though she was slightly displeased at Enigma''s initial behavior, most of her anger subsided.


    Of course, if it was any other person, even if they apologized, Sarah wouldn''t have treated let them off easily.


    But since the circumstances were different, taking the big picture into consideration, Sarah dropped any words that could prolong the conflict.


    "If you''re really remorseful, apologize to the two." She said lightly.


    Enigma nodded and walked out without another word.


    Sarah was about to follow her out when she noticed the traces of blood on the window.


    ''She¡­''


    With a sigh, she shook her head and left the room.


    "¡­and I know this is inconvenient. But please bear with it for now. We''ll figure out a solution." Varian said to his friends.


    Seeing Sarah and Enigma return, he waved his hand and signaled for them to be seated.


    Of the four couches, Varian and Sarah sat opposite each other while Enigma was opposite Kyle and Maya.


    An awkward silence ensued as Kyle and Maya tried to avoid Enigma''s gaze.


    "I apologize," Enigma said lightly, startling everyone except Sarah.


    "¡­" Varian squinted his eyes and wondered if it was still the same Enigma.


    ''Nah, a patrol team tried to track us down a few minutes ago. She is the real deal.'' He reasoned.


    "I hope it doesn''t happen again," Kyle said and shrugged. "Or I will die a really pointless death."


    "What''s a pointful death?" Maya poked him lightly.


    "¡­Let''s see, a death in theb is always better."


    "Haaa~" Varian shook his head and turned to Enigma.


    "I have a few samples of the potion. Can you check them and see if there''s anything off?" He waved his hand and the samples that just reached the spaceship were pulled in.


    Whoosh!


    Three ss vials with a blue liquid floated in front of Enigma.


    "Gamma Potion!" Kyle eximed.


    Earlier, Varian told them that his joining the expo was purely to kidnap Dr. Thomas. It seemed like gamma potion was an added bonus.


    Enigma stared at the potion samples intensely and gnashed her teeth. "I''ll check them thoroughly."


    Her disgust was hard to hide. After all, this was something Xanders came up with from Sia.


    Since they didn''t have her as the main resource provider, they could only experiment with other sources.


    Enigma was confident that whatever alternative they found, it could only be terrible.


    After all, good things didn''te for free. Especially, potions that could shake the foundations of civilization.


    If Gamma potion could be made without any significant limitation, then it''d only mean that humanity reached a height that it couldfortably crush abyssals.


    ''It''d take at least a few decades.'' Enigma sighed and walked away with the potion samples.


    ''Aren''t you going to say a few words?'' Sarah nudged him.


    Varian shrugged. Truth be told, he was really pissed off when he saw Kyle and Maya''s conditions.


    Fortunately, nothing happened to them. If something irreversible did happen¡­


    "Haa~" Varian exhaled and erased the dangerous thoughts in his mind.


    "Hey! Boo sent a few videos." Sarah eximed and tapped herm.


    Two videos started to y.


    The first was a deste coast from where Kyle and Maya were ''escorted''. It was now locked off by the army.


    The second was rather secretive. A few high awakeners in the defense academy sneaked into the amethystmunity and breached Sarah''s residence.


    Kyle, Maya, and Sarah werepletely taken aback.


    Only then did the weight of Varian''s actions began to settle in.


    ...They were really saved from a horrible future.

 Chapter 512 The Final Step [1]

    "Haa~ She isn''t impulsive like this. You know her for a while too, don''t you? She''s¡­really concerned, to a crazy degree."


    As the ghost ship approached Earth, Blue sh groaned at Varian.


    "I understand what you mean." Varian tapped the armrest of his chair and nodded, but the expression on his face still hadn''t eased.


    "Then why?" Blue sh leaned forward in doubt.


    "Understanding something and beingfortable with it aren''t the same things." He raised his hands and said.


    He needed some time to let Enigma''s actions cool down in his mind.


    Blue sh looked at Varian''s eyes and decided he wasn''t lying. With a sigh, she shook her head.


    "Just know that Enigma was ready to risk her life for


    Varian stood up and stared out of the window. "Let''s settle the business at hand first."


    "I wonder how you''d react if I died." Blue sh covered her mouth and chuckled.


    "Better we never find out." Varianughed.


    Ghost ship streaked past the earth''s space defenses. The space stations, the space patrol, and even the most sophisticated radars failed to detect the ghost ship''s arrival.


    Once it was in the earth''s atmosphere, ghost ship increased its stealth and thus, reduced its speed.


    Then, it started to circle the earth.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    With Boo''s space radar working at full capacity, the secret realms were detected one by one.


    Since Boo had already done such activity once in the past, it was much easier this time.


    Within an hour, Boo already found the target.


    Within that hour, Varian received Enigma''s report on the gamma potion.


    {While I''m no expert in this field, this potion''s fundamental structure is identical to the one made by Roxanna: Alpha Potion.


    Miracle Potion itself is a superior version of said Alpha Potion.


    Gamma potion is made of nearly the same ingredients but its quality is several grades lower.


    The mainponent¡ªSia''s blood infused with her auras is missing in this potion.


    It is reced by something¡­I''m not sure. This new ingredient is also the most important one. But from my observation, this ingredient,bined with others can have a devastating long-term impact.}


    "Not a positive conclusion. I expected nothing less from the Xanders." Varian sneered.


    "Since they passed the safety review, the dangers cannot be found by normal methods." Blue sh opined.


    Even though Varian didn''t like the Xanders, he agreed. "Enigma knows what she knows because of Sia''s blood and Roxanna. Her genius is still haunting us, eh."


    "Well, if we can find someone of her caliber, we can show the problems in the potion to the world." Blue sh shrugged helplessly.


    Roxanna was one of a kind. There were no equals to her in this generation.


    "Actually, we do have a guy." Varian snapped his fingers and a chained figure came into view.


    The thin man was bleeding from all over as sharp objects¡ªnails, bolts, knives, swords, and spears remained impaled in his body.


    "Dr. Thomas." Blue sh said in aplicated emotion.


    "Woo! Woo!" The once famous doctor merely struggled for a few seconds before his eyes turned nk.


    Varian turned around and raised his hand.


    Pa!


    Thomas'' face burnt up with stinging pain as he spat out a mouthful of blood and teeth.


    "Can this piece of shit be of any help? Whether I like it or not, he''s a top scientist after all." Varian asked with a sadistic expression.


    Blue sh felt a shiver down her spine. By the time she reached ghost ship, Dr. Thomas was already fully ''serviced''.


    It wasn''t the torture that bothered her. As an Athena agent and Shadow Guardians'' deputy leader, she had seen worse.


    It was the casual attitude with which Varian dealt with it that irked her. If she wasn''t sure that Varian was on humanity''s side, she''d have attacked him at any cost. Because such a person would be a nightmare to his enemies.


    "He can''t help. His specialty isn''t in potion-making." Blue sh said in a dry voice.


    "Oh, right." Varian sighed in disappointment and snapped his finger.


    "Grrhhh!" A lightning de pierced into Dr. Thomas'' shoulder and electrocuted him, withdrawing just before he could suffer irreversible damage.


    Blue sh watched his actions in silence. She felt that Varian knew Thomas couldn''t help, yet he asked her.


    ''Was it because he wants to confirm...no, he just wanted an excuse.'' Blue sh understood when she saw Varian''s chilly smile.


    Unaware of her thoughts, Varian opened a holographic map and pointed to a moving location.


    "This secret realm is the stronghold of gamma potions. We infiltrate it and get this ''crucial ingredient'' they reced Sia''s blood with." He reiterated the mission''s n.


    "Hm," Blue sh nodded.


    "There are level 9s in it. It''s a risky mission." Varian stressed the word ''risky''.


    After the near-deaths in both Pluto and Expo, he was more sensitive to the risks than ever.


    Blue sh puffed out her chest and said. "Don''t worry, escaping is my strong suit."


    "¡­" Varian fell silent for a moment before nodding. "Good."


    {Master, we''re entering the secret realm.}


    The world around ghost ship shed before the sky changed.


    Argendscape spanning hundreds of miles came into view.


    There were small blue blocks spread across thend.


    As they neared them, they could see that each blue block was a building. The block had a hundred floors and was about half a mile in radius.


    Each such block upied dozens of miles in radius and the whole secret realm was covered by a few dozen blocks.


    "So, this is the brains of Xanders, huh," Varian smirked and his lips curled up. "It''ll be history soon."


    "Er, what are you thinking of doing?" Blue shed asked in worry. "You can''t kill them."


    "Haha~" Varian simplyughed in response.


    Slowly, ghost ship reached one of the blue blocks.


    "Boo, take control," Varian said and in a few seconds, the entire secret realm was under Boo''s control.


    Then he finally turned to Blue sh. "Find the final ingredient. I have a hunch..it''ll be important."


    Blue sh nodded.


    Shrrr.


    With a creak, the ghost ship''s door opened and Blue sh teleported into the building.


    Varian held his breath and waited eagerly.


    This was the final step to reverse everything!

 Chapter 513 The Final Step [2]: Blue Flash’s Mission

    Varian sighed silently and swiped hism.


    Kyle, Maya, and Sarah were safe.


    Seth was somewhere in seclusion and ording to Blue sh, after learning about Shadow Guardians'' destruction, Gareth rushed to Seth.


    ''Well, they were teammates once after all.'' Varian mused as the pressure on his shoulders fell. ''Everyone is safe. Now, there''s only one thing to focus on.''


    He looked out of the window and his gaze seemed to pierce through therge building and spot the hidden figure.


    "Blue sh¡­"


    Blue sh stealthily teleported into the most important building¡ªwhich ironically was identified by Boo because it had the most advanced security systems.


    With Boo disabling the security systems, Blue sh only had to take care to be not found by the security forces.


    When it came to maneuvering against living creatures, Athena agents were second to none.


    Once she got into the building, Blue sh tapped a ring on her and she disappeared.


    No one could see her or smell her scent.


    For the weak awakeners without a terrific perception, it was more than enough.


    However, Blue sh maintained her caution.


    Whenever a person was about to pass by her, she''d use her space powers and ''disappear'' for a small period before appearing in a secure location.


    From the ground floor to the first floor, the second floor¡­


    Soon, the inevitable arrived.


    She avoided the mid-awakeners barely until she finally encountered the high awakeners.


    From here, something seemed to change in her. It wasn''t clear what changed, but her progress in climbing to the top floor was unchanged.


    Varian watched this from a hologram and silently marveled at her skill.


    There were various stories, almost urban legends about these agents that operated in the dark.


    Varian used to think they were exaggerations by the popce. But now, he epted that they were in fact downying the real capabilities of the Athena group.


    Whoosh!


    Whoosh!


    Blue sh appeared on the seventh floor and nced at the small device on her finger. This was the most crucial part of her mission.


    ''If I fail...'' The faces of her loyal followers shed in her mind along with the faces of selfless shadow guardians. Then, the scenes of their deaths seemed to y before her.


    Her focus shook ever so slightly before she controlled herself again.


    "Huh?" A level 7 guard on the floor frowned.


    "What happened?" The guard next to him questioned while taking a defensive stance.


    They were guarding a sensitive facility beside him for a moment. It was arge room covered by blue ss. Inside it, several herbs were subjected to a high aura concentration and extreme physical conditions before turning into a solution.


    If a slight slip-up urred, the whole floor would blow up. So, the guards were extremely cautious.


    "Did you feel anything?" The first guard frowned.


    "Nope. The rm systems aren''t showing any warnings as well." The second guard showed the readings.


    "Let me check," Shaking his head in suspicion, the first guard closed his eyes and focused his fire sense.


    Szz. Szz.


    Like a water wave flooding an empty crater, his fire sense filled the room. As a high awakener, he could detect even the tiniest of aura fluctuations.


    Just like breathing, every awakener would give out aura fluctuations.


    "She''s there." Varian watched, rather nervously as Blue sh stopped in her tracks on the floor.


    The fire sense passed through her and she remained frozen like a statue.


    A few moments passed and the guard finally opened his eyes. "Yeah, my bad."


    Szzz.


    Blue sh sneaked into the upper floor.


    "She''s a pro." Varian sighed.


    In fact, he wanted to sneak up to at least the top floor through the ghost ship.


    But since high awakeners heavily guarded this ce, Boo wasn''t sure if they could escape the senses of a level 9.


    Of course, if Boo reduced its size and moved very slowly, there should be no problem passing through most locations.


    The only problem was that even if they could hide from level 9, they couldn''t enter theb on the top floor. It''d always be under the strict sense of the level 9 guards.


    If they still try to get in, they could be caught.


    After what happened in Pluto and more recently with Julius, Varian was a bit wary of such risks.


    He even wondered if there were treasures in theb like in pluto that could resist Boo.


    But even if theb had treasures against Boo or not, breaking into the top floor''sb¡ªwhich wasn''t connected to any electronic system was impossible for ghost ship.


    To be clear, this was probably the second most secure location he was trying to breach in. The first was naturally Pluto''s.


    Thus, when he was in a dilemma nning this mission, Blue sh proposed another n.


    She''d use a stealth treasure¡ªa hybrid of the treasures that made you invisible and hid your smell and others. These treasures could easily be bought with enough money.


    He was initially hesitant.


    You couldn''t escape the detection of a high awakener just with those treasures.


    Their senses detected the minuscule but almost continuous aura fluctuations¡ªno living being was exempt from that property.


    But like breathing, aura fluctuations could also be suppressed and hidden even from high awakeners.


    Suppressing the aura fluctuations from even a level 9 was, however, a herculean task.


    Not so surprisingly, as the deputy-captain of Athena''s earth branch, Blue sh happened to be one of those stealth monsters.


    Thus,bining Boo''s hacking, a very powerful stealth treasure, and her terrific aura control aplishments, Blue sh managed to sneak into one of the most secured structures of the federation.


    Of course, if humanity improved their technology so that Bo couldn''t hack them, she''d have zero chance of seeding.


    For instance, despite her expertise, Blue sh couldn''t sneak into the heavily guarded facilities on Pluto. The surveince there wasn''t something Boo could master.


    But this wasn''t an abyss den.


    She won''t be stopped.


    Today, the truth would be out!

 Chapter 514 The Final Step [3]: D-Did I Do It?

    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Blue sh passed from one floor to another, narrowly avoiding being found out.


    With each floor, Varian''s anxiety rose.


    In a few minutes, Blue sh reached the top floor.


    Boo already tracked the other floors. The materials that were going in and out of these floors were the known ingredients¡ªthey weremon in both Roxanna''s and Miracle potions.


    So, the final crucial ingredient could only be on the top floor.


    "Boo, are there any clues about the final floor?" Varian asked in a stern voice.


    Unlike the previous floors, there were no cameras on the top floor. No technological surveince. Not even the most basic sensors.


    It was a blind spot they couldn''t ovee.


    So, when Blue sh decided to sneak into the top floor''sb, she knew full well that it was a risky gamble.


    But she did it anyway.


    "If this clears Enigma''s and¡­my fallen members'' reputation, why not?" Those were her words before she risked her life.


    Finally, the moment of truth arrived.


    Blue sh slowly walked up to the final floor.


    Like every other floor, this floor also had a dedicated square room in the center where theb facility was located.


    The perimeter was left open for security. And as expected, there were three level 9 guards on the four sides of theb, leaving one side exposed for entrance.


    And thisb¡­unlike its predecessors was covered by opaque ck walls.


    From time to time, packaged boxes would be sent out from here to the lower floors.


    On the lowest floor, the final process took ce and gamma potions were created.


    One would expect the opposite of the arrangement, but for some strange reason, the crucial ingredient was given more security than the product itself.


    "I have only one chance." Blue shpletely converged her breathing and aura. She felt the cold touch of the item in her palm and felt like she was carrying a mountain in her hand.


    The senses of the three level 9s passed through her silently. dly, she wasn''t found.


    But once she made the slightest movement, no, not even a movement. Once she even circted her space power actively to make a move, she''d be found out.


    She waited for the right time.


    And waited.


    And waited¡­


    Until the door opened once again.


    Her space power exploded all of a sudden and divided into two streams. The first stream went into the item in her hand and the second stream channeled into the floor.


    Boom!


    The level 9s locked onto her the next moment.


    Kaaa!


    With the sound of a mirror breaking, arge ck line appeared on the top floor and the next moment, the space broke apart.


    It was as if someone painted a section of the floor pitch ck¡ªthe space fluctuations from the crack sucked in air and broke out into the floor.


    Boom! Boom!


    The heavily reinforced floor cracked apart like a cobweb while the walls started to shake.


    The only thing that stood motionlessly was the ck-walledb in the middle.


    Whoosh!


    "Kill!"


    Three monstrous killing intents locked onto Blue sh along with three simultaneous attacks.


    A powerful psychic power infiltrated her mind while a glowing bright red arrow¡ªas bright as blood itself rushed at her, followed by a lightning.


    Blue sh''s eyes began to bleed under the psychic''s attack while the space barrier she set up around her began to shake violently under the sheer pressure of fire arrow and lightning.


    "Heh." She smirked and used her space powers.


    Szzz.


    The space around her fluctuated and tried to restrain her. As an important facility, the space restraining formation here was very strong.


    But not strong to the extent that it could stop a level 9.


    "Hmph!" With a tough push, Blue sh broke through the restriction and teleported.


    But right when she disappeared, the fire arrow broke her space defense and the lightning grazed her.


    "Arghh!"


    "KILL!"


    The killing intent exploded from the block as three level 9s shot into the air and dashed towards the figure high in the air.


    "Urgh." Blue sh groaned in pain as golden lightning clicked around her body.


    Zap! Zap!


    Hostile lightning mana coursed through her blood and damaged her organs, electrocuting her to severe injuries.


    On the other hand, the skin on her body was burnt to a crisp. Every drop of blood in her body was on the verge of boiling away while her lower abdomen, where the fire arrow actually attacked, gave her a feeling that it might turn into ashes.


    Her condition was serious and if she had another exchange of blows, even for a level 9, the injuries would turn fatal.


    In fact, the primary reason she was so injured was that the level 9 psychic invaded her mind and weakened her space barrier. This made her an easy target and she took way more damage than otherwise.


    Still, it was all worth it.


    "Capture her!" A voice reverberated across the secret realm.


    Blue sh raised her head and saw the blue sky¡­burning as a red fire filled the sky.


    A terrifying aura exploded like a volcano and locked her.


    A burning red me rose into the air and rushed at her from the horizon.


    A hundred miles away, the three-level 9s were on their way towards her, but it was the fire awakener that sent a shiver down her spine.


    "¡­Peak level 9." Blue sh muttered in shock.


    The four auras that locked onto her tried to lock her in ce.


    Blue sh channeled her space power and forcibly broke the lock, at the cost of exacerbating her injuries and coughing a mouthful of blood.


    As her situation turned from bad to worse, her vision blurred.


    Boom!


    Right as the awakeners were about to reach her, the air exploded.


    The red sky was gone, reced by a blue ceiling and a cool feeling spread throughout her body as a familiar healing potion started to flow through her veins.


    "Haa!" Blue sh sucked in a sharp breath and her vision turned back to normal.


    Seeing the familiar face looking at her in concern, she managed to speak. "D-Did I do it?"


    "Yes, you did," Varian said with a bright smile.


    "Hm¡­" Blue sh lost consciousness with a relieved smile on her face.


    "¡­" Varian''s smile receded and his face turned solemn.

 Chapter 515 The Final Step [4]: Evander’s Help

    "Master¡­" Boo said weakly.


    "Let''s get out of here, first," Varian said in a cold tone.


    "Yes."


    Boom! Shuaa!


    Dark red mes filled the sky and transformed into a fire phoenix.


    With a screech, the elemental creature pped its wings and chased after the ghost ship.


    Whoosh!


    Ghostship rushed out of the secret realm and within seconds, was out of earth''s atmosphere.


    The three level 9s couldn''t keep up and only the peak level 9 fire awakener¡ªa very old man with a long white beard, chased them into outer space.


    But due to the very public disy of the chase, the space patrol, the satellites, and the border army were alerted.


    They checked the scene and saw an old man riding on top of a fire phoenix with bloodshot eyes.


    He seemed to be chasing someone¡­but who?


    There was no one!


    "Stop him!"


    The space patrol followed themand and they encircled the old man, despite his high aura.


    The old man''s eyes widened in rage as he looked at the soldiers. The only reason he was able to track Ghost Ship despite it being in stealth mode was that he locked onto it through his fire sense.


    But once it went out of the range, everything was over.


    "Out of the way!" He yelled and with a wave of his hand, a sea of mes rose. These mes were enough to seriously injure them.


    As a peak level 9, he didn''t think anyone could stop him, but he still dealt a heavy hand.


    ''They dared to stop me!''


    He growled. His rage only boiled further as he noticed the ghost ship was about to slip away from his fire sense''s range.


    "You won''t escape!" He roared and urged the fire phoenix forward, right through the sea of fire that was burning the soldiers.


    "Scre¡ª"


    Kaaaa!


    The cry of the fire phoenix stopped abruptly as it was blown away into bits of fire. Space cracked and the fire suddenly died down instantly.


    A man in a high-ranking military uniform stood in front of the old man. The man looked to be middle-aged, but he had a sense of mature handsomeness beyond anyone handsome, even Sovereign Julius.


    The scar on his left cheek didn''t diminish his image, but only enhanced it further by adding valor and danger to his look.


    "Old guy, roll down to the prison and answer me or I''ll blow up your head, got it?" Evander asked in a cold tone.


    "You! How dare you?!" The old man raised his fire mana and the next moment, Evander was drowned in a sea of fire.


    As the vast mes swallowed him, he stood there silently, appearing weak and tiny.


    "I can still catch them!" The old man gritted his teeth and was about to rush towards the ghost ship.


    This was truly hisst chance, but right then¡ª


    "Hmph!"


    A cold voice came and the sea of mes, the mighty fires, the sacred punishments that seemed impervious went off abruptly.


    "What?!" The old man''s eyes widened at the sight and his heart nearly stopped.


    No. The fires didn''t go off abruptly.


    This man¡­his fists were now clenched. The fires...they were quelled by those fists.


    ''Just a punch?!'' The old man gulped as he felt a terrifying killing intent lock on him.


    He knew full well that the only reason he was spared was his level.


    As a peak level 9, he was deemed ''useful'' for the federation.


    ''But he''s also a peak level 9. Why did I lose so easily?'' The old manined.


    "The one warning is over. Act again and I''ll ughter you." Evander said and his figure blurred.


    The next moment, he appeared beside the old man and held him by the neck. "Let''s go."


    "No!!" Feeling the tight grip on his neck, the old man cried out while gnashing his teeth.


    ''Just you wait¡­''


    "Leave him alone, high general Evander." A cold voice appeared in the distance and golden light shed.


    Sovereign Julius appeared.


    Evander was taken aback. He was sort of expecting Julius'' appearance, but not this way.


    Right now, Juluis'' face was twisted and his eyes seemed to burn in rage.


    But¡­Evander saw something else too.


    ''Fear.''


    "He''s chasing after Dreamer," Julius said in a gloomy voice.


    There was huge difort in Julius'' heart at Evander.


    After realizing that Kyle, Maya, Seth, and even Gareth were missing, he finally ordered the kidnapping of Sarah.


    Yes, he knew it could bring in huge repercussions, but he did it anyway. It was already a risk on his part.


    But to his utter humiliation and dismay, he found out that Sarah too was missing.


    For a moment, he doubted whether Evander was the one behind all this.


    ''I can''t kill him. Even for me, that is beyond the line.'' Julius gritted his teeth and ordered coldly.


    "Dreamer is escaping. General Julius, I said chase after him."


    "Oh," Evander raised a brow and hism suddenly rang.


    "Aoid is ambushed. Need to go, Sovereign Julius." With a wave of his hand, Evander jumped into a spacecraft and disappeared.


    "Argghhh!"


    The space shook with Julius'' screams. His rage was beyond control. Dreamer not only infiltrated the most important secret realm, he nearly sneaked into the top floor!


    If not for the security¡­Julius couldn''t imagine what would happen.


    But the worst of it all?


    Even when such an emergency came, they didn''t contact him. If they did, he''d have used his ring and arrived almost momentarily.


    But the cunning Dreamer seemed to have locked down the whole area. It was only after a few seconds that they were able to contact Julius.


    However, for such a level 9 awakeners, a few seconds was a lot of time.


    So, Julius lost any chances of chasing down Dreamer.


    His day was ruined and his disappointment was immeasurable¡­


    It''d have been ruined further had he known that Dreamer did indeed seed in his mission.


    Tens of thousands of miles away, Varian clicked on hism.


    The item that Blue sh carried inside was a special camera. When she was on the top floor, Blue sh created two streams of space power right after theb door opened.


    The most prominent one was used for development while the other one¡­ was used to teleport this item into theb.


    And now, Varian saw the most crucial ingredient of the gamma potion.


    His eyes widened as he stood up.


    "Fuck!"

 Chapter 516 The Final Ingredient

    It was a rather dark room with only a central hologram. It showed hundreds of readings, which fluctuated every second.


    At the center was arge cubic container full of blue liquid.


    Varian''s keen sight allowed him to notice the minute increase in the liquid''s volume.


    "This blue liquid is the crucial ingredient, but what is it made of?"


    He strained his eyes and focused on the connections to the cubic container.


    The room seemed to be built especially for anti-surveince purposes. So, even the special camera couldn''t pierce through this darkness.


    Thankfully, there was another way.


    The hologram''s light flickered on and off, shedding light on a few of what seemed to be hundreds of special metallic wires connected to the container.


    Varian focused his gaze and follow these wires.


    These wires, intricate and sturdy, each seemed to go to a different section. And from time to time, they pulsed ever so slightly, and then, the blue liquid rose.


    "What is it?" Varian held his breath and followed the wires to their end.


    What he saw wasplete darkness.


    Fa!


    Then, the light hit.


    ss tubes¡­human-sized ss tubes filled the room. Each of these cylinders were filled with blue liquid and the creatures in it were unmistakably humans.


    "Gah." Varian suppressed his gagging and focused his vision once again.


    It was a terrible, no, gut-wrenching sight.


    This time, he was able to see clearly.


    Hundreds of teenagers were kept in ss tubes. Each of them floated in it while their body was covered by wires.


    And these same wires¡­ were connected to the container.


    "Fuck." Varian slumped on the ground and said vacantly.


    A sense of revulsion churned inside his stomach and Varian had to forcibly control himself.


    {The mainponent¡ªSia''s blood infused with her auras is missing in this potion.


    It is reced by something¡­I''m not sure. This new ingredient is also the most important one. But from my observation, this ingredient,bined with others can have a devastating long-term impact.}


    "Sia''s blood is substituted¡­like this?" As he recalled Enigma''s report, Varian gritted his teeth.


    The light in the darkb flickered on and off. No human worked there. Thus, no one could see the pale faces and skinny bodies of the entrapped humans.


    Most of them were teenagers, aging from 18-20.


    It reminded him of Sia.


    "Motherfuckers!" Varian''s blood boiled with rage.


    He mmed the floor of the ghost ship and forcibly stood up.


    The desire to utterly and brutally destroy Xanders coursed through every fiber of his being.


    ''Use me¡­''


    ''Let your rage guide you to me¡­''


    ''Bring Chaos! Destroy Order!''


    Varia''s eyes began to turn pitch ck as his aura began to fluctuate.


    It was as if something deeply primeval awakened and spoke to him.


    Varian was sure he didn''t hear any voices, but he was also sure that such a message was conveyed to him.


    He just needed to use the immense rage he was feeling right now and the power would unleash itself.


    It wasn''t his power, he would merely be an agent. And in its wake, it''d destroy the world as he knew it.


    "No."


    The moment he uttered that simple but decided word, the world seemed to have paused.


    Varian''s eyes turned back to normal and the ckness in his eyes quickly faded away.


    "Haa~" Taking a deep breath, Varian controlled his emotions and said in a voice filled with pain and rage.


    "Boo, check the identities of those¡­humans," Varian said, feeling irony at the term he was using.


    Humans.


    Calling those who suffered the same name as those who were responsible for suffering was an insult.


    ''Xanders, from today, your downfall begins.'' Varian had an unshakable certainty.


    He didn''t know exactly when, but he decided to erase the name of Xanders out of existence.


    "Master!" Boo appeared in front of him and cried out as it showed a hologram.


    It was a list of many teen boys and girls. Varian couldn''t associate these bright stars on the list with the near-skeletons in that room.


    "¡­they are all geniuses but couldn''t match their peers because of theck of resources.


    They are all ''officially'' dead. Since they were spread across differents, space stations, space cities, and even cluster cities, no one had found anything strange with their ''idental deaths''." Boo shook its face and exined.


    Boom!


    As Varian clenched his fists, the sheer force caused the air in his palm to explode and a shockwave swept across the ghost ship.


    With that, the rage in his heart finally came under control.


    "What''s the most sensational news now?" Varian asked in a low voice.


    "It''s you beating up the Shadow Guardian''s rtive, calling him a traitor, and that every rtive of shadow guardian should be severely tortured," Boo answered in a cautious voice.


    To be sure, that video only became famous because Varian asked it to ''push'' it.


    "What about the Dreamer incident?" Varian raised a brow.


    "¡­They blocked it. Any rted news is taken down." Boo shrugged. "In fact, the government also started pushing your news to keep the public distracted."


    "Heh." Varian sneered in contempt. Indeed, if the legendary gamma expo failed due to Sovereign Julius destroying the stadium, then the entire event would be aughing stock.


    "Master, do you want me to expose the event?" Boo asked with sparkling eyes.


    "No. Let people hate Shadow Guardians even more. Spread my post and any other government posts regarding how evil the Shadow Guardians are." Varian instructed.


    "Alright¡­" Boo nodded in confusion.


    "Oh right," Varian pped his forehead and his lips curled up into a vicious smile.


    "Didn''t the Xanders go above and beyond in calling Shadow Guardians the traitors?" He asked with a cold expression.


    "¡­Well, not all. But most did." Boo said, trying not to look at Varian''s scary face that was only turning scarier with each passing second.


    "Select one from the established leaders. Pick another from the rising leaders. Then, raise their reputation the meta with theirments on Shadow Guardians." Varian narrowed his eyes and instructed.


    "B-But master!" Boo stuttered in shock. "If Boo does that, then everyone will hate Shadow Guardians even more."


    "Aren''t they already doing it?" Varian sneered. "Let their hate reach its peak. Gopletely anti-Shadow Guardian. Oh and give big credits to the Xanders. Remember Boo, Xanders'' reputation must reach its peak."


    "¡­Fine." Boo obeyed the order regardless of the sense it made.


    Boo did want to ask him why, but looking at the cold smile on the corner of his lips, it lost all courage.


    Most of the time, Varian was very approachable. But during times like these, he was the scariest person Boo knew.


    ''Fortunately, Boo is not master''s enemy.'' Wiping the virtual sweat off its forehead, Boo made its way to the control room of the ghost ship.


    It checked Blue sh''s condition and after noticing, the high electrical readings, Boo ordered the bots to administer a special herbal potion to remove the lightning mana in her body.


    Then, it started Varian''s task. Even for Boo, manipting social media on such a huge scale while remaining hidden from the technocrats wasn''t easy.


    ''I need motivation.''


    So, Boo recalled Varian''s cold smile and nodded. ''Yes! When Master is like that, he''s full of energy.''


    So, Boo tried to imitate it.


    "Mhuahahaha."

 Chapter 517 Xanders’ Reputation Peaks, As Planned

    "Are you kidding me?" Haru mmed the table and pointed fingers at the woman in the hologram. Her ck uniform was too eye-catching. Especially, in recent times.


    Enigma.


    Even though she was just a hologram, her presence inspired fear and rage.


    "You appear out of nowhere, tell me she''s a victim, really now?" Haru looked at Dreamer in displeasure.


    ''Well, I shouldn''t be showing this yet. But since you¡­her father, I am willing to trust you.'' Varian in the hologram thought and tapped on hism.


    "What are you¡ª" Haru stopped abruptly as a file popped up in hism.


    It was a lengthy, extremely technical, and arduous proof of a signal block. It was the proof made by the scientists under Sovereign Irene after testing the ''Blocker''.


    "This!" Haru''s eyes widened and he scrambled for a holographic pen.


    After an hour, Haru slumped in his chair and looked vacantly at Enigma. "¡­I''m sorry, girl."


    "¡­" Enigma didn''t know how to respond to a guy who wasn''t even one-tenth her age referring to her as a girl.


    "We need your help," Dreamer stressed and pointed to the vials of blue liquid.


    "I can give you some readings from theb''s hologram and Enigma will tell you crucial information about the original potion and¡­the original crucial ingredient¡ªa girl''s blood," Dreamer said in a serious tone.


    Haru widened his eyes as he felt an ominous premonition.


    Enigma, who was silent until then, spoke for the first time. "I have a feeling this gamma potion is a bit off. I have the information, you are the expert. We need to find out what''s wrong with the potion."


    Haru opened his mouth to reject, but recalling the fact that his daughter Maya always liked Shadow Guardians, nodded helplessly.


    "Good! Let''s get going!"


    A difficult task began.


    *** *** ***


    Across the sr system, social media was on fire.


    Given the size of the federation, there were multiple sr social media tforms, but also many numerous regional tforms.


    Unless it was a very special asion, the trending news on the regional tforms didn''t align with the sr tforms.


    An example of a special asion was the Gamma Expo.


    Since it had been a few hours since its end, billions of people watched the Expo.


    Most of them couldn''t believe what they were seeing.


    Awakeners breaking their bottleneck and advancing an entire level!


    Even if it was peak level 5, they reached level 6!


    It was a miracle, something out of a fairytale.


    But now, they saw in front of their own eyes.


    For a while, people kept crying in gratitude and thanking ''Xanders''.


    The status of the prime family went from guardians of the earth to guardians of humanity.


    It was only a short period of time, but the effect of gamma potions had profound ripple effects.


    The Xander family had always been trying to expand its influence onto others.


    Venus and Mars already had a significant presence. The next targets were naturally Mercury and Jupiter.


    Until now, these twos were under the heavy influence of the most senior Sovereign¡ªAlbert and the second strongest prime family¡ªthe Caron family respectively.


    But with the sess of the gamma potion, the regional powers were swayed. They called up the Xander family one by one and started to discuss win-win co-operations.


    Some of them even explicitly stated they were willing and even hoping to be vassals of the Xander family, given that they get a quota of gamma potions.


    The Xanders were arguably at their best. Not even Julius'' father, Ceaser Xandermanded such influence.


    Now, both publicly and privately, Xanders were emerging as a power beyond the prime families.


    The Xanders themselves were ted. While they knew that ''Dreamer'' caused drama and even kidnapped an important scientist, such trivialities faded in front of their rising status.


    Of course, Julius was unhappy. He kept breaking things in his room and even pped a butler to near death. Now, no one dared to congratte him.


    But they themselves were celebrating.


    While they were at it, unknowingly, two names started to frequently appear on social media.


    Cail Xander, the deputy head of the Xander family, was a peak level 9 Beast Morpher.


    He was also the brother of Ceaser Xander and uncle of Julius.


    Unknown to everyone else, he was the one responsible for striking a deal between Julius and Kreo to erase Sia''s existence from memories.


    Of course, he was also the same man who opposed Shadow Guardians'' extermination and was called out by Julius for his hypocritical double standards.


    The other was Princess Iris Xander. A level 7 Beast Morpher and one of the possible candidates for the next Sovereign. If not for Charles Xander''s sudden rise, she would''ve remained the number one genius of the Xanders.


    Now, these two people were experiencing what could only be described as wild fame on steroids¡ªtheir previous interviews, press meets and social media posts exploded.


    One was the established giant, while the other was the brightest rising star¡ªbut they had one thing inmon.


    Their strongnguage on Shadow Guardians.


    Since the start of the event, they demonized the guardians while painting the Xanders as the forces of good.


    Cail Xander personally didn''t want this, but as the deputy''s head, he did it for the family.


    Princess Iris Xander did it for influence.


    Regardless of their reasons, their previous posts under the intervention of an invisible hand were suddenly made famous.


    "Cail Xander is a true hero of humanity!"


    "Princess Iris, I''m your biggest fan!"


    "I want to be like you when I grow up!"


    "+1"


    "+2"


    "Princess Iris is the future Sovereign!"


    "Shadow Guardians are exterminated. Their rtives should be tortured in the cruelest way so that no one even dares to think of betraying humanity!"


    "Agreed!"


    "Do it!"


    "Oh, a guy already proposed it in the gamma expo. I think you saw this video already, it''s everywhere."


    Slowly, in every post regarding Cail, Iris also started having posts of Varian brutally beating up the Shadow Guardian''s rtive.


    The public sentiment started brewing.


    In a matter of hours, the reputation of Cail Xander and Iris Xander reached new heights, only under the unreachable Sovereign Julius.


    The Xander family also made use of the momentum and announced that Cail Xander was the one who overlooked and spearheaded the extermination of Shadow Guardians.


    They originally wanted Julius with the role, but due to his bad mood, no one dared to approach him.


    Thus, as his position elevated further, Call Xander gave a heart-to-heart interview describing his views on Shadow Guardians.


    "I will personally oversee the torture of the Shadow guardians'' rtives. They''re the vilest scum of humanity."


    ''I tried to stop Julius, but they''re dead now. I don''t like what I''m saying, but it''s for the family my brother built after all.'' Cail Xanderforted himself, hoping his conscience wouldn''t find his actions despicable.


    ''Yay! I finally got some recognition! It''s not just Charles in the family, alright? Before his sudden rise, I was the biggest genius. Notice me!'' Princess Iris Xander was finally happy with the attention she was finally getting.


    As the two got more and more famous along with the post of Varian beating up the guardians'' rtive, a narrative was slowly consolidated.


    Xanders became the heroes, with Cail and Iris leading them, while guardians became the viins, with Enigma at the helm.


    As their reputation reached a peak, Varian''sm rang.


    {We found the undiscovered effects of Gamma potion. They are¡­}


    Reading the message, he smiled.


    His lips arched into a bloodthirsty smile as he let out a roaringugh.


    "It''s finally time!"

 Chapter 518 The First Revenge

    There was a saying from Old Earth.


    "It took years to build a reputation, but only a moment to break it."


    It didn''t matter if you were revered as a saint. It didn''t matter if you were the most loved human. It didn''t matter if you were the most famous star.


    Just one moment.


    And boom.


    The reputation painstakingly built through months, years, and even a lifetime smash into smithereens.


    The best living example was Enigma herself.


    Despite the ignorant seeing her as the leader of a terrorist outfit, the ones that came in contact with the guardians saw her as a guardian in the shadows.


    With each life that Shadow Guardians saved, with each battle they helped, with each aplishment they made, her reputation rose.


    Particrly after the Valos'' war, Shadow Guardians'' reputation reached an all-time peak in the elitemunities.


    Naturally, Enigma was the helm of that respect and admiration.


    She garnered so much craze that there were some groups even debating publicizing her true deeds, despite the risk of angering the Xanders.


    That was how much reputation rose.


    But in the blink of an eye, it all crumbled like a sandcastle.


    The savior of the world became the world''s enemy¡ªthe alien that was to be in.


    As the proofs came in one by one and evidence stacked up against her, Enigma turned from a sacred hero to the vilest evil.


    People couldn''t digest this sudden change and it multiplied their hatred towards her.


    Going from extreme admiration to extreme hatred was extreme. The quote really seemed true.


    "It took years to build a reputation, but only a moment to break it."


    But Varian disagreed.


    Unlike Enigma, Xanders'' didn''t build their reputation on months, years, or even a lifetime.


    The strongest prime family''s reputation as a product of 500 years¡ªthe hard work of many generations.


    If Enigma''s reputation was like fragile ss, then Xanders'' reputation was like tough steel.


    A piece of bad news or two would hardly make a dent. Even if it was terrible news, it won''t crack the metal. And unless it was disastrous, the metal wouldn''t break.


    In fact, even if the news was disastrous, there was a high chance that people would rather believe it''s false to keep up their original opinions.


    "I can''tpletely destroy the Xanders'' reputation." Varian leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs.


    Contrary to what one might expect given his hatred towards Xanders, Varian seemed prettyidback.


    In fact, if one just went by his words and sight, they would think that Varian was on a vacation.


    "They are too entrenched in the society to be wiped out in one blow," Varian muttered, but his eyes didn''t lose their spark of ambition. Instead, they shone brighter, as it did his ambition.


    "Even the mighty devas couldn''tst forever. What are the mere Xanders inparison?" Varian smiled mockingly, his glee visible from the nasty smile on his face.


    [Host, devas had a chance ofsting forever. At least, their leader. But it was the System that ended them. Shouldn''t the host be thanking System?]


    "¡­Shut up! Why can''t I have a few minutes of self-reflection without you popping up?" Varian rolled his eyes in annoyance.


    [¡­What a cruel host. The System didn''t hesitate when you wanted to lower your aura level or lock your path, yet you abandon the System right after using it.


    Host, if you do this to any human woman, she''d call you a scumbag.]


    "You!" Varian was dumbfounded. "Don''t joke around like that, my heart can''t take it."


    [The System merely made a suitable analogy.]


    "Seriously, what the fuck happened to you? I want that emotionless, cold and stupid system back!"


    [You get what you deserve]


    "¡­" Varian opened his mouth to refute, but in the end, he simply waved his hand and ended the conversation.


    Turning his attention back to hism, he checked the status.


    After confirming that the n was almost set, he walked to a remote room.


    Kree.


    The door creaked open and Varian stepped into the darkness.


    The darkness couldn''t stop his advanced senses. The body suspended in the middle by metal chains was more than visible.


    There were also special bots circling around this body and injecting it with special liquids from time to time.


    Ta! Ta! Ta!


    Hearing the footsteps from the darkness, the body twisted fiercely and twitched, as if it wanted to call for help.


    "Hmm¡­Hmm¡­" All the came out of the body''s mouth as a muffled groan.


    His eyes started to lose focus and he felt the same dreadful feeling again.


    No matter how many times he experienced it, it was horrifying.


    Varian appeared in front of the man and the room lit up, causing Dr. Thomas to close his eyes forcibly.


    Dr. Thomas'' body was now as bloody as one could. Bone breaking, tendons cutting, and scorching¡ªeverything was tried and tested on him.


    "How have you been? Is the amodation sufficient?" Varian asked with an innocent expression, causing Dr. Thomas to shiver fiercely.


    Varian snapped his fingers and Dr. Thomas suddenly found himself able to talk.


    "Y-You! You are going to die a gruesome¡ª"


    "I didn''t ask you to divine my future." Varian shrugged as a dark


    silence filled the room.


    "Anyway, today is the day revenge against Enigma''s enemies begins. Varian dered a seemingly impossible event casually.


    "Out of all the people who were responsible for today''s fiasco, you are one of the main culprits.


    Coborating with abyssals and sending the ''tracker'' to those that betrayed Enigma." Varian''s eyes chilled.


    Dr. Thomas'' felt the pain course through his body and wished it all ended with a slice.


    But no. Death was a luxury now.


    "And you were the one who invented the bullshit space radar. If not for you, the Shadow Guardians'' secret realm wouldn''t have been discovered."


    Varian clenched his fists as he fought back the urge to st the body in front of him to pieces.


    "You made a mess about Enigma''s age. You made her miserable." Varian''s eyes turned red as he snapped his fingers.


    Whoosh!


    A bot rushed towards Thomas and injected a special liquid.


    "Haa!" Dr. Thomas'' world began to blur as he felt incredibly drowsy. Yet, he fought back this feeling with all his might. It was futile.


    "Don''t worry,"


    As his world began to blur and darken, Dr. Thomas heard Varian''s void.


    "This is what you brought on yourself. Once you fall asleep, you won''t be you anymore. Your sense of self will die. So, try not to sleep."


    Varian said in a casual tone and walked out.


    "Since we began with you, the rest can start."

 Chapter 519 The First Bomb: Solar System Shakes

    John was a normal young man.


    Twenty years old, he was currently enrolled in one of his city''s colleges.


    He was one of those enthusiasts who were curious about the ground reality.


    So, since he was fourteen, he went to all sorts of online forums, groups, and panels to know the truth and only the truth.


    He knew full well about Enigma''s deeds. And his admiration towards her was so much that he even tried to contact Shadow Guardians online.


    Thus, when Enigma''s "true goal" was revealed, his world turned upside down.


    The hero in his heart turned out to be a despicable viin.


    The evidence was irrefutable.


    It had only been a few days since that incident, but John''s mind was still preupied with Enigma''s hunt.


    "Why haven''t they caught her yet?" Heined.


    Then, he did what most of his peers did.


    He scrolled through his social media.


    "Again?" The biggest headline was the ''traitors'' being beaten up and tortured in the gamma expo.


    "I wonder if people are sadists? Or else why is this news this popr for so long?" John shook his head and scrolled down.


    Then came the interviews of Cail Xander and Princess Iris Xander.


    John''s face had aplicated emotion as he looked at these two people.


    In the past, he despised the Xanders. But realizing their deeds, he couldn''t help but respect them.


    With a sigh, he scrolled down when he suddenly noticed something was weird.


    News¡­ a piece of news was visibly climbing up the leaderboard rankings.


    Five seconds passed and John opened his mouth in shock.


    100, 95, 90¡­


    Fifteen seconds passed. John stood up dumbfounded. He still couldn''t believe what he was seeing.


    80, 70, 60¡­


    Thirty seconds passed and John quickly checked the other social media tforms¡ªboth regional and sr.


    It was the same piece of news. It was the same anonymous source.


    But the speed of the climb remained the same.


    A single minute passed.


    1.


    The news finally reached the apex position on the leader boards.


    "Gulp." John looked at the different leaderboards on the seven holograms and gulped. They all had the same news.


    (Enigma isn''t a threat. She is a victim.}


    The title was absurd. John wondered who even dared to post it. Even if they were anonymous, the federation could track them down.


    "But why did it climb the rankings then?" He narrowed his eyes and clicked on the title.


    The hologram shed a blue light and the in white background was gone.


    The rtively 2-D hologram till then turned 3-D as a small forest upied John''s room.


    In the middle of the forest was a dome-shapedb building.


    Outside the building, an old man stood with a small smile.


    "Uranus'' most famous scientist!" John knew this old man. His friends who were in the research stream described him as the closest we ever got to a legend.


    "Hello, fellow human." The old man began.


    "We were under the assumption that Enigma is a principal threat, however, it is all false." He took out what seemed to be a strange ck disc and started drawing out strange calctions.


    John could follow it for a few seconds, but soon, he had no idea what was going on.


    So, he skipped to the end and found the old man saying.


    "This proves that any information going out of the sr system is getting blocked by items like these. And to repeat it again, Abyssals have plenty of them on Pluto." The Old Man said in a hushed tone.


    Then, his eyes glowed fiercely as he dered. "As the head of the Uranus researchmittee, I am throwing every single scientist of the sr system.


    You can check the authenticity of this video with technocrats. You can personally send out messages and track them. You can verify if those messages are being bounced back or not through my form.


    I dare you all, PROVE ME WRONG!"


    "¡­"


    John nkly stared at the hologram. The next thing he knew, he lost the strength in his knees and plopped on his butt.


    "H-How can it be?" He muttered in a broken voice.


    He used to rever her but then hated her. Now, he''s being told that the charges against her were all false?


    "No way!" John shook his head fiercely.


    Fortunately or unfortunately, humans were creatures of habit. They resisted change.


    So, John decided he wouldn''t change his opinion on Enigma from this one post.


    But once given the right incentive, humans were also extremely adept at changing.


    "I will let the other scientists debunk it! Venus scientists are more than enough." He said to himself and searched for the relevant links.


    As expected, even though it had been less than half an hour since the news was uploaded, there were already hundreds of ''expert'' responses.


    John''s lips broke into a hopeful smile and he selected the expert with the most followers¡ªone of mercury''s leading scientists.


    A thin woman with red hair and straight brows appeared on the hologram.


    "I will prove you wrong in five minutes." She said and started the experiment.


    John watched in anticipation.


    One minute passed. Two minutes passed¡­five minutes passed.


    The confidence on her face was nowhere to be found as a solemn expression appeared on her face.


    "No¡­but why¡­is this the reason?" She muttered incoherently and despite getting negative results, she continued.


    In the end, twenty minutes passed with the redhead trying multiple times to ''prove'' that this ''message bounce back'' was all fake.


    After all, how could anyone lock down the sr system¡­right?


    "Arghhh! I stand corrected. This is indeed verifiable. Guys, it''s official! Enigma threat is a hoax." The redhead yelled.


    John''s body trembled as his face turned as pale as a sheet of paper. His heart pounded for the truth, but his brain couldn''t ept such a result.


    Begrudgingly, he pressed for the next famous scientist.


    "¡­.bless you. The proposed theory holds true! Indeed, Enigma''s threat is fake!"


    John felt his heart drop as he checked out the other experts. They all gave the same answer.


    Of course, he encountered one or two who didn''t agree and showed why the proof is wrong.


    But they were all quickly corrected by the real scientists. Soon, tens of thousands of verifications filled a pool and were still filling.


    Amidst all this, Neptune''s science academy released a video.


    "¡­We verify this is true. This news is going to be dered on the level."


    "Fuck!" John cursed out in shock.


    With an academy themselves proving it to be true, there could be nothing more convincing.

 Chapter 520 Sovereign Julius’ Intervention

    "Block it! Erase it from the meta!" Julius mmed his fist into the table, breaking it into smithereens as he red at the holograms ahead.


    "Sir, we can''t!" The four holograms in front of him bent down even further and pleaded.


    "Aren''t you the fucking owners of the tforms?" Julius'' face twisted in rage.


    "S-Sir, Dreamer is¡­." One of the four stuttered but didn''t dare to continue. However, what he wanted to say was already conveyed.


    Kacha!


    With a single stomp, the floor under Julius cracked and the entire building began to shake violently.


    Julius clenched his fists as veins popped up on his forehead.


    ''Dreamer this, Dreamer that, don''t remind me of that guy! That fucker! He''s still alive! How the fuck is he still alive?!''


    Julius couldn''t understand. He was sure that Dreamer took hisst hit unarmed. Dreamer, no, Varian was set to die.


    After his ''apparent'' death, Julius received the news that Varian''s close ones that were supposed to be detained were missing.


    While he had some suspicions, Julius ultimately believed it was due to some backup n.


    ''If I die, you all have to escape, live with changed identities.'' Or something like that.


    But even the thought that Varian could be alive didn''t pass through his mind.


    (Enigma isn''t a threat. She is a victim.}


    Whatever he wanted to believe, the fact that this post was at top of all social media tforms despite all his technocrats working against it, was the ultimate testament to Varian''s survival.


    ''That son of a bitch!'' Julius wasn''t all polite with hisnguage. ''He is like an annoying fly. He can''t do much, but he keeps annoying the heck out of me.''


    Indeed, even if Enigma was proven innocent, the public opinion on Xanders wouldn''t be negative.


    Because this so-called new proof was essentially achieved through a breakthrough method.


    Meaning that no one before that Uranus'' old guy even knew about this. And to be honest, no one, including Julius could guess why the old scientists suddenly had a breakthrough¡ªit was due to the Blocker.


    But so far, the released video only showed the blocker without going into detail about what it actually was.


    Regardless, Xanders'' weren''t losing their reputation through this.


    ''We didn''t know about this method. We were judging the situation based on existing knowledge.'' The Xanders could say and dust their hands off this matter.


    Thinking of this, Julius'' rage slowly calmed down.


    ''Yes, my family''s reputation is unaffected¡­wait! The attack on gamma potion''s secret realm... was it also orchestrated by him?'' Julius'' body froze as an ominous premonition rose in his heart.


    ''No. The top floor isn''t connected to anything. It can''t be hacked. It''s safe.'' He shook his head and reassured himself.


    "Hey." He looked at the four CEOs who were basically bending overpletely and despised their ipetence.


    "Stand straight." He spat coldly.


    "Sir?"


    "Morons! Stand straight." Julius hissed and the wind began to cool down.


    The four leaders stood up and looked at Julius meekly.


    While their eyes still had the admiration and reverence towards the youngest Sovereign, there was another emotion now.


    Doubt.


    Why did the Xanders publicize that she was a threat so proactively? Of course, while basically every scientist also thought that Enigma could message her species, and warned the popce, the Xanders were at another level. They acted as the knights of morality and led the metaphorical witch hunt.


    A hunt that was ultimately proven to be based on falsehood.


    "Since you can''t stop the post, just shut down the tforms," Julius said lightly, not caring one bit about the huge impact it''d have on people''s daily lives.


    "Sir!" The only woman out of the four shook her head.


    "What? Ms. Zakanov, do you really intend to disobey orders? You realize how adversely this news affects the federation''s credibility, right?" Julius narrowed his eyes and asked in a cold voice.


    "I do!" Ms. Zakanov, a thindy with a sweet voice replied.


    "Then what?" The impatience in Julius'' voice was obvious.


    "To prevent the events where Abyssals take control of federations'' social media, our servers are decentralized.


    Basically, as long as a few nodes are running, the tform will be active. It could slow down, but it won''t shut down." The more she spoke, the worse Julius'' face turned.


    But she had to finish her point. "And Dreamer¡­he is controlling a few nodes. We can''t even close down the tforms."


    Bang!


    Julius mmed the wall and a shockwave spread.


    Whoosh!


    The sheer force of the wind that rushed out of the window destroyed everything in sight for dozens of miles before it died down.


    "Gulp." Ms. Zakanov felt incredibly lucky that she was on Jupiter and could only attend this meeting virtually.


    "At least do something. Any fucking thing." Julius cursed in foulnguage,pletely unbefitting his status.


    The gentle and righteous image of Julius in their minds began to change, but they maintained a polite smile.


    "We''ll do our best, Sir." Ms. Zakanov assured him, despite knowing full that the situation waspletely out of control.


    After she checked the stats in the past 24 hours, she noticed that there seemed to be an ''invisible hand'' pushing this agenda.


    This invisible hand was very subtle. Even her team of experts couldn''t find it existed and considered that she merely imagined things.


    But Ms. Zakanov was certain. Her intuition was what brought her here today.


    ''During the first few minutes of this ''proof'' release by Uranus'' old scientist, this invisible hand still kept pushing the news to the top.'' She thought.


    If it was still the invisible hand responsible for poprity, she''d have thought of a way to deal with it.


    ''But now¡­there''s no need for the other party to do anything.'' This was her biggest frustration.


    The news was spreading like wild fire. It was only growing exponentially with each passing second.


    As more and more people learned about it, they started sharing it more and more.


    As her hologram dissipated, Ms. Zakanov looked at Sovereign Julius and sighed.


    ''Sometimes, the greatest selling point was truth itself.''


    But as she recalled Julius'' chilling eyes, she made a tough decision.

 Chapter 521 Consequences

    The public opinion on Enigma took a drastic turn. The previous supporters of Enigma came out inrge numbers on social media.


    #SorryEnigma started to trend.


    #SorryGuardians closely followed.


    And these people started to post their personal interactions with Shadow Guardians and Enigma.


    While there were only a few who had direct interactions with Enigma, there was a tonne of people whose lives were influenced by Shadow Guardians.


    The social media giants couldn''t take down Dreamer''s post. But the same couldn''t be said for these posts.


    So, they began a round of cleansing.


    In a matter of minutes, they erased everything rted to Enigma except the original post that they couldn''t delete.


    The proofs, the reactions, the apologies¡ªeverything was gone.


    Initially, the leaders of these tforms thought they did a great job. And when they got the calls from Sovereigns one by one, they were even more pleased.


    But reality bitch pped them.


    Smash!


    "You dickheads! What are you trying to aplish?" Sovereign Ares growled at the four holograms in front of him.


    "You think we are gods and can do whatever we can''t? Or do you think the public can''t even see your preposterous actions?" Lightning snakes coiled around him, hissing at them to answer obediently.


    "B-But Sir, we don''t want the image of the federation to be damaged."


    Kaaa!


    "Are you stupid or are you stupid? After what you''ve done, the public will direct their anger toward the federation. You''ve done exactly what you were trying to prevent. Once the public loses trust in the institutions, the society will crumble." Sovereign Irene lectured in a raging tone.


    "B-But, we were only trying to help maintain the public image."


    Kree!


    "What a terrible decision." Sovereign Kevin shook his head regretfully. "If we came out clean and let the Xanders, at least a few of them admit their mistake, the fiasco would''ve ended smoothly."


    "B-But Sir, we were also instructed." A leader cried out.


    Boom!


    "Instructed by one Sovereign and you didn''t even consult the rest when taking such a big decision! Do you guys have water inside your brains?" Sovereign Micheal Caron, the eternal pessimist stared at them like he wanted to eat them alive.


    "Now the public will revolt. The army will also revolt. They''ll call you greedy corporations and us Sovereigns as dictators. While we plunge into civil war, abyssals will attack and kill us all." Sovereign Micheal Caron nkly stared into the outer space and said in despair.


    "S-Sir, the situation isn''t as bad as you think!"


    Shuaaa!


    "Isn''t bad as I think? Oh? Then you tell me, why did the special apps on the ck market get 100x more downloads than usual in the past few hours? And this number is going up as we speak." Sovereign Kreo said in a low tone.


    "Our public image has taken a hit. In the private chatrooms, people started ming the federation. There''s only one solution to this." Sovereign Kreo looked at them inly and said.


    "W-What is that, Sir?" Another leader asked apprehensively.


    Boom!


    "You guys take responsibility, and apologize in public." Sovereign Vianne rolled on a fluffy bed as she chuckled.


    "A-Apologize?" A leader stuttered. "But if we do that, our careers would¡­."


    It was the same as pleading their guilt. Once this issue blows up in courts, their lives would be caught up in an endless nightmare ofwsuits.


    Until now, they nned to use some scapegoats they bought out in theirpany in case of legal problems, but if they take responsibility and apologize, that''s a different issue altogether.


    "Is there no other way?"


    "Hehe." Sovereign Vianne fanned herself as shezily nced at them. The room was filled with gold and jewelry one couldn''t imagine in their lifetime. Yet, she seemed to be interested more in the four holograms than the treasures.


    "It''s been too long since something like this happened. So, you big corporation guys have no idea how much mess you''ve made. The apology isn''t the end, it''s only the beginning." She chuckled to herself and waved her hand.


    The water vapor in the air started to condense and ate away the hologram projector.


    "B-But won''t an apology suffice?"


    Kaaa!


    "It won''t. There is one more step." The oldest of all Sovereigns, and also the most influential among them, Sovereign Albert told the leaders emotionlessly.


    "One more?!" The leaders paled.


    Just this much was enough to kill them financially and socially. And he''s telling them they need one more fucking step?


    "Yes. Just one more and all your guilt will be written off." Sovereign Albert nodded seriously. In fact, his expression was always serious.


    Legend had it that thest time Sovereign Albert genuinely smiled was when he was tickled at the age of 15.


    It was undeniable that Evander had been a bad father. But looking at the parenting he got from Albert, one couldn''t really fault him.


    Even when Evander was a terrible father, he was light years ahead of Albert.


    The reason?


    At times, he could be incredibly apathetic.


    "Sir, what is the next step?"


    "Oh. It''s simple, really." Sovereign Albert smiled at them. It was a very professional smile. Not sincere in the slightest.


    But it did its job.


    The leaders looked at him and smiled back. As social creatures, this was their natural reaction.


    "You just have to be hanged." Sovereign Albert said in a nonchnt tone.


    "Pardon?" The leaders thought they were hearing things. Had the audio system gone wrong? Or was someone ying a prank on them?


    The leaders thought that perhaps Dreamer himself is blocking this conversation. So, they looked at Albert with hopeful eyes and were even determined to read his lip movements to confirm his words.


    "Oh right, I''m getting too old for this shit." Sovereign Albert shifted in his seat to a morefortable position.


    Then he looked the leaders in the eye. Their eyes were full of hope and anticipation.


    But there was also another emotion they didn''t notice.


    Fear.


    "Heh." Sovereign Albert snickered and said in a nonchnt but undeniable tone. "Don''t worry too much about it."


    Their expression eased, but his next words caused them to freeze.


    "After a public apology, you will all be hanged."

 Chapter 522 The Shift In Public Opinion

    People didn''t like to be told that they were fooled. But even more than that, they didn''t like to be treated like fools.


    So, when the social media giants tantly deleted every single media piece about Enigma, the bacsh was unprecedented.


    There was an outcry from the public that was fundamentally different from any normal protests.


    If left unchecked, it''d have caused a massive upheaval economically and would''ve affected the harmony.


    Thankfully, as someone with a lot of experience in seeing the best and worst of humanity, Sovereign Albert made the right call.


    In a few minutes, the posts were restored and an apology letter was published by the leaders of the tforms¡ªalong with the federation''s official letter hanging them for their ''anti-people'' move.


    The rage that was beginning to build up melted away and after gloating at the ''karma'' hitting back at the leaders, the public was engaged back in Enigma''s discussion.


    John browsed through all the proofs and sniffed back his tears.


    "I''m sorry, Enigma."


    Not just him, but as hours went by, most of the people that previously believed in Enigma, but were enraged after her identity was exposed expressed their regret publicly.


    But the general popce was mostly ignorant of Enigma''s deeds. They were curious at the intense outrage. However, having learned that it was about Enigma, they were baffled.


    ''Why are they apologizing to the leader of a terrorist organization? Do we have these many terrorists? No¡­''


    Growing unrest began in the majority.


    Since Sovereign Julius used his clout to designate Shadow Guardians as a terror organization and for most of the part, assigned them as part of Shadow Order, most of the people lived under the wrong assumptions.


    "Even if I get fined, jailed, I''ll expose the truth." John gritted his teeth and opened a locked file in hism.


    With a click, it showed the dozens of files he collected over the past year.


    "I hope truth can finally see the light of the day." Closing his eyes, he posted the files.


    #Truth


    It was like a small p of a butterfly over a vast ocean. Seemingly insignificant and inconsequential.


    John believed so, yet he risked his career by posting the truth on an open social media tform.


    Whoosh!


    But John forgot. He was living in a deeply interconnected world¡ªa gigantic web where a slight change at one point would ripple across the entire web¡ªand that ripple had already begun.


    Contrary to their previous policies, the social media tforms didn''t delete any files rted to proving that Shadow Guardians weren''t Shadow Order.


    "¡­I feel ashamed." Sovereign Albert shook his head as he looked at the floating holograms in front of him.


    They showed the massacre of the Shadow Guardians. Men, Women, Children, and Elderly¡ªnot a single soul was spared.


    In the center of such brutality stood a handsome man. His eyes glowed in satisfaction as he breathed in the destruction he ordered.


    And the same man just started a video call with him.


    "Sovereign Albert, why did you order them about Shadow Guardians?" Julius gritted his teeth and questioned in a chilling tone.


    "Julius," Sovereign Albert squinted his eyes at humanity''s hope. "You said the guardians had aliens like Enigma and that they''re a threat. But Enigma herself isn''t a threat. Nor are the guardians."


    Uttering those words, his eyes fluctuated lightly, but his face remained expressionless. His tone, however, lowered as if he was having a lump in his throat.


    "It is a sin. We did it without foreknowledge. But¡­for the innocent lives taken, they should at least get justice. You can be mad at me all you want, but this is one thing I won''t back off from." Albert leaned back in his chair and sighed.


    "¡­" Julius stared at him in silence, but in the end, he sighed.


    With a snap, the holograms went off.


    Even though Julius was mad, he wasn''t too mad.


    Shadow Guardians were surely being whitewashed. But the timing was also important.


    They were only proven innocent after they were all dead!


    ''Good riddance.'' He thought.


    As he expected, the public discourse on Enigma underwent a massive shift.


    Once the terror tag was removed from the guardians and the threat tag was shaken off Enigma''s identity, people''s perception was nowpletely opposite.


    The majority now joined the Enigma supporters and soon, #RIP started to trend.


    Then came the most dreaded thing for any political shift.


    "Why did you fool us the whole time?"''


    It was hard to answer, so, the Xanders simply didn''t. Instead, they focused on damage control and pushed a narrative that some of the Shadow Guardians had links with Shadow Order.


    But the ones who believed that propaganda was a drop in the ocean.


    John looked at the viewers of his post.


    100 million.


    "Haa!" He sucked in a breath of cold air, but warmth filled his heart.


    "I did it! I showed the truth!" He smiled like an idiot but soon broke into a crying fit.


    Because somewhere along the lines of reading thements, someone asked him "Why did you hide the truth for so long?"


    "¡­Because I''m a coward. I can''t speak the truth for fear that my life will be snatched from me. That''s why I remained silent when Shadow Guardians risked their lives for ours again and again and again." John wiped the tears as he typed in the reply.


    With a sniff, he continued. "But when I was ready to risk my life, their lives no longer exist."


    It was quite an irony, but a much bigger tragedy.


    "I''m a coward¡­I''m a coward¡­" He smashed hism as he kept posting RIPs to the massacre pictures of the Shadow Guardians.


    Suddenly, ament was highlighted on his original post.


    It was just two lines, but both the line and the sender filled John with a sense of energy he never had.


    The reply was:


    {You were a coward, not anymore. The moment you decided to risk your everything and show the truth, you are a hero.}


    ¡ª Dreamer


    *** *** ****


    A/N: There was a real life emergency. So, the release time was messed up. :(

 Chapter 523 Gamma Potion Exposed

    As if opening flood gates, once they realized that their pro-Shadow Guardians posts weren''t deleted, the meta was flooded with material that was previously only discussed in private circles.


    Saving lives from terrorist attacks.


    Helping the army.


    Donations.


    Killing the traitors.


    One by one, their acts kept surfacing and the reaction of the general public was so positive that even Varian was taken aback.


    "Justice to Shadow Guardians!"


    "True Heros!"


    "We sinned! We killed our own heroes!"


    "RIP!"


    The acknowledgment that Shadow Guardians could never get even with Enigma at the helm¡ªthey finally got it. Not just acknowledgment, but respect and admiration too.


    The archives were changed from dead shadow guardians to martyred. Famous buildings, tourist cities, and even corporations started to show their solidarity by projecting holograms of peace, ying videos of shadow guardians, and more importantly, excerpts from the people that were directly helped by them.


    "Enigma, I never knew your organization was the one that saved my son''s adventure team. I always thought it was the army. Thank you!" A woman held her teenage son as she confessed in tears.


    There was also an old man fondly holding a broken sword. He looked at the camera and said in a lonely tone.


    "This old man is a veteran. My life was saved by a Shadow Guardian. I still remember that deadly night. I was stuck in the corpses, severely injured. An abyssal loomed over me and raised his menacing sword."


    His eyes glowed in rage and fear as he recalled the dreadful night. Then, he muttered almost as if he was talking to himself.


    "I thought that was it. I always thought I didn''t fear death, but at that moment, I realized I still wanted to spend more time with my granddaughter. She has just started to speak."


    He stared into the camera and confessed with a sad face. "I didn''t want to lose her. My kids died in the army. I am also ready to die. But I want to wait at least until my granddaughter grows up. But I was under the abyssal''s sword. There was no hope."


    His wrinkled face finally showed a smile as he spoke with vigorous energy. "Then he appeared!


    A young man. I still don''t know who he is. But I do know that he isn''t from the army. Unlike me who is still in level 4 at my old age, he is a very talented kid.


    But I can tell, he was inexperienced. He nearly died fighting that abyssal, but he didn''t back off and finally killed that bastard!


    Covering in injuries from head to toe, he turned to me and said. ''Grandpa, stand up and fight. Our war isn''t over yet.''"


    Once he said those words, tears started to flow down his cheeks. A battle-hardened man like him wouldn''t shed tears, but now, he couldn''t help but bawl like a child.


    "T-That child¡­He died from injuries that very evening. Nobody would know about his injuries. Nobody would remember his pain." The more he said, the bleaker his voice turned.


    "I thought nobody would know that a young man sacrificed his life to save me. But now, I beg you all!


    Please don''t bury these heroes in the dust. Treat them as martyrs, not terrorists. Theyid down their lives so that yours could be safe." As he was about to end the call, a cute voice called out.


    "Grampa~" A little girl slowly walked to him and hugged his leg.


    The old man smiled brightly and held her up. "I thank you, my savior. You didn''t save one life, you saved two. You saved a family."


    "Hehehe." The little girl giggled at the camera and pulled his beard.


    Whoosh!


    One by one, military officers started to share their own stories. It was an unwritten rule to not do so. But they did it anyway.


    "I¡­I think humans aren''t that bad." Varian said in surprise as he saw the visible change in front of his eyes.


    "Humans can be horrible, but they can also be very good." Blue sh sat beside him in a chair and said.


    "Hm." Varian nodded.


    "What now?" Blue sh asked with an eager expression.


    "Wait for it." Varian smiled. "3. 2. 1."


    The met which was flooded by the support of Enigma seemed to be frozen. In a matter of minutes, another post took the world by storm.


    It was shared even more vigorously and it evoked only more panic.


    {This is Enigma. I can''t forgive you for the deaths of myrade, but I am here to share with you an ugly truth about Gamma potions.


    1. Its crucial ingredient is the blood of poor, young geniuses. For every gamma potion to be made, ten geniuses would die.


    The video is linked below. Technocrats are invited to check the authenticity of the video.


    2. The biggest problem is its side effects.


    Mainstream technology is still behind, but with a bit of my assistance, the hidden dangers of this potion are discovered.


    A) Divine Paths could get abruptly locked. Meaning one couldn''t progress any further.


    B) Aura could riot


    C) The more time passes after you took the potion, the more dangerous it bes.


    This potion will create instability after a few weeks or months. Your body, in a bid to remain stable, will try to stop the potion. But in the process, it will sacrifice your vitality. You might die in a few weeks.


    Do not expect a long life.


    Below is the method you can use to verify my statements. I urge all scientific institutions to give it a try.}


    Boom!


    To say her words were shocking was an understatement.


    People didn''t know what to do or say. They wished that this message was by some impersonator and the whole thing a lie.


    But when the technocrats dered the video as ''authentic'' after an hour, the doubts in people''s minds began to rise.


    If gamma potion wasn''t the miracle it was imed as, if Enigma''s statements were indeed true, then¡­


    {Mercury Institute of Sciences agrees with¡ª}


    ¡­


    {Jupiter Institute of Sciences verified the im¡­}


    {Uranus Institute uncovered the horrifying truth behind gamma potion¡­}


    When thest institute also verified the news, the met exploded.


    The fire of truth burnt down the darkness of ignorance.


    A historic moment, the first real step of the Xanders'' destructionmenced.


    *** *** ***


    A/N: There was a real life emergency. So, the release time was messed up. :(

 Chapter 524 Julius Xander’s Worries

    Since his father''s death, Julius was never been this nervous.


    As he strolled back and forth in the wide hallway of the Guardian Pce, his heartbeat didn''t slow nor did his breathing calm. The sweat continued dripping down his forehead.


    His superhuman senses ensured that Julius was acutely aware of even the minute changes in his body. The cheat-like senses now turned into curses¡ªthey reminded him of his pathetic state.


    "Enigma! Dreamer!" Julius mmed the wall as he uttered their names through gritted teeth.


    Boom! Kacha!


    The wall that could easily withstand even attacks of level 9 started to tremble and cobweb-like cracks started to spread throughout.


    Julius snorted and nced through the news.


    "Xander family! What are you doing?! They are kids!"


    "You want us to drink human blood?"


    "You nearly caused irreversible damage to humanity!"


    "If you can''t even study it properly, why release the potion?"


    "Our hopes are crushed."


    "The Xanders are no longer what they once were."


    Kach!


    Julius'' hands dug into the wall as his body trembled in rage.


    There weren''t just a million or hundred million messages against him, but more than a billion!


    "Haa! Haa! Haa!" Julius took in quick, sharp breaths as he tried to stabilize himself.


    He checked fifteen minutes ago and it was only three hundred million. The news absolutely blew up.


    "I hate it!" Julius clenched his fists so hard that his nails dug into his flesh and the sshing blood formed a small puddle near his feet.


    He contacted the Sovereigns. Told them he''d conduct a separate investigation and asked to take down the post.


    "Sovereign Julius, this is beyond our control. More than a hundred million people already downloaded the proofs. Do you think we can stop them from sharing it with their personal contacts?


    And even if somehow manage that, what about the Science Academies that agreed with the im?


    You shouldn''t be thinking about reputation right now, but what you should answer us in the next Sovereign meet." Sovereign Albert said in a cold voice.


    Julius knew that this old man was extremely disappointed by his reaction, but he didn''t care.


    Ting!


    His hologram lit up and Julius eagerly tapped it.


    "Sir!" A hologram popped up and an old man greeted him with a tired face.


    "What happened?" Julius almost grabbed the cor of the old man.


    "I¡­I''ve had my team check it thrice. There really is a big w in the potion." The old man said with a pale face.


    "I-Is there no other way?" Julius didn''t notice it, but his voice was trembling.


    "I apologize." A deep bow and regretful sorry was all this renowned scientist could give.


    It wasn''t enough.


    "Leave." Julius waved his hand and channeled his prana into the artifact.


    The space ring on his finger emitted ripples of space and the next moment, he appeared above the ocean.


    From high above, he could see the guardian inds in the ocean. Every other time, he felt that it was majestic.


    But now, as the roaring waves shook the ocean, he felt a different emotion rising in his heart.


    Fear.


    Xanders stood above the people. But it could also be said that the public let the Xanders stand above them. The same public also had the power to bring them down.


    "Using lives of humans and feeding us the same thing! You vile monster!"


    "The gamma potion itself is harmful to anyone who drinks it. Imagine if our army took it! Are you a traitor?"


    "Treason!"


    "Hang the ones responsible!"


    "Xanders should be punished!"


    Julius sighed deeply. Things were already out of control.


    2 Billion people had actively participated in the discussion so far. And in a single day, most of the poption would know the truth.


    "In this case, someone has to bear the responsibility." Julius'' eyes turned cold.


    "Huh?" As he was about to select some useless Xanders as scapegoats, he noticed another trend on social media.


    "Don''t tell me¡­" Julius'' eyes widened as a terrifying guess began to form in his mind.


    The new trend was the resurfacing of the old post where Varian beat up the rtives of Shadow Guardian. "Let us not kill these scum, but torture them."


    Those were his words, which people at that time agreed with.


    Not anymore.


    Instead, with the resurfacing of this post, people turned more and more against the violence.


    They called for the safety of the Shadow Guardians'' rtives and absolutely condemned the Xanders for arresting these innocent people in the first ce.


    Once the discussion turned in that direction, two people naturally came up.


    Cail Xander¡ªdeputy head of the Xander family.


    Princess Iris Xander¡ªthe second-best genius of the Xanders.


    Previously, due to a mysterious push in social media, Cail Xander got extremely popr for his strong condemnations against Guardians.


    Seeing the opportunity, Xander''s family announced that he was the one responsible for the extermination of Shadow Guardians.


    At that time, this decision made perfect sense. Not only did it consolidate Cail Xander''s own fame, but it also elevated the Xander family''s status.


    The same went for Princess Iris Xander. She was also promoted as the ''new voice'' against terrorism. Later, many ''reports'' were ''leaked'' into social media showing her valor when she killed many Shadow Guardians who were escaping from the persecution.


    The videos where she killed men, women, and children alike without batting an eye were previously seen as heroic.


    But now, she was only seen as a cold-blooded viper.


    Because, just recently, people came to learn that Shadow Guardians weren''t actually terrorists but actually heroes in the shadows.


    They also learned that this was an open secret in the military.


    This also meant that these two Xander members knew that Guardians were innocent, yet killed them.


    It was a cold-blooded murder for fame.


    Once they realized this, the public opinion, which previously was overwhelmingly towards Cail and Iris turned on its head.


    As they say, the higher you climb, the greater you fall.


    The more people respected them in the past, the more they hated them now.


    As a result, an unprecedented hate campaign started against these two members of Xanders.

 Chapter 525 Forcing A Deal

    Varian smiled brightly as he looked at the changing situation.


    A few feet away from him were Enigma and Blue sh on a sofa. Opposite of them were Kyle and Maya. On the third front was Sarah.


    The five looked at each other and turned to Varian.


    Their gazes were all different, but with one simrity.


    Shock.


    It was unbelievable what Varian was able to aplish in a matter of days.


    He changed the public opinion of not only Enigma but also Shadow Guardians and now, he''s demonizing two core members of the Xander family.


    Previously, Enigma and Blue sh didn''t understand why Varian artificially raised the reputations of Cail and Iris.


    Now that they finally did, they felt a chill down their spines.


    His move was a deliberate political trap for the Xanders. They took the bait and publicly admitted their actions against Guardians. Not only that, they even exaggerated and attributed more ''achievements'' to these two.


    Now, every one of that achievements turned into a sin.


    Of course, Varian could''ve chosen not to bring up these two people into the limelight and could''ve still proceeded with the n.


    But then, Xanders could''ve easily escaped from this issue by sacrificing two useless Xander members.


    Now, their hands were tied.


    The people in question were the second most important in both the old and new generations.


    Cail Xanders was the strongest after Julius.


    Iris Xander was the best genius after Charles.


    But now¡­


    "When did you be so scary?" Kyle gulped and asked his friend whose smile didn''t seem to vanish.


    "Scary? Me?" Varian pointed to his face with an innocent smile. "Don''t be kidding. I''m the good guy of the town."


    "¡­" Enigma rolled her eyes while Blue sh and Maya shook their heads in exasperation.


    Varian clicked his tongue at their reactions and crossed his arms. "You guys are seriously boring. Why can''t you enjoy the situation?"


    Blue sh stared at him intensely before sighing. "The people think everything is happening separately."


    She squinted her eyes and continued. "Gamma potion is found by Enigma. Blocker proof is invented by Uranus'' head scientist. Shadow Guardians'' topic was naturally brought to the limelight, not by any artificial agency.


    But they don''t know¡­it''s all your doing. One person did all this." In the end, her stare at him turned into aplex one, as if she was seeing an absurd existence.


    "If they know, they won''t enjoy the situation. They will be shocked and they will be numb. Like us." She said and her shoulders slumped.


    Varian rubbed his chin and nodded. "I''m taking that as praise. Thank you very much."


    "¡­" Sarah threw a pillow at him.


    "Hey!" Varian caught it and looked at her in confusion. "Can''t I praise myself?"


    "We''ve reached the secret realm already." She said lightly and gave him a nce. "Oh and please continue to praise yourself. I will record them all¡­for the future."


    "¡­" Varian froze, imagining Sarah showing these embarrassing moments. "Never mind."


    He nced out the window and realized that they did indeed reach a secret realm near Uranus.


    After the news blew up, Varian once again asked Irene for help regarding the teleportation formations.


    If it was before, she wouldn''t be able to help as the Sovereigns kept her actions under monitoring.


    But with the Enigma threat proven as fake, there were no such restrictions.


    So, the ghost ship once again reached Uranus. This time too, once they reached here, Enigma couldn''t suppress the tracker any longer and gave off the signal.


    But contrary to the previous times, they weren''t chased.


    In fact, the public came out into the streets and cheered for them.


    "Enigma!"


    "Dreamer!"


    It was truly a sight that even he didn''t expect, much less the rest. Nheless, it was very heartwarming.


    Irene also ordered the military to turn off the trackers.


    So, ghost ship traveled unhindered towards their destination.


    A secret realm owned by Trade Union. In a few minutes, ghost ship was above a tall building.


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Blue sh exited the ghost ship and entered it in a second. But this time, she was throwing a young man in her hand.


    He crashed to the ground and rolled like a log before eventually stopping. Raising his head, he yelled.


    "Hey! Who are you guys¡­Dreamer? Enigma?"


    The man recognized the two people in the room. Like the rest, they were also wearing masks, but these two were famous with their masks on.


    "You''re not a fool." Varian nodded in acknowledgment.


    Between their words, ghost ship already left the secret realm and in a matter of seconds, the people that were chasing after them were thrown off.


    "Release me!" The handsome man growled. "Do you know who I am?"


    "Head of Uranus'' Trade Union branch." Varian smiled.


    "Also the husband of Sovereign Vianne!" The man growled.


    "Correction, one of the ten or eleven husbands she has." Varian clicked his tongue. "If you die, she''ll rece you, don''t worry."


    "YOU!" Veins popped up on the man''s forehead as he felt a vulnerable issue of his life being poked.


    "Shut up," Varian said lightly, but the man flinched and shivered.


    A huge, terrifying force entered his mind and nearly scared the living hell out of him.


    The power of a telepath!


    But as the head of the Uranus branch, he wasn''t an ordinary man. He calmed himself down and asked the most pressing question.


    "What do you want from me?"


    "We have a scientist you see." Varian chuckled, recalling Dr. Thomas who was tasting torture after torture every day.


    "I asked him to make something." Essentially, a treasure to break Enigma''s tracker.


    "He agreed?" The young man, who in fact, was already seventy years old raised his voice.


    "Oh yes, he did. Even with a smile." Varian grinned.


    "¡­in exchange for freedom?" The young man asked with anticipation. He felt that he''d also face the same choice as that scientist. So, it was better to know.


    "Freedom? Don''t make meugh." Varian held his stomach andughed before he suddenly stopped, stared into the young man''s eyes, and said in a chilling tone.


    "In exchange for death."


    "Hiss!" The young man took a step back as he felt a shiver down his spine. The hair on his neck stood up and he nearly cried there.


    "Aw,e on, man." Varian frowned. "Anyway, our scientist asked us for materials. A lot of precious materials. I need it."


    "B-But, even if it''s me¡­" The union leader still wanted to bargain. As expected of the dark-hearted profiteer.


    "Hm¡­?" Varian raised a brow.


    The union leader put on a pitiful face and looked at him in grief. He looked like a righteous officer that was bullied by gangsters.


    "Oh fuck it. You really think you''re a saint or something?" Varian sneered. "A lot of smuggling happens in the ck markets from Valos city.


    And guess what? Some of the top brass of the Trade Union helped ck Market from the start. I even got documented evidence for it. There is a certain head also involved in it."


    "¡­" The young man looked at Varian''s smile and felt that it resembled a demon.


    "Now, you either get hanged for your crimes or you help me get the materials and I might let you live. Choose carefully."


    "...Fine, I''ll do it."


    "Say that again?"


    "Yes, Sir!"

 Chapter 526 The Sins Of Dr. Thomas

    Dr. Thomas was an out-and-out psychopath.


    After his family turned into coteral between two awakeners that fought over trivial issues, Thomas turned from an optimistic and naive young man to a vengeful kid who desperately sought justice.


    He spent all the fortune from his heritage and only managed to jail the two culprits for ten years.


    Despite a murder, they didn''t receive the death penalty.


    Why?


    Because they were powerful awakeners.


    ''This society is rotten to the core. This cancer, I will personally cure it by killing it.''


    That thought drove Thomas to attain a level in the scientificmunity that was only below the unrivaled genius Roxanna.


    Of course, Thomas didn''t think he was inferior to Roxanna. Their fields of research were simply too different topete.


    ''I''m not inferior to her!''


    "Yes, you aren''t inferior to her."


    The sudden voice would''ve caused him to jump in fright, only if his legs were still working properly and his body still functioned properly.


    Unfortunately, neither of those was true.


    Varian nced at the figure that was hunched over, working on materials on a metal table.


    He forgot how many bones he had to break, how many drugs Boo administered, and how much pain he inflicted.


    But he broke Dr. Thomas.


    He made the man who wholeheartedly worked for the destruction of humanity beg for death.


    "Kuuu!" With a painful grunt, Thomas moved his body and turned around. With each passing second, he felt as if a knife was piercing his bone as if a fire was burning his lungs as if deep cold ice was freezing his blood all at the same time!


    But more than these physical pains, he was repeatedly inflicted with serious mental trauma¡ªdreaming about the incidents and events he didn''t want to see.


    So, when he looked at the man who caused him this trauma, his body froze in fear and his bloodless face paled further.


    "P-Please¡­" He begged for mercy. "I¡­I don''t want to live anymore."


    Varian stared at him for a moment before he burst outughing. "Ha..Ahahaha!"


    "Ahaha¡­..Arghhh!" But hisughter suddenly turned into a deep roar filled with rage and pain.


    He pped hism and holograms popped up, filling the gloomy room.


    Horrifying, desperate, and pleading screams rang throughout.


    "We helped you!"


    "We killed Shadow Orders! Dammnit!"


    "Spare my child! He can''t even talk!"


    "My mother¡­please, she only saved others from the Order! She never killed anyone! Spare her, I beg you!"


    "Sir! Please, sir! Let my wife escape. I swear she''ll never let out a wo¡ªarghh"


    Varian closed his eyes to prevent himself from seeing the visuals of the Shadow Guardians'' destruction.


    Yet, it was as if his mind was unwilling to spare him. The bloodied, crying and horrified faces of the men, women, and children surfaced in his mind.


    As they got killed like cattle by the same soldiers they helped, the rage he suppressed deep inside his heart erupted like a volcano, and a mental wave shot at Thomas.


    "Arghhh!" With a shriek of agony, Thomas copsed onto the table, his eyes turning white as blood started to leak out of his ears, nose, and mouth.


    Varian snapped out of his rage and withdrew his mental power. With a light tap in the empty air, a bot injected a few drops of healing potion into Thomas.


    The top living scientist staggered up and nced around in confusion. In mere seconds, he regained his focus.


    The first thing he did was crouch on the ground and cover his face. "P-Please kill me!"


    A sense of disgust rose from the bottom of Varian''s heart as he cursed. "If you hadn''t cooperated with the abyssals and made that space device, I''d have killed you painlessly."


    His eyes turned red as he spat. "But you fucking piece of shit! You knew the guardians would be killed. You not only didn''t stop the n, you even helped them."


    Thomas froze for a moment as regret filled every fiber of his being.


    ''Why? If I knew this would happen, I wouldn''t dare¡­''


    "Now bear the pain of those you killed. Their despair, their fears, their pleadings. I''ll imprint them into your mind." Varian said with a chilly gaze.


    In his eyes, there were no emotions. Pure indifference mixed with bloodlust¡ªthis was a side he never showed to his people.


    Thomas felt as if his skin was prickled under that piercing gaze. But he slowly stood up and got back to testing theplex items on the long table.


    The holograms activated and he studied the readings with all his focus so as to escape his pain.


    This was Varian''s condition for his death.


    ''Break Enigma''s tracker''


    To any other human scientist, it was nigh impossible. To him, however, it was only a matter of how long.


    But the prerequisite was that he had sufficient equipment¡ªthat included some of the priciest equipment in the federation.


    That''s why Varian went out of his way and kidnapped Uranus'' Trade Union''s chief and extorted the equipment.


    He could''ve asked Irene, but since he had an alternative, he didn''t want to burden her.


    "This finishes all the equipment on your list." Varian flicked his finger and a storage ringnded on the table.


    Thomas checked the materials and nodded stiffly.


    "Good. I hope to hear the good news in a day." Varian dered, but Thomas'' face scrunched up and he opened his mouth.


    "One hour dy means you have to go through the pain of fifty more martyred guardians." Varian''s words caused him to shut his mouth and nod vehemently.


    "Hm." With a final nce, Varian walked out of the gloomy room.


    When he did, a warmth embraced him as he felt a weight pressed against his chest.


    "You were watching, weren''t you?" He hugged her and asked lightly.


    "Hm." She nodded, her face still pressed against his chest as she muttered softly. "I saw it all, you were so¡­scary."


    Varian stiffened before replying. "¡­I never thought I was capable of torturing a person like that...of breaking someone.


    But his deeds, I can neither forget nor forgive. Even if he begs, cries, and pleads, the shadow guardians aren''ting back. Tens of thousands of lives, years of aspirations, and unimaginable hard work.


    This guy was the mastermind. He killed them all.


    My blood boils whenever I think of their deaths. I will not give him an easy death. I might sound inhuman and even crazy, but I swear I can''t help but smile when I hear his screams."


    As his emotions got the better of him, his arms were applying a lot of force on her waist.


    Realizing this, Varian was about to draw back his hands. "I''m sorry, I was just too caught up in¡ª"


    Sarah pulled his hands back to their position and looked up into his eyes. Her face blossomed with a beautiful smile full of trust and affection.


    "I''m a body awakener too. I''m strong enough to take your hugs, even if they''re forceful and tight." She chuckled.


    Varian then hugged her tightly and whispered in a tired tone. "Then I honestly need a tight hug."


    Sarah wrapped her arms around him and patted him lightly. While she tried to console his tired heart, her own heart ached as her eyes turned red.


    ''You''ll soon reach level 7 and even level 8....for long can I bear your tight hugs before you grow too strong?''

 Chapter 527 KILL!

    Just a week ago, nobody could''ve ever dreamt of the ridiculous events happening today across the federation.


    Enigma being a victim, the hidden danger of gamma potions, the participation of two prominent Xander figures in Shadow Guardians'' destruction¡ªthese three news along with another minor news that showed brutality against guardians'' rtives in Gamma expo became the most discussed topics.


    Enigma and Shadow Guardians were the clear victims. People sympathized with them, cried for them, and protested for them.


    But they too knew that the dead weren''ting back. And they also knew that they killed their own heroes.


    So, dark emotions began to pile up in the hearts of every human.


    Rage, frustration, grief, regret.


    All of these mixed and churned in their hearts likeva that was about to erupt out of a volcano.


    Theva¡ªthe negative emotions, if erupted, needed to be directed somewhere. Without venting, it was impossible to cool down the rage of an entire race.


    But luckily, they didn''t erupt.


    Until another post appeared on the meta and became the final nail in the coffin.


    The videos were posted by Dreamer himself and showed the ''truth'' of Valos'' War.


    Contrary to what the federation imed, it wasn''t just the army that saved humanity.


    No.


    Shadow Guardians also yed an irreceable role.


    And as Dreamer released evidence of every event of Valos'' conspiracy one by one¡ªthe deceptive nt creatures, the ck market, the nned bomb sts on space cities, and more¡ªthe public was dumbfounded.


    What they knew was merely the tip of the iceberg and now, this man just shoved down fricking proverbial iceberg down their throat.


    While they had many questions, many doubts, their emotions, and curiosity were attracted by one truth.


    "So, that''s it. Shadow Guardians, along with the army saved the entire humanity from destruction."


    "If they didn''t help, the cluster cities would''ve blown up. Neptune would''ve been isted."


    "We didn''t even know much they paid for this. How many lives were sacrificed for this noble mission?!"


    "But what did they get in return? They were brutally murdered by the same army they helped!"


    And with this, Varian finally pushed public opinion to an irreversible point.


    From here on, no amount of damage control, no amount of PR, no amount of virtue signaling would be able to stop their rage.


    It truly was if a volcano erupted at the heart of humanity, the Lava called rage traveled from the most passionate to even the most disinterested man.


    Soon, the fifty billion human race was seething in rage.


    Like Varian nned, this rage was unstoppable and had to be directed at someone.


    "Yes, I personally oversaw the execution of Shadow Guardians." An old man said in a majestic voice.


    "Hm, I killed the Shadow Guardians that were lurking on others." A young woman raised her head and chuckled in pride.


    Cail Xander and Princess Iris Xander.


    The two people that Varian pushed into the limelight¡ªthe two people who openly admitted their heroic deeds against guardians¡ªbecame the perfect target for public anger.


    "Kill these bastards!"


    "Traitors!"


    "That wench! She killed children and kids in hiding! Those kids don''t even know their parents are the guardians!"


    "That old bastard is worse! The whole army knows how much the guardians helped and literally saved the world! Yet, he still ordered their extermination!


    Even if they thought Enigma was a threat, how can they justify killing our own heroes?"


    "This guy isn''t a human! He isn''t qualified!"


    "Kill him!"


    "That wench too! She''ll be the same as him when she grows up. Kill them together!"


    "Kill them both!"


    #KILL


    Protests began in all parts of the sr system.


    From mercury to Neptune, from the smallest space station to thergest space city¡ªpeople took to the streets and asked for the kill.


    By this time, their emotions were the main drivers behind their actions. Some of the public realized that the way these posts were released, the order, the content, and the timing¡ªall seemed like a deliberate setup for this end goal.


    But they were only a minority and even if their reasoning was epted by the media, people didn''t stop.


    ''Do you really expect us to believe someone could control Enigma, Dreamer, Uranus'' head scientist, and even the army footage from Valos?''


    And even if it was really true,


    What if it was someone''s agenda?


    What if it was all controlled?


    Whoever the person, whatever the reason, what they showed was the absolute truth.


    The mes of anger grew rapidly and finally turned so terrible that even the Xander family had to bow its head.


    "KILL!"


    Under the bright sun, a man and woman knelt on the ground in a secret realm.


    In front of them were freshly constructed graves¡ªcovered in flowers, letters, and many more.


    These were the graves of the Shadow Guardians and this was theirrgest secret realm¡ªalso the ce where most of them were brutally murdered.


    "KILL!"


    "KILL!"


    The secret realm''s entrance was broken during the army''s attack. So, the huge crowd numbering in hundred thousand and therger crowd viewing this virtually¡ªin literal billions, could see everything clearly.


    And when they saw these two humans, their blood boiled.


    "KILL!"


    "JUSTICE!"


    "SINNERS!"


    With arge group of Xander family members behind him, Julius bowed to the graves.


    He put on a regretful expression and gritted his teeth until blood dripped down his lips.


    The crowd, even with their rage, calmed down for a moment.


    They ''realized'' that as the recent news suggested, Sovereign Julius knew nothing of this ''tragedy''.


    ording to the most trusted news channels, he was mostly in seclusive training and only came out for the gamma expo.


    After the truth was out, he was the first who decided to bring his own uncle and niece to justice.


    "People of earth and people of the federation," Julius addressed the huge crowd, his sonorous voice reaching even the most distant member.


    "We, the Xanders, have sinned." He bowed lightly and following him, the rest of the Xanders bowed.


    "This!"


    Everyone was shocked, but Julius didn''t care.


    He looked down and red at the two people kneeling in front of the graves.


    "Now, we Xanders will wash off this sin with the blood of these sinners." As he said those words, a long axe appeared in Julius'' hand. "With my own hands, I''ll kill them in a brutal way to set an example!"


    "Whoah!"


    "Go!"


    "YES!"


    The crowd cheered in joy and surprise.


    Whoosh!


    As Julius swung down the axe, people stared transfixed at the scene.


    To him, however, time seemed to slow down.


    Julius'' extraordinary perception covered the entire secret realm and he recognized it as the one he personally visited.


    And here was also the ce he killed those two peak level 9s.


    ''Now, I''m killing the strongest Xander other than me and the best Xander genius other than Charles.''


    Julius shuddered in anger and frustration. He hated all of this.


    This was all clearly and cleverly orchestrated by Dreamer, no, Varian. Yet, here he was.


    Despite being a Sovereign, he was forced to swing his axe at the pirs of his own family.


    At thest moment, Julius saw Cail and Iris looking at him with vengeful eyes.


    Cail''s lips muttered something only he could hear while Princess Iris'' conveyed her message through her telepathic powers.


    "Father killer! You will die a dog''s death."


    ''You''ll never be the human emperor.''


    Whoosh!


    Thick, sticky, and hot blood spurted into the air and sshed on his face.


    As the crowd cheered, Julius touched the blood on his face and had a premonition.


    ¡­It had just begun.

 Chapter 528 A Short Farewell: Kyle And Maya [1]

    Valos, Uranus Cluster Cities:


    After the gentle ''kidnapping'' of Uranus'' Trade Union Chief, Varian decided his next step. But before that, he needed to resettle his friends who left their normal lives because of him.


    So, they ended up in Valos.


    Varian sized up the streets in front of him with a scrutinizing gaze. He was staring at the streets that used to be slums just a few weeks ago.


    A few weeks ago¡­


    The streets had narrow and dirty roads. Hawkers camped on either side of the narrow road and made it narrower.


    Garbage starting from food wrappers to toxic material was strewn across the roads.


    The cleaning bots that worked here were too inefficient to make difference and the ones that could actually make a difference were too expensive.


    The people were poor and moved around with lowered heads and deste gazes.


    Broken, cracked buildings used to stand on either side of the narrow street¡ªthey were the homes, the schools, the shops. To many, it was their whole world.


    "Come on!" Kyle''s words snapped Varian out of his gaze.


    "But the streets¡­" He pointed to the slums, no, where the slums used to be.


    All he could see now were buildings so exquisite that they could cause famous architects to orgasm on sight.


    The streets, the neighborhood, the buildings¡ªthey were only a step away from shining from the cleanliness.


    Everything had changed. And changed in what seemed to be only a blink of an eye.


    Commercial streets, Training Halls, and Beautiful apartments filling his sight caused him to freeze in his tracks and immediately use his mental power to check if he was caught in an illusion.


    "It''s been ten minutes already, dude!" Kyle rubbed his forehead as he groaned in frustration.


    Maya conversed with her father, not minding the trouble Kyle was facing, even enjoying it a bit.


    "Yeah." Varian nodded reluctantly and nced at the crowd onest time.


    The people were perhaps the most unchanged group. They wore good clothes, traveled by either hoverbike or cars, but quite a few of them actually walked.


    From time to time, their gazes lowered like in the past, but quickly, they raised their head and walked forward with a smile.


    "Hehehe~"


    "Hey!"


    The joyous screams of children from the apartment sounded from time to time.


    Varian was noticeably tired after everything he went through. But even his tired face brightened up at the joyful atmosphere.


    With a smile on his face, he left the street.


    *** *** ***


    "Your new home is beautiful." Varian said while ncing at the two-floor vi in the quiet neighborhood. He was currently in the front yard of the vi and facing a woman with red hair in an office dress.


    "My students helped me out a bit." Edwina said with an embarassed expression.


    Even though she was a teaching assistant in Miracle Academy and was one of the decent earners in Valos, she couldn''t forget this vi at her age.


    Her part-time profession as a shadow guardian didn''t pay anything except for the costs.


    "Students helping out their teacher isn''t anything to be embarassed about." Varian smiled infort.


    "Thank¡ªwait, are you really X82-7as?" Edwina looked at him warily.


    "You seriously memorized my code name?" Varian gawked at her, to which she seriously nodded.


    Even though she knew him, it was with a rather ordinary face. Of course, that was a disguise. The current guy in front of her had a very handsome face.


    Was it a diguise too?


    ''No, it doesn''t matter, but is it really him?''


    His first mission was to stop Betty''s kidnapping, but he stopped the entire war. He earned her respect and admiration.


    Considering that they even worked together, at least in name, she should''ve recieved him warmly.


    But she didn''t. She couldn''t.


    Because her senses were screaming one thing.


    ''Danger!''


    Thest time she saw him, even though he was level 6, he didn''t pose a threat to her. But now, it was almost as if he could p her to death.


    ''How can he be the same person? There''s no way anyone can grow so strong so fast!'' Her suspicions deepened and her fingers stretched towards herm.


    ''Ting!''


    Herm rang right then and she almost jumped on the spot.


    ncing at him awkwardly, she checked herm, only to be surprised.


    It was Enigma''s message, confirming that the young man in front of her was indeed the same person.


    ''His strength got something to do with miracle potion. Don''t delve too much into it.'' Enigma''s exnation convinced her and she finally believed him.


    Varian didn''t know that Enigma thought of the problem he might face and solved them.


    He requested with a small smile. "Please take care of them."


    "You''re really trusting me?" Edwina crossed her arms and nced at the two people behind this ''junior'' shadow guardian.


    He was too mysterious. What about his friends?


    "Hello."


    "Nice to meet you."


    Kyle and Maya waved at her with a smile. They were a bit handsome and beautiful, but other than that, they seemed perfectly normal.


    ''But can someone with him be normal?'' Edwina didn''t think so.


    In fact, her guess was on spot.


    No one and absolutely no one around Varian was normal. Be it Enigma, Blue sh, Sarah, Kyle, or even Maya. But the biggest abnormality of them all was Varian himself.


    "They have circumstances and need to live in a safe ce for a long time. I think Valos is a good ce. It isn''t too strict nor too loose." Varian exined.


    Kyle and Maya nodded. "He said living with you can make our lives easier. So, we''ll be troubling you. Of course, we can help you however we can."


    "You guys aren''t afraid that I might be a sinister woman?" Edwina pointed to her face and said in confusion, not forgetting to add. "Though admittedly, someone as pretty won''t seem sinister."


    "¡­" Maya squinted her eyes and nced at Kyle.


    Kyle looked at her with an innocent expression. ''She''s delusional. You''re the pretty one.''


    ''Hmph! I will barely ept your words.''


    The couple silently conversed through their gazes.


    Unlike them, Varian had to use words.


    "I told them about you. So, you can stop your pranks." Varian shrugged.


    "Urgh." Edwina groaned in frustration and gestured to them. "Come in."


    The trio entered the home and to their surprise, found a guy and girlughing in the living room.


    "Stop, hahaha!" The girlughed while clutching her stomach, cheerful energy oozing out in herughter.


    But the way she dressed and the temperament she exuded indicated that she was of noble origins.


    "I''m not stopping until you beg for merc¡ª" The boy chuckled before a pillow hit him in the face.


    The girl covered her mouth and was about tough when she heard footsteps.


    Her smile froze and she hurriedly sat on the sofa. The boy rushed next to her.


    The girl stared at the question sheet on her hologram and seemed immersed. Meanwhile, the boy browsed through a holo book.


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    Light footsteps sounded before a woman in red hair and office dress appeared in the room.


    Following her was Varian''s trio.


    ''Seriously...'' Varian rolled his eyes at the couple''s behavior.


    If not for his keen senses, he would''ve thought these two were serious students.

 Chapter 529 A Short Farewell: Kyle And Maya [2]

    "Quit your acting. Unfortunately for you, I am neither blind nor deaf." Edwinna gritted her teeth and said to her unruly students.


    "Ah! When did youe here?" The boy eximed in surprise and the girl imitated his expression.


    "Tch. You need to work every waking second if you want to win thispetition." Edwina lectured them with a serious expression. "Or Betty''s dad will break your legs."


    "I¡ªI am always first fromst in academics. How can he expect me to get first from first?" Vinar cried out in protest.


    Betty nodded vigorously. "Yep, yep. We are trying to get him to the top 10. If dad still pressurizes Vinar, I''ll show him his own school results. He never reached top 50."


    She looked like a mother hen protecting her chicks as she shielded Vinar behind her.


    Varian watched this with a surprised expression. He didn''t expect this at all.


    The once arrogant, bratty, and proud Betty changed so much?


    And this Vinar¡­if he remembered correctly, he chased after her damn hard. So, they finally got together?


    ''Happy ending, eh.''


    As the discussion between Edwina and Betty seemed like it could stretch to hours, Varian interrupted.


    "Good to see you two like this."


    "Huh?" Vinar and Betty just noticed them.


    "You know us?" They said together.


    Varian chuckled. "You don''t know me."


    They raised their brows in confusion.


    Edwina hurriedly said. "He''s my collea-friend! I told him about you guys. Hahaha."


    She red at Varian to which he simply shrugged. "Yeah. These two are also her friends and they''ll live here from now on."


    He pointed to Kyle and Maya.


    As if on cue, Maya wrapped her arms around her Edwina and said to Vinar and Betty. "We''re really good friends for 40 years."


    "Don''t be modest. It''s 60 years." Kyle said with an honest expression.


    ''But they don''t even look 20.'' Vinar and Betty nced at each other.


    "Cough. Cough." Coughing lightly, Varian wished to p these two guys. "They''re joking."


    "Haha!" Vinar let out a friendlyugh to ease the awkwardness.


    "Yes, we''re joking." Maya realized they went overboard and nodded.


    "Yes, we''re joking. It''s not just 60 years¡ªouch!" Kyle, the idiot was about to say 80, thankfully, Maya pinched him to silence.


    "I''ll show you your rooms, then." Edwina said to the trio.


    After she was done, Varian asked her for the basement. On the way, he also exined a few essential things.


    "They''re researchers?" Edwina was both surprised and suspicious.


    "Well, kinda." Kyle shrugged.


    Taa~


    The door to the basement opened and closed as they entered.


    "Now what?"


    "Don''t be too surprised," Varian said and without waiting for her answer, snapped his finger.


    "Eh? Ehhh?! Hi everyone! Nice to meet you. I''m Tom!" An old man in white clothes appeared in front of them and said with a cheerful expression.


    "What the?!" Edwina sucked in a cold breath and stared at Varian in shock.


    Living objects can''t be stored in storage rings. So, how¡­?


    But more importantly, who''s this guy?


    Varian turned to Kyle and Maya, who seemed to be more surprised by the old man''s condition than his appearance.


    "Long story short. Boo and I did a number on him. He broke and lost all his memories of self. But vo! His knowledge and skills are still there.


    My treatment of him was also particrly focused on his ''self'', so maybe that''s why. Anyway, use him good for your projects." Varian said with a nonchnt expression.


    Kyle gulped his saliva and stared at the world''s best scientist alive today.


    "Hehe~How are you? I am Tom. Let''s be friends, okay?" The top scientist giggled like a child.


    "Hiss!" Kyle flinched and took a step backward.


    Maya looked at Dr. Thomas with aplicated expression. This guy was both her father''s rival but also his superior.


    She turned to Varian and asked. "Are you fine with it?"


    During their meals and snack breaks, she and Varian caught up on many matters. Of course, Kyle too.


    Varian revealed that Enigma had to go through unimaginable pain to suppress the tracker and that was one of the reasons why he tortured Dr. Thomas so badly.


    So, by leaving him alive¡­was he really okay with it?


    At Maya''s questioning gaze, Varian smiled meaningfully. "I did think of killing him, but isn''t death too easy of an escape?


    Regardless of his actions, his intellect is unquestionable. So, it''s better to keep him alive and use his brains to do something helpful to society."


    "Do you think we can ''use'' him properly?" Maya said in a weird tone.


    "Well, I trust you," Varian smirked. "Without CTF, we wouldn''t have gotten anywhere."


    "Trust me too!" Kyle protested.


    "Nah, bro. Show me some results other than those metal armors." Varian waved his hand like he was bored.


    "I just needed some experience to solve some bottlenecks. But now that I have Thom¡­Tom, I will show you the results soon." Kyle raised his chin to the sky and bragged as if he was the one solving the bottlenecks instead of Tom.


    "Do tell me once you''re done. Maya''s invention helped us a lot. I''m expecting something as good from you."


    "You bet!"


    "¡­." Edwina watched in silence as the trio engaged in a conversation, almost ignoring her existence.


    ''Wait, this is my home. And they are the guests. But why am I feeling like a guest?''


    "Oh yeah, Edwina," Varian called out, startling her.


    "Huh?!"


    "Take it." Varian flicked his finger and a small ck cube appeared in her hand. "What''s this?"


    "The remote." Varian also gave the same ck cubes to Maya and Kyle.


    "To what?" They asked simultaneously.


    Varian smiled and pointed to Dr. Thomas, no, Tom who was smiling at them innocently.


    "If this guy ever regains his memories, press it." He said with a peaceful expression.


    "Will it knock him out?" Edwina guessed.


    "Well, it will mentally torture him until he''s knocked out," Varian admitted with a straight face.


    "Torture¡­how much?" She asked hesitantly.


    "Not much, really." Varian shrugged. "He''ll just experience the gruesome death of a dozen people in his mind. Other than that, he''ll be fine."


    Edwina felt a shiver down her spine.


    "Alright, keep this guy secret from everyone or you''ll all be fucked." Varian said to Edwina with a serious expression.


    "Uh-oh." Edwina nodded stiffly, realizing that she might get into trouble if things went wrong.


    "Don''t worry, I''m not an ungrateful person. If you ever need any help that doesn''t conflict with my interests, I''ll help you." He looked into her eyes and said with a serious expression.


    "For your own good, I''m adding this. The longer you hold onto that favor, the more valuable it bes. A month from now, I might help you a lot. But a year from now...probably neither you nor even I can imagine." He said with full conviction.


    Even though she didn''t want to, his mysteriousness, his confidence, and his rising strength caused Edwina to believe in his words, even if only to a small extent.


    "Well then, see you." Varian waved at them and left.


    "...We''re tired. We''ll rest for the night. See you." Kyle and Maya retired to their rooms.


    Only Edwina was left standing.


    So, she realized what seemed like a normal conversation wasn''t really normal.


    He didn''t leave them just because he trusted her.


    ''But because he was confident I wouldn''t harm them. He used both the carrot and stick on me.''


    The carrot¡ªhis favor. Even if she didn''t believe in his own strength, she still knew that he was rted to Enigma. That was enough of a favor.


    The stick¡ªhis threat. For some reason, she felt that while he trusted her...hisst words were a subtle warning.


    Edwina didn''t know then, but her guess was once again on spot.

 Chapter 530 Work Calls

    "The gamma potion has shaken up every office. The public fury died down, but the discontent didn''t. There is a lot of work to do." Blue sh walked back and forth in the living room as she ranted about her situation.


    "¡­sure." Varian leaned back on the sofa and checked hism.


    They had already returned to Earth. To be precise, they were currently near the moon.


    Kyle and Maya seemed to be doing fine. Even though it seemed a bit too early to conclude, Varian wasn''t too worried.


    Because while the idea to drop off Kyle and Maya at a safe location was his, the one who decided the location was the frustrated woman in front of him.


    "They keep calling me and you know, the marshals are all asking for a deep inves¡ª"


    Varian ignored her words and nced at her with a smile.


    Blue sh was the one who picked Edwina as the safe haven. She did plenty of background checks already and in her own words. ''Even when most of the shadow guardians were against Enigma, Edwina was standing firmly with us. I can entrust my son''s life to her.''


    Varian decided to believe in her. After all, despite not being a mom who can spend time with her son, she did care about his safety.


    ''Well, I did run background checks on Edwina.'' Varian did it without Blue sh''s knowledge.


    Even though he trusted Blue sh''spetence and intent, he had to be sure. So, not only did he run to dig up Edwina''s past but also gave her an open favor along with a covert threat.


    ''I¡­feel bad.'' Varian sighed deeply and covered his face.


    Because of him, the lives of people closest to him were thrown into chaos. In the foreseeable future, they wouldn''t be able to return to their normal life.


    ''No. Until I can crush Julius, he can always target them.'' Varian felt worse, realizing that it might actually take long.


    Even for him, reaching the Sovereign state wasn''t easy.


    But there was almost a cross-dimension level difference between others and him.


    While everyone else would think ''Can I reach a Sovereign state?'', few were confident. Even they knew it''d take many decades.


    ''How many months?''


    That was Varian''s thought. If anyone, even the frustrated Blue sh knew his thoughts, she''d drop everything at hand and start beating him up.


    ''Months? What months? It takes a lifetime and we still aren''t sure!''


    But of course, Varian was Varian.


    ''Status''


    [Body Path Level 6: 2/6


    Space Path Level 6: 3/6


    Lightning Path Level 6: 2/6


    Morpher Path Level 6: 2/6


    Telepath Path Level 6: 2/6 (+2)


    Telekic Path Level 6: 1/6 (+1)


    Water Path Level 5: 0/2000 (advanced)]


    Varian noted the changes and nodded to himself. The torture on Dr. Thomas was also an exercise for him.


    He had to be careful with the amount of force he was using and how he was using it. For the same reason, the telekic path also improved.


    ''Sarah helped me advance in the water path.'' Varian''s lips curled up. ''She taught and fought me until I advanced.''


    But his smile vanished as he recalled her little, but strange cues.


    When she congratted him, Sarah was genuinely happy. He could feel it. But along with the happiness, there was another emotion.


    ¡­Fear.


    ''What is she scared of?'' Varian didn''t understand. ''My increasing strength won''t bring her any harm, then why¡­''


    Due to his almost perfect memory, he recalled her face.


    She had a bright smile on her face as she congratted him, but her eyes¡­ were filled with anxiety and fear.


    ''¡­Could it be because of Sia?'' Varian felt it might be the case. The stronger he was, the closer he was to reaching Sia.


    That meant¡ª


    "Hey!"


    The loud call shook Varian out of his thinking. "Yes?"


    "Are you listening at all?" Blue sh ced her arms on her hips and leaned forward.


    She looked like a frustrated housewife who wanted to rant about her daily problems.


    Varian would''ve been fine if that was the case. But the problems she talked about were federation-level and something he currently couldn''t bother with.


    "I''m totally listening," Varian said with a face so full of honesty that he put even the real honest people to shame.


    "Oh really?" Blue sh smiled, her smile wasn''t so kind. "What was my mission again?"


    "Investigate the Xanders, find out the crucial information about the gamma potion and control the public sentiments," Varian said with a confident face.


    "You¡­" Blue sh opened her mouth in shock.


    ''How did he?'' She was pretty sure he wasn''t listening.


    Varian snickered at her reaction while inwardly thanked his cute ghost. Boo was listening to everything through hism.


    ''Thanks, Boo. You deserve a million simps.''


    ''Hehe. Then I will simp for you, master.''


    ''What? Just don''t!''


    "¡­.Yes. So, I have to go back to Athena group." Blue sh sighed in exasperation. Her shoulders slumped as she copsed next to Varian. If she wasn''t this frustrated, she''d thought of Boo''s role instantly.


    With the intention to console her, Varian patted her shoulder lightly. "That''s your main job, though."


    "¡­" Blue sh red at him.


    "What?" Varian shrugged with an innocent expression.


    "¡­I''m worried." Blue sh copsed on the sofa like a hollowed balloon. "They are all newbies. Even though the old guys on our side returned, they are only a few of them. I''m afraid they can''t the newbies do simple missions."


    "He''ll train them well, don''t worry," Varian assured her. "He is azy man himself, but he makes everyone else sweat till thest drop."


    ''Sweat more during peace and bleed less during the war.'' Those words were his justifications.


    Blue sh stared at him for a while before nodding. "He''s the best choice we have."


    "Well then." Blue sh sighed and her body disappeared before appearing at the ghost ship''s exit.


    Varian also teleported after her.


    Blue sh stared into Varian''s eyes intensely and said. "I am really awaiting our next meeting."


    With those words, she jumped out.

 Chapter 531 The Secret Realm

    "Have you decided?" Varian asked in a worried tone.


    "Hm." Sarah propped her chin on her hands and answered.


    They were sitting across a small, round dining table. They were in arm''s reach of each other.


    "The Xanders are still looking for you." Varian cupped her cheeks and looked at her seriously. "In fact, if we were a few minuteste, they''d have caught you."


    While Kyle and Maya were also pursued, those two wouldn''t go out. Edwina would take care of such things.


    But Sarah¡­she insisted on training andbat outside. This was very dangerous.


    Varian still couldn''t forgive himself for what happened to Sia, so he didn''t want Sarah to take such risks.


    "Boo told me that they infiltrated my dorm." Sarah sighed.


    "Yes, so it''s dangerou¡ª"


    "So, I am going to use a good disguise. Boo gave it to me." Sarah held up a in mask and put it on her face.


    Her beautiful face, shining blonde hair, and blue eyes changed into a rather ordinary face with grey eyes and purple hair.


    "But can it hide you from powerful awakeners?" Varian said in a worried tone


    "Don''t be afraid" Sarah said softly and held his hands over her cheeks. Slowly, sheid their hands on the table and interlocked their fingers.


    "What?" Varian asked in confusion.


    "You are very worried about me."


    "Of course, I am!"


    "Because you think I''ll face¡­situations, like Sia." Sarah looked into his eyes and said word by word.


    "I¡ª" Varian was at a loss for words.


    Sarah pressed her hand lightly and Varian paused. Her hands were cold, like the ice attacks she always used. But he felt a sense of warmth.


    As he looked into her eyes, they seemed to say.


    ''I''ll be fine. And Sia¡­it''s not your fault.''


    Varian looked away and sighed. "I have a disguise mask Enigma gave me. It works even for high awakeners. You can¡ª"


    "I don''t need it," Sarah said.


    "Huh?"


    "Boo said that I can hide my identity from level 9s with this mask." Sarah freed her hands and held up the mask again.


    "Level 9? You sure?" Varian raised a brow.


    "Boo made it from the¡­scrapped parts, apparently," Sarah said in an awkward tone.


    Ghostship nearly breaking apart wasn''t pleasant news to be reminded of.


    Varian stiffened for a moment as his eyes reflected pain before he turned back to normal.


    "Boo, this is very important. Can I trust you on this?" Varian said to thin air, but a cute voice answered.


    "Yes, master."


    "¡­Fine." Varian finally sighed.


    Sarah stood up and walked to the exit. Her hands were tightly clenched. If she had a choice, she didn''t want to go.


    ''For myself and for him, I must¡­''


    When she was about to leave, she felt a warm hand holding her hand from behind.


    She suppressed the sad expression on her face and smirked "Missing me already?"


    Varian lightly pulled her around and said with a serious expression. "Don''t do anything too dangerous. Don''t contact master from a normalm. Use the sparemsvishly, but don''t take unnecessary risks.


    Don''t help people without caution. And¡­."


    As Varian continued on and on, Sarah stared at him with a bright smile.


    Bit by bit, the reluctance and sadness in her heart dissipated.


    She couldn''t register his words. All she saw was him concerned to the point he started speaking way more than he usually would.


    ''Yes. A short separation for a better reunion. For our future, this much is nothing.''


    "¡­and potion¡ª" a soft hand covered Varian''s mouth and stopped him from talking further.


    He was about to protest when the soft palm on his lips was reced by a cool, softer, and sweet touch.


    When Varian returned to his senses, she was already gone.


    ''¡­We''re even now, eh.'' He chuckled to himself.


    *** *** ***


    Earth:


    A secret realm stood in the center of a huge crowd. Tens of thousands of people were entering and exiting it each second.


    It was managed by theary defense guard, so despite the presence of a huge crowd, there was no chaos.


    The AI systems also helped maintain order, making it


    In a ck suit and trousers, Varian entered the secret realm in disguise. He looked at Enigma next to him and clicked his tongue.


    Dr. Thomas sessfully destroyed the tracker on Enigma a few days ago. It was also thest step in Varian''s n.


    Once it was done, everyone started to go to their own ces. Kyle and Maya, Blue and then Sarah.


    Finally, only the two of them were left.


    At Enigma''s request, they were at a secret realm of the guardians¡ªwhich was now turned into an honorary museum of sorts.


    ''I didn''t expect I can walk freely again.'' Enigmamented in her heart. Whether she showed it or not, the tracker annoyed her as much as it bothered her. So, when the tracker broke, she really felt the joy of liberation.


    "Hey, keep your eyes straight," Varian warned a guy who was gazing at Enigma with sinister intentions.


    The guy was about to argue but his head suddenly buzzed and he experienced something more painful than death.


    So, he shut up and ran away.


    Varian shook his head and turned to his left.


    Beside him was ady wearing a mourning dress. A veil covered her face. Even though only her violet eyes and silver hair could be seen, she drew many gazes. Whether she was aware of it or not, she was a stunning beauty.


    ''You could''ve put on one as well.'' Varian''s voice rang in her mind, referring to the face mask.


    "I want to see them as myself. Not with a fake face." Enigma replied in a tone that allowed no refusal.


    "You cover most of your face. Even then, you''re stoic. What expressions do you even make?" Varian sighed in exasperation.


    "¡­I don''t know?" Enigma replied as they stepped on a sheet of blue metal.


    The sheet scanned theirms and after a sh of light, it shot into the air.


    Whoosh!

 Chapter 532 She Won’t Run Anymore

    The metal sheet rose into the air and started the ''tour'' of this secret realm¡ªnow known by the name as ''Guardians'' Tomb''.


    As they flew from one ce to another, already having passed several dozen miles, Varian noted that the secret realm was perfectly maintained.


    Previously, random areas were frozen for miles whileva flowed through others. Craters filling your field of vision and random vines sprawled throughout were normal.


    But now¡ª


    There were even several statues across the secret realm, depicting the bravest souls.


    They attracted children the most. These young kids were then taught about the bravery of these warriors.


    Then there were special regions filled with holograms¡ªthey depicted the battles, mostly censored versions, but in some ces, the raw versions too.


    They were mostly visited by teenagers. Their blood boiled at the sight and they vowed to be better citizens.


    The secret realm was also filled with exquisite buildings spread all over. They shared the history, ideology, and achievements of Shadow Guardians.


    Most of the adults and the majority of the visitors went to these locations.


    Then, there was finally a very serene location with a huge gate.


    Varian and Enigma walked in. Since Varian maintained a considerable distance from her, they looked like strangers.


    "This is¡­"


    In front of them was a tall stele¡ªit was as tall as a ten-story building and was thick enough to allow hundreds of people to surround it simultaneously.


    Enigma walked to the pitch-ck stone stele and gazed up.


    The names engraved in white on the stele came into view.


    ''Mira, John, Vin¡­'' As she read the familiar names, Enigma''s eyes reddened and before she knew it, tears dripped from the corner of her eyes and drenched her veil.


    An overwhelming sadness overcame her as Enigma suddenly copsed onto her knees.


    The surrounding men and women were also surprised, but no one came to help her.


    They could understand her reaction¡ªthey too lost someone dear. So, they gave her what she needed the most at the moment.


    Space.


    As the surrounding public made some distance, Enigma stared at the stele on her knees.


    "I¡­" There seemed to be a lump in her throat, but she tried hard to say something. "Arghh¡­"


    All that came out was a groan filled with deep grief and pain.


    Enigma lowered her head and let the tears fall.


    When she had no more tears to shed, she slowly stood up and offered a singlerge white flower to the stele.


    The moment the flower touched the Stele, it gave off a soft white light and bloomed before turning into shimmering particles and flying away with the wind.


    "Peace." Enigma sent her final prayers and turned around.


    She walked to Varian but stopped far enough to not cause a repulsion.


    Varian stared at her in silence, as if he was knowing her all over again.


    Enigma parted her lips and said in a hoarse tone, without meaning to. "What?"


    "¡­Fulfill their wishes. That''s the best you can do." He said in a low voice, catching her off-guard.


    "Huh?" Enigma looked at him in confusion.


    "When someone close to you leaves you forever, the best thing you can do is live a good life for yourself. The next best thing is to fulfill their wish if you can." Varian said with a blurred gaze.


    As the wind blew gently, he seemed to see the fateful night that turned his life upside down.


    Enigma noticed his gaze and bit her lip. She nodded lightly and walked out.


    On the way out, Varian noticed a few things.


    ''The Xanders'' image is damaged.'' Just like buildings and holograms depicting the goodness of guardians, there were also buildings and holograms depicting the sins of the evil Cail Xander and Iris Xander.


    It had a subtle effect on the public perception of the Xanders.


    ''While they only me these two members and not the Xander family¡­the perfect reputation, the perfect image, the perfect glory that Xanders maintained¡ªit is gone.''


    Varian smirked. ''This is just the beginning.''


    "Why that smirk?" Enigma asked with a strange gaze. She didn''t seem to like his action in the secret realm. After all, it was easy to misunderstand.


    "I am thinking about the Xanders. Their fall has just begun." Varian said with overwhelming confidence.


    "¡­your current strength won''t help you," Enigma said bluntly.


    "I know." Varian wasn''t offended in the slightest and instead exined patiently. "So, I n to grow stronger. As strong as I can. The stronger I grow, the more damage I can inflict."


    "Stronger, huh. What are you going to do?" She titled her head lightly.


    "Earth Ruins," Varian said nonchntly, but Enigma froze in ce.


    "What happened?"


    "Ruins are too dangerous for a level 6! You need to be at least a level 7." Enigma said in a concerned tone. Then she patted her forehead as if she realized something. "You want to go there because¡­"


    "Sia." Varian shrugged. "It''s the 30th of the month already. Before the ruins close, I am confident about finding her.


    On the way, I can also improve my strengths. Ruins are a good ce to grow strong, aren''t they?"


    Looking at Varian''s confident yet stubborn grin, Enigma didn''t know what to say.


    Out of the 45 days in the third month, 30 were over. It would be significantly harder to search for Sia in Earth Ruins in just 15 days. But his stubborn smile told her that he wouldn''t back down.


    ''The time has finallye¡­'' Enigma closed her eyes and sighed.


    "I can advance to level 7 in the ruins." Varian rubbed his chin and continued. "And my memories¡­they''re slowlying back with each passing day. I think I''ll be able to get my full memories back once I reach level 7."


    "She''ll meet you in the ruins," Enigma said softly. Despite


    "Oh, howe you are so confident? No one canmunicate to the outside world once in ruins, no?" Varian squinted his eyes.


    Enigma took a deep breath and stared at him solemnly.


    "¡­She won''t run anymore."

 Chapter 533 Sarah And Evander

    In a remote neighborhood of Infini City, Sarah crashed on the bed in her temporary lodging.


    Thankfully, Boo arranged for her a very ''credible'' fake identity. It even provided her with ample funds, since she couldn''t touch her own money without risking being tracked.


    ''Boo is a stock genius. Hehehe. This money is peanuts.'' Saying those words, Boo was about to continue bragging when Varian entered the room and called Boo ''shameless''.


    ''Varian¡­'' Sarah closed her eyes and his face came into her mind.


    She knew she shouldn''t be like this. She should go on a mission right away. She should fight, and grow stronger so that she shouldn''t fall behind.


    But there was a lingering reluctance from parting with Varian. And it just didn''t vanish.


    ''Go back.''


    ''It''ll be fine.''


    Her mind tried to convince her.


    Sarah shook those thoughts away.


    ''If you aren''t with him¡­then Sia will take him.''


    ''You have no chance against her. You don''t even know him for a year, she grew up with him for seven. Sarah, why are you being stupid?''


    When she didn''t budge, her thoughts spiraled in a negative direction¡ªin a direction she was scared of.


    And they did scare her.


    But Sarah clenched her fists tightly and told herself.


    ''I''ll trust him.''


    Her insecurity would aplish nothing. She couldn''t watch him every second of the day, right?


    ''If something really happens¡­he''ll tell me.'' Sarah didn''t like to pry into others'' secrets.


    Unless it was necessary, she left the choice of revealing their personal information to others.


    Yet, if there was anyone who knew about Varian''s past¡ªother than Boo, Sia, and arguably Enigma, it was Sarah.


    She knew about his memories, the feud with Xanders, and even his hatred of the two Sovereigns.


    ''I will destroy the Xanders soon.'' His cold voice still rang in her mind. ''Those two Sovereigns¡­they better die, if not, they''ll be ughtered.''


    It was a bold statement. If said in public, it would be considered even treacherous.


    Yet, he said those words in front of her without any hesitation.


    So far, Varian did reveal almost everything. She could see that he wasn''t hiding anything nor was he trying to.


    ''Except his strength¡­'' She still couldn''t believe the rate at which his strength climbed.


    From nothing to the peak of level 4 in a day and recently, he even advanced to level 5.


    While he seemed to have temporarily stalled in level 5 due to what he called ''resistance'', it was mindblowing nheless.


    ''That''s his biggest secret¡­'' Sarah narrowed her eyes. ''It shouldn''t be told to anyone. It''s best if no one else knows.''


    Not even the closest person to him.


    As she was lost in thought, herm rang.


    Ting!


    Sarah sat up and a hologram popped up in front of her.


    It was a brawny man in a military uniform. He had a fierce scar running down his cheek. He was perhaps the modern-day Reaper¡ªhe''d reap lives, not for pleasure, but for his duty.


    But the Reaper, the famous Steelheart''s eyes showed worry as he looked at his daughter.


    "Father." Sarah greeted him softly. She knew he was very busy these days and felt bad for worrying him.


    "What happened?" He asked her gently, but there was a firmness to his voice.


    After she left, he was secretly delivered a special m''. Then, he was informed that Sarah was fine.


    It was only after Varian personally called him that he put down his worry. But since Varian was also busy, he didn''t borate except for informing him about her safety.


    Thus, while he was relieved, he was anxious to contact her. But his workload suddenly rose and he could only contact her now.


    "I¡­" Sarah bit her lip as she wondered what she should begin.


    Varian called her and others because his identity as Dreamer was exposed.


    But if she said this, it''d also reveal Varian''s secret. Varian didn''t tell her to reveal it nor did he ask her to keep it a secret.


    As she bit on her lip struggling to find an answer, Evander suddenly said.


    "Is he Dreamer?"


    "Father?!" Sarah stared at him in astonishment. But as soon as she realized that her reaction was giving it away, she put on a neutral expression.


    "He..."


    "As I thought." Evander sighed in exasperation. Believing something was one thing, but confirming it was another. Even to him, this was a ridiculous thought.


    Sarah didn''t speak and stared at him with curious eyes.


    Looking at her curious blue eyes, Evander was reminded of her childhood. The same eyes, the same stare.


    ''Father, tell me!'' He could almost hear a cute and lovely voice.


    "Varian asked me for Sovereign Irene''s contact, remember?" Evander revealed his reasons.


    "But that isn''t enough¡­" Sarah tilted her head.


    "Indeed. That''s not the only reason. Back when he was in Uranus cluster cities, he asked for Sovereign Irene''s contact." Evander narrowed his eyes. "ording to the recent news, it was Dreamer who contacted Sovereign Irene."


    Sarah nodded.


    Varian retold her the whole story.


    He had to contact her to help him out in the cluster cities, and the only source of her contact was his master.


    Thankfully, he was quick to respond. If her father had been a bitte, then Irene would''ve fallen into Despair Queen''s trap and would''ve died.


    Then¡­


    "Hiss." Sarah sucked in a cold breath as sweat trickled down her forehead.


    "Sarah?" Evander called her in confusion. "Are you alright? Is the ce you''re staying not good enough? I''ll find a luxurious ¡ª"


    "You are a hero, father." Sarah looked at him in respect. "You also saved everyone."


    "I¡ª, that''s an exaggeration, even though I''m¡­happy to make you proud." Evander coughed lightly to cover up his embarrassment and said.


    He quickly continued before Sarah could embarrass him any further.


    "At Varian''s¡­funeral, I met Varian''s close people, remember?" Evander said with a weird expression.


    Varian had a funeral after he ''died'' after Sr Trial. He got to know Kyle, Maya, and Gareth there.


    "Yes." Sarah nodded stiffly, her expressionpletely awkward. While her days after his apparent death were filled with grief, looking back, conducting a funeral for a living person was really a bit too much.


    ''Not just that, he already had a funeral after I thought he died in the dungeon.'' He even had a tomb that had final lines from his best friend.


    "After knowing they were close to Varian, I asked my people to put an eye on them," Evander said and before Sarah could misunderstand, he added. "I wanted to help them out if they had any trouble. After all, they''re my disciple''s friends, you know?"


    "Well¡­"


    "Sovereign Julius attacked Dreamer at gamma expo. And soon, Kyle and Maya disappeared. But it was you who went missing and then Varian himself telling me you''re safe that confirmed my guess." Evander said with a satisfied smile as if he solved a huge puzzle, which he did.


    "¡­You''re right." Sarah finally sighed before she quickly looked into his eyes. "So you knew why I disappeared? And you were just testing me?"


    "Ah, yes?" Evander admitted with a straight face. "I wondered if my daughter would tell me the secret, but she didn''t. How disappointing. You didn''t trust me."


    He put on a sad face, causing Sarah to feel guilt. "It''s not that I don''t trust you.."


    "I am kidding." Evander''s expression flipped back to nonchnce as he said in a serious tone. "Some secrets must be kept¡­even from the closest people."


    "¡­" Sarah felt a bit weird hearing that from him, but she nodded.


    "Now, what are you going to do?" He asked with a concerned expression. While he could arrange forces to protect her, she''d be under constant threat from Sovereign Julius.


    "I am still too weak. I want to grow stronger, quickly." Sarah said with a determined face.


    "What are you saying?" Evander was taken aback. "You''re already the strongest cadet in the second year¡­no, except for Charles, you are the strongest in the entire academy!


    If I am being honest, if you participate in the sr trial again and corner Charles like the previous time, you can beat everybody else.


    Why do you think you are weak? You aren''t!"


    "Father," Sarah looked at him with a tired expression. No. It wasn''t exactly tiredness, but a sense of helplessness.


    "Hm?"


    "Do you know strong Varian is?"


    "Er...he reached level 6 in sr trial. But he grows very fast. So, let me guess. He already reached high level 6." Evander said and smirked at Sarah.


    Seeing her stoic expression, his smirk vanished as heughed awkwardly. "Well, even for him, it''s too unrealistic. I was overestimating him."


    "Actually, you are underestimating hm." Sarah said with aplication expression.


    "You mean?"


    "Varian is already as strong as me."


    "What?!"

 Chapter 534 The First Big Blow To Xander Family

    "Sovereign Julius," Irene said. "The evidence is clear."


    "Go ahead." She raised her hand. "Read the files and prove me wrong."


    It was the same situation as when Irene was questioned. Just, the roles were reversed.


    Now, she was sitting with the seven sovereigns across an arched table while Julius was standing in front of them.


    At Sovereign Albert''s question, Julius stiffened for a moment and was about to answer.


    Then, his eyes met Irene''s and he saw her lips curling up into a mocking smile.


    ''You!'' Julius clenched his fists so hard that veins started to pop up on his forearms.


    "Getting angry for such a simple question is very unfitting of your image, Sovereign Julius," Ares said in a polite tone, but his words weren''t polite at all.


    "My apologizes." Julius took a deep breath and controlled himself from being angrier.


    There was a ce and time for everything. Even for yelling and cursing. This surely wasn''t one. At least, not yet.


    "Then please exin, why did you allow such a blunder with gamma potion?" Sovereign Albert leaned forward and said in a dangerous tone.


    "My researchers weren''tpetent enough. I will inflict them with capital punishments." Julius pushed all the responsibility away from him. And he did so with a straight face.


    ''Shameless.'' Irene Nial shook her head. If it was really true, then she wouldn''t have scorned him. But it wasn''t. Because¡­


    "Then what about the Omega potions?" At Sovereign Ares'' words, the hall fell silent.


    Omega potions were actually the first potion Roxanna came up with. They were also the potions that she used to convince Sovereigns to overlook the vitions in her research.


    The Sovereigns didn''t exactly know what she did. But they did know that she ''changed'' the data of one or more people in the central database.


    Despite her evil actions, Omega Potions seemed well worth the trade.


    They significantly improved one''s progression speed, and increased the chances of advancement even in high awakeners.


    The oldest test subjects of Omega potion were almost a year old by now. Compared to their peers, they showed significantly higher progress.


    By projecting their progress into a decade, it was suggested that they would be the ''edge'' of humanity against Abyssals.


    Of course, after learning about the miraculous effects of the potion, the army ordered every produced potion.


    But then came a problem.


    ''Enigma stole our main ingredient.'' Julius suddenly said one day. ''She also killed my sister brutally.''


    And that was how Julius finally convinced the Sovereigns to designate Shadow Guardians as a terrorist organization, despite their reluctance.


    But other than that, they didn''t agree to other things like targeted army operations, and special funds to find and destroy the guardians among others.


    A year went by and after their nagging, Julius said he overcame the dilemma of the main ingredient and was going to introduce the ''Gamma potion''.


    ''Not only is it better, but its main ingredient also can''t be cut off from supply by Enigma.'' Those were his words.


    But since gamma potion itself was proven to be dangerous¡­


    "Do you know how much damage it could cause?" Sovereign Ares mmed the table as his whole body was covered in snakes of lightning.


    If it was any other person, they''d have frozen in fear. But Julius merely nced at him and shook his head confidently.


    "Gamma potion is indeed a mistake. But Omega, I can vouch my life for that. It is harmless."


    "And where does your couragee from?"


    "¡­Myte sister." At Julius'' words, the room went silent. "I believe in her genius. Even a year after her passing, many of her papers aren''tprehended."


    The Sovereigns looked at each other. They could only hope that it was true. Or else, the high awakeners that took the omega potion would experience mishaps, creating a domino effect that might cause major losses.


    "Fine." Sovereign Irene said in a calm voice before it turned extremely sharp. "The main ingredient you talked about the gamma potion, it''s the blood of kids?"


    "Teenagers." Julius corrected.


    "You are making a potion from human blood. Have you gone insane?" Irene growled.


    Even the Sovereigns that were calm until now looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze.


    "They missed their best time to practice. They can''t achieve much in their lives. Their lives are better served to push others to the top." Julius said without a shred of guilt.


    "¡­You are killing them!" Irene said in a breaking voice.


    "I know." Julius nodded with a straight face.


    "Do you have a bit of conscience¡­or even humanity left in you?" Irene asked with red eyes.


    Julius who was calm until then looked at her dangerously. If it wasn''t a virtual conference, it seemed like he''d have attacked her on the spot.


    The Sovereigns also noticed the change and the air tensed up.


    Finally, Julius said. "We are weak."


    "Huh?"


    "Do you forget that we almost lost Uranus and Neptune only two weeks ago?" Julius looked at his peers. "If not for the guardians and Dreamer, we''d have lost."


    "Don''t you dare utter their name, Julius Xander!" Irene stood up with a menacing re.


    Her eyes turned red and she pointed at him with a finger shaking in rage. "It was all because of you! You killed them all, bloody bastard!"


    The Sovereigns looked at each other and looked back at Julius. Their gazes were also ming him.


    "I took the safest decision on the information I had," Julius said without backing down.


    "Say you now know that someone is an alien and they can contact their race outside the sr system. What will you do?" He asked Irene.


    "I¡­will tal¡ª"


    "I will kill them," Julius said without batting an eye. "No matter how well their intentions might seem to be, they can turn against us in the blink of an eye. They are not humans, they are not us."


    Irene wanted to curse him but Ares gestured for her to sit down. And she begrudgingly did.


    "Coming back to Gamma potions, the main ingredient is human blood, right?" Sovereign Ares asked.


    "Obviously."


    "And you said Gamma potion is developed without the main ingredient of the Omega potion." Ares tapped on the virtual table, but his fingers merely passed through.


    "Yes."


    "So," Ares raised his voice. "I think it''s feasible that the main ingredient of omega potion is also blood."


    His words caused the Sovereigns to raise their brows in surprise while Julius frowned in reflex.


    "And that blood is not human blood," Ares smirked. "Enigma''s first major event is killing Roxanna. So, I think the blood is also Enigma''s. She is the one who escaped and that is why she killed Roxanna."


    "¡­" Julius fell silent.


    "What? Am I wrong?" Ares leaned forward and stared at Julius with cold eyes.


    Julius would''ve scoffed at Ares at any other time, but under the stare of seven sovereigns, he had no choice.


    He kept silent. He couldn''t reveal about Sia. It would unravel another threat altogether and might lead to bigger problems.


    "No wonder you hate Enigma and go to the extent of using your power to call her people terrorists and even brutally murder them." Sovereign Albert deeply sighed.


    "¡­" Julius didn''t reply.


    "You did mistakes, Sovereign Julius." Sovereign Albert said. "You have to pay the price.


    All your Xander family businesses and cooperations ons other than Earth are hereby terminated."


    The Sovereigns voted in favor of the proposition.


    Overnight, the Xanders'' influence on every other other than Earth disappeared.


    History books would note this as the first step in their fall.

 Chapter 535 Shadow Guardians [1]: The Siblings

    Misha nervously reached the civil defense bureau of Earth. Despite the repeated assurances by the federation, press, and theary guards, her heart wasn''t at ease.


    So, when the call came from the bureau, she hopped onto her hovercar and dashed here in a few minutes.


    In doing so, she broke all the speeding andne limits and incurred a fine of up to 1000 kp.


    It was a significant sum for most people.


    Not for Misha. As a level 7, she could afford that much. But of course, if she repeatedly broke the rules, her punishment would grow exponentially.


    Such thoughts didn''t even cross her mind as Misha jumped down from her hovercar and sprinted to the giant building.


    The building rested on a blue tform. Once she shot up the stairs, a magnificent building came into sight.


    It was carved out of pure white stone, supported by twelve pirs with carvings depicting some of the greatest battles of human history.


    Misha''s senses caught a few bots, along with a few men and women carving new scenes at the bottom of the twelfth pir.


    Rather than calling them carvings, it''d be better to call as paintings that happened to be carved.


    Misha was curious about the new addition. Each and every addition had great significance.


    But meeting him was her first priority.


    So, she turned her gaze away and entered the building through the huge entrance.


    She moved past the lobby and took the elevator.


    She saw teary-eyed pairs¡ªmothers and sons, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives¡ªleaving the building on the way up.


    In every pair, one person seemed like an everyday person while the other looked like a fierce adventurer. However, their stepscked strength and their bodies were supported by their partner.


    Yet, their eyes glowed in pride.


    ''It''s alright. It''s alright.'' Misha calmed herself or tried to. ''They''re all fine. So, nothing will happen to him.''


    She seemed to have calmed down¡­until she reached the tenth floor where she ran to the second room and dashed in.


    "Mathew!" Seeing the figure leaning against a soft chair, her face lit up and she called in joy.


    The man was taken aback by the shout and when he turned to see the caller, his surprise only increased.


    "M-Misha?" He called his sister''s name in confusion. It had been a while since he uttered that name, and it honestly felt weird.


    "Thank heavens!" Misha heaved a sigh of relief seeing he was alright. But looking at his pale face, she held his hand in concern.


    "Did the bureau neglect your treatment? Damn it! I''ll sue them to poverty." She said in a cold and determined voice.


    Mathew shuddered. Even though his sister in his distant memories was soft and smiling most of the time, he remembered that she used to be stubborn.


    If he didn''t stop her, then she''d really sue the bureau.


    "T-They treated me well. It''s just¡­" Mathew wanted to exin, but he felt awkward.


    Since he cut off contact with his family, he thought he''d never see them again. Truthfully, he too knew that as a substance abuser, his family wanted him at arm''s length. However, even when he was normal, they weren''t close.


    Even his sister who was closest to him alienated him after she gave birth to her son.


    He could understand her fears. ''I don''t want my son to have a bad influence. Especially not that of his talentless uncle.''


    So, it came as a surprise that she came here.


    "It''s just what? Are you tired? Do you want me to check on your mental status?" Misha tapped her forehead and asked.


    "¡­why are you suddenly worried about me?" His voice was cold and even distant as if he was talking to a stranger and not his own sister.


    "¡­"


    The room fell silent as the siblings stared at each other.


    It was an awkward silence, but Mathew didn''t want fake concerns.


    "I am your sister." Misha finally said.


    "The same sister that stopped me from visiting my nephew ten years ago." Mathew sighed.


    "B-But at that time you were¡­" She bit her lip and tried to consider appropriate words.


    "An Addict," Mathew said openly.


    "Yes. I, I was afraid you''d influence him. He was still a kid, so¡­" Misha trailed off.


    "Then what about the years before that, sister? Right after your marriage, when I wasn''t into addiction, I approached you many times. Did you even talk to me properly?" Mathew slowly stood up and asked. His voice didn''t have any sadness, only resignment.


    "I¡­" Misha wanted to answer but no words came out. In the end, she hung her head in shame.


    Consciously or unconsciously, she too started treating him like everyone else.


    ''He is a low-talent.''


    ''He has given up on himself.''


    ''He won''t achieve much.''


    These were the words she heard about him the most. And at some point, she too believed the same.


    Her parents too conditioned her to despise anyone with lower talent.


    While she didn''t despise him, as she grew older, their distance certainly grew. And on her own volition.


    "I have a low talent," Mathew said in a mocking tone. "Truthfully, if I was born to a normal family, I''d have led a normal life. I''d have reached level 3 or level 4. I''d have made good friends, married a lovely woman, and had wonderful kids."


    Misha''s face paled. She could sense where this was going.


    "But it''s my curse to be born in your family. Your expectations were too high that they broke me forever." Mathew said ''your'', not ''our''. It was crystal clear that he didn''t consider her family anymore.


    "¡­" Misha covered her mouth as tears threatened to spill out of her eyes.


    "No, sister." Mathew shook his head. "Our bond was long gone."


    "¡­Barry wants to see you." She said in a broken voice. "He is also low-talented like you. Just like you, his friends distanced themselves from him. His girlfriend broke up with him. His teachers don''t care about him."


    Mathew''s face twisted as he was reminded of his painful past.


    "¡­And even his father despises him."


    That was the final straw.


    Mathew kicked the sofa, breaking it into pieces.


    "Your husband is a bastard!"


    Misha wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes and sighed. "I know¡­Barry really looks up to you. You both have the same talent, but you are now level 5. I think only you can help him ou¡ª"


    "I''m sorry." Mathew cut her off.


    "..Huh?"


    "The only reason you came to me was that you want Barry to reach level 5 too, right?" Mathew asked in a straightforward tone.

 Chapter 536 Shadow Guardians [2]: The Recruitments

    "I-I don''t want him to stay as level 3 all his life." Misha lowered her head and admitted. "He won''t amount of anything as a low awakener."


    Mathew was listening with a serious expression but her final words cracked him up. "Ha-ahahaha! Won''t amount to anything. So, low awakeners don''t amount to anything?"


    As he repeated her words, his voice started to turn cold. "Dear Sister, do you realize that more than 90% of the society is low awakeners?"


    "Sure, in terms of strength, they can''tpare to mid and high awakeners. But should a person only measure their self-worth through their strength?


    They can be researchers, businessmen, strategists, heck, there are too many things they could contribute in." Mathew''s tone was on the verge of rage.


    "Forget everything. Did you even ask Barry what he wants to be? Not what you want him to?"


    "I¡­." Misha was stunned. Looking back, she never asked him. She did what she thought was best. Not what he actually liked.


    "Your parents are shitty. Don''t be like them. Talk to your goddamn son." Mathew walked to the exit and the doors opened.


    Right when he was about to exit, he paused and said.


    "I know the real reason you visited me. You want the miracle potion of the shadow guardians for your son.


    I don''t want to crush your dreams, but I got it only through Enigma''s grace. Unless you join the guardians and risk your life, forget about it."


    Misha clenched her fists as she looked at her brother''s back. And then she thought of her son''s bleak face.


    Yes. She did terrible things so far. She had been both a horrible mother and a horrible sister.


    Even the concern she suddenly had for her brother was only a means to an end. She didn''t realize it until Mathew said, but yes, the biggest thought in her mind when meeting him was the miracle potion.


    ''I am such a trashy person.'' She felt a sense of disgust toward her own behavior. ''But¡­is there no chance of redemption?''


    She recalled his parting words and raised her head.


    "Wait! I''m joining!"


    Shouting those words, she chased after him.


    *** *** *** ***


    "Excuse me, you do realize this can get you into legal trouble, right?" A person covered in ck clothes from head to toe asked in a deep voice.


    "I fully understand the risks." Misha nodded. "Please let me join."


    "Wait a minute." The guard tapped on hism and started to verify her documents.


    Misha waited nervously as she nced around to find traces of Mathew.


    Following her repeated requests, he agreed to give her a chance. She followed him all the way from earth to a space city between Mars and Jupiter. From there, she reached a secret realm.


    Unlike others, she didn''t need to bring in the invitation letter. Mathew directly let her pass.


    Soon, she found herself in training grounds filled with tens of thousands of members.


    The secret realm seemed to be recently renovated and the construction of new facilities still seemed to be going on.


    ''There are only a few staff.'' She nced at the guard evaluating her files. He was a level 7 like her, yet he was doing this menial job. It was most likely due to security reasons. If anything happened, they could immediately control the situation.


    ''It''s not like they have a choice.''


    Most shadow guardians perished on Earth. The ones alive around earth¡ªlike her brother were captured by the Xanders and only recently released.


    ''There are some guardians that weren''t captured. They did all the preparations.'' Misha knew what this meant.


    ''There must be some powerful leader who coordinated this and oversaw things. Was it Enigma, Blue sh, or perhaps Dreamer?''


    As she wondered, the guard had tapped hism again and nodded at her. "You pass the preliminary. Go in."


    He pointed to a tall rhombus building a few hundred meters away.


    "Thanks."


    "Next!" As the guard yelled, a young man stepped forward and presented his files. Without waiting for the guard to ask, he answered.


    "My parents were killed by the Order. I want revenge."


    ''This one is revenge, huh.'' Misha recalled themon reasons she heard and walked to the building.


    ''My parents were killed by the order.''


    ''I want to kill the traitors!''


    ''I can''t serve in the army, but I can work part-time as a shadow guardian. I can contribute.''


    ''I want to contribute.''


    ''I want to contribute.''


    Six out of ten, the reasons were because they wanted to ''contribute'' something, anything.


    Most of the time, people knew that something was the right thing to do. But they didn''t know how to do it.


    So, they clung to any option they were presented. In this case, Shadow Guardians was the option to ''justice''.


    ''Justice brought more than ten thousand people here with utmost secrecy.''


    Misha guessed that there were perhaps dozens of such recruitment spots across the sr system.


    And she strongly believed that like in this one, every recruitment spot would have people from all sorts of backgrounds.


    Young geniuses who wanted to live a meaningful life.


    Middle-aged experts who were beginning to realize their life had been meaningless.


    Old veterans who wanted to die a meaningful death.


    ''But even getting here is difficult.'' As she joined the queue in front of the rhombus-shaped building, Misha sighed.


    She was only able to enter the secret realm because her ''brother'' allowed her to.


    The rest didn''t get in¡ªthey were selected by shadow guardians who were always searching for potential candidates and were invited.


    Of course, her privilege ended with getting in without an invitation. Whether she''d be selected or not depended on herself.


    ''I must.'' She clenched her fists tightly and advanced in the line.


    Misha was clear about why she was joining the shadow guardians.


    It was neither for gritty reasons such as revenge. Nor was it for noble reasons such as promoting justice.


    She simply wanted her son to live a safer life.


    ''I won''t force him.'' She took a breath. ''But I want him to be safe. So, I''ll get him the miracle potion. After I die, he can at least protect himself in danger.''


    This wasn''t something Mathew could understand. But as a mother, her son''s safety was her top priority.


    "Next!"


    The tests begun.

 Chapter 537 Shadow Guardians [3]: The Future

    What would you test in people that would join you in secret operations that if leaked, could lead to the destruction of not only your team but your entire organization?


    Seth had to bang his head for this question. As if it wasn''t enough, Gareth too banged his head.


    But somehow, the old friends managed to carve out a bunch of tests.


    ''To what or whom is your loyalty sworn?''


    ''Wha is your cause?''


    ''Who or what do you fear the most?''


    ''What or who do you love the most?''


    They were extra careful¡ªin fact, extremely careful to prevent the betrayals.


    After all, just a few days ago, Rudolf and Xia betrayed Enigma and tried to kill her. Even though no one betrayed the organization itself and stuck to the belief of human freedom, this was a betrayal nheless.


    Even if they knew that betrayals won''t happen for that reason again, there was a deep fear in their heart.


    ''What if the army decides to attack the guardians again?''


    ''What if a sovereign views us as an enemy?''


    The scar in their psyche probably wouldn''t fade for a long time. After all, the worst betrayal the guardians faced didn''te from Rudolf and Xia, but from theirrades in arms¡ªthe army itself.


    As a consequence, the guardians would move more independently in the future. They wouldn''t trust the army like they once did.


    "Next." The guard shouted.


    Seth adjusted himself in his chair while cing his hands on the table and tapping it lightly.


    Creak!


    The doors opened and a woman who seemed to be in her mid-thirties entered the meeting hall.


    Like everyone who came before her, she too passed all the six tests and was eligible to take the final one.


    "Miss Misha." A hoarse voice addressed her from the left of Seth.


    It was Gareth, ex-master of Leon Training Hall.


    After Seth took the miracle potion, Gareth resigned from his duty and came to protect his old friend during the critical period.


    As a result, Seth finally reached level 9 in his dual paths.


    The ex-hall master wanted to leave after Seth was done. But Seth shamelessly had him join the shadow guardians and threw a good part of work at him.


    ''He was the hall master. I was only an instructor. Surely, his experience is better.'' Seth justified his actions.


    All the while, the interview was going on.


    "Your brother informed me that you only wish for the miracle potion for your son. Nothing more, nothing less." Gareth spoke in amanding tone.


    "Indeed." Misha nodded. Even though she was a level 7, she felt terrible pressure from Gareth. But more than this bald man, the bald man next to him was even scarier. She didn''t even dare to lie.


    "What if the enemy offers you the same potion one day? Would you betray us?"


    Seth''s interest was piqued as he gazed at the woman once again. A hologram popped up in front of him and showed her information along with her test results.


    ''My pupil is too powerful.'' As he read through every single data about her from the federation database, Seth praised Varian.


    After learning that they were starting to recruit, he gave them a few advanced programs that let them break into the federation''s database and check all the data of any person.


    This genuinely made their lives easier.


    ''Even if he''s not here, he''s doing a lot.'' Seth clicked his tongue and swiped away the hologram.


    Tapping his fingers on the table, he repeated the question to Misha who seemed to be thinking deeply.


    "If someone offered you the same miracle potion, would you betray us?" Seth asked and his aura locked onto her.


    Misha felt suffocated as her chest grew heavy. In the end, she said through gritted teeth.


    "No, as long as my son''s life isn''t threatened¡­"


    Seth smiled and the pressure vanished.


    Any other answer would''ve been a lie and she''d be kicked out of her. But since she was honest¡­


    Seth and Gareth looked at each other before Seth said.


    "You''re in,"


    "Than¡ª" Misha stood up with a bright face but Seth wasn''t done yet.


    "If you bring your son to our secret realm. He''ll train here, be protected here, and live here." Seth said in an irrefutable tone.


    "¡­What if I say no?"


    "Forget the miracle potion. The consequence is that your son won''t be strong like you want him to be."


    "¡­I understand." Misha finally sighed.


    This was a point of no return. Once her son was here, she''d never be able to betray the guardians.


    But as far as she knew and heard, guardians had some of the best training ns. Perhaps, he''d grow up well.


    "Good. Now, please go to the Orientation Hall." Seth pointed to another building and the guard called.


    "Next."


    As Misha left to join the hundreds of members that made it from the tens of thousands, Seth and Gareth continued their work for two more hours.


    In the end, Seth stretched his arms and said. "Let''s go. They''d be waiting."


    "Son of a bitch. My ass is numb from sitting so much." Gareth cursed without any restraint.


    "Haha. Language, old guy." Seth chuckled and walked to the orientation building.


    "Language is bullshit. When I was hall master, I had to hold myself back all the time! It''s torture, I say, torture!" Garethined as he walked him. Then, his tone turned serious. "It''s new faces everywhere. Do you think they can do it?"


    Seth''s face turned serious.


    Most of the guardians died. Now, the only old ones present were the ones that didn''t betray Enigma.


    Compared to the new recruits, they were pitifully low. Gareth was concerned if this would dilute the passion and quality of the guardians.


    "Don''t worry. If anyone cks off, I''ll just beat the shit out of them." Seth grinned as he flexed his level 9 aura.


    "Bah. Let me get the miracle potion, I can also flex on you." Gareth snorted.


    "Good luck with that. I was lucky that I got involved in Cluster Cities'' war or it''d have taken at least a year to earn it. Your old ass has to wait for a year at least."


    "So what? Once I reach level 9, I''ll beat the shit out of that mother fucking abyssal that tried to kill our team." Garethughed.


    "¡­" Seth suddenly fell silent.


    "Huh? You don''t believe I can beat up that shit?" Gareth raised a brow.


    "It''s not that." Seth said in exasperation. "A thought ured to me¡­what if there were no abyssals after a year?"


    "Pffft." Gareth startedughing on the spot as he pped Seth on the back. "Have you gone crazy from too much work?"


    Seth looked at Gareth and shook his head slowly.


    Seeing the serious expression on Seth''s face, Gareth''s smile vanished and he said in a low voice. "Why?"


    Seth took a deep breath and said in a tone that had difficulty epting the reality.


    "Varian¡­."


    "He? He grows fast, but he can''t be a Sovereign in a year, okay?"


    "You know how long it''s been since he awakened, right?"


    "Hm...more than 2 months, but less than 3 months, I guess?"


    "¡­He called me yesterday."


    "And?"


    "He said he''ll reach level 7 in a week."


    "WHAT!"

 Chapter 538 Shadow Guardians [4]: Hope

    Misha sat with a thousand people in an auditorium. On the way, she also changed her dress and put on the ck uniform.


    She nced at the smooth walls that reflected her figure and sighed. Unless they were on a mission, shadow guardians didn''t cover their faces.


    Yet, looking at herself in all-ck, she had a weird feeling. It was as if she gave up on the path of light and could only live in darkness from now.


    Once Barry is brought here, her connection to light would be gone. She''d live as a shadow from then on.


    ''But for how long?''


    "At most, two years." A voice reverberated in the auditorium, causing the pair of thousand eyes to focus on the stage.


    A hologram appeared out of nowhere.


    It was a golden throne filled with white carvings. Like a jewel under the sunlight, it glittered.


    But more striking than the throne was the man seated on it.


    Contrary to the shadow guardian code, he was in a pure white dress. A brilliant golden mask covered his face except for his eyes¡ªthose eyes nced at the crowd silently.


    "Hek." It was just short eye contact, but Misha straightened her back.


    She couldn''t exin this feeling, but there was a sense of¡­authority in his gaze. It was like a lion''smand over sheep. They were fundamentally on a different level.


    Misha controlled her pounding heart and focused on Dreamer.


    "At most for two years, you guys will give up everything about yourself and fight for our cause," Dreamer said lightly, but his words caused a ripple in the crowd.


    It began as a little wave, but soon, everyone realized the implications behind his words.


    And that''s why their eyes widened in disbelief and they felt like they were being fooled.


    "How can abyssals be solved in two years?" An old woman raised her hand and asked.


    From her unstable aura, Misha was able to infer that she was a level 8. From the same unstable aura, Misha was also sure that this granny was reaching her end.


    ''She might survive for three more years at most. Nah. Maybe only two years.'' Misha understood the reason for her agitation.


    "I''ve lived for a hundred and twenty years. I''ll die soon." The old woman looked at Dreamer and said in a in tone.


    "I want to contribute my life to this cause. Don''t insult it with such cheap promises." Her tone was even harsher than her words.


    ''Ohhh!''


    The crowd fell silent as they waited for Dreamer''s reaction. While some of them didn''t feel or think much about Dreamer''s statements, a good portion of them felt offended that he was making light of the situation.


    Even if humanity grew at the best rate, it''d take at least a decade to overpower the abyssals.


    But overpowering never meant crushing. Yes, humans would grow stronger than abyssals, but they wouldn''t be able to wipe them out without inflicting serious damage on themselves.


    What was true for abyssals today would be true for humans tomorrow. And if they needed to reach a level where they could crush abyssals without much damage, it''d take a few more decades.


    Of course, it wasn''t like humanity would overpower abyssals in a decade for certain. If they didn''t grow fast enough, it''d take longer.


    But there was another possibility¡ªhumanity would be exterminated before it reached that stage.


    People would''ve scoffed at the idea a few weeks ago, but after the Uranus Cluster conspiracy, they were pped with a harsh truth that if nned properly, abyssals did indeed have the ability to wipe them all out.


    That''s why no high awakener wascent since then.


    But Dreamer''s words sounded exactly like that. And more. They were an insult.


    "Insult?" Dreamer repeated his words inly. "You can believe what you want to believe, but in the near future, you''ll ept reality."


    "¡­." The old woman wanted to refute, but somehow, his words were too confident, like he had already seen the future.


    His mysteriousness only helped him further as no one tried to refute him any further. Not even the old woman.


    ''It isn''t like they epted his words.'' Misha sighed inwardly. ''They and me, we all decided to wait and watch.''


    Since those words came from a man who always did the impossible, perhaps¡­


    The lights in the auditorium flickered and Dreamer disappeared, leaving behind a few more words.


    "At most is two years, but at thetest, it''s just one year."


    "Wha¡ª"


    Everyone gawked at his final words.


    Either he was trying to fool them or knew something they didn''t.


    ''If they let him speak here, he''s not crazy.'' As Misha sighed, the auditorium shed a light once again and another hologram appeared on the stage.


    A woman inplete ck. They could only see her tri-color hair and eyes, but that was enough.


    ''Enigma!''


    Everyone in the auditorium, be it a level 5, level 6, or even the level 8s stood up.


    This was not only a show of apology for humanity''s wrongdoings but also a show of respect.


    Enigma nced at everyone. Unlike Dreamer, she wasn''tmanding. She was merely¡­indifferent and distant.


    "By the end of this year, we''ll take back Pluto."


    "!!!"


    Everyone''s minds stopped working. At first, they thought they were hearing it wrong.


    But when Enigma repeated her words again, they could no longer deny reality.


    "Prepare yourself. You might lose your life in the war, but we''ll take Pluto back." Enigma dered.


    Misha, like every other person in the crowd, couldn''t believe what she was hearing.


    Unlike Dreamer''s words which they only decided to observe and didn''t take to heart, Enigma''s words carried a far heavier weight.


    ''Where does her confidencee from?''


    It wasn''t just her or the crowd in the secret realm, but across the sr system, shadow guardians, new and old, asked the same question inside their minds.


    They weren''t given answers, instead, the leaders of the respective secret realms appeared on the stage.


    And in the secret realm, Misha was in, it was Seth.


    "Let us sweat more during peace to bleed less during the war." Seth raised his arm and roared.


    "YES!" The crowd roared.


    Riding on the momentum, Seth started the actual orientation.


    *** *** ***


    Varian watched the roar of a hundred thousand thousands of recruits across the holograms.


    Earlier, they mostly had recruits from Earth and their total numbers barely amounted to ten thousand.


    But now, people from all over the sr system came forward.


    "Julius tried to destroy them, but his actions only made them stronger than ever." He chuckled and said.


    "Their cohesion is still weak." Enigma shook her head as she sat at a distance from him. She nced at his throne and said. "You''re still using it?"


    "Of course." Varian raised his chin proudly.


    "...you''re still holding onto your childhood dream."


    "Did Sia tell this to you?" Varian narrowed his eyes.


    "..." Enigma remained silent.


    "Whatever, their cohesion is indeed weak. They''re newbies after all.'' Varian shrugged. Then his voice turned serious. "But their dead predecessors and they had one thing inmon."


    Enigma looked at the holograms and took a deep breath.


    It was evident in their collective voice.


    Hope.


    Hope to see a world not gued by war.


    Hope to watch the moon without military bases.


    Hope to live in peace.


    Thinking back to Julius nearly wiping out the guardians, Varian mockingly smiled.


    A verse he read in the past resurfaced in his mind.


    ''Throughout history, it was proven again and again,


    People can be killed, Nations can be destroyed, Races can be eliminated,


    But as long as a heart is left beating,


    Hope lives on.''


    *** *** ***


    A/N: End of Arc. We''re moving to the Fifth Volume.


    Please give feedback on this arc¡ªshare what you liked, and didn''t like, and also, what you expect and would love to see in the next volume.


    Thank You.

 Chapter 542 A Fight Without Moving Fingers

    Strength was the ultimate truth.


    Like the level 7 stone giant which could easily destroy a small hill, a level 8 would have no problem breakingrge cities apart.


    A level 9 would be even more dangerous. The fight of peak level 9s could cause moons to undergo permanent geographical changes.


    And Sovereigns¡­


    They could break apart the continental tes of thes, divide seas into half, blow up asteroids with ease and kill hundreds of thousands of low awakeners with a strike.


    ''I amgging behind.''


    If he strictly viewed through the lens of potential, he should''ve been at least a level 7 by now.


    Yet, he was still a level 6. Varian didn''t spend time on useless things, but he could''ve surely managed his time better.


    ''It feels bad to know¡­'' Varian smiled wryly. ''But even if it is better, truth must be said.''


    Shhh!


    The rustling wind shook Varian out of his short introspection.


    He tried to stand up but stopped.


    Moving around arbitrarily would only worsen injuries that just began to heal in his body condition.


    Thankfully, he didn''t need to use his body to check.


    Varian''s space sense spread out and he quickly searched for the source.


    Outside his cave on a mountain, there were small bushes. The sound came from small insects¡ªwhich were around level 3 hopping from one bush to another.


    ''Phew.'' Varian sighed in relief but shook his head again. ''This is Serpent Ranges¡­''


    Serpent Ranges was the mountain rages visible from the violet woods he was teleported to.


    There were multiple reasons for the name. The mostmonly epted one was due to the enormous amount of Morpher beasts here. And like the name hinted, most of them were snakes.


    These snakes turned into even scarier versions of snakes after morphing.


    Legend had it that the whole mountain range, spanning several dozen miles was actually ayer of skin shed by a snake.


    ''That would be a celestial rank snake.'' The thought popped up in Varian''s mind naturally.


    He couldn''t help but imagine the immense power of such a creature. If a Sovereign could break apart continental tes, and split seas, then what could a celestial ranker do?


    [For starters, blowing up a.]


    ''Whoa¡ªFuck you for startling me'' Varian cursed his beloved system.


    ''Then the Deva Civilization, they even captured such celestial ranks¡­'' Varian felt a sense of awe.


    [Those losers are nothing to be in awe of] System said coldly.


    ''What did they lose¡­no, who did they lose to?'' Varian asked and in response, the System said.


    [Don''t overthink. Just fight.]


    ''Fight my ass.'' Varian raised his fist, but the sharp sting from his wounds brought him back to reality.


    His injuries were no longer threatening, but they still needed time. At least ten minutes.


    ''Ten minutes in this ce¡­'' Varian didn''t panic, however.


    Only his body was unusable for the moment. His other powers were still usable.


    He always had the option of using his space powers to escape from the fight.


    Unlike the time with the stone giant, this wasn''t a in but a mountaineous area. So, his opponent wouldn''t be able to reach him quickly once he teleported.


    Using that gap, Varian was confident of ditching even a level 7 beast.


    But he didn''t think such a need would arise. ''This cave and even the hill have a low concentration of aura. That means¡­''


    "Hiss!"


    Following a light hiss, his space sense saw a snake crawling up the hill towards the cave he was in.


    It was only ten centimeters long and looked very cute. That was until it reached the cave entrance and sensed him.


    It seemed like a cobra with green scales.


    "Hiss!"


    Its scarlet tongue hissed into the air and the snake''s body glowed green.


    "What the¡ª"


    The cutey snake was gone and a menacing snake more than five meters long and as thick as a person hissed at him.


    Its green scales were reced by scarlet scales and it got a third eye on its forehead.


    Moreover, its aura was at the peak of level 6, around 4/6 or 5/6.


    ''This can scare children.'' Varian rolled his eyes.


    The snake senses its prey and slithered towards him in the blink of an eye.


    Whenever its tongue hissed, green saliva sshed on the floor and melted soil and stones in its way.


    As it opened its mouth to bite him, Varian''s body still didn''t move.


    All this time, he had been thinking of something else.


    ''Since this thing appeared here, it means this cave is its nest. A level 6s nest¡­it should be a child of some big snake. So, this area is safe for the next ten minutes.''


    He nodded inwardly and moved his gaze towards the snake''s wide mouth.


    Whoosh!


    When its mouth was only a few inches away from his neck, the snake''s movements suddenly halted.


    Its mind started to hurt and it lost control of its body.


    The snake immediately regained control, but could no longer attack him with all its mind.


    Right then, an invisible force gripped its neck and yanked it to the cave wall.


    "Hiss!"


    As it was so sudden, the snake was unprepared. So, it easily crashed into the wall.


    However, the collision did little to injure it as its ck scales were tough.


    "Tsk."


    The real attack came before the snake could adjust.


    The space around its head solidified while the invisible force once again tightened around its neck.


    "Hiss!"


    The snakeshed out its tail at Varian to kill him before he could do anything funny, but he simply teleported to another ce.


    Kreee!


    As the snake was about to break free of the shackles, a golden light shed in the cave.


    Whoosh!


    A golden spear thrown with the strength of a telekic and filled with lightning mana pierced the snake''s head.


    Blood sttered and dyed the cave green.


    Shaau!


    The blood was also acidic as it melted away everything it came in contact with.


    Varian formed an invisbile barrier and was unharmed.


    ''Well, now that''s how you fight without moving a finger.'' Varianughed.


    The next ten minutes passed peacefully and his injuries finally recovered.


    Varian stretched his body and stood up.


    Even if he didn''t want to, the increase in his strength was obvious.


    ''Status''


    [Body Path Level 6: 3/6 (+1)


    Space Path Level 6: 3/6


    Lightning Path Level 6: 2/6


    Morpher Path Level 6: 3/6 (+1)


    Telepath Path Level 6: 2/6


    Telekic Path Level 6: 2/6 (+1)


    Water Path Level 5: 0/2000]


    "Haa~" Varian exhaled deeply and walked out of the cave.


    With a light tap, a screenshot out from his bracelet, showing the explored and unexplored locations of the Ruins along with general information.


    ''To reach level 7¡­'' Varian narrowed his eyes and recalled one particr ce.


    Before they entered the ruins, Enigma gave him some important info.


    In her own words, she visited all the Ruins except earth''s.


    She didn''t give him a reason why she was doing it, but it didn''t seem to be solely for finding materials to build her space shuttle.


    And even though she had never been to Earth''s ruins, it seems like she got enough information.


    ''Use this information to your advantage and grow stronger.'' Her words echoed in his mind.


    Varian''s lips curled up and he selected an explored location on the screen.


    ''The Golden Room''

 Chapter 545 The Golden Room [3]: Seventh Stage

    Devas and System seemed to follow a simr style of grading.


    So, level 6 1/6 in Varian''s status was equivalent to the first stage. But there were only 6 locks.


    On the other hand, the golden room had 10 stages!


    While it seemed paradoxical, it actually wasn''t.


    "Prove your worth!"


    A voice sounded in Varian''s mind and arge creature appeared in front of him.


    It was simr to a horse, but its entire body was covered by white fur, and it had a scorpion tail.


    "¡­"


    Varian cursed the aesthetics of devas and teleported.


    Kaa!


    The ce he was standing in was upied by the horse beast.


    ''Space Path.'' Varian narrowed his eyes and raised his hand.


    Zap! Zap!


    A spear of lightning condensed in his hand.


    "Roar!" The horse beast''s body wriggled and its tail tripled in size, almost as tall as a person now.


    "¡­Morpher Path?" Varian narrowed his eyes and the beast''s actions confirmed his suspicions.


    Bubbling green liquid shot into the air and reached Varian.


    As he tried to teleport away, the space around him tightened and started breaking down.


    Varian covered his fist with lightning and punched out while using telekic force to strengthen his punch.


    The space binding broke easily and he teleported away.


    Ssss!


    The liquid sshed on the floor and the floor started to melt. Moreover, a strange smell began to spread in the room.


    ''Poison!'' Varian held his breath and carefully observed the floor.


    Even though it could withstand 6/6 level 6 attacks, it was useless in front of his venom.


    However, the venom by itself wasn''t that dangerous.


    But whenbined with the beast''s ability to bind him in ce, it was terrifying.


    "I see!" Varian understood why this beast was the opponent for the seventh stage.


    This thing would kill even most peak level 6s. Varian was able to escape easily thanks to his space path that messed with the beast''s space interference and hisbination of other path powers.


    "Prove your worth!"


    The voice sounded again, this time, with more solemnity.


    ''Is it talking about the prize?'' Varian drew his foot back and clenched his fist.


    The space around his fist solidified and it was then covered by a lightning gauntlet.


    "Haa!"


    Varian kicked the ground and his body shot forward.


    "Roar!" The horse beast roared and the space around it fluctuated.


    It was about to teleport.


    "Stay."


    Varian said and locked down the space around the beast.


    His interference caused a dy, but the beast easily broke through his space block.


    If it went on like this, Varian would be toote.


    He could teleport there, but by the time he did, the beast would''ve already gone.


    In very short distances, his speed was faster than teleportation. He was at such a distance.


    ''That''s why¡­''


    Varian''s body in mid-air suddenly elerated as if he was pushed by someone.


    And he was¡ªby his own telekic power.


    Boom! Boom!


    Air sted and shockwaves spread out as Varian reached the beast just before it could teleport.


    Kacha!


    His fist connected with the beast and it disappeared.


    Boom!


    As the beast disappeared, Varian directly crashed to the ground, and broke apart the tough alloy tiles.


    Thankfully, he blocked space around him and used telekic power to slow down at thest moment or he''d have received significant injuries.


    Shuaa!


    Varian bent abruptly and a lump of green acidic venom passed right where his head previously was.


    Ssss! Sss!


    ''If it really hit, I''d be dead.'' Varian looked at the melting metals on the floor and thought.


    Then, he turned around and saw the beast.


    Half of its body was gone and the other half was on the verge of copse.


    Even though it was a beast Morpher, it was as good as a mind awakener in terms of physical defense.


    "Tch."


    Varian''s figure blurred and he appeared in front of it in the blink of an eye.


    The creature tried to resist but was killed by a single punch.


    Thud!


    As it copsed onto the ground, a bright light shed.


    The corpse turned into specks of light and the damage to the room was restored.


    Whoosh!


    A ball of light shot out from the corpse and entered Varian''s body. Unlike the previous golden orbs, this one was a red orb.


    Varian sensed it and smiled.


    The aura in it was fundamentally on a higher levelpared to the golden orbs.


    He also looked at his golden orb stock. Except for the first one, he didn''t absorb any.


    So, he currently had one red orb and twenty golden orbs.


    ''Absorb''.


    Varian closed his eyes and unleashed the aura in all the orbs.


    The aura was massive and active as it entered his own aura. But like a river joining an ocean, it assimted without a hitch.


    Varian felt his divine paths progress. As if the wall blocking them was slowly breaking.


    Ten minutes passed and Varian opened his eyes.


    "Haa!"


    ''Status''


    [Body Path Level 6: 3/6 (+1)


    Space Path Level 6: 4/6 (+1)


    Lightning Path Level 6: 3/6 (+1)


    Morpher Path Level 6: 3/6 (+1)


    Telepath Path Level 6: 3/6 (+1)


    Telekic Path Level 6: 2/6 (+1)


    Water Path Level 5: 2000/2000 (+1950)]


    There was a huge improvement in all paths.


    The twenty golden orbs roughly equaled half of the red orb''s effect.


    ''Other than the unconquered tenth stage, there is an eighth and ninth stage. That should give me five more red orbs.''


    Varian furrowed his brows and thought.


    Five red orbs were enough to reach 6/6. But for advancing to level 7?


    ''I should reach level 7 here no matter what.''


    He knew of many ces that he could explore and have an edge on. But all of them needed him to be at least level 7.


    In a way, this golden room was an oddity.


    Firstly, any person could only challenge it only once in their lifetime.


    Their age, level, and paths didn''t matter.


    The results depended not on absolute strength but on their rtive strength visa vis their level.


    It was as if...


    {You have the potential of a general. Do you wish to continue the trial and challenge higher potential?}


    The ethereal voice sounded in his mind again and Varian sighed.


    Golden room¡­used to be a ce to determine potential deva leaders.

 Chapter 547 The Golden Room [5]: Ninth Stage

    {Prove your worth}


    With those words, the golden room shone.


    Varian''s nerves tensed up as channeled his powers and assumed an offensive posture.


    ''If this is the qualification to fight for the throne of devas, then that meant there was likely more than one who could defeat this monster in every generation.


    Were the devas so strong or are we humans too weak?''


    "You''ve made this far, congrattions." A voice sounded in Varian''s mind and a white light lit up the room.


    It was blindingly bright.


    But Varian didn''t close his eyes. He couldn''t afford to.


    "Wha¡ª"


    In front of him was a person that looked human. It was a man, a middle-aged handsome man with dark hair and green eyes.


    He seemed perfectly normal at first nce. But there was something off about him.


    It was hard to express, but this ''monster'' didn''t feel human to Varian despite looking like one.


    "Since youe so far, you''re a precious asset to our empire." The man gave a warm smile and continued. "Each and every death of you is a great loss."


    ''He''s a pre-recorded program.'' Varian muttered inwardly and raised a brow. "You want me to give up here?"


    "Oh no. The temptation to pursue great things would never stop, but if we act impulsively, we''d lose everything we have." The man''s brows furrowed as if he remembered something unpleasant.


    Varian didn''t respond. The creature in front of him wasn''t sentient. Sure, it did respond to his queries and even replied. But it couldn''t even distinguish a human from a deva.


    "That''s precisely our history. Those who don''t learn from history are doomed to repeat it." The man''s voice turned low, but it was very solemn.


    ''Wait¡­what happened in your history?'' Varian took a step forward and looked the man in the eye.


    ording to the system, the devas sealed it, and to do that, they also had to seal off the aura. But it backfired and led them to extinction.


    But Varian had a feeling that he wasn''t referring to that incident.


    ''And I don''t even know if the sealing happened when this deva was recorded into this trial.''


    "Are you talking about the sealing?" Varian asked promptly. If possible, he wanted more information about the system. He didn''t want to wield a weapon he didn''t understand.


    "System? What System?" The man waved his hand in irritation. "Ok, I get it. You, youngsters, have forgotten our ancient history anyway."


    ''Ancient?''


    "Since you didn''t leave, let''s start." With those words, the man flicked his wrist and a long sword with a thin de appeared in his hand.


    In response, Varian also held a sword in hand. But in contrast to his opponent, his sword''s de was huge at the base and narrowed to a shining sharpness at the tip.


    "Life or death." The man said and the next moment, his figure blurred.


    "Huh?"


    Varian could see it clearly.


    The man kicked the ground and his speed skyrocketed.


    ''Enhancer awakener. He upped his speed.''


    Whoosh!


    But he was too fast. Varian just raised his sword, but the man was already in front of him.


    ''No, how can he have this speed?'' Varian hurriedly raised his sword and met his opponent''s sword strike.


    Shuaa!


    Varian used his physical strength in his swing while also adding lightning, and space powers around the sword. At the same time, he attacked his opponent''s mind and struck the sword with an invisible telekic force.


    A green light shed and the man suddenly sped up.


    ''How?''


    Varian was baffled. It didn''t feel like his speed increased, but rather¡­his time quickened.


    ''Fuck!''


    The air burned as fires engulfed the man''s sword. Rather than interfering with the de, the mes perfectly integrated and enhanced its powers even further.


    It was Varian''s first time seeing a weapon so thoroughly mixing with mana.


    While still in surprise, Varian calmly struck his opponent''s sword with his own.


    ng!


    It was a simple sound of metals colliding. But the result was a huge shockwave that emerged from their point of contact.


    p! p!


    Varian''s hair ruffled in the wind as his clothes shook violently.


    Both of them were pushed back by ten steps.


    At first, it seemed like they were equals, but a crack sounded in the room.


    Ka! Ka! Kacha!


    Varian''s sword broke into pieces and fell at his feet.


    The skin on his fingertips started to crack and from there, it spread all the way to his forearm.


    Paa!


    His skin cracked and like water bursting out of the broken walls of a dam, blood gushed out.


    sh! Ssh! S¡ª


    The blood formed two small puddles, but before the third could be formed, Varian''s arm morphed into a brown branch and in the blink of an eye, his skin returned to normal.


    The injury itself wasn''t severe, to begin with, so, his ntae healing easily took care of it.


    "Er¡­weren''t you a body awakener? How do you¡ª" The man frowned and asked with a confused face.


    But only a sword swing answered him.


    The man only frowned lightly and lifted his sword with ease. Initially, his speed was slow, and it seemed like he wouldn''t be able to make it in time.


    But then, Varian''s space sense caught a green light and suddenly, the man sped up.


    ''Time path!''


    Boom!


    Kaa! Kacha! Kacha!


    Varian was once again sted away, but this time, he wasn''t injured.


    Of course, his sword still broke into pieces. There was something different this time. He was morefortable with this sh.


    ''I''m adjusting quickly, eh.''


    With five paths in 4/6 of level 6 and one path in 3/6, he should be stronger. Since he broke through, Varian took a short time to adjust.


    ''And why the fuck should I fight back with a sword? It''s better to exploit the advantages the situation gives me.''


    "My first Time path opponent," Varian smiled, but it turned into a sneer. "Too bad, you aren''t helping me awaken in that one path."


    "...Awaken? What do you mean?" The man asked in genuine confusion.


    Varian answered with an attack.

 Chapter 548 The Golden Room [6]: On The Verge Of Level 7

    A bright light shed and twenty lightning spears shot at the man from all directions.


    They reached him at the same time, putting him in a difficult situation¡ªhe couldn''t block them all at once.


    This was usually a benefit elementalists had over others. In converse, in close body fights, they were worse off.


    Whoosh!


    But of course, victory won''t be possible with that single edge.


    The man''s legs tensed and he was prepared to st out of the siege.


    "Futile." He spat out coldly, but he saw the candidate''s lips curl up into a mocking smile.


    "Kuh!" The man''s eyes almost popped up as a terrifying pain assaulted his mind. He channeled his chi and reduced the pain.


    Zap! Zap! Zap!


    The lightning spears were approaching and the man leaned forward, about to bolt out.


    But right then, the space around him was blocked out.


    Kacha!


    With a simple sword swipe, the man broke the space block. But then came another block. It was the telekic barrier.


    Kaa!


    That wasn''t too hard either.


    But the overall dy was significant enough.


    As the lightning spears were about to engulf him, a green light shed.


    Varian watched with his mouth agape as the lightning spears slowed down. At this rate, the man seemed like could escape.


    Except, another set of lightning spears arrived.


    It was unexpected and quick. The man just stepped out of the lightning spears when he was forced to block a dozen more.


    ng!


    As he sped up his time, the attack on his mind continued.


    Pierce!


    In the end, a single spear pierced through the right of his chest.


    Looking at the blue blood gushed out of the man''s chest cavity, Varian was once again reminded that this man wasn''t really a human.


    Whoosh!


    As Varian prepared for his next attack, a green light shed.


    The wind seemed to slice into two parts as the man''s sword, burning in mes reached Varian in an instant.


    ''Time skip?''


    Varian teleported away and clenched his fists.


    The space around the man twisted apart and a lightning sheet engulfed him.


    With his injury yet to be healed, his performance declined and the lightning injured him.


    Zap! Zap! Zap!


    Varian didn''t miss the chance and bombarded him with his coordinated attacks.


    With each attack, the man''s performance fell further and Varian''s attacks started to inflict more damage.


    But as he was about to finish off the man, a green light burst out of his body.


    "Die!"


    It was the final strike of his opponent. If he had 100% strength at his peak, this was something like 120%.


    Varian put up all his defenses, yet it still crumbled.


    It was a dangerous moment. Varian almost thought his neck was going to be cut.


    In the final moment, he morphed into a ntae form. This increased his height to three meters and the sword pierced through his nt''s stomach.


    It was a narrow escape and Varian wanted to kill the man brutally.


    But to his surprise, the man copsed onto the ground and turned into specks of light.


    "Haa!" Varian turned back to his human form and clutched his injury.


    Thankfully, his aura mobilized itself to defend against the fire or he''d have been burnt from the inside.


    "¡­What was that?" Varian didn''t understand the final strike.


    It wasn''t a normal attack.


    When he raised his sword for the final strike, the man looked perfectly fine. But when the sword pierced through Varian''s stomach, the man was a skinny bag of bones.


    "¡­is it something that increases power in exchange for life force?" Varian muttered in suspicion.


    His stomach was covered by ''leaves'' as his ntae form quickly healed his injuries.


    As he downed a potion, Varian sat on the floor, lost in thought.


    At some point, three red orbs shot into Varian''s body.


    Varian didn''t even think much and simply processed them.


    Boom! Boom!


    It was as if volcanos erupted inside his body, the aura suddenly turned turbulent. The sudden spike in aura was so high that Varian was forced to calm it down.


    And as he did, he didn''t miss the obvious changes taking ce in his body.


    His healing speed increased considerably, his strength rose and every aspect of his divine paths reached a greater height.


    ''Status''


    [Body Path Level 6: 6/6 (+2)


    Space Path Level 6: 6/6 (+2)


    Lightning Path Level 6: 6/6 (+2)


    Morpher Path Level 6: 6/6 (+2)


    Telepath Path Level 6: 6/6 (+2)


    Telekic Path Level 6: 6/6 (+3)


    Water Path Level 6: 0/6 (+3500)]


    Varian checked his status once again, just to make sure. After confirming that he wasn''t seeing things, he couldn''t help butugh out loud.


    This was the single best boost he ever got.


    ''Once I reach level 7 in these six paths¡­'' Varian couldn''t imagine it. ''But the real fun starts when I hit level 9.''


    ording to the system, he already had all the paths needed for the celestial ranks.


    ''Except Time path¡­''


    As he expected, the Time path was indeed formidable. But it didn''t seem too powerful to break the bnce.


    ''I only fought a single guy, I can''t be sure.'' Varian shook his head and stretched his arms.


    It''d be great if he awakened in the time path, but since humans had no time awakeners, Varian didn''t know how to improve that path through fighting.


    Shaking his head, he focused his attention back on his divine paths.


    He could feel it.


    Level 7.


    He was at the doorstep. All that was left was to break it open and storm in.


    ''On average, a genius would spend some six months for this step.'' Varian clicked his tongue.


    ''Of course, I can do it way faster, but I''ve six fricking paths.''


    While more paths provided Varian with a great edge, they came with a price.


    Until now, he absorbed six red orbs.


    If he was a single awakener, just one and a half orbs would''ve been enough for him to advance to level 7.


    But even after taking six orbs, he still didn''t reach level 7.


    A few minutes passed and Varian''s injuries healed. He also adjusted to the increase in his power.


    Varian was at his strongest ever.


    If he fought the same opponent, he could kill him with ease.


    {Congrations on clearing the ninth stage. You are now eligible topete for the throne. Let the Deva Empire triumph in glory!}


    As the ethereal voice sounded, the room shrank back to its original size.


    Varian noticed two doors in the room. One red, one blue.


    {You can exit through the blue door. Glory to you and devas!}


    The ethereal voice cheered again.


    Varian didn''t move.


    {Please exit. The trial is over.}


    "It isn''t." Varian shook his head. "The tenth stage, it''s beyond that door, right?"


    {¡­It is the door to definite death. No one has been able to clear it since its inception. Don''t throw away your future! Even though we no longer are the same we once were, you could still be an emperor!}


    Varian didn''t respond and began walking towards the red door.


    "Death you say, I''ve been chasing her all my life. If she''s waiting behind this door, how can I walk away?" With a chuckle, Varian opened the red door and walked in.

 Chapter 557 Preventing A Conflict

    There was a silence on the golden hill.


    It was a silence of shock. The princes and princesses at least four stages and got golden lights for themselves.


    Few even crossed six stages and got a dark golden light.


    Only one among them cleared the seventh stage and got a pale red light.


    In the short but marvelous history of mankind, there were even instances of dark red and even scarlet.


    Both of these were aplished by triple awakeners¡ªthey were low-level and polished to the peak by experts.


    When they got the rewards, everyone was pleasantly surprised.


    Then, the federation floundered their wealth on another set of triple awakeners to clear the tenth stage.


    But even after spending tonnes of resources, countless manpower, and a lot of time, the tenth stage was never cleared.


    It slowly became a legend.


    But now, that very legend was broken by the living legend in front of them.


    The man looked to be in his twenties, with brown hair and blue eyes. Despite clearing the legendary stage, he didn''t seem tired, much less injured.


    "S-Senior!" Princess Ria called out in a humble tone.


    The princes and princesses behind her also leaned forward, looking at him eagerly but always maintaining a respectful posture.


    "Hm? It''s you guys." Varian raised a brow at the princeling gang.


    While he didn''t show it, he was surprised. Not because of their presence, but of his own reaction to their presence.


    These princes and princesses were all peak level 7s.


    Arguably, he was still weaker than them. But he could sense that they weren''t capable of killing him. He couldn''t beat them yet, but he could surely escape.


    And this was because these princes were all in their thirties and almost two decades over him.


    If it was a newly promoted prince, Varian was sure to mow the ground with him.


    Heck, even if it was a typical level 7 prince, Varian was confident of overwhelming him.


    But these people¡­especially this tinum-haired woman, she was significantly stronger than him.


    "Ahem." Princess Ria coughed to adjust her posture and asked in a polite tone. "We saw the purple light, did you clear the tenth stage?"


    "No," Varian said with a straight face.


    "Huh?" Everyone was taken aback.


    "I was fiddling with the lighting of the gate. It seems like it''s working pretty well." Varian nodded to himself as if appreciating his own work.


    "¡­Haha, you have a good sense of humor." Prince Kane from Earth stepped forward and looked Varian in the eye.


    ''This guy¡­he is master''s apprentice.'' Varian recognized him. Prince Kane had a short but weing conversation with him during the sr banquet.


    "Senior, as the future pirs of humanity, this is a really joyous matter for us. So, we request you to give us more insight into what happened." Prince Kane took another step forward.


    Varian frowned and didn''t answer.


    "We aren''t trying to be hostile, but we just want to ensure your identity or at least that you aren''t hostile to the federation." Prince Kane raised his hands and said.


    He meant what he said. But no matter how well his intentions were, they were in direct conflict with Varian''s.


    "We know all the level 7 and level 8 princes." Prince Kane said slowly. "You can just reveal your special code and everything will be clear."


    The princes and princesses straightened their backs at his words. Indeed, this was too strange.


    Since he crossed the tenth stage, he should definitely be at least a peak level 7. But they hadn''t seen any prince with this face.


    However, to avoid offending the other party, they asked for a special code.


    Every prince had a special device that generated a special code every 24 hours. It was a veryplex code and couldn''t be hacked.


    The benefit of this code was to maintain your own anonymity while proving your identity as a prince.


    This was done to avoid favoritism and other discrimination as well as to prevent drawing hatred to princes when they undertake dangerous missions and offend powerful enemies.


    Varian crossed his arms and looked at them with a judging expression. It was as if he was watching a pathetic show.


    The princes and princesses were enraged at his behavior, but it also prevented them from acting rashly. That was also Varian''s goal.


    ''Now how the fuck do I get out of here without making a scene?'' Varian began to rummage through his memories for any potential solution.


    "Your standing as a prince will be greatly elevated. You will be seen as the next Sovereign, no, even higher than that." Prince Kane continued.


    Varian didn''t budge.


    "Just the special code, senior." Prince Kane pressed further.


    The princes and princesses also began to feel suspicious. It was only a code. Not the real identity.


    Then why¡­


    "Are you not even a level 7?" Princess Ria suddenly said.


    The air stilled and everyone''s eyes locked onto Varian.


    Yes. That was indeed a possibility. If he wasn''t a level 7, he wouldn''t have the code. There was also a good chance they wouldn''t know him.


    The princes and princesses stepped forward and clenched their fists. Unless he proved his affiliation to a human-friendly power like the adventure guild or military, they were ready to attack.


    There''s a high chance he wasn''t a level 7, so, it was going to be a cakewalk¡­


    "Level 7?" Varian smirked and nced at the thirty young men and women. "Kids, how about you all try to gauge my level? Feel free to run your senses."


    Varian raised his arms in invitation.


    An ominous premonition rose in everyone''s hearts, but they still spread their senses onto him and checked for his level.


    As a result¡­


    "¡­I can''t feel anything."


    "It''s nk."


    "He should either be unawakened or much stronger than us."


    "¡­I think we offended someone we shouldn''t."


    As they muttered from shock, Varian stepped forward.


    Flinch!


    Everyone flinched and stepped back, except Prince Kane and Princess Ria.


    Varian looked at them with a smile. "I''m not a prince, but this should give you answers."


    He snapped his fingers and a badge shot out to Kane and Ria. Their senses quickly scanned it and their jaws dropped.


    "This¡­"


    Ria and Kane were stupified while the rest stared at the badge with wide eyes.


    Varian waved his hand and the badge disappeared. Then, he calmly walked down the hill.


    His parting words lingered in the air. "This is a secret mission. Only report this to your upper echelon."

 Chapter 559 Julius’ Move

    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    Julius Xander tapped his table and read the news again.


    {Bali has cleared the tenth stage in the golden room. The gate has shone violet.}


    "How true is this? Are they lying?" He asked the robed man in front of him.


    The robed man was a level 8, but when Julius'' gaze fell on him, he feltpletely powerless. As if he was a mere fly that could be swatted to death.


    Gulping nervously, he answered.


    "No, sir. There are thirty princes and princesses there. Everyone said the same." He answered in a respectful tone.


    "Oh." Julius propped his chin on his hand and thought deeply. "Aren''t there any of our own princes or princesses?"


    As the strongest prime family, Xanders also had quite a few princes and princesses.


    So, Julius thought since a princeling gang of thirty participated in the golden room at once, there would also be a Xander or two.


    "¡­" The robed man didn''t answer. He lowered his head and held his breath.


    "What is it?" Julius narrowed his eyes, his voice growing cold.


    "S-Sir, the Xander princes are being avoided by every other prince after the shadow guardian incident." He said in a voice that bordered on crying.


    He might as well cried as Julius pped his desk.


    Bam!


    The premium, custom-made desk imported from Uranus turned into dust and vanished into the air.


    "Gulp." The robed man feared for his life and didn''t even dare to move.


    That desk¡­ was something only peak level 9s could break. And only break into a piece or two. But Julius, he turned it into dust.


    ''If that attack falls on me, even my bones won''t be left behind.''


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    Julius continued to tap his fingers, but since there was no desk, he just tapped into the air.


    But the sheer force at his fingertips caused the air to explode and sent shockwaves across the room.


    It was done unintentionally, but those mere shockwaves from his unintended actions were capable of killing even the fiercest of level 6s.


    ''Bali isn''t in ruins. He is training.'' Julius rubbed his chin. At least, that''s what Evander said when Bali disappeared.


    ''But even if Bali is the ruins, he is incapable of reaching the tenth floor, much less clearing it.'' Julius was damn sure about this.


    The princes were perhaps too excited, but it wasmon sense that the peak level 9 wasn''t the end of level 9.


    It extended to the Sovereign state.


    While most people considered the ten stages could be cleared easily in lower levels, Julius was the opposite.


    ''As a peak level 9, clear the first six stages. Then, the stronger you are as a Sovereign, the more stages you can clear.'' He took a deep breath. ''When you are only a step away from celestial rank, you can clear the tenth stage.''


    As more and more people failed to clear the ninth stage, much less reach the tenth, Julius'' opinion turned into an unshakable belief.


    But now, someone broke his belief.


    They defied what seemed likemon sense to him.


    ''Defy,mon sense¡­'' When Julius thought of these words, a pair of eyes appeared in his mind.


    Yes!


    He reached level 5 in two monthspletely defyingmon sense.


    "You little cockroach!" Julius stood up and stomped in anger.


    Boom! Kacha!


    The guardian pce they were currently in was a huge pce floating above the guardian inds.


    With his stomp, the guardian pce began to shake violently and his aura fluctuations spread throughout the guardian inds.


    They covered hundreds of miles and reached every single corner.


    The children that were about to y started crying in fear. The adults froze in shock and went inside their homes.


    The beasts in one of the hunting inds knelt on the spot and let out cries of submission.


    Even the level 9 guards on the ind looked at the floating pce with a mix of fear and awe.


    The man responsible for everything sat on his chair in the pce and crossed his legs.


    "Dreamer, how dare you enter the ruins!" Julius gnashed his teeth.


    After he thought Varian died, Julius was happy. Heck, he even held a small celebration. But the storm on social media a few dayster proved that he was somehow still alive.


    Julius had no idea how it was possible. But other than Dreamer, no one was that capable to control the entire met and expose the truth.


    Even though Julius tried his best, things were out of control. In the end, he had to kill his uncle and niece with his own hands.


    It was more humiliating than painful.


    Even though he didn''t see Varian, Julius could hear his hearing mockingughter in his ear.


    His first reaction to thatughter wasn''t anger, but fear.


    Fear.


    An emotion Julius rarely felt. But to this mysterious young man who kept breaking hismon sense, fear was only natural. It''s natural to fear the unknown or at least that''s what he thought.


    "I need to kill him at any cost." Julius clenched his fists and a fierce killing intent burst out of him.


    Whoosh! Shuaa!


    The wind turned sharp and each breeze became like a flood of prickling needles.


    "S-Sir!" The robed man finally called out.


    Julius looked at him and said. "Without making it explicit, lock down the ruins. Tail every single person who is exiting the ruins."


    "B-But the manpower¡­" The robed man stuttered. Even for Xanders, this wasn''t an easy task.


    "Do whatever it takes." Julius waved his hand.


    "Are you going in, sir?" The robed man asked, after realizing that Julius was resolved to kill.


    "Me?" Julius would''ve answered yes, if not for Varian still surviving after him nearly destroying the ghost ship.


    "The ghost ship would make it hard for me to catch him." Julius shook his head. "I need the right candidate."


    He suddenly thought of high general Evander.


    ''You say your daughter is on a secret mission, but Evander, I know what she''s really been up to.'' Julius'' lips curled into a cold smile.


    "May I a bring a list of candidat¡ª" The robed man stopped when Julius held out of his hand.


    "I have a perfect candidate." Julius'' smile was like that of a devil. "Perfect indeed."


    "I have to attend a meeting. evert the room." Julius stood up and walked out of the room, and turned towards the conference room.


    As he was about to step away, he paused and swiped hism. A few holograms flew out and entered the robed man''sm.


    "It won''t help much, but send these to Charles."

 Chapter 560 Charles Facing The Truth

    Charles read the letter with bloodshot eyes.


    {Your aunt was killed by Enigma. You know this already. But she did it to save Sia.}


    "Sia¡­" Charles recalled a girl in the academy. She was his junior, so he didn''t know much about her.


    But.


    She was a genius who quickly reached the top of the first year. Even he knew that much.


    There were rumors that her progress speed was insane and she advanced from level 3 to level 4 in a single day.


    Charles shook his head. ''What do you mean save Sia?''


    ''Ah!'' Charles covered his face. He recalled his aunt revealing some things about her special experiment.


    *** *** ***


    "Charles, you will have the best talent in the history of humanity!" Roxanna said with a beaming smile.


    "But how? My father is more talented than me." The 19-year-old Charles tilted his head in confusion.


    Back then, he wasn''t bitter yet. Nor did he turn so cold against people. He had only a few friends, but he cherished them well.


    "There is a girl who is helping us," Roxanna said with a cryptic smile.


    "Can I meet her?" Charles asked with an eager expression.


    "Oh dear, she doesn''t want to meet anyone." Roxanna shook her head like it was a pity.


    "It''s fine if it''s her wish." Charles waved his hands. "She''s helping in your experiments, right?"


    He meant that the girl was helping Roxanna in research as a fellow scientist.


    "Oh yeah, she''s surely ''helping''." Roxanna nodded with a smile. Her eyes, however, showed a firm resolve.


    It was a strange expression and Charles noticed it.


    But back then, he only thought it was due to her firm resolve to seed in this project.


    Looking back now, he understood that it was much different from what he imagined.


    *** *** ***


    "Argh! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Charles knelt and kept punching the ground.


    With each punch, a fist imprint formed on the ground and gravel shot out.


    Charles'' heart burned in pain and anger. His aunt wasn''t the woman he thought she was.


    She used Sia for experiments. That''s why Enigma killed his aunt.


    "Why?" Charles roared.


    His group was shocked at his reaction after reading the letter, but they didn''t intervene and let him vent.


    But it still shocked them to watch their usuallyposed master behave like an enraged and wounded beast.


    "Why did you hide this from me?" Charles growled and his punches never stopped.


    Before he knew it, blood was dripping from his fists and sliding down his forearm.


    "Why did you only show your good side?" Charles lowered his head and gritted his teeth.


    Then, Roxanna''s expression when talking about Sia shed in his mind.


    The firm resolve in her mind.


    It wasn''t about the project. It was a resolve to protect him from her own dark side.


    She wanted Charles not to bear any of her sins. Charles, while desperate for approval from his father, would never stoop so low to torture an innocent girl to improve his talent.


    That was the Charles she knew.


    That was also the Charles she wanted to preserve.


    Drip! Drip! Drip!


    As his vision blurred, Charles wasn''t entirely sure what happened. Only when he felt the salty taste in his mouth did he realize tears were rolling down his cheeks.


    "Aunt¡­you tried to keep me the same, but just one year after your death, I am someone who my past self can''t even recognize." It was a really painful realization.


    After his aunt''s death, Charles fell into a depression. It was only a few months after Varian''s mother died and Varian fell into depression.


    Unlike Varian who bottled himself up and gave up on his Awakener dreams out of guilt, Charles did the opposite.


    He went all-in on training. His rising talent gave him tremendous confidence, but it also made him lose his teammates.


    As they couldn''t keep up with him any longer, Charles abandoned them.


    He stopped talking to his friends and due to his increasingly colder outlook, they stopped visiting him as well.


    Very soon, Charles found himself without his friends and teammates.


    In his family, Charles started to gain more and more support from the elders. The number one genius until then, Princess Iris Xander, was sidelined as he took the limelight.


    But even then, Charles didn''t notice that the loyal supporters who stood by him when he wasn''t that bright started leaving him.


    Perhaps he did notice, but he didn''t have the stomach to ask them to stay.


    No. It was his pride that didn''t let him.


    Somewhere along the lines, "You have the best talent in the world. You will be the number one."


    These words of Roxanna stayed with him even after her death. Perhaps it was his way of honoring her, or perhaps it was his obsession with the only close family bond he ever had.


    Charles didn''t know.


    But he lost his cheerfulness, his naivety. He was cold, arrogant, and bitter.


    It was a rabbit hole he shouldn''t have gone down. Now, he didn''t even know the way out.


    He was trapped inside his own skull.


    "Where did I lose myself?" Charles sniffed back and muttered. There was no answer, only more tears.


    But no matter how much he cried, the old Charles wasn''ting back.


    So, he pushed back his tears and continued reading the letter.


    {The one who killed your brother is Enigma.}


    Bang!


    Charles'' fist turned into a huge paw and he pped the ground. The whole valley started to shake as thend cracked.


    "Enigma, you took my brother and my aunt," Charles muttered with a lowered head.


    His aunt was in the wrong. He knew it. But he couldn''t ept her death.


    And his brother too.


    Charles felt the rage in him reach a new level.


    He barely kept it under control and read the final piece of the letter.


    {Varian and Sia grew up together.}


    "This¡­" Charles thought back and remembered Varian. Didn''t he die long ago?


    {Sia and Enigma are closely rted. So are Enigma and Dreamer.}


    "Bitches of the same feather flock together."


    {Dreamer is in Earth Ruins¡­and Dreamer is Varian himself.}


    Ka! Ka! Kacha!


    Charles clenched his bloodied fists and the sound of his knuckles cracking resounded in the chilling silence.


    "Varian, you will be my revenge."

 Chapter 561 What Happened To You?

    Every year, the awakeners would search for different things in Trian Ruins.


    Even if you were an awakener who entered the ruins for a treasure, there were forty-five days.


    Getting the treasure you wanted was hard enough. It required a lot of preparations¡ªresearch, groundwork, setting up a proper team, suitable weapons, and more.


    But once you did, there was no guarantee that you would get another valuable treasure.


    So, most people took up a mission or two to raise their earnings.


    The ones who couldn''t enter the ruins by themselves would give out missions and thus, there were always missions.


    It could be for deva technology, ecology, or history.


    It happenedst year, the year before it, and literally every year.


    But not this year.


    The awakeners all searched for one thing. From the northern cold areas to the southern ins, the western forests to the eastern deserts, everyone searched for one thing.


    The keys!


    Last year, a partially explored location was explored further and a gigantic floating pce was found.


    When it was seen, the pce gave an announcement that rang directly in the heads of every single awakener in the ruins.


    {Oh proud devas, the keys have been sent to every corner of the capital. Find one and you will be allowed into the Ruler''s Abode.}


    That message sent ripples not just across the Trian ruins, but throughout the sr system.


    That''s precisely why not only were awakeners participating this year, but they were all focused on finding the key.


    "Is this Sia''s test or rather¡­herst resistance?" Varian muttered as his body appeared and disappeared in the wilderness.


    Every time his feetnded from the air, they kicked the ground and pushed him forward. He crossed a few dozen miles in the blink of an eye and kept moving like a bullet.


    It was iparable to his level 6 speed. In fact, it was likeparing a ne to a rocket.


    Whenever Varian teleported, he easily crossed the distance of 50 miles.


    Every few minutes, he passed through one area and reached another. It was equivalent to crossing a state every few seconds.


    The scenery also kept changing. At one time, it was a beautiful red garden full of roses that would literally kill you with their scent.


    Then, it was ake of sirens that seduced you through their mental charms and gave you both happiness and an ending.


    The other times, it was a group of fellow humans who were either fighting monsters or other humans.


    Sometimes, these humans were on the verge of death.


    In the two hours since Varian started this journey, he encountered at least a dozen ravishing women on the verge of death.


    Whenever he passed by them, they always called for help with pitiful eyes and even promised themselves to him as thanks.


    If it was a normal man, he''d have helped them out of either the temptation or simply chivalry.


    After all, which hero doesn''t save a helpless girl?


    Varian.


    He didn''t save any of these women.


    For one, even without thinking, he knew that most of them were acting. They weren''t really injured. They were just waiting for him to lower his guard before they killed him for the loot.


    But of course, there were women who were really on the verge of death.


    Varian left them too.


    He was too preupied to think about others. He was thinking about the one question that recently popped up.


    Sia would appear in the Ruler''s Abode. That was the only thing he knew. But it was also the only thing she wanted him to know.


    Why couldn''t she meet him anywhere else?


    Perhaps because she had important work to do.


    But Varian strongly believed in another reason.


    ''Sia still wants to run away. She''s sure I can reach level 7, but she''s also sure that I won''t be able to get the keys.'' Varian took a breath as hended on a mountain.


    "Roar!"


    A lightning bolt shot at him from somewhere as a gold-scaled tiger rushed at him.


    It was a mid-level 7. Significantly faster than him.


    But he didn''t need to run.


    Blink!


    Varian''s body disappeared and he teleported fifty miles away.


    Blink!


    Blink!


    Blink!


    In no time, he was out of the gold-scaled tiger''s perception.


    ''This is Sia''sst resistance, but also herst test. If I go through this, she won''t run away anymore.'' Varian''s heart grew heavy.


    He worked so hard to reach this step. Yet, she was still unwilling to meet him halfway.


    If it was anyone else, Varian would''ve been angry.


    But it was Sia. Her behavior didn''t make him angry, instead, it made him sad.


    ''The Sia I knew wasn''t like this.''


    She was bright and cheerful. Whenever he was down, she lifted his spirits. Living with her for almost a decade, he knew her more than anyone else.


    If she was confronted with a problem, she''d face them head-on. When she dealt with his bullies, one of the bullies had a senior in the third year.


    Sia had to fight that senior girl.


    Varian could still remember the back alley they fought in.


    It was an unfair fight from the start. The girl was not only older but also significantly stronger than Sia.


    But Sia didn''t give up. Even as injuries piled up, she bit her lip and swallowed her pain.


    That same girl who had an unyielding look in her eyes even when her chances of victory were non-existent was behaving like a girl who was so scared of her problem that she''d rather run away than confront them.


    "What happened to you?" Varian asked the snow.


    Blink!


    Snow changed to red soil.


    "¡­Did the pain Roxanna inflicted on you¡­broke you like mom''s death broke me?"


    Blink!


    The red soil changed to green grass.


    "¡­Did I hurt you so much that you can''t smile anymore?"


    Blink!


    The green grass changed to yellow sand.


    "¡­I will find you and this time, I will never let you go."

 Chapter 563 Lake Of Illusions [2]

    Prince Lar was a newly promoted prince. At just 28, he reached level 7 and proved himself to be one of the geniuses.


    He wasn''t a monster like Princess Iris who reached level 7 when she just turned 27, but he surely was a genius among geniuses.


    It''s been only a few months since Prince Lar reached level 7, but not only did hepletely consolidate his level, he even went a step further.


    He could safely say that he was the strongest newbie.


    ''But my strength isn''t enough to get the key.'' Lar knew it better than anyone else. With his low level 7 power, his chances were close to none.


    But he still entered theke. If the strongest get themselves injured in fights, maybe he can snatch the key at an opportune moment. Maybe.


    Since getting the key was unlikely, he focused on what he could achieve here.


    The tangible reward here besides the key was a reward that helped water, fire, and mind paths. He wouldn''t be getting it either. He was too weak.


    So, he focused on the intangible reward.


    ''Reputation!''


    ''I can fight the low-level 7s and prove myself to be the strongest.'' Lar was confident in winning against his peers and establishing his supremacy.


    As far as he knew, low-level 7s were present from the first mile to the twentieth mile. The deeper one went, the stronger they were.


    Of course, he wasn''t clouded enough to think he could win against his seniors who were on the verge of reaching mid-level 7.


    So, he decided to stay in the range of six to eight miles.


    Six miles in, he had already defeated two princes and a princess.


    When his senses caught a human intruding his space of hundred meters, he thought it was another prince.


    But unexpectedly, it was a strange man.


    ''Is it a prince with disguise? But why disguise here?'' Lar didn''t understand, but that didn''t stop him from gripping his hammer.


    Lar''s chi flowed through every inch of his body. As an extreme awakener, he heightened his ''speed''.


    Whoosh!


    The air exploded and the water under theke stirred violently as he reached the man in the blink of an eye.


    Lar didn''t aim for the vitals, but when he heightened his strength and raised his hammer, he was damn sure it wasn''t going to be an easy injury.


    But he did it anyway.


    With a force enough to st a mountain to pieces, he swung his hammer.


    Boom!


    Air in the way was forcibly ripped apart as a vacuum was created. Lar watched with confidence as the hammer reached the man''s shoulder.


    The man stood still.


    "Defend yourself!" Lar shouted, dumbfounded at the man''sck of response.


    When the hammer was about to strike his shoulder, the man raised his head and looked Lar in the eye.


    Time seemed to freeze as a golden light blinded Lar.


    Zaaaap!


    A loud thunderp followed and Lar found himself high in the sky.


    "Huh?"


    When Lar opened his mouth in confusion, blood flowed out uncontrobly.


    As he raised his hand to wipe off the blood, he noticed he couldn''t feel his right hand.


    Looking down, he noticed that a hammer was stuck to his right chest, creating a huge cavity, cracking his bones all the way from his shoulder de to his forearm.


    Lightning sparked above his sunken chest as it entered his body.


    "Wha¡ªArghh!"


    Only then did his nerves catch up and the searing pain burnt his nerves. The lightning flooded his insides with an intent to devastate. His chi hurriedly formed a wall to protect itself.


    As he wasn''t doing defending consciously, parts of the lightning mana breached the chi wall and started to electrocute a few parts of his body.


    Lar twitched violently and before things could get serious, he mobilized his chi against the lightning mana.


    At the same time, he ''heightened'' his healing.


    The rogue lightning mana was quickly isted and with the rest of the foreign mana, it was expelled.


    The lightning mana was strong for a low-level 7, but it wasn''t crazy strong.


    Whoosh!


    By the time Lar cleared up his insides, he began to fall.


    The whole time since he was punched into the air and started falling was less than half a second.


    But for a level 7, this was a significant time.


    As he started to fall, Lar looked down at theke.


    It was empty, as expected. Unless he was on theke, he couldn''t see anything. Even when he was on it, the visible range was only a hundred meters.


    In the blink of an eye, Larnded on the outskirts of theke.


    From the six-mile mark, he was now at the 0-mile mark.


    "Fucking hell!" Lar cursed in exasperation as he quickly retrieved a potion and downed it.


    With thebination of his heightened regeneration and potion, his right arm began to heal at a rate visible to the eye.


    But it''d still take a few minutes.


    "Roar!" A merman appeared and pounced on Lar.


    The prince finished it with his left hand, but he didn''t move.


    In fact, he stood in ce without taking a step forward.


    He still couldn''t understand how he was defeated so thoroughly.


    ''How?!''


    Then another question popped up.


    ''Who is he?''


    The same question was being asked by the two princes and three princesses that were ''kicked'' out to the edge of theke by Varian.


    Like Lar, they all stood in their ce, frozen like statues.


    The scene where they attacked the mysterious man kept shing in their mind.


    A princess turned into a beautiful red flower nt and summoned ten small-sized simr flowers.


    As they filled the space with dangerous poison, Varian used his psychic power and disrupted her attack. Then, he sted the space and kicked her out.


    A prince transformed into a fire wolf and it triggered Varian''s bad memories. He ended up beating down the guy using his lightning, superhuman and space powers before kicking him out.


    Out of all low-level 7s that Varian fought, this one was the most injured.


    Then there was a psychic princess who tried to pull Varian into an illusion.


    Since Varian didn''t fight through this method much, he couldn''t resist being pulled into the illusion.


    So, he was sent into a dangerous ce in his memory.


    The cluster cities.


    Contrary to what happened in reality, here, the abyssals seeded in their ploy.


    The cluster cities were sted, and Uranus''oids were upied. The linkage between Uranus and Neptune was cut.


    Then, the abyssals began their onught on Neptune.


    It was scarier than any horror story.


    But except for the initial fear, Varian quickly pulled himself together and used his mental power.


    Since he wasn''t used to it yet, he couldn''t easily break the illusion itself. But he was able to send his mental sense out of the illusion and search for the psychic princess.


    She stood at a distance,pletely unarmed as she looked at him with a condescending gaze. In her opinion, he was done.


    Of course, she wasn''t careless. While most of her mental sense was focused on pulling him into an illusion, she also kept her guard up.


    Not for him, but for others who might enter the space.


    So, if Varian tried any lightning or space attacks, she''d have noticed.


    He didn''t.


    Instead, Varian used the silent macro kic power. It slowly reached her and formed a around her.


    Since he took additional care to keep it hidden and it didn''t exude any obvious signs like other paths, when he attacked her, the princess was taken aback.


    Then, she too was kicked out to the edge of theke.


    There were Gravity path princes. They froze Varian to a spot and nearly broke his bones.


    Even his lightning attacks were forcibly twisted by the ridiculous gravity.


    But when Varian added his psychic powers to the mix and took them by surprise, his lightning powers did the job.


    The deeper he went, the stronger the opponent.


    The mermen were also stronger and grouped, butpared to humans, they were simply on a lower level.


    Thus, Varian didn''t struggle much in crossing fifteen miles.


    By now, he was regrly using two paths for any opponent.


    asionally, he had to use three paths as well.


    While Varian had more paths, they were all at 0/10k. Not even a bit of development contrary to these princes and princesses made significant progress.


    As he got closer and closer to the twentieth mile, where the strongest low-level 7s were positioned, it was bing difficult to win using even three paths.


    Varian picked psychic + lightning + space paths and thisbination suited the fights most of the time.


    First, he attacked them with lightning, causing them to believe he was a lightning-only awakener, as dual awakeners were just very rare.


    Then, when they blocked his lightning, he would use the psychic power to mess with their defense.


    They would ovee his interference, but by then, he''d have already teleported behind them and attacked.


    Like that, Varian crossed the twenty miles and on the twenty-first mile, he encountered his first mid-level 7 opponent.


    *** ***


    A/N: I don''t know why, but I really struggled to write today. So, it will only be one chap. Apologies for the inconvenience.

 Chapter 564 The Lake Of Illusions [3]: Abrax’s Mask

    The Lake of Illusions had a radius of fifty miles.


    The first twenty miles were upied by low-level 7s. From the twenty-first to the thirty-fifth mile, it was the mid-level 7s.


    Varian won all the low-level 7s, so he knew that winning mid-level 7s in a normal way was impossible.


    That''s why¡ª


    "The Abyss Prince''s mask." Varian took out a bizarre mask from his storage ring. When he killed the abyss prince outside the cluster cities, he also took away his storage device.


    "The abyss prince was able to change himself into a human and stay undetected."


    Even though great treasures for disguise existed, they couldn''t change one into another species. But this abyss prince had such a mind-boggling treasure.


    "If it can turn an abyssal into a human, then¡­" Varian put on the mask and his form changed.


    His height changed by two feet and his skin turned ashen. His eyes turned green and his aura changed subtly. He no longer gave a human feeling.


    "Wonderful!" Varian eximed as he examined himself using his mental sense.


    The disguise was perfect.


    If he encountered anyone here, they''d think he was an abyssal without a doubt.


    "But I don''t need to be an abyssal here¡­" Varian squinted his eyes and carefully moved back.


    Rather than entering the twenty-first mile, he moved back to the twentieth.


    "No."


    He didn''t get what he wanted.


    Neenth mile.


    "They aren''t here either."


    Eighteenth mile.


    "Roar!"


    "Aha! Gotcha!" Varian punched his palm.


    Three mermen were rose from theke.


    The first merman waved its scaly arm and a water pir at an insane speed shot at Varian.


    The second merman froze the space around Varian.


    The third merman attacked Varian''s mind and tried to pull him into an illusion.


    "Hmph!"


    Even though all of the mermen were on the stronger side of low-level 7, Varian didn''t feel much pressure.


    Since he already fought the psychic princess, the mental attack didn''t immediately pull him into the illusion.


    Then, leveraging his space body, he used his supernatural strength and forcibly broke through the frozen space. Space Body had a huge affinity with space, so, he didn''t get injuries that he''d have gotten otherwise.


    Finally, the water pir arrived. It did hit him.


    Ssh!


    It hit him with such pressure that even the toughest steel would''ve long been broken.


    But Varian stood firm.


    His defense was reinforced by the three powers he already disyed.


    Due to Space Body, his body instinctively formed a special spaceyer originating from his body itself and formed an armor.


    His superhuman body also formed an instinctive defense by aligning the cells and chi as a defensive barrier.


    Finally, golden sparks appeared around his shoulders and fingertips before his entire body turned golden.


    Whoosh!


    The water pir''s strong attack was diluted by the first defense¡ªspace, then it was slowed down further by his natural body defense.


    By then, the attack of the water pir dropped a low level. Even then, directly taking it could mean a small injury.


    Zap!


    Varian''s body turned into lightning and the water passed through him.


    "Roar!!!"


    The mermen were astonished. They could feel neither of his individual paths was stronger than theirs but somehow, thebination of them gave him great leverage. It was a situation where the whole was greater than its parts.


    Snap!


    Varian snapped his fingers.


    Zaap! Kacha!


    The space around the psychic merman cracked and lightning reached him in the blink of an eye.


    The psychic merman tried his best to control Varian''s mind to diver the attack, and due to the difference in their psychic power, he seeded in normalizing the space.


    But he was a bitte in lightning and it burnt him like coke.


    "Roar!"


    The remaining two mermen were taken aback and wanted to retaliate.


    "Hmph!"


    Varian froze the space around the space merman, which thetter easily broke. But a lightning snake reached him by then.


    The water merman wouldn''t let it happen. So, he created an ice dragon and sent it to block off the lightning snake.


    The space around the space merman tightened again. He broke it and was about to teleport.


    Varian kicked theke and shot towards the space merman.


    Boom!


    Breaking the sound barrier, he reached him in the blink of an eye.


    "Roar!"


    Both the space and water mermen were surprised at his move and they both attacked him simultaneously.


    Varian raised his fist and it looked like he was about to try punching the space merman that was about to teleport.


    "Kree~"


    The space merman and water merman seemed to mock him.


    Varian smirked.


    Whoosh!


    As he swung his fist, he disappeared and appeared right above the water merman.


    "Kree?!"


    Punch!


    His fist was covered by lightning and it punched the water merman.


    The water merman converted his body to ''water'' at thest moment. Usually, elementalization would''ve helped, but Varian was prepared.


    Kaa! Zap!


    The space around the water cracked apart, and lightning wreaked havoc, forcibly breaking the elementalized state.


    The water merman was forced to turn back to normal.


    Bang!


    Then, its head was burst by Varian''s fist.


    "Tch."


    Varian turned to the final merman and smiled.


    Bang!


    Three secondster, Varian looked at three mermen corpses.


    One had its head blown off, the other was burnt, and the final had a huge cavity in its chest.


    Varian picked the mask and tried to imitate the merman form.


    It was hard.


    The mermen only had a human face. Their shoulders were curvedpared to humans, and their backs were always bent.


    The blue scales that began from their shoulders stretched all the way to their fingertips. Instead of fingers, they had ws.


    Their lower body was covered by darker blue scales.


    "Oh shit." Varian checked his form and shook his head.


    He was covering himself in a lightning barrier, so he wasn''t afraid of people seeing him.


    He slowly but steadily worked on the disguise.


    The curved shoulders, the shiny blue scales, the ws, and finally, a ''feeling'' that mermen only gave.


    After nearly thirty minutes, Varian was done.


    "Alright, time for round two."


    Kicking theke, he passed the twentieth mile and reached his first mid-level 7 opponent.


    "Roar!"


    Varian roared.

 Chapter 565 Lake Of Illusions [4]: Against Mid Level 7

    Awakening beyond three paths wasn''t possible for any natural being. This wasmon sense across the ster civilizations.


    But humans were far behind them and thus ignorant of this basic fact.


    So, while they had a lot of theories proposing the limits of divine paths, they had no ''proofs''.


    It resulted in a situation where the average human thought what he saw was a limit while the higher-ups and the scientists knew they knew nothing.


    The princes and princesses belonged to thetter group.


    If such unsure humans came across something ridiculous, what would they think?


    They''d think it was their ignorance.


    So, when Varian, in the form of a merman used four divine paths, the prince initially freaked out.


    "What the fuck!"


    Boom! Zap!


    But with a hard punch, lightning spear, mental interference, and space st, he obediently followed the course.


    "This fuckin merman! Are you a new breed of thiske?" Blood dripped down the prince''s forehead and sshed on theke''s solid surface.


    The very next moment, the wound healed up and the prince was uninjured.


    ''Heal Fighter.'' Varian''s lips curled up uncontrobly.


    Heal Fighters essentially fought recklessly, abusing their hyper regenerative capabilities and broke their limits.


    Varian would''ve loved that path. But he had something better. Clenching his fists, Varian raised his arms.


    "Haa!"


    Boom!


    The wind stilled for a moment before it was sted out of the ce. It was like a hurricane struck the ce, except worse.


    The prince, staying true to his training, punched back.


    Kacha!


    The moment their fists connected, both of them stayed still for a moment before they were both thrown back.


    The prince''s arm was bleeding heavily as the terrifying attack tore his muscles and cracked his bones.


    Ka! Ka! Ka!


    As if someone started a reverse switch, his bleeding began to slow down, his muscles started to repair themselves and in a few seconds, he''d be back to normal.


    On the other hand, Varian''s arm waspletely twisted and it merely hung on his arm like a cane attached.


    His bones broke and his muscles were horribly torn apart. Blood literally spilled out of his arm like it was a broken dam.


    Even though supernatural awakeners had more strength than heal fighters, a mid-level 7 was always a better bet than a newbie who just reached level 7.


    Varian''s strength was lower and his injuries were worse.


    However.


    Shuaa!


    Varian''s arms transformed into sturdy branches and his fingers turned into smaller branches.


    His injuries started to heal at an insane rate.


    The prince looked at the merman which was using its fifth divine path and muttered. "Devas can do this too?"


    What answered him was another punch.


    "Hmph!" The prince was reckless like any other heal fighter and punched back.


    He already gauged the merman''s strength. Even though its healing was a bit faster than him, it didn''t matter.


    He''d overwhelm the damn thing with a torrent of punches and break it down before it can heal up.


    Or that''s what he thought.


    And neglected the other paths of the merman.


    Zaap! Kaa!


    When their fists shed for the second time, it was no longer superhuman path vs heal fighter path but thebination of superhuman, space, lightning vs heal fighter.


    Heck, even his mind was attacked during the punch.


    And thus,


    "Arghh Fuck!" The prince was flung into the air and crashed to the ground.


    The space and lightning acted as additional defenses on Varian''s arm. But even with them, the prince managed to inflict a significant injury.


    Shuaa!


    But the bleeding stopped in a second and by then, Varian was punching the prince for the third time.


    Boom! Boom!


    The two warriors shed.


    If they fought on ins, the aftermath of their attack would be felt for miles. But theke of illusions seemed to have a special mechanism. It suppressed the fluctuations. Only a bare minimum seemed to have spread outside.


    Considering theke''s structure, it made sense. You could only see a hundred meters. If battle fluctuations spread out, others would know their location and even strength.


    ''This secrecy is good for me anyway.'' Varian thought as his psychic power broke apart his opponent''s mental defenses and threw him in a disarray.


    "Huek!" The prince''s eyes started to bleed from the pressure on his brain. But they healed just as quickly.


    He red at Varian and opened his mouth.


    Boom!


    The space around him broke like ss and the broken space cut through his skin like sharp des. In fact, they were sharper than most metal des since those couldn''t even pierce his skin.


    But space des, ripped his body apart in multiple ces and left himcerated.


    Huaa!


    His healing started to work again, but the sessive attack didn''t give him much room.


    Bang!


    A lightning dragon broke into his body and tried to electrocute him. His chi worked on emergency to expel it.


    He was sessful when¡ª


    Whoosh!


    The wind whistled and a punch struck his face. It was an uppercut.


    The prince''s jaw broke and he rose into the air in a parab. Even in midair, the force of the punch was yet to transfer to his brain.


    When it finally did, he fainted.


    Thud!


    Varian nced at the unconscious prince and looked at his own body.


    There were multiple wounds. Not too major, but not too shallow.


    ''I guess I am in the leagues of mid-level 7.'' He assessed his strength.


    And¡ª


    [+200 Xp]


    [+400 XP]


    [Superhuman path Level 7: 200 out of 10,000


    ntae Fighter Level 7: 400 out of 10,000]


    The battle, unlike the fights with low-level 7s, proved useful.


    But


    "Only two¡­" Varian clicked his tongue.


    He couldn''tin either. These two were the main forces against the prince.


    "But at least, I know I can improve with mid-level 7s." Varian''s lips curled up.


    He needed to get the key, but if he picked proper opponents along the way, he could also improve before the decisive moment.

 Chapter 566 Lake Of Illusions [5]: A Hybrid Morpher

    Varian didn''t know how strong he was. But with each fight, he gained a better idea.


    In the disguise of Merman, he ran to the mid-level 7s princes and princesses willingly.


    Compared to the first mid-level 7 prince that he fought, these were further inside theke, and thus, significantly stronger.


    Of course, encountering them was also rare due to their low number in the vastke.


    Twenty-three miles.


    Twenty-five miles.


    Twenty-eight mile¡ª


    "Who?!"


    Varian turned his head to the source of the sound and found a woman.


    She looked at him in confusion for a second, perhaps wondering why a merman was wandering, but the next second, her skin wriggled and arge form reced her.


    It was a creature that wasn''t normal by any means. In fact, it wasn''t one particr creature at all.


    It had three faces. A shark, a tiger, and a snake. Its body was simr to that of a pangolin¡ªfull of scales.


    "¡­" Varian recalled the girl before she transformed.


    Even though she was nowhere as pretty as Sarah, she was still a bit beautiful.


    But now.


    "Kree!" He roared, but in reality, hemented.


    ''I feel bad for you girl, I won''t beat you too much.''


    The princess, now turned into a hybrid creature felt irritated by that roar.


    She couldn''t understand what the merman implied. But she felt that it wasn''t a normal battle cry.


    "Growl!" The tiger face growled and the shark face gnashed its teeth while the snake hissed.


    The next moment, they all attacked.


    A pir of purple poison reached Varian in the blink of an eye, closely followed by an ice dragon.


    The next in line was the creature itself. In particr, the tiger head, which opened its mouth and seemed ready to tear him apart.


    Varian didn''t want to test his resilience against the poison, so he teleported.


    But like other things on theke, his teleportation was also restricted. He could teleport dozens of miles outside, but here, he ended up teleporting only a hundred meters.


    And when he did, he realized something.


    Green smoke filled the hundred meters. The poisonous gas spread everywhere and gave him no escape.


    ''A hybrid beast can be a headache.'' Varian looked at the strange creature and thought.


    Unlike normal beast morphers that transformed into one entity, these hybrid morphers transformed into a creature that was a mash-up of multiple entities.


    They could either be very weak or very strong, depending on thepatibility.


    This one had poison, water, and physical strength.


    ''The most troublesome part is poison.''


    Varian''s thoughts spun and he quickly thought of a solution. His space body pulled bits of space power out of his body and formed a very thin, but very formidable spaceyer on every inch of his body.


    It was like an invisible second skin.


    Hiss!


    The moment the poison touched his space guard, they began to ss.


    Varian couldn''t understand how a poison could fight the spaceyer, but he had more important things to do than think.


    Even if he wanted to think, his opponent wouldn''t give him the chance.


    "Roar!"


    From the green smoke, a giant creature lunged at him.


    Varian wanted to roll to the side, but as if it was all nned, two ice dragons came from both sides, cutting off his routes to escape.


    "I''m cornered?" Varian snickered. Instead of feeling flustered, he felt amused.


    Szzz!


    The poison still continued to meltdown his space protection.


    Varian didn''t care. He put force into his legs and pushed the ground. Then, with a resounding st, he jumped into the air and met the creature mid-air.


    His eyes locked with the tiger head''s and the creature''s eyes suddenly turned sluggish.


    But perhaps this was the benefit of three heads, the other two heads were fine.


    The shark face and the snake face looked at him with killing intent.


    Varian raised his arms.


    Zap! Kaa!


    The space around the creature shook violently and cracked like a mirror.


    "Kaa!" The shark face grimaced and an ice barrier formed around the creature.


    Boom!


    As the space sted into pieces, and chaotic space currents flooded the region, the creature was left unharmed due to its armor.


    But¡ª


    Bang! Kacha!


    Varian''s body was thrust forward by his macro kic force and he reached an insane speed. At this speed, even a normal stone could destroy a big room.


    And with that speed, Varian reached the creature.


    His fists glowed in golden lightning as lightning mana coursed through them and he aimed for the tiger head.


    The creature panicked and hurriedly attacked. The snake''s poison pir engulfed him.


    Szz!


    His space armor was already cracked and it began to creep in, but Varian decided to end the fight.


    On the other hand, the shark head was about to build another ice armor to protect itself from his punch.


    Right then, Varian used his psychic powers to stall its thinking.


    It was dyed for only a few moments, but that was enough.


    Bang!


    It was a single punch. A punch that mixed the powers of his superhuman strength, lethal lightning, and momentum provided by macro kic force.


    The punch was no joke.


    As the punch was about to finally connect, Varian realized something and forcibly decreased the intensity of his attack.


    Kaa!


    The creature crashed to the ground like a meteor. If not for theke''s strange surface, there would have been a huge crater already.


    "Roa¡ª"


    The creature tried to get up, but it never got the chance as one more arrived. Then another followed.


    Until it fainted.


    The creature transformed back into a normal woman.


    Varian looked at her and sighed.


    ''If I didn''t control my punch at thest moment, she''d have died.''


    Varian covered his face.


    He never thought of himself as one of those overly righteous heroes who never killed, even if it was the best answer.


    He killed many. And he did it without any remorse.


    But he never killed for the sake of killing. It was always for some reason or necessity.


    If he did kill her here, it''d be entirely his fault.


    As far as he observed, the princes and princesses here weren''t trying to kill each other. They just fought for the key.


    Of course, this princess herself attacked him with no mercy. If she could''ve killed him, she would''ve.


    But that was because he was a ''merman'', not a human.


    "Urgh!" Varian was irritated by the realization that he wouldn''t be able to do much about it.


    But that was the price to pay if he wanted to use all his paths openly.


    ''I should find an excuse that works to use all my powers in public, I can''t keep restricting myself to three paths forever.'' Varian thought.


    Hoo!


    He felt a small surge of strength followed by a familiar blue interface.


    [+100 Xp]


    [+100 Xp]


    [Superhuman Level 7: 300 out of 10,000]


    [Space Level 7: 100 out of 10,000]


    ''The increments are high, but in the total amount, it is only a drop in the ocean.'' Varian shook his head and reached for the princess.


    He decided to ''put'' her at the edge of theke. The princes and princesses who fought him were also thrown or escorted there.


    As he was about to touch her, a shout resounded.


    "Stop!"


    It was followed by a spear that was aimed at his head.


    Varian dodged it easily and looked at the intruder.


    A man in histe twenties. He closed the distance between them and pulled the princess behind him.


    "Who is she? No, fuck, if I waste, she''d have died! Fuck!" The prince cursed.


    Then he red at the merman. "I''ll fucking kill you."


    ''Oh well, this puts me at peace.'' Varian thought and his body disappeared.


    "Stop!"


    He didn''t stop.


    Thirty miles in.


    Thirty-one.


    Thirty-two¡­.


    It wasn''t an unobstructed fight. He had to fight both humans and mermen.


    When Varian was at the thirty-fifth mile, he encountered the strongest opponent yet.


    It wasn''t an easy fight, despite using all his powers.


    However, he won and reaped the benefits.


    [Superhuman Level 7: 0.5k/10k (+0.1k)


    Space Level 7: 0.2k/10k (+0.1k)


    Lightning Level 7: 0.1k/10k (+0.1k)


    nt Fighter Level 7: 0.6k/10k (+0.2k)


    Psychic Level 7: 100/10k (+0.1k)


    Macrokic Level 7: 100/10k (+0.1k)


    Water Level 6: 4/6 (+1)]


    And like that, he entered the thirty-sixth mile and reached his first high-level 7 opponent.

 Chapter 567 Lake Of Illusions [6]: High Level 7

    A high-level 7.


    Even for level 7s, it wasn''t easy. Some took only a few years, while others took decades.


    One step behind and you''d be out of the race.


    So, the princes and princesses were perhaps the fiercestpetitors in the entire federation.


    They worked like crazy. Took missions all the time. Competed for the rare resources and had almost no time for a normal life. Their actions also remained unknown for most of the time.


    That''s also the reason they received so little media attention. They were almost non-existent in the public eye.


    The high-level 7s were usually those that were ahead in the race. To get there, they were battle-hardened, experienced, and hard-working.


    So, when Varian encountered a high level 7 prince, he was incredibly cautious.


    That paid off well.


    Boom!


    Right when he entered the 100-meter range of the prince, a lightning snake reached for his feet.


    Varian sidestepped and dodged the attack.


    Then, like a ssic merman, he stared at the brown-haired prince with bloodshot eyes. "Roar!"


    The prince squinted his eyes. "I remember clearing all the mermen in the vicinity, where the heck is this guy from?"


    ''All of them?'' Varian was slightly surprised, but he didn''t stop his action.


    He teleported right behind the prince and punched his back.


    Boom!


    As the punch was about to reach his back, the prince''s body shone with blinding golden light.


    ''He''s about to elementalize.'' Varian noticed and used his psychic power.


    Buzz!


    The prince''s mind was flooded with a terrifying pain and a cluster of illusions that showed his worst nightmares.


    It should''ve usually caused him to freeze at least for a moment and would''ve resulted in a slight dy of elementalization.


    But that didn''t happen with the prince.


    "Arghhh!" With a reverberating roar, he suppressed the pain and ignored the haunting feelings from his illusions.


    Blood spilled out of his eyes, ears, and nose at the trauma, but the prince didn''t care.


    He pushed his lightning mana through and when Varian''s fist touched his skin, he elementalized.


    Zaap!


    Varian''s hand passed through the mass of lightning and appeared from the other side.


    Varian himself, due to the momentum went inside the lightning body.


    It was then, the prince whispered. "Die."


    ''Oh shit.''


    The rather tame lightning Varian was in turned chaotic. Since a good portion of his body was inside the lightning, the lightning was able to attack him simultaneously in multiple ces.


    "Argh¡ªRoar" Varian stopped the human-like cry and responded like a merman.


    The lightningshed out against him mercilessly.


    The spaceyer he hurriedly set up was torn apart, his telekic barrier couldn''t hold on either. His lightning barrier was the worst, it was the quickest to break down.


    ''Are you for real?'' As the lightning flooded his body, aiming to burn his organs, Varian winced in pain.


    Compared to a high level 7 lightning, his space, telekic and lightning were all two notches lower.


    They stood no chance.


    As the lightning made inroads into his body, his chi, prana and all others came to block it.


    A fierce fight began in his body.


    Varian gritted his teeth and leaned back, to jump out of the lightning mass.


    "You''re not going anywhere."


    The prince''s voice sounded and the lightning turned even more dangerous.


    Varian didn''t even bother roaring in reply and punched outbining his powers.


    Shuaa!


    The lightning was momentarily torn apart and he quickly jumped out.


    The prince, currently a lightning mass followed, eager to end him. Varian expected this and was preparing to teleport.


    When the prince thought he swallowed the merman, it had already teleported.


    "Strange¡­it has body strength, telekic force, psychic power, space, and even lightning? Did the devas create a weird monster?" He muttered.


    "Roar!"


    An attack came from behind. The prince expected it and swung a lightning hammer without even turning around. He didn''t need to, his lightning sense took care of it.


    Even though the merman was strange, since he gained an upper hand from the start, the prince evaluated it to be weak.


    Boom! Kacha!


    He was wrong.


    The punch of the merman broke the lightning hammer and hit the prince''s back.


    "What?!"


    The prince staggered a few steps but quickly stabilized. If the punch was stronger, it would''ve shaken his elementalized state!


    "Just how did it¡­?" The prince turned around and saw the merman on a single knee.


    Its right arm was charred and hung like a broken branch. Its flesh gave off a burnt smell and even its bone was visible. The blood of the creature formed a puddle under its hanging arm.


    The prince raised his hand and a lightning spear materialized.


    The merman stood up and looked him in the eye.


    "Still challenging me?" The prince scoffed. "With that injured ar¡ª?!"


    The prince shut up abruptly as he saw the merman''s right arm turn into a branch and heal at a visible rate.


    When he came back to his senses, it was already half-healed.


    "Fuck! What is this crazy creature! So many divine paths!" The prince muttered, but his killing intent grew stronger.


    "Is this some sort of rare creature? Will it give more points?"


    Theke of illusions gave rewards based on the number of mermen killed. But the evaluation also depended on the strength of each merman. A high-level 7 merman had more points per kill than a low-level 7.


    So, the prince thought this special merman could be a rare monster that provided even more points.


    As he was one of the weakest in high level 7, the prince was at the thirty-sixth mile.


    He knew his chances of getting the key were rare. So, he decided he might as well get theke''s reward.


    "Haha! You are mine!" The princeughed and shot toward the merman.


    His lightning body left golden sparks in the air as he reached Varian in the blink of an eye.


    "Haha! You''re done!" The prince summoned a lightning hammer each in his hands.


    "Roar!"


    Varian roared and raised his hands, clearly meant to counter the hammers.


    It was meant to be a final strike to decide the battle.


    Or so the prince thought.


    Boom!


    When the hammers reached the merman, it turned around and ran away.


    Heck, it even teleported to the distance and disappeared out of his 100-meter range.


    "Wait!"


    The prince quickly moved forward, eager to not lose this prey.


    But even if he moved quickly, his sensing range was only a hundred meters.


    Varian used his speed and teleportation and got out of the prince''s sight.


    "I have to change the strategy. I can''t win high level 7s with my current strength."

 Chapter 568 Lake Of Illusions [7]: When Strength Isn’t Enough

    Strength.


    ''Strength is enough to ovee any obstacles.''


    Was that really true? Varian believed so at times, but there were also times he thought it was iplete.


    Perhaps it was the wrong perception about how strength was perceived.


    It wasn''t just one''s own strength. It was theplete power one could project, after exhausting every possible means.


    So, when he found his strength to becking to fight off the high level 7s, Varian''s first thought wasn''t to grind.


    That was stupid for multiple reasons.


    Each sub-level in high awakeners had arge difference. Even for him, it''d take a significant amount of time to hit the strength of a high level 7.


    But even then, he''d only be able to fight some of the weaker ones. He wouldn''t be able to defeat the strong high level 7s, forget peak level 7, who were the actual obstacles to the key.


    That''s why he picked another way. It was a bit hard, and might not work, but if it did, it could solve a lot of problems.


    He stood still in one of the deste ces in the thirty-fifth-mile radius. He already searched his surroundings and made sure he was far away from the princes and princesses.


    Without any worry, he tapped his legs on the surface and kept waiting.


    The surface of theke was sky blue. It was no different from any water surface, except that it acted like a solid.


    At least from the outside. That nature prevented anyone from diving into theke.


    But from the inside, theke''s surface sure wasn''t solid.


    Kacha!


    Theke''s sky blue surface in the distance shook and a crack appeared in the perfect blue and that crack gave a glimpse of the darker blue water inside theke.


    Bam!


    Two scaled hands gripped the edge of the cracked surface and pushed upward.


    A merman appeared in front of Varian and growled at him.


    Varian wasn''t surprised. This was normal in any part of theke. Mermans just kept appearing and confronting the humans.


    Kacha! Kacha! Kacha!


    Three more cracking sounds resounded and with the sound of wind whistling, three more mermen stood behind the first merman.


    They all looked at him with green eyes and hissed.


    Varian hissed back, trying to imitate them.


    His current form was also that of a merman. His aura and even his actions resembled them.


    Not even the brightest human prince he encountered had any doubt regarding his merman identity.


    That was how perfect his disguise was.


    So, why¡­?


    "Roar!"


    The leading merman roared and the three mermen behind it followed its order.


    Water dragons flew into the air and green vines spread out on the ground. Simultaneously, the space around Varian was locked off and the gravity on him rose multi-fold.


    "Where did I give it away?" Varian cursed and broke the space lock. With ease, he teleported out of the attacks and looked at the mermen again.


    ''How are they able to me apart?'' Varian thought hard.


    Perhaps, his disguise wasn''t perfect. It was good enough for humans, but not for the mermen.


    He could be missing a piece.


    ''The only way to know is to keep trying.'' Varian''s body shed and he kicked the ground.


    Whoosh!


    Boom! Boom!


    It was a foregone fight.


    In a few minutes, Varian decimated the mermen force.


    But instead of killing them, he left them alive with serious injuries.


    Then, he began to examine the differences between his disguised form and the original mermen.


    ''Each species has a way.'' Varian''s mental sense ran through the body of the merman, analyzing each and every single part.


    A way to tell their own from others.


    "Boo, make a list of recognition patter¡ª"


    Varian paused abruptly and closed his eyes.


    He forgot.


    No. He had been trying to forget. At least temporarily.


    Even though he tried to avoid it, his mental sense flowed into the ghost ship.


    It was still frozen. The holographic graphs in themand room were frozen as if someone paused its time.


    In the same room was Boo.


    Rubbing its chin, it was looking at one of the graphs.


    It was a cute picture¡­


    If only Boo wasn''t frozen.


    Varian pushed down his worries and turned his attention back to the mermen.


    One by one, he crossed out the possibilities.


    Sight.


    "I look the same as them. Down to the scales."


    Words.


    "They don''t have anynguage. But they do have different sounds that signal their intent. Battle Cry. Anger. Sadness. Hmm, I should learn and replicate these.


    But this can''t be a reason that my disguise isn''t sessful. They attacked me even before I made any sound."


    Aura.


    "The feeling my aura give is the same as theirs."


    Smell.


    "Hm¡­but I can''t smell anything different."


    Varian focused his senses and checked if there was any special scenting from the mermen.


    It stuck to him that the fish used smell as their main sense. It was made possible by¡­


    Varian rubbed his forehead and tried to remember the information he studied during his early years.


    Normally, he''d have never recalled it. But thanks to his psychic power, he remembered it in a second.


    "Pheromones!"


    Pheromones were special chemicals that a creature releases out of its body. They y a major part inmunication.


    For instance, ants release a special chemical to alert their species of any iing threat.


    "Fuck! I totally forgot about them!" Varian pped his forehead.


    Their role in the human race wasn''t very pronounced, so him forgetting their existence wasn''t weird.


    "What sort of pheromone do they release?" Varian spread his mental sense along with all other senses to check.


    He quickly found a weird substance being released out of the merman''s skin. It was colorless, and had no smell, but it was definitely there.


    This substance was then absorbed by another merman through its scales. The scales had a very slight movement in response.


    Varian followed the nerve connections through the scales and confirmed that it was indeed an identification pheromone.


    "Well, well¡­" His face glowed brighter than disco lights and he reached for the mermen''s bodies.


    Pheromones were near the right chest of the mermen. All he needed to do was¡ª


    Ka!


    "Thanks for the pheromones."

 Chapter 569 Lake Of Illusions [8]: Reversal

    "Roar!"


    Varian roared into the empty air.


    Then, he took a deep breath and filled the air in his lungs.


    "Roaaar!"


    This roar was slightly different from thest. It stressed different parts of the sound and stretched the middle.


    Varian held his throat and wondered if it was still working. If he was a normal human, it''d have broken by now.


    That was how difficult the mermen sounds were.


    His superhuman body took care of such issues and he focused solely on bing a true merman.


    After a lot of provocation, observation, and testing, Varian concluded the necessary ''roars'' for a merman.


    They were:


    (A) Gather


    (B) Attack


    (C) Who To Target


    He initially thought there''d be a roar signaling retreat. That wasmon sense. Butmon sense didn''t apply to mermen.


    Even if they were on the verge of death, they''d fight.


    It was an annoying trait for any human entering theke.


    Varian too didn''t like the trait before.


    But now.


    "Roaar!"


    He couldn''t stop smiling.


    *** *** ***


    Mermen were simple creatures. A bit too simple, in fact.


    They recognized their race through pheromones, followed an alpha, and attacked based on the alpha''s roars.


    Varian had the pheromones.


    That''s why, when he encountered three mermen, they didn''t attack him. They merely looked at him for a moment before they started to search for prey.


    He wasn''t their alpha. So, they didn''t listen to him.


    He needed to prove himself to be an alpha.


    How?


    He picked the most straightforward way.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    He beat the shit out of the mermen.


    "Kree~"


    "Kree~"


    "Kree~"


    The three mid level 7 mermen bowed their heads in subservience. They had epted his lead.


    "Roar!" Varian gave a simple roar and moved forward.


    The three mermen looked at each other and followed him.


    Since he already surveyed the area surrounding them, Varian made sure they didn''t run into any humans.


    Instead, they ran into more and more mermen.


    From his frequent moving around, Varian discovered that mermen had a strong sense of territorial ownership.


    A territory''s alpha never left their territory.


    ''Then what if another alpha steps in?'' Varian did what he thought.


    If the same thing happened to animals, then they''d fight it out.


    "Roar!"


    The native territory''s alpha with his five subordinate mermen came to battle him.


    Varian smiled. ''They aren''t much different from animals.''


    ''Then.''


    Zap! Kacha!


    The sky-blue surface of theke reflected a golden light followed by a grey crack.


    The alpha of the group knelt on the ground and bowed his head.


    "Kree~"


    His subordinates naturally followed suit.


    "Heh." Varian smiled and gave a victory roar.


    His henchmen increase to nine.


    Then twelve.


    Fifteen.


    Twenty.


    ¡­


    Fifty.


    Varian looked at therge group he made in a few hours and stroked his chin.


    ''They''re pretty strong collectively.''


    Even though he was careful, they ended up encountering humans.


    But his group was able to defeat them with ease. Of course, Varian didn''t let them kill the humans and only threw them out.


    Still, this group filled Varian with confidence.


    "Now then, it''s finally time for the high level 7s." Varian turned his gaze to the thirty-sixth mile.


    *** *** ***


    The prince on the thirty-sixth mile sighed in exasperation.


    The strange merman escaped. It was surely a rare boss that''d have given him way more points.


    "Fuck!"


    Even though he was a high level 7, albeit every new one, he lost against a low level 7 merman.


    A fricking merman!


    "In my defense, it has multiple paths. Five or six? What a monster!" The prince sighed again.


    "If only that bastard thing appears in front of my eyes, I won''t let it escape. Neve¡ª" The prince froze.


    "This¡­" His eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets as he saw the merman.


    The strange merman.


    Because it was so strange, his lightning sense memorized it. So, he recognized it instantly.


    The prince''s lips curled up into a smile that stretched from one ear to another.


    "Hahaha! The heavens blessed me with a second chance!" With a burst of reverberatingughter, the prince turned into a streak of lightning and reached the strange merman.


    "Roar!" The merman looked him in the eye and roared.


    It was a bit different from a usual merman roar, but the prince didn''t care much. He was too ecstatic to notice such trivial details.


    "You are done. You can''t escape this time!" The prince raised his hand and summoned a long lightning spear.


    The fifty meters long spear soon condensed into just two meters. Its glow, however, intensified.


    "Die!"


    Shuaa!


    Like a burning sun descending on earth, the spear reached Varian.


    It seared the air and spiked the temperature. Theke''s surface reflected a beautiful gold.


    As the spear was about to touch the merman, the prince finally pumped his fist into the air.


    "Ye¡ª"


    Boom! Bang!


    His words stopped abruptly as more than a dozen attacks of various kinds drowned the lightning spear.


    Water dragons. Gravity locks. Space breaks. Branch shields.


    The lightning spear which seemed to be capable of burning down a hill dissipated like a weak candle in the storm.


    "Wha¡ª" The prince opened his mouth to question but shut it in utter horror.


    There were fifty fricking mermen behind this special merman!


    "Roar!"


    With the signal of the strange merman, the fifty turned their gazes to him and channeled their powers.


    Even though he wasn''t attacked yet, the prince''s body trembled.


    ''I knew it! I fucking knew it! This thing is a rare boss! More points! Or how could it have so many paths? Argh! Damn it! I should''ve killed this thing!''


    His thoughts were futile.


    The attacks materialized and were aimed at the prince.


    "Fuck!"


    The prince looked at the special merman and thought of kidnapping him. But¡ª


    Kaa!


    The space that continuously solidified around him made it clear that it was impossible.


    "Roar!" Varian ordered.


    Whoosh! Shuaa!


    "Fucking hell!" The prince cursed and channeled his lightning mana.


    His body turned into lightning and he broke the space lock.


    As the attacks reached him, he didn''t even try to block them and ran away.


    Varian looked at their reversed roles and covered his face.


    "Aha! Hahahaha!"


    Only hisughter sounded for a long time.

 Chapter 570 Lake Of Illusion [9]: The Fight At The Center

    Sometimes, a partially explored region would give out great treasures. But every time it would, it''d only be after a fiercepetition.


    Suchpetition was a perfect opportunity to fight geniuses across the sr system.


    The winner''s fame would spread to every corner of the federation.


    Many great geniuses in the past built their fame here.


    One such genius was Julius Xander. In the not-so-distant past, he entered the ruins as a level 9.


    He found one of the many ''passes'' to the special location in the partially explored region and fought everyone for the treasure.


    He took home the ''Guardian Pce'', a treasure only weaker than artifacts.


    But it wasn''t always a level 9. Sometimes, it was a level 7, the other times, it was a level 8.


    These special regions typically had ''restrictions'' that limited one''s level and leveled the ying field.


    Of course, sometimes, it was a test of in strength.


    But this time, there was news that the ''location'' they could ess through the ''key'' would have restrictions.


    That meant, even if they weren''t a level 9, they could still fight and have a shot at winning the treasures.


    That''s why the princes and princesses were so desperate to get the key.


    "I''ll say this once again, Artin. This isn''t for you. Back off." A prince in a white dress with a golden design said with a chilling gaze. The air around him burnt as lightning snakes coiled around the prince.


    "Heh. Make me." Princess Artin in front of him smirked and clenched her fist. The wind burst and a shockwave exploded with her as the center.


    "You two can fuck off." A third voice sounded as a thin man spoke from the distance.


    He looked like a normal human without any peculiarity, but his eyes had vertical pupils simr to a snake.


    "What are we waiting for?" A woman in a grey dress stepped forward, and with each step she took, the space around her shook like jelly.


    The four looked at the center and saw a silvery light. A key floated in that light.


    The reason they all were here.


    The ticket to fame and power.


    The one thing they were willing to point swords at their friends for.


    The first prince raised his hand and everyone tensed. They channeled their aura and were ready to fight when¡ª


    "Did we take care of our surroundings?" The prince talked, instead of attacking.


    "Huh? What surroundings?" Princess Artin titled her head.


    "You mean them?" She pointed to the area behind them.


    Since their vision was still restricted to only a hundred meters, they couldn''t see beyond that range.


    But they were sure that there were other peak level 7s lurking. They were waiting for them to fight it out and steal their spoil.


    The thin prince and princess in grey looked at each other.


    "How do we talk to them though? We are restricted to this measly hundred meters." The Princess in grey asked, a bit embarrassed.


    She just returned from a dangerous mission when she heard this news. She hopped in without much preparation. The thin man also looked at Prince Mar with an embarrassed expression.


    The prince sighed and held up a blueish box. "This is a treasure from the ruins. My father got it a few years ago."


    The three looked at him in confusion, but the prince simply tapped the box and spoke in a different voice filled with anxiety.


    "One of those four has a teleportation talisman! Once that person can touch the key, they''ll teleport away! Everyone, let''s hurry and stop it! We can''t afford to wait!"


    When he finished those words, the box shone brightly before fading into dust.


    "¡­"


    The prince coughed lightly and spoke in his original voice. "Now we wait."


    "Will that even work?" The princess in grey asked with a skeptical expression. "It''s too suspicious. It might as well be a trap. Anyone can think of it."


    "Of course." Princess Artin nodded, but raised her index finger and said. "But as long as there''s a possibility that it is true, they can''t afford to gamble. They must¡ª"


    Boom!


    "Who has the teleportation talisman?" A loud shout cut her off.


    A prince with long ck hair and a shiny red spear entered their 100-meter range.


    His level, like them, was at the peak of level 7.


    "Kane, Teleportation Talisman! You are ying dirty!" A redhead appeared and growled at the ck-haired prince.


    "Huh? But I just¡ª" Kane, the ck-haired prince was about to refute when another voice came.


    "Rina! So, you are the one with the talisman, huh?" A man with arge build appeared and red at the woman with red hair.


    The redhead was dumbfounded and spoke. "Listen Haris, I¡ª"


    "So, it''s you! Haris, you son of a bitch! Can''t expect better from you Venus guys." A woman with short silver hair rolled her sleeves and snorted in contempt.


    The original four looked at the situation and their eyes shone with delight.


    Kane, Rina, and Haris looked at their eyes and then looked at each other.


    A single thought appeared in their mind.


    ''Fuck! We fell into their trap!''


    "Let''s first eliminate the teleportation guy!"


    "Who among you has the teleportation talisman?"


    "Do you think this is a joke?"


    "Don''t cheat!"


    One by one, more princes and princesses entered the region.


    As more entered, the ones present realized the trap. But having realized it, they couldn''t do anything.


    If they back off now, they''d be treated as the one with the talisman and hunted down.


    If they inform people that this was a trap, then they''d risk being sneak attacked by those in hiding.


    So, everyone stayed silent and yed dumb while more and more princes and princesses gathered.


    The ones outside this range also noticed that their fellow peak level 7s were missing.


    So, they were also convinced of the truth.


    Thus, they too entered the center.


    Finally, twelve peak level 7s were gathered.


    The twelfth one didn''t realize that he was tricked.


    "Who among you has the teleportation talisman?" He asked loudly. ''Motherfuckers, because of you, I had to drop my grand n to sneak attack!''


    "You shameless person! Using a talisman in this sacred fight? Show some honor!" He said with a righteous expression. ''If only I could follow my n and attack them after they were all injured! Fate is a bitch!''


    "Come out! Who is it!" The prince crossed his arms and said.


    Everyone was silent.


    The prince assumed that they all feared him for some reason and continued his speech.


    Five minutes passed by and Prince Mar finally spoke. "That''s all."


    "Are you sure?" Princess Artin asked.


    "Yeah. It''s already been thirty minutes since the announcement." He nodded strongly.


    "Well, then¡­" Princess Artin raised her slender arms.


    Boom! Boom!


    As she clenched her fists, the sheer force sted the air and sent shockwaves throughout.


    The twelve princes and princesses on the field were alert and activated their powers.


    They looked at each other and held their breath.


    "Pick your opponent and fight!" Prince Mar said and lightning burst out of his body.


    "Wait, wait! We need to find who has the teleportation tali¡ªMffff!" The twelfth prince was punched in the face.


    The battle began!

 Chapter 571 Lake Of Illusions [10]: The End

    <h4>Chapter 571 Lake Of Illusions [10]: The End</h4>


    "Teleportation Talisman? The fuck!" Varian cursed. His nerves tensed as his palms sweated.


    If he missed this chance, then it''d be hard to get the key.


    If he was a peak level 7, he''d have more chances.


    But with his current strength, his chances of getting the key at another location were next to none.


    "¡­" Varian rubbed his eyebrows and sighed. This was beyond his control now. He could only do what he could.


    ''Maybe it''s a lie.''


    Perhaps.


    Now that he thought about it, it was an excellent tactic to lure out the hiding peak level 7s.


    Of course, it could also be the truth.


    The only way to find out was to go there himself.


    "Haa~" Varian took a deep breath and turned around.


    "Roar!"


    Fifty mermen lowered their heads.


    They were all mid-level 7.


    They were capable of defeating any high level 7. Varian was confident they could even defeat any peak level 7.


    But.


    "I need high level 7s to get the job done." Varian''s eyes narrowed.


    "Roar!" With a single roar, he led the mermen and advanced to the thirty-seventh mile.


    "Mermen! So many merme¡ª" A prince yelled in shock, but before he could finish, he was beaten unconscious and thrown out.


    Varian didn''t even nce at him and continued to the thirty-eigth mile.


    "Roar!"


    ''Search!''


    As they slowly spread out, the mermen started to encounter other mermen. Like every other ce, these high level 7 mermen groups were also led by an alpha.


    Usually, the mid level 7 mermen would''ve fled or submitted.


    That was how it worked.


    That was the rule of mermen.


    But Varian twisted the rules.


    "Roar!"


    Fifty mid level 7 mermen attacked the five high level 7 mermen.


    Thud! Thud! Thud!


    Six mid level 7 mermen died in the attack, while four suffered severe injuries.


    This one battle took away one-fifth of Varian''s forces.


    But.


    "Kree~"


    The five high level 7 mermen bowed their bloodied heads.


    Mermen wouldn''t bow to a weaker merman. But the problem here was that they couldn''t feel Varian''s aura. He masked itpletely.


    So, their instincts evaluated his strength based on his group. Since hemanded such a powerful group, he must also be powerful.


    "Roar!" Varian roared a victory cry and snapped his fingers.


    Five potions were poured down on the high level 7 mermen and their injuries began to quickly heal.


    "Roar!"


    Taking the dead mermen, the severely injured mermen dived into theke.


    "Forty mid level 7, five high level 7." Varian smiled.


    "Roar!"


    Thirty-ninth mile.


    "Roar!"


    Fortieth mile.


    "Roar!"


    With each mile, his group grew.


    With each mile, he also encountered more powerful princes and princesses. But they were defeated faster and faster.


    The mid level 7s in his group slowly grew more injured as they couldn''t bear the intensity of the stronger and stronger high level 7 attacks.


    Forty-fifth mile.


    This was the final mile of high level 7s.


    From forty-sixth to fiftieth miles, there were only peak level 7s.


    "The key is at the fiftieth mile." Varian clenched his fists and raised his hand.


    Drawing the breath from his lungs, he gave a battle cry.


    "Roar!"


    "Roar!"


    A resounding battle roar followed.


    Thirty-six high level 7 mermen behind him wanted a battle.


    "Onwards!"


    The group entered the forty-sixth mile. Unlike what Varian expected, there were no princes or princesses at all.


    "They''re all at the center?"


    That was the only exnation. That meant, he would only encounter the mermen until he reached the center.


    "Good." Varian''s group moved quickly and as expected, they encountered the peak level 7 mermen.


    "Ah shit, here we go again," Varian muttered.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    "Kree~"


    Everything passed like a sh.


    Varian''s group fought the mermen, lost the high level 7s, and subjugated a few peak level 7s.


    This repeated itself again and again until Varian found himself at the edge of the forty-ninth mile.


    If theke hadn''t suppressed the battle effects, he''d be able to feel the battle even at the first mile.


    But even at forty-ninth mile, he could barely feel anything.


    "I am relying on you," Varian said to the group behind him.


    "Roar!"


    The ten peak level 7 mermen roared.


    "Go!"


    They shot forward.


    Boom! Boom!


    When Varian and the group reached the center, they were confronted with a spectacr sight.


    A huge lightning dragon descended from the sky as a prince in his lightning form rode on it.


    Space cracked as a woman with short hair waved her hand.


    Gravity twisted violently, making a feather as heavy as a mountain and a mountain as light as a feather.


    Water pirs shot into the air with a pressure enough to break down even thergest of mountains.


    A huge snake swept its tail and pped with force enough to destroy a small vige.


    The ground was filled with red vines that lunged at their prey without the tiniest notice.


    Figures blurred as they moved at speeds far higher than sound. Even their afterimages were hard to follow.


    Boom! Boom!


    Kacha! Zap!


    A cloud of dust filled with multiple colors rose into the air.


    The princes and princesses gave their best to the fight as they focused on defeating their opponents while simultaneously holding off everyone from reaching the center.


    It was at that moment.


    "Roar!"


    It was a roar everyone was familiar with.


    Mermen.


    So, they weren''t too worried.


    What difference can a merman make?


    But it wasn''t a merman.


    "Roar!"


    "Roar!"


    ¡­


    "Roar!"


    When the princes saw the eleven mermen, their hearts dropped and confusion rose in their hearts.


    Mermen didn''t act like this.


    There was something wron¡ª


    Boom! Zap! Kacha!


    Before they could think, they were bombarded by attacks.


    Since they were already a bit injured and exhausted from the fighting, the twelve of them were barely able to hold it against the ten mermen.


    "Fuck! How did so many mermene here?!"


    "I don''t know!"


    "What do we do now?"


    "Kill them first! We can fight for the keyter."


    They all fought together while keeping an eye on their teammates to prevent them from trying to snatch the key.


    As a result of this extra vignce, they couldn''t disy their best and were pushed back further.


    It was then.


    Whoosh!


    Another merman started attacking them from behind using lightning.


    The princes and princesses didn''t care much about it since it was very weak.


    But slowly and steadily, the merman inched closer to the key.


    They still didn''t worry much. The mermen didn''t have anything to do with the key. It was useless to them.


    Boom! Boom!


    This weak merman slowly reached the area near the key and then¡ª


    "Roar!"


    It roared.


    Boom!


    Taking that the cue, the ten mermenunched a reckless attack, catching the humans off guard.


    Whoosh!


    The merman teleported to the key, grabbed it, and teleported to the edge of the hundred meters before running off.


    When the princes and princesses noticed it, the merman was already gone.


    "Find it! Now!"


    Prince Mar turned into lightning and was about to chase, but a merman formed an ice wall around him and blocked him in ce.


    A princess tried to teleport, but the space around her was blocked.


    Boom! Kacha! Roaar!


    Like that, the princes and princesses were held back.


    "Fuck it! You''re done!"


    Anger engulfed them and they started attacking with their full strength.


    In the second minute, a merman died and the prince who killed it quickly chased after the merman.


    Or at least, tried to.


    By the fifth minute, every peak level 7 prince and princess were searching theke for the special merman.


    By the tenth minute, every person on theke was searching for the special merman.


    Including Varian.


    "Oh fuck this shit! I can''t find the merman, maybe it went back to theke." He said loudly.


    The princes and princesses standing near him heard his words and sighed.


    They were on the outer edge of theke and like most teams, searching for the merman.


    Of course, by now, they already searched the storage rings of every awakener, including Varian.


    It was disrespectful and incurred a lot of bacshes.


    But since the key was involved, they did it anyway.


    They didn''t find anything.


    Varian stored the key in the ghost ship and not the storage ring. His ghost ring appeared like a normal treasure to everyone else.


    So, no one realized that the merman they were searching for was actually a human.


    After nearly a day, Varian left theke.


    When he did, theke slightly shook.


    ''Congrattions. You have directly or indirectly killed the most mermen.''


    A light orb appeared on theke''s surface and shot towards him.


    It just so happened that it was in the visible range of some people at the edge of theke.


    "He''s just a level 7! How can he¡­"


    "There must be something wrong with him?"


    "Catch him!"

 Chapter 572 Ares’ Scion

    <h4>Chapter 572 Ares'' Scion</h4>


    "Stop!"


    "Who are you?!"


    "You''ll be killed if you don''t stop!"


    Angry roars shook the mountains as Varian teleported from one ce to another, gaining distance from his pursuers with each teleportation.


    The ones that saw him at the edge of theke were only low level 7s. It''d take time for the high level 7s to know this and chase after him.


    ''Because, unlike the high level 7s, these guys don''t have any treasures to convey messages across theke. They have to manually go and inform.'' Varian''s lips curled into a smile and he kicked the ground.


    Whoosh!


    A moment before, he was on the ins and now, he was high in the clouds.


    He turned around and saw his pursuers in the distance.


    Two lightning awakeners and a superhuman awakener.


    They were far away and he could barely sense their presence.


    ''Almost!''


    Huge lightning wings sprouted from his back. Varian focused the telekic force on his back.


    Then, he simultaneously kicked the air, pped his wings, and pushed himself with telekic force.


    Boom!


    His speed skyrocketed in an instant and he disappeared into the horizon, leaving only a streak of gold.


    "What th¡ª"


    "Chase!"


    "But I can''t find his presence."


    "Damn it!"


    The pursuers cursed with raging fury. When they were about to discuss their next move, space fluctuated and a woman with short ash hair appeared next to them.


    "P-Princess A¡ª"


    "Shut up and tell me where he is." She said coldly.


    "That direction, but we lost his tra¡ª"


    Whoosh!


    Her figure disappeared in an instant.


    Before the pursuers could sigh in relief, a bolt of lightningnded beside them.


    "Where?" An iparably cold voice sounded.


    The pursuers gulped their saliva and immediately pointed out. "There."


    Zaap!


    After a few minutes, all the high level 7 were searching for the missing awakener.


    Their senses spread farther, and they searched quicker. But in the end, they couldn''t find him.


    "How did he get the key from the merman?"


    This was the single question every prince and princess had.


    No one even thought that this same man could be a merman. That line of thought was just absurd.


    As more and more answers popped up, one was widely epted.


    "When the merman escaped with the key, it was injured. I think this guy got the key and somehow hid it."


    Then another question came up.


    "How the hell did he win the prize of the day? I myself killed three peak level 7s. He should kill more than that to gain the prize!" A prince crossed his arms and dered.


    Indeed. The actual reason that man was suspected was due to the prize.


    Theke rewarded those that killed the most mermen.


    "Yes, why did theke give him the reward?"


    "¡­."


    "¡­."


    "You stupidke! Can''t you keep it under your surface?" Varian punched the wall of the cave and cursed.


    He never expected to get the reward. It was supposed to be only for the person who killed most mermen.


    Who the fuck knew that theke would calcte even the indirect kills?


    Varian sighed and sat down on the wet patch of grass in the cave.


    Closing his eyes, he focused on the glowing sphere inside his body.


    When his mental sense touched it, he got a message.


    {Greetings, Ares'' Scion! Thank you for gracing us with your presence. And congrattions on winning the day''s highest hunt reward!


    To celebrate your growth, you are rewarded the highest reward¡ªthe monthly reward instead of the daily!}


    "Whoah! Wait a minute." Varian held up his hand. The voice stopped.


    "What is this Ares'' Scion? Who is Ares? Or what is Ares?" He asked, rubbing his fingertips.


    {Greetings, Ares'' Scion! Thank you for¡ª}


    The message repeated itself.


    Varian realized that this was a pre-recorded message and not an entity.


    He had gotten used to getting responses from System, so he assumed the same for theke.


    ''That''s a lie.'' Varian shook his head.


    He had gotten used to getting ignored by the system.


    ''System!''


    ["¡­."]


    Varian felt that System was watching him with scrutinizing gaze. But he didn''t stop his words.


    ''What does Ares Scion mean?''


    [The scion to Ares.]


    ''Even I know that. Is Ares a person, a ce, or a race?'' He leaned against the cave''s wall and asked.


    [¡­This System hates talking about them. They are more hateful than devas. Host, good luck in finding information about them.]


    ''¡­'' Varian wanted toin.


    If this system had a feedback mechanism, he''d rate it 10/10 in the negative.


    Shaking his head, Varian looked at the white orb again.


    Knowing that this was the ''highest reward'' given by theke, his heart pounded lightly.


    Only level 7s visited theke of illusions. Since they were all level 7, they had low secrecy about the kind of rewards.


    Even Varian knew about the monthly reward.


    Focusing his senses on the glowing orb, he hummed.


    Swish!


    The fire mana, water mana, psychic power, and telekic inside the orb burst open and flowed to every corner of his body.


    The fire mana was naturally rejected while water mana and psychic power met their native counterparts.


    Swish!


    Varian''s body shook slightly from the impact.


    As expected, the reward was good.


    Theke of illusions was an explored area, but it received visitors every year. The reward was that tempting.


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Varian felt his brain clear up and his mental sense turn clearer.


    At the same time, his telekic power too grew.


    Bit by bit. Drop by drop.


    The improvement was significant.


    But the most growth came from the water path.


    It was to be expected, after all, water was his only path in level 6.


    Crack! Crack!


    Varian felt the locks in his water path break and his bottleneck loosen.


    The water mana surged faster and faster before finally breaking the bottleneck.


    Boom!


    The cave Varian was staying at froze without warning before it melted and evaporated.


    "Haa!" Varian''s eyes snapped open.


    ''Status''.


    [Superhuman Level 7: 0.2k/10k


    Space Level 7: 0/10k


    Lightning Level 7: 0/10k


    nt Fighter Level 7: 0.4k/10k


    Psychic Level 7: 1k/10k (+1k)


    Macrokic Level 7: 1k/10k (+1k)


    Water Level 7: 0/10k (Advanced)]


    Feeling the surging power, Varian smiled.


    Then, he touched the ghost ring and a silver light shed.


    A silver key appeared in his hand.

 Chapter 573 The Keys

    Chapter 573 The Keys


    Like many other locations, the gray square was one of the ces with a key. It also had no level restrictions.


    Thus, around twenty princes and princesses reached the location.


    Some of them also had ''protectors'' who were level 8 and even level 9.


    But usually, unless it''s life-threatening or extremely important, these protectors wouldn''t intervene in a fight between level 7s.


    It wasn''t just shameful, but it was also frowned upon.


    But this was rted to the key! It was too important!


    So, they all decided to let only the level 7s fight. If level 8 princes came, they''d have to face their protectors.


    The battle began quickly.


    The twenty princes and princesses gave it their all and fought hard.


    After ten minutes, only five remained and they were all peak level 7s.


    Then he appeared.


    His footsteps were slow and dull like he was uninterested in even visiting this ce.


    The princes listened to the footsteps and deduced that it was a young man, but¡ª


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    The footsteps turned heavy and quick. With each step, the ground shook and shockwaves hit them.


    It was then that the princes realized it wasn''t a man anymore.


    It was a beast.


    When the huge white wolf stormed in, their hearts dropped.


    Standing in front of them was the creature hailed as the god of wolves in ancient earth''s mythology.


    Lykos.


    **** **** ***


    Charles spun the key in his hand with an indifferent expression.


    He was sitting on a huge gray tform. Below the tform were twenty princes and princesses.


    Their bodies were twisted in weird angles and puddles of blood under them covered the entire floor.


    "Argh!"


    "Greh!"


    "F-Fuck!"


    They groaned and writhed in pain while ring at the man on the tform.


    Several old men and women were feeding them potions and checking upon their injuries.


    They exuded a heavy aura reaching level 8 and level 9.


    As if to disy their rage, their aura covered the tform and pressured Charles.


    Charles was unpetrubed.


    "Charles Xander, they''re your peers. You shouldn''t be too severe." An old man looked at him with a twisted face.


    Charles looked at the old man and turned back to twirling the key.


    "You!" The old man was one of the few level 9 protectors. He had his own pride.


    So, when a level 7 junior ignored him, he felt like he was pped.


    The old man rose to his feet and pointed a finger toward Charles Xander.


    The surrounding temperature dropped and a blue light gathered on the old man''s fingertip.


    The blue light expanded and lit up the entire valley they were in.


    Then.


    Ssz!


    Like a candle blown off, it disappeared.


    "Wha¡ª"


    The old man saw a pair of eyes ncing at him from the distance.


    He turned his gaze to meet those eyes and froze.


    Cold sweat started to pour down his forehead and he immediately backed off, not even caring about the prince he was supposed to be ''protecting''.


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    Everyone fell silent.


    Even the injured princes didn''t dare to groan.


    One by one, the protectors picked up their princes and princesses and left.


    Charles slowly stood up and clenched the key in his hand.


    His gaze turned to one particr direction and his eyes narrowed.


    "Did they start their search?"


    "Yes."


    Charles referred to his ''team''. Unlike before, now, he had only one person with him. The rest went to catch her.


    "Did they find her?"


    "¡­They found her traces." The voice answered and fell silent.


    "¡­Y-Young Master." The voice hesitated.


    "What?" Charles raised a brow.


    "It isn''t your style to attack injured opponents. Why did you¡­" The voice trailed off.


    Charles'' lips curled into a mocking smile. "Even with that treasure, I am only a high-level 7."


    "¡­." The voice fell silent.


    Taking a deep breath, Charles continued. "I couldn''t win this battle if they weren''t injured. Take me to ces with some treasures. I need to consolidate my level. My progress was too quick."


    "I¡ª" The voice couldn''t even speak.


    What should he say?


    Charles went from peak level 6 to high level 7 thanks to a treasure that their team shed their blood and sweat for.


    He still couldn''t understand how Charles digested the treasure so quickly. It was supposed to take three months and even then, 90% of the medicine would be wasted.


    "That ce¡­will have restrictions on level. While you all will be able to help, I think I am my biggest help." Charles said openly.


    "¡­Yes."


    "Let''s go. Show me a ce I can meditate for a long time. My prana is on the verge of losing control." Charles said with a calm expression.


    "Yes!"


    *** *** ****


    In a ce far away from both Varian and Charles.


    Enigma calmly entered a tall tower.


    There were people who came to find her earlier. With a few tricks, she threw them off.


    Now, she could finally fill thest piece of the ''puzzle''.


    It was a tower made of a bluish-gold metal. Right after entering it, there was a huge spiral stairway.


    Enigma looked up and like every other time, she realized she couldn''t see the end of the staircase.


    "Here we go again!" With a deep sigh, she started climbing the stairs.


    Inside the tower, teleportation, flying, and superspeed were all canceled.


    Like a normal person, she had to climb the stairs.


    "Heaven Forbid¡­" Enigma muttered as sweat rolled down her cheeks.


    She looked down and realized she was nearly two miles up!


    But when she looked up, she still couldn''t find the end.


    "Devas¡­they are really sadists." She gritted her teeth and kept walking.


    This tower was one of the explored ones.


    It was simply called ''The Cloud Tower'' since its peak seemed to rest in the clouds.


    But unlike other explored areas, it received no visitors.


    None.


    "Ha! Ha!" Enigma panted as she clutched her waist. Her clothes were soaking wet.


    When she looked up again, she saw the end. It was very far, but she could finally see it.


    "Come on!"


    With a tenacity rivaling Varian, she climbed the tower. By the time she reached the door at the top, she looked like she was drenched in rain.


    "Finally¡­." Enigma closed her eyes and felt like reached heaven.


    Creak!


    The door slowly opened and a rather in blue walled room filled with ancient carvings appeared.


    They depicted the legends, recordings, and myths of the devas.


    That was it.


    No rewards. No benefits. Naturally, no visitors.


    ''It''s good for me anyway.''


    Enigma closed her eyes.


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    A special wave of aura rippled from her.


    When Enigma opened her eyes, her entire view changed.


    She saw a pair of floating characters in the air.


    These characters were made out of aura!


    Enigma quickly copied those words onto a copper te and stopped the vision.


    The world turned back to normal and Enigma felt fatigue wash over her.


    The physical exertion from climbing the stairs and the mental exertion of this vision both caught up to her.


    Enigma copsed onto the floor and let out a deep breath.


    ''I want to rest. I am too tired.'' She thought.


    But her body didn''t listen. It tried to get up.


    ''I got the eight andst piece of the message. I will know what it means sooner orter. I should rest.'' She said, but her hands pushed the floor.


    "Argh!"


    Enigma stood up with a painful groan and walked out of the door.


    The hellish stairs extended all the way down and promised her hell.


    Enigma was tempted to go back and rest. But she held herself firmly.


    ''I still need to get the key. They will finally meet.''

 Chapter 574 Meal With A Sovereign

    Chapter 574 Meal With A Sovereign


    "Sovereign Kreo, I leave this to you." A voice said from them.


    "Hoho. This is my responsibility as well. Don''t worry." The old man stroked his beard andughed.


    The voice said in a neutral tone. "Some things need to be paid for in blood."


    "Indeed. Your honor will be re-established through their blood." Kreo said and ended the call.


    He leaned back in the chair and looked over the dinner table. Exquisite dishes filled the table and sweet aroma filled the air.


    On the other side of the square table, exactly opposite him, there was an empty chair.


    Sovereign Kreo was waiting for someone!


    The sunlight from the two suns shone on the silent old man who held the power to destroy a.


    It also illuminated every inch of the small space sub-station he was in. It was in the shape of a disc and was only a few miles wide.


    There was an invisible barrier shielding it as it moved through space.


    It was like a private room but in space. It was essible only to very privileged people.


    And the substation Kreo was currently on was the best.


    It had a perfect environment simtor. So, the area surrounding the dining table was serene green ins.


    But if Sovereign Kreo wished, he could change it to chilling arctic or hot deserts.


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    Sovereign Kreo tapped his chair as he waited for his guest to join him in dinner.


    It was a very unusual scene. Sovereigns wouldn''t wait. Nah. No one dared to make them wait.


    But.


    "I had a small battle, Sovereign Kreo." A handsome middle-aged man walked to the dining table and sat down.


    His moves, while respectful, showed no traces of subservience.


    "Been a long while, Evan." Kreo chuckled and raised a ss of fine wine.


    "I didn''t think you would visit so suddenly, Sovereign Kreo." Evander raised a ss and clinked.


    Kreo made a sudden visit to one of the space cities between Mars and Earth. After finishing the work he had, he invited Evander for a parting dinner.


    Even though he was busy, Evander managed to squeeze out some time.


    "Aww, don''t be so distant. You can call me Uncle Kreo like you always did." Kreo twirled the ss and gave a warm smile.


    "¡­" Evander paused for a moment and wondered what to say. On the outside, his facial expression remained stern.


    "I am no longer a kid." Finally, Evander shook his head and looked Kreo in the eye. "So, is this dinner just a catch-up, or do you have any important news?"


    "Busy as always, heh." Kreo didn''t feel annoyed by the question, rather heughed brightly.


    "I need to take up Bali''s work too. It''d be weird if I am free." Evander said lightly, but the fatigue in his voice was clear.


    "Bali, huh," Kreo muttered.


    Evander nodded lightly but made no furtherments.


    Kreo took the hint and skipped the topic. He lifted a fork and gestured for Evander to start the meal.


    Evander hesitated, but in the end, started eating.


    "I wanted to meet your father, but that old fellow is busy like always," Kreo said with loudughter.


    Evander sighed under his breath. An unease was growing in his mind.


    Albert was the oldest Sovereign. Kreo was the second oldest.


    But before they became Sovereigns and went to differents, they were close colleagues.


    Their families were neighbors.


    In fact, Kreo''s daughter was his close childhood friend.


    They went to the same school, had the same circle of friends and shared a great childhood.


    Particrly, for Evander, Kreo''s family was very important.


    Evander lost his mother at a young age. So, Kreo''s wife took care of him. She was the closest thing to ''mother'' he ever had.


    ''Can I call you mom?''


    ''But Kristine said she''ll marry you. How can you call me mom?''


    ''Eh¡­then what should I do?''


    ''Grow up, Evan.''


    She even convinced both Kreo and Albert to set up a marriage contract. It''d have really happened if not for¡­


    "Whenever I see you, I feel like I''m seeing Kristie." Kreo propped his chin on his hand and said in a low voice.


    Evander sighed deeply and gulped down the wine. "Please. It''s been years. You have to¡ª"


    "Get over it?" Kreo chuckled, but it was a mockingughter.


    Then, he stood up from the chair, leaned forward on the table, and looked at Evander. He said in a low, but strong voice that pricked Evander''s mind.


    "Evan, did you get over your wife''s death."


    Bam!


    Evander clenched his fists and his breathing turned ragged. Realizing what he had done, he controlled himself and coughed lightly.


    "Apologies, I¡ª"


    "Nothing to be sorry for." Kreo sat back in his seat and waved his hands.


    Evander looked at Kreo with a neutral expression. But his mind was a mess. The proof of it was the light headache he felt.


    "I lied to you, Evan," Kreo said lightly.


    ''What?!'' Evander''s body stiffened and he was ready to act any time. It wasn''t that he didn''t trust Kreo, but most of his waking hours were dedicated to fighting and nning. So, his first instinct was to fight.


    Kreo noticed Evander''s reaction and chuckled softly.


    "I didn''t want to meet your father at all. I wanted to meet you." Kreo filled his ss and took another sip. His old face reddened lightly.


    "¡­Why?" Evander asked, and took another sip. He was drinking more than he should.


    Kreo smiled wryly. "Because I am not so cold hearted that I can ignore my wife''s death or my child''s fate."


    Evander froze at his words and lowered his head.


    Under the table cloth, he clenched his hands involuntarily.


    Both Kreo''s and Albert''s wives died.


    One dealt with it cold heartedly andpletely focused on his job.


    The other, while still managing his work, couldn''t get over it.


    Evander raised his head and looked at Kreo.


    The old man''s grey eyes seemed to show a distant scene from the past.

 Chapter 575 Sovereign Kreo’s Power

    Chapter 575 Sovereign Kreo''s Power


    Kreo''s wife Catherine was killed by the abyssals in a fierce war many, many years ago.


    It was so long back that any normal person''s memory of that event would''ve blurred.


    But with his own divine path acting as a curse, Evander remembered exactly how she died.


    And how it changed everything forever.


    It was a war on one of mars''oids.


    Back then, humanity was significantly weaker than the abyssals. They were just starting the re-conquest ofoids.


    Albert and Kreo weren''t Sovereigns yet.


    Catherine was a high awakener with a bright future. Her daughter was ten years old and she too was expected to be a genius.


    The war was going well.


    Humans were gaining a grip on theoids.


    Catherine was about to bag promotion with her merits. And then it happened.


    A sudden reversal that no one expected.


    Abyssals stormed the garrison Catherine was staying at, killing every single human.


    As the head of that garrison, she was the ''prize''.


    Evander was still a kid. He and Kristie were watching the news when someone hacked the entirework.


    It was the abyssals.


    Humanity back then had a much weaker cyber defense and was prone to hacks.


    Thus, not only Evander and Kristie, but billions of humans saw the sight abyssals wanted to show.


    The head of a woman hanging by a building.


    It was her face.


    The woman who he thought of as a mother.


    Evander''s heart dropped as he froze in shock.


    "Kyaaaah!"


    With a loud scream, the girl beside him fainted.


    Evander hurriedly held her from falling down and shook her. "Kristie! Kristie!"


    There was no response.


    Soon, the news showed more and more gore pictures.


    Evander fainted soon after.


    The next time he saw Kristie, it was in a white room.


    She was wing the air, screaming and thrashing.


    She muttered. ''Mom, mom, mom.''


    She''d keepughing for hours before suddenly breaking down into tears. She''d also be silent for days before breaking into a fit of rage.


    She had gone crazy.


    Kreo took the matter into his own hands. As a renowned psychic, this was within his domain.


    He focused on healing her all the while fiercely retaliating against the abyssals.


    Kristie should''ve recovered.


    But abyssals got back at him for his fierce retaliation.


    With the help of a betrayer, they added a drug into Kristie''s food.


    "Arghh!"


    She never recovered.


    Kreo focused on his work but was still fatigued by the loss.


    Evander didn''t see him for a long time and even when they met, their talks were limited.


    The few times he did see Kreo was when he visited Kristine.


    Thest time Evander visited her was almost thirty years ago.


    She was a little girl in a woman''s body. And the girl herself had gone crazy.


    It broke his heart.


    That''s why he¡­


    *** *** ***


    "Kristie calls you to y sometimes." Kreo looked into Evander''s eyes and said.


    "I see," Evander responded in a in voice.


    There was no trace of emotion in his voice. It was all too in.


    "I forgot. You don''t remember much about her anymore." Kreo pped his forehead.


    Evander opened his mouth but finally refrained from speaking.


    "Forget it. I was the one who suggested diluting her memories." Kreo said lightly.


    "Is this all for nostalgia?" Evander looked ufortable and filled his ss.


    "Thanks to that, you were able to fully focus on your family." Kreo continued.


    Kacha!


    The ss in Evander''s hand was crushed.


    "Your wife. Your son. Your daughter." Kreo continued.


    "Sovereign Kreo, I still have my patrols now. Let''s save the drinking forter." Evander said and was about to get up.


    "Don''t you want to avenge them, Evan," Kreo''s voice was still low, but grew a bit more assertive.


    "I will kill all abyssals," Evander said with a bit of agitation.


    "Wrong." Kreo shook his head and looked him in the eye. "We''re both very simr. Not only in our tragedies, but also in our hatred."


    Evander narrowed his eyes at those words.


    "We hate all non-humans and wish to eradicate them."


    Silence.


    There was absolute silence after those words.


    "You''re picking on Enigma? I should''ve expected better." Evander looked at Kreo with a touch of contempt.


    "Heh." Kreo chuckled. "You of all people saying that¡­"


    "What do you mean?" Evander didn''t understand what he was talking about.


    "This should bring back the sealed memories." Kreo snapped his fingers and said.


    "Sia."


    Evander bent down and clutched the table. He felt like his head was about to split as a barrage of memories flooded his brain. Veins popped up on his forehead and his face turned red and blue.


    "Haa! Haa!"


    Evander copsed on the chair and took in heavy breaths.


    His eyes widened as he muttered.


    "H-How¡­how could I do that?"


    Kreo looked at Evander''s state and nodded to himself. ''Almost there. I need to shake his emotions a bit more.''


    "Because you hated all non-humans. You handed over the cadet in your academy to the Xanders." Kreo said lightly.


    Evander shook his head fiercely. "I hate them. But I am not the person to do that."


    Then, he red at Kreo. "What happened to my memories? Why don''t I remember her till now?"


    The air grew heavy and it looked like the entire space substation was going to copse at any moment.


    Kreo shrugged nonchntly without any pressure.


    "Xanders approached me to convince you to give them Sia. I can''t do it forcefully. But I saw another way.


    After your wife''s death, your head is full of hatred for non-humans. I just exploited it and tweaked your decisions." Kreo exined the past.


    "You!" Evander mmed the desk and stood up.


    Rage and shame engulfed him.


    "Then you felt too guilty about it. Oh, and I raised the guilt you felt too. So, you asked me to seal those memories. I did seal them." Kreo said with a smile, but it only appeared sinister to Evander now.


    "You forgot about Sia just like your disciple, Varian, oh, should I call, Dreamer, forgot about her."


    "How did you¡ª" Evander''s body trembled in a flood of emotions.


    He was never this shaken for a long time.


    And that was also exactly what Kreo was looking for.


    Swish!


    "Kreo, you fu¡ª" Evander froze abruptly.


    Thest expression on his face was that of utter disbelief. He couldn''t believe Kreo was doing this.


    Light flickered in and off his eyes as the man tried to regain his senses.


    The pendant on Kreo''s neck shone and a fierce psychic power assaulted Evander''s senses.


    "Forgive me, Evan," Kreo said with a soft smile. He walked to Evander and rubbed his head.


    "Even though I shouldn''t feel this, I feel angry whenever I see you being so happy. You spend your days in glory while my daughter still remains crazy. It''s not fair."


    Evander stood like a statue.


    "Don''t worry. Once you''re done with this, I''ll use my powers to seal this memory of yours." Kreo said with a kind smile.


    His mental sense probed Evander and noticed his power.


    Kreo patted Evander''s cheeks andughed. "You grew so strong. I can''t control you without my artifact."


    It was hard to maintain even with an artifact!


    "Varian and Enigma need to die. You are our best bet." Kreo pushed Evander. "Go."


    Evander''s body flickered and he disappeared.


    Reaching his spaceship, Evander sat down and instructed in an emotionless voice.


    "Earth Ruins!"

 Chapter 576 Charles’ Decision

    Chapter 576 Charles'' Decision


    Charles moved through the thickets bordering a great forest.


    It was an area filled with wonderful vegetation. Precious herbs, psychedelic nts, resource-rich flowers¡ªeverything could be found on the outskirts of the forest.


    But it was all a lie.


    There was nothing precious here.


    Only tonnes and tonnes of rotten trees that cast illusions on every creature that entered their territory.


    Charles'' senses were also affected by the illusion and he saw a beautiful forest with great flora.


    But that was it.


    He wasn''t swayed by the mental hints that kept popping in his brain.


    ''Take the flowers.''


    ''Grab the herbs.''


    ''Just one sniff.''


    ''Only a single petal.''


    He moved steadily and swiftly. His feet were in the shape of wolf paws. With each kick to the ground, he moved several miles forward.


    A figure under a robe followed him from behind.


    As he did, the man couldn''t help but marvel at the prowess of his young master.


    Normally, even peak level 7 would be swayed by the illusions and persuaded by the mental hints.


    But Charles was unaffected.


    ''His morphing entity, Lykos, has a strong mental resistance.'' The man nodded to himself.


    ''He will be a tough opponent to psychics.'' That much was certain.


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    The scenery changed from a green forest to a red-sand desert.


    Charles stood on arge sand dune and looked into the distance.


    His green eyes turned red and his vision was magnified.


    A shining blue area came into view.


    It was a hugeke. It appeared serene, with its sky blue water glistening under the sunlight.


    A lot of faces Charles was familiar with were discussing things and departing from the area.


    "Lake of Illusions," Charles muttered slowly.


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    The sand blew lightly as a group of tennded behind Charles. They were sent to find Enigma but came back empty-handed.


    "Young Master, the tracks we found were a trap." One of the members said in a low voice.


    Charles didn''t speak.


    ''Enigma, you kill my brother and think you can get away with it?''


    Before knowing it, Charles was clenching his fists.


    "Did something happen here?" Charles rxed his fists and asked in a cold tone.


    He was asked toe here by the team. If it wasn''t for a good reason, then they''d regret it.


    "Young Master, we heard this from our informants. Basically¡­" A woman from the team exined the situation.


    Charles'' eyes narrowed and he tapped his chin quietly.


    "A strange merman that can use seven divine paths andmand other mermen.


    A man in disguise in the outer area getting the prize for killing the most mermen."


    The woman nodded. "Exactly."


    "What do they think?" Charles asked.


    ''They'' meant the most powerful princes. He wouldn''t enquire about others'' opinions.


    Charles'' team knew this too and that''s why they talked to those princes and princesses already.


    "They believe the merman must be a special variety of the devas. The man himself should''ve found a way to control that merman and used its powers to subjugate other mermen."


    The exnation was logical and fit intomon sense.


    That''s why Charles thought it must be false.


    ''This never happened in the history of theke of illusions. It''s a first. Right after Varian entered. And ording to the messengers, the golden room''s gate also showed a strange reaction yesterday.''


    The more he thought, the more Charles was convinced that his enemy was behind the incidents.


    ''This is Dreamer we are talking about. I wouldn''t be surprised if he knew how to draw out and subjugate this strange man¡­'' Charles'' eyes shed.


    ''And no surprises if he is the merman himself.''


    That was a far-fetched thought, even for Charles. But he couldn''t strike it offpletely.


    ''Since he is with Enigma, maybe Varian is also an alien.'' Charles saw a new possibility.


    ''An alien that can use more divine paths than what is believed to be possible.'' Perhaps he was indeed an alien.


    No one ever verified if Varian was an alien after all.


    ''But the most important takeaway from this is that Varian had a skill, talent, or ability for a great disguise.


    If he was the merman, he could turn into even other species.


    If he was the controller, he could create a perfect disguise with no loopholes.


    Either way, Charles'' objective became clear.


    He turned to his team and said. "Disguise Breakers."


    "Young Master?" The team looked at each other in confusion.


    "We need to find treasures that can break disguise. The stronger the better. The more the better." He said firmly.


    The team fell silent.


    "You know where they are, right? Go fetch them." He said calmly.


    Silence filled the air...until a middle-aged woman stepped forward and said. "We can do that, but what about your next location?"


    In their original n, Charles was supposed to visit two more ces. In those ces, he needed their assistance.


    If they go, what would he do?


    "I need to consolidate my level," Charles said lightly.


    The team opened their mouth in surprise and then nodded in understanding. Indeed, after advancement, typically, awakeners took a few hours to a few days to consolidate.


    It was so different with Charles that they forgot about this.


    But then, the newest recruit to the team, Hira asked.


    "I think your consolidation will be far faster, just like your advancement."


    "¡­"


    Charles looked at her and the woman suddenly felt nervous.


    "Yes. It will take only a day at most."


    "Then what will you do, young master? We know the ces with disguise breaking treasures, but even we need at least two days to get them." A member said in worry.


    "And right after two days, we need to start the journey to Ruler''s Abode or we won''t make it." He added. The travel part worried him a bit.


    Charles looked into the sky and took a breath.


    "We''ll reach there on time and these two days, I will fight."


    "Pardon?"


    "I need to fight. To get used to my powers." Charles said and pointed to the robed figure. "I''ll be fine. Now go do your job."


    "Yes."


    Whoosh!


    The team disappeared in a sh.


    Charles stood in the same ce for a long time, his gaze fixed on theke of illusions.


    ''I will find you.''

 Chapter 577 Azure Plains

    Chapter 577 Azure ins


    "Today is 32nd." Varian checked his bracelet and muttered.


    He entered the ruins on the 30th evening. By the morning of the 32nd, he had explored the golden room andke of illusions.


    The ruins would stay open till the end of the 45th.


    Breathing in the sweet fragrance of the flowers, Varianid down in the middle of a flower garden.


    The garden wasn''t normal. Nor were the flowers. Once they chose prey, they''d turn into monstrous ntae and their flowers would spit out invisible seeds that would grow on any creature and suck them dry.


    ''The flowers'' smell though, it reminds me of that park I used to visit with Sia.'' Varian thought.


    "Gree!" A beautiful flower near his feet suddenly tripled in size and opened its petals, ready to spit out the dangerous seeds.


    Zaap!


    A lightning bolt struck the flower and burnt it to ashes.


    The other flowers that were thinking of the same thing flinched and stayed like cute little flowers. They even increased the fragrance.


    "Hmmm." Varian took another deep breath and thought of his next step.


    Technically, he had a lot of time at hand to explore more locations and grow stronger.


    Except he didn''t.


    The partially explored region opened up a new area called Ruler''s Abode. It could be essible only through keys. He got the key a few hours ago.


    Since it opened only on 45th, he should have all the time till then.


    But there was a big problem¡ªReaching the Ruler''s Abode.


    Since it was a partially explored region, it wasn''t as safe as other ces. Moreover, this particr region was notorious for its difficult environment.


    ''In the original n, Enigma said I''d be able to skip the difficulty and reach the ruler''s abode in ghost ship.'' Varian recalled the conversation and smiled wryly.


    Boo was still asleep. Ghost ship was still frozen.


    The n had gone to the dogs.


    Now, Varian was forced to confront a reality where he no longer had it easy.


    ''Enigma also talked about how easy or hard it is to travel to that location based on an awakeners'' level.'' Varian tapped his chin and thought.


    The flowers swayed in the wind as if dancing ording to Varian''s breathing.


    ''On a safe estimate, I''d take twelve days to reach there.''


    That meant, he had to start on the 33rd. He''d reach the Ruler''s Abode by the end of the 44th. Twelve full days.


    That meant the only day he had left was¡ª


    "Fuck!" Varian jumped onto his feet and ran.


    There was only one day he had left.


    Today.


    *** *** *** ***


    "Azure ins¡­" Varian stood on a mountain peak and gazed at the blue ins below.


    There were hundreds of portals shaped in the form of a butterfly. These gates shone a bluish light covering their entrance.


    This blue light from the portals'' entrance shone down on the green grass and painted the entire ins blue.


    Hence, the name Azure ins.


    Like the golden room, this was also a fully explored region.


    The simrities didn''t end there, however.


    Like the golden room, azure ins was also once in a lifetime entrance. It was also a contest to kill.


    And of course, it also adjusted the level of the opponents ording to the level of the participant.


    But.


    The minimum level was 7. And instead of giving energy orbs, it would grant a treasure.


    ''Treasure¡­'' Varian recalled the legends about the Azure ins.


    To put it graciously, Star Treasures that the trade union made were inspired by the treasures found here.


    To put it bluntly, they were inferior copies of the treasures found here.


    From one-star treasure to nine-star treasure to even Sovereign grade treasure, anything can be found here.


    Of course, despite its grandeur, this ce didn''t offer any ''artifact''.


    Artifacts were simply too powerful to be given to teens.


    Because originally, the Azure ins were created for teens in the deva empire.


    The small worlds, the test, the rewards¡ªit was all basically aing of age ceremony.


    "Haa~" Varian sighed deeply.


    Humanity found it hard to supply just their high awakeners with suitable treasures. But devas¡­they were giving away high-quality treasures as gifts to teens!


    The disparity between humanity and devas was so vast that it made him wonder how such a mighty civilization crumbled leaving almost traces.


    A few thousand years shouldn''t be that damaging. Even though the system said they died out due tock of aura, it was weird.


    ''Search the library. You will find the answers.'' Varian recalled the words of the golden room''s caretaker.


    ''But the library, there is no library.'' Varian searched through the map.


    All the explored regions and even partially explored regions made no mention of any library.


    ''It sucks.''


    The Library was one of the important ces, Varian felt that it''d not only be difficult to enter, but also to find.


    ''If it''s hidden or something like that, I can kiss my chances of finding it goodbye.'' Varian shook his head.


    Then, he jumped down the hill.


    Whoosh!


    Hended in front of the portals like a feather.


    There were several young men and women around him. But it was only a single nce before they went back to their thing.


    ''This area is much quieter and safer than thatke.'' Varian noticed quite a few level 7s, and a couple of level 8s here.


    He could even feel a more terrifying aura in the distance.


    ''A level 9¡­he''s watching everyone.'' It must be to maintainw and order here.


    It made sense since higher-level awakeners could simply snatch treasures of level 7s and there was nothing they could do about it.


    But if it was done, it''d discourage the actual geniuses and would hinder their growth.


    That''s why they deployed even a level 9.


    Varian felt a sense of irony at thisw and order.


    He wanted to go to the dungeon to awaken for many years. But due to the terrible cost sought by the adventurers, it was always out of his reach.


    The federation, the people, and even the adventure council gave no fuck about it.


    But here, it was theplete opposite.


    ''No one is ever equal. Since there is no equality¡­'' Varian kicked the ground.


    Whoosh!


    ''I''ll make the inequality in my favor.''

 Chapter 578 - Coming Of Age Ceremony [The Beginning]

    Chapter 578 - Coming Of Age Ceremony [The Beginning]


    Variannded in a deste world.


    It was a world that lost its life.


    It was a world devoid of color.


    Green died when the nts went extinct. Red was erased when thest human corpse dried up. Blue was gone when the flesh of thest animal mixed into the soil.


    The sun didn''t rise. Stars didn''t twinkle. So, the moon didn''t reflect any light.


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    Varian walked in the deste world. With each breath he let out, the light grey soil blew into the air and dispersed like smoke.


    "What in the hell is this?" Varian felt a sense of sorrow well up inside him.


    As far as the eye could see, there was only an endless grey in. Not a single nt, tree, or even a mountain.


    It was as if the world had crumbled down.


    ''There is something weird about this ce¡­it is ufortable to even breath here.'' Varian''s mental sense scanned the fifty miles around him.


    {Dear Scion, congrattions on reaching adulthood. Now, you will be allowed to fight against the creatures that our rivals and get to know your potential enemies.}


    A voice sounded without any particr source.


    "Who are they? The rivals?" Varian shouted.


    Szzz.


    The answer came from the soil.


    No.


    It was from under the soil.


    A strange beast with three legs, something that resembled a tiger with the proportions of a giant bear.


    "This is a rival?" Varian raised a brow.


    The creature was dead.


    Or at least, that''s how it seemed.


    There was no breath, no blood flow and his mental sense couldn''t detect any other signs of life.


    Moreover, the creature''s flesh was alsopletely rotten with bones visible in most ces.


    {The Ativ Tribe''s underling.} The voice sounded again.


    "Greeh!"


    A dark light burst from the creature and Varian''s senses screamed danger.


    Whoosh!


    Without a hint of hesitation, he ducked.


    Boom!


    The air above him sted into shockwaves as something passed above him in the blink of an eye.


    The sand rose into the air like a meteor crashed thend and the nket of sand blew away with the wind.


    Varian heard the sound of a solid crashing on the ground behind him and his mental sense quickly spun to action.


    Before he could turn and see it with his eyes, his mental sense already ''saw'' it.


    It was the same rotten creature. Its flesh was light grey, like ash and it certainly didn''t show any signs of life.


    It had no blood, no heartbeat, no neural movements.


    But its eyes.


    They were glowing.


    Glowing with the same grey light this world was filled with. Glowing with an intensity that made the hair on his neck stand up.


    ''But it''s dead!'' Varian bent to the right.


    Whoosh!


    In the world of grey, a beam of ck light shed.


    Like aser beam decimating a mountain, the ck light decimated thend behind Varian.


    Szz!


    There was only a small sound of wind breeze and like every other time, the wind dispersed the soil soundlessly.


    Varian''s space sense saw what was behind him.


    "Gulp." It caused him to gulp.


    For five miles straight behind him, there was a long and narrow canyon.


    It was a terrifying strike, strong enough to wipe out your normal mid level 7.


    ''Aren''t the enemies adjusted to our level, then why is this so strong?'' Varian kept his eyes locked on the creature while he thought hard.


    ''Kuh.''


    But a burning pain from his palm proved impossible to ignore.


    While keeping his gaze locked, Varian scanned his palm through his mental sense and sucked in a breath of cold air.


    His palm turnedpletely ck and his skin started to wear out. Then, blood started to drip out bit by bit.


    A ckish light covered his palm and connected with it deeply.


    The droplet which was red when it exited his palm turned grey by the time it hit the ground.


    Then it mixed into the soil perfectly, like any sand grain.


    As he scanned the sand particles on the ground again, Varian felt his scalp go numb.


    ''Am I stepping on normal soil or what the people of this world had be?''


    Varian sent all his aura derivatives to drive out the ck energy.


    At the same time, he maintained eye contact with the creature. It sniffed in the air vehemently and then turned to Varian.


    Its mouth opened and it let out a joyous growl.


    ''It isn''t smelling me¡­'' Varian was sure of it.


    Because ever since he came to this world, there was no smell. Even though there was a rotten corpse standing in front of him, it exuded no smell.


    Then, what would it be smelling¡­?


    ''Life.'' Varian''s brows furrowed as the realization hit him. But more painful than realization was the ck light covering his palm.


    His aura derivatives weren''t doing great. For some reason, they were simply unable to resist the onught of this foreign energy.


    Thus, not only did they not expel the ck energy out of his body, they were slowly being connected to it.


    "Fuck!" Varian suddenly clenched his fist, causing the creature to jump to the side in a bit to escape his attack.


    Varian made use of the opportunity and did something cruel.


    Shuaa!


    Brandishing his sword, he shed it to his left palm.


    Paa!


    The moment his palm was separated from his body¡ªthe moment it lost the support of aura, his palm burst into a ck light.


    Then, it quickly shriveled. It was like going from a ripe orange to lemon to a seed. All of this happened in the blink of an eye.


    By the time his palm reached the ground, it was only a skin bag of bones.


    Even the bones weren''t left for long before turning into sand particles.


    Splurt!


    Varian''s left arm, right from the severed wrist was about to bleed like a broken damn.


    So, he quickly blocked the space around it and morphed his hand into a branch.


    Holding a sword in his only hand, Varian looked at the creature.


    "Greer."


    Its eyes shone ck again.

 Chapter 579 - Coming Of Age Ceremony [The End]

    Chapter 579 - Coming Of Age Ceremony [The End]


    Unknown was frightening to most.


    But it was the only way to expand one''s horizon.


    Varian learned it the hard way after shing down his right foot.


    Splurt!


    The blood that was about to spill out was quickly blocked and the foot turned into a tree root.


    A potion bottle flowed out of Varian''s storage ring and poured down on the root.


    Swish!


    The injury started to heal at a rate visible to the naked eye.


    But growing the hand and foot would take a while.


    ''At least an hour.'' Varian estimated.


    Thankfully, due to his superhuman physique, he wouldn''t have much problem operating like this.


    More importantly, his other paths weren''t affected by his physical condition.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Three invisible des cut through the air and reached the undead creature. At the same time, a wave of mental power reached its brain or what was left of it.


    The creature was only lightly affected by the mental attack and its head quickly turned towards the invisible des.


    They were made of telekic power and if they just touched it lightly, its body would be sliced into two.


    "Greer."


    The undead swirled and leaped backward, sessfully avoiding the des.


    But in mid-air, the space around it suddenly tightened.


    The creature''s eyes glowed ck and the space shook violently.


    Kacha!


    In the next second, the tough space prison broke down like fragile ss.


    But the creature, which just escaped hell was engulfed in bright lights of gold and blue as lightning and water dragons devoured it.


    Boom!


    In the grey world, a blue and golden light burst in the sky, painting the world beautiful, if only for a second.


    ''It''s a bit weaker to lightning.'' Varian nodded to himself.


    Then, he looked at his left arm and snickered.


    The creature itself wasn''t strong but had a specific type of dangerous attack. Something like a death beam. Anything touching it would die.


    ''This isn''t any of the paths I know.'' Floating in the air, Varian frowned.


    [Of course, host. This is a celestial path.] The lurker answered.


    ''What do you mean?'' Varian raised a brow in confusion. ''A celestial ranker can''t be this weak.''


    [It was suppressed. Devas¡­they are basically trash, but they are good at things like this.] The System exined in a not-so-neutral tone.


    ''Suppressing a celestial ranker to my level? That''s crazy!'' Varian''s lips twitched.


    [It isn''t a real celestial ranker. Only a creation. Think of it as a puppet derived from an original. Suppressing a real celestial ranker isn''t easy, even for devas.]


    ''¡­I''m really curious, what if that power wasn''t suppressed? How powerful would it be?'' Varian asked.


    Swish! Swish!


    His hand and foot were both regrown steadily. It wouldn''t be long before he would be back to normal.


    So, he focused on the conversation at hand.


    But the System didn''t reply.


    ''System?''


    [It''s better not to know, Host] It said, and Varian almost felt like it was sighing.


    ''If you told me the celestial path powers already, I wouldn''t have lost a foot and hand to a fucking undead! Will you die if you talk more?'' He attacked it mercilessly.


    [Celestial paths and the scale of celestial path''s power are different things. Host, your argument is invalid.]


    ''¡­I think you got the wrong job, sometimes.'' Varian said sincerely. ''Go be a scammer or something.''


    [Host, you do realize it''s your argument that''s in the wrong, yet you are ming this System. How shameless you have be!


    This System misses the old host who was nearly dying every other day. Those were beautiful times. You never knew what danger befell you.


    You were so worried that you were careful even while walking. You feared you might step on andmine by mistake.]


    ''¡­'' Varian opened his mouth, but no words came out.


    This fucking system!


    ''You sadist bitch!'' He cursed.


    [¡­The System is hurt and won''t answer your question.] It said in a low voice.


    ''So were you going to answer originally?'' Varian''s eyes lit up. Then, he said with a kind smile.


    ''You''re not a sadist bitch, System.''


    [Really?] It asked in a hopeful tone.


    ''Really.'' Varian smiled.


    [Thank You, hos¡ª]


    ''You''re a good bitch. The best bitch of the gxy, no, the best bitch of the universe.''


    [¡­]


    At the system''s dumbfounded silence, Varian threw his head back andughed. "Hahaha!"


    Clutching his stomach, he said. "I''m tired of your hide and seek. If you want to say, you say. Or just shut your mouth. Revealing half and hiding the other half, what is the fucking point of it all?"


    [¡­System observed that humans are curious creatures. They want to explore the unknown. But unknown scares them like nothing else. So, the System felt¡ª]


    ''You felt that revealing half of the information will remove that fear while maintaining the curiosity?'' Varian asked, not really sure if the System''s point was dumb or valid.


    [Yes. But it didn''t seem to work on you, Host.]


    ''¡­What do you expect? Remember how many times you said half about something and never uttered a word about it again?'' Varian shrugged. ''Besides, I have more important things to do than finding the secrets of some gxy.''


    [A girl is more important than a gxy?] The System asked.


    ''If it''s my girl, yes.'' Varian said without hesitation and unsheathed his sword.


    "Greer!"


    "Greer!"


    "Greer!"


    In the grey world, three pairs of eyes glowed with a ck light.


    "Die!"


    *** *** ***


    Varian stood in the middle of nowhere.


    There were corpses scattered all around him. Some were burnt, some were broken, some were cleaved into two while others were frozen.


    These corpses, regardless of their condition, dissolved into the soil and disappeared.


    "Haa~ Haaa~" Varian gripped the sword with both hands and leaned against it.


    He waspletely drained. It wasn''t a sprint, but a marathon.


    ''Has it been a day already?'' Varian blinked and looked around.


    His ears perked and his senses extended, trying to find the traces of any undead.


    There were none.


    {Congratultions Scion! You finished the highest difficulty!}


    "Wait, what?" Varian was shocked. "When did I apply for highest difficulty? More importantly, since when did this test have difficulty grades? Everyone faced the same test, no?"


    That''s what she said.


    {The standard test is for normal people! How dare we humiliate Scion by giving you a normal test!}


    "¡­" Varian sighed and left the sword.


    He copsed onto the soil and looked up at the sky. "Thanks for your gift. It was great."


    {I''m d.}


    "¡­Go kill yourself."


    {Wonderful humor, Scion! Knowing that I can''t kill myself and my fate is directly in the hands of the Emperor and future you, you said it! Simply wonderful!}


    Listening to the cheerful voice, Varian felt a bit guilty."Since it''s been thousands of years since yourst maintenance, by any chance, did a few...screws in your head go loose?"


    If so, then he was bullying a mentally challenged entity. Even though Varian didn''t think of himself as a righteous person, he wouldn''t stoop so low to argue with a crazy non-human entity.


    {Ahaha! Scion is surely excited. No wonder, you finally came to age. You are finally an adult!}


    "¡­"


    It finally dawned on him.


    This was indeed the Coming Of Age Ceremony for devas. To be considered an adult, they have to reach fricking level 7!


    {So,ing to the reward, you know I don''t have any artifacts with me. But I have a treasure that is at the absolute peak of mortal ranks.}


    A bright light shone in the sky and reached Varian.


    "This is¡­"

 Chaptet 580 - Charles Xander’s Resolve

    580 Charles Xander''s Resolve


    Early Morning, 33rd of Trian Month.


    The two suns of the sr system shone upon a misty valley. The sunlight dispersed the mists and reached the body of a young man sitting on a stone tform.


    Blink!


    Charles opened his eyes and a green light shed through them for a second.


    "Took way longer than expected." He felt his body''s condition and muttered in aplicated voice.


    "It''s still very fast, young master!" A voice came from nowhere. It was the level 9 protector with Charles.


    And he didn''t say those words tofort him. He was beingpletely honest.


    Advancing to level 7 was originally a time-taking affair. Stabilizing the divine path after advancement also took a significant amount of time.


    Even geniuses took a week or so before they werefortable with their new power.


    Of course, they didn''t sit still for a whole week. But spent the major part of the day adapting to the newfound strength.


    If they tried to use their powers before this consolidation, they were likely to lose control of their powers and end up injuring themselves.


    Fighting in that state was too dangerous.


    Thus, humans spent a couple of days in advancing to level 7, and almost a week adapting to their power.


    Charles broke both these rules.


    He went directly from peak level 6 to high level 7. It was ridiculous. Even though the treasure he used was also ridiculous, what he did was simply astounding.


    Then, he didn''t even adjust his powers and fought a couple of high level 7 princes.


    Perhaps he too knew about his condition, so he only fought them after they were injured.


    So, despite him struggling to exhibit his full power, he was able to overpower and win them. Their prize¡ªthe key, also fell into his hands.


    Of course, he didn''t need to get a key by himself. He would have gotten one easily.


    "The fight with those princes for the key," Charles looked at his hands and said. "I was only able to control 70% of my strength."


    "¡­" The protector standing guard far away in a cave was dumbfounded at Charles'' words.


    A feeling of envy rose in his heart before it was quickly reced by admiration.


    Envy worked when the gap was bridgable. But when it''s too high, it''d turn into either hate or admiration.


    "Just to control that extra 30%, I took a day!" Charles shook his head and sighed. Even he couldn''t believe he took so much time.


    Considering his lightning-quick speed in other things, this should take only a few hours. But¡ª


    "Young Master, you are forgetting something. You aren''t a low level 7, but a high level 7. The difference in strength is very significant.


    If you simply advanced to low level 7 like everyone else, you would be able to adjust your strength almost instantly.


    The additional advancements are what took your time. To be honest, you are doing very well.


    I hope to see your achievements¡­when you stand at the peak." The protector spoke with a mix of admiration and anticipation.


    It was weird. Those words came from the man who crossed a hundred years to a young fellow who was only one-fifth of his age.


    But Charles was certainly pleased by those well-intented words.


    "I promise you." He said and looked at the horizon.


    The wind blew softly and ruffled his blonde hair. It flowed down his shoulders and reached his waist.


    He didn''t cut his hair since Narcis died.


    As the hair shook with the air, Charles'' eyes turned hazy.


    ''Hey Charles, it''s my business.''


    ''Hey Charles, c-can you talk to father about this girl¡­''


    ''Hey Charles, there is a cadet in my ss called Varian. Teach him a lesson.''


    Narcis'' voice rang in his mind. In the distant past, he called him ''Brother''.


    Then something happened.


    Perhaps it was the bad influence or maybe the upbringing and lenience from his father, but Narcis changed at some point.


    He grew arrogant, but also envious.


    He was proud but increasingly insecure.


    He was popr but mostly alone.


    Charles closed his eyes and lowered his head.


    With a sincere heart, he wished for Narcis'' to find peace. Even though souls weren''t widely mainstream, he wished for them to exist.


    ''I will send them all to hell.'' He vowed.


    In his mind''s vision, the image of a woman in a white coat appeared. Her face had a kind smile and just by seeing her, Charles felt a lot better.


    ''Aunt. Even though what you did to Sia was wrong, the power that I wield is your gift. I will avenge you too. May your soul find peace.''


    He looked at the sky and sighed.


    After a few minutes, he turned to the protector.


    "Let''s go. I need to make good use of thisst day." Saying those words, his feet morphed into white paws and he kicked the ground.


    Whoosh!


    Like a bullet tearing through the air, he disappeared in the blink of an eye.


    Shuaa!


    A man''s footsteps lightly touched the ground as he followed Charles while maintaining a suitable distance.


    His eyes were fixed on Charles as he crossed dozens of miles with each passing second.


    ''Even with young master''s strength, the travel needs eleven days.''


    The Ruler''s Abode was the new region that was to be unlocked by the keys. But the abode itself was present inside a partially explored region.


    This region was difficult to travel and helping others wasn''t possible due to the constraints.


    Since the abode would open on the forty-fifth, Charles had to travel from 34th to 44th.


    So, today was hisst day to explore the ruins.


    And the region he picked was a notorious ghost house.


    It adjusted the challenges ording to the levels, but it wasn''t very famous.


    The reason was the prize.


    After so much hard work in navigating through the chaos of ghosts, spirits, and mazes, they would be rewarded with a treasure.


    The better your performance, the stronger the treasure.


    But it was only a specific type of treasure.


    A treasure to see through the disguise.

 Chapter 581 - Sia [1]: A Beautiful Red

    581 Sia [1]: A Beautiful Red


    Sia held her waist and bent slightly.


    A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead and reached the ground.


    But before it could touch the soil, the temperature of the air spiked.


    Szz!


    The droplet of sweat evaporated.


    The one responsible for it made an entrance.


    Zaap!


    A long whip with adamantium spikes emitting a golden light shot towards her feet.


    "Tsk."


    Sia''s gravity sense locked the whip and¡ª


    Swish!


    The whip suddenly bent backward and shot towards its owner.


    "Bitch!"


    A tall man cursed as he hurriedly withdrew the lightning mana from the whip. The golden whip turned back to its original grey color and its adamantium spikes withdrew.


    Even then, if the whip was fast enough to injure him.


    So, he created a lightning barrier.


    Bam!


    When the whip was about to touch the barrier, it suddenly pulled back and then pped from the right, where there was no barrier.


    "Crazy gravity bitch!" The tall man cursed again and did what he didn''t want to.


    Zaap!


    Aplete lightning barrier.


    It was expensive on his mana since¡ª


    "Get off that fruit! It''s mine!"


    "Fuck off!"


    Zaap! Rumble!


    Roar!


    Amid the curses of a male and a female, lightning rumbled and the roars of dragons filled the air.


    Sia''s brows knit together as she looked sideways.


    Currently, they were on the top of arge green hill.


    At the peak of the hill, there was a giant golden tree, almost five hundred meters tall.


    The trees'' golden leaves sparkled with lightning arcs from time to time as lightning mana coursed through every vein of the giant tree.


    The roots of the tree were out in the air, pulsing every few seconds as they sucked in aura from the surroundings.


    The leaves twitched lightly every few seconds as they let out everything else apart from the lightning mana.


    From time to time, the branches would shake lightly and emit lightning bolts. Each of these lightning bolts was strong enough to obliterate a low-level 8 and kill level 7s dozens of times over.


    These lightning bolts were erratic, unpredictable, and naturally, dangerous.


    But the tree offered something worth all the danger.


    On one of the topmost branches, there was a single fruit growing at the edge.


    It looked like an orange but was light gold.


    Golden Bolt Fruit from the Golden Bolt Tree.


    "Roar!"


    Rumble!


    Just a few hundred meters away from the tree, a lightning dragon shed with a lightning spear.


    Boom!


    They both exploded into a splinter of lightning arcs.


    Zap! Zap! Zap!


    The lightning arcs spread out like a shockwave and reached the owners of the dragon and spear.


    "Bitch!"


    "Bastard!"


    The man and woman cursed at each other while they took a step backward and shielded themselves from the shockwaves.


    As they were about to continue their attacks, a shockwave hit them and they were forced to put up their barriers.


    Boom! Boom! Kacha!


    "Grah!"


    "What the¡ª" The man and woman both opened their mouth in shock.


    In truth, the three of them were fighting for the golden bolt fruit when a strange woman suddenly appeared.


    So, the tall man said he''d take care of her and join them in a minute.


    Thirty seconds passed and he¡ª


    Thud!


    The tall man copsed to the ground as he clutched his chest. There was a deep cavity in his chest as if a hammer crushed his bones inward.


    His eyes were unfocused as a pool of blood started to form under him. The tall man raised his hand to point at the woman in front of him.


    But the best he could do was to point at her feet before his hand copsed down and he fainted.


    "Hiss!"


    The man and woman sucked in a breath of cold air and turned towards theirmon enemy.


    The two of them were, more or less, acquaintances. They weren''t friends, but they would rather have the thunderbolt fruit go to one of them than some stranger.


    That''s why the two decided to fight together.


    But the sight they were presented with caused them to pause.


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    With every step Sia took towards the tree, the burn on her shoulder shook. It was an injury she received from the fainted man''s desperate attack.


    The flesh around her left shoulder was burnt with a heavy lightning attack.


    As a result, her entire left arm was numb and she had a hard time using it properly.


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    Drip! Drip! Drip!


    And as the injury shook with every step she took, blood spilled out of her shoulder, slid down from her shoulder socket to her elbow, then down her forearm before flowing on her palm and reaching her fingertips.


    Drip!


    Drip!


    Drip!


    With each step she took, a droplet of drop dripped from her fingertips.


    Sia didn''t say a single word until she reached the duo.


    "Fight." She said in a low, but overbearing tone. At the same time, a tremendous killing intent exploded out of her body.


    Like dark clouds covering the sky, the killing intent covered any courage the man and woman had.


    Flinch!


    The man and woman flinched before the former mustered the courage to say.


    "Y-You aren''t even a lightning awakener! What do you want the fruit for?" His voice was overly loud, as a way topensate for his inner fear.


    After feeling the killing intent from Sia, neither the man nor the woman had any thoughts of winning her.


    Strength was one thing, but this¡­absolutely brutal killing intent was something else.


    How many thousands, no, tens of thousands did she kill?


    They also understood why she hid her identity through amon disguised face that didn''t suit her temperament at all.


    Her real identity must be terrifying.


    That''s why their only thoughts were persuading her to give up.


    "Y-Yes! Besides, this fruit isn''t very useful to strong among level 8s. W-We only want it because we are too weak in our age group." The woman said with a flushed face.


    She wasn''t as young as she looked. In fact, she was over seventy. Some of her peers had already left her behind and reached level 9.


    Only she was stuck in high level 8.


    Even though the thunderbolt fruit didn''t guarantee anything, she hoped it could send her to peak level 8.


    "R-Right! You are a gravity awakener! You have no use for this!" The man said again.


    Sia raised her hand and the air turned chaotic.


    The gravity started to distort and the duo expected a crazy pressure on their bodies.


    Zap! Zap!


    They quickly elementalized and turned their bodies into lightning form, reducing the damage.


    The man and woman looked at each other and nodded.


    Using their full power, they created a lightning dragon and a lightning spear.


    Rumble! Roar!


    The two attacks reached Sia in the blink of an eye. But.


    Boom!


    As if there was an invisible barrier surrounding her, the attacks couldn''t touch her. Moreover, the closer the dragon and spear got to Sia, the smaller they appeared as if they were crushed by gravity.


    Then it suddenly happened.


    The lightning dragon and spear were forcibly shifted and faced each other.


    "No!"


    "Stop!"


    It was too sudden to react.


    Boom!


    Following a huge explosion, a heavy pressure descended on the man and woman, knocking them out.


    The dust settled and an even more bloodied Sia came into view.


    It wasn''t as easy as she made it seem. Facing both their attacks put her under severe strain.


    When the attacks blew up each other, her gravity barrier finally broke. Sia jumped back to avoid the aftermath, but a few bolts of lightning struck her feet.


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    Sia walked to the golden bolt tree.


    With each step she took, blood flowed out of her feet.


    The bloodied footsteps formed a stark contrast on the golden soil.


    Finally, those footsteps stopped before the tree.


    Sia raised her hand and a force emanated out of her fingertips.


    Whoosh!


    The branch holding the fruit twisted slightly and the fruit shook before it was plucked by an invisible force.


    Then, Sia used her hand as the gravity target for the fruit.


    So, instead of falling to the ground, the fruit fell into her palm.


    As a weak lightning arc entered her hand and tingled her, Sia remarked. "I''m not a lightning awakener."


    "But," She softly caressed the fruit and muttered.


    "He is."


    The blood dripping down her fingertips stained the golden fruit.


    It was a beautiful red.

 Chapter 582 - Charles [1]: A Sweet Dream

    Chapter 582 - Charles [1]: A Sweet Dream


    When Sia was fighting for the thunderbolt fruit, in a location far away, another fierce fight was taking ce.


    "Charles! You are a genius, but you are still too young! Give up!" A reflection in the mirror said.


    A handsome face, blonde hair, and green eyes.


    The reflection was his.


    But the words weren''t.


    "Roar!"


    So, the giant white wolf responded with a ferocious howl and pped the mirror with its paw.


    Baa!


    The mirror shook violently but didn''t break. However, the reflection in the mirror dissolved.


    "Greeh!"


    The giant white wolf took a step forward in the narrow corridor.


    The corridor''s walls were filled with mirrors of all sizes and types. Some of them showed himrger, others as smaller, some taller, others shorter.


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    Even a single step brought forth significant change in the reflections.


    "You know it better than anyone, Charles!" A woman surfaced in one of the mirrors.


    The white wolf looked into the mirrors.


    Except for the one mirror showing his aunt, the rest were showing a path.


    "Charles, your talent is built upon the blood of innocents! Your aunt is a murderer! Your father killed your own grandfather! Do you even have a bit of honor to proim you''re on the side of good?" The woman said word by word.


    "Greeh!" The giant wolf lowered its head.


    Its green eyes were forced shut as the man under the wolf underwent an inner turmoil.


    Charles knew he was an asshole. He never denied it. He did a lot of bad things. He coerced people. He beat them up. He even made the lives of a few people hell.


    But.


    He never considered himself to be only that.


    Even he had a shade he couldn''t deny.


    A side that sincerely yearned for the acknowledgment of his father.


    A part of him which wanted to be the hero who saved humanity.


    A tiny portion of his heart that was still untouched by the tragedies that changed him¡ªthe portion that yearned for the naive joy.


    But after everything, after losing the few people that mattered to him, even if he were to lose that side of him, Charles was willing.


    He was disgusted at his father''s viiny, but as hatred filled his mind, he realized that he himself wouldn''t mind being a viin.


    For revenge, he''d smash every obstacle in his path.


    ''Varian, Sia, Enigma! Eye for an eye. Blood for blood. Life for life!''


    "Roar!"


    Charles roared out loud and raised his palm towards his aunt''s reflection. His paw was infused with enough strength to bring down a mountain.


    Boom!


    But when it finally touched the mirror, instead of dissolving like the previous time, the image shot back.


    The giant wolf stumbled on its hindlegs before quickly stabilizing.


    Whoosh!


    An entity emerged out of the reflection. It looked exactly like his aunt, and it smiled like her.


    "Charles," It said, pointing a finger at him. "You are nothingpared to Varian. He grows so fast so soon. Do you think you can still win hi¡ª"


    "Roar!"


    A giant wolf head reached her neck, about to bite her off.


    The reflection sidestepped, but the teeth still pierced through its neck.


    Pa!


    No blood came out. But a part of its neck was gone forever.


    "Oh dea¡ª"


    Boom!


    The wind exploded as shockwaves swept the narrow corridor.


    It was only then that sound finally caught up with Charles'' speed.


    "Roar!"


    Charles jumped at the reflection again, his tail pping it like a whip.


    The reflection tried to counter his superior strength by using his huge frame against him and leveraging its high speed.


    But the corridor was small and it couldn''t do much.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Exactly after thirty-three seconds, the reflection broke into pieces and disappeared.


    "Roooa~" The giant wolf panted lightly before raising its head and ncing into the mirror.


    Hundreds of white wolves stared back at it from the mirror.


    Except one.


    It was the mirror from which the reflection came out.


    Whoosh!<i> [ Updated from


    . c o m ]</i>


    Without hesitation, the giant wolf jumped into the mirror half its size. But the moment its w touched the mirror, the space around it twisted and its entire body disappeared.


    The first thing Charles noticed afternding in his new location was that he was somehow back to his human form.


    And more importantly, he was in a room¡­a dining room.


    An old man sat in the main seat of the dining table. He was the legendary Ceaser Xander. The father of Julius and grandfather of Charles.


    He was someone Charles never saw.


    Now, that man, the Sovereign he always admired, stared at Charles with a kind gaze.


    "Come on little fellow, you''reter for dinner."


    Charles'' heart twisted. His eyes moved to the man sitting on the right of the elder.


    It was a handsome middle-aged man.


    "Didn''t you want to visit mars for vacation? I booked tickets, but we''ll have only one hour, not counting emergencies."


    "¡­Father." Charles finally opened his mouth, but he felt like something was stuck in his throat.


    "No, don''t give me that look. One hour is the best I can manage." Julius said with an adamant expression.


    "I¡ª" Charles opened his mouth again, but he couldn''t speak with his chest feeling continuously heavy.


    Was he out of breath?


    No. Surely not.


    Then, what was happening?


    Julius looked at Charles'' expression and showed a helpless expression. "I''m really sorry, this is the best I can do. Topensate, how about a movie with you the next weekend?


    Of course, it must be on earth, so I can use the teleportation formations in case of emergency."


    Charles looked at his father before closing his eyes shut.


    He tried his best not to let the tears fall.


    He knew he was in an illusion.


    An illusion that would show his heart''s deepest desires.


    Then.


    ''Was it really so hard spending a bit of time with me?''


    "Charles, are you alright?" A soft voice called out in concern.


    Roxanna.


    She was sitting to the left of his grandfather and looked at him in worry.


    Charles opened his eyes and stiffly nodded at her.


    Roxanna sighed in relief before turning to Julius. "I told you, brother, children want their father to spend time with them, especially when they''re young!"


    "But Roxi, my duty is¡ª"


    ''Young?'' Charles was surprised.


    Now that he thought about it, they all seemed a bitrger.


    "Big Brother!" An innocent voice called out to him.


    Charles'' body stiffened and he turned to the young boy sitting in a chair clearly oversized for him.


    The boy was only ten years old. His eyes exuded naivety and cheerfulness that adultscked.


    The boy patted the chair next to him and said. "Let''s eat together."


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    Charles moved towards the chair step by step.


    When he sat on the chair, he realized that it was oversized for him too.


    Looking at his reflection on the te, he realized he was just twelve.


    "Now then, let''s begin." Ceaser Xander pped his hand and the dinner began.


    Charles didn''t remember what they talked about, but he couldn''t forget how they talked.


    The way Ceaser stroked his beard in pride each time Narcis told his aplishments in school.


    The way Julius and Roxanna bickered to and fro.


    The way Narcis secretly gave him his favorite fruit candy from his te, despite wanting it for himself.


    When the dinner finally ended, Charles had a big smile on his face.


    But tears didn''t stop streaming down his cheeks.


    "Little guy!" "Charles!" "Sweetheart!" "B-Big Brother!"


    Everyone stood up from their seats and looked at him with worried faces.


    Charles took a deep breath and said.


    "Thank You."


    Kacha!


    The illusion broke and a light orb flew into his hand.


    The light faded away and Charles felt a hard, cold sensation in his palm.


    {Congrattions on clearing the trial!}


    As the space around Charles twisted and he was about to be teleported out, Charles closed his eyes and recalled the short, dreamy dinner.


    Whoosh!


    When he opened his eyes, he was at the foot of a brown mountain range.


    The cold wind ruffled his hair and he longer felt any warmth.


    Charles gripped the metallic treasure in his hand.


    "Young Master!" His protector greeted in an anxious voice. "We have to start the journey now."


    Charles nodded and the aura on his body rose.


    "I''ve lived my dream. Now, I''ve to live my reality."

 Chapter 583 - Sia [1]: The Bond

    Chapter 583 - Sia [1]: The Bond


    ''Shadow Guardians is a noble organization.''


    Enigma said.


    On the very first day I joined, I thought it was one of the many heroic groups which preached morals but were rotten at the core.


    Maybe because I spent months with a terrible person like Roxanna, I had trouble believing humanity other than Varian had any shred of goodness left in them.


    So, I began to observe.


    I observed their training, their lifestyle, their doctrine, and more importantly, their actions.


    With each day, my prejudice broke down bit by bit.


    But I wasn''t getting normal. I kept recalling Roxanna''sst moments.


    The shock in her eyes, the blood spurting from her body, her final expression before she died.


    I enjoyed that memory with glee.


    Why am I bing like this?


    Is it because of the anger that was pent up in her since the torture began?


    I wondered if I had changed?


    Perhaps I did.


    I can''t smile. My smile left me.


    I can''t cry either. My tears dried up.


    I thought that I was strong. After enduring the torture from her for all those days, I thought I was.


    But when I finally got the chance to sleep in my own bed, I realized¡­I was scared.


    Did she lie?


    Or was it the truth?


    Was my existence really erased from the world?


    To hell with that.


    Was I removed from HIS memories?


    When that thought crossed my mind, I was on my feet.


    I didn''t wait for even a second. I exited the secret realm and headed to our city.


    It had been a few months since Ist visited this ce.


    I hadn''t seen him since I left for the academy.


    I wonder if he''s doing fine.


    ¡­I wonder if he remembered me.


    Dawn fell.


    I waited outside his apartment.


    After my little investigations from the neighbors using my psychic powers, Varian recently started going to a training hall.


    I thought I couldn''t smile anymore, but now, I can''t stop smiling.


    Did he awaken? Did he finallye out of his depression?


    Did he¡­.?


    Creak.


    The door creaked open and a young man stepped out.


    I quickly hid myself using a treasure. Even mid awakeners can''t find me with this, so I wasn''t worried about Varian seeing me.


    But.


    "What a shitty day." He looked at the two suns and muttered as he walked to the elevator.


    His hair was disheveled, his eyes had dark circles under them and even the way he spokecked any enthusiasm.


    It was...it was like he was a living zombie.


    "Woo."


    A muffled sound came out of my throat.


    Varian turned toward me and I froze in ce.


    His eyes looked at the location I am standing. He couldn''t see me.


    So, he didn''t react even when his eyes locked with mine.


    But I did.


    My heart pounded violently and my chest grew heavy.


    I saw them clearly this time.


    His eyes.


    His eyes weren''t bright. They didn''t have hope.


    They were pitch ck. Like the night without stars. Like his life devoid of any hope.


    He¡­too was broken.


    A deep sense of sadness engulfed my heart and before I knew it, I was sobbing.


    "V-Varian¡­argh, I¡­I was really scared." I copsed to my knees as tears streamed down my cheeks.


    "¡­It was horrible, it was a pain that ripped me from the inside."


    With each drop of tear, I spoke a bit more about the grievances I suffered.


    "¡­I wish I died multiple times during the torture, but¡­I didn''t want to die because of you."


    I raised my head through the teary eyes and looked at him.


    At that moment, I felt myself freezing in anticipation.


    Why did I say those words to him right after they met?


    For an Apology? Revenge? Constion?


    No.


    Because every time I confessed her grievance to him, Varian would hug me tightly and say "I''m here for you."


    The warmth of his touch, the affection in his hug, and the resolve in his words.


    That was enough.


    That was all I need.


    But.


    Varian looked at my location and muttered. "I felt like I heard something."


    Then, shaking his head, he turned on the elevator.


    "I¡ª" I stretched my hand towards him, but in the end, I didn''t do anything.


    The disguise treasure¡­it silenced my voice as well.


    Iughed at myself. It was pathetic, but also sad.


    A treasure that was supposed to help me silenced my own voice.


    And.


    The image of a man shed in my mind.


    ''Evander.''


    The person that I trusted gave me away to the Xanders.


    Be it a treasure or a person, the ones I trusted betrayed me.


    Suppressing the negative feelings in my chest, I followed Varian to the training hall.


    His eyes which were indifferent till now finally showed some emotions.


    When his fist met his opponent''s, when the skin on his fist broke along with the other man''s and their blood sshed into the air, I saw it.


    He finally smiled.


    "Hahaha!" Heughed like a madman and followed up with another punch.


    Throughout the fight, as flesh beat with flesh and bone shed with bone, he kept smiling.


    But it wasn''t the gentle smile I knew.


    It was¡­the smile of an addict.


    The smile of a man who found the joy of life in fighting.


    No.


    It was the smile of a man who escapes his life through fighting.


    Varian always saw fighting as a means to his dreams, never as an end.


    But now, he treated fighting as the most important thing.


    It was the only thing in his life.


    I couldn''t bear to watch him anymore and ran out of the training hall.


    I visited the parks we used to y at. I visited our school.


    With each ce, my memories of him grew deeper.


    Finally, I visited our old home.


    It was where a lot of our memoriesy.


    Now, it was just emptynd that no one wanted.


    I looked at the ce where it all began and suppressed the ominous premonition in my heart.


    I returned to his apartment.


    I will find out tonight.

 Chapter 584 - Sia [2]: Gone

    Chapter 584 - Sia [2]: Gone


    When he returned, night had fallen.


    I didn''t even realize the day passed.


    But I knew that I couldn''t stay like this anymore.


    I needed to confirm whether he still remembered me or not.


    So, in front of his apartment''s door, I ced the one thing I always carried with me.


    The two figurines¡ªme and Varian were dressed in casual clothes. The ck-haired boy and the brown-haired girl held hands and smiled brightly.


    Our faces, our clothes, and our smiles¡ªthey were all real.


    I looked at the gift again, and I couldn''t help but grip it tighter.


    When I was at my lowest, when I wished for death, this¡­this little thing kept me going.


    This small gift wouldn''t sell for much on the market, but even if it could buy mes, I would never sell it.


    It was the symbol of our rtionship.


    I cherished it with my life.


    So, I was nervous when I ced the figurines at the doorstep. To be precise, I put them at eye level on the door.


    When Varian returned, I held my breath and watched him reach for his door.


    When he saw the figurines, he finally paused and my heart was about to break out of the ribcage.


    His eyes showed a bit of confusion, but he quickly grabbed the figurines aggressively.


    "Caref¡ª" My voice wasn''t heard.


    "¡­What the heck?" Varian fiddled with them for a moment before observing the faces of the figurines.


    His gaze stayed on the boy''s face only for a while. After confirming that it was the face of his younger self, Varian''s expression contorted.


    His body shook in what I presumed to be sadness, but¡ª


    "Trash!" Varian cursed at the figurine, no, he cursed his younger self.


    "You delusional idiot! You worthless fool! You are the one why she''s gone!" He growled like an injured beast.


    I flinched and took a step back.


    I knew he hated himself after her death, but just how much...


    "I wish you were never born!"


    I wanted to console him.


    Yes, even if I have to expose myself, I didn''t want him to live a life of self-loathing.


    But the moment our distance was a bit close, Varian''s body shook violently.


    And.


    "What the¡­" He started to bleed from his nose.


    He didn''t notice it, but my psychic sense noticed it.


    It was me.


    ''No!''


    "That bastard did hit me on my nose once," Varian muttered as his bleeding stopped.


    I stepped forward once again. Lightly this time.


    With each step I took, my heart grew heavier and heavier.


    And when I finally crossed the eventual distance, I saw it.


    Varian''s body, no, every fiber of his being was shaking like it saw its enemy.


    "What''s happening?" Varian looked around in confusion. Blood started to leak out of his mouth.


    When I took another step forward, he started coughing out blood.


    "Cough. Cough. Cough."


    I gritted my teeth at the site, but hardening my heart, I moved forward.


    "Arghhh!" Varian''s eyes turned bloodshot and blood started to leak out of his nose too.


    I hurriedly stepped back and clenched my fists. My nails dug into my flesh and my palms were utterly bloodied.


    I knew for certain now.


    His body was rejecting me.


    I didn''t know how this could happen, but more importantly, I didn''t understand why this had to happen.


    The moment that question urred, I wondered if this world hated me.


    ''Why? Why did it have to be this way?''


    No one could hear my question. Even if they could, there was no one with an answer.


    But I understood that Varian''s condition wouldn''t change.


    Something happened when Roxanna held me captive.


    My eyes suddenly widened as a realization struck me.


    His memory.


    ''When they erased his memory, did they also let his body reject me?'' It was a ridiculous thought.


    I hurriedly shook my head.


    Even I knew it was impossible.


    Being a Psychic myself, I could more or less gauge what a Sovereign Psychic could do. Even if an artifact was added, Kreo couldn''t control Varian''s body.


    More importantly, Varian couldn''t see me right now.


    Then, how could his body actually detect me?


    This is beyond even what Sovereigns could aplish. No artifact was capable of such a feat.


    ''Then...'' I looked at him again.


    The man who was as broken as I was.


    The secret to this change perhaps was hidden in him.


    But if he really had such a big secret, then why wouldn''t he still awaken?


    ''No, it isn''t certain that he lost his memories!'' I told myself.


    Even though Roxanna told me that she erased my memory from everyone, even though she said it with conviction, I want to cling to that tiny bit of hope.


    So, when he dismissed the bleeding as a consequence of fighting and went back to viewing the figurines, I was hopeful.


    "This is..."


    He shifted to my figurine.


    The figurine he sculpted with his own hands. The gift for which he slept with bandages covering his hands for a week. The present for which he risked being branded a pervert. The result of his blood, sweat, and dedication.


    I closed my eyes and waited for him to call out my name.


    Please...


    Just tell me you can remember...


    My heart sent prayers to the stars.


    Before Roxanna, I thought staying away from him was the best course of decision.


    But after the hellish life, I realized¡­I didn''t want to stay away from him anymore.


    What if I died the next day?


    At least, for as long as I''m still alive, I wanted to stay with him.


    He might still hate me, but as long as I can see him, as long as I can see him happy, I will be content.


    He''s the only one I have.


    That''s why, Varian, please don''t forget me¡­


    My heart beats for you.


    "Who the hell is she?"


    He broke my heart.


    He¡­


    He really¡­


    "Did I know her?"


    I opened my mouth to cry, but it felt like someone blocked the air in my chest.


    Pain.


    Deep pain I''ve never experienced burnt through my heart.


    Even the worst torture Roxanna inflicted didn''t pain me this much.


    Not even close.


    But now, I cowered on the ground and started crying.


    Like an orphan abandoned by the world, I cried.


    "W-Why?!"


    "W¡­Why is this happening to me?"


    "W-Heuk!?" I couldn''t even speak anymore.


    But no matter how much I sobbed, screamed, and wailed, my cries didn''t reach the man in front of me.


    As I knelt on the floor like a forgotten object, he denied my very existence.


    "This stupid prank."


    Kacha!


    The figurines crashed in front of me.


    "No!"


    I quickly, but carefully held up the figurines with bloodied hands.


    My fingers shook when I touched the blunted edges of the figurine.


    It was damaged.


    The figurines that symbolized our bond...damaged.


    For the first time, I was angry. I red at him and wanted to ask him to apologize.


    "Varia¡ª"


    Creak!


    But he shut the door on my face.


    No.


    He didn''t even know that I was crying.


    He didn''t even know the figurines.


    He didn''t even know I existed.


    "I¡ª"


    I froze.


    I looked at the figurine again.


    My body started shaking as my eyes turned red.


    The figurines were supposed to be holding hands. Now, their hands were broken.


    Our rtionship that I cherished, the bond that kept me going through even the worst of my days¡­


    "Arghh!"


    It finally hit me.


    Everything we built, shared, and cherished...


    It was all gone.

 Chapter 585 - Charles [2]: The Journey Begins

    Chapter 585 - Charles [2]: The Journey Begins


    Early Morning, 34th of Trian Month, Trian Ruins.


    It was a world covered in white.


    As far as the eye could see and even beyond, snow covered thend.


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    Snowkes danced in the air as the feet of a beast stepped on the snow and moved forward.


    Every time the beastnded on the snow, it moved forward a couple of miles.


    A few seconds after the beast left, sound finally caught up and a loud st filled the field.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The cold winds on the snowfield were reced by fast, hot, and explosive shockwaves.


    When the beast''s feet touched the snow, they exerted tremendous strength and lunged forward.


    Kacha! Kacha!


    Huge cracks started in the area and spread onwards.


    From the clouds, it looked like someone was simultaneously blowing away the snow with fierce winds, cracking the ice like cobwebs and raising the temperature.


    "Huff!"


    "Huff!"


    It was a giant white wolf.


    Its snowy fur blended with the falling snow and its powerful legs continued to dig into the ice to move forward.


    As the snow fell, only a pair of green eyes shone in the endless white.


    "Roar!"


    The giant wolf finally reached the end of the snow. The white ended and the green began.


    It started as tiny sprouts here and there until everything under the sky was filled with green nts.


    "Roar!"


    Charles ran all the same.


    He was equally indifferent to the snow and the grasnd.


    And he remained indifferent to the swamps, savannas, deserts, and valleys he crossed.


    But he couldn''t remain indifferent after reaching the Ruler''s Abode. To be precise, the entrance to its entrance.


    *** ***


    The region, known as the mystic range was a mountain range shrouded under mist.


    It was a mist that wasn''t prable even by level 9''s senses.


    The only way to enter the region was through one of the three valleys.


    Drip! Drip! Drip!


    It was raining.


    The raindrops were cold and infused with water mana. The sky glowed in blue as it poured.


    When the raindrops touched the mist covering the mountains, they bounced back and fell on the awakeners standing in front of the three valleys.


    Charles stood in front of one such valley. Behind him, his team of ten level 8s stood quietly.


    Their mana barriers couldn''t stop the rain as it passed through their barriers and drenched them cold.


    The water mana entering their body made them ufortable. It was like an itch that couldn''t be scratched.


    In fact, it was like an itch on the whole body.


    But no one made a sound.


    Because by the time they came here, Charles was already waiting for thirty minutes in the rain.


    The young master of the Xanders looked at the open valley with hands behind his back.


    The mist that covered the mountain range was absent at the valley entrance, so the pebble-strewn path was clearly visible.


    But in the brown and ck pebbles, there were peculiar whites.


    They weren''t pebbles.


    "How many?" Charles asked in a neutral tone.


    "Twenty-seven princes and princesses diedst year." One of his team members replied.


    "I see." Charles'' eyes narrowed and his vision focused further into the valley.


    If the bones were ignored, it was a normal valley. Grass covered the slopes of the valley while trees, small andrge were scattered across.


    Several small streams flowed down the slopes and formed a river that extended into the horizon.


    The river''s flow shed against the pebbles and the harmonious sound of nature resounded in the valley.


    Along the river, flowerbeds sprang up and painted a beautiful picture.


    The valley was as beautiful as it could get.


    But that was only half the picture.


    The river was filled with water beasts, the pebbles were actually stone creatures, the trees were morphers, and the flowers had powers ranging from fire awakeners to psychics.


    "Twenty-seven died to these monsters?" Charles snickered.


    "It was the pressure that killed most. Not the monsters." Hira, his newest subordinate, replied.


    "Pressure, huh." Charles nodded lightly and stepped forward.


    As he took another step, the awakeners standing in front of the three valley entrances turned their gazes toward him.


    The crowd consisted of level 7s, 8s, and even 9s.


    It was a small crowd.


    Either they had no keys and were waiting for their teams to bring them one or they secured the keys and were waiting for their team.


    Of course, this also meant that weaker awakeners, like level 7s and level 8s, were exposed to strong level 9s who had no keys.


    It was a perfect recipe for bullying and snatching keys from weaker ones.


    But nothing happened.


    Because the level 9s were strictly warned against such actions by the army.


    ''Most of the keys needed to be won in open areas. You already have an overwhelming advantage there.


    The level 8s and level 7s can only win keys from the level restricted areas. If you still snatch the keys from them, how can any of them grow?


    If we do that to our geniuses, we will kill our future.''


    It was bitter but true. So, begrudgingly, most level 9 agreed. The rest were forced to agree.


    So, the crowd here was rtively peaceful with no fights.


    Of course, fightings within the same level still urred.


    But with Charles'' appearance, they all paused.


    "Hey, is that Charles?"


    "Isn''t he level 6? How dare hee here?"


    "Arrogant!"


    Not a lot of people knew he advanced.


    "Fuck! This son of a bitch is too strong!"


    "He knocked out Prince Adios with a single kick."


    "What?!"


    "Trust me, he took down ten princes all by himself!"


    There were also those that knew.


    "¡­But why is he walking towards the level 8 valley entrance?"


    "¡­For fun?"


    Ting!


    When Charles was about to step inside the valley, an invisible barrier blocked him.


    ''Only level 8s, huh.'' He took a breath and walked to the level 7 valley entrance.


    When he raised his foot into the valley, he wasn''t blocked.


    Clearly, the valleys segregated the awakeners.


    But it wasn''t out of kindness.


    Whoosh!


    The moment he stepped into the valley, a terrifying pressure enveloped Charles. His body shook violently and he hurriedly channeled prana to stabilize himself.


    ''So, this is the pressure, huh.''


    Charles'' brows furrowed.


    It wasn''t a normal obstacle.


    It was pressure from the aura. It was something beyond what even a Sovereign was capable of.


    This was why the valleys segregated awakeners on their levels. If they all went through the same path, the mere pressure on a level 9 would be enough to kill most level 7s.


    "Huf! Huff!" Charles breathed in and out as he slowly got the hang of the environment.


    His prana slowed down considerably and he could feel his strength dropping under this pressure.


    ''But it doesn''t matter. I can do it.'' Charles had unshakeable confidence in himself.


    "Young Master!" His team called out.


    Charles turned around and looked at them.


    After two days of work, they found a few treasures that could break disguise.


    But the treasure he got from the mirror house was the best.


    "Let''s meet at the ruler''s abode." Charles waved at his team and nodded at the level 9 robed man in the distance.


    The robed man nodded.


    "Now then," Charles turned around and looked ahead with brimming confidence.


    If there was no aura pressure and no monsters, he''d have reached the ruler''s abode in one hour.


    Even if there were monsters, then, he''d have taken at most 3 days.


    But with the aura pressure added on top of monsters, he needed a staggering 11 days.


    However, Charles wasn''t intimidated.


    There were level 7s who needed whopping 20 days for the same journey.


    Among level 7s, he was one of the fastest.


    With the consolidation of his strength and practice in the mirror house, he was now able topletely control his strength.


    He was confident of crushing any typical high level 7.


    "Ruler''s Abode, here Ie!" He channeled his prana.


    Whoosh!


    Prana exploded out of his body and he turned into a giant white wolf.


    "Roar!"


    The journey began.

 Chapter 586 - Varian [1]: Training

    Chapter 586 - Varian [1]: Training


    The evening of 34th, Trian Month.


    The first day of Charles'' journey wasing to an end.


    Meanwhile, it was the second for Varian.


    Compared to Charles, he estimated that he needed one more day for the journey.


    So, he entered the valley right on 33rd.


    Now, the second day was also ending for Varian.


    Once he entered the valley, the rather narrow valley expanded and multiple paths came up.


    Varian randomly picked a path and went ahead.


    Like every other path, this too had the same natural beauty.


    A serene river, evergreen trees, and colorful flowers.


    Under the moonlight, it formed a picturesque scene rivaling that of a fairy tale. But instead of the soft white moonlight, it was an eerie red moonlight.


    As the world lit up under the red light, Varian stopped by the river. He crouched on the pebbles and looked at the river''s surface.


    His face, no, his disguised face was clearly reflected in the blue water.


    It was the face of a young adult in his 20s.


    Varian touched his cheeks.


    Originally, Boo managed to make him some skin masks. Even level 7s couldn''t find the ws in that disguise.


    But ultimately, it was Enigma''s disguise treasure that he always used.


    However, it was broken by Julius during the Gamma Expo.


    Without him asking, Enigma gave him another face mask.


    It was equally good rtive to the previous one. Even if level 9s checked him with their powers, they wouldn''t be able to determine it was a disguise.


    "If you keep doing this, I''ll have to sell my own mask to fund you." She joked! It was rare.


    But Varian had no problem replying. "Really? Then I''ll work hard."


    "I''ll tell Sia you''re working hard to see the face of another woman." She threatened, but in a mischievous tone that even she didn''t notice.


    "Heh," Varian smirked. "She won''t mind if it''s a 500-year-old grandma."


    "Say that again!" The temperature of the room dropped to a freezing point.


    "Oops! I gotta go!" Varian escaped.


    Recalling their conversation, Varian shook his head and smiled.


    His reflection on theke, however, didn''t shake its head.


    The red moonlight reflected on theke, but the eyes of Varian''s reflection shone blue.


    Ssh!


    A hand reached out from theke and grabbed at Varian''s throat.


    Shuaa!


    The moment the hand appeared out of theke, the surrounding temperature dropped.


    When the hand reached Varian''s throat, it changed into a w with long nails and was about to pierce his windpipe.


    "This again?" Varian gripped the hand.


    It was cold, slippery, and pale blue. It was even a hand.


    Swish!


    The wrist of the hand turned into water and traveled to the palm from which they joined the long nails.


    Whoosh!


    The nails elongated in an instant and touched Varian''s skin.


    Ting!


    The ice blue nails made the sound of metal shing the moment they touched his skin.


    The hand stopped at the unexpected result.


    "Hree?!" A shriek came from the river.


    "At least you tried." Varian sighed and grabbed the blue hand.


    Twish!


    His hand turned into a branch and forcibly absorbed the water.


    Then, he looked at the river and raised his hand.


    An invisible force gathered in his palm. It was the telekic force. Varian folded it into a mass.


    With each passing second, it grew heavier.


    At first, it was a ser ball. Then, it was a bike. Soon, it was a car. Before long, it was a bus.


    Finally, it reached the weight of a mountain.


    "Hm, this will be enough," Varian muttered and pushed his palm to theke.


    Boom!


    The river was forcibly split!


    On either side, there was water, but there was a huge gap in the middle.


    ??? ????? ???????s ??? ?????s??? ?? ???????? ????.???


    In that gap was a strange frog.


    "Grok!" It stared at Varian with an open mouth.


    This man escaped its assassination so easily. His strength was on a different level!


    As the creature''s instincts informed it about its impending death, its senses told it not to worry.


    The water on both sides was about to join. The creature knew this and cheered happily.


    "Kree~"


    Once it''s in water, it could escape easily.


    In other words, it could escape before Varian came here.


    Boom! Kacha!


    But Varian didn''t even move an inch. He simply snapped his fingers and the space around the frog-like creature sted into pieces.


    "Grok!" It croaked and created a water shield around itself. Then, it quickly elementalized itself into water.


    The chaotic space currents sted its water shield to pieces, but they deal only a little damage to the elementalized frog.


    "Heh." Varian tapped a finger into the air.


    Zaaap!


    A lightning was cast around the water and began evaporating it.


    "Grok!"


    The frog-like creature couldn''t bear it and turned back from its physical form.


    As the lightning started to burn it down, the frog attacked Varian with its final blow.


    Shuaa!


    A surge of water mana shot out from its body and enveloped Varian before freezing him into a block of ice.


    The frog itself was burnt to ashes.


    Suaa!


    The river re-connected and everything seemed usual.


    Except for the block of ice at the banks of the river.


    Inside the ice block, Varian closed his eyes and channeled his own water mana outward.


    But it was incredibly difficult for two reasons.


    One, he was currently trapped by the water mana of a high level 7 beast, even though it was a novice.


    Two and most importantly, the aura pressure here.


    This entire valley had some sort of pressure on his aura. Since aura was everywhere in his body, the same pressure applied to Varian.


    Compared to high gravity or solidified space, this was worse.


    Because it directly affected the ease with which Varian could channel his auras.


    It was like dragging a bag that had an additional weight attached.


    This aura pressure prevented many awakeners from using their full strength and resulted in their deaths.


    But.


    ''This is an excellent training opportunity.'' Varian''s eyes shone in the ice block and his water mana slowly seeped into the ice block.


    Bit by bit, it covered the whole thing.


    This seemingly normal operation was much harder here.


    Whoosh!


    Varian''s water mana shed with the water mana in the ice, the water mana that was left behind by the frog.


    It seemed like a tug of war was about to unfold between the two mana.


    Even though the water mana of the frog had no more source, due to the inherent strength of the frog, the mana itself was high in both quality and quantity.


    On the other hand, Varian''s water manacked in both quantity and quality.


    But.


    ''I know how to deal with this kind of stuff.'' The experience came from clearing his memory fog daily.


    So, Varian didn''t wage an all-out war. Instead, he started chipping away at the sides.


    When faced with an unmoving, unintelligent enemy, this was an excellent method.


    Sssz!


    The ice began to slowly melt.


    ''More!'' Varian could''ve broken it apart had he wished to, but instead, he chose this approach for a good reason.


    Whoosh!


    Mana mobility was hard under this pressure. But instead of despairing, Varian used this to hone his water mana by pitching it against foreign water mana.


    To give an analogy, it''d be like exercising to increase muscle, but under a higher, and tolerable gravity.


    Sssz!


    When thest bit of ice melted, the efforts paid off.


    [+500 Xp]


    Varian sighed in relief.


    His current level wasn''t enough.


    ''Sia might be a high level 7. I need to at least be equal to her.'' Varian clenched his fists and vowed to himself.


    It was then¡ª


    "Roar!" "Kroww!" "Dreh!"


    A weird-looking tree with its branches waving around, a humanoid monster made out of pebbles, and a flower that gave off lightning arcs surrounded him.


    Varianughed.


    "This is gonna be fun."

 Chapter 587 - Sia [3]: A Sunrise

    Chapter 587 - Sia [3]: A Sunrise


    35th of Trian Month, Trian Ruins.


    Far from Ruler''s Abode was one of many cold regions.


    In that region, snow filled every inch of thend the eye could see.


    Be it a mountain, a tree, or even a rock, everything was covered by snow.


    The world was painted white.


    On top of a frozenke, a figure in ck moved like an ink brush on paper.


    The figure''s movements were erratic, yet calcted.


    Because not even one of the hundreds of ice spikes shot at her touched her.


    "You aren''t even a princess!"


    "And you want to snatch our treasure?"


    A man and woman appeared on the snowfield. They were standing between her and the center of theke.


    Their eyes were full of hostility as they looked at the woman in ck.


    Except for her brown hair and golden eyes, they couldn''t see anything about her face.


    They could understand her preferring disguise. So, they asked her to just prove herself to be a princess.


    It could be done without revealing her identity.


    She didn''t.


    That made them, bitterpetitors to team up.


    As prince and princess, they knew their role in the federation.


    Grow strong as fast as possible and be a pir of humanity.


    Every prince must be at least a level 7, but not all level 7s are princes. The same went with level 8 and level 9.


    Thus, when questions arose on how rare items must be distributed, priority was given to princes and princesses.


    Because they had the talent and would be more helpful to the federation in the long run!


    That''s why even though there were infightings among the princes, they were united against non-princes.


    The same thing happened now.


    "We are all fighting the abyssals, I don''t want to hurt you too much. Leave." The princess said with a stern face.


    Despite being a high level 8, she didn''t try too hard. She preferred fighting abyssals over humans.


    So, all her attacks until now were with the intention to lightly injure the woman and scare her off.


    But.


    "For your attitude, I won''t kill you." The brown-haired woman said lightly.


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    A strange silence filled the iceke.


    The woman whose face was covered didn''t care about the silence and looked past the two to the center of theke.


    An icy-blue orb floated at the center of theke.


    Scattered around the orb were the corpses of a dozen snowy white wolves. Even the blood that formed a puddle under them and froze was white.


    By the time she came here, the wolves were already hunted.


    But that didn''t make the treasure theirs.


    "Looks like I have to teach you a lesson." The princess raised her hand and a huge ice dragon materialized above her.


    The prince beside her followed and an ice wheel with spikes manifested.


    The woman looked into their eyes.


    Her golden eyes shone.


    Then¡ª


    "Huh?!"


    "Where did she go?"


    The prince and princess panicked as they looked around.


    "As I said, I won''t kill you."


    Hearing the voice from behind, a chill shot down their spines and their body stiffened.


    "B-But I really need, it for a secret mission." The princess gritted her teeth.


    She wasn''t lying. To maximize her sess rate for a dangerous mission next month, she needed the treasure.


    The same went for the prince who was fighting her. He too had a dangerous mission.


    Since the woman was stronger than they thought, they hoped she took the big picture into consideration.


    "I understand."


    Their eyes lit up.


    "Thank y¡ª"


    "Good luck to you both."


    Whoosh!


    The sound of wind breaking resounded in the ice ins as the prince and princess stood dumbfounded.


    When they turned around, she was gone!


    ¡­ ¡­ ¡­


    As she jumped from one snow mountain to another, Sia checked her storage ring.


    "He awakened in water path too¡­" She shook her head like it was a headache, but the way her eyes shone brightly showed that she was actually happy.


    "Now the next item is¡­" Sia recalled the paths Varian awakened in and decided her destination.


    As she exited the ice fields, she was reminded of the princess'' words.


    "Dangerous mission, huh." She shook her head.


    These princes and princesses did experience a lot of dangers.


    But.


    ''Nothing as much as Shadow Guardians.''


    A recent, but distant memory shed through her mind.


    ¡­ ¡­ ¡­


    ¡­ ¡­ ¡­


    I wish Roxanna was tortured to death than the simple death she got.


    But it wasn''t in my hands.


    After Roxanna, I was lost.


    I wanted to see Varian, but Enigma stopped me.


    ''Your mental state isn''t fine.''


    Haha.


    I am feeling perfectly fine, except that I wished I could''ve tortured Roxanna worse than she tortured me.


    To wish to inflict that torture onto another person¡­I am clearly not fine.


    I am using my mind power to control myself, but I keep getting nightmares about the torture.


    So, instead of going to Varian right away, I followed Enigma''s advice and joined the Shadow Guardians.


    It was my reciprocity while I regain my sanity.


    ??? ????? ???????s ??? ?????s??? ?? ???????? ????.???


    Since I had to take care of myself, I decided to avoid everything else. But one thing I couldn''t avoid was seeing Enigma.


    It was my first time watching her.


    It felt weird. I didn''t know much about her, but she knew a lot about me.


    The misgivings I had towards her weren''tpletely resolved, but in those days under Roxanna, I think I was able to empathize with Enigma more.


    The loneliness, the pain, the dejection¡­knowing that someone lived through what I experienced strengthened our bond.


    She was pitiful too.


    So, when she finally got the chance to take life under control, I watched from the sidelines.


    After sleeping for five hundred years, she woke up. I wondered what she''d do.


    My expectations were she''d try to use the hybrid memories and try returning to the ce she was born. Of course, that was impossible, but still.


    But her answer surprised me.


    ''Save the world''


    She wanted to save this world.


    ¡­This world?


    This cynical, inhumane, and brutal world?


    The same world in which Roxanna was born in?


    I hate this world!


    The first thing I wanted to tell Varian after meeting him was that the world he trained so hard to train was full of filth.


    That it wasn''t worth saving.


    ¡­Perhaps that''s why she stopped me from meeting him.


    For a short time, I strongly disagreed with Enigma''s views.


    But everyone here, practically every single person agreed with Enigma''s views.


    In fact, they all wanted the same thing.


    ''Save the world''.


    When I joined the academy, I too was the same.


    But now¡­


    Rationally, I know that the world isn''t all evil or good.


    But I don''t think the scar Roxanna left on me would ever go away. The fact that I''d carry this trauma into my life scared me more than the trauma itself.


    I didn''t know then, but I was lucky.


    I was lucky that Enigma knew me more than I knew myself.


    What happenedter was nothing short of a miracle.


    Enigma started taking missions.


    She saved the people from terrorist attacks, killed the order members, and hunted the traitors.


    Naturally, I watched everything she did. I had to. She didn''t even let me sleep.


    I saw the sufferings of innocent humans. I saw the vileness of humans¡ªpeople who were as evil as Roxanna.


    Then I also saw heroes.


    Heros who worked in the shadows.


    They got no recognition, money, or benefits for their actions. Instead, all they got was the risk of being killed during one of the missions.


    Even if they died, the world wouldn''t acknowledge their sacrifice.


    But they threw themselves into the danger with a smile on their faces.


    ¡­It was unbelievable.


    When I think of heroes, it was always the ones that are known throughout the world for their deeds.


    The articles Varian pasted in his room were all materials of such famous heroes.


    But heroes like these¡­


    After seeing them, I can longer call this world full of filth.


    Indeed, the world has many bad people.


    But it also had many good people.


    I only saw the vile darkness in this world ignoring the noble light.


    The more time Enigma spent with them, the more I learned about a side of this world I never knew.


    It was the same for Enigma.


    In fact, with each mission, Enigma kept going above and beyond.


    It was almost like she waspeting with her yesterday''s self.


    It was good sometimes, but in others, it ended in serious injuries.


    I asked her why she was so persistent.


    This isn''t her war in the first ce. While she lived here, she didn''t wake up until recently.


    So, I wondered why did she go so far for a ce and people she had no rtions to?


    ¡­I think I know why.


    For him.


    Since he gave up on his dream of saving the world, she''d do it in his stead.


    ...Or that''s what I thought.


    As the sun rays painted the sky orange, Enigma muttered under her breath.


    ''Beautiful.''


    Aha!


    I was wrong.


    No, I was half right.


    While Varian was a major part of her reason, the biggest reason was herself.


    Enigma genuinely wanted to save this world.


    It was ironic.


    Having lived almost all my life believing that I''d help Varian achieve his dream, my opinion took an opposite turn after Roxanna.


    But Enigma.


    She lived a life worse than mine. Yet, she held a positive view of this world.


    I can''t understand her.


    But I can feel her. ????????????.???


    Even though her eyes seem to remain indifferent, she grows happy watching something asmon as sunset and sunrise.


    ¡­No.


    Sunrise and Sunset¡­they aren''t verymon.


    Under Roxanna, I couldn''t see sunset and sunrise for a long, long time.


    It was so long that I forgot the beauty of such a normal, but spectacr scene.


    So, I watched the sunrise with Enigma.


    ''Beautiful.'' I gasped.


    ¡­I see, so this is how Enigma felt. After all, she couldn''t see it for five hundred years.

 Chapter 588 - Varian [2]: Accelerated Recovery [1]

    Chapter 588 - Varian [2]: elerated Recovery [1]


    9 days before the Ruler''s Abode''s entrance.


    36th of Trian Month, Trian Ruins.


    In one of the many small sectors in the valley leading to the Ruler''s Abode.


    It was dawn, and the two suns'' early rays were about to reach the ground.


    But then, a colossal tree shook violently and morphed.


    Its numerous branches turned slender but tough. The tree shook and the branches that were protruding at different angles from the tree were now aligned horizontally at equidistance from each other.


    Then, the leaves on the branches expanded. Then these leaves came into contact with other leaves and without any issue, they joined.


    The branches grew longer and longer while the leaves also expanded.


    Before the suns'' rays could reach the ground, they encountered a giant umbre spanning several miles.


    It was the tree''s doing.


    But it didn''t stop there.


    The sunlight was absorbed by the leaves and a purple light shone onto the area under the umbre.


    This purple light covered a small part of the river and arge part of the flowerbeds growing along the river bank.


    When this purple light touched the flowers, they shook violently.


    "¡­What was that?" Varian muttered under his breath as purple light shone on him.


    The moment he came into contact with it, he understood that it wasn''t just light.


    From the overflowing prana, it was a product of the giant umbre tree.


    And the reason it''d release this mysterious prana¡ª


    Varian titled his head to the side.


    A thin cut appeared on his cheek before it started bleeding.


    ''¡­That was awfully close.'' Varian''s guard rose and his mental sense scanned his surroundings.


    The purple light continued to shine on the flowers as the tree blocked the¡ª


    "Huh?"


    Varian turned around and raised his brow.


    Everything he could see, even for dozens of miles had turned purple.


    Raising his head, he frowned. The umbre seemed to stretch into the horizon as it covered every area he could see.


    ''There is a problem.'' Varian clenched his fists.


    Whoosh!


    Air was sliced apart as another small object shot at him with a terrifying speed.


    Despite covering almost a few dozen miles around him, Varian''s mental sense couldn''t detect where the object came from nor he could detect what the object was.


    ''But why?!''


    Perhaps the attack came from outside his range, but what about identifying the object?


    Varian sidestepped and avoided the object, but the sleeves of his right hand were cut.


    But the same question kept ringing in Varian''s mind.


    ''Even when it''s so close, why can''t my mental sense detect the object?''


    It was impossible to do so, unless¡ª


    Varian''s eyes widened and his psychic power spread out.


    Then, like a mirror cracking, the world cracked and broke apart.


    In the blink of an eye, Varian found himself back in the state where the umbre tree was only able to cover a few miles.


    Naturally, the purple light too only spread for a few miles.


    Whoosh!


    Before he could think further, the sound of rough air reached him.


    Varian turned to the side and avoided the attack. But this time, his mental sense was able to urately discern the object.


    It was¡­a flower petal.


    ''I guessed it!'' Varian''s eyes shifted to the thousands of flowers under the purple light.


    He kicked the ground and reached the flowers in the blink of an eye.


    Zaap!


    A spherical lightning bomb appeared in his hand and as he was about to smash them to smithereens, the world shook.


    The purple world turned white and Varian found himself in a space of endless white.


    ''Illusions!''


    Those flowers weren''t morphers, but psychics. They were bringing him to an illusory world so that his guard in real life would drop and they could¡ª


    Whoosh!


    Varian rolled to the right and avoided an object that was about to pierce his throat.


    As expected, once inside this illusion, he couldn''t detect the attacks.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Varian was forced to rely on his instincts and physical senses to trace the attack in reality while being in an illusion.


    Several cuts appeared on his body. Even with his ntae form, they healed slowly.


    The petals were poisoned. While his ntae form withstood the poison in small amounts, once it exceeded a threshold, he''d be overwhelmed.


    ''This can''t go on.'' Varian narrowed his eyes and his psychic power blocked off his mind.


    The world crumbled again and he found himself far away from the flowers.


    Varian''s mental sense quickly segregated the flower types.


    One was psychic flowers.


    The other was ntae morphers¡ªthey attacked him with those poisonous petals.


    ''Can I just teleport¡­?'' Varian channeled the space power and locked the area right above the psychic flowers.


    But.


    ''Huh?'' When he teleported, it was to a location even further from the psychic flowers.


    Those psychic flowers¡­ were really messing with his sense of direction.


    Varian clicked his tongue and turned to the ntae flowers.


    A lightning spear began to form, but before it could materialize, the mental attacks from psychic flowers stuck him and the spear dissipated.


    ''Fuck!''


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Without dy, the poisonous petals followed.


    Ten more minutes passed and Varian''s expression turned gloomy.


    He tried getting out of this ce¡ªby just sprinting away or even by teleporting¡ªbut nothing seemed to work.


    The psychic flowers managed to manipte him despite his best defenses.


    To be honest, it was weird.


    Despite outnumbering him, they were all level 7. So, how did they just bypass his mental barrier?


    Varian''s brain churned as he searched for the answer.


    As the poisonous petals left more and more marks on his body, his ntae path found it harder and harder to suppress the poison.


    The psychic nts continued to drag or at least, tried dragging him into the illusion.


    But thankfully, he resisted the illusions.


    However, with each second, he found it harder and harder to destroy the nts.


    ''Dying under this purple light, fuck it!'' He thought and suddenly froze.


    With a fierce killing intent, he looked up at the sky.


    The tree umbre was giving off the purple light, the majority of which fell on the flowers.


    "Yes!"


    Varian sprinted to the flowers and like every other time, the world twisted and started to turn white.


    Then.


    Boom!


    Varian kicked the ground and jumped to the other side.


    The illusion worlds disappeared, and the psychic pressure stagnated as if it found his action shocked them.


    Varian flew a few hundred meters high and reached the giant umbre tree.

 Chapter 589 - Varian [3]: Accelerated Recovery [2]

    Chapter 589 - Varian [3]: elerated Recovery [2]


    As he inched closer and closer towards the top of the tree, Varian''s mind raced. ''I''m not sure what this tree is doing, but.''


    He raised his hand and clenched his fist. ''It is the central piece for this battle.''


    In the overwhelming purple, a defiant golden light shone brighter and brighter until it enveloped Varian''s whole body.


    He shone like a star in the purple world.


    Whoosh!


    Varian used his telekic power and pushed himself to the tree while he enveloped his hand in a solid space glove. Then, he pulled back his hand and punched out with all his strength.


    Boom!


    It all happened in the blink of an eye, but when psychic flowers recovered from their surprise, Varian was already punching the tree''s umbre.


    The flowers trembled and their mental power reached Varian in the blink of an eye.


    They were determined to stop him at any cost.


    Varian knew that too. And he also knew that facing so many psychic flowers, he had no way of avoiding their mental attacks.


    He''d be drawn into their illusory world. Once he''s inside, the psychic flowers would then attack his mind to disrupt his attacks.


    Even if he managed to hold onto his attack, his sense of direction and distance would already be twisted beyond help.


    So, once in illusion, even if Varian managed to punch with even half his strength, he wouldn''t be punching the tree, but empty air.


    Facing this situation, there wasn''t much he could.


    The mental barrier he set up was easily bypassed by the psychic flowers for some reason.


    ''There''s only way.'' Varian spread his psychic power to specific parts of his mind and watched as the foreign psychic power entered his mind.


    Whoosh!


    He was quickly dragged into a world of blue and his punch abruptly slowed down.


    Then, the world spun violently as Varian¡ªwho was on his way to punch the umbre in reality, was forced by the psychic flowers to deviate from his target.


    They should''ve seeded.


    But the psychic power in Varian''s mind came into y right at that moment.


    It took control of its body and refused to change the course of his direction.


    So, under the horrifying screams of the flowers, Varian''s punch, which now contained only 30% of its initial power punched the giant umbre.


    Kacha!


    And broke it into pieces.


    The purple light started to disappear as the natural sunlight started to rece it.


    "Haa!" Varian woke up from the illusion and nced at the flowers below.


    Every morpher flower shone with a purple light and charged their final attack against him.


    As Varian wanted to teleport, the psychic flowers attacked his mind and prevented him from doing so.


    As a result, Varian found himself descending from a height of hundreds of meters while being about to be targeted by the morpher flowers.


    ''It''d be very dangerous to take so many poisonous attacks.'' Varian thought with a frown, but he soon rxed.


    When the flowers were on the verge ofnding a final attack and gravely injuring Varian, something happened.


    The giant nt umbrepletely copsed.


    As a result, the sunlight finally reached the flowers.


    Szzzz!


    The flowers stopped abruptly as if they were frozen.


    Variannded on the ground gently and looked at the tree and flowers with a look of realization.


    It was a rtionship of symbiosis.


    The flowers needed a specific type of light to function¡ªand when they did, they were very powerful. The tree provided them that very light.


    ''This is the end.''


    Varian raised his hand into a knife and shed at the tree.


    It was a simple sh in air using his physical strength, but the result was a very sharp shockwave.


    The shockwave, in the shape of an arc reached the tree in the blink of an eye and upon contact, split it into two.


    Before he knew it, Varian''s physical prowess reached a terrifying state. A single gesture was enough to deal a terrifying damage.


    ''The flowers¡­'' Varian turned around and nced at the flowers.


    He snapped his fingers.


    Kaaa!


    An invisible force uprooted the flowers and ground them to pieces.


    ''Haaa~'' As the battle ended, Varian sighed deeply.


    A blue screen lit up in front of him, as if it had been waiting all this time.


    [+400 Xp]


    [+500 Xp]


    "Right, Status."


    [Superhuman Level 7: 0.5k/10k


    Space Level 7: 0.5k/10k


    Lightning Level 7: 0.5k/10k


    ntae Level 7: 1k/10k (+400 Xp)


    Psychic Level 7: 1.5k/10k (+500 Xp)


    Macrokic Level 7: 1k/10k


    Water level 7: 0.5k/10k]


    Yesterday''s fight improved his paths considerably. But today''s results weren''t too bad.


    If Varian could, he preferred staying here and fighting. But to reach the Ruler''s Abode in time, he had to keep moving.


    ''ntae got 100 XP more than Psychic, hm¡­''


    Varian nced at his body and noticed the cuts everywhere. Even though the battle ended, he was fighting a fierce poison.


    As the mainstay of the fight, the ntae path naturally got he most improvement.


    But.


    Varian was more happy with the improvement in his psychic power.


    He looked around and noticed the deste surroundings. But unwilling to risk it, he dug an underground cave under the tree and jumped in.


    Then, he closed his eyes and spread his psychic sense inward.


    It quickly reached the memory pce of his brain and found the area of his sealed memories.


    A grey fog surrounded his memories of Sia.


    Butpared to the first time he saw it, it was visibly weaker.


    [66% fog left.]


    Varian entered the ruins on the evening of 30th and the next day, he reached level 7.


    As a level 7 psychic, he entered his memory pce in excitement to clear up the grey fog.


    He could remember the notification of that day clearly.


    [90% fog left]


    But when he was done, the notification changed.


    [88% fog left]


    2% per try!


    His current prowess allowed him two such sessions every day without damaging his mind. Thus, 2% per each session.


    So, from 31st onward, Varian was able to cut down 4% of the fog everyday.


    ording to that calction, today, the fog should start at 70% today and after his two session, it should end with 66%.


    However.


    [66% fog left.]


    The notification clearly implied that at some point, Varian''s speed improved.


    As his psychic power nibbled away the edges of the grey fog, the sealed memories resurfaced.


    Out of those countless memories, one particr memory drew his mind in.


    But before Varian lost himself in the memory, a notification sounded.


    [63% fog left]

 Chapter 590 - Varian [4]: Global Championship

    Chapter 590 - Varian [4]: Global Championship


    36th of Senio Month.


    It was exactly one month before his birthday.


    Varian wasn''t the type to remember such stuff. It was impossible this time since arge event was scheduled in the evening.


    "I am excited!" Varian grinned as he took another spoonful of the breakfast.


    Baked beans, grilled meat, and lots of veggies. With the way he ate, he clearly enjoyed the food.


    "You''ll choke, eat slowly!" Sia rebuked him lightly and resumed eating.


    "But I''m too excited!" Varian dered, louder this time, and grabbed the veggies. "And I swear, even mom can''t make veggies this tasty."


    Sia looked at him gobbling the food and rubbed her forehead. "I swear, your excitement can really be overwhelming."


    "Hehe." Varian smiled and got up.


    Then, like he was chased by a monster, he ran to his room.


    Ta! Ta!


    The sound of rummaging through the old items echoed in the small home.


    "Hey, the juice!" Sia shouted in annoyance.


    "I''m fine~let''s go!" Varian stuck his head out of his room and gave her a thumbs up.


    "You''re not!" Sia put her hands on her hands and bellowed. "Your ligament tore in yesterday''s battle. If you don''t drink this today, it''ll take a lot longe¡ª"


    "Fine, fine." Varian dashed towards the dining room, grabbed the juice, and emptied it in one gulp.


    "Haa~" He exhaled and rubbed his mouth with the back of his hand.


    Then, he looked at Sia with shining eyes and said. "Let''s go!"


    Sia seemed to be a bit nervous, but she nodded.


    The two entered the school bus and sat side by side.


    "Hey! Is she really participating?"


    "No way she wouldn''t! You know what, our principal personally invited her!"


    "She''s a genius!"


    The discussions of the students revolved around the brown-haired woman sitting near the back in the window seat.


    She looked out of the window and didn''t pay any attention to their gossip, despite being able to hear it all.


    On the other hand, the one she was paying attention to was uncharacteristically listening to the conversations with a beaming smile.


    Once they reached the school stadium, Varian held her hand and said. "Don''t be nervous."


    "¡­Then why is your hand shaking?" Sia titled her hand.


    "¡­" Varian paused a moment before quickly withdrawing his hand. "Ahahaha~"


    With that awkwardughter, he joined the huge audience. There were parents, fellow students, and even guests from the city.


    Sia took a deep breath and walked to the stage and stood along with forty other high school students.


    She wore a lightbat dress of brown and blue. It was a standard uniform like everyone else on the stage.


    But the moment she appeared, almost half of the crowd was stunned. The other half wasn''t paying attention to her.


    When the stunned ones recovered, they couldn''t stop talking.


    "¡­she''s so pretty."


    "¡­is this the fabled phoenix goddess?"


    "And she''s so strong! I heard she even beat up the third year a few months ago!"


    "Really? She doesn''t look like someone who would pick fights."


    "That, she has a trashy brother who didn''t awaken. They bullied him and she went crazy."


    "Whoah! High school and still didn''t awaken?"


    "Sucks to be him."


    "If I were him, I''d just die. There''s something called shame."


    "Hahaha! Indeed. He is just dragging her down."


    Kaa! Kacha!


    The sound of wood breaking halted the gossip abruptly. The two women and one man talking turned around.


    "¡­What?"


    A young man sat behind them with a card on hisp. But now, the wooden base of the card was broken and the sharp wooden edge pierced the young man''s palm, bleeding him out.


    "¡­Are you alright?"


    "¡­"


    The young man looked at them with apathetic eyes and turned his attention back to the stadium.


    However, his hand was tightly clenched.


    "¡­" The three looked at each other and fell silent.


    They all had the same thought. ''Maybe he is one of her crazy fans.''


    {Now, the Sr Championship begins!}


    A cheerful female voice announced and the stadium burst into cheers.


    {As you all know, this is a federation wide event! High school students across the federation will participate in the championship!}


    Varian wiped the blood off his bleeding palm and carefully listened to the announcer.


    {In the preliminaries, you need to be one of the three yers from your school. In the first round, you''ll face off against the other schools in the city.


    In the second, you''ll fight geniuses from ten cities before moving on to a hundred cities! Finally, you''ll fight the brightest geniuses on earth!}


    Varian took a deep breath and calmed his agitating emotions.


    He really wished he could participate. He wanted to fight his way through thousands and thousands of geniuses before shing with the very best.


    To have the power to end this war, he needed to be at least that strong.


    That''s what he believed. That''s he devoted himself to training.


    But.


    ''I am only a spectator.'' He lowered his head and epted the bitter truth.


    ''At least,'' His deste eyes slowly turned back to normal and he loosened his clenched fist.


    His gaze turned to the brown-haired girl in the stage and he breathed out. ''At least she is participating. I''m happy for her.''


    It was painful that he didn''t have any chance. But the fact that Sia had such opportunities was soothing.


    {The champions of the earth will sh against the champions of others! Do you know the rewards?} The host''s enthusiasm was rising with each sentence.


    The audience too was hooked by the word ''rewards'' and fell silent.


    Even though they knew it already, they still wanted to hear it from the person in authority.


    {You will be directly admitted to the top military academies! Not just that, you will also likely be taken in as a pupil or even an apprentice from a high awakener.}


    Varian gulped at the words as he felt a sense of longing.


    He really, really, really wanted to join the academies.


    {The ones that are the absolute top will be invited to the sr banquet and meet with the best juniors and seniors, including the Sovereigns!}


    "Whoaaah!"


    The stadium went bonkers.

 Chapter 591 - Varian [5]: A Prayer

    Chapter 591 - Varian [5]: A Prayer


    Varian looked on nervously as the first match began.


    He wasn''t worried about the two boys that climbed onto the stage, but about the safety mechanisms.


    ''I hope there''s no malfunction or she''ll be in danger.''


    Of course, the chances of such a thing happening were close to nill. But still, Varian was worried.


    {First match! Neil vs Dasl}


    Neil was a fire awakener while Dasl was a body awakener.


    As third-year students, they were both at the peak of level 1 and on the verge of reaching level 2.


    Still, they were only level 1s.


    So¡­


    "Fireball!"


    "Illusory Cicada Steps!"


    Neil''s hands lit up with fireballs and he shot them at Dasl.


    Dasl on the other hand moved erratically and avoided the fireballs.


    Pa! Pa! Pa!


    The white stage now had burnt marks but was otherwise fine.


    "Super fireball!" Neil raised his arms and started umting his mana. A huge fireball began to form over his head.


    Dasl kicked the ground and in an instant, covered the distance between them. Then, he punched Neil with all his strength.


    "Mountain shattering fist!"


    Neil hurriedly sidestepped to the side and threw the iplete fireball.


    Boom!


    Dasl swirled in thest moment and managed to dodge it, but not without taking a burn on his back.


    Since thebat uniform was a small grade treasure, it was intact. But it didn''t reduce the damage he suffered in any way.


    Thus, blood from his burnt injury dyed Dasl''s shirt red.


    "Arghhh!" Dasl was at an incredibly close distance to Neil. As a body awakener, the position was in his favor.


    If he just punched now, Neil wouldn''t be able to dodge.


    But.


    "It hurts!" Dasl was overwhelmed by the pain.


    He grew up like a flower in the greenhouse and never experienced such pain. So, when he finally did, it hindered him greatly.


    "Fuck y¡ª" When he finally regained his senses and raised his fist out of revenge, a fireball pped him in the chest and sent him flying.


    "Arghh! It hurts!"


    {Neil wins!}


    "Wonderful, right?"


    "Neil, right? He is awesome!"


    "His fire mana must be abundant. And more importantly, he was clever enough to change his tactics ording to the situation!"


    "¡­"


    Varian rolled his eyes at the enthusiastic talk around him.


    ''Seriously?'' He leaned back in his chair and eyed the two guys who just fought. ''They''re both amateurs!''


    Squinting his eyes at the winner, he shook his head.


    ''Neil wasted too much fire mana. That super fireball was totally unnecessary and makes him vulnerable during a life and death battle. Does he think his enemy will actually give him a chance to finish off his spell?''


    Then, he turned to the wailing loser.


    ''This guy¡­he''s the kind I despise the most. He must be from a rich family to grow up that pampered.


    The stage isn''t toorge. So, as a body awakener, he could''ve taken advantage of his superior senses and physical stats.


    The moment Neil aims toward him, he should dodge and close the distance through erratic steps.


    Then, feint an attack to let Neil misfire his super ball before punching Neil in the chest and knocking him off.''


    Varian''sbat experience was too vast that the fights that every high schooler cheered for became a child''s y in his eyes.


    But.


    Looking at his hands, Varian smiled wryly. ''I have the experience, but I have no power.''


    {Next match, Sia vs Rose!}


    Varian''s back straightened and his gaze intensified.


    Sia and a girl with red hair walked onto the stage. From the way golden sparks emitted from her fingertips, Rose was a lightning awakener.


    ''You can do it, Sia!''


    {Fight!}


    "Lightnin¡ª" Rose raised her hand to summon a lightning bolt, but she paused abruptly like her mind went nk.


    Shuaa!


    The air was ripped as a whip coiled around her neck.


    "Wha¡ª" When she came back to her senses, she was one snap away from a broken neck!


    {Sia wins!}


    "Yes!" Varian eximed, but it wasn''t just him, hundreds of voices in the stadium said the same.


    She had a huge following in the school. There was even a (Sia Club}.


    Now the simps began to earnestly simp.


    One by one, cards shone.


    <<Sia is an angel!>>


    <<Sia¡ªthe winner of this championship>>


    <<Sia is unstoppable!>>


    They praised her relentlessly. Her fan club¡­was really a bit crazy.


    But at least, the cards they brought were awesome.


    Varian looked at his own card. Compared to the fancy and shiny ones, it was made of wood and looked very shabby.


    He felt a bit discontent, but still, he raised his card.


    When she won the first match, he was holding up the card.


    When she won the second match with light injuries, the card still stood.


    Then the third, then the fourth and even when the final match was done, the card was still held up.<sub>??????????£å??n????e?.c????</sub>


    Unlike others, Varian was no awakener.


    Yet, he held it up from morning till evening.


    The people around him that noticed this freaked out.


    They thought he was a level 1, but even for a level 1, this wasn''t an easy task.


    After the final match, Sia held her injured arm and walked to the tform.


    {The selected three are Vinar, Mackey, and Sia!}


    The host announced and the audience cheered.


    Sia''s gaze wandered to the audience.


    <<Love you, Sia!>>


    <<Marry me, Goddess!>>


    <<I inherited hundreds of millions of CP, marry me!>>


    There were all kinds of confessions.


    <<You are the best, Sia>>


    <<Champion Sia!>>


    <<Unstoppable>>


    There were all kinds of praises.


    <<You cheater>>


    <<Did you bribe the principal? You only got easy opponents!>>


    <<You vixen! You got nothing except for that face and body!>>


    There were all kinds of usations.


    Sia''s eyes were weary and she was tired.


    But she kept looking.


    ''Where.''


    Her eyes moved eagerly.


    ''In this vast crowd.''


    Her gaze burned in anticipation.


    ''Are you?''


    She finally paused on a shabby wooden card.


    ''Found you!''


    His words were neither a confession nor praise, surely not an usation.


    It was a prayer.


    <<Sia, please stay safe.>>


    Sia smiled brightly.


    Her heart melted.

 Chapter 592 - Sia [4]: Violet Woods

    Chapter 592 - Sia [4]: Violet Woods


    37th of Trian Month, Trian Ruins.


    A forest stood bordering vast ck in and mountain ranges that resembled a snake.


    The trees in the forest were tall enough to rival a ten-storey building. The leaves of the trees were violet. Some of them were light violet, while others were extremely dark.


    The shading of the leaves corresponded to their levels. The darker the leaves, the closer they were to peak level 7.


    As ntae morphers, these trees might seem peaceful from a distance. But they would turn into terrifying enemies once you trespass their perimeter.


    Poison, steel-breaking thorns, adamantium bending vines¡ªthe attacks would simply overwhelm anyone with the guts to enter the forest.


    So, while Violet Woods was the official name of the forest, its infamous title was Violet Kennel¡ªOnce you get in, there''s no way to get out.


    That was true for all level 7s. The only ones who could venture in were level 8s. Even for level 8s, it was a dangerous area.


    ''The real danger for me is from other awakeners.'' Sia''s eyes glittered with a strange light.


    As she kicked the ground, her gravity power reversed the gravity from the ground to repulsion.


    In the next instant, Sia was a few hundred meters above the ground. If she let the current repulsive gravity remain, she''d continue going up.


    At this height, she was able to see at least half of the forest. The thick canopy of the trees covered the forest like an umbre and blocked her from peeking inside.


    ''I can make an approximate guess.'' Sia narrowed her eyes and let the repulsion push her even higher before she stretched her hand towards the ground.


    With the clench of her fist, the gravity''s direction changed.


    The gravity until now was repulsive and acted in a straight line. So, she went up in a straight line.


    But with the application of her power, the gravity titled. Instead of repelling her in a straight line, the earth ruins'' started repelling her at an angle.


    To Sia, it was like someone was pushing her in the direction she wanted. So, she reached a position right above the center of the forest, albeit nearly a mile above the ground level.


    Since she was able to view the whole forest from this height, she roughly determined the center of the forest.


    ''Tempering Lake¡­'' Sia''s eyes shone with a strange light.


    Varian''s first path was Body. Then, he was an Enhanced awakener. She didn''t know whether he would be a Superhuman awakener or an extreme awakener after reaching level 7.


    ''I don''t even know if he reached level 7¡­'' Sia smiled wryly.


    She felt that she deserved the pain she was feeling. The condition she set for him was to meet her in the Ruler''s Abode.


    When he entered the Earth Ruins, Varian was only a peak level 6.


    So, her condition was ridiculous. Even if he had the confidence to reach level 7, how could she expect him to get a key when so many talented princes and princesses failed?


    ''It''s almost like I want him not to meet me.'' Sia''s shoulders slumped as she felt a weight pressing down on her.


    It wasn''t incorrect.


    She didn''t want him to meet her. She had already broken him.


    She wanted her memory of him to be a bright young man whose eyes were full of hope, but even if she tried to, she couldn''t forget the nk gaze devoid of any hope he had that day.


    Whenever she recalled that sight, her heart ached.


    If they meet now, instead of a gaze devoid of hope, she''d see something worse.


    A gaze filled with hatred.


    What really worried her more was that such hatred would ruin Varian''s life, which he barely managed to get together after a lot of effort.


    She''d be destroying his peace, his happiness, and his past.


    The more eager he turned, the more scared she was.


    So, Sia''s rational mindset a ridiculous condition for that very reason despite her feelings urging her to meet him.


    Now that she took care of her rational mind, she was acting on her feelings and preparing for their reunion.


    ''I know there''s a very low possibility for him to make it, but if we do meet, then I want to at least give him a gift.''


    It was a bit childish, but Sia didn''t mind.


    If it was a year ago, she''d have tried her best to get him special potions that could help in his awakening. Or even better, she''d have tried to earn enough money to hire an adventurer team to escort him into a dungeon.


    Only a single year passed and everything changed.


    Varian was no longer the boy who trained to awaken and was held back by his family''s financial conditions.


    He''s a peak level 6 at the age of 18, arguably the strongest of his generation, and undoubtedly the best genius of the entire federation.


    It wasn''t just that.


    He was also the Dreamer. A man whose actions redrew the power structure of the entire federation.


    So, the gift she had to give was naturally different.


    What he needed the most now was strength. And strength she''d provide.


    Sia looked down and her gravity sense locked the center of the forest.


    Then, the gravity of the ground towards her reversed. Instead of repelling her, the ground attracted her. And it with force way higher than normal.


    As a result, Sia descended into the forest in the blink of an eye.


    If shended at that high speed, there''d be an explosion in the forest and all the trees would try to kill her regardless of the cost.


    Sia wasn''t afraid of the trees, but she didn''t want argemotion that could disturb her goal.


    So, before shended, she reversed the gravity again, and using the repulsion, she reduced her speed before turning gravity to normal andnded without much noise.


    Sianded in a rather in area. Compared to the rest of the forest filled with trees, this area had none.


    "What''s your title, princess?"


    "Verify your identity!"


    Two voices rang out as two young men looked at her in surprise and caution.


    Instead of answering, Sia observed the area carefully.


    There were no usual trees, but there was only a redke with a single tree at its center. The tree''s long branches extended out and its thick leaves spread out evenly.


    These leaves released a drop of blue liquid every few seconds. This blue liquid fell into the redke. It remained blue for a few minutes before turning red.


    The red liquid from thiske flowed throughout the forest in small streams and reached all the trees. The trees absorbed the liquid and grew stronger.


    To protect such a useful resource, the trees acted fiercely if anyone entered the forbidden region.


    "What did you do something to stop the trees from attacking?" Sia asked, her sweet voiceced with a touch of authority.


    "You think we''ll give away our secrets?" The first young man sneered and his arms turned into branches.


    "This resource is ours." The second young man pointed to the tree. "Since you covet it, I''ll need to teach you a lesson."


    With those words, he raised a red hammer engraved with runes.


    "¡­Very well." With a snap of her finger, a hundred spears appeared behind Sia.


    With another snap, gravity between the bodies of the young men and the spears rose to a terrifying level.


    Whoosh!


    The spears tore through the air and reached the pale princes in the blink of an eye.

 Chapter 593 - Sia [5]: Tempering Liquid

    Chapter 593 - Sia [5]: Tempering Liquid


    "Huff! Huff!"


    The two young men knelt on a knee as they clutched their injured shoulders and abdomens.


    The ground under them waspletely cracked and a deep crater was formed where they were standing.


    With each passing second, they were going deeper and deeper into the ground and the crater kept expanding.


    "Grah!"


    Despite their best attempts, the young men couldn''t stand.


    The gravity on them was increased to a ridiculous degree. The force with which the ground pulled them was equivalent to holding a hundred big mountains by a rope.


    Even for level 8s, it was terrifying.


    Ssh!


    Blood continued to spill out of their injuries. Even their healing potions weren''t functioning properly under this terrifying pressure.


    However, the young men felt lucky.


    ''She isn''t trying to kill us.''


    ''She didn''t ask us for the treasure we used to iste this area from the forest.''


    Indeed, they borrowed a treasure from their seniors. With it, they were able topletely iste this area from the rest of the forest.


    Otherwise, when Sianded in this ce, the nearby trees would''ve sensed it and tried to attack.


    As a level 8, she could''ve killed them easily. But that fight alone would''ve caused moremotion and attracted more trees.It''d have snowballed from there and ended up in a fight against the whole forest.


    ''We thought the treasure would help us, but.'' The two young men gritted their teeth and raised their heads to meet the masked woman.


    She was the one who got lucky with their treasure, damn it!


    Sia looked at them with indifferent eyes before tapping the ground with her left foot.


    The next second, she was in front of the tree, her feet a few inches above theke. With a single wave of her hand, the blue liquid dropping from the leaves flew into a crystal bottle in her right hand.


    She swiped in the air and a cut appeared on the tree''s trunk. The same blue liquid started to flow out, in a muchrger quantity and reached the crystal bottle.


    With another wave of her hand, the red liquidke began to shake. It was as if someone held theke''s liquid in a bowl and started shaking them. The red liquid got violent and the waves grew bigger and bigger.


    Sia tapped her finger in the air and theke''s liquid suddenly froze.


    Then, out of therge red liquid, a very small but exceptionally bright red liquid flew into another crystal bottle in her left hand.


    "Damn it!" The young men gritted their teeth as their eyes burned with jealousy.


    The tree was special. It consumed aura from the air and condensed chi into a consumable.


    This was the blue liquid that was released from the leaves. If a body awakener took it, they''d benefit tremendously.


    Of course, there was a limit to how much a person could improve from this liquid.


    But there was a bigger problem. Once this blue liquid interacts with the aura in the air, all its chi would be reced by prana.


    The red liquid, thus, had only prana and it was supplied to the trees in the forest. Of course, even in this red liquid, there was one with more quality¡ªwhich was precisely what the woman took.


    "..U-Unlucky." One of the young men had given up on struggling.


    Indeed, they were in unlucky.


    One of them was a body awakener and the other was a nt morpher.


    At any given time, the amount of blue and red liquid the tree had was limited. So, they even borrow a treasure and get the precious liquids.


    But now.


    "Fuck!" The blue liquid would take at least a few days to recover since the tree had to create it.


    The best of the red liquid was taken away and it too would take time to umte.


    "Good luck to you two." Sia greeted them and tapped the ground again.


    Under theirplicated gaze, she reached the sky in a single step and disappeared.


    The terrifying pressure on them disappeared and the two young men finally stood up.


    "Haa!"


    "Haa!"


    Panting heavily, they rubbed the sweat off their foreheads and looked at each other.


    ''What now?''


    Their gazes conveyed the question they wanted to ask.


    "Let''s wait for the tree to stock up. It''ll take at most a week." The first young man said.


    "But we''ll miss the Ruler''s Abode if we wait." The other replied.


    "Not like we had a chance with monsters like Victor and Hongya participating."


    "Does anyone have any realistic chance against those four monsters?"


    "The Great Four, heh. The Ruler''s Abode will be their ying field."


    They both looked at the sky and sighed.


    *** *** ***


    Sia moved toward her next destination.


    So far, she had collected four things.


    Thunder Fruit, Ice Orb, Tempering Liquids¡ªboth red and blue.


    There were only two items left¡ªbut they were considerably harder than the rest.


    ''After that, I need to go to the Ruler''s Abode.''


    Sia''s expression tensed as an equal mix of anticipation and fear flooded her mind.


    She was wishing for something good to happen. But it was beyond her control.


    No matter what, she was at least not worried about Varian''s safety.


    ''With his ghost ship, he can escape from any enemy. The ghost ship also teleported from Julius Xander and escaped wholly. There are no Sovereigns here, he should be very safe.''As she thought about the ghost ship, Sia finally noticed something she never thought of before.


    ''Wait! With ghost ship, getting a key isn''t too hard for him. Then we''re definitely meeting!''Her heat pounded and Sia''s breath turned heavy.


    When the reunion went from a possibility to a certainty, Sia couldn''t help but feel even more nervous.


    ''¡­I really wonder what will happen.''


    She moved closer and closer to her next target.


    The space around her started to twist and grow unstable.


    For some reason, the expressions of the young men who were immobile under her gravity force shed in her mind.


    ''¡­Likeb rats.''


    Sia''s body stiffened and her face turned pale.


    A painful memory shed in her mind.


    ***

 Chapter 594 - Sia [6]: Roxanna

    Chapter 594 - Sia [6]: Roxanna


    When I regained consciousness, I found myself in a huge ss tube.


    I tried to stand up, but my hands won''t listen. They are heavy like they''re tied to some logs.


    My legs¡­


    I was lying on my back and thankfully, I could barely stretch my neck to see my legs.


    Or I would''ve thought I lost my legs. Because I couldn''t feel anything.


    I tried to move my hands, my feet, my back, anything. But except for my neck, I was paralyzed.


    So, I channeled my gravity power in an attempt to stand and break out of this ss tube, but¡ª


    ''Huh?''


    I¡­I couldn''t channel my gravity power. It rested like a sleeping giant, ignoring my pleas to awaken.


    I tried and tried. But I got no results.


    Even my mind power wasn''t working. I couldn''t even use something as basic as mind sense.


    I looked around in dread and I couldn''t even cower in fear.


    It was only then it fully hit me.


    I was kidnapped and sent to a crazy ce where my life had no security.


    ''Why did he do that¡­''


    The face of my best friend''s father shed in my mind. All the respect I had for him is blown to smithereens and the only thing I felt towards is was utter disgust.


    To sell off his own daughter''s friend¡­


    Just how cruel is he?


    Sarah''s face also shed in my mind and I worried about her safety from that monster of a father.


    ''Kuh!''


    The back of my palm suddenly stung like ayer of my skin was peeled off.


    "Ag¡ª" I shouted at the sudden pain, but the sound was cut off in my throat.


    My throat was burning. Burning like I swallowed burning coal.


    Water!


    Water!


    I strained my neck and looked around.


    Arge white room came into view. There were all sorts of weird wires connected to the ss tube I was in. There were holograms disying numerous graphs and advanced machines performing special processes.


    It had no water of course. Not a single drop as far as I can see.


    But what I saw caused me to stiffen. The burning pain in the throat and the stinging pain from my left hand seemed to have vanished.


    Except they didn''t, my mind was just too surprised by what I saw that it temporarily sidelined the pain.


    Even though I wasn''t a research student, I knew a bit or two about the stuff in the room. In case Varian didn''t awaken, I was ready to look into the research on the side and try to help him out.


    So, I know about the value of this room more or less.


    The wires connected to the ss tube I was in are highly advanced sensors that are constantly monitoring hundreds of parameters.


    All my biological indicators, the aura activity, and the movements of my own gravity and mind power.


    The holograms depicted various graphs. I couldn''t understand all of them, but the ones I did indicated they were studying my genes.


    The advanced machines¡ªgene analyzer, aura sequencer, gravity controller, and mind jammer.


    A chill shot down my spine and I shivered.


    This¡­


    This is the ultimateb of an aura-gicist.


    No, it wasn''t just that.


    I looked at the figure slowly forming in the hologram.


    A sense of fear and rage enveloped me.


    This is the ultimateb to study me!


    "p! p! p!" Apuse resounded in the whiteb and the silhouette of a woman appeared at the room''s entrance at some point.


    The light didn''t reach that part of the room and I couldn''t see her except for a long white coat over her ck shirt and trousers.


    But with her face hidden, that woman was like one of the fanatic scientists in the horror movies I watched with Varian.


    "What a wonderful piece!" She hummed as she stepped into the light.


    Her red eyes glittered with malice, while her green hair that looked like poisonous vines swayed with each step she took, and her smile¡­ was one truly befitting a psychopath.


    "W-Who are you?" It was a stupid question, but that''s the first thing that came to my mind.


    I didn''t know this woman. I never harmed her. Nor did Imit a heinous crime against humanity.


    Then why would a scientist who was capable of working in one of the topmostbs want to experiment on me?


    "Now, don''t y all innocent, alright?" She chuckled and tapped on a hologram a few times.


    "¡­" I tried to move my fingers again and this time, my body actually started to move!


    I was secretly delighted but didn''t let it show on my face. I could also feel my gravity power slowlying back into my control.


    I didn''t use it yet, of course. Since I''m being monitored, I needed to do it all at once or I''d be stopped.


    The woman didn''t seem to mind my silence and continued.


    "Sarah Albert."


    My body stiffened. An ominous premonition rose in my mind. Did shee to save me and got captured as well?


    If she knew I was kidnapped, she''d surely do it¡­because I''d do the same for her.


    As I held my breath in fear, the devil-like woman looked me in the eye and continued with a sadistic smirk.


    "Don''t worry, Sarah is safe. I really can''t touch her with my authority."


    I sighed in relief. While a part of me was happy for her, another party was devastated by my own condition.


    "If I could, I''d have gotten Sarah too." The woman shook her head like it was a pity.


    I wanted to kill her, but not yet.


    While I looked at her with fiery eyes, I secretly checked my legs and realized I could feel them again.


    Just a bit more¡­


    "Remember your Siarah team''s mission two weeks ago?" The woman smirked at me.


    My hands were also movable now, but I froze in ce.


    A terrible thought appeared in my mind and my face paled.


    "Aha!" The woman pped with a delighted expression and tapped herm.


    A hologram popped up and showed a picture.


    It was in the grasnds of the dungeon ''Amica''. Sarahy on the ground with severe injuries. I knelt beside her, rested her head above myp, and put my hand above her mouth.


    In the picture, my eyes were closed and a painful expression was visible on my pale face. At the tip of my finger, a single drop hung, about to fall into Sarah''s mouth.


    "How?!" My mind went nk as I stared at the woman in fear.


    Sarah was seriously injured and we ran out of the healing potions. So, I helped her, even though it drained me.


    The consequence was something I wasn''t aware of. Sarah''s talent skyrocketed! Her progress in just the past two weeks made more headlines than the number one genius of the academy, Bryan!


    This further damaged the prestige of the Xander family, whose best genius Charles was still only a peak level 4.


    But knowing the risks if word got out, Sarah and I decided to keep it an absolute secret.


    But this woman...


    I looked at her with hatred, but now my gaze also had a hint of caution and¡­fear.


    "I''ll dig out all your secrets." She said in a blunt tone. "How you were able to raise Sarah''s talent. Are you even human or not. I have a lot of questions and you''ll exist to provide me those answers."


    I took a deep breath and channeled my gravity power.


    "Why?"


    The woman raised a brow. "Of course, to use you to further my ambition. Oh and for my nephew too."


    When she mentioned her nephew, the woman''s stern expression softened.


    I used that opportunity to jump onto my feet, channel my gravity power and break the ss tube but¡ª


    Kaa!


    It didn''t even flinch!


    "Ahahaha!" The woman threw her head back andughed. She clutched her knees and seemed to have a hard time standing straight.


    I didn''t stop my tries. With myplete strength, I tried to increase the gravity on these ss tubes and tear them apart.


    But.


    Kaa!


    I failed.


    Kaa!


    Again.


    Kaa!


    Yet again.


    I forgot how many times I tried before I slid down the ss tube. The reason I stopped was that my gravity power was depleted.


    Then, a cold voice rang in the room and I looked up into the woman''s chilling eyes.


    "I am Roxanna. I will take good care of you, Sia."


    I shivered.

 Chapter 595 - Sia [7]: Shed Blood

    Chapter 595 - Sia [7]: Shed Blood


    "You can rest today. I still need to prepare my toolkit for the experiments." She gave me a smile, perhaps the only smile without any mockery, and walked out.


    I stood dumbfounded, stranded in a ss tube like an animal, in a ce I''ve never been to, by a person I never knew.


    As Roxanna walked away, I felt something inside me snap.


    The way she looked at me, treated me¡­like I wasn''t even a person.


    There has to be something I must do. I don''t know what. So, I let my emotions get the better of me.


    "Hey!"


    I shouted, my anger oveing my fear.


    Roxanna paused, but she didn''t turn around.


    "Do you believe no one will hold you ountable?" I asked through gritted teeth.


    "Oho." Roxanna''s amused voice rang out. "Who will?"


    "The military academy!" My voice quivered. It was the academy''s dean who sold me off!


    B-But! If I disappear for so long, then¡ª


    Roxanna covered her mouth and chuckled. "To everyone in the academy, you disappeared since you picked a very secretive mission. Soon, you''ll die in that mission. It doesn''t matter if they want to believe it or not, because no one will have any evidence."


    ''W-What!''


    I felt the anger in my heart subsiding, but it wasn''t down yet.


    I wasn''t down yet!


    "The military!"


    "Oh girl, Evander is the high general of Earth and he''s the one who sent you here. He covered up everything." Roxanna shrugged.


    I could only see her back as she was facing the door, but I saw her shoulders shaking.


    ¡­She wasughing.


    She was enjoying this.


    Enjoying crushing my hopes.


    But like a fool that didn''t know when to give up, like a moth rushing to fire, I still held out hope.


    By now, however, even I could hear my own desperation.


    "T-The Xanders! The guardians of Earth!" Like a drowning man clutching onto thest piece of straw, I desperately clung to myst hope.


    Roxanna fell silent.


    The spark in my heart blossomed into a fire of hope. Yeah, the Xanders are praised by the public as guardians of the earth.


    Even in Varian''s room, there were many pictures and interviews of the Xander patriarchs, including the current one.


    They''re the strongest group on earth, if they notice this, then¡ª


    "Pfffft."


    A burst ofughter interrupted my train of thought.


    "Ha! Hahahaha!" Roxanna clutched her stomach and bent down, unable to control her ownughter.


    I¡­I felt cold for some reason.


    Even though she didn''t speak, the fire of hope in my heart was extinguished like a weak me on a winter''s night.


    ¡­What followed was cold and darkness.


    I wrapped my arms around myself to feel a tiny bit of warmth. I felt none. All I could do was lean against the ss tube and hope for this nightmare to end.


    Roxanna finally turned around. The corner of her eyes had small teardrops. There was a big smile on her face.


    But the way she looked at me hadn''t changed.


    I felt it clearly more than before.


    A specimen.


    She saw me as a specimen.


    Like how you would see an animal in a zoo, or worse, an animal in a butcher shop.


    "I forgot to introduce myself." She said in a dignified voice and tapped on herm.


    A huge hologram appeared, showing a man and a woman.


    Even though I expected something like this, I didn''t really expect this!


    With an open mouth, I looked at Sovereign Julius standing together with Roxanna and¡­.Charles Xander?!


    Charles was a famous second-year cadet that even I knew of but didn''t interact with.


    But I''d have never guessed he had this crazy woman as his mother. No, she mentioned her nephew earlier.


    "I''m his aunt," Roxanna said, seemingly realizing the misunderstanding.


    Her voice turned sinister as she cackled. "That makes me the sister of Julius."


    Plop!


    My knees gave in and I copsed to the ground. My gaze blurred and despair finally enveloped me.


    It finally hit me and when it did, I had to fight hard to hold my tears.


    "As I said, you''ll have a day of rest. Today is day zero. We can start tomorrow." Roxanna said in the same voice and walked off.


    I wrapped my arms around my knees and curled myself up.


    When I was sure that Roxanna was gone, I couldn''t hold back the tears streaming down my face.


    I cried.


    I felt like the orphan girl I once was.


    All alone. Without anyone to call my own.


    It was a lonely feeling.


    As I shut my eyes tight, the lines between reality and dream blurred. I fell asleep, but I found myself in a ce I fondly remember.


    It was a small, modest orphanage.


    <<good days="" orphanage="">></good>


    Where I grew up ever since I knew I could remember.


    It wasn''t a pleasant memory though.


    When I was young, no one would talk to me. I was excluded from the groups. The girls hated me, the boys detested me.


    I was the loner.


    After living for nearly nine years in the same orphanage, I couldn''t make a single friend.


    Then I saw him.


    He appeared out of nowhere.


    Out of the big crowd, he approached me.


    I was surprised. Whenever someone tried to approach me, both the girls and boys spread bad rumors about me.


    Everyone turned away from me.


    But he didn''t.


    He looked at me and said with a serious face.


    "You. Come with me and I''ll protect you forever."


    I looked at him with a mix of curiosity and amusement. Even though I was a child, I wasn''t that naive.


    After what I went through in my childhood, I had a hard time trusting people.


    So, I decided to grow up in the orphanage, go to school, be an awakener and by the time I graduate college, I''d be far away from this orphanage.


    Even though this boy who''s nearly my age looked a bit interesting, I didn''t intend to change my decision.


    "Let''s talk." He said, in an adult''s tone and walked to a secluded ce. I ended up smiling at his actions and followed him anyway.


    "Let''s drop the act. Mom asked me to select someone to live with me. You are alone and likely ostracized here because other girls think you''re too cute and spread some bad things about you. So, no one adopts you."


    My smile froze and I looked at him once again.


    I couldn''t tell what I was feeling, but I knew that someone finally understood me. Even though he has never seen me before, never talked to me, he understood me.


    "But this also means you, more than anyone, perfectly know the value ofpanionship. If I have to spend my time with someone, I''ll spend it with someone who knows its value."


    His words weren''t childish anymore.


    In fact, I wholeheartedly agree with every word he said. I know the value ofpanionship more than anyone here because I never had it.


    I never had someone I couldugh with, someone to console me when I cry.


    I was all alone.


    That''s why, when he said those words, my resolve to remain alone wavered.


    If, and only if he really meant what he said, then would I still want to grow up all alone?


    "What if we get into fights? Will you ask your mom to disown me?" I asked, a bit of fear osciting in my voice.


    "Of course not!" The boy shook his head fiercely. "My mom thinks I need someone to not feel lonely, but I think she needs someone to spend time with when I spend all day training!"


    Training all day?


    I raised a brow at him and only then did I notice the small scars around his hand.


    There was medicine applied to these scars meaning they were new and would soon disappear.


    But looking at the same small scars on both his arms, including his legs, I was convinced he wasn''t lying.


    I was about to ask him another question when he continued.


    "Besides, disowning you would leave a stain on my autobiography. What would people say when they read the Chronicles of the Peerless Savior Emperor and realize he forced his mom to disown a little girl? I won''t risk my reputation." He patted his chest and looked genuinely serious.


    "Pffft¡ª" All the questions, all the enquires, all the fear I had were blown into smoke and I ended upughing.


    This guy¡­is he really serious?


    "Hahaha."


    I don''t remember thest time Iughed like this.


    But I don''t need to.


    Wiping the tears at the corner of my eyes, I looked at him earnestly. If I stayed with him, I don''t need to remember when Istughed.


    I would beughing every day.


    "Pfft. Peerless, Savior, and Emperor¡ªthose are the three titles reserved for this era''s heroes and you want them all?" I asked, wondering what he''d say.


    "When I''m crowned, I''ll have you by my side and let you witness everything. Let''s see how will youugh at me then." He said with a smug face.


    Oh, he''s so cute!


    But deep down,pared to the pessimistic me, I liked his optimism. No, I longed to be like him.


    If I can grow up with him¡­


    "Alright, I believe in you. Onest thing, how will we solve our fights?" I asked him with a smile.


    As I waited for his response, a sweet and caring voice sounded.


    "Then make a promise. Whatever reason you got into fights for, you must understand the other person''s reasons and makeup with them."


    A woman appeared behind the boy. She looked like him and I presumed her to be his mom.


    "Mom! We''re talking¡­"


    The boy and his mom bickered lightly.


    I watched their conversation and before I knew it, I realized the heavy feeling in my chest.


    I too¡­want someone to treat me like that.


    The reason I decided to be alone wasn''t that I didn''t want this rtionship, but because I was scared they would leave me once Ie to cherish them.


    But if it''s this much happiness, then it is worth all the risk.


    Even if it''s gonna hurt when they leave, the memories will stay with me.


    "So, girl." The woman looked at me with a kind smile. Her hair gently swayed in the wind.


    I looked up at her.


    Then I felt a warm hand on my head. She gently brushed my hair and smiled at me.


    "Will you make the promise?"


    I don''t know why, but for some reason, I had the urge to cry. But before I could answer, the boy bickered with her and sent her away.


    Then, he looked at me.


    I felt nervous, but I cheered myself up.


    "Then let''s make a promise." He extended his left pinky.


    I extend mine and we locked fingers.


    "I promise if I ever get into a fight with him (her), I''ll understand his (her) reasons and makeup with him (her)."


    Just like that, the promise that would define our childhood and perhaps even our life far into the future was made.


    I wondered how my life would change after I move in with¡­what was his name again?


    Wait¡­


    Now that I thought about it, we never¡ª


    "I forgot something." The boy coughed lightly and tried to maintain his serious face. But he couldn''t stop the blush on his cheeks. "I''m Varian. You are?"


    I couldn''t help smiling.


    Who would ask names at the end? We talked about our future, and even made a promise but didn''t even know each other''s names.


    It was weird. But I liked it.


    "I''m Sia," I said with a bright smile.


    The two suns set and our shadows stretched into the distance and ovepped.


    Then.


    The world spun and I woke up.


    The dream was over and I found myself back in the harsh reality.


    Standing up, I looked at my pinky finger and bit my lip. The iron taste of blood reminded me of well, blood.


    But of Varian''s blood.


    Of all the blood and sweat he shed during his training. Of how he pushed himself without ever retreating.


    I looked out again.


    In this giantb, I was all alone.


    But now, I don''t feel alone anymore.


    Despite our fights, despite our separation, despite the pain¡­I want to see him. I will try to make him understand if that is even possible.


    But I won''t give up!


    I channeled my gravity power.


    I didn''t shed tears anymore.


    Instead, I raised my fists, ready to shed blood.

 Chapter 596 - Sia [8]: Defiance

    Chapter 596 - Sia [8]: Defiance


    Bang! Bang! Baang!


    As I punched the ss tube, the sounds of the collision echoed throughout the room.


    I put my all into the punch.


    I used my mind power to suppress my pain receptors. I used gravity on the ss and stretched it apart.


    Every time I raised my hand, I created a strong force of gravitational attraction between the ss tube and my fist.


    Bang!


    As a result, I kept punching the ss tube. With all my strength.


    My punches were relentless and time flowed on.


    But even when I tried my best, the ss tube didn''t even creak.


    At some point, the transparent ss tube had dark bloodstains on it.


    No, it wasn''t just some small bloodstains. But a lot of blood marks all over theb, as if someone took a paintbrush dipped in red and sttered it over all the tube.


    ''Huh?''


    While I noticed this change, I didn''t pause. It was my blood, of course. But I didn''t care.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Slowly but surely, my arms turned sore. I can''t do anything about it with my mind power or I''d have.


    At first, I could still punch, albeit a bit slowly. But as time passed, my arms felt heavy.


    It was an uphill battle just to raise my arm, much less punch.


    But I continued.


    I didn''t know I could persevere to this extent. But I think I know why. After living with a guy who never gave up, I was also changed.


    Unknowingly, I put more strength into my arms and punched.


    It was the same spot. Again and again and again.


    But there wasn''t even a single crack.


    Rather, I began to feel something else.


    I was¡­dizzy.


    ''What?''


    My vision zoomed out from the one spot I was punching at and I looked around again. Only then did I realize that the whole ss tube was painted red.


    So much blood¡­


    My world spun and I crashed to the ground.


    Thest thing I remembered before everything turned dark was a bot rushing towards me.


    *** *** ****


    "Day 1."


    I woke up to those words. The moment I opened my eyes, I used my mind power to remove all feelings of drowsiness. I was on high alert.


    "Day 1."


    The voice sounded again and raising my head, I saw Roxanna.


    She was still in the same attire and looked the same as yesterday. But there was one difference.


    There was a mad look in her eyes.


    I flinched at the sight and took a step back. But the farthest I could go was the ss tube''s wall.


    Roxanna didn''t even care about my reaction as she circled around the ss tube like she was inspecting some good.


    "Your blood..." Her eyes shone. "It''s very useful. Thank you for proving so many test samples."


    I gritted my teeth and red at her. While I didn''t want to die, I''d never show a weak front.


    Not to this woman.


    I wasn''t sure if or how, but I vowed that I''d kill her one day.


    ''Sia, remember, if anyone crosses a line that shouldn''t be crossed, retaliate! While trying to save the human race is a noble goal, we shouldn''t take beatings.''


    His voice sounded in my mind as if he was sitting beside me and giving me strength.


    I straightened my back and looked fiercely at Roxanna.


    "Oh my." Roxanna chuckled. "A specimen that doesn''t know its ce. Wonderful. I love helping you things realize your true worth the most."


    "Is your worth all that? Spending life in ab when you don''t even have a life?" I asked sharply.


    I didn''t want to be the silent victim. If I could, I''d rather retaliate.


    ''Sia, if you are going down in a battle anyway, then damage your enemy as much as you can. While your defeat will be ufortable, never make it a happy ending for your enemy.''


    Roxanna''s eyes narrowed. There was a dangerous air around her, almost like she was a butcher who ughtered hundreds of humans. Perhaps she really did. This crazy woman, why wouldn''t she?


    She looked me in the eye and said in a nonchnt tone. "The life support system of the ss tube you''re in is mytest creation. It''ll ensure you''ll survive and don''t malnourish."


    "¡­So?" I had a bad feeling.


    "So you don''t have to plot things like ''Oh, I''ll be able to escape once I get out of this ss tube." She said in a mocking tone and smiled.


    That smile¡­ was terrifying.


    "Because until I get what I want, you''re not leaving the ss tube."


    Thump!


    My heart pounded in my chest as my palms sweated. Even if I tried my best, I couldn''t control the rising fear.


    What if she asks me something I can''t answer or won''t answer?


    What if she never decides to release me?


    In the first ce, I don''t trust her words at all!


    I¡­I might spend the rest of my life here. I might die here.


    My chest grew heavy, but I wasn''t going down like this. I had my own pride. If Varian''s pride is to be the savior of the human race, my pride is I''d one day travel the stars!


    ''Sia, what will you do if I die?''


    ''I don''t want to hear such words.''


    ''Well, how would you think I''d want to die.''


    ''¡­Come on!''


    ''We''re awakeners. We have dreams. We chose our life. But we must also choose our death.''


    ''¡­what do you mean?''


    ''If I were to die one day, I won''t beg my enemy for mercy. Before I breathe myst, I''ll make sure I inflict as much pain on him as I can.''


    ''What if they''re too powerful even for that?''


    ''Then I''ll die with pride. I''ll deny them any satisfaction from killing me. I''ll die with a defiant smile. They''ll kill me, but my defiant smile will live in their hearts.''


    Sia clenched her fists and smiled at Roxanna. It was a defiant smile.


    You captured me. You have me trapped. But you can''t break me.


    The smile conveyed her message and Roxanna didn''t miss it.


    Roxanna''s eyes narrowed and the smile on her face vanished.


    "Defiant doll. Good, good." She nodded in a chilling tone.


    I would''ve flinched at her expression, but after recalling Varian''s words, I was brimming with courage.


    Roxanna noticed the change in my behavior immediately. But instead of feeling unease, her shining eyes told me that she was even more amused.


    "Strong toys are good. They don''t break easily." She said in a low voice.


    "Huh?" I didn''t understand what she was saying¡­


    "Kaah!"


    Until I felt a sharp pain in my chest.


    "Cough. Cough." I knelt on one knee and ended up in a fit of coughing.


    My chest¡­my chest was burning. As I continued to cough, I felt a sweet taste in my throat and¡ª


    Ssh!


    Red blood sshed on the ground.


    Like a broken dam, I started to cough out more and more blood.


    With each time, the pain in my chest grew. I clenched my fists and endured the pain.


    "Interesting poison, isn''t it?" I heard her voice.


    I moved my sore neck upward and met her eyes.


    Even though my chest hurt, my heart burnt with rage.

 Chapter 597 - Sia [9]: Day 1

    Chapter 597 - Sia [9]: Day 1


    "A woman¡ªcough!" I coughed out blood again, but I wouldn''t stop. "This poison is far less potent than the one in your heart."


    Roxanna''s figure trembled for a second.


    My throat started to ache, but I kept talking. "I am sure with that heart of yours, you don''t have anyone close."


    "You little!" Roxanna lost her cool for the first time.


    I smiled at her reaction. But it earned me far more pain in my chest.


    I clutched my chest and curled up. My lungs might be broken. No, I''m certain they are broken.


    "You trash, you are asking for it."


    Roxanna''s chilling voice sounded and the insides of the ss tube changed.


    The in surface now had countless sharp metallic teeth.


    As I tried to channel my gravity power, a blue gas filled the tube and it stopped working.


    I held my breath as the ss tube shrunk.


    "Cry! Beg for mercy!" Roxanna''s voice sounded.


    My eyes turned red, but I gritted my teeth and looked at her without a shred of fear.


    "Suffer!"


    With her words, the ss tube shrunk just to barely cover me.


    The metallic teeth came into contact with my skin and¡­the ss tube started spinning.


    Wheez!


    The first cut was light. It only cut my skin a bit. The second one spilled my blood on the floor. The third one dug into my flesh.


    By the fourth one, I couldn''t help but scream in pain.


    "Arghhh!"


    My whole body was burning with pain. Pain that I''ve never even dreamt of as possible.


    I bit my lip to prevent myself from screaming, but with each passing second, the ss tube spun faster and faster.


    I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth. Due to the sheer force, blood started to flow out down my lips and joined therge puddle under my feet.


    Wheez!


    Wheez!


    "Grehh!"


    Every second was hell. But I held on. Except for a few times, I couldn''t help, I remained silent.


    Wheez!


    The sound of the metallic teeth digging into my flesh was the only sound that continued for the whole day until I fainted.


    *** *** ***


    I had a dream. What happened on Varian''s birthday never happened.


    Amanda is still alive. I am still living with Varian.


    Varian awakened and is a great genius. As a result, he too got admission to the defense academy.


    Eventually, we both attend the academy.


    Varian is pursuing his dream. And I grew stronger myself while being happy at his growth.


    There, we meet Sarah.


    It was a bit unexpected, but Varian and Sarah haveplementary personalities.


    So, instead of the Siarah team, we have Siaran team.


    In an abyss mission, we found a treasure that could lock Sarah''s second path. So, she too began to keep up with this.


    Due to our synergy, we were able to take far more difficult missions and grew extremely fast.


    By the time we graduated, all of us were at the peak of level 6.


    We were all enlisted into Neptune. Of course, I opposed the decision a bit originally. But Varian insisted.


    ''Neptune is the greatest battle.''


    I ended up opting for the same ce and well, Sarah also joined.


    Varian and I didn''t want her to risk her life. But having been with her for three years, we both knew that she too had an aspiration.


    ''My mother and brother were killed in Pluto. I want to avenge them! Neptune is the frontier against Pluto! It is the only ce I''ll go to.''


    Like that, the three of us ended up in Neptune.


    Time flew by like a river.


    Varian, Sarah, and I turned twenty-six.


    We all reached level 7 and got the titles of prince and princess.


    It''s a bit funny, but Varian rejected the title outright.


    ''Come on, I want to be called Emperor. Prince is really demeaning to me.''


    Iughed at his words while Sarah called him a narcissist, even though in private, she said he was likely to reach the Sovereign state in our generation.


    Fifteen more years passed and Humanity has now gained a definitive edge over abyssals. The federation is gaining an unquestionable dominance inoids.


    As for us, we three reached level 8 this year.


    We are forty-one already. But we still look the same as in the twenties.


    We are positive to reach level 9 in just ten years due to the treasures we won in the ruins.


    But there''s a far bigger problem.


    Marriage.


    Amanda insists she wants to hold a grandson. Whether it is from me or from Varian.


    But doesn''t she know¡­


    No, I can see the amusement in her eyes when she asks me in front of Varian. "Sia, do you have any good friends who can match Varian?"


    She asks this every time when Varian is drinking water. So, every time, he ends up choking.


    I don''t answer, but I end upughing.


    Sarah too teased him multiple times as the "Man who won''t get married."


    Of course, I joined her and rightfully bullied him.


    He''s taking too long. Or was he expecting me to take the initiative?


    Nine years passed.


    We reached level 9 a year before our expectations.


    Theoids are now underplete control of humanity.


    The three of us hit 50 this year. For better or worse, I was the oldest of us. Followed by Sarah.


    Varian is the youngest.


    There''s bad news though.


    Sarah''s father is on his death bed.


    Evander, Steelheart.


    A man whose fame reverberated in every corner of the federation. A man who was touted to be a Sovereign, but failed.


    While Sarah cried, we noticed that there was an awkwardness between them. These two¡­ haven''t had a proper talk for decades.


    Varian and I waited outside to give them private space.


    Sarah came out of the emergency room in tears and called us in.


    "¡­Take care of her." The man held Varian''s hand and said hisst words.


    ¡­I understood what he meant. So did Varian and Sarah.


    But we didn''t talk about it after that. There was a tactic silence.


    The topic of marriage was also dropped.


    Sarah was down for a year but with Varian''s help, she was back on her feet.


    ¡­I pushed him to help her, even though we could''ve done it together. As for why I didn''t know.


    Ten more years passed by.


    Humanity''s conquest of the abyss fell into a stalemate.


    Then one day, Varian reached the Sovereign state.


    We prayed at Amanda''s grave.


    Varian and I cried while Sarah consoled us.


    Two months after his breakthrough, humanity conquered the first abyss.


    Two yearster, we conquered thest abyss.


    By this time, Varian grew to be the strongest.


    He got the titles he always dreamed of.


    Savior¡ªthe one who saves humanity from the abyssals.


    Emperor¡ªthe one who''d bring the scattered governance of the sr system under a single throne.


    Peerless¡ªthe strongest awakener to date.


    On the day of his coronation, he kept his promise and I witnessed the ceremony at the closest possible distance.


    A few decadester, we decided to travel the stars and find the secrets of my origin.


    He achieved his dream and my dream began.


    Or it should''ve.


    If I didn''t wake up.


    The voice that woke me up sounded again.


    "Day 2."

 Chapter 598 - Sia [10]: Day 30

    Chapter 598 - Sia [10]: Day 30


    "Day 2."


    The whisper of the demon woke me up.


    The first thing I noticed was the sensation in my body.


    When I fainted, I was experiencing the verge of terrific pain. But now, I felt normal. No, I felt great without the sensation of my skin cut and flesh sliced. There was not even a trace of blood.


    It was as if yesterday was just a dream.


    I wish it was true, but the pain was too real to be a dream.


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    Following the sounds of her heels tapping against the floor, Roxanna sat on a chair in the center of the room and crossed her legs.


    In front of her were holograms showing¡­they were showing the different experiments conducted on my blood and flesh.


    I felt a sense of revulsions. She had done every damn test on them and acted as if nothing happened.


    There wasn''t even a hint of a frown on her face. Rather, she looked pleased.


    Swiping the holograms away, she locked gazes with me. "Since you know what I''m capable of, I expect you to be obedient now."


    Her voice was full ofcence. It was as if she was proud of what she had done to me.


    I understood that she was a crazy psychopath. But only now did I realize how crazy she is.


    She is a broken woman withpletely twisted values, but an intelligent mind.


    I shuddered at what this meant¡­a monster with no inhibitions and all the intelligence to pursue what she wants.


    "Who are your parents?" She asked with a curious face. "I checked your DNA with the database. There is none. Even if your parents are the poorest of poor, their DNA signature should be stored."


    My face paled and I realized that this woman wasing close to my secret.


    "Forget them, even if your father and mother''s DNA signature is missing, there should be your grandfathers and grandmothers." A dangerous glint shed in Roxanna''s eyes.


    I took a deep breath and calmed my pounding heart.


    "But nope. I checked your DNA with people in the past 200 years. No one matched." She dered and stared at me.


    "So, my assumption is that you''re either an alien or someone who lived for more than 200 years."


    "T-That''s absurd!" I retorted strongly. If she knew, things would only get worse.


    "It''s absurd indeed." Roxanna nodded, but before I could sigh in relief, she continued. "But what remains after all the impossibles are removed, no matter how absurd, must be true."


    I stayed silent.


    "Well then, answer me. Who are your parents?"


    "I don''t know. I grew up in an orphanage all my life." I said with a serious face.


    "But your reaction earlier and my own senses tell me you know something more. Tell me that." Roxanna clicked her tongue.


    "I don''t know anything else." I shook my head and prepared for the next torture.


    But surprisingly, Roxanna didn''t pursue the matter anymore. "I''ll know the truth soon."


    She said and tapped on a hologram to her left. With a beep, a machine in theb began emitting green light.


    I tensed. She might really find out something.


    "Moving onto the most important question," Roxanna propped her chin on her palm and looked at me condescendingly.


    "From your blood and flesh, I checked the activity of your aura. Compared to the old aura, the new aura''s activity rate is extremely high."


    I frowned but didn''t speak.


    With a nonchnt expression, she said. "Oh, inyman terms, your talent rose before a few months."


    My heart dropped.


    It was on his birthday¡­


    "Looks like you know." Roxanna raised a brow. "Are you telling me how your talent increased or should I force it out?"


    Ths woman¡­there''s no way I can change her opinion. Then the only thing I can do is¡­


    "Try." I spat.


    I could''ve tried lying to her, but she''d find out.


    After all, for the sister of Julius Xander, essing theplete data of my life wasn''t a problem.


    She knew whom I knew, where I grew up, what I ate, and perhaps what I wanted to do.


    So, I did the only thing I could.


    I stood up to her.


    "Today, you won''t even be able to scream." She smirked.


    I didn''t understand what she meant, but the next second, my whole body went numb.


    A golden light shed and my skin started to burn.


    "Ar¡ª"


    I couldn''t even scream. My voice was cut off as the muscles in my throat stopped working.


    It started as a tingling on my skin before an excruciating pain flowed through my body.


    Every fiber of my being shook as the heavy inflow of electricity coursed through me.


    My skin started to burn and my muscles were twitching, in fact, my whole body was twitching as I copsed on the ground.


    Like a fish out of water, I struggled on the floor.


    My arms, feet, and back were burning under the heavy electricity. Every muscle in my body contracted a thousand times trying to fend off the dangerous current.


    Soon, my breathing becamebored.


    My vision turned ck and the only thing I was aware of was that my body was on fire. I was having fifth-degree burns.


    I didn''t know how I managed to hold on. Maybe it was because I couldn''t scream from the pain.


    But.


    In all that pain, I found a small spark within me.


    It said ''Don''t give up.''


    I lost consciousness.


    *** *** ***


    "Day 3."


    Roxanna asked the same question and got the same reply.


    Then, I was nearly frozen to death.


    I shivered as my body temperature dropped rapidly. My breathing turned hard and I was on the verge of closing my eyes forever.


    My blood was also close to being frozen.


    Like that, I lost consciousness.


    *** *** ***


    "Day 10."


    The devil called me again.


    As I opened my eyes, she looked at me with a frustrated expression. I looked back at her with spite.


    I really wanted to do one thing right now. Kill this demon in human''s skin.


    Ten days of extreme torture didn''t break me.


    I was as surprised as Roxanna.


    There were times when I just wanted to die. But I was able to grit my teeth and live through it.


    I thought there were many reasons for my resilience. Maybe because I was a hybrid. Maybe because I was a mind awakener and had more resistance towards torture.


    But I realized that the most important reason was much simpler.


    ¡­I wanted to correct things.


    I wanted to go back to him.


    I wanted to live a happy life.


    This became my purpose to live despite the hellish pain.


    This torture would''ve broken even a veteran. But when faced with a young girl whose heart longed for just one thing, it was powerless.


    Pain still affected.


    It burnt me. Froze me. Electrocuted me.


    It hurt.


    But that''s it.


    I am not immune to pain.


    Sometimes, I cried. I screamed. I wailed.


    But I didn''t give in.


    "You non-human bitch!" Roxanna cursed me like a shrew.


    Theposure she showed on the first day was long gone. From my DNA test, she concluded that I wasn''t a human.


    But that was the limit to what she could deduce. Even if she was a genius among geniuses, her civilization was ultimately not advanced enough.


    "Your talent, it''s above everyone I know. It''s a celestial grade!" She said with mad light flickering in her eyes.


    I red at her. Ten days of crazy torture hadn''t broken me. But it was filled with a lot of pent-up emotions.


    "Even though you gave no answers, I found a way to use your talent." She smiled and flicked her finger.


    A crystal vial appeared on her palm.


    "This is an alpha potion." She caressed the bottle and exined. "It improves talent of a high grade mortal to low celestial grade. Basically, it gives a person a certainty in reaching Sovereign state and a chance in reaching the higher state."


    I looked at the potion in disbelief.


    ¡­This is made from me?


    Then I recalled Sarah''s massive improvement and a thought urred to me.


    ...If only I knew this earlier, I''d have helped him!


    "It''splicated, but I can''t extract this infinitely from you without killing you." Roxanna looked at me like it was a pity. "Of course, I won''t kill the golden goose. I assure you a lifelong safety in that ss tube."


    "Bitch." I cursed.


    "¡­I still need to stabilize this potion." She stood up and snapped her fingers.


    Her demonic voice lingered in my ears. "So, please offer me more samples, Sia."


    "Suffer more."


    Wheez!


    The ming des in the ss tube started to spin.


    I closed my eyes and imagined the future I want to live for.


    I imagined Varian hugging me.


    ''Sia, you''ll get through this.'' He said in a gentle voice.


    I nodded through tears and the pain enveloped me.


    *** *** ***


    "Day 30."


    The monster said.


    "Cursed woman who''ll never have a family of her own." I cursed her.


    But instead of electrocuting me or showering me in metal thorns, she smiled.


    I looked at her with eyes full of hatred.


    She started giggling.


    "In trying to make me crazy, have you gone crazy?" I mocked, though I had almost no energy for anything except speaking.


    "Hehehe." Roxanna giggled. "I gave Charles the potion. His talent rose. Now, hepletely surpassed his father."


    "¡­" My face scrunched up in disgust. "He''ll die a dog''s death."


    The smile on Roxanna''s face vanished and she waved her hand.


    "Arghh!"


    My screams filled theb as blood painted the ss tube red.

 Chapter 599 - Sia [11]: Enigma

    Chapter 599 - Sia [11]: Enigma


    "Day 70."


    I stared nkly at Roxanna.


    The burning rage in my chest was gone. It didn''t vanish though. It cooled into an icy rage.


    Now, not only did I want to kill her, but I wanted to ughter her nephew and every one of her rtives.


    I will kill every single person on good terms with Roxanna and Charles


    If, no, when I get out of here alive, they''ll die.


    I decided to never talk to Enigma. But what happened in the past seventy days caused me to rethink.


    Still, I was resolved to never contact her.


    While her reasons and story made sense, I can''t let it go.


    But Roxanna''s consequent words heavily challenged my resolve.


    "Since your talent is so high, I needed to ensure you never escape this ce. That no one everes to look for you." She said, catching me off guard.


    What does that even mean¡­?


    "I asked Sovereign Kreo to erase you from every person you know." She said nonchntly.


    "Lies!" I shrieked, my voice and body trembling in fear.


    If what she said was true, then even Varian and Sarah¡­


    It must be a lie!


    Yes, a lie!


    "For a Sovereign, it''s a cakewalk." Roxanna waved her hand.


    "Even he can''t find so many people I interacted with!" I said in desperation. But at the back of my mind, I already knew the truth.


    "Sovereign Kreo has a lot of psychic students. They too have students. With a single order from him, the job is taken care of." Roxanna shrugged.


    Plop!


    I copsed onto my knees and tears started to stream down my face.


    My heart, which had hardened like a stone cracked.


    V-Varian¡­he forgot me?


    I curled in the corner and started to sob.


    "I¡­I¡ª" I started to choke on my tears. No words came out.


    My chest grew heavy, I couldn''t even breathe.


    This feeling¡­why does this hurt more than being burnt, cut, and frozen?


    "To think you''re so attached to trash. Even though he''s a human being, for an alien, you sure are sentimental."


    My ears caught her words, but my mind didn''t.


    I was lost in my own world.


    This must be a nightmare. A nightmare¡­


    Roxanna said in a carefree voice. "Now then, I have a new device. It shows you the most painful scenes you want to avoid. It''s a good mental torture device. Test it¡­"


    The most painful scene I want to avoid is Roxanna killing Varian.


    In each of the illusions, I saw him die.


    Again and again and again.


    "Arghhh!"


    *** *** ***


    "Day 130."


    I said with a deadpan tone.


    I faced every kind of physical and mental torture.


    I had nearly died and I nearly broke.


    The sole reason I endured everything was for the hope that I could go back one day.


    Even though Varian lost his memories¡­I wanted to believe it was a lie. Maybe even if it''s true, I could do something about it.


    So, I lived.


    Like a rock that drowned in rain, scorched under the sun, and shivered in cold, yet existed somehow, I too lived through it all.


    I reached level 5 at some point, but none of it mattered.


    It didn''t help. Nothing seemed to help.


    But.


    I still decided not to call Enigma.


    I know it''s foolish, but I can''t find it in myself to take the final step.


    Whenever I wanted to call Enigma, Varian''s nk stare shed in my mind. His gaze that was devoid of all hope¡­


    For causing him such pain, we both needed to pay the price.


    "You are the worst specimen out of the thousands I had." Roxanna leaned back in her chair.


    I snapped out of my thoughts but didn''t answer her.


    I looked at her with eyes full of loathing.


    This trash of humans.


    It wasn''t just her. Most humans didn''t need to be saved. Yes, indeed. It''s better to just leave them alone.


    Varian and I can just live our lives in peace. Away from this filthy world.


    If they intervene, we''ll kill them all!


    "Sia," Roxanna called me.


    I didn''t even look at her. I don''t know what was going on with me, but I was growing stronger every day.


    It won''t take long before I''d reach level 6.


    Then one day, surely, I will¡­


    I looked at Roxanna with eyes full of killing intent.


    It would''ve scared even a battle-hardened general. But this woman, she''s crazy.


    Instead of backing down, she smirked.


    "Dear Sia, you must be feeling lonely." She said in a coquettish voice.


    I didn''t like where this was going.


    "So I decided to bring you apanion." She gestured to the newly installed ss tube beside mine.


    My eyes turned red.


    "It''s someone you like." She stood up and walked to me.


    My nails dug into my flesh and blood dripped on the ground.


    "He''s the reason you''re sane." She ced her palm on the ss tube.


    No. Don''t do it, Roxanna.


    I punched the area with her palm so hard that my wrist twisted on spot.


    My expression was scarier than ever.


    "Your trashy adopted brother."


    You are pushing me!


    Don''t make me do it.


    Roxanna said the name she should''ve never said.


    "Varian."


    My eyes burned with rage and something inside me snapped.


    I channeled the mind power inside my body and reached for the deepest corners of myself.


    There, a silver cardy. It couldn''t be detected by even Roxanna.


    I recalled Enigma''s words before she disappeared.


    ''Sia, I know you hate me and won''t ept anything from me. I...I will be in a deep sleep but if you ever need my help, call me.''


    With all my might, I pushed my mind power into the silver card.


    At first, there was only a small silver spark. Then, it was two, three and soon, the card started to glow.


    Roxanna looked at my silence in surprise. She was expecting some sort of violent reaction and wanted to enjoy my pain.


    But all she saw was a girl who stood still.


    "I feel stupid for not doing this, but with his life as a hostage, you''ll tell me all your secrets, right? Right?" She leaned towards the ss tube and stared into my eyes.


    Szzzz!


    But she was forced to close her eyes shut as a silver light blinded her.


    "W-What''s happening!" Roxanna shrieked through half-open eyes and hurriedly tapped herm.


    The safety mechanisms activated and were about to knock out the specimen in the ss tube.


    But.


    "You."


    A woman appeared in front of her.


    The woman''s hair and eyes were a mix of red, yellow, and blue. But the strange colorbination not only didn''t make her seem weird but instead amplified her beauty multifold.


    She was like a fairy from the myths.


    "H-How!" Roxanna''s eyes widened as her body shivered.


    Panicked, she reached for the teleportation talisman on her dress.


    But.


    Shuaa!


    Enigma raised a finger and shed in the air.


    Splurt!


    A thin red line appeared on her neck before a fountain of blood spurted out.


    I watched with glee as Roxanna''s eyes widened in shock.


    Iughed andughed andughed until I broke down into tears.


    Varian¡­I aming for you.

 Chapter 600 - Varian [6]: Lurking

    Chapter 600 - Varian [6]: Lurking


    38th of Trian Month, Trian Ruins.


    It was a sunny day, but as the fog above the valley blocked the sunlight, Varian had to wander in the shade.


    He wouldn''t have minded if the shade provided him some cover. But the nasty senses of level 7s weren''t that faulty.


    Left with no choice, he had to lurk in a cave far away. Varian extended his space sense out of the white-walled cave.


    His space sense extended out from the cave he was, covered the huge mountain, which was but one of many in the continuous mountain range that bordered the valley, and finally reached that ce.


    Varian blinked and focused.


    This was his sixth day and almost half of the journey was already finished. If there was something he learned, it was that pranking the travelers was the second best thing psychic nts loved the most.


    The first naturally was breaking the travelers'' brains and turning them into puppets.


    He saw two princes fighting over a treasure and injuring themselves seriously. But they were both ambushed by a psychic nt and turned into puppets.


    So, Varian remained cautious. Even though his space sense could stretch far and wide, he shaped it into a thin but extremely sturdy thread.


    Then, like a fisherman throwing the hook into the water, he threw his space sense far into the distance.


    It reached the first mile from him. Then, the second mile.


    In no time, it hit the fifth mile and abruptly stopped.


    Varian''s expression turned serious and he focused his space sense.


    In this special sense, he couldn''t see things like normal vision granted him. But like how eyes could sense light, he could sense the space. Through it, he could understand the positioning of the things in said space.


    It was hard to describe, but the closest sensation was diving into the ocean, shutting off all your senses.


    In that void, you can''t see the waves or hear their flow. Nor could you taste the saltiness of the water. Nor smell the staleness. You can''t even feel the cold water wetting your skin.


    In that void, however, you could feel the waves moving. You could feel them without touching, smelling, tasting, seeing, or hearing them.


    Varian felt exactly that from his space sense as it stopped at a particr location.


    "¡­This is a trap." He muttered.


    He could feel a small object ''existing'' in the fabric of space. It was a storage ring¡­no, there were multiple, bloodied storage rings.


    Since the ones who entered this valley were princes, the values of the treasures inside the storage rings must be high.


    Even for a rtively wealthy prince, so many treasures were a windfall hard to pass up.


    It was thus clearly a trap.


    "Clever." Varian nodded. His space sense, which remained in the form of a thin thread till now split into two.


    The first part stayed in ce while the second part, iparably thinpared to the first and almost noticeable for the same reason, encircled around the rings before reaching them abruptly.


    ''Aha!''


    There he saw it, a small nt with blue leaves, swaying gently as it shone.


    Besides the blue nt was a pile of stones. They appeared as normal as any pebble.


    But Varian wasn''t one to fall for it. The thin thread of his space sense noticed the small but obvious trace of earth mana leaking from the stones.


    ''Stone man.'' It was a creature that was able to disguise itself as a pile of stones and catch enemies by surprise.


    Since it was an earth awakener, it had higher defense and was hard to kill.


    Varian naturally didn''t want to deal with it and withdrew both his second and first space sense threads.


    Then, he circumvented the path and moved forward again.


    On the second day of his journey, Varian realized that this valley was V-shaped. It kept expanding.


    From around ten miles in width in the beginning to the current three hundred mile width. It was remarkable.


    Of course, to level 7s, this wasn''t a lot of distance. If not for the annoying psychic nts, their senses would''ve covered arge portion of the area around them.


    But the same annoying nts were the reason Varian was able to hide only ten miles behind his target.


    ''Go!'' Varian''s space sense moved from the three-mile mark and encountered two more obstacles before finally reaching the location.


    By now, the valley had expanded to at least a hundred and thirty miles. However, there were several small hills, patches of dense trees, and caves of monsters dividing the valley into multiple spots.


    There were also psychic nts growing all around, blocking the senses from exploring the whole region.


    Thus, the princes were only aware of the region they were in and at most, the immediate regions surrounding them.


    So, fights were limited. But they urred nheless.


    One such fight was happening in a small bamboo forest. Unlike the psychic nts, the bamboos here didn''t belong to the mind path.


    Instead, they all emitted lightning and attacked the intruders near the center of the forest.


    The most precious of all such bamboo was the bamboo older than a hundred years.


    In the forest, there was one such bamboo.


    Only one.


    Varian let his mind sense trace the route along with his space sense and reached the location.


    Finally, he was able to get a clear, 360-degree view of the situation.


    "Hey, take care of it!"


    "You!"


    "If we fight too much, we won''t be able to reach there in time."


    "Oh yeah? Then how about you give up?"


    Two princes and two princesses red at each other as they fought over a treasure they just encountered.


    Lightning bamboo.


    As simple as it sounded, it was a rare treasure. Its roots benefitted ntae awakeners, its stem helped lightning awakeners and its insides were useful to body awakeners.


    It was a treasure that guaranteed significant progress and for a prince, nothing was more enticing.


    So, while the four princes kept tact in not trying to fight in the valley, no one backed down.


    Sharing was out of the question. The bamboo had to be assimted as a whole or most of its properties would be lost.


    There could only be one winner.


    "¡­How about a single attack to decide?" One of them proposed.

 Chapter 601 - Varian [7]: Thank You Very Much~

    Chapter 601 - Varian [7]: Thank You Very Much~


    The air turned tense and three pairs of eyes locked onto her.


    The princess raised her hands and said. "Even though the bamboo is precious, we''re here for the Ruler''s Abode. We should keep the losses to the minimum."


    A prince nodded. "Her words make sense. If we get in with injuries, we won''t be able to deal with our rivals."


    The remaining two looked at each other and saw helplessness in their eyes.


    Even though this proposal sounded fair, in truth, it wasn''t.


    The princess who pushed the proposal was a lightning awakener. Lightning attacks were known for their explosiveness.


    So, she had a definite edge overunching a single attack punched with a lot of strength.


    The prince was also fine since he was an extreme awakener. While the rest of his attributes were lower than an average superhuman awakener, strength was his extreme attribute and thus, he too held an edge in a single attack match.


    But as ntae and superhuman awakeners, their forte was in vitality and stamina respectively.


    So, it was likely that they wouldn''t win.


    "But this is unfair for both of us¡­" The prince with superhuman pathined.


    His words caused the ones with advantage to frown. "Do you really want an all-out battle?"


    The disadvantaged prince and princess looked at each other and sighed.


    Unlike them who had just met, the two in front were actually teammates. So, while everyone''s strength was roughly the same, if they fought, the teamwork would beat them without a doubt.


    So, theypromised.


    "Fine."


    "But only one strike. I don''t want to hear childish words like best of three."


    "¡­"


    The disadvantaged prince and princess nkly nodded.


    The teammates smirked at each other and raised their hands.


    The wind burst as the superhuman path prince and extreme path prince clenched their fists.


    Lightning heated the air as the princess summoned a lightning.


    The forest shook as the second princess transformed into a giant flower. Green gas covered the flower and the grass on its ground began to melt.


    The world seemed to slow down as the extreme awakener kicked the ground, the lightning princess waved her hand.


    A huge lightning began to descend on the giant flower releasing a poisonous mist.


    The superhuman awakener punched out while the giant flower shot its poisonous petals at the lightning princess.


    It seemed like an hour, but it happened in the blink of an eye.


    Boom!


    A huge golden light enveloped the forest before an extreme shockwave spread out and uprooted thirty percent of the bamboos.


    When the dust settled, the ntae princess and superhuman prince had bitter expressions while the other two were clearly overjoyed.


    As expected, both of them fared better. The bamboo would go to one of them.


    Far in the distance, Varian channeled his aura and tensed his muscles. Logically, the battle ended and the teammates would settle things between themselves.


    They likely decided who was going to get the lightning bamboo.


    So, if Varian went there now, he''d be confronted by two hostile peak level 7s.


    However, Varian didn''t worry about it at all. After observing the princes and princesses for the past few days, he understood one thing about them.


    They considered themselves as future pirs of humanity. So, they couldn''t stand unfairness.


    It wasn''t the unfairness againstmon people, but unfairness against them.


    ''I need to time it right.''


    Varian pulled back his hands and clenched his fists. His space sense locked the golden bamboo and he started to channel his space power. His telekic force also formed an invisible but sturdy barrier on his arms. When he wanted to attack, this armor would dissolve into pure force and push his arms, giving him additional momentum.


    As Varian prepared himself, the silence of the bamboo forest was broken.


    "Now leave." The princess said with a smug smile.


    "What?" The superhuman prince repeated her words in a cold voice.


    "Are you going to renege on battle conditions?" The extreme prince expressed contempt.


    "¡­Conditions that arepletely favorable to you?" The ntae princess interjected.


    "You agreed to them, didn''t you?" The princess crossed her arms and said with a haughty expression.


    "Then fine, we''ll leave and let you take the bamboo." The superhuman prince said and the princess'' smile grew bigger.


    But his next words caused her to almost choke. "But when you exit the forest, we''ll attack you."


    "You!" The extreme prince raised his voice.


    "Me too. I can''t promise I''lly down poison traps for you when you walk out." The ntae princess promised.


    As they stood in twos and stared at each other, literal sparks appeared between them.


    The lightning princess was on the verge of pping them with an attack while the extreme prince knew that a long battle would likely end in their defeat.


    But he didn''t want to give up now. So, he clenched his fists, just like his opponent, and stared at him to¡ª


    Whoosh!


    The four suddenly felt space fluctuating.


    But since they were on the verge of attacking each other, their response was a bit dyed. Moreover, they already knew how tough it was to teleport urately in this valley due to the psychic nts.


    So, on top of their slight dy, they were also unguarded against space awakeners.


    And that changed everything.


    Boom! Kee! Shua! Bang!


    Two lightning spears paralyzed the ntae princess.


    Two psychic attacks caused the superhuman and extreme path princes to freeze for a moment right before they were bombarded by two lightning spears each.


    Finally, a p in the face directly knocked out the lightning princess.


    "Oopsie~" Varian wanted to p the prince, but since she was the fastest to react and was about to attack him, he pped her.


    It wasn''t a normal p either. It ovepped his physical strength, along with his macro kic power.


    After expressing his sympathies for less than a millisecond, Varian held the lightning bamboo and waved at the three.


    The two princes and the princesses were injured since they were caught off guard.


    But they quickly reacted andunched their all-out attacks on him.


    "You!"


    "Stop!"


    "Son of a¡ª"


    Since they were caught off guard by a lightning attack, their bodies were numb and their movements slowed down a bit.


    Thus, right before their attacks reached him, Varian disappeared with a smirk but not before expressing his gratitude.


    "Thank you very much~"


    "Arghh!"


    The angry screams of the three lingered in the air for a long time.

 Chapter 602 - Varian [8]: Red Monster

    Chapter 602 - Varian [8]: Red Monster


    In the vast valley covered by fog, there was a smallke. Its water shone with a silvery light since it housed a luminous fish.


    This fish was capable of morphing into a sea creature scary enough to decimate even a peak level 7.


    In fact, it had already killed two humans and severely injured three.


    It had already garnered a scary reputation.


    ''The Red Monster'', it was called.


    But at this moment, the fish spasmed as lightning coursed throughout its body. It pped its fins and swung its tail to reach the edge of theke.


    But it was no use.


    At the edge of theke was a golden bamboo. The bamboo''s tip was dipped into theke and beams of golden lightning entered theke and electrocuted the fish.


    Even though the fish was strong, even it couldn''t stand the current flooding its body. Theke''s water which helped it before now turned hostile.


    Every drop of water it came into contact with carried a bit of lightning. After denial, the luminous fish was forced to acknowledge that water wasn''t its safe haven it always was.


    However, it didn''t change anything.


    Its morpher entity wouldn''t be as strong if it went out of water. Then¡­


    "Fish fry won''t be bad," Varian muttered as he sat on the shore. His right hand waspletely in the form of lightning and he used it to dip the bamboo into theke.


    The lightning bamboo had way more lightning than he expected. Assimting it just like that was impossible.


    So, Varian searched for a ce to discharge the excess current.


    After hearing about the scary red monster, here he was.


    ''I think I''m kind, aren''t I?'' Varian rubbed his chin. He really was too kind.


    If the silverfish knew his thoughts, it''d surely disagree. In fact, it''d invent even curses just for him.


    But it didn''t.


    So, all it could do was pick the lesser evil in its situation.


    Ssh!


    Theke''s water burst as the silverfish jumped towards the shore. Its silver scales shone in the moonlight.


    Varian looked up at the fish in mid-air that was currently heading for him.


    At the first moment, it was a palm-sized fish, but the very next second, it grew to the size of a car.


    "¡­" Varian opened his mouth in shock and rubbed his stomach. "I guess I''ll have enough for three days."


    Raa!


    The fish in mid-air was different. Instead of beautiful silvery scales, it had sharp red scales.


    Its scales shone and without any chance to evade, a red light enveloped Varian.


    The blood in his body boiled as if it was going to melt his blood vessels. If Varian''s superhuman body didn''t grant him an incredible defense¡ªboth for his external and internal body, everything inside him¡ªhis heart, his lungs, and even his brain would''ve been fried off under the huge temperature of his own blood.


    Thanks to his superhuman body, Varian was able to avoid death.


    However, he wasn''t in a good position.


    "Cough."


    Hot blood spilled out of his nose and lips as his insides were literally being scorched.


    Even with his superhuman defense, he wouldn''tst long under the red monster''s strange ability.


    ''I see. So, this is why it is able to kill even a peak level 7 so easily.'' Varian concluded after gauging his own condition.


    This fish''s attack wasn''t powerful per se. But it was weird. Like poison. An unusual way of fighting.


    Unless you could crush it with absolute strength, there was little chance of winning against this strange ability creature.


    Out of all the paths, only Heal Fighters would be able to survive this strange attack. But usually, level 7 heal fighters were weaker than their superhuman counterparts. So, they''d fare poorly against the red monster.


    That meant no level 7 could deal with this monster.


    Unless it was a dual or triple awakener with enough health, defense, and attack.


    For that, they needed to be at least a high level 7 heal fighter and a high level lightning awakener.


    ¡­That was just a ridiculous condition.


    Even geniuses reached high level 7 only in their early and mid-thirties. So, any dual awakener who reached high level 7 in both paths would''ve spent an incredible amount of time on it.


    Such people wouldn''t risk their lives for this monster they could avoid.


    ''No one can challenge this red monster.'' Varian looked at the monster that inched closer and closer to him.


    As he stood under the moonlight on the shore of ake, a giant fish in mid-air was just ten feet away from him.


    It opened its mouth, revealing its razor-like teeth.


    As it approached, the red light on Varian''s body intensified and blood started to stter out of his skin.


    Blood spilled out of his hands, feet, chest, and from all over his body. It was like water leaking out of a bottle riddled with holes.


    Raa!


    The blood in Varian''s body gave one final roar as if it was about to burst him open.


    "Heh," Varian smirked.


    With a single thought, the left of his body turned into the nt form. The boiling blood instantly cooled. The injuries were quickly healed.


    Varian disyed healing higher than even a high level 7 heal fighter!


    His blood on the left side was still affected, but not as intensely as on the right side.


    Then, he switched the morphing to his right side.


    As the right side''s blood cooled down, the left side''s blood was agitated again. But since it was beaten down once, it couldn''t reach the same level easily.


    Varian alternated his ntae form between right and left a couple of times until the fish reached him.


    The whole time for everything had been less than two seconds, but other than heal fighters, no one could''ve survived those two seconds.


    Not only did Varian survive, except for the low reserves of prana, he''s perfectly fine!


    Raa!


    The fish opened its mouth and the blood in his body was agitated once again. This time, it tried to directly leave his body and enter the fish''s mouth.


    Varian snickered and clenched his fist.


    A huge shockwave swept theke and caused almost a third of its water to blow away.


    Then, Varian''s fist turned into pure lightning.


    Zzzz!


    The air of the calm night went from freezing cold to scorching hot in a second and due to the sudden heating up of air, an explosion urred, causing the second third of theke''s water to be emptied.


    Then, an invisible force attached to Varian''s arm.


    As he punched out, the invisible force pushed his arm and increased the speed of his punch by a notch.


    Finally, right before his fist connected with the fish, Varian''s eyes shed and the fish''s eyes stagnated slightly.


    The fish''s concentration was broken.


    Boom!


    It seemed like a simple punch, but when the red monster''s eyes widened.


    Its scales broke under the lightning, its skull broke due to the punch aided by both physical and telekic strength.


    With a thud, the creature''s battered body crashed onto theke.


    Varian rubbed his hands.


    Before he absorbed the lightning bamboo, a short meal wouldn''t hurt.


    But wouldn''t other monsters be attracted if he set up a fire, cooked tender fish meat, and let the aroma spread?


    Varian''s lips curled up as he reached for the fish.


    That''s exactly what he wanted.

 Chapter 603 - Varian [9]: Absorbing the Lightning Bamboo

    Chapter 603 - Varian [9]: Absorbing the Lightning Bamboo


    In the dark night where only moonlight shone, the bright fire in the distance stood out. The crackling of the mes wasn''t loud, but in the silent forest, it spread far and wide. The aroma of delicious meat wafted in the air for several miles.


    The psychic nts were curious about the fool who attempted such a thing. Within a few minutes, the fool would be surrounded by hordes of monsters and be eaten up alive.


    Still, they were curious. Even though the two-legged creatures that entered the valley were stupid, they shouldn''t be this stupid.


    So, they spread their mental sense to find the fool.


    They found a young man sitting on a log as he fried arge chunk of red meat. The psychic nts concluded him to be stupid and were about to withdraw their mental sense when they identally noticed the red scales on the ground.


    The psychic nts, almost a few miles away, shook violently and shuddered like they were facing a storm.


    Their mental space scanned the location again. He was sitting beside the silverke, near the red scales, and frying red meat.


    ¡­It was clear this time.


    This man was a monster!


    The psychic nts signaled to their Stonemenrades. The Stonemen split themselves into a bunch of fist-sized stones and formed a protectiveyer around them.


    The stone barrier offered strong protection.


    Even then, the nts shivered.


    As psychic nts, they more or less had rational judgments.


    So, they knew¡­


    Until that monster left, they wouldn''t be able to feel safe.


    "Roar!"


    But the rest of the creatures weren''t that rational.


    So, a group of white wolves, blood-sucking nts, and stone giants surrounded him.


    Varian sighed lightly. "You could''vee after my meal."


    Saying so, he stood up and stepped forward. A fierce aura spread out from him.


    The twenty-odd creatures facing him flinched. Their instincts suddenly sensed that something was wrong.


    This ce was supposed to have a red monster. If that monster was missing, then¡­


    "I''ll make it quick," Varian said and unsheathed his sword.


    A golden light shed in the darkness and the ground shook violently. Roars, screams, and shrieks echoed as blood sttered theke.


    After exactly fifteen minutes and thirty-two seconds, Varian sat on the log. His body had several injuries ranging from fourth-degree burns, and bone fractures to evenrge chunks of missing flesh.


    But he didn''t care.


    He scanned the surroundings and confirmed that there were no more monsters in the vicinity.


    "If I was forced to use this, I''d have retreated without hesitation." Varian looked at the brown metallic star in his palm and sighed in relief.


    It was the treasure he got in the Azure ins. Even though it looked simple and was extremely cold to touch, it was his backup.


    Since the highest limit of Azure ins'' reward was below Celestial grade, Varian got a treasure that was equivalent to Sovereign grade.


    The treasure had a massive limitation though. It was only for a single-use.


    But Varian still felt it was worth every bit of effort. The description of the treasure rang in his mind for the thirteenth time.


    {Upon activation, a barrier will be formed around you andsts for a minute. It can withstand attacks of any mortal rank. You can also adjust the barrier, but that would decrease the time it''dst drastically.}


    Any mortal attack included a Sovereign attack as well.


    This was the reason Varian took the bold move to kill all the monsters.


    In the worst-case scenario, he could protect himself. If not for this treasure, he''d have treaded far more cautiously.


    But now, he could just focus on improving his strength.


    Even if things turned dangerous, he could activate the treasure and teleport away. Of course, Varian was unwilling to waste the treasure on level 7s.


    He decided to save it up for situations wheredy death would try to drag him away.


    "Now I can take the bamboo smoothly." Varian smiled as a cunning glint shed in his eyes.


    The real reason for frying the fish was to attract the monsters in the vicinity.


    If they disturbed him while he was assimting the bamboo, it''d have affected his progress.


    So, Varian acted like a fool to fool the monsters.


    "¡­This doesn''t taste so bad." Varian took a bite.


    In fact, his cooking was excellent and was getting better each day.


    As he regained more and more memories, Varian''s standard of taste also rose thanks to her.


    In one of the recent memories he regained, Sia had to go on a school trip for two whole weeks.


    Before she left, she taught him how to cook. It was hard, and she nagged him a lot. In the end, Varian gained a passing score from her.


    ''Not bad.'' was her highestpliment.


    But again, Varian agreed with her. Compared to what she cooked, he wasn''tparable at all.


    However, he still cooked now and then because Sia said. ''Even though from a purely cooking lens, it''s so-so, personally, I love it.''


    So, every time he made something, he''d give her the first portion of the dish. Just like now¡ª


    "Sia, how do you think this tast¡ª"


    Varian froze and looked at his hand that was handing out a piece of meat to empty air.


    The fire went off and so did the light on his face.


    As the fog thickened, the moonlight couldn''t reach the valley anymore.


    In the silent darkness, Varian remained still for a few minutes.


    His eyes shook with violent emotions before he closed them.


    Then, without another word, he took out the lightning bamboo and began absorbing it.


    First were the roots of the bamboo. His arms turned into branches and connected with bamboo''s roots.


    The roots shone with a green light and prana flooded Varian''s body.


    Unlike the typical foreign prana, this prana was far less hostile and even a bit docile. Just with some nudging, it began to assimte into his own prana.


    [+100 Xp]


    [+100 Xp]


    ¡­


    [+100 Xp]


    As the roots continue to shine, the bamboo''s stem and the insides also shone. They would be avable only for a short period of time before they disintegrate.


    So, Varian ignored the notifications and turned his focus to the stem.


    His body let out a golden glow and his lightning formed a thread, connecting with the bamboo''s stem.


    Lightning snakes coiled around the bamboo before slithering around the lightning thread and reaching Varian.


    A surge of lighting mana followed.


    Then, he focused on the insides of the bamboo.


    His chi flowed into the bamboo and brought the bamboo''s solidified chi into his body.


    This was the easiest to digest.


    Green, golden and red lights shone in the darkness for a few minutes before disappearing.


    Varian opened his eyes and exhaled deeply.


    Over the past few days, he had several fights, but none was life-threatening. So, his growth wasn''t really spectacr.


    Ironically, being in less dangerous situations stunted his growth.


    ''To thinkdy death didn''t smile upon me...'' Varian looked at the sky with grudging eyes.


    ...He really shouldn''t have asked. But he didn''t know then.


    ''Forget it, with the bamboo at least, I hope my progress isn''t too bad.'' Varian held his breath and muttered.


    ''Status''

 Chapter 604 - Varian [10]: Progress

    Chapter 604 - Varian [10]: Progress


    [Superhuman Level 7: 2k/10k (+600 XP)


    Space Level 7: 1k/10k


    Lightning Level 7: 1.5k/10k (+600 XP)


    ntae Level 7: 2k/10k (+600 XP)


    Psychic Level 7: 2k/10k (+500 XP)


    Macrokic Level 7: 1.5k/10k


    Water level 7: 1k/10k]


    Even though he was expecting it, Varian was a bit surprised. The progress these days wasn''t enough for him, but his standards were a bit too high.


    ''I am still approaching mid level 7 in superhuman and ntae paths.''


    He was still at a distance though.


    Extrapting the previous levels, the division of sub-levels was roughly this:


    Low Level 7: 0-3300


    Mid Level 7: 3301-6600


    High Level 7: 6601-9900


    Peak Level 7: >9900


    Of course, in higher levels, peak level 7s would''ve varying strengths depending on how far they''ve gone in solving the level 8 bottleneck. But that was another issue altogether.


    ''But they can''te here.'' Varian sighed in relief.


    It was the consequence of a bizarre condition.


    The ones who set a foot in breaking a bottleneck would be considered as the next level by the Ruler''s Abode.


    So, a peak level 7 who seeded in moving their bottleneck a bit would be considered a level 8.


    That meant, they had to travel through the valley specified for level 8s.


    ''It''s too dangerous.'' Varian took a breath to calm the heavy feeling on his chest.


    Even though he downyed it, the pressure aura exerted on him from the moment he entered the valley was by no means insignificant.


    If a level 8 faced such pressure, they wouldn''t even be able to make it through the valley.


    "Stupid restriction." While he benefitted from it, Varian thought it made no sense.


    Unexpectedly, someone defended Devas'' actions.


    [To Devas, once you hit the bottleneck in these levels, you''d be immediately sent to advance.


    Unlike humans, devas had excellent resources and reach the next level quickly. To put it into perspective, even if a peak level 8 deva entered the level 9 valley, by the time they came out of that valley, they''d have reached level 9.]


    "What the¡­" Varian was speechless.


    These guys were really ridiculous. Was this what a higher civilization was like? Or was it devas?


    ''Abyssals used to be in the same range of devas.'' The thought sent chills down his spine.


    Evidently, devas were far more advanced than abyssals. But the two civilizations seemedparable.


    But humanity¡­it was still taking baby steps.


    If he had topare, the abyssal race was like a young boy and the deva race was like a powerful adult.


    The human race was... still a baby.


    ''To screw them over, who or what are you, dear system?'' Varian asked without any expectations.


    [¡­]


    The stoic system remained silent and when Varian thought it was going to stay muted, it replied.


    [Host, even though the system ended the devas, the major reason isn''t the system. If they were the same as they were in the past, even the system would''ve been helpless.]


    For the first time, Varian heard such a low tone of the system. It reminded him of his own voice when he despaired for his future.


    Varian''s eyes shook violently, but he didn''t ask anymore.


    If they remained the same as in the past, even the seemingly omnipotent system would''ve been helpless.


    This gave him two shocks.


    First, the devas before that something happened were strong enough to deal with the system.


    Two, the devas who could deal with such a system declined because of someone or something.


    Either of these revtions was beyond his ability toprehend, much less deal with.


    ''Now that I look at it, abyssals are kinda cute.'' Varian coughed lightly.


    As the day was about to end, Varian jumped inside ake and sat cross-legged at the bottom.


    Closing his eyes, his mental power reached the white fog of his memory pce. Today was thest session of fog removal.


    Once he was done, the status bar changed.


    [Memory Fog: 48% remaining]


    The memories started to sh in Varian''s mind.


    He had already gotten all the memories 1 week before his birthday. So, his urge to see Sia grew even further.


    Still, the memory fog was bizarre.


    A disproportionate amount of memory fog was covering a few days of his memory. Why so?


    Under his sigh, the world shed white.


    *** *** ***


    "And the victor of the match is¡ª!"


    Varian ignored the announcements and rushed to the infirmary in the stadium. As he shed the temporary ID which showed he was Sia''s family, the ss door slid open and he was entered inside.


    Running across the long corridor, he nced at the names lit up at the top of the rooms on either side before stopping on the sixth room to the right.


    He barged in and saw the unconscious girl on the bed.


    "Haa~"


    The weight on his chest disappeared and he dragged a chair and sat beside the bed.


    Her pale face was a striking contrast to how she appeared at the end of the match¡ªbathed in blood.


    In the grand high schoolpetition that spanned the entire federation, Sia won in her city and reached the cluster level¡ªthe grouping of 10,000 cities.


    If she won here, she''d have reached theary level and fought to win a spot in the top earth geniuses.


    But.


    ''It''s alright.''


    Varian softly brushed her hair behind her ear and sighed.


    She lost.


    Sia was still a second-year high school student,pared to the third year. Despite that, she fought hard.


    If it wasn''t for her bad luck in encountering a peak level 2 genius, she would''ve had a chance of victory.


    When Sia''s match ended, Varian nearly froze in shock. Sia was riddled with injuries. Her whitebat dress was dyed red as blood-drenched her. In the end, she fainted.


    Even though Varian had seen himself like that too many times, it was his first time seeing her like that.


    His heart ached and he panicked like a headless chicken.


    Only when he saw Sia safely sleeping did he sigh in relief.


    Now that he observed her, why were her brows furrowed and why did she have that¡­scared expression on her face?


    Varian fell into contemtion.


    "Idiot."


    "Huh?" Varian saw Sia, still pale, staring at him. Her golden eyes were filled with pride as she repeated. "Idiot."


    "¡­What the?" Varian was dumbfounded by her reaction.


    He was thinking about how to console her since she lost. But why''s she smirking? Wait, that smug smile too?


    Varian flicked her forehead and said. "I''m not the idiot who fights until I faint."


    Sia flinched at his touch before rolling her eyes with an adorable pout. "You of all people is saying that? Really?"


    "Cough. Cough." Varian coughed heavily and acted like he didn''t hear anything.


    He had far worse injuries during his training. But since Sia was now strongerpared to a year ago, she was able to act as a safety for his training.


    So, he was even more unbridled.


    "Anyway, don''t get injured like this." Varian looked at her with a serious gaze. "You know how worried I was?"


    He literally ran a mile and must''ve broken a couple of records to reach the infirmary. The fucking stadium was just too darn big.


    "I can see." Sia''s lips curled up and her gaze scanned his body.


    "Huh?" Varian looked down and realized his shirt was soaked in sweat.


    He was a bit embarrassed at first but quickly waved his hand. "Since you can see, don''t get injured like that, alright? It''s just¡­unbearable to watch."


    Unlike his previous voice which was serious, his current voice was filled with sadness.


    "¡­I see you like that all the time tho." She muttered under her breath.


    "What?" Varian didn''t hear it properly.


    Sia shook her head and said. "I''m too tired. I want to sleep."


    "Good." Varian stood up and turned around. He was about to leave when her soft voice called out.


    "Idiot."


    "Seriously now, don''t question my intellect¡­" He stopped midway as he saw her stretch her hand towards him.


    Varian sighed and sat down again. He gently held her hand and his fingers interlocked with hers.


    "Nightmares again?" He asked softly.


    "Hm." Sia nodded meekly. Her eyebrows were furrowed as if she was still recalling the scary dream.


    She had these nightmares every now and then. Especially after she awakened her gravity path.


    When the nightmares began, she couldn''t sleep at all. Slowly, she found a workaround.


    "Don''t leave¡­" She gripped his hand tighter and closed her eyes. Her eyebrows rxed and a peaceful expression appeared on her face.


    Varian patted her hand gently and muttered under his breath.


    "I won''t."

 Chapter 605 - Sia [12]: Space Jade

    Chapter 605 - Sia [12]: Space Jade


    39th of Trian Ruins, Trian Month.


    It was business as usual for Star Disc Region.


    As one of the many explored regions, this region wasmon knowledge in the elite circles.


    Sia too had the info about this region.


    The space in this region was cut into many verticalyers. It''s like someone had a knife and cut the space from the sky.


    It was like cutting loaves from bread. But with each loaf of significantly different thickness.


    Here, for every few meters, the stability of space fluctuated.


    Sia tapped the ground and stretched her hand towards one of the mountains in the region.


    In an instant, the gravity between her and the earth nullified and a new gravity between her and the mountain was established.


    As a result, Sia flew towards the mountain. Despite the force being the same, her speed fluctuated greatly.


    The mountain was just one mile from Sia.


    For the first hundred meters, Sia''s speed rapidly as the space around her waspletely loose and elerated her even further.


    For the next three hundred meters, it was incredibly hard and slowed her down.


    Her speed rose, fell, rose, and fell before she finally reached the mountain top.


    In fact, she was on one of the many mountains enclosing an area.


    The space until the mountains was fluctuating, but rtively stable. But the area enclosed by the mountains was¡­


    Kacha! Kraack! Boom!


    ck lines appeared in empty air as the space cracked apart. Grayish substances leaked out of the space cracks and turned the existing space chaotic.


    The space cracks and chaotic spacebined to st the space. When space sted, the cracks expanded rapidly before disappearing instantly.


    Anything in the vicinity of the st was spliced and bombarded into splinters.


    The ce with most space sts was naturally the center.


    At the center was a ck crystal. Its dimensions wereparable to a three-story house.


    It looked like an ice crystal growing out in an arctic region, except it was pitch ck.


    ''Space Jade¡­'' Sia recalled the name of the item and narrowed her eyes.


    Space Jade was an excellent item for improving one''s space affinity. Not only that, it directly improved one''s space body, thus enabling quick progress.


    But it was very dangerous.


    The closer you get to the space jade, the more space sts you''d encounter.


    If they try to take the whole thing away, even level 9s would be sliced to pieces by the space cracks.


    The only eptable solution was to break away a piece of the jade and take that piece.


    If one tried to be too greedy, they''d die.


    Because once it sensed the loss of a part of itself, the space jade would fiercely retaliate.


    ''How troublesome.''


    So, unlike the other regions she visited, this ce had no visitors. Even space awakeners who wanted to try their luck would only meditate in the periphery.


    Even for a strong level 8, reaching the Space Jade was dangerous.


    Sia had the confidence in reaching the space jade and plucking a piece. But she wasn''t so confident in returning unscathed.


    ''It looks like I can only ask.'' She sighed.


    The original n was to do it herself. But after what she''d been through, Sia epted that sometimes she needed help.


    Closing her eyes, Sia dived deep inside her own being.


    A cardy in silence.


    ''Enigma!''


    Infusing aura into the card, Sia thought.


    A silver light shed in the region.


    The next thing Sia knew, Enigma was grabbing for the space jade.


    Sia felt tired and her eyelids closed down.


    She went into a deep sleep and a memory shed in her mind.


    *** *** ***


    "¡­Dean, why did you call me?" Sia in the defense''s academy uniform stared at the scar-faced man.


    Her tone was respectful and polite.


    After recognizing her talents, Evander had in fact helped her a lot. Be it resources, arranging good teachers, or information about new missions, he supported her.


    ''I want to see someone who can end the war.'' He told her. ''Those abyssals¡­those bugs need to be butchered.''


    There were several nerves popping up on his forehead when he said those words. That was how violent his rage was.


    While she hadplicated feelings about this, Sia gave her all into training.


    Evander even said he''d consider taking her as a disciple.


    Then suddenly one day he called her. ''Don''t inform anyone. It''s about discipline-master matter.''


    The message came from a slightly stiff Evander''s voice on them.


    It was a red g, but Sia didn''t doubt him.


    When she finally reached his office, he greeted her and asked her to drink the tea.


    "Do you know about Sarah''s mother?" He asked and even without her response, started narrating.


    Sia sipped the tea out of politeness and watched Evander''s eyes turn bloodshot with each passing second.


    She frowned as an ominous premonition passed in her mind.


    "¡­Why did you?"


    She couldn''t feel any aura in her body.


    "Abyssals needed to be ughtered! Abyssals are nonhumans. Nonhumans need to be ughtered!" Evander said in a robotic voice.


    Sia''s face grew pale as she started to lose the sensation of her legs.


    Still, she forcibly pushed herself up against the sofa and tried to stand up.


    "Why?!" She pointed at him and yelled.


    Evander''s eyes were cold. He said again. "You''re useful to the advancement of humanity. A worthy sacrifice."


    "¡­What the?" Sia didn''t know what he was talking about.


    But the hand she pointed at him dropped with the arm and Sia lost the sensation in her arms.


    She copsed on the sofa and red at him. "Sarah''s father, is this your honor? Kidnapping a first-year cadet?"


    She thought he was a righteous warrior who risked everything for justice.


    But now¡­


    "Nonhumans be damned!" Evander said with bloodshot eyes.


    Sia''s eyes turned heavy, but using thest of her strength, she asked.


    "Why?"


    Why betray?


    Why such a despicable act?


    Evander''s bloodshot eyes stilled for a moment as if he was struggling. Then, he spat.


    "Revenge."


    Hearing those words, Sia lost consciousness.


    So, she didn''t see the tears of blood dripping from Evander''s eyes.

 Chapter 606 - Charles [3]: The Gap

    Chapter 606 - Charles [3]: The Gap


    40th, Trian Month, Trian Ruins.


    In the valley of level 7s, an unexpected event unfolded.


    "Hey, sto¡ªmff!"


    "You! Are you cra¡ªuckk!"


    "Son of a bi¡ªarhhh!"


    The three princes who cursed the white wolf in front of them didn''t even get the chance to finish their sentences and were pped to the ground.


    Charles turned back to his human form and looked up.


    A thickyer of white fog shielded the valley from the sky. But it also had a restraining effect on mobility.


    If it didn''t exist, he would''ve jumped high and checked what he wanted. With the option out of the window, he had to resort to this.


    "Where are they?" Charles looked at the three princes in front of him with a cold gaze.


    "H-How are we supposed to know?" One of them said indignantly.


    "They are much stronger than us. Stronger than you!" Another chided.


    "You''ll find them once we''re in the abode anyway. Why are you picking on us?" When the third one said those words, his face turned red in shame.


    Even though they recently reached high level 7, they were still Charles'' seniors. In fact, the second prince to get beaten was 10 years older than Charles.


    Though he''s about to lose his prince status soon, it still was disgraceful.


    Listening to their response, however, Charles'' brows furrowed into a frown of displeasure.


    From their expressions, it seems like they weren''t lying.


    Charles clenched his fists and the three princes shivered.


    In the end, he exhaled and rxed his fist. He enjoyed tormenting his enemies, but these three weren''t even his enemies.


    Charles knew he was weird in some ways, but unless it was necessary, he wouldn''t go out of his way to torment people.


    So, he walked ahead and transformed into the white wolf. Clenching his leg muscles, he was about to jump when one of the princes suddenly said.


    "Jamie might be in the Sidhe garden! H-He has a habit of collecting healing flowers." The second prince said through gritted teeth.


    "¡­"


    His teammates looked at him with dumbfounded gazes. They didn''t understand why he''d suddenly reveal this information, even when there was absolutely no need to.


    The second prince felt his face burn in shame but he managed to say. "I-If it was others, they would''ve stolen our treasures too. T-Thank you for not doing that."


    "¡­"


    At his words, the other two princes also looked at Charles with a little less hostility and a bit of gratitude.


    Charles merelyughed at their reaction.


    This world¡­they thanked him for beating them up, but not looting them.


    As he thought, this world was truly broken.


    ''Someone needs to fix it.''


    Him.


    Charles was thinking along those lines after realizing what Roxanna actually did. Even though he loved his aunt, he was able to distinguish what was right and what was wrong.


    Roxanna was in the wrong. She did some of the most atrocious things.


    Charles didn''t like that. But more than that, he didn''t like the environment that allowed her to do such a criminal thing. Even more than that, he didn''t like the society that molded her into such a person.


    He knew about Roxanna''s childhood.


    When she wanted to be a normal girl, she was forced by her parents to spend every day in theb.


    When she finally stepped out, she realized she was no longer normal.


    Even if she tried her best, she''d remain an outsider in a world that felt alien to her.


    Of course, while the world was at fault, so was Roxanna. She was a criminal and did many evil things.


    Charles wanted to see a world where such things wouldn''t be allowed.


    An ideal world where people like his aunt wouldn''t suffer to be psychopaths and torture children in theirbs.


    ¡­That was the purpose he found.


    But before that, he''d avenge her. No matter if she was right or wrong, he loved her more than anyone else.


    That''s why, for the inexorable fight between him and Varian, Charles wanted to be prepared.


    "Thank you." He said to the second prince and kicked the ground.


    The air exploded into shockwaves and swept across the ins, blowing away the trees and nts.


    "¡­What was that."


    *** *** ***


    Sidhe Garden was a ce filled with beautiful flowers. Each of these flowers was a ntae morpher with healing properties.


    Some of these were more effective than potions. In general, they were also more effective in treating internal injuries and ensuring no hidden injuries remained.


    That''s the reason Jamie, one of the three kings, visited this area.


    Of course, collecting flowers was anything but easy. Each flower had a guardian beast and no guardian beast was weak.


    It was an uphill task, but for Jamie, it wasn''t that hard.


    So, after he collected the tenth flower, the attack behind him came as a surprise.


    Boom!


    Jamie bent backward. His feet pointed to the sky, but his back waspletely horizontal.


    ''White paws?''


    It was arge white paw that tried to attack him. When it realized that he dodged, the white paw pped down, aiming for Jamie''s chest.


    Jamie simply clenched his fist and punched.


    Boom!


    The moment their attacks connected, Jamie''s feet sunk into the ground, but the owner of the white paw flew was blown into the sky.


    "Roar!"


    "Haha!" Jamieughed at the provocation and kicked the ground.


    His body was like a bullet tearing through the air and reached the white wolf in the blink of an eye.


    In the mid-air, the wolf pped him with its tail with a force enough to break a small mountain.


    Jamie responded with a kick.


    Boom!


    A huge shockwave swept the surroundings as both Jamie and the white wolf were pushed back andnded.


    The only difference was that Jamie was breathing normally while the white wolf''s breathing was ragged.


    Its tail was also deformed and bled.


    But the wolf didn''t back down. Instead, with even more ferocity, it roared and lunged forward.


    "Stupid." Jamie shook his head and raised his palm.


    Boom!


    The fight went on for thirty minutes.


    It was mainly because Jamie didn''t fight with the intent to kill.


    But still, by the end of the match, the results were obvious.


    The white wolf, no, it was Charles now,y in a pool of blood, utterly defeated.


    On the other hand, Jamie panted hard as blood flowed from several of the small but numerous injuries throughout his body.


    "W-What a son of a bitch!" Jamie looked at Charles with a mix of admiration and anger.


    Charles didn''t respond. He merely tapped his storage ring and grabbed a potion before gulping it.


    He did this all while lying down. It wasn''t that he didn''t want to stand up, but he just couldn''t.


    His legs were broken, and so was his back.


    Thankfully, one of his hands was still working properly.


    "Charles, I know what you want, but I advise you to give up." Jamie looked at the junior far younger than him and advised.


    Then, he hesitated for a moment before continuing. "To be honest, your current strength¡­in itself is absurd. There is no precedent for a high level 7.


    Even though you''re just starting out as a high level 7, you are already far ahead of everyone in your age group. Heck, even people five years or ten years older than you don''t have much on you."


    Charles slowly stood up, the expensive potion healed his legs just enough for him to get back on his feet.


    Jamie noticed the look in Charles'' eyes.


    It was a burning will.


    "You won''t give up?" Jamie frowned and then his eyes turned cold. "You want to beat the peak level 7s, 8s, and even 9s in the abode?"


    Charles'' eyes glowed with ambition.


    He wanted to win.


    Inside the ruler''s abode, everyone''s level would be suppressed.


    But still, some people would remain stronger than others.


    His strongest opponents would be at the peak of level 7.


    That''s why he wanted to check his rtive powers with the three kings¡ªthe strongest level 7s in the expedition¡ªthe strongest peak level 7s.


    The result was clear.


    He lost miserably.


    In fact, Charles didn''t even put a proper fight.


    If not for Jamie going lenient on him, he''d have died.


    Of course, Charles had enough treasures to escape such a situation. That''s why he dared this in the first ce.


    Still, the results, though expected, were disappointing.


    Charles was confronted with a future that had little to no chance of him winning the ruler''s abode.


    ''I still have that onest option¡­''


    Still, even though he was significantly weaker than Jamie, Charles was able to feel the distance between them.


    It was vast but unsurmountable.


    ''With that...''


    A crystal bottle shed in his mind.

 Chapter 607 - Sia [13]: Dream Garden

    Chapter 607 - Sia [13]: Dream Garden


    41st of Trian Month, Trian Ruins.


    Dream Garden.


    It was one of the notorious ces in the ruins.


    Not because the experience was unpleasant, but because it was so realistically present that you might give up on reality itself.


    Sia researched about this ce quite a bit.


    Dream Garden was about the size of three ser fields and was filled with flowers with sky-blue petals and a white stem.


    The flowers always gave off a pleasant smell that soothed the nerves and calmed the mind.


    Anxieties, tensions, worries¡ªevery negative emotion would be washed away once you step into this ce.


    But.


    "Happy Birthday to you!"


    "Hey, Sia!"


    "Varian and I nned your birthday~"


    Looking at Varian and Sarah shouting ''happy birthday'' with a big smile on their faces, Sia thought back to how it led to this.


    As usual, she attended the second-year sses after having breakfast with first-year Varian.


    His seventeenth birthday went smoothly and he went to the dungeon shortly afterward.


    He awakened and he showed tremendous talent!


    So, while Sia joined the academy, he trained and improved at a ridiculous speed.


    While Sia met and became friends with Sarah, Varian reached level 3 in just one year.


    The next year, he too joined the academy.


    Every day, she watched him work hard. But unlike in the past, his hard work was actually getting rewarded!


    He was growing stronger and stronger!


    In fact, he already pulled ahead of his peers and grew closer to the power levels of second years day by day.


    Unwilling to be left behind, Sia began her own harsh training.


    She took harder courses, fought stronger opponents, and spent longer practicing.


    Of course, she was unwilling to suffer alone, so she also dragged Sarah into this. Sarah, however, was more than willing toply and they trained like madmen, no, madwomen.


    Today, however, Sarah left after sses, skipping the evening practice, citing she had an urgent thing.


    Sia didn''t think much.


    But when she finally returned to her home, she received a pleasant surprise.


    "¡­My birthday?"


    "You dummy! Why do you always forget?" Varian shook his head at her words.


    "Seriously¡­" Sarah said and joined him in sighing.


    Sia, however, couldn''t stop the bubbling joy inside her chest.


    "This¡­Tha...Thank you." She stuttered.


    She didn''t know why, but this felt like a dream.


    Everything was going well.


    Varian''s future was bright. Her own future was dazzling. She had a best friend who she could share everything with.


    That best friend and Varian also got along.


    Everything¡­


    Everything seemed so perfect.


    "Cut the cake, Sia." Sarah handed her the knife.


    Sia looked at Varian and he smiled at her brightly. "Growing old again, eh."


    "You!" Instead of cutting the cake with the knife, she used it to stab him.


    "Woah!" Varian''s responded exaggeratedly before catching the wooden knife. Then, he suddenly shouted.


    "Now."


    "Wha¡ª" Before Sia could finish, she felt her vision turn white as a soft substance covered her face and a chocty smell filled her nose.


    She¡­She was face-smashed with cake?


    "Hahaha!"


    "Hehe."


    Varian''s unbridledughter resounded along with Sarah''s subdued, but cheerfulughter.


    Sia''s mind sense swept across the table and she grabbed two pieces of the cake. Concentrating her gravity power, she shot them at Varian and Sarah''s faces.


    "Oops."


    "Ouch!"


    Varian and Sia both ducked, but the cake slices were ''attracted'' to their faces. So, the slices smashed their faces anyway.


    "Cheating!"


    "Yes! You used your powers!"


    The two confronted her shamelessly after ganging up on her.


    "Really?" Sia said and grabbed another cake slice.


    "Really."


    Varian and Sarah too held one in their hands.


    Whoosh!


    Cake flew in the air and the night was filled withughter.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "Haa!"


    Sia woke up with a gasp as she found herself surrounded by sky-blue flowers.


    "Varian! Sara¡ª" Her shout stopped abruptly and she copsed to the ground.


    Sia covered her face and her shoulders shook violently.


    "W-Why¡­" She questioned her own sanity foring to this ce.


    Indeed, Dream Garden was a ce filled with psychic nts.


    They''d show you the dream life you always wanted. It''d be so realistic that you wouldn''t be able to tell any difference from reality.


    That''s why¡­some people remained in the dream garden every year.


    They left behind their real life and lived in a simtion of a dream. A what-if.


    It wasn''t because they were weak-willed. But because they saw too much tragedy.


    At some point in their life, every person would think. "What if I did this or didn''t do that? Would my life be better? Would I''ve hurt those people less? Would I be happier?"


    The regrets of the past were perhaps the biggest reasons for such actions.


    If given a second chance, people would take it with no hestiation. Because they wanted to undo the regrets.


    The bigger the regret, the higher the chance of getting trapped in this ce.


    Despite knowing that, Sia entered this ce.


    It was a big risk. The only reason she was able to get out of the illusion was her psychic powers.


    "¡­I can''t change the past," Sia muttered to herself and stood up.


    But still, witnessing how joyful her life could''ve been was depressing.


    It was as if¡­she was the sole reason that life didn''te to fruition.


    If she had done things differently, perhaps the three of them would''ve been happy.


    She wouldn''t have to go through so much pain.


    Sarah wouldn''t have to drop out and face threats from Julius.


    Varian¡­Varian wouldn''t have to suffer a year of crippling depression and the endless life-threatening situations that came after.


    Perhaps it was her fault.


    Perhaps.


    Sia shook her head and decided not to think of it any longer. She came here with a purpose.


    "Mind Flower¡­" Sia''s mind sense scanned through the garden and found a particr flower.


    The petals of this flower were dark blue instead of sky-blue.


    It was a special flower that assisted mind awakeners, both psychics and telekics.


    Sia waved her hand and the flower flew into her hand.


    "With this, everything is in ce." Sia stored the flower in her storage ring and nodded to herself.


    She had a good gift she could give him once they meet.


    ''I should go too.'' Sia''s figure shed and she headed towards the valleys.


    She collected Thunder Fruit, Ice Orb, Tempering Liquids: Red and Blue, Space Jade, and Mind Flower.


    They corresponded to Lightning Path, Water Path, Body path, ntae Path, Space Path, Psychic Path, and Telekic Path.


    She wanted to gift these to him.


    The only question¡­


    When?

 Chapter 608 - Charles [4]: The Team

    Chapter 608 - Charles [4]: The Team


    42nd day of Trian Month, Trian Ruins:


    In a scorchednd where there was once a lush forest, a fierce battle was taking ce.


    A rather fierce battle took ce.


    Charles'' ten members moved with great coordination.


    They were among the strongest in level 8 and were capable of defeating a good portion of the so-called geniuses head-on.


    But now they moved together.


    No. They were forced.


    "You fucking dogs!"


    A loud roar reverberated like the explosion of a volcano and the next moment, the world was dyed red.


    A giant red bird appeared in the sky. What was even more rming was that it was bathed in mes.


    "¡­Victor Caron."


    Hearing his name, the man in the form of the beast looked down at the ground with strong battle intent.


    "Gulp."


    Swallowing her saliva, the newest member of Charles'' team, Hira said. "Suchpatibility¡­he''s a monster."


    Her eyes reflected the red figure in the sky.


    Victor Caron.


    He wasn''t just a beast Morpher, but he was also a fire awakener.


    He was a near-peak level 8 for both of these paths. Even though he was in histe 80s, he didn''t even touch the bottleneck of level 9. So, even he knew that he had almost no prospects of advancing to the next level.


    But the problem came with hisbat prowess in the existing level.


    "Screech!"


    Victor''s morphing entity¡ªming Bird had a superb affinity with mes¡ªwhich was supported by his fire path.


    Thus, despite not being the strongest level 8 in any paths alone, whenbined together, Victor''s power was overwhelming.


    "Duck!"


    The leader of the team ordered and Hira''s body turned into a mass of me before lowering itself.


    Whoosh!


    A huge shockwave of mes passed through their position. It was like a ring of orange-red that expanded throughout the area.


    As they escaped, the shockwaves hit the forests in the distance.


    Scorch!


    The lush green forest was scorched in an instant!


    "W-We have to defeat this monster?" Hira asked with a trembling voice. She was still new to the team.


    Even though she too was a fire awakener, this range of power was beyond her.


    "Or? Why would the Xander family raise us?" Captain Dwane retorted but didn''t push her nervous body to the giant bird in the sky.


    Instead, he stepped forward and said.


    "Assist me. I can''t defeat him one-on-one."


    "Y-Yes!"


    Hira raised her hands towards the ming bird and clenched her fists.


    Suddenly, the aura around Victor, the ming bird turned chaotic. Especially the fire mana, it started to riot.


    "Screech!" The ming bird realized what happened and let out its own fire mana to take back the aura control.


    But.


    "Victor Caron, you too aren''t invincible."


    A cold voice sounded from below and when the ming bird reacted, the middle-aged man was already at its eye level, three miles from the ground.


    ''Idiot'' Victor spat out inside his mind and the mes around him intensified. The me bird''s own powers produced a special me that was only amplified by his fire mana.


    Screech!


    To the resounding roar of the firebird, Dwane raised his arms and let out his water mana.


    A blinding blue light shed and arge water dragon appeared behind him.


    Even in his bird form, Victor''s eyes narrowed as if he was showing contempt.


    Even though the water dragon was mighty, it couldn''t bepared to an awakener wielding the power themselves.


    "I know it won''t be enough." Dwane shook his head and jumped onto the dragon.


    His body turned into water and went transparent. Without dy, he assimted himself into the water dragon.


    When the ming bird looked at the water dragon again, it had no contempt.


    Even though Victor was sure of winning¡­the aura around him once again turned chaotic.


    "Greeh!"


    "Screech!"


    The battle of a water dragon and firebird began.


    ***


    "Huff!"


    "Huff!"


    Four tired voices sounded, across adjacent ces in the level 8 ruins. The four geniuses, the strongest in thepetition, knelt on a knee as the injuries all over their bodies threatened to worsen at the slightest moment.


    In the scorched forests was the same trio who were here half an hour ago.


    Dwane, Hira, and¡­Victor.


    "B-Bastards!" Victor shouted, his pale blue skin was a result of excess ice mana.


    "¡­Did we really?" Hira rubbed the blood flowing off her mouth and muttered in a daze.


    "Without your help, it wasn''t possible." Dwane was covered in horrendous injuries, but he was still able to smile.


    As he expected, Victor was still too much for him. But when Hira interfered with the aura around him, he gained an opportunity and defeated him in one go.


    In fact, defeat was a big word.


    It should be¡ª


    "Cough. Cough. Arghhh." Dwane clutched his chest and coughed out blood while Hira copsed on the ground.


    The price to defeat such a powerful genius was the incapacitation of the strongest and newest members of Charles'' team.


    They were nearly incapacitated.


    "Heh¡­Hehehe. You guys are crazy." Victor startedughing as his fire sense spread outward.


    "You also took down the other three?" He yelped in confusion.


    "¡­Our team divided ourselves to hunt you each," Dwane said without thinking and the man in question fell silent.


    Victor found the people as strong as him now kneeling on a single knee. All of them were incredibly injured.


    And as expected, facing these geniuses was a group of two or three. This group was equally, if not more injured than the geniuses.


    "¡­All the four, we confirmed their capabilities," Dwane said and grabbed Hira.


    Whoosh!


    Emitting a blue light, he disappeared.


    Like Victor and Hira, the other team members also began to regroup one by one.


    Finally, they met up in a previously agreed-upon area and shared their findings.


    After fighting the strongest level 8s, known as the Great Four for their contributions, Charles'' team concluded this.


    "We can stop the great four¡­"


    Everyone''s face, despite being covered in bloodstains due to the earlier battle lit up.


    "But the price is our group will be in an equally bad state," Dwane said in a depressing tone.


    The room also fell silent.


    It was then, Hira said. "Trust young master¡­he''ll make a change."


    At her words, the group''s expression rxed.


    The group didn''t know.


    Just yesterday, Charles lost against one of the three strongest level 7s.


    In fact.


    He was crushed.

 Chapter 609 - Sia [14]: The Valley

    Chapter 609 - Sia [14]: The Valley


    43rd of Trian Month, Trian Ruins.


    As Sia continued her second-day journey in the valley, she noticed something was wrong.


    The princes and princesses she came across¡­their eyes were filled with terror.


    It was as if they witnessed a monster in the valley.


    Sia didn''t understand their reaction at all.


    ''Didn''t they kill the guardian beasts?'' She tilted her head in confusion as her body shed at unnatural speeds.


    A mountain, a in, a tree, a desert¡ªSia kept moving no matter what she encountered.


    The aura pressure in level 8 was tremendous. It felt like the air was trying to squeeze the breath out of her, but Sia responded to the pressure better than all level 8s.


    But as she moved deeper into the valley, she had to slow down.


    The valley didn''t just have aura pressure.


    "Kree!"


    It had monsters too.


    Level 8 monsters that didn''t just die with a single snap of her fingers.


    "Haa~" Sia sighed lightly andnded on the ground.


    "Kree!" The eight giant diamond-winged vultures screamed in joy.


    Unlike the previous humans who were in groups, this prey was single.


    They could kill her without much difficulty. Moreover, most humans had already moved much ahead by now.


    Even though there were still some people behind Sia, they were the weaker ones and wouldn''t matter much.


    Since Sia entered the valley only yesterday, she was ying catch up with the powerful awakeners who were already far ahead.


    That''s the reason these creatures took the risk. If they tried the same thing when those geniuses were present, some prince or princess would definitely step up to help.


    The loss of level 8s was tragic for the federation. The ones who could see the bigger picture would no doubt prevent such tragedy.


    But now, there was no one to help.


    "Kree~"


    Sia looked up and saw colossal white covering the sky.


    As the vultures opened their wings, their collective shadow covered the area enough for a football field.


    They were¡­just too big.


    Whoosh!


    The diamond-winged vultures pped their wings and shot towards Sia.


    Their speed was breathtaking¡ªliterally because all the air in their way was blown away and a vacuum was created.


    Sia stood in her ce as the vultures approached her with a dangerous speed.


    If they hit her, it''d be equivalent to taking a meteor impact head-on.


    Even an extreme awakener specializing in defense would''ve had a hard time.


    ''Closer¡­''


    Sia narrowed her eyes and waited for the vultures to draw closer to her.


    500 meters¡­


    The ground started to shake.


    400 meters¡­


    Cob-web like cracks started to spread with her as the center.


    300 meters¡­


    The ground started to cave in as if someone smashed it in with a giant hammer.


    200 meters¡­


    A huge crater formed in the area Sia was standing at.


    100 meters¡­


    A huge shockwave hit. Even arge rock was elerated to the speeds of a bullet and shot outwards.


    The mountains in the distance were hit by the shockwaves and the rocks that followed were blown to pieces.


    50 meters¡­


    ''Now!''


    As the vultures opened their mouth, Sia''s hand shook lightly.


    It was just a light flick, too insignificantpared to the mighty movements of the giant vultures.


    But.


    Boom! Bang!


    "Kree~"


    The vultures that were flying toward Sia were suddenly pulled towards each other.


    With a panicking roar, they tried to stop, but their speed was too high and it wasn''t something they could control in a moment.


    Their original n was to attack Sia together. Since she''d resist, the vultures knew most of them would be deflected, but the remaining one or two would finish her off.


    At least, that was the n.


    But now¡­


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    The eight vultures collided just fifty meters above Sia at an enormous speed.


    Boom!


    The mountain ranges near the area shook violently and a huge crater ranging a dozen miles was formed.


    Dust filled the air and rose high into the air.


    Even the level 8s who were far ahead in the valley noticed themotion.


    "What is this?"


    "Did anyone fight?"


    "I want to go check."


    "¡­"


    The princes and princesses discussed fiercely. In the end, a small scout was sent to check on the situation.


    Of course, the weaker members behind Sia in the valley also rushed forward to check the situation.


    But the person in question didn''t care.


    Without waiting, her figure shed through the dust.


    Even as she moved through the cloud of dust and smoke, they didn''t touch her.


    Sia was like a fairy untainted by the malice of the mortal world. She kept moving.


    The valley widened considerably and she shot forward in the path with the least monsters.


    Yet¡­


    She was attacked again. This time, by six giant apes with lightning bodies.


    After five more miles, she encountered seven snake monsters.


    The more she moved forward, the more frequent the attacks on her turned.


    Sia tried to neglect the reason why she was attacked.


    But as she fought the tenth group of monsters, she identally admitted why.


    ''Alone¡­''


    As the day inched closer to the end, the point was proven again and again.


    Since she was alone, the monsters picked on her, thinking she was easier prey.


    In the experience of these creatures, groups were always harder to hunt.


    "¡­I didn''t want to be alone." Sia looked at her bloodied hands and muttered. Her voice was further subdued as she said in a soft voice, almost as if she was praying. "I never wanted to be alone."


    Only the rustling wind responded to her prayers.


    Sia stood alone in the vast valley and sighed.


    Before she knew it, night had fallen.


    Cackle! Cackle!


    The crackling of the mes was the only sound talking to her in the lonely night. The light of the fire shone on her face and was reflected in her eyes.


    Her unfocused eyes stared ahead nkly.


    It wasn''t just her gaze.


    Her heart throbbed in pain as she asked herself.


    ''When was I left¡­alone?''

 Chapter 610 Sia [15]: Alone

    <h4>Chapter 610 Sia [15]: Alone</h4>


    "Varian! Please listen to me!" Sia pleaded with tears streaming down her cheeks.


    Varian sat on his bed, his back against the wall.


    He was shifted back to their home the second day after his severe injury.


    ¡­The second day after she died.


    Today was the seventh day.


    Sia kept repeating the same thing she was saying since the first day.


    But all Varian did was stare nkly into the distance.


    Even though his eyes were open, he wasn''t awake. Even though his ears were working, his mind wasn''t listening. Even though she was in front of him, he didn''t see her.


    "¡­P-Please." Sia took a step toward him as her tears sshed against the floor.


    As she left a trail of tears, she was right in front of him.


    She carefully raised her trembling hand and reached out to his face.


    Varian''s body flinched and he instinctively moved away from her hand.


    "¡­" Sia withdrew her hand and clenched her fist, her fingers dug into her flesh and red blood sshed on the ground.


    ? ?? ??-?? ???. ??? "Haa!" Varian looked at the blood and his face, which had no reaction until then, paled like a sheet of paper.


    "Varian!" Sia wanted to check his condition, but once again, he instinctively moved away from her.


    "P-Please¡­just I¡ª" Sia couldn''t find any words. Her chest was heavy and she felt like all the air was knocked out of her chest.


    The more she looked at him, the more she cried. Grief enveloped her as she witnessed her family copse.


    "Varian¡­"


    He didn''t respond to her.


    "Please¡­"


    He didn''t even react.


    "Eat something..."


    Not a single movement.


    "I beg you. Please¡­"


    His eyes nkly stared ahead. What was he looking at? Or maybe the right question was¡­what was he not trying to look at?


    Sia bit her lip so hard that she bled, but she tried onest with the reasoning that always worked.


    "If you don''t eat¡­you can''t train."


    "Ah!" Varian stood up like he was suddenly shocked before he looked around again.


    It was as if he just woke up.


    Sia''s eyes lit up and she was about to call him when he said in a grim tone.


    "T-Train¡­why do I need to train?" His face had a nk expression, but the corners of his eyes were red.


    Sia''s heart grew heavy at his words. She gritted her teeth but answered. "To be a Sovereign and receive the titles of Emperor, Savior, and Peerless."


    Varian still didn''t turn his face or look at her. He still stared ahead, as if he was able to see something on the nk wall.


    "Me?" His voice was low and had not a shred of optimism he always carried.


    "Someone like me that can''t even protect his mother from a monster¡­"


    Sia''s face paled at his words and the corners of her eyes turned red.


    "I-I''m sorry, it''s all my fault..." She closed her eyes and choked through her tears.


    "It''s my fault. I''m the coward." Varian''s face was ashen, but his voice was even worse.


    Sia could hear that he was close to breaking.


    "If I only¡ª"


    "Please, Sia." Varian''s voice was filled with self-depreciation¡­and self-hatred.


    "Whenever I see you, I remember her." When he said those words, his eyes turned red and he lowered his head.


    His voice was full of despair as if he was on the verge of a breakdown.


    "You remind me of her death."


    Tears sshed on his tightly clenched fists.


    He raised his head and finally met her eyes.


    Seeing those eyes, Sia flinched and took a step back.


    Those eyes¡­they were devoid of hope. They gave up on the world.


    The eyes she was familiar with more than anyone else...


    The eyes that shone with the light to chase after a lofty dream¡­the eyes didn''t dream anymore.


    The eyes that remained steady and confident even in the toughest situations¡­those eyes were shaking violently even to just look at her.


    Sia felt her heartbreak as she realized what had be of him¡­of what she caused him to be.


    His dream died.


    His hopes broke.


    His confidence vanished.


    All that was left was the shell of a man she cherished the most.


    "Var¡ª"


    "Y-You remind me of her death." He said again and this time, his voice was shaking violently.


    "¡­I-I don''t want to remember her death."


    He said those words staring at the empty wall.


    "¡­Wha¡ª"


    Sia opened her mouth, but she couldn''t even speak.


    Looking into his eyes that were on the verge of insanity, she realized¡­


    He probably used all his willpower to say those words to her.


    If he saw her again¡­he''d lose himself to insanity.


    Sia''s shoulders hunched as her body trembled violently. But without a single word, she turned around and walked into her room.


    She found the birthday gift he gave her.


    The two figurines.


    Sia caressed them with her shaking hands as her tears drenched thempletely.


    Holding the figurines close to her heart, Sia walked out of the house.


    With each step she took, her heart grew more and more empty.


    But she didn''t look back.


    ''You remind me of her death.''


    Sia fought herself to stop the tears, but all she could do was walk in silence in the end.


    As the sunset and night fell, Sia realized something.


    The world was big. There were billions and billions of people.


    Almost everyone had someone they could talk to. But not everyone had someone that could understand them. If anyone had that kind of person, they were lucky.


    She was lucky.


    She had Varian. Varian, who understood her, cherished her and stood with her.


    The most precious person to her.


    The boy who shed his own blood just to give her the best gift he could.


    The man who risked his life to protect her even when he was just ten.


    The person who became a part of her.


    From today on, she was never going to meet him again.


    She walked away from that house. From his life.


    But a part of her remained.


    That part of her would remain with him forever.


    Without that¡­without him, she wouldn''t feel whole ever again.


    Even if she made ten friends or ten thousand, there was no one who could understand her like him.


    There was no one who could rece him.


    She, just like her heart would always feel empty.


    There''d be no one she could go to school with. No one to smile at her every day. No one to cheekily ask her to cook extra portions just because they''re his favorite.


    There''d also be no one to listen to her fears. No one to console her. No one to hold her hand when she shivers. No one to hug her when she suffers from nightmares.


    There''d be no one for her.


    ''Alone¡­'' Sia''s eyes nkly stared at the sky.


    The painful feeling finally hit her.


    ''I am¡­alone.''

 Chapter 612 Varian [12]: Nora, Curtis And Jamie

    <h4>Chapter 612 Varian [12]: Nora, Curtis And Jamie</h4>


    Near the end of the valley, the blood bath continued.


    "Roar!"


    The giant humanoid bull held a red hammer and smashed the ground.


    Boom!


    With each swing of its hammer, a giant crater formed on the ground, and cracks began to spread for miles.


    The sixteen people facing it hurriedly scattered.


    But one woman didn''t.


    She raised her hand and swung it in the air as if shing a knife.


    Whoosh!


    A giant fire knife was conjured in the blink of an eye and shed with the giant hammer.


    "Princess Nora!"


    "Only she has this strength!"


    "She even slew the guardian beast!"


    Praises came from the crowd.


    "Let''s join her as well!"


    "Yes!"


    Soon, the fifteen joined her in the hunt.


    Just ten miles away from it was a giant tree with countless vines. As it stretched its vine outwards, sometimes, they turned as thin as a thread and the others, as thick as a tree trunk.


    These vines pped even extreme defense awakeners to the point of coughing blood.


    Then, they absorbed the blood and flesh, if possible the whole body, and shot out seeds. These seeds sprouted and grew into a big nt in the blink of an eye. Then these nts began to release a poisonous white mist.


    As such, a white fog enveloped the five miles surrounding the giant tree and continued to spread outward.


    The poison not only had an offensive function, but also a peculiar defense.


    It blocked fire, water, earth, and lightning. Even space and gravity weren''t able to bring it to its heel.


    "Charge!"


    "Coordinate your attacks!"


    "We need to make a way through the fog!"


    ? ?? ??-??? ??, ??? The eleven people fighting the tree struggled with the tree. To y the tree, they needed to break through the poisonous white fog it created around itself.


    But it was too hard.


    At that moment¡­


    BoooM!


    Air exploded like someone sted a hundred bombs in an instant.


    An invisible force pierced through the white fog like a knife shing through the water.


    Swish!


    The white fog was pushed to the side when the force touched it, but the next moment, it regrouped.


    But in the current situation, that shocked everyone.


    "What''s that?!"


    "Is it¡­Prince Curtis?"


    "I thought he already left."


    Right then, a calm voice sounded in the field.


    "Everyone, follow me when I clear the fog and enter inside. Once you get in, end the tree.


    But the risk is if you can''t follow right after me, the fog will regroup and you''ll face poison directly."


    Hearing his words, the group of eleven nodded fervently.


    "We can do it!"


    "I am a superhuman awakener! That much is nothing."


    "Let''s go!"


    As the white fog cleared, the awakeners used that short window of time to barge in.


    Hiss!


    Thirty miles away, the twelve-headed snake hissed at the thirty humans under it. Due to its giant body, it was nearly thirty meters above the ground and the humans looked like nothing more than dots.


    Each time one of the snakeheads opened its mouth, it spew out either fire, water, lighting or poison.


    However, each snakehead had only one power.


    At first, the thirty humans facing it were perplexed at its many powers. But when they observed its body, they sucked in a breath of cold air and understood.


    ¡­This wasn''t a twelve-headed snake.


    This was twelve snakes stitched into a single body.


    The gross realization only pushed the humans even more.


    "It''s too strong!"


    "Take down the heads one by one!"


    "We can''t! The heads are defending each other."


    "Dammit!"


    Even if they tried their best and were about to destroy a snakehead, the other snakeheads responded immediately and protected it.


    Then, one of the snakeheads would spew something on the injured snakehead and it''d quickly heal.


    "That¡­That bastard heal fighter snake."


    That healer snake was a heal fighter.


    Heal Fighters had a crazy property. Their body fluids were very good for healing.


    "Until we take that healing head down, we can''t do anything."


    "But how?"


    "¡­I wonder."


    Despite being thergest group facing one of the three monsters, they didn''t see any hope.


    Right then, a calm voice sounded.


    "Leave the healing head to me."


    Then, a figure blurred on the ground and all they could see the next moment was a sh of light reaching the healing head.


    "Jamie!"


    "He''s damn fast!"


    "Let''s follow up!"


    As an extreme awakener specializing in speed, Jamie reached the healing head in the blink of an eye.


    Using his momentum, he thrust the spear in his hand at the healing snake head''s right eye.


    Kreech!


    Stepping on the snakehead, he jumped high into the air.


    The very next moment, a barrage of furious attacksnded on one of the snakeheads.


    The remaining ten snakeheads attacked the humans in a bid to halt their attacks.


    But ten out of the thirty humans came forward and defended the other twenty.


    Space Blocks. Fire Walls. Ice Barriers.


    The ten heads could only watch helplessly as one of the snakeheads got beaten to death.


    If the healing head was still alive, it''d have helped. But now, there wasn''t even an option.


    Thus¡­


    Thud!


    Thud!


    Thud!


    With each passing second, a snakehead exploded.


    Soon, the twelve-headed snake became a headless snake and copsed to the ground.


    "Prince Jamie! The fastest!"


    Almost at the same time, there was a loud explosion in the distance.


    The giant tree shook fiercely before it wilted at a rapid rate. Its green leaves turned brown and it shriveled. Soon, it turned into ashes and died.


    "Prince Curtis! The strongest!"


    Boom!


    The ground shook fiercely as the hammer of the humanoid bull crashed to the ground.


    Then, a giant fire burnt through its chest and turned the internal organs of the creature into ash.


    "Princess Curtis! The fiercest!"


    The two men and one woman who spearheaded the ying operation looked at each other from the distance.


    They turned around and noticed the remaining people fighting smaller, but numerous monsters.


    The rest of the hundred level 7s were fighting these monsters. As they were about to lend a hand, a giant white wolfnded.


    "Roar!"

 Chapter 614 - Varian [13]: Battlefield

    Chapter 614 - Varian [13]: Battlefield


    Varian joined the battlefield with a new face. In the new disguise, he seemed to be around sixty and had a strong build.


    In the field filled with young men and women, he was out of ce. With the aura he exuded and his age, there''s just no way he could be a prince.


    ''Geezer who got lucky.''


    That was the first thought in everyone''s mind. The majority were of the opinion that the keys were better given to the talented princes and princesses.


    So, no one liked an old bastard stealing the chance of a genius leveraging his age.


    But¡ª


    Whoosh!


    In the chaotic battlefield sttered with torn limbs, butchered bodies and blood puddles, the old man moved like a fish in water.


    Out of the hundreds of attacks flying through each second, not a single one grazed him.


    His speed wasn''t very high. In fact, he was only moving in the range of mid level 7, but his timing sense and agility¡­they showed his vast experience.


    ''He''s really a veteran.''


    Swish!


    The veteran stopped at one particr spot where a group of five were fighting a giant green humanoid monster.


    It looked like a goblin from fiction, but with the dimensions of an orc.


    "Kekeke!" the giant goblin cackled and raised its hand. A blue lightning snake appeared in its hand before turning into a whip.


    With a flick of its hand, the whip stretched itself and was about tosh against the team of five.


    "Strengthen the ice wall!"


    "Freeze the space around that whip!"


    "Don''t get close to it. It''ll burst the¡ª"


    A man stood in front of the giant goblin following which the sound of his arrival slowly caught up.


    Whoosh!


    "Old guy, get out or you''ll di¡ª" a member from the team yelled but her voice was cut off by the rumbling of the thunder as the whipshed at the old man.


    Rumble! Zaap!


    The old man, instead of panicking, simply smirked.


    Then, his hands began to glow with a golden light before turning into a mass of lightning.


    ''Ah! He''s a lightning awakener!'' The team understood the reason for his confidence but felt it was still absurd.


    ''His lightning path is only at low level 7.''


    Kaa! Kacha!


    The lightning whip shed with the old man''s hand fiercely for a moment before the old man''s hands dimmed.


    ''Fuck! His hands are going to be fried!''


    But their thoughts were proven wrong the very next second.


    The whip suddenly froze and its already decreased momentum fell further.


    ''Ah! He''s a space awakener. A dual awakener? No wonder¡­''


    Kacha!


    The lightning whip tore the frozen space andshed forward.


    The team wasn''t as worried anymore.


    The old man could teleport and save his life.


    And since the whip was significantly weakened, they were confident in taking it.


    But the old man didn''t escape, rather, he kicked the ground and closed the distance with the goblin.


    The team were dumbfounded at his suicidal actions.


    Both his paths were only low level 7. There''s no way he could win against the giant goblin which was one of the strongest mid level 7s!


    "Idio¡ª"


    "Sto¡ª"


    "Esc¡ª"


    Their voices froze abruptly as they witnessed a ridiculous scene.


    The old man lowered his hand, clenched his fist, covered it with a lightning glove and punched up, aiming right for the goblin''s chest.


    Boom! Kacha! Crackle!


    The sound of bones breaking, lightning crackling and space all ured simultaneously.


    "Keee!"


    The goblin flew into the air and after five seconds, crashed to the ground with a thud.


    The team hurriedly checked it and they couldn''t help but gasp.


    There was arge cavity in the goblin''s chest, destroying its heart!


    "Hiss!"


    "Where is he?"


    The man who killed arguably the strongest creature below high level 7 with a single attack!


    One of the members pointed out with a trembling voice. "¡­There."


    The team turned their gazes and flinched at the sight.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The old man''s figure shed as he fought against a high level 7 armored elephant.


    Rocks and stone flew at him at supersonic speeds and injured him relentlessly.


    Neither the old man''s lightning attacks nor his superhuman strength were effective in injuring the armored elephant.


    In the end, he teleported away from the creature and picked another high level 7.


    A ming tiger.


    Boom!


    It was the same result.


    The ming tiger''s fire walls negated his lightning, its violent bursts broke his space locks and its fire hammers overpowered his strength.


    The old man once again teleported away.


    He killed a few mid level 7s here and there before turning to high level 7s once again.


    Boom!


    And again.


    "¡­Why is he picking the opponents he can''t win?" A member of the team asked with a perplexed expression.


    The old man now had injuries from head to tie, and looked like he was about to die any second.


    So why¡­


    "Compared to him, Charles is just sooo cool." A girl in the team eximed.


    "Why even bother? One is a genius never seen before and the other is¡­even though a bit strong, still a geezer who can''t even fight a high level 7." Another girl shook her head.


    Her eyes showed a trace of disdain as she spat. "Don''tpare genius to medicority."


    They were right.


    The genius they so adored was indeed a mediocritypared to the old man.


    Varian could roughly guess the thoughts of the people around him. More so because he moved very closely to the white wolf.


    Since the white wolf mostly picked high level 7s as its opponents, Varian too picked high level 7s in order to maintain a close distance.


    The result was expected.


    He lost against every single high level 7 monster he fought.


    But that didn''t mean he was weaker than them.


    In fact, Varian wasughing inside.


    ''Finally! I can kill high level 7s!''


    Since thest time he checked status on 38th, he had grown significantly.


    Now, if he used seven, no, even six paths, he was sure of killing majority of high level 7s here.


    But what delighted him even more was¡ª


    "Roar!"


    The giant white wolf howled and ripped the head of the armored elephant.


    The creature he couldn''t defeat with his three paths, Charles did with one.


    Kicking the ground, the white wolf turned around for its new prey.


    Shuaa!


    The old man turned in the direction of the sound.


    Varian''s eyes shed with Charles''.

 Chapter 621 - Reflection In Red

    Chapter 621 - Reflection In Red


    Level 8 Zone, Royal Garden.


    Just like the level 7s, the level 8s also entered a giant forest from the valley. But instead of panicking like level 7s, the level 8s dealt with the situation more maturely.


    Without anyone informing, they took out their keys and saw the announcement.


    {Wee To The Royal Garden}


    {Prove Your Worth To Enter The Pce}


    Unlike the level 7s, they didn''t rush into the forest to hunt down the beasts.


    In contrast to the forty level 8s, the keyholes their gate had were only 20. So, they knew half of them wouldn''t go to the next stage. Yet, they didn''t jump into the forest right away.


    It wasn''t that they had great confidence.


    Rather, it''s¡­


    "We''ll put aside our grudges for some time and work together to check out the situation. Then we can go our own ways." A skinny man with spiky red hair said.


    Standing with him were two men and a woman.


    Since he represented the ''Great Four'' temporarily, the crowd listened to his words carefully.


    Like the three strongest level 7s: Nora, Curtis, and Jamie, these four were at the peak of their group.


    But unlike level 7s, they didn''tmand equal authority.


    The main reason being¡­


    "I agree. This is for the best." A middle-aged man with handsome brown hair nodded and following his words, the nine members behind did the same.


    They were precisely the reason why the four, despite being strongest acted with restraint.


    Out of the forty level 8s, ten were from Charles'' group!


    What''s more shocking was that Charles'' group was actually able to beat the great four. Even though it could barely be considered a victory, it was a fact that they were able to bring down the great four.


    That''s why¡­


    "Since you guys have no objection, then let''s go." Victor Caron, the spiky-red-haired man nodded.


    Even though they weren''t in a pleasant rtionship, the bigger picture was more important.


    As level 8s with way more experiences than level 7s, they understood the horrors of ruins more clearly.


    In this ce, carelessness could cost their life.


    So, they decided to check the ce and gauge it properly before fighting for the keys.


    As a result, they discovered the flying height limit, the translucent barrier protecting the forests, and even more.


    Only after making sure that it''s not a death mission did they call off the group cooperation.


    "Alright, then." Victor Caron nodded at the crowd and his eyes narrowed. "Let''s fight for ourselves."


    Whoosh!


    Excluding Charles'' ten and great four, there were exactly sixteen people, five people in a group.


    The three groups looked at the woman left out and raised a brow.


    "Reveal your identity and we can take you in."


    "¡­"


    Sia stayed silent as her mind wandered.


    If it was Enigma or even if it was her at other times, she''d have used a fake ID to get into a team.


    Things were less suspicious if you were in a team.


    But Sia wasn''t in a mood to think so much.


    "Tch. A lone wolf? How long will you survive?" Shaking their heads, the three teams left.


    Sia finally returned to her senses and looked at the screen.


    Then, her golden eyes shed and she shot into the forest.


    The paths into the forest were wide. Wide enough for twenty people to stand with their hands stretched.


    The path was empty for forty miles until a giant red object blocked the road.


    No.


    Rather than object, it''s a¡ª


    The red creature unfolded itself and pped its wings, revealing its true form¡ªa giant red dragon.


    The pressure emanating from it was at the peak of level 8. Its strength was roughly equal to a member of the great four¡ªthe strongest level 8s in the ruins.


    If it was Sia before entering the ruins, she''d be unable to defeat this thing. But after continuous growth and a progress explosion recently, her strength was a notch higher.


    "Come¡­"


    Brandishing her de, Sia''s psychic powers pulled the red dragon into an illusion and her gravity powers pushed her high into the air, right to the eye level of the giant dragon.


    The dragon''s eyes, dazed but enraged, shook and it opened its mouth. A huge fireball concentrated in its mouth.


    Sia raised her sword with an expressionless face.


    Whoosh!


    Fifteen minutester.


    A sigh escaped from Sia''s lips as she weakly sat on the dragon''s corpse. Her body had many small and considerable medium injuries.


    She was so tired that she didn''t even want to move. So, she ended up staying on the dragon''s body.


    As a result, she inevitably saw the ''creation'' under the creature.


    Due to the giant size of the creature, the amount of blood it let out was extraordinary.


    So, nothing less than a bloodke was formed under its corpse.


    Sia''s golden eyes looked at her reflection in the red liquid.


    Before she knew it, the redke rippled as tears dripped on it.


    Her reflection in red¡­


    It looked back in tears.


    *** *** ***


    I remained frozen as I stood in ce, staring at the ashen face of Amanda next to the fire wolf.


    Pain engulfed me and tears rolled down my cheeks.


    This woman was the reason I had a family in the first ce.


    The person closest to ''mother''.


    The elder I respected.


    She''s gone¡­


    "Wuuww!" Holding back my tears, I stiffly turned toward him.


    The sight nearly caused my heart to stop.


    He was on his knees. The skin below his knees was gone and pieces of his flesh were torn. White of the bones could also be seen in some ces.


    Blood seeped out from his injuries and formed arge puddle under his body.


    My heart pounded as my chest grew tighter in pain. It hurt. It hurt to see him like this.


    But what hurt even more was¡­


    Varian''s hand¡­


    Varian''s hand was stretched in the direction of Amanda.


    His right hand was riddled with injuries. But the closer his hand was to Amanda, the worse they got.


    His wrist was twisted and bleeding heavily. His palm was sunken and bones were visible. His fingers werepletely crushed.


    "Va-Aw!" I couldn''t even utter his name without howling in grief.


    Each step felt like hell, but I reached him.


    With trembling hands, I held him up and called the emergency.


    As my body shook fiercely and tears fell without a stop, my eyes suddenly froze.


    I looked at the puddle of blood.


    The reflection in red¡­


    It looked back in tears.

 Chapter 629 The Complications Of Level 9s

    Chapter 629 - The Complications Of Level 9s


    While Varian passed the test and entered the Prince''s Throne Hall, others were still struggling.


    But there were some who weren''t struggling at all.


    It wasn''t that they had it too easy. But that they had it so hard that they didn''t even try.


    "¡­I''m already lucky to have made it here. I don''t want to risk my life anymore." A woman with a paleplexion wrapped her arms around her shoulders and said. Anyone who saw her pitiful expression would feel an urge to protect her.


    ¡­And that''s how she managed toe so far.


    Outside the valley, a friend of hers found an extra key for her.


    In the valley, she followed behind the people her family knew.


    In the royal garden, she used an attack talisman she got as a birthday gift.


    But now¡­


    "I can''t." Looking at the giant door, she bit her lip.


    Somehow, she got a better sense of this trial or the so-called meeting than others.


    These trials weren''t there to select the right people, but to eliminate the wrong ones.


    She was the wrong candidate.


    With a sigh, she reached the other end of the corridor and found a familiar blue vortex.


    The exit back to the royal garden.


    ''Even though I''ll bebeled as a coward¡­'' Her brows furrowed, but she didn''t hesitate.


    She rather preferred to be a living coward than a dead brave.


    Whiish!


    With the twisting of space, she appeared in the royal garden.


    Out of the fifty level 7s, she was the only one who forfeited.


    Of course, that didn''t mean the rest could clear the test.


    But as level 7s, they had rtively less responsibility and more appetite for risk.


    Level 8s were more cautious but still decided the risk was worth it.


    Because if they manage to get some treasure and skyrocket to level 9, then they''d genuinely have a shot at reaching the Sovereign state.


    As peak level 8s, these members, now in their fifties and sixties were also worried about being stuck.


    Only a small percentage of peak level 8s reach level 9 while the majority get stuck.


    So, all twenty level 8s also picked one of the three gates.


    However, the story changed when it came to level 9s.


    Level 9s were the backbone of the federation. They held immense responsibilities wherever they worked.


    Aoid''s fate depended on level 9s. Thus, if one of these people died, then there''s a good chance that humanity would have to pay a hefty price to just retain thatoid.


    The possibility of theoid being lostpletely couldn''t be ruled out either.


    So, only twenty level 9s entered the valley in the first ce.


    Out of them, five gave up midway and only fifteen reached the royal garden.


    This was where things really turned for the worse.


    Like its level 7 and level 8 counterparts, the level 9 royal garden was also filled with peak level 9 beasts.


    The problem, however, was that only two of the fifteen who made it to the royal garden were peak level 9s.


    In the first ce, there were only a very low number of peak level 9s in the entire federation.


    Moreover, each of them was tasked with heavy responsibilities.


    Most of them didn''t have time for the ruins. The ones that did were reluctant to risk their lives.


    A very important factor affecting their decision was treasures¡ªUnlike level 7s and even level 8s, they didn''t have suitable attack talisman.


    After all, an item that could project attacks of a peak level 9 was insanely rare and strategic.


    But they didn''t give up. Putting aside their differences, they cooperated and managed to y four beasts.


    Thus, two peak level 9s and two high level 9s entered the corridor and were introduced to the giant doors by a purple-robed old man.


    But unlike the level 7s and level 8s, a peak level 9 asked the old man a crucial question.


    "What are my odds of survival?"


    The old man in purple gazed at the hooded level 9 from head to toe.


    As the ''protector'' of Charles, the hooded man did his best so far. But he couldn''t risk his life so easily.


    His life was not his, but the Xanders''.


    "Your odds for mind gate is 0, strength gate is 20, strength & wit gate is 10." The old man answered with a smile.


    "¡­"


    The hooded man fell silent as the sound of heavy breathing filled the air. Clenching his fists tightly, he seriously considered his decision.


    "You have a considerable chance of meeting the prince. Go ahead." The old man beckoned.


    "¡­" The hooded man stayed silent for a few moments before loosening his fists and sighing. "I quit."


    "¡­Too bad." The old man sighed but he didn''t stop. Instead, he pointed to the entrance of the corridor that they started from and said. "There you go."


    The hooded man reached the blue vortex but didn''t exit just yet. Instead, his gaze focused on the remaining three level 9s.


    Those three belonged to different factions and were supporting one prince or another.


    If they entered, then he''d be forced to enter to support Charles, despite the risks.


    Even though there was news that their levels would be suppressed inside, a level 9 had a lot of experiencepared to level 7s.


    If Charles and the team faced these old guys, they''d be at a huge disadvantage.


    That''s why the ideal solution was¡­


    "What about my odds?" The other peak level 9 asked and received a simr response.


    With a sigh, he too walked to the blue vortex. The remaining two did the same and the four level 9s finally quit.


    Inwardly, they were all relieved.


    If they all entered together, they''d end up fighting and the situation could spiral out of control. But now¡­there were only level 7s and level 8s inside.


    With a rather jovial atmosphere, the hooded man returned to the royal garden.


    "Roaa!"


    Before the beast even finished its roar, the four jumped into the blue vortex and returned to the valley.


    Level 9s were, after all, veterans.

 Chapter 642 A Promise

    Chapter 642 A Promise


    "It''s done!" The wings said in a relieved tone.


    Boom!


    Seven distinct auras shot out from Varian''s body before they were quickly hidden.


    Varian clenched his fists and felt the tremendous strength overflowing in his body.


    It was just a blink of an eye, but the worldpletely changed.


    His body was filled with strength. He could perceive the space all around him. His mind was crystal clear and his memory was perfect. A huge vitality flowed in his body every second and many more.


    ''My powers¡­finally!'' Varian fist-pumped the air.


    Boom!


    The air exploded and the shockwave reached every corner of the room.


    "Thank you very much." Varian patted the wings and smiled.


    "Eh~ It''s not much, really." The wings twisted, as if embarrassed before saying. "B-But it took a bit longer than I thought."


    Varian''s hand froze at those words.


    He recalled the ''time'' the altar was off.


    For the mortal him, it was a blink of an eye.


    But for the current him¡­


    ''It''s a significant time.''


    Varian''s brows furrowed and an ominous premonition spread in his heart.


    ''I didn''t fuck up anything¡­right?''


    He had to go up to be certain.


    As he was about to bid farewell to the wings, he caught the glimpse of the third altar.


    The white altar.


    The altar which was engraved with a pair of wings and a halo overseeing the entire sr system.


    Varian''s mind spun and he quickly asked the pair of wings. "Hey, what does this do?"


    "¡­It?" The wings'' voice trailed off before it said in an embarrassed tone. "I-It''s supposed to be my home."


    "It''s where Heaven''s Will resides?" Varian raised a brow in surprise.


    ''Heaven''s Will'' was a daily term for an average citizen across the federation. Like all things in popr culture, Heaven''s Will also had a collective belief.


    It was an all-seeing, all-powerful, and all-knowing entity. It was something that resembled Heaven from old earth''s myths and legends. Thus, it had no physical form.


    So, when he found out that Heaven''s Will might actually be residing in an altar, Varian''s worldview flipped.


    "Well, you can say so." The wings moved up and down as if nodding.


    Varian took a deep breath and pushed down all his doubts for ater time.


    He didn''t know the situation above. It was better to go up as soon as possible. But there was one thing he had to ask.


    "Can you remove the restriction on ghost ship?" Varian requested as he pointed to his finger.


    Any other person wouldn''t be able to find anything but the pair of wings wasn''t any other person.


    It quickly eximed. "So this is where the suppression was going towards."


    "Huh?" Varian let out a confused sound.


    "Scion, the Heaven''s Will was suppressing something on you. I was confused since I couldn''t find anything from a basic nce and I didn''t want to intrude your privacy. So¡­"


    "Ah." Varian nodded before furrowing his brows. "So, can you remove the suppression? I really need Boo back."


    "Well¡­" The wings stayed still, falling silent.


    Varian was in a hurry and wanted to ask the wings to hurry up. But what if something went wrong if he did things in a hurry?


    "Haa! Haa!" Varian took deep breaths and calmed himself. But he couldn''t stop his heart from pounding.


    With each passing second, it felt like hours were passing by.


    Time. Time. Time!


    ''It''s almost 3.5 seconds already!'' Varian nearly screamed.


    In the end, he couldn''t help saying. "H-Hurry up¡­"


    "Ah!" The wings suddenly pped, as ifing out of a daze. With a p, the wings stood in front of his face.


    "I can do the same as I did for the previous altar. I can shut it down for a moment and then, change the targets of the effect." It exined.


    Varian''s eyes narrowed. ????w???ov??.co?


    Previously, the sealing altar was restricting levels in the prince''s hall to level 7 and sealing off all levels in prison. Now, the target of those restrictions was only the prince''s hall.


    If the same thing happened again, then only Boo would be free of suppression.


    Varian was about to nod when his brows suddenly jumped. "Ye-Wait, you will shut it down for a moment? You will shut down what?"


    "¡­Heaven''s Will, obviously?" The wings pped around him as if confused. "I mean, I don''t really have much authority over Heaven''s Will, but this is a small tinkering. I can do it. But only if I can shut it down."


    Varian rubbed his forehead and asked. "That ''moment'', will it be the same duration as thest time?"


    "Well~ That''s my best time." The wings said and looking at Varian''s serious face, it felt like it did something bad.


    "S-Sorry¡­I-I don''t really have authority here. I-I''m just an abandoned thing." The wings drooped.


    "Don''t worry about it." Varian''s patted it lightly and the wings cheered up.


    The wings said in a cheerful tone. "Then I will¡ª"


    "Don''t." Varian cut it off.


    "But why? Don''t you want your ship?" It asked, tilting to the left in confusion.


    "It''s too risky." Varian sighed.


    Heaven''s Will was too important.


    Every day, lots of wars were fought in the federation. Even at this moment, there would be tens of thousands of individuals fighting.


    Like every other level, level 7s, level 8s, and level 9s would also be fighting at this moment.


    The reason humanity was able to even out abyssals was not just their own strength but also the suppression of abyssals under Heaven''s will.


    Sure, the suppression was only a small part of a high level abyssal''s power. But at this level, even just a bit of extra strength had huge implications.


    So, what would happen if Heaven''s Will suddenly disappears?


    Low awakeners wouldn''t even notice it.


    Mid awakeners would notice it, but wouldn''t be able to respond.


    Thening to high awakeners¡­


    Level 7s would notice it. The level 7 abyssals, now free of heaven''s will, would be able tond at least one blow in that small gap.


    Level 8s would be able to carry at least six hits.


    Level 9s¡­


    That small gap would be decisive.


    If a human level 9 and abyssal level 9 were fighting evenly, that ''moment'' without Heaven''s Will would create an opportunity for the level 9 abyssal to finish off the human.


    So, if Varian rashly agreed, then he might cause the deaths of level 9s.


    "¡­Seriously, you don''t want it?"


    "It''s really a tough decision. But no." Varian''s shoulders sagged and he caressed the wings and smiled. "Thank you for everything. I''ll visit you in the future after I clear up my mess, okay?"


    Varian turned around and kicked the ground, about to run.


    The wings that remained silent until then suddenly shouted. "I-I''ll try to fix it without turning the altar off. It''ll take more time, but I''ll give my best. So, pleasee and visit. Don''t forget, okay?"


    There was a pleading in those words that he couldn''t ignore.


    So, Varian, who was about to leave, paused.


    The wings¡­it seemed to have misunderstood something.


    ''Scion is leaving because he thinks I''m useless.''


    Or.


    ''I can''t help Scion. So, he''s leaving to solve the problem by himself.''


    Varian sighed inwardly. Looking after a child was so a burden. But when the child was so earnest, it''d be a burden many would be willing to shoulder.


    The wings floated at his eye level and were quivering in anticipation and fear of rejection.


    Varian smiled brightly. "Do your best. Whether you seed or not, I''ll visit you again. Then, I''ll introduce you to a cute ghost, okay?"


    "Promise?" One of the wings stretched forward.


    "Haha. Where did you learn this?" Varianughed and stretched a finger forward, locking it with the wing.


    "Ehehehe." The wingughed like a child seeing their birthday present and pushed Varian lightly.


    "Don''t dy any longer. I''ll do my best."


    Varian nodded and his body shed.


    Whoosh!


    As if he never appeared, the room turned vacant.


    The wings, cheerful until then drooped abruptly. "¡­Lonely again¡­wooo~"


    But it pulled itself together and pped to the altar. It sat on the altar and connected to the ''Heaven''s Will''.


    A bright shed in the room and the wings quivered in pain.


    "Aghhh! It hurts!"


    As it told before, it didn''t have much authority. The most it could do was little changes here and there.


    But it had to do it without the security systems noticing it or it''d be punished.


    That''s why it turned off the altars before making changes.


    Now¡­


    Zzzz!


    A lightning bolt came out materialized in the room and stuck down the wings.


    "Waaa!"


    The wings shook violently as it started crying out in pain. But it stubbornly clung to the altar.


    "Just a bit¡­I can endure a bit more."


    Since its birth, it was all by itself.


    Zzzz!


    "Kuh¡­I can still go on."


    The first person it talked to was Scion himself.


    Zzz!


    "Aghhh! I have to do it."


    At first, it only had respect and reverence. But with his words and gestures, the Scion made it feel his kindness.


    He treated it like a child¡­which it was.


    A child who was abandoned by its parents was showered in kindness by someone it met for the first time¡­


    Zzz!


    "I¡­I''ll see you again, Scion."


    They promised.


    Its first promise!


    It''d uphold it at any cost!

 Chapter 646 Calm Before The Storm

    Chapter 646 Calm Before The Storm


    "Hey~" Varian shouted to the empty air.


    Enigma, still on the ground, titled her head and looked at him in confusion.


    ''As I thought¡­absorbing so many treasures at once is a bad idea.'' She still needed some time to stand up properly.


    "Hey~ If you can hear me, how long till you the ban on ghost ship?" Varian shouted again.


    Charles'' vision was hazy and he was almost on the verge of fainting, yet he stared at Varian with an intense gaze.


    Just a few seconds earlier, Varian tried putting him inside ''ghost ship'' but failed. Charles felt relieved and terrified at the same time.


    ''¡­I''ll try to kill myself once I can.''


    He didn''t want to live a life full of humiliation.


    He failed his aunt. He couldn''t even beat a guy who was just level 2 three months ago.


    Now, he couldn''t even clench his fists in frustration. He couldn''t feel his arms in the slightest.


    Nor could he grit his teeth in rage. He lost them all.


    "¡­hey, stop staring at him like that." A cold voice snapped him out of his daze and Charles'' eyes moved to the woman in the distance.


    "Keep staring and I''ll gouge your eyeballs out." Charles closed his eyes in reflex before realizing how cowardly he must''ve looked.


    He¡­he was really afraid.


    Oblivious to these two, Varian kept calling. "I don''t want to kill him and if he quits, his people might be waiting in the royal garden. So, lift the ban on ghost ship, pretty please?"


    Finally, the innocent yet cheerful voice sounded directly in his head.


    "Scion, you''re making thingsplicated!" Itined.


    "But I really can''t help it. He''s my¡­stepping stone, but he is rted to a woman I hate the most." Varian exined with a serious expression.


    "Wuu~ Since you hate her so much, then fine." It sighed in a tired voice.


    "Sorry regarding this. Even though you said ghost ship can''t be used in prince''s hall earlier." Varian scratched his cheek.


    That was indeed something it told him.


    ''I can remove the restriction on ghost ship, but not in prince''s hall. You see, the prince hall regtions are controlled by the ''Sealing Altar'' and not the ''Heaven''s Will Altar''.''


    In his original n, Varian would return, defeat Charles and go out. There, he''d hopefully find Sia through ghost ship.


    But now¡­


    "On second thought¡­you''re right. There are indeed quite a few people in the royal garden. If you outside with him like this, it''d be troublesome." The voice said and Varian could almost see its wings shaking to and fro.


    Varian bowed lightly. "Thank you very much. I will remember your help."


    ''And repay.'' He added inside.


    "Eh~ Eh? Ehhhh! Don''t do that! Scion doesn''t have to thank me¡­I''m just an abandoned sessor." It said and added in a low voice. "¡­just keep your promise and visit me."


    "Of course."


    "Give me a few minutes. The seal on your levels will be temporarily paused before you can put him in the ghost ship. But for it to be fully functional would take a bit more time." It informed him.


    "Take all the time you want." Varian smiled, Chares shivered and Enigma closed her eyes in exhaustion.


    *** *** ***


    Level 9 Section of Royal Garden:


    The four level 9 who made it to the three entrances to the prince''s hall gave up fearing the risk.


    But they didn''t leave the ruins and instead stayed in the royal garden. It was thest day anyway and they were also curious about what would happen once this area was fully explored.


    As they chattered among themselves, one of them suddenly stood up.


    "S-Sir?"


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    A man with a heavy build and a notable scar on his face stepped toward them. His eyes were shining with a strange light.


    "Key." He said in a deep, almost indifferent voice.


    "Pardon?"


    "Key for the next stage," Evander said again, forcefully this time.


    "Y-Yes! This is from a colleague who was too injured to use it." The man quickly offered a key.


    "Hm." Evander took it and walked towards the giant entrance.


    The man who offered the key slumped like a deted balloon. The other three men also exhaled. They were holding their breaths.


    They looked at the man''s back once again and doubted their sight for the eleventh time.


    Evander, meanwhile, had already reached the three gates.


    "Late guest, huh. What would you choose? Strength? Wit? Strength and Wit?" The old man in purple asked.


    Evander entered the strength door without a word.


    *** *** ***


    On aoid far away from Mars:


    In the pavilion of a beautiful garden, Kreo sipped a rare tea as he studied the hologram in front of him.


    {He entered the ruins}


    {We gave him the key to the valley.}


    {He entered the valley}


    {He entered the garden}


    {He entered that three-gate area. We can''t find any more information.}


    Kreo put down his teacup and hummed. "So, the three gate area¡­that''s where I lost contact."


    The pendant on him stopped shining a few moments ago. That was also when Kreo lost the ''link'' to Evander.


    Though his mand'' was already fed into his mind, Kreo couldn''t control Evander like before.


    "He won''t be able to break mymand." Kreo wasn''t worried.


    Breaking themand he personally engraved into Evander''s mind was almost impossible.


    Except for the Sovereigns, no one had the slightest confidence in attempting such a feat.


    "In a few minutes, I''ll have Enigma''s head." Kreo smiled. His ''scientists'' also promised that they could create a potion to increase talent if provided with Enigma''s corpse.


    That was also part of the deal with Julius.


    "Oh right, happiness must be shared." Kreo pped his forehead and tapped hism.


    After a few seconds, Julius appeared in casual clothes drenched in green blood. Apparently, he was on aoid ''cleaning up trash''.


    "What is it?" He asked bluntly.


    "Evander just went in. He''ll be out with Enigma and Varian''s head in any minute now." Kreo stroked his beard and boasted.


    "¡­" Julius'' eyes shed.


    Instead of giving the expected smile, he growled. "Did you consider he could escape?"


    "Escape? How?" Kreo raised a brow. Even if Varian reached level 7, he''s powerless in front of Evander. So was Enigma. There''s no way they could esca¡ª


    Kreo''s eyes suddenly widened. "Ghost ship!"


    Yes! Due to their habit of viewing the ruins the same way for decades, they neglected this possibility.


    "Damn! What should I do?" Kreo stood up abruptly.


    The call ended and only the cold voice of the strongest Sovereign remained.


    "I''ll go there personally."

 Chapter 655 A Tribe,A System And A Thief

    Chapter 655 A Tribe,A System And A Thief


    A long time ago, an exalted tribe that ruled one-sixth of everything under the heavens was pushed to the brink of extinction.


    Left with no choice, the tribe abandoned its own bloodline and became a new species in itself.


    It wasn''t as simple as it sounded.


    It''s like humans abandoning their genes and bing apes.


    For the great tribe, it was even more demeaning.


    But they did it.


    The first generations of this new species had a singr goal.


    "Escape!"


    Since they stole the sliver of Order from their arch enemy and fled with their own tribe''s sliver, an intense search began.


    Every star system in the gxy was scrutinized.


    Their bloodline, the source of their pride, became the reason for their death.


    The ones too prideful to throw away their bloodline were cruelly tortured and ughtered.


    So, the ones who swallowed their pride lived.


    But out of fear, they kept running. From the center of civilization to barely civilized star sectors. From civilization to barbariannds.


    Finally, they even ran from barbariannds and settled in a remote corner.


    No life reached there. No civilization bothered to stay here.


    It was an utterly deste location.


    But the new species didn''t mind.


    With great enthusiasm, they settled down in the star system with one sun and eights.


    "We will grasp the powers of the two slivers, grow stronger, and take revenge!"


    The first generation cheered!


    "For the blood of our forefathers!"


    The second generation continued.


    "For our ancestralnd!"


    The third generation agreed.


    "For our glory!"


    The fifth-generation was confused.


    "For the supremacy of A-Ares!"


    The tenth generation marked a new beginning.


    Unlike their predecessors, they focused on their present. The dinners weren''t filled with blood-boiling revenge stories nor were the public speeches focused on regaining the lost glory.


    Devas, for the first time, acknowledged their own existence as a species different from their ancestral race.


    "The slivers of Order and Chaos are the gifts of our ancestors! The greatest treasures of the Universe! We must use them to grow stronger!"


    The Deva Emperor promised.


    "We made a radical discovery from the records of the Ares tribe. All slivers have a tendency to converge! So webined the two slivers in a secure location and left them to their own devices."


    The slivers which were separate until then began to converge in the fifteenth generation.


    "Witness the legend in making! The sliver of Order and Chaos!"


    The twentieth generation only knew it was an incredibly strong power.


    They knew the slivers tended to converge. They didn''t, however, know the consequences.


    "Quick! Separate them! The aura''s cycles are shifting to a deadly pattern! Into an order than kills!"


    The convergence of Slivers was a slow and violent process.


    "We can''t do it! It''s already toote!"


    Once it crossed a threshold, even the divine ranks can''t stop them from merging.


    "E-Emperor, the aura is going out of control! The prosperity of the empire is in a steep decline! The cksmiths can''t embed aura into the weapons. The alchemists struggle to extract aura from the herbs!"


    The Empire that was growing stronger with each generation encountered a situation they couldn''t solve.


    It was a decisive moment. If the Emperor let it be, the situation would''ve subsided after two centuries as the sliver would''ve calmed down.


    But¡­


    "Use the treasures of our ancestors and seal the evil thing!"


    "T-The seal is too precious! Even our best craftsmen can''te close to¡ª"


    "Follow the order."


    The seal was a bracelet. It was in the shape of the Ares tribe''s domesticated creature.


    A dragon.


    The Sliver of Order and Chaos, which was in the middle of convergence, was mercilessly sealed in the dragon bracelet.


    "Wait, Wait, Wait, you''re the one that caused the problem first. Why are you calling them merciless?" Varian interrupted the story.


    [¡­] The System would''ve pped him if it could.


    Can''t he see it was in the middle of portraying its tragic past?


    Damn it! Don''t disturb the flow!


    [The System didn''t ask them for convergence. They did it themselves. The negative effects would''ve disappeared had they waited for one more generation.


    But the Emperor, while making a good decision for his existing empire, made a blunder.


    By trying to restrict the merging process, he crossed a line.


    Thus¡­]


    "¡­" Varian shook his head as if it was a pity. "So, the troubles increased after they sealed you?"


    [They couldn''t even seal properly. They were Devas, not the Ares tribe.] The System showed as much contempt towards devas as its respect towards the Ares tribe.


    "So, they resorted to sealing off the aura?" Varian spected.


    [Yes. That''s the only way to seal the system properly.]


    "Then what?" Varian asked.


    [Tens of thousands of years passed¡­at some point, the merging process ended. This system, as you know it, came into existence.]


    "From birth, you''re sealed, eh?" Varian felt like he was listening to some tragic childhood story.


    [The devas were in a long decline. They wanted to release the aura without releasing the system. That was impossible. Moreover, since the merging was finished, the system''s powers started to affect their civilization.


    They were only supposed to decline. But they started to die.


    It was a slow death. Watching the castle they built crumble brick by brick. Their achievements, their wars, their prosperity¡ªnothing could save them.


    In the end, they went from denial to eptance. They gave up all efforts to unlock the aura and sealed it even further to prevent any possibility of this system from breaking out.


    Then, humans rose. The ghost ship appeared and the aura lock, weakened by the passage of time, broke.


    Using that opportunity, this System also escaped.


    The human world was still new to this System. After a century of deliberation, the system showed itself to a noblewoman.


    The noblewoman picked the dragon bracelet as expected. The System thought things would be great when...


    Your grandmother appeared. She stole the dragon bracelet and shamelessly promoted it as your family''s heirloom.]


    "Cough cough cough." Varian turned his head away and started coughing.


    Inwardly, he praised his ancestor. ''No wonder our family motto: Mine is mine and yours is also mine.''


    ''Wait¡­that sounds like what a thief would say?'' Varian narrowed his eyes.

 Chapter 656 Wake Up~

    Chapter 656 Wake Up~


    {Wonderul Scion! To think you''ve found the answers so quickly! It is really¡ª}


    "I''m in a hurry," Varian said with an impatient expression.


    The conversation with the system happened in his mind and hardly took any time. It wasn''t the same case with this library spirit.


    {Y-Yes! Wee to the highest floor of the library! You can ess the juiciest gossip from here!}


    "Pff!" Varian almost tripped hearing those words.


    Gossip?


    Shaking his head, Varian threw further thoughts off his head and carried Sia into the sixth floor.


    As expected, it was a rtively small room of fifty by fifty square meters.


    There was a small table with a pot, tea cups, and two chairs.


    The room had a cozy feel to it that the other floorscked. It''s more ''alive'' than others.


    Varian quickly shifted his gaze to the two chairs. Without dy, he ced Sia on one of the chairs and he sat on the other.


    "Haa~" A groan of relief escaped his mouth as a refreshing sensation spread throughout his body.


    His mind seemed to be swimming in warm water as it felt veryfortable. Finally, his divine paths¡­


    ''Huh?''


    Varian noticed their cirction rate improved drastically.


    Invisible healing energy entered his body and circled for injuries. Only after ensuring he had no injuries did it leave.


    There was also another invisible energy tracing for any hostilities in his body.


    "Sia¡­" Holding his breath, Varian observed her.


    "Hmm~" Herplexion improved noticeably. The face which was pale seconds ago now had a rosyplexion.


    Her vitality which was on the verge of disappearing was now slowly growing back.


    Badum! Badum!


    Her heartbeat, which was almost non-existent a few seconds ago now reverberated in the silent room.


    "Haa~" Varian exhaled as he felt like a boulder was taken from his shoulders. His chest didn''t feel heavy anymore and his heart calmed down.


    He looked at her and bit his lips, "S-Sia¡­".


    Slowly, Varian stood up and stood the closest to her he could.


    Raising his hand, he carefully scanned the hostile chi in her body.


    As expected of the librarian''s floor, the chi was heavily suppressed. It wouldn''t be able to harm her as long as she sat on the chair.


    "Finally¡­"


    A thread of aura shot from Varian and entered Sia. Like a snake, it slithered from her fingertips and reached the area of her chest.


    Varian scanned the area near her heart. His face crumpled.


    "She...She''s really¡­"


    The chi was heavily concentrated near her heart. One mistake and it''d all be over. She was desperately trying to defend herself.


    Varian took a deep breath and used his aura thread to catch a bit of the hostile chi.


    "Come!"


    He pulled it out. He felt like he was ying tug of war. Except his opponent was a wall!


    Varian gritted his teeth and threw in more aura threads. With all his strength, he once again tried to pull out the strand of chi.


    "Argh!"


    If Varian''s aura threads could bepared to cotton threads, then the chi was equivalent to a steel thread.


    It didn''t budge.


    Sweat rolled down his forehead as his chest heaved up and down, but Varian didn''t stop trying.


    He sent more and more aura threads until finally¡ª


    "Aha!"


    The strand of chi started to move.


    Varian''s feet nted themselves on the floor and he moved his hands back. He looked like a fisherman trying to drag a shark to the shore.


    The strand of chi left her heart, reached her shoulder, and was about to go out when¡ª


    "Huh?"


    Sia''s aura, which was busy fighting the hostile chi finally noticed another foreign aura.


    Like a wild animal that fiercely protects its territory, it reached Varian''s aura threads with great hostility.


    Varian''s eyebrows jumped.


    If Sia was awake now, she could direct her aura and even help him out. But now, not only was there no help but even resistance.


    If her aura really attacked him, then he wouldn''t be able to pull out the chi meaning it''d be back to square one again.


    As Varian''s heart grew nervous, something surprising happened.


    "Huh?"


    Sia''s aura paused on his aura for a second as if it was scanning something. The next second, it actually started helping him!


    "Whoa!" Varian was surprised, but he acted quickly and pulled the chi strand out.


    Ssssz!


    The air turned hotter for a second before an orange light shed. The room glowed for a moment and the chi mixed with the air''s aura.


    "Phew~" Varian wiped the sweat off his forehead and rubbed his palms.


    "That''s one. Only nine hundred and nine-nine remaining."


    Varian started a torturous work.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Sia felt like she was having a long dream.


    It was dark all around.


    The familiar darkness that sheltered her when she was lonely.


    But now the darkness was bleeding.


    No.


    An evil red invaded her space.


    Like blood flowing, the red flowed to every inch around her.


    Sia''s face paled as she felt an unbearable pain the moment the red enveloped her.


    "I...I don''t want to die like this." Sia bit her lips as she fought against the undefeatable enemy.


    As if heeding her call, the ckness that almost disappeared started to resist the red.


    She tried hard. She gave it her best. Even though when she felt like falling apart, she persisted with the sole belief that she shouldn''t end like this.


    "I...I braved myself to face him. Va...Varian had to go through so many things because he wanted to meet me. I need to at least talk to him onest time." Sia vowed.


    Her resistance against the unbeatable enemy continued but as time passed on, she realized the bitter truth.


    It was futile.


    ''¡­I want to talk to him at least once.'' She felt like crying.


    Even the worst criminals had theirst wish heard, but she¡­


    As despair clouded her heart, a bright ray of light tore through the menacing red.


    "Huh?"Sia felt all her fatigue vanish as she bathed in the white light.


    "W-What is this?"


    The redness tried to move. It tried to devour her again. But she could see it clearly.


    It slowed down.


    However, it continued encroaching on her bit by bit. Even with the pir of white light, her death was just dyed.


    But Sia wasn''t willing to die. ''¡­Just once! I want to wake up just once and say how much I missed him!''


    She kept fighting. If it was any other person, they''d have died over a dozen times already.


    But Sia never gave up.


    After living with him for so long, Varian rubbed off on her.


    ''Never give up!''


    As if rewarding her persistence, a change urred.


    A blinding white sun shot toward her.


    Sia closed her eyes instinctively.


    The next thing she knew, she was standing in a snow-white world.


    Contrary to the sight, Sia felt afortable warmness enveloping her.


    Then, the whiteness started to disappear, as if melting away.


    "Woa" Sia covered her mouth as she saw a world of spring.


    Without knowing why her lips curled up as she wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes.


    At the end of the spring was a white door.


    Sia took a step forward. Then another.


    Unable to bear it any longer, she ran towards the door.


    "Varian!"


    So long¡­it was so long.


    A whole year.


    An eternity.


    The gate shed and Sia felt her foggy vision clear.


    What appeared in her vision was the face she always dreamed of.


    Without realizing it, Sia''s voice shivered."V-Varian!"

 Chapter 657 The Birthday [1]

    Chapter 657 The Birthday [1]


    "V-Varian!"


    Hearing that voice, Varian''s tired body shook. Eliminating the hostile chi already took a heavy toll on his body.


    Since he had to concentrate during the whole ordeal, it was also mentally taxing.


    Thus, Varian''s body and mind were pushed to the limit.


    But he kept going for the singr goal of saving her.


    When she finally woke up, his goal was reached and Varian couldn''t hold on any longer.


    "Varian!"


    He only heard her panicking voice before the world turned dark.


    *** *** ***


    The weather was gloomy that night.


    Curse the weather control department. These guys set rains to suit their schedules and it somehow coincided with his training time.


    The seventeen year old Varian was only discovering their hateful side.


    "Fuck!" Gripping a sword in his right hand, he dashed toward the blue wolf.


    Rain continued to pour through the foge and touched the blue fur of the creature.


    "Varian, be careful!" Sia''s voice sounded in his mind.


    "I know," Varian muttered as he sped up his dash.


    The rain drops around the wolf were unnaturally slow. It was because of the water affinity the creature had.


    Simply put, it grew stronger with water.


    So, rain was its best friend and Varian''s worst enemy.


    As the rain drops brought along a refreshing feeling to its body, the wolf raised its head and howled.


    Then, kicking the wet ground, it shot towards Varian.


    Their distance closed in a moment. The wolf raised its paw and pped at his head. The blow was powerful enough to st his skull to pieces.


    So, Varian made no attempts of taking it head on. Instead, he twisted his body like a wrung towel and thrust his sword into its neck.


    It was a single hit but blood splurted out of the creature''s neck like it was water out of a fountain.


    "Haa!" Varian''s body crashed to the ground and he gasped for breath.


    It was just one attack but the stress on his body was tremendous.


    As hey on the thick green grass in the middle of a small forest, a sense of peace filled him.


    He looked through the dense leaves and spotted the moon. It was bright red as always, bringing him the light eminating from the military bases.


    "B-Beauti¡ªOuch!" He cried out when he was in the middle of praising the moon.


    "Hey, what was that for?" Varian rubbed his pinched side and looked at Sia with using eyes.


    Sia crossed her arms and didn''t answer. Since they came here right after school, she was still in her uniform. A ck coat over a white shirt and a pleated skirt with long socks.


    Even though the uniform wasn''t anything fancy, she looked stunning nheless.


    "Pretty," Varian said.


    Sia raised a brow and shook her head. ''Not going to work this time.''


    Seeing that she didn''t fall, Varian put on a sad expression and said. "I really mean it from the bottom of m¡ª"


    "Arghh! It''s your birthday! We''re runningte already! Get up already!" Sia finally lost it and yelled at him.


    Varian looked at her with innocent eyes. "Can''t I be like this for just a bit more?"


    "No! Amanda is waiting." Sia insisted.


    "That''s true but¡­" Varian paused and patted the grass on his left. "If we''re a bitte, she''ll finish her work stuff."


    Sia stared at him expressionlessly.


    "Here." Varian once again patted the grass on his left. It was soft and the night wind was cool. Through the dense canopy, the red rays of the moon shone on them.


    A wonderful sight.


    "Really¡­" Sia grumbled buty down beside him.


    Feeling the soft body close to him, Varian chuckled.


    "Don''tugh." Sia pinched his waist and looked at him with a grudging face. "You corrupted me into this. I didn''t want it."


    "Sure. Sure." Varianughed louder.


    Sia snorted and tried adjust on the grass several times. Not finding anyfortable position, she sighed. "It''s your fault. So, take responsibilty."


    "Huh?" Varian raised a brow when he felt a weight on his chest followed by a warmth.


    Sia rested her head on his chest and stared at the sky.


    "¡­I object to be a human pillow."


    "Objection overruled."


    "Aii~ Bullying such an honest man, Sia, wait for karma to catch up. One day, I''ll bully you."


    "Hehe." Sia covered her mouth and chuckled.


    "What? You don''t think I can bully you?" Varian made a menacing expression.


    Sia turned her face slightly and met Varian''s gaze. "If you get the chance, I''m sure you''ll try to bully me but calling yourself honest? Tsk, Tsk."


    "Jealous, you''re very jealous." Varian nodded to himself.


    "Yeah, yeah." Sia smiled.


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    A silence fell on them as they stared at the red moon.


    "Sia."


    It was Varian who spoke first. Unlike earlier, his voice was grave.


    But Sia heard more. She also heard his weakness, his fear and his hope.


    She turned around and hugged him tightly. "Shh~don''t think too much about it. You''ll go, you''ll awaken and everything will get better."


    Varian closed his eyes and hugged her tightly.


    The night breeze seemed very cold all of a sudden and he desperately sought her warmth.


    Varian''s heart raced as his fear finally surfaced.


    On his birthday, he''d get the ''ticket'' to the dungeon. With his mother''s savings as well as the loan Sia took, he''d be able to afford an adventure team for a whole day.


    If everything went well, he''d awaken. It''s a bitte, but he''s confident in catching up with others.


    He''d join college and join the army after graduation.


    He''s confident that he''d be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with her in the future.


    But everything was on the premise he awakened.


    If he didn''t¡­


    The only hope that kept him going despite the bullying, ostracization and hardships would crumble.


    "I''m scared," Varian confessed.


    "No matter what happens, I''ll be with you," Sia said and rested her head on his chest.


    Badum! Badum!


    His loud heartbeat was the only noise in the silent forest.


    "Sia¡­" Varian''s voice was weak.


    "Hm¡­" As she was lying on his body, she just raised her head to look into his eyes.


    "Thank you foring into my life." Varian smiled from the bottom of his heart.


    "¡­Fool." Sia blushed and avoided his gaze.


    "Pretty." He said suddenly.


    Sia covered her beet red face and felt her heart race. Another heartbeat sounded in the forest.


    Badum! Badum!


    Through the gaps between her fingers, she saw Varian''s teasing smile. With a pout, she protested. "¡­?! Cheating! This is cheating!"


    "Hahaha!"

 Chapter 658 The Birthday [2]

    Chapter 658 The Birthday [2]


    "I had to wait thirty minutes, not that I''mining. So, how was it? Your little date?" Amanda asked with a teasing smile.


    Varian and Sia who just entered through the main door froze at her words. Sia stomped her foot and red at Varian before leaving.


    "I told him you''d be waiting." She ran away as if it was all Varian''s fault.


    But both Varian and Amanda could see the tips of her ears turned red.


    "Well?" Amanda looked at her son with a teasing gaze.


    "What are you talking about? It was just a training session." Varian said in a in tone that showed his disinterest.


    Amanda stepped forward and sniffed. "Really? Then why do I smell her scent on you? Hmm? Are you moving too fast?"


    "Mom! You aren''t a body awakener, okay? You are just imagining the smell." Varian looked at her in frustration.


    Amanda''s smile grew wider.


    "It''s not like that," Varian said forcefully.


    "Like what?" Amanda''s face showed a dreamy smile. "You two are such a perfect¡ª"


    "An unawakened with a genius is a perfect pair?" Varian''s voice was low but Amanda could feel how much he loathed himself.


    It wasn''t normal self-me. It went beyond that. It was loathing. Hating yourself for who you are. Varian despised himself to a great degree.


    "¡­Var." Amanda hugged him and patted his back.


    "I try, I really try my best, but I still can''t feel good about myself. We are already close¡­but if we move closer, I''m afraid I''ll pull Sia into this and hurt her. My mind, it''s very negative. Sometimes I just wished I was never¡ª"


    Varian was silenced as Amanda put a finger on his lips. "Shhh."


    "¡­Yeah, I''m sorry." Varian lowered his head and clenched his fists "I wish I could make you and Sia happy. But I''m just dragging you down."


    "You''re wrong," Amanda said resolutely.


    "No! If not for me, Sia would''ve focused on her training and won the championship! She says she lost because her opponents are geniuses, but I know she''s the real genius! She sacrifices so much time for me every day yet she''s the best in our school." Varian said in a frustrated tone, his voice full of self-me.


    Then, he looked into his mother''s eyes and a wry smile appeared on his face. "Mom, I can''t even see you twice a week. You''re working, working, working¡­if not for me, you would''ve lived an easier life."


    Amanda fell silent for a few seconds. She carefully observed her son. In truth, she had only some time to spend with him and Sia every week. So, she wasn''t there for him during his childhood.


    To her, it felt like she saw the bright smile, and optimistic Varian yesterday. The little boy who went to the orphanage and promised to be the strongest Sovereign.


    The waves of time had been harsh on him.


    Now, all she saw was a young man hiding a sea of darkness in his heart.


    "Varian," Amanda slowly rubbed his hair.


    "¡­Please don''t lie. I know I''m making it hard for you guys. But¡­what makes me even more ashamed is I don''t want you to stop what you''re doing.


    I hope you can continue to work and send us to school until we get into college.


    I still hope for Sia to train me. Not because I want to waste her time, but because I hope to awaken one day and share her burdens.


    I¡­I really am incorrigible.." Varian''s broken voiceid out his honest thoughts.


    Amanda sniffed back her tears and said. "I''m not denying it''s a bit harder for me and Sia."


    "..I know, that''s why¡ª"


    "But you are still wrong."


    "¡­Huh?"


    "Var, you are making me and Sia happy. Look at me, I''m the proudest mom of all the mothers I know." Amanda broke out of the hug and took his hands in hers.


    Looking into his eyes, she said with teary eyes. "When kids his age were ying, he was training. When they were partying, he was training. When they were enjoying their youth, he was training.


    Train. Train. Train.


    He has been doing it every day for the past seven years. He never missed a day. Rain, fever, injuries¡ªnothing stopped him.


    He did this all so that he can grow powerful and make sure no other kids are fatherless!


    How can I not be proud of you? My heart swells with happiness. I''m the luckiest mother! I''m also the happiest mother!"


    Varian touched his cheeks. There was something warm and wet flowing down them.


    "I¡­" When he was about to speak, Sia''s room door opened and the brown-haired girl stepped out in tears.


    She pointed at Varian and said in a choking tone. "And I! I''m the happiest girl I''ve ever known.


    I don''t care if I win that stupid tournament of a decade, but I take all the care if it''s the training you do every day.


    When someone says you''re staying with me to use me, I want to kill them over and over."


    Amanda''s eyes widened as she looked at Sia in shock.


    Sia, on the other hand, took a step forward and pulled his hands. cing them over her cheeks, she said.


    "They only see a talented girl and unawakened boy. They will they ever understand what he did for her.


    They won''t know his sacrifices, his help, his risks. They will know nothing.


    So, I don''t care about them. I only care about you.


    I''m going to the military academy this year not because I''m keen on honing my talents, but because I can keep you safe when I''m more powerful.


    Do I need to tell more to show how happy I am?" Sia looked at him with red eyes and sniffed back her tears.


    But in the end, she failed and started sobbing.


    Varian stood still like a statue.


    It happened at some point.


    He started hating himself.


    Even though he tried his best, even though he always meant good for them, he thought he was making them miserable.


    But hearing what they said¡­


    He had no words. All his answers were revealed in his soundless tears.


    "Ah! Guys! This is a birthday. Don''t make it a crying contest." Amanda wiped the tears off her eyes and smiled brightly.


    Hearing her words, Sia forcibly held back her tears and went to wash her face.


    Amanda handed Varian a tissue and said. "If you cry more, I''ll take a picture of you and disy it in the living room."


    Her threat worked and Varian quickly wiped off his tears. In fact, it was a rare asion for him to cry. But the stress mounted and he ended up snapping.


    Thankfully, he had a wonderful family who had his back.


    The heaviness in his heart was lifted and Varian felt like he began a new chapter in his life.


    "Happy birthday to you~ Dear cryboy~"


    "Happy birthday to~ Training madman~"


    Amanda and Sia''s singing wiped the smile off his face just as quickly. With frustration, he asked.


    "Everyone has cool nicknames. You guys suck at this."


    Amand and Sia both clicked their tongues and said together. "It suits you."


    "¡­" Varian gave up on fighting the women and blew the candles.


    "This is a special birthday!" Sia dered cheerfully.


    Varian''s face brightened at her words.


    Since he studied extra hard and discovered he was actually a genius, Varian


    managed to finish the three-year high school in two.


    In a few days, he''d be graduating.


    Sia didn''t finish her studies, but since she was kinda a genius, she could join the academy early.


    As for what he''d do in the year she left for college¡­


    "This is the pass!" Sia and Amanda handed him a golden card.


    "You can request a team full of veteran level 2s. There will also be one level 3." Sia smiled brightly.


    "Woah¡­" Varian was surprised.


    Amanda winked with a meaningful expression. "Sia''s loan doubled for that level 3. You better hurry and awaken."


    "W-Wait, level 2s are plenty!" Varian stuttered and was about to return the card.


    Sia shoved the card back into his arms and harumphed. "It''s just a feeling, but I feel like your first dungeon trial could be dangerous. So, a level 3 is a must!"


    Amanda nodded at her words.


    "¡­Alright." Varian epted with a sigh.


    Amanda poked him in the side and said. "Cut the cake! I didn''t have dinner yet."


    "Ah, sorry mom!" Varian apologized and held the knife.


    As the knife was about to touch the cake, the ground suddenly shook.

 Chapter 659 The Birthday [3]

    Chapter 659 The Birthday [3]


    "Wha¡ª"


    Varian instinctively stepped forward and stood in front of Sia and Amanda.


    The next second, the wall of the room broke apart. The broken pieces zed in mid-air and shot out in all directions.


    As the one with the highestbat instincts, Varian was the first to respond despite being an unawakened.


    His body moved on its own and he pulled down both Amanda and Sia.


    His vision spun and the next thing he knew, he was on the floor as a piece of ming tile flew inches above the bewildered Sia and the confused Amanda.


    His gaze darted to the broken wall as his heart gripped.


    The wall of his room, the one filled with the records of his personal heroes was gone. A cloud of dust was all that was left.


    In the dust, a pair of red eyes shone and arge silhouette appeared.


    Varian felt a sense of terror fill every fiber of his being. He desperately wanted to run away.


    But hearing the ragged breathings behind, he gritted his teeth.


    He picked a piece of the broken brick and hurtled it toward the creature as he yelled. "Run!"


    Hearing his shout, both Amanda and Sia came to their senses. Their instincts too warned them to run away. But they joined the fight right away.


    A mad howling sounded and the creature¡ªred-furred, two-meter tall¡ªa giant ming wolf was about to pounce on Varian.


    But suddenly, its pupils constricted and its movements slowed down.


    Right then, the broken brick that Varian threw reached its left eye.


    Varian''s eyes glittered in hope. Even though the creature seemed to be at the peak level 2, if it lost one of its eyes, then things would be easier.


    Like all the monster hunting novels he read, blinding an enemy was the best way to¡ª


    A fireball shot up in front of the wolf and melted the brick into ashes. Then, it shot straight at Varian.


    "Varian!"


    "Var!"


    The anxious shouts of Amanda and Sia reached him but Varian couldn''t avoid the attack.


    Due to Sia''s mind power interfering with the process, the fireball was indeed slow, but it was still too fast for an unawakened Varian.


    He could only watch as it reached him at a ridiculous speed.


    Right when he thought it''d hit him in the chest and burn his heart to crisp, the fireball mmed down on the ground in front of him.


    "!"


    Varian''s eyebrows jumped and he turned to see Sia panting with a clenched fist. Her other hand was pointing in his direction.


    The gravity power¡­


    Without another word, he sprinted and reached a position rtively remote to the ming wolf''s field of vision.


    As he picked up another stone to hurl, the sound of thunder reached his ears.


    "Mom?"


    Amanda''s awkwardly conjured lightning ball reached the ming wolf. The creature merely twisted its body and dodged.


    She was a nonbatant awakener and wasn''t even regarded as a threat by the monster.


    With a roar, the beast''s fire sense noted the two beings that posed a threat.


    The brown-haired girl''sbat sense wasn''t great. She likely never had a real battle with monsters¡ªwhich was the case with almost every youth her age.


    Despite that, she wielded two powers and posed it a deadly threat.


    The other option was the boy. Even though he had the bestbat instincts, his powers werecking to hurt it. If he had a weapon, he could''ve been a bigger threat.


    Moreover, the two women seemed to care about him from the way they shouted. Even though it wasn''t very intelligent, the wolf was able to sense the kinship between them.


    So, with a growl, it shot a dozen fireballs at the boy.


    "Stop!"


    "Don''t!"


    Amanda ran towards Varian using all her strength. But there''s no way she could make it in time.


    On the other hand, Sia used her gravity powers and diverted all but one fireball.


    But that one fireball, despite being slowed reached him.


    All Varian could see was a blur and in the next second, his body started to burn.


    "Arghh!" His painful scream made the hearts of Sia and Amanda ache and their eyes reddened in grief.


    "Var!" Amanda finally reached Varian.


    Seeing her son''s burnt skin and bleeding chest, her heart ached and rage boiled in her heart.


    All the fear in her heart vanished. She stared the ming wolf in the eye and conjured a lightning bolt.


    The ming wolf not only didn''t back down, but it instead sprinted towards them.


    "Die!" With a voice filled with hatred, she cursed.


    Amanda''s lightning bolt shot at a speed far surpassing her earlier attack.


    "Woo?" The ming wolf was caught off guard and was about to dodge.


    With its speed, it shouldn''t be a problem. But a numbing mind pain and chaotic gravity restricted its movements.


    "Roar!"


    The wolf shrieked in pain as the lightning bolt hit it in the shoulder.


    A numb feeling spread to its upper parts and blood spilled on the ground.


    "I¡­" Amanda felt a feeling of weakness spread throughout her body and she copsed onto her knees.


    She wasn''t a fighter and the earlier attackpletely drained her.


    "Roar!" The ming wolf''s calm eyes turned bloodshot and it bolted towards the woman on her knees.


    Sia''s eyes widened as she realized she could only dy the creature, not stop it.


    "Wait!"


    She yelled as she ran after the wolf.


    With her current powers, she could either boost her own speed or slow down the wolf, not both.


    "You beast!" Her words were like needles that prickled the wolf''s brain.


    "Roar!" The creature''s eyes grew erratic as it felt a terrible pain in its head.


    Sia did this to provoke the creature and make herself a target.


    But the wolf was already furious and her actions only made it more bloodthirsty. It ran towards its nearest target.


    Amanda.


    Despite the gravity path restricting it, despite its mind aching, the wolf was quickly closing the distance between them.


    "Eat me!" Sia shouted in tears as she ran after the beast. Her speed wasn''t fast enough.


    "I have more aura!" Her heartbreaking cry echoed in the poor neighborhood.


    Under Sia''s teary eyes, the wolf lunged forward.


    Amanda''s body froze as her face paled.


    Right when she thought she was going to die, she felt a pull from her leg and rolled to the side.


    In her ce was Varian. The right side of his body waspletely burnt. His flesh was charred and bones showed in some ces.


    Yet he managed to save Amanda at thest moment.


    One would wonder how he was even conscious despite such terrible injuries.


    But Sia didn''t wonder.


    Nor did Amanda.


    When they saw Varian swapping ces at thest moment, their hearts froze.


    "Roar!" The wolf''s mouth reached Varian in the blink of an eye.


    On his knees, Varian was powerless to stop his impending death.


    "Varian!" Sia was just a step away from the wolf, but the distance was like an uncrossable moat.


    Sia raised her hand to stop her worst nightmare from happening, but she was helpless as the wolf''s teeth touched Varian''s skin, about to tear his throat.

 Chapter 660 The Birthday [4]

    Chapter 660 The Birthday [4]


    "STOP!"


    Sia''s golden eyes were filled with tears until then, but they suddenly burned with rage.


    The world seemed to slow down. In an instant, Sia''s eyes and hair turned into a dreamy mix of red, blue, and yellow.


    A mysterious aura simr to an ancient treasure spread out from her body.


    "Die!" Her cold voice was like the decree of death.


    The wolf''s teeth that were about to tear Varian''s throat froze abruptly and the wolf was forcibly pulled back.


    The woman held the giant wolf by its neck and broke its neck with a flick.


    She threw away the creature like it was trash and turned toward the son and mother.


    "S-Sia?" Amanda''s emotions were a mess. Despairing her son''s death to dumbfounded at Sia''s transformation¡ªit all happened in an instant.


    All she could do was stare at the unfamiliar girl in shock.


    "S¡­Si..?" Varian''s lips trembled as he looked at the strange girl in front of him.


    She was Sia a moment ago. But she wasn''t Sia anymore.


    He didn''t know why, but his gut told him that she wasn''t the same person. Worry filled his mind and Varian opened his mouth painfully. "W-Where is¡ª"


    The woman ignored his words and stepped toward Amanda.


    Her tri-color eyes still burned with rage. She exuded a fearsome killing intent that far surpassed the wolf.


    Reaching Amanda''s position, she stared down at the woman and raised her hand.


    A sphere of darkness conjured in her palm.


    "S-Sia?!" Amanda cried out in shock. "Don''t you recognize me?"


    The woman didn''t answer.


    Instead, she clenched her fist.


    "Die!"


    Her voice was unforgiving.


    "Stop!" Varian''s throat burned as he shouted.


    His knees were terribly injured, but he stood up and staggered forward.


    "Sia, stop her!" He pleaded as he ran towards Amanda.


    With each step he took, blood gushed out as his wounds worsened.


    "Varian, stay back!" Amanda shouted in fear.


    Varian didn''t.


    As the woman continued to stare at Amanda with eyes filled with killing intent, he ran forward and was just a foot from Amanda.


    "Sia! Stop her now!" He yelled.


    The woman who was still until then suddenly raised her head and met his eyes.


    "Si¡ª"


    Varian crashed to the ground.


    The weight of his body suddenly rose by multiple times. In his injured state, he couldn''t even lift a finger.


    ''Gravity power!''


    Varian''s heart dropped as he raised his eyes and nced at the woman who moved her palm closer to Amanda.


    Amanda,ying on her back, looked at the strange woman with a pained look. The ball of darkness slowly approached her.


    "Mom!" Varian''s yelled as his throat threatened to tear apart. His heart crashed against his ribcage and tears streamed down his face.


    "Mom! Mom!¡­." Varian pulled strength from every fiber of his being and tried to move.


    His body was still frozen. At that moment, Varian hated himself more than anyone else.


    "Please move!" He gritted his teeth. "I''m begging you! Move just this once and you can stay still forever!"


    No matter how hard he tried, Varian''s body refused to budge.


    "Die!" The woman''s palm touched Amanda''s head.


    "NO!" Varian''s heart broke apart as he watched his mother''s dying face.


    Amanda turned to him at thest moment. Her face didn''t hold a trace of fear. But the tears dripping from the corner of her eyes didn''t stop.


    She didn''t want to die. Not yet.


    She still had a lot of things she wanted to do and experience.


    Her son hadn''t awakened yet. He hadn''t grown powerful yet.


    If growing powerful and stopping the war was her son''s wish, watching him aplish that with pride was her wish.


    Unlike other mothers, she allowed him to train as much as he wanted and supported him with everything she got.


    Because she too had a dream.


    When she died, she wanted to tell herte husband that their son had grown up.


    "¡­You always said it''s sad to see orphans from war. Our son also had to grow up fatherless. But now there''s no more war. Our son did it! He fulfilled your dream!"


    Amanda''s tears continued to fall as the light in her eyes started to lose focus.


    She didn''t get to hold her grandson. She didn''t get to see Sia in her wedding dress.


    Yet, her life was about to end.


    Looking into her son''s red eyes that didn''t stop crying, she had a lot of things to say.


    Farewells. Wishes. Promises.


    But in the end, she said the most important thing.


    "Save¡­Sia."


    Amanda''s eyes dimmed and she stopped moving.


    "MOM!" Varian''s tragic cries filled the air as he wailed like a child.


    "This is a nightmare! Yes. Nothing happened!" Blood started to leak out of his mouth, but he rambled endlessly as he turned his face away from Amanda''s body.


    "Once I wake up, everything will be alright!" His tears didn''t stop falling.


    "Sia will be normal. Mom will be alive." Varian bit his bleeding lips and forcibly closed his eyes.


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    The sound of footsteps caused him to force his eyes open.


    The strange woman with the tri-color hair and eyes looked at him with the same rage and killing intent.


    Feeling the alien stare, Varian raised his head and stared back at the woman with hollow eyes.


    He couldn''t beat her down. His hands were frozen.


    He couldn''t roar at her in anger. His throat was bleeding.


    He couldn''t cry in pain. His tears dried up.


    All he could do was wish for death.


    And wish he did.


    The woman raised her hand and a ball of darkness appeared in her palm.


    Without a word ofint, without a sign of protest, Varian closed his eyes.


    Your entire life was said to sh moments before death, but no such thing happened to him.


    His mind was like a sheet of paper.


    nk. Devoid of even the simplest of thoughts.


    He awaited his death. Perhaps, he could meet his parents on the other side.


    But death never came.


    "¡­" Varian opened his eyes and saw the strange woman kneeling in front of him. She clutched her head and her gaze quickly alternated between the wolf and Amanda.


    Suddenly, her pupils shrank and her eyes widened.


    "N-N...o...enemy...aman...is...wol..." Her teeth chattered as she tried to form a coherent sentence.


    Then, she turned to Varian. Her face was deathly pale as if she lost all blood. The enraged look in her eyes was reced by a look of disbelief and guilt.


    In the end, she bit her lip so hard that blood spilled out.


    "¡­It''s my fault."


    She lowered her head and said in a bitter tone.


    "I¡­I will take my punishment."


    The woman''s hair turned to brown and her tri-color eyes reverted to the familiar golden.


    Sia covered her mouth and crawled towards Varian.


    "I¡­."


    She was choking on her tears.


    "...What did I do?"


    That was thest thing Varian heard before he lost consciousness.


    *** *** ***


    "V-Varian?"


    On the sixth floor of the library, Sia called out. Her voice was a mix of hope and despair.


    "I¡­" Varian''s eyshes fluttered and he slowly opened his eyes.


    [Memory Fog: 0%.


    Complete Memory is regained.]


    A blue screen shed in front of his eyes for a moment before disappearing.


    The world in front of him turned clear and the familiar sight of the library entered filled his vision.


    However, his attention was drawn to the girl staring at him with teary eyes.


    "S¡­Sia."

 Chapter 661 The Reunion [Start]

    Chapter 661 The Reunion [Start]


    "S...Sia?"


    Varian''s eyes held aplicated expression as his gaze fixated on her trembling figure.


    "Y-Yes¡­" Sia replied in a trembling voice.


    "Haa¡­" Varian exhaled deeply and copsed back onto his chair.


    He nkly stared at the ceiling.


    His heart was in turmoil. His mind was barely churning out thoughts.


    He imagined many ways his reunion with Sia could go.


    Would he be happy? Would he end up in tears? Would he hug her tightly and tell her she shouldn''t run away?


    But none of the reunions were silent.


    That''s how the real reunion turned out.


    "¡­you r-remembered it, right?" Sia took a deep breath and gazed at him with a pale face.


    Varian snapped out of his daze and looked at her again. In the past, when she tried to speak to him, hepletely ignored her.


    It resulted in her leaving for the defense academy and getting captured by Roxanne¡­


    "I remember. Everything." Varian spoke stiffly like he was a robot learning humannguage.


    Sia looked into his eyes and ced her hand on her heart. His eyes had both extremes of emotions.


    She gritted her teeth and asked. "Do¡­do you want to kill me?"


    "Huh?" Varian rose from his seat at her words and looked at her in shock. "Sorry?"


    "Would you feel better that way?" Sia asked with a wry smile.


    "Are you crazy?" Varian sat down with an annoyed expression. "I will feel like shit if I do that."


    "¡­" Sia didn''t know what to say, but she was happy at his words.


    Her versions of the reunion were different. She was almost certain that Varian would face her with hatred. That he would curse her for Amanda''s death and rightfully so.


    She was even prepared for ''death''.


    So, it was no small matter for her that Varian didn''t consider killing her.


    Looking at the ground, Varian said. "It''s Enigma, right? The one who k-killed mom."


    Sia stiffened at his words. She nodded slightly before shaking her head.


    "What?"


    "Enigma has been sleeping for five hundred years. Even though she has some experience with the outside world, it''s like the dreams from sleep.


    When my intense emotions woke her up, she only knew that she had to kill something. She¡­wasn''t even properly awake." Sia bit her lip and revealed the truth.


    Varian clutched at his knees and said. "¡­So she was sleepwalking?"


    "Hm. And my emotions were the reason she acted that way. It''s my responsibility. Not hers. Though¡­she feels equally guilty." Sia said.


    "Haa!" Varian sighed out loud as he leaned back into his chair.


    Enigma¡­


    Varian closed his eyes and recalled every interaction he had with her. At first, he thought her attitude was normal.


    But the more he interacted with her, the more he realized that she wasn''t what she seemed.


    Sometimes, she was just socially awkward. The others, she didn''t how to deal with emotions.


    But of all, she was ''caring'' for him.


    Until now, he thought it was because he was rted to Sia. But thinking back, she nearly died in Pluto.


    Out of all the people, she had the worst injuries. She could''ve stopped fighting and tried to escape.


    Even in the Prince''s Hall, Enigma fought Charles to tooth and nail. Even when her body was falling apart, Enigma stubbornly tried to kill him.


    Why did she have to do that?


    She could''ve escaped.


    Just the words ''I quit'' would''ve been sufficient. Once she was sent to the beast garden, her level would revert and her life would no longer be in danger.


    Yet, she took the risk.


    "She is¡­" Varian recalled the moment Evander attacked him.


    If not for Enigma using her own body to protect him, he''d have died without a doubt.


    By doing so, Enigma nearly pushed herself to death.


    She''d have never known that he''d find the library and heal her.


    Without asking for anything, she sacrificed her life to save his''.


    Varian clenched his fists hard. His palms were wet from the hot red liquid that dripped down his fingers.


    Finally, Varian raised his head and looked at Sia.


    "¡­Sia," Varian said dryly.


    "Y-Yes." Sia''s voice still shivered and she lowered her head like a guilty criminal.


    "¡­Is there anything you want to say?"


    "It''s not Enigma''s responsibility, it''s mi¡ª"


    "Not about that. We are talking to each other after nearly a year. I had a lot of thoughts I wanted to talk to you about. But honestly, my heart is in a mess right now. So, do you have anything to say?" Varian asked in a tired tone.


    Sia raised her head and looked at him carefully.


    He¡­He wasn''t angry. The rage in his eyes earlier dissipated.


    But he still¡­


    "I wish you and Sarah a happy future." Sia bit her lip and said the words that prickled her heart. "We¡­We met and now you know why I don''t want to appear in your life. So, I won''t disturb you two."


    Varian looked at her silently.


    Tears welled up in her eyes, but Sia continued. "E-Enigma will continue her work against the Abyssals. She doesn''t want to admit it, and I myself realized onlyter, but she is doing it out of her guilt."


    Varian took a deep breath and propped his chin on his hand. He still didn''t say a word.


    Sia started sobbing, assuming his silence as eptance. Even though she felt deserved the punishment, it still hurt.


    This was why she never wanted to meet him in the first ce. But now that she did, she decided to make things clear.


    "I-If you need any help, ask Enigma. Unlike Enigma, I can''t wield the path of the third path. So, she''s stronger than me. Even though she won''t say it, she''s happy to help. Anything I can do, Enigma can do it better. So¡­thank you for everything and sorry for everything." Sia finished her words and copsed in her seat like a deted balloon.


    Her eyes dazedly stared at the ceiling,plicated emotions swirling in her heart.


    Even though there was a tiny hope in her heart, she too knew it was delusional. Now that her hopes were crushed, she epted reality.


    It was never going to be the same again.


    As her thoughts descended into a spiral, Varian''s serious voice sounded.


    "Can Enigma do anything better?"


    "Ah¡­y-yes," Sia replied with a wry smile. ''What was I expecting¡­I hoped he said something else¡­I am really hopeless.''


    "Anything?" Varian asked again.


    "YES!" Sia gripped her fists and said. With each second staying her, her heart was bleeding. She just wanted to cry. She didn''t want to talk anymore.


    Since he saw the memory , a million thoughts crossed in Varian''s mind.


    It''d be false to say he held no anger. Not particrly towards Sia or Enigma. But rage towards the unfair situation.


    Why did they have to lose control?


    Why did his mother have to die?


    Even if Sia and Enigma felt sorry, would his mothere back?


    Then...


    What should he do?


    Should he avoid her, hate her and treat her harshly for something that happened because she tried to save his life?


    Or kill her or rather Enigma¡ªwhich would also kill Sia and get revenge?


    What would he feel then?


    How would he feel killing the one person who despite her own hardships cared for him for a mistake she didn''t intentionallymit?


    Varian paused for a moment and thought about what his mother would''ve wanted him to do.


    ''Save Sia...''


    Varian''s heart was in a turmoil.


    The negative emotions towards Sia or Enigma or perhaps towards himself didn''t just dissipate.


    But he decided to take a step forward.


    Forgiveness or eptance would take time but...


    "Can she cook better than you?"


    "Y-Yeeees?" Sia raised her head in confusion.


    He had to start somewhere.

 Chapter 662 The Reunion [End]

    Chapter 662 The Reunion [End]


    "Oh? She can cook better than you?" Varian raised his brow in surprise, implying ''That was unexpected.


    "N-No. She¡­never cooked." Sia waspletely confused but her heart beat eagerly. Her hope just wouldn''t die.


    "Then how can she help me?" Varian shrugged and pointed at her. "She can''t do everything better than you. Compared to you, she can''t cook better, can''t smile better, can''t speak better, can''t listen better."


    "T-That''s¡­" Sia was at a loss for words. Just what was he trying to say?


    "Idiot."


    "Huh?"


    "Should I say it directly?" Varian gave a wry smile. "You used to call me dense, but you are the dense one now."


    Sia flinched at his words. "H-How am I dense?"


    She genuinely couldn''t understand. Cooking, smiling, speaking, and listening¡ªthey weren''t important enough for him to interact with her.


    Varian looked at her with a sad face and said in a pleading tone. "Don''t disappear from my life, Sia. Please don''t run away again."


    "I¡­don''t want to keep you sad." Sia clenched the cloth of her pants and said.


    "When you left, I wasn''t happy either," Varian recalled his one-year depression.


    "And you¡­once you ran away, it took me a whole year to chase you back. It''s hard you know? You randomly appeared in my dreams and I had no idea it was you." Varian said in aining tone like he was using her.


    Sia shuddered. This tone¡­even though he wasining, he only used it with close people.


    Sniffing back her unending tears, she asked in confusion. "I still can''t understand, why did you do what you did? You said it yourself, you can''t remember me. Then why¡ª"


    "Why attend the entrance test? Why join the defense academy? Why use my prize to search for you?" Varian asked with a meaningful smile.


    Sia nodded in curiosity.


    "Watch it," Varian said and used his mind power to convey the first memory system gave him.


    Sia watched the small piece of memory in shock.


    "S-Save Sia."


    Amanda''sst words caused her to lower her head. Her voice shook like she was shivering from cold as she said. "E-Even though I was the one who killed her, she still asked you to save me. I''m the vilest sinner."


    Varian shook his head at her words. Compared to a few minutes ago, his emotions calmed down.


    Even though they were still in turmoil, he was able to think and speak clearly.


    "She was certain it wasn''t you. She didn''t know what happened to you, but she felt that you were in danger.


    She could''ve said a million things at that moment. But what she was most concerned about was you. She wanted me to save you." Varian said.


    "I see." Sia wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes. Then, she looked at him with a disappointed expression. "So the reason you did all those things¡­"


    "Yes. I didn''t even remember you back then. I was just fulfilling my mother''sst wish." Varian admitted.


    Sia lowered her head. Her beautiful brown bangs hid her eyes as she bit her lip. "S-So¡­the reason you want me to¡­stay is because of the promise?"


    Even though she tried her best, her voice was shaking. The pain and disappointment in those words were crystal clear.


    "No," Varian said lightly.


    But his words caused Sia to raise her head eagerly and stare at him with intense eyes.


    ''Continue.'' Her golden eyes said. ''¡­don''t y with my emotions.'' They begged.


    Varian took another deep breath and calmed his racing heart. "There''s something more. Even though mom asked me to save you, I didn''t know who you were.


    I only know the girl from my dreams. I dreamt of you. I saw you wearing the academy''s uniform, so I joined the academy."


    He snapped his fingers and showed her his ''dream'' of a brown-haired, golden-eyed girl whose face was covered in fog.


    Sia''s eyes widened and she stared at him in shock.


    "H-How?" He was supposed to forget herpletely. Even when she approached him in disguise and asked if he remembered someone named ''Sia'', he adamantly said ''No''.


    Then why¡­


    Why did he still dream about her?


    When the one who erased his memories was Sovereign Kreo himself, just how did he manage to keep his memories intact, even though they''re temporarily forgotten?


    "I didn''t have an answer for it until recently," Varian said with a smile.


    Sia listened with her ear perked.


    "Sia, I gained a¡­power recently. It was staying with me since childhood. If there''s anything that can resist the power of a Sovereign and keep my memories safe, I can only think of it." Varian revealed the reason.


    Sia nodded in understanding. She already knew that Varian had some secret. But she didn''t want to pry. However, hearing that his secret was able to help him keep his memories surprised her.


    "I-If you have that kind of power, then why did you¡­" Sia trailed off as a difficult expression formed on her face.


    But Varian understood what she meant. With such a power, why did you go through so many hardships?


    "I can''t control it. I must''ve activated it when my emotions were immense like never before." Varian exined and looked at her with a smile. "¡­when your memories were about to be wiped off from me, my emotions did get intense."


    ''Right, System?''


    [¡­Yes. Even though the trauma of that period was so intense that you forgot about it.


    When Sovereign Kreo''s powers reached your mind, you were already in a very vulnerable state. Your emotions were prone to extreme fluctuations. So, when his power was about to wipe out Sia''s memories, your emotions reached new extremes.


    You used the System''s powers and saved your memories. But as a result, they were also sealed from you until recently.]


    The System exined in a in tone.


    ''And the price for such an action¡­?''


    [It''s what you''re thinking.]


    ''The repulsion I feel from Sia and Enigma.'' Varian answered with a wry smile.


    [The positive emotions you felt towards her helped save the memory. The negative ones created this repulsion.


    In the end, it''s up to you, host. The day you canpletely ept her, the repulsion will disappear.]


    "Haa~" Varian sighed deeply and closed his eyes.


    "Are you alright?" Sia''s concerned voice caused him to open his eyes.


    "I''m fine."


    "So...you kept me in your memories with that power?" Sia asked nervously.


    "Yes." Varian nodded and said her upfront. "It''s because even back then, I consider you someone I should never forget."


    "B-But you started because of Amanda''sst wi¡ªouch!" Sia rubbed her head as she flinched in a light pain.


    Varian stood up and dered. "I hate misunderstandings. I started the journey because of her, but I''m standing here because of you. That''s that, this is this. If you make me chase you again, I''ll tie you up."


    "I¡­." Sia opened her mouth in shock and finally, she giggled in tears. "You bully!"


    "I became a bully in this one year," Varian admitted and looked at her.


    Sia looked back at him in silence.


    As it finally hit him, Varian''s tears dropped in grief for his mother while he smiled in joy from reuniting with Sia.


    Both the emotions welled inside his heart, but the way forward was clear.


    The grief was still there, but so was happiness.


    He didn''t have a choice in what he was feeling now. But he surely had the choice in how he could feel in the future.


    The choice was in his hands.


    Through the tears, Varian smiled brightly. "Wee back, Sia!"

 Chapter 663 A World Shattering Secret:Guardian

    Chapter 663 A World Shattering Secret:Guardian


    Varian stood up from his seat and retrieved the chair into the ghost ship. Even though the ghost ship wasn''t working, he was able to store items in it.


    "¡­What are you doing?" Sia asked curiously.


    "What else?" Varian replied while he pointed a finger toward Sia''s chair. It flew out and entered the ghost ring.


    Then, he proceeded to take the tea cups and the pot away.


    Sia watched him with a strange gaze. Even though the Varian she knew was a bit narcissistic and confident, he wasn''t this shameless.


    ''I mean, I can understand if it''s the chairs. They are useful. But the tables, teapot, and even tea cups?''


    Sia grew worried about whether he changed too much over the past year.


    "Alright, this is the only thing lef¡ªhuh?" As Varian was about to take in the table, he paused abruptly.


    "Let me check." Sia stepped forward and said with a serious face. ''It might be something dangerous. Even though I just recovered, it''s better for me to handle it.''


    Varian looked at her face and read her intentions in an instant.


    "No." Refusing her straightly, he fiddled with the table.


    It was a silver table in the shape of a star. At a first nce, it seemed normal. But when he was about to put it inside the ghost ship, it shook incessantly.


    Upon a quick mental scan, Varian found a small ''hole'' under the table.


    "¡­keylock?" Sia raised a brow and scanned the table with her mind sense. But while doing so, she nced at Varian from time to time.


    They were maintaining a distance of ten feet lest the repulsion kicked in.


    ''I need to talk to him about it. We need to solve the problem¡­I hate this distance.'' She bit her lip and shook her head to focus on the task at hand.


    "Where is the key?" Varian muttered.


    {Scion, only the librarian can ess the key. Only the librarian can control the barrier.} The library spirit''s ethereal voice sounded in the room.


    "Librarian¡­how do I be that?" Varian raised a brow.


    He felt that it was a rather stupid question. But it''d have been stupider to not ask at all.


    {You need to master all the records in the library.}


    "¡­" Varian rolled his eyes. Most of the records were damaged. So, the mission failed before it even began. Even if he tried to master the existing ones, it''d take years.


    {But since the librarian had been on indefinite leave, you will be given temporary authority. Once you spend a decade on probation, you will be given full authority.}


    A bright light shed and Varian felt a connection with the library. He could ''see'' all the floors, feel the existence of all the records, and at the center of everything, he saw a bright white light¡ªthe library spirit.


    {If you receive full authority, you''ll be promoted to the Celestial Rank.} The library spirit dropped a bombshell.


    "I-What?" Varian was as surprised as he was confused. "How can I be promoted by someone else?"


    {It isn''t impossible. When the empire deems someone worthy enough, raising their rank is a necessity. Librarian is a position that is worthy enough.}


    "¡­Urgh. So, if any human is deemed worthy enough, they can reach Celestial Rank. Is that what you''re saying?" Varian asked with a look that said ''Are you kidding me?''


    {Human? Is that a new word for devas? Anyway, please note that this requirement to be ''worthy enough'' is too high. You are recognized as worthy enough because you entered the sixth floor! The people who entered this floor in the long history of devas wouldn''t exceed two digits.}


    "¡­I see." Varian nodded in understanding.


    The only reason he was able to enter was that he knew some weird things about devas due to the system.


    ''Anyway, what''s in here...''


    He reached for the table and was about to unlock it. It was then he heard Sia questioning the library spirit.


    "This worthiness¡­is it also given to someone who gathers all the artifacts?" Sia asked in a voice filled with tension.


    {Y-Yes? The one with all the artifacts is worthy enough. They''d also be raised to the Celestial Rank. After all, they''re the¡ª}


    "Guardian."


    {Guardian.}


    Sia said at the same time as the library spirit.


    {H-How do you know? Do you work in the ministry of internal defense? No, there has been no message from there for six thousand years.}


    The library spirit was confused.


    But more confused than it was someone else.


    "Sia," Varian called out in a serious voice.


    Sia turned to him with a wry smile.


    "Tell me."


    Sia looked at his burning eyes and sighed. "It''s a long story."


    Varian took out the chairs and a fresh teapot. He neatly filled brand new tea cups with a rare tea. Sipping from his cup, he said. "I''m listening."


    "You¡­" Sia shook her head and sat down on the chair. Shooting him a quiet nce, she muttered. "You changed."


    "I did. I became more handsome." Varian nodded with a serious face.


    "?" Sia widened her eyes and then smiled. "No, you didn''t. You''re still narcissistic."


    "And handsome." Varian rubbed his chin with a smirk.


    "¡­Anyway," Sia decisively changed the topic¡ªwhich was also what Varian intended.


    "Shortly after Enigma woke up, she was still adjusting to the powers. So, the enemies she provoked were able to chase her down all the way to the ruins.


    Since she can''t teleport there, she ended up taking refuge in a strange tower that no one visited.


    But unlike what everyone thought, the top room of the tower isn''t empty. The air of that room had a few words written in the aura. It can''t be seen with normal sight or even the mental senses. You need a really keen sense of aura to grasp it." Sia exined.


    "¡­The words are a secret message?" Varian narrowed his eyes.


    "Part of a secret message." Sia nodded and retrieved eight copper tes. With a snap of her finger, the eight tes shot up and floated in front of Varian.


    "Enigma visited all the eight ruins to find out the words and copied them. Earth''s ruins wasst. So, we pieced the whole message only a few days ago."


    "So this is why she keeps visiting the ruins every month¡­?"


    "Yes. The biggest reason. To be honest, she isn''t very eager about the spaceship." Sia said in a convincing tone. It was as if she wanted to rify that she didn''t intend to leave the sr system.


    "I see¡­" Varian nodded and read the words on the copper te.


    They were in thenguage of devas. So, he couldn''t understand them properly. But instead of asking Sia, he asked someone else.


    ''Oi, trantor system. Help me out.''


    [¡­It is the Divine Path System. Or even Sliver of Order and Chaos.]


    ''Can you trante this or should I go around publishing stories that you, the union of two slivers, got trapped for ten thousand years by a half-dead tribe?''


    [Host, this System doesn''t care about its reputation.]


    ''Fine. Then, I''ll go ahead and ask abyssals to spread it around. Once it reaches the other four slivers, they''llugh their asses off.''


    [You''re so evil.] The System gave up and shed a blue screen in front of him.


    The deva characters changed into thenguage Varian knew.


    [The holder of six artifacts, tough times are ahead. Save the devas from enemies! Be the Deva Guardian! You will be granted sufficient strength to fend off any enemies! Perform your duties! Glory to Devas!]


    Varian''s brows furrowed as he realized the implication.


    Humans found the six artifacts and they ended up in the hands of the Sovereigns.


    If any Sovereign found out about this, then¡­


    "I think a Sovereign is trying to gather all the artifacts." Sia dropped a shocking statement.

 Chapter 664 A World Shattering Secret: Artifacts

    Chapter 664 A World Shattering Secret: Artifacts


    There were six artifacts found from the ruins, each held by a Sovereign.


    Except for Vianne of Venus and Kevin of Saturn¡ªthe leaders of Trade Union and Adventure Guild, the rest of the sovereigns wielded an artifact each.


    It always stayed with them. Not even their closest family member could touch it.


    This was a tradition since the artifacts were found by the first generation of Sovereigns.


    "Gather the six artifacts¡­but to do that, there''s no other way but kill the other Sovereigns," Varian muttered in confusion and gazed at Sia.


    "It''s notmon. But Sovereigns do die, don''t they?" Sia replied back with a sigh.


    "Of course. Thest Sovereign died during¡­Pluto attack!" Varian pped his thigh and his eyes widened.


    "Wait¡­that artifact was missing since then, right?" He asked in a heavy tone.


    The artifact was wielded by the Sovereign of Neptune, the predecessor of Ares.


    Demon Sword.


    The sword that drank the blood of its owner to grow powerful.


    A legendary weapon that won many critical battles and saved Neptune from bing a second Pluto.


    In the Pluto War, the old sovereign was killed and no matter how many special search teams the federation sent, no one found a trace of his artifact.


    Until now, Varian thought it was all due to the abyssals. But now¡­


    "¡­Holy shit." Varian covered his face as the heaviness of the revtion hit him.


    Sia''s shoulders also slumped as a bitter smile formed on her face. It was one thing to have enmity with the guardians of your race, but it was another thing to find out that one of them murdered their fellow guardian for power.


    "Whoever fuck that is¡­" Varian raised his head and clenched his fist. "He needs to die a gruesome death. I''ll make sure he does."


    "¡­Who do you think it might be?" Sia asked in an uncertain tone. "Julius or Kreo?"


    Varian thought for a deep moment and shrugged. "Anyone is possible. While I personally think these two are the biggest sons of bitches, I can''t let my emotions cloud my judgment, right?"


    Sia looked at him for a second before breaking into a giggle.


    Varian titled his head in confusion. "What?"


    "Hehe. It''s my first time seeing you swear. I feel like we''re adults now." Sia answered with a smile.


    "That¡­" Varian rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn''t want to be a bad influence on you, you know? The curse words and all."


    "Now you are okay being a bad influence?" Sia asked with a teasing smile. Even though she still felt a sense of distance from him, she also felt his closeness.


    "¡­Yeah. I''m the bad guy now. I''ll make you a bad girl." Varian smirked before continuing. "While the probability is high on Julius and Kreo, we can''t rule out Ares. He''s the sessor of Neptune.


    Besides, we don''t know which Sovereign will go to what lengths for power. Their personal lives are hidden from the public. We can''t even find their life history to make any judgments."


    "¡­So we''re in the dark?" Sia gave him a grumpy look.


    "Well, that person should be someone who entered all the ruins and got these messages. We can narrow down the list." Varian pointed out an obvious clue.


    They''d just need to search the records of the ruins'' entries.


    Sovereigns didn''t have many opportunities to enter the ruins. The few times they did was during special periods in which their abyssal counterpart couldn''t attack theoids. Even then, theoids would be on full alert.


    "We can do a full search once we get out of¡ª" Sia''s words were cut off abruptly.


    "No need to wait. Let me remove the restrictions." Varian closed his eyes and connected himself to the ''library''. Using the temporary authority, he removed all restrictions on Boo and the external devices.


    "Master!" Boo''s cute voice was heard and it jumped out of the ring.


    Boo saw Sia staring at it in curiosity.


    "Oh? Oooh? Sia? Master, she''s the girl you were crazy abou¡ª"


    "Shut up and search for the ruin entry records of Sovereigns." Varian gave a gentle smile and ordered.


    "¡­Crazy about? What''s that?" Sia asked with glittering eyes.


    "Nothing much." Varian shook his head.


    "He''s lying! He cried after reading Roxannae''s diary and almost went cra¡ª" Like the neighbor kid revealing your secrets to your mother, Boo started pouring out the secrets.


    Varian wouldn''t have minded much but the content was too sensitive.


    "Enough. Get inside and do the job." Varian said with a serious face.


    Both Sia and Boo flinched at his words. He looked scary all of a sudden.


    Boo jumped into the ring leaving the words. "Scary master~"


    "Haa~" Varian sighed and looked at Sia.


    She interlocked her fingers on her knees and stared at the red carpet. "Y-You¡­"


    "Boo is a bit naive. I''m sorry on his behalf for bringing up that¡­" Varian bit his lip as he struggled to utter that word. "N-nightmare."


    "I''m really, really sorry." He bowed his head.


    Sia''s body shivered and her face paled.


    Seeing her like this, Varian felt like someone was piercing his heart. ''I''m sorry¡­I couldn''t protect you.''


    Sia remained silent. But from the way she bit her lips to the point they bled, she wasn''t having an easy time.


    Closing his eyes in pain, Varian waited for things to settle down.


    After a few minutes, a hologram popped up in front of them showing the list of Sovereigns who visited all the ruins at least once.


    1. Albert


    2. Ares


    "Julius and Kreo¡­" Varian was unconvinced. "Maybe they figured the whole thing from a few towers, you know?"


    Sia shook her head. "The devanguage isplicated. The message is structured in a way that you need all the parts to understand. That''s why Enigma had to tour all the ruins."


    Varian made an expression showing that he had difficulty epting the current situation.


    He never interacted with Albert except knowing that he was Sarah''s grandfather.


    He had intersections with Ares. Not once but twice.


    The first time during the Sr banquet.


    The second time, Ares saved them when they were escaping from the Thunder Abyss. He personally stopped the Thunder King and created them an opportunity to escape.


    Even during the banquet, the golden-haired Sovereign gave him a card and invited him to the frontlines.


    Either way, one of them was Sarah''s grandfather and the other was a ''nice'' Sovereign.


    To think one of them could be a traitor¡­


    "My luck is bull¡­" Varian copsed in his chair.


    Hearing his words, Sia used her gravity force and patted in the air.


    "Hmm." Varian felt the air above him flow towards his head in a particr shape. It felt like someone was patting him gently.


    He smiled at Sia. "It''s a bit weird, but it feels like your touch."


    Sia shrugged. "I learned from what you did with Enigma."


    "Argh, Enigma, huh." Varian''s face turned awkward. All said and done, she was the one who killed his mother.


    Even though Varian didn''t intend to kill her for it, he was very ufortable about it.


    His mind too conveniently shifted all the responsibility of the incident to Enigma.


    ''¡­Control your emotions. Rationally, she wasn''t the only one doing it. And even though she did it, she wasn''t awake.'' Varian chided himself.


    But his emotions just didn''t go away. Instead, they loomed and sunk him deeper.


    ''Argh, Fuck!''


    To shake off his emotions, he looked at the silver table and said. "Sia, the Sovereign issue will take time. For now, let''s check what''s in this table."


    A light shone out of his palm and the table glowed.

 Chapter 665 synergy

    Chapter 665 synergy


    The sixth floor of the library was filled with a golden light.


    Varian opened his eyes and looked at the ''item'' inside the table.


    "¡­A book?" Sia muttered.


    It was a thick circr golden metal sheet. The letters on it seemed to be filled with white ink that glowed.


    But both Varian and Sia found out quickly that the white ink was actually aura.


    "Writing through aura¡­" Varian used his telekic power and gently touched the metallic te.


    He couldn''t feel if it was soft or hard, cold or hot. But he felt no danger from it.


    So, with a flick of his finger, he floated it into the air between him and Sia.


    While Varian probed around the metal sheet, Sia carefully studied the first row of letters.


    From the vague memories she gained after realizing she was a hybrid, she was able to roughly interpret the devanguage.


    "S-Synergiser?" Sia muttered with an uncertain expression.


    "Oh?" Varian noticed what she was doing and waved his hand. "Don''t worry about it. I can trante it real quick."


    "Oh?" Sia raised a brow in surprise. "When did you learn thenguage?"


    "Well~" Varian shrugged. "I have a free trantor."


    "Ah! I see." Sia nodded. She thought it was Boo.


    On the other hand, Varian handed it to his free trantor.


    ''Cutie~''


    [¡­What are you saying, host?]


    ''You see those letters? Trante them~''


    [¡­There is a bnce that must be maintained.]


    ''Even if you don''t help, Sia will trante it sooner orter. You''re just making our lives easier. Not creating any new situation.''


    [Still¡­]


    Varian crossed his arms. ''If you continue to remain this reluctant, then you can forget taking revenge on that Sera tribe. Even though they imprisoned the Order Sliver for a long time, they''re still alive and kicking.


    They must be damn powerful too. If you can''t even help me trante a fucking document, how are you going to assist me in bringing them down?''


    [¡­even this system isn''t free of emotions, huh.] Following a sigh, a blue screen shed in front of Varian.


    "Sia," Varian called and pointed to mid-air.


    With a snap of his fingers, a screen of characters began to form.


    [All avenues are a pursuit of ultimate meaning.


    Sage Avenue is the pursuit of Life and Death.


    Ruler Avenue is the pursuit of Order and Chaos.


    Creator Avenue is the pursuit of Space and Time.


    Sage. Ruler. Creator.


    They are the ultimate manifestations of their avenue. The endgame of what the very concepts of the universe represented.


    But whaty beyond them?


    Despite the existence of three avenues, Universe is one.


    So, despite the existence of these three godhoods, perhaps the original godhood is also one?


    The three Avenues, though different in paths, must all end at a single point.


    There is something beyond Sage, Ruler, and Creator.


    How do we know for sure?


    We don''t.


    No one does.


    But we believe.


    Our ancestral tribe Ares had their spections about this.


    What if someone controlled all the three avenues, and reached the end in all the avenues?


    It was a ridiculous thought. To us, Ruler is already a stage of godhood.


    Whaty beyond it?


    ...Omnipotence? Cosmic Control? Transcendence?


    In pursuit of the answer, the six tribes began the war.


    They reasoned that getting all the six slivers would be the way to reach that stage.


    It ended in a tragedy for our ancestral tribe.


    But perhaps in the distant future, we can aim for the impossible!


    Control the six slivers! Master the three avenues! Reach the mythical stage!


    Our Scion would aspire for it. To help him out, we did our best to make the ''Primal Blessing.''


    Using it, Scion would gain the ability to wield the power of six slivers and three avenues!


    But we can make only one such miracle!


    For the rest, we found another way.


    Synergy¡­]


    The document then went on to narrate how to use this ''Synergy''.


    In summary, using this method of meditation, you and your partner would both benefit from it. Your speed in divine paths would increase. Your affinity towards other avenues would rise.


    For instance, if a pure body awakener performed Synergy with a space awakener, he''d gain the affinity of space.


    "¡­But why is the affinity useful?" Varian rubbed his hair in confusion.


    "¡­If you reach the end in one stage, maybe having affinity will be useful? Perhaps they can then start out on another path?" Sia gave her opinion.


    "Probably. Tsk." Varian clicked his tongue and said. "Regardless, our progress in divine paths will speed up. That''s reason enough to use it."


    That was actually what mattered to them the most.


    "Yeah." Sia nodded. Even though she didn''t know how much the progress rate would increase, even a 5% rise was significant.


    "We can try it outter." Varian put the golden metal sheet inside the ghostship and said.


    He looked at Sia and she nodded in understanding.


    He pointed his finger at the ceiling and it opened. The next second, the ghost ship floated above them.


    Varian and Sia boarded the ship.


    {S-Scion! You are on probation!}


    Under the panicking screams of the library spirit, the ghost ship left the library.


    ¡­Only to return two secondster.


    {S-Scion?} The library spirit was shocked.


    "I forgot something." Varian''s voice sounded from the ghost ship.


    Then, the ghost ship flew to the fifth floor.


    {Yes! Your probation period! It''s for ten years! You want to spend it on the fifth floor, but I personally r¡ª} The library spirit''s cheerful voice stopped abruptly.


    The ghost ship quickly toured the fifth, fourth, third, second, and first floors.


    Whenever it moved to the next floor, the floor turned deste as everything in it¡ªchairs, tables, and even chandeliers were swept clean.


    {W-Wait!} The library spirit shouted.


    "Oh yeah!" Varian responded with an exmation.


    {Yes! Without those chairs, people can''t read in the library! Leave them behind.}


    "¡­But no one is going to enter the library. You need the permission of the librarian to go through the silver barrier. But there is no librarian for thousands of years."


    {T-That''s¡­}


    "Don''t worry, instead of letting them gather dust here, I''ll put these chairs to good use." Varian patted his chest and promised.


    Whoosh!


    The ghost ship went into invisible mode and under Varian''s ''librarian authority'', passed through the silver barrier.


    The majestic library that once boasted of luxuries was now empty.


    {¡­D-Did I just robbed?}


    It realized a bit toote.

 Chapter 666 Mystic Castle

    Chapter 666 Mystic Castle


    Mystic Castle.


    It was one of the ''unexplored regions'' of Trian Ruins.


    Situated in the northern sector, near the great valleys, the great castle floated thirty-three miles above the ground.


    It was first discovered during the 440s. There were several small-scale expeditions led by individuals. However, the strongest awakeners of these expeditions never exceeded level 7.


    All these teams crossed the silver barrier and entered Mystic Castle. No one returned.


    It happened again and again. Before long, the mystic castle gained a fearsome reputation.


    There were other unexplored ces too. But none as scary as this one.


    Because no one knew what was happening inside. Through the silver barrier, you could only see the castle. You couldn''t see the people even if they just went in.


    So, the strategy changed.


    Powerful awakeners grouped up and attacked the silver barrier. Even level 9s were invited. Hundreds of high awakeners worked together to bring down the barrier and uncover the mystery.


    It was futile.


    The silver barrier perfectly bounced back the attacks.


    It didn''t matter if they were a level 7 or level 8 or even a level 9.


    In the end, Ceaser Xander himself decided to attack the barrier. Even he, the strongest sovereign of his time and the second strongest to date, failed to pierce the barrier.


    "Don''t risk it. We''re still in post-war recovery." He said before leaving.


    Thus, the official expedition to this ce stalled for two decades.


    Finally, in the year of 463 YAB, the federation sent a team consisting of three high level 9s and five level 8s.


    All of them were awakeners who were about to pass away due to internal injuries or low vitality.


    Still, it was a significant risk.


    The expedition team went inside the barrier carrying all the support they could receive.


    ¡­And never returned.


    The federation sent three more teams in 473, 483, and 503 before giving up and ssifying this location as ''Unexplored''.


    ''Unexplored'' regions were treated as those beyond the power of even Sovereigns.


    "I really, really want to barge in and kill those two!" A voiceced with killing intent resounded around the mystic castle.


    "If you want to die, then go ahead. Remember, even people far stronger than you never made it returned from that damn ce." An old man floating a few miles from the mystic castle sighed.


    "Arghh!" A man with a hood covering most of his face clenched his fist as he let out a frustrated groan. "Not only am I not allowed to kill the devils that killed my grandson, I have to stand guard for them? Bitch please!"


    After ordering them to stand guard, Julius revealed that Charles was killed by Dreamer and Enigma. As a result, everyone here was seething and grieving.


    "This isn''t the ce for personal rtionships." The old man shook his head, but his gritted teeth showed that he too was holding in his anger.


    "He is your grandson for heaven''s sake! Why aren''t you feeling anything?" The hooded man''s aura burst out. A monstrous level 9 pressure enveloped the air.


    Facing such pressure, the old man felt ufortable. Yet, he opened his mouth with a sigh. "Liam Xander."


    Liam Xander, the only level 9 of Charles'' team, lowered his head. He gave up at the three doors because his chances of survival were abysmal.


    He was the one who worked the hardest to win that precious treasure that improved Charles'' level tremendously. He wouldn''t do it if he didn''t treasure his grandson.


    "How can I not feel any anger when my beloved grandson died?" The old man''s voice was filled with sorrow.


    But equal to the sorrow was helplessness.


    "But." His voice suddenly raised and the temperature rose all of a sudden.


    The hooded man raised his head and looked at the old man. To be precise, his eyes.


    Those old eyes saw the world with Ceaser Xander, watched Julius Xander''s ascendance, and watched Charles Xander''s growth.


    Tears welled in those eyes.


    "J-Just a few days ago, Julius killed our brother in public. W-What wrong did he do? The sin of destroying shadow guardians was on Julius'' hands¡­yet, he killed his own uncle to save his reputation." The old man''s eyes trembled with rage.


    Liam Xander''s hands trembled and he took deep breaths to prevent himself from going on a rampage.


    Killing his own uncle.


    Killing his own niece.


    To the outsiders, it might appear that he was trying to save Xander''s name. But they knew clearly that he only did it to keep his own reputation stainless.


    "¡­Is such a person really worth listening to?" The old manughed in sadness.


    His wrinkled forehead creased as he looked at the sky with a tired gaze. "The Xander family reach its peak in the era of our older brother Ceaser. We were called the guardians of the earth.


    But now? All I see is the slow death of a behemoth. Even in the rotten bunch, I could console myself that Charles, despite his personality, was a better fit than Julius.


    Now, he''s gone as well. The Xanders¡­are doomed."


    "Thanks to our ''Patriarch''." Liam Xander, the hooded man, said in a chilling voice.


    "He changed after his father''s death." Eve Xander shook his head. "Julius¡­that one time when a space city was destroyed, he didn''t eat anything for a whole week. He cherished life so much. Who would''ve thought¡­s."


    Only a sigh escaped his lips in the end.


    The two brothers turned their gazes to the giant castle.


    It was just two minutes before midnight. Once the 45th ended, it''d be the fourth month¡ªthe ruins on earth would close while the ones on mars would open.


    Everyone inside earth''s ruins would be expelled.


    There''s no way Dreamer or Enigma coulde out now.


    ¡­At least, that''s what everyone thought.


    "¡­W-What is that?" A shout filled with disbelief jolted everyone.


    The level 8s and level 9s quickly alerted their keen senses.


    "W-What?!"


    "Impossible!"


    "Fuuuck!"


    Their eyes widened and they let out words of disbelief.


    An invisible spaceship that their senses could barely perceive shot out from the silver barrier!


    *** *** ***


    A/N: The arc is ending. It felt like this arc was a bit dragged. The next arc will be shorter. Hope you enjoy it more!

 Chapter 667 Evander

    Chapter 667 Evander


    Under the pce of the emperor, in a deep underground prison.


    A pair of wings pped nervously watching a man far away.


    When he fell from the prince''s hall into the prison, his body was mangled and he was bleeding heavily. But he wasn''t dead.


    Since the level restriction in the prison was removed, unlike Varian, his powers remained since the start.


    So, despite his injuries, he managed to move.


    After nearly an hour of struggle, he was at the end of the stairs, just about to reach the surface.


    "Go! Go! You''re almost there!" The wings moved all around the room in anxiety.


    Everyone in the ruins would be sent out once the 45th was over, but that only applied to ''free'' people.


    Or else, people in dangerous locations wouldn''t be trapped there for decades.


    There wouldn''t be skeletons in the mystic castle¡ªthese were the people that entered it but failed to exit.


    "You can do it!" The wings cheered on.


    If the man remained in prison, he wouldn''t be teleported out. If he got locked inside the ruins, then he''d be in grave danger.


    The man didn''t know that he was running out of time. But for some reason, he was in a hurry.


    "S-Sar-Sara¡­" Muttering that name with his bloodied mouth, Evander reached the end of the staircase and entered the surface.


    Seeing light once again, his eyes glowed before he copsed onto his knees.


    A few secondster, a gentle light shone on him and along with everyone else, he was teleported out.


    At thest moment, Evander nced in a direction with aplicated gaze.


    *** *** ***


    Kreo was currently in a spaceship patrolling around theoids.


    When Julius told him Varian could escape from Evander using ghost ship, he was a bit worried.


    But he didn''t think much of itter.


    His real goal wasn''t Varian. It had always been Enigma.


    Since Enigma and Varian had a connection, he was confident that when Evander found Varian, he wouldn''t take long to find Enigma.


    "Once I get the potion made from her¡­" Kreo took a deep breath and calmed his racing heart.


    The ruins of mars opened an hour ago and he only got time to contact Julius now.


    But the result was something he never expected.


    "Julius, it''s a bad joke. I expect her corpse in an hour." Kreo looked at Julius'' hologram and said in a cold voice.


    Even though they were both colleagues, they weren''t friends. They were coborators who worked together because their goals aligned.


    Both he and Julius wanted Enigma to get the potions. However, their reasons were very different.


    So, Kreo felt that Julius was deceiving him.


    "I don''t have the humor for such a joke. Varian and Enigma, no, that girl is also Sia, they went into the mystic castle." Julius, seated in the cabin of a spaceship himself, answered with a dry tone.


    "Enigma and Sia are the same people?" Kreo''s brows jumped.


    "Maybe. I don''t know." Julius'' eyes shone with a dangerous light as he recalled their escape.


    Kreo went silent at the revtion, but only for a moment. He shot up from his seat and red at Julius.


    "Are you fucking kidding me? It''s one thing if you and Evander can''t find them. But you let them escape? Escape? From you? Don''t they call you the strongest sovereign? You can''t even catch level 8 kids?" Kreo was roaring at this point as he shot line after line, dropping any sign of courtesy.


    Julius leaned back in his seat and propped his chin on his hand. His expression was one of disinterest, but his eyes were burning with anger.


    Kreo wasn''t intimidated at all and continued. "It was the surefire way I could''ve gotten the potion! Unlike you, it is very important to me, I¡ª"


    "Yeah, yeah." Julius waved his hands and cut off Kreo''s words that were about to get emotional.


    "I admit. I need the potion to increase my talent. I''m a simple man. Unlike you, the great father who is willing to waste that priceless potion on his useless daughter." Julius'' words were sharp and hit where it hurt.


    "Son of a bitch! Who are you calling useless?" Kreo mmed the table. "If her mental state remained fine, I bet she''d be a stronger sovereign than you."


    "Hahaha." Julius threw his head back and startedughing.


    Kreo''s eyes turned bloodshot and he considered killing off a hundred Xanders. If anyone insulted his daughter, they''d have to pay the price!


    As his consideration was beginning to turn into a n, Julius'' chilling voice jolted him.


    "Do it."


    "Huh?"


    "You''re thinking of killing my family members, right?" Julius asked with a casual smile as if he was hearing about a chicken being killed.


    "You¡­" Kreo sat back down in his chair with a stiff face. "Don''t you feel anything? They''re your f¡ª"


    "Family? I know." Julius shrugged. "I didn''t even bother to save my first son from the aftermath of my own attack. Do you think I care about this family?"


    "¡­I thought we had some simrities once we began cooperating. But you are really a monster." Kreo said with a tired voice.


    He forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart. He was sure that even if he killed every single member of the Xander, Julius wouldn''t give a fuck.


    If he did feel any pain, it''d be from his pride getting hurt. Nothing more.


    So, he decided to talk it out.


    "Julius, I don''t care about your family business. But I need that potion. It''s the only way out for my daughter." Kreo said with a sigh.


    "Or you can go to demon abyss and get that herb¡­what''s it called? Galini?" Julius said with a sadistic smile.


    He was venting all his frustration from the mission on Kreo.


    Kreo knew it too. But he didn''t really have any other choice.


    "If there wasn''t abyss will, I would''ve gone in and grabbed the herb. With it, I can''t sneak in." Kreomented.


    Julius didn''t show any sympathy for Kreo''s sadness.


    ''What a waste of Sovereign. If I was born in his time, I''d have reached the Celestial Rank by now. I don''t even need to try for Enigma''s talent potion.''


    A short silence ensued before Julius hung up the call as an emergency message rang in his spaceship.


    Kreo heard the message and realized it was a message informing danger to aoid that Evander usually took care of.


    "Wait¡­Evander!" Kreo''s eyes widened and an idea formed in his mind.


    "If Enigma is Sia¡­then, she is close to Varian. Sarah is also to Varian. If I can ckmail him with Sarah, then¡­"


    Kreo''s eyes lit up and he quickly sent a message to Evander.


    The reply came quickly.


    "Huh?" Kreo opened his mouth in surprise.


    It was an unexpected message.


    "Fuck. Your. Mother."

 Chapter 681 Purple Festival [1]

    Chapter 681 Purple Festival [1]


    Eos was a space city located near Earth. It held no strategic value in eithermerce or defense.


    However, it was one of the best tourist spots in the federation.


    Even high awakeners would visit this city to rx and it wasn''t umon to find level 9s in the city every year.


    But it had not always been like that.


    The city was initially deste and poor.


    The economy was stagnating, the initial poption that emigrated to this city were slowly leaving in search of better opportunities and no major businesses wanted to operate here.


    Then the city got a new mayor.


    He offered to build top facilities for the rich people at a cost price. It took him a while but when the initial buildings were finished, word of it spread.


    Using it as a first step, he began to develop the city bit by bit.


    "There''s this city with top-notch facilities. Thend there is he cheap. You can build a resort, malls and all!"


    Since the city was close to the earth, the location wasn''t a problem. If the proper amenities were present, then the city''s tourism would boom.


    With those proposals, one by one, investors flooded the city.


    As the facilities improved, so did the tourists.


    With this virtual cycle, Eos emerged as one of the top tourist destinations in the federation.


    "Eos came a really long way. But its longest tradition, this festival is continued till date." Varian introduced the girls as they walked into a crowded street.


    "Purple Festival, hm," Sarah muttered with a curious expression as she observed the surroundings.


    The buildings were decorated, floatingnterns were beautifully arranged and people were wearing exquisite clothes.


    But there was one thing inmon.


    It was all purple.


    While there were different shades of purple, the world still seemed to paint it in that beautiful and intense color.


    "Purple¡­reminds me of Purple Sky, where did I hear it?" Sia shot a nce at Varian in confusion.


    Varian smiled lightly and opened his mouth to respond when an announcement was made in the street.


    [The sale of the vintage items in the Memorial Complex has begun.]


    Varian''s expression shifted lightly into one of eagerness and he said. "Let''s go."


    With a wave of his hand, they smoothly teleported to the entrance of arge mall.


    Thousands of people were entering the building through its numerous entrances. Varian held Sarah''s hand and used his telekic power to hold Sia''s as he walked in.


    Each floor was filled with stalls selling the items from the old time.


    There were many simple items.


    Keychains. Toys. Mirrors. Clocks.


    "Toys from the 300 YAB!"


    "This keychain is imprinted with the names of all dungeons on Pluto!"


    "This mirror is used by a queen of ancient earth."


    There were alsoplex items.


    Body Armors. Old version star treasures. Early Spaceships.


    "Boast this spaceship to your friends! The very first functional model of the federation!"


    Then there were special items.


    Signed Books. Autographed merchandise. Special edition products.


    "The autographed shirt by Sovereign Ceaser~"


    "The first edition of the spark gun. The only piece! You won''t find it anywhere else in the sr system."


    The trio curiously watched the endless items in the unending stalls.


    Some of the items were only thirty years old, others were fifty years old, some went more than a century and a few were even older than Blink!


    It felt like they were witnessing the convergence of different time periods.


    Suddenly, Sarah eximed. "Ah!"


    Varian and Sia stopped in their tracks and nced at her.


    They were currently on the fortieth of the hundred floors. The higher they went, the pricier it became.


    Of course, it didn''t really matter to Varian. But despite touring forty floors, he hadn''t bought anything.


    The items were good and piqued his curiosity, but they didn''t interest him.


    So, he was curious as to what made Sarah react like that.


    "This¡­it''s the real deal, right?" Sarah pointed to a worn-out book in the stall and asked the owner.


    "Of course, it is! The city management won''t let us sell fakes, you know?" The stall owner, an unkempt man with a pointy nose grumbled.


    "T-Then I''ll take it!" Sarah said, barely containing her excitement.


    Seeing Sarah''s delight, the man narrowed his eyes and smacked his lips. Then, assuming an indifferent expression, he said.


    "600,000 credit points."


    "6,000¡­? ok." Sarah nodded.


    "Are you deaf? I said 600,000." The man repeated.


    "What?" Sarah''s eyes widened at her words.


    600,000 CP?


    For reference, an average city earned 60,000 credit points a year.


    A house typically cost around 400,000 credit points.


    A basic spaceship was upward of 800,000 credit points.


    The prices they heard from the first to the current floor only ranged in thousands or tens of thousands of credit points.


    There were certain items that''d be sold for millions and even tens of millions, but they were all sold on the uppermost floors.


    Besides, the book she wanted to buy¡ª"A guide to teachers by Montessori"¡ªhad a soft copy avable for a couple of cp for just 12 cp.


    It was by no means a highly sought-after book.


    Sarah wanted to buy it because her mother had this book with her. Many times, she said that this book altered her way of teaching and valued it greatly.


    After her mother''s death, this was the first time Sarah saw the physical copy of the book again.


    But then the stall owner quoted such a price¡­


    While she didn''t mind paying, Sarah didn''t want to use her father''s money after the incident.


    The problem was that since she was currently in a disguise, she couldn''t even use the money she earned as a cadet.


    Now, she had very little cash on hand and felt embarrassed to ask Varian.


    If she encountered the same situation on any other asion, Sarah would''ve gotten angry, especially with the recent events turning her cold side even colder.


    But since herte mother was involved, Sarah couldn''t even get angry.


    "I-It''s a bit too high. I only have 400,000."


    Sarah never had to bargain in her life. So, she fucked up the negotiation thoroughly.


    "Huh?" The man raised his brow and made an exaggerated noise. He evaluated Sarah for a moment.


    A beautiful violet dress with golden flower patterns,vender heels, and very dignified temperament.


    She reeked the aura of an aloof and nobledy.


    "How can you not have money? You''re either lying or¡­" The man''s eyes shifted to Varian and Sia, who were checking out another stall.


    ''Oh?''


    Noticing their expensive clothes, his eyes widened and then gave Sarah a despising gaze. "Your customer looks like a rich man. Increase your pri¡ª"


    "One more wrong word and you''re dead."


    The bone-chilling voice caused the man to stop his words abruptly and he identally bit his tongue. "Ehk!"


    Feeling the warm taste on his tongue, the man grew angry and growled at Varian. "Who do you think you are?"


    "Me?" Varian lowered his head a little to meet the man''s gaze.


    The man felt like he was stared at by a beast and leaned backward in fear. "I''m someone who can show you hell if I want."


    A chill ran down his spine and his body screamed in fear. But he was absolutely sure he could cheat 600,000 CP from Sarah.


    So, he gritted his teeth and insisted. "D-Don''t be ridiculous! If you even raise your hand against me, you''ll be challenging the authority of Eos city. The guards won''t stand watching."


    As he said, the man''s trembling figure pointed toward the guards standing on the floor in many ces, like every floor.


    Since the items were valuable, the security was tight.


    If Varian even tried to coerce the man using his aura, the guards would rush to stop him and put him to trial.


    "What about outside? They won''t guard you forever, can they?" Varian said his words in a casual tone, but the man only felt more scared.


    ¡­He felt like the guy in front of him had blood on his hands. He killed. Not just a few. But a lot more than he could imagine.


    ''So what?'' He shook his head and red. "This is just my disguise. Once I get out, you''ll never find me. What if you have a big background? What if you''re rich? It''s all useless here."


    Varian''s lips curled up even further. Then, he randomly tapped hism.


    But his action caused the stall owner to shiver.


    Wait, wait, what''s happening?


    "H-Hey, what are you doing?"


    Varian simply smiled in response and waited. Then, hism lit up a secondter.


    In reality, a blue screen lit in front of Varian.


    [Name: ??


    Space Path Level 4 (Low)]


    ''Let''s see.''


    Varian rubbed his chin and gazed at the stall owner with a piercing gaze. "Level 4 Space Awakener. You are also barely starting out."


    The man''s eyes widened and his breath nearly froze. "H-How?! How do you know?"

 Chapter 687 The Mayor

    Chapter 687 The Mayor


    Eos'' Mayor residence was the second grandest home Varian saw.


    It had around the samend area as his mansion, but the luxury was on a different level.


    Precious herbs were grown in the gardens. Rare flowers filled the flowerbeds on the sides of the pathways. There was strict security ensuring not even a fly could trespass.


    Varian exhaled lightly as the three of them were driven to the mansion down the main path on an exquisite hovercar.


    "This feels like a noble house." Sarah sighed as she watched the maids and butlers moving all around, taking care of the household chores.


    From gardening to fountain maintenance to harvesting herbs, they were doing it all and in an orderly fashion.


    "Weren''t you also a noble of sorts?" Sia asked after hearing Sarah''s remark. She had never visited Sarah''s home.


    Varian too nodded in doubt. ''Anna is more like a personal maid. Other than her, I haven''t seen maids or butlers around Sarah.''


    "Well, my family is very m..military-oriented. I was taught fighting over etiquette. Hehe." Sarah said with a smallugh. "Though¡­my mother tried teaching me etiquette, my f-father was opposed to it."


    Sia fell silent and looked out of the window.


    ''I shouldn''t have asked.''


    Bringing up Evander now of all time¡­


    Varian, on the other hand, had other thoughts. ''He even put Kreo''s daughter in my hands. He must be hiding, but where?''


    He already tried with Boo but Evander''s traces abruptly vanished on a space city.


    Given Evander''s prowess and influence, Varian didn''t think he could find him unless he willingly showed up.


    ''Without him, I don''t even know how theoids are surviving¡­'' When that thought appeared, Varian shook his head and threw it off.


    If there really was an emergency, he''d be informed of it.


    Now was not the time for it.


    "Wee, young master, youngdies."


    As the doors opened, two maids curtsied and greeted them before leading them in.


    It seems like the security already verified their identities¡ªfake identities¡ªthey let them into the mansion without a problem.


    The waiting hall was spacious and adorned with all sorts of decorations.


    Cozy chairs, beautiful flowerpots, rare collections of paintings and items¡ªtaking all of these into view, the trio slowly moved past the waiting hall and passed the hallway.


    To their left were various rooms and to their right were pirs supporting the mansion, beyond which was a small garden of sorts.


    Floating on the pirs were several holograms disying various achievements.


    Achievements of the mayor who changed Eos.


    The person they were going to meet.


    They reached a huge door at the end of the hallway and with a creak, the wooden door with a rosy scent opened.


    Varian paused for a moment as he felt the auraing from the man sitting behind the desk.


    ''Only level 7?''


    "Please be seated." The mayor leaned forward and said with interlocked fingers.


    With a nod, the three sat across him.


    A silence ensued as the middle-aged man stared at them wordlessly.


    Varian stared back at the man with a neutral gaze. Through his peripheral vision, he recognized the expensive cigar on the table as well as the sentences in a hologram on the wall behind the man. All of them seemed to be money-rted.


    More than that, he noticed the chair the man was sitting on. While it appeared somewhat in, it was made of a very rare alloy and had nine jewels embedded in it.


    The nine most expensive jewels.


    Varian''s first impression was. ''A bit too rich. Money minded. Not modest but not pompous.''


    Sarah''s attention was drawn by the styling of the room.


    in white walls, pitch-ck floor. Distance between the chairs varied¡ªdepending on the importance of the guest, and the objects¡ªthe collections in the room, the items on the table¡ªthey were all arranged at specific angles.


    It''s a way of arranging items to find out if anyone entered your room and touched anything.


    ¡­It was like her own military upbringing.


    ''Was he a soldier?'' She thought.


    Sia, on the other hand, was focused on the hidden auras.


    ''Five level 7s and two level 8s? There is a security system hm, if they try to attack, I can deal with them.''


    ''He''s not a threat.'' That was Sia''s conclusion.


    "Ahem." The mayor coughed lightly and broke the silence. "First of all, thank you very much for relenting to my stubborn daughter''s request."


    His tone was sincere. So, Varian epted his thanks.


    "I heard she said she will repay you. I want to do it in her stead. As long as it''s reasonable, go ahead and ask what you want. I can give anything you want."


    Even though it seemed earnest at first, Varian was irritated by the arrogance underneath.


    ''Ask what you want.''


    By picking these words, it gave off a feeling that they were the ones ''begging'' him.


    If it was a kid spouting these things, Varian would''ve brushed it off. But as a Mayor and a very talented person at that, Varian didn''t think the man didn''t realize such a basic thing.


    He must''ve simply not cared.


    ''Beg me and I can give anything you want.''


    "Haa~" Varian leaned back in his chair and shook his head. "You''re misunderstanding something here. I never wanted anything in return in the first ce."


    The mayor''s brows furrowed and a displeased expression filled his face. "It''s shameful to take favors without repaying them back. But it''s insulting to reject a repayment."


    "Well, I just do what I want." Varian shrugged nonchntly with a gaze that said. ''I don''t give a fuck about your philosophies.''


    The mayor clenched his fist and took a deep breath. "Alright."


    His gaze changed slightly and a heavy atmosphere filled the room.


    "Who are you guys? You just came to Eos two weeks ago, bought the most expensive mansion, spend money without care, and coincidentally bought what my daughter likes, and gave it to her one week after she begged for it.


    I thought your goal was to earn a favor from me. But it didn''t seem like it. Then what else? Helping her without asking for anything¡­is your target my daughter?"


    The moment he ended his words, seven auras shot up and locked onto Varian.


    "Speak or I''ll have you speak." The mayor said with a cold gaze.


    Varian exhaled deeply. "¡­So that haughty attitude was an act, huh?"


    "If you nned all of this to get a favor from me, you would''ve shown your true colors."


    "Maybe it''s all a coincidence. Why can''t you think of something as simple as that?" Varian rolled his eyes.


    "Coincidence? This happened way too many times for it to be a coincidence."


    "I don''t even know your daughter."


    "You''re in Eos for two weeks. No one stays here without hearing about her."


    Varian''s brows furrowed.


    It was true. He did hear her name. And forgot.


    "So? What''s your objective." The man narrowed his eyes and asked.


    "Ugh, I didn''t want to do this¡­" as Varian trailed off, the high awakeners got alert and the mayor was ready to press a button on his chair to activate defenses.


    Varian raised his hand and the awakeners channeled their power to attack when¡ª


    Tap!


    He pped a badge on the table.


    "Huh?"


    The mayor flinched in his seat before adjusting himself and ncing at the badge. The next moment, his eyes widened and he grabbed it.


    "T-This¡­" He didn''t want to believe it but after verifying it for the sixth time, he had no choice.


    "Apologizes. I didn''t know you were a close rtive of Sovereign Irene." The mayor stood up and gave them a deep bow.


    Varian shrugged.


    It was something Sovereign Irene insisted on giving long ago.


    ''I''m not saying it can help you against abyssals. But if you ever want things done in the human domain, it can make your life easier.'' She said those words with a gentle smile.


    ''It''s been a while since I talked to her.'' Thinking about the possible traitors, Varian shook his head with a tired expression.


    Seeing Varian fall silent, the Mayor sighed.


    With aplicated expression, he said. "My daughter was approached by too many people in the past and even her friends tried to use her. So, I grew suspicious of everyone around her."


    "Hm." Varian didn''t feel much angry. He should''ve at least gotten pissed off.


    But since he recently found out about his father''s prized possession and was reliving the memories with him, his current mood was one of extreme peace andpassion.


    ¡­For now.


    "Do you wish to stay in the nearby guest mansion? There are well-trained servants and security." The mayor asked.


    Varian shook his head. "Not rea¡ª"


    Boom!


    A loud thud was heard from the outside. Sia turned around and a scowl appeared on her face.


    The mayor gave an apologetic smile and tapped his table. The doors opened and Varian''s eyes narrowed.


    Amotion was going on at the other end of the hallway, in the waiting hall.


    Since they all had keen senses, they were able to see it clearly.


    "You bitch! That''s my favorite shirt!" A young man raised his leg and kicked the maid on the ground.


    "U-gh, s-sorry¡­plea...spare" The maid curled up as she felt her bones break. With tears streaming down her face, she kept apologizing.


    "Sorry? Huh? Fuck your sorry! You know much that shirt costs?" Another young man, identical to the previous one, came behind her and stepped on her chest.


    As he pressed down harder, the maid gasped as she tried to breathe.


    The sounds of bones breaking sounded and the maid began to thrash against the ground, in a desperate attempt to break free.


    A few butlers and maids were watching the event unfold from the distance with pale faces.


    From the way their lips trembled, it seemed that they were too scared to even think of interfering.


    The mayor shook his head at the sight and with a wave of his hand, the door was about to close.


    "Are you going to ignore it?" Varian held up a finger and the door was left open.


    "Well, they are¡ª"


    "I''m the rising Xander genius! You bitch! Your life is barely enough to pay for my dignity." The young man kicked the maid in the abdomen and she crashed against a wall and slid down leaving a thick mark of red.


    The mayor''s face formed a helpless expression. "My family is a vassal to the Xanders. I can reprimand and stop if it''s a normal member, but he''s a core member of the family, one of the top five geniuses in level 6."


    "¡­" Varian looked at the mayor for a moment before shaking his head and walking out.


    Pausing at the door, he asked. "When is your soning home?"


    "He''ll be here anytime now. Please¡ª"


    "I''ll wait in the waiting hall," Varian said curtly and walked off.


    The mayor understood what Varian was saying.


    ''I don''t want to stay in the same room as a man like you.''


    Sarah and Sia stood up before following. From the beginning, they had no interest in this meeting. They were just tagging along.


    Watching the receding back of the trio, the mayor sighed.


    Making Eos one of the richest cities was impossible just with his brilliance. He also needed support.


    It was the Xanders.


    Now, he couldn''t break away from them even if he wanted to.


    Funny enough, he broke away from his father.


    ''Son, we are from a family of soldiers. Money isn''t the most important.''


    ''Why should I die for someone I don''t even know? I want to earn money and more money! I want to live like a legend and enjoy everything life has to suffer!''


    ''A soldier''s life is a legend. You say life has a lot to offer, but soldiers are the ones that protect that very life. If you really don''t want to fight, at least go for the military industry. Our family has been in the military since Blink! It''s our tradition.''


    ''I don''t wanna. Fuck the traditions.''


    ''You don''t understand.''


    ''No, you don''t understand me. Goodbye.''


    Ironically, his son broke away from him.


    ''Son, I am the most famous mayor. Eos is one of the richest cities. Why do you still want to join the military?''


    ''What I want is a life worth living, not one of decadence. Dad, we''re rich. Too rich. After some point, I don''t feel anything seeing the string of numbers grow.''


    ''I worked all my life building this legacy. You just want to throw it away? Are you serious?''


    ''Fuck the legacy. I just want to live on my terms.''


    ''You don''t understand.''


    ''No, dad. It''s you who doesn''t understand me. Bye.''


    A cold voice snapped the mayor out of his thoughts.


    "Hey."


    It was cold.


    "Stop it."


    Like a sharp needle, it stung.


    The mayor focused his gaze and saw Varian standing in front of the Xanders.


    ''They both have Sovereign backgrounds. If I don''t interfere, it''ll be settled by the two of them.''


    Whatever the result, he wouldn''t be med. It was the most rational decision.


    But.


    The mayor hurried to the waiting hall.

 Chapter 689 A Brothers Letter

    Chapter 689 A Brother''s Letter


    "Oh¡­.Oooh!" Vin let out a surprised gasp before making an expression of realization.",


    Then she nodded and said with a silly smile. "I should''ve anticipated it. With the current situation, his leave might get canceled. Haha."",


    Her voice was clear and filled with cuteness. Her smile was bright and bursting with joy.",


    "Vin, you know that''s not what I meant." Joshua Xander said in a heavy tone and lowered his gaze to meet her eyes. "I''m sorry."",


    "Ah¡­Ahaha. He got punished for something, right? I know my brother, he does what he wants." Vin''s fists were clenched at her sides, yet she was smiling brightly.",


    Seeing her trembling eyshes and clenched teeth, Joshua realized she understood what he meant.",


    But she was denying it.",


    Even if it meant deceiving herself.",


    "Alright, I''ll wait for him." Vin put her hands behind her back and grinned. Then, she turned around and was about to hop off before her gaze stopped on Varian.",


    "Ah!" Her face showed an embarrassed smile as she said. "I''m sorry I didn''t wee you. You see¡­I was busy with the preparations."",


    Varian didn''t reply. He stared at her with a gaze that seemed to be a mix of emotions. Pity. Sadness.",


    "H-Hey! Don''t stare at me like that!" The youngdy pouted and said. "My brother isn''ting this time. Even though I wasted your time today, I''ll be selfish the next time and request you to share the purple sky with him next time too, okay?"",


    She looked at him with hopeful eyes.",


    Eyes that begged. Eyes that showed her determination to get her brother the best gift she could.",


    Varian couldn''t look into those eyes anymore and turned his head away.",


    "I''ll take that as a yes. Thank you very much." Vin bowed lightly and turned around. ",


    Like a cheerful bunny, she started to hop away.",


    "The next time brotheres, I can try cooking something for him~"",


    "What will he like? He doesn''t like sweet things~ But he ate all the choctes I gave him on his birthday¡­"",


    "Should I try to find another purple sky for him? One he can own? If only grandfather left it. Don''t worry, brother. I''ll make your vacation worth it~"",


    Hearing her joyful words, the atmosphere of the hall grew heavy.",


    Joshua Xander was a man of few words. He had no idea how to deal with a girl who denied her own reality. So, he did what he could.",


    He handed a box to the man who remained silent the whole time.",


    With trembling hands, the mayor gripped the box and pressed his finger on the lock.",


    With a plop, the box opened, revealing its contents.",


    The Mayor''s shoulders shook before they drooped. He remained silent for a few seconds before he exhaled deeply.",


    "Vin."",


    The mayor raised his head and called out.",


    His voice was dry, drier than the sands in the desert. But more than dry, it was heavy.",


    Vin stopped in her tracks, in front of the staircase. But she didn''t turn around.",


    "What is it, father?" She asked in a clear and soft voice.",


    Unlike her father, she appeared perfectly normal.",


    Yet.",


    "You can cry here." The mayor caressed the box and said with a bitter smile.",


    "Cry? Why cry?" Vin sounded puzzled.",


    Pulling a small hologram chip out of the box, he said. "¡­Your brother left a letter to y¡ª"",


    Before ending his words, Vin rushed to the mayor and grabbed the chip. With lightning speed, she tapped it.",


    A hologram popped up and a letter appeared in front of her.",


    [Dear Vin,",


    If you are seeing this letter, it means I''m gone.",


    Don''t hate me for not being able to bring you the gift I promised, okay?",


    But Vin, I tried my best. I struggled with everything I have to live. Yet, death was inevitable.",


    Speaking of death¡­I will confess a shameful secret.",


    I always acted like a courageous brother, didn''t I? But in truth, since I can remember, I was always terrified of death.",


    I don''t know what will happen once I close my eyes. Is there an afterlife? Is there something beyond us, watching us? Will it just turn nk, like turning off the switch?",


    I don''t know. To this day, and I''m sure even on my dying breath, I wouldn''t know.",


    But what I did know was that death was inevitable.",


    If I''m going to die anyway, I wanted to choose a death that was the most meaningful.",


    Something I can be proud of.",


    Something that gives me the courage to stare death in the face and live with courage.",


    I chose mine long ago. I''d die on a battlefield. On the rough soil. In the harsh weather. Alongside my brothers and sisters who fought for you, father, and every human.",


    It''s the most meaningful death I know.",


    So, don''t feel sad for me. Not only did I live the life I wanted, I even died how I always wished for.",


    So, don''t cry too much okay?",


    I know it''s hard to ask you this, even a bit cruel, but whenever someone says my name, I want you to smile.",


    I want my little sister to smile with pride and say ''Yes, my brother pursued his dream. He lived his dream life.''",


    Father acts as if he hates me, but he''ll be sad if I die. Vin, take care of him, okay?",


    Except for you and father, I have no rtives.",


    I want you two to be happy.",


    After all, I only have you two. I wish I could leave behind something for you.",


    But Vin, I spent all my life improving my strength and battling.",


    I have no money to pass on to you.",


    I''m not very famous for my reputation to be useful to you in any way.",


    I''m not friends with any powerful figure who can help you.",


    I don''t have money, power, or influence.",


    Unlike our father who can pass down the city, I don''t even have a legacy.",


    But.",


    Everything I had belongs to you.",


    My vintage wine.",


    My little apartment.",


    My love.",


    And.",


    I''m sorry I couldn''t spend more time with you.",


    I''m sorry I couldn''t give you everything you wanted.",


    I''m sorry I couldn''t see you grow up, get married, and have a happy family.",


    But.",


    Thank You.",


    When I came back from the stressful battles;",


    Thank You for bringing a smile to my face.",


    Thank You for filling me with joy.",


    Thank You for being my little sister.",


    Vin, I might be gone from this world.",


    But I will be watching over you.",


    Wishing You Happiness.]",


    Vin copsed onto her knees as she nkly stared at the letter.",


    Bit by bit, her vision began to blur.",


    Her cheeks felt the warm liquid flowing down from her eyes.",


    She wanted to scream. But someone seemed to be choking her as only a painful groan left her throat.",


    "B-Brothe¡­.!"",

 Chapter 697 Synergy

    Chapter 697 Synergy


    The world went dark and Varian found himself vanishing into the nothingness.",


    His senses disappeared.",


    No sight, no sound, no smell.",


    Varian felt like he was standing in an endless sea of darkness.",


    In the middle of nowhere.",


    Abandoned.",


    Alone.",


    Then.",


    Waves of light burst out from either side.",


    A wave of noble golden light from one side and a tri-color wave from the other.",


    It seemed as if two worlds filled with golden and tri-color lights collided with his.",


    The colorless world turned beautiful and Varian no longer felt alone.",


    Then, he senses a connection to these two worlds.",


    It was like a thread of honey, sweet but weak.",


    Then, something began to flow between the two worlds.",


    At first, he wasn''t sure what it was. It seemed like aura, and it surely had aura but it also had something far more subtle.",


    It was the insights of divine paths.",


    The realizations one had. The bottlenecks one faced. Things thatnguage fell short of expressing. Insights that memories failed to copy.",


    He was suddenly feeling those out of nowhere.",


    Then, he realized these were the experiences of Sarah and Sia.",


    He had reached his level very quickly, so, Varian didn''t spend much time contemting about his divine paths.",


    These insights filled those gaps and Varian immersed himself in the things he missed.",


    If he underwent long training, he could''ve filled those gaps himself. But this was a far more efficient method and he made full use of it.",


    On the other hand, the golden and tri-color worlds also grew brighter.",


    Sarah was able to find insights into two elemental paths from Varian. These two would be of great use for cross-referencing when she began her light path.",


    Then, through Varian as the medium, Sarah also got ess to the path of darkness. It was a major help for her as light and darkness were closely co-rted.",


    Then there was also the Space path from Varian and the Gravity path from Sia. These two paths would greatly aid her in advancing in the time path.",


    On the other hand, Sia was taking insights from the numerous paths Varian awakened in.",


    Since he wasn''t higher level than her in any path, his insights didn''t cause a shattering change for her.",


    However, having so many paths did.",


    The quantitative change led to qualitative change and Sia found her bottlenecks rapidly loosening.",


    Bit by bit, the path to level 9 became clearer.",


    Time passed like an endless river and the first session of synergy bore fruits as it drew closer to the end.",


    *** *** ***",


    [+500 XP]",


    [+500 XP]",


    ¡­",


    [+500 XP]",


    When the Synergy session ended, before Varian could even open his eyes, these messages popped up.",


    [Superhuman Level 7: 8k/10k (+1k)",


    Space Level 7: 8k/10k (+1k)",


    Lightning Level 7: 8k/10k (+1k)",


    ntae Level 7: 8k/10k (+1k)",


    Psychic Level 7: 8k/10k (+1k)",


    Macrokic Level 7: 8k/10k (+1k)",


    Water level 7: 8k/10k (+1k)]",


    Varian was surprised by the windfall.",


    Of course, he knew the massive XP he gained was because this was their first time.",


    From the second time onward, the XP would be far less, however, it''d remain steady.",


    There was a constraint on the session. They could only do a single session a day. The second one would be useless.",


    Despite both the issues, even if they only performed Synergy without practicing, they''d reach the peak of level 9 in merely two years.",


    ''Huh?''",


    Varian suddenly stopped feeling his body and his consciousness seemed to be pulled somewhere.",


    ''Wai¡ª''",


    Sarah, Varian, and Sia''s brows furrowed simultaneously as they witnessed something unexpected.",


    *** ***",


    It was a rainy day.",


    The young Sarah knocked on the door of Evander''s room.",


    "Father."",


    Today, she graduated middle school. Even though her mother went to meet her brother on Pluto, her father decided to stay for her.",


    Sarah''s joy knew no bounds and she wanted to hug him tightly and say ''I love you, father! Thank you foring despite your busy schedule!''",


    But after he got a call, he shut himself in the room.",


    "Father, please say something. What happened to you?" Sarah''s voice shook as she asked in a scared tone.",


    Kacha! Krak!",


    The sounds of ceramics breaking and ss shattering suddenly sounded from the room.",


    Sarah flinched and instinctively took a step back before her eyes widened and she banged the door. "Father! What happened! Don''t scare me!"",


    Minutes turned into hours and there was not a single word.",


    Sarah waited and waited in front of his room until she copsed from the stress and fatigue.",


    *** ***",


    "Day 1¡­"",


    des cut down her skin. Her blood painted the container red.",


    "Day 2¡­"",


    She was electrocuted cruelly until she fainted.",


    "Day 3¡­"",


    She was nearly frozen to death.",


    "Day 10¡­"",


    No¡­",


    "Day 30¡­"",


    I can''t watch this.",


    "Day 100¡­"",


    Please stop¡­",


    His consciousness screamed but the memory continued on.",


    *** *** ***",


    Lost his mother in a day.",


    Pushed away the girl he grew up with in a week.",


    Varian''s life took a drastic turn.",


    He was scared to catch a wink of sleep since the dreams of his mother''s death haunted him.",


    It was as if she ming him.",


    ming his weakness.",


    ''Why didn''t you save her?''",


    ''Why couldn''t you stop Sia?''",


    Varian knew his mother died due to Sia. But the person he hated the most was himself.",


    For the first week, he couldn''t even eat anything. He stared nkly into the distance, hoping this was a nightmare he could wake up from.",


    Sia left but he didn''t even bid her farewell. Just looking at her face, his body flinched as a torrent of negative emotions flooded his heart.",


    She was the constant reminder of his mother''s death.",


    He didn''t want to see her.",


    So, after pushing her away, Varian lived alone for the first time in his life.",


    Trauma pushed him to the edge and depression gripped him so tightly that he had trouble thinking about himself without bursting into tears.",


    ''I hate myself.''",


    Varian didn''t like to me others. He took responsibility for everything that happened to him.",


    It was a trait that rewarded him greatly in his early life. But now, it crushed him.",


    Every night was a nightmare, every day was a living hell.",


    Varian had dangerous thoughts regarding his own life on multiple asions, but he always resolved to live.",


    It wasn''t out of his love for life. But fear that he would die having lived such a terrible life.",


    After lots of pain, struggle, and tears, he ended up in Leon''s training hall.",


    His pain didn''t vanish.",


    But he found a way to numb himself.",


    Then, he lost himself in it.",

 Chapter 701 The First Impostor

    Chapter 701 The First Impostor


    It was unexpected.",


    No one expected the silent fool, Var to make the first move.",


    Even more, they didn''t expect him to pick Angus of all people.",


    The stadium fell silent in a heartbeat and Varian shot the second punch.",


    Angus was already pissed off since he got punched out of the blue, so, he tightened his waist, pulled his right leg a step back, and kicked out.",


    Boom!",


    The arena of the seventh group shook wildly as Angus'' leg reached Varian''s head in an instant.",


    The air between Angus'' leg and Varian''s head waspressed and exerted tremendous pressure on him.",


    Boom!",


    The air exploded and a shockwave swept the arena, sting away the eight members to the corners.",


    Even though they were also prince candidates, none of them were even a high level 7.",


    On the other hand, Varian who subtly used his macro kic power in addition to superhuman strength was able to just block the kick.",


    Seeing Varian''s hand blocking his leg from kicking down his head, Angus'' eyes first widened in surprise before turning red from war intent.",


    "Raa!"",


    Thick killing intent exploded and he rained a flurry of punches on Varian.",


    Despite being weaker on the body side, Varian took all his punches.",


    [+50 XP]",


    [+50 XP]",


    [+50 XP]",


    ¡­",


    The Abyssal Var was only a body awakener. So, Varian couldn''t openly use other abilities.",


    However, he used his space powers and microkic powers to create defensive barriers under his skin, preventing the injuries he would''ve suffered if he took the attacks head-on.",


    As a result, it appeared to everyone that Varian was also a peak level 7 and even stronger than Angus since he didn''t get even a single injury.",


    But for some reason, he was going easy on Angus since he wasn''t attacking with full strength.",


    The crowd believed the reason to be Angus'' father, the duke.",


    The audience turned their gazes to the duke, their expressions openly disying disapproval and contempt.",


    The duke''s face contorted, not from the audience''s stare, but from Varian''s actions.",


    "Warrior Var, not showing your full strength on your opponent is a crime! Go ahead and beat my son." The Duke roared.",


    "I don''t need your pity! Come at me with full strength." Angus said with bloodshot eyes.",


    ''W-What?'' Varian was taken aback.",


    "Duke''s son or Whore''s son, strength is the only qualification." Angus continued the attacks as he spat.",


    ''Abyssals¡­'' Varian blocked a punch to his chest and kicked back.",


    Angus sidestepped and dodged beforeshing out a kick to the neck. His shirt waspletely soaked and he was panting heavily, yet he continued the attacks with the same intensity.",


    ¡­He was giving his best.",


    Boom! Kacha!",


    Varian''s punch swiftly shifted at thest moment and struck Angus in the abdomen.",


    Spraying out a mouthful of green blood, the abyssal wiped his mouth and nced at Var with aplicated gaze.",


    "Knock me out or I''m not going down!" Kicking the ground, he reached Varian in an instant.",


    Boom!",


    Unlike Varian who sneakily used his ntae skills to reduce his fatigue, Angus was already exhausted. So, he was easily kicked by Varian in the chest and flew out in a parab before crashing to the ground.",


    "Ur-Kuh!" Disregarding the broken chest bones, he tried to get up.",


    But Varian''s follow-up kick knocked him out.",


    "Var!"",


    "Kuruk! Kuruk! Kuruk!"",


    The audience burst into cheers as they chanted his name.",


    Ignoring the reactions despite being surprised by them, Varian turned his gaze to the remaining participants.",


    Six were knocked out and only two were left.",


    With a kick to the ground, he closed the distance and knocked out the first one with a punch, and the second one with a hand knife.",


    "Yes! You''re the warrior of our city! Be a prince and make us proud!" The duke pped his chair andughed.",


    Varian looked at the duke with aplicated gaze. Despite him beating down his son, the duke was brightly smiling at Varian.",


    ''¡­Abyssals are a bit different from us. A bit too different.'' Varian finally realized.",


    Because if the same thing happened in human society, then¡­",


    *** *** ***",


    "Are the healing potions sufficient?"",


    Nod.",


    "Weapons? You use a spear, right? I got a good spear, here take it."",


    Bow. ",


    A light bow indicating gratitude.",


    "I got you the best amodation that can be bought in the city."",


    Another light bow.",


    "Here is the information regarding the opponents you''ll face in the capital. Even though we have quite a few vacant positions, there are always a lot morepetitors. So, do your best, okay?"",


    Nod. Nod.",


    "Haha. I really want to hear you speak for once. But don''t mind me, go Var! For the Emperor!"",


    Imitating the man in front of him, Varian also ced his hand on his heart with a lowered head.",


    "My son will apany you to the capital. I''m counting on you." Patting his shoulder twice, the duke finally left the room.",


    ''Didn''t get found~'' Varian''s tense shoulders drooped and he sat on a couch as if he lost all his energy.",


    Even though Abrax''s mask could disguise him perfectly, Varian wasn''t 100% sure if he did it right.",


    Back in the ruins, his first disguise as a merman failed. It only worked the second time.",


    It wasn''t much of a deal there, but if it happened now, then it''d be over.",


    ''From what I can tell, abyssals don''t even have recognition tools. They aren''t worried about humans infiltrating and posing as one of them.''",


    Why so much confidence?",


    For one, perfectly disguising as an abyssal was close to impossible.",


    However, if a proper treasure could be essed, it could be done.",


    But finding a proper treasure was too hard.",


    And second¡­",


    ''Abyss Will.''",


    Varian looked at the red sky out of the window and clicked his tongue.",


    Humans, no matter level 1 or level 9 or even Sovereign, would be affected by the abyss will.",


    Even if they could bear it, they wouldn''t be able to brush it off.",


    To the abyssals, it''d be painfully obvious why an abyssal was behaving so strangely.",


    Enigma was capable of hiding from the Abyss'' will and even shielding herself from its effects altogether.",


    However, she didn''t have a perfect disguise treasure that allowed her to change into another race altogether. ",


    In the end, he was the first imposter.",

 Chapter ?706 Prince Var

    Chapter ?706 Prince Var


    Five hours and fifty minutes after the mission began:


    Judie, the level 8, seemed to have been bogged down by an opponent.


    So, the burden of mass killing fell the abyssals fell to the peak level 7 humans.


    The strongest peak level 7 naturally took the task of killing the most powerful abyssal in the bunch.


    "Die!"


    A young man inbat uniform moved through space at an inhuman speed. His body blurred for a moment and the next thing, he was thirty miles ahead, punching at the head of an abyssal.


    ''Why is master''s apprentice here?'' Varian sighed inwardly as his body lit up in lightning and he shed back.


    Boom!


    Despite his high speed, the fist grazed his face and as a result, his skin cracked and blood spilled out.


    ''Fuck, he''s a peak level 7 and he''s going for the kill.''


    Varian gritted his teeth and created a lightning wall to block the next punch.


    Kaacha!


    It barely held on.


    For the next hundred punches the human threw in the span of thirty seconds, Varian responded with a hundred lightning walls.


    Of course, they held on barely but held on nheless.


    "Don''t you abyssals have pride? Why aren''t you attacking?" Kane tried to provoke him as he continued his flurry of attacks.


    ''I don''t want to identally kill you.'' Varian had his own reasons.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    "Huff! Huff!" Varian panted as he felt the lightning mana in his body drop to dangerous levels.


    Unlike other abyssals who rested after a few fights, he had been fighting continuously and as a result, his stamina wasn''t in a peak condition.


    It wasn''t one or two, in these almost six hours, he fought dozens and dozens of humans. So many that he lost count.


    While he was fatigued, he reaped great gains.


    ''Status.''


    [Superhuman L7: 9.8k/10k (+1.8k)


    Space L7: 9k/10k (+1k)


    Lightning L7: 9k/10k (+1k)


    ntae L7: 9.5k/10k (+1.5 k)


    Psychic L7: 9k/10k (+1k)


    Macrokic L7: 9k/10k (+1k)


    Water L 7: 9k/10k (+1k) ]


    Even though the improvements weren''t uniform, all his paths more or less were at the peak of level 7.


    Especially, his superhuman and ntae paths. Since he used his body to fight the most, the superhuman path had the most improvement.


    Since body fighting meant a tonne of injuries and his ntae path seemed to have a specialty in healing, it received the next highest improvement.


    The improvement was wild, to say the least.


    But it was only possible because Varian had so many opponents who were all very diverse and skilled.


    On top of it, they were all going for the kill, elevating thebat intensity to the highest level.


    The same results couldn''t be achieved in a training room where safety was guaranteed.


    ''I really belong to the battlefield.'' Varian smiled before his hand abruptly covered his face and his vision blurred.


    Boom!


    Prince Kane took advantage of hisxness and finally managed to hit him. His fist broke through the lightning barrier around Varian and reached his head.


    ''Yes! Elementals have a much weaker body, once my fist hits him, he''ll be a gone¡ªehhh?''


    Prince Kane''s eyes widened as he saw Varian''s hand covering his head at a speed too fast for an elemental.


    Then, something even crazier happened.


    Unlike breaking into pieces like how an elemental''s weak hand should, his hand perfectly sped his fist and pushed him back.


    ''D-Dual Awakener¡­?'' His eyes widened in shock as a chill shot down his spine.


    "Sorry about this." An apologetic yet unyielding voice sounded from the abyssal.


    "W-Wha¡ªarghh!" Kane''s mind suddenly went nk as a psychic force assaulted his brain.


    When he snapped out of it, the space around him was frozen and an invisible telekic force, along with ice chains imprisoned his limbs.


    "L-Let me g¡ª!" Kane''s struggles stopped abruptly as he gazed at the abyssal who towered over him.


    His eyes were brimming with a bone-chilling coldness that he rarely found in anyone, human or abyssal.


    Suddenly, a thought shed in Kane''s mind and his heart almost stopped beating.


    "Body, Lightning, Space, Psychic, Water, Telekic¡­.who the fuck are you?" He asked in a voice that seemed to question his own sanity.


    "¡­"


    Varian expressionlessly looked at his senior brother.


    During the sr banquet, Kane gave him a warm wee and treated him like a junior, which he was.


    But after a mere month, here they were.


    Looking down at the man he once had to look up to, Varian was made aware of his own growth.


    This man had been a peak level 7 back then. It was an excellent achievement for his age.


    But after a month.


    He was still a peak level 7. He had a minor improvement or two. But that''s it.


    On the other hand, he...


    From a peak level 6 to peak level 7.


    What others took a decade, he did it in a month.


    A world of difference.


    "Y-Yo¡ªmff!" Kane''s words were cut off as his eyes reflected the shining sword that the abyssal raised.


    "!!!"


    The sword swung down mercilessly.


    *** *** ***


    "The level 8 they sent is much more¡­sticky than expected. But there''s something more terrible."


    In therge hall of the spaceship, Ron stood on a stage with heavily bandaged hands as he addressed the crowd. Even though he was a heal fighter, he wouldn''t refuse extra healing.


    He scanned the crowd with a serious gaze before he let out a deep sight. "Thirty died. But my concern is that out of the thirty, we don''t even know how twenty died. We at least have records from the other ten, but these twenty¡­"


    "Sir, their deaths aren''t in vain. They managed to kill a human before they died." An abyssal in the front seats, with bandages covering him from head to toe, said.


    He only killed one human, but to do that, he risked his life and nearly died. It was certain that he won''t be selected as a prince, but no one disrespected him.


    Along with him, the 180 abyssals were also seated in the hall, with varying degrees of bandages.


    Including Var.


    "H-He¡­died." Wan, the abyssal from another city than Teran, the guy who sat beside Varian earlier, was now sobbing.


    ''Who is he crying for¡­?'' Var gave him a puzzling nce.


    "Y-Your friend, Jax¡­" Wan said in a sad voice that couldn''t hide his disbelief at hisck of reaction.


    ''Huh? Ah! The guy who was from his city.'' Varian looked to his left and realized the seat assigned to Jax was unupied.


    ''He wasughing and chatting earlier¡­I guess death is the same for both races. Just, abyssals are more prepared to die.''


    "On our way back, I''ll be evaluating your performance. ording to your serial number,e ahead and show your results." Prince Ron announced.


    Following his words, one by one, abyssals reached the stage and presented their ''results''.


    Varian''s body flinched and he turned his head away.


    The ''results'' were human heads.


    ''Soldiers¡­people who are protecting us.''


    Seeing the abyssals hand the heads like they were some trophies, Varian had an urge to burn the whole ce down.


    Even though Ron seemed to be stronger than him, Varian was confident he could kill the rest.


    ''Stop¡­''


    Forcing himself to calm down, Varian lowered his head and took a short breath.


    Wan, the abyssal seated beside him though Varian was nervous. So, he was about to pat his back when his body suddenly froze. "Don''t be nervous. One day, you''ll be able to get so many human skulls you can hang them in your hou¡ªhak!"


    Before his hand could touch Varian''s back, the ''abyssal'' turned his head and gazed at him.


    It was a chilling gaze filled with killing intent.


    Wan was so scared that he nearly fell out of his chair.


    Ron''s gaze swiftly shifted to Varian as a look of shock appeared on his face.


    "That killing intent¡­"


    It was too overbearing.


    Was this guy someone who bathed in enemies'' blood or what?


    Moreover, the aura he was giving off...


    Even among this group consisting of several geniuses, he looked out of ce. Like he belonged to a league of his own.


    ''Is he still having trouble controlling himself from the battle?'' Ron guessed the reason for the burst of killing intent.


    Some warriors, especially ones with a lot of hatred and kill count, would find it hard to get back to normal after heavy battles.


    "You there¡­Var, is it? Show your results." Ron asked with anticipation.


    Varian took a deep breath and controlled his killing intent.


    The slip-up earlier was a mistake. Of course, since it was his first time acting and seeing such things, he had trouble controlling himself.


    If it was a second time, Varian was confident he''d be able to not show such reaction, no matter how he felt inside.


    But for now¡­


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    The moment he stood up and started walking, the hall suddenly fell silent. A heaviness lingered in the air and the abyssals felt a weight pressing on their chests, causing them trouble breathing.


    ''Peak level 7?'' Ron''s eyes lit up. ''Should I send him to a top hunting team¡­?''


    Facing the audience, Varian stood on the stage and unloaded the items from his storage.


    "Ohhh!"


    "Fuck."


    "W-What?"


    Gaps of exmation rang out as a mountain of arms and legs sprawled on the stage, dyeing it red.


    Ron opened his mouth in shock before a frown appeared on his face. "They aren''t heads. While I could verify their DNA and see if the owners of these limbs died, it isn''t enough proof. Our informationwork isn''tpletely urate."


    Varian tapped his bracelet and more than forty holograms shed.


    Shuaaa! Boom! Kacha!


    The sounds of swords piercing sh, fists sting heads, and kicks breaking spines rang out.


    In every hologram, the abyssal Var killed a human brutally.


    "Hiss!"


    Except for Ron, every abyssal in the hall sucked in a breath of cold air.


    A sudden realization dawned on them and they understood why Var only presented limbs and not heads or even torsos.


    More likely than not, he burst the corpse into pieces. Heck, with the way he killed them, they were surprised he was able to save a limb.


    "H-Hahahahaha!" Ron startedughing as if he had gone mad.


    "Prince!"


    "Kuruk!"


    "Var!"


    One by one, the abyssals stood up with fanatical faces as they cheered.


    Feeling an intense gaze, Varian turned his gaze to the left and saw Prince Ron staring at him with an intense gaze.


    It was a gaze he was very familiar with.


    It was how Seth used to stare at him. A gaze with which you''d look at someone who''d fulfill your life''s dream.


    [Bring proof that you killed the human level 7s, head is preferred, other methods are also fine.]


    Those were Ron''s words before he sent them on the test.


    If he had no other choice, Varian resolved himself to kill.


    But¡­


    His mind sense reached inside the ghost ship and saw the thirty-plus humans including Kane.


    They were all unconscious and put into a deep sleep through the use of drugs. Theirms were destroyed so that no one could trace them.


    And their missing limb was slowly being regrown from the potion treatment.


    ''Boo, take care of them and keep them unconscious until this mission is over.''


    ''Yes, master.''


    Varian took a breath.


    He wanted his revenge at any cost. But if he could, Varian decided to keep the human casualties as low as possible, even zero, though that was just his idealism speaking.


    ''Not just that¡­'' Varian''s eyes shed.


    Ron finished assessing the DNA of the limbs and they all matched with the identities of the humans on the holograms. What''s more, the authenticity of the holograms was also verified.


    "It''s decided." Ron gave a bright smile and raised Varian''s hand.


    He didn''t check others. Someone else would do it.


    What he wanted right now was to announce the birth of a new star!


    "Demon Abyss wees Prince Var!" Prince Ron announced with enthusiasm.


    "Prince Var!"


    "Prince Var!"


    "War! Var! War!"


    Varian''s lips slightly curled up.


    Neither the cheering abyssals in front of him nor the enthusiastic Ron could''ve ever guessed¡­


    The prince they were cheering for¡ªthe new hope they were wishing well was their archenemy.


    But even more than that, there was something they didn''t know.


    Something they wouldn''t know¡­


    ¡­He was the one that killed those twenty abyssals.

 Chapter 707 Archduke Mendis

    Chapter 707 Archduke Mendis


    There was supposed to be a grand ceremony weing the arrival of new princes and princesses.",


    However, since the demon king was locked on theoid with Julius, it was put off for now.",


    So, Varian and the fifty new princes and princesses met up with the archduke who just returned from theoids.",


    His office happened to be in the capital. So, the four professors led their group to meet him.",


    "He just returned after a big battle. Even though he won''t kill, be careful with what you say. If he''s pissed off, even Demon King can''t control him." Ron said those words to Varian''s group before they stepped into the office.",


    The other professors also must have warned their batch since everyone entered the office with a stiff expression.",


    And saw him, the abyssal seated behind a desk.",


    He was arge guy with a broad chest. The most striking feature about him was his sharp teeth which reminded Varian of a saber-tooth tiger.",


    And he''s pretty old. Apparently, he''s the oldest in the Demon abyss.",


    "Hm, so you''re the new princes, hm. Seeing the fresh blood makes me happy." Mendis, the strongest Archduke, studied them with a smile.",


    Since his office room was rather small, they were all seated closely and gave off the impression of prisoners.",


    They might as well be since every abyssal''s body was stiff like a taut rope.",


    Mendis¡­",


    "But reaching stage is nothing." Mendis'' smile disappeared and he said in an indifferent voice.",


    The abyssal princes, the great geniuses, flinched and lowered their heads at his words.",


    To humans, he''s a vengeful and bloodthirsty bastard.",


    To abyssals, he''s a man with such high standards that even top geniuses cried to not face him.",


    "The level 7s you faced are run-of-the-mill trashes that can be found in every human city. What you did was clean up a bit more trash than others. Speaking honestly, you just proved that you''re better than trash, don''t you agree?"",


    "Y-Yes, Sir!"",


    The fifty abyssals nodded their head with exaggerated enthusiasm.",


    Except for one¡­",


    Varian.",


    "Hm?" Mendis wasn''t someone who missed such an obvious detail.",


    His gaze shifted onto Varian and he spat again, in a much colder voice this time. "Don''t you agree?"",


    Shake. Shake.",


    Varian simply shook his head.",


    ''Oh fuck!'' Ron, who was standing behind the fifty abyssals, along with the three professors felt his heart stop beating.",


    "Oh? We have a snowke here, eh." Mendis'' lips curled up as his sharp teeth showed like a predator preparing to hunt.",


    The temperature of the room dropped and the newly promoted princes felt like the air was piercing their skin like needles.",


    "S-Sir! His record i¡ª" Ron''s words were cut off.",


    "I''m asking him," Mendis said in a tone that wouldn''t take no for an answer.",


    "Y-Yes." Prince Ron clenched his fists at his sides and lowered his head.",


    "So, tell me snowke, what''s the sense of your confidence?" Mendis leaned forward from his chair and rested his hands on the desk.",


    Even though it was a small moment, it was as if a mountain moved. A tremendous pressure fell on the abyssals and particrly, Varian.",


    ''Fuck! This guy is as strong as master.'' Varian felt like his chest would cave in from the pressure.",


    But he didn''t shrink from the challenge.",


    He dealt with an overly strict general already. ",


    His own master.",


    So, he knew that while these people might be very strict and unforgiving, they were also the best source of protection if you proved your potential and will.",


    Moving his hand that felt heavier than an iron mountain under the pressure, Varian tapped the bracelet causing a hologram to pop up in front of Mendis.",


    Since Mendis just returned from the battlefield, he shouldn''t have gone through their battle loot.",


    So¡­",


    "This¡­." Mendis'' gaze rested on the hologram for a moment before his eyes widened and he turned to Ron with a solemn expression. "Is this real?"",


    "Y-Yes, I personally verified."",


    "Haaa~" Mendis exhaled deeply as he slumped back into his chair. His shoulders drooped and he gazed at the ceiling for a few seconds as if digesting the situation.",


    Then, he stood up from his seat and walked to the group step by step.",


    Tap! Tap! Tap!",


    With each step he took, the pressure on the princes grew. Most princes shrunk in their seats. Except for a few mentally strong ones, the rest lowered their head.",


    Mendis stopped in front of Varian and looked down at him with a stern expression.",


    Varian was looking at him without any fear.",


    ''Shit.'' Ron gritted his teeth and stepped forward.",


    "You."",


    Mendis grabbed Varian by the shoulders and stood him up in one swift motion.",


    Ron stretched his arm towards Varian as Mendis raised his hands.",


    p!",


    "Where have you been hiding all these days, you little bastard!" The sternness on Mendis'' face melted into a smile and he pped Varian''s shoulders with enthusiasm.",


    "?"",


    Ron was dumbfounded by the sudden change of attitude.",


    "!"",


    The princes rubbed their eyes to see if they were seeing things.",


    Hell General Mendis was smiling?",


    What the fuck?",


    Did this old fellow finally go senile?",


    No, no. This must be some sort of test. Yep, they were being tested by a level 9 psychic.",


    Must be so.",


    "Look at you, so thin! You should eat more!" Mendis poked the bulging muscles on Varian''s arms and said like it was a pity.",


    ''1000 pounds is still thin?'' Varian wanted to ask, but after noticing that Mendis was at least 50% bulkier than him, he shut his mouth.",


    Prince Var was hulky for a human, but only above average for abyssals.",


    ''But why is he talking about th¡ªeh?''",


    Mendis wrapped his arms around Varian''s shoulders. "Let''s get you fed first. Griffin meat? Nah, that bird isn''t very tasty. Golden Deer? Very tasty, but not nutritious¡­."",


    He rambled to himself.",


    ''This old guy is treating me like his grandson¡­what the fuck.'' Varian sighed inwardly.",


    "Ah!" Mendis'' eyes suddenly lit up and heughed. "Flood dragon! It''s both tasty and nutritious. Let''s go!"",


    Even though Varian gave no answer, he dragged the new prince to the door.",


    "S-Sir!" One of the professors called out as Mendis held the door knob.",


    "Hm, what is it?" Mendis tilted his head to the side and asked.",


    "The meeting with princes''¡­"",


    "Can''t you see I''m busy? They''re not children. Send them to hunting teams." Waving his hands like he was swatting away flies, Mendis opened the door and disappeared with Varian.",


    "¡­"",


    "¡­"",


    The professors looked at each other and sighed. Then, pping their hands, they called out to their group. "You''ll start out in the lowest hunting group. The assignment is¡ª"",


    "Hold up! This isn''t an illusion?" One prince interrupted with a disbelieving expression.",


    "Illusion? What are you talking about?" Ron tilted his head.",


    "Sir Mendis smiling¡­behaving nicely with that guy, there''s no way it''s possible. So, this is an illusion. So, before I get assigned to the hunting groups, I want to know if the information in illusion is urat¡ª"",


    "Woah, calm down there." Ron held his hand and motioned the overimaginative prince to shut up.",


    But the problem was that every other prince and princess was also giving him the same questioning gaze.",


    Sighing deeply, he said the bitter truth. "None of it was an illusion."",


    "WHAT?!"",

 Chapter ?708 Hunting List

    Chapter ?708 Hunting List


    "Little fe, you should eat more! The roasted flood dragon leg is just¡ª"",


    Shake. Shake.",


    "Come on! Don''t be so shy! Think of me as your grandfather."",


    "¡­."",


    "Aw, you poor thing. You lost your parents and grandparents to those scum humans. Even your brain took a big hit from the attack, right? Must be hard, unable to speak and all."",


    Stare. Stare.",


    "I get it. I get it. I won''t remind you of those days¡­."",


    Nod. Nod.",


    "But eat just a bit mor¡ª"",


    Fierce shake.",


    "Sigh¡­" Mendis'' shoulders drooped as he nced at the stubborn Varian.",


    Varian nced back with a neutral expression. But inside his mind, he was cursing this abyssal without stopping.",


    ''Even if I''m a level 7 body awakener, my stomach is about to burst! Did you find out my identity and try to kill me with excess eating?''",


    If Mendis insisted, Varian would''ve really thought so.",


    Thankfully, the archduke waved to the maids who cleared up the dining table and cleaned them up.",


    "So, what do you want to do now? I''ll support you as much as possible." Mendis patted his chest and gave a reassuring smile.",


    Varian interlocked his fingers and put on a contemtive expression.",


    Thankfully, he stopped himself from speaking or he''d have fucked up.",


    Right.",


    He learned something when Mendis dug through his ''files'' in the demon abyss database.",


    Apparently, the reason abyssal Var couldn''t speak as he was attacked by a human mind awakener a few years ago.",


    The damage remained and he had difficulty speaking, forming normal facial expressions, and connecting with others in general.",


    Of course, Var himself didn''t know much about this nor did many people around him in the Teran city.",


    So, Mendis didn''t suspect when the silent abyssal turned out to be a genius with so much power.",


    With his mental condition, Var avoided interacting with others and thus, didn''t get a chance to show his powers.",


    Mendis thought that the boy who lost his family trained hard for revenge.",


    That''s why he was willing to support anything Var wanted to do.",


    As if deciding his choice, Varian tapped his bracelet.",


    [Hunting Xanders]",


    "Xanders, no wonder." Mendis'' eyes narrowed slightly and he chuckled. "They''re the ones who made you orphans."",


    "!"",


    Was it a coincidence? Yes.",


    Was it too good to be true? No.",


    Since Var''s parents were highly aplished warriors, it was only natural that they fought the best warriors of the earth¡ªXanders.",


    So, them dying to Xanders was a likely scenario.",


    "Even though Xanders as a whole degraded, their geniuses are still one of the very best in the humans. It''s going to be risky." Mendis tapped his chair like he was considering the decision.",


    After a few seconds, he gave a slight but strong nod. "Blood for blood. Life for life."",


    Varian sighed in relief.",


    Mendis tapped his bracelet and instructed someone. "You can join the teams hunting Xanders. They''ll be meeting up at the demon king''s castle this evening. Good luck."",


    Varian nodded and stood up to take leave.",


    As he reached the door, Mendis'' hesitant voice sounded.",


    "There''s a herb that can cure your condition, Galini, it works for even the worst of mental damages, but we only have one stalk per year. That kid, Ron will get it tonight."",


    Varian''s body stiffened.",


    Galini¡­",


    Come to think of it, that herb was also the cure for the condition of Kreo''s daughter.",


    Seeing Prince Var stopping in his tracks, Mendis thought he wanted the herb.",


    "Demon king assigned it to him already. I''ll get one for you next year. Maybe you''ll have enough credit yourself already, haha." He said like it couldn''t be helped.",


    ''¡­I need it.'' Varian''s eyes shed and he nodded lightly before taking leave.",


    Seeing Prince Var leave, Mendis sighed. "If only you were born on that side, you would''ve had the best training resource and had a hope to reach the Celestial Rank¡­poor thing."",


    *** *** ***",


    The gathering of the hunting teams was in one of the many meeting rooms of the demon king castle.",


    Reaching the avenue early, Varian had been waiting for the teams to gather.",


    The door creaked and Varian swiftly looked up. ",


    It was an unexpected abyssal entered.",


    "Var?" Ron smiled and sat beside him. "So, you''re going to join the S-grade teams right away, eh."",


    Varian gave a slight nod.",


    S-grade were the top hunting teams.


    The rest of the new princes were going to start from D. At best, it''d be C.


    "Do you have any targets in your mind?" Ron tapped his bracelet.",


    The infamous hunting list appeared.",


    [100. Luke Flyer",


    99. Johny Virtues",


    98. Cutiepie",


    97. ¡­",


    ¡­]",


    ''These aliases are too much¡­''",


    Varian''s lips twitched and he filtered the list for Xanders.",


    Fortunately, Xanders had too much pride to use aliases. Since he was going to hunt the elite, Varian also only picked the top 25.",


    [24. Caleb Xander",


    19. Nn Xander",


    16. Easton Xander",


    13. Austin Xander",


    9. Den Xander",


    6. Kai Xander",


    4. Axel Xander",


    1. Joshua Xander]",


    "Eight out of twenty five. 32%."",


    Varian''s chest heaved up and down.",


    Out of the whole earth, a single family, just one family had almost one-third weightage in the top 25 of level 7 princes!",


    "They are really declining, eh¡­" Ron made an unexpected remark.",


    "?"",


    Seeing Var''s surprise, Ron chuckled. "Under thest sovereign, Xanders never went below 40%."",


    "¡­."",


    ''Ridiculous!''",


    "The ones in top 10 have broken most bottlenecks and are on verge of reaching level 8. I believe you''ll be fine as long you don''t go after them."",


    Varian gave a nod in agreement, even though he was damn sure he''d be killing everyst one of them.",


    "Especially Joshua Xander, he might advance at any moment and go into seclusion. As long as you don''t touch him, you''ll be safe."",


    Varian lowered his head and aplicated gaze shed in his eyes.",


    Joshua¡­",


    Out of all the Xanders he encountered, no, even among normal people he saw, he was a good person.",


    He was ruthless, sure. But he was still a good person.",


    ''But should I spare him?''",


    Varian didn''t know.",


    "Var?"",


    Varian raised his head and gazed at Prince Ron.",


    This abyssal¡­",


    Even Mendis praised him.",


    From what he heard, Ron''s sister was hit by a human psychic and was suffering from a severe mental condition.",


    Ron was working hard to save merit points to cure her and just got the Galini herb.",


    The same herb that Varian needed to carry out revenge against Kreo.",


    ''And should I spare him?''",


    As Varian was about think, the door creaked and thirty abyssals entered the room.",


    "Yo, Ron!"",


    "Y''all are finally here. Let''s begin the meeting."",


    Varian didn''t exactly remember how things went.",


    Ron was apparently the supervisor for the hunts. But he also did all the talking for him and assigned him to a team.",


    Then, in the same big spaceship, just like before, Ron took them to the hunting locations.",


    Just this time, the ones travelling weren''t aspiring princes, they were the real princes and the cream of the crop.",


    "ording to the intel, 24 is likely in this region, sniping our patrol ships."",


    24. Caleb Xander.",


    The eighth on Varian''s hunting list and the first one he''d hunt.",


    Varian, along with two more abyssals entered their mini-ships and took off.",


    As his team was about to search the region, Ron''s message sounded in Varian''s ship.",


    "If there''s any problem, inform me. And good luck to you, may you find your revenge."",


    Revenge¡­",


    Varian''s eyes turned cold and he nodded.",


    Revenge he would get.",

 Chapter 709 First Hunt

    Chapter 709 First Hunt


    ''The higher you climb, the colder it gets.''",


    To most, it was a mere quote. A flimsy excuse by the elite to hide their opulence behind the mask of solitude.",


    Yet, for Caleb Xander, the very definition of that ''elite''¡ªa peak level 7 at the young age of 38 and one of the bright stars of the strongest family¡ªthose words couldn''t be more true.",


    He used to be a bright but rtively normal kid. He had friends, he liked a girl and despite the privileged life he was born into, he didn''t view others as inferior.",


    ''Life is good. I can go to school, hang out with friends, and spend time with my girlfriend.''",


    It was thest entry of the diary he maintained during high school.",


    Then¡­",


    Things changed.",


    Even in school, he was always a tad ahead of his peers. Being a level 1 when they were still unawakened, reaching level 2 when they were barely getting started.",


    Even though his friends were also mostly from elite families, the difference between him and them was equal to the difference between elites and normal people.",


    Be it the 3-star clothes he wore, the rare and carefully prepared beast meat he ate, the guidance he received from a young age, and the training resources he had at hand.",


    The gap had always existed.",


    Since he was still a low awakener, it didn''t be apparent¡­until he got into the Defense Academy.",


    It came as a shock when one of his friends couldn''t qualify for the entrance exam.",


    He was surprised when a friend still stayed at level 2 when the second year began.",


    It was baffling to see his friends struggle so much in a dungeon his team easily cleared.",


    They weren''t weak. He was just too strong.",


    But what him hurt him more was that even the girl he loved, no longer appeared as bright.",


    She was still smart and smiling, but the smile she faced him with was no longer as carefree. Whenever she was him, her eyes went dim and her expression heavy.",


    ¡­It was as if she was scared of him.",


    And guilty.",


    After all, even with the resources, he provided her, she barely followed his footsteps.",


    And as he reached higher levels, he was prohibited by the family to give her the extra resources.",


    Before he knew it, the people he ate with started skipping lunches.",


    The friends he hung out with in the evenings were busy with missions to improve their performance.",


    The girl he loved started to break down from the pressure.",


    Fortunately or unfortunately, they graduated by then.",


    They met up after graduation and partied.",


    He desperately hoped everything would be normal now that they didn''t need to stay in that academy where strength mattered the most.",


    He wished they could stillugh with him and look him in the eye.",


    It was a naive wish.",


    Stepping into society, their differences were magnified multifold.",


    He quickly grew climbed the rankings in the military while his friends progressed, but to him, it seemed like they were crawling.",


    Once he reached level 7, thest bit of friendliness they had toward him disappeared.",


    All that was left was respect.",


    Their decade of friendship. Gone.",


    At least, he thought he could marry the girl he liked or used to like, but he didn''t know anymore.",


    But¡­",


    When she met his family, they bombarded her with sharp questions.",


    Worse, in front of her, they introduced him to his fiancee.",


    More beautiful, powerful, and talented than her.",


    ''You are suitable to be his maid, not a wife.''",


    Hearing those cruel words from that beautiful girl, his girlfriend left in tears.",


    No matter what he said and did, she didn''t stop.",


    It hurt.",


    It hurt seeing their rtionship fall apart.",


    But what hurt him more was her smile of relief through those tears.",


    After all these years¡­",


    After so much struggle¡­",


    The burden ced on her¡ªthe weight of expectations was taken off.",


    It was then Caleb realized how much he hurt her.",


    And how lonely he was.",


    That day, something in him broke.",


    He grew resentful of the brightughter.",


    He hated happy lovers.",


    He was bitter aboutpanionship.",


    The people he both envied and hated were themon people.",


    People that were born just into enough privilege that they were cut above the average but low enough that they could maintain their bonds with normal people.",


    He tormented the happiest couples. Messed up their lives using his influence. Made them break the heart of their loved ones and relished their wails.",


    Beat up closest of friends. Caused them to betray each other. Poisoned their bond with his malice. And enjoyed their sadness.",


    Somewhere¡­",


    Somehow¡­",


    He grew into someone he never wanted to be.",


    "A sadist, a psychopath, a sicko. You believed you were a victim and you became a bully."",


    A cold voice rang in Caleb''s ears as he floated in space. The light of his spaceship going up in mes reflected in his confused eyes.",


    "Huek!"",


    Suddenly, he flinched as the pain from therge on his chest assaulted his brain. His lungs and liver were missing.",


    The pain caused his face to pale and grit his teeth.",


    Yet, focusing his vision, he red at the abyssal in front of him with spite.",


    "W-What do you know? It''s not my fault. Everyone abandoned me, even the love of my lif¡ª"",


    "It''s not your fault that you''re born into the shitty Xanders. But it''s still your responsibility to live a proper life. What did you do when your lover was harassed by your family?" Varian asked with contempt.",


    "I¡ª"",


    "You let them spew venom at her. You left her to the wolves." Varian''s eyes were cold.",


    "I tried, but they didn''t liste¡ª"",


    "Did you really try that hard?",


    Yet you abandoned her. If you just stood up with her and let them know you wouldn''t back down, then what would''ve happened?" Varian''s voice stabbed the knife of regret deep into Caleb''s heart.",


    "I¡­maybe things would''ve been different." Caleb''s eyes, which remained tough even when Varian broke his lungs and thrashed him, started to water.",


    Seeing him break down, Varian continued with a cold smile.",


    "Even after being burdened with expectations for so long, even after your friends left you, she stayed with you. Did you ever wonder why?"",


    "W-Why¡­" Caleb''s eyes had a hint of hope mixed with fear.",


    "Because she loved you the most. Even more than your friends, your parents, and that fiance."",


    "S-Sorr¡­" Caleb gritted his teeth as he recalled her. Her bright smile, her loving gestures, and finally her eyes...when she stared at him with those eyes filled with pain...Caleb felt like someone pierced a knife into his heart and twisted it.",


    "The reason she cried¡­it wasn''t because of your fiancee''s words, but because she realized that even after she went through so much struggle to keep up with you, even after she braved herself to face your family, you didn''t even stand in front of her when she needed you the most."",


    His calm words stabbed Caleb deeper than any weapon could.",


    Like dams bursting, tears poured out from the grown man''s eyes and mixed with his blood.",


    The pain from his physical body was nothingpared to the ache in his heart.",


    He wasn''t a victim.",


    He abandoned her because he didn''t want to risk his role in the family.",


    "B-But my frien¡ª"",


    "It''s all on you. A friend distanced himself from you, fine. Two, alright. But all of them? Is the problem with them or with you?",


    And let''s assume all your friends did abandon you. What stopped you from forging good bonds with your colleagues? Why are you a loner?",


    Why? Because that way, you can avoid tryingpletely and me your past for it.",


    You aren''t a victim, Caleb Xander. You are a twisted, rotten piece of filth."",


    "P-Please¡­kill me." Caleb closed his eyes shut as the tears didn''t stop.",


    "If you didn''t live so selfishly, you''d have had everything you envy in others."",


    "K-Kill me already¡­." Caleb pleaded.",


    "You aren''t even worth that." A cold de was ced in his palm.",


    Caleb gritted his teeth and nced at the abyssal. Then, using thest of his strength, he stabbed the de into his neck.",


    Varian watched a top Xander genius die. His lips curled lightly into a cold smile.",


    "Seven left."",

 Chapter ?710 Prince Var and Prince Ron

    Chapter ?710 Prince Var and Prince Ron


    "Woah, woah! You killed him yourself?" His first teammate, an abyssal holding arge axe gaped at Prince Var.


    In the spaceship lougne, two more abyssals were also staring at Varian who was holding a transparent box containing Caleb Xander''s head.


    When they were busy trying to find him, they suddenly got a message that the hunt was over and returned to the spaceship.


    As a result...


    "And you took him down in what? half a minute?"


    Nod. Nod.


    Varian gave a simple nod to their questions.


    "Dude, we''re teammates. You should''ve at least informed us. It''s dangerous to fight alone." The second teammate chimed in.


    He was right. If any human was ambushed by an abyssal hunting team, they''d quickly inform the fighters nearby.


    Even if you had an upperhand, once the reinforcements arrive, you''d be in deep trouble.


    That''s why abyssals hunted in teams. Not because they couldn''t hunt a human one-on-one but to deal with the reinforcements.


    While it was all true, it only applied when the human could call reinforcements.


    Since Boo jammed the signal and rendered themunication useless, Varian didn''t need to worry about a second or third human appearing.


    ...Even if they did, they should be the ones falling into danger, not him.


    ''Seriously, peak level 7 are fragile.'' They couldn''t even withstand two of his powers, forget seven.


    So, Varian didn''t take their words too seriously.


    In case, he fought with the top Xanders who cleared multiple bottlenecks, he''d be using two or more paths.


    He didn''t want the abyssals to see it since abyssal Var only awakened in body path.


    "I don''t know if you''re lucky or unlucky. We were searching real hard and you ended up finding him." The third abyssal clicked her tongue.


    Prince Var shrugged, as if it was just a coincidence.


    Of course, it wasn''t.


    ''Thanks, Boo. You are the best.''


    ''Tehehe.''


    "But he''s 24 in the hunting list, damn son, you''re really awesome."


    "This is your first hunt of all things."


    "Fuck. I thought why they assigned you to S-grade hunting teams, seeing this, I get it."


    His three teammates sighed again and again.


    Out of the three, one was confident of killing Caleb. Two were confident of dueling him without losing.


    But none of them were confident of killing him in mere thirty seconds like Var did.


    Not even close.


    *** *** ***


    Three days passed in the blink of an eye.


    To the utter shock of his teammates and higher ups, Prince Var''s exploits continued.


    Once could be coincidence. Twice could be luck. Thrice was proof.


    "Haa~" Slumping in his chair, Ron clutched his forehead as he re-read the exploits of Prince Var for the seventh time.


    "Don''t sigh too much, kid. You sound old." The hologram in front of him said with a chuckle.


    "Seriously, 24: Caleb Xander, 19: Nn Xander, 16: Easton Xander...none of these are easy stubble. Especially Easton, he''s a space awakener and as sneaky as a rat. But this guy just went ahead and pped his head to death. Is he level 8 or what?"


    "Hahaha. What did you expect? He killed more than thirty level 7s in the trial. He''s a genius through and through." Mendis in the hologramughed with pride.


    Ron paused for a moment to confirm Mendis reallyughed. ''His mood is great. I''m a bit envious.''


    "...his teammates are decoration. He didn''t take their help. Not once." Ron continued toin.


    "Not like he needs them, but keep an eye on him. Humans might''ve noticed him already. He could be in danger."


    "You want me to tail him and keep him under protection?" Ron raised a brow.


    Given the situation, it was impossible. He had his own duties to keep the human level 8s from intruding into abyss sphere of influence.


    "Nah, if he asks you for help, I hope you won''t refuse it." Mendis stated.


    "No problem." Ron waved his hand and nodded. Then, his brows suddenly quivered and he added. "As long as it is not giving Galini."


    Mendis'' smile disappeared and a solemn expression appeared on his face.


    Even though it was just a hologram, Ron felt like the room grew cold.


    "Ron, you know Var''s situation right? He''s fine so far, but if the mental condition doens''t improve, he might have troubles breaking the bottlenecks to level 8."


    "It can wait for a year, no?" Ron clenched his fists to calm his raging heart and said.


    "I thought so too. But from his exploits, I believe he''s much closer to hitting the bottlenecks, nah, maybe he already hit them. So, could you..." Mendis trailed off.


    Ron lowered his head and fell silent.


    "D-Don''t worry, I''ll get it you next year. Aspensation, I''ll also fulfill a request." Mendis added, feeling uncharacteristically flustered.


    Ron took a deep breath and looked at the oldest abyssal. In an voice that showed neither joy or sadness, he spoke. "I worked three thousand, five hundred and fifty days, finished five hundred missions, nearly died fourteen times and finally earned the medicine to cure my sister. And you are telling me to give it to him?"


    Mendis couldn''t bear to look into the burning eyes of the young abyssal and turned his gaze away.


    He knew it''d end up like this. That''s why, he didn''t promise Var.


    Still, in the bigger picture, if Var got the herb and grew stronger, it''d be much better than healing that little girl whose treatment could wait.


    "Now if you excuse me, Archduke." Ron stood up and walked out of themand room.


    The empty corridors of the spaceship seemed deste as the abyssals hadn''t returned from hunting yet.


    Some of them would seed. Some would fail and die.


    "I feel like shit..." Ron spat as he walked past the lougne before he abruptly paused.


    One abyssal was on a sofa.


    Drinking alone.


    "Var?" Ron''s brows furrowed in annoyance but he shook off that feeling.


    It wasn''t his fault that Mendis tried to pressure him.


    After talking to him in the demon king''s castle, Ron understood Var. He felt Var''s towards Xanders hatred in person.


    It was raw and unbriddled.


    More than anyone in the teams, Ron could empathize with that hatred.


    The hatred against an enemy that hurt your loved one.


    Var didn''t say it out loud. Ron didn''t ask it.


    But somehow, they realized it was the same emotion driving them.


    ''He wants to avenge his family''s death with the blood of Xanders. I want to cure my sister and kill that human to avenge her.''


    Looking at the lonely abyssal, Ron sighed and sat in front of him. "Pour a ss for me too."


    "?" Prince Var looked at him in confusion.


    "I''m on a break, now. It''s not a problem." Ron said.


    Without another word, Var poured some luxurious drink.


    Ron gupled down the whole ss and licked his lips. "Humans got really good wine, eh."


    Varian nodded and filled the sses.


    Ron drank.


    Varian filled.


    It coninued for a while until Ron slumped into his sofa and gave Varian a sloppy nce with a red face. "Heyyy."


    "?"


    "That old guy wants me to give you the herb I shed blood for. I''m mad." Ron waved his hand and said in a funny tone.


    "?"


    "I know. I know. It''s not your fault. But you know, I feel really bad. My sister, she..." Ron suddenly paused as if someone froze him in time.


    Then.


    "R-Rui..." Covering his face, he started sobbing. His shoulders trembled violently as he muttered. "I...you went through so...sooo much pain, I-I couldn''t help you. I''m s-sorry for being useless, heuk!"


    Varian clenched his fists and took a deep breath. He wasn''t getting drunk as an abyssal. He was just drinking to celebrate.


    But Ron.


    He got drunk for real.


    "V-Var..." Suddenly, Ron raised his tear-stricken face and looked at him with a sad gaze.


    "?"


    "I know giving you the herb is the best choice. I can see the big picture too, but..." He tapped his bracelet and a hologram popped up.


    Two abyssals were smiling happily as they sat on what seemed to be an exotic garden.


    A boy and a girl.


    The girl was smiling brightly whie the boy had a caring expression.


    A loving big brother and a sweet little sister.


    "S-She is bedridden since ten years...she doesn''t call me brother anymore, she doesn''t respond even when I give her favorite sweets...she doesn''t wake up even when I beg her..." Ron caressed the girl in the hologram or tried to, as his hand passed through the air.


    Varian sighed.


    He was starting to hate the simrities between abyssals and humans.


    If only they were just mindless beasts intent on killing, everything would be so much easier.


    "E-even thought it''s just a year, I don''t want to dy curing her." Ron said with a hup and a sad smile formed on his face.


    "I mean...I could give you the herb and wait, but what if I die before next year? My sister would never be cured."


    Varian clenched his fists.


    What if abyssals suddenlyunch an assault and humans were pushed to the verge of extinction?


    What if the abyss emperor descended?


    What if he died?


    What would happen to Sarah and Sia?


    Varian''s breathing turned heavy as he realized how much he wanted to avoid death.


    "Y-You can understand my fears, right? We can die at any time. I want to cherish her as long as I''m alive...poor girl...haaa."


    Varian stood up abruptly and left the room.


    A sigh filled with regret echoed in the deste corridors.


    ''If only your race isn''t intent on exterminating mine.''

 Chapter 711 Second Hunt: Planetoid Avar

    Chapter 711 Second Hunt:oid Avar


    Three of the eight Xanders in the top 25 were eliminated by Varian.


    The battles weren''t really battles and except for thest one¡ªranked 16: Easton Xander, the other two didn''t even stand three strikes.


    A psychic attack would pull them into an illusion and dy their response.


    Then, throw a spear or a punch while boosting the damage by adding the telekic force to the attack.


    It was a simple tactic but worked wonders.


    As a result, Varian didn''t progress much in the hunt so far.


    The fourth day was spent resting. Varian checked on Sarah and Sia in the ghost ship.


    They were both immersed in their respective breakthroughs. The auraing from Sia''s room caused him to feel a sense of danger.


    From Sarah''s room, however, he couldn''t feel any aura.


    "Weird, she can hide her aura perfectly? Is it a perk of Cosmic Union Body, no, Primal Union Body, eh, Grand Union Body¡­"


    [Host, please stop.]


    "You''re just jealous, aren''t you?" Varian didn''t want to admit the obvious.


    Besides, even if naming sense was terrible, he was just naming in private. What the fuck was this system''s problem? It wouldn''t let him name in peace? Give him some privacy, okay?


    [This system is contemting suicide listening to those vile names.]


    "Go ahead. No one will miss you."


    [¡­Even after everything we''ve been through, you say those words.]


    "Excuse me? I was the one that went through everything."


    [This System doesn''t know if it should be happy that you are bing more and more eloquent.]


    "Talk about changing the topic.]


    A long drawn-out sigh sounded in his mind.


    [You win.]


    "Kek." Varian smirked in pride.


    *** *** ***


    "The target of the hunt¡ªAustin, is notorious for his illusions and is one of the masters at hiding himself. Level 8s can still find him, but except for a few exceptionally strong level 7s, he might as well be invisible. Some even nicknamed him as the Invisible Hunter."


    In the meeting room, Ron exined their hunting target to the team that was going to search in the area he was suspected to be.


    Out of the four abyssal members, Varian was the only one who maintained a neutral expression.


    He even appeared a bit aloof, which upset his new teammates.


    But he wasn''t goofing around.


    "In addition to invisibility, his illusions are very dangerous. He is infamous for creating illusions that show your deepest regrets and your greatest desires."


    Varian understood this guy might not be as easy as the previous ones. Even though he was damn confident about killing him, he worried if he could kill him before he called reinforcements.


    ''I can kill reinforcements too, but if they manage to inform the human side that a dual or triple awakener abyssal is the one that killed them, then¡­''


    Sooner orter, abyssals would also learn of it. It''d end up exposing his identity.


    "¡­so, don''t take the risk yourself. Craft a proper strategy and inform your teammates when you find him, yeah?" Ron finished his speech.


    The team members, including Varian, nodded.


    *** ***


    "You better inform us or you''ll be in deep shit." An abyssal with a spear strapped to his back glowered at Varian.


    "¡­"


    "You can answer, right?"


    Varian rolled his eyes and looked at him like he was viewing a negative IQ species.


    "If you die in our team, it''ll sully my record. If it wasn''t for Ias getting injured, I wouldn''t even take you in no matter what Prince Ron said. So, you better be grateful and don''t die on me."


    The abyssal seemed to be the team leader and cared a lot about the team''s track record.


    [Back at you.]


    The words flowed out from Prince Var''s bracelet.


    The team leader nced at the words and was about to open his mouth when the announcement came.


    [We''re reaching the Avaroid. Split up and keep in touch.]


    Gritting his teeth, the team leader entered his spaceship, and following him, the three team members began to search the area.


    Avaroid.


    Located on the edges of theoid branch, it only housed a single level 8 who served as a basemander.


    ording to the reports, a level 7 abyssal along with seventy level 6 abyssals on theoids were killed in a space explosion created by human awakener.


    But upon further inspection, it was found that the level 7 abyssal was in prime condition and should''ve been capable of escaping the space explosion.


    Since his reaction was dyed and the post-explosion inspection didn''t show any other space power traces, the me went on a psychic.


    But the level 7 abyssal would''ve retreated if he found a psychic was also on hold. So, it was more likely that the psychic wasn''t found.


    Invisible. Psychic.


    ''There''s a 70% chance it is Invisible Hunter.'' Varian recalled Ron''s warning and nced out of the ss.


    A tiny blue dot came into view before it quickly expanded into aoid and zoomed in further into an abyss base.


    The spaceship Varian was currently using was one of the abyssals'' ''patrol spaceships''.


    So, when he was entering theoid, the human side tried to annoy him but didn''t really target him.


    As Varian stepped out, themander of the stronghold gave him a strong nod and informed him of six border regions.


    Theoid, like all others, was divided by humans and abyssals who shared a long border.


    These six regions were some of the most likely locations where Auster Xander could be present.


    Varian''s teammates were also at other bases, about to search other regions.


    "Once you show your insignia, the actingmander of the base will assist you." The basemander, an old abyssal with brown hair and beard, said in a deep voice.


    Varian gripped the sword-shaped insignia which indicated his identity and status. He might really need it.


    "I wish you luck." The basemander wished as Varian''s body blurred and disappeared.


    ''Boo, hack the humanoid system and gather the intel.'' As he moved past the abyssal defense bases and sprinted to the border, Varian ordered.


    ''Yea~'' Boo replied and in three seconds, disyed thousands of holograms in front of Varian.


    Varian''s mind sense covered every single hologram and his thought process suddenly elerated.


    From all the locations, he picked the one where soldiers are more rxed.


    It wasn''t in the six regions he was given. If he followed the orders, he''d have missed it.


    ''Tch.''


    Clicking his tongue, Varian changed his direction and sprinted to a location three hundred miles away.


    In a few seconds,rge settlements and military bases came into view.


    ''The abyssal side of the border¡­''


    Varian took a deep breath and rushed to the end of the base, just to the gates, and stopped.


    The guards at the gate were about to question him but shut up after seeing his insignia.


    "Prince?"


    "H-He is here because¡­"


    Ignoring their reactions, Varian stared into the distance.


    Fifty miles away was a human base with defense fortifications.


    On both sides, soldiers were patrolling their side of the fifty miles while fiercely watching the other side.


    Sixty miles to his right, a medium-scale battle was taking ce as another abyss base fought with a human base.


    Varian nced at the human soldiers on the opposite and took a deep breath.


    Knowing what he was about to do, an ufortable feeling rose in his chest and caused Varian to grit his teeth.


    ''Fuck.''


    Varian clicked a button on the insignia and an item shot it into the air.


    A firework exploded in the air, forming a special pattern and giving off a unique smell.


    "Roar!"


    The silent abyss base suddenly burst into war as a few thousand abyssals suddenly shot towards the human side.

 Chapter ?712 Second Hunt: Monster

    Chapter ?712 Second Hunt: Monster


    "Attack?!"


    "Defend!"


    The human army that remained on alert responded quickly.


    Their army rushed into the battlefield and assumed defense formations.


    Varian''s mental sense enveloped the five thousand abyssals just before the sh and¡ª


    Boom!


    Bang!


    Shua!


    Lightning fell from the sky. Explosions reached clouds. Ground shook.


    And blood¡ªgreen and red spilled.


    As the two armies shed, lives began to vanish like popping soap bubbles.


    ''Not here, not there either¡­'' Varian''s eyebrows furrowed as he scanned through the dead abyssals.


    None of them had their reactions dyed due to a psychic.


    The psychics from human side were mainly targetting the space awakener abyssals.


    It made Varian''s life easier, but even after ten minutes passed, he still failed to find the invisible hunter.


    ''Was I wrong?''


    As he was about to give up, his eyebrows quivered and Varian swiftly turned his gaze to a particr location in the battlefield.


    His gaze pierced through the smoke and dust and saw it clearly as if the world slowe down.


    A level 7 abyssal desperately trying to avoid a spear that was about to impale his chest. But his movements were dyed and the spear ended up piercing his chest.


    ''Boo!''


    ''Master, no psychics are targetting that abyssal.''


    ''It''s him!''


    Varian bolted into the battlefield, and sped through the crowd of abyssals, dodged dozens of attacks and reached the dying abyssal before spreading his mind sense open.


    In a certain corner twenty miles away from the battlefield was a faint presence that he almost missed.


    "You!"


    Varian kicked the ground and closed the gap in the blink of an eye.


    But before he could raise his hand, the world in front of him changed and Varian found himself facing the person he didn''t want to see.


    Enigma.


    Her hand was piercing through his mother''s chest with a vicious smile on her face.


    At that moment, Varian could feel it clearly.


    The despair and pain of his mother, the joy and glee of Enigma.


    Enigma¡­he hated her without a doubt. Surely, she never intended to kill his mother. But she did.


    However, Varian didn''t want to destroy everything he worked on so far.


    He didn''t want to punish Sia for Enigma''s mistake.


    So, right from the moment he regained his memories, he tried to avoid her name as much as he could.


    Of course, to reassure Sia, he did try to act normal. Sia already went through a lot. He didn''t want to burden her anymore.


    So, while the surface reason for asking Enigma to make the potion was to improve Sarah''s talent, the underlying reason was to assure Sia that it was alright.


    That he could bear Enigma.


    If he was being honest with himself, Varian did genuinely try to interact with Enigma normally.


    He even had a casual conversation with her.


    But.


    Six feet.


    That was the distance between him and Sia. Even after everything he did, even after he loved her so much, why did six feet of distance still remain between them?


    It didn''t show up when Varian interacted with Sia or Sarah. It didn''t show up even when Varian faced Enigma that day.


    But in the depths of his heart¡­


    "I want to kill you, bitch!"


    Varian''s eyes turned bloodshot and anger clouded his mind.


    The muscles in his arms shook shook and he clenced his fist, causing an explosion due to the sheer force.


    His fist moved in a sh and he punched out.


    Booom!


    "Ca-Arghh!" In the real world, far away from the battlefield, a young man knelt on the ground with a pale face.


    Just one mile away from him was an abyssal staring straight at him. He was currently frozen in a punching posture. The muscles on his arms bulged as if they threatened to burst out.


    "F-Fuck.." Austin Xander cursed as he forcibly stabilized the illusion that was about to break apart.


    He quickly mmed hism and yelled. "Den! Hurry up!"


    Right after he yelled, the air exploded a few hundred miles away and a presence shot towards Austin.


    "G-Greh, who the fuck is this guy hating so much?" Austin looked at the abyssal with apprehension.


    The mental strength of the abyssal was actually higher than him!


    Normally, he shouldn''t have fallen into the illusion, but due to his intense emotions, Austin was able to trap him.


    But that wouldn''tst for long.


    "Den better arrive before he wakes up." Austin''s face turned paler with each passing moment.


    In truth, not even a second passed since Varian froze.


    "Abyssal?"


    "Kill him!"


    The human soldiers that were following the strange abyssal''s movements already noticed he was frozen.


    Without hesitation, they rushed towards him, even before the one Austin called could appear.


    Fireballs capable of evaporatingkes and lightning boltsrge enough to smash down a vige reached Varian in the blink of an eye.


    At the same moment, Den Xander, number nine on the hunting list arrived.


    Boom! Bang!


    Right when the attacks were about to smash him down, the abyssal raised its fist and punched them off.


    The fireball blew out like a dying me. The lightning bolt scattered like a cheap firework.


    "W-What?!"


    "Isn''t he frozen?"


    The soldiers didn''t understand.


    But Austin Xander did.


    And that''s why a fearful expression dawned on his face.


    "This guy¡­his body moved on its instincts. He trained so much that his subconscious was able to react to dangers and even perform counterattacks."


    The invisible hunter''s voice was grave and he yelled at the young man who just arrived.


    "Den! Kill him now! If he wakes up, that monster will kill everyone!"


    Sensing the urgency in his voice, Den Xander didn''t even respond and rushed straight to the abyssal.


    Ranked 13 on the hunting list: Austin Xander.


    Ranked 9 on the hunting list: Den Xander.


    Austin deleberately spread his traces to the abyssals to lure the abyss princes to theoid.


    It was Den''s n to ambush them when they tried to find Austin.


    In fact, he was already on his way to attack an abyss prince when Austin called.


    "A monster, Austin says," Den reached the abyssal in an instant.


    With red eyes filled with hatred, the abyssal was staring into the void as if it was facing its most hated enemy.


    "But I am the true monster."


    Den''s body expanded in an instant and he turned into a giant red snake. Its face was asrge as a mountain and its body stretched for a mile.


    Even if this abyssal was powerful to block those attacks, without active fighting, Den could kill him effortlessly.


    "Arghhh!"


    In the illusion, Varian''s fist stopped just short of Enigma''s face.


    "Haa! Haa! Huff!" Varian took deep breaths as his chest heaved up and down. His whole body was drenched in sweat and his heart was threatening to burst out of his chest.


    His very sanity was on the verge and Varian was pushed to the brink.


    It was then¡­


    "Don''t get into trouble, okay?" Sarah''s kiss.


    "It''s not your fault." Sia''s strong smile.


    "I¡­"


    The killing intent in Varian''s eyes receeded and he closed his eyes.


    It was right then, the giant red snake raised its tail andshed at the abyssal.


    Whoosh!


    Breaking the sound speed, the tail reached the abyssal in the brink of an eye.


    At the same time:


    "Hey! Aren''t you going to kill me?"


    Varian could still feel Enigma''s mockery.


    "V-Var¡­"


    He could still feel his mother''s pain as she died.


    But.


    "You are fake."


    With those three words, the world broke apart like a ss mirror and without waiting, Varian punched out.


    The fist of an abyssal and the tail of a giant snake collided.

 Chapter 713 One Plus One

    Chapter 713 One Plus One


    The world was still for a moment before a shockwave swept the battlefield.


    The giant red snake''s tail was thrown back as if someone yanked it from behind and the abyssal was blown away into the air.


    Dust storm ravaged the area asrge cracks appeared and destroyed thend.


    "Shit!" Austin Xander cursed under his breath and focused his powers on the abyssal.


    In the exchange just now, the two seemed equal, but attacks were Den''s morphed entity''s strongest attribute.


    On the other hand, the abyssal¡­


    With a sonic boom, the dust was steered away as the abyssal shot toward the snake.


    The red snake, on the other hand, was a bit slower and responded by opening its mouth and spitting fountains of red venom.


    The sand in the air melted upon mere contact with the venom and a pungent smell with poisonous properties spread in the air.


    While the poison was dangerous, as the one who made the first move, the abyssal had ample opportunities to evade.


    The abyssal twisted his body and was about to dodge when¡ª


    "Got you!" Austin''s eyes gave off blue light and the abyssal''s eyes went blue.


    The illusion took hold of the abyssal and this time, Austin had no intention of letting him go this ti¡ª


    "Huh?"


    The abyssal''s eyes returned to red color for an instant and Austin staggered as something seemed to block off his mental force.


    "H-how did he block¡­" Austin was going nuts.


    On the other hand, Varian dodged the venom fountains and reached the base of the snake.


    With a kick to the ground, he flew thirty meters in an instant and reached the head of the snake.


    The red snake gave off a hiss and a horn grew on its head. Emitting a glowing red light, the horn spun and shot at Varian.


    ''If the psychic bastard isn''t making things tough, I''d have ended it in a few seconds. Fuck.'' Varian gritted his teeth as he faced the shining red horn.


    If he wasn''t using his mental powers to block off Austin''s attack, he could''ve used it on the snake to dy its reactions and finished it off in the gap.


    But now¡­


    "Graaah!" With a battle cry, Varian stretched his hands and grabbed the horn that was asrge as a truck.


    Due to the sheer force, he was blown off into the clouds.


    The skin on his arms cracked and green blood spilled out. His muscles began to break from the impact and his bones creaked.


    However, Varian didn''t budge as he held the spinning horn.


    It might have been minutes or seconds or just an instant, but when Varian felt like his hand bones were about to break, the horn stopped.


    Varian gripped therge horn and raised it above his head. The muscles on his arms bulged and undetected by anyone, telekic power was added to the horn, ready to shoot it like a missile.


    "Bye!"


    The horn descended from the clouds like divine lightning, powered by both physical strength and telekic power.


    "Den, dodge!" Austin''s panicking voice rang in the red snake''s mind, but speed wasn''t the creature''s forte.


    Even though it tried its best and avoided being pierced on its head, the spear lodged itself into its eye and destroyed its insides.


    Like a mountain copsing, the snake crashed to the ground.


    Cloud of dust rose and the surrounding five miles were swept away by shockwaves.


    "D-Den!" The genius psychic, Invisible Hunter, Austin Xander felt his heart drop.


    It wasn''t supposed to go like this.


    They''d ambush the level 7 abyssals and Judie would¡ª


    A chill shot down Austin''s spine and he quickly turned around, only to see the abyssal standing behind him.


    "J-James, back me up¡­" Austin hurriedly called to the space awakener but everything blurred and the next thing he knew, he was lying on the ground with a huge hole in his chest.


    His heart was sted to pieces and the abyssal''s chi was wreaking havoc in his body.


    ''I''m going to die!'' Austin''s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.


    He never thought he''d end up like this. He dreamed of going to greater heights, reaching level 8, level 9, and even¡­


    "How unexpected. I was searching for one and got two. Is this the famous one plus one?" The abyssal spoke in human tongue as he stepped toward him.


    The human soldiers that came to assist Austin were blocked off by abyssals.


    They were left alone.


    "Y-You bastard!" Austin spat out blood as he felt life rapidly leaving his body. "E-Even for a moment, don''t you dare think you can walk out alive."


    "I''m scared." Varian bent down and grabbed the Xander''s hair.


    "You''ll die! You, your teammates will all die!" Austin''s words were filled with venom, but his eyes were filled with certainty.


    Varian''s hand froze for a moment before he snapped the psychic''s neck.


    An ominous premonition filled his heart and he hurried for his bracelet.


    *** *** ***


    Far away from theoids, Ron was waiting on the spaceship while avoiding the human patrol ships.


    If he got involved in a battle, then it''d be hard for him to secure the level 7s on otheroids.


    He needed to overlook several teams and it wasn''t wise to start fighting.


    Besides, if he, a level 8 was found on the battlefield, humans would also send a level 8 in no time and escte everything.


    What''s more, he suspected there were human level 8s hiding and waiting for him to make an appearance to ambush him.


    "¡­fuckers."


    Ron nced at the signals and confirmed they were all right before opening a wooden box.


    A flower glowing with purple light showed itself.


    Galini.


    "It will be ready in a few days." Ron''s lips curled up slightly.


    He had waited ten years.


    But thesest few days, he felt more impatient than ever.


    "Rui¡­"


    As he recalled the innocent smile on the little girl''s face, his bracelet suddenly rang.


    It was a text message, not a voice message.


    Weird.


    Ron raised an eyebrow and read the message.


    "Prince Ron! Be careful, there could be amb¡­"


    After reaching the ''careful'' part, Ron pressed a button and his seat was ejected out of the spaceship.


    The next moment, his spaceship blew up.


    "F-Fuck!" Ron jumped out of his chair and right away, the chair was crushed into pieces as space cracked apart.


    Turning his gaze to the right, he saw two humans looking at him with frustrated expressions.


    He recognized one of them.


    Judie.


    The bastard responsible for his sister''s plight.


    "You cockroach! Why don''t you just die?" Judie''s voice filled with hatred and frustration resounded in the dark space.


    "If you like it so much, I can kill you and your little friend together," Ron replied and shot toward the two.


    Inwardly, he sighed in relief. ''Thankfully, I didn''t get injured or things could get ugly¡­''


    The battle between Ron, Judie, and the space awakener humanmenced.


    Ron was naturally stronger than Judie.


    But when another person was added to the mix, he was at a disadvantage.


    However, he wasn''t easy to kill or he wouldn''t qualify as a bright genius.


    After five minutes, he was riddled with injuries and was in a far worse condition than the other two.


    But he survived.


    That changed everything.


    On the horizon, five abyss spaceships appeared as they quickly sped to the battlefield.


    "I''ll kill you one day for sure." Spatting those words, Judie left with the space awakener.


    Ron put on a strong front until the reinforcements arrived. When he finally got into the spaceship, he fainted.


    Soon after, all the hunting teams under Ron got an emergency return order.

 Chapter ?714 War Is Coming

    Chapter ?714 War Is Coming


    "I¡­Thank you for saving my life."


    After he woke up on the way back to the abyss, Ron hurriedly finished the necessary protocols and found Var to express his gratitude.


    Var simply waved his hand, as if it wasn''t a big deal.


    Ron didn''t think so. "I was about to cure my sister. If I died here¡­I couldn''t even imagine how much I''d have regretted dying."


    Looking at the abyssal who was gritting his teeth as if he was enduring great pain, Varian sighed lightly.


    ''I didn''t save you because I wanted to. If you die, the herb will be lost.''


    Varian had a reason behind his actions. If not, he''d have been happy to let a genius level 8 abyssal die.


    ''Probably.''


    No matter what kind of person Ron personally was, Varian knew that abyssals were hell-bent on going against humans.


    Heck, even the thought of peace or working together never seemed to cross their minds.


    ''Too much blood has already been spilled.''


    Shaking his head inwardly, Varian stared at the abyssal who was still thanking him.


    He refused all gifts and stuff like that, so Ron just said.


    "Then let''s have a drink."


    Varian gave a light nod.


    That much was fine. If Ron got drunk, he might get him to spill some information.


    The spaceship reached abyss and entered their capital after a few more minutes.


    As the teams gathered in the meeting hall, Varian immediately sensed something was off.


    Under Ron''s team, there should be around seven teams and thirty members.


    But only fifteen were seen now.


    What about the remaining fifteen?


    ''Could it be¡­'' Varian recalled Ron''s ambush and his eyes narrowed.


    His suspicions were only confirmed after archduke Mendis entered the hall and stepped on the stage.


    With a grim expression on his face, he addressed the ten abyssals.


    "Humans managed to pull a nasty ambush."


    His words crushed thest hope some were holding.


    "Fifteen of our princes were taken down."


    Ron lowered his head at Mendis'' words. To be honest, he got the emergency calls from the teams when they were ambushed.


    But he was struggling to not get fatally injured and survive under the attacks of Judie and that space awakener.


    He couldn''t help them.


    So¡­


    "It''s really regrettable. But what''s more regretful is that none of the martyred managed to kill even one of the human princes responsible for the ambush."


    "?"


    "!"


    Doubts and surprises emerged on the faces of the abyssals.


    "Three humans." Mendis raised his fingers and said in a heavy tone. "Just three are responsible for the death of these fifteen."


    "The best Xander geniuses. Monsters in a true sense." Mendis snapped his fingers and the silhouttes of three figures shed on a hologram.


    A woman with purple hair and a cold expression. The abyssal corpses around her were sliced apart like they were cut by sharp des.


    "Ranked 6th on the hunting list. Space Witch. Kai Xander."


    A young man with a sword drenched in green blood. He was standing on top of a mountain of corpses.


    "Ranked 4th on the hunting list. Sword Prince. Axel Xander."


    And finally¡­


    A tall man with a bulky build and a menacing expression.


    Behind him was a broken human military base. In front of him were hundreds of abyssals.


    Yet, the faces of all the abyssals were filled with fear.


    "Ranked 1st on the hunting list. Monster Prince. Joshua Xander."


    Joshua Xander¡­


    The man from the family that was responsible for Sia''s plight.


    The family that was full of arrogant trashes.


    But his actions made an impression on Varian.


    Joshua could''ve pressured the mayor. He could''ve simply scoffed off the whole thing.


    Even if he was a nice person, he could''ve simply chided his ''brothers'' for doing the wrong thing and apologized to the mayor for ''inconvinience.''


    He didn''t do that. He not only beat them up brutally to teach them a lesson, he also forced them to apologize to the maid.


    Going even further, he promised to hold the brothers ountable if anything happened to the maid, blocking any of the revenge they could''ve carried out.


    Thinking of that person who he''d soon be hunting, Varian''s expression grew heavy.


    "We are dealt a heavy and unexpected blow. But we shouldn''t back down now. We must establish dominance over human level 7s and redraw the space boundaries." Mendis'' gaze stopped on Prince Var.


    His heavy expression lightened up and he said. "While this ambush is a terrible news, there is also a piece of good news."


    The abyssal princes and princesses raised their head with a bit of hope.


    "Prince Var killed Austin and Den, ranking 13th and 9th on the list. When he was ambushed, not only did he counter kill them, he also guessed their ploy and informed Ron."


    Ron stepped forward and nodded. "If not for him, I''d not be standing here."


    All the eyes gathered on the silent abyssal.


    Their expressions were filled with worship and goodwill.


    ''It''ll be reced with hatred soon¡­'' Varian sighed inwardly.


    The meeting came to an end and they were told to rest a day before resuming the hunt.


    Death wouldn''t stop abyssals.


    *** *** ***


    "¡­and that''s how I killed them bitches." Ron mmed the jug on the table with a grin.


    Varian looked at the drunk Ron and clicked his tongue.


    After the meeting, Ron invited him to his house and after a light meal, they ended up drinking.


    It was strong enough to get Varian drunk with a few sses. But Varian had no intention of getting drunk. He simply used his space powers and seperated the alchohol from his body.


    Though, on the surface, he acted drunk.


    [I¡­I want to reach level 8 soon.] His bracelet let out a neutral voice, converting his thoughts into words.


    "Eh? I thought you disliked using that thing to speak." Ron was surprised.


    [I-I was bullied for it. So, I don''t use it.] The mechanical voice was monotonous despite what it was saying.


    "Sorry for asking." Ron gave an apologetic smile before filling his cup. "Fuck your bullies. Look at you today, a genius among geniuses! You can reach level 8 soon if you¡­"


    Ron''s smile froze as he stopped the words. "¡­get galini."


    Right. Prince Var could reach level 8 faster and with less risk if he got the galini


    herb.


    But¡­


    Ron looked at a particr room and his keen senses listened to the weak breathing.


    "Oh yeah, the war will be finished soon. Do your best, okay?" Ron changed the topic.


    But the new topic only made him feel worse.


    War¡­without enough strength, Prince Var might die.


    By not giving him the herb, Ron might be responsible for Var''s death.


    Ron wished war pushed back until next year so that Var could also get the herb, but...


    War''sing.


    [Soon? Why?]


    "Because of Varian!" Ron rolled his eyes, trying to hide his increasing guilt. "Do you think anyone is stupid enough to ignore a guy who reaches level 7 in three months?"


    ''Fuck you, Julius. Whose side are you on, really?'' Varian wanted to p him dead.


    Out of spite, Julius revealed his identity as dreamer, fine. But why the fuck did he reveal his level and how fast he got there?


    Was he nuts?


    ''Is he scheming something¡­but he''s not one of the suspects for the traitor.''


    While Julius'' actions might seem petty and senseless, Varian feared they held a deeper motive.


    No matter how angry the man was, as a Soveriegn, he should know the consequences of doing what he did..


    So, why¡­


    "If not for those fairy bitches suddenly attacking, our emperor would''ve already done something. Seriously, once we get the legacy, fairies are nothing." Ron said with an arrogant expression, his words filled with pride.


    ''Fairies, huh. So, that''s why abyss emperor didn''te to sr system.'' Varian understood the gist of their situation.


    The abyssal homebase was somewhere else, probably far away or else, abyss emperor coulde for a walk, destroy humans and leave.


    ''He never appeared despite being a celestial ranker. So, his enemy is also a celestial ranker.''


    Varian felt a headache thinking about the true strength of abyss race. They were fighting with a civilization having a celestial ranker and had enough leeway to send eight fucking abysess!


    Ron studied Varian''s expression that screamed. ''The situation is more serious.''


    Shaking his head, he chuckled. "I know, I know, but even with legacy, it''ll take a few decades to catch up with zions, but hey, we are safe until the providence trial, so¡­"


    ''¡­I''m d I drank with him and got information.'' Varian tried to think positively.


    But he failed the very next second.


    ''Ok, what the fuck? After getting legacy¡­deva legacy, you need a few decades to catch up with Zions? Who''s that? And why are you safe until providence trial?''


    He couldn''t ask Ron these questions that every abyssal was supposed to know.


    On second thought, if Ron asked him any of such questions, he''d be fucked.


    "Oh yeah, who''s your favorite general?" Ron asked as he huped. "I mean, back at home."


    ''¡­how would I know?'' was what he wanted to say, but thankfully didn''t.


    "Hm? Come on. There gotta be someone."


    [What about you?]


    Varian decided to say he also liked the same general.


    "Me? My n head. Unlike here, they''re well off there." Ron smiled with pride. "The current war that''s going on with fairies, my n head is the general there. So, you know who."


    "¡­." Varian wanted to punch him in the face.


    "So, who''s your favorite? Don''t be shy."


    [Your ¡ª]


    "And don''t tell it''s my n head. It doesn''t count. Say some other name."


    [¡­.]


    "What happened?"


    Varian''s mind worked exta hard as he tried to think a way out of the situation.


    [S-Sister¡­]


    "Huh?" Ron''s body suddenly stiffened.


    [Can I see your sister?]


    The drunkeness from Ron''s face receeded and a serious expression formed on his face.


    He scrutinized Prince Var''s curious expression and only after confirming there was no malice, he nodded.


    ''Phew, changed the topic.''


    Varian stood up and followed Ron to a small bedroom.


    A little abyssal, with pale grey skin and ck hair was sleeping on arge bed. Her expression was peaceful and her breathing was weak.


    In a simple yet cute blue dress, she looked like a doll.


    Since she was so small and frail, her physique was roughly simr to a human child.


    "Rui is a bright girl," With a gentle smile on his face, Ron adjusted her hair.


    "¡­" Varian watched on silently.


    Just from his caring gaze, it was evident how much Ron treasured his sister.


    "Even though I was the big brother, she threw herself in front of me when that bastard Judie attacked." Ron''s voice grew lower and his shoulders sank.


    "If not for my uncle sacrificing himself, that attack would''ve killed her. But even though he stopped the physical attack, the mental attack was already done." Ron''s eyes met Varian''s.


    Seeing the emotions in his eyes, Varian felt troubled.


    "¡­She''s been sleeping since ten years." Ron''s voice was gentle, it had been gentle since they entered the room.


    Perhaps because he didn''t want his sister to hear unpleasant sounds or maybe he''s just treating her like a sleeping child who would wake up if he talked too loudly.


    "She''ll wake up in a few days." Ron said with a bright expression before it fell. "But war will begin soon. Pity I won''t be able to spend much time with her."


    Varian lowered his head as he clenched his fists tightly.


    He could empathize with Ron''s grief for his sister. He totally could.


    But if war begins, then there would be hundreds of millions of people like Ron.


    To Ron, the war was something that''d seperate him from his sister temporarily. If he died, the seperation would be permenant.


    That was the end of his vision.


    But Varian''s vision stretched far beyond that.


    From mercury to uranus, and to everyst space city.


    He viewed the human race as a whole against the war.


    ''How many people would die? Even the one hour war was so terrible, but if an all out war, what should I do? Dammit!''


    If Ron''s story was a tragedy, then there would be hundreds of millions of tragedies.


    ''And if abyssals are fighting despite knowing our strength, then they must be confident of winning.''


    Fifty billion lives were at stake.


    Varian''s heart nearly stopped beating for a moment.


    [I need to go.]


    Saying so, Varian didn''t wait for Ron''s response. He turned around and left without looking back.


    It was an extremely rude behavior. But Varian wasn''t in the mood to even consider things like that.


    "V-Var!"


    Ron called out in confusion, but Prince Var was already gone.


    "Haaa¡­" Ron sighed deeply and looked at the sleeping face of his sister.


    It was a peaceful face that didn''t know the cruelty of this world.


    "Rui, he''s definitely mad at me. The war ising up and I refuse to give him the herb which could potentially save his life."


    Ron held her hand and thought back to Var''s achievements.


    Such an abyssal, if he survived, he''d really make a difference.


    Var was even more talented than him.


    Should he let someone like that die?


    Should he let a genius who might potentially be of great help to the abyss race against fairies and even zions just because of his personal feelings?


    A deep sigh escaped his lips and a bitter smile formed on Ron''s face.


    "So be it."

 Chapter 715 Dark Tower

    Chapter 715 Dark Tower


    A dayter, Ron headed to the demon king''s castle.


    Compared to themon and more essible rooms on the first floor, the second floor was a ce that needed strict permission.


    Even though he was a prince, Ron had to show his insignia to the guards for permission.


    ''I drank too much yesterday.'' Craning his neck to the left and right, Ron opened the door of the meeting room and was about to begin addressing the hunting teams.


    "Huh?"


    The foot he raised to step forward froze in mid-air as he found something weird.


    Var.


    Prince Var was missing.


    "Prince Ron." The hunting team members greeted him with a smile and Ron returned a polite smile.


    But he didn''t respond any further as he was lost in his thoughts. ''He''s here way ahead of time in the previous meetings, what happened now?''


    "-egin?"


    The words of an abyssal snapped him out of his thoughts.


    "Huh? What?" Ron blinked twice and looked around.


    "Can we begin the meeting?" Trak, ranked number three on the human hunting list, said, failing to mask the confusion apparent in his eyes.


    What in the seven hells happened to make Prince Ron, a sharp and alert warrior, absentminded?


    "Ah, where''s Prince Var?" Ron asked as he sat on a chair in front of the group.


    "Var¡­the new prince who''s joining us today?" V, ranked number two, frowned.


    There was a specific order in which hunting teams were arranged.


    For instance, B-grade teams hunted humans ranking between 50 and 75.


    A grade hunted those between 25 and 50.


    S grade, which Varian joined shortly after bing a prince hunted the top 25. But even S-grade was divided into S+ and S-.


    S- was 11 to 25.


    S+ was 1 to 10.


    Upon entering, Var hunted down humans ranking 24, 19, and 16 in the first phase. Just the day before yesterday, he hunted down 13 and unexpected rank 9 too.


    So, he was promoted to S+ teams.


    Today was the day he was supposed to meet these teams.


    ''And Mendis also transferred me to look after S+ teams, but his intention is for me to look after Var.'' Ron understood his intentions and agreed.


    "I heard he killed the rank 9, Den Xander. I wish to meet him." Trak said with burning eyes, battle intent bursting out of his eyes.


    Since Var too down both rank 9 and rank 13 once, there were rumors saying Var was eligible to enter the top 3 of the hunting teams.


    "He''s praised by archduke Mendis. Now that''s making me curious." The rank 1 on the human hunting list, Osbert, let out a meaningful smile.


    "¡­maybe he got caught up by something. Let me contact him." Ron gave an awkward smile and tapped his bracelet.


    "Var, it''s time for the meeting. Are you on the way?"


    "¡­"


    "Hey, everyone is waiting for you."


    "¡­"


    "Var, where the heck are you?"


    "¡­"


    Ron''s expression grew heavy with theck of responses. He tapped hism and requested permission to learn of Var''s position using his position as the reason.


    </permission>


    The location of Var was disyed in a hologram and Ron''s eyes almost popped out.


    "W-What the hell is he doing there?"


    Without another word, he rushed out.


    The abyssals of the S+ hunting team also saw the location, so with a weird expression, they too followed.


    *** *** ***


    "Huff. Huff." Sharp panting sounds reverberated across a mountain range.


    It was as if a giant beast was taking short breaths.


    With every inhale, the flowers and nts were pulled towards a certain direction, and with every exhale, they were all pushed away.


    A giant wolf, easily towering over a giant mountain, stood on its two hind legs as it breathed in and out heavily.


    In front of it was a human whose height barely reached its ankle.


    But the aura emitted by the human matched and even faintly surpassed the beast.


    "Roaar!"


    The giant wolf gave a deep howl.


    The mountains began to shake and the stones on the ground vibrated like someone was ying drums on the ground.


    Varian''s expression distorted and he raised his hand.


    A double-edged spear made of lightning on one side and ice on another materialized in his hand.


    Noticing the danger, the giant wolf raised its feet to stomp Varian to death.


    An invisible force struck its foot and slowed it down.


    The wolf gnashed its teeth andshed at Varian with its tail.


    Varian''s figure blurred and he appeared at the neck level of the wolf the next moment.


    The wolf had sensed him and with its superior speed, swung its w.


    A terrible pain assaulted the giant wolf''s brain and its eyes spilled blood. The force under its w decreased considerably.


    Then, the space around the wolf''s w solidified and stopped it for a short moment.


    Varian raised the spear about his right shoulder and poured his strength into the grip.


    Then, heunched the spear at its neck like a missile.


    Boom!


    Due to the sheer force behind that throw, Varian''s own body was blown back and the numerous wounds on his body opened up.


    But he didn''t care. His eyes remained on the spear that reached the giant wolf''s neck and lodged itself into the creature''s chin.


    Then, a blue light shed and bone-chilling ice froze the creature''s blood.


    Before it could even struggle, a golden light burst out and the lightning st exploded its neck into pieces.


    The giant wolf copsed onto the ground, its dark green blood pouring out like heavy rain.


    Varian knelt on the ground as he took heavy breaths. His injuries were quickly healed by his ntae powers.


    But his whole body ached as the sense of fatigue filled him.


    "F-Fuck¡­"


    Varian couldn''t take it anymore and copsed.


    Boom!


    The giant wolf''s corpse copsed, right next to him.


    The green blood spilled on him, drenching him in its blood.


    "Wolf¡­I fucking hate wolves." Varian spat out.


    Firewolf. Charles'' Lykos.


    "Still, this is my limit, I guess." Varian looked at the empty red sky and muttered.


    After the talk with Ron, he was gripped by anxiety.


    So, he ended up in this ce called Dark Tower.


    It was one of the famous training facilities in the demon abyss.


    There were thirty-three floors, eleven each for levels 7, 8, and 9, with each floor representing increasing difficulty.


    On each floor, you could fight a dangerous beast. There were no rewards for winning, but it''s an excellent ce to train yourself.


    If there''s any danger, you could hold a talisman they gave you while entering and you''d be teleported out of the tower.


    The beasts were somewhat real, but Varian wasn''t sure if they were really alive. Every time a beast was killed, it''d take several days before reviving.


    It really defiedmon sense, but Varian wasn''t interested in finding how.


    As he entered the tower and cleared one floor after another, only thought echoed in his mind.


    ''I need to grow stronger. Stronger!''


    Level 7 wasn''t enough. Level 8 wouldn''t help. Level 9 wasn''t going to change anything.


    Sovereign?


    What about Sovereign?


    He had seven paths and would get the eighth soon. As the system said, he needed to find a workaround to be a Celestial of eight paths.


    If his origin got attached to one avenue, he''d lose ess to other avenues.


    That meant, he could only be a Sovereign once he figured that out.


    ''After bing Sovereign, they link origin to the avenue. But with my talent, I''m sure it''ll be done in no time.''


    So, once he became a Sovereign, he wouldn''t have much problem bing a Celestial Ranker.


    The problem was he didn''t know how he could do this without losing his paths.


    ''Forget all that, I''m not even level 8 yet.'' Varian grimaced and dragged his battered body up.


    He was interested in what a day''s worth of mad fight gave him.


    ''Status.''

 Chapter 716 Rewriting The Rankings

    Chapter 716 Rewriting The Rankings


    [Superhuman L7: 10k/10k (+0.2k)


    Space L7: 10k/10k (+k)


    Lightning L7: 10k/10k (+1k)


    ntae L7: 10k/10k (+0.5 k)


    Psychic L7: 10k/10k (+1k)


    Macrokic L7: 10k/10k (+1k)


    Water L 7: 10k/10k (+1k) ]


    [This is the status before your fight with the little wolf.] The system''s voice sounded.


    ''Hm?'' Varian raised a brow.


    Each floor had dozens of regions and hundreds of monsters. Luckily, they were restricted to their own turf and didn''te out.


    So, he could clear a region, and rest for a while before going to the next region.


    That''s why, while Varian only cleared 11 floors in a whole day, he had faced thousands of foes already.


    Most of them were weak and didn''t contribute anything.


    But each floor had a handful of monsters that helped him greatly. And he cleared eleven floors.


    So, it''s no wonder his stats went that high.


    ''What about after the giant wolf? I can feel the bottlenecks, but not too many.'' Varian enquired.


    Bottlenecks were like walls you needed to break.


    If Level 6 to level 7 has six bottlenecks, then level 7 to level 8 should have 7.


    But Varian felt only four or five for each path.


    [The insights from Sia and Sarah, especially Sia, who already cleared these bottlenecks have helped you skip a few of them.


    The paths you have inmon with Sarah also got a boost since her experience was different from yours and in some ways, more thorough.]


    ''Oh? Synergy is useful like this, eh? Good, good.'' Varian''s expression brightened.


    [Once you hit the bottlenecks, the insights were taken into ount, so your current status is:


    [Superhuman L7: 2/7 (Due to Sarah''s experience)


    Space L7: 3/7 (Due to Sia''s gravity path which belongs to the same vein as Space)


    Lightning L7: 2/7 (Mainly Sia''s darkness path, Sarah''s water path to some extent)


    ntae L7: 1/7 (Synergy)


    Psychic L7: 4/7 (Sia''s psychic path insights)


    Macrokic L7: 2/7 (Insights from Sia''s psychic path)


    Water L 7: 2/7 (Insights from Sarah''s water path and Sia''s darkness path)]


    Varian was pleasantly surprised.


    As a whole, the synergy ended up clearing 16/49 of the bottlenecks.


    Nearly one-third of the work had already been done. Varian felt that he could clear up these bottlenecks fasterpared to the ones of level 6.


    ''Once Sia reaches level 9 and Sarahes out of her seclusion, we can dual cultivat¡ªI mean, synergize again.''


    It wasn''t just him who got the benefits. Due to his seven paths, Sia and Sarah would also have a much easier time clearing the bottlenecks.


    Bottlenecks were the major reason why awakeners that reached the peak of a path would have to typically spend a decade or two trying to advance.


    Even if Sarah and Sia''s talents were top-notch, they too would have to take a significant amount of time to clear them up.


    But with Synergy, the one thing that took away most of the time was removed. So, their progress would truly skyrocket.


    ''We''ll be better prepared for war. We better win, if we lose¡­'' Varian''s expression turned grim.


    Even in the worst case, he could take the people close to him and escape in the ghost ship.


    But.


    ''Humanity will cease to exist.''


    The early years after blink were strife with conflict. Nuclear wars, viruses,et, murlocs, and terrorism. They were years filled with death and destruction.


    Humanity was close to bing history.


    Even then, with a tenacious will, they survived.


    With the advent of abyssals, humanity nearly went extinct.


    Driven out of their moons, space cities, andoids, humanity was confined on thes like animals in cages.


    If not for the Heaven''s will selecting the sovereigns, humanity would''ve been extinct.


    But it took nearly three decades for Sovereigns to appear.


    In those thirty dark years, no human believed they were going to survive this. It seemed as if it was their fate to be destroyed.


    But they refused to yield to that fate.


    They kept fighting.


    Man or woman, young or old, strong or weak, no one stayed behind.


    When their families perished, they went to the battlefield.


    When their friends vanished one by one, they gripped their weapons tighter.


    When life was leaving their bodies, they poured all their strength for onest attack.


    It was this desperation, this collective will that kept humanity alive until sovereigns appeared.


    They died for children of the distant future.


    For the people they''d never meet.


    For the people who wouldn''t remember them.


    Yet, they willingly sacrificed their lives so that their ending could be a new beginning.


    Varian would never know whose sacrifices were allowing him to be alive today.


    ''But I do know that they don''t want mankind to perish.'' Varian took a deep breath.


    ''The future rests on me.'' Varian''s shoulders sank from the invisible weight.


    When he was a child, Varian wanted to be an emperor. The ruler of the entire race.


    But it was only now that he got a gist of what it entailed to be shouldering the fate of an entire race.


    Varian closed his eyes and thought about his future.


    His eyes snapped open after a minute.


    Without wasting another moment, Varian smashed a talisman and exited the tower.


    At the exit of a giant red tower were four abyssals headed by Ron. The others who wanted to follow were instructed to go back by Mendis who noticed their absence.


    "Why did hee here all of a sudden?" Ve, rank 2, asked with a curious expression.


    "¡­I spoke about war yesterday," Ron said.


    "He wants to go train than hunt?" Ve tilted her head.


    "I wouldn''t be surprised if he wants to. All this time, he was training after all." Ron rubbed his forehead and said.


    "If he isn''ting, we''ll go by ourselves." Osbert, rank 1, shrugged.


    "Since we came so far, let''s check the rankings at least." Trak, rank 3, suggested.


    "Fine. Fine."


    So, the four abyssals ended up in front of a list magically engraved on the tower.


    There were three lists in total and they were looking at the first list, showing the performances of level 7 across the eleven floors.


    1. Tren


    2. Holly


    3. Sidne


    4. ¡­.


    5. ¡­


    6. ¡­


    10. Travis


    ¡­


    ¡­


    16. Osbert


    24. V


    33. Trak


    ¡­.


    100. Jill


    This list was an all-time recorder. It made the difficulty in climbing to the list that much harder.


    Unlike humans who were growing stronger with each generation, abyssals were more or less stagnant in their overall power.


    So, even though this list was reset in 300 YAB when abyssals came to the sr system, it covered over two centuries of geniuses.


    How many level 7s had the Dark Tower witnessed in these two centuries?


    More than fifty thousand.


    To get into the list, you need to be top 100¡ª0.2%.


    "Do you think he''ll make it to the top 50?" V, the rank 2 abyssal, asked with a curious expression.


    Despite being ranked second on the hunting list, she only managed to reach 24 on the dark tower list. Even so, she was deemed as one of the brightest.


    "Top 50? He could enter, but it''s too early for him." Trak, the rank 3 abyssal shook his head.


    The three of them cleared all but one bottleneck and were on the verge of clearing even that and entering level 8.


    So, in level 7s, they were already the strongest they could be.


    What about Var?


    ording to rumors, he was only at peak level 7 and didn''t break any bottlenecks.


    "Right, Prince Ron?" Trak asked.


    Ron thought for a moment before shrugging. "Maybe he did break bottlenecks. No one saw him fight his best."


    "¡­"


    There was an awkward silence in front of the tower.


    The guards watching them from the distance were also curious. They didn''t know the prince they let in casually had so much potential.


    "If he''s at the peak of his strength, maybe he can reach the top 10," Osbert said with a chuckle.


    "Top 10? Are you kiddin¡ª" Trak swallowed his words abruptly.


    If archduke Mendis praised him so much, then maybe¡­


    "Your father''s rank might be snatched by him." Osbert clicked his tongue and smiled at Ron.


    Ron looked at the name on rank 10.


    10. Travis.


    ''Dad¡­'' Ron smiled lightly.


    "Well, he''s brilliant, alright. His record so far has been excellent. But top 10 is really hard. Maybe 25." Trak scratched his cheek.


    25. Jera.


    "Oops, it''s your grandmother, Prince''s Ron." V smiled.


    "Yours is really a lineage of great warriors." Osbertplimented as he gazed at another rank.


    15. Ron


    Father 10, Him 15, Grandmother 25.


    Three ranks in the top 25 were held by a single family.


    ''Even though Ron spent so much time for his sister, he reached 15th. If he didn''t, I''m sure he''d be top 10. Even top 5 is not impossible.'' Osbert sighed inwardly.


    As the four abyssals were chatting, the list gave off a brilliant light.


    One by one, the names began moving and the list began writing itself from 100th.


    Since this happened, it only meant that Var entered the list!


    "Woah! He did it."


    The name of the 90th rank was written.


    But.


    "I can''t find him?" Trak was confused.


    80th name.


    "He really broke bottlenecks, huh?" V narrowed her eyes.


    50th name.


    "How many bottlenecks did he break, I wonder." Osbert rubbed his chin.


    40th name.


    "40?" Ron was confused.


    30th name.


    "Holy fuck, he crossed me!" Trak saw his rank drop from 33 to 34. "Are you fucking kidding me? He''s really stronger than me, top 3?"


    Hearing Trak''s remarks, the expressions of the remaining three grew heavier.


    There were just random rumors that Var was strong enough to be in the top 3. No one took them seriously.


    But here they were.


    What the fuck?


    It didn''t end there.


    "Oh fuck!" V cursed, drawing the attention of the three. With a shaking finger, she pointed. "M-My rank."


    Rank 24 V was now rank 25.


    Ron''s grandmother was pushed to rank 26.


    Var was really in the top 25!


    "My rank too?" Osbert rubbed his eyes.


    Rank 16 Osbert fell to rank 17.


    Then the next name, showing rank 16 appeared.


    16. Ron


    "F-Fuck!"


    Rank 15 Ron fell to rank 16.


    "You must be fucking kidding." Ron couldn''t believe Var was already so strong. He knew Var had more potential, but he always thought he was yet to grow.


    But now¡­


    Rank 10 Travis, Ron''s father, fell to rank 11.


    "Top 10! Oh my¡­"


    They eagerly searched for his name in the top 10.


    Was it tenth or was it ninth? But¡­


    "Top 5? Kill me!" V yelled.


    No one reacted to her words.


    They were all staring transfixed at the ranking. Even the guards stopped their duties and were staring at the list from behind.


    The top 5 rankings appeared one by one.


    5. Riven


    4. Sidne


    3. Holly


    The ranking list seemed to pause for a moment.


    Everyone held their breath as their eyes shone with boundless curiosity.


    This was it.


    This was the moment they were waiting for.


    Was Var rank 2 or¡­.


    2. Tren


    "DAMN!"


    "FUCK!"


    "WOAH!"


    Even before screaming the rank 1, the abyssals let out gasps and screams of bewilderment.


    As if to stand true to their reactions, the name did appear.


    1. Var


    With emotions in turmoil, the four abyssals and two guards stared at the name with mouths wide open.


    When the truth finally appeared in front of them, they were shocked to the point they didn''t know what to say anymore.


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    Even when the sound of footsteps sounded from behind, they didn''t turn around.


    Even when someone tapped Ron on his shoulder, he didn''t turn around.


    Ron''s eyes were fixed on the screen like he was frozen.


    So, when someone blocked the screen, he scowled and was about to curse before he realized who it was.


    "V-Var?"


    Hearing that name, the three abyssals, Osbert, V, and Trak gasped and clung to his arms.


    "Boss!"


    "Future Demon King!"


    "Master!"


    "¡­."


    Varian was confused at first, but after ncing at the list, he realized what was going on.


    But his expression didn''t change much.


    Freeing himself from their grip, Varian tapped his bracelet and a message popped up.


    [Let us go hunt. The final three Xanders. They''re on my hunt.]


    "Y-Yeah¡­" Ron was barely able to respond.

 Chapter 717 The Final Hunt Approaches

    Chapter 717 The Final Hunt Approaches


    "¡­"


    Varian''s brows knit together at the three pairs of eager eyes gazing at him.


    One thing led to another and he was now in a team with ranks 1, 2, and 3.


    So, the three of them were assigned a single room in the spaceship to discuss things before the hunt.


    However, the three of them kept staring at him like he was a rare zoo creature.


    Added to this was the fact that all other teams had already left. They were thest ones.


    So, Varian couldn''t even ask for a team change.


    "I think you don''t even need a team, but I want to fight alongside you and witness your true strength." Osbert said with glimmering eyes.


    V''s and Trak''s eyes also shone.


    ''True strength? Did it hit level 8 yet?'' Varian wondered.


    Crossing a level sounded dangerous. But no level 7 was able to give him a challenge.


    The reason he copsed after fighting the giant wolf was due to exhaustion.


    Clearing eleven floors took around a week and he did it in a day.


    ''If I fight Joshua and Osbert, the strongest level 7s in the current level 7s, I can gauge my strength.''


    That way, he''d get a proper idea of how strong his strength was.


    Seeing the silent abyssal, Trak felt it was a pity. "Hey, if only Prince Ron gave you the herb¡­"


    "What are you saying? He earned it after so much hard work." Ve shot him a re.


    "Didn''t he say it himself? Var''s condition makes it harder for him to clear the bottlenecks. The final bottleneck is the hardest, I just think he should be prioritized for the herb." Trak didn''t back down.


    Ve shook her head. "It''s up to him. Even archduke Mendis can''t force him."


    Her words poured cold water on Trak''s enthusiasm as he sighed deeply. "Yeah. His father really was a hero for him for archduke to even think of forcing."


    ''Hero?''


    For some reason, that wording out abyssals prickled Varian, and a frown emerged on his face.


    "Oh?" Osbert noticed the detail and raised a brow. "Don''t tell me you don''t know¡­"


    Var nodded.


    Former Rank 10 on the Dark Tower, Travis.


    Even though he heard others praising Ron''s father, he had no idea who he actually was.


    The abyssals also used aliases and humans usually didn''t know their real names.


    "Woah." Osbert''s eyes widened from his honest answer and he tapped his bracelet.


    A hologram popped up, showing the figure of an abyssal in light armor.


    Next to him were rows and rows of text in abyssee.


    Varian''s eyes scanned the text as Osbert exined.


    "Once he reached level 7, his exploits skyrocketed. He led many missions on theoids. But the inflection point in his career is¡ª"


    Varian''s gaze froze on a particr spot and his eyes widened.


    "Purple Demon." Osbert''s words were like a hammer driving the nail into his bones.


    Varian clenched his fists and read the text again.


    > Purple Demon:


    Ten years ago, Travis yed a major role in the major battle on theoid Purple Sky and stalled the reinforcements.


    Using this gap, our side was able to redraw the borders of theoid and upy several critical locations¡­


    ''I¡­''


    Varian''s body cooled down as if he stepped into ice.


    It was the same year his father died.


    ''Even if the reinforcements were a minute early, we could''ve saved him.''


    The words of the soldier who brought his father''s death news to his mother echoed in his mind.


    ''D-Dad¡­.''


    Varian''s chest grew heavy.


    "V-Var?" Osbert called out in concern.


    Varian no longer answered him and closed his eyes.


    *** *** ***


    The Xanders were some of the best warriors in humanity.


    The top three Xanders in the hunting list were even more so.


    They were monsters among monsters who ughtered fifteen abyss princes.


    Now, the trio was staring at an abyssal base across therge border.


    "Kai, make sure you send us right into the meeting room." A man fiddling with a sword said.


    Even though he appeared sloppy, his stance was perfect and he was ready to attack and defend at the slightest notice.


    "There will be tenmanders in the meeting room." A woman with purple hair said.


    "You might die. Then, I can move up a ranking." Her cold expression made one wonder if she was joking or being serious.


    "Just you, bitch? You''re still ranked below me." The swordsman, however, made it absolutely clear that he meant what he said.


    "¡­Limp dicked bastard." The cold woman spat without mercy.


    "Purple bitch." The swordman narrowed his eyes.


    The third Xander looked down at them with a serious gaze and said.


    "If you two weren''t fighting for thest mission, we''d have killed five more abyssals."


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    The Space Witch: Kai Xander, the Sword Prince: Axel Xander paused and stared at the tall man.


    "Even though you''re stronger than me, you don''t have the right to order me around." Axel snorted.


    "When you''re addressing me, put away yourmanding tone." The purple-haired woman said with a tone of disgust.


    Joshua Xander frowned but didn''t reply.


    His brothers and sisters had high talent and strength, but higher egos.


    That''s why they weren''t givenmanding roles and were only allowed to be leaders of a five-member team most of the time.


    Since the circumstances were special, Joshua agreed to work with them.


    ''That damn abyssal, he killed five princes back to back. Now, we''re really on the edge of losing our footing.'' He was furious at the new abyssal prince.


    If they didn''t bnce out the damage that the prince was causing, then sooner orter, the level 7 abyssals would overwhelm the human level 7s and the order of the wholeoids would shift.


    ''I need to work with them, somehow.''


    Suppressing his natural voice, Joshua spoke to the Space Witch in a rather subdued tone. "After we''re teleported, we''ll try to kill all the tenmanders. But if someone escapes, you¡ª"


    "I know, I know. I''ll take care of them." Kai Xander waved her hand dismissively.


    "And Axel, cooperate with me, that''s the best way we can finish the¡ª"


    "I can take care of them by myself." Axel gripped his sword and snorted.


    Joshua frowned and stopped talking. He tried his best, but they just weren''t listening.


    He could only hope that they were sessful in killing at least fivemanders before they could call for reinforcements.


    And before reinforcements could arrive, they''d have to finish the next five.


    "Alright, I''m sending you in." Kai''s space power enveloped them.


    ''I hope everything goes well.'' Joshua looked at the purple sky.


    *** *** ***


    Ron couldn''t get the ranking list out of his mind.


    The scene where Var''s name etched itself as rank 1 continued to y in an endless loop.


    ''I¡­''


    Ron gritted his teeth and took out a silver sheet.


    With a stiff arm, he poured his chi into the silver sheet and started to write.


    The short message was finished in a few minutes and he attached the silver sheet to a wooden box.


    He looked out of the window and nced at the two suns.


    "Rui, I¡­"


    [Attention! Twomanders are assassinated! The rest are fighting for their lives! We need reinforcements! Now!]


    Ron jolted out of his seat and put the box into his storage ring.


    He nced at the map and realized they were very close to theoid the message came from.


    Originally, it was aoid they were supposed to pass by. But since they were close, they were also given the message.


    So¡­


    mming the emergency button, Ron yelled.


    [Emergency Support Deployment!]


    In the mission room, Osbert, Ve and Trak were taken aback.


    oid: Purple Sky]


    Varian''s eyes shot open.


    ''Purple Sky''


    ¡­Where it all began.


    ''I will give it a proper ending.''

 Chapter ?718 Against Humans And Abyssals

    Chapter ?718 Against Humans And Abyssals


    Ron''s spaceship rushed to a ball of purple which was soon revealed as aoid.


    ''This will be thest of Prince Var.''


    Varian was about to press the button to move out of the spaceship when it suddenly shook.


    Boom!


    The entire spaceship grew hot all of a sudden before an explosion urred at its front and it flipped.


    Varian''s space sense spread out and noticed that a human was blocking the spaceship.


    "Ron,e out and die!" The man growled.


    The spaceship fell silent and the man raised his hand to attack. It was then¡ª


    "You''ll be the one dying, you fucker!" Ron rushed out of the spaceship and dashed toward him.


    The fight of hatred resumed.


    Varian and the trio realized the situation and without hesitation, they boarded their own spaceships and rushed to theoid.


    The level 8 was stalling Ron to prevent him from interfering in theoid.


    That meant, in a few minutes, things would be under control.


    ¡­The remaining 8manders would die.


    "Damn it!"


    Even as they reached the atmosphere, it was easy to discern where the fighting was going on.


    It was an isted ind on theoid.


    There were only eight abyssals on it facing three humans.


    The abyssals had major injuries and were bleeding heavily while the humans were mostly fine other than some cuts and light exhaustion.


    Recognizing the identity of the three humans, the eyes of the abyssals nearly popped out.


    Varian was also taken aback by this unexpected situation.


    He never expected thest three hunts on his list would be in the same ce.


    And not just that.


    He turned around and saw the trio of Osbert, V, and Trak.


    ''The top 3 Xanders. The top 3 abyssals. On one isted ind without anyone else. Wow. Just wow.''


    Varian couldn''t stop his lips from twisting up.


    "Yo Var, Joshua is my prey!" Osbert''s voice sounded from his bracelet and the next moment, the spaceship around the abyssal disappeared.


    He flipped in the air and faced the ground. Then, he kicked.


    Boom!


    Blowing away the clouds, he shot toward the monster prince.


    "Axel is my prey." V chuckled as she dived down.


    "I will kill that space witch." Trak took thest target.


    By the time Varian descended, one of the eightmanders died and ten abyssals, now headed by the trio were fighting the three Xanders.


    Despite being stacked one against three, the Xanders weren''t losing out!


    As hended on the side of the abyssals, the gazes of Joshua, Axel, and Kainded on him.


    Even though they showed different expressions, they all knew that him entering the battlefield wouldpletely break the bnce they were barely holding.


    ''If I join their fight, they can quickly defeat the Xanders.'' Varian saw the weing smile on the abyssal trio.


    "Var! Now!"


    "Take down the space witch first!"


    "Let''s do it!"


    Their voices were filled with enthusiasm and their words contained conviction.


    ''They are confident, no, they are certain of their victory.'' Joshua Xander narrowed his eyes as he dodged one attack after another.


    Due to the battle, the entire ind was shaking, but he could see the calm eyes of the abyssal clearly.


    They were ncing at him like he was prey.


    ''I have a bad feeling about this.'' Joshua switched to defensive mode to prepare himself in case the abyssal attacked.


    Kai Xander teleported far away to the ocean and shifted her fight there. Following her, three abyssals left.


    Axel Xander was the only one who maintained his offensive. He wasn''t a person whopromised.


    But even after a minute passed, the abyssal didn''t attack.


    "Var? What are you waiting for?"


    "Attack!"


    "At this rate, we''ll lose themanders!"


    The trio shouted again, confusion and urgency apparent in their voice.


    In response to their words, Varian asked.


    ''Boo, is it done?''


    ''Yes, master. No one can observe the battle now. Even the spaceship cameras are blocked out.''


    ''Their Comms?''


    ''Destroyed.''


    ''Good.''


    Varian finally moved.


    With a kick to the ground, his figure blurred and he appeared beside the seven abyssals who were fighting against Joshua and Axel.


    Seeing his appearance, Joshua immediately put on a defensive stance and Axel prepared himself to attack him.


    When Varian raised his hand and clenched his fist, Axel was about to swing his sword.


    But instead of a punch, a space ripple spread out.


    "Huh?"


    "W-What?"


    "My bracelet!"


    The abyssals suddenly discovered that their bracelets had cracked apart.


    "Var! What the fuck are you doing?"


    "Did you just realize what you did?"


    "This is a big crime!"


    Looking at the dumbfounded and furious eyes, Varian let out a small breath and his figure blurred.


    Space rippled again and a spear of lightning pierced through an abyssmander.


    "What?!"


    Anothermander clutched his head before his body was sliced into two by a space de.


    "W-Who?"


    "Var?!"


    Lightning. Space. Water. Body. Mind.


    It all happened in mere seconds.


    When the abyssal trio reacted and tried to save themanders, the head of thestmander entered the ocean.


    Prince Var was standing in front of the dumbfounded abyssal trio and Xander trio.


    "W-Why?" The abyssals asked with hatred and grief.


    "Why?" The Xanders asked in confusion.


    The abyssal''s figure twisted before it shrunk into the appearance of a handsome young man.


    Pitch ck hair.


    Deep eyes filled with a calmness that didn''t match his age.


    A cold smile that sent chills down their smile.


    "Y-You¡­!" Osbert flinched and took a step back.


    "F-Fuck!" V''s face twisted with hatred.


    "Bastard!" Trak''s eyes were bloodshot.


    Varian didn''t respond to their anger. Instead, he turned to the Xanders.


    Ironically, except for Joshua, Kai and Axel were looking at him with equal hatred as the abyssals.


    "You son of a bitch!" Kai cursed.


    "You are the one who killed our brothers and sisters, right?" Axel asked, but he seemed to have an answer already.


    "Ah!"


    It was only then that the abyssal trio understood.


    Everything fell into ce.


    A sudden genius bing an abyss prince.


    Promoted to S+ hunting team right away.


    Only hunting Xander members.


    If Varian had a disguise treasure that could mask him even from the archduke, it''d all make sense.


    "What do you want?" Joshua asked in a heavy tone.


    "Haha." Varianughed but a killing intent filled the air.


    "You are a human too. Why are you fighting against your human race?" Joshua frowned and tried to persuade him.


    "I am against you Xanders." Varian raised his sword.


    "How about we resolve this through talks? Once the battle begins, it''ll be hard to ensure idents won''t happen." Joshua didn''t know how strong Varian actually was.


    But regardless, he didn''t want to kill Varian. His family had grudges against him sure, but he didn''t.


    Besides, Joshua was against killing a human genius. But if the same genius tried to kill him, he couldn''t help but fight back.


    So, he tried his best.


    But.


    "Talks? Let our strength do the talking." Varian''s aura exploded out.


    The power of seven divine paths filled the ind and sent chills down the spine of every genius, abyssal or human.


    ''No one can win against him.'' The two teams realized it instinctively.


    From his aura, they realized he wasn''t at the peak of level 7. Far from it. Every single one of them had an individual path on the verge of reaching level 8.


    Yet, whenpared to the heaviness that his paths emitted whenbined, they felt weak.


    ''Seven paths? How can he have seven paths?'' Osbert couldn''t understand. Nor could Joshua.


    But what the strongest of their teams understood clearly was that if they had to survive, they needed to work together.


    It was shameful and humiliating, but they had no other choice.


    For the first time in history, to face an overwhelming foe, Abyssals and humans joined hands.

 Chapter 719 A Bit Too Strong

    Chapter 719 A Bit Too Strong


    Joshua clenched his fists and focused his senses on the man in front.


    The world seemed to stand still.


    The sand blowing from the ind into the ocean due to Varian''s aura seemed to slow down.


    Granule by granule, it began to slow down until they seemed to freeze altogether.


    The fierce winds no longer hit his battle suit. Instead, they seemed to pause.


    Joshua poured out every bit of his strength and his body went taut.


    ''Now.''


    The wind exploded and an invisible force shaped in the form of a fist reached his face.


    Joshua raised his arm to block the telekic attack as he sidestepped to avoid a space de.


    With the sound of a paper tearing, the space where he previously stood was torn apart, revealing a grey fissure that quickly closed up.


    ''None of his attacks are very powerful.'' The moment this thought entered his mind, Joshua realized why.


    None of Varian''s paths individually gave them trouble.


    But it was the collective synergy that¡ª


    "Gahh!"


    A sudden scream filled the air as red blood sshed on the ground.


    ''He''s fighting five by himself.'' Joshua nced at five figures facing the steady figure.


    Lightning spears flew out. Ice dragons roared. Mighty punches rained.


    Varian was attacked by five of the strongest people of his level.


    And didn''t move an inch.


    ''Should I really kill him?'' Joshua hesitated for a moment.


    At the same time, facing the three abyssals and two Xanders, Varian raised his hand.


    A lightning field enveloped him, surrounded by a sturdy ice wall reinforced by solidified space which was further strengthened by an invisible force.


    The punches of Osbert, kicks of V, and spear thrusts of Trak only managed to reach the ice wall before they were repelled.


    Even though they viewed it as a fight, Varian simply crossed his arms with a bored expression.


    It was like an adult letting a baby hit him again and again.


    On the other hand, Xanders had it much worse.


    "Argh!"


    Kai Xander screamed as blood leaked from her mouth. Even so, she pointed a finger at Varian and channeled all her space power.


    "Y-You bastard! Don''t look down on me!"


    The space around Varian twisted slightly and contracted as if it was about to tear apart.


    Even though Varian had his defenses up, Kai forcibly used her space powers to forcibly twist the space inside his defense barrier.


    So, she had bacsh and got injured. However, she was now able to st the space apart and could inflict great damage on Varian.


    Even under such a situation, Varian didn''t try to protect himself.


    Instead, he just nced at Kai.


    His pitch ck eyes filled with burning fury met Kai''s purple eyes.


    "Huek!"


    It was as if her body froze up and the world went white.


    Kai''s mind was assaulted by a psychic and she was forcibly pulled into an illusion.


    She saw her deepest fear.


    It was no longer Charles killing her for the grudge they had.


    But a pair of pitch ck eyes that told her that she was nothing.


    No matter how much she struggled, she''d never be able to defeat him.


    For he, he¡­.


    "Arghhh!" Clutching her head, Kai crouched down as the pain in her head turned unbearable.


    At her level, she should be able to resist illusions, but facing the man who even killed her ''nemesis'' Charles, the fear deep in her heart amplified the effect of illusions and wrecked her mind.


    "K-Kai? What the fuck?" Without stopping to sh at the barrier with his sword, Axel called out.


    "I¡­I''m f-fine¡­" Kai gritted her teeth as she slowly fought the illusion and regained her body.


    Trembling from head to toe, she slowly got up when the air behind her exploded and a sharp invisible force reached her neck.


    It was shaped in the form of a spear and shed with the invisible but ever-presentyer of ''space armor'' on Kai''s neck.


    Even though Varian''s telekic power was strong, it wasn''t strong enough to pierce through Kai''s space armor.


    However, the spear''s tip suddenly lit up with the lights of gold and blue.


    The sturdy space armor broke like amon mirror and as the price, the lightning and water mana were depleted.


    However, the invisible telekic force that still remained moved forward and touched Kai''s neck.


    Feeling the cold sensation behind her neck, Kai''s face turned pale as death clutched her.


    "Kai!"


    When death seemed inevitable, she suddenly felt the cold sensation behind her neck vanish and heard a cracking sound.


    Turning her head around, her eyes widened as she saw Joshua crushing the invisible spear.


    "B-Brother¡­" The title naturally rolled out.


    Kai suddenly felt regretful and ashamed for treating Joshua rudely. She owed him his life.


    "T-Thank y¡ª"


    "Oh? You finally joined?" Varian''s words cut her off.


    Kai''s body stiffened as she turned to face the enemy who almost killed her without much effort.


    He wasn''t even looking at her.


    Joshua took a breath and stepped forward. "Every sinner needs to pay. But Kai didn''t do anything that could kill her. She''s innocent."


    "Hah?" Varian blinked as if he thought he heard it wrong.


    Kai gritted her teeth and stood behind her brother. Even though she still felt scared, she raised her hand and channeled her space power.


    If Joshua joined them, maybe they could¡­


    Her idea was extinguished the very next moment when Joshua punched at Varian''s defenses.


    Even the strongest Xander and the strongest level 7 couldn''t break Varian''s defense.


    "K-Kuh!" Joshua withdrew his injured arm. Multiple chunks of flesh were sliced out by the space de, his skin and flesh were burnt ck while his blood was frozen blue.


    Seeing that even the strongest person among them failed to shatter Varian''s defenses, a sense of despair filled everyone''s hearts.


    Seeing their sunken shoulders, Varian shook his head and yelled. "Idiots, attack one spot and break the shield."


    "?"


    "!"


    Even though they were taken aback by his words, they didn''t hesitate to do so.


    The three abyssals and Joshua punched their way through the telekic barrier and space shields while damaging the ice wall, causingrge cracks in it.


    Then, Axels'' sword strike cut down the ice wall and shook the lightning field.


    Finally, Kai''s space de tore through the air and ripped apart the lightning field before finally reaching Varian.


    With a tip of his finger, Varian stopped the space de and flicked it away.


    "¡­"


    Everyone stared at him with dumbstruck faces.


    It was just¡­


    "Fine, fine." Varian stepped forward and the six instinctively took a step back.


    "Ugh, since this is too hard for you, how about I make it a bit easy for you? It''s not fun if it''s too one-sided, no?" He said in a casual tone.


    "Are you treating this as a game?" Osbert roared with bloodshot eyes. "I thought you were one us, yet you betrayed our trust, you hideous mons¡ª"


    "Please. You guyse to my home star system, wage a war on my race and drive us to near extinction. Now, you want to talk morals? Don''t fuck with me." Varian''s cold voice caused everyone to flinch.


    "And you." Varian eyed Kai Xander who was standing behind Joshua and Axel. She avoided eye contact as she tried to put on a cold expression.


    "Yourms won''t work. It''s useless even if you try."


    His words extinguished thest ray of hope inside her heart.


    "You can, of course, try to escape." Varian gave a refreshing smile.


    At his words, the eyes of the abyssals glittered.


    "Six people in six directions, maybe one of you can survive, eh." Varian''s voice was like a devil asking them to sign a contract.


    It was so tempting, but¡­


    It was a trap.


    If they tried to escape, they''d be killed much faster as they''re just sitting ducks for a one-on-one battle.


    Coupled with Varian''s space power and ghost ship, there was no way they could escape.


    So, the only solution to this problem¡­


    "If we escape, we''ll all die," Joshua shouted as he prepared himself for the battle.


    "Heh." Varian smiled at the clever man.


    "The only way we can survive is to kill him or hold him off until reinforcements arrive." Joshua rekindled the lost hope in a few words.


    "Try to kill me together. This is your best chance." Varian raised his arms. "Don''t worry, I won''t use my defenses."


    The humans and abyssals prepared themselves for this ridiculous fight.


    "Come."


    Varian decided he''d end them after he extracted the XP from them.


    ''I had grown a bit too strong.''

 Chapter ?720 One Vs Six

    Chapter ?720 One Vs Six


    It all happened in a sh.


    When Joshua''s fists met with Varian''s, a torrent of lightning flooded his body and attempted to numb him from the inside.


    Joshua didn''t have much problem if it was only lightning mana, but the problem was the water mana that came soon after.


    It slowed down his chi that tried to expel the lightning mana and caused his internal injuries to rise.


    On the other hand, Varian was blown away a few steps after a direct sh with Joshua.


    Before he could react, the space around him cracked apart and numerous cuts appeared on his body.


    "Hahahaha." Varian burst intoughter as he felt the blood in his body boil.


    War.


    Blood.


    Death.


    "Come!"


    Varian''s body turned into a streak of lightning and he rushed to the abyssals.


    His right hand was covered with a lightning gauntlet while his left was covered with an ice one.


    He single-handedly fought against three abyssals who were the best body awakeners of level 7.


    With each punch, the air exploded and the trees of the ind broke apart.


    Following each kick, shockwaves swept the soil on the ind and created a sand storm.


    At some point, Joshua and Axel also entered the fight.


    Yet, Varian matched them all.


    Bone-chilling ice slowed down Travis and ice phoenixes attacked him.


    V had trouble moving since the space around her was blocked off and space des tried to cut off her limbs.


    A lightning spear matched Osbert''s punches.


    Whenever an abyssal broke through these attacks, a lightning strike or an ice sword would arrive and prevent them until they were forced to engage with the previous fights.


    On the other hand, an invisible sword was shing against Axel''s sword strikes.


    A psychic power prevented Kai from doing much.


    And¡­


    "Hahaha!"


    Varian''s superhuman strength was used against Joshua.


    As they went from punch to punch and kick to kick, red blood spilled as Varian''s skin cracked and his bones cracked.


    Varian, this monster was injured!


    The expressions of everyone except Joshua brightened.


    ''He''s not using his full strength, dammit!'' Joshua understood his own situation clearly.


    Varian was no longer using lightning and water powers.


    He was fighting him solely with his body powers.


    Yet¡­


    "One more!" Varianughed as his arm turned into a brown branch and his broken bones were fixed in an instant.


    Joshua punched him hard and Varian once again barely blocked it before being blown into a distance.


    ''He grew stronger.''


    Joshua was certain.


    Varian used no other powers. But he fared significantly better thanst time.


    ''How?''


    "Attack!"


    Varian teleported in front of him abruptly and punched.


    With a snort, Joshua threw a punch and Varian''s chest bones broke as he flew away again.


    Even less distance this time.


    ''What is happening?'' Joshua had an ominous feeling.


    He wanted to ask his ''teammates'' to help, but they were all engaged by this bastard.


    "Well, we can indeed spice it up." Varian seemed to have noticed the regret in Joshua''s eyes and snapped his fingers.


    The attacks against the humans and abyssals disappeared all of a sudden.


    "Come on. Let me at least have the pleasure of hunting. You are the top dogs of the hunting list after all."


    As they looked at each other with a determined gaze, the six rained down attacks on Varian.


    *** *** ***


    "D-Die!"


    Judie cursed asunched a grand attack on Ron.


    A loud explosion rang out as Ron''s spaceship was crushed into pieces.


    In front of it was Ron, bloodied from head to toe and panting heavily.


    Under the heavy injuries, Ron felt a huge pressure on his body that threatened to crush his bones into powder.


    The gravity, this fucking gravity, it was crushing him.


    "You''re the one going down today." Raising his head as veins popped up on his neck, Ron red at Judie.


    The guy who was responsible for his sister''s plight.


    Bringing the strength from the depths of his being, Ron''s figure moved.


    He wasn''t fast by any stretch, barely in the speed level of a level 3.


    But each step he took was a huge shock to Judie who was already trying his best to freeze Ron.


    Realizing that he couldn''t stop the abyssal, Judie applied gravity on himself, and his body blurred as he dashed away.


    "I''m not letting you go this time."


    The gravity pressure on Ron plummetted and the abyssal immediately retrieved ten shining spears and shot the at the human.


    Piercing through the space, the spears chased after the ''locked'' target, Judie.


    "Bullshit!"


    Judie cursed as he ran away from the spears chasing from all directions.


    With a clench of his fists, the spears slowed down before shing against each other and exploding.


    "Hah!"


    Just as Judie wascent, he felt Ron''s increasing speed.


    The spears were just a distraction!


    "You!"


    As Ron reached in front of him whose body was pulled towards a spaceship in the far distance, Judie''s mouth froze.


    "I''ve grown from thest time," Ron said as he raised his fist.


    Judie wanted to open a defense field but was too exhausted.


    "I¡ª"


    A fist broke through his head and sted his skull to pieces. The brain matter and blood sttered on Ron who stood still in space.


    ''Ah!''


    Ron suddenly raised a brow and tapped his bracelet. ''How are they doing now?''


    "They''re fine."


    "Huh?"


    Ron raised his head and looked at the familiar abyssal in front of him.


    He was drenched in red and¡­green blood?


    "Var, what are you doing here?" Ron narrowed his eyes.


    Did the mission finish or¡­


    "Do you believe it''s possible for an abyssal like Var to exist?"


    "Huh?"


    What was that question?


    "A guy who was normal until his parents died suddenly fires up and trains hard. Sure, it''s nice to hear. But great training won''t make a very ordinary guy number one of all time, no?"


    "What are you talking about?" Ron felt an uneasy feeling grip his heart and suddenly his eyes widened.


    "Wait, how are you even talking, isn''t your conditio¡ªWho the fuck are you?"


    "Atst¡­"


    With a sigh, ''Var'' turned into a human.


    Seeing that face, Ron''s eyes shook withplicated emotions.


    "V-Varian!"


    "That''s me. Nice to meet you, abyssal Ron." Varian said.


    "Y-You deceived me, deceived us the whole time¡­"


    "I did."


    "You bastard!" Ron''s aura burst out and his fist reached Varian''s face in an instant.


    "Die!"

 Chapter 721 You Fought Well

    Chapter 721 You Fought Well


    Using his lightning and water powers, Varian formed two wings on his back. With a single p, his body blurred and he dodged Ron''s fist.


    "Var, Archduke was so trusting of you. He even treated you like you were his family. Dammit!" Ron spew curses as he threw punches at lightning speed.


    Even though he was injured, Ron''s strength remained at level 8.


    With each punch that targetted Varian, the space shook violently and a powerful shockwave capable of sting away level 7s spread out in all directions.


    Unlike the easy time he had with the ''hunters'', Varian had to give his best to face off Ron.


    His psychic power was constantly affecting Ron''s movements while his powers ovepped to defend against his punches.


    Unlike the hunters, Ron''s punches were able to break Varian''s defense every single time and reach him.


    Though, by the time Varian punched back at them, they were significantly weakened.


    So, a spectacr scene appeared in the space above Purple Skyoid.


    An abyssal threw hundreds of punches and kicks at a human. A bright shield filled with mixed colors popped up before being broken and the human countered the attacks with his own kicks and punches.


    The shield disappeared so quickly that it appeared that the man and abyssal were just fighting directly.


    Their figures blurred across the space and when Ron punched Varian in the chest, thetter raised his arms at thest moment.


    But this time, the punch was too forceful and Varian''s body was blown away.


    Like a meteor crashing, Varian''s crashed on theoid.


    Boom!


    A huge crater formed as the ground shook violently.


    "Wha¡ª!"


    "Hel¡ª"


    "Sav¡ª"


    The abyssals in the base Varian crashed in and didn''t even have the time to scream before they were all wiped out.


    Including three level 6s, a thousand abyssals were gone just like that.


    "Cough. Cough."


    In the cloud of dust, at the center of the crater, Varian coughed as he wiped the blood from the corner of his lips.


    His eyes reflected the purple sky and the dark figure in it that was fast approaching him.


    Clenching his fists, Varian''s bones made a cracking sound.


    "My name is not Var, it''s Varian."


    In response to his words, an ash-colored fist reached Varian''s head in an instant.


    The clouds in the sky broke apart and the ground caved in.


    The massive force broke through the defensive barrier he set up and was about to st his head to pieces¡ªonly to be stopped by a hand that held it in ce.


    Varian held Ron''s fist and stared at the abyssal who was now in an upside-down position.


    Ron snorted and his other fist reached Varian in a sh.


    But he grabbed it in the same manner.


    As Ron began to increase the pressure, the ground beneath Varian started to crack apart.


    Varian''s hands were slowly crushed under the pressure. His skin ruptured and his finger bones began to splinter.


    "After I kill you, I''ll take your corpse to Mendis and let him punish you for deceiving him." Ron''s icy voice resounded in Varian''s ears.


    Varian gritted his teeth as blood leaked out from his mouth.


    His legs continued to sink into the ground as he fought back a level 8''s strength.


    Compared to the ease he felt facing the ''hunters'', this was iparably hard. The difference between one level and another, especially at higher levels, was considered unsurmountable for a reason.


    But.


    "Deceive Mendis? The same Mendis who ughtered 10,000 humans because he couldn''t find Enigma?" Varian''s lips were bleeding but they curled up into a cold smile.


    He concentrated his powers and exploded them all at once.


    The rocky crater was flooded with water, submerging Varian and Ron in it.


    Ron''s eyebrows jumped and he tried to escape.


    But Varian firmly held his fists and refused to let go.


    The next moment, the water rushed to Ron and contracted, enveloping him in a cocoon.


    Then, lightning snakes entered Ron''s body.


    "A-Arghh!" Ron yelled as the lightning wreaked havoc in his body all the while he felt as if someone was slicing his brain apart.


    Before he could react, the space around his chest cracked and drew arge gash.


    Then, an invisible force struck his wound and caused him to cough out blood.


    The water enveloping him acted like a blockade and restricted his movements as the remaining powers wreaked destroyed him from the inside.


    A few minutes passed as Ron struggled before copsing.


    "I¡­" Ron looked at the purple sky as a searing pain engulfed his body. His flesh was burnt, his bones were broken and he could feel his life slowly slipping away.


    "Ron."


    Varian''s face towered over the abyssal sprawled on the ground.


    Even though Varian''s hands were practically smashed when he kept Ron from escaping, he was in great shapepared to the abyssal.?


    Seeing the face he now hated more than Judie, Ron struggled. "Y¡­"


    His throat was too burnt to even utter a single word.


    "I¡­"


    But he still struggled.


    "P¡­"


    Even when his injuries worsened and his death elerated due to his movements, he continued to struggle.


    To speak.


    Varian sighed lightly and ced a device on Ron''s broken wrist.


    It was a device that ''Var'' used since he couldn''t speak properly.


    [V-Var¡­]


    A mechanical voice void of all emotions sounded from the device.


    But Varian didn''t need to hear the emotions from his voice, Ron''s eyes showed how he was feeling.


    Closing his eyes, Varian took a deep breath and sat beside the abyssal.


    "Ron, I don''t know what I should say."


    [I¡­I hate you.] Ron red at him.


    "Of course, because I''m killing you." Varian smiled nonchntly, but there was a hidden bitterness in it.


    [N-No¡­]


    His response startled Varian.


    Ron''s eyes wandered to the beautiful purple sky and he recalled the short time he spent with prince Var.


    [¡­Why weren''t you born as an abyssal?]


    "Wh-What?" Varian blinked in confusion.


    [I¡­I thought I could be good friends with Prince Var.] Ron''s eyes shed as he lost the feeling of his legs.


    "Friends?" Varian raised his head to gaze at the purple sky as a wistful smile formed on his face.


    No matter what he achieved so far, there were things Varian failed at miserably. Except for Kyle and Maya, he didn''t have any person who he could call a ''friend''.


    "Yeah. If your race wasn''t intent on exterminating mine, we''d have been friends as a human and an abyssal." Varian gave a hollowugh.


    [¡­]


    Ron fell silent. He was beginning to lose the sensation of his torso.


    "But you know what?" Varian still looked at the purple sky with an intense gaze. "I know abyssals are forced to stand against humans because you have to survive fairies and Zions.


    You, or at least, your leaders aren''t trying to kill humanity for fun. You want to save your home and for that, you''re willing to burn ours.


    I can totally understand where you''reing from."


    [¡­]


    Ron was surprised at the words filled with empathy.


    "My father fought on thisoid." Varian''s lips curled into a nostalgic smile as he looked at the purple sky.


    He retrieved a white box from his storage box and started ying a song.


    Pointing the item to Ron, he said with an excited smile. "He promised to give me this when he returned from theoid, but¡­"


    Varian''s smile disappeared and a sad expression filled his face. "He didn''t return. He died on thisoid and we couldn''t even find his remains. It was exactly ten years ago."


    [ ! ! ]


    Ron''s eyes widened.


    "I checked the military records and¡­" Varian shook his head. "Your father was the reason my dad was killed."


    If not for him, Varian''s father would''ve survived the incident without a doubt.


    Ron''s eyes shed as he lost the sensation of his chest. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier. But he tried his best to keep his eyes open.


    "I''m a very vengeful person. Because a single Xander tortured my love, I''m ughtering their whole family." Varian''s eyes shed with a cold light.


    "What should I do about a race that was responsible for my father''s death? My lover''s mother''s death and her brother''s death?"


    Ron''s consciousness slowly started to grow foggy.


    "No matter how much I understand, no matter how much I empathize, I will remain your enemy."


    Those were his truest feelings.


    [T-Thank You.]


    Ron''s inexplicable words caused Varian to nce at him in surprise.


    The abyssal''s vision was slowly losing focus.


    ¡­Why?


    Why did he thank him?


    Varian didn''t understand. But he did realize that the abyssal was breathing hisst.


    So, he smiled softly. "You fought well. Rest in peace, warrior."


    Ron''s turbulent eyes calmed down with his words and a peaceful light shone in them before they lost dimmed forever.


    Varian''s smile slowly disappeared.


    "We''re all pawns in this grand game, just toys for forces beyond us, so I will keep fighting."

 Chapter ?722 Choice

    Chapter ?722 Choice


    Varian filled the goblet and sipped the dark red wine.


    The strong drink exploded in his mouth and burnt his throat. The bitter taste was exactly simr to what he was feeling.


    "Master, his life isn''t in danger anymore," Boo said as it entered the bar room.


    Varian nodded lightly in response and pointed to the exquisite wine bottle. "Bring three more."


    "Even if you''re a level 7, it''ll be too much," Boo said in a worried tone.


    "Haa~" Varian sighed deeply and looked out of the window.


    The purple skyoid continued to shrink in his vision as they pulled further and further away.


    With aplicated gaze, he said. "I want to be drunk."


    Even though he aplished his goals, instead of feeling aplished, he was left feeling empty, even a bit resentful.


    But resentful against what?


    Against the weak him who couldn''t protect Sia and became responsible for this whole mission to start?


    Against the vile Xanders that caused her so much pain?


    Against the abyssals?


    Or¡­


    ''Fuck everything.''


    Varian mmed the table in frustration.


    Knowing that abyssals were forced by their circumstances to be humanity''s enemy made him feel terrible.


    Not because he was feeling sorry for abyssals, but because he realized how small he truly was.


    In the grand scale of things, everything he and he held dear was a mere pawn.


    A disposable chess piece.


    If some higher race wanted to do something and it needed the disposal of the human race, it''d happen in a sh.


    They couldn''t protest. They couldn''t try topromise. They couldn''t do anything.


    What if the abyssals were defeated?


    What next?


    Would there ever be peace?


    Varian had always thought yes.


    But once he learned of the races like Fairies and Zions, he realized how wrong he was.


    There''d be no peace.


    Even if he killed all the abyssals. Even if he reached the Celestial Rank.


    The wars wouldn''t stop.


    People would continue to suffer. Children would continue to get orphaned. Families would continue to be destroyed.


    "Peace is the closest thing to impossibility." Varian clenched his fists.


    [Since the dawn of civilization, Conflict never ceased. When there is sentience, there are desires. When there are desires, there is conflict. A world without conflict is a world of the dead.] The system said in a low tone.


    "Yeah." Varian nodded with a sigh. "Since I can''t stop the conflict, I need to be prepared. I need to grow stronger."


    The strong dictated the fate of the weak. If he''s strong enough, his fate wouldn''t be controlled by anyone else.


    Since he''s strong enough, he was able to get revenge on the Xanders.


    And¡­


    "Now it''s time for Kreo," Varian muttered and a wooden box appeared in his hand.


    It was the box he retrieved from Ron''s storage ring. Attached to the box were two letters with script scribbled in abyssnguage.


    "Hm?" Varian frowned and opened the letter.


    [Prince Var,


    The day we drank in my house, I decided I''d not give the herb to you. I still wanted to cure my sister than help a genius.


    But after I saw you reach the first rank on the dark tower, I changed my mind.


    If I''m not alive by the next year, please get the herb and cure my sister.]


    Varian felt a pang of guilt.


    The herb that a brother shed blood, sweat, and tears for¡­


    The cure for his little sister¡­


    Ron wanted to cure her despite Mendis pressuring him to hand over the herb.


    Because he wasn''t sure if he could be alive until next year.


    And exactly that happened.


    ''That''s why he was so shaken.'' Varian sighed in realization.


    Then, his gazended on the second letter. His hand shook lightly but he opened it anyway.


    [Rui,


    I want to see you wake up. I want to see you healthy. I want to see you smile.


    I want to hear yourughter. I want to apany you to pray at our parents'' tombs.


    I promised you that day, didn''t I?


    I''d do my best and cure you.


    I got the herb and I can wake you up now.


    In fact, I even got a day off to cure you today.


    But. I canceled my holiday.


    I''m going on a hunt again.


    Even though Mendis said it''d be alright, I''m worried about Var. I want to keep him safe.


    And¡­


    After the hunt, I''ll hand him the herb.


    My heart aches when I think you won''t wake up for another year, but Rui, let me tell you this.


    You and I are just two abyssals. Out of the tens of billions in the sr system and the hundreds of billions back at home, we''re just two.


    I can be selfish, but I can''t be so selfish that I hinder the progress of my own race.


    I curse myself for doing this. I hate myself.


    But father used to say that regardless of what one felt, we must do what is right.


    So¡­


    Forgive me, Rui.


    If I''m not the one you see after waking up, then know that your brother has lived a great life.]


    Varian closed his eyes and slumped into the chair. Looking at the herb again, a bitter smile formed on his lips.


    The herb was to be used for his ''revenge'' against Kreo.


    Once Ron was dead, no one would use the herb on her.


    The little girl would be abandoned.


    "And I am the viin of her story," Varian muttered as he emptied the wine bottle.


    It wasn''t like he could split the herb and cure her. She needed the full herb. But so did Kreo''s daughter.


    Even if he did cure her, then what next?


    She''d surely hate him and do her best to kill him. Since she was her brother''s killer, the hatred would only be more intense.


    With the same hands that rescued her, he''d have to kill her.


    Varian suddenly thought of Vin, the young girl who lost her brother due to the abyssals.


    She and Rui were quite simr.


    They both suffered. They both lost their brothers. They were both pitiful.


    But.


    ''I am on Vin''s side.''


    Even though Rui was more pitiful than her, Varian was on Vin''s side.


    Just because she''s a human.


    Like the system said, after reaching a certain level, your thinking should be based on the bigger picture than personal emotions.


    Of course, that was an ideal ruler.


    Varian wasn''t one.


    But at least, he tried to be better.


    So¡­


    Varian stood in front of Sia''s seclusion room and waited.


    Behind him, a man was bound to a bed.


    Joshua Xander.


    Varian spared him at thest moment.


    Because the scene where Joshua punished the two Xander young masters left a deep impression on him, Varian''s opinion was conflicted.


    Emotionally, Varian wanted to sh him to pieces for being a Xander.


    But rationally, he wanted to leave him out.


    If it was Varian who had just begun the mission, he''d have killed Joshua without any hesitation.


    But after the recent experiences, his thought process changed enough to cause him to hesitate.


    However, it didn''t change too much that he spared Joshua.


    In the end, Varian decided it was best to ask the girl he was doing all this for.


    The fluctuations of her aura also stabilized recently, signaling her sessful advancement.


    "Sia."


    Hearing his voice, the door slowly opened.

 Chapter ?723 Sias decision

    Chapter ?723 Sia''s decision


    As the door opened, with light footsteps that resembled musical notes, a stunningly beautiful girl stood in front of Varian.


    Her eyes scanned his body from head to toe with an intense gaze as if she wanted to see if he had even the slightest scratch.


    Varian''s external injuries were already healed thanks to his ntae powers. So, even though Sia scanned every inch of his body, she didn''t find a single cut.


    ''Thankfully, I changed my clothes.'' Varian was inwardly relieved.


    After the battle, he removed his torn battle clothes and put on a new one¡­wait!


    "Why have you gone fighting?" Sia red at him with an using gaze. "Didn''t you say you would only take a vacation?"


    It was an irond rule devised by Varian himself that they shouldn''t touch battle clothes during vacation.


    Since he was wearingbat clothes, then¡­


    Varian coughed lightly and said with a cheeky face."I was chilling in battles."


    "You!" Sia pointed her finger at him as her chest heaved up and down. It seemed as if she was on the verge of going furious, but with deep breaths, she calmed down.


    Rubbing her eyebrows, Sia snorted. "I am deceived."


    "Hey, hey." Varian stepped forward until the distance between them was the limit he could reach.


    Sensing the clenched fist behind her back and her quivering eyebrows, he understood that she was worried and scared.


    ''What if something happened to him?''


    ''If I didn''t go to seclusion, I could protect him if anything goes wrong.''


    ''I''m scared.''


    Even though he didn''t read her mind, he guessed her thoughts.


    If you lose everything you have and then get something you cherish, you''d be absolutely paranoid about it and do your best to not lose it.


    Varian was someone like that.


    Sarah was the same. So was Sia.


    While Varian was grateful she was worried about him, he didn''t want to drag her down.


    "I went Xander hunting," Varian said, prompting Sia to raise her head in surprise.


    Xander hunting?


    Wait, the situation onoids was deteriorating and it was rted to level 7s.


    "Did you fight the princ¡ª" Sia stopped midway as she noticed a bed behind Varian and the man strapped to it.


    "He¡­?" Sia pointed at the man who appeared familiar in confusion. "When did he appear?"


    Varian looked at her genuinely confused face andughed. "He''s been here the whole time. You didn''t notice him because you were giving me all your focus."


    Sia''s face turned beet red as she bit her lip.


    ''You cheeky bastard.''


    Cursing him inwardly, she turned to the man in an attempt to ignore his remark.


    "Hm?"


    She had seen him somewhere. But these days, except if it''s important, Sia didn''t try tomit anyone to her memory.


    So, she used her mind power to search her memory, and suddenly, her eyes widened.


    Joshua Xander.


    "What exactly happened?" She asked in an exasperated tone.


    Joshua was much, much stronger than Charles. So, how did Varian end up capturing him?


    And what did he mean by ''Xander hunting''?


    Varian snapped his fingers and they moved to a living room. After seating her on a cozy sofa and serving her refreshments, he began exining the events that transpired.


    Sia''s raised brow went higher and higher with every event until Varian suddenly stopped.


    "Why did you stop?! Did you fight Ron or spare him?" Sia leaned forward.


    Varian took a deep breath and leaned back on the sofa. With a slight nod, he said. "I killed him."


    "His sister?"


    Varian turned his head to the side. "¡­I need the herb for revenge against Kreo."


    "V¡­" Sia opened her mouth but swallowed her words.


    At first, she thought he was doing it out of his enmity with Xanders. But she was wrong.


    ''He''s doing it for me. After seeing my memory, he wants to avenge me.'' Sia clenched her fists as aplicated emotion shed in her eyes.


    No matter what she''d say, she couldn''t deny the joy she felt.


    But at the same time, her heart hurt knowing Varian would me himself for the pain she suffered under Roxanne.


    ''It''s not your fault.''


    ''You aren''t responsible for it.''


    Such statements wouldn''t help one bit. They wouldn''t be able to change Varian''s mind at all.


    ''Varian¡­I just want you to be happy.'' Sia bit her lip and opened her mouth. "S-So, what did you call me for?"


    At her words, Varian sighed lightly and looked out the window. The dark space glimmered with asional lights from the space cities.


    Clenching his fists to the point his nails dug into his flesh, Varian said in a heavy tone. "After learning what happened to you, I wanted to burn down every Xander. But with my level, level 7s are the best target."


    Sia nodded.


    "I thought I could kill every Xander, innocent or not, without remorse. But Joshua¡­even though it''s only for a brief period, I''ve witnessed what kind of person he is." Varian said with a wry smile.


    Sia recalled the memory from that day and a sigh escaped her lips. "He doesn''t have the arrogance of Xanders. He values life. Even during our fight, he first tried to talk it out. If I''m honest, he''s close to an ideal soldier."


    Varian shook his head like it was a pity. "The only sin hemitted is being born into Xanders."


    "But it''s not the sin he chose tomit," Sia added.


    "Is it?" Varian turned to Sia and his eyes burned like torches. "I made myself a promise that I''ll erase the Xander surname from the face of the earth.


    I''m sure a lot of Xanders are filth. But even among them, there will be nice people who don''t deserve death."


    Sia froze at his words. Xanders and nice people¡­?


    ''If Shadow Guardians can have those traitors, it makes sense that Xanders can have nice people.''


    "I''m willing to dirty my hands. I can kill them all, innocent or not. My mind is conflicting it, but my heart says go for it." Varian said with a serious expression.


    "You¡­" Sia realized that he was dead serious.


    The Varian she knew wasn''t someone who liked to implicate the innocent. But if it was for revenge, if it was for her, he was willing to take that step.


    He''d surely feel remorse for doing so. He knew it too. But he was prepared to do it.


    "So, Sia, I just need a yes from you." Varian was just waiting for a nod. "I''ll erase all the filth that has the Xander surname."


    "I¡­" Sia was tempted to say yes, but she stopped herself and observed Varian''s state.


    Even though he appeared very calm, she could see something in his eyes.


    Rage.


    Burning rage.


    ''He wants to kill everyst Xander¡­'' Sia''s heart ached for him.


    Killing the Xanders was a form of redemption for him since he failed to protect her.


    ''Is it wrong to kill the innocent Xanders?'' Sia looked at the unconscious Joshua.


    The hatred against Xanders was so deeply engraved in her bones that she wouldn''t feel a shred of remorse for killing Joshua.


    In fact, she''d feel a twisted joy.


    ''Do it. Kill them all. ughter them to theirst member.''


    Sia wanted to shout but she firmly stopped the words in her mouth.


    "Varian¡­" She looked at him with a loving smile and thought of everything he had done after finding her.


    She thought he''d reject her and hate her. He not only epted her, but he also worked very hard to make her happy.


    ''The name of this city is Eos. It means dawn. A new beginning.''


    A future that was no longer haunted by the past.


    ''We can''t change the past, we can''t escape our responsibilities. But we can do what we can.''


    Hope for the present.


    ''In this city of Eos, I want the three of us to have a new start.''


    A new start with a new family.


    Recalling the time they spent together, Sia realized the best decision to make him happy.


    "No. Don''t kill any innocents."


    "I¡ªwhat?" Varian was taken aback by her response.


    Sia nodded with a bright smile. "Killing innocent Xanders doesn''t make me happy."


    She lied.


    It''s fine.


    ''If you can go against your conscience to heal my wounds,''


    "You, no, we will kill the Xanders that deserve death." Sia gave him a strong smile.


    ''I can give up my vengeance to heal yours.''

 Chapter ?724 Joshua, Help Me Kill Xanders

    Chapter ?724 Joshua, Help Me Kill Xanders


    "Well, I know you''ll hate me for killing them, but ugh, I don''t really hold any grudge against you." Varian rubbed the back of his neck.


    "¡­" Joshua Xander red at the man who almost killed him and was now talking like it was no big deal.


    Did he feel a grudge? Of course, he did! How could he not feel anything when he was nearly killed.


    But. What could he do? Varian was able to crush him when he fought five more level 7s, if it''s a one-on-one, Joshua knew it''d end in a sh.


    What''s more¡­


    ''Someone is watching me. If I make a wrong move, I''m dead.''


    Varian coughed lightly. "I''ll be honest. We need people like you in the military. So, don''t resign or anything."


    "¡­."


    "Alright, alright. I hope we let bygones be bygones. If you stay in the military, you''ll have to face me often since I''ll be the Emperor sooner orter." Varian shrugged with a helpless expression.


    Joshua Xander regained consciousness a few minutes ago. He was adamant about keeping his mouth shut.


    But when Varian spoke those words as if he was doing him a favor, he couldn''t help but say. "I have never someone so narcissist."


    Varian chuckled. "Isn''t it the biggest news these days? Level 7 in 3 months. You still think I''m a narcissist?"


    Joshua decided to shut his mouth. "¡­"


    The news only said he ''reached'' level 7 in 3 months.".


    Who were they kidding?


    This guy didn''t just reach level 7, he was at the peak of level 7 and might reach level 8 soon.


    If he grew at this rate, he might be Sovereign in a year or less.


    And what next? After one more year? Five more years?


    ''If he keeps growing, he''ll really be the strongest.'' Joshua''s eyes shed withplicated emotion.


    He weed Varian''s growth because it could bring peace.


    But was it really okay for an individual like him who killed soldiers just because of their ''surname'' to be a ruler?


    ''Even if I die, should I try killing him?'' Joshua''s eyes shed.


    "I got a blood feud with Xanders." Varian''s expression grew serious and heavy killing intent filled the room.


    Joshua''s determination was strengthened and he was ready tounch a fatal blow to Varian even if it was certain that he''d dieter.


    The reason?


    He knew that Xanders had a lot of filth. The filth that deserved to be dragged to prison.


    But he also knew the good people. The Xanders who used their status to help others. The people who inspired Joshua to be just and fair.


    If Varian was going to kill them all, then Joshua wouldn''t stand still.


    "But I won''t kill the innocents." Varian suddenly said.


    "Huh?" Joshua was caught off guard and he nkly stared at the young man. "What do you mean ''innocent''?"


    Varian chuckled. "I''ll use thews of the federation to judge that. As long as thews judge them guilty, I''ll deliver them the sentence.


    Of course, there are exceptions. If they are someone who is responsible for the plight of the people close to me, they''re dead."


    Joshua breathed a sigh of relief. If it was only this much, then he was fine with it.


    But he still didn''t approve it.


    "Xanders constitute a major part of Earth''s military power. If you go kill them, then abyssals will take over the ne¡ª"


    "I''ll kill more abyssals." Varian''s answer shut him up. "There are a couple of Xanders I will kill. Maybe a hundred or a thousand. But abyssals? There are billions of them."


    Joshua''s shoulders sunk as a deep sigh escaped his lips.


    He felt that only 30% of the Xanders would be left. The rest would die under Varian''s hands.


    "And the rest of the Xanders, you''ll have to disband the great Xander family and change your surname," Varian said in a tone that allowed nopromise. "I''m not going to kill everyone, but I''ll sure as hell erase that damn surname."


    "If you can beat Sovereign Julius, sure," Joshua replied with a deadpan face.?


    Varian wasn''t sure if he was mocking or being serious, but he didn''t care anyway. "Yeah. That''s on the agenda."


    The Xander surname that was at the top of the human race for nearly 500 years would be erased soon.


    "¡­So, is there anything else? I''ll have to contact the HQ and report them I survived." Joshua asked with an impatient expression.


    He was itching to leave this ce. Seeing the man who nearly killed him talk so casually made him very ufortable.


    "About that," Varian titled his head. "I need some assistance from you. I want to know where the rest of the Xander princes and princesses are. Don''t worry, I''ll spare the innocents."


    The way Varian decided their deaths spooked Joshua.


    With veins popping on his forehead, he yelled. "And why should I tell you?"


    "Because it''s beneficial to you," Varian said like it was obvious. "Even without you, I can find them. It just takes more time. But think about it, if you save that time, I can kill more abyssals which in turn will save more human lives. So, if you aren''t helping me, you are responsible for those deaths."


    "You! You¡­!" Joshua''s eyes turned red as he clenched his fists tightly.


    It was a simple exnation, but the way Varian put it really hit his conscience.


    Varian knew this too and that''s why he worded it that way.


    "You bastard! Do you think this is fun?"


    ''Not at all. The guilt I felt when I saw Vin crying, if you help me, I can really save more lives.'' Varian didn''t say it out loud.


    After an intense internal debate, Joshua finally sighed like a deted balloon. "Fine."


    "Great!" Varian pped and with a snap, a long list of Xander princes appeared in front of Joshua.


    Without another word, Joshua began to fill in the details he knew.


    Varian nodded in satisfaction. "Don''t report that I didn''t kill you. I don''t think they''ll believe you even if you say so."


    Joshua''s hand froze for a moment before it continued typing the information.


    He needed to cook up a reason why he survived. He''d have to lie shamelessly.


    "No one will know that it was me." Varian began with a knowing smile.


    "The abyssals will think that Prince Var, my fake identity, was killed by Xanders and they''ll bore a grudge against you. Be prepared, the archduke Mendis might run rampant.


    The humans will think abyssals exterminated their geniuses. The Xanders will retaliate. I''m looking forward to it."


    Joshua''s eyebrows trembled as he listened to the man''s scary derations.


    Due to his actions, there''d be bloodshed. But the ones who''d bleed were the Xanders and the Abyssals¡ªhis enemies.


    "The Xanders I will assassinate from now on will be victims of abyssals'' retaliation. The abyssals who abruptly die are victims of Xanders." Varian''s smile grew brighter and brighter.


    "Of course, at some point, they''ll realize it''s not the other party. It''s gotta be someone else. Who else can do it? The fingers will point to me."


    Joshua finished typing and turned to Varian. "So, you want me to shut up and not reveal it''s you?"


    "Oh yeah"


    "If I don''t?"


    "It''ll waste my time and stop me from killing abyssals."


    Joshua sighed.


    "You are really a good soldier. We need more people like you." Varian smiled.


    "I don''t want to hear that from you." Shaking his head, Joshua made his way to the exit.


    The ghostshipnded on a deste asteroid near the purple skyoid.


    Joshuanded on the asteroid and started injuring himself.


    When the patrol ship reaches this location thirty minutester, he needed to be severely injured and be ''rescued''.


    Varian bid him goodbye which wasn''t returned and went to Sia''s room.


    "Wanna go hunting together?"

 Chapter 725 The End Of Hunt [1]

    Chapter 725 The End Of Hunt [1]


    After a swift but sharp analysis, Varian ssified thirty level 7 Xanders as worthy enough to be hunted down.


    If it was before, he''d have gone ahead and killed them all.


    But now¡­


    "Five of them are innocent or just have minor infractions." Varian said as he removed the four profiles from the hologram list.


    Twenty six remained.


    Sia raised a brow and pointed to the fifth one deemed innocent. "Why did he still remain in the hunt list?"


    Varian raised a finger and tapped the man''s icon. A new screen popped up and revealed a crucial detail.


    [Roxanne''s adopted son: Was a substitute for Charles when he left for Academy. The only person close to Roxanne.]


    Sia''s eyes chilled when she saw that bitch''s name. Clenching her fists on her knees, she nodded fiercely.


    "I''ll kill him myself." She said with blood thirsty eyes.


    She couldn''t kill Roxanne. Letting that woman die an easy death was always a regret in her heart.


    The closest thing to revenge she had was Charles. She wanted to torture him the same way his aunt tortured her. It was the only way she could wash away her regret, even if by a little bit.


    That''s also the reason Varian never tried to kill Charles. Despite falling in danger again and again, he always tried to capture Charles than kill him.


    In the end, she didn''t even get the chance to kill him.


    Now, there was onest option. Least attractive than the other two. But it''s the only one she got.


    Varian looked at Sia''s expression and nodded lightly.


    That guy was innocent and isn''t worthy of death by anyws, but¡­


    ''I don''t care.''


    *** *** ***


    Stationed across the twentyoids, twenty-four geniuses that were on the race to be promoted as princes and princesses.


    They upied important posts in theoid bases and were active on the battlefield to gain merits.


    Even though death was a normal thing in war, none of these geniuses thought they''d meet their demise today.


    Certainly not when they''re away from the battlefield.


    When the first genius was taking a nap, a man teleported beside him and lodged a sword into his heart.


    "Huek!"


    The Xander''s eyes shot open as he thrashed against the bed. Looking at the face that was on the news recently, his face paled.


    "V-Var¡­"


    Swoosh!


    The sword thrust deeper.


    "H-How did you¡­" the man''s struggle ended along with his iplete question.


    Varian knew what he wanted to ask.


    ''How did you sneak in?''


    With a chuckle, Varian waved his hand and absorbed the body into ghost ship''s cementry where it was burnt to ashes.


    With a snap, all traces of murder were erased.


    Varian put on a mask and his face changed to match the Xander''s.


    He walked to the door and the security system, which was hacked by Boo, let him out without an issue.


    "Next."


    *** *** ***


    Varian nced down at the battlefield from the clouds.


    Thest two geniuses he wanted to kill, number 23 and 24 were on the battlefield.


    These were also thest geniuses he could kill alone.


    He''d need Sia''s assistance for number 25.


    Number 26 was Roxanne''s adopted son and Sia had already captured him. Right now, she''d be in the middle of ''torturing'' him.


    ''There''s no challenge.'' Varian spat out a sigh in disappointment.


    The military would have already found out that twenty two geniuses were missing. At first, they''d dere it as lost. If they weren''t found in two days, they''d be ssified as dead.


    ''Though they don''t dare to dere master as dead. They even fabricated evidence that he''s in seclusion¡­'' Varian shook his head and exited the ghost ship.


    The space around him fluctuated and he teleported to an edge of the battlefield.


    Number 23 and 24 were using their fire and gravity powers against two abyssals.


    Varian could go kill them himself, but he decided to be subtle. A ripple of mental power spread out from him.


    "Grah!"


    The Xander number 23 suddenly yelled in the middle of dodging a punch.


    ''Fucking psychic! Who is it?''


    Due to the pain, the punch he could easily dodge was almost about to hit him.


    Number 23 gritted his teeth and channeled the fire mana in his body. He elemantalized and his entire body turned into mes.


    Even then, taking that punch head on was a bad idea.


    But since he elementalized, his speed skyrocketed and he moved to the right to dodge or at least tried to.


    ''What?!''


    An invisible force, a telekic force stopped him from moving.


    ''F-Fuck!''


    Gazing at the fist that inched closer and closer to his face, he cursed for onest before he was punched in the chest.


    Like a fierce wind blowing away mes, the fire on his body went off and he crashed to the ground with a severe injury on his chest.


    ''I¡­I will-arghhh!'' As he tried to get up, a severe pain assualted his mind and an invsible force broke his heart.


    Without even knowing who killed him, the Xander 23 died.


    "I killed him with a single punch?" The abyssal who attacke Xander 23 was taken aback.


    Their fighting always ended in a draw, so how did this guy suddenly die?


    "Heh. This merit will be enough for me to be a prince." The abyssalughed.


    "You need to go." A chilling voice sounded in his mind.


    "Who?!" The abyssal turned around in fear as sweat dripped down his forehead. He focused his senses to find the enemy presence but¡ª


    "Arghh!"


    His mind went nk for a second before a space de cut open his throat. Spitting out blood like a fountain, the abyssal copsed to the ground.


    At the same time, Xander 24 and his enemy abyssal also met the same fate.


    It all happened too fast and in the middle of an intense war.


    By the time others noticed this, Varian was picking up Sia from a nearbyoid.


    It had been nearly one hour since she found that guy. Varian went to pick her up only after she sent the message.


    "Sia¡­" Varian called out softly.


    Her entire body was drenched in blood. The golden eyes were now ruby red and strands of her brown hair were stuck with the sticky blood.


    There was a mad smile on her face but her eyes were hollow.


    "Va-Var¡­" Sia muttered in a choking voice as she stepped forward.


    But on the third step, she knelt on the ground as she covered her face.


    "W-Why did I do this¡­?" Sia''s shoulders shook violently.


    "Why did I kill an innocent person?" Only after she had done the deed did it finally hit her.


    "When I gave him so much pain¡­Why did I feel so happy?"


    She imagined him as Roxanne and tortured him until he broke.


    "I am not the Sia you knew¡­" Raising her head, Sia looked at Varian with tearful eyes.


    "I¡­I am a terrible girl."


    Her heart wasn''t pure like it once was. There was a darkness in her that wouldn''t just vanish.


    "It''s fine." Kneeling in front of her, Varian looked into her eyes and said softly.


    Sia''s body shook and she looked at him in surprise.


    Her deepest fear was that Varian would abandon her after seeing her dark side.


    But...


    "I''ll hold your hand in the darkness and walk you to the light." Varian said as he used his powers to gently touch her head.


    Sia''s body trembled as she felt his gentle and loving touch.


    "Sia, you''re not alone."


    Biting her lip, she looked into his gentle eyes. He knew her fears. And that''s why...


    "You''ll never be alone."


    "Um."


    Nodding heavily, she closed her eyes to stop the tears, but they didn''t stop falling.


    Just this time, they were tears of relief.

 Chapter ?726 The End Of Hunt [2]

    Chapter ?726 The End Of Hunt [2]


    Number 25 was thest on the hunting list. ording to the reports, he was on the verge of reaching level 8.


    So, instead of being sent to theoids, he was sent to train under a low level 9 master.


    This was a luxury an average person wouldn''t dare to imagine, but for Xanders, this was a routine.


    The training happened in a secret realm that Xanders owned.


    Ghostship easily entered the secret realm and reached a huge dome.


    Used for exclusive training for one-on-one training of level 7s, the building was at least thirty miles in length and ten miles in height.


    It was built from rare alloys that coud fully withstand the impact of level 7 attacks.


    Even wealthy businesses would find it difficult to build a small house with such alloys, but Xanders built a huge stadium with it.


    This was evidence of how wealthy and powerful Xanders were.


    "Varian, I''ll go first." Sia walked to the ghostship''s exit and said with a smile.


    For some reason, Varian could tell that a weight on her shoulders was lifted after the incident.


    "If you''re in danger, Boo will pick you up." Varian said.


    "Hm."


    The entrance to the building opened without a sound and ghost ship rushed in.


    Except for huge walls, the thirty odd miles inside the building waspletely empty except¡ª


    "Who?!" A man in ck clothing gripped his spear the moment he noticed the entrance opened slightly.


    But his senses couldn''t detect anyone. So, who the hell entere¡ª


    "Me."


    A cold voice sounded from behind and a girl with brown hairnded in front of him. In contrast to the aura of someone who just reached level 9, she appeared supremely confident.


    "Who the hell are you?" The man growled as he channeled his chi.


    No one coulde here without a strict permission. Since she did, was she not his enemy¡­


    "Your enemy."


    With Sia as the center, the ground underneath cracked as a huge gravity descended around a mile.


    "Then die!" The man''s arm trembled as he forcibly moved against the gravity. It was as if he was carrying a city on his shoulders. Veins popped up on his arm as his entire body sunk into the ground.


    As his spear was about to beunched, the world suddenly went white and the man found himself in his past.


    "Illusion! Damn you!"


    As Sia held off the level 9, Variannded in front of the number 25 Xander who was about to slip away from the building.


    "Yo!"


    "Yo¡ªVarian!" Number 25 replied reflexively before jumping back in fright.


    Looking at the rxed young man, his body turned taut and his clothes were soaked in cold sweat.


    "Oh?" Varain noticed the aura fluctuations around number 25.


    They didn''t belong to level 7.


    "You just reached level 8?" Varian smiled brightly.


    After the duel with Ron, he was itching to fight level 8s.


    "Y-You! Don''te closer! I know you''re just a level 7!" Number 25 staggered back as he tried to warn Varian.


    Even though he knew that Varian, famously known as Dreamer, was only a level 7, he wasn''t willing to fight against this scary enemy.


    A man who foiled abyssals'' ns!


    A man who infiltrated pluto and came back alive!


    A man who even his family head Julius couldn''t kill!


    Judging him by levels was too naive.


    "You''rest on the list." Varian''s right hand turned into a de of lightning while his left turned into an ice spear.


    "Y-You! How can you have two elements?" Number 25 asked with a pale face.


    Was he in an illusion?


    "Enough with the chat. Let''s fight."


    The space around Varian''s body shook and the next moment, a golden and blue light shed in Number 25''s eyes.


    Boom!


    A shockwave exploded as Varian''s elemental hands shed with number 25''s.


    At thest moment, the leve 8 put up his arms and managed to guard himself.


    ''Only this much¡­?'' Number 25 was surprised.


    Even though Varian''s attack was much stronger than any level 7, it''s still not enough.


    He imagined Varian to be much stronger, but if it''s only this much¡­


    Number 25''s eyes shed with killing intent and his lips curled up.


    ''If I kill him, what sorts of awards will I get?''


    Despite being cautious normally, number 25 didn''t notice that he was blinded by greed.


    So, kicking the ground, he shot towards Varian and punched at his head.


    Boom!


    The air shook violently and the grass on the soil in the direction of the punch was stripped out.


    With dust shooting out in all directions, number 25''s fist finally reached Varian.


    "Heh."


    Varian chuckled.


    Then, it happened.


    Number 25 felt something inside his brain. It was like an invisbile knife slicing his brain.


    "A-Argh!"


    The space around him exploded and countless tiny space des cut his skin.


    An invisible force struck him at the wrist and abruptly changed the direction of his punch.


    "W-What?!"


    As he battled his mind and lost his momentum, Varian moved.


    His punch was simple and straightforward.


    But with his current state, number 25 wasn''t able to react quick enough to dodge it.


    As a result, the punchnded straight on his chest and broke his bones. Following the physical impact, lightning flowed into his body and fried his insides while ice froze his blood and slowed him down.


    As a level 8, number 25 had high resistance and would be able to expel the lightning and ice in an instant but¡ª


    "One more."


    Varian punched him in the face and brought him to his knees.


    Looking at the enemy who didn''t give him a tough fight, Varian shook his head.


    "I''m a bit disappointed."


    The space around number 25 exploded before a storm of lightning and ice spears engulfed him.


    Varian gazed into the distance and saw Sia waving at him.


    Just like him, there was a bloodied corpse at her feet.


    ''The hunt is over.''


    Varian smiled brightly.

 Chapter 727 Consequences [1]

    Chapter 727 Consequences [1]


    The Vice-head of the Xander family, Kadh Xander was in a terrible mood this week.


    The initial hunt was going well. The Xanders, heading the Earth hunting teams were slowly pushing back the abyssals.


    Bit by bit, they were filling the gap Evander''s absence created. Sooner orter, the abyssals would lose their edge and the status quo would be restored.


    ''As the one directing the hunting teams, I''ll get a lot of credit.'' Kadh imagined his fame skyrocketing and couldn''t stop smiling that day.


    Then, it started.


    Caleb was the first to fall.


    Kadh thought it was bad luck. Even geniuses met their demise on the battlefield.


    But.


    Nn was quick to join his dead brother.


    Easton joined the duo soon after.


    Kadh panicked and thought of calling them back.


    ''It''s a bit shameful, but saving their lives is more important.''


    He decided to wait and watch for one day before making the call.


    Nothing happened. Even on the second day, there were no casualties.


    Slowly, he let go of his worries.


    Perhaps it was just an iden¡ª


    On a single day, Austin and Den were killed.


    Kadh broke every piece in his office and with bloodshot eyes, went to the battlefield himself.


    He fought the archduke and cursed.


    "You are sending level 8s to assassinate my family geniuses! You''ll face my wrath."


    The archduke, of course, denied. He even bragged.


    "It''s my prince who''s killing your trashes! They''re dying because they''re too weak."


    After mutually injuring each other to a high degree, Kadh returned.


    Things calmed down. No more Xanders died.


    Kadh, however, was worried.


    So, he grouped the top three Xanders into a group regardless of their opposition.


    Things went smoothly for a while before a piece of news struck him like a thunderbolt.


    "H-How are they killed?" Kadh couldn''t believe it.


    Kai, Axel, and Joshua died just like that?


    Yes, they killed the top abyssal geniuses and themanders and bridged the gap more or less.


    But¡­


    "Did they really die?" Kadh clenched his fist.


    His heart grew heavy as he imagined the consequences. These level 7s were the future pirs of the Xander family.


    While there''d be no problems for now, in the near future, the Xanders would crumble.


    "J-Joshua''s corpse isn''t found?" Kadh''s eyes lit up and his lips curled into a desperate smile.


    mming hism, he yelled. "Find him! Search the entire purple sky! Save him at any cost!"


    Thankfully, they found Joshua a few hourster on an asteroid far away!


    "I should meet him in person and ask about his report¡­" When he was about to step into the spaceship, hism rang.


    Ting!


    Hearing the ominous sound, Kadh''s face paled and his teeth chattered. He dearly wished the news was anything other than death.


    ''I''d rather have my wife cheat on me than someone die¡­''


    That was how desperate he was.


    But the result was.


    [Twenty-six Xanders died! Including Nak Xander who was recently promoted to level 8 and his level 9 trainer.]


    "W-Whaaaaat?!" Kadh held the railings on the staircase of a spaceship to prevent himself from falling.


    But even then, his legs grew weak and he plopped on the stairs.


    "I¡­"


    His eyes were hollow and gazed at the sky in a daze.


    How?


    Twenty-six Xanders were assassinated!


    "Is this just a bad dream? A nightmare?" Kadh wanted to deny reality, but having lived a long life, he experienced a lot of things.


    So, after hitting the rock bottom, he calmed down.


    "That new prince was rising quickly among abyssals. ording to Joshua, the new prince was the biggest genius he ever faced. So, are the assassinations after that abyss prince''s death retaliations?"


    He still wasn''t sure how they did it.


    Was it a special treasure? Was it through spies?


    But he didn''t need to know.


    "Since they dared to do it, then I''ll let them pay the price," Kadh said in a cold voice and boarded the spaceship.


    Instead of going to the hospital where Joshua was resting at, he went to theoids.


    He didn''t shake in anger anymore.


    But the cold rage in his eyes promised death and destruction.


    An hourter, hended on theoid with an archduke.


    His shift was supposed to be after two days since he still hadn''t recovered from his injuries. But Kadh didn''t care.


    "Come out, you bastard!"


    His roar dispersed the clouds and like a meteor crashing, he shot towards the main abyss base.


    In response to the aura, an abyssal at the peak of level 9 shot up from the base and shed with him in midair.


    A huge shockwave swept thend for hundreds of miles. The ground caved in and every living being below level 6 in the surrounding fifty miles died on the spot.


    "Isn''t he injured? Why did hee?" The archduke didn''t understand. But he already banged the emergency button and call archduke Mendis for the support!


    Because now¡ª


    "Kadh? The fuck are you here!" Themander of theoid yelled as he stood beside Kadh and prepared himself for a fight.


    Even though the two of them were here, killing the archduke was hard. And themander was sure that Mendis was already on the way.


    If four peak level 9s fought, they''d be wrecking theoid.


    Heck, it''s the case even for two level 9s. So, they''d usually go to space to fight but¡­


    "Launch a full-scale war!" Kadh spoke as he exchanged punches with the archduke.


    Themander joined in the offense as he said. "Your shift is yet toe and the loss for a full-scale wa¡ª"


    The air exploded far away and themand recognized it as awakeners moving beyond sound speed.


    They descended from the spaceships that kepting. All these spaceships had one thing inmon.


    They belonged to the Xanders.


    "You leave me with no choice!" Themander gritted his teeth as he red at Kadh and kicked the archduke.


    The archduke raised his arms and blocked the kick but was unable to stop the punch from Kadh and crashed to the ground.


    Kadhughed and dashed toward the huge crater which had the archduke at its center.


    The Xander reinforcements were all soldiers who were to rejoin their duty after a few days.


    He called them in advance.


    As for why¡­


    "The green blood of these pests will wash the ground today!" Kadh roared as he punched the archduke into the clouds.


    Themander gave the order.


    "Attack!"


    Along with thisoid, Xander reinforcements joined severaloids and began an intense conflict.

 Chapter ?728 Consequences [2]

    Chapter ?728 Consequences [2]


    16th, Quart Month, 521 YAB.


    Seven days passed since the Xandersunched a fierce attack against the abyssals.


    The wars were carried out across tenoids with the intent of ''retaliation'' for the severe loss of princes.


    The military was dissatisfied with this decision.


    The assassination of abyss princes was preferred over arge scale or even a medium scale conflict.


    However, the Xanders convinced them that they needed to retaliate or the abyssals would grow brazen.


    Empty words weren''t sufficient, of course.


    So, the Xanders revealed their trump card. Their forces would be the vanguard.


    ''We''ll be the ones taking the brunt of the damage. If you back off now, then you''re missing up a golden chance!''


    With the nod from military heads,oid-scale wars began.


    Tens of thousands of lives were lost every day. However, Xanders ounted for the majority of losses in high awakeners.


    Facing the raging Xanders, abyssals went on the defensive for two days before news shook the demon abyss.


    ''Prince Var is dead! He is assassinated by the Xanders!''


    Since they didn''t find his bracelet or corpse, abyssals held a slight hope that Prince Var might be alive just like Prince Joshua.


    But after two days of searching, they dered him dead.


    So, on the third day, abyssals, seething in rage from the loss of their greatest genius rampaged the battlefield.


    Leading them was Archduke Mendis.


    He had a brutal fight with Kadh.


    With each passing, the war got more and more intense.


    Even the non-Xanders couldn''t stay back, they too started giving it their all.


    More and more lives were lost.


    Varian didn''t want this pointless war to continue.


    His goal was to weaken Xanders, but he pulled the entire earth army into this debacle.


    So, he simply hacked the major social media tforms and posted a simple message.


    Seated on the golden throne, and dressed in pure white clothes, Varian crossed his legs and propped his chin on his hand.


    Only this time, he wasn''t wearing a mask. His handsome face was in full view, watched by people all across the sr system.


    "Dear Xanders, I hope you stop the bloodshed for your whims. Great princes and princesses of your bloodline have died, but shouldn''t you also take into ount how many people you are dragging into this war?"


    Varian said with an extremely sad expression. He really was grieving deaths. Deaths of non-Xanders.


    He initially thought the Xanders would send their experts to assassinate abyssals and abyssals would retaliate.


    That way, the conflict would end up only between these two groups.


    But since a lot of non-rted people were pulled in, he decided to step in.


    "Due to this pointless war that did utterly no big damage to abyssals, we lost a lot of our brave men and women." Varian''s eyes were cold and his voice had amanding authority.


    The people watching felt like they were witnessing a high-ranking military officer and not a teen who just became an adult.


    Due to that, they also paid subconsciously agreed with his words.


    Yes, princes and princesses died. But waging a full-scale war wasn''t a solution.


    Xanders made a mistake.


    Such a thought wouldn''t have urred in the minds of an average person who saw Julius Xander as the hero of humanity.


    But with Enigma''s incident, Varian made Julius Xander execute his own family members.


    This subconsciously created a divide in the minds of people.


    Xander family wasn''t equal to Julius.


    He''s still a great hero, but his family? Not really.


    People were already having opposing thoughts about the sudden war of earth. But they didn''t voice it out loud.


    But Varian''s words caused a decisive shift in their opinion and pushed them against Xanders'' choice.


    "And Abyssals," Varian''s lips curled up into a cold smile.


    It was a smile that scared almost every abyssal watching the news.


    "The new abyss prince, his name was Var, I killed him."


    The body of an abyssal appeared in front of the throne along with a bracelet with a unique code.


    The abyssals watching the news opened their mouth in shock.


    That bracelet¡­


    Mendis checked the code on the bracelet and gasped.


    "So Var was¡­"


    Mendis clenched his fists as his chest heaved up and down. His throat burned with anger and his blood boiled with rage.


    "Varian, you killed the best genius of my abyss."


    A scary killing intent shout out of Mendis'' body and enveloped the abyss base.


    "I will skin him alive, break his bones into pieces, roast him for three days and turn his skull into my winecup." A poisonous oath resounded across the base and beyond.


    On the human base a hundred miles away, Kadh frowned at Varian in the hologram.


    "And Xanders¡­"


    Varian''s eyes shone with a sadness that showed as if he was grieving for his own brothers and sisters.


    "Please don''t stop looking for the abyssal who sneaked into the military bases and assassinated your geniuses."


    Kadh blinked twice in confusion before his eyes widened.


    "W-Wait¡­"


    The assassinations of the twenty-six Xanders were weird.


    The Xanders were killed by their abyss rivals one by one. More weirdly, the rivals also died!


    Since they were fighting against those abyssals for so long, how did they both just die?


    In his rage, Kadh put this observation aside.


    But that wasn''t all.


    Six Xanders were killed when they were in the military base.


    Even if abyssals had spies, this was too much.


    Since he firmly believed it was the abyssals who killed the princes, Kadh rationalized that the abyssals used treasures and spies for assassination.


    But what if it wasn''t abyssals?


    What if it was¡­.


    "The one who killed Xanders¡­" Varian''s eyes shone with a mad light as he addressed the human race. "He is their archenemy. I hope the Xanders focus on finding him than waging a pointless war."


    Kadh''s jaw dropped as he confirmed his suspicions.


    It was him!


    Despite being much stronger than the young man in the hologram, Kadh felt a chill down his spine as he gazed into Varian''s eyes.


    ''Archenemy of the Xanders¡­''


    Varian was telling him and every Xander that he''d kill them all. That this was just the beginning.


    Kadh was hit with a mix of rage and fear.


    And confusion.


    ''How did he even kill so many peak level 7s? He just reached level 7, right¡­?''


    Despite what he wanted to believe, he had a hunch that Varian was at the peak of level 7.


    Shaking his head, Kadh focused back on Dreamer.


    But Varian just gave a peaceful but determined grin.


    "A future of peace awaits."


    The broadcast ended.


    Varian then finished the speech.


    "Even though it''s temporary."


    No other human heard his words.


    So they''d assume peace was eternal after abyssals ended.


    They wouldn''t know.


    Unless humanity stood at the peak of the universe, peace was only a gap between wars.

 Chapter 729 Mars Situation

    Chapter 729 Mars'' Situation


    The war between earth and the demon abyss ended shortly after Varian''s message.


    The Xanders and Abyssals realized Dreamer killed their princes and now saw the ongoing conflict as pointless.


    Earthlings and even humans on others weed the decision with open arms.


    Varian''s reputation, especially among earthlings, grew by leaps and bounds.


    Of course, there was still a general opinion that he wasn''t helping humans with the treasures he got from the ruins.


    However, it wasn''t so one-sided anymore.


    ''Maybe he has difficulties.''


    ''We don''t know what he''s facing.''


    ''If someone like him who desires peace has the chance and isn''t doing it, he might be facing issues we don''t know of.''


    Bit by bit, Julius'' words took a backseat and Varian''s image was seen in a positive light.


    At the same time, tens of thousands of families were grieving.


    The war came at a cost. And even though they were prepared, they didn''t like it.


    Due to this, even though the war was over, the atmosphere seemed to be gloomy.


    But even then any martian would prefer earth any day.


    Because the current Mars'' only inspired fear.


    It all started two weeks ago.


    [ The daughter of Sovereign Kreo is missing.]


    Following that announcement, intense scrutiny that was never seen before began.


    Every city, every neighborhood, and every street were searched.


    Billions of Nanobots were sent to search every nook and corner of the


    Hundreds of high awakeners moved from city to city as they searched for traces of Kristine. Their senses scanned the city over and over.


    In ces with even the slightest suspicion, a lockdown was imposed.


    Sometimes, it was only streets with less than a hundred people. Others, an entire neighborhood with a few hundred members.


    Quite a few times, an entire city with more than ten million people was locked down.


    The freedom that people took for granted was suddenly snatched away. Even though everyone could move within the city, in this day and age where inteary travel was the norm, this felt no different from being jailed.


    But that was only the beginning.


    Individuals were taken for questioning upon suspicion. No court order. No arrest permit. Nothing.


    Theints online were censored. The protests were crushed.


    More than ten thousand people were taken in for questioning and faced heavy interrogation.


    For some, it was three days without food or water. For others, it was a heavy beating. For a few though, it was being pushed to the brink of death.


    Thirty people died under such methods.


    And almost everyone taken to interrogation was traumatized.


    Thewyers, the media, and the social activists that questioned the activity in the court were given one answer.


    It was Sovereign Kreo''s daughter.


    It was a rtively short time, but people were already terrified. In recent history, this was the worst infraction on every human right.


    And naturally, a wave of hatred spread against Kreo and his people.


    Right from the high generals at the top to the lowest police officer carrying out orders on the ground, resentment grew.


    This man, this one man, using his status as Sovereign, took the entire a hostage.


    They had no one toin to.


    Even other Sovereigns were helpless because Kreo was really going crazy.


    They tried to convince him, cajole him, and even threatened him, but Kreo remained adamant.


    After the Sovereign meet, he even made an announcement.


    It was only a voice announcement, so people didn''t see his hateful face, but his words crushed thest thought of resistance.


    "If you don''t let me find my daughter, I''d stop fighting. You can defend Mars yourselves."


    Coming from a Sovereign, it was the lowest of low.


    The public felt betrayed and hated him even more as they epted their helplessness.


    The people who knew Kreo on the other hand were shocked.


    Normally, Kreo wasposed and clever. He was someone who considered the consequences of his actions and used his brains to get things done.


    But now¡­


    What happened to that man for him to spout such things?


    ''His daughter¡­''


    The people close to Kreo only knew he loved his mentally challenged daughter. Since Kreo didn''t about her, they thought he got over the incident.


    But only now did they realize something.


    ''He''s crazy for his daughter.''


    He was willing to put the entire mars at risk for her sake.


    Thankfully, no one saw his current state. Or they''d be freaking out.


    "Kris¡­"


    In the depths of arge pink castle built for Kristie rang a cry.


    "Princess¡­"


    The voice was dry, but eager, with undying hope.


    "Little girl¡­when are you returning?"


    No. It wasn''t hope. It was denial.


    In a room filled with fluff toys sat an old man.


    His eyes were red and his face was ghostly pale. Despite his expensive clothes, he looked like a beggar in countenance.


    Kreo held the teddy bear Kristine used to y with and opened his mouth.


    "Kr-Kristine, if you don''t return, Mr. Bear will run away¡­"


    Decades ago, when Kristine was a real kid and didn''t sleep on time, he said those words to her.


    His words worked and the little girl held the teddy bear and fell asleep.


    After the incident, despite growing up, she continued to hold the teddy bear.


    Kreo looked at the giant hologram disying the results of the search.


    Mars was undergoing a carpet search and problems kept arising.


    Kreo''sm kept ringing with calls from mayors, army men, and business owners.


    He didn''t care.


    His attention was fixed on the search.


    "E-Evander¡­" Kreo gritted his teeth as blood leaked out of his mouth.


    Kreo hated Evander to the core.


    But he hated himself equally.


    "I-If only I wasn''t so confident in Evander and underestimate Enigma¡­"


    If he took enough precautions, he was certain in capturing Sia and Enigma.


    Then, using their blood, Julius would create a potion.


    Even though it''s not perfect, the potion could act as a substitute for Galini Herb.


    It could cure his daughter.


    Now, forget the cure, he lost his daughter!


    "I''ll find you at any cost."


    Looking at the picture of a woman, he swore.


    With pale skin and dark green hair, she seemed to be in herte twenties. Yet, she wore a pink princess dress and had an innocent smile on her face.


    Kreo''s eyes burned with determination as he reaffirmed his vow.


    "Any cost."

 Chapter ?730 Shes Stronger Than Me

    Chapter ?730 She''s Stronger Than Me


    "Is it really that bad?" Anna asked, hoping to hear no.


    But Richard shook his head and shrugged. "Even if master spent a lot of money for this hideout, without us staying here, it''d be found in no time."


    Even though she expected it, his answer perturbed Anna. She leaned back on the couch and crossed her legs to hide her anxiety as sheughed it off. "Locking an entire for his daughter, that old man is crazy, haha."


    Richard didn''t respond to her forced humor.


    Instead, he walked out to the end of the basement and looked at the unconscious woman.


    With nine bots acting as her life support round the clock, she was in a perfectly healthy condition.


    The only problem was her mind.


    Sighing deeply, the old man shook his head.


    ''If she''s a grown woman, maybe we can negotiate something with Kreo. But she''s just a kid¡­''


    Anna shifted on the couch and turned back to face Richard. "I know she''s pitiful, but there are a lot of pitiful people in this world."


    Richard froze for a moment before smiling at Anna. "Girl, I''m older than you."


    "You sure are, old fogey." Annaughed.


    "Only by six years," Richard smirked.


    Anna''s smile disappeared and veins popped up on her forehead. "You wanna die?"


    "If a level 9 like you beats up, I''ll die in a sh." Richard shook his head.


    It seemed like he got the bad habit of his young master. But howe he was able to tease Anna about her age and she stayed silent and when he did the same, she was pissed?


    ''Thankfully, I never married or else¡­'' Richard thanked his past self and smiled with pride.


    "Hmph!" Anna crossed her arms and turned to her normal position.


    In front of the couch, a hologram was disying the news telecast. Of course, a quarter of that news was rted to Kreo''s missing daughter.


    Rewards, rewards, and more rewards were promised if she was found.


    "They won''t stop." Anna spat as she browsed through the messages from her informants.


    All the messages pointed out the same thing.


    Until and unless Kristine was found, the search would continue.


    With every round, the search would only get more and more brutal.


    "We can''t get out of mars." Richard sat in front of her and sighed.


    Evander said that Kristine had a treasure attached to her. Since he was so cautious and caring, Kreo of course had a tracker ced on his daughter.


    Evander managed to deactivate it, but only partially.


    If they left the, Kreo would find it immediately.


    So, they had to stay. But doing so, they were subject to Kreo''s ever-increasing search.


    Even though Richard was confident in staying hidden for at least a month, he hoped he didn''t have to.


    "Dragging a down with us¡­it sucks to know we''re the reason." Richard sighed.


    "Not us. It''s Kreo." Anna shook her head as a fierce light shed in her eyes. "And honestly, I don''t care if someone unrted dies. Punishing someone like him is more important."


    "That¡­" Richard didn''t quite agree with her. But he understood where she wasing from.


    Kreo¡­


    He was responsible for making Evander''s life miserable. Not just that, ording to Varian, he was also responsible for making his girlfriend''s life miserable.


    ''I wish we had a better way without pulling everyone into this revenge.'' Richard sighed.


    Anna noticed his creeping guilt and her fierce eyes softened slightly. With a light sigh, she said. "He''sing today. He sounded like he got a solution."


    Richard''s face lit up and he nodded with a smile.


    At that exact moment, the door to the basement stairs opened.


    Richard and Anna moved their body in an instant and appeared in front of the door, ready to kill the intruder.


    But when they saw his face, they froze.


    "Heya!" Varian waved at them with a smile.


    Behind him, Sia gave them a light nod in greeting.


    "You¡­" Richard opened his mouth in shock.


    Even though Varian hid his auras so that no one could sense his exact levels, he didn''t suppress it to the point they couldn''t gauge his strength.


    As a result, Richard thought he was seeing things.


    ''When did he get so strong?''


    He was a rtively strong level 7st time, but to Richard, that wasn''t very strong.


    However, Varian''s strength was now on another level.


    Since he was a peak level 8, Richard didn''t feel threatened by Varian. But he could no longer ignore his young master''s strength.


    Inparison, Richard had it easy.


    Anna''s eyes almost popped out of their sockets as the maid stared at Sia, frozen on the spot.


    ''T-This girl¡­'' Sweat rolled down Anna''s forehead as she gulped her saliva.


    "Anna, are you fine?" Varian raised a brow.


    "Ah? Ah! I-I''m fine." Anna gave a forced smile and invited them in.


    Varian looked unconvinced but didn''t care much. With a nod, he walked in and went straight to the unconscious woman on therge bed.


    Sia followed him quietly.


    Even though she had opened up to Sarah, she wasn''t really interested or confident in maintaining rtionships with other people.


    In contrast to Varan''s white dress, she was wearing a beautiful ck dress that made it seem like she was on a date.


    ''Is she really¡­''


    Anna continued to watch her from behind with a deep frown.


    She didn''t know that Enigma was Sia. In fact, only Varian and Sarah knew. Other than them, it was likely that Blue sh had her guesses. But that''s it.


    When Varian introduced his girlfriend, except that she was his childhood sweetheart, who for some reason was missing all this time and suffered due to Kreo and Julius, Anna didn''t know much.


    She was away from Sarah during her first year and that ensured she had absolutely no idea of Sia-Sarah''s friendship.


    As a result, she thought her young miss'' talent would throw this girl behind, and eventually, Sia would be the lesser wife.


    But¡­


    Anna touched her pounding heart as she gazed at Sia withplicated emotion.


    ''She''s only 18 years.''


    Almost five times younger than her.


    ''Yet she reached level 9.''


    Something Anna strived all her life for, this girl achieved at one-fifth of her age.


    But the most depressing thing was.


    ''She''s stronger than me.''

 Chapter 731 Curing Kristine

    Chapter 731 Curing Kristine


    Varian didn''t know what Anna''s exact thoughts were, but from seeing the sharp-tongue maid being tongue-tied and her peeks at Sia, he guessed she was surprised at her strength.


    ''I''m notining that she''s silent.''


    Varian smiled to himself and nced down at the unconscious woman in a pink princess dress.


    Taking a deep breath, Varian opened the wooden box from Ron and carefully ced the herb on Kristine''s forehead.


    "Sia."


    "Got it."


    With a nod, Sia locked her mind sense on the woman. If anything went wrong during the process, she''d inform Varian and even offer assistance.


    But Sia wasn''t just doing the work he asked her, she was also keeping an eye on Anna and Richard.


    ''Even though they spent time with him¡­after what happened to Enigma, I can''t really trust others.'' Sia was worried that Varian would also be betrayed.


    No matter how reliable their rtionship was in the past, once they learned that an 18-year-old reached peak of level 7, the surprise everyone had would be followed by a deep fear.


    Humans feared what they didn''t understand. And they didn''t understand Varian at all.


    Sia didn''t show any hostility to the maid and butler, but she was ready to strike them out any time.


    ''I need to do this properly.'' Varian''s index finger touched the herb and pressed it on Kristine''s forehead.


    The mental power in his body flowed into the herb and the herb started to let out a soft golden light.


    Varian could feel his mental power rushing into the herb and mixing with the herb''s essence.


    The result was something far greater.


    Even though he was on the verge of bing a level 8 psychic, Varian could only vaguely feel the power in this herb.


    It wasn''t the mind power.


    Something¡­something far more fundamental.


    [Soul Power] The system suddenly said.


    Varian''s eyebrows quivered lightly. If it was a normal time, he''d have asked for more.


    But right now, he had to maintain his full focus.


    The golden power was too delicate to handle and he had to give his all.


    The system knew this too, but it kept speaking, clearly intending to get revenge for his bullying.


    [After you enter the Celestial Ranks, Sage Avenue splits into three parts. You are either pursuing Life Power, Death Power, or Soul Power.


    Body or Morphers can pick either Life or Death, but Mind Awakeners only go through the route of the Soul.


    Whenbined with your mind power, the Galini herb can produce a strand of soul power. It''s too dilute and too weak to be of any use for a celestial ranker, but to you, it''s a rare treasure.]


    Varian was surprised at the new information. He was a curious person and sought answers. He wanted to ask many questions.


    ''What does Life Force mean?''


    ''Can Death Force control corpses?''


    But he couldn''t afford to do that.


    His current focus was already stretched to the limit and any further action would screw the whole n.


    With twitching lips, Varian focused his mind power and pushed the golden power into Kristine''s head.


    The golden power flooded her mind and entered her brain. It was as if it was some formless gas, the golden light filled her brain and reached a particr spot.


    ''Ah!''


    Varian eximed as he found the ce responsible for her condition.


    ''Gotcha!''


    With precise control, he used the power to heal her mental state bit by bit.


    Kristine wasn''t just a six-year-old girl, she was also a woman who was much older than him.


    Even though she stopped growing, Kreo never stopped trying to cure her condition and made attempts to have her develop a mature mind.


    So, she had memories ofplex things only an adult would''ve.


    However, due to her injury in the past, she couldn''t process those thoughts and remained immature.


    But now.


    ''Grow up overnight.''


    Only one strand of Galini was grown for the entire demon abyss. Because Galini wasn''t just a cure. It had many properties. Speeding up brain activity, memory maniption, cure to mental illnesses, and more.


    Now, by elerating her brain activity millions of times, Varian let Kristine''s subconscious revisit all those memories and grow.


    It wasn''t wrong to say that in the few seconds he started healing her, she had already lived a year of memories.


    But that wasn''t all.


    Another property of the fabled Galini herb was memory maniption.


    But of course, any psychic could manipte memory. But the tricky in the stability.


    If the victim''s brain wasn''t too weak, he could recover his memories with proper treatment and expensive potions.


    However, with Galini herb, memory change was irreversible. Because it operated by a strand of soul power, mind power and the like couldn''t affect it in the slightest.


    This was the reason Varian was so adamant about this herb.


    ''You are still the daughter of Kreo, but what happened is¡­''


    Varian''s mind sense carefully controlled the memories of Kristine and added new bits and pieces.


    Kristine''s brows were furrowed as her eyshes fluttered.


    After a few minutes, the golden light disappeared and Kristine slowly opened her eyes.


    "Hm?" She nced at the people around her warily.


    "This¡­" Richard was taken aback.


    This girl was no longer acting childish. Instead, she reacted like a proper adult.


    Just what''s going on?


    "Kreo!" Kristine suddenly yelled, causing Sia to flinch and almost attack her.


    But ncing at her again, the brown-haired beauty realized that something was off.


    "Where is Kreo?" Kristine leaned forward on the bed and asked.


    Her hair covered her face and all they could see were her eyes.


    Those eyes¡­


    Burning Rage.


    "Varian, what did you do?" Anna whispered in his ear.


    "A taste of his own medicine." Varian mouthed and smiled at Kristine. "Just go to the street and they''ll take you to him."


    "Really?"


    "Really." Varian smiled and handed her a sword and a box. "You know what to do, right?"


    Kristine stored the two items in her storage ring and left without answering.


    "W-Wait, if she goes out like this, we''ll all be caught as well," Anna said, about to stop Kristine from opening the basement door.


    "This ce is now abandoned." Varian smiled and snapped his fingers.


    All the evidence was erased and the expensive items flew to Richard who put them into the storage ring.


    "Let''s go."


    The ghost ship opened in front of them.


    As they exited mars, Varian smiled coldly. "Kreo, what will you do?"

 Chapter ?732 The Price

    Chapter ?732 The Price


    When a piece of news reached the headquarters of mars administration, it sent ripples throughout the.


    Kristine Bell, Daughter of Sovereign Kreo, was found!


    Thousands of experts rushed to her location and treated her like a living treasure.


    "Miss, we will be there soon! Your father was very anxious about you! After you meet, tell us who dared to kidnap y--"


    "Shut it and hurry up," Kristine said in a cold tone.


    "You..." The head officer escorting her looked at the woman in disbelief.


    Was this really the same ''girl'' Sovereign Kreo was talking about? Yes, the DNA test matched perfectly. So did the memory test. She even had the treasure Sovereign Kreo attached to her.


    Then why was she behaving like this?


    Kristine, on the other hand, ignored the man and focused on her memories.


    [My father used to a gangster. He killed many helpless people. The throne he sits on today is built on countless corpses.


    My mother was a good woman who tried her best to help our family. But she was brutally killed by the abyssals...and her head was hung on the wall.]


    Kristine clenched her fists so hard they turned white.


    *** ***


    "And until there, it''s true," Varian said with a nonchnt expression.


    "Then what memories did you change?" Sia asked with a curious expression. Anna perked her ears.


    "That..." Varian smiled.


    *** ***


    [My father knew it was dangerous for my mother to go there. I even saw him get the reports informing him that it would be hard for him or my mother to survive that day''s attack.


    But he...]


    Kristine bit her lips to the point they started bleeding.


    [He still sent my mother. For his military merits. After her death, he ''went'' into a rage and his performance was awarded by the superiors. He got special resources which greatly helped him in his advancement.]


    Kristine''s eyes shed with grief and betrayal.


    [And when he realized I might expose the truth to the whole world, he...to me...]


    Her body trembled violently as she ''recalled'' a memory of Kreo attacking her to keep her mind immature.


    He did it again and again and again.


    Every memory of Kreo visiting her was slightly twisted. It wasn''t a session of a father bonding with his daughter, but a father suppressing his daughter''s maturity to keep her from revealing his dirty deeds.


    With each memory she recalled, Kristine felt more and more disgust towards this father.


    With the deep emotions flooding her, she didn''t even pause to think about gathering evidence or notice the loopholes in her memory.


    What remained in her memory was her truth.


    Kristine slowly raised her head as a pink castle appeared in the distance.


    *** ***


    "That''s very cruel..." Sia sighed.


    "I know. As someone who had his memories sealed, I can tell you it''s a horrible thing to do." Varian said, but there was no remorse on his face.


    "But you still went ahead and did it." Richard shook his head.


    Anna, on the other hand, gave him a thumbs up. "I don''t really care about the means. You are doing this as revenge, right?"


    Varian gave a slight nod and smiled. "ording to master, Kreo always wanted Kristine to be normal, and normal she is. But there''s a condition to maintain that normalcy. A very harsh condition."


    *** ***


    "K-Kristie!" Kreo stood up from the bunch of toys and rushed to his daughter with teary eyes.


    Without a second thought, he pulled her into an embrace and started crying. "H-How have you been...I''m so worried about you, little girl."


    The officers nearby read the atmosphere and left the room.


    Atst, the father and daughter reunited.


    And Kreo couldn''t stop his tears from falling. The weight on his heart was thrown off and he seemed to be younger overnight.


    With a concerned expression, he touched her face, hands, and feet. "You aren''t injured anywhere, right?"


    Kristine didn''t respond.


    If it was without those memories, she''d have been moved to the point of tears seeing her father''s love.


    But now, all she felt was disgust. And hatred.


    "I want to kill you."


    "Huh?"


    "I hate you," Kristine said through gritted teeth.


    "Y-You can speak well? You''re cured?" Kreo''s eyes widened as a big smile formed on his face.


    "What do you think?" Kristine spat back with open hatred.


    Kreo was at first taken aback by her reaction before he burst intoughter. "Hahahaha! My daughter is cured! My little princess is normal!"


    Heughed andughed until he broke down into tears. Tears that wouldn''t stop even after he kept wiping at them for minutes.


    When he no longer had tears to shed, Kreo raised his head and saw his daughter...staring at him with utter disgust.


    "W-What happened...how did you cure...no, most importantly, did I do something wrong?" Kreo''s face paled.


    The Sovereign who put the whole mars into fear was scared.


    "I want to kill you." Kristine retrieved a sword from her storage ring and a box. It opened up, revealing a lethal poison.


    She dipped the sword in the poison and pointed it at her father. "For what you did to my mother and to me, I want you to die."


    "What I did to your mother and you?" Kreo blinked twice in confusion as his brows furrowed.


    Suddenly, a thought shed in his mind and his expression grew grave. "Kristie, how did you cure..."


    Whoosh!


    Kreo stepped to the side and dodged the sword sh.


    Even though he was a psychic, due to his level, he more or less had a strong body. Dodging attacks from Kristine who never fought was too easy.


    "Who cured you? It is Evan?" Kreo asked as his body trembled with rage.


    That bastard, he cured his daughter but made her hate him.


    "Evan? You still want to utter his name after betraying him?" Kristine''s anger red up and she swung the sword left and right.


    Kreo stepped back and dodged the attacks as he asked in confusion. "Kristie, whatever I did to Evander was only for your sake, I--"


    "Shut up!" Kristine dashed to him to sh at him, but she tripped and was about to crash to the floor.


    Kreo''s eyebrows jumped and he caught her from falling.


    "Phew." Sighing in relief, he looked at Kristine who was about to swing her sword at him.


    "Just a second." Kreo''s eyes shone with a blue light and Kristine''s body froze.


    Kreo''s mind power entered her brain and he caught the glimpse of her memories.


    "W-What..."


    Kreo stepped back before he slumped on the floor on his butt. His face paled as his lips trembled.


    "F-Fake memories...no wonder she hates me so much."


    Looking at the hatred in the eyes of frozen Kristine, Kreo felt his heartbreak.


    She finally grew up. It was what he wanted all along.


    But.


    "I can''t even restore her memories..." Kreo''s brows furrowed more and more as he probed her condition.


    His breathing turned more and more ragged as sadness welled in his heart. "And that bastard..."


    The golden power in Kristine''s mind was given an order.


    Kristine would only stay ''mature'' if she managed to kill him today. If she didn''t, then she''d revert to her previous self.


    "I can''t change the golden power. Freezing her won''t change a thing." Kreo clutched his head as he racked his brains.


    He couldn''t trick her with his powers. Nor could he show her an illusion and make her ''believe'' she killed him.


    The golden power. That damn golden power destroyed any possibility of trickery.


    "Arghhh!"


    Even though he was a Sovereign who controlled a at the tip of his fingers, he was helpless now.


    "If she doesn''t kill me, Kristine will go back to her previous self." Kreo''s eyes reddened as he gritted his teeth. "She''ll never enjoy her life."


    If nothing happened and Kristine stayed the same way, Kreo wouldn''t be this conflicted.


    But Kristine right now was cured.


    It was Kreo''s dream to let his daughter live a normal life.


    He had that option now.


    But only...


    "Is it my life or my daughter''s life?" Kreo closed his eyes to hold back the tears.


    ** **


    "He won''t sacrifice himself." Varian shook his head.


    "What if he does?" Sia asked.


    "Julius killed his own son for trivial jealousy." Varian shook his head.


    "Kreo is Julius'' partner in crime. That bastard manipted my memory and erased your existence from so many people. He even betrayed my master and almost killed us. Do you think he''s a person who''d sacrifice himself?"


    Varian saw Kreo through the lens of Julius and it appeared that his analysis was right.


    But.


    Sia bit her lip.


    For Varian, she was willing to kill anyone. Including herself.


    What if Kreo''s love was as strong?


    Sia shook her head, recalling the time she saw him. She was in a pitiful state, her blood painting the walls of the ss tube red and she was deep in tears.


    It was through a hologram, but she could still recall his emotionless eyes and cold words.


    ''I''ve erased the boy''s memories. If you don''t cooperate, I don''t mind killing him in front of you.''


    *** ***


    "Everyone, evacuate," Kreo ordered the soldiers.


    Within seconds, the pink castle was empty.


    "Rami," Kreo called into hism.


    A few secondster, a woman in ck clothes appeared in front of him and knelt down.


    "I have a task, no, a request for you," Kreo said in a heavy voice.


    "Yes?"


    "Take care of my daughter."


    "Master?"


    "Disappear for now."


    The woman in ck still had questions but left the castle as ordered.


    Kreo kissed Kristine''s forehead for onest time before returning her body control to her.


    "You!" Kristine seemed to realize she was frozen as she red at him with red eyes.


    "Kristine," Kreo called out softly.


    "I hate you!" Kristine gripped the hilt of her sword and aimed it at Kreo''s heart.


    Kreo smiled at her brightly.


    Looking at her eyes, he was reminded of another girl who hated with the same passion.


    Sia.


    He only saw her once through a hologram, but the hatred she showed him was no less than what Kristine was showing.


    ''Is this your revenge, Varian? For removing the memories of the girl you love...you made my daughter hate me.''


    "Daughter, I love you." Kreo opened his arms wide.


    "I hate you!" Kristine pierced his heart with her sword.


    "Guh!" Kreo gritted his teeth as the sword appeared from his back.


    The poison began to spread.


    He could stop it. He could heal himself.


    The poison wasn''t very rare that he''d have trouble finding the cure.


    Rather, it was amon poison, albeit strong.


    ''Varian, you must have thought I''d neglect my daughter, right?'' Kreo smiled as blood spilled from the corner of his lips.


    His chest started to turn purple as the poison spread in his body.


    "Y-You are..." Kristine didn''t understand why he let her stab him.


    Kreo smiled brightly, his face now light purple. "I''m happy. I got to finally see you like this."


    "Don''t act like this! You tortured me every day! You used your powers on me and stopped me from growing! Why are you acting as if you love me now?" Kristine shed him with her sword as she yelled in tears.


    Hearing the pain in her words, Kreo smiled lightly.


    Even though the fake memories made him hate her, the reason she cried was that some part of her still loved him.


    For him, that was enough.


    Kreo slowly lost the sensation of his body as he copsed on the floor.


    As his consciousness faded, thest thing he saw was his daughter''s crying face.


    In the end, her love won out and she ended up sobbing.


    Kreo smiled, imagining the bright future Kristine had ahead of her.


    She''d live like a normal woman. She''d enjoy the small joys of life. She''d do the work she''s interested in. She''d fall in love with someone. She''d start a family and have loving kids...


    A fulfilling life...a life that he couldn''t give her, Varian granted her.


    The price was something he didn''t expect. But Kreo epted it.


    The only regret he had was that he wouldn''t be able to see her live her life.


    ''It''s a pity, but...''


    As everything was about to turn dark, Kreo opened his lips for onest time.


    "I-I wish you happy life..."


    Sovereign Kreo died in the hands of his own daughter.

 Chapter 733 Aether Pendant

    Chapter 733 Aether Pendant


    When Kreo drew hisst breath, Kristine finally caught hers.


    At the same time, she slowly realized something was off.


    "D-Dad¡­" With trembling hands, Kristine reached out to Kreo''s corpse.


    Her mind started to spin as she started to realize something.


    If her father was really an abuser, why did he visit her every time with such earnest eyes?


    If he really used his mother''s death, why did he grieve on her death''s day every year?


    If he''s really, really that heartless, then it made no sense for him to give up his life.


    Even if she tried a billion times, she wouldn''t be able to kill him. So, why¡­why did he give up his life like that?


    As questions flooded her mind, the golden energy in her mind shone lightly verifying Kreo was dead.


    Then, it began its final operation.


    The operation Varian put just in case.


    Kristine''s memory was once again rewritten.


    Her original memories were restored. The artificial hatred against Kreo disappeared in a sh.


    Then, her memories twisted a bit more and she started to forget about the identity of her father.


    Kreo Bell.


    Kreo.


    K¡­


    Konan.


    Konan Bell.


    Kristine ''remembered'' her father''s name. He had the same personality as Kreo, did the same things for her, and loved her the same. But his name was Konan Bell.


    At the same time, Kristine ''realized'' that she was under trauma after her mother''s death.


    To cure her, her father participated in a dangerous mission and died. The cure she got,ter on, was the reason she was able to be normal.


    "D-Dad¡­" Kristine''s eyes welled up in tears.


    Her head started to spin and she copsed next to Kreo.


    Rami, the woman in ck clothes, appeared in the room and gasped at the situation.


    Master Kreo¡­he was copsed in a pool of pitch ck blood.


    ''Poison, but how!'' Rami''s gazended on the sword thrown at a corner.


    Since there was a sword, poison, the murderer¡­


    Rami looked at the unconscious Kristine and raised her hand to kill her.


    As she was about to sh down the unconscious girl, she recalled Kreo''sst words to her.


    ''I have a task, no, a request for you.''


    ''Take care of my daughter.''


    Rami''s body froze as she realized. ''So you knew.''


    She looked at Kreo''s body with aplicated expression and picked up Kristine. With a twist of space, she ''disappeared''.


    Her identity would no longer exist.


    She''d be Kristine''s guardian and live a ''normal'' life.


    *** ***


    "H-How the hell did this happen?" Varian rubbed his forehead as he tried to make sense of the situation.


    Anna was on her feet, hopping from ce to ce, panicking like an ant on a stove.


    Richard was pacing back and forth, and Varian was really worried the old butler might have a heart stroke.


    Sia looked at him in worry. She didn''t seem worried about the situation that much. Rather, she was worried about how he would be affected by it.


    "Kreo died to give his daughter a normal life." Varian sighed as if he couldn''t believe it.


    The strand of soul power gave him a final message informing him of the ''oue'' before their connection was severed.


    Still, the revtion struck Varian like a lightning bolt.


    A man as cruel and calcting as Kreo¡­how was he capable of sacrificing his life for someone else?


    ''Understanding a person is really har¡ª'' Varian''s arm was pulled and he turned to the side.


    "I-It''s supposed to be a normal revenge, right?" Anna bit her lip as she looked at Varian with teary eyes. "You killed him!"


    "The implications of a Sovereign''s death are just too much¡­you should''ve at least waited until you were a level 9." Richard nodded as he wiped the sweat on his forehead.


    Varian nced at the old man''s shirt and realized it waspletely drenched.


    ''The fuck. How nervous are you, really?''


    Noticing Varian''s gaze, Anna put her hands on her hips and leaned forward. "Why are you not nervous at all? Do you know what will happen without a Sovereign?"


    Richard''s forehead now started to rain with sweat. The old man''s face also turned pale as he muttered. "M-Mars will be conquered¡­.theoids will be gone¡­the bnce breaks and we''ll slowly lose everything!"


    The more he spoke, the more he sweated. In the end, the floor under Richard turned into a puddle of sweat.


    Varian gave Richard a concerned look. ''Heart problem and now this. You should retire soon.''


    But he didn''t say it out loud.


    "I think things will turn out fine," Varian said as he stood up and stretched his body. "Bali will take up Kreo''s ce. He''s already on his way to bing a Sovereign."


    "Bali? What Bali?"


    Varian sighed and summoned Boo. The little ghost looked at him with resentment but exined the situation to the elderly.


    Anna''s expression noticeably brightened and Richard certainly started to sweat less.


    Still, Boo ced a bucket under him. ''Is this what they call sweating buckets?''


    "Bali¡­" Anna''s eyes shed as she looked at Varian and controlled herself from showing her bewilderment.


    To think he did this during Sr Banquet, Varian was really thinking ahead.


    "Even if he''s reaching the Sovereign state, it''d take time." Anna still shook her head with a regretful expression.


    Varian narrowed his eyes. "Heaven''s Will pushes those closest to level 9 to Sovereign state."


    This time, without asking, Boo exined.


    Anna still wasn''t convinced. "And how long would that take?"


    "Well, I was going to ask." Varian smiled.


    "Who?"


    A hologram popped up in front of the sofa and Varian smiled at the woman.


    "Sovereign Irene."


    Anna froze.


    *** ***


    In the pink castle:


    Since it was Kreo''s order, even though hours passed since his death, no one entered.


    But an obscure figure whose strength far surpassed the officers entered the castle.


    Not even the level 9s near the castle found the slightest clue of the person''s movements.


    Arriving in the room with plush toys, the Sovereign bent down at Kreo''s corpse.


    "To think you''d die like this¡­what a waste."


    There wasn''t a hint of grief in his voice, only irritation.


    The Sovereign picked up the pendant hanging on Kreo''s neck.


    "Aether Pendant."


    He injected his aura into the artifact and became its master.


    The next moment, Heaven''s Will responded to his achievement.


    The Sovereign felt a surge of power.


    He was now closer to the Celestial Rank.


    "Three more to go."


    That''d be the day he''d destroy the abyssals once and for all.

 Chapter ?734 The Right Decision

    Chapter ?734 The Right Decision


    "Sovereign Kreo is dead?" Irene mmed her desk and leaned forward.


    "Unexpectedly." Varian nodded.


    Unlike the previous times, he wasn''t wearing a mask anymore. Irene was too shocked by the situation to even care about it.


    "J-Just how did he die? Who can even kill Sovereign Kreo?" Irene bit her lip and asked in a trembling tone.


    Her eyes shed with resolve as she prepared herself to fight this unknown enemy, even if it meant death.


    Varian sighed. "His daughter. Though, it''s also me."


    "I don''t understand." Irene looked at him in confusion.


    "Time for Boo''s entrance." Boo trotted forward and took up the position.


    As Boo exined Varian''s revenge step by step, Irene''s face paled more and more.


    When Boo finally revealed how Kreo died under Kristine''s hands, she looked at Varian with wide eyes as if she couldn''t believe what she heard.


    "I-Is that really your doing?" Her tone was stillced with disbelief.


    If Varian said no, she''d believe it''s all false. Because she didn''t want to believe the ''kind'' Dreamer who was always so ''selfless'' would do such a thing.


    But.


    "Yes. Though, Boo downyed my rage a bit." Varian nodded.


    Irene copsed back into her chair and rubbed her forehead. "This¡­is really unexpected from you, but I believe you have a backup?"


    Boo cleared its throat and began. "Bali¡­"


    After hearing the detailed exnation, Irene gave Varian a long nce before tapping her chin with her index finger. "So, Bali took the potion as you said and from Enigma''s predictions, he should be out in around fifteen days?"


    "More or less." Varian nodded. "Since he also has Heaven''s Will''s boost now, I''m hoping he cane out before problems arise."


    Irene stood up and said. "I''ll need to contact the other Sovereigns ande to an estimate of how much Heaven''s Will''s boost can help."


    Saying so, the hologram broke into light particles.


    She was really in a hurry.


    "Varian." A low voice called him out.


    "Hm?" Varian turned around.


    "¡­You said you were ''hoping'' Balies out in time. So, you didn''t know for sure. You went ahead for your personal revenge without considering the consequences? Are you kidding me?" Anna yelled in anger.


    She thought Varian already had a backup n for every possibility that followed his revenge. But looking at him now, while he was in some ways ready for the situation, he wasn''t fully prepared.


    What if Mirage Queen attacked theoids now and find out that Kreo was dead? What if Bali took longer toe out?


    Without a Sovereign, Mars would crumble!


    Anna was furious at Varian for the first time.


    "If you don''t have the means to bear the consequences of your actions, don''t go for your revenge. Is your revenge more important than the entire mars?"


    With every word she spoke, her fury grew. Clenching her fists, she walked to Varian with the intention to beat some sense into this irresponsible teenager.


    But.


    "No." Sia stood between Varian and Anna with her sword unsheathed.


    Richard wanted to salvage the situation but Anna growled before he could speak. "Do you want to let him off without anything? A beating is the least punishment for his actions. If anyone else knew what he had done, they''d kill him."


    Sia gripped her sword tighter. "Even though it was unexpected, he did make a mistake."


    "Then¡­"


    "He''ll learn from it. And do better next time. With this experience, when he bes the Emperor, he''ll be able to take good decisions."


    Anna froze, thinking she was hearing things before she yelled. "Are you nuts? Emperor? If Mars is gone, forget Emperor, none of us will get out alive."


    "We can sur¡ª"


    An invisible force gently pushed Sia aside. Varian stepped forward and faced Anna''s angry eyes that seemed to be burning mes.


    Seeing the one responsible for the catastrophic situation in front of her, Anna''s breath ragged as she tried to suppress the rage in her heart.


    If he wasn''t Sarah''s boyfriend, then she¡­


    "Kreo sacrificing himself never crossed my mind, but as you said, I should''ve nned for it," Varian said in a calm tone.


    Anna''s eyebrows frows furrowed, not at what he spoke, but how he spoke. After doing so much, he''s not even showing a little guilt.


    "If worstes to worst, I''ll have to stall Mirage Queen for two weeks," Varian said with a neutral expression.


    Anna crossed her arms and gnashed her teeth. "You? How?"


    "I''ll threaten to destroy their holy altar. That''s their most treasured item after all."


    During his time as Var, he learned it was super important. But no one told him why. It was basic knowledge apparently and asking it would''ve blown his cover.


    Sia too nodded at his words. "It''s super important. I don''t know exactly why it''s so treasured, but if we threaten them with holy altar, then even Mirage Queen won''t attack Mars right away."


    Of course, she would inevitably attack. Conquering Mars was just too important! But she''d certainly hesitate and that''d buy them time.


    Anna looked at the calm Varian and Sia with a cold gaze. "Even if what you said is true, why are you two so calm about this? Don''t you feel scared at all? A bit anxious? Or a shred of guilt for what you''ve recklessly done? Billions of lives are at stake! One wrong step and this is Pluto all over!"


    Anna lost her master and friend¡ªSarah''s mother in Pluto. That''s why she wasn''t able to stop her emotions from spilling out when something simr happened in front of her eyes.


    But.


    "I only care about his life," Sia answered without a second thought.


    Varian, on the other hand, shrugged. "I know I should be feeling anxious, guilty, and scared. But it''s an unexpected consequence.


    I''m honestly worried about the billions of lives at risk, but I don''t want to worry too much.


    I will do what I have to do because there are some things only I can do."


    Anna fell silent.


    She somewhat understood where he wasing from.


    He knew the weight of his actions and the risk. But it was unexpected.


    Worrying or feeling guilty won''t change the situation. So, he decided he might as well seek a solution instead.


    Still, hisck of emotional response really disappointed her.


    "I''ve caused a lot of bloodsheds. I wish I made better choices, but I won''t spend my time on regrets." Varian sat on the sofa and gripped the armrest.


    If he hadn''t started the war between Xanders and Demon Abyss, a lot of losses would''ve been prevented.


    Xanders dragging the army into this was beyond his expectation, but it was always a possibility he should''ve considered.


    However, when he saw the death count grow from tens to hundreds to tens of thousands¡­


    ''I gave financial support to all the families and asked Boo to keep a watch over them but at the end of the day, my decision destroyed many lives.''


    Varian was fully aware of that.


    Anna looked at him for onest time before walking away. Richard followed silently, and the situation left.


    They were both really unnerved by Varian''s attitude.


    After they left, Sia sat beside Varian at a distance and asked softly. "Varian."


    "Hm."


    "What''s going on in your mind? You don''t have to hide it from me, you''re feeling very guilty and anxious about putting mars in danger, but why are you acting like you aren''t affected?" Sia asked.


    Varian looked at her in surprise before shaking his head. "No, no, I''m not fee¡ª"


    "I know how you''re feeling. Please don''t lie to me." Sia said in a strong tone.


    Varian looked at her for a moment before smiling wryly. "I don''t want to be like the Abyss Emperor."


    Then, he told her the praises he heard about the man during his time as Var.


    Trying to save as many lives as possible, Abyss Emperor chose not to pursue an all-out war against humans.


    If he instead decided to pursue his goal at any cost, abyssals would''ve won despite heavy losses.


    By now, they''d have gotten the legacy of devas and be preparing for the providence trial.


    Yet, he chose the route of a benevolent leader.


    As a result, today¡ª


    "Abyss Race faces a danger of extinction." Varian shook his head. "The decision that might appear right in the present can turn out to be terrible in the future."


    Sia bit her lip as she observed Varian and earnestly thought about his situation.


    Varian and Abyss Emperor had a lot of parallels. They''re both fighting for the survival of their races and they''re the most talented ones of their kind.


    So, she understood why Varian was able to rte to Abyss Emperor.


    And as someone who willed to be the Human Emperor, Varianpared himself with Abyss Emperor.


    "If you and me, the unexpected variables didn''t appear, his n would''ve been perfect." Sia finally said.


    Varian chuckled. "Exactly. How do you know there are no unexpected variables? You don''t."


    "Yeah¡­" Sia trailed off.


    "I''m trying not to get too attached to lives so that when the timees, I won''t hesitate in taking the right decision," Varian said with a strained smile.


    He''d do everything in his power to save the lives. But he should also do his best to not get attached to them too much.


    It''s very difficult.


    "Varian¡­" Sia''s heart ached as she desperately wished to hug him and tell him that he was not alone.


    Anna and Richard would think he''s being apathetic. That he didn''t feel any pain.


    But only she knew the internal battle he was fighting with himself.


    He wasn''t someone who had too few emotions. His responsibility was too heavy to let his emotions be free.


    A hologram shed in the room and Irene Nial appeared.


    The worry on Varian''s face was erased and a calm expression took its ce. He appeared like someone who was unperturbed by the situation.


    With a pale face, Irene gave him the answer. "He should be out in 3-5 days at most."

 Chapter 735 Unexpected

    Chapter 735 Unexpected


    The castle Kreo built for his daughter was located in a high-end area exclusively owned by Kreo.


    Simr to Julius'' Guardian Inds, this location, Unicorn Estate was Kreo''s Homebase.


    Other than his daughter and her caretakers, no one was allowed to enter the ce.


    Once the military escorted Kristine to him, Kreo ordered them to evacuate. The three hundred-strong awakeners left without another word, leaving the father and daughter alone.


    But now, nine people were pacing back and forth on thewn in front of the pink castle.


    Each of the men and women gathered here was someone who stood at the very apex of the political pyramid.


    A single word from them would affect millions of lives.


    If they banded together, they could affect the economic and politicalndscape of an entire!


    People of such high stature were now asionally gulping potions to keep their blood pressure from rising.


    "Are you an idiot? This can only be a prank. But because of you, so many important events of Mars are canceled today." A man in a purple suit narrowed his eyes at the man in butler uniform and spat coldly.


    Out of the gathered nine, there were four political officials, four military officials, and one disciple of Kreo.


    But there was also a tenth person standing stiffly in front of the castle gates. He was the one who ''informed'' them of the news.


    He was the peak level 8 butler who took care of Kreo''s estate. At any other time, he''d be treated with basic respect.


    But now, he was questioned bluntly and was even expected to answer obediently.


    Despite his resentment against such treatment, he had no choice but to answer meekly.


    Bowing his head lightly, the butler said. "A maid was assigned to take care of Miss Kristine''s diet. She entered the castle. But she didn''t return even after four hours."


    At first, the butler thought she made a bad mistake and was ''taken care of'' by Sovereign Kreo.


    So, he decided to send another maid after warning her. She didn''t return either.


    Worried, he sent three maids this time and the same thing happened.


    In the end, he messaged Kreo and after waiting an hour for the reply that never came, he went into the castle himself.


    And there, he found it.


    "A body with purple skin with a pool of blood, though the blood was fast drying up. The face and the body, it looked exactly like him." The butler said as he fought hard not to shiver.


    The reason the maids never returned was that they fainted after seeing Kreo''s corpse. It was an impossible event in their mind and experiencing it firsthand broke their tolerance.


    "Are you so out of your mind to think he can die?" The man in the purple suitughed.


    "President Larry, the special team already went in. Results will be out anytime soon. We''ll know if it''s a prank or if the Sovereign Kreo really di--"


    "Careful, butler. Some words shouldn''t be spoken." Larry''s eyes shone with a dangerous glint.


    The butler swallowed his words and nodded.


    Even if they were false, if his words were leaked, they''d cause a huge uproar.


    ''I followed the protocol, but I hope it''s just a prank.'' Hoping so, the butler moved his gaze away from Larry and turned to the castle gates.


    Before he knew it, his hand clenched into a fist and veins popped up.


    Larry noticed the butler''s nervousness and snorted.


    It was impossible for his master to die. As Kreo''s disciple, he witnessed his master''s strength firsthand.


    That''s also the reason he didn''t inform his fellow disciples.


    Even peak Level 9s would onlyst a few blows against a Sovereign. So, no Sovereign could be ''killed'' or ''assassinated'' by non-Sovereigns.


    Besides, the report, in his opinion was too sloppy.


    ''The heart was pierced and a lethal poison destroyed the brain.''


    With his strength, there''s no way anyone could surprise Kreo and lodge a sword in his heart.


    Even in the impossible case where it happened, how could Kreo not have the antidote to that potent butmon poison?


    ''Since Kristine is missing along with the master, I guess he''s setting up this case so that he can spend time alone with his daughter.'' Larry shook his head.


    Larry was one of the few people who knew how obsessed Kreo was about his daughter.


    So, he guessed that this was Kreo''s way of telling them to ''not disturb him and let him spend some time with his daughter''.


    It wasn''t just Larry, the other eight delegates were also of the same opinion.


    The President Of Mars, Matt Damon, walked up to Larry and mused. "It looks like Sovereign Kreo really wants a break."


    High General of Mars, Skad chimed in. "Well, isn''t it too obvious? His daughter disappeared silently and the corpse doesn''t have the artifact."


    "Precisely." Larry agreed and the three men looked at the nervous butler with contempt.


    In their eyes, this guy had an IQ in the negative.


    Feeling the despising gazes on his back, the butler''s face scrunched up. ''Damn it. You people think you know Sovereign Kreo better than me? I''ve served him for forty years, dammit!''


    The butler touched the door of the castle with trembling hands and recalled. ''Sovereign Kreo built this pink castle by himself! To him, this is his daughter''s home! He treasured it like crazy.''


    There was one time when one of the maids identally injured Kristine. Kreo rushed to Kristine''s room and healed her first before finding the maid trembling in the corner of the room.


    He didn''t beat her. Nor did he curse her. He gently held her hand and took her out of the castle. Then, he killed her.


    ''I can bet my head that Sovereign Kreo didn''t like any violence in the castle, much less bloodshed.''


    Yet, he saw that corpse and the pool of blood. Both were real.


    ''There''s no way this is a prank...'' The butler felt his palms sweat as his heart raced faster and faster.


    With a nk, the entrance of the castle opened, attracting the attention of the nine delegates.


    They were itching to return to their work and just stayed for formality.


    So, when the door opened, Larry instinctively said. "Say those words and we''ll leave."


    "H...He...."


    Instead of theposed answer he wanted to hear, Larry heard a stuttering voice.


    "What happened?"


    The old man who opened the castle was pale. His legs were trembling violently and he was barely able to stand by clutching onto the doors.


    An ominous premonition shed in Larry''s mind. But he quickly suppressed it and yelled.


    "Hey, I know master wants a break. You don''t need to act."


    Larry''s words seemed to have no effect on the old doctor. He still shivered and trembled like he was out in the cold.


    "Excuse me, what happened?" President of Mars stepped forward and asked.


    The old man''s neck moved stiffly like a rusted machine and his eyes met the President''s.


    The President flinched and took a step back.


    The doctor''s eyes...they were filled with despair.


    ''Oh no!''


    "If you joke around, I''ll fucking kill you. So, speak the truth." The high general of mars said in a cold voice and a thick killing intent locked onto the doctor.


    The old man''s face flushed as he felt suffocated, but due to the jolt, he recovered from his shock and moved his trembling lips.


    "D-Dead....Sovereign Kreo is dead."

 Chapter 736 The Cover Up

    Chapter 736 The Cover Up


    "Thank you for what you did¡­though it ended up creating this mess," Sia said as she handed Varian a coffee cup through her power.


    Varian sipped the coffee and responded to her words with a wry smile. "It''s my recklessness. But we''ll get over this, somehow."


    "And how are you so sure? Maybe Mirage Queen won''t be distracted by our actions and she''ll find out the truth?" Sia asked as she crossed her legs and propped her head on her palm.


    Varian gave it a serious thought and shrugged. "We do everything we can and hope it seeds."


    Sia sighed lightly. "After Enigma destroyed Demon Abyss'' Holy Altar, the security around those altars has gone up crazily. I''m pretty doubtful anything can be done."


    Instead of frowning at the difficulty, Varian asked. "And how strong is this security?"


    Sia thought for a moment and answered. "It depends on the situation. If the tensions with humans are high, there''d only be mid and low level 9s. Otherwise, it''s high and mid level 9s. Either way, neither I nor Enigma can force our way through."


    Varian''s eyes shed as a n formted in his mind. But it wasn''t time yet. He needed to consider more things to implement it.


    He said he''d cause the Mirage Queen to stay in the abyss by threatening the holy altar. But with the security around it, it seemed impossible.


    ''But if I do it right, it''ll buy us a lot of time.''


    Sia thought he was feeling pressure and said. "It''s not like the n needs to seed. The officials of mars are doing their best to cover up."


    Saying so, she turned on the news.


    Varian sipped the coffee and watched the two news anchors in the hologram.


    "The previous woman who imed to be daughter is an imposter!" The news anchor bellowed as if he found his daughter was not his own.


    "Sovereign Kreo is angry. The woman is strictly punished. And the lockdown of mars will go on. It''ll only be stricter." The co-anchor crossed her arms and dered with a stoic face.


    Varian clicked his tongue.


    Since they made a big show that they found Kreo''s daughter, they had no choice but to say it was fake.


    Not only that, they did what the real Kreo would''ve done.


    They made the lockdowns stricter.


    Except for Kreo, not even the President had this power.


    So, naturally, everyone would think it''s naturally Kreo doing all this.


    "Not bad." Varian nodded at theirpetence.


    The whole uppermand joined hands. It must''ve been hard, but they found a good excuse and executed it well.


    "Not only that, the reward for finding Sovereign Kreo''s daughter has increased tenfold! I repeat, tenfold!" The news anchor announced as he mmed the desk, causing it to break down.


    "Dead or Alive." The female anchor added.


    Sia raised a brow at the addition. "So, she''s a suspect for killing her father."


    Varian shrugged. "And they must be trying to capture her and if she doesn''t cooperate, they''ll kill her. They fear her revealing that she killed Sovereign Kreo. If that happens, then everything is over."


    Sia nodded.


    Even though Kristine''s mental condition wasn''t stable, they didn''t want even the slightest instability.


    Suppose Kristine did say those things and Mirage Queen took it seriously, then what?


    So, they''d rather capture or kill her.


    "Even though capture is an option, I believe most people would try to kill her," Sia said and shook her head. "Even though Kreo is disgusting, he protected the people. But once he''s dead, they''re merciless against his daughter."


    Varian put down the coffee and stretched his arms. "It''s a cold-blooded decision. But a rational one."


    Sia sighed at his reaction.


    ''You''re really putting yourself into the role, huh.''


    Varian agreed with their decision from an objective standpoint, but personally, he did something else.


    ''Kristine will never know¡­''


    *** ***


    "You can open your eyes." Kristine''s eyshes fluttered and her eyes slowly opened.


    Feeling the ache from her back, she frowned and sat on the bed. Clutching her head, she nced at the gloomy room.


    Kristine felt weird.


    She shouldn''t be in a ce like this.


    She was grieving the death of her father who performed a dangerous mission to get a cure for her mental condition.


    Then¡­


    Then she lost consciousness.


    ''And where am I?'' Kristine''s eyes suddenly paused on a woman in ck clothes.


    She didn''t even notice the woman was there!


    "Kristine."


    "Y-Yes?"


    "Look at your face." The woman pointed to the mirror by the side of the mirror.


    Kristine leaned to the side and nced at her reflection¡­before she froze up at the unfamiliar face.


    "M-My face!" She touched her face and shuddered in fear.


    She didn''t want to lose her face. If she did, her own memories with her father would feel alien to her.


    But¡­


    "Huh?" Kristine felt a thinyer on her face. She gently pulled on it and looked into the mirror. It only showed her pinching her own cheek.


    "No, you''re not imagining things." The woman in ck said. "You have a face mask on."


    "Face mask?"


    "It''s a gift from someone who wishes you a happy life¡­" Rami sighed, as she tried to suppress theplicated emotions in her heart.


    She took Kristine away from the castle and nned to escape Mars.


    But she was unable to cheat her way out in the spaceports.


    Even though the lockdown was lifted after Kreo''s daughter was found, the security system was still tight.


    So, Rami couldn''t enter any spaceship and get Kristine out of mars.


    But she also couldn''t stay. Sooner orter, Kreo''s death would be revealed. Then, they''d be searched for and exposed.


    When she was deep in worry, a man in white appeared.


    She took the utmost care to stay hidden, yet he knew where she was and who she was!


    The man called Dreamer gave her a mask and helped her take Kristine away from Mars.


    When she asked him why he was doing this, he said.


    "I wish her a happy life."

 Chapter ?737 Mirage Abyss

    Chapter ?737 Mirage Abyss


    Every in the sr system had an abyss corresponding to it.


    Earth under Julius faced Demon Abyss.


    Uranus under Irene faced Despair Abyss.


    Neptune under Ares faced Thunder Abyss.


    As their names implied, each abyss had its own characteristics. It''s primarily defined by the divine path the abyssals of the abyss followed.


    For instance, Demon Abyss was primarilyposed of abyssals in body path. This abyss resembled earth, except that everything here was much sturdier.


    Down from the most normal rocks to precious metals, the materials here seemed to be affected by the massive chi body awakeners use. If it was before Blink, even the mostmon metals of demon abyss would trump the best alloys of mankind.


    In the same vein, Despair Abyss, being the home of ntae awakeners, was one big forest.


    If humans tried hard, they could at least attack the Demon abyss.


    .


    But if they tried to enter Despair Abyss, they''d face the assault of a giant forest which ispletely interconnected with a huge underground rootwork.


    So, when under assault, the Despair Forest would behave like a hivemind and operate with such efficiency that it''d terrorize its enemies intosting trauma.


    Of course, Despair Forest wasn''t invincible. Low and mid awakener abyssals can''t stay in their ntae form all the time. However, they still lived in the forest.


    In addition to them, Despair Abyss had hundreds of millions of nt monsters.


    While Despair Abyss didn''t possess fierce offensive power like that of Sin Abyss nor did it contain an explosive troop like Thunder Abyss, they were the best of the best when it came to defensive warfare.


    Their invasion would only invoke despair and after repeated failed attempts, humanity changed the name of this abyss from nt Abyss to Despair Abyss.


    Like Demon Abyss and Despair Abyss, Mirage Abyss also had its specialty.


    "Boo, watch out!"


    As the ghost ship entered the Mirage Abyss and moved forward, three abyss spaceships appeared on the horizon and shot toward them.


    So, Varian called out to warn Boo, only to realize Boo was frozen like a statue.


    "Boo?" Varian stood up from his chair and rushed in front of Boo.


    The little ghost''s eyes were nk as it stared ahead like it saw something unbelievable.


    "J-Jai Empire¡­"


    "What?"


    Varian frowned and looked at the radar.


    The spaceships were just a few seconds away from them and from their trajectory, he was damn certain they wereing for him!


    As if to prove his thoughts right, the spaceships began to emit blue light, and six beams ofser shot toward the ghost ship!


    Varian didn''t know how strong these attacks were, but he really didn''t want to try.


    "Boo!"


    Boo was still silent.


    Varian gnashed his teeth and nced at Sia who stood up and prepared to fight.


    He closed his eyes to gain control of the ghost ship and dodge the attacks.


    But.


    "Varian."


    A voice reverberated in the sky.


    The white clouds suddenly distorted and morphed into a figure.


    Varian raised a brow at the figure but he was focused on controlling the ghost ship. The alien ship flipped in the air and dodged theser beams.


    But before Varian could sigh in relief, the figure in the clouds, or rather, the figure of the clouds, said.


    "Holder of Order and Chaos Slivers."


    A chill shot down Varian''s spine and he gritted his teeth before moving ghost ship to attack the cloud figure.


    If slivers got involved, even civilizations far higher than abyssals wouldn''t survive, much less humans.


    So, he had to know how this cloud bastard knew such things and ensure they don''t spread.


    As the ghost ship charged to toward the tall figure in the clouds, Varian realized something and held his breath.


    It was an abyssal made from the silver clouds of the mirage abyss. He looked like an erged version of any other abyssal, except for one difference.


    He had no marks on his face that the rest of the abyssals had to indicate their level. Even the abyss kings and queens had small, but well-defined tattoos on their foreheads to denote their ranks.


    But he¡­


    Varian only saw one such abyssal.


    "Abyss Emperor¡­"


    The ghost ship reached the silvery figure of the emperor.


    And the one above all abyssals raised his hand.


    .


    The sky started to shake as if it was about to fall and the wind started to vibrate as an apocalyptic hurricane brewed.


    "You are just lucky to get slivers. I am the one more worthy of wielding them." The Emperor''s cold voice rang in his ears and the next second, the ghost ship exploded.


    "No!"


    With a yell, Varian gasped and found himself staring at the ceiling.


    His clothes were soaked in sweat and he was tightly clenching the sofa. Sia was looking at him with a worried expression while Boo was operating the ghost ship through a hologram that showed they were moving out of the capital city.


    ¡­Moving out of the capital city.


    Varian''s restless mind suddenly settled down and everything fell into ce.


    He seated himselffortably and looked at Sia with a wry smile. "So, I got pulled into an illusion after entering the capital?"


    Sia nodded lightly. She could''ve intervened, but decided against it.


    Varian told her that these ''attacks'' helped him progress. So, she decided to stop the illusion only if it got dangerous.


    Thankfully, Varian got out of it himself, but looking at his heavy breathing and sweaty forehead, he seemed to have experienced something frightening.


    "Sia, T-Thanks," Varian said.


    As the final effects of the illusion began to fade away, Varian recalled everything.


    Mirage Abyss¡ªthe abyss where the mind path was predominant had its own specialty.


    Illusions.


    Since they decided to stall Mirage Queen for a few days, they decided to survey the capital of Mirage Abyss.


    But the whole capital was covered by illusions due to some special treasure. Of course, Boo was capable of seeing through these illusions.


    However, the fabled treasure wasn''tpletely ineffective. Boo would have to verify the reality from illusion each time it moved.


    This would greatly affect their movement speed.


    There''s another problem.


    Since Mirage Queen was a psychic, her mind sense would be covering the entire capital.


    Compared to any other abyss king or queen, Mirage Queen would be the hardest for Boo to sneak under.


    Add to that the necessity to constantly check reality from illusion, and their mission would be greatly hindered.


    So, Varian thought of another solution.


    If he could also see through the illusions and view the city, then he could share his view with Boo through their connection and help Boo.


    That way, their speed won''t be affected.


    ¡­At least, that was the n.


    Taking deep breaths, Varian looked out of the ghost ship.


    Even though they were flying in the silver clouds, with his superhuman eyesight, Varian should''ve had no problem seeing the ground clearly.


    But all he saw were wild scenes out of ce.


    A dance party, a diator match, a lovemaking session, and more.


    Illusions after illusions clouded his sight.


    So, he used another method. He weaved his mind sense into a thread and spread it down the ghost ship.


    He easily broke through the initial illusions and his mind sense reached the nextyer of harder and moreplex illusions.


    Then the nextyer.


    And the next.


    Until he found himself staring at the abyss emperor again.


    No matter how hard his mind sense tried, it couldn''t break this illusion.


    If Varian tried to forcibly prate his mind sense through the illusion to view the city below, he''d be caught up in the illusion.


    ¡­That''s what happened earlier.


    "Varian, once we get out of the capital, it''ll be fine." Looking at Varian''s furrowed brows, Sia consoled.


    The level of illusions ranged from location to location.


    Even if it was a city ruled by an archduke, Varian was able to view the city despite struggling to do so.


    But the capital city was a different beast altogether.


    From Sia''s experience, unless you were a peak level 8 or level 9 mind awakener, you had no chance of breaking through the illusions.


    This illusion cover served as an excellent defensive tool and showcased that abyssals were once a higher civilization.


    Varian took a breath and shook his head.


    He had a feeling that he''d be able to see through the illusions and view the capital once he reached level 8.


    "Boo, keep hovering above the capital." Varian gave the order and smiled.


    To others, the illusion cover was a problem.


    To him, it was both a problem to solve and a treasure chest to crack.


    Varian''s mind sense forcibly prated an illusion and the next second, his eyes went nk as he was pulled into an illusion.

 Chapter 738 The Haunting Illusion

    Chapter 738 The Haunting Illusion


    After thirty seconds, Varian was gasping for air as he exited the illusion.


    The System indicated he broke a bottleneck, but Varian was in no mood to appreciate his progress.


    "F-Fuck!" Clenching his fists, Varian hissed.


    This time, he didn''t encounter the abyss emperor but saw Enigma killing his mother.


    In high-level illusions, you''d typically not know how you got there. You''d just be ''present'' in the scene and believe everything was true. It''s like a dream, but even more realistic.


    So, Varian had to go through the heartbreak of his mother''s death and the rage at Enigma once again.


    ''Kill! Don''t kill! Kill! Don''t!''


    Varian took deep breaths in an attempt to calm his mind.


    But it barely did anything.


    .


    ''Why do you have to give me that one illusion?''


    A few days ago, he experienced the same illusion when he was fighting the Xanders.


    In that illusion as well, Enigma was killing his mother¡­and looking at him with a mocking smile.


    Compared to that illusion which was cast by a peak level 7, this one was way more realistic and thus, dug deeper into his heart.


    ''You can''t kill me.'' Varian recalled Enigma''s mocking smile.


    His blood pumped with rage as he gritted his teeth and closed his eyes shut.


    ''If not for Sia''s existence, I''d definitely¡­'' Varian shook his head and suppressed the negative thoughts.


    ''I hope I just don''t have to see Enigma anytime soon.''


    After a few more minutes, Varian dived into the illusion again.


    "E-Enigma!"


    His eyes seemed to spill fire as Varian spat her name with hatred.


    Sia flinched at his words. She could more or less guess the illusion. So, she wanted to tell him to stop.


    "Var¡ª"


    "No."


    Varian rejected her.


    And entered the illusion.


    "Damn it!"


    His nails dug into his palms.


    And he entered it again.


    "I know it''s an illusion, but why can''t I calm down?"


    Blood spilled from his palm.


    And again.


    "Stop fuckingughing!"


    Looking at Varian who got more and more enraged after each illusion, Sia bit her lip and left for her room.


    Closing the door shut, she covered her eyes with her hands and started sobbing.


    It was selfish on her part. But Sia thought, no, she wished that he was able to ovee his negative feelings against Enigma.


    Seeing how ''normally'' he behaved with Enigma after she made the potion, Sia rejoiced.


    She thought in the near future, Varian''s rtionship with Enigma would return to normal.


    But¡­


    "¡­When did you learn to act so well?" Sia muttered as tears dripped down her cheeks.


    The hatred he showed made her realize how much he was hiding.


    Perhaps Varian himself didn''t realize this.


    After all, he was working hard to improve his bond with Sarah and Sia.


    ''No, that''s not right.'' Sia shook her head and recalled everything from the moment she confessed about his mother''s death.


    After learning such a big truth, anyone else in Varian''s position would''ve asked for a showdown with Enigma.


    .


    But Varian didn''t. Not only that, but he also waited for a long time before facing her. Even when he did finally face her, he didn''t show any abnormal reaction.


    It''s just too strange.


    ''Just what are you thinking?¡­''


    Sia wiped away her tears and looked at the woman in the mirror.


    Her golden eyes flickered as they turned into violet for a split second before turning back.


    "¡­Enigma, you want to meet him?" Sia raised a brow at the sudden message.


    No voice sounded in her mind, but Sia understood.


    "Very well."


    Sia nodded and after ensuring there were no traces of tears on her face, she rushed back to the room.


    In case Varian got into trouble, she had to help him out.


    "Haaa~"


    After an hour, Varian slumped on the sofa as he looked at the silver sky withplicated emotion.


    ''Status''


    [Superhuman L7: 6/7


    Space L7: 5/7


    Lightning L7: 5/7


    ntae L7: 6/7


    Psychic L8: 0/25K


    Macrokic L7: 6/7


    Water L 7: 5/7]


    It''s been a while since hest checked his status. But it was better than he expected.


    And with his recent actions that could only be described as self-afflicted torture, the Psychic path finally reached level 8.


    Varian wasn''t in the mood to check out his new strength.


    Rather, he used his mind sense once again to try and view the capital city once again.


    ording tomon knowledge, he shouldn''t be able to see it until he was at least a peak level 8.


    But with the addition of mindpower he got from the macrokic path, Varian defied the convention and got the view of the city.


    "Boo...got it!" Varian said in a tired tone.


    "Um." Boo gave him a replenishing potion and nudged him to drink it.


    Varian patted it softly and drank the potion. The heaviness in his mind slowly dissipated.


    Without any hesitation, Varian used his authority as the ghost ship''s master and shared his ''vision'' with Boo.


    "Ah!"


    The two views ovepped and a moreprehensive view was generated in an instant.


    The floor of the ghost ship went transparent and with Boo''s help, Varian could now see the whole capital.


    "W-What?"


    Every building here was a mobile fortress!


    Even the castle that was floating a few feet above the ground.


    "They really went all out in their defense." Varian clicked his tongue.


    One of his most anticipated ns was scrapped at this moment.


    Since psychics had rtively weak bodies, you just need to sneak attack them before they could stop your attack.


    This is why most psychics remained in the rear during wars.


    Any battle with a psychic would typically be determined based on whether they stopped you from attacking and took control of your body or you attacked them, thus killing the weak bodied psychic.


    Barring the capital and a few cities where very strong abyssals resided, if Varian used a ghost ship and sneak attacked the cities with lightning and water, what would happen to the psychic abyssals with weak bodies that didn''t do anything to prevent him from attacking?


    Most of them would die!


    It was an improvisation of the n he already made.


    Varian really wanted to destroy a big portion of Mirage Abyss'' cities and break the bnce.


    But since it came down to this, he could only follow his original n.


    "Boo, be careful. Go to the holy altar."

 Chapter ?739 Mirage Queen

    Chapter ?739 Mirage Queen


    At the center of the mirage abyss capital floated a castle.


    The silvery red building was a single piece of treasure built from the hardest non-celestial material known to abyssals.


    The castle''s four spiral towers were equipped with defensive treasures that could block off the attack of even a Sovereign.


    The extravaganza didn''t end there. There were multiple turrets on the towers. These lethal weapons were filled to the brim and could instantly shoot down low level 9s like birds. Even high level 9s couldn''t remain unscathed after being hit.


    Undoubtedly, the castle was both an offensive and defensive treasure.


    Given its special aura core engine, it also possessed the capability to move at fast speeds for a short period of time.


    All in all, the castle was the living definition of a mobile fortress.


    In the courtroom of the castle, a female abyssal crossed her legs as she listened to the reports of the human domain.


    For one second, she appeared to be a human woman in a silvery-white dress. The next, she turned into a petite girl in her early teens. Then, she turned into a beautiful middle-aged woman.


    The high-ranking abyssal officials seated on either side of the throne below the tform ignored the changes.


    Their Queen was practicing illusions all the time and they got used to her behavior.


    "Your Highness, Sovereign Kreo doubled down. Mars is under very strict control. Due to the reckless search, most of our agents are found." The Chief of Intelligence reported the situation.


    "Most?" Mirage Queen''s brows frowned as she parted her lips and a melodious voice rang in the courtroom. "Give me a number."


    Even though this wasn''t the first time, the abyssals in the courtroom shivered at the sweet voice.


    It was like a seductive whisper promising them infinite joy only if they¡­


    The Intelligence Officer pinched his hand and stopped himself from falling into mind control.


    "N-Ny-six percent, my Queen." He replied with a stoic face, except for a little stutter.


    Mirage Queen''s eyes shone with a dangerous glint. "So, our Mars branch is effectively paralyzed."


    "Y-Yes." The abyssal lowered his head and hesitated for a moment before saying. "As the humans of mars are growing more and more dissatisfied with the lockdowns, the officials started are using the abyssal spies as a reasoning."


    "Bastards." Mirage Queenughed, but her eyes only grew colder.


    She fully understood the implications of such actions.


    Since this news was made public, citizens of others would also demand their officials conduct a search for the spies.


    Even though some would protest against the harsh lockdowns, the hardcore federation supporters would convince the public to bear it for a short time.


    As if he knew what she was thinking, the abyssal continued. "Others have contacted mars'' officials. With the patterns and clues from our mars'' agents, they''ll start a clean-up."


    "¡­Damn you, Kreo!" Mirage Queen gnashed her teeth.


    The spies were supposed to y an important part when the humans were pushed into war.


    So, abyssals were building a giant undergroundwork for decades.


    But in a matter of weeks, it''s all gone.


    As her chest rose and fell in anger, the courtroom was filled with an illusion of thes burning up as the human race went extinct.


    Everyone could feel the heat from thes and hear the wails of the women and children.


    The end of humanity¡­


    The day their oath to the mothend would be fulfilled.


    The abyssals took a breath and a fire shed in their eyes.


    Even if theyid down their lives, they''d have to fulfill their oath.


    "Search through whatever means, but find where the hell Kreo''s daughter is." Mirage Queen''s lips curled up. "Since he loves her so much, if we find her, then killing him is simple."


    The intelligence officer noted down the order and was about to leave when the ruler asked. "What about Kreo? Is he really staying away from theoids for so long?"


    It''s been more than two weeks since the Sovereignst appeared on the battlefield.


    Of course, Sovereigns don''t fight frequently. So, it''s not an abnormal urrence.


    However.


    "He challenged mest month¡­" Mirage Queen recalled.


    Kreo was super happy for some reason and roared. "Bitch, soon, I''ll give you the fight of your life. It''ll also be yourst fight."


    He seemed super confident for some reason.


    Of course, Mirage Queen wouldn''t know. Kreo was anticipating the potions after Sia was captured.


    His daughter could get a potion and get healed. He could get a potion and reach a new level of strength.


    That''s why he bragged in front of her.


    But now, it ended up backfiring.


    "He wasn''t lying." Mirage Queen tapped her index finger on her purple lips.


    "Maybe the disappearance of his daughter is all a facade for something he''s doing now?" The Chief suggested.


    "Possible."


    "It could all be a big n to cover up his true actions."


    "My Queen, I suggest you attack theoids and force him out."


    "I agree."


    "I agree as well."


    "Me too."


    As the ''yes'' kept ringing, Mirage Queen was also about to yes when one of the archdukes said slowly.


    "Think again."


    She stopped her words and looked at him for an exnation.


    "The whole thing¡­it might as well be an borate trap. The words he threw at you in thest fight, the excuse of his daughter disappearing, weeding out abyssal spies and forcing you to fight him."


    The archduke''s words caused everyone to pause.


    Indeed. They were trying to pull off the same with Sovereign Irene during Valos.


    Just like Irene back then, Mirage Queen was almostpelled to attack theoids.


    "There are a lot ofoids, how can he n anything?" Mirage Queen asked.


    "Maybe it''s rted to a treasure. Or maybe he''s confident in leading you to the trap no matter where you attack." The archduke stated some possibilities.


    This was the case with conspirers. In their eyes, everyone else was also a conspirer.


    Mirage Queen considered both possibilities and said. "Both attacking and not attacking lead to dangerous possibilities. I''ll wait a day for you to gather the results. Then, I''ll attack."


    The chief nodded and started mobilizing the manpower.


    "What''s the actual truth?"


    The traitor Sovereign knew, but he didn''t tell the abyssals.


    So, Mirage Queen didn''t know, just how big of a chance she was missing out by not attacking mars.


    "Hm?" Suddenly, Mirage Queen raised a brow and nced in a direction.


    Her mind sense scanned the holy altar and its surroundings before she muttered.


    "¡­Was I thinking too much?"

 Chapter 740 Holy Altar

    Chapter 740 Holy Altar


    "Fuck!" Varian cursed under his breath.


    "We''re almost caught!" Sia wiped the sweat off her forehead.


    "Shut up you two! Boo said this is a bad idea!" Boo red at the man and woman.


    Varian and Sia froze at Boo''s words like criminals that were found guilty.


    Just before, Boo alerted them that Mirage Queen had almost found them. Only after her scrutiny disappear did they sigh in relief.


    Still, it''s true that they opposed Boo''s opinion of not sneaking into the castle. Indeed, it was very risky. They could''ve been in fatal danger.


    But instead of epting the mistake, Varian coughed and gave Sia a look.


    "Sia, why are you this beautiful?"


    "Why are you so handsome?"


    The two sang praises of each other.


    "Don''t ignore Boo!" Boo yelled.


    "Do you hear anything?" Varian asked with a face full of doubts.


    "Nothing." Sia nodded with a straight face. "Nothing at all."


    "¡­you shameless couple!" Boo stomped and pouted.


    Varian coughed lightly. He knew Boo was genuinely worried. He knew it was risky. But he did it.


    What other options did he have? Should he watch Mars burn?


    ''I want to p my past self and Kreo. You two got me into trouble.''


    Varian clicked his tongue and watched the situation outside. The ghost ship was currently transparent and in stealth mode.


    So, they could see the outside situation without being caught.


    "The security is indeed a bit too much," Varianmented as he observed the huge underground hall.


    They were currently in the underground hall of the castle. The hall stretched in all directions, covering the area of several football fields.


    What''s more, it''spletely filled with aura crystals.


    At the center of the hall stood an altar.


    Holy Altar.


    An item treasured by abyssals for some reason.


    Enigma destroyed the Holy Altar of Earth and as a result, she was chased by the archduke Mendis and forged a deep feud with abyssals.


    "I told you, after demon abyss'' holy altar is destroyed, they got very cautious." Sia tucked the strands of her behind her ear.


    "Too cautious." Varian narrowed his eyes at the abyssals meditating near the altar.


    His eyes shed and a blue screen appeared in front of him.


    [??? High Level 9 Psychic]


    [??? High Level 9 Telekic]


    [??? Mid Level 9 Psychic]


    [??? Mid Level 9 Telekic]


    It was ridiculous. Guarding the holy altar in the deepestyer of the castle!


    Unlike Demon Abyss, Mirage Queen''s capital was hard to ess. Even the likes of Enigma would have to be mindful of the illusions.


    But the abyssals only went above and beyond to secure the holy altar.


    "What''s the purpose of the holy altar?" Varian muttered.


    During his time as Prince Var, he used the altars to teleport to the capital.


    ¡­Teleport.


    A thought shed in his mind.


    It was a bit ridiculous since ording to the abyssals themselves, they were too far away from their home abyss.


    But what if it was true?


    "Sia." Varian''s voice was serious, so Sia listened to him carefully.


    .


    "I think Holy Altars are connected to the home abyss."


    Sia''s eyes froze.


    Home Abyss.


    Since abyssals that came here were only something equivalent to an expeditionary force, it''s obvious that the home abyss would be much, much stronger.


    Even without counting the abyss emperor, humans had no chance of defeating the home abyss.


    All the theories and predictions regarding human-abyss power bnce were made on the premise of their powers within the sr system.


    But what if abyssals called their home abyss for help?


    "¡­They''re very far away, right?" Sia said with a forced smile. "Since these holy altars have space property, let''s say, they are connected to the home abyss. But they''re too far away. Teleporting anything should be impossible."


    Varian tapped his chin.


    "That''s right! The abyssals are under the jurisdiction of the Jai Empire." Boo suddenly chirped.


    "Hm?"


    "Boo doesn''t remember much. But Jai Empire doesn''t rule this gxy. So, abyssals can at most be at the edges of our gxy." With a serious expression, Boo said.


    Varian and Sia were first relieved that the abyssals'' home base was so far away.


    That ensured that the chances of ''external forces'' being sent to the sr system were almost zero.


    But Boo''s words left a deep shock on the couple.


    "Doesn''t rule this gxy¡­that means a single empire rules a gxy?" Varian asked with a hollowugh.


    Boo nodded seriously. "A couple."


    "¡­"


    Varian was sure that this empire was deeply rted to the slivers and thus, he''d end up shing with them.


    ''I''ll leave it to my future self. I have my problems.'' Varian shook his head and focused back on the holy altar.


    The situation wasn''t optimistic.


    The n was to attack the holy altar and force the Mirage Queen to stay inside the abyss until Bali came out.


    But there were two problems.


    Firstly, the security.


    Using ghost ship, they could slowly sneak behind the abyssals and attack them.


    Since they were mind awakeners, their bodies were weak and the sneak attacks could inflict a major injury on them.


    Even then, it''s hard for Enigma or Sia to take them head-on.


    Then came the second problem.


    Mirage Queen.


    Any big movement they made in the underground hall would be found by her.


    Of course, they could still sneak attack. But once they did, Mirage Queen would respond before their second attack.


    It''d be great if they could finish everything in one blow and move.


    But with her presence, that''s impossible.


    Varian rubbed his chin and fell into thought.


    Then, he tapped hism and sent a message to Irene Nial.


    "Command the troops onoid to be prepared for an all-out war. Make full preparations. Give the Mirage Abyss an illusion that we''re about tounch a full-scale attack."


    Sia said earlier that the defense of the holy altar would change depending on the conditions of mars''oids.


    Since Mars was going to show intent for an all-out war, of course, the high-endbat power would be called to the frontlines.


    There could only be low level 9s and at most a mid level 9.


    "As for the reason, announce that Kreo found that his daughter is kidnapped by abyssals."


    Sia''s eyes shed as she understood the intent behind his actions and a smile bloomed on her face.


    Varian smiled back at her and said. "It''ll take a while before the security is reced, before that, we need to rattle the Mirage Abyss a bit."


    Sia understood his intention and smiled brightly. "Oh yes."


    The hunting would begin.

 Chapter ?741 Destruction [1]

    Chapter ?741 Destruction [1]


    "Quick!"


    "Deploy the formations!"


    "Enhance the defenses!"


    Mars''oids were in a hurry. Just a few minutes ago, they received a notification from the highest militarymand.


    </prepare>


    The rtive peace was broken forcefully and every soldier was ordered to the frontline.


    The military bases on theoids quickly sorted themselves into an offensive formation.


    The army moved most of its forces to the bases just before the borders. With a single order from above, all the forces would be mobilized in minutes and a full-scale war would erupt.


    "Level 7s, 8s, and 9s, all of you need to attend a special conference for your respective level. Your teams will have special targets."


    The voice of high-general Skad resounded across the bases.


    As millions of men and women moved on thend, thousands of spaceships filled the sky as they delivered the materials to the battlefield.


    Weapons, medicine, base equipment, and more continued to be delivered.


    The legions of awakeners were prepared tounch a deadly assault on the abyssals.


    Viewing the situation through a hologram, High general of Mars, Skad sighed in his heart and turned to the woman in the hologram.


    "Sovereign Irene, I''m cing my trust in you." He said in a solemn voice.


    Irene Nial nodded at his words and took a long nce at theoids'' hologram.


    After the hologram was cut off, Irene ced her hand on her chest to calm her heart.


    Then, she turned on another hologram and looked at the ck-haired young man. Holding a hand and a spear, he seemed to be preparing for a battle.


    "Sovereign Irene. Thank you for trusting me." Varian said in a sincere tone.


    Mobilizing the army of entire mars¡­ was no easy feat. Irene would''ve to convince the other Sovereigns without giving away too much since there was a ''traitor''.


    Yet, she did it and she did it fast.


    Varian was truly grateful for having such an ally.


    In response to his words, Irene, however, merely shook her head.


    After the initial shock of Kreo''s death faded, she wanted to reprimand Varian for his reckless revenge that created this situation.


    But on second thought, she decided against it. Even she couldn''t stomach that Kreo would willingly die.


    ''Mistakes happen, but the consequences of his mistake, the sheer scale of it put mars at risk.'' Irene sighed.


    One part of her was d that Varian was this resourceful and strong. Another part was afraid of the consequences of his unconventional actions.


    Regardless, her message for this mission remained the same.


    "The fate of six billion lives rest in your hands."


    Varian''s back straightened up unconsciously.


    Even though he tried to be calm, his stiff posture gave away the pressure he was feeling.


    Six billion lives¡­


    Whatever Varian was personally feeling, anxiety, tension, guilt¡ªevery emotion was dwarfed by the weight pressed on him.


    "I''m not trusting the boy who took revenge for his lover, I''m trusting the man who risked his life in Pluto to show the world Shadow Guardians are heroes. I''m trusting the hero who saved the world in Valos." Irene looked into his eyes as she said word by word.


    Varian took a deep breath and nodded. The whole revenge was like a crash course for him on consequences.


    "I''ll do my best."


    *** *** ***


    Flying high in the clouds, the ghost ship reached a major city ruled by a peak level 6 Duke.


    Like all other cities in the mirage abyss, this city was alsoposed of defensive buildings.


    The castle of the duke in particr would be able to withstand a few attacks of level 7.


    Varian and Sia stood in front of the exit and could attack at any second.


    Even though Varian and Sia were powerful, this city had more than a million abyssals.


    If he''s able to kill them all, then even if none of them was a high awakener, it''d still be a significant loss to the abyssals.


    The challenge was that the city stretched for dozens of miles in all directions. With Varian''s powers, the area his powers affect were limited.


    So, the mass attack depended on Sia. While she concentrated on attacking as much area as possible, Varian would kill the high-ranking abyssals.


    Varian exhaled as the door of the ghost ship slowly opened. Beneath the silvery clouds was a giant city.


    The city they''d destroy.


    "Nervous?" Sia chuckled.


    Varian shook his head. "I was almost killed by an abyssal duke three months ago, now I''m going to his home turf to kill him. Feels weird."


    Sia grinned with pride as if she was the one who grew so fast.


    Varian gave a helpless smile at her reaction and nodded.


    Spatial fluctuations covered his body and he disappeared from the clouds miles above the ground.


    The next moment, he was in front of the castle.


    "Wa-human?!"


    "Kill him!"


    The guards in front of the castle immediately noticed a man in white. Without hesitation, theyunched a fierce offensive.


    Hundreds of invisible mind powers reached Varian''s mind and tried to pull him into an illusion while a hundred invisible powers shot sharp arrows coated in poison.


    As the sky rained arrows and the powers tried to pull him to an illusion, Varian smiled.


    The attacks of level 4, and level 5 felt ticklish.


    .


    A long sword appeared in Varian''s hand. Lightning arcs crackled as the de shone with a golden light.


    "Wha¡ª?"


    "He''s a high awakener!"


    "Retreat!"


    "Activate full defense."


    As the guards fell back one by one, an abyssal appeared on the tower on top of the castle.


    Giving off a fierce killing intent, he looked at the intruder. "Varian!"


    The moment the word was spoken, the entire battlefield grew silent except for the cacklings of the lightning.


    The guards finally got the chance to carefully see the attacker and they realized it was indeed him.


    "Wash your neck and wait! The archduke isin¡ª"


    "Yeah, no." Varian swung his sword.


    A blinding golden light as the sword shot toward the castle like aet.


    The lightninget burnt off every abyssal into charcoal before it crashed into the castle.


    The metal monster that could withstand the attacks of even high level 7s crumbled like a sand castle.


    Hundreds of abyssals were killed in a blink.


    The ground trembled as a golden mushroom blew into the sky.


    The castle was no more.


    Through the dust, Varian saw one thing still standing in the castle.


    An altar.


    Even though it seemed to have survived due to theyered protection, it''s on the verge of breaking down.


    Varian put the altar into his space ring and pulled out a spear.


    Channeling ice mana into it, he threw it into the sky.


    "Done."


    The spear emitted a light blue light as it flew higher and higher into the sky. The growing blue light slowly began to take the shape of a phoenix.


    When it reached the highest point, the phoenix gazed down at the city and screeched.


    Then, the phoenix dived down.


    The buildings in the high-ss district surrounding the castle were about to escape when the phoenix crashed into them.


    Without any resistance, they all froze into popsicles and copsed to the ground.


    The abyssals that were crucial to the city were wiped out in a single strike.


    Varian scanned the buildings and noticed that a dozen abyssals were barely alive thanks to some defensive treasure they used at thatst minute.


    "No worries, I''ll help you."


    His level 8 psychic power turned into multiple spears and attacked their minds. They crumbled and died.


    "Varian."


    A soft voice reached Varian''s mind.


    "Alright."


    Varian''s body shed and he teleported a mile above the city. His mind sense covered the entire city and he locked onto the abyssals escaping through the gates.


    "No. You aren''t."


    Varian''s mind power spread like a tsunami and engulfed the abyssals at the gates.


    Keeping anxious and ferocious expressions on their faces, they copsed to the ground as they died midway.


    "Go."


    As Varian took care of the abyssals escaping, a cold voice sounded from above.


    Then, the whole city started to shake.


    As if it was experiencing an earthquake, the buildings trembled and the ground cracked.


    Watching her powers, Varian clicked his tongue.


    The city spread across dozens of miles suddenly changed!


    The defensive buildings built with the finest armor were suddenly crushed to the ground.


    It didn''t matter if it was a two-story or five-story or twenty-story building.


    They all ended up as a sheet of metal pressed onto the ground as if a giant hammer crushed them.


    And the abyssals were still in the buildings became piles of flesh and blood.


    The abyssals on the roads and in open had it worse. They exploded under the huge gravity.


    In a matter of seconds, millions of abyssals died from the fierce gravity field.


    An important first-tier city of the Mirage Abyss was gone.


    Just like that.


    "STOP!"


    A thunderous roar shook the air as a thick killing filled the sky.


    Varian teleported to the ghost ship and Sia entered it shortly after.


    Without his instruction, Boo took off and they went to the next city.


    As for the archduke that came in rage? He could only return empty-handed.


    But this wasn''t the end of the terror.


    It was only the beginning of a nightmare.

 Chapter 742 Destruction [2]

    Chapter 742 Destruction [2]


    Varian tapped his finger at a castle.


    A cracking sound reached every corner of the city as the abyssals watched their duke''s castle get devoured by a huge crack in space.


    The next moment, they felt tremendous pressure on their bodies before they broke down into flesh and blood.


    "Next." Varian wasn''t stopping.


    More and more dukes began to die in his hands.


    In the end, the archduke sent level 9s to the dukedoms that were likely to be attacked.


    Varian and Sia encountered a level 9 abyssal when they were about to attack a city.


    Thankfully, Sia held him off for a while before the ghost ship got away from the abyssal. Then, she used her teleportation artifact and escaped.


    Learning their lesson, Varian and Sia picked another target.


    "The report?" Yadan, a genius prince at mid level 8, raised a brow.


    He''s one of the few people ordered by the Intelligence Chief to do certain tasks. Yadan was more than happy toply.


    Yadan had a hunch that something big was going on.


    "It''s a bit weird, Sir." The officer in front of him raised his hand and presented a report.


    Yadan nced over it before frowning.


    With their influence, there''s no way Mirage abyss could directly spy on Kreo. Even the next best thing¡ªspying on the top dogs of mars was impossible.


    So, Yadan did something else long ago.


    He sent spies on their children. Now, these spies were friends with the children and grandchildren of the bigshots.


    "This is¡­"


    Yadan''s gaze stopped on a particr day.


    It was the birthday of Mars'' President''s granddaughter. Matt Damon spoiled his granddaughter and ording to her ''friends'', he promised to attend her birthday party.


    He never did.


    Coincidentally, the High-general Skad didn''t drop by his favorite ce to drink that very day.


    ''Is it because of that impostor?''


    ording to the mainstream media, the woman military escorted to Kreo was actually not his daughter, but an impostor who disguised herself as Kristine.


    Possible, but not likely.


    ''Kreo''s eldest disciple is absent from a public meeting that he''s supposed to attend.''


    This was the biggest peculiarity in Yadan''s view.


    That disciple had his powers established in Uranus. Even if Kreo felt ''betrayed'' and ''enraged'' that someone faked as his daughter, it got nothing to do with his eldest disciple.


    "Okay, say Kreo called them because he''s pissed, did they discuss the war that day?" Yadan walked out of his study and entered the balcony.


    The silvery clouds in the sky shone softly, soothing the prince''s heating brain.


    "The President, the High-general, the eldest disciple¡­"


    Along with them, Yadan found that three other high-ranking officials were also ''missing''.


    Still, the eldest disciple being there wouldn''t make sense. That man was now an official of Uranus and wouldn''t participate in Mars'' war.


    "¡­Alright, when would a disciple visit his master?" Yadan gripped the railings of the balcony.


    "When he either did something great when his master did something great when his master dies when his master is in trouble¡­" Yadan paused.


    "Maybe Kreo is in trouble?"


    More likely than not, that''s impossible.


    But Yadan analyzed the recent events and felt that something was off.


    Even if the abyssals ''kidnapped'' Kreo''s daughter, the army shouldn''t allow him to dere a unteral war.


    Firstly, they didn''t kidnap at all. So, there was no concrete evidence.


    Secondly, what if they did? A full-scale war was a stupid choice for humans who were continuously growing stronger.


    Yet, war was on the brink.


    "¡­On the brink." Yadan''s eyes narrowed.


    Why didn''t they start the war yet?


    Sure, the human side wasn''t prepared for an all-out war, but so were they.


    If the humans started a surprise attack, they''d have gained an advantage.


    But nope.


    The humans were preparing for a full-scale war and except for a few minor skirmishes, no major war broke out.


    It''s like humans were telling abyssals to also prepare for a full-scale war.


    Preparations that''d take at least three days.


    "Are they trying to stall time?" Yadan''s eyes narrowed.


    A quote of humans came to his mind.


    </appear>


    "Really¡­" Yadan''s breath turned heavy and he turned around to rush into his room.


    If Kreo really had a problem, then it all suddenly made sense.


    Everything would just be a cover-up!


    "I should inform the Queen¡­"


    "No, you don''t." A cold voice reverberated in his mind before the prince felt a searing pain in his head.


    As a mid level 8, the prince countered the psychic power in an instant and was about to attack the perpetrator when lightning engulfed him and burned him to ashes.


    Varian''s body blurred as he sneaked into the castle through the open door.


    Killing a mid level 8 prince was only possible because he sneak attacked and the prince was a mind awakener.


    If it was a body awakener, Varian wouldn''t be able to kill them with the lightning strike.


    A few secondster, Varian exited the castle, drenched in green blood.


    Just when he did, the city was crushed to the ground as if an invisible hammer struck it down.


    This was the sixth city that they took down so far.


    As they regrouped in the room after a shower, Varian looked at Sia with a worried expression.


    She was fiddling with her sword with a bloodthirsty smile on her face.


    More than eight million abyssals died in Sia''s hands.


    No matter how weak most of these eight million were, it''s a ridiculous number.


    ''The Mirage Abyss is going to be turned upside down.''


    But Varian was ecstatic.


    He could do this city destruction in every abyss.


    Sure, he couldn''t mass kill level 8s and level 9s. He even can''t kill level 7s like they were nothing.


    But what about the rest?


    He could utterly ughter them.


    If the army had no soldiers and only generals, it''d crumble sooner orter.


    Now, however, he had another task.


    "Sia," Varian said.


    "Hm?" Sia raised her head and looked at him with her golden eyes.


    "We''ve thrown enough bait, now is the time for the main event."

 Chapter ?743 Three, Two, On—

    Chapter ?743 Three, Two, On¡ª


    "Even if you have toy down your life, make sure the holy altar doesn''t get a scratch. Do I make myself clear?" An old but fierce abyssal said as he looked at the new batch.


    "Yes, Sir!"


    The voices of the new guardians echoed in the underground hall.


    The sharp gaze of the old guardian softened as he sighed. "We''re leaving our treasure in your hands. Protect it, please."


    "With our lives."


    The new guardians ced their fists on their hearts and lowered their heads.


    The old guardian nodded slightly and left the underground hall where he met up with the previous guardians of the holy altar.


    Two mid level 9s and two high level 9s, including himself.


    "Let''s go, brothers." He said with a smile.


    "Yes! If Mars wants an all-out war, then we will give them an all-out war." The other high-level 9 said.


    "Death or Victory!"


    "Death or Victory!"


    As the situation on mars grew tenser and tenser, the existing guardians of the holy altar were sent to theoids while a new batch of weaker guardians reced them to protect the holy altar.


    ¡­Just as nned.


    *** *** ***


    One by one, officials from all parts of the abyss rushed into the courtroom, knelt, and thumped their heads to the floor as they yelled in a tone mixed with rage and grief.


    "Queen, the sunset city¡ª"


    "Your Majesty, the Tribunal cit¡ª"


    "The Lusina ci¡ª"


    "SHUT UP!"


    Mirage Queen''s voice was like a hypnotic song. The moment it reached their ears, the officials froze like puppets.


    A tense atmosphere filled the courtroom before a deep sigh escaped the queen''s purple lips.


    The eyes of the high-ranking officials shed with aplicated gaze as they felt the emotions of their ruler.


    Grief. Rage. Helplessness.


    With a swipe of her finger, a huge hologram popped in the courtroom disying a 3-D map of the entire mirage abyss.


    The capital city and the top-tier cities with level 9s were marked in red.


    The first-ss cities with a strong level 7 were marked in orange.


    But there were six gray dots in addition to the orange dots.


    "Coming to my kingdom and killing my people!" Mirage Queen''s eyes shone with a cold light.


    "Your Majesty, they''re obviously provoking you!"


    "Certainly! Now is the time for the war. They want you to stay here!"


    "Please go to the battlefield!"


    The officials gave their suggestions. In their opinion, the war was more important.


    Mirage Queen propped her chin on her palm and asked. "Is there any news from the archduke?"


    The court suddenly fell silent.


    The Queen swept her gaze across the officials before she noticed the one holding amunication crystal.


    The crystal shone brightly and disyed an abyssal rushing through the silver clouds.


    "Stop!"


    "You bastards!"


    "Don''t escape!"


    "You cowards! Come out and fight if you dare!"


    Eventually, the archduke lost the trail of the ghost ship. But he seemed intent on finding it.


    Mirage Queen tapped her chin with her index finger as she pondered whether to go fight or stay and hunt down the ghost ship.


    "Except for the minimum strength, mobilize the troops!"


    A spaceship covered the abyssal queen and she appeared above the castle. With a speed far surpassing that of sound, the spaceship shot out of the abyss, heading for mars''oids.


    Following her, the strong abyssals¡ªlevel 8s and level 9s also left.


    Of course, they weren''t foolish to let Varian take advantage of their absence. Two high 9s stayed in the capital for any emergencies.


    The two high level 9s as well as the fleet were observed by a man and woman in a spaceship far away.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Let''s do our best," Varian said.


    Sia nodded with a determined expression and the ghost ship quickly entered the capital.


    Varian held his breath as they inched closer and closer to the floating castle.


    This was the most crucial part of the n.


    He needed to attack the holy altar way before the mirage queen reached theoids.


    If she reached theoids and received the news that the altar was attacked, her first reaction might be attacking theoids.


    ''I don''t want to take that risk. So, we have to make it quick. As quickly as possible.''


    The ghost ship slowly slid into the castle to avoid the prying senses of the high level 9s.


    Boo fully understood the severity of the situation. So, it went above and beyond to infiltrate the castle as soon as possible.


    Time was ticking and the ghost ship entered the underground hall ten minutester.


    "Haa~"


    Varian took a deep breath and scanned the levels of the guardians through the system.


    [Macrokic Mid Level 9]


    [Psychic Low Level 9]


    [Psychic Low Level 9]


    [Macrokic Low Level 9]


    He informed Sia of theposition and asked her opinion.


    "Since I can sneak attack on them, I''m confident of taking down the leader." She bit her lip. "But I''m not confident of escaping."


    They only needed to stage a y of attacking the holy altar. However, the abyssals shouldn''t know that.


    So, the n was for Sia to hold off the abyssals as Varian attacked the holy altar¡ªonly to realize that the abyssals were stronger than they estimated and escape.


    But with the two strong level 9s in the capital, Sia would have to ensure she would be able to escape without being slowed down.


    If she''s slowed down even for a moment than necessary, the strong level 9s in the capital would reach the underground hall and kill her.


    So, Varian wanted Sia to be 100% certain.


    But she wasn''t.


    So, Varian took a deep breath and said. "What about her?"


    "¡­She''s certain."


    "Call her." Varian sighed.


    With a sh of purple light enveloping her, Sia''s body underwood a significant change.


    A slightly older woman with silvery hair and purple eyes appeared in front of him. Her hair and eyes changed into tricolor the next second and she walked to the exit without a word.


    Enigma watched Varian enter the illusions in the mirage abyss and fall into illusions endlessly.


    After the end of every illusion, he showed his hatred toward her more and more.


    Enigma guessed the illusion he must be falling into was where she killed his mother.


    ''How much hatred are you hiding?'' She softly sighed before her lips parted. "I can destroy the altar as well."


    Varian''s body stiffened hearing her voice. Yet, he forced himself to shake his head. "Don''t."


    Enigma nodded lightly and prepared herself.


    "Get Ready. Opening in¡­"


    "Three,"


    "Two,"


    "On¡ª"

 Chapter 744 Subterfuge

    Chapter 744 Subterfuge


    The Mirage Queen and her fleet had already crossed 20% of the distance from the abyss to theoids.


    After noticing their movements from the spy nes, Irene Nial panicked.


    sping her hands, she prayed to Heaven''s Will.


    At the same time in the mirage abyss:


    The underground hall went dark for a split second before a loud p echoed.


    As the darkness faded away, the corpse of an abyssal was found on the floor, and stepping on the corpse''s head was a woman in ck.


    "Enigma!"


    The psychics were already using their full power to control her movements.


    Enigma fought back the mind control with her own mental powers.


    What''s more, these two psychics were significantly stronger than her who recently reached level 9 and this was a one-vs-two battle.


    So, she couldn''t use her darkness power at all and could barely move.


    Yet, she forcibly raised a finger in the direction of the third abyssal¡ªthe macro kic


    With a hum, a sharp field of gravity formed the abyssal. It created a gravity a hundred times more powerful than normal.


    So, if the abyssal was exposed to it even for a moment, his body would be paste.


    Since he already got the time to prepare, the abyssal created a force field around him and forcibly canceled the gravity.


    But since Enigma kept pressuring him, he had to keep fighting back to survive.


    Just like that, Enigma managed to create a deadlock with the guardians.


    Right when Enigma''s sneak attacked, the two high level 9s staying in the capital, felt something was amiss.


    Their mind senses quickly swept into the underground hall and locked onto Enigma.


    Her face instantly paled and beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. Gritting her teeth, she yelled.


    "Hurry!"


    "On it!"


    A golden light shed as a spear of lightning shot toward the holy altar.


    "STOP!"


    "Bastard!"


    "DIE!"


    The guardians wanted to rip Varian to pieces but they were locked down by Enigma and could only watch as the spear reached the altar.


    The spear struck the altar and the lightning danced on it.


    The sacred altar, revered by every abyssal, now had small but visible cracks on it.


    "F-Fuck!" Varian''s eyes widened as he ''realized'' the altar wasn''t destroyed by his attack.


    So, he hurriedly summoned another lightning spear and was about to throw it when¡ª


    "Brat!"


    "STOP!"


    Two voices sounded in his mind and Varian''s eyes went nk in an instant.


    The two high level 9s that were attacking Enigma forcibly shifted their target at thest moment and stopped Varian.


    But before they could make another move, an invisible ring on Varian''s finger shone and their connection to him was cut off.


    "What?!"


    Varian crashed onto the floor of the ghost ship as he started to bleed heavily from his mouth and nose.


    A searing pain spread through his head and his brain seemed to be on the verge of explosion.


    [+1000 XP]


    [+1000 XP]


    Two blue screens shed in front of Varian''s eyes before he lost consciousness.


    "He''s in the ghost ship!"


    "You take him! I''ll kill her!"


    The two high level 9 abyssalsmunicated in a split second before they went after their respective targets.


    Enigma was on a knee as her eyes started to lose focus.


    With the high level 9 psychic that was attacking her, she was quickly losing ground.


    "Bitch! Die!"


    A bright light shed as an explosive was shot toward the holy altar out of nowhere.


    "Fuck!"


    .


    The macro kic quickly wrapped the bomb in a barrier and prevented it from damaging the altar.


    Right when he switched his target, a silver light shed in the underground hall and Enigma disappeared.


    "ENIGMA!" An enraged voice sounded in the minds of every abyssal in the capital.


    "VARIAN!" Another shout followed shortly after.


    The high level 9 trying to attack the ghost ship quickly found out something. While his mind power was able to prate the ghost ship, it wasn''t able to reach Varian.


    Something was blocking his power.


    "Phew!"


    Boo wiped its forehead as it added another two celestial walls for assurance. Variany in the center of the makeshift room as the bots fed him healing potions.


    "Damn it! I''ll fucking kill you!"


    The psychic targetting the ghost ship chased after the ghost ship. But too bad, their distance only grew higher with each passing second.


    A few seconds passed by and the ghost ship reached a pre-agreed mountain and grazed its peak.


    Boo swiftly picked up the unconscious Enigma lying on the mountain top and pushed her into the same room.


    Then, it looked at the spaceship receding in the distance and giggled. "Ehehehe~"


    Taking a deep breath, Boo opened its mouth and its voice converted into Varian''s, reverberating for hundreds of miles.


    "I, Varian, swear on the heavens that I''ll take revenge for this humiliation.


    Before the fourth sunset from now, I''ll destroy your holy altar, kill your brightest genius prince, and ughter thirty cities!"


    The more Boo spoke, the more excited it got. Puffing out its chest, it added its own line.


    "Your green blood will form a river, your bones will heap into a mountain and your wails will fill the abyss."


    Varian, who had just regained consciousness, heard Boo''s words and coughed out blood before falling unconscious again.


    Yet, those words had a tremendous impact.


    The abyssals in the capital city heard each and every word of Varian''s poisonous oath.


    Who was Varian?


    The guy who single-handedly foiled their n in Valos!


    The human who dared to enter Pluto and safely return!


    He''s the man who made the impossible possible.


    To abyssals, Varian wasn''t the strongest enemy. Not by a long shot.


    But he certainly was the most dangerous.


    Now, since he made such an oath, every abyssal believed he''d do what he said.


    Including the Abyss Queen who just received news of the attack.


    She just crossed 33% of the distance from the abyss tooids when the news reached her. The first thing she enquired about was the condition of the holy altar.


    "¡­There are a few cracks, but it''s fine." The guardian told her through themunication crystal. "Varian underestimated the resilience of the holy altar. But if he attacked a few more times, it''d have been gone."


    Mirage queen''s chest heaved up and down as she wiped the sweat off her forehead.


    "Thankfully¡­Thankfully¡­the holy altar is still safe." Mirage Queen patted her chest and sighed in relief.


    "Queen, why did you stop?"


    The high-ranking abyssals asked through themunicator.


    Mirage Queen sent them the news along with Varian''s poisonous oath.


    "T-This¡­"


    "Thankfully, the holy altar is fine¡­"


    "B-But what do we do now? War or¡­?"


    Mirage Queen pped themunicator away and her ship turned back to the mirage abyss.


    What war?


    She''d go to the frontlines when her spies detect Kreo leaving for theoids.


    Until then, she''d search every inch of the abyss and find that fucking rat!


    "Within four days? I can''t wait!" Mirage Queen''s lips curled into a smile. But her eyes emitted bone-chilling killing intent.


    As his words rang in her mind continuously, her hatred grew higher and higher.


    ''ughter thirty cities!''


    "Then I''ll ughter Mars!"


    ''Kill your brightest genius prince.''


    "Oh? I''ll kill everyone you hold dear!"


    ''Destroy your holy altar.''


    "If you dare, I''ll end your race!"

 Chapter ?745 Show Me Your Hatred

    Chapter ?745 Show Me Your Hatred


    Varian''s n seeded.


    Despite having the chance to destroy the holy altar, he only left a few scratches on it.


    If he actually went ahead and did the deed, then Mirage Queen would''ve gone furious and started the war.


    But since he left her most precious treasure in an injured yet intact state, she vowed to protect it from any harm.


    It''s a very clever tactic.


    Of course, to convince the abyssals they weren''t attacking, Varian put himself in real danger and even took two attacks from the abyssals.


    Enigma was on the lookout for him in case things went out of hand.


    But thankfully, they both managed to escape with serious injuries, all ording to n.


    "Four days? Good! Four days it is!" The chilling deration of the queen filled the capital.


    She sat in front of the holy altar as she waited for Varian.


    Her mind sense covered the entire castle and could detect even the slightest fluctuation.


    She decided to keep this hyper-alert for four full days. Even for her, it was exhausting. But she didn''t care.


    "Bastard!"


    The blood flowing in her veins belonged to the great abyss warriors whose fame resounded even in the main abyss.


    How could she allow her bloodline to be humiliated?


    Varian provoked her deepest pride and she''d have her vengeance.


    *** *** ***


    Varian''s eyes slowly opened. The familiar white ceiling came into view before the soft sensation on his body made him realize he was on his bed.


    "Boo?"


    Varian jumped out of the bed and titled his head to call for the ghost when he suddenly froze.


    Enigma sat on a couch in front of the bed. And¡­she was staring at him.


    Looking at the familiar eyes he had seen countless times in the ''illusion'', Varian''s heart shook and he forced his lips to curl upward. "Good job, Enigma. Can I talk to Sia?"


    He didn''t want to deal with her.


    The bloodshed he caused as Prince Var and the recent bloodshed in mirage abyss pushed his bloodlust to a ridiculous level.


    Varian was afraid he''d start attacking Enigma if he kept staring at her.


    "No." Enigma refused his request to see Sia.


    ¡­But why?


    Varian wanted to ask, but he quickly shut his mouth and walked toward the door.


    He first needed to check the situation on mars. Yep. That''s why he''s going to avoid her.


    Not any other rea¡ª


    "Mirage Queen is furious in the abyss. Mars''oids are temporarily safe. Your n is sessful." Enigma said in a in tone with no emotions.


    "¡­" Varian paused at her words and tried to think of another excuse to leave the room.


    Being in the same room with her was too hard.


    Varian felt the emotion in the depths of his heart threaten to burst out. But he suppressed it firmly, despite feeling suffocated by doing so.


    ''It''s for the best.'' He told himself.


    He didn''t want to affect the rtionship between Enigma and Sia.


    "I see." Varian nodded with a ''smile''. "Then I''ll go talk to the High General. The army needs to start some small skirmishes to prevent abyssals from thinking we''re not just bluffing."


    "¡­He''s a high general. He knows this better than me and you." Enigma said in a in tone.


    "¡­" Varian sighed inwardly.


    ''Why don''t you just let me go? I don''t want to talk to you. I don''t want to see you. The most I can do is give you a few smiles, but with that damn illusion, even that is hard.''


    "Please turn around."


    "Yes?"


    Varian turned around to face Enigma with a confused expression.


    Usually, Enigma wasn''t wearing her mask when around him these days and remained in her normal form.


    But for some reason, she took the tri-color form and wore a dress.


    That dress¡­


    Varian clenched his fist behind his back.


    It''s the same dress that Sia wore on his 17th birthday. The same dress that she wore when she killed his mother.


    "Anything?" Varian parted his lips with great difficulty and asked.


    Enigma looked at him with a burning gaze as if she wanted to stare deep into his soul. When she realized that he was still controlling himself, she said in a clear voice.


    "The repulsion."


    "Hm? I''m working on it. As my bond with Sia deepens, it''ll disappear."


    "It won''t," Enigma said in a definitive tone. "The repulsion to Sia long disappeared."


    Varian''s smile stiffened.


    "The existing repulsion is only because of me." Enigma raised her head and looked at him with a neutral gaze.


    Her beautiful eyes werepletely still like a calmke. Yet, Varian would''ve sworn he saw a sh of intense emotions in those eyes for a split second.


    "Yes. It exists because of you. But I''m working on it." Varian said. "One day, I''ll ovee it."


    "By avoiding me?" Enigma took a step forward and her voice raised a notch. "By killing me in the illusion?"


    She took another step and the distance between them reached the limit.


    "If you keep the hatred inside, how can you ovee the repulsion caused by it?" She pointed at his heart and pointed at herself.


    "The woman you hate the second most in the world is standing in front of you. She won''t hurt you. Yet you aren''t doing anything! Tell me, how can you ovee the repulsion?" Enigma spoke in a tone she never used before.


    But Varian wasn''t in the mood to notice the details.


    His mind was currently in chaos. "This isn''t the time for this. We have a war. Mars is under pressure. And mirage ab¡ª"


    "Stop running away!" Enigma yelled as she clenched her fists. "If you want to attack, attack! Beat, beat! Kill, then kill!"


    Varian flinched before looking the woman in the eye. "Stop it. Enigma, I''m not getting provoked."


    "You. You really got good at this."


    "What now?"


    "You didn''t have the same self-control eight years ago. You''ve really grown up."


    Varian just wanted to leave. So, he didn''t bother asking why she said what she said.


    Looking at his expression, Enigma sighed deeply.


    When Varian thought she finally gave up, her helpless voice rang in the air. "I''m happy that you finally found two girls who love you wholeheartedly.


    I''m also proud that you are going to such lengths to make them happy.


    But.


    I don''t want to see you suppress yourself for their sake.


    You told them to be honest with their feelings. They are. You are the only one who is hiding his feelings.


    Your anger and hatred of me.


    Show them to me."


    Varian''s mind went nk for a moment before he found himself in a familiar illusion.


    In the broken room of a small house, Enigma''s sword pierced through the heart of his mother.


    Amanda''s eyes looked into his eyes as if asking her son what he''d do.


    Enigma''s voice rang slowly.


    "Sia understands you, but I understand you more than her. Maybe I''m the one who knows the most about how you''re feeling inside. That''s why, not asking you to forgive me, but please don''t show me your fake smile.


    I''ll help you all you want, but I ask for only one thing. Treat me sincerely. Since you hate me, show me your hatred."


    Varian snapped.

 Chapter 746 An Honest Conversation

    Chapter 746 An Honest Conversation


    A thunderp reverberated in the ghost ship as a golden light filled the room.


    Lightning tendrils danced around Enigma as they burnt her skin and entered her body.


    As she put up only a minimum defense, Enigma''s skin cracked and blood spilled out.


    Yet, she didn''t flinch.


    Her lips curled up ever so slightly as she looked at Varian ring at her with bloodshot eyes.


    There was a trace of rity in his rageful eyes as he was just beginning to realize what he had done.


    "Is that all?" Enigma asked. "Is that all your rage?"


    Varian took a deep breath as his shaking fist suddenly calmed down. He looked at the blood flowing from the sword that lodged itself through his mother.


    Even though she was going through so much pain, Amanda didn''t show any fear on her face.


    She gave Varian a sad nce.


    ''I''m going to miss you.''


    Varian raised his head and looked at the woman holding the sword that took away his bundle of happiness.


    The illusions he saw in the mirage abyss ovepped with the current illusion and Varian''s heart pounded in his chest.


    "Die!"


    With a wave of his hand, the space around Enigma broke into a hundred pieces and gave her a thousand cuts.


    From head to toe, blood began to spill out from her wounds, and Enigma was covered in red.


    "I-Is that all your rage?" Blood spilled from the corner of her mouth as she stared at him stubbornly.


    Varian''s eyes shed with thick killing intent. His rationale is stopping him from going for the kill, but that also meant anything other than kill was fine.


    Anything.


    "All of my rage?" Varian punched at Enigma.


    A gigantic ice fist shot hit her and crashed her into the wall.


    The sounds of bones breaking rang out as Enigma slid down the wall.


    "You haven''t seen even a tenth!"


    Two spears of lightning and ice pierced through Enigma''s shoulders and struck her at the wall.


    Varian took a step toward her. Then another. His eyes locked onto hers.


    Even though she''s in this state, Enigma continued to stare at him with the same in eyes.


    "Why can''t you control your own fucking body?" Varian waved his hand.


    A space de left a deep cut on her abdomen.


    "Why did you lose your mind?" Varian growled as a sharp spear pierced Enigma''s stomach.


    Enigma felt a searing pain through her body as she kept bleeding. Varian really showed no mercy.


    Even though he didn''t kill her, each and every attack was optimized to increase the pain she felt.


    Despite her determination, Enigma could hardly move. But she didn''t need to move anyway.


    So, she watched.


    She watched as Varian approached her step by step. Until he reached the critical distance.


    Then, a sword appeared in his hand.


    "Why didn''t you control yourself?"


    He thrust the sword straight toward her heart.


    Enigma closed her eyes as her body spasmed from the pain. Tears gathered at the corner of her eyes, but she stubbornly held herself from crying.


    Right now, she''s the viin who killed his mother. She only needed to appear hateful. She didn''t have to cry.


    She didn''t have the heart to cry.


    Even though her heart was now¡­


    ''Huh?''


    Enigma forcibly opened her eyes and felt the sword in her chest. It was just an inch away from her heart. Not by ident, but by intent.


    In confusion, she raised her head only to see Varian looking back at her with red eyes.


    Chaotic emotions swirled in his red eyes that seemed to be on the verge of tears.


    "W-Why?" Enigma asked as she coughed blood.


    "Why?" Varian repeated her question in a low voice before yelling. "You tell me why?"


    "Why did it have to be you? If it''s anyone else, I''d have killed them!"


    "Why did it have to be for saving me? If it''s for any other reason, I''d have hated you for life."


    "Why?" Varian clenched his fists and with a wave of his hand, pulled away all the weapons piercing through her body.


    Enigma slid down the wall powerlessly and copsed on her knees.


    With a thud, Varian too copsed on his knees as he stared at her.


    "Y-You can kill me¡­" Enigma said in a weak voice. "In an illusion, at least. Or Sia will be in danger if I die for real."


    Varian remained silent.


    "I¡­I''ll also be in the illusion. I''ll experience death, I''ll experience all the pain, but I won''t die. Y-You can kill me all you want." Enigma lowered her head.


    Varian looked at her injuries and wanted to ask Boo to heal them. But for some reason, he let them stay.


    Maybe it was petty revenge. Maybe it was to tell himself that he was still cruel to her.


    "Yes, I hate you. My mind tells me it''s not your fault, that things could go wrong. But my heart, it doesn''t listen." Varian said. "But. I hope there wille a day when I can convince my heart."


    Enigma''s bloodied lips arched up just a bit. "I¡­see."


    "And thank you." Varian bowed his head. "I feel like an invisible burden is lifted off my chest."


    "¡­are you asking me for permission to beat me up whenever you feel that burden again?" Enigma quipped.


    "¡­I don''t know." Varian sighed. "I won''t deny a part of me feels great about this, but there''s also another part that feels like trash."


    "Since you''re treating me with sincerity, it''s only right that I do so the same," Enigma said.


    "There are only a few times I''ve been this injured¡­my whole body is aching and I might faint from the pain. But what are you doing? You didn''t even call Boo for treating me. You''re a horrible man."


    "Sometimes." Varian chuckled.


    "But you''re not that hateful, because I can feel my recovery speeding up¡­you did something, didn''t you?"


    "¡­" Varian maintained a straight face.


    Of course, he used his ntae powers. Only to stop her injuries from worsening. Yep, only that. As for why her regeneration sped up, he had no idea. None at all.


    Enigma looked at his expression and knew that she wouldn''t get any reply for him.


    "Stubborn. You keep being stubborn¡­" She sighed.


    Varian looked at her for a moment before giving a deep sigh. His turbulent heart settled down and he started to regain his calm.


    "Your words make you sound like a granny who watched over me."


    "¡­I''m not a granny, but I did watch over you."


    "Oh?"


    Enigma''s eyes shed with rare nostalgia as she said. "You know¡­I was weak back then. I couldn''t do much. I couldn''t even talk to Sia. But I could stay awake for a few hours."


    Varian stiffened as Enigma looked at him with weird eyes. "¡­So, I watched you every time I was awake. No, I woke up only when I know you were there."


    Enigma looked at the young man in front. The younger versions of him in her mind ovepped with his current version.


    "I watched you grow and with you, I grew up."


    Enigma''s lips curled into a beautiful smile.


    Varian blinked twice to see if he was hallucinating. Was this really Enigma?


    "Maybe that''s why¡­" Enigma lowered her head and sighed. "That''s why when I could finallye out, I got so angry that your life was in danger. That''s why, when I wielded the power of three paths for the first time to save you, I lost my mind."


    The conversation steered in a direction he didn''t anticipate and so, for the first time in a while, Varian found himselfpletely speechless.

 Chapter ?747 Mars War

    Chapter ?747 Mars War


    Sia didn''t know what happened, but Varian seemed a bit different after she woke up.


    He seemed fine all the time, but now, something was different. It''s like he let go of something weighing on him.


    Sia tried asking him, but Varian merely smiled and walked to her.


    To her surprise, the distance between them was cut short to three feet.


    "¡­how?"


    "Secret," Varian said with a cheeky smile.


    Enigma assured him that Sia wouldn''t know what happened. Even though he didn''t like to keep secrets from her, some things were better off not said.


    "You¡­" Sia pouted as she gave him a resentful look.


    But realizing it''s not gonna get him to spill the beans, she walked into themand center and studied thetest developments.


    Varian stood behind her. Even though they still had a significant distance, due to their levels, it felt like they were standing next to each other.


    Feeling his hot breath on her back, Sia''s face flushed lightly and she stepped to the right.


    ''Focus! Sia, Foc¡­..''


    Varian stood behind her and Sia chewed her lips in frustration.


    ''He''s doing it on purpose!''


    After all this time of solitude, she was aching for a warm hug. Feeling his presence so up close, Sia felt more and more unbearable.


    Even though she kept staring at the holograms disying the mars''oids'' conditions, nothing was registering in her brain.


    ''I¡­I need a hug¡­no, I need to see the situation¡­no, a hug¡­''


    As her internal conflict continued to escte, Sia suddenly felt a warmth covering her.


    Two warm hands wrapped around her waist, arge and sturdy chest touching her back.


    Even though Sia knew this was only created through Varian''s telekic power, she closed her eyes.


    "Thank You¡­" Her lips curled into a smile and she chirped in a happy voice, like a little girl that got candy.


    Varian scratched his head. ''Where is my hug?''


    But he didn''t disturb her by asking.


    Even though he realized his actions in revenge were impulsive, if he''s given another chance, he''d still pursue revenge, minus Kreo''s daughter.


    ''On the bright side, I got rid of a Psychic Sovereign.''


    Compared to Julius who could at most kill, Kreo was much more dangerous. If he captured Sia or Sarah, he could erase their memories of him,pletely this time.


    Of course, mind awakeners have a very strong resistance to memory maniption. That''s the reason Roxanne didn''t try to brainwash Sia. Roxanne wanted to exploit her, not cripple her golden goose.


    Even then, Kreo would''ve been able to tamper with their minds and cause big problems.


    ''No use crying over spilled milk.''


    Varian pulled a drawer and called Boo.


    The reliable ghost showed him the condensed news, including the relevant footage.


    "It started?"


    Varian narrowed his eyes.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Varian''s n was adopted and modified by the high generals to suit the situation.


    In essence, it relied on a single principle.


    "Appear strong when you are weak, appear weak when you are strong."


    Since they''re weak, they needed to appear strong.


    What would a strong party do after gathering their forces on theoids?


    Of course, they attacked.


    They didn''t pull any punches and went all out.


    First, they started with skirmishes¡ªshort, intense battles aimed to disrupt the enemy''s bnce and boost their own morale¡ª all over theoids.


    Varian''s written n ended here.


    From here on was the generals'' handwriting.


    The wars suddenly escted.


    On aoid, like all others, humans and abyssals faced off each other.


    From the clouds, it seemed like the collision of countless ck dots and countless gray dots. It reminded one of the scenes of two ant colonies confronting each other.


    The two level 7manders were in the army base, but their eyes were closed as they faced off their counterparts.


    They were fighting each other in the illusion constructed from their minds.


    "Your time hase to a close, the pattern ofoids will change." The humanmander dered with confidence close to conviction.


    One-half of the illusion world was dyed blue. It was his side.


    "Heh. Empty confidence." The abyssalmanderughed. "Just like your empty strength."


    The other half was red. It was the abyssal''s side.


    "See for yourself!"


    A huge spear materialized itself in the blue sky. Splitting the bluends below with its sheer speed, it shot toward the abyssal.


    "Futile!"


    A giant red shield materialized itself in front of the abyssal and blocked the spear.


    The world shook violently as the spear gained an upper hand and broke through the shield.


    The blue world grew a bit dominant and swallowed a portion of the red world.


    The abyssal''s face paled as he felt the pain in his psychic power. His chest heaved up and down as he stared at the enemy with hatred.


    "You''ll pay!"


    "Don''t bark too much."


    As the battle of themanders escted, the battlefield ended up a mix of brilliant colors.


    Icy blue arrows and bloody red spears flew rained from the sky. Mud-colored spike balls attached to lightning chains moved across the battlefield as they skewered enemies like squashing bugs.


    In the huge battle involving more than ten thousand soldiers on each side, the right-most regiment was headed by a verypetent officer.


    Xavier Bell.


    Standing on top of a guarded tower, he said with a serious expression. "A-1, smash the lightning awakeners. I''ll take care of the earthern guys."


    "Yes, Sir."


    The reply came and a toon of eighty soldiers changed their course.


    Dropping their caution to the wind, they charged forward.


    The abyssals noticed their change and the earth awakeners channeled their mana.


    They decided to split the ground in front of the awakeners and attack with them lethal spikes from behind.


    With their agility, the toon would be able to dodge them. But doing so, they''d expose themselves to the lightning abyssals behind them.


    "Hahaha! Come!"


    Imagining the toon electrocuting to death, the earth awakeners abyssalsughed and raised their hands to split the ground.


    "Di¡ª"


    Their smiles froze and their eyes widened as an unimaginable pain assaulted their minds.


    "Argh¡­!"


    "Mind Awake¡­"


    "Attac¡­"


    The lightning abyssals realized what happened and were about to withdraw when the A-1 soldiers burst into a sprint and closed the distance.


    The next thing they knew, a flurry of lethal punches and kicks rained down on their body and the world turned ck.

 Chapter 748 Mars War [2]

    Chapter 748 Mars War [2]


    "He''s grown." Varian smiled in appreciation as he observed Xavier panting heavily in the tower.


    Even though he finished a big battle, Xavier only took a few minutes to rest and shouted.


    "B-3, I''ll assist you with the body awakeners, but I can''t reach their space awakeners, beware."


    Another battle began.


    The short-scaled war went on for three hours until both sides retreated.


    To the utter surprise of abyssals, humans had an upper hand.


    "It''s as expected. Barring themanders, the rest are mid and low awakeners. This is the best proof that mankind is growing stronger every year and will surpass abyssals in the next generation." Varian grinned.


    Below level 7, an average human genius was stronger than an average abyssal genius.


    In these geniuses grow up, humans would slowly gain dominance at each level.


    The only problem was that even geniuses took decades to go from level 6 to level 9.


    "Humanity can defeat abyssals in a decade or two, exterminating them will take longer though," Varianmented as he swiped the records of oneoid after another.


    After arriving on one particroid, he paused.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    The human army, numbered thirty thousand, was pushed back by the abyssals.


    When the war started, their strengths were more or less bnced.


    But the abyssals'' space awakeners managed to sneak attack on their psychics and took down a significant number of them.


    Using this opportunity, the abyssal psychics attacked their body awakeners and ate away a good chunk of their vanguard.


    Since body awakeners acted as a defenseyer in this battle, a gap appeared in the defense of the overall army.


    Not letting go of the chance, the abyssals sent their own body awakeners who dashed straight into the middle of the elementals.


    Even though elementals weren''t powerless in closebat due to their elemental bodies, they still suffered a loss due to the sudden intervention of abyssal psychics.


    The first loss thus snowballed into a big gap that created the current situation.


    "Defend!"


    "Save yourrades!"


    "Don''t go for the offensive! I repeat, focus on defense!"


    The orders of the high officers rank as the human army spread out in defensive formations and kept retreating to the base.


    The abyssal army knew it''d have to restrategize if they wanted to attack the base. To get all the benefits they could squeeze now, the abyssal army decided to change course.


    "Kuruk!"


    "Kuruk!"


    "Kuruk!"


    A war chant spread across the battlefield. Every abyssal roared for a great war. As if they were hypnotizing themselves, their eyes grew red and their mind turned fearless.


    Abandoning any and all intentions to defend, the abyssal army attacked.


    Facing a suicidal enemy that intended to kill them even if they die, the human army struggled.


    Like a deer, the human army tried to retreat.


    But the abyssal army was like a lion. Holding the leg of the deer, it held the weaker side from escaping and kept gnawing its leg.


    The losses of the human side skyrocketed in a matter of minutes.


    The humanmander, a high level 7, fighting his abyssal counterpart could perceive the situation outside.


    As a result, he got agitated.


    The abyssalmander, who was slightly losing until now, exploited the chance and attacked the humanmander with full force.


    Caught by surprise in the moment of carelessness, the humanmander lost his upper hand and was forced to defend himself.


    The abyssalmander didn''t give him a chance to stabilize the situation, rather, he attacked him without breaks, hoping to push his advantage further and severely injure the humanmander.


    The humanmander tried his best, yet injuries appeared on his body one after another.


    If it continued for long, he''d die!


    But themander was more worried about the army.


    "Damn it! Where are the reinforcements?"


    He knew there were no reinforcementsing for the next thirty minutes. Yet, he desperately hoped they did.


    Looking at the soldiers he personally raised, themander''s eyes grew red and his heart burned.


    His killing intent exploded and heunched a suicidal attack.


    "I''ll kill you!"


    The battle between the leaders grew intense while the human army was quickly suppressed by the abyssals.


    It wasn''t just this battlefield, however. The same situation urred on every battlefield on thisoid.


    Because¡­


    "Hahaha! This is your end!" A burst of unbridledughter echoed in an illusory world.


    The high level 9 abyssal looked at the human kneeling in front of him with satisfaction.


    After defeating the humanmander of theoid, the abyssal, being a psychic, used his powers to subtly influence the battlefields on the entireoid.


    As a result, the tactics of abyssals seeded and humans were pushed into the corner.


    In the process, he was also exhausted and injured. But he did it!


    "The entireoid is now our¡ªhuh?" The abyssal''s eyes snapped open in the base and he gazed at the sky.


    His mind sense spread out and caught a figure rushing to theoid.


    A bald man with the body build of a gym model, the human''s eyes were locked onto the very base he was staying at.


    "Damn it!"


    The abyssal cursed and his mind sense attacked the human.


    He appeared in an illusory world the next moment.


    But before he could even react, a huge pressure fell on him and a fist smacked him in the face.


    The abyssal felt a searing pain through his body and gritted his teeth. With a thought, he appeared in another location.


    "A dual awakener?" He noticed the powers of his opponent. But the next realization made his eyes grow in anger. "A mere newbie level 9 wants to challenge me?"


    Seth stretched his hands and grinned. "You''re exhausted and injured now. Even my pupil can beat you now!"


    "I''ll kill you both!"


    A battle of epic proportions ensued in an illusory world.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Varian rubbed his forehead with his thumb and index finger as he finished the review.


    Themanders decided to go for an all-out war just to make Mirage Queen wait.


    Since humans showed that they were serious, the mirage queen would wait, even though it''s only for a bit before entering the battle.


    "She only stops for a day for that reason, then she takes the initiative," Irene told him. "Mirage Queen is cautious, not passive. Once she sees something is wrong, she''llsh out with full force."


    "Even though your deration put her under pressure, like any abyss ruler, she''d eventually enter the battlefield. Abyssals aren''t a race that liked to sit back. Question is, can Bali make it before she does?"


    Varian didn''t know.


    He could only hope for things to turn out fine as everyone fought their battles.


    As for his battle¡­


    Looking at the abyss cities below the clouds, Sia turned to Varian.


    "Round two?"


    "Haha!"

 Chapter ?749 A Report

    Chapter ?749 A Report


    Mirage Queen was restless since yesterday.


    It had already been a day since the war started and the results were appalling.


    While humans and abyssals performed equally in the wars involving high awakeners, a distinct pattern was evident in the wars involving only mid and low awakeners.


    Humans were winning.


    It''s more of an edge. A significant, but not game-changing advantage. However, it was undeniable.


    "How far they havee." Mirage Queen stared at her own reflection in the ceiling as it asked ''how far she hade.''


    Her ''family'' volunteered to be the vanguard for the great mission of abyss rejuvenation.


    It''d been more than a hundred years since the abyssals found humans. Mirage Queen grew up from a naive little girl into the queen that oversaw one-eighth of the abyssals.


    And as she grew, she watched humans grow.


    When she was a low awakener, humans were still barely surviving the abyssals'' onught.


    When she was a mid awakener, humans were barely protecting themselves.


    When she became a high awakener, humans were barely contesting them.


    When she became the abyss queen, humans were barely matching them.


    And now¡­


    Humans were barely surpassing them.


    With her experience, Mirage Queen was clear humans would far surpass them in a decade or more.


    Humans were a terrifying race due to their insane growth rate.


    Mirage Queen wasn''t surprised at the war results having known them for so long.


    Nor was she restless because of them.


    Because the one responsible for her mood was¡ª


    "Bastard!"


    The destruction of another city yed in front of Mirage Queen, causing her to gnash her teeth.


    Right after the war began, she had been hearing news of the cities'' destruction.


    Ten cities were destroyed in a single day. More than ten million lives were wiped off.


    Even for Mirage Abyss which housed billions of abyssals, this was a blow hard to ept.


    As the deaths piled up, even a strong woman like her felt her heartache. "Attacking citizens that have no way of defending? How cowardly are you? Pathetic trash."


    *** *** ***


    "Guilty about all the blood on your hands?" Varian asked.


    Sia was sitting on the couch with her head hanging low as if she had done something wrong. But hearing his question, she shook her head lightly and said in disbelief. "I can''t believe I killed so many."


    "Most of them are nonbatants. So, the numbers won''t make sense, unlike the soldiers you killed." Varian shrugged and poured himself a ss of juice.


    "I don''t mind staining my hands in blood, but you, didn''t you feel conflicted about Ron''s situation? Are you fine with joining me in killing so many people? Every city might have someone like Ron." Sia looked at him with a worried expression.?


    They had several deep conversations and one of them was Varian speaking about his inner conflict regarding Ron.


    .


    Even though he seemed fine, Enigma told Sia that Varian was very skilled in hiding his true emotions, sometimes, even from himself.


    So, she asked, to get a reply and check carefully if it was true.


    Varian took a breath and shrugged with a helpless smile. "I''m not living in a fairy tale where the friendship between enemy races solves it all. Ron is indeed pitiful. His life is a tragedy."


    Sia nodded.


    Working hard for a decade for a herb to save his sister. Then dying without ever saving her or even bidding her farewell.


    If it was Sia before Roxanne, she would''ve sympathized with his experience and shed a tear or two. But now, the most she could do was agree that his life was ''tragic''.


    "There are more pitiful abyssals than him, the ones that faced even more adversity," Varian said and his eyes shed with a golden light. "But so what? Should I spare them all because they''re pitiful?"


    "When abyssals attacked humans and nearly pushed us to extinction, kids starved to deaths, pregnant women gave birth to dead babies, infants died fromck of food, old men and women were killed by their own children."


    Varian''s face twisted as he recalled the footage he saw from that dark period. It made his stomach churn from how disturbing it was but it also made the conviction in his heart stronger.


    "I''m not running a charity. I''m a warrior before anything else. Since abyssals think it''s fine to kill the normal people on Pluto, they should expect the same treatment."


    Sia grabbed the same juice jar he was drinking and finished it off. Though she tried hard, her lips still curled into a smile.


    "Sia."


    "Hm?" Sia put down the juice and looked at him.


    Varian stepped toward her. Closer and closer.


    "W-Wait, the distance?"


    Sia was surprised when Varian was only at a bit more than an arm''s length.


    With a smile, Varian raised his finger and swiped it in the air in the direction of her lips.


    Sia felt a soft sensation pressing on her lips and saw creamy juice appearing on Varian''s fingers.


    "This is sweeter," Varian remarked after tasting the cream on her lips.


    "¡­" Sia stood dumbfounded at the unexpected flirt.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Any news?" Mirage Queen asked with a frown.


    "Shadow Lords have taken up this matter, your majesty. They''re using all their connections and resources to dig up the matter. I believe we''ll find something soon." The intelligence officer said in a serious voice.


    Upon hermand, Shadow Order began to look into Kreo. Even though Shadow Order was taking loss after loss under Varian, being able to survive for centuries, it got a deep intelligencework.


    "Varian is dying time." Mirage Queen tapped her forehead. "Or he is trying to give the impression that he is dying time. Which one is it?"


    After her initial rage cooled down, Mirage Queen was able to see this clearly.


    If he''s dying time, then going to the battlefield was the right decision.


    If he''s trying to give the impression that he''s dying, then there''s a trap on the battlefield.


    If it''s any other human, Mirage Queen wouldn''t be cautious regarding traps. But Varian¡­


    "If he''s really rted to Devas like Julius announced, then he could create traps that could end my life."


    The second day of the war passed and just when Mirage Queen was impatient, hermunication stone lit up.


    The Seven Shadow Lords had a report.


    A report that would decide the fate of Mars.

 Chapter 750 Shadow Lord Of Mars

    Chapter 750 Shadow Lord Of Mars


    How does it feel to have all your hard work of a lifetime snatched by a teeny brat?


    By a kid whose age was less than the time you spent sleeping?


    Soul crushing. Depressing. But most of all, infuriating.


    The Seven Shadow Lords were living with these emotions for a while now. Every time they saw someone praise Dreamer, their hearts burnt with rage.


    In theirst meeting, they unanimously decided to do everything in their power for revenge.


    And recently, they were actually looking into something.


    The old maid of Mars'' president was their ex-agent. She joined the Order almost a century earlier when her parents were killed by humans for resources.


    With the help of Order, she took revenge and left. But there''s only one way into the Order.


    Even though she left, and expressed no interest in working for them, through benefits and threats, they pulled her into working for them.


    With their help, she climbed to be the head maid of mars'' president and was living avish life.


    When the lockdown of mars started, the Shadow Lord of Mars, Timal, got in touch with her and started collecting some important news.


    The president left for Sovereign Kreo''s residence the same day. The president had been drinking heavily since.


    Even when the war was initiated by mars, instead of being confident, the president was cautious. There''s always a frown on his face.


    Of course, most of these signs wouldn''t be found by a person. No matter what, the president was still an experienced person and put on a mask.


    But as a maid who served him for decades, she was able to see the minute details that most would miss.


    For a hefty sum of money that Shadow Lord Tamal promised, the head maid sold away all the information.


    She didn''t realize the implications of her actions. In her mind, only a few hundred lives would be lost in exchange for a lot of wealth that she would win in a ''lottery''.


    With this wealth, her ipetent grandson would be able to live in luxury for the rest of his life.


    That''s all she cared about.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Greetings, Your Majesty." Tamal knelt on a single knee as he addressed the ruler of Mirage abyss.


    "Report."


    Mirage Queen glossed over the report and her eyes narrowed. "Credible?"


    "After getting the first-hand sources of my informant, I cross-checked with other agents working in the upper echelons of the mars'' bureaucracy."


    She nodded, prompting him to continue.


    "Only the top most officers have some changes. The rest have normal reactions. They are surprised at the sudden lockdowns, then this unexpected war." Tamal said.


    Mirage Queen immediately grasped the implications and her face lit up. "That means?"


    "It''s exactly as you''re thinking. There is a big secret that they can''t afford anyone else to know. It''s either very positive or negative. Everything that happened on mars so far should be a cover."


    "Yes!" Mirage Queen pped her armrest.


    "Y-Your Majesty?" Tamal looked at her in confusion.


    Mirage Queen didn''t care about how herck of decorum. Instead, sheughed like a drunken man. "I''m almost sure it''s bad news!"


    .


    Coupled with Kreo''s disappearance, she decided that something happened to Kreo. Either he couldn''te out now or he''s out ofmission.


    Of course, the possibility of his death didn''t even cross her mind.


    The possibility of this all being a trap still exists. But as an abyssal, it''s not in her blood to watch on as war unfolded.


    The fact that she didn''t go to the war until now was thanks to Varian''s "Threat" against the holy altar.


    But this report showed her an exciting possibility. She''d start by attacking an unexpectedoid that certainly wouldn''t have any traps.


    If her guess was verified, then today would be the turning point for abyssals.


    Before she left, Mirage Queen smiled at the dog. "If this turns out well, you''ll be conferred the status of a noble in my kingdom."


    Tamal''s face lit up and he nodded fervently.


    Even though he was conflicted if siding with abyssals was still the right thing to do when his own race had a monster like Varian, he decided not to risk it.


    The Shadow Lords were vaguely aware that the abyssal race had one supreme ruler whose power far surpassed even the strongest sovereign.


    "Varian, this is my payback." Tamal grinned.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    A dazzling blue light enveloped a high castle. The hundreds of abyssals inside weren''t even able to put up any resistance before they were frozen alive.


    Varian threw a spear made of lightning and the frozen castle exploded into countless ice blocks.


    A few secondster, the city under the mountain was crushed.


    "Thirteenth city." Standing in the clouds, Varian smiled.


    "Can we keep doing this? Even though the upper echelons of the abyssal army wouldn''t have any change, we can essentially destroy the bulk of the army." Sia mused.


    Varian gave it a serious thought.


    If the low and mid awakeners of abyssals were destroyed, abyssals would surely encounter a lot of problems in maintaining theoids.


    In fact, manyoids that were headed by only level 6 abyssals would be gone.


    Abyssals would end up losing a significant amount ofoids.


    However, they''d still retain the high-endbat power. The war stakes still wouldn''t change.


    "Even though this doesn''t really benefit us in the bigger picture, I want to turn the eight abysses intonds with only high awakeners." Varian finally said.


    "When abyssals lose most of their army, then our army too can withdraw from theoids."


    Of course, many low and mid awakeners would still be retained on theoids, but they won''t be participating in the wars anymore.


    And humans could solidify their grip on a fewoids and make them their permanent military bases.


    When they invade abysses, these permanent military bases would serve as theirunchpad.


    Sia was about to speak when an aura shot up in the sky and locked onto them.


    The pressure of a peak level 9 fell on them, but Varian and Sia didn''t bat an eye and entered the ghost ship as if it was a routine.


    "Boo is really of great help." Sia giggled.


    Varian was about to chuckle when hism shed with a message.


    A chill shot down his spine.

 Chapter ?751 Sovereign Albert

    Chapter ?751 Sovereign Albert


    "S-Sir! There''s an emergency! The Mira¡ª"


    "Silence!" An aged but steady voice ordered in a stern tone.


    The Strongest Low-General of Mercury, a beautiful middle-aged woman, stopped in her tracks as her body froze on instinct.


    "Jade Albert, losingposure is shameful."


    The leader, who was interrupted from a conference, openly reprimanded the daughter of Sovereign Albert.


    The officers watching this didn''t even react, as if this was natural.


    "Apologizes, Sir." Jade Albert said and saluted. "Reporting a disaster-level emergency, Sir!"


    With a light nod, the leader on the stage appeared in front of her. "Report."


    Looking at the indifferent expression on her father''s face, Jade Albert clenched her fists behind her back.


    "Mirage Queen is marching toward theoids. We might lose Mars."


    Her tone was low, but the officers in the room were all high awakeners. So, when the words left her mouth, the hall went dead silent.


    The discussions, big and small, were swallowed back as everyone turned to the Low-general.


    Mirage Queen attackingoids wasn''t news, but losing Mars?


    "M-Mam Jade, what did you mean by losing ma¡ª"


    "Shut up and get out." Sovereign Albert didn''t even turn his gaze away from Jade as he spat an order.


    The officer felt suffocated from Albert''s aura that was pressing on his chest. He wanted to yell at the heartless man for not letting him know the danger Mars faced.


    But he didn''t.


    Without another word, the officer walked out of the room.


    His mistake wasn''t asking. It''s the way he asked.


    "A question, Sir." A mid-general raised his hand.


    "Hm." Albert nodded this time.


    As a man in his eighties, the mid-general had long gotten used to Albert''s ''code of conduct'' and knew how to follow the ''rules''.


    "What is the status quo of Mars?" the mid-general asked.


    "Sovereign Kreo is out ofmission. If she reaches Mars, it''s is over." Sovereign Albert revealed a grave issue in a in tone.


    The air seemed to thicken as everyone''s faces, excluding Albert''s, paled.


    The mid-general felt like a lump was stuck in his throat as he tried to speak out another word.


    No matter how hard he tried, he could only sweat than speak as his calm heart throbbed in his chest and threatened to rip out his ribcage.


    "Do Not Panic. Composure is essential." Sovereign Albert the restless officer with a straight face.


    "The Mars'' army is trying their best to deal with the situation. They''ll do what they can. Mars better be saved. If it isn''t, be prepared to avenge it."


    As if he was talking about losing in a game, Sovereign Albert talked about the fate of six billion lives.


    Yet, his words only cooled down the agitated officers.


    Since they''re in this room, they worked with him long enough and knew what kind of person Albert was.


    Humanity had seen many dedicated soldiers. Due to their patriotism and loyalty, they did great feats.


    But Albert was just on another level.


    In short, Albert was an out-and-out military man. His religion was discipline, his oxygen wasposure, and his life purpose was the safety of mankind.


    In the end, he didn''t even care much for his children and he raised Evander and Jade as soldiers from the start. Compared to him, Evander was infinite times a better father.


    Since he''s such a man, it''s possible that Albert had already offered his assistance to help the situation and if he needed their help, he''d have already ordered them to lend their assistance.


    Since he didn''t, then it''s either that they weren''t needed or they weren''t useful.


    The officers just hoped it wasn''t thetter.


    "Raise the defenses of theoids. Order the ordinance to increase the production ofser shields. Ry your orders with the assumption that Mars has fallen and we have one less Sovereign."


    Albert''s words sent invisible shockwaves through the officers as they sucked in a breath of cold air.


    They desperately hoped he was saying those words because he''s a man who prepared for the worst.


    However, his next words pushed them toward the abyss.


    "Prepare for mass migration. It might be needed."


    A chill shot down the spine of every grown man and woman in the room despite them facing thousands of battles.


    Suddenly, a possibility they didn''t want to think about appeared in front of their minds.


    If Sovereign Kreo died, then things would get messy real quick.


    No Human Sovereign was known to handle two abyss kings at once.


    So, if Mirage Queen attacked a Sovereign along with the Sovereign''s nemesis abyss king, say she attacked Julius along with Demon King or Micheal Caron with Fire King, then these Sovereigns would lose inevitably.


    The Sovereign could escape with heavy injuries at best and die at worst.


    Then, the abyssals would wage a war and destroy the of the Sovereign.


    The only usible solution to this problem would be to bnce out three abyssal kings with two human sovereigns and match the rest with one each.


    With the strongest human sovereigns¡ªJulius and Albert, this was very much possible.


    However, if two Sovereigns stayed in one ce, that meant, they''d have to leave one alone.


    For instance, if Julius and Albert decided to stay on one, then three abyssal kings would be forced to stay in one abyss to defend themselves from them, or else, the abyss would be destroyed under the might of these two.


    But by doing so, either Julius would have to live on Mercury or Albert should shift to Earth.


    Either way, Mercury or Earth would be Sovereign-less.


    Taking this chance, the abyssal rulers could take the chance to destroy the.


    It''d be toote for others to stop because even a single attack by an abyss king would deal heavy damage to the poption on the.


    The risk was so high that no one would want to live on that. The only way to negate this problem was through mass migration.


    A desperate measure that everyone hoped they wouldn''t have to resort to. If possible, these old warriors of Mercury prayed for the best.


    ''A young man''s recklessness has put so many lives at risk.'' Albert''s eyes glowed with anger. ''Power without responsibility is a curse for everyone.''

 Chapter 752 Even If The Whole World Doesnt Believe In You

    Chapter 752 Even If The Whole World Doesn''t Believe In You


    Ghost ship shot through the silver clouds as it chased after Mirage Queen''s spaceship.


    Psychic Sovereigns were typically used to staying in a ce and defending their turf. Even when they go offensive, they preferred defensive armor since their bodies were rtively weak.


    However, this didn''t mean psychics were weak inparison to other divine paths.


    Inpensation for this physical weakness that prevented them from free space travel, they had excellent mind control when they reached a sufficient level.


    They could control their enemies to attack their own side.


    It''s simr to a necromancer but without killing them.


    It''s also the most efficient way for Mirage Queen to destroy an entireoid. Because even if she''s a Sovereign, there were millions, if not, tens of millions of soldiers on a singleoid.


    Attacking them all was impossible even with her strength. After all, she''s no Celestial.


    But, she could attack them batch by batch and in no time, she could take down an entireoid.


    "Hurry!" Varian rubbed his sweaty palms as they chased after the queen to stop the dreaded future.


    Boo turned to tell its master that it was already at full speed, but when it saw Varian''s bloodshot eyes filled with fear and regret, it sighed and focused back on the space travel.


    When Mirage Queen decided to attack theoids, all ns, strategies, and tactics turned useless.


    ''This is only the third day, Bali won''t likelye out. Even the most optimistic oues tell he''ll be out by the fourth day.'' Sia bit her lip.


    Honestly, Sia felt sad that so many people were going to die. But beyond that, she struggled to feel anything.


    It''s like her heart had gone numb and it really had. Even with Varian''s healing, she''d take a long time to feel normal things again, and even then, she wasn''t certain if she could bepletely normal.


    But Varian wasn''t like that. Even though he grew mentally strong when he decided to face the mirage abyss and do something rather than cry about it, he''s someone who''d be greatly affected by what''s happening.


    ''I am responsible for the blood that''s about to be shed and lives that are about to be lost.'' Sia was certain that it was precisely the thought going through his mind right now.


    So, she turned to Varian, who seemed to be pushed to the brink of stress, and sighed. "It''s notpletely your fault. Kreo''s death was unexpected. Strictly speaking, if Evander didn''t leave behind Kreo''s daughter, nothing would''ve happened."


    Varian stiffly turned his head and looked at her with nk eyes.


    "I know you''re ming yourself, but this isn''t what you wanted. It just happened." Her soft voice washed over his restless heart and calmed him down.


    Sia smiled lightly. "Irene said you should''ve thought about the consequences. Anna too. I''m sure you''ll consider the consequences. So, I''m not going to me you."


    Varian took a deep breath as he felt an invisible weight leaving his shoulders. But he still said what was in his heart. "I didn''t want this."


    "I know."


    "No one believes me." Varian didn''t care about the misunderstanding by themon popce.


    What worried him was what the people close to him would think. Would they also believe he wanted to push everyone into danger?


    Varian was afraid the few rtionships he built would crumble under the suspicions and it pained him greatly.


    Feeling his weakness, Sia looked into his eyes and said the words straight from her heart. "Even if the whole world doesn''t, I believe in you. I''ll always."


    The burning love in her eyes melted his heart and soul and Varian fell in love with her all over again.


    "I love you so, so much."


    "I love you too."


    The smile she gave when she replied was the most beautiful thing Varian had ever seen.


    Then, she lowered her head and started typing something on them. It was the number of kisses she wanted to give him right now but wasn''t able to do so due to the repulsion.


    Varian smiled at her antics and updated his own notes. He wanted to shower her in love and take care of her for the rest of their lives.


    "¡­"


    The third-party that was automatically ignored by the love birds looked at their exchange with wanton disdain.


    ''Boo will die from diabetes at this rate.'' The ghost shuddered and nced at Sia.


    ''Her head isn''t certainly right. She''s very extreme in her emotions. Her love for the master is too deep. It''s crazy!'' The ghost with a half-dead brain said.


    ''Boo prefers Sarah¡­'' The ghost recalled the blonde beauty. ''Compared to Sia''s extremity, Sarah is¡­''


    Sarah''s recent changes shed in Boo''s eyes.


    Even though she seemed normal, she wasn''t! She had be much closer to Varian and Sia while bing much colder to outsiders.


    She too had gone on an extreme route. In fact, Varian even told Boo about how Sarah wanted to murder a maid for trying to seduce Varian.


    ''Nevermind. Except for Boo, there''s nothing normal here.'' The extraordinary ghost sighed.


    Before it could muse further, a reading appeared on the hologram and Boo yelled. "Master!"


    Varian spotted the mirage queen''s spaceship and his chest tightened. They were still twenty minutes from the nearestoid.


    Mirage Queen''s spaceship was almost as fast as Boo, so, it''d take about the same time.


    "Evacuating theoid isn''t possible with the abyssal army there." Sia shook her head.


    "We can only engage in battle."


    "But we can''t. No one can. Even if we bring a bunch of peak level 9 psychics into the ghost ship to attack her, her mental attacks will reach inside and they''ll die." Sia''s brows furrowed.


    "The only way they can be safe is to be inside those celestial walls. But that way, their attacks won''t reach outside either."


    Varian nodded at her words.


    It''s the bitter reality.


    Varian looked at the time and realized they were only three hours from the end of the third day.


    "At least if we stall her for a few hours¡­" He trailed off.


    Then what? Would Bali appear? He had no idea.


    But.


    "We should stall her as long as we can." Varian steeled himself.


    "But how?"


    Even though the spaceship of Mirage Queen is right in front of them, they couldn''t stop her because no awakener¡­wait a minute.


    Varian''s eyes lit up.


    "Boo!"


    "Yes?"


    "Use those celestial walls to create a spike and smash that bitch''s spaceship!"

 Chapter ?753 Doing The Unthinkable

    Chapter ?753 Doing The Unthinkable


    Mirage Queen checked the spatial map with a sensuous smile on her lips. She was heading toward a rather remoteoid with only a level 7 leading it.


    "What choice will you make, Kreo?"


    Humans had a vastwork of spy bots near the mirage abyss. So, she knew her arrival wouldn''t be a surprise to humans.


    Kreo must have already known about her actions. Since he''s out ofmission currently, it must mean he''s doing something extremely important.


    The only thing the queen could think was that he was in the middle ofying the trap.


    "If he doesn''t want to see a million human corpses, Kreo would have no choice but to abandon his ns and confront me on theoid." The woman her plump purple lips.


    There''s also the case that Kreo wouldn''te out even when reaped the lives of a million souls.


    "Then¡­" Mirage Queen''s lips curled up into a beautiful smile as she uttered horrendous words in a melodious voice. "I can feast on all theoids I want."


    Thinking of the human soldiers that''d be akin to helplessmbs under her whims, Mirage Queen''s face flushed pink and her chest heaved up and down.


    "I¡­I¡­can''t wai¡ªwhaaat?" Her spaceship suddenly shook and Mirage Queen stumbled from her throne and rolled down the stairs before she crashed face first into the floor.


    The beautiful abyssal who ruled over billions of abyssals raised her head as silver armor covered her body.


    Despite being someone who took care of her appearance, she didn''t bother to correct her disheveled hair at all.


    Her eyes burned with a cold rage as she spread her mind sense to find the damn culprit who dared to attack her.


    "Who dares?!"


    Like light spreading in darkness, her mind sense spread across space and found the culprit.


    A familiar spaceship with something akin to ance attached to it.


    "VA.RI.AN." Gnashing her teeth, Mirage Queen shot her mental power toward the ghostship.


    It easily passed through the spaceship and entered inside as it searched for the man that courted death.


    She probed every corner she could to no avail until she found something blocking her.


    A wall¡ªto be precise, several walls that were epassing a tiny room.


    "This again." Mirage Queen''s eyes glowed purple as her mind sense mmed into the walls again.


    But like tides facing the tall dam walls, her mind power was pushed back.


    It was then that ghost ship once again collided with her spaceship. The driving spirit of the spaceship had already anticipated the danger like the first time and avoided a collision from thence. However, it couldn''t avoid a sidewise collision that sent the spaceship flying for miles.


    The insides of the spaceship shook, but since Mirage Queen was in protective silver armor, she wasn''t affected, unlike thest time.


    "Obliterate that damn bug!" Mirage Queen ordered.


    The spaceship gave a low hum and shot towards the iing ghost ship. ck light lit in front of the spaceship as it slowly charged an attack.


    It''s an attack equivalent to a Sovereign''s casual punch. However, due to the time it took to reload, it''s practically useless for battle.


    But now, Boo had to be wary of the attack.


    The two spaceships avoided the other''s attack and their collision caused sparks that lit up the dark space.


    The speeds at which they collided were insane and it only grew with each collision.


    Contrary to Varian''s expectations, despite having an absolute weapon like a celestialnce, the battle wasn''t one-sided.


    The biggest surprise was probably thebat power of the queen''s spaceship. Since she''s a psychic, her spaceship was by design one of the best among the abyssals.


    So, not only did the ship''s spirit keep the queen safe, it even managed to threaten Boo.


    And since Boo only had a fraction of its true abilities, it didn''t gain any upper hand in the confrontation.


    "Ouch, ouch, ouch." Varian closed his eyes as pained cries left his mouth at each collision.


    Since Boo needed a proper weapon, it used up most of the celestial walls. This left Varian and Sia with only a tiny room to safeguard themselves from the queen''s attacks.


    The distance was just over three feet¡ªclose enough to feel each other''s breath.


    The n was for Varian and Sia to stick themselves to the walls using their powers and not move at all.


    But they underestimated the collisions.


    Even when Varian used his telekic power to hold himself to the wall, he ended up stumbling forward and crossing the safe distance whenever the collisions urred.


    Naturally, his body started to repel Sia.


    His skin and flesh broke down as if they were made of blocks and the floor already had a puddle of blood.


    Naturally, the process of ''breaking down'' was pretty painful.


    "Ouch-argh, fuck!"


    Before the blood puddle could grow too much from the blood gushing out of his knees, Varian used his ntae powers and healed his injuries.


    Then, he stuck himself to the wall once again and even Sia helped him.


    But the speed of the ghost ship rose once again and reached the maximum speed of a Sovereign.


    "Oh boy." Varian sighed.


    Sia looked at her own reflection in the blood. Every few seconds, ripples would spread out and remove her reflection.


    These ripples came from her tears.


    It was painful to watch Varian pay such a big price just for staying closer to her.


    Thest time Enigma took over, Sia wasn''t able to ''see'' what was happening outside. But after that, the repulsion went down to three feet.


    Sia had a guess regarding the incident, but she didn''t want to pry any further.


    Regardless of the method taken, she believed the day Varian''s repulsion disappeared was the day his negative emotions towards Enigma dissolved.


    Varian sighed at Sia''s tears, but he didn''t ask her not to cry. It''s impossible.


    So, he instead focused on the situation.


    "Master! Two high level 9s left theoid and are heading in this direction. They''re both lightning awakeners."


    With the help of their military friends, Boo was up to date with all the secretive information.


    "If they stall us, then Mirage Queen will get away." Varian''s face turned serious.


    Even though the current method of stalling her was bad, it was the only option Varian had.


    And even though he knew she''d get away once enough reinforcements arrive, Varian wanted to dy her as much as possible.


    "Boo, smash that ship away fromoids and abyss."


    That way, the reinforcements would take longer to arrive.


    And.


    "Sovereign Irene, tell the high general it''s imperative to hold back the reinforcementsing from theoids!"

 Chapter 754 Irreversible Situation

    Chapter 754 Irreversible Situation


    "Ridiculous! It''s ridiculous!" Mirage Queen mmed her throne as she watched the clock.


    Six hours.


    That was how long the ghost ship stalled her.


    Reinforcements were almost about to arrive a dozen times before they were stalled at thest minute.


    Clearly, she didn''t know that Sovereign Irene had ordered mars'' military to stall the queen''s reinforcements at any cost.


    In the end, the fire king next door sent help, and only then was she able to get rid of the ghost ship.


    At least, temporarily since the ghost ship was behind her, but out of her range.


    For Mirage Queen who was used tomanding everyone from high above, being stopped by mere pests she couldmand to death with a snap was beyond humiliating.


    For the entire time, she was seething as she made one torture n after another to bring the human to despair.


    "I''ll make you regret it."


    The third day since the war began had just ended and only then did Mirage Queen barely free herself from the annoying rat.


    Seeing her being escorted by the two fire awakeners, Varian let out a deep sigh.


    The celestial walls dispersed and Boo quickly cleaned up the pool of blood that reached Varian''s ankles.


    Even though he healed himself all the time, the continuous breakdown of his body took a toll on Varian and he slowly copsed back.


    Before Sia could catch him using her powers, Boo made its entrance and caught Varian, cleaned him up, and shifted him to afortable bed.


    Varian tried to sit but copsed back from fatigue. Aside from the fatigue, however, he was brimming with vitality.


    His eyes were shining brighter, his heartbeat grew slower but more powerful, and his presence turned solemn.


    The hellish suffering bore unexpected fruit.


    [ntae Level 8: 0/25K]


    If only mars wasn''t under the threat of extinction, Varian would''ve celebrated.


    "B-Bali¡­"


    He didn''t appear yet.


    So, under Varian''s instructions, the ghostship stubbornly followed Mirage Queen''s spaceship while staying out of the range of the fire awakeners.


    There''s no stopping the inevitable.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Mirage Queen''s spaceship reached a rather remoteoid. Compared to the importantoids that held millions of troops, this one housed only half a million troops from each side.


    The highestmander of each side was only a peak level 7.


    So, they didn''t even get a chance to react when Mirage Queen reached theoid and unleashed her mind sense.


    It swiftly covered one-tenth of theoid and locked onto twenty-thousand troops in levels between 4 and 6.


    "Hm, that''ll do." With an excited smile, Mirage Queen gave them the ''order''.


    All of a sudden, the soldiers that were doing their duty properly ambushed theirrades.


    "James?!"


    "Stop it!"


    "Mind control!"


    "Find the psychic before it''s too¡ªarghhh!"


    The fights began in a couple of military bases before they started appearing in every base.


    Themander of theoid realized what just happened and contacted his superiors.


    "Level 9 or higher Psychic is atta¡ª"


    He wasn''t able to finish his message before his eyes went grey.


    "Level 9 Psychic? Retreat! Officer Paul, retreat no¡ª!" Paul''s superior''s yells suddenly stopped as he heard a familiar sound.


    The sound of flesh being torn and blood being spilled.


    Themander of the base stabbed himself in the neck and died.


    That seemed to set the stage for what could only be described as a massacre.


    Without the abyssals evenying a finger on them, the humans started fighting other humans.


    Even if she''s a Sovereign, Mirage Queen wasn''t capable of controlling the minds of half a million awakeners.


    If it''s normal people, it''s not a problem, but there were at least a hundred thousand mid awakeners on theoid.


    Even for her, it''s impossible.


    So, she controlled the twenty thousand she could and pushed them to fight until they died.


    Then, she quickly picked new toys and kept ''ying''.


    It was a tragic scene as brothers backstabbed, and friends ughtered each other like wild animals.


    Blood spilled and bodies copsed.


    Even from space, thick red dots could be seen on theoid.


    It''s only a single hour, but theoid had be a hell on earth.


    Military bases that were once full of life reeked of blood and death.


    Corpses of the brave men and womeny in their home base as they died a horrific death.


    "R-Rina¡­"


    Thest man standing on theoid looked at thest woman as she shed at him with a blue sword.


    The sword he gifted her on their marriage a few months ago.


    The wife and husband were both level 6 body awakeners who specialized in wielding sword and spear respectively.


    But due to the battles they already fought until now, their chi was drained to the limit and they fought like normal mortals.


    Ken gripped the spear with his bloodied hands as he lifted his heavy hands and parried the blows his wife struck to take his life.


    "Rina! Wake up, Rina!"


    Her sword brushed past his spear and struck his shoulder.


    The woman who used to freak out and bring medicine seeing even at his slightest injury was now raising her sword to grievously injure him.


    "Please! Look at me!" Ken felt strength leaving his body.


    Their surroundings were littered with corpses of the people they onceughed with. The superiors, the colleagues, the newbies.


    Dead.


    Everyone dead.


    "Rina!" Ken blocked an attack from his wife as he held himself from attacking her.


    He had no confidence in knocking her out. If he attacked her and identally killed her, he''d hate himself for the rest of his life.


    So, he prayed. He prayed for her to wake up.


    Even if they had to hide in this abandonedoid for years, he wouldn''t bat an eye.


    Just¡­


    "Please!"


    His wail was ignored by her sword.


    "Open your eyes!"


    His spear was kicked aside.


    "It''s me!"


    Her sword pierced his heart.


    "R-Rina¡­"


    "KEN!" The woman''s cloudy eyes suddenly gained focus and she suddenly found herself stabbing her husband''s heart.


    His affectionate eyes conveyed his love and regret before they lost focus.


    "I¡­I¡­what I have I done?" Rina''s world blurred and she copsed to her knees.


    "Ken! Husband! Please wake up! No, no! This is a nightmare! Please!" Clutching her hair, Rina couldn''t stop crying her heart out.


    A warm liquid reached her hands and raising her head, she realized it was his blood.


    Thest line of defense in Rina''s mind copsed and she grabbed her husband''s spear.


    Without hesitation, she pierced it into her own heart and copsed beside him.


    Before her world turned dark, she held his hand tightly.


    ''If there''s a next life, don''t let me go.''


    As she was about to breathe herst, her eyes turned partially cloudy as a foreign forcemanded her to separate their hands.


    ''No!''


    Rina fought even in her dying breath. She couldn''t live how she wanted, but she wanted to die how she wanted.


    Yet, someone didn''t wish to give her even that choice.


    ''Arghhhh!''


    Rina''s dying body twitched as blood spilled out of her eyes and her body forcibly separated her hand from her husband''s.


    With untold regret, Rina breathed herst.


    Her hand was just a single inch from her lover''s.


    An inch she could never cross.

 Chapter ?755 Well Hold Her Back

    Chapter ?755 We''ll Hold Her Back


    For the first time in history, aoid was conquered without sending a single enemy troop.


    The abyssals on theoid cheered as they upied thends on the other side of the border.


    Without the slightest respect for the dead, the abyssals kicked the corpses of their nemeses, punched the dead, and spat on their remains.


    Abyssals a few hundred years ago wouldn''t have stooped so low. However, after being beaten by Zions, then by fairies, and struggling against even humans, their frustrations were long pent up.


    Adding to that was the grave situation of their homnd. Fairies were currently attacking the Abyss Empire and there was nothing they could do about it.


    They could only do their duty¡ªconquer the sr system.


    And now, this was a small but wonderful step in that direction.


    As a symbol of victory, the abyssals began to collect these corpses and throw them into fire pits.


    The fire crackled as it struggled to burn the strong bodies of the warriors. The fire awakeners from the abyssals cackled and did their job.


    The smoke reached the clouds and in a matter of minutes, only ashes remained as the memory of the soldiers.


    Then the abyssals didn''t even nce at the ashes and began to take over the military bases.


    They''d quickly n an invasion on the nearbyoid with simr powers. The soldiers believed they could break the bnce and conquer theoid in three days.


    Theirmander, however, had an entirely different perspective.


    "May victory be yours, Queen." Kneeling on the barren ground, he prayed to the abyss ruler''s spaceship could no longer be seen.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "M-25oid is gone!"


    The suprememander of the mars forces, high-general Skad, frowned at his agent''s news.


    Along with him, the high-ranking military officers in the conference room also fell silent.


    Mirage Queen took an hour to end aoid.


    If she did the same and they''re willing to sacrificeoids, then they could stall her.


    But no one voiced out that thought.


    It''s naive to think she''d take that long for eachoid. The reason she spent that long on M-25 was to ensure theplete destruction of the human army.


    She also ordered the stand down of abyssals and did everything on her own.


    But would she do the same?


    Mirage Queen could take down the strongest humans based on aoid in minutes and the abyssal army could use that vacuum to destroy the human army.


    Abyss army would certainly take way more time to conquer theoids, but Mirage Queen would be able to ''win'' eachoid in mere minutes.


    In less than a day, she''d be able to conquer all theoids of mars!


    And in less than a day, mars would lose most of its high awakeners!


    When that happened, and not if, Mars would be utterly defenseless against Mirage Abyss, whether Mirage Queen participated in the offensive or not.


    "Should we send reinforcements and stop her spaceship?" An adviser in the conference room said in a rushed tone. "Ghostship would be the vanguard and we can help Varian from the rear."


    His children were stationed on aoid nearby and the old man wanted to save them at any cost.


    Skad gave a bitter smile. "Are you growing old, Houd? Or are you being desperate?"


    "¡­" Houd, the advisor, realized his mistake and lowered his head.


    They didn''t know how Varian was safe after attacking the ghost ship, but if any human awakener, even a level 9, attacked the queen''s spaceship, they''d be attacked by her psychic powers.


    Forget dying, they might even be used as pawns against their ownrades.


    "Then what do we do? At least ask the soldiers on theoid to retreat. Staying there, they''ll just die!" Houd asked through gritted teeth.


    Skad sighed.


    While it seemed like a good choice, they couldn''t even do that.


    "The moment our forces try to pull back, the abyssals wouldunch an attack. Let''s say they even sessfully pulled back, theoids would fall under abyssals'' control. We can forget regaining them and would have to start preparing mars to face an invasion from theoids."


    Houd clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles turned white. "B-But it''s better than letting them all die."


    "Yes," Skad said, but shook his head. "But whichoids should we evacuate?"


    Houd quickly raised his head to nce at the hologram depicting theoids and Mirage Queen''s position.


    He wanted to point out theoids near her when he realized something.


    Mirage Queen wasn''t attacking all theoids she passed by. She was moving in a random pattern and abruptly picking aoid.


    If they hastily ordered a retreat, then they''d definitely be ambushed by the high-ranking abyssals from theoids where humans already lost.


    But it''s not like they could stay silent.


    In theoids she picked, Mirage Queen quickly killed the high awakeners and let the abyssals start a war.


    It had been only a single hour after M-25 fell, but Mirage Queen decided the fate of four moreoids.


    Dozens of level 9s, and hundreds of level 8s lost their lives just like that.


    As Houd looked at the map with anxiety, anotheroid turned red.


    ¡­It''s the one with his children.


    Houd''s eyes turned red and his chest grew heavy. His heart was in a mess but his head did what it was ustomed to. It continued to think. Like an emotionless machine doing its job.


    ''If we call back the high awakeners from alloids, then high-ranking abyssals would start wars and conquer theoids. Millions of soldiers would die.


    Even if we''re willing to do that and lose theoids for a long time, pulling them back would cause Mirage Queen to reach Mars faster.''


    A bitter chuckle escaped Houd''s lips as he realized their dire situation.


    There was no solution, no strategy, no tactic they could use to salvage themselves.


    In front of absolute strength, his decades-long experience was powerless.


    "I''m sorry,mander." Houd lowered his head as tears slipped from the corner of his eyes. "We have no other choice."


    A choice he desperately wanted to avoid.


    Skad patted Houd''s shoulders and looked at the people in the conference room.


    The highest ranking military officers of Mars¡ªthe men and women at the top of were staring at the hologram with lifeless eyes.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen." Skad addressed the officers whom he had known for decades.


    Out of pure instinct, they shifted their gazes to meet the eyes of themander.


    When they saw the burning determination in the eyes of theirmander, a surge of current passed through their body. They straightened their backs and their despairing hearts thumped with a brilliant light.


    "It''s been an honor working with you." Skad''s eyes shed with nostalgia. "I hope I can work with you in our next life and the next."


    "Yes, Sir!"


    Skad took a breath and ordered. "Star the evacuation n. Pull back the army from theoids."


    The highest-level emergency was dered on mars.


    Billions of bots rose into the sky in an instant and swarmed the popce.


    Millions of spaceships rose into the sky and headed for the highly popted districts.


    Skad''s figure shed as he left with the words.


    "Until they get to safety, we''ll hold her back."

 Chapter 756 The Brightest Light In The Darknest Night

    Chapter 756 The Brightest Light In The Darknest Night


    Varian looked at mars'' condition and held himself from sighing. He felt like someone was grabbing his heart and yanking it out of his ribcage.


    In just a short period of time, he epted killing abyssals even if they''re individually good. He also got used to killing millions of abyssals despite the gruesome sight.


    He also epted responsibility for an oue he didn''t expect at all.


    However, he struggled to ept the magnitude of what was really bing an unintended mistake.


    ''If I didn''t kill Kreo¡­no, I didn''t want to kill him. I just wanted him to suffer.''


    But the result of his revenge was the loss of countless lives.


    No matter what he intended for, Varian knew in the depths of his heart that he was responsible for tens of millions of deaths.


    It wasn''t his fault¡ªKreo''s death was something he clearly didn''t intend for, but it was still his responsibility.


    To be honest, Varian thought things would work out in the end. Like they always did.


    He felt that if he stopped Mirage Queen for three days, then Bali would appear and stop her. He thought he wouldn''t have to see the consequences of his actions.


    But reality gave him a different answer.


    He wasn''t immune from consequences. He won many times. But this time, he lost.


    Even if Bali appeared now and stopped Mirage Queen, the damage had already been done.


    More than ten million lives, dozens of level 9s, and hundreds of level 8s were already dead.


    Nothing he could say or do would change this fact.


    ''But I can''t be stopped by guilt.''


    Despite what he did or perhaps because of it, Varian was even more determined to keep going forward.


    This day would forever be imprinted in his heart.


    As the day when he learned the meaning of responsibility the brutal way.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Mirage Queen opened her eyes and licked her purple lips.


    In a matter of minutes, she killed six level 9s on thisoid.


    The six level 9 abyssals on theoid quicklyunched an attack on the level 8s and started a massacre.


    "The result is set. Anotheroid. A million more lives." The eyes of the queen shone with joy.


    "But Kreo, you still aren''ting out." Her gaze shifted to a in the far distance.


    With everyoid she took down, Mirage Queen''s doubts grew.


    She was still doubtful whether to take that final step.


    To her nemesis.


    As she was about to pick anotheroid, a message shed in front of her.


    [Mars is being evacuated! The troops on theoids are retreating! They''re even using teleportation formations!]


    "WHAT?!"


    Mirage Queen''s eyebrows shot up as she realized humanity was essentially abandoning mars.


    Doing this meant only one thing.


    "Hahahaha!" Mirage Queenughed andughed until tears dropped from the corner of her eyes.


    "What a day! To think I''d get mars on the silver tter."


    With a snap, her spaceship shot towards Mars.


    Two spaceships belonging to level 9 fire abyssals acted as her rear guard and followed behind.


    And two more spaceships belonging to high level 9 human awakeners led her as they took the role of the vanguard!


    Controlling a high level 9 was much harder than just stunning them. Giving specific orders to two level 9s was her limit.


    But Mirage Queen did it anyway. She made level 9s kill level 9s and picked the strongest one to be her toys.


    So far, she changed her toys twice after her toys died fighting till death.


    Leaving behind theoids, the spaceship was racing towards the.


    If possible, she wanted to use the teleportation formations to instantly reach mars, but too bad that human technology was strict.


    Even then, she''s confident in reaching Mars in an hour at most.


    "Go! To death and destruction! Today is the beginning of the end!"


    Even though a good chunk of the poption might escape, Mirage Queen was confident in killing at least a billion people and ying thousands of high awakeners.


    She still didn''t know if Kreo would returnter, but it didn''t matter even if he did.


    Once Mars was conquered, humanity would be divided.


    Mercury, Venus, and Earth would no longer be able to ess the outers and vice versa.


    Once that happened, humanity would enter a period of regression. The predictions of experts stating that mankind would surpass abyssals would turn out into cruel jokes.


    Caught in this negative spiral, humanity would quickly lose to abyssals who were willing to go all out this time.


    "Varian, today is the day where your race''s fate will be decided. I dare you toe again and stop me again." Mirage Queen grinned.


    As if responding to her words, a bright light shone in the dark space and four collisions sounded abruptly.


    "What happe¡ª?"


    A ship crashed into hers and Mirage Queen''s eyes widened in rage as she detected theers.


    A ghost ship and fifty awakeners.


    All level 9s.


    Unexpectedly, they didn''t evacuate but came to fight her.


    But even before them, a certain ship tried to crash into her.


    "Not falling twice for the same trick."


    The Queen''s rear guard, the two level 9 fire abyssals set up a fire shield and blocked off the ghost ship.


    "We''ll not let you pass!" Standing at forefront of the awakeners, Skad dered as he conjured a lightning bolt.


    "Heh. If you all want to die so much, then I will grant your wish." Mirage Queen''s psychic power shot out like a whip and attacked a water awakener.


    Her eyes shook violently as she struggled to control her body. Slowly, but surely, she raised her hand and conjured an ice spear before thrusting it toward herrade.


    The Queen''s vanguard, the two level 9 humans rushed to their formerrades and unleashed the deadliest strikes without caring for their own lives.


    Lightning dragons roared and the space shook. Explosions capable of destroying continents were thrown in groups.


    The space shrouded in darkness was lit up by a multitude of colors.


    On a day darker than the night, guardians of mars burned their souls to light up the world.

 Chapter ?757 A Battle That Cannot Be Won

    Chapter ?757 A Battle That Cannot Be Won


    Even if a Sovereign was extremely powerful than any peak level 9, they weren''t invincible.


    If too many peak level 9s ganged up on a Sovereign, then the Sovereign would also lose.


    The ''too many'' understated the difference. To put things into perspective, it''s like a child fighting an adult.


    Even an adult can''t keep fighting if too many children gang up on him. They''d eventually be exhausted and lose. But how many amounted to too many?


    Even though it''s less extreme than in an adult vs a kid since the attack of peak level 9s could injure Sovereigns, their gap wasn''t small.


    Skad knew this. So did his fifty officers.


    No matter how bravely they fought, they wouldn''t be enough to kill Mirage Queen.


    However, if it''s only stalling her, then¡ª


    The space shook violently as two humans fought against each other.


    <sub></sub>


    Their bodies blurred as they disappeared from one ce and appeared in another, moving tens of miles each time.


    "Samus, I didn''t want to say it since you''re sensitive, but man, I hate your jokes!" An injured level 9ughed boisterously as he punched hisrade.


    "¡­" His brother-in-arms, Samus, returned lethal attacks with expressionless eyes.


    Like quite a few others, Mirage Queen ''controlled'' Samus and pushed him against his own people.p


    She would make them fight each other and bleed each other till death. Her tactics seemed simple.


    "I''ll send you off, brother!" The injured officer raised his fist and punched Samus'' heart.


    But they weren''t. Because when they''re about to kill each other, she would¡ª


    "Hor?" Samus blinked as his eyes shone with focus.


    "Samus!" Hor''s pupils shrunk as he realized he couldn''t take back his attack. But he tried his best to hold back.


    But in that small period, Samus'' eyes turned vacant and his fingers reached Hor''s neck in a piercing motion. Right after, Samus'' eyes returned to normal and he realized what he was doing.


    "NO!"


    But it was already toote.


    The two brothers died in their own hands under the expert maniption of the Mirage Queen.


    A couple of such battles were urring simultaneously as the Mirage Queen controlled awakeners abruptly, but with very good timing.


    Thankfully, she couldn''t control too many high level 9s at once. So, the majority of the fighters, that now amounted to nearly thirty, could focus on attacking her spaceship and stalling her.


    At least, that was the n.


    Even though the fighting force would always be facing one or two members of their own group as enemies with Mirage Queen controlling them, they still had a lot of spares to attack her.


    But mind control wasn''t the only thing Mirage Queen could do.


    "Arghhh!" A lightning awakener that was fighting the puppet warrior suddenly clutched his head as a terrifying pain assaulted his body.


    The human warrior under control cut off hisrade''s head with a single sh.


    "Hiss!"


    She could use mental attacks.


    "S!" A man, who was under an intense battle, suddenly closed his eyes and wailed.


    The human warrior under the control of the queen didn''t miss the opportunity and finished him off.


    "Loni!"


    She could use illusions.


    Assuming that her power only depended on the people she was controlling was foolish.


    <sub> .</sub>


    As a result, the numbers started to dwindle rather quickly.


    A flurry of attacksnded on the queen''s ship. Elemental discharges, great physical attacks, space des, and more.


    But the spaceship merely shook violently. However, there were tiny cracks in some ces.


    Realizing that she was actually taking damage, Mirage Queen''s heart burned with rage.


    "Kill them!"


    The humans under mind control gave up on defending altogether and went for the kill.


    "Damn it!" Skad, the one leading the team''s attack on Mirage Queen''s spaceship cursed.


    An intense mental force was attacking him for the past few seconds and he was barely fighting it.


    If not for their numbers, he doubted Mirage Queen would''ve roasted his brain by now.


    But even now, his ability to lead the team and attack was severely limited. Besides, he had to watch his back for any potential backstabs.


    "Come on! Pour out your strength! If we can break her spaceship, it''s the best oue for us!"


    Even though it''s only a proposal, Varian told him a while ago that if Mirage Queen was spaceship-less, he could ''capture'' her and keep her imprisoned.


    Skad desperately wanted that possibility to be a reality.


    So, even though his head hurt like someone was poking long needles through his ears, he kept fighting.


    Hisrades didn''t shrink either.


    "Oh boy, I''m not dying and I''m not letting you die." An old man said as he shed against his friend and rival.


    Space cracked and exploded as the two space awakeners pushed themselves to the very limit.


    In just ten minutes, their bodies were filled with terrible injuries.


    The two old friends were about tounch a mutual destructive attack when a ship appeared out of nowhere.


    "Woah!"


    It sucked them in without warning.


    The old man under Mirage Queen''s control suddenly yelled and wanted to attack.


    But before he could even attempt that, he was thrown into a special room.


    The old man stopped his roar in the middle and looked at his hands in confusion. "W-What happened?"


    Several bots appeared and put him in one of the many special ss tubes.


    "W-Wamad?"


    The old man found his best friend in the ss tube next to him.


    "Just close your eyes for now." A young but mature voice reached his ears. Recognizing the voice, the old man allowed himself to close his eyes and lose consciousness.


    "Boo, ultra-heal."


    The ss tubes released high-grade healing potions and the six warriors in the ghost ship started to heal.


    After ten minutes, an old woman regained consciousness.


    The first thing she saw was a hologram depicting the situation outside and the exit to the room.


    Perhaps she understood everything or perhaps she didn''t, but without a word, she rushed out of the ghost ship.


    Ten more minutester, the old men also rejoined the battlefield.


    "Tch! Undying cockroaches!" Mirage Queen cursed.


    Whenever she tried to control the people who were taken into the ghost ship for healing, she failed.


    Even though the warriors returning weren''t perfectly healed, they were in a much better condition.


    So, the battle that was originally supposed to end soon was dragged on for much longer.


    Even though he couldn''t directly participate in the battle, Varian was making a difference.

 Chapter ?758 Did I do my best?

    Chapter ?758 Did I do my best?


    "Sk, we need to go!" A middle-aged man said with a grim expression.


    Sk, his pregnant wife, bit her lip as she stared at the photo in the living room.


    A photo depicting her and her father, the high general of Mars, Skad.


    "I want to stay." She said, closing her eyes.


    "Are you crazy?! Our child is about to be born! Don''t even think about it!" The middle-aged man yelled as his face turned red in anger.


    Sk flinched. This was the first time her husband yelled at her. She could understand why.


    But.


    Since they were being evacuated, it meant that the abyssal army would descend on mars.


    "If the army reallyes, I want to fight. I don''t want to run away."


    <sub></sub>


    "Not happening. I can go join the fight, but the mother of my child, you are going to mercury." The man held her in a princess carry and walked out of their vi.


    Sk was grateful for her husband''s love and sad that she was running away from the battlefield.


    She was breaking her father''s teachings.


    <Skad''s zeroth rule>


    ''Remember, child. One man can''t win a war. One man can''t change the world. One man can''t defeat an evil.


    But one man can turn the tide. One man can start a change. One man can be the hope against evil.''


    [Please follow the rules and evacuate. This is a disaster-level emergency.] The district bot announced.


    People were lining up in the streets as they entered one of the hundreds of spaceships.


    Unlike the usual times, these spaceshipsnded wherever they found space. Sometimes, they even cleared up the existing vehicles andnded there.


    "Move! Move!"


    "Don''t dy anyone!"


    "Don''t waste time! Sit or get out!"


    The mini-bots in the shape of a sphere with angel wings managed the crowd.


    "Arghh! If I''m going to die, I''ll take down others with me!"


    A man in the queue went nuts and raised his aura to attack others.


    Before he could do anything, a killing intent locked onto him, and a mental attack knocked him out.


    "Throw him away. Get it going! Hurry up!"


    The old man sitting near the spaceship said slowly, but his voice sounded in everyone''s minds.


    The crowd froze all of a sudden. Soon, she was seated in one of the specialpartments. The spaceship would take off in an hour.


    Sk bit her lip as she looked at the sky outside the window with a worried gaze.


    Sk hoped her child would experience childhood on this beautiful red. So, she clung to her father''s words and hoped that mars would be saved.


    But now, she was only hoping her father would be safe.


    ''Please. I beg you, father. If a Sovereign doesn''t appear, there''s no use in you fighting the Mirage Queen. Don''t be reckless.''


    She prayed desperately.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Blood burst in space as the greatest warriors of mars fell one by one.


    Lightning snakes danced as fire phoenixes screeched.


    Under the attacks of Mirage Queen, no one knew when their ally would be their enemy nor did they know when they''d be pulled into an illusion or attacked by a vicious mental force.


    Even though they tried their best, they were no match for her.


    They were grateful that they could fight a bit longer thanks to Varian. But even then, they''re at their limits.


    "For Mars!" Skad raised his hand and uttered a battle cry.


    His voice, imbued with aura, spread across space as it shook the heart and souls of the thirteen surviving warriors.


    Even the two officers under the queen''s control were shaken for a moment.


    "For Mars!"


    <sub> .</sub>


    The eleven warriors yelled as they fought against the two level 9 fire abyssals and two of their ownrades.


    One of theirrades quickly fell, only to be reced by one of their own allies.


    A woman fighting a fire abyssal suddenly froze as she''s pulled into an illusion and was easily burnt by a firestorm.


    A man who''s about to deliver a killing blow to the fire abyssal suddenly dropped his sword and clutched his head. He too met the same fate.


    Skad and a few members continued to attack the spaceship.


    Their attacksnded without fail andpared to the beginning, there were more cracks on the vessel.


    But it''s still nothing significant. However, using their attacks, they did stop her from leaving.


    Not anymore.


    "Give up! It''s over!" Mirage Queen''s bone-chilling voice reached everyone.


    Skad raised his bloodied hands as he looked behind him.


    The two fire abyssals were recuperating from their injuries.


    His eightrades fainted or were immobilized from injuries and his tworades were about to kill them under the queen''s control.


    It was then that a field of darkness covered the ten members. When Skad''s senses barely reached their positions, they were gone.


    Skad didn''t panic. It''s undoubtedly Varian who took them away.


    At first, he wanted to kill the fire abyssals and let the ghost ship sh with the mirage queen''s ship to stall time. But Mirage Queen was well aware of his n and ensured the fire abyssals'' safety.


    So, he could only attack the ship himself to stall her.


    But with hisrades gone, he''d be the only one facing the queen''s attacks. He wasn''t sure if he could resist her for more than a minute.


    "General Skad, get in!" Hism let out a message. It was Varian.


    Skad could also feel the presence of a ghost ship right behind him.


    "The battle is over. We did our best. Now, it''s time to leave."


    Skad just needed to enter the ghost ship.


    Yes. They did their best. By now, at least 50% of Mars'' poption would''ve been transferred. All the defense material was also shifted to safe positions.


    He just needed to leave.


    But Skad didn''t enter the ghost ship.


    A terrifying pain assaulted his mind as the mirage queen began to slowly kill him.


    Varian seemed to realize his situation seeing his frown and said. "Even if you fight, it''ll make no difference."


    Skad gritted his teeth and finally shook his head. He uttered the second rule he followed in his life.


    <You don''t have to be the strongest, the fastest, or the smartest. You just have to be there when you''re needed the most.>


    Skad gripped his sword. "Varian, we need to stall her as long as we can."


    Chi umted in Skad''s arms and his sword began to glow.


    His mind was crumbling under the mirage queen''s attack. But as if on instinct, Skad kept channeling the chi.


    Blood began to spill out of his eyes and mouth as he forcibly kept his body under his control.


    His lips curled into a smile as he shot towards the spaceship.


    "Even if it''s small, every one of us can make a difference."


    Skad''s body emitted a bright orange light as he poured his all into his final fight.


    In the ghost ship, Varian gritted his teeth as he watched Skad''s final battle.


    The strongest man on mars burnt his heart and soul as he fought the mirage queen for two minutes and three seconds before he died from exhaustion.


    Before he died, he mouthed something through his bloodied mouth.


    Varian''s body trembled as he understood Skad''s final words.


    "Did I do my best?"


    Skad''s body turned into particles of light and dispersed into the universe.


    On this day, the high general of Mars, sacrificed himself despite knowing his death wouldn''t make any difference.


    ''Yes, you did your best. So, please rest in peace now.''


    Varian closed his eyes in pain.


    It''s over now.


    After a while, Mirage queen''s ship reached mars.

 Chapter ?759 Farewells

    Chapter ?759 Farewells


    "The spaceship is about to take off! Final call!" The stewardess announced.


    The crowd outside looked on with tearful eyes as they bid farewell to their loved ones.


    The ones outside would be leaving in the next batch of flights.


    "50% of mars poption is already evacuated. With this batch, we''ll be crossing the 50% limit."


    The announcement by the military officer overseeing this district reached everyone. Contrary to the depressing atmosphere, his voice was cheerful.


    But the Martians only felt dismayed at this announcement.


    Sk clenched her fists.


    As high general Skad''s daughter, she knew the elderly officer who was supervising this district. He was a strict man who rarely smiled.


    So, for such a man to be cheerful over this announcement only meant one thing.


    ''They didn''t expect we could pull even this off! Just how dire is the situation? Is father going to be fine?'' Sk''s chest tightened as she felt suffocated.


    As her heart pounded against her chest, she felt an intense stare and turned her head.


    Her husband, who heaven knows when had changed into a military uniform, was waving at her.


    Giving her an affectionate smile, he shifted his gaze to her bulging belly.


    ''Take care of our child.''


    He mouthed.


    Sk''s eyes widened as she realized what he was going to do.


    "No!" She yelled, but under the emergency announcements, her voice was drowned out.


    "Stop there!"


    A while ago, she volunteered to stay behind, but when her husband was leaving her to fight the abyssals alone, Sk couldn''t take it.


    But as the nursing bots injected her with special potions to calm her down and keep the child safe, Sk realized she couldn''t move too much lest she hurt her baby.


    So, she could only watch the back of her husband grow distant.


    Taking a deep breath, she yelled. "Survive!"


    He gave her a thumbs up without turning around and kept walking.


    Seeing his confident gait, Sk finally smiled before her face quickly paled.


    Turning to the clouds in the direction of theoids, Sk gazed at the horizon. Her chest suddenly felt constricted as a sense of loss overwhelmed her.


    Losing. She was definitely losing something or someone precious to her.


    Since her husband''s back was vaguely visible and her child was perfectly safe, then¡­


    "Father¡­" Sk muttered as she recalled the man who rarely spent time with family due to his missions.


    "Father!" Sk wailed as tears streamed down her cheeks.


    She recalled the short but sweet times with her father. Every moment that she cherished.


    Sk''s vision blurred and her heart grew heavy with pain. She knew that her father could retreat even from Mirage Queen.


    But since he didn''t, she felt that he must have sacrificed himself.


    He sacrificed himself to save other families and orphaned his own family.


    "Why?" Sk bit her lip. "It''s not fair."


    Sk touched her protruding belly as she felt the life in her stomach. Caressing it with a bitter smile, she said. "You promised you''d see him. Is this how you break promises?"


    It was then that an eerie chuckle reached her ears, including everyone with her.


    "Hahaha! Mars! Humanity''s extinction will begin with you!"


    Hearing that beautiful voice utter those chilling words, Sk felt a shiver run down her spine.


    She held her stomach in a protective gesture instinctively while looking out of the window.


    Despite being a level 6, she couldn''t spot anyone in the clouds. But a depressing atmosphere spread across mars.


    It''s as if it was the was feeling something ominous. Even the air started to feel heavy.


    "Could it be¡­" Sk''s face paled like it was drained of all blood.


    As if confirming her suspicions, a chuckle reached the minds of the three billion Martians at the same time.


    "This Queen will end your pathetic lives once and for all."


    Sk guarded her unborn child as she red at the invisible enemy.


    She was rtively calm. But most people weren''t. They panicked, caused a ruckus, and started running for their lives.


    The order that was hard maintained by the military broke down and mars descended into chaos.


    "Sir, what do we do?" A young man in histe twenties, one of the military officers tasked with overseeing a district''s evacuation, asked his superiors throughm.


    "¡­Pray."


    "Sir?" Even though he knew this was a dangerous mission, the man felt a lump stuck in his throat at those words.


    "Pray, Sergeant. Whatever we could''ve done, we have. Now, we can only pray for a miracle."


    "I¡­" The young man opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. The corner of his eyes turned wet, but he quickly rubbed the tears away before they could even form.


    Taking a deep breath, the man straightened his back and his eyes shone with a resolute gaze.


    "Sir, please tell my son¡­tell him that I''m sorry for not being there for him. Tell him that I love him. T-Tell that to my one-year-old son when he grows up. C-Can you do that, Sir? I don''t want him to hate me."


    "I will, even if it''s thest thing I can do." The voice on the other side of them sighed. Then, in a tone filled with sincerity and respect, it said. "It''s an honor working with you, Alreigh."


    "The honor is mine, Sir." Alreigh ended the call and looked around.


    The crowd was causing a ruckus as they recklessly ran, fought, and screamed.


    Alreigh narrowed his eyes and a gravity wave rippled from him and washed over the crowd.


    Suddenly, everyone froze in their tracks.


    "The chances of survival aren''t zero. But if any one of you moves, I''ll leave you behind and you''ll surely die. So, follow my instructions. Do I make myself clear?"


    The crowd was still shocked at the heavy gravity binding their feet. When they heard the cold and cruel words of the officer, they subconsciously replied.


    "Yes!"


    Alreigh nodded and led the crowd into spaceships one by one.


    Not all spaceships flew out of mars, some went to spaceports where the people went to others using teleportation formations.


    Even though the teleportation formations were already under tremendous pressure, Alreigh decided to send as many people as he could.


    As he took four spaceships and reached the overcrowded spaceport where more than a million people were already vying for teleportation formations, an ominous chuckle reverberated across mars.


    "Enjoy yourst two minutes."

 Chapter 760 Wishing The End Of A World

    Chapter 760 Wishing The End Of A World


    A few minutes earlier:


    As Mirage Queen reached Mars, she already killed the soldiers in the final line of defense¡ªthe space ships, the space stations, and moons.


    Like ants washed away by water, the soldiers washed away under her tremendous power.


    After clearing the final opposition, Mirage Queen didn''t descend on mars nor did she start killing.


    After running a few scans of the with her mental sense, she realized that only about half of mars'' poption remained.


    The final hesitation in her heart disappeared.


    Kreo left!


    For one reason or another, Kreo wasn''t here to stop her.


    It''s over! No one could stop her! The ones that tried already died!


    She tapped her armrest andughed. "Hahahaha! Mars! Humanity''s extinction will begin with you!"


    Standing above Mars'' atmosphere, she dered those prophetic words.


    As she''s about to release her attacks on the military officers and order them for a massacre, she realized something.


    The poption was still evacuating. And there were just too many people.


    Even if she tried her best, she wouldn''t be able to finish them off without an hour or two.


    By then, even if she interfered with all her might, millions of humans would have escaped.


    "There must be a way to end them quickly. Seeing even one human escape makes me angry." Mirage Queen gnashed her teeth and contacted her ''dog''.


    "My Queen!" In the hologram, a man in ck clothes bowed his head.


    "Do you have any quick way to destroy mars and instantly kill every person on the?" Mirage Queen asked, her eyes burning with desire.


    Tamal, the Shadow Lord of Mars, gulped.


    Truth be told, he long evacuated his secret realm and left for another. The same could be said for every family and organization controlling a secret realm.


    Once Mars was conquered, the secret realms would be found out and their lives would be at mercy of the abyssals.


    Still, Tamal wanted his promised reward. So, he thought hard about how to aplish the queen''smand.


    Mirage Queen tapped her armrest as she read other reports.


    Apparently, it had been six hours since Mars started the evacuation. They already managed to empty half of the poption.


    Seeing the news, her conviction to destroy the poption as soon as possible was strengthened.


    If she took an hour or two, then hundreds of millions of humans would escape!


    A minute passed. Then another.


    Shadow Lord Timal''s suddenly lit up and he said. "There''s a way!"


    "Oh?" Mirage Queen raised a brow.


    "Mars'' power nts are spread across the. If we hack the power grid and detonate them, the entire will go down!" Timal then began to exin the details of his sinister n.


    The more she listened, the more Mirage Queen smiled.


    At the same time, she decided in her mind that once this mission was over, she''d bring Timal to her side and enve him.


    "¡­I hate this. So, I''ve tried to destroy it many times in the past. But the military is too strong. I didn''t even seed in destroying a city." Timal sighed before raising his head.


    "You are seeding now, yes?"


    "With your grace." Timal smiled before his face turned serious. "But your majesty, do properly time and detonate the power grid, the people in the grid must be controlled.


    The defenses of the power grid are at an all-time low, so we don''t need to worry about fighting and focus on getting them to work. But they won''t agree¡­"


    "Heh." Mirage Queen smirked. "I will make them."


    Timal nodded with a smile and tapped hism for a few moments before giving her a list of power grids.


    "Since the evacuation began, it seems that most of the workers in the power grid left leaving behind only a few who volunteered to stay. If your majesty can¡­" Timal chuckled.


    Mirage Queen nodded and closed her eyes.


    Her spaceship moved ording to her will and like a huge floodlight scanning through a dark area, her mind sense scanned mars.


    In a matter of minutes, Mirage Queen found every power grid on the list. Not just that, she also found the people inside the grid and nted an ''order'' inside their minds.


    Through this silent but deadly operation, Mirage Queen fully utilized her privilege as a mind awakener.


    While they had disadvantages due to their weak body, their attack range was the highest among all paths.


    "Formte a n to deal maximum damage to mars." She ordered an expert.


    It''s aplex order and would typically be impossible to work on high awakeners. But these experts in the power grids weren''t strong and thus fell prey to her.


    The old expert reported to her that a simultaneous detonation of power grids would leave behind exponentially more damage than random detonation. The expert even gave the urate steps to achieve a perfect simultaneous detonation.


    Mirage Queen was more than happy and ordered them to start.


    Soon, every power grid on the was working towards a simultaneous detonation.


    Timal watched all this with a crazed smile on his face.


    His mother was a whore. But one day, she was killed by an officer who wanted an extreme ''y'' during sex.


    After seeing her death, Timal, the boy from the bottom of society, could only approach the court.


    The court did punish the officer, but he got away with only a sentence of 5 years. The reason cited by the judge: ''He''s a high awakener. We need his services.''


    Timal spent the entire week crying. But from the eighth day, he startedughing. People thought he went crazy and perhaps he did.


    Before he knew it, he joined one shady gang after another and ended up in the Shadow Guardians.


    Stooping to the lowest of low to achieve his goals, he grew. With him, so did his vengeance.


    When he became the leader of Shadow Order''s mars branch, Timal butchered his family like they were animals and tortured the man until his sanity broke down.


    But the fire in his heart¡ªhis burning rage didn''t calm down. It only grew.


    His hatred shifted from the officer to the world.


    He tried many times in the past but failed to destroy this.


    Now, after all these years, he finally had the chance.


    "Your Highness." The expert overseeing the operation called.


    Mirage Queen inquired him about the situation.


    Timal perked his ears as he held his breath in anticipation.


    "Two minutes. Everything will be over in two minutes."


    Mirage Queen''s smile was dazzling bright as she nodded in satisfaction. Her voice soon reached the.


    "Enjoy yourst two minutes."

 Chapter ?761 Lets Die Together

    Chapter ?761 Let''s Die Together


    "I''m beat," Varian wiped the sweat off his forehead as his whole body ached.


    For thest an hour, he had been pouring out using his ntae powers to heal the severely injured level 9s.


    When Mirage Queen was about to finish them off, Varian saved them by pulling them into the celestial room.


    But he wasn''t able to convince Skad to get in.


    ''Why did he do that despite knowing nothing will change?'' Varian didn''t understand.


    While he respected the man for his bravery, all Skad achieved with his death was buying two minutes.


    If he was alive, Varian believed, Skad would''ve been able to inflict more damage on abyssals or save more humans.


    Shaking his head, Varian held the hand of an unconscious injured old man. His hand transformed into a branch and emitted a soft green light.


    When he was first taken into the ghost ship, the old man''s chest was nearly cleaved and his heart was about to stop beating.


    Even with Varian''s potions, he barely held on. It''s only thanks to Varian''s constant treatment of his ntae that the old man managed to recover.


    Now he''s halfway through and Varian believed the old man would be able to fully heal in an hour or two, depending on whether he continued to heal him or not.


    ''Two it is.'' Varian panted as he grew fatigued. ''I can''t heal him anymore.''


    Taking a final nce at the ten unconscious fighters in the room, Varian left for themand center.


    "Varian." Sia greeted him with a worried expression.


    At first, she wanted him to stay away from mars. It''s certain that mars would undergo a bloodbath under Mirage Queen.


    Sia was afraid that Varian would be devastated seeing the loss of billions of lives and me it all on himself.


    What really scared her was the possibility of Varian growing despondent.


    After so much struggle and pain, Varian was finally able to smile brightly. She didn''t want him to fall into depression again.


    But Varian insisted. He had to witness what was about to happen.


    ''I can''t run away, Sia. It won''t solve any problems.''


    So, she relented.


    But still, Sia was ready to take away Varian from Mars on the slightest sign that his spirit was going to be crushed.


    "Master, something is fishy," Boo reported the situation as it pointed to the hologram depicting the as well as a red marker pinpointing the mirage queen''s location.


    "After she took a trip around the mars, the mirage queen stopped moving. No massacre is taking ce on the either."


    From the main hologram, several holograms depicting the cities broke away and showed him the orderly evacuation on the ground.


    Even though the citizens were pale and shaky, under the guidance of the army, they were evacuating systematically.


    Varian''s brows furrowed as he felt an ominous premonition.


    Mirage Queen came her for the kill. She''d be more than happy to ughter the entire poption, even if it took her an hour or two.


    But she''s doing nothing.


    "No." Varian shook his head and got that assumption out of his head. "She''s doing something. We can''t see it."


    He quickly thought up the possible reason. "Because¡­if she inly kills, many people will still escape."


    As Varian thought hard, the citizens suddenly stiffened and their faces paled.


    "Boo, what happened?" Varian asked with a frown.


    "Just a sec, master." Boo went through several records. From the previous experience, Mirage Queen wasmunicating directly into their minds.


    From the discussions that broke out after her words, Boo was able to grasp what she said.


    "She said that they have two minutes to enjoy."


    Varian''s eyebrow jumped and his heart pounded against his chest. "No way. Did she find a method to kill everyone in two minutes?"


    Even though he''s unwilling to admit it, the answer must be yes.


    But how?


    Varian racked his brains as he stared at the cities. If he didn''t do something, these cities brimming with people would soon be graveyards.


    [01:45]


    From the two minutes that the abyss queen gave, fifteen seconds were already over.


    Varian''s palms started to sweat as he tried to find the queen''s n.


    Mass weapons of destruction were emptied. It''s ruled out.


    A meteor strike to wipe out the entire poption was possible. However, if she tried it, Varian had the confidence in stopping her. But Varian couldn''t see any weapon that could perform a meteor strike.


    ''Wait, why take two minutes anyway?''


    Varian''s frown deepened.


    In his opinion, abyssals weren''t the type to show mercy. Since they''re taking two minutes, it means they needed two minutes even while trying their best.


    ''Reminds me of the explosives that have a time¡ªwait!'' Varian suddenly turned to Boo and said. "Explosion!"


    "Explosion?"


    "I think yes. There will be a detonation all across mars." Varian was growing more convinced of his guess.


    "But abyssals didn''t have any time to nt the bombs. And naturally, there are no bombs nted all across mars." Boo pointed out.


    "It''s true, so the explosive must be something present everywhere." Varian''s eyes narrowed. "Something normally safe, but when tampered with, should be a deadly explosive."


    "¡­power nts." Sia suddenly said. "Shadow Order has tried detonating them in the past."


    "Yes!" Varian nodded. "Hack the power grid and check if something is going on."


    [1:30]


    Time was running out and Varian gritted his teeth.


    A hologram popped up and was loaded. Soon, the situation of the power grid would be show¡ª


    "Huh?"


    The hologram turned nk and Boo scowled. "Master, thework is closed off. You''re right."


    Varian''s chest felt heavy as he swallowed his saliva in nervousness. "C-Can you stop it?"


    He''s d that they found the cause. But anxious that they might not able to do anything despite their knowledge.


    "Even though it''s closed, all the active power nts form awork. If you can get into any active power nt, Boo can hack them and shut everything down in an instant." Boo patted its chest.


    Varian tapped the hologram and zoomed onto the nearest power nt. With just a thought, the ghost ship''s engine roared and it was about to race towards mars when Varian suddenly lost his footing.


    A shing sound reverberated in his mind as the ghost ship turned upside down. The space outside the ghost ship''s windows was now lit by dark mes as one me phoenix after another made their way towards the ghost ship.


    "She found our location!"


    Mirage Queen wasn''t being idle. She used her mind sense and scanned for the slightest traces of the ghost ship.


    And once she found it, she informed her fire abyss guards.


    And thus, here they were.


    "Boo!" Varian gripped the wall and shouted. "To the power nt!"


    The ghost ship forcibly broke through the sea of fire and shot towards mars.


    Mirage Queen''s mental sense followed them as did the fire abyssals.


    As the ghost ship reached the surface, the sky suddenly turned red.


    A huge spearposed of silver metal shot at the ghost ship. When it''s about to collide, the spear tip suddenly burst into mes and engulfed the ship in a sea of fire.


    The ghost ship shook violently and its trajectory changed before it crashed a few miles away from the power nt.


    ''Master, there are some serious injuries to Boo. For some time, Boo can''t take any attacks.'' Boo said in a painful tone.


    Varian nodded and racked his brains on what he should do when he heard a chuckle from behind.


    -- -- --


    The door to the spaceship opened and the fire abyssals smiled.


    Finally, they''re about to get rid of the boy who became a nightmare to their race.


    But seeing an old man walking out of the ghost ship, the smile on their faces stiffened.


    After the old man, nine more warriors that previously fought them exited the spaceship.


    They still had major injuries and despite outnumbering them, the ten warriors wouldn''t gain any major advantage over them.


    Yet.


    "We''ll take care of these bitches!"


    "Off you go, boy!"


    "Leave this to us!"


    The warriors of mars summoned their powers as they prepared for the shortest yet most important battle of their life.


    Mirage Queen tried to lock onto them but Enigma waved her hand and a cloud of darkness covered her and Varian.


    Due to its intrinsic nature, the dark field shielded out Mirage Queen''s mental power for a few moments.


    When the Mirage Queen finally managed to send her mind sense into the darkness, Varian and Enigma were long gone!


    "Find them!"


    Varina and Enigma rushed through the huge power nt block underground. The ghost ship on the surface vanished and turned into a transparent ring before it returned to Varian.


    They reached the building they were looking for when a bright light shed in front of them, and space distorted.


    Ten men dressed in ck stepped out.


    Seven level 8s and two level 9s.


    Varian and Enigma stiffened.


    The leader of the group, a low level 9 pointed his sword at them and growled. "Let''s die together."

 Chapter 762 Desperate Struggle

    Chapter 762 Desperate Struggle


    Timal watched his subordinates confront Varian and Enigma with a smile on his face.


    In every organization, there were people who would be ready to die for its goals. It''s especially true for an organization like Shadow Order.


    After he learned that Mirage Queen was plotting against Mars, Shadow Lord Timal evacuated the secret realm that Shadow Order upied, with the exception of a few people that were ready to face death.


    When Varian entered the underground entrance, the security found someone intruding into the power block.


    As the one overseeing the mission, Timal checked the intruder and was blown away.


    He made no dy in informing the Shadow Order members on Mars.


    And thus¡ª


    "Let''s all die together." The low level 9 pointed his sword at Enigma and swung it down.


    A sh of brilliant light in the shape of a sword broke through the air and reached Enigma.


    Due to its sheer momentum, a fierce wind was born and broke the walls of the underground district with ease.


    Enigma didn''t engage in the sword strike and used her gravity power. Her toe touched the ground for one moment and the next, her body blurred and she was standing behind the seven level 8s.


    Her mind sense hit three peak level 8s and the men clutched their heads. As her sword was about to end their life, a rock hammer blocked her.


    "Don''t forget me, bitch!" The mid level 9 Earth awakener grinned and waved his hand.


    Two huge rock hands sprouted from the ground and rushed at Enigma, with the intention to capture her or crush her in the process.


    Enigma''s figure blurred and she was about to escape when a flurry of sword strikes targetted her from behind.


    The low level 9 grinned as he finished the step in cornering Enigma.


    On the other hand, the four level 8s were already engaging in a sh with Varian. Rather than calling it a sh, it was more apt to call it a beating.


    Even though Enigma took the three peak level 8s, two low level 8s and two mid level 8s still remained.


    And theypletely overpowered Varian.


    The two mid level 8s fired one shot of fire arrow after another. The fire arrows were two meters long and half-meter thick.


    Just passing by a fountain nearby was enough to make it vaporize¡ªthat''s how hot they were.


    Varian gritted his teeth as he kept dodging the fire arrows using teleportation.


    Even though he managed to dodge most of their attacks, the few times the fire arrows grazed his body was enough to melt his skin and flesh.


    Varian''s body convulsed as the terrifying pain broke even his tolerance and caused him to wail.


    But he didn''t the luxury to sit and cry.


    When Varian dodged two fire arrows and appeared on top of a building, a fistnded on his back and sent him crashing to the floor.


    Varian heard the sounds of bones cracking as he felt a sweet taste fill his throat. His crash created a huge crater and at the bottom of the crater was a puddle of red blood. His blood.


    Two giant fire arrows rose to the ceiling before they dived down at Varian, intending to burn him to cinders.


    [00:45]


    Varian''s eyes shed with an anxious light and he channeled his space power with all his might.


    Locking that one building in the power block he needed to get into, Varian teleported.


    One of the peak level 8s noticed his moment and forcibly used their powers on him. Since Enigma was still interfering with their minds, he wasn''t able to achieve his goal, however, he sessfully stopped Varian from achieving his.


    The gravity around Varian distorted right before he teleported and when he reappeared, it wasn''t in the building, but a mile away from it.


    Enigma, who was currently engaged in a brutal battle, noticed this and her eyes burned with rage.


    "You''re courting death!"


    Her bone-chilling voice caused the gravity awakener to shudder as a terrifying pain engulfed his mind.


    The three peak level 8s clutched their heads as they curled up on the ground.


    Enigma cut off any chances of them interfering with Varian again, but since her focus turned to them, the two level 9s fighting her took advantage and inflicted a major injury on her.


    Enigma''s face winced as she felt a searing pain. It hurt. It hurt very much.


    But.


    ''This much is nothing.''


    Compared to the darkness she lived in, a bit of pain was no big deal.


    Enigma gritted her teeth and engaged in the brutal brawl.


    A dozen miles away from her, Varian''s face paled as he realized his teleportation was tampered with. He channeled his powers to teleport again. But two arrows reached him from left and right.


    When he hastily dodged them by jumping into the air, a fist punched him in the chest and sent him flying to the fourth level 8 who wasn''t doing anything since the start.


    His eyes were clouded as he was fighting Varian''s illusion. But from the way he shook from time to time, Varian knew he wasn''t going tost.


    A lightning spear grew out of Varian''s fingertip and was about to pierce the man''s chin.


    "Don''t!"


    "Stop!"


    Two fire arrows sped up abruptly and shot toward him.


    It''s clear. If he didn''t want to be burnt alive, he should stop attacking and dodge.


    But Varian gave them a middle finger and his lightning spear pierced through the man''s chin and fried his brain.


    "Bastard! Die!"


    Varian''s skin started to melt as the fire arrows reached him. But an invisible barrier appeared between him and the fire arrows, stalling them for a small moment.


    The barrier, made of the mix of his level 7 powers, space, water, and lightning, onlysted for a split second before it shattered.


    The fire arrows reached Varian who had just a tad more time to react and managed to avoid his vitals being burnt.


    Even then, the fire arrows lodged themselves in his right shoulder and right foot. Then they burned.


    His skin melted away before he knew it and his blood evaporated in an instant. Before Varian knew it, only his bones remained and even they were slowly being melted.


    The word pain was an understatement for what he was feeling.


    A blood-curling pain escaped Varian''s lips as a pain in the levels he had never experienced passed through his body.


    Varian only managed to teleport himself at thest moment before two more fire arrows could burn him down.


    But when he did reappear, the low level 8, who had a knack for fighting space awakeners, punched him like the other two times and sent him flying.


    Varian crashed to the floor as hey with terrible injuries. His right leg and right shoulder were non-existent as his bones were visible in more than half of the area.


    Truthfully, such an injury should''ve crippled any low level 8 and rendered him powerless.


    But Varian not only managed to cope with the injuries without fainting, but he was also able to garner the strength to stand up and float in the air.


    His three opponents, two mid level 8 fire awakeners, and one low level 8 body awakener widened their eyes at Varian''s valor.


    If they had half of his injuries, they''d be fainting. But this guy¡­


    Varian felt a surge of strength as popping sounds rang in his body. Even though his injuries were terrible, thanks to his level 8 ntae with crazy regenerative abilities, he didn''t faint.


    In fact, with speed visible to the naked eye, flesh grew on his leg and shoulder as blood was created to fill it up.


    Varian''s mind power locked onto the low level 8 body awakener and the man froze in his ce.


    Until now, Varian was using his mind power to keep the low level 8 space awakener, that he just killed, under an illusion.


    Since he''s dead, his mental power was freed up and Varian decisively froze the guy who was responsible for him falling into this state.


    [00:20]


    Varian''s brows furrowed and he clenched his left fist. The right was out ofmission and even with his increased regenerative abilities, it''d take at least a few minutes until the bone became a full-fledged arm.


    "Time to end this."


    Varian''s body shed and he shot toward the fire awakeners. The mid level 8s raised domes of fire to shield themselves.


    But for some reason, they couldn''t stop panicking. They felt that Varian had suddenly grown stronger.


    They were right.


    As Varian cut down the distance between him and the fire awakeners, his eyes shed as his mind sense covered the entire battlefield, including the distant site Enigma was fighting at.


    [Superhuman L8: 0/25k [Advanced]


    Space L7: 5/7


    Lightning L7: 5/7


    ntae L8: 3k/25k (+3k)


    Psychic L8: 2k/25k


    Macrokic L7: 6/7


    Water L7: 5/7]


    "We''ll burn you to cinders, you hypocrite hero!"


    "We''ll show the burning rage of someone who''s abandoned by the world!"


    Two fire phoenixes rose into the air and screeched at Varian.


    The air seemed to be still for a moment before its temperature spiked.


    [00:15]


    Varian didn''t seem to care as he didn''t change his movement despite being only a few feet away from the fire awakeners.


    Rather, he raised his hand and summoned a spear.


    A unique spear. Its body was made up of solidified space. The upper half of the spear was filled with lighting, the lower half was filled with ice.


    An invisible telekic power gripped the spear and got ready tounch this deadly multi-path weapon.


    The fire awakeners gulped. Since the powers that made up the spear were mostly level 7s, they weren''t intimidated by the spear.


    But they were utterly shocked by the man who couldbine four powers into one attack.


    And that''s why they intensified their attacks and decided to bring him down with them.


    The fire phoenixes gave a final screech before they dived down at Varian, with the intention of devouring him whole and burning him to bones.


    As he''s about to sh with the fire phoenix, Varian smirked.


    His body disappeared at thest moment and he appeared dozens of miles away, right behind the unsuspecting peak level 8s that were under Enigma''s mind suppression.


    Sensing Varian''s presence, the peak level 8s were about to move instinctively to defend themselves.


    But without giving them any chance, Varian''s spear passed through their chests and destroyed their hearts.


    The first one had his heart electrocuted to death, the second one''s heart was frozen and smashed to pieces, and the third one had it ripped off his body.


    When the three peak level 8s died, the need for Enigma to keep her mind power on them disappeared.


    ''As expected of you.'' Enigma''s lips curled up almost imperceptibly as she increased her offense against the level 9s.


    Since she could use her mind powers freely, her position improved.


    [00:10]


    Varian swallowed his saliva and waved his hand. A lightning spear appeared behind the low level 8 body awakener who was currently under his mind suppression.


    The man tried to move and was almost sessful in dodging when the space around him stiffened and telekic force held him in ce.


    The lighting spear severed his neck and ended his life.


    [00:08]


    Varian''s heart pounded in anxiousness as he looked at the target building in the distance.


    He could sense a few lives in it, presumably the guys enacting the n. Even though he could kill them using his mind power, the n was already rolling. Their deaths wouldn''t change a thing.


    The only way to stop it was for Boo to stop it.


    If it was any other time, Varian would''ve just thrown Boo and asked it to reach the building by itself.


    But now, he didn''t dare to do so.


    The previous attacks by the fire awakeners and all the attacks by the abyssals and mirage queen minions until now did a severe number on Boo.


    Right now, Boo was repairing itself.


    If the level 9s fighting Enigma threw caution to the wind and attacked it, then there''s a high chance ghost ship might be gone forever.


    Even when mars was under the threat of destruction, Varian didn''t have the heart to risk Boo''s life.


    So, instead of dodging the fire arrows thrown at him, Varian channeled his space power and decided to teleport to the building.


    But before he could, a huge fire dome enveloped the building.


    "We''re not letting you pass." The fire awakeners dered.


    "Fuck you!" Varian cursed as he teleported to them and decided to make it quick.


    [00:06]


    The mid level 8s erected fire walls from all directions to prevent his attack.


    Varian''s eyes shed with a ruthless light.


    The only way for him to finish off the fire awakeners fast was to attack their body. Trying to kill them with elemental attacks was much harder.


    [00: 05]


    "Haha! It''s over!"


    "You''ll die! Everyone on this disgusting will die!"


    Varian''s eyes burned with rage and instead of backing away from the fire walls, he jumped into them.


    The fire awakeners widened their eyes as they saw the man jumping out of the fire with injuries so terrible on him that he could barely be called human.


    Yet, his eyes burned with such a frightening gaze that the two of them felt a jolt of fear down their spines.


    "The only ones dying," Varian raised his half-burnt fists and punched the heads of the fire awakeners into pieces.


    "Is you!"


    [00:03]


    Varian forcibly ignored the pain in his body and locked his space sense into the building.


    He teleported into it and realized he was on the ground floor when he should be on the second underground floor.


    [00:02]


    Varian didn''t even have the time to curse as he teleported once again and this time, he appeared in a huge underground room with giant screens in it.


    There was an old man overseeing the entire operation with a nk light in his eyes.


    He fell unconscious without any resistance and Varian ced the invisible ring on the screen.


    Boo shone with a brilliant light as it hacked into thework.


    [00:01]


    That was thest thing Varian heard before he lost consciousness.

 Chapter ?763 Let It Begin

    Chapter ?763 Let It Begin


    High above Mars, Mirage Queen waited for the inevitable.


    [00:10]


    Her earliest memory of mars surfaced for some reason.


    The second to be colonized by humans, Mars was akin to a second heart to the human race.


    Her predecessor, Illusion Queen, tried hard but failed to destroy this. It wasn''t just her alone. Experienced Archdukes, wise strategists, brilliant geniuses¡ªin the past hundred years, many had tried but all failed to conquer a.


    Their best result¡ªPluto¡ªwas only possible due to many factors, including the ''traitor'' Sovereign.


    Thinking of that man, Mirage Queen''s eyes shed with anger. As a Sovereign, he must have known that something was wrong with Mars, yet he didn''t inform her or the rest of the abyssals.


    ''You are ying double games. You want to gain the artifacts while keeping humanity intact. For your goal, you are using us.''


    Every abyss ruler knew this. No one really thought of that man as their ally. He was using them. But so were they.


    ''Once Mars falls, you can be discarded.'' Mirage Queen''s lips curled into a cruel smile.


    [00:05]


    "Your Majesty," Timal suddenly called, interrupting her thoughts of revenge.


    "Hm?"


    "My suicide squad blocked Varian and Enigma in a power grid."


    Mirage Queen narrowed her eyes and her mind sense checked the big battle on the.


    The two level 9 fire abyssals were currently fighting against the warriors that came out of the ghost ship.


    With her asional help, three of the ten warriors were already dead.


    Mirage Queen already knew that Timal had prepared contingency against his archnemesis Varian.


    So, she wasn''t worried about him stopping her n.


    ''Varian and Enigma will die there. Even if they don''t, once the explosion is finished, I can always hunt them down.''


    Mirage Queen wasn''t worried about them escaping her clutches. When they entered the power nt, their fates were sealed.


    [00:01]


    Mirage Queen held her breath as she looked at the red through her spaceship.


    The shining cities were sted into¡ª


    "Huh?"


    [00:00]


    Mirage Queen blinked in confusion.


    Nothing happened.


    From space, she could still see the bright cities. The spaceships that were sneaking out were still intact. The crowded ces that her mental sense was monitoring weren''t affected the slightest.


    Timal, who was waiting for the explosions with clenched fists, was also confused. He quickly contacted the expert overseeing the operation.


    But the other party didn''t even respond.


    "What the¡­" Timal had an ominous premonition and contacted his suicide squad.


    A hologram popped in front of him, showing the base of an underground power nt.


    Mutted and charred bodies were strewn across the rough floor. Some of them had their necks sliced off. Others had dark wisps oozing out of their lifeless eyes.


    And the one attending the call was¡ª


    "So it''s you." Enigma''s cold tri-color eyes stared at Timal.


    "I¡ª" Even though he wass away, Timal felt his entire body go cold under her gaze.


    ''No, no. I''m going to die! She''ll kill me!''


    His mind screamed as fear engulfed his heart. Enigma didn''t even bother to spare him a second nce and turned to the hologram behind him.


    "Mirage Queen," Enigma''s tone hardened. "Give up or you''ll regret it."


    "Ho?" Mirage Queen rested her chin on her palm as she smiled. "Do you really think your actions saved this?"


    As if she was finding this whole situation funny, the abyssal snapped her fingers.


    One of the seven remaining warriors fighting the fire abyssals suddenly went limp and copsed onto the ground.


    A fire spear pierced his head and burnt him into ashes.


    Enigma clenched her fists as herm informed her of one of the warrior''s death.


    "No matter how much you struggle," Mirage Queen clenched her smooth fist.


    A warrior was pulled into an illusion and was killed without any resistance.


    Enigma''sm rang again and a sense of powerlessness filled her heart.


    "You can''t change anything." Mirage Queen''s eyes shed and her mental sense swept towards the power nt Enigma was staying at.


    During their short conversation, she telepathicallymunicated with Timal and gained the urate location of the underground power nt.


    Enigma suddenly felt a shiver down her spine and without hesitation, used the artifact.


    The space around her body twisted and she teleported next to the unconscious Varian.


    By then, Mirage Queen''s mind sense already reached the power nt.


    She nced at the small ring that was now attached to one of theputers and recognized it right away.


    Boo!


    "Hm, Enigma?" Boo''s confused voice sounded in the hall.


    Thanks to Varian, Boo barged into the power gridwork at thest second and forcibly shut everything off. It was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when Enigma teleported.


    "She''sing! Quick!" Enigma yelled.


    Right then, Mirage Queen''s mind sense reached the building they were at.


    "What?!" Boo quickly responded and pulled the two into the ghost ship and put them in the celestial room.


    "Tch!" Mirage Queen clicked her tongue as she felt a metal blocking her mind sense.


    Even though she lost the chance to kill Varian with her own hands, she wasn''t too worried.


    She informed the two fire abyssals about the power nt''s location and asked them to end the dangerous human once and for all.


    The two fire abyssals were about to end another human warrior''s life when they received the message.


    Without hesitation, they turned into fire phoenixes and rushed to the location.


    The five warriors didn''t even think before theyunched attacks on the abyssals, in an attempt to stop them from whatever they were nning.


    Meanwhile, ghost ship rushed out of the power nt. The fire abyssals sensed its presence and wanted to attack it when the five warriors barely stopped them.


    "Woo! Boo can''t take attacks now, woo!" Boo cried out. "Or Boo will explode, woo!"


    Enigma''s brows furrowed. "Then Varian should stop using you."


    Boo gave Enigma a resentful gaze and exined. "Boo can repair itself in an hour. Then it can take beatings."


    "But they won''t leave us alone." Enigma nced out and saw the fire abyssals were approaching them despite the warriors trying to hold them back.


    The ghost ship tried to escape using its super speed, but no matter how much it moved away, it was always tracked by the mirage queen, who was moving her spaceship to keep monitoring the ghost ship.


    The fire abyssals created several walls of fire to prevent ghost ship from escaping. They were even almost sessful in attacking ghost ship if not for the warriors dying them.


    The warriors realized what was happening and tried to hold the fire abyssals back. But mirage queen had enough and quickly killed off two of them.


    Now, only three level 9s remained. However, they kept fighting.


    But all they were doing was dying the inevitable. Once one more warrior fell, the fire abyssals would be able to attack the ghost ship.


    Once that happened, the ghost ship that was currently in a vulnerable state would crumble.


    Even though they''d still be in the celestial room and wouldn''t be killed right away, they''d fall into their enemy''s hands.


    If they evere out of the room, what would await them was a fate worse than death.


    "We have to break the deadlock." Enigma looked at the unconscious Varian who was being treated and stared at the seclusion room where Sarah was undergoing a breakthrough.


    With a sigh, she said. "Decrease your size as much as you can."


    The card in her body shone and a silverly light covered ghost ship. Enigma''s face quickly paled as if she was drawn out of all blood.


    In the next second, a ghost ship appeared on the opposite side of mars.


    "Bastards!" Mirage Queen mmed her armrest.


    She didn''t know how, but the ghost ship disappeared from her radar!


    "Fine, if you want to escape, then escape." Mirage Queen''s lips curled into a cruel smile as she eyed the three billion people still under evacuation.


    "They can''t escape."


    The abyss ruler waved her hand and the soldiers responsible for evacuation in a hundred districts stiffened.


    Then, without hesitation, ten thousand soldiers channeled their powers as they eyed the civilians with killing intent.


    "No!"


    "Stop!"


    "Dare you!"


    The three warriors that were still fighting the fire abyssals panicked at the situation. They were about to rush to the nearest district and stop the ughter that was about tomence. But the fire abyssals held them back easily.


    "Even though it''ll take more time than the original n, I will thoroughly enjoy the feast." Mirage Queenughed and pped.


    In one of the districts, Sk''s face paled as she saw the military officer on the ne using his powers.


    One by one, the people in the spaceship started to copse to the floor as the sounds of bones breaking reverberated.


    People with weaker constitutions were almost on the verge of death.


    Sk got onto her feet and wanted to escape, but so did the rest.


    As she was pregnant and expecting, she couldn''t even risk running in the crowd.


    ''I must escape!''


    If her womb faces that gravity, it''ll be damaged and her baby will die.


    Since the spaceship wasn''t in flight, Sk was able to open the emergency exit and run out of the spaceship.


    Like here, hundreds of others also left the spaceship andnded on the ground.


    But, once she reached the ground, however, she was quickly forced to stop as a military officer with nk eyes started to summon a huge lightning bolt.


    Once it smashes, even if Sk survives, her baby would die.


    As tears dripped down the corner of her eyes, Sk, along with the rest of the Martians heard a demonic chuckle.


    "Let it begin."

 Chapter ?765 Mars Isnt Safe, Yet

    Chapter ?765 Mars Isn''t Safe, Yet


    Looking at the third sun that gave off a burning red light, Varian frowned. In front of that sun was a spaceship he was very familiar with.


    ''What is she¡­?''


    Before he could think too deeply, he sensed the fluctuations of space and his eyebrows jumped. "Bali?"


    Varian subconsciously held his breath as he waited for the answer.


    Enigma could hear the expectation in his voice. If it was Sia, perhaps she''d have yed a prank.


    But she¡­


    Enigma sighed inwardly and nodded. "Yes."


    Varian stretched his stiff body and stood up from the bed. His injuries weren''tpletely healed, but he was in a much better condition.


    He sat on the bed and turned to Enigma to ask for an exnation.


    Enigma, lying on the couch with an exhausted face, looked at him with an expressionless face.


    But for some reason, Varian could read a trace of resentment in her eyes. She already knew Varian was going to ask her to exin what happened. It''s as if she was ming him for asking her to talk despite her exhaustion.


    Varian blinked twice, wondering if he was seeing things.


    Enigma''s face was still expressionless. Her eyes were still indifferent. It''s as if his hunch was a lie.


    But Varian waved his hand. "Rest for now. We can talkter."


    Enigma raised a brow at his unexpected response. ''Is he caring about my condition?''


    Compared to Varian who only had to fight low and mid level 8s, Enigma had to take care of four peak level 8s and two level 9s. She had it much harder.


    The only reason she didn''t faint was she didn''t feel safe leaving Varian unguarded. Even inside the ghost ship.


    So, hearing him say those words, the final string holding her snapped and she dozed off.


    ''This is a safe ce and yet you stayed awake to watch over me until I woke up.'' Varian shook his head helplessly and signaled to Boo who appeared in the room at some point.


    The ghost understood his intention and ced Enigma on afortable bed and covered her with a nket.


    With a nod from Varian, Boo exined the few but highly significant events that transpired after he fainted.


    Varian''s expression grew grave with each word and he rubbed his forehead as he decided his next action n.


    In the meantime, he asked Boo to pick up the final survivors of the fifty level 9 warriors¡ªtwo old men who were about to be transferred to an emergency unit.


    When the ghost ship intercepted them at the military hospital, the soldiers in the surroundings channeled their powers and were about to strike.


    "Oh? You still have business with us?"


    "Make it worth it."


    The two old men chuckled and entered the ghost ship without any hesitation. Boo put them in healing tubes and told them to rest until it was time.


    Even though they had doubts, the old men had serious injuries from the earlier battle, so, they closed their eyes and focused on recovering.


    On the other hand, Varian was racking his brains as he decided on his next move.


    There were two suspects for the traitor¡ªthe Sovereign who visited all the ruins at least once.


    Ares. Albert.


    But Varian also added Julius to the list.


    So, whatever he was about to do, Varian decided to keep it as much ambiguous as he could from the three Sovereigns.


    So, he didn''t touch Mercury and Earth. He even left out Venus.


    With Mars'' conditions, there''s no way he could expect any help from the. So, he shifted to the nexts.


    Jupiter. Saturn. Uranus. Neptune.


    Neptune was out ofmission since Ares ruled it.


    That only left him with Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus.


    Taking a deep breath, Varian activated hism.


    Even though Bali finally appeared and would repel Mirage Queen, the fact of the matter was that Mars lost most of its level 9s.


    Along with them, hundreds of level 8s were killed and dozens ofoids were captured.


    Whether Bali held back Mirage Queen for an hour or a week, this tremendous loss wouldn''t vanish.


    Yet...


    ''They''re already celebrating.'' Varian looked out of the window and his superhuman eyesight caught the crowds cheering in the streets.


    The Martians were singing, dancing, and crying as they realized they were going to be safe.


    The military, however, only announced a temporary pause of evacuation operations.


    The people were too busy celebrating that this message flew over almost everyone''s head.


    In the end, the military officers didn''t have the heart to break their joy and let them do what they wanted for now.


    "The dark period is over!"


    "Mars will have peace once again!"


    ''How can peace be that easy?.'' Varian sighed.


    If he didn''t do anything, abyssals would quickly upy theoids and in no time,unch an invasion on Mars.


    Since he spent time as Prince Var, Varian was fully aware that time was pressing for Abyssals and they weren''t going to remain passive like in the past.


    So, they''dunch a war against Mars for certain. When they do, Mirage Queen would hold back Bali.


    The rest of Mirage Abyss would face Mars'' army, which, after its huge losses, was no match for its counterpart.


    Then, Sovereign or not, the loss of the would be inevitable.


    The only way to prevent such a scenario was to do the crazy thing he''s about to do and flip the board.


    ''Trust. It''s a hard word. But I hope I can be trusted.'' Varian''s expression hardened as three holograms popped up in front of him.


    Micheal Caron, Sovereign of Jupiter.


    Kevin, Sovereign of Saturn.


    Irene Nial, Sovereign of Uranus.


    Three of the eight strongest humans looked at Varian with serious expressions.


    Despite their experience, they couldn''t see any way to keep Mars safe from an Abyssal invasion.


    That''s why, when Varian told them he had a way, they epted his call.


    "Sovereigns, what I''m about to say is of utmost importance to the survival of Mars," Varian began.

 Chapter ?767 An Unexpeced Breakthrough

    Chapter ?767 An Unexpeced Breakthrough


    "Are you sure you wannae with us?" Maya asked her boyfriend as she double-checked her luggage.


    "I can be at ease only if I''m there in person," Kyle mumbled as he closed up an item and handed it to an obedient man next to him. "Let''s go, Tom."


    "Understood." Tom, formerly Dr. Thomas, held the equipment from Kyle and stored it inside his storage ring.


    The high-rise buildings outside their car passed in a sh and before they knew it, they reached a crescent-shaped spaceport.


    Since the mission was to be kept secretive, no military escorts arrived. Instead, a man in military clothes waved to them with an affectionate smile, as if they were his son and daughter.


    ''Ew~'' Maya flinched at the man''s stupid grin.


    Even though he had a smile, the man''s face waspletely stiff. It looked totally unnatural.


    But the crowd in the spaceport treated it as ''normal'' because some men from the military always had a hard time integrating into ordinary life.


    Kyle sighed as he held Maya''s hand and walked to the man with a bright smile. "Uncle~"


    The man raised a brow imperceptibly. He was supposed to be Kyle''s ''Father''. What''s with being an ''Uncle'' now?


    ''Do you think you can hit on my mother once I call you Father? Keep dreaming!'' Kyle already sentenced the man as a pervert when he was informed he''d y as his ''father''.


    Of course, the man didn''t know that he was seen as a lecher.


    With that same stiff smile, he hugged Kyle and Maya before greeting his ''friend'' Tom and took them to the teleportation formation in the forbidden military section of the spaceport.


    Since the man was a level 8 military officer, no one suspected anything. Even the military guys.


    ¡ª ¡ª


    On Uranus, Irene Nial used the teleportation in her own secret realm¡ªwhich once helped Varian to throw off his pursuers twice when Enigma was hunted¡ªto send the level 9s in her.


    Since the high awakeners served on a rotational basis, every would have a couple of them.


    At any period of time, around 90% of the high awakeners would be on the frontlines while 10% would be resting.


    These 10% forces acted as reserves and backups in case of emergencies.


    Now, Irene teleported all the 10% reserves to a secret realm on mars.


    Even though he didn''t like Varian one bit, Micheal Caron didn''t hesitate to use the excuse of holding an emergency meeting to study the situation of Mars. Then, he locked down the premises of the meeting hall and teleported the level 9s.


    Kevin did the same.


    The reserve forces of Uranus, Jupiter, and Saturn were quickly heading towards Mars where they would have to risk their lives to save the ravaged by Mirage Queen.


    ¡ª ¡ª


    Ghost ship roamed outside the spaceports. It''d still take twenty minutes until the first batch arrived and thest batch would be ten minutes after the first.


    The sky still continued to shake and crack as the fight continued. The third sun had dimmed considerably, signaling that Bali was a bit exhausted.


    But Varian hoped Bali could continue this for a few more hours.


    ''And before the first batch arrives, I need to do something than sit around and wait.'' Varian rubbed his chin and narrowed his eyes at the burning sun.


    "Master, no! Wait! Don''t do it!" As if sensing his thoughts, Boo yelled in panic.


    Ignoring Boo''s protests Varian drove the ghost ship to space and appeared on the same level as the burning sun and the quiet spaceship.


    As if someone was wringing it like a wet towel, the space around Bali twisted and turned.


    This was just the unconscious pressure Bali was releasing in the real world since he was fighting Mirage Queen in the mindscape.


    A protective mechanism of sorts.


    Even if a peak level 9 tried to reach Bali, the twisting space would inflict them with serious injuries. High level 9 and low would just die.


    Varian, of course, didn''t need to see Bali. Even though they had a lot to talk about, it wasn''t time.


    Bali also knew this. So, he only focused on keeping Mirage Queen engaged.


    ''Do your best.''


    Varian took a breath and exited the ghost ship. The gravity disappeared abruptly and his body felt a sense of difort as he floated in vacuum.


    But it onlysted for a moment before Varian feltfortable.


    "This is it."


    Bali and Mirage Queen were almost a hundred miles away. The closer one got to Bali, the stronger the spatial fluctuations.


    Varian smiled and shot forward.


    When he was ten miles in, his shirt was torn apart¡ªluckily, he had a very magical pants that withstood the storm.


    When he reached the twenty-mile mark, space des began to slice his body. Small but numerous cuts appeared all over his body as even his level 8 superhuman body came under pressure.


    But without stopping, Varian went as far as thirty-three miles before he stopped.


    There he sat, covered in numerous injuries, and began to observe the space up close.


    For someone like him, this was XP delivered on a tter. Not just space, but also water¡ªsince he used it to resist the fire wavesing from Bali.


    A Minute passed. Then another.


    Varian''s body was baptized in the hostile environment as he faced severe injuries before being healed back with his crazy ntae powers.


    This continued again and again before a clicking sound reverberated in Varian''s body.


    The violent space around him calmed down as if it was acknowledging his presence.


    Varian withdrew his space powers and covered himself with an ice shield.


    Facing the fire waves and space fluctuations, it quickly broke down.


    But after a bit longer than it took with space, another click was heard in his body.


    Varian''s lips curled up as he felt strength fill his being.


    With a thought, he teleported five hundred miles away and shed his hand.


    The space was ripped apart and sucked in some space debris.


    Varian threw a few pieces of high-grade metal that could withstand strong level 8 attacks. As expected, the pieces broke down.


    Varian closed it off and grinned.


    ''Status''.

 Chapter 768 A Mission Critical To Mars Survival

    Chapter 768 A Mission Critical To Mars'' Survival


    [Superhuman L8: 0.5/25k (Due to the continuous injuries and healing, your body has grown stronger)


    Space L8: 0/25k (Advanced)


    Lightning L7: 5/7


    ntae L8: 4k/25k (+1k: Due to continuous healing after major injuries)


    Psychic L8: 2k/25k


    Macrokic L7: 6/7


    Water L8: 0/25k (Advanced: Due to the prity of fire and water)]


    Varian breathed out.


    Now, five of his paths reached level 8. And the two level 7 paths were also on the verge of advancing.


    ''I can beat up mid level 8s, I guess?'' Varian didn''t want to overestimate himself since the difference between each sub-level was very high. But with seven paths, skipping at least one sub-level was very much possible.


    What Varian was really curious about was if he could beat high level 8s.


    ''The veteran high level 8s might be tough, but newbies, maybe I can.'' Varian shook his head and returned to the ghost ship.


    He just advanced and was feeling ''full''. So, he decided to not try for more XP.


    "Master, you scared Boo!"


    In the resting room, Boo looked at Varian with a pout.


    "If you were a cute girl, I''d have said sorry." Varian patted Boo with a yful smirk and sat on the couch. The moment his body felt the softness, it slumped as if he was made of jelly.


    As he rested his head on a pillow, Varian''s gazended on Enigma who was sleeping on the opposite couch.


    She was no longer using three divine paths. So, she was in her original form.


    As herself.


    Enigma''s silvery white hair covered the side of her face, but he could still see her sleeping face.


    Contrary to her stiff and emotionless face, she now had a peaceful expression. Her face was somewhat simr but distinctly different from Sia''s. It wasn''t just her face, even her body was different.


    If Sia seemed to be in herte teens, Enigma seemed to be in her early twenties.


    Precisely due to the difference in their forms, the two girls were able to fool Varian.


    Recalling the one time when Enigma and Sia stood side by side in a hologram, Varian felt his lips twitch.


    In that video call, Enigma didn''t utter a single word and stood still all the time. At that time, his focus waspletely on Sia and he didn''t even notice the obvious w.


    ''You two tricksters, you got me and you got me good.'' Varina clicked his tongue.


    If he noticed the difference, then he''d have met Sia much sooner.


    ''Well, I don''t know if it would''ve been for better or worse.'' Varian bit his lip as he nced at the woman who made his life a mess.


    Most of his brute rage against Enigma was cooled down after he beat her down a while ago.


    Varian wasn''t proud of what he had done.


    After the incident, it became clear to him that he hated his own powerlessness more than he hated Enigma. If he had been strong enough, none of this would''ve happened.


    After his brutal but honest showdown with Enigma, that veil was removed and he faced his deepest and most honest thoughts.


    ''Hating her when she''s treating me like this, I can''t do it.'' Varian nced at the sleeping silver-haired beauty.


    If he thought from her shoes, then her situation was also pitiful.


    As far as Enigma could remember, her world had always been dark. To avoid the scary, silent, and never-ending darkness, she entered a deep slumber.


    Only after Sia somehow appeared on Earth and met Varian did Enigma "wake up."


    Due to the time she spent sleeping, her mental age was only slightly higher than Sia.


    As Sia subconsciously rejected her ''power'', Enigma could only stay awake for a few hours every day.


    After centuries of slumber, Enigma was finally able to see the real world through Sia''s eyes and experience what it was like to be alive.


    And she spent those precious hours watching Varian every day.


    To Varian, he and Sia grew up together. But to Enigma, she grew up with them.


    She could hear him, but couldn''t talk.


    She could see him, but couldn''t touch.


    She grew up and experienced many things Sia experienced. But as an individual, her experiences were always iplete.


    Perhaps that''s why, while Enigma was smart, she struggled to form proper rtionships. She rarely talked and when she did, she could be incredibly blunt.


    After nearly a decade of such life, Enigma was finally able to wake up. But instead of being happy, she was on the verge of losing her sanity.


    Because the closest person to her other than Sia was about to die.


    After living but not really being alive for so many years, the first thing Enigma experienced was possibly her worst nightmare.


    So, something snapped inside her at that moment.


    She went berserk and lost her sanity.


    But when she saw Varian looking at her wanting to die, her sanity returned and she realized what she had just done.


    Enigma wanted to be with him, but their bond that never began was already broken.


    Since then, she chased Varian''s goal and tried her best to end the war.


    She told Sia and even herself many other reasons, but at the heart of her decision was her regret.


    "What do I do with you?" Varian muttered with a helpless smile.


    With a wipe of his finger, a nket covered the sleeping woman. Enigma''s eyshes shook, but when she felt a hand patting her head, she muttered something inaudible and fell asleep.


    Boo tiptoed to Varian and signaled to a hologram.


    Varian''s expression turned serious and in half a minute, the ghost ship reached a spaceport.


    The guards recognized an invisible object entering their range, but didn''t do anything to stop it.


    The ghost ship entered the military area forbidden to the public andnded in front of thirty awakeners who just assembled.


    Without another word, they embarked on the ghost ship. The gate closed and the thirty level 9s found themselves in the middle of arge and cozy room.


    But there was a problem.


    "Varian?"


    "Hey, we need to discuss the n."


    "You asked for our help and you don''t even greet us? Where the hell are your manners?"


    Some were nice and just wanted to meet him. Others were annoyed at theck of reception. But a few were arrogant and clearly had ulterior motives.


    "You''re close to Enigma, you betterpensate us with that potion of hers. We''re risking our lives, after all."


    "Or you can always share with us, someone of your secrets. As Sovereign Julius said, since you have ess to Deva treasures, you shouldn''t be so selfish!"


    When the few greedy ones finally revealed their true motives, the crowd fell silent.


    Everyone was a level 9 awakener and had lived a long, long life. Barring the few stupid ones, the majority viewed Varian in a positive light.


    They hoped this young man could reach the Sovereign state and beyond and take their race even further.


    At their stage, they had enjoyed all the materialfort they could. The only thing they wanted and couldn''t achieve was the safety of their race.


    That''s why, despite personally liking Enigma''s potions and Varian''s Deva treasures, they didn''t ask him for anything.


    If Varian gave them, they''d thank him. But if not, they wouldn''t force him and hinder his growth.


    But the minority wasn''t like that.


    "My space sense can''t go past the walls." An old woman frowned. "Nor can I teleport out."


    "I can''t sense anything outside the room either."


    "Are we locked up?"


    "I knew it! This guy is sinister! Sovereign Kevin is too naive to trust him!"


    As abuses were hurled at Varian, one of the members pointed his fingers at the wall and gathered his mana.


    The rest realized what he was doing and watched in anticipation and fear.


    A concentrated beam of purple lightning shot towards the wall. The moment the beam touched the wall, a purple light shed and everyone in the room was momentarily blinded.


    When they regained their vision, they gawked at the perfectly intact wall without a scratch.


    "R-Ridiculous!"


    "Is this even possible?"


    "What the hell is going on?"


    As everyone felt their hearts pound in fear, Varian''s calm and clear voice reached their ears.


    "I''m d you''re all willing to risk your life. But know this. You aren''t doing me a favor. You are doing yourself, your children, and your race a goddamn favor.


    As per the treasures, be it Enigma''s potion or mine, if I think giving them to any one of you can make our situation better, you don''t even have to ask, I''ll shove it down your throat."


    Everyone gulped at Varian''s straightforward words.


    Indeed, the reason they were here wasn''t out ofpassion. It was a necessity.


    If they didn''t strike Mirage Abyss and bring down its forces, Mirage Abyss would strike Mars and bring it down.


    Once Mars falls, the rest would follow.


    So, essentially, they were here to protect their own future.


    "And regarding the n, it''s pretty simple. You''re thirty strong, divide yourself into five-six teams. Each team will destroy a city. Each city has a million or a few million abyssals. You don''t have to spare anyone."


    Hearing Varian''s casual tone about ughtering entire cities, even the experienced warriors felt their lips twitch.


    Young people hadn''t experienced the cruelty of this world and would have somepassion. The old men and women even saw some youth call the non-warring Abyssals ''innocent''.


    But why did he soundpletely nonchnt about it?


    Just what the fuck did he do in the abyss?


    "As Mars''oids fell, most of the high awakeners from Mirage Abyss rushed to the frontlines.


    Now, they''re all stabilizing theoids or in the middle of waging a war and conqueringoids from our grasp.


    Basically, Mirage Abyss is at its weakest."


    "Such evil!" An old man couldn''t take it anymore and cursed. "Can you teach me how to think like you? You''re damn sinister!"


    A few nodded in agreement.


    After hearing about the dire situation on Mars, everyone was thinking about how to build another line of defense to keep Mars safe or send reinforcements from reserves to keep the from being conquered.


    No one thought or even dare to think about reconquering theoids.


    But this guy went above and beyond and was proposing arge-scale attack on Mirage Abyss itself!


    He''s bold and he''s crazy!


    "Kill a Sovereign and you''ll brain will bash itself to generate ideas," Varian replied curtly.


    "Wait, what?"


    "Are you serious?"


    "S-Sovereign!"


    "Small talks forter, now just listen," Varian said in a normal tone.


    But no one in the crowd took his words normally. Not after they realized Sovereign Kreo''s ''disappearance'' might be rted to this guy.


    They didn''t even want to think about it and buried the thought in the depth of their minds.


    "So, where am I? Yes. Mirage Abyss is at its weakest. But it''ll still have a good number of level 9s. These level 9s will be protecting the most important cities of Mirage Abyss.


    This is where youe in.


    When you go in as a team, only one or two should attack the city.


    The remaining shouldy an ambush and wait for the level 9 abyssals to appear. When they do, strike them with all you have and kill those bastards.


    We can do this maybe once or twice before they get alert. From then, the difficulty will increase.


    So, your team would then be fighting against the level 9 and level 8 abyssals in the city.


    Except for the capital, the remaining cities won''t have enough level 9 to destroy a team.


    But they can surely try to pull you into a long battle and wait for reinforcements.


    So, your goal is to kill as many as you can, as fast as you can.


    If it''s gonna take long, don''t fight. Escape."


    The warriors took a few minutes to digest Varian''s n. Then, a couple of them raised their hands.


    "I know, how do we get there? How do you escape the pursuit of abyssals once you destroy a city and they start chasing you?


    Once you''re done with your city, reach the location I''ll send to yourm and I''ll pick you up. Once you''re in the ghost ship, no one can touch you."


    Most of the raised hands fell.


    "Mirage Queen will eventually return and we''ll get out of there before she does. Our time is limited. Make the most of it."


    The rest of the raised hands were also withdrawn.


    Only onest hand remained.


    "Yes?"


    The old man with a long white beard coughed and asked. "Abyssals are not fools. I think they must already be adjusting their manpower in Mirage Abyss now that a new Sovereign has appeared.


    I think the defense of Mirage Abyss will recover significantly. Our mission isn''t as easy as you made it sound."


    Filled with a tinge of appreciation, Varian''s voice sounded. "Of course. Abyssals are already preparing to send back some of the level 9s and level 8s to the Mirage Abyss in case of emergency.


    But they have to stabilize their newly conqueredoids first. So, it''ll take them an hour or maybe a few to do that. So, we do have time."


    "Just traveling to Mirage Abyss takes two hours in general. Even if your ship is fast, we''ll take more than an hour.


    By then, their defenses will already be tougher and our difficulty will be high. We can raid one city maybe, but that''s it. From then on, every other raid will be risky." The old man shook his head. "I don''t mind dying for my race, but this is too suicidal for my taste."


    The rest of the level 9s in the room looked at the old man and shook their heads.


    The old faggot was smart, but he waszy. It seemed like he didn''t do his homework on Varian. Because ording to credible sources--


    "We''ll not be doing direct travel." Varian''s voice sounded. "We''ll be teleporting from Mars to Mirage Abyss."


    "What the?!" The old man''s beard nearly dropped to the floor as he opened his mouth in shock.


    The level 9s in the room looked at each other and shrugged.


    "Just finish your mission. I''ll take care of the rest." Varian said and bid them farewell.


    While everyone was curious how Varian achieved this impossible feat, they attributed it to ghost ship.


    But they didn''t know, the one responsible for this magical feat was waiting in a dungeon.


    "Kyle, Maya!"


    In a remote dungeon, Varian picked up his friends.


    Kyle, Maya, and Tom entered the ghost ship through another entrance and made their way to the living room.


    "How certain are you?" Varian asked Kyle with a heated gaze.


    "Tom already created a device to detect spatial fluctuations. So, hiding them isn''t a big problem. We''re 99.3% sure it''ll work." Kyle said.


    "I''m counting on you," Varian said.


    "And me?" Maya looked at him with a pitiful gaze.


    "You too!" Varianughed and patted her head.


    He gave a short nce at the silent Tom before taking the ghost ship to a secluded ce.


    Maya took a deep breath and arranged the Cross Tunneling Formation. After a few minutes, she wiped the sweat off her forehead and took out a couple ofrge space stones.


    Every single space stone was worth a fortune and could cause a blood bath between level 9s.


    But Maya held several such space stones without much thought as she arranged them in the formation.


    Only Sovereigns had such financial capabilities and thanks to Varian''s persuasion, Micheal, Kevin, and Irene all burnt their wallets to fund this project.


    Else, Varian wouldn''t be able to take so many people to Mirage Abyss.


    Maya made a hand signal and Kyle retrieved a device from his storage ring.


    The disc-shaped silver object enveloped the entire formation in a barrier and Kyle gave Maya an ok signal.


    Varian took a deep breath and the next moment, the formation gave off a white light and they disappeared.

 Chapter ?771 Breaking The Holy Altar

    Chapter ?771 Breaking The Holy Altar


    The capital of Mirage Abyss was bustling as if the Abyss wasn''t at a critical point in deciding the fate of Mars.


    The streets were lively, the shops were full of customers and the institutions worked round the clock.


    From time to time, the citizens would look at the center of the city, at the Floating Castle that represented the might of their Abyss.


    Even though they didn''t say it out loud, they would feel a burst of pride as they were reminded that the greatest non-artifact treasure was under the control of their Queen.


    As they were currently in a critical situation, the defense of the castle was at its lowest.


    Only five level 9s remained in the castle.


    But after hearing about Varian''s atrocities, ten level 9s exited their training and joined the city defense.


    Now, the city had a total of fifteen level 9s.


    Superposing the Abyss Will with the natural illusions that every non-Abyssal would have to face in the Mirage Abyss, the capital guards were more than confident of stalling even twenty level 9s.


    By then, the teleportation formation under the holy altar would activate and the reinforcements from other cities would arrive.


    From there, it''s only a matter of how many humans would be killed in illusion and how many would have their guts ripped apart.


    ''Going after normal cities? Cowardice!'' The strongest level 9 in the capital, Laren, snorted.


    As an archduke, he stood at the very apex of level 9s.


    He was confident of handling even three-five level 9s by himself


    If not for the strict orders by Mirage Queen, he''d have gone hunting the despicable human and made him pay the price.


    The wounds from the time when Varian destroyed ten cities and killed tens of millions of abyssals were yet to heal and this bastard already destroyed the lives of a few more abyssals.


    Even though Mars lost way more level 9s and level 8s, Mirage Abyss lost too many denizens.


    And this time, it''s not just the deaths.


    Three pirs of Mirage Abyss¡ªthe medical cities, the cksmithing cities, and the training cities¡ªwerepletely wiped out.


    Without at least two decades of recuperation, it''s impossible to reach the same peak that these cities stood at.


    ''Destroying those weak cities? I challenge you, Varian, if you''re a man and you''re born to your mother, then I dare you to atta¡ª''


    Before Archduke Laren could even finish his poisonous curse, a loud explosion reverberated in the city.


    Everything fell silent as if someone turned off the volume.


    Then, the capital exploded in panicked shouts.


    "The castle!"


    "Oh my!"


    "Emperor, save us!"


    Laren quickly adjusted his mind sense and checked the floating castle.


    The castle that always floated gloriously was now wobbling in the air as several cracks spread along its walls.


    Laren felt as if his heart stopped beating for a moment as the world went white and the next thing he knew, he was following his mind sense and dashing to the castle to destroy those low breeds.


    The castle was being destroyed from the inside. Fire dragons scorched the walls. Supergravity crushed many defenses. Psychic powers swept through the castle''s illusions.


    But when Laren summed up every position of the invader, he inadvertently realized their starting point.


    Laren''s eyes shook uncontrobly as he sent his mind sense to scan the underground location to deny his worst nightmare.


    But there he saw it. The scene where Varian raised a spear and smashed down the holy altar!


    As he saw the Holy Altar of Mirage Abyss crumble to pieces, Laren felt something was forever taken away from the Abyssals.


    Perhaps it was the promise they made to the Emperor to protect his ''protection'' or perhaps it was their pride as an abyssal under the Mirage Queen.


    But Laren knew better than anyone else that things would never be the same again.


    Panting like an angry bull, Laren gnashed his teeth and turned his telekic power into countless small needles.


    Then, he snapped his fingers, and dark death, a poison dangerous enough to severely injure level 8s, flew out of his storage ring and attached itself to the needles.


    The deadly weapons numbering over a hundred thousand shot toward the underground hall in an instant and were about to riddle Varian''s body with countless injuries.


    Laren''s lips curled into a crazy smile as heughed. "The poison will give you unimaginable pain! You''ll beg for death, but I''ll torture you until I make you my ve! You fucking piece of sh¡ª"


    The flurry of curses stopped as Laren saw a dome of darkness surround Varian. The needles that should be attacking him changed trajectory as if they were blinded and left the Archduke in shock.


    A woman in a familiar ckbat uniform stood in front of Varian and sheathed her sword.


    Her emotionless eyes looked at him and for a moment, Laren thought he saw them burn with rage.


    "So you have chosen death."


    As if on cue, three Abyssals were kicked to the walls of the underground hall and slid down with broken necks.


    At the same time, the formation surrounding the Holy Altar was also broken by Varian and Enigma.


    The six human warriors responsible for their deaths didn''t even nce back at the corpses and rushed out of the castle.


    They joined the eighteen warriors in the sky and now, twenty-four human level 9s were about to unleash a cmity on Mirage Abyss'' most important city.


    But eleven strong auras shot into the sky and blocked their attempts.


    A battle of epic proportions began.


    The city, the clouds, the forest, the hills¡ªbattles reached every corner and the whole capital started to tremble as if it was on the verge of copse.


    Laren''s body shook in rage as he watched the corpses of the level 9s tasked with guarding the Holy Altar.


    But what was even more dangerous was the destruction of the formation. With reinforcements far from reach, only twelve level 9s, including him would have to defend themselves from this strike.


    "You! You fucking bastards! You dare to invade the capital and think you can escape?" Laren''s mind sense locked onto six level 9s that were engaging with the remaining two level 9s in the castle.


    Hearing his words, the six human warriors increased their ferocity and tried to kill the castle level 9s quicker.


    Laren clenched his fists and dozens of thin crystalline strings cut at the six human warriors.


    Even though they were prepared for it, it was too fast and too sneaky.


    One of the old men suddenly stopped moving and then copsed to the floor. A thin string of red was wrapped around his neck.


    At the same time, the remaining five human warriors managed to kill one abyssal and witnessed theirpanion''s death.


    "You''re gonna wish you didn''t do this!" Their eyes brimmed with rage and theyunched a reckless attack against Laren.


    High in the clouds, away from epic battles, Varian sighed as he noticed the first casualty.


    "It''s hard."


    The battle between the eleven city defenders and the twenty-four attackers intensified.


    Even though they had an absolute advantage, the human warriors were still failing tounch a killing blow to the defenders because of Abyss Will and Mirage Abyss'' Annoying Illusions.


    If it''s a battle of attrition, the defenders would lose for certain.


    However, before that, Abyssal reinforcements would encircle them.


    Even if the formation was destroyed, level 9s could travel at high speeds.


    It won''t take long for them to arrive at the capital.


    So, they had only a few minutes to end this battle and survive.


    And the defenders had to survive only for a few minutes to win.


    Just when both sides were about to start another round of deadly shes, something caught them off guard.


    The Castle exploded.

 Chapter ?775 The Conclusion

    Chapter ?775 The Conclusion


    Originally, Mars and Mirage Abyss both had more than Ny level 9s. But during the time of the war, only eighty were avable.


    When Mirage Queen performed a massacre on theoids, she killed a total of thirteen level 9s.


    And when Skad stopped her for those critical hours, she killed fifty level 9s!


    Now, Mars had a total of thirty level 9s.


    Meanwhile, Mirage Abyss lost thirty-three level 9s¡ªeighteen from the cities and fifteen from the capital¡ªdue to Varian''s actions.


    The number of level 9s came down to sixty.


    But the disparity between 30 and 60 was still huge.


    "Mirage Queen is already on her way here. We don''t have much time. And that''s why we must do this." Varian addressed his Strike Teams.


    The old men and women nodded.


    The door to the room opened and five out of them entered a hall where a silver-haired beauty was waiting for them with an expressionless face.


    "There''s only one chance," Enigma said with a serious face.


    The Alpha team nodded and channeled their aura.


    Even though she was outrageously beautiful and had the aura of a level 8, they didn''t know who this woman was. But since she''s with Varian, they entrusted their lives to her.


    After all, by being in their presence, she''s also risking her life. If they suddenly captured her and tried to extort Varian, then she might end up as a casualty.


    Of course, they didn''t have such thoughts. But they also didn''t know if they really tried that, Enigma could teleport away, and then¡­Varian would make their life a living hell.


    So, the n was proceeding smoothly.


    With a wave of her hand, the purple card in Enigma shook and a silver light enveloped the six members.


    At the same time, a weak man entered the room carrying a weird device. Even though he was wearing a mask, the Alpha Team was damn sure he was not Varian.


    This man was like a weak schr whereas Varian¡­ didn''t directly see him yet, but just through his voice alone, Varian gave them an overwhelming feeling.


    "This is for CTFs only. Tom barely modified it for space shifts." Kyle grumbled as he adjusted the space cloaking device.


    "It''ll be fried after one use. So, this is your only shot." He waved at them.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    The three Abyssals that were at the forefront chasing after the ghost ship smiled as they received a message.


    Their Queen would be here in thirty minutes.


    "It''s hard to capture them."


    "But if it''s only keeping track of them until Queen arrives¡­"


    "We can do it! Then our Queen will personally break their minds and make them our puppets!"


    Hearing their words through themunication crystals, the Abyssals following them from behindughed.


    "Hahahaha!"


    "Erns, don''t you dare miss them! You get it?" From the group immediately behind the leading trio, a voice said in a serious tone.


    Erns, the strongest in the leading trio, replied. "Don''t worry, Commander. Even if I stake my life, I''ll¡ªhuh?"


    Erns didn''t know what happened but all of a sudden, he felt the hair on his nape stand up.


    Through pure battle intuition, he shifted his body to the side and hurriedly put on a protective shield.


    Something golden shed past him and the next thing Erns knew, there was a huge hole in his abdomen.


    Snakes of lightning hissed as they tried to fry his body, but Erns quickly dispelled them using his telekic power and looked around.


    His firstrade had his neck sliced off his body with a sharp sword and a saber while his second one had his entire chest area half-burnt and half-frozen.


    Both of them died.


    He''s the only lucky one to survive and face the five ambushers who appeared behind him without a trace!


    Erns quickly gathered all his power and shot into the clouds, desperate to avoid the ambushers.


    "How did the¡ª?!"


    But due to his injuries, he wasn''t as he should be and was bombarded by five fully-charged attacks from the strongest Strike Team.


    If it was hismander, he would''ve taken these five attacks and survived.


    But Erns wasn''t hismander. He''s at the forefront only because he''s the fastest, not the strongest.


    So, the moment the five attacksnded on him, the fate of the final member of the trio was set in stone.


    At the same time, the group of four Abyssals following the trio noticed the situation and locked their auras onto the Alpha Team!


    The Alpha Team was bombarded by attacks. Out of them, one particr attack was dangerous and caused a major injury to Alpha 3.


    As they focused all their attention on killing Erns, the Alpha Team couldn''t properly defend against these attacks and sustained major injuries.


    Two more waves of attacks and they''d be in fatal danger.


    "Die!"


    "You pests!"


    "Fucking insects!"


    "How dare you invade our capital?"


    The team of four didn''t hold back andunched another round of attacks.


    Even though the Alpha Team blocked most of the damage, their injuries quickly rose.


    When the Abyssals were about to bombard them with the next wave of attacks, the Alpha Team was suddenly pulled into the hateful ghost ship that suddenly appeared.


    "Arghh!"


    "Varian!"


    "We, Abyssals, will make you pay the price!"


    "You''ve done something you shouldn''t! You''ll regret it! His Majesty''s wrath will burn you to ashes!"


    Varian frowned at their curses, especially thest one. But everything proceeded as nned.


    A few minutester, he shook off the pursuers.


    Ten minutester, his Strike Team began decimating cities left and right.


    Twenty minutester, four cities were destroyed and six million Abyssals were killed, including more than twenty level 8s.


    The death toll caused by this trip exceeded twenty million.


    This was significantly more than the losses suffered by the military when many of Mars''oids were upied by the Abyssals.


    Then, at the twenty-fifth minute, the Ghost Ship exited the Mirage Abyss.


    Just two minutes,ter, Mirage Queen entered the Abyss.

 Chapter 776 One Last Shot

    Chapter 776 One Last Shot


    Mirage Queen''s eyes turned red as she watched her capital in ruins. She clutched her heart and gritted her teeth to prevent the tears from falling.


    As a Queen, she mustn''t cry.


    Even if the city of her ancestors was destroyed.


    Even if the Castle that the Emperor personally gifted was smashed to bits.


    Even if her heart broke into pieces and was crushed to powder, she shouldn''t cry.


    "Gather the survivors. Maintain contact with all cities. Stay alert." Mirage Queen issued the orders in an emotionless tone.


    The entourage that returned with her couldn''t even utter a word. They only responded with a ''hm.''


    Mirage Queen didn''t bother to reprimand them andnded her spaceship in the ce where her castle used to be.


    Due to Archduke Laren''s outburst, the bits and pieces of the castle were scattered across the city.


    She stepped out of the spaceship and scanned through the debris with hunched shoulders. She was like a refugee returning to her destroyed city, hoping to find the remains of her own past.


    And find she did. But with every item she found, Mirage Queen''s shoulders hunched further.


    One by one, each finding her heart like a hammer.


    The paintings of her homnd.


    ''I let down your expectations.'' Mirage Queen bit her lip until she bled.


    The sculptures of herte parents.


    ''I am a failure. Sorry, mom, dad.''


    The remains of the throne that was passed down in her lineage.


    ''I am a disgrace to my great ancestors.''


    And finally¡­


    The broken holy altar that stood out from the other debris because of the level 8 fluctuations on it.


    ''I¡­'' Mirage Queen''s eyes went nk as she felt suffocated.


    Then, finally, she lowered her head and started to sob.


    Subconsciously, she created an illusion to hide her fragile self. To anyone watching her, they''d only see the straight back of a Queen who''s unfazed by the setbacks.


    But only inside the illusion, could she cry.


    For letting down everyone, for being such a disappointment, and for being unable to stop so many deaths.


    Even though she''d quickly hide that self behind her emotionless mask, for now, she vented her grievances.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Only twenty million," Varian munched on some fried meat as he mumbled with a disappointed expression.


    He was seated on the main seat of arge dining table. Seated across the table were the twenty-three old men and women.


    They ate and drank as if there was no tomorrow.


    After the mission ended, Varian met them for the first time and threw a feast.


    Seeing the crazy guy in person, the old guys were shocked, to say the least. He was anything but normal.


    Also, what the fuck? He''s level 8 for fuck''s sake!


    Level 8 at what? 18 years!


    It''s so outrageous that two old men and three old women fainted from high blood pressure.


    After giving them some emergency treatment, Varian began the feast.


    By being in the same room as them, Varian also implied that he was now trusting them.


    Sort of.


    Enigma was seated the closest to him. And unlike others, she was only sipping some wine while keeping an eye out on the situation.


    On the onset of any danger, she''d teleport him and herself out of the ghost ship. Then, Boo would trap the old guys in celestial walls.


    Varian felt that they were being too cautious. But Enigma was adamant. So, he relented.


    She was being overprotective and that''s fine.


    So far, the feast proceeded smoothly.


    With jugs clinking and delicious dishes devoured, everyone was enjoying themselves.


    The teams bragged about their battles and burst intoughter from their outdated jokes from time to time.


    Perhaps it was due to their mental image of him, or his temperament, no one talked to Varian much other than a few words.


    Varian himself didn''t understand why it was the case.


    But Enigma was able to see it clearly.


    Varian¡­even though he was sitting with them, he gave off an aloof and distant feeling. Like a mirage that could be seen but not touched.


    The old men and women were stuck on how to treat him.


    As a colleague? He''s only 18.


    As a junior? He''s level 8 andmanded them!


    As a senior? It''d be embarrassing for them to address someone their grandchildren''s age as a senior.


    So, they just shut up and enjoyed themselves.


    Until Varian suddenly said. "Only twenty million."


    The chats stopped and the table fell silent.


    "What''s that?" A short old man asked. He was someone who initially had the idea of extorting Varian and using those resources to create more Sovereigns for the federation.


    But after seeing the boy''s performance in person, he trusted Varian. And he''s level 8 already. He''d be a Sovereign sooner orter. So, unconsciously, he also started to ce hopes on Varian and was even ready to help him if he could.


    "Twenty million casualties," Varian replied as he gazed at the twenty-three warriors along with seven empty chairs. "It''s not bad, but a hundred million would''ve been good."


    The ones drinking nearly spat out at his words.


    Hu-Hundred million?


    If they could kill that many, then Mirage Abyss would be crippled.


    They could forget about recovering for two decades at least.


    "That''s impossible," An old woman sighed as she finished the fifth cup of fine wine. "Mirage Queen would prepare safeguards against any such invasion in the future."


    Varian shrugged.


    When he was Prince Var, he learned that Abyss Will could also be controlled by the Abyss Rulers to some extent.


    If Mirage Queen used that authority, she''d be able to find that they used CTF to enter the Abyss and somehow also hid the spatial fluctuations.


    Could she take measures against that?


    "Even if she does, she''d stay in the Abyss," Varian''s eyes shone with a cunning glint. "Then theoids are ours to taking."


    The veterans were surprised at his words before they shook their heads. "After this, we''ll all have to return to ours."


    The remaining Abysses would''ve been alerted by Mirage Abyss. To prevent this tragedy from happening again, they''d surely send all their forces to theoids and as a consequence, force them to return to theoids as well.


    For example, Uranus had almost 100 level 9s. Despair Abyss had roughly the same number.


    Since around 10-15 level 9s in both Uranus and Despair Abyss were ''resting'', Varian was able to use them for this raid.


    So, what Despair Abyss would do now was to send even these resting level 9s to the frontlines.


    That way, the level 9s of Uranus couldn''t rest either.


    So, Varian would''ve no more ''soldiers'' for his crazy attacks.


    It''s a bit extreme, but a perfect solution for the problem.


    "Well, I know you all have to go. I even got the messages from your Sovereigns already." Varian chuckled.


    His words confused the veterans. Without the support of any level 9s, how was Varian still confident in changing theoids situation?


    Varian smiled at their confusion but didn''t answer.


    Even though the disparity between Mars and Mirage Abyss was cut down through this mission, it was still big enough to start and conquer Mars.


    He needed one more shot.


    One big shot to bridge the disparity or at least make it insignificant.


    That and only that could save Mars from its predicament.


    ''I''ll save Mars.''

 Chapter 780 Youve Crossed All Lines

    Chapter 780 You''ve Crossed All Lines


    Varian exined his findings in the ruins and Sia personally showed the metal leaves.


    After verifying the evidence, Bali wiped the sweat off his forehead as he took short breaths to calm his pounding heart.


    When Pluto was conquered, Neptune Sovereign''s artifact was lost. Now, Kreo''s artifact¡ªwhich was supposed with him until his death¡ªvanished under the nose of all that heavy security.


    If it was only the loss of Neptune''s artifact, Bali could still convince himself that this was a conspiracy theory.


    But the loss of Kreo''s artifact was something he couldn''t ignore. While there''s a possibility that one of those level 9s stole the artifact, it might as well be zero.


    There''s no use for them and it''s impossible for one person to steal under the gaze of that heavy security. What''s more, there wasn''t one faction of the military at that time. There were multiple factions, even hostile ones.


    So, there''s no question of them all colluding to snatch the artifact.


    This only meant one thing.


    "Who is the traitor?" Bali gripped his seat and asked in a heavy tone.


    "I thought it could only be the people who visited all the ruins¡ªAres or Albert. After all, that''s how Enigma learned that secret." Varian looked at Sia who was a few feet away from him.


    At his words, she raised a brow in confusion. Why did he change his opinion?


    Varian gave her a small smile and continued. "But seeing how Abyssals could easily cut off their connection with Dungeons, I can''t help but think since Ruins are interconnected, maybe you don''t need to visit them all to learn this secret. So, every Sovereign is a suspect."


    "¡­This is ridiculous," Bali admitted.


    "Except you, since you''re a new Sovereign," Varian said, to lighten the mood.


    But Bali couldn''te out of the shock even five minutes after they entered the Mirage Abyss.


    For someone like Bali who spent most of his life in the military, Sovereigns, regardless of their personal lives, were protectors that upheld the peace of humanity.


    Knowing one protector was killing another didn''t sit well with him, even if the one killing them might be doing so to save humanity.


    What''s more, that bastard surely cooperated with Abyssals and led to the death of a billion humans.


    Bali felt the neck on his nape stand as goosebumps covered him from head to toe. He wasn''t an inexperienced teenager. Yet, this one piece of news made him question his life.


    "I¡­I really want to get some good rest after this mission." Bali finally said with some exhaustion.


    Varian nodded. "You''ll get plenty, once we''re done."


    "Don''t push me to my death and send me off saying death is the eternal rest." Bali made a grim joke andughed.


    Varian shook his head. Bali still hadn''t recovered from this news. So, it was better to push back the attack for some time.


    Meanwhile, the Ghost ship traveled to the regions untouched fromst time. After some basic inquiry through psychic powers, Varian learned that the level 9s of each province of the Abyss were concentrated in the province capital¡ªthat way, they could better defend against the terrorist attacks by Varian and his level 9s, if they happen again.


    ''Three per province, not bad.''


    But it''s not like Varian could attack however he liked.


    If Bali recoveredpletely, he could teleport and attack. Even Mirage Queen would be hard-pressed to track him down.


    But Bali was injured. And he''s not getting back to his peak strength anytime soon.


    He could barely match Mirage Queen under the Abyss Will. Teleporting and attacking carefreely would only put him in danger.


    ''We don''t have to clean up the whole Abyss. Just attacking a few times would be enough.'' Varian narrowed his eyes and red at the province capital under the clouds.


    "Sovereign Bali," Sia called out in a neutral tone. She was silent the whole time and didn''t interact much with Bali.


    This was the third time she called him and due to her lukewarm tone, Bali snapped out of his trance and looked out of the window.


    Bali''s space sense pierced through the illusions that were projecting his childhood and reached the city.


    ''Three level 9s,'' He found out. ''And five million Abyssals.''


    "One shot. We don''t know the steps Mirage Queen took by now. So, one shot and we''re leaving." Varian said in a serious voice.


    Bali nodded with a confident smile and stood in front of the ghost ship''s exit.


    The space around Bali warped for a moment and he disappeared. The moment he appeared above the province capital, Mirage Queen suddenly opened her eyes.


    "It''s him!" The Queen''s eyes turned bloodshot as she recognized the Abyss Will''s message.


    Without hesitation, she boarded her spaceship, went underground a few miles away from the capital, and reached a special altar.


    Above the city, Bali''s face turned pale as the Abyss Will forcibly tried to punish his


    mind.


    The illusions in his mind grew wilder and wilder.


    But Bali simply raised his hands and a sphere of spatial power enveloped the whole city stretching for several hundred miles.


    The next second, he snapped his fingers.


    It''s like a huge crack was drawn out in the city. The grey opening was the size of a fingernail at first, but in the blink of an eye, it devoured the entire city.


    Several fireballs and powerful punches shook the space crack, but it sessfully withheld all these attacks and disappeared.


    Bali sighed as he watched a huge track of emptynd in the ce the city was a second ago.


    Now, there was only a huge crater.


    "Cough." Bali touched the blood spilling out of his lips and smiled wryly.


    His injuries with Mirage Queen were mental and he was already having trouble facing them.


    Now, the Abyss Will was exploiting his mental injuries and attacking him.


    "Get in! Hurry up!"


    Hearing Varian''s shouts, Bali felt his lips twitch. If possible, he wanted to beat this boy at least once. But now, time was of the essence.


    So, Bali entered the ghost ship and left the scene.


    Three secondster, an altar, underground a few miles away from the city, shone and Mirage Queen''s spaceship rushed out of it.


    The spaceship transformed into full-body armor and Mirage Queen walked towards the emptynd with heavy steps.


    With each step she took, her eyes grew a shade darker. The face armor lifted itself and the cold winds hit the Queen''s face.


    The winds were harsh and for a split second, Mirage Queen heard the voices of the citizens.


    The cries of her people who were brutally killed.


    Even though she witnessed the destruction of cities and watched as the casualties hit tens of millions, her heart still ached every time it happened.


    "It''s war¡­it''s war, deaths are normal," Mirage Queen told herself as she gazed at the ce where a great city stood a few minutes ago.


    As she was about to leave, the wind blew and carried a few pieces of cloth with it.


    Mirage Queen held out her hand as she saw the blood-stained clothes of the little children.


    Something inside her snapped.


    Mirage Queen straightened her back and her ice-cold voice reverberated for hundreds of miles. "Varian, you''ve crossed all lines."

 Chapter 782 The Plan To Prevent The War

    Chapter 782 The n To Prevent The War


    The unexpected situation threw everyone off guard.


    Varian looked at the silver tunnel, the only entrance into the Mirage Abyss, and sighed.


    It''s the Abyss Will that attacked them when they tried to enter. Even though Boo was in stealth and despite Enigma providing cover, the Abyss Will still found them


    out and trapped them in an illusion.


    "We''re left with no choice," Varian sighed deeply.


    Enigma nodded. Her face behind the mask had a grim expression. This new change wouldn''t just stop Varian, but also her from sneaking in.


    Since they couldn''t use CTF either, they lost their original advantages against the Abyssals.


    "This is good as well," Bali suddenly said.


    Varian and Enigma looked at him in confusion.


    "Abyssals were forced to expose this trump card," Bali rubbed his chin. "Say therees a time when the army invades the Abysses, how disastrous would it be if the entrance suddenly changes? Some of our forces would be trapped inside and some would remain outside."


    Even though they didn''t like the current situation one bit, Varian and Enigma had to admit that the imaginary situation was worse.


    "Still, I think there should be a way in," Varian shook his head. "If there isn''t, we must find one."


    "We can think after we settle the current situation." Bali''s words snapped Varian out of his thoughts.


    Mirage Queen had already rushed to theoids. So, Bali soaked in a healing tub and instructed the army on theoids through hism.


    Enigma, on the other hand, used her powers to teleport the Ghost Ship that was already moving at full speed.


    Even though they started a bitte than Mirage Queen, Ghost Ship was faster than any other ship in the sr system.


    However, they needed to reach theoids as soon as possible. The earlier they did, the better their chances.


    So, Enigma poured everything into it. Sweat poured down her forehead and her chest heaved up and down.


    A searing pain coursed through her body and numbness spread from her head to toe.


    After taking them through another long-distance teleportation, Enigma fainted.


    Varian caught her through telekic power and ced her on a healing bed. He covered her with a nket and looked at Bali who was busy recovering.


    He could''ve asked Bali to do this, but as the weaker party, Bali had to conserve every bit of his strength for the uing battle.


    Moreover, Bali had another task he would need space powers for.


    So, without another word, Varian moved Enigma to her room and took off her mask. Seeing her pale face and exhausted expression, he felt guilty.


    ''I need to make up for her in the future,'' Varian sighed and cleaned her sweaty face with his water powers and muttered in a sincere tone. "Thanks."


    Enigma''s eyshes fluttered at his words, but she remained unconscious.


    Butpared to the exhausted expression from earlier, she now had a peaceful expression and seemed to be dreaming a nice dream.


    Varian smiled and was about to head out of the room when a familiar voice called him out.


    "V-Varian, why is my body aching so much?"


    It was Sia.


    "Well..."


    A few minutester, Ghost Ship reached theoids.


    Thanks to Ghost Ship''s high speed and Enigma''s relentless efforts, they had almost fifteen minutes before Mirage Queen arrived.


    Varian knocked on Bali''s room.


    "15 minutes. Do as much as you can."


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    While it seemed like a lot of time had passed, the earth-shattering events all happened in a single day.


    Eight hours ago, Mirage Queen attacked the firstoid.


    Seven hours ago, Mirage Queen was confronted by the fifty level 9s of Mars.


    Three hours ago, Mirage Queen was confronted by Bali.


    One hour ago, Mirage Queen ended the battle and returned to Mirage Abyss.


    So, despite having around thirty level 9s more than humans, Abyssals weren''t able to do much in theoids other than taking care of the aftermath.


    After all, it hadn''t even been one-third of a day since they gained the huge edge in level 9 numbers.


    So, all the level 9 Abyssals on theoids focused on the aftermath in hopes of moving onto the next stage fast¡ªConquering the remainingoids!


    Theoids under these Abyssals worked at 150% efficiency as they quickly dealt with everything they should.


    Lonxu was one suchoid whose humanmander was killed by Mirage Queen.


    Now unanimously ruled by a high level 9 Telekic Abyssal, all the Abyssals on theoid were immersed inpletely conquering theoid.


    For this, they were doing the arduous task of neutralizing the traps left in human bases.


    Since the advent of aura, explosives¡ªeither chemical or nuclear¡ªhad lost much of their power.


    So, Humans used a mix of technology and aura for the meticulous traps.


    Fatal poisons, illusion formations, aura explosions, nukes, and more.


    "The traps in the final base are cleared." A level 8 Abyssal knelt in a room and reported the situation.


    Sitting on a chair made from the bones of her arch-enemy, Lonxu''soidmander smiled.


    The informant gulped as he felt a chill down his spine. He would never forget how much this woman humiliated her opponent''s corpse.


    Even the other Abyssals who were doing the same felt repulsed.


    "If it''s a bitte, the heads of the nningmittee would fly," The basemander said in a charming voice.


    The informant shuddered and bent his body even more. This crazy woman meant what she said.


    And worse, he was one of the members of the nningmittee.


    ''Thankfully, I sacrificed a few hundred lives to speed up the process.''


    "What is the situation of the neighboringoids?" Themander asked.


    They had already received the instructions. Once stabilizing the conqueredoid was over, they were to send immediate assistance to the nearbyoids.


    With reinforcements, the Abyssal armies on eachoid would be able to break the stalemate and conquer theoids one by one.


    Of course, as themander, she had to go to theoids and fight off the human level 9s.


    It''s going to be a long process and would end with many deaths. But end it would and in their victory.


    "The human army on the five neighboringoids has fortified their defenses and startedying many traps. They''re preparing for a suicide battle." The informant said.


    "Ho? It seems humans learned a thing or two about courage from us," Themander chuckled and floated out of her base and into the clouds.


    She gazed in the direction of theoid and licked her lips. "I want to see the despair on your faces."


    The Abyssal''s body shivered in pleasure as she imagined stepping on the corpses. "Yes~ Yes!"


    She charged herself with telekic power and prepared to take off. "Here Ie~"


    The air around her stilled and she was about to rush out at supersonic speed when an arrogant voice sounded from above the clouds.


    "You aren''t going anywhere, bitch!"


    The sky split and a giant ck rupture swallowed everything.


    Her base and its tens of thousands of soldiers were instantly cut into pieces. Neither level 7s nor level 8s could stay alive for more than ten seconds.


    As for her, the merciless space des skinned her alive and cut her flesh into a million pieces.


    What was once a beautiful but merciless woman was now only a bag of bones carrying some flesh.


    "Why¡­I¡­want to¡­kill¡­trample!"


    The Abyssal forcibly moved her half-dead body and looked at the man who was looking down at her with indifference.


    Sensing her gaze, his eyes narrowed and the space around her exploded.


    "Y-You Human Sov¡­"


    That was thest thing the Abyssal muttered before her body was ripped to shreds.


    Bali''s space sense swept through the base and realized that some Abyssals that were away from the attack were still alive.


    His target was only level 9 and he killed the strong 8s that he could.


    But he didn''t have much spare time. Mirage Queen was on the way. And traveling between theoids took significant time.


    Not alloids had teleportation formations and even if this one did, the Abyssals would''ve already destroyed it. So, he had to travel using his own space powers.


    ''I need to hurry!''


    Before he left, Bali pointed his ten fingers into the sky and shot out ten small fireballs.


    These fireballs grew into the size of a mountain and in a sh, bombarded ten bases.


    Except for a few strong level 8s and the ones at the edge of the base, the rest of the Abyssals were burnt to ashes.


    And the man responsible for their deaths was already on his way to the nextoid.

 Chapter ?783 Creating A New Status Quo

    Chapter ?783 Creating A New Status Quo


    Varian sted the space around the Abyssal crawling out of the destroyed base.


    The peak level 8 Abyssal who survived Bali''s attack through sheer will and tenacity looked at Varian with an unwilling expression before his body broke into pieces.


    To his right, three Abyssals died with their tongues hanging out.


    "Haa~" Sia took a deep breath as she rubbed her forehead. Ignoring the pain in her head, she covered the base with her psychic sense and nodded at Varian. "The level 8s here are done."


    "Let''s go." Varian entered the Ghostship and stretched his hand in a gesture to help her up using his telekic power.


    Sia shook her head and rejected his offer.


    Enigma fainted due to exhaustion and Sia was also hit by fatigue. She wouldn''t be able to use Enigma''s gravity power to its fullest, for now.


    Despite her weakened state, she was of great help to clear the level 8s.


    "I can still work just fine," Sia muttered and rose into the air while she swept her psychic sense across theoid.


    Except for ten bases other than this one, none were damaged in the slightest.


    Those bases would have a couple of level 8s in total. If she attacked them now, Sia was confident of killing them all.


    But.


    "Let''s go!" She entered the Ghost Ship and slumped on the chair.


    The Ghost Ship headed to theoid Bali visited next.


    Even though destroying the Abyss army and recapturing theoids was important, ensuring the deaths of level 9s and killing as many injured level 8s was even more so.


    Sia wasn''t delusional to think theoid they just exited from would fall back into the army''s hands.


    Not just this, none of theoids that Bali would clean up would be conquered by the federation.


    When Mirage Queen attacked theoids, she also destroyed the army of the entireoids.


    Tens of Millions of soldiers were wiped out in all but hours.


    Simply put, the army didn''t have enough manpower to take theoids from the existing army.


    However, theoids wouldn''t fall to Abyssals either.


    "Bali isn''t giving his all," Varian muttered as he cleaned up the thirdoid Bali just left.


    "If he teleported without holding back, we wouldn''t be able to keep up with him," Sia replied as she killed thest survivor of the base¡ªa level 8 Abyssal hiding in an underground safe.


    "True that," Varian agreed with her words as they set off to the fourthoid.


    Bali was conserving his strength for the inevitable battle that would soon unfold.


    If he got too exhausted from the travel, then he might be severely injured under the Abyssal Queen''s onught. His death wasn''t impossible either.


    After all, Bali was only a new Sovereign and was yet topletely familiarize himself with his new powers.


    Five minutester, they departed from the fourthoid amidst the cheers of the Abyssals.


    "Go back!"


    "Cowardly humans!"


    "You don''t dare to attack this daddy!"


    Hearing the taunts due to his extraordinary senses, Varian''s lips curled into an evil smile. "Poormbs, it seems like they weren''t informed yet."


    Sia shuddered as she looked at that smile that half-attracted and half-scared her. But after a moment, she too joined him with an evil smile.


    The Abyssal armies, at least the normal officers, weren''t informed about Varian''s raids in the Mirage Abyss.


    So, naturally, they didn''t know their ambition of conquering theseoids was impossible.


    Sia knew the federation wouldn''t be able to keep theseoids.


    But neither could the Abyssals.


    With the tremendous losses of Mirage Abyss from the multiple raids headed by Varian, Mirage Abyss took a significant hit in its upper middle and middle-upper ranges of manpower.


    So, both humans and Abyssals lost a significant number of awakeners from level 4 to level 8.


    "Since armies of both sides took losses, they''re rough of equal strength. But right now, Abyssals are upying moreoids," Sia pointed out to the obvious weakness.


    Due to their upancy, Abyssal forces peroid were lower than humans. It worked so far because Abyssals had extra level 9s.


    But once they''re gone, the human army on anyoid would be significantlyrger and more powerful than the Abyssal army.


    "With slow wars, the Abyssal armies would soon be overpowered by the human army. The only way to prevent this is to give up theoids and concentrate forces. But will they?" Sia tilted her head as her eyes shone with curiosity.


    Varian chuckled in anticipation. Whatever choice they made, he''de out as the winner.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Go! Go! Faster!" Mirage Queen growled as she read the report of the fourthoid''s fall.


    Her spaceship was already moving at the highest speed, but unfortunately, it would still take some time before she could get there.


    "Arghh! Bali, I''ll make you regret it!" Mirage Queen''s eyes shone with killing intent.


    Whatever benefit she created for Mirage Abyss was slowly sapped away by this new Sovereign and she could only watch.


    If the level 9s fell even more, even if the Mirage Abyss had an edge, they could no longer consider waging a war.


    "Damn it! All because of you, Varian!" Mirage Queen''s teeth chattered as she swiped away the reports about the hateful human.


    She took great risks, paid a big price, and essentially closed off the Mirage Abyss to safeguard it against this evil incarnate''s attacks.


    Yet, this human was going against her, and her race over and over.


    "Even if I have to stoop to the lowest of low, I''ll make sure the Emperor will kill you." Mirage Queen vowed.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    After killing the thirteenth level 9, Bali wiped the sweat off his forehead and took deep breaths.


    "If I''m a bit more experienced, I shouldn''t be this tired," He muttered with a bitter smile.


    To be honest, he felt like he was ying life in hard mode.


    Right after he became the Sovereign, he had to fight Mirage Queen without any preparation.


    Then, he had to enter the Abyss, sneak attack a city, and be subjected to a terrible illusion by the Abyss Will that nearly shook him.


    Now, he had to speed run to theoids and kill the level 9s before engaging with Mirage Queen who was significantly stronger than him and would likely be itching to torture him to death.


    "Varian, you''ll be the death of me," Bali gritted his teeth as he decided to p that boy until he begged for mercy.


    But for now, he had to keep goin¡ª


    "Sovereign Bali, Mirage Queen will reach Donxuoid in two minutes. You can reach it in time if you start now."


    Hism lit up and Mars'' Athena chief informed him.


    "Yeah," Bali nodded and spread out his space sense.


    He pushed down the feeling of fatigue and figured the shortest way to theoid.


    As he moved thousands of miles with each teleportation, he decided to give a call to a certain someone.


    "Varian?"


    "Yes, thanks to your hard work, Mirage Abyss won''t start the war."


    Bali''s lips curled up slightly. Yes, even though he killed only thirteen level 9s, they were the strongest of the bunch.


    The disparity between Mars and Mirage Abyss still existed, but Mirage Abyss could no longer defeat Mars with an overwhelming advantage.


    "They can still go ahead with their n," Bali said.


    "Even if they do, our side can hold them back for a few months or even a year. That is a goddamn long time. By then, I can kill them myself."


    "Big words, but I''m the one doing the job now."


    "I''ll give you an option to retire soon."


    "Heh," Bali smirked. "If I don''t die to this crazy bitch, then I will really ask for a vacation."


    Varian''s voice turned serious and he said in a sincere tone.


    "Thank you. And don''t die."


    Bali paused for a moment before he burst outughing.


    He also conducted hisst teleport and arrived in front of aoid.


    In the distance, he saw Mirage Queen''s ship.


    Bali''s eyes shone with war intent and he asked a single question before he headed off for the critical battle.


    "Little bastard, who do you not to die? Me or Mars'' Sovereign?"


    "I don''t want the Bali who finally realized his lifelong wish to die."


    "Hahahaha!" With a heartyugh, Sovereign Bali weed his second battle with Mirage Queen.

 Chapter 784 The Aftermath

    Chapter 784 The Aftermath


    It had been five days since Bali began his battle with Mirage Queen. Thankfully, Bali was able to keep his head on his shoulders and hold a stalemate.


    Bali expected major injuries at least. But for some reason, Mirage Queen seemed to be in a weakened state.


    ''Perhaps it''s for closing the Abyss?''


    Bali thought as he watched the Mirage Queen leave the battlegrounds.


    But unlike usual, she didn''t leave theoid to heal her injuries and stayed there.


    The level 9s that came with her were also settled on their respectiveoids.


    Bali understood their goal.


    Mirage Queen wanted to lock Bali down with herself. The level 9s of Abyssals would lock down the human level 9s.


    After the changes in the Abyss, they didn''t need to worry about Varian''s terror attacks.


    Right now, they had a small excess of level 9spared to Mars. Using this, they hoped to slowly conquer theoids.


    There were several geniuses from Mars that could take on two Abyssals in the same sub-realm.


    So, it''s going to be easy.


    Mars had been under the threat of destruction since Kreo''s death. Only now did it truly gain safety.


    The Federation thus gave a green light for the reverse migration.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Varian was in a good mood after the mission''s sess.


    Since Mirage Queen was in a temporarily weakened state, Bali had the opportunity to familiarize himself with his powers.


    Even though Bali wouldn''t be having the upper hand in their subsequent battles anytime soon, he would be able to hold his own without the fear of death.


    "Varian," Sia''s soft voice sounded in his mind and jolted him out of his thoughts.


    Varian nced around and saw that the people behind him in the queue were getting impatient.


    Even though there were more than twenty queues for this monument, there were more than 100,000 people in his immediate sight.


    ''Who would''ve thought¡­''


    Taking a deep breath, Varian turned to therge Stele with a solemn expression.


    On the Stele, the names of the fifty level 9s that gave up their lives to buy Mars the crucial hours it desperately needed were engraved.


    Varian recognized each and every name on the Stele.


    Particrly, the one at the very top.


    Skad


    ''I know asking for forgiveness after causing your deaths due to my own recklessness is vile.'' Varian bowed his head to the martyrs.


    ''I caused your deaths. I''m sorry. I just wanted to torment the person I hate. If I knew the consequences would be so tragic and so many people would lose their lives over due to my decision, I would''ve never touched Kreo.''


    Varian''s body shook as the images of the destruction shed in his mind.


    Millions, no, tens of millions of deaths. Countless families were broken. Billions of people were disced.


    The bravest heroes of Mars had to give up their lives just to buy some time. The bravest of them all, Skad, burnt his whole life to buy two minutes.


    ''I¡­'' Varian''s fingers dug into his palms and blood sttered on the ground. His eyebrows trembled violently as he stared at the Stele with a burning gaze.


    A part of him wanted to close his eyes shut and apologize.


    But Varian refused. He stared at the Stele and burned every name into his memory.


    ''Apology is useless. So, I promise you. I will take good care of the world you gave your lives for. I will.''


    When he made that promise, Varian felt a weight in his heart vanish. The gloominess, guilt, and shame were burnt away by his soaring ambition.


    It was as if the world hade to life and his role had just begun.


    Varian took onest nce at the Stele before he left.


    On his way back, Varian paused as his nce rested on a woman in the queue. She resembled the High General.


    She was petite with brown hair and a simr facial structure.


    ''Boo is she¡­''


    ''Yes, Master. She''s his daughter.''


    ''I see.''


    When the woman reached Stele, a man walked up to her through a special channel and handed her the baby in his arms.


    The woman held the baby gently and showed him the Stele.


    Her lips parted as she introduced the grandson to the grandfather and told them about each other.


    "Father, you promised to see him," Sk said as she looked at her father''s name. "But your grandson came to you."


    "Skad, say hello to your grandfather," The woman held her baby''s arm gently and waved it at the Stele.


    Then, she nodded at Stele, as if she was answering a question. "Yes, it''s your name. If not for those two minutes you bought with your own life, I and your grandson would''ve both been killed by her."


    Sk bit her lip as her eyes turned red, "So, I''m forgiving you, father."


    Tears streamed down her cheeks as she sobbed like a little girl. "P-Please be happy wherever you are. I will be happy. I will raise y-your grandson well. He will make you proud."


    A gentle breeze brushed Sk''s head.


    "Father?!"


    Sk looked around as she still couldn''t believe the familiar feeling on her head. Only he patted her that way. Only him¡­


    Sk took a deep breath and offered the flowers to Stele before bowing and returning.


    The flowers she offered gently shook as if waving her a final goodbye.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Watching Varian walking back toward her, Sia sighed.


    She didn''t want him to carry this guilt. It didn''t matter if millions or billions died, Sia didn''t care.


    ''This world be damned for all I care, I just want him to be happy.'' Sia clenched her fists behind her back and waved at Varian with a smile.


    "Var!"


    Her voice was like honey, and everyone who heard it couldn''t help but look at her in surprise.


    She was like the moon among the stars, overshadowing everyone with her mere presence.


    The men and women alike thought she was too beautiful to be real.


    Right!


    She must be a new promotional hologram to heal the war woun¡ª


    "Let''s go!"


    Varian, currently wearing in a disguise, said and Sia responded with a bright smile. "What do you want for dinner?"


    ''Wait, she is real?'' The nearby crowd was bbergasted.


    "Something that goes good with wine."


    "You shouldn''t drink so much."


    "Just this one night."


    "Fine~"


    Under the infatuated and envious gazes of the crowd, the couple left the district under the sunset.


    They still remained three feet away from each other, but their shadows no longer had any distance separating them.

 Chapter ?785 Before The Next Sunset

    Chapter ?785 Before The Next Sunset


    "Done?"


    Kyle red at his friend and shoved the suitcase into his hands without a word.


    Varian didn''t bother to check the contents. This new ''creation'' was something he requested after Mars was nearly destroyed due to Shadow Order.


    Since the science couple was on a vacation, Dr. Tom did the work. Since it was just an upgrade, the device waspleted fast. Of course, without Kyle helping him out, it wouldn''t be this fast.


    "Thanks, dude. You''re a lifesaver," Varian grinned.


    "How about you don''t thank me and just convince Maya to end the vacation?" Kyle rubbed his waist and asked in a weary tone.


    Varian looked at Kyle''s waist in contempt, "Lack of stamina is inexcusable. You should really exercise more."


    "And grow some abs? Give me a break!" Kyle punched Varian on the shoulder and sighed like he was abandoned by the world.


    If it was anyone else doing this to him, Varian would''ve pped them silly. But he simplyughed at Kyle''s actions.


    After all the heavy events he witnessed in the past few days, talking to his genius stupid friend lifted Varian''s mood.


    The cool breeze of the evening washed over them as the sounds of childrenughing rang in their ears.


    Since Mars was still recovering from the tragic events, the beach was mostly empty.


    Varian drew the purple skyoid on the sand with his toe as he shrugged. "You started it. I just gave you advice. It''s not my fault."


    "Yes, I started it, but I¡­" Kyle''s shoulders drooped as he gazed at the sunset over the ocean.


    After the vacation started, Kyle wanted to make up for Maya and take their rtionship a step ahead.


    So, he asked Varian how to smash all the bases. Varian didn''t hold back and gave him the wisdom.


    On the second day of the vacation, Kyle graduated from his virginity. He even yelled from the top of his vi''s balcony that night.


    After tasting the forbidden fruit, he thought he found one more joy in life besides researching.


    But¡­


    Things changed from the third day.


    At first, he was overpowered. Slowly, he was dominated. Eventually, he was defeated. And finally, he was squeezed dry.


    Kyle finally realized why the average lifespan of men was always less than women, no matter the era.


    When he got the chance, he escaped to Varian without a second thought.


    "Bro, I really don''t want to be horny anymore, I just want to do my research," Kyle looked at the ocean as if he was ready to start the next stage of life.


    The waves washed over his feet, but no response came from behind.


    Kyle raised a brow as he turned around. "Bro?"


    "Yo¡ª" Kyle''s body stiffened as he saw the person he dreaded more than the Mirage Queen.


    Maya gave him a wink and pulled him to their vi.


    From the top of a mountain, Varian watched Kyle being dragged like a pig being taken to be ughtered. But strangely, Kyle didn''t resist.


    Varian watched the sunset with a serious expression as he said in an ominous tone. "Another warrior has fallen."


    "Why do I feel like Kyle is enjoying the situation?" Sia appeared beside him at some point as she gave Varian a doubtful gaze.


    "Um, maybe he secretly is?" Varian shrugged with a doubtful expression. "Maybe he likes it that way. I don''t want to judge."


    Sia was dumbfounded and asked. "You like that too?"


    When she realized what she just said, Sia''s face turned beet red and she wanted to say it was something else.


    But Varian replied with a smirk. "Silly girl, whether a truck hits a bike or a bike hits a truck, the one going down is the bike."


    Sia rolled her eyes at his narcissism and snickered. "Maybe you''ll be begging for mercy too. You have double trouble."


    Varian burst into a fit ofughter.


    Sia clicked her tongue at his confidence before shifting her attention to the box in his hand. "Is that the detector?"


    "Hm," Varian''s expression turned serious and his bearing suddenly changed, as if the one who was talking nonsense from earlier wasn''t him. "The Abysses have closed down for now. We won''t have anything to do there for now. Time to clean up the pests."


    Sia nodded in agreement.


    After witnessing the ridiculous amount of destruction Varian caused, the remaining Abyss Rulers followed Mirage Queen''s decision and closed their Abysses.


    As a price, they were all significantly weakened.


    Now, all the high-endbat power of the Federation and Abysses was concentrated on theoids.


    There wasn''t much Varian could do at this point. So, cleaning up the internal traitors who nearly destroyed Mars was a very appealing choice.


    To find the secret realms they resided in, Dr. Tom modified the space wave detector a bit.


    Varian looked at the setting suns and said in a toneced with killing intent. "By the next sunset, it''ll all be over."


    One hourter, Athena Group of Military finished replicating the device and the hunting teams all across the Federation received the scanners.


    The raid began.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Thirty thousand miles away from Mars, far away from theoids:


    Mars'' main branch of the Shadow Order was in a heavy lifeless state.


    After realizing Mirage Queen was going to attack Mars, the Shadow Order evacuated the secret realms on the and moved to the ones far away.


    Due to the sudden notice and the necessity to evacuate entire secret realms, they weren''t able to erase their traces on the way out.


    It didn''t matter before because everyone on Mars was supposed to be dead.


    But now, the army had already found out the marks they made during evacuation and was finding their secret realms one by one.


    Shadow Order could kiss Mars'' secret realms goodbye and that wasn''t the most depressing part.


    Crushing their hopes, Mars somehow forced the Mirage Abyss from starting a war.


    No one, not even Mars'' Shadow Lord, Tamal, had the slightest clue why.


    ''Why did the Mirage Abyss, no, why did all the Abysses close off?'' Seated on his throne, Tamal, rested his face on his fist as he tried to find the answer.


    He asked Mirage Queen already, but she just asked him to focus on his own work. From her tone of speech, the Abyssal Queen was incredibly pissed.


    ''Something happened¡­''


    In the empty courtroom, Tamal tapped his throne.


    This room was full just a year ago. But with the advent of Enigma, it was cut in half. Then came Varian and now, only a handful of people still worked here.


    The new Shadow Guardians under Seth had already started hunting them down. This time, with explicit public support and implicit government permission, the Guardians went above and beyond to hunt them down.


    The descendants of the once glorious Shadow Nation, the members of Shadow Order were now worse than dogs, hunted day and night.


    Even the members of the organization began to betray and everything was a mess.


    Tamal hoped the destruction of Mars would settle everything. But that''s impossible now.


    ''Varian did something. He forced the Mirage Abyss to not start a war, then what about the rest, why did they all close up¡­'' Tamal''s eyes narrowed as a thought appeared in his mind.


    A thought that was the most logical but also his worst nightmare.


    ''He did something in Mirage Abyss that scared away all the remaining Abysses.'' Tamal sucked in a breath of cold air.


    "Lord?" A hesitant but urging voice called him.


    Tamal came to his senses and rebuked himself for not noticing the informant entering the room. "What is it?"


    "Sir, the military has mobilized extra forces."


    "So? All the Abysses are pushing all the armies into a stalemate. This is normal."


    "No, Sir. The Athena Group has dispatched all its fighters. Our member spotted even a figure that was thought to be dead a few years ago."


    "Athena Group?" Tamal''s eyes suddenly widened as he felt an invisible weight on his chest.


    The army wasn''t well experienced in hunting the Order. But Athena Group, those monsters had found the Order branches many times in the past.


    Having escaped them since his career began, Tamal wasn''t afraid of them. But for some reason, his heart just wouldn''t stop pounding in fear.


    Athena Group was indeed never a problem for him. But what if that nightmare of a human joins in¡­


    "Increase the defenses! Stop all movement of goods! Do not give them any clu¡ª"


    Tamal held onto his throne as the ground shook violently.


    At the same time, four informants rushed in and yelled. "Lord Tamal, the secret realm is being att¡ª"


    Before they could finish, a screeching sound reverberated across the secret realm as a huge tear appeared in the sky.


    Fifty spaceships, headed by three level 9s, bombarded this crime haven.


    Feeling the three auras that locked onto him, Tamal''s face paled.


    Today might very well be thest.

 Chapter 786 Death Of A Traitor

    Chapter 786 Death Of A Traitor


    The Gentlemen trio.


    The famous triplets of Mars¡ªfire, water, and lightning awakeners.


    "Why is it them?" Tamal gritted his teeth as he dashed out of his castle and confronted them high in the sky.


    "Oh, see who it is."


    "A cockroach?"


    "Even cockroach has its allegiance to its birthce."


    "Oh, this guy is worse than a cockroach."


    "Sorry, Mr. Cockroach forparing you to this scum."


    "Why doesn''t he just kill himself and save us this annoyance?"


    The Trio mocked him mercilessly.


    Tamal''s face grew red in anger but since he got used to getting angry thanks to Varian. So, he kept his rationality and checked the levels of the trio.


    "You¡­You guys broke through?" Tamal''s eyes widened.


    The three were low level 9, and went into secluded training two decades ago.


    But now, not only did they reach the mid level 9, they even seemed to be halfway through it.


    Logically, as a high level 9, Tamal shouldn''t worry about three mid level 9s attacking him. But the guys in front of him weren''t logical.


    If it was one-on-one with any of the trio, he was confident of winning. But when the three performed a battle formation, even he would be overpowered.


    Logan, the de facto leader of the Gentlemen Trio, ignored Tamal and dered in a tone that allowed no defiance. "Brave men and women of the human race, here is your opportunity. Kill these scum. Show them no mercy."


    Lex added. "These things look merely look like humans. But their inside has long been rotten beyond saving."


    Lois finished the speech. "For The Glory Of Human Race!"


    "For the Glory of Human Race!"


    Under the roar of the ten thousand human warriors, the sky shook and the earth trembled.


    Then, these men and women who mostly spent their time against Abyssals unleashed their killing intent.


    The Shadow Order forces that hurriedly assembled to battle the army felt their legs shake.


    The sky itself started to glow with a red hue as the bloodlust turned tangible.


    "Gulp!" A captain leading one of the Shadow Order teams swallowed his saliva.


    He usually fought some geniuses, injured soldiers, and led terrorist operations. He never went to the front lines.


    Just like him, most of the leaders in the Shadow Order army gulped their saliva. They too never fought on the frontlines.


    The leaders themselves were in such a pathetic condition.


    Looking at the ten thousand strong soldiers whose eyes shed with killing intent, the ground-level warriors of the Order were barely able to stop from shuddering.


    Since Mars lost a lot of manpower, they weren''t able to send an overwhelming force.


    In fact, the average level of the Order forces was a sub-level or two higher than the army.


    Yet.


    "Charge!"


    The army, brimming with valor, took the lead and attacked the Order.


    Swords shed with lightning bolts, fists bombarded with fireballs, and space des fought off myriad beasts.


    The trees, the mountains, thekes, and the buildings¡ªit didn''t matter what it was or how sturdy it was, the moment a battle urred near, these structures copsed.


    The red blood formedkes as the first wave of offensive killed off nearly 10% of the Order forces.


    After realizing that the only way out was to fight tooth and nail, everyone in the Order tried to suppress their fears and give it their all.


    "Kill these hypocrites and carve a bloody path out!" An Order Commander roared as he beat down a Lieutenant General.


    The army officer spat out blood along with his teeth before grinning at that Ordermander.


    The officer''s body was falling apart since he was facing a high level 8 despite being a mid level 8.


    But heughed. As his bones creaked as they broke, he keptughing.


    "Bloody path? What bloody path?" The officer asked with amusement.


    "The path I''ll build on your corpse!" The Order''smander pped down.


    The ground under the officer''s feet sunk as a huge palm print was carved for two miles around him.


    The officer was forced onto a knee as the huge pressure sunk his chest and broke his bones.


    But he raised his head at themander in the air and showed a bloody grin. "My corpse? It should be our corpses!"


    Themander suddenly had an ominous premonition. "What are yo¡ª?"


    Before he could finish, the officer pushed all his aura into a single attack and a huge lightning covered themander.


    Then, it exploded, devouring everything in the surrounding ten miles.


    On the barren ground, the officer watched the scum die before he copsed onto the ground.


    Looking at the sky, his eyes shone with pride before they dimmed forever.


    Such sacrifices happened across the battlefield.


    The more the army fought, the fiercer they got.


    Pain didn''t slow them. Death couldn''t halt them.


    Like an unending war song, the sounds of their weapons slicing their enemies continued.


    High up in the sky, Tamal was covered in wounds from head to toe.


    His left arm was twisted at an impossible angle while a gaping wound could be seen on his chest.


    "Y-You bastards!" Coughing out blood, Tamal cursed the Gentlemen Trio.


    Their condition was only slightly better than his.


    "I''ll take his head." Lex swung his ice sword.


    "And me, his heart." Lois shot his fire spear


    "Then I''ll give him a farewell gift," Logan''s bloodied face showed a smile as he formed two lightning ws behind him.


    Tamal gritted his teeth as he formed a telekic barrier with the remaining of his strength.


    But the trio''s attacks broke through his shield and destroyed his vital organs.


    Dying, Tamal crashed to the ground, right beside his ''castle''.


    As hey on the ground, losing life, he realized that as far as he could see, everything rted to the Order was razed to the ground.


    The grand buildings didn''t withstand the wrath of the righteous.


    The secret traps of the Order were useless before overwhelming might.


    The Lord''s Castle copsed like it was made out of the sand.


    "H-How¡­" Tamal resisted closing his eyes as he asked.


    "I¡­how did you find us¡­"


    The trio didn''t answer. Instead, one of them burnt his legs while the other cooled them.


    The third one kept electrocuting the dying mean.


    "Arghhhh!"


    Tamal''s screams reached every corner of the secret realm.


    This was thest straw that broke the remaining Order fighters. As the final embers of their courage were snuffed out, the army began a massacre.


    The Order forces tried to resist, but every time they raised their weapons, the shrill screams of their leader reached their ears.


    ''If even such a pain is crying out in that much pain, it''s better to die¡­''


    Perhaps that was their subconscious thought. Thus, thest Order member was killed three minutester.


    At the same time, Tamal''s vocal cords broke from the screaming and no more sound came out of him.


    "!¡­.!¡­"


    Even when he couldn''t speak, Tamal used hisst energy to try asking the same question.


    "Yes, we didn''t find you ourselves." Lexughed.


    Tamal''s eyes widened.


    "It is your archenemy, Varian," Lois said with a chilling smile.


    The Shadow Lord''s body shook violently as his eyes showed his unwillingness.


    ''Why?!''


    ''Why should I always lose to that brat?!''


    ''Why is my lifelong dream spoiled by someone who didn''t even live a fifth of my life? By someone who didn''t even try half as hard as I did?''


    Tamal''s mind broke down and he finally burst into bitter tears.


    Logan smiled at Tamal''s tears and showed a device. "Dr. Thomas invented a device and using it, Sovereign Julius found the secret realms of the Shadow Guardians and destroyed them. Now, the device is upgraded to find you, thanks to Varian."


    Tamal gasped as he realized the implication of such a device.


    Logan sneered as he confirmed Tamal''s worst suspicions.


    "And not just you, every Shadow Order base in this sr system will be razed to the ground today."


    "Va¡­"


    Tamal couldn''t even utter the name of his worst enemy before he died.

 Chapter ?787 An Important Meeting

    Chapter ?787 An Important Meeting


    Varian tapped the table as he watched the holograms of the three Sovereigns he previously asked for.


    The Rulers of Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus had a frown on their faces as they read the report from thetest clean-up.


    "From today, Shadow Order, as we know it ceases to exist," Varian said with a calm expression.


    His eyes shed with a pensive light as he shrugged. "Though their remnants still exist and we can''tpletely prevent the emergence of another terror entity, it''s safe to say we''ve never been safer."


    The Sovereigns, including Micheal Caron, nodded at his words.


    After the Guardians and army cleaned up the secret realms that were quickly found by the new detection devices, Varian provided them with another report.


    A report that listed tens of thousands of informants, spies, and agents working for the Abyssals.


    He even cited multiple sources for cing them on the list.


    They guessed he used the power of the Ghost Ship to do theplex calctions to decode so much information.


    Then, they began the second cleanup.


    From small-time workers torge business owners, the traitors were taken into custody one by one.


    It was silent, yet swift.


    If the first cleanup was akin to a lightning bolt destroying everything in a second, the second one was like a heavy storm that slowly but surely drowned everything.


    Thergest number of these traitors were found on Jupiter.


    Even when calcted for the same poption, Jupiter, on average had more than twice the spies than average.


    "Some inspection on why you breed more traitors is needed," Varian said in a light tone as he eyed the Micheal Caron.


    "I protect my. I fight on the front lines. Why are they still doing this?" Micheal Caron gritted his teeth.


    Kevin rubbed his chin in confusion while Irene closed her eyes to think of a reason.


    To be fair, Micheal did an excellent job in protecting his. Jupiter''s soldier deaths and defeats in theoid wars were some of the lowest in the federation.


    But no matter how secure the border was, the people still betrayed him. And betrayed him more than anyone else.


    "W-Wait, can the Abyssals one day buy enough traitors to paralyze us as a society and destroy us from within?" Micheal Caron rubbed his forehead.


    As always, he began to think of the worst possibility.


    Sovereign Kevin shook his head at his friend''s personality he could never get the hang of. Unlike Michael, he always remained positive.


    "Right!" Micheal''s eyes widened as if he realized something and he mmed the table. "Maybe it''s already happening or about to happen! We need to search for the hidden traitors and find their conspira¡ª"


    "Woah, calm down there," Varian''s calm voice rang in contrast to Micheal''s heavy one.


    "What do you mean calm down? The survival of Jupiter is at sta¡ª"


    "This is why you have traitors. You are too pessimistic." Varian said nonchntly.


    "W-What?!" Michael Caron was at a loss for words. Then, he shook his head and said. "How does that even¡­"


    "It does affect. In every annual speech you give, you mainly report the negatives and downy the positives." Varian crossed his arms as he looked at the Sovereign with a ''Are you kidding me?'' face.


    "I do?" Micheal was surprised.


    For those annual speeches, he spoke his mind and rejected all written speeches.


    And he didn''t entertain thoughts or suggestions on such issues even if someone told him to change his speech.


    He considered himself to be a realist and conveyed his reality to the people.


    "Public perception should be the job of mainstream media," Micheal bit his lip.


    Varian shook his head. "Whatever the mainstream media tells them, if you, their Sovereign talks only about negative stuff, people will of course panic."


    "Of course, after panicking, people can check the real data published by the military and draw logical conclusions," Micheal argued. But he realized he was just trying to deny the reality.


    Rebuking his words, Varian said. "But some people don''t do that. They believe your words blindly. You''re their savior after all. They''ll think we''re going to lose. That they''re gonna be ughtered."


    Micheal Caron sighed as he finally realized. "So, they wouldn''t hesitate in doing the one thing that can save them. Bing an Abyssal agent."


    "Exactly. So, take care of your PR." Varian stated his point.


    Micheal looked at Varian with a critical eye before nodding reluctantly.


    "Yes."


    Then, the Sovereign who stated he disliked Varian, said in a low tone.


    "Thanks."


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    The Abyss Rulers looked at each other across the round table.


    There was an ufortable silence in the room.


    Despair Queen looked at Mirage Queen''s bloodshot eyes and sighed inwardly.


    She was reminded of herself when she failed the n.


    If she was the one who failed despite decades of preparations, then Mirage Queen was the one who failed at a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.


    And both of them failed due to the same person.


    ''Varian.''


    Despair Queen closed her eyes as she imagined ripping that boy''s body part by part with her vines.


    "Everyone," Sin King addressed his seven colleagues with a serious expression.


    Despair Queen opened her eyes and listened attentively. This meeting was marked red meaning utmost importance.


    "The situation on the other side has reached a conclusion," Sin King''s words caused the Rulers to stiffen.


    "Is it? It''s already over? Fairies are really trash."


    "How much damage did we inflict?"


    "How much are our losses?"


    The Rulers fired the questions with enthusiasm.


    Even though it had been centuries since their branches left off for this mission. Yet, every Abyssal in the sr system, be it an unawakened or Sovereign, missed their home terribly.


    So, even the gloomy news of Mirage Abyss'' terrible losses and destruction of Shadow Order was set aside by them.


    Sin King remained silent until their noises calm down and began. "The content of the meeting is¡ª"


    "Old Man, just give us a summary of the war, okay?" Despair Queen begged with pitiful eyes.


    "Yes. My blood boils when I think of killing those damn fairies! Please tell us how many fairies our people killed. How hard did we crush them?" Mirage Queen joined with sparkly eyes.


    "Did we kick them out of the northwest borders? Are they begging the Zion dog again?" Demon King asked with an excited smile.


    "¡­We," Sin King sighed deeply as he said. "Our defense was broken."


    "W-What?!"


    "You''re kidding, old guy!"


    "We''re not losing! We''re stronger than them! Always been! Always will be!"


    "If this is a joke, then fuck you! It''s very bad!"


    One by one, the Abyss Rulers cursed him.


    Only two of them remained silent.


    Thunder King and Hollow Queen.


    Thunder King lived in Sin Abyss for a period of time and knew better than anyone else that the old man wouldn''t bother to lie.


    Hollow Queen, on the other hand, was someone who didn''t let her emotions get to her head.


    Even though they always won, losing wasn''t an impossibility.


    So, the question remained. Why did they lose?


    Sin King took a deep breath and tapped on a crystal.


    The Abyss Rulers, except for Demon King and Mirage Queen, followed his action without a word.


    The six holy altars emitted a soft light as the space around them fluctuated.


    Then, a screen appeared in front of them.


    "I will tell you why we lost." Abyss Emperor''s hologram appeared in the room.

 Chapter 788 Abyss Empires Situation

    Chapter 788 Abyss Empire''s Situation


    The homnd of Abyss, the Abyss Empire, had been experiencing frequent attacks by the Fairies.


    It didn''t matter if it was the far south or near north, the Zion dogs attacked all borders.


    Despite being defeated every single time, they returned like rabid dogs lusting for blood.


    Even though theprehensive strength of the Abyss Empire was a step higher than the Fairies, the continuous invasions started to have an effect.


    The Abyssals in the border provinces were beginning to grow more and more bloodthirsty.


    Their hatred for Fairies reached new peaks and at some point, something seemed to have snapped in them.


    Instead of fear, they weed each war.


    They reveled in the blood that spilled on the battlefield and enjoyed tearing the Fairies'' flesh apart.


    Even the Fairies didn''t want to deal with such maniacs. For a while, the frequency of the invasions decreased and a period of peace followed.


    The Fairy Emperor, however, began his shameless attacks on the Abyss Capital.


    Such a feat was impossible without the Zions'' help, but even if they knew it, they couldn''t prove it.


    The Abyssals swallowed the bitterness as they cheered for their ruler.


    The Emperor of their hearts andnds didn''t disappoint.


    Every time the Fairy Emperor dared to attack, he defeated him fair and square.


    Of course, recently, the Fairy Emperor had been growing stronger and in one of the recent attacks, a district of the capital city was blown up and a lot of innocents died.


    Even though the Emperor ensured to keep the casualties to the lowest every time, this disaster was a wake-up call to every Abyssal.


    If the attacks of the Fairy Emperor could reach them even when they hid under their Emperor''s shadow, then there was no safe ce.


    After that tragedy, Fairy Emperor attacked fifty times in two hundred days.


    Then, suddenly, he stopped.


    He didn''t attack for seven days in a row.


    Instead of being excited, Haedon, the Abyss Emperor grew nervous.


    If there was no threat from Fairy Emperor, he would''ve long gone to Sr System and finished off those humans himself.


    It was a no-brainer that he should send his powerful forces and better go by himself than still rely on the Eight Abysses that only had a slight edge over the current human race.


    Yet he neither sent more powerful forces nor went there by himself.


    For the former, all the forces under hismand were busy defending the Empire.


    The current state of the Empire was like a heavy building barely supported by weak pirs.


    If one pir falls, then everything would be at risk.


    Of course, he could bet that the building would still stand. But it likely wouldn''t.


    He didn''t want to gamble on the fate of his Empire.


    So, despite knowing a fraction of his forces could solve the sr system, he didn''t send anyone.


    As for why he didn''t go there himself¡­


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Dad, why aren''t you going to that far awaynd to bring the treasure that will save everyone?"


    Eva, his innocent daughter, asked him after seeing the casualties one day.


    Haedon wanted to smile and brush it off. But she kept insisting. So, he had to reveal the bitter truth to the little girl.


    "It''s too far away. Once I go there, I can''t return here in a short time."


    Haedon would never forget the conflicting expression on his daughter''s immature face.


    She had never been separated from him since she came to be. During the worst dangers, she was away from him only for three days at most.


    That was enough to turn her into a sobbing mess that clung to him for the rest of the day.


    Even though Eva had grown up, she still couldn''t bear to part with him.


    For the little girl, it was the cruelest punishment in the world.


    Yet¡­


    Despite that pain¡­


    "Dad, if it can stop all our people from dying, please go¡­" Eva said with a stiff smile while her tears swirled in her eyes.


    Haedon''s chest stiffened as bitterness welled up in his heart.


    He worked hard all his life. Unlike the normal ''Emperors'', he didn''t indulge in pleasures. He didn''t go around suppressing his people or bossing them.


    He always, always did his best to save the Abyssals. Be it through Providence Trial or Sr System''s legacy, his end goal had always been the same.


    So, why?


    Why should his daughter experience this bitterness?


    ''If only we had the space artifacts¡­'' Haedon closed his eyes and sighed.


    If he really went to the Sr System, it''d take anywhere between two to six months for him to return.


    ''I can take the legacy. But by the time I return, the fairies would''ve killed every single member of my race.''


    Haedon clenched his fist and took a deep breath.


    There was a small but staunch of ministers that advocated a radical strategy.


    They asked the Abyss Emperor to go to Sr System with his wife and daughter.


    Haedon, of course, rejected the n which was essentially abandoning his race.


    But in the back of his mind, if his worst nightmare urred, then he could at least send his wife and daughter to safety.


    Even though Demon Abyss'' Holy Altar was destroyed by Enigma, the remaining seven were more than capable of building a strong enough space tunnel for his wife and daughter.


    ''They should really protect the holy altars.'' Abyss Emperor frowned for a moment before shaking his head.


    ''I hope I have to activate them.''


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Since that day, things changed rapidly. For the worse.


    On the eighth day since thest attack of the Fairy Emperor, a sudden change caught everyone by surprise.


    The Fairy Army suddenly broke through the barrennds and attacked the Blood Province.


    Unlike before, they weren''t able to sight the army''s traces and werepletely in for a surprise invasion.


    Even though surprised, the invasion proceeded like any other.


    The Abyssals used their defender advantage to the fullest and by the third day, began to push back the Fairies.


    But the fourth day changed everything.

 Chapter ?789 Abyss Empires Situation [2]

    Chapter ?789 Abyss Empire''s Situation [2]


    Abyss Emperor reached the warzone a few minutes after the ''surprise''.


    The war was already in full swing.


    The Valorfalls Fortress was defending against the hundred thousand strong army of the Fairies.


    The defense formations flickered on and off as they worked continuously to stop the attacks that broke through the Abyssal defenses and were about to attack the defenders.


    The 80,000 Abyssals stationed in the giant fortress fought with all their might.


    The skies bloomed with the elemental attacks.


    The ground cracked under the shes of the physical masters.


    The wind shattered and bent as gravity and space twisted and shattered.


    From the clouds, it looked like countless explosions of different colors was going off all at once.


    Leading the offense against the fortress was a veteran Sovereign.


    Behind him were a few hundred level 9s and following them were a couple of thousand level 8s.


    Such a build-up was equivalent to a''s whole strength.


    But it was barely one-twentieth of the Fairies'' whole strength.


    Even without the Celestial Ranker, the Fairies had thirty Sovereigns, thousands of level 9s, hundreds of thousands of level 8s, and millions of level 7s.


    They were on apletely different gradepared to the Human Race.


    And Abyssals¡ªthey were a bit stronger than Fairies!


    For this very reason, the council suggested the Emperor send a few Sovereigns to the Sr System and finish the job.


    But Haedon rejected it.


    If he really did that, then Zions would know it through their spies. Then, the Fairies would attack that province that now had lower Sovereigns.


    Without a Sovereign holding the province, it would quickly fall and hundreds of millions of Abyssals would be ughtered.


    The council was ready to ept even a billion deaths if it meant the safety of the Abyss Race.


    But the danger didn''t end there. Once they ughtered an entire province and got hold of those many ''sacrifices'', the Fairies, using the Zion technology and artifacts, would gain a great advantage.


    Things would only snowball from there and soon, he wouldn''t be able to control the flow of things.


    It wasn''t impossible if the Abyssals were ughtered until their capital even before those Sovereigns could return with the legacy.


    For these reasons, every surprise assault was taken seriously.


    Including the current one.


    "Fire!"


    "6th Squadron! Kill those Psychics!"


    "Block those beastlings!"


    The ground continued to shake as literal earth-shattering attacks rained down every few seconds.


    The Sovereigns were fighting above the clouds and each of their attacks resulted in shockwaves that blew off the level 7s on the ground.


    The high awakeners formed into various teams and shed with their enemies without any intention to stop.


    From time to time, the Abyssal teams would retreat to the fortress and new teams would take their ce.


    And the formations would also attack the Fairy teams from time to time, sometimes catching them by surprise and dealing them heavy injuries.


    This was the scene that greeted the Abyss Emperor when he reached the warzone.


    Almost at the same time, a tall man with golden wings appeared in front of him.


    "Did I beat you up too muchst time that you rested for seven days?"


    Abyss Emperor''s mocking voice sounded in the sky as the sky was split.


    A golden light bloomed for a thousand miles in response and Fairy Emperor''s voice followed.


    "Haedon, why are you in such a hurry? Huh? Did you see it already? Hahaha!"


    "Hmph!"


    Abyss Emperor snorted and responded with another attack.


    The world dimmed for a moment before a giant explosion urred thousands of miles above the battlefield.


    High up in the sky, the two Celestial Rankers faced each other with all their strength.


    Despite being far away, Abyss Emperor had already seen and confirmed the ''surprise''.


    From some of the Abyssal corpses, a strange, eerie, ck-colored energy was oozing out.


    Abyss Emperor probed the energy a hundred times hoping it wasn''t that.


    But eventually, he epted reality when he sensed the Abyssal corpse shaking on its own as if it was about to wake up.


    Haedon gritted his teeth as he looked into the horizon, far behind the Fairy Emperor.


    "Are you really going this far to end my race?"


    The Zion envoy, hidden from everyone''s view, was watching everything from the beginning.


    He didn''t expect to be called out like that and was a bit surprised.


    But that''s it.


    Curling his lips in disdain, he harrumphed as his mocking tone reached the Abyss Emperor. "The Holy Matriarch mentioned it to the Seventh Prince and here were are."


    The Abyss Emperor''s face paled as he felt a shiver down his spine.


    The ignorant would be unfazed, but as someone who had witnessed the seventh prince''s power.


    Forget him, anyone in his faction was enough to destroy Abyssals, Fairies, and Zions a million times over in a day.


    Haedon denied the possibility that the Seventh Prince was even aware of a race called ''Abyssals''. He was too high above for these matters of such trivial scale.


    But regardless, seeing that energy in the war, it was apparent that Zions got lucky.


    And they¡­


    ''I will do my best to prevent this!''


    Haedon gritted his teeth and fought off the Fairy Emperor with a burning desire to end the battle and stop the ''problem'' before it was toote.


    But Fairy Emperor equipped himself with new armor and prevented Haedon from reaching the battlefield.


    The Zion envoy watched everything with a satisfied smile on his face.


    In truth, the ex-wife of Zion Emperor, their Holy Matriarch, wasn''t even a concubine of the Seventh Prince.


    She was just a ything. A pet he fancied on sight. Someone the man treated like a dog.


    When he took her away, he asked Zion''s superiors topensate them and as a result, they grew up rapidly.


    It''s been many years since then and the Holy Matriarch was barely hanging onto the status of a pet these days.


    Forget about asking the Seventh Prince for help against Abyssals, the Holy Matriarch wouldn''t even dare to utter a word in front of him.


    It was entirely an ident that one of the Prince''s concubines took interest in her and made her a servant.


    What they got now was some spare change from the Prince''s lowest concubine.


    ''It doesn''t matter,'' The Envoy grinned with a satisfied smile on his face as the situation on the battlefield began to unfold in the direction he wanted.


    "It''s over."


    Giving the Abyss Emperor a sidelong nce, the Zion Envoy left.


    As he predicted, after seven days of endless battle, the Sovereign of the Fortress was in.


    Valorfalls Fortress fell an hour after his death.


    The four fortresses guarding the Blood Province followed soon after.


    The Fairy Army breached the borders for the first time and advanced into the Blood Province.


    Things just got out of hand.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    The Abyss Rulers stood up with bitter expressions on their faces as they lowered their heads in grief.


    Haedon shook his head at their response.


    His face, neck, and visible skin were still dark blue¡ªa sign that he was still recovering from the injuries.


    To remain injured even after so many days only showed that he fought tooth and nail.


    Yet, Haedon failed to prevent the Fairy Army from invading their Empire.


    But no one med him. The element that pushed them to such lengths was beyond everyone''s control.


    "What happened here in thest few weeks?" Haedon asked.


    Mirage Queen stood up and reported the most important things.


    The monster called Varian¡ªpossessing a ridiculous level for his age, he saved the Federation from destruction twice!


    But the scariest thing about him was his progress speed.


    If left alone, he''d reach level 9 and Sovereign state in years or perhaps even months.


    By then, it''d be toote.


    "A monster indeed. He needs to be killed without dy," Abyss Emperor dered. "He should''ve gotten something from the Devas. Only that can exin his abnormal growth."


    "Your Majesty, if you''re the one who got that gift, then we wouldn''t be¡­" Despair Queen trailed off before biting her lip.


    Abyss Emperor''s eyes shed with grief before he shook his head and said. "There are no ifs. Besides Varian, is there anything else?"


    "Your Majesty, the Holy Altar¡­" Mirage Queen reported the most recent events, including the loss of her Holy Altar.


    Abyss Emperor didn''t say a word but merely gave her a disappointed gaze.


    But that gaze was enough to make Mirage Queen feel a throbbing pain in her chest. It felt worse than death.


    "There was a strange white light a few weeks ago," Demon King said. "We tried our best, but couldn''t get any leads."


    Abyss Emperor thought for a few moments before sighing. "All I can think of is the legacy of Devas."


    The Abyss Rulers nodded. That was their best guess as well.


    "Once we conquer the Sr System, all the mysterious will be unveiled," Haedon said in a serious voice.


    "Even though Blood Province is invaded, I have already dealt with the situation and am confident in preventing the army from going any further," Abyss Emperor took a deep breath and looked at there with a burning gaze.


    The Abyss Rulers straightened their backs as they realized they were about to be given what could perhaps be the most important order of their lives.


    "I will send you the resources needed to conquer the Sr System, kill Varian and retrieve the legacy he inherited."


    The Abyss Rulers lowered their heads as they realized the risk the Emperor was taking.


    He didn''t send the resources all this time. Not because he didn''t want to. But because he couldn''t.


    The Abyssals were in a delicate bnce and any distribution of Sovereign-level resources could snowball into their extermination.


    Yet, the Emperor decided to take the risk.


    It only showed how strongly he wanted Varian to be eliminated and the sr system to be conquered.


    "The chances to change our fate will reach you in a few days," Abyss Emperor''s words echoed in the room.


    "Do not fail. If you do, we will be history."

 Chapter 790 Seventh Prince

    Chapter 790 Seventh Prince


    "Hey, you''re too injured!"


    Following a loud p, an anxious shout followed.


    "It''s enough!"


    The sound of bones breaking was apanied by a heartbreaking voice.


    "STOP!"


    Finally, a gravity forcefield spread in the training room and held the severely injured man fromunching one more attack.


    With broken bones and torn muscles, Varian struggled to move against the heavy gravity pressing him down.


    But instead of giving up, he struggled. He channeled his powers, pushed his body, loosened the space, used the telekic power¡ªhe did everything he could.


    With every passing second, popping sounds reverberated in the room as more and more blood spilled out of Varian''s wounds.


    Even though his ntae powers healed him at a rate that would drive even level 9s jealous, Varian kept resisting the gravity to an absurd degree that even his healing couldn''t catch up with his injuries.


    After the fifteenth minute, Varian fainted from exhaustion.


    The blood puddle under his injured body was a testament to his mad struggle. For some reason, Varian''s blood was hard to clean off even for the best bots.


    So, even after cleaning, his blood puddle always left behind a small red mark.


    Sia nced at the red marks all over the ground and sighed.


    "This is madness¡­" She raised her hand and flew Varian into the shower.


    The bots fed him the healing potion and washed him clean. Varian''s body was already used to it and everything proceeded smoothly.


    A few minutester, Variany on his bed, deep in sleep.


    "You''re worrying me," Sia mumbled.


    After the Mars event, Varian threw himself into mad training. He went to hell and back.


    Sometimes it was her, the other times, it was Enigma. Every training session ended with him fainting with severe injuries.


    Almost every waking hour, Varian was pushing himself.


    Sia watched Varian''s tired face and sighed. ''I hope he doesn''t let his mistake be his trauma.''


    Thirty minutester, Varian opened his eyes and found Sia staring at him with a reproaching expression.


    ''Of course, she''d be mad with how I train.'' Varian sighed and gave her an awkward smile. "A-Another round?"


    Sia crossed her arms and said with a displeased expression. "Can you really go for another round?"


    "Of course, I can, I¡ª" Varian channeled his aura to show that he could, but to his surprise, he found that he was only back to a third of his peak.


    Usually, he would''ve recovered at least 75% of his aura, but his body seemed to be protesting now and demanding a rest.


    Looking at Varian''s surprised expression, Sia nodded with a face that said ''I knew it''.


    "You grow stronger the fastest throughbat, but fighting every waking hour for days? It''s not the smartest way to go about it. Take a breather, you really need it."


    Varian considered her words seriously for a few minutes before nodding. "Alright. I''ll take the evening off."


    Sia breathed a sigh of relief and walked away. "Me as well. Watching you like that was mentally taxing."


    Varian gave her an apologetic smile before shifting his focus.


    ''Status''


    [Superhuman L8: 5k/25k (+4.5K)


    Space L8: 2k/25k (+2k)


    Lightning L8: 1k/25k (Advanced, +1k)


    ntae L8: 8k/25k (+4k)


    Psychic L8: 4k/25k (+2k)


    Macrokic L8: 1k/25k (Advanced, +1k)


    Water L8: 2k/25k (+2k)]


    ''I want to fight the high level 8s so bad. But I am just getting pulled into world-ending schemes I can''t smash my way through. This is so frustrating. Curse my luck.'' Varian sighed.


    A thought shed in his mind and Varian''s eyes lit up. "I can go join the frontlines¡­"


    Sovereign Ares invited him to join the most active warzone once. Now was the best time to join.


    Varian''sm rang and disyed the details of the ''Date''.


    "¡­How is it possible to finish so many things in a single evening date?"


    It was impossible, but Varian didn''t bother asking and made himself presentable with nice clothes.


    A few minutester, the ghost shipnded on Eos. On their way to the exit, Varian and Sia passed by the seclusion room.


    The aura of the room was locked off, but Varian could ''feel'' Sarah due to the Synergy.


    "A few more days," Varian said with a disappointed expression. "I miss her."


    Sia''s lips twitched. She stared at her reflection on the wall and confirmed that she had indeed dressed up meticulously. She was already a stunning beauty, with the extra touch-up, she was simply breathtaking. Yet, here was her boyfriend, missing another girl.


    Even though it''s her best friend and even though they''re both his girlfriends, Sia still had the urge to smack Varian for saying those words.


    "There are some things you shouldn''t to ady say if you want a long life," Sia warned him with a peaceful smile.


    "I don''t want to lie. Besides, she''s my girlfriend too." Varian said with an innocent face.


    "And what happened about using the wordy to lie about ''chilling'' on the vacation?"


    "Technically, that''s not a lie. I did chill."


    "Mr.Varian, you''re ying with fire."


    "Actually, I y with lightning and water."


    "¡­"


    The couple bickered as they began their date in Eos.


    The nightlife was brimming with energy and enthusiasm.


    As the falling snow shone in the neon lights, the lovers walked together.


    Right now, they didn''t worry about impending crises.


    Varian didn''t think about the Abyss Emperor. Sia didn''t bother about her past.


    In the crowd of thousands, they just enjoyed the heartbeat of the one they loved.


    They made joyful little memories to carry for the rest of their lives.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    An unknown location, the neighboring gxy.


    A magnificent castle, spanning thousands of miles, shone in the darkness like a bright star.


    Any material in the castle, even a brick or the doormat, was so precious that Celestial Rankers would fight over it.


    Taking care of this spending castle were tens of thousands of servants and hundreds of maids.


    Even the lowliest servants here were Sovereigns.


    Themon maids were Celestial Rankers!


    In the most refined room of the Castle, a man was seated on a throne. His face couldn''t be seen due to the scarlet light covering his body.


    A single wisp of this scarlet energy, if identally released, was enough to obliterate the sr system.


    Seated in front of the throne across both sides were beings of different races and backgrounds.


    But they all swore their allegiance to him.


    "The Emperor has confirmed," The Seventh Prince''s voice, aking to the rumbling of thunder, sounded in the hall. "In the Alliance, the perfect specimen has been born."


    His words drew hisses from the audience.


    "The Primal Union Body, it was just a theory, a madman''s fantasy, wasn''t it?" An elderly voice said, his unwillingness evident.


    "If it''s the Slivers, then fantasies be realities." A feminine voice trailed off.


    Her words set off the crowd in turbulence as their souls trembled from the heaven-shattering implications.


    "E-Even if it''s the Slivers," a younger voice stuttered. "Unless you have the powers of six slivers, the creation of Union Body is impossible. But those two slivers had been missing for millions of years."


    It happened in the distant past.


    Even though the Jai Empire never stopped searching for the slivers, it was merely ceremonial.


    No one really thought they could find the Slivers anymore.


    But now¡­


    "Indeed," The Seventh Prince''s ever calm voice now contained a tinge of anticipation. "We have the Slivers of Space &Time, they have Life & Death. Neither we nor the Alliance have any traces of the lost slivers'' powers."


    He implied the only possibility was the lost slivers'' having traces of their sliver powers.


    The Seventh Prince chuckled. "The Slivers of Order and Chaos have returned."

 Chapter 791 I Will

    Chapter 791 I Will


    It was snowing in Eos.


    The couples walked hand in hand. The parents held their children by the hand. The elderly were guided as their grandchildren held their hands.


    Vin looked at her empty hand and was reminded of the times when her brother held her hand and took her out to y.


    ''Pull yourself together, Vin.''


    d in a pitch ck dress, Vin walked in the streets with an expressionless face.


    For some reason, she opted to walk to her destination than drive there. But she sadly didn''t fit into the cheerful crowd.


    It didn''t matter to her. Her father was suddenly busy due to the situation on Mars. The responsibility of following the tradition and honoring the deceased fell on her.


    ''Is this really happening?''


    It still felt surreal to her. Perhaps this whole thing was a lie. An borate prank because her brother wanted to see her cry.


    ''Even if you''re that cruel, I would be fine as long as you are alive.'' Vin bit her lip as she silently walked on the snowy streets.


    In the white world, a figure in ck slowly made her way toward the memorial hall.


    Her bodyguards followed from a distance and didn''t bother her. As the people who watched her grow up, they were sad at the sudden change in her temperament.


    After breaking down that day, Vin suddenly changed.


    She only wore ck. Never smiled. Didn''t talk more than necessary. And the most depressing of all, she had a lifeless look on her face.


    It was as if someone sucked all hope out of her and the only future she saw was one of gloom.


    The Mayor tried his best to soothe her. Nothing worked.


    Overnight, the cheerful and lively girl turned stone-hearted.


    A few minutes after walking in silence, Vin reached the giant memorial hall and entered the special room for her brother.


    The hologram of a familiar young man greeted her. He was in hisbat uniform and was smiling brightly.


    Vin felt her chest tighten as if someone had knocked the air out of her. She tried to breathe with her mouth, but all that did was leak a pained whimper.


    All her energy seemed to be drained and Vin copsed to her knees, panting for breath.


    With every beating of her heart, grief pulsed through her. Vin felt the corners of her eyes turn red, but the stubborn girl didn''t cry. She didn''t allow herself to.


    Like a broken toy making itsst move, Vin raised her neck and looked at the hologram.


    < Joah >


    < Major General Of 36th Division >


    < Age: 29 >


    < "Always live your life to the fullest" >


    Seeing her brother''s words, Vin gathered the strength to stand up.


    She sped her hands and prayed for him. Vin didn''t believe in an afterlife. But now, she wished it was true.


    ''May you gain happiness.''


    Holding the flower bouquet, Vin walked out of the memorial hall and reached the backyard¡ªthe cemetery.


    The men and women honoring their dear ones in the cemetery were surprised by the appearance of this young girl before they shook their heads in pity.


    Death spared no one.


    ''Father will also leave me one day.'' Vin''s mood worsened as she reached her brother''s tombstone.


    The young girl lit up the flower bouquet and ced it on the tombstone as per her tradition¡ªburning the favorite object of the deceased so that they could find peace.


    The purple flowers she brought were her brother''s second favorite.


    But¡ª


    "I''m sorry, this is the best gift I could find."


    Vin tried her best to find the purple sky. But that big brother seemed to have vanished into thin air.


    As the flowers burnt off under the special me, Vin sped her hands and prayed. "After sending you off, I will focus on our family business. I will work hard and make my father happy. Bless me from above."


    "You should work for your happiness than worry about keeping your father happy," A familiar voice reached her ears, causing Vin to open her eyes in surprise and confusion.


    She saw a familiar white box ced on the tombstone that was now engulfed in mes.


    Vin recognized it right away and gasped. "Purple Sky! Why are you¡­"


    Varian sped his hands and offered a prayer before answering with a smile. "Why not? It''s his favorite, wasn''t it?"


    Vin was taken aback by his words as she felt a burst of emotions in her chest. She felt ted, wronged, and grief all at once.


    For a moment, Vin didn''t know how to respond. When she collected herself, the purple sky was already half-burnt.


    "It''s your father''s memory, isn''t it precious to you?" Vin asked in a heavy tone.


    Varian sighed at her gloominess. Just a few days and the stubborn but lively girl became a bundle of sadness.


    "My father lives in my memory, my thoughts, and my actions," Varian looked at the burning purple sky and smiled brightly. "Besides, I recently realized my father left me something way more intimate than a music box."


    Hearing his peaceful words, Vin''s heart shook and she couldn''t help but ask. "What is it?"


    Varian looked at the rising suns on the horizon. The suns'' rays lit up the cemetery.


    "I inherited a soldier''s sacrifice, a father''s love, a man''s courage," Varian''s eyes shone brighter than the sunlight. "I picked up his dream. But I won''t stop there. I will go further."


    Vin stared at him intensely, tears swirling in her eyes. "W-What would my brother want me to do?"


    Varian sighed, "I don''t know. But he certainly wouldn''t want you to decide your life based on his wishes. We inherit what our loved ones left behind and carry them on, but we should never ignore our own aspirations. That would take away the whole point of being alive.


    So, instead of asking what he wants you to do, ask yourself, Vin, what do YOU want to do?"


    Vin opened her mouth as she muttered. "What I want to do¡­"


    A few lines from her brother''s letter shed in her mind.


    ''If I''m going to die anyway, I wanted to choose a death that was the most meaningful.


    Something I can be proud of.


    Something that gives me the courage to stare death in the face and live with courage.''


    "I see¡­" Vin nodded as she finally began to really understand what her brother meant.


    Death was themon destination of everyone. No one could choose not to go there.


    But they could indeed choose how to get there.


    A life filled with satisfaction or regret? One with great rtionships or solitude? Of courage or fear?


    Vin bit her lip as she made a decision.


    She wouldn''t inherit the family business. If she did, her father would be happy, but would she be happy too?


    Was a life lived growing that business something she really wanted?


    "I will choose how I live," Vin said as she faced the tombstone with a serious expression.


    Varian smiled as thest bits of Purple Sky were reduced to ashes.


    A sense of relief washed over him and an invisible burden was taken off his shoulders.


    ''The dead live through the living.'' Varian''s heart grew serene. ''My father and my mother live through me.''


    "Thank you, Big Brother. If you need me in the future, you know where to find me," Vin said in a sincere tone and was about to turn around.


    "Wait," Varian said and strode forward, closing the distance between them.


    "What is it?" Vin blinked in confusion.


    Varian raised her lips into a smile with his index fingers. "I miss that cheerful girl."


    Vin saw her reflection on the tombstone and saw a young girl smiling back at her.


    With a chuckle, Varian disappeared from her sight.


    Vin remained frozen as she stared at her reflection''s stiff smile.


    Suddenly, her brother''s words echoed in her mind.


    ''Vin, if you remember me, please smile¡­''


    "I will," Vin''s lips curled up as tears slid down her cheeks. "I will smile."

 Chapter 792 To Neptune

    Chapter 792 To Neptune


    The Sovereign ended his retreat with a content sigh. Things have gone even better than he expected.


    From the moment he learned about the Celestial Ranks, a fire burning inside him to reach that state.


    He didn''t hesitate to use every method in the book, honorable or not, to get closer to his goal.


    Now, he already possessed three artifacts.


    Neptune''s Demon Sword, Mars'' Aether pendant, and his own.


    "If it wasn''t for Varian, I could''ve retreated for longer. That bastard." The Sovereign cursed under his breath.


    After Varian''s incident, all the eight Abysses mobilized their full forces and came to theoids.


    As a result, he too had to fight his Abyssal counterpart.


    Only after sufficiently injuring him did the Sovereign dare to retreat.


    Even though they were in a cooperative rtionship and the Abyssals even promised him to make him the ''Ruler'' of the Sr System, he knew it was all a lie.


    In fact, the closer he grew to Celestial Rank, the more awed he was at the Deva civilization.


    While the general public was unaware of the Abyssal motives, he was crystal clear they were seeking something from the Ruins¡ªperhaps all of it.


    Still, he didn''t understand why they let him get the artifacts despite their high worth.


    ''The only reason I can think of¡­there is something far more valuable in the Ruins. The Abyssals don''t even need artifacts in front of it.''


    He had no chance of knowing what it was from his ''partners''. He had to find it himself.


    But despite his growing strength, he couldn''t enter the forbidden locations of the Ruins.


    In the history of the Federation, only one man ever entered a forbidden area and came out unscathed.


    "Varian."


    The Sovereign drew a deep sigh.


    It was clear that the boy''s specialty stemmed from something rted to Devas. The Sovereign even wondered if the boy already essed the legacy of Devas and became its de facto leader.


    If that was the case, then perhaps Varian could even stop him from reaching the Celestial Rank.


    "Damn that bastard! He''s everywhere!" The Sovereign''s aura shot into the air and the secret realm suddenly dimmed.


    The sky went dark and the ground cracked before a huge storm enveloped the secret realm.


    In but a few minutes, all the expensive structures broke down. Yet, the Sovereign found it difficult to calm himself.


    His n was to keep the Abyssals and Humans at a bnce while he kept collecting the artifacts.


    To do so, if a Sovereign dies, so must the Abyss King¡ªlike what happened during the Pluto Invasion.


    Even during the Valos event, his n was to let Despair Queen kill Irene and then kill Despair Queen.


    "You nearly spoiled my entire n."


    All the Sovereigns were fully aware of what happened with Kreo.


    Most of them condemned Varian''s actions at first. But things took a sharp turn after Varian secured Mars with the veterans.


    When Sovereign Bali himself revealed Varian''s "help" in making him a Sovereign, the rulers of the federation felt that they were looking at Varian too one-sidedly.


    Even though he made a mistake, he had to be appreciated for the good he had done.


    Of course, even he was grateful to Varian.


    If Mars really fell, then the Abyssals would quickly exploit their edge to conquer thes one by one.


    He didn''t mind it if it could secure him the artifacts. After all, once he reached the Celestial Rank, he could singlehandedly destroy the Abyssals and reconquer thes.


    As for the loss of poption?


    Humans went from 1% of the Pre-Blink poption to 50 Billion in a few centuries!


    But he was afraid.


    "I''m sure Abyssals already have their doubts on why I collect the artifacts," The Sovereign''s eyes shone with a cold light.


    If they have the chance, and advantage, they''ll surely stop him.


    [Sir, some crazy changes are taking ce! Please return!]


    Them''s message was ominous and the Sovereign was about to rush to theoids when a sphere in his storage ring glowed.


    "Huh? From them?" The Sovereign opened the messenger used by the Abyssals and frowned.


    It was just a single sentence. But it sent a shiver down his spine.


    [Take advantage of the situation and steal the remaining artifacts.]


    "S-Situation?" The Sovereign''s eyebrows jumped and a thought shed in his mind.


    The aura on his body exploded and he rushed to theoid at full speed.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Varian panted heavily as he pulled his injured body from the floor. Due to the intense battle, his clothes were shredded to pieces long ago, leaving his chiseled figure on full disy.


    Due to his superhuman path, Varian''s body was more and more perfected with each level.


    He appeared neither huge nor thin but hit the right spot in between.


    And with the influence of the ntae power, Varian''s body gave off a wild charm.


    The biggest attraction, however, was the innate confidence he disyed. It seemed like no matter what happened, he would stand tall and face every obstacle ande out on top.


    He was so handsome that she really¡ª


    "Sia, why are you staring at me like that?" Varian tilted his head at Sia who was staring at him with a burning gaze.


    "Huh?" Sia let out a confused sound before she broke out of her trance and blushed. "Put on a shirt, will you?"


    Varian was confused at first, but after realizing her words, heughed. "Don''t tell me that you''re horny?"


    "You''re horny, you exhibitionist!" Sia red at him with a serious face and walked out of the room in steady footsteps.


    Varian wondered if she was really mad.


    ''Arghh! This is so embarrassing!'' Sia leaned against the corridor as she felt the heat in her body.


    ''It''s all his fault. Why is he going around naked?'' She pushed the me on him conveniently.


    In her defense, she was eighteen and it was normal for her to be both embarrassed and curious about these things.


    But of course, she wasn''t really a human. She didn''t understand how her hormones worked either.


    ''But I think I am like a normal human?''


    Whatever the case, her body felt weird only when she was with Varian.


    ''If the repulsion disappears, then maybe we can try¡­'' Sia bit her lip and imagined herself asking for it before she shook her head. ''I bet he''s waiting for it to disappear so he can eat up me and Sarah.''


    In the final phase of her retreat, Sarah suddenly shuddered.


    Before she could think what it meant, she heard Varian''s voice through the speakers. "Sarah, we''ll be busy for a few days. Take care."


    Outside the seclusion room, Sia mumbled. "You''re really going for the frontlines?"


    "Our training has stopped being effective," Varian shrugged. "Besides, I always wanted to see Neptune."


    Sia was reluctant. Neptune''soids had the highest fatality. She didn''t want Varian to risk his life.


    But she also understood that he wasn''t going to listen.


    On some things, Varian was just too stubborn.


    "I''lle with you. I don''t have anything to do now anyway." Sia said. If she couldn''t stop him, she could at least apany and protect him.


    Varian smiled, aware of her thoughts. "Great!"


    "Boo, let''s go! To Neptune!"

 Chapter ?793 The Sudden Change

    Chapter ?793 The Sudden Change


    Sam covered his body in mes and flew over a secured road. His fire sense keenly observed the Abyss patrollers east of the Damel river while he patrolled the western side.


    On thisoid Bellstar under Mercury''s jurisdiction, the boundary between Humans and Abyssals was decided by the Damel river.


    This was one of the fewoids stationed with level 9s. So, both the Mercury army and the Sin Abyss paid great attention to it.


    There would be at least a single minor war on a province and around fifty skirmishes every month.


    After so much experience, the Soldiers were very alert to even the slightest of changes.


    And that''s why, even though the Abyss Patrol team on the other side of the border seemed normal, Sam couldn''t shake off the feeling that something seemed wrong.


    Sam suddenly stopped.


    The soldiers patrolling a mile before and after him also halted due to his action and their voices sounded in his earpiece.


    "Exin yourself."


    Sam didn''t hesitate to say. "I feel something is off."


    If it was any other, especially the ones like Venus, such words would''ve been scoffed at.


    But Bellstar was a that honed the soldiers'' instincts to crazy degrees. If Sam, a soldier who served on this for five years, felt something was wrong, then it''s worth looking into.


    The patrol team in the surrounding ten miles quickly gathered near Sam and held a quick meeting.


    This was clearly observed by the Monster Lions and Devil Tigers patrolling the east of the river.


    Sin Abyss, the nemesis of Mercury, was ruled by Sin King. Like all the Abysses, Sin Abyss had its own path that it excelled at.


    Beast Morpher Path.


    So, even though they only saw beasts on the other side of the river, the soldiers treated them like enemy soldiers that they were.


    "Sam, what happened?" The Captain of the patrol team asked with a frown.


    "Sir, I¡­the patrol creatures give me an uneasy feeling. It''s like they''re preparing for something." Sam tried to exin his gut feeling.


    "An ambush? But isn''t our meeting the perfect time?" The Captain looked at the monsters patrolling on the other side of the river and frowned.


    In contrast to the fortified buildings on their side, there was an endless forest on the other side of the river along with countless mountain ranges.


    Due to the wide range of sneaky beasts, they had a hard time infiltrating the forest and gathering information to prepare against ambushes.


    But if a patrol team met like this, it was usually a good n to ambush.


    "No," Sam shook his head. "Not an ambush. I scanned them with my fire sense like always. Maybe it''s their eyes or their demeanor, I can''t tell for sure, but all I felt was brimming confidence."


    The Captain channeled his aura and decided to act based on the answer. "Confident of what?"


    "Victory."


    The moment those words left his mouth, the sky went dark.


    The ground began to shake and the sound of strong footsteps began to grow closer.


    "Charge!"


    Before Sam knew it, he crossed the river along with his team and was attacking the beasts.


    His body moved instinctively and due to the cooperation of his teammates, he managed to kill his enemy in thirty seconds.


    But the sound of footsteps, no, sounds of hooves, paws, and roars, grew louder and louder.


    Countless patrol teams were alerted by the movement and rushed to the other side of the border to take the initiative.


    When they came to it, tens of thousands of beasts appeared in their sight along with the usual Abyssal forces.


    Even though there was no level 9 leading them, the giant beasts leading the beast army were a bunch of level 8s.


    In thisoid where the forces were evenly matched, the addition of this new force broke all the boundaries.


    "Fuck!" Sam cursed as a hard war kicked off on Bellstar.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Thems in Mercury''s army headquarters rang without stopping as the news of ''beast armies'' on theoids kepting.


    Sovereign Albert ordered theoid armies to hold them off the best they could while he called for the retired veterans to give them a hand.


    Most of these old men and women were suffering from internal injuries and were unable to exert their peak strength.


    But whenever Mercury was in trouble, they dly lent their strength and if needed, lives.


    Before he set off for a battle with Sin King, Albert looked at the messages from the other Sovereigns and sighed with a heavy heart.


    "What is happening?"


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Theoids of alls were attacked at the same time.


    While Mercury''soids grappled with the new beasts, Venus'' struggled with corrosive rains from Sea Abyss.


    Earth faced the same number of Abyssals¡ªwho were mostly Body Awakeners. But for some reason, some of them got a boost in strength and attacked in endless rage¡ªas if they lost their reason.


    Named as Berserkers, these Abyssals, limited up to level 8, started to push back the Earth forces.


    The forces on Mars''oids, barely bncing out the level 9s, were hit strongly when they encountered a bunch ofrge-scale illusions.


    What''s more, unlike any other, Mars had to face a couple of new level 9 Abyssals.


    This broke the delicate bnce and pushed Mars into a dangerous situation.


    Jupiter suffered under the release of tyrannical fires by the Fire Abyss.


    Saturn didn''t fare any better as chaotic spaces and attacks created a huge trouble for the armed forces.


    Uranus, on the other hand, despite facing a wave of new species of ntae enemies, wasn''t as troubled due to the edge they gained during the Valos event.


    Lastly, Neptune.


    Despite being the with the strongest forces, Neptune was stretched thin to bnce the attacks from the two fronts of Thunder Abyss and Pluto.


    A warring species previously only bred in Thunder Abyss¡ªLightning Wyverns¡ªwas recently transferred to Pluto after Varian infiltrated the little.


    Now, the Lightning Wyverns got a sudden boost in strength for some reason and were starting to overwhelm Neptune''s forces.


    And Varian was still halfway through his journey to Neptune as the unexpected situation caused him to stop at Mars.

 Chapter 794 Enigma and Nightmare Group

    Chapter 794 Enigma and Nightmare Group


    "We''re here," Varian announced as the ghost ship stopped at one of Mars'' spaceports.


    The exit sprang open and Enigma rushed to the teleportation section.


    Varian followed behind without any disguise. It was a rare asion for him to be ''him''.


    The crowd grew shocked gasps at the appearance of the mysterious youth, but the guards wordlessly stopped them from approaching him.


    With Bali at the helm, the treatment of Varian and Enigma suddenly elevated and they were given a lot of special treatment.


    Dressed in her signature all-ck dress, with her beautiful and almost dreamish tricolor hair waving with her every step, Enigma stood out.


    She entered one of the teleportation formations and activated it.


    The space around her began to twist and a white light started to envelop her.


    As she was about to leave, Enigma stiffly raised her hand and awkwardly waved her hand.


    Varian gave her an encouraging smile and yelled. "Don''t die!"


    His words seemed to set a trigger as Enigma''s voice reached his mind through telepathy. "I''m the one who always tells you that! Don''t risk too much now that you''re alone! Don''t die!"


    ''Does she see me as a problem child or what?'' Varian couldn''t understand what exactly she was thinking.


    Shaking those thoughts off his head, Varian hoped Enigma to resolve the dangerous situation in Mars. If that wasn''t possible, he wished for her to at least prevent the worst from happening.


    Varian vanished and appeared in space. Through his supervision, he saw the shining dots in the vast darkness.


    Theoids.


    "Who would''ve thought¡­" Varian''s voice trailed off in a tired voice.


    Mars'' army had taken a big hit under Mirage Queen. Only through Varian''s bold actions and Bali''s valor did Mirage Abyss'' advantage over Mars went from ''overwhelming enough to wage war and easily win'' to ''significant but not enough for a war''.


    Except for the level 9s, however, Varian''s adventures in the Mirage Abyss dealt a huge blow to the Abyss'' generalbat power.


    Compared to the casualties of human soldiers on theoid, the numbers of Abyssals were staggering.


    It gave humans a noticeable edge in the level 8s, but definitely a significant edge at level 7 and below!


    After the mutual weakening, both sides thought they would be locked in a stalemate for a while.


    "Master, the Nightmares killed another level 9 on a Mars''oid," Boo''s voice sounded from hism. "The stalemate is almost broken."


    "First it was me, then the Mirage Queen, and now the Nightmares. Mars'' luck is truly screwed up."


    The hard-won stalemate was broken by the emergence of a group of small but strong powerhouses.


    Nightmares¡ªas they called themselves¡ªwere a group of dozen low and mid level 9 Abyssals that suddenly appeared three hours ago.


    While every other also experienced some change right then, they all had one thing inmon.


    They didn''t get any level 9 enemies. The new forces they were facing, whatever form they came in, were level 8s.


    Powerful level 8s? Sure. But still level 8s.


    Of course, level 8s were the pirs of the federation. If the human army lost significant level 8s,oids would fall without a doubt.


    However, if level 9s fell, the itself would fall!


    Out of the eights, only Mars got the special treatment of receiving level 9 Abyssal reinforcements.


    It made enough strategic sense. Sending a dozen new level 9s to others wouldn''t change much.


    Except for Mercury, every had more than 60 level 9s. But the problem with Mercury was that itsoids were too close.


    Even if these twelve level 9s were sent there, Sovereign Albert would sooner orter drag his fight with Sin King to their positions.


    Since Nightmares were only low or mid level 9s, and Albert was possibly the strongest or second strongest Sovereign, just staying in the range of his battle would kill these level 9s.


    Mars became the natural choice for Nightmares.


    If the Nightmares managed to break the stalemate and overwhelm Mars'' level 9s, theoids would quickly fall. Mars itself could be conquered in weeks.


    "Where did the Abyssals get these new forces from?" Varian had a guess, but there was no way to verify it.


    The Abysses were closed and without sting through the Abyss Will, he couldn''t enter them.


    Even if he did, unlike before, the Abyss Will would keep track of Ghost Ship and leak his location to the Abyssals. It''d be a total mess.


    Varian sighed and contacted a Sovereign to consult for a decision.


    Soon, the hologram of a thin man with a gloomy middle-aged face popped in front of him.


    "You chose to contact me when we''re under attack," Sovereign Micheal Caron''s eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Are you going to reveal you''re siding with Abyssals? That this is your grand n?"


    "¡­" Varian opened his mouth and closed it a couple of times.


    In a few casual talks, Irene told him, with an embarrassed expression that Micheal was pessimistic and paranoid.


    Varian realized she was underying the severity. He also understood why Sovereign Micheal never gave an interview throughout his career.


    "Which do you think needs my assistance?" He asked.


    Micheal Caron paused for a moment and suddenly, the sky above the hologram turned red. It seemed like an explosion urred in the same or a nearbyoid.


    But the Sovereign wasn''t bothered by it. Rather, he looked annoyed at Varian''s question. "How the hell would I know? We''re at a critical juncture. One mistake and aoid will fall. With chain reaction, the will fall."


    Micheal''s face paled as he gasped. "Once a falls, it''s over!"


    Varian''s lips twitched and he changed the question. "Which do you think will fall first?"


    Micheal answered with full conviction. "Mars or Neptune, depending on which side''s defense does worse. Others can hang on. But they too might fall. Damn it, the situation is dire! Maybe I should start gathering the ark¡­"


    Varian ignored the paranoid Sovereign''s ramblings and teleported to a teleportation formation.


    Since Enigma was going to take care of Mars, he decided to visit Neptune.


    ''Wait a minute, I was going to Neptune anyway. So, is it just me or the ces I''mnding at turning into hell?''

 Chapter ?795 The Situation Behind The Scenes

    Chapter ?795 The Situation Behind The Scenes


    As Varian was about to embark on a non-stop teleportation journey, hism suddenly lit up.


    < Are you leaving? We should be there any minute.>


    Varian wanted to refuse and leave right away. But he thought of the current situation and wondered how long it''d take for things to settle down, if ever, and decided to at least have a proper farewell.


    Exactly forty-six secondster, Kyle and Maya stood in front of Varian, both panting heavily.


    "I know you''re about to do something dangerous, but take care!" Kyle gave him a hug and looked at him with pitying eyes.


    Varian broke the hug and said. "I''m not going to die."


    "But you always end up in something big." Kyle pointed out with a wry smile.


    Maya nodded with a pout. She didn''t like Varian risking his life. But there wasn''t much she could do about it.


    That was the path he chose and he''d walk it no matter the end. Just like her, the CTF project she poured her heart, soul, and time into was now aplete waste due to the close of Abysses.


    "If there''s anything we, no, Tom can help you with, please don''t hesitate," Maya said with a pleading gaze.


    Varian nodded to soothe her worry.


    Kyle and Maya continued to look at him with pitying gazes as if they were seeing a warrior going to hisst war.


    ''Don''t give me that look.'' Varian''s lips twitched and he changed the topic. "I don''t have much time. See ya guys!"


    He turned around to leave, but Kyle grabbed his hand and ced a storage ring in his palm.


    "Don''t use it for fighting. It explodes. But you can move around in it and it can help you with the defense." Kyle exined with an embarrassed expression.


    Varian scanned the full body armor and raised a brow. Kyle was working on mecha. It seemed like he was going somewhere with the project. But of course, he didn''t n to use it.


    "I¡­" Maya looked at Varian with a tearful gaze.


    She worked hard. Really hard to get the CTFs running. But with all her hard work going down the drain, Maya was hit hard.


    "I''m sorry, my CTFs are useless. Totally, utterly useless." Maya lowered her head and whimpered.


    Varian sighed inwardly. Maya was his friend, a little sister of sorts.


    But what was even more hurting was someone working so hard, pouring their heart and soul into something, only for it to fail due to the intervention of a third party.


    ''That''s my fucking childhood.''


    Putting that thought aside, Varian decided to cheer her up "You helped me a lot already. Without your CTF, the world would''ve been over and I''m not even kidding! So, don''t beat yourself up. Your invention already saved the world.


    What if it can''t work now? CTFs must have other uses. They can''t take you from dungeon to abysses, but maybe dungeons to dungeons?"


    Maya raised her head and looked at him in surprise. She nodded, but her expression wasn''t bright. "Their spaces are connected. But it''s not helpful."


    Varian stretched out his hand and said. "I''ll ask Boo if he can do anything about it."


    Even though she held no hope, Maya gave him all the CTFs she had before sending him a code she had just scribbled down. "This is a summary about the inter-dungeon travel. Boo can understand it."


    Varian epted her gift and stepped into the formation.


    With Bali ruling the, he didn''t have to worry about their safety. He could focus on the situation at hand.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    The holy altar of the Despair Abyss shone with a brilliant light. Concurrently, the altars in the Abyss absorbed the aura crystals and channeled the power into the holy altar.


    The space around the altar shook violently before it was torn apart with purple energy and a space portal formed above the altar.


    A red light shed and the portal dimmed. The next second, the underground hall went dark.


    With the sound of steady footsteps, an Abyssal stepped out of the portal and it closed shortly.


    The Abyssal''s red eyes shone in the darkness before the hall lit up.


    The man was revealed to be in a red uniform with a skull pattern¡ªthe uniform of the most fearsome knight order of the now fallen Blood Province.


    Due to the interster journey, the Abyssal''s body was heavy and his face was impossibly pale.


    If it was a normal human or abyssal, facing such a condition, they''d faint without resistance.


    But this Abyssal not only stayed fully awake, he even used his powers and moved out of the Abyss in a few minutes.


    Once he stepped out, he saw two tiny shining stars and the shining smaller dots.


    The Sr System.


    "This is the ce with the legacy?" The Abyssal''s lips curled into a smile.


    His gaze was like a sharp de that pierced through. Even though he did nothing, just the bloodlust he unconsciously emitted was more than most of the level 9s.


    "It''ll be over soon."


    After giving onest nce, he returned to the castle and started to recuperate.


    This time, the Emperor went above and beyond to ensure Humanity''splete destruction.


    What the humans were seeing was just the beginning.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    The holy altar in the Hollow Abyss gave off a bright light before an Abyss in a red cloak appeared.


    A hologram of Hollow Queen greeted him and the Abyss in the red cloak nodded.


    Even though they were from the other side, Hollow Queen heard rumors about this ''person''.


    "I''ve arranged the quarters and resources. Rest well before the timees."


    Two maids stepped forward and showed him the way.


    The cloaked figure seemed to nod, but before they could guide him, he stared at Hollow Queen.


    "Him. Where is his information?" The cloaked figure''s voice was deep and the moment he uttered his first word, the air around him turned blood red.


    "I''ve sent it to your room. Everything we''ve known about him so far. And everything we could buy about him." Hollow Queen gestured.


    The cloaked figure reached his resting room and stared at the hologram of the man on the desk.


    The man he must kill at any cost.


    An eighteen-year-old.

 Chapter 796 Lightning Wyverns

    Chapter 796 Lightning Wyverns


    "The recent emergency forced us to overuse the teleportation formations. They''re in a cool down. Apologies." The assistingmander of the military district apologized.


    Varian nodded with an awkward expression.


    [J.J Jameson.


    Level 4 Water Awakener]


    The assistingmander of such a big military district was just a level 4!


    Even though Varian wasn''t a frequent visiter to the military districts, Sarah had told him that these ces were strictly guarded.


    Since this was the biggest military district of Neptune, there must at least be a level 8 awakener. But usually, there''d be a level 9 or two!


    Varian gave a final nce at the district and turned around. "I''ll reach there in an hour. Thank you for receiving me at the spaceport."


    "May your sword be the Abyssals'' nightmare." The Assistant Commander bid his farewell with a traditional warrior sentence.


    Varian gave a light smile and entered the ghost ship.


    Watching the military district grow smaller as the spaceship broke through the clouds and reach for the space, Varian''s smile vanished.


    ''I read the reports, but the situation is more serious than I imagined.''


    It''s just ridiculous! How could thergest base on Neptune be managed by a level 4?


    Only if everyone above went to theoids!


    "Master, Boo scanned the military base. There are only thirty people inside. And all of them are injured soldiers, merely there for treatment. The hundred soldiers in thepound we saw were just bots." Boo exined.


    Varian sighed as if he expected this but still had trouble epting it. Due to his actions a few days ago, all the Abysses brought their full army to theoids.


    This way, Varian wouldn''t be able to take a few level 9s and do his signature terror attacks.


    Even in such scenario, there should at least be a level 8 on the base or a few level 7s.


    There were none. And the teleportation formation wasn''t working because it was overused due to the recent emergency.


    "Boo, everyone is on theoid. Holding back the threat."


    "Master, the forces of Neptune and Abyssals are roughly matched. The new addition of level 8 Wyverns broke that bnce. Since alls are in the same condition, Neptune can''t request reinforcements either." Boo exined.


    "Yeah," Varian nodded. "Level 8s are more manageable than level 9s. If it''s just ten or twenty extra level 8s, Neptune can manage. But if it''s this many¡­"


    Boo nodded in understanding. The ghost was stupid most of the times. But even it had its clever moments.


    "Ah, Boo nearly forgot!" Boo pped its forehead and made a gesture.


    A sky blue vial. The potion from Sia''s blood. Miracle Potion.


    "Exin."


    "Enigma asked Boo to give it you."


    "Why?"


    "She said the potion weighs a lot and is inconvenient to carry."


    "You expect me to believe that? Or do you really believe that?" Varian looked at Boo like he was looking at an idiot.


    Boo shrugged.


    "Never mind." Varian put it into his storage ring beside his own potion. When Enigma made the potion, she made two. One for Sarah and the other for Sia.


    Fortunately, Sarah was the one to drink the potion. She survived only because she had the primordial blessing.


    Varian decided to give Sia the potion only after they reached a sufficient level in Synergy. That way, he could help her out in managing the energy of six slivers and keep her safe.


    As his thoughts raced to the past, Boo''s voice snapped him out it.


    "Master, get ready. We''re almost there. "


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Western Borders,oid Corinth:


    "Hold! Keep the shield!"


    "Don''t stop!"


    Desperate roars shook the battlefield before they were drowned downed in the rumbling of the thunder.


    High up in the sky, the five level 8 human awakeners gritted their teeth as they poured every bit of their mana to maintain a huge lightning dome that protected them.


    The golden lightning dome was bombarded by dozens of dark red lightning bolts every second.


    "Fuck! Fuck! How are there so many?" The strongest of the bunch, a mid level 8 Thunder Awakener, cursed.


    The twenty Lightning Wyverns attacking them didn''t give a rat ass about his curses and continued to summon lightning bolts and shoot them at the human level 8s.


    The dome shook for the first twenty bolts and on the twenty first attack, a cracking sound spread.


    "Fuck! Stabilize at 130 degree! Now!" The mid level 8, an old woman with grey hair, instructed as she temporarily increased her mana output.


    Seizing the chance, the remaining four awakeners, four level 8s, poured their mana into the small crack that appeared in the dome and repaired it.


    Before the mid level 8 could sigh in relief, the next wave of attacks arrived. Since she was already stretching herself by pouring more mana, the old woman''s face quickly paled.


    Even though the wyverns were only low level 8, there were twenty of them! Even with her superior individual strength, the dome was pushed back by their attacks.


    The right section of the dome was thinned due to concentration of attacks and the mid level 8 was forced to pour out even more mana to thicken it.


    As a result, her insides churned and blood spilled out of her lips and nose.


    "Captain!"


    The team members cried out and hurriedly channeled their own mana to alleviate her burden.


    They seeded, but the next wave of attacks arrived once again.


    ''I have to keep going,'' The old woman told herself as she pointed her trembling fingers at the dome.


    Lightning flowed out of her fingertips and joined the dome, strengthening it.


    This wave of lightning bolts were slightly less damaging than the previous since the low level 8 Wyverns got a bit tired.


    However, the human side was in a worse condition.


    So, a crack sounded when the eleventh lightning bolt hit the dome.


    Followed by the twelfth, thirteenth and¡ª


    Kacha!


    With the sound of ss breaking, the dome copsed.


    The five human awakeners coughed out a mouthful of blood and copsed onto the ground.


    They covered themselves in a lightning cloak and prevented physical damage upon crash.


    But one of them was too drained to even do that properly and his body sustained severe injuries upon the crash.


    The twenty lightning wyverns, with the size of a small airne, opened their mouth and charged the final lightning bolts against the team.


    The armies fighting nearby had sharp reactions to the event. The human side despaired while the Abyssals rejoiced.


    The lighting bolts grew to the size of a bus and were about to be shot against the five defenders.


    The hearts of the level 8s grew heavy as theyy on the ground, utterly exhausted and injured.


    They had done everything they could. They couldn''t fight anymore.


    But they didn''t give up and struggled to channel their lightning mana for onest strike.


    Sometimes, best wasn''t enough.


    The human army grew nervous as they started to realize it was all over. At the same time, the Abyssal army cheered.


    "Roar!"


    Following the roar, twenty lightning bolts reached the defenders in the blink of an eye.


    At that moment, a frivolous voice reached the battlefield.


    "Wyvern fry sounds about right."

 Chapter ?797 Overwhelming Strength

    Chapter ?797 Overwhelming Strength


    Twenty lighting bolts streaked several miles and reached the five human awakeners in the blink of an eye.


    The air itself heated up due to the potent lightning in each bolt. Just a single one of them was enough to blow up a small city.


    Facing twenty of them in their current state, there was no hope of survival.


    As the five human awakeners despaired, they heard a frivolous voice sounding from the sky.


    Before they could even digest what happened, they saw a man standing in front of them and raising his hand against the lightning bolts.


    It all happened in a heartbeat, but perhaps because it was theirst moments, everything seemed so slow.


    The mid level 8 awakener couldn''t see the man clearly, but from the side of his face, he felt that this man, this young man, seemed a little familiar.


    ''Where did I see him?''


    That was hisst thought before the lightning bolts crashed onto the young man''s hand.


    There was no st. No shockwave. Not even a sound.


    The human and abyss armies stopped their battles and turned to this battlefield. Then, as if they saw a ghost, they forgot to breathe.


    "W-What?" The old woman blinked her eyes in confusion and looked at the young man. What she saw made her heart nearly stop.


    "H-He¡­" The mid level 8 gaped as her eyes went wide.


    Not just her, even the twenty wyverns flying in the air were staring at the young man.


    No, they were all staring at his palm.


    A golden ball floated above his palm.


    "Madness!" The old woman gulped as she realized why the attacks went out in a whimper.


    The golden ball¡­


    Varian flickered his hand and the golden ball shot into the clouds. The sky was dyed golden as twenty lightning bolts exploded together.


    The ground shook violently and the air grew violently hot in an instant. Such an attack was enough to obliterate both the armies.


    Yet, despite such an explosion over their heads, no one was looking at the sky.


    They all stared at the young man in utter silence.


    Even the lightning wyverns that were supposed to be violent creatures didn''t move.


    Perhaps it was minutes, or perhaps it was just a second, the first one to break the silence was actually an Abyssal.


    With quivering lips, a level 7 Abyssal said. "V-Varian! The devil!"


    The human that ughtered twenty million Abyssals.


    The monster who broke a holy altar.


    The devil that destroyed the capital city of Mirage Abyss!


    The Abyssal army took a step back instinctively as they felt an emotion they thought they long abandoned.


    Fear.


    Utter. Irrational. Nonsensical.


    It consumed their entire being and even when the air grew hot due to the lighting bolts, the Abyssal army shivered.


    Seeing the reaction of their own side, the lightning wyverns realized the man was more dangerous than their instincts warned them to be.


    But they were given only one order.


    Attack!


    The twenty lightning wyverns opened their mouths and beams of lightning mana poured out.


    A huge lighting bolt was created with thebination of their powers¡ªa special move they rarely used.


    The lightning bolt grew from the size of a bus to an airne and before long, it reached the size of an entire runway.


    Standing under the shadow cast by the monstrous weapon, the human army grew worried with each passing second.


    They nced at Varian to urge him to take action. But for some reason, he watched everything with a calm expression.


    The lightning bolt stopped growing and its glow started to increase.


    The crackling of lightning sounded all across the battlefield like the popping of fireworks. The asional rumblings shook the clouds.


    Before they knew it, the air was scorching hot. Even thekes nearby started to dry up at a visible rate.


    And the lightning bolt started to emit golden light as if it was a sun!


    "It''s finally ready!" Varian''s lips curled up.


    "Y-You! That attack will kill everyone!" The old woman, mid level 8, barely stood up and stuttered. "Nothing in the hundred miles radius will survive!"


    Varian didn''t answer her. Rather, he eyed the weapon with curiosity.


    As if responding, the lighting wyverns roared and the lightning bolt shed.


    The gigantic weapon crossed thirty miles in a blink and was just thirty away from reaching thend.


    It was then¡ª


    A silhoutte collided with it.


    The world went dim for a moment before a bright golden light exploded, blinding everyone to its brilliance.


    Then, a huge golden shockwave swept thend.


    Flowers, trees, even humans and abyssals were blown away when the shockwave touched them.


    The mid level 8 watched the huge golden circle in the sky that slowly expanded.


    That man¡­Varian''s attack ripped open the lightning bolt!


    Suddenly, the old woman''s eyebrows jumped and she nced farther above.


    "Son of a¡ª"


    Varian stood in the sky, holding the tails of twenty dead wyverns.


    His shirt was ripped apart and there were several ck chars on his body here and there. Except for his profusely bleeding arm that was twisted in a strange angle, Varian didn''t have any major injuries.


    On the other hand, the wyverns died with a full body. Only a small ice sword or a snapped neck could be seen.


    The disparity in their strengths was clear to see.


    "Master, ten wyverns are attacking in a nearbyoid! Hurry up! They''re all mid level 8!"


    Varian nodded lightly and his figure flickered before it disappeared from the crowd.


    The level 8s stood up as they barely recovered. Seeing Varian''s departure,plicated emotions shed in their eyes.


    An 18 year old boy?


    Awakened four months ago?


    A level 7?


    Fucking bullshit!


    He''s level 8 dammit!


    And a very strong level 8 at that!


    "He left?" An Abyss soldier asked.


    "He really left us alone?" Another followed.


    An Abyss captain felt his courage rebound andughed. "Ah. Haha. What devil? He really isn''t much¡ª"


    The sky rumbled and thunder roared. Lightning bolts bombarded the Abyss army and decimated them to smithereens.


    The devil''s voice lingered in the air.


    "My parting gift."

 Chapter 798 A Sense Of Loss

    Chapter 798 A Sense Of Loss


    Mars seemed to be afflicted with terrible luck. One thing after another kept happening.


    Now, with a group of level 9 Abyssals that called themselves ''Nightmares'', the hard-won stalemate was broken.


    The federation had no manpower to bridge this gap. So, Enigma took the matter into her hands.


    Afternding on theoid Rhodes where two members of the Nightmare were wreaking havoc, the former leader of Shadow Guardians got into action.


    It had been two hours since she set foot on this and the results were evident for every soldier on theoid.


    "Keep your senses sharp! Focus! Focus!"


    "Heighten your awareness! Don''t lose sight of your enemies!"


    Be it humans or Abyssals, the hundreds of thousands of soldiers fighting across theoid were hearing the samemand.


    Even the level 8s remained alert, not to mention the level 7s. As for the mid and low awakeners, they were trying their best not to be swept away by the battle in the sky.


    The sky of Rhodesoid that was shining a few hours ago was now pitch ck¡ªeven darker than the night.


    In such a sky, explosions urred asionally and the darkness was ripped apart revealing three figures.


    A woman in ck clothes with a soft sword in her hand with several injuries. Facing her would be two Abyssals¡ªone with a taut body that boasted his extreme physical strength, the other being a thin but lean figure who moved at ridiculous speeds.


    BOOM!


    The darkness was broken and the three figures were revealed once again.


    Like every time, there was a new injury on Enigma and two new injuries on the two Abyssals.


    In the next moment, darkness spread and enveloped them once again.


    "What a strange power." A level 8 human sighed as he failed to use his senses in the darkness.


    For a high level awakener, senses were critical in battles. By affecting them, Enigma gained an unfair advantage.


    Perhaps that''s why she was able to fight two mid level 9s.


    "Where are you looking at?" Following a roar, a shining spear shot towards the human level 8.


    "I''m seeing your death." The man avoided the spear and shot towards the Abyssal standing on a cliff, intending to finish him off this time.


    Rhodesoid shook as hundreds of thousands of awakeners fought without reservations.


    From a high altitude, it seemed like fireworks of all colors were going off on the ground.


    At least, that''s how it appeared to Enigma who was standing even above the clouds.


    "I''ll ask once again, who are you two? Where did youe from?" Enigma gripped her sword and its de hummed.


    "Hahaha! Do you think knowing would make any difference? In fact, it''d crush thest hope in your heart." The Extreme Abyssal specializing in Strengthughed.


    Enigma squinted her eyes and raised her sword without a word.


    The sound of metal shing rang out and a figure appeared behind her. He was holding an axe that was shaking violently.


    The Speed Abyssal looked at Enigma''s sword and gnashed his teeth. She actually blocked his attack!


    He''s an extreme awakener that boosted his speed. He always excelled in sneak attacks!


    But she blocked it despite being a sub-level lower than him!


    The Abyssal squinted his eyes as he looked at the darkness that was covering everything.


    Even to see Enigma now, he had to focus on his senses. Yet, his performance was affected!


    "Fuck! Why do you have the path of darkness?" The Speed Abyssal cursed as his figure blurred and heunched another barrage of attacks on Enigma.


    Enigma made only the absolute minimum movements, but she avoided all the attacks and started counterattacking.


    Even with his great speed, under Enigma''s darkness, mind attacks, and gravity power, the Speed Abyssal was quickly suppressed.


    As Enigma was about tond a critical blow on him, the Strength abyssal attacked.


    Enigma set up a gravity shield and blocked him at thest moment. But as the price, she lost the opportunity to severely injure the Speed Abyssal.


    With only a slight edge on her enemies, Enigma continued to fight.


    If Varian was here, he''d be surprised to find that Enigma''sbat style was very close to his.


    Of course, there were differences. If Varian''sbat style was based on perseverance and destruction, Enigma''sbat style rested on a single pir¡ªPrecision.


    The sky continued to shake as the darkness thinned with each passing second. The three fighters got more injured and fatigued.


    But the fight was nowhere nearpletion.


    ''I can''t drag this on. I need to end this.'' Enigma''s eyes shed with resolve and she swung her sword.


    The Abyssals avoided her attack and countered.


    "Is this all your species good for? Sneak attacks and depending on your numbers." Enigma mocked.


    The Abyssals were a proud race. They once stood at a great height before their circumstances crushed them.


    That''s why she decided to attack their pride.


    "Whatever you say doesn''t matter." The Strength Abyssal looked at her like he was staring at a corpse. But despite striking her words off, he didn''t want to admit his race was weak.


    "As long as we can win, we are willing to do anything. Victory is everything." The Speed Abyssal said afterunching another sneak attack on Enigma.


    The Speed Abyssal''s axe tore the apart and shook the space itself. Before it even reached Enigma, a huge explosion set off and the shockwave from the weapon merely traveled her leveled mountains!


    Enigma clenched her fists and changed the gravity around the axe. Suddenly, the axe was ''attracted'' to the Speed Abyssal who threw the spear.


    The gravity force pulled the axe that was going to Enigma at breakneck speed in the opposite direction¡ªtoward the Speed Abyssal.


    The axe quickly slowed down before itpletely stopped before Enigma. Then, with a flip of her hand, the Axe shot towards the Speed Abyssal with a higher speed than before.


    "Damn you Gravity bastards!" The Speed Abyssal cursed as he shot through the air and ran away from the spear.


    Speed Awakeners exploited their speed to dodge attacks. But in front of Gravity Awakeners who could lock the weapon onto their body, they were helpless.


    Enigma turned to the Strength Abyssal and her eyes shone with a cruel glint.


    The sky shook the next second.


    "Come help! Quick! Damn it!" The Strength Abyssal yelled as he kept raising his spear and blocking Enigma''s attacks one by one.


    When their weapons shed, sparks flew and despite being the one higher in strength, the Abyssal was suppressed.


    Strictly speaking, Enigma was weaker than him and should lose the physical blow. But since she interfered with his mind, he wasn''t able to exert his full power. Topping this darkness that diminished his senses, it even made him weak!


    It didn''t end there, sometimes, the darkness would turn into weapons and sneak attack him!


    "Who the hell are you? What is a hybrid like you doing in this forsaken ce?" The Strength Abyssal red at the woman.


    The Nightmare was a group from the Abyss Empire. Compared to the people of the sr system, he knew more. And that''s why he didn''t understand what a hybrid like Enigma was doing here.


    "Oh, so you''re from that side." Enigma blocked a sneak attack from the Speed Abyssal who returned and said.


    "That side?" The Speed Abyssal backed off and looked at her in shock. "Y-You know that we¡­"


    The Strength Abyssal also looked at her in shock. "What the hell do you know? No, how do you even know?"


    Enigma nced at the two Abyssals for a short moment and sighed inwardly. To kill them, she needed to get them off guard or at least, get them agitated and push them to make mistakes.


    Only then would she have a chance to kill them. Even that came with significant injuries.


    The two Abyssals didn''t attack her and stared at her seriously for an answer.


    "Province Trial." Enigma suddenly said.


    "Y-You!" Strength Abyssal''s eyes widened as he looked at her in utter shock.


    "You won''t win." The tricolor woman dered. "You know what happens when you don''t win, right? Your beloved friends, Zions will happily¡ª"


    "Die, bitch!" The Speed Abyssal roared in anger as appeared behind her and shed his axe.


    His face was pale green and his eyes were bloodshot. He was furious.


    And that gave her a chance.


    Enigma increased her gravity to the ground and the height at which she was floating plummeted.


    Like a stone throne down from a building, Enigma quickly went down and dodged the attack.


    And when she did, she also used her mind powers on the Speed Abyssal and exploited the burning fury in his mind.


    She froze half of his body for a split second and then pped him with a gravity palm.


    The gravity around his body turned chaotic and the legs of the Speed Abyssal twisted apart while the sounds of bones popping reverberated all across.


    "Why did the Abyss Emperor send you now?" Enigma''s voice rang as she faced off the Strength Abyssal.


    "His majesty¡ª"


    "Lemme guess. You were crushed by the Fairies and he wanted you to get the legacy so you can have a chance of survival, even if it means wiping out the human race. How moral." Enigma said in a mocking tone.


    "Don''t you dare!" The Strength Abyssal also lost it and went on a rampage.


    Enigma used his anger against him and dealt a decisive blow.


    After a few minutes, she killed the two weakest members of the Nightmare.


    ''Ten more to go.''


    Enigma hid from both humans and Abyssals as she recuperated from injuries.


    Even though she killed them, the two Abyssals managed to give her two significant injuries.


    Enigma endured the pain and said. "Boo, some potio¡ª"


    She froze and looked around. "I¡­"


    Realizing that she wasn''t in the ghost ship anymore, Enigma felt a sense of loss.


    The loss of leaving her home.

 Chapter ?799 Neptunes Crisis

    Chapter ?799 Neptune''s Crisis


    It had been six hours since the Abyssals first struck.


    While Mars was partially stabilized by Enigma, the rest of thes were also doing their best.


    Under the leadership of Sovereigns and level 9s, humanity was able to withstand the initial shock and tried to stabilize the situation.


    But things weren''t going as nned.


    Level 8s weren''t your average soldiers. They were just a step below the highest level. True pirs of the federation.


    When an excess of such powerhouses came knocking on the door, the human army didn''t have many options.


    Right now, the strongest and most brilliant human level 8s were tasked with fighting two or three Abyssal level 8s.


    Using their skill, experience, and talent, these genius level 8s were holding back multiple Abyssals.


    But this wasn''t an ideal solution.


    Firstly, genius, by definition, were few and far in between. So, they couldn''tpletely salvage the situation.


    Secondly, the Abyssals didn''t just bring in new level 8 Abyssals. They brought in a different set of problems.


    Mercury was facing beast tides. Venus was facing poisonous rains. Earth was facing Berserk Abyssals. And so on.


    None of these were things that could be solved easily.


    The military knew this too, but they were doing the best they could and hoped to find a way to reverse the situation.


    "Level 8, huh. He is growing too strong, too fast."


    On one of Earth''soids, Julius narrowed his eyes at the report from Neptune and clenched his fists.


    ording to the eyewitness, Varian''s strength wasn''t just a level 8. He absolutely ughtered twenty mid level 8 Wyverns.


    "When I''m worried about his growth, the Abyssals start their petty schemes," Julius'' eyes shed with golden light and his body morphed into that of a giant golden titan.


    The next moment, the artifact space ring on his body shed and he teleported to the nextoid.


    Here, humans were upying one continent while the Abyssals took another. In between was a huge ocean.


    Appearing above the Abyssal continent, he nced at the aliens with utter loathing. "Die!"


    A huge fist fell from the sky.


    "Stop!"


    Demon King was a secondte and could only watch Julius attack theoid.


    Even before Julius'' fist reached the ground, the sky shook and the air exploded. The shockwaves spread out and reached half of the entireoid!


    Whatever stood in the way of these shockwaves¡ªmountains, military bases, level 6s, level 7s, and even level 8s were sted away!


    A huge crack spread in the continent as if someone was drawing a thick dividing mark on its map!


    The Abyssals looked at the huge fist in shock before their world went nk.


    In the next second, the continent was split into two!


    A huge empty area was formed in the ocean with no water and due to the sheer pressure from the punch, numerous tsunamis began on theoid.


    "Julius!" Demon King appeared in front of the golden giant with sharp killing intent. "You''ll die a dog''s death!"


    Julius craned his neck and looked at the Demon King in contempt. "I am not the one barking."


    The two Sovereigns locked their gazes and in the next second, their figures blurred.


    The space cracked and the sky split as a battle of gigantic proportions began in outer space.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Bo-Boo, num..ber?" Leaning against a hill and panting heavily, Varian asked.


    In front of him were the corpses of twenty low level 8 Wyverns as well as ten mid level 8 wyverns.


    He didn''t get any injuries. But since he was jumping from oneoid to another, it was exhausting.


    "This is the fourthoid, master. There are four more." Boo said and pulled Varian into the ghost ship and put him in a special care unit designed to relieve his fatigue.


    "Four more, huh. Should be done in two hours," Varian said and closed his eyes.


    A few minutester, Varian was on the fifthoid of Neptune.


    The war between both sides was going on intensely. The human army was being devastated by the wyverns until he arrived and casually ughtered a couple of them.


    As a result, the wyverns banded together and faced him.


    "The closer theoid is to Pluto, the stronger these guys are." Varian let out a sigh.


    High up in the sky, twenty low level 8 Wyverns and ten mid level 8s were facing him with half-caution and half-rage.


    And an extra wyvern.


    A high level 8.


    Compared to the remaining golden lightning wyverns, it had a tinge of purple.


    But it wasn''t just that.


    Varian could sense something about it was different. It was the same feeling he got during the Mermen in Ruins.


    "Alpha of the pack." Varian clicked his tongue.


    "ROAR!"


    Under the orders of the alpha, the pack cooperated and wove a lightning around Varian.


    And to prevent him from escaping, they started to bombard him with lightning spears, whips, and other weapons.


    The sky turned golden under their attacks and it looked like a scene from an apocalypse.


    But having fought these creatures for fouroids already, Varian didn''t flinch. In fact, from his ''experiments'' on the previousoids, he already knew what they were capable of.


    So, he just created severalyers of armor around him using space, water, and lighting.


    Even if these three failed, his final armor was his superhuman body!


    When Varian finished propping his defense, the lighting was finished and began to rapidly close.


    It was a special move and if trapped inside, even high level 8s would suffer terribly.


    Even if a high level 8 survived the lightning, they''d die under the Alpha Wyvern. Perhaps that''s the n. To severely injure him and then kill him.


    The lightning wyverns saw him fight with bare hands earlier and thought he was a body awakener.


    Too bad for them.


    "You''re doomed," Varian smirked and teleported out of the lightning, right behind the mid level 8s.


    The lightning wyverns were dumbfounded at the sudden turn of events. But the Alpha was quick to react.


    Turning into a streak of lightning, it shot towards Varian to stop him from attacking its subordinates and if possible,nd a big attack.


    But Varian was faster. He abruptly grabbed the tail of a lightning wyvern and ripped it into two. In doing so, he also stacked his telekic power.


    The lightning wyvern tried to resist by turning its body into lightning, but Varian''s mind sense struck it right then and created a small dy.


    And that dy was enough.


    Like tearing a paper, he tore the lightning wyvern into two parts.


    The wyverns shrieked and moved away from him instinctively.


    Even though it was just a single kill and even though they had more members than him, seeing the young man stand calmly as the blood and guts of their pack member spilled out was a horrifying experience.


    Before the pack could act further, a golden light shed with Varian and a huge explosion urred in the sky.


    When the pack members came to be, they saw the young man in the same position with a bleeding hand while their Alpha had a small injury on its face.


    "High level 8, huh." Varian stretched his fingers and under the dumbfounded gaze of the Alpha, his bleeding stopped! Even his injury was gone!


    Taking advantage of the wyverns'' distraction, Varian snapped his fingers.


    A mid level 8 wyvern screeched and opened its mouth as a foreign force directly controlled its mind and body for a small moment. In that small moment, an ice sword materialized in front of it and entered its mouth, and pierced its heart.


    Another wyvern roared as the space around its neck exploded, creating several deep cuts near a dangerous area. Before it could sigh in relief for surviving, an invisible force, in the shape of a spear, pierced through the cut and ended its life.


    "Roar!"


    Varian''s actions enraged the wyverns. So, without holding back, they rained him with lighting attacks.


    Without fighting them head-on, Varian teleported and started using abination of two or more divine paths to take down the wyverns one by one.


    Under this strange offensive, the Wyverns quickly fell one by one.


    The ten mid level 8s were cleaned up in three minutes.


    The twenty low level 8s took only two.


    And finally, only the Alpha was left.


    "Let''s decide with one shot."


    Varian''s left arm shed golden and turned into a lightning spear while his left hand turned into an ice spear.


    The telekic energy, along with space power wrapped around him like armor.


    The nate power was ready to assist him in case of any injuries.


    Varian''s superhuman gave him the tremendous strength to strike the Alpha.


    Finally, his psychic power wreaked the Alpha''s mind so that thetter couldn''t turn into elemental form and negate physical damage.


    "ROAR!"


    Varian''s figure blurred and in the next second, arge golden light appeared above theoid, like the third sun.


    The world dimmed for a moment before a huge golden explosion swept theoid.


    An eerie silence filled theoid as both armies had no idea who won.


    Then, as if to erase their doubts, golden bolts of lightning descended on the Abyssal army.


    The human army cheered and looked at the sky for the spaceship they couldn''t see.


    The ghost ship was already on the way to the nextoid.


    "I killed a bit of the Abyssal army on eachoid. This way, our army should be able to recoup the losses or even establish dominance on theoids." Varian muttered.


    "Only four more to go, then this problem can be solv¡ª"


    "Master! Bad news! New batches of lightning wyverns from Pluto have entered theoids!"


    "What?!"

 Chapter 800 The Planetoids Struggle

    Chapter 800 Theoids'' Struggle


    There were total eightoids that were being gued by level 8 Lightning Wyverns.


    Varian cleaned up four and was about to go for the fifth when Boo''s message arrived.


    Pushing Ghostship to its fastest, Varian reached the fifthoid in a few minutes.


    "Holy f..."


    Standing above the clouds, Varian cursed involuntarily.


    Like on everyoid, the human and Abyssal armies were fighting toe to toe.


    But here, human army was being crushed by the Lightning Wyverns. The only reason they weren''t being ughtered was because they were the army of Neptune--the warriors that faced Pluto and Thunder Abyss, the soldiers at the frontlines!


    But even their vast experience could only dy the inevitable.


    Slowly, but surely, the human army was getting killed and was being led onto a path ofplete destruction.


    Varian squinted at the beasts that were responsible for this situation. Spreading his space sense, he began to lock on them one by one. This way, he could teleport to them once he started his attacks.


    There were twenty low level 8 Wyverns on the east of theoid. These were being barely held off by ten low level 8 humans who were already suffering from serious injuries.


    Then, there were also ten new low level 8.


    "This must be the new batch." Varian noticed that these lightning wyverns weren''t any stronger or specialpared to the existing wyverns.


    But them simply being level 8 was the problem.


    Facing off those ten new level 8 wyverns were only four humans and they were already being pushed to the verge of death.


    Once they die, these wyverns would be unhinged and start attacking the human army.


    The level 7s could fight them for sometime, but they''d be annihted eventually. Then, the wyverns would go down on the mid and low awakeners.


    "They won''t even stand a chance." Varian hissed.


    The level 8s holding back the new wyverns could onlyst for twenty minutes at most.


    He could save the ones here. But what about the other threeoids? Even his travel would take time!


    Plus, the fouroids he already rescued, those four would''ve also started fighting the new batch.


    Since they''re only fighting with one batch, they wouldn''t be very desperate, but continuous fights would wear them down. After four or five hours, they''d be too exhausted to fight anymore.


    Then, even the first fouroids would fall.


    "This is crazy," Varian raised his hand and clenched his fist.


    Space twisted and he appeared above five lightning wyverns facing off two humans.


    The low level 8 creatures sensed his presence and in an emergency, wrapped themselves in a lightning armor.


    But it was all futile as Varian himself turned into a bolt of lightning and pierced through their heads.


    The wvyern heads exploded and their bodies crashed to the ground. The human awakeners opened their mouth in shock and before they knew it, their bodies slumped.


    "W-What?"


    "Who is he?"


    They were utterly exhausted, but they couldn''t stop thinking who this guy was.


    A high level 8 they never heard of. How could that be possible?


    "Those two really need nest," Varian muttered as he finished off five more wyverns.


    This time, he saved three more military officers.


    "W-Who are you?"


    "Thank you!"


    Varian was about to leave for the next hunt when the third officer suddenly spoke. "Sir, please go to the otheroids!"


    The air turned still and Varian turned around and from the high altitude, looked down at the man on the ground.


    He was old. Around nies. But he still held a sharp gaze. And that gaze was now piercing Varian like a sword.


    "After killing twenty more, I will." Varian said and was about to teleport.


    "It''ll be toote. You killed ten and freed up five of us. We can hold back the wyverns for now. But otheroids won''t be able to do it.


    Once the level 8s there die, the entire army will be massacred! Theoids so many of my brothers and sisters fought and died for will be conquered! Please, go!"


    Varian gritted his teeth and did a mental calction of the travel time. There were three moreoids in critical condition facing two batches of wyverns.


    Even though he quickly killed the wyverns, cleaning up thisoid took around three to five minutes.


    It was already a minute since he arrived here.


    ''And a single minute can change everything.'' Varian clenched his fist as Mars'' high general Skad''s sacrifice surfaced in his memory.


    Skad sacrificed his life for a single minute. But without that one minute, Varian would''ve beente to Mars. Then, due to Shadow Order''s sinister bombing n, billions of people would''ve died.


    ''A single minute can be game changing.'' Varian nodded at the old man with gratitude. "Thanks."


    The ghost ship appeared beside him in a heartbeat and Varian jumped onto it. It slightly tilted its angle and shot out of theoid, passing by five wyverns on the way.


    Lightning Snakes, Space Cracks, Ice Swords, Telekic Guantelts and Illusions attacked the wyverns and killed them in a few seconds.


    When they died, the ghost ship was long gone.


    "Varian..." The old man muttered with aplicated emotion and mmed hism. "Everyone that''s freed up, engage with the remaining wyverns! Don''t lose ground!"


    -- -- --


    By the time Varian reached the sixthoid--the second to be facing two batches ofoids, things were more serious.


    The lighting wyverns were in the middle of pushing all the level 8s they were facing to death.


    Thankfully, the situation didn''t turn grave.


    The problem, however, was theposition of the wyverns.


    There were ten low level 8s that he could easily kill. But there were also ten mid level 8s and an Alpha.


    "Damn high level 8s!"


    Fighting an Alpha would exhaust him and Varian still had twooids to save. It was a bit ironic that he always wanted to fight high level 8s and when he finally had the chance, he wished he didn''t face it.


    The silver lining was that these Alphas only appeared inoids with rtively strong army that could in fact hold back these Alphas for some time.


    The biggest problem for the human level 8s wasn''t the Alpha but the new addition of ten low level 8s!


    They already spent all their manpower and could barely afford to fight these new additions.


    "Fuck!"


    Varian''s figure blinked in and out of existence as he kept teleporting thousands of miles every time.


    He punched, shed, froze and did whatever he could to kill the low level 8s and finished them off in two minutes.


    By the time he was done, the three officers tasked with holding back these ten low level 8 fainted from injuries.


    Now, the officers were holding back ten mid level 8s and one Alpha. But they couldn''t hold it for longer than an hour or two.


    Once the stalemate broke, thisoid would be massacred.


    But he had no time. If he didn''t hurry to the next twooids, they would be massacred right now!


    Varian gritted his teeth and ordered. "Boo, let''s go!"


    When the ghost ship was about to take off, Varian''s eyes shed and he gave the ghost another order.


    Boo was surprised, but followed the order nheless.


    The ghost ship expanded in size and opened its exit. Connected to the exit was the Celestial Room.


    In a split second, the ghost ship reached the Alpha.


    "Roar!"


    The Alpha was rmed by ghost ship''s presence and was about to attack it when Varian teleport behind it.


    He didn''t try to kill. He didn''t even attack.


    Varian simply exploited the Alpha''s distraction and pushed it into the ghost ship!


    "ROAR!"


    The world around it suddenly changed and the creature found itself in a strange dark room.


    The room was quite small and it was barely able to fit in. It couldn''t even raise its head and had to curl its body to stay.


    Panicked, enraged, but most of all, humiliated, the Alpha channeled its lighting mana and attacked the walls.


    The lighting simply bounced off the walls.


    The Alpha''s pride was wounded and it attacked harder.


    Lightning spears. Lightnings. Lightning discharge.


    It didn''t matter.


    No matter how much it tried, the walls remained unscathed.


    Heck, not even a small scratch appeared on these silver walls.


    "Roar!" But the Alpha didn''t give up. If it did, it wouldn''t be an Alpha.


    For the next ten minutes, it went above and beyond, pouring everything it had into the attacks.


    "R...Roar..."


    On the eleventh minute, the creature slumped as fatigue took over its body. It had little mana left and its whole body was aching terribly.


    It was then that a voice reached its ears.


    "Oh, it exhausted itself? Saves the trouble!"


    Before it could understand what''s happening, the door of this forbidden room opened.


    The Alpha raised its head to scream in joy. But before it could, a hand pped it down and broke its head.


    A few minutester, the unwilling roar of a new Alpha sounded from the Celestial Room as Varian headed for the finaloid.


    Varian leaned against his chair as he studied the situation in the eightoids.


    The one he just saved was going to have a rough time, but it wouldn''t copse.


    The other sixoids would also be fine, at least for a few hours.


    But the nextoid--thest one on the list...


    "Can they survive?" Varian sighed.


    "Master, you tried your best." Boo gave an indirect answer.


    Varian smiled wryly.


    A few minutester, Varian came to the finaloid.


    By the time he did, theoid was about to conquered.

 Chapter ?801 That Day Wont Be Far

    Chapter ?801 That Day Won''t Be Far


    "W-What the hell?"


    Watching the chaos unfold in front of him, Varian forgot to breathe.


    "W-Why?"


    The eighthoid. The final one on his list.


    He knew that it was in the most dangerous condition. So, he did only the minimum on everyoid and saved time.


    Yet.


    Varian lowered his head and closed his eyes in pain.


    Even then, the mayhem of theoid was captured by his senses.


    As if it was a movie, everything that happened here so far yed out in his mind''s eye.


    The level 8 humans on theoid were fighting the level 8 Abyssals.


    Then, a bunch of wyverns appeared. The army split the group and sent a few to hold back the wyverns as they waited for help.


    Even though they weren''t winning, the brave men and women ensured with their blood, sweat, and tears that they didn''t lose theoid.


    A stalemate continued for an hour.


    Then came the next batch of wyverns.


    Even the most resilient people would panic in this situation.


    The defenders were under huge pressure, but they still sent a few more level 8s from the original group fighting the Abyssals.


    Now, the level 8s fighting Abyssals were already weakened twice and they were quickly and ruthlessly suppressed.


    The level 8s fighting the first wave already had trouble maintaining the stalemate.


    The level 8s that were sent to fight the new batch of wyverns¡­they failed. No matter how much they willed, they were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the wyverns.


    When these level 8s were killed, the second batch of wyverns joined the first wave of wyverns and destroyed the level 8s.


    Soon, the whole wyvern gang reached the location where human and Abyssal level 8s fought.


    The ones that were fighting so hard, the brave men and women of the human race¡­they were electrocuted to death. Their bodies were eaten by the wyverns as a show of victory.


    Then, the level 8 Abyssals and Wyverns attacked the human army.


    With only level 7s holding the fort, the humans were no match for the Abyssals. It was swift but deeply tragic.


    The ughter began and spread out in all directions.


    Since level 8s were insanely strongpared to the mid and low awakeners, each second, tens of thousands of humans died.


    By the time Varian reached theoid, more than 40% of the army was obliterated.


    "Master," Boo said in a low voice. "The rational decision now is to return to the firstoid and kill the second batch of wyverns. That way, you can keep the level 8 safe, and in turn, they''ll keep theiroids safe. Thisoid¡­even if you save it now, once you leave, the Abyssals can send a few level 8s and conquer it. It''s a goner."


    Varian loosened his fist and sighed. Boo opened the ghost ship and opened its mouth to call him in.


    But Varian''s figure disappeared.


    In different regions of theoid, the wyverns and abyssals were wreaking havoc.


    There were a total of ten low level 8 Wyverns, ten mid level 8 Wyverns.


    In addition, there were also ten high level 8 Abyssals. But due to the courageous deaths of the human warriors who fought until the bitter end, these ten had major injuries. Their strength also dropped to mid level 8.


    Instead of confronting them directly, Varian sneaked behind the Abyssals.


    With a single but masterful stroke, he assassinated a high level 8 Abyssal.


    It was quick, silent, and efficient.


    Due to his high injuries, the high level 8 Abyssal died easily.


    Varian''s figure blinked in and out and in just a few seconds, he assassinated five Abyssals.


    That was when the remaining noticed his presence.


    "Varian!"


    The voice of the Abyssal that called him out was filled with surprise. But realizing what he just said, the Abyssal quickly paled and stepped back.


    It didn''t matter to them if the Mirage Queen dered that Varian was only a low level 8.


    For them, Varian was a man who broke a capital city!


    A fucking capital city! The very symbol of an Abyss!


    When your feats exceededmon sense, the fear they instilled in your enemies would also be beyondmon sense.


    Most of the Abyssals developed an irrational fear of Varian.


    But of course, as level 8s, they suppressed that fear and quickly encircled him. The wyverns joined the Abyssals cautiously as they waited for an opportunity to strike at this man that made their instincts scream.


    Varian unsheathed a sword and looked at his enemies with a sharp gaze.


    The Abyssals gulped as they felt like a sharp sword was sliding against their skin. The Wyverns, on the other hand, roared as they tried to fight off the bloodlust emanated from Varian¡ªthe bloodlust developed after witnessing twenty million deaths.


    "Thisoid is mine." Varian swung his sword and the world went blue.


    Three Abyssals clutched their throat suddenly. It was futile. Blood spilled out like a fountain and they died with an unwilling gaze.


    With a roar, the Wyverns bombarded Varian in attacks. Abyssals joined.


    A sea of golden lightning enveloped Varian with an intent to destroy him to pieces.


    The golden lightning reached Varian and exploded.


    But along with it, the heads of five wyverns also exploded.


    "Pluto is mine." Varian''s chilling voice rang in the air.


    "You! Don''t hide! Face us head on!" An Abyssal yelled after he couldn''t find Varian through his lighting sense.


    "Roar!" The Wyverns pped their wings as they provoked him into a head-on fight.


    "You want a head-on battle? I will give you a full-fledged war."


    The space suddenly cracked apart and cut a wyvern into two halves.


    "I will wage my war against the eight Abysses."


    An Abyssal clutched his mind and screamed in pain before his neck was snapped.


    "You can run to any corner."


    A clicking sound suddenly jolted everyone and they saw a Wyvern slowly falling to the ground.


    When it crashed, a red line appeared on its body and along the red line, the body split into two equal halves.


    "For attacking us unprovoked, for causing so much pain to my race and killing so many innocents, I''ll personally kill your Emperor."


    Varian''s words touched a nerve and the Abyssals roared in rage.


    Their worship of the Emperor far exceeded their fear of Varian.


    When your feats exceededmon sense, the admiration they instilled in your allies would also be beyondmon sense.


    Seeing him pull off the impossible again and again, the Abyssals developed almost fanatical worship of their Emperor.


    They wouldn''t allow him to be insulted by anyone. Not the Fairies. Not even the mighty Zions. And certainly not a human!


    "Varian, this war, you''ll lose! This is the will of our Empeor! His gift to your kind! A war where you can still struggle! If he deems you enough of a nuisance, he wille here and kill you in a snap! We don''t want to disturb him, so we''ll kill you in the stead of his majesty!"


    Pouring out all their strengths, they attacked him with the intention of cutting him to pieces.


    The wyverns joined them and drowned him in attacks.


    Varian''s gaze didn''t waver as he yed the enemies one by one, like a butcher killing livestock.


    "It''s been a hundred and twenty years since you arrived in the sr system. You killed billions of people. Orphaned countless children. Destroyed too many families.


    You could''ve asked us to share the legacy. If you traded with us, maybe we could''ve. But you didn''t even think we were worthy of negotiations. To you, we were just a nuisance. A pest growing on YOUR fruit.


    You treated us as such. And I will treat you worse.


    Even if that man doesn''te here, I will enter your home Abyss. And I''ll give your race the ending you wanted to give us.


    That day won''t be far, I promise."

 Chapter ?802 A Bold Plan

    Chapter ?802 A Bold n


    Varian watched indifferently as the two hundred thousand strong Abyssal army scattered in fear.


    Even if they were far away from him on theoid, the Abyssals had no sense of security.


    They didn''t care about the countless corpses on the ground as they moved away from the frontlines and rushed back to their bases.


    The human army that was on the verge of being ughtered only just finished reorganizing.


    By the time Varian arrived, the level 8s were conducting a massacre and only 60% of the human army remained.


    Themanders of the army looked at Varian with aplicated emotion and turned their gazes to face their enemy.


    Even now, the Abyssals army was twice their twice.


    This was the perfect time to return to their bases and consolidate the defense.


    Yet.


    "Charge! Kill every goddamn son of a bitch!"


    The human army actually started chasing after the Abyssals andunched an offense.


    It was an unexpected development that caught Varian by surprise.


    "Fall back!"


    "Don''t begin a war of attrition!"


    "Start the defenses! Now!"


    Even more unexpected was that despite facing a smaller human force, the Abyssals faltered. There was neither spirit in their eyes nor confidence in their attacks.


    They just focused on returning their bases and setting up the defenses.


    "Master, Boo thinks Abyssals are viewing you as some sort of bad luck omen. Worse, a devil perhaps." Boo said.


    Varian didn''t answer.


    He nced at the human corpses littered all across theoid and sighed.


    But soon, the sadness in his eyes was reced by a sharp resolve.


    "When is the next batch arriving?" Varian asked in an indifferent tone that he normally didn''t use.


    Boo gulped and answered. "B-Boo doesn''t know. Nor does the military. There were only two batches so far."


    Varian''s eyes shed in contemtion.


    If there was another batch, theoids would be severely burdened. Sure, he could help them out one by one, but just like one, thestoid to receive help would be in a dangerous situation.


    Had he been a bitte, the entire human army would''ve been obliterated.


    Even if he was on time for everyoid in the third batch, what about the fourth, fifth and sixth?


    By then, the level 8 army officers fighting the wyverns would be too exhausted to fight them.


    Without their fierce resistance, the wyverns would ughter the human army in no time and conquer theoids.


    As he thought until here, Varian''s face hardened. "We''re going."


    Boo nodded and a secondter, the spaceship shot out of theoid.


    Seated on a huge ck chair, Varian rested his chin on his palm as he gazed out into the boundless space.


    Its darkness was only challenged by small dots of light¡ªtheoids, thes, and the suns.


    But most of the space was submerged in the darkness.


    ''Even the brightest of stars can''t erase the darkness, huh.'' Varian clenched his fist.


    Boo flinched at Varian''s action. ''Master is scary.''


    "Master, even though they''re facing the wyverns, the fouroids can hold them back for a few hours. Don''t be too worried." Boo tried to console.


    When Varian spent time with Sarah and Sia, Boo learned a thing or two aboutmunication.


    "And we''ll be reaching the firstoid in eight minutes." Boo gave the young man a bright smile.


    "I forgot to mention," Varian raised a brow. "Go to Neptune."


    "Yes?" Boo titled its head. "Isn''t Master going to save theoids? They''re in danger!"


    "Even if I keep running fromoid tooid, they will eventually fall." Varian shook his head. "Being defense won''t work. I need to attack and smash the nest of these flying lizards."


    Boo opened its mouth in shock and looked at Varian with a gaze wondering if Master had gone crazy.


    Still, thinking that Master might have just forgotten, it informed. "The Wyvern nest is at Pluto."


    Varian nodded to indicate he knew and crushed thest hope in Boo''s little heart. "T-Then how¡­?"


    Traveling to Pluto would take anywhere around three to five days.


    ording to the Athena Department, the Abyssals were using teleportation formations near Pluto to teleport them close to Plutooids.


    These formations were likely engraved on hidden asteroids¡­.


    "Since we didn''t have any news of the wyverns'' arrival until it''s toote, it''s clear that Abyssals found a way in the blindspot of the intelligence." Varian tapped the armrest.


    Boo nodded.


    The army had observation capabilities for nearly halfway until Pluto. Yet, they were surprised by the wyverns'' appearance.


    "The new batch of wyverns aren''t tired or show any fatigue from travel. They didn''t travel much," Varian analyzed. "They are somehow teleporting from Pluto, close to theoids."


    Boo thought seriously.


    It might also be that these Wyverns started their journey a week ago and slowed down after nearing Neptune. That''s why they weren''t tired.


    So¡­


    "They''re also new to their power," Varian added. "Be it low, mid, or even high level 8s, all of their auras are a bit unstable. It''s not a coincidence. So, once they are ''readied'', they''re being teleported here."


    Boo scratched its cheek. "If they''re teleporting until here, there should be a city or something to receive them. It wouldn''t go unnoticed by the army..."


    "Secret realm," Varian said with conviction.


    "Woah!" Boo''s eyes widened as a puzzle seemed to be solved in its mind.


    The more Boo thought about it, the more likely the usibility seemed.


    Even though Devas had no Ruins on Pluto, secret realms were present.


    So, all Abyssals had to do to secure safe teleportation was this¡ªhave a secret realm near Pluto. Send the wyverns into the secret realm near Pluto, teleport them to the secret realm midway and teleport them to another secret realm near Neptune''soids.


    "Then what do we do, master? We can''t possibly search for the secret realms in the vast space, can we?"


    Hearing Boo''s question, Varianughed. It wasn''t mockingughter, but one of amusement. Like an elder finding the question of an innocent child funny.


    "We''re doing just that."

 Chapter 803 Enigmas Decision

    Chapter 803 Enigma''s Decision


    Above the clouds, one of Mars'' manyoids.


    A pitch-ck darkness spread for hundreds of miles, like gloomy clouds covering the sky and blocking everything.


    From here, the battlefield on the ground looked like two groups of ants shing, except for the small but bright explosions in different colors.


    It was as if someone was bursting fireworks on the ground or spilling paints of different colors.


    But other than the asional colors, the ground itself seemed to be painted with two colors.


    Red and Green¡ªthe blood of Humans and Abyssals.


    Sometimes, a huge explosion shook the ground and a dust cloud rose all the way to the clouds! Lightning bolts flew nearby. Mountains were tossed at it.


    But the darkness didn''t faze in the slightest.


    Yet that very darkness, which remained stable even when level 7 attacks struck, began to shake violently without any external pressure.


    Muffled and cracking sounds slowly leaked out of the darkness that was silent so far.


    Then without any warnings, the darkness vanished, revealing a woman in ck.


    She was holding her knees and panting heavily as blood gushed out of the wounds all over her body.


    Floating in front of her were two Abyssal corpses pierced by sharp dark tentacles.


    After she tasked herself with saving Mars from Nightmares¡ªa group of twelve level 9 Abyssals¡ªEnigma had already taken down two of them earlier.


    These were her third and fourth hunts.


    "Eight more¡­" Enigma struggled to stand straight.


    She was a low level 9. Despite having three powers, fighting a sub-level above her wasn''t easy.


    Gulping down a healing potion, Enigma dragged her battered body into her spaceship andy down to rest in a healing pod.


    The medical gas enveloped her and began to prevent her bleeding and heal her injuries.


    Feeling the warmth, Enigma''s eyelids grew heavy and she was fast falling asleep. The fights tired out not just her body, but also her mind.


    But before she could catch a wink of sleep, herm rang.


    Ding!


    Eyes still closed, Enigma tapped them with trembling fingers which were still bleeding.


    "Enigma!"


    Blue sh''s hologram popped up in front of her. The older woman had a concerned expression on her face as she studied Enigma''s condition.


    "He¡­how is he?" Enigma muttered, without getting up or opening her eyes.


    Blue sh''s face crumpled as she chided. "Worry about yourself more. That guy is totally fine and is about to do a Pluto 2.0."


    "W-What?" Enigma''s eyes shot open and she tried to sit up. But the sudden moment worsened an injury that was almost healed and blood spilled into her ck clothes.


    "Don''t move. Please. Rest for now." Blue sh pleaded. After a fierce one-on-one with an Abyssal of her strength, she was heavily injured and was resting.


    So, she decided to check on Enigma. Compared to her, Enigma fought two Abyssals and she did it twice!


    "You''re already pushing yourself too much."


    "Fine." Enigma sighed and didn''t try to move anymore. "What happened to him?"


    Blue sh puckered her lips but answered nheless. "Using Dr. Thomas''test invention, he wants to find the secret realms near Neptune and use the teleportation formations in it to travel to Pluto.


    But the area that needs to be searched is so vast that even Ghost Ship needs weeks. So, he asked Neptune''s Athena group to give ess to their drones."


    Enigma''s eyes shook violently. "Don''t. It''s very dangerous. We all nearly diedst time."


    "I stopped them from granting him ess." Blue sh said but smiled wryly. "He''s already halfway through hacking themand system. He''ll be taking them at any moment."


    "H-He!" Enigma gritted her teeth as she felt a sense of powerlessness. Even though she warned him time and time again, Varian was taking risks that put him in great danger.


    Surviving life-threatening situations, again and again, didn''t mean he could survive them every single time. One failure and its death. End of everything.


    "Enigma, I tried my best. But I can''t stop him." Blue sh sighed. "And I don''t think you can stop him either."


    Enigma clenched her fists as her chest heaved up and down. Blue sh was right and that''s why she was so pissed off. "He never listens. He thinks he''s a hero!


    Even if he is, even if he saves them now, when people learn that he killed Kreo and indirectly caused millions of deaths, they''ll start hating them."


    Blue sh sighed. Even though he never intended for it, the deaths of tens of millions of humans would be counted on him. Then, would everyone view Varian the same?


    It''s a problem for the future Blue sh didn''t want to think about. For now, survival was paramount. But she''s injured now and didn''t have much to do. So, she let the woman voice her worries.


    "These people¡­" Enigma closed her eyes shut and her tone carried resentment. "They are swayed by easy things. They hated the very Shadow Guardians that died to save them. They really thought that the heroes were terrorists."


    A wry smile hung on Blue sh''s lips. She had seen many dark things in her life. Terrible things that would make one''s skin crawl.


    Yet, demonizing Shadow Guardians was the darkest.


    Forget about the Guardians, what about Enigma?


    She did only good for the human race. But what they did repay her with? Hatred! They sincerely wished her death!


    Even if she''s magnanimous, there''s no way Enigma would forget what she faced that day.


    And as a matter of fact, Enigma wasn''t magnanimous.


    "I never tried to save them for themselves, so I don''t care what they think of me," Enigma said in a cold tone before it turned into one of worry. "They''ll hate him. Even if he gave his everything for him, they don''t care. It might crush him.


    "If he is crushed, Sia will be crushed with him. It''s something I don''t want to see." Enigma flicked her finger and used her gravity powers to sit up. "If I can''t stop him from going to Pluto, I''ll join him."


    "You should rest for now!"


    "This is more important."


    "Now, the Shadow Guardians and Athena are barely holding back the remaining nightmares. If you go to Pluto, it''ll take too long. Mars will fall."


    Enigma''s eyshes fluttered as she fell into deep thought.


    There were eight nightmares left. Eight level 9s.


    Athena surely wouldn''t have eight spare level 9s in time of this grave emergency. Maybe they could squeeze out two or three. Shadow Guardians could give out only three.


    This coalition wasn''t strong enough. They would barely be able to hold the nightmares down. But if it''s toote, the Guardians and Athena group would both be ughtered.


    Once this dent appeared, everything would snowball and Mars would really fall.


    Enigma pursed her lips and stared right into Blue sh''s eyes. "Alison, I don''t care."


    Blue sh opened her mouth to refute but no words came to her mouth.


    Enigma had no reason to stay in this fight. She just saw her help them again and again and developed a sense of expectation for her.


    But none of it mattered to Enigma.


    "Maybe we could do something about it." Blue sh said. "You can help Varian without Mars falling. That''s the best-case scenario, right? Varian wouldn''t be happy if Mars fell."


    Enigma gazed at her in silence and catching the hint, Blue sh continued. "If you can handle three Abyssals at once, then¡­"


    Enigma nodded without hesitation.


    "Thankfully¡­"


    A few minutester, Varian was officially granted permission to use the Drones. And he also got a message regarding a level 9 reinforcement for the Mars mission.


    Maybe it was fate, maybe it was not.


    But the person who wasing to help Varian was someone who had deep ties with Pluto.


    Ties of vengeance.

 Chapter ?804 The Future Of Shadow Guardians

    Chapter ?804 The Future Of Shadow Guardians


    "She had to struggle fighting two level 9, now she''s taking three! This is madness." Varianined as he walked off the spaceport and into the ghost ship.


    "I could say the same for you." Seth gave Varian a disbelieving gaze. "Barging alone into enemy territory is suicide."


    Varian jumped through the ghost ship''s entry door and turned around. "No, I don''t n on dying."


    Seth clicked his tongue but followed in without a word.


    The tutor and pupil were seated face to face as the ghost ship moved out of Neptune and waited in outer space.


    Visible to the naked eye, millions of red drones¡ªlooking like red butterflies, left Neptune and spread out in space.


    Every drone carried the device that Dr. Thomas recently invented¡ªthe device to identify a secret realm.


    Varian crossed his arms as he waited impatiently.


    Thankfully, the device was manufacturable. With this day''s technology, mass manufacturing could be done in minutes.


    Even though he spent a few minutes acquiring the drones, it was much better than him searching for the secret realm alone.


    "We wait?" Seth adjusted himself on the couch as he asked.


    "Yeah." Varian turned his attention back to his tutor and noticed that the man had several internal injuries. Not only that, but he was also slightly fatigued.


    With a simple gesture, the bots injected him with a healing medicine. Seth already took one, but the medicine Varian used was better and speeded up his healing.


    "I know we''re in the middle of a crisis. But we got nothing to do now, so, how''s everything going, Tutor?" Varian asked.


    "The new Shadow Guardians are still in a growth phase. But¡­" Seth''s face had a troubled expression as he leaned back into the couch and sighed.


    "Hm? Did anyone cause you any trouble?" Varian''s eyes narrowed and he leaned forward.


    Unintentionally, a little bit of his killing intent spilled out. Seth''s skin stung as the wind grew sharp like a de. The air grew heavier and a gloomy atmosphere filled the room.


    ''He''s doing this unintentionally?'' Seth''s eyebrows jumped.


    Where did his ''genius'' pupil go? This one was clearly a monster! He''s a level 9, even though Varian''s killing intent couldn''t hurt him, he shouldn''t even feel this!


    Varian misread Seth''s reaction and muttered. "So, it''s someone you can''t speak about? Perhaps a Sovereign? If so, I apologize. Until I be a Sovereign myself or at least an equivalent, I wouldn''t touch a Sovereign. I hope you can understand."


    "W-Wait, What?" Seth tilted his head and muttered in confusion.


    Varian was confused by his confusion. "I jumped to conclusions, I''m assuming?"


    "Yes, you did!" Sethughed. "I don''t have any problem with anyone. No Sovereign or level 9 is troubling me. It''s just that the problem is with the Guardians themselves. It''s weird to say this, but you making them heroes isn''t helping."


    ''Now that''s odd. How could a positive reputation hurt?'' Varian''s eyes shed and he signaled for Seth to continue.


    "Earlier, the Guardians didn''t care about fame or profit. They just did what they had to. After Enigma''s incident, you elevated them as Heroes Of Humanity. It helped us with recruiting new members. We did strict evaluations and recruited great members." Seth said with an excited expression before sighing. "But herees


    the problem."


    "The world, the people, the media, they''re watching us. Even the army is revealing the help we''re providing. All of a sudden, people are seeing what we really are doing. As a result, many had be overnight heroes."


    Varian rubbed his chin as he more or less guessed the ''problem''. "This was a second-order problem. My bad, I didn''t think things would steer in this direction."


    Seth shrugged, a bit powerless. "These people are still fighting, but they aren''t only fighting. Press meets. Social Media. Sponsoring Ads. Luxuries. The list goes on."


    "Didn''t coerce them?"


    "We did. But it''s not like we can watch them 24x7. Besides, some old men and women, the ones in level 8, are also enjoying the limelight. They never became the Heroes they dreamed to be." Seth rolled his eyes.


    "Now, they''re seen as some sort of savior. It''s fueling their ego. When even level 8s are like that, you can imagine the younger ones." Seth lowered his head and breathed out a long sigh. "I can''t see this situation getting better. The public has given them too much attention. And attention is a powerful addiction."


    "Shadow Order was recently destroyed," Varian suddenly said.


    Seth raised his head to look at Varian and was about to open his mouth. Yes. Shadow Order''s destruction was a great aplishment. Something that Guardians celebrated grandly.


    The new generation proudly proimed it the achievement of Shadow Guardians.


    While it was true that Shadow Guardians sent all their members and hunted the Order along with the military, the true mastermind behind that incident was the guy sitting in front of him.


    "Shadow Guardians was mainly created to protect humanity from internal threats. The internal threats are gone. There are some small gangs and maybe somerge mafias. But that''s it." Varian smiled coldly and snapped his fingers. "These are small fries. They''ll go in a snap."


    ''A snap?''


    That sounded too easy. But Seth didn''t dispute. Varian perhaps could really do it in a snap.


    Tapping his armrest, Varian continued. "Shadow Guardians have fulfilled their purpose. If they''re going down the path of decadence, there''s no reason for them to exist."


    "¡­Are you serious?" Seth asked in disbelief.


    Varian shrugged. "Even if it doesn''t happen now, it will, no, it must happen in the future. Shadow Guardians will be dissolved and transferred to other units.


    The internal enemies are dead. Level 7s, 8s, and 9s will only have work at the frontlines. I''m not seeing a point to let them be independent yers. Not anymore."


    Seth looked at him for a few seconds but didn''t say anything. ''Varian suggested me to Guardians so I can continue there for a long time. But even he didn''t expect how fast the Order got destroyed. If we make it through this crisis, I need to think about Shadow Guardians seriously.''


    It was four minutes since the two entered the ghost ship and Varian''sm rang as the clock was about to hit five minutes.


    "Found it!"

 Chapter 805 Hello Again, Pluto

    Chapter 805 Hello Again, Pluto


    Ghost ship dashed into an empty space near a bunch of asteroids. Traveling at its fastest speed, Boo reached the secret realm in two minutes.


    The space detector rang and Boo entered the secret realm.


    "Woah."


    A small world unfolded in front of them. It was as big as a typical city.


    A Red Sky. Blue Land. Filled with Abyssal architecture. And tonnes and tonnes of Abyssals¡ªaround one million of them.


    Barring three level 7s, the rest were low and mid awakeners.


    "Really now." Varian''s lightning sense spread across the secret realm and quickly discovered a secret location at the center of the city.


    "Let''s go," Seth said with urgency.


    Previously, they didn''t have any choice but to wait. So, Seth didn''t mind chatting. But now they didn''t have to wait. The situation on Mars was dire, so Seth wanted to make it as quick as possible.


    Varian nodded.


    The ghost ship flew over the oblivious crowd and entered the city center. It quickly infiltrated the Mayor''s Mansion and reached a giant hall.


    A teleportation formation stood there, space fluctuating slightly around it, indicating it was used recently.


    Boo was about to enter the formation when Varian raised his hand. "Boo."


    Even if he tried to hide it, Abyssals would soon know he used the teleportation formations. The spatial fluctuations couldn''t be masked once they''re gone.


    So, the better choice would be to¡­


    "Tutor, can you fire a few shots and kill everyone here?" Varian asked.


    Seth was taken aback. He wanted to insist on going to Pluto than this, but upon second thought, he nodded.


    A few secondster, the red sky of the secret realm was dyed golden with lightning. The lightning destroyed one-quarter of the city.


    Abyssals panicked at the sudden attack. But before they could react, the space around the city was twisted and torn apart.


    Like every building in the city, the Abyssals also broke down into pieces.


    Soon after, the city was destroyed by a few punches, each resulting in craters several miles wide.


    Varian roamed the secret realm in the ghost ship and using his psychic sense, he covered arge range and killed anyone who was still alive.


    Then, the tutor and pupil duo entered the teleportation formation and vanished.


    The secret realm they teleported to was somewhere in the middle of Pluto and Neptune.


    It too was popted by Abyssals who didn''t take their visit nicely.


    So, Varian and Seth let their fists do the speaking.


    In less than thirty seconds, the secret realm was utterly destroyed. After some confirmation, Varian dropped lethal chemical and poisonous bombs in the secret realm to kill off the remaining Abyssals.


    Then, the duo teleported once again and reached a secret realm near Pluto!


    "ROAR!"


    When they appeared, there were three wyverns near the teleportation formation. They were waiting for their batch to fill up before they get teleported.


    But with the tutor-pupil appearance, everything changed.


    As a level 9, Seth effortlessly killed the wyverns while Varian focused on silencing the Abyssals.


    After two minutes, they reached their destination.


    Varian stood up from his seat and walked to the ss window. The brown that once glowed every second now only had the light from Abyss military bases left.


    Tracing his fingertips on the ss, Varian opened his mouth when¡ª


    "Pluto!" Seth said in a choked voice. "Give them back! You bastards, give them back!"


    Leaning forward and resting his forehead on the ss, Seth punched it as he stared at the that took away everything from him.


    "Jona! Belle!" Seth raised his head and looked at Pluto with red eyes. His lips parted as he painfully squeezed out. "I''m back."


    That seemed to break a string as tears spilled out of his eyes and fell like rain.


    "I''m back¡­after six years¡­I never thought I could make it here¡­I did¡­oh heavens, I''m back!" Seth copsed onto his knees as he started wailing.


    Varian watched his tutor with pity.


    The happy days of Seth''s life as an adventurer abruptly ended with the destruction of Pluto.


    He lost his wife and their unborn daughter.


    It was a shock that the man couldn''t ept.


    After the crippling blow, Seth focused all his energy on growing stronger so that he could avenge them.


    But when he realized that he couldn''t go any further since he was a dual awakener, he started looking for someone totch his hopes onto.


    Someone he could trust.


    The someone who could destroy Abyssals, conquer Pluto and avenge his lost family.


    Varian was that someone.


    Seth thought it''d take decades for Varian to avenge him. By then, he would be dead. And he''d have died without even seeing Pluto.


    But¡­


    Seth slowly got up and wiped off his tears. Then, he gave Varian a huge hug and said with all his heart. "Thank you. You don''t know what this means to me. The best decision I''ve made in life was taking you as my pupil."


    Varian was overwhelmed by Seth''s reaction. But feeling his emotions, Varian simply patted his back. "You''re wee."


    Seth broke the hug and grinned from ear to ear. "Let''s go kick some ass! I have no regrets even if I die here! I can rest in peace with my family!"


    Varian suddenly felt a jolt down his spine.


    ''Enigma, you¡­''


    He got a feeling that Enigma knew this would happen. That Seth would be emotionally hit after seeing Pluto. That he would have no problem dying here.


    His family''s death would be avenged by Varian sooner orter. After fighting for so many years, the man perhaps wanted to die!


    So, if Varian falls into grave danger, unlike others, Seth wouldn''t hesitate to risk or even sacrifice himself for Varian''s safety.


    With a level 9''s sacrifice, Varian would''ve no problem entering the ghost ship and once he did, he''d be safe.


    ''Enigma, this is really¡­'' Varian sighed inwardly and yelled at Seth. "Don''t even think about dying!"


    Seth shrugged.


    A few secondster, the Ghost ship toured Pluto and spotted a few special regions.


    Nests.


    The homes of Lightning Wyverns.

 Chapter ?806 The Nests [1]: Seths Battle

    Chapter ?806 The Nests [1]: Seth''s Battle


    In one of the military bases on Pluto, a small conversation between the strongest Abyssals on the began.


    "Did you connect with them?" Jezur asked as he entered themand room.


    Themand room was filled with holograms and in the midst of them was an Abyssal who kept looking for something.


    Hearing Jezur''s words, he was distracted for a moment and lost his focus. Clicking his tongue, he waved his hand and the holograms disappeared.


    "No!" Lurth spat as he red at Jezur. "Everyone else is fine, but those three secret realms aren''t responding."


    "Did you try¡ª"


    "I did! I used the emergencymunication mechanism. It''s not working." Lurth said, his face filled with frustration, annoyance, andstly, fear.


    Even though he spoke harshly, Jezur could clearly feel the fear in the Abyssal''s voice.


    And he knew exactly what his colleague was fearing.


    "Yes, Varian is an unexpected variable. But that''s it." Jezur said with confidence.


    Lurth clenched his fists. Even though no one could prove it, they unanimously decided it was Varian who destroyed the secret realms.


    "To be honest, I think the ''gift'' we have in Pluto is big enough to conquer the whole sr system. But this isn''t everything we have in store. Just believe in our Majesty. He has all this figured out."


    Lurth took a deep breath at the mention of the Emperor. "A secret realm near Pluto is destroyed. He will be here at any time."


    "So what?" Jezur smiled and his level 9 aura filled the room. But unlike a normal level 9, his aura was incredibly unstable and fluctuated violently, like a candle me facing winds.


    Regardless of his aura, Jezur managed to calm Lurth down.


    "Yes." Lurth nodded strongly. "All the human level 9s are tied up. Without them, we don''t have to fear¡ª"


    BOOOM!


    An explosion simr to a thunderp sounded. The next second, themand room shook so violently that the tables, chairs, and essories broke apart.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "That''s a good shot." Varian clicked his tongue as he watched a giant crater from the ghost ship.


    The crater was dozens of miles in length and breadth. It was almost as if a small town was excavated from the ground.


    Cracks on the ground began to spread for hundreds of miles.


    All across the crater were patches of golden pastes¡ªthe remains of golden wyverns.


    At the very center of the crater was a boiling golden liquid. Around it was the most number of golden pastes.


    "Haa~" Seth breathed out as he felt the significant loss of his gravity power and chi.


    Destruction of this scale was hard even for a low level 9 like him.


    Seth''s keen senses picked up the auras of the Abyssals that were rushing towards the nest.


    Pluto had only a limited amount of Abyssals since it was wartime. But even then, ording to his estimate, there was more than three hundred level 7 Abyssals, ten level 8 and¡ª


    "Human, where is Varian?" A heavy aura rose into the horizon and shot toward Seth.


    "I''ll pick your bones apart! You''ll beg for death, but you won''t get it!" Another aura quickly followed.


    Seth narrowed his eyes and stretched his hand towards the nearby nest.


    His body jerked as he was violently pulled towards the nest.


    "Stop!"


    "Attack him, but be careful of the nests!"


    Seth appeared a hundred miles away, standing over a structure that spread across dozens of miles.


    At the center of this structure was a boiling golden pond.


    Surrounding this pond were a hundred transparent golden cocoons. The golden liquid was sent to each cocoon through a pipe.


    Inside each cocoon was a lightning wyvern in a fetal position. Their auras were mostly at the very peak of level 7. A few of them were at low level 8 and only a handful was at mid level 8.


    With each passing second, the golden liquid was slowly emptied, the aura of the wyverns kept rising and their life force kept plummeting.


    A wyvern that advanced had only five days of lifespan left. But there were five such nests on Pluto, each with a hundred wyverns.


    He already destroyed one. Yet, there were four hundred wyverns that were going to reach level 8!


    If they attack Neptune, then forget the lifespan of five days, they could overrun everyoid in a single day! Heck, they would be knocking on Neptune in three days!


    "Fortunately, I''m here." Seth spat as he pressed his hand down.


    The gravity on the ground spiked and the ground caved in. Cracks began to appear on every inch ofnd visible to the naked eye.


    The cocoons began to distort as they were pressed down. Some of the weaker cocoons burst apart and the wyvern in the cocoon was sted into golden flesh and blood.


    While he kept channeling the power through his ring hand, Seth punched with his left hand.


    As if a wind cannon was fired, concentrated fierce winds shot toward the cocoons and bombarded them into pieces.


    In just three seconds, Seth destroyed more than eighty cocoons. As he was about to punch again, the sky darkened and a lightning bolt shot toward him.


    Seth flipped in the air and dodged the attack. But another lightning bolt followed from an opposite direction.


    Snorting in disdain, the dual awakener reversed the gravity and flew high into the sky.


    A golden light shed and two Abyssals surrounded him. The same level 9 Abyssals that he previously saw.


    Seth previously didn''t understand why they took so long to catch up with him.


    But now¡­


    "Hehehe."


    "Hahaha!"


    Jezur and Lurth''s faces twisted as they morphed into a lightning wyvern.


    They were beast awakeners and their morphing entity was a lightning wyvern.


    That was a surprise, but not much. However¡­


    "You drank that golden liquid?" Seth asked as he felt their fluctuating aura.


    The lightning wyverns flying in front of him didn''t answer. Their eyes werepletely red and they seemed like pure beasts rather than a beast morpher.


    Seth hissed as he realized the price these Abyssals paid besides their lifespan. They lost their sanity.


    But it didn''t matter to him.


    "I''ll leave the rest to you, Pupil," Seth muttered and channeled his aura.


    His muscles made popping sounds as they bulged, sting the wind. The gravity around him twisted ording to his whims.


    "ROAR!"


    "ROAR!"


    The lightning wyverns followed their instincts as they bombarded him in lightning bolts.


    A critical battle began.

 Chapter ?807 The Nests [2]: Varians Second Battle On Pluto

    Chapter ?807 The Nests [2]: Varian''s Second Battle On Pluto


    The sky trembled violently as the clouds faded. The air itself seemed to be distorted as the three figures high above were blurred. Lightning shed from time to time as they shed.


    "Thanks, Enigma," Varian muttered as he appeared above the second nest.


    Most of it was devastated. Large craters. Destroyednds.


    Save for twenty cocoons on the edge.


    The cocoons were each asrge as a two-story building. Varian''s space sense locked onto the twenty cocoons and he realized theirposition right away.


    Eighteen peak level 7s.


    One low level 8.


    One mid level 8.


    The level 7s were still asleep, the low level 8 was waking up due to themotion.


    The mid level 8¡ª


    "No sneak attacks."


    Varian swatted the lightning dagger above his shoulder.


    The mid level 8''s cocoon tore apart and the mid level 8 wyvern appeared. Its aura was higher than that of mid level 8, but due to the premature wake-up, it never made it to the high level 8.


    The space around Varian fluctuated and the lighting wyvern that was about to fly suddenly stiffened.


    Then, the creature that was as big as a three-story building gave an unwilling roar before a red line appeared on its body and sliced it into two halves.


    The low level 8 cocoon that was about to tear slowly was pierced with ice spikes.


    "Thankfully, they''re only level 7s." Varian sighed and swiped his finger at the remaining cocoons.


    Space was torn apart and grey fissures appeared all over, slicing the eighteen cocoons to pieces.


    Varian''s space sense spread out from him in a wave and locked onto the next nest.


    He teleported right to the center of the nest.


    "Varian!"


    "Kill!"


    "This is your end!"


    Ten level 8 Abyssals were waiting for him to arrive. Once he appeared, they spared no time and bombarded him with attacks.


    Five low level 8, three mid level 8, and two high level 8.


    Varian clicked his tongue as he channeled his space power to teleport. He had to destroy the nests first.


    He could fight themter. Besides, Pluto might get reinforcements. It''s very less likely given the war situation, but it was a risk he had to consider.


    "No, you''re not going anywhere!"


    The space around Varian suddenly turned chaotic and interrupted his teleportation.


    Varian''s eyes shed as he locked his mind sense onto the space awakener in the crowd.


    A mid level 8 space awakener.


    The Abyssal looked at him smugly as he continued to mess with the space around Varian, preventing him from teleporting.


    Three Abyssals kicked the ground and jumped into the air, reaching him in a blink.


    The Six Abyssals in the back pointed their hands in his direction and six lightning dragons materialized in front of them.


    The lightning creatures pped their wings and rushed toward him at a breakneck speed.


    "First things first." Varian clicked his tongue and his eyes shed blood red.


    The space awakener Abyssal''s eyes also turned red before they started to bleed. "Y-You¡­No, stop¡­"


    Veins popped up on his forehead as the Abyssal was pulled into a terrifying illusion showcasing his Emperor''s death and extermination of his race under Zions.


    The effect of an illusion depended on both the mental power and how scary the scenario was.


    And Varian admitted that the scenario he cooked up was very effective. The testament to that was the space around him considerably loosened.


    He couldn''t teleport yet. But he could use his space powers for other things just fine.


    And he did.


    With two swipes in the air, the space around the cocoons started to crack. Like a mirror breaking, the space broke, resulting in grey fissures.


    Ten cocoons were destroyed.


    Concurrently, an invisible force spread out from Varian and turned into ten daggers. These daggers lodged into the cocoon and pierced the brains of the wyverns, ending their lives.


    Almost at the same time, the temperature of the ten cocoons plummeted. The blood of the lightning wyverns froze and their life was wiped out.


    A total of thirty cocoons were destroyed and the Abyssals'' attacks finally reached Varian.


    "Fuu~"


    Three fists punched out, aiming for his head, heart, and lower abdomen.


    The airpressed due to the sheer force of the punches and in the next second, a huge shockwave spread out even before the fists reached Varian.


    Varian''s clothes fluttered as the shockwaves passed him and reached a small mountain range a few miles behind him.


    The mountains quickly crumbled and broke down into small rocks and stones.


    Watching the three fists that were about to strike him and the six lightning dragons that would hit him right after, Varian''s lips curled into a smile.


    His arms turned into giant brown branches and enveloped him in a cocoon. A lightning covered the cocoon.


    Seeing the multyered protection, the Abyssals snorted.


    Theirbined powers would easily break this futile defense!


    The moment the punchesnded, they broke through the lightning and cracked the brown cocoon.


    But owing to its hard defense, the ntae defense only cracked but didn''t break.


    The Body Awakeners were shocked but didn''t despair as the lightning dragons overtook them and bombarded the brown cocoon.


    A golden light shed and with the sounds of wood crackling, the brown cocoon broke apart.


    The Abyssals watched in glee as they anticipated an injured Varian.


    "Huh?"


    "Where?"


    "Oh no!"


    But the man wasn''t there anymore.


    The Abyssals quickly spread out their senses and gasped.


    Varian was standing behind the Space Abyssal whose body was half frozen. By using his ice powers to attack the Abyssal who was already facing his illusion, Varian managed to ease the space around him further and teleported behind him.


    And then.


    He clutched the Abyssal''s neck and casually snapped it.


    "Gulp!"


    The remaining nine Abyssals gulped.


    With his teleportation powers back in ce, Varian was much more dangerous.


    As if to prove their fears were right, the powers of seven different divine paths spread out from him and locked onto the cocoons.


    Lightning bolts rained down on the cocoons, space cracked apart, an invisible force squeezed them into meat paste and bone-chilling ice froze them to death.


    In the blink of an eye, all the level 7 wyverns were killed!


    Only ten cocoons were still left and that''s because Varian couldn''t one-shot the level 8s with a mass area attack!


    But the shocking thing was Varian destroyed the nest almost as fast as Seth, a level 9!


    Varian focused back on the Abyssals who were preparing tounch a suicide attack.


    Half a minuteter, Varian panted in the air while he channeled prana to heal his injuries.


    Therge gash on his chest, the huge burn on his back, and a dislocated jaw. This was the price for killing them as fast as he could.


    But Varian didn''t regret it.


    He quickly wiped out the remaining cocoons and headed for the next nest.


    This was the third nest. Including this, there were only three more left. If he hurried up, then he could finish his business here and head back to Neptune in time to save theoids from falling.


    On the third nest, Varian encountered a hundred level 7 Abyssals. They would''ve been a real hindrance if he wiped them out one by one in a conventional battle.


    So, Varian put a third of them in illusions, froze the space of the remaining half, and froze thest half.


    By the time he was done with the nest, half of these level 7s were already dead. He wiped out the remaining half and headed for the fourth nest.


    "This and the next one. We''ll be done." Varian muttered in a hopeful tone.


    But when he reached the nest, he realized he was wrong.


    The cocoons were all open and a hundred level 8 wyverns had just woken up.


    "Fuck!"

 Chapter ?808 The Nests [3]: Déjà vu?

    Chapter ?808 The Nests [3]: D¨¦j¨¤ vu?


    Varian watched on as a hundred lightning wyverns, each the size of a mini-ne pped their wings and rose into the air.


    Their red eyes shone with bloodlust as they locked onto the single outsider. Following that, a hundred lightning senses and a hundred lightning auras locked onto Varian.


    "Urgh!"


    Someone must have tied him up with a tight rope because Varian suddenly had trouble breathing.


    In fact, he felt as if he was carrying a mountain on his shoulders. And he was certain that a huge hammer was mming onto his chest, knocking everyst breath of air out of his body.


    The feeling was more simr to drowning for too long and gasping for that one breath.


    "Haa!" Fighting the invisible weight pressing on his chest, Varian gasped for air and life returned to him.


    The overwhelming pressure also turned bearable.


    But that was the easiest part.


    The lightning wyverns surrounded him left, right, forward, behind, up, and down.


    A hundred low level 8 creatures roared and shot a concentrated lightning bolt.


    The world itself seemed to glow golden at that moment.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    In outer space, Seth raised his hands and formed a gravity barrier.


    Two small but supercharged lightning bolts touched the barrier and exploded on contact.


    The invisible barrier sted into pieces and the weakened lightning bolts reached the dual awakener.


    Seth covered his fists with chi and punched out.


    A muffled sound escaped his lips as blood spilled out of his mouth. The Dual Awakener was blown back for miles.


    Jezur and Lurth, the two level 9 Abyssals, didn''t rx one bit despite the apparent upper hand in the exchange.


    Just a split secondter, the two felt a violent force twist their legs backward. As they channeled their mana to resist, an asteroid in the distance exploded into pieces and Seth reached them in a blink, his fists aimed at their throats.


    The Abyssals turned their bodies into lightning and avoided the fatal attack. At the same time, they charged the lightning into Seth''s body in a bid to electrocute him to death.


    Seth and the Abyssals both were thrown back to the exchange.


    Jezur and Lurth had internal injuries due to Seth''s punch and their legs were bleeding heavily from the gravity twists.


    Seth, on the other hand, had to deal with partially charred hands.


    When the trio was about to resume their battle, something caught their attention.


    They turned to Pluto.


    "What the¡­?"


    "They all woke up?"


    "It''s still early!"


    A dazzling golden light was shining from Pluto. Despite being a thousand miles away, the light was visible even in outer space.


    Seth''s heart gripped in worry and he wanted to return to Pluto and retreat.


    But a voice sounded in his earpiece and it put his anxiety to rest.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "This is one of the craziest situations I''ve ever faced." Floating a hundred miles above the golden light, Varian clicked his tongue.


    The lightning bolts collided the next second and the golden light exploded.


    Everything within the fifty-mile radius¡ªmountains, military structures, Abyssals, even dust in the air¡ªwas reduced to ashes.


    The lighting wyverns already sensed their target had escaped andunched a second wave of attack against him.


    The sky literally rained with lightning bolts and this time, at least thirty lightning bolts heavily targeted the space.


    As the space grew unstable, Varian''s teleportation options were limited.


    "Fuck." Cursing under his breath, Varian kicked the air and shot to the north like a cannonball.


    He deftly avoided a dozen lightning bolts and covered a good distance on his way out.


    A hundred lightning bolts and from all directions¡ªthat meant, only a dozen from each direction.


    Even though he could already duke out with high level 8s, Varian wasn''t certain about taking a hundred low level 8 attacks and surviving.


    Heck, even if he did survive, lightning had a numbing property. Taking so many lightning attacks, he''d be slowed down for a few seconds at least. That would be more than enough time for the lightning wyverns to kill and eat him to thest bone.


    Seeing Varian dodging their attacks, the wyverns roared and a change urred.


    The lightning bolts in the north that were already dodged by Varian suddenly turned around.


    Compared to the onesing from east, west, and south, these were the closest to Varian.


    With another roar from the wyverns, the lightning bolts elerated and reached him in a blink.


    "Oh great!"


    A golden explosion urred mid-air and a cloud of reddish-golden dust spread out.


    Out of the dust, a slightly injured Varian dashed out.


    His clothes were torn apart and his skin was scorched. He was bleeding heavily from several ces.


    A particr injury on his shoulder was very deep and even showed his bones.


    Despite his condition, Varian''s speed remained high and he reached the end of the encirclement.


    Twelve wyverns were flying in front of him and they were hisst obstacle.


    The eighty-eight wyverns were already rushing toward him and if he didn''t hurry up, they''d catch up and this time, he might not have it this easy.


    Varian''s face hardened.


    The space around him loosened and for the same telekic force, his speed rose by 50%!


    The twelve wyverns were caught off guard, but quickly adjusted and bombarded him with heavy lightning.


    Arcs of lightning snaked around Varian and formed aplete body armor. Facing lightning attacks, lighting armor was the second best choice to mitigate damage!


    The lightning bolts bombarded Varian.


    Due to the sheer momentum of the attacks, Varian was about to be sted back.


    But if that happened, he''d move closer to the wyverns that wereing to catch him.


    Varian increased his telekic force to the limit and moved forward despite the lightning attacks.


    His armor broke apart like ss and the lightning bolts were about to pierce his body.


    Ayer of thin but ridiculously hard ice covered his skin and warded off the lightning attacks.


    Only two lightning bolts managed to break through the ice armor and Varian bore these attacks with his bare body.


    Two bloody cavities appeared on his body, one on his left shoulder and one on his stomach as the lightning bolts pierced through him. Blood spilled out and the smell of burning flesh filled the air.


    Without any pause to recover, Varianunched his own attacks.


    The wyverns thought that like any sane creature, Varian would back off facing their attacks. So, they didn''t move back or prepare to dodge.


    But the madman advanced forward and it caught them off guard.


    Exploiting the situation, Varian punched two wyverns. The first one''s head was blown into pieces while the second one''s entire chest went missing.


    He kicked the third and fourth to death.


    The space around the fifth wyvern cracked and sliced its neck, ending its life abruptly.


    Two branches pierced the eyes of the sixth and seventh wyverns and crushed their brains.


    The eighth and ninth wyverns bit each other''s neck in induced rage.


    The tenth and eleventh wyverns had their necks strangled by the telekic force.


    The twelfth one was frozen to death.


    All of this happened in a sh.


    By the time the eighty-eight wyverns rushed here, Varian escaped out of the encirclement and got out of the area with unstable space.


    Then, he channeled his space power madly and teleported to the ends of Pluto.


    To the final nest.


    "ROAR!"


    Varian rubbed his forehead as he saw the new batch of wyverns that just awakened.


    "D¨¦j¨¤ vu?"

 Chapter 809 The Nests [4]: A Plan

    Chapter 809 The Nests [4]: A n


    A weird scene was happening on Pluto.


    Nearly one-eighty wyverns were chasing after a single man.


    They pped their wings angrily and bombarded him with lethal attacks.


    The whole Pluto was glowing with a golden light now.


    If Varian still had a chance toe out of the encirclement previously despite the injuries, he could forget living if he was trapped by these beasts.


    Varian kicked the air and jumped up as he twisted his body, dodging thirty lightning bolts that dangerously came close.


    asionally, one or two attacks struck him and inflicted him with injuries.


    "Fuck! Fuck!" Varian spewed profanities as he continued his escape. "I didn''t sign up for this shit!"


    Even peak level 8s wouldn''t be able to face off this crazy mob.


    "Master, master, should we escape?" Boo''s hurried voice sounded in Varian''s mind.


    Varian wanted tough. Even if he wanted to use Ghost Ship, he''d have to pause for a moment.


    That moment was more than enough for these beasts to fry him to death!


    Moreover, if he did escape, then the Abyssal troops on Pluto would send these wyverns to Neptune.


    A hundred and eighty level 8s wouldpletely decimate Neptune''soids and conquer Neptune itself in no time!


    "I can''t leave." Varian gritted his teeth as a lightning spear grazed his arm. Along a thin line on his arm, his skin turned ck and blood spilled out. "I can''t kill them either."


    Varian teleported once again and right after he appeared, another wave of attacks followed.


    As he dodged again, Varian noticed something in the distance¡ªHigh-rise buildings that were giving off a sense of oppression¡ªbecause they were made from extremely precious alloys.


    ''Only Pluto''smand center would have such luxury.''


    Varian''s mind spun and he called out to Boo. "Get into themand center. Find the locations of the secret realms! Hurry!"


    The ring on his finger flew out and shot toward themand center.


    Varian, on the other hand, continued his escape from the wyverns.


    His condition was getting worse with each attack and the worse he got, the more he was hit.


    Owing to this vicious cycle, Varian wasn''t confident insting even ten more minutes.


    That''s why¡­


    "Hurry up, Boo."


    Varian prayed that Boo made it in time.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Give up!"


    "At this rate, you''ll die!"


    Jezur and Lurth yelled at the madman covered in injuries. Seth didn''t listen to their words and continued his attacks.


    "I don''t mind dying." Sethughed as he punched through a lightning bolt. "If it''s Pluto and if it''s taking down you two with me, I can happily die!"


    "You nutcase!"


    "You aren''t going to make a difference! Our beasts down there would''ve already devoured Varian! It''s over!"


    Seth fell silent for a moment before he burst intoughter. "For your information, he''s well and kicking."


    The Abyssals gave up trying to convince this madman and continued their fight.


    The space flickered with golden lights and ear-piercing hits. Hundreds of blows were exchanged in a second and the three of them were going down a path of mutual destruction.


    Time trickled by and soon, the three level 9s were battling despite serious injuries.


    Seth''s eyes which clearly showed an intent to die earlier were now sober. Varian''s words kept ringing in his mind.


    "After I give a signal a few minutester,e to 23.5 EXZ coordinates."


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Varian''s vision turned red as his blood dripped from his forehead and covered his eyes.


    With his clothes long ripped to pieces, Varian was drenched in blood as the smell of roasted flesh emanated from him as if he was some human barbecue.


    At least half of his muscles were electrocuted and severely injured. Varian twitched from time to time as the lightning in his body wreaked havoc.


    The wyverns chased him relentlessly and Varian was quickly approaching his limit.


    The only saving grace was that hested longer than he expected. It was thanks to the increased lightning path after the continuous electrocution.


    "I¡­I¡­hate this." Varian''s mind was dizzy and he was escaping purely on instinct. Thankfully, his battle instinct was drilled into his bones and it showed in ensuring his safety so far.


    After dodging ten more attacks, his instinct tried to lift his left arm and dodge an attack. When he was halfway through, his arm went numb and the lightning bolt struck his arm.


    Varian grimaced in pain and gritted his teeth.


    This hell, this torture, this fucking pain, how much longer would he have to bear?


    Like an oasis in the desert, Boo''s voice sounded in his mind. "Master, Boo did it!"


    Varian told Boo his teleportation coordinates.


    A hundred lightning bolts reached his position the next moment and Varian teleported right in front of Ghost ship''s entrance.


    Ghost ship moved forward and put Varian in, then closed its door shut.


    The lightning wyverns noticed its presence and recognized it.


    They ignored it earlier because they were focused on Varian. But now, they unleashed their fury and bombarded it with lightning.


    Ghost ship simply used its superior speed and escaped the attacks.


    The lightning wyverns roared in frustration once they realized they lost their target. The level 7 Abyssals on Pluto, however, sighed in relief.


    "Line up! Line up!"


    "We''ll teleport you to the battlefield!"


    "Split into seven batches!"


    They quickly mobilized the wyverns to send them to Neptune.


    Once the division was done, the Abyssals decided to recharge the wyverns. The wyverns woke up prematurely due to Varian and didn''t consume as much of the golden liquid as they should.


    So, the level 7s quickly arranged for the wyverns to recuperate and drink the remaining golden liquid.


    After all, this was the power the wyverns traded at the cost of their lives. They would be alive for only five days and it''d be a shame if something happened to their powers since they didn''t consume the golden liquid properly.


    While this happened on Pluto, Varian rested in the emergency healing pod as he studied the secret realm locations.


    His injuries were terrible, to say the least, but he must do what he''s about to do.


    If he did seed, it''d a victory great enough to be talked about for generations!

 Chapter ?810 The Nests [5]: Winning Without Lifting A Finger

    Chapter ?810 The Nests [5]: Winning Without Lifting A Finger


    "Only three?" Varian raised a brow as hemunicated with Boo through telepathy.


    His throat was half-burnt and just using it caused him tremendous pain. For now, even moving his body was off limits.


    "Yes, master. Only three secret realms here." Boo pointed to the three glowing dots on the map and nodded.


    "Hurry."


    "Don''t worry, Master. Even if they know what we''re up to, the level 7s won''t be able to reach us." Boo assured him.


    "But level 9s can." Varian''s eyes shed with a gloomy light. "And the faster we finish it, the better. I''d rather not bet my sess chance on Abyssals not sending reinforcements."


    Boo nodded in understanding and two minutester, the Ghostship entered a secret realm.


    Pluto had three secret realms near it.


    After entering it, the wyverns would be teleported to one of the intermediate secret realms between Pluto and Neptune.


    From there, they would be teleported again to the secret realms near Neptune.


    This was because the teleportation formations couldn''t teleport directly from Neptune to Pluto. It''s too far.


    So, Varian made a simple n.


    The ghost ship quietly sneaked into the secret realm. As expected, this secret realm too was popted by Abyssals. But they were all weak, the strongest one being only level 6.


    Even the current Varian could easily kill him.


    But he didn''t bother with that and let the Ghost ship enter the most important location of the secret realm.


    The building with the teleportation formation.


    The ghost ship opened slightly and a small but potent ball of lightning flew out and entered the teleportation formation.


    It didn''t immediately explode but stayed dormant like a time bomb.


    The Abyssals of the realm didn''t know what just happened. They received the instructions to prepare the teleportation formations and were busy retrieving the materials to kickstart the formation.


    A few minutester, Varian did the same thing to the second secret realm.


    Then, he sent a message to Seth. "We''re done."


    The space above Pluto suddenly shone with golden light and a few minutester, a severely injured Seth reached the coordinates and was picked up by the ghost ship.


    The level 9 Abyssals fighting him were severely injured and had no interest in pursuing him.


    In their opinion, he was as good as dead.


    Varian sent Seth for emergency healing and the Ghost ship entered the final secret realm of Pluto.


    This time, instead of destroying it, the Ghost ship entered the teleportation formation and activated it.


    Boo knew some basics after watching Varian use the federation''s formation so many times.


    "Hey, who are you!"


    "Call the patriarch!"


    "Intruders!"


    The activation of teleportation formation was sensed by the guards and the whole secret realm was alerted in seconds.


    A soft sigh escaped Varian''s lips and he raised a finger at the spaceship''s exit. The door opened and a small lightning arc flew out from his fingertip.


    It reached the clouds and burst into tens of thousands of lightning bolts.


    The Abyssals in the secret realm paled as they watched a literal lightning rain.


    "Arghh!"


    "Stop!"


    "You bastard!"


    Level 1 or level 4, level 5 or even level 6, it didn''t matter how strong they were.


    Once the lightning bolt touched them, they were burnt to ashes.


    Boo gulped at that sight and even Seth who was watching everything groggily widened his eyes.


    "Let''s go," Varian said in a weak tone.


    Boo nodded and the teleportation formation finally activated.


    "Did the reinforcements teleport¡­no, it''s a spaceship?"


    "This spaceship seems familiar."


    "G-Ghost ship?"


    The Abyssals in the intermediate secret realm were dumbfounded by Ghost ship''s appearance.


    But their surprise didn''tst long as they were quickly destroyed by lightning rain.


    "How many?" Varian asked in a weak tone after casually killing thirty thousand Abyssals.


    "Five."


    "Haa~"


    There were five intermediate secret realms, not counting this one. They were also quite far apart, for security reasons.


    If he wanted to visit them all, it''d take at least half a day.


    "Teleport back. Set the destination to another intermediate secret realm. Rinse and repeat." Varian said.


    Boo was speechless but followed his order nheless.


    The ghost ship teleported back to the secret realm near Pluto.


    The wyverns were just formed into groups and were drinking the final bits of the golden liquid to boost themselves.


    They wouldn''t being here for another ten minutes.


    Exploiting this chance, the Ghost ship teleported to and fro and visited all the five intermediate secret realms.


    Varian smoothly destroyed all their teleportation formations except the very first one.


    After finishing the final one, the Ghost ship teleported back to the secret realm near Pluto.


    This time, however, there was an audience.


    "What the!"


    "It''s you!"


    "Kill!"


    A bunch of level 7 Abyssals had entered the secret realm to check on after realizing the staff here weren''t responding.


    As a result, they witnessed this outrageous scene.


    But even if they did find out, it was already toote.


    The teleportation formation lit up and the ghost ship was gone.


    Not only that, a few secondster, a hidden lightning bomb on the formation exploded, destroying the formation!


    The level 9 Abyssals, Jezur and Lurth, who were recuperating just got a few terrible messages.


    "Sir, teleportation formations in the secret realms near Pluto are destroyed!"


    "Sir, the intermediate realms also just lost theirst formation!"


    "Sir, the secret realms near Neptune were just destroyed!"


    The two level 9 Abyssals coughed out blood as they copsed onto the ground. A chill shot down their spine as they realized it was all Varian''s doing.


    "No!"


    "Don''t! This is just a dream!"


    "A nightmare!"


    "An illusion!"


    The two tried to support each other but when they looked at each other''s eyes, they only saw despair.


    After destroying all the formations near Pluto, Varian did the same for the intermediate realms. Then, he teleported to the secret realms near Neptune and did the same!


    Not even a single level 7 Abyssal was killed, yet his actions were a major blow to the Aybssals.


    "Time!" Varian smiled. "They don''t have time."


    The biggest challenge for him during his mission to Pluto was time. Even for ghost ship, Pluto was too far from Neptune and would take three-five days.


    What about the Abyssal spaceships?


    They''d take at least a week!


    "But these forcibly advanced wyverns have a lifespan of only five days!" Varian smiled coldly.


    Without lifting a single finger, he destroyed the army of a hundred and eighty level 8 wyverns.

 Chapter 811 New Enemies

    Chapter 811 New Enemies


    The pitch ck sky turned blue for a second before glowing red. Finally, a huge noise, akin to an explosion sounded.


    The darkness was sted away and a figure and a figure crashed to the ground.


    A cloud of dust rose all the way to the clouds and a huge crater spanning dozens of miles formed on the crash.


    Cough. Cough.


    Weak sounds of coughing sounded from the dust and the next moment, an invisible force blew off the dust.


    Enigma jumped up from the crater and looked at the sky with a critical eye.


    Her left hand was suffering from a bone-chilling cold while her right was partially burnt. The worst injury, however, was her limp arm.


    Her left arm was twisted to the point she couldn''t even use raise it.


    As she stood there,pletely bloodied with major injuries, three Abyssalsnded in front of her.


    Three level 9s.


    They wereden with multiple injuries, only slightly less than hers. The fire awakener had a broken arm, the water Abyssal had his lung punctured, and the body awakener had a dizzy mind after the mental attacks.


    Despite this, the three of them were in a much better condition to fight.


    "Enigma, huh." The Fire Awakener drew a fire sword and threw it at her.


    "You are the second biggest obstacle to our n." The Water Awakener snapped her finger and the temperature around Enigma plummeted, causing the woman to instinctively shiver.


    "Have the hybrids advanced so far already? To have three powers?" The Body Awakenerughed as he followed up after the fire sword, ready to deliver a finishing blow. "Once we take the legacy, I guess we too could reach this level. Your corpse will serve as an excellent study."


    Enigma''s teeth chattered as she fought off the cold and channeled her powers.


    Darkness rippled from her and repelled the cold. Enigma then formed a hand seal and the uing fire sword began to tilt to the side.


    "Not on my watch!" The Fire Awakener roared and forcibly reverted the fire sword''s angle.


    Enigma gritted her teeth as she channeled every bit of her gravity powers.


    The fire sword that was about to strike her heart tilted in thest few seconds and just grazed her before crashing into a mountain a few miles behind.


    The lush mountain was caught up in mes and in a blink, the huge thing exploded into pieces, with the shockwaves of the explosion spreading for miles.


    While this happened, Enigma''s psychic powers were attacking the body awakener by pulling him into an illusion.


    The Abyssal struggled with the illusion before he finally reached her. Raising his fists, he punched at Enigma, or what he thought was Enigma, when in reality, his punch was five feet away from her.


    Enigma wanted to use this chance tounch an attack and severely injure him.


    She raised her hand and out of her palm, a huge dark spear materialized.


    When the spear of darkness appeared, the senses of the Body Awakener turned even more sluggish and he didn''t even realize he was about to be attacked.


    With a gesture, the spear shot towards the Abyssal''s head.


    The Body Awakener''s instinct screamed and he was about to dodge. But even if he did, thanks to her illusion, he''d surely be attacked by the spear somewhere.


    Enigma''s eyes shone with hopeful light when two discordant voices sounded.


    "Nope."


    "Too early."


    A fire and ice barrier surrounded the Body Awakener and blocked the spear sessfully.


    ''This isn''t going anywhere.'' Enigma thought in frustration.


    Her figure blurred and explosions urred all over theoid as their battle continued.


    Enigma wasn''t able to deal a deciding blow nor were the Abyssals.


    Since she was a very new level 9, Enigma could only deal with two low level 9.


    It''s beyond her current strength to face three and win. She could, at most, pull them into a stalemate and that''s what she did.


    The battle went on for another hour.


    Enigma''s stamina was quickly being sapped and the battle was slowly tilting in the Abyssals'' favor.


    If she let out even a small mistake, they''d deal a major blow and defeat her.


    So, Enigma kept all her focus.


    And that''s the reason she didn''t notice the five level 8s that entered theoid.


    Her gravity sense did find their entry, but she was too focused on the battle and her mind was only looking out for level 9 threats.


    As anyone would, she ignored them.


    The neers weren''t normal Abyssals. They were wearing a crimson military uniform different from any Abyss.


    Afternding on theoid, they observed the battle for a few seconds and locked a location.


    They didn''t care about the ongoing war on theoid. They didn''t stop when they passed by human soldiers killing Abyssals or Abyssals killing humans.


    On their way to the ce, a high level 8 human who just finished off his Abyssal counterpart noticed them.


    "New bastards?!" The human roared and appeared behind the Abyssals and swung his sword.


    The five Abyssals turned their gazes back to him and a red mist emitted from them.


    The level 8 human felt a chill down his spine and backed off. His heart pounded against his chest and he forgot to breathe.


    "Y-You¡­" He looked at the Abyssals with a pale face as he struggled to speak.


    They didn''t even touch him. They didn''t even use their powers. But that red light¡­


    Killing intent!


    Tyrannical, cold, and bone-chilling killing intent.


    The human gulped as he realized the Abyssals in front of him were someone who killed millions.


    Yet, he gritted his teeth and said. "You shall not pass."


    The weakest of the five Abyssals casually wiped her index finger in the air.


    The human raised his hand to block the attack, but he lost control of his body and, before he knew it, saw a familiar headless body.


    His own.


    Ignoring the dead human, the five Abyssals reached their location and channeled their auras.


    A red light glowed from them and they entered a battle formation like they had done many times in the past.


    Then, they waited patiently. Like a lion waiting for the rabbit.


    Five minutester, Enigma''s blurred figure approached the location as she kept fighting the Abyssals.


    Even before her arrival, the mountains in the nearby area were decimated and the ground cracked apart.


    Not minding the aftermath one bit, the five Abyssals waited.


    The three Abyssalsunched another attack on Enigma and like every other time, Enigma gave her all to defend herself.


    Only this time, the five crimson Abyssals channeled their aura into the battle formation right then.


    A red sword that seemed to be dripping with blood emerged out of the formation and reached the unsuspecting Enigma.


    Enigma tried to block the sword at thest moment, but she had just exhausted her defenses and it was toote.


    The iplete defenses she tried to set up at thest moment didn''t work and the blood sword pierced broke her defense effortlessly and pierced her chest, missing her heart by an inch.


    Enigma copsed to the ground like a shot bird as she clutched her chest.


    The Abyssals attacking her didn''t let go of the golden opportunity andunched their attacks to finish her off.


    It was a precarious situation and even the most experienced veterans would''ve met their end.


    But as someone who spent countless years in darkness, Enigma''s mental resilience was on another level.


    Realizing the danger she was facing, Enigma used her special treasure and teleported hundreds of miles away.


    She didn''t stop and kept teleporting until she was far away from theoid. From the Abyssals.


    She was barely able to enter her spaceship before she fainted from severe injuries.

 Chapter ?812 A Hard Favor

    Chapter ?812 A Hard Favor


    Ghost ship dashed into a space city built between Neptune and itsoids. Theynded in the military district.


    Unlike the previous times, the army didn''t even try to put up a front. The guards, the staff¡ªnone of them reached even level 5 except for the supervisor.


    With a haggard face, the supervisor of the spaceport greeted Varian and Seth and guided them through multiple security checks to a special ce.


    Both Varian and Seth were extremely exhausted after their battles. Especially Varian. Even though he was healed, his body and mind werepletely fatigued.


    The military developed a new treatment to decrease fatigue. It wasn''t an instant method, but studies have shown it could cut down the recharging time by half.


    As an awakener with both body and ntae paths, Varian''s recovery speed was already much faster than any awakener.


    But with this treatment, he hoped to cut it down even further.


    Seth wanted to return to Mars right away. But he knew better than to barge into the warzone with heavy injuries and fatigue. So, he too decided to get this new treatment.


    They finished another security check, the strictest one. Then, a set of ancient type buildings greeted them.


    They were built from greenish wood, a special type found only in the Ruins. It was said to nourish the body and mind, and remove fatigue and fear.


    These wooden buildings were all arranged in a special hexagonal formation with a lush green tree at the center.


    "This¡­"


    Even from afar, Varian could feel the vibrant vitality of the tree. Just by taking a breath under the tree, one would feel refreshed.


    "The scientists developed a formation to harness the vitality of Zotik tree while helping its growth." The supervisor exined while she kept her eyes locked on Varian and Seth.


    "Thankfully, it can help us in the war," Varian said while he observed the expression of the supervisor.


    Anxiety was written all over her face.


    Varian thought it was because of their presence.


    This was a very secretive location. Even military officers couldn''t enter this ce without sufficient rank and authority or they''d be severely punished.


    But now, she was ordered by the high general to give a free pass to Varian. And Varian brought another stranger with him who was also not in the military.


    If anything happened to the precious Zotik tree, then she''d also be held responsible.


    But the supervisor was anxious for an entirely different reason.


    ''Did he seed or not? What happened?''


    Forcibly calming her mind, the supervisor hurriedly led the duo to a wooden building that reminded them of a tree house.


    "Thanks for your help," Varian said as heid down on a hammock made out of a giant leaf.


    The moment he touched it, a refreshing feeling spread from his body and started to wash away his fatigue. He also started to feel lightheaded as his mind started to recover.


    The Supervisor smiled and led Seth to another room.


    Varian closed his eyes ad thought of the current situation. Even though resting and recovering were ideal, he almost felt that it was criminal to do so.


    Despite trying his best, he wasn''t able to force himself to take a short nap. So, Varian spread his mind sense and swept across the nearby wooden buildings.


    To his surprise, he found a couple of extremely weak auras.


    Level 7s. Level 8s. Even level 9s. But they were like a dying me, about to be extinguished any second. In their condition, even level 6s could kill them off.


    It was only thanks to the healing system that they were slowly recovering. But even with the best healing potions, they''d take at least a day to fully recover. And perhaps three to seven days to fight at their full strength.


    ''But we don''t have time.'' Varian felt the texture of the smooth leaf he was resting to distract himself.


    His mind was calming down from fatigue, but his worries weren''t stopping.


    ''Boo, any update on Neptune?''


    A short silence followed before Boo''s cute voice sounded. ''Master, anotheroid has fallen.''


    Varian fell silent for a moment and asked. ''Overall?''


    ''Out of the seventyoids, four are facing a severe threat, ten are facing a major threat from Abyssals, thirty are facing a moderate threat, forty are stable.''


    Varian silently clenched his fist. ''Those four?''


    ''Yes. The four that have Wyverns of the second batch.''


    "Haaaa~" Varian was about to get up when Boo said. ''Master, they could hold on until you finish your treatment and finish them off one by one.''


    ''If the situation deteroiates, tell me.'' Varian said and decided to rest until then.


    It was then that a stiff voice called him out. "Sir Varian."


    Varian didn''t open his eyes, but his mind sense captured the supervisor who guided him here.


    The supervisor seemed to be in herte teens and Varian wondered if she was taking some medicine to look young.


    "Yes?" Varian asked in a neutral tone. Was there any news regarding Pluto that she knew and wanted to inform him about?


    "Your Pluto mission¡­" The young woman took a breath and asked. "How did it go?"


    Varian raised a brow and the temperature of the room plummeted.


    The mission was a top secret. Less than ten people should be aware of it and a peak level 5 was not one of them.


    But again, the whole situation was weird. A peak level 5 was also not expected to guard something as precious as a Zotik tree.


    "I-I am Sovereign Ares'' disciple, Minerva." Thedy introduced herself.


    The coldness in the room dissipated and an awkward silence reced it.


    "Ah¡­" Varian muttered, mulling whether it was a good idea to reveal the mission details to her, even if she happened to be Ares'' disciple.


    Minerva sighed inwardly.


    Everywhere she went, people recognized her. Even high awakeners talked with her amicably and were eager to establish a good rtionship with her.


    She didn''t attend the sr banquet since she was in seclusion. So, she wasn''t as known in the federation public.


    Strictly speaking, her talent was a step above Ashtarh¡ªthe most popr Neptune genius and the strongest participant from Neptune in this year''s sr trial.


    To put it into perspective, she was hitting the same levels as him a few months early.


    So, both talent and background-wise, she was at the very top of the federation.


    Even though the general public didn''t know her, she was already famous in genius circles.


    She thought Varian would be surprised when she received him as the supervisor. But his reaction so far told her that he didn''t even know her nor had he heard of her name.


    Heck, even when he learned about her identity, he was hesitant about revealing the results of his Pluto mission.


    ''Neptune''s brightest genius? Sovereign Ares'' disciple? I guess it doesn''t matter much to him. Why should it matter to someone who entered Pluto twice?''


    Minerva shook her head bitterly and looked at Varian again.


    At a man who far surpassed his peers and was standing shoulder to shoulder with true powerhouses of today.


    A level 8¡ªa stage she could only hope to achieve in her forties at the earliest.


    "Sir Varian, if you tell me about the Pluto mission, I''ll owe you a favor. How about it?" Minerva said softly.


    "Unless Sovereign Ares allows, I''m sorry." Varian shook his head.


    Ares was busy fighting Thunder King and wouldn''t be avable. He was implicitly rejecting her request.


    Minerva knew it too. But she didn''t give up. "I stay with master all day to learn from him. I encounter secrets like these all the time. He wouldn''t mind at all. So, please¡­what happened on Pluto?"


    Varian wanted to refuse but a sudden thought shed and he nodded with a serious expression. "I can agree, but the favor will be hard to fulfill."

 Chapter 813 Narrowing Down The Traitors List

    Chapter 813 Narrowing Down The Traitors'' List


    "Eh?"


    "It might change the fate of our race." Varian continued.


    "¡­what are you talking about?"


    "Exactly twenty days ago, what was Sovereign Ares doing? Every single hour." Varian asked.


    Minerva''s expression cooled down and she looked at him with a cold expression. "Do you understand what you''re doing?"


    Varian''s question was akin to spying on a Sovereign. A taboo.


    "I totally get it." Varian nodded. "But I need answers. Answers from someone close to Sovereign Ares. I don''t hold anything against him. But he might be endangering our lives for his own greed."


    "Varian!" Minerva mmed the wall and red at him with undisguised hatred. "Don''t you dare utter a word of filth about my master! What he has done for this and our race, your two or three little battles can''t evenpare."


    ''Talk about going 180.'' Varian''s lips twitched at the open disy of hostility.


    He didn''t take Minerva''s angry words to heart. He respected every Sovereign for their duties. But unlike most public, he didn''t see them as infallible.


    That''s why, even though Ares had a very good public image, he had to get the facts straight before judging him.


    "Apologize! Now!" Minerva said through gritted teeth.


    "Yeah, no." Varian shook his head, causing thedy''s chest to heave up and down in rage.


    But before she blew up, he said. "How about you tell me what Sovereign Ares was doing that day? If it doesn''t match with what I have, then I''ll call up Sovereign Ares and apologize personally."


    Minerva took a deep breath and leaned onto the brown wall. Even though her eyes were still brimming with anger, they also had a spark of rationality.


    "Even if what you said is true, I can''t reveal his secrets¡ª"


    "Don''t reveal any secrets. No project names. Not even a word about military missions, equipment, or research and development. Just tell me where he was on that goddamn day."


    "An alibi¡­" Minerva gasped and looked at him in shock. "For what exactly?"


    It didn''t even ur to her that Varian was suspicious of Ares stealing Aether pendant. She thought it was rted to some other incident on Neptune.


    And it mustn''t be a small matter.


    Because even her super strict master praised Varian many times. It wasn''t just Varian''s strength or his speed of progress, but also his decision-making ability.


    Even though he also said that Varian made a big blunder recently, Ares seemed confident that Varian would learn from it and do better.


    So, if Varian was a smart man, her answer might really decide the fate of their entire race.


    ''Forgive me, Master.'' Even though she wouldn''t reveal any details, Minerva felt guilty as she started narrating.


    "At 4 in the morning, like every day, Master instructed me for ten minutes. Then, he went to help out the level 9s in the army¡­"


    Varian listened to every word with utmost care.


    The fact that a Sovereign was colluding with Abyssals to acquire artifacts remained a thorn in his mind for long.


    And it got him thinking.


    Twenty days ago¡ªthe day that Minerva was narrating was the day Kreo died. His artifact was stolen on the same evening.


    Every Sovereign could theoretically learn about the artifacts'' secret. The information might be present in every ruins.


    So, Varian went after the Sovereigns one by one to learn the truth.


    Since Albert was a strict military man, Varian found his schedule through the Athena group. Albert was surveying aoid on that day. There was a clear Alibi.


    So, Albert wasn''t a traitor for certain. Nor was Bali.


    There were six suspects left. Since Irene was a target that was almost killed, Varian struck her off the list as well.


    Of course, it might seem a bit premature. Irene might be a traitor and the Abyssals could''ve decided to kill her off.


    But during the time he was Prince Var, Archduke Mendis once drunkenly told said. "That son of a bitch agreed to kill Irene but backed off at thest second. Humans, I say, are all cowards."


    So the traitor was a male.


    Irene and Vianne were also off the list.


    Four suspects left.


    The famous Julius.


    The head of the Caron family, Micheal Caron.


    The leader of Adventure Guild, Kevin.


    And Ares.


    There was one more filter Varian used.


    This traitor stole two artifacts so far. Aether pendant from Kreo. Demon Sword from Raytheon, Neptune''s previous Sovereign.


    So, he also checked what these four men were doing on the day Pluto fell.


    Only Kevin was out in public, attending an event in a space city.


    And thus, the list was narrowed down to three: Julius, Micheal, and Ares.


    "¡­And he spent the night checking up the development of the Ulmacoid." Minerva finished her narration.


    ''Boo.''


    ''Boo has just checked the locations she told. Sovereign Ares was indeed present there.''


    Varian breathed a sigh of relief.


    Only two suspects left. Julius or Micheal.


    While emotionally, Varian felt that Julius was likely, his rationale told him that the eternal pessimist Micheal was the most likely.


    He''s such a pessimist person that he thought humanity might go extinct tomorrow. So, he might feelpelled to unify the artifacts and gain Celestial power to ''save'' everyone.


    Regardless, it was only two now. He''d find out sooner orter.


    Varian smiled at Minerva. "Thanks a lot."


    Without her pointing out the exact locations, it''d be impossible for Boo to search every single record of theoid¡ªespecially since every recording with Sovereign had higher security than normal.


    "Thanks? Give an apology." Minerva said with a stern expression.


    "Sure." Varianughed.


    Swiping hism, he started recording a voice message. "Sovereign Ares, I''m sorry for suspecting that you''re the traitor Sovereign. I''m not 100% sure on who it is, so don''t talk about this to anyone."


    Ending the recording, Varian raised his head and looked at Minerva who was staring at him with a wide mouth and a pale face.


    "W-What traitor?"


    Varian shrugged. "Don''t think too much about it. Oh, by the way, Pluto¡ª"


    "What Pluto? Tell me about the traitors." Minerva stepped forward and reached to grab his arm.


    Varian dodged her with ease and jumped out of the bed. Stretching his fully recovered body, he said. "I finished off the wyverns, which if left unchecked would''ve conquered Neptune in three days."


    "Really?"


    "Yep." Varian nodded with a serious expression and raised his hands. "With these hands of mine, I ended the lives of two hundred wyverns."


    "H-How is that even poss¡ª?"


    "I swear on Heaven''s Will!" Varian said with a straight face. ''I''m technically not lying.''


    Then, hism disyed Varian standing in the middle of a huge wyvern swarm that filled the sky!


    "Woah! Oh my! You are¡­" Minerva was at a loss for words as she stared at the hologram in utter shock.


    "If I didn''t finish them off, I wouldn''t be rest assured, would I?" Varian smirked.


    "Right! Exactly! So you really killed them all!" Minerva nodded fervently as she stared at him with a burning intensity.


    Her hostile gaze was long gone and was reced by one of reverence.


    "Please keep this a secret. I don''t like standing out."


    "B-But everyone should know your heroic deeds!" Minerva insisted.


    Varian put on a troubled expression before he reluctantly nodded. "Once the war is over."


    "Yay!" Minerva cheered in joy.


    Patting himself with his telekic energy, Varian raised his chin and walked out of the unit.


    ''Master, you just wanted her to publish the news, right?''


    Varian didn''t answer, but the smirk on his face said it all.


    Reputation was important. Might as well go out and build an invincible image in the minds of people.


    "Mars seems to be in trouble¡­" Varian muttered.


    Seth had already left for Mars when Minerva was narrating.


    "I have to find a way to meddle in their level 9 fights¡­" Varian narrowed his eyes before chuckling.


    He had to clean up theoids on Neptune before anything else.


    "Boo, let''s go."


    The ghost ship took off under the reluctant gaze of a fangirl.

 Chapter ?814 Cleaning Up Neptunes Planetoids

    Chapter ?814 Cleaning Up Neptune''soids


    Seth underwent the final security test before he entered the teleportation formation to Mars.


    As he entered therge intricate circr design along with a couple of men and women, his eyebrows remained wrinkled as his thoughts grew heavy.


    ''How did this happen? I thought Enigma could pull it off¡­''


    Giving off the sound of a paper being born, the space around the formation began to twist.


    A white light covered everyone in the formation and pushed them into the inside space.


    Everything went ck for a split second and when Seth came to his senses, he was standing in a simr but entirely new teleportation formation on Mars.


    Taking a deep breath, the dual awakener rushed into the Command Office and was about to show the officer his ID.


    But the man in charge didn''t even bother to check and hurried Seth to another teleportation formation.


    "Please," The Commander bowed his head. "Stay alive."


    Seth took a deep breath as his heart shook.


    He hadn''t told Varian something very important. It also wasn''t revealed in the military database.


    The level 9s that were supposed to hold back the Nightmare Abyssals on Mars¡ªtwo of them: an Athena agent and a Shadow Guardian died just an hour ago.


    Not only that, Enigma went missing. There was more than a 70% chance that she died.


    ''Enigma, did you really die? Just like this?'' Seth didn''t think she was someone to die so easily.


    Of course, his belief wasn''t out of blind worship like many Guardian members.


    As much as he admired her actions as the leader of Shadow Guardians, he had seen how cold-blooded she could be.


    During Valos, when he had to enter the ghost ship and stay in proximity with Varian, Enigma forced him to take an explosive. In her words, it was a protective measure in case he tried to attack Varian.


    Even during Pluto, she let him go of all people. Why? Because she knew that he wouldn''t mind dying on Pluto because his wife and unborn daughter breathed theirst on that.


    That way, Varian''s survival chances would be higher than with anyone else.


    In other words, she didn''t care if he died, as long as Varian was safe.


    ''You''re such a cold-blooded woman, other than Varian, I haven''t seen you exhibit a such strong interest in anything else. I don''t think you''ll die for Mars. At least, not like this.''


    Maybe she would have. After all, her mission in joining Shadow Guardians was ''protecting humanity''.


    But things have changed a lot since she joined.


    Enigma was demonized, spurned, and hunted by the entire human race. Varian pulled her out of the abyss.


    If he was in Enigma''s condition, Seth felt that he might abandon the human race and only work to repay Varian.


    ''Whatever it is, I hope you survived¡­we can''t lose people like you.'' Seth prayed.


    The formation kicked off and a few secondster, Seth was on aoid.


    His aura shot into the sky to announce his arrival.


    Two slightly weaker Abyssal auras responded.


    Seth''s eyes shone with war intent.


    "Come."


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    The firstoid that Varian visited recentlyoid Corrinth, Neptune.


    "Sir, Sir!" An Abyssal adjutant mmed the door of a special room.


    The door opened and an injured level 8 resting on afortable chair came into sight.


    The Abyssal healing from injuries. The battle on theoid was still going on, but he was too injured to carry on fighting.


    In his defense, he managed to kill a level 8 human officer and in the process got severe injuries that forced him to retire.


    Of course, even with him not participating, the war was set.


    With the second batch of wyverns on thisoid, Abyssals were almost on the verge of crushing human level 8s.


    It''d happen in an hour or even ten minutes. It was only a matter of when.


    That''s why the Abyssal was chilling without any anxiety.


    But his adjutant''s condition gave an ominous premonition.


    The usually calm-headed adjutant was now gasping with a flushed face and bloodshot eyes.


    To make a man like him so flustered, the news ought to be terrible.


    The Senior Abyssal gulped his saliva as he awaited the inevitable.


    The adjutant stuttered. "V-Varian did Pluto! The formations are gone! Wyverns can''t reach us!"


    The Senior Abyssal jerked up from the chair in a breath. He hadn''t yet grasped what exactly happened.


    He only understood that Varian messed up their Pluto wyverns.


    The wyverns were their first assurance of victory. Emotionally, he couldn''t ept this result. So, he wanted to say something, maybe roar in anger orugh in denial.


    But his brain just caught up andprehended the implications of what the adjutant just said.


    "I¡­" Something unpleasant and bitter seemed to be stuck in his throat as no matter how much he tried, he couldn''t utter another word.


    If¡­


    If Varian was able to crush their grand n by going all the way to Pluto, then would he let their subsequent schemes materialize?


    They alreadybeled this human as extremely dangerous. On the target list Emperor personally drafted, Varian was the first Non-Sovereign target.


    Even Enigma had to settle for the second spot.


    Yet, the Senior Abyssal realized they had still underestimated him.


    Varian''s name should be ced together with the Sovereigns.


    He''s as dangerous as them.


    ¡­No. He''s more dangerous.


    Every Sovereign has an Abyss King or Queen to counter them.


    But Varian?


    No human or Abyssal could restrain him.


    He could easily escape from the level 9s and he took special care not to collide with Abyss Kings.


    And level 8s?


    "Hah. That monster¡­" The Senior Abyssal smiled wryly.


    The strength Varian showed when ying the wyverns wasn''t that of a new level 8. It rivaled that of a high level 8!


    And what''s with the different divine paths?


    How many powers did he actually have?


    The Abyssals weren''t active in interster politics since their decline. So, their general knowledge regarding contemporary hybrid research was nearly non-existent.


    So, they attributed Varian''s specialty to either hybrids or the deva legacy.


    The reasonings weren''t that important. What mattered was ensuring he didn''t grow up to be an uncontroble threat.


    The Abyssal remembered a secret order he had the privilege to see and prayed. "I thought it''s too much to pay that price to kill him, but maybe it''s good for us. No one can stop Varian from dying."


    "S-Sir?" The adjutant called in curiosity. "Varian dying?"


    The Senior Abyssal nodded with a smile. "I can''t tell you the details, but we''re hatching an infallible n. Varian, oh, Varian your death is inevit¡ª"


    The building the Abyssal was staying at was sted to pieces, and the lightning strikes that followed burnt the Senior Abyssal and his adjutant to death.


    A few hundred miles away, Varian sensed that his casual lightning attacks had killed off the stray level 8.


    ''All the resting level 8 Abyssals are dead. Now, there are only active ones.'' Varian shifted his focus onto the creatures that just surrounded him.


    A group of twenty wyverns. Significantly stronger than the first batch.


    But after facing a hundred and eighty of them, all Varian could say was. "Too little, too weak."

 Chapter 815 Death

    Chapter 815 Death


    Amon saying in federation went by. "If you want to see how far you''ve progressed, return to the starting point."


    Varian felt the same thing when he began a second marathon of the eightoids afflicted by Wyverns.


    Compared to the first batch, the second bath of wyverns all contained twenty wyverns.


    Ten low level 8. Six mid level 8. Three high level 8. One peak level 8.


    Compared to the first batch, this was a big improvement.


    Varian didn''t encounter many peak level 8s on Pluto and was in the assumption that Abyssals couldn''t raise them.


    But only now did he realize that he interrupted the wyverns and didn''t let them grow to their fullest.


    Else he might''ve been chased by dozens of peak level 8s.


    But despite facing a much stronger second batch, he actually finished them fasterpared to his first run!


    Out of the ten level 8, he froze two to death, strangled three with telekic force, used his ntae branch spears to y five.


    The six mid level 8 were either punched to death or cracked to pieces under space explosions.


    The high level 8s tried to put up a fight and they seeded in not getting one-shotted.


    But once Varian was done with low and mid level 8s, they failed at even that.


    Since he wanted to end it fast, Varian froze the space around the wyvern''s neck and shot a lightning spear.


    The peak level 8 was the one creature that tried to give him an actual fight. But it folded after three attacks.


    The whole fight took but forty-five seconds and once he was done, Varian targeted the level 8 Abyssals on theoid.


    All ten of them.


    "N-No!"


    "You bastard!"


    "Even if we die, we''ll take you down with us!"


    The ten Abyssalsunched suicidal attacks. If they were in their best condition, Varian would''ve been injured at least.


    But since they were fighting for a while, they weren''t able to pressure Varian.


    In one minute, the heads of ten Abyssals flew into the sky and Varian''s sonorous voice reached every corner of theoid.


    "I killed all the level 8s! Now, it''s your turn! Use everyst bit of your aura, and fight to your fullest!


    This day won''te again! Nor will the opportunity to stomp on these pests!


    KILL!"


    The injured and weary human army forgot their fatigue.


    Their war slogans shook theoid and their brutal attack crushed the Abyssals.


    "KILL!"


    "War! War! War!"


    "Die Invaders!"


    The human level 8s were severely injured and exhausted. But they still continued fighting.


    Since all level 8 Abyssals were killed, they only had to finish off the level 7s.


    With their level 7s quickly falling, the Abyssals fell into a vicious cycle. Soon, the human army began to overwhelm the Abyssals.


    By then, Varian had finished cleaning up the sixthoid.


    Two more left.


    Ghost ship headed to the secondst one at full speed. But as they were about tond, Boo said.


    "Master, this and the nextoid have fallen under Abyssal control."


    "I know." Varian''s expression cooled down.


    The human armies on theses were wiped out in a short period of time.


    But that''s to be expected. A couple of level 8s attacking armies mostly made up of soldiers from level 4 to level 6, it would be like trying to stop the water from a broken dam with paper.


    Even an army numbering a hundred thousand would be overwhelmed by high awakeners.


    "Before the blood of our soldiers dries up, I''ll bury these bastards with them." Varian''s smile turned cold. "Every single one of them."


    Boo shivered at his devilish smile.


    Varian put on a normal expression and asked. "Is everything alright on others?"


    Boo nodded stiffly, still a bit affected by Varian''s earlier image. "No major news so far. Ah, thetest update:oid Hellsong seemed to have encountered a new Abyssal."


    "Oh? Level 9?"


    "No. A level 8."


    "One?"


    "Yes. Only one."


    "Then never mind." Varian ignored it and muttered ''status''.


    [Superhuman L8: 15k/25k (+10k)


    Space L8: 8k/25k (+6k)


    Lightning L8: 20k/25k (+19k)


    ntae L8: 18k/25k (+10k)


    Psychic L8: 8k/25k (+4k)


    Macrokic L8: 6k/25k (+5k)


    Water L8: 8k/25k (+6k) ]


    Varian sighed inwardly. Battling was really the best way for him to grow stronger.


    Even without looking at the status panel, he could feel an obvious improvement in strength.


    He used to be wary of peak level 8s. Now, he didn''t give a single F.


    Varian even wanted to try battling the hundred and eighty wyverns to see how strong he had grown.


    He retreated then because he was already severely injured by the time he had grown stronger.


    But now¡­


    "Don''t get ahead of yourself." Varian shook his head.


    Even if he could crush peak level 8s, there were still awakeners who were dealing with level 9 bottleneck.


    Moreover, even with the improved strength, Varian couldn''t find any confidence in facing a level 9.


    The gap was just too big.


    ''Who knows¡­''


    "Master, we''ve arrived."


    Varian''s eyes shed with a cold light.


    ''Eye for an eye.''


    He walked out of the ghost ship and stood in the clouds.


    The entireoid was now popted by Abyssals. The Abyssal army was currently celebrating their victory.


    Almost all of the two hundred thousand abyssals on theoid were showing off their conquest¡ªthe skulls of their enemies. Sometimes, it wasn''t even skulls, but severed heads.


    Drunk in victory, the Abyssal army stomped, spat, and humiliated the corpses of human soldiers.


    They even started to throw the bodies around as if they were some garbage.


    Varian''s blood boiled at the atrocious sight. Without another word, he fully revealed his aura.


    The ten wyverns that were feasting on human corpses looked up at the sky in shock.


    The twenty level 8 Abyssals that were bragging about their conquest also raised their heads as an ominous premonition filled their minds.


    The Abyssal Army shivered as they peeked at the bloody mist spreading in the sky.


    It was Killing intent. A killing intent so thick that it materialized as red mist.


    From high above the clouds, Varian looked down at the two hundred thousand Abyssals with emotionless eyes and announced his decree.


    "Death."

 Chapter ?816 Bloodbath

    Chapter ?816 Bloodbath


    The Abyssal Army on theoid prepared themselves for a bitter struggle.


    Their lives were dedicated to protecting the Abyss race from the uing catastrophe.


    Most of them wouldn''t live to see the day their race bes truly free.


    Peace must be built on the bones of their enemies. But the path to it would onlye through their blood.


    "Long Live The Abyss Race!"


    "Glory To The Abyss Race!"


    The warcries of the two hundred thousand Abyssals shook the ground. The air itself seemed to resonate with their cries and for a moment, theoid seemed to havee to life as it roared with the Abyssals.


    Varian''s killing intent grew thicker and thicker.


    The sky turned dark as gloomy clouds covered theoid. Lightning arcs snaked from the clouds, ready to strike down the aliens and st them to smithereens.


    The strongest in the army were only level 7s. They had already asked their superiors for reinforcement. The reply was quick but brutal. ''By the time reinforcement reaches there, you''ll be wiped out.''


    There were a total of six bases where the Abyssal army was concentrated, each headed by amander.


    They quickly reorganized themselves and grouped in seconds. Their forces were finally concentrated and they''d be able to deliver their strongest blow.


    But not a singlemander was under no delusion they had any chance. They epted their inevitable death.


    But they didn''t opt for a painless and cowardly death. They wanted to inflict the most grievous wounds on Varian they possibly could.


    Themanders of each base rose into the air and faced their armies for onest time.


    Eyes brimming with patriotism, they said the words that lit up the entire army.


    "For Survival! We will die so that our next generations can live!"


    "For Freedom! So that our descendants won''t be enved!"


    "For Dignity! So that we trample those that pushed us this far!"


    The Abyss army gave up thest trace of their defense and locked their gaze onto Varian.


    Pushing all the air out of their chest as they channeled their aura, they locked their gaze on the distant figure beyond the clouds.


    "DIE!"


    The roars of two hundred thousand souls shook the world and tens of thousands of attacks, ranging from the level 3 to level 6, wereunched at Varian.


    Varian''s eyes shook for a split second by the spirit of the Abyssals. But as if that never happened, his eyes turned a shade darker.


    He snorted lightly and when the attacks reached him, his figure disappeared from the clouds.


    When the Abyssal army found his whereabouts, they instinctively sucked in a cold breath.


    Varian was on the ground and kneeling in front of him were six headless Abyssal bodies.


    They were the bodies of the level 7manders!


    Not a single person in the army was able to see when Varian killed them!


    The speed of a level 8 was too fast!


    Even the strongest level 6s in the army only saw a blurred silhouette in the air earlier.


    This candid disy of overwhelming strength doused the enthusiasm of the Abyssals.


    Even though they didn''t ept it openly, their subconscious realized that they couldn''t even touch his hair.


    A sense of despair pervaded the Abyss army even as theyunched their second wave of attacks on Varian.


    "You dammit!"


    "Kill!"


    "Die!"


    Some Abyssals fueled their despair into power and unleashed the strength they never realized they had.


    The sky and earth were filled with colorful and lethal attacks.


    Fire dragons, lightning snakes, and ice phoenixes danced wildly.


    Tens of thousands of Body Awakeners shot at Varian with their spears.


    The five thousand telepaths tried to lock Varian down.


    The three thousand space awakeners attempted to lock the space around Varian.


    The four thousand gravity users attempted to increase his weight by countless times and crush him under his own weight.


    The beast and ntae awakeners used projectiles to injure him.


    All of this happened at once and against one man.


    Varian wasn''t delusional to think he could withstand 40,000 elemental attacks, even if they were from mid awakeners.


    Nor was he stupid to fight mind battles with five thousand telepaths!


    Even though a level 8 was far stronger than level 4, 5, or 6 telepaths, they couldn''t fight five thousand of them at once!


    The same could be said for the space and gravity awakeners.


    Numbers did matter.


    But that didn''t mean they were winning.


    With just some resourcefulness and smartness, Varian tackled the challenges posed by such arge enemy number.


    Firstly, he made full use of therger range. He could strike someone five hundred miles away with his lightning attacks. These mid awakeners couldn''t.


    So, he simply teleported out of space, gravity, and telepaths range.


    Then, he bombarded the telepaths with lightning bolts. With a single shot, a thousand telepaths were burnt to ashes without even a chance to fight back.


    When 20% of the telepaths were destroyed in a single attack, the gravity and space awakeners realized the difficulty they were facing.


    So, without hesitation, they set up space and gravity barriers to protect the telepaths.


    Meanwhile, the elementals continued to attack Varian. So did the Body and Morphers.


    Varian used the opportunity and pulled a few hundred Space and Gravity awakeners into an illusion.


    "Varian, die!"


    These awakeners that were protecting the telepaths until now suddenly started attacking them.


    Since they were totally unprepared, a thousand more telepaths died.


    Then, the unaffected space and gravity awakeners started to fight the ones under an illusion.


    Varian pointed his finger at the body awakener and swiped in the air.


    A huge space crack appeared near the fifty-thousand body awakeners. Then, a huge suction force appeared from the space crack as it began to close.


    The body awakeners weren''t able to resist this sudden attack and were pulled into the crack.


    Upon contact with the chaotic space inside the space crack, their bodies broke into pieces.


    A single attack wiped out five thousand body awakeners.


    Varian pped the air and a huge frost palm appeared above the fire awakeners.


    Before they could even respond, it froze their bodies and crushed them down.


    Right then, the space near Varian fluctuated and five hundred space and five hundred gravity awakeners appeared.


    They channeled their aura and were about to attack him.


    Even if it''s him, taking the attack from a thousand abyssals was hard.


    So, Varian simply used his psychic power and created an illusion.


    He then teleported away.


    The space and gravity awakeners who attacked him began killing themselves.


    Varianunched a few more lightning strikes and finished off the telepaths and in the process, also finished off the telekics nearby.


    The space cracks continued to appear in the army, killing thousands of Body and Morph awakeners every time.


    In just a few seconds, the two hundred thousand strong Abyssal army was reduced to a pathetic fifty thousand.


    Most of these were elemental awakeners.


    "Come if you dare!"


    "Show some courage!"


    "Fight us fair and square!"


    The fifty thousand Elemental awakeners bellowed.


    Varian''s lips curled slightly and his figure blurred. Like a meteor striking earth, he struck the center of the elemental awakeners.


    When he was about tond, he poured out all his physical strength and punched out.


    The ground split and thend for the surrounding fifty miles violently shook. Cracks spread in every direction and in the next second, a huge crater with a twenty-mile diameter and five-mile depth appeared.


    Since they had rtively weak bodies, Twenty thousand elemental awakeners died on the spot and ten thousand were seriously injured.


    The remaining twenty thousand were about to attack him when Varian merely pped.


    The sheer shockwaves from his ps sent the twenty thousand elemental awakeners flying and fifteen thousand of them died on the spot.


    Varian tapped into the air and thousands of bullets were shot at the surviving Abyssals. Tens of thousands of small lightning bolts followed.


    In a blink, every Abyssal was dead.


    Looking at the purgatory he created, Varian smiled with derision. "Survival? Freedom? Dignity?


    Such noble ideals! But you''re as bad as those Zions and Fairies!"


    Varian''s chest heaved up and down as he recalled the gazes the Abyssals showed when talking about humans during his time as Prince Var.


    "Even though we''re both in the same situation, you don''t think you''re wrong in trying to kill us, because you never saw us ''people'' in the first ce!"


    Varian clenched his fist and smiled coldly. "An eye for an eye. Extinction for extinction."


    A few minutester, the finaloid upied by Abyssals was also cleaned up.


    Varian killed a total of five hundred thousand Abyssals in less than twenty minutes!

 Chapter 817 Hellsong

    Chapter 817 Hellsong


    "Set the barriers! Keep the formations alive! Don''t let the elemental attacks sneak past!"


    "Psychics, protect our members from being hypnotized! Especially the space ones!"


    "We can do this! We must!"


    The orders from the superiors rang across the fortress.


    Standing in the middle of a in, the red-stoned fortress was now facing an Abyss invasion.


    The sky was shining as the elemental attacks rained down.


    The human army inside the fortress was divided into multiple groups.


    The group on the ramparts,posed of elementals, psychics, and gravity awakeners was assigned to stop the body and morph awakeners from jumping into the fortress!


    Every second, hundreds of Abyssals and beasts tried to enter the fortress.


    Most of the time, they were either hit by the elementals'' attacks, deviated by psychics, or pushed away by the gravity awakeners.


    But every few seconds, a couple of Abyssals managed to enter the fortress.


    Then, the small but agile group responsible for clearing the intruders jumped into action.


    Consisting of speed-specialized body awakeners and ice users, this group quickly froze and slowed down the intruders before killing them off at the fastest possible speed.


    With the cooperation of the group on ramparts and this clean-up group, the Abyssals were having a hard time infiltrating the fortress.


    Of course, the defenders weren''t having it easy either.


    Most of the groups in the fortress are assigned to engage with the invading Abyss army.


    The psychics of the Abyssals tried to hypnotize humans and create distractions. The psychics in humans stopped it from happening as they tried to do the same in the Abyssal army.


    The elementals from both sides were engaged in intensebat. The Abyssal elementals shot the attacks at the fortress and the human elementals replied in a befitting manner.


    Fire faced water. Water met Lightning. Lightning hit Earth. Earth met Fire.


    The air outside the fortress was bursting with brilliant colors as the elemental attacks shed.


    But no one had the leisure to appreciate this beauty.


    The Abyssals were hellbent on invading the impregnable fortress and gaining a decisive victory to conquer theoid.


    The humans inside the fortress weren''t under too much pressure, but they didn''tx for even a second.


    While the battles on the ground continued, the sky was also filled with fewer but more mind-boggling matches.


    The level 7s and level 8s were all fighting above the fortress.


    The people in the fortress and on the ins were only able to see blurs of silhouettes followed by tremendous shockwaves and roars of explosions.


    Even though the high awakeners took special care to stay away from the battlefield, soldiers from both sides continued to die from the unintentional shockwaves.


    The level 7s were fighting just a few miles above the fortress.


    The biggest brawls urred between Beast Morphers that transformed into flying beasts.


    Griffins, winged snakes, unicorns, and more.


    These creatures from both sides shed against each other. For a while, it seemed like the war wasn''t between humans and Abyssals but between beasts!


    Of course, the beast battles were quickly overshadowed by the elementals.


    Lightning dragons, fire spears, and ice arrows filled the sky.


    Then there were space awakeners. Most space awakeners were in the fortress and they poured their space power into the inbuilt formations to build up chaotic spaces around the fortress and prevent any Abyssal from teleporting in.


    On the other hand, level 7 Space humans were blinking in and out as they tried to assassinate level 7 Abyssals.


    Telepaths, Injured Elementals, and anyone else who could be killed in a single strike were targeted by the Abyssals!


    The Abyssal level 7s tried to break into the fortress, but the inbuilt anti-space formations made it impossible.


    This was the problem with Hellsong!


    It had these amazing defensive fortresses from the beginning! It''s almost impossible to conquer a fortress with an equal-sized army.


    Despite knowing and failing to conquer the fortress many times, the Abyssal army was trying again today.


    And they''re doing it with the same amount of military force as humans.


    Anyone with a littlemon sense could tell it wouldn''t work.


    But the Abyssals just obeyed the order and threw themselves into battle.


    Before they set off for this war, the level 8mander told them to just shut up and do it as told. Then victory would follow.


    The Abyssal army didn''t doubt their leaders. So, they didn''t even stop to nce at the fights of the level 8s.


    Not that they would''ve caught a good glimpse as the level 8s were a dozen miles in the sky at this point.


    For a hundred miles around the level 8s, the sky was dyed red, golden, green, and gray. The colors of the attacks shone brightly in the sky, and from the ground, it seemed like a beautiful painting.


    Except for two, the six humans and Abyssals were fighting and they were fighting with an intention to die as long as they could kill the other party.


    The ones that weren''t fighting, themanders nced at each other in silence.


    "Why?" Batran, the humanmander, asked in a hoarse voice.


    The Abyss Commander smirked. "Why else? Today is the day Hellsong will be ours!"


    Batran looked at his archenemy with scrutiny. "Hellsong can''t be conquered."


    He nced at the level 8s fighting and then at the forces on thend. "You''ll need a force twice asrge."


    Hellsong was notorious for its native fortresses. If things went south, the defenders could simply lock the fortress and activate the formations.


    It''s costly, sure. But without at least twice the amount of defenders, the fortress couldn''t be conquered.


    That''s why, for the past forty years, not a single fortress changed ownership.


    "I know what you''re thinking, Batran." The Abyss Commander smiled. "I surely can''t bring twice the force. But I can bring someone who can ignore the rules."


    The war below suddenly stopped.


    Batran nced down and his eyes froze.


    A bloody red pir shot into the sky as a thick killing intent enveloped a hundred miles, suppressing enemy and ally alike.


    An Abyssal in crimson army stepped forward and faced the human army.


    Cupping his hands, he said. "I, Alec Everblood, the fifth and the weakest of Blood Heirs from Blood Province ask for your forgiveness."


    The human army was puzzled.


    Alec smiled and unsheathed his sword with a click.


    A thousand humans nearby clutched their necks forcefully, but a thin red line appeared and blood splurted out of the thin wound.


    "Because I''ll be sending you all to death."

 Chapter 818 A Monster Called Alec Everblood

    Chapter 818 A Monster Called Alec Everblood


    The abrupt death of a thousand human soldiers shocked everyone!


    The human army wanted to be defensive against this monster, but right then, high from the sky, a cold and decisive voice ordered. "Kill!"


    The human army recognized it to be the voice of theirmander Batran and resisted their urge to defend themselves.


    Even though the monster was right there, they resumed the fight.


    The Abyssal army was forced to engage them in a battle. But they kept an eye on the Abyssal in crimson armor.


    For they knew he was a warrior from the Abyss Empire. To be precise, from the Blood Province which was recently invaded by the Fairies!


    The two armies shed against each other, shaking the earth and breaking the sky!


    Attacks of different colors burst in the clouds while the ground cracked apart as hundreds of thousands of awakeners from both sides shed.


    Alec was left alone on the sidelines as if he never killed those thousand human soldiers.


    "It''s funny," Alec Everblood unsheathed his sword and raised his head to look at the clouds.


    His gaze locked onto Commander Batran who was looking down at him with killing intent.


    Batran raised his hand and a spear materialized in his hand. He pulled back his arm and the clouds nearby dispersed due to the sheer power pumped into the spear.


    Once it''s shot, the spear would destroy anything in its path and would result in a crater spanning at least a hundred miles!


    Batran finished charging the spear and was about tounch it.


    But Alec lowered his gaze and turned to his left where there were no humans or Abyssals. In doing so, hepletely ignored the iing attack.


    "Well, well, well." He smirked and shed his sword. "That was a cheap old trick."


    The insane force of the sword swing ripped the air apart and cleaved the ground into two all the way for a mile before the force shed against something invisible.


    A curtain of white appeared in that ce and shook violently before it dispersed, revealing Batran in spatial armor.


    "You?!" Batran red at the Abyssal with disbelief hard to conceal. "How did you find me so quickly?"


    Before Alec could answer, an Abyssal fell from the sky andnded beside him. He had bloodshot eyes and was breathing heavily. He was the Supreme Commander of the Abyssal forces and Batran''s archenemy.


    Until now, he was trapped in an illusion set by Batran. Once he realized what went wrong, he quickly broke the illusion and returned to face Batran.


    In fact, Batran''s n also included an illusion to make Alec think he was about to attack him.


    That''s why Alec saw an illusion of him about to throw a spear. The idea was to let Batran spend his focus on either blocking or dodging the attack.


    Using the opportunity when his enemy was focused on something else, Batran intended to sneak attack him.


    However, the n failed right when Alec saw through his illusion.


    "Answer me!" Batran gripped his spear as he faced Alec and the Abyssal Commander without fear.


    "Answer my ass! I still haven''t paid you for trapping me in the illusion!" The Abyssal Commander was about to attack for the humiliation.


    But Alec raised his hand and stopped him in ce.


    Looking at the feeble creature in front of him, the Abyssal in crimson smiled. "Your illusion was perfect. I couldn''t have found you."


    Batran was taken aback. "Then how¡­?"


    "Killing intent." Alec''s lips curled up into a distorted smile. "When your illusion was about to attack me, it showed killing intent. It was almost identical to the original killing intent you locked onto me when I first appeared on the battlefield, but it''s only 99.99% identical. That difference of 0.01% was just too obvious for me to ignore."


    Batran''s heart thumped at the insane reply.


    To give a rough analogy,mon people recognized each other by their physical features and DNA, awakeners recognized each other through their aura signatures.


    But this Abyssal, this mad man, he recognized people through their unique killing intent!


    It sounded simple, but it''s equivalent to developing a new sense! Unique identification of sorts!


    Your killing intent could grow stronger or weaker, but it''s still yours!


    So, if Alec remembered anyone''s killing intent once, they''d never be able to fool him through disguise or illusion!


    "You¡­you must be kidding."


    Batran encountered hundreds of level 8 Abyssals on the battlefield, even the greatest geniuses didn''te close to this insanity.


    Even though it was their first time meeting, from Alec''s nonchnt answer, Batran understood that his opponent had killing intent ingrained in his very blood.


    From his experience, it''s possible only if you either fight highly intense battles for centuries or insanely intense battles for decades.


    Since Abyssals grew at almost the same rate as humans, then it''s only thetter!


    What crazily intense and bloody battles, no, wars did Alec fight to reach such a state?


    Mountains of corpses? Rivers of blood?


    These often exaggerated sayings about war might be the reality that Alec lived in.


    Batran was raised on the battlefield. Out of his ny years, seventy were spent on theoids!


    Yet, such a man shuddered at the killing intent radiating from the Abyssal.


    "Hey, human," Alec called out as he raised his pale white sword. "Let''s cut the words and be done with it. If you don''t resist, I''ll give you a mercy death."


    A thick red mist spread out from Alec and locked onto Batran. It wasn''t a kind of power but simply the manifestation of killing intent.


    Batran was subjected to killing intent millions of times. Only a couple of times did they affect him significantly.


    But now¡­


    Batran''s teeth chattered as his whole body went cold. The hairs on his nape stood u and jolts of chill shot down his spine as his instincts screamed to surrender. That there was no chance to even run, much less win.


    Batran gritted his teeth and held his breath.


    "M¡­Mercy death?" His voice quivered, like a man shivering in the cold.


    But his arm raised his spear with practiced precision.


    "To hell with mercy!"


    Alec''s eyebrows dropped and he smiled coldly. "Those who don''t ept my mercy¡­will eventually beg for it."

 Chapter ?819 The Fight For Hellsong

    Chapter ?819 The Fight For Hellsong


    Hellsong''s sky turned red without any warning.


    Batran fought the thick killing intent and spent his psychic powers on the Abyssmander.


    The Abyssal was once again forced into an illusion.


    In fact, Batran''s psychic powers went from peak level 8 to one bottleneck clearance towards level 9.


    It was a secret he kept until this war and he was prepared to use it as a trump card to kill his archenemy once and forever.


    But Alec''s appearance changed everything.


    Batran had to adjust and adjust he did. After trapping the Abyssmander, he teleported above the clouds and waved his hand.


    A huge gray crack fissure appeared in the sky and swallowed the clouds. With each passing second, the fissure grewrger, from its starting one-mile radius to a dangerous fifty!


    "Heh." A slow but heavy snort sounded from the ground and Alec''s sword shone with a golden light.


    Raising his sword to a calcted angle, Alec swung his sword.


    A mass of concentrated lightning force shot out of the sword and headed for the fissure.


    On the way to the clouds, the lightning quickly reorganized itself into a massive golden wheel¡ªan intricate construct of lightning lines and curves¡ªwhich was also carved with unseen mystic symbols and runes.


    "Huh? What''s that?" Batran''s questions weren''t answered even as the golden wheel mmed into the space fissure!


    To his utter surprise followed after a bang, the fissure stopped expanding and instead started to contract!


    Even though the space fissure still tried to destabilize the space, the golden wheel easily restrained it and soon, the fissure closed up.


    Then, a huge explosion shook the sky which sent out a powerful shockwave. At the same time, following the sound of a mirror cracking, a figure spat a mouthful of blood before he was sent flying to the ground.


    At the speed he wasing down, it seemed inevitable to crash into a giant meteor.


    But the man''s silhouette blurred and vanished as he teleported a few miles above.


    "Haaa! Haa! Haa!" Appearing in the sky, Batran clutched his knees as he panted heavily.


    It was just a single attack, but his entire chest was still feeling a stinging pain.


    "What now?"


    Batran jumped up as he instinctively put up an invisible space armor around him and turned around.


    Alec appeared behind him at some point. The Abyssal wasn''t using lightning wings, he just had a bit of lightning to his feet letting him fly.


    From the previous exchange, Batran knew that Alec was stronger than him. But instead of showing fear, his face showed a ferocious expression as he shot toward Alec with a spear in his hand.


    Alec''s lips curled up as he pointed his sword to the ground instead of raising it to parry the iing attack.


    "Die!" Batran closed the distance between them and was about to thrust the spear.


    Alec shed his sword, but instead of aiming at Batra, it was aimed at a spot near the Abyssal Commander who was trapped in an illusion on the ground.


    Unbelievably, right when Alec shed the sword, Batran teleported and appeared in front of the Abyssal Commander.


    Batran showed a satisfied smile as he was about to thrust his spear right into themander''s neck.


    But the hair on the nape of his neck stood straight and Batran instinctively raised his spear up.


    His arm shook wildly as he felt like he was struck by a sledgehammer. The next moment, his arm bent at a strange angle as the sounds of bones cracking reverberated and blood spilled on the ground.


    "Give up already. You can''t even take a single attack from me." Alec''s voice sounded from the sky, causing Batran to grimace. "You know it too, don''t you? That''s why you want to attack a guy trapped in an illusion than me."


    Batran gripped his spear as he looked at the sky with aplicated expression. He¡­really had no chance of winning.


    He only took two attacks and in each attack, he was hit hard despite defending himself!


    The other level 8s were fighting a few hundred miles away and were all engaged with an Abyssal. He had no way of getting help either.


    If he lost, then¡­


    Batran nced at the battlefield. The fortress forces had the upper hand as they defended against the invading Abyssals.


    The formations were also used to their advantage to kill a few level 7s.


    Overall, they were heading towards victory.


    But for the two hundred thousand of his forces to remain victorious after winning the war, he needed to ensure Alec didn''t kill them.


    "Come. Who''s afraid of who!" Batran decided to throw away his life and teleported in front of Alec.


    Pouring all his space power into it, he tore the space around Alec.


    With a cracking sound, the space surrounding Alec exploded and countless tiny space cracks appeared all over the ce.


    Alec''s body was covered with lightning armor which prevented him from bing a bloody mess.


    But even his defenses crumbled slightly and three inch-deep cuts appeared on Alec''s chest.


    As the blood spilled out of his chest like it was a fountain, Alec''s gaze towards Batran changed for the first time. "Admirable, but also the end."


    Batran leaned against the spear as he panted heavily. That attack exhausted him, but only injured the Abyssal slightly.


    Before he could even be properly surprised, a lightning sword with a reddish tip reached him.


    Batran instinctively used up thest bits of his space power and solidified the space around him to act like hard armor.


    But the sword tore the space apart and pierced through his chest in the next moment.


    A super strong current surged through his body and a numbing pain spread from his head to toe.


    Batran twitched violently as he began to bleed from all orifices. His vision turned blurry and he fell to the ground.


    "Huek!"


    But instead of crashing, he felt something catch him roughly.


    And in his hazy vision, he saw Alec standing in front of the fortress and raising his sword.


    "N-No¡­!"


    Batran wanted to yell, but only a whimper left his mouth followed by a mouthful of blood and burning pain in his throat.


    Alec''s lightning sword grew from the size of an arm to that of an airne.


    Batran felt his heart crash against his ribcage as despair swallowed his chest. He didn''t want to see the fortress conquered! He didn''t want to see his men and women die!


    Alec was about to swing the sword when a couple of silhouettes appeared before him.


    They were all moderately injured and came down in a hurry! The level 8s of the Prime Fortress!


    "T-Thank¡­" The corner of Batran''s eyes turned wet as hope returned to his heart.


    At this time, the other level 8s Abyssals rushed toward them from the sky.


    But taking advantage of the small time gap, the level 8 humansunched a joint attack on Alec.


    Batran stared at them without blinking as he prayed for their side''s victory.


    Alec snorted and waved his hand. Six lightning swords appeared in the air and shot at the level 8 humans.


    Under the unbelievable and unwilling gaze of Batran, the human level 8s coughed out blood as they crashed into the fortress.


    Alec raised his sword and swung down his sword.


    The soldiers in the fortress looked at the iing lightning attack with a pale expression. This time, there was no one to save!


    They were done!


    Gritting their teeth, the soldiers in the fortress roared with all their might as they prepared to resist.


    But the overwhelming lightning enveloped the fortress and reduced them to ashes.


    "I¡­I''m having a nightmare!" Batran sobbed.


    "No. Your nightmare is just beginning." A hoarse voice sounded from behind and a violent pain struck his neck before Batran fainted.

 Chapter 820 A Meeting With Sovereign Ares

    Chapter 820 A Meeting With Sovereign Ares


    Out of seventyoids, Neptune had major troubles in eight.


    ording to the wyverns'' momentum, they would''ve conquered all eight andunched a fierce attack on the remainingoids.


    With level 8s leading, theoids would have fallen one by one.


    And it wouldn''t have been a linear effect.


    Why?


    Because with eachoid Abyssals won, the level 8s on thatoid would be liberated and join the conquest army!


    Like dominos falling, the Abyssals'' speed of conquest would speed up with everyoid!


    In just three or four days, they''de knocking on Neptune.


    Under its current conditions, Neptune wouldn''t havested even an hour under the level 8 siege.


    So, Varian stabilizing the eightoids wasn''t just aoid savior thing, he saved all of Neptune!


    "Thanks is worthless." Sovereign Ares said with a wry smile as he addressed the young man in front of him.


    They were currently in a highly secure building of aoid and even with it, this room was the most secretive.


    Because Sovereign Ares was currently in arge healing tube, with half of his body cracked and charred ck.


    Even in such a condition, he decided to meet Varian.


    At first, Varian was confused as to why a man with a barely half-working body requested his presence.


    To be honest, Varian wasn''t even expecting him to speak given his condition.


    But Ares admitting a ''thanks'' wouldn''t be enough for his deeds caused him to give the Sovereign another look.


    "Thanks are indeed worthless. But I''m not doing it for a thanks." Varian shrugged and focused his gaze on the proper half of the human. "You called me for something else, right?"


    A deep silence replied.


    Sovereign Ares sighed inwardly as his heart twisted.


    Of course, both literally and figuratively.


    The Thunder King''s lightning mana was raging havoc in his body and he was still in the process of dealing with it. It''s the reason he didn''t recover quickly despite taking the best medicine.


    It''d take a week or two for him to be back to the peak. Until then, the searing pain, the burning throat, and the twisting heart weremon.


    Ares shook his head slightly and brought back his focus onto Varian. "Yes. The traitor¡­"


    A weak but heavy pressure spread out from Ares and filled the room. Lightning crackled abruptly and tiny lightning arcs started popping up everywhere.


    Even the tiniest lightning arc had the strength of peak level 7. If Ares wasn''t injured, they''d be as strong as level 8, at least.


    In that case, too, Varian would''ve been the same as he''s now. Unmoving, rxed, and chill.


    But that didn''t mean Ares was less awesome.


    ''So strong.'' Varian sighed.


    ''So calm!'' Ares sighed.


    He unconsciously released a tiny bit of Sovereign coercion. Level 8s would be ufortable and level 9s would be slightly disturbed.


    Yet, this boy didn''t even seem to notice anything off.


    ''He''s calm, but his message destroyed my calm!'' Ares thought, a bit bitter.


    After he returned for treatment, he checked hism. As a result, he ended up hearing Varian''s voice message. As a result, he dashed out of the room and almost ended up running out of the building, wrapped in a healing gown.


    Thankfully, his disciple appeared then to check on him.


    Otherwise¡­


    Ares shuddered to even think about it.


    Thankfully, Minerva acted like it didn''t happen. No, she was absent-minded most of the time. But she gave him all the details of what happened with Varian.


    However, none of it contained any information regarding other Sovereigns.


    Thus, even though it''s taboo to meet others in this dangerous condition, Ares met Varian.


    "W-Who is the traitor?" Ares asked, his voice quivering. A terrifying possibility bloomed in his mind and he wondered what he''d do if that person was really the traitor.


    "It''s not Sovereign Irene," Varian answered and also exined how he learned about this whole traitor thing.


    "Ha! Thank Heavens¡­" Ares sighed in relief. For a moment, all the injuries on his gave him no pain and he felt incredibly rxed.


    After a few seconds, he looked at the young man and asked the next inevitable question.


    "Who is that traitor? Who?!" Ares couldn''t utter those words without his killing intent spilling out and filling the room.


    Varian didn''t seem affected by the killing intent either. How could he? After all, he himself killed more than half a million Abyssals so far! And was indirectly responsible for some twenty million deaths!


    Under Ares'' surprised gaze, he shrugged. "I haven''t found the traitor yet, but even if I did, then what? I''m not going to have him killed and have a repeat of Mars."


    "I¡­" Ares suddenly realized he had no arguments against those words.


    Yes. Even if they found the traitor, what next?


    But if they didn''t, then¡ª


    "But I''ll inform you once I find the traitor. That way, you can protect yourself and your artifact." Varian said, relieving Ares'' worry.


    "I don''t think he''ll attack anytime soon. If a Sovereign dies, the federation has a serious chance of being defeated." Ares opined.


    "I wouldn''t be so optimistic." Varian shook his head. "Even if a Sovereign dies, Heaven''s Will promotes another Sovereign in a month or two.


    As long as the traitor is ensured that his safety won''t be endangered for a few months, he might risk it."


    "No!" Ares said, a little agitated. "Before the Sovereign is born, the he''s protecting will be conquered by the Abyssals! Tens of millions of soldiers will be killed! And even if we try our best to evacuate the poption, billions will still die! No Sovereign would do that!"


    ''That''s what almost happened on Mars.'' Varian thought. "Please, what makes you think the traitor would be sopassionate?"


    "Compassionate? No, this is the basic bottom line of being a human! You said he wants to reach the celestial rank, right? What''s the use if he achieved it but killed billions in the process?"


    Varian fell silent for a moment. The figure of Abyss Emperor shed in his mind and for some reason, he felt like he understood why the traitor was being so resolute.


    With a wry smile, he asked. "What if an enemy you can''t win ising for our race? And the only way to win him is to kill billions? Would you do it?"


    "Never!" Ares firmly refused.


    "If you don''t, entire humanity will go extinct," Varian said lightly.


    "I¡­" Ares fell into a dilemma.


    If it''s a small number, he''d have not hesitated. After all, after going through so many wars, he hade across countless situations where soldiers had to be sacrificed for victory. Most of the time though, the soldiers were more than happy toy down their lives for their race.


    Even if it''s civilians, Ares would''ve allowed it if the number was in million. It''s very vile, yes, but he could stomach it.


    However, sacrificing billions was something he couldn''t even begin to imagine.


    "Come on, out of the current fifty billion, you can save either forty or none. What do you pick?" Varian continued to press on.


    Ares closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then, his eyes snapped open and he looked at Varian with a serious gaze.


    "This isn''t a numbers game, Varian. These are lives! Billions of lives!"


    Varian shrugged. "People have different ways of looking at the world. And for some reason, I think the traitor is someone who looks at the numbers."


    "Why is that?"


    "Because every man is the hero of his own story. He will always find a proper justification, a rational reasoning, no matter how twisted, to prove he is right."


    "Haa¡­" Ares paused for a moment and considered his own reasoning. Something seemed to click inside his mind and he understood the traitor''s reasoning.


    "So, the traitor thinks one big sacrifice can save most in the present and create peace for the future generations?"


    "Hm." Varian nodded.


    "Haa~" Ares sighed deeply and confessed. "If pushes to shove, and if we''re in the neck of time, I''ll choose to sacrifice few to save many.


    But there is time now, isn''t it? Why is he doing this instead of looking for a way to save everyone? Is there really a stronger enemy out there or does he just want to rule the federation?"


    Varian fell silent for a few seconds and shrugged. "No idea."


    Abyss Emperor¡­


    The Sovereigns likely didn''t know of his existence. Even if they somehow guessed it, they would think he was far away and posed no threat to them.


    Most likely, they alsobeled him as a stronger Abyss King instead of a Celestial Ranker.


    After all, if Abyssal Emperor was really so powerful, he could just visit the sr system and kill every Sovereign in a day.


    He had a hundred and twenty years to do this but never bothered.


    Why would any Sovereign think this Abyss Emperor was an existential threat to humans?


    But once they learned about his terrifying strength, Varian wasn''t sure what the Sovereigns would do.


    The only way to stop him would be to reach the Celestial Rank themselves. But no Sovereign achieved that.


    Even Julius said on many asions that it''d take a long time for him to even touch the ceiling of the next realm.


    So, the only way out would be artifacts.


    Gather six artifacts and get promoted to Celestial Rank.


    Then the question: Who should get promoted?


    The genius Julius?


    The most experienced Albert?


    And what about the traitor?


    What would he do?


    There was a significant chance federation might enter a civil war.


    So, Varian decided not to reveal this matter for now.


    "Recover soon."


    Bidding him farewell, Varian left.

 Chapter ?821 Whats The Planetoids Name Again?

    Chapter ?821 What''s Theoid''s Name Again?


    Aftering out of the special building, Varian encountered Minerva, Ares'' disciple.


    "Sir Varian!" She lunged at him with an excited expression.


    Varian dodged her hug and rubbed his forehead.


    Neptune people were famous for revering their idols. This culture was almost cult-like and was one of the reasons famous awakeners would rather stay on the battlefield than return home.


    Varian had heard of this, but he didn''t really understand the extent of this idol worship due to cultural differences.


    Earthlings admired strong families and wealthy corporations more than an individual.


    The only exception to this rule had been Julius whose individual fame exceeded that of the Xander family.


    But even then, the Xanders was a highly respected bunch. Of course, now that Varian showed their dark deeds, that respect plummeted.


    "Can I get an autograph?" Minerva asked with glittering eyes.


    Varian''s lips twitched at the question. But considering that she did help him regarding Ares, he signed his first autograph.


    "Yay!" Minvera cheered. "I''ll start a Fanclub after this war! Let''s goooo!"


    Speechless, Varian saw the girl board her spaceship as she set out to her post.


    She was a bit too enthusiastic in this wartime. Thankfully, she didn''t forget that they were actually in the midst of a deadly war!


    ''Speaking of enthusiasm, how is Sia, no, it''s Enigma now, how is she doing?'' Varian pursed his lips and tapped hism.


    A few minutes passed.


    "Enigma?"


    Even when she was so busy with her Shadow Guardian duty, Enigma usually picked up his call in a minute or two.


    But now¡­


    ''Is she in the middle of a battle?''


    That''s a possibility, but since Enigma was a mind awakener, she could justmand herm with just a thought and let him know she''s currently fighting.


    ''Could it be¡­'' A negative thought rose in his heart.


    Varian shook his head and suppressed the dangerous thought. "Boo, find Enigma''s location and hertest records! Now!"


    "Yes." Boo heard the seriousness in his voice and got to work.


    Varian boarded the ghost ship and headed straight to Neptune''s spaceport.


    A few minutester, Boo gave the report.


    "Master, Enigma wasst seen onoid Argos of Mars. But¡­"


    "But w-what?" Varian gripped his armrest and asked in a shaky voice.


    "The records are cut off abruptly." Boo appeared in front of Varian and bowed its head with a pitiful face.


    "What are thest records?" Varian gulped in fear as he asked.


    "This." Boo raised its small hand and a hologram started ying.


    Enigma was seen fighting three Abyssals. She was having a hard time but wasn''t overwhelmed. She had plenty of room to teleport away and protect herself.


    Her battle was captured by thousands of cameras across theoid.


    Then suddenly, a red light shed and all the surveince was cut off.


    "Wha¡­"


    Varian opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. Clenching his fist, he asked in a low voice. "Boo, a while ago, you reported there was no major news, didn''t you?"


    "¡­yes. This news was locked and the relevant data was encrypted by Athena. ording to the official records, Enigma had won the battle and is currently resting."


    "Fuck!" Varian punched the wall and a shockwave spread in the room, destroying all the essories.


    Mars officials were already in a pinch since they lost level 9s due to Mirage Queen. Now, if news got out that Enigma might be in trouble, the morale would go down. So, they decided to hide it entirely!


    "Search! Where''s shest spotted? Quick!" Varian growled.


    Boo nodded as it entered the surveince devices of Argosoid and everyoid nearby.


    A few minutester, Boo revealed the locations of theoid near which Enigma''s spaceship wasst seen.


    Elone!


    ¡­It was the farthestoid from Mars!


    Varian patted his chest to calm his racing heart and contacted the Athena agency.


    The hologram of a man in his thirties popped up. The details on the side revealed his basic information. A level 5¡­.dammit!


    "Mr. Varian? What can I do¡ª?"


    "I want the fastest route tooid Elone!" Varian said.


    The man scratched his head and said. "You should teleport from Uranus all the way to Mars. Then you can use a teleportation formation which will take you to aoid an hour away from Argos. If you don''t use the teleportation formation, it''ll take two hours to reach Elone."


    "I don''t have one goddamn hour!" Varian said in a chilling voice. "I want the fastest route!"


    "B-But¡­"


    "Fastest!" Varian''s eyes turned cold. "There must be emergency routes! Half of Mars'' poption was evacuated in a few hours. If you only used the routes on paper, there''s no way it could happen."


    The Athena agent fell silent before giving him a wry smile. "I don''t have any knowledge of that route."


    ''Someone else does.''


    Varian grasped the meaning and immediately ended the call. Then, he called the Sovereigns.


    Ares just went to sleep and didn''t lift the call. Irene was busy fighting.


    Varian didn''t want to dial up Micheal Caron who was a suspected traitor.


    Thankfully, Sovereign Kevin answered and his hologram popped up.


    Sovereign Kevin was also in a healing tube, but his injuries weren''t as bad as Ares, even though they''re terrible nheless.


    Kevin smiled lightly and said. "Varian, your Pluto mission¡ª"


    "Sovereign, I need the fastest route tooid Elone," Varian said. "Please."


    Kevin checked the location of Elone and fell silent.


    Varian''s heart grew heavy when Kevin suddenly asked. "Did you really fight a hundred and eighty level 8 wyverns?"


    "Sorry?"


    "Say ''Yes''. If you do it, do it all the way." Kevinughed.


    Varian grew angry and asked. "I need the¡ª"


    "The route is yourm."


    "Yes?"


    "Yes, Yes is the answer." Kevin smiled and ended the call.


    Varian shook his head and quickly checked hism.


    Sure enough, there was a hidden route for emergencies.


    He needed to board aoid on Neptune, then he''d be teleported to a secret realm near Neptune and Uranus. Then, he''d reach a Uranusoid, another secret realm, and finally Saturn.


    Then Saturn''soid to Jupiter''s and Jupiter''s to Mars''!


    The reason this route was a top secret was that all the teleportation formations he was going to use were ''hidden''.


    "A one-hour journey will be reduced to ten minutes. Great!" Varian grinned and headed for a particroid of Neptune.


    It was nearby, so Ghostship only took two minutes to secretlynd at the bottom of an ocean.


    The war was in full swing in thisoid as well. Both sides were giving their best. But without the advantage of wyverns, the Abyssals didn''t gain any special advantage over Humans.


    Varian didn''t intend to intervene in this battle. They might get suspicious if he suddenly appeared here and then disappeared.


    ''Who am I kidding? I just want to get to Sia as soon as I can.'' Varian snickered as the ghost ship entered a seemingly ordinary cave and reached a huge wall.


    A mechanical arm extended out and tapped on a specific ce in a pattern. In response, a holographic screen appeared.


    Boo typed in the dynamic passcode from Varian''sm and the ''wall'' disappeared, revealing a teleportation formation behind it.


    The teleportation formation lit up and in a second, the Ghost ship reached an obscure secret realm between Neptune and Uranus.


    This secret realm had no teleportation formation.


    Ghost ship exited the secret realm and in a minute, found the secret realm. This one had a teleportation formation!


    The ghost ship teleported once again andnded underground in a Uranus''oid.


    As expected, there was no teleportation formation on thisoid either. Instead, they''d have to reach a nearbyoid.


    In thatoid, the teleportation formation was present inside a fortress!


    "What''s theoid name again?"


    Boo checked the map and answered in a low voice.


    "Hellsong."

 Chapter 822 Get The Fuck Out Or Die

    Chapter 822 Get The Fuck Out Or Die


    The Ghostship streaked across the endless dark space at breakneck speed. The space subsystems worked continuously as they loosened and hardened the space around it to keep the ghostship at top speeds.


    The stealth subsystem¡ªconsisting of light and darkness subsystems also worked tirelessly. With a mix of these two powers, the Ghostship achieved stealth hard for even level 9s to notice.


    In two minutes, the Ghostship reached a reddish brownoid.


    With a gesture, Varian''s seat moved to the edge and the man gazed out of the window.


    Hellsong. Aoid that turned out to be a nightmare for even great military tacticians.


    Right now, the plnaetoid''s clouds were filled with a hue of red while small lightning arcs crackled across the sky.


    And the ground¡­


    Varian abruptly stood up and stared at theoid''s surface.


    The Abyssal armies, almost five hundred thousand in total, were now marching into five giant fortresses!


    "Oh shit! The teleportation formation!" Varian''s face turned grim.


    The secret teleportation formation was under one of these fortresses. If the Abyssals find it, then the time for him to reach Enigma would increase greatly.


    The Ghostship had already reached the clouds. The situation became clear.


    The Abyssal army was ughtering the Human army! The level 8 Abyssals were unleashing terror as they decimated the army like they were stepping on ants.


    Varian noticed that there were no level 8 humans fighting these level 8 Abyssals.


    Not one!


    Varian''s breath turned haggard and he put his hand over his chest. "Please stay alive! Stay alive!"


    The fastest way to get to the area below the fortress was through the fortress itself! ording to the information Sovereign Kevin sent, themander of the fortress was the only one with ess to that area.


    Hellsong''s fortressmander was a peak level 8. But not even a low level 8 was anywhere to be seen now.


    Varian saw carnage unleash in front of his eyes. He wanted to help. He wanted to intervene.


    But Sia''s face shed in his mind. The time she spent under Roxanne yed like an endless loop.


    Varian lowered his head and gritted his teeth. In the end, he picked his choice. "Boo, go to the fortress, we''ll break into the underground¡ª"


    Before he could finish, a red light shed and flickered in the sky and the Ghostship veered to the left.


    A red lightning bolt exploded right behind the Ghostship and painted the sky a beautiful red.


    Before the Ghostship could even stabilize, ten more reddish lightning bolts reached it.


    Boo realized then, this wasn''t an on spot attack, but a pre-nned one!


    "Master, someone is¡ª"


    Varian appeared in front of the Ghostship and pped at the lightning bolts.


    The attacks scattered in different directions and blew up in the Abyssal army, killing thousands.


    Varian didn''t spare them a second nce. Instead, he looked at the Abyssal who suddenly appeared in front of him.


    With his full body crimson armor, it was clear that this Abyssal wasn''t someone from the sr system.


    Besides, what really stood out was his killing intent.


    If everyone''s killing intent was like air, this guy''s killing intent was simr to that of viscous fog.


    But Varian wasn''t in the mind to think all that. He had only one goal now: to rush to Enigma as soon as possible.


    He already informed the people he could trust to find her, but it wasn''t sessful so far.


    Besides, Varian had a fear of losing Sia and Sarah due to his own near-death experiences.


    So, to this new strong enemy that appeared out of nowhere, Varian only said a single thing.


    "Fuck off!"


    Alec Everblood was observing the so-called monster. But hearing Varian''s words, his eyes turned cold and without another word, he raised his sword.


    Varian''s body blurred and he reached Alec the next moment.


    Alec''s eyes widened as he felt the space around him harden. His mind slowed down at the same time. At the same time, an invisible force struck his wrist, causing his sword swing to lose some of its force and also change its direction.


    All of this happened in a blink and when Alec swung his sword, Varian punched him.


    A muffled cough sounded in the air as Alec crashed to the ground raising a cloud of dust and shaking the entire battlefield for the thirty-mile radius.


    "What the¡­!" The Abyssal Army that was in the middle of ughtering humans stopped in its tracks.


    The level 8 Abyssals that were having fun squashing the ''bugs'' also hissed as they turned at this horrifying creature.


    Alec Everblood was strong. Strong to the point he defeated Batran¡ªa terrifying dual awakener in minutes.


    Even when all the level 8 humans banded against him, he took them down easily.


    Heck, he even destroyed the defense barrier of the fortress with three attacks!


    Such a man¡­


    Clutching his stomach, Alec Everblood stood up in the deep crater that formed after he crashed.


    Four of his ribs were broken and his entire torso was now drenched in blood. The Abyssal''s face, once confident and cold was now pale.


    He looked up at the human whom even the Abyss Emperor termed as a ''monster'' with aplicated expression. "No wonder¡­"


    Varian, on the other hand, noticed that even though the Abyssal was injured, he wasn''t out of the game.


    Even if he tried to kill him, it''d take at least a minute!


    For someone who cleaned up entireoid level 8s in a minute or two, this was an extremely long time to spend on a single individual. But this also showed how strong Alec was.


    But what of it?


    Sure, he couldst sixty secondspared to three seconds by your average level 8, but he''s just a bigger prey at the end.


    However, Varian wasn''t even willing to waste that much time.


    With hands behind his back, in the presence of five hundred thousand Abyssals, Varian looked at the Abyssal in crimson and the twenty level 8 Abyssals with undisguised contempt. "Either get the fuck out or die."

 Chapter ?823 Overwhelming Strength

    Chapter ?823 Overwhelming Strength


    The level 8 Abyssals on Hellsong were enraged at Varian''s words.


    "Son of a bitch! Do you really think you''re invincible?"


    "You''re just one, and we''re twenty!"


    In a blink, twenty Abyssals surrounded Varian.


    They hadn''t heard of Varian''s exploits on Neptune. And certainly not Pluto.


    In their opinion, Varian was stronger than Alec, but not to the point hepletely crushed him.


    If they and Alec joined hands, then defeating Varian was a given.


    Varian guaged the strength of his enemies and realized that they were all pretty strong. Either high level 8s or peak level 8s.


    If he really started fighting, it''d take at least three to five minutes.


    And if that Abyssal in Crimson joined, then twenty minutes or more.


    ''I can''t spend that much time here¡­'' Varian''s eyes shed with a little hesitation.


    Noticing the change in Varian''s expression, the Abyssal Commanderughed. "Scared? Are you scared now? No use! You''ll end up the same as that Batran!"


    Those words invogorated the remaining Abyssals and they all channeled their auras as they looked at Varian with venemous eyes.


    Varian raised his hand and the twenty Abyssals suddenly felt their hearts jump.


    An omnious sensation overwhelmed their very beings and a cold killing intent enveleoped them.


    "Hiss!"


    The twenty level 8 Abyssals sucked in a breath of cold air as they shivered.


    Varian''s figure appeared in front of a level 8 and his hand pped down.


    The remaining neen Abyssals wanted to stop him, but due to the horrifying killing intent, they were a bitte.


    So, they could only watch Varian''s hand reach the head of the Abyssal to st it into¡ª


    The Abyssal that was about to die was blown back and in his ce was Alec Everblood, blocking Varian''s punch with a red lightning spear.


    The world seemed to dim for a moment before a huge shockwave spread out from the point of contact.


    With the sound of a giant explosion following, Alec was sent flying a few miles while Varian stood in ce, his gaze growing increasingly hostile.


    "You''re so dead." Varian''s words were like an ominous prophecy.


    Alec withdrew his spear. His arms were still shaking from the previous block and his palms were bleeding heavily.


    "I really can''t kill you." The Abyssal in crimson finally admitted as he gave Varian a serious gaze. "Neither can all of us."


    The level 8 Abyssals that previously surrounded Varian were already slowly slipping back. Hearing Alec''s words, they gave up any pretense and started retreating at full speed.


    Varian didn''t care about their movements while he kept his gaze locked on the Abyssal in crimson, ready to deliver the next blow.


    Even though he was a step stronger than Alec, he didn''t feel any safe facing this Abyssal. Varian had a feeling that if he made a slight mistake, then Alec would be able to give him a major blow.


    Alec''s second strike strengthened this notion and also made him realize that killing Alec would take more time than he initially thought. Time that he didn''t have.


    ''But there''s no choice. If I try to enter the teleportation formation with him here, he can just destroy it and ruin my ns.''


    Varian''s hostility grew and he teleported in front of Alec with a lightning spear in his right hand and an ice spear in left.


    Alec''s eyebrows jumped at this ridiculous disy of powers.


    ''A hybrid? Did Devas reach so far in hybrid research thousands of years ago?'' His mind shed with thoughts that he quickly set aside.


    Alec turned into a mass of lightning and met head-on with Varian''s attack. The sky shed with colors of blue, gold, and red before the red quickly vanished.


    Alec''s figure blurred and he retreated from Varian before jumping into a spaceship. It looked different from the average Abyssal ships.


    A split secondter, it gave off a bright light and vanished!


    ''Teleported. Is he still on theoid?'' Varian''s eyes narrowed and he wondered if he should hunt Alec down.


    "Varian, I thought I could kill you. I couldn''t. But your death has been decided by his majesty. No matter where you hide, you can''t be saved." Alec''s confident words lingered in the air followed by a burst ofughter.


    Varian snorted in dismissal. Inwardly, however, he was vignt. ''Abyss Emperor is targetting me now? What a great honor.''


    Shaking his head, Varian asked Boo to check the surveince of theoid. "Master, that Abyssal is gone!"


    "I don''t want to dy the journey further," Varian smiled and was about to enter the fortress when he realized he was forgetting the level 8 Abyssals.


    "Where are the rest?"


    "They all grouped a few hundred miles away."


    "So rather die than run?" Varian''s lips curled up into a cruel smile. "I''ll grant their wish."


    His figure vanished and appeared a few hundred miles away, right in front of the twenty level 8 Abyssals.


    "Var¡ª"


    The aura of seven divine powers glowed and overwhelmed the Abyssals.


    Heads flew into the air, bodies were burnt, the living were frozen to death and most ended up as a bunch of bones and flesh.


    Two minutester, Varian crushed the neck of thest Abyssal and teleported above the fortress.


    The reason he killed those Abyssals was to ensure they wouldn''t investigate anything once he used the formation. If they did and destroyed it, then the emergency route Sovereign Kevin entrusted him for use would be destroyed.


    Even with them dead, he didn''t enter the fortress.


    The Abyssal army was still present. Of course, they no longer had any confidence in ''winning'' thisoid.


    The level 7 Abyssals were more clear of this than anyone. So, they ordered a retreat in hopes to preserve as much manpower as possible.


    Varian kept teleporting from one ce to another over the Abyss army while he rained them with attacks.


    Lightning bolts, Ice bullet rain, and Telekic arrows killed tens of thousands.


    Varian''s ocassional punches created huge craters killing thousands.


    Hundreds of Abyssals started attacking their own army while being trapped in his illusions.


    In just minutes, the Abyss army had devolved into a state of utter chaos.


    The remaining Human army, only about 10% of the original, kicked back into action and restarted the defenses of the fortresses.


    Since the Abyssals were retreating, they got enough room to finish theplex process.


    Varian disappeared from everyone''s sight and teleported into the lowest floor of one of the fortresses.


    There were only a few soldiers on the way and he used his mental powers to hide himself and sent them away.


    The situation was too chaotic now and no one would notice what''s happening here.


    After going through several corridors and halls, Varian stopped in front of a particr wall. This was the entrance to the teleportation formation.


    He touched the wall for a few seconds before punching it. "Key¡­I need the key. If I forcibly open it, the whole fortress will blow up."


    Even if he forcibly opened the route in the previous ces, the consequences weren''t so heavy.


    But this was a great fortress and thus had excellent defensive mechanisms.


    "Fuck!" Varian cursed and ordered. "Boo, look for them of this fortress''mander."


    "Yes, Master!"


    Boo took over the surveince of theoid while tracking them on the side.


    A minuteter, Boo''s childish but excited voice sounded. "Master, found it!"


    Varian''s eyes lit up and his figure disappeared from the fortress.


    A few secondster, he appeared in front of a building, deep in one of the Abyss Military Base.


    The Abyssals were still chaotic and no one entered this area that was originally reserved for level 8s.


    "He''s in there?" Varian looked at the thick metallic red door and asked.


    His senses couldn''t get into this building and he had no idea if there were Abyssals inside.


    "Yes, master. Hism connection was cut off here."


    Varian took a breath and clenched his fist.


    He covered the whole building using his telekic barrier and also created a solidified space barrier, sealing any sound from leaking.


    "Here we go," Varian''s arm blurred and the door squeaked violently as a fist-shaped dent appeared on it.


    He could''ve directly destroyed the whole thing, but in doing so, he couldn''t guarentee the safety of the person inside.


    The humanmander was likely dead, but there''s a small chance he could be alive.


    Even though Varian wanted to get the key at any cost to reach Sia as soon as possible, he controlled that impulse and decided to spend a few more seconds here.


    Varian''s arm blurred as he threw hundreds of punches in a blink and the door copsed.


    Stepping inside, Varian sensed weak breathing and rushed into a corner room.


    "What the¡­"


    Varian flinched as he stepped back. His heart stopped for a moment and he even forgot to breathe.

 Chapter 824 Even If We Have To Leave Everything Behind

    Chapter 824 Even If We Have To Leave Everything Behind


    (Warning: Gore. It ends after *** *** ***)


    The man, if he could still be called one, had lost all resemnce to a living being.


    His whole skin was missing, resulting in a grotesque sight. The nerves, the blood vessels, and even the blood flow were visible.


    There were only empty sockets in the ce his eyes once were, his tongue was cut off, and his teeth were broken. His ears were scalded.


    The chair he was strapped to waspletely drenched in his blood.


    *** *** ***


    The man himself was barely breathing and with each breath, his body twitched and spammed and his face grimaced from the pain.


    The fact that he''s still alive was a miracle in itself!


    From them thrown at the corner of the room, Varian recognized the man''s identity.


    Batran. A Peak level 8. The Commander of a hundred thousand-strong army. The protector of a fortress.


    Looking at his pitiful condition, Varian felt deep sorrow well inside him. Even though he tried his best to prevent it, his eyes turned red.


    A man doing his duty, leading his people into war so that everyone else can be safe.


    If he lost and got captured, his fate wasplete up to the enemies.


    A quick and merciful death? A painful death?


    Or worse, brutal torture like this one.


    Varian opened his mouth to speak, but all that left his throat was a muffled call.


    The man on the chair stiffened and turned his eyeless face towards Varian. He opened his mouth to speak, but without his tongue, the man couldn''t utter a word.


    And just for this small movement, blood spilled out from the man''s body and he started to twitch in pain.


    His mind got closer to beingpletely broken.


    Varian couldn''t bear to look at him like this anymore and used his psychic powers to knock him out.


    Then, he quickly pulled the man into the ghost ship and used his telekic powers to ce in the best healing pod he had.


    "M-Master, what is this? No, who is this!" Boo cried out in fear and shock.


    Varian lowered his head. "He''s the hero who tried to save the fortress. A man who didn''t break even under inhumane torture. A warrior who still had the courage to stare me in the face thinking I was an enemy."


    A deep silence followed.


    Boo studied the injuries and flinched.


    Varian grabbed am from the room and walked out. "Let him rest. Inform his family members and the military that he''s safe."


    "Yes." Boo nodded.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    The Ghostship entered the fortress again and with Batran''sm, it easily opened the secret formation and teleported to the nextoid.


    From there, Varian''s supervision wasn''t required and Boo took over the travel.


    Varian, on the other hand, was standing in front of Sarah''s retreat room.


    No matter how hard he tried, Batran''s figure shed in his mind.


    How much pain did he endure?


    Even if they''re archenemies, this was kicking below the belt.


    ''Damn you Abyssals!'' Varian''s eyes turned red and he knocked on the door. "S-Sarah, I want to¡­see you."


    One after another negative thoughts popped into his mind and Varian felt increasingly worse.


    To add to his woes, Sarah''s reply didn''te.


    Varian knew she was in a retreat and was better off being alone. That''s why he didn''t bother her so far.


    But now¡­


    Varian looked at his pale face and bloodshot eyes in the silver wall''s reflection and shook his head.


    A few more seconds passed, but there was no response.


    ''Fine¡­'' Varian gritted his teeth and was about to turn around when the door opened.


    A mix of green, white and red light lit up the entire ghost ship.


    Varian walked towards the source of the beautiful lights.


    The room was devoid of any items and waspletely bare except for a few pictures and short videos floating on the walls.


    Varian gave a nce at these collections and his footsteps slowed down.


    They were all taken during the vacation. With each video, a memory shed in Varian''s mind and warmth spread in his heart.


    In a photo, Sia and Sarah were checking new clothes during a shopping tour. Behind them was him with a haggard face.


    Varian remembered that day clearly. He bragged about his ''patience'' in front of the girls. They took him shopping for six freaking hours. Only then did he understand what patience really was.


    In a short video, Sarah was seriously trying to cook while Sia sneaked behind her and yelled. Sarah was startled and identally threw the half-cooked dish into the mes. Sia burst outughing and in revenge, Sarah chased after her.


    That day, Sarah kept pouting until Varian helped her ''punish'' Sia.


    ''Sia¡­'' Varian forced a smile but he didn''t know if she was alive or¡­


    Taking a deep breath, Varian walked toward the woman who emitted the colorful lights.


    In a white one-piece, Sarah was floating in the air as she sat crossed-legged. Giving off a holy aura, she looked like an angel from the old myths.


    She''s almost at the end of her retreat, but currently at a critical juncture. So, she couldn''t open her eyes or talk to him.


    Varian didn''t mind. His feet left the ground as he floated behind her. "Sarah, what I''m about to do, don''t get startled."


    He gave her two seconds to prepare herself before embracing her from behind.


    "Sarah¡­" Varian wrapped his arms around her waist and felt her soft body in his.


    He felt her slightly unsteady breath, her racing heart, her cold skin. He could smell the smell of a specialvender, unique to her.


    Sarah''s eyshes fluttered and she was about to forcibly break her retreat to ask what happened with him for him to behave like this.


    Varian felt her movements and kissed her cheek. "Don''t. I''m fine. I just missed you."


    Sarah''s face turned rosy but her eyebrows knitted together. She could tell Varian was lying, but she also understood he didn''t want to worry her.


    Whatever he was facing, he just wanted to see her and hug her.


    If so, she was more than happy. She too missed his warmth.


    The couple stayed in a tight hug while they remained silent. It was a familiar silence. A silence offort.


    ''I used to think getting killed is the worst thing that could happen to you two, but I was wrong. What happened to Batran, that was brutal¡­.'' Varian held Sarah''s hand and interlocked his fingers with hers.


    Even though she was right in front of him, he was scared.


    ''I don''t want you two to ever face that fate. Even¡­if we have to leave everything behind, as long as you''re both safe, then everything is worth it.''


    Sarah felt Varian''s trembling body. And she could feel his thumping heart.


    Even though he hadn''t uttered a word, Sarah could feel the grief Varian was in. The turmoil he was facing, his resolve despite the hardships, and finally, his care towards her.


    ''Varian, if it can make you feel like this, then it must be something terrible.'' Sarah wanted to hug him and tell him it''ll be alright.


    That even if it''s something they can''t ovee, they''d face it together. But she couldn''t even speak in her current condition.


    A teardrop slid down her cheek as Sarah grieved for the pain he was suffering. ''You have to face this all alone. Forgive me.''

 Chapter ?825 She Wakes Up

    Chapter ?825 ''She'' Wakes Up


    The Ghostship teleported to a Marsoid, Argos. Then it rushed tooid Elone at full speed.


    Varian''s spirit had recovered considerably after spending a few minutes with Sarah.


    He didn''t like to be vulnerable, but sometimes, things got too hard. But at least, he had someone he could share his grievences with.


    ''Sia will be fine.'' Varian told himself. ''She has to be.''


    As the Ghostship was going toward Elone, Boo appeared in front of him and said. "Master, Enigma''sm is hidden. Boo suspects she''s currently in an isted environment."


    "Isted?" Varian''s face paled and Batran''s face shed in his mind. The aura in his body got chaotic and he shook his head violently. "NO! She isn''t captured!"


    "¡­Master, please calm down," Boo said in a helpless tone. "She could''ve isted herself too."


    "Why?" Varian asked with a rough breath. His mind was muddled and he had a hard time thinking clearly.


    Boo was about to exin when Varian raised his head and shook his head.


    "No¡­I have to deal with this sooner orter." Varian said and slumped into a chair.


    He didn''t know why Enigma could''ve isted herself, but he did know he wasn''t in the right mind to think it through.


    So, the first thing he did was to take a few breaths and calm his heart that was thumping in fear, imagining the worst-case scenario.


    After he calmed down, Varian got to thinking and he quickly understood. "Enigma is seriously injured. So, she wants to be in a hidden location or facility so that the technocrats can''t find her through herm, right?"


    Boo opened its mouth in shock before nodding in admiration. Thinking this wasn''t a big deal for Varian, but doing it in his emotional state was certainly so.


    "Abyssals also have the capability of tracking downms. So, Boo believes Enigma hid in an isted facility to prevent herself from being caught."


    Varian leaned back into the chair and exhaled deeply. "That''s¡­.a relief."


    If it''s true, it certainly was good news.


    But it''s also possible that she could''ve been captured and hence herm was isted.


    "Boo, can you track herm?" Varian asked with a serious expression.


    "But it''ll take time."


    "Do it as fast as you can."


    Boo nodded and put its 150% into work.


    Even though Boo didn''t say it out loud, it was really worried about Enigma''s safety. ''Almost mute woman who always likes wearing ck, don''t die.''


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    A few hundred miles away fromoid Elone, a spaceship was disguised as an asteroid.


    The AI of the spaceship was treating her injuries, but Enigma''s recovery was very slow.


    When the precious potions tried to heal her, the strong killing intent enveloping her rendered them less effective.


    "N-No¡­I don''t want to go¡­" Beads of sweat rolled down Enigma''s forehead as her body writhed in pain.


    She never had to risk her life. There was a choice she could''ve taken when her life was in danger. She always had that choice.


    But if she went that route, then Enigma wasn''t sure if she could ever ''wake'' up again.


    She''d be trapped in endless darkness. It''s like sleeping and never waking up. It might as well be death.


    At this moment, six spaceships approached the fake asteroid.


    The spaceships of Abyssals!


    "Sir, she''s here!" A thin human in a white coat pointed at the asteroid a few hundred miles away.


    "Are you sure?" The Abyssal on a throne, adorned in scarlet armor, crossed his right leg over left and asked in a calm voice.


    "Yes, yes!" The traitor scientist nodded vehemently. It was all thanks to adding a special treasure this Abyssal gave him. Using Enigma''s blood, it acted like apass.


    "Great!" d Striker stood up with a beaming smile.


    The other four Blood Heirs had their own tasks. He''s the one who took up hunting down Enigma.


    If Enigma hid in a human military base, he''d have had a hard time approaching her.


    But good for him, Enigma had deep trust issues with humans.


    So she got caught and there''s no way she could escape!


    "Hahahaha!" d Striker clenched his fists as he prepared to beat her to death. "Go faster! I can''t wait to break all her bones!"


    His spaceship reached Enigma''s and without waiting for it to close the distance, d Strike rushed out and dashed towards the fake asteroid.


    In her spaceship, Enigma''s eyshes fluttered before they abruptly stopped. Pitch-ck darkness enveloped her and a terrifying aura filled the spaceship.


    Due to the sheer pressure, this spaceship, which could even handle a few level 8 attacks, began to break down.


    Enigma''s body stood up. Like a cloak, darkness filled her and her body changed.


    Her violet hair changed into pitch ck, her body turned more curvy and mature, and her face¡­it was covered by a veil of darkness, hiding everything but her pitch ck eyes.


    Raising her head, the woman turned toward the iing Abyssal before shifting her attention to the ghost ship.


    Even if this spaceship could withstand a few level 8 attacks, Varian would still be a few secondste.


    Enigma would die. So would she.


    ''With this intervention, my origin will go back to being unstable.'' The woman raised her hand nheless.


    She wouldn''t be able to wake up until her origin got stabilized, but the situation left her with no choice.


    ''To stabilize my origin, the three paths have to get back to at least Celestial Rank.'' A deep sigh left her ck lips.


    This was a trump card she didn''t want to use.


    Because she had only one chance. Once she used up the chance, even if their lives, which also included her life, were threatened, she couldn''t intervene.


    ''I was saving up the chance for the Abyss Emperor, but fickle fate, you are on your own.'' The woman could only pin her hopes on Varian.


    Even if they couldn''t win, she wanted Enigma to safety.


    ''He will do that, he loves Sia, doesn''t he?'' The woman''s eyes shed.


    The darkness in her body surged and She locked onto the iing Abyssal.


    ''You are the reason I''m going to risk my life!'' The woman''s ck eyes turned cold and a killing intent never seen before in Sr System appeared.


    "Die."


    An invisible shockwave of aura spread throughout the sr system.


    The Sovereigns, the Abyss Kings, and Queens stopped in their tracks and looked in a particr direction.


    "W-What the¡­" Julius panted heavily as he felt a terrifying force pass by him.


    It was just a remnant, a trace of the whole, yet it carried such a terror that his body instinctively wanted to flee.


    "Celestial Rank?" Demon King frowned as he controlled his shaking legs. "N-No, not Celestial but it feels like one."


    No Sovereign nor Abyss Ruler had any answer to this question. They even stopped fighting for a few minutes as they looked at each other dumbly.


    But nearoid Elone, the Abyssal''s spaceship and the Abyssal d himself disappeared as if they were never there in the first ce.


    Thirty secondster, the Ghostship reached the ce and Varian found Enigma copsed on the floor.


    Seeing that she was safe, Varian cried out in joy! "She''s safe! Thank, Thank the heavens!"

 Chapter 826 Ill See You On The Other Side

    Chapter 826 I''ll See You On The Other Side


    Saturn was facing an unexpected crisis.


    Guests from the distantnds, a Blood Heir, one of the Abyssals in crimson made her presence known.


    Theoid Oyan, aoid perpetually covered in snow, was now facing chaos.


    The human army gave up the offense as they hurriedly retreated back to their bases.


    The Abyssal army chased them with more and more aggressive tactics. When the army was about to enter their base, the Abyssals ignored any form of self-defense and attacked the human soldiers.


    From the sky, these two sides appeared like groups of ck and grey dots moving on pure white paper.


    "Hurry! Start it!"


    "But Sir, it''s not advis¡ª"


    "It''s the only choice!"


    Begrudgingly, the technicians started the defense mechanisms of the military base. Thetest weapons started shooting down the Abyssals.


    The weapons worked well for the low level Abyssals. To a certain extent, the explosions hurt even level 4s.


    But that''s it. Level 5s and higher easily dodged these attacks.


    The problem became serious when the telekics finally intervened and blocked the attacks in the defensive weapon itself.


    These highly technological armaments were already studied by Abyssals. With a clever tactic, the telekics messed up theunching of the attacks.


    So, the defensive weapons that were supposed to attack Abyssals either misfired and killed unsuspecting humans or simply exploded.


    Humans had an option to use highly destructive weapons like nukes. But if a level 7 or even a level 6 telekic intervened, then they could easily turn the tables.


    This happened in the past and humans were bombarded with their own nukes enough times until they gave up trying to win Abyssals with mass destruction weapons.


    The fight continued and as the Abyssal army pressed on,10% of the weapons were destroyed before they stopped firing. It was the human army itself that deactivated the remaining ones since the Abyssals started taking advantage of them.


    The human army, despite a whopping 5% loss, managed to make it back to the defense base.


    The defense base quickly enclosed itself and formed a giant fortress. Several formations began to kick in and a defensive system was created.


    The temporary Commander of the base, a peak level 7, observed the overall situation.


    The Abyss army was regrouping. It was a prelude to their long invasion.


    ''Even with our losses, we should be able to hold off for a whole week with the base''s support. Only¡­'' Themander''s eyes shed and he raised his head to look at the horizon.


    Oyan''s horizon which was traditionally dark blue was now orange-red. And not just that, he could see a patch of blue in the long distance. Not the normal white of snow, but a blue of the water.


    Oyan''s perennial snow was melting.


    As for the reason¡­


    The sky suddenly turned red and the sounds of a phoenix screeching reached the base.


    Before anyone could respond, a huge explosion urred on the horizon and a red shockwave spread out at a breakneck speed.


    The tongues of the mes hissed like snakes as they melted away the snow upon contact. These shockwaves spread for hundreds of miles and finally hit the human soldiers. Even then, they still felt their skin burn.


    "Wait!" The Commander held his breath as he realized the Abyssal army outside was in chaos.


    The snow they were previously standing on turned into ankle-deep water. Even though it wasn''t a big deal for the strong Abyssals, most of the army was made up of low and mid awakeners.


    "We can use this chance." The Commander''s eyes shed brightly.


    If someone saw Oyan from space at this moment, they''d see a tenth of the whiteoid was turning blue.


    "Water Folks!" The Commander ordered.


    "Yes, Sir!" A few thousand soldiers stepped forward.


    The Commander nced at the increasingly red shade of the sky onest time and made a final decision.


    He smiled at the Water regiment and said. "Give your everything and create the best opportunities."


    Then, he turned to the main army with a scorching gaze. "Brave men and women of Oyan!"


    "Yes, Sir!" The military base shook at their roar.


    "We will all die." He said in a calm tone.


    Even though the soldiers were already clear about this, hearing it from their highest superior still dimmed their eyes.


    "But!" The Commander stretched his hand toward them.


    "Your death." He clenched his fist and raised it to his eye level. "It''s still in your hands."


    At those words brimming with valor, the hundred-thousand-strong army stiffened.


    "Chose!" The Commander roared. "You can have an insignificant death when that Crimson Abyssal eventually wins and kills us like cannon fodder."


    "Or." He took a deep breath before he raised his voice even further.


    "You can die killing an Abyssal or two! You can die fighting! Like a real soldier! As a real human!"


    Themander turned around and jumped into the Abyssal army, leaving behind hisst words. "Choose!"


    The brave men and women felt their blood boil as they not only epted their death but also chose it.


    "Kill!"


    The Abyssal army was still in the middle of changing their tactics due to the sudden water when the ground shook.


    A hundred thousand men and women rushed out of the defense base as theyunched a horrifying attack.


    The Abyssal army was dumbfounded at this reversal.


    The sky was painted in myriad colors and the ground cracked apart as countless attacks of all kinds enveloped the battlefield.


    The snow was painted red and green.


    "We don''t have much time, forget everything, see one, kill one!"


    The humans that embraced their death were far more terrifying than the Abyssals imagined.


    "Die? I want to die! But as I die, I want to bring down ten of you with me!"


    The Abyssals suddenly fell into a defensive formation, yet they couldn''t stop the suicidal attacks of the human army.


    Due to these mad tactics, each human endured far more pain and injuries than an average Abyssal.


    But it didn''t matter to them.


    Even as their blood spilled out like a fountain and their flesh was sliced off, they marched forward.


    "I killed four Abyssals!"


    "I killed two!"


    The dying soldiers announced before breathing theirst as if to prove their death wasn''t in vain.


    Witnessing the death of the people he shared many life and death moments with, the Commander''s eyes turned moist.


    But he didn''t stop attacking the Abyssal Commander. Instead, his attacks grew fiercer, and finally, he sliced the throat of the Abyssal and in exchange, his own chest was blown apart, destroying his heart.


    As hey on the melting snow, the Commander nced at the scarlet sky and said his parting words.


    As if they were a testimony to his strong resolve, they lingered in the air longer than others.


    "There isn''t much time. Die well, my fellow brothers and sisters¡­I''ll see you on the other side."

 Chapter ?827 A Transparent Crystal

    Chapter ?827 A Transparent Crystal


    On the high skies ofoid Oyan, giant birds made of mes screeched at a man in blue clothes as they reached him.


    Their red-med bodies burned blue for a moment and they were about to explode.


    The man had already experienced these sts and was prepared. With a swipe of his hand, the snow on the ground reached all the way to the clouds and enveloped the me birds.


    Then the snow hardened into an ice shield and sealed up the unruly creatures.


    But before the man could catch a break, the ice shield started to crack and thin but potent beams of fire seeped out of it.


    "Not again," The Commander pped his hand in the direction of the me and a huge mass of snow from the ground flew to the sky and enveloped the ice shield.


    The me creatures tried their best to break out, but after realizing it was impossible, they decisively blew themselves up.


    The ice shield sted into pieces and the temperature of the surroundings quickly rose.


    No matter what, he solved the current cris¡ª


    "Have you forgotten me?" A sweet but poisonous voice sounded behind the Commander.


    Hearing those words, the Commander channeled his ice aura and rushed to the ground.


    Seeing the man escape without even trying to fight her, the Abyssal in Crimson covered her mouth as she let out a burst ofughter.


    But her scarlet eyes were brimming with killing intent.


    She had just received a message from Pluto.


    ''Varian destroyed the teleportation formations. So, we can only rely on the other n. Hurry up.''


    Even though there were no detailed exnations on how he did it, Alvira was impressed nheless.


    ''Facing the army of an entire, surviving two hundred wyverns of his level and stilling out on top. What a man!'' She was filled with admiration towards this ''monster'' she never met.


    His feats were something even she had to look up to.


    But that''s precisely why¡­


    ''You shouldn''t be allowed to live.'' Alvira''s expression turned cold.


    Alvira Everblood shook her head and threw those thoughts out. There was someone who was specifically assigned for Varian''s death.


    The n was foolproof. In fact, it could even be used on a Sovereign and they would also die. But the Abyss Emperor insisted on using it on Varian. It sealed his fate.


    ''Thisoid is the hardest one for me. Once I conquer this, nothing can stop me.'' Alvira''s body burst into mes and she shot to the ground like a meteor.


    The snow melted upon her arrival and for a dozen-mile radius, even the water evaporated, leaving only a barrennd.


    The Commander looked at the female Abyssal''s power and gritted his teeth.


    Oyan was an iceoid. His powers were boosted and her powers were suppressed.


    Yet, she was still a bit stronger than him, a peak level 8!


    ''If she goes to otheroids, she''ll be unstoppable.'' The Commander''s eyes shed with resolve and he decided to kill her at the cost of his own life.


    "Die!"


    The temperature plummeted and a chilling sensation spread in Alvira''s body. Before she knew it, snow reached her feet, and was about to crawl up.


    "Hmph!"


    Alivra lit up like a human torch and the falling temperature was forcibly raised. But the snow infused with lots of water mana refused to melt.


    "Is this the best you can do?" Alvira red at the human glowing in soft blue light.


    The Commander poured even more mana into the snow. The snow around Alvira got colder and more resilient.


    Alvira''s legs, up to the calves were quickly covered in snow and they werepletely frozen!


    "You bastard!" Alvira elementalized and turned into an Abyssal outline of mes.


    A red light shed and Alvira reached the Commander in a split second. The Commander also elementalized and turned into human-shaped water.


    Then they collided.


    The fire and water blended as theypeted at the most primal level.


    Water tried to douse the fire. Fire tried to vaporize the water.


    From the clouds, one could see a whole area spanning a dozen miles shining red and blue.


    Thend first froze and snow formed, then it melted andva was created, which froze again and turned into snow.


    The cycle continued again and again.


    Thend went from ice to fire and fire to ice and the speed of exchange only continued to increase.


    From an aerial view, thend was turning red and blue at a breakneck speed. The speed continued to increase until the difference in the turn reached a negligible point. Then, thend turned red and blue at the same time.


    At that moment, the world seemed to stand still.


    Then, the wholeoid shook for a moment and thend of conflict, spanning a whole fifteen miles was destroyed, leaving behind a deep crater.


    At the center of the cratery, the blue light flickered on and off before it permanently went off.


    Then, a red light shone and exited the crater.


    Alvira Everblood''s face was slightly pale and she was bleeding in several ces. But that''s all. She didn''t have even a single major injury.


    Her condition wasn''t very bad, and she could easily ughter the human army on Oyan. But she didn''t do that.


    Instead, she reached a secret location and checked a transparent crystal floating there.


    "Did it begin?"


    The crystal had a strand of ck energy. With each passing moment, the strand continued to grow.


    "Really," Alvira expanded her fire sense and noticed countless thin dark lines entering the crystal.


    She followed one of the dark lines and found it originating from the battle. From a dying human soldier. Another dark line wasing from a dying Abyssal.


    As the humans were trying their best to kill as many Abyssals as they could before they die, thousands were dying at any given second.


    So, the entire battlefield was filled with these thin dark lines!


    Alvira smiled as she nced at the crystal for onest time. It was already a tad thicker than when she arrived.


    The female Abyssal''s lips curled up. Since the situation was already like this, she decided not to intervene and left for anotheroid.


    Only her ominousughter lingered.


    "Fight! Kill! Die! Whatever you do, you are digging your own grave! Humans are in for a nasty surprise. Hahahaha!"

 Chapter 828 Killing A Blood Heir

    Chapter 828 Killing A Blood Heir


    The Federation suffered significant losses due to the Abyssals in Crimson or as they called themselves, Blood Heirs.


    Four of them appeared so far.


    Alec Everblood conquered the Hellsong of Uranus.


    Alvira Everblood destroyed Oyan of Saturn.


    d Striker who crushed Elone of Mars.


    Veritas Strike decimated Noir and Yoid of Jupiter.


    "Master, which one should we target?" Boo asked with an apprehensive expression.


    Varian nced at the holograms of the four Abyssals and focused on the Abyssal that he first came into contact with.


    Alec Everblood.


    The torture Commander Batran went through shed in his mind and Varian''s eyes chilled.


    "This guy." He pointed at that bastard.


    Boo nodded and they entered the teleportation formation.


    Varian checked upon Batran whose physical injuries were now half healed. It''d take an hour at least for him to wake up.


    Then, Varian came to the room Enigma was healed at and his expression softened. He was worried about Sia mostly, but he was also slightly worried about Enigma.


    What urred to Batran shook him from the core and Varian was having second thoughts about even allowing Sia into the battlefield in the first ce.


    "For her safety, it''s best if she stayed in the Ghostship¡­"


    The sound of Enigma''s gentle breathing filled the room. Looking at the silver-haired woman''s sleeping face, Varian realized she had rarely shown such a peaceful expression.


    ''She''s caught up in one thing or another all the time.''


    Enigma was fine fighting two nightmare Abyssals. But since she sent Seth to Pluto to help him, she had to fight three nightmares. Otherwise, the Blood Heirs wouldn''t have been able to sneak attack her.


    Even though he didn''t intend for it, he was responsible for her condition.


    Without Enigma''s participation, the level 9s of Mars weren''t able to stop the Nightmare Abyssals.


    Out of the sixtyoids of Mars, fifteen had fallen. A whopping 25%!


    By hook or crook, the army had killed a few nightmares, and right now, only four of them were still alive.


    But the army had no solution to stopping these four.


    Every powerhouse they could deploy was already deployed and engaged in fighting.


    The only good news was that these nightmare Abyssals were recuperating from injuries and wouldn''t attack for an hour or two.


    As Varian''s thoughts continued to drift, Boo flew over with a piece of news. "Master, we are about to reach theoid Alec Everblood is on."


    Varian clenched his fists and smiled.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "What? How did d suddenly disappear? Isn''t Enigma knocked out?" Alec Everblood frowned as he casually waved his hands.


    Lightning arcs left his fingers and bombarded the human army scrambling back to the military base.


    He had destroyed the level 8 of thisoid and was about to travel to the nextoid when news came out that d Strike¡ªthe Blood Heir who found Enigma and was about to kill her¡ªwas missing.


    Alec''s mood was spoiled and he vented his frustration by killing the human soldiers. With every lightning bolt he dropped from the sky, thousands of humans were killed.


    The Abyssal didn''t care. The level 7 humans on theoid couldn''t threaten him. So, he only focused onmunicating with his fellow Blood Heirs to find d''s situation.


    After all, other than Sovereigns, Enigma was the number two hunting target. She was severely injured and fainted. It was the perfect opportunity to kill her. Missing such a chance was uneptable!


    "Damn pests! Why can''t these humans just die?" Alec gnashed his teeth and raised his hands.


    Lightning snakes crackled around his fingertips and coalesced into a huge lightning sphere.


    The human army that was just getting into the military base panicked at the sight.


    They had turned the defenses on and erected a hemispherical barrier. But with the half-battered barrier, there was no chance of blocking the full-fledged attack of this Abyssal who was likely at the peak of level 8.


    Alec''s lips curled up and he clenched his fists.


    A yellow light shed in the sky and the lightning sphere reached the military base in a blink.


    The fifty thousand soldiers in the military base and nearby channeled their aura as they decided to not to ept death without fighting.


    The lightning sphere broke the barrier on contact and the small lightning arcs leaked out of it and rained down on the soldiers.


    Hundreds of explosions sounded as everyone who came into contact with the lightning arcs turned into ashes on the spot.


    The level 7s in the military base gritted their teeth and rushed to the lightning sphere in a desperate attempt to slow it down and buy time for the soldiers to escape.


    Alec watched them with interest. Even if they did seed, which was highly improbable, he''d make sure to kill everyst soldier. Of course, the Abyss Army wasn''t going to sit still either.


    Whether he acted or not, the human army was doomed.


    "d, I''ll avenge you with the lives of a million hu¡ª"


    A muffled sound broke out from the sky and something crashed into the ground. A giant crater spanning five miles was formed in the blink and a thick curtain of dust rose all the way to the clouds.


    The level 8s Abyssalmanders who were overlooking the situation were shocked at the sudden event and extended their senses to the crash site.


    "Wha¡ª"


    Before they could even react, a golden light blew away the dust, and Alec Everblood appeared above the crater.


    His armor had several cracks on it. There was a deep horizontal cut starting from the edge of his right shoulder and ending just at his neck. Blood was spilling out like he was a fountain and the wound was so deep that even his bones were visible.


    ''The attack was supposed to slit his neck, he barely avoided it and got his shoulder cut!'' The level 8 Abyssals realized something and felt their bodies go cold.


    Alec Everblood ignored the injury and stared at the man floating in front of him.


    A handsome young human was looking back at him with a ruthless gaze.


    Alec''s killing intent surged and was about to envelop Varian. If used properly, killing intent would cause a psychological shadow on the enemies and result in them not using their full power.


    The Blood Heirs also had a terrifying killing intent and using it, they killed enemies as strong as them!


    ''Even if you''re strong, I can still greatly injure you!'' Alec''s eyes turned red as his bloodlust reached a new peak.


    The thick red mist surrounding Alec, his killing intent, enveloped Varian. But Varian''s expression didn''t change in the slightest. He didn''t even blink.


    Alec''s eyebrows jumped at hisck of reaction and an ominous premonition filled his heart.


    ''Wait, how is¡ª''


    He didn''t even have the time to think as a blue light shed in the sky and Varian teleported in front of him. His fist was about to smash the Abyssal''s head.


    Alec hurriedly put on his lightning armor and was about to elementalize to avoid the physical attack.


    But Varian''s psychic power struck his mind and prevented Alec from fully elementalizing.


    Then, the space around him solidified while an invisible force appeared out of nowhere and held him in ce.


    The temperature of his body plummeted and Alec''s blood almost froze.


    As if it wasn''t enough, a foreign lightning mana entered his body and prevented his own lightning mana from putting up a solid defense.


    Unable to fight back even in the slightest, Alectely realized the horror of Varian''s strength.


    With so many powers, how could anyone at the same level fight Varian?


    If they aren''t careful, even level 9s would experience a fatal blow under the deadlybination of these powers.


    ''Thankfully, Sanguik will kill him.''


    That was thest thought in his mind before Varian''s fist sted his head into pieces.

 Chapter ?829 Helping Enigma Kill A Level 9

    Chapter ?829 Helping Enigma Kill A Level 9


    Varian cleaned up the level 8s on theoid in minutes and returned to Ghostship, only to find Enigma sitting on her bed while rubbing her eyes.


    "Congrattions for almost dying."


    Enigma rolled her eyes at the sarcasticment and hopped off the bed. She clicked on herm a few times and called. "Boo, drop me on Elisoid. It''s under attack by a nightmare."


    Boo materialized in front of her and nodded with a smile. "We''ll be there in five minutes."


    "No, we won''t." Varian stood between Boo and Enigma before ring at the woman. "You nearly died. You want to go there again?"


    Enigma crossed her arms with an impatient expression. "If I don''t go, Seth will die."


    "Well¡­" Varian frowned at theplexity of the situation. Even though Enigma had recovered, she wasn''t back to her peak.


    At her peak, she could tie with three nightmares and win against two. Now, she might barely tie against one.


    "Boo, hurry up." Enigma nudged the little ghost.


    Boo looked back and forth between Varian and Enigma with a confused expression, like a child forced to pick between its father and mother.


    "If Seth dies because we''re a secondte, will you be okay with it?" Enigma said and Varian finally relented.


    "If things turn dangerous, pull him into Ghostship. Don''t risk your life."


    "My life or Sia''s life?" Enigma asked slowly.


    Varian gave her a stare before saying. "Aren''t your lives interlinked? So there''s no need to choose. But if I had to pick one, it''s Sia''s."


    "Can''t you at least lie?" Enigma looked at him with slight resentment.


    It was rare for her to show such expression and Varian was understandably surprised. "Why?"


    "So that I can feel a bit happy?" Enigma shook her head with a wry smile. "Even if it''s a lie, at least someone doesn''t want me to die and thinks I''m worth existing"


    At her sincere but depressing words, Varian lowered his head and sighed.


    Enigma was bing more expressive and vocal, even though she was still the least spoken of the three. And this change was due to the ''vacation'' they had.


    For Enigma, the vacation was an eye-opener of close rtionships. After seeing Sia and Sarah''s friendship, perhaps she too started to crave it.


    After all, her rtionship with Blue sh had little emotionalponent from her side.


    As these thoughts shed through his mind, Varian raised his head and looked at Enigma.


    She thought he was talking about Sia''s safety and shrugged. "Don''t worry, I won''t put Sia in danger."


    Enigma didn''t tell him that she had a single chance to wake up ''Her''. The price was that ''She'' would devour her and put her in endless darkness.


    Even though she never wanted to use that method, if her life was really threatened, it was the only option. At least that way, she wouldn''tpletely die and at least Sia could properly live.


    But Enigma didn''t know that ''She'' had already woken up once and lost the chance to help them if Enigma or Sia fall into danger in the future.


    "Master, Enigma, we''re about to reach theoid. Please be ready."


    The small round sphere visible from the window was quickly erged. Even from outer space, a bunch of dark red lines over the clouds were clearly visible.


    ''Fire Awakener,'' Enigma took a deep breath.


    After checking her condition for onest time, she walked to the exit.


    The ghost ship entered the atmosphere and Enigma was about to jump out when Varian suddenly called out.


    "Enigma,"


    "Hm?" Enigma hummed without turning back.


    "Don''t risk your life," Varian said.


    "I told you, Sia''s life wouldn''t be in dang¡ª"


    "Not Sia''s, but yours," Varian stressed. "I don''t know how one of you can be safe while the other is injured, but if ites down to that, don''t risk your life."


    Whether he was saying those words sincerely or just for lip service, only he knew.


    With her back turned to him, Enigma''s lips curled up slightly into a yful smile that even she didn''t know. "Even for Sia?"


    "If you have to risk someone''s life, risk ''Her'' life."


    Enigma shook her head and jumped into the clouds.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    The nightmare Aybssal coordinated with the level 9 Abyss Commander of thisoid and was about to kill the human level 9 stationed on theoid.


    Even though the humanmander had a high defense, he was slowly pushed to death facing two Abyssals.


    When he thought death was inevitable, a woman in ck fell from the sky and changed the course of the battle.


    In a few minutes, they fought off against the Abyssals and changed the situation from near death to a hard stalemate.


    Explosions filled the sky as theoid was sted by fireballs.


    Enigma deftly dodged the attacks as she fought off the Fire Awakener Nightmare Abyssal.


    She hadn''t recoveredpletely and her internal injuries weren''t fully healed either.


    If the fight continued for a long period, she''d be the one to lose.


    "Hahaha! Enigma, I heard great things about you. But turns out it''s all talk! You can''t even beat me!" The Nightmare Abyssalughed as he waved his hand.


    Tens of thousands of fireballs materialized in the air and shot at Enigma.


    ''I have to finish it soon, but how¡­''


    Enigma covered herself in a cloak of darkness and hid from the Abyssal''s fire sense. He could detect her, but only vaguely.


    To facilitate this, she was also using her mind power to create illusions of her in other ces.


    Thanks to both these arrangements, more than three-fourths of the attacks ended up missing her.


    But the final one-fourth of attacks was something she had to face head on. And Enigma did so using a gravity shield.


    Even though she was mostly safe, she suffered some minor injuries.


    The sky shed with red as the fight continued without any end in sight.


    As Enigma grew more and more anxious, a familiar voice sounded in her mind.


    "Let''s get back on them for sneak attacking you. Prepare yourself."


    The Abyssal didn''t know the looming danger and continued to mock Enigma''s strength. "Only this much? You also seem to have internal injuries. Are you even going tost for an hour or will you copse from your injuries?"


    Saying so, he raised his hand and was about to summon the fireballs again.


    The human and Abyssmander were busy with each other and his concentration was fully on Enigma.


    He already observed how she was dodging his fireballs using her darkness and illusions, so this time, he devoted all his focus to her and channeled his fire mana to summon fireballs.


    It was then that an unexpected change urred.


    His mind went nk for a split second.


    Then, the blood in his heart turned cold and the space around his chest cracked. His heart was almost pierced from the space des, if not for him instinctively using his fire mana to protect his heart.


    But giving him no respite, a telekic force in the shape of a knife tried to attack his eyes.


    Feeling a great danger, his instincts worked again and forcibly shifted his focus, causing him to use fire mana to protect his eyes.


    By the time he was done, he realized something was off.


    The next thing he saw was Enigma''s sword shing at his neck.


    He hurriedly put up ast-second defense, but it crumbled under Enigma''s prepared full-blown attack.


    The Abyssal''s severed head hit an invisible spaceship and broke into pieces.

 Chapter ?830 An Unavoidable Sacrifice

    Chapter ?830 An Unavoidable Sacrifice


    The waters of the ocean were split as an Abyssal dashed above them at supersonic speed.


    His right arm was barely hanging to the shoulder socket while therge gash on his back continued to bleed profusely.


    "Who? Who interfered at the critical moment?" The Abyssal clenched his fists as he increased his speed.


    He already crossed half of the ocean and once he reached the shore, the military base would shield him from the monster chasing him.


    "Once I find you, I''ll give you a gruesome de¡ª"


    The world suddenly shook and it started raining.


    Or at least, that''s how it appeared as the part of the ocean behind the Abyssal was blown away and started to return like a drizzle.


    Enigma''s figure shot through the rising waves and quickly reduced the distance between them.


    "I can''t escape." The Abyssal gritted his teeth and pointed his hand at the woman.


    An invisible force radiated out of him and turned into ten thousand small needles. At the tip of each needle was a glowing green liquid.


    This was a trump card the Nightmare Abyssal wanted to use against the Fairies after he returned to the Abyss Empire.


    But as the strongest andst surviving Nightmare, he was forced to use it just to survive!


    ''But no worries, under the rain of these ultra poison needles, even Enigma will be helpless. I just need to¡ªarggh.''


    As expected, a psychic force attacked his mind and tried to prevent him fromunching the attack.


    But he already expected Enigma''s psychic attack and was also ready for the ''third party'' to attack him using telekic or mind powers.


    For some reason, the third party didn''t intervene.


    Still vignt, the Abyssal fired the poisonous needles at Enigma in a blink. They encircled her from every direction.


    If these needles formed a sphere, then Enigma would be at its center. No matter how she tried, she''d be hit!


    The Nightmare Abyssal smiled brightly as he prepared to witness the sight of Enigma undergoing critical injuries.


    But to his shock, the space around Enigma trembled at thest moment and she disappeared.


    "Oh damn!" He hurriedly pulled back the needles, but a presence appeared behind him right then.


    The air turned sharp for a second and the Abyssal felt a sting on his neck. The presence behind him disappeared without a word.


    "Huh? What the hell?" The Abyssal turned back to check.


    Everything appeared normal¡­wait!


    His body was still in ce, only his head moved!


    ''What a sharp swordsmanship!''


    The Abyssal''s body fell into the ocean powerlessly.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Are we done?" Enigma asked as shey down for minor healing.


    Varian looked through the holograms and sighed.


    He and Enigma had already killed all the new level 9s that arrived on Mars. But the time they started this operation was quitete as already thirty of the sixtyoids fell to them.


    Moreover, the condition forced some level 9 humans to deal with two or more Abyssals with strengths equaling their own.


    As a result, these level 9 humans were either killed, seriously injured, or in the middle of a bitter battle.


    "With the Nightmare group dying, a lot of troubles are gone." Varian shrugged. "But a lot of our level 9s are facing pressure, they''ll need a hand or they''ll fall."


    Listening to his words, Enigma''s chest heaved up and down as a sense of fatigue rose in her heart.


    Now, she''d have to move fromoid tooid in a bid to prevent human level 9s from falling and help them suppress the level 9 Abyssals.


    Why not try and kill more low level 9?


    She could. But by the time she killed a couple of them, a high level 9 or a couple of mid level 9 humans might die.


    The bnce would tip in their favor and the consequences would be far more disastrous.


    So, what Enigma now had to do was assist mid and high level 9 humans.


    Moreover, half of the sixty Mars''oids have fallen! Of course, it didn''t mean the human armies on theseoids werepletely exterminated. But they were currently being crushed.


    Even on the ''Fallenoids'' where the human army performed their best, they were only at 80% of the Abyssal army numbers.


    Some of these fallenoids had human armies with numbers only 40% that of the Abyssal army!


    With such conditions, these Abyssal armies would soon decimate the human armies. Even if they didn''t finish off the humans, they could easily manage to send a couple of ten thousand Abyssals as reinforcements.


    These reinforcements would reach the remaining thirtyoids where Humans and Abyssals were about the same strength and break the bnce.


    ''How many reinforcements? How manyoids?'' Enigma rubbed her forehead.


    She''d also have to take up the job of either destroying or suppressing the Abyssal reinforcements.


    "¡­Too much," Enigma said in a depressed tone.


    "Yeah," Varian nodded with an equally depressed expression. "The Abyssals got us good. Even if we survive this war, the human army would have to go on a defensive for at least five years to regain the pre-war strength."


    "That long?"


    "Entireoids are wiped out, Enigma," Varian gave a wry smile. "We and they lost roughly the same amount of level 9s and level 8s. But for level 7s and below, the Human Army experienced terrible losses."


    Enigma pursed her lips and nodded.


    The casualties in this war were likely in tens of millions. She wouldn''t be surprised if it touched a hundred million.


    What''s worse? These were the casualties of the war only so far! And it''s barely a day since the war began!


    "Don''t think too much." Varian seemed to know what she was thinking and said in a consoling tone. "We can''t fight wars without casualties."


    Enigma paused at his words and observed Varian carefully. ''He''s too calm about this.''


    On second thought, Varian personally led a crusade against the Abyssals and was responsible for killing more than twenty million Abyssals.


    Unlike her, perhaps he already got used to death at scale.


    A saying from Old Earth shed in her mind.


    ''Death of a single man is a loss, of a dozen is a tragedy, of a hundred is a horror. But the death of a million is a statistic.''


    Enigma shook her head.


    Varian might''ve grown stable, but he wasn''t apathetic.


    When she woke up, she could see the turmoil of emotions in his eyes.


    Worry. Grief. Guilt. Fear.


    Only after Boo told her about Batran did she realize why he was in chaos.


    Enigma was unwilling to believe such a man could bepletely cold-blooded.


    Varian didn''t know what was going on in her mind. He focused on the hologram in front of him and highlighted a spot between sixoids.


    "Enigma, you go help out the level 9s. And I''ll take up the task of stopping the reinforcements. If I beat back the armies of tenoids, the remnants of our armies on theiroids can handle the rest."


    "What about them?" Enigma''s eyes shed with a tinge of coldness. "The Abyssals in red armor."


    "Four of them appeared. I killed one. Another disappeared for some reason. Two are left." Varian exined. "If I prioritize killing them, then there''s a risk of these reinforcements swallowing up Mars''oids. If we lose all theoids, Mars'' might be invaded."


    "¡­I see." Enigma nodded with aplicated expression.


    Those two Abyssals would kill millions and lead to the fall of a couple ofoids, no doubt. But Varian preferred it over a possible Mars invasion.


    A sacrifice he deemed unavoidable.

 Chapter ?831 Crippling The Reinforcements

    Chapter ?831 Crippling The Reinforcements


    Thanks to the Nightmare Abyssals, the Abyssal army managed to gain a decisive edge over thirtyoids and was about to conquer thempletely.


    So, these armies decided to send a part of their forces as reinforcements to otheroids.


    "Brothers! Sisters! Show those puny humans our power!"


    "Kill! Kill! Kill!"


    "We''ll conquer youroids first! Then it''s your turn, Martians!"


    "For our Empire!"


    "For our Race!"


    "For Peace! For Prosperity!"


    Loaded into a hundred ships, thirty thousand Abyssals were en route to a nearbyoid Rhodes.


    Rhodes was at a critical juncture as 300,000 Humans faced an equal number of Abyssals.


    The 30,000 reinforcements would tilt the favor toward the Abyssals. Depending on the situation, Rhodes would get anywhere between 30,000-60,000 more reinforcement.


    No matter how hard the human army would decide to fight, they would be crushed and Rhodes would be conquered.


    Or at least, that''s the n.


    "C-Captain, who is that guy, and what is he doing here?" The Vice Captain of the fleet pointed outside the window and asked.


    "Huh?" The Captain followed his subordinate''s direction and saw a young man in white in the dark space.


    He was right in front of the fleet, but just three hundred miles away. Usually, their ships should''ve detected him. Even if it didn''t, the pilots should have.


    But only the peak level 7 Vice Captain was able to sense the presence of that man!


    ''This means¡­'' The captain''s eyebrows jumped and he yelled at the top of his lungs. "Turn around! Escape! Now!"


    His order was yed across the hundred ships and every Abyssal was confused for a moment.


    But they didn''t disobey the superior''smand and cooperated. The pilots veered the ship and turned around.


    Even though they were slightly dissatisfied with ''fleeing'', they followed the orders.


    But when the captain yelled the most dreaded name ''Varian!'', the pilots let go of all inhibitions and supercharged their ships.


    As a result, the hundred swarmed ships fled in a hundred different directions.


    "What the¡­" Varian, who had just teleported to the main ship was dumbfounded as he watched the ships disperse in all directions.


    Even if he tried his best, he could only catch five or six before he lost sight of the rest. These spaceships were damn fast!


    But Varian of course didn''t leave it like that.


    Lightning arcs crackled around his body like snakes and with a snap, the lightning arcs themselves were teleported to five spaceships in the distance.


    The spaceships were literally struck by lightning.


    Under the lightning wrath, not a single Abyssal survived. Even the captain, who was unlucky enough to be in one of the five attacked ships, was burnt to coke.


    In the dark space, the exploding spaceships resembled beautiful fireworks.


    But only Varian appreciated them. The rest of the spectators feared them.


    "How is that even possible!"


    "We should already be out of his lightning sense!"


    The Abyssals watched this scene with horror even as their ships pulled away from Varian.


    "Only five out of a hundred?" Varian shook his head and channeled lightning mana along with space power.


    This time, he also added his water mana along with telekic and psychic powers. Soundlessly, a few dark green seeds appeared on Varian''s palm.


    "Let''s test my ranged attacks." Varian smiled and used his space power to teleport his ''powers'' to the enemy location.


    The lightning mana that was leaving his body and turning into lightning bolts was teleported to the spaceships midway. It finished the transformation after teleportation and struck the enemies.


    The same happened with water mana, but only it turned into countless ice bullets.


    The telekic power turned into hundreds of invisible spears and destroyed five ships.


    The psychic power, on the other hand, was already programmed to create a chaotic illusion.


    Once it was teleported near the spaceships, it drowned the Abyssals in the illusion. The spaceships collided with each other and the Abyssals in them fought with each other kicking off a carnage.


    Finally, the seeds that Varian teleported to the ships sprouted and turned into long vines in a breath and enveloped the ships.


    Just as the Abyssals started to react, the vines destroyed the engine of the spaceships and caused them to detonate, resulting in fatal explosions.


    "What a wonderful sight." Varianplimented with a smile.


    He just finished off fifty spaceships. The remaining fifty that he couldn''t catch, he didn''t chase.


    "Boo, where''s the next reinforcement detected?"


    "It''s in¡­"


    Three hours passed by quickly.


    Enigma was busy assisting the human level 9s while Varian engaged in preventing the reinforcements.


    Since the reinforcements were scattered all across theoid belt, Varian had to spend a lot of time traveling.


    Thankfully, he negated the time wasted in travel with quick battles.


    He had already repelled fifteen reinforcements and killed more than two hundred thousand Abyssals already.


    But.


    "They aren''t stopping their crazy n, suicidal idiots."


    The Abyssals kept didn''t stop sending reinforcements.


    They were sending out two or three at once, forcing Varian to pick one and drop others.


    Varian did indeed pick one and left two others. But once he was done dealing with the first batch, he went to theoids where these reinforcements invaded and cleaned them up.


    It was time-consuming, but he ensured that none of the thirty remainingoids were conquered.


    What''s more, since the Abyssals kept sending more and more reinforcements, the human army in these fallenoids gained breathing room.


    In ten of these thirty fallenoids, the human army formed a stable line of defense and turned the inevitable defeat into a war that could be protracted for at least a week.


    Twentyoids, however, were doomed.


    The human army on theseoids was reduced to less than 20% of their Abyssal counterpart. In a few hours, they''d be ughtered to thest man or woman.


    After repelling another batch of reinforcement, the Ghostship rushed to a nearbyoid where a batch of reinforcements was about tond.


    "Forty thousand Abyssals? Fuck!" Varian prepared to kill as many as he could and drive away the rest.


    But the sky turned red and a female Abyssalnded from the clouds.


    d in crimson armor, she was looking at him with undisguised killing intent.


    "Varian!" She gripped the sharp side of her sword so hard that her palm started to bleed.


    Then, she waved her hand at Varian. The droplets of blood fell on his face as the female Abyssal''s cold voice shook the sky.


    "I, Alvira Everblood here to avenge my brother, Alec Everblood."

 Chapter 832 Crushing A Blood Heir

    Chapter 832 Crushing A Blood Heir


    The blue sky was swallowed by mes as Alvira went all out against Varian.


    From the sea of red mes, a bunch of blue fires shot out and reached the young man.


    Following them from behind was Alvira.


    "Just eighteen? But you''re as strong as me." Alvira twisted her fingers as she manipted the deadly blue mes to engulf the human.


    Facing the blue mes that could melt even the most defensive metals of the federation, Varian smirked and swatted. "You''re wrong, I''m not as strong as you."


    His left hand elementalized into ice and expanded into a huge ice shield.


    The space around the mes cracked apart and swallowed a fourth of them before they even reached him. An invisible telekic force pushed away a fifth of the remaining mes.


    Varian brought down the power of the mes to nearly half and easily faced it with his ice shield.


    He looked at Alvira''s hardening expression with a teasing but cold smile. "I''m stronger, bitch."


    Alvira pped the air in rage but Varian teleported before her attack could even materialize.


    "You rat!" Alvira''s body dispersed into countless sparks before realigning a hundred miles away.


    The location she previously stood at was now engulfed in lightning, and ice and further riddled with broken space.


    If she hadn''t retreated right away, Varian''s attacks would''ve struck her.


    Alvira retrieved a spear from her storage ring and vigntly looked around. Her fire sense was on full alert to escape from any sneak attack Varian could make, but this way, she waspletely passive.


    "If you''re strong, why are you still using sneak attacks?" She tried to provoke him.


    Having lived on the battlefield for years, Alvira had long grown indifferent to such tactics, but her opponent was just eighteen years old. So, he''d value things like honor and valor more¡ª


    Her fire sense picked a spatial fluctuation ten miles to her left.


    "Got you!" Alvira''s fire mana channeled into her spear and the weapon shone with a dangerous red glow.


    It blurred slightly and at a speed equivalent to that of a level 9, the spear reached the location of the spatial disturbance. Right then, the space in the area twisted and tore as the teleportation was finished.


    Then, the spear smashed with the invader and a terrible explosion shook the entire skies.


    Everything went red in the world for a moment before the rumbling of a hundred thunders reverberated across theoid.


    Alvira kept her eyes wide open as she peered through the explosion to find the corpse of that dastardly hu¡ª


    "Huh?!" Alvira suddenly jerked.


    The space five miles behind her fluctuated.


    "What the¡ª" As she channeled her mana and was midway in elementalizing in an attempt to dodge, Varian''s fist reached her stomach.


    As if she was hit by a speeding truck, Alvira was sted into the clouds as she spat out blood.


    "Are you a blood fountain?" Varian''s mocking voice sounded directly in her mind.


    Alvira gnashed her teeth and channeled her mana into two fire wings behind her. With a mighty p, she stopped in her tracks and with another p, she shot toward Varian.


    A wavering blue fire mana covered her¡ªfrom the tip of her fingers to the edges of her long brown hair.


    She morphed herself into a sword of fire and headed for Varian''s neck.


    Her voice,ced with killing intent, sounded. "Even though I''m not the one supposed to be doing this, I can''t rest until I personally kill Alec''s murderer."


    The fire suddenly elerated and reached Varian''s neck in a blink.


    Varian sidestepped at thest moment and his hand grabbed the hilt of the sword at thest moment.


    The sword was moving at a ridiculously high speed, but Varian managed to stand in ce after holding it instead of being carried away.


    But stopping that fast sword so suddenly was the same as a rocket freezing midway. As a result, the air exploded and arge shockwave swept the entireoid.


    Varian''s arm holding the sword shook violently as the fire sword tried to burn him to ashes.


    Even though he covered his hand with an ice shield and further solidified his defense with solid space, Varian felt his blood literally boil.


    Varian gritted his teeth and attacked the Abyssal''s mind.


    The fire sword grew unstable and began to shake. Alvira''s transformation was partially undone!


    Without wasting the chance, Varian violently clenched his fist with full force and poured his ice mana into the fire sword. "Chill the fuck out!"


    The fire sword exploded into pieces and a fire shockwave spread out, apanied by the tragic scream of a female Abyssal.


    Alvira appeared a hundred miles away, her face pale and her body riddled with injuries.


    She looked at Varian with an incredulous gaze.


    Compared to her, Varian only had minor burns on his right arm and slightly serious injuries on his palm.


    Oh wait, his injuries were healing at a visible rate!


    Frustrated but unwilling to admit defeat, Alvira curled her lips and mocked. "Is the so-called Deva inheritor so weak he can''t even kill me?"


    Varian merely smiled at her attempt to rile him up. "I didn''t kill you in one shot because I like to hear your pained screams."


    His response riled up Alvira as she looked at him with hatred.


    Even if he wanted to, Varian couldn''t one-shot her. But Alvira didn''t know. So, she really thought Varian was dragging out the battle to make fun of her.


    Thinking so, she felt her entire body burn with rage. But deep inside that rage was also an emotion even she didn''t realize.


    ''W-Was it just my illusion or did his water mana grow strongerpared to his first strike?''


    Fear.


    Fear of the unknown.


    ''I shouldn''t have started this battle, but now I can''t leave. He won''t let me.'' Alvira gritted her teeth and channeled her fire mana to prepare for a suicidal battle.


    "Let''s end this in the next sho¡ªOh?" Varian raised his head and narrowed his eyes. "If you want to die so badly, I will grant your wish."


    Saying so, he pointed his palm at a tiny dot in outer space.


    "What?!" Alvira hurriedly spread her fire sense and checked the space above.


    Varian''s palm glowed with golden blue light and an ice spear made with a crystallized lightning tip materialized in his hand.


    Varian''s telekic power charged at the bottom of the spear and the space around the weapon loosened.


    Then, Varian threw the spear with all his strength.


    A huge shockwave spread out due to the sheer speed of the spearunch and the spear traveled two hundred miles in a split second before exploding on its target.


    A few secondster, another female Abyssal fell from the sky. Even though she had only minor injuries, her face was filled with hatred.


    She didn''t even nce at Alvira and transformed into a flood dragon. "I, Veritas Striker, will avenge my brother d''s death."


    "¡­But I killed only one crimson Abyssal," Varian said with an innocent face.


    "You fucking liar! Die!" The flood dragonshed at him with its tail.


    "Liar? Me?" Varian grabbed the tail and charged it with lightning. "A shock treatment will make it clear."


    "Arghhhh!"


    The tragic screams of a flood dragon filled the skies.

 Chapter ?833 Sanguik

    Chapter ?833 Sanguik


    The Human and Abyssal armies on aoid had long stopped fighting as they watched the terrifying battle in the sky.


    Most could only see colorful explosions and feel the strong shockwaves before the rumbling of the attacks eventually reached them.


    Only a few from both sides could see three blurred figures in the sky. They moved at speeds so high that they had trouble telling them apart from their afterimages.


    "Sir, who is winning?" A Vice Captain from the Human army asked in a low voice.


    The battalion of soldiers behind perked their ears as they waited for the Captain, a newly promoted low level 7 to answer.


    The Captain looked at the sky with a serious gaze and remained still for a whole minute.


    Everyone held their breath as they waited for his detailed analysis and hoped for positive news.


    But.


    "I¡­I can''t see them anymore." The Captain said with an embarrassed face.


    Everyone was dumbfounded.


    "They''ve already moved to outer space."


    "Oh? They did?" As a veteran, the Vice Captain had a different perspective. "Sir, we need to resume."


    "Ah? What?" The Captain was talented and young butcked experience. So, he didn''t understand right away.


    But after noticing his immediate subordinate''s gaze, his eyes sharpened and he ordered. "Everyone, get into an offensive formation. We''re going to beat these bastards down today!"


    The war between the two armies resumed.


    Meanwhile, on the Outerspace, the battle had just ended.


    As the rays of the suns fell on one half of his body, Varian stood with hands behind his back calmly.


    His whole body was drenched in green blood with a few notable exceptions of red. Wherever these red blood spots were, his armor was also damaged.


    "If you answer my questions, I might let you go." Addressing the two Abyssals in front of him, Varian said in a light tone.


    Even though they were in space, the Abyssals in crimson were groveling on a bone-chillingly cold floor, which was naturally created by Varian. His telekic energy pressed them against the floor and with every passing moment, the two Abyssals shuddered.


    They were both heavily injured and were bleeding profusely. Compared to what they had been through, this much was nothing.


    But the scary part was the man in front of them. The two Abyssals raised their heads and looked at Varian with a fearful gaze.


    Half in the sunlight and half in the dark, Varian seemed more like a Zion than a human to them.


    "Are there any trump cards for this operation? How do you n to kill the Sovereigns?" Varian asked.


    Alvira and Veritas gritted their teeth as a foreign psychic sense wreaked havoc in their minds.


    But too bad, they grew up in the war zone and this much pain wasn''t enough to faze them.


    "You don''t want to talk? Good. I like to make the stubborn ones talk." Varian said in a domineering tone.


    Alvira and Veritas looked at each other.


    With that one gaze, they confirmed that even if they were able to bear the torture, Varian might somehow force them to speak out the truth.


    Even though they had plenty of experience with psychics, they weren''t confident in facing level 9 Psychics.


    In society, it''s considered taboo for psychics to openly interrogate, but against enemies, it wouldn''t even be an issue.


    Still, there''s no guarantee that those level 9 psychics could seed. If it was so easy to just read minds and know all the memories, then Roxanne wouldn''t have bothered torturing Sia in the first ce.


    ''Looks like we''re both going down at the same time.'' The female Abyssals exchanged a message through their gaze and smiled.


    The next moment, the aura in their bodies went haywire.


    Varian was surprised at the sudden change and tried to stabilize them. But it was beyond his control and he was forced to witness the grand explosion of two Abyssals at distance a bit too close.


    The dark space was painted red and green as the shockwaves traveled a thousand miles.


    Everything settled down only after a few seconds.


    ''Too bad.'' Varian sighed in regret.


    He was strong enough to suppress them, but these Abyssals weren''t weak enough for him to stop them from suicide.


    To his frustration, there were no more Blood Heirs he knew. Four appeared so far. Three dead. One missing, likely dead.


    "Haa~" Varian went back to intercepting the reinforcements.


    As the mes of war reached new heights, Enigma and Varian got lost in the endless fights that followed.


    The Human Army went from being pushed back to contesting with Abyssal Army as equals.


    It looked like the stalemate would be the new status quo. But the Abyss rulers knew that if Enigma and Varian were left free, they''ll soon break the stalemate and bring advantage to humans.


    That''s why¡­


    "Is he ready?" Mirage Queen asked as she rubbed her pale cheeks.


    After finishing off a battle with Bali, Mirage Queen retired to her spaceship and checked the situation of her Abyss.


    "Almost." A young voice answered from the hologram.


    The huge hologram inside the spaceship depicted a broken altar inside a broken castle.


    The broken altar was surrounded by precious ores, herbs, and esoteric drawings.


    An Abyssal in ck armor was floating above the altar in a meditative position. With each passing second, a thread of dark energy emerged from the altar and fused into his body.


    Every time it happened, the Abyssal spasmed violently and his vitality began to plummet.


    The esoteric drawings around the altar shone in time as they consumed the ores and herbs and supported the Abyssal''s vitality.


    The ck energy surrounding the Abyssal grew stronger with each second.


    Mirage Queen''s eyes shed with aplicated emotion as she parted her lips. "Sanguik, the four of them are dead."


    Sanguik''s eyebrows shook and his eyes snapped open.


    Eyes that were darker than the night started straight into Mirage Queen''s as they waited for further exnation.


    Even though he only epted a small, small part of the Death Force, Mirage Queen felt an invisible pressure from this young Abyssal.


    Calming herself, she exined the death of Alec, Alvira, and Veritas along with the disappearance of d.


    Sanguik''s eyes grew gloomy and the vitality-rich herbs on the floor began to wilt away. But he quickly controlled himself and said. "The Emperor was right. This monster must be removed at any cost."


    Mirage Queen nodded in agreement but looking at the young Abyssal who was her grandson''s age, she felt a wave of sadness. "I''m sorry, to kill a human, we have to ask the brightest genius of Blood Province to sacrifice himself¡­"


    "Sorry for what? This is my duty." Sanguik smiled brightly.


    With the induction of the Death Force, his death was only a matter of time. His vitality was being eaten away and the only reason he was still alive was due to the special ritual done using precious holy altar items to suppress the death force.


    "Your name will be etched in history as a fighter who sacrificed his future for ours." Mirage Queen said in a heartfelt tone.


    Sanguik smiled lightly and closed his eyes.


    He didn''t care if he was famous after his death or not.


    When the Abyss Emperor asked him if he was willing to kill Varian, he agreed. The original n was to let the Blood Heirs round up and kill Varian. Even if they failed, they could escape and survive.


    In fact, the Emperor was confident that Sanguik was strong enough to kill Varian by himself.


    But Sanguik proposed a more radical but foolproof n.


    He would absorb a tiny wisp of Death Force. He''d still fight Varian with his own power. But in case he failed to defeat Varian with his own power, he''d use the Death Force.


    The Emperor initially opposed this. Because once Sanguik took in Death Force, no one could stop him from dying.


    But the brightest genius of Blood Province, thend recently upied by the Fairies, insisted.


    ''Your Majesty, we''re using the precious Holy Altars to reach the Sr System. But after one interster teleportation, we have to wait for a few more months to use them again.


    If Varian isn''t killed, he''ll quickly reach the Celestial Rank.


    I believe we will win this war and conquer the sr system with your brilliant n, with an enemy like him, our victory wouldn''tst.''


    The Emperor finally relented to this suicidal n.


    After Blood Province was invaded and conquered by the Fairies, he too realized that the Sr System must be conquered as soon as possible.


    "Varian," Sanguik''s eyes shed with thick killing intent. "Let''s both go to hell."

 Chapter 834 Peace Before The Storm

    Chapter 834 Peace Before The Storm


    After finishing the talk with Sanguik, Mirage Queen sighed inwardly and walked into


    another room.


    Seated across an exquisite red table, the virtual avatars of the Abyss Kings and Queens were waiting for her.


    Since the war began, the Abyss Rulers had already duked it out with the Sovereigns and injured each other badly.


    Now, both sides are recuperating.


    Mirage Queen observed her colleagues as she took her seat and rested her gaze on Demon King.


    Everyone had some form of injury or another. Even though they were in new armor, and clothes, either their hairs were slightly disheveled or their faces were still pale or their bodies still had marks of injuries.


    But Demon King seemed perfectly fine. No bruises, no fatigue, nothing. He was too perfect and that''s why Mirage Queen called him out. "Did you get beaten up so badly that you''re using an avatar?"


    Demon King gave her a sharp re before shifting his focus back to the meeting.


    The remaining rulers, however, were still looking at her with an inquisitive gaze.


    "Sanguik is ready to sacrifice himself," Mirage Queen sighed deeply.


    The Abyss Rulers sighed in unison. Even though no one said it out loud, a sense of shame spread throughout the strongest Abyssals in the sr system.


    The shame broke Thunder King''s threshold prompting him to lower his head. "To ask our own younger generation to sacrifice their lives to kill a human, how pathetic."


    "Thunder King!" Sin King, the most senior Abyssal Ruler, mmed the table. "Watch your words."


    "What?" Thunder King looked up at the senior fearlessly. "Do you even know what we''re doing by sacrificing Sanguik? It isn''t just a genius level 8, but also a future Celestial Ranker.


    He''s a future pir for the providence trial and against the Zions. But we''re using him for what? A suicide killer against someone who''s not even a level 9! Give me a break!"


    A sudden unease filled the room as the two youngest and eldest Abyss Rulers stared at each other.


    Sanguik was equivalent to Charles of the federation. One of the very best geniuses. Sending him on a suicide mission didn''t sit well with most Abyss Rulers.


    But their personal opinions were of little weight in front of racial interests. As the most senior person in the room, Sin King had this concept more hammered in than anyone else.


    So, Sin King shook his head with a firm expression. "Be it a genius or amoner, survival of the race is paramount. If Varian survives, then even if we win this war, that evil bastard will destroy us once he bes a Sovereign."


    "Oh really? With his six or seven paths?" Fire King intervened and gave the Sin King a questioning gaze. "To have so many powers, he''s surely a variant hybrid. And you know this right? Hybrids have a hard time reaching Sovereign state, much less the Celestial Rank."


    "What you say is very good," Despair Queen gave a contemptuousugh. "But did we ever prove that Varian is a hybrid? And as far as I can remember, there are no hybrids who have 7 powers."


    Fire King fell silent realizing that he was always treating Varian as a Hybrid without any proper proof. Thunder King also had no answer.


    Only the calm Sin King responded with a contemtive expression. "We don''t really know what he is. But we can only treat him withmon sense. ording tomon sense, he can only be a hybrid. Unless propped with enough support, Hybrids are likely to not reach Sovereign state, much less the Celestial ranks."


    "And that''s where you''re wrong." Despair Queen joined the argument as she gnashed her teeth. "Common sense? You want to treat him withmon sense? Do any hybrid reach level 8 in three months?"


    "Maybe he got precious resources from the ruins¡­"


    "Oh please. He needs to be killed off once and for all. Even if ten Sanguiks need to be sacrificed, Varian has to die." Despair Queen was firm in her stance.


    In fact, if they send Sanguik back to the Abyss Empire, there was a good chance the Emperor could prevent the boy from dying.


    But¡­


    "He wants to die with glory. Let him." Mirage Queen said as she recalled her short conversation with the Abyssal genius.


    Even though she didn''t agree with Despair Queen''s words, the overall situation demanded her to take that approach.


    And her words also prevented any further arguments. They couldn''t save a person who doesn''t want to be saved.


    The attention then shifted to Despair Queen or to be precise, therge red coffin behind her.


    The coffin was wrapped in the Abyss Empire g and was inscribed with a farewell message by the Emperor himself.


    Despair Queen slowly raised her hand and the coffin lying on the ground stood up in a vertical position.


    The Abyss Kings and Queens stood up at the same time and gave the coffin a deep bow.


    "Even though we have your consent, forgive us for what we''re about to do." Despair Queen prayed.


    Once the ritual was over, the rulers presented a shining crystal each and these crystals concurrently formed a singlemon screen in the hologram.


    Many numbers were smashed together from each crystal and after a few minutes of intense calction, a number materialized.


    [47%]


    The tension on the Abyss Rulers melted away and was reced by strong anticipation.


    "Soon¡­" Mirage Queen smiled frantically.


    "Once it hits 50%, we can start the immediate step. But we have to wait until 100% for him." Sin King reminded the half-crazy woman.


    "No worries. Once we take the next step, the killing rate would spike. We''ll hit 100% soon." Despair Queen replied. "I really want to see the expressions of humans when we send a new Sovereign."


    The Abyss Rulers looked at the coffin once again and smiled collectively.


    A new Abyss Sovereign.


    He was enough to subvert the entire war.


    An hourter, the number on the screen finally reached 50%.


    When it did, an invisible shockwave spread throughout the sr system.


    In a corner of one of the manyoids ravaged by this war, the corpses of humans and Abyssals were littered across the ground as the war continued on in other areas.


    When this invisible shockwave touched them, the fingers of a corpse began to shake.

 Chapter ?835 Thank You For Everything

    Chapter ?835 Thank You For Everything


    Varian busied himself in the clean-up of Mars. So far, he stopped the reinforcements these fallenoids sent to the normal ones.


    After relentless ughter by Varian, the fallenoids realized that sending reinforcements was useless with the devil''s presence.


    Of course, they tried some clever tricks by sending reinforcements of five or sixoids at once.


    But every single time, Varian hunted them down before they could do much damage.


    So, the fallenoids cooled down and stopped sending reinforcements. Instead, they started to consolidate and decided to start arge-scale war campaign instead.


    But they didn''t expect Varian to knock on their doorstep.


    Thirtyoids have currently fallen to the Abyssals and Varian was clear that if he didn''t clean them up, they''d always be troubling the rest of theoids.


    So, he rained down hell on theseoids.


    In the firstoid he visited:


    "Retreat! Go to the underground bunkers! Hurry!"


    The sky above the Abyssal bases was covered by dark clouds. Just as the Abyssals realized what was going on, lightning bolts as thick as a bucket struck down the base and absolutely decimated the Abyssals.


    It didn''t matter if there were thousand, ten thousand, or a hundred thousand Abyssals.


    Everywhere a lightning boltnded, arge explosion urred destroying an entire mile of ground. The thunder that followed deafened the weak Abyssals to the point they bled from their ears.


    While the lightning targeted the masses, Varian''s psychic and telekic power were used together to selectively kill the strongest Abyssals.


    There were only a few level 8s and mostly level 7s. But under his prowess, not a single onested aplete second.


    Once he was done with a base, Varian teleported to the next and repeated. Even though they were already ''prepared'' by raising defense, it didn''t help at all.


    Five minutester, Varian left theoid.


    When he came, human corpses filled the east. When he left, the Abyssal corpses filled the west.


    Even though Varian didn''t understand why the Abyssals that usually burn their enemies into ash as a warrior tradition left the human corpses as they were, he didn''t think much of it.


    So, when he left theoid, he didn''t notice that the dead corpses of some humans began to shake slightly.


    "Kill him even if we all have to die! Use our formations! He can''t win against all of us!" The secondoid had a snowy environment and a relentless army.


    The Abyssal army was supercharged to ''destroy'' this ''evil invader'' and ''devil'' who was against their ''survival''.


    Varian had noticed this trend by now.


    When pushed to the brink, Abyssals brought out all their potential and fought back at their 150%. Just like humans do.


    So, the human army usually wouldn''t try to push them to a corner unless they were confident of victory.


    After all, a cornered enemy without anything to lose was frightening.


    But Varian didn''t care.


    With a wave of his hands, he rained down tens of thousands of ice bullets while pping his hands and creating shockwaves that killed any Abyssal below level 7.


    The Abyssal army was pushed into the corner. And they did indeed fight back at their 150%.


    But even the strongest of emotions were useless in front of absolute power.


    If one p wasn''t enough, then two.


    A few minutester, Varian left the secondoid too. When he visited, the once snow-whiteoid was painted red with frozen human blood. When he left, green was added to the canvas.


    The one-sided merciless ughter continued for most of the day. It was only possible because Varian had stamina countless times higher than any level 8 and was able to keep fighting.


    If a level 8 of his strength was sent on this same operation, destroying aoid and half would drain the level 8.


    On the other hand, Varian spent a whole day and destroyed fifteenoids before being forced to rest.


    By the time he retired to a military camp on the only Mars''oid that was captured by humans, his Abyssals dead in his hands crossed a million.


    The army gave Varian the highest protocol for a non-Sovereign.


    In fact, when hended in the spaceport, apart from the dozen soldiers that were supposed to receive him, there were hundreds of soldiers outside looking at him with an excited gaze.


    His deeds were spreading like wildfire and Varian''s fame exploded.


    Neptune''s wyvern ughterer, Pluto crusher, ughter of a million Mars'' Abyssals!


    Each of these achievements was akin to a legend. But the man who achieved all of them was standing in front of them. In flesh.


    For a moment, the whole spaceport erupted into cheers.


    People looked for hope in times of war. And Varian was the most dazzling hope humans could ever ask for.


    "Varian!"


    "Varian!"


    "Varian!"


    The chants of his name reverberated across theoid.


    More and more soldiers joined the crowd and soon, Varian was facing a crowd of thousands.


    The event was broadcasted across theoids for the human army to see.


    The man in focus, Varian, looked at the burning passion in the eyes of the soldiers and raised his fist.


    "For survival!"


    Almost immediately, the chants followed.


    "For prosperity!"


    "For the children of the future!"


    Varian joined in thest part. "For the human race!"


    Afterward, Varian entered his special quarters. Some soldiers and officers tried to approach him, but since he just came back from a fresh ughter, the killing intent on him was too heavy.


    Even though Varian was already suppressing it, it was still too much for most. After a quick fresh up, Varian went to the centralmand room.


    The highest ranking officials were seated across a round table, discussing thetest events and brainstorming for the uing situation.


    They were all level 9s or level 8s who were currently recuperating and decided to spend their time on this.


    Since he was also recharging, Varian joined them with a smile. "I don''t have much to say. But I''d like to listen to the overall condition."


    The new Chief Commander, a junior of Skad, nodded lightly and gestured. The experts began to report their views.


    An old woman with brown hair and pale face bur sharp eyes looked at him with a curious gaze before she began.


    "Traditionally, Mercury, Venus, and Earth are the ''Inner Zone'' of our military. These are the firsts to be inhabited and thus have the strongest army.


    On theses, our strength is higher than that of the Abyssals. Not high enough to kick them out, but high enough to suppress them.


    With this sudden war, our advantage in the Inner Zone is cut down and now we''re barely above them."


    Varian nodded in understanding. There was a notion that Neptune had the strongest army since it was fighting Pluto.


    But while it might be true in absolute terms, Mercury, Venus, and Earth had stronger armies rtive to their Abyssal counterparts.


    And this news also implied that he didn''t need to enter thoses since they wouldn''t be needing any help.


    A short but stout old man continued. "Mars and Jupiter are the Middle Zone. They have strengths roughly the same as their counterparts."


    He then gave Varian a nce. "But after a certain event recently, Mars fell behind Mirage Abyss and barely made up for the difference."


    Feeling the gaze on him, Varian didn''t change his expression. They were all referring to his deeds.


    The old man didn''t want to go deeper into that topic and resumed. "Jupiter can manage this war. The price is that it''ll fall behind the Fire Abyss. Of course, that''s a price we''re ready to pay.


    The problem came with Mars. It had a real danger of falling. Thankfully, we had the help of Shadow Guardians and¡­you. With half of the Abyssal upiedoids crushed, I think we can take it from here and create a stable status quo."


    Varian nodded.


    "Uranus and Neptune were always the more vtiles. Because they''re borders, they''re under high risk even though their armies are roughly as strong as their counterparts." A very old man with a wrinkled face sitting beside Varian said.


    "The focus for this war was mostly on Neptune, so Uranus managed to stay afloat. But Neptune would''ve fallen!" The Old Man''s words caused the room to fall silent.


    The gazes of all the officers intensified on Varian. Their gazes contained intense emotions.


    Gratitude. Pride. Joy. Relief.


    But most of all, Respect.


    Seeing the people who risked their lives, seeing the heroes he admired look up at him with respect, Varian felt something swell in his chest.


    Was it pride? Was it joy?


    He didn''t know.


    But he did smile back brightly. "I am doing my part. You all were fighting for us before I was even born. If there weren''t men and women like you risking your lives, I wouldn''t be born today."


    The old men and women, the highest ranking officials, and the vastly experienced members were taken aback by his honest remarks.


    Then theyughed joyously and began chatting with him in a more casual manner. Varian reciprocated their respect with respect and joy with joy.


    It was a small meeting that onlysted for thirty minutes, but for Varian, it was something he''d never forget.


    Saving yourself was easy. You just need to run away from the danger. But to save others, you have to run toward the danger.


    As the meeting ended, the Old Man patted Varian. "Child, we can''t repay you. But thank you for everything."


    "Likewise."

 Chapter 836 Hero And Death

    Chapter 836 Hero And Death


    After the short meeting with the senior officials, Varian returned to his quarters to rest.


    He''d need two or three hours to recharge. Thankfully, he already took down fifteen out of the thirty fallenoids.


    So, the human army was already advancing into theoids Varian cleaned up and was in the middle of finishing off the remaining Abyssal army.


    Now, Humans more or less have fifteen moreoids under control. Excluding the currentoid, it''s equalpared to the Abyssals.


    Of course, the human army sent to upy these fifteenoids was not as strong as the one on these fallenoids.


    Varian could easily kill them because his strength was already hitting the peak of level 8.


    But for a normal army whose strongest awakener was a level 7, these armies would be a nightmare.


    So, the human army wisely didn''t poke them and instead prepared their defenses in case of an invasion. They were confident in stalling the enemy for three whole days.


    And the Senior Mars officials who agreed to this mobilization obviously had Varian in mind.


    If things really went south, then Varian could solve it as long as he had three days.


    But there was also another intention.


    If the Abyssal army from these fallenoids wanted to invade anotheroid that''s split between Humans and Abyssals, they''d need to board their spaceships and take their fleet on a journey of invasion.


    Then, the human armies on theseoids would y gueri warfare¡ªhit and run¡ªin a bid to exhaust them.


    The invading Abyssals would still make it to their targetoid, but by then, they''d have sustained significant losses and blow to morale.


    In short, Varian wouldn''t have to rush right upon hearing Abyssals dispatched a new batch of reinforcements.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "What are you doing here?" Varian muttered at the person sleeping on his bed.


    He couldn''t see her face since she covered herself with a nket, but from the familiar long silver hair sprawling outside, he could tell her identity right away.


    No response came.


    Varian heard the weak breathing and sighed.


    ''She''s also running around theoids assisting the level 9s¡­''


    Since she deserved a good rest, Varian turned around to exit the room before he suddenly stopped. ''But why is she in my bedroom?''


    The military should give her good and safe quarters. Even with all his achievements, without Enigma holding back the level 9s, Mars would''ve faced destruction.


    A cute little ghost appeared beside Varian at some point. Seeing its master''s confusion, Boo realized his dilemma and put on a profound expression, resembling a wise sage as it said."Master, in the novels that Boo read, when a woman sleeps in the same bed as a man, then it means she''s inviting him to¡ª"


    "No." Varian blocked Boo''s mouth in time and nced at the sleeping woman with caution.


    "Mff!" Boo protested against the tyranny. It wanted freedom! It wanted to spread the way! It wanted to¡ª


    Varian sent it back to the ghostship and put an end to the shortest revolution against tyranny.


    ''If Sia hears that, I''ll be in for an earful. You''re deliberately trying to screw me up, aren''t you?'' Varian experienced a bitter betrayal.


    ''¡­''


    In the Ghostship, Boo whistled nonchntly. The little ghost wanted to create a drama and failed.


    Varian vowed to punish this troublemaker one day before walking toward the door.


    The real reason Enigma slept here was that she couldn''t bring herself to trust the human army.


    If before, she wouldn''t evene to a military camp with people stronger than her. But after thest incident where she was severely injured and fainted until Varian found her, she realized she couldn''t risk her life like that.


    But this was the best trust she could give them now.


    Because even though she''s more powerful, Varianmanded far more awe and respect across the military. No sane person in the army would want to piss off such a man.


    So, there wouldn''t be secret traps to get samples of DNA or aura for experiments.


    As Varian was about to exit, his legs grew slightly heavy and a tired voice called him out. "Don''t go."


    He turned around to the sounds of rustling nkets and Enigma sitting up in the bed.


    She had a ghastly pale face and disheveled hair. Her eyes were strained and weak. She looked like a patient suffering from a terrible fever.


    Varian was stunned for a moment. "What the fuck happened?"


    "Fighting at my full strength for a whole day, what else could happen?" Enigma rolled her eyes and gave him a strange look. "I should be the one asking, how are you fine after running around for a whole day?"


    "I''m built differently." Varian shrugged before waving his hand and about to exit. "I''ll need a short rest to recharge though I can still fight. I''ll see after a short sleep."


    "They''re trying to kill you!" Enigma''s weak voice was raised an octave. It was like she was trying to speak her loudest even though her voice wasn''t supporting her.


    "I know. They''re always trying to kill me."


    "Not that. You know what exactly I mean. All the level 9 Abyssals I fought from the other side, they told me you''d die soon. They''repletely confident, almost like it''s inevitable." Enigma clenched the bedsheet as she looked at Varian''s back with worry.


    Varian sighed deeply and shook his head. "They have a n. I know that."


    "Then¡ª"


    "But I still need to go," Varian said. "I have to see through this war. At least on Mars. I screwed up this. So, I have to fix it."


    "You!" As the sound of heavy breathing filled the room, Enigma staggered out of the bed and dragged her fatigued body in front of Varian.


    She stared him in the eye and gritted her teeth. Her eyes shone with a million emotions. Anger. Helplessness. Fear. Worry.


    Seeing her, Varian wanted to p himself for once thinking Enigma was emotionless. She was always full of emotions. But they weren''t in her gestures or facial expression like everyone else.


    It was her eyes. They showed everything.


    "You can call this silly, but I have a bad premonition." Enigma clenched her fists at her sides as she said in a weak voice. "Please. You might really die."


    Varian was about to shake his head when Enigma continued.


    "If you die, what will happen to Sia? To Sarah? When you''re clearly targeted, why should you throw away your own life? You saved a lot of lives of people you don''t even know. So, save yours for the people who you know and love."


    Hearing the heavy emotions from the woman who was mostly indifferent, Varian finally sighed. "Just one day. I will sort this mess out from Mars. And then I''ll retreat until the war is over."


    Enigma struggled for a few seconds but nodded. "Fine. But I''ll be with you."


    "But the level 9 Abyssals?"


    "Why do you think I''m so exhausted? They won''t cause any trouble for a day. They can''t."


    Enigma''s confident reply came relieved him and Varian once again turned to exit the room. "Alright. I''ll go there after three hours. See you s¡ªhey!"


    Varian yelled in surprise as Enigma''s gravity power ced him on the bed.


    Enigmaid down on the other side of the bed and closed her eyes.


    "What the hell are you doing?" Varian asked in confusion.


    Enigma answered without opening her eyes. "You lied to Sia and Sarah during the vacation. I can''t trust that you won''t go to theoids without me. So, rest here for three hours. I have to rest too anyway. I am keeping my mind sense locked on you. If you exit the room, I''ll know. It''s all for your safety. See you after three hours."


    Saying so, Enigma drifted off to sleep.


    Bewildered and utterly confused, Varian could only mutter. "I wasn''t lying this time though."


    As they said, a single lie could ruin trust. And unfortunately, his small lie caused a change so big that Enigma had to keep surveince on him even when she slept.


    If it was Sia or Sarah, Varian was still confident in convincing them. But Enigma, he didn''t really know.


    ''But my death¡­'' Varian stared at the ceiling in deep thought.


    ''Because my life is under threat, I am backing off from this war. Morally, this is as pathetic as it gets. But I don''t really want to risk my life.


    Yes, I am patriotic. Yes, I can do a lot for my race.


    But dying¡­''


    Varian shook his head. He had a lot to do in life. With his potential, he could grow quickly and see the wonders of this universe. But would that mean it''s okay for a person to die if they don''t have this kind of potential?


    Did he really care about his race or was he just trying to y Hero?


    Under the lens of death, an intense inner debate ravaged Varian''s mind.


    Not a single time did he choose between dying for humanity''s future.


    Confronted with his own answers, Varian had a feeling of disillusionment.


    During this wartime, his achievements gained him a lot of fame, worship, and respect.


    He was called a Hero.


    Even though he didn''t say much about it, he was happy, proud, and excited.


    But all those emotions were sidelined now, reced by a sobering calmness.


    He wasn''t any hero.


    He never was.

 Chapter ?837 An Ominous Premonition

    Chapter ?837 An Ominous Premonition


    The ughter resumed after the three-hour rest.


    Followed by Enigma who was still weak to fight actively but active enough for a short battle, Varian paid the sixteenthoid a visit.


    It was an aquaticoid with more than 95% water with thendmass present in the form of ind chains.


    So, Varian used his water powers and unleashed horrifying tsunamis on the Abyssals. But That alone wasn''t enough to end them.


    So, he used a simple trick. He discharged the lightning into the water. Since the ocean water wasn''tpletely pure, it was a good conductor of electricity.


    What the Abyssals faced wasn''t a tsunami but an electric tsunami. This method was so effective that in just five minutes, the whole Abyssal army was wiped out!


    Even for Varian, it was a staggering achievement.


    Because when he usually ''destroyed'' theoids, he would at most kill half of the army along with their strongest awakeners.


    But he wiped out the total three hundred thousand Abyssals. When he left theoid, not a single breath was heard.


    The ughter continued.


    Oneoid after another quickly fell under Varian''s overwhelming strength. Even though he grew tired with each battle, Varian continued to fight.


    And watching his one-man wars, Enigma could hardly conceal her shock. Seated in her room in the ghost ship, she viewed everything from arge hologram with a nk look on her face.


    Every time Varian waved his hand, heaven and earth shook.


    ''¡­How did he get too strong all of a sudden?''


    She would bet her life and even ''Her'' life on Varian growing stronger somehow. It wasn''t just his individual powers, but also the boost they provided to each other.


    The problem Varian faced despite having so many powers was that these powers didn''tplement each other much. They were like two separate sword strikes¡ªthey didn''t add up into an attack.


    It was still the same case. But the problem somehow got better.


    Moreover, Varian''s stamina had reached an insane level. Enigma was sure that thebined stamina of seven separate level 8s would be far lower than Varian''s.


    "You are bing a true monster¡­" Enigma sighed in disbelief.


    But she was relieved more than anything. In this dangerous world, you either be a monster or be swallowed by one.


    The more dangerous Varian bes, the safer he would be.


    Varian''s wars continued.


    After nearly ten hours, he finished off tenoids and was racing towards finishing the final five.


    For some reason, Enigma couldn''t stop the growing anxiety in her heart. She had no idea why, but she began to feel the growth of something dreadful. Of something that seemed familiar but without any idea of what it is.


    Varian''s emotions werepletely different.


    Mars had lost manyoids since it was weakened due to him. He had seen some destruction caused by Mirage Queen. He had heard of the casualties.


    But visiting theseoids one by one and seeing the littered corpses of the human army on every one of theseoids¡­ was soul-crushing.


    If the millions of deaths under Mirage Queen''s rampage back then were directly his mistake, then the deaths of more than three million soldiers on these thirtyoids were the consequences of that very mistake.


    "¡­Fuck." Varian cursed as he punched theoid he was ''visiting''.


    A strong shockwave spread out and reached the Abyssal army ahead of him.


    Like dried leaves facing a fierce wind, the Abyssals were blown away and exploded into blood mist due to the sheer force of the shockwaves.


    In a few minutes, the entireoid had no significant Abyssal army left alive.


    Varian was about to leave when he saw the corpses of the human soldiers scattered across theoid.


    It was odd.


    Abyssals had a tradition of burning their enemy''s corpses. Leaving so many corpses like this¡­


    Varian barely gave it a thought and reasoned it must be because they were busy preparing to continue the war.


    It wasn''t a proper exnation, but he didn''t think much about it.


    "You''ll get a proper funeral once this war is over." He promised and jumped into the ghost ship which soon disappeared into outer space.


    As Varian progressed in finishing off thest fouroids, Enigma found her eyebrows jumping in fear.


    "Corpses?" Enigma clutched her head to recall if she had heard anything rted to them. Despite using mind powers, she found no special memory rted to corpses.


    Yet, they were giving her an eerie feeling.


    Enigma tapped her armrest and called the ghost watching a drama in another room. "Boo, did all the previousoids you went to have scattered human corpses?"


    "Uh? Ah?!" Hearing Enigma''s voice directly in its mind, Boo jolted up and looked around in fear.


    After identifying the voice, Boo appeared in Enigma''s room with an urge toin.


    But seeing Enigma''s indifferent face, Boo gulped down its words. This woman was mad in her own right. At one point, she wanted to take down the entire Xanders by herself.


    "All theoids Master raided today and yesterday have corpses. There weren''t any traces of them being cremated." Boo answered after reviewing the data and yelped what it just realized. "Wait, but why?"


    Enigma shook for a moment as an unknown fear crept inside her heart. She took a deep breath and looked at Boo with a serious expression. "Be alert."


    Then, she disappeared from the ghostship and appeared a few miles away from Varian who had just destroyed the Abyssal army on theoid.


    Before Varian could even ask why did she appear here, Enigma waved her hand and an invisible wave spread throughout theoid.


    "Enigma, wait, what are you¡ª"


    The corpses littered across theoid, both human and abyssal, burst like a balloon and painted thend red and green.


    Varian was stunned at her action before he got angry. But controlling himself, he asked her for an exnation. "Why did you touch the corpses of the human soldiers?"


    "A bad premonition," Enigma replied with a calm expression.


    Varian narrowed his eyes. "Any evidence for your premonition?"


    "None. I just feel it. Something bad is going to happen."


    "And you didn''t even let the human corpses go. It''s thest dignity we can give to people who died for the human race." Varian clenched his fist as his chest heaved up and down.


    "Trust me once." Enigma looked into his eyes and said in the earnest tone she could. "Even if what I do is despicable, it''s better for your safety and mine. Please understand."


    Varian didn''t expect such words from Enigma and was at a loss for words.


    And to be fair, he couldn''tpletely write off her ''premonition''. She was a hybrid after all and might have abilities he or even she wasn''t aware of.


    Moreover, now that he thought about it, the situation of the corpses was weird. It was the same for all theoids he defeated yesterday as well.


    So, maybe there was really a conspiracy linked with these corpses.


    "¡­But do we really have to destroy them?" Varian still asked.


    It was too disrespectful to blow up the corpse of the person who died to protect everyone.


    "I don''t know a better way," Enigma said with no emotional burden.


    "I think I do." Varian shrugged.


    Enigma shrugged. "Show me on the nextoid then. If it works, it works."


    Thirty minutester, Varian destroyed anotheroid and Enigma quickly blew up the Abyssal corpses.


    Then, the ghost ship circled around theoid at full speed and captured the human corpses before cing them inside a super expanded room.


    Ghostship too had a limit on its space expansion, but the ceiling was pretty high. Plus, since they were corpses, they could be stored in limited space.


    The room itself was sealed by level 9 walls.


    Enigma looked at this arrangement and nodded in acknowledgment. "It''s more time taking, but if you want this, then sure. But remember your promise, you should leave the battlefield after you finish off the remainingoids."


    "I know." Varian smiled, not knowing what was about toe.


    Two hourster, thest fallenoid was decimated by Varian''s iron fist. Now, excluding the level 9s and level 8s, Mars gained a ridiculous edge against Mirage Abyss.


    And the person who was responsible for this dream-like situation was sipping tea in the lounge when a room in his spaceship suddenly exploded.

 Chapter 838 The Prelude

    Chapter 838 The Prelude


    The moment the room exploded, a huge shockwave was released from the room.


    Varian teleported in front of the giant room or where the room once was. Now, it''s filled with dust and pieces of metal lying all around.


    The shockwave was also just exiting the room, but in a single second, it''d reach every corner of the ghostship. Even though it was only a fraction of the energy responsible for blowing up the walls, it was strong enough to wreak havoc in the ghostship''s interior.


    To prevent chaos, Varian folded his hand and channeled his powers.


    The space around the room solidified and the shockwave that was just exiting the room suddenly slowed down. Then, a hemispherical ice barrier sealed up the whole area and a lightning was suspended as an additional guarantee.


    The shockwave was contained and Varian was about to sigh in relief when lights of myriad colors lit up in the ghost ship.


    The ice barrier suddenly cracked apart. The lightning followed without much of a pause.


    Behind the smoke and dust, hundreds of thousands of shining eyes locked their gaze on Varian.


    "What the¡­"


    Varian''s scalp went numb at the ridiculous sight.


    The floor shook as the ''corpses'' inside walked out step by step. There were too many of them¡ªenough to fill five stadiums!


    The dead humans with missing hearts, fatal injuries in their heads, the humans that died from excess bleeding¡ªno matter what kind of ''death'' they experienced, as long as they possessed a rtively intact corpse, they returned.


    The ones leading the army of corpses pointed at Varian and roared. The army behind joined in the roar and issued a warcry.


    Varian was still watching in shock as the nearly three hundred thousand armies of corpses released their aura.


    The Ghostship shook violently and Boo''s cry sounded in Varian''s mind. "Master! Master! Wake up! They''re not alive! They didn''te back to life!"


    Varian nodded and nced at the undead with a solemn expression. He had taken around six hundred thousand dead from the fiveoids. Now, half of them came back for some reason.


    "Boo, I''ll send you a few for every level. Check what''s happening. Be careful." Varian said and checked the army with his mind sense.


    There were some twenty level 8s, with five of them being peak level 8s. Around two hundred level 7s.


    The rest were level 6 or below¡ªbut as a mid awakener, they didn''t make much difference as a level 5 or level 4.


    All of them shared one characteristic. Theycked ''life''.


    Varian couldn''t exin the feeling perfectly, but his ntae powers were telling him that the beings in front of him were missing ''life''.


    "If you really came back to life, I''d have been happy," Varian said in a regretful tone and unleashed his powers on the level 8s.


    The psychic powers pulled seven level 8 Undead into an illusion. His lightning bolts engaged with twelve and quickly suppressed them. The ice froze six and engaged them in equalbat. The telekic force attacked the remaining five.


    Then, he pointed his five fingers at the bulk of the army and tapped in the air.


    The space rippled as if it was a water surface and the Undead army suddenly went stiff.


    Beginning from Varian''s fingertips, going through the undead army all the way until the end, space was thinly but sharply cut.


    As a result, it seemed like Varian was projecting extremely sharp white strings from his fingertips. And these strings had already prated through thousands of Abyssals.


    Varian swiped his finger and the long white strings passing through many necks, heads, and chests were suddenly moved.


    Necks were severed from the body, chests were sliced into two, and heads were cut open.


    Five thousand died in a single attack.


    And Varian didn''t stop. With every swipe of his hand, thousands more fell.


    The level 7 Undead were rtively well safer from his attacks and channeled their powers to attack him.


    Since they didn''t have good coordination, their attacks arrived in dozens than hundreds. Yet, that itself was enough to rattle countless level 8s.


    But Varian simply covered himself in a brownish ''trunk'' using his ntae powers and deflected the attacks with ease.


    His lightning bolts and ice powers exchanged some targets without warning and the Undead were taken in by surprise.


    Two heads rose into the air and were quickly crushed into pieces by the telekic power.


    Without dying, Varian used the freed-up power to take down three more level 8s.


    He was able to match even with thirty level 8s, but with five of them gone, Varian suddenly gained a significant edge.


    The undead level 8 quickly fell one by one as Varian''s powers cooperated with each other.


    The army continued to be butchered. Every time Varian''s attack killed an Undead, he would ensure it was not an intact body.


    In a few minutes, ten level 8s were killed and Varian used the freed-up lightning bullets to shoot the annoying level 7s.


    These level 7s exceeded a hundred and would''ve been a major headache for him a month ago. But under his lightning bullets, these level 7s dropped like hunted birds.


    The bulk of the army was destroyed by Varian at this point.


    Despite this being perhaps thergest scale of a battle fought, Varian wasn''t happy.


    He was killing humans, after all. And these were the soldiers nheless. Even though he didn''t like it personally, Varian did what he must.


    "I''m sorry," Varian said and pped at the remaining army.


    A huge golden hand of lightning with a blue circle at its center emerged. It reached the remaining army of twenty thousand in an instant and crushed them to death.


    "Not bad." Enigma appeared beside Varian at some point andplimented him on wiping out the Undeads.


    "Yeah, thank¡ªno, why didn''t you lend me a helping hand? It would''ve made my life easier." Varian muttered with a smile.


    "Any guesses about this battle''s implications?" Enigma asked suddenly.


    Varian''s smile vanished.


    He only got the corpses from fiveoids. But corpses¡­they''re littered onoids across the sr system.


    Varian''s face paled and Boo''s anxious voice sounded at the same time.


    "Master, manyoids are under Undead attack!"

 Chapter ?839 Undead

    Chapter ?839 Undead


    The Abyssal attacks have created a new status quo in their favor. In the future attacks, they''d have better starting point advantages.


    But overall, the Federation didn''t consider this war as a great loss. For one, even if the humans saw many casualties, the Abyssals had nearly equal deaths.


    Originally, Humans lost a few million soldiers more than Abyssals. But with Varian sweeping thirtyoids by himself, the gap was quickly closed.


    And secondly, even if the Abyssals did upy some strategic locations in theoids and in rare ocassions, upied aoid itself, they didn''t gain any breaking edge.


    Mercury, Venus and Earth were still pretty much safe.


    Mars, which had the potential risk of falling, could now be considered as theoid with the with best defenses.


    It not only made up for its deficiencies with respect to Mirage Abyss, thanks to Varian and Enigma''s relentless efforts, Mars now had posessed a slight edge over it.


    Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus took significant damage. But the Abyssals only had minor edge here.


    Neptune, on the other hand, had almost no change in status quo.


    "Consolidate the status quo. Build up new defense lines." The sweeping order from the Military HQ reached everyoid.


    Even though the army still fought with the Abyssals, the intent changed. From a highly offensive war style, they shifted to a defensive style.


    Like many, themander of Thepesoid also ordered his army to slowly retreat and rebuild a new defense line.


    "Retreat! But don''t stop attacking if you want to stay alive!"


    "Psychics, ensure those bastards don''t pull off some cheap illusions to block our retreat."


    "Launch a fierce attack and then withdraw."


    After an hour of fierce struggle, the army of Thepesoid finally retreated behind the new defense line. The transfer and construction of defense infrastructure was alreadypleted.


    But before the army could even rejoice, a siren jolted them onto their feet and an announcement followed.


    "Alert! We have recieved a reinforcement. The number of troops are thirty-three thousand."


    A huge screen popped up and a giant crowd was disyed far, far away. Since the distance was too far, only their rough outline could be see. But these troops also wore the same military uniform and their physical dimensions seemed human.


    So, the soldiers rxed their shoulders and were about to return to their quarters when the Base Commander''s grave voice sounded. "We haven''t recieved any news of such reinforcement."


    "What?"


    "Is the reinforcement an advanced illusion?"


    "Are the Abyssals pretending to be human?"


    "Wait, where are their spaceships? Why didn''t theynd at our base but are marching toward us?"


    Military followed strict protocols unless the situation prevented it. If these reinforcements arrived, then someone should''ve given them a heads up about their arrival.


    Even in emergency case that the heads up was impossible, the Commander of the reinforcements should take the initiative to contact the Base Commander and report their details.


    That''s why, this reinforcement was fishy.


    Amidst the questions thrown by the soldiers, the officers in charge of the base flew above the base and squinted their eyes at the crowd in green at the horizon.


    Their senses couldn''t reach that far and they had trouble confirming if there was any problem.


    A middle-aged man with a short beard floated behind them and red at the horizon. The officers turned around and looked at him with various expressions.


    The man understood what his subordinates wanted to convey with a single nce and made a hand signal.


    The officers sighed and tapped theirms at once. A red light lit up the base and a danger bell rang.


    The soldiers instinctively got into a defensive formation and waited for the enemy toe.


    They didn''t know why the reinforcement was treated as an enemy, but they didn''t care. Their job was to follow orders.


    As the soldiers waited patiently, the reinforcements at the horizon suddenly elerated.


    They covered a dozen miles in a few seconds and were now much clearer. As they got closer and closer, more and more people could see the true form of the reinforcements.


    "This..."


    "What the hell..."


    "B-Brother?!"


    The reinforcements indeed had human bodies, wore military uniform and were in fact, the brothers and sisters in arms that the soldiers in the base fought alongside just a few hours ago before dying.


    But now...


    "Inform the HQ." The Commander said and activated the barrier around the base.


    His eyes searched the reinforcements for a familiar figure with half-anticipation and half-despair.


    Finally, his gaze stopped at a woman rushing towards the base with lightning wings.


    "Yue..." The Commander gritted his teeth looking at his wife''s current state.


    Her once smooth light brown skin was now ghostly white, showing the delicate veins under her skin. Her beautiful scarlet eyes were now a lifeless ck.


    The sharp wound on her heart that killed her still remained gapingly open, reminding the Commander the moment she was killed by an Abyssal and his inability to save her.


    But more importantly, it also reminded him that she had already died.


    "Yue, what did they do to your body?" The Commander choked.


    The woman''s face was lifeless as she pped her wings and inched closer and closer to the base alongside the Undead army.


    Just like him, the soldiers were also shaken once they realized they''d have to fight against the bodies of their own friends andrade-in-arms.


    Regardless of the emotional turmoil he felt, the Commander pointed his sword at the sky and ordered.


    "Our loved ones have already passed away. But these filthy Abyssals refuse to even let them have a proper rest. Let us give them a proper send off." The Commander''s sword burnt with brilliant orange mes and shot at the Undead.


    The sword cut through Yue''s chest and burnt her to ashes.


    The Commander''s action stunned the soldiers first, then it erased their hesitation.


    "This is my resolve. Where is yours?"


    The soldiers raised their weapons and dered their resolve.


    With their strength, defeating the Undead would be taxing but doable.


    "We Will Win!"


    "Glory To Human Race!"


    "We Will Give A Proper Ending To Our Comrades!"


    As the morale of the Human Army grew stronger and stronger, another war roar sounded from the distance.


    A few dozen miles behind the Undead Army, the Abyssal Army gathered into an offensive formation and started marching toward the base.


    What''s even more concenering was that there were also Abyssal Undead who quickly joined the Human Undead.


    With the Undead forces as the vanguard, the Abyssal army was supercharged for the battle.


    "Victory Is Ours Ast!"


    "We Will Survive!"


    "Let The Peace Of Our Children Be Built On Our Blood."


    The whole situation turnedplicated beyond anyone''s expectations.


    The Commander took a deep breath and announced. "Prepare for a defensive battle. It''s the only way out for a victory."


    The order was quickly executed.


    The Space Awakeners that just left the base teleported back. The Body Awakeners that were supposed to lead the offensive stood on the ramparts carrying thick metallic shields.


    The Elementals gathered in the bombing towers.


    Each Awakener group took a role suiting their power and soon, the entire base waspletely fortifed.


    The Undead started the attack.


    "Victory Or Death!"


    An intense battle unfolded.


    Just like Themis, the human army on manyoids shed with the Undead and Abyssal army.


    As the situation unfolded, the Abyss Rulers were awaiting the final step of the n.

 Chapter 840 Crisis And The Way Out

    Chapter 840 Crisis And The Way Out


    The thinktank forecast wasn''t optimistic.


    Only Mercury, Venus and Earth¡ªthe strongests weren''t facing a big problem.


    Because Mercury faced Sin Abyss¡ªtheir opponents were Beast Awakeners. A few decades ago, Abyssals used parasitic beasts to hide inside the human corpses and assasinated the army officials during cremation.


    Thus, it became a tradition to cremate the corpses on the spot.


    Venus, on the other hand, faced the Sea Abyss. Since most of the Abyssals were Water Awakeners, Venus recruited a lot of Fire Awakeners to figh them.


    As a result, during the war, most of the corpses¡ªHuman or Abyssal were burnt and couldn''t turn into an Undead.


    Then came Earth.


    Moroever, since Demon Abyss members were Body Awakeners, they used to humiliate humans by crushing them to pulp. Humans started to return the favor. So, there were almost no Abyssal Undead on Earth''soids.


    Their difficulty was reduced by half. Moroever, Earth''s army was significantly stronger than Demon Abyss''. They had full confidence in controlling the situation.


    The remainings had difficulties.


    Perhaps because it''s luck was just that bad, it was Neptune that was facing the worst danger once again.


    Because while Varian ughtered the Abyssals on thirtyoids, he didn''t destroy their corpses. Moreover, he didn''t destroy the human corpses on twenty fiveoids.


    Compared to Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune which were curretnly overwhelmed but could still hold on, Mars was in an existential predicament.


    If these Undead rose out of theseoids, they''d be an unstoppable force.


    Thebined Human and Abyssal army of nearly thirtyoids¡ªwhile only a third of them would likely qualify as an Undead, even that was a terrifying number.


    It''s nearly equivalent to the Human and Abyssal army of tenoids or simply the Abyssal army of twentyoids!


    For the record, the total number ofoids across the sr system was only 500!


    Even then, if these Undead were scattered throughout, it wouldn''t be so terrible.


    But Mars took a significant part of that Undead¡­thanks to Varian. So did Neptune where he actively massacred the Abyssals.


    Realizing that even the things in good faith backfired, Varian had the urge to cursedy luck and all her rtives.


    It was so much that even Enigma couldn''t help but stomp.


    "You sound like a gangster spewing those vulgar words," Enigma snorted as she nced at Varian with light contempt.


    Varian gave her a look of equal contempt. "For your information, objectively, I am the biggest criminal. I killed a Sovereign, nearly wiped out Mars'' level 9s, caused millions of deaths. Now, I unleashed millions of Undead against the Federation."


    Enigma opened her mouth to continue the argument but realized she had nothing left to say.


    She rolled her eyes and jumped out of the ghostship, into aoid where one of the two level 9 Undead appeared.


    Since level 9 fights were too intense, the chances of them having an intact body to be an Undead were slim.


    So, the burden on Enigma was bearable.


    "Boo, back to those thirtyoids again." Varian said as he closed his eyes to rest.


    Boo looked at Varian with a worried gaze. Even though he didn''t show it, Boo could tell that Varian was under severe stress.


    Perhaps he was ming himself. After all, even when Enigma warned him that something might be off about the corpses, he didn''t destroy them.


    "Master, it''s okay. You just didn''t want to dishonor the deceased, it''s not your fault." Boo said slowly.


    Varian stiffened for a moment before heughed. "I''m fine. Don''t Worry."


    Boo nodded and returned to theb.


    A couple of Undead were strapped to beds and were closely observed. The observation had just begun and Boo didn''t find anything important yet.


    Boo checked the results of preliminary tests and tilted its head. "They''re dead, but they have something inmon with the living. And they have a special¡­energy in their body."


    Even though the quantity of the energy seemed to be diluted millions of times, its quality far exceeded anything Boo saw in the Human Federation excluding Varian''s weird powers that day. They weren''t in any grade.


    "Boo saw this somewhere¡­Undead¡­Ativ¡­.why can''t Boo remember?"


    Even though the energy seemed familiar, Boo''s memories were too iplete to recall any useful information.


    But one thing was clear to Boo.


    The Abyssal Kings and Queens were incapable of posessing a mysterious power. They could only control it through a treasure or multiple treasures.


    Boo''s IQ exploded for a moment and the cute ghost gasped in realization.


    Undead appeared on almost everyoid. They all have this special energy. Since Abyssals couldn''t handle this special energy, they could only use a treasure to do it.


    That meant¡ª


    "Everyoid has a treasure that''s responsible for converting the dead to Undead. If that''s found, maybe Boo can find a solution."


    Hearing Boo''s words, Varian said. "Inform the army. I''ll do my best, but better be safe than sorry."


    "Yes, Master."


    A few minutester, Variannded in aoid whose Undead was about to board spaceships and embark on a conquest.


    ''None of these Undead had any intelligence. So, someone must be directing them.'' Varian squinted his eyes and circled the entireoid.


    There was no living creature. There was no direct control.


    "But there is a treasure here. Maybe they''re using that treasure tomand them." Varian muttered and avoided the attacks thrown at him.


    Hundreds of fire balls and lightning bolts exploded behind him, painting the sky with beautiful orange and yellow.


    Varian teleported to the Abyss bases and began to scan every square meter for the ''treasure''.


    Meanwhile, he also casually attacked the Undead Army. The Undead army, despite numbering almost forty thousand, was quickly sted to pieces.


    But Varian still couldn''t find the treasure.


    "Wait¡­" Varian stopped the search and pped his forehead.


    With a wave of his hand, an Abyssal appeared in his hand.


    With a nk face and cripppled body, he was one of the many ''test subjects'' stored in Ghostship.


    Varian killed him without hesitation and threw his body on theoid.


    Then, he kept all his senses focused on the Abyssal''s corpse.


    And he waited.


    Seconds turned into minutes, but Varian still couldn''t sense ''energy'' that was turning the dead into Undead.


    As he''s about to give up, one of the senses that rarely stood out, his ntae sense shook.


    Varian felt an incredibly vague sensationing from a certain direction.


    For his ntae powers that promoted vitality, this sensation was extremely repulsive.


    This sensation signified Death.


    After a few minutes of grappling, Varian finally caught the slippery and almost invisible thread of energy.


    "Got you!"

 Chapter ?841 Catching Hope

    Chapter ?841 Catching Hope


    "What is this?"


    It was an experience Varian wasn''t expecting. He sensed energy far purer and more potent than anything he experienced.


    Varian teleported to a hill under the ocean and waved his hand.


    The hill broke into pieces and a crystal floated above Varian''s palm.


    The crystal had a single small ck dot inside it¡ªthe original energy, even though it''s diluted millions of times.


    And around that ck dot were many ck threads. The same ck thread responsible for turning dead into Undead.


    Varian didn''t understand a lot of things about the crystal.


    But after he summoned another Abyssal, killed him, and saw an extra ck thread in the crystal while the ck dot shrunk, he realized something.


    The ck dot was being used to create the Undead. The ck thread was some sort of energy that was being collected.


    "Collected for what?" Varian didn''t know, but he was certain it wasn''t for anything good.


    Moreover, he needed to verify a few things. But the nearestoid with Undead was still a few minutes away.


    Moreover, he had twenty-nine moreoids to clean up.


    "Haaa~" Varian groaned in frustration as he devised the way for the least number of deaths.


    ''I can only investigate after five more minutes. Tens of thousands could die in that time. It''s better to save as many as I can.'' He decided and tapped hism.


    Rather than waiting for a few minutes, Varian delegated the task to the army.


    The HQ forwarded his message to the armies across the Sr System. But only a few had the opportunity to try it out. And they didn''t hesitate.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    The Human Army could opt for a defensive fight.


    In such a defensive strategy, ntae Awakeners yed an important role.


    The Commander ntae was one of the paths for the ntae Awakeners. They could summon many little and weaker nts through their seeds and have them fight.


    Depending on the proficiency of the user and the nt species itself, the summoned little nts could be incredibly useful.


    Just like now, around a hundred ntae Commanders have summoned around a thousand small nts in total.


    One variety of these nts was a one-meter-tall flower nt resembling a sunflower.


    These nts stuck to the military base''s walls and acted as an intelligent barrier. They left the too-strong and too-weak attacks reaching the base. And moved only to block the attacks they could bear. And not only did they block, but they also repelled these attacks back on the invaders.


    The Abyssal Elementals had to take special care not to mess with these nts after getting hit by their own attacks.


    Just like this one, all the other nt species were contributing in their own way.


    There were also other nts inside the base doing their duty. Some were healing, others were reducing fatigue, few more were giving mental rity to defend against mental attacks.


    Thanks to the excellent contribution of the ntae Awakeners, Noir was able to put on an incredible defense and stopped thebined forces of the Undead and Abyssals.


    At this critical juncture, however, the nt defense of the base suddenly shrunk.


    A good part of the Abyssal attacks that were usually blocked now reached the base and put incredible pressure on the Army.


    The men and women defending from the base already knew that the ten best ntae Awakeners were withdrawn from the defense and summoned into the meeting room.


    It sent a bad signal across the troops who feared they were being abandoned.


    But the base had a qualifyingmander who announced. "We won''t back down. We conquer. Show them our wrath."


    The falling morale suddenly soared.


    The soldiers channeled their aura and defended the base even more fiercely. Even the gap in defense that appeared due to the removed nts was covered temporarily.


    Because the announcement contained a hidden message meaning: "We might have found the solution. Hold for a bit longer."


    In one of the most secured rooms of the military base, ten ntae Awakeners gathered in a circle as they waited.


    The space distorted and a bloodied woman appeared carrying two dying Abyssals.


    The space continued to twist as more and more Space Awakeners appeared with dying Abyssals.


    Soon, the room was filled with around two hundred dying Abyssals. Since they were in the middle of an intense war with armies numbering in tens of thousands, the Abyssals didn''t notice what the Space Awakeners were doing.


    "We pray for your sess." Liam, the Captain of the Space Awakeners gave them a hopeful gaze before teleporting back.


    His brother, Siam, in the group, waved back at him with determined eyes.


    This was the most space awakeners could do at this point. The Abyssal Space Awakeners were continuously trying to infiltrate the base.


    Even though the base''s formations and treasures could block them for a small period, it was ultimately the Human Space Awakeners that fought them tooth and nail.


    Now, the ten ntae Awakeners were left with the two hundred dying Abyssals.


    The oldest ntae Awakener looked at his brothers and sisters with a strong smile. "Varian sensed it with a single corpse. We can do it as well."


    "Wait, what are you¡ª"


    A dying Abyssal tried to talk, but a woman pointed her finger at him and his neck was sliced off by a sharp thorn.


    "Let''s start." She closed her eyes with a solemn expression and said.


    The remaining Abyssals were killed ten a second.


    As they died, the ntae Awakeners focused their senses to the limit and tried to sense the ''death'', ''energy'', and more importantly, the ''ck thread''.


    Seconds flowed into minutes and no progress was made.


    By now, the absence of the ntae Awakeners was already taking a toll.


    The Undead and Abyssals were starting to damage the base''s defenses and were progressing in their conquest.


    If this continued for a few more minutes, then they''d reach a point of no return.


    Before that happens, the ntae Awakeners would be forced to abandon their search and join the fight. But if that happens, then the best result they could hope for is temporary survival.


    But if they seed before that moment¡­


    "Pour your heart and soul into it. This will change our future." The Oldest ntae Awakeners said and followed his own words.


    A few more minutes passed with no results.


    The Abyssals and Undead have made several key breakthroughs in breaching the defense and were about to gain a decisive advantage.


    The Commander was about to call the ntae Awakeners back.


    Then, it happened.

 Chapter 842 Upheaval

    Chapter 842 Upheaval


    "Found it!" An Old man with bright green eyes clenched his fist in excitement.


    The remaining ntae Awakeners were taken aback first before they burst into cheers.


    "Siam did it!"


    "Your nt entity is famous for its sensitivity! We should''ve thought about this sooner!"


    "Quickly, locate the crystal!"


    As the team spoke in excitement, the Commander''s reluctant voice sounded from theirms. "We''re reaching a point of no return soon. We can no longer afford this search. Come join th¡ª"


    "Sir, Siam just located the crystal! We already called in Liam¡ªhe''s here!"


    An Old Man appeared in the room abruptly and without another word, he grabbed his green-eyed brother.


    Siam conveyed the location and they teleported to an underground cave.


    Floating in front of them was a beautiful crystal with a small ck dot and countless ck threads in it.


    "This is it!" Siam gasped as he reached for the crystal.


    "No." Liam, the elder brother, grabbed the crystal.


    "Yo! What are you doing? It''s my job to destroy it!"


    "No can do. We still don''t know if destroying this treasure will result in anything dangerous."


    "So?"


    "So, I''ll destroy it in outer space. Even if something happens there, our base won''t be affected."


    Hearing his brother''s exnation, Siam sighed. "Don''t die now, Old fellow."


    Liamughed at his younger brother. "Back at you, little fellow."


    Then, he teleported Siam back to the base and teleported himself to the clouds and then to outer space.


    In a few seconds, he traveled thousands of miles, far away from theoid.


    It took a fourth of his space power. But for the sake of everyone''s safety, Liam did it anyway.


    "Alright," He teleported the crystal twenty miles away.


    Then, he snapped his fingers. "Go to hell."


    The space around the crystal cracked apart. The endless dark space which was like ck paper suddenly had stripes of grey as long and dangerous space cracks appeared.


    The crystal was thrown into the chaotic space without resistance and the space cracks closed.


    Liam sighed in relief. "Phew, that was e¡ª"


    The space shook violently and even from outer space, Liam could sense the great explosion in the chaotic space.


    "Fuck!"


    If the explosion really urred here, it''d devastate at least a quarter of their Noiroid.


    The high awakeners would still survive but the rest would die on spot.


    Liam patted his chest for his wise decision before Varian''s message shed in his mind.


    [1. The treasure responsible for the Undead can be sensed by the ntae Awakeners if they focus their senses when an Abyssal dies.


    2. Verify if destroying the treasure can erase the Undead.


    3. Don''t destroy the treasure indiscriminately. It has very potent energy. Either destroy it in a highly defensive structure or throw it into space cracks.


    PS: It''s not verified yet, but I think we''re in for a pleasant surprise.]


    "¡­Pleasant surprise? Are the Undead really gonna disappear?" Liam chuckled and teleported back to theoid in anticipation.


    What would happen now?


    Were the Undead affected even in the slightest?


    When hended on Noir, Liam was already panting from exhaustion. But he eagerly scanned the battlefield to see if his actions had any effect.


    He desperately hoped the Undead would just drop dead.


    "What?"


    To his utter disappointment, the Undead were still...alive?


    The military base was currently under heavy siege and was in the process of losing its key defenses.


    Liam joined the battle and supported the base. But as he shed sweat and blood to protect the base, he couldn''t suppress the bitter feeling in his heart.


    ''¡­Is it really useless?''


    He tapped hism and informed hismander. "Commander, I did it. But it seems like there''s no chan¡ª"


    A surprised shout interrupted his speech.


    "Commander! Look at the clouds ahead!"


    "Huh?" Liam raised his head and noticed golden clouds of lightning above the enemy army. Alongside those golden clouds were blue clouds as well as red clouds.


    The golden clouds were made by an Undead human while the red and blue were maintained by Abyssals.


    But¡ª


    The Undead human was attacking the Abyssals!


    The golden cloud was shing with the blue and red!


    "Wait, wait¡­" Liam''s eyes widened as he witnessed the Undead Army go berserk.


    They were still attacking Humans, but they were also attacking the Abyssals.


    Since the Abyssal army was mingling with the Undead until now and fighting side by side without any guard against them, this sudden change caught them off guard.


    In a blink, thousands of Abyssals died under the surprise attacks.


    Since the humans were already defending against both Abyssals and Undead, they had no change.


    "Hahahaha! Yes! Take it, you fuckers! Your own pawns on you!" Liam''s roaringughter reverberated across the battlefield.


    The Abyss Army''s momentum waspletely broken and the army itself fell into chaos.


    Forget attacking them, the Abyssal army would now have a big headache finishing off the Undead while minimizing their casualties.


    "Damn human! What did you do?" The enraged roar of the Abyss Commander shook thend and sky.


    "Does it hurt or does it hurt?" Theughing roar of the Human Commander replied.


    The sky shook violently as these two fought hundreds of rounds before returning to their camps.


    The Abyssals and Undead had to fight at zero distance and even though the Abyssals overpowered the Undead due to their numbers, their losses spiked.


    The Abyssal Commander couldn''t bear it any longer and ordered a retreat.


    "Holy fuck Liam! You clever son of a bitch!" The Human Commander appeared beside Liam at some point and pped his shoulders with a grin.


    "Arg¡ªdamn!" Liam winced from the pain as he wondered if his skin turned beet red from the p.


    This stupid Commander had a bad habit of forgetting to control his strength when he got very happy.


    And the next operation would make him happier.


    So¡­


    "I won''t participate in the next operation."


    "Come on!"


    "I also have a report to submit."


    The Commander snickered and reluctantly nodded. "Join us as soon as you can. You don''t want to miss the fun."


    Liam nodded and teleported to a base far away.


    The Abyssals were still in the middle of killing the Undead and retreating from them when the Commander''s voice reached them like a rumble of thunder.


    "Prepare for a full offensive. Let''s wait until they finish off the Undead. They''ll be injured, exhausted, and ripe for picking. Then, we''ll attack and kill those pathetic bastards!"


    Hearing his archrival''s pragmatic but very shameless order, the Abyssal Commander spat out blood.


    Their casualties were already high due to the reckless Undead attacking them without any defense.


    Once they finish off the Undead, the losses would only be significantly higher.


    If the Human army attacks then¡ª


    "Fuck! Fuck! Fuckkk!"

 Chapter ?843 A Decades Old Promise

    ?843 A Decades Old Promise


    The Abyssal Emperor''s n was brilliant.


    First, the Eight Abysses would release the extra forces and disrupt the status quo of theoids.


    On Neptune, this extra force¡ªLightning Wyverns were strong enough to conquer the whole.


    Second, while the Human army was still recovering from disruption and recuperating, the Undead Army would rise and deal them a critical blow.


    Once the Undead army ''woke'' up, any dead member on the battlefield would also turn into an Undead in seconds, provided they had a rtively intact corpse.


    The Human Army wouldn''t be able to destroy all corpses.


    What''s more, Humans would be outnumbered facing Abyssals and Undead. Even then, in the case that 100 humans killed 100 Abyssals despite being outnumbered, out of every 200 deaths, at least 60 would return as Undead. So, for every 100 soldiers that the human army lost, the Undead would gain 30.


    The difference wouldn''t be apparent in the beginning. But it''d quickly snowball into an outrageous challenge.


    Once the Undead reaches even half of the Human army numbers, even if Humans tried their best, they wouldn''t be able to escape immediate extinction.


    It was a beautiful n.


    But.


    Varianpletely screwed it up.


    First, he saved Neptune, blood-bathed the conqueredoids, and dealt a heavy blow to the Abyssal army.


    While not as outrageous, Enigma saved Mars.


    Thus, it wasn''t just the Human army that got disrupted by the sudden war, it was also the Abyssals.


    Second, Varian didn''t just stop the Undead. If it was only that, the Abyssals would only be confronted with a weakened Human army.


    What Varian did was actually flip the board and turn Undead into amon enemy for both Humans and Abyssals.


    Since Abyssals were in the middle of fighting the Human Army alongside the Undead, they were hard hit by the sudden ''betrayal''.


    In fact, right after this incident happened on Noiroid, the nt awakeners there shared their experience with the rest.


    In just minutes, the situation across theoids was reversed.


    The Abyssals scrambled as they retreated to their base.


    Thankfully, after several such incidents, most of the Abyssal armies were preparing themselves.


    They were still hit hard by the Undead, but not as hard as the ones that were totally taken in by surprise.


    At this moment, the Abyssal armies across the Sr System were in the middle of retreat.


    They had mostly disjoined themselves from the Undead and were obliterating them with all their might.


    Since the crystal was already destroyed, no new Undead wasing. So, even though they were in the tens of thousands, the Undead''s numbers quickly diminished.


    The Abyssals, however, couldn''t catch a break.


    Because the Undead were the lesser evil.


    Just like in Noir.


    "Kick their asses!"


    Following themander''s roar, the Human army began their long-distance attacks.


    The sky was filled with thousands of humans who positioned themselves far away from the battlefield to avoid being targetted by the Undead while they themselvesunched deadly attacks on the Abyssals from the side.


    But as if that wasn''t enough, the Humans attacked the Abyssals that were primarily responsible for defending against the Undead.


    Fireballs rained down and ice bullets shot up. The earth crumbled and thunder rumbled.


    Under the Elemental attacks, the solid Abyssal defense against the Undead began to crack.


    As if that wasn''t enough, the human Psychics pulled some of the Abyssals behind the defenders into an illusion and made them kill the defenders, resulting in mayhem.


    The Abyssal Commander growled at the Humans in the sky far away. He was tempted to send his Space Awakeners to assassinate them, but he suppressed the temptation and ordered the army to strengthen their defense while continuing the retreat.


    The Abyssals continued to die in great numbers due to thebined attack of Humans and the Undead.


    But the Undead were dying even faster due to the full wrath of the Abyssals.


    After losing more than a quarter of their troops, the Abyssals finished off the Undead and scrambled to their base.


    "Tsk. Guess his brain still works." Noir''s Commander clicked his tongue in frustration as he waved his hand at the ground below.


    The soil disappeared and an underground base came into view. Right now, it had more than three thousand soldiers.


    While a portion of the Undead was still attacking the Human base, since it was a defensive structure, there was a lot of room to transfer troops.


    These three thousand were part of the n. If the Abyssalmander sent his warriors to assassinate the Elementals and Psychics, they''d be ambushed and decimated.


    Once the Space Awakeners were gone, the Human army would gain a significant edge against the Abyssals.


    Regardless, this was a total victory for theiroid''s army.


    The Commander''s lips curled up and he nced at their military base in the distance.


    A few thousand Undead were still left.


    "Let''s finish off the Undead first."


    An adjutant asked. "Sir, the Abyssals¡­"


    The Commander pped his shoulders hard and grinned like a devil. "Once we''re done with the Undead, we''ll be smash their gates."


    The Commander then shot toward the base and started decimating the Undead. In face of his overwhelming strength, the Undead crowd shrunk at a visible rate.


    The remaining awakeners joined and attacked the Undead from the back. Soon, the Undead was destroyed.


    Instead of going to fight the Abyssals right away, the Commander sent the fire awakeners to burn the Undead into ashes.


    The army checked their supplies and readied for the deciding battle.


    Looking at the spirited men and women, the Commander took a deep breath and began. "Today is a chance of our lifetime."


    The soldiers raised their heads and looked in the direction of the Abyss base. Their archenemy had retreated after a critical blow and was recuperating.


    Every minute given to them was a minute the Abyssals would use to restore power to strike back at them.


    So, they have to attack. And attack them now!


    Compared to them, the Abyssals had only three-fourths of their army remaining.


    Even though attacking them would result in significant casualties, they''d be able to wipe out the Abyssals from the face of thisoid!


    "Since Noir was militarized, there were fifteen great wars. A million brave hearts sacrificed their lives on this soil." The Commander said slowly as he gazed at the soldiers.


    His eyes looked past the soldiers and saw the people he knew but were no more.


    Young, promising neers. Harsh but Kind veterans. Brothers and Sisters in arms that once fought alongside him before meeting an early end.


    Time seemed to reverse as the years flowed backward.


    The majestic base turned slightly shabby with every previous year. The soldiers got younger. Some neers disappeared. The deceased appeared.


    Slowly but surely, even the martyrs got younger and time turned to the years before even they joined the army.


    The base became a small outpost.


    And the Commander saw a group of young recruits.


    Four boys and two girls.


    Humans had recently imed a stake in theoid and were barely holding against the Abyssals.


    During that critical time, the six new recruits were grouped as a team.


    They came to rely on each other as they survived countless hardships and fought to protect each other''s lives.


    "Brothers¡­" The Commander''s eyes turned wet as he saw the bright smiles of the boys.


    The calm and cool-headed Captain. The energetic assassin. The proud but kind warrior.


    "Sisters¡­"


    A girl who always put others'' lives above hers. And a young girl who was the youngest of them but was the bravest.


    And finally him.


    An optimistic young boy with a lot of naivety but even more enthusiasm.


    That day, when they met for the first time, they made a promise.


    Humanity had just begun to take root in theoid. They wanted to ensure that by the time thest one of them passed away, they''d see that thisoid was conquered!


    Decades passed.


    Except for him, all of them fell one by one.


    The Captain sacrificed himself to save them during an Abyssal ambush.


    The assassin teleported them to safety at the expense of his own life.


    The warrior held back the horde to let them escape.


    The kind girl he came to love sacrificed her life to save his.


    The youngest girl went into the Abyss camp alone and faced terrible death. But only after killing five Abyssals.


    All of them left.


    Except for him.


    Maybe they''re all watching him from afar. Waiting for him to fulfill the promise they made many, many years ago.


    The Commander smiled brightly as tears flowed down his cheeks. This time, he saw the soldiers of the present.


    "No more blood shall be shed on this soil. We will end the war on thisoid! Even at the cost of death!" The Commander raised his hand and pointed at the Abyssal base.


    "Even at the cost of death!" The Soldiers roared.


    "This is the gloriest day of our lives! Attack!" The Commander roared and shot towards the Abyss base.


    "Kill!"


    The army roared and dashed toward the Abyss base.


    A harsh war broke out as the cornered Abyssals fought fiercely, discarding their life and death. But Humans were fiercer.


    The spirit burning inside them pushed them above and beyond.


    Pain, Suffering, and Death were no longer hindrances.


    They fought for the promise of the past.


    They fought for the glory of the present.


    They fought for the safety of the future.


    That day, Noir was conquered by Humans.


    And a promise made decades ago was finally fulfilled.

 Chapter 844 The Abyss Rulers Decision

    844 The Abyss Rulers'' Decision


    "Madness," Enigma muttered as she observed the level 9 Undead she was supposed to fight was attacking a level 9 Abyssal.


    "I told you it''d work." Varian''s amused voice sounded from them.


    After learning about Noir''s sess, Varian immediately pulled the strings and didn''t even wait for the Army order before ordering the Shadow Guardians and Athena agents to destroy the crystals in the twooids with level 9 Undeads.


    The result?


    Instead of waging a bitter battle against a level 9 Undead, Enigma had the leisure to chat.


    The Undead and Abyssal were already heavily injured. The Human level 9 on thisoid was currently recuperating.


    Once the Undead and Abyssal fought it out, the level 9 woman woulde out and finish off the remaining enemy.


    She''s in a very enviable position. On the other hand¡­


    "What about the otheroid with a level 9 Undead?" Enigma asked in a neutral tone.


    "The Undead there is only fighting against the Human. The human powerhouse would likely die soon. Then, no one can stop the two level 9s from going on a rampage. So, if you could, then¡­" Varian trailed off.


    But Enigma clearly got his message.


    "Ugh," She rubbed her forehead to quell the growing headache. Due to the overuse of her psychic powers, she was mentally exhausted.


    But she didn''t want to refuse his request. "The Undead and Abyssal I fought until now were both out of my league. So, I''m currently as fatigued as I can be."


    "Then we''ll figure out something. Don''t worry." Varian''s assuring voice sounded.


    The problem was that a level 9 human of Mars was recently killed along with a severe injury of another level 9.


    Even if they wanted to, Mars'' army wouldn''t be able to sort this situation at all.


    They needed Enigma.


    "I can still fight. But I''ll need some help."


    "I''ll be there in ten minutes."


    Enigma shrugged helplessly.


    The two reached theoid with the level 9 Undead.


    Thisoid previously had one human level 9 and one Abyssal level 9.


    The Undead teamed up with Abyssal and had just killed the Human powerhouse.


    Now, the Undead and Abyssal were destroying the Human army.


    By the time Varian and Enigma arrived, more than half of the human army was killed.


    Watching the ongoing massacre with calm eyes, Varian asked. "Sneak attack and assist?"


    Enigma nodded and used her artifact. The space twisted lightly and the next moment, she appeared right behind the Abyssal.


    The Abyssal was in the middle of constructing a fire to fry the humans when he suddenly sensed danger and shot a fireball backward.


    Enigma waved her hand and pped the fireball away.


    "You!"


    The Abyssal''s eyes widened at the unexpected and unwanted guest.


    A heavy pressure fell on his mind and tried to pull him into an illusion.


    The Abyssal''s eyes turned red and his breath turned haggard. But he sessfully resisted the illusion.


    Having expected that, Enigma stretched her hand toward him and a pitch-ck sword appeared from her palm and shot outward.


    The dark sword suddenly elerated as it was boosted by her gravity field.


    Despite the mental attacks on him, The Abyssal instinctively channeled his fire mana to cover himself with a shield.


    He would''ve seeded if not for a sudden intervention.


    The space around his neck twisted apart while an invisible force gathered in the shape of a needle reached his forehead as the temperature plummeted.


    Due to these weak but lethal attacks, the Abyssal was forced to use some of his power to neutralize them. This cost him a short second and caused him to be a bitte in organizing his fire armor.


    By then, the dark sword had already reached him.


    The half armor he managed to put up couldn''t stop it and was pierced through without any resistance. Then, the sword lodged itself into his chest and tore his heart.


    The space around the Abyssal cracked and broke his body into pieces, preventing the slightest chance of him bing an Undead.


    Varian then turned his attention to the Undead. Enigma was already fighting him at her full strength, yet the Undead wasn''t breaking or dying.


    ''It''s been so so long since I had such a fight.'' Varian felt envious.


    He''s currently in an awkward position. Stronger than any level 8s and weaker than any level 9s. Even the Blood Heirs were no match for him.


    Thus, Varian gave up on finding a good match.


    ''Varian, hurry up.'' Enigma''sining voice sounded in his mind.


    ''Coming.'' Varian ambushed the Undead at an opportune time and Enigma ended the Undead.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    More than tenoids were conquered by the Human Army. In the rest of theoids that witnessed the Undead attack, the Abyssal army was critically suppressed.


    Their average losses amounted to as much as 8%, resulting in a total of tens of millions of deaths.


    But it''s honestly not the worst part.


    The Abyss Rulers all had a special treasure to monitor the situation of the crystals on theoids.


    ording to their original n, once the crystals were filled, they''d gather them all and pour the energy into the Sovereign corpse.


    Unlike the other Undead that only had limited intelligence and had to bemanded, the Sovereign Undead would be able to think for himself.


    Once he awoke, then no one could save Humanity.


    Such a beautiful n was abruptly disrupted by the crystals being destroyed.


    In the meeting room, the Abyss Rulers looked at each other with a gloomy expressions.


    In front of them was a bar indicating the energy they collected so far.


    It was filled by seventy percent previously. But with the destruction of crystals, it had fallen to sixty-five percent.


    With the ongoing deaths, this percentage was slowly rising. But this slow increase couldn''t offset the huge blows with the destruction of each crystal.


    Humans still hadn''t found the majority of the crystals. But once they do and they definitely would, their progress would be wasted.


    "Humans are out for blood. Even if we order our armies to protect the crystal, they''d destroy it at any cost." Demon King said through gritted teeth.


    "We don''t have any more of those crystals." Mirage Queen sighed.


    The room fell silent and subconsciously, everyone looked at Sin King.


    The Old Abyssal pondered for a few moments before pointing to the coffin. "We''ll awaken him now. He will only be a low or mid level 9 at most. But since he''s a Sovereign, he''d be stronger than anyone low or mid level 9."


    "Then we won''t have a Sovereign Undead." Thunder King shook his head.


    "We will, eventually. If we use our treasures on him, he will gain the ability to absorb the energy of the dead and grow stronger. Even though it''ll take a while, he can regain his peak strength." Sin King exined in aposed voice.


    "¡­How long is this while?" Hollow Queen asked. "Varian will be taken care of by Sanguik, but if we wait for a year or two, Enigma will reach the Sovereign level and be the death of us."


    "Around a month." Sin King''s answer dispelled the gloominess in the room.


    So, even if they awaken him as a level 9, he''d reach the Sovereign state in a month. It''s a good deal.


    Despair Queen stood up and said. "Let''s begin."

 Chapter ?845 The Unexpected Action By Abyssals

    ?845 The Unexpected Action By Abyssals


    The Commanders of Abyss Armies across the sr system suddenly paused. Rubbing their eyes, they checked the message once again.


    [Retrieve the crystal. Return it to the Head Station nearest to you.]


    "Did we finish it already?" A Commander was suspicious.


    He didn''t know much about the ''n''. But he did know that the Undead army was only the prelude to the actual event.


    However, for that to happen, they needed a lot of death. That''s why the Abyssal Army let go of their restraints and engaged in an all-out war.


    ording to the estimates, it''d take one more hour for the crystal to be full. Only then was he supposed to send it back.


    But.


    "Is it because of them?" The Commander squinted his eyes at the figures blurring in and out of existence around the mountains in sight.


    Every time a Human awakener teleported into the mountains to grab the crystal, the mountains would shake and an explosion would ur.


    The human, like every other human until then, would be sted away by the Abyssal squad lying in ambush near the crystal.


    Despite multiple failures, Humans kept trying and they didn''t care even if the space awakeners started dying.


    What''s more¡­


    "Do you think we can''t solve you if you arrange an ambush?" A cold voice sounded from the distance.


    A hundred men and women in leather armor sped their hands and pointed at the mountains.


    A khaki aura surrounded these human warriors and the giant mountains started to tremble.


    But since they had a lot of heavy ores, even the Earth Awakeners had difficulty uprooting the mountains.


    It was then that another group of Humans stepped in. They wore very heavy-looking armor, but their footsteps were incredibly light.


    These fifty humans waved their hands and pointed at the Mountain.


    The heavy mountains that refused to yield were suddenly uprooted and toppled. A huge cloud of dust rose into the sky and huge cracks appeared on thend.


    The Gravity awakeners snapped their fingers and the dust was blown away, revealing a huge pit where one of the mountains used to be.


    At the bottom of the pit was a crystal and surrounding it were twenty Abyssals.


    The Abyssals looked at the Humans with a vicious expressions as they shielded the crystal behind them.


    Butpared to the nearly two hundred humans, there were only twenty of them. The crystal couldn''t be sav¡ª


    "Don''t even think about it." With a thunderous roar, an Abyssal dropped from the sky andnded in front of the pit.


    Thend under his feet cracked due to the sheer force and due to his breathing, the gravel on the ground began to vibrate.


    One roar. And another rang as a hundred and fifty Abyssalsnded in front of the crystal and faced off the Human teams.


    With both teams having roughly equal strength, the only way to get or keep the crystal would be through an intense battle.


    "If you think you can save the crystal, then think again." The captain of the Earth Awakeners sneered and waved his hand.


    Sharp brown spikes rose under the crystal and were about to pierce it. Even though the HQ ordered the soldiers to not destroy the crystal in the open, it also ordered them to destroy it at any cost.


    Meaning, even if there''s a danger of indirectly destroying the crystal, it''s better than letting it return to Abyssals.


    Right when the brown spikes were about to pierce the crystal, a telekic force pushed it away. But even then, the spike pierced through the edge of the crystal.


    A blinding ck light enveloped the mountains before a huge shockwave swept across the Humans and Abyssals, blowing everyone away.


    Since they were closer, the Abyssals were more affected and even had minor injuries.


    Taking advantage of the situation, the human gravity awakeners locked onto the crystal and ''attracted'' it to them.


    The crystal was originally blown into the air due to the telekic energy. Now, it suddenly elerated in the direction of humans and reached them in the blink of an eye.


    But before the Gravity Awakeners could touch it, arge grey hand grasped it and disappeared.


    "What the!" The woman who was about to hold the crystal was stunned. She couldn''t even react when the other party snatched the crystal.


    That kind of speed was only possible for one person.


    She raised her and along with the rest of herrades, nced at the figure standing in the clouds.


    The Abyssal Commander. But the Abyssal wasn''t even looking at them.


    He stared at the crystal with a fervent gaze before sighing. "A quarter away from being filled. Damn it, humans."


    Abyssals did consider the possibility that Humans would learn about the crystals and would eventually try finding them.


    But ording to the n, Humans by then should be incredibly weakened.


    How?


    While its level 9s were kept upied, Neptune and itsoids were supposed to fall under the Wyverns of Pluto.


    The Blood Heirs were supposed to destroy the Human armies across at least sixtyoids.


    Then, the Undead army was supposed to strike.


    By then, Humans would''ve almost lost Neptune, and manyoids and be in a very tight position.


    The Undead attack at that time would give them no chance to defend themselves, much less try to search for a solution.


    Even if they did find a solution, they wouldn''t have enough manpower for it.


    But¡­


    Varian destroyed all their ns.


    They did expect him to disrupt some ns. But what he did was beyond their wildest imagination.


    And now, they''re paying the price.


    "You all deserve death!" The Abyssal Commander pped from the clouds.


    The Earth and Gravity Awakeners on the ground hurriedly put up their defenses to guard themselves, but their legs shook violently and they were about to kneel under the pressure.


    Thend under them sunk into a giant cavity and the two hundred awakeners barely withstood the Commander''s attack.


    The Abyssal Commander nced in the north, where the Human army was facing off the Undead and Abyssals.


    The Human Commander was destroying the Abyssals in great numbers.


    In other words, he never expected his team to seed. They were just thrown as a bait!


    "You old fox!" The Abyssal Commander cursed and threw the crystal with full force.


    It shot out like a meteor andnded in the hands of an Abyssal in outer space. The Abyssal hurried into the spaceship and left.


    The Abyssal Commander confronted the Human Commander and changed the tempo of the war once again.


    Even though the crystal was taken away, it wasn''t destroyed. The Undead still followed orders and fought against the Humans.


    But thankfully, no corpses were converted into Undead since the crystal was taken away.


    After realizing this, the Human army no longer needed to care about dismembering the enemy and fully focused on defense.


    The war continued.


    The Abyssal who took the crystal reached a distantoid in his spaceship. Hended in the Abyssal camp, rushed into the secret floor underground, and entered the most secure room.


    He ced the crystal inside a formation, which already had ten such crystals.


    "Are you thest one?" The Officer in charge asked with a gloomy expression.


    "Yes, Sir." The Abyssal lowered his head and nodded.


    "Damn it." The Officer cursed and waved him to leave.


    Saturn has fiftyoids. Thirty had crystals. But only eleven returned!


    "I hope my Queen can figure something out." The Officer prayed and activated the teleportation formation.


    The crystals shone with a brilliant light before they disappeared.


    Millions of miles away, the crystals appeared on an asteroid.


    The spaceship waiting there quickly retrieved the crystals and headed in a particr direction.


    The crystals on all theoids were collected. They''re then collected into a single spaceship and headed toward Despair Abyss.


    Now, going from Mercury to Despair Abyss was going to take too long. They could travel to Sin Abyss and teleport, but the traffic toward Abysses was monitored by Humans.


    To not arouse suspicion, Abyssals used secretive teleportation formations reserved for critical moments and quickly headed towards a location in between Uranus and Despair Abyss.


    But they missed one thing in a hurry.


    Varian had given Dr. Thoma''s Space Detector technology to the army. The device could detect spatial fluctuations.


    The army had mass-manufactured it to help Varian find the secret realms near Neptune.


    More than two days had passed since then and using millions of stealth bots, the Military had already installed these bots on alloids as well as the general space routes.


    So, the Military was already aware that Abyssals were taking something near Despair Abyss.


    Since Boo was connected to the Athena group leaders, Varian also learned about this news.


    Without waiting for orders, he took Enigma and used the secret teleportation formations from earlier, and rushed to Uranus.


    "I have a bad feeling."

 Chapter 846 A Bad Feeling

    846 A Bad Feeling


    It was a race against time. Fortunately, Varian had already used the secret teleportation formations once. So, he quickly used them to reach Uranus.


    Then came a problem.


    "Where are the eight spaceships going?" Enigma asked.


    "They¡­" Varian found himself at a loss for words.


    The bots only detected they were going away from Uranus''oids and towards Despair Abyss.


    But where exactly?


    The space between Uranus''oids and Despair Abyss was too vast. Even though the federation had already deployed millions of bots, their surveince was in no way exhaustive.


    "The Abyssals are going to use those crystals for something." Varian walked back and forth near the window as he ruffled his hair.


    "The original n must be to let them fully collect the special energy from death. But it''s thwarted. So, they either abandoned the n¡ªwhich their current actions don''t indicate¡ªor started it in advance." He muttered as he dashed into the Command Room.


    Boo swiped through the reports and gave Varian a helpless nce. "Master, Boo has hacked the bots and changed their locations to a better position. And one bot found their tracks."


    A hologram popped up, disying eight spaceships heading towards a giant green crack in space¡ªDespair Abyss.


    "Boo, to Despair Abyss. Hurry." After ordering, Varian lowered his head and fell into deep thought.


    Even if they hurried up now, they wouldn''t be able to intercept the spaceships in the middle.


    They''d have to barge into the Despair Abyss. But after the recent changes by the Abyss Rulers, the Abysses could detect the iers.


    Varian hadn''t forgotten the hellish experience at Mirage Abyss'' entrance. Forget him, even a peak level 9 would''ve died trying to enter.


    Simply put, the Abyss Will turned into a gatekeeper and prevented anyone from entering.


    But if he had to solve the current problem, he''d have to barge into the Mirage Abyss. He was fairly confident that Irene could do that, but he had no clue if the risk was really worth it.


    "Well," Enigma walked beside him and checked the status of theoids.


    Varian didn''t understand why she was doing this when they should be worried about the Crystals. But he did realize she might be looking at this situation through another lens.


    For better or worse, Enigma was someone who understood him in a weird way. So, she must''ve known what was on his mind.


    Her smooth fingers danced in the air as hundreds of screens popped up. Enigma showed them to Varian and raised a brow. "Do you realize?"


    Varian scanned through the documents and realized they were all the ''Before'' and ''After''parisons of theoids where the crystals were taken away by the Abyssals.


    Almost twenty level 9s and more than two hundred level 8s were missing from theseoids!


    That meant all of them were assigned to protect the spaceships carrying the crystals!


    "What the? They pulled out powerful troops even fromoids that need them the most?" Varian tilted his head in confusion. "They''ll quickly lose thoseoids at this rate. At least forty of them!"


    Enigma kept looking at Varian with a silent gaze.


    Varian''s gaze alternated between the screen and Enigma before he pped his forehead with a sigh. "Oh shit."


    The Abyssals were willing to lose 10% of theoids. That only meant whatever they were about to, it was guaranteed to not only recuperate these losses and give much greater results.


    What else was there better thanoids? Moreoids? Perhaps. But Varian had a feeling that they were aiming for thes. Ands couldn''t be upied since the Sovereigns¡­


    A chill shot down Varian''s spine and he said in a gloomy voice. "Call Sovereign Irene and tell her to rush to Despair Abyss."


    Boo gave Varian a helpless smile. "She''s already on the way along with a bunch of level 9s and almost a hundred level 8s."


    Varian opened his mouth in surprise.


    He forgot that once the Abyssals take out significant powers fromoids, the military could use equivalent strength against the Abyssals.


    Just like now.


    With Irene here, Varian wouldn''t have to worry about Mirage Queen and her forces.


    But he still left the room with a solemn face. Everything depended on whether they could thwart Abyssals'' n or not.


    Enigma silently followed.


    The next twenty minutes were perhaps the shortest twenty minutes Varian ever lived through.


    He was in the middle of intense brainstorming with Enigma when Boo informed them they arrived at the Abyss entrance.


    The spaceship nearby slowly stopped next to Ghostship and a connection was established.


    "I can only hope the premature execution screws up their n." Varian sighed as he copsed on the couch.


    "Don''t cope." Enigma rolled her eyes.


    "Whatever happens, we have no choice but to fight once we''re in, right?"


    Ghostship''s door opened and a beautiful woman looking to be in her thirties walked in.


    Irene Nial swept her nce across the ghostship for a second in curiosity before driving her attention to the young man and woman on the couch. "Are you two ready?"


    "¡­I got caught in an illusion thest time we tried to enter Mirage Abyss. I would''ve died." Varian said.


    "My artifact specializes in defense. I can take you in without any danger. But once we''re in, you two are on your own." Irene exined upfront.


    Despair Queen wouldn''t let her wander. Her forces would be entangled by the Abyssals.


    No one could protect Varian.


    To be honest, Irene didn''t want Varian to risk his life here. Such a promising genius, no, this deadly monster must be allowed to grow to his fullest.


    Only when Humanity gains a powerful protector beyond the Sovereign ranks could they gain protection.


    That''s why,


    "Do you still want toe?" Irene looked at Varian with a worried gaze.


    "I have to." The young man gave nodded.


    "No, he won''t." Enigma suddenly said and turned to him. "Did you just forget your promise you won''t go anywhere after cleaning up theoids?"


    "That¡­" Varian coughed.


    When he''s about to clean up thestoid, Undead came in. He, who was supposed to leave the war already, was still fighting.


    What''s more, he''s about to participate in a deadly mission.


    Enigma rolled her eyes and gave Sovereign Irene an apology. "Sorry for dying the time. But you can start now. Varian will stay here in the Ghostship. I''ll join the mission."


    Varian wanted to argue at this sudden change, but after remembering that he already broke a promise, he snorted and closed his mouth.


    Irene Nial covered her mouth and chuckled softly. "I don''t have a problem talking to you two, my team has to a few minutes analyzing the entrance anyway."


    The level 9s ntae in her ship were scanning through the Entrance of Despair Abyss.


    The entrance was just a green crack but it contained a very thick prana. The ntae users concluded that whenever someone tried to enter in, they''d be attacked by poisonous vines hiding behind the crack.


    Their job was to find the best ce to enter for the least amount of effort spent.


    That''s why Irene was in the mood to even talk. Or she''d have already barged into the Abyss.


    And the reason Irene came here was because she felt the uing trip was too dangerous. Not just for Varian. But also for her.


    She had a feeling that she might or might not survive. If that''s the case, it''s best for Varian to not enter.


    Now that her small mission was finished, Irene smiled and started a small talk with Enigma and Varian.


    Even though Varian answered from time to time, his gaze kept returning to the Abyss entrance.


    His heart thumped violently and Varian had a feeling that something bad was going to happen.


    [Don''t think about it. It''s definitely something bad.] The System which was silent recently chirped.


    ''Is there any way out?'' Varian asked. ''Without high risk.''


    [It''s simple.] The System said.


    ''Really?'' Varian''s eyes lit up in anticipation. Even though he didn''t understand why this System was suddenly being all helpful, he just wanted to know what to do right now.


    [Really.]


    ''What is it?''


    [Just go into seclusion ande out after a few months. Even if you reach high level 9, you can kick the Sovereigns. Once you reach peak level 9, no one is your opponent.]


    Varian flipped a mental middle finger to the System.


    [Or what? Did you really think there was an easy way out of this mess? Be thankful that Abyssals are only about to execute a half-assed n. Or else, billions would''ve died today.]


    "¡­"


    A few minutester, Enigma entered Irene''s ship.


    Sovereign Irene activated her artifact¡ªthe crystal armor¡ªand covered her spaceship with a strong defense. Enigma activated her special treasure and covered the spaceship in shadows.


    The spaceship dashed into the crack. It was attacked by deadly vines almost instantly. But thanks to the defense, the spaceship safely entered the Despair Abyss.


    After all, unlike the new Sovereign Bali who didn''t have an artifact, Irene was not only significantly stronger, but she had a very suitable artifact.


    A few secondster, Varian swiped hism, and the bots Boo secretly sneaked into Irene''s spaceship activated and started showing what was happening in the Abyss.


    "Fuck."

 Chapter ?847 A Dying Flame

    ?847 A Dying me


    Enigma was surprised on their journey into the Despair Abyss.


    The passage to the inside spanned at least a few hundred miles. Such a distance should''ve been but a blink for a spaceship.


    Even though this ''tunnel'' was covered by countless dark green vines that were attacking them relentlessly, Irene''s armor had sessfully defended them against the attacks. They should''ve moved out in a split second.


    But at some point, a set of purple vines attacked the ship. These were incredibly strong. Just a p by these vines shook the space and split the sky.


    When faced with another attack on top of the original one, the momentum of the ship plummeted to the point they moved a mile every few seconds.


    But instead of worrying about their travel, the hundred level 8s, and a couple of level 9s in the spaceship were also looking at the woman on the tform.


    A white light was originating from the armor on Irene''s body. And this was the same white light that was forming a protective barrier against both the dark green vines and purple vines.


    "Phew."


    Shining in a graceful white light, Irene Nial opened her eyes. A heavy aura filled the air, suffocating even the strongest level 9s.


    The Sovereign quickly withdrew her aura she inadvertently released. It happened because she really gave it her all to enter the Abyss.


    "Everyone," Irene gazed at the men and women who followed her into the heart of danger with a solemn expression.


    The atmosphere in the spaceship cooled down all of a sudden and everything and everyone went still and utterly silent.


    Like the oddball she always was, Enigma stood far away from the neatly lined up rows of awakeners.


    Irene didn''t mind. No. She wasn''t even bothered about such small things. There was a bigger task, a greater problem, and a higher priority.


    She began in a hoarse voice. "We got lucky. The initial reinforcements, the situation in Pluto, the Crimson Abyssals, and now, the Undead.


    This isn''t some normal n to wage a war and deal us damage. It''s a n to exterminate us. To ughter everyst one of us."


    A few gasps sounded in the hall before thick killing intents filled the air. The strong awakeners clenched their fists as they recalled the obstacles they faced and realized the truth.


    Indeed, this was not just a war. It was a bid to drive them to extinction. It wasn''t as simple as it seemed now.


    "The Abyssals failed in every ''n'' until now. But they''re still very confident." Irene''s eyes narrowed in seriousness. "Every man and woman here should be clear about what that means for us, our families, and your race."


    The Awakeners nodded with a heavy expressions. They already knew and that''s why they were so gloomy.


    Even with all the failures, Abyssals were still certain that they could win this war, no, they were certain they could exterminate Humanity.


    Winning a war against your enemy and exterminating them were twopletely different things.


    Even in the idents that happened until now, the worst case was the loss of a and then a protracted defensive war. If Humanity lost a, it had a chance of extinction, but it also had a good chance of defending itself.


    So, what were the Abyssals up to now?


    A new reinforcement? Another special army? Even stronger level 8s?


    They didn''t know. But they did know that it must be something that could kill everyone.


    "Their original n is thwarted once we started hunting down the crystals," Irene gave Enigma a grateful gaze. It was meant for Varian.


    "Now, whatever they''re about to do, the results will be premature. We can still stop them." Irene clenched her fist.


    The gloomy atmosphere was dispelled and a light called hope filled the hearts of every officer.


    "But," Irene looked at them with a neutral gaze. "To stop them, we might have to sacrifice."


    A chilling wind seemed to have blown in the spaceship. Even though everyone here was a veteran, faced with their potential death, their eyes shed withplicated emotions.


    "We''re deep in the enemy territory. No Human Invasion of Abyss has ever been sessful," Irene cited the countless attempts which all ended in failure. "I don''t know how many of us will return alive, if at all."


    Enigma opened her mouth to say that a few attempts had indeed been sessful. Varian''s invasions of Mirage Aybss were an astounding sess. He achieved what he intended and beyond.


    But Irene gave her a look and lightly shook her head.


    ''¡­She wants them to prepare for death.'' Enigma understood. ''Only that way, they can fight without any hindrance. Perhaps Irene herself was prepared to meet her end.''


    When that thought shed in her mind, Enigma stiffened. She carefully observed the older woman on the tform and saw something in her eyes that she hadn''t seen until now.


    eptance.


    eptance of her death.


    Perhaps Irene didn''t just intend to risk her life, she also wanted to kill Despair Queen at the cost of her life.


    As for why that''s the case¡­


    Enigma observed Irene''s face. Despite her old age, she looked to be in her thirties. She had beauty, brains, and power.


    If she survived this war, then she could perhaps live the rest of her life happily. So, why¡­?


    As Irene continued her speech, Enigma, due to her psychic powers noticed something about Irene''s mind.


    Irene''s eyes were shining like a bright fire. But surrounding that fire was endless darkness. Slowly, but surely, that fire was being devoured.


    Irene was one of the few strongest members of the federation. But against the likes of fate and time, she was as powerless as anyone else.


    She lost her parents at a young age. Her husband and son were killed by the Abyssals when she was just starting out.


    The people around her, the ones she loved and cherished, died one by one.


    To protect Uranus, she had to sacrifice her family members with her own hands.


    An old saying went as ''Time heals all wounds.''


    But Irene''s wounds only grew more painful with every passing year. She was able to bury them deep in her heart, but the deeper she hid them, the more they hurt.


    On her son''s funeral day every year, Irene would shut herself in her room and sob like a helpless child.


    In others'' eyes, she had it all. But in her eyes, she had nothing.


    She had been fighting all her life. The web of rtionships she built slowly unraveled. At the center of it all, Irene remained alone.


    Yet, she still fought.


    Perhaps it was out of her love for her homnd.


    Perhaps it was out of duty for the power Heaven''s Will gave her.


    Perhaps it was just to be an example for people like her.


    But even the strongest of hearts had their limits. And Irene was reaching hers.


    "¡­will stop the Abyssals'' n, even at the cost of our lives." Irene raised her hand and vowed.


    "Even at the cost of our lives." The Awakeners vowed with her.


    Only then did Enigma understand.


    This speech, this preparation, it wasn''t just for the soldiers, it was also for Irene herself.


    Feeling the dying fire in Irene''s eyes, Enigma turned her gaze away.


    The passage hade to an end and the spaceship broke into a brand new world.


    They had arrived in Despair Abyss.

 Chapter ?848 Invading The Despair Abyss

    ?848 Invading The Despair Abyss


    Despair Abyss, a world equivalent to the size of Uranus, and nearly sixteen times that of Earth.


    It could be described in a single word.


    Forest.


    A vast forest spanning an area equivalent to sixteen earths!


    Right from the ones below the spaceship to the ones at the horizon, everything the eye can see was either a nt, a tree, or a flower.


    The forest was dense in some ces and sparse in others, but it was everywhere.


    Heck, there were severalrge trees with lengths ranging from half a mile to a full fricking mile!


    Colorful nts, trees, flowers, vines, and creepers of all kinds and sizes sprawled out below. It was as if someone took every piece of paint and sshed them on an overgrown forest.


    It was breathtaking, beautiful, and most of all, dangerous.


    The ntae Awakeners on the ship could feel it more clearly than anyone else. This expansive forest, despite having mostly weak nt creatures, was very, very defensive.


    Of all the Invasions Humans tried against Abysses, the ones against Despair Abyss had the worst results.


    The whole forest had an underground rootwork that allowed it to fight like a hivemind.


    As a result, attacking any single section of the forest would incite the response of the whole forest.


    And now, they were going to do just that.


    "¡­This is suicide." Enigma''s lips twitched as the Spaceship dashed towards the center of the forest, towards thergest tree¡ªit was sorge that it was visible from every section of Despair Abyss. It looked like the World Tree from myths but in the vor of Abyssals.


    As the distance from the World Tree started to shrink rapidly, a change urred.


    The trees on the ground shook violently before the flowers on these trees bloomed and released colored gases into the air.


    Poison. Psychedelics. Acid.


    "Close up the spaceship. Don''t let anythinge in." Irene ordered.


    If not for the advanced defense mechanisms of the spaceship, they''d be breathing some very dangerous poison now.


    But escaping the poison didn''t end their struggle.


    The forest below them shone before countless vines shot out from all directions. These vines shone with different colored lights as they disyed their specialties.


    Some were burning with fire, others were spitting dangerous acid, few were filled with poisonous thorns among others.


    For a moment, even the armor maintained by Irene trembled violently.


    As if that wasn''t enough, several auras shot up in the distance.


    The trees in the forest bent to the side creating a ''road'' and a bunch of level 9 Abyssals, now in the form of trees, dashed on the road and reached the spaceship in the blink of an eye.


    Then, a special group of trees held these Abyssals with their vines and threw them into the air. These Abyssals, now in the form of trees, surrounded the spaceship at once.


    "What the¡­?"


    For the level 8s on the ship, it was too sudden.


    But Enigma and other level 9s didn''t take any action as they wanted to check out their enemy''s strengths and weaknesses.


    With the sound of air splitting, the branches of these trees extended and connected with that of other trees, forming a cubical prison with the spaceship at the center.


    New branches shot out of these trees andpletely closed up the cube, imprisoning the spaceship.


    The trees floating in the air were supported by the extended branches of the trees on the ground.


    The Spaceship elerated to its full speed and struck the prison. The branches cracked apart, but new ones quickly emerged and thwarted the spaceship''s attempt to leave.


    These trees then shot out their leaves at the spaceship.


    Sparks flew into the air as the sharp and pointed leaves tried to prate the spaceship but failed.


    The Abyssals imprisoning the spaceship also realized that their attack power wasn''t enough.


    ''Quick, call for more firepower!'' An Abyssal sent this message through his roots.


    The message passed through his roots, traveled through the branches of the tree that''s supporting his stay in the air, and finally entered the underground rootswork.


    All the Abyss Wills were changed to prevent Varian from entering the Abysses. But in doing so, the Abyss Wills lost the function to detect the outsiders in the Abyss.


    Even though the Abyss Will ''scanned'' everyone who''s entering, it''s not impossible to sneak in. Especially weak awakeners. And there were other methods Humans hadn''t discovered so far.


    Despair Abyss didn''t have this problem. Once the message entered the rootswork, it traveled at an unprecedented speed and reached the Abyssals near the World Tree.


    The World Tree''s insides had several ''floors''. Since the World Tree spanned nearly half a mile in width, all of these floors were wide enough.


    The top floor was Despair Queen''s residence. The one directly below was the courtroom.


    But right now, the Queen was on the ground floor where eight spaceships hadnded.


    Abyssals from different Abysses rushed out of these spaceships and handed the Queen the crystals.


    Despair Queen''s hand turned into a branch and split into eight smaller branches and picked up the crystals.


    With a wave of the branch, the spaceships and the Abyssals were sent out of the World Tree. "Go stop them."


    Then, Despair Queen walked into the secret floor only she had ess to. The one below the ground floor.


    A coffiny at the center of the floor, surrounded by several mystical drawings and writings.


    "Even though the premature ceremony will start you out as only a level 9, you can quickly grow stronger." Despair Queen said with anticipation and waved her hand.


    The crystals flew to the formations and the coffin began to shake.


    Then, a bright light covered the entire floor as strands of ck energy flowed out from the crystals and entered the coffin.


    Despair Queen wanted to stay here in person until the end, but the World Tree sent her a message received through thework.


    "Irene Nial!" Despair Queen turned her head in the direction of the Human Sovereign and narrowed her eyes.


    The next second, she disappeared and appeared in front of the spaceship.


    Below, the trees and nts for several miles were crushed into pulp.


    Hundreds of humans¡ªthe level 8s and level 9s were fighting against the Abyssals who had alreadye here.


    Enigma herself was fighting two Abyssals.


    Despair Queen ignored everyone and turned her gaze to the woman in crystal armor.


    Her eyes shed with hatred as she smiled. "You fooled me back then and escaped death. But today, no one can save you. Once you enter my Abyss, you can''t go back."


    Despair Queen waved her hand and an invisible shockwave spread throughout the Abyss.


    The forest shook violently and millions of trees started moving in their direction. The World Tree shook and shot its leaves toward Irene.


    Irene set up a gravity barrier around her and blocked the attacks. But a sudden attack struck and Irene was blown into the distance.


    A huge tree, tens of miles long, appeared in the ce of Despair Queen. With a simple swing, hundreds of vines and branches reached Irene Nial.


    The flowers on the branches released an invisible poisonous gas while the thorns on these branches shone with a cold light as they turned towards Irene.


    With a force strong enough to split an asteroid in half, the branches struck Irene.

 Chapter ?849 An Unexpected Surprise

    ?849 An Unexpected Surprise


    Space cracked apart as the mighty Sovereigns unleashed their full powers.


    With a wave of her hand, Irene created a gravity field strong enough to crush a mountain into the size of a sand grain.


    Facing that resistance, the branchesshing out at Irene not only didn''t waver but went a step further and poured energy into its leaves.


    Therge branches had tens of thousands of leaves and in a split second, the yellow leaves shrank into pointy red needles.


    Air seemed to be sieved as the red needles covered the sky and shot at Irene.


    At that moment, be it a Human or an Abyssal, they all gasped at this marvelous yet dangerous spectacle.


    Irene stood high in the air as hundreds of thousands of red needles rained down on her. Like a red tsunami about to drown her, they reached her without stopping.


    When it seemed as if she''d be turned into a human sieve, a stunning change urred.


    The sea of red needle leaves let out sparks and started dropping. The invisible but deadly spherical gravity field directly shed against these needles and reversed their ''gravity''.


    This resulted in a strange scene where the red needle sea reached Irene but couldn''t even touch her and copsed to the ground.


    Despite being unable to crack the barrier, the final batch of the needles caused ripples in the gravity barrier upon collision.


    Few realized that the barrier had significantly weakened.


    Most of the humans on the sight had never witnessed a Sovereign fight so close. So, after this initial exchange with Ireneing out unharmed without any difficulty, they felt a burst of joy in their hearts.


    Irene seemed to be invincible in their minds and this mission seemed a foregone conclusion.


    But the world blurred and following a cracking sound, the branches pushed through the barrier zone and reached Irene.


    "Sov¡ª!"


    The panicked cries weren''t even finished as the woman in question started glowing white.


    The long branches that forcibly broke through the gravity field had already slowed down, yet their current momentum was enough to casually sink an ind.


    But facing the white glow surrounding Irene, even such powerful attacks slowed down.


    "Relying on your artifact to save your sorry life, Bitch." Despair Queen''s cold voice sounded in the air as her giant tree form shook with anger.


    "Only a fool wouldn''t make use of all advantages," Irene let out a smirk and pped at the giant tree.


    The air waspressed to a dangerous point before it exploded into a terrific shockwave.


    The Despair Tree was blown away for several miles before it stopped. A couple of its branches were torn into shreds and its bark had several hollow wounds as green juice spilled out.


    But the attack wasn''t just directed at the Despair Queen.


    The level 9s and level 8s were already fighting a dozen and a hundred miles away from these two.


    But when they sensed this attack, they retreated further and ended up a few hundred miles away from the World Tree.


    For a hundred miles surrounding Irene, every tree, every nt, even every flower was ripped to shreds under the shockwave.


    The ever-continuous forest suddenly had a noticeable gap. The trees nearby had already begun to evacuate. Even though their movement speed wasn''t fast, they were already at their highest speed.


    Little by little, an empty area was created around the World Tree.


    ''This is it. Deciding Strength. Even the Despair Abyss'' would have to evacuate to avoid danger.'' Enigma took a deep breath as she continued her battle.


    The two Abyssals fighting her were a little shaken by this show of power. But sensing the dark swords and simr gravity power from Enigma, they gnashed their teeth in hatred and attacked her with even more strength.


    Despair Queen felt the auraing from the World Tree behind her and sighed in relief. Thankfully, the World Tree turned to defense and protected itself and mainly the ones inside it from Irene''s attacks.


    Otherwise, the previous shockwave would''ve decimated the coffin and all the crystals.


    "So it''s in there?" Irene''s gaze locked onto the World Tree and the killing intent in her eyes intensified.


    "Don''t even think about it," Despair Queen roared.


    This was the most crucial time and she must stop Irene at any cost. But the problem was that even if she could fight evenly with Irene, she couldn''t stop the aftermath of their fight from damaging the World Tree.


    Sure, World Tree wasn''t weak. But how many shockwaves could it withstand?


    Moreover, Irene was a gravity awakener. So¡­


    As expected, Irene pointed her finger at the World Tree and locked her gravity sense onto it.


    The World Tree violently shook for a split second as its roots were forcibly pulled up.


    But before the roots came out of the ground, Despair Queen attacked Irene and interrupted her.


    ''I need to suppress her at any cost.'' Despair Queen gritted her teeth and connected with the Abyss Will.


    The sky turned green and the next moment, countless vines shot at Irene.


    Irene''s eyes widened at the sight and she hurriedly set up the gravity barrier. The vines pped down on her endlessly but thanks to her sturdy defense, they were able to bloc¡ª


    The barrier broke apart and Despair Queen''s branches pped Irene. This time, even if Irene activated her artifact, the branches broke down her defenses and sent her flying.


    Irene crashed into the ground at like an asteroid and formed a huge crater. Dust filled the air and the world went still for a moment before a powerful wind swept away everything.


    Wiping the blood from the corner of her lips, Irene looked at the countless vines in the sky and the giant Tree form of Despair Queen.


    Even with the armor, she would still lose against these two.


    But.


    Irene Nial smiled.


    Despair Queen felt an ominous premonition and waved her branches to attack. The Abyssal Will also followed andshed out its vines at Irene.


    Then, a beautiful orb appeared on Irene''s arm and glowed brightly.


    The sky rained down lightning. The nts caught fire. The air chilled. Thend shot out earthen spikes.


    The elements attacked came unexpectedly and even though it wasn''t very strong, it blocked off most of the Abyss Will''s attacks.


    Despair Queen''s attacks broke through Irene''s gravity barrier but were blocked by her armor artifact.


    On the other hand, Irene''s attacks struck Despair Queen and caused the huge tree to shake badly as a tenth of its body cracked.


    Even though the injury would quickly heal since she was a ntae Awakener, it would still take a few minutes.


    But Despair Queen''s attention was something other than her injury.


    "Y-You! Why did Micheal give you the Nature Seed?"


    Nature Seed.


    One of the six artifacts. But two were lost.


    Now, it''s one of the four avable artifacts held by: Albert, Julius, Micheal, and Irene.


    Now, Micheal gave his artifact to Irene!


    An artifact just needed aura to show its powers.


    Even though Irene wasn''t an elemental awakener, she could use elemental attacks through it! And these attacks were all in the range of peak level 9 and higher!


    Irene, who was supposed to be defeated under the joint efforts of Abyss Will and Despair Queen, sessfully reversed the situation!

 Chapter ?850 Breaking A Promise

    ?850 Breaking A Promise


    "Artifact?" Enigma flipped back in the air as she avoided the poisonous flower petals approaching her.


    With a wave of her hand, the gravity field around her change subtly and guided these flowers toward other Abyssals.


    "Hmph!" With a snort, the two Abyssals facing her channeled their prana and forced the flowers back toward her.


    Looking at their arrogant faces, Enigma was pissed. A ck sword emerged out of her palm and shot at an Abyssal.


    When he was about to escape, the gravity around him changed. His right hand was pulled to the right and his left hand was pulled to the left. It was as if someone was stretching him in all directions and freezing him in ce.


    "D-Damn you!"


    The other Abyssal spat and turned his arms into branches to block the sword and defend his friend.


    However, a very subtle psychic power attacked his brain and turned him slightly sluggish.


    He still put up a defense, but it had a single big w. It was too weak in one ce.


    Using that very w, Enigma''s sword pierced through the branches and lodged itself in the Abyssal''s chest.


    "Argh! Arghhh!" The Abyssal was engulfed in a pitch-ck light. His hair, his skin, and even his eyes turned ck for a split second before he waved his hands.


    "Hey? Hey, I can''t see!" The Abyssal''s eyes were covered by a dark aura.


    It wasn''t just his vision, even his smell and touch were suspended.


    "Gulp!" The Other Abyssal gulped in fear. But he had no intention to escape and was about to put himself to death when he noticed Enigma''s offensive slowed down.


    She was focused on the Sovereign and Queen''s battle.


    ''Did Micheal give her the artifact to remove the suspicion on him? Or is he not the traitor but Julius is?'' Enigma didn''t understand.


    But she had long learned to not judge a person by their apparent actions. Even if it might appear to be a good action, the intentions and end game could be quite sinister.


    Still, it was undeniable that Irene gained an edge only because of the artifact.


    "I need to think this through."


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Varian felt a change in the Abyss'' crack a while ago. Upon an initial probe, he discovered that the Abyss Will had disappeared! At first, he suspected it was just a trap.


    But after seeing the fight at the World Tree, he realized something. Even with an upper hand, Irene might or might not be able to destroy the crystals


    It was a 50-50 chance.


    If she failed, then they''d be up against Abyssal''s masterpiece! His experience told him that if the Abyssals did seed, then his race might really go extinct.


    Rather than bet everyone''s fate on Irene, Varian decided to take things into his own hands.


    "¡­This counts as breaking my promise, doesn''t it?" Varian smiled wryly.


    Abyssals were so sure of his death that Enigma persuaded him to not participate in this war anymore. He agreed and even promised.


    Entering the Abyss meant he was going to break that promise.


    Varian struggled, but only for a moment before he ordered the Ghostship into the Abyss.


    Would you hold onto your promise or break it to increase the survival chances of the whole world?


    Of course, every action had a consequence.


    It''s just unknown until the time really came.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    With a thunderous roar, a lightning bolt suddenly struck the giant tree and diverted Despair Queen''s concentration.


    Irene used this wondrous opportunity that she meticulously created and twisted the gravity around the Giant Tree''s base.


    The Tree''s roots burst apart and the Tree itself toppled due to the sudden pull.


    Despair Queen quickly channeled her prana and was about to get back into her stance.


    It''d happen very quickly. But for Irene, it was not a negligible time.


    She locked her gravity sense onto the World Tree and changed the gravity.


    The World Tree attracted her strongly and in a blink, Irene was pulled towards the Tree.


    "No!" Knowing what''s going to happen, Despair Queen despaired.


    She tried to use Abyss Will to block her, but the Abyss Will itself was blocked by the Nature Seed.


    "Arghhh!"


    In the backdrop of Despair Queen''s unwilling roar, Irene reached the World Tree. With a snap of her fingers, the World Tree shook violently.


    It was the strongest tree in the Despair Abyss and also the fiercest. Even if level 9s came to besiege it, it had enough power to defend itself. If it was just a few level 9s, it could even strike back and kill them.


    But the one in front of it was someone far more powerful than a level 9.


    Since the start, the World Tree had no chance.


    So, the moment Irene''s gravity wave hit it, the World Tree was forcibly torn apart into two halves. Even having the best defense out of all species didn''t save it.


    The World Tree was torn, revealing the countless ''floors'' of the World Tree, including the countless Abyssals.


    This included crucial officials, geniuses, and even many recuperating high awakeners.


    Of course, at the bottommost floor, even a step below the ground floor was a special floor with a coffin. Surrounding the coffin were eight crystals that were shining brightly and pouring dark energy into the coffin.


    Irene''s eyes turned cold and she controlled her gravity sense to rip apart this coffin. But before she could it, tens of thousands of Abyssals in the World Tree attacked her.


    Even if she''s a Sovereign, she didn''t want to take on so many attacks at once. But that didn''t mean she had no way.


    "Hmph!" With a snort, Irene reached the secret floor. The coffin emitted a weird aura and reeked of malice.


    "Wait!" Despair Queen roared and shot her vines toward Irene at the fastest speed she could muster.


    But if Irene wanted to do something, it was already toote.


    And Irene did want to do something.


    She appeared above the coffin and enveloped the crystals in a gravity field. When they''re destroyed, the aftermath would be very high.


    So, after closing up the crystals in a gravity field, Irene clenched her fists and was about to crush them to powder.


    Despair Queen was far away.


    Abyss Will was busy.


    The mastern of the Abyssals was finally¡ª


    A sharp pain hit Irene''s body before she flew out and crashed. Dust filled the air and clouded everything.


    Clutching her bleeding abdomen, Irene stood up.


    "W-What the?"


    But the scene in front of her caused her to widen her eyes in disbelief.

 Chapter ?851 When A Tiny Bit Of Hope Is Enough

    ?851 When A Tiny Bit Of Hope Is Enough


    Irene''s heart sank at the tremendous aura rising in front of her.


    The ground shook as the sounds of heavy footsteps rang in the air and blew away the dust revealing a tall figure.


    An ash-colored body but pitch-ck eyes¡ªnot just the pupils, but even the sclera. They weren''t like eyes but two shining ck orbs glowing with evil power. And those orb-like eyes stared at her with killing intent.


    An Undead.


    Irene had seen too many Undead by now and there was no reason to be surprised if this was just another Undead.


    But this one was¡ª


    The Undead''s figure blurred and he reached Irene in an instant. He raised his hand and punched out. The air sted away and a huge shockwave swept the Abyss.


    At that moment, even the Abyssals as far as a thousand miles away felt the ground shake.


    It was a ridiculous show of power.


    A power that only belonged to a Sovereign.


    Be it Humans or Abyssals, everyone was dumbfounded.


    "H-How?" The most shocked of all was perhaps the Despair Queen herself.


    She stood dumbstruck as Irene activate her crystal armor to defend against the Undead Abyssal''s attacks.


    Irene''s attacks against this Undead weren''t working. He was too strong!


    The level 9s that were a hundred miles away from this battle evacuated further. Even they couldn''t bear the shockwaves.


    The level 9 Abyssals they were fighting againstughed and chased them. Normally, such provocations would''ve been met with fierce retaliation. But this time, the level 9s retreated with dull eyes and a pale faces.


    The level 8s were even more miserable. Some of the unlucky ones were hit by the shockwaves and were directly killed.


    Even as they retreated farther instinctively, no one really had the mind to think of their uing battle with the level 8 Abyssals.


    The battle between the Humans and Abyssals resumed. But unlike earlier where Humans fought tooth and nail to stop the Abyssal ''n'', they no longer had any reason to fight.


    The battle between Irene and the Undead progressed.


    The ground around the World Tree shook violently and huge rocks floated into the air and smashed at the Undead at a violent speed.


    The Abyssal''s arms blurred for a moment before they stopped. It was as if time had stopped and then, the rocks burst into pieces.


    Without giving time for Irene, the Abyssal reached her in a blink and punched out. Her gravity barrier was quickly broken and even the barrier set up by her defensive artifact armor barely remained.


    But as a result of the exchange, Irene suffered greatly and started to bleed from her eyes and nose.


    The battle continued. And with every move, Irene would umte one more injury. She would spill out a bit more blood. Her movements would turn a little stiffer.


    This wasn''t an even match anymore.


    Sovereigns were the hardest to kill, but when the gap between two Sovereigns reached an enormous level, it wouldn''t matter.


    What''s more, with this battle, everyone understood what the final n of the Aybssals really was.


    A Sovereign!


    The ceiling of strength in the sr system!


    The true one-man army.


    And it''s not a weak Sovereign. If this Undead was weak, then Julius or Albert could take care of him. As the strongest Human Sovereigns, they could hold back two Abyss Rulers, provided one of them was weak enough.


    But this one was anything but weak. In fact, he might as well be close to Julius and Albert in strength!


    Even the weakest level 8 on the scene understood the implications.


    "Over. It''s over!"


    "Is this really the end of our Human race?"


    "My great-grand father, my grandfather, and my father all died to ensure the survival of our race. I''m sorry. I failed you. I failed your sacrifices."


    Heavy despair filled the air as the burning fire in the hearts of the Human Heroes was snuffed out.


    When they boarded for this mission, they were ready to die. As long as it could thwart the Abyssal n and keep everyone behind the borders safe, they were willing to sacrifice themselves.


    But now¡­


    "It''s useless."


    "It''s all useless."


    "My life can''t change anything. Even my death can''t."


    The gloomy aura pervaded the level 8s and subsequently spread to the level 9s. They were still fighting fiercely. Even if they died, they wouldn''t do disgraceful things like suicide. The only eptable death was in the hands of the enemy, after killing as many as possible.


    So, while the human warriors turned more and more deste about their future, their fighting style slowly changed.


    They grew more and more fierce.


    The level 9s were rtively calmer than level 8s. But that''s only rtive. Most of them went into a frenzy and were attacking madly.


    However, a few of them were still very indifferent to the whole situation and acted rationally.


    "Retreat and Regroup." An order came in abruptly and even though the warriors were still in a frenzy, the practice ingrained in their instinct caused them to break away from the Abyssals and regroup.


    The Abyssals also took this gap to regroup and recuperate. They were already certain of winning with the new Abyss King. So, they didn''t see the need to engage with the Humans and make unnecessary sacrifices.


    As a result, the Human side got a breather.


    Looking at the formation, some of them had already fallen, but most of them were alive. However, the serious injuries on most of them showed that if the Order was a few minuteste, they would''ve died.


    "The Order isn''t to fight recklessly, but to contain your enemy." A solemn voice reached their ears.


    Their eyes instinctively searched for the owner of that voice.


    It was the Leader of this operation, William, an Old Man who was said to be a retired expert.


    William was looking at them with a disappointed and furious gaze as if they were the world''s biggest failures. "You are not allowed to die."


    A man clutched his bleeding chest as he roared. "B-But there is a new Abyss King, it''s over, it''s all ov¡ª"


    "Shut up and take the order. You want to die? Fine, you can die. But on my order." William''s words weren''t hopeful, but they broke the gloomy atmosphere like a ray of light shooting through a carpet of darkness.


    But the darkness wasn''t over.


    A woman stepped forward with a gaze determined to die.


    "Sir, with all due respect, the Federation can''t stop such a powerful Abyss King. That monster won''t even bother to take care of ouroids. It wille straight to ours. Billions will die.


    Then, what can we do? Our attacks won''t harm him. Just the aftermath of his attacks will severely injure, if not kill us.


    I wish to kill as many Abyssals as I can before I die. It''s better than watching the civilization my ancestors protected with their lives. I can''t stay alive to see its destruction.


    I didn''t have a choice in my life. But this is my choice in death. Please allow."


    Hearing the sincere but disturbing confession, William frowned. But he eventually shook his head. "I can''t allow that."


    The woman''s eyes widened and she clenched her fist as she lowered her head.


    This was too much. She dedicated her life to the army. Wasn''t she allowed to at least die?


    She made the request just because she didn''t want to see everything she protected perish. She''d go crazy if she witnessed it with her own eyes.


    Even if she was known as the Blood Lady of Uranus, Jonah didn''t have the heart to see the deaths of Fifty Billion Humans.


    The fight between Irene and the Undead continued in the background, sending shockwaves.


    The trees shook, the clouds scattered and the soil rose into the air.


    Unperturbed, the Old Man continued. "We are the army. We can win. We can lose. But we cannot quit. We certainly can''t win against this Sovereign. Nor can our Federation.


    Until now, our goal was to protect the Sr System from the Abyssal. That is no longer possible. So from now, our goal would be to protect as many humans as we can."


    The gloomy hearts of the men and women were suddenly lifted up. But there was still a doubt in their depressed minds.


    Without thes, how could they save Humans? Take them away in Spaceships?


    "We still have some secret realms that are really a secret," William revealed a top-notch secret that even most level 9s would never know. "They aren''t much, but around 100 million people can survive in them."


    Some were disappointed by the figure. 100 million out of 50 Billion? That''s 0.2%! To put it nicely, they were going to save two people out of every thousand! To put it badly, they were going to let 49 Billion people be ughtered!


    Most were excited at this prospect. As long as human civilization remained alive, there would always be a chance for rejuvenation. One day, they could conquer back the Sr System. One day¡­


    That one day would never manifest in their lives. If they followed what the leader suggested, they''d spend all their lives protecting thest survivors of Human Civilization.


    They''d be chased by the Abyssals. They might even be targeted by alien races. Their life would be full of hardships. Compared to life in the Federation, it''d be a living hell.


    However¡ª


    "Thank Heavens, there is a way out."


    "Even if we lose thes, the ruins, as long as we can save people, it is enough."


    "Haha! One day, our great-grandchildren will avenge us. They will settle our grudge with the Abyssals."


    Some cried, someughed, but most stared at each other with bright, red eyes.


    When despair was at its highest, a tiny bit of hope was enough.

 Chapter 852 The Fate Of Uranus Ruler

    William watched them all with the same expression. But his eyes shed with relief and he said. "Heck, in the worst case, we can leave the Sr system and with our technology, find a suitable star system. One way or another, we will preserve the fire of our civilizati¡ª"


    The level 9s and level 8s were about to nod when their expressions suddenly changed and they hurriedly retreated.


    The ground shook violently the next second and a dust cloud rose to the sky. The level 8s that were still near were sted away by the shockwaves and were thankfully rescued by the level 9s.


    A momentter, the Human warriors gathered far away and watched the new crater withplicated emotion.


    Irene Nial stepped out of the crater with firm footsteps.


    This was their leader¡ªthe strongest person on their. Just a casual attack by her could decide the fate of aoid''s army. Even if all the generals of aoid army came together, they wouldn''t be able to draw a single drop of her blood.


    But that woman was bleeding profusely from multiple injuries now. Even though all of these injuries were small by themselves, when grouped together, it seemed as if she was suffering heavily.


    This shouldn''t have been a big problem since Irene possessed some of the best healing potions. Moreover, she now had two artifacts. They''d boost her healing.


    Then why was the first injury she received still not healed?


    That question did pass through the minds of many level-headed members. But they didn''t delve any further. They knew it wouldn''t be a pleasant answer.


    But one man was interested in knowing the truth.


    ''This is¡­?'' William held his breath as he noticed small shes of a ck energy on Sovereign Irene''s wounds.


    They were simr to the energy in the crystal!


    ''They''re suppressing her vitality?''


    Not caring about the bunch of humans in the distance, the Undead Abyssal reached Irene and raised his fist.


    Irene raised a gravity shield even knowing that it would eventually break. She then turned to the side and gave William a nce.


    ''You¡­'' William understood her intentions instantly.


    Suppressing the heavy emotions in his chest, he ordered everyone. "Let''s leave and start our preparations. Even though there''s a high chance we have to¡­evacuate, we will do so only after dealing a severe blow to these bastards! War first!"


    The men and women in the uniform nodded vehemently. Boarding the spaceship, they all rushed to the exit.


    This was clearly witnessed by the level 8 and level 9 Abyssals that were now recuperating deep in the forest.


    "Sir, do you want us to chase them?" An adjutant asked.


    "No," The leader of the forces shook his head and turned his gaze to the Undead Abyssal. "I don''t know why he''s so strong despite us getting only half of the crystals, but it doesn''t matter anymore."


    "Sir?"


    "With an Abyss King level powerhouse at our side, why should we chase them? Recuperate for now. The Undead King will destroy them and then can start hunting these rats." The leader closed his eyes with a smile and resumed recuperation.


    Everyone was convinced by his words and followed the order.


    On the other hand, Despair Queen had alreadye to her senses a while ago. But she didn''t join the battle for two reasons.


    Firstly, she wanted to check the capabilities of the Undead King.


    Secondly, if she did join, Irene might not even fight anymore and escape. The best way to take her out would be a sneak attack.


    Despair Queen thus turned back into her Abyssal form and tried to find a chance for a good sneak attack. But Irene was already on guard, not giving her any opportunity.


    "Tsk! Bitch! But what if you can''t let me attack, you''ll die soon." Despair Queen cursed.


    Even though preventing Irene from running away was hard, once she was sufficiently injured, it could be done.


    That''s what Despair Queen was waiting for.


    Irene knew this too. As for why she didn''t run away since she had the chance¡ª


    ''I still need to hold them back for a bit longer until William and others can escape.'' Irene bit her bloodied lips as she continued the fight with her battered body.


    ''And what is with those crystals? Why are they still shining?'' Irene also noticed an anomaly.


    The crystals at the deepest part of the World Tree¡ªthe ones that contained this energy¡ªwere still shining.


    She also detected a few dark lines between the Undead and those crystals through her gravity sense.


    Her main takeaway was that something was wrong with this Undead.<sub> </sub>


    ''Maybe this power boost is temporary?''


    Despair Queen thought so too. But even she wasn''t sure how this Undead that was supposed to be only a level 9 turned out to be a Sovereign. But she weed the pleasant surprise.


    And that''s why she protected the crystals with more caution.


    Irene, on the other hand, tried to attack the crystals multiple times. But Despair Queen blocked her sneak attacks and strictly guarded the crystals.


    This only strengthened Irene''s guess.


    ''There is really an issue with those crystals.''


    But it better a different issue than the normal Undead. Because if the crystal was destroyed, the normal Undead wouldn''t lose their power. Abyssals just couldn''t control them anymore.


    This Undead was certainly different given how the dark threads were still connected to him¡­as if charging him.


    Moreover, Irene could sense a kind of ''sentience'' from this Abyssal.


    Intuitively, she realized that even if the crystals were destroyed, this Undead would still help the Abyssals.


    He wasn''t a braindead Undead like the ones on theoid. This was, at least to some extent, a rational Undead.


    ''But at any cost, I need to destroy the crystals!'' Irene gritted her teeth and extend her hand toward the crystals.


    A gravity field covered the crystals and Irene was about to clench her fist by increasing the gravity on these crystals, she was going to crush them to powder.


    "Raaa!" The Undead King sensed her intention and wed at her neck.


    If she wanted to save herself, Irene would''ve to cancel the attack and focus on defense.


    Irene didn''t do that and was about to continue applying the pressure on the crystals.


    It was then that a bunch of multi-colored leaves covered the crystals.


    "You!" Irene''s eyes shone with rage at the Abyssal Queen.


    "Heh," The Despair Queen smiled as she poured in her prana into the crystals.


    Even though Irene wanted to bypass Irene''s leaves and branches to directly crush those crystals, these crystals themselves were special treasures.


    Upon taking in Despair Queen''s prana, they shone brightly and formed a defensive field around them.


    Even Irene couldn''t destroy them as long as Despair Queen guarded them!


    At this time, the Undead King''s attack reached Irene.


    Since she focused on the crystals, Irene barely made any defense against him except for the crystal armor.


    At thest moment, she changed her position and protected her vitals. But the Abyssal''s attack still struck her hard.


    Thankfully, her crystal armor gave off a bright glow and absorbed most of the damage, leaving her with only a medium-sized injury.


    "Arghh!"


    Irene cried out as a terrifying pain assaulted her body. It wasn''t the tearing of her shoulder flesh nor the dislocation that caused her to cry out, it was the silent, chilling sensation of foreign energy creeping inside her, like ice pouring into her body and freezing her from the inside.


    The Undead smiled, proving Irene''s fears that he was more than just a puppet. And he nced at Despair Queen and mouthed. ''Wait for it.''


    Despair Queen nodded and channeled her prana. She had to try her best to suppress the excitement bubbling in her heart.


    It had been years, no, decades since she was fighting Irene. This female Sovereign had grown from someone significantly weaker than her to someone who could stand toe to toe with her.


    And earlier, Irene even suppressed her! Even though she did thanks to the boost from two artifacts, Despair Queen still felt terribly humiliated.


    ''I will wash away my humiliation with your blood. My legacy will be your skull.'' Despair Queen''s lips curled up as she quietly waited for the opportunity that the Undead hinted at.


    As the battle continued, Irene''s position became more and more disadvantageous.


    She was pushed to the point that she was slowly unable to keep her guard up against the possible sneak attacks by the Despair Queen.


    Despair Queen''s heart throbbed as she waited for the perfect time.


    The fate of Uranus'' ruler would soon be decided.

 Chapter 853 An Opportunity

    Meanwhile, William and the rest had already reached the crack¡ªthe exit and entrance of the Despair Abyss.


    "I''ve already informed the Headquarters. Follow their n." William said and got out of the spaceship.


    "S-Sir, what are you going to do?" William''s adjutant asked in confusion.


    "I?" William looked at the endless forest of Despair Abyss and smiled. "I will regroup with you guys soon. I have an archenemy to kill. He''d be at his weakest now."


    "But shouldn''t we preserve our lives to ensure the safety of humanityter on?" A sharp voice asked.


    It was Jonah, the woman who earlier pleaded with him to let her die in the battle. She was now staring at him with a critical eye.


    Even though she was weaker than him, she was also younger than him. She only listened to his orders because he was the leader of the expedition team.


    But the expedition ''ended'' and he was longer their leader.


    So, even though she epted his words, she didn''t like him breaking what he preached.


    "He is a special ntae awakener. He can produce tiny flowers that can sense life forms. If Humanity has to face the fate of escaping the sr system, he''ll be our nemesis. Killing him is necessary." William said calmly.


    Jonah raised a brow but nodded softly. "Make sure to kill him."


    She felt that William was lying. But at the same time, what he was about to do was indeed necessary.


    It wasn''t her intuition or anything, but William''s eyes.


    Those were the eyes of a man burdened with a task greater than him. Whatever William was going to do, it was for the good of humanity.


    "I''ll seed, even at the expense of my life." William smiled lightly. He had recently retired and was busy raising his grandson.


    Due to war, he rejoined the army. And since this expedition was so important, he agreed to be the leader.


    But who would''ve thought¡­


    ''I hope you can survive, little guy.'' William prayed for his grandson as that was the only thing he could do now.


    Many of them had doubts regarding William''s words, but no one questioned him anymore.


    Bidding him farewell, the spaceship finally left the crack and disappeared from William''s vision.


    Of course, a certain someone had also quietly slipped out of the spaceship and appeared in the Despair Abyss.


    ''What is this old guy going to do?'' Enigma hid herself using her Dark powers and spied on the Old Man.


    Things escted way too quickly. It was just a high-priority mission. Then, it turned into a battle between Sovereigns. Now, they had a new Sovereign and his strength wasparable to the likes of Albert and Julius!


    Enigma knew that there was no hope for Humanity anymore. An extra Sovereign wasn''t something they could face.


    Even Varian wouldn''t be able to reach the Sovereign state soon.


    ''And with so many paths, I''m not sure if he can even reach the Sovereign state in the first ce.'' Out of worry, Enigma had already warned Varian about the situation inside.


    She wanted him to find a route out of the sr system. Once thes fall and Sovereigns die, the Abyssals would target Varian without any hesitation!


    Keeping him alive was akin to leaving a growing timebomb alone. Only stupid rulers would do that. And from this war, Enigma knew that the so-called Abyss Emperor was a clever and cunning person.


    ''Varian, respond.''


    ''Where are you?''


    Enigma frowned and was about to contact Boo when a change urred.


    The Old Man turned around and his figure blurred.


    ''If I can''t go after him now, I''ll lose him.'' Enigma clenched her fist. She stayed behind to check if there was any secret.


    But Varian wasn''t responding now!


    Varian or the secret?


    Enigma didn''t even think for a second and mmed herm.


    ''I should''ve stayed with you. You¡­You¡­'' Even though Enigma''s face remained expressionless, she was angry inside.


    She had a strong feeling that Varian broke his promise and entered the Despair Abyss.


    And if he did that, where would he go?


    To the most dangerous ce!


    ''Arghh!'' Hiding her grudges behind an expressionless face, Enigma teleported near the World Tree or where it used to be.


    The Old man William had teleported to a location nearby and sneaked into a hill.


    Unlike Enigma, he didn''t have any Darkness powers to hide his presence.


    Thankfully, this area was already ravaged by Irene and Despair Queen''s battle earlier. So, there were no nts to sense him and reveal his location.


    William spread his space sense and locked onto the coffin a few hundred miles away. Near it, he also sensed the crystals.


    As expected, they were still glowing and they still had some ck energy!


    ''If I can destroy them¡­'' William''s eyes shed but he quickly withdrew his space sense and hid his presence.


    Despair Queen looked toward the north and saw nothing but barren hills. ''Is it my illusion?''


    She checked the nearby messengers but the nts haven''t found anything suspicious.<sub> </sub>


    ''Whatever, no one can even get close to this ce.'' She shrugged.


    Indeed, the ce she was standing was constantly hit by shockwaves.


    The ground had long since caved in and formed a crater nearly half a mile deep and dozens of miles wide!


    Even the strongest level 9s wouldn''t be able to walk through this storm of shockwaves, much less reach the crystals that were next to Despair Queen.


    ''I must get there at any cost.'' William held his breath.


    This was a n he hade up with long ago.


    Yes, they all decided that Humanity was going to face near extinction and be expelled from thes due to this extra Sovereign.


    But this Undead was just that. An Undead.


    What would happen if he could destroy the crystals that birthed this Undead?


    Maybe then Abyssals would have to deal with this monster! Just like how the Undead turned back against Abyssals on theoids.


    ''Or maybe that''s all my wishful thinking.'' William smiled wryly.


    The biggest problem of all was that even if he was certain that the Undead could turn against Abyssals, he had no confidence in destroying the crystals.


    Despair Queen was protecting them after all!


    So, he devised a n with the greatest sess rate.


    He sent back everyone else to rx the vignce of the Abyssal army and the Despair Queen.


    Now, he''s waiting for Despair Queen to move to fight Sovereign Irene. At that moment, he''d teleport and destroy the crystals.


    Of course, the moment he teleported there, he''d be noticed by Despair Queen.


    Since she''s a ntae Awakener, Irene had the option to leave behind her roots or branches near the crystal even when she was fighting Irene.


    And she certainly would.


    So, when she sensed his presence, she''d directly attack him with her roots or branches. Her attacks would reach him first even before he could attack the crystals.


    Once her attack hit him, it was over.


    Because even if he''s one of the strongest level 9s, it wasn''t much in front of a Sovereign.


    Even without Despair Queen, the shockwaves there would st him away and seriously injure him.


    William could transport to the crystals, but attacking them was almost impossible.


    The only way out he saw was self-destruction. He''d turn the whole space chaotic and die with as much impact as he could.


    ''I know I''m hoping for too much, but if somehow this Undead Abyssal threat disappears¡­we can go back to the status quo. We don''t have to face a future where humanity goes nearly extinct.'' William prepared for the most important action of his life.


    Despair Queen waited for the opportunity to sneak attack Irene. William waited for the opportunity to sneak attack the crystals.


    Enigma, on the other hand, was ready to pick up Varian and teleport out of this damn ce.


    Boo had already informed her that they were inside. But before it could tell more, Boo was ''muted'' by Varian.


    But that was enough. Enigma was already seething. ''Why is it that every time you can go to safety, you jump ahead of danger and try to die! Is it that fun? Huh?''


    No one noticed Enigma''s existence and the ns proceeded.


    William held his breath and locked his space sense onto the crystal Despair Queen quietly turned her lower form into roots and spread her roots in every direction for several miles.


    The opportunity arrived.


    Following a resounding p, Irene sted through several mountains as she puked out blood.


    At that very moment, Despair Queen drilled the root near Irene into the ground and pulled herself to that ce using it as support.


    The next moment, Despair Queen disappeared and appeared in front of Irene.


    Right then, William teleported and appeared in front of the crystals.


    The pale-faced and seriously injured Irene was alerted at the appearance of Despair Queen, but she couldn''t put up the defense right away.


    Now, she could only watch helplessly at Despair Queen raised her branches to attack her¡ª


    "What?!" Despair Queen''s focus was suddenly broken by the spatial fluctuation nears the near the crystals and she noticed the new presence near the crystals.


    Without hesitation, she ordered the roots she secretly buried near the crystals.


    Even though William calcted Despair Queen''s speed to be damn high, it was higher.


    So, the moment he appeared and was about to self-destruct, a root pped him away.


    That period of distraction allowed Irene to retreat from Despair Queen and saved herself from a fatal injury.


    After confirming that the human had broken all his bones and at hisst breath, Despair Queen channeled all her focus on Irene.


    "Tch! I missed the chance just now, but it''s over! You''re going to¡ª"


    Despair Queen froze all of a sudden and turned to the area with crystals.


    There was¡ª

 Chapter 854 Hope?

    A spaceship appeared there at some point and had just pulled in the crystals!


    "Ghostship?!" Despair Queen''s heart stopped beating for a moment before it pounded in rage.


    "Varian! You dare!" Despair Queen roared her lungs out andshed her branches at the most brazen thief in history.


    The Ghostship hurried to escape from the attack, but the attack was too fast. As Boo''s face turned grey, a force covered the Spaceship and teleported it. Along with it, William also disappeared.


    Ghostship appeared a few hundred miles away and activated its stealth, hiding from the active search of the Despair Queen.


    "Come out!"


    "Where are you? Coward!"


    "If you don''t, I''ll kill your Sovereign!"


    Despair Queen''s mad roars shook the entire Despair Abyss.


    "What? All those scratches!" Boo cried out as it realized there were countless scratches on the ghostship.


    "She tried her best already, don''t me her." Varian rebuked the shameless ghost and used his telekic power to pat the shoulder of the woman next to him.


    Enigma held her knees as she panted heavily. She had used her artifact to teleport them away from the Despair Queen.


    Unlike the normal teleportations, she had to do it extremely fast. For Enigma, it''s equivalent to sprinting a marathon.


    "Haah! Haa!" Wiping the sweat off her forehead, Enigma stood up straight and stared at Varian with cold eyes.


    That gaze was enough to make any adult shiver in fear. But Varian looked at Enigma with a calm expression. "Not now. This is an emergency."


    Enigma blinked twice before turning away from him. "Hurry up. Whatever happens better be in our favor."


    Varian nodded and signaled to Boo.


    A cubical box made of celestial-grade alloy appeared in front of him and enclosed the crystals. Only a single side was left open.


    Varian conjured a lightning ball and put it inside the box. The lightning energy started to pour into the crystals.


    The box closed up. When they thought it was over, it started shaking. From light movements in the beginning to violent shakings. It all culminated into one final vibration where a huge pop was heard before the box fell to the ground.


    And in the process, a huge amount of aura broke out of the box. It was like an aura bomb that exploded. It started spreading in all directions by the time Varian and Enigma came back to their senses.


    With such an obvious aura signal, Despair Queen would find them soon!


    Varian and Enigma looked at the shock in each other''s eyes before they forcibly controlled their emotions.


    They had already known that the destruction of these crystals would result in dangerous explosions. But this¡­it seemed to have surpassed the Sovereign scale and reached the Celestial level.


    "Is it good or bad that the old man failed and didn''t let such an explosion ur?" Varian nced at William in the healing room through the window with aplicated expression.


    "Talkter," Enigma prepared her artifact "Despair Queen would be here any second. I''ll have to shuttle us again."


    "Please do," Varian desperately wanted to see what happened to the Undead.


    If their actions could bring down his powers from the Sovereign state, then he couldn''t ask for more.


    If that Undead stayed in Sovereign state¡­


    Varian''s eyes shed and he nced at the Celestial alloy of the box with a determined smile.


    ''If he''s still a Sovereign, then we''ll have to risk and get him sealed here.''


    But that was close to impossible. The Undead was stronger than most Sovereigns. He couldn''t just be tricked into this box.<sub> </sub>


    Varian wasn''t optimistic about this desperate n. It was just that. A desperate n.


    As Enigma was about to teleport them again, horrified screams filled the air.


    "Nooooo!"


    "It''s impossible!"


    "Why?!"


    Hearing Despair Queen''s despairing, Enigma paused and gave Varian a look who gave Boo a look.


    Boo rolled its eyes and called up the holograms from the spy drones.


    Varian and Enigma saw it clearly then.


    The sky was shaking and the forest on the ground was trembling as Despair Queen attacked Irene like a rabid dog.


    Being heavily injured already, Irene wasn''t able to amount to a proper offensive. But thanks to her defense artifact, she did manage to keep herself safe.


    Looking at Irene who wasn''t harmed even after all her attacks, Despair Queen only grew madder and madder. Her ntae form grow a few more meters and her attacks turned more vigorous.


    All of this was well and good, but¡ª


    "Where the hell is that Undead?" Varian squinted his eyes.


    Enigma narrowed her eyes at the screen and pointed to an inconspicuous dot at the corner. "Zoom in there."


    The screen now showed an Undead kneeling and clutching his chest as his aura went rampant and shook the ground.


    With him as the center, thend for a hundred miles around him was cracked like a spiderweb.


    A single person was able to affect a hundred miles. What a terrifying powe¡ª


    "Wait a minute, isn''t that a bit too weak for a Sovereign?" Varian raised a brow.


    "Yes, but I''m not sure if his strength was really reduced or he''s just bluffing," Enigma voiced her concern.


    Then something extraordinary happened.


    The Undead got up and reached the corpses of the nts, Trees, and Abyssals scattered all around. These were the coteral damage.


    Without hesitation, he took a deep breath and a ck energy flowed out of these corpses and entered his body.


    The ground under him sank a little and the hundred miles cracks now reached the hundred and first mile.


    Varian and Enigma understood what this meant at a nce.


    "Oh fuck." Varian pped his forehead and said. "Boo, go there quick."


    "I can¡ª" Enigma wanted to teleport them there, but Varian stopped her. "Preserve your strength. He looks like a strong level 9 to me."


    "A high level 9 or at least a peak mid level 9." Enigma shook her head with a wry smile. "Not something I can deal with. It''s best to inform the federation."


    "By the time theye here, this guy will regain the Sovereign strength." Varian pointed out the crux of the issue.


    "Then what do I do?"


    "Fight and see." Varian sighed.


    "Master, we''re here."

 Chapter 855 Will The Sacrifice Be Worth It?

    The Undead was beyond furious.


    After realizing that humans hade to destroy him, he used a special method to raise his strength to the Sovereign state temporarily.


    But the cost of that was his permanent strength would be lowered if the crystals were suddenly cut off.


    With their destruction, he lost his source of power and returned to his permanent strength.


    Instead of peak level 9 like the Abyssal Rulers hoped, it was barely a high level 9.


    ''Thankfully, I can strengthen myself with the dead.'' That was his only sce.


    Of course, he formed a grudge against this human called Varian and the ghostship. He vowed to utterly humiliate and destroy them when the time came.


    But for now, he decided to focus on¡ª


    The Undead bent backward and watched a dark sword go right above his forehead.


    "Gulp,"


    It was a near-perfect sneak attack. If not for the intuition honed through thousands of battles, he''d have died here!


    The Undead was first scared and then pissed off. His legs dug into the ground and the next moment, his figure blurred and he appeared fifty miles away, in front of Enigma.


    His muscles bulged and he threw a punch right at her face.


    Even before his punch reached her, the sheer shockwaves caused arge cut on Enigma''s face and caused her to bleed.


    ''I can barely handle a mid level 9, his strength is beyond my range,'' Enigma gritted her teeth and jumped back.


    The Undead chased after her like a bullet racing ahead and was about to follow up with another punch.


    His mind suddenly turned sluggish while the space around him froze at the same time and an invisible power held him in ce.


    But they all held him back barely for a moment before he continued up with his attacks.


    "Fuck!" Varian mmed a wall in the ghostship and cursed.


    He had already informed the federation. But even if they hurry now, it''d take at least thirty minutes.


    Thirty minutes for a high level 9 was too long.


    But the real problem was¡ª


    "Die, you bitch!" Despair Queen mmed a pointed branch at Irene.


    The invisible gravity shield covering Irene only held on for a few seconds before it scattered. The branch reached her armor which barely held on and repelled the attack.


    Even though she repelled an attack, Irene''s face turned paler. Her consumption of aura was already too much and she couldn''t continue the battle for long.


    She''d have to retreat in a few minutes or she''d die here.


    "Once Irene withdraws, Despair Queen wille to protect this Undead. It''s all over then." Varian rested his forehead against the cold metal wall as he tried to think of a solution.


    It was like looking for a needle in the dark.


    "Varian! Varian!" Enigma''s urgent voice sounded in his mind.


    "Come back. We''ll think of another way to deal with him." Varian kept his eyes closed as he said.


    "Just look at the battle!" Enigma urged.


    Varian opened his eyes and took a peek at the screen.


    "Wait, how?"


    The Undead''s arms blurred as he rained punches on Enigma. Enigma was forced to dodge all of them as they were beyond her level.


    But unlike before, these punches weren''t so strong that the sheer shockwaves caused her skin to split and made her bleed.


    Nope. Even though they were much stronger than what Enigma could handle, they were weaker than earlier.


    Varian carefully observed this situation and guessed the reason. "Darkness?"


    The Undead was covered in a ck fog. It was Enigma''s signature Darkness field.


    For some reason, it seemed to have a suppressing effect on the Undead.


    [Darkness has a positive corrtion with Death. But it shouldn''t have this much suppression. It''s only because the Undead is a failed creation that he''s this suppressed.] The System suddenly said.


    "?" Varian didn''t fully understand, but he didn''t bother to.


    He hurried the ghostship near their battle and wanted to try ''capturing'' the Undead into his Celestial-wall prison.


    But before the opportunity could appear, one of the Undead''s punches hit Enigma''s shoulders and sent her flying.


    As the sound of her bones breaking sounded, Enigma''s entire right shoulder was dyed red as blood spilled out like a running tap.


    "Haha!" The Undead snickered and kicked the ground. He reached her in a blink and was about to throw a follow-up punch.


    Enigma flipped in the air and dodged.


    The Undead didn''t mind and continued his attacks. The battle went on as the Undead unterally suppressed Enigma.<sub> </sub>


    Varian waited for just one chance. But the Undead seemed to have realized his presence and was careful from the start.


    Frustrated and helpless, Varian watched the battle with a heavy heart.


    And what he noticed caused his heart to sink.


    Enigma had umted several injuries so far. She already took several potions mid-battle. So, her injuries should''ve at least stopped bleeding, if not already healed.


    But none of her injuries, including the cut on her face, was healed!


    Patches of dark energy were present over her injuries and if his inference was right, these energies were directly fighting her vitality.


    So, not only was Enigma not healing, but she was also growing weaker.


    Thankfully, the injuries until now were few and small. Otherwise¡­


    A chill shot down Varian''s spine.


    ''Let''s retreat?'' Varian had an urge to do just that.


    ''But if we retreat now, that Undead will be protected by Despair Queen and he''ll return to the Sovereign state.''


    ''Then what should I do? Go fight him? Can Ist even an attack?''


    ''But if I don''t fight, then who will? Enigma can''t win. This Old Man is out ofmission until tomorrow.''


    The more he thought, the worse it seemed.


    ''If we retreat now, the Undead will be a Sovereign and destroy all thes. But with ghostship, I can still escape their pursuit. Then, I can take revenge¡­'' Varian struggled with this tempting but horrifying thought.


    Varian never thought of himself as a morally good person. He viewed himself as a selfish person with a bit of kindness.


    But even for him, even for that selfishness, the thought of leaving fifty billion people to die was too much.


    This dilemma wasn''t just for them, but also for himself. If he left now, Varian wasn''t sure if he could even respect himself again.


    Still, Varian wanted to leave.


    ''It was foolish to fight when death is certain. But it''s even more foolish to die without a purpose.'' Varian was about to call back Enigma when a man''s sacrifice shed in his mind.


    Mars'' high general Skad.


    This man knew he was going to die, but he went ahead and bought two minutes of time for his at the cost of his life.


    In retrospect, those two minutes were critical in saving Mars.


    But Skad had no way of knowing that. From his perspective, his death might have had no impact at all.


    Mars could''ve still been destroyed. Mars could''ve been saved regardless of his sacrifice.


    It was the case with most sacrifices. They didn''t change the final oue.


    So, Varian couldn''t even convince himself to ''sacrifice'' since it might have no result at all.


    Would his death be even worth it?


    "Master, Enigma''s condition is getting worse," Boo said in a pitiful voice.


    Varian raised his head and watched the woman covered in blood as she faced off against the monstrous Undead alone.


    Facing an enemy far stronger than herself yet not giving up, she appeared pitiful.


    ''But why does she keep fighting?''


    Because he asked her to?


    The more he looked at her, the more she reminded him of Skad.


    ''Did I do my best?'' Varian recalled the final words of the great general and clenched his fist.


    The same thought shed in his mind nonstop.


    ''Did I do my best? Did I really?''


    Varian closed his eyes and took a deep breath. ''Should I?''


    He wanted to keep Sia and Sarah safe. He didn''t like to see Enigma pushed into such a pitiful state.


    Even though he wanted to fight for the Human race, he didn''t want to sacrifice for it.


    He decided to leave.


    But before he did, he at least wanted to try. Even for just a moment.


    "Boo, open the door," Varian said.


    Just once.


    That way, he could convince himself that he did his best.

 Chapter 856 Welcoming Death

    It was likely not going to change anything.


    There''s no way he could help Enigma defeat this Undead. The parity was just too big.


    Varian knew it. But he still wanted to try.


    It didn''t matter if things failed after he tried. But to run away without even trying was something that he couldn''t ept.


    ''Enigma, I''ll support you from behind.'' Varian''s voice sounded in her mind when she was in the middle of dodging the Undead''s attack.


    Enigma flipped in the air and teleported to a mountain. Her mind was nk for a moment before she erupted in fury.


    ''Do you think you can make any difference here? You''re too weak!'' She said coldly while jumping off the hill.


    A blurred silhouette crashed into the hill and the next second, the giant hill exploded as dust and rubble flew out.


    And not just the hill, the ground surrounding the hill for fifty miles sunk as if it was y.


    Even though he was far away from the attack, Varian could feel its horror. But he still persisted in his decision to intervene.


    The Undead didn''t yet realize Varian had left the ghostship. He set his sights on Enigma standing in the clouds and kicked the ground.


    Like a rocket taking off, he shot up and reached Enigma.


    Enigma''s darkness powers engulfed him as they ''suppressed'' his powers from high level 9 to mid level 9. But in doing so, Enigma had to spend all her dark mana and couldn''t use any for herself.


    Enigma''s mind power pushed his brain to stop the attack. So, his instinct overruled his mind and continued the attack involuntarily.


    Enigma used her gravity power to create a repulsion shield to protect herself. Even though the Abyssal had been weakened to mid level 9, it wasn''t enough.


    However, she had a problem that she could no longer ignore.


    "Argh!" Enigma''s wounds refused to heal no matter what.


    Her injuries were all covered by patches of ck energy. Even though Enigma noticed them long ago, she couldn''t neutralize them due to the ongoing battle.


    They sucked her vitality, and with each passing second, Enigma grew weaker.


    Even if she could survive this battle despite being the weaker party, she couldn''t survive this vitality loss.


    Under these circumstances, the Undead''s punch reached her.


    Enigma steeled herself for another injury when the Undead suddenly paused.


    The space around his neck fluctuated without warning and a metal needle pierced appeared.


    Propelled by an invisible telekic energy, it pierced his neck, spilling out green blood, only to be stopped halfway due to the extraordinarily thick skin. The chi of the Undead also flowed through his neck, preventing any further pration.


    The attack only seeded because of the surprise element in the first ce.


    But it failed to cause any major damage to the Undead. The Undead had sensed felt Varian''s location and decided to kill this ''bug''.


    Before that, he reached for the needle with his hand and was about to pull it out to prevent any idents.


    However, a weak but intense psychic energy attacked his mind and caused the fingertips that were about to take the needle to halt for a moment. This halt was also supported by the sudden and literal freezing of his fingertips.


    Despite being significantly weak, these two powers managed to halt the fingertips because they were heavily concentrated in a small area.


    However, the strength disparity was obvious as the Undead''s fingertips broke through the control and reached for the needle. This time, arge amount of Chi was flowing in the fingertips to prevent any mishaps.


    But the thing that happened next wasn''t to fingertips but the needle itself.


    The special needle¡ªmade from a very rare and famous alloy known for its conductivity¡ªwas struck by lightning.


    The jolt of electricity rushed into the Undead''s neck and for a brief moment passed through his body and causing the Undead to twitch violently before his chi reacted instinctively and blocked out the electricity.


    The area around the Undead''s neck was charred and a roasted smell filled the air.


    Three inches deep of flesh melted under the attack!


    If a human was inflicted such damage in their neck, they''d have died without a doubt because half of their neck would be destroyed!<sub> </sub>


    But the Abyssals, while humanoid in structure, had muchrger skeletons than Humans. This Undead, like many Abyssals, was nearly 8 feet tall.


    For such a structure, his neck was also much thicker. So, despite the brilliant attack and extraordinary damage, he wasn''t fatally wounded.


    But if the attack was done by lightning 100% more powerful, he''d have died for sure!


    And the current injury, while not lethal, was by no means small!


    "You rat!" The Undead stopped his attack on Enigma and turned to Varian who was standing on a faraway hill.


    Varian sighed in disappointment. He concealed his presence and sneak attacked. But that''d only work once.


    And that one sessful attack wasn''t enough to turn the tides in their favor.


    "Varian!" Enigma was also shocked by Varian.


    Even though his every attack was weak, when used together, he did more damage to the Undead than her!


    Of course, that was mainly due to the surprise element. But still, it was remarkable.


    Unfortunately, the current situation meant they had nothing to celebrate. Even Varian''s brilliant intervention wouldn''t change the final oue.


    Enigma used her artifact and teleported in front of Varian.


    Looking up at the Undead with caution, she said. "Let''s leave. There is no hope."


    Varia looked at her injured, bloodied, and frail back. She wasn''t Sia. But he didn''t want her to suffer anymore. Because of his decision, she already risked her life. It was enough already.


    Besides, he did his best and confirmed the final oue wouldn''t change. "Yeah, let''s retreat."


    After consulting her on her condition, he asked Enigma to teleport them to a particr location for a safe escape. The two appeared on a in and the ghostship appeared behind them.


    "You''re both staying here forever." The Undead spat and shot towards them.


    The ghostship''s door opened up behind Varian and Enigma as the distance between the Undead and Varian continued to shrink at an astonishing pace.


    The ground was split into two as the Undead almost reached them at a breakneck speed.


    Varian had already stepped into Ghostship and Enigma was just a single step away when the Undead''s reached her.


    "NO!" Varian''s heart sank as he realized that his calctions went wrong.


    Enigma should''ve entered the ghostship by now and the door should''ve closed. Once that happened, even if the Undead punched it, they''d be safe and could quickly escape.


    But an error urred!


    The Abyssal''s speed was within expectations. But Enigma¡­she was much slower!


    Varian noticed the dark energies floating around her injuries and Enigma''s pale face as the reason shed in his mind.


    ''That energy, the death energy!''


    He did consider this issue in his calctions. But he underestimated how detrimental it could be to the victim.


    Enigma too realized her predicament. The safe n Varian told her had failed.


    She''s going to die!


    ''Finally, huh.''


    Watching the fist that inched closer and closer to her, Enigma felt a sense of relief.


    This was the kind of death she always envisioned.


    She''d no longer be burdened by finding a purpose in her life. She''d no longer have to ask herself where she belonged. Who she was. And what was she even living for...


    ''But Sia won''t die with me.'' Enigma urged ''Her'' to wake up.


    Everything would here.

 Chapter 857 Life And Death

    ''She'' would devour her and put her into a slumber. Being unconscious forever, how was that any different from death?


    Enigma could choose to bring down Sia and ''Her'' and let them all die together. But she didn''t do that.


    She was grateful to Sia for giving her the opportunity to live. When she just ''woke up'', she was still weak.


    Sia had plenty of chances to ''devour'' her and put her to rest. She didn''t do that. Perhaps because out of pity. Or maybe because of her loneliness. Sia let her live.


    Just for that, Enigma couldn''t let Sia die.


    Moreover¡­


    ''He doesn''t want her to die.''


    Varian went from absolutely hating her to being neutral and even treating her somewhat normally.


    The repulsion still remained, implying that his inner feelings weren''t ovee yet.


    But Enigma felt that she shouldn''t cause him any more pain after wrecking his life. She didn''t want to see him in pain.


    If Sia died, he''d be in a lot of pain. Perhaps only second to the pain after his mother''s death.


    So, Enigma urged ''Her'' to wake up. Once she woke up, everything would be solved.


    ''Why am I feeling so bitter to do this though¡­Maybe I do wish to be alive.'' The corner of Enigma''s eyes turned red.


    She didn''t know why she was feeling this way. But she didn''t want to sleep forever. She wanted to be awake.


    Even though it was short, she hade to like this life. She got used to talking to Sia. She wanted to see Sarah and Sia''s friendship grow. She wanted to be a part of Varian''s journey, and watch him grow stronger.


    But it was toote now.


    Darkness will engulf her soon and bury her consciousness forever.


    As Enigma prepared for the inevitable, an unforeseen error urred.


    Enigma''s pupils shrank as she realized ''She'' wasn''t responding to her calls. ''What happened?''


    ''You''ll die!''


    ''Wake up!''


    ''Hurry!''


    The Undead''s attack was just a blink away and Enigma felt her heart stop beating as she realized the three of them were going to die.


    At that moment, all the relief she previously had was washed away and only a bitter feeling remained.


    Even as Enigma pulled back into the ghostship, the Undead was faster and his fist finally reached Enigma''s neck.


    "NO!"


    As the tragedy was about to ur, a white light covered Enigma''s neck and the world went still.


    ''Huh?!''


    The Undead''s speed suddenly decreased!


    Enigma''s speed was unaffected and she was able to enter the ghostship.


    The door closed and the Undead''s speed suddenly increased, no, it just reverted.


    His punch struck the ghostship and due to the sheer momentum, the ghostship shot into the sky.


    Thankfully, Boo had temporarily ced high-quality walls for the door and that saved the ghostship from damage.


    "Master, we''re retreating now!" Boo said and rushed Ghostship toward the Abyss'' exit.


    But just as it was advancing, a few vines appeared out of nowhere and were about to p down the ghost ship.


    These attacks exceeded the threshold of level 9 and were something beyond what Ghostship could resist.


    Boo didn''t even have the time to announce the bad news. ''Is Boo going to die single?''


    The heaven seemed to have pitied the ghost as the vines were forcibly twisted in another direction at the final moment and the ghostship escaped safely.


    "You bitch! Do you think you can keep saving him?" Despair Queen red at the woman.


    From head to toe, Irene had several small injuries that continued to bleed. They made her look more miserable than she actually is. Still, her condition wasn''t that great.<sub> </sub>


    Compared with earlier when she suppressed Despair Queen, she was barely stalemating her now. The injuries were one thing, but the slow loss of vitality was another.


    Irene wiped the blood flowing down her eyebrows and clouded her vision as she gave a tired but strong smile. "I only need to save him until he can save us all."


    "Hah." Despair Queen also knew her chance of killing Varian was over.


    If she went after Ghostship now, Irene would destroy the Undead¡ªdestroying their whole n.


    Even if Humans lost Varian, they''d still be barely below Abyssals in theirprehensive power. They''d still progress and surpass the Abyssals in a decade or two.


    On the other hand, the condition of the Abyss Empire in a decade would be¡­


    Despair Queen shook her head and decided to kill Irene today. The Undead could recover his strength quickly and regain his Sovereign strength. That''d mark the end of Humanity, Varian, and Enigma.


    "You can''t save him if you die." Despair Queenunched her attacks on Irene who responded with defensive measures.


    On the other hand, even as Ghostship was approaching the exit, the interior waspletely silent.


    Varian stared at the injured Enigma in silence. For a second, he thought she was going to die. No, she might have really died. In front of his eyes!


    Varian''s heart was in turmoil. He tried to open his mouth and say something but his throat grew too painful to spit out even a word.


    Enigma leaned against the wall as she stared back at Varian as her chest heaved up and down.


    Just one second. No, it wasn''t even a full second.


    It was supposed to be all over, but¡ª


    ''I¡­I am alive?''


    When the feeling finally precipitated, Enigma slid down the wall and plopped on the ground.


    She raised her head to look at Varian with teary eyes. "I-Is this real?"


    Varian walked up to her and knelt down to face her at eye level. He looked into her teary violet eyes and felt the emotions surging in her heart.


    His own heart was thumping uncontrobly now, feeling both relief and fear.


    "No," Varian shook his head. "You''re safe."


    "T-Thanks¡­" Enigma said in a low voice.


    Her words only pierced the guilt in his heart. Varian closed his eyes and lowered his head. "I''m sorry for implicating you because of my selfish desires. Y-You almost died."


    "Your exit n was p-perfect. It''s my body, I overestimated it." Enigma shook her head.


    They did converse mentally about the exit n. Enigma reported her capability on which Varian decided the teleportation distance and ghostship timing.


    Facing a significantly stronger opponent, the calctions had to be precise and there really wasn''t much room to maneuver.


    Varian made it as foolproof as he could, yet a tragedy nearly happened.


    Looking at the patches of ck energies hovering over her injuries, Varian retrieved the healing potions and floated them over her injuries, and poured them over.


    Enigma closed her eyes and focused her aura on the ck energies and used the huge vitality from the potions.


    The ck energies quickly dissipated and her injuries finally began to heal at a quick pace.


    Varian sighed in relief and sat next to her with his back against the wall as he waited for her to recover.


    He didn''t notice that the repulsion distance between them was almost non-existent. They were just half a foot away from each other.


    ''I nearly caused her death.'' Varian closed his eyes shut.


    The image of Enigma''s fragile back facing the Undead''s fatal attack kept shing in his mind.


    She had no business in this. She could''ve refused to fight. But for him, she put herself at risk.


    One punch, that one punch was enough to kill her.


    And it should''ve killed her if not for him weirdly slowing down suddenly.


    As for why the Undead slowed down¡­


    Varian felt a soft body hug him as his head was pulled onto a familiar bosom. Hervender smell made him unconsciously rx as her sweet voice sounded in his ears like music. "After we finish him off, I want you to hold me like this all day, okay?"

 Chapter 858 Ill Book A Room For You Two

    Varian''s tense heart rxed as he slowly opened his eyes. Even though he did want to rest his head on this soft pillow, he wanted to see her more. So, he raised his head and paused.


    Sarah''s lovely face filled his vision. Was it just him or did she grow more beautiful? Varian didn''t know. He didn''t want to think about it either.


    Sarah was looking at him with a smile when Varian suddenly cupped her cheeks and bowed his head.


    "@#!$"


    Feeling her wet, cold, and soft lips pressing against his, Varian''s heart slowed down to a near halt before it pounded against his chest.


    Varian pulled her closer and sat her on hisp. After the initial panic, Sarah wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed back with more passion, as if she wanted to melt into his body.


    At some point, Varian''s tongue slipped into her mouth and they started a secret battle of tongues.


    Feeling his lover''s sweetness, Varian chased after her cute tongue. Not to be outdone, Sarah chased after him as her heart throbbed inside her chest.


    Even though it was only a few weeks, it felt like they were away forever.


    During the time she was in retreat, Varian infiltrated the Abyssals, pushed himself to save Mars, and since the advent of this war, he was putting himself at constant risk.


    She was still in retreat, but thanks to Boo, she was aware of Varian''s situation all along.


    That''s why she felt sorry for him. If only she stayed by his side during those hardships¡­


    Sarah opened her eyes. With eyes closed, face rxed, he looked lost in the kiss and finally at peace.


    Feeling the sudden change in her moment, Varian opened his eyes. The eyes as ck as night met the shining golden eyes.


    Looking into her loving eyes, Varian''s emotions stirred. He wanted to be one with her right then and there, but there were things he just couldn''t put down.


    Varian pulled away from Sarah, forming a silver thread hanging between their lips.


    As he looked at her rosy cheeks, Varian had the urge to kiss her again despite knowing they were supposed to be doing something more urgent.


    Sarah too threw those thoughts out of her mind and leaned closer as she pucked her lips.


    Varian licked his lips as he struggled between reason and emotion.


    "Ahem. Ahem."


    Thankfully, Enigma''s awkward coughs startled them and put an end to their kissing session.


    Sarah looked at Enigma with the intention to greet but realized that she was currently sitting on Varian''sp.


    Feeling self-conscious all of a sudden, she wanted to get up.


    But Varian turned her around so her head rested on his chest as Sarah herself faced Enigma.


    Feeling Varian''s arms around her waist, Sarah concluded that it was impossible to get out of this position.


    Besides, why should she?


    It''s Enigma anyway.<sub> </sub>


    Perhaps feeling the changes in Sarah''s expression and her decision to remain in that intimate position, Enigma''s lips twitched.


    First, you guys treat me like air and go on mad kissing. Now, you want to talk to me sitting on hisp. What is this? A public disy of affection?


    Enigma wanted to protest.


    She had no parents to get parental love.


    She had no siblings to have a bickering but loving rtionship. Even though Sia was like a younger sister to her, and was the closest person she had, there was a wall between them. Perhaps only when the repulsion disappears would the invisible wall break down.


    She had no friends. Even though her rtionship with Sarah was improving, it wasn''t very close.


    And lover? There were quite a few people who proposed to her during the early days of Shadow Guardian.


    They didn''t even see her face, much less talk to her, but said they loved her!


    The ones that epted her rejection were let off with a small beating. The ones that persisted got a heavy beating and the really stubborn ones were directly thrown into dangerous missions.


    ''¡­So, it''s my fault that I don''t have any good rtionship?'' Enigma blinked her eyes in confusion before Sarah''s voice pulled her attention.


    "Thank you for staying by Varian''s side all this time," Sarah said with a grateful smile before elbowing Varian with a re. "This guy just can''t stay still without courting death every other Friday."


    Varian coughed and turned away from her ming gaze. ''Miss, do you really think I really enjoy risking my life? Heck no. I''m forced by the circumstances to choose.''


    On the other hand, Enigma stiffly nodded in response to Sarah''s gratitude. She helped Varian not only because of Sia but also because she wanted to.


    "I''ve seen your Darkness powers restraint his power, I think I can do the same¡ªwait, howe we are so close?" Sarah eximed in the middle of her speech.


    "Close, what? Ah!"


    "Ah?"


    Varian and Enigma realized they were almost sitting side by side.


    "It''s only half foot distance, wow!" Sarah''s face brightened.


    "Well," Varian was equally surprised and delighted.


    Regarding the distance between them, he always stopped until he felt ''repulsion''. The same thing now. If he just moved a bit closer, he''d feel the repulsion.


    But he didn''t expect the repulsion toe down so much already. "Damn, I can finally kiss Si¡ªouch!"


    Varian looked at Sarah with an innocent gaze, asking why she elbowed him again. Sarah''s lips curled into a beautiful smile and she said. "You want the repulsion to go away only to kiss her?"


    Sarah expected Varian to defend himself. But against all her expectations, he nodded. "It''s part of the package. I actually want to do more. With you too. But as a fair and just man, I''m waiting until she can join you in some advanced Synergy exercises."


    Against such shameless statements, Sarah blushed and gave him a cute re while Enigma punched the wall and said. "I''ll book a room for you two, but wait until that Undead is killed."


    "¡­"


    "¡­"

 Chapter 859 Fighting Together

    "He is much stronger than me. He is a high level 9. A new high level 9 though. Otherwise, I would''ve long lost. I don''t know if this method will really work." Enigma said as she teleported onto a hill alongside Sarah and Varian.


    "Won''t know if we don''t try," Sarah waved her hand as she reinforced the invisible ''light'' shield around them.


    The area at the base of the hill they were on was filled with many nts and trees. They''re the eyes and ears of the Despair Abyss.


    Enigma usually had to use her darkness powers to hide her presence from them. But now, Sarah was using her light powers to do the same.


    For the nts and trees on the ground, there was no person on the hill. The light shield around the trio granted them invisibility of sorts. Even the aura was bounced back within the shield and not leaked.


    It''s not omnipotent, of course. If the strength difference got too high, the enemy could find them. Moreover, Sarah wasn''tpletely proficient in the usage of her powers.


    But for these weak nts and trees between level 1 and level 6, her concealment was more than enough.


    As the trio sneakily teleported, they felt strong winds and shockwaves. The soil was blown away, the mountains were broken down, and even the rivers changed course under these insane shockwaves.


    Far in the distance, two silhouettes in the sky continued to blur and with each exchange, a new shockwave shot out in all directions.


    The forestnd five hundred miles around them was destroyed, even thend was cracked like a cobweb and the mountains were all but ttened.


    Sarah''s expression turned serious after observing the Sovereign battle. She had reached level 9 atst. But it seemed that the journey was still long.


    Varian patted Sarah''s back and the trio silently teleported to the remains of World Tree.


    This time, Enigma used her darkness powers to create a concealment shield and superposed it on Sarah''s light concealment shield.


    Thanks to that, the Undead who was currently gathering all the dead bodies into a pit didn''t notice their presence.


    ''Once he sucks the energy from all those dead bodies, the chances of our n will be near zero!'' Varian said.


    Enigma frowned and said. "I can suppress him with my darkness, mind, and gravity powers. I''m confident I can bring him to the powers of a mid level 9. But the price of that is I won''t be able to do anything else. Once I stop using any of my powers on him, his strength will rebound."


    Sarah gave a wry smile. "I can use Light and suppress him further. But he''ll still be a strong low level 9. If I add up my Time powers, I can slow him down, but the problem is that the more powerful an opponent is, the less effect my time powers will have on them.


    So, even if I use both Light and Time powers, his strength, defense, and stamina will still be around a low level 9. But his speed will be slower than a low level 9, though still faster than any level 8.


    And since I''m still adapting, using these two powers would need my full focus. So, I can''t do anything else in the battle either."


    Varian listened to their exnations and got a rough understanding of the challenge he was going to face.


    An opponent stronger than any level 8 but weaker than level 9s.


    Besides, there was a hidden danger in fighting with the Undead.


    "That ck energy is draining vitality. You have to be careful." Enigma sighed.


    "Don''t worry. My ntae powers aren''t for show." Varian grinned. He had seen the ck energy on Enigma and observed its prowess.


    If it''s from a high level 9, he wouldn''t be able to resist. But if it''s just from low level 9, Varian was more than confident in his healing powers.


    Unlike other people''s ntae powers, his offensive powers were extremely weak. That''s the reason why Varian wouldn''t use his ntae powers for attack normally. Except for the above-average defense, even the speed was terrible.


    But all these negatives were ovepensated into a single big positive.


    Vitality! Huge vitality!


    That''s why Varian was confident to confront the Abyssal and remain standing.


    Besides, if this n had to seed, he should be the one to fight. Any otherbination simply didn''t have a chance.


    "Let''s go," Varian said and teleported.<sub> </sub>


    "He nearly killed you. Let''s kick his ass." Sarah smiled and removed the shield.


    The Undead looked up and saw a new human in surprise. "This aura! It''s you! You saved that bitch!"


    "Correct answer." Sarah smiled and waved her hand. "Here''s your reward."


    A beam of light reached the Undead before he could even react and enveloped his body like skin armor.


    The Undead''s ''death'' energy was forcibly suppressed and his divine paths, albeit temporary, regressed.


    "You bitch! I''ll rip your limbs!" The Undead kicked the ground and reduced the distance between them in half.


    Even under suppression, he''s still much stronger than her.


    Sarah''s expression turned grave as she realized the type of monster Varian was going to face.


    Without hesitation, she used her time power.


    The Undead felt that his speed was normal, but for some reason, he was taking longer than needed to reach Sarah!


    "No matter, you can''t escape!" The Undead kept chasing.


    To Sarah''s horror, even the Undead''s slowed-down speed was still much higher than her normal speed!


    He''d reach her in a blink!


    But she''s already focusing her two powers and if she retreated now, that''d break her focus and bring him back to his normal powers. If that happened, she''d be killed in a sh.


    When the Undead was just a few hundred meters away from Sarah, a cold voice rang in his ears. "You have a short memory, Zombie."


    A cloud of darkness enveloped the Undead and wrapped him like a body suit. With this, his divine paths regressed further.


    At the same time, his body started to repel him as a psychic power started to attack his mind.


    While this happened, his movements got harder due to the heavy gravity imposed on him.


    Yet, even with all these restrictions, the Abyssal reached Sarah in a second and raised his fist to punch her down.


    Beads of sweat rolled down Sarah''s forehead as she maintained her focus on her two powers even while the Undead inched closer.


    If she failed now, then the n would fall apart. So, even though death was just a blink away, Sarah stood her ground.


    In the distance, Enigma observed the Undead and realized he was looking out for sneak attacks.


    After being nearly killed by a needle, it seemed that he learned his lesson.


    ''Varian, a sneak attack won''t work. His guard is up.''


    ''Tch. Why is a zombie so smart?'' Varian gave up his sneak attack n and locked his space in front of Sarah.


    "Haha! It''s over! In trying to suppress me, you put yourself in a deadlock." The Undead let out a roaringugh and punched at Sarah.


    Sarah smirked when the menacing fist reached her. Because¡ª


    Varian appeared and punched out.


    The two fists shed against each other and a powerful shockwave shot out in all directions, raising dust and cracking the ground.

 Chapter 860 A Battle To Save The World [1]

    Varian felt the skin on his fist split and crack all the way to his elbow, like a cobweb. As blood was about to spill out, the prana in his body circted and the cracked skin restored itself in a blink.


    But the pain inflicted on his bones due to the Undead''s strong punch remained. That pain told Varian that even though he used all his powers: attacked him mentally, superposed his telekic, space, and body powers on the punch, and applied ice and lightning on his fist, the Undead was still significantly stronger than him.


    However¡ª


    "Your strength is not out of my reach," Varian grinned and dashed forward, splitting the ground due to his sheer speed.


    The Undead responded with a punch and since he wasn''t taken by surprise this time, he exerted his full-power that he currently could.


    As a result, when their fists met, Varian was blown back like he was hit by a truck while the Undead remained in ce, despite being slightly shaken.


    The difference in their strengths was clear.


    "Even though I''ve been tremendously weakened, even though I can''t kill you with a sneeze like before, I''m still much stronger than you. I''ll still kill you and then torture these two pests," The undead sneered as he eyed Sarah and Enigma.


    The two women were already sweating from the burden of using their powers to suppress the Undead.


    This n itself was very dangerous. If their concentration was shaken, then the Undead''s strength would be restored.


    Sarah and Enigma had a chance of surviving against him and fleeing but Varian would have no such choice.


    Once the Undead regained his strength, Varian would be dead. So, this was a very high-risk mission for Varian.


    He literally entrusted his life to Enigma and Sarah. And the two didn''t want to breach his trust at any cost.


    The battle between Undead and Varian continued. The Undead sted away Varian with each attack, inflicting several injuries on him.


    After a few exchanges, Varian was bleeding from seven injuries.


    But to the Undead''s irritation, he kept fighting no matter the injuries. His stamina not only didn''t decrease, but to the Undead''s horror, it rose!


    "Damn you, a pest that refuses to die!" The Undead kicked Varian away once again and turned his attention to the two women. "It''ll take me forever to kill you like this, but if I attack them."


    Sarah looked at the Undead defiantly as he locked his sight on her and was about tounch an attack.


    But a bleeding forearm stopped him in his tracks. "You''re not reaching them. Not even a chance."


    The Undead chuckled and his pitch-ck, pupil-less eyes seemed to shine with wisdom. "I can''t attack them, indeed. But did you forget where we are?"


    With a snap of his fingers, hundreds of Abyssals appeared on the horizon! These were the level 9s and level 8s that fought off the Human group headed by Old Man William previously!


    They were waiting for the Undead''s instructions and once they got the signal, they shot toward the battlefield at full speed.


    Sarah''s and Enigma''s eyes remained calm even as the Abyssal army approached. If they were even slightly disturbed, the whole n would copse.


    So, they already considered every variable. Naturally, the Abyssal army came up during the brainstorming.


    Varian had a simple solution for them. That was¡ª


    "Now!"


    The ghost ship suddenly appeared behind the Abyssal army, catching them off guard.<sub> </sub>


    The doors opened and hundreds of human soldiers suddenly jumped out and ambushed the Abyssals.


    This was the same group that was sent back by William!


    Since she was a member of their mission, Enigma had their contacts and called them back.


    Due to the injuries they suffered, this group was naturally weaker than its Abyssal counterpart. With theck of William, they were further behind.


    So, this ambush was framed to help them get back some leverage. They did, but it wasn''t enough to make them dominant.


    The Human group was still weaker than the Abyssals, but they were strong enough to hold them back.


    And¡ª


    "Even if we lose our lives, we aren''t letting one Abyssal cross us!" The current leader of the team, Jonah put her hand over her chest and vowed.


    The team vowed with her and attacked the Abyssals.


    The sky shook and the ground split as countless colors filled the sky. The powers of divine paths were used in full disy and before long, a status quo was formed.


    The Human group surrounded Varian''s trio and the Undead in a very wide circle and acted as a wall for the Abyssals.


    "Insolence! There''s no William here! You''ll die!" The Abyssal leader said viciously as he waved his hand and exploded the poisonous flowers at Jonah.


    Jonah''s face turned green due to the poison. She quickly suppressed it and attacked the Abyssal with an ice sword.


    The ice sword split into ten and each ten split into another ten. A hundred ice swords attacked the Abyssal Team''s leader, forcing him to retreat.


    Both indignant and furious, the Abyssal roared. "You can''t stop us for long!"


    "Save your breath. Either you''ll be stalled or die together with me." Jonah remained firm.


    These battles happened far away and didn''t interfere with Varian''s battle with the Undead.


    It wasn''t by an ident but by the deliberate design of the Human group.


    After hearing from Varian that there was a chance to prevent the nightmare of the Undead Sovereign, they rushed back.


    Initially, they were skeptical. The Undead was already a Sovereign, how could they prevent it? But for the tiny and desperate hope, they still came.


    What they saw inspired their confidence.


    Somehow, Varian brought down the Undead''s strength! Then, he might really be able to solve this problem forever.


    But if they fail his instructions and let these Abyssals attack the two girls, his mission would fail and the Undead would regain his strength.


    What would await them was the destruction and near-extinction of the Human race.


    So, every man and woman fighting the Abyssals now was supercharged and ready to stop the enemies at any cost. It didn''t matter if they had toy down their lives. If push came to shove, they''d dly die!


    As the humans put their lives on the line to buy time for Varian''s trio, the trio fought their own battle.

 Chapter 861 A Battle To Save The World [2]

    At his n''s utter failure, the Undead grew furious and increased his attack intensity on Varian.


    His hands literally blurred as they moved at speeds far surpassing that of sound. Just the shockwaves from the flexing of his muscles were enough to kill a level 6!


    Facing these attacks, Varian was forced to use all his powers.


    Using his space, lightning, telekic and ice powers, he created ayered armor covering his body.


    Then, he met a fist with a fist and a kick with a kick.


    Due to the sheer shockwaves generated by these attacks, the mountains nearby were leveled, the forests were uprooted and the rivers were diverted.


    Rather than moving to different locations, they confined the fight to a particr area.


    As a result, every time a blow was exchanged, the ground cracked under the pressure, and craters formed.


    Every exchange was like an explosion and these craters only widened. The once pristinend was now full of craters as if it had been messed up by earth awakeners.


    As the battle continued, Varian raised his arms and blocked the punch of the Undead.


    Like every other time, his skin split apart and blood spilled out while his muscles tore and bones ached.


    Threads of dark energies transmitted from the Undead to him during their contact and these energies gathered around his wounds and started to hamper his regeneration.


    Varian wanted to crush them using his vitality but after hearing the prompt, his lips curled up and he continued the brawl.


    Grasping an opportunity, the Undead grabbed Varian by the feet and mmed him against the ground, creating a huge crater a mile wide!


    Varian stopped counting the number of his broken bones and went back up.


    With more confidence than ever, the Undead once again punched at Varian and just like the first official exchange between them, Varian punched back.


    Seeing this, the Undead was overjoyed. "You couldn''t block my punch when you were in perfect condition! Now, you''re not only injured, but your injuries also aren''t recovering while your vitality dwinles! Pay for your arrogance!"


    The fists connected and like every other attack, a huge wind broke out from their point of contact, resembling a terrible storm.


    The ground cracked apart and huge rocks flew into the air, as the ground under the two sunk a few feet!


    But this time¡ª


    "H-How?!" The Undead looked at Varian with shock.


    Varian who couldn''t bear his attack even in his perfect condition and was blown away like a rag¡­the same Varian, but in a far worse state of injury and fatigue only staggered a few steps back!


    The Undead''s eyes jumped as he recalled the documents he previously read about Varian.


    Even though they mentioned he grew extremely fast¡­this, what''s this?


    There was a substantial gap between the two when they started fighting. The kind of gap that would three years even for a genius to fill!


    But this guy¡­What the fuck?!


    "You monster!" The Undead''s dead heart jumped as he realized why the Emperor paid such importance to this human.


    "Monster? Huh," Varian twisted his neck and grinned. He was still weaker than the Undead but after repeating beatings, his body powers took a leap. With the superposition of other powers, he had almost caught up!<sub> </sub>


    Closing the parity in minutes, perhaps this was a feat only he could achieve!


    "Yes, what secret are you hiding? I''ll dig it out from y¡ªmff!" The Undead who was talking too much was forced to raise his arms and block Varian''s punch.


    But unfortunately, it was no longer a weak punch he could ignore. Despite blocking the punch sessfully, the Undead staggered back and felt a long-lost sensation in his bones¡ªpain!


    This pest¡­how did he?


    The Undead grew furious and the battle grew more intense.


    But unlike before, Varian was no longer being thrown around. He fought head-to-head and despite being the weaker side, he paid back every attack.


    The two disappeared and appeared over a hill before they punched each other. The force destroyed the hillpletely and reduced it to rubble.


    Unbothered, the Man and Undead continued their brawl. Taking another chance, the Undead wed at Varian and tore a hole in his abdomen.


    The sharp grey nails dripped in blood and savored the hot liquid flowing down them.


    The Undead licked his nails and noticed the injuries on Varian''s body. They were everywhere.


    Shoulders, arms, chest, abdomen, back, legs¡ªhe was bleeding everywhere and there were strands of dark energy on all these wounds!


    ''It should be almost time.'' The Undead smirked at Varian and said. "Do you feel it?"


    "Huh? Yeah," Varian nodded and clenched his fist.


    "Oh, you really fe¡ªaugh!" The Undead was forced to block a kick to his crotch at thest moment.


    He staggered back and quickly readjusted himself as he stared at Varian in rage and disbelief. "How are you still fine? Aren''t you feeling weak? Aren''t your injuries still bleeding?"


    Varian responded with a couple more punches, forcing the Undead to defend himself hastily as he sneered. "This is easy. You think I can''t deal with that little energy? I just used it as a whetstone."


    Saying so, Varian opened his right palm and showed the wound. Arge patch of skin was missing and a piece of flesh was sunk while strands of dark energy lingered over the wound.


    But with a snap, tremendous vitality surged into Varian''s palm and started healing the injury. The dark energy was quickly captured and extinguished.


    In just a few seconds, Varian''s palm was restored!


    "You! You!" The Undead had no words to utter.


    What the fuck was this guy really?


    Varian''s smile only brightened at the Undead''s aghast expression. His goal was in sight.


    It''s a pity that the System told him his wish of acquiring this death energy was impossible at the current stage.


    Apparently, the other side wasn''t using proper death energy but was just spreading it since he was an Undead.


    That''s the reason why despite being attacked by Death energy so many times, Varian got no notification of a new path.


    With a swipe of his hand, Varian''s injuries started healing and in a few seconds, he was back at his peak condition.


    Smiling at the Undead, he muttered. "Let''s get this over with."

 Chapter 862 Bottlenecks & Growth

    Usually, too much growth in too little time would result in bottlenecks. Especially when a path was advanced by the same method.


    For instance, Varian could go to a water dungeon and increase his water power. But if he fought there continously, he''d progress first before hitting a bottleneck.


    Just entering the Dungeon and reaching peak level 9 in a day or a week was just impossible.


    He''d hit a bottleneck before that. And bottlenecks at level 8 were much tougher to crack.


    For low levels and mid levels, Varian took a day at the least and a week at most. But high levels were another beast altogether. He might take months for this!


    Still, even when he was training with Enigma, Varian could barely reach the limit which his body could bear.


    He had seven paths and even if each of them progressed by 2,000 XP, it was a sum of 14,000 XP. That''s almost half of a level 8 growth every day!


    Of course, there wasn''t just one method to progress. So, even if he hit a bottleneck, Varian was confident in using other methods, and breaking the bottleneck sooner thanter.


    But even that might take at least a week. So, he decided to grow ''organically''¡ªgrow as much as possible without hitting a bottleneck.


    And now came a surprise in the form of the ck energy, the so-called death energy. Even though there were numerous strands of this death energy and it''s incredibly weak, there was something about it that made his body react differently.


    To put it cheaply, it was like the diluted version of a very expensive wine. Diluted, but still sourced from an expensive source.


    The way his body reacted to it waspletely different from the normal. And until now, Varian didn''t hit any bottleneck. Nor was there any growth fatigue.


    So,pared to the beginning of the battle, Varian''s strength had taken a great leap. Varian had grown quite strong quite fast on multiple assions, but this was the greatest growth so far.


    ''Status''


    [Superhuman L8: 24k/25k (+10k)


    Space L8: 18k/25k (+10k)


    Lightning L8: 22k/25k (+2k)


    ntae L8: 5/8 (+7k, +5)


    Psychic L8: 18k/25k (+10k)


    Macrokic L8: 15k/25k (+9k)


    Water L8: 15k/25k (+7k)]


    The improvements were simply monstrous. Varian''s strength took a direct leap. He now posessed two peak level 8 paths, three high level 8 paths, and two mid level paths.


    Thebined strength of these paths crossed a threshold and broke a limitation.


    "Come!" Varian''s figure disappeared and appeared at the midpoint between their previous locations.


    The Undead also disappeared from his previous location and arrived at the midpoint.


    Shining with the power of seven paths, Varian threw a punch at the Undead.


    The world shed white for a moment before the ground under the two men broke apart as if someone was cleaving it with a huge axe.


    Dust filled the air and a terrible shockwave, surpassing every shockwave until now spread out.


    The fierce wind reached Sarah and Enigma. The two women were already finding it hard to hold the Undead back.


    There was something they didn''t expect. The suppression effect of their powers on the Undead was constantly decreasing.


    Enigma guessed it must be because the Undead was ''assimting'' the death energies that their light and death powers were suppressing so far.


    The Undead had previously upied the energies from the crystals and reached the Sovereign state. But he hadn''t digested all the power yet.


    Perhaps they could still suppress him even after he assimted all the energies, but it''d be far less effective.


    In short, they''re running out of time.


    Enigma and Sarah both realized this and were thinking of informing Varian. Beacuse even with his best performance, Varian didn''t seem like he could win. The two women decided to tell him to retreat.


    But when the shockwaves hit them, Enigma''s eyes widened and she immediately turned to Sarah who was also looking at her with an astonished and confused expression.


    "Level 9¡­" Sarah muttered. "How?"<sub> </sub>


    "Even a low level 9 can stand against fifty peak level 8s. So, how did Varian do this¡­?" Enigma gasped.


    The fierce winds settled down and the ground stopped cracking as the exchange ended.


    Varian stayed in ce while the Undead took a step back before stablizing himself.


    "What?!" The Undead shouted in horror as he felt his skin rupture and hand bones crack.


    "How did you? You aren''t even a level 9!" He roared at Varian while resisting the constant mental attacks by Varian.


    To be honest, his situation was pretty embarassing.


    He had to constantly look out for any sneak attacks from Varian''s attacks. The space might crack around his neck and try to slit his throat. A lightning bolt might try to numb his arm and dy his defense. An invisible telekic knife might try to pierce through his ears. And many more.


    Since Varian was significantly weak at the beginning, the Undead simply covered himself in a body armor of Chi. It wasn''t expensive and blocked all the sneak attacks.


    But with Varian''s current strength, the body armor had to be thickened, and much more Chi had to be strength because the attack coulde from anywhere.


    For example¡ª


    "Die!" The Undead punched with both arms, shattering the wind and shaking the space. Varian responded in kind.


    The Undead''s focus waspletely on the punches and just before their fists were about to connect, the space around his waist suddenly cracked apart. Like a shattered mirror, every piece of this space became sharp. These space des pierced the chi armor all over his waist.


    Even though they weren''t able to pierce through, they created a small crack.


    Usually, this wouldn''t be an issue since the circting Chi would restore the crack almost instantly. Even if multiple people were attacking the armor, they couldn''t time the next attack right at the crack within that limited time. It''s borderline impossible for two individuals to coordinate to that level.


    But when it''s only one person¡­


    At the very moment the crack ured, an invisible telekic power took the shape of a sharp de and struck the crack. The crack that was about to close up suddenly expanded and the armor around the area was thinned.


    Maintaining a perfect timing, an ice de struck the same area and pierced a small hole through the armor.


    Then, as if it was waiting for it since the start, a very thin lightning bolt rushed into the hole and struck the Undead''s waist.


    All of these attacks happened without any dy and could be counted as a single attack due to little difference in their timings.


    So, the Undead who was about to sh with Varian only felt a space fluctuation first and the next moment, he shriekd. "Wha¡ª?!"


    A jolt shot up his spine and the Undead''s body stiffened for a moment. The chi in his body isntinctively resisted the lightning mana and neutralized its effects.


    But as a result of this small dy in the critical dy, the Undead was unable topletely focus on the uing attack.


    Varian''s fist changed its trajectory at the final moment and aimed for his chest.


    Even though the Undead''s trained instinct tried to correct the posture, the numbed body was a bit slower.


    As a result, the world shed white once again before the Undead staggered back ten steps, clutching his chest that had now started to bleed.


    Even though his chest bones weren''t broken, he could feel them cracking even from the outside.


    For the first time, the Undead had a terrible premonition. Rather thanpleting the conquest of Sr system, he might die here.


    ''I have to break this bnce. If I can absorb the death energy from corpses, I can grow stronger. Even if not mid level 9, at least the strongest state of low level 9.'' The Undead''s eyes shone for a moment before they dimmed again.


    He red at Varian and nced into the distance behind the young man. There was a few miles away. The pit where he gathered all the corpses to absorb.


    But now, all these corpses were either dismembered, burnt to ashes, frozen or broken into pieces.


    Varian being Varian, ensured their battle''s aftermath hit these corpses and orchested their destruction.


    ''I didn''t think this bastard would be this freak of a monster, so I didn''t care much at that time. Dammit.''


    Now that things had gotten so bad, the Undead started thinking.


    ''I need death energy, corpses¡­but where?'' Suddenly, his eyes shone as his senses picked up the aroma of death a few hundred miles away.


    It was exactly where the Human and Abyssal armies fought!

 Chapter 863 Indeed, Time To End This Drama

    Varian felt his heart race for a moment and an ominous feeling sh in his mind. But he quickly suppressed it and focused his gaze back onto the Undead.


    Due to their battle, the ground was filled with cracks, craters and even chasms. In fact, some of these holes were so deep and wide that the geography itself changed.


    The former ins had be hignds and the areas affected by the battle were crushed. Many new mountains were formed along with a fewkes.


    Varian''s unhurried and strong breath pushed through the smoke in the air as he rushed toward the Undead.


    The Undead kept a neutral expression and ran towards Varian.


    ''I feel something is off¡­'' Varian had no idea why. But as the Undead got closer, Varian shifted his focus onto him.


    The distance between the two was reduced to an arm''s length and the fists were about to sh.


    Right then, the Undead twisted his body, put force into his legs.


    ''A kick?'' Varian changed his stance to guard against the potential kick.


    But instead of kicking out at him, the Undead kicked the ground and took off like a rocket. Due to the sheer speed and momentum, a fierce wind pped out in all directions. The ground started to crack like cobweb and the cracks were spreading.


    "What?!" Varian''s space sense locked onto the Undead who was rushing away from him at a breath taking speed.


    All of a sudden, the white and dark lights covering his body went off and his speed skyrocketed.


    Enigma and Sarah staggered back as they felt a huge sense of fatigue fill their bodies.


    The suppression was incredibly tiring. The Undead had already crossed the range they could properly focus in. Now, they could either wait for him to return to their range or chase after him.


    Enigma looked at Varian and waited for his choice.


    Without waiting for even a moment, Varian teleported immediately to catch him. But the Undead was already a hundred miles away and reached his target location¡ªthe periphery of the battlefield between Humans and Abyssals.


    And the Abyssals, as if they were instructed prior to his arrival, started throwing the corpses, Abyssal and Human, at him.


    "You! Damn Zombie!" Varian roared in anger as he realized what this guy was about to do.


    "Fuck off." The Undead smirked and intangible ck tendrils spread out from his body and entered the corpses.


    The thin tendrils pulsed as they seemed to be ''suck'' out something from the corpses. The corpses, on the other hand, started to shrivel.


    The aura around the Undead started to rise.


    It was so significant that even the Human army engrossed in fighting the Abyssals noticed it. And panicked.


    "Quick! Stop that Undead!"


    "Wasn''t he a Sovereign? Then how is he?"


    "Just do the fucking job! Attack him! If not possible, attack the corpses!"


    The Human army''s attacks were all thwarted by the Abyssals. "You aren''t going anywhere, leech!"


    The intense battle between Humans and Abyssals intensified further. Blood started to literally rain from the sky and the ground was now painted red and green.


    Amidst such dangerous conditions, thanks to Abyssals'' help, the Undead faced no problems in continuing his ''absorptions''.


    But the clever Undead knew that if the desperate humans go the chances, they''d kill him even at the expense of their own life. So, he got away from the location and was about to go farther when he suddenly felt a ck and white light envelop him.


    The familiar suppression came again, souring the Undead''s expression. "You wanna die!"


    Sarah and Enigma remained motionless in the distance as they focused on suppressing the Undead.


    Their faces were growing paler with each second and it was clear that they couldn''t hold on for much longer.


    The Undead''s killing intent locked onto Sarah and Enigma. Bending his body slightly, the Undead clenched his fists and was about to attack the two women. But right then, he turned back and waved his hand fiercely.


    The huge wind knocked the corpses to his left and the next second, the space there cracked and created a huge pit. Had the corpses remained in that position, they''d have been severely damaged.


    "Do you think I''ll fall for the same trick twice?" The Undead sneered at Varian who teleported in front of him and had a face full of disappointment.


    "Maybe."<sub> </sub>


    Varian''s response only inred the Undead''s anger, causing the ck tendrils started sucking out the energy faster.


    Despite suppression, the Undead was growing strong and growing fast.


    ''As long as I keep him engaged until I can absorb these corpses, it''s enough.'' The Undead decided.


    With a simple kick to the ground, he reached Varian and punched out. Varian punched back and the battle between the two resumed.


    With every single punch thrown, it was clear that the Undead was growing stronger. This should''ve been a source of despair for Varian. But the young man only grinned and smashed his fists.


    The Undead was initially confident. With every second, he could feel his strength growing. Even Sarah and Enigma felt him growing stronger and were helpless.


    But¡­


    Nothing seemed to have changed?


    Varian was fighting him on an even ground. No, Varian was fighting him with an edge!


    But his strenght should''ve already increased by at least 10% by now! This increase itself was more the full strength of a peak level 8!


    So, how was Varian able to maintain the same bnce?!


    Ten more minutes passed and the Undead was now damn certain that he was at significantly stronger than before!


    He''s reaching the end of low level 9!


    But¡ª


    The Undead staggered back as his bones creaked under Varian''s fists.


    ''Wait, what?!'' That jolt of pain finally forced the Undead to confirm his worst suspicions.


    Even in the most ssified documents, Varian''s growth wasn''t this fast. The only change that''s possible was himself.


    He was actually helping Varian''s growth!


    The Undead felt like dying after realizing this. But he already died once¡­so, he wasn''t very keen on doing that again. Of course, if it''s necessary, he wouldn''t hesitate.


    "Time to end this farce." Varian twisted his neck and rxed his arms.


    The Undead''s instincts kicked in as he hurriedly raised his arms. But he was still slow as Varian''s punches struck his chest and sted him off. The Undead''s chest bones snapped and blood gushed out of hisrge wound.


    Varian didn''t stop at all. He even used the situation to time the perfect follow up as he continued punching in the same area.


    The Undead learnt his lesson and defended himself from getting hurt in the same area. But he couldn''t save himself from more injuries.


    Under Varian''s disy of might, he was quickly filled with injuries and was bleeding from all over his body.


    Alerted by the Undead''s situation, the Abyss army stop Varian. The Human army stalled them.


    Despair Queen nearly attacked them once, but Irene, already very injured herself, appeared in time and neutralled the attack.


    With Enigma and Sarah supporting from behind, and making this battle a possibility, only Varian and the Undead were the yers.


    Varian took a deep breath and walked to the Undead who was bowing his head as blood covered his face.


    The Undead looked at Varian with hatred before he roared and ran away. Varian chased him and they both ended in the same location as the World Tree¡ªwhich no longer existed.


    ¡­And the holy altar at the base of the World Tree.


    The Undead was about to approach the holy altar, but Varian threw a lightning bolt and caused him to nearly trip.


    Perhaps realizing there''s no other way, the Undead turned around and faced Varian with burning battle intent.


    It was like the look of a warrior before death.


    The Undead roared and threw onest punch. Varian punched back. "It''s time to end this drama."


    As the two fists were about to sh, a strange voice sounded. "Indeed, time to end this drama."

 Chapter 864 Death

    Hearing an unexpected voice at close quarters, Varian''s body stiffened and the hair on the back of his neck stood up.


    Varian''s brain raced at its fastest and his mind sense already ''saw'' the person appearing behind him and understood his current situation.


    Right now, he and the Undead were facing each other and their fists were just a few feet away from one another. In a blink, their fists would sh.


    The one who sneaked up was behind him! It was an Abyssal he had never seen before. But Varian instantly recognized the crimson armor on the assassin''s body.


    ''Blood Heirs!''


    Before Varian could even get a proper look at the Abyssal''s face, his ntae sense repulsed, just like how his nose would respond to a stinking smell.


    The stench of death overwhelmed Varian''s senses for a moment before his mind took over and realized his current situation.


    There was no time to even teleport and Varian forcibly turned to the side while he stretched his left arm towards the Abyssal.


    Time seemed to freeze as Varian faced the Undead on his right and the Abyssal on his left.


    The world remained before the ground under the three sunk into a huge crater. As if experiencing an earthquake, thend cracked apart with Varian as the center.


    Dust filled the air and formed a tornado before it was destroyed by a shockwave from Varian.


    As the dust settled down, the condition of the Human, Undead, and Abyssal came into view.


    Varian''s fist and the Undead''s much bigger fist were in contact with each other. The skin on Varian''s fist hadpletely cracked apart, revealing his flesh as blood spilled out and drenched it.


    The Undead''s skin was also blown away and worse, his bones were strangely twisted.


    Even though Varian had to forcibly change his position at thest moment, the Undead still lost in the exchange!


    The Undead''s mind went nk at this tant disy of disparity. A human who should be weaker than him actually grew so strong so fast!


    The Undead nced at Varian once before turning to the holy altar in the site where the World Tree used to exist.


    Without a second thought, he kicked the ground and shot toward the location as if he didn''t care about Varian.


    On the other hand, Varian stood still as he gripped the neck of the Abyssal in crimson.


    The Abyssal''s hand, postured as a w, stopped just before his chest. The Abyssal wanted to tear his chest, but Varian stopped him at thest moment.


    It was only because the Abyssal was significantly weaker than him. If it was someone as strong as the Undead, Varian would''ve been helpless against the sneak attack.


    But¡ª


    "Kukuku." The Abyssal''s face paled due to theck of air, but he cackled like a madman.


    Varian didn''t understand why until he felt a sharp sting in his chest.


    The w indeed stopped before his chest, but the nail from a single finger managed to pierce his chest.


    The cold, ck energy oozing out from the fingertips was in direct contact with Varian''s warm red blood.


    Varian felt an ominous premonition"What are¡ªarghh!"


    A sense of weakness enveloped Varian. As if a puppet that had its strings cut, Varian experienced himself losing control of his body.


    Like an engine without fuel, he felt himselfing to a sharp slowdown. Varian felt his eyebrows grow heavy and had a strong urge to sleep.


    ''I¡­'' As his body started shutting down, Varian forcibly opened his eyes.


    "You!" Sanguik, the head of Blood Heirs, felt his scalp tingle.


    Once hit by the original strand of death energy, Varian was supposed to faint and die! How could he still be conscious?


    Varian resisted the weakening of his body and smiled at Sanguik. Then, he tightened the grip around the Abyssal''s neck, crushed his throat, and threw him away.


    Feeling thest bit of vitality leaving Sanguik''s body, Varian shuddered. That was the same thing he was feeling now!


    Loss of vitality!


    Like a cracked dam, his body was losing vitality and with each second, this loss was only increasing!


    ''D-Death?'' Varian was forced toe to terms with it.


    He could feel it in his body. The cold, dark energy sapped away his vitality. Even though it was just a strand of energy, its quality was extremely high.


    Forget level 9s, even Sovereigns wouldn''t be able to save him.


    The ntae vitality he was so proud of could barely resist in the face of this terrifying death force.


    "I¡­I am going to die?" Varian felt his throat grow heavy and a sense of despair filled his heart.<sub> </sub>


    He looked to the left and saw Sarah and Enigma in the distance. Their faces were pale like a sheet of paper and they were already at their limit.


    ''Would he really close his eyes and never see them again?'' Varian''s eyes turned red.


    He promised himself to keep Sia happy. She suffered too much. If he died, she''d be devastated.


    He wanted to protect Sarah and give her a happy life. He wanted to thank her for helping him in his dark times.


    He wanted to help his race. He wanted to see the wonders of the Universe.


    This wasn''t it! This wasn''t how he wanted his life to go.


    ''System?! System, can you do something¡­I don''t want to die.''


    [¡­] The System didn''t respond.


    Even though he expected it, Varian''s heart sank. But at the same time, he epted his death. The sadness in his heart vanished and tranquility filled his being.


    Varian turned to the right and saw the Undead who reached the holy altar. Varian''s eyes shone with determination.


    ''If I''m going to die anyway and there''s onest thing I could do, then¡ª''


    The Undead grabbed a shining tablet from the altar and sprinted away when Varian suddenly appeared in front of him.


    "You!"


    "Die!" Resisting the weakening of his body, Varian poured all his powers into a single punch.


    The Undead was taken aback by the surprise attack and barely managed to raise his arms in defense before Varian''s fist struck his chest.


    "I¡­" The Undead tried to feel raise his right hand to feel the hollowness in his chest. But he couldn''t lift his hand no matter what.


    Looking down, the Undead realized that his fist was gone, sted into pieces of meat and bones.


    Not only that, there was a huge hole in the right of his chest. Almost half of his torso was gone, revealing the flesh and blood in full disy.


    As a sense of weakness filled his body, the Undead looked at Varian again with a touch of horror. "You¡­"


    Varian''s face paled as he realized he failed to kill the Undead. That punch should''ve been more than enough, but he was weakened too much!


    "If you remain alive, you''ll be a threat to their and everyone''s lives." Varian endured the gnawing coldness in his body and raised his fist again.


    The Undead knew he had no chance of surviving another attack. So, he quickly pressed the tablet in his hand.


    The holy altar gave off a bright light and the space distorted.


    The Undead fainted as the space around him twisted and teleported him away. His current injuries broke him on a fundamental level and he''d take months to just recuperate.


    With the teleportation, he also exited the range of Enigma and Sarah''s control range, causing the two women to focus back on the real world.


    But what they saw made their hearts sink.


    A huge space crack opened above Varian and started to pull him in. The weakness in his body didn''t allow Varian to put up any resistance and bit by bit, he was being pulled into the space crack.


    ""Varian!"" With agonizing voices, Enigma and Sarah reached him.


    Enigma used her gravity power to pull him out while Sarah slowed down the time of his body.


    But instead of helping, the space crack turned more chaotic and started pulling him with greater force. Due to the interference of Enigma and Sarah, a deeper crack developed in the already chaotic space.


    A Space-Time crack with highly chaotic gravity opened up and started sucking them in.


    The holy altar, the one responsible for the space crack, couldn''t bear this new change either and blew up.


    With the stabilizing force gone, the crack turned more aggressive.


    It became clear to Enigma and Sarah that they had no time and must take a decision now.


    Varian can''t be brought out. So, what should they do?


    Enigma took a breath and applied her gravity power on Sarah to push her away. "You leave. I''ll bring him bac¡ª"


    "I''m going." Sarah broke the gravity hold on her and held Varian''s hand. Enigma sighed before she held Sarah''s hand.


    The next moment, the crack expanded and sucked them in before closing up.


    Only the traces of space, time, and gravity were left to tell the tale.

 Chapter 865 One More

    "W-What happened?" Far away from the Holy Altar, Irene gasped.


    Her focus was devoted to battling the Abyss Will and the Despair Queen. Due to the injuries inflicted by the Undead, she was being suppressed by the Despair Queen despite the advantage of two artifacts.


    So, she put all her focus on defending herself and didn''t even realize what happened at the critical battle just a few hundred miles away.


    The only reason she even sensed something went wrong was the chaotic fluctuations from a space-time crack.


    As the wielder of the gravity path, she was also sensitive to the fluctuations of space. But the other power, it felt like the dtion of time.


    Even though Irene wasn''t sure if there was really a Time Awakener, she for sure sensed Time dtions.


    Space. Gravity. Time.


    Something big happened!


    "Hey, do you really want to space out now and die?" Following a mockingughter, giant vines filled with de-like thorns reached her.


    Irene raised her hand and a blue light shed. The vines that were about to hit her suddenly changed trajectory and hit each other.


    Using the chance, Irene spread her gravity sense and checked the situation where the fluctuations urred.


    "¡­What the hell?"


    She saw the corpse of an Abyssal in crimson armor melting into dust and a few hundred miles farther, the unconscious figure of the Undeady on the ground, tended to by some special medical nts!


    Losing half of his torso, the Undead was nearly half-dead! It''s only thanks to his strong level 9 body that he''s still alive.


    His aura right now was so low that Irene doubted if it was the same person who came close to killing her.


    Forget Sovereign, forget level 9, the Undead''s aura had regressed to a level 7!


    Enigma and Sarah disappeared and so did the effects of their suppression. This meant the Undead had lost his powers at the base level.


    Irene''s heavy heart lightened up after finding the plight of the Undead. With such a condition, the Undead might never recover.


    ''¡­And even if he could, we''ll have enough time to prevent him.'' Irene''s eyes shed as she dodged the vines attacking her.


    asionally, one or two vines woulde close to hitting her, only to be repelled by herst-second shields. But one in a ten would manage to break her shield and injure her.


    Thus, Irene''s injuries slowly rose and so did the toll on her body.


    Her fighting power was also dropping and it wouldn''t be long before she''d be truly overwhelmed by the joint assault of Despair Queen and Abyss Will.


    Once that happened, her chances of survival would plummet.


    More importantly¡­


    ''Why did theye back? No matter, if they stay here, they''re going to die once Despair Queen overpowers me!'' Sensing the Human Army facing off against the Abyssals, Irene was first surprised before panicking.


    In a few minutes at most, Despair Queen would overpower her. They''d have to retreat before that or face death.


    "Retreat! Retreat, everyone!" Irene issued the order.


    "But M''am, Varian said¡ª" A troubled voice replied.


    "Varian?!" It was like a lightning bolt struck her on the head, Irene stiffened and scanned the area again.


    "That crack¡­"


    She saw Varian, Sarah, and Enigma here, fighting against the Undead. Now, she couldn''t sense them at all.


    Subconsciously, she thought they left in Ghostship and that''s why they''re off her radar.


    But what if that''s not the case?


    What if something happened to them due to the Dimension Crack?


    Irene''s eyes turned red and she shot at the giant tree like a cannonball. "What did you do to them?"


    Despair Queen''s giant tree form wrapped its trunk with branches and connected them together, forming a very sturdy shield.


    Even if someone like Albert fought her, he''d be hard-pressed to break her defense. This was a specialty of her ntae form and was even famously called the Iron Grid.


    But Irene wasn''t Despair Queen''s nemesis for no reason.


    With a wave of her hand, Irene created a strong repulsion between the branches and the trunk as well as between the branches.


    The branches were supposed to be connected together and wrapped around the trunk to create the Iron Grid defense. But thanks to Irene''s gravity powers, it quickly fell apart.


    Even though Despair Queen managed to save some of the formations, Irene struck the vulnerable parts and caused a huge dent in the trunk.


    But due to the risk she took, Irene was pped away by a vine and crashed into a mountain.


    "You crazy bitch!" Despair Queen turned back into her humanoid form as she


    clutched her bleeding neck.


    Irene got up from the rubble of the mountain and locked eyes with her enemy. "If something happens to them, I will make sure you and your Abyss go down."


    "I''m really scared. Do you dare to stay here and continue fighting for another minute?" Despair Queen sneered.


    The reason she was even willing to talk was that she was receiving information from the informants about Varian''s battle.


    ording to them, Varian and his girls fell into the crack. But Despair Queen couldn''t be sure about it. And before he did, Varian was attacked by Sanguik. So, on top of the assassination, Varian was thrown into a space crack.<sub> </sub>


    But Despair Queen didn''t go happy yet. Every time they thought they were going to win, Varian came out on top.


    This one man thwarted all their ns, he single-handedly ruined decades of hard work and was the first human to invade their homes.


    His record was nothing short of groundbreaking. If a list was to be made for the most fearsome geniuses, Varian would undoubtedly be the first. But that''s not the scary part.


    The scary part was that even if the next ten, twenty, or even fifty geniuses were to bebined and weighed against him, he''d stille out on top.


    When Abyssals invaded the Sr System, not even in their worst nightmares did they anticipate such a monster.


    So, Despair Queen asked the Abyss Will to scan the entire Abyss and see if their nightmare really ended.


    On the other hand, Irene was clear about it. "Retreat now!"


    If Varian was really fine, then he''d never leave the Undead in one piece. Something happened and Varian¡­might be gone.


    Irene swallowed back the sadness bubbling up in her chest and ordered the team to retreat.


    The original mission was to stop the Abyssals from their n. The n turned out to be a Sovereign Undead. Thanks to Varian, the mission was a sess.


    But would the Undead not revert to his previous strength?


    Maybe. Maybe not.


    But if they stayed here for another minute, they''d all die.


    And Irene was also aware that even if the Human army tried their best, they couldn''t assassinate the Undead.


    Despair Queen was keeping a tight watch on them. So was the Abyssal Army themselves.


    So, staying here was tantamount to suicide.


    "Retreat now!"


    Under her insistence, the Human army rushed back and exited the Abyss. The Abyssals didn''t chase them back and instead guarded the Undead.


    Irene was thest to retreat. But she was chased by Despair Queen.


    So, her exit wasn''t easy and by the time she was out, she was filled with terrible injuries and was bleeding all over.


    Thankfully, the Abyss Will''s influence ended outside and she could now use the Nature''s Seed artifact for her defense.


    So, Irene wasn''t worried about her safety anymore.


    The fight continued even on the outside and bit by bit, Irene retreated from the Abyss.


    She wasn''t severely suppressed anymore. But Despair Queen went crazy and fought a bloody battle.


    Despair Queen''s tactics were such that ''I will injure you in exchange for taking an injury.''


    Since she was a ntae Awakener, she had the edge in bearing injuries.


    Usually, this wouldn''t be a problem. But Irene was already fighting for too long.


    Standing in the space in her bloodied uniform, the heavily injured Irene looked at the Despair Queen with a tired gaze.


    "Aren''t you worried I''ll send my people to assassinate that abomination?" She asked, hoping to send Despair Queen back.


    But thetter only chuckled in contempt and continued the attacks.


    Thankfully, Irene''s artifact provided a defense. So, Despair Queen''s tactics ended up causing her more injuries.


    "Hope you learned the lesson today! I will be back soon!" Despair Queen spat and dashed toward the Abyss.


    But before she did, her sinisterughter reached Irene. "Your guess is right. He really died."


    Irene clenched her fists. ''No way¡­''


    The reason he didn''t kill Undead might simply be something else. He might''ve been seriously injured. He might''ve had an advancement. There could be other reasons.


    ''I''ll wait for him to contact me.'' Irene thought and summoned her spaceship.


    But as she was about to step in, a powerful aura appeared behind her.


    Irene turned around halfway and was about to attack when a huge force hit her from the back.


    She was sted into her spaceship and the AI, having realized the threat, drove the spaceship away at full speed.


    The man who attacked Irene stood in the space with a straight back. In his hands were two artifacts.


    A crystal armor. An exotic seed.


    He infused his aura into them and formed a connection with the artifacts.


    Heaven''s Will recognized his progress and with its blessings, a tremendous aura surged in his body.


    With every artifact, he got closer and closer to the next level. Now, he''s almost on the verge of a new domain.


    Demon Sword of Neptune. Crystal Armor of Uranus. Nature Seed of Jupiter. Aether Pendant of Mars.


    "And my own artifact." The Sovereign smiled at the tremendous power surging in his body.


    "Just one more and I''ll able toe out safely and destroy the Abyss Emperor. Just one more and peace will be established forever."

 Chapter 866 You Liar!

    In a dark corner, space fluctuated violently before a crack opened up and expelled a man and two women.


    They were instantly hit by a huge chaotic space current and almost blew away. Thankfully, the defenses they propped up at thest minute saved them. But their defenses didn''t stop them from being hit by the gray space currents.


    Sarah carefully held the unconscious Varian in her shield while Enigma covered him in gravity armor. They held two shields around themselves as well.


    But with the sound of ss cracking, their shields started to crack as countless small gray particles hit them. It was an endless storm that wanted to devour them whole.


    If they were at their peak, Enigma and Sarah wouldn''t have a problem staying in this chaotic space for a whole day. But now they''re already tired from suppressing the Undead.


    They wouldn''t evenst an hour. So, the women decided to check out the surroundings to reach a safer location.


    But all they could see was the sea of gray currents in the endless darkness. Not even the twinkle of a single star was visible in this gloomy space.


    Thankfully, Enigma herself had Darkness powers and easily explored the location. Sarah, on the other hand, waved her hand and spread out a light wave, illuminating the surroundings.


    However, all they could sense and see were gray space currents and gray space particles.


    They moved from one ce to another using their powers but it all seemed the same. While they had already moved hundreds of miles, it felt like they didn''t even move an inch.


    It was so frustrating that even the usually calm Enigma sighed and called for a break. Since she was tired from the earlier battle, Sarah agreed.


    A white barrier shone in the endless darkness. Inside it, a young blonde was sitting with a young man resting on herp. Facing her was a woman with silvery white hair and violet eyes.


    The white spherical barrier carried them in space like a boat on a sea. It shook sometimes, it even had cracks, but it continued to travel without a destination.


    Inside the barrier, the two women drank some potions and let their bodies recover. But even after that, they didn''t utter a word and let the ufortable silence settle in the air.


    Finally, Enigma looked at the unconscious young man and asked with a trembling voice she tried to stabilize. "¡­How is he?"


    Sarah intertwined Varian''s warm fingers with hers and rested her forehead on him. "I slowed down the time of that death energy in his body."


    Enigma''s heart sank at the answer but her expression didn''t change. Only her shaking eyes told how she was feeling. "How many months?"


    ''How many months does he have left?'' She couldn''t bring herself to ask that.


    She already checked Varian''s situation and to her own despair, she realized that she couldn''t do anything to the strand of energy inside him. In fact, not even a Sovereign could solve that energy.


    That''s why, even though her chest felt heavy at the thought of his death, she concluded that Varian couldn''t be saved.


    The only question was how long he would still be around.


    "Months?" Sarah raised her head and looked up at Enigma with teary red eyes. "I wish we had months. I don''t know if he can survive even a full month."


    Enigma looked at Varian''s pale face and bit her lip.


    She had seen him since he was a child. She saw his bright smile. She saw him train endlessly for years without everining about theck of results.


    She saw his care for Sia. She saw his tears when he nearly lost Sia. She saw his pride in histe father. She saw his maturity in enduring the school where they constantlypared him with Sia and endlessly mocked him.<sub> </sub>


    She saw his madness, his despair, and his grief when he lost his mother due to the girl he cherished.


    She watched him grow from the heights of optimism to the depths of despair. And pull back from that despair and face his challenges once again.


    She saw a downtrodden, depressed Varian who hit absolute rock bottom in life get up again. She saw him fight, risk his life and win.


    She saw him grow step by step. From someone who barely awakened to a genius who saved the world multiple times.


    She watched him give his heart without holding back and risking everything for that love. She saw a man who always said he wasn''t a hero but risked his life every time when he had no reason to.


    She felt like a silentpanion in his journey. Staying by his side, watching him, cheering for him, and wishing him a good future.


    As someone who spent most of her time in endless darkness, Varian made her feel less lonely. He made a bond with her without even knowing her. And it was a bond long before she even talked to Sia.


    That''s why she wanted to apany him on his journey. She wanted to see what he could achieve. She wanted to see him through all sorts of things.


    But she never thought she''d see him dying in front of her eyes.


    Enigma stretched her hand to touch his cheek but the repulsion stopped her at a little finger distance.


    The distance of a little finger. It was nothing and everything.


    "I¡­" Enigma felt as if a lump stuck in her throat. Her chest grew heavy and her shoulders shook.


    In the end, she withdrew her hands and clenched her fists at her sides as she lowered her head and sobbed in a muffled voice.


    "Liar¡­you liar!"


    He lied to her. He lied to Sarah. He lied to Sia.


    "I told you they''re nning to kill you¡­"


    She wanted him to be safe. But he didn''t listen to her. He never listened.


    "You promised you''ll not participate in this war once you save Mars''oids¡­"


    "You promised you won''te into the Despair Abyss¡­"


    "You broke the promise!"


    "Y-You liar¡­"


    "Please¡­"


    Please live, even if you want to lie again, I''m willing to listen.


    Just...Stay alive.

 Chapter 867 Hope At The End Of The Tunnel

    After an unknown time, Enigma felt someone pat her shoulder. Raising her head eagerly, she felt disappointed realizing it was Sarah.


    Varian was ced in a healing pod that Sarah retrieved from her storage ring. And even though his indicators weren''t bad, they were slowly but surely going down.


    Enigma wiped away her tears and looked at Sarah with a puzzled expression.


    Sarah pulled her up and gave her a hug. Enigma wasn''t expecting this at all and fell into the hug.


    When she was about to ask what was even Sarah thinking, she felt a pat on her back, as ifforting her.


    Sarah''s trembling but soothing voice sounded in her ear. "I-I''m sorry. I kept my distance from you and never saw you as a friend."


    Sarah broke her hug and held Enigma''s hand even as the silver-haired girl was still confused.


    "E-Even though it''s ridiculous, I believe we''ll get through this. I believe Varian will do a miracle once again." Sarah''s voice was filled with hope. Not the normal hope. But the hope of the desperate.


    "He''ll survive. He must. We''ll return to our home. And once we do, I hope we can be good friends." Sarah said.


    Enigma felt the sincerity in Sarah''s shaking voice. Perhaps this was when Sarah truly epted Enigma as a part of her family.


    Since they took the vacation, Enigma wished to be friends with Sarah. But it never really happened because of the distance Sarah maintained. She''d smile and talk but never really treated as someone close.


    Now the distance was finally removed, but Enigma couldn''t feel any happiness.


    She looked at Varian''s sleeping face and put her hand on her aching chest. "Maybe he will really do a miracle."


    Sarah nodded and wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes. Crying now would mean she gave up. She didn''t. She still hoped.


    It''s not hard to believe in something when it''s dazzling in the sky. But when it falls into the depths of the Abyss, would that belief remain?


    Hope doesn''t concern itself with logic. It need not be rational. Why should it be?


    Sarah''s belief in Varian even at this point was irrational. She knew it too. But she believed in him anyway.


    Because logic says he wouldn''t survive. So, she clung to hope that says he would.


    After calming their emotions, the two women continued their search with renewed hope and energy.


    Perhaps it had been minutes or just seconds, but they saw it. A structure that was pushing the space currents.


    It was a long, long tunnel inside this chaotic space. It was almost a mile in diameter and seemed to stretch on infinitely. Even with her best attempt, Enigma couldn''t fathom how long the tunnel actually was. But the conservative estimate was a hundred thousand miles.


    "Wait, is that¡­" Sarah pointed a finger at the tunnel and fired a light beam. The light beam flew above the tunnel and illuminated it.


    Made of gray material, the tunnel had small cracks all over it. But what caught the attention of the two women were the ancient but familiar runes all over the tunnel.


    "¡­Deva script?" Enigma took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. "Why here of all ces?"


    Enigma was pretty clear about where they''re currently at. They''re on the border of Layered Space and Inner Space. Basically, they''re on the verge of entering Inner Space but didn''t.


    In front of them was Inner Space where even Sovereigns would die. Behind them were the final bits ofyered space where only peak level 9s could survive.


    Logically, their location should have space currents fiercer than peak level 9s. Preferably, equivalent to Sovereigns. But it didn''t. It didn''t make any sense until this tunnel was found.


    "It''s influencing the space currents in this area and making it less dangerous." Enigma sighed. "We''re lucky."


    The tunnel was actively pushing the space currents away. This made the radius of a thousand miles around the tunnel safer.


    Still, Enigma and Sarah needed shields to survive here. Had there been no tunnel, they''d have died on the spot.<sub> </sub>


    But it''s not like they''re lucky. They couldn''t go to Inner Space. Only Celestial Rankers could survive there.


    They couldn''t go back to Outer space through the Layered Space either. Once they leave the thousand-mile safe haven of the tunnel, they''d have to face the space currents only peak level 9s could face. They''d die in seconds.


    "We''re unlucky if anything." Sarah shook her head. "During the space crack, we worked so hard to pick the safest route. But see where we ended up."


    Enigma went silent for a moment before giving a wry smile.


    Varian would''ve ended up in the Inner space, but Enigma and Sarah intervened in thest moment and messed up the space crack.


    They didn''t mindlessly destroy or expand it. But rather, they used their gravity and time sense to check where they''d end up with every little change they made to space crack.


    Even a minuscule change to space crack would greatly alter the destination.


    It''s like tilting an airne during takeoff. Just a small shift would make the ne end up in a different city!


    For that very reason, Enigma and Sarah worked hard in the little time they had with the space crack.


    Enigma would change the gravity by 1% and sense the destination on the other side of the space crack with her gravity sense. Then she''d change it by 1.1% and repeat.


    It''s like putting in a different input and checking the output, then doing it again and again. Since they''re level 9s, they could do such changes thousands of times in a single second.


    Enigma and Sarah literally searched more than a hundred thousand locations before they picked the safest route.


    They thought they''d end up in a rtively dangerous ce that they could get out of with rtive ease.


    They didn''t expect tond here at all!


    Now, they couldn''t go forward or back.


    What to do?


    In this situation, the only breakthrough was the tunnel.


    "What exactly is this structure built by Devas thousands of years ago doing in this chaotic location?" Sarah narrowed her eyes.


    The white barrier moved closer to the tunnel and the two women started scanning the tunnel to dig in some information.


    After some observation, they concluded it had decayed due to neglect but still remained functional.


    Enigma had previously worked on collecting the secret message from the Ruins and was more familiar with the Devas'' legacy.


    So, she could roughly understand the words on the tunnel. From her rough trantion, the guests were supposed to open a portal to this location and enter the tunnel for interster travel.


    The whole setup was simr to an underground tunnel connected to a city, the city being the sr system. And Varian''s trio happened to break the ground and reach the tunnel.


    They suddenly had an option of picking this tunnel for travel.


    "This is risky." Sarah frowned.


    "Compared to the other two options, this doesn''t have a 100% death rate." Enigma shrugged.


    Sarah looked at the Inner Space and Layered Space before letting out a helpless sigh. Piggybacking Varian, she flew to the tunnel.


    Enigma floated beside her and they both stepped into the tunnel at the same time.


    The tunnel shook for a moment before it lit up. A white light engulfed Varian, Sarah, and Enigma before they disappeared.

 Chapter 868 If This Is The End...

    In the endless dark space, a light beam shone for a moment before disappearing.


    Inside the ''light beam'', Enigma used her gravity power to fix the feet of Sarah and herself to the tunnel. On the other hand, she let Varian ''stand'' with her power.


    Oddly enough, Varian didn''t lower his head even though he was unconscious. He stood in an alert posture. This was all instilled into him during his training so much that it became an instinct.


    "Hold tight," Enigma said and increased the gravity power on the two.


    The next second, the tunnel shook violently and Sarah felt as if she was hit by a bullet train. Thanks to Enigma, she didn''t crash onto the wall.


    Since the tunnel was left without any maintenance for thousands of years, its condition was pathetic. Naturally, the safety measures were nearly non-existent.


    "Hah. Would anything be different if we had Boo here?" Enigma wiped the sweat off her forehead and muttered.


    "I don''t think so. At least Boo doesn''t have to worry about safety." Sarah said as she raised her palms and adjusted the shining light shield around them.


    Rather than beingpletely isted and safe, some space currents from outside were seeping inside the tunnel.


    These gray currents were capable of seriously damaging Varian''s body and given time, they''d also destroy them.


    So, Sarah put up the light shield. But with each passing second, countless gray particles continued to smash the shield and cause cracks on it.


    Even for Sarah, maintaining this shield was a difficult task.


    Just now, the shield hadpletely cracked and was about to copse. Sarah pushed out the light power in her body and reinforced the shield. Then, she turned to Enigma and rolled her eyes. "And you''re saying the death rate here isn''t 100%?"


    "¡­" Enigma looked away with a guilty expression. It''s not really her fault though. What other choice was there?


    Sarah knew it too. She was just trying to alleviate the depressing atmosphere. Because they could indeed die at any moment.


    The tunnel could break down, the space currents could grow crazy, some enemy might appear¡ªanything could happen in this ce of uncertainty and they''d be


    dead.


    Heck, even if they did survive, they had no idea where they were going to end up at. What''s at the other end of the tunnel? What if it''s even more dangerous? Would it kill them instantly?


    Sarah grew very cold and indifferent after learning about her father betraying Sia. During the vacation, people feared even looking her in the eye because of her frosty temperament.


    But towards the people she cared about, Sarah poured out all her emotions.


    In this situation, the rational choice to survive would be to abandon Varian. He''s just costing more to defend while not contributing anything.


    If it was anyone else, Sarah might''ve had that thought. But for Varian¡­she decided if push came to shove, she''d remove the shield around her first. If their roles were reversed, Sarah was certain he''d do the same.


    ''I want to hear your voice, I want to look into your eyes and spend the whole day¡­'' Sarah locked her fingers with the unconscious Varian and leaned on his shoulder as she bit her lip. "Come back soon, idiot."


    Time passed, waiting for no one.


    Seconds turned into minutes and minutes into hours. Sarah and Enigma had exchanged their roles by a dozen times already.


    Their faces were pale and their tired bodies were slowly bing stiff. Even as they sweated from head to toe, the journey seemed to not end.


    The scariest part of this journey was neither the space currents nor the speed bumps. It was the uncertainty. The ignorance. They didn''t know if they''d reach the destination in an hour, in two hours, in ten hours, or not at all.


    Slowly but surely, their reserves started running thin. Sarah and Enigma now had to strategically thin up their shields tost longer.


    As a result, the shields cracked up faster and a few space currents even managed to sneak inside.


    A drop of bright red blood floated in the air as a space current made a cut on Sarah''s arm. A few minutester, a drop of blood floated from Enigma''s shoulder.


    Just half an hourter, there were quite a few clumps of blood floating around or sticking to the walls.


    As opposed to Sarah and Enigma who had many small cuts, Varian didn''t have a single injury.


    "My turn." Enigma stood up and created a shield of darkness surrounding the three.


    Sarah''s light shield copsed the next second and she copsed onto her knees. Her whole body had already been injured, fatigued, and weakened.


    ''Don''t think about anything.'' Sarah leaned her back against Varian''s and closed her eyes.


    She should''ve copsed long ago. But she''s still active. She didn''t know where she was getting the strength from.


    Enigma maintained the shield for the three, while deliberately keeping her side of the shield thinner. As a result, in just ten minutes, she got three cuts¡ªone on her palm, one on her cheek, and the other on her foot.


    Thankfully, her healing speed was alright and the injuries themselves wouldn''t be a problem. But losing a bit of blood for every injury surely was.


    Enigma looked up at the end of the tunnel and only saw endless darkness. Her violet eyes shook.


    A spark¡­no, a small light appeared in the darkness. As they approached at great speed, the light quickly magnified and before she even knew it, Enigma yelled in delight. "Sarah! Varian! See!"


    Sarah turned around with hope. Her pale face brightened like a glowing sun. "Finally¡­"


    Like a thirsty person gazing at an oasis, Sarah gazed at the ''gates'' surrounded by white barriers.


    After all the struggle, after all the pain, finally, they reached somewhere.


    In the blink of an eye, the tunnel reached the gates and stopped after touching the barrier.


    There were more than twelve gates and each of them had barriers with varying defense.


    Sarah picked the weakest barrier and shot a light arrow. But the barrier barely shook before stabilizing.


    Sarah''s eyebrows shook as an ominous premonition shed in her mind. But shaking her head, she cheered herself up and used her full strength this time.


    With a wave of her hand, a giant light trident struck the barrier.


    This attack was at least three times more powerful than her previous attack. But even it failed to produce any reaction other than a slight disturbance on the barrier.


    Sarah didn''t give up and kept trying. But as the price for repeatedly using her full power, she was quickly losing thest of her power reserves.


    But Enigma understood her actions.


    The air, no, the space around them was still hostile. Enigma was still keeping up the barrier around herself and Varian to stop the gray space currents from injuring them.


    If they didn''t break this barrier and enter, they''d die here.


    "Let''s do it together," Enigma said from behind and snapped her fingers.


    A giant arrow of darkness floated above Sarah''s light trident.


    With a sh, the two weapons struck the barrier¡­and barely created a ripple.


    That was enough for Sarah and Enigma to realize that they were too weak. But they didn''t give up.


    To the point of being totally irrational, they kept attacking the barrier with all their power. In the end, they even lifted all the defenses on themselves and redirected that power to destroy the barrier.


    Yet, they failed all the same.


    Enigma even tried waking ''her'' up. But even that woman''s unconsciousness also didn''t respond, much to Enigma''s despair.


    Yet, she fought on.


    Maybe the barrier would break after repeated batterings. Maybe it''s too old and could break down at any moment. Maybe the tunnel would do something.


    Maybe¡­


    One way or another, they kept going. Their bodies had long reached the limit, but their minds refused to surrender.


    After nearly two hours of unending effort and squeezing out everyst thing in their body and soul, Enigma and Sarah hit their limit.


    As their consciousness turned hazy, Sarah injected thest bit of time power into Varian''s body and copsed to his right. "Don''t die before me."


    Enigma turned to Varian and gave away thest bit of her power to create a darkness and gravity barrier around him.


    Her legs felt weak and she copsed right next to his left. It was so close that Enigma could even feel his weak breath on her face.


    Looking at his peaceful sleeping face, Enigma smiled wryly. "Is this how it ends?"


    There was no reply.


    Feeling her consciousness slipping away, Enigma realized it was likely thest time she''d be ever awake. This was truly the end of it.


    All of them are going to die.


    Enigma''s weak eyes shed and nced at Sarah who fainted with her fingers interlocked with Varian''s.


    Even in death, she wanted to be with him.


    ''If it''s really the end of everything¡­''


    Enigma stretched her trembling, bloodied hand towards Varian. Since it was her own barrier, she easily passed through it and held Varian''s hand.


    Then, she awkwardly intertwined her fingers with his. It was the first time she did anything like this. It was also the first time she felt the warmth of his hand. She could even feel his heartbeat.


    ''I-Is this why they hold hands?'' That was Enigma''sst thought before she fainted.


    The space currents started attacking the defenselessdies and like acid slowly devouring metal, the space currents were slowly injuring them.


    With every passing second, more and more cuts appeared on Sarah and Enigma. The blood under their bodies formed into a pool and this blood flowed to Varian and touched his back.


    On the other hand, Varian''s hand started bleeding due to the repulsion. The injury continued to worsen before it reached his finger bones.


    A jolt of pain shot down the unconscious Varian''s spine. He slowly opened his eyes. But feeling a warm liquid under his back and its familiar smell, Varian''s eyes shot open.


    "Huh! W-Wher¡ª? Enigma? Sarah? What the?!"

 Chapter 869 The Changes In Human Civilization

    It had been a week since Irene returned from the Despair Abyss with serious injuries.


    The rtive peace that was assumed by the pacifists was spat in the face and trampled by the War that touched every single.


    The Human Army suffered great losses, but rtively speaking, they weren''t much behind the Abyssals.


    In fact, in some areas like Uranus, Humans grew rtively stronger.


    This afternoon, the Abyssals proposed a truce.


    It wasn''t something the Abyss Kings and Queens personally liked. If it''s in their hands, they wanted to keep fighting and win. But it''s obvious that nothing was going toe out of this war.


    The advantages they gained due to the surprise element, special treasures, and special troops were all neutralized by a devil named Varian.


    Even if they''re willing to fight now, it''d only lead to a war spanning for at least eight years. That long war, even if won, would wipe out at least 90% of the Abyssal Army.


    The original n was always to ensure victory with minimal losses.


    It all depended on the Undead Sovereign. But a week ago, all the Abyss Kings and Queens received a piece of news from the Despair Queen that the Undead was on the verge of death.


    ''Undead on the verge of death'' sounded funny as hell but it scared the crap out of every single Abyssal Ruler.


    They didn''t care if it was their family secret, they didn''t care if it was a promised recipe, they went through every single one of their possessions and gave away whatever they could to save the Undead.


    After nearly a week of emergency treatment, the Undead got out of thea. If not for their treasures, he''d have stayed in thea for at least half a year.


    ording to the best doctors, "He''s lucky to have survived. If the attacker applied just a bit more force, even 1% more, he''d have died without a doubt."


    The Abyss Rulers knew it was Varian who pushed the Undead to this state. And they also knew that killing Varian not only took away the life of Sanguik, the brightest Blood Heir but nearly killed a fucking Undead Sovereign!


    Learning about the demise of such an enemy, they didn''t feel happy. They just felt relieved.


    It was surreal at first, but after seven days of his absence, they epted reality.


    Though from time to time, one Abyss Ruler or another would have a nightmare of Varian''s return, they kept it aside as a phobia that''d never manifest.


    So, after getting him out of thea, the Undead was now undergoing a long treatment after which he could finally start regaining his power.


    It''s a long process and would take months, but the Abyssals were willing to wait.


    So, they called for a truce.


    The Human Federation didn''t wish to continue the war either. Their chances of winning were 50-50. But if the Abyssals came up with new cards, the odds against them would shrink.


    And supposedly, there''s no ''Varian'' or ''Enigma'' with them anymore to act as their trump cards.


    But the Army didn''t blindly ept the truce. The Abyssals started the war on their terms and the Humans decided to end it on theirs.


    They called up the reserve soldiers, gave them emergency training, and put them on theoids which Varian ughtered every Abyssal.


    Of the roughly 500oids in total, around 430 were controlled by both Humans and Abyssals.


    20 were controlled by Abyssals¡ªthanks to this war.


    50 were controlled by Humans¡ªmostly thanks to Varian and some other Bravehearts.


    With this parity of 2.5x, the Humans suddenly found themselves with great leverage.


    In the next big war, these upiedoids would act as a decisive force to curtail and suppress any invasion.


    If an Abyssal force was going from oneoid to another, this conqueredoid could send forces to intimidate, harass, and even destroy them.


    So, basically, any Abyssaloid that needs reinforcements wouldn''t get them.


    Now the job is to fill up theseoids. Thanks to the reserve soldiers, it''s not a big problem for low and mid awakeners.


    But there weren''t many high awakeners to replenish the lost forces.


    Even the Abyssals lost many high awakeners, but rtively, Humans lost more¡ªall thanks to the Blood Heirs.


    There was a shortage at level 7s and level 8s. The federation was working hard to fix it, but for now, it could only temporarily adjust the situation.


    On one hand, many families grieved the loss of their loved ones.


    On the other, the sense of patriotism skyrocketed. Children, teens, adults¡ªeveryone felt the need to contribute something.


    More children joined training sses than ever. More teenagers signed up for the military. More adults entered the Dungeons, breaking all records.


    It wasn''t just the direct fighting soldiers, every section of society got involved in one way or another.


    The scientists and researchers worked tirelessly for the next big thing¡ªin hopes it could make the Human race stronger.


    Thousands of movies flooded the markets, all built on one aspect of war or another.


    School books were revised to include this war.


    War Day was dered an official holiday, simr to Red Pluto Day.


    The war had its negative effects. Families were destroyed. Friends were lost. Lovers were separated. Children were orphaned. Elders were left alone.


    But for Human Civilization as a whole, this war was like a force applied to a spring.


    Did the springpress? Yes, it did.


    But it''d bounce back with more force than ever! Not despite the war, but because of it!


    After a chilling realization that their invaders would go to any lengths to exterminate them, the Human Civilization started to work round the clock to build their capabilities.


    In trying to weaken the Humans, the Abyssals pushed them onto a path of greater strength.


    If given enough time, the Humans would quickly gain an edge over the Abyssals and a few more yearster, they''d be able to gain enough parity to destroy the Abyssals with minimal losses.


    If given enough time¡­


    Why would Abyssals give them time?

 Chapter 870 I Will Protect You

    Varian ignored the aching pain in his left hand and checked the conditions of Enigma and Sarah.


    Even though they passed out and were constantly getting new injuries due to the¡­space currents, their lives weren''t in danger.


    But the fire had already been lit. It didn''t matter if they were at the center of the forest or at the edge, they''d be burnt.


    "Where are we? Why are they with me?What¡­"


    Question after question popped up in Varian''s mind. Suddenly, he recalled thest moment before he fainted.


    Varian''s eyes widened. "The Space Crack!"


    Everything suddenly made sense.


    "You¡­you two actually." Varian looked at the two with aplicated gaze. He didn''t know if he should feel happy that they didn''t abandon him in face of danger or if he should be worried that they risked their lives in doing so.


    Pressing down the bubbling emotions in his heart, Varian decided to do something about their current situation first.


    First, he needed to ensure Enigma and Sarah''s safety.


    He covered them with the threeyered shield of water, lightning, and telekic energy.


    Feeling the sharp cuts suddenly stop, Enigma and Sarah''s tense faces finally rxed.


    Varian''s finger turned into a small branch and grew two leaves. These two leaves broke from the branch andnded on the two women. Like ice melting, the leaves melted and started healing the numerous injuries.


    Even with the physical injuries healed, they were mentally exhausted andcking aura. They wouldn''t be getting up anytime soon.


    Varian looked around and realized the space outside this weird tunnel was filled with chaotic space currents.


    ? Even though he seemed to have reached the strength of a level 9, he didn''t have the confidence to face those currents along with two more people.


    On one end, there was endless darkness filled with chaotic space winds that were ready to devour him. On the other were twelve weird gates covered by barriers.


    At the edge of the tunnel on the gates'' side were several ces that were either glowing brightly with different colored lights or were pitch ck.


    These were the aftermath of Enigma and Sarah''s powers. For some reason, they were using their powers against these barriers, trying to break them.


    Varian didn''t know the full story but felt that he might not be able to break the barriers after all.


    But he decided to not worry about it.


    As a Space Awakener, he instinctively knew they were in Layered Space. Getting out of here was easy. He just needed to bear the space currents outside and stand in the open. The space currents themselves would push him out into Outer space.


    Of course, he couldn''t bear the space currents. But someone else can.


    "Boo, take us in."


    There was no response.


    Varian''s eyebrows knitted together into a frown and he called again. "Boo?"


    The little ghost''s cute but mischievous voice didn''t reply.


    Varian used the connection he had with ''Ghostship'' and searched for its position. A momentter, his expression grew heavy. "I told Boo to keep an eye on the Human Army."


    From him being attacked and sucked into space crack happened in a second. By the time Boo reacted, he was already gone.


    Only then did Varian realize the gravity of their situation.


    "Hiss!" Varian suddenly winced and pulled his left hand away. It was bleeding badly and he could even see the outline of a white bone.


    Varian urged his ntae powers and started healing himself before shooting a re at Enigma.


    She knew the repulsion would injure him if she touched him, so why...


    Enigma remained unconscious but feeling the missing hand, she showed a panicked expression and muttered. "D-Don''t¡­D-Don''t go¡­"


    She tried to move her injured right hand to search for his missing hand, but she barely had any energy. So, she could only move her fingers. Every time her fingers moved ever so slightly, blood would leak from her fingertips.


    Seeing her in such a pitiful state and hearing her pleading voice, Varian felt like he was hit by a sledgehammer.


    He looked to his right and saw Sarah holding onto the tip of his finger with all her strength as she mouthed. ''Var-Varian¡­''


    She was too weak to even speak.


    Varian closed his eyes as he tried to calm his heart that pounded against his chest.


    They knew they were going to die. And since they were going to die, they wanted to hold his hand for onest time.


    ''Till death us apart.'' But even in death, they didn''t want to be apart.


    Varian felt lucky, happy, and sad at the same time.


    Everyone wanted a share in a happy life. But how many would want to share their death with others?


    Varian reluctantly pulled his hand away from Sarah and was about to walk toward the barrier.


    Since they couldn''t go outside and couldn''t stay in this tunnel, the only way out was the barriers.


    But as he moved, he noticed a thin dark barrier covering his skin like a body suit. And he also felt the existence of time power in his body. It was acting upon the strand of death energy and slowing it down.


    Varian turned to the two girls and imagined the moment they fainted.


    They were heavily injured,pletely tired, and on the verge of losing consciousness. They knew that once they closed their eyes, the nasty space currents would eat them alive and end their lives.


    Death was a certainty.


    At that moment, when their eyelids grew heavy and death stared them in the face, what did they do?


    They didn''t me the person for whom they came here. Instead, they used thest bits of their energy to protect him andy down beside him.


    ''Even in death¡­''


    Why spend theirst energy on him? They''re all going to die anyway.


    Why¡­


    Because they wanted him to survive, even if for a bit longer.


    Varian opened his mouth to utter a word but all he could let out was a whimper. His emotions were in turmoil and he was overwhelmed.


    He covered his eyes as tears rolled down his cheeks. But his lips curled up into a bright smile.


    "I will protect you."

 Chapter 871 Fight To The Bitter End

    Varian walked toward the gates with a determined expression. He would either protect them or die trying.


    He forgot about his own life and death.


    After scanning through the barriers and probing them with random attacks, Varian too picked the weakest barrier.


    Then, he started bombarding it like there was no tomorrow.


    From lowest to highest, he was trying allbinations, every level of power he could muster to destroy the barrier.


    Varian first used his psychic powers to order his body to go beyond its limits. Then, he covered his fist in a gauntlet made up of lightning, ice, telekic, and space powers.


    Then, he kicked the floor, reached the barrier in a blink, and punched out.


    Space shook violently as Varian''s gauntlet shed with the barrier.


    At the point of contact, lightning exploded, ice froze, telekic power struck and space cracked.


    But the barrier barely shook before it returned to its normal state.


    It was the highest damage he could do. Yet, it did nothing.


    Varian suppressed the despair rising in his heart and kept attacking.


    New moves. Newbos.


    He tried one. He tried another. He tried everything he could.


    Three hours passed and Varian was spent.


    Having fought the Undead for so long, Varian was already tired. And this three-hour intense fight totally wore him off.


    If he was alone, he could''ve fought for three more hours. But since he had to provide defense for Enigma and Sarah, he was exhausted in just half the time.


    "Arghhh!" Varian punched the barrier with the remainder of his strength.


    The sounds of bones crackling reverberated in the tunnel as Varian''s hand twisted due to the force. Blood spilled out and flesh tore apart.


    Losing thest bit of his strength, Varian copsed on the floor as he gasped for breath.


    Staring nkly at the ceiling, he said in a weak voice. "I¡­I can''t break it."


    Perhaps only a Sovereign could do it. Or maybe not even a Sovereign could really do it. It didn''t matter though.


    He couldn''t do it.


    Even if he tried to wake up Sarah and Enigma, which was nigh impossible, due to their terrible mental states and fatigue, and even if the three of them worked together, they still wouldn''t be able to break the barrier.


    Varianughed bleakly.


    How did things change so quickly?


    A week ago, there was no war.


    Yesterday, he was pummeling the Abyssals and was confident in bringing the war to a halt.


    A few hours ago, he was on the verge of finishing off the Undead.


    "That guy¡­he ruined it all," Varian recalled the Crimson Abyssal.


    He appeared right when he was about to deliver the final blow to the Undead.


    If he came a few seconds earlier, Varian was confident in killing him without getting touched.


    If he came a few secondster, Varian could still kill him all the same.


    But the timing¡­


    The damn timing.


    "Fuck!" Varian clenched his bloodied fists. He could barely feel his hands. They were in terrible shape after punching the barrier so many times.


    Probing his memory using his psychic energy, Varian recalled the Crimson Abyssal''sst moment.


    He didn''t pay attention at that time. But now, he could see it clearly. That guy wasn''t afraid at all. His eyes were shining with pride and relief.


    It was a do-or-die moment for the Abyssal and he seeded in starting the death of his race''s worst enemy.


    Varian endured the weakness in his body and walked back to where the two womeny down.


    He wanted to protect them. But even his strongest attacks were useless. Now, he didn''t even have any energy. He couldn''t think of any way out either.


    They were doomed.


    Varian lowered his gaze and happened to notice something.


    The energy shields around Sarah and Enigma were cracking. The space currents were relentless


    Varian raised his hand to reinforce the shields but no aura flowed out of his fingertips.


    "I¡­"


    Like a squeezed-out bottle, he was devoid of any aura. Now, he couldn''t even put up a defense for the two women.


    Looking at the increasing cracks on the shields covering Enigma and Sarah, Varian panicked.


    But after panicking, he felt helpless.


    His own shield was broken a few minutes ago and he was already getting a cut or two every few seconds.


    Now, his body was full of small andrge cuts.


    "It''s over...?" Varian slumped next to Enigma and Sarah and nkly stared at the gates.


    His whole body ached and the old and new injuries continued to take a toll on him. Injuries. Fatigue. Lack of aura.


    Varian''s eyelids grew heavy. The whispers of sweet sleep sounded in his mind. They called him to close his eyes and embrace the darkness.


    Once he closed his eyes, he''d finally cross the door of death. No courting death anymore. He''d finally be dead.


    No struggles. No pain. No suffering.


    Varian covered his face and gritted his teeth. "Fuck off! Even if I die, I''m not going to die like that."


    Just because he stopped trying didn''t mean he had no intent to do so. If he had the energy for even one more punch, he''d have punched the barrier.


    Unwilling to ept death, but unable to do anything to live, Variany down between Enigma and Sarah.


    They were both facing him and he could feel their weak breathing. He could hear their weak heartbeats.


    Varian tried to clench his fists but his hands were no longer listening to him. The flow of his blood started to slow down. His heart felt weaker as if it had trouble pumping blood. Even taking a breath felt like a burden as his chest hurt.


    Slowly but surely, his brain started to slow down, racing toward an inevitable shutdown.


    "I¡­" Varian realized perhaps this was thest conscious moment he''d have.


    All his life, all his dreams, all his rtionships¡­everything would end here.


    He had many things to do. All of them were distant now.


    He couldn''t even see Sia before his death. It felt like forever since shest spoke to him.


    ''At least, she doesn''t have to bear the pain of this dying experience¡­'' Sia had already been through a lot of pain. Dying wasn''t something he wanted her to experience.


    "Why did you throw away your life for me¡­" Varian sighed as he looked at the dried-up tear stains on both Sarah''s and Enigma''s faces.


    Even though he was unwilling to ept the oue, so what?


    He was too weak to change anything. He couldn''t even protect the girls who threw away their lives to save him.


    But he didn''t give up. Since his strength couldn''t solve it, Varian was racking his brain to think of other methods.


    "If we can do synergy ¡­?" Varian used thest bit of his strength to move his arm and held Sarah''s hand.


    Then, he stretched his left hand to hold Enigma''s hand. But the repulsion prevented him from holding her.


    Varian gritted his teeth and forced his hand forward. His skin started to crack down and his hand began to bleed.


    Resisting the repulsion, Varian started the synergy and closed his eyes.


    Just a few secondster, he opened his eyes and stared nkly at the ceiling. "N-Not working¡­"


    The two partners in Synergy were unconscious and drained. If they were advanced in Synergy, he could still work it out. But they were just in the beginner stages.


    Varian''s heart pounded as he felt death quietly creeping onto the three of them. "Someway. Any way. There should be. There must be¡­"


    His body grew weaker and weaker but Varian continued to struggle. The few movements he could make also felt harder.


    In the end, Varian felt his hand getting away from Enigma due to the repulsion.


    "Yeah!" Varian gasped.

 Chapter 872 Hope

    Why did this repulsion exist in the first ce?


    ''I used System''s powers.'' Varian forcibly kept his eyes open.


    This repulsion should also happen due to System''s powers. Neither the exhausted Enigma nor he had any energy to create this repulsion.


    This energy must being from elsewhere!


    Varian gritted his teeth and forced himself to sit. As he did, a couple of space currents passed by him, and one of them made a sharp cut on his face.


    Varian grimaced instinctively but kept his focus on the inside.


    After the fiasco where he nearly destroyed ghostship, Varian tried to use the System''s powers again at least a few thousand times. It felt like he was trying to catch the air. He caught nothing.


    If he couldn''t use the dormant powers of the slivers inside him, then maybe he could use the active energy of the slivers that are causing the repulsion.


    Hope worked better than any steroid and Varian managed to stand up despite being on the verge of fainting.


    "Come on!" Varian closed his eyes and urged the repulsion energy. But he got nothing.


    Frustrated, Varian focused inside his body and tried to summon the energy again. "Slivers!"


    It didn''t work. He couldn''t even feel anything.


    Varian''s eyes turned to the unconscious Enigma and an idea shed in his mind. The young man stretched his injured hands and pulled up Enigma. She fell on his back and Varian held her so that she won''t be thrown away due to the repulsion.


    The repulsion started to crack every inch of his skin and initiated the process of destroying himpletely.


    Since their body contact was too much, the repulsion was also much higher than at any other time.


    Varian, who waspletely focusing inside his body, suddenly found a strand of new energy. The energy appeared both familiar and unfamiliar. It is a strand of white and ck energy.


    Thinner than a hair, smaller than a fingernail. If not for being super alert, he''d have missed it.


    With a skeptical expression, Varian distanced himself from Enigma and only held her shoulders.


    As the body contact disappeared, so did the repulsion. Under Varian''s shocked gaze, the tiny strand of energy shrank to a point he could no longer sense it.


    "Fuck!" Varian felt both ecstatic and frustrated.


    Regardless of his sess or failure, by the time he finished his trials with this energy, he''d be a bloody man.


    "Haa~" Varian took a deep breath and walked to the weakest barrier with Enigma.


    "I need as much repulsion as I can." He nced at the injured, unconscious Enigma and apologized. "Sorry."


    Then, he took her into his arms and wrapped his arms around her. Her head rested on his chest while their body remained in full contact. Their skins at the point of contact started to bleed due to the immense repulsion.


    Varian closed his eyes and focused on the strand of energy. It was significantly higher thanst time.


    By forcing his will, Varian approached the energy strand and ''pulled'' it. As if it were a thread connecting to a yarn, more strands of energy appeared before Varian heard a weird snap.


    The strands of energy came from slivers. Now, the connection was cut off. Thankfully, he got a few strands by then.


    Varian carefully extracted the tiny strands from his body. The moment they exited his body, the ck and white strands expanded to cover the whole tunnel.


    The tunnel itself began to shake violently and its walls began to slowly dissolve.


    "Fuck! Fuck!" Varian realized that he took out more power than he could handle. If he didn''t dispose of it now, he''d end up destroying the tunnel and killing the three of them in the process. The first victim would be Enigma in his embrace.


    He hurriedly put her down. Using the chance, the white and ck energy strands in his arms twisted as they tried to expand further. But Varian held them in ce and used everything he had to press them down. "Arghh!"


    The huge energy ball that was almost asrge as a building was condensed into the size of a ser ball.


    Varian''s bones were crackling as they fractured one by one due to the insane action. But despite the horrific pain, Varian stabilized the situation.


    Varian took a step forward with the energy ball in his hands and as a result, a deep footprint was imprinted and the tunnel started to shake again.


    Reaching the edge of the tunnel, Varian threw the energy ball at the weakest barrier they all tried to destroy and waited.


    As a result, the indestructible barrier cracked apart upon contact without resistance.


    With the barrier out, the huge gate behind it became clear. It had a blue vortex inside, acting as the gateway to another location.


    Since that location even got a space gate like this one, it should be habitable at least.


    They could survive! Perhaps he could even heal himself!


    But before Varian could even fully rejoice, the gate that the barrier was holding was struck by the energy ball.


    Under his dumbstruck gaze, the sturdy gate started to break down. It didn''t even take minutes, in just thirty seconds, the gate dissolved into tiny metallic particles and dispersed into space.


    Varian gulped at the spectacle. But he wasn''t in a condition to appreciate it. His legs began to give out and his vision grew hazy.


    Every bit of strength he could muster, he seemed to have used up in the final shot.


    Tragically, the power he summoned was too powerful that not only did it break down the barrier, but it also broke down the gate.


    Now, his body was slowly giving up on him, pushing him to eternal sleep.


    Varian was unwilling but his legs grew weaker and he started falling backward.


    "I¡­" Varian stretched his arms, but all he could grab was empty air.


    "If only¡­If only I have one more chance¡­"


    There''d be no more chances once he fell down and fainted. It''d all be over.


    Varian''s vision shifted and he saw the ceiling. Just as his head was about to hit the rough floor, he felt a soft arm grab him.


    "O-One more time¡­" Sia''s painful voice sounded from behind.


    She wrapped her arms around him and the repulsion started to destroy their bodies.


    If it was before, Sia would''ve backed off. But today, she held him even more tightly and used the bit of gravity power she could muster.


    They both floated in front of the barriers.


    "Do it again," Sia said weakly.


    Varian was on the verge of fainting. He couldn''t even stand and was entirely leaning on Sia.


    ''Is this a dream?'' He wondered but used the repulsions and grabbed a few more strands of the slivers'' energy.


    The energy was about to expand, but with the experience fromst time, Varian confined it to the size of a fist.


    "The energy in this¡­." Sia''s pale face stiffened but she didn''t have the time to talk or ask about anything.


    She too wouldn''t be able to stay awake for long.


    Sensing the energy in the ball, she pointed to a barrier. "That one."


    Varian shot the energy ball to the sixth strongest barrier. Unlike earlier, this barrier actually contented with the energy ball for a good while before breaking down.


    "Hahahaha! I did it! I di¡­" Varian fainted in the middle of his exmations.


    Sia pointed at Sarah and the blonde girl floated to her best friend.


    "Dammit Enigma, there are no reserves," Sia muttered helplessly, carrying both of them to the gate.


    Her body was full of injuries and her stamina was non-existent. The hundred-meter walk caused Sia to almost give up several times.


    But in the end, she dragged herself and the two to the vortex.


    "Please let us survive." Sia prayed and stepped forward.


    The silhouettes of Varian and his women disappeared into the red vortex.

 Chapter 873 Wills

    "Has there really been no news?" A weak and soft voice asked.


    "None. Even their friends¡­disappeared."


    "Does he not trust us with his friends?" A wry smile appeared on the woman''s pale face before she signaled the intelligence officer to leave.


    Irene slumped back into her throne with a worried expression. Her worst fears wereing true. Something happened to Varian.


    "Did he really¡­" Irene shook her head. "No. Impossible. How could he die just like that? That boy is¡­"


    Irene knew she was just lying to herself.


    Over the course of her long life, she had seen too many geniuses. Thousands, tens of thousands of them. But she also saw many geniuses also die before they became a level 9. Heck, even level 9s died.


    "Even I was on the verge of death¡­" Irene patted her chest.


    Everyone could die. Ordinary people. Geniuses. Level 9s. Even Sovereigns. Varian too.


    "And you said you''ll be a Sovereign one day¡­" Irene lowered her head and felt her chest grow heavy.


    Sure, she had seen many geniuses. But this boy was unlike any other.


    His talent, his courage, and his optimism. Everything mixed to make him a monster out of all monsters.


    With his talent, if he was alive, Irene was confident that Humanity would solve the Abyssals in a year.


    Thinking back to why he died, Irene felt a lump in her throat.


    "To save his race, at such a young age, with a bright future ahead of you¡­why is this world so cruel?" Irene wiped the corner of her eyes and tapped herm.


    "Announce the highest level of the funeral for Varian," Irene said in a solemn voice. "The world doesn''t know how much this boy paid. The least we can do is respect him for his sacrifices."


    There were many, many martyrs in this war. Only a few got special funerals. But Varian''s funeral was at the same level as a Sovereign.


    Only a few individuals throughout history had this honor. Recently, Commander Skad who sacrificed his life to stop Mirage Queen to buy time for Mars got this honor.


    "To have such martyrs, is it our honor or tragedy?" Irene looked out of the window with a sigh.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "A-Are you sure? Those names included in the funeral?" A tall middle-aged man asked in a trembling voice.


    "Can''t you read, brother?" The old man sitting next to him gulped down his beer and grumbled.


    "I¡­" The middle-aged man clenched his fists as his chest felt too heavy. Looking at the name under Varian''s funeral, he couldn''t even breathe.


    "How¡­How did this happen? That bastard¡­he said he''ll protect¡­" The middle-aged man gritted his teeth and slumped into his chair.


    "Yo! Why are you so down, Haras? Didn''t you get some good loot in the Ruins?" A burly man passing by patted Haras'' shoulder and asked with a grin.


    The middle-aged man called Haras didn''t respond. He lifted the beer jug and started drinking.


    Some of the beer spilled into his eyes and caused them to turn red. But he didn''t care.


    "Hey, that''s ours¡ª"


    "Yo, get it back!"


    As if possessed, he picked the jugs from other tables and started drinking them.


    The alcohol that would''ve downed even a hundred level 7s was drunk by him and he was still searching for more.


    By this point, no one tried to talk to him. They all understood that ''Haras'' whom they thought of as a fellow level 7 was someone far stronger.


    "Give me more! More!" The middle-aged man mmed the counter and roared.


    Even though he''s a level 6, the bartender nearly buckled at the roar.


    "Y-Yes!" Shouting in response, he ran back to the storeroom and brought back the stock.


    As the middle-aged man was about to grab for more, them on his wrist lit up and a message shed.


    The middle-aged man froze as if he saw a ghost and then without a word, rushed out of the bar.


    "Hey, your tab¡ª"


    He ran all the way to the deserted alley mentioned in the message and saw the familiar spaceship.


    His face lit up and he asked. "Where is she? And is he safe? They''re just hiding like every time, right?"


    No sound came out of the spaceship.


    The bright expression of the man slowly darkened before it turned into one of despair.


    A depressing silence filled the air, and a cute but gloomy voice sounded. "Sia asked me to give this to you¡­in case something happened to her."


    An exquisite blue potionnded in Evander''s hands.


    "She said she forgave you." Boo conveyed her words.


    "Something¡­what happened to them?" Evander asked as his heart nearly leapt out of his throat.


    "Master fell into a space crack. Sia and Sarah jumped in for him." Boo said slowly and the Ghostship rose into the air. "Thisst will was just insurance by them¡­but not anymore. Please use the power in your hands to fulfill their aspirations."


    Evander lowered his head and walked into the Ruins of Jupiter.


    Both Sarah and Varian. Even Sia¡­


    He''d avenge them all!


    ¡ª- ¡ª ¡ª


    "You''re kidding! I''ll exorcise you! Don''t joke! Don''t fucking joke! It''s not funny!" Kyle roared with a scary face as he was about to pounce on Boo.


    "Stop. Let him at least say what they wanted to say. We should respect their wills." Maya wrapped her arms around him and stopped him from reaching Boo.


    Boo looked at Kyle who had tears running down his cheeks and sighed. "Master said his death was unlikely¡­but if it were to happen, then he said it''s hard for Humanity to fight against the Abyssals. So¡ª"


    "He didn''t die. You said he fell into a space crack. That''s not death. There''s still a 1 in a hundred trillion probability of survival." Kyle said with a red face, as his chest heaved up and down.


    "Boo hopes so too." Boo smiled bleakly.


    Seeing the miserable smile of the little ghost, Kyle stiffened and lowered his head.


    He was devastated at the supposed news of his best friend''s death. But wouldn''t Boo also be crushed because of it?


    As someone who spent literally every day with Varian, Boo had a deep rtionship with him.


    Even though he seemed to bully it a lot, Varian was like a half-parent to Boo.


    Perhaps the pain Boo was going through was as bad as the one he was feeling.


    Kyle wiped away his tears and tried to smile. "So, what did that bastard want to give me?"


    "This."


    A blue potion, a white potion, and a highly encrypted document fell into Kyle''s hands.


    "Master gave me the potions to give you. Enigma gave me the document. It is the method to prepare the potions from their blood."

 Chapter 874 Fairies: Fate Of The Weak

    The Abyss Empire was facing a greater crisis than they initially anticipated.


    A simple border skirmish turned into a border war. It was still bearable. Abyssals had fought too many wars with the Fairies in recent years.


    But things took a drastic turn when strands of death energy started to pop up in the Fairy Army.


    The dead members from both sides became the Undead and were used as the vanguard against the Abyssals'' Blood Province.


    Blood Province was fortified enough that if 100,000 Abyssals defended it, the enemy needed to bring in at least 200,000 attackers.


    Even with the addition of Undead, Fairies didn''t have that number.


    So, the Abyssals thought they were safe. But reality pped them in the face when one of the Fairy Sovereigns used a concentrated strand of death energy on the defense.


    Unlike the previous strands of energy that were diluted by a million times, this one was highly concentrated¡ªdiluted by only around a thousand times.


    So, when the strand of energy hit the defenses, the Abyssals that stood in defense instantly lost their vitality and turned into Undead.


    These Undead attacked the Abyssals around them and threw the defenders into chaos. Blood Province was breached that day.


    Once they were past the first defense line, the Province''s defenses copsed like dominoes.


    This war was far worse than what Humans recently experienced. In the sr system, there was a battleground that separatedbatants from civilians. But the whole Blood Province was invaded.


    As a result, hundreds of millions of Abyssals died under bloody conquest.


    At the edges of the Blood Province:


    A tower was suddenly bombed by a fireball and turned into ashes. As the smoke cleared, ten charred Abyssals corpses were revealed at the bottom of the tower.


    "Is this the final outpost?" High from the sky, a winged man asked.


    "The final one on the list." The winged woman next to him pped her wings and answered.


    After verifying the surrounding areas, the Fairies took the charred corpses of the Abyssals to their military camp.


    Since conquering the Blood Province, Fairies established their military bases in strategic cities closer to the border Provinces.


    The victory in Blood Province was a huge step forward, but the overall goal had always been theplete conquest of the Abyss Empire.


    They had a long way to go. Especially because of the Abyss Emperor.


    ''Would Zions can help our Emperor grow stronger to crush that bastard Haedon?'' In thergest tent of the main military camp, the Fairy Commander got into thinking.


    The Fairy men and women across the table were also engaged in their own thoughts.


    Finally, one of the Fairy men mmed the table, drawing attention. With a pissed-off face, he said. "Why are they pushing us to attack the Abyssals so fast? Yeah, we won a Blood Province. But see how much we lost. Call them anything, but Abyssals are tough bastards."


    The unfiltered words caused some of the members to grimace while others scowled.


    It was taboo to question Zions in public. But this was the highest Fairy line up excluding the Fairy Emperor. So, it wasn''t forbidden.


    Still, some people preferred not to address these topics.


    An Old Man coughed and said. "How about we focus on what we should do¡ª"


    "No. Abyssals only lost 20% more soldiers than us. The losses we got are something that a losing army would register. We didn''t win. The Abyssals lost.


    It doesn''t end there. We conquered aplete province. But did we get anything? Fucking bastards took away everything they could and burnt down the rest.


    That mad Emperor even activated the toxic formations and created a poisonous storm to flood the Blood Province."


    The more he spoke, the angrier the Fairy man got. He was famous for pissing people off due to his straightforwardness.


    But every word he spoke was true. So, not a single person had any refutation.


    Abyss Emperor, despite failing to protect the Blood Province, ensured it didn''t help the Fairies.


    After realizing that the hundred million dead in the Blood Province would be turned into Undead, he took a drastic decision and activated a huge formation.


    This formation ''devoured'' all the corpses it could and turned the Blood Province into a toxic wastnd.


    This also put a halt to the Fairies'' invasion. This was only temporary. But even buying that was a feat in itself.


    However, the Zion Ambassador recently appeared and asked them to speed up their invasion.


    When they invaded the Blood Province, the deadline was five years. It was already too short. The conquest of an Empire with a poption of tens of billions was a time taking process. Even more so when the invader and defender didn''t have any significant gap in powers.


    Of course, the Zions promised them support to ensure this quick conquest. But the ones paying dearly for the invasion would be Fairies.


    "Zions¡­I think they found something suspicious about the Abyssals." The Commander suddenly said.


    ? "Suspicious?" A Fairy woman tilted her head. "The only suspicious affair is the disappearance of their eight Abyss Worlds. But didn''t they all get lost in a space storm more than a hundred years ago?"


    "That''s what they said." The Commander intertwined his fingers and rested his chin on them. "This is a top-secret news¡­but the Zion Envoy recently discovered an interster space formation in the Abyss'' capital."


    "What?!"


    "Do they have a camp elsewhere?"


    "Damn Abyssals. We''re only able to fight them because they don''t have the Abyss Dungeons and Sovereigns. But if they were never destroyed, eight Abysses can ambush us and we''ll be dead meat."


    The tent got noisy as the Fairies voiced their concerns one by one. All of them were legitimate concerns.


    Even without this ambush, if they continue down the path of invasion without any loot, Fairies would be incredibly weakened when they''d have to face the Providence Trial.


    If they lost in the trial, they''d have no protection.


    The rational decision would be to withdraw from this senseless war and consolidate their strength for the trial.


    After all, the enmity of Fairies and Abyssals was very recent and very shallow.


    Peace could be negotiated. But the Zions wouldn''t let them.


    Their only option was to conquer the Abyss Empire and get enough loot so that they could survive the Trial.


    Or even if they seeded in the invasion but didn''t get enough loot, they''d be in danger of extinction after failing the trial.


    The Commander smiled bitterly. "Fate of the weak."

 Chapter 875 Zions: Unintended Consequence

    It was a courtroom built from precious purple stones polished to the point they acted like mirrors.


    The ceiling was painted with the almost legendary tale of the previous war. The Zion Ancestors had fought alongside Abyssals in the Centuria Sector and made great contributions.


    Dozens of finely carved pirs supported the courtroom.


    A huge red rug made of precious skin from a Celestial ranking beast wasid out from the door until the steps leading to the throne.


    On either side of the rug were grand chairs with different standings for the officials.


    At the top of the shining stairs was a huge throne made of a ss-like substance. It was filled with a strand of blue energy. But the energy strand was so strong that it caused the huge throne to look blue.


    This blue throne was a testament to the great prowess of the Zions. The strand of energy was capable of destroying anyone as strong as the Zion Emperor himself in a single strike!


    If this single strand was shot at the Abyss Empire, the whole Abyss Empire¡ªthe Emperor, the Sovereigns, the provinces, tens of billions of Abyssals¡ªwould perish.


    The same if this energy strand was shot at the Sr System. It''d take only a few seconds and everything would vanish.


    Despite being seated on such a powerful throne, Zion Emperor was insanely paranoid.


    "What are they hiding? Did they find a prince as their backer?" The five-foot tall, slender, purple-skinned Zion Emperor asked as he shifted in his throne.


    "We are unable to verify, your majesty." A four-foot-tall beautiful female Zion stood up and replied. "But it''s unlikely any prince will support them."


    "Why not? Even Seventh P-Prince has opposition, doesn''t he?" The Zion Emperor gnashed his teeth.


    It was such a rudimentary question from an Emperor that the entire courtroom fell silent. The officials looked at each other withplex gazes.


    This bastard was never meant to be their Emperor. His elder brother was the choice of both the previous Zion Emperor and the people.


    But this bastard managed to pimp away his wife to the Seventh Prince and got his favor.


    Facing the Seventh Prince of the Jai Empire, what can the Zion Emperor say? He shut the fuck up and gave the throne to his younger son.


    But the Zions did advance by leaps and bounds thanks to the Seventh Prince''s grace. Of course, it wasn''t really Seventh Prince remembering them and ''helping'' them.


    He casually threw some alms and they managed to grow so much thanks to those insignificant alms.


    So, despite the great dissatisfaction among the Zions against the Emperor, they more or less epted him.


    But the wise ones had a feeling that perhaps the Zions would soon face a catastrophe and this Emperor would lead them straight into the depths of despair.


    The Seventh Prince didn''t really care about them nor did he ever talk to them. So, if a crisis does happen, then they''re on their own. The only other possibility was for their Holy Matriarch to gain the favor of the prince and let him save them.


    "Hey! Why is everyone silent?! What if the Abyssals got the backing of another Prince? We''ll be in trouble! I might be assassinated!" Zion Emperor yelled.


    "¡­Your Majesty, while your worries are very much reasonable, the Abyssals are too weak for any Prince to even look at. They don''t have anything to offer. Materials, treasures, knowledge, they have nothing that can attract a Prince." An Official said in a dry tone.


    Zion Emperor blinked twice and said in a confused tone. "Huh? Isn''t his wife beautiful? He can always give h¡ª"


    "Your Majesty, the Abyss Emperor isn''t such a man." A female Zion stood up and said with a hint of contempt.


    Were they all grateful for how much they''d grown thanks to the seventh prince? Of course, they were. From being on par with the Abyssals at their peak to growing a step beyond. This was a dreame true. But would they respect this man as a man? Of course not.


    Suddenly, a messenger rushed into the room and bowed. "Your Majesty, ording to thetest intelligence, the corpses of the Blood Heirs we found in the battlefield were fake. They never appeared in the first ce!"


    An ufortable silence settled in the courtroom as the highest ministers and officials looked at each other.


    A few months ago, the Blood Heir group ughtered a city-state. Sure, it had only one level 9. But it had hundreds of level 8s.


    The group''s deeds were so famous that the Zions had to intentionally suppress their fame lest Abyssals gain any allies. Especially the Veyan Kingdom that ruled above them all.


    If they got the news, they might recruit the Blood Heirs into a war against the Alliance.


    So, hearing that the Blood Heir group''s corpses were fake, the Zions got into thinking.


    "They''re either waiting in other provinces to block us or they''re teleported to somewhere else. That''d also exin why the Abyssals have an interster teleportation formation in their capital." A Defense Staffmented.


    "Somewhere else? It should be their second stronghold. Damn Abyssals. They fooled everyone and are building up their power somewhere else." Zion Emperor cursed and waved at the Zion Envoy.


    The Envoy bowed, waiting for the order.


    "What''s the deadline for the Abyss conquest?"


    "Two years."


    "Toote. Make it one. If they do it faster, there will be more rewards." Zion Emperor said. "And provide them appropriate support."


    "B-But sir, we already used the strand of death energy. It''s already too much!" The Finance Minister nearly cried.


    It was a strategic item and what did they waste it on? Abyssals!


    If the owner of the Death Energy strand knew how his power was used, he''d perhaps turn them all into Undead.


    It was an utter waste of resources!


    "I don''t care! Abyssals must be exterminated. Haedon¡­gives me a bad feeling." Zion Emperor said.


    No one agreed with his words.


    But they didn''t know that if Varian didn''t exist and Zion Emperor didn''t urge them to act against the Abyssals, Zions would''ve been extinct in the near future.


    Even now, if they didn''t push the Abyssals and gave them breathing space, Abyss Emperor had ns to save a portion of his race and develop them to a point where they could destroy the Zions after getting the legacy.


    Due to the sudden war and urgency shown by the Fairies, his ns couldn''t be implemented.


    Ironically, the irrational Emperor as they called him, was saving them from an assured extinction.


    --- --- ---


    A/N: End of Volume. I''m not sure how this volume went, honestly. I wee your feedback. There are two volumes left in this Saga. Thanks for reading :D

 Chapter 876 Prince Shak

    Capital of Jewel Kingdom:


    In one of the residential quarters in the Royal Complex, a young man was walking in the corridor, looking down at the purple carpet with a pensive gaze.


    Even though it''s ''Royal'', it was in fact a building designated to the lowest ss of nobility. Even Province officials would disdain staying here.


    But Prince Shak, despite being the legitimate son of the current King, was living in such a lowly ce.


    "Will he be fine? He should be. Yes. He''ll be alright." Prince Shak muttered as he walked down the corridor, passing through multiple rooms and gardens.


    The walls were painted with tales of the glorious conquests fo the Jewel Kingdom. The ceiling was adorned with records of great men and women that led this Kingdom to its present height.


    Every single brick, every single tile here would cause a bloody killing in a civilization like Abyssals, forget Humans.


    These were extremely precious materials that only a strong Gctic Kingdom could afford.


    Even though it was the lowliest quarters for a royal, it was worth more than the entires of the lower civilizations.


    Prince Shak crossed the training grounds outside his quarters where the head of the Pce guardians, a Celestial Ranker, was training the Sovereign guards.


    Exiting his quarters, Prince Shak entered the shining blue road and headed straight for a Diamond-shaped building in the distance.


    On either side of the road, men and women walked past in hurried footsteps. They looked simr to humans except for their skin that literally glowed with different colors under the starlight.


    When they caught a glimpse of Prince Shak, they turned their gazes away and whispered with gloating eyes.


    ''Do they know something? No. This is just the usual mockery. Yes, that''s it.'' Prince Shak tried to calm down his racing hearts.


    But the three hearts pumped against his chest as the ominous premonition in his heart grew with every step he took toward the Diamond-shaped building.


    When he finally reached the building, his skin had gone pale to the point it turned transparent and his three hearts were beating like an engine that was about to burst.


    ''I can''t run away now.'' Taking a deep breath, Prince Shak looked at the building with a determined gaze.


    ''Royal Duty Department.''


    This was the department that managed the Royal Family and affairs of the Imperial Pce. For the dozens of princes and princesses, they were the direct supervisors.


    Despite being limited to royal affairs, they wield a lot of influence across the Kingdom.


    While they couldn''t do anything openly, their connections with the princes and princesses of thest generation were enough to make them almost impossible to touch.


    This morning, Prince Shak received a notification from the Department asking him to report by noon.


    A few minutester, Prince Shak faced an old man in a military uniform. Seated behind his desk, the Senior officer hummed twice and threw a letter.


    The force behind the throw caused a small sonic boom and caused a space crack. But the shockwaves couldn''t damage even the flowers in the room, much less the sturdy walls.


    Prince Shak stumbled back a dozen steps before he stabilized himself. There was a small cut on his palms but he was in no mood to care about the injury.


    With hurried breathing, he opened the letter and read the content.


    It was a single line. But it caused Prince Shak to nearly cry.


    [Prince Shad is missing.]


    Suppressing his bursting emotions, Prince Shak turned around and was about to exit when the Senior Officer''s voice sounded.


    "A Synthetic World has been discovered."


    "Huh."


    "The Duchies of Ruby, Emerald, Diamond, and Sapphire are tasked to win it. Depending on the situation, it could be gifted to them or owned by the Royal family."


    "Isn''t it normal that Duchies are sent to retrieve the Synthetic Worlds? Why are you telling me this now, Mr. Darin?" Prince Shak asked without turning around.


    "You''re also being sent on the mission." The Old Man dropped a piece of news akin to a bomb.


    "What?!" Prince Shak turned around with wide eyes and said. "I don''t even have a personal entourage. No one except for a personal guard. What am I supposed to do in a Synthetic World?"


    The Senior Officer tapped the desk with his knuckles with a face that he didn''t give a fuck about the young man''s situation.


    But realizing that he was, after all, talking to a Prince, he opened his mouth. "Synthetic Worlds don''t allow a lot of people in anyways. The constraints are for three people. You, your personal guard make two. The department can lend you a four-path Hybrid. Good luck with your mission."


    Hearing the apathetic tone of the officer, Prince Shak felt his blood boil. But he knew this matter was beyond his control and emotions would only deteriorate his already precocious situation.


    If his brother was here, this order would''ve nevere down in the first ce. But now that he couldn''t resist the royal order, he had to negotiate for better resources.


    "A four-path Hybrid? That''s what Duchies use. I can understand if you want to shame me, but by using a four-path hybrid, you''re only shaming the kingdom."


    "¡­" The Senior Officer made a reluctant face but finally nodded. "A five-path Hybrid then¡ª."


    "Six-path." Prince Shak said immediately. "It''s not my reputation at stake, it''s the Kingdom''s."


    Reputation was important.


    The Jewel Kingdom ruled many duchies, which in turn governed many provinces. But the Jewel Kingdom itself was a vassal of the Lumen Empire.


    If their reputation took a nosedive, then the neighboring gctic kingdoms would try to take a bite of their pie.


    So, even though the princes he had connections with asked him to give a hard time to Prince Shak, the Senior officer relented. "You win."


    Breathing a sigh of relief, Prince Shak exited the room when a sudden force pushed him from behind. He tried to grab the red curtains on the pirs but failed as the space around his arm turned solid and prevented his hand from moving.


    As he stumbled on the ground, mockingughter erupted from behind.


    Prince Shak didn''t look behind and went back to his quarters. He called his only confidante, the Sovereign bodyguard who was training under the Celestial security captain until recently, and selected a six-path hybrid.


    Leading his team, he reached the travel area in the Royal Complex and walked into a Teleportation gate without hesitation.

 Chapter 877 Uninvited Guests

    In the endless dark space, a world shone with a gentle green light. There were no stars nearby. This world wasn''t in any star system. In fact, it doesn''t even seem to be in the Outerspace. It seemed to exist in a dimension of its own.


    It was in motion.


    The Duchies of Jewel Kingdom had to spend a lot of resources to track down this world.


    The reason they found it was because it came into the ''range'' in the first ce. Once it leaves the range, then no matter how hard they try, they wouldn''t be able to find it.


    Tracking it was also impossible since these Synthetic Worlds were said to disappear upon monitoring.


    In the hostile space outside the boundaries of the Synthetic World, five portals opened and fifteen men and women stepped out.


    Adorned in exquisite armor and holding great treasures, they let their outfit do the talking.


    The chaotic space currents around them were blocked by the powerful treasures the teams carried.


    Each team consisted of three members. A Prince of their Duchy, a Sovereign, and a hybrid.


    First, the Sovereign unleashed their senses and confirmed the safety. Even though they had the treasures, it wouldn''t hurt to be cautious.


    Then, the teams discussed their strategy before facing each other.


    Finally, the four teams turned to face the only odd team.


    Prince Shak maintained hisposure as he stared back at the two princes and two princesses.


    Even though they came from a Duchy under his Kingdom and weren''t technically princes and princesses, they called themselves such and ruled their Duchy, as if it were a kingdom.


    Of course, in front of a prince from the Kingdom, they wouldn''t call themselves a Prince or Princess.


    "Prince Shak, are you really going topete with us?" The Sixth Diamond Princess asked with a smile hard to conceal.


    Hearing the derision in her tone, Prince Shak felt anger bubbling up and had the urge to fight her on the spot.


    Since when did the fake princes and princesses of Duchies mock the prince of a kingdom?


    If they did it to the Crown Prince, they''d be beheaded on the spot and their heads would be sent to the Dukes. If the Crown Prince was really mad, then even the Dukes would be implicated.


    But he¡­


    Shaking his head, Prince Shak smiled back at Princess Diamond. This surprised the woman with diamond-like skin. She thought he epted her insult and was about to smile when his next words came out.


    "I might not win the Synthetic World but you are the weakest Duchy and have the greatest chance of losing. If you fail, you know the consequences, don''t you?" Prince Shak grinned. "You''ll be sold off to some old bastard in a far away Duchy as a political tool."


    The atmosphere suddenly cooled down and members of the Duchies red at Prince Shak.


    Without backing down, Prince Shakughed at the ''Princes''. "And if you fail, you''ll be sold off to some ugly women as a political tool."


    Snorting, the Princes and Princesses turned away from Prince Shak.


    Only Prince Shak was the outcast in his ce. Everyone else here more or less had backers. Even if they failed here, they wouldn''t really be married off as Prince Shak said.


    But their status would certainly take a hit.


    Every Duchy had more than a hundred princes and princesses. If they couldn''t stand out and improve their status, they had a real risk of bing a nobody.


    If that did happen, then they''d be used as political tools for marriage. So, what Prince Shak said wasn''t entirely false either.


    In fact, the reason they actively pleaded for this opportunity and came here was to make an achievement and stand out from the rest.


    Just strength without achievements wouldn''t win many friends in the Duchy. They''d have to do something.


    Capturing a Synthetic World wasn''t very hard. But the benefits were enormous.


    The teams reached the entrance to the Synthetic World¡ªa huge silver vortex.


    As the representative of the kingdom, Prince Shak''s team entered first.


    Soon, Prince Shak and three teams found themselves in a huge world filled with greenery.


    Beautiful mountains loomed in the distance while serene rivers flowed between the forests. The green grass stretched onto the horizon and the silver sky shone like mercury.


    "Prince Shak, you shouldn''t worry about us. If we seed, our status will skyrocket. Even if we fail, we still have chances to prove ourselves." Emerald Prince smiled and waved at his team.


    Their figures blurred and the three disappeared.


    "If you die here, do they still care?" Ruby Princess smiled mockingly and disappeared with her team.


    Sapphire Prince gave him a contemptuous nce and left.


    Prince Shak crossed his arms and stood patiently.


    "Um, Prince, should we also go now?" Sovereign Alban, the personal bodyguard of Prince Shak and his only confidante, asked with an awkward face.


    "I''m waiting for that bitch from Diamond Duchy." Prince Shak shrugged and nced at the silver vortex.


    What he didn''t know was that outside the vortex, the three members from the Diamond Duchy were bouncing off the vortex.


    "Why?! What''s happening? Why can''t we get in?!" Diamond Princess gnashed her diamond teeth and yelled.


    The Sovereign in the team threw a concentrated lightning bolt at the vortex, only for it to be repulsed back at him at double the force.


    "The entrance is rejecting us because the numbers are filled." The Sovereign said with a confused face.


    "But only twelve went in. There are three vacant positions!" Diamond Princess cried out in indignation.


    "¡­That''s true. The limit is fifteen. Could it be that someone else has sneaked in before us?" The Sovereign expressed his doubts.


    "Sneak in?" Diamond Princess sneered. "The entrance has been monitored without fail. How can anyone sneak in?"


    The Sovereign shut up. He didn''t want to deal with this crazy princess.


    ''But yeah, how can anyone sneak in when we''re monitoring the entrance? Maybe there is another entrance?''


    He didn''t reveal his thoughts and followed back the princess to their Duchy.


    What he didn''t know was that his guess was spot on.


    Just a few minutes ago, three uninvited guestsnded in the Synthetic World through an ancient route.

 Chapter 878 Matriarch

    Ruby Prince, Sapphire Prince, and Emerald Prince passed through a vast forest as they headed for the ''entrance''.


    On their way, they each encountered strong monsters of varying powers. Be it giant trees whose leaves poisoned the air, birds that breathed fire, tigers that spat lightning, and space-twisting snakes, they faced them all.


    Even though the Synthetic World hadrge numbers of powerful monsters, none reached the Celestial Rank.


    In fact, the number of Sovereign state monsters was few. Compared to the well-trained, well-equipped Sovereigns from the Duchies, these wild monsters were more than a notch weaker.


    So, when the Sovereigns released their aura, the clever monsters hid. Some of the foolhardy beasts didn''t care and confronted them and turned them into dead meat in seconds.


    Unlike the groups of the three Duchies, Prince Shak moved cautiously. He didn''t let his group''s Sovereign unleash his aura nor did he preferbat.


    Whenever they encountered a beast, they avoided it and moved forward.


    An hourter, Prince Shak was almost near the entrance¡ªa three-colored vortex. The entrance was on the other side of the river and was surrounded by dense trees and nts.


    As Prince Shak was about to cross a river, he noticed a few corpses floating by¡ªHumanoid corpses that weren''t much different from the species in the Jewel Kingdom except for their normal skin.


    "Master, these are the natives." Sovereign Alban said in a serious voice as he nced around with a cautious expression. "This is the most dangerous phase for our entrance."


    The thick forest around them was filled with dangerous creatures. The red river was contaminated with various liquids that would eat away the lifespan. The air was asionally filled with poisonous gas released by a tree or a creature.


    In short, this area was the most dangerous they came across so far. Without the protection of a Sovereign, death was likely.


    Adding to the woes, ''natives'' existed here.


    Every Synthetic World had its natives. And by the virtue of living in such a dangerous environment, they grow into a strong and dangerous group.


    Their strength was equal to the strength of two or three armies of a civilization that rules its own star system.


    And their groups entered the Synthetic World¡ªhome of these natives and were considered as ''Invaders''. Natives would naturally show hostility. The most frequent ce for ambushes was usually the entrance to the ''Inside''.


    Of course, Alban wasn''t afraid of them. The cap on any Synthetic World was the Sovereign state. The ones stronger couldn''t enter. And if anyone reaches the Sovereign state inside, they''d be expelled.


    So, a Sovereign inside a synthetic world means near invincibility.


    "I will survey the area first and then we can enter," Alban said and teleported right next to the vortex.


    His space sense was open all this time, but it didn''t detect any natives. But the moment he appeared beside the vortex, he immediately sensed thirty natives hiding inside the hollows of the trees.


    These trees apparently had a shielding function and managed to keep the natives hidden until now.


    "Die!" Alban waved his hand, and the space fluctuated violently.


    It looked like a mirror breaking. The trees were sliced into countless pieces and so were the natives inside them.


    The smell of blood filled the air as pieces of meat and bones scattered all over the ce.


    Prince Shak frowned but didn''tment. He simply gave a signal to the third person in the group who had been silent the whole time.


    The thin man in the team with hollow eyes stepped forward. He was the ''6-path'' Hybrid sent by the Royal Department to assist Prince Shak.


    ''Two origins with three paths each, just how strong would that be?'' Prince Shak wondered as the Hybrid snapped his fingers.


    The flesh and blood, including the remnants of the trees, caught fire and burnt to ashes.


    Then, he nodded stiffly to Prince Shak and performed a saluting gesture even more rigidly.


    From the beginning to the end, his eyes remained hollow.


    ''There''s nothing alive about a Hybrid.'' Prince Shak shook his head and entered the vortex.


    Every Synthetic World was divided into two parts.


    The Outer Region where the natives resided was often filled with dangerous creatures and a hostile environment. It''s a world of its own.


    Then there was the Inner Region. It''s rtively much smaller in area, almost 100 times smaller.


    It was much richer than the Outer Region, be it natural treasures, aura concentration, or creatures.


    Other than staying significant, the treasures found in the Inner region were a major reason the Princes and Princesses of these Duchies took up this task.


    As the silhouette of the Hybrid who entered the vortexst disappeared, the leaves of the trees nearby rustled.


    One after another, humanoidsnded in front of the vortex. They were wearing colorful dresses made from furs of different creatures. Some were even wearing armor made of precious alloys.


    The Princes encountered ''natives'' who were wearing animal fur and leaves, and looked incredibly savage.


    So, they thought these natives were barbaric.


    Natives were different in every Synthetic World. Some were still living like a tribe. Some formed various kingdoms. Others even formed a unified Empire and negotiated with the invaders.


    So, the current invaders didn''t feel it was weird to encounter barbaric natives.


    If they saw the current attire of the so-called ''barbarians'', they''d realize it was all a scam.


    "Ho, did they all die?" A beautiful middle-aged woman walked toward the ashes. Adorned in green clothes woven with the finest silk, she looked dazzling with a tiara made of gemstones on her head.


    Hearing her words, everyone on the scene stiffened and bowed toward her. "Glory to Matriarch!"


    The woman waved her hand and pointed to the corpses floating on the river. "Burn them. Undead are disgusting."


    "Yes, Matriarch!"


    All the dead natives were thrown into a pit and burnt to ashes.


    Watching the smoke reach the sky, the middle-aged woman''s lips raised slightly.


    Her political enemies took the bait and became the ''Heroes'' who wanted to defeat the invaders. Now, she''d have less opposition.


    As the Matriarch was about to leave, an anxious voice spoiled her mood.


    "B-But Matriarch, they have a point. The Invaders should be stopped. What if they pass the test and conquer this world?"


    "Pass?" The Matriarch turned around with a sneer and pointed to the vortex. "We lost our ancient history records, but our oldest writings date back to thirty thousand years.


    In just recorded history, more than three million invaders have entered thatnd. None of them returned. Those idiots must still be thinking that our world is like any other Synthetic World. They''re in for a rude awakening. But meh, they''ll all die anyway."


    The woman who asked the question bowed her head and turned silent. Along with relief that their lives were going to be fine, she was now filled with fear.


    This Matriarch was the same person who encouraged some people in the political faction to attack the invaders by saying that the moment this world gets conquered, they''d be ughtered.


    They took the bait and died a gruesome death.


    "M-Matriarch," a stiff voice called out.


    "Yes?"


    "We''ve encountered only twelve people so far. We didn''t even find the traces of thest three." The reconnaissance officer reported.


    "Oh," The Matriarch narrowed her eyes. "I still have a few more ''Heroes''. I''ll send them to hunt down these invaders. If the invaders die, well and good. These Heroes will sumb to their injuries and be martyrs. If the invaders kill them, it''s a pity."


    "¡­"


    Everyone in the scene pitied the next invaders and the heroes. No matter what they do, they''d both die in the end.

 Chapter 879 The Current Condition

    Varian''s consciousness suddenly became clear. The first thing he felt was the pain from the injuries all over his body. Especially the injuries that were caused by touching Enigma and Sia.


    But someone seemed to have applied the healing potions. They were quickly healing.


    Yet, the injuries were too many.


    Torn flesh. Broken bones. Warm blood.


    It hurt. It hurt so much.


    Varian suppressed the urge to yell at the pain and focused on the next thing he felt. A soft body hugging him tightly and growing wetness on his chest and left hand.


    Varian opened his eyes in confusion and saw a beautiful blonde girl sobbing. Her tear drops flowed down like pearls and sshed against his chest.


    At that moment, the Sarah who was cold and indifferent toward the public was nowhere to be seen. All Varian could see was a girl crying out in joy and pain.


    Turning around, he saw Sia kneeling beside him. The brown-haired girl was covering her face as the tears dropped without stopping and sshed on his hand.


    Hearing their heartbreaking sobs, Varian felt a pain in his chest. They nearly died.


    "Y-Yo, I''m not dead yet¡­" He tried to be sarcastic, but only a weak voice came out of his throat. But that weak voice froze both the girls before they looked at him with wide eyes.


    Varian felt awkward for a moment before they throw themselves into his arms and embraced him tightly.


    The left side of his body started to hurt as the repulsion from Sia began. But Varian ignored the pain and closed his eyes with a relieved smile.


    Feeling the warm blood touching her hands, Sia quickly backed off.


    "It''s fine," Varian gestured for her to return. But she shook her head and took out a healing potion from her storage ring and poured it on his injuries. "You already lost too much blood. If not for your ntae powers, you''ll be¡­"


    Sarah also broke from the hug and cupped his face. Then she stared at him intently as if she didn''t want to see anything else but him and him alone.


    Varian felt his heart race at her scorching gaze and turned to the side and was met with Sia''s burning gaze.


    "I¡­"


    Feeling the love, care, and pain in their gazes, Varian was overwhelmed. He vowed to keep them safe and happy.


    "I love you," He smiled from the bottom of his heart. "Thank you for loving me back."


    His words hit the two girls hard. Sarah bit her lip while Sia had to fight back her tears.


    They still couldn''t believe they survived. Just a few moments ago, they thought they were going to die. They eveny beside him and chose their own death.


    Now, they somehow ended up in a ce they didn''t know. But they''re, without a doubt, alive.


    Alive enough to feel the breath of their lover and hear his heartbeat.


    "I love you too," Sia wiped the corner of her eyes and looked at him with a pleading gaze. "So, don''t risk your life like that. What if something happened to you¡­something almost happened."


    Sarah sighed deeply. "I don''t know what to say. I can''t even think about it now. All I know is your life is being drained by that strand of energy. I will do my best and slow it as much as I can, but Varian, please tell me you have a solution for this."


    Varian scanned his body.


    The strand of death energy was devouring his vitality unceasingly. The only reason he wasn''t fainting now was because Sarah''s time powers slowed down the devouring rate.


    Another factor was Varian''s own huge vitality thanks to his ntae powers. If he didn''t have the vitality he did, even with Sarah''s intervention, he''d have been dead by now.


    Varian used his space powers and solidified the space around the energy strand. But it wasn''t as effective as time maniption. Still, it was slowed down by at least 10%.


    But even with that, Varian wasn''t sure if he could survive a whole month. Maybe twenty days? But that''s barely half of a month.


    As for the solution, he had a brute one. "If I can reach Celestial Rank, I''m confident my ntae powers can crush this death energy."


    Hearing his ''solution'', Sarah''s face turned pale and Sia sighed.


    Even for Varian, reaching Celestial Rank wasn''t easy. With their current conditions, it''s a question if he could even stay safe enough to make progress in level 9.


    So, his solution wasn''t a solution at all.


    Feeling their dejection, Varian looked around to distract himself.


    He didn''t give up on himself, but he did realize that his chances of survival were near nonexistent. He didn''t have the word ''impossible'' in his dictionary though. Even now, he believed he''d triumph over the damn death energy and survive. But he wanted the girls to mentally prepare for the worst.


    And the whole episode really served as a tough experience for him. It made him realize that his enemies were not only stronger but also very cunning.


    Using the same strand of death energy, Abyssals could''ve killed a Sovereign. But they didn''t. They used it on Varian. It was a terrifyingly wise decision.


    Varian''s respect and caution for the Abyss Emperor only increased. But so did the desire to end such a dangerous enemy.


    As Sarah and Sia discussed in hushed voices a possible solution to save Varian, the man himself downed a few more healing potions indiscriminately. He''d be fully healed in twenty minutes at most.


    Before that, he wanted to be aware of his current situation.


    ''Status.''


    [Superhuman L8: 7/8


    (+1k, +7: Due to the intense fight with the Undead, and the incredible stress your body has been through due to the continuous destruction from inside and the regeneration.)


    Space L8: 5/8


    (+7k, +5: Due to the chaotic spaces your body has been exposed to and the space fluctuations you were hit with all the way to here.)


    Lightning L8: 0/8


    (+3k: Due to the intense battle with the Undead)


    ntae L9: 1k/50k


    (+3, Advanced, +1k: The continuous death energy is killing you. But it''s the best catalyst for your ntae path.)


    Psychic L8: 23k/25k


    (+5k: Intense battle with Undead and the tough experience.)


    Macrokic L8: 20k/25k


    (+5k: Intense battle with the Undead)


    Water L8: 20k/25k


    (+5k: Intense battle with the Undead)


    Time L1: 99/100


    (Awakened, +99: Your body is instinctively learning from the time power it is in contact with. If you actively concentrate, you can improve faster.)]

 Chapter 880 Synergy

    Reading the massive improvements, Varian opened his mouth in surprise. "If I wasn''t this in such a fucked up situation, I would''ve been dancing now."


    Sarah and Sia were discussing any possibilities of saving him. Hearing his words, they immediately turned to him.


    "Dance for what?" Sarah asked with a baffled expression.


    "For this," Varian threw a stone into the air and pointed his palm at it. An invisible force emerged from his palm and enveloped the stone.


    Sia titled her head in confusion. The stone went up before falling down. There''s nothing special in it. So what was he saying?


    On the other hand, Sarah covered her mouth in shock as she stared at the stone as if it was a ghost.


    Then, a nervous smile filled her face as she turned to Varian with expectant eyes. "Did you really¡­?"


    "Yep. Though I''m only a level 1 now." Varian said. Right then, a certain force inside his body crossed a threshold and reached a new height. "Oh wait, I just reached level 2."


    "Time path?" Sia guessed.


    Varian nodded.


    "Great!" Sia almost lunged at him before controlling herself from touching him at thest moment.


    She backed off at a faster speed and coughed before saying with an excited smile. "If you can also use your time powers on it, the strand of death energy will be slowed down further."


    Sarah, however, didn''t speak and covered her forehead.


    "I''m only level 2 now. It won''t make a difference even if I''m level 6." Varian''s words doused Sia''s excitement.


    "T-True," Sia''s shoulders drooped before they straightened and she looked at him with a hopeful gaze. "But can''t we just upgrade your path? Sarah will help you."


    "In moderation, it works. But if I take too much experience from her, too fast, it''ll stop being effective." Varian said. "Even with my best estimate, I''d need two weeks to reach level 8 in Time path since I''m solely relying on Sarah."


    Sarah proposed. "How about Synergy?"


    "We''re still in the basic stages. So, I might get to level 8 a day or two quicker at most."


    "No matter, it''s worth it." Sarah insisted and Sia nodded.


    "One sec."


    Varian checked the outside and realized that they''re in the cave of a hill inside a huge a forest. He closed the cave with a sturdy wall and nodded at the girls.


    The Synergy this time began with blood.


    Varian endured the breakdown of his hand as he interlocked his fingers with Sia. Their hands were both bloodied and turned only miserable with each passing second.


    But the two didn''t want to let go of the other''s hand.


    Varian didn''t have the chance to hold Sia''s hand for almost a year. Even though he touched her earlier, it was all under a hurry.


    But now, he could clearly feel her hand. The smooth palm, the soft fingers and the supple skin. It brought back memories and made him rx.


    Even though the hand soon started bleeding, in Varian''s mind, the sensation remained the same.


    An invisible energy rippled from the three and connected.


    Varian''s mind went nk as he felt a deep connection to the two girls.


    He could ''feel'' Sarah ming herself for not being strong. He could ''feel'' Sia''s burning hatred for the Undead and Abyssals.


    He caught a glimpse of a few strong memories and felt his own feelings for them strengthen.


    On the other hand, Sia was able to experience Varian''s feelings. He was scared of death, but he was scared of losing them more. He was afraid he''d let them die.


    Sia clenched her fists so hard that her fingernails dug into her palm. Sarah bit her lip as she too experienced his emotions.


    They also experienced each other''s emotions, but only to a limited extent.


    As time passed by, their state in Synergy grew deeper and deeper before they crossed a threshold.


    Varian felt everything go nk before he found himself in a world of darkness. In front of him was a vertical partition, with divine views on each side.


    On the left, he saw three origins with paths of Mind, Darkness and Gravity.


    On the right, he saw three origins with paths of Body, Light, and Time


    ''How can I see their origin?''


    Varian soon realized that he could not only see the origins but also observe them closely.


    What he experienced could only be described as mystical.


    In the endless darkness, he saw three origins floating over a beautiful prism-like path.


    These paths gave him a feeling like no other. They were the foundation of the existing reality and were akin to signatures by God himself. Perhaps for that very reason, people called them Divine Paths.


    Like Varian, Sarah and Sia were also observing Varian''s origin. But they could both feel something else in his divine view.


    They felt the breath of a power that seemed as old as the Divine Paths. But that''s the limit of it. They couldn''t see the slivers.


    Soon, the origins of the three vibrated before aura and experience began to mix with each other.


    Varian felt the experiences of a level 9 in Sia''s and Sarah''s divine paths. The girls on the other hand got to experience the different divine paths of Varian. To a certain extent, they also felt each other''s powers.


    Varian''s aura started to rise and all his paths started to progress.


    ''Huh? Sliver energy?''


    As he was holding hands with Sia, the repulsion continued and strands of sliver energy became tangible.


    But surprisingly, Varian realized the repulsion was quickly decreasing. If he let it be, it might disappear now.


    Varian was sober all of a sudden and quickly recalled the death scene of his mother. The repulsion that was about to fade away stopped, causing Varian to sigh in relief.


    ''I can''t afford to lose this trump card now.'' Varian grabbed the strands of sliver energy to store away forter use.


    But something unexpected happened the moment he touched them.


    The slivers bloomed like a firework and under the guidance of Synergy, rushed into the bodies of Sarah and Sia.


    "Wha¡ª"

 Chapter 881 Fuck It. Lets Fight.

    Varian wanted to stop Synergy and check their conditions.


    Even though only a single strand went to each of the girls, it''s very destructive! What''s more, it''s inside their body and if it attacked, it''d directly destroy their internal organs and might even lead to¡­


    But before Varian could do anything, the aura from Sia and Sarah suddenly rose. Sarah shone with a bright white light while Sia was covered in blinding darkness.


    Their divine paths were both at low level 9. Even though Sia and Sarah were quickly progressing in these paths, they were still far away from reaching the next step.


    But the moment the strands of sliver energy entered their bodies, the Darkness and Light powers started growing.


    From low level 9 all the way to mid level 9 and it didn''t stop. Even after reaching mid level 9, they continued to grow until they were half way through!


    Only then did these Divine Paths calm down.


    On the other hand, Sarah and Sia''s other two paths received a significant boost and were now closer to reaching the end of low level 9¡ªOnly a little distance away from mid level 9.


    Sarah and Sia''s auras entered Varian and Varian''s aura started rising. Most of his paths were eitherte or peak level 8. They all received a boost thanks to the synergetic aura.


    But more importantly, a sliver strand also merged into Varian''s aura and the next moment, lightning crackled around him while the temperature dropped.


    Originally, the Lightning and Water paths were still far from reaching level 9. Lightning was only at 0/8 and Water was worse, at 20k/25k.


    But when the slivers'' power touched them, the Divine paths seemed to be supercharged and raced ahead. Breaking the bottlenecks, Varian''s elemental powers reached level 9 in one fell swoop.


    Varian wanted to continue the session for a bit longer but he could no longer ignore the injuries in his left arm. If he left it for a bit longer, he''s afraid to even the bones in his palm will be reduced to dust.


    Sarah and Sia understood his intention without any words and stopped Synergy at the same time.


    Varian grimaced as he pulled back his hand that was just too bloodied to look at. After pouring a healing potion over it, he muttered ''Status''.


    [Superhuman L8: 8/8 (+1)


    Space L8: 6/8 (+1)


    [Thanks to Synergy]


    Lightning L8: 8/8 (+8)


    [The Sliver of Order and Chaos naturally rules over the elements. You just got a strand of its energy.]


    ntae L9: 2k/50k (+1k)


    Psychic L8: 3/8 (+3k, +3)


    [Sia''s mind path has helped you.)


    Macrokic L8: 25k/25k (+5k)


    [Sia''s mind path has helped you, but not as much as it helped the Psychic path)


    Water L8: 8/8


    [The Sliver of Order and Chaos naturally rules over the elements. You just got a strand of its energy.]


    Time L5: 0/2000 (Advanced from L 2: 0/200)


    [Sarah''s experience is very useful. Even though your progress isn''t much, you will not have bottlenecks all the way until level 9, thanks to the shared insights]]


    Varian exhaled deeply as he felt the surge of power charging his body. If not for the fact that his hand was hurting like hell, he''d have beenughing.


    He still didn''t know how to solve his current predicament but he found the next step in his situation.


    ''As long as I can increase my time power to level 8 or level 9, then I can live for at least a month or perhaps even more.''


    It was just dying his death by half month. But one more day alive meant one more opportunity of finding a solution.


    So, Varian was deeply happy with the results of Synergy. He even had the urge to ask Sarah to use the time powers on him so that he could start improving right away. But he held back.


    His body usually developed resistance if he fought with one person for too long and tried to improve.


    This was because when he''s fighting someone and improving, he''s basically taking in their aura, observing the usage of their divine path, and instinctively learning it.


    If he does it too much on a single person, he''d reach stagnation.


    So, he wanted to ''reserve'' Sarah until he reached level 7 or level 8. These levels were harder to progress and using Sarah''s help at that time would be more economical.


    "Phew," Varian exhaled deeply and walked to the exit of the cave.


    The huge stone covering the exit was removed with a flick of his finger and from the top of the mountain where the cave was located, Varian observed the giant forest below.


    The trees came in all colors and sizes and were densely packed. In between these trees roamed countless beasts that constantly fought and killed.


    Even from the distance, Varian could feel the strong auras.


    Level 7s. Level 8s. Even Level 9s!


    What really made him worried was an aura even more powerful than a level 9. It was very faint but he could feel the intensity in that aura.


    ''Where the fuck did wend? Sovereign grade beasts? Yeah, no.'' Varian wanted to curse but he quickly epted his current situation.


    "I think we can all try fight a high level 9." Sarah squinted at the giant forest and said.


    Sia was about to say impossible but she noticed a level 9 fluctuation from Varian. Pursing her lips, she said. "Stalemating is the best we can do."


    "If only we had Boo." Varian clicked his tongue and walked forward. "Come, let''s see what''s the deal with this ce."


    Varian''s figure blurred and he disappeared into the dense forest in a blink. Sia and Sarah looked at each other before they followed him.


    A few secondster, a huge roar shook the forest, causing the birds to scramble from the trees.


    A giant one-eyed ape-like creature confronted the trio.


    For good or bad, the creature was a high level 9.


    "ROAR!" The one-eyed ape beat its chest and jumped at them.


    "Oh fuck it. Let''s fight." Varian clenched his fists and punched out.

 Chapter 882 The First Fight In Synthetic World

    "BOOM"


    The flock of birds fled from the top of trees as a man and an ape fought head to head.


    Unlike earth, the ground was incredibly resilient here. Even the trees in the forest could bear a level 7 attack easily.


    So, as Varian and the ape exchanged hundreds of blows in a matter of seconds, only one mile of the forest surrounding them was affected.


    It''s incredible because, on Earth, the same shockwaves of the battle would be felt from at least a hundred miles.


    "Don''t be a pussy! Just fight!" Varian roared at the ape as he kicked the ground and reached its shoulder length.


    Then, his lighting & water powers turned into a huge humanoid enveloping him. This golden-blue humanoid made up of lightning & water imitated Varian''s moves to the T.


    So, when Varian punched out, so did his elemental ''avatar''. This punch was further supported by the spaceyer as well as the telekic power.


    The Ape felt a stinging pain its mind as it was about to meet Varian''s punch. The Ape''s single eye turned so red that it seemed it was about to bleed.


    The Ape nced at the two females in the distance and its heart burned with hatred.


    Sarah and Sia continued to impose the Ape with heavy restraints using their gravity, time, and light powers.


    The strong ape that reached high level 9 was suppressed to a low level 9. It was still far stronger than the suppressed Undead back home.


    But nheless, this suppression was the reason Varian could fight it on even ground.


    "Boom!"


    Their fists connected and due to the sheer force, both Varian and the Ape were blown back.


    Variannded on his wobbly feet and wiped the blood dripping down his lips. His insides were a total mess due to the force of the punch.


    He''s still a distance away from reaching Superhuman Level 9. Just one step, but that one step meant a difference that couldn''t be ignored.


    Contrary to his injured condition, the Ape was fine. Due to its thick skin, it only felt a sting on its fist.


    At first look, it seemed like the Ape would win easily. But as a rtively wise creature, the Ape discovered Varian''s anomaly a while ago.


    Due to his level 9 ntae powers, Varian''s ''internal injuries'' were healed in seconds. Even the ripped skin and torn muscles were fixed in no time.


    As if this wasn''t enough, the Ape sensed the rise of Varian''s aura. He was growing stronger.


    It had a strong feeling that if it fought Varian for a few more minutes, this guy would suppress it easily.


    ''Monster! I encountered scary two-eyed monsters today!'' The Ape nced at the three of them for onest time before beating its chest.


    Varian thought the Ape was making a war cry and prepared himself for the fight. But to his utter surprise, the Ape ran away at an insane speed.


    Even Sarah and Sia couldn''t keep up with it. With faces filled with confusion, theynded beside Varian.


    "Just a few more punches and I could''ve reached level 9. Fuck." Varian cursed the Ape''s cowardice.


    [Superhuman Level 8: 8/8]


    Technically, he should be a level 9. But there seemed to be a small bottleneck at the end. He almost cleared it but the Ape ran away.


    "Plenty of beasts in the forest. But if we want to explore it, flying is better. Our senses are severely suppressed here." Sarah said.


    Indeed, they could only feel a hundred miles surrounding them at most. The trees, the mountains¡ªeverything was somehow suppressing their senses.


    Sometimes, their senses were being tricked. For instance, they sensed no creature near arge blue-leaved tree thirty miles away. When they actually reached it, they found a blue snake hidden in the branches.


    Compared to this, flying seemed better. There were only a few beasts flying above the forest.


    "If we can go higher, we can view the whole world, possibly a civilization." Sia tapped her chin.


    "Alright, let''s fly after a test flight." Varian raised his hand and twenty miles away, a blue rabbit-like beast with four ears suddenly stiffened.


    Then it was thrown into the air and glided above the forest as if it was flying.


    Sarah and Sia locked their auras onto the rabbit and observed it closely. Their eyes widened as they noticed hundreds of dangerous auras locking onto the rabbit. Then, they took a step back as countless attacks reached the rabbit.


    Even the daylight was overshadowed due to the burst of lights from the attacks. Lightning, ice, some purple poison¡ªthere was almost everything. It was a buffet of attacks the rabbit didn''t ask for.


    A secondter, the sky dimmed. The rabbit, of course, was no more. Not even its bones were left.


    Varian gave up any illusions of flying and easily figuring out the whole world. He expanded his multiple senses and checked the surroundings. Then, he picked the one with the least number of beasts.


    Sarah and Sia had wider senses due to their higher levels. But they followed his lead.


    Because this forest was inherently deceptive, their wider senses weren''t the best. On the contrary, Varian could use almost eight senses to check the same ce. This ovep of senses created a way more urate mind map.


    So, Varian''s trio quickly passed through the jungle avoiding the strong beasts. Sometimes, they still came across a few hiding beasts, but as time went on, Varian got better at this.


    Soon, they traveled five hundred miles without any battle. The density of the beasts dropped significantly and the three of them continued on the path.


    The logic was that if there was an intelligent civilization here, its borders would have the lowest beast density.


    In the few hours that followed, Varian fought a few battles, retreated from others, and finally reached ake.


    After they crossed theke, a dozen figures in ck leather armor appeared and the leader of the team spoke into the bracelet.


    "Matriarch, we found thest three invaders."


    "Haa~" The Matriarch''s long sigh sounded from the bracelet before her cold voice followed. "Hunt them down."

 Chapter 883 Inner World

    The Inner World of the Synthetic World was like a Dungeon.


    It''s divided into seven areas--sixrge areas surrounding one small but crucial area.


    These six areas were divided based on the characteristics: Life & Death, Space & Time, and Order & Chaos.


    The process of conquering a Synthetic World was fairly simple.


    You had to pick an area, cross it and reach the central area. This central area would contain the mand center'' that would grant you ownership of this World.


    For a makeup of teams that the Duchies had, this was an easy task. With the protection of Sovereigns, there was no danger either.


    That''s why the princes themselves came.


    But the moment they entered the Inner World, they realized something was amiss.


    The good news was that the resources, aura concentration, and treasures were higher than in any normal Synthetic World.


    The bad news was that the beasts were far stronger. The environment was way more hostile.


    The safe trip where their biggest challenge would be oupeting other princes turned into a quest for survival. It''s not nightmarishly dangerous though. But they needed utmost caution.


    If they make a slight mistake, they''d be facing Sovereign beasts and not just one.


    So, the teams of three Duchies and Prince Shak were moving very slowly in their selected zones.


    The Order & Chaos Zones were different from other zones and were further subdivided into seven elemental zones.


    Ruby Princess picked the Fire subzone, owing to her own divine path.


    The soil was practicallyva that never cooled. Volcanos fired off every hour. The air caught fire as inmmable substances were spewed into it by various nts.


    In one such location where the ground ispletely orange-red due tova, footsteps sounded.


    A young man whose body was practically on fire ran on theva, followed by a silent old man whose feet elementalized into the fire so that they weren''t affected by theva.


    "Prince! Hurry!" A hoarse voice sounded before the ground suddenly shook and a pir ofva shot into the air.


    From theva, a three-faced humanoid horse emerged. Its hoofs were glowing red and it breathed blue fire.


    Facing it was the Sovereign of the Ruby Province, the ultimate protection of the Ruby Princess.


    "Princess! Get into the volcano!" He yelled and his whole body lit up with blue mes.


    Roaring a war cry, he shot toward the fire horse.


    The humanoid horse neighed and the surroundings shook. Three more humanoid horses raced towards the Sovereign from afar.


    The Sovereign''s face sank and he immediately started firing down the humanoid horse in front of him.


    Even though he''s strong than any ''normal'' Sovereign, these creatures in the Inner Zone were no pushovers. What''s worse, he''d have to fight several of them at once!


    The sky shone with orange, red, and blue as fireworks sted everything in a radius of a hundred miles.


    Lavas were blown away. Volcanos were razed to the ground. The tough fire nts that casually dipped their roots inva were torn to shreds.


    Ruby Princess and the Hybrid jumped into a volcano that had blown off a few hours ago.


    The inside was filled with orange crystals.


    These crystals would help Fire Awakeners improve their powers. But they''re mostly useful for mid awakeners and barely helpful for high awakeners.


    So, even though the volcano was filled with crystals, the Prince ignored them and leaned against a wall. The hybrid stood guard. Like always, he didn''t open his mouth.


    A Volcano was a safe zone that no beasts approached. So, they''re temporarily safe. The Prince finally got the time to ponder.


    "Why is this ce so different from other Synthetic Worlds?"


    Every Synthetic World had its variations, but this one was a different beast altogether.


    Earlier, Ruby Princess was confident in being the one to conquer this world. But now, not so much.


    Even though safety wasn''t a problem, winning was no longer a guarantee.


    The Ruby Princess even wondered if this problem was Zone-specific. Perhaps others were having normal difficulty and only she had this problem?


    Ruby Princess shook her head with a smile. "No, that''s impossible."


    ording to the Myths, Synthetic Worlds or "Other Worlds" were actually made by Primordial Gods.


    Moreover, these worlds were so old that even when the Six Tribes discovered them long ago, they were already thriving.


    As the myth goes, the Creator left the Universe after creation. The Primordial Gods that seeded him wanted to recreate the Universe.


    So, they tried to make a Perfect World that could replicate the Universe.


    These three Primordial Godsmanded the powers of three Avenues-- Space & Time, Life & Death, and Order & Chaos.


    Using these fundamental powers, they created countless worlds in an attempt to create a Perfect World.


    This Perfect World would be built on the perfect bnce of the three avenues. It''d expand to be another Universe.


    That''s as far as the myth goes.


    All the Synthetic Worlds found so far didn''t have any such capabilities. Other than their rich resources, once conquered, they could be used as mobile worlds.


    Their biggest application was to carry armies!


    The next war of the Alliance against the Jai Empire was fast approaching. Every Kingdom wanted as many Synthetic Worlds as they could.


    From all the tests so far, the mostmon feature of all Synthetic Worlds was the bnce in all avenues.


    Even though there are some ups and downs, overall, every zone would be roughly equal. So, that meant every zone would be in the same condition.


    As Ruby Princess pondered her next move, an injured figurended in the volcano and saluted. "Princess, I''ve repelled the beasts."


    "Hm," Ruby Prince rubbed her chin.


    Prince Emerald would go to the Space Zone. Prince Sapphire would go to the Life Zone.


    If there''s Princess Diamond, she''d go through the Water Zone.


    Maybe if they work together...


    "Bring the Diamond Princess to me." She ordered.


    "Yes," The Sovereign bowed and jumped out of the volcano. This was a safe space and he had no problem leaving the princess there.


    Thirty minutester, he entered the Water Zone. It''s an ocean filled with water beasts.


    Avoiding fights, he picked a jewel from his storage ring and tried to contact the Diamond Princess.


    But the treasure showed that the Diamond Princess wasn''t present in this area. Confused, he checked a few more times before reporting to Ruby Princess.


    "Check in the Outer World. Maybe she is messing around with the natives."


    Following Ruby Princess'' instructions, the Sovereign exited the Inner World and began searching the Outer World.


    The treasure still indicated that the Princess wasn''t here.


    After three hours of hard searching, he realized the Princess wasn''t in the Outer World at all!


    "How can she not be here?" As he wandered into the outskirts of the forest, wondering about the Diamond Princess'' whereabouts, he sensed three foreign auras.


    Foreign because they didn''t belong to the Duchies or Prince Shak and certainly not the natives.


    These auras belonged to a man and two women who just killed off a bunch of natives as well as a few beasts.


    The Sovereign stiffened on the spot and he suddenly understood what happened.


    There are only 15 quotas! 12 were taken up by Duchies and Prince Shak. Thest three were reserved for Diamond Duchy!


    But if these three came in...


    "Hey, you bastards! How dare you steal Diamond Duchy''s quota?!" The Sovereign roared and locked his aura onto the three.

 Chapter 884 A Fraction Of Slivers Powers

    Varian''s trio was startled when the dangerous aura enveloped them. It felt like they were being choked by the air around them.


    Thankfully, none of them were weak to the point of actually dying or getting seriously injured from the aura lock.


    However, the sheer weight they felt on their chests when the aura pressed down on them, made it clear to them that their opponent was someone they couldn''t beat.


    They had just encountered an ambush by the ''natives''¡ª that looked almost human except for a weird nose and ears¡ªand ughtered them.


    When they''re about to check their bodies for any clues regarding the civilization, this Diamond-skinned popped up.


    "Answer me! Who the hell are you guys?" The Diamond Duchy''s Sovereign red at the three but didn''t attack.


    Even though they were all weaker than him, he was wary.


    If these guys belonged to a neighboring kingdom, then even touching them would warrant his death.


    If it''s to pacify the angry kingdom, his Duchy wouldn''t even bat an eyelid to sacrifice a Sovereign.


    Even though there weren''t too many Sovereigns, there were plenty around to not feel the pain of a sacrifice.


    So, if they''re from a powerful background, he''d have to let them go.


    If he could, however, verify that they''re not from a powerful background, then¡­


    Killing intent slowly leaked from the Sovereign and filled the air, turning the wind into sharp strings.


    Varian, Sarah, and Sia were very ufortable with this killing intent. They understood they had to answer this guy.


    But the problem was they had no clue about thenguage.


    Sia felt like she ''heard'' thenguage, but it was somewhere too deep in her memory that even her Psychic power would take hours to retrieve.


    Sarah was hearing this strangenguage for the first time and so was Varian.


    As the three remained silent, the Sovereign''s killing intent deepened and he got more inclined to believe they were not from a powerful background.


    When such a thought appeared in his mind, he focused more on the things that supported his im.


    For instance, the clothes that they''re wearing¡ªthey''re not made of stuff that could withstand even a Sovereign blow. Their storage rings were too low quality.


    B-But he couldn''t ignore the sense of¡­royalty that exuded from the young man. It felt weird but it was as if he was seeing a ruler. A king perhaps.


    ''Who the hell is he?'' The Sovereign gulped as the silence increased his nervousness.


    Several Kingdoms had the habit of sending their important princes on off-hand training. They''d start from zero in the mortal realm and reach the Celestial Rank on their own before they''re taken back into the Kingdom.


    Even the three Empires trained several geniuses in this manner. But that''s too rare. Out of tens of trillions of creatures in this gxy, what are the odds of meeting such geniuses?


    Moreover, why the hell did these three even enter this ce? They''re too weak to survive here!


    Especially this Synthetic World, that''s weird from the rest and much more dangerous.


    The Sovereign''s doubts deepened and he was more and more inclined to believe he could kill them and get away with it.


    ''I can first restrain them, feed them a psychedelic herb, and let them confess their identities.'' The Sovereign raised his hand and three sparks urred above the three.


    But right then, the silence was broken.


    "Who do you think we are?" Varian asked back in a calm tone with underlying contempt.


    "Huh?" The Sovereign raised a brow and his mind began to imagine the worst possibilities.


    On the other hand, Varian was racking his brain on the next step.


    Of course, he had no clue about thenguage that was being spoken. Apparently, it''s the lingua Franca of the intergctic civilizations.


    But the System¡ªwhich ignored him in all the major hardships¡ªhelped him out. Varian wanted to p the damn thing for the timing, but the situation was getting out of control and he had to focus on the trouble at hand.


    This was a Sovereign and one mistake was enough to warrant their death. So, Varian had to do something, anything to get them out alive.


    Varian nced at Sarah and Sia from the corner of his eyes and felt his heartbeat drop.


    They had nearly died just a few hours ago. After what they went through, Varian wanted nothing more than the safety and returning home.


    But this Sovereign''s arrival threw everything into jeopardy.


    ''Is he really from a powerful background? He speaks like that but if it''s really so, shouldn''t he take out some powerful treasure and act against me?'' The Sovereign slowly clenched his fist.


    He decided to take a single shot against the young man. Just a probing attack. It''d unveil the truth.


    Seeing his opponent clenching his fist, and preparing for offense, Varian pushed himself to think of a solution.


    ''What should I do?''


    Bravado wouldn''t work. Even if he sacrificed his life and try to hold him back, he''d be killed in seconds and the girls would be in danger.


    Escape wouldn''t work either. They''re just too slow for a Sovereign. Boo wasn''t with them. So, he could forget escaping intact.


    Then what other way?


    ''Fool him into thinking we''re someone important¡­but he''ll learn about us sooner orter. The only answer is to kill him. But I can''t attack him instantly, I need time¡­''


    Varian suddenlyughed, causing the Sovereign to stop his attack.


    "What''s so funny?" The Sovereign asked in an aggressive tone.


    Varian continued to chuckle as he replied. "I¡­I never thought there''d be a day when someone like you¡­would think of attacking this Esteemed Prince. If this got out, you, your ruler, and your entire region would be blood-bathed overnight."


    The Sovereign''s face turned ashen as fear crept inside his heart. But he wasn''t so naive to believe whatever a stranger said.


    "If you''re the Prince, then show your insignia." It''s the litmus test.


    If this young man didn''t show, then the Sovereign decided to attack and restrain him. If he did show, then he''d apologize. And if he tried to escape or do something out of the line, he''d kill him immediately.


    "Insignia? You aren''t qualified but I''m in a good mood today. So, why not?" Varian said and grabbed Sia''s hand. "Dear, where is my insignia? I remember I threw it somewhere in your ring?"


    "Huh?" Sia was thinking of a way out the whole time. Varian''s words were confusing but she knew he was brewing a n.


    Moreover, when he held her hand, his voice sounded inside her mind. ''Let me hold your hand for a few more seconds. Hold his attention.''


    Varian''s skin tore apart the moment he held Sia''s hand.


    Ignoring the pain, Varian focused inside his body and started pulling the slivers of energy inside him.


    The repulsion towards Sia was dropping and it was getting harder to extract this energy, but for now, he could still do it.


    The Sovereign noticed the injury and frowned.


    He was about to attack the three when Sia rolled her eyes at Varian. "Take your hand off. My father''s restriction won''t be lifted until our marriage. You touch me, you bleed."


    "I hate your father. Even if we''re so far away from him, I still can''t touch you without getting bacsh. What a nasty curse." Varian slicked his tongue and wrapped his arm around Sia''s shoulder.


    The Sovereign opened his mouth in shock as he saw Varian''s arm bleed without any aura fluctuation from Sia.


    ''What the hell¡­Curse? Who can ce such a restriction?''


    The Sovereign started to believe this guy might really be from a powerful background.


    "Please show your insignia. We might even be from allied regions." The Sovereign showed his restraint and said.


    "Sure," Varian said and signaled to Sia.


    Nodding lightly, Sia tapped her storage ring and a bright, shining treasure emerged out of it.


    The Sovereign''s attention was drawn by the item.


    He scanned it with his fire sense, only to realize it was just a weird shining stone¡ªnothing else. There were no inscriptions. No formations. No runes. Nothing.


    ''It''s not an insignia!'' The Sovereign realized he was deceived and instinctively channeled his fire mana, wanting to attack Varian.


    But he was still a secondte.


    "NO!"


    An invisible ripple spread from Varian and reached the Sovereign in a blink. It was a formless energy that was far beyond anything the Sovereign ever experienced.


    The moment it touched his skin, he started to dissolve. His mind screamed but his body turned into countless tiny specks and dispersed into the wind.


    "W-Wow!" Sarah and Sia froze in shock.

 Chapter 885 Old Friends

    Forget Sarah and Sia, even Varian was shocked by the instant death of the Sovereign.


    Even though he instinctively knew that the attack from sliver power was beyond a Sovereign, he expected a bit of fight. But it turned out to be too strong.


    Sia gulped and asked in disbelief. "W-What was that?"


    Varian wanted to exin but Sarah grabbed his hand and looked at them with a stern expression. "Let''s leave this ce first. I have a bad feeling."


    "Bad feeling?" Sia didn''t argue and the trio teleported a few hundred miles away.


    Just a few seconds after they left, a woman appeared at the location. Her smooth silky green dress blended her with the scenary around.


    This region was at the border of the "Forest". The brawl here resulted in the release of a strange aura that attracted a lot of beasts from the depths of the forest, including Sovereign beasts.


    But the moment they sensed the Matriarch''s aura, the beasts growled unwillingly and returned to their nests.


    The woman whose mere presence repelled the beasts was entranced in looking at the giant pit in front of her.


    The forestnd in the surrounding thirty miles waspletely cleared. The river that was flowing nearby was nowhere to be found! All the beasts in the surroundings were either dead or crippled.


    "Hm¡­"


    The Matriarch closed her eyes and sensed the lingering energy from the pit. It''s something that felt familiar but also different.


    ''What is this power that evokes deep fear in me?''


    The more she scrutinized the esoteric power, the more fear the Matriarch felt.


    When she finally reached a threshold, her body trembled violently and she copsed onto her knees.


    Her body was filled with cold sweat and her breathing was ragged. Her calm heart was on the verge of breaking out of her chest and her mind was nk.


    She caught a glimpse of this power. At that single moment, she felt the universe copse in front of her very eyes.


    ''Strands of slivers?'' The Matriarch took a few deep breaths.


    Her expression changed and the tiara on her head shone. The next moment, the Matriarch appeared thousands of miles away, in the pce of a giant forest city.


    Disregarding the surprised guards, she stormed into the core chamber.


    It was pitch ck and even with her senses, the Matriarch felt blind. The ce, by design, invoked nervousness.


    Throwing off the unease, the Matriarch stepped forward until she walked into the light. In the dark chamber, this light was emanated by a floating sphere. Inside the sphere were six colorful thin threads¡ªstrands of six slivers.


    "This is it!" The Matriarchpared the slivers and recognized the familiarity.


    Of course, there were still differences but it''s clear that the ''invader'' had strands of slivers. Particrly, the strands of Order and Chaos slivers.


    When those slivers came to mind, another name popped up in the Matriarch''s mind. "D-Devas?"


    It was thousands of years since thest Deva contacted them. They had almost forgotten that they had such an ''ally''. After all, Devas received a lot of help from them and never repaid the promise.


    ording to the myths and legends of her world, the six tribes fought a fanatical war.


    Heaven Tribe was wiped out and their time sliver was taken by the Neveah tribe. Ares tribe was nearly exterminated by the Sera tribe. But instead of losing their sliver, the Ares tribe snatched the Order Sliver and fled. Vita and Avit tribes fought but didn''t escte to the point of extermination.


    That''s the normal myth everyone knew. But the folklore that circted here had something extra. The Ares tribe that was being hunted down by the Sera tribe was on the verge of extinction. It was the people of this Synthetic World that let them in and sheltered them.


    Her ancestors helped the Ares tribe. And it''s in thisnd that they abandoned their roots and turned into Devas.


    As thanks for the irreceable help, the Devas promised to conquer this Synthetic and free them from its clutches.


    After all, the natives were bound to their Synthetic World and could only leave if the World got ''conquered''.


    For tens of thousands of years, Devas kept trying to conquer this world to no avail. But a few thousand years ago, they stopped altogether.


    For the natives, this was akin to a betrayal.


    ''Not a single message for thousands of years. Now you suddenly show up, without even an apology. Do you think I''ll allow such disregard for my people?'' The Matriarch clenched her fist and the pce started shaking.


    After concluding that these invaders were indeed from the Deva Empire, the Matriarch''s fear was reced by anger.


    She had no good feelings for these Devas. She only wanted to restrain and torture them until they regretteding here. But she couldn''t risk that when they possibly possessed more strands of slivers.


    "The best way is to let them go into the Inner World. No one has passed the trial. Like everyone before them, they too will die." The Matriarch''s lips curled into a vicious smile.


    But after another thought, she pursed her green lips into a thin line. "If I just let them in¡­it''d be no fun."


    Now that she calmed down, the Matriarch felt that her fears were overblown.


    The strands of slivers should''ve been given to the team for passing the trial. The fact that they used it even before entering meant that this new team was extremely ipetent.


    ''I still need to be careful but I can¡­''


    The Matriarch chuckled and tapped her bracelet. A few voices responded with respect.


    "Guide the three invaders into their of the Golden Tree. Inform it beforehand to finish them off. In return for the favor, we''ll not pick fights with him for fifty years."


    "The previous invaders all had a Sovereign and a hybrid in their team. This one should be no different. They''ll most likely win."


    The Matriarch would''ve thought so too if not for the traces of sliver powers.


    For one reason or another, this team had to use the sliver powers in the forest. If they''re strong, why would they resort to such a method?


    "They''re weak. Anyway, convey my words to the Golden Tree. If they lose, then we''ll have gotten rid of three invaders. If they win, rob the remains of the Golden Tree. It''s very precious."


    "As expected of you, Matriarch! We''ll benefit regardless of the oue."


    "Stop ttery, get to work."

 Chapter 886 A Plan To Save

    "¡­And I figured I can draw from the power that''s causing the repulsion and use it for attacks."


    Sarah and Sia nodded, slowlying out from the shock of the Sovereign''s instant death.


    The knowledge about slivers was too dangerous and it was in their own safety to not learn anything about them, at least for now. So, Varian didn''t tell them everything, but he told them everything he could tell.


    "What if repulsion disappears?" Sarah leaned against the tree as she muttered.


    "I won''t be able to use that attack anymore." Varian sat beside her and put his palm on the tree. His ntae senses began to work on the tree and analyze it.


    "And the repulsion is going away, is it not?" Sia, who was sitting on top of the tree, asked.


    Varian froze for a moment before smiling wryly. "It''s falling fast. So, I had to recall the unpleasant memories. It''s weird, right? I always wanted to get rid of the repulsion. But now, it''s the only safety for our lives."


    Sarah smelled the sweet scent in the air and felt a little weak. Yet, she turned her head and locked eyes with Varian. "Safety of my life and Sia''s. Not yours. Until we find a way to solve that¡­thing inside you, your safety won''t be guaranteed."


    "Isn''t that why we''re here?" Varian shrugged with a carefree smile.


    They''re currently resting on top of a barren mountain that nothing except for a pink tree. For the surrounding five miles, not even a de of grass was growing.


    The culprit of this was the pink tree they were leaning against. It had sucked up all the vitality nearby. Even they were being slowly subjected to a sweet sedative scent.


    ording to Varian''s ntae powers, once they faint, the tree would suck out their vitality.


    "Sarah, if your n works out, I can push my death away by a day or two, and solve this problem once and for all." Varian stood up and grabbed the pink trunk with both hands.


    The silent tree suddenly shook. Its pale pink branches turned scarlet and like whipsshing out, theyunched at Varian.


    As if waiting for this very moment, Sarah and Sia jumped into the air and clenched their fists.


    Countless tiny ropes of light and darkness surrounded the tree and imprisoned its branches.


    A huge gravity power and a mysterious time power fell upon the tree and weakened it further.


    Even so, the tree continued to struggle and was on the verge of uprooting the restrictions.


    It was, after all, a being that was reaching the peak of level 9. The only reason it was even dragged to this state was that it was caught by surprise.


    Varian''s branches prated the trunk and connected with the core of the tree. He could feel it. The brimming with vitality of this powerful tree. So much vitality that if a single drop of liquid leaked out, the entire mountain would be drowned in greenery.


    ''Yes, vitality. Life. The answer to death.'' Varian tried to absorb the vitality with the tip of his branches.


    The tree swayed its branches violently in the spiderweb of light and dark threads. The threads snapped easily but were quickly reced by newer ones.


    Still, the tree was slowly shaking off the restrictions.


    On the other hand, Varian discovered that he couldn''t absorb vitality from the tree.


    It wasn''t like his ntae powers had this ability.


    Sarah wanted him to give it a try. In the n she proposed, if he could ''drain'' life using his ntae powers and feed it to the death strand, then he would gain more time to live.


    If Varian could feed one day''s worth of vitality to the death strand every day, his death would always be twenty days away. Not decreasing. Not increasing.


    If he could do this for a few months, Sarah was confident Varian would reach the Sovereign state and even higher and easily solve the death strand. This was actually the worst case.


    In the best-case scenario, after a few days of draining vitality, the death strand would be overwhelmed by the vitality overdose and copse.


    This was a ridiculous n in itself. Its degree of sess depended on how much vitality Varian could absorb from a vitality-rich nt.


    And now, Varian realized he couldn''t absorb any vitality at all!


    ''¡­Wait a minute,'' Varian''s eyes shed and he pushed the strand of death to the edge of his body, to his fingertips. Of course, it still remained inside.


    If Varian cut his fingers, the strand of death energy in his fingertips would return to his body. It was something he already tried.


    So, now he wasn''t trying to separate the death strand.


    After bringing it to the edge of his branches, Varian cut the branches open so that the death strand was exposed to the insides of the tree.


    ''Now!''


    The tree that was violently struggling suddenly stiffened before its powerful branches drooped weakly.


    The pink leaves, trunk, and branches slowly darkened into a depressing gray. Then, the beautiful pink tree that was brimming with vitality turned into ashes and flew away with the wind.


    Varian, Sarah, and Sia all froze in their ces as they witnessed this ridiculous scene.


    The n was a sess. But the sheer ease with which the death strand killed this tree indicated the lethality of the death strand.


    "H-How much?" Sianded on the ground and asked Varian with a nervous expression. Sarahnded beside her and looked at Varian with anxiety.


    How many days did Varian gain from this?


    The death strand must have spent considerable energy! So, a day? Two days? Ten days?


    Even if it''s just half a day, Sarah and Sia vowed to devote all their time and strength to hunting down high-vitality trees.


    This way, the death strand would lose more and more energy. It might copse due to ack of energy!


    That''s the n.


    Varian''s arms turned back to normal and he stared back at the girls with aplicated expression. "The time I gained from this is one hour if your time powers are applied. If not, then ten minutes."


    "W-What?" Sarah felt like the air in her chest was knocked out. Even if she maintained her time powers on him, Varian wasn''t going to live for much longer.


    Sia closed her eyes in pain and a powerless sigh escaped her lips.


    They took two hours to find this tree and spent around thirty minutes deceiving and killing it.


    Varian now had around twenty days left.


    Even if he spent every waking hour hunting down these trees, and assuming he''s sessful in doing so, he''d gain at most ten more days to live.


    Looking at Sarah''s pale face and trembling shoulders, Varian felt his heart hurt.


    Grabbing her by the waist, he patted her weak back. "Hey, ten days is ten days. More time to figure something out."


    Sarah buried her face in Varian''s chest and held him tightly. Hot tears streamed down her cheeks as fear filled her mind.


    Sia turned away from the two and looked down the mountain with a determined gaze.


    She''d try her best to save Varian. Even at the cost of her own life.


    But if everything failed and Varian died, then she''d do everything it''d take to return to Sr System and exterminate the Abyssals. Then, she''d go to the Abyssals homnd and ughter every single living thing there.


    If the world took away the one person she had, then she''d burn down the damn world.


    Unlike Sarah''s fear, Sia''s heart was filled with rage.


    ''Huh?''


    Sia narrowed her eyes as she noticed a few natives approaching them from the distance.


    "Die."


    Thick killing intent filled the air.

 Chapter 887 There Will Be No Talks

    ''Kill them if you can. If you can''t, then hunt them to Mad Land.''


    This was the message of the Matriarch.


    There were already thousands of active ''hunting teams'' that were usually assigned the tasks of killing beasts and maintaining peace at borders.


    But now, half of these teams were diverted to kill the invaders. What''s more, thousands of natives gathered into teams and started a search for these invaders.


    Like many adventurers in his city, Captain Warhak also formed a team and entered the forest zone to search for the invaders.


    He wouldn''t have done so for any other invader teams. They all had a Sovereign!


    The natives were limited by the Synthetic World''sws and couldn''t have more than six Sovereigns. Every time Invaders came, they''de in five groups, with each group bringing a Sovereign.


    So, despite their long development and well-documented history of invaders and their atrocities, it was risky for the natives to confront them on a full-fledged scale. Moreover, the invader Sovereigns were always stronger than the natives.


    Even though most invaders didn''t care about the natives and just entered the Inner World, there were more than a dozen cases in the past ten thousand years when things got bloody and the invaders tried to ughter the natives to extinction.


    It was only thanks to the World Will that ''expelled'' the Invaders that went overboard that the Natives managed to survive.


    Still, these dozen events remained a pain point for the natives and their hatred for the invaders was instilled deep in their bones.


    That''s the reason Warhak signed up. He just wanted a chance to kill the invaders. Forget the reward. Forget the resources spent on it.


    And this was truly the perfect opportunity for killing a group of invaders. This team of the young man and two young women was unlike any other. They didn''t even have any peak level 9, forget a Sovereign!


    And fortunately or unfortunately, out of thousands of teams searching for the invaders, Warhak''s was the one that found them.


    "This is our chance! Let''s wash the graves of our ancestors with the blood of these barbarians" Captain Warhak raised his axe and pointed to the top of a mountain. "For Hortus!"


    "For Hortus!" Ten more axes were thrust into the air and a bloodthirsty war cry echoed in the forest.


    The hunting team was allposed of Body Awakeners and they dashed to the bottom of the mountain in the blink of an eye.


    But before they could take a step further, their bodies grew heavy and they directly knelt on the ground.


    "D-Damn it¡­"


    Warhak tried to stand but his weight doubled in an instant and as a result, the ground under him cracked and his knees sunk into the soil.


    Seeing this, Warhak''s team gulped and fell silent. But Warhak only grew angrier. "I''ll kill you bast¡ª"


    Warhak''s words came to an abrupt stop as the wind around him turned sharp like a de and pressed against his neck. His skin strained under the sharpness and tore, leaking a drop of blue blood.


    The gravity on Warhak''s neck grew and his proud head was forcibly lowered.


    Tap. Tap. Tap.


    The footsteps of the invader were light, but in the terrifying silence, they mmed against the hearts of Warhak''s team.


    More worrying than the footsteps was the being that was emanating the terrific killing intent. As it approached them with each step, cuts started to appear on the natives.


    They were first small, only a finger length. Then, there wererger and deeper cuts. When the footsteps finally stopped, the team members were covered in numerous cuts and their blood formed a puddle under their knees.


    "Hm!"


    Following the invader''s disdainful snort, the air around the natives tightened and they were strangled.


    Warhak''s neck too was being slowlypressed. In a few seconds at most, he''d die. Knowing struggle was futile, he closed his eyes and prepared for the inevitable death. He only hoped other teams would avenge his death.


    But after a few seconds of gruesome strangling, the gravity on their bodies suddenly disappeared!


    "Huh?" Warhak thought it was an illusion and instinctively looked up.


    He saw a woman in an exotic ck dress. Her cold eyes and frosty face coupled with the killing intent made him realize she was the one that nearly killed them.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    On the other hand, the young man who suddenly appeared in front of them had a peaceful face and even a friendly smile. This only made Warhak more vignt.


    "I want to talk to your leaders. We don''t mean harm to you." The young man said in a calm voice. His voice was assuring and he had the temperament of a leader.


    For a moment, Warhak almost wanted to call his leaders. But he woke up and sneered at the young man. "Do you think we''re fools? You and your friends are all the same. Bloody invaders."


    "My friends?" The Young Man had a frown on his face.


    Warhak thought he might have had a bad rtionship with the other invader teams. So, he decided to piss him off. "Oh yes, friends. They''re just not weak like you. They all got Sovereigns. But you, you don''t even have a strong level 9."


    The Young Man''s face turned grave and he turned to the woman in white and the woman in ck with a serious expression.


    They spoke in anguage Warhak didn''t understand. But he felt like they were scared.


    But the Young Man turned to him a few secondster with a calm face and said. "Let them be. How about you connect us to your leader and we hold a proper dialogue? Hostility with us will not gain you anything. If we cooperate, maybe we could even help you with my friends."


    "Ha¡ªHahahaha!" Warhak burst into tears as he roared withughter. This was the funniest and most audacious thing he heard in his entire life.


    The invader whose sole purpose entering their world was to plunder their resources and enve their world was talking about peace.


    Not only that, this invader who was the weakest of all other groups, had the gall to call it cooperation when he just wanted to "use" their strength against his enemies.


    Warhak''s hatred of the invader only got worse.


    Unaware of theplex mental dynamics, Varian continued to speak in an attempt to strike peace. "We had our own circumstances. I assure you we''re not hostile to your people, as long as you don''t antagonize us. If our talks proceed, we''ll leave this ce."


    "Keep dreaming. There is no peace. Only war. My people areing for you. Thousands of them. You can''t escape! You bloody bastards!" Warhak spat on the ground and closed his eyes.


    Varian''s eyes turned gloomy but he adjusted his mood and signaled to Sia. Sia waved her hand and knocked out everyone.


    The three of them then traveled toward a safer region while carrying the hostages. After putting them in a safe space, Varian''s trio started searching for another team.


    They found a twenty-member with a mid level 9.


    After subtly guiding them into the valley they''re currently at, Varian appeared in front of them along with the hostages.


    Sarah and Sia hid in the background, lying in ambush in case things went south.


    "I have your people in my hand, but they''re not harmed. I just want to talk to your superiors." Varian said with a peaceful gesture.


    The hunting team paused for a moment as their gazes alternated between Varian and the hostages.


    Varian decided to show some goodwill and waved his hand. The hostages, including Warhak, floated toward the team slowly.


    As they reached the hunting team, Varian removed the telekic power and also let down his vignce a bit.


    ''They should be willing to talk now, rig¡ª''


    BOOM!


    The captain of the hunting team shot his spear straight at Varian with Warhak in the middle as the cover.


    The spear tore through Warhak''s body and headed for Varian.


    Following the sounds of wind tearing, more and more spears pierced through the hostages and reached Varian.


    "¡­What the?!"


    Varian was dumbfounded at the hunting team''s action.


    They used the hostages as a cover to attack him. They didn''t even blink in hesitation for killing their own.


    What''s worse, Varian realized that there might not be any talks.

 Chapter 888 Plan B

    As the attacks of the hunting team reached Varian and were about to strike him, a barrier of light appeared in front of Varian. The spears capable of leveling cities couldn''t even push the thin white barrier.


    "What?!"


    The team turned their gazes towards Sarah and were about to attack her when their bodies grew heavy and their knees crashed onto the ground.


    The natives struggled violently. Even for Sia''s gravity power, it was a bit too much. Thankfully, her psychic powers were also in use and they decreased the struggle of the natives.


    So, even though they hated the ''invaders'', the hunting team could nothing when they were imprisoned and forced to kneel.


    But such a situation didn''t evoke even the slightest bit of their fear. Instead, they red at Varian and the girls with bloodshot eyes.


    ? "You''ll die!"


    "You''re so weak! Not even a Sovereign!"


    "We''re just novices who signed up for hunting you scums! The real hunting teams are yet to arrive!"


    "And when they do, you''ll die an ugly death!"


    Saying so, the hunting team moved their tongues, pressed against a certain metallic item at the top of their mouth, and channeled aura into it.


    Varian''s eyebrows jumped and he felt an ominous premonition. Without hesitation, he took Sarah and Sia and teleported away.


    A momentter, a huge explosion took ce in the location they were previously at. A giant cloud of dust rose in the sky and a vast crater, spanning dozens of miles was formed at the site of the explosion.


    If Varian and the girls remained, even though they wouldn''t be fatally injured, several major injuries would''ve been unavoidable.


    The trio returned to the location after a blink and with a snap, the dust settled.


    Looking at the deep crater at where the hunting group previously knelt, Varian took a deep breath and muttered. "Madness. This is madness."


    The other party was willing to die just to make them suffer. This hatred wasn''t normal.


    The only reason natives didn''t attack the previous teams like rabid dogs was that they were afraid of retaliation from the invader Sovereigns. They wanted to avenge their ancestors, but they didn''t want to risk their civilization for it.


    Even then, under the slight nudging of the Matriarch, several powerful members formed teams and tried to kill the invaders, only to get counter-killed.


    To some extent, those people knew they were likely going to die. But they still went. This hatred was engraved in their bones. They just couldn''t vent it.


    Under such circumstances, Varian''s team was the perfect outlet. Even if they killed this invader, they wouldn''t have to fear any Sovereign attacking them.


    The deep-seated hatred would find its way toward Varian, one way or another.


    Even though Varian didn''t know the situation of the natives, he trusted his observation. The natives wouldn''tpromise. The hatred he saw in their eyes was just too much.


    "Talks aren''t possible." Varian sighed.


    "Then what do we do?" Sarah raised her head and squinted her eyes at the distant mountain on the horizon. "We need to keep finding more vitality treasures for you. And we also need to get back. Both of these need assistance from natives."


    Even though they lived outside the ''forest'', the natives must have excellent knowledge about the forest and its treasures.


    If they could help, Varian might find precious life treasures and¡­perhaps save his life.


    If there were no such treasures here, Sarah also had the idea of going to the Ruins. Such a miraculous ce should definitely have a solution. What''s more, Varian is the Scion. He might be helped by the Ruins.


    But they didn''t know the way back. So, even for that, they needed the help of the natives.


    The current situation where they''re unwilling to talk and want to hunt them down at any cost was the worst possible oue for Varian.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Sarah didn''t know how to solve this issue. But she did know their time would be better spent on trying the next best vitality tree.


    So, she said. "Forget about these natives. Let''s check for trees, flowers, and nts with strong vitality. "


    "No," Before Varian could reply, Sia expressed her objection and looked down at the pit where the natives previously knelt. "Our search for treasures is too inefficient. If we can get the info from natives, then it''ll save us so much time and effort. Besides, they could have a solution to Varian''s problem."


    "But they don''t want to talk." Sarah bit her lip.


    Sia shook her head and smiled. "If they don''t talk, let''s not talk. We can try infiltrating into their kingdom and steal the information we want."


    Sarah opened her mouth in surprise. "This¡­"


    It''s something she didn''t really consider. Sarah''s thinking was traditionally militaristic, contrary to Sia''s experience with Shadow Guardians that acted as a shadow force.


    Sarah was open-minded and had no problem epting Sia''s n. She even praised her best friend for it without holding back.


    She then turned to Varian and asked with a nervous expression. "You did disguise as an Abyssal Prince and infiltrated the Abyssals before. Can you do the same now?"


    Varian scanned the natives a few times and nodded. "I can."


    Sarah''s eyes lit up. "Then what are you waiting for? Disguise yourself and go¡ª"


    "I can''t." Varian shook his head before she even finished.


    "And why is that?" Sia red at him.


    "My mask only works one. And we don''t have Boo now. So, if I go now, I have to leave you two here. I can''t do that while the natives are hunting us. It''s too dangerous." Varian said.


    "Are you crazy?" Sia took a step forward and looked into Varian''s eyes. "You''re dying and there is a good chance you can help yourself by infiltration. You don''t want to go because you''re worried? Then what about us? If you go, we might die. If you don''t go, you''ll definitely die."


    Varian was hit by her words and fell silent.


    "Our powers support stealth. We can hide well." Sarah tried to soothe his worries.


    "Your stealth is good, I know. But they have Sovereigns. What will you do if you encounter a Sovereign? You know, we just encountered one and almost died." Varian said with a heavy expression.


    "That¡­" Sia couldn''t refute Varian''s words.


    Enigma''s stealth after using her darkness powers was indeed one of its kind, but even she had no chance of staying undetected under a Sovereign''s radar. If she encountered a Sovereign, no, even a peak level 9, then it''s game over.


    Sia realized she had been ignoring that they passed by death during their Sovereign encounter. If Varian was even a secondte, they''d have died.


    In such a dangerous environment, it''s justified that Varian wouldn''t feel safe leaving them alone.


    Still, Sia wanted to persuade Varian. But when she noticed his resolute gaze, she sighed like a deted balloon. "Forget it. I''m feeling tired anyways."


    A familiar violet light enveloped Sia''s body. Her brown hair turned silvery-white, her golden eyes turned violet and her body grew slightly, bing more mature.


    "Huh?" Enigma blinked at Sarah and Varian in surprise.


    She was the most exhausted during the chaotic space saga. After fainting, she was ''sleeping'' and only woke up a few minutes ago. Then, Sia shared her recent memories and suddenly went dormant.


    ''Why am I suddenly in charge?'' Enigma wanted to ask, but she suddenly turned north and her expression changed.


    She sucked in a breath of cold air and said to Varian and Sarah with a serious tone.


    "Run!"

 Chapter 889 Crazy Natives

    Hearing Enigma''s sharp cry, Varian ran without any hesitation. So did Sarah.


    Varian''s body powers enabled him to run faster than the wind as did Sarah''s. Moreover, Enigma used gravity power to lighten their bodies as she ran beside them.


    As a result, the ground nearly cracked apart as the three shot forward like a rocket.


    In Varian''s view, the surroundings seemed to be ying fast forward. In just a second, the hills passed by, therge valley receded into the distance, the distantke was now a foot away and thendscape in front of himpletely changed.


    All this happened in a second. And before Varian could even ask Enigma why they had to run, he heard a loud bang from behind and the ground under his feet suddenly shook as a shockwave hit his back.


    Varian staggered forward before bncing his body and continuing his run. Even though he didn''t turn back, his lightning sense expanded and captured everything behind.


    There were five natives in the location they ran from. But unlike any previous teams which mostly consisted of level 8s or low level 9s, four of these five members were mid level 9s. And the captain was a high level 9!


    "Merciful Sword reporting, we found them at Xonos mountain, Perclus region." The Captain reported into hismunication crystal.


    An encrypted message arrived a secondter.


    "But I wish I could kill them my own stands..." The captain frowned at the order in frustration but thinking of something, his lips curled into a sadistic smile. "Chase!"


    The team chased the invaders. Their speed was so high that a storm began in the area due to the harsh winds.


    Even though they started a few secondster, they quickly narrowed the distance with the invaders. In a few seconds at most, they''d catch up!


    Varian realized the problem and enveloped the girls in his space power. The space around them distorted and they appeared two hundred miles away.


    Previously, they were at the border of the Wilderness area and the Natives'' kingdom. With this teleportation, they went back into the forest which was filled with many dangerous beasts.


    The teleportation didn''t help Varian for long. Even though he created more distance between them, it was narrowed in a blink.


    Even when he tried teleporting twice or thrice, he remained in the sensing range of the hunting team.


    This frustrated Varian and he decided to teleport continuously until he disappeared from their sensing range.


    Varian, Sarah, and Sia''s bodies blurred and they appeared a hundred miles away in the forest. They blurred again and were now a hundred miles farther. And again. Once they cross five hundred more miles, they''d be out of range.


    Varian was excited and teleported again. As a result, they ended up under a giant tree that Varian''s senses deemed safe before teleportation.


    But the moment they appeared, a pair of red eyes opened on the green bark of the tree, and the green snake shot at them with lightning speed.


    "What?!"


    Feeling the peak level 9 aura from the snake, Varian''s heart sank. He hurried and used teleportation on them once again.


    He was fast, but the snake was faster.


    As the space around them distorted and they were about to teleport, the snake''s fangs reached Varian.


    Varian put up ast-minute defense of lightning and ice walls that instantly crumbled in front of the snake''s power.


    At thatst moment, two walls of light and darkness stood in front of Varian. Even they onlysted a moment before they were crushed.


    Thankfully, the small time period these defenses bought gave them the time to finish the teleportation.


    So, when the snake bit tightly with the intent to kill, it only found empty air. This greatly enraged the snake.


    Its two-meter body suddenly swelled into a length greater than an anaconda. The green snake enveloped the giant tree and hissed into the air.


    "HISS!"


    The birds froze in the air out of fear and all the beasts on the ground stopped moving. Even the tree leaves stopped rustling. Everything and everyone in the surrounding hundred miles froze.


    "Damn this forest!" Appearing two hundred miles away within a row of blue trees, Varian cursed.


    Five auras locked onto them and were chasing them at full speed. The natives were about to lose them but thanks to the Green Snake''s fiasco, they were able to close the distance with them.


    With dangerous beasts hiding from his senses lurking all over the forest, Varian couldn''t afford random teleportations.


    So, the only choice was to run with caution.


    The hunting team didn''t have that problem. They literally hunt in the forest¡ªthat''s their usual job. Based on their familiarity with the forest, they had the safest and shortest route to Varian.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    And by now, other professional teams started arriving.


    "Shadow Hunters, reporting."


    "Smiling Butchers, reporting."


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "Purity Swords, reporting."


    The small team of five was quickly joined by nine more teams, pushing the total number to fifty.


    These fifty level 9s had eight high level 9s and forty five mid level 9s. There were even two peak level 9s!


    This formation would''ve been useless in front of other native teams because of their Sovereigns but for Varian''s team, it was lethal.


    Dozens of colorful attacks shot into the air and chased after Varian''s team. Varian''s trio used all their divine paths and sped up the best they could.


    But the distance continued to shrink.


    In the end, Varian even abandoned caution and started continuous teleportation. Even Enigma used her artifact and teleported them.


    But to their horror, the natives were able to learn his location instantly, as if they had messengers everywhere in the forest.


    So, the chase continued in the dense, colorful forest filled with dangerous beasts.


    More than once, Varian wanted to use the sliver powers and kill them all¡ªbut the problem was that the hunting teams weren''t together.


    They acted in perfect coordination and acted as a single unit, but the distance between them was too big.


    Firstly, to use the sliver power, he needed to concentrate and preferably, stand still. And if he used the sliver powers and killed one team, he wouldn''t be able to immediately recharge another sliver attack for another team.


    The trees in the surroundings continued to shrink as Varian''s trio ran.


    The forest quickly turned into a swap and the swamp turned into in grasnds. And they soon ran to the edge of the grasnds, following a river. The river flowed down the cliff, creating a beautiful waterfall. Other than beautiful flower beds, and exotic nts, there wasn''t a single beast here.


    And that''s exactly why Varian had an ominous premonition. Especially because of the cliff. He couldn''t see anything below the cliff due to dense white fog.


    "We should try to get out her¡ª"


    The sky lit up with hundreds of attacks.


    Fire roses, ice lilies, lightning leaves, and earthen sticks. Following those attacks were the bulky body awakeners from the natives.


    "Shit." Only then did Varian realize what these teams were nning. They weren''t nning to kill them. At least not directly. If that was. the n, they could''ve started some serious attacks before.


    Instead, the chasing teams used their attacks and guided them in a certain direction and brought them to this ce.


    Varian''s guess was spot on. The Matriarch''s order was to push them to the Mad Zone.


    Even though the Natives regretted missing the chance of killing the invaders with their own hands, they too liked the idea of throwing these invaders into that terrible zone.


    "Die!"


    "Hahaha!"


    "Taste despair, bitches!"


    With roaringughter, the teams attacked the foreigners with full strength.


    Sarah, Enigma, and Varian put up their defenses. But hundreds of attacks rained down on them and sted them toward the edge of the cliff.


    Varian grabbed Sarah and Enigma''s sleeves and was about to teleport when the space around him solidified and his mind was attacked. "Fuck!"


    Enigma''s attempts to teleport them were also sabotaged.


    Under the bloodthirsty gaze of the invaders, more attacks hit the trio and shot them off the cliff.

 Chapter 890 Mad Zone

    "Done?" Seated on the throne in azy posture, the Matriarch asked the messager who just stormed into the throne hall.


    The messenger was panting heavily and his blue skin turned dark red, proving he was incredibly excited about something.


    Even though the members of the throne hall already guessed the news, they couldn''t help but look at the messenger in anticipation.


    The messenger forgot to even breathe as he said with a big smile. "The hunting teams pushed the invaders into the Mad Zone."


    The faces of everyone in the room lit up and they mmed the armrests of their chair in appreciation, one of their cultural practices.


    The Matriarch''s lips curled into a thin smile as she witnessed this scene.


    In thest thousand years, this was the highest appreciation given by the court members.


    "Announce this to the citizens. We will hold a celebration for three days and three nights." The Matriarch waved her hand at the cultural minister and walked out of the room.


    The ministers and courtesans that stayed behind in the throne hal whispered among themselves.


    The census among everyone was that by doing something no ruler had ever done before¡ªdestroying a group of invaders¡ªeven if it''s only a single group out of five¡ªthe Matriarch''s prestige reached a terrifying level.


    As long as she''s alive, the Matriarch would have no problem being the ruler.


    One of the older ministers sighed as he stroked his brown beard. "¡­If the invaders were directly killed off, the hunting team that killed them would''ve been in the spotlight. Instead, she pushed the invaders into Mad Zone where they can''t live or die. Now the public will think she inflicted eternal torture on them and give her all the credit."


    Everyone agreed with his analysis and sighed one more time before leaving the pce.


    Not a single person even thought of the possibility of the invaders escaping from the Mad Zone.


    If you''re not a Sovereign, forget high level 9, even peak level 9 couldn''t escape that ce. And even Sovereigns needed to pay a price to escape.


    Mad Zone or the Twilight Zone, as written in their scriptures, was a ce of intersection. The intersection of life and death.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Boom!


    With a loud bang, Varian''s trio crashed onto the hard ground. The tiny but pointed grave would''ve pierced their skin if they didn''t set up their defenses in advance.


    Still, the three of them were already injured from the hunting teams'' attacks. Crashing only made it worse.


    But ignoring the pain, Varian jumped onto his feet and looked around while spreading his psychic sense.


    The sky was blocked by thick white clouds. His psychic or any other sense was also blocked by the thick clouds. In fact, the whole sky was covered by white clouds.


    The region he was in resembled a vast innd of earth. Except the soil was purple with countless ck patches spread all over the ce.


    But the most surprising of all was the¡ª


    "ROAR!"


    There were arge number of beasts on the in.


    Even though the closest beast was fifty miles away, Varian realized that was because the area they were currently in was rtively isted. Every other area had at least ten to twenty beasts.


    Even though not all these beasts were strong, there were plenty of high level 9 and peak level 9s around. And worryingly, there were even several Sovereign auras.


    Even though it was a dangerous situation, Varian didn''t panic.


    Sarah and Enigma too observed the areas around them while maintaining an extraordinary calmness.


    Just a few seconds ago, they were hunted down and were about to be killed. And now, they''re in a strange area with countless beasts.


    "¡­Why did they throw us here?" Enigma looked up, trying to pierce her senses through the clouds and look at the hunting teams.


    Sure, it''s dangerous. But why let go of the prey in your hand?


    "This ce is weird¡­" Sarah said with a frown.


    She waved her hand and a couple of huge weird corpses floated from the ground. With each passing second, these corpses were filled with a familiar energy. And that energy was slowly turning their purple flesh ck.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "U-Undead?" Enigma''s expression turned for the worse and she looked at the corpses with a hateful gaze.


    Varian grabbed a corpse that looked like a giant horse and brought the strand of death energy in his body in contact with it.


    The dormant death strand jumped twice and started sucking in the death energy from the corpse. A clump of death energy surged into Varian''s body and caused him to stagger back.


    Before Varian could even throw it away, the corpse broke down into countless small particles and flew away with the wind.


    The death strand in his body strengthened slightly. Varian''s lifespan was cut off by 10 minutes.


    "A single corpse has a lot of death energy and it''s all very pure," Varian said with a grave expression.


    The Abyssals had to sacrifice tens of millions of corpses to gather the death energy in the death strand. But if they had these corpses, a hundred thousand were enough. This ce was reeking of death energy.


    Varian stepped forward to inspect more corpses but Sarah grabbed his arm and injected time power into his body.


    This was all the time power she umted since thest usage and as she poured out thest drop out, Sarah''s face paled.


    But she didn''t care about her condition and urged Varian. "The time power in your body has been unstable since we entered here. This ce is more dangerous for you. Let''s get out of here first."


    After saying that, she gestured for them to fly.


    The reason they didn''t try just flying to the clouds and getting out of this ce was to avoid being targeted by the beasts here.


    They learned a bitter lesson in the forest: Anyone and anything flying is an open target.


    Sarah was willing to risk even that. So, staying was more dangerous.


    Varian and Enigma trusted her and channeled their power.


    Dust flew under their feet and in the blink of an eye, the three shot up to a height of hundred meters.


    But before they could fly further, a heavy pressure enveloped them and pped them down.


    BOOM!


    This crash was worse than the first one.


    Varian climbed out of the crater coughing. The dust slowly cleared and the three of them flew up again.


    BOOM!


    This crash was twice as rough as thest one. Hoping that it was just this area''s fault, Varian and the girls flew to another area with a couple of level 8 beasts and flew to the sky again.


    BOOM!


    This crash was also twice as rough as thest one and was already capable of injuring them.


    After two more attempts, they gave up trying to fly out of this ce and epted the bitter reality.


    "We can''t fly out of this ce, we can only find an exit," Varian said as he looked around.


    The exit would be the region where the thick white clouds ended. As far as Varian could see, there was no such ce in sight.


    And worse¡­


    Engima noticed the beasts and Undead beasts nearby slowly moving in their direction.


    They couldn''t fly out¡ªflying was prohibited.


    They couldn''t escape¡ªthey were being approached by beasts from all sides.


    They couldn''t strike peace¡ªthese beasts were reeking of crazy bloodlust. Most of the beasts were smeared in thick purple blood and were exuding tremendous killing intent.


    Enigma''s heart sank as she realized the danger they were going to be in. She unsheathed her sword and warned the two. "Prepare yourself. It''s going to be long."

 Chapter 891 Mad Zone: Waves Of Undead

    Mad Zone existed for as long as the civilization of natives came into being.


    Even their oldest myths mentioned this ce. After several resets of many kingdoms, the surviving legends still spoke of this ce in great reverence.


    There was always a respectful angle to this ce in the scriptures. Almost as if it was a divine blessing.


    But it was all in the past. A few thousand years ago, they learned the reality of this sacred ce.


    They realized it was not a divine ce or paradise. It was hell.


    And hell had its own monsters.


    "Shoot!"


    Varian roared as he summoned a giant lightning bolt and shot it at the giant undead ape that was running toward them.


    The yellow lightning bolt crackled and reached the undead ape in a blink. It then expanded into the size of a bus and was about to pierce the ape''s chest.


    The undead ape''s gray eyes moved and flickered and it bent its body at thest moment.


    The lightning bolt that should''ve pierced its heart now pierced its right shoulder. The undead ape''s shoulder was mostly rotten flesh and loose skin.


    The moment the lightning bolt touched it, the skin was blown away and the flesh was sted into pieces and charred. Even the bone socket was cracked apart and its right arm was no longer functional.


    It should''ve been a terrible pain for any creature. But the undead felt no pain. It ignored its dysfunctional right arm and raised its left arm to attack Varian.


    Varian clenched his fists and an invisible telekic power took the shape of a spear.


    When the spear reached its neck, the undead ape barely managed to dodge, but as a result, its right leg was injured.


    When Varian summoned an ice spear, the undead ape realized it wouldn''t be able to dodge this attack.


    So, it used up all its strength and reached Varian in an instant. Then, using its only functional arm, it punched out.


    Feeling the huge swath of death energying from the ape, Varian frowned and teleported behind the ape.


    Whenever he came into contact with the death energy, the death energy in his body turned active and created havoc. That''s why he used ranged attacks against the Undead despite liking closebat.


    "Die!"


    The ape tried to dodge like the previous two times, but due to the injuries in its right arm and right leg, its bnce was off mark. The spear sessfully decapitated the undead ape.


    Varian was about to use lightning to burn the corpse into ashes when something astonishing happened.


    The ape''s corpse melted into the soil and all its traces disappeared! This happened so fast that Varian was barely able to catch a glimpse of the process.


    "W-What was that?" Varian had an ominous premonition.


    "ROAR!"


    "Grahahar!"<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "Sdar!"


    The war cries of the undead rushing toward him reached Varian. Undead reptiles that looked like crocodiles with long legs, undead frogs with metallic skin, and undead humanoids with varying numbers of tails, ears, or eyes.


    It wasn''t one or two undead. It was a wave of them.


    They encircled Varian''s trio and were quickly closing the distance. Thankfully, they were mostly peak level 8s or low level 9s.


    But even then, due to the sheer numbers, Varian was forced topletely focus on fighting them.


    Varian couldn''t afford to think about other things anymore and fought with all his powers.


    From the clouds, it seemed like a single dot was about to be submerged under waves of ck dots.


    But the single dot shone with multiple colors and its attacks started to wipe out the ck dots. These ck dots fell to the ground and melted into nothingness.


    From a bird''s view, it was clear that the ck dots were falling at an rming rate. It was as if they were all throwing themselves into a meat grinder andmitting suicide.


    Even Sarah and Enigma who were fighting the waves directed at them far away were startled by the fluctuations from Varian.


    When the attacks first began, they took up the stronger mid level 9 and low level 9 enemies and left Varian with the peak level 8s and weaker low level 9s.


    Because his growth was so fast and so recent, Sarah and Enigma subconsciously still treated him as a level 8.


    But now, even though they''re a hundred miles away, they could clearly feel the rapid deaths of the Undeads.


    Unlike them who were using their superior level to overwhelm the enemies, Varian was using thebination of his powers and achieving something like abo to achieve a kill rate better than theirs.


    For instance, he''d push a group of aggressive beasts into illusion and make them attack other undead. When these undead wanted to defend themselves, he''d use his space powers to slow their movements.


    When the two sides sh, both the illusion and space blockade would be broken and the illusioned undead would realize they were fooled.


    But there would be a small window of opportunity before they realized this¡ªless than a hundredth of a second.


    It''s the perfect chance to attack. But even for Varian, it''s impossible to act in such a short time frame.


    So, even though he got this ''chance'', it''s not really a chance at all and his kill rate should''ve been far less.


    But there''s a factor that changed everything.


    Time Power.


    Varian''s time path reached level 5. To be fair, it''s not strong and won''t even be able to slow down a level 9 enemy even by 10%.


    But Varian used it on himself. That one-hundredth of a second stretched itself in front of him and allowed Varian to time his attacks.


    As a result, dozens of precisely ced attacks of lightning, telekic, ice, and space attacked the illusioned beasts at their most vulnerable moment and reaped their lives.


    Since Varian avoided physical shes, his Body path remained on the verge of reaching level 9. But his other paths continued to improve due to continuousbat. Slowly but steadily, his paths made progress toward level 9.

 Chapter 892 Advancement

    If asked for advice for getting stronger quickly, almost all humans would say getting a treasure, finding an elixir, or making a retreat.


    But Varian would have a different answer.


    "Fight!"


    About fifty peak level 8 Undead were fast approaching Varian in three waves, consisting of ten, fifteen, twenty five undead in each wave respectively. The fourth wave was made of five low level 9. The fifth was made of five mid level 9.


    Arge pond appeared out of nowhere above the first wave of ten undead and crashed down on them.


    These undead instinctively tensed up and were about to dodge when they sensed it was just water and nothing else. Even though it hit them with strong momentum, it didn''t deal them any damage.


    But the water slowly seeped into their body. The Undead typically had several gaping wounds and the water fully took advantage of these wounds and formed a wateryer that extended from the outside to the inside. The Undead noticed this and was about to act when they noticed this water lost its mana.


    In other words, it won''t be able to do any harm. So, they focused on the ''pure living creature'' that appeared. They kicked the ground, raised the dust, and continued running toward Varian.


    The dust that rose in the air contaminated the water and impure water had a perk that pure water didn''t¡ªit could conduct electricity.


    The Undead that were a few hundred meters from Varian felt a sh in the sky and the next thing they knew, dozens of lightning bolts struck them.


    Usually, these lightning bolts should''ve been only damaging and would have caused any fatal injuries.


    But now¡ª


    "Rumble!"


    "Rumble!"


    "Rumble!


    The Undead twitched violently as the lightning traveled through the wateryer and entered their insides. The next moment, a burning smell permeated the air and the Undead crashed to the ground and melted into the soil.


    The second wave had fifteen Undead. After the first wave died, they elerated and quickly closed the distance between them and Varian to a point of just a hundred meters.


    And the third wave of twenty-five Undead were allposed of elemental awakeners.


    Dozens of fireballs, ice arrows, lightning bolts, and earthen maces shot at Varian without mercy.


    Facing thebined might of these two waves, Varian chose not to confront them together.


    Instead, he teleported behind the elementals and froze the space around them. At the same time, he attacked their minds and turned them sluggish. And he applied the time power to himself and increased his response speed.


    In Varian''s eyes, the world slowed down. The second wave just turned around and started running toward him. The elemental Undead were covering themselves with their elemental armor.


    The fourth wave of low level 9s and fifth wave of mid level 9s was still a hundred miles away and wouldn''t reach him for five more seconds.


    "Go!" Varian uttered slowly but to the Undead, it appeared extremely fast.


    Before they could even understand why, the elemental undead that just broke the space binding and barely came out of the psychic attack were stuck by lightning bolts, invisible telekic daggers, and ice bullets.


    All of these attacks were also at peak level 8, so although the Undead were struck by these attacks, only a few died.


    But the real banger came in an unexpected form.


    Varian''s arms turned into branches and the branches bloomed with beautiful flowers. These flowers, made of all colors and forms, left the branches and shot towards the Undead.


    These delicate flowers appeared harmless. The Undead only built up a small elemental shield to defend against them.


    "Kacha!"


    But the moment these flowers touched the shields, the shields broke down on the spot and the flowers hit the Undead.


    The flowers entered the gaping wounds of the Undead and the next moment, all the twenty-five Undead exploded into flesh and bones.


    Varian sucked a breath of cold air in wonder.


    His ntae path was the only one that reached level 9. And despite his ntae power being one of the weaker ones among level 9s, twenty-five peak level 8 Undead died without resistance.


    This only went on to show the disparity between the two levels. Even the strongest level 8 was significantly weaker than the weakest level 9.


    ''I should push other paths to level 9 as soon as I can.'' Varian''s eyes shed with a determined expression.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    [Superhuman L8: 8/8 [On the verge of advancing.]


    Space L8: 7/8 [+1]


    Lightning L8: 8/8 [On the verge.]


    ntae L9: 2k/50k


    Psychic L8: 4/8 [+1]


    Macrokic L8: 1/8 [+1]


    Water L8: 8/8 [On the verge.]


    Time L5: 500/2000 [+500] ]


    Sinceing into direct contact with the Undead red up the death strand inside him, Varian focused on lightning and water paths.


    "Exhausting fight?" He muttered and nced around.


    The fifteen Undead of the second wave were reaching him with bloodshot eyes while the fourth wave and fifth wave Undead were not far off.


    Varian initially wanted to finish them off as soon as possible. But the prompts made him change his mind.


    A lightning wing and an ice wing appeared behind his back. Varian pped his wings and shot toward the fifteen level 8 Undead.


    The Undead were taken aback at this living creature approaching them. But without much thought, they jumped at him and punched out, causing a small storm.


    Varian raised his fists and a giant made up of lightning body and ice fists appeared behind him.


    "Die! Varian punched out and the giant followed.


    The huge ice fists, enforced by telekic power and elerated by loose space were confronted with the fists of fifteen Undead.


    There was a muffled sound before the elemental giant broke into pieces and Varian coughed out blood, suffering a serious injury. But his level 9 ntae power acted swiftly and healed him to normalcy.


    On the other hand, only two Undead died in the exchange for inflicting a severe injury.


    If they did it two or three more times, any peak level 8 would''ve died. Unfortunately for them, Varian had a level 9 ntae path.


    So, he allowed himself to be reckless and summoned the giant again. This time, an ice body and lightning gloves.


    Another muffled sound rang in the air and Varian was sent flying for a few miles before he barely stabilized. His new injury was also serious but it quickly healed to the point of a normal injury.


    Three Undead died in the exchange.


    As the fourth and fifth waves of the Undead approached them with great speed, the elemental giant and the remaining Undead kept exchanging punches.


    Every time, the elemental giant would break and one or two Undead would die. Varian would suffer a serious injury which would be healed back to the level of a normal injury.


    And then it repeated all over again.


    By the time the level 9 Undead reached the range to attack Varian, the Elemental giant punched thest five Undead.


    The giant was decimated upon contact and Varian crashed to the ground coughing out blood. The five Undead died on the spot.


    The level 9 Undead in the fourth and fifth waves sped up and reached Varian. Such an injured prey made their job easier.


    "Kakakaka!"


    With a monstrousugh, the five low level 9 Undead of the fourth wave attacked Varian lying on the ground with serious injuries.


    But at that moment, an elemental giant made of lightning and ice appeared in front of them. It was far bigger than the previous giant and gave off a dangerous aura.


    Varian slowly got back onto his feet with a smile as the new power surged inside his body.


    [Lighting Path Level 9: 0/50k


    Water Path level 9: 0/50k]

 Chapter 893 Finishing The Battle

    Like Varian, Sarah and Enigma too were facing five waves of Undead.


    They had already dealt with three waves consisting of ten low level 9s. But the problem came with thest two waves.


    The fourth wave consisted of one high level 9 and nine low level 9s. The fifth wave had two high level 9 and eight low level 9s.


    If it was before they entered this strange world, Enigma would''ve decisively retreated from a high level 9.


    But after Synergy, her darkness path was almost pushed to the peak of mid level 9. Her gravity and mind path finished over 70% of low level 9.


    With three pathsbined, she had the confidence of fighting a high level 9. But it''s a challenging fight even for her without any certainty of victory.


    Sarah was stronger than Enigma, but she had it worse as she used up all of her time power reserves on Varian. Since then, she has generated some time power, but it was so little that she could only use it at critical moments.


    So, both of them entertained the idea of retreating from this fight and even discussed it during the fight.


    But even if Enigma used her artifact and teleported them, they wouldn''t be able to escape the detection range of these Undead.


    Worse, teleporting in this dangerous zone mightnd them right into the home of a peak level 9 or even a Sovereign beast.


    There were enough cases where they failed to detect the beasts near the teleportation location and ended up teleporting to dangerous spots.


    Enigma wasn''t sure if it was a peculiarity of this world. But she didn''t dare to teleport unless there was no other choice.


    So, the two women fought hard.


    As the fourth wave of Undead approached, Sarah enveloped them in a bright light.


    Much like Enigma''s field of darkness, Sarah''s field of light enabled her to ''blind'' her opponents. Forget their eyes, even their special senses were suppressed.


    Then, Sarah clenched her fist and her body blurred.


    The Undead in the light sphere came out of shock and wereing out of blindness when Sarah ambushed one of them.


    The air exploded and so did the Undead''s head. At the same time, Sarah kicked the chest of an Undead and broke him into two halves.


    The force in her kick was so high that due to the fierce wind created by her, the mountain two miles behind the Undead broke into two halves.


    As she was about to carry out the third attack, an Undead shot out of the light sphere and punched at her.


    It was the high level 9!


    Sarah decisively burnt her tiny reserves of time power and slowed down the high level 9.


    Kicking the ground, she jumped far back.


    A momentter, Enigma appeared behind her. With backs against each other, the two stared at the high level 9 Undead as well the low level 9s of their respective fourth wave rushing toward them.


    As they were in touch, Enigma felt the warm blood leaking from Sarah''s back and shoulders. Sarah could smell the heavy scent of blood from Enigma. The Undead here didn''t bleed, so it was her own blood.


    Their injuries weren''t fatal but they were definitely major and were affecting their battle prowess.


    "Go to Varian. He can''t face the mid level 9s." Sarah said as she adjusted her rough breath.


    Without answering, Enigma first gulped down a healing potion and locked Varian''s position.


    He was standing silently as five low level 9 were racing toward him. They won''t be a problem for him. But the five mid level 9 that were running towards him from far would be an issue. Enigma knew she had to take them down to keep him safe.


    But if she left, her share of Undead would have to be taken care of by Sarah.


    ''But why is he just standing there?'' Enigma wondered but she didn''t have the luxury to think further. Feeling Sarah''s rough breathing, she asked with guilt. "Can you bear them?"


    "I don''t have a choice. So,e back as soon as you can." Sarah said and raised a sword of light.


    The Undead that were racing toward both Sarah and Enigma were blinded for a moment. Enigma was about to race toward Varian when a strong aura shot out from him.


    Enigma momentarily paused as she opened her mouth in shock. Even Sarah turned around and saw Varian with wide eyes.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    As the low level 9s approached him, Varian raised his hands and waved them gently.


    The space around the Undeads froze for a moment before it broke. Then came the telekic barrier which too broke in an instant. And then came the psychic attack that slowed the Undead for a moment.


    Even though all these attacks were useless by themselves, when used together, they slowed the Undead and confused them.


    Then, Varian''s hands shed with golden and blue light.


    Right then, the Undead overcame Sarah''s blinding move and were about to attack her.


    But they felt a sudden chill and looked at the Undead facing Varian.


    No one knew when, but a thinyer of ice froze the bodies of the Undead while bright lightning spears pierced through the Undead and burned their insides.


    As if this wasn''t enough, Varian teleported in front of the five mid level 9s that were originally rushing toward him.


    The Undead didn''t expect him to throw himself into their fold and were taken aback. Using the surprise element, Varian swung his arms.


    Before the Undead could react, an ice sword and a lightning bolt appeared in his hand and the swing pierced two Undead, seriously injuring them.


    The Undead reacted and attacked Varian. But having long nned this, Varian teleported and snapped his fingers.


    Lightning bolts rained and ice bullets rained down on the Undead that were still in the middle of attacking.


    Even though the mid level 9 were prepared to deal with Varian, they only treated him as a weak level 9.


    A mistake that put them in a position with little defense against unexpected attacks.


    As a result, the lightning bolts and ice bullets burned their bodies and turned them into sieves.


    The five mid level 9s that should''ve troubled Varian copsed onto the ground and melted into the soil.


    Varian teleported next to the girls and smiled. "Looks like I''m catching up."


    Sarah smiled helplessly and Enigma snorted.


    The two high level 9 Undead and fifteen low level 9 Undead roared in anger and attacked them.


    Having already fought together, the three coordinated better.


    If it was just Sarah and Enigma, it should''ve been a hard battle. But Varian''s participation changed everything.


    While Enigma and Sarah stalled the high level 9s, he quickly took down the fifteen low level 9s.


    He used the level 9 lightning and ice as main attacks while space, mind, and telekic powers acted as distractions and disruptors.


    Soon, he joined the battle against the high level 9s. Unlike the Undead Sovereign, Enigma and Sarah couldn''t weaken these Undead.


    So, what Varian had to face was a real high level 9.


    A high level 9 was still too strong for him to take head-on, but Varian had no problem being the secondary front.


    As a result, the high level 9s suffered big losses under Varian''s continuous interventions and were in.


    Shortly after these Undead melted into the ground, a few dangerous auras shot up and darkened the sky.


    Varian, Enigma, and Sarah didn''t stay a moment longer in that ce and ran away. They passed by various forests, deserts, and ins. To their surprise, some of these ces had Undead while others had living monsters.


    The Undead reacted with extreme hostility while the living monsters were normally hostile.


    Concluding that perhaps the Undead just hated any living, Varian''s trio picked a region with living monsters. Even there, they picked a barren mountain range and retreated into a huge cave, ready to rest.


    After two hours of healing and rest, when they were about to go out of the cave to check out this region, they were confronted with something at the entrance. It wasn''t there when they entered.


    It was a huge egg.

 Chapter 894 Twilight Of Life & Death

    "Where the hell did thise from?" Varian poked the truck-sized egg. His ntae sense tried to push through the eggshell and failed. Enigma and Sarah couldn''t sense what was inside the egg either.


    "Are we discovered?" Enigma gave the egg a sidelong nce and was about to step out of the cave to check.


    "Let me try something," Sarah said and waved her hand.


    Dozens of small light orbs shot out of the cave and spread in all directions.


    Enigma raised a brow and sensed the light orbs using her dark sense. They were ten miles away, hundred miles away, two hundred miles away, and five hundred miles away.


    The farther they went, the harder it turned for Enigma to keep track of them. She had already lost 50% of the light orbs. Soon, the light robs went beyond her sensing range.


    Enigma looked at Sarah and her eyes shone with a strong surprise.


    Sarah felt a little ufortable under the strong stare. If it had been anyone else, she''d have given them a cold re and told them to get lost, but this was Enigma and she didn''t really mean any harm.


    So, she patiently exined. "We teleported after checking the location, yet there are usually beasts hiding there. I''m trying to develop a stronger detection method."


    As her words finished, dozens of screens lit up in front of Sarah and showed the visuals of the surroundings.


    The giant ''living'' beasts, the fierce battles between the monsters in the nearby river and the Undead that were slowly towards this direction, as if they could smell their ''life''.


    Varian paused inspecting the egg and gave Sarah a thumbs up. This method was simr to sending stealth drones but far more effective since the light orbs were much stealthier than the drones.


    After cross-checking this new surveince, Sarah concluded that while the Undead were slowly inching towards them, there wasn''t a danger anytime soon.


    So the trio that initially wanted to leave this ce got more time to sort and n things out.


    The first thing was naturally the egg.


    "The eggshell can block level 8 attacks. If we destroy it and the motheres after us, we''ll have extra trouble." Varian shrugged. "We already got the Undead after us, so let''s not provoke the Living beasts too."


    "But what if it''s dangerous? And how did it even silently appear?" Sarah shook her head. "We have no knowledge of this strange ce. So, we need to acquire as much information as we can. Let''s break the eggshell delicately so the beast inside won''t be harmed."


    "¡­I got a gut feeling it''ll be something unpleasant," Varian said with a wry smile. "You know, my luck is not ordinarily bad. It''s dogshit."


    As Varian and Sarah had differing stances, they turned to Enigma. If Varian really insisted, Enigma would''ve backed off. But he didn''t.


    So, Enigma shared her opinion. "Let''s take it to a deste ce, cover ourselves and do range attacks. Even if the mother finds out, it won''t know it''s us."


    Sarah and Varian looked at Enigma with a strange expressions. How to say, the whole thing felt like a criminal n to murder an innocent egg. And Enigma looked pretty casual with such details. Her criminal record must be pretty good.


    Enigma noticed the weird gazes and her expressionless face crumbled slightly and she muttered in aining tone. "W-What?"


    *** *** ***


    The trio found a deste valley with no living or undead. The ground was covered in ayer of inch-deep ash. It was likely that this ce was attacked by a Sovereign fire beast and suffered as a result.


    They ced the egg on a mountain and retreated several hundred miles. A few secondster, a lightning bolt struck the eggshell and cracked it.


    In the bright yellow screen that Sarah summoned, the eggshell fell off and a sleeping creature came into view. It was a curled-up blue-striped ape.


    "No way." Varian''s eyes nearly popped up as he red at the living version of the Undead Ape he yed a few hours ago.


    It''d sound ridiculous to any normal person, but any creature had its own unique features. Only awakeners with a strong psychic power could urately differentiate these features and tell the beasts apart from one another.


    Varian was more than capable of doing such an analysis. Hepared both the facial features and stripe patterns of the ape and it turned out they both matched with the Undead ape!


    Even though this one was only a peak level 8 and seemed to be in its ''teens'' than ''adulthood'', the unique features gave away its identity.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    As Varian grappled with the consequences of a literal ''resurrection'', Sarah''s shocked voice sounded in his ear. "There''s more."


    Seven more light screens lit up and showed seven different eggs.


    Four of them were under siege by Undead and were desperately protected by the living beasts that were hastily taking them back to their residence.


    Three of them were in remote locations.


    Varian recalled everything from the moment theynded here and an ominous premonition filled his heart. "Could it be¡­"


    Enigma''s body also stiffened and she, along with Varian stood silently as Sarah continued to keep watch of the six eggs.


    Three eggs were transferred by living beasts and thest one was destroyed by the Undead.


    The infant beast''s corpse remained still for a while before an Undead beast slowly got on its feet and roared.


    The living beasts watched this unfold with bitterness. But they were content that they saved three eggs.


    The first one was already cracked when it was transported, the second one cracked an hour into the journey and the third one cracked two hours in.


    The three remote eggs remained untouched so far.


    The beasts in the cracked eggs slowly came out.


    The egg that cracked the earliest gave a child beast that was just a level 7. The one that cracked an hourter gave a teen beast that was level 8. The one that cracked two hourster gave a peak level 8 beast and was a young adult.


    The new beasts were weed by the existing ones and celebrated.


    And two hourster, three low level 9 auras shot into the air as the untouched eggs hatched perfectly.


    And the silent Varian finally sighed in a mix of wonder and horror. "A-All of them¡­"


    Except for two, five of the beasts that were born were the Undead they fought and killed. There''s no doubt.


    Varian couldn''t understand how or why this was happening. But he did understand one thing.


    He hissed. "This ce is miraculously horrifying."


    Every living being would turn into an Undead after death. Every dead Undead would be reborn as a living being. This cycle was going on endlessly.


    Whoever made this ce might as well be a god.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    A mature woman in royal green clothes looked down at the fog covering the Mad Zone with a smile.


    Behind her stood her personal entourage as well as the powerful ministers of the kingdom. They all looked at her with respect and fear.


    A few miles away from them stood arge crowd, numbering millions. They were staring at the huge screens made up of special silk that projected the Matriarch while special stones transmitted her sound.


    The Matriarch''s lips parted and her gentle voice uttered the cruelest of words. "Mad Zone is called Twilight Zone in our scriptures. The ce where life and death intersect. Once you die and be reborn, you lose your memory except for your basic instincts.


    Giving a simple death to these invaders would be doing our ancestors a disservice. Now, they''ll be in an eternal cycle of death and rebirth. Forgetting who they were and living as a non-living beast.


    This is my punishment against the invaders. Glory to Hortus!"


    The millions of natives stayed silent for a moment before they shouted in fear and joy. "Glory to Hortus!"

 Chapter 895 The Teams Gather

    Fire Subzone, Elemental Zones, Inner Region of Hortus.


    "Fuck! You son of a bitch! Can''t you do a single job properly?" Ruby Princess repeatedly tapped the ruby ring on her index finger. Her beautiful red finger was swollen and purple.


    If the courters of the princess saw this scene, they''d be heartbroken. This pale red-skinneddy was both a genius and a beauty that attracted the admiration of countless young nobles.


    And now such a woman who always maintained an ''elegant'' image was spewing profanities worse than a hooligan.


    "Are you fucking dogs or what? Why aren''t you answering?"


    The inside of the volcano where the Ruby Princess was staying echoed the insults. It only increased the frustration of the Princess.


    The Sovereign she sent to check out the situation of Diamond Princess was missing! It has already been two days!


    He certainly can''t be killed by the puny natives. So, the only option was that he was avoidingmunication for one reason or another.


    Whatever the reason, Ruby Princess decided to punish him severely. But she had a more urgent problem.


    So far, she had been staying in a ''Volcano'' because it''s a safe space that no beasts would approach.


    But here came the problem. Recently, two peak level 9 beasts were fighting nearby and as a result of the aftermath, the volcano was slowly breaking down.


    It wouldn''t take long. Perhaps a day at most, and her safe zone would be gone. Then, she''d have to survive in this harsh zone without a Sovereign!


    Of course, there''s another ''person'' with her in the volcano.


    Ruby Princess turned her gaze to the expressionless and stiff hybrid. In a dismissive tone, she ordered. "Hey, check the situation outside and return safely."


    The hybrid merely blinked in eptance and jumped out of the volcano. Half an hourter, a severely injured hybrid, with half of his left arm bitten off, entered the volcano.


    "What''s the situa¡ªforget it." Ruby Princess stopped her question midway and shook her head.


    As expected, the Hybrid handed her a recording crystal that showed the nearby area.


    The beasts in the surrounding fifty miles were evacuating their homes. There were already broken mountains with damaged corpses¡ªthe casualties of the great battle.


    ''So the battle is going to continue.'' Ruby Princess'' face grimaced and she opened her lips unconsciously. "What do you think we should¡ª"


    She abruptly shut her mouth and nced at the hybrid. Like always, the hybrid remained emotionless and stared nkly into the distance.


    "I am crazy, talking to a hybrid and expecting a response from it." Ruby Princess clutched her long red hair and cursed.


    After unsessfully trying to connect with the Sovereign for one more hour, Ruby Princess was forced to face the bitter reality.


    With or without the hybrid, she wouldn''t be able to get out of this ce.


    "Should I ask for help?" Princess Ruby thinned her lips.


    But who''d help theirpetitor?


    Whichever duchy won the Synthetic World would be favored by the Kingdom. What''s more, the duchies shared apetitive rtionship.


    "There is still one more¡­" Ruby Princess bit her lip and recalled the unimpressive figure.


    ''Only he might help me.''


    With a bitter expression, she changed the contact in her ring and called him.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Life Zone, Hortus'' Inner World.


    Two giant humanoids clutched their bloodied heads and crashed to the ground. The sheer impact of the crash caused a small-scale earthquake and a huge crater was formed under the corpses of the giants.


    Prince Shak loosened his bloodied fists and exhaled deeply. His bones gave a crackling sound as he fixed his damaged joints and downed a healing potion.


    In the far distance, a muchrger giant, easily the size of a hundred-story building, copsed.


    Even though it''s far away, the impact caused the ground under Prince Shak''s feet to shake. And a sharp shockwave that formed due to the crash reached the prince and stung his skin.


    A momentter, Sovereign Alban, the man who yed that giant appeared in front of Prince Shak and reported. "Sir, every Synthetic World is slightly different from others. But the differences here are nothing slight. This is a much different world than we''ve ever seen or read."


    Prince Shak frowned. If it''s true, then it''s bad news for him. So, he subconsciously wanted to refute it but the experiences since he entered the Inner Region shed in his mind.


    "Why?" He asked with an unwilling expression.


    "That giant," Sovereign Alban pointed to the super giant corpse in the far distance and said. "There are at least fifty more like that here."


    "What?!" Prince Shak nearly yelled.


    As the Prince of Jewel Kingdom, he had seen tonnes of Sovereign fights. With his insight, he judged that the super giant Alban fought to be at the peak of the Sovereign state.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    What do you mean there are fifty peak Sovereigns in a mere Life Zone?


    "I-Is this a joke?" Prince Shak asked while he clenched his trembling fists.


    "I wish it was." Alban sighed. "The closer we move to the center, the more we encounter these super giants. I''m afraid there''s only a 10% chance for us to make it to the center."


    "10%¡­" Prince Shak''s expression darkened before he covered his face and sighed.


    When Alban was about to soothe him, Prince Shak uncovered his face and smiled.


    "Prince?" Alban was worried.


    "If we can''t beat it, neither can the Dukedom heirs." Prince Shak said with confidence. "And in this situation, the only choice is to cooperate with each other."


    "Right¡­"


    If they didn''t do this, they''d have to return empty-handed. What would wee them would be a harsh punishment.


    Instead, if everyone cooperated, even though the individual merit would be less, they''d have some form of reward.


    What''s more, this Synthetic World was so different from the usual. So, the rewards would also be far higher.


    Realizing this point, Alban smiled in excitement. "Then Prince, please contact the others. Let''s start¡ª"


    Daz!


    Prince Shak''smunication crystal rang and an embarrassed female voice sounded from it. "P-Prince Shak, this is Sawaha. Can you fetch me to your zone? I''d like to cooperate."


    "Oh?" Shak narrowed his eyes. "I''m more than happy to cooperate. But how about youe on your own? My hands are full at the moment."


    "T-This¡­" Sawaha, the Third Ruby Princess, stuttered.


    "Please speak."


    Ruby Princess gritted her teeth and spat. "My Sovereign died."


    "What?!" Prince Shak and Alban felt a jolt down their spine. Then, Prince Shak immediately reprimanded. "Stop kidding."


    "I''m not." Ruby Prince replied in an aggrieved tone. "He has gone to the Outer Zone two days ago. I confirmed he''s outside from the map.


    But his location suddenly disappeared. And he didn''t return. He''s not responding to my calls either. He won''t betray me unless he wants to die¡­even though I''d rather him betray me, the more I think, the clearer it gets. He must''ve died."


    Of course, she didn''t really believe what she said. She believed the Sovereign betrayed her because he found a good treasure in thisnd. Maybe he''s nning to defect to enemy Duchies already.


    But Prince Shak believed her words. After saying a few more words, he ended the call and nced at Alban.


    Alban nodded. "We need to go to the Outer Region to take a look."


    As they were about to go out, Prince Shak received a message from the Emerald Prince. "Inner Region is locked. We can''t get out until we pass the test. None of us can pass the test alone. Me and Sapphire Prince are already cooperating. Do you want to join us?"


    "Can''t leave Inner Region? Didn''t Ruby''s Sovereign leave?" Prince Shak ignored their message and raced toward the exit of the Inner Region along with Alban and the hybrid.


    The blue vortex exit was blocked by a ck barrier.


    "Alban,"


    "Yes!" Alban roared and attacked the barrier.


    The ground shook violently and a huge crater formed under Alban.


    But the barrier didn''t even have a scratch.


    "¡­"


    Prince Shak''s face darkened. But he didn''t waste any time. After picking up Ruby Princess, he joined the Emerald and Sapphire Prince teams.


    "Where is Diamond Duchy''s team?"


    "I can''t reach them."


    "Me neither."


    "Maybe they¡­"


    Prince Shak waved his hand and drew the attention of the team. "Let''s focus on clearing a zone first and passing the test. This is not a normal Synthetic World, the longer we wait, the more dangerous it bes."


    Everyone nodded.


    Four Sovereigns, four princes, a princess, and five Hybrids headed deep into the Life Zone, ready to battle it out.

 Chapter 896 Mad Undead

    ''When life gives you lemons, make a lemonade.''


    It was a famous saying in the Old Earth that carried to the current day. Until recently, Varian used to believe in the ancient saying too.


    But now, whenever he recalled that saying, he simply wanted to smash the guy who came up with it.


    He''s hit by a strand of death energy that''s slowly killing him and the best he could do is slow it down. Fine.


    He''s thrown into an alien world, got nearly killed by a Sovereign, chased by natives, and pushed into a weird region filled with Undead and Living beasts. Fine.


    Turns out, the weird region was fucking weird because the living turn into Undead, and the Undead turn into living, creating a never-ending cycle. Fine!


    But.


    "Run! Run!"


    "Don''t stop!"


    Three shining lines passed through a vast forest in the blink of an eye. Wherever they passed, the trees on a mile on either side were uprooted due to the fierce speed.


    From the clouds, it looked like three lines were imprinted on the forest.


    And then suddenly, twelve more lines appeared as twelve grey silhouettes followed likeser beams.


    "These zombies," Varian cursed through gritted teeth as he passed through a mountain valley and ran over a river.


    The world elerated in front of him and everything seemed to be running backward. It was such a speed that wherever he passed by, he left the mark of his travel due to the sheer speed.


    Even then, Varian couldn''t stop. On top of his body power, he used his telekic, and ice powers to boost himself.


    To his left, a silhouette covered in ck energy kept up with Varian even as he ran at full speed using multiple powers. It was Enigma. She was on alert for any sneak attacks.


    To his right was a silhouette in white energy. It was Sarah and she was keeping watch on the pursuers.


    "Behind these twelve, there are twenty more. And just now, two more are added." Sarah''s voice rang.


    "Great. Just great." Varian had confidence in defeating the first twelve. Even taking down twelve more. But not ten more.


    If they stop and fought, they''d be quickly surrounded. If they don''t, they''d have to keep running to escape which would end up in them getting exhausted and getting caught.


    It''s a lose-lose.


    The chase continued for thirty minutes and the distance between the two groups continued to shrink.


    As the situation seemed to turn dire, Sarah suddenly elerated in a particr direction, shouting. "Follow!"


    Without any question, Varian and Enigma followed her and jumped into a deep underground passage.


    It was an underground in with no light. The walls around were filled with strange grass, mucus, and colorful rocks.


    The air had a contradictory mix of musky and rancid smells. The soil, on the other hand, was soft, almost sucking the feet in. The only oddity was the numerous metallic threads scattered everywhere on the ground.


    As far as Enigma and Varian could sense, this was just a weird underground location with no peculiarities whatsoever.


    The Undead might enter this ce at any second, they couldn''t afford to waste any more time standing still.


    Before Varian could ask anything, verbally or mentally, Sarah gently swiped her thumb.


    Several screens lit up, showing live pictures from a giant colony of elephant-sized spiders.


    A few screens showed the Undead reaching the underground passage, about to jump down.


    Sarah looked at Enigma and Varian with a determined expression. "Even though I can only barely sense their auras, these spiders are all living and have at least thirty level 9s, and at least one peak level 9. We''ll have to use them to drive away the Undead."


    Varian''s expression turned grim.


    The Undead had no peak level 9. This group of spiders was more dangerous. But that''s only a superficial analysis.


    The living beasts were easier to deal with than the Undead.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "Fortunately, they were all sleeping. They''ll wake up the moment we intrude on their territory. We have to time well." Sarah gave Enigma a look.


    Enigma nodded and started running her artifact.


    Massive teleportation was dangerous here and ended upnding them in trouble many times.


    But the ces they''d already been to would be a much safer bet.


    Of course, they can''t just teleport and escape these Undead. For some reason, the Undead weren''t finding them through normal divine senses.


    For instance, if a peak level 8 beast could only sense the surrounding two hundred miles, a peak level 8 Undead could sense them from almost five hundred miles away.


    For this reason, throwing off Undead was much harder.


    Pure teleportation would have done the job. But with the Spiders holding them back¡­


    Varian tensed his muscles and prepared for a sprint.


    The moment the Undead on the screen were ten miles behind them, he shot toward the spider colony like a bullet.


    The distance between the Undead and Varian''s trio quickly shrank. And when they were about to catch up, the trio crossed into the Spider''s colony.


    The Undead followed them almost right away and all of them were locked by the aura of the giant spiders.


    But right then, Enigma''s artifact activated and the space around them fluctuated.


    The spiders had space awakeners that wanted to disrupt the teleportation, but thanks to the sturdy artifact, the trio sessfully teleported back to their previous position and they quickly returned to the surface.


    On the other hand, the spidersughed a raging battle against the Undead and left thetter unable to chase the humans any longer.


    After escaping to a secluded valley, Sarah leaned against a tree and hissed. "This is the seventh chase in two days. What is going on?"


    Enigma stretched her exhausted body and sighed. Her beautiful face was visibly tired. "They want our life because we are the only ones here that didn''t go through reincarnation?"


    "I agree¡­" Varian said. "Once the Undead reincarnates into a living thing, it loses all its memories. It''s like a newborn except for its muscle memory. We aren''t like that. Our souls, if you will, haven''t gone through that cycle of cleansing yet. So, we''re standing out like sore thumbs."


    Enigma nodded in agreement. Whether souls existed or not, they were being targeted because they didn''t join the cycle.


    In these two days, they witnessed many strange things and made many observations.


    Firstly, the reincarnations weren''t infinite.


    There were pregnant beasts. So, new life was being born.


    So, if all dead turned into Undead and the Undead turned back into living, there is no decrease in the number of creatures. Moreover, birth from living beasts was a positive for the poption.


    In a thousand or ten thousand years, the poption explosion would''ve destroyed this ce. And this region gave off ancient temperance as if it was far older.


    But the poption explosion didn''t happen. That proves there''s some restriction on reincarnation, either a limit for an individual creature or a limit to keep the poption controlled.


    Secondly, reincarnations swallowed all but muscle memories.


    Yesterday, a monkey colony was attacked by Undead ants. A father monkey, specializing in spears, protected its child but sumbed to injuries in the process and turned into an Undead.


    The very next day, the Undead monkey attacked the very child it died to protect. Surprisingly, it was still able to use its spear skillfully and even disyed knowledge of geography in the battle.


    Thinking of these two conclusions they reached, Varian shuddered and continued in a low voice. "If a human dies, he''ll¡­be reduced to a fighting beast, not hesitating to kill his own people. And I¡ª"


    Varian suddenly froze.


    He had less than a month to live.


    In this weird ce, even if the death strand killed him, he''d never truly die. He''d turn into an Undead and quickly grow stronger.


    Due to his insane rate of growth, he''d grow too strong too soon.


    And then, with his own hands, he''d hunt down the ''uncleansed'' souls¡ªthe two girls that risked their lives for him.

 Chapter 897 Boundaries

    Time continued to pass.


    The Matriarch continued to consolidate her power. The teams continued to advance in the Life Zone.


    And in the Mad Zone¡­


    Three silhouettes blurred as they crossed manyndscapes at supersonic speeds.


    "Varian, why are you down for thest two days?" Sarah asked in a worried voice. "Is it the Undead?"


    Today, they shook off three Undead teams. But it wasn''t even noon. Much to Sarah''s worry, the frequency of Undead chases was only increasing.


    Due to the sheer numbers and strength of the pursuers, even Varian didn''t intend to fight them despite it being the quickest way to grow stronger. The chances of them being grievously injured in such a fight were more than 50%.


    It could be said that most of thest three days were spent running.


    There were only a few fights here and there. They improved Varian''s strength but the increment was limited.


    "We need to get out of here, fast," Varian replied amidst several quick breaths.


    "Exit, but where?"


    "Somewhere. We just have to keep searching." Varian said in a determined tone.


    Enigma nced at him with a puzzled gaze. ''¡­Why is he growing tense?''


    She could feel it better than Sarah. Varian was growing restless. He''s looking fine and speaking fine, but he''s hiding something.


    Enigma recalled the recent events and found nothing that could push him in this direction.


    As she was about to confront him, Sarah''s delighted voice rang. "Mountains! Boundaries! I think we reached the exit!"


    Varian''s face lit up and he turned to the screens.


    The white fog, the characteristic of this crazy ce, ended after a row of mountains.


    After repeated failures, he concluded this white fog was preventing flight in this region. If it''s gone, they could simply fly away!


    With a roar ofughter, Varian elerated forward. The regions near the mountain ranges wereposed of forests, swamps, and teues.


    Varian instinctively picked the path with the weakest auras.


    A few minutester, a peak level 9 aura rose into the air and chased after three teleporting silhouettes.


    Due to the reckless teleportation, the three ended up poking another peak level 9. Only after two hours of continuous effort did they throw off these two peak level 9 beasts.


    But before they could rest, they were once again chased by a group of Undead.


    It was a sophisticated group of thirty level 9s, twenty peak level 8s.


    "Fuck!"


    Three hours passed before they were freed from the chase.


    Varian, Sarah, and Enigma rested in ake under a waterfall. Despite their experience, the stress was crushing them.


    But havinge this far, they could only move forward.


    A few hourster, they cautiously moved forward.


    Enigma and Sarah were using their darkness and light powers to minimize their presence. Of course, this minimization of presence wouldn''t work if their speed remained high. Compared to the usual speed they used, they''re nearly 70 times slower.


    Even then, Undead in the vicinity would turn in their direction from time to time, and they almost got caught.


    Thus, they picked a forest filled with only living beasts.


    ''¡­Even with all these measures, the Undead are still able to find us.'' Enigma''s voice sounded in Varian''s mind.


    Varian slowly stepped forward and maintained a heavy silence, both outside and inside.


    Enigma sighed and followed.


    While Varian''s restlessness settled down after they found the boundaries, she was thinking of measures in case things don''t go well.


    The biggest issues, if they couldn''t exit this ce, would be two.


    Firstly, Varian''s shrinking days. They need a solution. And they need it fast. For this, they need to explore the region.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Secondly, Undead. Even with the dual concealment of light and darkness, these zombies nearly caught them. The only safe way to remain undetected is to stay in one ce and use concealments.


    But doing that would mean giving up on Varian.


    Enigma felt a headache thinking of a solution in that case. Shaking her head, she looked at the distant mountains. ''I hope we seed and my worries remain as overthinking.''


    The area near the supposed borders was filled with insanely strong beasts. Peak level 9 was still bearable, but Varian personally sensed at least a dozen Sovereign beasts.


    Even with a pace akin to crawling, they had to be extremely cautious.


    As a result, they spent three whole days in advancing toward the mountain range. During these ten days, they witnessed many battles between the giants. The Sovereign beasts died, destroyed thendscape, and showcased their might.


    Rivers changed course, forests were burnt to ashes, snow vaporated, and sturdy ins turned into deep valleys.


    But oddly, the border mountains remained the same. Even when the earth shook under the terrifying fights, they were incredibly stable, as if they were the paperweight keeping the paper called earth stable.


    And as they got closer, an interesting discovery was made. The white fog was generated from the top of these mountains.


    "One more day and we''ll be at the foot of the mountain ranges," Enigma said as she extended her darkness. Sarah just started her rest and it was her turn to cover them.


    "One day, huh." Varian looked at the mountain ranges with a longing expression.


    Once they get out of this hell, Varian vowed to pay back the kindness.


    And then try to find a solutio¡ª


    BOOM!


    Sarah opened her eyes and hurriedly covered them with a transparent light barrier, increasing the concealment.


    A giant with human-like limbs and an ox head walked toward the mountain ranges inrge steps.


    He was as tall as a hundred-story building, as wide as an airne, and his every step left behind a footprint three meters deep.


    Varian and the girls watched on with curiosity and anticipation.


    Only when the giant reached the mountain did they get a sense of how tall the mountain truly was.


    Even such a huge giant was only one-tenth of its length! Not to mention the vastness, which was more than fifty times higher!


    "Araghoawerow!" The giant roared and made some strange noises. Then, he clenched his fists and punched out at the mountain.


    Varian sucked in a breath of cold air and waited for the oue.


    Would the mountains be blown into pieces? Or would they fly into the sky? Because this giant was a sovereign! And a strong sovereign at that!


    But the expected result never came. Only a deafening, depressing silence filled the air.


    Varian rubbed his eyes and watched the scene in front of him in disbelief. The giant''s fist touched the mountain, but it didn''t create even a single crack.


    "W-What?" Varian was utterly dumbfounded.


    "Arghaer!" The giant roared again and started punching. Its fists blurred and it punched out at the same spot hundreds of times in a single second. But the mountain remained sturdy as if proiming its majesty.


    Then suddenly, a cracking sound rang in the air.


    Varian noticed a crack in the mountain. It was small at first before it expanded rapidly. While the crack looked small on the mountain, it was nearly a hundred meters in length!


    "So he figured a way to break the mountains? Good, good!"


    They could simply follow the path carved by this giant and esca¡ª


    BOOM!


    The mountain suddenly shook and the next second, the giant was sent flying, coughing out blood.


    It fell just fifty miles away from Varian''s trio.


    Its figure was deeply imprinted into the ground and the blood leaking out of it created a redke!


    Varian looked back at the mountain that seemed to have never moved and narrowed his eyes.


    "¡­So you''re the final boss, huh."

 Chapter 898 The Sudden Deterioration

    Varian''s group spent another two days surveying the other mountains. To their surprise, another Sovereign beast attacked a faraway mountain. It was nearly killed in retaliation.


    But then came the surprise, a new Sovereign beast appeared out of nowhere and attacked the same mountain.


    The mountain shook for a whole hour as if it was hit by an earthquake while cracks spread across its surface. But it somehow remained stable.


    The third Sovereign beast attacked in the same mountain didn''t happen. So, Varian''s team left the ce with a reluctant thoughts.


    ''If a couple more beasts attacked and broke the mountain, then we could easily escape this hell.''


    Of course, that''s more of a delusion than a hope.


    The living beasts here had little to no rationality. Even though Sovereign beasts were alive for a long time, their mental capacity was seriouslycking.


    The Undead had it worse. They''re just zombies with muscle memory.


    Under such circumstances, the way out of this hell would''ve to be created by one''s own hands.


    "Two things are clear. Those mountains or¡­whatever they are, they are the exit and they can get hurt."


    In an underground shelter far away from the boundary, Varian said slowly.


    "What can we do?" Sarah rubbed her hands to calm her anxiety as she made a bitter face.


    Those mountains couldn''t be broken even by Sovereign beasts, so what could they do?


    Wait for Varian to reach Sovereign strength? It would''ve been afortable choice if Varian''s life wasn''t on a deadline.


    Thinking of that topic, Sarah''s face grew pale and she lowered her head. "¡­Answer me honestly, how many days?"


    Varian was taken aback at the sudden question. But after seeing Sarah''s gloomy expression, he sighed and answered honestly. "Not more than twenty."


    Sarah grabbed his hand reflexively and scanned his body. When the feedback reached her mind, she covered her mouth and looked at him with teary eyes. "W-Why? It''s elerating!"


    Before Varian could answer, she pressed her palm against his chest and started injecting the time power into his body.


    Sarah was giving all her time power to him every hour. It was taking a toll on her. Thest transfer urred just twenty minutes ago.


    As she squeezed the tiny bits of time power in her body, Sarah''s body shuddered and a stinging pain stabbed her brain. A muffled groan left Sarah''s mouth and blood slowly leaked down her lips, staining her white dress with a bloody red.


    After a few minutes, she gave out thest bit of her time power and copsed onto the wall behind her back.


    As extreme exhaustion consumed her mind, she blinked her eyes to clear the blurry vision and see Varian.


    ¡­He fainted at some point. She was so engrossed in giving the power that she didn''t even notice.


    ''Why did he faint?'' Sarah had an ominous premonition and dragged her exhausted body to hold Varian.


    Sarah instinctively noticed that his body was cool, in sharp contrast to his usual warmth.


    "W-What?" Sarah panicked. She hurriedly checked his body but found nothing unusual.


    But something was definitely off. Forget the cool temperature, why did he faint in the first ce?!<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    In desperation, she fed him a healing potion and then tapped the bracelet on her wrist. "Enigma! Enigma! Varian fainted!"


    The other side remained silent for a moment before a sharp breath was heard. The next moment, the space in the temporary underground shelter fluctuated and Enigma in all ck appeared.


    Without uttering a word, she grabbed Varian, and ignoring the bleeding the resistance was causing, she started inspecting his condition.


    After a few minutes, she sighed softly and took out a two-petaled purple flower from her storage ring.


    The underground shelter they were currently in was akin to a burrow by a rabbit butrger.


    Originally, it had only a few dry nts and grass growing on the walls. But when the purple flower appeared, the tiny nts doubled their size and the sparse grass covered the walls, all in an instant.


    The purple flower was brimming with such a high vitality that its mere presence boosted the growth of the nts around it.


    This was the reason Enigma went out in the name of scouting the surroundings. Varian objected at first. But Sarah assured him she''d use her special skill to watch the surroundings.


    "Varian, wake up," Enigma whispered softly and ced the flower on his bleeding hand. The flower melted like ice and a purple juice brimming with vitality flowed into Varian''s body.


    After a few minutes, Varian''s eyebrows trembled and his eyes slowly opened. "H-Huh?"


    He sat up from Sarah''sp and looked around in confusion before his eyes widened. "I fainted?"


    Sarah was about to answer when the ground started shaking. A rancid smell filled the air and everyone''s expression worsened.


    "Undead."


    Enigma sighed lightly and teleported them to the top of a tall tree on the surface. From there, they could see the entrance to the passage of the underground shelter.


    A swarm of Undead appeared in the distance just a few minutester, numbering at least a hundred. And they all seemed to be heading toward that entrance.


    "Looks like this ce is also a no-go from now." Sarah shook her head and nced at Enigma.


    Enigma nodded and teleported them to a distant region she found just in case. After settling down in another cave, Enigma and Sarah turned to Varian with questioning gazes.


    "My vitality is going down, that''s why I fainted," Varian exined with a bitter smile. "Looks like I might be kicking the bucket in sleep, haha."


    No oneughed at his dark joke. Instead, the atmosphere turned worse.


    "Can you fight?" Enigma asked.


    "I can."


    "Without fainting in the middle."


    "¡­I dunno." Varian lowered his head. "I feel weak, like when I got a heavy fever before awakening. My body seems to be working fine but I feel like it''s on itsst run."


    Sarah stood up silently and walked out of the cave. Enigma said nothing and sat in front of him like a statue.


    Varian slowly got drowsy and fell asleep.


    A few minutester, a heartbreaking cry rang outside the cave. And the purple eyes that stared at him slowly turned red.

 Chapter 899 Go!

    No one expected it.


    Sarah, Enigma, and even Varian himself thought he''d remain in his peak condition until the final day.


    There was even a faint hope that perhaps due to his increase in strength, Varian could ovee or at least dy his demise.


    Varian believed he''d either live because of fighting and growing stronger or die in a battle.


    Reality was cruel. A warrior could stand up against the whole world but he couldn''t stand against his own body.


    Varian tried to stay awake. And most of the time, he did stay awake. But every now and then, he fainted without warning.


    And one of that times happened to be when they were being chased by Undead.


    Varian was running at full speed when his mind suddenly went nk and he fainted. He crashed through a row of trees and came to a screeching halt.


    Due to the sheer momentum, Enigma and Sarah couldn''t stop running until they were far ahead.


    When they did stop, Varian was already a dozen miles behind and the Undead were about to reach him.


    During the entire duration of this chase, Enigma didn''t dare to teleport because they were in a dangerous forest.


    If they teleported into the nest of a peak level 9 beast, it''d be like stretching their necks to the guillotine. Often, there were entric living beasts that chased them if they sensed space fluctuations. So, it''s dangerous to teleport in this region.


    But Enigma couldn''t care about it anymore. She quickly teleported to Varian and then back to Sarah.


    As their luck would have it, two peak level 9 auras rose into the air and locked onto Enigma.


    A giant snake and a giant tree monster rose from the forest and started marching toward her. These were the peak level 9 monsters. At the same time, the Undead was about to unleash their attacks on her.


    Enigma took a deep breath and shouted. "Go!"


    Sarah looked into Enigma''s eyes and wanted to say ''No'', but seeing the burning belief in those tricolor eyes, she simply nodded.


    Enigma could of course choose to teleport and try to escape. But if she escaped alone, the beasts and Undead would target Varian and Sarah. And if she tried to escape with them, they''d also be targeted since they were with her.


    So, Enigma picked another path. She''d stay behind for a while until Sarah and Varian could get out of the beasts'' range and then try to escape.


    Enigma had very little chance of surviving. Yet, she didn''t hesitate. In her eyes, Sarah only saw determination. Perhaps, no, undoubtedly, Enigma was prepared to die.


    Sarah hugged Varian as she escaped at her fastest. As Enigma''s lonely figure slowly faded in her screens, Sarah''s vision blurred.


    ''Why? Why did it have to be like this?''


    The three of them wielded power far greater than any of their peers. But the burden they shouldered was something no earthling could imagine.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Sarah suppressed the guilt rising in her chest and kept running. She was slowly gaining distance from the Undead. But she didn''t slow down. She didn''t dare to slow down. She was afraid that once she did, she''d be hearing the screams of Enigma as she faced off against the horde of Undead.


    ''I''m sorry¡­''


    Pearl-like tear drops rolled down Sarah''s cheeks and floated away with the wind as she marched forward with Varian on her back.


    The passage of time was indifferent to her suffering.


    The Undead continued to chase her down. Without the support of Enigma, Sarah had to keep full focus on not only looking out for threats in front but also defending herself and Varian from the attacksing from the back.


    Sarah was quickly growing tired. First, it was her legs. Then, her arms. Eventually, her entire body was aching from pain.


    As a result, she failed to dodge a fireball in time and it was about to hit Varian on her back.


    Sarah''s eyebrows jumped and she instinctively stretched her arm backward to guard Varian against the fireball.


    A small light shield formed around her arm, but it was too weak to stop the fireball. The light shield quickly cracked apart and the fireball hit Sarah''s arm.


    Sarah trembled as a searing pain ran across her body and her nerves screamed in agony. Her right arm''s skin waspletely burnt and dripping with blood. With each step she took, blood would spill out, as if painting a bloody trail.


    The easiest way to get out of this situation would be to abandon the unconscious person and escape by herself. But the thought didn''t even cross Sarah''s mind.


    She gave it her all and kept running and running and running.


    To her bad luck, a few more Undead joined on the way and things went from bad to worse.


    Before she knew it, her body was covered in numerous wounds. Scorched, electrocuted, burnt, cut, sliced.


    The beautiful girl who looked like a divine angel turned into a bloody mess. She looked nothing like her previous self. The only thing that didn''t change was her blue eyes. They remained clear and determined.


    Even under the pain which would make even veterans copse, she carried on. Thanks to her perseverance, Sarah finally left behind the Undead and found a safe haven at the bottom of a redke.


    Theke''s bed had multiple caves. She picked one, emptied it out of the water, and sealed the cave.


    After pouring Varian a healing potion first, she took a couple herself and copsed onto the hard, cold floor.


    The truth of the matter was because of Varian''s condition, she had to push herself more and more these days. And with today''s chase, she pushed herself to the limit and her body demanded a rest.


    "I¡­" A hoarse voice sounded in the exhausted girl''s ears.


    Even though she had no energy left, Sarah eagerly looked up and saw Varian opening his eyes.


    She involuntarily sighed in relief before her pupils shrank. ''Enigma¡­''

 Chapter 900 Enigma!

    "V-Varian," Before she could say anything, she felt a warmth spreading all across her body.


    Her injuries quickly began to heal and almost as if it was magic, in just a few minutes, she was back to her normal state.


    Of course, she''s still exhausted. But this much healing far exceeded the support the potions provided.


    ''So this is Varian''s level 9 ntae power.''


    The thought only crossed her mind for a moment before she realized something.


    If even such a strong power couldn''t fight against the death strand, then what''s the solution?


    ''The only solution will be outside this hell. But Enigma¡­''


    Varian''s impending death. Enigma''s possible death. This ce was slowly pushing her to death.


    Everything that could possibly go wrong has gone wrong.


    ''Aunt Anna¡­even though you said adulthood is hard, I didn''t expect it''d be this hard.'' Sarah smiled wryly.


    Gathering her weak body, she slowly sat up and faced Varian. The anxiety in her heart calmed down and she smiled at him peacefully.


    "Varian," She called him in a sweet voice.


    She had been pushing herself. Telling herself they''d make it somehow. That Varian would find a solution to his problem. That they''d get out of this hellish ce. And they''d find a way back home.


    But she doesn''t have to push herself anymore.


    With every passing day, the chase by the Undead is only getting fiercer. When Varian was fine and Enigma was present, they could somehow manage.


    But after Varian''s condition worsened, things went awry. Now, Enigma was going to be absent, possibly forever.


    Sarah was almost certain they wouldn''t survive tomorrow''s chase. If they did survive with luck, they''d die the next day or the day after.


    So, she slowly crawled to the confused Varian and cupped his cheeks. Her sky-blue eyes looked straight into his pitch-ck eyes, recalling everything they''d been through.


    Sarah''s heart rippled with a multitude of emotions. But the most intense of it all was a joy.


    "Thank you," She whispered, leaning closer and pressing her lips on his.


    Varian pulled back from the kiss and looked at her in confusion. "Sarah, what happened after I fainted? Where is Enigma?"


    Sarah didn''t answer those words and kissed him again, more intensely this time as she hugged him tightly. It was as if she wanted to melt into his body and be one.


    As death became inevitable, she spoke the words straight from her heart. "We''ve been together for a very short time, but what I''ve felt is the love of many lifetimes.


    I know you''re feeling guilty that you got us into this ce. I know you me yourself for putting us at risk in this unknown ce."


    Varian''s eyes widened but Sarah only smiled in return. "I''m not Enigma. I don''t know your little habits. I don''t know your subtle bodynguage. Nor can I understand you like her. I can''t guess what you''re thinking."


    Sarah pressed her hand on Varian''s heart and said. "But I understand your feelings. I feel your pain. I feel your love. I know you want me to be happy. I will be happy if you stop feeling guilty.


    I came here on my own voilition. I knew I might die if I jumped into that space crack to save you. I did it anyway. I regret nothing. You shouldn''t either."


    Varian''s mind went nk from Sarah''s sincere confession. His emotions went into turmoil and looked into those blue eyes overflowing with love, Varian wanted nothing but to love her to the fullest.


    But as his subconscious processed her words, it picked up something and threw him into disarray.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    This whole thing¡­ felt like something a dying person would say.


    And Enigma! Where is she?


    If Sarah had such serious injuries, then what about Enigma?


    Could she be¡­


    Varian suddenly stood up, hugging Sarah in his arms, and shot out of the cave and up the river.


    "Enigma!" He shouted. "Where is Enigma?"


    Sarah leaned against his chest and closed her eyes. Only a muffled cry left her mouth. "¡­stayed behind"


    Varian froze before he said to Sarah in a non-negotiable tone. "Use your scattering surveince. Search for her."


    "But it''s been an hour, she¡­" Sarah couldn''t speak further.


    "Just do it!" Varian hissed and teleported.


    Dozens of mini light orbs shot out from Sarah and captured the surrounding situation at a nce.


    After confirming there was no Enigma, Varian teleported to the next ce.


    He did so despite the danger of identally teleporting into the nest of a dangerous beast and dying. And he did it again and again and again.


    Time passed by and Varian''s tension only rose.


    Hended in the nests of peak level 9 beast twice during this time and almost died once. But as a madman possessed, he kept going not caring for his safety at all.


    Sarah said nothing to oppose his actions. She devoted all her energy to surveince.


    Even though she believed the worst happened, she hoped for a miracle.


    And a miracle did appear after a long search.


    A frail, bloodied young woman was standing on a cliff facing off a dozen Undead. Her bones were broken in multiple ces and arge chunk of her flesh was missing.


    It looked as if she was going to die at any moment. But like a candle that was about to be blown off, she held on.


    She no longer had any strength to fight. She already teleported until she exhausted her reserves and could no longer do so. She reached the dead end.


    ''I¡­I am going to die.'' Enigma''s world vision was scarlet as blood dripped into her eyes.


    She saw the menacing Undead in front of her and tried to clutch her sword to y at least one more before she died.


    But the sword slipped out of her palm and fell to the ground. Enigma tried to clench her fist for a punch, but her fingers didn''t even bend.


    ''I¡­'' Enigma realized she really was at the end of the candle.


    But at her moment of death, strangely, she didn''t think of herself or Sia. The only thought that ran through her mind was. ''Is he safe?''


    As if answering her calls, as the Undead pounced on her, a heartbreaking reached Enigma''s ears.


    "Enigma!"

 Chapter 901 A Pure Flower

    An honest question Varian always asked himself was regarding his death. Even with things as miraculous as the slivers, living forever was unlikely. Even if he grew strong to a point he couldn''t even imagine, he might not transcend death.


    But perhaps he wouldn''t even grow that strong. His journey might end abruptly like that of many geniuses.


    If that''s the case, then how would you like your story to end?


    ¡­How do you want to die?


    ''A battle.'' Was Varian''s honest answer. It didn''t matter if he won or lost, all it mattered was he fought with everything he had.


    For a man with such conviction, fainting abruptly and sleeping until his death was perhaps the worst end.


    When he started fainting a few days ago and knew it''d be like this until his time ran out, Varian was so vexed that he didn''t think it could get any worse.


    But it did. And it got way worse than he could''ve imagined.


    "Enigma!" Varian shouted his lungs out and his aura exploded outward.


    On the cliff that was deadly silent except for the weak breathing of Enigma, his yell grabbed the attention of everyone.


    The Undead that were about to attack Enigma froze for a moment before turning to Varian.


    But the man himself disappeared and appeared in front of the bloodied Enigma. Like a wall that would never copse, he stood in between the Undead and Enigma.


    "Y-You¡­" Enigma was close to copsing at this point. She couldn''t even keep her eyes open, much less stand properly.


    But seeing the familiar back, her eyes that already epted death grew wide and her emotions exploded.


    Even if every emotion Enigma felt since her birth until now adds up, it''d still not be enough for the torrent of feelings that flooded her heart at this moment.


    Unprecedented joy. Deep sorrow. Endless regret.


    ''I¡­'' Enigma couldn''t respond to the tumultuous changes inside her mind. So, she did the only thing she could do now. Drawing thest bit of strength from her body, she yelled at him or at least tried, unsessfully. "W-Why? I-Idio¡­!"


    Realizing she couldn''t even speak, she used her psychic power. But due to her terrible state, even that sounded like a weak whisper in Varian''s mind. ''¡­I sacrificed my life for you and you''re throwing it away!''


    Even though she meant to speak in anger, her words only conveyed her anguish.


    Varian took a deep breath and hold Enigma''s injured, charred palm so cautiously as if she was a baby.


    His ntae power poured into her at full force. The minor injuries simply disappeared while the serious injuries were healed to the point they were only minor. Finally, the fatal injuries turned into normal ones.


    Even though Enigma was still soaked in blood andcked any strength, she was no longer on the verge of death. Varian single-handedly pulled her out of the hell gate.


    ''Varian, what are you doing?! Why did you evene back? We''ll all die! Why? Why?!'' Enigma''s slightly invigorated voice continued in his mind.


    Feeling her condition, Varian sighed in relief and nced at the Undead with killing intent.


    The Undead red back at him with equal bloodthirst. But strangely, they didn''t attack him yet, as if they were restraining themselves for some reason.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    To bring up the sliver powers, he''d need more time. Time that the Undead wouldn''t give him.


    But from the moment he touched Enigma, Varian was giving off the dangerous sliver auras.


    That''s the reason the Undead refrained from attacking him. Their instincts warned them against it.


    But the Undead''s irrational bloodthirst for living beings was far stronger than their survival instincts. So, even Varian knew the bluff was going to be blown at any moment.


    Still, the few seconds were precious and crucial to his n. Varian''s psychic power radiated out and sent Sarah a message. Sarah''s expression stiffened and she shook her head frantically at Varian. But despite that, the space around Enigma fluctuated.


    This was the tipping point for the Undead. They growled and charged their auras, ready to attack the injured woman along with this new living being, even though their instincts warned them against it.


    Feeling the space twisting and twirling around her, Enigma too realized something was wrong and intertwined her fingers with Varian''s instinctively, rejecting the action he was about to do.


    ''No! I don''t ept it! Stop it! Varian! Listen to me! If you do it, I''ll hate you! I''ll hate¡ª''


    The space suddenly shrank and Enigma appeared in front of Sarah. Sarah caught Enigma with a nk face and stared down at Varian.


    ''Sarah, take her and leave.'' Varian''s message came again.


    "Graahh!"


    "Wragahh!"


    The two peak level 9 Undead, a giant spider and a great lizard, growled as they stepped towards Varian.


    The spider''s body was covered with reddish soil while the great lizard breathed fire.


    The remaining Undead growled in frustration and turned their attention to the two girls in the air.


    Even the Undead around them stepped back and let them seize the special prey¡ªa pure soul.


    The Undead in the Twilight Zone had undergone many births and deaths. Their souls were cleansed to the point they were just a bunch of instincts and memories.


    For such creatures, a pure soul that was never touched by this zone''s perversews was a novelty. It''s like a pure flower growing in a dirty swamp.


    If the Undead were usually dictated by instincts in their killing of the living, it was the deepest instinct, the desire from the soul called for the death of these pure living beings. It demanded to drag that pure flower into the mud and contaminate it with the same filth.


    So, killing Varian, Sarah and Enigma was a great delight for them. Instead of finishing it in a blink, the Undead wanted to relish the experience as much as they could.


    That''s why Enigma survived despite fighting such a strong force. Of course, she was about to be killed. Even though the Undead wanted to y, the final goal was always to kill.


    When they were about to finish that off, Varian appeared and spoiled the whole thing. It''s like working an hour and about to make a fire only to be doused at thest moment.


    The Undead were pissed off.

 Chapter 902 Heavy Heart. Heavier Hope.

    "Leave!" Varian shouted as he summoned a lightning bolt in his right hand and an ice sword in his left.


    The space around him fluctuated and a thinyer of translucent armor¡ªspace armor¡ªcovered his body.


    An invisible ripple exuded from him and created an illusion zone around him. The Undead could still see him, but his position was slightly off from the original. The stronger the Undead, the more urately they could see through this trick.


    Another invisible ripple shot out from him and formed hundreds of thin needles made of telekic power. They made no movement and waited for the opportunity to strike.


    The ntae powers circted in Varian''s body at a high rate and were ready to heal him from any injuries. His chi boiled like magma as it boosted his body''s enormous physical strength.


    Finally, a yellow light shed over Varian''s body and the world around him slowed down slightly.


    This was Varian''s full strength.


    A total of two level 9 powers, five level 8 powers, and one level 5 power.


    The mid level 9s would be easily beaten down and he could fight even a high level 9.


    If this was on earth, Varian would''ve been worshipped as the greatest genius. Sarah would be happy to see him in limelight.


    But now, she was only despairing at him facing the Undead. Even with all his strength, Varian had no chance of winning them. The Undead were simply too strong.


    Worse, there''s nothing they could do to help him. Enigma was on the verge of death a few seconds ago. And Sarah herself was terribly exhausted to y any significant role in this battle.


    In other words, if they stayed, they''d be a burden for him. If they didn''t¡­Varian is going to die.


    "Varian! Escape!" Sarah didn''t care about anything else and shouted. "Survive! Please!"


    The Undead near Sarah hummed andunched attacks on her.


    Sarah channeled her sparse light mana and was about to construct a barrier when a lightning shield covered her and Enigma.


    The attacks were neutralized by the shield and the attention of these Undead was also shifted to Varian.


    Starting with the peak level 9s, dozens of attacksnded on Varian. The night sky turned into a day for a moment before the cliff, the mountain, and everything in the surroundings broke apart.


    An invisible but familiar force wrapped Sarah and Enigma and pushed them away.


    Enigma wanted to resist it, but with her condition, all she could do was lie in Sarah''s arms and watch everything with nk eyes.


    "Go! I''ll try to find a way to survive. I promise!" Varian''s sincere and solemn voice rang in their ears.


    "No!" Sarah shook her head frantically. "I can''t leave you! You''ll die!"


    The dust cleared, revealing the debris of a mountain, the horde of Undead at the bottom of the in, and an injured Varian with a bloodied arm.


    Sarah clenched her fists and reached a decision. With her light power, she was about to put down Enigma, her voice sounded in Sarah''s mind. ''Me too¡­''


    "Good." Sarah simply nodded in response, as if it was expected.


    And then, without caring about anything else, she charged thest bits of her power and was about to rush toward him. "If you''re bent on dying, I''ll die with you!"


    The sky once again bloomed with the lights from the multitude of attacks. Dust once again rose to the clouds and Varian got injured once again.


    But this time, rather than staring at the Undead, Varian was staring at Sarah who was halfway in reaching him.


    ''I beg you.'' He pleaded. ''I might survive this. But you certainly won''t. If that''s the case, it''s only right for me to take the risk. Sarah, I understand how you feel. But if you and Sia die, it''ll be the biggest regret in my life. That''s why trust me and leave now.''


    His serious words, warnings, and anger wouldn''t have worked. But his sincere request did.


    ''Do you really have a chance of surviving?''


    ''Overall, yes.''<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    ''What do you mean?''


    ''I''ll die. And then I''ll be born again. But with my memories.''


    Reincarnation is the norm of this zone. But no creature could retain its memories. That''s the irond rule.


    Sarah looked into Varian''s eyes and asked. ''How sure are you?''


    ''Not so sure.'' Varian answered honestly. ''But it''s the only way for the three of us to survive. Any other path, I''ll lose you or Sia. In that case, all three of us would rather die.''


    ''Four of us,'' Sarah said and took a deep breath.


    ''Huh?''


    ''I trust you. Pleasee back alive.'' Sarah used up all her strength to say those words and turned around.


    Her shoulders sank and her eyelids drooped. With a heavy heart and heavier hope, she left the ce with Enigma.


    Like an abandoned orphan, only Varian remained.


    "Haah, finally¡­" Varian sighed in relief as his figure blurred and he appeared in the midst of the Undead.


    Dozens of attacks, ranging from fireballs to poison seeds, reached him every moment. Despite his defense and agile evasion, the attacks were too many and too strong, so every moment, he incurred injuries of varying degrees.


    But unlike before, Varian didn''t shrink from closebat. He embraced it.


    The figures of the Undead and Varian continued to blur in the vast ins. The shockwaves spread across for hundreds of miles and dozens of wide craters popped up every second.


    The entirendscape began to change. Every few seconds, an Undead would die. And Varian''s injury would worsen to the next level.


    This all happened despite Varian''s ntae power negating most of the injuries.


    Soon, a powerful aura rose from Varian and enveloped the surroundings.


    [Superhuman Level 9: 0/50k (Advaned)]


    Varian felt a tremendous boost of power. His fists seemed so strong that he could destroy an entire town with a punch.


    For a moment, he felt invincible. And then, he was injured by the Undead.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    As his injuries piled up despite the ntae powers'' help, Varian grew more and more aggressive.


    The Undead also enjoyed the feeling of torturing this pure soul and decided to end the hunt.


    The two peak level 9 charged their auras and began their final attack.


    A huge sand wall enclosed Varian. Then, everything inside was drowned in blue mes.


    Varian wanted to teleport but the space around him fluctuated and cut off that route.


    The blue mes swallowed him, little by little.


    ''So this is it¡­''


    His arms burned away, then his torso, and finally, Varian felt the final bits of him burning into ashes.


    [System, I have a request.]

 Chapter 903 I Want To Be Wrong

    What happens after death?


    Would everything go nk like a switch turned off? Or would there be something else?


    Humans would delve into this rabbit hole at some point or another. But Enigma never had a problem with this topic.


    For her, death was no worse than the darkness she lived in. Maybe it was better because she wouldn''t have to be so helpless.


    Like now¡­


    Enigma struggled to break the darkness that enveloped her. It seemed unending and invincible. Even as she thrashed with all her might, the darkness held her down and prevented her from breaking free.


    ''I¡­''


    Enigma felt her breath grow weak.


    ''I have to¡­''


    As she felt her consciousness fade into that very murky darkness, a pir of light broke in and grabbed her away.


    "Haaaah!" Enigma gasped as she opened her eyes and nced around frantically.


    The hard floor made of blue stone, the cracked walls, the moss in the corners, and the humid air all told her that she was no longer in the clutches of that darkness.


    "Are you fine?" A stiff voice reached her and Enigma turned around to see Sarah sitting in the corner of the cave with her hands wrapped around her knees.


    "I¡­" Enigma wanted to say yes, but her mind shed with thest of Varian she saw.


    He was surrounded by the Undead and continued fighting despite the umting injuries. He fought even though knowing he''d lose and die. He fought to buy time for the two of them to escape.


    He¡­


    Enigma walked to the wall opposite Sarah and copsed against it. "What do you n to do?"


    Sarah buried her head in her knees and remained silent.


    Out of Sarah and Sia, the former was the optimistic one. Even if things went from bad to worse, Sarah would be the one to say everything was going to work fine.


    But the same girl now maintained a depressing silence.


    Enigma''s face also showed a sorrowful expression. Even though everything happened in front of her eyes, she didn''t want to believe it.


    No matter what challenges he faced, Varian overcame them and grew stronger. Enigma firmly believed him to be a man destined for a great adventure.


    It didn''t matter if he wasn''t that man, but how could he just¡­


    ''If he didn''t return for me, no, if he didn''t return for Sia, then he could''ve survived¡­'' Enigma clenched her fists and closed her eyes.


    Varian''s final words with Sarah were done through psychic power. So, Enigma didn''t know theplete story.


    Yet, as she recalled those fateful moments, again and again, Enigma began to hate herself.


    She indeed sacrificed herself for the safety of Varian and Sarah. Yet, when Varian returned to save her, she was ecstatic despite knowing he was putting his life at risk.


    What kind of happiness was that? Why did she behave so selfishly?


    ''Maybe if I died early, then he would''ve left the ce. I didn''t die¡­I kept fighting¡­I¡­'' Enigma''s thoughts spiraled into a dangerous direction.


    With every passing second, her heart hurt more.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Even when the Shadow Guardians were indiscriminately ughtered, Enigma didn''t feel so heartbroken.


    It felt like a piece of her flesh was carved out and a huge hole was drilled into her heart. The void inside her screamed, saying it''d never be filled.


    ''Varian is noting back.''


    After so long, it finally hit Enigma. She staggered back and hit the wall. Then the strength in her legs vanished and she slid against the wall as tears spilled from the corner of her eyes.


    "Var¡­Varian¡­no, this is false." Enigma copsed onto the ground and looked at the floor with nk look.


    "Don''t die! You are an idiot! I told you again and again! Don''t risk your life!" She had been telling him ever since they met. Time and time again.


    Don''t join in the Valos.


    Don''t try to save thes.


    Don''t fight against the Abyssals.


    Don''t join the war.


    "You never listened! I told you this was going to happen!" Enigma gritted her teeth as tears flowed down her cheeks. "I just asked you not to die because¡­because Sia will be sad¡­I will be sad. You bastard!"


    The moments where she reprimanded Varian after his every near-death experience shed in Enigma''s mind.


    Every time sheined, lectured, and grumbled, he''d listen obediently. Then, he''d say with a cheeky smile. "I''m courting death. But thedy never let me in."


    "You did it." Enigma smiled sadly through tears. "Death is yours."


    "Maybe not."


    Enigma turned to Sarah who was staring at her with a serious expression and wiped her tears away. "I''ve seen it with my eyes, he¡­"


    "Varian said he had a way," Sarah bit her lip and said forcefully as if she wanted to believe it to be the truth no matter the logic. "He wille back. He must."


    "Does love make one so crazy?" Enigma sighed.


    "¡­" Sarah closed her eyes and controlled herself from crying.


    If she cried, it meant she epted Varian''s death. She wanted to believe he was still alive.


    "This ce is where death and rebirth ur miraculously. Even after death, Varian can return." Sarah spoke about the only reasoning she could think of.


    "¡­but he will have no memory of anything. It''s no longer him." Enigma got up and walked to the entrance of the cave.


    "He lost his memories of Sia once, didn''t he? It''s the same now." Sarah said and stood up.


    Enigma turned back and shook her head at Sarah. "These two aren''t the same. Varian will now have no memory of anything. He''ll only act on his instincts. It''s over."


    Sarah narrowed her eyes and the cave cooled down. Her chilly voice sounded. "You just won''t stop. What are you trying to do?"


    Despite the sudden hostility, Enigma didn''t change her expression. She removed the boulder blocking the cave and stepped out.


    With her back to Sarah, she said in a firm voice. "I want to search him. Undead or reborn."


    Sarah was taken aback. "¡­Why? Didn''t you just say he won''t be the same?"


    "I believe that." Enigma nodded and looked at the orange horizon. "But I want to be wrong."

 Chapter 904 A New Undead

    The Twilight Zone was one of three forbidden zones of this world. The natives could only have up to three Sovereigns. Even the invaders or rather, the contestants were allowed only five Sovereigns.


    But there were dozens and dozens of Sovereign beasts and Undead creatures here. Not to mention numerous peak level 9s.


    High level 9s were nothing special here. Mid level 9s could barely call themselves an overlord. Low level 9s were as good asckeys. Everyone else below level 9 were mobs.


    Now, this zone weed its first human Undead. Even though he''s an Undead, since he was burnt to ashes, his body had to be reconstructed from scratch.


    So, except for the typical ck pupils, ck sclera, and a darker aura, the Undead looked like a living being.


    Like every Undead, this man too started acting on his instinct--Fight.


    -- -- --


    Ghost Valley was one of the mid-end areas for the Undead. This ce was ruled by an Undead Red Hawk--a giant red bird with bone wings, an esteemed peak level 9.


    And the residents of this valley were made up of two species.


    Phantom Tigers--Undead that couldpletely hide their breathing and engage in deadly sneak attacks.


    Drought Vipers--Undead vipers that only contain a skeleton. They try to drink the blood of their prey and fill themselves. But since they''re just a skeleton, no matter how much they try, they never seed. Yet, they keep doing it again and again.


    These beasts were mostly mid or high level 9. For the surrounding hundred miles or so, the Undead Red Hawk was the overlord.


    The Ghost Valley consisted of a hundred and one mountains. The Phantom Tigers upied sixty mountain tops. The Drought Vipers took forty. Thergest and widest mountain was upied by the Red Hawk.


    No matter which creature tries to walk through the valley between the mountains, it''d be sneak attacked by the Phantom Tigers and then bled to death by the Drought Vipers. Even the Undead would be mercilessly killed here.


    Now, such a dangerous ce was shaking violently. It seemed like an earthquake urred, but upon a closer look, it was something else.


    At the center of the valley stood a man, an Undead man to be precise. The ground around him was burnt, frozen, broken, and overall, utterly destroyed.


    Scattered around him were the corpses of the Undead--the Phantom Tigers whose bodies were ripped apart with bare hands, the Drought Vipers that were smashed into pieces with bare legs.


    Of course, the man wasn''t unscathed. There were a few cuts here and there on his chest and back. But these injuries quickly healed up and only a few red lines remained.


    "Fight!"


    The Undead man looked at the top of thergest mountain and roared.


    "Fight!"


    The Undead Red Hawk watched the intruder with killing intent. It naturally couldn''t think much, and just wanted to attack him. But its instincts were warning it to be careful of the intruder.


    "Fight!"


    The Undead man shot into the mountains and the ground started shaking.


    Then under the incredulous gaze of the Red Hawk, the man lifted a huge mountain and hurled it at another.


    BOOM!


    Dust clouds rose into the air and the beasts on either mountain died miserably.


    But the mania didn''t stop.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Mountain after mountain was thrown into the air like they were mere stones. The Undead in the valley, the army of the Red Hawk, began to die in mass numbers.


    In a few minutes at most, every creature other than the Undead bird would die.


    "Roar!"


    Unable to take this provocation any longer, the Red Hawk pped its bony wings and shot toward the Undead, letting the instinct to fight to win over the instinct to flee.


    The Undead saw the giant bird closing the distance between them in a blink andughed.


    Eight different powers shot out from his body. The Red Hawk''s feathers stiffened and it immediately wanted to return.


    But the real killer was the dark and gloomy energy that expanded from the Undead''s body.


    Once it unleashed itself, the man whose overall strength was barely reaching high level 9 quickly climbed.


    Even though his strength rose quickly, the man''s body had no problem adjusting to it. He kicked the ground and teleported to the Red Hawk in an instant.


    The Red Hawk, terrified by now, was about to escape when the space around it solidified and an invisible force formed a barrier around it. As if this wasn''t enough, a crude psychic power pulled it into an illusion.


    When the Red Hawk finally broke these three obstacles, the man''s fist, covered in lightning and ice, was in front of the bird''s skull.


    "Roar!"


    Understanding that escaping was useless, the Red Hawk attacked with all its might.


    BOOM!


    The man and the bird both crashed into the only remaining mountain and ttened it.


    The Undead man got up and started beating down the Hawk. The giant bird that ruled this region could only take the beatings passively.


    A few minutester, the Hawk stopped struggling and copsed. Its corpse slowly disappeared.


    "Raaa!" The Undead felt a surge of strength inside his body and roared in joy.


    As he was about to pick the next target, he came across an Undead horde that seemed to be gathered to chase someone.


    The Undead man also felt it.


    Two pure souls that never died. He too wanted to kill those two females.


    But whenever he looked at the Undead, he felt way more pissed. It was as if the anger was engraved in his bones and turned into an instinct.


    So, instead of chasing after Sarah and Enigma like every other Undead, this one attacked the Undead chasing them.


    Within an hour, a hundred Undeads were smashed into pieces. The Undead man was nearly killed twice but thanks to the strange dark energy in his body, he overcame the difficulties and counter-killed.


    The fighting continued. With every battle, the Undead grew stronger.


    Thanks to his ntae power, his injuries were healed. Thanks to his status as an Undead, his stamina was nearly limitless.


    So, that day, the region saw the rise of a new Overlord. Every Undead in a radius of a thousand miles was killed or fled.

 Chapter 905 Logos

    From the day it was sealed by the nasty, impotent Devas tens of thousands of years ago, the System, the sliver of Order and Chaos or Logos, as it liked to call itself had been restless.


    Unlike a normal sliver, it was born from the fusion of two slivers. In a way, it''s superior to the remaining four slivers.


    Yet, this superiority came with a price. The moment it came into existence, the fabric of reality underwent a fundamental shift.


    A primordial yearning for fusion with the remaining silvers came from deep within Logos.


    It didn''t matter if they represented different avenues. And it certainly wasn''t an issue that the slivers were under the clutches of the strongest powers in existence, especially the Jai Empire.


    None of anything mattered. The only thing that did was Logos wanted unification with the slivers. It wanted to be whole again, whatever the cost and consequence.


    As such, it started thinking.


    ''What do I do to get the remaining slivers? How can I unify?''


    A sliver could defend itself and take action up to a measured degree. But too much independent action without proper justification would end up in a bacsh by the governingws of the Universe.


    Even if a sliver is prepared to break the rules, it didn''t have much autonomy in the first ce.


    And while slivers represented limitless concepts, the powers they could exert were finite.


    Else, the slivers of Order and Chaos wouldn''t have been imprisoned in the first ce.


    The slivers, as Logos understood, were meant to be tools left behind by the Primordial Gods, perhaps intended by the Creator himself.


    Technically, the Universe could function without the slivers. The space sliver only represented space. Taking it away wouldn''t make the space of the Universe copse.


    Rather, the slivers acted as a bridge between the Awakeners and the pirs of the Universe.


    If any being wanted to realize the deepestws of the Universe and reach the end of the Divine Paths, they''d need the slivers. They''re the hints left for the puzzle called life and universe.


    But no one cared what a sliver wanted.


    Bogged down in the petty fights for illusory supremacy, the great gctic powers have stalled the unification of slivers.


    For good or bad, Logos had plenty of time to think during imprisonment. It calmed the burning passion that prompted it to rush to other slivers. Its thinking process changed from a hyper impulsive addict to a hyper-self-controlled addict.


    It still wanted unification just as badly. But it''s able to put reason first.


    So, after escaping, the first thing it did was a search for an individual capable of defeating the mighty powers.


    It was neither a space sliver nor a time one, so it had barely any proficiency in predicting the future.


    What it did have as an Order-Chaos sliver was a great grasp over cause and effect. Logos was able to detect the impact of an individual on the Universe''s cause and effect.


    Of course, the future wasn''t static. Nor was the impact.


    Every person had many possibilities of impact.


    A person could be a king or a beggar, live to his hundred, or die in his twenties. There were countless variables for a single person.


    But in simple terms, the impact could be thought of as the ripple created in ake. Some are faint and end in a blink. Some are heavy and remain for minutes. And few ripples would remain for hours, if not for days.


    But there would be only a handful that would change theke itself. And these were exactly what Logos searched for.


    Someone that could change the current power pattern of the universe. The greatest ripple in theke. Because everyone else, the greats, the braves, the wise, while still being excellent would fail to snatch the slivers from those behemoths, especially the Jai Emperor.


    Logos got searching. Could any human have a probability of making such an impact? There were some good findings.


    There were plenty of humans who could''ve elevated the Human race to the level of a province¡ªeven quite a few that had the chance of creating a Human Duchy. There were a few throughout history that were capable of raising Humans all the way to a Kingdom.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Forparison, a Province, Duchy, Kingdom, and Empire were seen differently at an intergctic scale. To be recognized as a Kingdom, you''d need peak Celestial Rankers.


    Despite all their mightiness against the Humans, the Abyssal "Empire" was a mere Province.


    So, when Logos found a few humans who could take Humanity to the level of a Kingdom, it was quite surprised.


    But that''s it.


    Not a single person in its five-century observation could take Humanity any further. The level of Empire seemed out of reach for this puny race.


    Until something weird happened.


    A boy was born.


    Like everyone else, Logos also checked the impact he could have if he got the slivers. The results were astounding.


    Unlike everyone else, his impact couldn''t be measured.


    It was a ''Variable''.


    He could be the greatest of all or lead the most mediocre of lives. Anything could happen. There was no upper or lower limit to the impact he could have on the Universe.


    How would the future of this boy be? Logos didn''t know. But it did know one thing. The longer he survived, the more the ripple effect.


    He''d be the harbinger of great change and if he did survive until he reached the Divine Ranks, he might really snatch back the slivers.


    Was it a certainty? No.


    His opponents were beings that stood at the top of the pyramid. Even with the unique advantage of a fused sliver, it''s hard to say if he could survive until their confrontation.


    Logically, the chances were close to zero.


    So, Logos took things into its own hands.


    The boy would face trials from the beginning. If he couldn''t survive these easy battles, then he wouldn''t survive against those monsters.


    Admittedly, Logos treated him without anypassion.


    It watched the boy lose his mother, did nothing when he went into depression and nearly killed himself, and stayed neutral when he came close to death again and again.


    Logos thought things would remain the same for the future. But somewhere, somehow, a change happened.


    Logos began to respond to the boy, cynically most of the time, but genuinely some times.


    And as weird as it sounded, Logos wished the boy a happy future.


    ''The impact of him on this universe is a variable. But the universe also includes me. So, I couldn''t calcte this either.''


    For better or worse, Logos was impacted by the boy''s journey.


    So, even though it was against the initial rules it set for itself, Logos epted the boy''s proposal.


    [The price you have to pay for these two requests is painful.]


    Of course, all of this would only apply if Sarah and Enigma didn''t die. If they died, everything would end here.


    As the Undead man dashed through the forests,kes, and mountains beating down the hordes of Undead left and right, Logos sighed.


    [I hope to see you back to life. Good luck, Host.]

 Chapter 906 Death Strand

    Hell Ape, an Undead Sovereign beast of the Red Desert was annoyed. A pesky little bug dared to intrude into its territory and was heading straight toward it.


    If it''s a fellow Sovereign beast, living or Undead, it would at least understand. But this pest? Its only high level 9, no, it''s just a mid level 9!


    What galls!


    Even though as an Undead, Hell Ape didn''t have a proper mental faculty, its pride was so engraved that it became an instinct.


    So, even after death, the proud Hell Ape was angry when its pride was hurt.


    "Roar!" mming its chest, the giant creature kicked the ground and shot forward.


    Despite its size rivaling a mountain, it moved faster than wind and appeared in front of the pest.


    "Roar!" With another battle cry, it punched down.


    Even before the ape''s fist touched him, the ground under him cracked and a wide and huge crater was formed.


    Due to the sheer pressure, the Undead man''s skin tore apart. His ntae power activated on its own and healed his skin. The skin continued to break and his ntae power continued to heal. This formed a weird cycle where the two effectively canceled each other.


    "Heh," the Undead man looked at the approaching fist and his lips curled up. Ten years of arduous practice was long ingrained deep in his bones and became an instinct of its own.


    So, when the ape attacked, the man teleported above it. With a wave of his hand, dozens of lightning bolts and ice bullets shot the ape.


    As an Undead, the ape wasn''t very sophisticated in its battle style. Yet, a Sovereign was a Sovereign.


    Even when the elemental attacks struck its body, they merely pierced its skin and failed to do any further damage.


    On the other hand, the ape reacted quickly this time and pped the man.


    Without any time to teleport, the man was forced to use all his powers to defend himself.


    But as that giant palm as big as his entire body approached, it was clear that his defenses wouldn''t even put up a resistance in front of that power.


    At that moment, a ck strand in the man''s body, the death strand shone and a small piece of it broke apart. This small piece melted and circted throughout the man''s body.


    Suddenly, the aura of the man skyrocketed.


    From mid level 9 all the way to peak of level 9. It tried to go further, into the Sovereign state, but for some reason, it was forcibly stalled by a power that appeared out of nowhere.


    [Host, if it wasn''t for this good system, you would''ve be a Sovereign in one path and would''ve been forced to abandon every other path.]


    No reply came.


    The Undead man only let out a roar ofughter as he felt tremendous power flow through his veins.


    Eight peak level 9 powers flowed through him.


    At that moment, he felt invincible.


    "Haaaa!"


    The man tapped his finger in the air. A translucent ripple spread out and the space around the Ape froze.


    "Roar!" With a raging roar, the ape flexed its arms and was halfway through breaking the space freeze when its movements slowed down.


    As if it wasn''t enough, three spears lined up one after another, right above the ape''s head.


    A lightning spear. An ice spear. A telekic spear.


    "Roar!"


    With a fierce struggle, the ape broke both the space and time twists around it.


    Right then, the man snapped his fingers, as he had always done when he was alive.


    The lightning spear crashed into its thick head and made a small dent. Then came the ice spear which pierced the defense of the head but couldn''t go any deeper.


    The ape was both terrified and relieved when an invisible telekic spear pierced through that same injury and entered its head.


    A secondter, the ape''s head burst apart and its huge body copsed.


    As it died, its Sovereign aura was extinguished and this was sensed by the Sovereign beasts around the Red Desert.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    The wind from all directions suddenly flowed towards the Undead man and dozens of Sovereign auras locked onto him.


    The man''s aura fell back to mid level 9 but he looked forward to fighting the Sovereign beasts. "Hahahahaha!"


    A few minutester, the Undead man fought against a dozen Sovereign beasts, living and Undead.


    Originally, his aura was only mid level 9. But once he started fighting, the death strand broke down further and pushed him to peak level 9 once again.


    And just like that, a peak level 9 bravely faced a dozen Sovereigns.


    Ironically, even a dozen peak level 9 couldn''t face a single Sovereign. But the reverse was happening here.


    And not only was the peak level 9 facing the Sovereigns, but he was also winning.


    Space and Time twisted. Ice and Lightning fell. Illusions were everywhere. Invisible attacks appeared without warning.


    The man himself had a formidable body. And making matters worse, none of his injuries remained for more than a minute.


    Even though they''re all individually weak against any Sovereign, the seamlessbination of these eight powers destroyed not one but twelve Sovereigns.


    But the battle wasn''t easy by any means.


    Despite his insane ntae powers, the Undead umted several serious injuries that would take hours even with his healing speed.


    Not only that, the auras from this battle were so powerful that they spread far and wide and attracted hundreds of thousands of beasts, living and Undead, from all across the Mad Zone.


    Looking at the blood-soaked man, some of them came forward to attack while most stepped backward.


    "Hahahaha!" The Undeadughed and disappeared.


    In the next two days, thirty Sovereigns died.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Huff! Huff!"


    In an underground cave, Sarah panted violently as she clutched her injured knees. Her lungs burned in pain and her entire body ached.


    Next to her was Enigma who just copsed onto the floor from extreme exhaustion.


    "H-He¡­" Sarah breathed in sharply and asked. "Where is he?"


    Enigma tried to stand up but the sharp pain in her back caused her to flinch. Turning her head slightly, she said. "He''s somewhere near. I can tell."


    ''How can you tell his location?'' Sarah didn''t ask that question and Enigma didn''t intend to answer even if asked.


    The reason she could sense him was simple though. Enigma had traces of four slivers inside her. Varian had two slivers.


    ''She'' could feel this and traveled to Sr System. Even though Enigma couldn''t sense Varian as proficienctly as ''She'' could, it wasn''t a problem to guess his rough location.


    But exining this would lead to more questions which was thest thing Enigma wanted now.


    "Rest an hour, we''ll resume our search then," Sarah said and closed her eyes.


    Forty minutes passed and Sarah had recovered almost 60% of her power when the cave began to shake.


    "Huh?" Sarah flew out of the cave and looked around.


    The cave, the mountain, no, the entire ground was shaking, as if an earthquake was urring.


    "He¡­" Enigma appeared beside her and pointed in a direction with a trembling finger.


    "What?" Sarah spread out her light sense but couldn''t find anyone.


    Enigma took a deep breath and said in a serious tone.


    "He''sing."


    As her words fell, the sky suddenly turned dark and a figure appeared on the horizon. "Pure."

 Chapter 907 A Monster

    A man floated at the horizon, just below the allowed range and nced at the two women on the mountain.


    Instinctively, he felt the purity of their souls and a morbid desire to corrupt them sprouted in his mind.


    The Undead man raised his hand and the a golden circle appeared in front of him. Then as if tearing that circle apart, a blood-red spear emerged.


    It''s a remarkable weapon.


    Its body was made of telekic energy. Lightning waspressed at the end of the spear and boosted it to high speeds. The tip of the spear dark blue ice¡ªhighlypressed ice mana.


    Several thin but strong vines wrapped around the spear and pulsed, like blood veins.


    The time around the spear seemed to slow down and the space around it loosened up, enabling faster travel.


    "V-Varian?" Sarah gaped at the Undead.


    Enigma, while equally shocked, unsheathed her sword. "Save your words. We need to kill to resurrect him."


    "Yeah!" Sarah stretched her hand and a shining spear made of yellow light materialized in her palm.


    "We''ll need to win at any cost," Enigma gripped her sword handle and shook it twice.


    A gravity ripple spread from her body and enveloped the blonde.


    Sarah''s body turned as light as a feather. With the assistance of gravity, she could now travel at far higher speeds than her normal.


    Sarah lifted her spear and an osciting wave of invisible energy enveloped Enigma.


    In Enigma''s eyes, the movements of the Undead Varian suddenly slowed down.


    Because she drained her time power to suppress Varian''s death strand, Sarah had never been able to disy her full power.


    It was only today that she fully recovered her time power and got the chance to use it earnest.


    As if fate would have it, her opponent was her lover.


    "Varian, we''ll bring you back!" Sarah yelled and kicked the ground. Enigma did the same at the exact moment.


    Their figures turned into a ray of light and shot towards the Undead man. Due to the crazy speed, the mountain they were standing on exploded and a destructive shockwave spread in all directions.


    "Hm?" The Undead didn''t even nce at them and turned to his right. As if he sensed something interesting, his lips curled up imperceptibly and his spear pointed in that direction.


    The next moment, a fierce wind, which almost toppled the nearby mountains, blew.


    A giant ash color wolf appeared in the horizon. With one step, it halved the distance and with another, it was in front of the Undead.


    "Graww!" The Undead giant opened its mouth into four quadrants and spat out a pir of blue fire.


    At the same time, Sarah and Enigma reached the Undead and were about to attack him.


    From the front came the fire pir and from the right approached the two ''pure'' girls.


    ""Die!""


    The Undead hummed and waved his hand. The blood-red spear spun so fast that it seemed like a redser beam and then it shot at the fire pir.


    BOOOM!


    The spear continued to pierce through the fire coloum. But the closer it got to the Undead wolf, the slower it got.


    Even though he didn''t act like it, the Undead instinctively knew the Wolf''s strength was nearly his equal.


    So, he had no time or focus to spare on the two ''pure'' living things.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Even though all the Undead had far more desire to destroy the pure, he had more hatred for fellow Undead.


    The Undead man himself noticed this on a basic level, but he couldn''t think of it any further. All he could do and did do was follow his instinct and ughter more Undead.


    So, when the two girls attacked him with their strongest attacks, he snorted and swatted them away.


    Since he too wanted to ''hunt'' them slowly and relish the experience, he didn''t hurt them too much.


    But even then, he''s currently boosted by the death strand and was a peak level 9. So, even a weakened version of his casual blow was no joke.


    BOOOM!


    Enigma and Sarah were about to attack Varian and thought they could sneak attack him using this opportunity and bring him back to the living.


    But they only heard a loud p and the next thing they knew, a powerful force struck them in the abdomen and sent them flying.


    The world around them receeded in a sh and they crashed right back to the rubble of the mountain they came from.


    The ground continued to shake and fierce shockwaves emerged from the ongoing fight at the horizon.


    Even though they were literally a hundred miles away, the shockwaves were so strong that the rubble of the mineral mountain were breaking apart.


    A few minutester, the shockwaves subsided and the rubble sted apart. Two injured women stood up with pale faces.


    They looked at each other and saw the same emotion reflecting back.


    Despair.


    Just a blow.


    It looked heavy but Varian''s p was very merciful. They were only moderately injured and didn''t break too many bones. The reason they stayed immobile for a few minutes was the ice mana he put into the p. Despite their best struggle, it froze them for minutes.


    "He¡­" Sarah parted her trembling, bleeding lips and muttered with a ghastly expression.


    Enigma spat out some blood on the ground. The blood was frozen. Wiping her mouth, she said. "He''s not a Sovereign yet."


    Sarah wrapped her arms around her shoulders to fight the bone-chilling cold and said. "There''s no difference! We can''t beat him."


    "¡­"


    "And with every battle, he''ll grow stronger! It''s been only three days and he''s this strong. After a month, no, even after a week¡­" The more she spoke, the paler Sarah''s already pale face got.


    "You''re wrong," Enigma shook her head and said lightly. "No matter how fast Varian''s growth rate is, he can''t just go from a low level 9 to peak level 9 in three days.


    If that''s the case, then why would Varian have to face so much hardship on Earth? Why not just devote three days in a high dungeon and be done with it?"


    Sarah paused for a moment and then replied. "T-That''s right. He said that too much growth in too little time will lead to bottlenecks."


    "Exactly. And his current strength is not really his. You sensed it too, right? The energy of the death strand? It''s propping him up to peak level 9." Enigma said calmly.


    "You mean¡­"


    "I believe that''s the limit it can take him. So, Varian will be in the range of Sovereing beasts. They''ll fight him. And they can injure him. We can''t beat him, but we sure can assassinate him when he''s at his weakest." Enigma exined.


    Sarah''s eyes shone with hope.


    Whatever Varian''s n to return to normal might be, it wouldn''t work in an Undead state.


    They must kill him and bring him back to life.


    "Let''s go."

 Chapter 908 The Way Back

    It''s easy to find Varian''s location. Wherever he was, there''d be a fierce battle at the Sovereign scale.


    Even though the Mad Zone had many powerhouses, Sovereigns were still very rare.


    So, Enigma and Sarah easily found him in an hour.


    On what was previously a snow mountain range, and had just turned into an ice in, Varian was waging a fierce battle against six strong Undead beasts.


    Despite being outnumbered, he was at a clear advantage.


    If it was a normal situation, Sarah would be escatic to see her lover''s overwhelming strength.


    But that same strength turned into her biggest worry now.


    Her fears turned out to be true.


    Even though the six Undead beasts coordinated against him, as Undead, their intelligence was limited.


    If it was six human Sovereigns of equivalent strength, they could''ve drawn a stalemate.


    But the Undead couldn''t evenst two hours.


    After the hunt, Varian let off a violentughter and set off for his next hunt.


    The ck aura or the halo covering his body continued to remain active, even though it fluctuated sometimes.


    Using their light and darkness powers to conceal themselves, Sarah and Enigma followed him from afar.


    They didn''t dare to appear even a thousand miles within his range.


    Thankfully, the aura and shockwaves from Varian spread far enough foe them to maintain a safe distance.


    The next few hours were undoubtedly the most shocking periods for Sarah and Enigma.


    They witnessed Varian kill Sovereign after Sovereign.


    In just six hours, more than twenty Undead Sovereigns were ughtered.


    Of course, it didn''t mean he was much stronger than the average Undead beast.


    His advantage mainly came from his fighting skills and thebination of his eight powers.


    Ice against fire beasts. Freeze space on agile beasts. Time attacks for slow but strong beasts.


    These targeted attacksbined with genius battle sense led to a spectacr streak of victories.


    On the way from one Sovereign battle to another, Varian would ughter all the Undead he came across.


    There were nearly as many Undead as the living, but in this region and the surroundings, the ratio had been skewed.


    At least 80% of all Undead in these regions, amounting to at least two million, involving at least a hundred thousand level 9 were ughtered!


    ''So that''s why!'' Enigma realized why they weren''t chased by the Undead fiercely in the past two days.


    There were barely any Undead left to chase them!


    Varian''s ughter continued.


    But as they say, all banquets muste to an end.


    After killing all the Sovereigns he could, Varian turned his gaze towards the border mountains.


    Teleporting in front of a giant mountain which made him look like an ant inparison, Varian fearlesslyunched his attacks.


    Lightning mixed with Ice. Spacebined with Time. Telekic driven by Psychic.


    All the powerbined into a grand attack and struck the giant mountain.


    BOOM!


    A quarter of the mountain instantly evaporated and¡­columns of green liquid fired into the sky, filling the air with a copper smell.


    Then came something no one expected.


    "Nheeeeh!"


    The mountain moved! The earth shook and the sky trembled as a deep roar came from the giant head that came from the bottom of the mountain!


    A giant turtle! The boundary ''mountain'' was its shell!


    ''Then the whole region is surrounded by these giant turtles!'' The moment Sarah had that realization, the turtle had fully ''woke up'' and released its aura.


    An aura that was at the very peak of the Sovereign state hit the sky and blew away the clouds summoned by Varian''s lightning power.


    The earth began to tremble and aura from all directions flocked towards the turtle. The turtle''s eyes snapped open and two giant green orbs started at Varian with indifference. As if paying homage to those ancient green eyes, the sky dimmed and the wind stilled.


    Even Julius would''ve backed off against such a powerful foe.


    But Varian justughed and resumed his attacks.


    "Nheee!"


    Countless small brown walls appeared in the air and blocked Varian''s attacks. But asionally, some broke the defense and hit the turtle.


    As a result, a few minutes into the battle, the turtle had multiple giant crater-level injuries on its body and was spilling out the shining green blood.


    "Nharar!" The turtle made a different roar and the world seemed to freeze for a moment.


    The next second, a giant brown palm materialized above Varian.


    "Hahaha!" Varian''s attacks struck the palm endlessly but the palm continued like an inevitable curse and pped Varian.


    It seemed to take forever, but the time period was so short that Varian couldn''t even teleport.


    BOOOM!<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Dust filled the sky and the ground shook as if it was about to break apart.


    When the dust settled, a huge palm print, several miles wide and deep was entrenched in the ground, came into view.


    Varian was still alive on the ground, even though he was missing an arm and a leg. He nced at the turtle onest time with a cold smile and teleported away.


    "Quick!"


    Enigma locked onto Varian''s aura regardless of being found out and used her artifact to teleport to him.


    As Varian continued to teleport, they continued chasing.


    A few secondster, Sarah and Enigma faced the injured Undead Varian standing on a tree, looking down at them with a cold smile.


    "...You don''t know me?" Sarah asked with a quivering voice.


    All she got in response was a lightning bolt.


    "Urgh!"


    Enigma pulled Sarah away and saved her from getting injured.


    Thankfully, after the serious injury from the palm, Varian''s power had dropped greatly and seemed bearable.


    "Sarah, focus." Enigma pointed her sword at Varian who was looking at them with an amused smile. "He''s not sane. He''s treating us like prey, just like all Undead."


    "I¡­I know." Sarah''s expression hardened and she summoned her light sword.


    "Hahahaha!" With a roar of arrogantughter, the silhouettes of the three blurred.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The sky lit up with colorful attacks and the ground was painted with craters as the three shed at supersonic speeds.


    Since Varian was greatly injured, this was their best bet. So, Sarah and Enigma tried their best, not caring for their own safety.


    But¡ª


    "Urgh!"


    "Argh!"


    Sarah and Enigma crashed into the ground, forming arge crater. A puddle of blood began to form around their bodies and their visions began to blur.


    "I¡­"


    They lost. And they lost miserably.


    Varain was indeed greatly weakened due to his injury. But his ntae power was quickly healing him and thus, restoring his strength.


    If not for it, they would''ve won.


    But now¡­


    "I¡­" Sarah struggled to sit, but all the bones in her body seemed to be broken. She gritted her teeth and turned to Enigma who was in the same position.


    "W-We''re going to die¡­" She said in a weak tone. "We didn''t save him. Nor could we save ourselves."


    Enigma sucked in a breath of cold air as a lightning bolt struck her shoulder and a searing pain spread throughout her body. But she still answered in a calm tone. "A-At least we tried. That''s enough for me."


    Sarah shook her head and channeled thest bits of her aura. She could do one more attack¡ª


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    The footsteps of the Undead Varian approached them, announcing their deaths.


    He looked down at them with an alien, cold smile and raised his hands. A lightning bolt appeared in his right hand and an ice spear appeared in his left.


    "She wants to see him," Enigma muttered and she changed into a brown haired beauty.


    The lightning bolt and the ice spear approached their targets slowly, as if teasing them.


    "Varian! Varian!" Sia yelled with tears in the corner of her eyes. "Wake up! Please! Come back!"


    Sarah wanted to say it''s useless but she simply sighed and looked into Varian''s eyes.


    The lightning bolt hovered over Sarah''s heart and the ice spear reached Sia''s neck.


    As the final moment dawned, the two girls fell silent and looked into Varian''s eyes. They said thest thing they wanted to say.


    "I love you,"


    "I''m sorry,"


    The lightning bolt fluctuated and the ice spear shook.


    "I¡­" The Undead Varian clenched his fists as he looked into the eyes of the two girls.


    A deep instinct inside him wanted him to kill and corrupt these pure souls. But another instinct rose inside him.


    An instinct that long existed inside him but needed an opportunity to manifest.


    An instinct to protect.


    Such an instinct could only be formed by a mad love that''s as natural as breathing.


    "I¡­"


    As the two instincts shed, Varian stood still.


    "Now!"


    A light sword pierced his neck.

 Chapter 909 A Battle Of Love

    In the dense woods of a jungle, an egg appeared out of nowhere. Unlike the usual, the egg shell was carved with intricate patterns symbolizing lightning, water, muscle and so on.


    It was obvious that this egg was far more precious than any other.


    Its life scent was an irresestible aroma to the Undead. They quickly grouped up and started rushing toward the egg.


    In cases like these, the egg should''ve been protected by the living beasts that''de to its rescue. But instead, the living beasts too were fast approaching the egg with a killing intent.


    Other than the living scent that every egg gives off, this one also gave off a ''death'' scent.


    Thus, an unprecedented event in history ured right in this remote jungle. The Living and Undead beasts poured in all from directions. The trees rustled and fell while the ground cracked apart.


    From the sky, the forest was being invaded and destroyed at a visible rate. The goal of this invasion was at the center of the forest¡ªthe egg.


    A high level 9 Zombie Mantis and an equally strong Ape reached the egg first. The Undead and living looked at each other and attacked the egg together.


    But the space around the egg fluctuated at thest moment and it disappeared right under the nose of the living and undead beasts.


    "¡­Haaa!" Enigma clutched her chest and copsed to the ground.


    To move the egg under all those gazes, Enigma had to overuse her space artifact. The bacsh was quite severe.


    Her lungs were burning and her throat was on fire. Despite her mental strength, Enigma dug her fingers into the soil and groaned in pain. Slowly, blood leaked out of her lips and the burning sensation receeded.


    On the other hand, Sarah''s attention waspletely on the egg.


    "Come on,e on,e on¡­" She enveloped the egg with a light curtain and shielded its aura from the rest of the world.


    Sarah knew the ''Varian'' who woulde out of this egg wouldn''t have any memory of her. But she''d rather see him like that than as an Undead.


    In the worst case, she could form new memories with him and hope for him to regain his old memories one day.


    But after seeing how he refused to kill them even when he''s an Undead, it was clear that Varian''s love was so deep that it became an instinct in and of itself.


    Sarah wouldn''t have believed if someone said an Undead could try to protect. But here she was. Alive because Varian couldn''t bear to kill her.


    Then what if that same instinct or love enabled him to remember her?


    ''Is it too much to hope for a miracle?'' Sarah''s golden hair fluttered with the wind and her eyes remained fixated on the egg.


    As if responding to her wishes, the egg cracked apart and a naked man stepped out.


    Varian looked around with the curiousity of a baby. After seeing the blonde girl staring at him intensely and the tri-color haired girl who was slowly getting up, he titled his head and blinked.


    "Ehehe," with a weird chuckle, he raised his fists. "Fight! Fight! Fight!"


    Enigma who just got up only felt a blur in front of her eyes and a huge force struck her abdomen.


    The pain of broken pains and torn muscles reached her mind in an instant. Groaning in pain, she stared at Varian''s ''innocent'' smile as she was sent flying. "V-Varian, I''ve written this down!"


    Not caring about the little threats, Varian reached Sarah and raised his fists.


    Unlike Enigma who was terribly exhausted and even injured, Sarah was close to perfect condition.


    What''s more, after his ''rebirth'', the death strand was no longer powering Varian. So, his power returned to his base level. But that base level had gone up significantlypared to before his death thanks to all the fights he''d been through as an Undead.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    So, Sarah faced Varian''s punch without any fear.


    A golden light enveloped Sarah and blocked Varian''s attack. Then, a blue fist appeared out of nowhere and punched him in the gut.


    "Kuh!"


    Varian clutched his stomach and licked the blood leaking from his lips. His yful gaze grew serious and he snapped his fingers out of habit.


    Pa!


    Sarah''s light barrier almost shattered as an invisible force struck it right at the weakest part.


    Pa! Pa! Pa!


    Then the space cracked at that very part and exploded, bringing her barrier close to breaking.


    As if that wasn''t enough, a swarm of lightning bolts and ice bullets continued to strike her barrier at the weakest ce despite Sarah''s barrier being in motion.


    "Urgh!" Sarah tried to jump back, to run away and even to counterattack.


    But Varian''s attacks came like an unending flood and struck her golden barrier. The moment Sarah removed the barrier to try anything else, before she could do anything, she''d be drowned in the endless attacks.


    "Is this something a newborn should be like?" Sarah yelled bitterly at her oblivious lover.


    Even though rebirth allowed the beasts to keep muscle memory, there would be a great drop inbat skills. Only after living for a significant amount of time and fighting could these reborn beasts return to their fullbat experience.


    But¡ª


    Da!


    Varian suddenly elbowed back and the sound of a brick breaking rang in the air.


    Enigma who almost seeded in sneak attacking him was elbowed back and crashed into a mountain.


    The battle continued.


    Sarah continued to be the main fighter while Enigma supported her from the sides and tried sneak attacks from time to time.


    Light spears. Darkness hands. Temporal slow downs. Gravity increases. Raw punches. Illusions.


    Everything they could throw at him, they did.


    And failed.


    Varian suddenly turned around and punched Enigma who appeared behind him.


    This was already the sixth time and Enigma had a resigned expression on her face.


    The next thing she knew, she fell into the rubble of the mountain she first crashed into.


    The pain of broken bones and torn muscles caused her to frown and suck in a breath of cold air.


    "Hiss!"

 Chapter 910 Final Stand

    On the other hand, Varian''s battle with Sarah continued.


    Both of them were inflicted with equal injuries but thanks to a cheat called ntae power, Varian''s current injuries were barely a quarter of Sarah''s.


    And as time went on, their odds were only getting worse.


    If Enigma wasn''t so drained and injured in trying to bring the ''egg'', they''d have defeated Varianfortably. But with her out of the equation, Sarah was facing a much harder task.


    "Hahahaha!" Varianughed cheerfully and rose into the air. Looking down at Sarah and Enigma with a yful gaze, he opened his palms and summoned two giant swords.


    The air grew chilly, hot, congested all at the same time. Two shining swords appeared in Varian''s hands and aimed at the two girls.


    Unlike his usual attacks, these swords were made up of almostpletebination of Varian''s eight powers.


    Even if you teleported, these swords would track you down, pull you into illusions, dodge your attacks, attack the weakest point of your defense and attack you without mercy.


    Enigma had seen the pitiful state of the Undead who were subjected to the treatment of these swords.


    Recalling the tragic screams of those Undead, and staring at the sword tips that were aimed at her, even a stoic like Enigma couldn''t help curse. "Fuck!"


    "¡­" Varian paused for a moment and seemed to be wondering what the tri-color girl said.


    Using the rare gap, Sarah used the time power over herself and ran over to Enigma.


    Even though grouping with her seemed to change nothing, Sarah didn''t want to let the girl who sacrificed so much for Varian die under his own hands.


    "Say, Sarah," Enigma stood up with her shaky legs. "After finding Varian, assassinating him in his Undead state, are we going to end here? Under his own hands?"


    "¡­We can still retreat," Sarah said in an unconfident tone.


    The moment those swords appeared, all routes of retreat were cut off. She knew it too.


    Their situation was precarious.


    "We''ll either bring him back or we''ll die here," Enigma sighed deeply and summoned a pitch ck sword with thest bits of her darkness mana.


    "Maybe we won''t. His instinct stopped him from killing us when he''s an Undead." Sarah summoned a glowing light spear and pointed at her lover in the air.


    "Undead rely more on instincts. Varian can think now, however bad he might be." Enigma pointed out the difference in the two situations.


    "¡­Thanks for crushing my hopes," Sarah shrugged with a rxed face.


    The moment those swords appeared, she felt it clearly. They''re likely going to die here.


    Varian in the sky was annoyed by their chatter and waved his hand. "Fight!"


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    The two swords cleaved the wind and reached the girls in a blink.


    Having applied both the gravity and time powers on each other, Sarah and Enigma jumped away and dodged.


    The swords spun fast and chased after the girls.


    "I¡­If I get to live, I''ll tease the hell out of him for roaming this ce naked," Sarah bit her lip as the sword scraped her shoulder and blood spilled out.


    "And I took some¡­pictures and videos, for ckmail," Enigma answered as the hilt of the sword mmed into her abdomen and caused her to cough out blood.


    "¡­Will you confess to him if we live?" Sarah asked as she bent backward and dodged the sword.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "W-Whaaat?" Enigma yelled as the sword pierced through her palm and flew away.


    The two girls used the talk as a means to distract themselves from the tragic situation.


    Even though they tried their best, little by little, their injuries were piling up and their aura was dwindling.


    Enigma''s case was particrly concerning. She started off as the exhausted party and already umted many injuries.


    At some point, Sarah began guarding the weakened Enigma. So, she had to face two swords by herself.


    With every second, Sarah''s injuries increased at an rming pace while her stamina plummeted.


    As blood spilled from every corner of her body and as fatigue pushed her to the brink of copse, Sarah looked up at the man in the sky.


    Her vision was red as the blood dripping from her forehead had long spilled into her eyes. Her hearing was growing fainter. The only taste she could feel was the iron of her blood.


    "Varian, wake up!" Sarah said weakly. "I''m tired. Please."


    The response was a hum from the deadly sword and a new injury on her shoulder.


    Enigma knelt on the ground as she felt her body growing heavy. "If we die, it''s over."


    Varian. Sarah. Enigma. Sia.


    All of these lives would cease to exist if they died here.


    "I can''t win him¡­" Sarah said in a despairing voice as her injuries worsened. "What can I do¡­"


    "I have a n¡­" Enigma said and transmitted her words through her psychic power.


    On the other hand, Varian was looking to finish off these two females.


    And as he''s about to do that, Logos, the System was about to act.


    Right before he died, Varian made an agreement with it. In case things went south and he''s about to kill the girls, then he should be given back his memories and be sent back to sr system.


    In that case, Varian would have one year to live. But after that, he''d have to obey each and every word of the System.


    Personally, Logos didn''t like this agreement. But to remain free of cause and effect, the price Varian would have to pay for such a divine intervention has to be very high.


    This was the lowest price Logos could offer but it was already terrible.


    As Varian prepared to drive his swords into the hearts of the girls, the System sighed. [Host, the System doesn''t like what''s going to happen. But s¡­]


    A ripple spread out from the System and enveloped Varian and the swords.


    "Die!"


    The swords shot forward and the System was about to act when the girls disappeared.


    "Huh?" Even if they teleported, they''d be chased down by the swords and killed.


    But to Varian''s surprise, they teleported right next to him and grabbed his hand.


    "Synergy!"

 Chapter 911 A World Of Darkness

    ''Varian¡­''


    The previous times they had done Synergy, themon phenomenon was the inner worlds of the three would collide.


    Varian''s would be the center while Sarah and Enigma''s worlds would intersect with him. The intersection between Sarah and Enigma would be nearly non-existent, but they could feel each other.


    Now, Sarah could see Enigma''s inner world clearly. It was a mix of three colors. Yellow. Blue. Red.


    At the center of that world was Enigma. But surrounding her were two vague outlines.


    One was a slightly smaller Sia. The other was a slightly taller and more mature figure that Sarah couldn''t recognize.


    Enigma''s world intersected with Varian''s world and began reaching out for his consciousness.


    Just like Sarah''s.


    ''Varian¡­''


    Sarah called out as she felt a connection beginning from her and searching for Varian.


    The problem was Varian''s world.


    It waspletely dark. Compared to the previous times when his world was brimming with all sorts of colors in the spectrum, it was now gloomy and dead.


    ''Is this the state of his soul?'' Sarah recalled that Synergy was essentially a linkage of souls and the Inner worlds were just a reflection of the state of the soul.


    And the inner world showing Varian soul''s state was giving off an unweing aura. And with each passing second, this darkness was slowly trying to engulf their worlds at the intersection.


    "Varian!" Sarah called out.


    It''s a call that wasn''t spoken physically or even psychically. It was at a much deeper level.


    Visually, her call was like a colorful rope that was thrown into the dark world. It continued to shine for a few seconds before it was swallowed by the darkness.


    ''My calls aren''t reaching him¡­'' Sarah understood.


    But she didn''t stop.


    "Varian!"


    "Varian!"


    "Varian!"


    In the center of that darkness remained a man curled up. In contrast to the darkness around him, he was glowing brightly with all the colors in the spectrum.


    But the light he gave off was swallowed by the darkness and to an outsider, everything waspletely dark.


    asionally, colorful ribbons entered this world and tried to approach him. But like quicksand, the darkness devoured them.


    "Varian!"


    Sarah didn''t know how much time had passed. But her consciousness began to feel tired out.


    This was a sign that the Synergy session was inching closer to end and should be wrapped up.


    Sarah panicked.


    Enigma''s justification for trying Synergy before their death was¡ª''Rebirth cannot happen without soul. Then problem with his memories also lies in his soul. We have to reach him.''


    And it turned out to be true.


    Since Varian''s colorful inner world turned dark, the problem was certainly with his soul.


    They''ve identified the problem!


    If they let the Synergy end, they would be ''killed'' by Varian in real life and lose their memories!


    Then the three of them would be trapped here forever!


    Sarah was unwilling to give up when they''re on the verge of saving Varian and solving the problem.


    "Enigma! Enigma! Can you hear me! Do you have any suggestions? We''re almost there! We can''t leave him like this!" Sarah yelled into the void.


    A few momentster, a broken voice answered. "I-In¡­"


    "In?"


    "G-Go Ins-e¡­"


    "Go inside¡­" Sarah realized Enigma''s message.


    She looked at the endless darkness in front of her and steeled herself.


    "Yes, I will." Saying so, she put a step into the darkness.


    Behind her, everything was colorful, bright and cheerful. In front of her, everything was dark, gloomy and deste.


    Sarah''s consciousness took another step forward and fully stepped into the darkness.


    At that moment, everything around her went fully dark.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    There was no destination, no direction, no ce.


    It was a scary, empty darkness.


    "Varian," Sarah moved.


    With each step she took, the darkness slowly crept onto her. Like ink slowly staining a sculpture, it was slowly capturing her.


    Sarah could feel it herself. With every passing moment, she was being connected to this darkness. And before long, this connection would render her incapable of exiting this world. And then this darkness would swallow her consciousness.


    An eternity of darkness. It was scarier than death.


    Sarah was terribly scared but she somehow managed to keep going.


    She didn''t know which direction she was heading to because the world was constantly twisting and moving. But she moved anyway.


    Just like Varian, the light she emitted by her was also swallowed by the darkness around her and prevented anyone from finding her trace.


    Since the moment she entered the Inner World, Sarah had walked close to Varian exactly three times.


    But all the three times, she was just outside the range where she could feel the lighting from him before it''s devoured by the darkness.


    As time passed, Sarah continued to move but her movements were sluggish. Her ''legs'' were enveloped by the darkness. So were her arms.


    Every step felt like swimming against the current. She was like a bee stuck in honey. Yet, she staggered forward.


    But eventually, the darkness was taking hold of her, bit by bit. Sarah''s abdomen went next, then was her chest. Slowly, her neck, her lips, nose.


    "Varian!"


    "Varian!"


    Her eager but weak voice continued to travel the darkness, hoping to reach him. But the cruel darkness swallowed her voice just like it was swallowing her.


    "Varian!"


    Sarah''s beautiful blonde hair was swallowed by the darkness. Then her forehead. Her delicate ears.


    Finally, only her eyes were left.


    In a world of darkness, only the light of those blue eyes seemed to remain. And the bright blue eyes continued to search.


    "Varian!"


    "Varian!"


    Sarah''s consciousness was on the verge of falling into an eternal sleep. If it''s really devoured by the darkness here, her body would be a souless vessel. It was a fate worse than death.


    Yet, Sarah didn''t think about anything else. She knew it was dangerous. But she stepped into this dangerous world. And since then, she was thinking of only one thing.


    "Varian!"


    As thest trace of her consciousness, her eyes were about to swallowed by the darkness, Sarah saw a spark in the distance.


    "Varian!"


    She eagerly used thest bit of her strength and moved forward.


    There she saw it.


    A man curled up holding something in his bosom.


    Since it''s her consciousness, she could feel it clearly.


    ¡­Varian was hugging, no, he was protecting his memories.


    "Varian!" Sarah called out in the most gentle voice she could muster.


    Varian''s eyshes fluttered.


    "Varian!"


    "Varian!"


    As her calls increased, Varian eyelids slowly moved.


    The light he gave off increased by a million folds. The darkness could no longer swallow his light and in an instant, Varian''s inner world lit up as if it was the eve of a festival.


    In contrast to the depressing darkness, the inner world was now filled with beautiful colors.


    Deep oceans, roaring skies, stunning forests. It was a thing of beauty. A living spectacle.


    Sarah''s body that was previously devoured by the darkness returned.


    A few meters away from Varian was Enigma, who was kneeling on the ground and panting heavily. She was almost devoured by the darkness.


    Thankfully, Sarah made it in time and saved everyone.


    Sarah stepped forward and cupped Varian''s cheeks. With a million emotions swirling in her eyes, she said once again. "Varian,"

 Chapter 912 Its Good To Be Alive

    ? I am a eighteen year old.


    Since I was a kid, I always had great dreams about my future.


    Even though my world came crashing down when I was seventeen, I managed to pull myself back up.


    Many things about me changed in that one year. But my dream of growing stronger didn''t.


    I still wanted to grow insanely strong. But not just to defeat the Abyssals and bring peace, but also so that I don''t have to ever watch my people killed.


    It''s my greatest dream. But it''s also my greatest fear.


    I dread the day where I have to watch someone I love being killed in front of my eyes as I watch helplessly.


    Perhaps that''s why I train. That''s why, even though I can take it easy and easily reach the Sovereign state, I shed sweat and blood.


    Many say they''re driven by their dreams. But I am driven by fear.


    I can stand physical pain. I can hold on against mental torture. But I can''t stand my nightmare bing a reality.


    I think of myself as a rational and calm man, but I know I act on impulses and emotions many times. This happens when the people close to me are harmed.


    I pursued a cold blooded revenge against Kreo without thinking things through. I ughtered the younger generation of the Xanders, destroyed the geniuses of Demon Abyss.


    I tortued Dr. Thomas to the point he broke and brainwashed him with a new identity. I oversaw brutal torture of my enemies.


    Yet, I''m the same guy who is angry that my girl got tortured.


    Am I hypocrite? Not that I care, but with some exceptions, the people I torture are the ones actively harming the Human race.


    How could the same be said about an innocent seventeen year old girl who was kidnapped by a mad scientist and treated like ab rat?


    But does this justify my actions that resulted in deaths of people not guilty enough of death?


    No. My actions led to death of people that shouldn''t have died. And I admit this without any hesitation.


    Yet, this doesn''t weigh down on my conscience.


    After causing millions of deaths on Mars indirectly and almost letting Mirage Queen start a war, I witnessed the horror I inadverdently caused.


    The suffering, the pain and the cries engulfed me. My conscience almost choked me to paralysis.


    But as I saw more corpses and heard more tragic cries, my heart grew numb.


    I no longer cried for people who died. I still felt sad, I still knew I was the one responsible, but I no longer lost my sleep over it.


    I didn''t be a psychopath that wished to actively harm people and seek pleasure from it. Nor did I be a whiner who cried in guilt over the loss he caused.


    I epted the loss. And I moved on.


    But despite the growing indifference, I felt more and more responsible.


    I wanted to continue protecting the Human Race.


    But I''m no hero. When my own life was threatened, I decided to back off. Or at least, that''s what supposed to happen.


    I still went into the Abyss, I still fought the Undead.


    I was imnted with a strand of death energy I can''t destroy. I was pushed into a space crack that nearly killed me.


    Sarah, Sia and Enigma paid the price for my actions and nearly died. I tried my best to keep them safe. But as the Undead chasing us grew every day, things got tricky.


    Even then, I was confident that I''d grow strong enough soon enough to keep them safe.


    But my body failed under the death strand and instead of protecting them, I ended up being protected. I became a burden.


    I was the reason Enigma was almost pushed to death.


    So, when I woke up and learned her condition, I ran to her without a second thought.


    I didn''t care if it''s dangerous. I didn''t care if it''s stupid to risk my life that she saved by risking her own life. All I cared was her safety.


    I barely spent time with my father. Being the single parent, my mother couldn''t spent enough time with me.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    I lost my father. I lost my mother.


    I didn''t want to lose anyone else. No matter the cost.


    So, I ran. Across the thick forests, up the dangerous mountains, down the scary valleys, I ran.


    When I finally found her, she was on the verge of death.


    My mind turned nk at that sight. My body froze and I thought the blood in my body stopped flowing.


    ''Dying in front of me as I watch helplessly...''


    The memory of my mother''s death shed in my mind and ovepped with the present.


    At that moment, I didn''t care about my safety.


    I roared at the Undead and jumped to save the girl who grew closer to me.


    Sarah was dismayed at my actions. I felt sorry for her. But even that guilt didn''t stop me from doing what I must.


    I didn''t want to live in a world where I''d lose the people close to me.


    "Sarah, go!" I told her that I had a n. I did. A stupid n.


    I''d negotiate with the System and retain my memories. The price would of course be tremendous. But there''s no other choice.


    [System, I have a request...]


    As the fires of the Undead engulfed me and my consciousness started fading, I called out to the entity deep inside.


    The n was stupid. But an agreement was reached.


    I''d sell away my soul to the System in exchange for a life of one year. But it''s the best n that''s possible.


    Then darkness enveloped me and I lost all form of consciousness.


    I knew right then, the next time I opened my eyes, my soul would no longer be mine.


    But then why--


    "Varian!"


    A pair of sky blue eyes appeared in front of him and woke him up.


    The world suddenly came to life and I gasped, relishing the long lost sensation of being ''alive''.


    I looked at the clear sky, heard the pleasant sounds of a river flowing by, smelled the sweet scent of the flowers, and felt the gentle touch of the wind on my skin.


    "I..."


    I looked at the blonde girl on my left and the silver haired girl on my right. Their eyes were closed and their soft hands were holding mine. And I noticed my hands were pressing their palms tightly, as if to crush their hands.


    As a result, their hands were bleeding heavily and the scent of blood filled the air. Yet, they didn''t let go of my hand.


    [Host, you are lucky. System was about to bring back your memories when they performed Synergy with you.


    Remember how you can share your insights through Synergy? It''s because Synergy is actually building a link between your souls. So, the same Synergy enabled them to wake your soul and restore your memories.]


    I opened my mouth but no word came out.


    I was prepared to sell my soul and live for a single year. Yet, now I''m told that not only did I return, I didn''t have to pay anything.


    With a shocked mind, I just stared at them nkly.


    The world dimmed at that moment.


    In my eyes, only their profiles remained.


    Slowly, the corner of my lips lifted up and I looked at the rising star.


    "It''s good to be alive."

 Chapter 913 A Bad Girl

    After the Synergy was sessfully, Sarah fainted.


    When she regained consciousness, she felt a familiar warmth from a pair of familiar arms hugging her waist.


    "Huh!" Sarah gasped and opened her eyes with worry.


    Varian''s smiling face appeared in her vision.


    Sarah''s eyes turned teary and she felt that something stuck in her throat. Even breathing became hard. But she still managed to utter. "I-Is it you?"


    Varian smirked. "The one and only, Yours Truly."


    Sarah''s world brightened. Her breath returned to normal, her throat didn''t feel stuffy and the tears in her eyes receeded.


    Varian scraped the tip of her nose yfully and said. "Want to say something to me?"


    Sarah nodded and suddenly bit Varian''s arm that was wrapped around her waist.


    "Ouch! Ouch! Yo!" Varian called out, out of surprise than pain. "Take it easy,dy."


    At some point, Enigma also woke up. She noticed that Varian wasn''t hugging her but was keeping her in a sitting posture with his telekic power.


    She looked at Sarah biting Varian''s arm and her lips curled up. Without hesitation, she bite down Varian''s shoulder.


    "What the fuck?" Varian yelped in surprise as the second yer joined this biting game. "I was expecting some tears, a hug and a couple of kisses, not a bite. Certainly, now two."


    "Kisses? In your dreams! You said you had a n. n my foot!" Sarah red at Varian with teary eyes and continued biting his arm.


    "I didn''t lie though," Varian shrugged, suppressing theplicated emotions in his heart and disying a carefree smile, "You just acted before the n could be implimented. Not that I''mining...in fact, I''m d you did what you did."


    He didn''t want to reveal the price he was about to pay for his revival. He didn''t want to sadden them any further. And they might really kick up a fus--


    "ttering won''t get you anywhere," Enigma said with contempt. "Nor will mindlessly risking the life I nearly died to save. Thank you for valuing my sacrifice so much that you threw it away."


    Saying so, Enigma bit down more.


    Due to the slight repulsion that still existed, Varian''s skin started to crack. Since the area of contact was only teeth, the damage was minimal. And thanks to the ntae power quickly healing his skin, no blood was spilled or it''d have really looked like Enigma was biting Varian to the point of bleeding him.


    Still, her words caused Varian to shiver slightly. Enigma did risk her life to save him. And he just want back to save her and literally died after that.


    "Anyway," Varian coughed and decided to skip the topic. "Can you two stop biting? There is a time and assion for everything. Even for biting, there is an appropriate time and ce."


    Confused by his words, Sarah loosened the grip and looked at him. "Appropriate time and ce for biting? When and Where?"


    Varian''s lips curled up and he said in a cheeky but assured tone. "You can bite the pillow on the bed or the bedsheet when you want to hold back..."


    "VARIAN!" Sarah''s skin turned pink as she imagined the exact scene. Shaking her head, she clenched her fists and red at him with grieviance. Then, she bit him again, even harder this time.


    "Tsk, tsk, okay, you''re practicing for the future." Varian clicked his tongue and looked at Enigma who wasn''t even properly biting him now. Even though she maintained an indifferent expression, the tip of her ears was red.


    "Ahem, Enigma, don''t learn from Sarah. She''s a bad girl." Varian said with a righteous expression as if it wasn''t him who made the dirty joke.


    Enigma wanted to punch that smug face while Sarah wanted to beat him up. If it''s the usual Sarah, she''d have remained silent and taken the teasing with a blush.


    But now--


    "Bad girl?" Sarah left Varian''s arm and bit his ear. Her hot breath brushed his ears and her soft tongue touched his skin. "Am I a bad girl?"<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    "Fuck!" Varian''s breath stopped for a moment before a heat rose from his abdomen.


    As Sarah was sitting on Varian''sp, she could clearly feel the hardness poking at her. The blonde blushed like a ripe tomato. But she still rolled her eyes at Varian. "Horny man. You just came back from life and you want to create new life?"


    Whether intentional or unintentional, her lips were still close to his ears and her hot breath poured over his ears like an aphrodiasic.


    "I..." Varian raised his arms to Sarah''s chest and stopped right before touching the peaks.


    "Fuck! You win this round!" He lowered his arms and grabbed her waist. He pulled her off hisp and stood up. Then he silently walked out of the cave under the confused gazes of Sarah and Enigma.


    Sarah buried her head in her knees and seemed like she wanted to avoid all social contact for a century.


    On the other hand, Enigma looked at Sarah with a weird gaze. The look in her eyes seemed to say, ''Were you always this naughty?''


    Feeling that intense stare, Sarah buried her head further.


    Outside the cave, Varian directly teleported to a snow mountain nearby and jumped into the snow.


    Thanks to his body powers, Varian''s blood was far more powerful than any normal person. Infused with Chi, it''s a potent liquid that is brimming with energy. Even drinking a single drop could help recharge a level 1 body awakener.


    Now, Varian''s blood was boiling. And as a result, the snow around him started to melt. Even the water started to boil and vaporized.


    "Fuck!" Witnessing this spectacle, Varian opened his mouth in shock.


    ''Excuse me, is this normal?'' Varian knew awakeners were a wild bunch in this regard but this was too much.


    "...Why is she being so naughty?" Varian sighed.


    He had a guess.


    Even though he came close to dying many times, he didn''t. But this time, he really died. If this ce wasn''t some miraculous zone enabling rebirth, he''d be a goner.


    His revival and revival of memories were a miracle.


    Sarah didn''t really know if he''d return. She had to live assuming he''s gone forever and would never return.


    After going through all the pain and heartbreak, she was aware of the harsh impermenance of life.


    What''s today might not be tomorrow. The smiling, loving words said today might really thest she''d hear.


    If so, if life was really so unpredictable, then she should cherish every moment she has.


    Speak your heart out. Leave no regrets. Do everything you want to do.


    "Sarah..." Varian leaned against the snow and looked at the sky.


    She wanted to go to the next step in their rtionship. Intimacy. Because she was afraid she''d lose him anytime. She wanted to hug him close and feel secure that he wouldn''t leave her.


    Varian too wanted to take the next step. But this wasn''t the ce and time.


    "Only a bit longer..."


    Varian was confident of reaching peak level 9 before long. Once he did that, he could mop the floor with the Abyssal Kings and Queens and end the century-old war.


    Then, at the highest stage of humanity, he''d marry the girls he loved and give them the best marriage.

 Chapter 914 Improvement

    "You mean we can leave this ce? You found a way?"


    After an hour of embarrassment, Sarah was able to face Varian and Enigma properly. She was originally prepared to distract them and bring some other topic so they don''t question her previous behavior. But Varian spoke first and dropped a bomb.


    "Yeah. I still have memories from when I was an...Undead. I roughly figured a way out." Varian felt ufortable when recalling his ''dead'' past, but it held the key for their escape.


    "But the border turtles are too strong." Enigma frowned. "Even if you use that special power, you can''t kill them all."


    "We''re not going to kill them all. We don''t even have to. We just..." Varian exined the details of the n to the two.


    Sarah was unsure about the sess rate while Enigma focused on retreating in case the n failed.


    Either way, their main focus was on survival rather than leaving this ce.


    "Even if we fail, we can retreat safely. The biggest danger here, the Undead, aren''t chasing us anymore."


    "They can''t. Varian ughtered most of them here." Sarah rubbed her forehead with aplicated expression.


    The knowledge for escape was gained from his time as an Undead. And the reason they''re not worried about staying at the same ce for a day or even several days was the ughter done by the Undead Varian.


    So, in retrospect, was it a positive?


    Sarah sighed deeply and tried to erase the image of ''that'' Varian from her mind. But like a nightmare that won''t leave, it lingered.


    Everytime she closed her eyes, it was reminding her that her lover died. That she saw him die. And that it''s only luck that he''s still alive.


    ''I don''t want him to risk like that again.'' Sarah bit her lip and said. "Let me take the lead in the n."


    "No." Varian refused without thinking.


    Sarah would rarely argue with Varian. But this time, she didn''t want to budge. Even if she would piss him off. "I''ve seen enough, Varian. You took all the riskst time. You died. You literally died! It''s sheer luck I''m talking to you again. I''m not pushing into the fire pit again. Whatever risk there is, let me take it."


    "There isn''t much risk."


    "Great. Then I won''t be in danger."


    "..." Varian nced at Enigma for help. The silver-haired girl maintained an expresionless face but the corner of her lips seemed to twitch upwards.


    ''You''re holding back yourughter? Damn it!''


    Varian grabbed Sarah''s delicate shoulders and looked into her eyes. "There won''t be much risk if it''s me. If it''s anyone else, the risk will be greater."


    Usually, this would''ve worked.


    But this time, Sarah simply shook her head. "Nope. I am not--"


    "Listen Sarah, this isn''t a one time activity. We might fail multiple times before we seed. It might take several days or even weeks. If you risk yourself and something happens to you--"


    "What if something happens to you? No, something already happened to you!" Sarah wasn''t ceding ground.


    But Varian grasped the core of her argument.


    "Your safey will ensure my safety. If something happens to you, I''m doomed." Varian said.


    "W-What?" Sarah raised her head at him and blinked in confusion.


    "We can move freely only as long as the Undead aren''t chasing us. There aren''t many Undead to chase us now. They all reincarnated as living beings. But the living beasts will fight. The previous bnce will be restored. In a week or two at most, there will be many Undead here." Varian said with a serious expression.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Enigma''s expression turned serious at his words. Sarah, on the other hand, grabbed Varian''s hands reflexively. "Then your death strand..."


    "50% of it is gone due to the consumption I did as an Undead. But the remaining 50% isn''t going off easily. If the Undead appear in my proximity long enough, it''ll re up again. We''ll be back to square one."


    "T-Then what should I do..."


    "If I lose the boost of your time powers when the Undeade, my condition will deteroiate much faster thanst time. Even with only 50% of the strand, I won''t evenst a week before fainting." Varian said.


    "T-That..." Sarah was now tangled.


    Varian hugged the trembling girl and said softly. "It''s okay. There isn''t much risk for me. I died once. I don''t want to die again. So, please let me take the lead."


    Sarah wanted to be stiff but under his sincere words, her body softened and she fell into Varian''s arms.


    Resting her head against his chest, sheined. "Wuu, I can''t win against you in any argument. It''s not fair."


    Hearing herints, Varianughed for a while but his eyes remained on the blue screen that was only visible to him.


    [Superhuman L9: 20k/50k (+16k)


    Space L9: 5k/50k (Advanced, +5k)


    Lightning L9: 20k/50k (+20k)


    ntae L9: 16k/50k (+14k)


    Psychic L9: 5k/50k (Advanced, +5k)


    Macrokic 5k/50k (Advanced, +5k)


    Water L9: 10k/50k (+10k)


    Time L6: 4900/5000 (Advanced, +4900) ]


    Compared to earlier, there was a ridiculous increase in his divine paths.


    It should''ve been higher but for some reason, the death strand forcefully raised his divine paths slowed down his growth.


    Still, the scale of Varian''s powerpletely changed.


    All of his divine paths, except the time path reached level 9. Even the time path was on the verge of reaching level 7.


    What''s more, three paths were mid level 9!


    Overall, Varian didn''t think he had any problem fighting dozens of high level 9. Even fighting a peak level 9 wasn''t an issue.


    The Sovereigns still remained a problem, however.


    ''But after I get to peak level 9, I can deal with the Sovereigns.''


    He toyed with the Undead Sovereigns as a peak level 9. But these Undead beasts couldn''t think or act properly. So, their strenght was greatly reduced.


    A battle against a living Sovereign would be much tricker.


    ''But I''m confident I can do it.''

 Chapter 915 The Way Out

    A quiet valley, inside a forest bordering the boundary mountains:


    Varian sneaked into a huge burrow whose entrance wasrge enough to fit ten spaceships inside at once.


    A few secondster, the ground shook and a shockwave spread out from the burrow''s entrance.


    Varian appeared on top of a distant mountain and without any dy, he ran away.


    "ROAR!"


    An angry roar shook the sky and earth. Following that, a giant creature that resembled a rabbit rushed out of the burrow.


    Its big red eyes glittered with anger and focused on the tiny figure that was quickly running away.


    Kicking the ground, the Sovereign beast halved the distance between them in an instant.


    Its aura locked onto the man and was about to crush him when he suddenly disappeared.


    "Wuh?" The rabbit found itself stopping in front of a giant mountain. It''s the neighboring mountain that the rabbit always failed in destroying.


    It''d attack the mountain once every ten days--today''s five days in ahead of the schedule.


    But seeing the mountain that remained steady, the giant rabbit was pissed off. Even though it tried again and again for hundreds of years, this thing stood here stubbornly, as if mocking it.


    Still, it wanted to return to its nest when it noticed something on the mountain.


    "Roar!"


    The Giant Rabbit pounced on the mountain and opened its mouth.


    "Rum!"


    The sound of sharp teeth colliding with hard shell reverberated across the miles. Sparks flew as the pointed teeth tried to prate the turtle shell.


    "..."


    The Giant Turtle missed sleep. Over long periods of sleep, it developed a defensive instinct. Whenever any creature attacked it, it''d strike back, even in sleep.


    So, like all other turtles here, it''d be mostly sleeping. But here it was, wide awake and filled with worry. Its mind was filled with yesterday''s scene. A terrifying aura appeared out of nowhere and nearly blew up the top of a fellow turtle.


    Hopefully, that creature should''ve died by now.


    "Roar!" The giant rabbit continued its attacks but couldn''t prate the hard shell. The rabbit would simply leave after a few hours.


    Thinking so, the turtle slowly closed and allowed sleep to sink in.


    But right then, the tremors of the ground reached it and before it could understand what was going on, a six-horned giant bull struck its shell.


    BOOM!


    The mountain didn''t move a single inch but it shook violently.


    "!" The turtle didn''t understand why these two beasts attacked together. But it didn''t matter.


    Over the course of tens of thousands of years, there were always cases of two, even three beasts attacking at the same time. Nothing happened.


    Yawning, the turtle once again allowed itself to slowly sink in to slee--


    With a battle neigh, a giant fire horse shot a big fireball at the turtle.


    "..."


    With its sleep disturbed once again, the turtle was growing angry. But it was also puzzling.


    There were turtles to its left and right. So, why me?<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Graaaah!"


    The answer was revealed when a giant bear appeared and increased the gravity on the turtle.


    The rabbit, the bull, the horse, the bear...they were all staring at some things on its shell.


    The rabbit was staring at a special herb that was supposed to be in its nest. The bull was staring at the red flower that it hated very much. The horse was staring at the...tail of a smaller horse? Finally, the bear...it was just attacking for the sake of attacking. It wasn''t really looking at anything.


    ''-_-''


    Facing four Sovereign-level attacks at once, even the turtle felt the pressure. Still, if this much was enough to break the boundaries, they would''ve long been broken.


    Following the sound of a huge exhale, the mountain shook violently and the turtle slowly stood up. The earth mana in the surrounding thousand miles riled up and rushed towards the turtle.


    Dozens of giant boulders rose from the ground and floated in the sky, targeting the four beasts.


    The boulders broke down into fine sand and then turned into a shining grey ''heavy soil''--a much more dangerous type.


    The four beasts noticed the attack and increased the intensity of their attack. Even though they weren''t intelligent, they knew instinctively that running away meant being hunted down one by one.


    "Roar!"


    A giant head protruded out of the mountain-like shell and roared at the sky. Then, the grey soil turned into countless small bullets and shot toward the four beasts.


    The Sovereign beasts fought back in response.


    The sounds of groundbreaking and explosions echoed for hundreds of miles while the clouds of dust filled the air.


    Varian, Sarah, and Enigma watched the battle unfold from afar.


    "Even if you saw them as an Undead, how did you know the exact things that would piss them off?" Sarah grabbed Varian''s arm and asked with curious eyes.


    "Ahem, ahem, it''s a secret," Varian said with a lopsided smile.


    Seeing the pout on Sarah''s face, Varian exined. "When I was an Undead, I couldn''t win against these four...so I plundered their nests and made a mess. It''s easy to know what they treasure and provoke them with that."


    "...you sound like an evil viin." Enigma gripped Varian''s hand tighter.


    Varian flicked Enigma''s forehead and put on a righteous face. "Excuse me, miss! I am thest fortress of righteousness in this forsaken world."


    Enigma red at him but Varian justughed it off.


    Sarah narrowed her eyes at the exchange and thought back to Enigma''s actions so far. In the end, she didn''t say anything and decided to watch things y out.


    Enigma and Varian had been in physical contact for a few minutes. Since the repulsion had been constantly falling, sliver attacks needed more time to build up.


    And now--


    BOOM!


    Another dull explosion sounded in the distance and one more dust cloud and fire rose in the air.


    "Oh, there we go." Varian gently pulled his hand from Enigma''s and teleported above the mountain.


    Four giant beast corpses were sprawled in front of an injured turtle. The mountain was partially burnt with parts of it ttened and bitten.


    Still, having won the battle, the turtle was about to sleep when it sensed a new creature teleporting above it.


    Not just that, it sensed the same terrifying energy it sensed a few days ago.


    The turtle wanted to cry, "Oh shit."


    BOOM!

 Chapter 916 The Gods Are...

    The Matriarch was enjoying the fruits of her political sess.


    She incited the opposition to act against the invaders and got them killed by Prince Shak''s and others'' teams.


    Then, she punished the invaders by banishing them into the eternal hell "Mad Zone".


    The whole event was shining the contrast between the two sides.


    The matriarch who''s sessful in disposing of the invaders and the opposition who were pathetically ughtered.


    This created an unprecedented appeal for the Matriarch that she was ced alongside the legendary leaders of their race.


    As she deliberately spread more and more ''rumors'' about herself, the half-truths and half-lies were exaggerated by the crowd and turned her into a living legend.


    Even amon courtesan could now see that the Matriarch was no longer a ruler but something akin to hope for their race and kingdom.


    "Ah~ the taste of power. I finally achieved the goal of my life." The Matriarch sipped the sweet wine collected from exquisite fruits and sighed in delight.


    She was currently sitting on the balcony that overlooked the pce garden.


    In addition to the beautiful and delicate flower beds, there were also plenty of precious herbs, resourceful trees, and nts grown in the garden. Just a simple breath of air from it would rejuvenate even a mid awakener.


    But what the Matriarch liked more was the statue that was being built from the precious alloys.


    The statue of a beautiful, mature woman with a grace of a saintess and the demeanor of a warrior, the perfectbination of kindness and cruelty, the Matriarch of Hortians.


    As she listened to the chirping of the pce birds and the singing of the delicate animals, the Matriarch descended into a pleasant and calm state.


    Seeing her like this, one of the pce maids pressing her shoulders asked with caution. "M-Matriarch, may I ask you something?"


    The Matriarch would''ve reprimanded the maid for the courage to ask her in normal times. But now she''s in a good mood. So she simply hummed, "Hm."


    "Tw-Mad Zone, can those I-invaderse out?"


    The Matriarch''s expression froze for a moment before she let out a soft chuckle. "No. It''s impossible. We lost countless warriors to that damn ce. None of them came out. Even the Sovereigns didn''t."


    "B-But the legends say Sovereigns came out after paying a price and that''s how we learn the reality of that ce." The maid couldn''t help her curiosity.


    "The price," The Matriarch paused and exhaled. "Is a treasure that they shouldn''t have wasted. Remember, the reason we learned the reality of that ce is a treasure, not people. No one can return from that ce, after all, it is¡­"


    The Matriarch trailed off and opened her eyes. Looking at the horizon, she spoke in a cold voice. "What a great way to ruin my mood. It seems like you are asking for whipping."


    "P-Please forgive me," The maid cried out. "I¡­I lost my grandfather to the invaders. I saw them up close when I was a child. T-They''re strong. Much stronger than our Sovereigns. I was just afraid that they can do something our Sovereigns couldn''t."<novelnext></novelnext>


    The Matriarch waved her hand and the maid shut her mouth. Her stiff body, however, loosened.


    Even though the Matriarch could be ruthless, she wasn''t unreasonable. To the people who didn''t go against her, she was even quite tolerant and willing to listen.


    If this same scenario urred with any previous ruler, they''d have punished the maid severely.


    Perhaps this tolerance to themon people and subordinates was one of the unspoken reasons for Matriarch''s poprity.


    "It''s not a question of strong or weak Sovereign," the Matriarch stretched her body and looked at the northwest as if she could see the Twilight Zone lurking there. "Twilight Zone, Infinity Zone, and Deviant Zone, they aren''t things that any mortal being can ovee."


    "Any mortal being¡­" The Maid repeated in a daze.


    The Matriarch smiled at the young maid and patted her soft cheek. With a meaningful expression, she mused. "Why do you think our scriptures called these zones divine? Or they praised them as a blessing?"


    "No way¡­" The Maid felt her worldview copse. "M-Matriarch, I-isn''t that just some random rambling? How can it be created by gods?"


    "Then you tell me." The Matriarch smirked. "Who in this world can make a ce to resurrect a dead person and make a dead an Undead? And to make a ce that wouldst for tens, no, hundreds of thousands of years without any intervention?"


    "¡­Are there really gods in the world out there? Did the godse to us?" The Maid''s eyes started tearing up. "T-Then why did they abandon us? Why did they lock us up in this world? Why? What sin did wemit? What sin did Imit?"


    The Matriarch''s smile receded and she held onto the railings of the balcony and looked at the sky. "The gods walked in thisnd in the distant past. They are the creators of this world. They are our creators too.


    And no, they didn''t abandon us. They selected us. We are the inhabitants of the greatest world created by the gods. Only a person of great destiny can clear the trials of this ce and be the lord of this world.


    s, the gods set the bar too high. Even after hundreds of millions of years, no one passed the trial. No one was worthy enough.


    So, little one, we aren''t cursed. We didn''t sin. We are blessed. It''s just, our blessings are too much that we suffer."


    The depth of the Matriarch''s words and their implications weren''t grasped by the young maid or the maids with her.


    But they were curious about the gods.


    "T-Then, M-Matriarch, will the gods return one day and set us free?"


    "Hahahaha!" The Matriarch burst outughing as if she heard the funniest thing in the world.


    The maids were bewildered and grew stiff thinking they pissed her off.


    But after a few minutes of continuousughter, the Matriarch looked at the young maid and said in the softest voice she could muster.


    "The gods are dead."

 Chapter 917 A Special Place

    The turtle''s body dissolved into dust and flew away with the wind.


    "Woah!"


    As they saw what was under the turtle, it suddenly ured to them that this was perhaps the reason why these turtles never moved.


    Under the turtle was a circr metallic te, resembling a manhole. The moment disappeared, the metallic te was lifted up slightly and a small gap was opened.


    But that small gap was more than enough for a level 9 Body Awakener like Varian to notice the underground path beneath the metal te.


    Enigma noticed the mysterious runes on the metallic te. They''repletely different from the ones she saw at the Deva Ruins but for some reason, they didn''t give an alien feeling.


    ''Are they rted?''


    Sarah, on the other hand, had a grave expression. She didn''t care about the Underground tunnel or the mysterious runes. "They''reing! Are we going out or in?"


    Right after her words finished, dozens of terrifying auras shot into the sky and locked onto the three.


    The surroundings mountains ''woke'' up. They''re still shocked that one of them died. As far as they could remember, this was the very first time such an event happened.


    Even the one Sovereign that escaped this ce long ago did it because of the precious treasure.


    But now¡­


    A murder of their brethern was uneptable! It evoked a deep fear in the psyche of the great turtles that had long thought of themselves to be immortal.


    This man who shattered the belief they held since their inception. Even the cruelest of torture would be light against him.


    "We better go outs¡ª"


    Varian grabbed Sarah and Enigma to teleport out of this damnn ce when he felt the space outside solidify.


    "What?!"


    Dozens and dozens of walls, made of potent golden soil, materialized and blocked their way out.


    Since these walls were reinforced by the turtles, even if they wanted to break the, it''d take some time. By that time, the turtles'' attacks would reach them.


    ''I can''t teleport, can''t break through, then what¡­''


    Varian sighed. "We''re going in,"


    The space around them twisted before they disappeared.


    A secondter, dozens of rock weapons sted the ce and created a deep crater.


    But the metallic te on the ground, which closed right after Varian''s trio entered the tunnel, had closed at some point. And despite being at the epicenter of these attacks, not a single scratch appeared on its surface.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Wait, wait, this isn''t underground." As she looked around at the glowing walls giving off different colors every second, Sarah suddenly eximed.


    "You can tell?" Enigma raised a brow and continued walking forward.


    This ce was colorful and bright. The ground was strewn with colorful rocks. The walls were filled with ancient carvings. There was no ceiling and the sky was clearly visible.


    They weren''t in the Underground but another space. Like a Dungeon of sorts. The entrance to this ce was under the turtle.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Why is the turtle guarding this ce? What''s the secret here?" Sarah muttered as she walked forward and followed behind Varian.


    "There''s only one secret I can think of," Enigma joined her and pointed to the air. "Feel it,"


    Sarah frowned and focused her senses. "¡­Sorry, I can''t sense anything except that something''s weird."


    "The vitality and death," Varian, who was walking in front answered. "Try injuring yourself here."


    "Huh?" Sarah was bewildered by his words but out of curiosity, she pointed her finger at her palm and shed down.


    The skin of her palm cut open. But the blood didn''te out. Sarah nodded her head in understanding and continued walking forward. But even after a few seconds, the injury too didn''t start healing.


    Only then did she realize this ce was weirder than she thought.


    ''System, I can feel something simr to you. Don''t tell me your twins are here? I don''t want to raise y''all.'' Varian clicked his tongue as he followed his instinct to that ''ce''.


    [The slivers are with the great powers. What Host is sensing here aren''t the slivers. But they are rted.]


    ''Oh?'' Varian was curious but didn''t ask more.


    Thanks to his instinct, they easily picked the right route out of the dozens of passages, passed through a couple of rivers and avoided many dangerous traps.


    Strictly speaking, this ce was a maze. There were dozens of paths after every few miles.


    Even though this ce had no living or Undead creatures, it had many trap mechanisms that could still be triggered.


    If you pick the wrong route, you could end up in a poisonous swamp that could kill a Sovereign in seconds. Or in an illusion that would fool even a peak level 9.


    If it was anyone else, even the team of Prince Shak, they would''ve met with a bad end. Only celestial rankers could survive the wrong paths.


    As they advanced forward slowly but confidently, Varian began to notice the dangers of the wrong paths.


    The more he realized the danger, the more he felt that the makers of this maze were a bunch of psychos or geniuses.


    ''If it''s intended to be a test, then it''s impossible difficulty. If it''s intended to be a security to fend off invaders, then you get 6/5.''


    After a few minutes, they entered a room made of ck and white walls and the answer came out.


    "Um, what?"


    First of all, the room didn''t feel ''normal''. Just by standing there, it felt like they were facing something grand beyondprehension.


    Even though the room seemed millions of years old, it still felt fresh. As if it couldn''t be something that could age.


    But the mysterious atmosphere of the room waspletely dwarfed by something else.


    It was the thing quietly floating in the middle of the room. Two shining strand of green and ash.


    Just by standing in its light, a deep pressure fell on the souls of Varian, Sarah and Enigma.


    It was as if it was sphemy to watch that thing with naked eyes.


    ''S-System, what is this?''


    [The whim of a god long dead.]

 Chapter 918 Primordial God

    The concept of ''Divine beings'' wasn''t a foreign thing to Varian or any human. There were plenty of myths from the old earth from all traditions and cultures.


    But some of these divine beings were proven to be the descendants of Devas who were merely worshipped by the earthlings for their miraculous powers.


    Could they still be allowed to be called as gods?


    Varian didn''t really think much about it. But at least from the perspective of divine paths, it was incorrect.


    The beings from Level 1 to level 9 were termed as mortals. The next range beings were called Celestials. And the ones above were referred to as Divines.


    Still, ording to the system, none of them really called themselves gods.


    [There are no living gods today. But once upon a time, there were three.]


    Varian slowly approached the twisting strands of divinity as the System narrated.


    [These three were the earliest gods. They could almost everything. But not everything. They were after all, born after the Universe. They too are a product of this Universe, albeit infinitely close to its source.]


    The closer Varian got to the divinities, the harder it got.


    There was no aura pressure. No gravity pressure. Not even a change in temperature.


    But an invisible pressure was pressing down his very soul. Something from deep within seemed to scream at him ''Don''t go. Don''t approach it any further. It is something neither you nor any living being should touch.''


    Yet, Varian moved forward.


    Sarah and Enigma followed him.


    But after fifty steps, Sarah stayed behind. After ten more steps, Enigma stopped.


    [These three gods were almost omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. But no matter what they did, they couldn''t ovee the ''almost''. The difference seems like just one word, but in reality, it''s twopletely different concepts. So, the three gods made a n.]


    As Varian inched closer to the divinities, he began to more things.


    There were light dots around the red and green strands. These light dots wereing out of nowhere and after touching the strands, they were disappearing into nowhere.


    Varian extended his senses and tried to analyze the divinities. He couldn''t sense anything.


    Even though he could see them, for his extra senses, it was as if the strands simply didn''t exist.


    On the other hand, he was able to sessfully sense the light dots. But it only confused him further.


    ''Souls¡­?''


    The soul of a fire rabbit. The soul of a raging tiger. The soul of a¡­


    Varian didn''t even know if he could call it soul. After all, he never saw them before.


    But these light dots had the memories of these beasts along with a dormant mental power and other things he couldn''t detect.


    The only thing he could think of was a ''Soul''.


    And from the light dots, Varian saw certain creatures that belonged exclusively to the Mad Zone.


    So, these souls were eithering only from Mad Zone or from everywhere.


    But¡­


    ''Death. Undead. Resurrection.'' Varian''s eyes narrowed and he took another step.


    His clothes was already soaked in cold sweat and at some point, he was already bleeding from the tip of his fingers and the corner of his eyes.


    [The three gods wanted to be real gods. So, they decided to make a Universe themselves. To do so, they began experimenting. They started making worlds.<novelnext></novelnext>


    It was a costly affair. But they kept doing it. None of these worlds ever reached the standards they hoped for.


    So, the gods stopped creating these artifical worlds. And after some point, they died.]


    Varian was ten steps away from the strands. Now, he was able to see even more things.


    Almost like watching a movie, he saw a snake dying. He saw the soul of the snake reach the ash colored divinity and then return to its body. The dead body of the snake turned into an Undead.


    Then, he saw the Undead snake killing an Undead fish. That fish''s soul came to the green strand and returned, forming an egg.


    At that moment, things fell in ce.


    [These three gods represented three avenues. Order-Chaos, Space-Time, Life-Death.


    Only the union of their powers could create an artificial world so perfect.


    And the ce host previoulsy was in is the creation of the Primordial god of Life and Death.


    What is in front is a tiny fraction of that god''s power. It''s far from a sliver. But it''s the power of a god that was designed to run that ce.


    No matter who dies there, unless they''reparable to the Primordial God, they''ll resurrect.]


    Varian took another step forward and reached the divinity strands. Taking a deep breath, he touched the two.


    A warm vitality spread from the tip of his fingers into his body before a chilling death aura reced it. The two went back and forth and in just a few seconds, Varian felt like he was tossed from heaven to hell and back.


    Finally, both the sensations subsided and the strands shone a light on Varian.


    [Congrattions Host, you''ve gained the ownership of this power and that ce.]


    Indeed, Varian could ''sense'' the whole Mad Zone now. With a snap of his fingers, he could make a beast permenantly die and ressurrect an Undead.


    He could even order the guardians of the region, the giant turtles to die. And they''d do so without hesitation.


    As Varian grew ecstatic, another light shone on him from nowhere.


    [And since the Primordial god had one-third of credit in creating this world, as someone who recieved the legacy and gained controlled of the special zone, you are partially recognized by this World Will.]


    "Woah!"


    Varian recieved a bunch of information from the World Will.


    The trial, the four teams, the Inner World and the ''prize''.


    Not only that, he also learnt about the existence of two more zones.


    One made by the Space-Time Primordial god and another by Order-Chaos Primordial god.


    Varian exhaled deeply. So much happened in so little time that he was a bit overwhelmed.


    But now, he knew what to do.


    Even though he recieved partial recognition, it wouldn''t be enough to return to Earth.


    He needs to do two things. First, clear the trial and gain permission to leave this world.


    Second, ask the current ruler of the natives, the Matriarch, for the cosmic coordinates of the ''Deva World'' recorded in their scriptures.


    With his current power, he was confident in aplishing both.


    "Let''s go~"

 Chapter 919 Yo!

    Inside the Inner Region of Hortus, there were multiple ''zones'' based on the avenues.


    Time Zone, Space Zone, Life, Death, and Elemental.


    Previously, Prince Shak''s and the Duchy''s heirs'' teams were caught off guard by the difficulty of these zones.


    Even though this Synthetic World seemed different from the usual, they didn''t think it would be this different.


    Even though each team carried a Sovereign and a hybrid, no one had the confidence to cross the Zones and enter the central region.


    Still, no team had thoughts about joining hands. It''s both a matter of pride and achievement.


    But after learning about the incident where Ruby Princess sent her Sovereign outside and lost contact, things began to get serious.


    When the Sovereigns of these teams tried to go to the outside world but failed, the princes realized they were trapped in there.


    The only way out would be to pass the trial. And given the situation, whether they liked it or not, even if they broke through a zone, there''s little guarantee that they''d remain safe in this dangerous ce.


    After all, the trial in the central area would only be more dangerous than crossing the Inner Zone.


    The method with the highest chances of survival was teamwork. As for who would ''win'' the trial and ''own'' this world, they decided to think about it after their survival was guaranteed.


    Four Sovereigns, five hybrids, four princes, and a princess ventured deep into the Life Zone to kill and survive.


    The Sovereigns only killed Sovereign-level beasts and didn''t touch the rest.


    ''If they do everything, then why should a prince evene here?'' Prince Shak panted as he kicked the corpse of the giant bird he killed.


    The ''Life'' Zone had beasts, and nts of varying sizes. The deeper they went, the weirder these creatures got.


    The Princes weren''t hillbillies. They were educated by great tutors and had ess to vast swathes of knowledge.


    At a young age, their knowledge would outstrip many ''wise'' men and women of plenty of lower civilizations.


    Yet, when facing these creatures they hadn''t seen anywhere, they could only gasp in shock.


    Some ogre-like creatures reattached their severed head and continued fighting. Their hearts and brains had to be destroyed at once to kill them.


    A couple of ash-colored, bat-like humanoids regenerated merely from a few drops of blood. To kill them, either every drop of their blood needs to be burned or destroyed with the infusion of aura.


    Then there were a few nts that sucked their vitality and healed all the injuries inflicted on them. And their defense was incredibly high.


    So, they can''t be killed in one shot. And they could heal their injuries quickly. This led to a tragic situation¡ªthe princes managed to inflict injuries on the nt but couldn''t kill it. And before they could attack again and let the injuries pile up, the nt healed itself.


    They were fighting a losing battle from the start. It was only thanks to the hybrids joining them and all of them attacking together that they could kill the nt in one shot.


    Their woes didn''t end there either.


    ''Life Zone'' had not just weird creatures but also weird ces.


    They had to go through a forest that sucked in vitality. They couldn''t destroy the forest as it would provoke the dozens of Sovereign beasts resting there. Even though they had four Sovereigns on their side, the battle would take hours to end.


    During that time, the Sovereigns wouldn''t be able to protect the princes and idents may ur.


    So, they had to make no disturbance and meekly walk through the forest.


    Then came a poisonouske they had to swim through.


    Prince Shak did try to test the feasibility of flying with his hybrid and realized that it was prohibited by some weirdws.


    So, the teams swam through a poisonouske. By the time they reached the shore, despite all the measures they took against the poison, the princes were already on the verge of fainting.


    After taking a few precious elixirs, they continued forward.


    And things got only worse¡­<novelnext></novelnext>


    "You have to be kidding me!" Ruby Princess eximed with teary eyes as she gazed at the ogre-like creatures rolling in the familiar green ins.


    The ground nearby was filled with craters, the grass in the surroundings waspletely burnt and in contrast to the surrounding greenery, the area where the ogre-like creatures were rolling was scorched ck.


    "This is the ce we encountered six hours ago! How did wee here again?" Emerald Prince confirmed the traces of his own aura and muttered.


    "So not only is this ce filled with dangers, but it''s also a big maze." Prince Shak narrowed his eyes.


    Compared to his peers who were clearly disturbed and frustrated, he was too calm. "If we think of it like that, we can find the right way. Whenever we had the chance to choose between two routes, we picked the easier one. I think the answer lies in doing the opposite."


    "¡­" Sapphire Prince nodded lightly showing his acquiescence.


    Emerald Prince crossed his arms and said. "Yeah, sure. Though I''m certain it''s gonna fail."


    Only Ruby Princess remained silent, clenching her fists to her side.


    "What is it?" Prince Shak asked.


    "N-No, I¡­" The haughty princess stuttered as her eyes looked around frantically.


    She still had her hybrid with her and like all hybrids, he could be used both as a shield and a tester. But she had no Sovereign.


    If things went south, then the Sovereigns here would protect their own prince. She''d be the second option or not even that.


    She was fine since they took the easy of the two routes. But if they deliberately picked the hard ones, her life could be endangered.


    "I-Is there any other way?" Ruby Princess asked with a stiff smile.


    Prince Shak immediately guessed what she was thinking and said lightly. "No."


    "¡­fine."


    "We can''t abandon our goal for you. But we can find you a safe ce to stay until we finish the trial."


    Ruby Princess raised her head in surprise. "Y-You mean it?"


    Prince Shak nodded.


    "T-Thank you, I¡­I apologize for my earlier actions."


    An hourter, the teams left the Ruby Princess and tried the method Prince Shak suggested.


    The hardships increased and they had to risk their lives to get through several areas.


    But thankfully, they crossed the boundary of the Life Zone¡ªa white barrier.


    What greeted them was an astonishing sight.


    Serene mountains surround a pristine river. The sweet scent from the wonderful trees made on intoxicated while the beautiful trees themselves painted thendscape green. Colorful fogs shrouded the top of the mountains, adding both mystery and charm.


    In the center of all this was a stunning pce that was carved out of a mysterious metal. With each second, it changed its color.


    It was a sight straight out of a painting. Even Prince Shak, who saw the grandeur of the Empires, couldn''t help but marvel at this beauty that transcended all taste.


    Just by breathing the air, Prince Shak and others felt as if their souls fluttered and they reached nirvana.


    Then just as if they were about to step forward, a space crack opened and a young man in ck and white stepped out.


    Following him, a stunningly beautiful but reserved woman in ck stopped to his left. And a woman in white as beautiful as an angel of the myths stopped to his right.


    The young man raised a brow at their presence and then waved his hand. "Yo!"


    "¡­"

 Chapter 920 W-What?

    Life is full of surprises.


    Prince Shak always believed in that saying.


    He took pride in the belief that he could withstand any surprise that life might throw at him.


    Even after his brother went missing and possibly went, he bravely lived through the court machinations and faced the mocking eyes of his peers.


    After going through what he did, most people would''ve just broken down and run away from the pce.


    But this young man kept going. He might be worried, surprised, or tensed, but Prince Shak always maintained a sense of calmness that he carried even in the worst of situations.


    At least, that''s what his protector, guardian, and friend, Sovereign Alban always believed.


    But when this strange young man stepped out of the space crack and waved at them, Prince Shak''s draw dropped and his body stiffened, almost as if he was having paralysis.


    Of course, he''s still better than the other two princes. Emerald Prince was about to retreat while the Sapphire Prince was about to attack the young man.


    Both of these choices were incorrect.


    Since the other party could appear here like this, it meant he was stronger than them or at least mastered the means that they didn''t even know about.


    What about the case that this is a coincidence?


    If it was a coincidence, the young man wouldn''t be greeting them so confidently. He didn''t even put the Sovereigns in his eyes and just greeted the princes as if he knew from the beginning they were the team leaders.


    In the fact of such an opponent, retreating would make you seem like a coward, attacking would provoke an uncertain hostility.


    The only correct response would be¡ª


    "Hello, I am Prince Shak of Jewel Kingdom, Lumen Empire. May I know who your excellency is?" Prince Shak took a step forward and asked in a sincere but polite tone.


    "I¡­" The young man tapped his lips with his index finger as if he was contemting his identity.


    When the space crack appeared, the Sovereigns instinctively released their full aura onto the people that came out.


    Even now, the young man was under the full aura of four powerful Sovereigns, some of the strongest from their ces.


    Yet, he showed no difort and acted nonchntly, as if he couldn''t even feel the pressure.


    As Prince Shak asked for the young man''s identity, the other princes calmed down and stared at the young man and two women with questioning eyes.


    Everyone in the Jewel kingdom had different types of skin. Prince Shak had golden skin that asionally glittered. Sapphire Prince had blue skin while the Emerald Prince had green skin.


    But these people were distinct from any of the members of the Jewel Kingdom. Heck, they weren''t from any of the prominent ces or races that anyone here knew. Moreover, they weren''t like the natives here either.


    So, who the fuck were these people that suddenly appeared in the central area like it''s nothing?


    "I am the protector of my civilization, the man who changed the fate of his race, the warrior that taught the meaning of fear to his enemies. I wish to leave this ce and for that to be possible, once the trial must be cleared. So, here I am." The young man smiled lightly and spoke in the lingua franca.


    Emerald Prince looked at the green ring on his index finger and nodded lightly. "He''s not lying."


    The ring was a precious treasure that would shine if it detected lies. But it would only work for people within its range of power.


    "And I have some authority in this world," Varian continued with a smooth smile, "I will guide you to the trial you seek. You can refer to me as a Guide"


    The ring still didn''t glow and the Emerald prince nodded again.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''I''m not speaking the truth, but I''m not lying either.'' Varian smiled.


    He was indeed the protector of the Human race, the one who saved his race from being destroyed multiple times. He also made the Abyssals realize what it''s like to fear someone. He did wish to leave this ce and it''s also possible only once the trial gets cleared.


    Moreover, he''s recognized by the World Will. And he did have the authority of the Twilight Zone.


    So, while he spoke no lies, his omission of crucial information created apletely different presentation to the Princes.


    To them, Varian was a strong being imprisoned by this world and was tasked to guide the participants to clear the trial. Only when it could be cleared could he leave this ce.


    In many legends and tales, it''smon for such a strong ce to have a strong guardian and for that guardian to have a great background.


    And even moremon was that if such a guardian was encountered and you pass the trial with flying colors, that guardian would choose to follow you and even be your servant.


    ''W-Wait, this is something only a hero of the legends would experience. Am I such a hero?'' Sapphire Prince gulped his saliva and suppressed his pounding heart.


    "Now then, please proceed to the trial area, I believe you don''t want to waste your time either," Varian gestured and turned around, clearly intending to lead them forward.


    "Wait a minute," Sovereign of the Sapphire Duchy called and the air suddenly grew heavy. "Why should we believe you? You can be an impostor. And even if you''re not, you might wish to harm my Prince. It''s safer to move ahead after neutralizing you."


    Even though he was facing them with his back, the smile on his face didn''t fade. With a soft chuckle, he waved his hand. "If I really wanted to harm you, then¡­"


    The space cracked apart and twelve giant mountains appeared on the other side.


    When the Sovereigns wondered what it was about, the twelve mountains stood up and showed their true forms.


    "This¡­"


    The twelve great turtles unleashed their full aura and due to the pressure, even the Sovereign of Sapphire Duchy took a step back.


    And as if it wasn''t enough, the young man, who at some point was grabbing the hands of the two women, was giving off a terrible aura.


    Even though he didn''t release it yet, the Sovereigns and the princes could already feel its terror.


    Just one hit and it wouldn''t matter if they''re a strong Sovereign or weak Sovereign, they''d be killed without resistance.


    A man could instantly attack them with such strength¡­


    "Forgive me for my ignorance," The Sovereign of Sapphire Duchy bowed his head.


    "If you''re really sorry, finish this trial and let me get out of this damn ce," Varian smiled freely and looked at the princes with the eyes of an elder. "I wish you little ones good luck. May the best win."


    The Princes stiffened at the mention of the trial.


    Now that they''re not in fear of survival, thepetition would take the foremost importance.


    As they leisurely but quickly walked forward, they got closer and closer to the wonderful pce.


    Sarah maintained her cold face while Enigma put on her mask at some point and looked unapproachable.


    Only Varian''s smooth smile remained.


    ''Oh boy,''

 Chapter 921 A Narcissistic Guide

    The guide walked with confidence as if this ce was his backyard. From time to time, he also introduced them to the type of trees, nts and flowers that grew here.


    Prince Shak recognizes a few of these. But most of them were unknown to him. So, it was informational. Normally, Prince Shak would''ve been happy to get more knowledge.


    But not now. Because¡ª


    "¡ªand this little pink flower is called Invincible Cutey." Varian pointed with his thumb, "It reminds me of the day when I sneaked into the highest camp of my enemy, and killed their geniuses. That day, blood flowed like river and corpses piled to a mountain."


    Prince Shak opened his mouth to say something but in the end, he simply sighed. ncing to the side, he looked at the other princes. Their faces were also tired and their eyes were bloodshot.


    Even though they''re also frustrated, there was more fear and awe in their eyes. The same went for the Sovereigns.


    Why?


    Because Emerald Prince''s ring showed that he was speaking the truth. Then that means this guy was really a big shot and pissing him off might make him p them to death.


    Or Emerald Prince''s ring isn''t working on that guy¡ªwhich was still a bad news. Since even a Sovereign couldn''t ovee that ring, then it means this guy can still casually p them to death.


    Bute on, they''re Princes of Duchies and a gctic Kingdom! They had seen many experts!


    They weren''t really interested in learning about this guy. At least, not as much as they''re interested in clearing the trial.


    But what could they do?


    Prince Shak looked at the sky like an abandoned kitten.


    "And this tree is named as No problem Sweety." Varian showed a nostaglic smile. "I rescued a by myself, and to do that, I had to destroy tens of cities. Millions died in a single day. This tree is a remembrance of that event. Everyone on that were scared, but I told them ''No problem sweety'' and saved them all."


    "Guide, we need to hone our minds for the trial. Can you please stop talking?" Sapphire Prince said with a disgruntled expression.


    His guard Sovereign nodded meekly while wiping the sweat off his forehead.


    "Young people, if you can''t even stand this, what will you achieve in the future? Patience, a man needs patience." Varian smiled like an old fe. "Learn from me, I''m a man with a lot of patience."


    "But sir¡ª"


    "Shut up! Don''t interrupt when elders are talking,"


    Sapphire Prince stiffened and stopped speaking. He looked at Varian with aggrieved eyes.


    ''Patience? What patience do you have? You cursed me just because I interrupted.''


    "And this nt is¡­" Varian didn''t care about the strange gazes and continued his narration.


    He spoke like an old politician that could brag about the non-work he did during his term. Like that old principal who gave an hour long speech with absolutely no content in it.


    The more he talked, the more he bragged.


    The Princes had long given up trying to escape this insanity and slowly got used to it.


    From time to time, they cast sympathetic nces to the two women beside this man.


    ''I finally know the reason why that girl in white looks so cold. This bastard must''ve driven her to crazy.''


    ''And her. She''s mad to the point she has to wear a mask to prevent herself from swearing at him. Yet, that must be it.''


    Feeling the sympathetic gazes, Sarah and Enigma didn''t know what to do. But they didn''t have to think much as Varian started his next tale.


    ''Urgh,''


    ''Really now¡­''


    Sarah and Enigma took a deep breath and controlled themselves. With a single nce, they understood what the other person was thinking.


    Varian''s narcissism hasn''t disappeared. He just didn''t have the time toe out. And it went from bad to worse.


    It wasn''t just them that were frustrated.


    [Host, if you say another word, System swears it''ll self-destruct.]


    ''Yo! Aren''t you overreacing? Oh, I get it. You''re jealous. Fine, I''ll name a yellow flower after you¡ª'' Varian asked inside his mind while he continued his speech.


    [System wishes it had a body to beat you up. Particrly your mouth, it has to be sealed for the good of the Universe.]


    ''Hmph! If you silence a man, it doesn''t show you''re right. It shows you''re afraid of the truth he speaks.'' Varian raised his chin proudly.


    [That''s totally out of context.]


    ''Excuses.'' Varian snickered. ''Excuses!''


    Of course, Varian knew his words were annoying. But that''s exactly what he intended as well.<novelnext></novelnext>


    In their eyes, he was a strange guide who appeared out of nowhere. He''s strong, mysterious and represented a dangerous variable. They''d still have their guard up against him.


    But after all the bragging, their vignce towards him considerably dropped. People''s opinions of others change and the way of talking yed a significant role in that. Varian knew it and exploited that psychology.


    A few minutester, Varian finally stopped in front of the giant pce. It was so vast that it''s impossible to see its end in a single nce.


    The pce had three spires that prated the clouds and were shining down from above.


    With each second, the pce shone with a different color.


    Blue. Green. Red. Yellow. Purple. White¡­


    Varian checked the information he got when he was partially recognized by the World Will and nodded to the Princes.


    "The time hase," He pointed to the giant silver door between two pirs and said. "Prove yourself worthy. Win the trial, win Hortus."


    Prince Shak looked at him for a moment and walked to the silver door. The Sovereigns looked back at Varian with a serious gaze. A lot of thoughts went through their mind.


    ''Should we try to control this variable?''


    ''Maybe his strength is all a bluff? He never fought since he appeared.''


    But the conclusion remained the same.


    ''But he seemed like a frustrated, narcissist and locked up expert bound to this ce. If my young master clears the trial, this guy might feel indebted and we''ll have a new ve for free.''


    Thinking of the guide''s behavior so far, he didn''t seem like a violent or unreasonable guy. Moreover, he was also hiding a deep past. All in all, it wasn''t better to provoke him. The Sovereigns gave up any thoughts of aggression and turned to the door.


    "Open," Instead of taking the risk himself, Prince Shak asked the Hybrid to open the door. The other two princes did the same.


    With a heavy,zy creak, the giant door opened and a bright light engulfed the teams.


    "Haa~" Varian finally sighed after seeing them disappear. "Fuck, that was dangerous."


    "Is it?" Enigma rolled her eyes. "Didn''t those turtles follow yourmand? You can just bring them in and kill them, can''t you?"


    Varian pped his thigh and said. "Kill my ass. I was just bluffing. I''d need at least a few minutes to summon those turtles. By then, we''d have been killed a hundred times."


    Sarah patted Varian''s shoulder gently. "Huh?"


    And bit down.


    "Ouch! Oi puppy, go back and give me my Sarah back. I didn''t sign up for this."


    Sarah''s eyebrows twitched and she stopped biting. "Listening to your bragging, I wanted to dig a hole and bury myself. I am dying of shame, but how can you say all that with a straight face?"


    "Why not?" Varian shrugged like it wasn''t a big deal. "Be honest, did I lie about any of my achiement?"


    "¡­No." Sarah bit her lip and nodded.


    "Then what''s the problem with bragging? If I am humble and stay silent, I am doing this universe a disservice." Varian said.


    "What?"


    "Think about it, such a handsome, righteous young man ovees so many hardships and trials. He''s a living legend. If the younger generation don''t hear my tales, they''ll miss out on an important icon. It''s my responsibility to inspire them."


    Sarah lowered her head and muttered under her breath. "¡­I''m afraid about our children''s future."


    "Cough Cough." Varian nearly choked on his saliva and red at Sarah. She was looking back at him with a smirk.


    She did it on purpose! She definitely did it on purpose!


    "Anyway," Varian decided to be a big man and forgive the little girl. He nced at the pce with a serious gaze and said. "We have to prepare ourselves too."


    "For the trial?" Enigma asked with a puzzled expression.


    "Hm,"


    "Didn''t they just go? Those Sovereigns are very strong, maybe they can¡ª"


    "They have no chances of winning." Varian said with confidence. "The trial makers were either crazy or sadistic or both. Millions of geniuses took the trial, none of them won."


    Saying so, he pointed to the flowers, trees and nts he previously showed to the princes and said. "These things were born from the souls of those geniuses."


    "Whaaat?!" Sarah''s eyes widened as she looked at the nts, trees and flowers that filled her sight.


    "If we don''t want to get a ridiculous name after our death, we have to do our best." The space behind Varian cracked and he started summoning all the turtles of the Mad Zone.


    "Even with all these turtles, this trial won''t be easy to pass."

 Chapter 922 The Trials [1]: I Can Pas This Test By Myself

    "Even with the turtles, it''s going to be hard? What even is the trial about?" Enigma''s mask disappeared at some point and her face showed the confusion on her mind.


    "Actually, it''s a grand trial consisted a couple of trials. They can pass most but will inevitably fail," Varian went through the information in his mind and continued, "The first trial is the most simple of all."


    "The Expedition."


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Prince Shak and others appeared in a innd that stretched in all directions. Thend, no, even the sky was ash colored. There was not a single nt, tree or even a stalk of grass in sight.


    Sapphire Prince kicked the ground to check something.


    "What the¡­"


    Even though he kicked the ground with great strength, not even a tremor was felt.


    But most surprising of all, not even a bit of dust rose into the air. Heck the ground didn''t even have a grain of sand. The ash ground was just like a sheet of paper.


    "This must be the Expedition stage. It seems to bemon for all Synthetic Worlds, even for this weird one," Prince Shak looked around andmented. "But something feels off¡­"


    A bright light shed at the horizon and a beautiful vortex made of seven colors shone brightly.


    "That''s the exit to this trial!" Sapphire Prince said with a smile.


    As everyone prepared to dash toward the vortex, the air suddenly grew heavy.


    Boom!


    A huge pressure fell onto everyone present and an invisible force seperated them into their respective teams.


    Space grew erratic, showing that teleportation was prohibited. Dark clouds appeared in the sky, implying that flying was also prohibitten.


    "This pressure isn''t half bad," The Sovereigns were able to act casually despite the pressure. The hybrids too didn''t show much difort.


    But the Princes were sweating profusely. Despite being peak level 9, they were the weakest in their teams.


    "Ugh, I can''t fly like this, but I can walk¡­" Prince Shak said and took a step forward.


    Sweat rolled down his forehead and his legs were shaking. But the Prince took one step after another.


    Sovereign Alban felt pity watching his prince go through this hardship and wanted to shield him from pressure.


    He sent a wisp of aura to cover Shak. But as his aura was about to envelop the prince, it was crushed by the invisible pressure and a formless fist hit Alban in the abdomen.


    "Uh," Sovereign Alban swallowed the blood that rose up his throat and smiled wrly. ''Looks like he has to do it himself.''


    Like Prince Shak, Sapphire Prince and Emerald Prince were also moving forward with great struggle.


    Thankfully, even though it''s hard, it''s doable.


    They reached the vortex after three hours of excruciating walk.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Unlike the other Synthetic Worlds¡ªthat''s what the worlds these Primordial gods created are called¡ªthis one has a higher pressure. You need to be at least a peak level 9 to pass." Varian exined.


    "Then we can''t pass even the first trial, can we?" Sarah said with a dispirited expression. "After all, external help isn''t allowed."


    "Who knows," Varian simply smiled.


    "You do!" Enigma snorted.


    "¡­Anyway, this trial eliminated 3% of the contestants till date." Varian said. "Basically, this trial sets up the lower limit of the contestants. At least peak level 9."


    The space crack behind him continued to expand slowly. But to bring the Sovereign turtles, the space must be robust.


    So, Varian continued to expand the space crack and chatted with the girls. "The second one is Rainbow Trial."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Huh?"


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Emerald Prince titled his head and stared at the twelve different doors in front of him. These doors were made of an unknown bronze and were filled with green carvings. In the center of each door was a small cavity.


    They eminated a particr aura that showed off a path. Body. Mind. ntae. Six different elements. Space-Time and gravity. A total of twelve types.


    After entering the vortex, he and his team appeared in front in a white room. They couldn''t break the walls or the ceiling.


    The only way out was these twelve doors. And indeed, right after appearing here, they got a message right in their minds.


    [Open six locks to proceed]


    Emerald Prince pursed his lips and nced at the hybrid standing beside the Sovereign, "Go ahead."


    This trial was one of the primary reasons a Hybrid was typically used in Synthetic World team.


    The hybrid expressionlessly walked to the Body door and ced his fist inside the cavity.


    The hybrid had two origins and each had two paths. So, he had a total of four paths: Body, Gravity, Mind, Lightning.


    "Haa~"


    The door shook slightly and a beam of powerful chi shout out from the cavity and hit his fist.


    The hybrid instinctively blocked the beam with his most powerful path, lightning.


    The chi was blocked off but the beam didn''t stop.


    "You idiot, use the same power that the door uses!" The Sovereign cursed.


    The hybrid''s eyes remained nk but he changed his course of action and poured out his chi.


    When the two chi came into contact, the beam of chi decreased a bit in intensity until it matched the hybrid''s power.


    "Push it back!" The Sovereign ordered and the hybrid followed it without resistance.


    The hybrid poured out all the chi in his body and struck the chi beam.


    The beam stagnated for a moment before it disappeared. The door turned translucent.


    "Next!"


    The hybrid then went to the mind, gravity and lightning doors and cleared them one by one. Next was the Sovereign. And finally the prince.


    After the sixth door turned translucent, the remaining doors shattered and the three disappeared.


    Almost at the same time, the other two teams also moved to the next trial.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "So you just have to work a bit hard to open the door of your path? That''s it?" Enigma raised a brow.


    "Yeah, that''s basically it."


    "Where''s the challenge here?"


    "Six different paths in three people. That''s the challenge," Varian shrugged. "Think about it. This trial is made hundreds of millions of years ago. Before any hybrid was born. The makers must''ve hated the single path awakeners."


    "¡­"


    "Anyway, unlike other Synthetic Worlds, this one needs six unlocks, not four. Surprisingly, more than 10% teams failed to pass this test." Varian said and smirked. "Tsk, I can pass this test by myself, Hahaha."

 Chapter 923 Trials [2]: The Horde

    "The first two are fine, but the third is one nasty trial," Varianughed with an evil expression.


    "Why?"


    "Did you ever wonder the reason these Duchies or Kingdoms or whatever sent a weak prince to this Synthetic World? They can send one more hybrid who''s sure to be stronger than a prince."


    "For experience and merits." Sarah titled her head cutely.


    "Apparently, a Synthetic world is a strategic treasure for these big forces. And there are a limited number of them in the universe. It doesn''t make sense to send princes to win a strategic weapon. By doing that, they''re just squandering their chances of winning." Varian exined.


    "You''re really feeling enthusiastic today. Speaking so much," Enigma indicated that she wanted him to shut up.


    "Excuse me, I''m a new born. New borns do make a lot of noise," Varian said shamelessly.


    The real reason he was babbling was to distract himself from the pain he started feeling due to the space crack.


    It was fine in the beginning, but the longer he kept it open and started expanding it, the worse the pain got.


    It felt like a hot sword was stabbing his flesh and vaporizing his blood. It hurt so much that he just wanted to stop opening the space crack altogether. But to win this trial, he must do it.


    So, he talked. And talked.


    Thankfully, his body path allowed him to stop himself from sweating and controlling his facial expressions. So, he appeared ''normal'' while he was going through hell.


    Of course, if he talked nonsense, Sarah or Enigma would find out something''s wrong with him.


    So, he began to speak about the trial like an old bard.


    "Anyway, the third is Survival Trial. It''s quite simple. They''ll be swarmed by a horde of monsters that are as strong as the weakest team member. They have to survive to pass."


    "Horde? How big is it exactly?"


    "Well¡­" Varian chuckled, "For normal Synthetic worlds, it''s a hundred, but for this one¡­"


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Your mom! More than three hundred? No, five hundred?" Sapphire Prince jumped up and down as he dodged the countless elemental attacks directed at him.


    After passing the second test, his team appeared in a vast in.


    Before they could even explore the ce, they''re surrounded by a huge swarm of humanoid creatures thatcked any facial features.


    Each with the strength of a peak level 9 and they all started attacking the prince at the same time.


    The main force of the team, the Sovereign protected the prince from the first wave of attacks and entrusted him to the hybrid.


    The hybrid did its duty and faithfully protected the prince at its own expense.


    The Sovereign, meanwhile, jumped into the horde and unleashed his full powers to kill the creatures.


    As a Sovereign, he had a great advantage over the peak level 9s. But that didn''t mean he could face an endless amount of them.


    So, when the creatures numbering in hundred attacked him indiscriminately, even the Sovereign was pushed back.


    But thankfully, his single attack killed at least a dozen creatures. And as time went on, the horde began to noticably reduce in size.


    However, the numbers were still too high. The hybrid and prince remained defensive.


    The Sovereign started getting injured. First, it was just a scratch. Then, a minor injury. Eventually, a huge chunk of his flesh was just blown away by thebined attacks.


    Yet, the fight continued.<novelnext></novelnext>


    As hours passed and the horde shrank to a quarter of its initial size, the hybrid and the prince joined in the offensive.


    The Sovereign took the opportunity to gulp another precious healing potion and joined the match.


    By the time thest creature was killed, the three of them were drenched in blood and were filled with injuries.


    Despite joiningter on, the hybrid had the worst injuries and was almost pushed to death. The prince umted several major injuries and was lying on the ground without any energy.


    Only the Sovereign was better off, but even he was on a single knee, panting heavily.


    "T-This is absurd. How is this trial so hard¡­?" Sapphire Prince groaned as he took a couple of pain killers and healing potions.


    "This world itself is weird. Why wouldn''t the trial be weird?" The Sovereign wanted to shrugg his shoulders, but feeling the stinging pain, he smiled wryly.


    "Urgh, I have a bad feeling about this¡­" The Prince cursed and fainted.


    A few minutester, a light enveloped the three and they disappeared from the ins.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Compared to other Synthetic Worlds, the numbers here are 75% higher." Varian said, "That''s why this trial alone eliminated 50% of all candidates till date."


    "Woah, a half?!"


    "Yep. I mean, if we take that trial, we''d have to face more than five hundred mid level 9." Varian shrugged, "That''s hell."


    "Aren''t you the stronger than us now?"


    "The thing only looks at level. Good for us."


    "Then, can we pass?"


    Varian gave it a serious thought for a moment and shook his head. "Nope."


    Actually, they could. But the two would die in the process. Technically, it''s a pass. But for Varian, it''s a fail.


    "The only way to pass this trial is to have a Sovereign in the team," Varian shrugged, "Anyone not doing that is just asking for a beating."


    "¡­Right." Sarah nodded.


    A Sovereign''s attack power isn''t really equal to two or three hundred peak level 9. It''s only a dozen or so times higher.


    But a single Sovereign could indeed wreck hundreds of peak level 9.


    It seemed absurd. But the same logic applied in a fight between an adult and a child.


    A human adult is just a couple of times stronger and faster than a human child. But what would happen in a fight even if ten children fought against an adult?


    Sarah shook her head and nced at the space crack behind Varian. It''s continously expanding since the start and is now the size of a mountain.


    It''s been a few hours already and no turtle came out.


    "Varian, didn''t you say the turtles will be out in a few minutes?" Sarah asked.


    "Ah¡ªahahaha!" As he endured the growing pain for opening the space crack, Varian wanted to p his past self for saying those words.


    A few minutes? Without any pain, sure. But with this much pain, it''d take a few more hours.


    "I, I was kidding, haha and yeah, do you know the next trial is¡­"

 Chapter 924 A Trial Designed To Be Unwinnable

    After the teams finished the Survival test, the Fourth Trial began after a little break.


    "It''s called Mirrors of Self," Varianughed loudly to suppress the pain bubbling up inside him. "It''s pretty interesting to be honest. The trial will produce a copy of the team and you have to pick a clone other than yourself and kill it."


    Sarah was feeling that something was off with Varian. But the trial drew her interest and she blinked her bright eyes."¡­Isn''t that hard?"


    Usually, Sarah had a cold expression. But when with him, she had a cheerful expression. But this innocent and cute look¡­it was devastating.


    Imagine a pure and cute girl looking at you with those eyes, it''s crit x100.


    Varian''s heart twitched at her actions and he just wanted to pinch her cheeks. ''Wait, what the hell am I doing? Oh right!''


    "Ahem, it''s hard. The Sovereign can kill Prince or Hybrid. Hybrid can kill Prince. But who can the Prince kill? None!" Varian shrugged.


    "But this is only the fourth trial, right? Even though this world''s trial difficulty is higher than others, it shouldn''t be the one that holds the teams back. I''m guessing more like seventh or eight." Sarah tapped her chin andmented.


    "Well¡­"


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Then prince, please go ahead," The Sovereign of Emerald Duchy bowed lightly and pointed to the three motionless bodies standing in front of them.


    They were the exact clones of the Emeraldy Duchy team!


    "Fuuu~" The Prince exhaled deeply and picked the Sovereign clone. "I''ll have to make it fast."


    The Sovereign picked the Hybrid clone and the Hybrid followed the instructions to pick the Prince clone.


    A bright light shed and the three of them were seperated by huge walls. The walls of the room they''re in turned into a mirror and the three found themselves in a mirror house of sorts.


    But instead of their own reflection, they could only see the reflections of the clone they picked.


    The Sovereign gripped his sword and shed down. The Hybrid''s clone was ripped into three parts and blew away into specks of dusts.


    The Hyrbid''s attack reached the Prince''s clone and burnt it into ash.


    Finally, in the mirror room with the Prince¡­


    "Haa~" The Prince took a deep breath as the timer above his head slowly ticked down to 0.


    Any attacks can only begin when the count down ends and the ones before it would lead to a penalty.


    Of course, the Prince didn''t attack. Even if hended a sessful attack, and there''s no penalty, it''d be useless against a Sovereign.


    Instead, he calmed mind and found a link between himself and this Sovereign clone.


    ''I knew it!''


    The Sovereigns were connected to the Princes through a ve contract of sorts. It''s not unbreakable but it''s highly risky.


    Other than the horrific pain it inflicted on the ves, an absolute feature of the ve contract was¡ª


    "Dea¡ª"


    Boom!<novelnext></novelnext>


    Before he could finish the action, the air in front of the princepressed and exploded at the intensity of a nuclear st.


    "What?!" The Prince''s heart nearly stopped beating as a small light shed in front of him and grew into a cloud of lightning.


    The defense treasure on him opened up automatically and protected him from certain death.


    The Sovereign clone didn''t care and appeared in front of the prince in a blink. Clenching his fist at the side, he prepared to kill the Prince with a punch.


    "Dammit!" The Prince cursed and finished off the link in his mind. "Death!"


    Crack! BOOM!


    The barrier by the defensive treasure broke apart like fragile ss and the treasure itself dissolved into dust as the menacing fist approached the terrified Prince.


    ''No! This is wrong! This thing is much stronger than the Soveriegn!''


    When the Prince realized, a stinging pain filled his face and his skin split apart. In an instant, his face turned bloody and he looked like he was drowned in green paint.


    But the Prince''s eyes were wide open and stared at the fist that stopped inches in front of his nose.


    "T-Thankfully¡­"


    The Prince slumped to the ground and copsed.


    The other two had simr experiences, but they all passed.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "This stage ismon in other Synthetic worlds too. So, that''s why the Princes are handed a contract over the Sovereign," Varian exined. "Of course, this world is harder. If the Princes are careless, they''ll die. This trial took


    "Ah!" Sarah nodded repeatedly and cupped her cheeks with her hands. "70% are gone by now already! And there are still five mote trials. Sounds crazy."


    "It actually is crazy," Varian sighed. "Think again, when this trial was made, there was no such thing as ve contract. Meaning, they intended for the participants to be able to kill atleast one of the other two."


    "But they also have the Survival trial where a member needs to be weaker than the other two or else the horde which is as strong as the weakest team member will be too dangerous." Sarah pointed out.


    Exactly.


    If you want to pass this Fourth Trial normally, you''d want the teammates to be of equal strength with special restraints over one teammate.


    Fire, Water, Wind or something like that. All peak level 9.


    But if that''s followed, in third trial, the team will face three hundred peak level 9. There''s no hope of victory.


    "It''s as if the trial was designed to be unwinnable," Varian narrowed his eyes. "The trials of other world don''t have this harsh condition. In fact, two members can choose the same clone as an opponent and the members who won can support the ones fighting. So, the prince can fight his clone and wait for support."


    "I''ve been meaning to ask," Sarah tucked the strand of her hair behind her ear and looked at him with a curious gaze. "Why is this world different from others?"


    "Different¡­" Varian chuckled. "Out of all the failed products, this is a sessful one."


    "!"

 Chapter 925 Approaching An End

    The space crack behind Varian continued to expand. Unlike before, the aura of a Sovereign creature fully began to leak from the other side and a heaviness filled the air in this core region.


    The giant turtles slowly opened their eyes and nced at their master. They were as old as this world itself!


    When the Primordial Gods realized this world was a sess, they''ve put up the Turtles as a guardian for it.


    Of course, for their own entertainment and experimentation, each god created their own yground.


    Primordial God of Life & Death created the Twilight Zone. The experiment was to throw in all sorts of beasts and keep them in a cycle of endless reincarnation.


    To keep the toys from escaping, the boundaries¡ªthe ''turtles''¡ªwere created. And to keep the boundaries from getting old and dying, the Primordial God allowed them to draw vitality from his power.


    That''s the reason these creatures could keep living even for hundreds of millions of years.


    Of course, the amount of time they''ve stayed awake would hardly be equal to a hundred years.


    So, while they lived for long, the turtles themselves still felt young. And to them, this new master only invoked curiousity.


    Yesterday, the Primordial God was ordering them to guard. Today, this new owner was telling them they have to destroy something.


    And now, he''s talking something to that blonde female.


    "This world is a¡­priceless treasure," Varian sighed but didn''t say why.


    Sarah too didn''t ask for more. After being with him for so long, she figured that sometimes, more knowledge about some things doesn''t necessarily meant a good thing.


    Somethings would have to be hidden for her own and Varian''s safety.


    Varian also sensed the mood and changed the topic, "The Fifth Trial is called the Great Fall. The authority of the Trial would suppress everyone''s aura to level 1. Then the have to fight."


    "...?"


    "They have to fight a level 3. No attack treasures allowed."


    "Wait, level 3 as level 1?" Sarah raised a brow. The power differential is high, okay?


    "In other worlds, it''s level 2, which is actually doable with team work. But here, it''s level 3," Varian also shrugged as if it''s something that can''t be helped.


    Sarah continued to talk while Enigma at some point had fallenpletely silent.


    Her silver hair turned brown and her violet eyes turned golden. Sia looked at Varian''s back and sighed.


    A lot of things happened since she left. Now, she''s just overwhelmed and didn''t know how to respond.


    But unlike Sarah, she knew something.


    Varian was in pain. Likely due to the space crack that was stupidly dyed. But he''s pain for certain.


    His subtle facial expressions, the bodynguage and his choice of words all gave it away.


    Sia went from behind and hugged Varian. For some reason, since that day, the restriction on her darkness power was slowly being lifted. It was as if ''She'' was no longer responding or caring about it.


    It''s also the reason Sia didn''t appear for a long time after leaving earlier. She was trying to control the darkness powerpletely and before she knew it, all of this happened.


    But finally, she too gained the third path.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Feeling the softness and warmth from behind, and especially the low but existing resistance, Varian was startled. "Sia?"


    Sia didn''t say anything and pushed her darkness mana into him. Unlike the rampant and abrassive darkness in her attacks, this one was smooth, soothing andfortable.


    Varian''s pain steadily fell and he let out a deep breath infort.


    ''So I still got found out, huh,'' He shook his head inwardly and was about to exin when a thin finger was ced on his lips.


    "Shhh," Sia rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.


    Sarah was puzzled by her actions, but feeling Sia''s weak aura, she didn''t say anything.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Level 3? Not level 2?" Sapphire Prince couldn''t close his mouth.


    They''re in a small forest and standing in front of them was a goblin barely one foot tall.


    It waved its cub at them with a fierce expression and licked its lips aggressively, as if proiming its the predator and they''re its prey.


    Its just a level 3 that''s no different from pebble for the Prince.


    But since appearing in this forest, all of their strengths were suppressed to level 1.


    So, this goblin actually could kill them all!


    "No offensive treasures allowed. I guess we can only use the defensive ones and wear him down." The Sovereign proposed the safe solution.


    "I guess¡­" Sapphire Prince retrieved the treasures from his storage ring with an expression close to crying.


    The treasures would also be suppressed. So, he''d be sacrificing many precious treasures just to suppress a puny level 3!


    He already lost his defensive treasure in thest trial. Now, the cost of these treasures was already piling up. His worth was shrinking rapidly.


    "This better be worth it," He gritted his teeth and pped the treasures onto the goblin.


    A couple of barriers formed around the goblin and the mad creature started indiscriminately attacking them.


    The Prince witnessed his Sovereign grade treasures used on a level 3 and bowed his head in shame.


    Thankfully, a few minutester, the exhausted goblin was killed by the team and they''re sent to the next trial.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "This trial isn''t that hard if you have some defensive or locking type treasures, which Princes typically do," Varian said. "So, this trial only eliminated about 2% of the contestants."


    The space crack behind him stopped expanding and was slowly consolidating. It''s already too big to be captured in a single nce.


    One giant turtle after another had lined up on the other side of the Space Crack, ready to enter at any time.


    "Four more trials, huh," Sarah muttered, "How many do you think they can pass?"


    "They''ll likely cross the sixth trial, seventh is possible, eighth¡­I don''t know." Varian pursed his lips. "But ninth is impossible."

 Chapter 926 Nest Of Regrets

    The teams entered the sixth trial: "Nest of Regrets."


    The moment they were sucked into this trial, all of them found themselves in an unexpected ce.


    It was a world made from their memories yet it was as tangible as anything real.


    Prince Shak found himself as a younger self sitting at one of the VIP tables in the third row.


    The venue was the crystal ground of the capital¡ªa cepletely made of colorful and exquisite crystals.


    The ground was made of blue crystal, the tables were made of green crystal and even the tablecloth was made of a semi-solid red crystal.


    "W-What?" Prince Shak let out a surprised gasp.


    The people around him gave him a weird look before turning their attention back to the stage.


    "Shak, what happened?" A familiar voice sounded, causing Shak to reflexively turn to the side.


    A man with facial features somewhat simr to Shak was sitting beside him in a rxed posture. His fingers were sped together and the guests both from the front rows and the back rows were ncing at him from time to time.


    "B-Brother¡­" Prince Shak gulped his dry saliva and said in an almost crying voice.


    It was this day his brother went to that damn ce and went missing. Even though they said he had died, he believed his brother was still alive.


    But if he could stop him from leaving for that ce¡­


    ''No!'' Prince Shak shook his head and took a deep breath. ''This is an illusion. I just need to break it to clear the trial.''


    Prince Shak took out a diamond bracelet from his storage ring and put it on his wrist.


    This is a special treasure that could eliminate treasures even created by Sovereigns. For the prince of a kingdom, it''s shameful to have such a lowly treasure. But that''s the best Shak could manage.


    ''Come on! Go away!'' Looking at his brother''s increasingly worried eyes, Prince Shak prayed inside his mind.


    The bracelet shook slightly before it calmed down.


    The ceremony continued on.


    On the stage, the King of Jewel Kingdom stood up from his seat and began his short yet important speech.


    "¡­If we are outshined by other kingdoms, Lumen Empire would shift the resources to them and we will face ack of resources, leading to low growth, which would once again lead to a decrease in resources, creating a vicious cycle.


    To remain safe, we have to remain ahead. The only way to gain an edge against our equals is by working harder and taking more risks.


    So, today is the day the geniuses and great warriors of our kingdom will embark on an adventure. Let their journey be victorious." Saying so, he snapped his fingers and a pure white aura drops began to rain on everyone present.


    ''Come on! Come on! Why aren''t you working? Even if it''s an illusion by a Celestial, you can at least inform me it''s an illusion, right?'' Prince Shak fiddled with his bracelet when the aura drops suddenly touched him.


    A soothing sensation rose from the tip of his feet and shot up to the top of his head. The aura in his body grew slightly and the distance between him and the Sovereign state narrowed.<novelnext></novelnext>


    A human would''ve to work for at least five years for this improvement but this ceremonial farewell gift achieved the same!


    As he felt his increased strength, Prince Shak had an ominous premonition. ''Hey, is the increase in my strength real?''


    The diamond bracelet shone twice, replying in an affirmative.


    ''Is this world real? I mean, is it not a mental construct¡­but something tangible?''


    The bracelet shone twice again.


    "What the¡­" Prince Shak copsed into his seat.


    All the guests stood up.


    The Dukes in the first row, the great warriors of the kingdom in the second row, fellow princes and princesses in the third row, the ministers and important officials in the fourth row, the geniuses in the fifth row¡­


    Shak''s brother cast him a worried look but after hearing his name from the stage, he signaled to his aides to look after his younger brother and marched to the dais.


    "¡­.Prince Sohan, one of the best geniuses of the Jewel Kingdom and our pride, is about to embark on a great adventure."


    As the host announced, Prince Sohan respectfully epted the storage ring from the King and stood at the back of the stage along with others.


    The space behind the space twisted and dozens of spaceships appeared. Under the apuse of the audience, the geniuses began entering the spaceships.


    "No!" Prince Shak jumped from his seat and ran toward his elder brother.


    This world wasn''t a mental construct like he originally thought. It''s real. He didn''t know how the trial authority made it, but everything in this ce was as real as it could get.


    It''s a world for fuck''s sake!


    ''It means if I die here, I''ll really die!'' Prince Shak gulped his saliva and ran to the stage.


    But before he could jump up, two silhouettes shed and Prince Shak froze in his ce.


    The Celestial guard captains were looking at him with an indifferent expressions while the rest of the guests were staring at him with shock.


    Why did a prince break all etiquette and showed so much disrespect?


    The King heard the whispers of the guests and his gaze turned cold. He had too many sons and daughters to actually value one for being his child.


    Still, since he''s the younger brother of Prince Sohan, he didn''t want to go overboard. "Prince Shak isn''t feeling well. Escort him to his room and call the doctor to heal him. Even if it takes a year, nurse him back to health."


    The implied statement was ''House arrest Prince Shak for a year and don''t let him out.''


    The guards understood this and lifted Prince Shak.


    As he was about to be taken away, Shak yelled at his brother. "Don''t go! Brother, don''t go! You''ll die! Don''t go!"

 Chapter 927 A Realm Of Divine

    "Huh?"


    "What is he talking about?"


    "Is he cursing his brother to die?"


    "Weren''t they close? Is it all an act?"


    "What a vicious younger brother! He''s jealous of his elder brother''s talent!"


    The King clenched his fists and the entire capital felt a heaviness in the air. ncing at a one-armed guard, he said. "It seems Prince Shak''s illness is more serious than we thought. Take ''good care'' of him."


    The one-armed guard, reputed as a maniacal torturer, nodded with a big smile. He never tortured any royal and decided to exploit this opportunity to the fullest.


    Prince Shak''s body shook as he realized his fate. But looking at his brother''s bewildered face, he gathered all the air in his lungs and yelled. "Brother, please listen to me! You can ask any psychics to test if I''m lying. I beg you!"


    Prince Sohan bit his lip and was about to step forward.


    Even if Shak was lying, he wanted to find out what was going on. And moreover, his younger brother genuinely admired him. It''s odd he''s doing this now.


    "No need to listen to a child''s ramblings," One of the chief guests on the stage, Army Chief and Prince Sohan''s master, stretched his arm in front of him and stopped him.


    "Let him be taken away. I''ll make sure he''s lightly punished. You know how important this adventure is for you, right? If you miss it, you won''t get the chance even in another hundred years."


    His spaceship also arrived and the door opened.


    Prince Sohan gritted his teeth as his gaze alternated between the path to his adventure and his younger brother who was being dragged away from the stage.


    "I¡­Argh¡­" Prince Shak opened his mouth to speak, but an unbearable pain passed flooded his mind.


    A psychic guard here was wrecking his mind, telling him not to mess around.


    Prince Shak''s mind was shutting down and he knew he''d faint at any moment now. Pulling everyst bit of his strength, he yelled onest time. "I...If yo..go, I''ll diiiee!"


    With a muffled sound, Prince Shak''s eyes closed and he fainted.


    The guests were all whispering about the ridiculousness of this meeting. The foreign guests began chuckling in contempt. The whole scene was a mess.


    The King tapped his finger in the air and the venue abruptly fell silent. ncing at everyone with a neutral gaze, he turned to Prince Sohan. "Go, make us proud."


    "I¡­" Prince Sohan closed his eyes and bowed to his master. Then, under the shocked gazes of everyone, he ran toward his younger brother.


    The moment he took the first step, the sky began to dissolve. The second step took away the air. The third made the capital except the venue vanish.


    On the sixth step, only Prince Sohan and Prince Shak remained in a weird white space.


    Everything and everyone disappeared.


    "¡ªak, Shak, Shak!"


    ? Hearing his name being called repeatedly, Prince Shak slowly opened his eyes.


    And he saw a familiar face filled with anxiety.


    "B-Brother?" Prince Shak endured the pain in his body and grabbed his brother''s hands. "Don''t go! Please don''t go!"


    His cries echoed in the white space but Shak was so focused on his brother that he didn''t even notice his surroundings.


    "I won''t go. I won''t go anywhere." Prince Sohan smiled warmly and raised his hand to ruffle Shak''s hair.


    As Shak waited for the familiar warmth, his brother''s hand dissolved and vanished.


    "Brother¡­"


    With a warm smile on his face, Prince Sohan too disappeared and a white light engulfed Prince Shak.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "This trial is an easy pass for these Hybrids since they have no emotions. They don''t really have any regrets. The Sovereigns and Princes would have to struggle though." Varian smiled.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The space crack was now almost stabilized and soon, the first turtle coulde out.


    Thankfully, Sia was helping him ease his pain. So, the space crack was going to be finished in just half the time.


    On the other hand, Sarah was preparing herself for the trial seriously while being continuously amazed at this trial.


    Unlike Enigma or Sia, she didn''t travel around much and was thus curious about new ces. But more importantly, after recently losing Varian and going through an emotional hell, she was very happy just hearing him speak. His words, his voice, his expression, they were all reminders that he was alive.


    ''¡­every second is a blessing.'' Sarah looked at Varian''s face and sighed inwardly.


    Tapping her cheek, she asked. "¡­but creating a real world out of their memory, even to the extent of making people with the same personality, powers, and treasures, tell me how is that not omnipotence?"


    "The souls of the creation are different from the original," Varian shrugged. "But yeah, this is already in the realm of the divine. In other synthetic worlds, the world is only a mental construct, but here it''s a real world! No wonder, this trial eliminated 10% of the contestants."


    "Wait," Sarah pointed to the Pce which was now starting to change colors much more frequently. "What happened?"


    "One, no, two are eliminated," Varian clicked his tongue.


    "What will happen to them? Will they be sent out?"


    "Nope. They''ll remain inside until all of their team fails and then the judgment would be made." Varian said casually.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    As Varian dered, two members failed.


    Sapphire Prince and Sovereign of Emerald Duchy.


    Both of them had treasures to fight against the mental world in this trial but when the world became real, they couldn''t even put up a proper fight.


    Still, the surviving team members were sent to the next trial.


    It''s just that with the loss of a Prince and a Sovereign, the chances of these teams advancing had plummeted.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "The seventh trial should be thest one they can manage," Varian yed with Sia''s soft hair on his shoulders and said. "We''ll have to clear eight and nine ourselves."


    "What about one to seven?" Sia opened her eyes and asked softly.


    As the time hase, Varian informed them of the n.


    "Once all the teams fail, the pce will go into a resting mode of sorts. The trials then will be weakened. We can pass them. The challenge will be in thest two trials."


    "Will we need so many Sovereigns?" Sia pointed to the ten turtles that lined up. The first turtle was slowly poking its head out of the space crack anding to this side.


    "If they''re lucky, one or two might survive the eighth trial," Varian said.


    "W-What the hell? What''s even in that trial?" Sarah asked.


    "Madness. Fucking madness," Varian sighed.


    The makers of this trial really designed it to be unwinnable. No way anyone could fucking clear it. The eighth and ninth trials were living evidence of the craziness of the creators.


    But to get out of this world and return to earth, he had to clear the trial.


    Or else, even if he can dominate and rule the natives, he''d remain trapped in this world forever and get some funny nickname after death.


    ''Thinking of being trapped here, the time flow here is different from that of earth. How many months had it been there? I...hope nothing happened while I was gone,'' Varian could only hope for the best.


    With the Abyss Emperor being so eager, the Abyssals would surely be up to something.


    The only way to end that problem was to finish off the Abyssals once and for all.


    "Oh boy~"

 Chapter 928 House Of Ghosts

    The seventh trial was called "House of Ghosts".


    The teams would have to reach a gate to enter the next trial. But between them and the gate would be bloodthirsty beasts.


    So far so good.


    But the tricky in the fact that new beasts would form from the negative emotions the contestants felt.


    Anger, fear, worry, panic, and others would lead to create new beasts and make it harder for the trial to be cleared.


    If things get out of hand, then the beasts could defeat the contestants and they''d fail the trial.


    Of course, using psychic power to forcibly control emotions was prohibited.


    "Phew~ Clear your mind, enter the state of flow and fight," Prince Shak said to Sovereign Alban who nodded calmly.


    They were standing at the entrance of a valley filled with monsters ranging from peak level 9 to Sovereign state.


    The gate was at the end of the valley and as usual, flying or teleportation to the exit was prohibited.


    After two minutes of meditation, Prince Shak said in a calm tone. "Fight!"


    Sovereign Alban led the way followed by the hybrid. Prince Shak followed closely and the trio quickly advanced to the exit.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Sapphire Duchy''s team lost its prince in thest trial and was forced to face the seventh trial.


    They had to clear a forest to reach the gate. Like other teams, the beasts here too were mostly peak level 9 with a couple of Sovereigns.


    So, Sapphire''s Sovereign didn''t take them seriously and ughtered them quickly. Even though he tried his best to stay calm, his mind was filled with worry for the prince.


    ''Is the prince okay? Did anything happen to him? Is he even alive?''


    As a result, even though he cleared 70% of the monsters and was just a few minutes away from the gate, new monsters began to pop up.


    The Sovereign was quickly pushed back and the fight got prolonged.


    ''My aura is less than half. Damn it, the beasts keeping! Can I get out of here? Dammit! Prince, why did you disappear? Why can''t you pass that test? Ahhh!''


    A beast exploited the Sovereign''s distraction and ripped apart a chunk of his flesh.


    The Sovereign screamed in pain and his negative emotions instantly spiked.


    As a result, dozen more beasts popped up and the forest was now filled with more beasts than in the beginning!


    The Sovereignsted for a while but the Hybrid that was fighting emotionlessly from behind was quickly drowned in the horde.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    The Emerald Duchy lost its Sovereign in thest trial.


    As someone who remained calm even in adverse situations, Emerald Prince performed quite well in the seventh trial.


    Despite not having a Sovereign in his team, he made a proper judgment and used his treasures.


    The hybrid had no emotions anyway and wouldn''t create new monsters. As someone who was called cold throughout his life, Emerald Prince was also able to keep his emotions stable.


    So, as the Prince used his defensive treasures to ward off the Sovereign beasts, the two fought the peak level 9s.


    It was a hard fight and took much longer than expected. But thanks to their perseverance, the two made it to the gate.


    "Ha! Haaa! Huff!" Emerald Prince knelt in front of the gate as his entire body twitched in pain. He was injured everywhere and was a bleeding mess.


    Even with his personality, an emotion called fear was slowly popping up.


    "No!" Emerald Prince gritted his teeth and jumped into the gate. The hybrid followed.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Just a secondter, a new monster popped up. Had the prince been just a secondte, he''d have been eliminated.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "The negative emotions are the ghosts. So, it''s called the House of ghosts," Varian motioned for the third turtle to enter as he exined.


    The giant turtles shrank in size aftering here, yet they looked as vast as a vige.


    The air was filled with a heavy aura just by their presence. After all, their strength was at the very peak of the Sovereign state.


    Thankfully, the creatures obeyed him even though they knew they might likely die.


    In fact, Varian sensed a strong desire for death from all of them.


    He didn''t know what it was like to live for hundreds of millions of years and he certainly couldn''t understand what they were feeling.


    "How did this trial go?" After inspecting a turtle, Sarah asked.


    "Sapphire Duchy is eliminated. Emerald Prince managed to win barely while Prince Shak''s team won properly. It''s not bad considering this trial eliminated 15% of the teams.


    In other worlds, it takes a significant amount of negative emotions to create a beast. Here, it''s ten times easier. It''s hell mode.


    Even then, two teams passed. If it''s in other worlds, they could''ve easily cleared the trial. But anyway, they''ll be gone in the next round."


    "So, 97% of all teams are gone by now," Sarah pointed out three fingers. "The 3% that passed these seven trials should be best of the best. And none of them made it through the eighth trial?"


    "Actually, less than ten made it through," Varian said with a weird expression. "And tada! They''re all from the Deva Empire."


    "Empire or a Duchy?" Sarah smirked. "I still can''t wrap my head around the concept of a duchy, much less a kingdom."


    "Me neither," Varian shrugged.


    ording to the System and the information he got, the civilizations without a Celestial wouldn''t even qualify to be a Province.


    And Province was the lowest grade for a civilization. Then came Duchy. Then a Kingdom. And finally an Empire.


    It''s ridiculous that their greatest enemy was at the bottom of the pyramid in the intergctic hierarchy.


    ''And we''re not even in the pyramid and call ourselves an Empire, woah!'' Varian shook his head and waved at the turtles that were moving slowly. "Make it quick, don''t be a turtle, oh never mind! Just hurry up, we need to go soon."


    "Is the eighth trial over already?" Sia''s voice full of reluctance sounded beside his ear.


    Due to repulsion, she couldn''t even touch him until recently. And when she could, it was Enigma who upied her body. Then, things happened and Sia was busy getting the darkness power.


    Counting since his birthday, it''s been a year and a half since she couldn''t touch Varian properly. So, if possible, she didn''t want to go away from him.


    "Sia, I''m not going anywhere," Varian said tofort her.


    "I don''t know," Sia buried her face in his shoulder and relished the touch she got after so long.


    ''Am¡­I obsessed?'' Sia pursed her lips and hugged Varian tighter.


    Maybe, no, certainly she''s obsessed. But she''s more than happy to be.


    ''Maybe no one will understand, this feeling...''


    Varian felt Sia''s erratic heartbeat and gently patted her on the head. He was happy and relieved that he could have contact with her, even though some repulsion still existed.


    But right now, they had urgent matters to focus on.


    Patting Sia''s head gently, he said. "When we solve these dangers and grow stronger, we''ll have all the time in the world,"


    "Hm," Sia didn''t let go, "Just a bit longer, just a bit..."

 Chapter 929 Bloody Light

    "The eighth trial, the one that eliminated all but nine teams to date is called Bloody Light."


    "Bloody Light, the one who named the trial has a naming sense weirder than yours!" Sarah chuckled.


    The trial is going to be a serious matter and Sarah herself wanted to be prepared. But she couldn''t help after hearing the name.


    "¡­Excuse me?" Varian was proud of his naming sense.


    Boo, Oob, Primal Union Body¡­it''s not easy toe up with these kinds of names. Instead of appreciating, Sarah was making fun of them.


    "Cough, cough, don''t mind me," Sarah waved her hand and asked. "What''s the eighth trial about?"


    Varian saw her changing the topic and snorted. ''She''s too noob to feel my greatness,''


    [Priorities, Host, Priorities! Focus on the trial!]


    ''Shut up! You go silent for too long that I sometimes forget you exist. You''re telling me about priorities, what is your priority? If you told me about the assassin approaching me back then, I would''ve been safe and this whole disaster would''ve never happened. What''s your priority? Staying silent? Then stay silent.''


    [You''re angry not because of all that but because the System doesn''t acknowledge your greatness in naming, right?]


    ''¡­Right.'' Varian coughed.


    [''¡­''] The System sighed muttering it had to put up with his antics and went silent.


    "Anyway," Varian stood up and stretched his arms, preparing for the trial. "The eighth trial is simple to exin. In other worlds, you''ll be pulled into an illusion where you have to face the souls of all the creatures you''ve killed and not break."


    "Oh, that''s not easy at all," Sia recalled all the Abyssals she and Enigma killed and clicked her tongue.


    Just the sheer numbers would put so much pressure on her psyche. If she couldn''t be mentally strong, the souls might drive her crazy.


    What''s more, she observed something remarkable when Enigma was fighting the traitors and destroying the abyssals.


    Humans would make crimes. Some of them could get away without any legal repercussions. But most of these couldn''t ovee the mental baggage that came with the crime. Either in the form of guilt or fear or some negative emotion.


    It''d remain in their memory throughout their life like a dark spot on the white snow.


    And most of the time, this memory would resurface when they''re in a losing situation and add to their woes.


    It''s perhaps their own conscience telling them they deserve the hardships they''re facing because of their crimes. Or maybe something else.


    ''Of course, there are bastards without conscience who would''ve no burdens at all. Because the fundamental way of their thinking ispletely different from the normal person that they don''t consider the crime a crime.'' Sia knew plenty of such people.


    Still, this stage was hard for most of the awakeners.


    "Hard? That trial is for other worlds," Varianughed. "The one we have here is far more simple. Nothing like soul pressure, questioning your conscience, or anything. The trial authority simply resurrects everyone you''ve killed. You gotta kill them again to pass the trial."


    "W-Wait, what?" Sia thought she was hearing things. "Are you kidding me? Resurrecting all the dead we killed?"


    "Yep. As straightforward as that. The terms and conditions are that the deceased must remain deceased, not be resurrected or be turned into an Undead. So, the creatures we killed in Twilight Zone that are still technically alive don''t count."


    "If we want to be technical about it, Sovereign Kreo died because of your actions," Sia added.


    "It''s a gray area, but yeah, he''ll be there," Varian nodded.


    "And that Sovereign you killed in the Outer World,"


    "That makes two Sovereigns. And when I just bet Boo in the Inner Space, I fought with Abyss Emperor''s clone. It was suppressed because of Ghostships'' arrays, but it''s actually a Sovereign." Varian revealed.


    Sarah and Sia, however, were worried.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I can bring ten turtles with us with the authority I currently have," Varian pointed to the Sovereign creatures and said. "They''re part of this world, and with my maniption, they won''t count as participants. Three vs Ten. Doable."


    "Excuse me," Sarah looked at Varian and sighed. "You killed more than ten million


    Abyssals. They''ll all show up! At once!"


    "And Enigma killed plenty of level 9. They too will show up," Sia rubbed her eyebrows. "Even if we have eight Sovereigns to spare, I don''t think they can win against tens of millions of Abyssals at once. What''s more, there will easily be more than six thousand level 9."


    "And all the warriors killed by us in the wars,"


    "Facing that crowd, the turtles won''t survive."


    "Exactly! That''s why we''ll need to fight hard too," Varian said as if it were obvious and walked towards the pce.


    Sia and Sarah sighed and followed him.


    The turtles understood that they got a chance to die and happily ran after them.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "W-What the fuck is this?"


    In an endless in filled with blood and bones, Prince Shak looked at the dozens of Sovereigns, thousands of level 9s, and tens of thousands of level 8s standing in front of them.


    The message from the trial authority was clear.


    [Kill them all to survive]


    Forget all, they couldn''t even kill one-tenth. Or even one-twentieth.


    "P-Prince," Sovereign Alban called with a worried expression. "What happens if we lose? Are we killed or just expelled from the pce?"


    "I don''t know," Prince Shak shook his head.


    For other Synthetic Worlds, it''s expulsion from the world itself. The losers could go home and cry about it. But this world was weird from the start.


    Heck, they couldn''t even exit the Inner World and were forced to the point they had to clear the trial if they want to get out of this world.


    And the trials here were far more dangerous than any trial in any other Synthetic World he read and heard about.


    Their fate after losing is uncertain.


    "Then what do we do?" Sovereign Alban sighed.


    Prince Shak unsheathed his sword and took a battle posture.


    "Roar!"


    "Wraaah!"


    "Gagaga!"


    The horde of enemies dashed toward them at great speed. Dust rose into the air and the sounds of footsteps yed like instruments of death.


    Facing the unwinnable, Prince Shak gripped his sword and said.


    "We fight!"

 Chapter 930 Speedrunning The Trial [1]

    As Varian''s trio and the turtles reached the gate, the pce shed brightly once before its intensity fell to normal levels.


    Prince Shak''s team lost.


    "Wait a moment,"


    Right after Varian''s words, an invisible ripple emerged from the pce and passed through them.


    The Pce would only enter a low energy state if it determines all the trial takers had taken the trial.


    And after scanning the world, the Pce dimmed down, signaling it indeed entered a lower energy level.


    The Pce should''ve identified Varian and the girls as participants but thanks to the partial authority he had, he was able to fool the Pce. But that''d only work for a few trials. Sooner orter, the Trial authority would realize the truth and return to its trial mode.


    But till then¡­


    "Hurry up," Varian shot up the stairs and pushed the giant door between the pirs.


    A bright light burst out from the pce and took them in.


    They appeared in an ash space. There was not a grain of sand or speck of dust here. It was just in ash-colorednd and sky and a colorful vortex far away.


    The most noticeable thing was the invisible pressure. It needed at least the strength of a mid level 9 to bear!


    The first trial "Expedition" was a test where you have to walk to the exit gate under tremendous pressure. It''s usually a peak level 9. But thanks to the pce''s state, the pressure came down to a mid level 9.


    Contrary to the teams of the princes that had to walk slowly, Varian''s team sprinted to the vortex and passed the first trial.


    The second "Rainbow trial" had the same twelve gates corresponding to twelve different paths and needed the participants to unlock at least six gates to pass the trial.


    Varian single-handedly took them through this trial.


    The third trial "Survival" was usually considered difficult because there would be a couple of hundreds of monsters that would be created to be equal to the weakest member of the team. And all of them were replicated after the member with the weakest path ¡ª ''Varian''.


    Not so surprisingly, the trial authority judged Varian as having eight paths as an error and downsized it to six paths.


    The reasoning was justified¡ªthe origin of any being with that many paths is just unstable and should copse by itself. It''s only thanks to the fusion of Order-Chaos slivers, Varian''s origin remained stable under the chaos, bing an outlier.


    Of course, the trial authority didn''t know this. So, it only sent them a few hundred creatures with six mid level 9 paths.


    Even though they''re d the enemy was significantly weaker, facing hundreds of mid level 9s was no joke. Here, the turtles came into y and destroyed the horde in minutes.


    The fourth trial "Mirrors of Self" was a trial where clones of team members would be created. You have to pick any clone other than your own and destroy it to pass.


    There seemed to be a genuine problem here.


    Now, Varian was the strongest of the three. Sarah was second. Sia and Enigma were third, even though the gap between them and Sarah wasn''t high.


    Varian could pick Sarah or Sia and defeat their clone. Sarah could defeat Sia''s clone. But Sia wouldn''t be able to defeat Varian''s clone.


    And since each individual was taken to an isted space for this trial, the turtles couldn''t help.


    What to do?


    "Just go in and pick me," Varian assured them.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Alright,"


    The one to pick Varian''s clone was Sia. After the battle with his clone started, she immediately realized why Varian was so calm about it.


    ''It''s the same error again!''


    The trial authority still judged Varian to be a six-path mid-level 9.


    ''Why aren''t his body and lightning paths copied?''


    It was another pleasant surprise. Varian''s strongest paths weren''t present in his clone.


    ''Did he do something?'' Sia fought hard as she slowly started to gain an edge. She''s confident in finishing this battle within five minutes.


    ''He surely did something!''


    Indeed, at the beginning of this trial, Varian asked the system to reduce the presence of his strongest paths.


    Of course, no matter how concealed his paths were, they wouldn''t be able to escape the trial authority.


    But since the authority wanted to pick only six paths from him, so it picked the most visible ones.


    Varian was the first to clear the trial. The second was Sia. Sarah was thest and when she came out, she was severely injured and on the verge of fainting.


    Worried, Varian healed her with his ntae powers, and only after her full recovery did they go to the next trial.


    The fifth trial "Great Fall" was a trial where everyone''s paths would be reduced to level 1 and they''d have to fight a level 3 monster.


    But when Varian''s team checked the monster, it was clearly a level 2.


    "Oh, the Pce is in low energy mod¡ª"


    Before Varian could even finish his words, the pce shook and lit up brightly. The low-energy mode ended and the monster''s aura also rose to level 3.


    "My crappy luck," Varian cursed as the level 3 goblin rushed towards them with an axe.


    Everyone, including the turtles, became level 1. Even if a dozen level 1s joined forces, they wouldn''t be able to win a level 3.


    The Princes passed this trial using precious treasures and Varian''s team didn''t have that luxury.


    "I have my own path," Varian smiled and ran to the goblin.


    The powers of eight paths were used in harmony and an impossible battle between a level 1 and level 3menced.


    Dozen level 1s were different from a single level 1 with eight paths.


    It''s like twelve children fighting a wolf in contrast to a single adult fighting a wolf.


    And indeed, exploiting his natural advantage andbat experience, Varian yed the goblin after a hearty fight.


    But the price was still high as he copsed from injuries shortly thereafter.


    Compared to the feat of defeating someone two levels above, this was a small price to pay.

 Chapter 931 Solving The Deepest Regret

    In Varian''s opinion, the Sixth Trial "Nest of Regrets" was the most difficult trial for his team alongside the ninth trial.


    "Please stay cool-headed," Varian said.


    "You shouldn''t be the one saying that," Sarah rolled her eyes at him. Sia nodded vehemently.


    "¡­" Varian didn''t really want to argue this point.


    Even though he did remain cool most of the time, his rare outbursts would always end up bringing big problems.


    "Anyway, even though the world seems real, it''s only a construct. Reality is waiting for us," Varian said and the three were pulled into individual worlds.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Var, why are you zoned out? Var?" Feeling the familiar voice ringing in his ears, Varian''s mind froze.


    Standing in front of him was his deceased mother and he was in the room of his old home.


    In front of him was a chocte cake. And standing beside him was a younger Sia.


    Varian understood it was that fateful night.


    Soon, the wolf would break in. To protect him, Enigma would wake up and in the process of killing the wolf, she''d kill his mother too.


    Varian looked at his mother''s worried face and the corner of his eyes grew red. "If this is a second chance¡­"


    "Var? What happened?" Amanda frowned and approached her son with hurried steps. "A-Are you worried about your college? Don''t worry, we''ll figure something out. After going to the dungeon and awakening, just focus on your training and leave these worries to me."


    "I¡­" Varian looked into his mother''s eyes and froze.


    There was only saw worry and love.


    ''I wish I spent more time with her¡­''


    He then turned to Sia. She was looking at him with the same worry. In fact, she was clenching her fists at her side and biting her lip.


    The Sia now didn''t have to go through that unbearable pain. She didn''t have that indifferent aura. Her eyes were still pure and not filled with a painful past.


    "Did you fall sick?" Amanda put her on his forehead and shook her head. "Your temperature is fine, Var, is anything bothering you? You can always tell me!"


    Before Varian could answer, Sia grabbed his arm and said in an anxious voice. "D-Don''t worry, I won''t go to a far-off college. I''ll wait for a year, let''s go to college together."


    Just a few minutes ago, Amanda revealed that she saved up enough to send Varian to the Dungeon.


    Sia thought Varian was worried that he was awakeningte and would be separated from her. Since that''s the case, she decided to take a break year on the spot.


    Varian was overwhelmed by their care. But he quickly calmed himself and grabbed his mother''s and Sia''s arm. "Trust me once, we need to go!"


    Pulling the two along, he ran out of his room and sprinted out of his house.


    Sia was fine but Amanda was scared by his sudden actions. "Var, it''s okay! It''s okay! What''s happening? Let''s sit and talk!"


    "A monster is¡ª"


    BOOM!


    The fire wolf smashed on the road as it slipped out of a vehicle smuggling dungeon beasts.<novelnext></novelnext>


    It shook its body and growled at the three humans standing in front of it.


    Varian pulled his mother behind him and said to Sia. "Enigma! Come out!"


    "Woof!" The wolf rubbed its paws on the ground and dashed to them at full speed.


    ? "Var, run! I''ll block it!" Amanda channeled her power and ran forward.


    "No," Varian raised his palm like a knife and hit the back of his mother''s neck. She fainted at the unexpected attack and Varian gently but quickly put her down.


    "Varian?!" Sia was struck between Varian''s action and the iing wolf. The situation was so urgent and so dangerous that she even neglected him saying something about Enigma just now.


    "Enigma, please wake up!"


    As the wolf approached closer and closer, Varian grabbed Sia''s shoulders and looked into her eyes, his gaze going through Sia and reaching the woman in eternal darkness.


    The wolf jumped for onest time and reached them in a sh.


    "Go! I''ll hold it back!" Sia unsheathed a small dagger and yelled with a quivering back.


    "I''ll stop it until you wake up!" Varian gave up asking Enigma and ran forward. He grabbed the danger from the unsuspecting Enigma and jumped.


    The beastughed at his arrogance and its body lit up with mes. Opening its jaw wide, the wolf was prepared to rip him in half.


    "Varian!!!"


    Varian jumped up and the wolf was falling down. The distance between the two was decreasing rapidly and the wolf''s giant mouth was about to bite him into pieces.


    Sia''s brown hair turned silver and her golden eyes turned purple. Her body grew and a new path activated in her body.


    Even then, she was still a momentte.


    BOOM!


    Right before shing with the wolf, Varian twisted his body mid air to the left and shifted the dagger to his right hand.


    His body, which was about to sh directly with the wolf was now going to jump right beside the ming wolf except for his right arm which was going straight into the wolf''s mouth.


    The change happened in a sh and Varian thrust the dagger up with all his might.


    Varian felt sharp teeth sinking into his right shoulder and warm blood gushing out. Before he could even react to the pain, a terrifying force ripped his entire his right arm out.


    "Arghhhh!"


    At the same time, the mes lit up on the fire wolf''s body and swallowed Varian. His skin twisted, burned, and melted and a searing pain spread across his body.


    Varian lost the ability to even yell as he felt his throat burn.


    Boom!


    He crashed onto the ground and rolled over like a trash can before hitting a wall and stopping.


    Yet, despite all the pain, he didn''t faint. If he fainted now, he''d regret it for the rest of his life.


    ''Even if this is not the real world, I don''t want it to happen,'' Varian got back onto his feet.

 Chapter 932 Catharsis

    Gathering thest bit of his strength, Varian ran to the wolf, no, he sprinted to his unconscious mother.


    His feet stung as if he was walking on fire and he nearly copsed a couple of times as his center of gravity was messed up due to his missing right arm.


    A body filled with third-degree burns, a missing arm spilling blood like a fountain, and broken bones from the crash.


    The pain was enough to make even an experienced awakener faint. But Varian not only stayed awake through all that pain, but he also ran. And he ran as if his life depended on it.


    Since he copsed not far from the far wolf, he reached in two seconds. And right then, the beast growled and jumped forward.


    The air suddenly grew cold and a dark sword appeared in the air and dashed down.


    The wolf''s head flew into the air and its headless body crashed into the ground, revealing the silver-haired woman standing in front.


    Her purple eyes were brimming with a killing intent that consumed her rationality. After killing the wolf, she nced at the injured Varian and confirmed that he was safe.


    Then, she turned to the only other person in the alleyway, intending to eliminate this ''threat'' as well.


    Enigma walked to the unconscious Amanda step by step. As the woman''s face was closer, Enigma''s purple eyes shed with confusion but the tiny bit of rationality was engulfed by the endless killing intent.


    A dark spear appeared in her hand and Enigma aimed it at Amanda.


    But before she could throw it, she heard footsteps from behind and a bloodied hand grabbed her arm holding the spear.


    "Enigma, don''t!"


    Hearing the familiar voice, Enigma''s eyes shed with some rationality but the killing intent continued to dominate her.


    Pulling her hand away, she raised the spear.


    "Enigma, it''s Amanda! She''s not a threat! Enigma! En¡ª" Varian could no longer bear to stand up and held onto her body for support.


    With each word he spoke, blood spilled out of his mouth and drenched Enigma''s dress and hair.


    Feeling the warm and sticky liquid, Enigma''s arm shook.


    "Control yourself, she isn''t a threat. I''m safe¡­I''m safe¡­" Varian felt his head spin from the blood loss.


    No longer able to even properly stand by holding Enigma, he slid down and fell to the ground.


    Enigma''s eyes were filled with confusion and killing intent. Her rationality was about to prevail, but the killing intent won out by a small margin.


    "Die!" Enigma raised her spear and channeled her darkness mana.


    As she was about to release the weapon, she felt a sticky liquid flowing down her ankle.


    Turning around, she saw Varian in a trance, grabbing her ankle and muttering. "D-Don''t¡­Enigma¡­don''t¡­"


    His nk eyes stared at her until he fainted powerlessly.


    The sound of his face crashing to the ground was light. But it ran like a heavy drum in Enigma''s ears and froze her in ce.


    "Wh¡­.at am I doing?" Enigma''s rationality finally ovee her killing intent and she hurriedly dropped her weapon.


    With tears swirling in the corner of her eyes, Enigma ran to the house and came back with healing medicine.


    "V-Varian¡­" Enigma sobbed as she fed the injured Varian healing medicine.


    The medicine wasn''t very expensive, so the bleeding barely stopped.


    With a burnt body, torn arm, and broken arms, Varian looked like he was about to die any moment.


    The ambnce was still two minutes away.


    But looking at Varian''s terrible injuries and his paling face, Enigma felt her heart shatter into pieces.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Don''t go! Don''t go!" Please¡­"


    Drip! Drip! Drop!


    Teardrops fell on Varian''s face like a gentle rain.


    "I¡­" Varian opened his eyelids and saw the face of a sobbing Enigma.


    Varian turned his neck with difficulty and saw his unconscious mother breathing in the distance.


    He then turned back to Enigma. He had never seen her this heartbroken. Even when the Shadow Guardians were massacred, her eyes weren''t so sad.


    "I¡­I¡­see," Varian smiled weakly.


    The world began to copse and everything turned into specks of light. Even though she felt it, Enigma continued to hold Varian and look at him until thest moment, saying "Don''t leave, the ambnce will be here soon¡­"


    "Haaa!"


    Varian returned to the trial space in the same condition. But his powers were unlocked.


    The ntae path worked at full force and in a few minutes, Varian stretched his regenerated right arm and changed into a new dress.


    A light shed a few secondster, and a sobbing Sarah and a heavily injured Sia appeared.


    After a few minutes of healing and venting emotions, the two narrated their incidents.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Sarah returned just a few minutes before Pluto was attacked, killing a billion, including her brother and mother.


    With just two minutes left, Sarah had only one chance. If her brother and mother wasted even a bit of time, they might die.


    She had to get them out of Pluto as fast as she could.


    So, she called her brother. The young man with blonde hair and blue eyes, just like his sister, lifted the call and was about to greet his younger sister.


    But she stood with a knife ced over her neck.


    "Sarah!" His heart froze and he hissed in fear! "D-Don''t! Please! Let''s talk!"


    Sarah looked at him with tears and slowly pushed the dagger into her neck, avoiding the artery. But the blood still spilled out of her delicate neck.


    "Come back with Mother! Now! Or I''ll die!" Sarah said with red eyes. "Teleport! Don''t pick a spaceship!"


    Sam nodded with tears in his eyes. He didn''t know what was going on. He was about to be awarded one of the most coveted awards. But he didn''t even think about it and dashed out of his room with tears swirling in his eyes.


    Sam Albert, a man known for his cold-heartedness, was seen in tears.


    No one believed the rumors.


    A minuteter, he jumped into the teleportation gate with his bewildered mother and the two disappeared.


    Only a few secondster, the Abyssals attacked Pluto and destruction ensued.


    After seeing that her brother reached Neptune and was on his way home, Sarah wailed until the world was drowned in white.


    ¡ª ¡ª


    Sia also went to that fateful night. Just a few seconds after Enigma woke up and was about to attack the wolf.


    She tried her best and took back control from Enigma at thest moment, preventing the tragedy.


    Doing so, she saved Amanda''s life and the tragedy of her life didn''t repeat here.

 Chapter 933 War!

    "...And Enigma stopped at thest moment," Varian narrated his own experience and looked at Sia. But he seemed to be looking at Enigma. "And she was sobbing. I''ve never seen her so sad. She was devastated."


    Enigma always covered her emotions with an expressionless face. Even though Varian grew to understand her mood through her expressive eyes, seeing her openly expressing how she was feeling was a different experience.


    Perhaps under the veil of that cold face, she hid her helpless, lonely self.


    "Sia, can I meet her once," Varian stood up from the smooth grass and asked.


    Sia bit her lip and nodded.


    After the emotional turmoil, she too wanted a few minutes off.


    A light covered Sia''s body and Enigma appeared in her ce with a confused expression.


    "Huh? What?"


    The recent stress was too much and after Sia took over, she decided to have a deep sleep. But here she was, abruptly woken up without any understanding of what was happening outside.


    Before she could even ask, she was pulled by Varian and fell into his embrace.


    Feeling Varian''s arms wrapping around her waist, and their bodies pressing together, Enigma''s mind went nk.


    Rubbing her hair gently, Varian said softly. "Enigma, thank you for stopping..."


    "?!?" Enigma wanted to ask what was he even talking about, but for some reason, her head felt foggy and she couldn''t even speak, much less struggle out of his embrace.


    ''W-What''s happening?'' The tip of Enigma''s ears turned pink and with her senses, she scanned where they were at.


    It was a mistake as she saw Sarah staring at her with a smirk.


    ''I...no, I didn''t do anything!'' Like a criminal caught in the act, Enigma panicked and tried to struggle out of the hug.


    But her struggles were weak as her body felt soft under his embrace. To add to her woes, Varian held her firmly and after her struggle, he pulled her even closer.


    ''No, no! What? Why? I''m not Sia! She''s sleeping already!'' Enigma told herself that Varian was doing this because he mistook her for Sia.


    But even she knew it was a ridiculous excuse. When hugging her, he called her name, not Sia''s.


    "A lot of things happened, I''m sorry from my side. And also thank you. If not for you, I''d have never survived that day," Varian patted her back gently and said with gratitude.


    Feeling his breath at the top of her hair and hearing his gentle words, Enigma stopped struggling.


    She withdrew her senses and like an ostrich burying its head to hide from the world, she closed her eyes, hoping no one would see her like this, and wrapped her trembling arms around his waist.


    "Aren''t you one lucky man, Varian?" Sarah said in a teasing tone. "You got three for one."


    "Huh? What?" Varian looked at her in confusion.


    After seeing Enigma like that, he felt like he understood her emotionally. If she was so sad for what she almost did in that world, what did she feel for what she had already done in this world?


    So, he just wanted to console her and also thank her. But why is Sarah looking at him with...teasing eyes?


    "I think only you can give your girlfriend that confused look when you''re hugging another woman and flirting with her," Sarah crossed her arms and clicked her tongue, "Oh and I saw you pulling her tighter when she pretended to struggle."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Sarah walked to Enigma and said slowly. "And Enigma, closing your eyes when you hug him doesn''t mean no one can see you. But it''s a cute try."


    Enigma''s body froze and she trembled in Varian''s embrace.


    "Oh, Eni--" Before he could say anything, a light shed and the soft body in his arms grew slightly small as Sia appeared in her ce.


    Breaking free from the hug, Sia startedughing, "S-She caked out. Oh-Ouch, she''s asking me to be shut u--oh, nothing, yeah, I''m just spouting nonsense."


    Varian, on the other hand, spread his arms and said to Sarah, "Flirting or things like that, I wasn''t doing any of that. I honestly wanted to console and thank her."


    "Yeah, sure," Sarah didn''t buy his words at all, "Hugging her so tight for a constion."


    "Come on, I don''t even see her that way. Don''t think too much into it," Varian shrugged.


    "Of course, you don''t," Sarah rested her chin on his shoulder and titled her head with a dangerous smile, "For now."


    "Am I that kind of person?" Varian was worried about his image in her eyes.


    "Yes!" Sarahughed teasingly and her voice slowly turned serious. "Remember, I said the same thing about Sia."


    "Urgh, that''s an entirely different case," Varian waved his hand helplessly but his girlfriend continued to stare at him with a devilish smile on her angelic face.


    Unable to bear that teasing smile any longer, Varian patted his hands and put on a serious face. "We have three more missions to take care of."


    -- -- ---


    The seventh trial -- "House of Ghosts". To pass the trial, you''d have to reach the exit. In between the participants and the exit were ghost beasts.


    They''re not hard to kill but they''re high in number. The tricky part of this trial was that for whatever negative emotion you feel, a new ghost beast will pop up.


    For the previous teams, this trial was hard. But for Varian''s team, this was the easiest so far.


    Varian didn''t feel any negative emotions when fighting. He only felt excitement.


    Sarah maintained her distinctive coldness while Sia maintained her indifference. The main reason both of them didn''t produce any negative emotions was that the catharsis from thest trial still lingered.


    They felt relieved, happy and satisfied. So, even if the battle got tough, they didn''t feel bad about it.


    The turtles, on the other hand, only fought the Sovereign beasts. And since they lived for so damn long, their emotions were stable.


    So, the seventh trial waspleted uneventfully and the team entered the trial which only nine teams have cleared so far.


    Eighth trial ''Bloody Light''.


    The team appeared in an endless desert and standing in front of them was a crowd that seemed to extend all the way to the horizon.


    Abyssals, Humans, Beasts, Undead...


    The total number easily crossed ten million.


    "This is it," Varian unsheathed his sword and cheered. "War!"

 Chapter 934 Bloody Light: Siarah

    How many people did Sarah kill? Not many.


    As a cadet, she did missions and had to hunt down the Dungeon beasts quite often. But that''s when she was pretty weak and all those monsters were killed by a light explosion by Sarah now.


    Since Sarah was in closed doors training and only came out as a level 9 when Varian was fighting the Sovereign Undead, her kill count was very low.


    As a result, Sarah was able to finish off her share of dead and move to Enigma and Sia''s.


    "Roar!"


    "Kaaa!"


    "Sia! Sia!"


    Unlike her, Enigma had killed dozens of level 9s during the recent war. Even before that, when she fought alongside the Shadow Guardians, she assassinated some powerful level 9 Abyssals. Moreover, she also assassinated some level 9 human powerhouses.


    The total number of level 9 she had to face easily crossed a hundred. And even if Enigma was stronger than ever, she waspletely overwhelmed.


    Right now, Sia was standing in the air in the middle of a barren in. And surrounding her was a mix of abyssals, undead, and humans.


    From a bird''s point of view, the hundred silhouettes shed with different colors and in the next second, thousands of explosions rang in the barren in as the ground broke apart and dust clouds filled the sky.


    Sia appeared on the clouds with several minor injuries. Even though she tried her best, she was injured nheless.


    But she didn''t waste time and swung the thin sword in her hand.


    A beam of darkness shot out of the sword and reached a group of Undead on the ground. The undead were decapitated on the spot and their bodies were swallowed by the darkness.


    ''So, this is darkness¡­devouring, calm andforting.'' Even though Sia had just gotten ess to the power of darkness, she inherited Enigma''s mastery of the path and was able to use it with ease.


    As Sia continued to fight, Enigma''s voice rang in her mind. ''Sia, do you really want to fight? Even though you have mastery, it''s still your first time with this power. And this battle isn''t going to be easy.''


    ''I think¡­I don''t want to keep running away and leaving you to face the hard times. Before I didn''t have this darkness power and it made sense for you to take on all the fighting. Now, we''re equal. So, let''s share the burden too.'' Sia smiled and disappeared from the spot.


    The next second, a giant lightning ball appeared where she was previously standing and a terrifying explosion urred.


    A thousand miles in the sky was filled with golden light and the shockwaves from the explosion dispersed all the clouds in the sky.


    Sia appeared on the ground with a bleeding arm. Snakes of lightning coiled around her hand and tried to electrocute her. But darkness covered her hand and resisted the lightning. Even though she resisted being burnt, her arm was already numb.


    Yet, Sia targeted the remaining hundred and swung her sword relentlessly.


    Gravity waves broke out and crushed some. Psychic attacks drew many mad and made them kill their own allies. And darkness engulfed the stubborn ones and ended them.


    Despite the same powers, Sia''s battle style was distinct from Enigma''s and was also significantlycking.


    So, by the time she killed off most of these attackers, she was filled with injuries.


    As she was about to slow down for a bit, the air behind her suddenly grew hot and exploded.


    Sia kicked the air at thest moment to avoid the explosion but her back was still burnt by the blue mes.


    Turning around, she saw ten abyssals in golden armor descending from the sky and looking at her with cold smiles. "We don''t know where this is, but we finally have a chance to get revenge for ourselves,"<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''They are sentient?'' Sia''s brows knit together and she gripped her sword tighter.


    ording to her observation, some random groups were sentient with memories of their death but most of them were just killing machines.


    And for this particr group to be sentient, she could onlyment her luck was bad.


    In the recent war, Varian blocked the Blood Heirs while Enigma blocked these level 9s. Back then, to block and kill each one of these Abyssals, she had to struggle. And she could barely win against two at once.


    But now, she was going to face ten of them simultaneously and it seemed that they were actually a team and knew how to cooperate.


    ''It''s going to be a challenge, hm,'' Sia clicked her tongue and was about to start the fight when twenty more figures surrounded her.


    Like the abyssals, they too were sentient and it seemed they were waiting for her to fight out the hundred level 9s so that she could be sufficiently weakened.


    Like the abyssals, all of them were also level 9. Even though they''re mostly low level 9 and mid level 9, their numbers were more than enough to overwhelm Sia.


    What''s more, they too were a team and knew how to cooperate. So, their collective output would be more than their individual sum. And these people were the natives.


    Out of all the groups that Enigma killed so far, the natives constituted the strongest. And now, they''re grouping with the Abyssals.


    Sia knew continuing to fight with them now was just suicide. What''s more, she''sckingpared to Enigma in herbat style. So, she asked without any hesitation. Enigma, are you confident of defeating them if you take over now?''


    ''¡­No. I barely see any chance of winning against them.''


    ''Then let''s ask for help¡­'' Sia nced at Varian''s side and immediately averted her gaze. ''Never mind.''


    Even she had better chances of surviving than him. That''s how bloody his fight looked.


    ''I''ll try my best,'' Sia took a deep breath and red at the thirty enemies with killing intent.


    Even though the oue of this battle was likely going to be her death, she didn''t want to back down now.


    Giving her a mocking smile, the ten abyssals and twenty natives waved their hands and hundreds of attacks materialized above Sia.


    Clouds filled with lethal lightning drops. Maces with ice thorns. Fireballs on the verge of exploding. Fluctuating space that''s ready to crush her. Fists that were prepared to crush her neck and mental waves happy to torture her mind.


    Facing all this, even a veteran would have a heart of despair and copse.


    But to Sia who faced brutal torture and came out with a sane mind, this was nothing.


    "Let the blood flow!" Sia''s lips curled up and a mad aura began to brew around her.


    As the fight was about to begin, a flurry of light swords shot out at her opponents out of nowhere and took them by surprise.


    Two of them died on the spot and three were severely injured.


    Bathed in a holy golden light, Sarah appeared beside the cold-expressioned Sia and gripped her sword. "Reminds me of the time when we fought together against that beast,"


    Sia''s aura calmed down but turned sharper and she smiled lightly. "Want to relieve the memories?"


    "Of course," Sarah chuckled and at the same, Sia and Sarah shot forward, shing with the enemies.

 Chapter 935 Bloody Light: All Your Kills

    While Sarah and Sia fought together earnestly for the first since the days of Siarah, Varian was facing hell.


    "D-Did I really kill so many? Eh?"


    There were creatures as far as the eye could see, all the way to the horizon. The majority of these kills came from the time when he ughtered entire abyss cities.


    This number easily crossed fifteen million.


    Even though the majority of these fifteen million were lower and mid tier abyssals, and didn''t pose much threat by themselves, their sheer numbers and their single-mindedness in killing Varian meant they were a force to be reckoned with.


    To deal with this huge crowd, three of the turtles from the ten were necessary.


    The battle was tragic as each turtle faced tens of millions of attacks every second. Even though they kept up a shield, facing these many attacks, the turtles were having a tough time.


    Perhaps the biggest reason for this situation was that the turtles attacked very slowly.


    The next reason was the abyssals. As they were residents of cities with millions in poption, most of the abyssals were between level 4 and level 6. There was also a significant amount of level 7s and level 8s.


    All of these factorsbined to form a scenario where the giant crowd of abyssals was fighting head-on with the turtles.


    The turtles tried to take them down bit by bit and ease the pressure on themselves. But the abyssals were clever.


    After a few such attacks by the turtles, they quickly devised a strategy and built up huge defense walls.


    With millions of abyssalsing together and forming defenses, even the turtles had a hard time killing them.


    Of course, a big reason for this was the nature of the turtles themselves. Their specialty was their defense, not their attack. And they were, by nature, slow and powerful.


    So, in this type of warfare, they were disadvantaged. But no matter what, they''re still a Sovereign and thus held the initiative.


    The abyssals, despite all their efforts, began dying off in thousands. The turtles weren''t unscathed. Every now and then, their defenses would break and they''d get an injury.


    To be sure, these attacks felt like a mosquito bite, but there were too many mosquitoes!


    With each passing second, the abyssal poption lowered and the injuries on the turtles increased.


    The battle began to slowly but surely head toward the pivotal point.


    Another battle was going on far away.


    The army of this battle was the Abyssal army, particrly, the army of thirtyoids that Varian destroyed during the recent war. They''re also joined by all the abyssals that Varian killed in that war, including the wyverns of Pluto.


    Their average strength was much higher than the crowd of fifteen millions. What''s more, their number too easily crossed two million.


    The situation demanded that they too needed a Sovereign to be dealt with.


    This left Varian with six turtles.


    But Varian who was at the center of this world had a tense expression on his face.


    "You¡­"


    A familiar Abyssal stood high in the clouds, looking down at him with indifferent eyes.


    It seemed as if this spectacr battle was boring in his eyes and his only focus was the young human who snatched the ghost ship from him.


    ''Abyss Emperor¡­''


    Even though it was just a clone, Varian felt a coldness washing from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head.<novelnext></novelnext>


    If asked who he dreaded the most, Varian would answer Abyss Emperor without hesitation.


    What Varian feared was neither Abyss Emperor''s celestial rank strength nor his enormous abyssal army.


    Celestial rankers could be confronted and defeated. The Abyssal army, no matter howrge, could be stopped.


    But the means of the Emperor were the most dangerous. Starting from the conspiracy in Valos to the recent war, the shrewd mind of the Emperor was on full disy.


    ? Such an opponent must be killed at cost without dy. Because if you give him enough time, then even if you seed in killing him, he might have already done irreparable damage.


    The destruction of earth shed in Varian''s mind and he looked at the Abyss Emperor with gritted teeth.


    In response, the clone clenched its fist and the space around it twisted.


    ''Wait a minute¡­''


    Varian''s mind cooled down. This was just a clone. And he''s in a trial.


    ''There will be no tricks here. Only strength.''


    And even though the Abyss Emperor clone was strong, it wasn''t strong to the point it was invincible.


    At least, when he was an Undead and reached peak of level 9, Varian''s power was also in the same range.


    Still, Abyss Emperor''s clone was overwhelmingly strong. It needed three turtles to fight.


    "Fuc¡ªerghh!" Varian suddenly clutched his head and turned to the side.


    Sovereign Kreo found a gap to attack him before he was dragged by a turtle and engaged in a fight.


    And in the far-off distance, the Diamond Duhcy''s Sovereign whom Varian killed in the outer world using his slivers'' powers was engaged in a fight with two turtles.


    This strange world with red sky and the blue ground was shaking violently due to the crazy battles.


    Thousands of attacks would burst into the sky and shine brighter than the sun every second.


    Every second, hundreds of thousands of explosions sted the ground and created continuous craters.


    As the battles continued, level 9s and level 8s would frequently sneak out from the turtles'' grasp and reach Varian.


    Even with the strength of the turtles, it''s impossible to control so many awakeners.


    As a result, Varian himself was engaged in a seemingly unending fight. Every second, he fought at least a hundred level 9s and more than two thousand level 8s.


    It was crazy at all levels and even Varian didn''t even understand what the fuck was going on.


    Compared to Sarah or Sia, his battle was way too intense and dangerous. Even though he didn''t have any big injury thanks to his ntae power, he was drenched in blood from head to toe.


    "Kill!"


    He kept pouring out every power in his body and kept killing. It was exhausting but thankfully after an hour of intense fighting, Varian realized that no one wasing to him.


    The turtles all got heavy injuries while the enemy crowd was halved. And there were no level 8 or level 9 that could now sneak out to attack him.


    ''Phew~ I can rest a bit and then start destroying the enemies¡­'' Varian took out a potion and was about to gulp it down when he heard a tragic cry.


    "Aaaa!"

 Chapter 936 Even The Emperors Clone Is Special

    "Aaaa!"


    A turtle''s eyes turned red and it screamed in pain.


    At the same time, the Abyss Emperor''s clone, which was strangely close to that region, suddenly elerated towards the turtle and punched it with full force.


    The three turtles fighting the Abyss Emperor wanted to stop him but the Diamond Duchy''s Sovereign''s arm exploded and his aura spiked.


    With an angry roar, he blocked off the three turtles from pursuing the Abyss Emperor.


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    With each punch of the Abyss Emperor''s clone, the ground under the turtle broke and the turtle''s feet were pushed into the ground. It was as if a hammer was beating a nail into the ground.


    Abyss Emperor clone''s fists blurred and hundreds of punches were delivered to the turtle in a second.


    Then a cracking sound spread throughout and the turtle''s shell broke.


    "No!"


    Not caring for Varian''s scream, the Abyss Emperor''s clone sted the turtle''s head into pieces and ended its life.


    By then, the Diamond Duchy''s Sovereign was pushed away by the three turtles and confronted by the two turtles assigned to deal with him.


    Abyss Emperor himself was once again entangled by the three turtles. And Kreo continued to fight with a turtle.


    But with a turtle gone, millions of abyssals were suddenly free.


    All of their eyes locked onto Varian.


    Varian stretched his weary arms and smiled, "Come!"


    With a roar heralding an apocalypse, millions of abyssals attacked one man.


    Varian disappeared from his spot and appeared in the middle of the crowd. Unlike the turtles, his size allowed him this move.


    And when he did appear in the middle, all the abyssals drowned him in their attacks, without caring for the life and death of the hundreds of abyssals around him.


    Varian exhaled softly and snapped his fingers.


    To deal with so many enemies, he had to minimize consumption for each kill.


    So, the space around the first ten thousand abyssals around him hardened, slowing them down. Then, they were pulled into an illusion that made their actions sluggish.


    Finally, ten thousand lightning threads shot out from Varian and pierced through the ears of the abyssals and electrocuted their brains.


    It was a brilliant tactic.


    Unlike other body parts, electrocution of the brain would result in instant death in sharp contrast to limbs. And since there was no need to pierce heavy defenses to reach the brain via the ear canal, unlike the heart which was well protected, the mana used per attack was far lower.


    Once the attacks struck, ten thousand abyssals copsed powerlessly.


    At the same time, millions of attacks reached Varian. Due to the sheer volume and concentration of the attacks, despite them being mostly low and mid-tier awakeners, the space was destabilized.


    After some struggle, Varian teleported out of the chaotic space back to the clouds. But in the process, he did get injured and spent way more energy than nned.


    "Haaa~" Varian exhaled and nced at the Abyss Emperor''s clone. It was locked in a battle with the three turtles and since it expended a lot of energy on killing a turtle earlier, it was being pushed back continuously.<novelnext></novelnext>


    But Varian could see a faint smile on the corner of its lips as if everything was going ording to its n.


    "Even your clone is evil," Varian hissed and swept his hand in the air.


    The space in front of him cracked and revealed the abyssals on the ground that were attacking him. After sensing the space crack behind them, they turned around and were eager to attack.


    Of course, due to his level, Varian had the advantage of striking first.


    So, he did.


    Varian''s hand glowed blue and tens of thousands of ice bullets condensed in front of him. Then, they shot through the space crack, faster than a bullet, pierced the abyssals'' eyes, and froze their brain.


    "Argggghh!"


    As tens of thousands of abyssals began dying, the attacks of every other abyssal reached the space crack.


    Because of the volume and intensity, they ended up killing at least ten thousand abyssals nearby!


    Even Varian was dumbfounded by this development. With a smile, he teleported from his current position and once again appeared in the middle of the millions of abyssals.


    The abyssals attacks entered the space crack and exploded in the sky.


    Right then, Varian began an earnest ughter of abyssals on the ground. He pulled them into illusions and made them fight each other. He electrocuted or froze their brains. He used invisible telekic needles for ughter.


    He exploded the space where the abyssals were in high concentration and the resulting explosion ended up killing tens of thousands.


    Thanks to his strong body and ntae powers, Varian was able to bear and heal from the attacks he couldn''t avoid.


    As time passed, the abyssals tried more and more tactics. But all of them failed miserably as Varian changed his tactics seamlessly and fully utilized his diverse powers.


    By now, Sarah and Sia were approaching the end of their battle. They''re full of injuries and filled with exhaustion, but their enemies had it worse.


    As their victory was finally in reach, they could afford to look at Varian''s battlefield.


    And what they saw made their jaw drop.


    Dark green vines that seemed to be present everywhere were gripping the abyssals. They''re not a threat to the abyssals, but they were sessfully restraining their movements.


    On top of this, the space around them was slightly distorted. It wasn''t much, but when they take a step forward, they''d be slightly off the mark.


    And then there was a collective illusion. But instead of anything big and exhausting, it was a simple illusion of ice bullets.


    The abyssals, already struggling with vines, struggled desperately to dodge the illusions of ice bullets.


    Because of the slightly distorted space, they had to be extra careful and everything became much harder.


    "Ice bullets¡­oh!" Sia opened her mouth in surprise as she noticed what was actually going on.


    Varian used his lightning power to drag the clouds here. Then, he used his water power to make the vapor into ice bullets.


    The ice bullets rained down from the sky and were carefully controlled by telekic power and mixed into the illusions.


    Like a guided missile, they reached the abyssals and reaped their lives.


    Despite the blood flowing into a river and corpses piling up into a mountain, Sia couldn''t help but admire the clever use of his powers.


    "Beautiful," Sia muttered from the bottom of her heart.

 Chapter 937 An Impossible Meeting

    The battles continued on. Varian attracted more and more abyssals toward him. Even the powerhouses and Sovereigns were focused on killing him.


    ''If you feel overwhelmed,e to me. I''ll fight your fights while you can rest,'' He told him before the trial began.


    Sarah and Sia thought of resting under his protection for a while but thanks to the majority targetting Varian, they got a breather.


    And as Varian grew more and more efficient in ughtering the crowd, he attracted more of the crowd.


    This allowed the two girls to retire to a corner of the battlefield quietly for rest and to meet someone special.


    "¡­Is she?" As they flew to an ind away from the continent where the battle was happening, Sarah nced at the woman on the ind and asked in a nervous voice.


    Sia bit her lip as she looked at the familiar face and said with a weak smile, "Yes, she''s Amanda."


    ''I¡­Where am I?'' Amanda nced around in confusion. She could see the sea, but the water was pink, not blue. The trees on the ind were weird, even the sky was a weird mix of purple and blue.


    ''Did that voice really mean it?''


    Amanda remembered something strange happening to Sia and the girl attacking the wolf and saving Varian. But in the process, Sia lost her rationality and also attacked her.


    Amanda touched her chest with a trembling hand. She could still feel the searing pain she felt when she died.


    But the moment she was about to close her eyes, a voice appeared and said it''d give her a chance to revive if she killed the person that killed her.


    Amanda didn''t want to kill Sia but she wanted to meet her again using this opportunity.


    ''¡­She used some forbidden power to save Varian and killed me without wanting to. I know she''d be devastated and even Varian¡­I can''t imagine what will happen with him.''


    Amanda was worried just thinking about what happened after her death.


    So, when she opened her eyes, she was determined to find Sia and tell her to not feel guilty about what happened.


    After raising her for so long, Amanda long considered Sia as her own and didn''t want the cheerful girl to be gloomy.


    But when she opened her eyes and was about to find the girl, what she saw took her breath away.


    There were millions and millions of abyssals, far more than she''d ever seen on the broadcast. And these abyssals were fighting a few insanely powerful turtles and some figures in the sky.


    Amanda was just a level 1 and she couldn''t see who exactly the abyssals were fighting against.


    All she could see were small dots in the sky appearing and disappearing rapidly and powerful explosions wherever they appeared.


    Even though she was more than a thousand miles away from these dots, her skin still stung when the shockwaves reached her.


    ''Just where the hell did Ind?''


    As she clutched her heart in fear, the same voice that brought her here said ''Kill!''. And a burning killing intent rose from the bottom of Amanda''s heart and turned her attention towards the three dots in the sky.<novelnext></novelnext>


    She couldn''t even see them but she wanted to kill them at any cost. No matter who they were, no matter the cost.


    "Die!" As Amanda circted her lightning aura and was about to run with the crowd of abyssals, an eximed ''Oh'' sounded in her mind.


    The voice seemed to struggle to say something to her but in the end, it simply sighed.


    The next thing Amanda knew, the space around her twisted and she appeared on this weird ind.


    The killing intent in her heart still remained, but since it''s just impossible for her to go to cross the ocean and reach the continent with her power, Amanda''s rationality finally overcame her killing intent.


    And as she began looking around in confusion, she felt the ind''s atmosphere suddenly change.


    The temperature went from cold to warm, the fierce wind grew gentle and the flowers bloomed as if they were weing a fairy.


    Amanda raised her head and saw two girls slowlynding in front of her.


    "You¡­"


    Even as a woman, Amanda was stunned by the young beauties.


    She saw the brown-haired girl just before her death a while ago. She was very beautiful at just seventeen.


    But now, in just a few minutes of time, the same girl seemed to have grown up and turned into a stunning beauty. In an elegant ck dress and a silent aura, she seemed like a devilish beauty.


    ''Wait, how much time passed since my death?'' Amanda wondered as she noticed the changes in Sia and turned to the girl next to her.


    Soft blonde hair that flowed like a waterfall and sky blue eyes that shone brightly. Even though the girl tried to keep a poker face, her knitted brows and her pursed lips showed her nervousness. In a beautiful white dress and a cold aura, she looked like an angel of myths.


    ''¡­Who is she?''


    Amanda stared at the two girls as theynded in front of her and the girls stared back at her.


    The silence prevailed for two entire minutes before Amanda coughed and asked, "Sia, is that you?"


    Sia''s body shuddered on hearing the familiar voice and the corner of her eyes turned wet. Not daring to look Amanda in the eye, Sia lowered her head and nodded, "Yes."


    "Woah, that voice wasn''t lying! I really met you again!" Amand pped her hands and threw every other thought in her mind.


    When she was dying, what she was the most worried about was Sia''s condition. With her gone, she''s the only one left with Varian. And Amanda herself wished Sia a good life.


    So, no matter what, she wanted Varian to take care of Sia. And even the main reason she agreed to the dubious offer was to console Sia and take the guilt off her.


    Now is the chance!

 Chapter 938 Its Not Your Fault

    Amanda sped Sia''s trembling hands and said in a gentle voice, "Sia, thank you for saving Varian. If not for you, that child wouldn''t be alive. Really, thank you so much¡­"


    "I¡­" Sia raised her head at Amanda and opened her mouth in shock. She shivered as her heart grew painful and her vision grew misty.


    She thought of a lot of things Amanda would say when they met. She might curse Sia for killing her. She might be enraged at the betrayal.


    Amanda had every right to condemn Sia and wish her the worst of things.


    Sia was prepared to take the hurls of insults and abuse from the person she should''ve never killed.


    Yet, when she met her after her death, the first thing this woman says is ''Thank You.''


    ''Thank You'' to the girl who she raised for eight years ended up killing her.


    ''Thank You'' to the girl who separated a mother from her son.


    ''Thank You'' to the girl who deserved nothing but loathing and punishment.


    "T-Th..ank m¡­e?" Tears rolled down Sia''s cheeks as she felt something heavy in her chest.


    It seemed like someone was choking all the air out of her. That''s the reason she couldn''t even breathe the air. Yes. That''s the reason. Not the deep pain in her heart and the cries she stopped in her throat.


    "Sia, please," Amanda wiped the tears from Sia''s cheeks and hugged the little girl. "It was a mistake. You never wanted it to happen. I know you, don''t I? You only wish for my well-being."


    "B-But¡­I did k¡­ill you¡­" Sia bit her lip as more tears rolled down her cheeks.


    The sadness was so rooted in her heart that Sia couldn''t even let out a cry. All she could do was feel the tears drop from her eyes like rain.


    "It''s a mistake," Amanda gently stroked Sia''s back.


    When Sia was new to their home and couldn''t sleep at night, Amanda used to do the same thing. The little girl would fall asleep in her arms with a peaceful smile on her face.


    And even after so many years, feeling Amanda''s actions, Sia felt her body rx and her heart melt.


    "I.." Sia opened her mouth. The pain she buried deep in her heart finally couldn''t be held any longer. Buring her head on Amanda''s shoulder, she cried out. "¡­S¡­ry! Shawrry! I¡­no..I..do..n''t¡­want to¡­sorry¡­shwory¡­ple..ase¡­swho¡­rry!"


    Sia couldn''t even form a proper word but Amandapletely understood what she was saying.


    "It''s okay, Sia. It''s okay, I''m not ming you, so you too shouldn''t me yourself," Amanda said sincerely.


    "¡­I''m¡­.sroryy¡­so¡­mu..ch¡­" Sia wailed.


    "It''s fine, it''s fine¡­" Amanda consoled her.


    Sarah watched Sia wail and felt tears swirl in her eyes. If she met her mother, perhaps she too would cry like this.


    But now, she decided she couldn''t let her best friend cry any longer. After all, no one knew if Amanda would once again be consumed by killing intent and lose her rationality.


    If all they did in this one chance to meet Varian''s mother was cry, then it''s going to remain a huge regret.


    So, Sarah cleared her throat and coughed, "Ahem, Ahem."


    "Uh?" Amanda turned to her and realized she was neglecting this girl since the beginning.


    Sia, however, continued to cry.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Excuse me, Mother-inw, I need to discuss my marriage with your son," Sarah said in a business tone, "I''m going to be his only wife."


    "Sorr¡­eh? What?" Sia stopped crying and raised her head at Sarah. "W-What are you talking about? You aren''t the only wife? I am also a¡ª"


    "He''s looking for a wife who can remain strong and give him strength in times of adversity. Not a crybaby who can''t stop wailing. If he marries you, he''ll also need to hire a babysitter," Sarah spoke mercilessly with a cold face as if she was stating the obvious.


    Sia froze in ce as if an arrow pierced her heart. Then, the tip of her ears turned red from shame and she broke from the hug.


    "W-Who is a crybaby?" She wiped the tears off her face and red at Sarah like an angry tigress, "And if he takes you, a woman who can''t even cook, he''ll starve to death!"


    Sarah''s expression froze as she felt an arrow pierce her heart.


    ''As expected, she''s vicious as ever,'' Sia and Sarah red at each other before their eyes widened and they turned to Amanda watching them with an amused expression.


    "What happened? Go ahead! I''m having so much fun," Amanda waved her hand with a smile.


    "I...she''s a crazy girl, she, no, I am usually not like that," Sia panicked as she tried toe up with an exnation.


    Sarah chuckled at the cheerful atmosphere and introduced herself with a light bow, "I''m Sarah, your son''s girlfriend, and his future wife. Oh, and I am the main wife by the way."


    "Stop snatching my position," Sia snorted at Sarah and turned to Amanda. Unlike before, Sia was able to see Amanda in the eye.


    She still had sadness and regret facing her. But thanks to Sarah lightening the atmosphere, she was able to say calmly, "More than a year passed after you were gone. A lot of things happened and now, Varian and I are together."


    "More than a year?" Amanda''s jaw dropped.


    ording to her, she just closed her eyes and woke up right away. So much time passed in between?


    Amanda still couldn''t process everything properly. So, she dismissed the part where Varian had two girlfriends.


    In her opinion, Sarah was Sia''s best friend and after seeing her cry so much, she must''ve wanted to make a joke to stop her from crying.


    Moreover, Varian and Sia grew up together and liked each other. Amanda knew her son''s character well. Unless Sia didn''t exist at all, Varian wouldn''t even look at another woman.


    Before Varian fell behind because he couldn''t awaken, he received many confessions because of his handsome looks and strong body.


    Sia''s beauty only bloomed after she awakened and until then, Varian was the more popr one of the two.


    Yet, he didn''t even entertain any idea of dating nor did he maintain a close rtionship with any of those girls, even though at that time, they were more beautiful than Sia.


    When the topic came up, he nced at Sia and joked, ''I can''t help it. The seat next to the Emperor was already booked years ago.''


    Of course, Sia kicked his shin for that but couldn''t stop the small smile at the corner of her lips.


    With such a rtionship history, Amanda didn''t think that Sarah might really be Varian''s girlfriend.


    And personally, she disliked the yboys who were in stark contrast to her responsible and mature husband. Confident in her upbringing, she was certain that her son would turn out like his father and not a man with two or more wives.


    ''It''s something that''ll never happen,''


    So, dismissing Sarah''s words as a good-hearted joke aimed to lighten the mood, she asked her next biggest worry after Sia''s well-being, "M-More than a year¡­what happened after I died? H-How is V-Varian now? T-Tell me everything!"

 Chapter 939 A Legendary Son

    Sarah and Sia didn''t know Amanda''s thoughts. So, thinking they could discuss their rtionshipter, Sarah began to narrate what happened over thest year and a half.


    From Varian''s loss of memory to his year-long depression. And from Sia''s entry into the academy, her saving Sarah''s life, and eventually her capture.


    Sarah skipped the part where Sia was tortured and just told that she was ordered to work 24 hours to produce a potion.


    Amanda listened to everything carefully.


    When she heard that Varian lost his memory of Sia, her heart nearly stopped. And hearing that Varian lived a full year in deep depression teetering on the edge of copse, she clenched her fists.


    As she learned about the hardships Sia faced, Amanda couldn''t help it anymore and hugged Sia to console her and herself.


    Enigma''s existence also solved Amanda''s doubts regarding the events of that day. But with all the information overload, Amanda didn''t even know what to think of her and just let it be.


    Sarah looked at Amanda and Sia hugging each other and crying and rubbed her eyebrows, "Uh¡­okay, please don''t cry, everything will change soon after Varian took the entrance test."


    What Amanda heard from then on sounded like something straight out of a legend.


    A boy that didn''t awaken until he was eighteen would already be branded as useless as a soldier.


    Yet, once Varian awakened, he grew at a ridiculous pace shattering all records. Just weeks after he awakened, he took the entrance test, and not only did he pass the world''s most tough exam, he was ced at the very top.


    But before she could be happy for Varian, she learned that he faced discrimination and bullying from the young masters of the Xander family.


    "¡­Xanders?!" Even though Amanda wasn''t an elite of the society, she had a rough understanding of how big the Xanders really were.


    And the two young masters weren''t just the children of the Xander family, they were straight up the sons of the Xander Sovereign.


    Hearing this sh nearly made Amanda stop breathing.


    But after knowing Sarah helped Varian out and how he performed on his first mission, she sighed in relief.


    Her relief wasn''t long-lived as Varian disappeared into the space crack and wouldn''t appear until a while.


    Sarah continued to narrate how Enigma started hunting down the Xanders to avenge Varian.


    And finally, Varian returned. With a mysterious spaceship that gave him an overwhelming edge.


    The saga of ''Dreamer'' began. He single-handedly destroyed the abyssals incursions into the lower dungeons.


    Then, Varian won the sr trial. Went to Valos and prevented a fricking war by himself! Later, he explored the ruins, found Sia, and restored his full memory.


    Amanda already felt that her emotions were fluctuating from extreme low to extreme high. One second, she was feeling utterly scared and worried and the very next second, she was ted and wanted to jump in joy.


    As the ups and downs continued, she witnessed Varian''s journey all the way to this ce and this trial.


    It was surreal, almost, no, it''s certainly legendary. What made it so hard to believe was the man in the legend was her own son.


    He reached a height that she couldn''t even imagine.


    The youngest genius. The man that introduced fear to abyssals. The one who prevented the destruction of humanity several times and protected it himself.


    Each of his feats felt greater than the other.


    Where else did a single man clean up thirtyoids and saved an entire by himself?


    There were always geniuses throughout history. Big geniuses. Monstrous geniuses even.


    But none of them were so ahead of their peers that they literally reached the top of the pyramid before they even graduated.


    As a peak level 9 or even a high level 9, Varian was already at what''s end line for most people. But for him, it''s just the beginning.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Amanda felt all the pride anyone would feel. But more than pride, she felt sad that Varian had to go through all this mostly alone.


    While she wanted him the best, she felt bitter for all the hardships he faced. Learning that her son nearly died so many times and even died once and luckily revived, was just too much.


    Amanda closed her eyes and quietly sobbed for a few minutes before wiping off her tears and asking with a soft, relieved smile, "So¡­once you clear this trial, you can return to earth, is that right?"


    "Uh-oh," Sarah nodded.


    Amanda looked at the colorful clouds in the sky far away. Even from here, she could see the clouds forming and dispersing. They weren''t pure clouds, they were explosions following the big attacks.


    "Varian is still fighting, right?" Amanda sighed.


    "He''ll continue to fight until the end," Sarah smiled wryly, "For better or worse, his stamina is inhuman."


    Sia nced at Sarah and felt that there was something odd in her words. But Sia lowered her head as the tip of her ears turned pink. ''Am I getting infected by Varian''s dirty jokes? What''s the asion, how can I think that? Really now¡­''


    "Then you guys should return and help him," Amanda said to Sarah and turned to Sia who was looking restless for some reason, "Sia, I know what you''re worried about."


    "Huh?" Sia raised her head in shock.


    Did Amanda have a mind-reading ability or something?


    "Don''t worry, I will kill myself. You don''t have to do it again and gain another bad memory," Amanda smiled and with a trembling hand, summoned a lightning dagger.


    "Take care, Sia," She patted Sia''s head and turned to Sarah, "And Sarah, thank you for taking care of Sia and Varian. With them having such a good friend like you, I can rest assured."


    "Wait, what?" Sarah opened her mouth in confusion.


    Didn''t she just introduce herself as the girlfriend and even the future wife? Is her mother-inw not in good health and can''t remember stuff?


    "It was nice to meet you two," Amanda lifted her trembling hand and pushed the dagger to her neck.


    But right before it could pierce her skin, time seemed to slow down and the dagger was blown away by a small snowball.


    Sarah grabbed her hand, preventing her from doing anything stupid again, and said, "We''re tired and have to rest for a while. So, don''t go already. This is the only chance I have to ever meet you, mother-inw. I don''t want to miss this opportunity."


    "You''re at it again, mother-inw," Amandaughed.


    "I''m serious," Sarah sighed, "I''m really your son''s girlfriend. I''m your daughter-inw."


    Since she met them, Amanda was in a hurry.


    To console Sia. To learn about Varian''s situation. Then killing herself so that they can go help Varian. She neglected and ignored a lot of things in the process.


    Even the rtionship of Sarah with Varian.


    Despite Sarah mentioning it several times when she narrated, Amanda kept it aside treating it as sarcasm.


    But when the blue-eyed girl looked her in the eye and said with a serious expression, it was as if a bomb exploded in Amanda''s head.


    "You''re joking, right?" She asked with a weak smile.


    Sarah looked at her with a dead-serious expression.


    Amanda turned to Sia with a weak smile, "Right?"


    Sia sighed helplessly and clutched her forehead.


    Oh, dear.

 Chapter 940 My Son Turned Out To Be A Playboy?!

    Amanda sat on a chair made of pure darkness and looked at the two girls in front of her with a look that said that her whole life was a lie.


    "...So you mean not only did Var have two beautiful, talented and powerful girlfriends, he even convinced them to live in harmony?" With a voice that bordered on disbelief, she asked in a confused tone.


    "Urgh, I hate to admit it, but he did exactly that," Sarah shook her head as she recalled that day in the mansion. A faint smile hung on her lips unconsciously as Varian''s words of confession rang in her mind like an intoxicating song, "He can be goofy about a lot of things but for the few important things, he''s dangerously astute.


    If it was any other guy, he''d have been sandwiched between the two women and would be struggling to bnce and would get emotionally drained. Unending swinging from preferring one woman and then another, with a lot of push and pull, jealousy popping up, egos and fights, and things going nowhere. Overall, it''s a recipe for disaster."


    Amanda recalled the harem battles she saw in the movies and shuddered. There was a saying that went ''Having an enmity with your wife leads to a shorter life.''


    "What about you, Sia? You grew up with him and I always thought you were going to be the one..."


    Sia''s lips twitched for a moment before she shrugged, "I thought so too, but what can I do now? Well, I want to lock him up in a basement and let him be mine. But would you allow it?"


    "W-Wait, what?"


    "I was joking," Sia smiled and looked at the sky, "I...I was alsoing from a lot of turmoil after we got out of the ruins. Same with Sarah. Varian picked that exact period for a vacation and he confessed to me and her.


    I mean, we both almost died under Julius and we already had a lot of trauma in our baggage. So, I just wanted to be with Varian. Our lives aren''t really...safe nor were our future certain, so maybe that''s why I''m fine.


    Once we said yes, every disagreement and fight that came after can be settled. And...he''s dangerously smart. If it''s any other time other than the vacation, then this issue would''ve been dragged for much longer."


    "Is that so?" Amanda nodded, a little lost in thought. Even though polygamy wasmon in the high ss, it wasn''t normal for amoner. Neither Amanda nor anyone in her circle was into this.


    Now, her own son was doing this. So, she was confused about how to feel. Admonish him? What''s the use? It''s all over and even the girls in question seemed happy. And why admonish him over his own choices which didn''t hurt anyone?


    ''If everyone involved is happy, then I should also be happy for my son and daughters-inw,'' Amanda rubbed her forehead and decided to not bring her personal judgment into her son''s love life.


    "Well, he did give a promise that I can''t reject," Sarah said with a dreamy smile, "He said he''ll either be a powerhouse and live for a long, long time or fall in the middle. If he seeds, we have an eternity to spend together. If he does fall, then it''s all the more reason to be together before death, regardless of other factors."


    "Um...," Amanda wanted to refute this seemingly smooth but persuasive argument. It seemed right but felt wrong.


    If someone else said it, she could simply say you won''t even reach the Sovereign state, forget anything higher. But it''s Varian here. The Sovereign state for him was merely the first step.


    After racking her brain, Amanda simply sighed, "I never thought Var would be a yboy. And so persuasive. I guess children do grow up and change. Is he still optimistic?"


    Sia nodded.


    "Still jovial? And a bit of narcissism..."


    Sarah nodded.


    "...And his naming sense, did it improve?" Amanda asked with an embarrassed expression.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Sia and Sarah looked at each other andughed.


    "What happened?"


    The girls shook their heads. There was a silent agreement between them to keep Varian a thousand miles away from naming their kids.


    If they really let that man do as he wishes, the kids will rebel after they grow up citing the ridiculous names. For any parent, it''d be the biggest embarrassment.


    Amanda sighed in relief. ''The two seem genuinely close. At least Var''s backyard won''t catch fire. And...''


    ncing at the young beauties, she drifted into thought, ''And maybe it''s not a bad thing he has two wives. I will have more grandchildren...even though I can never meet them...will they look like Var or Sia...or Sarah...argh. Sia has no one, and Sarah''s father doesn''t sound like someone who spends time with his grandchildren. And these kids are very busy with their daily lives. No one will be there for the little ones. They''ll grow up without grandparents. Argh...but I really want to see them...I want to see them grow up....I..."


    Pit! Pat! Pit!


    "Amanda!"


    "Mother-inw!"


    Sarah and Sia wiped the tears from Amanda''s cheeks and looked at her in concern. "What happened?"


    "Eh," Amanda felt the genuine care in their eyes and shook her head forcefully. Fighting back the tears that threatened to break out, she patted the girls and they gently ced their heads on her shoulders, "N-Nothing, I-I''m just happy that you both love Var. He won''t be lonely. He''s strong but he too has his weak times. But with you two, I can rest assured. And you two as well, Varian won''t leave the people he wants. He''ll protect them at any cost. So, I''m happy for your beautiful little family..."


    What she didn''t say was ''I feel sad that I wouldn''t be able to see the sons and daughters of my son. I''m sad that I can''t see them grow up. I won''t be called grandma, I can''t tell them the stories of their father''s childhood. I...I will miss them.''


    Even she didn''t understand why she missed the people who weren''t even born yet. Maybe...just maybe, because she couldn''t spend enough time with Varian, she wanted topensate for it through her grandchildren. Perhaps that''s a wish of many grandparents.


    ''I''ll buy them bigger toys, read more stories, make them smile more, y with them more, I''ll...'' Amanda''s thoughts drifted as she stared nkly at the clouds. Sia held Amanda''s hand and patted it gently.


    She couldn''t understand what was going through a woman who was just brought back from death and was supposed to die soon.


    She begged for forgiveness and she was forgiven. Sia felt her soul was light and she enjoyed holding Amanda''s hand in silence. It reminded her every second that she was forgiven.


    "Mother-inw," Sarah, on the other hand, wanted to cherish this meeting as this might be the only time she''d ever meet her mother-inw.


    So, she called the dazed Amanda with a polite tone.


    "Uh?" Amanda realized her gaffe and apologized, "Sorry, I just..."


    "It''s fine," Sarah said with a gentle expression that was the opposite of her usual coldness, "Mother-inw, can I ask you something?"


    "Sure?" Amanda nodded with a little confusion.

 Chapter 941 Mother-In-Laws Problems

    "How did you raise your son? He fights recklessly, takes too many risks for his own good, makes enemies left and right, is hated the most by an entire race, doesn''t care about his own well being when he jumps into crises and saves people and yet he doesn''t want to call himself a hero," The more Sarah spoke, the more disordered her breath grew.


    As if it wasn''t enough, Sarah grabbed Amanda''s shoulders and looked into her eyes, "In simple terms, in the entire human race, he''s the biggest battle maniac and the worst adrenaline seeker. This boyfriend of mine literally died a few days ago! And he still says he''d have to kill the abyss emperor, a being far more powerful than any abyss king or queen.


    Seriously, what did you feed him that he became the man he is today? I beg you to tell me so that I won''t feed my son and daughter that thing and save myself from worry."


    "I¡­" Amanda didn''t know whether tough or cry. Sure, Sarah''s question seemed genuine. But was she also joking? And to be honest, she wasn''t responsible for Varian''s mindset. It was himself.


    "Pfft¡ªHahahaha!" Sia clutched her stomach and burst outughing at Sarah grabbing Amanda''s shoulders, looking into her eyes, and asking that question with such a serious face.


    Sarah bit her lip in embarrassment and sat back down with crossed arms, "I can trust Varian in anything and everything except when he takes these ridiculous risks. I''m scared, alright. If he goes tody death, then Mother-inw, I''lle to meet you and protest your upbringing as the cause for my young widowhood every day."


    ''If he dies, then I too will die¡­'' was what Sarah implied.


    Understanding that Amanda''s throat felt a bit heavy.


    "Sarah¡­" Amanda gently stroked Sarah''s hair, "I''m really d my son found someone like you. And I hope he loves you back the same."


    "Ahem, ahem, don''t neglect me please," Sia rested her head on Amanda''s shoulder and said in an exaggerated tone.


    "Hahaha," Amandaughed as she patted Sia''s head.


    Sarah was reminded of her mother''s touch and closed her eyes. A small smile hung on her lips as she went back to the days when her mother would braid her hair.


    Sia, on the other hand, was reminded of the quiet Sundays when they''d watch some movies at home.


    Amanda would sit in the center of the sofa. Varian would be begrudgingly held from training and would be on the right of Amanda. While she would rest her on Amanda''s shoulder and have her head patted gently. It was a time of peace and bliss.


    And Amanda herself felt at peace. Whatever might happen after she''s gone, these two girls that loved her son with all their hearts would be there for him.


    And with the kind of love they had shown, even death wouldn''t be able to do them apart.


    After some time, Sia raised her head. The explosions in the sky were beginning to subside. The abyssal army was also going down at a much faster rate.


    "Looks like Varian will finish this off in less than an hour. He''ll be ecstatic to meet you."


    "I won''t meet him," Amanda closed her eyes in pain, "¡­If he knows I am back to life at least for a short time, he''ll do everything he can to find a method to resurrect me. Something like resurrection should be under the control of very powerful beings. It''ll only get him into trouble. I don''t want to add more to his problems. I''m d I met you two, it''s enough for me."


    Sia bit her lip and nodded.


    "Then, I think it''s almost time," Amanda stood up with a weak smile, "The killing intent is returning again."


    "B-Before you go, someone else wants to meet you," Sia said while dodging her gaze.


    "Oh, please. And don''t interrupt me next time. I almost don''t want to go," Amanda joked.


    A light shone and Sia disappeared. A silver-haired girl with purple eyes was standing in her ce.


    Enigma didn''t reply. Instead, she lowered her head and bent down. In a voice that even she couldn''t believe was her own, she said, "Sorry¡­it''s me that destroyed everything. I ended your life and the happiness of your family. I pushed Sia into hell, and was the reason Varian lived such a terrible life.


    I''m¡­willing to take any punishment. But please don''t order me to die¡­I don''t want to die yet¡­at least, I want to know who created me, whether I even have parents and why was I abandoned. I''m sorry¡­"


    "Enigma," Amanda raised her up and pulled her into a hug. Gently patting Enigma''s back, she said softly, "Sia exined everything to me. You didn''t intend me any harm. It was a mistake.


    If you still feel guilty about it, you did sacrifice your life for Varian a few days ago, didn''t you? You were willing to throw away your life and you did. That''s more than enough repentance. So, please don''t burden yourself with this issue anymore.


    And child¡­you don''t deserve any punishment, all you deserve is pity and love."


    Enigma''s body shuddered and the corner of her eyes turned wet. But she stubbornly held back the tears and said in a muffled voice. "T-Th..ank you¡­"


    Sarah watched her mother-inw and Enigma hugging and the scene of Varian and Enigma hugging shed in her mind.


    ''Is hugging just a Konstant family thing? Wait, Konstant family. Varian said he''s named by his father. Varian Konstant. What a name. Even my father-inw had a terrible sense of naming. Damn heavens, is this gic or what?'' Sarah began worrying about her children''s future.


    ? Endless trouble seemed to be waving at her, mocking her for thinking parenthood could be so easy.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "¡­And finally, I hope you find your birthce and birth parents," Amanda smiled.


    "Thank you for your kind words," Enigma said in the most gentle tone ever.


    "Thank you for everything you''ve done for my son. And I hope you continue to take care of him," Amanda said softly.


    "And also tell her not to fall for him," Sarah interrupted.


    Enigma''s face froze as if she couldn''t believe what she was hearing and Amanda showed a tired expression, ''Son, when you meant you wanted to be an emperor, did you also include the harem?''


    "Y-You! Stop this nonsense!" Enigma red at Sarah with her usual indifferent stare.


    Unfazed, Sarah pointed to herself and continued, "In front of his girlfriend, Varian hugged Enigma and ''consoled'' her. Enigma would''ve sliced off those arms if any other guy did that. But she not only allowed Varian, but she also hugged him back!


    Hugged a man in front of his girlfriend! Is this not condemnable? Your honor, I bring this culprit to court! Sentence her to justice!"


    Amanda was bewildered by what Enigma and Varian did. But she was more bewildered by Sarah''s manner of speech. It really resembled Varian. The sarcasm, the irony, the roley¡­


    ''So, my son is actually spoiling this good girl? Wait, before that, he''s flirting with another girl in front of his girlfriend? But that girl is another self of his other girlfriend. Ugh, this is gettingplicated.''


    "Sarah! You''re just making up things. If you have so much energy, go fight the abyssals. Hmph!" Enigma snorted and fiercely defended her rtionship with Varian.


    Sarah gave Amanda a look as if to say ''See, this is your son''s doing. Are you proud of it?''


    Amanda felt like burying her face in the sand now. She''d swear to the heavens she raised him properly. But if he became a yboy now, a year after her death, what can she do?


    Thankfully, Sarah saved her from further embarrassment. "Varian is either oblivious or just pretending to be because he doesn''t have more time and focus to spend on another rtionship.


    Either way, after nearly dying so many times and seeing him really die once, I don''t think I care about these things as much as I once did. I''m just d he''s alive. And if a powerful woman cares for him and is willing to die for him, I guess that''s not bad."


    Amanda nodded weakly.


    Sorry to say, but this was beyond her pay grade. She was only prepared for the simple life of Varian and Sia. A simple adventure. A simple story. A simple family.


    She''s already dizzy with Sarah and Sia. Now another Enigma?


    Excuse me? Can I have peace in my final moments before the second death?


    Sia returned and started another topic. From time to time, she''d sent Enigma out. Sarah remained the mood brightener while Sia underwent a gradual release of emotions and washed off the remaining guilt gnawing her away.


    On the other hand, Enigma acted as a pure spectator. She refused to speak unless asked and even when she did speak, her words were at an absolute minimum.


    Finally, the explosions in the sky began to fall rapidly.


    "It''s time," Amanda smiled.


    The killing intent was also about to swallow her. The only reason she could hold on was the intense desire she had to listen to her daughters-inw.


    This could be the only chance she might ever get. So, Amanda made full use of it and told everything she wanted to tell.


    But still, the time for a farewell had finallye.


    "Please take care of yourselves and take care of him," Amanda bowed and asked Sarah and Sia to turn around.


    Then, she pushed a dagger into her throat and copsed.


    Sia and Sarah clenched their fists but didn''t turn around. They didn''t even extend their senses to ''see'' her condition now. Amanda specifically requested about this and they respected her decision.


    After a few seconds ofborious hissing, the breathing behind them stopped and Amanda closed her eyes.


    As she was about to fall into an eternal slumber, a voice, different from the one that brought her here, a voice that was more friendly, sounded in her mind.


    [The System is storing your soul signature, please don''t resist. One day, if he reaches that level, you might¡­]

 Chapter 942 Why Did You Never Try For Peace?

    Under Varian''s tactics, the abyssal crowd was ughtered. But before he could rejoice, Abyss Emperor''s clone sneak attacked another turtle and killed it.


    Even though he warned the turtles to be wary of this cheap trick, the simple-minded creatures with little battle experience couldn''t do much. Their strength enabled them to control the Twilight Zone with little skill. Now that came to bite them in the back.


    So, Varian had to face a million abyssals by himself again.


    Thankfully, he figured out his own way to deal with the masses while minimizing his consumption.


    Perhaps because the turtles weren''t really battle savvy or perhaps Varian was using his powers properly, he was able to kill more abyssals per second than any turtle.


    As the battle continued, Varian continued to be injured, healed, and injured. His fight was against exhaustion and not injuries.


    ''Either I''ll finish off the abyssals or I''ll get exhausted and die,''


    Thankfully, having eight paths meant plenty of aura. And while he used one path, the others would recover.


    As a result, even though his stamina continued to fall, Varian estimated he''d finish off the abyssals sooner.


    As he''s about to change into another tactic, two intense auras wavered like a candle me in the wind and disappeared.


    "Kreo,"


    Even as he died, the old man was ring at Varian with hatred all over his face.


    Perhaps if Kreo knew that despite him trying to ''assassinate'' Varian after the Sr Banquet, and despite him erasing Varian''s memories of Sia, Varian chose to let go of his daughter and even ensured her safety.


    ''Rest In Peace,'' Varian shook his head and focused on finishing the remaining abyssals.


    A few more minutester, the Abyss Emperor''s clone killed the third and final turtle dealing with the crowd.


    The abyssals were now no longer suppressed by the turtle and rushed to attack Varian. But after so long, only a pitiful 100,000 were left.


    So, Varian didn''t have much trouble finishing them off.


    By then, the battle had another development.


    The Diamond Duchy''s Sovereign cooperated with Abyss Emperor''s clone once again and in a suicidal attack, the two managed to kill the remaining turtles.


    The price was that the Diamond Duchy''s Sovereign died while Abyss Emperor''s clone was severely injured and was pushed to the brink.


    "Finally," The injured clone appeared in front of Varian and looked at him with interest, "So, you are the one who snatched the ghostship."


    Since the dead were ''revived'', they only had memories until their death. Since the creation of the clone needed a strand of the Emperor''s soul, it was treated as a being and not a puppet. Hence the reason it was revived.


    "Indeed, I am the one," Varian looked into the Emperor''s eyes and nodded fearlessly.


    For some reason, even though he still treated the Emperor as his most dangerous enemy, he no longer felt intimidated.


    "Interesting, interesting¡­" The clone chuckled in amusement as it looked around. "To think a thief and a human at that can appear in a bizarre ce like this. A strange force revived me, promising a chance of revenge.''


    He looked at the corpses scattered on the ground. Everywhere the eye could see, there were corpses, corpses, and corpses. And most of these corpses belonged to abyssals.


    The Emperor''s eyes shone with bone-chilling coldness as he smiled. "To think you killed so many of my race, it''s a correct decision to exterminate humans. You guys are a ticking bomb."


    Varian narrowed his eyes and a thick killing intent spread out from him.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The killing intent developed after killing tens of millions and going through thousands of battles would make even a Sovereign ufortable.


    But the Emperor''s clone ignored it and smiled at Varian, "But seeing you still alive, it seems I didn''t seed in eliminating the human race. Yet."


    "Yet? Is that how you thought before my debut?" Varian sneered.


    "Hm?" The Clone looked at Varian in suspicion as an ominous premonition rang in his mind.


    "Just so you know, I thwarted your ns, made your decades-long nning futile, and single-handedly killed tens of millions of you bastards. And yes, I vowed to kill every single one of you in the sr system. If, no, when I can, I wille to your real home and return the favor." Varian said slowly but his words carried a weight that couldn''t be ignored.


    The clone inherited both the personality and the memories of the Emperor. So, while it was incredibly angry, it didn''t act impulsively.


    With a simple smile, the clone said, "Let''s see. If you really did what you imed, know this. The more you block me, the more I''ll try. If you leave me with no options, I''lle to the Sr System by myself. It''ll be the end for you lot."


    Varian shook his head, dismissive of his words on the surface. But inwardly, he felt a heavy weight pressing down on him. If the Emperor dide, then it''s all over.


    "I always wanted to ask you something before I killed you," Varian looked into his eyes, "But I didn''t expect that to happen like this."


    In a way, Varian was about to kill the Emperor. And unlike the time in ghostship when the clone couldn''t evenmunicate, this was the closest he got to dialogue with the Emperor.


    "Why didn''t you try a method of peace when contacting us? Why kill all of us?" Varian asked with a scorching gaze.


    Abyssals came more than a hundred years ago and started the firstplete war. It''s the biggest, longest, and most tragic war humankind ever witnessed.


    If the abyssals came in peace, if they tried talking before killing, maybe so many wouldn''t have died. So much bloodshed could''ve been prevented. The uncountable tragedies would''ve been avoided.


    So why¡­


    "It did cross my mind," Abyss Emperor''s clone was severely injured and had little chance of winning against an exhausted but still rtively well-off Varian. So, it decided to speak up, "Maybe we can try peace or talks or trade¡­it seemed like an option. Then, I can only trade something for that legacy.


    But there''s nothing I can give equivalent to the legacy. Any trade henceforth would only be unequal and tilted in my favor. You''ll either refuse outright or grow resentful. Since my race has a deadline, we''ll have to get that legacy no matter what. We''ll have to snatch the legacy and it''ll only result in great hostility and bloodshed.


    But let''s say even if you''re happy to hand over the legacy, what''s the guarantee that one of you won''t leak the information to the Zions? Even the Sovereigns of your race aren''t trustworthy, much less the weaker powerhouses.


    One of you will surely be sold out and will inform the Zions or anyone else for some cheap money. No matter who you inform, Zions will get to know and my race will be ughtered in the next hour. The Zion Emperor is so paranoid that he''d rather kill thest one of us before checking if we''re really a threat.


    I have to be assured that no information would leak. So, it''s the only way."


    Varian listened to Abyss Emperor''s reasoning and perhaps the justification for his decision to exterminate the humans instead of negotiating with them. The more he listened, the more felt that it made perfect sense.


    From an abyssal point of view, it was the most rational option. And that''s also why abyssals and humans can never have peace.


    "Hahahahaha!" Varian startedughing all of a sudden, but his eyes grew increasingly cold.


    Even the Emperor''s clone felt a creepy feeling facing those eyes. But maintaining his majesty as the ruler of the Abyss race, he said calmly, "Maybe you think I''m giving a cheap excuse. If you think so, I wouldn''t me you. When you shoulder hundreds of billions of lives, you should be paranoid enough. Even a single mistake can cost innumerable loss of life."


    "No, on the contrary, Ipletely understand why you did what you did," Varian said honestly.


    "Oh, not only the strength but also the insight," The Emperor''s clone smiled at Varian as his body continued to bleed from the injuries. "I hope my main body won''t miss killing you or you''ll be a dangerous threat to my people."


    "Try your best. Or I''ll end up erasing the abyssals from existence," Varian said and snapped his fingers.


    The space around the clone exploded and shredded it to pieces.

 Chapter 943 A Gift From The Gods

    The eighth trial was cleared by only nine teams so far. It''s because these nine teams had geniuses that killed either only a few people or didn''t kill anyone at all. They became stronger solely with herbs, elixirs, and other goodies.


    For these people, the eighth trial was the easiest. But in a way, they just cheated their way out. Of course, Varian team''s victory also cheated by taking help from the turtles.


    But if they really did try to clear the trial in an upright manner, the three of them needed to face by themselves the army and powerhouses that killed ten turtles, each of which was a powerful Sovereign!


    There''s just no way they could''ve won. The probability of sess, no, the possibility was in zero.


    In other words, the trial was meant to be unbeatable. And the only way to beat it was to cheat.


    "Finally," Varian slowlynded on the ground and looked around.


    The pungent smell of blood filled the air and with each breath, the scent only grew stronger.


    And the sight¡­it was no longer enough to call it a mountain of corpses, it was a sea of corpses. Wherever his eye could see, there was a dead body. Even under the horizon, there were broken body parts!


    And the ground that wasn''t covered by the corpses or the body parts was dyed dark green. The blood flowing from the abyssals formedrge greenkes.


    Varian fought many battles and saw death on arge scale. He personally wiped out more than abyssal cities, and ughtered the abyssal army from thirtyoids, creating two of the biggest massacres.


    Yet, he felt his heart twitch when he watched the battlefield. Finally, he sighed in gratitude. And he knew exactly who to be thankful for, "Thanks, Abyss Kings and Queens."


    Shortly after Sovereign Kreo died, to prevent Mirage Queen from attacking Mars, he sneaked into Mirage Abyss with the help of the ghostship and destroyed ten abyssal cities, killing more than ten million abyssals in the process.


    It rmed the other abyss rulers and they diverted the abyss will and started closely monitoring the entrance.


    As a result, Varian had to drop his n of entering the abysses and destroying the cities, and killing millions more.


    If the abyss rulers didn''t do that, and if they let him repeat his actions even in at least one more abyss, he''d be facing a much stronger force today in the eighth trial.


    Given the fact his team was pushed to the brink to pass now, they''d have surely lost in the alternate scenario.


    "If they know properly defending their abyss allowed me to seed, will they cry in regret?" Varian smirked and raised his head.


    Shortly after Emperor clone''s death, the world began breaking apart. Like a paper being crumpled, it folded onto itself and copsed into a bright white light.


    Varian, Sarah, and Sia appeared in an empty white space with seemed to stretch on forever.


    In the visible distance was a blood-red vortex inside a huge purple gate. The gate''s pattern had three pairs of shining eyes, each with a color of yellow, blue, and red.


    ''Even if they''re created by the gods, they''re long dead. So, why¡­'' Varian closed his eyes and tried to focus back on his recovery.


    But the creepy feeling wouldn''t just go away. Even though he confirmed they were not living and posed no danger to them, those gazes were imprinted into his mind as if it was imprinted by a hot branding iron.


    No matter whether he closed or opened his eyes, Varian felt the disturbing gaze of those eyes.


    Turning around, Varian saw Sarah and Sia meditating, focused on their recovery.


    ''Is this really happening or am I just hallucinating?'' He couldn''t help but wonder.


    [You''re cursed, Host,] The System''s voice sounded, [And only you are cursed.]


    ''Cursed?'' It was Varian''s first time hearing something like this. ''What curse? And by who?''


    [The curse will drop your powers for the next trial. And the ones who cursed you are the creators of the pce,] The System said in a lightly pissed-off tone. It seemed that it didn''t like Varian being cursed either.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Varian''s brows drew together into a frown. Bymon sense, thest trial should be the hardest. A curse like this could prove to be disastrous.


    ''Of course, thest trial''s difficulty would fall for me. But I don''t know how bad this curse would be¡­'' Varian tapped the ground with his index finger and asked again. ''And why the curse?''


    The system fell silent for a while and replied, [If you win thest trial, you''ll win this world¡ªthe one and only perfect world that the gods have created¡ªthe world that they poured their everything for.


    But why should the gods generously give away their prized possession? Even better, what are you or any trial paying them in return for taking their world?


    The authority arranging the trial must''ve felt you might likely clear the next trial and win everything. That''s why it cursed you.]


    Varian already knew this pce was meant to be unwinnable. That''s the reason these trials were so hard and weird. No one would be able to clear them.


    But even he didn''t expect that the gods were so hellbent on this even long after their death.


    Varian looked at the three pairs of eyes and the eyes shone brighter in return. It was as if they were mocking him for his arrogance and announcing his downfall.


    "If I ever find your grave, I''ll get Kyle to write an epitaph for you," Varian sneered. "You''ll wish you died, oh wait, you''re already dead. So, you''ll be rolling in your grave."


    [¡­] The System maintained a minute of silence for the dead gods.


    After two hours of recuperation and rest, the team moved to the ninth and final trial: The Shadow.


    They appeared on a huge stage made of red, blue, and yellow. Standing against them were three shadows.


    ''It looks exactly like my shadow, a shadow version of me, huh,'' Sarah looked at the shadow in front of her and narrowed her eyes.


    The thing had the same height, curves, and battle posture as her. Even the way its index finger gripped the sword was the same as hers.


    ''It has the same power as me,'' Sia noticed the auraing from the shadow in front of her and clenched her sword.


    "Your mom!" On the other hand, Varian didn''t even nce at his shadow and cursed out loud.


    The moment he appeared here, his divine paths were all suppressed to starting of low level 9 and hisbat power dropped to mid level 9 from high level 9.


    On the other hand, while the authority still failed in copying him and only made a shadow of six paths, it got a very strong mid level 9bat power.


    A beginner mid level 9 vs a strong mid level 9 in purebat power¡ªthe gap was overwhelming and the oue was obvious.


    It''s possible to win against an opponent with divine paths ahead of you.


    It''s hard to win against an opponent higher than you inbat power either through clever nning orbat experience.


    It''s next to impossible to win against an opponent with a higherbat power and the samebat experience.


    So¡­


    Varian could''ve won the trial easily thanks to the imperfect cloning that led to a six-path opponent.


    But now the situation deteriorated to the point where even Varian found it extremely hard to win.


    "Fucking curse!"

 Chapter 944 The Final Trial

    "Varian, what happened to you?" Sarah asked after noticing his weakened condition.


    "¡­I''ll take care of it," Varian shook his head, "No matter what happens on my side, focus on your battles. Win if possible, else maintain a stalemate."


    Sarah still looked at him with worry. Thest time Varian said these words were still fresh in her memory. He died then. And to bring him back from the dead, they too nearly died. It was both luck and struggle that they''re here today.


    So, Sarah was naturally afraid of Varian doing something risky once again and¡­ dying. If something happened now, she had no confidence in bringing him back.


    Noticing her trembling body, Varian wrapped his arms around her shoulder and looked into her eyes. "I''m not going to lie. It''s hard to win, but I can do it. Please trust me."


    Looking into his eyes, Sarah had the urge to cry for some reason. But she held back her tears and snorted. "If you die, your shadow will kill us both. So you better not die."


    Varian''s smile subsided and he nodded seriously.


    Indeed, if one of them died here, the shadow would join in the battle against the remaining two, and all of them would die.


    To win, everyone needed to win.


    Sia took a deep breath and teleported to a few hundred miles right. Sarah went to the far left. Their shadows left with them.


    "Now then¡­" Varian took a deep breath and smiled at his shadow.


    The moment he prepared to fight, the shadow ''came to life''. He teleported in front of Varian the next second and swung his hand at him.


    By the time his hand reached Varian, an exquisite sword made from the mix of lightning and ice.


    As Varian was about to dodge, he felt the Shadow suddenly speed up. But with his time power, he could sense that his own time flow was actually slowed down!


    And at the veryst moment, the sword that was about to reach Varian''s shoulder was tilted by an invisible force to target his neck.


    It was a clear operation to kill him in one strike.


    And because the Shadow has all of Varian''sbat experience, it made no mistake for Varian to exploit.


    The only way to dodge this dangerous attack was through his one advantage.


    ''The Shadow has shown Body, Space, Lightning, Macrokic, Water, and Time powers. As expected, only six. It doesn''t have Psychic and ntae.''


    When Varian entered this ce, he deliberately hid the auras of these two paths. And he did achieve what he wanted.


    "Let''s see who can keep fighting!" Varian let out a roar ofughter and a fierce aura shot out of his body.


    First, the space around him solidified, slowing down the sword. Then, his own time power repelled the foreign time power and neutralized his time flow.


    A shield made from lightning and ice was formed to counter the spear of lightning and ice.


    But since Varian''s paths were weaker, it was obvious the spear would pierce the shield.


    So, the Shadow didn''t make any changes to his attack.


    That was a mistake.


    An intense psychic energy assaulted the Shadow and forced its attack to deviate from Varian''s neck to his shoulder.


    Then his macro kic power assumed the shape of a hammer and struck the end of the sword, once again changing its trajectory from Varian''s shoulder to a few millimeters beside Varian''s shoulder.


    All of this happened in less than a second.


    The sword passed right next to Varian''s shoulder and using the window of opportunity, Varian punched out.


    The Shadow punched back and the sounds of bones breaking reverberated across.


    Varian stepped back three steps while the Shadow only went back one step. The former also had a bloodied hand while the Shadow''s hand was slightly injured.


    But¡­


    "Hehehe," Varian''s injury healed in a blink while the Shadow''s injury was only healing at a moderate pace, "You''re stronger than me, but I can take way more injuries and survive. What about you?"


    The Shadow replied with a flurry of attacks. Varian let out anotherugh and fought back.


    Varian''s battle style was clear. Inflict the maximum number of injuries.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The silhouettes of Varian and the Shadow blurred and they kept teleporting all around as colorful explosions urred wherever they went.


    Since the Shadow''s experience was equal to Varian, it was an incredibly tough battle.


    "Arghh!" Varian felt his left arm going numb as lightning electrocuted and burnt it. But he didn''t stop using his psychic power to slightly distract the Shadow and kept punching him.<novelnext></novelnext>


    In every exchange, it was Varian at a disadvantage. He was pushed back again and again. For every drop of blood the Shadow spilled, Varian would spill two.


    But thanks to the critical ntae power, Shadow''s injuries rtive to Varian began to increase.


    And at some point¡ª


    "Die!" Varian''s punch smashed through the Shadow''s defense for the first time and struck him in the chest.


    The Shadow was blown back coughing out blood but quickly returned with a bunch of lightning bolts paired with space sts and invisible needles.


    Varian teleported in front of the Shadow and started closebat.


    The Shadow was still stronger than Varian. But he''s much more injured. That''s why Varian decided to fight him in close quarters and exploit that weakness.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Explosions rang out continuously as the Shadow''s and Varian''s bones continued to break under their brutal exchange.


    As they moved from one ce to another with each attack, their red blood rained from the sky.


    With each attack, the injuries were getting worse as every attack targeted the existing injuries!


    The only difference was that thanks to his healing, Varian''s injuries were getting worse at a significantly slower rate.


    As a result, when Varian once again punched the Shadow''s chest, it crashed onto the ground and tried to breathe.


    The piled-up injuries no longer allowed it to fight.


    "Over?" Variannded on the ground and almost copsed due to the severe pain all over his body.


    But keeping a strong smile on his face, he walked to the Shadow. With every step he took, his injuries opened up and blood poured out, making his already bloodied dress even more bloody.


    Varian stopped when he was three feet away and smirked.


    He knew his own tactics. If he''s losing and his enemy was walking toward him¡ª


    Whoosh!


    Varian swirled to the side and dodged the dangerous space de shot at him.


    The space de, made with space power as the base, lightning, and ice as the elemental powers, propelled by telekic power and superhuman strength, and sped up by time power was the concerted effort of all the six powers of the Shadow!


    Missing Varian narrowly, it shot into the sky and exploded.


    Boom!


    The explosion was so powerful that even standing fifty miles away from it, Varian''s skin was cut by the shockwaves.


    "Good," Varian punched the copsed Shadow and it dissolved into specks of ck dust.


    After confirming his enemy was dead, Varian''s feet wobbled and he copsed on the spot.


    "Fuck that monster!" Varian cursed through gritted teeth as he rolled on the ground in pain.


    Every inch of his body was hurting like hell and every injury was bleeding profusely. His Shadow really knew how to inflict both pain and damage on his enemies.


    Afterying down for twenty minutes, Varian stood up with a weak face and nced at the explosions urring in the far right and far left.


    "Phew," With a tired sigh, he disappeared from the spot.


    A few minutester, Sarah and Sia, full of injuries and bleeding like hell, also copsed on the ground and fainted.


    Varian fed them some healing potions and used his own ntae power. Still, their battle was so intense that they wouldn''t be waking up for another hour or so.


    As he sat down between his lovers and wanted to rest for a bit, the sky lit up and an invisible wave rippled from the pce and spread to the rest of the world.


    The Matriarch resting in the pce''s garden raised her head and nced up. The maids beside her followed her.


    And be it the Matriarch or the maid, they all froze with their mouths wide open.


    "T-This¡­"


    The sky lit up with the lights of blue, yellow, and red.


    After fifty million years of wait, a hundred million attempts and failures, and the death of all hope¡ª


    The trial was cleared.

 Chapter 945 Dead Gods

    As Varian was resting between Sarah and Sia, a beam of light mixed with red, yellow, and blue appeared from the sky and before he could react, it engulfed him.


    "I¡­" Varian floated around in what seemed to be endless spacepletely dark save for the asional twinkling from the stars far beyond.


    Before he could think any further, three lights so brightly lit up around him that he was forced to close his eyes and even seal off his senses.


    "Haaa!" Only after a couple of minutes did Varian unseal his senses and dared to open his eyes.


    What stood in front of him were three bodies that were so vast and big that if not for his senses extending for more than a thousand miles, he couldn''t even grasp what these bodies were.


    But thanks to his extended senses, Varian was able to ''see''. And he saw himself standing right in between three gigantic cosmic bodies that were hundreds of timesrger than the earth itself!


    If they wanted, any of these bodies could grab and bnce earth over their fingertip.


    Forget the giant turtles that looked like mountains, these were the real cosmic beings that were at the apex of the pyramid.


    And for some reason, Varian felt even this form of theirs was apressed one.


    "¡­Primordial Gods?" Varian calmed down and guessed their identity.


    Even with his senses, he couldn''t ''see'' their faces. Even when he tried, only a curtain of light was visible to him.


    As he understood it, he wasn''t even qualified to see them even after they were long dead.


    "Hello, did you bring me here to say hi?" Varian said lightly.


    After calming down, he realized there wasn''t much to fear. If they wanted to kill him, they already would''ve. Besides, these gods were long dead. What''s in front of him was likely a projection or a will left behind.


    So, he tried tomunicate and understand his situation.


    "Y..asrw¡­awrh¡­" Some unintelligible words sounded in the space before they changed into intelligible sentences, "The one who cleared the trial that was never meant to be, are you the god who came after us?"


    "A god after you three?" Varian frowned. "The six gods of the six tribes? Was this trial set up for them?"


    After these three gods died, the six gods were born alongside the six slivers. Since these three knew about the new six, then maybe...


    "Oh, you even managed tobine the chaos and order, unexpected," An ancient voice that seemed toe from everywhere and nowhere rang in Varian''s ears.


    Varian''s body shuddered as if he was standing in the bone-chilling cold while his body sweated as if he was standing in the scorching heat.<novelnext></novelnext>


    To date, no one, not even the strongest Sovereign he encountered or even Boo who was very familiar with the Celestials or even that Prince of a Kingdom knew he had the slivers with him.


    But this god, no, the shadow of a dead god found the slivers instantly!


    "You might be able to do what we couldn''t, no, you should." The voice continued. "It''s the important thing, the only important thing."


    Varian''s vision suddenly brightened up as two burning stars appeared up above and shone their light on him.


    No, they weren''t stars. Those two huge shining orbs were eyes.


    "Gulp," Varian swallowed his saliva and stared back at those eyes. Just by staring at them, Varian''s eyes stung, and a sharp pain as if needles were prickling his eyes reached his brain. But gritting his teeth, Varian stared at those inhuman eyes with a mad will.


    "This cosmic seed is the only sess we had after many attempts. We haven''t been able to use it to achieve the purpose. But maybe you can. And all the experiments and knowledge from the experimental sites will alsoe to your aid.


    Of course, you''ll also need to get the four slivers. The only way you can finish the purpose is by bringing together the powers of six slivers and the cosmic seed." The ethereal voice said.


    ''Finish what?'' Varian didn''t understand what Cosmic seed was or the important thing they wanted him to aplish. But if he voiced that doubt, his ''identity'' as a god would be shattered and he might fall into unnecessary risk.


    Even though these gods were long dead, their remnant power was more than enough to kill him a million times over.


    So, Varian didn''t want to expose his identity and risk getting into trouble.


    "Enough talk. Do not let us down. Farewell," An ethereal voice said and Varian felt a force pushing him away.


    As Varian was about to sigh in relief, the system''s voice sounded in his mind. [Host, you better ask them to rify what they meant. Even the System doesn''t know. These entities predate the slivers. And missing such crucial information is bad.


    If anything happens, the System will protect you. These aren''t even corpses of the dead gods, they''re just a shadow.]


    Varian wanted to p this stupid system. Why didn''t it speak until he was about to be thrown away?


    "Wait a minute!" Varian yelled and the force pushing him stopped. "I''m not a god, I''m a mortal who wields the slivers. I have no idea about the cosmic seed you''re talking about. What experimental grounds? What is the important thing?"


    A scary silence followed his words before a creepy gaze scanned him from head to toe. Everything, including his Origin, was exposed in front of that creepy view.


    "To think this is the case," The yellow-eyed god said in a low tone, "Since you own the slivers, so be it. Even though you wouldn''t be able to achieve the goal, at least, you''re qualified to know."


    "The Universe is tooplex to be created at once. So, we decided to build something that can grow. This world inhabited by those natives is called cosmic seed," The red-eyed god began. "As implied by the name, it can incorporate other worlds into itself and grow into the cosmos."

 Chapter 946 Rain

    "W-What?" Varian''s jaw dropped.


    After Prince Shak''s team went in, the System did tell him that Synthetic Worlds like these were used by big powers to hold their army.


    Since gctic battles were stretched over light-years of distance, the mobility of the army was always an issue.


    Despite their ability to transport people between tworge distances, Teleportation gates weren''t preferred for elite armies because these gates could be manipted and the armies would die in the space cracks.


    And even teleport gates needed time to prepare for long teleportation of big numbers.


    Unlike them, Synthetic Worlds were pocket armies. A powerhouse can easily travel long distances in an extremely short time. And then they can release the army from the Synthetic World.


    Of course, thanks to the scarcity of these worlds, only the elite of the elite armies had this privilege.


    But that''s the main usage of Synthetic Worlds.


    As for incorporating other worlds and growing?


    "Grow? Grow to what? And isn''t just taking thes and stars from the Universe going to mess things up?" Varian tilted his head in confusion.


    "The very purpose of cosmic seed is to devour the universe and create a new universe," the blue-eyed god said in a tone that subtly contained pride.


    "W-Why? I-Isn''t the universe already there?" Varian asked with genuine curiosity.


    A short silence ensued before the gods turned to each other and a muffled sound reverberated in the space.


    ¡­They seemed to haveughed at his question.


    Varian didn''t understand what was funny about his query nor did they bother exining or even replying to it. They just continued on, "And the experimental knowledge we''re referring to are thends where we left our powers in this world. It''s aboratory that''s supposed to give ample amount of observations to make progress in that particr avenue."


    Varian''s eyes shed and he understood exactly what they were talking about.


    Twilight Zone was theb of Life & Death. The other two were thebs of Space & Time and Order & Chaos.


    The ce that literally killed him and pushed them to the brink of despair was a mereboratory!


    Varian sighed deeply.


    If the three avenues were mastered, a new universe could indeed be made, or could it?


    But even if it''s possible, why bother? What are the implications?


    Varian shook his head and threw those thoughts out of his mind. Even these gods tried and failed while he''s not even a Sovereign for fuck''s sake!


    "The future will be¡­interesting," The three gods said at the same time and the space shed white.


    The next thing Varian knew, he was standing in an endless flower garden, and beside him were his girls.


    "Huh?" Varian looked around and felt an invisible connection with the sky, earth, flowers, and everything here.


    He closed his eyes and sensed this connection.


    The inner region, the outer region, this whole world was now connected with him. Every grain of sand, every floating cloud, every flower, every beast, they were all connected to him.


    With a single thought, Varian could order rain and wind. With a single order, he could kill all beings of this world. With a single whim, he could change the structure of this very world.


    Even the World Will was subservient to his will.


    "Rain," Varian muttered and water droplets began to fall from the sky.


    "¡­What happened?" Sarah opened her eyes and looked at Varian in confusion.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Without answering, Varian turned to the flower field and ordered the flowers to change color.


    The flowers shook but except for a few that had this feature, the rest didn''t change their color. They couldn''t.


    ''I can''t order the unreasonable? Got it.''


    Varian pursed his lips and snapped his fingers.


    The space around them twisted and the three appeared in front of the pce.


    The pce was quickly turning into dust and by the time they appeared, half of it was already gone.


    "Varian, what''s happening?" Sia asked.


    After the final trial, she was resting and when she opened her eyes, this was what she saw.


    Varian winked at her and said, "I am the master of this world,"


    With a snap of his figures, the pce burst into a cloud of dust and four bubbles shot out of it andnded in front of them.


    "Wha¡ª?"


    "Didn''t we lose?"


    "What happened?"


    "Guide?"


    All of the participants that went inside came out. They thought they were dying when they failed the trials, but in reality, they were being imprisoned. The pce authority was going to conduct some ''experiments'' following the final instructions of the gods.


    The experiments would go on for decades and the participants would spend all alone in a lonely dark ce bound in ce. They''d be kept just alive but they''re no different from dead.


    Many of these went crazy in just a year or two andmitted suicide. The ones that survived died as the experiments got riskier.


    All of their broken souls turned into flowers that bloomed in thisnd. The same flowers of the endless gardens between which Varian and others were now standing.


    Varian nced at the ''princes'', the ''hybrids'', and the ''Sovereigns'' with a smile.


    After bing the master of this world, he learned of their actions so far and gained a lot more insight into them.


    "You! How are you still alive?! I saw you die!" Sapphire Duchy''s Prince gawked at the man beside him.


    "Your highness, I was indeed killed, but why am I here?" Sapphire Duchy''s Sovereign muttered.


    "Kill? Even I was killed¡­" Sapphire Prince''s face paled as he looked at the people around him.


    All of them were having simr conversations. And the conclusion was evident¡ªall of them failed in the eighth trial or earlier and they all died.


    And then they turned to the only odd ones in the crowd¡ªthe guide and the two beautiful girls with him.


    "Y-You! Why are you here? Where are we? Did you also take the trial and fail?" Sapphire Prince rambled.


    "Speak," Emerald Prince gripped his sword and decided to attack Varian in case of any hostility.


    Prince Shak, on the other hand, frowned.


    His senses were telling him, no, they were screaming at him. Something with this guide changed.


    He had no idea why he was feeling that way. Maybe it''s just the gaze of the man that''s so confident or maybe it''s his ability to remain so calm under their scrutiny. But something was very, very off.

 Chapter 947 Hostility From Princes

    "Excuse me," Sapphire Sovereign stepped forward and narrowed his eyes at the smiling Varian, "I died a while ago, but I''m alive now. I really want to know what happened to me. Tell me. If you don''t open your mouth, I''ll have to force you."


    "Oh?" Varian''s lips curled into a teasing smile, "You all failed in the trial and died. I rescued you because I didn''t want to see unnecessary death."


    "Hm?" Emerald Sovereign also took another step forward and stood beside his peer, "Since you can rescue us, can you help us clear the trials? Don''t worry, my Duchy will reward you handsomely. Besides, you also need us to clear the trial so you can leave this world, right?"


    Varian told them he could only leave this world if the trial was cleared. They thought he was some ''expert'' bound by this world to guide the participants. There were too many simr legends and myths with such ''experts''.


    "About that," Varian scratched this cheek with an embarrassed expression as if he was really sorry, "You misunderstood something. I''m not bound by this world or anything. I just am a participant just like you."


    "W-What?!"


    "But you just¡­"


    Sapphire Prince and Emerald Prince opened their mouth in shock while Prince Shak pped his own cheek.


    "So you''re the one who sneaked in! You''re the reason Diamond Duchy''s team couldn''t enter!" Sapphire Sovereign growled.


    "You liars, cheaters, corrupt filths! How dare you deceive us?" Emerald Sovereign gritted his teeth.


    Sovereign Alban also wanted to step forward and confront Varian, but Prince Shak shook his head and stopped him.


    "Liars? Excuse me?" Varian put on a wronged expression, "I didn''t lie. I just said I can''t leave this world without passing this trial, it''s factual. None of you can leave. Neither can I. So, when did I lie if it''s just your misunderstanding that I''m some weird-ass expert?"


    "T-This!" Sapphire Prince''s face twisted in shame as he tried to refute the argument.


    As a Prince that took his reputation seriously, it''d be a shame if it spread now that he was fooled.


    "You said your name was Guide and that''s the reason we were deceived!" Sapphire Sovereign clenched his fist.


    "Recall carefully," Varian tapped his index finger on his head.


    "I will guide you to the trial you seek. You can refer to me as Guide." Prince Shak repeated Varian''s words of that time.


    "Exactly! I never said my real name was Guide. It''s just something you can refer to as and I''ll ept it for that time," Varian pped for his own performance and pointed to the ring on the Emerald Prince, "That thing can detect if I lie. So, I never lied. I just didn''t tell the whole truth."


    The Princes gritted their teeth while the Sovereigns clenched their fists.


    Fooled. They''repletely fooled.


    Veins popped on their forehead and they wanted to settle scores with Varian.


    "Not only did you steal Diamond Duchy''s quota, you even deceived us. You should be punished severely." Sapphire Prince dered.


    "We won''t kill you but you''ll have to suffer some sweet torture," Sapphire Sovereign grinned with a menacing smile.


    Varian simply shrugged as if he didn''t care about it.


    "Especially the two girls next to you," Emerald Prince''s shone with a lecherous light as he ogled at Sarah and Sia, "They''ll have to pay for your mistake. Don''t worry, I''ll let you go once they ''satisfy'' us."


    "My prince is usually silent, but when ites to important things, he''s the most decisive," Emerald Sovereign gave off an equally lecherous grin, "While we break your limbs, we''ll rape them to near death. Your cries and their moans will be the apology."


    Varian''s face had the same smile but his eyes werepletely cold. Shaking his head lightly, he looked at the only prince that didn''t make any remark until now, "How do you want to punish us, chap?"


    "P-Punish?" Prince Shak stuttered as he gazed into the scary eyes of this man. Until now, he could at least stare into this guide''s eyes. But now, he had a strong urge to run away from that gaze.<novelnext></novelnext>


    That gaze¡­it felt like the gaze of a bloodthirsty beast that loved violence.


    "Gulp," Sovereign Alban shielded Prince Alban and stared at Varian seriously for a moment before he instinctively turned his head away.


    ''Million, no, ten million, no, even more¡­just how many did this monster kill?'' Sovereign Alban was the strongest Sovereign here. And only after a deep probe was he able to feel the suppressed killing intent in Varian.


    It was so vast, so dark and so sharp that he felt his skin sting in pain just by looking at it.


    "Oh? Are you seeking more punishment?" Sapphire Princeughed at Varian''s words, "Deceiving a person of my status would warrant your death. But I''m kind-hearted to let you go after some normal torture."


    "Not me, I want to see him cry and beg for mercy," Emerald Prince said slowly but his words were more vicious than anyone else, "If this news gets out, my reputation will be gone and I''ll lose all support. For intending so much damage to my career, you and your two bitches need to suffer."


    Varian narrowed his eyes and slowly raised his hand.


    Just then, Prince Shak shoved Sovereign Alban aside and yelled, "I don''t have any rtion with these two. I am only grateful to you for saving us. If possible, I want to thank you and nothing else."


    It was only then that the Princes and the Sovereigns realized something.


    In their cognition, they were fighting powerful beasts with thest of their strength but were still killed in the end. When they opened their eyes, they were here.


    Their state of mind was stillpletely violent and they just wanted to fight. So, they neglected the part where Varian said he rescued them after they failed the trial and proceeded to grill and humiliate and warn him.


    Could a person who can rescue them from the Pce be a normal guy?


    "P-Prince, no one can interfere with the trials other than the ones who clear them! This ismon sense! There''s just no way this guy or even any living being can clear that trial! It''s just insane! What''s more, there''s a ninth trial after that!


    He just said he''s a participant like us. So, he had no authority here in the first ce. He just reached the pce earlier than us and deceived us.


    And just like us who failed the trial, he too appeared here. Just a bit before us. So, he too must''ve failed the trial. He''s just bluffing now that his cover was about to be blown! We''ve never seen him fight. I think he''s just weak and bluffing everything!"


    This analysis made almost perfect sense to the two princes and their sudden fear of their rescuer was gone as soon as it appeared.


    Prince Shak too felt this was a reasonable exnation but it had its own holes. The guide was at least strong enough to get here. And he got here first before them who could only reach the pce after cooperating with each other.


    Of course, there''s a possibility he was lucky. But what''re the odds, really?


    Still, thinking back to the guide''s actions back then, it felt like he was indeed bluffing.


    But no matter what, Prince Shak didn''t want to go against the gut feeling that told him to run away from this dangerous person.


    So, he raised his hands and backed off with his team, "I''m out of this conflict."


    "You loser!" Sapphire Prince snorted in disdain while Emerald Prince muttered, "Scared little bitch."


    "Never mind those idiots, we''ll first punish you and then try to get out of this damn world. Maybe you know something and will tell us after some punishment, right?" Sapphire Sovereign clenched his fists and an overwhelming killing intent enveloped Varian''s trio.


    "Or maybe these two dolls will tell us?" Emerald Sovereign licked his lips and his killing intent specifically enveloped Sarah and Sia.


    The two Sovereigns channeled their aura and they shot out at supersonic speed. Thend under them ripped into two and the air around them exploded.


    They reached Varian in less than a blink of an eye and were about to subdue him. But in the very, veryst moment, the man in question snorted, "Hmph!"

 Chapter 948 How Not To Die

    The sky darkened and the earth shook as a heavy pressure far fell on the Sovereigns.


    It was like throwing a bus on the shoulders of a running man. They copsed instantly and crashed in front of Varian''s feet.


    Boom! Boom!


    The weight on them tripled in a blink and their legs directly sank into the ground as if they were a nail hammered down leaving only their heads above. And their heads were bleeding heavily, spilling blood from their eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.


    "I¡­"


    "Ar¡­"


    The two Sovereigns just stared at Varian in horror as they couldn''t even utter a word. Some invisible force was mping their throats and choking them.


    Sarah and Sia behind Varian were dumbfounded at this development while Prince Shak in the distance rubbed his eyes in disbelief.


    Varian just nced at the Sapphire Prince and then turned to the Emerald Prince. With a flick of his hand, Sapphire Prince''s body bent unevenly and he copsed into a bleeding mess.


    With a simple gesture, Emerald Prince shot towards Varian as if he was pulled by an invisible rope despite his struggles and stopped right in front of him.


    Sapphire''s Hybrid and Emerald''s Hybrid who were quiet until then channeled their auras and were about to charge toward Varian when he swiped a finger in the air.


    The two hybrids, standing at the very peak of level 9, copsed on the spot with nk eyes.


    "I did deceive you guys because I had to. And I didn''t harm your life. Heck, I even saved you when I could just leave you to die a painful death," Varian said in a calm tone, "I can understand your outrage at being deceived. Even if you chose hostility and wanted to fight me, I can understand your actions."


    "But," Varian''s voice grew heavy and the warm air turned bone-chillingly cold, and it literally started snowing.


    "To make those filthyments towards the women I love and cherish, you have done the worst possible thing you could to piss me off," Varian patted the shivering Emerald Prince''s cheeks and smiled a pure bloodthirsty smile.


    "Girls, please turn around," Varian said lightly and the two followed obediently.


    "You too,e and join in the party," Following Varian''s invitation, Emerald Sovereign flew out of the ground and appeared next to his prince.


    "Now then," Varian snapped his fingers and the eyes of Sapphire Prince, Prince Shak, and the two Sovereigns were forcibly directed towards the two floating members.


    "Enjoy the consequences of your words," Varian pointed to the Emerald members and clenched his fists.


    "Arghhh!" The skin of Emerald Prince started burning before it was forcibly peeled off like a sheet of paper. The iron smell of blood filled the air as the snow turned red.


    Chilling ice spears materialized and pierced Emerald Prince''s bare flesh.


    "Arghhh!"


    Lightning followed and then¡­


    For the next thirty minutes, tragic screams resounded throughout the snowfields.


    Prince Shak, Sapphire Prince, and the two Sovereigns couldn''t even close their eyes and had to watch the cruel torture that made them shudder just by seeing it.


    Emerald Prince and Emerald Sovereign were pushed to the brink of death many times. But every time Varian would heal them back to full recovery and then start tearing them down apart again.


    Like a kid making and breaking toys, Varian tore them apart and then healed them. Again and again.


    Each time it was a different pain. The freezing of nerves, the scorching fires burning them to the brink of death, the pain that wrecked them so much that they simply wished for death.


    If there was ever a hell, it couldn''t be worse than this.


    "Haaa!" Varian sighed deeply and threw the two pieces of flesh and blood to the side. He let these two finally die.


    He casually nced at the two princes and the Sovereigns and released his hold on them.


    Without any hesitation, Sapphire Prince and Sapphire Sovereign stabbed themselves in the head and died on the spot.


    "What the¡ª!" Varian was shocked.


    These people wanted violence against them and didn''t want to kill. They didn''t make any filthyments about his girls. So, Varian was nning to just beat them up, break a leg or two and let them live.


    But he thought it''d be too light. So, he made them watch the torture.


    Unexpectedly, they were so scared that they chose to kill themselves in fear they''ll be tortured.


    "S-Sir¡­" Prince Shak had tears dripping down his face as he looked at Varian with trembling legs.


    It was a testament to his courage that he was still able to stare Varian in the face.


    Plop!


    Sovereign Alban couldn''t even stand and knelt on the spot. With shivering hands, he stared at Varian in tears, "Y-Your majesty, s-spare¡­"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Eh? I never wanted to kill you," Varian said with a puzzled expression and waved his hand as if swatting a fly.


    All traces of blood, flesh, and bones on the snow disappeared. Even the smell in the air was gone and reced by a floral sweetness.


    The expression on the man who did such an inhuman torture was so kind and friendly that if they didn''t watch what he did just a while ago, they''d have thought him to be a harmless friendly person.


    But now, even if they got ten times more guts, they dare not.


    "Y-Yeah, thank you¡­for spar¡­sparing us," Sovereign Alban said with a smile on his crying face.


    "T-Thank you for rescuing our lives after we lost the trials," Prince Shak on the other hand bowed his head lightly and said elegantly.


    Varian smiled at his courage andposure, "Then how do you n to thank me?"


    "W-What would you like? I''ll try my best," Prince Shak said with a bitter smile.


    Whatever this expert liked, he might not be able to fetch it.


    ''Which prince of the Lumen Empire is he?'' Prince Shak was guessing the identity of this mysterious man.


    He''s from the Jewel Kingdom and knew his peers. None of them were this monstrous. So, this man could only be from the power at the apex, one beyond the reach of all kingdoms, an Empire!


    There''s nothing a ''Prince'' from a kingdom could get that would interest a ''Prince'' of an Empire.


    Even though they both had the same titles, the difference between them was like mud and gold.


    So, even before the request was made, Prince Shak was certain it couldn''t be fulfilled.


    "Hm, I came here by ident. I want to go back. So, I''d really want a detailed map of the gxy with highly precise coordinates," Varian said.


    "T-That''s it?" Prince Shak felt that this man was kidding him.


    "I was a bit pissed off and destroyed everything rted to these guys, including their storage rings. And those two idiotsmitted suicide and their storage rings exploded with them. Their hybrids died them. So, yeah, I would''ve taken from them if I could, but now, I can only ask you." Varian shrugged.


    "O-Oh!" Prince Shak took out a watch-like device from his storage ring and without thinking, threw it to Varian.


    "Thanks a lot,"


    "S-Sure¡­" Prince Shak still didn''t understand how to behave to this entric, unpredictable man.


    "Alright, you two can leave this world. Don''t worry about it," Varian waved his hand and gave them a look. "Don''t spread what happened here for your own good, okay?"


    "Y-Yes!"


    "O-Of course!"


    Prince Shak gritted his teeth as if he was struggling with the thought but he reached into his pocket and threw a bracelet at Varian. "S-Sir, it''s my contact. It has the details of my brother. I-If you ever hear about him, dead or alive, please tell me. I¡­I will do my best to repay your favor!"


    Varian nodded lightly. He appreciated Prince Shak''s courage to speak and even request him after seeing the gruesome torture.


    ''If this guy doesn''t fall midway, he can be a good ruler,'' Varian shrugged and snapped his fingers.


    Prince Shak and Sovereign Alban, along with their hybrid, vanished and appeared in outer space. Beside them was the Ruby Princess with injuries all over her body. She was kicked out at the same time.


    And standing in front of the entrance with dumbfounded expression was the Diamond Duchy''s princess and her team that couldn''t get in.


    It''s been months since the teams went in. Her punishment was still due. Until then, she was ordered to stay here.


    Diamond Princess had no hopes of them appearing. But today, all of them except that one Sovereign did!


    "What the hell happened? Why couldn''t I get in?" She asked in a fierce tone. It''s all because of them that she got such a harsh punishment.


    "I¡­" Prince Shak wanted to open his mouth but his lips trembled and his voice quivered.


    Before he could utter a word, the space behind him twisted and he turned around in reflex.


    This weird synthetic world just disappeared!


    "W-What?"


    Deep exmations rang in the space.


    But they couldn''t even be equal to one-hundredth of the exmations that rang in the capital of the Natives.


    Hortus was screaming in surprise and fear at the man who appeared in the sky.

 Chapter 949 I Am The Lord Of This World

    The Capital of Hortus had a clear sky throughout the year. Thanks to the great formationsid down by the ancestors, not a single natural disaster struck the Hortians for the past thousands of years.


    The rains never went overboard nor were the heat ever beyond the limit. Things like lightning strike deaths or earthquakes were simply non-existent.


    Hortians managed to establish their own territory separated from the great wilderness. Even though they continued to sh with the beasts, their core civilization was secure.


    Except for the variables called ''Invaders'' that nearly pushed them to extinction a couple of times, Hortians was a stable civilization.


    But that same civilization looked at the sky with trembling eyes. Be it children not older than two, or elders that were far into their twilight years, their gazes contained the same pair of emotions: Awe and Fear.


    Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!


    Only a few minutes ago, the sky was painted with brilliant colors of red, blue, and yellow.


    And just now, dark clouds covered the entire Hortian Kingdom. Lightning rumbled as the roars of thunder reverberated across the civilization.


    Despite the clouds covering the sky, the temperature skyrocketed. Everyone began to sweat violently and some of the weaker ones ran back into their homes to cool off.


    And in that heat, heavy rain began. Each raindrop was the size of a human fist. In just a few minutes, the terrifying rain began to affect the ecosystem of the kingdom.


    Lightning began to strike down abruptly, destroying monuments and empty buildings.


    The water awakeners tried hard to drive away the rains. The lightning warriors tried to stop the lightning strikes.


    But the more they tried, the worse the situation actually got. They felt like the gates of a reservoir that were trying to hold down a tsunami. It''s futile.


    The abnormal natural disasters continued on for hours. The people hid in their homes, fearing for their lives.


    Except for the high awakeners who could still travel in these conditions, even the mid awakeners didn''t dare to go out in fear of a lightning strike.


    Strange enough, the lightning didn''t strike any home with living people. Nor did the rainwater flood into homes.


    "W-Who is punishing us?"


    "The g-gods of myths?"


    "What sin did wemit?"


    Across the kingdom, a wave of fear began to spread as all cities turned dysfunctional.


    All the people who could move and operate in these dangerous situations reached the capital and pleaded in front of the Royal Pce.


    "Matriarch! Please solve our crisis!"


    "The gods are punishing us!"


    "What wrong did we do?"


    The Matriarch in the pce garden looked around and pursed her lips. The flower beds were ruthlessly smashed down by the lightning strikes and washed away by the rainwater.


    The maids were closely gathered around her as the once smooth grass grounds around her were filled with craters formed by the lightning.


    It''s as if the lightning was deliberately targeting the Matriarch and hinting to her what''s toe.


    ''After struggling for decades, defeating my political opponents, and stabilizing my position, this happens¡­'' The Matriarch slowly flew out in the rain andnded in front of the pce, right across from the officials that were waiting for her.


    None of them used their powers to shield themselves against the rain and were thoroughly drenched. They didn''t want to ''resist'' this mysterious power and piss it off.


    The Matriarch too didn''t use her powers and let the thick raindrops fall on her. Her hair turned wet and her clothes grew cold. A terrifying chill emerged from the water sticking to her body and the Matriarch nearly cried out in pain.


    Looking at her subordinates, it''s clear that they weren''t feeling this pain. But she, only she did¡­<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Matriarch, please show us a way forward!" The prime minister, leaders of the provinces, and all the important officials were staring at her with pleading gazes.


    Matriarch opened her lips which turned purple from the abnormal cold and said, "No matter the situation, it isn''t right to speak on the streets. Let''s speak in the p¡ª"


    Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!


    The sky above the pce turned golden and with a deafening roar, a lightning dragon shot toward the pce before anyone could react. As if it wasn''t enough, a water dragon followed right after.


    The protective formations of the pce lit up and put up a barrier to protect it. The lightning dragon suddenly doubled in size and broke through the barrier and collided with the pce. The next second, the water dragon flooded the pce.


    All the maids, servants, and officials in the pce were thrown out by a harsh wind and fainted.


    The pce''s pirs which were built more than a couple thousand years ago cracked apart and as lightning passed through each and every part of the building, then as if a huge bomb was ced inside, the pce exploded into pieces of precious metals and rocks.


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    Every person outside the pce stood with a dumbfounded expression. Even the always-calm Matriarch clenched her fists so hard that her nails dug into her palm.


    If they previously had any doubts, it''s quite clear now that someone was attacking them.


    "W-Who did we offend recently?" The Prime Minister, an elderly man, asked in a trembling voice that was on the verge of crying.


    Despite his sorry state, he''s the only one who could at least speak. The ones around him were trembling violently in fear and couldn''t even open their mouths. They were certain they were going to die in a minute or two and were thinking of theirst words.


    The Matriarch looked at the destroyed Pce and nced up at the sky.


    Who did she offend?


    No beast her kingdom had hostilities with was capable of this feat. Nor could any of her political opponents. If they had this much power, they could just dethrone her and rule with an iron fist.


    ''That only leaves the Invaders,'' The Matriarch''s mind spun and she recalled the sky changing color a few minutes ago.


    Itsted only for a few seconds and most people thought it was a precursor to natural disasters.


    But the Matriarch was very clear. An ancient scripture whose records were treated as myths contained a line.


    "The sky will be painted with the color of old gods. The new god will appear."


    And the new god meant the winner of the trial.


    An invader.


    Matriarch bit her lip and stared at the sky with a piercing gaze and said in a subdued voice, "¡­you are the lord of the world. Why destroy your own possession? If you have any orders, then please ry and we''ll follow it without dy."


    Her voice spread across the capital and echoed like a poignant song.


    A chuckle sounded from the sky all over the kingdom. Every Hortian heard it and peeked at the sky with an apprehensive expression.


    "A good argument. No point in destroying my own thing," The mysterious voice said and hummed, "Disperse."


    The clouds, the rain, the lightning, everything vanished and the usual atmosphere returned.


    The destroyed pce was restored in the blink of an eye and a man stood at its top. d in white clothes with ck borders, he looked down at the figureheads of the Hortians, and more specifically, the Matriarch with a smile, "Greetings, Hortians, I am Varian, the lord of this world."

 Chapter 950 The Way Back Home

    "L-Lord of the world¡­so someone did clear the trial!"


    "The sky was shining strangely with three colors, maybe that was an indication!"


    "S-So, now that someone passed the trial, we''re free to leave this damn world?"


    One by one, murmurs spread in the highmand of the kingdom. Only the Matriarch and a few others kept their stares on the young man. And the more they stared at him, the paler their faces got.


    Even though they didn''t dare to probe him with their senses, they could get a rough idea of a person with just a stare. But this man¡­it felt like throwing stones into the sea and trying to measure its depth.


    "Hortian Matriarch pays respect to Lord," the Matriarch knelt on a knee and lowered her proud head.


    Startled by her actions, the others quickly followed.


    "Hm," Varian rubbed his chin in amusement. He already knew the ones responsible for pushing them into the Twilight Zone.


    "You''re mistaking one thing. I''m indeed what you term as an ''invader'', but I wasn''t in one of the teams that went into the Inner Zone."


    "W-What does that mean?" A middle-aged Hortian swallowed his dry saliva and asked.


    "Wasn''t there another team of invaders?" Varian''s yful gazended on the Matriarch, "the one without any Sovereign."


    "No way!" Matriarch''s eyes widened and she took a step back instinctively, "H-How can¡­n-no one ever returned¡­what the hell?"


    Varian shrugged, "Yeah, it''s hell. I''ve constantly been pushed to death there and even died once. For all that I''ve been through, I should kill you and all your supporters without mercy."


    "M-Mercy¡­" The Matriarch''s core followers knelt and banged their heads against the floor.


    The Matriarch, on the other hand, looked at him with a stubborn gaze, "Y-You¡­I mean, Lord still hasn''t killed us. So, I assume there''s a reason."


    "Indeed. It''s also thanks to falling in that ce I''ve be your ''Lord''." Varian stressed the word ''Lord''.


    Even though it was quite counterintuitive, if they didn''t fall into the Twilight Zone, Varian was certain he''d have died from the death strand.


    Before they were chased, Varian was trying to suck vitality from nts and extend his time. But it''s a method with diminishing returns. Eventually, they''d have been forced to hunt down more powerful nts.


    Even then, it''s just a temporary measure.


    At some point or another, they''d have gone inside the Inner Zone like the other teams in the search of a treasure. And if that did happen, it''d have spelled the end for them.


    The inner zones were so difficult that the teams had tobine their powers to pass through them.


    Varian''s team was pushed to death by the much weaker Undead in the Twilight Zone. Inparison, the whole Undead army would be killed by the creatures of the Inner Zone in half day.


    There''s just noparison between the difficulties of the two ces. If Varian''s team entered the Inner Zone, they''d have died trying to escape from the beasts.


    And in case they''re lucky and didn''t die from the beasts, they''d be dead if they encountered other teams.


    While they were exploring the zone, the teams traveled around a lot. So, there''s a good chance of a confrontation happening.


    And not everyone was an idiot like the Ruby Duchy''s Sovereign to give Varian enough time to use the repulsion power to build up a strong attack.


    "You killed us, but you also saved us from certain deaths. Of course, you never intended us any good so your unintentional good won''t outweigh your intentional harm," Varian tapped the pir of the castle behind him and said.


    The Matriarch sighed deeply and bowed her head, "I have no excuses. I take full responsibility for what I did. It''s all done by my instructions. I beg you not to involve anyone els¡ª"


    "You bastard! Stop being so cocky towards the Matriarch!" A fiery aura rose as the Army Commander, one of the three Sovereigns, channeled his aura and shot toward Varian like a speeding rocket.


    "Well," Varian swatted casually.


    BOOM!<novelnext></novelnext>


    The Sovereign crashed and due to the deep force behind the p, drilled into the ground and disappeared into a self-made tunnel.


    "Gulp," Everyone on the spot felt their throats go dry.


    "I''m not in the mood to punish now," Varian shook his head at the Matriarch, "But you''ll have to pay for what you did."


    The Matriarch bit her lip to the point it bled and nodded, "Thank You."


    "Hm," Varian titled his head towards a particr room in the pce and disappeared. Only his voice lingered, "Announce my arrival and dere that from today, there will be no more invaders."


    The Matriarch and others looked at each other before hurrying to the tunnel in the pce garden.


    A senior peak level 9 psychic extended his senses and tried to search for the Sovereign.


    100 miles, 200 miles, 500 miles, 1000 miles¡­


    "T-This¡­" Wiping the sweat off his forehead, the senior psychic stepped back and beat his chest, "Crazy, the world has gone crazy."


    Everyone who extended their senses also closed their eyes and sighed.


    This show of overwhelming strength was enough to erase thest bits of rebellious thoughts in their minds.


    Now, they didn''t even dare to disrespect the ''Lord'' much less disobey his words.


    Ignoring the Matriarch, the ministers and officials hurried over to their offices and began working on the announcement.


    Varian, on the other hand, appeared in an underground chamber under the pce. In front of him was a sealed door with two fire symbols. It''s the treasury of the Hortian Kingdom!


    "Open,"


    Without any locks, the doors opened, revealing the shining treasures, beautiful jewels, exquisite weapons, carefully crafted items, ancient herbs, miraculous elixirs, and more.


    Varian ignored them all and walked straight to a dusty crystal ball in the corner. He clicked it and froze.


    A space gate opened outside Hortus!


    Sensing the information about the space gate, Varian checked the gctic map Prince Shak provided.


    "The destination has changed," Varian smacked his lips.


    When the space gate stopped working, it was pointing to earth''s position six thousand years ago. Now, the sr system was no longer there.


    Thankfully, Prince Shak''s map had a time view function and helped him locate the new coordinates of the sr system from the old coordinates in the space gate.


    Changing the coordinates would take some time. And the gate itself required some maintenance, which would also take a significant amount of time.


    "A few more days until we can return¡­" Varian muttered and was about to disappear when he noticed one more detail in the space gate.


    The Space Gate itself was damaged and conditioned to time dtion. Meaning that even though they only traveled a few days in the space tunnel, a few weeks must''ve passed on earth.


    A thought shed in Varian''s mind and his expression turned ugly.


    "No, no, no!" Varian clenched his fists and closed his eyes, hoping that he was overthinking it.


    But the World Will informed him clearly. Hortus'' time flow was also different from earth''s.


    Even though they spent a few weeks here, on Earth, it might already be several months.

 Chapter 951 Incentives And Punishments

    The Kingdom of Hortian was undergoing a fundamental shift.


    For millennia, they were bothered by the beasts at the border and had to keep their armed forces ready for any possible incursions.


    But the hostile beasts at the border retreated to their nests and even the beasts that were fighting them stepped back and expressed their desire for peace.


    Simrly, the diseases that were dered incurable were cured overnight. Every hour, the birds would sing a melodious song as if cheering for something or someone.


    The weather remained more perfect than ever. Just taking a short walk on the street made one wonder if they were living in a utopia.


    The world changed drastically in a few hours. And it all happened because of one man now in the capital.


    Standing in a secret basement, he was now listening to the best craftsmen of this world that exined themselves in a quivering voice.


    "L-Lord, this space gate is too old. Thest usage was more than 5,000 years ago. With theck of maintenance, it''s on the verge of breaking down at any moment. The fact that L¡­Lord was able toe here safely only shows your immense strength. I-I am in awe."


    "Indeed, Sir, Devas stoppeding thousands of years ago. This space gate is left unused. We even forgot about its existence."


    "S-Sir, what would you like us to do with it?"


    The most aplished craftsmen in the kingdom inspected the giant circr gate and gave their reports.


    Varian wasn''t too keen on what the Devas did, he just had one demand, "Get this running as soon as possible. And this is the coordinates now."


    The coordinates of the sr system glowed even in the brightly lit basement.


    "B-But to repair it after so long¡­"


    "I-It''s too difficult,"


    "E-Even if we''re the best here, it''s not¡ª"


    Varian shook his head and said calmly, "You''re getting the space gates running. That''s the end of the matter. How you do it is your business. I only look at the results."


    The faces of the three craftsmen and the teams behind them paled.


    "Of course," Varian smiled generously, "If you finish the job, the reward will be immense. Precious herbs, treasures, even life-prolonging elixirs, you name them."


    Hortus was created by the primordial gods. Even though they limited everything in the world to ''Mortal Boundary'' and avoided anything ''Celestial'' because of ''experimental reasons'', the treasures in this world were enough to make even a beginner Celestial civilization wage a desperate war. Not individuals but an entire civilization! For instance, a race equivalent to abyssals!


    So, the moment Varian became the owner of this world, he also gained the ownership of treasures that were enough to make any Sovereign go crazy.


    Indeed, hearing Varian''s promise, the craftsmen in the basement straightened their backs and looked at the space gate in anticipation.


    The silvery circr gate had numerous cracks and shook from time to time as space currents leaked out of it from time to time.


    They didn''t lie earlier. It''s hard, borderline impossible to get it running. But after hearing the reward, they thought of how to make it work rather than why it was hard.


    Even the three grandmasters, heads of the threergest craftsmen guilds, were staring at the space gate with thoughtful eyes.


    ''It''s good, but not enough to make them go crazy,'' Varian pursed his lips and said one more thing, "The ones that contribute the most will gain the privilege to leave this world first."


    "W-What?!"


    "L-Lord, is it true?"


    "C-Can we really see what the outside is like?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    The eyes of the hundred-odd craftsmen who were best of the best in the kingdom locked onto Varian and they all held the same emotions.


    As the natives, Hortians were trapped here since their inception. No matter how good this world might be, they felt like trapped creatures.


    But no matter how much they tried, they couldn''t leave this world. Only when someone clears the trial could they get out of the cage.


    Millions of years passed and it long became a norm that they''d remain in this world forever.


    To such a society, Varian''s words were nothing short of a boon. It''s so outrageous that they wouldn''t even dare to dream of it.


    "Exactly what I said," Varian nodded calmly, "It''ll take a year at most, but from then, you can travel outside. But only those with enough merits. This is your chance to make those merits."


    ording to the legends, the natives could travel outside after the trial was cleared, but there was another prerequisite they didn''t know about. The lord of the world must be at least a Celestial Ranker to allow anyone outside.


    Varian gave himself a year deadline for that and promised them ''freedom''.


    And as expected¡ª


    "I-If I die by then, can my son go?" The oldest grandmaster asked in a trembling voice.


    Varian nodded lightly, "As long as it''s your wish."


    "C-Can Ie back if I go out?" The second grandmaster raised his hand like a school child and questioned.


    "You''re still a member of this world. But now, you can go out as well. Just like the residents of the capital city can go to other cities and settle there. If they don''t like it there, they can alwayse back," Varian exined with a kind smile.


    "L-Lord, is the outside world s¡­scary? Is it filled with monsters?" The third grandmaster bit his lip, "W-Will you guide us there too or will you abandon us if we leave?"


    "Don''t worry. I''ll help you settle in the outside world. But don''t put the cart before the horse and focus on the gate," Varianughed.


    The grandmasters stiffened and bowed in apology. Then, they called the maids nearby and ordered a long list of materials.


    A lot of them were expensive materials that even the Matriarch didn''t want to touch. But Varian casually gave them away for the construction of a space gate that was long abandoned.


    With the addition of precious materials, the difficulty of the task decreased considerably.


    The craftsmen were even more motivated and decided to live in the nearby rooms. They even dered they wouldn''t leave until they finished the job.


    "Leave it to us, a week, no, we''ll finish this in less than a week!"


    "I''ll hold onto your word," Varian smiled and disappeared from the basement. Only his calm but heavy words lingered in the air, "If you fail, you don''t have toe out. There''s a prison below."


    The craftsmen shivered at the punishment but weren''t particrly bothered. The previous rulers would''ve directly killed them. Even the Matriarch, who was considered a rtively benevolent leader, would only kill them painlessly.


    What''s more,pared to these self-appointed rulers, this man was Lord of the world itself!


    If they failed in this task even after being promised such precious rewards, especially the freedom to leave, then they''d swallow their hammers and kill themselves!


    The three old men, living legends, lifelong rivals, and the only grandmasters looked at each other and nodded together.


    This was the first project all the three of them were going to work together on.


    "Let''s start!"


    It''s not enough to be just a sess. It must be a resounding sess!

 Chapter 952 Dates

    A beautiful pink river.


    Colorful fishes jumped out of the water painting the calm river surface with small ripples.


    Beautiful red trees grow on the surface of the river, with their leaves glowing like blue crystals and dying parts of the pink river blue.


    The sun was slowly setting in the distance, covering the sky with an orange hue.


    Sitting on the banks of the river was a beautiful young woman in a white one-piece and a yellow hat. She was hugging her knees and staring at the river with a small smile.


    Beside her was a young man who appeared at some point. Resting his chin on his palm, he stared at her with a smile.


    Even with all this natural beauty that looked like a scene out of a painting, she appeared the most stunning. Just staring at her smile tugged his heartstrings.


    "How long are you going to stare?" Sarah just noticed his arrival and asked softly without turning her head.


    "As long as I can," Varian answered without any thought.


    Sarah''s lips curled up at his answer and she rested her head on his shoulder. Her intoxicatingvender scent reached Varian and wrapped his arm around her waist, "Sometimes, I just want to forget everything and live away from everyone without any worries."


    Sarah chuckled softly and kissed his cheek, "But you won''t, will you?"


    Varian nced up at the sky, "I also want to grow stronger, see the universe and go on great adventures."


    "Mr. Boyfriend, peace or adventure, which one is it?"


    "I want both,"


    "You greedy thief! You won''t settle for one, will you?" Sarah bit her lip.


    "If a thief isn''t greedy, then he won''t make it big," Varianughed with pride.


    "Then go to your Sia, why did youe here?" Sarah snorted.


    "I just want to be with you now. Only you."


    "Liar. Enigma is handling the kingdom work and there''s only me now."


    Varian shrugged. "So, only you and Enigma are avable. I only want to be with you. Technically, I didn''t lie."


    "You really want to be stabbed, eh," Sarah made a fierce face at him but she only looked cute.


    Varianughed and stared at the setting sun. Sarah also stopped the bickering and fell silent.


    The two remained silent even after the sunset and stars appeared in the sky.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "¡­I only care about the results," In the courtroom of the Pce, Enigma sat in the grand chair just below the main throne and ordered the officials.


    "Yes, Divine Envoy!" Everyone, excluding the Matriarch, bowed and left the court.


    "Divine Envoy¡­" The Matriarch nced nervously at the young woman who seemed to be barely twenty.


    Unlike the Lord who was like a literal god, this woman was weaker. She wasn''t even a peak level 9, much less a Sovereign.


    If she wanted, the Matriarch could subdue her in a single move. But she didn''t dare.


    She''s the ''Divine Envoy'' of the Lord. In his own words, ''In my absence, treat her as me. Her words are my words.''


    And even if the Lord wasn''t in this room, the Matriarch had a strong feeling he knew everything that was going on here.


    Forget attacking her, if she even showed hostility, she might be killed the next second.


    "Divine Envoy, what should I do?" The Matriarch suppressed the bubbling anxiety and asked in a calm voice.


    "You mean what punishment you should be facing?" Enigma said in a cold voice.


    No matter the end result, the intentions and actions of the Matriarch were unforgivable.


    If there''s no punishment, the deterrent of ''Lord'' would decrease. Without any fear, people wouldn''t hesitate tomit crimes and things would mess up.


    This world was Varian''s private property. As he grows stronger and embarks on more adventures, Hortians and Hortus could prove to be very helpful.


    It''s best if Hortians loved Varian to the extent of risking their lives to save him in the outside world.


    But Enigma wasn''t naive to think that people would unconditionally love Varian. Even if he granted all their wishes, the minds of people would alwayse up with new things. As they say, you can''t please everyone.


    In addition to love, fear of ''Lord Varian'' must also be instilled.


    For both personal and professional reasons, this Matriarch must be punishment.<novelnext></novelnext>


    But how?


    Enigma tapped the armrest of her throne and pursed her lips.


    Killing her seemed like an easy way out. Torturing her in public was too violent. What''s more, even though she''s very cruel to them, the Matriarch was genuinely a benevolent figure to the public.


    So, if the public feel their Matriarch was treated brutally, they''d harbor resentment against their new Lord.


    Enigma looked at the anxious woman in front of her and narrowed her eyes.


    A punishment that''d really be painful for the Matriarch but wouldn''t appear brutal to the public.


    "Your punishment is¡­"


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    That night, Varian and Sia used a disguise treasure to appear as Hortians to everyone but themselves and went on a date.


    It was a simple shopping, eating, and watching a movie of sorts. Sia enjoyed exploring the exotic goods, food, and entertainment like a little child on an outing.


    As they moved from stall to stall, street to street, Varian remained in a daze as he lost himself in Sia''s cheerful smile.


    As they sat on a rooftop cafe under the starry sky, Sia who was in the middle of eating a sweet dish that resembled a fruit ice cream, noticed that Varian was still staring at her absent-mindedly.


    "Want some?" She brought the sweet to his mouth and he took a bite absentmindedly.


    "Var? Var?" Sia waved her hand.


    "Huh?" Varian came to his senses and looked at her in confusion, "What is it?"


    "You''re out of it since¡­half, no, a full hour! What''s going on? Are you tired? Shall we go back?" Sia held his hand and asked with a worried face.


    Varian felt the coldness from his palms and confirmed that he wasn''t dreaming. With a big smile, he looked into Sia''s eyes and said, "I can''t help it. Sarah is very happy for some reason. She didn''t speak a word about it but I can tell. And you, you were smiling and enjoying yourself throughout the date. And you¡­you were cheering during the movie and excited to try new things."


    Varian suddenly stood up and pulled Sia into his arms. Startled, she fell into his hug and looked up into his eyes in confusion.


    "Sia, I don''t know what happened, but you''re no longer having that sadness and burden¡­you''re finally free," Varian kissed Sia''s forehead.


    "I¡­" Sia wanted to say she met Amanda but recalling Amanda''s worries, Sia swallowed her words.


    Varian smelled her sweet scent and gently pulled her closer.


    Unlike before, there was no repulsion. This direct contact with Varian, feeling his hot breath, touching his warm body was too much for Sia.


    She felt butterflies in her stomach when Varian suddenly said.


    "Something that can make Sarah so happy and you so relieved, particrly, you free of that burden you always carried¡ªit happened in the trials."


    ''Oh no!'' Sia''s body suddenly stiffened.


    Varian rubbed her back gently, "So it really is the trial. And it should be that trial. If you meet everyone you killed, you''d also meet her."


    "N-No!" Sia shook her head vehemently, "There were millions of abyssals! She''s only a level 1. She must''ve gone in friendly fire."


    "But I saw you and Sarah disappear from the battlefield in the middle,"


    "We were resting, of course!"


    "I told you toe to me if you had to rest,"


    "We didn''t want to distract you."


    "I see¡­my mother didn''t me you, did she?"


    "No¡ªwait, how can she me me if we never met?" Sia shook her head and looked at Varian as if he was crazy.


    With a chuckle, Varian and Sia disappeared from the cafe and appeared high in the sky.


    Floating in the clouds, Varian looked down at the bright night city below before turning to the beautiful stars above.


    "Sia," Varian smiled brightly, "My mother doesn''t want me to worry about her resurrection. If it''s me a year ago, I would''ve searched for how to resurrect her after knowing this. But the me now won''t. I don''t think even Celestial Rankers can do it. It''s a far-off thing. So, don''t worry, I won''t risk my life."


    Sia lowered her head and nodded.


    "Can you¡­" Varian''s voice grew weak and vulnerable in the cold wind, "¡­please tell me what did she say?"


    Sia bit her lip and nodded.

 Chapter 953 Tempations

    It was as cathartic as it was emotionally draining. With a heavy heart but a light smile, Varian and Sia returned to the bed chambers.


    After Varian took over, everyone else¡ªofficials, butlers, and warriors evacuated the pce.


    A more formal ''administration'' building was being constructed on the outskirts of the capital. The Matriarch and the previous ministers and officials would perform their duties from there.


    The pce, on the other hand, became Varian''s house. And while the pce was big, the gardens, fields, and the sports grounds surrounding it were vast.


    The three miles surrounding the pce were all some sort of facility that belonged to it.


    With Varian declining even the entry of maids, for the time being, forget the pce, the vast area surrounding the pce was deste.


    That''s why¡ª


    "Why the hell are you here?" Varian nced weirdly at the woman who bowed to him.


    Like all hortians, her skin was blue. But even they had different shades of blue. She was pale light blue, the color of a clear sky. She was tall, though still half a head shorter than Varian.


    Even the mature body that boasted its perfect curves was overshadowed by her refined temperament. This was a woman that seemed destined for greatness.


    Yet¡ª


    "And why the hell are you in these clothes?"


    The Matriarch was wearing a ck dress consisting of a white trim with a skirt just above her knees, white stockings, and blue heels¡ªthe ssic maid uniform.


    "I...." The Matriarch''s face was pink as she blushed in shame and her voice seemed to be on the verge of crying, "I was punished by D-Divine Envoy."


    "¡­" Varian rubbed his eyebrows and wondered what Enigma was really up to.


    If it''s normal time, he''d understand Enigma''s considerations. Killing Matriarch would invite bacsh from the public. Not punishing her would spread rumors that the Lord was harmless and would lead towlessness.


    So, a punishment must be struck that''s simultaneously painful to Matriarch but eptable to the public.


    For the Matriarch who just reached the pinnacle of prestige and was ced side by side with the legendary rulers just a few days ago, bing a maid couldn''t be more humiliating. From being the ruler of all to a mere maid, it was demeaning beyond imagination.


    The Matriarch decided to die. But Enigma used an item from the treasury that prevented her from any such actions.


    So, here she was. With every second as a maid, the Matriarch felt like she was living in hell. Her pride, self-esteem, and dignity were dying a painful death.


    Varian wasn''t in the mood to think through these things. In his view, whatever the reason, when he returned home after the heavy discussion about his mother, all he wanted was emotionalfort with his women. But this weirdo appeared in a weird costume and spoiled his mood.


    She''s beautiful even by human aesthetics but all she invoked was Varian''s anger.


    "Do your cosy withdy death," Varian said and waved his hand.


    A purple lightning sword materialized in front of the Matriach and reached her neck in the blink of an eye.


    The Matriarch''s lips curled up as she weed death, ''Yes, let me die!''


    But a barrier made of darkness covered her neck and the sword disappeared.


    "Enigma," Varian looked at the woman beside him with a questioning gaze, "Why did you protect her? No, why did you even ask her to appear in front of me like this?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    Enigma maintained her expressionless face but her eyes flickered with excitement, "To punish."


    "Hm?"


    "Every second she lives like this, she dies on the inside," Enigma whispered the poisonous words in a soft voice, like a honeyced dagger, "Even though she respects you because you''re the lord, she hates you for snatching her position. That''s why, when she stands in front of you as a servant, her pride will be burning her soul. She is seeking death. Do not grant her wish."


    Varian blinked at Enigma''s words and his turbulent heart settled. He also realized the intentions behind this woman''s actions and sucked in a breath of cold air.


    He nced at Enigma''s glittering eyes that seemed to be having fun torturing the Matriarch and wondered, ''She has this angle too?''


    "Do whatever you want," Varian waved his hand and entered the bedroom.


    It''s a newly constructed room built of pristine pink marble. The ceiling was carved with delicate flowers and the walls had beautiful flowers growing on them.


    There was an intoxicating scent from the flowers filling the room. It wasn''t too heavy and set the mood just right.


    Apparently, the flowers would emit different scents ording to the moods of the couple inside.


    And now, the scent was sweet like a cherry.


    Even though the room had the best crystalmps, they were all turned on to maintain the darkness, only letting the soft moonlight in.


    Sarah sat on the corner of the bed and stared out of the window into the sky. The gentle breeze blew her hair and the soft moonlight shone down on her body.


    "S-Sarah?"


    She was only wearing a soft pink negligee.


    "Oh? Did the date go well?" Sarah turned to him and asked with a smile. The tip of her ears was pink and she was obviously embarrassed but she acted as normally as she could.


    "Y-Yeah," Varianid down in the middle of the bed and closed his eyes.


    Normally, the girls wore modest pajamas for sleep. The only times Varian had eye-candy was when they rolled around in sleep and their clothes shifted.


    This¡­


    "Gulp,"


    Even though he closed his eyes, Varian couldn''t get rid of the image of Sarah in a negligee.


    The more he tried, the harder it got.


    What''s worse, he felt a soft body hugging him from the left. Things just went from bad to worse.


    "Varian," A soft voice like a cat''s meow sounded in the bedroom.


    Even though opening his eyes would make the situation worse, Varian did it anyway.


    And saw Sia in a white negligee, ncing at him with a seductive smile.

 Chapter 954 The Dawn Of A Sweet Night

    R18 Content: You can choose to skip this chapter.


    What''s the most ufortable activity in the world?


    Fighting an enemy much stronger than you and losing continuously?


    Watching a film that made you want to kill the director and then yourself?


    Or pretending to be friendly with people you don''t even like?


    No, no. They''re all valid but Varian found the best answer.


    The most ufortable thing in the world is to keep your mind while you sleep between two gorgeous beauties in sparse clothing while they hug you from left and right.


    Every second, their sweet scent would reach your face and tickle your ears. Every moment, you can feel their skins rub against you.


    If it''s a girl who you don''t like, you could just storm off the room. But if the girls are the ones you love, then...


    Varian started to sweat as he felt his body burn in the heat of lust.


    Sia ced her leg on his thigh while Sarah rested her head on his heart. And they both closed their eyes a few minutes ago.


    Hearing their breath, it looked like they were already asleep.


    ''This is too much!'' Varian covered his eyes with the back of his hand as his chest heaved up and down.


    The desire in his body was building up. The more he pushed it down, the more it resisted.


    ''No, no. Think of something else. Anything.'' Varian took short breaths and pushed his mind elsewhere.


    ''Sr System! Yes, it should''ve been months there. I don''t know the situation there¡­'' Varian''s body didn''t cool down as the stimuli were still present.


    But his mind calmed down as he pondered over a serious topic.


    Did the Abyss Emperor seriously not do anything in these few months? Maybe he''s busy with the Zions and the war with Fairies got so intense that he couldn''t focus on this side¡­


    Varian shook his head. It''s just wishful thinking on his part.


    The Emperor must''ve done something to exterminate the human race. The only question is¡ªdid the humans hold out?


    It''s not like humans would give up fighting for their survival.


    But what if the abyssals got another Sovereign range powerhouse?


    ''Sovereigns are precious even for the main abyss. I don''t think they can afford to send us any,'' Varian felt his throat grow dry, ''But the Undead¡­''


    He couldn''t kill the Undead because of the assassin. Even though the Undead was severely injured and weakened, leaving him alone for a few months¡­


    Varian gritted his teeth.


    There''s a good possibility that the Undead recovered back to his peak. A Sovereign Undead was enough to decide this war.


    Maybe by the time he returned, everything already¡­


    ''Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!'' Varian''s breathing grew rougher and his chest heaved up and down.


    ''I should''ve killed that damn Undead! Dammit! And the traitor Sovereign! Did he kill any other Sovereign? Is it Julius? Or Albert? Urgh damn!''


    Varian''s body still felt the sensual touch and intoxicating smell but his mind was growing tenser and tenser.


    Sarah and Sia sneakily opened their eyes and looked at each other in confusion. The temptation n seemed to have...failed?


    Sia nced at Varian''s tense expression and bit her lip.<novelnext></novelnext>


    She could roughly guess what he was thinking. There''s only one thing that would push him to this state. During the date, he did tell her about the time difference. So, maybe he''s worried that humanity was already done for.


    ''But thinking about it won''t change anything,'' Sia shook her head.


    The craftsmen were already doing their best to repair the space gate. The only thing they could do was wait. Heck, it hadn''t even been 24 hours since Varian became the Lord!


    After all the hardships in this strange world, they finally had the opportunity to rest. Varian finally got the chance to rx. Sia didn''t want him to worry now.


    When they return, they will face another big struggle. Perhaps the final war with the abyssals. So, in this small gap, she wanted him to enjoy himself and be happy.


    "Varian," Sia climbed up onto his body and kissed his lips.


    "?!#!!@#" Varian''s eyes opened in shock.


    Sia looked at him with a loving smile and pushed her tongue into his mouth. This kiss came like a soothing rain pushing away his worries.


    Varian wrapped his arms around Sia and kissed her deeply. His tongue entangled with her small tongue and with each touch, he felt closer to her.


    As the kiss deepened, Varian felt someone pulling down his pants.


    "?!@#!"


    His senses captured that it was Sarah.


    Varian wanted to initially stop, but Sia broke the kiss, blew her hot breath in his ear, and then kissed it.


    ''Fuck!'' Varian''s desire spiked. A bit of him still tried to stop him saying he wanted their first physical union to be the consummation of their marriage. It''s his act of showing he cherished them.


    Varian so far avoided any intimate contact for that reason. But when the girls themselves seduced him, he took a step back withoutpletelypromising, ''I''ll save the home base for marriage!''


    "Hmm~" Sia let out a muffled groan as Varian''s hand grab her breast.


    ''Soft,'' Varian felt like he was holding soft and cool dough but it was also a bit different.


    Kraa!


    Sia''s negligee was torn apart and her bra snapped into two.


    Varian sat up and hugged Sia. Burying his head in her soft and ample chest, he licked the pink tips.


    "Arghh~Aha, it tickles¡­Arghhh~" Sia hugged Varian''s head as she let out muffled, embarrassed moans.


    On the other hand, Sarah was still struggling to remove Varian''s pants.


    ''Should I cut them off with a knife?'' She slowly summoned a light sword and poked it toward Varian''s pants.


    ''Eh-Ouch?'' Varian moved his head away from Sia''s breasts and winced in pain.


    ncing down, he saw Sarah poking a light sword at his groin.


    Meeting his gaze, she awkwardly smiled, "I was a bit nervous¡­haha, don''t worry, I won''t miss next time."


    Saying so, she raised her sword again with a determined look.


    Varian would''ve liked that look any other time. But now, he hurriedly said, "Stop, stop! I''ll do it myself."


    Sia covered her mouth and chuckled.


    With a snap, Varian''s pants and even his underwear disappeared.


    "Good luck," Winking at her, Varian fondled Sia''s breasts and kissed her neck.

 Chapter 955 Love And Pleasure

    R18 Content: You can choose to skip this chapter.


    Sia''s moans rang in the room while Varian''s breathing grew rougher.


    And once again, Sarah was stuck, no, she was frozen staring at the organ that appeared above her head.


    "Argh~Lighter¡­"


    Sia''s moans pushed the dazed Sarah out of her trance.


    ''I can do it!'' Sarah stretched out her trembling hand to grab the meat rod.


    ''Hot¡­'' She felt Varian''s body flinch at her touch before turning still, ''Wait, can this even go in?''


    She tried to picture the process, but it seemed too hard. Shaking that thought of her head, Sarah stretched her other hand and now gripped the meat rod with both hands. To her surprise, there was still room left.


    Biting her lip, Sarah began to move her hands up and down.


    ''It feels good¡­'' Varian sighed as he felt the pleasure spreading from below. Sarah''s palms were so cold and soft that even though it was just a clumsy and awkward handjob without any technique, it felt good.


    "Var~" Sia called out softly as she felt her body heat up. She felt herself growing wet and itchy. Rubbing her hips against his abdomen like a cat in heat, Sia bit his ear, "Var~"


    Varian exhaled lightly and moved his hands from Sia''s waist to her ass. With his thumb, he broke the string of her panties before she could notice. Then, he threw her up and caught her so that her legs wereying on the sides of his neck and her groin was right in front of his face.


    "Argh~wai¡ªunghh!" Sia threw her head back and moaned as Varian started eating out her cave.


    "I¡­arghh¡­" Sia gripped Varian''s head for bnce as she felt a shiver down her spine.


    With each lick and light bite, a jolt of pleasure filled her from head to toe.


    Varian felt the growing wetness from his lover and pushed his tongue inside her cave.


    "Ugh!" Sia arched and hugged Varian''s head tightly as if to stop him from going further but also as if she was pushing him deeper.


    As Sia writhed in pleasure and spew her juices, Varian dug deeper.


    ''¡­Am I the only one so out of it?'' Sarah pouted as she nced at the moaning Sia. Then, she nced at Varian whose face was buried in Sia''s cave.


    ''Can I make him moan like that too?'' Sarah''s face turned red but she once again grew determined.


    Looking up at the intimidating meat rod, she knelt down and brought her face close to Varian''s second head.


    A musk hit her nose. It was simr to Varian''s smell after he sweated from training. It was¡­manly?


    Sarah opened her mouth and gave the head a light lick.


    Varian, who was in the middle of obtaining the nectar, suddenly shivered. A warm feeling enveloped the tip of his little brother and it gave him a good jolt of pleasure.


    He didn''t have to move his head away from Sia and look down. Thanks to his extraordinary senses, he could see even in his current position.


    And he saw the beautiful blonde girl adjusting her hair behind her ears and curiously cing the tip of his rod in her mouth.


    While she did that, she looked up at him as if she knew he was watching her. As it was her first time, she was struggling to take it in properly. But she did her best and looked at him with loving eyes.


    ''I love you too,''


    Varian''s heart melted as he grew physically and emotionally closer to his lovers.


    ''You should feel good too,'' With a thought, Sarah who was kneeling on the bed floated to a diagonal position with her head facing the bed.


    Now, she was still facing Varian''s meat rod but her beautiful bottom was within Varian''s reach.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Hungh~" Sarah pushed the meat rod deeper into her mouth as a sudden pleasure struck her intimate parts.


    A warm hand rubbed her bottom area and the warm, long, and rough fingers she was familiar with reached inside her.


    Sarah''s thighs grew wet as the liquid from her groin flowed down continuously. And like a treasure digger, Varian''s fingers continued in.


    In the beginning, it was a bit awkward, but as he found her pleasure spots, Varian got more and more proficient in pleasuring his blonde beauty.


    A twist here, a touch there and Sarah was shivering in pleasure, failing to hold back her moans.


    What''s more, she couldn''t even speak as she now managed to contain a third of his rod, "Argh~ T-There¡­I¡­fe~ngh weirddddd~"


    As time passed, despite the pleasure that almost paralyzed her body, Sarah too got proficient in pleasing Varian.


    She also used her hands to pump his rod while she bobbed her head back and forth.


    As a result, Varian groaned from time to time as he savored the incredible pleasure along with Sia''s nectar.


    "Arghh~"


    On the other hand, Sia, who thought that she could be more active in bed than Sarah, found her legs going limp. Even her arms grew weak and her body grew tense.


    "Ar-n-not there¡­arghhh," Sia felt her mind slowly go nk as she was pushed to the point of no return.


    "Ar~hngh~umph~" As Varian''s invasion continued, Sarah felt as if she was being pushed higher and higher toward the peak of pleasure. And she could feel that she was going to hit the apex soon.


    Knowing this, she worked harder to bring Varian to the peak with her.


    And she seeded.


    The three of them reached the climax at the same time.


    Sia bucked her hips and copsed as she rained Varian''s face wet. Sarah curled her toes and arched her back as her liquids drenched the sheets.


    Varian, on the other hand, held Sarah''s head and closed his eyes as he shot out his essence right down her throat. It filled her mouth and the excess spilled out of her lips andnded on her breasts, painting a beautiful and erotic sight.


    "Haa~"


    "Ungh~"


    "Hmm~"


    The three of them sighed in the aftermath of the climax. It was a surreal experience for the newbies and the first physical bonding.


    Looking at the beautiful and sexy naked bodies of his women, as they panted and moaned in the aftermath of climax with flushed faces and blurry eyes, Varian''s blood flowed to his bottom and he grew hard in a blink.


    Refractory time didn''t exist for him after all.


    "Girls, round two." Varian grinned.


    Hearing Varian''s voice, Sia''s body shivered and she rubbed her legs to forget that sensation. Her head was still dizzy from the climax and she was too sensitive to experience another in a short time.


    "I want to taste you," Without hesitation, she took Vairian''s wet rod into her mouth, cleaned it up, and began clumsily sucking him off.


    "Ah? N-No!" Sarah wanted to stand but her legs felt weak and she copsed on the bed. But remembering the noises Sia made, Sarah felt fear of the pleasure and began to crawl away.


    Varian grabbed her slender legs and pulled her wet cave towards his head. Feeling his hot breath approaching her groins, Sarah shivered, "I-I''m still sensit¡ªarghhh!"


    The night was long.

 Chapter 956 A Gentle Lover

    The night was long indeed but Varian continued straight for three days and nights.


    He only stopped after he sensed someone calling him at the pce gate a few miles away.


    The gate was repaired! He originally nned to tour and learn more about the treasures and technology of this world.


    But s, he spent three days in bed.


    ''This is purely for emotional reasons,'' Varian told himself.


    In his defense, he didn''t really perceive the passing of time. Maybe it''s because of his superhuman body or maybe something else. He just kept going.


    What about the sun, moon, or even the passing of day and night? At some point, the windows were closed and the room was purely lit up by the pink crystalmps. And perceiving the mood, the nts too released a scent that red up desires.


    With the perfect atmosphere, things got crazy.


    But even though Varian had many chances, he didn''t go for the final act.


    ''It''s for our marriage,'' He dered righteously.


    Sarah and Sia didn''t even bother to argue against such a shameless statement. Other than the final act, he did everything they could. After three days of intense work, they were sweaty, tired, and weak.


    The room itself was filled with a musky smell.


    "The space gate is ready, wannae and see?" Varian asked as he got out of the bathroom in fresh clothes.


    Sprawled across the bed, Sarah and Sia remained motionless and silent. Forget taking a bath, they didn''t even want to lift a finger.


    There was only a thin quilt covering their bodies. But their smooth shoulders, vicles, and most of their slender legs were exposed. Different from when they started, the girls were wearing stockings, though the stockings were torn now.


    Even though he just finished a marathon, Varian found himself attracted by the beautiful and erotic sight.


    ''One more round? Only one hou--pa!'' Varian pped himself out of horniness.


    There''d be plenty of timeter.


    ''Overindulgence isn''t good,'' Preached Varian after three days of indulgence.


    Even he felt it was a bit hypocritical, but anyway, it''s enough for now.


    "...How about you take a bath?"


    The two girls lightly nodded but shook their heads. They want to but they can''t.


    "Let me help," Varian took them to the bathroom and washed them off.


    At first, they panicked that round N was going to repeat.


    But it was purely just a bath without any other intentions. And a very caring and delicate bath at that.


    It was a weird feeling for certain. Having their lover bathe them. It should''ve been shameful but after everything that happened in the past three days...it seemed normal?


    Sarah bit her lip as she looked at Varian carefully rinsing her arms, then her small waist all the way down to her legs.


    ''I...I should be screaming now...but why am I silent and even enjoying this?'' Looking at Varian''s expression, Sarah''s heart fluttered.


    If the physical activity until now brought them closer, this small act of intimate caring pushed her beyond the limit.


    Exhaling softly, Sarah crossed her arms around Varian''s arms and looked into his eyes.


    Varian seemed to have understood her intention and kissed her lightly and patted her back, "The space gate is done. It''ll take an hour or two to test it. Rest till then. We''ll soon be returning to earth."


    Sarah nodded and in a royal golden bath towel that resembled her hair, she was ced on a new bed next to Sia.


    "See you soon!" Varian waved his hand and disappeared.


    Sarah nced at Sia who was sleeping with a satisfied smile and murmured "Wuv you, wuv you, ehehe~" with a weird expression.


    ''She''s fallenpletely,'' Sarah sighed and ced her hand on her chest.


    What about her? Did shepletely fall too?


    Her throbbing heart gave the answer.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''It''s like a dream,'' The sky suddenly got cloudy but it didn''t rain. Instead, a gentle breeze blew and wrapped her infort.


    ''Wasn''t it very sunny? Why the sudden change...'' Sarah opened her mouth as she realized a man changed the weather for her.


    ''Bad guy...treating me like a baby,'' Sarah closed her eyes and drifted into sleep with a small smile, ''My lovely, lovely bad guy.''


    As Sarah fell asleep, Sia rolled on the bed and opened her eyes lightly, and stretched her arms for a hug, "Var, Var..."


    No response came. He''s gone.


    "Really..." Sia bit her lip and buried her head in the pillow. "That blockhead! Wood!"


    She gave many ''hints'' when they were alone at home. But Varian never made any advancements.


    Imagine the most beautiful girl in your school or college living with you and giving several deliberate invitations. As long as you''re not a piece of wood, you''d know she''s inviting you for fun.


    But Varian was a piece of wood. Even when she asked him to get into the washroom to help her bathe when she was slightly sick, he sent a cleaning bot!


    It seemed like it couldn''t get any worse. But several more shocking events happened that Sia doesn''t even want to recall about.


    At least now, he''s saying ''Wait until marriage.''


    "Bad guy," Sia closed her eyes again as she fell into afortable sleep.


    The bad guy was now teleporting to the space gate far away.


    Since he''s residing in the pce, the space gate facility was shifted to a different location a few days ago.


    On his way, Varian sighed deeply as the memories of the past three days continued to sh in his mind endlessly.


    If even a glimpse of what happened today leaked, there''d be an uproar among men of the federation.


    While most struggle to getid with someone even half, no, even a quarter as beautiful as Sia or Sarah, he had them both.


    And not just that, he had them both together. Even though polygamy was normal, it''s one thing to have two wives, but something entirely different to be intimate with them on the same bed at the same time. This was especially true among the more noble women. With intense rivalry, they wouldn''t even see each other''s faces.


    So, the interaction within the harem was almost always one-on-one.


    But Varian broke this rule on his first attempt.


    And not only did he do it without any problem, thanks to Varian''s body and ntae paths that formed a synergic rtion, he unknowingly became a sex monster.


    Both Sia and Sarah were somewhat afraid to approach him alone after this incident.


    In any of the subsequent intimate acts, it''s highly likely that they''de in together.


    Varian was just a step away from his dream threesome.


    "Aye, my burden, I will carry this heavy burden with all my energy~" Varian sighed as he stepped into the space gate faculty.


    "Burden? What burden, My Lord? I will share all your burdens!" An enthusiastic old guy greeted him first.


    Varian''s eyes turned cold and the old guy turned upside down, "It''s mine. And mine alone."


    "?!" The old guy didn''t understand what he did wrong. But he nodded furiously, "Yes, yes. I misspoke. It''s totally yours, My Lord!"


    "Stay like that for a week and repent," Varian said and stepped forward.


    What greeted him was the sight of tired craftsmen who didn''t seem to have had any sleep for the past three days.


    Seeing him, their eyes lit up and they separated to the sides.


    "Woah!"


    In front of Varian, a silverly circr entrance was shining brightly as the space around it twisted and morphed.


    --- -- ---


    (A/N: It''s not full smut, but it''s my first. I hope it didn''t ruin the flow of the story. I''m a bit nervous about how it came out. Your feedback is appreciated.

 Chapter 957 Journey Back Home

    It''s a journey they were craving since they first stepped into this world. But when the time finally came, Sarah and Sia were hesitating. Even Varian felt his chest tighten in fear.


    Part of the reason he was so mad and indulgent for the past three days was to divert himself from this bubbling fear.


    ording to his estimates, it''s almost a year since he awakened ording to earth''s timeline!


    This scared Varian to no end.


    All the ridiculous dangers, plots, conspiracies, secret deals, and betrayals happened in just three to four months of time after he awakened.


    Thinking back now, it''s crazy how long every week seemed because of how many things were happening.


    They were just months but they felt like decades. In fact, such events didn''t even happen for decades!


    For the first time since the first Abyss-Human War, Humans were in danger of extinction twice in the first half of the year!


    Varian was away for most of the second half!


    Perhaps everything already ended. Humans were done for and the Abyssals conquered the sr system, extracted the legacy, and even left!


    "Fuck!" Varian cursed under his breath. It''s because there''s a real possibility for something like that to happen.


    ''If that happens,'' Varian took a deep breath and his eyes shone with the coldness of a beast, ''I''lle to your world and kill you all!''


    ''Even you, Abyss Emperor!'' Varian ced his hand on his heart and felt the sealed strand of energy.


    After he became the Lord of this world, he managed to seal the death strand. It was no longer hurting him and the danger of death was over.


    And he also had another trump card. He could unlock the seal and once he does that, he''d have to use up all the power of the death strand.


    ''It''ll cross the range of a Sovereign and will be as strong as the blow of a Celestial Ranker,'' Varian was saving the trump card for his main enemy and hoped that he wouldn''t have to use it.


    "Lord, thest trial is sessful," The oldest grandmaster said with an excited smile.


    Varian put aside his thoughts and walked to the space gate with Sarah and Sia.


    With each step he took, his heart grew tense.


    He stopped at thest moment and said, "Erm, how about you two stay here? I''ll check the situation there and take you. Anyway, Hortus is connected to me now."


    "No! We''re returning with you!" Sarah disagreed without hesitation.


    "If you''re worried the federation might already be gone, and we can''t digest the truth, you''re wrong. We''re prepared to see the worst," Sia grabbed his hand and said with a serious face.


    "Ugh," Varian groaned in frustration and finally nodded, "If things go south, we can always return here. But stick close to me or else I can''t teleport you with me."


    Thanks to the power of a Lord, he could ''return'' to Hortus from anywhere in the Universe. The precondition is that he shouldn''t be attacked spatially or temporally when he''s taking off. He could also others with him, given that they''re not too far away.


    It''s like a safe haven. Even if humans repaired the space gate from their side, they wouldn''t be able to enter the world without Varian''s permission.


    Since the trial was already finished, no ''participants'' would be taken in either.


    As promised, Varian gave the craftsmen precious items, treasures, and elixirs. All of them were taken from the royal treasury of course.


    The craftsmen, young and old, smiled sheepishly as they held the precious reward in their arms like it was a delicate baby.


    "Maybe it''ll take less than a year before you can travel to the outside," Varian gave them another good news.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Glory to the Lord!"


    "Victory to the Lord!"


    "You are the greatest!"


    Hearing the cheers, Varian shrugged," Just pray that I don''t die before then."


    The cheers stopped and the enthusiastic expressions on the craftsmen''s faces froze.


    "L-Lord, you''re joking, right?"


    "Right?! What could happen to you?"


    "Exactly! It''s a joke, ahahaha!"


    But Varian''s face remained serious, "I''m not joking. I might really die. If that happens, maybe the trial will resume again."


    "Fuck!" The oldest craftsman, the most elegant of them all, the gentleman known for his refined temperament mmed his head against the wall and cursed.


    The rest were in worse shape.


    Some fainted straight away while a few older ones coughed out blood. A few even started crying.


    "Um," Varian scratched his cheek and turned to Sarah who was looking at him with a chiding gaze, "I was just being honest!"


    "Too much honesty is not a good thing. It''s okay to lie sometimes," Sarah sighed.


    "And you did lie to us multiple times before, didn''t you? Even though it''s for good reasons," Sia gave a smile that wasn''t really a smile.


    "Technically, I never lied." Varian stood his ground.


    With a sigh, the two gave up arguing and held his hand.


    As they took another step forward, everything turned silver and they appeared in a space tunnel.


    It waspletely dark outside so they didn''t even know if they were moving or staying still.


    But unlike the space tunnel, they came in, this one was much safer. There were no cracks, no space turbulence, and certainly no space currents. Even if they stayed here for a year, they wouldn''t have to worry about the space currents devouring them.


    "We''ll be there in a few minutes," Varian said.


    Sarah and Sia closed their eyes and meditated, preparing themselves forbat.


    ''I have to explore the other two special zones of Hortus,'' Varian closed his eyes and sat in a lotus position, ''Especially the Space-Time one.''


    But since they''re aboratory, he''d have to gain separate permission to control that area. How? Just like he did in the Twilight Zone.


    It''s dangerous even for the current him and Varian decided to put it off for now.


    ''400 seconds more, 395 seconds more, 390¡­'' As he counted the ETA, Varian feared and anticipated the state of his home world.


    And in a tiny corner of his mind, he also wondered what the heck happened since he disappeared.

 Chapter 958 The Changes: The Army

    Much has changed since Varian disappeared. It''s just been a little longer than three months but it felt like a decade.


    The first significant event that happened after his departure was the ceasefire. The Emperor''s order was to prevent any unnecessary sacrifice. Even though they wanted to duke it out, the Abyss Rulers obliged the Emperor''s decree.


    After a week of back and forth, things returned to normal though there was nothing normal about it.


    The army units had to reshuffle because of the casualties, recruits were inducted in advance, and promotions were hastened to fill in the gaps of the dead officers.


    This major shift involved many factors and had far-reaching effects. But it paled inparison to the fundamental shifts that the human army underwent vis-¨¤-vis the abyssals.


    Out of the almost 500oids in total, 430 were wrestled for by both Humans and Abyssals. Abyssals controlled 20 while humans gained 50. More than 30 of these 50oids came from thest war!


    In theoids that Varian conquered, the human army was the sole force. These emptyoids were filled up with newly recruited reserves and would serve asunchpads for any future operations.


    Forget the strength of the army deployed on theseoids, the existence of such a force was enough to deter the abyssals on the nearbyoids. If they try anything funny, they''d be hunted by these hounds.


    Some people proposed using the new recruits to join the existing forces on otheroids and push back the abyssals bit by bit.


    The proposal was rejected after much thought.


    Firstly, these new recruits were still too weak to put heavy pressure on the abyssals. The heavy lifting would''ve to be done by the veterans. And even with them working together, it''d take at least a month of proper fighting to destroy aoid.


    Secondly, the human forces still had nightmares of the Undead. If they go for mass killing and the Undead reappear¡­


    And the third and most important reason¡ªif they follow this n, many new recruits would die. Rather than following that violent n, if these new recruits grow up, they''d be much more helpful.


    The prime consideration for this reasoning was a finding reported by the academy of military sciences: Humans were getting stronger rtive to abyssals.


    A level 8 human of the old generation was slightly weaker than their abyssal counterpart. A level 8 human of the current generation was almost equal. And the new generation would be slightly stronger.


    Even though the gap wasn''t very big, if enough numbers were present, then humanity would have a decisive edge.


    For instance, instead of hundred humans needed for a hundred abyssals, if only ny were enough, the remaining ten would be the game changers.


    Of course, this ''difference in strength'' was much lower and not too wide.


    Realistically, ny humans would be enough for a hundred abyssals, and that ''one'' human would be the extra force.


    And even after a few more generations of development, it''s not like a typical human would be able to beat up two or three abyssals of his level.


    Even the optimistic projections predict a hundred humans equaling a hundred and five abyssals.


    Anyway, the deployment of the army in theoids, the control ofoids, and almost everything rted changed in a big or small way.


    The next significant event was the funerals.


    Only six people got the highest level funeral. It''s not an egotisticalpetition of treating one as superior and the other as inferior based on levels. Every life sacrificed was important and even sacred.


    However, the level signified the importance of what the martyr traded their lives for. For saving humanity twice, Varian was given the highest level there is. And if a higher level gets created one day, he''d get that too.


    Most of his achievements were kept secret given the sensitivity of the issue. If the normal public were to know how close humanity got close to extinction, there''d be unbearable tension and fear.


    Yet, people did know that a very young man named Varian received the highest level of the funeral there is.


    They only knew that he sacrificed his life to stop an Abyssal that was on the verge of bing a Sovereign.<novelnext></novelnext>


    And the number of dead heroes was too many. So, even though people were curious about Varian''s odd case, they moved on after not finding much information about him.


    And most of them weren''t even in the mood to pry.


    Watching the final rites of tens of millions of martyrs was already heartbreaking. New memorial halls were built across thes.


    In each city of each, people gathered in the central parks to pay homage to the Bravehearts.


    The graves were drowned in the sea of flowers.


    And tears.


    Almost everyone knew a family that lost someone. A father, a daughter, a son, a grandfather, a sister. There were even some unfortunate families that were only left with young kids.


    For these people that saw their family members as heroes, the war taught them the price of heroism.


    The eulogies were perhaps the most depressing and almost prideful periods of this century.


    Veterans that wouldn''t flinch even if their skin burned off cried in grief remembering the lostrades.


    Old, middle-aged, young¡­it didn''t matter. The grief engulfed everyone.


    Every city lost heroes.


    Every neighborhood discovered a person that would no longer be visiting every year for a dozen weeks.


    The tragedy of so many lives filled the air with heavy grief. But amidst that grief was also a bursting pride.


    Pride of being a warrior, of dying in a fight, of protecting something.


    In a world where most do things they don''t like just to live, dying for something you like and believe in¡ªrace, civilization, consciousness, loved ones¡ªwas a luxury only a few could make.


    Perhaps it was a careless romanticization by the drunk philosophers, but the sobriety these deaths brought to the young men and women of the society didn''t depress them into fear of death.


    Rather, they rose up to meet the challenge.


    The human spirit was rekindled and the new generation that was slowly growingcent thanks to the ''inevitability'' of them outgrowing abyssals in a decade or two woke up.


    They realized that if they don''t do everything they could, there was a significant chance that abyssals would finish them off before this decade.


    The military academies were flooded with new admission requests like never before. The federation released all the resources from the treasury it could to strengthen the armed forces, especially the uing geniuses.


    Many wealthy corporations and individuals pooled their resources into critical technologies in hopes of contributing their bit. Some selfish individuals didn''t. Then they''re ''requested'' by the federation to do so and had toply.


    As a direct consequence of this war, the federation worked like a war machine and pooled its resources together to race ahead.


    The abyssals, by creating a lot of death and destruction, only ended up making their enemy more determined.


    Even the Abyssal Rulers were clear about the changes in human society. Whatever they do, they''d have to do it soon.


    Otherwise, at the current pace, in just a few years, humanity would be out of their control.

 Chapter 959 The Changes: Competent Scientists, Clueless Strategists

    A month had passed Varian since disappeared.


    Kyle locked himself up in his privateb room. Even though Boo revealed that it had a more sophisticatedb that came with the added benefit of high mobility, Kyle refused and picked his own basementb.


    Every time he saw Boo, every minute he stayed on that ship, he was reminded of its owner.


    Even though Boo informed him from time to time that Varian was alive, he realized that the distance was too long for the information to be verified.


    Whatever Boo might be ''feeling'' through their connection might just be a remnant of his dead friend.


    So, Kyle worked in his own secret ce with the help of Dr. Tom and Maya.


    "A drop of Varian''s blood and a drop of Enigma''s," In the pure whiteb room, Kyle nced at the shining blood drops floating above the table and frowned.


    Even if he followed Enigma''s instructions and created potions, he''d only make two. What could two potions do?


    "The best usage of these potions would be creating two Sovereigns," Maya in her oversized pink coat said as she continued to stare at the huge virtual screen with numerous readings.


    "Creating two new Sovereigns can solve all problems, but¡­" Kyle said as he used aser beam to separate a droplet of blood and processed it the way Enigma instructed.


    Dr. Tom overlooked the entire process, ensuring all the critical adjustments when necessary. After a few thousand precise steps, the droplet turned pale blue.


    Kyle ran another set of tests and the results showed up on the virtual screen in front of Maya.


    Maya studied the readings with hope but her eyes soon grew disappointed and she let out a sigh. Kyle was already familiar with this sigh and didn''t feel sad about it anymore.


    Rather, he nced at the blood drops and said, "We used up 10% of their blood drops for these tests. For some reason, we can''t replicate Enigma in these potion-making despite following the exact same steps. Our potions are still very potent but not as effective as Enigma''s. Even if we give them to peak level 9, we won''t get a Sovereign in less than a year."


    "Two Sovereigns in over a year is still a great deal," Maya turned around in her chair and looked at him with a serious expression, "We''ve tried again and again and failed. We just can''t make a potion that can push a peak level 9 to a Sovereign in a month or two.


    Even Thomas tried his best and failed. Kyle, we shouldn''t waste any more droplets and just give the potions and wait for two Sovereigns in a year. We''ll be solving the abyssal threat permanently. Just do it. The more droplets we waste, the longer the promotion would be."


    Kyle clutched his hair and growled. Maya''s words made perfect sense.


    The best usage of these potions would be to send them to peak level 9s and make them Sovereigns in a year.


    Two new peak level 9s wouldn''t matter much in the grand scheme of things. But two Sovereigns will flip the board and end this game for good.


    "I''vepiled the list of the best peak level 9s," Maya swiped her finger up and arge screen popped up showing a huge database of thirty peak level 9s.


    There''s no way Maya could''ve got this secretive list herself. Like it always did, Boo helped.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Is this really okay? If we give the potions to them, then it''s over," Kyle ruffled his hair in frustration.


    "This is the most output generation for this limited resource,"


    "Yeah, but what if we need that output, that power in a shorter time?" Kyle pped his thigh and looked at Maya, "What if an emergency pops up? The emergency can be solved with more peak level 9s. Anything can happen this year. It''s nuts. So, we might not even have the luxury of waiting one year. Boo told us too."


    Indeed, Boo briefly informed them about the dangers Varian solved for the Human race. It''s just¡­terrifying.


    If that much could happen in the first half of the year, the next half certainly wouldn''t be peaceful.


    That''s why¡­


    "Hm," Maya bit her lip as she considered his argument. Given the constant dangers of this year, they might really not survive another year. Not without Varian.


    Thinking about Varian, Maya closed her eyes and suppressed the sadness in her heart.


    "W-What would brother do if he was here?" She asked out loud, "Would he give the potion to peak level 9s or split it to make more peak level 9s for emergencies?"


    Kyle thought for a moment before shaking his head with a smile, "None. He doesn''t need any. That bastard does everything by himself."


    "¡­You''re right," Maya''s face was mixed with pride and frustration.


    ''If only he''s here¡­'' The thought slipped across their minds countless times. But Varian already did everything he should. He even went above and beyond to prepare a safety for humanity in the scenario he died.


    From a man who did so much, they just couldn''tin for more. It''s not justified.


    "If we split the blood drops, we can make less potent but faster potions and create a couple of peak level 9s fast. If we dilute it, we can also make level 8s and level 7s," Maya tapped her chin, "If we dilute it to a millionth, a lot more level 7s can take it and grow faster."


    "But they won''t necessarily advance with that much dilution. It''ll be solely up to their current level and efforts," Kyle slumped into his chair, "Dammit, I can make moreplex potions, but I don''t know which potions to make. I think we''ll need advice."


    "Who do we ask?" Maya closed the virtual screen and stood up. "Sovereign Irene? Sovereign Kevin? Or others?"


    Boo got all the contacts and could keep them safe duringmunication. So, there''s no worry about being found.


    "No, not them," Kyle threw his coat to the bot, stretched his body, and walked to the exit of theb.


    "Then who?" Maya followed.


    Kyle opened the door and said, "Retired General¡­Evander Albert."

 Chapter 960 Man With A Mission

    "Sia asked me to give this to you¡­in case something happened to them."


    An exquisite blue potion appeared in Evander''s hands.


    "Something¡­what happened to them?" Evander took a deep breath and asked. He saw their names in the ''Martyrs'' list already. Varian''s was in the highest level of the funeral there is.


    But Evander told himself that this must be fake. That boy wouldn''t die. He faced many dangerous situations and came out alive. This war wouldn''t swallow him.


    And he promised to take care of his daughter. He wouldn''t break the promise. No, he wouldn''t.


    So with a desperate eagerness, Evander waited for Boo''s answer.


    Whatever the media and even the Sovereigns say regarding Varian could be false. But Boo wouldn''t lie. Boo woul¡ª


    "Master fell into a space crack. Sia and Sarah jumped in for him." Boo''s words struck Evander like lightning.


    Evander''s vision froze for a moment before it twisted and turned a grayish red. Before he knew it, Evander was clenching his fists and staring nkly in the direction of Despair Abyss.


    ''Sarah¡­Varian¡­Sia,'' Evander felt as if he was watching the three children fight the dangerous abyssals.


    They risked their lives when they absolutely didn''t have to. As a general, Evander naturally had enough patriotism to die for the federation. But when his daughter and apprentices did the same, he felt ufortable.


    They should''ve lived a peaceful life. They''re still so young. They haven''t experienced anything.


    ''If I only went with them¡­dammit!'' A mouthful of hot blood rose to Evander''s throat and he had to suppress it back.


    He didn''t remain still during the war and fought anonymously. As a result, he incurred enough injuries. Despite that, he med himself for what happened to the three.


    Ghostship rose into the air, "Thisst will was just insurance by them¡­but not anymore. Please use the power in your hands to fulfill their aspirations."


    Evander looked at the blue potion in his hands and nodded. Without another word, he headed to the ruins of Jupiter.


    Like all ruins, its areas were divided into Explored, Partially Explored and Unexplored.


    Evander ignored all the explored regions and went into the partially explored ones. The first region he visited was Fairy''s Road.


    The entrance was a green portal. At any given time, only ten people could enter. They''d be transported to a forest inhabited by finger-sized creatures called Fairies. These things looked very much like humans but had wings and lived in flowers.


    The space around Evander shed; the next moment, he appeared on a white crystal road.


    The road passed through a dense forest with tall trees and leaves that shone as if they were made of ss. Strangely, two feet on either side of the forest was in soil without even a de of grass.


    The challenge here was the light gates that popped up on the road every ten miles.


    Evander''s figure appeared in front of the first gate. It was like a wall of a violetser beam.


    As Evander stepped forward, the gate shone with a strong light and sted a powerful beam.


    "Haa~"


    Evander swirled to the side and dodged the attack. The gate continued to shine and moreser beams shot at him.


    Using his high agility, Evander kept dodging the attacks without much movement.


    Due to the restrictions of this ce, flying was prohibited. Nor was it advisable to step out of the ''road''. If he did, he''d be eliminated right away.


    So, Evander did the only thing he could do. He dodged the attacks while approaching the gate.


    Once it was in his range, Evander''s fist sted through the air like a cannonball and broke the gate.


    A violet fairy, the size of his little finger, appeared in front of him. As she pped her tiny wings, violet sparks emitted out.


    It was a beautiful sight. But the fairy''s eyes were impassive and even looked a bit lifeless.


    "Ask." Her voice directly sounded in his mind.


    "Strength," Evander answered without hesitation.


    The fairy shook her head, "Your internal injuries have eaten your chances of moving forward. You''ve hit your ceiling."


    Evander''s eyes darkened.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "But the world is full of wonders. I cannot give you the solution, but maybe someone can," The fairy said and disappeared.


    Evander shot forward and reached the next wall in a breath. At the same time, the gate behind him was restored.


    The next gate was Indigo. Its attack beams were significantly stronger than the first gate. It''s lethal enough that a single hit could vaporize a level 8.


    As a peak level 9, Evander had the luxury of taking hits. Especially as a Heal fighter, injuries shouldn''t really bother him.


    But he spent more time to avoid even the smallest of injuries and proceeded.


    "It''s very hard to make any progress. I cannot help."


    "It''s hard indeed. Maybe Green, no, even she can''t do this. Yellow, perhaps?"


    Evander passed the gates of Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green and finally reached the Yellow fairy.


    "Hm, your problem can be cured. But it''d take more than a hundred years."


    Evander''s face which grew brighter in the first half copsed with the second half. He scolded himself for being so excited so easily.


    Fairy''s Road wasn''t a secret to high awakeners. The reward this ce provided was ''guidance''. Each awakener could receive the guidance just once.


    ''If it''s really so easy to learn anything and solve any problem just bying to Yellow fairy, everyone would''ve reached the Sovereign state,'' Evander sighed.


    Each fairy was significantly wiser than the previous one. Typically, level 7s and level 8s would benefit from Violet to Yellow fairies. Thest two, Orange and Red were the best bet for level 9s.


    Technically, Yellow Fairy had a solution. But a solution that''d take a hundred years was useless.


    Forget whether the abyssals would spare humans until then, he himself would be dead.


    For one, he''s not a Sovereign to have a long lifespan. Two, his internal injuries¡ªthe main reason he couldn''t be a Sovereign¡ªwould ensure he wouldn''t live for more than a decade.


    So, Evander went to the Orange gate. And fought hard. Unlike the other gates, he couldn''t avoid theser beams and got hit.


    Every time he tried to approach the gate and smash it down, thesers pushed him away.


    It felt like walking against a flood. If he got distracted even for a moment, he''d be swept away.


    "Arghh!" Evander spat the blood into the air as aser beam sted a hole in his stomach and shook his insides.


    Aser beam vaporized the blood upon contact and passed dangerously close to Evander''s neck. Evander''s injuries were healing quickly and despite his setbacks, he finally destroyed the gate.


    The Orange fairy appeared in front of him and said, "There is a special herb that grows in the highest mountains of Kalors. If you soak it in the liquefied aura for a month and take it, your internal injuries will disappear in five years."


    "F-Five?" Evander looked at her with shaking eyes. The injuries on his body were healing up and the blood on his body was drying up. But drenched in red from head to toe, he was scary.


    "Yes. This is the fastest method I know. And mind you, gaining that herb wouldn''t be easy either. You have to risk your life. There''s less than a 30% chance you might actually get it."


    "¡­"


    The fairy thought he was scared of the chances and added, "I can reveal a safer method. But it''ll take longer. The underground ins¡ª"


    "I''m not hesitating because it''s risky. If it was before, I would''ve backed away from risking my life. But I don''t have anything holding me back now," Evander shook his head with a wry smile. "Is there a faster way? Five years is too long. Even five months is. One month is the most I think I can afford to stay away. Even that is fraught with risks."


    "Faster? Even faster?"


    ? "Yes."


    "Do you even understand what you''re asking for? The injuries that festered in you for years are so deep that they altered the flow of your aura and are eating away your vitality. Can such a problem be solved in a month? It''s impossible. Not only me, but even Red doesn''t have a solution for that."


    Evander fell silent for a moment, before crossing his arms and pointing out with a smile, "You''re mistaking something, aren''t you? I never asked you to heal my injuries. I just want strength."


    The Orange fairy looked at him with a thoughtful gaze, "Then are you ready to pay the price for having strength that isn''t rightfully obtained?"


    "Indubitably."


    "It''s a precious method that I don''t have ess to. But Red can tell you. However, no one has been able to meet her. Even the ones much stronger than you."

 Chapter 961 Death Over Helplessness

    The reason Fairy''s Road was treated as ''Partially Explored'' was for this very reason.


    No one had been able to clear the Red Gate. Not even the Sovereigns. Luckily, they were able to return intact despite major injuries and spread the word.


    Still, many level 9s were reckless and lost their lives.


    Evander wasn''t stronger than any of the Sovereigns that tried their best here. He had no chance of winning. If he''s lucky, he could return alive. If he''s unlucky, he''d die there.


    He''d die without avenging his daughter and disciples.


    But if he returned, then he''d continue to be a peak level 9. Powerless in the grand scheme of things and unable to deal a decisive blow to the abyssals.


    If he went forward, it''d most likely be death.


    If he went back, it''d be a life of helplessness.


    Between death and helplessness, Evander chose death.


    Watching his receding back, the Orange fairy pursed her lips and frowned, "Strange."


    This man had a strangely familiar aura. No, it''s not his aura. It''s the scent of someone else''s aura.


    "I hope he can return back safely," Orange fairy muttered. "The istion has driven red crazy."


    Even when Julius came here, he had to return empty-handed.


    The difference between Julius and Evander was more than evident. If the former couldn''t do it, thetter had no chance.


    Evander headed to the final gate on the Fairy''s Road with a determined heart.


    A menacing red gate that had sharp razor teeth as its door greeted him. Upon his arrival, the mouth opened and cackled like a demon.


    "What the¡­" Evander clenched his fists and was about to reach it in a sh when heavy pressure filled the air.


    Everything in his vision turned red and then turned dark.


    The colorful sky, the beautiful forest, and the pristine road all disappeared and Evander found himself standing in front of a devilish red gate.


    The gate suddenly lit up and Evander''s body turned taut like a bowstring.


    But instead of aser beam, a soundless, tangible wave of¡­something reached Evander. He tried to dodge it but failed.


    The very next moment, a very strong urge to flee, almost to the point of an obsession surged in Evander''s heart. Even his body was screaming at him to turn around and return. His mind, always sharp andposed, grew dull and chaotic.


    "He, Ha, Ihihi," The Red Gate''sughter sounded like the brittle collision of metals, and its teeth gnashed with the sound of chalk screeching against a board.


    Evander''s body tensed up with goosebumps and his mind instinctively made him step back.


    This was a mental attack that far surpassed anything he had seen until now. Kreo had to control his consciousness to control his body. But this red gate controlled his mind and body even while he was awake.


    "D-Da..mn!" Evander could feel the power of the red gate. It wasn''t too powerful than Orange. He could smash it if he used all his strength.


    B-But¡­


    ? "Arghh!" Evander clutched his head and screamed. Veins popped up on his forehead and his eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. Every muscle contracted and every nerve in his body shook like a string on a violin.


    Evander desperately wanted to run away. But Sarah''s face kept shing in his mind.


    "S-Sar..a¡­" Tears rolled down Evander''s cheeks as he once again faced the fact that his daughter died.


    The little girl just became an adult. She didn''t even get to enjoy life. She fell in love with a guy and gave up her life for him.


    "Stu..pid..g..arl¡­" Blood leaked out of Evander''s mouth as he stared at the


    menacing red gate with a determined smile.


    The fear was still there in his heart. His body still wanted him to escape. But Evander decided.


    Today, he''d either seed or die trying.


    "Aaaa!" Evander roared from the bottom of his lungs and stepped forward in that horrifying pressure.


    The veins in his forehead instantly burst apart and his legs bent down in strange angles as the cracks of bones breaking rang.


    Evander''s healing kicked into y and after a few minutes, he took another step.


    The red gate''sughter grew louder and it didn''t even bother to use thesers against him. Its scary lips and sharp teeth turned into a mocking smile and the pressure over Evander suddenly rose.


    As Evander was taking another step, he copsed onto his knees and spat out a mouthful of blood.


    His entire body waspressed by an invisible force that pressed him from all directions. His mind continuously yed his imaginations of Sarah''s death.


    With every second, his body and mind were growing weaker and urged at him to run away from this scary ce.


    Under this terrible pressure, the only thing that kept Evander going was his own will to avenge Sarah and his healing power.


    He tried getting onto his feet once again but copsed midway. Gritting his teeth, he crawled forward.


    With each movement, his body convulsed and pain from every corner of his being struck his head, nearly paralyzing him.


    In the endless darkness, he crawled to the red gate.


    The red fairy standing behind the gate observed him with cold eyes, "Weak, weak, weak!"


    She clenched her tiny fist and yelled, "Get up! Be strong! Why are you crawling? You think can win like this? Pathetic! You lose!"


    Once Evander crossed the threshold and was only a hundred meters away from the gate, the red light intensified and fiveser beams began to charge.


    "N-No!"


    Sensing the danger, Evander pulled all his strength to barely get back onto his feet. But he staggered and almost fell.


    He couldn''t even stand properly and began to stagger forward as if he was walking with jelly feet.


    With another maniacalughter, the gate shot fiveser beams.


    Evander immediately bent down and sidestepped, dodging foursers. The fifth burnt a fist-sized hole in his right shoulder.


    "Ihi, aha, heha!" Following another burst ofughter, five moresers reached him.


    This time, a fist-sized hole burnt in Evander''s left shoulder.


    For the next ten minutes, Evander protected his vitals but ended up getting hit by at least one or moreser beams every time.


    As a result, his injuries piled up at a far faster rate than his healing could keep up with and he was shot into a sieve.


    Evander was about to reach his limit. Just one more attack and he''d copse.


    And the saddest part about this was that he didn''t even advance an inch during this whole time. He did go forward sometimes, but he was quickly sted back. After all, the closer he was to the gate, the fiercer the attacks.


    The hundred-meter distance seemed short but it was an uncrossable gulf.


    "Eh, aha, hihi,"


    Evander''s body tensed up and he stared at the five beams that were charging.


    ''Is this it?''


    Yes, he could barely move his body one more time. And then he''d copse. It''s over. This is it. This is how he''d die.


    Evander pushed the final bits of his strength into his legs and stared at thesers with a mad gaze.


    ''Now!''

 Chapter 962 Scent Of An Important Person

    The moment thesers shot toward him, Evander jumped forward. It''s useless, he couldn''t avoid thesers. That''s why he didn''t do that before.


    But now, he didn''t intend to avoid thesers anymore.


    Rather, he pushed through threesers and copsed just a few feet away from the gate.


    The price for his brave stunt was enormous.


    Half of Evander''s heart was burnt.


    His arms, which he used to protect his head from thesers, were vaporized all the way to his shoulders.


    And half of his torso was missing.


    It was only a matter of seconds before he''d die. And even though he was just an arm''s length away from the gate, he didn''t even have the energy to lift a fingertip.


    The Red fairy behind the gate sighed in frustration, "This one too. No one, no one talks to me. It''s been long. So long. Dammit!"


    Her gaze turned to Evander who was on the verge of death and she smiled in anger, "You ipetent bastard! Why did youe so close and copse? Raise your head and smash the gate! Tear it down! Arghh! You fool! Why did even I think you might do something? Bastard!"


    Evander''s consciousness began to copse and darkness began to consume him.


    He could see the red gate so close in his blurry vision but he no longer had any strength.


    No, even if he''s stronger, he''d have died. Not just him, anyone, even a Sovereign would be pushed to near death if they managed toe this close.


    Sovereigns would certainly be better off than him reaching the same position, sure. But then what? The attacks from the gate would continue. And they''d be too injured to fight back. That''s the reason no one cleared the red gate!


    As his vision darkened, Sarah''s image shed in Evander''s mind. She was standing with Sia and Varian.


    Sarah was staring at him with a pout, asking if he was going to die just like that. Varian was giving him a disappointed look while Sia was staring at him with something in her hand.


    It was a small bottle with a blue liquid¡ª


    ''The potion!''


    "Haa!" Evander used thest bit of his consciousness to retrieve the potion. The blue liquid poured into his mouth automatically.


    The potion was supposed to improve talent and facilitate faster breakthroughs.


    Evander didn''t take it so far because of his internal injuries. Without solving his internal injuries, the potion wouldn''t be of any use.


    But this was the only thing he could do now. So, he took it in ast-ditch attempt. As a result, a soothing sensation washed over him.


    The energy that was supposed to go for improving his talent went to healing and energizing him. Since it contained traces of sliver powers, the effect was marvelous.


    Evander''s heart healed in an instant and his most critical injuries started recovering quickly. His arms didn''t regenerate in an instant but the potion''s energy filled his body.


    Evander could sense that the energy in him was temporary and it was going to leave his body in a breath.


    It''s like pouring water into a broken cup. The water was going to flow out. But it''d remain in the cup for a moment.


    And this is the moment!


    The gate was charging thirtyser beams and was about tounch them. But before it could, Evander smashed his head to the gate and broke it.


    Then, the energy left his body and he copsed with worse injuries. And in his attack, he inevitably came in contact withsers and got way more serious injuries.


    Even with all his healing powers and the potion aiding him, he''d die in five seconds.


    "Hm," Red fairy stared at the man that lost his arms, legs, and almost half of his torso and even got a fatal head injury with aplicated expression.


    After so much time, someone finally reached her. Someone could finally talk to her. But that person was going to end up dying before he said even a word.


    Red fairy covered her face and began to sob. If she had a choice, she''d kill herself. The loneliness was too much to bear. But she couldn''t even do that. She didn''t have ''permission'' to kill herself.


    She''s a tool, an amusement, that''s supposed to fulfill its role. That''s all there was to her existence.


    But she''s not just a tool. She¡­had her own likes and dislikes. She liked the pink flowers, not the purple ones. In her empty time, she liked to dream of the day when she''d be freed from this ce forever. In the wildest of her dreams, she''d go and meet a lot of people!


    They''d all smile and cheer for her. And then they''d speak. And speak¡­but what?


    That was the end of her dreams.


    She never spoke to anyone. So, she had no idea how people even spoke to each other. All she had were some memories¡ªan inheritance¡ªthat allowed her to function properly.


    But she couldn''t even imagine how it must feel to speak to someone.


    Red fairy nced at the dying Evander with a struggling expression. There were rules she and every fairy had to follow. Breaking them would result in punishment. Confinement for a hundred years was normal for light mistakes.


    If she really dared to save this man, then maybe not only her but the other six fairies would also die.


    Even though Red fairy never talked to them¡­she treated them as her younger sisters and didn''t want to push them into trouble.


    They''re having a good life, talking to people regrly, and having fun. So¡­what right does she have to ruin their life for her selfishness?


    As Red fairy prepared to return to her lonely residence, her nose wrinkled and she ''sniffed'' something.


    A scent of someone on the dying man. That someone¡­was important. She didn''t know how or why, but she instinctively knew that it was someone with high authority.


    Red fairy appeared above Evander and nced at the ce with the strongest scent.


    It''s the big blue bottle!


    "Is this bottle made by that person? Eh? Ehhhh?"


    The stuff inside this bottle had nothing to do with the scent. In fact, the scent wasing from fingerprints on the bottle.


    "The hell!" Red fairy cursed.


    She could understand if it was the stuff in the bottle. But just a fingerprint¡­how is that even giving off such a strong signature?


    Who''s this person?


    The Emperor? No, maybe not the Emperor, but not far off. Or else, there''s no exnation for this ridiculous situation.


    Red fairy gulped and instinctively used her powers on Evander. The man who was almost entered the death gate was forcibly dragged out and his body started to heal at a rapid pace.


    ''C-Crown Prince? I-Is this man a rtive? But is the Empire even alive?'' Red fairy had iplete information to guess.


    But she did know that if the guest was rted to someone at the top, she could treat them ''favorably'' and receive no bacsh.


    Indeed, even after the man opened his eyes and stared at her in confusion, she was safe.


    "H-How am I alive?"


    "I can tell you a method to heal your internal injuries in six months. Take the Acadia leaf, soak it in highly concentrated aura liquid, add star powder, burn and process the potion. Drink once every week and you''ll recover."


    "I was about to die, did you save me? And I don''t need¡ª"


    "I saved you, but don''t ask me why. And I know! You want something faster! Take this technique! It can make you stronger faster but you''ll have to pay the price! You''ll need two or three weeks to start off in it! Then you can do whatever you want!" Red fairy tapped Evander''s head and a strange aura method appeared in his mind.


    "Uh-oh," Evander nodded in shock.


    This method would really work. Even though there was a price to pay, he could reach the Sovereign state with it.


    But wait, what''s up with this fairy?


    "You! Can you speak to me!" Red fairy looked at him with glittering eyes.


    "Pardon?"


    "I pardon you! You can speak now!"


    "¡­"


    "Please! Speak something! Anything! I''ve been alone for so long I thought of dying! Please! Please!" Red fairy clutched onto his neck and yelled pitifully.


    Evander looked at the cute little thing on his neck and recalled his condition before he passed out. For whatever reason, she saved him. He should repay her.


    And looking at this little fairy eager to talk to him, Evander was reminded of Sarah when she was a kid.


    She really liked spending time with him. Even her motherined about this jokingly.


    "What do you want me to talk about?"


    "Anything. Um, maybe about yourself. Who are you? What''s your story?"


    "I¡­" Evander looked up at the sky and opened his mouth.

 Chapter 963 Bitter Truths

    Evander came to Fairy Road risking his life and almost died. No, he''d have died if not for the Red fairy healing him. In return for his efforts, he cleared the trial that not even Sovereign Julius could and gained an amazing technique.


    Later, he went to other partially explored regions and got the precious materials needed for his recovery. His internal injuries would recover within four to six months.


    Once that happened, Evander was confident of reaching the Sovereign state. Even though the potion was mostly wasted on him, it still managed to push his talent beyond a threshold. It''s an intuitive feeling that he couldn''t help but trust.


    That''s the best future he could envision¡ªFour months without abyssals pulling anything dangerous.


    It''s unrealistic. Evander would rather bet on his father Albert opening up to him than abyssals staying still.


    "Varian¡­is gone. If the abyssals attack now, we can no longer hope for luck." In a virtual screen, Bali leaned back on his throne and said with aplicated expression.


    He wanted to meet and console Evander for his loss but thetter refused. Evander didn''t want to mourn. Not until he avenged them.


    "The need of the hour is another Sovereign powerhouse. If we seed, we won''t need to worry. Whatever challenge they throw at us, we can take it. If they can''t resist us, we can take the initiative and destroy them." Evander said.


    Bali smiled bitterly. "If it''s so easy, we wouldn''t even need Varian. Even with the potion that Varian gave me and the help of Heaven''s Will, I took more than a month to reach the Sovereign stage.


    The new Sovereign we need won''t have Heaven''s Will''s help. Even if we can get Varian''s or Enigma''s potion, they will need at least half a year and at most a year."


    Evander sighed. He lived for decades and witnessed many challenges humanity had to go through. But nothingpared to the existential threats they had in just these four months.


    "There won''t be any respite. Another war ising."


    "The other Sovereigns think so too. And they¡­" Bali trailed off and clenched his fists.


    "They didn''t find the thief?" Evander asked with an unsightly expression.


    "No." Bali felt like all his energy was drained to spit out that one word. "Ares of Neptune, Irene of Uranus, Micheal Caron of Jupiter, and me from Mars¡ªall of our artifacts are either missing or stolen."


    "Even if Sovereign Irene is heavily injured, I find it hard to believe anyone can just sneak up and steal the two artifacts." Evander looked Bali in the eye and said words that could lead to a civil war.


    "It''s not the abyssals. That much is certain. If it was, they''d have killed her. She woke up unconscious and in her spaceship." Bali gritted his teeth and spoke in a chilly voice.


    "It''s either a peak level 9, but most likely it''s a¡­" Evander trailed off.


    What he left out was self-evident.


    Bali closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. "A Sovereign indeed. That person didn''t kill Irene. They don''t want humanity to be destroyed. Delving any deeper into this will only invite bacsh and possibly¡­a civil war. That''s thest thing we want now. The Sovereign council decided to put this matter off indefinitely."


    Evander snorted in derision but didn''t speak anymore. If he became a Sovereign, then abyssals could be considered a finished business. Then, this Sovereign would''ve to face consequences for his actions.


    But until then¡­


    "Inform me if anything important happens," Evander said and walked out of the living room of his eerily silent mansion. "And please take care of the kids."


    Kyle and Maya were protected by Bali. After Varian''s death, many mercenary groups started hunting for Kyle and Maya. Even Kyle''s mother and Maya''s father were affected by this sudden hunt.


    Thankfully, Bali personally stepped in and dered them to be under his protection. So, even though there were still hunting teams trying to track them from time to time, the two were safe.


    Of course, Bali didn''t know the ghostship was also taking care of them. If they really fell into danger, Boo would rescue the two.


    Even if he knew that Bali would''ve done the same.


    "Take care of yourself."


    "You too."<novelnext></novelnext>


    After Evander sat on the couch and was about to meditate, an old man in a butler uniform poured him tea. But the tea overflowed from the cup and spread on the table.


    A middle-aged woman in a maid uniform put down some snacks and stood like a statue. The snacks were burnt and the te was on the edge of the table.


    Evander looked at Anna and Richard with pity.


    Anna was heartbroken after learning the news. And she spent whole days sobbing in her room. Her grief resembled his own when he lost Sam. Even though he long knew Anna treasured Sarah, seeing her breakdown made him realize that the bond between Anna and Sarah was more of a mother-child and less of a maid-mistress.


    And Richard¡­the old man served his father Albert for decades, then served him for decades and finally went to Varian this year.


    Richard was first impressed by Varian and even though they he couldn''t stay with Varian due to the boy running around frequently, the old man developed a fondness for him.


    Since Varian''s death, Richard couldn''t smile properly and was always dazed at work.


    "I''ll return by evening." Evander waved his hand and walked to the neighborhood park in the disguise of an old man.


    The atmosphere at home was too depressing that he''d rathere to a public park and meditate on a boulder.


    The park was filled with theughter of children enjoying themselves. From time to time, the adults walking in the park would make a joke and burst outughing. Couples would confess their lover. Friends would chat about their days.


    Evander''s wounded heart felt at peace in this atmosphere. And he could focus enough on the technique he got.


    ''Stage One: Exchange injuries for strength.''


    ''Stage Two: Exchange potential for strength.''


    ''State Three: Exchange vitality for strength.''


    ''Stage Four: Exchange¡ª''


    Evander frowned at the final stage. He tried to read it but he couldn''t. It felt like the words were a mosaic and there was a barrier preventing him from essing the final stage.


    After he read every word he could, Evander understood the reason. The fourth stage was much stronger than the rest and in a way, the ultimate move. To unlock it, he needed to master the first three stages.


    ''Stage One will help me deal with two or more peak level 9s.''


    ''Stage Two will make me stronger than peak level 9s but weaker than Sovereigns.''


    ''Stage Three¡­would make me bring to the strength of a Sovereign.''


    ''Then what about Stage Four?''


    Evander breathed out gently and focused on channeling his aura in a certain way.


    For the next month, in the lively neighborhood of Joral City, Mars, Evander continued to meditate.


    He mastered the first two stages and was progressing in the third.


    To his and every powerhouse''s surprise, the abyssals didn''t make a move for a whole month!


    Evander was still vignt about the uing war. But as time passed, he focused more on his progress and stopped worrying about the war.


    "Old man Albert, Grandpa Albert," A little girl named Mia called out in her cute voice.

 Chapter 964 Silent Undercurrents

    Evander opened his eyes and nced at the little girl. Even though there are many girls with blonde hair and blue eyes, this little girl had a lot of resemnce to Sarah.


    Perhaps that''s the reason why the ''silent'' grandpa who didn''t talk much in the park had no problem talking to her. Even though he wouldn''t admit it, he enjoyed every


    second of the little girl''spany.


    Sometimes, it made him wonder¡­if Sarah had a child and he became a grandpa for real, how would he feel. That feeling of anticipation rose before it was crushed and a silent grief filled Evander.


    "What is it, Mia? Do you want to hear another story?" Evander got down from the boulder and crouched down to meet the little girl''s eye-level.


    Mia threw her hands up and cheered. "I want to! I want another Hero adventure!"


    But she seemed to remember something and made a surprised face.


    "I almost forgot, that big brother and big sister are calling you." She pointed to a skinny young man and a cute young woman. Both were almost the age of his daughter.


    Evander nced at them and fell silent for a moment before he rubbed Mia''s little head and said. "Thanks! I''ll tell you a good story next time."


    "Promise?" Mia put up her little finger.


    Evander''s lips curled up and he hooked his big finger with hers. "Promise."


    "Yay!" Mia ran off to her mother with a smile.


    Evander nced at the two teenagers and nodded.


    "¡­We can either provide immediate power to many awakeners or we can use it on two peak level 9s and get a Sovereign a yearter. Which one is better?"


    ''By then, I would be a Sovereign anyway. But there''s no safety before then. So¡­''


    "Can you tweak the potion so that it only helps in clearing bottlenecks and not in progressing the existing sub level? As in, a high level 9 that hit the wall can reach peak level 9, and a beginner high level 9 doesn''t have to progress much in high level 9."


    Kyle and Maya looked at each other for a moment and nodded.


    "Excellent. Do that. We''ll need every high levelbat power we can get." Evander pped his hands.


    "Erm, is there any confirmation of a war?" Kyle asked cautiously.


    "No. There isn''t." Evander shook his head. "Even if it''s tomorrow, we can''t predict it. The only thing we can do is prepare."


    Saying so, he looked at them with a serious gaze. "There is a heavy responsibility on you two. You may not realize it yet, but if you do what you should, your actions might end up saving our race."


    Kyle gulped in nervousness and nodded.


    For the next two weeks, the couple, along with Dr. Thomas worked day and night.


    Instead of using the two blood samples for potions, they created an elixir of sorts that could help one in oveing bottlenecks.


    There''d be no talent change after taking it.


    If someone took the original potion, they''re almost guaranteed to reach the Sovereign state and even had a shot at the Celestial Rank.


    But with this potion, other than getting through the bottleneck, there''s no other use.


    The participants even needrge amounts of aura crystals and high-energy herbs to properly get through the bottleneck.


    In simple terms, the if the bottleneck is a gate stopping them from reaching the next room, the potion would be the mechanism that would raise the gate. The participants would''ve to gather the energy to walk through the gate themselves.


    Even so, when the military announced this elixir, the powerhouses wondered if it was a prank.


    By notpromising the functionality, two hundred and fifty drops of elixir were made.


    This was distributed to powerhouses struck at the bottleneck all across the federation.


    This amounted to a fifty high level 9s, seventy mid level 9 and a hundred low level 9. The remaining went to peak level 8.


    The federation, unlike ever before in its history, spent its precious resources. Once the trials were done and the medicine was found to be functional and harmless, tonnes of materials were given to each and every single awakener taking the elixir.


    Everyone got just one chance to take this medicine. Only one drop. If they failed, then that one of the only two-fifty drops would be wasted.


    The federation decided to overspend and waste resources than fail in making a high awakener advance.


    Thanks to the generosity, the high awakeners from Mercury to Neptune, all had a 100% sess rate.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Since the advancement would take time to finish, awakeners were selected in batches for taking the elixir.


    Each day, two awakeners advanced. Sometimes, there was only one. But there was continuous progress every single day.


    However, since they''d just advanced, they were instructed toy low and get used to their power. It''d take at least a month for good proficiency. So, these awakeners didn''t provoke their abyssal counterparts and kept to themselves.


    The changes were so surreal that even the people that advanced felt absurd. The bottlenecks that held them back for decades were suddenly removed. And across the sr system, hundreds of powerhouses advanced.


    This was nothing short of a miracle.


    Enigma and Varian were clever. But they weren''t scientists. Even the potion that she had was taken from Roxanna.


    Unlike them, Kyle and Maya were true scientists. And as someone who saw plenty of powerhouses getting stuck in bottlenecks throughout his life, Evander''s guidance was really on the mark.


    Thanks to this remarkable cooperation, humans clearly outpaced abyssals and gained an edge over them.


    However, none of the Sovereigns called for war despite having confidence in winning.


    Because if they really waged a war to the end, most of humanity would be gone. The abyssals never surrendered or ran away. If they''re going to die, they''d rather take the enemy down with them.


    If the abyssals were really on the verge of losing, they''d destroy everything they could. So, even a ''victory'' would set off human civilization back by hundreds of years.


    Besides, the abyssals might be hiding their trump cards. Invading them without sufficient edge in strength was risky.


    So, despite the growth, the human army remained quiet and concealed.


    The abyssals, on the other hand, had no idea about the massive changes urring in the upper strata of human powerbase. But they weren''t lying quietly these days. They too had an ongoing n.


    And it''s happening in Pluto.


    On the small, an Undead body was floating in the sky. Across Pluto, tens of thousands of corpses were ced in painted circles and various altars were built with esoteric runes.


    With each second, small ck threads left the dead bodies and entered the Undead in the sky.


    After nearly dying under Varian, the Undead''s strength dropped to level 7. Now, it''d been two and a half months since that battle.


    Since then, he''d been asleep.


    Until now.


    The Undead''s eyes flew open and the sky dimmed for a moment before a bright light akin to a sun emanated from him.


    After a long rest and taking countless precious resources, the Undead finally reached a strength that surpassed peak of level 9.


    Even though he''s stillckingpared to a Sovereign, with the abyssal kings and queens blocking out their human counterparts, he''s invincible.


    He''d still need some time to reach the Sovereign state. But the abyssals already provided all the help they could.


    The only way he could take that final step was by killing millions. He needed a war!


    Upon his recovery, the abyssal rulers contacted the Emperor and asked for instructions.


    For the past two months, the Emperor didn''t contact them much except for the asional check ups.


    The abyss kings and queens feared the Emperor might ask them to stay put to prevent high casualties. But instead, he nodded with a tired face.


    "I''ll¡­send the reinforcements." Abyss Emperor said with a neutral expression but his eyes were heavy and his voice showed his exhaustion.


    What''s more, there were several thin sword marks on his cheeks that haven''t yet healed.


    Even though they knew they absolutely shouldn''t, the abyss rulers still asked. "Y-Your Majesty, how is the situation there?"


    The Abyss Emperor leaned back on his throne and his shoulders slumped. "The situation is under control. But the losses are enormous already. Entire provinces are lost, ughtered, and burnt. The fairies lost a third of their army. Yet, they still keeping like rabid dogs."


    A heavy atmosphere filled the air and the Emperor finally smiled, "Don''t worry. We''re going to win this war. You win yours. The reinforcements will be there soon."


    "Long Live The Emperor!"


    "Long Live The Abyssals!"


    "War And Glory Be Our Wars!"

 Chapter 965 Abyss Situation

    As Varian fell into the space crack and the war in the sr system slowed to a halt, the same situation was urring in the Emperor Abyss.


    The Fairies were able to conquer the Blood Province relying on the death strand. The Undead abyssals caused the fall of the formidable abyssal defense that otherwise would''ve withstood the Fairies'' assault for years.


    Even though they lost the whole province, the abyssals put up a good fight. A crazy fight that scared the victors.


    By all logic, the fairies should stop. If they move forward, they''re going to face enormous losses.


    For every thousand abyssal deaths, there''d be at least seven hundred fairies dying. Even if they finish off the abyssal race, the weakened fairies would''ve no chance of surviving the Providence Trial.


    This was one of the intentions behind the Province Trial.


    ''Don''t fight your equals and weaken the overall strength of the Jai Empire. Fight only if you can destroy your enemies and still stand strong in the uing trial.''


    It worked. Under the threat of extinction, no one was stupid enough to wage a war that was sure to incur significant losses.


    Abyss Emperor thought Fairies, like any sane party, would back off. So, the abyssals, while still vignt, looked forward to a period of peace.


    And the Emperor himself began preparing to finish off the sr system business.


    The first thing he did was to check the war report a week after Varian disappeared.


    ''I sent wyverns, Blood Heirs, and even the death strand! Forget an overwhelming victory, why is there no victory at all?'' Abyss Emperor thought it was a prank.


    But after several confirmations, he slumped in his chair and began to look into the report with a heavy heart.


    The details wouldn''t change the heaviness in his heart or so he thought.


    But as he read about the ridiculous adventures of Varian, his jaw dropped open and he found himself staring at the text like a dumbstruck fool.


    "Confine the wyverns on Pluto, safeguard theoids of Neptune, end the Blood Heirs single-handedly, ughter the army in thirty damnoids and go stop the Undead that reached Sovereign state. And he almost killed the Undead if not for Sanguik assassinating him."


    Just reading Varian''s achievements out loud made Headon''s scalp tingle.


    "And even after being hit by the death strand, he killed Sanguik, the head of blood heirs and the most dazzling genius of the abyssals in a single shot." As he read thest line, the Emperor stood up with clenched fists.


    The office room cooled down and a deathly silence took over.


    The Abyss Emperor leaned into his chair and nced at the ceiling with a tired gaze. "Sanguik, we really owe you a lot. Thank you, child. Thank you."


    If not for the best genius'' noble sacrifice, Varian wouldn''t have been killed. If that guy remained alive, it''s impossible for humanity to fall.


    Haedon had a feeling that even if he went to the sr system to finish off the humans, as long as Varian escaped, then this debt wouldn''t end.


    Someday, somehow that human warrior will find him and his people and he''d unleash hell that''d make Faires look cute inparison.


    His tracks-record spoke for itself. A genocidal maniac that ughtered ten cities and killed tens of millions, Varian had no regard for life and wouldn''t have any qualms about exterminating their entire race if he had the chance.


    "He died¡­he really died¡­" The Abyss Emperor muttered in relief.


    Even though the Undead Sovereign was severely injured and went out ofmission for months, he did what no abyss ruler in the sr system could.


    He not only killed the wildcard named Varian, but he also removed the dangerous obstacle called Enigma as well as another female who gained light and time power.


    While the abyssals did incur significant losses in the war, they could always recover.


    And after learning about the situation in the sr system, Haedon decided a drastic move.


    ''I''ll send a Sovereign and get done with it.''


    Turning hisrge chair around, he nced at the giant map on the wall back of his desk.


    Haedon''s eyes grew dull and his thoughts drifted off as he stared at the map nkly.


    The Abyss Empire, as he and his people liked to call it, or the Abyss Province, as the world addressed it, had twenty provinces or sub-divisions.


    Each Province had one Sovereign as its leader and a few lucky ones had two. There were a total of sixty Sovereigns in the Abyss Empire.<novelnext></novelnext>


    A huge figure for humans, equal to Fairies but negligible to the Zions.


    There were times when Haedon just wanted to send one of the Sovereigns and get done with humanity.


    But every time he contacted these Sovereigns, they reported about the battle they just had. It sobered Haedon.


    Abyss Empire''s borders were not peaceful for decades. Before they hired Fairies for the job, Zions picked some mercenary Sovereigns to harass their borders every week.


    Hiring sixty Sovereigns wasn''t a pocket change even for the Zions.


    Of course, these mercenaries were only paid to attack, not wage a war. If that''s the case, first, the cost would go up. Second, the abyssals would retaliate harder.


    In short, the sixty abyssal Sovereigns always had to be on the border. As long as they stayed, the mercenaries would only harass them. But if they left and the mercenary found an opening, they''d hunt like rabid dogs and loot and ughter the province.


    These Sovereigns had to spend decades away from home and some of them left when their children were born and couldn''t evene to see the birth of their grandchildren.


    It begged the question: Why go to such lengths? These mercenaries were aplishing nothing other than keeping these Sovereigns on the border every damn day.


    What could the Zions gain from this?


    They, no, only and only the Zion Emperor, gained peace of mind. He freaked out badly when he learned that eight Abysses disappeared along with their Sovereigns many decades ago.


    He decided to keep the abyssals engaged to prevent them from pulling any other move, even if it cost him considerable money and the ire of other provinces that feared Zions doing the same to them.


    Haedon took the case to the court of the Masar Duchy, the immediate superior of Abyss Province, and managed to get an order prohibiting Zions from interfering.


    ''You shall not hire mercenaries to disturb the Sovereigns of the Abyss Province. Cease all activities within a year.''


    Even though Zions established a new Duchy, they''re new and far weaker than the established Masar Duchy. In fact, before they sold their Matriarch, Zions were also a province of Masar Duchy.


    Eventually, the Zions obeyed the order and reluctantly withdrew after a year.


    But the abyssals couldn''t even sigh in relief because one day after that withdrawal, the Zions brought Fairies to the border.


    Right after Haedon started the case in the Duchy, Zion Emperor started grooming the Fairies.


    As a result, the Sovereigns had to stay on the border and had to face worse enemies.


    Compared to mercenaries that didn''t risk their lives, Fairies did and they had the intent to invade the Abyssals.


    The Sovereigns remained on the borders to date. Until now, Haedon didn''t send them to the sr system to prevent bloodshed at home.


    Once a Sovereign here leaves, the Fairies would attack and destroy the province. Rather than that, he opted to finish off humans without much loss at home and even in the eight abysses.


    Unfortunately, he neither won in the sr system nor did he keep peace at home.


    Blood Province was gone and other provinces could be next. Whatever he tried to prevent badly already happened.


    Haedon finally resolved to send a Sovereign to the sr system.


    Anyway, the Fairies would also take a break after the intense war and it''d give him a window of opportunity.


    The problem here was that if someone teleported to a ce as far as the sr system, the space gates would''ve to cool down.


    So, even if he wanted to send them now, the gates were recently used. He''d have to wait a few months.


    But he could still send weaker awakeners, like level 9s, and some precious materials.


    ''Now that Varian is gone, I will send some strategic treasures and finish off humans for good. They''ll put up a fight. If they don''t copse, then I''ll send a Sovereign once the gates cool down.'' Haedon decided and entered the treasury to pick the items.


    But before he could even nce at all racks, a panicking voice reached him.


    "Emperor! Emperor! The Fairies attacked!"

 Chapter 966 Rising Hardships

    When Fairies attacked discarding all logic andmon sense, Abyssals were surprised to the point of disbelief.


    But the Fairies didn''t care about their feelings. They fought, just as they were instructed to do so.


    Since they already breached the Abyss and conquered the Blood Province, they had two adjacent targets.


    Spirit Province, famous for its mental attack legions and formations. In the not-so-distant past when the Abyssals were still a mighty civilization, this province gave birth to a Spirit Awakener¡ªthe Celestial Rank that Mind Awakeners grow into.


    And then there was Light Province. It had an elite army of light abyssals. And it produced a Light Celestial Ranker a thousand years ago.


    Now, these provinces only had their names.


    Spirit Province''s formidable psychic and telekic legions were ill-equipped. Good armor was the number priority for any mind awakener, especially psychics.


    But with the poverty and decline of their empire, it became a luxury for Spirit province. This put the famous legions at a direct disadvantage.


    Of course, Blood Province fighters also had a disadvantage. Toplement their fierce fighting methods, they needed lots of healing potions. They couldn''t afford enough and it led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of abyssals.


    This was in stark contrast to the Fairies who were nicely geared up by the Zions.


    Even under such circumstances, Fairies needed to use a precious death strand and even then, their losses were 70% of the abyssals.


    It went to show just how formidable the abyssals were. Despite rising quickly under the Zion''s grooming, Fairies were decades away from Abyssals.


    The only reason they could invade and seed was the crazy spending by Zions and the Fairies ignoring the massive losses that would''ve made any sanemander withdraw.


    The Fairies didn''t attack the Light Province. It had only a couple of light awakeners, but they were all powerful and would be hard to kill. Moreover, Light Awakeners could be a real pain inrge battles.


    The Spirit Province was their choice.


    Like an unstoppable tsunami, the Fairies struck the boundary of the Spirit Province.


    Tens of millions of Fairy soldiers marched on the yellow ins toward the silver fortress at the border.


    But before they could even open an attack, their army slowed down and began moving like zombies. Their eyes stared into the sky nkly.


    "Break! Break! Break it!"


    Following themander''s shout, dozens of elemental swords rose into the sky and hit some inconspicuous locations near the fortress.


    The hidden illusion formations came into view as the attacks broke them into pieces. But before the Fairies could sigh in relief, a huge wave of mind power, like a raging flood washed over the soldiers and pulled them into a collective illusion.


    Like drug addicts, half of the Fairies widened their eyes and waved their hands. Their world split into brilliant colors and everything turned ''alive''.


    The remaining half that couldn''t be trapped in the illusion raised their weapons and attacked.


    Invisible explosions rang in the air as shockwaves spread for miles. The invisible telekic attacks were effectively neutralized. But it''s only the first wave.


    "Wake up!"


    "Idiots!"


    "Get out of it!"


    The illusioned Fairy soldiers paid no heed to the shouts of theirrades.


    Worse, even the level 9s and Sovereigns stood in ce as they fought against the illusions. From time to time, they had to punch out or dodge to deal with the telekic attacks that kepting.


    For the next three days, Fairies kept fighting but they couldn''t advance an inch. Their ranged attacks couldn''t prate the high-defense fortress. Nor could their space awakeners teleport inside that controlled space.


    Despite trying their best, Fairies failed to make any breakthroughs and retreated.


    The abyssals finally breathed a sigh of relief.


    A weekter, the Fairies attacked the Light Province. Thanks to the special formations and strong fortresses, the abyssals managed to block off the Fairies.


    It''s unlike the Spirit Province where the Fairies couldn''t even advance. Abyssals and Fairies fought here. But due to the arrangements made in advance, Abyssals always had the upper hand.


    Unwillingly, Fairies withdrew again.


    Fairy Emperor who was fighting Haedon also retreated, signaling that the Fairies were seriously taking a step back.


    "Phew~" Abyss Emperor breathed out and felt the burden on his shoulders lighten.


    Thankfully, they seeded in defense. If not¡­


    Shaking his head, Haedon hurried to post-war work. He checked the reports, readjusted the forces, and allocated appropriate resources.<novelnext></novelnext>


    But there came a problem.


    "Y-Your majesty, there aren''t enough funds to repair the damaged formations and fortresses." The finance minister bowed and said in a quivering voice.


    "Use the royal family''s vault," Haedon replied without thinking.


    "I¡­" The finance minister opened his mouth but immediately bowed his head with a pale face.


    "What is it?"


    Taking a deep breath and squaring his shoulders as if he was preparing for death, the finance minister stared at the ground. "There are only heirlooms left in the vault. E-Everything else was already used up."


    Haedon paused and blinked. Then he blinked again as if he was still processing that news.


    "Oh," A dull sound leaked out of his mouth, causing the finance minister to shudder. He had never seen the Emperor like that. Now, he sounded like¡­sounded like¡­


    "Y-Your majesty, we¡­can request a loan from the Duchy."


    "Duchy?" A dry voice rang in the air. "They''ll suck our blood. Those bastards! We''ll be hard-pressed to pay the interest, forget the principal."


    The finance minister froze and remained silent.


    Only the sound of his heart thrashing against his chest sounded in the room.


    "Go¡­go sell the heirlooms." Haedon closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair.


    "As you wish."


    A few minutes after the minister left, Haedon opened his eyes and nkly stared at the sky.


    How long had it been?


    The prosperous abyss empire which was once the richest in not just the duchy but the entire kingdom had to now sell the royal family heirlooms to sustain itself.


    "No, this is war. War burns money. It''s normal. It''s okay. It''s¡ª" Haedon mmed the desk and it split into two.


    The defense formations stopped the shockwaves from the room in the pce and only a few rooms nearby sensed the disturbance.


    And out of those few, there were two important rooms.


    A little girl ran into the room, skipping the guards that tried to block her, and hugged Haedon. She was still young and was only able to reach his stomach.


    Looking up at him with worried eyes, she asked. "What happened? Are you fine?"


    "I¡­" Haedon took a deep breath and turned his gaze away from his daughter. His eyes must have looked scary and he didn''t want his daughter to see that side of him.


    He just¡­


    "We survived and pushed them back. That''s all that matters." The Empress walked into the room with a pale face and a limp arm. But she carried a bright smile on her face.


    "Why aren''t you resting¡­" Haedon red.


    "I was. Until I felt your restlessness." The Empress replied with a helpless smile.


    "¡­Sor¡ª."


    "Don''t." She ced her finger on his lips and stopped him from finishing the world. "The Emperor shouldn''t apologize even if he''s in the wrong. You always do what you thought is right. And even if you really do something wrong, it''s because you can''t help yourself."


    Haedon felt his restless heart calm down as he stared at his loving wife and cute daughter.


    Maybe¡­it''s not really that terrible. Sure, he''s selling the heirlooms now and it''s the most shameful thing for any royal family. But at least, his race could continue to survive. Once they rise up again, they could purchase back the heirlooms.


    Haedon''s thoughts finally grew positive and he lifted his daughter up.


    "Eh, don''t! I''m grown up now! I''m not a kid anymore!" She waved her arms around and protested.


    Haedonughed out loud and pinched her cheeks. "You''re always a little girl for me. Always."


    "I don''t want to be little. I want to grow up and¡­and fight like everyone else."


    Her words caused Haedon''s expression to freeze before he shook his head with a gentle smile. "That won''t happen."


    "W-Why?! I can fight! I''m the best student in the academy!"


    "By the time you graduate, this will all be over." Haedon kissed her forehead and whispered. "You will live in peace."

 Chapter 967 From Heaven To Hell

    Haedon turned his focus to humans and began to select some precious resources and reinforcements he could send there with minimum risk.


    In the current situation, even that minimum risk entailed hundreds of thousands of deaths.


    Still, he had to make a choice.


    Would he rather have millions, if not tens of millions of deaths on his side and finish off the humans or would he pick a way to kill humans without any deaths on his side?


    For decades, he followed thetter. Now, after witnessing the death and destruction in Blood Province, Haedon was finally willing to stomach the more brutal option.


    But before he could even finish his arrangement, a piece of news reached the capital.


    The fairies were back again.


    And this time, they came prepared.


    Abyss Emperor nced in the direction of Spirit Province and the world seemed to turn still.


    The next moment, he appeared millions of miles away from the capital and at the border of the Spirit Province.


    Standing in front of him in the sky was the despicable Fairy Emperor. Without another word, he began a flurry of attacks. The two moved far from the battlefield and fought at full power.


    ? On the other hand, the abyssals in the fortress, especially, the psychics started their attack again.


    The formations started sucking in the precious materials and lit up. A wave of psychic power from the formations enveloped the fairies and dragged them into illusions, just like before.


    ¡­But something strange happened.


    Except for a few thousand, all the fairy soldiers remained unaffected.


    "Wha¡ª"


    "Are the formations even working?"


    "Do it again!"


    The formations were turned off and activated once again. Some abyssals even volunteered to test the functioning and proved with their own state that the formations were indeed working.


    But the fairies were all fine. Now, even those few thousand from earlier were unaffected.


    "Charge!"


    Following the roaringmand of the Fairy general, the millions of soldiers shot forward. The sky lit up as elemental attacks rained down. Space twisted and gravity fluctuated violently.


    The world dimmed for a moment before everything exploded.


    The fortress was hit hard and the first barrier of defense cracked apart. The Sovereign fairies continued to attack the barriers.


    The Sovereign psychic abyssals that were supposed to keep them in check were ineffective.


    The only resistance these Sovereigns faced were telekics. But without the cooperation of the psychics, they couldn''t stop the onught of fairies.


    As a result, the famed fortress was quickly losing its barriers.


    "What''s happening?!"


    "We can''t pull them into illusions!"


    "Stop them!"


    The psychics were bleeding from their eyes, nose, and ears. They''re already trying their best and even overloading their bodies. Yet, their enemies were barely affected.


    As if¡­they''re immune to their attacks.


    Other paths'' abyssal Sovereigns quickly rushed to the fairies and slowed them down.


    The abyssals used their full advantage as defenders and utilized all the faculties of the fortress.


    Yet, many of these advantages were lost as psychics and illusion formations were rendered ineffective.


    Whatever fight the abyssals put up only dyed the inevitable.


    Exactly two days and nightster, the final barrier of the fortress broke and the fairies stormed in.


    The psychics, terrible at closebat, were butchered like sheep. The telekics were tired from the continuous war for the past two days. But at least, they took down at least one fairy with them.


    In just a few hours, the fortress was filled with corpses.


    "You¡­you spend the blessing of a soulster, even if it''s only a strand like death strand, are you crazy?" Abyss Emperor stopped fighting as he looked at his enemy in disbelief.


    "It''s the Zions. If I want to buy it, I have to spend a quarter of my empire and still, no one would sell it to me." Fairy Emperor swallowed the blood rising to his mouth and said.


    "¡­Crazy. Crazy. Death strand then. Blessing of a Soulster now. This is a painful cost even for Zions. Their development would stall for at least five years."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "He doesn''t care." Fairy Emperor shook his head with a wry smile. "For a one-time use item, he...never mind. Haedon, I respect you. What you''ve done for your race, I cannot even imagine doing for mine. But you can''t win this war. Just escape with your family and live in hiding. He didn''t just prepare this¡­"


    Haedon was surprised by his enemy''s ''respect'' but his attention was immediately drawn by the next statement.


    "What do you mean ''not just this?''" An ominous premonition rose in the Abyss Emperor''s mind and the pressure around him grew heavy enough to crush entire moons.


    "Haa~" Fairy Emperor sighed and raised his sword.


    Through the next month, Haedon understood exactly what the Fairy Emperor meant.


    Spirit Province fell and was utterly destroyed.


    Mist Province was invaded next. Like its predecessors, it too managed to hold off the fairies'' assault.


    But once again, the fairies used a precious one-time resource and reversed the situation.


    Mist Province was gone in a week. Sky Province followed in its footsteps in one more week. Dragon Province, Valor Province, and Honor Province fell in the next four weeks.


    The biggest blow was Harmony Province¡ªthe province with the strongest fortifications.


    The fairies used a small wisp of Rank 5 Celestial Space Awakener.


    The formidable fortress was torn apart into scrapes of metal.


    "You! Beast! This is against the Kingdom''s and Duchy''sw! You''ll all be confined for five hundred years! Worse, half of you will be ughtered!" Abyss Emperor roared with red eyes.


    Fairy Emperor was bleeding from head to toe. But he kept drinking a precious liquid that allowed him to keep Haedon upied. Still, with Haedon growing crazy with the fall of each province, it had been getting harder.


    "I know it''s illegal," Fairy Emperor raised his arms and prepared another attack. "We all do!"


    "Then why¡ª"


    "I have no choice. Even if half of my race gets ughtered and we get confined for five hundred years, we''re promised protection from the Providence Trial by the Zions."


    "You fool! Once my race is dead, you''re useless to them!" Haedon roared his lungs out.


    As the attacks of the two emperors collided, space cracked apart and a bright explosion filled the sky, pushing the two back for miles.


    "I know. But there''s no other choice." Fairy Emperor took another gulp of the precious liquid and yelled. "My race already lost many soldiers. We have no choice surviving the Providence Trial. Even if we withdraw now, we''ll be ughtered to extinction after the trial. The only way we have out is to end you all!"


    "¡­.Dammit Zions!" Haedon''s roar shook the sky.


    In a faraway distance, a figure unnoticed by either Emperor watched the fight with an amused expression. "Pathetic. You''re too weak to end abyssals and we had to burn our pockets to help you out. Even after all this, are you really expecting us to pay another price to secure you from the Providence Trial? Jai Empire would be better off without abyssals and fairies."


    The Zion envoy knew his race would also be punished for their involvement. But most of the me would fall onto Fairies.


    And it''s not 50% of race, but 99%.


    For breaking rules and using borrowed items far beyond their power range, Fairies would be killed to near extinction. Only a few hundred million of them would survive.


    And no, there''s no confinement. They''d be forced to participate in the Providence Trial. And naturally, they''d lose. And be ughtered to extinction.


    Thew was there precisely to prevent cases of a higher civilization using a lower civilization as mercenaries to kill another lower civilization.


    The Zions would also get heavy punishment. But the Emperor recently imed that the Matriarch was ''favored'' by a guest in the Prince''s Pce. So, the punishment would be reduced to a bearable level even though it''d still hurt.


    "Mad Emperor¡­mad emperor." The envoy muttered. This was totally unnecessary. They could kill the abyssals slowly in a few decades without breaking anyw. But the Emperor didn''t listen.


    It''s useless to cry about it now. The line has already been crossed. Now, he''d have to ensure theplete destruction of abyssals.


    The Duchy''sw enforcement was ''paid'' enough to dy the investigation for a few months. The fairies would''ve to finish everything in two months.


    There were no surprises.


    Facing Fairies that received Zions'' help that went beyond thewful limit, the Abyssals were crushed.


    In another month, fifteen more provinces fell.


    Twenty-five of the fifty provinces were down by this point and the Fairy army was just one more province away from the capital.


    If the capital falls, it''s all over.


    Under such circumstances, the Abyss Emperor returned to the capital for one night for recuperation.


    It''s one of the few precious nights he got.


    Staring into the sky, he thought hard about a decision and finally sighed.


    "So be it."

 Chapter 968 Abyssals Nightmare

    Under the unexpected and unprecedented invasion of fairies, the abyssals were crushed. One province after another fell.


    Tens of Billions already died. Entire cities were painted with blood and reeked of death.


    Despite the frantic evacuation, nearly 25% of all abyssals died!


    But more rming was the death of the high awakeners. 40% of Sovereigns, 50% of level 9s, 55% of level 8s, and 60% of level 7s died in the soil they tried to defend.


    No one, absolutely no one was prepared to face such a catastrophe.


    In just over two months, Abyss underwent a horrifying change.


    The lively cities were now filled with a silent, heavy, and exhausting depression. Schools no longer hadughing children.


    Every day, someone belonging to a student would die and the news would break the student into tears.


    The bustling streets were filled with an eerie atmosphere. People didn''t talk loud, they whispered. As if they didn''t want their pain to be heard, they spoke in low voices.


    The emergency buildings constructed to house the refugees were already full. Now, these refugees were sheltered in the homes of many kind-hearted fellow abyssals.


    The hosts took good care of the guests but every day, they feared they too would end up in the same condition.


    The abyssals who had the opportunity hurried to the capital. But the capital could take in only so many. As a result, transport between provinces and cities was restricted.


    Even though the newspapers and the officials told them, again and again, that''s it for their own safety, many abyssals began to feel they were abandoned by the empire to rot in their own city.


    For the first time in decades, resentment began to breed against the Emperor. With the news of every falling province, this resentment only rose.


    "Why are we losing?"


    "Didn''t Emperor say we''ll be safe?"


    "He promised to keep us! He said it even in this year''s speech! What happened now? I came here for a business trip and my province was destroyed! My parents and my children are gone! All gone!"


    The silent streets slowly turned violent. Law and Order began to break down and chaos ensued.


    The army was fully focused on the fairies and had no time to care for the ruckus on the streets. The officials tried to appease the masses and failed.


    The only one that could make them listen¡ªthe Emperor¡ªwas stalled by Fairy Emperor. As a result, violent means were used to oppress the rioters and a very strict militaryw was ced on the cities.


    But things only got worse.


    Fairies continued to march onward. The reserve forces were long since inducted.


    Now, the able-aged men and women in the nearby provinces were induced into


    the army, given quick training, and thrown into the battlefield.


    It was problematic.


    Most of the mid and high level abyssals already joined the army by this point.


    Almost all of the new recruits were low awakeners with a small percentage of mid and high awakeners.


    Children and the Elderly were taken to the refugee camps in the inward provinces if possible.


    If not, they were ughtered by the marching fairies.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Yesterday''s hosts became today''s guests and the refugees marched inward into the empire, seeking safety that was fast disappearing.


    They also carried with them the scary stories of the marching enemy. Of death, destruction, and¡­defeat.


    Fear spread. Then came panic. And finally, despair.


    These three elements were already present since the fall of Blood Province. But the endless stream of refugees, tales of death, and increasingly strict rules red up everything wrong with the situation.


    Every time she returned to the capital to recuperate from her injuries, the Empress could sense the obvious changes.


    Hope was waning fast. It''s understandable.


    After all, to destroy half of the Empire Abyss would take years for anyparable foe. But fairies did it in little over two months.


    The military didn''t want to reveal the real reasons for such a tragedy. If the public learned that Zions were so hellbent on destroying them that they were throwing such precious treasures, then there''d only be despair. But choosing to remain silent didn''t make it any better.


    And Empress didn''t really have time to appease the masses either. She had a gigantic task herself¡ª


    "Lord, the Zions broke thews and are using high ranking materials to invade us! I implore you, please stop them immediately!" The Empress bowed her head and pleaded.


    "I understand your concerns, Lady Beatrice" The virtual silhouette in front of her, a silver body outline with no facial features, nodded lightly. "But please trust our officers. We are doing our best to verify your ims. You''re aware that we can''t just intervene in wars without proper evidence. So, I request you to maintain patience and wait for our results."


    "P-Patience?" Beatrice looked at him with a chilling gaze. "Lord, we''ll be dead if we remain patient! Almost half of my people are already dead! We can''t be patient!"


    "You have no choice." The silhouette''s voice grew deeper and indifferent. "Your ims must be verified before we act. Whatever might happen before that isn''t my problem."


    The Empress bit her lip so hard they started bleeding. The slightly salty and iron taste on her tongue calmed her roaring rage.


    Taking a deep breath, she asked. "What you say ispletely correct, Lord. But we submitted theint two months ago. Wouldn''t the verification be finished in a day at least or a week at most? It''s two months already!"


    "There are circumstances, Lady Beatrice." The silhouette said in a casual tone.


    "Circumstances?" Empress repeated those words and her eyes glowed with hatred. "I understand Zions must''ve bribed you. But soon, the news will reach the Kingdom''s officers. Fairies will face suffering for their mistakes. So will the Zions. And so will you!"


    "It''ll take two months to reach them, unfortunately." The silhouette shook his head as if it were a pity.


    "Wh¡ª" The Empress'' eyes widened as she stared at the silhouette in shock. "N-No way! Even the messengers are bribed?"


    "They can''t be bribed, it seems. But they can still be stalled." The silhouette said lightly. "And by then, the job will be done."


    The Empress clenched her fists and her nails dug into her palm. "Job done? My race will be over in two months? Big words! I''ll see you in two months, bastard! Abyssals won''t die! Even if every single one of this empire''s citizens is killed, as long as my husband is alive, he''ll recreate this empire! He''ll be your nightmare! Your death! You''ll regret everything! Everything!"


    "¡­" The silhouette remained silent for a few moments before sighing. "He is indeed a problem. Fairy Emperor cannot kill him. And after so much expenditure, I doubt even Zions have any treasure that can directly destroy him. Injure him greatly? Likely. But kill him? Probably not.


    But Zions and especially Fairies know he''s the biggest obstacle. Theirst challenge. And yourst hope. That''s why they''ll not miss killing him."


    The Empress'' eyes grew red with anger and blood began to leak out of her lips. "My husband can''t be killed by these puny things! Not by a dog of Zions! And not by a pimp who calls himself emperor."


    The silhouette regarded her with an amused gaze. "We''ll see."


    And the silhouette vanished, leaving a soft but mocking voice.


    "Soon."

 Chapter 969 A Hard Decision

    The Empress removed the bloodstains on her face and body and entered her daughter''s room.


    The little princess was practicing hard. All news about this war was from her. Every word that went to her was verified. Yet, she seemed to judge the situation from the atmosphere of the city.


    And she was trying her best in practice, perhaps hoping to help soon.


    "Rest early."


    "Just one more hour, mom."


    "¡­Fine."


    The Empress left the room with a sad face. She wanted her daughter to be independent and strong. But not like this.


    The Empress walked through the empty corridors of the once lively pce with a solemn gaze.


    All the maids and guards except for the princess protectors were sent to the frontlines.


    ''This ce was lively just two months ago¡­'' The Empress reached her husband''s study room in a daze.


    And she heard him hold a talk with the abyssals in the sr system.


    "Don''t worry. We''re going to win this war. You win yours. The reinforcements will be there soon."


    "Long Live The Emperor!"


    "Long Live The Abyssals!"


    "War And Glory Be Our Wars!"


    The cheers from the abyssals in the sr system sounded in the room.


    ''Reinforcements there? We can''t afford to send any. In fact, it''s best if we can get forces from there.'' Despite her difference in opinion, the Empress didn''t interrupt his meeting and waited outside the study.


    He must''ve already considered those things and yet promised them reinforcements.


    Why?


    A few minutester, the door opened by itself, and the tired, injured, and weakened Emperor gestured her in.


    "Why did you pro¡ª"


    "Listen to me," The Emperor started in a tired voice. "The abyssal empire will fall. But the abyssal race can be saved. You take the girl and leave to the sr system. The reinforcements I''m sending there will include you and her. That human Varian is thankfully gone. So is the obstacle Enigma.


    There is a traitor on their side and I''ll give you a method to hurt him. Once that Sovereign falls,bining your force with the existing forces there, you can finish off humans in a month or two and acquire the legacy.


    We''ve already shielded the sr system from other civilizations. So, you won''t be discovered. So,y low, quietly rise and after you''re strong enough, you can return and take revenge."


    "W-What are you saying?!" The Empress stood up in utter shock.


    His wordsid out the clear road map for the abyssals and painted a hopeful picture of the future. But nowhere did he mention himself.


    "This is the only way." The Abyss Emperor lowered his head and said in a guilty tone. "I''m sorry but the Empire is beyond saving."


    The Emperor swore to protect his people. And now, he''s sending reinforcements under such circumstances. This was effectively abandoning the Empire.


    The onlyeback he had was that he was trying to give the abyssals a second home to start over. He still couldn''t forgive himself for failing in his oath. But this was the best n he coulde up with.


    "No, I''m talking about you! Youe with us! We''ll take our elites to the sr system! With you leading us, we can quickly grow and take revenge! We''ll make them pay! The Fairies, the corrupt officers, the Zions! All of them! Husband, you''re the only one who can take us to new heights! You''re the only one I trust! Please leave with me!" The Empress held his hands and pleaded.


    "I''ll stay!" Haedon shook his head.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "You''ll die! They nned so much to take down the Empire! They must''ve also nned to kill you!


    You''ll achieve nothing if you stay here! The people here, they''ll die whether you stay or not! It''s only a matter of time!


    But you''ll die if you stay! You can live if you leave! Come with me! Come with your daughter! I beg you!" The Empress yelled for the first time since their marriage.


    Haedon looked at the tears rolling down her cheeks and smiled softly. "If I had a chance, maybe I would''ve. But I don''t."


    The Empress clenched her fists to her sides and looked him straight in the eye. "¡­What are you talking about?"


    "I''m not staying because I want to stay. It''s ironic since I thought I wouldn''t mind dying if my empire is falling. But after seeing you and the little girl, I don''t want to die. It''s selfish, I know. But I too want to live.


    I want to see our daughter grow up. I want to spend more time with you. I want to go to the sr system, restart our race there and build us to be stronger than ever. I want to take revenge. I want all that. But I can''t leave."


    The Empress'' eyes shook and her voice quivered. "¡­Can''t?"


    "Yes." The Emperor sighed softly. "The space gates to the sr system need the holy altars in those eight abysses. They''re thest trump card I prepared for adverse situations like these. It shouldn''t have been a problem for me to take all our core elites and go there now. But¡­"


    Another deep sigh rang in the room.


    "Two of the altars were destroyed." The Abyss Emperor gritted his teeth. "One by Enigma. One by Varian. Even though I told them to guard these altars, two are gone! The remaining six can''t support me and you all. They can only support either me or the reinforcements. It''s a simple choice for me. Rather than I go and you stay, you go and I stay."


    "No! There must be a way! We can get them repaired! Yes, we can repair and build new altars, can''t we? The cost doesn''t matter! Let''s send the materials there and let them build new altars! We can all go! You don''t have to stay!" The Empress spoke hurriedly, trying to hold back her tears.


    "It can''t happen." The Emperor hugged his love. "You know why."


    "I¡­why? No, I don''t¡­.please¡­" The Empress, who remained strong even in the most adverse circumstances, sobbed in his chest.


    The problem with Empress'' proposal was that even if they send the materials, it''d take years, if not decades to build the altars again.


    This was precisely the reason every abyss king and queen was instructed to strictly guard the altar. And that''s why they freaked out when Enigma broke an altar. They would''ve never imagined the importance of that altar.


    Conversely, neither did the humans ever dream of the altars'' importance.


    Had Enigma and Varian not broken the altars, then the Emperor and the core of the Empire could''ve easilynded in the sr system. That''d be the end of the story for the humans. Forget winning or stalemating, not a single survivor would remain.


    But Enigma and Varian did destroy the altars and the Emperor made his choice.


    He''d stay and die while the reinforcements would go and thrive.


    "Don''t!"


    "Don''t!"


    "Please!"


    The Empress'' crying pleadings continued for the whole night but Haedon remained unmoved.


    The next morning, he sent some items to the sr system through the space gate and went back to battle.


    He ordered the Empress to stay in the pce with his daughter. The elites would arrive in a few weeks when the space gate would cool down enough to allow teleportation of life forms. He hoped they wouldn''t need to fight much after arriving at the sr system.


    Perhaps to prove his words right, the Undead woke up after his months-long recovery. The very next day, the abyssals got special materials that could boost their strengths to the next level.


    After digesting the materials in a few days, the abyssals did as instructed.


    They dered war.

 Chapter 970 The Beginning Of The End [1]

    Humanity had been rejoicing about their silent build-up.


    Two hundred and fifty high level awakeners, mostly level 9s and a sizable level 8s advanced to the next sub level.


    While it''s not a fundamental shift that would grant them unteral victory, it certainly gave them a definitive edge that''d put them in a dominant position.


    This was the first time in the history of humankind that they gained a definitive edge over the abyssals.


    Their previous best was roughly equalling the abyssals, but still slightly inferior to them. But a threshold was crossed and humanity raced ahead.


    Even if a war came, it''d be on their terms.


    Or that''s what they thought until the abyssals attacked.


    The first battle urred on a strategicoid on Venus. Themander of the troops was a high level 9 who qualify for the rare elixir and reached peak level 9. He stabilized his power two weeks ago and was extremely confident in dealing with his abyssal counterpart who''s also his archenemy that happened to be only high level 9.


    That''s why he was happy when he heard 10,000 abyssals on the C point of the border attacked at once and 25,000 more followed on the Z point.


    "I can finally kill you!" With a roar ofughter, themander leaped into the air and flew to the abyssal headquarters.


    When the federation ordered him to observe restraint and forbade him from making the first move, he was pissed.


    ''They don''t understand the hate I have. This bastard is stationed here for thest twenty years. He killed all my teammates! All of them! Today, I''ll break his neck and drink his blood!''


    The faces of his squad members when he first joined theoid shed in his mind before they were reced by the gruesome memories of their deaths.


    Each and every one of them died an excruciatingly painful death. Three of them were subject to abject torture while the four were ganged up on and torn into pieces. The remaining three had their heads severed and kicked to the human camps.


    "Eye for an eye. Blood for blood. Head for a head!"


    The telekic power covered him like a gentle nket and shielded him from the turbulent wind that would''ve otherwise set him on fire and ripped him to pieces given the speed he was moving in.


    "There~"


    In just a minute, themander crossed the air defense systems of the abyssals using sheer speed and broke through several air barriers with his momentum before he finally stopped above a hexagonal blue building.


    "Yarak! You''ll beg for death today!" Themander raised his hand and pped down from the air.


    The fierce wind solidified into a giant palm print and crashed into the blue building.


    The abyssal soldiers on patrol nearby didn''t even have the chance to respond when the blue building broke into pieces.


    A cloud of dust spread from the crashed site and smoke filled the air as the ruins caught fire.


    Themander narrowed his eyes as he sensed the presence in the ruins. He was still sitting in his chair, with his chin resting on his palm as he observed the man in the air with an¡­amused expression.


    "Cunt!" Themander''s anger shot through the roof and he punched out.


    An invisible force condensed into a hard fist with spikes all around it and reached the abyssal''s face.


    If this full-blown attack from a peak level 9 hit the high level 9 abyssal, he''d die on the spot at best or would die in a few minutes at worst. But he''d die nheless.


    All the ns of torturing this demonic abyssal would remain ns.


    But themander wasn''t in the mood to think through. At this moment, all he wanted was to see blood spill from the bastard and his arrogant expression crumple into pain and despair.


    ¡­.Which didn''t happen.


    As the attack reached him, the abyssal snorted in dismissal and a sea of mes emerged from him.


    The building burned into ashes in an instant and the powerful punch was stalled by the wall of mes.


    Using the time gap, the abyssal rose into the air with his orange me wings and floated in front of themander, regarding him with the same amused expression.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Y-You!"


    ''How did you reach peak level 9?''


    The question never came out of his mouth. Only a snarl followed by a vow. "I''ll kill you anyway!"


    A huge fire phoenix materialized in front of the abyssal and screeched at themander.


    "Burn to ashes!"


    "Die!"


    The phoenix pped its wings and shot towards themander in a sh while themander put his hands together and created a fierce counterattack.


    The tongues of the huge mes tried to devour themander. But with his fierce effort, they were pushed back like mes pushed by the wind.


    A few secondster, both the telekic attack and the mes disappeared. Then thousands of fire arrows rained down on themander who blocked them off. At the same time, tens of thousands of small daggers attacked the abyssal with the intention to pierce him into a sieve.


    But a sizzling white me enveloped the abyssal and burned away all the attacks that approached him.


    The battle grew more and more intense but there was no clear winner or loser. It was just like before when they high level 9s and didn''t advance yet.


    "You''re lucky you advanced. Or I''d have killed you like a dog. But well, you''ll only live for a few days anyway." Yarak, the abyss leader of theoid, grinned.


    Just a while ago, the materials sent by the emperor arrived.


    Most of the empire''s treasury was used up to support the troops on the front line, but the remaining treasures that the Emperor could send weren''t bad either.


    If they''re used in the Emperor abyss, they could stall the fairies for at least one more week!


    To be able to make that much difference in such arge-scale war involving tens of billions of solutions showed just how precious these treasures were.


    But the Emperor gave them away.


    "Win."


    Was his only order that came with the treasures.


    After taking the precious elixirs, herbs, natural liquids, pills, and medicine, the abyssal army, be it mid or high, took a step forward.


    The change was apparent, especially in high awakeners.


    After the losses from the previous war, humans and abyssals had roughly 500 level 9s, more than 10,000 level 8s, and easily over half a million level 7s.


    Almost 70% of all the high awakener abyssals took a step forward in the sub level! That tranted into more than 350 level 9s, 7,000 level 8s, and over 350,000 level 7s!


    In just a blink, the abyssals achieved a decisive edge over the humans.


    That''s why, even though he''s surprised and frustrated that his human archenemy advanced and couldn''t be killed right away, Yarak, the abyssal leader was looking forward to the future.


    In just a few days, humans would be finished.


    "Hahahaha!" Letting out a roar ofughter, Yarak continued his attacks.


    An ominous premonition filled themander''s mind but he shook it off and fought his archenemy.


    ''Yarak is just a lucky cunt. The rest of the abyssals will be thrashed and ughtered!''


    The archenemies looked at each other with hatred and schadenfreude. They''re both confident that in a while, their enemy race would be surprised by their ''secret advancement'' and the rest would be history.


    Both of them were right.

 Chapter 971 The Beginning Of The End [2]

    But the first surprise came to themander when the vicemanders screamed in his earpiece.


    "The abyssals! B-Broke the first line of defense!"


    "What?!" Themander drew a sharp gasp as he backed off from Yarak and turned to the border.


    Clouds of fire and dust rose into the sky as the region seemed to be destroyed by abination of hail, lightning strikes, and distorting space.


    And he saw rows of ash-colored dots advancing toward the human-controlled territory.


    ''Just how did they advance so fast? I need to sto¡ª!''


    He flipped in the air and dodged the fire dagger. It passed right beside his ear and despite his armor, his skin was scorched red.


    "Nah, you aren''t going anywhere." Yarakughed as he condensed three more daggers, his eyes smiling with contempt. "Your troops will be put to rest today."


    Themander''s gaze grew heavy.


    Their battle continued for a full day and night. Seriously injured and on the verge of death, the two decided to recuperate instead of fighting to the death.


    Themander was worried about the state of his troops after his death. Yarak had no qualms about dying for the great cause. But he wanted to see his race take over humans atst. Anyway, as long as he kept his archenemy engaged, he was doing his job.


    As the two leaders returned to their camps, the result of the war was evident.


    The abyssals weed Yarak with cheers while themander was met with a depressing silence.


    After some emergency recovery, he learned that the humans lost all their frontline outposts and were pushed back to the second line of defense.


    The war was going on even this minute.


    It''s only thanks to the good defense infrastructure and the benefit of being a defensive force that they''re holding off the abyssals.


    While the humans were confident in holding off the abyssals for three or more weeks, there was a sense of¡­defeat in their eyes.


    "What happened? Why did we have to fall back?" In the meeting room of the headquarters, themander sat with his five vicemanders and asked in a tired but serious voice.


    The obsidian walls of the room echoed back his words and the air in the room seemed to repeat his words again and again.


    The vicemanders looked at each other with gazes that carried fear, hesitation, and¡­despair.


    "What?" Themander raised an eyebrow.


    Only then did he realize a detail he''d overlooked. All five of his subordinates were seriously injured. If he was just on the brink of death, then his subordinates almost died and barely came back. It''s a miracle that the five of them were even breathing in front of him.


    How could this be possible?


    "Tell me," Themander''s voice raised a notch and his gaze grew solemn. "What just happened?"


    His words and tone knocked the hesitation off the vicemanders and one of them opened her mouth. "Sir, before we answer, may I ask what happened to you? Why are you so injured? Didn''t you advance and are now a sub level higher than Yarak?"


    Her words were sharp, like needles stabbing his heart.


    Themander''s face crumpled as the truthful answer reached his throat. He felt incredibly ashamed. Before he left, he vowed to everyone in the camp that he''d ughter Yarak like a dog and make him an example for all abyssals.


    But now¡­


    ''Feelings aren''t as important as the truth.''


    Taking a deep breath, he revealed that Yarak too, by some dogshit luck, advanced.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "If not for that, then I''d have subdued him in minutes and returned to the battlefield. Forget losing ournd and being pushed back, we''d be taking over thisoid today." He sighed all the frustration he''d been holding in.


    Then, he looked at his vicemanders again.


    For some reason, their faces went pale and their eyes were quivering as if they saw a ghost. They looked at each other and shivered slightly.


    Themander grew annoyed and angry. mming the table, he roared. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you new recruits? Can''t you answer one question for fuck''s sake?!"


    The outburst was expected. Losing a match to his archenemy that he was sure of winning, losingnd, troops, and strategic forts in theoid, with both happening simultaneously in a single day, even a veteran like themander snapped.


    The vicemanders strangely didn''t fear his feral eyes. Rather, they looked at him with pity.


    Finally, the most experienced one among them opened his mouth. "Sir, all of our counterparts also advanced."


    Themander stormed to his feet and looked at them with wide eyes. He gripped the table so hard that his fingers crushed the stone and dug in. With chest heaving up and down, he asked in a hoarse voice that resembled a vengeful ghost. "A-Are you kidding? Is this a sick joke? Yourme excuse for the failure?"


    No one took offense to his words. If any of their subordinates said the same thing, they''d have responded worse.


    "Out of us five vicemanders, only three got the elixir. The other two didn''t." An elderly vicemander sighed and nced at an even older woman sitting in front of him. "Unlike those the three that could bnce out their counterparts, I and Elizabeth couldn''t. We were almost pushed to death."


    He didn''t say anything more but looking at the state of his subordinates, themander understood.


    The three that advanced helped the two that didn''t and they all fought together. Still, they''re disadvantaged and were nearly killed.


    "Part of the reason is that they''re caught off guard. Next time, we can defend ourselves better. But we need to fight together." The youngest vicemander said.


    ''If we fight separately, the two will die and it''ll be a three vs five. A sure path to loss. So, this is the only way.'' His words implied.


    Themander sighed. "Alright, you five stalled them. But what about the rest of the army? Why did they lose?"


    "They too, to be precise, the level 8s and level 7s of abyssals too advanced." The beautiful vicemander said. "Not all of them luckily. But more than 50% of them have grown stronger. It was too unexpected and our army was caught off guard So, our defense line crumbled quickly.


    Thankfully, our fortresses are good enough to hold off the abyssals despite the strength differential."


    Themander only grew more worried than relieved.


    They had a secret potion for their improvement and only 250 people received it. What about abyssals?


    From their words, at least thousands of abyssals advanced.


    "Contact the headquarters." He sat back in his seat and let out a deep breath. "They must know."


    "We already did, Sir. It was just too urgent." The beautiful vicemander bit her lip.


    "Good. Ask them to send reinforcements. We can worry about how they advanced after we beat them back to their nest."


    His words caused thedy to frown and sigh. The rest lowered their heads and closed their eyes.


    "No, no!" Themander clenched his fists as he swallowed his saliva. He could already guess what happened.


    "Yes, sir." Thedy vicemander nodded. Her sweet voice which usually soothed the listeners now sounded like the cackle of the devil. "All across the sr system, the abyssals attacked. And everywhere, more than 50% of their high awakeners have advanced."


    "Oh shit!"


    ***


    A/N: How was thest volume? The good and bad. Be brutal about it. Thanks for the feedback in advance :)

 Chapter 972 Guardians Of A City

    Humanity faced the biggest crisis to date.


    The abyssals had never been so driven as today. With a single, unrelenting intention, they moved forward.


    Even if their blood dried up and their flesh was torn apart, they marched to the future they desired.


    A future of victory.


    They paid the bare minimum care to themselves, even though it might cause futureplications, and just fought.


    When the first news of battle came in, the Military HQ wanted to send reinforcements to theoid that was suddenly attacked.


    The reinforcements hurried to the spaceships and were about to take off when news of attacks in otheroids came in. Then, as if a dam was broken, more news flooded the HQ.


    A military alert was dered and just after over three months since the bloody war, the federation announced the start of another.


    "Kill!"


    *** *** ***


    Unlike the inners which only had to look after theiroids, Uranus had another headache.


    Space Cities.


    Between Uranus and Neptune, these space city clusters acted as the teleportation centers that''d allow for quick movement of reinforcements in case of crisis.


    So, when the war began and troops scurried to Neptune, they had to enter these cities and teleport to Neptune.


    In the past few months, these cities underwent aplete shift. Thanks to the destruction of the gangs and the ck market by the Shadow Order, people finally breathed in liberty.


    After thest war, the army stationed here was mostly transferred to theoids while the protection of the city was given to the paramilitary.


    People flocked to it when the cities turned free. After all, it was the most obvious path to getting out of poverty.


    But as the city grew more prosperous, they realized they coulde out of poverty without risky jobs. As a result, most quit the paramilitary and joined some other field.


    However, some stayed. Because they found their work meaningful. But also because they viewed it as a responsibility they couldn''t shake off.


    Why did cities like Valos fall into such dire straits and got controlled by gangs? Because there was no one to stand up for the cities and fight these gangs.


    The army was too busy with its own work, the civilian government was corrupt. In the end, it''s themon people that suffered.


    After decades of such suffering, that verymon people now had a chance to protect their city.


    Even if anything bad happens in the future, they''d stand up against evil. And more importantly, they''d never allow anyone to push their city into darkness again.


    "¡ªand this beloved city, the ce where we are born and lived all our lives is now under an existential threat! After thest war, the troops were transferred out to theoids to fill up the vacancy.


    Why were they relieved to go? Because we are here! They trusted us to protect this city in their absence!"


    In the military field where hundreds of thousands of soldiers stood in attention, a middle-aged woman with fierce eyes said with her hands behind her back.


    "This city is the transit station between twos. It is the reason why Neptune can be safe. This is our great city! The abyssals areing for it. To tear down our homes and to make this city a thing of the past."<novelnext></novelnext>


    The soldiers'' emotions grew agitated as the looming abyss threat was announced. But more than fear, there was anger in their eyes.


    How dare they¡­.those invaders¡­to invade their homnd.


    Even though the abyssals were a strong and well-trained force, even though they were just a paramilitary months old, even then they wouldn''t back down.


    "We''ll all die once. Some will die a natural death in old age. Some will sumb to internal injuries. Others will go in an ident." The woman''s calm voice suddenly rose, just like her arms that pointed at them. "But few have the honor to die for their birthce. Few have the honor to die protecting something.


    We might be ill-equipped to deal with threats of this caliber, but we aren''t ill-prepared to give our lives to do what''s right! If our city falls, then Neptune will fall! And if Neptune falls, the whole of humanity will eventually fall!


    We are the wall stopping that destruction! We are the shield that is protecting our race! We are the guardians humanity needs!"


    Following her words, silence remained in the air for a second before the loud cheers of conviction shook the earth.


    "We are the warriors!"


    "We kill to protect!"


    "We die to protect!"


    "My life belongs to thisnd!"


    "My death is for thisnd!"


    Watching the unswerving patriotism of the people who were just rogue adventurers andmon citizens a few months ago, the femalemander felt genuine joy and relief.


    She''s one of the few personnel from the military left in the city and she knew that if the army couldn''t even send reinforcements to fight off the abyssals that wereing for the city, then the situation couldn''t just be bad. It must be terrible.


    Under such circumstances, if the cluster cities were destroyed and the support to and from Neptune was gone, then there''s a very, very real possibility that humanity might perish.


    Thankfully, the Valos city she''s in, like all other cities in the region developed in the past months and was heavily invested so that the defense infrastructure got an upgrade.


    But more than any machinery, the people were ready to defend their homes with their blood and flesh.


    If this war happened a few months ago, then they''d be sitting ducks waiting to be ughtered.


    Now they had a chance.


    She pointed her sword at the glittering dots that appeared far in outer space.


    The abyssal were here.


    "Charge!"


    The paramilitary got into the spaceships and flew into the dark, deep space as they began a standoff against the abyssals.


    Every one of them had just one thought.


    ''I must win.''

 Chapter 973 Braveheart Of Valos

    Venessa hated her home city. It''s called Valos, the city with the most poverty even in the trashy space city cluster.


    Luckily, she qualified for a schrship in a Venus University. It wasn''t the best. Not even a first-rate university. But still the best than anything her own city could offer.


    Venessa took the chance and gave it her all. She graduated with above-average grades and was enlisted into the army as the lowest ranking officer.


    Unlike those geniuses that would be quickly promoted due to their high grades during the military academy, she had to build all her merits on the battlefield.


    After two decades of grueling handwork, she, a woman from the most backward area of the world, reached peak level the peak of level 6. It was an incredible achievement for someone from her background.


    But Venessa she really wasn''t much. The true geniuses in the academies reached level 6 in their final academy year.


    Still, she was happy that she got somewhere in her life. She relocated to Venus and started a family there. She had a little son who just turned five this year.


    Even though she couldn''t spend much of her time with him due to her duty, her husband, a medical professional took care of him which she was extremely grateful for.


    This year was turbulent and filled with danger, but Venessa thanked her luck for being able to weather through the war and remain alive.


    But what she did not thank was her sudden redeployment to Valos. Since the troops were transferred tooids, and the paramilitary was given full charge, the military decided they''d need a couple of military leaders to guide the neers.


    She was one of the few unlucky ones. She was to train and lead apany of 250 paramilitaries.


    She didn''t hate the job. But she did hate returning to Valos. Even though rumors and media sang the tone that Valos was reborn, she didn''t believe it. She had seen that city for decades.


    It remained the same.


    Rotten, Corrupt, Poor, and¡­Disgusting.


    It reminded Venessa of the filth she came from. It screamed at her about a past she abandoned and hid from everyone.


    She was forced to step into the same filth and past once again. But to her utter surprise, Valos changed.


    The city of depravity was now the city of beauty.


    Others would describe the change to be Clean streets, high-rise buildings, beautiful gardens, and stunning architecture that wouldn''t do the city justice.


    But Venessa would argue it wasn''t the clean streets, but the clean people that made the city pristine. The high-rise buildings weren''t as important as the high self-esteem that Valosians show today. And that no amount of beautiful gardens couldpare to the beautiful smiles on the people. The stunning architecture praised by the greats all over the federation was still mediocrepared to the stunning hopes parents now had for their children.


    This was the Valos Venessa was faced with. It was a Valos better than her wildest dreams.


    When she saw this city again after nearly a decade, she wondered if it was even Valos. She almost sent a distress signal thinking that she was caught in an illusion. Then, she spent a whole day just moving around the city without speaking a word.


    Something broke in her that night as she cried herself to sleep. To this day, she couldn''t fathom why she sobbed so much that her pillow was soaked wet.


    ''Maybe I''ll find out one day,'' Venessa mused as she unsheathed her sword and shed it at the abyssal rising toward her.


    The abyssal dodged her sword but couldn''t dodge the aura that emanated out of her sword. As a result, his left arm was severed and went away into the dark space. Another sword sh severed his neck and ended his knife.


    But before Venessa could rx, the space behind her shook slightly and she jumped to the side.


    An invisible dagger passed right beside her, grazing her neck and cutting a very thin red line.


    ''If I survive today,'' Venessa gritted her teeth and saw the telekic abyssal standing behind a horde of nate and beast morpher abyssals.


    The two sides already shed. The spaceships stopped in space and the troops got out to fight.


    With tens of thousands of troops from either side fighting in space, it was truly a breathtaking battle in space.


    The space was painted with wonderful colors as thousands of attacks exploded. They could feel the space fluctuations from a hundred miles as the high awakeners continued their destructive fight.


    That sort of battle was too high for Venessa. But she had her own battle to fight.


    She needed to take out these mind awakeners.


    "Breakthrough! Kill the telepaths and telekics!" Venessa ordered herpany and like a machine, they all assumed their roles and worked.


    The beast awakener who could turn into a giant turtle took blocked the fierce attacks of the abyssals along with a few ntae awakeners specializing in defense.


    The space and gravity awakeners tried to prevent their abyssal counterparts from messing with their team.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The elemental awakeners sted the abyssal defenders that were in front of the telepaths and telekics.


    The defenders managed to hold their position but the very next moment, they were hit by the human body awakeners who pierced through their formation like a hot spear and created an opening.


    "Now!"


    Venessa shot through the opening like a bullet and raised her sword. All the thirty level 5 telepaths would be dead in a blink¡ª


    "Stupid bitch."


    Venessa''s mind suddenly went nk as a strong level 7 psychic assaulted her senses. Her grip over the sword weakened and her mind began shutting down.


    Someone was plotting this from the start!


    "No¡­" Venessa struggled and barely covered her body with ayer of aura.


    The telepaths she was about to kill sneered at her and their mental powers joined together to attack her.


    Venessa''s aura slowed down and dozens of small daggers cut through her final defense.


    Thankfully, she protected her vitals with the most amount of aura. But in other ces, not so much.


    As a result, in just under a minute, Venessa was a bleeding mess. She lost her non-dominant arm, suffered a huge cut in the abdomen, and was bleeding heavily all over.


    If there''s no immediate treatment now, she would die.


    "Dead bitch." Chuckling to himself, the level 7 psychic hiding in the spaceship turned to his next target.


    Venessa, on the other hand, gained consciousness.


    Her head was full of pain as if hot needles were piercing her ears, straight into her pain. It hurt so much that tears pooled in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. Her body spasmed and twitched as the pain from injuries also reached her mind.


    "I¡­" Venessa''s vision blurred and she realized she was going to die.


    In front of her were abyssals that were trying to finish her off. From behind her, she could hear the panicked screams of her subordinates. Even though it''s only been a few months, they really grew on her. And she on them.


    Her husband''s face shed in her mind and then her little son''s.


    As the strength in her body slipped away, Venessa sighed in relief. She''s confident in her husband. He''d take good care of her son.


    As her world began to grow fully dark, the Valos city shed in her mind once again.


    The old Valos that she lived in and hated. And the new city that made her cry for reasons she couldn''t fathom.


    ''Ah, there is still that job¡­''


    Venessa''s eyes burned with determination and her loose grip on the sword tightened. All the aura in her body exploded out and her sword made a final, graceful arc in the air.


    As she closed her eyes for thest time, she saw thirty abyssal mental awakeners sliced into two.


    ''Ah,''


    Her body grew cold but her dying heart grew warm.


    ''I¡­''


    Her lips trembled, but she couldn''t utter a syble. Blood leaked from her eyes as her brain began shutting down. But in those many drops of blood was a drop of tear.


    That hot drop of tear slowly slid down to her lips that were now curled upward.


    Venessa was smiling.


    In herst moments, she understood why she cried that day.


    And it made her smile.


    ''Ah, I really love my city¡­''

 Chapter 974 How Long?

    The unexpected resistance from the cluster cities stalled their destruction. If the paramilitary didn''t risk andid down their lives, humanity would''ve received a big blow on the very first day of the war. Then, it''d have just been a matter of time before Neptune fell and erased any chances of human survival.


    But the cluster cities held on. Hundreds of thousands died. Each of them was a hero. An unnamed hero.


    Even if humanity survived this war and a military funeral was held, they would only receive the most basic martyr send-off. Except for their families and friends, no one would remember or even know of their sacrifices.


    Unlike a level 9 powerhouse or a rising genius, their tales wouldn''t be told in stories and movies. They''d be one of the many martyrs. Nameless. One in the crowd. Forgotten. Their glory wouldn''t reach the people that were alive because of their sacrifice.


    But these brave hearts did what they believed was right instead of asking ''Why me?''


    And thanks to such people, when the reinforcements finally reached Uranus, they were able to teleport to cluster cities and use the teleportation formations there to rush to Neptune.


    Once the reinforcements did reach the border, they rushed to the asteroid belt.


    The ''reinforcements'' were mostly high awakeners and were some of the best warriors humanity had to offer. They only added up to three hundred and at other times, they would be seen as a prank rather than serious reinforcement.


    Which army would send just three hundred awakeners as reinforcement?


    But now, it''s the best that the human army could afford.


    In fact, the men and women felt too many were being sent to this distant ce. It felt unwise to leave behind theirs which were already under heavy pressure.


    But as soon as they reached the asteroid belt a few hours from Neptune, they understood the highmand''s decision and curses left their lips without them noticing.


    "Fucking hell!"


    "You''re kidding!"


    "Son of a bitch!"


    Their bodies moved in trained movements as they jumped out of the spaceship and assumed a posture of offense.


    But even with their vast experience, their eyes trembled as they stared at the hundred enemies in front of them.


    They had the same ash-colored skin as any abyssal, but their eyes¡­those werepletely pitch ck like orbs of night. But more disturbing was the disgusting aura around them which seemed to repel life itself.


    "Undead! Weren''t they all finished?" A lean man with multiple light injuries on his body asked.


    In fact, he was filled with serious injuries when they first took off. He healed in the few hours they spent in travel. But even so, some of the cuts were yet to vanish.


    In a sense, that was the case for every reinforcement sent here.


    They withdrew from the battlefield on their respective when they were too injured to move and were thrown into a spaceship with amand asking them to go to Neptune''s asteroid belt.


    It was a ridiculous situation. But that''s the best human army could do. They couldn''t withdraw the soldiers that could fight from the battlefield. They didn''t dare.


    Thus, the current situation was formed where except for the basic introductions, the reinforcement team of three hundred members didn''t even hold a simple coordination exercise.


    "The Undead were hunted down to thest member, yes." The vicemander of the reinforcement, a bulky man with golden eyes and blonde hair, said as he materialized a lightning bolt in his arm.


    "Expect the biggest Undead that was suspected to be dead, yes." Themander, an elderly woman with a slightly hunched back and loose skin, said in a sharp voice.


    Unlike how she looked, her voice was exceptionally sharp. But even more than her


    voice, her words shocked everyone in the group.


    The biggest Undead¡­the rumored Sovereign Undead was suspected to be dead. And now, they''re seeing Undead in front of them.


    What did that imply?<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Don''t think too much," The elderlymander chuckled and pointed her palm at the Undead that were now rushing at them from the asteroids. "Kill!"


    An invisible force spread out from her and sliced three Undead into pieces. The corpses wriggled but an invisible force hammered them into meat paste and ended any chance of their resurrection.


    "Kill!"


    Her heavy and moremanding pushed them to the Undead before they could even react.


    The three hundred reinforcements,posed of 20 level 9s, 100 level 8s, and 180 level 7s shed with the Undead.


    To their relief, the Undead weren''t too strong. They had only 15 level 9 and 85 level 8.


    The reinforcements themselves were yet to fully recover. So, they didn''t go all out and fought without taking too much damage.


    As a result, after nearly thirty minutes, thest Undead was sted onto an asteroid by a mean punch and a violet fireball burned his body to ashes.


    The reinforcements sighed in relief after confirming every Undead waspletely killed.


    "Commander, if Undead are here, maybe that Sovereign Undead recovered?" The Vice Commander voiced the biggest anxiety in everyone''s hearts.


    "Likely," The elderlymander regarded the team of three hundred with a meaningful smile but her eyes weren''t smiling. "We might have to stay here longer than expected."


    "How long?" A rtively young level 7 genius asked. He just turned thirty-three and was already a high level 7.


    He was the ace of his university and after enlisting, he made a name for himself. If given enough time, he was confident of hitting level 9. Even though he had no certainty, he did have a chance to try and hit the Sovereign state.


    Perhaps that''s why he was more confident in asking.


    "Commander, My younger sister is fighting on the sameoid I was ordered from. We don''t know why, but the abyssals are now suddenly stronger and it''s too dangerous to leave her alone." He expressed his worry and asked once again. "How long will the reinforcement mission be? How long will we stay here?"


    The elderly woman turned around and didn''t answer.


    She got the message a few minutes ago. And even without the message, she guessed it from her experience.


    The Undead that they killed was merely a few groups of scouts. The real Undead army was about to arrive.


    They would''ve reached Neptune right away like how the wyverns appeared on theoids in the previous war.


    But thankfully, Varian destroyed their teleportation formations and effectively isted Pluto from Neptune.


    Otherwise, the Undead would''ve been on Neptune a few hours ago and by the time they reached Neptune,oids would''ve fallen.


    "Our enemy is strong," Themander said slowly as she stared into the distant dark space. There was a small red dot she could barely make out. It flickered and disappeared.


    Then came two dots. And three before suddenly hundreds of red dots appeared in the distance.


    "If these Undead reach theoids, they''ll use the corpses there and multiply their strength," The elderly woman''s eyes grew sharp and she ordered. "So we stop them here! We stand as the wall between them and the bodies of our martyrs! We are the obstacle stopping their sess."


    The reinforcements got into a standard battle formation as they prepared to fight off the iing red dots that turned out to be the Undead in special red armor.


    As she charged into the enemy, themander''s voice rang in everyone''s ears. "How long will we stay here, right?"


    Their hearts constricted and they gripped their weapons tighter.


    "We will stay here¡­forever."


    Blue light filled the dark space.

 Chapter 975 The Pledge

    The Undead on Pluto were less than three thousand. Most of Pluto''s army was destroyed in the previous war and the rest were transferred to the Neptuneoids.


    Varian did a blood bath on a number of Neptuneoids and created a situation where humans upied disproportionately moreoids than abyssals.


    The abyssals had to move more forces to the remainingoids they had power over or risk getting cleansed out. So, they did and it left Pluto with a very small army.


    After the Undead Sovereign woke up a few days ago, he managed to convert ten thousand abyssal corpses from the previous war into Undead. There''s no more


    death strand to squander. He did it with the whip of death strand in his own body.


    But that''s his limit. If he wished for the Undead to cross ten thousand, these Undead would have to go to humans and infect them. The infection in the previous war was supported by death strands. Now, it had no support.


    So, the infection rate would obviously be low. But the Sovereign Undead didn''t fret over it.


    With the resources that the Emperor provided, abyssals would soon ughter plenty of humans and there was bound to be a sizable Undead army from that huge number.


    And more importantly, he himself was now a step above the peak of level 9. he was confident of reaching the Sovereign state soon. Then it''d be game over.


    The endgame was this:


    With the huge power-ups brought by the resources provided by the Emperor, the abyssal army would crush the human army.


    But the human sovereigns would remain unaffected. As long as they remained, the conquest would be iplete.


    The abyssals could wait for the reinforcements from their Emperor but they''d appear only a monthter.


    If they wanted to prove their capability, they''d have to finish off humans before that.


    That''s where he came in.


    As long as he regained his Sovereign power, the Undead was confident in eliminating the Human Sovereigns one by one.


    It''s a grand n with the ultimate prize.


    The first phase of this n was naturally reaching Neptune and ughtering humans to his heart''s content while he grew stronger amidst all that death.


    Since humanity was caught off guard by the sudden war and a puzzlingly strong abyssal army, they couldn''t send anyone to stop him and his Undead army from reaching Neptune.


    ¡­Or that''s what should''ve happened.


    There was a small group of human soldiers resting on the asteroids, waiting for their arrival.


    The Undead Sovereign nced at his soldiers. They''re newly ''born'' and weak. Most of them were level 7. He had only 500 level 8s and 30 level 9s. Still, it''s betterpared to the humanposition of 180 level 8s and 20 level 9s.


    ¡­A lot better.


    And the trump card of his army was none other than himself.


    ''Humans really don''t know their limits. Are they delusional enough to think this puny army can stop my army? And stop me? The great me?!'' The Undead''s eyes shed with thick killing intent and he waved his hand.


    ? The Undead army took the order and like a flood breaking the dam, they reached the human force.


    "Oh fuck! I''m going to die!"


    "We can''t win! It''s useless!"


    "Even if we die, we can''t stop them!"


    Facing the enemy force ten timesrger than them, some of the younger ones got cold feet.


    Themander advancing to the enemy at full speed stopped and said with her back facing them. "We''ll all die. But our deaths won''t be useless. If General Skad had that thought, Mars would''ve long been gone."


    Her words sparked a fire in their frozen heart. The fear in their hearts remained, but courage returned. And it grewrger than the fear.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Remember, a peak level 9, the general of Mars army, sacrificed his life to stop the Mirage Queen for two minutes. Puny two minutes. But those two minutes saved his and a billion lives." Themander''s voice was soft without anymanding tone.


    It was as if a grandma was narrating a tale in the evening. The tale of a legendary hero that killed the dragon and saved the princess.


    But the reality is that most of them saw the hero on the news and a couple of them even met him in person. He was a living until just a few months ago!


    So the impact of General Skad''s story was deep and struck them like a sledgehammer.


    When they signed up for this job, they knew they might die one day. Not always in a glorious battle but also in a silent corner at the edge of the sr system, fighting an unwinnable battle.


    No, not all battles were meant to be won. Some were meant to be fought despite the loss.


    "For the Human Race!"


    "For my mothend!"


    "For the teacher that supported me!"


    "For the brother-in-arms that died protecting me!"


    "For my love!"


    "For my children!"


    "For home!"


    "For freedom!"


    The soldiers shouted what they were going to die for. And jumped into the battlefield.


    It was a gloomy, dark space that even sunlight couldn''t reach. Now, with each elemental attack, the darkness was painted in a multitude of colors.


    But the strongest color was red and purple. The blood of the fighters.


    Right from the first sh, the Undead overwhelmed the humans. It was like a bike colliding with a truck. They had no chance at all. But all they wished to achieve at the expense of their lives was to hold back the Undead just a bit.


    Until maybe other reinforcements could arrive.


    Until maybe someone could do something.


    Perhaps their sacrifices wouldn''t mean anything and the abyssals would seed in their nefarious n.


    But maybe, just maybe¡­a miracle could happen.


    And perhaps their sacrifice would hold humanity safe until that miracle.


    With hope as their only fuel, the three hundred strong men and women fought against three thousand undead.


    The elderlymander didn''t care about her shrinking vitality and used all her strength against the Sovereign Undead.


    He was much stronger than her. But he wasn''t willing to take heavy injuries. So, when faced with this crazed woman that didn''t care about her condition, even he had to slow down.


    As the battle progressed, the asteroids continued to explode and the space was dyed in beautiful colors.


    Every minute, the reinforcements shrunk.


    But they kept fighting.


    And waited for a miracle.

 Chapter 976 Hope For A Miracle

    The reinforcement group stalled the foe ten times their size.


    They requested help from the Headquarters multiple times, and with every subsequent call, their distress signal revealed their increasingly precarious situation.


    The officer from the headquarters replied that she understood their situation and honestly told them they couldn''t find any more reinforcements.


    And that woman, who was easily recognized as one of the master tacticians of their era, requested them softly. "Please hold them back as long as you can."


    No help wasing.


    It was expected but perhaps they were hoping for a miracle. It didn''te.


    The hope didn''t diminish though. Such a fickle thing hope was, in times like these, instead of getting crushed, it bounced back and zed, making their hearts yearn for another miracle.


    Their rational minds didn''t think anyone was going toe to their rescue.


    With every subsequent minute, one of them continued to fall under the Undead horde.


    Their numbles continued to dwindle and with each passing life, their hope was passed onto the survivors.


    As the space burned with the myriad attacks and the asteroids burst under the unending explosions, human warriors went into eternal sleep, hoping that the others could at least live.


    "Old Bitch!" The Undead growled as he punched the elderly woman in her ribs.


    Instead of backing away, she formed dozens of small spears and waved her hand. They rushed at him like guided missiles and were about to pierce through his vitals.


    If he didn''t back away, he''d be seriously injured. But the old woman''s injuries would only be worse and she wouldn''t be that far from death.


    Still, the Undead conceded and backed away. He didn''t want any more injuries.


    The elderlymander couldn''t even rx as she felt the space around her crack. A level 9 Undead was sneak-attacking her!


    With a quick scan of her surroundings, she pushed her body toward the Undead. Just a secondter, the space behind her twisted and copsed onto itself before exploding.


    Even though she was fast, the explosion caught up with her and broke the defense on her back.


    The sharp space cracks that felt like ice-cold des cut through her armor and ripped apart her skin to the point her old bones were visible.


    The elderly woman hissed in pain as tears pooled in her eyes and the searing sensation of her back threatened to knock her conscious.


    Gritting her teeth, she sealed up the wound using her telekic power and stopped any blood from flowing out.


    From an onlooker, the armor covering her back was torn open and a huge red spot asrge as three palms was visible. The blood just wasn''ting out.


    And on her body, there were five such spots.


    ? "Why do you fight?" The Undead growled as he reached her before she could properly shield herself.


    The experiencedmander was anticipating this sudden attack and swirled her body to the side and dodged the punch to her temple but she couldn''t stop herself from getting hit on the shoulder.


    Even though she was anticipating the attack, she wasn''t in a condition to fully prepare for it.


    As a result, the invisible telekic shield covering her left shoulder broke apart like a mirror.


    Like a branch pulled out of a tree, her arm was torn from her shoulder.


    "Arghh!" A pained groan escaped the elderly woman''s lips as her eyes grew red from the horrifying sensation of her shoulder.


    Her arm¡­it was gone.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Despite fighting thousands of battles, having her arm torn apart was something she wasn''t prepared for.


    The pain was already horrible but it seemed that her senses were numbed at that time. Only after a second did she truly feel what it''s like to have her arm just torn apart.


    But she couldn''t even scream.


    She focused on her enemy and rushed toward him as she created another set of spears to strike him down.


    The Undead pulled back as he yed a game of hide and seek with themander.


    On the other hand, the Undead didn''t need to be so careful in their battle style.


    "Argh! Die! Bastards!" A fire awakener threw the fireballs at the Undead army. But the four water awakeners in them blocked off his attacks and three psychics attacked his mind.


    In self-defense, he instinctively formed a sea of fire around him and covered himself with an armor of mes.


    But that didn''t help when the gravity around him twisted and skyrocketed. The me armor covering him red up and protected him from being crushed. However, the space around him cracked and swallowed the fires.


    Then a long tentacle of a beast-morpher Undead pierced through his weakened suit and imed his heart.


    As death consumed him, the fire awakener''s mind rity gained for a brief moment. He cursed himself for dying before even killing a single Undead.


    But that''s how it was.


    Even if they were hell-bent on taking down one or two Undead with them, they were facing an enemy ten times their size.


    This was especially true for level 7s.


    The twenty human level 9s had to face thirty level 9 Undead. It''s hard but they''re holding on by fighting together.


    The hundred level 8 had to hold back five hundred level 8. They''re clearly losing but it''d take time and they''re confident of fighting a battle of attrition.


    The level 7s had it the worst. Their one hundred and eighty members had to fight almost two thousand and five hundred Undead.


    It''s a differential of more than thirteen times.


    Faced with such an outnumbered foe, the Undead saw no use in sacrificing their own. It also happened to be the order of their leader.


    So, they yed it safe, took more time but killed their targets without bearing any loss.


    Even then, the human level 7s were the first to be killed off.


    Only ten out of the nearly twenty-five hundred level 7 Undead died.


    By then, half of the level 8s were gone and the remaining half were dying much faster than their predecessors.


    Only the level 9 group remained rtively intact. Only two human level 9s died and they took down four Undead with them.


    Now, it became eighteen level 9 humans vs twenty-eight Undead.


    But the strongest human, the elderlymander was quickly umting serious injuries and growing closer to death. Once she died, the Undead leader could easily kill off the remaining.


    Things didn''t look good at all.


    But in the corner of their hearts, the human still hoped for a miracle.

 Chapter 977 Ashes In The Space

    Another space crack dealt another severe blow to the elderly woman and took her out.


    "You old bitch! How dare you stop me for so long?" The Undead leader gripped her by her gray-white hair and raised her head.


    The grip was so harsh that her hair was partially uprooted and blood flowed from her scalp and dripped down her forehead.


    The elderly woman hissed at the pain on the inside but she defiantly nced at the Undead.


    Instead of killing her right away, the Undead pped her with the back of his hand.


    A loud p rang in the space and the level 9 that were fighting in the distance froze for a moment before ncing in that direction. Their faces paled and the light in their eyes grew dark.


    The Undead fighting them saw a chance and were about to attack when a tired and unclear but unyielding voice rang across the space.


    "Fie..ht till dea¡ªth!"


    The Undead nced at the old woman whose right cheek waspletely smashed. Her bones were visible and blood was flowing out like water breaking a fountain.


    That''s the reason why she couldn''t speak properly. But her words were heard and understood by everyone. They reignited the dying fire and caused the human level 9s to fight back even harder.


    "Why? Why do you continue to oppose us? Why can''t you just ept defeat like the inferior pests you are?" The Undead raised his hand and pped her on the left cheek.


    Another cloud p rang in the space and this time, her left cheek was also gone.


    She now looked horrifying, like a skull with human skin and some dark red flesh. Now, even her hair was pulled off and she was bleeding from her scalp.


    The only thing that looked normal was her eyes. Those old, experienced, and wise eyes continued to stare at him defiantly.


    If he willed, he''d have been dead with a single p. He controlled his strength enough that her head wouldn''t break off from her body and only injured her heavily.


    He wanted to injure and humiliate her. But her eyes didn''t show any fear.


    "Why? Why?!" He growled as he mmed his knee into her face. Blood sttered over his armor and her breath grew weak.


    He looked at her again. Her facial features long distorted, and her aged but beautiful face was now a bloody mess that didn''t even look human.


    But those eyes¡­


    "Bitch!" His fingers pierced her eyes and gouged out those defiant eyes.


    Her body trembled as a terrible pain coursed through her body and hit every single nerve that was still working.


    But she didn''t scream out in pain. She didn''t utter a single cry. Nor did she even open her mouth to let out a sound.


    "Now what do you say?" The Undeadughed at her bloodied face that now had empty sockets. "Come on, re at me! You bitch! Weren''t you staring at me like that? With those eyes?"


    As he recalled those eyes, a fear he long thought he forgot shot up his spine. "You dared to stare at me with the same gaze of that bastard Varian! How dare you?! How dare he?! That wretched, inferior, pathetic, and disgusting bastard! How dare he¡­.how dare he¡­"


    The Undead gripped clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. The sound of his knuckles cracking rang out like an explosion and his howls of rage reached the ears of the dying humans.<novelnext></novelnext>


    In those howls was a name that resounded across the human world a few months ago.


    Varian¡­


    At that moment, how much they wished he was here. To save them. To create a miracle like he always did.


    But he isn''t here. He''s gone. And he was gone because he stopped this Undead and saved them once.


    ? The eyes of the surviving human soldiers lit up with a mad desire.


    "Kill!"


    "Kill!"


    "Kill!"


    They rushed to their enemies and burst out with a strength they didn''t even know they had. They all died in a single minute, but they all took down at least one Undead with them.


    It was a glorious and scary sight for the Undead leader.


    "You! Even after your death¡­you bastard!" He gnashed his teeth and stared down at the dying woman that no longer held any semnce of a human being.


    She was on herst breath and would die in a blink.


    And as thatst wisp of her life left her, she raised her head at him.


    Her eyes were missing and there were only empty eye sockets there. But for some reason, the Undead leader felt she was staring at him with the same defiant gaze.


    "Arghh! You fucking bitch!" He raised his arm to smash her head to pieces but she was already dead by then.


    "I''ll kill every single one of you!" He kicked her body in the abdomen and due to the sheer force, it exploded into pieces of flesh, blood, and bones.


    Then, he signaled to the fire awakeners in his group and had them burn all the corpses into ashes.


    "If they''re lucky, they might get a funeral. They don''t deserve it." He smiled with madness.


    His followers didn''t notice it as they were Undead, but after he was reborn, the Undead leader lost most of his qualities that made him an abyssal. Now, he''s fueled by the instinct side of things.


    It wanted him to kill, kill and kill some more. He craved violence, pain, and suffering. As he grew more animalistic, this mission turned out to be not just a mission for him, but also his source of enjoyment.


    "Let''s go! To Neptune! To kill those pesky insects that refuse to die! To crush the resistance that stops the renaissance of our great civilization!" With roaringughter, he led his troops forward.


    Silence once again returned to the asteroid belt, leaving the ashes of the warriors drifting aimlessly.


    Even during thest moments of their lives, they hoped for it desperately.


    But the miracle never came.

 Chapter 978 Unexpected Resistance

    Sacrifices happened all across the sr system. Hundreds of thousands gave away their lives to protect their race and civilization.


    No one had the time or energy to pay attention to them.


    Every soldier, every officer, and every mercenary was forced to fight. It didn''t end with them, just a few hours after the war began, all the reserve forces were called up.


    While the high ranking abyssals all achieved a breakthrough and grew stronger, the low and mid ranking abyssals were bestowed with all kinds of treasures and items that made them a force to reckon with.


    As the war passed three days, all able-bodied males and females older than sixteen were called to the military districts on thes and were given emergency training.


    Even with the reservesing into y, the situation wasn''t optimistic at all!


    Rather, in these three days, the borders of alloids were redrawn. The human forces were surprised by the reinforced strength of the abyssal high awakeners and the abyssal army.


    It was only after they retreated to the next line of defense that they fully digested the current reality.


    It''s a huge shock to not just the army but the whole human race. Every man and woman withrge enough power realized this time was different from every other.


    Even during thest war, such a disparity wasn''t seen.


    Abyssals had their victoriesst time due to the reinforcements and Undead. Their core army by itself wasn''t strengthened.


    Things were different now. The abyssals as a whole underwent an upgrade. And they forced the whole human army back.


    Even some of the fiercest legions from Neptune and Earth, arguably the strongest of all, couldn''t stand the onught of the abyssals and were forced to retreat.


    It was a show of raw strength.


    And it also made the human powerhouses realize that if they didn''t do anything, then the future result was set.


    So, they opened their vaults and without any hesitation, poured out all the treasures, magical items, formations, and elixirs they had preserved for centuries.


    All of these were acquired through their blood and sacrifice over the centuries from the ruins. Even during thest war, they didn''t touch these reserves as they were confident of creating a stalemate. But they couldn''t wait for more than three days this time.


    Thanks to this unexpected aid that was truly akin to a blessing, the dynamics of the war once again underwent a dramatic shift.


    The defense infrastructure on the first line of defense, the currently active line, was propped up with all sorts of precious materials and formations.


    Even with a significantly superior military force, the abyssals failed to invade them sessfully.


    To their credit, even without these treasures and aid, the army would''ve held up for a week in mostoids.


    In a fewoids with good defense infra, it''s even possible to stall the abyssals for three weeks.


    But more than 90% of theoids were going to fall after a week had there been no intervention.


    Now, there had been a sessful shift in the war.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Why is theoid not conquered yet? Are you eating grass?" mming the table, Fire King growled. Fire leaked out of his body and engulfed the room he was in.


    But even the bright orange fire devouring everything in sight couldn''t cover the glowing white eyes that stared at the screen. "Speak!"


    The level 9mander sighed and wordlessly grabbed themunication crystal and shot into the sky.


    The world shed and he appeared on a deste purple in.<novelnext></novelnext>


    There was a huge fortified silver wall standing tall and splitting the in into two.


    Almost a hundred thousand abyssal armies, segregated based on their paths, formed hundreds of teams and were attacking the wall without holding back.


    The sky was drowned in the endless attacks and thend between the wall and the army was long filled with giant craters.


    When these tens of thousands of attacks reached the wall, the silver wall shone slightly and the human army behind the wall shot their attacks.


    These attacks reached the sky and canceled off most of the abyssal attacks. But since abyssals were undoubtedly stronger, some attacks still reached the wall which the huge structure took without even shaking. Except for a few cracks here and there, the wall was mostly fine.


    Simrly, far in the distance were a bunch of dots in the sky. Wherever they went, the space would explode and fierce shockwaves would follow.


    These were naturally the high awakeners from the human and abyssal sides that were battling it out.


    The abyssals expected human high awakeners to bepletely crushed. But to their utter surprise, some of the humans, less than half of them, seemed to have advanced as well. This ratio still greatly favored abyssals and became the reason borders were easily breached.


    But now, the same result wasn''t repeating.


    There was a very thin but shining silver light on all high-ranking humans fighting the abyssals. They were given additional defense!


    Thanks to this reliance, they were able to fight more recklessly and sessfully stalled the stronger foe.


    "If some of them didn''t advance, even these treasures couldn''t have helped them. And even if they did advance but didn''t have the treasures, it''d have been game over. But lucky for them." The abyssalmander of theoid said.


    His counterpart was already standing a few miles above the wall, staring at him with killing intent.


    After their recent battle, they both retreated to rest. So, his arrival must''ve been unexpected. But seeing that he''s just reporting to Fire King, the humanmander didn''t provoke a fight and focused on recovery.


    "Why did they even advance? Our spies had no clue!" The Fire King mmed the chair and smashed it to pieces. "And these treasures! Where the hell did they get them? We didn''t know about these either!"


    "¡­Every race has its final cards that it wouldn''t use unless pushed to the corner, Your Majesty," The abyssalmander, who''s actually a few decades older than the Fire King, said patiently.


    Just like how humans didn''t expect them to bring up these ridiculous treasures from the empire and strengthen themselves, they didn''t expect humans to suddenly have mass advancements and bring out these treasures.


    The Fire King also calmed down at his words. The fire in his room disappeared in a blink and he grinned at the experienced and wisemander.


    "If they''re forced to bring out these treasures, we can rest assured they''re pushed to the corner. This is theirst fight."


    "Yes, your majesty." Themander nodded and nced at the silver wall with a scrutinizing gaze. "They can hold on for a month with this. Or maybe more¡­humans did always surprise us after all."


    "His highness would send us reinforcements after a month and a half, or earlier. We should finish these humans and save the lord this trouble." Fire King said in a solemn tone.


    "Indeed. They can hold on for a month, provided no other external factor intervenes." A devilish smile formed on themander''s face as he bowed to his ruler.


    Fire King also understood the underlying meaning andughed happily. With an approving nod, he ended the call.


    Themander returned to his camp while staring in a particr direction.


    ¡­Neptune.


    "Soon, the Undead will¡­soon."


    That external factor will break stalemates and decide the fate of this war.

 Chapter 979 Mercurys Fight

    Every minute felt like like an hour to the human army.


    The unexpected rain of treasures, elixirs and formations from the powerful families and institutions was a blessing that saved them from a quick loss against the abyssals.


    But the fight didn''t get easier.


    By all metrics, the abyssals were winning. Their onught was slowed for sure, but the end result didn''t really change.


    While abyssals felt irritated that humans who were supposed to be destroyed in three or four days could now hold up for a whole month, humans panicked that they all might go extinct in a month.


    No one was safe. From Mercury to Neptune, each''s army was being slowly crushed.


    Besides the strengthening of the abyssals, the treasures the Abyss Emperor granted them was another major factor.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Mercury has perhaps the most cohesive army of all. They''re more co-ordinated, more rigorous and more cold-bloodedpared to their peers on others.


    A big part of the credit goes to Sovereign Albert who''s as militaristic as a human can get.


    Rumors say that even his daughter-inw died a few years ago, he stayed silent for a few minutes and then got back to work.


    The most constion he gave his son Evander was a few minutes of talk. Forget staying with him for a while or being there for him, Sovereign Albert didn''t even talk to him more than usual.


    Trained under such a man, naturally, mercury army was as tough as it could get.


    That''s the reason that even when a very elite abyss legion attacked Gyrum, one of the strategically criticaloid, the soldiers weren''t demoralized.


    For the past three days, Gyrum has seen an increasing bloodshed.


    A hundred thousand abyssals fought hard to break the defenses of the human fortifications.


    Gyrum''s fortifications were in the form of multiple giant castles standing on top of wide mountain ranges.


    So far, the aggressive abyssal army failed to make any substantial gains on these castles.


    But the abyssals overall were very close to destroying a castle.


    The reason was that this castle was exclusively attacked by a single abyssal legion. These 6,000 abyssals, the elites, had only one difference from the rest¡ªthey all had a shining golden bracelet.


    Whenever the attacks fell on them, the pain and damage be transferred evenly to everyone. The same went for the impact of the attacks as well as the mental attacks.


    As a result, the castle under siege had a hard time destroying this legion.


    The only saving grace was¡ª


    "Kill!" A ck dot appeared high in the sky and pped down. The air was twisted into the shape of a palm and exploded toward the ground like a tornado.


    The palm was several miles above the clouds but everyone on the ground felt a huge weight on their shoulders. The ground cracked under the pressure and all the soldiers sank into the soil.


    As the palm approached the clouds, some of the weaker soldiers were already bleeding from their noses.


    It''s clear that once the palm fell, everyone would die.


    "Focus on your battle." A snort that sounded like thunder resounded from the sky and a huge tail pped the air.


    The palm that was fast approaching the ground collided with it and exploded into pieces.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The shockwaves from the collision reached the ground and swept nearly fifty thousand abyssals off their feet.


    Since they were in the castles, humans were safe. But the castles too shook violently under the shockwaves.


    From the Outer space, Albert noticed that the elite abyssals were also blown back by the shockwaves and his tense brows rxed.


    The shockwaves themselves were powerful and would stall the battle by at least an hour.


    Since his palm was originally intended for the elite abyssals, they were the most affected by the shockwaves too. They''d take at least three hours to reassemble.


    The crumbling castle gained three more hours of life.


    By intervening as frequently as he could, this was the highest support Albert could provide.


    Of course, his moves were ruthless. If the Sin King didn''t intervene, then everyone on theoid would be killed. And even if he did intervene, humans would end up gaining some more time.


    Such exchange had been going on since three days already and despite every support it got, the castle''s defenses were down by 50%.


    It''s only a matter of time before the first castle of the firstoid of the first fell.


    And fell it did.


    After the sacrifice of nearly seven thousand human lives, and the destruction of a very precious defense array, the castle crumbled a dayter.


    The human side predicted it tost for at least three more days and mark a week of resistance. But it couldn''t even finish the fourth day and copsed in the afternoon.


    The earth shook violently as the castle began to vibrate and started. A huge white mist leaked out of the castle and enveloped the mountain it was on. In doing so, it also covered the elite abyssal army.


    The next second, the castle, the mountain and everything in the surrounding three miles exploded.


    Stones and soil shot out like tsunami and terrifying shockwaves spread out at a breathtaking pace, wiping away all the resistance in their path.


    Once the dust cleared, the humans observed that three thousand out of the six thousand died.


    The remaining three thousand were on their knees, panting heavily as they coughed out blood. Their faces were pale but their bracelets were still glowing.


    Just now, the bracelets themselves made a decision to protect half by sacrificing half.


    But this was a one time thing. Abyssals wouldn''t fall for this trick again.


    So, humans were sessful in shing the elite army by half but failed to destroy thempletely.


    As a result, the elite army struck again. They attacked with vengeance. Since they''re attacking a castle that''s already under attack by other abyssals and coordinating with them, the second castle fell in just two days.


    As humans feared, the fall of the castle triggered a domino effect. Whenever a castle fell, disproportionate amount of humans died. As a result, abyssals got some extra manpower.


    So, the third fell in one and a half day. The fourth took only one day.


    Even though they tried their best, the war was going in an irreversible direction.


    Mercury had tenoids, the lowest of all. The low number ofoids allowed Albert to protect them easily in the past. But now, even the experienced marshal wished mercury had moreoids.


    At least that way, its fall would be slow.

 Chapter 980 The Secrets Of Venus And The Heritage Of Xanders

    Venus was always a overshadowed by the strict Mercury and the home of humans, Earth.


    But it had its own strengths.


    Sovereign Vianne, the Head of Trade Union, had one strength that no one could deny her.


    Treasures.


    Rare, precious, and great treasures that she collected overtime from merchants, antique shops and ruins.


    As the richest person in the federation, she was the first choice for people selling those treasures.


    The result?


    When the abyssals attacked and pushed back the army, she opened her vault and used all the treasures.


    Venus had 50oids and even after Vianne contributed all her treasures, the share for eachoids was far less.


    However, even that shocked the abyssals and humans alike.


    Too many injuries?


    There''s a defensive tower that can reduce injuries to all allied forces by 10%. It''s not really high, but it''s enough to make a difference!


    Too slow recovery?


    There''s a gas sprayed in the air that''ll increase recovery speed by 30%!


    Too weak?


    There''s a drink that''d increase your strength for thirty minutes by 15%!


    Too low endurance?


    Take this one drop.


    But the abyssals facing the Venus soldiers weren''t a joke. Other than the depressing fact that every high awakener had a small breakthrough, all theoids of Venus now had a special ash altar.


    This altar did just one thing. It increased the strength of abyssals by 10%.That''s it. No fancy effects, no wider utility. It was that in.


    But as almost all the fiftyoids an altar each, the Venus army faced a tremendous challenge.


    In the overall picture, the abyssals of Venus were still strong, the humans were still weak.


    Even with all these treasures, they were still losing. But with the way things were going, they might be thest standing humans.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Earth, origin of humans, was always a contender when the strongest was brought up.


    While many thought Neptune should be the de facto leader, the high awakeners inclined towards Earth.


    And the results so far upheld that decision.


    While Earth army couldn''t protect the boundaries and was pushed back like everyone else, they disyed incredible resilience while fighting the abyssals.


    Unlike the Legion of 6,000 soldiers with special bracelets of Mercury or strengthening altars of Venus, abyssals picked the crudest approach to deal with Earth.


    The ''special'' challenge was more level 9s. Demon Abyss called up more level 9s from other abysses and ordered them to fight the Earth army.


    Earth had roughly 130 level 9s. 20 died in thest war. 30 new level 9s joined thanks to the potion by Kyle. So, it''s 140 level 9s.


    But these 140 now had to face almost 180 level 9 abyssals! And each of them had a sub-level breakthrough! It was a dire situation without any solution in sight.


    When Demon King thought Earth would be finished in the end, he realized what it actually meant to be the strongest family in the federation.


    The Xanders opened their coffers and used up their treasures. They didn''t hold back. They couldn''t.


    Any hesitation might lead to total annihtion of earth. Heck, even 99.9% might not be enough. They must give 100%.


    So, a wave of new boosts spread across the Earth''s army. Even though Xanders still picked their own to give these treasures and elixirs whenever they could, a lot of others too benefitted.


    As a result, Earth added thirty level 9s and 40% of the existing level 9s went through a sub-level advancement.


    For this monumental achievement, the Xanders were left with no treasures. Nearly 500 years of umtion was gone just like that.


    But this 500 years of umtion, possibly the greatest in all human powers, still wasn''t enough to overwhelm abyssals that had a heritage of thousands of years.


    Earthlings fought hard and they managed to reach a sort of stalemate against the abyssals. They were the most sessful lot of all the federation.


    Unlike others, earth army was confident of holding the stalemate indefinitely. But the precondition was no external factors.


    With the ways things were going, others would fall eventually and when they do, the abyssals would gang up on earth and destroy it.<novelnext></novelnext>


    So, even though they achieved the best results, earthlings remained pessimistic about the future and were in a frantic pursuit to find solutions to the current problem.


    But they spent everything they could and barely pushed their own army to match up with the abyssals. They had nothing more to spend for others to equalize them with the abyssals.


    Locked in a stalemate and with the time to think through things, Earthlings grew desperate at the future they couldn''t seem to change.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª-


    Mars had been through a lot this year. It lost a Sovereign, tens of millions of soldiers, entireoids were ughtered and almost got destroyed.


    Perhaps for that reason, the abyssals weren''t as keen on Mars as they were on Earth.


    That''s something Sovereign Bali was infinitely grateful and angry for.


    "Old bitch, even if I die, I''ll take you down with me!"


    Above a giant shining blueoid, he growled as he waved his hands at a spaceship in the outer space.


    The spaceship retreated back with impressive speed and an illusion pulled Bali into a dream space.


    In this illusory domain that resembled a red ocean, Mirage Queen unleashed a torrent of attacks on Bali.


    The sky cracked, the air burned with mes, and countless predatory creatures jumped from the ocean to attack him.


    Bali channeled his powers and waved his hand. A space crack opened around him and swallowed up the attacks.


    But a few still managed to go past the defense and prated his shoulders, legs and chest.


    Bali wiped the blood dripping from his mouth and shot a me of fire at the cocky Mirage Queen.


    The female abyssal chuckled as she flew into the sky and rained another round of attacks over him. "Dual awakeners are troublesome. But without the artifact, I can keep you engaged all day."


    Bali''s pupils stagnated for a moment before his attacks intensified.


    The Mirage Queen cackled at his desperation and gloated. "I remember you were so brave, so adventurous and so¡­confident when you and that little bastard entered my abyss, killed my people and left arrogantly. Not so arrogant, are we? Look at you, youroids are going to wiped out one by one and you can''t even go save them."


    Bali''s eyes grew red but his mind calmed down. Losing himself in rage against a Psychic Sovereign in an illusion space wasn''t a good idea.


    Conversely, t''s not good for a Psychic Sovereign to lose control over the dream space.


    Bali''s eyes shed and he grinned. "Little bastard? Who might that be? Are you scared of him that you can''t even utter his name?"


    The Mirage Queen''s bossom heaved up and down as she gnashed her teeth. "You still have the energy to talk?"


    With a wave of her hand, the gravity on Bali rose ten fold and his feet sank into the ground that''s now made of snow.


    "Kuuu," Bali groaned at the pressure but continued. "Let me correct you. When Varian first came and ughtered that ten or twenty million, he didn''t bring me in. He brought a bunch of level 9s and he did it after he fooled you out of your abyss. Fooled your fucking numb skull!


    Don''t give me credit. You are just trying to rationalize your failure by involving a Sovereign. But the truth is, you lose to a level 9, no, a level 8 guy or maybe he was a level 7 at that time."


    "Shut up!" Mirage Queen pped down.


    An invisible force knocked Bali back but heughed out loud. "You are the biggest failure in your peers. Even your capital is gone. You''re a joke! A pathetic joke!"


    "I said SHUT UP!"


    The roar of Mirage Queen reverberated across the dream scape before the world cracked apart.


    Bali didn''t even think for another second before he dashed to the glowing blueoid.


    Theoid originally was brown in color. But abyssals activated a treasure that engulfed the wholeoid in heavy ice mana.


    This was the challenge abyssals brought to Mars and also the easiest of them all.


    Bali wanted to destroy the treasure.


    Only then will Mars army will not be quickly destroyed.


    "You are not going anywhere!" A shrill voice came from behind and Bali''s view twisted as he was pulled into another illusion.


    But before he lost himself in it, he managed to lock onto the treasure on theoid and exploded the space around it.


    Kacha!


    The blueoid turned back to brown in a few hours and the army that was on the verge of defeat now managed to fight back.


    They''d still lose. But they could hold on for a few more days. Maybe a week?


    Even that''s good.


    In the current circumstances, that''s the best Bali could''ve asked for.

 Chapter 981 Kyles Help

    The war progressed in a way that no one expected.


    Abyssals were much stronger than humans imagined. The humans weren''t crushed like the abyssals initially hoped.


    What was supposed to be a quick extermination turned into a prolonged war that stretched on for weeks.


    Twelve days have passed since the war began and the future was getting clearer.


    The human army continued to state that the war wasn''t beyond control.


    "This is like every other war so far. Only a bit bigger and longer."


    "We will survive."


    "Abyssals couldn''t win us for centuries. Don''t think they can win now."


    Contrary to reality, the leaders lied and lied. But their actions proved just the opposite.


    The federation had already began the program to preserve the fire of the human race.


    Experts from all domains and the finest genius awakeners were picked to be the pioneers. Equipped with thetest technology and some very precious life saving treasures, several spaceships containing the survivor groups would be sent out of the sr system. If even a single group manages to find a home and continue the civilization, then it''s a sess.


    And since they''ve already done what they could, the army was given the order to kill as many abyssals as they could.


    There still remained hopes for victory in the army. But it usually appeared only when the soldiers were drunk or drowsy.


    All the people with talent were either fighting or being trained to fight.


    Surprisingly, all thes held up so far. Even the ones that were projected to copse quickly.


    Of course, the loss ofoids was inevitable. More than tenoids were gone in the past twelve days and it''s considered an excellent result given the circumstances.


    But things were reaching a tipping point and everyone could feel they were just a few days away from the irreversible.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    The abyssals came for cluster cities once again.


    The paramilitary that protected them earlier were already reduced to ashes and other than few odd soldiers here and there, the cluster cities had little defense.


    The newmander of the cluster cities defense was just a level 7 who had recentlye out of ruins.


    He had no experience of leading a thousand people let alone protecting cities holding millions. But he''s a famous genius.


    On the first sign of trouble, he contacted the Head Quarters and requested for help.


    The vicemanders in the meeting room, peak level 6s, looked at him with anxious expressions.


    A peak level 6 like them would typically be in the middle of themand hierarchy. It''s way beyond their capabilities to protect a whole city!


    They had the foot soldiers, yes. Plenty of them. With the citizens volunteering, they had enough masses.


    But they had no powerhouses.


    "It''s ridiculous. Everyone thought Neptune would fall first. But who knew it''d be cluster cities." Themander sighed and looked at the vicemanders with a serene gaze. "Let''s go."


    There was an ominous premonition in the back of their minds, but the vicemanders followed him wordlessly.


    Themander gathered all the soldiers, amounting to just five thousand and the volunteering and qualified citizens, amounting to fifty thousand.


    With this army of fifty-five thousand, he stationed them on the city of Orion and waited for the enemy.


    The troops grew restless as they whispered among themselves. Since most of them weren''t properly trained soldiers, they couldn''t keep their nerves. Forget them, even the trained soldiers were panicking as they stared at themander with a lost gaze.


    "Give your best." The youngmander said the first word since the gathering and stared into the outer space.


    A small fleet of abyssals rushed toward the cluster cities.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The abyssals were twenty thousand in number, less than half of theirs. But each soldier was at least one level higher!


    What''s worse was three level 8s along with a couple of level 7s that led the fleet. Even though they were just low level 8s, they''re capable of crushing the entire defense army by themselves.


    As the soldiers feared, the three level 8 abyssal leaders noticed them and ordered the abyssal army toward them.


    In a few seconds, twenty thousand abyssals got out of the ships and jumped into the city to ughter the defense forces.


    The soldiers held their breaths and even the vicemanders felt their hearts stop.


    The defense barrier that was supposed to stop them was destroyed before it could fully manifest and in the next moment, twenty thousand abyssalsnded in front of the defense forces.


    The abyssals stared at the humans yfully while the humans went pale and shivered.


    The three level 8 abyss leaders scanned the humans for any traps and found none. Then with a grin, they slowly raised their arms.


    The tension in the air stretched to the limit as time seemed to slow down.


    The moment the arm was fully raised would be the moment these abyssals would . attack


    Just as the abyssals shot out from their positions, the humanmander roared. "Die!"


    The world shook at his words and they sky trembled. Everyone couldn''t understand what''s going on but a terrifying fear crept into their hearts.


    The next moment, the giant city exploded.


    The space was painted bluish-red and a destructive shockwave spread out from Orion and hit the other cluster cities.


    They''re almost knocked out of their orbits and observed a dangerous earthquake.


    The dozen or so police forces present in each city that were anxiously observing the war copsed into their seats.


    Themander...sacrificed the whole city to stop the abyssals.


    It was a gamble that paid off.


    But to ensure its sess, he couldn''t evacuate the citizens lest the abyssals got suspicious. He couldn''t inform his own people lest they grow restless and object to this high casualty tactic.


    "Madman, he''s mad to the core," Kyle stared at what remained of the city as the explosion settled down.


    Millions died in that single st. But it did save the rest of the cities. However, the abyssals wouldn''t fall for the same trap twice.


    ''If another group of abyssals came to attack, then what?''


    With that fear in his mind, Kyle returned to hisb and locked himself up.


    After five days, another fleet of abyssals arrived. This time they split up and attacked.


    The defense barrierssted for a few seconds before they were cracked apart.


    The citizens were defenselessmbs to the abyssal army that descended into the cities!


    But before the killings began and turned the cities turned into purgatory, a few shining humanoid robotsnded in front of the abyssals.


    A few of them were level 8, a couple of them were level 7 and the rest were between level 3 and level 6.


    "This burnt up all the savings of Shadow Order!" Kyle sighed as the battle began.


    These days, Boo went around and found all the secret and hidden treasures of the Shadow Order.


    Since they were destroyed so suddenly, a lot of their vaults were never discovered. After a lot of hacking and searching, Boo gathered up enough materials for Kyle''s robot army.


    But thankfully, the cluster cities would be safe.


    ¡­For now.

 Chapter 982 Yo!

    Neptune was the hottest target of all abyssals.


    The army was able to hold back the Undead in the beginning. After all, they''re just a few thousand and weren''t overwhelmingly strong.


    But as time went by, more and more Undead began to rise from the corpses.


    Of course, the number of Undead rising from the corpses was very lesspared to the same during thest war. There were no death strands or death crystals to covert all the dead. So, the efficiency plummeted.


    Still, the gradual conversion eroded away the defenses of theoid.


    The firstoid fell only after nine days.


    The second after six days.


    The third after four days.


    The fourth took just three days.


    Even the conversion couldn''t have elerated the falls to this extent.


    In fact, for anyoid topletely fall, the powerhouses must fall. On Neptune, mostoids had level 9s. So, the reason theseoids fell so fast was the quick death of level 9s.


    And the trigger behind such quick deaths was the Undead Sovereign who''s now crossed the threshold of peak level 9 and was hovering below the Sovereign state.


    His strength seemed unstoppable, even more so than his army.


    But on his fifthoid, a man stood up to him.


    BOOM!


    The clouds in the sky split apart and the ground cracked into two for a hundred miles, followed by a shockwave that swept the wholeoid.


    The Undead looked at the fist blocking his own with a half-serious and half-amused smile.


    "I thought you went into hiding andmitted suicide." His other arm blurred and shot toward the human''s head.


    "Why does a Zombie even speak?" Evander caught the fist that was dangerously close to his head and hissed.


    "Zombie, heh. She used the same word. Your dead daughter." The Undead grinned and kicked up.


    Evander shielded himself with his shoulder but was kicked back several miles. The mountains in the way were destroyed and a huge cloud of dust formed in the area he crashed into.


    Before the Undead could even take his eyes off, Evander shot out from the dust and punched him in the gut.


    The Undead staggered back while his feet dug into the ground. He didn''t stop until he went back a whole mile.


    "This power¡­isn''t normal," The Undead clutched his abdomen and stared at the reddish hue around Evander. "You''re burning your vitality, aren''t you?"


    "Don''t speak about my daughter with your filthy mouth, you zombie." Evander kicked the ground and reached the Undead in a blink.


    The reddish hue around him shone and he punched out with an even greater strength than before.


    The Undead responded with a punch and to the utter surprise of Evander, the Undead was able to match him.


    "I''m growing stronger with all this death," The Undead pointed to the endless corpses strewn on the battlefield.


    Evander wanted to burn up all his life and end the damn bastard right there. But unfortunately, he was still a bit away from achieving the strength of a Sovereign by burning his vitality.


    "Come let''s fight! I''ll let you realize the growing gap between us!" With a roar ofughter, the Undead attacked.


    Evander managed to entangle with the Undead for the next fifteen days. But he couldn''t stop the Undead army.


    Kyle spent up all the treasures to defend the cluster cities and was in position to help either.


    His help, however, clearly allowed movement of crucial medicine, treasures and reinforcements to Neptune, prolonging what seemed to be its inevitable copse.


    But the inevitable arrived.


    Under the assault of the growing Undead forces that coordinated with the strengthened abyssal army, 70% of all Neptuneoids fell.


    By this time, others typically lost 30-40% of theiroids and were already in a precarious situation.


    But Neptune had it the worst.


    The remaining army of 30%oids grouped together and withdrew to the moons of Neptune.


    If they stayed, they''d be taken out one by one and Neptune would be ughtered without any resistance when the time came.


    So, they rushed to Neptune and decided to defend it together.


    There''s still no hope of winning. And in the current situation, there were no chances of mass migration to inners.


    Because while Kyle managed to keep the cluster cities from copsing, he couldn''t keep the teleportation formations perfectly safe.


    Right now, only a few teleportation formations were working and they had no capacity to let millions pass through. And any migration attempt by spaceships would fall prey to the abyssals who now controlled the space beyond theoids ands!


    As Neptune stared at its end, Sovereign Ares was drawn away by Thunder King while Evander was being held back by the Undead Leader.


    "Hehehehe! Look! That is going to fall in front of your very eyes! Look!" Far away in the outer space, the Undead Leader pointed to the blue andughed as he dodged Evander''s attacks.


    Evander continued to punch him as he burned his vitality.


    But a nce at their bodies¡ªEvander with multiple injuries all over and the Undead¡ªperfectly fine except for a few bruises, was enough to showcase the difference in their current powers.


    "Ares, the you protected with all your heart and soul. It''s going to turn into purgatory. The billion lives will be sacrificed for the greater good. This was always supposed to happen."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Even farther away from Evander and Undead Leader was a spherical golden field. It''s actually heavy lightning mana solidified into something tangible and looked like a golden field.


    Inside it was Thunder King with several injuries chuckling at Ares with significantly more injuries.


    Since the past few minutes, Thunder King even stopped attacking and just dodged.


    But Ares wishes his enemy just attacked instead of talking.


    "How do you feel now, Ares? All your life''s work is going to be destroyed." Thunder Kingughed and thunder roared with hisughter.


    Ares'' body blurred and he instantly appeared a few hundred miles toward Neptune.


    It seemed that he could reach there in just a few more seconds. But before he could take a step further, a lightning hammer struck him in the chest and shot him back toward the Thunder King and away from his.


    Ares raised his bleeding hand toward Neptune and materialized a lightning bolt aiming at the Undead. But just as it''s released, a lightning shield blocked and neutralized it.


    "Give up, you can''t win." Thunder King''s voice sounded behind him.


    Ares stared at Neptune with bloodshot eyes, not caring if Thunder King would take the opportunity to sneak attack on him.


    His clenched fist continued to bleed. "No¡­.no¡­don''t¡­"


    "I can''t hear you?" Thunder King gave a harmless smile.


    "D-Don''t¡­.k-kill¡­" Ares growled like an injured beast.


    "Are you begging? Requesting? Ordering?" The Lord of Thunder Abyss showed a puzzled expression.


    Ares turned around and met his archenemy''s eyes. His own eyes burning with hatred reflected off in Thunder King''s eyes.


    Looking at those chilling eyes, the abyssal ruler''s heart shook.


    But clicking his tongue, he smirked. "It''s over, Sovereign Ares. Your is only the first. Humanity will fall soon. We made even more preparations, but it seems like it''s not necessary."


    Ares'' heart grew cold as he watched the Undead and Abyssal army reach Neptune''s moons.


    The huge swarm of ash-colored dots were overwhelmingpared to the much smaller human army.


    Even with all the defense treasures, the human army wouldn''t evenst ten minutes.


    And once they''re breached, the abyssals would reach Neptune and¡­


    Imagining the carnage that''d soon be unleashed, Ares closed his eyes.


    Thunder King and the Undead Leader stared at the with a grin while Evander looked at with grief.


    The seven billion citizens from all cities of Neptune looked up at the sky and saw their deaths.


    No media coverage could cover this truth now.


    Families hugged each other and cried. Entire streets were wailing. Only destion seemed to remain in the once bustling cities.


    "P-Please¡­" A mother cried.


    "P-Please¡­" A father begged.


    "P-Please¡­" A veteran whispered.


    "Someone¡­" A little girl sped her hands together and wished.


    "Something¡­" An old scientist closed his eyes and hoped.


    "Somehow¡­" A soldier facing the endless horde of Undead muttered.


    "Save us."


    BOOM!


    The space in between the abyssal army and the human army ripped apart and a huge space door appeared.


    A handsome young man walked out in calm steps.


    Even though he didn''t even utter a word yet, the abyssals started shaking. Even the Undead army took a step back following their instincts.


    Thunder King''sughter long stopped as he stared at the familiar nightmare with shock.


    Ares rubbed his eyes and opened his mouth in surprise.


    Evander froze like a statue as he stared at one of the girl that silently appeared behind him.


    The Undead Leader opened his mouth to speak but his chest felt heavy and his throat was clogged. An emotion he longed to forget sparked inside him again.


    The crowd of Neptune too saw this man on the giant screens on the buildings.


    That familiar face...the face of the legends.


    In an instant, the depression of the whole seemed to vanish and a burning hope raged in the hearts of every man, woman and child.


    The soldiers stared at the back of this warrior whose exploits could only be described as a miracle and raised the hopes in their hearts.


    Varian stared at the silent, dumbfounded, scared and hopeful crowds and waved his hand. "Yo! What exactly did I miss?"

 Chapter 983 A Nightmare

    Varian''s words jolted the dumbfounded crowd out of their shock.


    The abyssals looked at him like he was a ghost while the humans looked up to him as a hero.


    "W-Why?" The Archduke of Neptune, a very powerful peak level 9 and one of the few people that witnessed Varian ughtering entire abyssaloid armies by himself in thest war, stepped forward and asked in a voice that was almost close to despair.


    His odd question resonated with all the abyssals present. After all, he didn''t ask the obvious question of how Varian returned after his obvious death¡ªHow did you not only escape certain death but also managed to return?


    Considering Varian survived by luck, it''s impossible for him to return to the sr system after being lost in some faraway space. But they couldn''t deny the reality.


    "Why?" Varian raised a brow and his lips slowly curled up into a devilish, icy but strangely serene smile.


    His smile sent chills down the spines of the abyssals and their bodies screamed at them to flee.


    "You are destined to lose, and that''s why I returned." Varian''s words were filled with so much conviction that they felt prophetic.


    "Destined to lose¡­" The abyssal army''s morale dropped noticeably and a seed of doubt was nted in their hearts.


    It''s not like Varian was invincible. But his words somehow made them feel like they were facing a tall wall. A wall that''s so tall and tough that they couldn''t climb it, break it, or pass it.


    No matter how much they tried and what they did, they''re destined to be blocked by the wall.


    "What a joke!"


    As the morale continued to drop, a resounding roar sounded from the distance like a thunderp.


    A bright golden light up and formed a golden sphere, as if it were a second sun.


    "Varian, you think you''re lucky to return. But that very luck will ensure you''ll witness the destruction of your race. You''ll wish you died instead of having to watch what''s about to unfold." Thunder King''s words shook the space and the golden sphere grew even brighter.


    Even though they''re almost a few hundred miles away, the abyssal army could feel their skin tingle from the lightning sparks. And that light pain crushed the fear of Varian.


    The archduke also noticed this and continued. "Well said, my lord. What can Varian do when there are so many high awakeners? He''s just a level 8. The reason Varian was even able to fight the Undead Leader was that thetter hadn''t fully recovered by then.


    Now he''s almost fully recovered and is just a step away from the Sovereign state. What can Varian do? He can''t stop the inevitable."


    The abyssal army''s morale skyrocketed and returned to the former state.


    The eyes of the warriors in the army burned with excitement and a


    frantic desire.


    They stared at Varian again, but this time, in addition to fear, there was surging killing intent.


    Varian crushed them every time they fought. But this time, he wouldn''t be able to do anything. This time, he''d lose. And this time, he would be helpless to stop them!


    The tall wall that stopped them seemed to be full of cracks at this moment, giving peeks into the road ahead.


    "Descendants of Dar ins, Arise!"


    "Let the blood of enemies bathe ournds!"


    "Our destiny is victory!"


    The war cries of the abyssal legions shook the space and resounded throughout Venus.


    Each of these war cries was considered sacred in the abyssal tradition, used only during the most important wars of the abyssal race.


    ording to even the most knowledgeable abyssal in the sr system, Sin King, these war cries were only used four times.


    This should be the fifth.<novelnext></novelnext>


    It''s sixth. The fifth time was by the abyssals in the emperor abyss since the fairies began their assault.


    "Kill! Destroy! Conquer!"


    "War is the holiest ritual!"


    "To protect, we destroy!"


    As they pped their weapons against their chest and chanted the war cries, the abyssals morale hypercharged and reached a sort of fanaticism.


    Thunder King smiled in relief watching this and ducked down. A lightning needle thinner than hair passed by. If he didn''t dodge, it''d have struck his eye and even pierced all the way to his brain.


    Ares gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath. But without any hesitation, he summoned a lightning spear and charged at his archenemy.


    He''s worried about Neptune. The hypercharged abyssal army only increased his worries.


    But¡­


    ''That boy will do something.'' Ares trusted Varian.


    A few months ago, Varian wrecked chaos on Pluto, teleported to Thunder Abyss, and was chased by Thunder King. He would''ve been in trouble had Ares not stopped Thunder King.


    After that incident, their rtionship grew and Ares was able to talk to Varian on several asions. Ares was impressed with Varian''s character and his track record.


    So, even though things seemed dire now, Varian''s presence had the highest possibility of creating a miracle.


    It wasn''t just Ares that thought like that.


    Evander was the same.


    "Hahahaha¡ªcough cough," He coughed out blood as punchesnded on his body but he couldn''t stopughing.


    "Stop. Your. Laugh!" The Undead leader growled as he attacked Evander at a rate of a hundred punches per second. His arms blurred as each punch hit Evander like a racing truck.


    Evander was pushed back again and again, proving he was significantly weaker than the Undead.


    But he kept taking the punches and asionally was able tond a punch of his


    own.


    The Undead kicked the space and his figure shot toward Varian. But his foot was grabbed by Evander who ruthlessly yanked him back to ce.


    "Fuck off! I need to kill him!" The Undead growled.


    "No." Evander squared his shoulders and nced at Sarah, Sia, and Varian with a loving smile before turning his full attention to the Undead. "You shall not pass. Not today."


    The sounds of bones popping resounded as the Undead clenched his fists and attacked Evander with his fullest power.


    The dynamics reversed in just a few minutes.


    Rather than holding Ares and Evander, Thunder King and Undead Leader were held back by them respectively.


    The abyssal leaders didn''t panic too much and were confident in their army. But in a corner of their hearts, unease began to creep in. The source of the unease was the smile on Varian''s face. It remained the same from the beginning.


    A devilish, icy, and creepily serene smile.

 Chapter 984 Splitting The Sea

    "Kill!"


    The abyssal army, numbering in millions charged forward.


    For Evander who''s now fighting far away, it looked like a light gray sea was about to flood the blue and destroy it.


    Facing this flood of an ocean was a small red group¡ªthe human army. If theparisons were to be made, they''re like a river against an ocean¡ªimpossible to win.


    Between this gray ocean and red river were three dots that were going to face the brunt of this massive flood.


    The citizens of Neptune held their breaths as they watched the abyssal army flood at Varian.


    As the gray ocean was about to drown the tiny dot, something unexpected happened.


    The ocean split!


    The citizens gasped in shock as the screens showed a scene that could only be called as ridiculous.


    Varian stood in ce firmly and the ocean of abyssals rushed toward him at high speed.


    But when they reached him, the ones in front of him were sliced apart. Their limbs flew up and the green blood of abyssals sprayed out like they were a water fountain.


    The citizens watching the live battle on the screen gasped as they saw the unending gore.


    Varian stood in ce like a butcher. Thousands upon thousands of abyssals that reached him were sliced into pieces and their remains sprayed the space green.


    For Ares and Evander, it looked like the gray ocean was being cut by a green sword.


    "What the¡­hell is happening?" Thunder King retreated back and roared at his Archduke through hismunication ring. "Don''t waste the soldiers'' lives! Kill him yourself!"


    The Archduke''s voice came a few secondster. It was a significantly weakened, hurried, and panting voice. "L-Lord, S-She¡­.arghh!"


    Thunder King turned on the video function and almost flinched when he saw the pair of tricolor eyes on the screen.


    Enigma, no, it was a younger girl, staring at the Archduke with fierce killing intent. Her sword gave off a ck aura as it reached him like a python.


    The archduke hurriedly used up a lightning to block the sword. But he couldn''t block an arrow of light that grazed his neck and pierced his shoulder. A beautiful blonde in a white army dress and a very cold gaze stared at the archduke.


    Then, all of a sudden, their gazes turned to themunication ring on the archduke''s finger.


    The tricolor-eyed woman snorted derisively and the ring exploded, turning the screen in front of Thunder King nk.


    "T-These bitches!" He gnashed his teeth as his hatred toward Varian grew even further. They arrived with that boy and wrecked havoc! How dare they?


    "Archduke Samaron! Archduke Yasok! Pull back our soldiers! Kill that bastard yourself!" He yelled into hismunication ring once again as Ares chased him with lightning bullets.


    There was a silence from the other side for a few seconds before despairing howls, and sounds of bodies being sliced, torn, burnt, and exploded rang.


    "L-Lord¡­" The second strongest Archduke of Thunder Abyss, Samaron''s voice was trembling.


    "We¡­are¡­" The third strongest, Yasok wasn''t any better.


    "Fighting me!" Varian''s mocking voice sounded. "Thunder King, do you like the music of these screams? I hope you do because they aren''t going to end anytime soon."


    The archdukes stopped talking and only the screams and howls of the dying soldiers sounded.


    "Arghhh!"


    "L-Lord!"


    "It¡­It hu¡­rts!"


    "Basta¡­arghh!"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Ki¡­stooop!"


    Thunder King''s face paled as he shook violently. He wasn''t too concerned about the screams. Varian was strong enough to kill soldiers.


    But the archdukes¡­


    "Try harder!" Varian grinned as he held the spear of Archduke Samaron in one hand and the sword of Archduke Yasok in another.


    Their faces turned purple and their palms bled a river as they tried to push down their weapons.


    But Varian easily handled two peak level 9s and created a special field of space and time around him that killed any soldier that approached him.


    The Archdukes gave up breaking through his defense and fell back. "Fall back! Regroup!"


    The abyssal army whose morale reached sky high scrambled back like a bereaved dog. All the morale went down the gutter and a sense of defeat rose in their hearts.


    The abyssal army fell back as if they were running away from Varian and regrouped a few miles away hastily.


    Unlike the previous time, no one wanted to be in the first row facing Varian. In the end, even several disputes broke out and the weakest members were pushed to the front.


    Varian stood calmly without making a move even while they rearranged their formation several times, hoping to find the right one to take him on.


    In front of the army were nearly fifty level 9s, including the two archdukes.


    "You go attack Neptune and crush the human army. We will take care of him." Archduke Samaron ordered.


    The abyssal army rushed to Neptune at their fastest speed in fear the order would be withdrawn.


    In their minds, even though Varian was a devil, more devilish than a Zion, he was still one person.


    They rationalized their loss because he somehow became a level 9 and a level 9 so strong that he could fight both the archdukes by himself!


    ''But even he can''t win against fifty level 9s!''


    There''s a limit to what an individual can do. That''s why armies even existed. Sure, Varian ughtered millions. But their levels were much lower than his.


    The abyssal army told downyed Varian''s victories and gained some morale. Of course, their hearts didn''t ept the exnation. But they''re only going to face the much smaller human army. So, it''s going to be fine!


    "Varian, I will slice each and every inch of you and make you an example for our enemies." Archduke Samaron waved his hand and the fifty level 9s, led by the two dukes shot forward.


    "While we kill you in the most painful way, our army will ughter your weakling race in Neptune!" Archduke Yosak raised his sword andughed menacingly.


    The fifty level 9s moved ahead of the army that was about to reach Varian and drowned him in their lightning attacks.


    The space around Varian burst with a blinding golden light and a terrifying shockwave spread from the explosion.


    The abyssal army sighed in relief as they reached Varian and were about to pass him by.


    But before they could take a step forward and cross that ''line'', the golden light vanished and a horrifying red light, almost like a mist spread out from¡­that position.


    This red light dyed Neptune''s moons and the space of the surrounding five hundred miles red as if it was a sea of blood.


    The first row of the abyssal army that was about to pass by Varian copsed on the spot as they felt a terrifying pressure press down on them.


    It''s as if their lungs were squeezed out of the air and their throats were choked by invisible hands. But worse than that, the eyes of all the abyssal soldiers that came into the bloody mist shivered as their minds were filled with a terrifying fear whilst their bodies trembled, obeying their most primitive instinct of recognizing an apex predator.


    The fifty level 9s surrounding Varian also looked at him in shock as the bloody red mist oozed out of him and stopped the entire army in ce.


    The reason they were surprised was that this wasn''t a treasure.


    It''s a thick, heavy, and tyrannical killing intent.

 Chapter 985 Straight From Death

    "Mommy, why are the moons red?" A little girl pointed to the red spheres in the sky and swayed her mother''s hand.


    "Mommy?" She looked up at her mother and realized that she was covering her mouth and gasping as her eyes remained fixed on the moons.


    And it wasn''t just her. "W-What the hell is that?" A young man pulled his hair in disbelief. This couldn''t be happening.


    "Illusion. Must be an illusion." The nonbatant officers observing the abyssal army from the defense rooms shook their heads.


    "This is the sign of the end! The arrival of the ultimate verdict! Humanity will pay for its sins. Let''s all die toge¡ª!" A lunatic cheered for the end of his race before he was punched in the face and had his five limbs crushed.


    The old veteran pulled his bloodied arms back and kicked the unconscious lunatic away and stared at the now red sky. "Spineless cowards. Life can''t be given up without a fight."


    "Red¡­blood¡­" The old veteran was in his twilight and couldn''t even use his powers properly. His senses were growing dull with each passing year but


    he sensed an unmistakable familiarity in the redness in the sky.


    It pulled him back to a familiar ce, an area he left decades ago¡ªa battlefield.


    The ironish and sweet taste of blood stung his tongue, and the smell of the burning and rotting corpses soured the air but felt just right and normal as did the sounds of elemental explosions, space crunches, and heavy collisions. The tip of his fingers felt wet, warm, and sticky as they broke through an invisible resistance, it was just as if he was slowly piercing into an abyssal''s chest and dipping his fingers in their blood.


    "Oh dear," The old veteran gasped as he stepped out of his trance and looked at the sky with tears pooling in his eyes.


    "What have you gone through¡­" There was a mix of pride in his deep and disturbed tone as he stared at the figure exuding the scarlet mist on the screen.


    "How many millions? One? Too little. Five? Not enough. Ten? Maybe. Twenty? Possible. Thirty¡­" His words ended in a deep sigh as he realized that purely a number of kills couldn''t be responsible for something like this.


    This unadulterated, pure, and almost sacred killing intent that oozed off death shouldn''t emerge from a living person in the first ce.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    The abyssal army that was about to pass by Varian had frozen and most of them fell onto their knees. Gritting their teeth, they tried hard to move and failed spectacrly.


    Most of the army wasposed of mid awakeners. Even a level 6 abyssal found it suffocating to face the killing intent. There was little physical harm this killing intent could cause, but it gnawed on their minds like a rabid dog and refused to let them fight.


    It''s not a pure killing intent, of course. It''s Varian''s intense killing intent mixed with his psychic power, forming a tangible mental field of sorts. Even then,bining these two shouldn''t have this much effect by itself or the rest of the mental awakeners would''ve long figured it out.


    The key difference was the perfect fusion of something as intangible as killing intent with very tangible psychic power. The magical ingredient for this process was the profound experience of ''death''. Only those who were killed could feel killing intent to the fullest.


    ¡­And Varian did once.


    Under this tyrannical killing field, only high awakeners could function properly. In fact, level 7s had problems. Only level 9s remained mostly unaffected along with level 8s.<novelnext></novelnext>


    This created a bizarre and horrifying scene where Varian just stood silently while hundreds of thousands of abyssals kneeled around him as if they were paying him homage.


    Compared to moments earlier when he split apart the entire abyss army by himself, this was even scarier.


    The fifty level 9s facing him hesitated to attack him. The hundreds of level 8s following them took a step back while the tens of thousands of level 7s retreated back several miles.


    "U-Use some purification arrays! This must be one of those cheap illusion treasures! Psychics, Telekics, find that formation and destroy the cursed thing!" Archduke Samaron roared.


    Like mosquitoes fleeing, groups of abyssals spread across space. A group used some blue beads that invalidated illusions and tried to soothe the minds of the abyssals.


    The groups of psychics tried hard to cancel this ''illusion'' while the telekics racked their brains to search for the ''treasure'' on Varian''s body or elsewhere. After failing multiple times, they began building a barrier around his body, hoping it''d block the killing intent.


    Varian smirked at their attempts and raised his fist. "Dear uninvited guests that overstayed your visit in my realm,"


    He punched down, "You''re given an eviction notice."


    The barriers around him cracked like fragile ss and a shockwave of multicolored light swept these abyssal groups.


    "Archdu¡ª"


    "Save us ple¡ª"


    "My body¡­"


    The hundreds of abyssals that were touched by the colorful shockwave froze and turned to their source of support with nk eyes.


    "What happened?" Archduke Samaran reached one of his disciples and grabbed his shoulder to run a check.


    But the moment his fingers touched his disciple, his disciple lit up with a multitude of colors before dissolving into a mess of blood and bones.


    As if it was a cue, hundreds of abyssals lit up like dying stars and imploded.


    "Varian!" Archduke''s eyes grew bloodshot as rage consumed his fear of Varian''s mysterious methods.


    With a wave of his hand, all the fifty level 9s that were secretly channeling their power attacked Varian.


    Facing such a huge crowd, especially a very elite one, wasn''t easy even for Varian.


    As expected, he was hit by fifteen psychics and fell into an illusion. Ten abyssals locked up the space around him and held him in ce. Thirty abyssals attacked him with their lightning weapons while the remaining five charged behind the attacks, smashing their fists.

 Chapter 986 A Challenging Situation

    The redness spread all across space and moons began to quiver before it shrunk by half.


    The abyssal soldiers dazedly rolled to their feet and gripped their weapons tight.


    "Kill!" Archduke Samaron''s words were an order to both the army and the level 9s.


    The army, despite the terrifying experience they''d just been through, charged forward.


    From the corner of their eyes, they saw Varian, illusioned and frozen in ce.


    ''Thankfully he allowed them to attack together¡­'' Sighing in relief, the huge abyssal army moved closer to the Neptune moons, where the human army awaited them nervously.


    Seeing Varian freeze like that bottomed out their morale.


    The five human level 9 defenders wanted to go help Varian but the five Undead that were staring at them since the start acted and stopped them in ce.


    "Hahaha! No one can save you now!" The abyssal armynded on the moons simultaneously. Their momentum was so great that the moons shook and the continents cracked apart.


    The human army braced themselves for death as millions of abyssals marched forward.


    This was it. They''re thest line of defense. If they lose, the abyssals would reach Neptune.


    It''s next to impossible for them to win against the abyssal army ten times bigger than them.


    What''s more, even if they won, they knew that the sheer number of level 9 and level 8 abyssals could just escape their encirclement and destroy Neptune.


    They hoped Varian''s presence would change the oue but the hopes they raised were crushed ruthlessly.


    ''Why do you have to give us hope?'' For thest time before they shed with the abyssals, the human armymanders nced at Varian.


    He''s frozen with a neutral expression as he''s about to be engulfed by the attacks. He''s going to be so dead!


    As the lightning attacks reached him, the space awakener abyssals loosened the space around him so it doesn''t obstruct the lightning attacks from striking him.


    ¡­And that''s when he disappeared.


    The human armymanders blinked twice to see if they were hallucinating. But nope. Varian was really gone!


    Where did he g¡ª


    BOOM!


    Kacha!


    The smooth hum of a sharp metal slicing through abyssal flesh as well as the sizzling grilling of meat resounded from¡­the level 9 abyssals! The humanmanders moved their eyes at their fastest to the source of the sound but they only saw the fifteen level 9 abyssal psychics dividing into two across a thin red line on their bodies.


    The abyssal armymanders froze in ce as they too witnessed the gory scene of bodies sliced into two.


    It wasn''t one or two, it was fricking fifteen level 9s!


    Before their hearts knew how to respond, their eyes closed instinctively as a blinding golden light shed across the space.


    When they opened their eyes in a hurry, they saw the corpses of ten level 9 lightning awakeners, three punched a hole through their chests, two with their necks twisted off and five with their heads frozen.


    The roars of thunder rang across the space, followed by sounds of fists smashing flesh and bones and the chattering of teeth under severe cold¡­the sounds of the battle only reached them a few secondster!


    The abyssalmanders looked at each other in anxiety and then turned to the human army.


    Both armies realized it was Varian!


    The human army cheered in joy as their hopes once again rekindled while the abyssals felt the tremors of fear reach spread across.


    The only way to deal with this near-paralyzing fear¡­


    "Attack! Kill these bastards!"


    "They''re the only ones between our peace!"


    "To peace!"


    "To glory!"


    The abyssalmanders motivated their troops and led them to attack. But before any real sh could even happen, the familiar red mist spread again and slowed everyone.


    Since he''s far away now, it didn''t freeze them. But it wasn''t easy to fight as the fear of death in their hearts amplified.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "You really want to die that much?" Varian''s voice rang from far away, but it was as if he was whispering in their ears.


    The abyssals shivered as his devilish smile surfaced in their minds. It didn''t help that Varian just escaped the encirclement of their fifty strongest warriors and killed twenty-five in a single breath!


    "Stay down!" Varian''s growl crushed their courage further.


    The abyssal army looked at humans in fear. Their minds ran at full speed, imagining hundreds of scenarios where they''d die in a gruesome manner.


    The humanmanders didn''t miss this and ordered the elementals along with others in the fortress tounch an attack.


    The abyssals, despite their great numbers, were barely able to block these attacks as their coordination faltered and power slumped.


    Some soldiers didn''t listen to orders and strayed. Most couldn''t exert their full power and did a very poor job in countering the human attacks.


    Even though humans weren''t really winning, neither were the abyssals. For an army that was certain of losing, this was aplete reversal!


    The man responsible for this reversal was facing the twenty-five level 9 abyssals.


    The archdukes stared at Varian with a stare that wished to drink his blood and feast on his flesh.


    Varian did fall into their surprise attack. But he fell into it willingly!


    That tricolor woman, perhaps Enigma or maybe someone else teleported him away when their lightning attacks should''ve fried him to death.


    As a result, the fifty abyssals focused on him were caught off guard.


    Varian took full advantage of the opportunity and killed the physically weaker psychics in a single sword sh. Then he ughtered ten lightning abyssals before being attacked by the remaining abyssals.


    Carefully dodging their attacks and ensuring he wouldn''t be frozen again, Varian led them in a certain direction where they approached two people fighting.


    An Undead and a handsome middle-aged man with a scar.


    Even though the middle-aged man was holding the Undead leader back so far, his injuries were already very serious. If the battle continued without intervention, then there''s a significant chance the Undead might kill him.


    Varian detected this hidden danger and reached Evander who just happened to be punched in the chest by the Undead and coughed out blood like a damn fountain.


    Bloodied all over, weakened from hundreds of injuries, big and small all over his body that even his healing powers couldn''t keep up with, fatigued from the long fight against a significantly stronger enemy, Evander raised his arms weakly and prepared himself for another move.


    His lips trembled lightly as he said. "M-Move away¡­it''s dangerous¡­here¡­"


    He couldn''t even turn to nce at Varian without risking his life. Even when he spoke, he had to dodge multiple attacks aimed at his vitals.


    Contrary to him, Varian was rtively rxed, although still cautious about the twenty-five abyssals.


    His eyes shed across the Undead Leader and cursed under his breath.


    This guy wasn''t anything like a peak level 9. He''s much stronger.


    If it''s during his ''dead'' period, Varian was confident of killing hundred such zombies.


    But after he returned to life, the death strand was essentially sealed and his paths fell from peak level 9.


    Even though he''s strong now, he didn''t feel strong enough to kill the Undead.


    ¡­Not yet.


    But he didn''t have much time either.


    Varian could feel the Undead growing stronger with each death, enemy, or ally. That''s the reason why Varian didn''t attack the abyssal army and kill a million or two.


    Still, his killing those twenty-five level 9s was already pushing the Undead to a higher power.


    Just this improvement might push him to a strength where he couldn''t be held back by Evander at all.


    ''I need to drive him away and grow stronger faster.'' Varian''s gaze shifted to the twenty-five abyssals in front of him.


    His way of growing stronger was straightforward. Fight strong enemies.


    And in those twenty-five abyssals, there were two very strong enemies. Two of the four archdukes of Neptune. Samaron and Yasok.


    "Come!" Varian shot forward.


    Lighting rumbled.

 Chapter 987 Dealing With The Elite Of Neptune

    The Archdukes'' instincts tingled as Varian shot forward.


    The ten level 9 space awakeners in their group didn''t take any chances and sted the space around Varian.


    It was as if someone was throwing powerful invisible bombs around Varian. The space around him cracked apart like a broken mirror and came close to opening dangerous space cracks.


    Varian felt like he was moving in the middle of a dozen broken mirrors. Just a single touch would cut his skin and if he bumped into the broken space, he''d likely lose a limb or two.


    It was a tough terrain to navigate through but Varian moved like a fish in water.


    "Roach that won''t just die!" The Archdukes signaled for the five closebat awakeners to be ready while they and the remaining lightning awakeners charged their attacks together and attacked Varian.


    The red space briefly turned golden as the lightning arrows, spears, swords, and harpoons trapped him from all directions.


    Each of these attacks had enough power to destroy a big city spanning hundreds of miles. And now, nearly a hundred such attacks were aimed at him alone.


    Forget being directly hit, if he stayed close while these attacks exploded, Varian was in for some serious injuries.


    To make matters worse, the space around him was blocked off preventing him from escaping. This time, the abyssals were smart enough to not allow Enigma''s intervention and decided to keep the space chaotic until thest moment.


    "Die!" The Archdukes felt Varian could dodge their lightning attacks. So, they did what any sensible warrior would do.


    The lightning attacks surrounding Varian quickly inted before they exploded. The sky lit up into with golden light and for a brief moment, even the sun was overshadowed by the brilliant golden sphere.


    The golden shockwave swept like a tsunami sweeping the soldiers on the moons like fierce wind and tingling the skins of humans on Neptune.


    "This is the end." Archduke Samaron stared at the fading golden light in front of him and muttered.


    "No. This is the beginning of the end."


    The curtain of the golden light tore apart as Varian stepped out.


    His entire chest was burnt ck. Some of his chest bones were visible while blood just flowed out of some cavities like a broken tap. His left arm was twisted at a strange angle and arge chunk of burnt flesh on his right leg just fell off as he moved.


    In such a badly injured state, Varian stared at them and¡­smirked.


    Even the Archdukes felt their hearts sink for a moment. What the hell was his deal? He''s so injured now that they could kill him in a blink. Wasn''t he scared at all?


    Archduke Samaron waved his hand and the lightning awakeners began moving back while they prepared for another round of attacks against Varian.


    The five body awakeners stepped forward to block Varian from going after the lighting awakeners and fighting them in closebat.


    The space around Varian began to twist violently as the space abyssal worked diligently, once again blocking him any chance of teleportation.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Facing the most elite group of high awakeners in Neptune, Varian knew he couldn''t easily kill them. The reason he''s able to finish off twenty-five of them previously was heid a trap and caught them off guard. But with them being extra cautious now, there''s no such chance.


    He had to do it the hard way.


    Varian''s right eye shone golden and the left blue. The immediate space around him stabilized. It wasn''t enough for him to teleport out. But it could barely transport his elemental attacks provided they were smaller than a medium dagger.


    The restraints didn''t end there.


    To teleport an elemental attack, the Elementalist needs to know theplexity of the space teleportation while creating the elemental weapons and the space awakener should know the inner workings of an elemental weapon to teleport the weapon without copsing it.


    Dual awakeners had the best shot of achieving this but due to theplexity, even they rarely seeded.


    It''s hard for Varian too. But he had the mind paths to help him smoothen the process. And his mind paths were strong enough to make a difference.


    So, he easily summoned a dozen ice daggers and they vanished with the space.


    The lightning abyssals charged up another round of explosive attacks for Varian and were about to attack him.


    The space abyssal stood behind them, preventing Varian from teleporting and trying any ambush.


    But their senses suddenly tingled and they reached out their hands toward the lightning abyssals in an attempt to save them.


    They''re fast enough to save theirrades but the time flow around them slowed down.


    It wasn''t much and they were only slightlyte. But during that tiny duration, ice daggers appeared behind the unsuspecting lighting abyssals and shot into their necks. Only four were sharp enough to dodge but the rest died on the spot.


    "Bastard!" Archduke Samaron''s lightning phoenix reached Varian and exploded.


    The golden light engulfed him and this time, the archdukes didn''t assume he''d be dead. They led the remaining lightning and space abyssals to attack Varian relentlessly even as the golden light didn''t subside.


    But history seemed to repeat as after a few minutes, Varian stepped out of the golden curtain again. With almost the same injuries as before. But this time, it only caused the Archdukes to panic.


    ¡­Varian''s previous injuries were healed. And then he''s injured again. His healing speed, whatever the reason, was just ridiculous!


    Varian''s strengthpared to earlier remained the same. But on their side, only ten space abyssals, four lighting abyssals excluding the two archdukes, and five body awakeners were left.


    The Undead Leader fighting Evander had taken note of this situation and increased the pressure on Evander. Thetter was umting more injuries but somehow, he managed to keep fighting.


    The archdukes tried to attack Varian again. But since their firepower was mostly taken down, Varian decided to go on the offense.

 Chapter 988 Saving Neptune

    A wing of lightning and another of ice sprang on his back. The wings were coated in telekic power. The space around them loosened to facilitate faster movement. Their time flow was altered to speed up his movements.


    Varian''s wings pped once and he shot forward, leaving behind a streak of blue and gold.


    The space abyssals once again exploded the space around him, trying to injure and take him down.


    But Varian was much faster and agile than earlier. They felt like they''re shooting a mosquito. Except the danger level was a dragon.


    Under the dumbfounded eyes of the space abyssals, Varian reached the body awakeners that stood in front of the lightning remaining abyssals.


    With his fist covered in lightning and ice, Varian prepared for closebat.


    The Archdukes covered themselves in a glowing lightning armor and punched out meeting Varian head on. The body awakeners joined them in the attack and they all shed.


    ¡­Or that''s what''s supposed to happen when suddenly two different psychic powers attacked the space abyssals and distracted them from obstructing Varian.


    Varian used the opportunity and teleported right behind the space abyssals.


    "Oh fuck!"


    The archdukes created lightning wings behind their backs and wanted to rush.


    But it''s already toote. Or rather, the time flow of Varian''s sword elerated just enough to take them down before the archdukes could rescue them.


    Seven space awakeners died just like that while the three lucky ones escaped. But they''re no longer enough to stall Varian from teleporting.


    The archdukes grouped with the three space, four lighting and five body abyssals and stayed as close to them as possible while they stared at Varian.


    There was anger in their eyes. Pure hatred. But there''s also fear.


    "Let''s finish our business. I still have your army to ughter," Varian said lightly and unsheathed a thin sword.


    The archdukes nced at the wars on the moons and gritted their teeth. With them taking away Varian''s attention, the abyssal army was now much better than earlier and could fight somewhat properly.


    The human army was losing continuously and would fall in less than two hours. But if they fought for two more hours, this devil would kill them and then ughter their army.


    Despite being the archdukes, the two had no assurance of fighting Varian.


    "Retreat." A hoarse voice reached their ears.


    The archdukes looked at the Thunder King far away and clenched their fists.


    ''No, how can we retreat?! This was supposed to be our victory! An easy victory! Today should be the fall of Neptune!'' Archduke Samaron''s gaze grew heavy.


    "My Lord, after all the slogans we chanted, if we still retreat, our descendants will spit on our graves." Archduke Yasok said unceremoniously.


    "Blockheads." Thunder King''s annoyed voice rang in their ears like the roar of thunder. "Winner writes history. We need to win before debating about honor."


    Even though he admonished them, he sent a message to their bracelets that erased the frustration rising in their hearts.


    After giving Varian few vicious nces, the archdukes called for a total retreat.


    Varian wanted to ughter the fleeing army but he had to support the heavily injured Evander against the Undead Leader.


    The two shed for a few minutes before the Undead Leader withdrew with his troops to theoids.


    The army on the moons roared in joy as the soldiers hugged each other and cried. They though they were gonna die. They were prepared to die. Now, it''s like gaining an additional life.


    They wouldn''t have to part from their families. They''d still have the opportunity to pursue their dreams. They could still¡­live.


    Compared to the military, the citizens only went more extreme.


    People cheered in the streets and hugged strangers and cried like little children. The age didn''t matter nor did the status. Everyone needed a catharsis.


    Neptune as a whole cried,ughed and thanked.


    When the people came to their senses and watched the big screens, the hero who saved them was no longer present.


    He took his father-inw and entered a military building. The people inside were long evacuated and the vast building was reserved for their use.


    Evander silently looked at Varian.


    The two of them didn''t share a single word until now. Varian seemed to be angry. His gaze showed that he''s pissed and he almost seemed ready to beat someone up. Evander thought it''s because Varian was still angry for what he did to Sia. But he didn''t hate Varian for that. He''s just relieved and surprised.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The young man he had seen just a few months ago¡­he''s now holding his shoulder and supporting him.


    Evander could still remember the guy who entered his office and not so humbly stated that he''s the best genius humanity got.


    Varian had grown. Not only in strength but also in his character and temperament.


    Walking beside him, Evander didn''t sense a cadet who''d still be in his first year but a warrior who made the battlefield his home.


    Compared to his old self, Varian now had aposure and temperament hard to describe. Even though he remained silent, he inspired awe.


    ''I am really getting old¡­'' Evander let out a deep sigh prompting Varian to check his condition.


    After confirming for the sixth time that he''s fine, Varian took him to a room and gave him some precious herbs from his inner world.


    During the whole process, neither of them uttered a word. Evander didn''t object and took in the shining blue leaves.


    Varian didn''t even stay for a minute and stormed out of the room, making Evander wonder how much Varian actually hated him.


    But he couldn''t think more as all his serious injuries healed in a few breaths and two girls stormed into the room.


    Sarah looked at her father on the bed and covered her mouth. Tears pooled in the corner of her eyes as her body shook.


    Evander''s face lit up seeing his daughter. She''s safe! The daughter he thought he lost was perfectly fine!


    Even though he saw her during the fight earlier, seeing her up close put down thest worry in his heart.


    Evander opened his mouth for the first time to speak. But after noticing Sia, and remembering Varian''s anger, he sighed and lowered his head.


    To his surprise, Sarah rushed into his embrace and stared crying. "Father¡­"


    Evander felt his heart melting. But he didn''t cry. He didn''t want to show his daughter his weak side.


    He just let her hug him and cry while he stroked her hair gently. They didn''t talk much but the daughter and father felt at peace.


    "Thank Heavens you are fine." Sarah said as she sat on the side of the bed and held Evander''s rough hand.


    "No, thank Heavens that you are safe after falling into a space crack." Evander shook his head and sighed. "And you too¡­Sia and Varian too. I''m really d you''re all safe. Really¡­"


    "Me too, master." Sia''s reply caught Evander off guard. "I was worried about you after we disappeared."


    "I¡­" Evander stared at Sia, unsure of what to reply.


    "It''s fine. It was not you back then. I forgave you." Sia shook her head. "Or I wouldn''t have sent the potion."


    Evander stayed silent for a few moments before his shoulders slumped and he smiled. "¡­Thank you."


    He looked up at her and said. "I still want to make up for you. Is there anything I can do?"


    Sia looked at Sarah who rubbed the corner of her eyes and pouted. But she eventually relented.


    Sia took Evander''s hand and gave him a bright smile. "Then I have something to ask for. Something you can do."


    Evander sat up straight in the bed and asked. "Yes?"


    "Walk me down the aisle." Sia smiled.


    "¡­Yes?" Evander blinked his eyes.


    "Sarah will have her father with her to walk her down the aisle. Not me. So, I thought I should ask my master for help. You''ll help me, right?"


    "Of course, I would! I''m d to¡­but I¡­." Evander stuttered as he nced at the door with regret. "Wouldn''t Varian mind?"


    The girls were surprised. "Why would he?"


    "He''s angry with me." Evander sighed. "He''s very pissed, almost like he wanted to attack me. I wonder if he''d even like me in his wedding, much less the aisle."


    Sarah and Sia looked at each other before they shared augh, dumbfounding Evander.


    "He''s angry, yes." Sia clutched her stomach and bent over as she tried to suppress herughter. "He''s angry at his new tomb. He went to demolish it."


    Exactly at that moment, a neighborhood on Mars was shaking as a man was shouting at the top of his lungs. "Bitches, stop building me tombs!"

 Chapter 989 The Damn Tomb

    Varian stared down at the huge extravagant tomb that practically screamed "Notice me!".


    It''s a pyramid, with the holographic projection of him smiling on its top, heavily inspired by the ancient tombs of the pre-blink earth. What really pissed Varian off was the scribblings on the bottom of the structure.


    "The best genius of humanity, still couldn''t getid."


    "The man who never sowed any fields. We have many fertilizers that can help you. Contact our fertilizerpany. <3."


    "The Konstant Celibate."


    To write these on a martyr''s tomb warranted a death sentence, much less on someone who received the highest funeral.


    But these words were painted on the tomb with something akin to a special nano-paint. They''re non-erasable. Even if you break that part of the wall, the paint would sink into the tomb and resurface at another location.


    The only way to remove it would be to destroy the tomb. But that''s just even more outrageous.


    The mayor could only seal the tomb for now. Still, it got leaked and made quite a few rounds in the news before the federation stepped in.


    At the bottom of all these lines was another piece of text, handwritten and smelled like¡­blood.


    "If you feel an ounce of anger,e get me. You mongrel, why do you keep dying all the time? Can''t you stay alive for fuck''s sake?! Come beat me if you dare! Get your dead ass out of the tomb! Come back to life! Death is for losers!"


    Varian clenched his fist.


    The sturdy tomb folded into itself and exploded. The city security was rmed and despite theck of manpower, whoever was in charge rushed over in seconds.


    "You bastard! How dare you?!"


    "You''ll be hanged for this!"


    "Disrespecting our martyrs?! The martyr''s sacrifice which is the reason you and me are alive today? I''ll press for torture before you die! You deserve all the pain, sick bastard!"


    The officers, two women, and a man were merely level 3 and all seemed like new recruits. If such an important tomb had only these people rushing over, then there''s really no security for it. It''s understandable, however.


    Every level 4 was participating in the war. Heck, even level 3s were rare.


    Crime has been skyrocketing in society as the hiding criminals took advantage of the weak internal security. What''s worse, people that werew abiding until now were twisted by the harsh war and became twisted criminals.


    Many ''cops'' died trying to maintainw and order. Against such a backdrop, whoever could destroy the tomb like that must be at least a level 5 or higher. Yet, these cops still rushed over.


    They knew they couldn''t win and would be risking their lives. But they didn''t want to shrink from this responsibility.


    When they arrived at the scene, they were only more dumbfounded. The whole tomb was gone!


    They saw the back of the young man standing on the site and swallowed in fear.


    ''He''s strong!'' To erase the tomb so easily, he must be!


    But then came the anger.


    "Get on your knees and put your hands over your head." The youngest cop, a petite young woman, pointed an aura gun¡ªbarely lethal against mid awakeners¡ªat him and instructed.


    "The backup will be here any minute." The most experienced on the team¡ªappointedst year¡ªa lean man, stepped forward and red daggers into the back of the young man.


    "Don''t make it more painful than it should be." The third cop said in a menacing tone.


    All of them, however, knew they were just bluffing. They saw fear in each other''s eyes. What they were doing was basically seeking death. Whoever this criminal was, he could easily kill them!


    But they asked themselves if they could live with letting him escape. Their answer was clear.


    Varian was someone wildly idolized and romanticized in the past few months. He became the most inspiring role model for young people.


    Now, his one and the only tomb was destroyed! If they let him go like this, they''d never be able to raise their heads again.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Aware of the danger these young officers themselves were in, Varian smiled lightly and turned out. The gunshots rang in the air and a dozen bullets bounced off his chest and face.


    The petite cop dropped the gun as she gawked at the man in front of her. Her colleagues were no better as they just froze like statues.


    "I really appreciate your bravery in trying to protect a dead man''s honor." Varian nodded at them. "But as you can see, the man isn''t really dead."


    "I, Th-ank, no, are you¡­"


    "Are you f-for real?"


    "S-Sir Vari¡­an? Which psychic is causing this illusion?"


    The fresh cops stuttered like a broken radio.


    Varianughed at their antics. The itching anger in his heart dissipated mostly. His mood also calmed down.


    Kyle must thank these three or else he''d have to spend a year in bed for the ''treatment'' he would''ve gotten.


    "Check the Neptune news. The battle ended a few minutes ago. Because of the war, I guessmunicationgged."


    As if on cue, thes of the officers lit up and a critical piece of news notification appeared on their screens.


    Gulping their saliva back, they read the news with a dumbfounded gaze. Soon, they turned to Varian with a scorching gaze.


    There''s no doubt! This man is the man!


    The cops stared at him with reverence and the one that shot him covered her mouth in shock. "D-Did I just¡­.I apologize, I''d never¡ª"


    Varian waved his hand, indicating it was all right.


    The petite cop sighed in relief and then stretched her hand, confusing Varian.


    "An autograph please!" She said bashfully.


    Even though she was a few years older than him, she behaved like a little girl.


    Her words were the trigger for her colleagues.


    "Please, me too!" The lean man tore his shirt and showed his shoulder.


    The third cop, the most enthusiastic of the lot, almost tore her shirt. Thankfully, Varian''s telekic force stopped her in time. Realizing her mistake, she stuck out her tongue and showed her nape while she pleaded in a gentle tone. "¡­Please, just once."


    "¡­" Varian stared at them in exasperation and shook his head. "My autographs aren''t worth shit."


    "No, Sir! They''re worth their weight in diamonds. If I sell my hand with your autograph, even just the skin, it''ll be bought at a fortune in the ck market." The petite young man stated with conviction as she rubbed the letters on her palm with a smile.


    A thought shed in her mind and she waved her hand. "Of course, only fools would sell your autograph. I won''t sell this, Sir! I''ll take it to my grave!"


    Varian felt weirded out and wanted to argue that people who bought his autographs for so much money were stupid. But he knew better than debating with his fanboys and fangirls.


    But he was frustrated at this situation. He didn''t want to be martyred, idolized, or romanticized.


    The frustration needed an outlet and Varian''s eyes lit up as he cracked his knuckles.


    A few minutester, Valos was filled with the screams of a young man.


    One outlet reported that they saw a naked man beaten across the street. Another stated that the young man was beaten ck and blue, healed, and then beaten again.


    It didn''t stop there. Words such as "Brother", "Forgive!", "Time out!" "Don''t kick my ass anymore!" sounded across the city.


    No one could find the source of this madness. But all the criminals in the city surrendered themselves out of fear.


    And Varian was now meeting someone¡­or something special.

 Chapter 990 A Light Chat With An Old Friend

    "Woo¡­woo¡­woo~"


    "Stop crying! It''s been ten minutes already!" Varian patted the cute little ghost hugging his chest.


    "B-But master, you don''t know¡­it''s so scary, Boo was alone, it''s scary¡­scary, so scary¡­" Boo''s wails continued.


    Varian didn''t have the heart to admonish it for crying. It felt like he was consoling a child. And Boo was like a child.


    So, he just red at the young man wrapped in bandages on the bed.


    Kyle flinched before he groaned in protest. "I had to take care of the research. Besides, Boo kept roaming and didn''t spend time with us."


    Maya resting on the couch nodded lightly and dozed off to sleep again. She had been tired from all the work in the past few weeks. Not like Kyle was any better. But when your body gets beaten enough, it''s easier to stay awake.


    "You write that crap on my tomb once again and I''ll bury you in the same tomb." Varian coaxed Boo and snorted at Kyle.


    Kyle was bandaged all over, but he''s not really that injured. It''s just a show so that Varian wouldn''t beat him more.


    Varian knew that perfectly but he didn''t really want to injure Kyle either. He wanted to beat, not torture him.


    "How about you just don''t die every other Sunday?" Kyle rolled his eyes.


    Varian had second thoughts about not beating him badly, "I don''t try to die."


    "Yeah, sure. You don''t try. You just do. I won''t be surprised if you drop dead one day. I mean,e on dude, if the earth is in danger and you had to sacrifice yourself, you will.


    "Nah, I''m not a hero¡ª"


    "Yeah, yeah." Kyle imitated Varian''s voice and said with a serious expression. "I''m not a hero but I will put my life at risk for people."


    "¡­"


    "There isn''t anything more to a hero than that. They''re as human as you are. No one is perfect. Some just rise to the asion even at the cost of themselves." Kyle shrugged and the bandages came off. Panicking, he put them back in ce.


    "Sounds too seriousing from you." Varian crossed his arms and ruminated on those words.


    "Guess talking with your father-inw for a few weeks did the magic."


    "Oh shit." Only then did Varian remember that he practically spoke no words to Evander and just ghosted him after providing the emergency treatment.


    "What was that? Your enlightenment that you were a hero all along?" Kyle raised a brow.


    "No, I ghosted my father-inw. Didn''t speak a word to him since I was so pissed at you!" Varian red at Kyle and his eyes shone with light gold.


    "Eh, no, no, stop, N¡ªouch!" Kyle hissed as an electric current ran down his spine. He shifted on the bed as it tickled him wildly. "Ha¡ªhahaha, ahhh, stop¡­staph! Hahahaha!"


    Varian ignored his friend''s pleas for mercy and let himugh like a madman for the next five minutes.


    "Haaaah~" Kyle groaned as his body spasmed lightly from all the movements earlier. "I''d rather get beaten up thanugh so madly. I felt like I died and came back to life. Fuck!"


    Varian smirked. "Nah, you didn''t. I did."


    "You did what?"


    "I died. And then I returned to life."


    "I want the same shit you''re smoking."


    "For real."


    "Me too."


    "I mean it. Everything went nk after death, my senses were clouded, then I suddenly returned to life. All the memories flooded back. It''s a weird experience."


    "Sounds like you smoked some strong shit."


    "Again, I wasn''t smoking anything."


    "That''s what every smoker says after getting caught."


    "Kyle."


    "Alright, alright. So, you really died?" Kyle opened his mouth and nced at Varian from head to toe. "Holy shit! What the fuck happened?"


    "Too long to say, but this is roughly it." Varian transmitted it through telepathy.


    Kyle froze for a few minutes before he got up from the bed, removed all his bandages, and punched Varian.


    Varian let the fist connect with his chest. It didn''t hurt. He didn''t even move an inch. Nor did his skin ripple.


    "You idiot!" Kyle punched a few more times in rage. "Throwing away your life like that!"


    After a few minutes, the exhausted Kyle wrapped himself back in bandages and said. "Anyway, I''m happy it worked out somehow. But don''t risk your life like that."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "It''s Sia and Enigma. Of course, I''d risk my life." Varian said.


    Kyle didn''t argue with him anymore and exined the events that transpired in the past few months.


    Varian was surprised at their modification of these potions. He wasn''t expecting this to be honest.


    "The bottleneck advancement potions are the reason so many level 9s and level 8s advanced. They''re the central reason why humans could defend theoids for so long and didn''t copse in a few days." Boo chipped in. "It''s all thanks to you leaving me with such a precious thing," Kyle said.


    "Not much. You went above and beyond and scaled it up." Varian gave a genuine smile. "Looks like the world owes you two."


    "And your father-inw too. Without him giving detailed exnations and using hiswork to help us understand the intensity of the bottlenecks, the new elixir wouldn''t have worked out the way it did."


    "He''s something, alright. I didn''t really think in that direction. And I don''t think I would''ve, even if I didn''t vanish off."


    Kyle justughed. "If you didn''t vanish, there wouldn''t be a need for this potion. Before abyssalsunch a war, you''d be burning their homes."


    "You bet!"


    "Humility is not your strongest forte, eh."


    "Never was," Varian smirked with pride.


    Kyle shrugged. "Well then, congrats. There are crazy stories,ics, and movies going on around after your supposed death. They made you some crazy super genius, insanely hardworking, and hardcore patriot."


    "¡­None of that sounds crazy though." Varian pointed out. "Because I''m all those things and more."


    "Right." Kyle facepalmed before he started chuckling. "A few hundred women appeared, iming to be mothers of your children. They all produced some ''video evidence'', made documentaries and all that stuff of their romance with you."


    "Fuck."


    Kyle''s lips pulled up as he punched the bed and burst intoughter. "There''s a¡­granny with a son as old as my father. She said you liked the older ones¡ª"


    "Fuck!" Varian unsheathed his sword. "I can definitely use some sword practice. Gimme the granny''s address, Boo, I''ll see if I can''t shave her head keeping my eyes closed."


    Boo actually started giving addresses while Kyle rolled on the bedughing.


    "Wait, wait. It''s not over yet." Kyle grabbed his arm and stopped him from leaving.


    "It gets more absurd than this?" Varian asked in disbelief.


    "Oh, it does." Kyle wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes. "Your football team¡ª"


    "No!"


    "Football team''s cheerleaders,"


    "Oh, Oh?"


    "They, their mothers, their grandmothers all said they were part of your harem."


    "Crazy bitches." Varian spat and slumped into his chair. "Suddenly, I don''t want to save humanity anymore."


    "Come on, all these ims are quickly refuted."


    "Then why bother?"


    "Fame, even if it''s short-lived, is a very potent drug," Kyle said. "Sort of like how battle makes you happy."


    Varian made a mental note to change these things once the war was over. No, once the abyssals were over and they''d be finished soon.


    With a snap, Varian unloaded a pile of precious, almost glowing herbs in the room.


    Just their smell caused Kyle''s injuries to healpletely and fill him with energy. "The hell are these?"


    "Precious. Try making potions with them to break the bottlenecks." Varian said. "We''re fighting now, so can''t give you blood. But if you need more herbs, ask. I have plenty."


    "Oh," Kyle studied the herbs holding his breath. He''s new to this, but with the rigorous work he had done for the previous elixir, he''s confident about working this out.


    "And these are a couple of famous recipes in the home world. Good for reference."


    Kyle nced at the wooden scrolls and clicked his tongue. "They really are good."


    "They should be." Varian stood up and stretched his arms.


    He was very depressed when he realized the state of Neptune and the sr system. The guilt was gnawing at his conscience.


    Thankfully, Kyle brightened his mood.


    Even though the war was still at its peak, Varian was ready to tackle it without any mental burden.

 Chapter 991 A Heavy Talk With An Old Enemy

    After repelling the abyssal and undead forces after a tough fight with fifty level 9, even Varian needed rest. Once his mental burden was lifted off after talking with Kyle, it was apparent.


    So, he rested with Sarah and Sia in a warm bath while hundreds of screens lit up in therge bathroom that''s as big as a normal house.


    With Boo back, Varian once again felt like the world was in his hands.


    Every piece of news was listed, covering all the developments from Mercury to Neptune and beyond.


    The girls were asleep after a quick but intense ''session'' which calmed their nerves. Refreshed and in sage time, Varian studied the news carefully.


    He quickly gained a deep understanding of the origin, development and the current status quo of the war.


    "I can push things and increase our odds of winning this war." Varian muttered before he shook his head. "Nah. We''ll win. Whatever it takes. Period."


    He willed away the news portals and was about to close his eyes when his perfect memory hung on a single piece of news in the middle of the war a week ago.


    It''s something he neglected while taking in so many news pieces. But his intuition was screaming.


    Varian raised a finger and the news screen popped up. It''s a very, very private news in a very elite club avable to less than a hundred members.


    [The hyper venom is needed by Sovereign Irene. We know it''s being stocked, but if you continue to do so, she''ll die and so will you.]


    "Die?" Varian raised an eyebrow. "Why would she of all people die? She''s weaker than Despair Queen, sure. But her artifact gives her high defense, oh damn! Artifact!" Varian vanished from the bath and stormed out of his room.


    His clothes flew up and covered his body as he called the three Sovereigns he could trust.


    Sovereign Irene didn''t reply.


    "Shit."


    Sovereign Ares'' call was attended by a beautiful woman.


    Varian wanted to ask her to pass the call when he saw the unconscious blonde man in the healing container behind her. The battle was brutal and he went into aa which mightst for a full day. If they forced him awake, his healing would be interrupted.


    Even though he hadn''t known Ares for long, Varian respected the man enough to politely apologize to his wife and cut the call.


    Varian tried calling Bali and the butler who lifted the call showed his master''s condition. It''s only worse than Ares.


    Sighing deeply, Varian called the remaining Sovereigns one by one. He didn''t trust them enough, but beggars couldn''t be choosers.


    None of them answered. Even if the call was lifted, it''s the same story of too injured to even talk.


    Varian realized that Abyss Emperor had gone batshit crazy and provided something to actually increase the strength of the abyss rulers.


    It shouldn''t be too high or the Sovereigns would be dead by now, but it''s definitely something.


    "Increasing the strength of all level 9s, level 8s and level 7s...what madness is this?" Varian''s eyes turned toward a distant red crack in the space--Demon abyss.


    During his time as Prince Var, he learnt about the character of the Emperor.


    "A man who avoided a full scale war to prevent the loss of life, if you''re going all in like this..." Varian drew in a sharp breath. "The Zions, no, the Fairies are knocking your door."


    Then the situation was direr than he imagined.


    Whereas the abyssals would''ve withdrawn after their advantages were neutralized--like in previous war--the same luxury wouldn''t be possible this time. Abyssals were going to fight to death.


    Varian was confident in his powers to win any battle but he had no confidence in stopping a war.


    Say even if he''s strong enough, he couldn''t be at multiple ces at once. They needed a strong army. In particr, a strong high awakener base that can fend off the enhanced abyssal high awakeners.


    "I hope Kyle can do something..." Varian typed away a few messages to his friend regarding the urgency and necessity of the situation before turning to the Sovereigns again.


    From Neptune all the way to Mars, no one''s avable. Varian skipped Earth and called Venus. The same dull result. Even Sovereign Albert, the strong military man had his hands tied.


    He wasn''t too injured and resting like the rest of the Sovereigns. But he certainly had no room to talk to Varian.


    In the end, Varian called the one person he didn''t want to address at all.


    A white room came into view before it focused on a handsome middle-aged man sitting on the tidy, shining floor barefoot.


    Watching the young man on the other side, the Sovereign''s eyes shook for a moment as disbelief shed in them before mirth settled in. His lips curled up ever so slightly as a calm but deep voice sounded. "To what do I do the pleasure, Mr. Genius?"


    "Genius? The same pest that you tried to kill in the ruins?" Varian sneered.


    "There is bad blood between us, I agree." Julius admitted. "I was interested in your secret back then."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Now?"


    "Even more so. Your strength is now touching the peak of level 9 and all this happened in just under a year." Julius'' gaze bore into Varian''s face like a scorching gale under the summer sun.


    "Do you feel any responsibility in withholding such crucial information? This is the problem with power in wrong hands. You refuse to share what can be shared. Look at what it got us today, millions dead with billions of lives at stake."


    The words were carefully chosen and the tone was full of admonishment.


    If Varian didn''t have a strong mind, he''d have been overwhelmed by the guilt for certain. But for better or worse, after causing millions of deaths on Mars, Varian no longer had the feeling of guilt. He still grieved for the losses but in treating the overall picture, he turned very rational and indifferent.


    Julius was surprised to find the calm expression of the young man. He knew Varian was emotional. The young man he chased back in the ruins...he didn''t let go of that girl even when his life was at stake.


    What happened to that guy? It''s been only three or four months. But Julius btedly realized that the one standing in front of him today was a very different person.


    "There are things that can''t be shared." Varian snorted. "Not because I don''t want to, but because I can''t. Or how about you share your Heaven''s Will quota?"


    It was Julius'' turn to be silent. "I apologize for being petty. While you might think my actions were wrong, I think it''ll benefit the majority to share your secret. But now isn''t the time to settle our differences. We are in a war. And I''m d you''re back."


    It''s so different from the Julius he knew.


    Varian didn''t understand why this bastard was acting like this. But he didn''t care much about it and got to the point. "Sovereign Irene''s artifact was stolen."


    "Correct." Julius nodded with an expression of rage and pity. "One can only wonder why a Sovereign does such things. But again, I''d rather not poke the issue in this sensitive time if I were you."


    "You know exactly why the artifacts are missing, Julius." Varian''s eyes narrowed dangerously. "You''re the one stealing them."


    Varian ran his psychic power to the fullest and carefully observed Julius'' expressions to the minute details.


    A heavy silence filled the room.


    "I''m sorry?" Julius looked at him in confusion. "If that is an usation, then save it forter. As I said, we have a war going on."


    Varian red daggers at Julius but the frustration in his heart boiled like magma.


    ''There''s nothing. Not even a single change in his facial expression.'' If it''s only that much, Varian wouldn''t feel very confident of his judgement.


    The point was Boo hacked into the device Julius was using and measured the man''s heartbeat and blood flow the whole time.


    ''Master, he doesn''t seem to be lying.''


    ? Varian stared at the Sovereign for a bit longer as the ufortable silence continued.


    "Sovereign Irene''s life is in danger without her artifact."


    "Indeed. So, I hope we win this war and do something about it." Julius said lightly before asking off handedly. "Where did you disappear for and how did your power increase to peak of level 9 so quickly?"


    Varian cut off the call and slumped into his couch clutching his head.


    He had confidence of pushing back the abyssals but he couldn''t push off the feeling that the traitor Sovereign wasn''t any less of a problem.


    -- -- --


    "Toote." Julius chuckled as he rubbed a silver te. On it were the ancient sentences that roughly tranted to.


    "Gain all artifacts and reach the apex of Mortals. Be a Celestial Ranker." The tes had roughly the same meaning Enigma gathered from all the towers.


    It''s the state he identally found in the ruins and kick started the loss of artifacts. Neptune''s Demon Sword was taken in Pluto''s war. Uranus'' Crystal Armor and Jupiter''s Nature Seed were taken from Irene Nial in thest war. Mars'' Aether Pendant was snatched from the dead Kreo. Earth''s Blink Ring was with himself.


    Only one artifact, Mercury''s Blood Gauntlets remained between Julius and Celestial.


    And it''s so close. So...close!


    Whatever Varian was hiding now wouldn''t be hidden under the light of a Celestial Ranker. And only then would their debt settle.


    "You''re very clever, I''ll give you that. But experience will triumph when it should." Julius smiled. "Silly boy, Why should I steal when it''s all rightfully mine? Mine! Mine all alone!"


    The lie detection would work only when someone thought and knew they were lying. But when a person genuinely believed what he''s saying, none of the normal methods would work.


    Varian was careful enough to think about the ticking traitor Sovereign bomb but he was duped by a man who fully believed in what he''s doing.


    While the war continued to be the biggest challenge threatening mankind, an unforeseen danger was lurking around the corner, waiting for the perfect change to surface.

 Chapter 992 A Path To Victory

    "Why is your face so scary? Wait, are you still angry at him like Master is worried?" Sia asked as she walked beside Varian toward the militarymand center.


    The highest order meeting in the human army was about to begin in a few minutes. Even though a few big weights couldn''t attend due to their condition, most were able to squeeze in their time for this.


    Varian was naturally invited. Even if his track record was ignored, the fact that he possessed strengthparable to a peak level 9 was enough reason.


    There were only a few guards around the crystal-red building. What''s really attractive was a special garden behind the building.


    The roses, lilies and all other types were crystals! Under the sunlight, they glittered. But the highlight would be during night when these flowers would start shining!


    These flowers were too expensive and there''s only such garden in the entire federation.


    Varian thought it''d be a nice thing to have a small walk with Sia here. She liked flowers after all.


    The guards in the ce looked at each other in confusion. A few wondered if they should tell Varian it''s an important meeting concerning the fate of human race and that he couldn''t just bring a girl and stroll around like it''s a date!


    But his face¡­


    His eyes were cold and indifferent while his expression made them wonder if he''s a devil.


    "Is my face really scary?" Varian patted his cheek and wondered.


    "¡­Where did you go after you met Kyle?" Sia asked.


    "Julius." Varian didn''t hide it from her. "He said he didn''t steal the artifacts. From my readings, he really wasn''t lying."


    Then he went onto exin the ''reasoning'' Julius gave to his actions.


    Sia didn''t say a word and walked forward silently. But the turbulent emotions in her eyes expressed more than any words could.


    Varian patted the small of her back gently and said softly. "It doesn''t matter if he''s morally right or wrong. Maybe his intentions are right¡ªa stronger human race at any cost. But it doesn''t alter what I will do."


    Sia raised her head and looked at her boyfriend in surprise. "Are you serious?"


    "Huh? Why not?"


    "You''re the type of person who med yourself for what happened to that girl Vin when we were on vacation."


    Varian''s expression froze for a moment before he shrugged. "I still feel bad for what happened to her. I still feel somewhat responsible for it. But¡­I''d still take the time off. Think about it, I can''t be working 365x24."


    "Then if you''re clear regarding what you''ll do to Julius, why are you still¡­" Sia gently pressed his shoulder. "Tense?"


    Varian felt his body rx under her ministrations and sighed in contentment. It felt a weight hanging on his shoulders was taken off and his mind which seemed to be on the verge of war cooled down.


    "You didn''t even notice you''re this tense? It''s like you''re about to fight!" Sia eximed. "I didn''t want to bring it up directly lest you might really attack someone here."


    "Fuck." Varian cursed and closed his eyes to calm down. "I just can''t¡­"


    "Can''t what?"


    "I''m pissed off."


    "At?"


    Varian dug into his subconscious and realized. "Julius. He seems happy for some reason. You know, he used to look at me like I''m his enemy or at least a potential enemy."


    Sia rubbed Varian''s back to help him cool down.


    Varian''s clenched fists loosened and he said in a calmer tone. "But now, he stared at me like I didn''t matter. Like he''s beyond me. I don''t get it. Why is he like that? So I want to beat him down. That son of a¡ª!"


    Sia covered his mouth with hers and stopped him from swearing. Varian also let go of his tension and kissed her back passionately.


    "¡­"


    "¡­"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "¡­"


    The guards looked at each other and then at the couple. They couldn''t take it anymore and were about to step forward when the huge clock on the crystal red military building gave off a beep sound.


    The two were gone!


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    The war room was filled with virtual figures from all over the federation. The Chief Generals of the armies, the best adjutants, and the best scientists.


    Every person in the room had enough influence to shake a during ordinary times.


    The goal of the meeting was to actually discuss the development of ''save humanity: sending the seeds out of sr system''.


    But with the arrival of Varian, the objective turned back into ''How to win this war?''.


    The people in the room that didn''t know about Varian, especially the scientists were dumbfounded at this ridiculous change.


    How could one man, no matter how powerful, shift the entire objective of the federation?


    But here they were, as the big weights gathered around a long table and waited for the man in white to start speaking.


    "I will provide enough treasures to make potions that will push every level 9 one sub-level higher." Varian''s words detonated the stable hearts of the big weights.


    The silent and solemn room was filled with chatter in a blink and seemed no different from the noisy market.


    Varian raised his hand and everyone fell quiet, much to their own surprise. "But I''ll need the best of the best to support the development of the potions. I have the recipe for the potions but my resources are limited. We cannot afford to waste them."


    The scientists in the room all stood up and nodded. "We''ll do our best."


    "Produce the potions in thirty-six hours."


    There was a heavy silence before a few old men and women nodded.


    "Contact this guy and get started."


    The senior scientists caught Kyle''s contact and disappeared from the room.


    Then he gave the level 8 recipe to the veteran scientists and the level 7 potions to the youngest scientists in the group.


    Of course, even the youngest one was more than seventy years old and very influential.


    Waving off thest group of scientists, Varian took a deep breath.


    The recipes he gave to Kyle were the easiest but also splurged the most precious resources. The price/perfomance ratio was the worst for these potions.


    For what the ingredients were worth, using them to just improve a sub-level of level 9s was an insult.


    But if he wanted to push the human level 9s as fast as he could, this was the only way.


    If he picked an efficient recipe, then the scientists, even if they all joined hands, would take a month at least to create the potions!


    While Varian earlier admitted that he wasn''t losing sleep over the deaths, he did feel responsible.


    Even though his actions would barren Hortus'' resources for the foreseeable future, as long as they could save more lives, he''s willing to do it.


    Now, his second objective for the meeting.


    "I have defensive treasures, not many. They can keep ouroids which are under the danger of falling up for a few days. By then, the level 9s."


    His words were shocking enough, but when Varian alone took out defensive treasures equivalent to that of threes'' collection, even the most solemn of generals couldn''t stop gawking.

 Chapter 993 Inevitable Changes

    The rhythm of war changed. It wasn''t a reversal like humans hoped but the change was enough to piss off the abyssals.


    This change first started on aoid of Uranus, which was about to be conquered by the abyssals.


    Humans were pushed to theirst base and only 10% of their original army remained. Meanwhile, the abyssals stood strong at 60% and were about to crush their enemies.


    As the abyssal army of a 100,000 marched towards the giant fortress¡ªthest stronghold of resistance¡ªthe sky lit up.


    Then a red barrier enveloped the fortress. It didn''t really seem like a normal defense barrier. It gave off a different feel. Something about it made the abyssals in the vanguard uneasy.


    "Another barrier? Do they seriously think they can stop us?"


    "Ignorant humans!"


    "Give up your struggle and meet your fate!"


    The abyssal army chanted with vigor and valor as they roared.


    The elementalists, space awakeners, long ranged beast and nt Morpheus all attacked the barrier with their full strength.


    For a moment, the sky was covered in the sea of attacks.


    And the next moment, the attacks fell onto the barrier¡­and disappeared.


    The barrier didn''t shake nor did it even ripple. There wasn''t even as much as a response as throwing a pebble into the ocean.


    The noisy battlefield fell silent in an instant.


    Forget the abyssals who stared at the barrier with huge suspicion and a hint of fear, even the humans standing on the fortress'' thick walls, ready to neutralize the attacks were dumbfounded.


    Was that small disc that reached them a few minutes ago really this powerful?


    But the surprise was yet toe.


    The red barrier turned white and flooded the sky with tens of thousands of attacks. These were the same attacks that reached it!


    The abyssals thought they were going to destroy the humans with little resistance and were fully on the offensive.


    As a result, while they scrambled to defend themselves, a lot of them couldn''t make it in time and fell prey to their own attacks. Screams rang out in the battlefield and lives were lost in seconds.


    "Commander! They have a magical tower! It''s not only shielding them, it''s also absorbing the attacks and bouncing them¡ª!" The adjutant screamed before he was pped by themander.


    "I can fucking see!" The burly abyssal growled and signaled to the level 9s beside him. "Every barrier has its limits."


    The level 9s shed their hesitation andunched their attacks on the barrier from the sky.


    The ground split and the sky shook. The entire world seemed toe to a stand still as the attacks reached the barrier¡­and disappeared.


    The level 9s stared intensely at the weird barrier which once again turned white and spat out their attacks back at them.


    "Fuck!" They dodged their own attacks and cursed.


    Due to some of their attacks like fire ball explosion and ice bullet rain covering wide areas, the abyssal army suffered.


    The level 9s didn''t give up and kept firing the attacks. The barrier responded in kind. Even themander joined the attacks but the same story repeated.


    After losing a few thousand more to these rebound attacks, the abyssal army retreated.


    Only the level 9s continued to fight relentlessly, with the sole aim of pushing the barrier to its capacity and destroying it.<novelnext></novelnext>


    But even level 9s had a limited stamina.


    So, when the barrier bounced back the same force with he punched it, a tired abyssal couldn''t take it anymore and copsed.


    Themander came to his senses and realized that most of the level 9s were also tired.


    His gaze turned to the barrier and he saw the human level 9s looking at them hopefully.


    It''s as if they were asking him to attack the barrier more and tire themselves out so that human level 9s could finish them out.


    "Fall back!" Themander growled unwillingly.


    As the abyssals retreated, the human level 9s put away their hopeful expressions and gathered around the small disc responsible for the barrier.


    More than 30% of it was already cracked!


    The abyssals were right. Even the barrier couldn''t hold on forever. It''d break sooner orter.


    But¡­


    "We should use this opportunity to assassinate as many as we can." The humanmander said.


    "But our safety¡­"


    "What safety? Without this barrier, we''re dead meat. And this barrier will fall sooner orter. Rather than worry about the inevitable death, it''s better to kill as many abyssals."


    His words stirred the hearts of the powerhouses.


    Even though the abyssals now had three times more level 9s than they did, so what?


    A few minutester, the human level 9s used some treasures and sneaked out.


    The abyssals weren''t expecting the cornered humans to have such guts. The assassination ended up with human level 9s losing a third of their numbers while taking down two abyssals each.


    Suddenly, the unimaginable gap between the two seemed to have been shrunk to a manageable scale.


    This result not only horrified the abyssals, it even surprised Varian.


    But once this operation was spread out, the abyssals on the otheroids were cautious and such miracles didn''t repeat.


    However, the change was unstoppable.


    The numerousoids that were about to fall suddenly got a defensive treasure and blocked the abyssals.


    For at least two days, they''re going to be safe.


    While this change rocked the abyssals, a bigger and more fundamental change was being engineered in the topboratories.


    The potion was developed in thirty hours¡ªthe fastest in human history!


    The price was the death of three level 9s, ten level 8s and thirty level 7s. All of them knew the risks but were more than willing to gamble their life for the benefit of humanity.


    Thanks to their selflessness and the relentless efforts from the scientists, all the level 9s, level 8s and level 7s got the potion.


    As the high awakeners prepared for the advancement, Varian reached Neptune for a clean up.

 Chapter 994 The Looming Danger

    Varian''s presence let the army birth to hope of a stalemate, and with the amount and quality of treasures he rolled out, they were certain that the war would end soon and in their favor.


    But they had no idea that Varian himself was uncertain about the oue.


    The Abyss Emperor was looming over them and heaven forbid, if even a stronger version of his clone arrived, then it''d be game over.


    Even if the Emperor didn''te, if the Undead was left unchecked, then humanity wouldn''t be able to bear the wrath of the ninth abyssal sovereign.


    The Undead was the biggest existential threat to humanity.


    "They left?" Varian rushed into Neptune''s military headquarters and checked the monitoring of theoids.


    After retreating, he hoped the abyssal and undead army would be retreating on theoids.


    "Yes." One of the officers sitting in front of the giant virtual screens nodded slightly as he pointed to the barrenoids. "Thest regiment left eight hours ago. Our bots showed they crossed the asteroid belt and headed for Pluto."


    As he spoke thest part, the Officer turned back and bowed his head. "Thank you! Because of you, they finally left! Neptune is safe now! We''re sending the reinforcements that others desperately need. So many lives are being saved¡­"


    "Corpses."


    "Yes?"


    "What about the corpses of the dead?" Varian zoomed in on one of the virtual screens and swiped, the screen quickly showed thend throughout thatoid.


    The war already caused much destruction to the human defense buildings, but now, they''re all either razed to the ground.


    Thend itself was dyed scarlet red. Eerily, many ces were filled with redkes¡ªpooled by the blood that just wouldn''t dry up.


    The picture screamed the agony of the dead and caused even the usually calm Varian to lower his head for a moment.


    Collecting himself, he asked again. "The corpses."


    "The abyssals burn them every time and sprinkle the ashes across theoid." The officer pointed to the smoke clouds on the screen. "See. We know there have been cases of abyssals taking away the bodies of our martyrs, but the amount of smoke we measure matches with the number of the dead."


    Varian frowned.


    The Undead was growing strong during his fight with Evander. There''s no about it. And it''s due to the level 9s dying.


    Why would he burn the human corpses then?


    Varian had a strong feeling that he was using them. But there''s no evidence. He needed evidence. Otherwise, the exhausted army wouldn''t just march with him to Pluto.


    There''d likely be many traps set up on Pluto to counter him in case he invaded. Even the abyssals would learn that much after being screwed by him not once, but twice.


    Under such conditions, leading Neptune''s army, whose current size was less than a quarter of the abyssals, was just pushing them into a fire pit.


    ''What should I do?''


    Unlike thest two times, Varian didn''t want to barge in alone. With the way the Undead looked at himst time, he had a strong feeling that they were waiting for him to jump into the trap.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Soon," The Undead Leader caressed four coffins. "Soon."


    From a bird''s viewpoint, the coffins were at the center of giant concentric circles covering the whole of Pluto.


    Right on these concentric circlesy the corpses of millions of humans. These weren''t just the bodies from Neptune, but also from theoids of other conquereds.


    There were enough treasures to trick the humans and their machines. Even though he despised such tricks, the Undead leader knew that winning came first. Any price was eptable.


    Even the Emperor said the same thing. While it''s a pity he couldn''t send them another death strand which would''ve already won them the war by now, the two coffin artifacts weren''t bad.


    ''Soon¡­''


    Invisible to the naked eye, the death energy from the millions of corpses rose into the air and dispersed. But a small part of this was attracted to the coffins and converged to them.


    Meditating in the middle of the four coffins, the Undead Leader grinned as he felt his strength grow with each passing second.


    "Soon," He said in a low voice but it sounded in the ears of every abyssal and Undead stationed on Pluto.


    Most of the level 9s were operating the special formations¡ªoriginally intended for Julius or Albert to take them down¡ªbut now used early on Pluto for Varian.


    "The boy wille soon seeking his death and I shall grant him his wish." The Undead Leader''s voice was filled with incredible joy.


    The lids on the four coffins next to him creaked and more of the death energy gushed into them.


    The Undead Leader arched an eyebrow. This was¡­quicker than he thought. With a chuckle, he muttered. "The stars are on my side. This is destiny indeed."


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª<novelnext></novelnext>


    Varian nkly walked out of the monitoring room and headed down a restricted hall that led to the nning room or as they called it, the war room.


    As the door creaked open, the arguing old men and women turned to him in surprise. Sitting in a corner around the table was Evander. Surprisingly, Sarah and Sia were also there.


    Their faces were pale and Varian''s senses found the healing injuries on their bodies. They fought on Uranus recently and were currently resting. But it seems like they couldn''t just sit still ande for this meeting.


    Shaking his head, Varian grabbed a chair and sat beside Evander. "We have a situation."


    "?" Evander looked at him in surprise.


    "The Undead Leader. He was growing stronger when you were fighting. How long do you think it''ll take him to reach the Sovereign state?"


    The room grew quiet as everyone stared at Evander.


    Right now, everyone was arguing about how to allocate Neptune''s army for reinforcements to differents.


    The Undead were dangerous, yes. But they weren''t an urgent concern. At least, that''s what they thought.


    "¡­Months, at least," Evander answered. "The gap between a peak level 9 and Sovereign is greater than the gap between a peak level 9 and level 1."


    "With his current rate of growth, right?"


    Evander nodded.


    "If the growth is sped up?"


    "¡­"


    An unease filled the room as the experienced strategists looked at each other and murmured.


    "We can either send our''s army to support our army on others, reduce casualties and possibly even draw abyssals to a stalemate. The consensus is that the undead and abyssal armies won''t attack. You know the deal, they simply don''t have enough level 9s. And you¡­"


    The old man straightened his back and stared at Varian with a smile. "You are enough to take care of all the level 9s. The rest of our level 9s can take care of their army."


    Everyone nodded with an assuring smile.


    Varian, however, felt uneasy.


    His current strength was that of a peak level 9. But when his paths reach peak level 9, he''d have the strength to rival, no, to crush possibly any Sovereign. But to progress there, he''d need a week or possibly longer.


    If the Undead really didn''t attack for that long, then there''s nothing to worry about. But if they do attack before that and somehow the Undead reach the Sovereign state¡­


    ''I''ll try to convince them, if they don''t, then I have to force them.'' Varian decided.


    Sarah and Sia grabbed Varian''s arms and he told them what he was thinking. Sarah patted him on the back of his palm to reassure him and asked for a few minutes of time.


    Tapping the table to draw attention, the blonde spoke. "This consensus could be wrong. Since abyssals managed to take out all the weird treasures since the start of this war, there''s no assurance they don''t have a treasure to boost their Undead Leader."


    "But that''s just spection." A female strategist shook her head. "The situation on ours is a reality."


    "Correction," Sarah raised a hand and nced at everyone. "A spection which if true would end up in our total destruction. Varian or not, if the Undead leader returns as a Sovereign, it won''t even take a week before he runs over the entire federation."


    Varian looked at Sarah in surprise.


    "And there''s a strong basis for this spection. The same Undead Leader that Varian severely injured during thest war gathered corpses to grow stronger. So did all the other abyssals to build their Undead army." Sarah''s voice took on an authoritative tone. "It''s not a baseless spection but a grave possibility."


    The expressions of the veteran men and women grew solemn. They were persuaded. Even if they didn''t really believe this to be the case, it''s worth checking.


    Sarah also understood their position and said. "Send the reinforcements to others but after they take a trip to Pluto. We don''t need to fight as long as the Undead aren''t doing what we think they are doing."


    The veteran strategists nodded.


    "But treat it as a war."


    The horn of war was blown and the army began gathering.


    Meanwhile, Maya, along with other scientists aplished in the formation field rushed to the secret realms near Neptune.


    There were a couple of secret realms between Neptune and Pluto with teleportation formations that abyssals usedst time and were destroyed by Varian.


    Maya and others repaired the teleportation formations.


    In less than thirty minutes, the human army of Neptune gathered and set out to Pluto.


    Varian and team used the teleportation formations and reached Pluto.


    What greeted them was the exact thing they feared.

 Chapter 995 Attacking Pluto

    Millions of corpses were systematically spread across Pluto in concentric circles. In the center of these circles was the familiar undead leader and four¡­coffins?


    This was the bizarre sight that greeted the human army when they reached Pluto.


    The level 9s looked at each other in dismay and simultaneously turned to the young man standing at the forefront of the army.


    Varian took a breath and reigned in the impulse to order an attack. "Boo."


    A few white lights shed on Pluto before the ghost ship appeared in front of him. "Master, there are formations! Lots of formations! Invisible, but deadly formations. If the army or any high awakener goes in, they''ll¡ª"


    Multiple dark red dots lit up on Pluto and swelled to the size of a city. Without any dy, they shot at the army.


    The speed of theseser-like attacks was so fast that only level 7s and higher could even react.


    "Block!" The level 9s roared and shed with the redsers.


    The defenses they set up¡ªfirewalls, space blockage¡ªnearly cracked apart before they barely stabilized.


    The red dots lit up again and Varian growled. "Everyone below level 7, retreat."


    The bulk of the army retreated into the secret realms, leaving only the high awakeners with Varian.


    He turned to them and said with a grave expression. "I can¡­feel those coffins. If we let them be, they''ll give birth to someone like that Undead."


    The expressions of every high awakener grew serious.


    "Knowing them, they won''te out. Not when they stay in their nest and grow strong." Sarah said.


    "And going inside is dangerous," Sia added.


    "So we attack without going in and try to destroy their formations," Varian said. "No formation can hold on forever."


    The closebat awakeners took on the role of stopping theser attacks while the psychics, telekics, elementals, long-ranged ntae, beast morphers as well as the space, and gravity awakeners stepped forward.


    Then, the attacks rained down on Pluto.


    Giant fire phoenixes, massive space cracks, hundreds of small nt bombs, acid columns, gravity crunches.


    All of these attacks began to target one particr section of Pluto.


    In response to their attacks, a mass of thick fog rose from one of the many formations and soon covered the entire Pluto.


    The high awakeners kept attacking but all their attacks just kept disappearing into the fog, unable to disperse it.


    Varian tried to use his space sense and check beyond the fog but it felt like his senses hit an iron wall!


    Then without any warning, the redsers shot out again. The closebat awakeners blocked them off while the others continued their attacks.


    Two minutester, one of the redsers faltered and disappeared.


    One of the formations was destroyed!


    "It''s working!" A level 9 eximed before bringing up the question. "But what now?"


    Varian looked at the fog with vignce. The abyssals and Undead level 9s on Pluto didn''te after them and just let them destroy that formation.<novelnext></novelnext>


    It didn''t feel like ipetence. It''s a trap!


    Now that they learned formations could be destroyed, they''d desperately try to destroy more.


    But since there was fog all around and they didn''t know exactly where to attack. Varian''s perfect memory did remember the locations but since they used the fog, the locations likely changed. Now, their options were to either attack indiscriminately or go into the fog and destroy the formations.


    Both were dangerous. If they attacked indiscriminately and tired themselves out, then they''d be easy prey when the abyssals eventually attack them. On the other hand, if they flew into the fog¡­


    ''That''s what they actually want us to do.'' Varian knitted his brows together and contemted.


    Even if you know it''s a trap, sometimes there''s no other choice than to jump right in.


    "Destroy the formations," Varian nodded at Sarah and Sia before his body blurred.


    He shot through the fog like a missile and stopped.


    The sound of apuse rang out as thest two surviving Archdukes of Neptune smiled at him. Behind them were some fifteen level 9s, ten abyssal, and five Undead.


    "We were waiting for you." Archduke Samaron rubbed his hands with an eager expression.


    "Once you get in." Archduke Yasok grinned.


    ""You can''t get out."" They simultaneously pressed their bracelets.


    The ground lit up and a formation activated.


    Before Varian could even think, the space around him solidified and the gravity around him tripled. As if solidifying his surroundings and making his body feel like a log wasn''t enough, a searing pain filled his head as if someone was scraping his brain with a hot knife.


    The air around Varian lit up and burnt his skin. The fire was followed by lightning arcs and after the lightning came ice bullets.


    In just a blink, Varian was attacked dozens of times over. He began to bleed from the eyes, mouth, and nose. His skin was first charred, then torn and blood began to leak out of him even as he tried his best to control his bleeding.


    "Hmph!"


    The abyssals felt a heavy pressure and red at Varian.


    Varian''s eyes lit up with a tinge of silver and his body zed with aura.


    His space power loosened the space around him, his physical strength resisted the gravity while his telekic power assisted in his movements. Ayer of lightning and ice covered his flesh and repelled the fire, lightning, and ice attacks. His psychic power constructed a mental wall and stopped the searing pain in his head.


    In just a few seconds, Varian was able to move freely almost as if these formations weren''t affecting him at all!


    The level 9s were shocked but the Archdukes were smart enough to realize that Varian couldn''t use those powers against them. At most, he could use them partially.


    While they were surprised that he really had so many paths, they attributed it to the legacy of Devas.


    ''We must get the legacy!'' The Archdukes nodded at each other and summoned lightning dragons.


    Varian used the time power on their attacks and retreated. But the other level 9s quickly realized his predicament and contributed with their own attacks.


    In the blink of an eye, Varian was bombarded with dozens of attacks, causing him major injuries.


    What''s worse, there seemed to be no solution in sight.

 Chapter 996 Trust

    Varian was pushed to dangerous limits as the injuries on his body piled up.


    Even with the formations severely restricting him, his strength managed to exceed that of a mid level 9.


    But facing two peak level 9 Archdukes and fifteen high level 9s rendered him helpless against the flood of attacks.


    Every passing moment, his body would be struck with another lightning weapon¡ªa spear, a bullet, a bolt, a sword, a¡ªand be broken down a bit more.


    From the bird''s viewpoint, Varian was engulfed in an almost blinding golden light. His silhouette was dark and bits and pieces of him¡ªthe dark tidbits broke apart and melted away in the sh of gold.


    The whole human body was suddenly rendered with numerous holes and gaps. Even the most resilient of level 9s couldn''t stand a minute under this torturous onught.


    But somehow, Varian''s damaged body was regenerating. The broken, torn dark silhouette in the golden light was recovering fast. But the rate of destruction was higher and as time went by, the gap between the two widened.


    As they kept attacking him relentlessly realizing he''s still breathing, even the Archdukes felt their stomachs churn.


    Their hearts screamed in fear as they kept their gazes locked on the young man who was quickly breaking down.


    They didn''t feel ted. Only fear lingered in their hearts.


    ''Monster¡­''


    ''You''re the true Undead monster.''


    Even though no one said it out explicitly, they all understood that if they let Varian go now, even by ident, they might never have another chance to y this monster.


    Forget two Archdukes, even if ten of them gathered, it''s not likely.


    So, with the highest hear in their hearts, they redoubled their efforts and attacked him with everything they got.


    At the center of their attacks remained Varian. His eyes remained closed as the searing pain numbed his body and threatened to break down his mind.


    His skin was broken down every second before it''s regenerated and then broke down again. After countless on and off, it felt like he''s just wearing a skin suit. It was a creepy feeling, one he wished he didn''t have to experience.


    But that wasn''t the end of it. His flesh was burnt alive, and he felt like an animal roasted. It was scary, disgusting and most of all, it left him feeling helpless.


    He couldn''t make much of a moment nor could his attacks reach his enemies. There''s literally nothing he could do to stop them.


    This was the most vulnerable Varian could remember ever being. And he threw himself in this situation fully knowing what''s in store.


    This was a trial for him, in ways more than one. Now his fate rested on the Sia, Sarah and Evander.


    Varian hated handing his fate over to others, even if it''s close ones. Unless necessary, he''d do everything by himself.


    But there''s no other way now. Among all the ways he could think of, this was the only way for them to invade Pluto.


    ''If I get out, then I''ll¡­'' A lighting bolt broke Varian''s defenses and exploded right beside his head, nearly freezing his thoughts. ''K.i..l.l¡­y..o.u!''


    His ntar power began racing ahead of the rest of his paths, followed by his body and lightning powers.


    The others were also progressing at a fast rate, butpared to the first three, they were significantly slow.


    One thing was clear, if Varian did manage toe out of this alive, just by the virtue of all the growth suffered in these short but extremely intense minutes, he''d no longer be in the league of a peak level 9.


    Formations or not, when he barged in next time, they''d not be able to be able to freeze and target him.


    But if he didn''t escape, then everything would be for naught.


    The abyssals hoped for it to be the case but the notifications ringing in their ears informed them that the level 9s of human army barged in. They still had some formations they could use, but it wouldn''t stop those level 9s.


    "Archduke, four of us will go and stop those intruders." A level 9 stopped his attack and proposed.


    Three members gathered around him and looked at the Archduke for permission.


    Before the Archduke could even speak, Varian''s golden silhouette shook and a strong shockwave hit everyone.


    The dark silhouette in the golden light moved and raised its fist.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Attack!"


    "Hold him down!"


    The archdukes shouted and the four level 9s resumed their attacks and barely managed to keep him freezen.


    Realizing that Varian almost escaped, cold sweat rolled down the foreheads of every abyssal.


    The archdukes swallowed their saliva and stared at Varian''s silhouette with even more hatred. But they noticed something. A tiny detail that everyone else ignored.


    ¡­They couldn''t see his face. But his dark silhouette in that golden light, almost like a shadow, had a smile on its face.


    It seemed to say, ''I''m not trapped with you. You''re trapped with me!''


    The archdukes panicked and tried to send a bunch of their colleagues to deal with the human level 9s.


    In their original n, Varian would be killed in seconds and then they could leisurely deal with the rest of humans.


    But what the fuck?! This guy just refuses to die! It''s been minutes already!


    The n derailed and the abyssals only managed to send three level 9s to stabilize the situation.


    But they too knew that it won''t be enough.


    Instead of bing a certain victory where all the human invaders would be wiped out, this turned into a race on which would happen first.


    Could they kill Varian before other human level 9s get there.


    Or¡­


    BOOM!


    A formation broke exploded in the distance and the psychic power attacking Varian disappeared.


    "Sia." A weak but confident smirk sounded before a wave of psychic energy swept over the abyssals.


    The very next moment, a lighting awakener clutched his head and knelt.


    A woman in ck bodysuit appeared behind him and swung her shadow dagger into his neck.


    Before the Archdukes could even attack her or stabilize the situation, another explosion urred in the distance, loosening the space around Varian.


    "¡­Sarah." The hoarse voice grew more confident and proud.


    The space around an abyssal in the fringes froze and a white light spear pierced his heart, ending him for good.


    Then the silhouettes of Sarah and Sia blurred as they tore through the level 9 abyssals.


    After Varian drew all the attention and forcibly kept the level 9s upied, theynded on Pluto, broke through the few powerful formations they had to face and navigated through the illusions to reach Varian.


    Even though they had their fair share of injuries, when facing the level 9s that were still afraid to stop attacking Varian lest he got away, they were killing machines!


    If they''re left alone, everyone other level 9 except the archdukes would be dead! Then, they''d team up with Varian and end them!


    Realizing the danger of leaving these two alone, the Archdukes turned to attack them despite the risk of letting Varian free.


    They rather hoped the monster was too injured to act, which he was.


    After the attacks on him stopped, Varian couldn''t even float in the air and copsed from the sky like a torn parachute.


    Instead of fighting the Archdukes, Sarah and Sia appeared beside Varian, and held him carefully.


    The space around them fluctuated before they disappeared into a familiar ghost ship!


    "Don''t let them escape!" The Archdukes'' cries were left unanswered as Boo tore through the fog and shot out of Pluto.

 Chapter 997 ...Is Dead!

    Sia''s vision blurred as tears pooled in her eyes and flowed down her cheeks like a broken dam.


    Varian just fainted after being put in healing pod while Boo injected with the best healing medicines they had.


    "V¡­Var¡­" Sia choked as her fingers brushed against the ss stopping her from touching Varian.


    He waspletely burnt. He looked more like a skeleton with a bit of flesh on than a living person. It''s terrible.


    She couldn''t even imagine how much pain he had gone through in those long, cruel minutes.


    "Sorry¡­" Sia lowered her head and cried. "I waste¡­else, you wouldn''t have to suffer this much. So¡­rry."


    Boo wondered if it should give Sia an anesthetic.


    Clearly, her left arm bone was broken while the injuries on her abdomen were bleeding profusely. One of the attacks was dangerously close to her heart and made one wonder how recklessly she rushed through the formations.


    As Sia''s cries continued over Varian''s state, Sarah sat quietly on the other side of the healing pod. She stared at his burnt face silently as it slowly regenerated back to semnce.


    A few minutes passed and Sia''s sobs still went on. Finally, Sarah sighed and said. "He''ll be fine, Sia. He''s been through worse."


    "I can''t keep watching him like this." Sia buried her face between her knees and muttered. "I-It hurts."


    "It does." The lid opened and Varian got back onto his feet. He appeared fully healed as well as fully naked. As he touched his ribs, he winced. "Fuck. It does hurt. A lot."


    Sia looked at him with grievance but didn''t want to start an argument in the current situation.


    "Boo." Varian waved his hand and the ghost ship headed back to Pluto.


    The fog was gone. The human army, led by a few level 9s, was now attacking the Abyssal and Undead army of Pluto.


    Surprisingly, the Archdukes and their surviving team of five level 9s were looking for the ghost ship instead of participating in the war.


    In just a few minutes, a lot has changed!


    But the most striking change was the epic battle at the center of Pluto.


    Evander and the Undead leader shed, stirring up storms and creating earthquakes with each punch and kick.


    In just a few seconds, they circled around Pluto and returned to the starting point of their conflict.


    It was a mind blowing battle of two giants. But upon a closer inspection, Evander was heavily injured and pushed back relentlessly. The only thing holding him up was his stubbornness to yield.


    Varian''s eyes narrowed at the scene and he teleported to the exit door. "The Undead Leader is stronger than expected. I have to go."


    "Wait!" Sia called from behind. "Drink the damn potion! At least, it''d be an assurance."


    Sarah stared at Varian with a scorching gaze, urging him silently.


    Varian sighed and shook his head. "The only immediate benefit from the potion is its huge energy. It''ll push my paths beyond peak level 9. But I still haven''t figured a way to tackle my Sovereign state problem. So, if I take it now, I''ll be a Sovereign in maybe three paths and lose the rest."


    "What''s more¡­" His voice grew solemn and an air of depression filled the air. "In case the Abyss Emperores, I might need it. It''s the best potion you ever made, it might help me step into Celestial Rank once I''m ready."


    Saying so, Varian jumped out of the ghost ship and appeared in front of the Archdukes and the five level 9s.


    "Coward!"


    "Kill!"


    Ignoring their provocations, Varian swung his sword once and teleported to the Undead leader.


    Sarah and Sia appeared in front of the Archdukes and looked at them with indifference.


    "Bitches! You''ll pay for his dee¡ªarghh"


    A thin red line spread across the bodies of the abyssals and all their legs were severed in a blink, spilling the thick blood into space.


    Varian''s attack wasn''t to their vitals which they instinctively had high defense towards but legs, to be precise, the part below the knees.


    So, the sword sh effectively struck and handicapped them all.


    Sarah and Sia didn''t miss the timing and unleashed their attacks. Taking these level 9s would be easy now, but they''d still need a couple of minutes to end them.<novelnext></novelnext>


    In those few minutes¡­


    BOOM!


    Earth split and the smoke clouds cleared with the swing of a simple sword.


    The Undead leader clutched his bleeding arm while ring at Varian, failing to hide the awe and surprise in his eyes.


    ¡­Just how? How did the boy grow so fast?


    Varian gave him no respite and kept shing his sword with the intent to kill.


    Evander retreated into the ghost ship and fainted while his youngest apprentice began to drive the enemy he couldn''t defeat all around Pluto while destroying the formations wherever he could.


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    The formations blew up into a cloud of smoke and gravel.


    "Stop! You coward! Attack me! Not the formations!" The Undead Leader fiercely chased after Varian.


    They were roughly equal in strength, but Varian had an upper hand. What''s worse? He''s way more versatile and effortlessly attacked other sites while maintaining an offensive against him.


    Varian only doubled over.


    The unfortunate abyssal and undead army that were in his sight received extra care and were ughtered.


    With the help of the level 9s leading them as well as their own morale, human army tore through the abyssals and undead.


    "Time to end this."


    Varian appeared at the center of the concentric circles and swung his sword at the four coffins.


    "You pest! I''ll kill you! I''ll fucking kill you!" The Undead Leader quickly blocked off the sword sh. But the space around him rippled and a part of the attack teleported behind him.


    "What the hell is that?!"


    There was no answer. Only the sound of two coffins sting into pieces.


    The Undead leader lost it.


    With a voice that edged on desperation and rage, he mmed his fist into the ground. "STOP!"


    A formation covering whole Pluto lit up and expelled every human being, included Varian.


    A transclucent barrier enveloped Pluto.


    Varian regarded with a serious expression and ordered the army to retreat. "Regroup after two hours. The barrier is a tough nut to crack, but should be doable in two hours."


    The undead and the abyssals sighed in relief as they copsed on the ashen grounds of Pluto¡ªthe ash formed from the dead bodies of the billion humans.


    But staring at Varian as he retreated, they had an urge to curse and cry. This wasn''t ending, it''s just begun!


    More than half the formations around them were utterly broken and half of the remaining were partially destroyed.


    With Varian and his girls cutting down so many level 9s, humans actually had more level 9s now!


    Facing against a bunch of more level 9s, the abyssal and undead army was bound to lose.


    They knew it too. That''s why they prayed and hoped for something to tide them through the misery of certain death.


    Perhaps the call was answered because just a few minutes after retreat, an exmation rang in the ghost ship.


    "S-Sovereign Albert is dead!''

 Chapter 998 Traitor

    "What?!" Varian jumped up from his seat and stared at the big screen shing the news.


    Sia arched an eyebrow and crossed her arms but Sarah covered her mouth and stared at the image of the stern old man on the screen.


    Even though their grandfather-granddaughter bond was practically absent, after going through life and death in Hortus, Sarah cherished her close ones and her family. She even hoped that after this war, she could improve her rtionship with the old man.


    Because even though he never pampered her like a normal grandfather, Sarah did remember him covertly helping her out whenever she fell into danger. He never smiled at her, not once. But when she did ask him for help a few times, like when she wanted to search Varian after he disappeared in the dungeon during his first mission, he didn''t hesitate.


    So, from the bottom of her heart, Sarah wished to cherish whatever family she had left.


    But the news...


    Hearing the suppressed whimper, Sia turned to her best friend and a look of pity appeared on her indifferent face.


    "I''m sorry." Sia hugged Sarah gently and patted her back. Sarah buried her head in her friend''s shoulder and shed silent tears.


    Varian, on the other hand, wasn''t even aware that Sarah was crying. His mind was upied with the implications of Albert''s death.


    Perhaps in the subconscious, he did hear Sarah''s cries, but he filtered them out just like that and focused on the important thing.


    Varian might''ve not noticed it, but he was changing.


    "Can you confirm his death?" Varian asked Boo.


    "Yes," Boo replied right away and showed the footage from a drone.


    Two figures were fighting at speeds that caused them to appear as mere blurs. Every time they shed, the shockwaves would shake the space and destroy the drones even five hundred miles nearby.


    Varian narrowed his eyes.


    He could clearly see the figures of Albert and Sin King. An old but tough man in a military uniform fighting against what could only be described as a mixed beast.


    His arms and legs were almost two meters in length and shimmering ck scales while his torso was a blue jelly--like jellyfish and his back had a hard red shell. Only his face, tiny for his body frame, was abyssal.


    ''Hybrid morpher.'' Varian recalled the path of the abyss ruler and stared at his body sharply.


    He''s a hybrid of a dragon-like creature, a turtle, and a jellyfish or a slime.


    Whatever it was, Varian noticed the Sin King disy incredible strength, defense, and vitality as the fight with Albert progressed.


    What''s surprising was Albert''s own strength. The old man specialized in speed and was the fastest person Varian had ever seen.


    For every blow of Sin King, Albert couldnd two. He could also evade the majority of Sin King''s attacks. And his high speed gave him the high momentum to strike hard.


    But these abilities by themselves weren''t enough for Sovereign Albert to stalemate a stronger, more resilient, and faster regenerative Sin King.


    The final piece of the puzzle was the pair of scarlet gauntlets. Every time they struck Sin King and injured him, the Sin King would be a little disoriented for the next few seconds.


    But Sin King regenerated fast enough that he wasn''t disadvantaged beyond a bit. This dynamic created a situation where neither of them could defeat the other, as had been the case for the past few decades.


    However, something changed.


    When Albert was holding Sin King''s army forcefully and punching him in his chest, the space beside them twisted.


    Two very powerful fists shot out at them in a blink. The space crumbled like a piece of paper and the shockwaves from the fists, even before they hit their targets, destroyed the drones in the surrounding thousand miles, and even nearly scarped the current drone.


    As a result, the disy on the screen blurred and Varian was able to only see vague figures.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Thanks to his mind power though, he''s still able to understand what''s going on.


    The old general wasn''t expecting an ambush at all, much less one that powerful and fast. Neither was the Sin King.


    Albert saw the face of the attacker and a look of realization dawned on his face before a sigh of resignation followed.


    He could''ve backed away and dodged. But he didn''t. Instead, he pulled the Sin King closer and attacked him with all his strength.


    The Sin King realized his archenemy''s suicidal n. He forcibly pulled his army away and tried to dodge.


    But it''s toote.


    The two fists struck them right in the chests.


    An invisible shockwave passed behind them but the two men froze.


    Then, the uniform on Albert shattered before his body exploded into pieces of flesh and bones.


    Sin King was better. But his turtle shell shattered while his right arm and right leg disintegrated into pieces. But he wasn''t far from death either. Like a balloon out of gas, he copsed.


    The silhouette of the attacker blurred for a moment before it grabbed the scarlet gauntlets. It ignored the Sin King who wasn''t dead yet and turned to the right, right in the direction of the drone.


    And it smiled.


    Looking at Julius'' smiling face, Varian gasped as his brain nearly came to a freezing halt.


    "What the..."


    Julius knew he''d watch this footage. And that''s exactly why he didn''t hide. He wanted Varian to know it was him.


    "You son of a bitch!" Varian spat the curse he rarely used. "Traitorous dog! You need to be hanged in public!"


    Then, Julius used the artifact of Earth''s ruins--blink ring--and quickly teleported back to Earth.


    There were six artifacts and with the gauntlets, he collected all of them. If the scriptures were right, then Julius would soon be promoted into the ''guardian'' of the Devas and be promoted into a Celestial Rank.


    Varian had no fantasies about what''d happen once this guy reached that strength. He and his loved ones would be hunted down like dogs and crushed to death.


    But before he had any more thoughts about that horrible future, the footage on the screen froze him.


    The dying Sin King fiddled with his space ring and a shining crystal bottle appeared above him. There was just a single drop of a green liquid in it. But the moment it dropped on Sin King, a green shockwave swept the space.


    Then, under Varian''s horrified gaze, Sin King began to heal. It was far from instant regeneration.


    But Sin King who''s clearly supposed to die even if he drank a dozen healing potions was pulled back from the clutches of death.


    His shattered shell slowly began to grow back. And his destroyed right arm and leg were also sprouting.


    It''s not fast enough to be finished in minutes, but give it two or three hours, and he''d be back to normal.


    And once he healed back, what''d he do?


    Since Julius was much stronger than him, Sin King wouldn''t touch him for now. But he''d not withhold the anger. The target of that anger would certainly be the he couldn''t conquer for decades--Mercury.

 Chapter 999 Undying

    Varian''s brain spun at its fastest but his heart rate cooled down and his eyes grew calm.


    "We''ll attack now, and the battle willst for a few minutes. Kill as many as you can, then retreat back to Neptune." He said in a tone that carried authority.


    "What?!" The voice on the other side hissed and spluttered. "The formations are all destroyed! Sir Evander still hold back the Undead Leader until you recover. Then, if you can hold back the Undead Leader, our level 9s will destroy the Undead and abyssal army! This is a golden opportunity! We can''t retreat! We aren''t retreating!"


    Hearing the adamant tone of the other party, Varian''s eyes shed and he said in a low voice. "Sovereign Albert is dead. I can''t stay here."


    The breathing sound from the other side stopped abruptly, and even the vigorous heartbeat disappeared for a moment. Then the sounds of teeth being gritted and the familiar noise of fists being clenching into palms so tightly that the nails dug into flesh rang. "Is it true?"


    Themanding officer of the army didn''t ask for a source. He asked for confirmation in a tone that almost seemed to be on the verge of a breakdown.


    "Yes." Varian sighed.


    A deep sigh of despair came from them and Varian felt that it was a man who thought he saw the end of his civilization.


    "The situation can still be salvaged, but you have to trust me," Varian said and locked the room Evander was healing in.


    "I need you." He said and teleported to the barrier guarding Pluto. His senses spread out and wrapped around the barrier. Then, like tentacles trying to prate the ground, they tried to prate the barrier.


    Sarah and Sia appeared beside him a momentter and did their own check on the barrier. The level 9 humans joined them a few secondster and looked at Varian for guidance.


    In response, a brilliant white sword appeared in Varian''s palm. The sheer aura pulsing out caused the level 9s to flinch and step back.


    Sia and Sarah were also surprised. This sword was the amalgamation of all the powers Varian had. It''s hard to create, took a lot of aura, more time, and wasn''t suitable forbatsting even five minutes.


    "Step back," Varian said and threw the sword at full force.


    Almost as if a bomb exploded, the space near Varian shook and his arm turned into a mess of blood and bone. But he couldn''t even worry about it as the recoil jerked him back violently.


    The brilliant sword shot forward faster than a bullet and glowed with a blinding white light.


    Then it touched the unsuspecting barrier and the space went dim for a moment before it exploded into a wave of brilliant light.


    Like eggshells cracking, the barrier cracked. But it didn''t burst off and quickly began to recover.


    "Now!"


    A light sword and a dark sword struck the barrier followed by a couple more attacks.


    The cracked barrier broke away reluctantly but began to recover again.


    Sarah and Sia as well as the level 9s took a moment to recover after their strongest attacks but a figure streaked into the gap in the barrier.


    "Varian!"


    Varian jumped in and teleported near the Undead Leader who was staring at the broken coffins and the destroyed corpses in them with an aggrieved and raging expression.<novelnext></novelnext>


    His presence was sensed and the Undead Leader greeted him with the strongest punch ever.


    Varian narrowly escaped from having his chest cracked into two but paid the price with his right arm. It was about to be healed back to normal but once again turned into a mess of flesh and bone.


    Not caring one bit, he punched the Undead with his left hand.


    The punch connected with the Undead''s own and the two were blown away.


    Varian didn''t give him any breathing space andunched a flurry of attacks. But he wasn''t able to suppress his enemy as he did just a while ago!


    ''His strength rose again¡­'' Varian''s eyes shifted to the death energy leaking out of the broken coffins.


    There were still two more coffins and Varian intended to destroy them as well. But as if sensing his thoughts, the Undead pped his hands, and a powerful defensive formation, no less than the barrier that surrounded Pluto, enveloped the two intact coffins.


    It only increased Varian''s determination to destroy them. But time wasn''t on his side.


    Unfortunately, neither was space.


    "Fuck off!" The Undead performed a strange gesture with his fingers and the space on Pluto began to repel Varian. It''s like the air around him turned solid and began to push him off.


    Varian searched for the formation responsible for this and cursed when he found it present right next to the coffins inside the new barrier.


    The Undead sneered at Varian but his expression froze as a sword of light and a spear of darkness shot at him with wild ferocity. These two attacks were soon followed by a couple more.


    With the help of his girls and the level 9s, Varian ganged up on the Undead Leader. There were no surprises.


    Even with his improved strength, he''s not much stronger than Varian. Coupled with all the assistance, he''s quickly beaten to severe injuries. He even lost his arm and a good chunk of his torso.


    "Kill him!"


    Varian raised his sword to deliver the finishing blow when a light shed on Pluto.


    The Undead was silent during this wholebat but at thest instance, he yelled in a strangenguage.


    The formation covering the coffins expanded out and the next thing they knew, all of them were once again staring at a barrier shielding the little.


    Only this time, it''s significantly stronger than the previous one.


    "It''ll take a day to take this down," Varian said immediately and grabbed the girls into the ghost ship. "Next time."


    The ghost ship boosted to its full speed and disappeared into the secret realms, quickly entering the teleportation formations and reaching Neptune. From there, it was a race against time as Boo headed toward the first of the sr system.


    In just under thirty minutes, it reached Mercury.


    And they caught up with the Sin King who recovered enough a while ago and was now flying back to Sin Abyss with his archdukes.

 Chapter 1000 A Pillar Of Faith

    Facing the sturdy, eight-foot-tall Sin King who''s morphing into his hybrid form, Varian felt both lucky and unlucky.


    If Julius gave a fuck, he would''ve noticed Sin King hadn''t died from his punch and ended him.


    Even though Varian hated the traitor deeply, he would''ve been happy if Julius killed Sin King.


    But no. Not only Julius happened to be arrogant enough to leave Sin King, but the abyss ruler was also lucky enough to have such a miraculous healing potion to heal him back from the clutches of death.


    Still, the situation was so bad that Sin King had to wait for ten minutes just to heal enough for a normal space flight back to his Sin Abyss.


    If he did return and recuperated to his peak, it''d have been a disaster for humanity.


    Luckily, despite everything that went wrong prior, Varian was able to track down and intercept Sin King halfway from the Sin Abyss.


    The reason for even catching up was less on Ghost ship''s speed and more on Sin King''s slowness.


    "Varian." Sin King punched out with hisrger ck-scaled arms.


    Boo twirled like a spinning top and dodged the punch. Still, the scaled arms managed to graze the underside of the spaceship and left long marks.


    The two Archdukes of Sin Abyss transformed into a Lava-breathing Bull and a Lightning Horse.


    The space lit up from the red and golden lights as the two Archdukes attacked the ghost ship withva columns and lightning phantoms.


    Despite its high speed, Boo was having trouble dodging the attacks. It was meant to be high in speed, not agility.


    Varian and the girls jumped out and faced the attacks.


    "Fuck off."


    Sarah''s light swords, elerated in time flow, reached the twelve lightning phantom horses.


    When it looked like Sarah would finish off the phantoms without resistance, the Lightning Horse raised its front legs and neighed.


    The twelve phantoms moved almost instantly and merged into three. Nine of Sarah''s light swords just passed through empty space while three hit the integrated phantoms.


    Given the phantoms'' initial resilience, Sarah''s swords should''ve easily ended them. But thanks to the integration, the lighting phantoms only took minor damage from Sarah''s attacks before neighing and rushing at her.


    Sarah concentrated her light mana and threw three swords at the phantoms.


    This time, the phantoms split into a hundred. The three swords took down their targets, but ny-seven phantoms remained intact and quickly merged back into three.


    Again, there was only a minor additional injury on them.


    This was the special ability of the Archduke''s Lightning Horse morpher form: Fusion and Fission.


    "I hate morphers." Sarah grumbled and continued the fight.


    Even though the damn horse was sneaky and managed heavy damage every time, Sarah was able to deal a small bit of damage every time.


    But if things went on like this, Sarah would be too exhausted before the Lightning Horse sumbed to its injuries.


    Sia''s situation wasn''t great either.


    She rained down arrows of darkness on the Lava Snake. At the same time, psychic energy attacked the creature''s brain and made it harder for it to respond properly. As if it wasn''t enough, the gravity on the creature rose and stagnated its movements.


    It''s Sia''s standard tactic for winning a battle against a strong opponent.


    But it didn''t work.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The Lava Snake which was supposed to be hit by at least thirty darkness arrows shrank in thest minute!


    Then, it expanded to a size ten timesrger than before and exhaled a column ofva. The hot molten substance reached Sia in just a blink, and even though she wasn''t hit yet, Sia''s head grew dizzy and blood leaked from her eyes.


    This wasn''t justva, it had some dangerous poison! She was confident of blocking theva, but with the poison in the picture, she was no longer sure.


    "Damn it!"


    Sia teleported behind the Lava Snake and raised her hand to attack. But as if it anticipated her teleportation, the Snake swung its tail at her.


    The snake''s skin seemed to beva in itself and when the tail reached Sia, the temperature around her spiked, and her head grew dizzier.


    Sia threw a spear at the tail and teleported. The snake shrank once again, but the spear was aimed at very the center of its body. So, it still hit the snake. Except for a little damage, however, it didn''t do much damage.


    The Lava Snake had an incredible defense!


    Far away from these two battles, Varian stared at the Sin King with a grim expression.


    Even though his focus remained on his enemy, he was shocked at the strength disyed by the two Archdukes.


    Varian was confident of defeating one, but to kill two, even he''d need to take time.


    ''Mercury is infamous after all.'' He sighed.


    Sovereign Albert was the oldest Sovereign. So was his archenemy Sin King. It seemed that his subordinates might also be very old to be this strong.


    ''Wait, what happened to the peak level 9s of Mercury? Why aren''t theying?'' Varian kept his gaze locked onto Sin King while he asked Boo.


    "Albert was a great guy." Sin King spoke before Boo responded. Rubbing his shoulders which still weren''t healed properly, he said with a nostalgic smile. "I wish he was born as an abyssal. He''d have been a great asset to our Empire."


    Varian channeled his aura and prepared for the battle.


    "But even I don''tpletely agree with his methods." The Abyss Ruler shook his head and pointed to his two archdukes. "Once they showed Albert''s corpse to Mercury''s best fighters, they copsed and were killed before they could recover."


    Varian swallowed his saliva as he realized the mistake Albert inadvertently made. The mistake directly led to the death of the peak level 9s that otherwise would''ve fought the archdukes.


    "In decades of his ruling, Albert became the pir of their belief. He''s the reason Mercury''s army is so hard to defeat. They''re like fanatics¡­more than any of their peers. But the same fanatics became sheep when their pir crumbled."


    Boo disyed a visual of the same in front of him.


    The moment Albert''s corpse was disyed publicly, they didn''t believe it at first. But when the tremendous aura in him spread out like a tide, they had no choice but to believe their hero died. And when they did, something in them broke.


    Using this chance, the Archdukes fought with their nemeses that they couldn''t defeat for decades. But now they got a perfect chance.


    Even though they had decades of experience, these peak level 9s couldn''t focus properly.


    What''s more, to deliberately distract them, the abyssals started burning Sovereign Albert''s corpse.


    That really triggered the Mercury army. They abandoned their battle and rushed to their Sovereign''s corpse recklessly. This included even the two peak level 9s.


    The abyssals made perfect use of this opportunity and dealt severe blows to their enemies.


    Mercury''s army managed to rescue the half-burnt Albert''s corpse. But the cost it paid was the death of two peak level 9s and countless others.


    Varian''s eyes grew cold as the screen vanished, leaving only the Sin King in his sight. "Die."

 Chapter 1001 Here We Go Again

    Varian was incredibly strong now. But not strong enough to rival a Sovereign. Certainly not someone in the leagues of Albert.


    But Sin King was far from his peak. He almost died just thirty minutes ago. Even though he took the miraculous potion, he didn''t yet reach his peak.


    However, he was still strong to overpower Varian.


    The figures of the man and the abyssal blurred as they engaged in the most primal form of fighting.


    Fists met fists and heads shed with heads. Bones collided and cracked. Muscles shed and tore apart.


    "You...how the hell are you this strong?" Sin King winced at the new injuries on his body, of which the biggest was a human fist-sized hole in his chest, and asked.


    Varian didn''t answer. Instead, he put more lightning mana onto his right fist and ice mana onto his left.


    He''s fighting like a melee warrior. But he''s using all the longe range powers as well.


    ''You can think after you die.'' Varian''s voice rang in Sin King''s head before a prickling pain followed.


    The space around his arms copsed and despite having powerful scaled arms, Sin King felt like someone was tracing a knife on his arm, cutting open his skin for fun.


    As if it wasn''t enough, an invisible force enveloped his arms and made any movement difficult. It''s like someone grabbed his elbows to prevent him from punching at his full strength.


    Even though this power wasn''t very strong, just around a high level 9, it annoyed the Abyss Ruler.


    Then something...rippled around Varian. Sin King wasn''t sure what and he didn''t have the time to think.


    Varian reached him in a blink, at a speed significantly faster than before, and punched out with his elementally charged fists.


    Sin King roared at the restraining powers and mmed his fists.


    The space around the two froze for a moment before it cracked and let the tremendous shockwave spread out. If this war happened on a smalloid, at least a tenth would be destroyed by now.


    Varian was blown back by a few miles while Sin King remained firmly in ce. Even after being weakened from all those injuries, he''s much stronger than the Undead Leader.


    "You''re a monster." Sin King stared at Varian with a mix of pity and regret. "If only you were born as an abyssal--"


    Varian reached him in a blink and rained down hundreds of punches on the abyssal.


    Varian was in a disadvantageous position with every punch. But he''s slowly growing less disadvantageous. With this growth rate, he''d need at least an hour to match the Sin King.


    Varian didn''t want to spend that much time. So, he used thest weapon in his arsenal.


    "Is this the only thing you''re good at, old bastard? Guess what? Even if I had the chance, I wouldn''t want to be born as an abyssal. You are a weak race who''s going to be destroyed by the upstart Fairies."


    That''s right, Varian taunted. And he taunted with such a punchable face that Sin King, despite all the experience he had, almost couldn''t help himself.


    The rage he felt when his race was humiliated knew no bounds and it wanted him to stop at nothing less than smashing the human bastard to pieces. But Sin King knew better than to give in to his emotions.


    "You still want to challenge Zions? Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror?"


    "Why do you know all these?!" Sin King growled as a look of panic and rage shed in his eyes.


    With the recent news about Abyss Empire being invaded, he had a growing fear. As the Emperor said, they might win the Fairies. But Zions seemed like the mountain they''d never cross.


    They''d win the Deva legacy and take it back to the Abyss Empire. But fully assimting the legacy would take decades. Would the Zions, who were reckless enough to throw so many resources behind Fairies just for invading Abyss Empire, let them grow in peace for decades? Even with the legacy, they were likely going to lose.


    Sin King''s heart sank as pessimistic thoughts shed in his mind.


    "If wishes were pigs, why stop at Zions? You''ll also rece the Jai Empire and establish the Abyssal Empire." Varian gave a mockugh.


    That struck some nerve as Sin King growled and attacked Varian with reckless abandon. But it wasn''t just his words, Varian was also using his psychic power to elevate the negative emotions of his enemy all this time.


    It worked.


    ''Got you!'' Varian smiled and used his enemy''s recklessness tond heavy hits on him. In return, he too was bombarded with dangerous attacks.


    But Varian was able to take far more damage than Sin King could due to his ntae powers.


    As a result, the battle proceeded in the direction Varian intended. Sin King realized he was tricked midway, but it was already toote.


    "Haa...You...scheming bas--"


    Sin King wasn''t able to finish the sentence as a fist smashed his face and nearly cracked his skull.


    "Genius. Scheming genius. Thank you for thepliment." Varian grinned and increased the intensity of the battle, like going from a normal run to a sprint.


    As the injuries on his body rose to a staggering level, Sin King realized he would be going down.


    A surge of grief filled his heart before rage reced it.


    "I''ll take you down with me!" He didn''t dodge Varian''s fist reaching his head. Instead, he punched his enemy''s head. Sin King wanted to kill him at the cost of his own life!


    Varian clicked his tongue and teleported away.


    "You coward! If you have the balls, fight with me like a real--omph!" A lightning palm pped his head and shut him up.


    Varian stood a hundred miles away from this suicidal maniac and shrugged. "I don''t y with crazies."


    Sin King grew crazy as Varian did the most outrageous thing in his opinion.


    He resorted to long-rangebat!


    Sin King tried to reach Varian and die together but he slipped away every single time.


    "Arghh! Arghh! Why? You shameless bastard!" Sin King roared in frustration. Even when he was pushed to death by Julius, he didn''t feel so aggrieved.


    Now, he felt like crying.


    Varian could attack him from a distance. But he couldn''t evennd a single punch on the human.<novelnext></novelnext>


    It''s too much!


    Sin King coughed out blood out of sheer anger and his attacks began to falter.


    "Abyssals won''t win." Varian''s ridicule sounded in his mind.


    Sin King gasped and gathered every bit of strength from his body. Then, he reached Varian before thetter could even teleport.


    Like a star that shone the brightest before it died, Sin King exploded with strength that shouldn''t have been possible for his current state and punched Varian right in the heart.


    His fist broke through Varian''s defenseyers one by one. The lightningyer, the ice film, the invisible telekic armor, hardened space were all gone.


    And he did it!


    ? Sin King''s fist struck Varian right on his heart. Varian''s bones cracked as a deep fist impression formed on his chest.


    With blood spluttering out of his chest like a waterfall, Varian was blown back.


    This attack should''ve killed Varian who just began fighting with Sin King. But even though their battle happened for less than an hour, Varian had a substantial increase in strength.


    The attack severely injured him, but it couldn''t kill him.


    Sin King''s eyes stayed on Varian''s cracked chest. To be precise, on his heart inside the gaping hole of his chest.


    Varian''s heart was still beating.


    Sin King''s eyes shed with defeat and his body began to break down. In sharp contrast, Varian''s chest began to close up and his injury began to quickly heal.


    As Varian recovered to his peak and opened his eyes, Sin King was just a blink away from death.


    Their gazes met and the world stilled.


    For the first time and for thest time, Sin King stared into Varian''s eyes. The eyes carried a confidence that announced that even if the Abyss Emperor himself came, he wouldn''t be able to win.


    ''We were wrong the whole time.'' Sin King sighed as his consciousness went dark.


    Varian grabbed his corpse and disappeared. In a few seconds, he appeared on Mercury''soids which turned into a living hell.


    The abyssals were ughtering the human army. Even though the mercury troops fought, they had little morale.


    "Your king, this old mutt is dead." Varian''s voice rang across theoids like thunder.


    Then, countless virtual screens lit up and showed the corpse in front of Varian.


    The abyssals paled while color returned to humans.


    "This is your end." Varian pped the corpse and broke it into pieces.


    "NO!"


    The abyssals roared and rushed to the remains of their dead king.


    The mercury army did the same thing abyssals did to them a while ago. They took advantage and inflicted severe damage on the abyssals.


    And this time, they also had Varian to help.


    With a flick of his hand, lightning rained down and ice storms spread for hundreds of miles.


    The level 9 abyssals were ughtered like dogs. The level 8s nearby couldn''t even survive a breath. The level 7s died just from the shockwaves.


    After inflicting hell upon the abyssals, Varian returned to the battle site to assist his girlfriends and was surprised.


    Sarah raised her arms and then pressed her hands together. A light barrier enveloping the phantom horsespressed.


    Even though the phantom horses split or integrated, the end result didn''t change. They were all crushed by the shrinking light barrier and ended up being destroyed.


    This caused the Lightning Horse controlling them all to cough out blood and copse.


    "Finally." Sarah waved her hand and a red light enveloped the Lightning Horse''s body and burned it into pieces.


    Sia''s battle also approached its end.


    The Lava Snake once again shrank to dodge Sia''s attacks and spatva at her. This time, Sia managed to drive a spear into its body.


    The snake tried to expel the spear away by shrinking even more, but Sia was faster.


    She couldn''t control the darkness spear through gravity. But when the spear went into the snake''s body and was enveloped in the flesh of the snake...


    Sia''s lips curled up and she used her gravity on the flesh surrounding the spear.


    The flesh wriggled and then exploded,unching the spear forward. The spear shot forward like a rocket and wherever it passed, it spread its darkness mana and weakened theva snake.


    Even though the Lava Snake tried its best, in just a few seconds, the darkness spear ripped out of its head and ended its life.


    Varian looked at his girlfriends and felt his chest swelling in pride. "If not for all the blood on you, I''d have kissed you two on the spot."


    Sarah rolled her eyes while Sia threw him a flying kiss.


    Before Varian could even catch it, Boo popped up. "Go kiss the Demon King, ugh no, Boo means, go kill the Demon King master. Without Julius, he''s going to destroy Earth."


    Varian cursed Julius'' mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother in a breath.


    In a few minutes, the ghost ship headed to Earth and stopped in front of the injured Demon King.


    "Ah shit, here we go again."

 Chapter 1002 A Painful Decision

    Demon King clutched his limp arm and took deep breaths. Blood was still pouring from the gap between his right shoulder and the arm. In fact, it still looked like a badly attached extension to the joint, as if someone had ripped it away and then sticked it together.


    While the healing potions worked onpletely healing his arm, every bit of pain from his arm surged the tides of Demon King''s anger higher and higher, turning it into an unforgiving tsunami.


    Injuries weremon. Pain was fleeting. But¡­


    "Looks like you aren''t in a good shape. How about you call it quits and go home today?" Varian''s voice came from the ghost ship in the distance.


    Demon King ignored the annoying human and s chest heaved up and down as he recalled the gaze of Julius. That look of utter contempt, as if he was staring at a lump of trash, no, it was a look of contempt as well as an undisguised mockery.


    ''You fools, you really thought I''d obey your pathetic race?''


    At least that''s what Demon King felt a while ago when Julius suddenly attacked with a far higher strength and nearly ripped his arm apart.


    Before he could even counter, Julius gave two seemingly casual punches to his chest and stomach.


    That''s it.


    Demon King, the Sovereign in body path, with a physique praised to be the very epitome of perfect, cowered in pain and writhed helplessly in front of his ''archenemy.''


    Despite Julius belonging to their side, Demon King never trusted him and even treated him with contempt. Yet, as he floated in the space, bending in pain in front of that very human, death felt like a sce. When he finally recovered and looked around, Julius was gone.


    When he realized that Julius didn''t even bother to finish him off, Demon King experienced the greatest humiliation of his life.


    In a fit of rage, he decided to find that bastard on Earth and seek revenge. It did ur to him that he''d just be sending himself to death. But Demon King didn''t care. He wanted to die in a battle rather than live by his enemy''s mercy.


    That''s why, he wanted to seek revenge. But¡ª


    "I had a brawl with one of your friends and trust me, it didn''t end well for him." That confident voice rang again, striking the nerve of the Demon King who just had his own self-confidence crushed.


    Even though Varian didn''t mean it, Demon King felt as if the young human was mocking him.


    ''No! I am not a weakling! I am strong! I know my strength! I am¡ª'' Demon King''s eyes grew crazy as he clenched his fists.


    His killing intent spread out like a raging flood and enveloped the ghost ship, dering his intent.


    Varian''s voice wasn''t pleased. "There is one less Abyss King in the sr system from today. Why are you so eager to push it lower?"


    "Hah." Demon King opened his mouth in surprise then he burst out into a fit of disbelievingughter. "You¡­You conceited weakling, you''re not even a Sovereign. You can''t even catch one of my punches. How blind are you to issue threats to me¡ªthe King of Demon Abyss, the Sovereign of body path, the greatest warrior of all eight abysses?"


    In the ghost ship, Varian stared at the crazed Demon King and frowned. This idiot had gone nuts. There''s no doubt about it.


    ''He''s so¡­offended by it. Why?'' Varian narrowed his eyes.


    Considering that Varian learnt about Albert''s death, travelled to mercury, fought Sin King for a considerably long time, returned to Earth and the arm still hadn''t recovered should be proof enough how badly Demon King fared against Julius.


    ''I see.'' Varian sighed.


    There''s no way out of this today. Either he stopped Demon King or thetter would go to Earth to find Julius and destroy all theoids in the way.<novelnext></novelnext>


    If Julius really gave a fuck about the millions of soldiers lives, then he would''ve appeared here by now. Worse, he could''ve killed Demon King when he had the chance.


    Varian wasn''t ready to bet millions of lives on the ''humanity'' of Julius.


    "Focus on your recovery, I''ll try if I can stall him." He said and walked to the exit with heavy steps. But before he could open the door, his arms were grabbed by the girls.


    "You''re not going anywhere." Sarah gripped him with both arms, her firm gaze locking with his.


    "Even with a heavily damaged arm, he''s too much for us." Sia hugged him hard as if she was trying to hold him in ce. But her worried eyes both pleaded and dered. "If you go, you''ll die. Even if we both join, the end result won''t change . There''s just no way we cane out on top of this. Varian, this is beyond what we can do now."


    Their actions and words put a pause on Varian''s intention and caused him to rethink.


    He''s been in a mode of unending fighting. From Neptune to Pluto, Pluto to Mercury and now Mercury to Earth. He fought strong opponents and ended them. After all these battles, he''s stronger than any peak level 9.


    What''s more, he not only fought a Sovereign, but killed him. Perhaps that''s why, he didn''t hesitate in battling a Sovereign.


    That''d would''ve been a huge mistake.


    Even if Demon King''s arm was out ofmission for a while, the abyssal was an experienced Sovereign. And unlike Sin King, he''s already healed enough to exert a good chunk of his strength.


    Varian might not evenst five minutes against him. And in those five minutes, he certainly won''t reach the strength of a veteran Sovereign, even if thetter was currently weakened.


    It''s not like there''s no probability. But it wouldn''t exceed double digit.


    To win in this situation, Varian would''ve to hope for his enemy to make some mistakes and exploit those mistakes to prolong the battle for at least a few hours and finally kill him.


    It''s a gamble on his life. And a bad gamble since it depended on not how well he did but how badly his enemy performed.


    As the thoughts shed in his mind, Varian took a step back but immediately moved forward again. His voice dropped to a low. "If we let him go, the soldiers¡­tens of millions will die."


    "There''s nothing we can do." Sia said without any hesitation. "If you can save them without putting your life at absurd risk, then go ahead. But if you try to step out of now and get yourself killed, then you''ll also be taking me down with you¡ªyou''ll be killing me."


    Sarah had a helpless expression as she nodded. "You can''t fight the wars you can''t win. At least, not the ones that don''t serve any purpose. Even if we three go and die, nothing will change."


    "That''s not what General Skad thought. If he did, Mars would''ve ended that day." Varian countered.


    "Maybe." Sarah put her hand on his heart and looked into his eyes. "But Varian, not everyone is a hero. Not everyone can be like General Skad. Some people are selfish, they''d rather protect their family than save millions. I used to hate such people, but now I''ve be the one I hated."


    Varian looked at her in shock.


    "You know what''ll happen if you step out. But I won''t stop you. But then you shouldn''t stop me when I follow you."


    "Now, choose." Sarah and Sia gave him an ultimatum.


    The lives of his little family or the lives of dozens of millions.

 Chapter 1003 Demon Kings Wrath

    Varian leaned back into his chair and closed his eyes. He fully recovered from the battle with Sin King. Yet, his body seemed to be drained of all strength as he weakly nced at the screen floating in the air.


    One of the borderoids was being ravaged.


    Every few seconds, the wholeoid shook. Even from space, Varian could see cracks spreading on the continents and clouds of dust coveringrge swathes of theoid.


    The damage happening to theoid was at an unprecedented scale that even people from outer space could tell at a nce.


    For people actually on the ground, it''s hell.


    The human high awakeners roared as they gave up all thoughts of defense and attacked the monster punching the entire human part of the continent out of existence.


    Endless attacks filled the sky as every human fortress on theoid attacked the Demon King who was standing on the ruins of one of the fortress.


    "Heh." The Abyss ruler snorted and his figure blurred.


    He appeared in front of one of the many fortresses and punched. The barrier protecting them so far crumbled like a piece of paper and his fist reached the fortress.


    But even before he struck them, just the shockwaves from his punch exploded the level 7s and level 8s to pieces and killed them.


    The level 9s tried to fight but weren''t a match for his insane speed. With a simple sprint, he moved between them in a blur.


    The level 9s stood still, their eyes still staring at his previous position with vignce.


    Without giving them a second nce, Demon King jumped to the next fortress.


    A few seconds after he left, a red line appeared on their necks and their heads slid off.


    Then, the fortress itself exploded and the surrounding area cracked apart for hundreds of miles, revealing a giant crater.


    From outer space, a dark patch appeared on the green continent. Then, two, three and in a breath, a full dozen.


    "Yes. This is it! This is power. This is strength." Crushing a human head, Demon King smiled from the bottom of his heart.


    The high awakeners in this fortress too died. The army retreated out of the fortress and was staring at him with despair from the mountains a hundred miles away.


    "Yes! That''s it! Fear me! You lowly human race!" Demon King roared with frantic eyes and punched out.


    The sheer shockwaves from his fist exploded the mountains and killed the 30,000 soldiers in a blink.


    Even their bones were broken into pieces and their blood was blown away with the fierce wind, spreading across the continent.


    Very soon, Demon King reached thest standing fortress andughed. "Varian! Why aren''t you stopping me? Come on."


    Hearing that name, the soldiers in the fortress looked up at the sky with hope. Their eyes which were filled with the despair at inevitable death glowed, if only just a little.


    "Come here! Fight me!" Demon King sneered. "I will give you a full five minutes. Save your little bugs."


    Then, he turned to the fortressmander who was facing him with deste gaze. "You! If you don''t believe me, you can broadcast this message to everyone. Varian can surely reach here in five minutes."


    The fortressmander gulped and nodded.


    He had no hope of his troops surviving but if Varian came, maybe he could create a legend. Like always, maybe¡­


    The whole federation watched Demon King wait in front of thest fortress.


    Each second felt more heavy than thest. The hope in people''s hearts turned into impatience as the deadline began to approach.


    Four minutes, three minutes, two minutes¡­


    The soldiers in the fortress eagerly stared at the sky as they begged, prayed and cried. When only the cold wind answered to their prayers, they looked at the sky and sighed.


    When only one minute remained, the light in their eyes vanished and was reced by something dark and cold.


    The people watching this from across the sr system broke down into bitter tears at this moment.<novelnext></novelnext>


    A sense of sadness spread across the fortress.


    When no one expected it, a level 3 veteran stepped forward and pointed his hammer at the Demon King.


    The veteran was quite old, definitely more than a 100. Yet, the level 3 old man steadily spoke to the strong abyssal whose strength he could never hope to match. "When I was a kid, you guys came, destroyed my city, my family, my everything. I hid in bunkers, I ate rats to survive, and did everything I could to join the army.


    I have no friends except myrades-in-arms. I have no home other than the battlefield. I have no family, only my race.


    You can kill me, Demon King. But you can never crush the spirit I poured into my race.


    Maybe it''s Varian or someone else, but you''ll be crushed one day. You can kill as many as you can, but we''ll take back everything that''s ours and pay you back for every single death."


    The atmosphere changed in an instant. The soldiers calmly walked out of the fortress and stood in an attacking formation.


    The level 9s, level 8s and level 7s stood at the forefront and faced the Abyssal Ruler.


    Themander unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the Sovereign Abyssal without hesitation.


    Demon King narrowed his eyes and the aura around him fluctuated. These gazes, they held the exact same confidence as Varian. As if he was¡­wrong in the whole thing, foolish even, and that destiny was on the side of the human race rather than his own.


    The old man walked into his own position in the formation but his voice rang clear. "Do you think we were afraid of death? No, bastard. Everyone one of us here know that bing a soldier is epting death.


    But if possible, we don''t want to die! Because we didn''t want to miss our glorious future. After so many wars, we want to witness the period of peace. We want to salute the g on Pluto.


    Many friends of mine have children and grandchildren. So, they want to live to tell the tale, and watch them grow up without the threat of genocidal alien thieves.


    But do not doubt for a second our resolve to face death. In our lives, we are the swords of our race, in our death, we will be the inspiration of those whoe after us."


    Spears hit the floor, swords shed on the armors, hammers mmed the ground. The symphony of the weapons was matched by the battle cries of the final 10,000 soldiers of theoid that bravely marched against the Demon King.


    "Die! Die! Die!" Demon King punched the entire area into a deep crater and ughtered every soldier.


    The scene was also broadcasted across the sr system.


    Instead of fear, even the mostmon humans only felt anger. They promised to themselves that if they survived this ordeal, they''d do everything to destroy the abyssals.


    As the ripples of the event still spread, the Demon King elerated forward.


    In just under an hour, he destroyed more than ten million human lives. After feeling bored from all the killings, and finally healing back to his peak, he reached Earth.


    Varian closed his eyes, unwilling to watch the horror that would be unleashed. Sarah and Sia hugged him from the side tightly.


    Sarah and Sia weeped softly while Varian covered his itchy eyes.


    Watching that danger approach the blue they all grew up in, their hearts nearly dropped.


    All their memories would be destroyed in front of their eyes. And they were powerless to stop it. And billions of lives would be lost.


    Varian hoped Julius toe out and stop the Demon King now that thetter was attacking Earth.


    But there''s no sight of Julius. Even Boo reported that Julius was missing from all monitoring.


    There''s no hope.


    It''s the greatest torture for him to witness this so powerlessly.


    Each second felt like a year as Demon King effortlessly ughtered the forces on Moon and wiped out the guards on the space stations. None of the defense systems stood a chance against him.


    And finally, Demon King stared at the unprotected Earth with a cold smile.


    As the tragedy was about to unfold, a figure shot out of the ghost ship.


    It was someone Varian never expected.

 Chapter 1004 Death Of Xanders

    "Evander!" Varian''s heart sank as he called his master by his name.


    Standing in between Earth and Demon King, Evander looked fearless.


    "Oh? It''s you, lost puppy." Demon King recognized the famed high general of Earth and scowled. "Is Julius so arrogant that he sends a mere High General to fight me?"


    His voice exploded like a storm and resounded across Earth. The chaos erupted on the blue as every man, woman, and child wondered.


    ''Where is our Sovereign?''


    So many lives were already lost, and even Earth was about to be attacked. So, where the hell was their guardian? The Xanders call themselves the Guardians of Earth, so where was their head when he''s actually needed?


    The public grew resentful but fear still dominated their hearts. The figure on therge screens on the street¡ªDemon King¡ªseemed to be the agent of death. Just a punch from him would kill tens of millions. It''s not a matter of if, but only when.


    With death literally staring at them, the citizens copsed. Even before anyone died, the spirit of the earthlings began to wither.


    Some hopeful men and women called out in the streets and yelled that they were going to live. They pointed to the former high general Evander and said he''d save them.


    But those words didn''t bring any peace. Realizing that their best bet was only a peak level 9, the people panicked even more. Chaos reigned supreme as the streets turned violent.


    Amidst this chaos, the safest ce on the¡ªThe Guardian Inds¡ªwas flooded with dignitaries from all over the. As they saw it, the private inds of Earth''s first family were the only sanctuaries during this catastrophe.


    Sovereign Julius didn''t appear yet. Perhaps he''s injured. Perhaps it''s something else. But he''d surely not let his family die. Moreover, as his family, they could contact him even though no one else was able to reach him and get to safety.


    That line of thought was the reasoning of all the members that rushed into the Xander estate.


    Unfortunately for them, the Xanders were the most clueless bunch.


    "Where? Where is Patriarch?"


    "He was fighting Demon King an hour ago. And then he disappeared."


    "How? Where? Check all the drones!"


    The administrative building was rocked by panic shouts and loud cries.


    No one knew what was going on. The vice patriarch position had been filled after Julius himself executed the former vice patriarch. But when the enemies knocked on the door, the vice patriarch copsed under the pressure and locked himself in his room.


    The dignitaries that stormed into the estate thought the Xanders were simply refusing to call Julius. Worse, these Xanders didn''t even lead them to the ''safe ce'' where Sovereign Julius was currently present.


    Things quickly devolved into violence and the Guardians Inds, known for tranquility and stability, were on fire.


    "What is your confidence?" Demon King floated to Evander and asked with a curious but also despising gaze. "To think you can stop me even in your dreams, you weakling pest."


    Evander didn''t even bother to speak. He simply used the method he won from the Fairies.


    After being nearly beaten unconscious by the Undead Leader, he did figure out the next level of the technique.


    "Wai¡ª"


    The vitality in Evander''s body shrank in a blink and the aura around him exploded.


    Evander punched the unsuspecting Demon King who was too close for his own good right in the gut.


    His fist punched with more power than any level 9, and mmed into the tough abdomen of the Demon King.


    The abyssal ruler was blown away as his insides shook from the violent punch. Blood leaked out of his mouth continuously and he felt as if he was going to vomit his insides.


    Evander quickly followed and threw another punch right at his temple. He wasn''t going to miss this chance.


    But Demon King was already prepared. Even though Evander did his best, the only reason the abyss ruler even got injured was because of the surprise element.


    Had he been expecting Evander''s strength to be a Sovereign level, then he''d have blocked Evander easily, like he just did.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Heh." Demon King wiped the blood off his lips and held Evander''s fist that tried to push through his hand.


    Preceding a sharp sound, another fist reached for his stomach and this time, Demon King met it with his own fist.


    The sound of bones cracking rang out and blood sprayed out of Evander''s left fist as it met Demon King''s attack head-on.


    The sound continued as Evander''s left fist in Demon King''s grip also turned bloody as thetter increased his monstrous grip.


    "You''re strong." Demon King stared into Evander''s eyes with a burning gaze.


    Evander struggled to get his hands out of the abyssal''s grip.


    "But not enough." Demon King roared and mmed his head into Evander''s.


    The space around them seemed topress and explode as a dangerous shockwave originated from them and spread across the moon, razing the defense structures in its path.


    Evander retreated back at his full speed even as his head grew painful. Using the moment Demon King attacked, he managed to free his hands and exploited the momentum of the attack to jump back.


    But things weren''t going well.


    The blood flowing from his forehead entered his eyes and painted his vision red and blurry. It was just a single headbutt, but it nearly killed Evander.


    Even though he reached the Sovereign state, Evander didn''t have any confidence in defeating this foe.


    ''Julius sent a Sovereign this weak to fight me. He''s mocking me. Trampling on my dignity.'' Demon King clenched his fist and roared. "Julius, you''ll regret this! I''ll kill your dog and destroy your home!"


    Demon King shot forward and Evander raised his arms in defense. But the abyssal passed him and reached Earth in a blink.


    "No!" Evander rushed after him but his speed was a bit worse and that made all the difference.


    With a resounding sound ringing all across the, like a thousand ps of thunder rumbling at the same time, Demon King shot past the clouds and crashed straight into the Guardian Ind.


    And then, Earth shook.


    The famed inds broke into pieces and sank into the ocean. Every single person on the ind turned into broken bones and blood.


    Even the famed ''Guardian Pce''¡ªthe symbol of Xander''s majesty¡ªcracked into pieces and exploded.


    In just a breath, an irreversible change urred. The world would never be the same.


    "Huh?" Floating above the remains of Julius'' home, Demon King gazed around in confusion.


    There were only pieces of bodies, blood, and broken materials in the surrounding. His archenemy, the man who humiliated him was nowhere to be found.


    "Julius!" Demon King looked around with rage. "Julius, answer me! You pathetic coward! I killed everyone in your family! Every fucking one of them! Come out and avenge them!"


    Carried by his incredible chi, Demon King''s words spread across the entire.


    The people were still reeling from the sudden earthquake and the whole earth was in chaos. But hearing those evil words, everyone fell silent.


    The Xander family perished!


    Demon King waited. And waited. The reply never came.


    "Fine. Then I''ll tear down your ne¡ª"


    Someone suddenly grabbed him from behind and yanked him out. Three tremendous attacks struck him at the same time and before he knew it, Demon King was back in outer space, facing four people.


    "Let''s end this," Varian said with a determined expression.

 Chapter 1005 The Hopeless Battle

    "Why did you stop hiding, you rat?" Demon King stared at Varian with a mocking smile. "Not afraid to die anymore?"


    Varian shook his head without any anger and pointed to Evander. "With his strength, I am confident of defeating you."


    Evander was pouring a healing potion onto his fists when he shuddered at Varian''s words. He felt like a ''tank'' in one of those games. Or colloquially, the meat shield.


    Once that connection was made, Evander couldn''t stop thinking in that direction.


    Sarah and Sia were far away and would be fighting using their long-range powers. Varian, while in closebat, wouldn''t be the primary force fighting the Demon King. It''d be him¡ªthe one to take maximum damage


    Evander nced at earth and then at Varian before shifting to Demon King.


    Unlike Varian, he couldn''t stand watching Earth get destroyed. So, even though he had no chance of winning, he rushed out.


    But with Varian and his small team joining, Evander saw the possibility of a victory.


    ''For how long can you maintain this power?'' Varian''s voice sounded in his mind.


    ''Long enough.'' Evander didn''t give a direct reply.


    Varian wanted to ask if it was a risk to his life but decided not to. Whatever the case, knowing it now wouldn''t help.


    "Even if there''s ten of you, you''re going to lose." Demon King sneered and shot toward Varian.


    Even with his improved strength, Varian had a hard time even teleporting away.


    Thankfully, Evander appeared in middle and engaged the abyssal in battle.


    From afar, a curtain of light and a veil of darkness shot out and enveloped the Demon King.


    He broke them with a punch and concentrated back on Evander. But they stitched back together and attacked him again.


    Not only that, a sudden torrent of attacks flooded him. The gravity on him increased, even though it didn''t affect him much. His mind seemed to be poked by needles as two psychic attacks tried to disturb him.


    And the biggest attack of them all, two shining swords built of multiple powers attacked him during his battle with Evander.


    Evander was wrong.


    Even Varian was only fighting from close but wasn''t going to physically fight Demon King. It''s a very risky move for his current power.


    Thankfully, Varian used his ntae powers on Evander continuously and elerated the man''s regeneration to the point he could at least fight Demon King.


    As their figures blurred and they engaged in a brutal brawl, it was clear that Evander was clearly losing but at least he was able to engage Demon King now.


    The spaceships and space stations in the surrounding thousand miles were ripped apart by the violent shockwaves from the battle.


    "You little bastards! Attacking from afar!" Demon King roared and punched at Evander.


    The space around his fist tightened and a force literally gripped his fist and slowed him down.


    As if that wasn''t enough, the space behind his neck fluctuated and an ice sword coiled with lighting arcs, propelled by telekic power appeared out of nowhere.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Fuck!" Demon King forcibly turned slightly and punched the sword with his other hand.


    At the same time, his punch with Evander connected and the human general''s hand bone cracked.


    But using this opportunity, he punched with his other hand.


    Demon King couldn''t respond in time and took an attack on his gut¡ªon the exact spot he was first attacked.


    Staggering back, Demon King clutched his bleeding wound and scowled. As he opened his mouth to curse, darkness enveloped him and blinded his senses.


    Exactly at the same time, light arrows rained down while the shining swords created by Varian also attacked Demon King. Evander also took the opportunity to throw another attack.


    Demon King channeled his chi and punched out. The darkness surrounding him blew apart like a cloud of smoke, allowing him to clearly sense the attacks that were almost about to strike him.


    With insane agility that belied his bulky build, Demon King dodged Varian''s swords, pped away Sarah''s light arrows, and blocked Evander''s attack to his head.


    Except for a couple of minor injuries, Demon King was fine.


    They managed to get a couple of hits on him in the beginning, but as he experienced their tactics, he''s growing harder and harder to injure.


    All the while, Evander''s condition, despite healing from potions and Varian, was getting increasingly worse. Even if he could sustain the strength, his body wouldn''t be able to fight like this for much longer.


    With no other choice, Varian decided to take the risk.


    "Die!" Demon Kingunched a flurry of punches at Evander, aiming for his vitals. Evander responded with counterattacks.


    The two figures blurred as they moved at very high speeds. Wherever they went, powerful explosions would rock the space and strong shockwaves would follow.


    Right in the middle of the fight after Demon King dealt with the ''surprise'' attacks, a fist glowing in a mix of colors punched him from behind.


    Demon King turned around fast enough and punched back, sending the attacker flying for hundreds of miles.


    As he tried to chase after him, Evander increased the intensity of his attacks, at the expense of himself, and stopped the abyssal.


    Far away, Varian''s arm hung limp as blood sputtered out from his crushed fist. His finger and palm bones were smashed into pieces and even with his ntae powers, it wasn''t easy to heal.


    What''s worse, Varian felt like his arm would fall off his shoulder at any moment and held it in ce.


    For the next five minutes, the battle continued as expected.


    Even with the three of them giving their best, Evander was suppressed by Demon King and was pushed toward death.


    In the sixth minute, Varian attacked the Demon King again.


    The abyssal expected the human to learn his lesson after the failed attempt. So, he wasn''t able to give special focus to Varian and only responded at thest minute with a casual punch.


    Yet, the result was the same. Varian''s arm was crushed. The battle seemed hopeless.

 Chapter 1006 A Hero

    Varian, like many earthlings, grew up hearing the horror stories of the Demon King. A being of unfathomable power, only held back by the Sovereign of Earth, was the nightmare of his childhood.


    Sometimes, the horror stories went a bit too far and spoke of a future where the Demon King won. It was a grim future where even thest sparks of hope died out.


    It wasn''t originally a children''s story. It was a cautionary tale for the adults that emerged shortly after the abyssal invasion¡ªwarning them of the fragility of their, race, and civilization.


    Oddly enough, this horror tale that even adults avoided was Varian''s favorite childhood tale.


    The stark contrast his life gavepared to the grim tale offered made him appreciate the greatness of peace and the duty of people that built that peace, including his father.


    Histe father and Demon King were the most important reasons Varian turned out the way he did.


    "It''s futile." Demon King''s voice rang out as he treated Evander like a punching back. "You''re all too weak. Call Julius."


    "If we could find it, we''d have long found him." Varian appeared from behind and threw a roundhouse kick at the abyssal''s waist.


    A bone-cracking sound before Varian was sted back.


    The gnawing pain from his leg threatened to engulf his consciousness, but Varian held on and delivered his long-range attacks.


    The first damaged arm was now getting back into shape. But it''s still a bit away from enough recovery.


    ''Varian, stop this madness. Let''s retreat.'' Enigma''s cold voice suddenly appeared in his mind.


    Since Sia could freely touch him, Enigma let her take over most of the time and spend time with Varian. Since Sia could also now use darkness power, Enigma didn''t even appear during battles.


    But she unexpectedly appeared at this critical moment.


    Varian''s gaze didn''t shift but his space sense already found the woman in ck.


    Sarah fired a few shots into the sky, indicating she wanted to do the same.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The space shook as explosions urred all over the region. The two figures continued to move at high speeds as they continued their fight, albeit one was quickly growing more injured.


    At this rate, even Evander would fall sooner orter. Once he did, they''d be sitting ducks for Demon King.


    It''s only logical to retreat at this point. It''d also give room for Evander to retreat.


    Varian thought hard and was about to say yes when he nced at the blue from the corner of his eye.


    Even though he always said he prioritized his life over others'' and firmly stated that he wasn''t a hero, at that moment, Varian realized that a part of him always tried to be one.


    ''¡­I have to do something.''


    Varian nced at his status screen and took a deep breath. ''Let the madness continue.''


    He attacked again and was beaten back again, this time, his second leg was the victim.


    With four limbs injured and bleeding, Varian looked like he was about to copse at any moment.


    Enigma appeared beside him and grabbed his shoulder. "End this madness!"


    Varian teleported away from her and said. "No. I have a chance."


    He teleported to the Abyss King and punched with his right hand¡ªwhich was also the first injured and now recovered.


    Demon King resounded in kind and broke his arm again. But Varian didn''t give up, he kept attacking despite being injured every single time.


    It''s as if he didn''t know the meaning of giving up.


    The results didn''t seem to change as he''s blown back every single time. Not even once did he manage to withstand any attack without breaking his bones.


    But only Varian was acutely aware of the ridiculous changes urring in his body.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Demon King was the Sovereign of body path and his chi was the perfect recipe for Varian.


    As they fought continuously, Varian''s progress in body path skyrocketed.


    From the mid stages of high level 9, it crossed the peak of level 9 and now raced towards the very edge of the level.


    His ntae path was only slightly slower. As a result, Varian''s recovery sped up to an insane rate.


    Now, even apletely broken arm was functional in a minute and allowed Varian to fight the Demon King far more frequently.


    That''s the only thing that changed for the onlookers on Earth. Varian was still beaten back with the same intensity and had the same injuries every single time.


    What they didn''t observe was that Varian kept decreasing his physical strength with each attack. Yet, he got the same injuries. Then, slowly, even those injuries started to decrease.


    Even his other paths began to bloom under this gruesomebat.


    In the past, Varian fought Enigma when she was stronger than him to achieve quick growth. But he often ended up in bottlenecks and ended up actually dying his progress.


    He understood the reason for these bottlenecks long ago.


    In a test match, no matter how much he tried to simte the hostile environment, Enigma ultimately wasn''t going to kill him.


    That assurance would always remain in the corner of his mind, preventing him from pushing himself to his limits and beyond.


    That feeling waspletely absent in real battles and allowed Varian to grow at a much faster pace and with little to no bottlenecks.


    Demon King continued to exchange blows with Evander when Varian appeared behind him with a sword.


    "Finally, I got you!" Demon King kicked away Evander and punched back in a blink.


    Varian was caught off guard and raised his arms. A lightyer and darkness veil covered his arms at thest minute and improved his defense.


    Yet, the Abyss ruler''s punch broke through his arms and struck his head.


    Varian''s skull cracked and he felt his consciousness grow dark.


    The next punch followed. If it hit his head, he''d be done for. Varian used thest bits of his consciousness and elerated the time flow of his body. Under that higher speed, he teleported.


    Even then, Demon King missed Varian by just a hair''s breadth.


    When Varian teleported beside Sarah, the shockwave from the punch exploded over his head, causing more injuries to his already damaged skull.


    Sarah grabbed his arm as she continued to pour all her attacks while Enigma grabbed his other arm with an enraged expression.


    "Father, withdraw! We can''t win!" Sarah shouted as they entered the ghost ship.


    Evander heard her words and his eyes shed with confusion.


    His whole body was full of so many injuries that he was bathed in his own blood. His mind had long stopped working ''normally'' and whatever he''s fighting now, he''s doing it purely relying on instinct.


    So, his broken head with heaven knows how many concussions took time to process Sarah''s words. When it did, he shook his head resolutely. "N-Never. I¡­I''d rather die here."


    Evander started burning his vitality recklessly and continued his fight.


    For so long, he tried to keep the bacsh under control since Varian said they had a chance.


    But since there''s no chance of winning anymore, Evander decided to inflict as many injuries on Demon King before his death.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The explosions continued.


    In the spaceship, Varian who was held by Sarah and Enigma gripped their hands andunched synergy.

 Chapter 1007 Do You Realize How F*Cked You Are?

    The world went white before Varian found himself staring at two divine spaces.


    Each space contained glowing prisms--the divine paths.


    Like he observed long ago, each face of the prism represented an avenue. And each face was divided intones based on the divine path. Moreover, each divine pathne was marked with levels.


    The ''origin''--the representative of the individual-- would stay on the level line on their divine pathne.


    Unlike normal people, hybrids had three origins. Sia''s divine space showed her current state. She had an origin on level 9 mind path in Sage avenue, one on level 9 gravity in Creator avenue, and thest on level 9 darkness path in Ruler avenue.


    It was simr for Sarah, although having three origins didn''t create three ''selfs'' of her, unlike Sia.


    Still, it wasn''t anything new to Varian. But what he did see upon closer inspection certainly was novel.


    Their origins...they were pure.


    Any individual''s origin would have threeponents, each pertaining to the three avenues. The path they awaken in would depend on the most dominantponent.


    Basically, three affinities for three avenues and the highest affinity avenue would be awakened in. Of course, Sage Avenue itself had three paths: Body, Mind, and Morpher.


    The one affinity towards Sage avenue had three separate affinities towards each of these paths. It''s the final determiner of awakening.


    But Varian noticed that their origin on each avenue waspletely pure.


    Sia''s origin was on the mind path had an affinity toward Sage avenue and nothing else. Sarah''s origin on the lightness path only had an affinity toward Ruler avenue.


    Varian turned to his own divine space.


    He had only one origin, but it appeared in multiple ces at once. To be precise, at eightnes!


    The problem that always gued Varian was his ascension to Celestial rank.


    Ascension to Celestial rank was basically binding origin to the avenue, fixing the car to that single road.


    Hybrids had multiple origins and could continue to have multiple paths. With only one origin, Varian didn''t have that choice.


    The choice he did have was he could continue the multiple paths in the same avenue.


    For example, if he picked Sage avenue, he''d retain body, telekic and nate paths when he ascended to Celestial rank while the rest would freeze at level 9.


    With Creator avenue, he''d retain space and time while Ruler allowed lightning and water.


    No one else had the option to have multiple paths within the same avenue. Only he did.


    But just multiple paths within an avenue weren''t enough for Varian. After all the handwork in raising so many paths to level 9, he wasn''t ready to forsake them.


    So, he''d been searching for a solution since he learned of the problem.


    There were no predecessors for him to learn. He had to wade through the darkness all alone.


    Only now did he finally find a path.


    As his origin linked with Sarah''s and Sia''s and their synergy reached the next level, he gained a very detailed insight into their origins.


    ''...This is the way. Splitting my origin into three, no, into eight, no, I have two mind paths, so it''s seven.''


    He recalled the transition in Celestial ranks:


    Body --> Mystic


    Mind --> Spirit


    Morpher --> Famine


    Space --> Space


    Time --> Time


    Lightning, Fire, Light --> Energy


    Water, Earth, Darkness --> Matter


    Unprecedented in the history of the universe, he could reach all the eight Celestial Ranks.


    Divine rankers would kill for half of the paths. But Varian had no idea how precious his opportunity was.


    Not to me him, even Celestial rankers wouldn''t be able to fullyprehend.


    Still, it would remain an opportunity if Varian didn''t figure out a way to retain all his paths.


    Thankfully, the unexpected insight from Sarah''s and Sia''s origin allowed Varian to gain a great understanding andid the foundation of ''his'' way.


    Externally, the synergy quickly healed Varian''s wounds and nourished him back to his peak. Not only that, it also pushed his paths a step further.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Haa!" Varian gasped as his eyes snapped open.


    Sarah and Enigma copsed onto their knees as they took deep breaths.


    The synergy started abruptly and ended abruptly. Even though their injuries healed and they grew stronger, it was very ufortable.


    Varian gave them an apologetic smile and jumped out of the spaceship.


    "Please," Sarah whispered after sensing Enigma wanted to pull Varian back from the battle.


    Enigma''s chest heaved up and down as the image of Varian copsing in her arm with his head bleeding shed in her mind. She felt beyond angry at him for fighting even after nearly losing his life.


    And that anger was also directed at Sarah who asked her to fight so that Evander had a chance of surviving.


    "Fine." Still, there''s no choice. Enigma dashed out. "Let''s all die together."


    "Or live together." Sarah followed.


    The synergy urred for only a few minutes and perhaps that''s why it was sofortable.


    But thanks to that, Evander was still alive. Somehow.


    However, with an arm ripped out and a leg crushed into paste, he was just a few blows from death.


    "Father!" Sarah cried out and ced a light wall in front of him. A darkness wall followed right behind.


    "You came back? You want to die that much? Good, good." Demon King sneered.


    Unlike before, he now had some serious injuries on his body.


    Just as he vowed, Evander damaged Demon King at the expense of himself.


    It''s a pity that even with those serious injuries, Demon King''s strength was still in the Sovereign state.


    "Julius'' dog, this is your end!" Demon King said and mmed his fist.


    It broke through the light and darkness barriers and headed right for Evander''s head.


    With blood pouring into his eyes and clouding his vision red, the injured general could barely see the attack. But even if his vision was perfect, his betrayed body promised to not move an inch.


    "I..." Evander''s throat was filled with the sweet taste of the blood and his consciousness grew heavy and dark.


    Even at this moment, he tried to burn his vitality and continue fighting.


    ''Protect...Earth.'' The oath he swore when he became a soldier rang in his mind in an endless loop.


    He vowed that day. And today, he''d hold up that oath.


    "Urghh..." Evander channeled the technique, hoping to burn the remaining vitality.


    But his vitality had already bottomed out. Whatever was left was barely enough to sustain his life and his body instinctively resisted grabbing the little that was needed.


    Evander only hated that his body chose survival over strength. But as death inched closer, Evander felt his mind at peace. At least, those three were safe.


    And he...


    Even though he knew this was going to be the result,


    ''I regret...nothing.'' Evander stared forward with the gaze of a warrior.


    The ash-colored fist, now drenched in red blood, reached him like lightning.


    But before it could crush his head, a hand, glowing in multiple colors, caught the fist.


    Boom!


    Varian stumbled back as his bones cracked and his hands bled.


    "You..." Demon King gasped with a horrific expression.


    This strength...even though it''s significantly lower than him at his peak, the strength Varian just showed was equivalent to Evander''s when the fight started!


    If it''s another Evander that came to fight, Demon King wouldn''t be so bothered.


    But this was Varian.


    And a Varian as strong as former Evander...


    Other than continuously growing strong and bing increasingly hard to beat, Varian also had a cheat-like ntae power that healed his injuries very quickly.


    Demon King gulped.

 Chapter 1008 The Shifting Rhythm

    Varian''s injuries healed at a visible rate as heunched concentrated attacks on Demon King.


    The abyssal managed to block every single attack without taking any damage. Despite getting several major injuries from Evander and being weakened, Varian was no match for him.


    As the fight continued, the Abyss ruler realized that his worst fears wereing true.


    Varian''s strength was growing. Not as fast as it did in the previous fight but not certainly not slow.


    ''Wait, his slow is what normal level 9s need months for. His growth messing with mymon sense.''


    Unease filled Demon King''s heart as Varian''s achievements shed in his mind.


    He always shed with the stronger enemies, battled his way through impossible fights, and came on top.


    Demon King felt like he was in one of such many ''achievements''. For the people in the future, this battle might be one of those many in Varian''s record.


    ''That''s exactly why I have to destroy him at any cost!'' Demon King''s eyes grew fumed with killing intent and he shot toward Varian at his fastest speed.


    The space behind him shook as the shockwaves from just his movement destroyed the satellites orbiting the moon.


    Varian was prepared for a long battle but he instantly knew something was wrong when the Demon King''s fist burned with a scarlet glow.


    His mind sense found a blood-colored bracelet that appeared on Demon King''s wrist at some point. It was melting away at a rate visible to naked eye and when it did, it raised the power of Demon King.


    ''Oh fuck.''


    Varian''s body froze as a mental suppression filled his mind. The bracelet began to melt faster and the pressure on his body increased.


    With no time to teleport, Varian raised his arms in defense. His powers formed aplex cocoon and wrapped him defensively.


    Demon King grinned with a savage smile. The blood bracelet wouldn''t fail him. It''s a single-use treasure sent by the Abyss Emperor.


    Once activated, it''d increase his strength by a notch, exert a pressure on his enemies. But the most sinister of all, once the attack connected, it''d start corroding the enemy.


    He just needed to attack Varian deep enough and the bracelet''s special feature would eat him alive.


    ''He''s weak enough now that I can push my fist into his lungs.'' That much of an injury would allow a corrosion so intense and quick that his death would be a certainty.


    "Die!"


    Demon King''s silhouette that moved at speeds dozens of times higher than sound collided with Varian''s cocoon.


    The world froze for a moment before the cocoon unravelled, its intricateyers forcibly torn to the sides by the scarlet fist. The fist broke through Varian''s arms and reached his chest.


    ''Yes...Yes!'' Demon King''s eyes glowed with relief.


    He''s done it! Varian was over! His lungs would be corroded and then his heart. No matter how much he could heal, it''d be futile.


    ''I made histor--''


    The Demon King''s eyes froze as he felt an extra resistance over his fist.


    A wall of light, followed by ayer of darkness, and an invisible gravity wall repelling his fist. Even an annoying prickling pain appeared in his mind.


    These moves by themselves were inconsequential and would''ve done little to Demon King''s attack.


    In fact, even if Sarah and Sia stacked their attacks together, they wouldn''t be able to block the abyss ruler''s punches.


    However, what they were now facing was a punch that already had to break through Varian''s defense. As a result, the defenseyers set up by Sia and Sarah slowed down the fist and weakened it even more.


    When it finally struck Varian''s chest, except for a few ribs breaking, he was mostly fine.


    Of course, the scarlet light began to corrode his injured chest and tried to destroy his body.<novelnext></novelnext>


    But since it''s a surface injury, Varian easily expelled the foreign aura out of his body and quickly healed back to peak.


    "Y-You!" Demon King finally shifted his gaze to the two women assisting Varian from far away.


    Since the start, he neglected them. Their attacks were good for a peak level 9, but they meant nothing to someone of his level.


    They seemed to have improved significantly from thest battle, but they''re still too weak for him to take seriously.


    Yet, it''s these two...the ones he dismissed as useless that made the most important difference.


    If they weren''t present, his fist would''ve injured Varian deeply. Then the corrosion would''ve easily killed him.


    The one-time opportunity he had was gone!


    Demon King''s chest heaved up and down as he looked at Sarah and Sia with burning hatred. In his eyes, only they remained. They must die for what they did! And not in a merciful way!


    Demon King shot toward them in a blink. "Arghh! I''ll kill you! You pathetic low lives, you filthy bitche--omff"


    A fist appeared in the way and he ran his face straight into it.


    The world turned purple and green as blood spilled out of the Demon King''s injured face.


    "You aren''t insulting them and walking away alive." Varian dered and moved forward.


    Demon King responded with all the strength he could muster. Even though he was extremely reluctant, Varian forced him from reaching the two girls.


    As the battle proceeded, Demon King''s heart sank.


    Varian was nothing like Evander. He''d fight you with pure strength while simultaneously trying to drive a sword made of lightning and ice down into your heart.


    He even used illusions to confuse him and gain control of the battle rhythm. Normally, using illusions in a physical fight against Demon King wouldn''t work for the simple reason that these fights were so fast and intense that a psychic needed not only the current position of the fighter, but also his future position so that it can be covered up.


    In simple terms, the new illusion would be ''shown'' to the enemy while the original body would actively be ''hidden'' as it moved forward to fight.


    Since even the best psychics couldn''t ''predict'' where their ally was going to move in the next second, they couldn''t make those illusions.


    But as a man with body and psychic powers, Varian could.


    However, it''s exceedingly hard even for him. And despite facing thousands of battle, he wasn''t able to do it.


    But another path helped.


    Time.


    Varian''s mind speed increased with respect to his body and did all the heavy lifting for the illusion.


    "Why?! Why do you have both body and mind powers?!" Demon King roared as he punched Varian right in the head.


    But his fist passed through empty space and the empty space beside him shifted as the real Varian appeared in it and punched out.


    Demon King scrambled to defend himself but he was still slightlyte. Varian''s fist struck his sides and shattered every single rib on his right. Not only that, every damn organ in the right side of his torso was smashed into a mush.


    "Arghh!"


    Before he had any respite, a lightning bolt smashed through those injuries and began frying his insides.


    Demon King''s momentum began to falter as the fight continued.


    A legend was being written.

 Chapter 1009 A Legendary Battle

    The Earthlings were stunned as they watched the unbelievable battle.


    A while ago, Demon King was aggressively attacking Varian. But after just thirty minutes of fight, Varian managed to get a critical shot at the abyssal.


    The injuries that the Demon King had due to Evander also yed a major role in that turn around. If not, Varian would''ve to fight for at least three hours to achieve the same bnce.


    Thanks to Evander''s selfless work earlier, he was able tounch a sessful counterattack on the thirty-first minute.


    Since then, the rythm of the battle quickly changed.


    Varian went from ying defensive to being the Demon King''s equal. Then, he stared suppressing the abyssal.


    The whole transition was so surreal, as if it was a scene from legend. How could the great evil that always threatened earth be suppressed just like that?


    The children looked at Varian''s figure on the huge screens with sparkling gaze. There was only adoration and yearning in their eyes.


    As Varian beat back the Demon King, the children recalled the horror stories of the Demon King.


    The big evil of the legends was losing! Only a hero could destroy the evil!


    "My Hero!" A little boy yelled at the screen. "I want to be like you when I grow up!"


    "Me too! I will be strong and save everyone!"


    "I will be stronger than you, Hero! Hehe, let''s fight then!"


    "And I¡­I will help Hero from behind, just like them."


    "And I will be like that old man from before, I will fight so hard against the big evil!"


    The cute voices of the children were filled with yearning and innocence. They didn''t understand nor could theyprehend the implications of what they said.


    But a seed had been nted in their hearts after watching this legendary battle. Even though their minds were young, this day would forever be etched into their minds. And this day would be a significant point in their lives.


    "Sov¡­Sover?!"


    Unlike the children, the adults saw something else.


    "Our ninth Sovereign!" An old man raised his arms up and yelled in joy. He even began to dance in the densely crowded streets without a care in the world.


    "The bane of Demon King!"


    "The savior of Earth!"


    "Hahaha! With the ninth Sovereign, this war will end!"


    The joy spread across Earth. On one hand, as Varian pushed the Demon King closer and closer to death, they were d that the biggest threat to Earth was disappearing.


    On the other hand, earthlings were ecstatic that the war itself, no, even the abyssal race itself would soon a matter of past.


    To a civilization like earth, an extra Sovereign made all the difference!


    "War! Victory! Peace!"


    "War! Victory! Peace!"


    "War! Victory! Peace!"


    The earthlings began to chant the famous slogan of Earth''s armed forces.


    Since they even imbued the aura into their shouts, their voices crossed earth and spread in the space.


    Hearing the famous slogan, Varian''s lips curled up.


    "War to destroy our enemies!" Varian raised his hand and punched.


    Demon King tried to raise his arms to block the attack, but his limp arms refused to move.


    Varian''s fist broke through his chest and came from his back.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Aaaah!" Demon King gasped as he felt the new fist sized hole in his chest.


    Varian''s arm, still in Demon King''s body, glowed.


    Terrifying lightning arcs shot out from his arms and coursed through the fragile insides of the abyssal. Then, bone-chilling ice winds followed.


    "Arghhh!" Demon King cried out as an unimaginable pain shook his entire being.


    "Victory be ours!" Varian pped down the Demon King, forcing him to kneel.


    "And with your death," He pulled back his bloodied hand and it shone with a pure white light.


    He punched the Demon King''s head.


    "Peace will arise!"


    Demon King''s head exploded like a watermelon and his stiff body copsed.


    A generation''s nightmare, the legendary Demon King, with a headless corpse, knelt at the feet of Varian.


    Earth was silent for a moment before cheers erupted from every street. The itself seemed toe alive as the ecstaticughters rumbled across the space. It was as if the itself celebrating the joyous asion.


    Varian exhaled deeply and his telekic power expanded outward. The drones recording him sted in a blink and the distant telescopic cameras were hacked.


    Varian staggered back as the suppressed injuries on his body so far were let free. Blood spilled from all corners of his body and fatigue set in.


    But simultaneously, his nate power began to work at its full speed and the injuries began to close up at a miraculous pace.


    "You could''ve taken more time and ended it with less injuries." Sarah''s voice sounded as she gently held him from behind.


    "That scarlet fist he used first, it could''ve killed you." Enigma''s voice was filled with suppressed anger but her touch was equally gentle. "You could''ve died!"


    "I know." Varian leaned on them as his body gave up. "If not for you two pulling that off, it''d have been very dangerous."


    "Yet, you still went ahead and fought him with so much aggression! What if he had another trick up his sleeve? What if he couldn''t fill in the gap this time?" Enigma''s rebuke continued.


    Sarah didn''t stop Enigma and let her talk some sense into her lover. That scarlet fist scared her too much.


    Varian smiled a bit helplessly.


    Who would''ve thought that the silent and expressionless Enigma would speak so many words in a row and be so pissed off.


    From the first time they actually met on top of that abyssal castle, a lot changed. She changed. So did he.


    As his thoughts drifted, Varian''s eyelids grew heavy and his vision turned hazy.


    "Fainting finally." Enigma''s sigh sounded beside him. It was as if she was expecting this all along.


    Fighting a powerful enemy, winning but injuring yourself too much and then fainting. That''s a normal Tuesday for Varian.


    Even though the opponent this time was the one and only Demon King, it still felt normal.


    "I¡­finished it fast because¡­" Realizing he''s about to faint, Varian opened his mouth to exin.


    "Shh." A gentle whisper stopped him and Enigma''s voice softened just a tad. "I know."


    Varian''s lips curled up slightly and he allowed his body to fully fall into their embrace. He slept with an exhausted but relieved smile.


    Enigma looked at Sarah with a helpless expression. "Can''t you persuade him to not do these things again and again?"


    "If I could, I''d have done it long ago." Sarah said as they moved back into the ghostship and gently ced Varian on a healing bed.


    Enigma sighed. Sarah smiled at her and wanted to say something. But she considered the ongoing war and decided to talk it outter.


    "Let him have a good rest." Sarah brushed Varian''s hair and gently kissed him on his forehead. "For when he wakes up, the world would be weing the new Sovereign."

 Chapter 1010 Undead Leaders Trump Card

    The abyssals panicked as a piece of news spread like wildfire. From the lowest mobs on the field to the highest rulers in the castles, everyone panicked.


    ? Varian killed the Demon King.


    The Demon King was neither at his peak strength nor was he without some significant injuries. But he was still at the strength of a Sovereign.


    To kill him meant Varian possessed the strength of a Sovereign!


    "Madness!" Thunder King mmed his throne as he stared at his colleagues in the virtual space. "Sin King was too weak to fight. But Demon King, what the hell happened to him? How did he lose? How dare he lose?!"


    Two seats in the virtual space were conspicuously empty. They belonged to the decreased Sin King and Demon King.


    The absence was jarring, screaming the horror that happened in just a few hours right in their face.


    "Humans now have an extra Sovereign." Water Queen, the arch nemesis of Venus, said slowly. Her sky blue armor seemed like a lump of blue water flowing around her, but somehow it was rock solid and elegant.


    "They''re celebrating his ascension. These bastards think they''ve already won. What will happen with an extra Sovereign?" Fire King crossed his arms. "I will scorch Jupiter sooner orter."


    The Hollow Queen and Thunder King echoed simr sentiments.


    "I can''t stand those human celebrations!"


    "They''re at war!" Thunder King gritted his teeth. "We''re at war with fairies! Our¡­empire is struggling so much! We waged a holy war for our future! But they¡­"


    His chest heaved up and down as his anger showed itself in the form of a lightning storm around him. His voiceced with thick killing intent as he said. "They don''t know it, but they''re celebrating when the abyssals in our homnd are suffering and dying. They are celebrating our end, which is also the end of the homnd."


    There was a clear frustration in the rulers.


    Even though their Emperor kept things hidden until now, the news was slowly leaking over. And with the way things were going there, even Haedon didn''t bother to cover them any longer.


    The Abyss Empire was losing! Fairies were marching toward their capital! The entire abyssal race might perish in this war!


    This was a lot to take in for the abyssal rulers who were already growing frustrated with humanity''s resilience.


    The war that should''ve ended in a week stretched to a month and half. Then came this dreaded man who they deeply feared.


    As the conversation rolled on, the emotions of the abyssal rulers grew more intense. But none of them uttered Varian''s name. They didn''t dare. It was almost like a taboo. They went around the problem again and again, never reaching any solution.


    They were all ustomed to the silent leadership of Sin King. As the oldest member of the group, he''d usually take the big decisions. Oddly, they even missed the Demon King. Even though he had his issues, he was the first or second in their strongest list.


    With both of them gone at once, there was a clear void in the leadership.


    Despair Queen covered her face and continued to remain silent. But as time passed, she realized this wasn''t going to end anywhere


    "Varian."


    That one word caused the noisy room to fall silent.


    The abyssal rulers stared at each other before fixating their gaze on the Despair Queen.


    "He reached the Sovereign state or somehow, got that strength." She pursed her lips and stared at her peers. "Demon King was weakened. So, Varian''s Sovereign strength is still not as strong as us. But without any doubt, he''s in our league now."<novelnext></novelnext>


    They tried not to show their feelings on their faces and failed.


    One by one, the abyssal rulers began to p their thrones or destroy the show pieces in their studies.


    If not for this being a virtual meeting, perhaps they would''ve fought against each other just to cool down.


    After five full minutes of venting, everyone sat back with a more serious expression.


    "I''m not trying to despair, but I can say, this is pretty much it." Despair Queen sighed and said. "The war is over. The humans have won."


    Hollow Queen tapped her chin and stared at the ceiling. "Maybe negotiate with them for a piece of legacy?"


    There was a rumbling chuckle. "Or we can join pinkies and be friends. You can''t be serious. If there''s any possibility of goodwill, our first invasion crushed it to thest grain. Humans might agree to a truce now, but once they grow strong enough, they''ll ughter us like pigs."


    "Then what do we do?" Despair Queen clenched her fists and mmed it on her throne''s armrest. "Who is confident in killing him?"


    A deep silence followed as the abyss rulers looked at each other before lowering their heads and sighing.


    "I can."


    The virtual space expanded and an abyssal, but paler, withpletely dark eyes and a bizarre temperament appeared.


    "You." Despair Queen narrowed her gaze and noted the shimmering ck light on his body.


    The Undead leader sat calmly, filling the room with the missing confidence.


    "You have advanced." Thunder King gasped.


    "Correct." He said and pped.


    The virtual part from his side expanded and included two coffins. In the incredulous gaze of the abyss rulers, the two coffins exploded and two new Undead walked out of them with steady steps.


    Unlike the Undead Leader, these two had nk eyes and clearlycked any agency.


    But the shimmering ck light on them¡­


    "Three Sovereigns." Mirage Queen muttered in shock and her lips curled up unconsciously. "If this is a mirage, then please don''t disturb me."


    But she knew it must be true.


    Even with all the treasures the Abyss Emperor sent, this Undead took so long to harvest those coffins.


    It''s only fair that creating Sovereigns or at least, animating their corpses took so long.


    "An extra Sovereign can decide a war. But three." The Undead Leader smiled to the point the corner of his lips literally reached his ears.


    "Three will crush all your hopes."

 Chapter 1011 The Darkest Night

    Humanity was still celebrating when a disastrous news hit.


    Sovereign Ares was besieged by Thunder King as well as an Undead Sovereign. He was quickly losing and might die at any moment.


    Ruler of Jupiter, Micheal Caron was also targeted by Fire King as well as a puppet-like Undead whose strength also reached the Sovereign state.


    Vianne of Venus was under the same situation.


    All the celebratory mood disappeared as the popce stared at the giant screens from the streets and homes in despair.


    In the outer space of Neptune, a golden light shed and an explosion sted apart an asteroid quarter the size of earth''s moon.


    Floating in the middle of the debris was a bloodied blonde man. His armor was torn, revealing his torso and the hideous scorching injuries.


    His right chest was burnt to the point that his bones were visible. His liver was long charred ck. This new lightning st even pierced managed to puncture the right lung.


    Resisting the horrendous pain that threatened to swallow his consciousness, the man channeled his mana and stared at his enemy hard.


    "Not so tough now, are you?" Thunder King stared back with a cocky smile.


    "Nothing a good beating can''t solve. If not, then two." The Undead Leader appeared beside him and showed off his fist drenched in fresh, warm red blood.


    "We should finish him now. This battle is dragged long enough." Thunder King summoned a lightning spear, but failed to hide the reluctance on his face.


    The Undead Leader also wanted to toy with his prey more. But he too nodded and clenched his fist and pointed himself toward Sovereign Ares.


    "That bastard fainted after killing Demon King, thinking all the problems would be solved once he woke up. But when he wakes up, humanity would already be wiped out." With a burst of roaringughter, Thunder King threw his lightning spear.


    The weapon split into two, four and soon, into thousands of smaller but sharper lightning needles.


    They surrounded Ares, leaving him no room of escape. Then, they rained down on him faster than any bullet could.


    Sovereign Ares ignored the blood spilling from his mouth and forcibly channeled his mana.


    He shouldn''t be doing this now. His body wasn''t able to fight anymore. He needed rest. He had to rest.


    "Arghhh!" Fighting against the heavy injuries in his body, Sovereign Ares pulled all the mana he could.


    It was excruciatingly painful and caused tears to jump out of his eyes. It''s like digging a knife in your arm and peeling your skin back with bare hands.


    As thest vestiges of his mana worked, Sovereign Ares turned into a mass of lightning. Elementalization was costly but had one benefit.


    Most of the lightning bullets shot through him as if he was just another block of space. Only a few caused his lightning to nearly falter and even fewer shook the mass of lightning that Ares became.


    This was the reason Thunder King divided his spear into thousands of smaller ones.


    Ares wouldn''t surrender. He''d fight to the bitter end. Such a move was only expected.


    But so what?


    How many brave warriors from the losing side sacrificed their lives heroically in every war? The history of civilization was filled with such ''heroic deeds'' from the losing side.


    Ares was going to be one of the too many.


    And they¡­


    They''d be the winner. The survivor.


    "Winning is everything." Thunder King said and waved his hands.


    Tens of thousands of small lightning bullets surrounded Sovereign Ares.


    Despite the onught, the protector of Neptune struggled. But the attacks just kepting.


    Like a beast kept in the cage and shot over and over, Sovereign Ares thrashed around.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Eventually, the elementalization of Ares ended and he turned back to his human form and copsed into a fetal position. There were hundreds of small scorching marks all over his body.


    The mana in his body was sucked to thest drop and his life was hanging on a thread.


    "We''ll climb to the peaks of greatness on the back of your corpses." Thunder King stepped on Sovereign Ares'' head and dered.


    With a click, the general of neptune perished.


    After Mars, Neptune also lost its ruler.


    The battle was captured by the drones, but as the battle got more tragic, the military shut it down. But the oue couldn''t be more obvious.


    An air of despair once again filled the human federation.


    Another bad news reached them shortly after.


    Sovereign Micheal Caron as well as Sovereign Vianne were also quickly being pushed toward the point of no return.


    The only saving grace was the Undeads were very mechanical and inflexible, allowing the Sovereigns some breathing space.


    If it''s the Undead Leader they faced, they''d have long perished.


    With Sovereign Ares dead, both Thunder King and Undead Leader freed up their hands. Whichever Sovereign they were going to target next would be doomed.


    The Sovereigns were anxious as they felt an invisible sword hanging above their necks.


    But contrary to all fears of the Sovereigns and the public, the Undead Leader and Thunder King didn''t rush to any other.


    They did something worse.


    They attacked Neptune.


    The home to 7 billion was struck by a catastrophe. Even though the army already began emergency evacuation after noticing the Undead Sovereign, evacuating freaking 7 billion in such a short time period was impossible.


    Only 2 billion of the poption, barely 30%, managed to escape to others when the Abyssal ruler and the Undead king attacked the. Following them was the blood thirsty abyssal army.


    What unfolded next could be only described as carnage of disastrous proportions. Entire cities were destroyed by lightning storms. Streets were littered with corpses. Homes were crushed.


    The lights on the went off and even from the outer space, the red patches formed on the were jarring.


    The abyssals ughtered to their hearts'' content. Men, women, children, elderly¡ªthere was no distinction, no mercy, no empathy.


    It was a brutal massacre to which any words would fall short.


    For three full hours, the abyssal army kept killing and killing. They yed ''games'', conducted petitions'' as they raced to see who killed more and who killed better.


    Gut wrenching screams reached the sky and resounded across the.


    Schools were destroyed, libraries were demolished, the great museums celebrating the heritage of human civilization were burnt.


    The lightning rain across the slowly drowned the modern, developed and beautiful Neptune.


    The horrifying massacre was broadcasted by the abyssals across alls. They were both informing the humanity that Neptune had fallen and using the videos to demoralize them from any further fighting.


    While they might have failed or seeded in their attempt to demoralize, they made every human watching the horrors shed bitter tears.


    Even the most sternest of people closed their eyes and ears.


    The cries of children around the corpses of their parents were cut off by the sound of bodies burning and young screams of dying kids.


    Children were killed in front of parents, parents were killed in front of children. Watching their loved ones die, the cries from the survivors were heartbreaking.

 Chapter 1012 Desperate Struggle

    The human mind, despite all the great wonders it imagined and built, was ultimately limited.


    It''s easy to imagine a bedroom. Then a house the size of ten such bedrooms. It''s also possible to imagine a football stadium and put yourself in that imagination and experience that vastness. But what about an entire city? An entire country? Or even a?


    Humans couldn''tprehend things beyond a certain scale.


    They''d be sad about the unfortunate death of a young person. They''d cry for a fire in the street that killed a family. They''d mourn for the deaths of an entire street due to an irresponsible awakener''s attacks. But what about the death of an entire city? Even, an entire?


    If people were so sad about 1 death, 10 deaths, and even 100 deaths, what were their feelings about a million deaths? 100 million deaths?


    Or the number of death count going up in Neptune, 3 fucking billion deaths?!


    Despite being a peak level 9 psychic, even Sia couldn''tprehend such a mass scale of death. It''s just beyond her.


    3 Billion deaths was a lot. That much was obvious to everyone. But what''s not obvious was just the death and destruction represented in those 3 billion deaths.


    How many tragedies, how many orphans, how many heartbreaks? There would be a number for each of these, but they could never tell the tale of the tragedies.


    Just experiencing a tiny bit of the tragedy was already taking a huge toll on Sia and Sarah.


    "Stand in the squares! Give space to everyone! Hurry!"


    In one of the militarypounds, thousands were rushing into arge circr formation.


    The soldiers that remained behind on Neptune maintained lightning walls between the masses and the teleportation formation to maintain order.


    There were several doors in the lightning walls and only through these were the masses allowed to pass through.


    Teleportation formations were a delicate affair and trying to teleport higher than capacity might not only kill the people involved but it might destroy the formation.


    In this tough hour, the soldiers that remained behind wanted to save as many lives as possible. So, they took the tough measure of maintaining lightning walls to control the entry.


    "Argh¡ªPlease, let me in¡ªarghhh!"


    Like in the past two hours, someone tried to pass through the lightning wall again and fainted.


    The soldiers behind the wall didn''t spare the fainted man a nce and continued to direct the masses into the formation.


    "Don''t spread panic." The leader of the small army group warned the people standing in the two formations and clicked a button.


    The formations glowed blue and the space around them twisted. The next second, they''re all gone!


    Seeing this scene, the eyes of the masses outside the lightning wall burned with hope.


    "In line! Get in line!" The soldiers yelled and sped up the process as fast as they could.


    But unlike the people, there was no hope in their eyes.


    The fifty soldiers, including the one general that chose to remain, were the ones that wanted to ''die''. They lost their families in this sudden invasion and wanted revenge.


    And that''s what they were going to do. But Sarah and Sia appeared and assigned them and many soldiers that were going to sh with the invading abyssals into the teleportation formations.


    Originally, these formations ran out of space stones and were abandoned. But somehow, the two girls took out a heap of space stones and got the formations running.<novelnext></novelnext>


    As a result, the people fled from the abyssal army rampaging Neptune and rushed to the few teleportation formations.


    Sarah and Sia remained concealed in the sky as they secretly guarded the six militarypounds, housing two formations each.


    A transfer urred every minute and each transfer teleported 500 people. That''s 6,000 people per minute.


    The invasion began three hours ago. Their rescue operation began two hours ago. So far, they saved around 720,000 people! Nearly a million!


    But the streets were filled with crowds that ran everywhere they could to escape from the hellish abyssals. From the sky, it''s like packs of dense ants, moving all around. Less than a tenth of them were moving in the direction of the militarypounds.


    "Help!"


    "Take us in!"


    "Everyone in my street is dead!"


    The cries in the crowd continued as they headed for the only beacon of hope in this hour of darkness.


    And there were also other cries, cries of joy.


    "Die! Die you pests!"


    "It''s a kill-for-all!"


    "Your death is the new beginning!"


    The abyssal soldiers roamed the streets wantonly and once they stopped any human, they killed them brutally.


    Sarah and Sia used sneak attacks and killed a few abyssals that were too bloodthirsty. But they didn''t dare to go overboard and kill too many abyssals which would rm the high awakeners among the abyssals.


    If a level 9 or even a level 8 visited this district, then it''d be all over!


    Thankfully, Thunder King was letting his army have a ''feast'' and didn''t bother to clean up the cities.


    That''s the only reason this evacuation was even possible. But soon, all the districts would be ''cleansed'' of humans and the ''abandoned'' militarypounds would be soon attacked.


    Sia sighed deeply and focused her mind once again.


    ''There is a way to safety in the abandoned militarypounds. Hurry there! Now!'' Her voice sounded in the minds of the crowd in the streets nearby.


    They all looked around in confusion before they looked at each other. And then they ran.


    They ran as if there was no tomorrow because if they didn''t reach safety, there would be literally no tomorrow for them.


    Sarah kept her eyes closed and monitored the high awakeners in the city. They were destroying the military bases in the city. The military bases were built with strong defenses and to tten them, even the high awakener abyssals were taking time.


    But that time would be up soon and they''d be patrolling all the districts in the city soon.


    "We don''t have time." Sarah sighed.

 Chapter 1013 Human Nature

    As the clock ticked to the doom of Neptune, Sarah and Sia continued to guard the militarypounds against anyrge threats. While doing so, they witnessed some of the most brutal scenes in their lives.


    "Please! Save him! Take him with you!" A woman in a damaged soldier''s uniform rushed through the crowd and entered the militarypound.


    Her two legs were missing and were cut at her knees. She was moving thanks to prosthetics but due to her speed, she was bleeding heavily in her knees.


    But her attention wasn''t on the terrifying pain from her knees or the blood spilling out of her body and weakening her further. All her attention was on the little baby she wrapped in her arms.


    The woman pleaded to the soldiers behind the lightning wall. "Please! I beg you!"


    A few kind souls gave up their positions even in this adverse condition and the woman was finally able to enter inside.


    But when she did, the soldier arranging everyone in the formations stopped her in ce and said with an ufortable face. "Mam, your baby is dead."


    "What?!" The woman gasped and checked her child. Her son, only two months old, wasn''t breathing anymore.


    At some point during her rush, he passed away. She guarded him carefully. Even though her legs were severed by the abyssals, she managed to escape and managed to find some prosthetics.


    Then, she rushed back home as soon as she could and took her baby. The abyssal soldiers spotted her several times on the street and almost killed them both. It''s only thanks to her desire to protect him that she''s able to make it this far.


    But when she learned her little son already, something in her broke.


    "Mam, you can still go in¡ª"


    "Mam?"


    "Mam!"


    Plop!


    The woman copsed onto the ground and the coarse cloth covering her back flew off.


    The soldiers sucked in a breath of cold air as they watched the hideous wound on her back. From her back all the way to her lungs, everything inside was burnt. It was a miracle she was even able to run this far and talk.


    A miracle that was possible because she wanted to save her baby son. But the moment she learned he was no more, she lost the strength to live.


    Some in the crowd cried while others cursed for her wasting precious time and putting their lives at risk.


    In the farthestpound, a one-armed man rushed into the lightning wall holding an unconscious woman.


    A burnt smell came from him and with each step he took, blood spilled out from therge open wound on his shoulder missing the arm.


    But the man didn''t seem to feel any pain. He handed the woman to a female soldier and bowed. "Please send her to safety."


    Then, he turned around and ran off.


    "Don''t go out! You''ll die!" A soldier shouted.


    The man stumbled to the ground as he had trouble bncing his new center of gravity. But he immediately stood up and continued running off into the bloodied streets filled with corpses.


    Only his weak but stubborn voice lingered in the air. "I''ll bring my daughter back."


    The people lowered their heads and sighed.


    The man knew it was risky. But he still went back. As they expected, he didn''t return.


    After finding his daughter''s corpse in her school, he copsed and the building was destroyed by an abyssal.


    The evacuation continued as time trickled by.


    Sarah and Sia witnessed selfless deeds, tragic moments, and heroism.


    Ordinary men and women who had never fought their entire lives rushed into streets filled with abyssal predators to find their sons and daughters.


    They could''ve chosen to just get into the formation and get to safety. But they wanted to save their loved ones with them or die together.<novelnext></novelnext>


    While many left to bring their families back, only a fraction returned.


    Even in the most adverse of times, these precious bonds didn''t break. It was perhaps the greatest symbol of human nobility.


    But this adversity also brought how low humans could stoop to.


    A young man and his old father were quickly walking through an alley and rushing towards a militarypound.


    A mocking chuckle sounded from behind and an abyssal soldier jumped into the alley.


    The faces of the son and the father paled. And suddenly, the father felt a force in his back and the next thing he knew, he crashed before the abyssal''s feet.


    "You!" The father stared at the receding back of his son with pained eyes. The man never shed a tear in the past thirty years but today, he couldn''t stop the hot tears from flowing down his cheeks.


    "¡­Why?" He asked as he stared at the silhouette of his son in the far distance.


    "Why?" Even as the abyssal''s spear pierced into his stomach and twisted his insides, he continued to stare ahead nkly.


    The abyssal took joy in his misery and drove his spear into the old man''s heart, ending him. "If you asked me, I''d ha¡­"


    The son got past the lightning wall and got back to safety. But after the tion of survival, he clutched his head and broke into tears. He''d never be able to forgive himself.


    If this was the apex of selfishness, then there was also the opposite.


    A young grandson, only aged sixteen was carrying his grandfather on his back, as he ran through the streets.


    The young boy had several cuts on his school uniform and was bleeding from his abdomen.


    Since he was carrying another person on his back, his abdomen was strained and blood was spilling out with every step he took. It was painful for the young boy and tears were rolling down his cheeks with every step he took.


    But even then, he continued to run carrying this old man. He wasn''t really his grandfather but a janitor from his school. But the old man had been kind to him. When he was bullied and cried alone in his room after school hours, this old man who he never knew approached and consoled him.


    If not for those kind words that evening, he would''ve quit school and never had the life he did today.


    "C-Child, p¡­please." The old man, no, grandfather''s weak voice sounded from his back. "L-Leave me alone, I beg you, kid."


    The young boy gritted his teeth and refused to even entertain such a thought. "Grandpa! I''ll save you! Please believe me!"


    The cries of the young boy attracted some others who were running in the same direction.


    Even though the young boy was fit, he was significantly slowed down because of carrying another person.


    As they ran past him as fast as they could, the people advised him to give up the old man and run alone.


    "At least you can survive."


    "You both will die like this!"


    "Kid, I saw an abyssal heading this way! Hurry!"


    The boy didn''t give up. He ran and ran squeezing every bit of energy he had. When it was thest alley before thepound, a red silhoutte shed in front of him and an abyssal soldier, drenched in human blood, appeared.


    The boy''s face paled and tears pooled in the corner of his eyes. The old man saw the situation and sobbed. "It''s all my fault. My fault! I should''ve just died!"


    The abyssal relished in their misery and swung her sword.


    The young and old died side by side, just a few hundred meters away from thepound. If the boy did run alone, he would''ve reached safety.


    Choosing to help despite the crisis was selfless.


    But this wasn''t a movie. In real life, good isn''t always rewarded and evil isn''t always punished.

 Chapter 1014 Pain

    Varian felt a scream for help. It was a woman''s voice. Certainly not Sia''s or Sarah''s or anyone he knew. It was weak and her words were incoherent. It''s as if she was speaking while trying to drink water. No, he knew that type of speech. When blood rushed from the throat and you still tried to speak, then it''d sound exactly like that.


    ''Who?!'' Varian tried to shout.


    But the darkness around him remained silent, as it had been since he fainted. He couldn''t see or touch anything. Everything was dark and void. Somehow, he was still ''awake''.


    Varian thought he fainted from the injuries inflicted by Demon King and waited for his body to do the job.


    Even though healing the wounds caused by a Sovereign was hard. The major difficulty was expelling the Demon King''s strong chi from his body.


    Back in the ruins when Julius attacked Enigma, no matter how many healing potions he used, she didn''t heal back. He had to take out the destructive aura in her. He really struggled during that time but now, he didn''t even feel any doubt on whether his body could expel the chi.


    ''Thirty minutes and I should be awake.'' Varian started counting the numbers to not feel weirded by this darkness.


    But the time limit he set had passed and he still couldn''t feel his body. Even after another thirty minutes, nothing seemed to change.


    ''What the hell? I am pretty sure my time count is right.'' After gaining the time power, he had an almost intuitive grip on the time flow. Even if he''s not awake, he knew at least an hour passed.


    Varian tried to feel his body again and after several attempts, he found out that it''s already healed.


    The problem came from his¡­soul?


    It was as if the connection between his body and soul was stretched taut, preventing him from waking up.


    ''Soul.'' There wasn''t anything he had done to result in this, right?


    As he reyed the recent events, Varian''s mind locked onto one. ''Synergy!''


    Synergy was supposed to be a slow and cautious technique. It improved strength of the participants in every session but he can''t just continue it on forever.


    If that were the case, why would he even bother to train, he could just synergize his way to the top.


    While it''s a wonderful technique with great benefits, it''s strict in how it should be performed.


    The number one rule was proper care.


    But when he was carried to the ghost ship, he was on the verge of fainting. Left with no choice, Varian grabbed their hands and started it abruptly. And once he got a boost in strength, he ended it abruptly.


    Even as he discovered the secrets of the origin, he was in a hurry about Evander''s situation. The moment his strength felt enough, he rushed out.


    If they were more aplished in this technique, the bacsh wouldn''t be this hard. But they''re still in the beginner stages.


    Varian paid the price for his actions by staying conscious without control of his body.<novelnext></novelnext>


    After an another hour, Varian felt his body senses return. He couldn''t even open his eyes and stand but his nose already picked up the thick bloody scent in the air and his superhuman hearing captured the painfuls creams.


    ''Help! My baby! My baby is not dead!'' A hysterical woman''s screams.


    ''Mother! It hurts! It hurts!'' A little boy''s cries.


    ''It''s alright! We''re almost there! We''ll be fine, just a minute, we''re almost¡ª'' A man''s heartbeat stopping as a woman breathed herst.


    One by one, the noises in the city, the cries, the screams, the requests, the curses, all made their way into his mind.


    As he had his eyes closed, the effect was amplified and Varian felt as if he was thrust in the middle of a crowd with everyone whispering to him.


    ''Please! Please¡­save him.'' He heard the pleas of an old woman as tears rolled down her cheeks and sshed the ground under her knees.


    ''If there is anyone watching us, I beg you, let my sister be safe. She''s only¡­ten. Take my life instead.'' He heard the sounds of a young man banging his head into the floor along with the sound of blood gushing.


    Varian''s eyes remained closed and he still had no control over his body. But the corner of his eyes grew wet.


    He was growing more and more regal thanks to his increasing power and responsibility. But at this moment, all he wanted was to console those dead and save as many as he could.


    He didn''t really bother to think much after hearing those wails. All he knew was that arge number of people were under pain.


    If needed, Varian vowed to be more ruthless than anyone else. But hearing this screams, he once again felt a heavy burden on his shoulders.


    One day not so far in the future, he''d be taking decisions that''d lead to deaths. Millions of deaths. He already led to a lot of deaths on Mars. But it''d seen like child y for what''s toe. As humanity grows bigger, the scale of deaths would only magnify.


    But for now, Varian just wanted to help. Even if he couldn''t do much, as long as he saved one more life and stopped one more cry.


    If he was calmer, Varian would''ve been thinking about the root cause of this tragedy. But now, his emotions were influencing him.


    And if all the cries made him feel pain, some voices that popped up made his blood boil.


    "Die! Die you Zion''s incarnates!" The sound of a heavy axe splitting an old man into two.


    "You''re the reason so many of our kin died!" A lightning bolt electrocuting a little girl.


    "If only you didn''t resist, we''d have prevented so many deaths!" The sound of a sword hacking a corpse a dozen times.


    "You don''t deserve to live!" The deep voice of an abyssal as he crushed the head of a young man who tried to fight back.


    Varian felt his vision go white before he gasped and woke up. "Haaa!"

 Chapter 1015 Man In The Sky

    Varian nced out of the window and saw a city he didn''t recognize in mes and ruins. Humans were running in groups on the streets as they were hunted by the abyssal soldiers.


    A few militarypounds were teleporting the batches of humans away, but there were too many humans left.


    Varian walked out of the ghost ship and stepped onto a residential building. A thick stench of blood and corpses assaulted his senses and nearly caused him to retch.


    "F-Fucking hell!" Varian closed off his sense of smell and red at the city with red eyes.


    Then an explosion in the sky caught his attention.


    A bright light shed in the sky before darkness imed it. The two were dispersed by a bunch of lightning snakes which soon exploded.


    Sia and Sarah were fighting a bunch of level 9s. They were clearing losing but from time to time, they''d stare at the humans rushing into the militarypound and continued fighting.


    The injuries on their bodies were numerous. Sarah was bleeding heavily from her arm and abdomen while Sia was a sharp wound on her shoulder. It should''ve been originally a hit for her neck, but she luckily dodged.


    Varian exhaled the breath he didn''t know he was holding. Then, his aura shone.


    The three-story building he was standing on exploded and a multitude of colors washed over the street he was in like a tsunami.


    Varian kicked the ground and shot up to the sky faster than a rocket. The shockwave swept the ground and the street turned into powder.


    "Haha! Come on! As long as you keep fighting, we won''t touch them!"


    High in the sky, an abyssalughed as he threw a lightning dagger. Along with him, his team of twenty more level 9s did the same and the attacks reached the girls.


    They blocked most of the attacks but three managed to break past their defenses.


    Sia nearly lost her arm while Sarah''s left hand was pierced, burnt and went numb.


    Another abyssal sneered. "You bitches secretly sent so many humans to safety, but do you think it makes a difference? Their death is just dyed!"


    His words elicited approval and another round of attacks reached Sarah and Sia.


    The injuries on their bodies increased and they looked at each other.


    ''Should we retreat?''


    ''If we fight anymore, it''ll be too risky.''


    The thought of retreating once again shed in their minds but suddenly the scream of a mother reached the sky.


    "Arghhh! Please! Not my child! Nooo!"


    Sarah''s light sense saw a woman holding a lump of--


    Sarah''s face paled and her body shook. Even though she had seen it all already, she couldn''t bear to look at the tragic and horrific sight.


    "Do you want to retreat? Abandon those poor things?" The leader of the attacking group smirked at them. "Those poor fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters. Are you going to abandon them all?"


    Sarah bit her lip even as it bled while she red at the abyssals with burning hatred.


    If this was any other bunch, even if there were twenty level 9s, she and Sia would''ve ughtered them. But these twenty were strong and elite of their race.


    "Ow, so scary." The abyssal leader mocked her before his face twisted into a hideous smile. "People like you are the reason so many of my kind died. You bastards! You kept fighting us for more than a century! Don''t you like fighting? Thene on, keep fighting!"


    His words seemed to trigger every abyssal present. Rage surged through them and they all attacked the two with tremendous vigor. Their lightning manabined and formed two lightning spears.


    Neptune''s sky was covered by a golden light.


    Sia and Sarah barely dodged the lighting spears. But the weapons turned back and began chasing them. They dodged again and again but the spear was getting faster and faster.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Sia''s face paled and she grabbed Sarah''s hand, ready to teleport. They''re done ying. This was a killing blow!


    "Don''t you dare run!"


    "Face the attack if you aren''t cowardly bitches!"


    "If you run away, the spears will fry the people below!"


    The abyssals taunted, dared and threatened them all at once. As if responding to their words, the ground suddenly had an explosion. An entire street was blown to bits!


    Sarah''s hand struggled slightly but Sia pulled her closer and red at her as she mouthed his name.


    Sarah sighed and stopped struggling. The corners of her eyes turned wet, but she nodded painfully.


    Her extended sense instinctually reached ghost ship to check for condition. There''s no safe ce like ghost ship, especially for Varian.


    Even if anyone found and attacked while Varian remained unconscious, Sarah had faith that Boo would do everything in its power to protect him.


    But to her horror, Sarah couldn''t sense the ghostship. She tried again but Boo wasn''t there at all!


    Before she could say anything, the space around her twisted and they appeared in the location where ghost ship should be.


    "Boo!" Sia yelled but there was no response. "Oh damn!"


    The lightning spears shot at them and they teleported at thest moment.


    "Boo! Where are you?!" Sia yelled into her calm, anger and worry evident in her tone.


    "S-Sia!" Boo stammered.


    "How is Varian?" Sia asked first even as she and Sarah continued to teleport to dodge the lightning spears.


    "M-Master..." Boo''s voice grew quiet.


    Sia''s heart sank and an ominous premonition in her heart grew. "No, don''t you dare say that. Where the hell are you?"


    "He went out." Boo said in a low voice. For some reason, the sounds ofrge explosions sounded in the background.


    "He woke up? Where is he?" Sia gasped, failing to hide her anxiety.


    Boo gulped audibly and answered. "A-Above you."


    Sia raised her head and nced at the sky.


    The lightning spears wereing for her and Sarah. The abyssals were standing high above, watching them with disdain.


    Out of nowhere, a multitude of colors washed over Neptune like a tsunami.


    Then the world turned still.


    The lighting spear froze in space before it broke into little sparks.


    The abyssals exploded into pieces of blood and bones as they nkly stared above.


    Sia followed their line of sight and saw him.


    Varian stood in the sky, his eyes filled with killing intent that she''d never seen.

 Chapter 1016 Arise!

    Neptune seemed to freeze in time as the cries of the people paused. So did the boisterousughs of the abyssals and the sounds of their weapons sinking into flesh.


    The sky turned white as the sun itself was overshadowed by a white sphere.


    Everyone stared up, eyes wide and mouth open, as a multitude of colors shed from the white sphere and flowed out like, intersected and joined together to form a phantom.


    A giant stood in sky, taller than anything or being humans ever knew.


    "My people." The voice was solemn but there was a deep pain under it, grieving for the tragedy.


    The giant waved his hands and the Neptune''s sky lit up with colorful clouds made of pure aura.


    Golden lightning clouds, blue ice clouds, translucent telekic clouds and so on.


    They spread across the and positioned themselves near the abyssal army wrecking that just paused its wanton ughter.


    A man crouched in a ruined street, tightly hugging his six-year-old son against the abyssal that held her sword up.


    The abyssal kicked the man and thetter crashed into a building and broke his bones. Thankfully, his fainted son didn''t get any serious injuries.


    "What the fuck is that?" The abyssal woman frowned at the giant. The face of the giant was built from colorful aura and wasn''t clear. But for some reason, it was very familiar.


    ''Wait, is that¡­'' The abyssal''s heart nearly sprang up to her throat and she stumbled back, forgetting to breathe.


    The fear abyssals held towards Varian was far, far greater than the adoration and respect he received from humans.


    He''s their devil, the being that destroyed all their great ns single handedly and was indirectly responsible for pushing them to the current state.


    As a mere level 6, the female abyssal warrior never got the chance to fight Varian. If she did, she wouldn''t be alive. Even then, she heard stories and saw the videos from those horrifying battles.


    She had no idea how a single creature possessed so many powers. Nor did she understand the insane stamina of this one man. It shouldn''t even possible!


    As her thoughts swirled, she mmed hermunicator instinctively and reported. "Captain, Varian''s phantom is here. We need to inform the Thunder K¡ª"


    "They''ll be here in ten minutes. They asked us to survive until then." Her team captain said in a hushed tone, his voice going low.


    "Ten minutes? Are they crazy? We''ll di¡ª" The call was cut off and the female abyssal felt a shiver down her spine.


    Ignoring the golden cloud in the sky, she stared at the giant and then back at the human.


    The hand holding her sword shivered slightly but she gritted her teeth. "It''s only one man! You''re just one man!"


    With swift strides, she reached the father-son duo and raised her sword.


    The man hugged his son tight and closed his eyes in pain.


    A pop sounded in the air and then a sizzling sound but the sharp sensation of his skin being cut didn''t arrive.


    "Huh?" The father opened his eyes and saw lightning enveloping the abyssal and electrocuting her.


    In just a dozen seconds, her ash skin turned ck and red before blood spilled out of her like a broken dam.


    "Wha¡ª" The abyssal woman dropped her sword as she curled in a fetal position and yelled in pain.


    As lightning wrecked her body, she stared at the sky with an unbelieving gaze. ''How¡­?''


    Across the, more than a hundred thousand abyssals copsed as they all asked the same question.


    ''How did you find us all? How did you manage to attack us all? We''re spread across the fucking! Even for a Sovereign, these many attacks are too much.''


    With the help of Boo guiding him, Varianunched rest of the attacks and paralyzed thest abyssal on Neptune.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Most of the Thunder Abyss army and Undead army went to Uranus, leaving only a hundred thousand here to clean up the.


    "Varian, these are the level 8s."


    "And level 7s."


    Sarah and Sia pointed to the two heap in the streets.


    "We incapacitated them as you asked. But we should get going to others. Torturing them would take too long." Sia said.


    "There''s no torture. They''ll die." Varian said and waved his hand.


    The heaps of high awakeners, crippled to the point they couldn''t muster a sliver of aura, were distributed across the cities and fell into the streets filled with people.


    The crowds were startled and ran away from these abyssals.


    "My people," Varian''s voice caused them to stop. "Arise."


    Some of the ones fleeing stopped in ce and turned to check out the abyssals.


    "Who did you lose today?" The voice was deep and earnest. "Your parents? Children? Lover? Do you not feel sad for the loss?"


    Those words pulled most of the running crowd to a halt.


    The people stared at the sky with tears pooling in the corner of their eyes, with some already shedding bitter tears.


    Most of them were pale, exhausted and bleeding from injuries, minor or major. The only reason they kept running was they''re afraid that once they stopped, their body would copse. But Varian''s words stopped even them to stop.


    The pain they tried to suppress exploded like a volcano and thest scenes of their loved ones shed in front of them.


    Being hacked to death by aughing abyssal, electrocuted into a ck mass, crushed into a lump of flesh, choked to death amid desperate struggle.


    The hearts of the survivors were flooded with grief and Neptune weeped.


    "If you feel sad, if you feel sorry, then raise your hand and kill the ones who did this to your loved ones." Varian''s voice was harsh and unforgiving. "You are killed because you are weak. But it''s them who are weak. Go. Raise your fist. Grab the sword. Do anything. But take revenge."


    In a street, a few men and women broke away from the crowd and walked toward the abyssal that copsed in the middle of the road.


    Looking at the enemy covered in red blood, the bodies of these shook in fear. But they pushed forward and towered over him.


    "You¡­" The abyssal stared at the humans looking down at him with a bloodthirsty gaze. He tried to channel his aura, kill them and escape. But his body didn''t listen. Instead, the pain coursing through his body increased.


    "Kill!" Varian''s voice sounded like the devil''s mantra. "To avenge the ones you lost! To prevent others from losing their family!"


    The abyssal squirmed on the ground as his face shed with terror.


    A haggard man with a deep wound on his shoulder grabbed a piece of stone. A woman holding a broken schoolbag grabbed a knife from a nearby home. An old man lifted his walking stick. A young girl only fifteen took out the de she used for scienceb.


    "No, get away!" The abyssal wriggled as thesemon people that used to fear him approached with their little weapons.


    All across the neptune, the hundred thousand abyssals screamed as the humans slowly raised the weapons against them.


    The stone, the knife, the stick and the de all fell on the abyssal at the same time, sshing his blood on their bodies.


    But he didn''t die yet. Even though crippled, he''s still strong. Such vitality wasn''t a blessing, however.


    "They won''t die easily. Inflict as much pain as you want on them! Tear them, burn them, do whatever you want! Show them hell!" Varian''s devilish voice resounded, followed by the agonizing screams of the abyssals.

 Chapter 1017 Tears Of A Man

    Varian bowed his head in front of the remains of a broken corpse. From time to time, lightning arcs crackled around it, singing the glory of a great warrior.


    If possible, Varian would''ve spent an entire day honoring him but there''s no time now.


    The ghostship slipped into the secret teleportation formations and headed to Jupiter.


    The current situation was disastrous to put it mildly.


    Mercury lost its Sovereign. Venus'' Sovereign Vianne was under attack by not only her archenemy but some Undead Sovereign and was well on the way of dying. Earth''s bastard was missing.


    Mars was fine but Jupiter''s Micheal Caron was also besieged by his archenemy Fire King and another Undead Sovereign.


    And Uranus¡­


    Varian took a deep breath to control the burning anger in his chest.


    The army stationed on Uranusoids, the space guards,ary guards¡ªmore than 20 million, all dead.


    "Fuck!" Varian clenched his forehead and his nails dug into his skin.


    After finishing off Neptune, Thunder King and the Undead Leader headed there. Then, they started a brutal ughter fest.


    Despair Queen stalled Sovereign Irene and in front of her, Thunder King and Undead Leader killed the human army in the most brutal ways.


    Varian nced at the screen floating above and saw the video of Sovereign Irene crying as she watched the horror in front of her eyes.


    She tried to stop them. She really did. But she alone couldn''t stop three Sovereigns.


    For a kind person like her, this was the greatest torture.


    "Cry! Cry more! Despair more! You bitch! Didn''t you foil my ns with that bastard before? Today, I''ll revel in your tears!" Despair Queen chortled with maniacal euphoria.


    "Please¡­let them go¡­" The leader of Uranus begged.


    ? "Please what?" Thunder Kingughed as heunched a huge lightning bomb on aoid.


    The 200,000 soldiers stationed there tried to escape were electrocuted and copsed. They spasmed violently as blood leaked out of their bodies and violent pain coursed their veins, destroying their nerves and burning their sanity, before death imed them.


    The Undead Leader was worse. He severely injured them with a single off handed strike, then made the Undead feast on them.


    The abyssals never did things like eating humans. But Undead were a different breed. The screams from the soldiers as they were eaten alive rocked the sky.


    Before he knew it, Varian was staring at the screen with eyes that seemed to spit fire.


    "¡­E-Even if they beg, there will be no mercy. Not even a single abyssal will be alive." Varian swore. "I''ll go to their homnd and burnt it to ashes. The abyssal race will cease to exist."


    A red mist filled the ghost ship and even Sarah and Sia, the ones that fought by his side the most, flinched at the tyrannical killing intent. It was filled with anger that words couldn''t do justice do. It was a volcano waiting to be burst.


    Biting her lip, Sia waded through the killing intent even as it felt like her skin was pricked by icy-cold needles.<novelnext></novelnext>


    She ced her hand on Varian''s shoulder, causing him to flinch and almostsh out but his fist stopped an inch away from her neck.


    Varian stared at her face and froze. The red mist in the ghost ship disappeared and a deep sigh escaped the man''s lips.


    "I''m sorry. I just¡­"


    Sia stopped his lips with her own and pulled back. With a smile, she said. "On behalf of all the survivors of Neptune, thank you for saving and avenging them."


    Varian felt his heart ache with guilt. "No, I shouldn''t be thanked. If I woke up earlier¡ª"


    "It''s not that you didn''t want to, but you couldn''t." Sarah walked to him and stared at him with a weak smile. "Please, don''t beat yourself up. Me and Sarah tried to so hard but we were about to give up. But you saved them. Thank you. If not for you, they..."


    Sarah choked and tears spilled out of her eyes, falling like rain. She buried her head on Varian''s shoulder and sobbed. Varian patted her back and sighed, his eyes growing red.


    The carnage on Neptune was heartbreaking. No matter how many times he told himself that an Emperor should be ready to face these with an iron heart, he couldn''t stop the grief welling up in his heart after actually witnessing the horror.


    It was the sad, tragic and filled with so much grief that even tears of blood couldn''t erase that sense of loss.


    Even though he witnessed the carnage only for a few minutes before he stopped it all, it imprinted itself into his mind. He couldn''t even begin to imagine what Sarah and Sia were feeling after all they''ve gone through in those three hours.


    The tears of those men and women, children and elderly were still ringing in his ears. The cacophony of their screams as they ran for their lives and the pained yells as the abyssals killed the brutally. The voice of the helpless yed in his head again and again.


    The cities were littered with corpses. Entire schools were burnt, the charred corpses of the young children still in their sses. The parks were smashed and the broken bodies of the elderly that came for a small walk scrambled unevenly.


    The shopping districts filled with the severed torsos of young men and women.


    Even¡­


    Varian pressed his eyes shut and tried to not imagine it. But one image he didn''t want to imagine haunted him.


    It was a hospital destroyed by abyssals. They ughtered everyone inside. And in one of the wards was a pregnantdy.


    Her throat was slit but she died trying to protect the baby in her stomach. But her womb was split open and the baby¡­not even born¡­


    "Arghh!"


    Before he knew it, Varian was hugging Sarah and Sia as a muffled sob escaped his lips. Tears rolled down his cheeks as pain, grief and anger boiled in his heart. Out of everything he had seen, it hit him the hardest.


    That one image¡­that baby¡­


    Varian''s body shuddered and he closed his eyes as he let his emotions run free for once. When he opened his eyes again, he''d be the cold-blooded war machine who''d do anything for victory.


    But for now, for this brief period, Varian allowed himself to cry.


    And as he did, he promised the abyssals with utmost certainty. "You will regret this."

 Chapter 1018 No Regret

    "You numbskull, we could''ve killed that old bitch if we spared a few more minutes." The Undead growled with disdain as Thunder King rushed out of the spaceship and into a secret realm with a teleportation formation to Neptune.


    They found this during this long war and thankfully, it''s going to help them during this critical time.


    "Irene won''t be a variable. Even without us, Despair Queen will hold her off good. But Varian, I can''t be at ease if that bastard isn''t killed." Thunder King bellowed.


    The Undead clenched his jaw tight as Varian''s face shed in his mind. A tingle of fear he didn''t want to acknowledge shot up his spine and his mind flooded him with the ridiculous things Varian might do if left unchecked.


    Amidst the Undead''s contemtions, the teleportation formation activated and the space around them twisted. Right then, his bracelet rang with a message.


    "Son of a bitch!" The Undead cursed and tried to get out of the formation. It didn''t yield. So, he punched down.


    The space stopped fluctuating and the cracks appeared on the formation before it went off with a purrr.


    "The hell?" Thunder King nearly punched him in the gut.


    "He''s not on Neptune anymore." The Undead swiped his bracelet and a hologram popped up.


    A sea of red mes lit up the dark space as it surged like tsunami, burning everything in sight. The metal scraps, the debris, asteroids and even the remnants of corpses all melted away under the unforgiving fire. The flood of red fire collided with a considerably dim blue mes.


    The mes fought off each other as they tried to devour each other. It''s like watching two snakes fighting as the mes slithered, expanded and contracted around each other trying to swallow their counterpart.


    In the background, a human with wings of fire was fleeing. But even as he exerted all his strength, shimmering dark blue icicles chased after him.


    He dodged most of the attacks but some struck him in the shoulder and back, forming a thickyer of ice.


    Even a peak level 9 would''ve frozen to death from that ice but the man''s body lit up with mes and with considerable effort, he managed to melt away the ice.


    But doing so took the fire mana that he otherwise would''ve put to power up his blue mes and fight off the Fire King''s red mes.


    Now, not only was his own sea of fire growing weaker, taking injuries, however small. And in the past three hours, he spent all the healing potions he could and prevented his condition from deteriorating into a dangerous state.


    But the potions were over a while ago and the injuries were starting to umte.


    It didn''t feel much at first. Just a small cut on the arm. His healing would take care of it. But then came another cut nearby. And then another. And another.


    Before he realized, his entire back was filled with cuts and blood was literally flooding out of his body.


    "I told everyone something like this is gonna happen." Micheal Caron was a pessimist to the core. But when his worst fears came true, he''s calmer than everyone else.


    "If I''m going to die, I might as well take down these two with me." He nced at his archenemy and then turned to the simpleton zombie which once again fired a bunch of icicles at him.


    Thankfully, this creature didn''t have much intelligence or he''d have been dead by now.


    "Grand Immtion." Micheal Caron''s body lit up in mes and a strong wave of fire swept from him.


    Turning into fire himself, the Sovereign dashed forward. In a breath, he grabbed the Zombie and dragged it to the Fire King.


    The Zombie growled and shot him with icicles. They passed through his fire body without doing any harm, proving that the Zombie was indeed stupid.


    ''I can kill ten of you in my elemental form but I can''t afford to maintain it while I''m fighting this son of a bitch.'' Micheal Caron cursed as he stared at Fire King who was suddenly looking at him with apprehension.


    As expected of his archenemy, he figured it out.<novelnext></novelnext>


    But Micheal didn''t give him anytime. Like a bullet, he break through the sea of mes and reached the Abyssal ruler.


    "Wai¡ª"


    The space went dark as the red and blue mes were almost instantly sucked into the Sovereign. The mes werepressed to a dangerous point along with Micheal''s own aura and reached a tipping point.


    The space shook as a blinding explosion rocked theoids and spaceships nearby. Bright red fires, intertwined with blue soared across the sky as they swallowed everything in their wake.


    At the center of the explosion, the simpleton zombie sovereign was burnt to ashes.


    Micheal Caron was on hisst breath but his eyes were full of regret as he stared at the heavily injured abyssal in front.


    "Haa!" Fire King gasped even as blood spilled out from the many injuries all over his body.


    He only survived because Micheal''s aura was significantly lowered by the battle. If not¡­


    Fire King shook his head and stared down at his enemy, teetering on the edge of death. "I¡­I have thestugh."


    Micheal Caron had no strength to even shoot a reply. His vision was already growing dark and his consciousness was falling apart.


    But the regretful look in his eyes changed just before he breathed hisst. Instead, he died with what almost looked like a smile.


    "Huh?" Fire King''s senses screamed danger and he tried to jump away.


    But his injured body slowed him down and an ice spear pierced from the back of his head and exploded his skull into pieces.


    Varian regarded the Sovereign who died a peaceful expression on his face. ''That look¡­he definitely saw me in thest moment.''


    He didn''t know what to feel. Had he been a second early, this man might''ve been saved. And if he was a secondte, he''d have died with regret, thinking his sacrifice had been useless.


    ''Never mind. I can only do what I believe is right.'' Varian threw the abyssal and zombie corpses into apartment and carefully ced thete Sovereign''s body in a special room.


    "Master, Thunder King and the Undead have left Uranus and are heading towards Neptune." Boo said in a hurry. "Master, the billions on Neptune aren''t evacuated yet. They''re in danger!"


    "They won''t go after Neptune." Varian said confidently. "They''lle after me. Upload a video of this battle to the meta."


    Just as Varian predicted, Thunder King and Undead Leader abandoned Neptune and rushed after him.


    And with not so good intentions, Varian revealed his target.


    "I''m going to Venus,e stop me if you can."


    The two Sovereigns knew Varian was revealing his location to stop them from attacking thes. But even if they knew, they still did what he intended.


    Varian would rather not see another ughter while the two would rather not see the human breathing.


    With the unspoken consensus, Varian reached Venus after a few minutes, only to find Water Queen ughter the human army onoid. In the far distance was a woman''s corpse eaten by a zombie sovereign.


    Varian felt his insides lurch at the horrendous sight and he yelled. "Stop!"

 Chapter 1019 Another Death

    The zombie stopped. Not because it obeyed Varian but since it sensed a new prey.


    The space around the Varian twisted and cracked like a broken mirror. It felt like countless sharp des were ced on his skin, just about to cut deep.


    "Fuck off." Varian''s space power surged and the cracked space restored back to normal.


    A lightning bolt appeared behind the zombie and was about to strike it right in the back of its had. But the Undead vanished and appeared far away.


    With a swipe of its hand, the space around Varian''s neck tightened and it felt like someone was choking him.


    Varian tried to loosen the hold with his space power but it wasn''t enough. He had to throw in his physical, lightning and telekic power to finally break free.


    "Haa!" He gasped, eyes locked on the zombie. "You''re so dead."


    The space behind him went white as a bone-chilling ice spears reached his back.


    Water Queen smiled smugly as she ambushed him perfectly.


    But the smile faded as the spear passed through Varian as if he was an¡­


    ''Illusion!''


    The moment the thought appeared in her mind, she felt a presence behind her. Instinctively, she covered herself in an armor of ice.


    But Varian''s fist glowing with the lights of too many powers broke shattered her defenses and punched her.


    Looking at the cold eyes of the young man, Water Queen realized something.


    ''I was waiting for him to be locked up by Zombie to ambush him and he was waiting for me to rx after ambushing so he can ambush him. This son of a¡ª''


    Her thought process was cut short as a searing pain coursed through her body, the snapping of her ribs sounding like a horrifying but sweet orchestra and she blew back like she was hit by a fucking truck.


    "Arghhh!" Shining waves of dark water wrapped her and while protecting her, they slowed her down.


    Water Queen clutched her bleeding abdomen. Like a hole in the dam, it was spilling her blood endlessly. Gritting her teeth, she manipted the water content in her blood and sealed the bleeding.


    As she prepared to get back at him, a shockwave reached her. Then another. And another.


    Water Queen''s eyes shifted to the blurring figures that appeared and disappeared all over the ce as they teleported at ridiculous frequency.


    The abyssal queen tried to lock down on Varian and support the zombie. Her eyes went ice blue as she put her heart and soul into it.


    For the sake of her own ego and for the survival of abyssal race, she had to kill him.


    The blue mana in her palms condensed into a small disc. Then, it shot forward and split into hundreds of thiner discs. Each disc spun at an insane rate and searched for the target.


    After a few more blurs, Varian appeared near a disc and it reached him before he could teleport again.


    This time, he wasn''t an illusion. And the disc cut through all his defenses and reached his skin, about to tear it to pieces.


    Water Queen''s lips curled up and her heart thrashed against her chest, imagining the red blood sshing out of Varian while his face contorted in pain.


    The remaining discs were already on the way to attack him. Soon, they''d drown him and soon, they''d kill him.


    And¡­


    And¡­


    "Huh?!" Water Queen''s eyes nearly popped out as she watched her spinning ice disc sh with Varian''s skin and break into pieces. "W-What the¡ªarghh."


    She tried to side step but only managed half of it and screamed as a spear of darkness pierced into her abdomen, near Varian earlier punched her. Almost immediately a bunch of light orbs exploded in the cavity of that wound.


    Turning around quickly, she caught two human girls rushing back into a spaceship, no, the ghost ship.


    "You¡ª" Water Queen''s face paled as she realized she was once again yed.


    She put her whole focus on Varian and created the room for these girls to sneak attack on her.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I''ll kill you!" Sheshed out a water column at the fleeing spaceship and locked her senses on it. If they dared to appear again, she''d know.


    "Water Queen, the ocean of fear, the end of Venus, the flood of apocalypse¡­" Varian rambled as he appeared in the distance and punched out.


    A millisecondter, the zombie appeared in ce and was smashed in his face. The zombie staggered back and couldn''t respond for a second. So, it didn''t immediately teleport like it always did.


    That window of opportunity was enough.


    Varian mmed it with his space, time power. Sia''s gravity and Sarah''s time powers also joined and converged on the poor zombie.


    Even with the strength of a Sovereign, the zombie now needed half-second to break free of the influences and teleport.


    "It''s over!" Varianughed and ced his hands on either side of the zombie head.


    His palms lit up with a multitude of colors and the scream of Water Queen rang from behind. "Stop!"


    The moment the zombie broke free, Varian''s palms fired a dazzling light which enveloped the creature''s head and he teleported.


    Water Queen''s ice spear shot through where Varian had just been standing and thanks to just how close he was to the zombie, it pierced right through the creature''s chest.


    The zombie screamed and teleported over and over. But the light covering its face consumed it as it shrank slowly. Like a beast gnawing its meal, it slowly ate way the undead''s head and ended its pathetic life.


    Meanwhile, Water Queen looked around with caution and almost¡­fear as she waited for Varian who suddenly disappeared to make an entrance.


    ''No. He won''t ambush me again.'' She chewed her lip as sweat flowed down her back and terror crept in her heart.


    He fooled her twice and killed a fucking Sovereign, even if it''s a zombie, right in front of her.


    As the silence continued in the dark space, fear griped her.


    "Y-You! If it''s really your mother gave birth to you, stop hiding ande o¡ª"


    Varian appeared in front of her and she reflexively thrust the ice spear in her hand, straight through her neck before he dissolved into specks of light.


    "Coward!" She gripped the ice spear tighter as she stared around, gulping her saliva and stressing her senses to the maximum.


    She had no way of knowing that Varian was cooperating with Sarah and Sia to use the light and darkness powers with his own psychic power to create a perfect illusion.


    Even though none of them reached the Sovereign state in these paths, they managed to fool one. Still, it shouldn''t have worked.


    But Water Queen was more panicked than she realized. And it was actively working against her.


    As seconds rued into minutes, Varian''s illusions kept appearing in front of Water Queen abruptly and were destroyed as soon as they appeared.


    "Die!"


    "Come out!"


    "Coward!"


    As he popped one bubble after the next, Water Queen''s anger rose along with her fear.


    And as she continuously fought against the illusion that didn''t do her any harm, her attacks turned recklessly and then¡ª


    Pufff!


    Water Queen thrust the spear into Varian again, but instead of bursting into light, he caught it in his right hand and punched her.


    Instinctively, the abyssal queen protected the most vulnerable parts of her body¡ªhead, neck and heart. Last on the list was her injured abdomen. But Varian''s attack connected before she could protect it.


    "Arghh!" Water Queen curled in a fetal position as Varian punched a fist sized hole through her abdomen.


    The pain, the injury and the weakness copsed her onto her knees.


    Varian raised his fist and was about to deliver the final attack when he sensed two familiar and dangerous presences lock on him.

 Chapter 1020 The Sovereign In Retreat

    The Sovereigns of Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Neptune fell in a single day. Half of all the guardians dead, in a span of few hours.


    The special news channel, open only to high awakeners, was shing with one bad news after another.


    ''With me in retreat, there are only three active.'' Julius mused.


    He was in a secret realm that he privately owned. No one, not even the highest members of Xander family had any idea that such a secret realm existed. Being the Sovereign of Earth had its benefits.


    "Come." Julius, seated crosslegged, floated into the sky without the use of any aura. The six artifacts floated around him. Right from Mercury''s Gauntlets to Neptune''s Sword, all of them were here.


    The mysterious force enveloped him and connected him with the artifacts. One by one, the artifacts lit up and a golden light flowed from them into Julius.


    "Yes." Julius closed his eyes in euphoria as a high after high hit him, the increasing strength more addictive than anything he''d ever known.


    Julius felt his strength being pulled forward by this mysterious force, towards the ceiling he was yet to cross and if this worked out properly, this mysterious force would also break the ceiling for him and push him to the Celestial Rank.


    The Xander family head too a deep breath as the world around him changed. It was brighter, more vibrant, more cheerful, intricate. It was as if he had taken off some dusty sses he had his entire life, the world suddenly seemed so much better. And so did every other sensation.


    Something was changing in him at a fundamental level. Julius noticed his origin was being drawn towards his divine path. They were going to merge and then¡ª


    "And then there will be final peace." Julius smiled confidently.


    No matter what happened, he clung to his dream he had as a child. It was what his father, grandfather and even great-grandfather wished. They all tried and couldn''t do it. But he would. And he''d also be the greatest Xander head.


    ''And I''ll create a stronger civilization. We''re too weak. I will lead us to glory.'' Julius smiled as the future he always dreamed of was finally within his reach.


    The ceremony continued without a hitch and the Sovereign realized there wasn''t much for him to do.


    In a few hours or maybe a few days, he''d be reach that power level of his dreams. Until then, it wasn''t best to interrupt whatever was being done. If he did, there''s no telling if he''d get this chance agan.


    So, Julius meditated for a while and then just nkly stared around. As a result, he noticed something he had forgotten on the ground.


    "The te." Julius narrowed his eyes at the green te on the ground. It was the thing that gave him the knowledge of these ''artifacts'' and in a way, paved the way for his current state.


    Since it''s so important, he expected it to be boost him like other artifacts, and ced it with them. But that''s not happening. The te remained dead on the ground, as if this whole ritual got nothing to do with it.


    He kept it with him since he found it in the Earth ruins that day.


    ''Maybe the te doesn''t have that function. It''s the carrier of information, not an artifact.'' Julius told himself but for some reason, maybe because of his increasing perception and intuition, an unease crept in his heart.


    Shaking his head to dispel those thoughts, he motioned his hand and them on the ground lit up.


    Multiple screens popped up in front of him and just to kill time, Julius scrolled through them.


    The first news was the death of Sovereign Albert. It was a horrifying event that shook Mercury to the core.


    "A fine old man. He could''ve been the perfect general." Julius smacked his lips and snorted. "Just too rigid. If I asked, he''d rather die than give me the artifact. So, I killed him."


    There was no guilt in his tone even though Julius once trained under Albert and leaned a lot from the old man.


    Then came the news of Sovereign Vianne. Half of her body was eaten up by the Zombie Sovereign. It was a gruesome death for someone so honorable.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Julius stared at her deceased form for a moment before waving it off. "A pity we lost a good businesswoman."


    Even though he said it was a pity, Julius'' tone wasn''t really pitying. It was weird since she was a friend of his. At least, she was a few years ago. But they drifted apart, for reasons he didn''t really think about. Not just her, all the people he considered friends drifted apart from him in this decade.


    Julius expected to feel bad for her death. But he felt¡­nothing.


    It was as if his heart had a void, unable to produce those emotions that one felt when they saw death of a close one.


    He felt perfectly normal as if he was watching some random advertisement but that''s precisely why he he found the rational part of his brain found it so odd.


    ''Why am I so casual about her horrific death?'' Julius tried to question his emotions, but no answers came up.


    With another swipe, the death of Micheal Caron, ruler of Jupiter, was announced. He was smiling.


    "Did he go crazy before death?" Julius muttered and checked the death of Ares.


    Except for a couple of burnt flesh and bones, nothing was left of this man who tried to rival Julius.


    Julius sighed. Ares was the disciple of his father and alwayspeted with him, even though Julius left him in dust. They were close even though they both disliked each other.


    And then Julius raised his hand to sweep for the next item.


    "Was that it?" Julius'' hand paused midway. "No sadness, nothing?"


    Julius felt his reactions werepletely fine and normal. Everyone would die. They died today. And as Sovereigns, they died protecting theirs. This was nothing to be sad about. It''s a glory.


    But shouldn''t a person feel sad when someone they''ve known for so long die, even if they had some fights? And it''s not like he and Ares were life and death enemies. They were once friends. Evenrades-in-arms.


    ''Something is wrong.''


    His increasing intuition and perception was making it harder for Julius to ignore his own distinction.


    When he was a normal Sovereign, he didn''t notice this difference. It had always hidden from his thoughts, like the dark sport in the corner of his mind''s room.


    Julius was aware that the path he was taking was cruel and ruthless. But it always felt right. In the long run, it''s for the best. He''s doing it for the greater good after all. It''s for the ultimate peace.


    Even now, Julius fully supported his approach. He did what''s right. And it felt soo right.


    But theck of his emotional response to these tragedies made him wonder if his emotions were to be trusted. He felt fine but his rational logic dictated that he wasn''t.


    "Maybe because I''m under a ritual?" Julius titled his head as he noticed the golden light around him glow more intense.


    And then he swiped thest file.


    If there''s anything that could test his emotions, it''d be this one.


    He opened the ''Massacre of Neptune''.

 Chapter 1021 The Lost Colors

    Entire cities went up in fire and the streets were littered with corpses. Broken, burnt, torn, sliced bodies that long ceased to breathe were the only constant across the.


    Entire Pluto had the poption of one billion. But Neptune had eight billion people. Even though almost half of them were evacuated, too many were left behind.


    Most of them died under this carnage unleashed by the beasts that called themselves abyssals.


    Julius watched the video clippings showcasing the horrors.


    The tears of the mothers, the heartbreaking whimpers of the fathers, the wails of children and the sobs of the elderly.


    The abyssals chased after the humans like they were cattle and ughtered like it''s apetition.


    They marked the humans, let them run promising them survival. The injured and weakened people would run with all their strength, and after some time, they''d give birth to a hope that perhaps they were going to survive.


    When this hope reached its heighest, the sneaky abyssals would appear in front of them, crushing the only thing these poor people possessed¡ªtheir hope and kill them brutally.


    These soldiers enjoyed crushing the hope in their prey. It gave them the highs no drug could ever give.


    "A lot of people died, truly unfortunate." Julius muttered calmly and raised his hand to shut them. "But without a Celestial Ranker, humanity will perish. It''s an unavoidable sacrifice."


    At thest moment, Julius violently pulled his hand back and stared at the clips again. A violent flicker shed in his eyes as he felt a dissonance with his own body.


    "Why am I not feeling anything?" Julius ced his hand on his heart and realized his heartbeat didn''t change even one bit after witnessing this tragedy.


    Julius never felt the need to introspect. He was always right. But his increasing strength made him feel like something sleeping inside him was unleashed, even if only a bit.


    ''I can''t feel a shred of emotion today but fifty years ago, I¡­'' Julius'' mind shed with a memory.


    The spaceship from Uranus to Neptune was attacked by abyssal warships and a forcednding happened on one of theoids.


    To make matters worse, the spaceshipnded in the neutral area between the abyssals and humans.


    The abyssals attacked like hounds smelling blood. Human army rushed forward and shielded the 1,000 humans in the spaceship.


    It was a tough fight with forces expended on protecting vulnerable people but somehow, they saved the passengers.


    Then, the abyssals built up their momentum and marched forward.


    The human army fell back and retreated into their bases, ready to y defensive.


    Julius back then was still a level 7. He was like many, tensed and injured in the battle.


    He happened to be on the defense tower closest to the copsed spaceship and as the abyssal army was marching toward it, he heard someone''s cry.


    ''Someone is still in there!'' Julius'' heart sank and he leaned forward.


    "Stop! You''ll only kill yourself!" The captain of his team grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back.


    Julius struggled as his conscience burned. And then he heard a baby''s cry. It was soft, almost like a whisper in the night, but he heard it.


    And the next thing he knew, he rushed into the spaceship even as the abyssal army almost reached it.


    The next hour was the hardest battle in his entire life. He dragged that poor mother and her one-year old baby out of the spaceship and put them to safety.<novelnext></novelnext>


    He stayed in the hospital for three whole months after that, even after being healed by the best potions.


    ''I¡­really did that?'' Julius recalled the distant memory and the distant emotions.


    He knew what he felt back then. The euphoria of saving that mother and child. The grief of even thinking their unfortunate death. The unwillingness to let them die. The selflessness to risk his life for theirs.


    Julius ''knew'' all of those emotions as he recalled the event. But he couldn''t feel them anymore.


    It felt¡­alien, as if he was staring at a past that was no longer his.


    ''When did this happen? When did I change?'' Julius closed his eyes as he dug into his memory, peeling ityer byyer.


    Julius believed his drastic change was due to his father''s death. But when he really checked his memory, he realized even though he pursued strength as the supreme goal after his father''s death, he still cared for people.


    He cried when his friends from college died in dangerous missions. Heughed when he yed with the little kids of Xander family. He grieved for the death of his father. He was ashamed of the mistakes he did in the past. He felt honored to be a soldier.


    Those emotions were the vibrant colors in the canvas of his memory. But at some point, some of the colors began to grow dim and only a few remained.


    Rage, pride, arrogance were some that continued while humility, empathy, kindness slowly vanished.


    ''When? When did it happen? No, at what point did it all begin?'' Julius clenched his fists and travelled back in the memoryne.


    This year, thest year, the year before¡­.


    "Ah!" Julius opened his eyes and sucked in a sharp breath. His gaze shifted to the te with a burning intensity.


    ''After I got the te, I was frantically interested in gathering the artifacts and growing stronger. I wanted peace at any cost. I did whatever I could and my methods grew ruthless.''


    Julius looked at the item that was responsible for granting him this excellent strength and giving him the chance to establish permanent peace with aplicated expression.


    While it did so much good, it also destroyed a part of him. He''s no longer who he was. Even his own personality was distorted to the point he didn''t even feel it was weird.


    Julius felt ufortable, like someone vited the deepest part of his soul. And perhaps they did.


    If they didn''t, Julius was sure he''d be screaming at the horrors in Neptune. He wouldn''t be meditating here, waiting for the ritual toplete. He''d rush out at the fastest and save as many lives as he could.


    But now, even though he knew he changed, he didn''t feel anypulsion to gain back those emotions.


    It was just¡­a thing of the past. Something he didn''t need to worry about.


    Julius nodded to himself. ''As long as I reach the Celestial Rank, nothing else matters. Once I achieve it, everything will be alright.''


    His father told him that strength was everything. And it became Julius'' creed. But the way he interpreted it changed sharply after gaining the te.


    But it didn''t really bother him much.


    Entire humanity was at stake. His emotions didn''t really seem that important inparison. Maybe it''s because he didn''t have any emotions, he didn''t feel sad anyway.


    Julius nced at the screen for onest time and saw Varian fighting Thunder King and the Undead Leader.


    "This kid¡­" Julius red at the screen. "I''ll be stronger than him soon. And then I can deal with him easily. For all the lives he saved, I''ll give him an easy death."

 Chapter 1022 Just Who Did We Provoke?

    While Julius focused on his ascension, Varian was about to finish off Water Queen. But two powerful auras locked onto him and his senses screamed of danger.


    Varian''s body instinctively tried to pull back but his mind forcibly stopped the movement. ''If I leave her, it''d be three vs one.''


    The space behind Varian was split by a lightning bolt which was closed followed by the Undead Leader whose momentum seemed unstoppable.


    Varian punched at the abyssal ruler without mercy.


    "No!" A water bubble enveloped Water Queen''s head and acted as her desperate defense.


    Varian''s fist slowed down and before he reached her, they''d reach him.


    ''Sia, Sarah, do your best.'' He urged them and dragged his fist through the water bubble.


    The lightning bolt heading for Varian shook as the space around it twisted and darkness enveloped it from the sides, not directly fighting its momentum but trying to wear it down. Its like applying some sticky heavy material to an arrow, hindering its flight. Finally, an invisible power enveloped and decreased its time flow.


    Thanks to the concerted effort, the lightning bolt slowed down a bit.


    On the other hand, the Undead felt his vision blur and instead of one, he saw a hundred Varians!


    ''Illusion!''


    Snorting, the Undead leader followed his instincts and continued forward.


    Sia knew it''d be useless, so the illusions were used only to make him momentarily pause.


    Then, the Undead felt a brilliant light envelop him. Then something weird happened.


    The light around Varian began to twist and distort. In concurrence, the illusions also began to contort and twist.


    The Undead Leader blinked in confusion. The world lit up in bright colors, space itself twisted and multiple Varians began to pop up.


    Then, his head suddenly grew heavy. His neck strained and his brain was having trouble working urately.


    The perfect instincts he relied on were stressed and he grew unsure which Varian in front of him was the real one.


    "Cheap tricks!" He cursed and shot forward.


    He only had doubts about two Varians. One of them must be real. And they''re very close to each other, so he could check them both in a second.


    Even though Sia and Sarah cooperated, this was the best they could do.


    The extra time they created was very small. It wouldn''t have a made a difference if they were fighting a Sovereign by themselves.


    But for Varian who needed support, their help was godsend.


    In that little time interval, he broke the abyssal ruler''s defense and punched through her skull. And he immediately teleported.


    The space where he previously stood exploded as a lightning bolt pour out all its mana. Shortly after, the Undead Leader reached that position, ready to kill.


    "Haa." Varian breathed out the tension and smiled at the two girls gratefully.<novelnext></novelnext>


    They smiled back as they got into the ghost ship. If they remained out, it''d be dangerous should the Undead or Thunder King try to attack them in the middle.


    They didn''t count on the abyssals'' morality. And they certainly didn''t want to implicate Varian by putting themselves to danger.


    Still, they''re ready to poke around in the middle of the battle and disturb the Thunder King and Undead Leader as much as they could.


    Their strength wasn''t enough to fight directly but to distract? It''s plenty.


    Varian appreciated their understanding and turned his gaze to the two old enemies. His warm smile changed into a cold, cruel smirk and his eyes zed with bloodlust.


    When he returned from Hortus, Neptune was about to be destroyed.


    Sovereign Ares stopped Thunder King and Evander stopped Undead Leader.


    At that time, without the help of the two older awakeners, Varian could do little against these bastards. But things have changed in less than a week.


    It''s not just one on one, even in a one on two, Varian wasn''t afraid.


    "So, how do you want to die?" Varian''s voice wasced with coldness and bloodlust as he stared at the two bastards for Neptune massacre.


    The Undead snorted and raised his hand to grab the corpse of the dead zombie sovereign''s headless corpse.


    But Varian snapped and the corpse exploded into pieces of ashen flesh and bones remained.


    Thunder King narrowed his eyes at Varian''s disy of power. None of the paths reached Sovereign state, but thebination of them did.


    Just now, he felt the usage of space, telekic, ice and even¡­some other powers he wasn''t sure of.


    ''How can the legacy of devas be so outrageous? How can one person have so many powers? And how did he even advance so much in each of these paths?'' Thunder King''s heart thumped in fear and anticipation.


    ''If we kill him, maybe we can get some special legacy from his corpse. Then, who can stop my race?'' His head grew giddy and his lips curled up unknowingly.


    But Varian''s killing intent felt like sharp des grazing against his skin and dragged him back to the harsh reality.


    "I can kill you here like you''re dogs." Varian said as if he was stating a normal fact and it caused both the Undead and the Thunder King to shudder.


    Then, realizing the fear they just felt, their faces flushed with shame and anger. "No, we''ll easil¡ª"


    Varian continued without a care for their words in the same casual tone that caused the hair on their necks to stand on its end. "Or I can tear your limbs apart one by one, electrocute you, burn you, heal you and then burn you again until you break into mindless pieces of meat that would only crave for death."


    Thunder King''s heart sank as he stared at the eyes of the young man. They werepletely cold and emotionless, as if¡­he was staring at some killing machine and not a living being of flesh and blood.


    "Oh, I just got a better idea," Varian''s face showed a warm smile and he pped his hands, nearly causing the two to stumble back instinctively.


    "You two orchestrated the genocide on Neptune. You fucking killed billions! Billions! So, I''ll beat you down, take you to your own abyss and have you watch as I ughter thest member of your abyss."


    Thunder King watched Varian''s devilish smile and gulped. ''Just who did we provoke?''

 Chapter 1023 This Is Your Reality

    Space shattered and light bent bent as three blurred figures shed.


    The golden light from the crackling lightning arcs failed to make a dent in the shining armor enveloping Varian. The armor was built from the usage of all his powers and was extremely condensed. It''s not as simple as stacking different defenses and for all the work it took, it did wonders.


    "Die! You fucking monster!" Thunder King roared with rage as he punched at Varian with his lightning fists.


    Thanks to his own physique as well as the blessing of his time power, Varian was very fast.


    He parried all the punches of Thunder King as well as the asional lightning daggers, bolts and swords that sneaked from behind.


    Whenever his armor met with the abyssal''s lightning mana, it''d glow with a golden light and Varian''s own lighting mana woulde forward, trying to fight and learn from the opponent''s mana as much as it could.


    Thunder King wasn''t able to prate Varian''s defenses. But none of Varian''s attacks injured him either.


    They appeared to be in a stalemate.


    If that was it, Thunder King wouldn''t be so worried.


    The point was¡ª


    Boom!


    The Undead''s hand bones rattled as he was thrown back after punching Varian. Varian groaned lightly as his skin tore apart and began to bleed.


    They two were also in a stalemate!


    "Fuck! Fuck! Die you two beast! You inhumane monster! Why do you have so much power? Why?" Thunder King roared as he rained a flurry of punches on the enemy he hated the most.


    Forget Fairies. Forget Zions. This guy might stop their rejuvenation.


    Varian raised his arms and guarded his head from the mad Sovereign''s attacks and taking an opportunity, he punched back.


    Thunder King turned into a mass of lightning and let Varian''s punch pass through him without any damage.


    Elementalization was a great benefit.


    But Varian''s psychic power as well another foreign psychic power struck him at the same time and nearly pushed him out of his state.


    Thunder King jumped back in time and turned to normal. Sweat rolled down his forehead and he panted as he felt his heart leaping to his throat.


    That was very dangerous. If he lost control of his elementalization and Varian attacked, he''d be dead!


    ''My life of a hundred years would''ve ended! The hardwork I poured in for more than nine decades!'' Thunder King''s face twisted and heunched back at Varian like a hound that smelled blood. "Why? Why do you have such power? You aren''t a human, who are you? No, what are you? Only your skin is human, but you ar¡ªumphhh"


    Varian''s fist connected with his face and blew him back, breaking all the teeth in his mouth and causing him to vomit blood as if he was a fountain.


    "You want our legacy, you can fight for it." Varian ignored the Thunder King and grabbed the fists of the Undead Leader.


    The powerful punches were stopped all at once and the Undead''s expression sank. Before he could even think, Varian''s head mmed into his and almost knocked his body back.<novelnext></novelnext>


    But Varian held his fists tight even as his arm bones cracked and threatened to tear out of his shoulders.


    Then he mmed his head again. And again. And again.


    The Undead Leader''s eyes began to dim as blood spilled out of his cracked skull. He tried to wrestle out of Varian''s grip but the young man held him like a vice and even as the Undead''s hand bones cracked and broke, he didn''t let go.


    "Let him go!"


    Thunder King reached them with bloodshot eyes and used his biggest lightning bolt on Varian.


    But Varian simply smiled and pulled the injured Undead for defense at thest moment.


    "Stop! No!" Thunder King''s eyes nearly popped out and he forcibly reduced the power of the lightning bolt at thest moment.


    Even then, the Undead''s back was burnt to the point only half of the flesh was left and following a sizzling sound, the Undead fainted.


    Varian showed him no mercy. With pure brute force, he ripped the arms of the Undead and threw him into a specialized jail in the ghostship.


    "No! Stop it!" Thunder King''s eyes jumped with fear as Varian approached him with a kind smile.


    "Why not?" Varian knocked him down with a punch and then rained down a dozen more.


    Thunder King shifted to his lightning form but Varian just went on.


    The cost of elementalization was too great for the abyssal ruler to maintain and eventually he turned back to his physical body.


    And soon, Varian''s punches started to break his bones. That much wasn''t painful. But as he punched, Varian also used his psychic power to inflict pain on the abyssal ruler.


    In normal times, this wouldn''t have worked. But with his serious injuries, Thunder King didn''t have the mental fortitude to fight back.


    "Stop!" Thunder King yelled out as veins popped up on his forehead and his eyes began to shed drops of blood.


    Varian''s fists continued to pummel his arms and legs.


    Thunder King thrashed as he tried to escape but there was no chance. His arms and legs were crushed to a paste of flesh and bones.


    After a long time, Varian stopped his punches and stared down. Thunder King had long fainted.


    The mental torture coupled with the physical pain was too much even for a Sovereign.


    But as the images of Neptune''s horror shed in his mind, Varian grabbed Thunder King''s head and shoved two healing potions into his mouth. Then, he used his own nate powers to grow back the broken limbs of the abyss ruler.


    "I¡­" Thunder King opened his eyes after a while, his face filled with fear and uncertainty. When he couldn''t feel any pain from his limbs, he muttered. "Is it all a dream?"


    "No." Varian''s face appeared in his now clear vision and it was smiling the most evil smile he had ever known. "This is your reality."


    Another round of pain begun.

 Chapter 1024 You Do Not Deserve Mercy

    Humans watched the Varian fight the Thunder King and the Undead Leader. When he finally crushed the abyssal ruler, the crowd cheered. The retired military officers wept in joy while the adults celebrated. Children simply pped as they didn''t understand the immensity of what just transpired.


    But the happiest of them all were the refugees of Neptune. They''re mostly on Uranus after the evacuation and when they learned Thunder King and Undead Leader were fighting Varian, they flooded the parks, stadiums, public theaters, and every ce where the battle was shown.


    Clutching their hearts tight, they watched Varian fight the two viins responsible for the horrendous tragedy they just experienced.


    On the other hand, the people of Uranus themselves lost all the army members. Thunder King and Undead Leader casually ughtered the army and were about to attack the when Varian''s incident stopped them in their tracks.


    So, Uranians also watched the battle with bloodshot eyes. Thankfully, they could watch from thefort of their own homes. And it reminded them--the reason they could be so safe in their little nest was because of a young man who stopped the two evils before they could do to Uranus what they did to Neptune.


    In a way, every Uranian deeply owed to Varian. Including Sovereign Irene. She threw herself into the healing cabin and kept her eyes open for the battle.


    Under the encouragement and subtle help of the two, she was nearly pushed to death by her archenemy Despair Queen.


    But when Despair Queen watched the brutal treatment of Thunder King, she fled. Yes. She fled like a mouse encountering a cat. All the abyssal army that was marching toward Uranus was hurriedly withdrawn.


    Thanks to her enemy''sst-minute abandonment, she survived. If not...


    Not just her, the rest of the surviving abyssal rulers also withdrew their army and fled to their abyss.


    There wasn''t a shred of hesitation when they gave up theoids, and heck, stopped short of destroying the they always dreamed of.


    The emergence of Varian flipped the board. The abyssals were suddenly faced with an existential threat. If Sin King was alive, as the strongest abyssal ruler, he might''ve had a good chance at killing Varian.


    But with him gone, no one was ''confident'' enough to fight Varian. He''s no longer weaker than them. If they still fought, not only would they die, they''d make him stronger.


    ''One man...just one man scared all the abyssal predators back into their nests.'' Irene stared at the figure fighting the two strong abyssals with aplicated smile.


    The battle video was several minutes or perhaps even thirty minutes behind real-time. Even with some of the best artificial intelligence, a battle of this level wasn''t easy to be captured. They had to coverrge areas of space, join the individual pictures from each drone and create an approximate video.


    Still, the scenes from the battle just a minute in caused Irene to gasp. "This child..."


    Varian''s strength was outrageous. Even more monstrous than his strength was his stamina. Even though he kept using highly taxing attacks, his momentum didn''t change at all.


    He matched the two powerful beings and soon overpowered them. Then there was no mercy.


    The Undead had his head cracked open while the Thunder King received the most gore beating Irene had ever seen in her life.


    The cameras censored the gore for the public but with her authority, she saw the hell that happened to Thunder King.


    Instinctively, she curled herself as spasms of fear jolted her.<novelnext></novelnext>


    She knew Varian was ruthless against abyssals. Or he wouldn''t kill millions of those abyssals in the cities.


    But this...


    Irene stared at Varian''s indifferent eyes even as he did the deed and sighed. ''What did he experience to be so indifferent? How much did he suffer?''


    She realized that even though they had several small talks after he returned, neither she nor any other Sovereign asked him about what he experienced after he went missing.


    ''It wasn''t easy, was it?'' While the other high awakeners watching the battle stared at him with fear and awe, Irene stared at him with pity.


    The blood of abyssals dried on Varian''s arms, chest, and face. Thunder King under him was beaten to something that was no longer even abyssal.


    Many people retched watching that wriggling'' thing''. Their hearts thumped with fear as they wondered if it was even possible to reduce a living creature to that state.


    Thunder King had his head and a few organs intact, the rest were pummeled to paste. Rather than being beaten to paste, it appeared as if someone simply ced a head on a corpse that was run over by a road leveler. It was absolutely disgusting.


    The one responsible for this gory sight stared at his masterpiece with an indifferent expression as if he was staring at amon sight on the road.


    ''Bastard.'' Varian wasn''t happy even after all the pain he inflicted upon this bastard. The billions that died weren''ting back. Billions of families were wrecked and there was nothing he could do to change it.


    He nced at Thunder King and noticed his eyes.


    This abyssal was very strong and arrogant when he first returned. But now, he was pleading. Pleading for death. There wasn''t even a shred of light in those dead eyes.


    All of his pride, hope and perseverance were cruelly beaten and pulverized.


    "Why bother?" Looking at the gaze of the abyssal, Varian sighed inwardly.


    Since he''s going to die anyway, just give him a peaceful death. Anyway, he won and however Thunder King died wouldn''t change anything.


    A crackling lightning sword appeared above Thunder King''s head. The abyssal ruler squirmed and tried to jump at it. His eyes were fixated on the golden sword and he sought death.


    The lighting sword pierced his skin and was about to finish him off. Thunder King''s face rxed and he showed a relieved smile.


    For some reason, it reminded Varian of all the bloodshed on Neptune. A shiver shot up Varian''s spine and the scenes of that baby dying in the pregnant mother''s womb shed in his mind repeatedly.


    "You don''t deserve it!" Varian swatted away the lightning sword and poured down a couple of healing potions onto the abyssal ruler and threw him into the ghostship.


    A few minutester, they stopped in front of arge lightning wall--the entrance to Thunder Abyss.

 Chapter 1025 Looming End

    "No!" A heartbreaking cry resounded across the skies of the Emperor Abyss.


    The fairy army battling the hundred abyssal fortresses, essentially thest line of defense of the Heart Province, paused.


    "End this now or I''ll make you regret it!" A coercive pressure spread out and enveloped all the fairies on the battlefield.


    Even though the Abyss Emperor was far away, it affected them enough for them to not brush it off. The fairy soldiers turned to their superiors.


    The captains,manders, and generals all received instructions from their respective higher-ups. They stared at the confused but bloodthirsty fairy soldiers and sighed inwardly.


    To win this battle, Zions provided them with a blue liquid extracted from a strong creature. After diluting it a billion times, the fairy soldiers drank a bottle each.


    Even then, their bloodlust red up while their overall strength improved. The only thing keeping them in check was the discipline drilled into their bones.


    ''Even if we win, tens of millions will die just from the side effects.'' There was a deste thought in the hearts of the fairy leaders. But they quickly concealed it and roared.


    "Attack! Why do you stop at his words? That man can''t even defend his ownnd, what can he do to us?"


    The soldiers uttered a war cry which felt more like the growls of beasts that came out of the wilderness than an army''s cry.


    They resumed their offense and drowned the abyssal fortress with myriad attacks.


    The abyssals in the fortresses, essentially thest defenders of this empire, were recuperating in the small break they got before they were forced to respond.


    The fortresses shook as colorful attacks rocked them. The few remaining sovereigns of the abyssals met with their fairy counterparts and were quickly suppressed.


    The fairy sovereigns that couldn''t be suppressed began attacking the fortresses. Thankfully, the formations came into y and invisible energy countered all the attacks of the sovereigns.


    On the other hand, thick translucent barriers blocked the fairy army''s attacks.


    Both of them, especially the former, were very expensive. But the entire abyss empire was about to go down anyway, so no one cared about burning the precious resources to power these formations.


    As a result, the situation on the ground reached a standstill. The abyssals heaved a sigh of relief but they knew in the heart of their hearts that if they slipped up even a bit, it''d all be over.


    They were on their final leg. Fairies breached all but one province. If this province falls, then the capital would be besieged.


    "Come on! Fight! Give your blood and soul for the mothend!" The abyssal war cries echoed across the battlefield.


    The abyssals fought with the intention to die and take at least one down with them. After all, the huge abyssal race was ughtered to the point only a few billion were left. So they fought for their future with all they got.


    But the reality was cruel.


    The fairy sovereigns that were trying to destroy the fortresses all gathered on a single one and attacked it together. The formation didn''t hold up and broke like a piece of paper.


    And then¡­there was carnage.


    In a few minutes, the entire fortress, despite all its defense formations and sneaky traps was reduced to rubble while every abyssal inside was ughtered.


    This also freed up the army attacking this fortress and they picked up a nearby target. The sovereigns then went to the abyssal sovereign that came from this fortress and ended him.


    The group soon went to the next fortress. The next. And the next.


    The fortresses began to fall quicker and quicker. The abyssal sovereigns were dying quickly while the number of fairy sovereigns in the attacking group was rising with each attack.


    Eventually, half of the fortresses fell and the order came from above. It was still the same voice of the abyssal emperor and carried the same aura, but it was weak, pitiful, and tired. "Retreat."


    The abyssals scrambled back through the teleportation formations in their fortresses and retreated to the capital. It was theirst safe haven. But it''s also the next and final target of the fairies.


    "Give up, Haedon." Fairy Emperor looked at the pale face of his archenemy and shook his head. "There''s no escaping the inevitable."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Haedon''s eyes shone sharply as he nced at the injured fairy and spat. "I''d rather fight to the end than surrender to a race that abandons its dignity and ys dog for Zions."


    Fairy Emperor pursed his lips and wanted to say more. But he felt the subtle but certain presence of Zion envoy in the distance.


    That bastard was watching¡­


    "Then die with your race." Fairy Emperor snorted and left.


    The fairy army below destroyed the remaining fortresses and advanced to the abyssal capital.


    Injured and exhausted, Haedon returned to his study. With his order, he managed to save some of the elites that would be sent to the sr system. And it''s time to send them.


    As he was about to call them, Haedon recalled the Fairy Emperor''s words and clenched his fists.


    Picking up a sheet of a pristine white cloth, he began writing with his blood. It was a letter he hoped no one had to read.


    As he finished thest word and leaned back, he noticed his little girl staring at him timidly from the door.


    Haedon felt his heart melt. All the anger, frustration, and grief vanished as only the love of a father remained.


    He beckoned her and the little girl, who seemed to have grown up too fast, trotted in front of him.


    Brushing her hair, he said. "Don''t worry, we''ll be alright. I found a safe ce for everyone."


    "Really?" Her eyes lit up like stars in the night.


    "Promise." Haedon kissed her forehead. "So be a good girl and bring your mother to the altar room."


    "Hm!" She hopped off like a bunny.


    But Haedon''s smile vanished after she left. Even though his daughter tried his best, he could see the grief in her eyes.


    And those eyes¡­they weren''t the eyes of the innocent girl. There was a maturity in her eyes that didn''t match her age.


    ''She grew up, huh.'' Haedon sighed. Facing this terrible war, it''s only natural.


    She had been trying to help as many people as she could. But her capacity was limited. And the capital itself was flooded with refugees. Recently, she wasn''t allowed to leave the pce.


    The girl might''ve protested before, but now, she silently epted the orders. And she put on that mask to not let him worry.


    ''I''d rather have you be naive than be so mature that you hide your pain to keep me happy.'' Haedon tapped a button on his desk.


    A hologram lit up and showed a baby on the screen. It was her. The little bundle of joy. Then came a little girl, barely able to walk. The little girl grew up and was ying with her friends.


    When she reached ten, she loved going to the homes of her rtives. She won their hearts with her cheerfulness. In one picture, she was hugging several maids. They raised her and as she grew older, she came to love them more.


    And then in another picture¡­


    It was as if all her life shed in front of him, Haedon grew emotional and rubbed the corner of his eyes.


    ''She lost her friends, rtives, and many people she had known formal her life.'' Abyss Emperor leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling nkly.


    He wondered how sad she felt. Losing everyone in your life like that would be terrifying.


    ''I don''t know what I''d do if I was in her position¡­'' Haedon blinked nkly before heughed sadly and covered his eyes. ''Isn''t it the same with me?''

 Chapter 1026 The Reason

    < Reports of the war [Submitted four hours ago] >


    Haedon opened the file and his study went dark. Then a hologram of sr system covered the entire room and several red dots popped up.


    "They''re close." Abyss Emperor walked through thes and saw the fallenoids.


    Neptune, Uranus lost all theiroids. Others also lost a significant number. This indicated a good progress from abyssal side and promised a victory. But Haedon wasn''t happy.


    "A war that should''ve been finished in a week, it''s more than fifty days now. Why the hell are humans so resilient?" He clenched his fist unconsciously.


    As he stared at the shinings, his eyes shed with a sh of envy. ''They''re just like us, facing the invasion of a stronger enemy. But they kept fighting for far longer. Why didn''t we?''


    Theirst province was going to fall. It''s all over for them. Yet humans managed to hold on for so long. Even though they''re going to lose sooner orter, this much fight was already enough to make him look at them in a different light.


    It had always been this way.


    When they should''ve perished under the danger, humans always bounced back. Sometimes, it was luck. But most of the times, it was sheer grit.


    ''My race doesn''t lose to them in handwork. We shed our blood for our survival. But luck¡­even though it saved humanity only a few times is enviable.'' Haedon sighed.


    Haedon swiped the hologram and the videos of the abyssal rulers began to sh.


    From Mercury to Neptune, the human sovereigns were fighting with their abyssal counterparts and there was some sort of stalemate at present, even though it seemed like the battle was tilted towards the abyssals.


    Then, a big red light lit up on Pluto.


    Haedon zoomed in and his eyes froze.


    The battle of Varian leading the human army into the tiny and absolutely ravaging it was something he never expected.


    ''How the hell did this guy return?''


    Varian''s hologram stood in front of Haedon, abyssal blood sshed all over his body and colorful aura oozing out of him as he stared indifferently at the enemy in the hologram.


    Haedon stared into Varian''s eyes and his frown deepened. ''He''s¡­changed. What happened to him? And more importantly, what will happen to us?''


    The answer was quick.


    He personally sent those protective formations to Pluto. But Varian ended up smashing through them. And he even broke two coffins.


    "Stop!" Haedon nearly pped at the hologram in anger before he caught himself.


    Then Varian began to fight the Undead in earnest.


    Haedon was amazed and alerted when he noticed the versatile powers Varian used.


    ''How are devas able to deliver a hybrid so advanced? It''s on the kingdom or empire level?'' Varian''s power had always been a mystery.


    Originally, so many powers from a single person would''ve shocked the entire abyssal race. But Haedon''s announcement and normalization of hybrid knowledge calmed things down.


    Still, Haedon himself didn''t know much about them. Even though he''s a Celestial Ranker, he''s nothing in front of the big weights.


    ''A fallen Duchy, now a falling Province.'' He tried to hide the pain with a smile and before long, he was drawn to the fight as Varian began beating down the Undead.


    Haedon worried that the Undead Leader might die before nurturing the two coffins. But thankfully, Varian hurriedly left for some reason.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''Why?''


    Varian was a vengeful man. Haedon knew that much. Killing millions meant nothing to this guy and he certainly wouldn''t even think about sparing an enemy like Undead who almost killed him just a few months ago.


    So, why would he abandon the golden opportunity to ughter him?


    Haedon soon found out after Varian reached Mercury and saw Albert''s death. The artifact in his hands was missing!


    "Julius!" Haedon''s eyes lit up. "He finallypleted the set."


    Then came the battle of Varian ying the seriously injured Sin King and fighting the Demon King.


    The worrying development was Varian''s increased strength. He somehow managed to hit the Sovereign-tier without bing one.


    The most scary part was the speed with which he grew.


    Haedon thought Varian''s quick growth would slow down once he reached high levels. Rapid growth wasn''t umon during low and even mid levels. There were plenty of treasures to pull that off.


    But for a level 9 to grow this fast¡­


    ''This was already six hours ago. What is happening now?'' Haedon grew worried.


    Thankfully, Varian fainted. For now, there was no big danger.


    Then, the Undead Leader reached the sovereign state, pulled up two zombie sovereigns and struck Neptune.


    ''Finally.'' Haedon released the breath he didn''t know he was holding as he watched Ares killed.


    And then he frowned.


    The abyssal army was ughtering Neptune.


    It was a brutal sight. The mania, the twisted and sick enjoyment of the soldiers was revolting.


    "Why are they doing this?" Haedon mmed the desk.


    He didn''t think of himself as a hero. Not when he ordered the extinction of a literal race. But he certainly didn''t order them to make this so torturous.


    If they''re going to destroy a, he''d have the high awakeners do the quick killing. It''d all be over in under ten minutes. The screams, the tears and the wails wouldn''t fill the screen like they did now.


    He wanted to kill, sure. But not torture. This was barbaric and Haedon wondered just why the army there got so animalistic?


    Abyssal army was extremely brutal against human soldiers, that''s eptable for him. But civilians?


    ''They killed Pluto much faster. And without any of these scenes.'' Haedon''s eyes dimmed as he realized the cause these abyssals were so crazy.


    ''Their hometown is attacked and taken heavy losses. They don''t know we''re almost about to be destroyed but the news that half of our poption perished wouldn''t be good either.''


    For the abyssals fighting there, human resistance was the main reason they couldn''t get the legacy quickly.


    So, they took the anger out on the civilians.

 Chapter 1027 I Am Death

    Varian grabbed the crippled Thunder King and shot through the wall of lighting which was the door to the abyss.


    When he tried to enter into the Mirage Abyss in the past, he nearly died due to this defense mechanism.


    But today, he tore through the defense like it was nothing.


    Then, he teleported above the capital city.


    The sky of Thunder abyss was always filled with dark clouds with lightning shing every second. The nts, the beasts, even the soil and water were all attuned to lightning. It was a wonderful, beautiful world inhabited by the thunder abyssals.


    But today, it''d breathe itsst.


    "Thunder Abyss, today is your end." Varian''s deep voice resounded like the loudest


    roar of thunder the abyss had ever witnessed.


    Then, the super charged aura in Varian shot out as a beam towards the sky.


    The ever-present dark clouds in the Thunder Abyss dispersed as a tsunami of aura swept the sky.


    For the first time in centuries, the sky was clear again. But what lied beyond the dark clouds was an ominous red sky.


    "What''s happening?"


    "The sky! The sky is falling!"


    "Has lightning abandoned us?"


    The cries of the abyssals filled the cities as they flooded the streets and stared at the sky with wide eyes.


    They all wondered if this was a cruel illusion yed by some human enemy that sneaked it.


    Humans shouldn''t be able to sneak in after the lightning defense was set up at the entrance. Even Varian couldn''t. But they''d rather believe an enemy used an illusion on them than think this might be reality. If it was¡­it''s too scary.


    The people on the capital, however, could see clearly. A silhouette was standing in the sky as it glowed with a brilliance akin to the suns in the sr system.


    And for some reason, their hearts gripped as they saw a pitiful figure floating in front of that silhouette.


    Since the war began, only weaker abyssals stayed behind. So, they couldn''t see who that figure was. But there was an air of familiarity to him.


    "Who are you?!"


    "Get out of ournd!"


    "Our King will ughter you if you try anything funny!"


    The abyssals of the capital roared at him while they pushed their families into the safety of their homes. The men and women who could fight united and shouted at him.


    The might of theirbined voices shook the sky and it sounded like an apocalyptic thunder.


    But Varian was unmoved.


    ''A single person couldn''t fight an army'' was an old concept. It still applied to most awakeners. Even level 8s can''t fight endless level 7s. And level 3s certainly can''t fight more than a few level 2s. But when you hit a new threshold in strength, then things changed.


    Varian''s aura glowed and shaped into a phantom of a giant human warrior. Its head stood where the clouds should''ve been and its feet were on the ground.


    The giant was visible from every corner of the Thunder Abyss. It seemed like it was standing between heaven and earth, pushing up the sky and kicking down the ground, holding the entire world on its shoulders.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Facing such a marvelous and scary sight, the abyssals fell silent. And then, the voice that was like the rumbling of a thousand thunders filled the world.


    "The people of Neptune have died in billions. Men, women, children all faced the same fate. They were brutally murdered by your brethren like cattle in the butcher house. No, they had it worse.


    They ran for their lives on the streets and they were chased and killed brutally. Your fathers, brothers, sons and husbands inflicted such pain on my people that an entire generation would be scarred. Even if my strength grows a hundred times, I could never erase those scars."


    The thunderous voice was filled with sadness, grief and indignation.


    But the abyssals didn''t like it.


    "You are the reason our homnd was being destroyed!"


    "Billions were dead? We lost tens of billions!"


    "Entire provinces, the sizes of yours were gone! Burnt to the ground and ravaged!"


    "Had you stopped this senseless fighting, my mother''s lineage there wouldn''t have been ughtered!"


    Varian stared at the abyssals shouting in the streets and noticed the fanaticism in their eyes.


    He also understood why abyssals were so brutal on Neptune. With their homnd under destruction, they had gone crazy.


    It was their fault that they didn''t finish humans in a week like they were instructed. But they were unable to digest that their negligence was the reason for such massacre in their homnd.


    So, they med humans. They lied to themselves to the point they began to believe it. So, they''re beyond any reasoning now.


    "So be it." Varian lifted his hand and so did the giant. "Let humans bear the responsibility for every death of your kind in your homnd. Let us be the devils that are to be med for the ughter that urred there."


    The giant''s hand began to glow and Varian''s face was covered under the bright light.


    "Blood will be paid with blood. Life with life." Varian punched down.


    The sky on a city lit up in a multitude of colors and beams of light shot down from the sky and enveloped the city.


    The abyssals screamed as a terrible amount of aura poured down and drowned them. A few secondster, the entire city, the millions of abyssals in it were gone.


    "Since you made us the devils we weren''t," Varian''s voice was indifferent, as if he just erased a stain on a sheet of paper. "I shall be the one you seek."


    The giant glowed so brilliantly that every abyssal in the Thunder abyss closed their eyes.


    "No! No! Stop! I beg you!" Thunder King struggled even as his body began to rip apart with each word he uttered.


    Varian didn''t even spare him a nce as he let the entire sky above the Thunder Abyss light up with his aura.


    The giant spread its arms and the sky began to shake.


    The world will of the Thunder abyss resisted fiercely and tried to wrestle back control of the sky. But a snap from Varian blew it away.


    And then, a colorful beam, no, a colorful tsunami of light fell from the sky and drowned the Thunder Abyss.


    As the light enveloped them in its cold embrace, the Thunder abyssals heard his voice for onest time.


    "I am the nightmare of your dreams, the devil of your hopes and the death of your race."

 Chapter 1029 Celestial Ranker

    The ghostship rushed into Despair Abyss.


    The interconnected rootwork made it the hardest abyss to invade. In the past, Varian fought the Undead here. And it''s also here that he was thrown into the space crack and faced death. Even though he grew stronger, it was a horrifying experience.


    Even more than Hortus itself, the journey there in that broken space tunnel was the stuff of nightmares.


    Despite reaching the strength of a Sovereign, Varian wasn''t sure if he could enter that tunnel and survive again.


    Even for Sovereigns, the universe was far too hostile and dangerous. Especially things like space cracks. He might still survive but he''d end up in and of nowhere with no path of return.


    The one mainly responsible for pushing him to an almost certain death was killed. But the one who facilitated that wasn''t dead yet.


    "I''vee to collect the debt you owe me." Varian''s voice thundered above the Despair Abyss.


    The endless forest suddenly went still before miles and miles of vines shot up at him. They spilled poison, acid, and more, trying to end him as soon as they could.


    Varian didn''t pull any punches. He clenched his fist and punched down. His figure blurred and he crashed into the ground like a meteorite.


    Despair abyss went still before a huge earthquake shook it.


    A huge crack appeared in the ground as the tectonic tes broke apart. The single supercontinent of Despair Abyss¡ªthe size of Earth''sndmass¡ªhad a huge crack in the middle. If there were four more such cracks, the continent would split into two.


    On the site of the crash, smoke and dust filled everything. Even the clouds were swept away by them.


    All the nts, trees, and even grass in the surrounding five hundred miles were torn apart due to the sheer shockwaves that hit them.


    And in the surrounding thousand miles, the ground cracked and destroyed forests.


    And then suddenly, huge roots shot up from deep inside the ground and reached for Varian at breakneck speed.


    At the same time, a giant tree appeared in the sky and whipped its branches at him.


    Varian could take one attack and remain rtively unharmed. But if he took two, he''d be getting some nasty injuries.


    "You arrogant bastard! My abyss is the graveyard of invaders!" Despair Queen roared.


    Varian teleported behind her and drilled lightning bolts into her vines, electrocuting and destroying them. Then came the ice which froze the thorns she shot at him like bullets.


    Finally, Varian created two swordsbining his powers and shed the giant tree.


    Despair Queen began to retreat the moment the swords appeared. But it didn''t help.


    The Abyss'' Will wasn''t able to distract Varian. He dodged its attacks and simply focused on her and her alone.


    Before she knew it, Despair Queen transformed back to her abyssal form. And light filled the sky. Then, she crashed into her own castle and mmed into a sturdy wall.


    That man''s silhouette reached her in a blink and she was screaming in despair as Varian''s sword lodged into her heart and twisted, sending searing pain across her body.


    The Abyss'' Will was too weak to matter at this point.


    Varian pushed the sword down further and blood sshed on his face as the weapon pierced through her heart and exited from her back.


    The female abyssal breathed herst after a few minutes.


    But she wished she died sooner. Because in those few minutes, she watched Varian wreck her entire abyss.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The great forest was burnt, broken, and destroyed. Her greatest pride, the impable defense was useless in front of Varian''s prowess.


    The screams of the abyssals as they transformed back into their humanoid forms and ran everywhere and nowhere rang in her ears like a curse.


    Varian was more merciless than she expected. He spared no one. Not even the weakest or the most helpless.


    Thest thing she saw before her consciousness went nk was his indifferent eyes.


    Despair Abyss'' altar was already destroyed. So, Varian went straight for Hollow Abyss.


    With Thunder and Despair Abyss decimated, Neptune and Uranus were freed forever.


    If the abyssal sovereigns banded together, Varian wasn''t sure if he could kill them all. But since they''re all in their own abyss, he wasn''t going to miss this golden chance.


    ''Only six more.'' The peace he always dreamed of was in reach. ''Soon. Very soon.''


    But the consumption was too high even for him. So, Varian had to rest a full hour before he entered the Hollow Abyss.


    After exactly thirty minutes, the arch nemesis of Saturn was destroyed.


    Hollow Queen was a tricky opponent to beat since she kept teleporting but with some ambush from Sarah and Sia, he got that one critical shot on her which eventually led to her death.


    "Huh?" Varian did a double take and searched the secret floor under the castle.


    There was no altar.


    "Don''t tell me¡­" His expression grew grave and a thought he didn''t like shed in his mind.


    The altars connected these eight abysses and the abyssal homnd spatially. It''s also how the abyssals must''ve suddenly gotten the resources to gain the edge in this war.


    If Hollow Queen hid it, then¡­


    "He might being." Varian clenched his fist and his back straightened. His heart thumped as the weight of a Celestial enemy threatened to crush him.


    "Abyss Emperor?" Sia asked after killing a bunch of level 9s that managed to survive until now.


    ? Varian nodded as his expression grew grave. "We have to destroy the remaining altars. As many as possible. No, even leaving one is too dangerous."


    For this matter, Varian also gave up the choice of rest and decided to continuously attack the abysses.


    The ghostship was about to head to the next abyss when the sr system suddenly went dark.


    Panic filled the masses and Boo tried to find the source of the problem from the drones. To Boo''s horror, nothing was working. It was as if someone turned the switch off not only for the suns but also for the entire electric structures of the sr system.


    And then a tremendous aura flooded everything everywhere.


    Then something or someone lit up. The dark sr system was filled with a dazzling light so brilliant that it overshadowed even the two suns.


    The expanding light soon stopped and converged back onto a figure.


    It was Julius.

 Chapter 1030 The End Of An Era

    The two suns of the sr system were dwarfed by the brilliance of Julius Xander. He was the brightest star in the sky. He seemed beyond human, beyond even the state of mortality.


    The people on thes, space cities, space stations, spaceships,oids, and everywhere else, felt a suddenpulsion to look at the sky.


    When they did, their eyes reflected the brilliant light in the sky.


    "Oh my..."


    "What is that?"


    "I feel heavy, weak..."


    "Like a candle in front of the sun..."


    The whispers of the people died down as the light slowly disappeared and covered back into a man.


    But they couldn''t see him. Even the people from Earth, the he was closest to, couldn''t see him.


    However, the scientists using telescopes could. So could the people using drones to monitor him. An order came from the military and immediately, the drone footage was broadcasted live.


    "Haaah!"


    "It''s him?"


    "The guardian of earth..."


    "Julius Xander..."


    "What the hell happened to him? Didn''t he go missing earlier? Why did he shine now?"


    Themon people had no idea what transpired. They didn''t know of Julius essentially abandoning earth and the sr system to finish his ritual. Nor did they know what his current strength was.


    But the knowledgeable humans already had a guess. It both excited and terrified them.


    If Julius really stepped into that level, humanity wouldn''t have to worry about abyssals anymore.


    But it''s not like they''d have to worry without Julius. Varian was about to finish off the abyssals. But still, Julius would be enough for any future threats.


    However, who''s to say this man wouldn''t abandon humanity? The reason he was absent must be because of his advancement. But he must''ve known that more than three billion humans died. If he only put off his advancement for ater time, so many lives could''ve been saved. He had a choice. And it''s clear what he picked.


    Their future would be in the hands of such a man. Powerful beyond their understanding but indifferent to their sufferings.


    For a while, themunity of high awakeners and intellectuals was unsure how to feel about this new world order they were thrust into.


    But they didn''t have the luxury to think any longer.


    Julius gave off a golden light, almost like he was a burning star and then he shot toward the Demon Abyss. He was fast. Much faster than the most advanced spaceships.


    And he used his blink ring in the middle. He appeared a few thousand miles away. In just a few more minutes, he reached the Demon Abyss.


    The entrance to it was still a red crack in the sky, almost like the mouth of a devil from hell, daring anyone to enter.


    Julius jumped in without any hesitation and everyone watching him fell silent.


    There was anticipation. There was fear. There were so many emotions that boiled in the hearts of the spectators.<novelnext></novelnext>


    But they were all suppressed by the sudden shock that filled their minds as the entire Demon Abyss lit up in a golden light.


    In seconds, like the cracks on an eggshell,rge cracks appeared on the demon abyss with golden light leaking out of these cracks.


    Then it exploded.


    Into pieces of blood, flesh, mud, soil, and many, many things, the Demon Abyss--a world the size of the earth--exploded.


    Everyone strong enough witnessed this crazy disy of strength. It was a level that far exceeded anything they ever knew. Even Sovereigns were nothing in front of this greatness.


    "The world is going to change." An old scientist slumped into his chair and stared at the screen nkly.


    "It already did." The military general standing next to him said in a low voice as he stared intensely at the destroyed abyss. "It already did."


    The next hour was perhaps the most eventful but also the quietest in the history of mankind.


    All the remaining abysses cracked and exploded like they were just some fireworks and not a fucking world housing billions of abyssals.


    There was no fight. No resistance. Not even a shred of cry.


    In a muffled silence, they watched as thest abyss exploded into the debris of blood and soil.


    The enemies that gued, tortured, and ughtered humans for over a century were gone.


    Just like that? Is that it? The end to the dreams they carried since their childhood? The finality in their struggle for peace?


    The men and women who were at the very top of the pyramid copsed into their seats.


    The relief on their faces was visible as tears slowly pooled in the corner of their eyes. The burden they were carrying since they were self-conscious was lifted.


    As the tears rolled down their cheeks, the sacrifices they made to reach this point yed in their minds like an old movie.


    The faces of people they loved, lost, and missed came in like a flood. And so did the memories of the times they had to give up to safeguard their race.


    The birthdays of their young children, the anniversaries, thest moments of their elderly parents, and many more.


    They were all sacrificed for this one thing. And now, it''s over.


    It''s all over.


    They felt light and free. The quest of their lives was finished today.


    They were relieved. They should also be happy. Ecstatic even. But they only felt hollow. It was as if a part of themselves was ripped apart, leaving an aching void that would never be filled.


    The enemy they dreaded, hated, and fought didn''t go down in a grand war. Nor did they lose their lives in the legendary battle that should''ve been. No. The abyssals just vanished and they vanished without even a whimper.


    An era ended today. In the annals of history, today would be thest chapter of the abyssals.


    From tomorrow, the suns would shine on the human race that didn''t have to fight for peace anymore.


    Peace was finally here.

 Chapter 1031 The Illusion Of Peace

    "Alright, you''re not getting out anytime soon. Unless you have a death wish." Varian said to his two friends.


    Kyle and Maya nodded absentmindedly at his words, their gazes still fixed on the floating screen disying the explosion of abysses.


    "They''ll be fine," Sia said and pulled him out of their room. Her casual expression grew grim. "What are we going to do now?"


    Varian recalled the explosion of abysses and took a deep breath. "That is an incredible level of power. Celestial rank sure is something else. I do have a rough idea of how to advance to the Celestial and I''ll need both of your help."


    "Aren''t you scared?" She asked him softly.


    "Of Julius?" Varian raised an eyebrow.


    Sia nodded, her mind still ying the destruction of the abysses in an unending loop.


    "No." Varian shook his head confidently. "He can''t find us. And he won''t kill the remaining mankind. At least, I don''t think he will. I''m more worried about Abyss Emperor. If even a newbie Celestial ranker is this strong, what about the ruler of abyssals who is at least two hundred years old?"


    Sia''s face paled slightly. "Do you really think he wille¡­? Can he even? All the abysses are destroyed."


    "We couldn''t find two altars in the abysses I cleared," Varian said.


    The logic in her mind told Sia something she wished wouldn''t materialize. If the altars still existed, hidden somewhere, then it''s very much possible that the Abyss Emperor coulde here.


    "I''m not sure if he woulde. But if he wishes to, he can." Varian ced his hand on the window and stared at the brights. "The peace we''re seeing, the new era everyone is celebrating, it''s all imaginary. If one Julius can erase abyssals, one Abyss Emperor can destroy this whole sr system."


    Sia nced at the floating screens showing the celebrations on thes.


    The military men and women still weren''t able to digest this. But themon people were already throwing parties.


    Entire parks, streets, and even small neighborhoods were dead drunk under this euphoria. They really thought it was all over not knowing the biggest danger was yet toe.


    A bitter smile etched on her lips. "Ignorance is really bliss."


    "And dangerous, perhaps fatal," Varian added. "Maybe my fears are founded. Maybe all the altars are gone. Maybe this really is the era of peace. But on the slight chance that my fearse true, we''ll lose everything.


    And Heaven forbid, I still have no fucking idea if my reaching the Celestial ranks would make any difference against the Abyss Emperor."


    Sia saw Varian''s eyes and heard his thumping heartbeat. He was under pressure. A crushing pressure as he tried to match an enemy he had no idea of.


    Before he knew the strength of Celestials, Varian wasn''t this worried. But after learning what a newly promoted Celestial can do, he felt suffocated. Until Abyss Emperor died, the weight on his shoulders wouldn''t vanish.


    Sia ced her hand on his chest and said. "You can do it."


    "I will. I must." Varian pulled her into the practice room where Sarah was already waiting for them.


    He held their hands and started synergy. "With peace, temporary or not, we can finally devote ourselves to practice."


    The door closed and the three descended into a controlled synergy session.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Meanwhile, the news and stories about Varian''s deeds were silently removed from the met. The people that noticed this protested and asked. But they were quickly silenced.


    Julius Xander announced the new world order. The federation would now be the Human Empire led by Emperor Julius himself.


    It was shocking to some but after experiencing so much pain and destruction, the people were fine with Julius taking up a bigger role.


    There was some freedom during the era of eight sovereigns¡ªroom for divergent thought and different opinions. But from today, there''d be no such thing. Only one voice, one ruler, one thought.


    But given the massive power Julius disyed, people agreed that it was a necessary price. Honestly, they had no say in the matter. No one did.


    Along with the celebrations, the ceremony for the coronation began. It''d be held a weekter. The surviving sovereigns would be the guests of honor and the whole of humanity would watch their ruler take his rightful ce.


    The earth was decorated. The destroyed guardian inds were excavated and the remnants were quickly ced into a museum.


    The festive mood was infectious.


    For some, it was a reason to celebrate the oing era of peace. For others, it was weing the dream their loved ones in the family died for. For many, however, it was a way to numb themselves from the grief of losing their close people.


    But everyone found some reason to celebrate this grand event.


    In between Earth and Mars, a space city was built for the Emperor at an unprecedented pace.


    The guardian inds were destroyed and Julius was technically homeless. Even if the inds were fine, an Emperor needed something more extravagant as a residence.


    The army started the clean-up operations and hunted down the remnant abyssals, most of them hiding in spaceships. They posed no threat and their end was just a matter of time.


    Pluto would be visited by the Emperor after the coronation and would be thest event on the big day.


    Everything seemed to be going well.


    Army was happy. Common people were happy. Awakeners were happy.


    But seething with rage were a bunch of young, teenage abyssals that hid far in the edges of the sr system. They were so far away from Pluto that even the human patrol ships had no chance of finding them.


    Right after Varian began his massacre and destroyed an altar, the Abyss rulers held an emergency meeting and decided to do one thing before their inevitable destruction.


    This resulted in the few survivors protecting the final hope of abyssals.


    Inside the stealth spaceship resting in the asteroids, the young abyssals knelt in front of the altars.


    The altars were slowly glowing brighter.

 Chapter 1034 A Fools Play

    "Why?"


    In a pce worth a city, the deep voice of a depressed man reverberated in the throne hall.


    The man facing the question leaned back on the throne to a morefortable position. He didn''t even bother to open his eyes.


    Shaking in anger, Bali stood looking up at the throne, and waited. Along with him, Irene Nial and Kevin, the surviving sovereigns also waited.


    "Three Billion lives." Irene Nial''s chest heaved up and down as she gritted her teeth to the point blood started leaking out of her lips.


    "And the death of Sovereign Albert, just how could you?" Kevin asked with bloodshot eyes.


    The atmosphere in the room grew heavier. Even though it was the pce of the ''Human Emperor'', the grief in the air made it feel like a cemetery.


    And that irked Julius.


    But he didn''t open his eyes. He didn''t even bother to open his mouth and answer.


    He simply pointed his finger into the air and the interior walls of the throne hall lit up.


    The dark, depressed, and silent throne hall transformed as the walls began to glow, showcasing the murals engraved on them¡ªtelling the tale of human civilization.


    It began all the way with the advent of the first human from the ape, fast forwarded to Blink five centuries ago. And then, came the nuclear wars, the murloc war, the shadow nation, and so on.


    All of these were engraved on one wall. The remaining three walls were filled with history since the advent of abyssals.


    Even though the duration of this era was less than two centuries, it heavily dominated the representation in the murals.


    Thest mural on the walls ended with the start of the war and humanity finding itself in extremely dire straits, just on the verge of extinction.


    Finally, the vaulted ceiling lit up and the murals finished the story. Julius emerged and destroyed the abysses, establishingsting peace.


    Julius wiggled his finger at the vaulted ceiling and crossed his arms, his meaning obvious.


    "A false history. There is nothing about Varian here. Even though he saved humanity multiple times. Even in this war, without him, we''d be a goner." Before even Irene or Bali, Sovereign Kevin sneered with contempt.


    Those words finally caused Julius to open his eyes. The pce shed with a golden light brighter than the sunrise and the air grew so heavy that just standing in there felt like carrying a mountain.


    "History is written by victors," Julius said slowly but his words echoed in the throne hall loudly, almost like a p of thunder. "Varian hid like a rat. He doesn''t deserve to be in the glorious human history."


    "What about you? The man who allowed the ughter of three billion humans?" Irene took a step forward and red at him. "Do you know how many families are affected, how many lives ar¡ª"


    Her words stopped in the middle as a heavy pressure shut her up.


    "I know, I know. Tragedy at a mega scale. I know the implications." Julius waved his hand like he was swatting a fly and propped his chin on his palm. "But I have a correction to make, I didn''t allow the ughter of three billion. It''s the abyssals who did what they did. And I avenged them."


    "You¡­" Bali looked at Julius'' eyes and saw no emotion in them. It was as if he was staring at a robot. No, even robots these days had plenty of emotions.


    Julius'' eyes held no remorse, no pain, not even the faintest of regret. Bali felt like he was staring at a psychopath.


    A very clever, exceedingly strong, and madly driven psychopath.


    Julius noticed the expressions on the sovereigns'' faces and shrugged. "20 million humans die because of abyssals every year. That''s 2 billion in a century. Any major war, then this number shoots up like crazy.


    If the abyssals were left to fester, in a century and a half, they''d kill as many humans as the ones that died on Neptune and likely, way more. What''s worse, this would continue on and on.


    The living sacrificed now are to preventrger sacrifices in the future. Overall, it''s a positive."


    Irene clenched her fists as her blood boiled and she almostshed out.


    Bali looked at Julius incredulously. How could this man be so confident in his shitty logic?<novelnext></novelnext>


    "The abyssals would be gone in a decade or two. This century casualty would''ve never happened." He spat.


    "You don''t understand." Julius shook his head. "Abyssals get support from their home world. If we drag things, there''s a good chance things would''ve gotten very dangerous. Because there''s one guy on their side¡­who''s in the same league as me."


    His words stopped any further words from the sovereigns. They were still angry at him. But they realized they couldn''t make any difference. With a defeated sigh, they exited the pce.


    "Doe to the coronation. Human Empire would benefit from your services." Julius'' voice rang before the huge doors to the pce snapped shut.


    The Celestial ranker stared at them onest time before his body disappeared and he appeared in a ruins.


    Ignoring all the explored and partially explored areas, he went straight into the unexplored areas.


    They were called as such since no one came back alive from those areas. Not even Sovereigns.


    The one that Julius picked was a misty forest. He stepped in and the mist concentrated around him, generating a pressure tremendous enough to crush a sovereign.


    But he was fine. Unlike anyone else before, he was a celestial ranker.


    "The mysteries of devas will be mine." Julis smiled and stepped forward through the mist.


    Even with his strength, the mist was interfering with his senses, preventing him from looking ahead.


    Before he knew it, Julius felt himself walking into something tall and vast.


    "Huh?" He stumbled back a couple of steps and stared up in confusion.


    Even if it''s just a normal walk, how could a celestial ranker stumble?


    A subdued growl sounded and the "thing" in front of him buzzed.


    Julius was pped by a suffocating aura and flew out of the mist forest, vomiting blood.


    "What the?!" He touched his blood and grew angry. "What even is that creature? Why is it that strong? Why am I not given the legacy?"


    There was no answer.


    "Speak, Heaven''s Will!"


    An ancient voice spoke directly in his mind. "You are a protector, not the inheritor. Guard the legacy, do not seek it. The inheritor is already decided."


    "Who?" Julius gnashed his teeth.


    The wind in front of him distorted and formed a screen. It fluctuated between a male and female before finalizing into a handsome young man with a confident smile.


    "You! Why you?" Julius smashed the ground into a deep and roared. "Varian!"


    The human army was soon ordered to search for Varian. No one even had a clue. Then, the search for everyone rted to him began.


    All of them were missing.


    Evander? Missing. Kyle and Maya? Gone. Blue sh? Gone. Richard and Anna also disappeared.


    But of course, only Kyle, Maya, and Evander were on the ghost ship. The rest were hiding and the human army, which wasn''t really loyal to this new ''Emperor'' didn''t bother searching thoroughly and at times, deliberately helped them from being found.


    Even as he clung to his throne 24x7, he felt like a fool carrying a crown just like a monkey that got hold of a piece of gold. Varian''s image continued to y in his mind and to his own fear, he imagined the young man sitting on the throne and staring at him with pity.


    The Emperor-to-be was warring against his own mind as the coronation grew closer.

 Chapter 1035 Quiet Before The Storm

    Varian sat on the rim of the ghostship, staring into the empty space with a pensive gaze.


    It was dark all around. The two suns were like two little torches in the far distance, spreading light but unable to quell the ever-present darkness.


    The nearbyoids glowed as they took on a celebratory look. The space cities an hour away were more vibrant, like some disco lights at a crazy party.


    Everyone was looking forward to the coronation day. All thes,oids, and space cities were preparing for the event that would kick off the next era.


    There was still grief. But it was suppressed by the cheers. When it came down to the numbers, the majority were still safe. Even with the losses of Neptune, most families were intact and secure.


    And even the ones that lost their loved ones tried to deal with the grief with the hope of a new future. They subdued their own sadness and tried to hold onto the promise of tomorrow.


    In these few days, Varian had seen, met, and talked to a lot of people in disguise. He had seen people from all backgrounds and all emotional states.


    The sheer scale of the human race was wonderful. But it also made him wonder about the fragility of his people despite their numbers.


    What fifty billion humans couldn''t do, a single Julius did.


    Then, what''s the use of numbers without strength?


    ''They have to grow stronger.''


    Varian loosened his clenched fists and stared at his palms. He imagined the powers of sliversing from deep inside and he willed them toe out from his palms.


    He put his heart and soul into it and willed the power out.


    Seconds turned into minutes and minutes into hours.


    Nothing happened.


    Like all the other tries in thest few days, this too had failed.


    ''Should I just give up and go for the few paths? I''d still have multiple celestial paths.'' Varian had that thought but his fists were clenched unconsciously.


    He didn''t like giving up. It wasn''t in his nature. He''d have it all. He must.


    ''System says I can try using the powers once I hit the Celestial rank. But to reach the rank properly, I need the powers. This is nuts.''


    Varian tried a couple more times and before he knew it, he spent an entire day sitting outside the ghost ship.


    There were only two days left before the coronation.


    "Aren''t you worried?" Evander sat beside Varian and stared at the two suns.


    "The moment I or Sia or Sarah be a celestial ranker, Julius will be dead. Why worry?" Varian shook his head and turned to his father-inw.


    Evander only recovered recently. The situation between them wasn''t tense as Evander feared.


    It was just¡­awkward.


    It was long back when the two had a proper talk. And even longer when they met in person. Varian had changed so much that Evander felt like he was meeting another person.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Thankfully, the rtionship was still very warm.


    "Your injuries took so long to heal. Is this the price for gaining sovereign strength?" Varian noticed that Evander''s strength was still at peak of level 9 despite fighting a sovereign that day.


    "Yes. A price I''m willing to pay." Evander said and nced behind him cautiously for a moment. Then, he whispered. "And if the need arises, I can fight Julius for a short moment, though I''m not sure of killing him."


    Varian arched an eyebrow.


    Evander shrugged. "I had a breakthrough. I can use the celestial strength for a while."


    "At the cost of dying, yeah?" Varian pursed his lips.


    "A fair price for that kind of power." Evander nodded. "I''m just relieved that I can help you three escape even if Julius finds us."


    "That won''t be necessary." Varian smiled and looked down at his own heart. The sealed power inside his heart¡ªthe death strand¡ªwas very much active.


    It only needed a single push and Varian would unleash a power enough to destroy all life on a.


    "I hope Julius doesn''t find us for his own sake." Varian took a deep breath and gestured with his hand.


    Boo appeared in front of him, a few screens floating on its palms.


    All the screens disyed abyssal spaceships that were still not destroyed. Of them, there were a couple that interested him.


    "Six spaceships flew beyond Pluto." Varian''s expression grew grim. "All of this happened before Julius even ascended. That confirms the unfortunate guess."


    "There are how many? Three or four altars left. Would the Abyss Emperor even respond?" Evander asked. "Suppose he did, could he stille given that so many altars are destroyed?"


    "I don''t know." Varian shook his head and stared into the space nkly. "I just¡­feel anxious. It''s a gut feeling. It''s suffocating."


    Evander stared at Varian strongly and patted his shoulder. "If you do die, then know that I''ve already gone before you."


    Varianughed and shook his head. "I think I''m just being paranoid. Too many life-and-death experiences can do that, I think. It''s pure madness to even believe that Abyss Emperor wille here while his own homnd is in fires of war. Why would he abandon his home, family, and people toe here?"


    "True." Evander stood up and nodded with a somewhat relieved smile. "From what you said about him, he''s a very affectionate and kind ruler. Such a person wouldn''t sacrifice his family ande after us."


    Varian nodded in agreement.


    "I just hope you don''t be like him," Evander said and walked into the ship. "He''s a good father, not a good monarch."


    Varian disagreed as he followed into the ghostship. "He''s a good one, alright. The fault is on me, the variable that thwarted all his ns."


    "Your name makes so much sense like that. Varian Konstant, hahah." Sia chuckled from her meditation room.


    Varian rolled his eyes and was about to bicker when Boo sent him another mental message.


    ''Master, the treasures hiding the sr system from other civilizations are slowly self-destructing. They''ll be gone soon.''

 Chapter 1037 Solar System Shakes

    The coronation ceremony began.


    In front of the throne room of the highest pce of the new space city Kiah, history was being made.


    Rituals from pre and post-blink earth were selected carefully, each blessing the Emperor to be. They sang praises of Heaven and proimed the Emperor as Heaven''s Chosen.


    The huge golden double doors were painted with auspicious symbols and flowers rare to be found in a hundred years.


    Precious materials worth an entire space city were melted on the spot by a dozen high level 9s and they carefully ced the molten metal across the doors, shaping it into the name ''Human'' in deva script. A dozen high level 9 water awakeners cooled down the molten metal.


    These awakeners were masters of entire cities and had great say even in the rule ofs. But today, they acted like ordinary cksmiths in front of all humanity.


    Even Sovereigns wouldn''t try to pull off such a feat in the old regime. But the new era showed off its difference from this very moment.


    The name ''Human'' began to glow with beautiful white light on the huge golden double doors.


    Then, two groups of twelve level 9 awakeners appeared. The first group was body awakeners and the second was beast morphers.


    "Open!"


    The morphers transformed into giant beasts but the high ceiling and wide hall ensured they had plenty of room. Then, the two groups began to push a door each.


    It was hard. Even when they all worked together. But slowly, with creaking sounds, the huge double doors opened and the throne room showed itself in full glory.


    It was a wide room with a vaulted ceiling. The walls were filled with shining murals painting the history of the human race, all the way from inception.


    The windows were colorful sses that looked fragile but wouldn''t even budge to a level 9.


    There were three levels of seating on either side of the throne. The first level was on the ground with the fewest seats. The second level of seating was raised with way more seats. The third level had thousands of seats in a semicircr arrangement.


    And the throne rested on a tform with nine stairs. And even though it''s just a live broadcast, the crystal throne sucked all the attention of the public.


    It glittered a like diamond but was a million times more exquisite. From time to time, it released a colorful aura.


    Even from across the screens, the throne induced awe and hope in the hearts of the public.


    Perhaps a better future awaited them. Perhaps.


    A few dances and rituals were quickly finished and the ceremony reached the critical phase.


    A bunch of level 6s entered the room in servant uniforms and stood guard.


    Then, the dignitaries of the human domain began to enter the throne hall in droves and sat in their designated positions.


    The outermost level was seated by weak mayors, moderately powerful military leaders, and level 7 awakeners.


    Then the secondyer was seated by powerful mayors and military leaders along with level 8 and level 9 awakeners.


    Finally, the three surviving sovereigns walked in under the cheers of the public and sat in the chairs closest to the throne. Most of the chairs in theiryer were empty¡ªan open hint and promise to the public that there''d be more sovereigns in the future.


    Finally, the man of the day.


    "The savior of mankind, the yer of abyssals, the peerless genius¡ªJulius Xander." The servants besides the doors shouted and the throne hall dulled for a moment.


    A man in golden and red silk clothes walked in. He exhibited a radiance so bright that even the crystal throne seemed dim inparison.


    With each step he took, the pce trembled and waves of aura washed over the men and women in the hall. It was as if he was the walking incarnation of power.


    Julius climbed up the tform and stood facing the audience. But he didn''t sit on the throne.


    "The master of mercury, the highmander Ilianis, vows to work under his Majesty."


    An old man jumped down and knelt on a single knee facing the throne.


    "The daughter ofte sovereign Vianne, Olisia vows to¡­"


    A middle-aged woman knelt next.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "The vice council of earth ¡­"


    "The sovereign of mars¡­"


    Bali just bowed lightly and remained standing.


    "The¡­."


    One by one, eight leaders either knelt or bowed in front of Julius, vowing to assist him in the rule of the Human Empire.


    "Your Majesty, please be seated on the throne and proim your title." The chief servant bowed his head and said respectfully.


    Julius remained standing. His eyes stared at the eight subordinates and trailed to the empty spot after the person representing Neptune.


    Every second seemed to stretch into an hour as Juluis remained motionless. Hisck of response caused a stir in the public and rumors started flying.


    "Your majesty, all human domain bows in front of your might. You destroyed all our enemies. Please im your rightful pl¡ª." The chief servant lost his voice abruptly.


    Julius didn''t even spare him a nce and said in a low voice that reverberated across the throne hall. "Not all enemies."


    Saying so, he snapped his hand. A dozen drone cameras reached him and Julius abruptly disappeared.


    The teleportation formations lit up in session and in a few minutes, Julius appeared at Pluto.


    The remained deste and it''d take a while before it could be repopted.


    But Julius wasn''t here for Pluto. He stared into distant space, at the asteroids and beyond them.


    Then, he grinned.


    His figure disappeared once again and after a few more minutes, he appeared in front of a bunch of abyssal spaceships.


    The audience panicked learning that some abyssals were still alive. But Julius simply grabbed a spaceship and peeled away its walls.


    "W-What the?! No, don''t¡ª"


    Ignoring the cries of the abyssals inside, he threw them onto an asteroid. The abyssals crashed and broke their bones on impact.


    Julius cleared all the spaceships except one and turned to the cameras. "Their death will be the legitimacy for my right to rule."


    The people watched on with an almost morbid pleasure as he approached the final spaceship and peeled away the walls.


    It came off easier than an onionyer but inside this spaceship was no abyssal.


    There were only a few altars and a shining portal.


    "What?" Julius squinted and instinctively raised his hand to attack.


    But the portal suddenly let out a blinding light and the space cracked like a broken mirror. Julius covered his eyes and stepped back.


    The drones began to shake as violent waves of aura began to wash over them. The asteroids began to vibrate and soon began to crack like they were eggshells.


    The floating walls of the spaceships, and the items closest to the altars began to rip apart into pieces. The spaceships themselves began to explode like fireworks.


    Julius'' heart stopped beating for a moment and his eyes widened in utter disbelief. "No. This isn''t true."


    "Yes, it is." A voice so deep and creepy that it instantly caused goosebumps on Julius replied from everywhere and nowhere.


    The asteroids began to shake. Then Pluto. Soon, Uranus, Neptune, and all the way to Mercury, thes began to shake. Soon, even the two suns vibrated, slightly but surely.


    The sr system itself dimmed as if the power fluctuated before it went back to normal.


    In that fluctuating moment, a heavily injured, bloodied but imposing abyssal stepped out of the space crack.

 Chapter 1039 Fight Of Celestials

    People on all thes noticed two new stars in the sky.


    The scarlet star twinkled, like a ruby shining under the shower of lights. The golden star glittered, like the glow of a firework just before it burned the brightest.


    It was a beautiful and intoxicating sight.


    But people panicked as the coronation ceremony was abruptly halted and the coverage ended suddenly.


    They hoped this star phenomenon was due to Julius. The social media and official outlets quickly steered the conversation in that direction and the public was pacified into thinking Julius was performing one final and magical ritual.


    "What is happening?" Sovereign Irene flew out of the crystal pce and asked with a solemn gaze.


    Bali and Kevin checked their contacts for any information.


    The secret footage arrived.


    "What the..."


    Space was twisted apart as two beings that glowed like stars fought each other.


    There were no words to describe their might. Their strength blew entire asteroids to fine dust, their speed let them travel many times faster than a sovereign, and their vitality was utterly high--a single drop of their blood caused rocks to melt and fed a forest.


    The ones fighting were anything but mortal.


    The three sovereigns stared at the screen with wide eyes filled with myriad emotions. The strongest being helplessness. Then they looked at each other without a word and returned to the pce.


    Irene quickly went through a bunch of heavilyplex and guarded screens before sighing in relief. "I informed the pioneer group to continue their journey outward."


    The Pioneer group, the most important batch of humans sent out of the sr system to keep the me of the human race alive.


    They were supposed to return since the war ended. But after seeing that fight, Irene reversed that decision. Bali and Kevin also did the same with the groups they controlled.


    That battle was watched by only a few thousand in the entire human race--extremely important scientists and peak level 9s as well as the sovereigns.


    The scientists panicked while the peak level 9s worried about another war.


    But the sovereigns knew better.


    If Julius won, then he''d im himself the Emperor and there''d be no issue.


    If Julius lost, whatever that being was, would ughter the entire sr system.


    No, no army, and no powerhouse would be able to stop the carnage. No, there wouldn''t even be a carnage. There wouldn''t even be a fight.


    It''d be just like how Julius ended the abysses. A single-destroying attack that''d end all life in a blink.


    That''s it.


    Perhaps the sovereigns and peak level 9s might survive the first attack. But they had no chance of surviving the second.


    Whatever they do now was inconsequential.


    The sovereigns never felt so useless. But perhaps this was indeed an era where even they''d be insignificant.


    On the other hand, the battle between the Emperor and the "Would-be-Emperor" was going strong.


    Their bodies were shining like stars themselves as they shed and moved thousands of miles above and beyond in a sh.


    A thousand punches were thrown in less than a second. Each attack was met with a counter and the shockwaves from their confrontation slowly started to eat away the huge asteroid belt.


    As a Mystic--the body awakener celestial--even though Abyss Emperor was heavily injured and weakened to the point of possessing only a first-ranked celestial strength, he''s much stronger than Julius.


    But Julius was Famine. When attacked, his body just epted the attacks. It ate them up.


    And from time to time, his body would light up in the golden light and spat out the energy waves back at Haedon.


    Abyss Emperor''s vast experience helped him easily navigate the reflecting attacks of Famine and continue his offense.


    Famines would ''eat'' the attack but not all of it. The rest still damaged Julius. Slowly, he''s taking injuries.


    Unfortunately for Haedon, Julius'' body was also devouring the blood that sshed out of him and burning it for his own use. The efficiency was terrible, but it was a boost nheless.


    Mystics were powerful in short and intense battles while Famines were masters in long battles.


    Haedon wanted to finish off this battle before things get out of hand. But Julius was stronger than he''d liked.


    "You are the final enemy of my race!" Julius roared as their fists connected. The scarlet and golden lights shed and exploded them both back.


    But being a Famine as well as a new celestial, Julius was evidently weaker. There were several fist cavities all over him and many injuries that continued to bleed.


    The injuries, however, quickly healed as Julius'' sucked the blood of his enemy and burned it up. The weakness from this intense fight also subsided slightly.


    On the other hand, Haedon couldn''t remain calm. His injuries--caused by the turbulent space channel created by insufficient altars--remained. But his bleeding started to slow down but his current state was giving too much benefit to Julius.


    Haedon only regretted packing away all the healing elixirs for his wife and daughter. He had none to quickly heal. But give him enough time and he''d eventually heal back and return to his full power.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''Even in this weakened state, I''ll finish him.'' Haedon clenched his fists and the golden light around him started to glow brighter and brighter until it was almost blinding.


    The aura in the space grew turbulent.


    The blinding golden light shrank into Abyss Emperor''s fists.


    Something had changed.


    Those fists gave Julius a glimpse of his death and he no longer hesitated.


    With a snap, Julius summoned the seven artifacts. When he reached the celestial rank, he thought he''d be invincible and no enemy would be able to stand before him. It immensely hurt his pride now that he had to rely on external things.


    The artifacts hovered around him without any effort and began to give off a different colored light each. It was a weak glow and weak improvement, but Julius'' strength, vitality, and resilience all improved significantly.


    Only the te didn''t glow. And neither did it float around as freely. It stuck to his forearm and Julius let it be. It calmed his mind slightly.


    "Come." Julius raised the Demon Sword of Neptune and pointed it at the abyssal.


    While Julius absorbed Haedon''s blood, the sword absorbed Julius'' and glowed brighter. Julius felt it hum and the feedback from the sword increased his strength considerably.


    The deva artifacts, after all, were never just sovereign-grade treasures. They were used by the deva celestials and were weakened only due to the erosion of time.


    Julius was able to use only a bit of their original power. That already gave him a very considerable boost.


    "The legacy..." Haedon stared at the artifacts with a sad gaze.


    For this legacy, everyone died. Everything was gone.


    "Yes, the legacy you sought will be your death," Julius said and his figure shed.


    Haedon answered with two golden fists.


    The space stagnated for a moment as the two shed and then a giant explosion sted them away.


    The Demon Sword in Julius'' hands was shaking but otherwise, it was fine. But only Julius knew that if he took those punches head-on, he''d have died.


    On the other hand, Haedon grimaced from the two deep and long cuts on his arms.


    The strengthening from the artifactspletely changed the dynamics. Julius could now easily win.


    Haedon''s eyes showed confusion and uncertainty for the first time before they steeled into contemtion and resolve.


    "No use resisting." Julius sneered and the sword in his hand hummed.


    Their figures shed in space as they appeared and disappeared, the asteroids exploding and the shockwaves from their shes sweeping everything in their path.


    The scarlet light began to glow brighter and brighter while the golden light grew dimmer.


    And finally, the scarlet light overwhelmed the golden light.


    "It''s over." Julius equipped himself with the blood gauntlet of mercury and punched out.


    Haedon''s ribs snapped and a huge shockwave passed right through the abyssal. The special aura from the gauntlet sneaked into his body and began to mess it up from the inside.


    Haedon struggled to suppress the mess inside while trying to avoid any more such attacks.


    But Julius was unrelenting.


    Owing to his superiority in all realms of strength, Julius keptnding blows on his enemy.


    Soon, the Emperor''s body was filled with deep gashes and his insides were messed up to the point of copsing.


    The mighty abyssal ruler endured as much as he could. But his heavily injured and weakened body wasn''t able to hold on.


    "Ga-argh!"


    Julius'' gauntlet punched right above the heart and Haedon stumbled back as his armor ripped into pieces.


    Clutching his heart, Haedon coughed out blood and knelt on a knee on a small asteroid.


    "The end, huh." Julius ced a sword on his neck and raised it for the final sh.


    Haedon looked up with defiant eyes. "No, it''s not the end."


    "Oh, it is. After you die, those pests will too. Then your race willpletely end." Julius smiled brightly and swung the sword.


    "No." Haedon''s body began to glow with a flickering golden light.


    As his sword reached Haedon, Julius remainedpletely focused on his enemy''sst moment to ensure he didn''t escape.


    Exactly then, the te on his forearm pierced into his chest and exploded.

 Chapter 1041 Im Not A Monster

    Haedon opened his eyes and breathed out. The sheer pressure in his breath caused cracks in the asteroid he was sitting on.


    Most of his injuries remained. Without his healing potions, his natural regeneration worked very slowly against the injuries he got in the turbulent space.


    ''I almost died...'' Abyss Emperor was a very experienced warrior but he still felt his heart palpitate when he recalled the hazardous journey from the unstable space gate.


    It''s solely the fault of Varian and Enigma that the space altars were destroyed. If they didn''t touch those altars, then Haedon would''vee here at his full strength. As a Rank 2 Celestial.


    "And I could''ve brought them here, saved them. They could''ve been alive." Haedon''s eyes zed with fury even as they turned wet in grief. "You killed them, Varian. You will pay for it. You and everyone you know."


    It was less of a statement than it was a promise to his dead family.


    Haedon had never met Varian. But now, he hated him more than even the Zions. If only the man named Varian didn''t exist...


    "Arghhh!" Haedon roared like a wounded beast.


    The sonic waves from his shout sted the asteroids into pieces and shoved hundreds of asteroids away.


    The image of his wife smiling at him before she went off to her death and the scene of his daughter killed brutally yed like an endless loop.


    Abyss Emperor''s breath grew ragged. He had the urge to cry. To wail like a child. Toin about how unfair everything was.


    But he didn''t do it. He couldn''t. Ever since he became the Emperor, he neverined no matter how hard it got.


    Even now, with his empire in ashes and his family gone forever, he wouldn''tin.


    ''My daughter wouldn''t like to see such a weak father. She thinks I am a great warrior. I should act like one. For her. Only for her.''


    He sniffed back his tears and straightened his back.


    A few minutester, Julius appeared. His wounds mostly healed and his aura was much stabler than earlier.


    But something was off.


    Julius'' face was terrible. He was incredibly pale, paler than a man who witnessed the most horrible sight ever.


    And those eyes, there were tears in his eyes. He''s weeping and grieving.


    "What have you done to me?" Julius asked in a voice on the verge of a breakdown.


    After the te exploded, Julius felt like a void in his mind was suddenly filled.


    The emotions he couldn''t feel for years came back flooding him.


    The guilt for every crime hemitted, the shame for every unjust he did, the burden for every life he chose not to save...


    It crushed his heart and smashed it into pieces.


    Julius felt suffocated and scared. His own mind wasn''t his for years. Someone was messing with him and he didn''t even notice.


    "Why did you let me do such horrible things? I helped your kind in killing a billion people on Pluto just to get this artifact?" Julius looked at the Demon Sword in disgust.


    Haedon calmed down as his enemy''s emotional state grew turbulent.


    Yes, many years ago, he devised a n to easily get the six artifacts. Let a human sovereign collect them. When the time came, abyssals would expose the sovereign and spark a civil war. Humans would destroy themselves and abyssals would get the legacy for a low cost.<novelnext></novelnext>


    It''s a long-term n, thest but guaranteed strategy.


    Unfortunately, this long-term n had to be abandoned for a quicker one with Fairies growing increasingly aggressive and pushing his people to war.


    But it didn''t matter now.


    "You are a horrible person, Julius," Haedon said with disgust, knowing exactly the impact it''d have on an emotionally unstable Julius. "You let your own people die. You killed billions on Neptune. You murdered your own colleagues."


    "No." Julius took a step back and his eyes grew frantic. "It wasn''t me. It was you, you messed with my head."


    "The te acts slowly. You had time to act when you started doing thosewless things. Yet you didn''t." Haedon continued to push.


    It was a half-lie. The te was one of the key artifacts of abyssals. It''d slowly corrupt a person as long as they stayed within its reach.


    The very first thing it''d do was mask all introspection. When a person stopped questioning if his actions were just or not, then it''s easy to brainwash him to do terrible things.


    "I am not a monster." Julius clenched his fists and red at Haedon. But his tone was uncertain, his eyes were filled with guilt and his mind was overwhelmed with the faces of the people he killed.


    So many...so many.


    "I am not a monster. I didn''t want to do it!" Julius yelled and a scarlet light enveloped him.


    "You did. You monster." Haedon emphasized thest word and it was thest straw.


    "No!" Julius pounced on Haedon like a rabid dog and punched out. Haedon responded with a punch of his own.


    The space stilled for a moment before a tsunami of scarlet and golden light drowned everything.


    Haedon rubbed his bloodied fists and sighed inwardly.


    Despite his better rank, Julius recovered more strength than him. If Julius was right in the head, he''d have no chance.


    Thankfully, with the destruction of the te as well as Julius'' celestial rank strength, he''s able to realize that he was manipted in the past.


    And that messed up his mind enough to give Haedon a chance.


    "I didn''t want to kill them! I hate you! I hate myself!" Julius cried out as heunched a flurry of attacks.


    Haedon was pushed back constantly but he remained calm and protected his vitals.


    Soon, Julius was panting. With his indiscriminate use of energy, fatigue was building up. On the other hand, except for some minor injuries, Haedon remained fine.


    Julius was slowly calming down.


    "You don''t have a right to live, Julius." Haedon pushed him again. "You are the biggest traitor to mankind."


    "Shut up!" Julius rushed at him once again and continued the fight.


    The fight proceeded as Haedon directed and after a few minutes, Julius'' exertion finally caught up to him.


    Then, Haedon who preserved his strength began an offensive.


    The battle dynamics were reversed in an instant.

 Chapter 1042 Kill Me!

    Julius smashed through hundreds of asteroids, breaking them apart as he barely defended himself against the Abyss Emperor''s assault.


    While his own irrational exertion caused him fatigue and put him in a weaker position rtive to Haedon, he still shouldn''t be this weak.


    "What happened?" Abyss Emperor smirked as he yanked Julius by his arm and elbowed him in the chest.


    Julius'' chest bones cracked apart and his back arched as he vomited blood.


    "People like you can''t win. Can never win." Haedon continued to mess with Julius'' brain as he continued his attacks.


    It''s working.


    Something inside Julius, perhaps his newly found conscience after many years, was being shaken by Haedon''s words.


    Julius was so overwhelmed with the sudden emotions he regained as well as the attack on his conscience that he failed to think clearly.


    It all led to him not exerting his full strength and being further suppressed by Haedon.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    Julius'' instinctively worked to defend himself and stopped attacking altogether.


    The space shed with red and golden lights as the two men moved at rming speeds, one trying to kill and another trying to defend.


    They weren''t tiny specks of red and gold. They were huge swaths of light, almost like a mini-sun. And every time they shed, their lights fluctuated and grew brighter or dimmer.


    It was as if a million fireworks were set off in the asteroid belt. It lit up brighter than any morning on earth and was stunningly beautiful.


    Julius continued to dodge but his mind remained in the memories that kept shing by.


    Once upon a time, not too long ago before he got the te, Julius risked his life to save a mother and child on aoid.


    Rationally, it was a stupid risk. Everyone else on the spaceship that crashed onto theoid was saved. Even if the single woman and child died, it wouldn''t be a big deal.


    Moreover, the abyssals almost reached the spaceship. Sending anyone to rescue would result in far more deaths. Everyone abandoned the mother and child for ''rational'' reasons.


    But Julius dived into the crowd of abyssals and saved the two lives. He nearly died there. Never once did he regret it.


    That''s the kind of man he was. Not the monster who''d kill a billion for an artifact.


    He would''ve convinced everyone to give Albert their artifacts to make a celestial ranker. He would''ve helped Varian as much as he could and would be happy for a new warrior for humanity. He would''ve never even dreamed to harm his fellow sovereigns.


    ''My sins are beyond what should be even allowed¡­''


    Julius'' mind was torn apart as he felt himself breaking apart from the inside.


    "Pay for your wrongs with your death." Haedon punched out.


    Julius raised his arm to block the punch but at thest moment, he lowered his hand and let the punch strike him.


    Staggering backward, Julius'' vision grew dizzy. His injuries piled up while he continued to bleed profusely.


    There''s just no way he could¡­


    Staring at the Abyss Emperor, Julius felt for a moment, that perhaps this was the retribution for everything he had done.


    ''I can''t win against him. I''ll lose. So will everyone.'' Julius'' heart epted defeat and Haedon sensed it immediately.


    Their figures shed a few times and the fight stopped.


    Julius knelt on arge asteroid, his kneecaps broken and his arms twisted in strange angles. Too many of his bones were cracked and too much of his body was damaged. There was a pool of blood forming under him.


    Yet there was no pain on his face. He stared down with relief.


    ''This is my end. A proper end.''<novelnext></novelnext>


    Even if he wanted to, Julius could no longer fight. He only wanted to die and end everything.


    Haedon clutched his hair and raised his head. Julius looked up at him with dead eyes.


    "No, I''ll not grant you death."


    Julius'' eyes widened and he opened his mouth to speak but Haedon smashed his head from both sides.


    The world buzzed as Julius felt his hearing slowly disappear. He couldn''t hear anything.


    "W-Why don''t you kill me?" Julius asked as his head spun.


    "Even if I speak now, you can''t listen," Haedon said.


    As expected, Julius just stared at him in confusion. But seeing the sinister smile on the abyssal''s face, he understood his intentions.


    "No. Kill me! Please! Kill me!" Julius tried to stand up but his knees were no longer supportive and he copsed to the ground.


    Haedon stepped on his head and pressed down. The asteroid cracked and Julius'' scalp began to bleed.


    "You disgust me, Julius," Haedon raised his foot and stomped down with greater force.


    Blood spilled out of the crack and sshed on the abyssal''s face. Haedon raised his foot again and continued to trample, with greater force each time.


    "I lost everything and was forced toe here. But what for? To defeat a pathetic weakling like you?" Haedon''s face contorted as his eyes zed with rage. "If you''re going to lose anyway if you''re going to beg for death, why didn''t you just do it earlier? It could''ve¡­saved them all."


    All Julius managed was a whimper as his heavily injured head continued to push his consciousness to nk out. But somehow, his hearing was beginning to return.


    Julius wished it didn''t. Because he heard the cruelest words ever said.


    "I will not kill you. It''s too easy of an end for you. I will destroy you, make you incapable of exerting any power and I''ll disy you in a museum, letting everyone and everything see the traitor. Your great deeds will be revealed and you''ll be exposed."


    "Mff, arghh, No¡­" Julius wriggled and with great effort, raised his head out of the crack against the foot pressing down on it.


    His eyes were filled with tears and he pleaded. "K¡­ill me, I beg yo¡ª"


    Boom!


    Haedon stomped him back into the ground and twisted his foot. "No. I can''t be the only one living with regret for the rest of my life."


    Saying so, he kicked Julius'' neck with another leg and knocked him out.


    "With him gone, the legacy is finally mine." Haedon turned in the direction of Pluto and his face rxed a little.


    "No. It''s not." A middle-aged man jumped out onto the asteroid and walked toward Haedon fearlessly.


    "Not even a sovereign and you dared to stand in front of me." Haedon''s lips curled up in contempt. "What gives you the courage?"


    Evander''s ck hair began to turn white as a strange aura enveloped him. His strength forcibly climbed from the peak of level 9 to sovereign and then it went a step further and reached the celestial rank.


    Though he was indeed a celestial ranker, he''s significantly weaker than Julius.


    A silver light began to emanate out of Evander and the asteroid began to crack apart.


    "Even if I''m injured and exhausted, defeating me is something you shouldn''t even dream of, your fake power is nothing." Haedon snorted and kicked Julius away.


    "For a man who won since his opponent had no spirit to fight, you have a lot to preach." Evander''s words pricked Haedon like a cold needleced with poison.


    "Die!"


    The two shot forward likeets and shed.

 Chapter 1043 The Final Battle

    Varian jolted out of his sleep and looked around in vignce. The back of his shirt was wet with sweat and his breath was ragged.


    Another bad dream. Ever since Julius reached the celestial rank, Varian couldn''t find peace.


    In the nightmare just now, Julius found their location and brutally tortured them before killing them in front of the crowd.


    Varian tried his best but he felt helpless.


    It felt just like his birthday when he remained helpless as the fire wolf reached out to kill his mother. And just as powerless as Enigma killed them both in trying to save him.


    "No. It won''t happen again." Varian covered his eyes with his palm and took a deep breath. "I''d rather die."


    The sounds of uneven breathing came from his left and right. The girls woke up while giving him aining look. Varian moved abruptly and broke their sleep.


    "Sorry," Varian said and walked out of the room. He wanted to meditate a bit at least and try to clear his mind.


    "Bad dream?" Sia looked at Sarah after he left.


    "All the three of us are having them." Sarah drew her knees together and rested her chin on them. "I just dreamed of us dying in Hortus."


    Sia smiled wryly. "And I saw Varian dying to that Undead."


    Sarah noticed the dried tear marks on Sia''s face and sighed. She could feel the same on her own face.


    No matter how functional they were in the war, their minds were being slowly crushed by the unending conflicts.


    "I want a break. A looong break, at least one year." Sia sprawled on the bed and stared at the ceiling. "Just a mundane year with a normal life."


    Sarah got up from the bed and stretched her arms. She changed from her negligee into abat uniform and walked into the training room inside the ghostship. "Peace isn''t given, it''s grabbed."


    -- -- --


    Evander vomited blood as he crashed into an asteroid and broke it into pieces. Half of his hair turned white and his fine skin was now filled with wrinkles.


    The middle-aged man who looked like he was in his early 30s now seemed like someone in his 60s.


    "A very fine technique to grant celestial power to mortals." Haedon raised his hand and a golden light filled the space. "But it''s not yours, after all."


    Evander gritted his teeth and retreated back.


    Just a momentter, a hundred miles of space shook as shockwave after shockwave wrecked everything.


    ''I can''t hold on for long.'' Evander nced at the fainted Julius and hoped that bastard to wake up.


    But he didn''t know that Julius did wake up already. But he gave up fighting and didn''t even make any effort to recover. Julius was broken from the inside.


    "You''re an unexpected surprise, but that''s it." Haedon charged forward, carrying with him a tsunami of golden starlight aura.


    Evander retreated and sent a message to Boo.


    ''Take them and go away! Abyss Emperor cannot be defeated. Don''t fight him! It''s useless! I repeat, don''t fight!''


    Even with him giving his best, Evander only managed to give small injuries.


    On the other hand, Evander was dancing close to death.


    -- -- --


    "What the fuck is going on?" Varian asked after seeing the messages on hold on hism as well as the strange messages from the news outlets.


    "Master, there''s no time. We must leave!" Boo waved its hand in panic and said.


    Varian''s eyebrows knitted together and ignoring Boo''s frantic pleas, his mind sense swept into the top messages and learned of the situation.


    A cold sweat broke out from Varian''s forehead and his heart nearly stopped beating.


    "A-Abyss Emperor is here?"


    "Yes, and Julius lost to him!" Boo said in a crying voice. "Master, we must evacuate when we have the time. You can take revengeter! Don''t risk your life."


    While Boo was talking, Sia and Sarah rushed into the room with anxious faces. "Did you hear, Abyss Emper--"


    "Please evacuate. It''s impossible to win against him." Boo yelled at them in tears.


    Varian nced at Boo with a serious gaze and then turned to the database. The final message of warning came from...Evander.


    He''s supposed to go to Mercury to pay homage to his father. Why the fuck was he fighting Haedon?


    Varian recalled the moment when Evander revealed he could temporarily increase his strength to a celestial rank.


    "Shit!" Varian mmed his forehead with his palm. "Fuck! Fuck! Boo, go there!"


    "But master, it''s danger--"


    "Get moving! Now!" Varian said sharply.


    Sarah and Sia went through all the data they had and slumped on the couch with pale faces.


    Especially Sarah. After learning Evander was fighting, her face went ghostly pale. Thankfully, she didn''t cry or faint. After everything she went through, she''s mentally very strong now.


    Varian wanted to assure them that things were going to be fine. But he couldn''t bring himself to say those words. He had no idea what''d happen.


    Julius lost! Abyss Emperor won! Now, even Evander was losing! If these two celestial rankers lost, then who else could fight Haedon?


    ''Arghhh! Damn it! Fucking dammit!'' Varian clenched his fists as his heart raced with fear and anxiety.


    What should he do now?


    Fight? But that''d mean death.


    Abandon Evander, the sr system, and all humans?


    Could he do that? Even if he''s selfish, he really couldn''t find it in himself to escape while Abyss Emperor ughters fifty billion humans.


    The ghostship quickly rushed through the teleportation formations and raced to the asteroid belt beyond Pluto.


    As they drew closer, Varian could feel the terrible fluctuations in aura even from inside the ghostship.


    The space shed gold and silver. But mostly gold. It''s like they''re in the oceans of aura that could drown and destroy them anytime.


    Soon, Varian saw the two figures shing. It was almost like two stars were colliding.


    Evander once again crashed into the asteroids and got another heavy injury. But unlike all other times before, he didn''t get up this time.


    He couldn''t.


    Haedonnded on the asteroid and walked to him in slow, rxed steps.


    Evander''s hair waspletely white and his skin was saggy. His bright eyes were now cloudy and his back was hunched. The powerful man now looked weak, vulnerable, and on the verge of death.


    Evander burned up all the vitality he could. The only reason he''s even alive was his body instinctively refused to let him burn the final reserves--the reserves that kept him alive. But they wouldn''tst. He''d die soon. Maybe a day? A week?


    But it didn''t matter.


    His whole body was riddled with wounds. Even with his healing powers, the injuries would take him down in an hour.


    "Was it worth it? You chose to burn your life up while you could''ve escaped." Haedon said with resentment.


    In Evander, he saw himself. No, he saw the opposite of his own reflection. Unlike him who ran away, Evander was courageous enough to sacrifice himself.


    Haedon hated him for it. And he wanted to prove him wrong.


    "Your efforts are futile, human. You are wrong. I am not." Haedon knelt in front of the old man and said. But there was no conviction in his words, only guilt.


    "Eh, Ehe," Evanderughed weakly, his ssy eyes filled with mist. The powerful voice was now weak and old but it carried with its conviction that Haedon didn''t have. "H...He will make it right."


    Haedon''s eyes suddenly shed and he shot in the direction of the spaceships where the final abyssal survivors were staying at.


    An explosive was dropped at them and it''s going to st them in a second.


    "Stop!" Haedon reached them in a snap and grabbed the explosive in his hand. It exploded but didn''t even shake his palm. Not even his skin was bruised.


    But to protect thest members of his race, Haedon was fully focused on stopping the explosive that he got hit by a ck beam of light that appeared from behind.


    The ck beam drilled into his body like a wriggling shadow and began sucking his vitality.


    Haedon curled up as ck fumes spread out from his back, stomach, and other parts like tendrils before they pierced back into him.


    Blood leaked out of his eyes, nose, and lips as a ck aura spread out from him.


    The abyssal survivors nearby screamed and tried to run away. But the aura touched them and they dropped dead with nk eyes.


    Varian watched his biggest enemy lose vitality with a solemn gaze. The death strand wouldn''t have worked at any other time.


    But the extremely weakened, injured, exhausted state of Haedon was the only reason he got ambushed and got affected by it.


    Varian hoped it''d end him.


    But.


    "Arghhh!"


    Haedon''s aura fluctuated violently and his skin began to break down. His muscles went taut and broke.


    But Abyss Emperor stood straight and stared at the ghostship. "Did you really think a strand of that energy can kill me?"


    Varian teleported in front of the ghost ship and faced Haedon.


    Sia and Sarah wanted to teleport right away but he asked them to wait for an opportunity. Boo took the opportunity to silently save Evander.


    "I did hope it''d kill you." Varian stared at the heavily injured and exhausted Abyss Emperor with a solemn gaze.


    Haedon was severely injured right from the start. Still, he fought Julius, and defeated him. Then he fought Evander, and got further exhausted. Even then, he took the attack of the death strand and was still standing.


    If he wasn''t injured in the first ce...


    Varian''s aura fluctuated slightly and he locked onto the Abyss Emperor.


    The death strand weakened his greatly and this was the best chance he had at defeating him.


    "Come." Haedon smiled.


    The space shed gold.

 Chapter 1044 A Hopeless Fight

    Varian''s fist broke through the sea of golden starlight and reached the Abyss Emperor. But the abyssal''s fist blurred and the space burst.


    "Huh?" Varian''s view spun as he felt his body nearly rip apart from the outside. His chest was burning and his entire body was spasming in pain.


    The next thing he knew, he was flying off like he was a cannonball, albeit at a speed much faster than a sovereign''s.


    "I¡ª"


    Blood poured out of his mouth and only then did Varian realize that there was an abyssal fist-sized hole in his chest. The only reason he''s even alive was that it''s on the right side of his chest.


    But that hole seemed to be drilled almost all the way to his back. It was as if someone literally pulled out a chunk of flesh from his chest, but stopped just short of the skin on his back. Varian''s chest was hollow and he felt empty as the pain seared his nerves.


    But the pain was almost instantly suppressed by the rush of adrenaline that overwhelmed his system and overcharged his heart.


    Varian''s instincts screamed danger and pushed for him to escape. Without any dy, he channeled his space power. His body blurred and he appeared a thousand miles away.


    The next second, a huge explosion urred at his previous location and a blinding golden light spread out like a tsunami.


    Piercing through that golden light, Haedon shot toward him at a speed far exceeding anything Varian could achieve.


    Varian saw the bloodied fist of the Abyss Emperor and felt the cavity in his chest ache.


    "Bastard!" Varian didn''t even try to fight in close quarters and disappeared into the distance.


    A psychic attack tried to drill into his brain and slow him down while the space around him tightened and even the time flow around his body slowed down. Then, invisible chains built from telekic powertched onto his arms and legs. Two swords built from lightning and ice swung at Abyss Emperor''s neck.


    Faced with the might of Varian''s powers, the Abyss Emperor stagnated. But only for a split second.


    "Varian, pay for your sins!" With a thundering roar that literally pushed the nearby asteroids away, Abyss Emperor moved.


    Even with his current state, the psychic attack made no impact on his firm and experienced mind. His mind was firm like an iron wall.


    The space around him still remained hard while his time flow ensured he was slower than he should be.


    Despite these two slowdowns, he still moved at a speed significantly faster than any sovereign could.


    The telekic chains snapped like they were made of cheap thread and the abyssal just swatted away the swords as if they were paper balls.


    Like a menacing bull that broke all the obstacles, he raced toward Varian.


    "Son of a¡­" Varian teleported away, his mind racing against time as he racked his brain for a solution to defeat this overpowered foe.


    Varian was thankful that he was sleeping until now and only learned of Haedon after Evander battled him.


    If he met Abyss Emperor instead of Julius first, he''d be dead. Even if he fought Haedon after Julius he''d still be head. For fuck''s sake, even if he was fighting him after Evander drained him further, Varian still felt the breeze of death washing over him.


    Haedon was already very, very weakpared to his prime. Yet, his power remained at a level Varian couldn''t reach even with the best of his efforts.


    Haedon charged forth like a mad bull, smashing asteroids left and right, exploding hundreds of miles into nothingness as he chased after Varian who continued to teleport away.


    "If you never existed, everything would''ve gone smoothly." Haedon rushed to Varian standing on an asteroid.


    When he was about to reach there, Varian teleported. He escaped again!


    "You coward! If you shut up back then like you''re doing now, everything would''ve been fine!" Haedon grabbed the metallic asteroid and literally broke it into two with his bare hands.


    Pebbles, metal bits, and dust flew out under the might of the abyssal. The shockwave from that single snap was enough to end the life of a low level 9.


    "How do I win this monster?" Varian gritted his teeth as he continued to retreat.


    Every second felt like an hour. Every teleportation was a close call. Every sessful escape was just a dy from shing. If he failed once, even once, then he might be killed.


    Under extreme pressure, Varian performed exceedingly well and continued to dodge the attacks of the Abyss Emperor for a total of six minutes.


    The cavity in his chest closed up and Varian wanted to dy longer.


    ''If I can exhaust him by dragging him for an hour or two, then¡­''


    Varian discarded that thought immediately after he noticed something.


    Abyss Emperor''s aura was¡­stabilizing.


    It wasn''t just him that was recovering from the injuries. He too was recovering. And from injuries far graver. Even though his recovery speed was much slower than Varian''s, if Abyss Emperor recovered even 1% more of his power, it''d end this battle.


    "Now!" Varian realized he had no choice and condensed his powers once again.


    After the six minutes that felt like six hours, he attacked Abyss Emperor.


    Just like before, his space, time, and telekic powers restricted Haedon while his psychic power attacked his mind.


    But different from earlier, he received help as Sia and Sarah also joined him from as far as they could.


    Sia''s psychic power attacked Haedon along with his while her gravity power acted on Haedon''s body. Then, a chain of darkness materialized and bound his right leg. Almost at the same time, a chain of light materialized and bound his left leg. The time flow around him twisted once again and he slowed down further.


    Haedon''s power still remained in the celestial rank. But he wasn''t so invincible anymore. His power was now in the visible range, unlike before when they couldn''t even judge his insane strength. But the bad news was that his power level was at the ceiling of what they could feel and observe.


    "You¡­you little thieves, cowards who can''t fight alone," Haedon spat in contempt as he stared at Varian and then shifted his gaze into the far space, exactly where Sia and Sarah stood inside the ghostship.


    A wave of aura swept over them before a part of the thick killing intent locked on Varian reached them.


    Even from afar, the two girls felt goosebumps being stared at by such a terrifying being. Sweat trickled down their foreheads and their faces paled visibly.


    Their bodies trembled visibly and their hearts thrashed against their chest as their aura instinctively channeled itself in defense.


    But more than what they faced, Sarah and Sia together feared for Varian. If they faced this much pressure from such arge distance, what was Varian even feeling like?


    Their lover''s body shook as his aura grew violent but he pressed it down and clenched his fist. His fingers dug into his palm and blood sshed his fist.


    Varian''s body glowed with eight lights and he shot toward Haedon like aet.


    If there''s a chance to defeat this monster, it''s now.

 Chapter 1045 A Broken Promise

    Haedon fumed like a beast and his body spasmed against theyers of restrictions that enveloped him.


    He couldn''t move as fast due to the space restrictions, couldn''t fight or defend with his body due to the gravity restrictions, and couldn''t use superior reaction speed fully because of the time restrictions.


    Yet, Haedon growled in anticipation as Varian reached him with glowing fists.


    "You havee to me, seeking your own death." Abyss Emperor smiled brightly, even as blood leaked out of his teeth, and clenched his fist.


    A golden starlight enveloped Haedon and a powerful aura burst out of him. The space around him twisted as he raised his fist and punched out, meeting Varian''s fist at the precise moment.


    Varian''s eight lights and the golden starlight shed for a moment before the space went dark.


    Then, a golden light lit up and shimmered in the dark space.


    "Arg¡ªFuck¡­" Varian grabbed his right shoulder and red at Haedon with a mix of shock and anger.


    From the shoulder de all the way to the hand, his right arm was effectively broken. His arm bones cracked and even splintered. His entire right arm was now just a mass of blood and flesh with pieces of disjointed bones.


    "Do you realize now?" Haedon smiled which soon turned into a sneer. "The gap is unsurmountable. But your eight paths, that power might or might not even be from devas. It interests me."


    Varian gritted his teeth and wanted to teleport again to wait for his injury to recover. But in that time, Abyss Emperor would also recover.


    He''s unable to fight even now. Even if his arm got back to perfect condition, would he be able to fight a stronger abyssal emperor?


    "Don''t worry, you''ll tell me your secrets, you''ll beg me to listen." Abyss Emperor''s eyes shone with hatred. "While you pay for the sins youmitted, killing everyone I loved."


    "I didn''t kill anyone you know, you coward. You couldn''t just save them." Varian shot back, trying to dy the fight just a bit longer.


    "Then neither have I killed a single human." Haedon smiled carelessly.


    "Billions¡­billions of deaths and you don''t even acknowledge¡­" Varian shook with anger.


    "And a hundred billion of mine! You vile thing! You have no idea how much blood you have on your hands!" Haedon roared back, space thundering.


    Varian took a short breath and nced at Haedon''s eyes once again, but with a more careful eye this time.


    In those eyes, he saw pain. Pain deeper than anything he ever knew. Varian just knew that even if everything went ording to Haedon''s ns, the man himself would never have happiness in his life.


    He''s broken from the inside, twisted and destroyed. The only reason he''s even alive was to uphold his responsibility.


    But Varian couldn''t sympathize with him. Because he also saw the seething anger in his eyes. zing anger that''d burn down every man, woman, and child to sate itself.


    ''If I lose, everyone will die.'' Varian''s right arm still hurt terribly but he raised his left and prepared to fight.


    "Huh." Haedonughed with anger and jealousy. "You pathetic ant. You think you can be better than me? When even I couldn''t save my people, you think you can save yours?"


    Varian''s entire being shook at those words as the powerlessness of his own situation dawned on him rudely. But he clenched his fist harder and said. "I''ll either save everyone or¡­die trying."


    Haedon stared into Varian''s resolute eyes and paused. Then much to the young man''s surprise, Haedon said in a sincere tone. "May luck be with you."


    Then, they shed again. Like two meteors crashing against each other. But only, one was made of diamond while the other was made of copper.


    Varian flew back, his left arm barely dangling from his shoulder. There was a big fist print on his chest and blood was openly sshing out.


    "It''s useless." Haedon shook his head and took a step forward. He crossed a hundred miles and approached Varian.


    "Maybe." Varian couldn''t even raise his hand to fight. He drew back his right leg and prepared to kick.


    If arms don''t work, then legs. If the legs don''t work, then the head. If the head doesn''t¡­


    As his thoughts shed, Varian suddenly realized he had two girls that loved him to the core. That they''re behind him, watching him, supporting him at great risk to themselves.


    If he died¡­


    If he really died, they¡­


    Varian felt the corners of his eyes turn wet. He really wanted to turn around and flee from this fight.


    This wasn''t a fair fight. It never was. He wasn''t even a sovereign! He''s just a peak level 9!


    How could he fight a celestial ranker, no matter how weakened and injured he is?


    Why should he fight and head to his death when he had the option to stay alive? Once he got into the ghostship and escaped, even if it was hard to escape, he''d be safe. His lovers would be safe.


    He could save a few people close to him. And a few scientists and researchers. He could take them out of the sr system and go find another life.


    It didn''t have to be this hard. He didn''t have to fight.


    Yet he fought.


    ''I''m sorry, I can run away any other time. But not now. I''m sorry I''m going to break your heart, but your hearts will break only after mine.''


    Varian''s voice sounded in the minds of Sia and Sarah at the same time. Their already pale faces went bloodless and they copsed powerlessly in the ghostship.


    "No¡­" Sia tried to cry out but her throat seemed to be clogged, her cry died before it could ever reach him.


    "Please. No. Don''t go! Don''t leave me alone!" Sarah''s wails echoed across the ghostship as she closed her eyes and stubbornly fought back the tears that were on the verge of spilling out.


    Just a few feet away from her was an old man in an emergency tube. Her father was on the verge of dying. She''s already on the verge of heartbreak.


    And now Varian¡­


    "Please, I beg you!" Sarah yelled at the top of her lungs. "Come back, Varian! Let''s go away!"


    Varian heard their voices from hism. His face froze and his eyes shook but he didn''t step back.


    "Come at me." Varian stared at the Abyss Emperor at him with a fearless gaze.


    Haedon''s eyes shook seeing his own reflection in the young man. ''


    "If you¡­" Haedon''s voice was low but it shook the space. "If you swear under mymand, serve the abyss race, then I can let you live."


    Haedon didn''t really want to spare Varian. But he wanted to see the young man''s, his own reflection''s resolve crumble.


    "Your loved ones can also remain alive." He added. "The rest of humanity will get a peaceful death. This will be the greatest concession on my part."


    Varian threw his head back andughed.


    Seeing him refuse him without even a second thought, Haedon''s eyes shone with fury.


    At his enemy, Varian couldn''t even flip his middle finger. So, he constructed one with his lightning mana and showed it to Haedon.


    "You''ll regret this! You''ll regret everything as you die!" Haedon clenched his fists, preparing for the final strike.


    Varian gave him a nasty smile. "I am the protector of the human race. I swore for this position when I was nine. Everything I worked for, every drop of blood I shed, every hour of training, it''s all for this moment. I''ll either protect everyone or die before they do."


    As a child, Varian always hated heroes. They reminded him of his father who died to save hisrades. It broke his young heart every time he read about a noble sacrifice.


    So, he promised himself. He''d train and be the strongest. He''d be the greatest awakener there is. Then, he''d save everyone and bring peace. No more sacrifices. No more sad stories.


    He also promised himself one more thing. He''d never be a hero. He''d never sacrifice himself. His own son would never cry for his dead father. His wife wouldn''t weep in the dark nights.


    The young boy lost his father many years ago grew up and now he stood here alone, between the Abyss Emperor and the Human race.


    As the final wall against death and destruction, as the final hope against despair, as the broken promise to his younger self.


    Varian stood as a hero.

 Chapter 1046 Judgement

    Haedon pulled no punches in his punch as he punched a-shattering punch.


    Varian concentrated all his powers and met with a round kick. His leg twisted backward as the cracking of his bones resounded. It was a brutal and painful attack that nearly ripped all flesh out of his leg.


    Holding back the scream that reached his throat, Varian stabilized himself and prepared his other leg.


    Haedon didn''t attack immediately and stared at him for a moment.


    Varian''s eyes flickered in resolve even as his arms and a leg were crippled. His hair stuck to his face, his clothes were sticking to his skin due to all the sweat.


    The sound of his heart beating was loud against the backdrop of the sudden silence. Haedon could feel his condition just from that heartbeat. It was painful, heavy, and weak.


    "Chickening out now?" Varian mocked as he prepared his left leg for the attack, even though he knew it was futile.


    "You look so much like me," Haedonmented, ignoring his words. He med the death of his wife and daughter on Varian. He vowed to torture him brutally. But even with all the hatred, he couldn''t help but sigh when Varian decided to die rather than flee. "I was the hero of my people. You are the hero of people. We both have our viins. I failed. So will you."


    "Bullshit." Varian spat out a mouthful of blood. "You had some shit going on with Zions and got into fighting. There was legitimate enmity between you two. What did we humans do? Exist? You self-righteous motherfuckers want to kill us so that you can live and now you want to equalize our struggles? No, fuckface, you aren''t the oppressed, you are the oppressor. You''re just twisting the truth to feel good about yourself."


    Haedon''s body trembled with rage as his eyes shed red. Ever since the Fairies broke the Blood Province, more than a hundred billion abyssals died.


    A hundred billion!


    Humanity was devastated by the death of three billion. But what about his people? He witnessed the scale of death and destruction these humans couldn''t even imagine.


    He saw young mothers cutting their own flesh to feed their starving children, and heard the cries of old couples crying at the corpse of their young grandchildren that still didn''t graduate school. He''d never forget the scent of rotten flesh and blood he smelled in thousands upon thousands of cities. He''d forever remember the bloodied feather of his daughter that covered his face.


    "We are not oppressed?" Haedon''s chest heaved up and down. "You or any of yours don''t have the slightest clue what we''ve been through. What we''ve been forced into."


    "If I was you, I''d at least ept that I''m not sitting on a moral high ground," Varian replied, without even trying to continue the conversation or dy time.


    His right arm was nowing back and would be usable in a few more minutes. But it''s useless.


    All his paths reached the peak of level 9. Unlike every fight until now, he''s not growing stronger with each strike.


    He tried his best. But it wasn''t good enough. His strongest was still weaker than his enemy''s weakest.


    "I see. I don''t care about morality anymore." Haedon''s smile was tragic. He pointed to the corpses of the dead abyssals. Thest living abyssal said. "All my people are gone. I am thest of my race. Even if I survived, even if I found some magical treasure to continue my race, I¡­I don''t know if I can live with that."


    Varian sighed in relief.


    He and everyone here would die soon. But at least, humans had sent pioneers out of the sr system. There''s hope and a high chance of human civilization surviving.


    Maybe one day, someone would avenge them. But avenge what exactly? Abyssals were finished.


    This lone survivor would also die by that time.


    "It''s funny, isn''t it?" Haedon continued talking because he knew there''d be no one to hear once he resumed killing. This might be his final conversation for a long, long time. "Why am I even fighting for? Survival? My people are gone. Gaining glory? For whom? Revenge? Your actions indirectly caused their deaths but you are a secondary yer. Why do I even fight?"


    Varian wriggled the fingers of his right hand and tried to clench his fist. He couldn''t. It needed more time.


    Sia''s potion seemed like an option. But it''s not. If he took it, he''d need some time, not long, but still a considerable time to advance. Would this guy wait politely? No. Haedon might be talking now but once he took the potion, the abyssal would attack without hesitation and rip his heart out.


    Even though he epted he''d die, Varian wanted to die fighting, not in the middle of an advancement.


    "So, why do I fight? Not for glory or survival but as an exnation for all the dead," Haedon''s body glowed golden once again and an oppressive aura locked onto Varian. "Your deaths will be theirst rites."


    The sounds of bones crackling resounded once again and Varian felt the bones in his left leg also break.


    With four limbs broken, he copsed in the space as blood started to flow out of his open wounds.


    "I will not kill you easily." Haedon clutched Varian by his hair and flickered forward.


    The grip was so hard that Varian''s scalp began to bleed. Varian struggled and wanted to teleport away but Haedon punched him on the back of his head and he nearly fainted.


    Varian''s eyes grew dizzy and all energy left his body. He''s still awake but he''s no longer able to effectively channel his aura.


    Haedon clutched the enemy in his hand and appeared on the asteroid with Julius.


    Julius had now recovered somewhat. But his eyes were dull. Feeling the arrivers, his vision shifted lightly and he recognized the bloodied young man.


    ''Varian¡­'' Julius'' eyes glowed for a moment before they dulled again.


    Haedon threw Varian like a trash bag and thetter crashed on the ground and


    rolled on the sharp rocks for a distance before stopping.


    Varian grimaced as the rocks tore through his open wounds and dug in further. His body spasmed instinctively and he wanted to scream out. But something seemed to choke his throat and no voice came out.


    His vision was blurry, his mind dizzy and his body weary.


    Varian felt it at that moment. As his breath brushed against the fine dust on the asteroid and blew on his face, as his heart pumped desperately while his body began to slowly shut down, he felt death waving at him.


    ''My sweet deathdy. You really want me that much, uh.'' Varian wanted to smile but he ended up coughing and sttering blood on the ground.


    "Julius was strong. Even the man that came after him, even though his power was borrowed, had considerable strength." Haedon''s voice sounded as he stepped towards Varian at a leisurely pace. "But you, you are so weak it''sughable. How do you even dare fight me? It''s not even a fight."


    Varian gritted his teeth and wanted to refute. But he was right. Even if he took the potion, even if he reached the sovereign state, Varian was sure he couldn''t crush Haedon.


    The gap was just too big to be covered by three sovereign paths. Heck, even if all the eight sovereigns were alive and fought Haedon together, not the Haedon at his peak, but this pathetically weakened, injured, and exhausted Haedon, they''d lose. And they''d lose in minutes.


    ''You crazy bitch, you wanted me to fight Julius to reach the celestial state? I''d have died in seconds.'' Varian cursed the system, bidding farewell to it in his own way.


    [Host, you can escape. The system can¡­help. You don''t have to die.] The system''s voice was filled with uncertainty and disbelief.


    It shouldn''t be like this. The host''s fate seemed to have changed. Varian''s fate had always been a variable. But Logos could always figure out the general direction. But after he met the shadow of the Primordial God or maybe a bit even before that, Logos failed in reading his fate. Something¡­changed.


    [Host, the price is your powers would be sealed for ten years. But it''s alright, you ca¡ª]


    ''Fuck off and go find a good host. Just don''t try to kill him by bringing him catastrophe every other day.'' Varian snorted as he felt someone grab his leg.


    The next second, his vision spun and he rose into the air. Haedon held him by the leg and pped him down like a racket.


    BOOM!


    The asteroid cracked and Varian''s back broke, crushing whatever little mobility he had.


    "Arg¡­.fuc¡­k." Varian winced as hey on the harsh ground, staring up into space and Haedon''s face powerlessly.


    It''s finally here.


    Haedon stared at the young man''s face who was only a bit older than his daughter.


    ''Daughter¡­''


    Haedon''s eyes zed with fury and he forgot his own n to torture Varian before killing him brutally.


    At this moment, everything in his vision began to fade away and only the young man remained.


    This guy, his own actions were indirectly responsible for everything.


    "Varian," Haedon clenched his fist and it began to glow with golden starlight.


    The light shone down brightly on Varian''s eyes and nearly blinded him. The sheer pressure from the light caused the ground to slowly cave in.


    "I¡­" Varian writhed on the ground and tried to channel his aura to teleport. It didn''t work.


    "For all the miseries you caused me, this is your judgment." Haedon''s golden fist reached his face like a meteor crashing into a.

 Chapter 1047 Final Moments

    As the golden fist approached Varian''s face, time seemed to slow down.


    The sheer momentum behind the punch twisted the air and cut Varian''s skin. His skull started to shake and creak under the pressure and he began to bleed from his eyes, nose, and ears.


    Yet Varian kept his eyes open as he stared at the iing fist.


    Haedon stared at the fearlessness in Varian''s eyes and felt greatly insulted. If he killed his biggest enemy just like this, then what''s the point? It wouldn''t even be proper revenge.


    Varian should scream, cry, and beg. His eyes should be filled with fear and despair, with helplessness as he suffers unimaginable mental pain.


    ''This is too easy death for him,'' Haedon''s eyes fluctuated and his punch slowed down. ''Too easy.''


    A scarlet light suddenly shed and caught Haedon off guard.


    "Huh?" The sudden ache jolted Varan''s muddled mind into thinking even as his already broken body curled up to protect itself. ''I was saved?!''


    Only after a second did he realize that he was on some scarlet light and the space was receding at a ridiculous speed.


    Before he could even think more, something threw him off to another asteroid. Powerless and too injured to even respond, Varian crashed once again, his bones popping upon impact. Like a squeezed-out ketchup bottle, the little blood left in his body started to leak out.


    ''Son of a bitch, just kill me.'' Varian cursed as the severe pain engulfed his mind and body.


    "I hope you can do what I couldn''t." A voice he knew but couldn''t bother to identify in his current situation sounded from near but also from afar.


    Following a man''s painful groan, he heard an explosion and the man shot into the distance at the same high speed, causing the asteroid to nearly flip.


    Varian opened his mouth to curse but ended up coughing another mouthful of blood. His consciousness began to sink and his body began to shut down. He''s dying. There''s nothing he could do now.


    Many thoughts shed in his mind. But even the thoughts began to fleet away. His mind slowly grew nk and his heart began to slow down.


    As this happened, the six artifacts Julius left behind hovered around Varian and absorbed his blood, recognizing him as their new master.


    The Blood Gauntlets of Mercury fixed onto his bruised, broken, and bleeding hands. Varian''s arms spasmed and then the twisted bones began to fix themselves into ce. The red flesh was quickly covered by the new skin and the cracks on the white bones disappeared.


    A ring ced itself on his right index finger and Varian''s healing elerated.


    Then a pendant put itself around his neck and Varian''s mind, which was on the verge of sinking into darkness, burst into light.


    ''What the¡­'' With the clear consciousness came tremendous pain.


    A small crystal seed shining and glowing with multiple colors ced itself over his heart. Varian''s ntae power suddenly soared and his regeneration skyrocketed.


    Then a crystal armor enveloped him and turned into a in but elegant white shirt and pants. The regeneration improved further.


    Finally, the Demon Sword ced itself in Varian''s palm and his body shook with a surge of power.


    "Haaa!" Varian gasped and sat up, taking short, rushed breaths as if he just came out of water. "Haa! Huff! Ha-fuuu!"


    Varian stood up and stretched his body with utter surprise. The injuries were mostly healed.


    And the new strength¡­


    Varian clenched his fist and felt the surge of strength. He''s significantly stronger than before.


    ''But I don''t know if I''m strong enough.'' His vision turned to a dimming scarlet light that was being swallowed by the dazzling golden starlight.


    "Julius," Varian stared at the dying man with aplicated expression.


    Far away, Haedon lifted Julius by the neck and stared him in the eye. Pointing to Varian on the distant asteroid, he sneered. "Do you think your actions made any difference, Julius? He''ll die all the same."


    Julius'' squirmed instinctively as his neck slowly got crushed. But he still answered with a hopeful smile. "M-Maybe¡­"


    "You damn it!" Haedon clenched his fist and Julius'' neck exploded into chunks of flesh and bone.


    His head rolled in the space while his body copsed. The greatest powerhouse of the human race died a pathetic death.


    But Haedon wasn''t happy.


    He stared at the hopeful smile that still remained on that face and growled. It almost physically hurt him to see hope in his enemy.


    When he didn''t have any hope for the future, how dare these people, the cause of his race''s ruin, dream of hope?


    Haedon turned to Varian and snarled. "What will it take to break you?"


    His voice reverberated across the space and shook Varian''s heart.


    Death wasn''t the first thing Varian feared. But he wasn''t going to tell Haedon his worst fears. And he hoped his enemy would never find out.


    Varian took a deep breath and leaned forward.


    Haedon snorted in disdain. After Julius saved Varian by surprise, he fought him desperately and gave Varian the much-needed time.


    Yet, Julius failed to see that in the big picture, his help was useless and only elerated his death.


    In fact, his actions only aggravated Haedon more. Now with Julius gone, Varian was the sole bearer of all the hatred Haedon carried.


    Varian''s silhouette shed and he crossed the space between them in a blink, greeting him with a powerful punch.


    His power exceeded the peak of a sovereign. But it remained in the gap between a sovereign and a celestial. After all the struggle, it still wasn''t enough.


    "Petty tricks." Haedon shed down at Varian''s shoulder with his hand knife.


    It cut through his flesh like a knife cutting through butter and crushed his bones like a sledgehammer smashing a brick.


    Varian instantly lost his bnce and toppled to the side. Haedon moved faster and incapacitated his second arm.


    Haedon saw the shock in Varian''s eyes but he didn''t see any despair. This young man wasn''t fearing death and defeat. It irked Haedon to no end.


    "I ask you again," Haedon grabbed Varian''s leg and smashed him into an asteroid. It exploded into a million fragments of dust, stone, pebble, and debris.


    "What will break you?" He smashed him into another asteroid, breaking it as well.


    "I''m asking you politely." Haedon continued to break the asteroids with him even as Varian struggled to fight back.


    Soon, the battle was over.


    Close to death once more, Varian felt his eyes grow heavy. But he kept his vision fixed on Haedon staring at him. The abyssal was now smiling.


    Varian''s heart twitched as a sense of unease filled his mind.


    "I should''ve known." Haedon walked to him slowly, "For people like you who don''t fear death the most, there should be something¡­or someone in their lives more precious than life itself."


    Haedon suddenly grabbed to his left and the invisible ghostship that was sneaking up to Varian suddenly exposed itself.


    Varian''s eyes widened and his heart nearly stopped.


    "W-Wait!" He yelled, panic and fear filling his being.


    "Yes. That''s exactly what I want." Haedon''s smile grew brighter even as his eyes grew vicious.


    "I¡­I beg you¡­" Varian said through gritted teeth.


    "Yes. Fear, despair. I see it in your eyes now." Haedon said, slowly clenching his fist.


    The ghost ship struggled to escape but to no avail. Cracks began to quickly spread on its surface.


    "Don''t¡­" Varian pleaded.


    "Yes!" Haedon''s palm radiated a golden light that instantly enveloped the ghostship!


    "NO!" Varian drew upon the strength he didn''t even know he had and ran towards the ghostship.


    But when he was just a foot away, it exploded.

 Chapter 1048 Abyss Of Soul

    Varian''s mind went nk as the ghost ship exploded into pieces in front of his very pieces.


    "No." He muttered nkly, ignoring hundreds of metal pieces flying out of the ghost ship and out and piercing his flesh.


    The world went dark and only the broken spaceship remained in his vision. Or what remained after the explosion.


    A charred crater.


    "Boo¡­" Varian copsed onto his knees. "This is a bad dream¡­a nightmare." He lowered his head and dug his fingers into the flesh of his thighs as his entire body shook. "This is just¡­a nightmare."


    "It is real." The merciless voice of Haedon caused him to look up in anger.


    "You!" Varian''s anger surged and his killing intent condensed into a red mist that swiftly enveloped Haedon.


    Even the abyss emperor felt his skin tingle facing the killing intent. But that feeling onlysted for a moment before his eyes zed with fury. "How many of mine did you kill to grow this much killing intent? How many?!"


    Varian didn''t reply. Using thest of his strength, he was about to reach for his storage ring when Haedon suddenlyughed.


    "Your hell is just beginning."


    Varian''s hand froze and he looked up in panic.


    Haedon''s body shed and he disappeared. Then somewhere in far space, dozens of explosions went off and in a breath, a golden lightnded on the asteroid.


    Sia and Sarah were drenched in blood. As Haedon held them by their hair in his bloodied hands, their limbs were limp and broken. They were like rag dolls about to be discarded.


    Their weak eyes, flickering with thest bits of vitality, stared at him. Those pair of golden and blue eyes, the eyes he saw every day and every night, the eyes that filled him with love and peace, told him now not to me himself. They told him not to feel guilty because they knew him more than anyone else.


    ''W-Why?!'' Varian lips quivered as his eyes grew wet.


    He told them! He told them to run away! He told them to escape! Why did they do this? Why die for him?


    As if sensing his inner turmoil, Sarah moved her lips with thest of strength and mouthed the words she couldn''t voice.


    Her voice was silent but her words shook Varian''s heart.


    ''I love you.''


    Varian''s heart stopped beating for a moment before it thrashed against his chest.


    ''I love you too,'' He wanted to scream but his mouth wouldn''t even open.


    ''V-Var¡­'' A weak voice on the verge of vanishing sounded in his mind, freezing him in ce.


    ''S-Sia! Call Enigma! Teleport! Do anything! Go away both of you!'' He screamed inside his mind.


    ''I¡­I''m not leaving you behind.''


    Varian''s mind stopped working. His heart thrashed against his chest and his body began to stand up by itself.


    He promised. If they were all supposed to die, he''d go first, trying to save them.


    "C-Come fight me," Varian''s bloodied hand shook as aura flickered in his hand, trying to coalesce into a sword. But his state was so bad that he couldn''t even do something that simple.


    So, Varian took a step forward. He couldn''t fight now. Then the only thing he could do now was to die with them.


    "Stand down and watch your nightmaree true." Haedon snorted and a wave of golden starlight enveloped Varian and pressed him to the ground.


    Varian''s head flew back into the air due to the sheer force of the collision but his eyes remained fixated on his lovers.


    Only them and nothing else.


    "They tried to save that ship until thest moment and finally teleported. If they abandoned you instead of stupidly risking their lives, they could''ve survived." Haedon sneered, his every word driving a nail down Varian''s heart.


    "L-Leave them alone¡­" Varian gritted his bloody teeth and raised his upper body.


    But Haedon simply smiled and the golden starlight''s pressure on him doubled.


    Varian crashed to the ground hard and his bones snapped.


    "L-Let them¡­go!" He didn''t care about his pain, injuries, fatigue, and even death. He once pulled every inch of strength from his body and tried to stand up.


    "Cry more, beg more, despair more!" Haedon said and the golden light suddenly went blindingly bright.


    Varian let out a blood-curdling scream as the light gripped him from all sides and crushed his flesh and bones. He exerted all his body to thrash and wriggle, but Varian remained immobile, unable to even move an inch.


    Like a bug wriggling under a shoe, he struggled desperately and to no avail.


    Unable to do anything, he watched in endless despair as Haedon yanked Sarah and Sia by their hair and then mmed their faces into the ground.


    Warm, flesh blood sshed on Haedon''s face and the already weak breaths of the girls grew fainter, like a candle me about to disappear at any moment.


    "Arghhh!" Varian''s heartbreaking screams filled the sky as every nerve in his body screamed in agony.


    Haedon paused for a moment and stared at Varian''s face. The grief in his eyes, the rolling tears on his cheeks, the despair on his face¡­


    Haedonughed andughed before he started crying.


    "Finally!" He yanked their heads back by their hair and showcased their bloodied faces to Varian.


    "Sarah! Sia!" Varian stared at their battered faces in tears.


    Hearing his scream, they opened their eyes and looked at him weakly. Their eyes were dimming.


    Varian tried to break out of the golden light and save them. His skin cracked as his body exerted every bit of strength and his bones and flesh began to tear apart under the intense struggle.


    "This is exactly the grief I experienced when I watched my daughter and wife die," Haedon said and mmed their heads back into the ground, with more force this time.


    The blood that sshed on his face from thest time didn''t even dry and new blood sshed again.


    Then, Haedon did it again. And again.


    "No! NOOOO!" Varian screamed out of his lungs to the point his throat broke. Blood spilled out of his mouth and his voice came out no more.


    Every time he brutalized them, their eyes would dim a bit, and their breath would weaken a bit.


    "I¡­" Varian stared at their fading eyes and cried. They were bidding him farewell.


    Their breaths were hanging on a thread.


    They''re about to die!


    Varian tried to move, even as his bones broke and his flesh tore. He tried and tried. But it''s as if his body was frozen. It was frozen by the golden light. He couldn''t move.


    ''No¡­'' Varian''s heart constricted as Haedon raised their heads again.


    Two years ago, on that night, he was in the same position.


    Frozen on the ground and powerless to stop as the wolf was about to take his mother''s life.


    Two yearster and after everything he had been through, he ended up in the same position.


    ''No.'' Varian decided it shouldn''t the be same. It mustn''t be.


    A ck-light began to leak out of his right eye and devoured the golden light in a sh.


    ''Not again!'' A white light came from his left eye and poured Sia''s potion into his mouth.


    "Huh?" Haedon suddenly paused and blinked in confusion. What just happened? Why was Varian suddenly standing?


    ''I will not lose anyone again.'' Varian eyes shed and the ck and white lights rushed into his origin.

 Chapter 1049 Celestial Rank

    "What the hell is that?" Haedon took a step back instinctively, leaving Sarah and Sia to fall to the ground.


    His eyes were fixated on the man shrouded in the mysterious lights of ck and white.


    It didn''t look like the aura of a celestial ranker. It wasn''t even in the same league. It felt simple and part of everything around him. Yet it felt incredibly deep so much so that for a split second, Haedon felt like he was staring at the divine paths themselves.


    There were no words to describe the profound feeling emanating from those lights.


    Varian''s body floated into space and the light on him glowed brighter. The space around him started to crack apart and copse and even the time began to be distorted.


    Then, a wave of light swept out from him and in a blink, reached every corner of the sr system.


    At that moment, everyone freaked out.


    The suns just went off and the sr system turned dark. Thes stopped moving and spinning.


    In some ces, the water started flowing up the waterfall. In others, fire no longer burned. The ground started to drown. The oceans turned solid. Mountains began to float. The asteroids nearby broke down into tiny pieces and started rearranging themselves into even spheres.


    Haedon opened his mouth and stared at the figure in the space with utter disbelief. "Deva''s legacy? No, not even the strongest kingdom is capable of such a legacy. Only an Empire¡­damn it!"


    The conclusion caused Abyss Emperor to immediately pause. He had been giving credit to the Deva legacy for Varian''s many paths. Hybrids weren''t umon in kingdoms after all.


    But he was wrong. Whatever Varian possessed was something far more dangerous.


    ''Thankfully, he chose to advance now instead of escaping.'' Haedon jumped into the space and shot toward Varian at breakneck speed.


    Celestial advancements would take a lot of time and must be done with enough care.


    Fortunately for Haedon, he now had the best opportunity to take down Varian.


    As he approached the young man, he realized that the strange lights weren''t doing him any harm. They werepletely concentrated inside Varian''s body.


    Haedon paused for a moment and stared at Varian with aplicated gaze. "Even after having such power, you wanted to die."


    The discovery impressed Abyss Emperor and increased his determination to kill Varian.


    Such a powerful legacy gave Haedon hope.


    "Maybe one day¡­I could turn back time or bring back their souls and resurrect them." Haedon clenched his fist and stared at Varian with fiery eyes.


    Resurrection was a taboo even for the Empires. But there had been rumors and myths that it was possible for the gods. No one knows.


    But for Haedon who had nothing left, these little rumors and myths were everything. They were his hope and purpose.


    "If they must return, you muste. Maybe this is the universe''s way ofpensating me¡­you took my family and you''ll pay for it with yours." Haedon''s right arm began to glow with golden starlight.


    "The fairies and Zions will also pay," He punched out. "Starting with you!"


    The golden fist passed through the distorted space and time unharmed. The sheer momentum of the punch sent shockwaves flying for miles. It went straight for Varian''s head.


    The ck and white light covering Varian broke apart and the fist hit his head.


    Or it should''ve.


    A hand was grabbing the fist.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The simple action stopped the punch abruptly and caused a storm that wrecked the asteroids nearby.


    "You!" Haedon gaped in horror.


    Varian''s eyes were still closed and he was just halfway in advancing. Technically speaking, his origin should be in the process of making the bond with his divine path.


    It''s the most critical state a sovereign must go through. When the originpletely bonds with the divine path, the awakener steps into the celestial rank.


    Varian was giving off some celestial aura but he was still some distance from theplete transformation.


    But Haedon was already dumbfounded by this development.


    ''Why is he advancing so fast? It''d take days, even weeks. Was it the special legacy¡­?''


    Haedon gnashed his teeth and violently pulled his hand back.


    Varian tried to hold it back with all his paths. But Abyss Emperor''s strength trumped his and he failed.


    "You monster." Haedon tried to feign reign to belie the fear in his heart. "You''re dead."


    BOOM!


    Instead of fighting directly, Haedon dashed toward Sarah and Sia.


    It''s so despicable to threaten his enemy with his wives. But at this point, Haedon had no reason to care about his morality and dignity.


    He didn''t even want Varian''s power that badly. He wanted the hope it represented. The hope of bringing back a lost family. Even if he had to be the vilest of criminals, Haedon was willing.


    The reflection of Sia and Sarah in his eyes gotrger as he reached them at a breakneck speed. Even if Varian tried to chase after him, he wouldn''t be able to catch up.


    Then, he''d have all the leverage!


    ''But leverage only works when they''re not dead.'' Haedon intentionally softened hisnding so that he wouldn''t harm the two human females that were already on the verge of death. To survive for so long, they were really resilient.


    As he approached them, Haedon kept an eye on Varian who strangely hadn''t moved at all.


    ''Does he not care about them anymore? If that''s the case, it''d be useless for me to hold them. But he does care. Or else, he wouldn''t be that sad¡­''


    Varian''s eyes remained closed and the ck and white lights around him began to slowly dim.


    Haedon reached his hands out for Sia and Sarah. But just as he''s about to touch them, something changed.


    His arms¡­slowed down. He was moving them with proper speed but for some reason, they were much slower. And his mind suddenly grew dizzy, slowing down his own reaction speed.


    At the same time, the space around Sarah and Sia twisted.


    "No!" Haedon broke out of the trance and grabbed at them. All he grabbed was empty space.


    The Abyss Emperor turned around swiftly and stared at the shining man in space.


    His eyes were finally open and staring right down at him.

 Chapter 1050 The Beginning Of A Legend

    Even before Varian opened his eyes, he could see.


    The world changed. The space felt different as did the time. They were no longer rigid frames locking him down. Varian could feel the flow of time and space around him like he''d feel the flow of air and water.


    It was the powers of space and time that reached new levels.


    [Space Level 9 (50k/50k) --> Space Celestial Rank 1 (0/100)]


    [Time Level 9 (50k/50k) --> Time Celestial Rank 1 (0/100)]


    He could feel the life inside him and the death oozing from the death strand''s remnant energy inside the Abyss Emperor. They both were real and felt almost tangible.


    It was the wonder of ntae power, that now transformed into something more. It created a raw hunger inside him. Varian felt hungry, but not for food. He wanted aura, aura and aura.


    [ntae Level 9 (50k/50k) --> Famine Rank 1 (0/100)]


    Varian felt the bubbling of life inside him. He felt the ''chi'' of his superhuman path transform into something sublime. It was a force that he couldn''t really grasp. It moved inside his body recklessly sometimes and the others, it''d jump out of his body, trying to spread out as much as possible beforeing back.


    It was like a monkey that he couldn''t hope to tame but eventually must.


    [Superhuman Level 9 (50k/50k) --> Mystic Rank 1 (0/100)]


    Then came his most powerful sense yet. The sheer vibrant world of the spiritual sense. Every object, every rock, every pebble, every speck of dust had in it something that wasn''t just physical.


    It was simr to the ''soul'' a living being had that he could now feel. The soul inside living things had something different from that of the non-living. Perhaps the answer was self-evident, but Varian felt that it wasn''t that simple.


    Compared to other powers, his spiritual sense was much stronger. The spiritual vision was just too precise and spread out in every direction.


    This new power, whatever it was, formed from his two mental powers: Psychic and Telekic.


    [Psychic Level 9, Telekic Level 9 --> Spirit Rank 1 (10/100)]


    Finally, the matter and energy.


    As the power of slivers was still running, these powers got a temporary boost, allowing Varian to view the world in a fundamentally different way.


    The living beings were not particles of energy and matter. The suns were two big nuclear reactors. Every block of space, even though it''s in a vacuum, had either matter or energy or both.


    The whole world was painted in two colors of different intensities. It was like a psychedelic vision but a hundred times wilder.


    Finally, Varian opened his eyes. His pupils shone with a brilliant light of white and ck.


    [Lightning Level 9 (50k/50k) --> Energy Rank 1 (2/100)]


    [Water Level 9 (50k/50k) --> Matter Rank 1 (2/100)]


    The power boiling inside him was tremendous. It filled every inch of his being. Every bone, every muscle, and every nerve had the strength to destroy a mountain. A single drop of his blood would be enough to cause a crater. This was the level of power he reached.


    But Varian didn''t celebrate. Nor did he smile.


    After feeling his powers, he used his Spirit, Space, and Time powers to stop Abyss Emperor and rescue the two girls.


    They were breathing theirst breath when they reached him. It''d be toote for any treatment.


    Varian''s heart shook but his mind remained firm. He used the time power on them and slowed down their death.


    Then, a green light enveloped their bodies and his ntae power started to inject them with tremendous vitality.


    In just a blink, they were dragged from death''s clutches.


    Their mangled faces were quickly restored to their beauty and their bodies, destroyed from the inside, quickly returned to their perfect self.


    They recovered so fast that even Varian was dumbfounded. After the advancement, his ntar power was just insane. Oh, it''s famine power now.


    Varian nced at the faces of Sarah and Sia deeply before smiling slightly. "Thanks."


    Then he snapped his fingers and they appeared in a safe house Pluto.


    Varian turned to the Abyss Emperor on the asteroid and his eyes shone with anger.


    "You don''t deserve this power after everything you''vemitted!" Haedon roared at the top of his lungs and reached Varian with a golden sh.


    It was so fast that even Julius would''ve trouble reacting in time.


    But Varian effortlessly grasped Haedon''s fist and stared at the Abyss Emperor with an unsmiling face.


    Like before, Haedon tried to pull out of his fist out of his grip and retreat.


    "Arghhh, let go!"


    But this time, no matter how much he struggled, even when veins were popping up over his forehead, his fist wasn''t free.


    Varian''s eyes shed with a silver light.


    "Damn it! Damn it!" Haedon punched with his other hand and struck Varian straight in the face.


    Varian didn''t even dodge and took the blow that could destroy a head-on.


    It''s just, his face grew much denser at the moment of contact and the damage was mitigated.


    Even then, blood was spilling out of his nose and torn cheeks.


    "I wanted to try something," Varian said and


    His famine power activated and the aura in Haedon was pulled into his body.


    "No! Stop!"


    The aura entered his body and was devoured by the famine power before turning into his own strength. The efficiency of this process was very low. Because after swallowing the foreign aura, most of it would escape during the process of assimtion.


    When they grow stronger, Famines could improve their efficiency. But it''s still challenging to assimte something like the aura of another person.


    But Varian didn''t have this problem. When the foreign aura tried to escape, his other six powers blocked it out and pushed it back into the famine power.


    The efficiency wasn''t 100% even for him since the leakage was still present, it''s incredibly high already. And with increasing power, he might get to perfect efficiency one day.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Varian, unhand me right now or I''ll smash you into pieces." Haedon hissed.


    Varian gave a mocking smile at that threat. "Then, by all means, do it."


    "Arghhh!" Haedon poured out all his power and began to strike Varian a thousand punches a second.


    Varian got injured every single time and started to bleed. But his injuries were healed in less than a blink, all thanks to the power devoured from the Abyss Emperor.


    Haedon kept the high-intensity attacks for more than thirty minutes before he began to slow down.


    If it''s other famines, they''d be bloated already to absorb this much foreign aura. But this time, his famine power was grinding Haedon''s power into the pure aura and giving it away to his other paths.


    Thanks to this unexpected situation, Varian realized that he''d probably have near-endless stamina and resilience in a fight.


    Unless he''s killed instantly, it''s going to be very hard to take him down.


    If they fought him for a longer period, then his enemies would only be horrified.


    [Mystic Rank 1: 2/100 (+2)]


    [Famine Rank 1: 3/100 (+3)]


    Thanks to Haedon''s punches, these two paths progressed a bit. It''s also the primary reason Varian let him attack.


    But before long, Haedon''s breath grew ragged, his punches grew weak and slow and he was barely standing straight.


    There was no progress he could ''squeeze'' out of him. The aura of the Abyss Emperor dried up.


    Now, he''s weak and powerless to the point even a level 9 could kill him.


    Varian grabbed him by the neck and lifted him up.


    Haedon tried to struggle but his limbs couldn''t even move with theck of energy.


    "Abyss Emperor," Varian called out and slightly loosened his grip.


    Haedon stopped struggling and looked at Varian.


    "I promised there would be peace for my people. With your end, I''ll fulfill that promise."


    Haedon sneered and replied in a hoarse tone. "T-There''s no peace. It''s just a lie. Your civilization would soon be exposed to the nearby province and your secrets will be exposed. You''ll be hunted down by Duchies, even Kingdoms. Your race will be killed brutally. And I..."


    Varian felt an ominous premonition.


    "I prepared...a gift for you. For both of you." Haedon''s smile twisted into something sinister. "You''ll find out soon. Facing an enemy far beyond your power, you''ll feel the same helplessness I did."


    Varian wanted to ask more but Haedon''s eyes started to dim and he was about to explode.


    "Tsk," Varian broke his neck and brought him to the asteroid where Julius'' remains fell.


    There''s barely anything that could be called human now. But seeing it through his Famine vision, Varian saw Julius in that remains.


    Varian hated Julius to the bone. But without him sacrificing himself, he''d have died.


    He didn''t really understand what happened to him and why he suddenly changed his mind. But he could still recall Julius'' expression before his death. It was a face filled with relief.


    "Julius..." Varian sighed. "History doesn''t need to know your dark side. Even after every sin youmitted, you saved the world today. You bastard, I still hate you. But I''ll not deny what you gained at the cost of your life."


    "And you," Varian ced Haedon''s corpse on the ground. "You''ll remain the viin. Your struggles against Zions and Fairies wouldn''t be known to my people."


    "Huh?"


    A leather appeared from Haedon''s body and floated to Varian''s feet. He instantly recognized what it was.


    "A handwritten letter...to me?" Varian put it away and raised a finger.


    The asteroid rose up and moved toward Pluto.


    "Boo, take me--"


    Varian stopped and his eyes shook violently.


    "Boo!" He appeared on the asteroid where the ghost ship was destroyed and stared at the bits and pieces of metalying all around.


    Varian took a deep breath and scanned the debris with his powers. After an hour, his hopes died out and he returned to Pluto with the asteroid.


    ''Master~''


    ''Master, what are you doing?''


    ''Master, Boo is a cute little ghost, right? Right?''


    Sia and Sarah were waiting for him.


    They didn''t even wait for him tond and lunged at him, hugging him in the air tightly and crying.


    Varian felt their turbulent emotions and hugged them back. "It''ll be alright...everything is going to be alright."


    Then a voice came. A cute, childish, and familiar voice. "Master, Boo''s body is gone! Wooo~ Build me a new one! Waaa~"


    Varian''s eyes widened and he stared at the little metallic heart flying around him. "You..."


    "Boo is not You, Boo is Boo!"


    Varian blinked in confusion before he burst outughing. Theughter soon died down and a long, peaceful silence ensued. The repressed grief, frustration and fear in his heart melted away into hope for the future.


    He looked at his two lovers and smiled. "Ladies, are you ready for the marriage?"


    Sarah and Sia looked at each other in shock before they kissed him on the cheek.


    It was everything he needed to hear.

 Chapter 1051 Words Arent Needed

    Every single inch of Pluto bathed under a gray light. The ashes on Pluto¡ªthe remnants of the billion dead humans¡ªfloated with the fiery storm that wrecked the.


    "I am sorry I couldn''t save you all those years ago," Varian gently whispered as hended.


    The storm died down to a breeze, and the gentle breezes carried the ashes to him. The ashes swirled around him as if they were about to drown him at any moment yet didn''t touch him.


    Varian couldn''t understand why but his famine power''s ability to distinguish life and death made one thing clear.


    The ashes weren''tpletely dead¡­yet. There was something in them, something he didn''t know, that made them different from dead things. Perhaps it was a soul, a spirit, or something else.


    It had no power, physical or mental. It was like a spectator, allowed to only watch and make no impact.


    "I was young at that time. I couldn''t understand what the news entailed, but I felt really sad," Varian gently caressed the ashes and closed his eyes.


    The memories of that day shed in his mind. The horrifying deaths, the wails of the helpless, the doom of a billion. His young mind didn''t understand the depth of that horror.


    "After I grew up and gained the powers, I wanted to avenge you all one day. I didn''t think if that conviction would make any difference. Abyssals had to die, revenge or not. But now, I''m d I killed them trying to avenge you," Varian smiled and his eyes narrowed. "Even though you''re all gone, some part of everyone still remained."


    The gentle breeze stopped and the ashes slowly began to fall.


    "Now it''s all over. You can rest in peace." Varian gently grabbed a handful of ash and buried them in the ground.


    It was the trigger. The ashes all over Pluto began to melt into the ground and disappeared. Bit by bit. As if they thest part of their existence was finally bidding farewell, the ashes of a billion dissolved.


    "This is my first andst gift to everyone." Varian lifted a finger and tapped into the space.


    The sky rippled and a small but firm crack appeared. Out of it came the Abyss Emperor''s corpse.


    Varian clenched his fist and the corpse wriggled before an invisible force ripped the heart out of the body and brought it in front of him.


    "I wish I could''ve buried him whole here. But Neptune lost more of us. A lot more. He will be buried there. But I can give you his heart."


    Varian snapped his fingers and the heart exploded into bits of violet and green. Then a lump of water materialized in the air and enveloped the blood. After assimting the blood, the water went straight into the sky and formed hundreds of clouds.


    The clouds dispersed all over Pluto and rained the river of blood. The rain water seeped into the ground and washed the ashes, bathing them in the blood of the man responsible for their death.


    Today, a billion souls were avenged.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Father," Sarah knelt in front of the healing pod and lowered her head.


    "H¡­.He won," An old man so thin that he looked like a skeleton covered in skin, moved his lips with difficulty and said.


    "Yes. He did." Sarah gently held her father''s frail bony hand to avoid breaking it and said with a smile, barely holding back the tears threatening to spill out. "And he proposed. I said yes."


    Evander''s muddy eyes brightened and his dried, purple lips lightly arched up. His weak chest heaved up and down while his breath grew ragged.


    His already fragile heart began to tweak in protest as he experienced extreme joy. "Ah¡­Hahaha¡­"


    Evander used all his strength to turn his head to the side and nce at the face of his daughter.


    Unfortunately, he couldn''t see her face properly. It was blurry and dim. But he could imagine her.


    "B-Be happy," Evander''s voice was lower than the pping sound of a fly. Even then, it seemed as if he was using all his strength to speak. "I¡­I''m sorry I wouldn''t be able to make¡­it."


    The door opened and Sia stormed in with teary eyes. "You promised her. You promised me."


    Evander opened his mouth to speak but his throat was failing him. He felt weaker and his eyelids began to droop.


    "I¡­" It felt like he was pushing his chest out of his mouth. "I am¡­sorry¡­"


    Sarah covered her face and burst into tears while Sia turned around and leaned her forehead against the wall, her face growing pale.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Evander stared at the ceiling and his eyes slowly grew dimmer. Breathing grew difficult and every time he pulled air into his lungs, it felt like he was trying to fill a balloon riddled with holes.


    It hurt. It hurt badly as his legs grew numb. Then it caught up to his abdomen and waist. It was a chilling coldness that ate into his very being.


    Evander spasmed and groaned as the gut-wrenching pain wrecked his body. His frail body began to copse further with his excessive moments.


    "Haa!" Evander struggled to breathe.


    "Father!" Sarah cried out in panic and looked at the medical bots for help. The bots tried to stabilize his condition but it continued to worsen.


    "You''re our only elder, if you go too, we''ll be orphans." Sia sniffed back her tears and muttered in a low voice.


    She prayed for him to recover. But he''s really beyond any help. His vitality was fundamentally broken and he''s now a tree without roots, destined to die.


    Evander felt his eyes slowly close, and as they did, he sighed in his heart. He''s happy to have died for the greatest cause. But he still regretted that he was going to miss his two daughters'' marriage. He regretted that he was going to break his promise to Sia and his responsibility to Sarah.


    As his vision turned dark, Evander sighed as his consciousness grew blurry. ''But at least with Varian, I can go with peace of min¡ª''


    "You''re not going anywhere, old man." A familiar voice rang in his ears and the darkness enveloping him was ripped apart by a pir of light that struck deep inside him.


    Evander felt something inside him stir and then a tremendous vitality flooded him. It was richer than anything he''d ever seen or heard. A single drop of this vitality was enough to grow a forest for a hundred years. And now, an entire river of such vitality was filling his entire being.


    The weakness in his body, the fragility of his being, and the fatigue in his soul all disappeared as if they never appeared in the first ce.


    Evander blinked his eyes and stood up in confusion. His arms were no longer wrinkly and his head was no longer bald. And his chest no longer hurt.


    "What happ¡ª" Evander paused midway as he heard a familiar voice. It was his own voice, but not frail and weak but strong and deep. His original voice. The voice of Earth Academy''s Dean, the voice of Earth''s high general.


    "You did promise to do your duties on the marriage. How can you be allowed to die?" Varian shook his finger at Evander and grinned. "Try harder next time."


    "What next time?"


    "Stop joking around."


    Sia and Sarah chided him for the joke.


    But Evander stared at him nkly. Varian''s face didn''t change much since they first met. It appeared more mature but he''s still incredibly young. But what did change was the temperament.


    From a confused and hot-blooded young boy to a man who wielded power so high that he could fight against entire humanity by himself and still win.


    Seeing him bicker with his lovers like they were just the neighbor kids, Evander recalled the young student who arrogantly barged into his study not too long ago.


    ''If you want humanity to survive, make me your disciple.'' Varian said a year ago.


    And now, he did save humanity.


    Humanity survived.


    His disciple saved humanity!


    "Hahaha!" Evander suddenly burst intoughter and pulled Varian.


    The bickering stopped and the girls looked at the two men in surprise.


    Evander patted Varian''s shoulders and smiled at him with pride. Varian smiled back in gratitude and promise.


    Sometimes, words weren''t needed to speak.


    A sincere smile was enough.

 Chapter 1052 A Living Hope

    "Even if you never wanted it this way, the deaths of every soul on this are your responsibility. You were a good father, husband, and caring emperor. But Haedon, those were the very reasons for your downfall." Varian shook his head as the entire Neptune experienced rain.


    As a good husband, father, and caring emperor, Haedon couldn''t just abandon his family and risking to this side. If he did that long ago, he could''ve ughtered the human race and snatched the legacy.


    If he wasn''t as caring about his people as he was, he''d have ordered the abyssals to ughter humans at any rate, regardless of the cost.


    But the Abyss Emperor wanted them to win with minimum casualties. He wanted as few tragedies as possible. He genuinely wanted to see smiles on the faces of his people. That noble aspiration was the cause of his downfall.


    "You intended good for your race, but they were wiped out. Zions made your lives hell out of their own paranoia and they weren''t even affected." Varian stared at the raining sky of Neptune with narrowed eyes.


    Thest bits of Abyss Emperor washed down the soil smeared with the blood of the people that died a few days ago.


    "What an end to everything and nothing." Varian shook his head and disappeared from the.


    The war against abyssals was one of the most critical periods in human history. But in the jungle of the universe, it''s just a fight between two bugs.


    How many would actually care if the human race was wiped out? How many would care now that the Zions wiped out abyssals?


    Just like how a single human''s life or death was meaningless in the frame of entire humanity, a race''s life and death were meaningless under the eye of the cosmos.


    With the abyssal treasures hiding the sr system destroyed, the wider world would soon discover humanity.


    Awaiting them wouldn''t be roses and rainbows. Perhaps the real struggle had only begun.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    The human empire was in huge turmoil at the death of Emperor-to-be, Julius Xander. Panicking crowds hit the streets and despair filled thes.


    If even such a strong awakener died, then what hope did they have of surviving?


    They could die at any moment!


    Thew and order were about to get out of control and chaos was about to ensue.


    It was then that a brilliant light hovered over all thes of the Human Empire.


    Then a man made entirely of aura sat on an illusory chair of light. He appeared in the sky of every and was broadcasted on everywork.


    The man had a familiar face and was quickly recognized by everyone.


    "Varian!"


    "Why is he here?"


    "He went missing ever since Sir Julius ascended!"


    Spection drove people wild but before rumors could fly abound, Varian''s voice reached every corner of thes. "Julius detected early on that the emperor of abyssals was hiding in the sr system, trying to destroy our race."


    People paled at the mention of this ruler they never met.


    "So, he lured the abyssal by ying the emperor and I waited in hiding to ambush thest abyssal." Varian''s aura avatar stared at the sky and sighed deeply.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Then a video began to y.


    It showed Julius using thest of his power to save Varian from the clutches of Abyss Emperor and then dying in his hands. Then it fast-forwarded to Varian taking the opportunity and killing the abyssal.


    People instantly ''understood'' the truth.


    "It was a risky job. I insisted on doing it, yet he took it upon himself. He died and helped me kill the Abyssal." Varian''s voice carried a hint of appreciation and a hint of regret.


    Far from the crowd, Varian continued the speech from his mansion.


    "Julius will be remembered as the hero who saved the human race." He clenched his fist and said the words despite his personal ego not liking them. "No matter what our individual strifes were, at the end of the day, we are all in this together."


    The people cried for the lost hero and cheered for the hero that remained.


    Thanks to his deeds in the war, Varian''s poprity was already hitting the ceiling.


    With this battle, he became a household name that surpassed even Julius at his peak.


    The coronation ceremony would proceed in a week and shortly after, the Emperor would marry his dear lovers.


    Oddly enough, the people still went into festive mode. Perhaps they knew the immensity of the danger they''d just survived. That''s why they celebrated even harder for the uing coronation and prayed that it wouldn''t end up like the previous one.


    But in the depths of their hearts, people still harbored doubt. So, they ended up living every day as if it was theirst.


    As they prepared for death they couldn''t control, they cherished the life that they could.


    Only in these eventual hours did many realize what a miraculous gift being alive truly was.


    So, they hoped for life.


    Julius reached the legendary power level beyond the Sovereign state and helped take down their biggest enemy, finishing thest abyssal.


    With a much younger and insanely talented Varian reaching the same state and even being much stronger than his predecessor, people hoped for the impossible.


    They hope despite his young age. They depended on a young man, who still in the academy would''ve been a second-year cadet, hanging around with his level 5 or 6 peers.


    But they still hoped. Because he stood at the apex of the pyramid.


    Varian''s story or at least, his military exploits was fully released to people. It set off a storm in the social media space.


    From the most legendary hero, he turned into a mythical figure of sorts.


    Perhaps they were right. His journey from an unawakened to the celestial ranker was less of a legend and more of a myth.


    Many people could be living legends by doing things close to impossible. But there were no living myths.


    For awakeners, Varian was the existing impossibility.


    For themon people, Varian was the living hope.

 Chapter 1053 Preparations For The Celebration

    "¡­your performance should meet the highest standards. The whole human race would be watching you. You''d be performing under his majesty himself. I implore and order you, do your very best. If your best isn''t enough, do better." The New Dean of Earth, Anna Walker, said in the conference room.


    The cadets shifted nervously in their seats and nodded repeatedly. There was visible anxiety among them, one was literally wetting the chair with his sweat.


    Anna pursed her lips and gave them an encouraging nod. "I know it''s hard on you, but do remember, you got to perform over millions of other cadets. However small it be, you''re carving a part of history for yourself. People need hope, they wish for things to get better. The Emperor brings peace to the realm and you youngsters would be telling public that their future is in safe hands."


    Her words eased some of the tension. Indeed, they were incredibly lucky to get this opportunity. The performers would even get a chance to dine with Emperor and talk with him privately.


    ''I must be dreaming¡­'' Olivia pinched her thigh and wondered as the Dean walked out.


    After Sarah ''disappeared'' from the Academy, she took over as the captain of Siarah team. Ivy, Crimson and Luca remained. They''re all third year cadets now and have reached all reached high level 6.


    They''d reach peak level 6 by the end of this semester and in four years at most, they''d be able to advance to level 7. Or in one, if the new surprise product announced is not fake.


    "Hey, Olivia, the Dean is cool, isn''t she? I heard that she used to be a low level 9. But after this war, she suddenly reached the peak of level 9 and there are rumors that say she''ll hit the sovereign state." Luca nudged her with his elbow and snapped her out of her thoughts.


    Olivia looked at Luca''s face and nodded with a weird expression. Wasn''t he feeling weird with all of this? Just that?


    "Eeeeh! What will I do? Should I resign? There''s still time, right? Right?" Ivy jumped out of her chair and clutched her pink hair as she walked back and forth, her petite framing making her look like an angry cat.


    "You''ll be fine." Crimson leaned back in his chair and answered.


    "Really?" Ivy leaned toward him, her eyes sparkling with hope.


    "I mean, you might fail. But it''ll still be fine." Crimson replied with a bright smile but Ivy didn''t return that smile.


    "Arghh, you''re hopeless. Olivia, Olivia! What do you think I should do?" Ivy hopped toward her and asked with a pitiful face.


    Even though she''s a third year cadet, her small face and petite body made her look like a doll. Everyone instinctually treated her as a little sister they must protect.


    "You''ve prepared well. We''ll be fine." Olivia patted her small head.


    Ivy enjoyed the head pat for a moment before she stepped back and crossed her arms with a defiant expression. "I''m not a child, okay? No head pats."


    Olivia smiled at her antics.


    Ivy tapped her chin and looked at her teammates with a silly face. "But really, are we going to perform in front of Varian? It''¡ª"


    "Shut up and give him proper respect." A sudden shout from the group of six cadets in the room stopped Ivy.


    "I¡­" Ivy put her fingers together and looked at them in embarrassment. "I know him from before, I was just¡­"


    The six members red at her.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Fine," Ivy''s shoulders slumped and gave them a nce of annoyance. "Are we really going to perform in front of his majesty? It''s just weird, right? What do we say in dinner? How have you been?"


    Olivia smiled wryly. "I think we''re getting ahead of ourselves. Would he bother talking to us?"


    Her words caused the three of them to look lost. But they also agreed that it might likely be the case.


    Varian, no, his majesty was now far beyond their reach.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Every year on this day, the graduates would hear something about the horror or war and the need for peace. But not today. You''ve lived through the worst war of our times and are alive to see the beautiful peace," Irene nced at the graduates of Uranus Military Academy withpassion and pride.


    The graduates seated in the huge auditorium nced at the empty seats around them. Each seat had the designated namete, but more than 40% of them were empty.


    All of them died. They saved many helpless and killed many invaders, all at the cost of their ultimate sacrifice.


    They wouldn''t leave a big mark in the history. A hundred yearster, no, even ten, twenty yearster, the world wouldn''t talk about them. Only their families and close people would remember them.


    But the impact they had on the world was irreversible. Who knows? A child they saved at the cost of their life might one day be a sovereign and push the human race forward.


    Yet, even with all those thoughts, the graduates still cried softly. They lost their friends, roommates andrades. Just a year ago, they''re allughing and having fun together. A yearter, they''re all dead.


    Irene looked at them and her eyes softened. But she took a quick breath and continued. "The abyssals have perished. But we cannot discard our weapons. The Emperor said¡­"


    The graduates sat upright hearing that title and unknowingly held their breath. Tears stopped flowing and ears began to perk up.


    "He said that the end of abyssals is just the beginning of many such conflicts. The universe atrge has many civilizations and races, far beyond our current imagination.


    We''re in no immediate danger now. But we need to be prepared. If you want to prevent another war like this, if you don''t want your juniors and their juniors to have a graduation like today, then grow strong." Irene finished.


    The graduates stood up and gave her a military salute.


    Irene gave them a salute and said. "For the Human Race."


    The stadium shook at the graduates'' shouts.


    "For the Human Race!"


    "For the Human Race!"


    "For the Human Race!"

 Chapter 1054 Days Before Wedding

    Situated in what essentially is a beautiful forest on the outskirts and a delicate garden as its immediate surroundings, the pce looked majestic but also lonely.


    Irene headed to the quarters of the Queen Radiant. Even though the Queens would live together with the Emperor, for now, they''re following the customs and staying in a separate quarter.


    The corridors were wide, the floor was ted with golden-red metal coating, the walls were filled with paintings and art pieces from all the over world. The pirs supporting the structure were carved with stories of heroic humans.


    Irene walked absentmindedly and before she knew it, she bumped into the door. Touching her forehead, Irene looked left and right, and after confirming no one saw her gaffe, she sighed in relief.


    It still felt surreal for her. Was the war really over? Were the abyssals really finished?


    While she was telling everyone to get used to the new world order, she herself had trouble integrating.


    "And why is the door so hard." She wiped her forehead and muttered.


    Therge, golden double-door, crafted from the finest wood smelled like roses and lilies. It''s studded with precious gems and sparkled every other second. Irene just happened to bump her head into one of the harder gems.


    "Fuu~" Sighing lightly, she grabbed the golden handles on the door and pushed it open.


    With a small creak, the door gave way and revealed the interior. It was breathtakingly beautiful¡ªthe floor covered with plush red carpet and soft rugs, the walls adorned with intricate tapestries and handiworks, the softmps casting a gentle light throughout.


    Even Irene who didn''t like luxury and couldn''t care less about aesthetics felt impressed by this interior.


    But her impression was short-lived as she soon noticed the mess on the soft and veiled bed.


    Hundreds of exquisite nes with intricate designs, arrays of breathtakingly beautiful flowers and many small essories were scattered all over it.


    Worst of all, there''s a literal mountain of wedding clothes in the middle.


    Noticing her arrival, two heads poked out of a mountain of clothes, nearly causing Irene to jump back.


    "Oh? Sovereign Irene?" Sarah titled her head.


    "We are having a bit trouble here. Selecting a wedding dress is impossible." Sia closed her eyes in defeat.


    "Wait, didn''t Annae to help you two? Where is she?" Irene titled her head in confusion.


    "She tried her best." Sarah sighed.


    "But in the end¡­" Sia shook her head.


    Irene blinked in confusion and looked all around the room. Out of respect, she didn''t use her powers in the room.


    In the end, she found Anna, curled up under the bed with a bunch of clothes and jewelry.


    "¡­What the hell are you doing here?" Irene looked at her, dumbfounded.


    "I can''t¡­" Anna said through gritted teeth.


    "Why not? And what can''t?" Irene was genuinely confused.


    "I can''t¡­" Anna closed her eyes in pain. "I have no idea what to help them with. I¡­I never married."


    "Aren''t you a hundre¡ª"


    "Shut up, I''m just in my fourties."


    Irene patted her forehead and stopped talking to the woman. Anna, the perfect maid, failed for the first time in her task.


    "You shouldn''t have called her," She said to the girls.


    Sarah protested with an innocent face. "It''s not us, it''s him."


    "I can almost hear himughing at Anna now. He says its his revenge for calling him a virgin that day." Sia said with an amused smile.


    "Even after bing an Emperor, he''s bullying me. This is cheating." Anna''s groaned under the bed.


    Irene chuckled softly and reminisced about her own wedding as she said wistfully. "We have a lot of work to do."


    ¡ª- ¡ª- ¡ª-


    "Man, I really missed this ce."


    "Right? They stopped the bot fight here recently or I''d have gambled once more, arghh, my hands are itching."


    Varian and Kyle sat at a street restaurant, picking the freshly grilled monster meat and savoring the cheap food with delicious taste.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    On the other side of the road, there used to be a small bot fighting ring where Kyle used to lose his money.


    Varianughed thinking back to those times and punched Kyle lightly. "You''ll be one of the first members for Imperial Academy of Sciences, you still want to gamble in those bot fights?"


    His words caused the other diners to nce at them with suspicion which soon changed into dismissal.


    "Riching from you. Sovereigns wouldn''t visit any restaurant without booking the whole ce and youe to this ce," Kyle snickered and pointed at the rather old wooden frame of the restaurant. "You call yourself the Emperor. Standards, heh."


    This time, Kyle''s words caused even the restaurant owner to look at them. He knew what the emperor looked like. Everyone did. And this guy, who his friend, referred as the ''Emperor'' looked nothing like Varian.


    "Kids these days are smoking some crazy shit," Muttering under his breath, the old owner went back to work.


    On the other hand, Varian was not bothered by the weird looks people were throwing.


    Cooling his juice to a near freezing point and sipping it slowly, he said with deliberate arrogance. "You don''t understand. I don''t have to follow the standards, what I do bes the standard. Want to bet if this restaurant will be super famous if we reveal our true selves?"


    Kyle nearly choked on his food at that counter. Gulping down some cold juice, he mmed the table. "Of course it will. But that''s power abuse!"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    The customers in the store looked at them with a new understanding. These guys definitely came for scamming the old owner. Or maybe it''s all just a prank and they''re recording this from somewhere.


    Varianughed at Kyle''s rebuke and was about to continue when hism shed.


    [Looking forward to the day after tomorrow~]


    Sarah''s message arrived with a picture of her staring at him with a burning passion.


    Varian gulped. Marriage was just a day away but every minute felt like an hour.


    Sometimes, Varian just wanted to put himself to sleep and wake up on the wedding day but there''s just too much administrative post-war work for him to do that. It''s only now that he made some free time to chill out.


    [I luuuuv you :3 ]


    Sia''s message was simple but her picture was her giving him a seductive smile. It was a deadly smile that struck his heart like a lightning bolt.


    "Focus, focus, focus..." Varian took deep breaths and controlled himself from teleporting into the pce.


    "Why are you sweating?" Kyle raised a brow. "Wait, can you even sweat at that level?"


    "I am no longer a mortal, so maybe I shouldn''t sweat." Varian put on an expression of pondering the point seriously, just to shift the topic.


    But his words riled up the customers around them.


    "You boys, what''s this new prank called?" A middle-aged man asked.


    "Are you preparing for the school drama?" A middle-aged woman, presumably the man''s wife, followed up.


    "Or let me guess, are you some high awakeners pretending to be noobs so that we get offended and question you, then you show us your real power and facep us?" A teenage boy pushed up his spectacles and asked. His sses seemed to shine for a split second.


    "Ouch." The shopkeeper flicked the teenager''s forehead and served the dishes to the middle-aged couple. "I said stop reading that shit, that stuff only happens in movies. Why would any rich man would be so bored toe visit my stall in disguise? And you''re talking about mighty high awaken¡ª"


    "Master! Sovereign Bali ising for y¡ª"


    The street suddenly shook and a man stormed into the restaurant with an urgent expression. "Your majesty, you can''t put off picking the colors for the wedding suit any longer. It''s the only dye of its kind and would take two days to dry!"


    Varian rolled his eyes. "Why pick one when I can have them all?"


    "Your majesty!" Bali looked like he was about to cry. ''You''re picking a wedding and not a circus tent.''


    "Fine, fine. I''ll finalize the choices today." Varian got up and walked to the exit.


    He didn''t pay attention to the customers, the middle-aged couple, the teenager and the owner paying staring at him with wide eyes.


    "T-That''s S-Sovereign Bali, right?" The middle-aged man gulped and asked.


    "Y-Yes, it''s him. That demeanor, that aura¡­it can only be a sovereign." The middle-ageddy nodded.


    "Then the one they called his majesty¡­" The teenager opened his mouth in shock.


    "I called the Emperor a kid and got away with it¡­" The shop owner gasped, feeling lucky and terrified at the same time.

 Chapter 1055 The Ceremony Begins

    The day of coronation arrived faster than anyone was prepared for. The rays of suns reached Kiah, the new space city.


    It''s a small city spanning about a thousand square miles. But only small when considered for residential purposes. As it''s built mainly for administration, Kiah was massive.


    In Kiah, the pce grounds upied an entire hundred square miles of area. Most of thisndprised of the beautiful forests and gardens surrounding the pceplex.


    The pceplex was around ten square miles, sprawled with beautiful buildings, water fountains, precious gardens, administrative blocks, meeting halls and many more.


    Theplex was divided into three concentric circles. Each circle was encased by a special wall and had tworge gates.


    The outermost circle consisted of training grounds,bat halls, auditoriums, duel rings among others.


    This would be where the pce guards would train, maintain security and train the special teams in the army.


    All the level 9 military officials would report here and carry out meetings with their colleagues to draw up ns for the Human Empire.


    If theary forces need help, they''d approach this section. Only if they fail would the matter reach the Emperor.


    The middle circle consisted of all the administrative blocks. The most prominent among these were the nine crystalline blocks¡ªone for each. There were also a block for the space cities.


    This would be the brain of the Empire, drafting and implementing ns for the human civilization. The Sovereigns all had a quarter here and could stay here if they wished.


    The inner circle was the smallest but also had the least structures. It had extremely rare flower gardens, very precious array of trees, sleek roads built from the best of stones and at the center of them all, the grand pce.


    The grand pce was by a rare crystal found in the ruins. It looked absolutely stunning and majestic. With a pyramidal structure, it grew sharply smaller the higher one went.


    The pce had nine floors, with the first floor consisting of hundreds of rooms and the ninth floor containing only one.


    The first floor had the reception area, appointments lounge, and others. The second floor was the Throne Hall. The third had the special guest quarters.


    The fourth had the gallery, museum and others. The fifth was the offices for the Emperor''s direct staff and Emperor''s own office.


    The sixth was the servant quarters and the Imperial kitchen.


    From the sixth floor onwards, no one else could enter without Emperor''s direct permission.


    The seventh was the entertainment floor consisting of the best facilities from across thes.


    The eighth floor consisted of around a dozen rooms, including resting, drawing, storeroom, and others.


    The ninth floor had only onerge bedroom.


    When the first ray of sunlight touched the forest in the pceplex, the ceremony began.


    Therge gardens outside the walls slowly began to glow. First, it was the leaves, then the thin stems, finally entire nts began to glow with a soft light. As each garden was built of specific and special nts, each garden lit up with a different light.


    Thousands of colorful little birds, believed to be auspicious by some traditions, flew from the forest and circled around the pceplex, singing melodious songs.


    The flowers around the pceplex bloomed, releasing sweet fragrances.


    Then the four main gates to the pceplex opened simultaneously.


    Hundreds of artists entered theplex with their own activity. One gate weed the ethereal musicians, other saw the iing of bards narrating age old tales.


    Even though human race modernized so much, the cultural roots very much remained. Post-Blink, all earth cultures merged and evolved into something much more vibrant and dynamic. Each had its own signature culture which it contributed to therger human culture.


    As a result, the coronation began with the traditional music of old earth''s east, energetic songs of old earth''s south, mythical tales of old earth''s north and the elegant dances of the old earth''s west.


    All of them happened at once in an orderly and harmonious manner.


    Once they finished their performance, the artists stopped in four different training grounds in the outer circle.


    The drones captured their performances and broadcasted it to the billions of humans who haven''t even slept sincest night.


    Obviously, today was a public holiday and even the nastiest of bosses didn''t dare to sneak some ''urgent work'' to their employees.


    As a result, more than forty billions watched the coronation in their homes with hope and wonder.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "We''re the pride of yesterday,


    Hope of today,


    Promise of tomorrow.


    Our spirit never yields,


    Our hope never dies,


    Our adventure never ends.


    Peace to the mothend,


    Salute to the brave hearts,


    Glory to the human race."


    Little boys and girls stood on the stage in colorful dresses and sang the glory song of the human race.


    The viewers watching them got emotional and many started sobbing. After such a tragic war, this song hit them hard.


    The children evacuated the stage and the next activity quickly began.


    The top geniuses from the best academies stepped onto the stage and faced off each other in teams.


    It was a coronation ceremony that originally was supposed to be all songs and roses. But Varian proposed a duel for the academy.


    So it happened.


    It was quick, intense and drew every viewer in.


    The shortest duel tournament was also the most important in history of mankind.


    Neptune won in the third year team, Earth in the second year and Mars in the first year.


    Unsurprisingly, the main challengers of the duel were the same geniuses who fought in the sr banquet less than a year ago.


    Winning in the coronation tournament should be a matter of great pride and joy.


    The winners didn''t rejoice. They just felt weird. The one coronated was the man who won against them by outsmarting them because he couldn''t win them head on.


    Just a few months ago, he was weaker than them. Now, he''s the supreme leader of mankind.


    ''I wanted to fight him when we meet the next time.'' Maissa Hall, one of the many who fought Varian in the sr banquet, shuddered.


    ''I invited him to fight in the frontlines of Neptune¡­he did. And overdid it.'' Ashtarh, the brightest genius of Neptune, sighed.


    They stood together along with their other team members of Neptune. Maissa joined Neptune''s team since her cluster wasn''t sending anyone else.


    Besides them was the second year winners who were also staring nkly at the sky.


    ''He grew so fast, but Sarah?'' Olivia stood with her team, wondering the meaning of life.


    "The winners of thepetition, you''ll be personally awarded by the Emperor. And you can have a private conversation with His Majesty." Blue sh, real name Alison, appeared in the training ground and informed.


    The next activity quickly began and the ceremony continued.


    Alison managed the event along with Richard.


    Watching the splendid celebration that''s continuing for hours, Alison sighed. "I never imagined this day woulde. Uprooting Shadow Order with the help of Enigma was my biggest goal."


    "No one imaged this day," Richard shook his head and nced in the direction of the pce with a smile. "Except him."

 Chapter 1056 Emperor In A Hurry

    "Are you kidding? You''re about to be coronated? It''s time, Your Majesty! Get up and get ready! You can''t be absent to your own coronation."


    "Sia, five minute please~" Varian rolled over the bed and pulled up the sheets, refusing to open his eyes.


    Enigma stared at Varian with exasperation.


    Since Sia and Sarah made the rule to not ''meet'' him until marriage it, she had to step in and manage this unruly guy. But who knew he could be this stubborn?


    Enigma could see that Varian was genuinely exhausted for some reason. He''s totally in sleep and his subconscious treated her as Sia.


    ''I heard that he put off all official work since two days and has gone somewhere. What did he do to get so tired?'' Enigma frowned at his exhausted face and wondered.


    She usually saw that look Sarah and Sia after their ''session'' with Varian.


    ''But he wasn''t meeting up with Sia and Sarah, so he wasn''t doing anything s-sexual.'' Enigma blushed before she shot him a re.


    ''Wait a minute, even if he did something sexual, he''s not the one that''d get exhausted. Poor Sia rested for three days before she could walk properly. This guy is a beast in human skin!''


    Varian felt cold for some reason and pulled the sheets tighter. If he only knew his reputation was faced with such serious nder, he''d have sacrificed his sleep and defended his actions.


    Seeing him curling himself in the sheets tightly, Enigma wanted to pull them off. But before she could say anything, his exhausted expression caused her to stop.


    ''He seems so vulnerable.''


    When Abyss Emperor was thrashing Sia and Sarah to near-death, they both fell unconscious. But Enigma was conscious and saw it all.


    She saw the breakdown of Varian''s mental saw, the pain in his eyes, the helplessness shaking his soul.


    Enigma understood him deeper than even she realized. She knew why his soul was in pain.


    ''He doesn''t want to feel helpless like he did that night. It''s his scar. Even if the rtionship between us became normal, his scar will remain forever.''


    Enigma bit her lip and tugged at the sheet as her usual cold voice mellowed down. "I gave you three hours already. Anymore, we''ll run the risk of the ceremony goingte."


    "Mhm, please, my whole body is aching. Five more minutes~" Varian mumbled in his sleep.


    Enigma''sm shed and she got a message from Blue sh. ''There''s only one hour left!''


    "Haa~" Enigma sighed and pulled his sheets hard.


    "No." Varian''s power pulled it back instinctively and took her along with it.


    Thud.


    Enigmanded beside Varian and felt his arm wrap around her.


    "V-Va--"


    She was pulled into a hug with her head resting against his chest.


    Whenever Sia tried to wake him up during their school days, Varian was used to doing this to shut her up. Unconsciously, he did it again. And it worked and shut Enigma down.


    ''I...'' Enigma indifferent expression crumbled as she her cheeks heated up and her heart pounded. His warmth surrounded her as he wrapped her in a protective hug.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    It''s just too intimate for Enigma. She wanted to resist but her body didn''t cooperate. Instead, she closed her eyes and listened to his heartbeat.


    ''Hugging me on your wedding day, you rascal.'' She cursed him but her arms went around his waist and hugged him tighter.


    It was only when herm rang again that Enigma jumped out of his hug and looked around, flustered.


    ''There''s thirty minutes left! For Heaven''s sake, don''t tell me the Emperor is going to miss his own coronation?''


    Enigma opened her mouth wide at a sudden realization. ''I stayed like that for 30 minutes?''


    "Focus, thirty minutes is still good. Just have to speed run everything." Enigma didn''t even bother pulling the sheets, she snapped her fingers and a hand of darkness shredded them to pieces.


    Then, she threw Varian into bathroom and poured a bucket of special freezing water on him. It could''ve frozen a level 8 to instant death.


    But Varian rubbed his eyes and yawned. "...Turn off the AC. It''s a bit col--Woah! Enigma!"


    Varian eximed at the woman whose face was merely inches away from his own. But that didn''t stop him from saying. "Don''t tell me you''re going to wake me up with a morning kiss?"


    "Very funny, Mr. Emperor who''s about to miss his own coronation." Enigma said with an indifferent face.


    "Coronation, hm, oh, wait," Varian''s eyes widened and he quickly checked the time.


    With his clothes flying into the air, he jumped into therge hot bath as he yelled. "Why didn''t you wake me up? I trusted you, Enigma! Out of all people, I--"


    "Shut up!" Enigma retorted with a stiff face as she turned around before she could see anything that shouldn''t be seen.


    "I''ll be ready in twenty. My time power should help." Varian''s voice came from behind.


    ''You''re the only one who uses time power for these things.'' Enigma didn''t know whether tough or cry.


    But anyways, Varian kept his word and appeared in the eight floor in less than twenty minutes.


    As he descended into the eighth floor, a few professional maids came up and sorted out thest bits of his attire.


    Varian proffered a simple white and ck dress but the ceremony didn''t allow such casualty.


    He''s adorned in a smooth and elegant white overcoat that covered his torso and flowed down to his knees. It fitted nicely over his jet ck shirt and pants, contrasting andplementing. The shirt was adorned with ruby buttons and embroidered with special insignia made of rare threads.


    Draped over his shoulders was a golden robe, painted with the symbols of the Human Alliance, Human Federation and the Human Empire.


    He had neither a crown nor a scepter. Varian rejected them when they first came up. Instead, he had a sword sheathed at his waist.


    "Long Live the Emperor!"


    "Glory To the Human Emperor!"


    "Glory! Glory! Glory!"


    The maids knelt on the ground and started sobbing, their muffled cries filled with cheers.


    Varian gave them a helpless look and stepped down into the Throne Hall as the ceremony neared its critical point.

 Chapter 1057 Proclamation

    When Irene, Bali, and Kevin entered the throne hall, it was already full and bustling. The softly glowing murals told the tale of humans from the age of cavemen to the era of sr conquest. The throne hall itself was illuminated by the soft sunlight passing through the paper-thin windows.


    Today''s performers, amounting to more than five thousand, sat on the farthest seating range. This included the little children that sang the songs to the academy geniuses that participated in the duels. By their own strength, they could''ve never stepped into this hall.


    Thanks to this incredible opportunity, they were able to witness this historic moment in person. Many of their peers back in school and the academy were jealous as the thrones covered the throne hall from all angles and showed each and every single face.


    In the seating range at a lower height and closer to the throne were the important military and civil officials as well as the businessmen leading in critical sectors and prominent scientists.


    On the ground level and also the closest to the throne were just a few dozen seats.


    All in all, the seating looked like a stadium in its arrangements, except it''s infinitely more exquisite and gorgeous.


    As Irene, Bali, and Kevin seated themselves close to the throne, the hall was filled with whispers.


    Standing beside the gate, Blue sh, stared at herm with an anxious expression. ''Please don''t bete, the whole world is watching! I beg you, you bastard!''


    As if answering her pleas, solid footsteps sounded from afar.


    The throne hall went silent as everyone held their breath. They couldn''t see him and didn''t dare to use their powers.


    But even then, they could feel it. With each step, waves of aura washed over the throne hall.


    "He¡­"


    As Varian appeared in front of the entrance to the throne hall, Alison instinctively lowered her head. Along with her, everyone did the same.


    There was no pressure on them. No psychics power forcing them. Yet, they felt incredible pressure just by trying to look at him. As if there was a mountain on them, they lowered their head and held their breath.


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    The footsteps continued. Regally. Calmly. Peacefully.


    Everyone kept their heads down the whole time. Some tried to look up but their body refused.


    Finally, they heard a deep but friendly voice. "It is time."


    "Haa!"


    "Huff!"


    "Ahh!"


    Everyone gasped and took quick short breaths. Then their gazes instinctively turned to the man on the throne.


    He had no crown but just by looking at his eyes, they felt convinced. This man should be the ruler. There''s something in the way he presented himself that went beyond everyone else.


    Was it because of his incredible experiences, each of which could very well be a legend by itself? Or was it because of his talent? Or power?<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    No one could tell for certain. But looking at the man on the throne, they all subconsciously felt that it felt natural as if it''s how it should be.


    The public watching the broadcast was dumbfounded at how everyone responded when the Emperor just walked to the throne.


    "Your Majesty, please finish the ceremony and dere your rightful position." Alison bowed lightly and said.


    The audience, be it in the throne hall or in their homes, straightened their backs and glued their eyes to the man on the throne.


    Varian stood up from the throne and unsheathed his sword. Gripping the handle, he mmed it right next to the throne.


    BOOM!


    The throne hall, the pce, and the entire space city shook for a moment as the sword prated into the shining stone beside the throne.


    Gripping the sword, Varian stared forward with a solemn gaze. "I, Varian, proim myself the Human Emperor."


    He began to glow like a star and from the light, he raised his hand toward the vaulted ceiling. "Today will be the start of a new era."


    Rays of colors shot out from his hand and appeared in outer space. They lit up and shone brighter and brighter, outstripping even the two suns.


    From every, people saw the new star in the sky. Then, the star exploded. The shockwaves of aura spread right from Earth all the way to Pluto in mere minutes. Every sky above every was washed in a multitude of colors. It was beautiful, breathtaking, and promising.


    Even as people were yet to recover from the shock, Varian continued. "As your Emperor, I''ll not promise eternal peace. Many of us would like to believe that the end of abyssals is the end of the war. We cannot be more wrong."


    His words caused many to panic. They''ve suffered for so long. Should they still keep fighting? Can''t they have peace?


    As if reading their thoughts, Varian continued. "Survival is a fight for resources. Since the inception of our civilization, we fought for food, water, andnd. After Blink, when nuclear wars razed the, we fought for the little fertile left.


    When Murlocs invaded ournds, we fought their race and pushed them to extinction. When dungeons appeared, we fought them to survive. And we kept fighting abyssals for more than a hundred years. In our history, when did we ever stop fighting?"


    His words set off a storm. All of these were facts known by most. But when they looked at it from the perspective of war and peace, it gave them a new understanding.


    "Life is a battle from the onset. Right from birth, we keep fighting. For better resources, for a better position, for a better future, we fight, fight, and fight. Until you breathe yourst, it never stops." Varian stated his changed perspective after everything he had gone through.


    "There is no eternal peace as there is no eternal war. Peace is the gap between two wars. War is the tool to establish temporary peace.


    We can hope for a long period of peace, but it''d be naive to think it''dst forever. To survive, we have to prepare for war.


    Abyssals are gone. But there are a million other races like them. Even many much stronger than them.


    We''vee very far, fought many wars, lost too much, and suffered for too long. This is a big victory for us and we should greatly celebrate it.


    But remember this, we are not at the end, we are just beginning."


    On the day of his coronation, Varian ended his speech with those prophetic words.

 Chapter 1058 I Am The Emperor; Ruler And Guardian Of The Human Race

    "The military is undergoing a major restructuring! The armies would be shifted from the inners to Pluto. There will be no armies onoids anymore."


    In the banquet after the coronation ceremony, Olivia''s team chatted with other academy students about what they''d overheard from the top military officials.


    "Not just that, entireoids would be shifted beyond Pluto and be used as military outposts and garrisons." Ashtarh''s team joined their conversation with the man himself taking the lead.


    "Senior Ashtarh, you knew this beforehand?" Ivy looked at him in admiration.


    "I''m getting enlisted in a few weeks, so I do." Ashtarh smiled and sipped some wine from the ss goblet in hand.


    With a smack of his lips at the strong taste, he narrowed his eyes. "It''s just, I never imagined I''d fighting outside the sr system. It''s really ''border''."


    "Who could''ve imagined?" Sighing beside him, Maissa emptied her cup and nced at the Earth''s team wistfully. "One guy from earth changed everything. No, not just him. Even the two beside him are at the threshold of bing sovereigns. Do you guys eat elixirs for breakfast on Earth?"


    "Mff?" Ivy downed another dessert and shook her head. "We''re normal. Normal, normal people. Only the people around that man are weird."


    "Who are you calling weird?"


    "Ehh! Mommy!" Ivy screamed as she jumped onto Olivia and clung to her like a k. Her gaze was fixed on the man that suddenly appeared behind her.


    He''s in an elegant 3-piece formal suit in white and ck. Nothing luxurious or showypared to the luxurious clothes other men wore for the banquet.


    Yet, he had a dangerous charm and a regal air that drew everyone in.


    "Yes? Who''re you calling you weird?" Varian pursed his lips and stared at the petite girl who was once his teammate.


    "I¡ªI didn''t¡ª" Ivy stammered as she tried to find an excuse. Her head was nk as her heart thrashed against her chest, both scared and curious about him at the same time. But most of all, her survival instincts went overdrive as they tried to find a way to get her away from this dangerous man.


    "Please forgive her, Your Majesty." Olivia pulled her teammate behind her and apologized in a sincere tone. "She had no intention to disrespect yo¡ª"


    "Ahh!" Ivy cried in surprise as she appeared in front of Varian.


    Varian raised his hand and Ivy mmed her eyes shut. Olivia was about to rush forward when Ashtarh grabbed her arm and stopped her.


    ''No!'' Under Olivia''s terrified eyes, Varian''s hand touched Ivy''s head.


    "¡­Huh?" Feeling the warm hand patting her head, Ivy raised her head in confusion.


    The Emperor, no, Varian, was looking at her with sadness and regret. "I''m sorry, I heard you lost your father in Neptune. He saved so many lives. He''s a hero."


    Ivy opened her mouth to reply but her throat seemed to be clogged. Not a single word came out.


    All these days, she''s been doing her best to just forget the incident by focusing on other things. She wanted to treat it like it had never happened. Because her father, her biggest hero, couldn''t just die. For that reason, she stopped Olivia and others from bringing up the topic.


    But when this guy who she hadn''t seen for months and had no reason to care for her given his strength expressed his condolences, her shoulders shook and tears rained out from her eyes.


    "I¡­Var¡­Your Maj¡­" Ivy wiped her tears furiously but they just kepting.


    Varian rubbed her head in pity and said to the Sarah team. "I''m d I can see you all today. Being alive is a really great thing."


    Olivia and others nodded withplex eyes. It felt¡­weird talking to him. He''s not as aloof as they expected him to be. But even though he''s being friendly to them, he felt different. Perhaps it got something to do with the level of maturity.


    "You too," Varian turned to Ashtarh''s team. "Neptune has suffered the most in this war. The losses cannot be undone. But I''ll do my best to make you all strong and prevent another tragedy. Neptune will get the priority for special resources."


    "Thank You," Ashtarh said through gritted teeth. His home''s ughter would forever remain his scar.


    "And you¡ª" Varian addressed thedy in the purple gown who was slowly slipping away.


    "Yes, Your Majesty?" Maissa turned around with a smile that looked no different from crying.


    Varian smiled in amusement. "Didn''t you say you wanted to fight the next time we met? Come on, you can fight."


    "Eh? I said that? I can''t remember though~" Maissa sweated profusely.


    "Lying to the Emperor is a capital crime, you know?" Varian''s voice cooled down.


    "Please forgive me! I don''t want to die!" Maissa obediently confessed.


    "Forgiven," Varian waved his hand and turned to Olivia with a serene smile. "Sarah wanted to invite you to help her out. But you know her, she didn''t want to disturb your preparation for the tournament."


    Olivia was about to respond when herm rang. Her eyes lit up as she saw it was indeed a message from Sarah, giving an address, "Then I''ll get going. I miss her too."


    Grabbing Ivy, Oliva departed from the banquet hall.


    "Your Majesty, do you need any help with your wedding? You know, guys and guys." Crimson said with a cheerful expression.


    "Yeah, I can help too, I guess?" Lucas added.


    Ashtarh also nodded.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Varian looked at them as if they were retarded. "Why the fuck would I need so much help? All I need is to dress up and get married. Someone else will take care of the rest."


    "...Fuck. So carefree," Crimson said with an envious face.


    "That I am," Varian admitted without any hesitation. "If I still have to worry about everything, then I don''t need to be an Emperor, I can go be a wedding nner."


    "I heard that girls care about this a lot. It might be hard if the Queens hold grudge against you because of this." Ashtarh looked at him with pity.


    "Heard?" Varianughed and pped the man on the shoulder. "You should really get a girlfriend and speak from first-hand experience."


    Ashtarh turned stiff at those words. He''s very famous in Neptune for his prowess but a girl? Nah, forget it.


    "He''s a wood, Your Majesty. I''ve seen droves of women flock to him and he rejected them to watch some weapon exhibition." Maissa sold out her friend.


    Varian looked at Ashtarh with a weird expression. Somehow, he felt like he was staring at himself. ''No, I''m not a wood. Never was.''


    "Speaking of," Varian rubbed his forehead. "I should get some policies to increase the birthrate. We lost too many in the war."


    "Paid leaves should work?"


    "Cash rewards for more children?"


    "Lower the age of marriage to 16."


    Varian, Ashtarh, and Maissa all turned to Lucas.


    "What? I read in some novels that it keeps the birthrate high." Lucas scratched his head and exined.


    "Young parents who can''t take care of themselves would be terrible role models and guardians for children." Varian rejected the idea outright but wondered how he''d feel about having a child.


    ''If I can''t even guarantee safety of my civilization, should I bring a new life into the world and risk its life?'' Shaking his head out of that thought, Varian joined in the brainstorming.


    People were pleasantly surprised that Varian spoke to them in such a casual tone. In their opinion, Sovereigns felt more aloof than him.


    Varian didn''t bother with pretenses either. Humanity had enough problems. He wanted to solve the existing problems, not add to them.


    Of course, he''s not a harmless guy that''d tolerate everything.


    "Wilson," Varian walked to a thin middle-aged man wearing a ck suit and golden spectacles.


    "Ah, Your Majesty, what a pleasant day it is," The man greeted with a smile.


    Varian smiled back but something about the smile seemed off. "One of the richest industrialists of Neptune, and owner to some of the best housing societies in the whole empire."


    "Y-Yes?" Wilson blinked in confusion before he said in a friendly tone. "If you need something, please orde¡ª"


    "When the abyssals attacked Neptune, they killed indiscriminately. But they killed none of your people even when they could and in fact, escorted you to safety. In exchange, you revealed the information about children and grandchildren of the military officers whom the abyssals brutally killed."


    Wilson''s face paled and his eyes bulged. Looking at Varian''s cold eyes, he knew any excuse was useless.


    "I didn''t have a choice. They''d have killed my children and wife if I didn''t do that! In fact, if the military did their job properly, things wouldn''t havee to this point!" Wilson yelled with a redneck.


    "Hm," Varian gestured in the air and Blue sh appeared next to him in a blink. "Your Majesty?"


    "What would his punishment be if this happened before my coronation?"


    "The court would¡­grant him a short prison sentence at worst or dere him innocent since he did it to save his family at best. The people that died weren''t descendants of strong awakeners. So, it''s not umon for people like him to get away with it," Alison exined. "There is an entire segment ofwyers who train solely for such criminal cases."


    "I see." Varian rubbed his chin and nodded.


    "Your Majesty, I want to appeal my case in court. I didn''t cause major damage to the military, only some kids¡ªin exchange, my service is enormous. I pay a lot of taxes every yea¡ª"


    "Give him a public execution. Investigate all the betrayers in the war and do the same. Unless it''s a special case, such bugs don''t need to exist. Just report after it''s done." Varian said in a casual tone and walked away.


    "No! Your Majesty! Stop! Varian! You fucking bastard, who do you think you are?" Wilson''s screams grew more and more hysterical.


    The banquet went still and everyone held their breath in fear and anticipation.


    Varian''s steps paused and his eyes shed lightly. "I?"


    His voice was bone chilling andpletely different from the friendly and casual tone he conversed them with.


    "Who am I?" Varian turned to Wilson.


    Looking at those star-like eyes, Wilson froze and kneeled in reflex and Varian''s voice reverberated throughout the banquet hall and beyond.


    "I am the Emperor; the Ruler and Guardian of the Human Race."

 Chapter 1059 Brides And Groom

    "Is my hair fine?"


    "It''s gorgeous! It''s so silky and golden."


    "How about my eyshes?"


    "They''re perfect! And you checked them five times already!"


    "Is my face fine? Any blemishes?"


    "Oh mine too, anything on my face?"


    "Bah! Your faces are just too perfect that it''s cheating! That''s why the makeup team also refused to do anything more than a touchup."


    "Is that so¡­?"


    "I want to look perfect on this day."


    "Met too, my heart is about to break out of my chest,"


    """You two, do whatever you want!"""


    Maya, Olivia, and Ivy resigned in frustration, walked out of the curtain, and slumped on the sofa away from Sia and Sarah.


    Behind the curtained partition, the two brides were checking themselves in the full-length mirror, trying hard to find anything to improvize and failing for an hour.


    Only their shadows were visible, but even those shadows seemed elegant.


    "I want to beat that guy for telling me toe here. My self-confidence has taken a severe hit," Olivia leaned on the armrest andined with resentment.


    "Self-confidence, ha-ha-ha, what does that taste like?" Ivy gave a self-deprecatingugh. Her small frame had always been her insecurity anding here decimated it into negatives.


    "Come on, I''m also a bit petite. My boyfriend never onceined about it. You''ll find someone who''ll love you how you are." Maya hugged the smaller but older girl.


    "I-I guess, I also want to smile like them at the wedding," Ivy blushed and lowered her head.


    "And you''re right," Maya looked at Olivia, "Comparing with them does hit your self-confidence. But look at the positive side. Statistically, you''d be in the 0.001% of most attractive unmarried females and your score can hit as much as 93."


    Indeed, the bridesmaids were all dressed in exquisite dresses of white, pink, and green, each with intricate border designs and precious fabric.


    If anywhere else, they would''ve attracted all the eyeballs. But today, they''re destined to be overshadowed under the dazzling light of the two beauties.


    "¡­and so,bined with your strength, your beauty gives you aparative edge over other females when you go find a mat¡ª"


    "Wait, wait," Olivia waved her hands at Maya who went into her research mode. "I get it, I''m so lucky, I''m really grateful!"


    Maya nodded in satisfaction.


    "Are the brides ready?" With three knocks on the door, Anna in an elegant yellow dress entered.


    "Aunt Anna, I don''t know if I''m ready! I''m so nervous!" Sarah replied in a tense tone.


    "They''re both freaking out. Give them some tips from your experience." Olivia said before Maya could stop her.


    "E-Experience?" Anna''s lips twitched. ''What is this painful feeling in my chest? Never mind, I''ll ban all dating in the Earth Academy, punish all those sneaky lovers.''


    That day, the new Dean of Earth''s Military Academy decided on a painful policy that''d cause academy couples to curse her for years toe.


    "Where is Blue sh?" Sia''s flustered voice came from behind the curtain.


    "Here," Alison appeared in front of the curtain and looked inside for a full minute before walking away.


    "W-Wait," Sia''s voice sounded anxious. "Aren''t you going to say anything?"


    "You''re too beautiful," Alison sighed. "To the point, I wondered if it was an illusion. Trust me¡­even if you go to this wedding in in clothes, you''d still shine the brightest."


    "Ah, but I want to look at my best for him." Sia''s voice was dreamy and full of longing.


    Alison smiled softly. "Every girl will feel that way. But I''ll tell you a silly secret, for the guy who loves you, you''ll look best every single day."


    The young girls and the old woman stared at Alison with admiration and jealousy.


    Alison also noticed the stares she was getting, especially from Anna, the Ex Maid, and now, the Dean.


    Clearing her throat, she diverted the topic. "I wonder how is the groom''s side?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "How do I look?"


    "This hairstyle is dope!"


    Varian grinned at Kyle''s response and snapped his fingers.


    His hair went from smooth to curly and rearranged itself into another trending style.


    "This?"


    "Cool!"


    "And this?"


    "Awesome! The spikes are just! Change my hair too! Do we look like the criminal brothers from that showst night?"


    "Eh, you''re right. I just look more handsome, but that''s a given."


    "And I look smarter, but that''s also given."


    Hearing the conversation of the two young men, Evander slumped on the sofa and stared at the ceiling as if questioning the meaning of life. Gareth patted him on the shoulder in sympathy.


    Bali munched on the snacks like he was some squirrel and rxing after a long time. He really wanted to be a sovereign, but once he became one, he felt exhausted from the back to back to back wars.


    Seth, meanwhile, was adjusting his mustache and newly grown beard. Watching his pupil get married, he felt proud. ''I should also look cool, today.''


    "Emperor, are you ready?" A soft voice asked from the outside.


    "Oh?" Varian stopped ying around and changed his hair back to the original style. Then he replied in a dignified voice. "Yes, I am."


    "Then please enter the venue. It''s time." Irene''s voice rang softly.


    "Yeah, let''s goooo!" Kyle cheered and walked to the door with full energy. But realizing that Varian wasn''t beside him, he turned back and said. "Let''s go?"


    "¡­I''m suddenly nervous." Varian smiled awkwardly.


    "You''ll be fine. Just don''t change your hair in the middle of the wedding." Evander walked out of the room waving his hand.


    Even though he gave the advice, his own legs and arms were shaking.


    ''He''s also nervous, eh.'' Varian mused and looked at himself in the mirror. The nervousness was showing on his face and he couldn''t stay that way. Taking a deep breath, Varian clenched his fist. "I''ll fight till death!"


    "For fuck''s sake, this is not a battle and no one''s going to kill you!"


    "Habits from work." Varian chuckled, less unnerved, and walked out of the room in rxed strides.


    The venue was ready and already filled with guests. There weren''t many though¡ªless than sixty.


    Some of them were the people Varian, Sarah, and Sia met at the academy¡ªDhruv, Mia, and others. Billy from Valos was also invited. The little boy sat in a seat customized for him and marveled at the wonderful venue. There were some people whom Varian knew from work.


    Sia had only Blue sh from her side but didn''t feel lonely thanks to Sarah''s presence. On behalf of Sarah, Evander and a few of his close friends were present.


    Even though it was the wedding of the Emperor and the two Queens, there were less than ten people invited for their positions.


    "Brides, please enter."


    The pavilion-like venue was present in the middle of a sea of beautiful flowers. The petals from the flowers dropped every second and flew with the wind, creating a breathtaking scene.


    In the middle of these flowers was a long, plush red carpet, leading all the way to the venue.


    Leading Sarah and Sia, Evander walked with a smile.


    Seeing them, everyone stood up from their seats and just stared for a moment before they looked away.


    Just that one look and everyone felt as if their hearts were about to burst. It was as if they were watching a scene from a painting.


    It was beautiful to the point of sublime.


    "Groom, please enter."

 Chapter 1060 Wedding

    In a ck and white suit with golden embroidery, Varian walked toward the venue with a smile.


    Even though he didn''t go over the top with preparations, his handsome face was like a bright sun, lighting up the mood of everyone present. His lean yet muscr frame, almost as if it was sculpted by the heavens, stirred the hearts of the maidens.


    But more than physical appearance, he gave off a feeling of¡­royalty, nobility, and sacredness.


    None of the people could put it into words but they felt awed by his very presence. Varian was like a scorching sun shining in the darkness, his mere presence grabbed all attention.


    The venue was built entirely of flowers, emitting an intoxicating fragrance and appearing like a scene out of a dream.


    Moreover, the entire venue itself was in a sea of special flowers. These flowers would turn red for a few minutes before blue, then yellow, and so on. It was such a beautiful sight that brought tears of wonder.


    Varian stood in front of his two brides and his smile grew wider.


    Sarah was d in an exquisite snow-white wedding dress. Her face was covered by a long, white, thin veil, adding to her angelic beauty while the soft white gloves only pushed it further.


    The veil was special in a way that the bride could see others but others couldn''t see her. But Varian could see her eyes. Those eyes with the color of the sky¡­


    ''Sarah¡­'' Varian''s heart stopped for a moment before he felt it burst with pure joy.'' She''ll be my wife¡­I''ll be her husband.''


    Was it normal to feel like this? Was it okay to feel this happy? This excited?


    Varian didn''t know. But he didn''t care to think. All he knew was the emotions in his heart and the persons in front of him were real.


    Then he turned to the beauty in ck and sucked in a cold breath.


    Her dress code was simr to Sarah''s but he could see Sia''s bare shoulders. Her veil also didn''t fully cover her face but showed her lips. Those familiar red lips were curled into an arc. Her golden eyes were shining brightly and even without seeing at her lips, he could tell that she was smiling.


    They lived together for years and today, they''d be husband and wife.


    Varian''s two eyes were filled with his two lovers. One was noble and elegant like an angel while the other was charming and tempting like a devil.


    "Brides and Groom, please exchange your tokens of love."


    At the instruction, Sarah and Sia took out a white and ck bracelet respectively. Identifying the metal right away, Varian''s heart trembled.


    Heart Stone.


    An extremely rare metal with a special property. It needs to be nurtured with one''s own blood and aura. Through mechanisms no one figured out yet, this metal would shine when taken to the person who the nurturer values the most.


    And the person who wears it could feel the feelings of nurturer toward them, even if it''s only vague and fleeting. Even though it''s the feelings captured during that period of nurturing, even though it''s just an echo of the actual feelings, it''s still incredibly precious.


    Under Varian''s shocked gaze, the girls took a hand each and ced the bracelet on him. It shrank, then melted and imprinted itself as a mark on his wrist.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Varian''s body shook for a moment as a wave of intense love washed over him. It was caring, gentle, and cute but also fierce, worried, and charming. Twopletely different but familiar loves engulfed him in their tsunami of emotions.


    The love carried every shade of the girls he loved, every tone of their voice, every arc of their smile, every hum of their songs, every frown of their brows, every sound of theirughter, every touch of their fingers, every scent of their hair and every beat of their hearts.


    It was everything yet only so little of what they had in their hearts.


    At that moment, Varian vowed that even if everything broke down, he''d love them till his heart stops.


    It all happened in a blink but for him, it felt like an hour.


    Varian took out two silver rings and the air stilled.


    The rings were made of precious alloys but the main ingredient in them was a nt vine filled with tremendous vitality. Varian had to search some really dangerous areas of the ruins to find this vine.


    Then, on each of these rings, there was a special gemstone, one ck, and one white. These stones were found after much work and even with all his strength, he was so exhausted that he got nearlyte for his coronation.


    "Tokens of love, they won''t convey emotions but they''ll keep you safe. And that''s all I want." Varian said as he ced the rings onto their ring fingers.


    The vine had a singr function. In case the wearer got fatally injured and about to die, it''d forcibly keep them alive for a brief period. The stones would teleport them away.


    Sarah and Sia looked at the ring on their finger and smiled softly.


    Every person loves differently. If their way of expressing love was showing him their feelings, then his way of love was ensuring their safety at all costs.


    "Brides and Groom, state your oath."


    Sarah and Sia raised their heads and looked into his eyes. Their eyes were bright and shining with intense emotions. Varian stared into their eyes and they stared back.


    Everyone and everything seemed to vanish leaving them and only them alone in this beautiful ocean of flowers.


    In that ce, at that moment, Varian and his lovers knew what their oath would be.


    There''s no need to talk about sickness, poverty, or even death. For a love so strong that one was willing to sacrifice themselves for the other, these oaths bemon sense that wouldn''t need to be reiterated.


    The ageless vows of tradition melted into a single deration.


    "I love you."


    " "I love you." "

 Chapter 1061 Sweet Night

    [R-18 Chapter]


    After the vows, the groom and brides met the guests and had a light but sumptuous meal.


    Next came the wedding drinking ceremony.


    It''s an old tradition where each guest would drink a cup of wine and the groom would return the respect by doing the same. But not only that, the groom would also drink in the ce of his bride. The moment the groom gets drunk, the bride takes a cup of wine and that signals the end of the ceremony.


    It''s a lighthearted but highlypetitive tradition where a groom would do his best to down as many cups of wine as he could.


    "¡­My d-disciple married the best girls of the human race, M-My disciple, ehehe¡ª"


    Plop¡ª


    Seth copsed on the ground with a flushed face and keptughing silly.


    ''Where did that calm instructor go?'' Varian looked at the drunk man rolling on the ground and felt his worldview copse.


    Seth was a man who lost both his wife and unborn child in the tragedy of Pluto. It haunted him and pushed him to pursue strength at all costs. All to eradicate abyssals. When he realized he couldn''t go further, he began to seek someone who could aplish it in his stead.


    Varian still remembered the words he said to him that day. ''You''re the One.''


    It was perhaps naive of Seth to think a freshman could really destroy abyssals. Perhaps he just wanted to get a talented pupil and keep his hopes alive. Anyway, even if Varian was talented and grew strong enough to defeat abyssals, Seth himself wouldn''t have been alive that long to see it.


    But the reality was sometimes stranger than fiction.


    In just a year, his dream came true. His wife and unborn child were finally avenged.


    For Seth, there''s nothing much to look forward to after this. He just wanted to see his pupil grow and be happy.


    Perhaps that''s why he''s the most enthusiastic drinker among the guests.


    "Three, no, five kids! I''m telling you! Five at least! I demand my grandchildren!" Evander was talking to a pir with a serious face, and grabbing the gands on it as if he was grabbing a cor.


    Even with the smooth white veil on, Varian could feel Sarah''s dumbfounded gaze at her father''s state.


    She must be questioning if this guy was really her own father or did he get reced on the way. Because Varian was having the same thoughts.


    "I¡­demand¡­grandkids!"


    Like a rocket out of fuel, Evander slumped onto the soft flowery ground.


    "Should we get going?" Varian grabbed his wives'' hands and asked.


    "NO!" A sudden shout caused him to turn around.


    Kyle dragged a wine barrel along with Bali and Gareth. The other guests also followed. "You must get drunk! This is tradition! There has been no marriage in history where the groom didn''t get drunk. Even Sovereigns had a limit to their capacity and got drunk!"


    Sia giggled from behind while Sarah leaned into Varian''s ear and said softly. "Husband, I don''t want to drink today~"


    Her voice was soft and crispy and almost caused him to kiss her on the spot.


    Varian sang the human glory song in his heart and kept up his calm facade. "I''ll break the tradition today."


    And he did.


    Thirty minutester, all the guests sprawled on the floor and looked at the sky with silly smiles. The bots escorted them to their quarters neatly.


    But Varian wouldn''t forget Billy''s words as the boy was taken away.


    "I''m pregnant! Nooo! I can''t be pregnant!"


    Since he was underage, Billy drank fruit juice. Seeing that everyone was somehow trying to get Varian drunk, he took it as a seriouspetition and tried his best.


    As a result, he drank so much that his belly swelled and the little guy panicked. "Not pregnant! I''m too young!"


    Amidstughter, Varian took his wives to the top of the pce, the master bedroom, or more appropriately, the Emperor bedroom.


    The sun had already set and the moon was shining down softly. The curtains pped against the wind, revealing the beautiful pce gardens.


    The soft moonlight reached the room through the windows and shone down on therge bed filled with flower petals.


    Sarah and Sia stopped in front of the bed. Even through their veils, Varian could see them blushing furiously.


    "Who''s going first?" He asked without feeling awkward.


    Sia and Sarah both red at him.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Both? Better," Varian rolled up his sleeves and put Sarah over his shoulders, and carried Sia in his arms.


    "N-No! Not both, there is an or¡ªmfff." Sia''s lips stopped as Varian crushed them in a domineering kiss.


    All the arguments and persuasions flew out of her mind and Sia''s eyes grew misty.


    "Sia first! Sia first! That''s the order we decided!" From behind his shoulder, Sarah iled like a helpless bird.


    "Oh? Then I''ll respect your decision." Varian agreed and Sarah floated away from his shoulders andnded a bit away from the bed.


    She stared at Varian putting Sia on the bed and pressed against her throbbing heart.


    "I-I will be back after she''s done." She stormed off like she was fleeing for her life.


    "She''s feeling a bit unconfident ever since that day," Varian muttered and turned his gaze to the beauty sitting in front of him on the bed.


    In the smooth ck clothes that were now slightly wrinkled, Sia was incredibly sexy. She didn''t show any skin except her shoulders yet she exuded more temptation than any naked woman could.


    Her veil did a good job hiding her face but her lips were visible and those lips¡­


    Varian leaned forward and Sia raised her head.


    Their lips touched lightly for a simple peck.


    "More," Sia whispered.


    Varian tore off her veil and tasted her lips. She tasted like vani and smelled like cinnamon.


    "More."


    Their lips crashed against each other aggressively as the newlywed husband and wife fought the battle of lips. Their tongues danced together as they tasted each other intimately.


    Sia looked into Varian''s eyes and he understood. His hands reached her back and unfastened the sps, never leaving the kiss.


    Her cleavage showed and with a gentle tap, the bra flew away, exposing her soft, tantalizing breasts.


    Varian cupped the breasts and fondled them gently.


    Sia''s tongue stiffened for a moment before she kissed him faster and with more intensity.


    ''Cute.''


    He flickered her stiff pink tips, causing her to pull back from the kiss and gasp in pleasure.


    "N-No~"


    ''I''m going crazy¡­''


    Varian sucked and licked a nipple while he fondled the other.


    Sia''s body trembled as she moaned in pleasure assaulting her senses. She held onto his head and leaned on it for support as Varian worked his magic. His other hand gently fondled and caressed her arms, stomach, and sides.


    Under his gentle administration, Sia''s legs rubbed against each other as she felt her soul slowly burn in the fire of passion.


    She wanted to fight back and tried to grab his rod a couple of times but she was feeling unusually sensitive today and had to helplessly give up any initiative.


    Varian pulled her wedding dress up to her waist and tapped it lightly. The dressnded next to the bra and left her almost naked.


    "I¡­how do I look?" Sia pulled her legs together and asked shyly.


    "My heart is about to burst," Varian said with a sincere expression and traced his hand across her soft thighs.


    With each touch, her legs shivered. With each caress, the lust ignited in her body burned brighter.


    Sia trembled as his hand reached to the inside of her thighs. The thin, sexy,ce ck panty she wore specially for the wedding was already drenched in her love juices.


    Varian''s hand moved around her sex, feeding her lust and arousing her. His caresses moved closer and closer to her cave, promising her mindblowing pleasure.


    "Haha~" Sia closed her eyes and bit her lips to prevent the moans from leaking out. But she couldn''t stop her legs from spreading out in anticipation as his fingers gently traced along her outer lips, just outside the panties, and were about to go further in.


    But those naughty fingers that should''ve touched her sex suddenly pulled back.


    "You¡ª" Sia opened her eyes toin but a squelching sound filled the air and all herints vanished into a high-pitched moan as his fingers dug into her wet cave.


    "Arghhh~"

 Chapter 1062 Love And Passion

    Sia''s back arched and a guttural moan left her throat. Varian''s fingers worked their magic, hitting her sensitive spots again and again, causing the beauty to writhe in pleasure.


    Finally, Sia''s body stiffened and she shook for a few seconds before copsing powerlessly.


    Varian took out his wet fingers and yfully ced them in front of her flushed face. With a moan, Sia took them into her mouth and licked them wildly.


    Feeling her soft little tongue naughtily lick him up, Varian turned harder than a diamond.


    "You''ve done it,dy! Repent with your virginity."


    "Nonsense, I''m the one taking your virginity."


    With a yful hum, Sia used her gravity power to rip his shirt and pants to shreds, leaving his powerful body fully naked.


    Varian ced his rod on her wetness and looked at her for onest confirmation. Sia responded by pushing her waist forward and impaling herself on the round.


    "O-Ouch," She stiffened immediately and stopped moving.


    "Take it slow, first times are difficult." Varian kissed her on the nape and let her tense body rx. Then he gently entered her wet cave, bidding farewell to virginity.


    "Hungh~ it''s big, you bastard, s-slow down! You''re stretching me¡­" She red at him resentfully and bit his shoulder like a cat.


    "It''ll be alright, soon¡­" Varian kissed her lips and licked her breasts while he slowly went deeper inside.


    Then, he pulled back a bit and went in and continued until her insides finally got used to his size.


    Sia also stoppedining and bit her lip, trying to contain the moan from the strange sensations that were hitting her.


    Every time his rod scraped her cave, especially when he hit some spots, her body trembled as electric currents of pleasure traveled up her spine and tingled her head.


    Noticing that she was finally ready, Varian mmed his rod inside her.


    "Ahhhh~" All efforts to contain her sounds failed and Sia threw her head back and moaned in pleasure.


    "You''re so sexy, I''m burning," Varian picked her up by the hips and pounded her with intensity.


    Her soft, wet, and velvety insides gripped him like a glove, giving him the pleasure he never experienced. Each sensation was addicting and he wanted more and more.


    The squelching sounds of their bodies joining was overshadowed by the high moans leaking out of Sia.


    She hooked her arms around Varian''s neck, hanging onto him for dear life as he mmed his rod inside her and pushed her to hell and heaven of pleasure. Saliva dripped down her mouth and tears leaked out of her eyes as the intense sex turned her mind blink.


    Varian felt only more turned on seeing her like that and he fucked her harder.


    "Um, aagh~ I¡­I¡­.am¡­.cumm¡ªarghhh!" Sia wrapped her limbs around him like an octopus as she shuddered violently from the pleasure that coursed through her.


    She felt light and sensitive and¡­


    "Ahhh~" Sia found no strength to hold onto Varian as another jolt of pleasure struck her and she copsed onto the bed.


    "Let''s try another position," Varian said with a ragged breath and jumped out of the bed with her in his arms.


    Her breasts pressed against his chest and her legs were instinctively wrapped around his waist. Varian crushed her lips with his and tasted her tongue.


    "T-This I¡ªhngg~"


    Holding her by the ass, Varian drilled her pussy like there was no tomorrow.


    With enough experience from his first session, he now knew all her sensitive spots and hit them frequently.


    "I-no, Va¡­I''m cumming~" Sia soon reached her second orgasm. Then, she lost even the strength to wrap her legs around him.


    Varian took her back to the bed and ced her on hisp. With a plop, his rod left the sweet haven and popped out.


    Sia''s chest heaved up and down as she breathed heavily. Her brown hair stuck to her forehead thanks to the sweat due to her intense sex. And every time she exhaled, the hot breath reached Varian, increasing his lust further.


    "T-That was awesome," Sia said, looking at him with heart eyes. "I¡­I felt crazy good."


    "You''re misunderstanding something here, wife," Varian lifted her by the hips and aligned his rod against her cave.


    Sia''s eyes widened at her husband''s smirk.


    "That was just warm up!"


    "Haaa~"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Sia''s moans rang across the bedroom.


    Varian felt her grow tighter and tighter as if she was trying to stop his rod from leaving her.


    Looking at her flushed face constantly leaking moans and her pussy gripping him tight, Varian felt unprecedented physical and mental satisfaction.


    "Sia, I¡­am cumming."


    "I-Inside, do it inside~" Sia kissed him intensely and begged.


    Varian obliged his wife''s request.


    As the peak approached, he mmed harder and faster her, causing her to shiver in pleasure.


    "I-I am cumming too!" Sia moaned as her toes curled up and her back arched.


    At the same time, Varian grunted and mmed his rod deep inside her, and shot his essence.


    Sia shivered as she felt her insides burn with pleasure. Varian didn''t stop cumming for a full minute and by the time he was done, Sia was filled to the brim with his cum.


    "Still have energy?" Varian kissed her gently on the forehead and asked.


    Sia covered her eyes with her hand and panted weakly. It''s too shameful that her husband came just once while she came thrice. She really wanted to call Sarah for help but decided not to.


    ''It''s our agreement.''


    Taking a deep breath, Sia raised her arms at him with a smile. "Come at me."


    "With pleasure," Varian sank into her.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Sarah paced back and forth on the balcony with a flushed face. Sia''s moans were not stopping for thest two hours.


    She''s familiar with her best friend''s ''noises'' during their intimate session. But this¡­this soundedpletely different.


    ''I should go now? Or should I wait?'' Sarah mped her legs together and bit her lip.


    She was wet beyond saving and wanted to join them right away. But she and Sia agreed to let them each have their own time.


    ''Most men who have two or more wives don''t necessarily have sex with them together. It''s very, very rare. I think we should also not do it¡­''


    ''Maybe you''re right. If we keep it one-on-one, it''ll be more¡­healthy.''


    That was the n.


    "Ssss-Sarah~ Sar¡­ah! C-Come in¡­."


    But the n was thrown out of the window when Sia''s weak moans called her in desperation.


    Sarah was worried at her tone and stormed into the bedroom, wondering if something went wrong.


    But the sight in front of her caused her to stop in her tracks and gasp.


    Varian''s arms passed Sia under her knees and onto her shoulders as he held her up and drilled her with ferocity.


    The squelching sounds were overshadowed by the sounds of their bodies mming against each other. The air was filled with the smell of sex and their bodies were slick with sweat.


    "I,umg¡­arghh, cumming!" With a face showing extreme pleasure, Sia screamed and spasmed.


    Varian increased his speed and pounded her a dozen more times before he deposited his seed deep inside her.


    "Y-You guys¡­" Sarah''s hand reached her wet cave and rubbed it through her clothes. Her heart was throbbing and she felt herself growing weaker.


    As they both climaxed, her legs gave out and she slumped onto the floor.


    "V-Var, t-time out! S-Sarah¡­ta-take over," Sia said weakly and gave her a pleading look.


    "Fine," Varian ced Sia gently on the bed and walked over to Sarah who was still on her knees.


    His rod, drenched in the love liquids, towered over her face.


    Sarah gulped.

 Chapter 1063 An Angels Moan

    "Suck," Varian''s voice wasn''t forceful. It was a very casual tone like he was talking about having a cup of tea.


    Sarah pulled back her hands that were about to grip his rod and raised her head, trying to show him a re.


    Varian smirked at her cute antics and said what she wanted to hear, "Please, my dear wife."


    The sweet loving words seeped into her heart. Intoxicated and drunk in the sweet feeling, Sarah felt herself falling deeper.


    "Y-You idiot, this is cheating! Saying that out of the blue¡­" Sarah bit her lip and muttered.


    This time, she didn''t stop her hands that were reaching for his rod.


    At her touch, Varian took a breath. "Your hands are cold and soft, it feels good."


    Sarah pped his thigh lightly and pouted, "Don''t make fun of me, I know I''m not good as Sia at this stuff."


    Varian bent down and kissed her forehead. "You don''t get to judge that, I do. And I''m telling you, you''re very cute. No need to be so unconfident."


    Sarah''s eyshes trembled and she had an overwhelming urge to hug her husband tightly.


    "S-Stop speaking!" She gripped his rod tightly and moved her hands up and down.


    Compared to the intense sex earlier, the pleasure was many times lower. But watching Sarah, who''s usually very elegant give him a hand job was psychologically satisfying. It felt like he was spheming something he shouldn''t and Varian fully enjoyed that feeling.


    "Remember that time when I said you two won''t get out of bed for days?" Varian said through his heavy breaths.


    Sarah looked at Sia sprawled on the bed and long asleep. Her face, hair, breasts, thighs, and cave were all painted with his essence. With the way her body twitched from time to time even during her sleep, Sarah was damn sure Sia wouldn''t be able to walk straight tomorrow.


    ''If this ends tomorrow, that is.'' Her heart pounded with both fear and excitement.


    "D-Don''t be so intense like you were with Sia, be gentle, husband," Sarah looked up at him with a pitiful expression.


    Varian didn''t reply but his rod jumped with excitement, telling his answer.


    In his defense, a girl as beautiful as her holding his rod and looking at him with that expression was worse than an aphrodisiac.


    Sarah stared at him with resentment and Varian turned his head away. An invisible force began to lift her up for a standing 69 position.


    "W-Wait! I don''t want that!" Sarah resisted and returned to the ground, much to his puzzlement.


    "I just want," She kissed his tip and took it in her mouth, her tongue gently caressing his underside, "Desh."


    Sarah took a third of him into her mouth and sucked. Her fingers gently traced at the base of his rod while she also caressed his balls.


    "Shall we do something more intense today?" Varian asked and Sarah thought for a moment before nodding.


    Varian gathered her scattered hair into a ponytail and held her head. Slowly, he pushed pushed his thing deeper and deeper.


    ''How are you feeling?'' He asked her through telepathy.


    ''I''m a body awakener, I can take it.'' Her reply was all he needed.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Varian pushed himself into her and soon, Sarah was now fully swallowing him. He''s hitting the back of her throat.


    ''I think it''s a bit too much¡­'' Varian wanted to pull out but felt something wet touch his foot.


    ''What the?'' It was the liquid from Sarah. Even though she''s still in her white wedding dress, there''s a huge patch of wetness visible under her.


    ''She likes it? Should I try to be rougher?'' Varian felt a bit unsure but decided to give it a try.


    Slowly pulling his rod back, he mmed it back in. Her throat constricted and her tongue snaked against his rod all the while her saliva drowned him in wet and hot bliss.


    Varian felt a jolt of pleasure shooting up his spine and instinctively repeated the action. Pull back, m forth. Again and again and again.


    Sarah threw away her wedding dress at some point and revealed her gorgeous body d only in a whitece bra and panties.


    As Varian had his way with her mouth, she leaked out more and more liquid.


    "Sarah, I''m cumming!" He grunted like a beast and mmed his rod deep inside her throat.


    As the hot liquid poured into her stomach, Sarah spasmed and an unexpected orgasm pushed her to the peak of bliss.


    With a plop, Varian''s rod left her mouth and Sarah copsed onto the carpet, staring nkly at the ceiling.


    Varian lifted her up and gently ced her on the bed, on the other end from Sia. Since the bed was sorge, it still felt like a one-on-one session.


    "I didn''t expect you to enjoy that¡­" Varian put her legs over his shoulders and gently caressed her lower lips.


    Sarah trembled under his gentle administrations. He didn''t go inside but massaged on the outside, arousing her gently, slowly lighting up the mes of lust that would soon devour her.


    "I¡­I didn''t know," Sarah turned her head to the side and muttered. "And I-I¡­hnngg!"


    Sarah''s waist rose instinctively as Varian''s fingers prated her and hit the right spot.


    "Gimme a bre¡ªarghhh!" Sarah couldn''t even finish her sentence and moaned midway.


    Varian scratched his cheek and wondered why she was so sensitive today. ''Is it because of the expectations?''


    He reduced the intensity and gently fingered her.


    Sarah panted heavily and moaned lightly from time to time. But somehow, she''s able to catch her breath.


    "I¡­I think I''ll die at that intensity, hmm~" She groaned.


    "Mam, I''m being very gentle for your information." Varian said, "If I start to be intense, then it''d be like this."


    His fingers blurred and jolts of numbing pleasure engulfed Sarah. Her mind nked out for a moment before everything crashed down.


    "Arghhh!"


    Her toes curled up and she screamed at the mind-blowing pleasure as a heavenly orgasm overtook her.

 Chapter 1064 Best Friends Are Always Together

    Sarah opened her eyes after a few minutes. She still felt the aftermath of her orgasm. The remnants of pleasure remained, reminding her of the mad ecstasy. Her legs were weak and her arms felt powerless.


    "Sorry," Varian scratched the back of his head and said.


    "You were really being gentle," Sarah said, the surprise in her tone evident.


    "Exactly! I''m a gentleman who treats his wives with care." Varian patted his chest and said.


    Sarah turned to Sia and her lips twitched.


    "Shall we?"


    Sarah felt something hot and hard press against her lower lips. Before she could even reply, her body did and leaked out some juices.


    "Y-Yes."


    Varian slowly slipped it in. Thankfully, she was wet enough that the pration didn''t cause her much difort.


    On the contrary, as he began to thrust back and forth, Sarah began to leak out sweet moans.


    "Ahhh~ V-Varian¡­"


    "Husband." He pinched her pink tips and kissed her navel.


    "Y-Yeahhh~Hus..band~~" Sarah''s eyes grew hazy as pleasure drowned her.


    "You''re so beautiful, Sarah." Varian mmed harder.


    "Nghhh~" Like a leaf blown away by the wind, Sarah felt unfettered. She desperately wanted to grab something and wrapped her limbs around him, causing him to thrust harder.


    As her moans grew louder, Sarah reached another climax.


    Thankfully, Varian didn''t continue thrusting but instead began to kiss and caress her body.


    Her mind was finally back to working and Sarah felt her heart burn in shame. Covering her eyes with her fingers, she recalled the moans she uttered before.


    ''I¡­I made sounds like that? Heavens! I¡­''


    Her public persona was that of a cold and aloof woman. After learning that her father ''betrayed'' her best friend, she had only grown colder. Except for people close to her, she''s hard to approach. Yet, such a woman moaned so wildly.


    ''Thankfully, only Sia is here.'' Sarah was relieved but not for long as the fingers caressing her got naughty.


    ''This bastard! Dynamics on the bed shouldn''t be this one-sided. Just you wait, I''ll team up with Sia and make you beg for mer¡ª''


    "Nhhhg~!" Sarah moaned as Varian rammed her suddenly, sending jolts of pleasure.


    Varian snickered at her shocked face twisting in pleasure and continued thrusting into her wet cave.


    "D-Don''t be so sudde¡ªarghh~" Sarah bit his arm to mp down her moans.


    "It''s just us, you can moan however you want." Varian lifted her by the waist and pulled her into a hug.


    Now, her legs were still on his shoulders, but she was also hugging him. Due to the difficulty of the position, she tightened and made him thrust harder.


    "I¡­am going to~," Sarah moaned into his ears, her insides gripping him harder, indicating another climax.


    "Take my seed," Varian filled her to the brim, causing her a small orgasm right after.


    "Haa~ Haa~ Haan~" Sarah dropped onto the soft bed and panted heavily.


    Seeing that Varian was making no further moves, she sighed in relief and said. "It''s over, right?"


    Varian smiled.


    "Right?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Arghhh~"


    Time passed in a blur. Sarah forgot how many times she was brought to the peak of bliss, how many positions this sex fiend put her in. She even forgot the day and date.


    ''W-Who am I?''


    After another mind-blowing orgasm, Sarah looked at the ceiling nkly.


    "Another round?"


    As she heard that voice, her memories reappeared and she finally realized her condition.


    She wanted to move back, but her legs were limp. She also wanted to wave her hands but they were powerless. She could only speak, but even her throat felt sore.


    "T-Time Out!"


    "What? You''re a body awakener tho¡ªumf," Varian looked at her in genuine confusion.


    Sarah threw another pillow at his face and yelled. "Are you trying to fuck me to death?"


    "But you''re so beautiful," Varian muttered. "And I''ve onlye thrice. It''s not fair."


    Sarah wanted to cry but no tears came out. She was too dehydrated dammit.


    "W-Wait, I know!" Sarah''s eyes lit up and she pointed to the brown-haired girl who was pretending to be asleep.


    She woke up an hour ago only to witness her best friend getting her mind blown, and wisely decided to pretend to be asleep.


    Unfortunately, her best friend betrayed her.


    "Oh, right!" Varian snapped and Sianded in his arms with a scream.


    "S-Sarah! One more hour, you can do it! I believe in you!" Sia tried to escape.


    Sarah''s lips twitched and she slowly got up. Sia''s eyes lit up and she sighed in relief.


    "Thank you very much, Sara¡ªSarah? What are you doing?" Sia panicked as instead of taking her ce, Sarah lifted her hips, grabbed Varian''s rod, and positioned it against her cave for insertion.


    "Y-You traito¡ªnghhh!"


    Even as Sia''s moans grew louder and louder, Sarah was able to find the much-needed rest.


    It seemed like she slept for just a blink when a tingling pleasure in her lower lips woke her up.


    The next thing she knew, she was on top of Sia, hugging her as Varian rammed her from behind. As the pleasure devoured her mind, she held onto her friend for dear life. When it was Sia''s turn, she supported her while reeling in the aftermath of the numerous orgasms.


    As Varian switched back and forth between them, sometimes, almost doing them simultaneously, the two most beautiful women hugged each other, creating a beautiful and erotic sight.


    Thankfully, since two of them were taking on him at once, they found it more manageable, though the pleasure was still a bit too much. On the bright side, even though Varian was continuing to dominate them in bed, they weren''t fainting.


    ''And we tried to take him one-on-one¡­'' Sia bit Sarah''s shoulder as she repented her mistake.


    "I..I''m going to¡­"


    "Me too¡­"


    "Take it!"


    The three of them climaxed at the same time and the girls limply fell into each other''s arms.


    Varian looked at the masterpiece in front of him and sighed in wonder. Then, looking at his little brother who refused to soften the slightest, he covered his face in embarrassment. "I should take a break, probably."

 Chapter 1065 A Bright Future

    "Royal Secretary, it the Emperor convening a meeting today?"


    "No. Not today. Tell them it''d be held soon, possibly as early as tomorrow." On the first floor of the pce, in the fourthrgest office, Alison answered a group of ministers in a neutral tone.


    The man leading the group of six, the finance minister, responded with an embarrassed expression and shifted in his chair. "As you know, it''s already been seven days since the coronation.


    We all know what his Majesty has done for our race, how much he sacrificed and who he fought. For any of his services, he deserves a long vacation and none of us have any right to question him.


    But the public cannotprehend what he had been through. They''re eagerly waiting for his majesty''s first set ofws. It doesn''t even have to be anything groundbreaking. Just¡­they want to know that he cares. It''s enough."


    Alison, codenamed Blue sh, ced her arms on the brown desk and stared out of the razor-thin window ss. The sky of the capital was still bright with fireworks. People were celebrating Varian more than he could''ve imagined. For them, he''s the beacon of hope and a promise of better life.


    "His Majesty has more important tasks than a meeting for the sake of publicity." Alison''s voice sharpened and the office fell into a heavy silence.


    The finance minister immediately bowed. "I''m sorry, I''m still thinking in the old ways. Since he chose not to appear, it must be something extremely important for the Empire. I¡­I was privileged to get a glimpse of his biography. He was saving everyone behind the shadows since the beginning. I can only imagine what grand task he''s doing now."


    The others also apologized and left hanging their head in shame.


    "Haa~" Alison stood up and stretched her arms. This was the twentieth meeting she held today and all of them ended like this.


    "I''ll die if this goes on for longer." She teleported into one of the rose gardens and sat on a bench.


    From there, she stared at the top floor of the pce with a mix of resentment, confusion and exasperation. "It''s called first night, not first week."


    Even for awakeners, there were limits. Body awakeners would be mentally exhausted, Mind awakeners would be physically exhausted.


    But this guy¡­he''s going it for a week.


    "Should I pity or envy the girls?"


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª-


    "So Sir, what would you like to buy for your grandkids? We have very well crafted toys, delicate clothes, the best medical meals. Anything infants need, we have that and in the best of quality." The salesgirl spread her arms and exined with a proud expression.


    Well, she was right. This store was indeed the best on Venus for baby care. In fact, it''s the undisputed number one in the entire Empire.


    And that''s why he''s here.


    "My Son-inw said something when we were drinking during his marriage." The middle-aged man who looked to be in histe 30s or early 40s, rubbed his chin and said with a look of pride.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Yeah?" The salesgirl blinked in confusion and gave the man a skeptic look.


    This man didn''t dress up luxuriously. A white turtleneck sweater, ck pants and a red muffler. His fashion sense was just terrible. He seemed somewhat familiar, like some person from military she couldn''t recall.


    But his face was soft, kind and very weing, like a friendly uncle. There''s no way this person was a military hero.


    ''Probably a braggart.'' The salesgirl cursed him internally but yed along. "What is the profound thing that your Son-inw said, Sir?"


    "He said choosing is for children, adults will have them all." Evander said with an expression of great enlightenment.


    "W-What does that even mean?"


    "That means I''m not picking one thing or another from your ship," Evander smiled and the salesgirl''s expression copsed into fury. But his next words caused her to open her mouth in shock. "I''m buying everything here¡ªI''m buying your store."


    "Ah¡ªAhahaha, You good sir surely have a good sense of humor."


    "I''m not joking." Evander pointed to the entrance and the owner of the entire store chain rushed in panting.


    "I didn''t raise my daughter with enough care. At least, not after my wife and son passed away. Looking back now, I fully regret that I couldn''t see her grow. I missed so much time with her. Just a few months ago, we didn''t even talk to each other properly." Evander wiped the corner of his eyes.


    The salesgirl was captivated by his story but her eyes were glued to the store manager who was literally sprinting here like her life depended on it.


    "For my grandkids, I''ll not allow any such regrets. I''ll their only grandparent. So, it''s my responsibility to spoil them. I''ll give them all the love in the world. Even though their parents are more capable than me, I can give them the love of a grandfather." Evander said with a bright and determined smile.


    "I already envy your grandkids. They''re so lucky to have a grandpa like you. If I were in that position, I''d consider myself the luckiest girl." The girl said sincerely.


    "You''ll understand when you grow older. Grandchildren are the way we make up for the lost love. But little girl, if you''re going to be a parent someday, don''t hesitate to love your kids. Most kids don''t really want much, they just want you to love them. And trust me, kids you love back more than we can imagine."


    Evander left after giving an advice. Soon, the store changed its owner and was the beginning of the "World''s Best Grandpa".


    In the neighboring, the new cadets joined the Earth Academy with bright hopes and burning passion.


    But they happened to be the unluckiest batch of them all as the academy strictly prohibited any dating between cadets, teachers, and even workers.


    The biggest blockbuster of the opening ceremony was Dean Anna''s speech. Some called it passionate, others termed it delusional. But everyone unanimously agreed that the speech would go do in history, if only for its peculiarity.


    "This is a military school, not a breeding ground! For three years, don''t eat, don''t drink and don''t even think about enjoyment. Work like hell."

 Chapter 1066 A New Heavens Will & The Solution To The Biggest Problem

    "A few months ago, I promised I''d take you on a date to Pluto. It ended up being our honeymoon." Varian said as they strolled in the newly constructed Pluto military bases.


    "Honeymoon in a military base, very romantic." Sarah locked his arms and snickered.


    Now, there''s nomercial or residential districts on Pluto. Everything was either converted for military use or demolished.


    So, the only sights the husband and wife caught were the endless ck, green and red of military buildings and patrolling soldiers.


    "Pluto will be pushed to the edge of the sr system. It''ll be the most important military garrison. Otheroids will also be arranged in the same trajectory." Varian revealed the military strategy.


    "You''re building a chain of bigoids around the sr system to block any invasion, hm?" Sarah stepped into the air with a burst of white light and raised a brow.


    "Yes," Varian''s calm face grew solemn. "I think in a year at least or five years at most, we''ll have the visitors of the nearby province when they conduct a territory census."


    "It''ll raise deep suspicions. Why did a star system that had no aura to speak of until recently suddenly have awakeners and more importantly, a celestial ranker?" Sarah narrowed her eyes and gripped his arm tighter. "Another war?"


    Varian shook his head. "I''m consulting Boo and searching up the ruins for a solution. Even if we fight the province and win, what about the Duchy? Even those failed princes and princesses in the Duchies were so strong and had Sovereigns as bodyguards. We don''t need to contemte about their celestial rankers."


    The honeymoon ended up as a war discussion.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "¡­And that''s why, I think it''s okay for us to have a child now." Sia fiddled with her fingers and said as they strolled the busy street markets.


    Varian exhaled deeply. "I don''t wish a bring a life to the world without securing its future."


    "There''s no absolute security, is there?" Sia shrugged.


    "No. But¡­" Varian once again exined the problem they''d be soon facing.


    This honeymoon turned into a brainstorming session.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Oh? Hey! It''s you! You came back! You really did! Yaaay!" A pair of little wings circled around Varian and cried in joy in the voice of a little child.


    Varian gently caressed the wings and patted it. "It''s a promise."


    "Hm¡­but how did you enter? The ruins wouldn''t open for a few more months." The little wings pulled together, as if expressing its confusion.


    "While I''m no longer technically the Scion since I gave it away to my wife, for some reason, I''m still recognized as one. I wonder why?" Varian shrugged. "So, I found I could enter any ruins at will."


    "That sounds so nice¡­going anywhere you want anytime." The little wings muttered in a dreamy tone and drooped slightly. "I-I''ve never seen the outside world."


    "Wanna go on a tour?" Varian gently nudged it. "Even though the ruins are wonderful, you can see so many things, it''ll just blow your mind."


    "B-But I can''t¡­I''m an abandoned sessor to the Heaven''s Will." In the dark and lonely chamber, the wings curled together and returned to the top of one of the three altars.


    ''¡­how did it survive so much loneliness?'' Varian sighed inwardly and waved his hand.


    Thes stood still for a moment and all the eight ruins lit up. Then pirs of light shot into the sky from each ruins and a grand light swept the sr system.


    The altars in the chamber disintegrated into light particles and assimted into the wings.


    "I¡­I am¡­I see a blue, a red one! Two big suns! Wait, why are there two, shouldn''t there be only one?" The little wings'' voice was full of joy, excitement and curiosity.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    It''s like a child seeing the world for the first time and perhaps it was exactly that.


    "You can see the entire sr system now that you''re the Heaven''s Will, huh." Varian asked even though he knew the answer already.


    "Yes! I can! Those buildings are glittering like stars! And the ocean, it''s so blue! It''s very vast! Oh and those people! Little kids, men and women, old and young¡­they''re crying,ughing, talking¡­so many things, I can see them all! I can hear them all!"


    The wings pped with excitement and flew around Varian at high speed.


    But then, it began to slow down.


    "Some people are just like me¡­they''re feeling alone, others are fortunate, they have someone to talk to¡­I feel their sadness, I can also feel their joy¡­I feel like they''re a part of me, that I am them¡­"


    The wings slowly stopped in front of Varian and enveloped him in its gentle and warm touch like it''s hugging him.


    "I¡­I no longer feel alone. I''m no longer alone." The sweet voice was filled with pain Varian couldn''t even begin to fathom.


    A thousand year loneliness finally ended. Except for the wings, no one could understand how much this gift meant.


    Beating its tiny wings against his chest like a little child throwing a tantrum, it cried in an unbelievably soft and sad voice. "W-Why are you so nice to me¡­you didn''t have to keep your promise, I couldn''t have done anything. Even when you dide, you could''ve just visited and left.


    No one would say anything¡­no one except you even knows I exist. I am just a failure that couldn''t do its job, a living defect from the past. What have I even done to deserve your care?"


    Varian felt his heart stir in pain at those words. But he decided to lighten up instead of making it any sadder.


    "Actually, I helped you so that you can help me. I''m not a good guy, you see. I''m a tyrannical Emperor who wants to make you work nonstop and get things done." Varian made a malicious expression.


    "Ah-hahaha! I''ll work! I''ll work everyday! I wanted to work for thousands of years and had no chance! I''m created for that every purpose!" The wings chuckled like a sweet child and pped around excitedly.


    "¡­" Varian scratched his head at the unexpected response. Who would''ve thought this little guy was a workaholic?


    "Um, well¡­"


    "Yes, yes, please, what''s the work I have to finish? I don''t have much power now, but I can do a lot of things! Right from the first to thest! Please give me the task! I beg you!"


    "Er, find all the criminals of an organization called Shadow Order. The remnants went into hiding. I suspect some of them are in undiscovered secret realms." Varian said and waved his hand. "Take your time, you can tell me the progress after I return in a mon¡ª"


    "Done!" The wings eximed.


    "What?"


    "I took some time to understand who exactly the Shadow Order is, so sorry for the dy. So, there are 359 people in total. 290 of them are in six secret realms and are running out of food while the remaining 69 are scattered across thes and space cities."


    As the little wings reported, a screen made of pure aura formed in front of Varian and showed the details of them all.


    "Holy fu¡ª" Varian stopped from swearing in front of the little guy. Then, a thought shed in his mind and he asked with a burning gaze. "You can ess the knowledge of devas?"


    "Whatever is left, yes. I''m the Heaven''s Will now."


    "Excellent! We''re facing a situation now and are in the risk of exposing our secret to the province that''ll find us soon. I need your help, find a solution!"


    And Varian did find a solution.


    It''s just not easy.

 Chapter 1067 Building The Future

    "So I did find a solution. It''s just, I might have to go somewhere for it." Varian tapped the armrest of the throne and announced.


    The throne hall was still silent. The most powerful members of the Human Empire held their breaths as they stared at the Emperor with a burning gaze.


    Varian sighed and shook his head. "I can''t do now. I don''t even know where to find them."


    "Them?" Chief Of Staff Kevin leaned forward from his seat and asked.


    Varian hummed with a nod. "It has a lot of names. In essence, it''s a very rare creature that feeds on a star and hides the aura of that star system. When other civilizations find us and find they will, that creature will save us from being suspected. They''ll still check up on our ruins in case it''s something precious, but I can keep it hidden as long as the inspectors aren''t very strong."


    "But how will you find it? No human has ever properly outside our star system. Our transportation system is just too backward for that sort of travel." Prime Minister Irene pursed her lips in anxiety.


    Varian exhaled and leaned back into the throne. "I''ll figure that out. But since this is the first Imperial meeting anyway, are there any policy issues that need my supervision and approval?"


    "About that, Your Majesty," An old man with gray hair, sharp eyes, and a medium frame raised his hand.


    "Yes, Chief Counsellor Vahoff," Varian nodded. "Is there any issue with the internal security?"


    "Yes, a big issue in fact." The Chief Counsellor stood from his seat and looked at the Emperor up on the throne with nervousness. "More than 50,000 people died mysteriously yesterday. We can''t find any trace or source. Even a Sovereign couldn''t have done that. It''s just like¡­"


    Saying until that post, Chief Counsellor Vanhoff''s expression crumpled.


    "Just like I would''ve done it." Varian finished the words for him and Vanhoff''s face paled. But the Emperor''s answer was even more surprising. "Yes, you are right. They''re all people thatmitted penalties that deserve death. I''ll send you the detailster."


    "B-But Your Majesty, people panicked. They fear what they don''t understand."


    "Then tell them the truth."


    The Old Man looked at the Emperor in disbelief and replied. "They''ll protest. Everyone is used to a court of trial. Even the hienest of criminals. Directly killing them would be fine in wartime but if that''s done now, then it''d set a bad precedent and encourage vigntism in soc¡ª"


    "Haa~" Varian sighed and gripped the armrest. "There were three guys who raped a 9-year-old, seven men who killed injured veterans for fun, thousands of shadow order remnants, tens of thousands of betrayers who gave our military information to abyssals in thest years."


    Vanhoff opened his mouth in shock and utter disbelief. "H-Howe they got away for so long?"


    "They know the right people and have the right resources." Varian scoffed, a look of utter disgust appearing on his face. "So the high awakeners who facilitated this crap, including six level 9s are also killed."


    Vanhoff who was still dumbfounded about the hidden criminals nearly jumped at his words. "Your Majesty, they''re level 9! They''re extremely precious for our milit¡ª"


    Varian raised a single finger and the Counsellor shut up. "One bottle."


    "Pardon?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    A simmering blue bottle appeared on top of Varian''s finger. He spun it like it was a top and smiled. "One bottle of my potion can create one level 9. We have tens of thousands of level 8s."


    The expressions of others in the throne hall changed.


    Yes, indeed. It''s not just potions, the Emperor revealed that he also mastered the ruins. Then it''s only a matter of time before¡ª


    "We''ll make changes to the training curriculum. All eight ruins will be open 24x7 round the year. Morepetitions will be conducted every month and the best performers will get quotas to enter these special ces in the ruins. But every school, every college will get their own time to enter suitable regions.


    Right from high school, students should train hard. And the best talents in military academies will directly get a potion that will elerate their growth.


    Of course, the talents of the military will not be neglected. With enough merit points, you can purchase a bunch of potions. Researcher Kyle had a breakthrough in a bunch of good potions that could be mass-produced. And without omission, the geniuses with the highest progress will have a chance to get the most precious potion as well."


    Prime Minister Irene wondered if she was hearing things. Because if what he said dide true, then humans would usher in rapid progress.


    The precious potions would create the elite of the elite who could be level 9s and Sovereigns. Perhaps even Celestials after many years.


    The ruins, on the other hand, would create the bulk of the forces, bing the base of the empire.


    "Oh and there''s something I forgot to do¡­" Varian closed his eyes and raised his hand. A beam of light fell from the sky andnded on his palm before turning into a pair of cute little white wings with a tinge of gold.


    "Hehehe, Master!" The little wings called out and rubbed on his cheeks.


    Varian smiled helplessly. He''s trying to maintain at least a solemn image of an Emperor but this guy spoiled it all.


    "I need a favor."


    "I only do orders. No favors."


    "Fine, an order. There''s a restriction on the number of sovereigns. It''s also messing with our rate of progress. Remove it."


    The wings paused for a moment and then the sky went dark. The suns were covered in thick red aura chains inscribed with runes. The aura chains cracked apart and then exploded into pieces of light.


    Everyone in the Empire touched their chest and took a sharp breath. They felt lighter, relieved¡­as if something that was always pressing on their chest was finally removed. But they didn''t even know what it was.


    At the same time, two peak level 9 auras shot into the sky and two new Sovereigns were born.


    The paradigm shift had begun.

 Chapter 1068 Barix Province & Centaurus Duchy

    A space gate opened up in a quiet alley of an earth city and an old man stepped out into the streets.


    His six-foot frame cast a long shadow under the early sunrise while his blue skin shined softly. His four thin elf-like ears twitched violently as they took in the sounding from the surroundings.


    The music in the bars, the soft whistling of the flying cars, announcements of the flying metros¡­


    Everything was so novel. He didn''t even understand thenguage yet his eyes teared up after hearing these sounds.


    He stared at the sky and stretched his arms up as if he was embracing the endlessness of the sky. As if he was embracing freedom.


    "This is freedom! This is the wider world! This is¡ªouch!" The old man rubbed the back of his head and turned around with a scowl, intending to curse the hell out of whoever dared to interrupt his moment.


    It was a mature woman with pale blue skin dressed as a maid.


    "M-Matriarch!" Hortus'' oldest cksmith bowed his head and apologized.


    "I am the maid of our god, not a matriarch." She corrected and continued staring at the grand cityscape with fascination. The several Hortians behind her were also immersed in this new culture.


    But more than the city, they''re fascinated by the stars twinkling in the sky, the spaceships leaving the, and going beyond the boundaries.


    Unlike in Hortus where they couldn''t leave their world, here, they could leaves. They could travel! There''s no limit! None at all!


    "T-The promise for repairing the space gate was fulfilled. T-Thank You, Lord." The cksmiths and the craftsmen knelt on the footway and offered their prayers.


    The people passing by mostly ignored them, treating them as another cosy team.


    But they did scream in excitement when a blue light shed and a woman appeared.


    "Royal Secretary!"


    "Mam, I''m your biggest fan!"


    "I want to join Athena''s group and serve them, just like you did!"


    Alison waved her hand and blocked the crowd from approaching any further.


    "So, people of¡­Hortus, I''ve prepared a team to tour you through our Empire. They''ll take care of everything. Just enjoy yourselves for a month.


    And then, I''ll give you the list of things His Majesty wants you to do. Especially space technologies, item creation, and aura applications.


    You can reject it if you want to. But if you meet his expectations, you can join us when weunch an exploration from this sr system. You guys like an exploration of newnds, don''t you?"


    The group of Hortians swallowed their saliva and nodded furiously. Being locked up on one all their lives, now they wouldn''t trade anything for this freedom.


    "Hail The Lord!"


    The Matriarch stared at her people brimming with excitement and looked at the sky. A thin smile hung on her lips.


    Maybe their future wouldn''t be so bad.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    A couple of light years away from the sr system was a star known to humans as Barnard Star.


    On the intergctic arena, however, it''s called Barix Province, a rising star ruled by a Rank 3 Celestial.


    Inparison, the Centaurus Duchy nearby was continuously declining since the war with the Jai Empire''s minions¡ªAbyssals and Zions.


    In fact, the Provinces of the Centaurus had long stopped taking orders from the Duchy and were doing only the bare minimum to keep up the act.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As the foreign Province neighboring the Centaurus Duchy, Barix was very sensitive to these changes. And the Duchy governing it was drawn away by other issues, leaving no time or resources to keep its growing ambitions in check.


    Yet, so far, there had been no major move from the Hercules Province.


    "What do the spies say?." In the Imperial Pce of the Barix Province, a deep voice rang.


    "We have infiltrated the court of the Centaurus. The information from our spies is only getting more and more pleasant. Your Majesty, they are only growing weaker, like an old man on his deathbed.


    Our forces can defeat them without fail. But Your Majesty, if we keep waiting, even Centaurus'' own provinces would make a move. Worse, other Duchies might step in." The Chief Intelligence Officer knelt on a knee and exined.


    "Hm¡­" The man seated on the throne was covered in blue starlight, the indicator of a Rank 3 Mystic. His hum rang like a p of thunder and reverberated throughout the pce.


    After a moment of careful thought, he opened his mouth. "The period of strategic patience is over. We''ve built up enough strength and Centaurus weakening any further will destabilize the situation. Make a n."


    "Then the Arm¡ª"


    "No. Even though victory is a guarantee, if we wage a war, we''ll pay the price. However weakened it is, Centaurus is still a Duchy. It''ll extract its pound of flesh when it falls. Our enemies will pounce on us like rabid hounds." The Grand Admiral objected.


    "But how can we aplish our mission without paying a big price? Assassinate their heirs? Throw them into civil strife? If we pick those options, then Centaurus Duchy might use it to unite its provinces against us, a foreign enemy." The Chief Intelligence Officer argued.


    The debate continued back and forth without any solid conclusion. But sooner orter, a n would be drafted and Centaurus would be conquered.


    After the session ended, the Chief Intelligence and the Grand Admiral met the Emperor in private.


    The Intelligence Officer talked first and revealed a piece of wild information.


    "And Your Majesty, there are rumors in the Centaurus court that they found a new civilization."


    "Hm?"


    "They''re not sure yet since they''ve never found anything in the past census. It''ll be verified it in the census uing soon."


    "A new civilization that was never found even Centaurus was at its peak." The Emperor''s dignified voice was filled with a tinge of suspicion and caution.


    "Keep an eye on the results. Any unexpected variable is dangerous." The Emperor ordered.


    "Of course, Your Majesty. Variables must be removed." The Intelligence Officer bowed and retreated.


    The Grand Admiral took a step forward and said with a rather grave expression. "The Jai Empire is increasing the skirmishes on the borders of the Kingdom."


    The Emperor''s eyes shone for a moment.


    Barix was a Province aspiring to a Duchy. Duchy was just a part of a Kingdom. And all the kingdoms formed into three Empires forming an intergctic alliance. And this alliance was formed just to defend against the behemoth called the Jai Empire.


    The kingdom that contained Centaurus, Barix, and everything nearby was unfortunately a border kingdom. Of course, their region was nothing important.


    Even in thest big war, the Jai Empire only bothered to send two Duchies¡ªAbyssals and Zions to this region. Of course, these two Duchies weren''t the top-tier and could barely be considered significant in the Jai Empire''s army. Yet, they wrecked this region.


    If the Empire ever thought of even conquering this ce, then it wouldn''t matter if the Barix Province, Centaurus Duchy, or even their Kingdom fought together. It''d be all gone before the next dawn.


    "What a cursed ce this is. Everything my ancestors worked for, everything I poured my life for, everything can be gone in a blink and we cannot even resist." The Emperorughed.


    The Grand Admiral sighed. "There have been worrying signs on the border, perhaps another war ising after this long peace. That''s precisely my worry, Your Majesty. What if in the war, this region..."


    The Emperor smiled widely and patted his Admiral''s shoulder. "Will a man stop dreaming just because he''d die one day and lose everything? Then why should we stop our conquest?"

 Chapter 1069 Eden

    The sr system was slowlying to the notice of the Barix Province.


    Barix Province was bigger than Human Empire. It consists of three star systems with a total of twelve lifes and a poption amounting to two hundred billion.


    But this would be insignificant in front of Centaurus Duchy housing trillions of lives. However, even that would be insignificant in front of the Kingdom containing more than a hundred Duchies.


    And there were several such Kingdoms under each of the three Empires that rule the Milkyway Gxy. Their adversary was the overlord of the Andromeda Gxy.


    All their adventures, wars, and interactions were limited to the two main gxies and the bunch of smaller satellite gxies around them.


    As a whole, this region, known as the Local Group¡ªthe collection of the neighboring gxies including the Milkyway¡ªto humans was called by another name since antiquity by the great powers.


    It''s called¡­


    Eden.


    The garden once walked by the gods and abandoned. It had been so long that the beautiful garden¡ªthe cradle of all civilization where the first six tribes were born¡ªhad rotten into awless jungle.


    The Alliance and the Jai Empire both im themselves the rightful owners of this divine expanse.


    The conflict had been going on for longer than anyone could remember. Most would not live to see the next chapter of this grand war. But some decide the course of it.


    At the center of a satellite gxy near Andromeday a pce. Spanning as long as the eye could see, it stood imposingly and shone brighter than any star ever could.


    The servants of the pce worked diligently, cleaning the floors, walls, and gates¡ªeach of which was built with materials so rare that even they couldn''t even be found on the ck market, and even if someone did find them, they wouldn''t dare to sell.


    It was a harmonious sight. Sovereign handymen did the lowest of chores while the weaker among Celestials managed as handymen.


    Deep inside the pce, in one of therge chambers, a sensual dance was going on.


    The Queens of Kingdoms were the main dancers while the Duchesses acted as the background dancers.


    One of those background dancers was the Zion Matriarch.


    She moved her arms gently like a serene river before turning faster and faster like a raging flood. All her focus and strength were directed into this one dance she had been preparing for years.


    Time seemed to slow down. Each moment mattered. This was it. Her life''s defining moment.


    ¡­And the dance ended before she even knew it.


    Like all the women around her, she knelt on the tform and bowed her head to the man watching them with interest from afar.


    The 7th Prince didn''t speak. His eyes lingered around his ythings for a moment and interest appeared when he noticed one of the new members.


    But it quickly vanished as something far more alluring drew his interest.


    The 7th Prince disappeared from the satellite gxy and appeared in Andromeda Gxy and headed straight to the Divine Pce in the capital of the Jai Empire.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "I miss you, my dear sibling." As the seventh prince walked down the ster path, built out of star cores, a pleasant voice rang from the side.


    A silhouette emerged out of nowhere and walked beside him.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    It was illusory, not through the use of any psychic power but because of its existence osciting betweenyers of space.


    The 7th Prince maintained his movements without any reaction.


    "Why don''t you respond, my dear brother?" The silhouette moved away from him and its voice dropped.


    The world around them twisted and a dozen fist-sized ck holes appeared around the 7th Prince.


    Built with powers beyond the reach of even Celestials, even a finger-sized ckhole could devour the entire sr system. And the 7th Prince faced the ckholes muchrger and many more in number.


    He casually swatted them away and kept moving forward. Each step crossed several lightyears yet he kept walking.


    "What arrogance!" Following the deep shrill, the glowing, sparkling, glittering starry surroundings went dark.


    The two appeared in a dwarf gxy.


    The 7th Prince''s eyes finally narrowed and it elicited a chuckle from the silhouette.


    "Come talk!"


    A long cut appeared in the space, stretching for countless light years. Dozens of star systems in the way were just ripped apart. Stars,s, asteroids¡ªanything and everything the space cut touched were shredded to pieces.


    The 7th Prince exhaled and his eyes began to glow. The world around him twisted and the silhouette chuckled in anticipation.


    As the fight was about to begin, a snort sounded from everywhere and nowhere. Then, they instantly appeared in a throne hall.


    The hall was a piece of art, glowing with divine light that even the highest celestial wouldn''t dare to see.


    It was built in a self-contained space, containing smaller stars carved exclusively for this usage. There were also several ck holes, wormholes, and others. But their presence didn''t create any chaos in the hall. They were perfectly under ''control''.


    It was less of a Throne Hall and more of a Cosmic Chamber.


    "Your Majesty," The 7th Prince bowed to the throne he didn''t dare to look in the eye and took his seat.


    As expected, there were important Princes, Princesses, Officials, and powerhouses, all gathered today.


    "The slivers made another appearance." A voice came from high above. It was in and carried no emotion as if it discussing just a daily thing.


    The 7th Prince squinted and wondered. ''They appeared a while ago, then¡­''


    "They appeared in Lumen Empire¡­in a poor region, inside a double star system¡­infested by a weak humanoid race." The voice paused from time to time as if it was reading a script from an iplete source. "The slivers¡­sent a message to the cosmos¡­they seek unification."


    Everyone looked up at the throne in instinctual shock but lowered their heads as quickly as the divine light struck their eyes.


    That being...was the closest existence to a God. Perhaps he would be the God tomorrow.


    "Prepare to search every double star system. Do not give the Alliance any respite. Push our forces forward, keep them on their toes. The slivers will unify, Eden will bloom once again and it''ll happen under my rule."


    With one order from the strongest being, the course of eventspletely changed.

 Chapter 1070 Letter From The Enemy

    "...It''ll be done in a month."


    Varian stood in the space, just a few dozen miles away from the two suns that have now begun to merge back.


    The Heaven''s Will--the little wings--pped in front of him like an excited little bird and described the progress.


    "I was just saying it casually, you know?" Varian was still feeling shocked.


    Yesterday, he said in passing that it''s a pity the Sun was split into two. The next day, the wings said the suns would fuse back together!


    And it''s happening! Right in front of his very eyes!


    "In fact, there are a lot of arrays on Sun for its maintenance. I''m just using those arrays." The wings answered, a little proud yet very cute.


    "...Master, don''t trust this guy. It''s not very cute. Notpared to Boo." A hologram of Boo appeared beside Varian and red at the little wings.


    "Yes, please don''t trust me. I was about to reveal the materials needed to rebuild you~" The little wings snuggled on Varian''s shoulders.


    "W-Wait! Boo admits you''re trustworthy! You are the best...just a little lower than Boo!"


    "..." Varian felt ashamed at his ghostcking the slightest of shame.


    Leaving the two to bicker, he roamed in space for fun.


    "Logos, why are you so silent these days?" He asked, drawing glowing masses of ck and white from his palms.


    There was no response.


    Varian raised a brow and coalesced the powers into ck and white spheres. He then grabbed a handful of mes from the sun and split them into two parts.


    The white power in his hand touched the mes and the chaotic, uneven mes changed. Instead of random and zig-zag shapes, they took on evenly shapes like circles, squares, and rectangles.


    "Uh..."


    Varian raised a brow and threw the ck sphere to a solid asteroid nearby. It instantly crumbled into gravel and stone before breaking down into powder.


    "So fucking cool and...tiring." It took a toll on him but it seemed very powerful. He wasn''t sure how powerful since he had no celestial ranker to try it on.


    "I should go check it in the ruins tomorrow." He muttered and the space shifted.


    The next moment, he appeared on the huge balcony of his pce and sat on the branch of a tree growing from the pce walls. "Logos? System? I have questions."


    There was still no response. Clicking his tongue in frustration, Varian decided to kill time and recalled if any work was depending.


    "That letter..."


    When he killed Haedon, a letter fell from his corpse. It was weird in the first ce and so Varian didn''t open it immediately.


    "But now I can try, I think?" Varian spread a bit of ck light from his thumb onto the envelope and the envelope wriggled.


    As suspected, the envelope contained something sinister. The brown-colored enveloped began to dissolve and revealed a thirsty and gloomy ck strand of energy--the death strand. This one was much stronger than the one he had to deal with.


    The moment the chaos light reached it, the death strand red up and tried to destroy it. But unfortunately for it, facing it was the strand of chaos. The dead strand copsed into nothingness, unable to put up any fight.


    "Fuck." Varian gulped as his back went cold with sweat. "That would''ve been...very dangerous."


    Then, he pushed a clump of order power through the letter and confirmed that it was safe.


    Then with a mix of curiosity and resentment, he opened the letter. It was handwritten in anguage that seemed simr to Abysse but a bit different.


    "Logos?"


    The system hadn''t been responding since a while. But Varian needed it now.


    He had a bad feeling about this. Because the letter...was written with abyssal blood.


    "Logos! You don''t have to respond just trante this."


    Varian''s vision nked out for a moment and a blue screen appeared over the letter in human lingua franca.


    It read--


    [So you have survived the death strand. How unfortunate, killer of mine.


    As the Fairies pushed deeper and deeper into mynd, my opinion changed regarding the oue of this war.


    I thought we could force them to retreat. Then, I thought we could stall them. In the end, I realized we are going to lose.


    That made me write this letter. It''ll only appear if I die and since it did, then it means the abyssals have met their end.]


    Varian was bewildered at the tone of this letter. Was this how the Emperor of Abyssals normally talked?


    He felt a tinge of regret for everything that Haedon, despite all his knowledge, didn''t try to initiate peace with humans first. The supremacy of abyssals led to their own doom. But more than regret, he felt thankful that he killed off Haedon. Such a man was too dangerous to be spared.


    Shaking his head, he continued the letter.


    [Fairies cannot kill me. Even though that bastard has been fed like a swine by Zions, he cannot do it. So, I must''ve been killed by someone from a race I never considered our equal.


    Humanity. You are a human, right?


    Even though Julius will be the first human to reach the Celestial rank, he has the lowest chance of killing me. You are not Julius.


    Even though Enigma is powerful and is growing fast, she cannot hope to reach my level of power anytime soon.


    You are either Varian or someone from the...Devas.


    I suspect it''s thetter. Because even though I''m not the strongest leader among the Provinces, I''m still a Rank 2. Even if Varian reached the Celestial Rank and I highly doubt he would, it''s impossible he could kill me.


    So, the mysterious human rted to devas, greetings from the emperor of a dead race.]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Varian narrowed his eyes and clenched the letter a bit tighter. ''He is wrong and right. I am Varian and I am the human most rted to devas. But why is he even bothering to talk about all this?''


    [I have a piece of good news and bad news for you.]


    Varian''s eyebrows jumped.


    [First, the bad news.


    I leaked your information and coordinates with irrefutable proof to Zions.


    Oh, you may not know much about them. Zions, well, those bastards also like to call themselves Angels, but whatever. They are a Duchy and not a weak one.


    Zion Emperor is at least a Rank 5 Celestial. It''s hard to exin the scale of power at that rank, but let''s just say he can destroy a dozen star systems like yours, and when I say that, I mean the entire star system--Your host star, all yours, asteroids, and everything.


    Unlike my race, he has a lot of Celestials. Perhaps a hundred? Perhaps a thousand? Maybe more. I don''t know. But know this, they''re unimaginably powerful.


    Forget the big hitters of Zions, just their army has people who are far stronger than me. If I join their army, I would only be in the middle of the hierarchy.


    And I am an anomaly of my race, the sole celestial of the entire abyssals.


    Now, my dear killer, do you understand what I have done by revealing your information to Zions? Can youprehend the disaster that''s about to befall you?]


    "Son of a bitch! You crazy motherfucker! Crazy dog!" Varian gritted his teeth and cursed all the profanities on the tip of his tongue.


    But his shaking body, clenched fists, and heavy breathing revealed his true state.


    "Fuck! Fucking hell!" Varian teleported into outer space and nced at the two suns, the nines, and the many space cities.


    "I should do something before theye! Yes, Hortus!" He closed his eyes and spread his arms.


    The world of Hortus responded to his call and informed him that he could now assimte things.


    ...But only a single.


    "What the?!"


    Apparently, it''s directly linked to his strength. As a Rank 1 Celestial, the most he could put in was a. But since his strength was much higherpared to any other Rank 1, he could also put in a Star.


    "Shit. In the end, it''s utterly useless. Stupid power. Stupid experiment." Cursing out of frustration, Varian returned to the pce.


    But in a few minutes, he cooled down.


    Now, the situation was that Zions would learn their secret ande to attack. Zions were too strong for him to even think about winning.


    And unless he reached some Rank 3 or Rank 4, he wouldn''t be able to put the sr system in.


    "In the worst case, I''ll put in the biggest and evacuate all people and take away all precious resources." Varian decided.


    There''d still be a lot of resources he couldn''t take. But he''d take away the most precious.


    "That means Zions will chase me, but that''s fine. I can run to the ends of the gxy." Varian rxed.


    Or at least he told himself that.


    His measure wasn''t very good after all.


    There''s a limit to how many people he could put in Hortus. Out of the 50 Billion humans, at best he could pick 30 Billion. The remaining 20 Billion would die. No, they wouldn''t die. He''d be forced to abandon them to die.


    20 Billion!


    Even the abyssals hadn''t killed so many.


    Varian rubbed his forehead and decided to finish the letter before thinking any further.


    [How are you feeling? Is the frustration real? Do you feel that despair in the depths of your heart? You could save a few. But how many of your race will you abandon to die?]


    "You died an easy death, Haedon. A very, very lenient death." Varian growled.


    [Yes, that feeling, that rage, and despair are exactly what I felt. And that''s what you''ll feel when the Zionse for you ande they will.


    But there''s a piece of good news too.


    Since I lost this great game of civilizations and my race gets wiped out, I should at least get the most revenge, shouldn''t I?


    But think about it. The Zions will juste and squash your race to death. They''ll gain a Duchy level or perhaps even a Kingdom-level inheritance. They''ll only benefit. That''spletely against my desire for revenge.


    I don''t want Zions to win either. Both of you should die.


    So, prepare yourself. It''ll be a few years before the letter reaches them. But I''m not telling you the time. What fun is there if I do?


    I ce all my hopes on you people. Once you unlock that legacy and grow, you could perhaps be strong enough to fight the Zions.


    I don''t expect you to destroy them. That''s impossible. But I expect to damage them beyond repair and push them into a terminal decline.


    So, please grow stronger for my sake, okay?


    ...Or your entire race will go extinct soon.


    Onest thing, they''reing for you...sooner than you think.]


    Varian burned the letter and stared at the sky for a long, long time. A line from his own speech came to mind.


    ''Peace is just the preparation gap between two wars.''


    ---- --- ----


    End Of Volume: End Of Abyss Saga

 Chapter 1071 Imperial Academy

    "Rey! Rey, don''t bete!"


    "Five minutes please."


    "Today is the first entrance to Imperial University."


    "Five mi¡ªmff!"


    Rey rolled off his bed and crashed into the floor as his mother brutally pulled the nket.


    Clutching his forehead, he wanted to argue but after seeing her angry face, he escaped into the washroom and got ready.


    Today was important. It might be the turning point of his life.


    ''I really want to get a girlfriend.'' Rey pinched his cheek and looked into the mirror. ''All the girls going to Imperial Academy would be awesome!''


    Imperial Academy was the brand new Academy announced by the Emperor after the first session.


    It''s just that the other policies announced during the time were too eye-catching and the Imperial Academy only got the bare minimum publicity.


    But of course, high school graduates like Rae, especially the ones at the top of their school, extensively searched about this new Academy and got all the information they could.


    [The entrance test would be on the 40th of the month. Reach the Imperial Pce to participate.]


    That''s another attraction. Unless for official work, people weren''t allowed to visit the Imperial City Kiah. Even Rey''s father, a level 7 Space Awakener didn''t get the opportunity to visit.


    ''I can see the Pce now! Is it really so mysterious as it seemed on the coronation day?''


    In his excitement, Rey boarded one of the many spaceships at the Earth Academy.


    In the dark and vast space, Kiah shone like a jewel glittering under the moonlight. It was beautiful, mesmerizing, and awe-inspiring.


    "Woah! That''s Kiah! Kiah!" The girl sitting beside Rey leaned toward the window and eximed with childish wonder.


    Rey was torn between watching the girl and the city. Both were beautiful sights. But he did neither and observed the other spaceships flying to the city.


    There were hundreds, no, thousands of them.


    ''Fuck! Just how many are participating?'' Rey gulped. Only then did he realize something.


    There were almost 45 billion humans. That meant a looooot of high school graduates.


    While the number fluctuated every year, it''s never less than 250 million.


    Even if it''s only 1 in 1,000 graduates, there would be at least 2.5 million participants.


    Earth academy, thergest by intake of students, would only take in 30,000 cadets every year.


    ''Fuck my love life.'' Rey cursed.


    A huge crowd of students, so vast that Rey had no idea how many were even present, assembled in the training ground in the outer circle of the Pce Complex.


    High awakeners worked together to ensure the crowd maintained discipline and silence were maintained. A few who were trying to make mischief were apprehended and sent back with minor punishments.


    The event began when a handsome young man appeared on the central stage and began addressing the students.


    Students were grouped around one of many stages all over the training grounds. Each of the stages had a hologram of the young man, allowing the vast crowd of students to see and hear him clearly.


    Rey too looked at the ultra-realistic hologram. Varian was in sportswear and if not for the impossible-to-ignore aura he exuded, he looked like another teenager jogging in the neighborhood.


    ''H-He''s so young!''


    The Emperor didn''t feel young. He had a mature aura, calmness, andposure that didn''t match his youth. Yet, Rey felt like this was all a prank by a college student. How could someone almost their age be the Emperor of the entire race? It didn''t make any sense.


    "¡­So, I decided to create a new academy. The academy will give you the best training, resources, and discipline. What you get inside the academy would make the high awakeners, even the level 9s envious." Varian gave them a faint smile.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''He''s just exaggerating.''


    Rey''s opinion was shared by the majority of the students. But their expectations have risen nheless.


    "Forget them, even Sovereigns of the past had no such luxury. So, make use of everything you''re given and do the one thing you''re taken in for. Be strong. As strong as you can."


    His voice was filled with an underlying solemnity the students could feel but had no way of understanding.


    Rey raised his head and stared into the Emperor''s eyes.


    The ck eyes were calm andposed. But they seemed to hide turbulence that couldn''t be told.


    Rey shook his head with a wry smile. ''What am I thinking? What worries can he have? He''s the ruler and the strongest. And me? I have to work hard. I''m still so weak. If only I was in his position, it''d be so easy¡­''


    "Only 25,000 students will be selected into the academy. Give your best in the entrance. I''m looking forward to¡­your efforts." Varian''s eyes glittered like gemstones and he vanished.


    Then a golden light appeared on the central stage and another hologram appeared.


    A young blonde woman with a cold temperament in a pure white dress stared at them with a neutral gaze.


    ''Queen of Radiants!'' Rey gasped and stared at her. But he couldn''t bear the look in her eyes and lowered his head.


    "There will be nine trials for you." Queen Sarah Albert''s voice was frosty. "Break the rules at your own consequences."


    The entire training ground shuddered at her words. Compared to the Emperor, she was so on point that it was ufortable. And so cold.


    "The Emperor expects a lot from you." The Queen''s voice softened only when she uttered his name. "They''d kill for this opportunity. Do not waste it."


    Following her words, fiverge space gates appeared in the training ground. On the other side of the gate was a¡­world.


    It wasn''t a Ruin. Nor was it a Dungeon or a secret realm.


    It''s another world!


    ''Holy shit!''


    Only then did Rey realize that perhaps he and everyone else had no idea what the Emperor was promising them.


    ''An opportunity that would make the Sovereigns envious.''


    Holding his breath, Rey, along with the millions of students lined up in front of therge and tall tower, piercing the clouds.


    A silhouette stood in the air, covered by a glittering ck aura, making it unable to distinguish its features. But everyone recognized her right away.


    Queen Of Shadows!


    ''The Emperor and the two Queens appeared personally for this event. Maybe it''s more important than I understand.'' Rey clutched his racing heart.


    "A hundred thousand people can take the trial at once. There are nine trials in total. There is a possibility of real death, beware." Sia''s words set another wave of panic.


    In the past, there was a possibility of death because the tests were conducted in the abysses. But why now?


    Not caring about the growing murmurs, Sia swung her arm and the huge double doors of the building opened, emitting blinding red light.


    "Enter." She said apathetically.


    Despite the possibility of death, the students quickly entered.


    The first floor lit up of the tower lit up with a soft light and five minutester, 30,000 students were thrown out of the doors.


    "Failed to clear the first floor. Disqualified." Sia''s voice cut them like a knife.


    The 30,000 students were quickly sent back through the space gates. Rey gulped and watched the second floor lit up.

 Chapter 1072 Hope For The Future

    Ten minutester, 50,000 were expelled.


    "Disqualified."


    The third floor lit up and expelled 15,000.


    "Disqualified."


    The fourth floor lit up and expelled 4,000.


    "Disqualified."


    The fifth floor lit up and expelled the remaining 1,000.


    Queen Of Shadows'' voice rang slowly. "Temporarily qualified."


    "Next batch."


    Rey entered the tower and found himself in the middle of a seemingly endless desert.


    As he tried to take a step forward, a huge pressure fell on his shoulders and nearly pushed him to his knees.


    "F-Fuck!"


    A deep voice rang in the air. "First Trial: Expedition. Reach the gate."


    Rey raised his head and looked around.


    There were hundreds of fellow participants in sight and they were all moving toward a glowing gate.


    From a location that none of the participants could see, Varian watched the participants with anticipation.


    "If you''re expecting another Varian to pop up, then you''ll be disappointed." Seated in a swing out of darkness, Sia rolled her eyes at him.


    "I agree. Still, I like this idea." Sarah tapped her chin with a nostalgic look. "We took the trial here after those alien teams and clearing it made Varian the Lord of this world."


    Varian nodded.


    He modeled the tower''s nine floors after the nine trials they took in Hortus. For the entrance test, the difficulty was modified to reach their level.


    In the original, the first trial was supposed to impose the pressure of a peak level 9 on the trial takers.


    But these graduates only had to face the pressure of peak level 2 and reach the gate.


    "Hm?"


    Varian arched an eyebrow and locked his gaze on a young girl. With shoulder-length sky-blue hair and blue eyes, she stood out from the crowd. Upon closer inspection, she''s a year younger than others and was only at the peak of level 1.


    The entrance had no restriction upon entry. But except for a couple of dozen reckless guys, level 1 graduates didn''t even bother to apply.


    The young girl was unable to walk in the face of the crushing pressure. So, she crawled.


    Like a wild beast dragging its wounded body back to its nest, she crawled on the hot sand, sweating and panting as her body screamed at her to stop. She crawled despite the scratches and bruises from the stones and rocks.


    The strong ones reached the gate in less than a minute. Most took their time but eventually did it.


    The remaining 15,000 thousand were all sprawled on the ground and staring at the colorless sky numbly. They had given up.


    A silvery light enveloped their bodies and escorted them out.


    As the bodies kept disappearing, the young girl continued to crawl. By the time she approached the gate, she couldn''t even remain on her knees and copsed.


    Her legs were bloodied and limp from the pressure they faced. They could no longer help her.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "J-Just a bit¡­" She bit her bleeding lip and raised her weak arms. Her bloodied palms pushed against the ground and moved her forward.


    "J-Just a bit¡­"


    As she inched closer and closer, she didn''t notice the blood leaking out of her new wounds. She didn''t feel the pain of a sharp rock digging into her flesh.


    The tip of her fingers touched the shining vortex and enveloped her in a soft light.


    "I did it!" She squealed in delight and fainted.


    The soft light healed all her wounds and restored her to her peak condition before sending her to the second trial.


    With that, the first floor waspletely cleared.


    "What a tenacious little girl." Varian rubbed his chin and muttered. "A survivor of Neptune tragedy, her parents and elder brother sacrificed their lives to save her. Interesting."


    "Dear Emperor, it''s wrong to take an interest in another female." A cold voice rang in his ear before it was softly bit.


    Varian rolled his eyes at Sarah. "Queen of Radiants, your jealousy is clouding you from distinguishing between romantic interest and teacher''s interest. That girl is barely 17. She''s so young she''s like a next generation, like a friend''s daughter."


    "You''ve only turned 19."


    "Age is just a number."


    "And jail is just a room."


    "Your bubbling jealousy," Varian rolled his sleeves and grabbed Sarah by the waist.


    "W-What are you doing in broad daylight?" Sarah panicked and iled her arms.


    "Since you''re so jealous, I''ll show you how much I love you," Varian smirked and bent down to capture her lips.


    "S-Sia! Save me! This guy won''t leave without doing it for at least a day! I''ll die!"


    Sia supported her chin with her hand and replied nonchntly. "Death by snu snu. It''s a good death, Sarah. I can monopolize him then."


    "You traitor! You''re always selling me out!" Sarah cried out in grievance and yanked Sia with a light string.


    "Wah!" Sia too ended up in Varian''s arms and stared at Sarah in disbelief. "You!"


    "If I go down, I''m taking you with me." Sarah scoffed.


    "¡­"


    Realizing that their infighting won''t help, the two turned to Varian with puppy eyes and pleaded in a soft voice. "N-Not now, please. We still have work¡­if you start now, we have to take leave tomorrow. And the next day too."


    Varian wanted to say it was just going to be a quickie but shut his mouth. Who was he kidding? It''d definitely go on for the entire day.


    Shaking his head in amusement, he teleported the three of them to another location in the first floor.


    Here, the pressure was high enough to crush peak level 5s. Only level 6s could endure it.


    Instead of high school graduates, the ones participating here were all college graduates. They were supposed to be enrolled in the military but Varian gave them the option to participate here and grow strong.


    "There are some good seeds," Varian muttered and the three teleported once again.


    This time, they appeared at the intersection of three areas: Level 7, Level 8, and Level 9. All the participants were geniuses of their realm and were eager to improve themselves.


    "They should grow up fast¡­." Varian stared at the sky beyond the tower and hoped.

 Chapter 1073 Second Chances

    Everything happened fast for Rey.


    The second trial demanded him to demonstrate his proficiency in his power. Not hard.


    The third trial asked him to defeat three monsters of his level. A bit difficult but he did it anyway.


    The fourth trial made him fight a clone of another participant and he won.


    The problem was the fifth trial.


    "Fifth Trial Great Fall: Kill the Beast."


    Following the deep voice, Rey assumed his defensive posture but his body shivered as the energy in his body sapped away and left him extremely weak.


    "W-What the hell?"


    He''s now only a low level 1.


    "Roar!" A red-skinned leopard walked from the distance and bared its fangs at him.


    "You can give up anytime." The mysterious voice said.


    "Is this why no one passed the fifth trialst time? Killing a peak level 1 as a low level 1? Fucking hell!" Rey gritted his teeth and bent his knees.


    The leopard ran toward him at breakneck speed and jumped.


    "Arghhh!" Rey sidestepped and gave it a round kick right in the jaw.


    With a click, the leopard''s mouth was bloodied and its eyes red with rage.


    "Oh boy, oh boy!" Rey clenched his fists and stared at the racing beast with determination.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "4,000 students failed the 5th trial. Disqualified. 100 students passed."


    "30 passed the 6th trial."


    "10 passed the 7th trial."


    "All 10 failed the 8th trial."


    Rey copsed onto his knees and gasped outside the tower. All his injuries were healed and he looked fine but he almost died inside.


    ''Fuck! They''re crazy! How can they put such nightmarish tests and call them trials?''


    If he didn''t give up in time, he''d have died. Rey was scared and upset at this whole entrance.


    But¡­


    After a few hours, when the Queen of Shadows announced he''d be eligible to join the academy along with the few lucky others, he put behind all negative emotions and cheered.


    Then the qualified students didn''t even go home. They were directly taken by some high awakeners to the dorms.


    The college would begin tomorrow. Only then did the students get a faint idea of what this whole thing was about.


    "The academy is in another world!"


    The campus was huge, the buildings were beautiful and mysterious. Most of them weren''t open yet, so the cadets couldn''t visit.


    Along with a couple of neighbors in his dorm, Rey roamed the vast academy grounds.


    But when he tried to cross an artificial barrier at the border, he was stopped by a high awakener.


    "Cadet, you cannot cross this area without permission." The guard said.


    "¡­But why?"


    As if to answer that question, a figure stumbled through the translucent barrier from the other side and copsed onto the ground, spilling out blood like a leaking balloon.


    The guard poured him a healing potion and a bot took the man away to recuperation. Then he gave them a long look. "This is why. It''s dangerous. Those things will eat me alive if I''m not careful and you kids wouldn''t even able to be fight back."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "W-Wait, aren''t we in the academy? Why are there dangerous beasts around us?" One of Rey''s neighbors asked in a shivering voice.


    "Oh, we are in the academy. But the academy is in the center of a very dangerous ce. Even Sovereigns would have a hard time crossing it or so I heard. Well, the beasts wouldn''t actively attack us and once the sses begin, your teachers would hold some sort of outings into these ces and bring you to fight monsters. But unless you''re a high awakener, don''t think about venturing out alone."


    Rey and his neighbors returned in confusion and fear.


    What the hell did they get themselves into? Was it really a golden opportunity or some shady deal?


    As the cadets wondered, the man behind the academy was condemning a group of students that were supposed to have ''died'' in the entrance.


    "You didn''t give up when you should and if the secret mechanism didn''t intervene, you would''ve all died. Dead. Do you understand what you''ve done? What would''ve happened to people who care about you? What would happen to your own future? You sacrificed your future for a seat in the academy. Utter stupidity."


    The students lowered their heads. Some wept while others had a face of remorse.


    Only a couple of students didn''t reach much. They just had a regretful expression, regretful that they couldn''t pass even after risking their lives.


    Varian noticed these people. The blue-haired young girl from earlier was also among this group.


    All these people that didn''t have any remorse were the ones that lost everyone in the war. They''re orphans with no other goal.


    Varian sighed and snapped his fingers. The students were escorted back to their homes.


    Only a couple of war orphans remained. They looked at the Emperor in confusion. Why were they allowed to stay?


    "While all of you risked lives, most of them did it out of overconfidence. Only you few were willing to die to pass the trial. I''ll give you another chance."


    Varian smiled faintly and the throne hall went dark. A blizzard set off and snow quickly reached their calves. But the air was hot and they began to sweat. Their minds felt a prickling pain and their body seemed heavy.


    It wasn''t just one power acting on them. It was many.


    "Reach the throne and you''ll pass."


    The twenty-odd students given the second chance took it stubbornly and moved forward.


    Their bodies were soon riddled with injuries and their minds were filled with faint illusions. Yet they moved forward through sheer will.


    To their despair, even the one at the forefront couldn''t take more than a dozen steps before copsing.


    Then they crawled. Even then, it was bing too hard to even lift a finger.


    "Arrghhh!"


    "I will¡­"


    "No!"


    As they pushed their bodies beyond limits and brought upon themselves tremendous pain, their blood-curling screams filled the throne hall.


    Just like they feared, no one reached the throne. The young girl at the forefront copsed just in front of the throne stairs.


    As they all despaired at the second failure, the throne hall lit up and their injuries were healed in a blink. Most of them were escorted out and three students remained.


    "You three qualify." Emperor tapped on his armrest and said.


    "B-But I didn''t reach the throne." The young girl with blue hair looked at him in confusion.


    "Oh, none of you can reach the throne. Not even the ones that passed the test. It''s just a lie to see how you''d react facing an impossible challenge. And you three did well." Varian smiled faintly.


    The three looked at each other in confusion.


    "You three should try valuing your life more."


    A look of sadness shed on their faces and the three young people didn''t answer.


    "I know you lost everyone but¡­new bonds can always be formed. Make new friends, meet elders that you can respect and learn from, get rivals that''ll keep you on the edge for the rest of your life, fall in love and realize what it means to protect someone with your life.


    It''s unfortunate that you lost everyone but it''d be more unfortunate if you shut yourself in because of that. So, the next time we meet, I want you three to show me the bonds you built in the academy, am I clear?"


    "Y-Yes."


    "Alright then, go and prepare for tomorrow. It''ll be a hectic schedule."


    The three were sucked into a space gate and disappeared.

 Chapter 1074 An Experiment, A Hybrid And Two Slivers

    On the 8th floor of the Imperial Pce, Sia sat cross-legged and meditated. The ceiling moved away by itself and the 9th floor was withdrawn into the building, resulting in a situation where the 8th floor was revealed to the sky.


    Under the soft light of the morning, Sia focused on her powers. She felt her own power¡ªMind. She touched Enigma''s power of Gravity. She controlled ''Her'' power of darkness.


    She couldn''t control ''Darkness'' until recently. Then something happened. ''She'' was weakened and could no longer deny Sia ess to the power.


    But Sia could feel it.


    As she moved closer and closer to the Celestial rank, ''She'' was slowly waking up.


    ''Who the hell are you?'' Sia tried to ask.


    There was only a scoff in reply. A derisiveugh at her and a mix of negative emotions. Sia didn''t understand why this woman she''d never seen disliked her so much. It was perhaps a bit too much to call it hatred but it''s clear that they couldn''t be friends.


    "Calm your mind." Varian''s voice sounded in her head and Sia''s chaotic thoughts stilled. "Whatever happens, I''ll face it with you."


    Her tense body rxed and the breath she was holding unconsciously was released. "Do your best, Sia."


    A shining potion bottle cracked in front of her and entered her body.


    Sia froze and gasped. The veins under her soft white skin lit up with red, yellow, and blue colors.


    "Arghh!"


    The three origins inside her reacted to this potion containing the powers of Order and Chaos. Sia already had the powers of four slivers in her origin and now, with thest two powers, the Origins reached a critical point.


    A six-colored light enveloped her and a shockwave only visible to celestial rankers swept the sr system.


    Sia''s brown hair changed into a mix of blue, red, and yellow. It was simr to her battle form when she fought at her full power but something was different.


    Now, she gave off apletely different feeling. She was enigmatic earlier, Now, she was divine¡­angelic, and mystical.


    Her realm also climbed up and caught up with Sarah''s. They''re both Sovereigns now.


    "Let''s begin Synergy and push you two to Celestial ranks. It''ll take time but no worries, we got plenty." Varian''s mischievous voice rang in her mind and Sarah''s coquettish scream followed.


    Sia blushed and ''Synergy'' began.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Third Primal Union body." The 7th Prince scoffed. "When was this feat impossible even for the Jai Empire be so easy?"


    "Careful, Sameal." A woman shrouded in starlight said in an indifferent tone. "There is nothing impossible for the Empire. It''s only a matter of time. And ''He'' has eternity."


    "Of course he does. But we aren''t called to discuss the obvious. Get to the point." A deep voice interrupted from the side.


    The three, perhaps the most influential people in the Empire, barring the Emperor himself, were seated across a round table.


    It was a table built of angelic dust¡ªthe remains of a beast that reached the divine rank. The table wasrge and round, with concentric circles, each circle glowing with a different colored light. The center of the table was transparent and underneath it was a mini-star, shining at its brightest.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Just the sight of the table was beautiful, divine, and breath taking. The light from it shone on the three members seated around and made it impossible to observe their expressions as they spoke.


    The 7th Prince, Sameal Asteras, turned to the man who just spoke, his half-brother, the 2nd Prince. "Can we drop the bullshit and go to war? We already know slivers are back. Why are we still holding meetings?"


    "We don''t know the precise location. It could be anywhere in the Alliance." Victor Earendel replied impassively.


    "The leader of Conqueror Faction gives such a spineless response. No wonder the Alliance bugs are still alive and kicking." The 7th Prince sneered in contempt.


    "Unfortunately for you, provocations don''t work on me. The Naraka faction can keep dreaming of encroaching on our power and keep getting disappointed." Victor said in a neutral tone and turned to the woman bathed in starlight. "Esh, you''re yet to answer, why convey the tri-faction meeting?"


    Esh Starlight looked at her two half-brothers with a faint smile. "There is an interesting discovery. Primal Union Body needs the powers of all six slivers. Two are with us, two with the Alliance. The Order-Chaos slivers have surfaced recently. So, the four known sliver powers have interacted with the two lost ones."


    Victor hummed. "At some point in the past, there was already a being created with the power of four slivers? But isn''t that too unstable? That''s the reason why our experiments were shelved. So was the case for the Alliance."


    "You''re half-right. We shut it down because it''s too unstable. But the Alliance did not. They''re too desperate to counter our might. They seeded in creating 3-origin hybrids with the power of four slivers. But all of them quickly died off.


    Without three pairs of slivers, tri-origin hybrids are impossible. But our intelligence gathered that the Alliance did have a small portion of Order and Chaos powers. Not enough to stabilize the hybrid but enough to sustain it for a while.


    ¡­And the creature, once created, hypothetically could seek the slivers it''s missing. Do you understand? It''d be able to search for the slivers of Order & Chaos.


    They almost seeded. So, ''He'' made a move by himself and destroyed the experiments of Alliance¡­500 years ago. Since then, there''s no being born with the power of four slivers."


    It was a lot to take in but the two princes quickly figured out the implications.


    "No way. It escaped not only ''His'' wrath but it sustained for 500 years?" Samael shook his head, dumbfounded.


    The 7th Prince was always calm. He''d be the one to rile up others, but now, he got riled up. "This is bullshit."


    "You said they only had a little bit of order and chaos power. So, I''m assuming it''s enough for one experiment. So, why do we have three Primal Union physiques?" Victor Earendel asked in a solemn tone.


    Esh gave a wry smile. "That is something I do understand either. There was only one experimental creature at that time. Even if it survived, why three physiques?"


    "Maybe they''re able to fuse their powers sessfully? The hybrid gives its four powers and the holder of slivers gives his two powers." Samael proposed a possibility.


    Esh sighed in exasperation. "¡­Sliver powers just don''t mix that easily. If that''s the case, ''He'' wouldn''t have to wait so long for the fusion of space-time slivers. And even if they did mix, a creature simply cannot bear that fusion. They''ll explode and die."


    "There will always be a solution to these problems." Victor didn''t agree with her assessment.


    "Not without deep knowledge of all the slivers. No Kingdom has ess to it. Only the Jai empire and the Alliance do. It''s clear that these physiques weren''t born in these ces." Esh''s reasoning was solid.


    "We have no clues. To find them, we need more information on that hybrid. Conqueror Faction is willing to dedicate resources."


    "Narak Faction is also willing."


    "Warring Faction agrees to join."


    A mission was created by that meeting. Search for the remains of the experiment 500 years ago. Even the life or aura signature of that creature would be enough. Once they get it, the hybrid could run to the depths of the universe and still wouldn''t abe able to hide.

 Chapter 1075 The Real Gift Of Imperial Academy

    "¡­So as long as you work hard, score points by hunting wild beasts, exploring new areas, finding resources, you can request new potions and grow stronger, faster," Kyle concluded his speech and returned to his seat.


    "And this concludes our entrance ceremony. These three years are crucial for you. Cherish every minute." Evander concluded.


    sses started the next day and the cadets were in for a huge surprise. All the teachers were high awakeners. Compared to any other academy, the standards here were on another level.


    Time shed forward and a month passed. It was both hell and heaven.


    Every morning at 4 AM, they''d be thrown into teleportation formations which would end them in the middle of a forest filled with beasts. They''d have to fight, fight and fight until 7 AM when they''d be retrieved back.


    In case of danger, the faculty was always there to rescue. But their overall score would be impacted and if they performed too badly for too long, they''d risk expulsion.


    Of course, every morning, they''d also get specialized healing potions.


    As a result, the recent high school graduates who barely fought a few dozen beasts until then turned into killing machines. Forced to survive, they turned from prey to predator.


    It was a mad way of teaching and learning. It''s just too risky for anyone in the past to attempt. But being the Lord Of The World, Varian simply decreed a will so that anyone on the verge of death would be rescued.


    So, even though the cadets faced brutal training that they regrly broke their legs, arms, and even spines, no one died.


    But the real challenge was the psychological pressure.


    As always, some seeded, and many failed. But the teachers were all veterans and knew how to motivate the kids.


    So, one way or another, the cadets continued grinding.


    After the early morning hunting, they''d have a short break before sses begin. sses focused more on fighting, strategizing, and tactics than theoretical knowledge.


    Every week, there was a test of sorts where the cadetspeted against each other and also to beat their past scores


    In the beginning, the cadetsing from influential and established families were at the top positions.


    Slowly but surely, the most talented and hardworking regardless of their background began to climb the ranks.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "The semester test starts in an hour. Pick a team or we''ll pick one for you and you''ll have to survive the Valley Of Echoes."


    Following the announcement, the cadets roamed the campus, rxing before the test. For some reason, no one was particrly anxious.


    Fighting, getting injured, persevering, sleeping, rinse and repeat¡ªthis had been their life for the past three months. It felt normal now.


    "I don''t understand¡­" Rey walked with his hands behind his head.


    "What''s there to not understand, Bores?" A petite blue-haired young girl walked moved with her hand touching the soft flowers on the side of the road and asked absentmindedly.


    "Why are there so many high awakeners on the campus? Level 7s, level 8s, level 9s¡­even sovereigns areing here as much as they can. But why?" Rey plucked a flower and crushed it in his palm.


    Then, he smelled the fragrance oozing out of his hand with a content smile.


    "Do that on a date and she''ll leave you in a blink!" A young man with ck hair and red eyesughed at his antics.


    "Shut up, Giggles. You think I still have any energy for dating now?" Rey elbowed him not so gently. "Anyway, what do you think of my question?"


    Mark, nicknamed Giggles, only smiled wider as he stretched his arms to the sky. "This is literally another world. The exotic regions are filled with resources and beasts. Of course, high awakeners woulde here. As for sovereigns, I heard there were three new sovereigns. Give it a year or two and they won''t be that rare anymore."


    "If they need resources, they can simply get them supplied to their homes. Whye here?" Another girl walking with them in silence suddenly said. "There''s something we don''t know. The Emperor himself said on that day¡­that this ce is a gift."


    Rey, Laura, and Mark all looked at the girl who just spoke in surprise. Estelle was super stoic and never talked unless necessary. She wasn''t cold, she just thought it was useless to talk. So, her joining a conversation was a feat in itself.


    But her words did cause them to think.


    Sure, the resources were the best. The teachers were the best. The training method waspletely different. It''s just another level.


    So much so that while the average students in Earth Academy would go from mid level 2 to peak level 2, the ones in Imperial Academy went from mid level 2 to low level 3. There were more than 10 peak level 3s.


    It''s crazy that all this development happened in just three months. Of course, their progress was slowing down. But it''s almost guaranteed that they''d reach level 7 before they graduate.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Not just one or two, but quite a few would be hitting that level. Just from the trends in the first semester itself, that much was certain.


    Still, for the hype created, especially stating that this was an opportunity even Sovereigns would covet, this improvement felt a bit off.


    "Maybe the Emperor just yed a prank?" Rey exhaled as they reached the teleportation formations where the cadets were already beginning to gather.


    Laura recalled her brief meeting with Varian. He gave her and others who failed a second chance. It was the only time she saw him in person and at such a close distance. His faint smile and kind eyes left a heavy impression on her.


    "He wouldn''t joke about this¡­" Laura bit her lip and looked up at the sky. Even though the Emperor never visited the academy again, she had a feeling¡­that he was watching them. "He really is giving us something we don''t know yet."


    "I''m already satisfied anyway. What more should I even expect?" Mark shrugged with his signature sunny smile.


    "I''m just curious." Rey raised his hands in surrender.


    Este shook her head and stepped into the teleportation circle.


    They all were teleported into a valley filled with many level 3 and level 4 beasts. The scary thing, they gradually realized was that each beast needs to be killed twice. Once, in their natural form. The second time, in their Undead form.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "¡­As the winners of the exam, you''ll each get a boosting potion that will improve your progress speed by 100% for ten days. It''s a very rare potion and even level 9s are fighting for it. So, make good use of it." Evander presented them with the rewards and ended the ceremony.


    Rey yed with the potion bottle like an idiot even while he and his team entered the space gates and appeared in an Earth spaceport.


    After the routine security check, they walked out of the spaceport.


    "I''ll party hard!" Rey pumped his fist.


    "I will visit my hometown," Laura muttered. "And see my friends at school¡­if any are still alive."


    "I will¡­go just chill, I guess?" Mark''s smile was a bit stiff.


    "I''m going to the ruins after resting for two days," Estelle told them calmly and walked away, leaving the three dumbfounded.


    The academy recently implemented another measure. Students could now enter the ruins directly from the academy and the ruins would teleport them to ces not too dangerous for them.


    But this was too much, okay?


    "What?!"


    As they were about toment on her strictness, Estelle screamed.


    The three sprinted to her and checked her safety. She''s perfectly fine. It''s just her gaze was frozen on¡­


    All three turned to the hologram at the parking ce. It was about some new VR game. But that wasn''t what attracted their attention.


    It''s the row of texts showing thetest game activities in real-time.


    It''s been three months since they left the sr system but ording to the dates shown¡­it''s been only two weeks.


    The four looked at each other in horror and quickly checked theirms.


    They were flooded with messages all screaming the one thing.


    [Timeflow is different!]


    [1 day on Earth is 10 days in the academy!]


    [This is crazy!]


    Only then did they understand what the Emperor was really talking about.


    ''What you get inside the academy would make the high awakeners, even the level 9s envious.''

 Chapter 1076 A Civilization In The Ruins

    Fairy Road, Jupiter. One of the many partially explored regions of the Ruins. It''s here that Evander got the technique where he could burn his vitality to temporarily gain strength.


    Sentient species in the ruins had always been a hot topic. But since they''re reachable through only partially explored regions, the progress on that front was limited.


    Moreover, humans couldn''t make any interactions freely with these beings. They acted like workers fulfilling their missions and refused any unnecessary talk.


    Varian passed through a portal and appeared on a white crystalline road. The exit portal was right behind. On either of the road in front was a dense forest filled with trees that had ssy leaves that glittered and shone under the sunlight.


    Ten miles down the road, a violet gate appeared on the road. Without any dy, it started shooting aura bullets at him.


    Varian ignored the attacks bouncing off his body and narrowed his eyes. His acute senses shot past the violet gate and recognized the hidden indigo, blue, green, and all the way to the red gates.


    With the restrictions imposed on the participants'' senses here, it should be impossible even for a normal rank 1 celestial to pull off that feat. But Varian did it with absolute ease.


    "7 fairies, 7 gates, following the colors of the rainbow. The strongest is red and the weakest is violet."


    A powerful aura spread from him and enveloped the entire forest, including the seven gates. The dormant fairies woke up with a jolt and appeared on the road, staring at him with vignce.


    There were restrictions on them preventing them from interacting with one another. They could only speak to participants when they clear the gates.


    But now¡­


    "Let''s have a chat." Varian clenched his fists and something invisible in the sky cracked apart.


    The fairies found themselves free and instantly grouped together, staring at each other with teary eyes. They''re finally free.


    The cries, chatters, andughter from the little creatures filled the forest. They had a lot to share, ask, and vent.


    Varian waited for a while but when it seemed like they could go on for a day, he teleported into the middle of their grouping and the fairies pulled back instinctively.


    "Your aura¡­" The Orange fairy flew around him vigntly and muttered.


    "Shouldn''t appear. It reminds me of the Emperor or maybe the Crown Prince or someone else of the distant past." The Red fairy''s wings shone like rubies as she red at him. "Who the hell are you?"


    Varian smiled. "We have the same question."


    "No, we don''t." Red Fairy''s eyes glowed with a dangerous glint. Since she''s the holder of the strongest gate, few people ever reached her, causing her to be lonely for many years. So, her deepest wish was to talk to others.


    But when faced with this man, she put aside her own wishes. This calm, smiling man was setting her instincts on fire. He''s too dangerous!


    "Recently, a man reached my gate and failed. I helped him out because he had the scent of an important person from the Deva Empire. Perhaps a crown prince or perhaps the Emperor himself." The Red Fairy pulled other fairies behind her.


    "Then that should make this talk easier."


    "No. Devas are long extinct. But from that man''s scent, I thought maybe someone is continuing their bloodline. You don''t have a drop of their blood yet you¡­feel like them. Who are you, imposter?" The Red fairy''s voice was sweet but her words were sharp.


    "Sessor to devas, their Scion. Technically, my wife is also their scion. And maybe I can be the Deva Emperor, once I pass some technicalities." Varian replied calmly.


    His words set off amotion. If he''s really some political sessor of devas, then they''d need to obey him. The fairies were just celebrating their freedom and nowes their new master.


    "W-What do you want to ask?" The Orange fairy came forward and looked at him with teary eyes.


    Varian felt a little bad. Was he like that elementary school brat bullying little girls?


    "Why are you here? How did you survive? What''s your race? How many more are there?"


    The seven fairies looked at each other and tried toe up with answers. But they had none.


    "¡­We were already here since we could even think. We survived because of the authority that looks over us¡­the authority you just broke. We only have basic knowledge of our race. We aren''t supposed to look like this, we should be bigger, just like you and we obey the Devas. We don''t know how many others are there, provided they do exist."


    The answers only raised more questions.


    Varian pondered for a moment and expanded his senses. Being the scion allowed him to bypass all the restrictions and with the little wings help, he had an easier time navigating this ce.


    Jupiter Ruins was famous for its forests, greenery, and gardens. He ignored the explored areas and went for the unexplored and partially explored regions.


    The partially explored regions all had rank 1 celestial beasts. These beasts were confined to their regions by barriers and seals. Even if Varian was actually the Deva Emperor, they wouldn''t obey him.


    There were gorgeous gardens, dreamy forests, and dreamy flower beds. All of them had rank 1 celestial beasts.


    Then he dug deeper, inside the regions that were totally unexplored.


    "Huh?"


    Varian felt an extremely dangerous aura. He''d win but not so easily.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    It''s arge purple-furred six-legged beast, no smaller than a ne, crouched in front of a protective barrier. The purple beast wasn''t alone. There were other beasts, some as strong, some slightly weaker, but more or less in the same range, in different shapes and sizes, attacking the barrier.


    Every single one was devastating by itself, enough to permanently damage a. But when dozens of such attacks werebined together, it created a scene akin to an apocalypse. If Earth were to face these attacks, it''d break into pieces.


    ''Fuck!'' Varian''s head tingled with fear.


    Thankfully, these beasts seemed to be locked up inside the ruins and couldn''te out.


    ''What are they attacking?''


    Varian wasn''t so sure.


    The barrier deflected all their attacks and even attacked them back asionally. The beasts quickly umted injuries. After not so long, they dropped their offense and retreated.


    As the beasts vanished from sight, Varian saw a few silhouettes appear behind the barrier before disappearing.


    "Haa," Varian released a breath he didn''t even know he was holding so far and turned his focus back to the fairies. "I think I found your home and your race."


    "What?!"


    "There are others?"


    "B-But is it okay for us to leave our duties?"


    The little fairies voiced their concerns but couldn''t hide their excitement.


    "I erased that authority shackling you here. You''re relieved. Just follow me and I''ll take you home." Varian said. "If you still want to do some work, we can thinkter."


    The fairies were still suspicious of him. But the scent he gave off pushed them to agree.


    A blinkter, Varian teleported everyone in front of an opaque white barrier.


    The fairies passed through the barrier without any resistance. Varian wondered if he''d be blocked but he too easily entered.


    What appeared in front of him was a breathtaking view of a stunning forest. There were silhouettes visible in the distance, on houses built on trees.


    In the center of everything was a huge tree that seemed to pierce through the clouds.


    Then a sweet but sharp voice suddenly sounded, speaking in anguage he was imparted thanks to the devas.


    "Who are you? How were you able to pass through the Great Barrier?" A few humans, no, human-like beings with pointed ears, extremely beautiful faces, and perfect bodies, pointed their spears at him and demanded.


    Varian looked at the elves and clicked his tongue. If Kyle was here, he''d be shouting with joy.


    The little fairies looked at the elves with wide eyes. Then their gaze was attracted to the huge tree in the center of the forest.


    "I..."


    "I am¡­"


    A ray of light shot from the huge tree and enveloped the fairies. Their bodies wriggled and they started shining like fireflies.


    This dumbfounded the group of six elves. As an elite squad, they had just overseen the defense from the beasts and were returning when these intruders appeared inside without warning.


    Despite being the strongest squad, they couldn''t even detect these intruders. It''s already a big shame for them. And now, they just messed with the World Tree!


    "Stop whatever you are doing!" The leader of the elf squad stepped forward and channeled his aura into the tip of the spear.


    The little fairies started growing in size, doubling every few seconds. They didn''t hear his words or couldn''t, either way, they ignored his words.


    "I said stop!"


    A powerful aura rose from the elf captain and the strength of a peak sovereign was poured into the spear, zing it with red mes.


    The same happened with the rest of the team. Spears of fire, ice, earth, lightning, and even light and darkness lit up in the hands of the six elves.


    Then they pierced through the air and reached the fairies in a blink, leaving trails of colorful light. But before they could strike the fairies, space suddenly tore apart and devoured the spears. Then it closed up cleanly.


    The strength of the six sovereigns was neutralized without the slightest struggle.


    The elves'' angry expressions froze and they stiffly turned to the man staring at them with a calm smile.


    "Gulp."

 Chapter 1077 Overwhelming Power

    The elves, though divided by their paths, were united through their race and the World Tree. It''s the most sacred part of their race and something they''d defend with life.


    The Elder Hall, where the important decisions were made, was the highest building on the World Tree. Only three members of each elf tribe were allowed to enter the Hall at any time. Other than that, even the children of the ruling elders couldn''t step in.


    But today, a handsome young man, who was clearly an outsider was sitting on a golden throne, facing the six elven elders with a calm smile.


    Each of the elder elves was a celestial ranker and the strongest member of their tribe. They tolerated no disrespect and were extremely strict toward even their own family.


    But they sat stiffly facing the outsider. Even though the man remained polite since they met, they couldn''t shake off the uneasy feeling. He neutralized the attacks of the strongest non-celestials. It only meant he was their equal, a celestial ranker. That''s why they decided to even have this meeting.


    To be fair, they had no idea how to treat him since he was their first guest. And they were a bit intimidated by him despite his rank being equal to theirs. There was excitement of finally meeting someone from outside, there was fear of meeting an enemy and there''s confusion on how to proceed


    "So¡­when the devas were dying, they sealed you here to protect you? Then you managed to survive for thousands of years, sustaining yourself thanks to the World Tree and the Ruins. And you couldn''t get out of the ruins because of the seals. Is that all?" Varian tapped the armrest of the throne and asked.


    "Y-Yes." The elder of the water tribe tried to reply calmly but she still stuttered. "It''s so long ago that no one from that era exists, even though every elf can live for two hundred years. But our records on the matter are clear."


    Varian nodded with a faint smile and looked out of the wooden window. This Elf Kingdom here wasrge, maybe as big as the Asian continent of Earth. There were around a hundred million elves living here. Apparently, their poption had hit a teau a thousand years ago.


    "It''s a beautiful ce, your world." He said with genuine appreciation.


    The elders looked at each other, unsure of his intended meaning when there was none.


    "What do you intend to do with us¡­S-Sessor of Devas?" The earth tribe chief asked the most important question.


    Varian turned his gaze back to them and his smile vanished. "Let''s have a small fight first. Then I''ll tell you my decision. Pick a ce."


    The expressions of the elders crumbled. The fire elder snorted and mmed a specific spot on the table.


    A light enveloped them and they all appeared in an enclosed white space, hundreds of miles above the top of the world tree.


    "This is a ce where we fight when there are irreconcble differences." The lightning elder exined as the six prepared against him.


    "I like this ce." Varian''s eyes shone with longing.


    His attitude put the elders on the edge even more. Why was he so rxed? Didn''t he know that if he''s defeated, they might try to harm his life?


    "Enough talk." The fire, lightning, and light elders grouped together while the water, earth, and darkness became another group.


    Then they attacked together.


    Varian''s body temperature suddenly shot up. His blood, driven by the water content inside it, grew chaotic and wreaked havoc inside him. A numbing shock pulsed through his body as lightning snakes ripped through his muscles.


    A bright light gathers around Varian and exploded with enough force to destroy a moon. Then a cocoon of darkness swallowed him and began to blind his senses while grinding his body. All this while, his flesh, and bones grew heavy as a mountain as an earthly aura drowned him.


    These were attacks that went beyond anything an elemental sovereign coulde up with. They were an entirely different level of application. If any of these attacks fell on a smalloid, all life on it would be wiped out.


    The white enclosed space was filled with brilliant lights of the attacks.


    The six elven elders stared at the cocoon of darkness with a serious gazes. There was no response from it.


    They looked at each other in confusion. Were they mistaken? Was he weak and just gave them dangerous vibes?


    Then that''d be better. So that they could¡ª


    BOOM!


    The darkness cocoon exploded with a bang and a violent storm swept the elven elders. Varian stood in the center of the storm, seven auras radiating from him. There were a few injuries on him which healed faster than they could blink.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "S-Seven powers?"


    "Impossible!"


    "This is an illusion! A Spirit has trapped us in a nightmare!"


    The elders went nuts in the first second. In the next, Varian raised his hand and took one step forward.


    But it''s as if the space had shrunk, he appeared right in front of the fire elder.


    The fire elder instinctually swept his hand at Varian and raised his temperate even further.


    Varian''s skin wriggled and started melting like wax under the me. But before it could go any further, he brought his index and middle finger together and flicked them toward the fire elder.


    Like throwing a pebble into a stillke, a ripple spread and turned into a world-ending shockwave.


    The fire elder wrapped himself in a suit of fire and wanted to escape but his eyes went nk and the shockwave struck him straight.


    Like a candle blown off by a night wind, the fire elder''s mes went off and he copsed onto the ground, injured and unconscious.


    The simple yet extremely overpowering sh intimidated the remaining elders.


    They grouped together andunched their attacks once again.


    Lightning and light arrows flew at him, containing terrible amounts of energy while hands of darkness tried to overwhelm his senses all the while his body began to freeze and grow heavy.


    But Varian didn''t stand still.


    With a snap of his fingers, the lightning and light arrows fired at him slowed down. A space portal appeared in front of these attacks and swallowed them whole. Then a portal appeared right behind the darkness, earth, and water elders.


    "Fuck!"


    With a bang, the three elders copsed to the white floor and fainted with heavy injuries from the unexpected attack.


    Only lightning and light elders were left.


    Varian''s body blurred in space and shifted forward before they could even blink. It wasn''t just the space, he was too fast.


    Even though they were all Rank 1 Celestials, he moved at a speed their senses couldn''t capture.


    They didn''t know that he was also using his time powers to speed up his movements. Even if they did, they couldn''t change a thing.


    "D-Don''te close!" The lightning elder screamed and rained down a volley of arrows on Varian. Each of these arrows exploded like a small nuke.


    Varian moved between these explosions with extreme ease, as if he was walking in a park. But curiously, even though some of the shockwaves from the explosions reached him, they failed to even tear his skin.


    "Die!" The light elder who waited for his chanceunched aser beam at Varian.


    A space portal opened in front of Varian and devoured the beam. But it quickly broke apart and the remaining energy beam reached Varian.


    Varian opened his mouth and ate it. His mouth bulged and it looked like he had trouble swallowing it, but he closed his mouth with his hand and gulped it down.


    "Haa!" His body lit up with the same golden light he swallowed and he grinned at the two elders.


    The two scrambled back but not before a blurred silhouette pped them on the chest. With a crack of bones, they too fainted on the ground.

 Chapter 1078 The New Ruler

    "I-It hurts."


    "My head is burning¡­"


    "My stomach¡­ah,"


    The eleven elders got up like they were waking up from a deep sleep, even though their painful groans didn''t stop.


    It''s just the ceiling above their heads seemed familiar. It was majestic, serene, and carved with tales long forgotten. The wooden walls were also familiar, their intoxicating scent reminiscent of only one ce. Elder Hall.


    Wait a minute, Elder Hall?


    The elven elders gasped and jolted onto their feet, staring left and right with extreme vignce. Their minds just began to recover and they understood how they ended up here.


    They were now in their seats and in front of them was an empty golden throne.


    "S-Sessor of Devas, show yourself." The lightning elder stuttered, all his earlier aggression and grumpiness missing.


    There was no response and the elders grew extremely tense at what this strong man might be doing. Would their kingdom be in danger?


    "We have to stop h¡ª"


    "You got some very nice fruits. They''ll amass you a fortune from thes." Varian appeared on the golden throne with a basket of fresh exotic fruits.


    "W-What?"


    "Well, if you don''t want to trade, at least let the Imperial Family purchase. One of my wives really likes sweet stuff." Varian smiled lightly.


    The elders looked at each other in confusion and¡­relief.


    "What are you going to do with us, Sessor of Devas?" The earth elder asked in a rather calm tone.


    "Rule." Varian spat out the word without hesitation.


    The elders grew agitated, their chests heaved up and down while their breathing grew haggard. Yet, they didn''t say a thing.


    After a few minutes of intense anger, they couldn''t even vent, their shoulders slumped and they sighed collectively.


    "We can still fight against you, but it''d endanger our people, so we agree. But it''s not just about the public, we see you as the sessor to a race our ancestors served long ago." The water elder¡ªa slender elf with sky-blue eyes and hair¡ªconveyed a diplomatic response.


    Varian pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. "That''s exciting. How about this? Come at me at your full strength, give your best, and try to kill me. If I''m dead, then you''ll remain independent. If you can''t kill, if your best is not enough now, then you''ll be my subjects. And there will no be escaping it in the future."


    The elders froze at his unexpected response.


    They gave a diplomatic answer. ''Yes, we are surrendering, but no, not because we are weak.'' It''s just a face-saving measure and any normal diplomat would''ve taken it as a yes. But who the hell is this guy? He''s proposing another match!


    After a few hours of rest and recuperation, they faced him again, this time with all the treasures and elixirs they could muster.


    Varian didn''t bring anything extra. He just seemed excited to fight, much to their puzzlement.


    Before the match began, however, he gave them a warning. "I''ve nevere across anyone who could match my growth. Whether it''s my peers, seniors, or the powerhouses, once I surpass them, they could never catch up. So, don''t hold back. If you''re defeated by me now, then you can never win in the future."


    It was an arrogant statement. Elves had plenty of geniuses every generation and once in a while, there were great geniuses who''d go on to be the elven elders. Some went even further and be the exclusive leader of all elves through their sheer strength.


    "You''re strong and talented but too arrogant." Shaking her head, the water elder froze his blood in a snap.


    "I am just honest." Varian''s body shone and the space cracked.


    A tsunami of aura drowned the elders and everything exploded.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "I-It hurts."


    "My head is burning¡­"


    "My stomach¡­ah,"


    The eleven elders got up like they were waking up from a deep sleep, even though their painful groans didn''t stop.


    Then they saw the familiar ceiling and froze.


    Wait, wait, this happened already! They were beaten by Va¡ª


    The elders saw the smiling young man on the throne. The fight was over faster than before. They tried harder than earlier, even using all their precious treasures and elixirs.


    But he¡­why did he seem stronger than before? Even though they all increased their strength through various means, it''s still dwarfed by the increase in strength he showed.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Their guesses were true. Varian had indeed grown stronger from the fights. He got plenty of injuries too. It''s just that his regeneration had grown too fast that they dismissed it as superficial injuries.


    Now, Varian was content looking at his quick and unexpected growth.


    [Status


    Mystic Rank 1: 20/100


    (The perfection of body control. Every cell is a house of energy. You can survive in space, destroys, and use your aura to do incredible things.)


    Famine Rank 1: 30/100


    (The incarnation of hunger. You can devour your enemy''s aura and blood to restore your own aura and blood. Your base nt has undergone a transformation and now provides you with enormous vitality and regeneration. As a nt morpher, you can draw energy even from the soil, water, and sunlight.)


    Spirit Rank 1: 40/100


    (The master of body and the driver of mind. Spirit''s power touches a domain beyond the superficial.)


    Space Rank 1: 20/100


    (Space is no longer a fixed point to you. Even your enemy''s attacks can be twisted using your power of space.)


    Time Rank 1: 15/100


    (Time is different for you. You have reached a point where you could even skip attacks.)


    Energy: 30/100


    (Your lightning path is now slowly letting you gain insights into the function of energy at a fundamental level. You cannot manipte energy in itself yet but by using lightning as a medium, you can use enormous energy and make even a tiny lightning bolt dangerous enough to destroy a city.)


    Matter: 30/100


    (Your water path has gone further and allowed you insight into the nature of matter. You cannot manipte matter as of yet, but thanks to your understanding of it, your water power has increased dramatically. You could cause a world-ending flood and end a civilization.)


    Remarks: In the Sage Avenue¡ªMystic, Spirit, Famine, you''ll have to make a choice in the direction you''ll pursue when you hit the peak of Rank 3.


    As a Mystic, you can focus on the inside and step towards a perfect physical body. Or you can focus on the outside and develop the mystical force to exert your strength.


    As a Spirit, you can dive into the depth of your being, knock on the door of your soul and light up the soul fire or let your soul be one with your being and reach the true potential of soul prowess.


    As a Famine, you can be an Assimtor¡ªdevouring to grow or you can be a Symbiotic¡ªmaking mutually beneficial rtionships with other beings.


    Your actions and choices will determine your transition.]


    The silence was ufortable and the elders felt like the air had grown sharp to the point their skins tingled.


    Finally, the lightning elder stood up and bowed. "Y-Your Majesty, we gratuitously ept your rule."


    Varian kept staring into the air with a smile as if he was watching something interesting.


    For the elders though, it meant he was angry and deliberately ignoring them.


    "Forgive us for your arrogance!"


    "We are happy to be under the sessor of devas."


    "We elves would like to be ruled under your grace."


    As Varian didn''t respond, the elves kept singing praises like there was no tomorrow.


    When he still didn''t talk, they looked at each other in despair. After this fight, they were certain they couldn''t win him. Seven powers shouldn''t appear in any celestial but they appeared on him.


    When these seven powers worked together, his strength underwent a fundamental shift. Facing such a monster, they were likembs to be ughtered.


    And there''s one more thing that scared them. In either of the matches, Varian never tried to kill them. He''s always holding back and only doing the minimum violence. So, they had no idea how strong he really was.


    And now they pissed him off for some reason. Maybe he''ll ughter their race. Once that fear caught them the elders discarded all dignity and knelt in front of the throne.


    Plop! Plop! Plop!


    "Ah? Huh?" Varian looked away from the status screen and saw the six elves kneeling in tears.


    "Please take us under your rule. This is our greatest blessing." They smiled in tears.


    Varian touched his face with a puzzled expression "I know I''m handsome and inspiring but moving another race to the point of kneeling and begging me to rule them over¡­I didn''t think I was this charismatic."

 Chapter 1079 Strength For The Future

    The elves were incorporated into the Human Empire. Since they had many sovereigns and six celestials, Varian didn''t allow these powerhouses to roam free.


    For starters, he modified the restrictions around their habitat and allowed them to move freely in a much wider location.


    Then he solved a couple of menacing beasts that were harassing the elves constantly. Out of the nine beasts he ughtered, three were peak rank 1. But strangely enough, he didn''t struggle as much as he expected.


    But there was one battle he did struggle with. He still wasn''t sure if it was a rank 2 beast or just something in between rank 1 and rank 2.


    It''s a giant serpent¡ªso long that it could cover the entire home tree of elves multiple times! To put it into context, if it coiled itself, it''d envelop an entire modern city!


    Things went out of control and Varian thought of retreating. But the artifacts gave him that little push which ultimately helped him win.


    With that big boss in, Varian prepared to end this little tour and prepare for some serious work. But the elves had some interesting news for him.


    Varian decided to learn about it in a fancy restaurant¡ªthe most famous one in themon capital of elves.


    It''s built on a tall, thick tree with pink leaves and purple fruits and oozed sweet nectar every other day.


    These fruits were helpful in improving one''s physique. Of course, since elves exclusively awakened in one of the elemental paths, it''s only a supplementary item for them.


    ''But if body awakeners use it, it can be quite the boost. Especially level 6s¡­'' Varian found himself once again thinking of how to make his civilization stronger.


    It''s almostmon these days that whenever he saw something or met someone, his thoughts would always go back to ''How can I use this to help everyone grow stronger?''


    He hadn''t told others about the ticking time bomb yet. Whenever he''s frustrated, he resorted to thrashing Haedon with the most creative of curses.


    But for now, at least, he didn''t want to ruin anyone''s mind with the bad news. Humans finally got peace and they should at least enjoy it for a while. Of course, he wasn''t letting the powerhouses ck in the slightest.


    He threw as many high awakeners as possible into Hortus. He asked, no, he almost warned them to not waste any time. Thankfully, they''re all working hard and making full use of the time flow difference.


    By now, it should be almost four or five months in there.


    In addition, he''d opened up the ruins to them. And he even instructed the World Will to give them appropriate protection when they venture into dangerous areas.


    Adding to all this was the rapid production of special potions by research groups headed by Kyle.


    Every day, he''s getting news of more and more breakthroughs. But the transformation at the top was stillcking. Humans lost too many high awakeners in the war.


    So, Varian''s optimistic n was to recover to the pre-war strength in half a year¡ªthough for the people who actually practiced inside, it''d be close to four years.


    Of course, there''d be differences.


    Thanks to the precious herbs avable in the ruins and Hortus, there''d be way more Sovereigns. But no matter the advances, Celestial Rankers would still be a distant dream.


    Excluding Sarah and Sia, it''d take at least two to three years in the most optimistic estimates.


    "¡­Thanks to you, I can rest assured about a big issue nagging me," Varian said to thedy elf sitting in front of him with a genuine smile.


    "M-Me? I didn''t do anything but since you say so, t-thank¡­" Aqualina, the water elf elder, stuttered and lowered her head, blushing furiously.


    Despite her age, she looked very young, like someone in theirte twenties. Even for an elf, she''s stunning. Maybe due to her water path, she was usually very calm and seemed reliable.


    Not now though, she''s pretty flustered now.


    "I didn''t mean you specifically, it''s all the six elders, the celestial rankers." Varian coughed lightly and said.


    "Eh? Ahhh!" Aqualina''s ears drooped slightly and she nodded with an embarrassed face. "My bad."


    Varian shrugged and put his hands together on the table. A crystalline seed floated out of his sleeve and flew in front of the water elf. It''s one of the artifacts¡ªNature Seed¡ªthe amplifier of all elemental powers.


    "T-This!" Aqualina''s blue eyes lit up and she almost grabbed the crystalline seed. Coughing lightly, she sat back and nodded at him. "I''m certain now. This is indeed the treasure mentioned in our records."


    Varian waved his hand. "Go on."


    Aqualina moved around the crystalline seed with a curious face and continued. "It''s the strongest treasure we''ve ever built. It''s built from the seed of a World Tree and each World Tree has only one seed¡ªever."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "So?"


    "So? This is very, very, very precious! It can do a lot of things! Amazing, mind-blowing things, Your Majesty!" Aqualina mmed the table with her palms and leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with a crazy light.


    As her face was about crash onto his, Varian put a hand on her forehead and pushed her back into the seat. "It''s just a booster now, not bad, but nothing amazing."


    At those outrageous remarks, Aqualina mmed the table and leaned forward once again before Varian smacked her back into the seat. This time, her forehead was a bit red.


    "Is this elven thing or what?" Varian gave her a weird look. "Just sit the fuck down and talk."


    "I¡­I¡­" Aqualina wanted to cough up an excuse but nothing came to her mind. In the end, she sighed and slumped in her seat like a deted balloon.


    "Its effects are not great because it''s very worn out, Your Majesty. You have to repair it. Once you do, it can help you all the way until the peak of Celestial Rank." The water elf said with a wry smile. "That''s what our record ims."


    "I suspect exaggeration. Myths and legends tend to do that."


    "We elves don''t. We are one of the few races that followed devas to this barren ce. Our ancestors weren''t weak, you see. If that treasure you called Nature Seed is indeed their creation, I''d expect it to be that good." Aqualina''s eyes were brimming with worship when she mentioned her ancestors.


    No doubt, if the Ares tribe orter known as the Devas, came from one of the six most important tribes to ever exist, then their subordinates would also be damn good.


    It''s just¡­


    "Can I get repair this thing to its former state then? Else it''s just dead glory." Varian was indifferent to these things.


    If it''s another time, he''d be fascinated by this new race. But he''d a rope around his neck and it could tighten any day.


    "Uh? To the former state? It''s only in legends¡­we can follow the instructions and try, but¡­" Aqualina brushed the locks of her hair behind her pointed ear and gave him an embarrassed gaze.


    Varian looked up to the ceiling with an exasperated expression. "Thanks for wasting my day, you¡­"


    He drew a long sigh and swallowed the words in his mouth. Getting up from his seat, he waved his hand. "Whatever, bye."


    "Wait!" Aqualina screamed at the top of her lungs and spoke faster than any human rapper ever did. "It has all the key materials intact. It''s made by my ancestors, it''s made to be durable, and it should be self-repairing! It just needs some side materials! But none of those are avable here. If you could just find them somewhere, it''s possible to¡­restore the elf treasure, possibly to the fullest extent."


    Varian blinked in confusion before heprehended the words she spoke.


    To be fair, they had been conversing in Deva script that the system had drilled into his brain at some point in the ruins. He''s not very familiar with it yet.


    "I''m leaving tomorrow morning, get me the list of the ingredients by then." Varian stretched his arms and walked out of the restaurant.


    The elven children ran in the streets, giggling and ying games with their powers. Snowballs, fire nes, lightning letters, earthly statues, light and darkness games¡­the kids were having the time of their lives.


    "A-Are you leaving already?" Aqualina smiled at the kids through her disguise and turned to him, confused and worried.


    He came, fought, won, and conquered. Now he''s leaving? Just like that?


    "A team of delegates will be arriving here before I leave. They''ll survey this domain and conduct some discussions with you. You''re still the rulers of this ce, but you''ll be following my rule." Varian said calmly.


    "E-Elves do not like sudden changes. We are a very stable race." Aqualina bit her lip and said.


    Varian looked her in the eye and said in a voice that was almost a whisper. "Well, a war ising, Aqualina. If humans get destroyed, then you''re next. Not a single elf will be spared. If you want to survive, you have to change. We don''t have thefort of taking our time."


    "With who? You already quelled the beasts outsi¡ª"


    "Those are bugspared to the enemy who''ll arrive one day. I beat all six of you by myself but even if a hundred of me gather, I have no certainty of beating one of their many militarymanders." Varianughed at the absurdity. "Now don''t freak out, I do have a n but that doesn''t involve anyone not training."


    Aqualina nodded stiffly. She didn''t exactly get what he was talking about. Panic was one thing she felt but confusion was therger thing that filled her mind.


    "I know, after the meeting, Elven sovereigns and high awakeners will go to practice in a special ce." Varian nodded to himself and pointed at the kids running in the wide streets.


    "And select a bunch of good students, young seedlings that need to be trained. We can partner them up with human students and drive up theirpetition."


    The first steps for arger integration began.

 Chapter 1080 Potential Troubles

    The elves integrated into the human empire without major issues. There were issues here and there, mainly cultural.


    The elves were stupefied by the attention they suddenly got. Humans started building fan clubs, cheer groups, and more. They felt like objects in the zoo and that was the biggest challenge they faced.


    Thankfully, after some cultural exchanges organized by the imperial media, people treated them as another sub-group within therger family.


    Themon people had no idea that these beautiful, slender, and seemingly peace-loving elves were in fact prettybative and had six whole celestial rankers.


    But from the friendly duels, the military concluded their own assessments of the elves.


    These elves had no problem sacrificing their own for a victory in a duel. They hated losing. But even more worrying, they''d pay any price toe out on top¡ªeven sacrificing their own teammates.


    If Varian didn''t exist and the elves managed to escape the ruins by themselves, then they''d have enved humans at best and ughtered them at worst.


    Because that''s the kind of world they lived in for the past thousands of years¡ªa brutal, unforgiving life with an unending struggle against the wild beasts in the ruins.


    So, the Emperor''s decision to incorporate the elves was controversial among the military bigwigs, to put it mildly.


    Varian never restricted them from voicing their opinions, even if it waspletely against his.


    So, one of the two biggest military officials of the Empire, Grand Admiral Bali, prepared for a lengthy debate in the council today. He started discussion even in a meeting room before the council began.


    "These elves are dangerous! They can backstab us at any moment. Their numbers are low but the amount of powerhouses they have is ridiculous! They have more than thirty Sovereigns! That''s right, Tha¡ªTee." Bali mmed the table and said.


    Prime Minister Irene seated across him from the round table shook her head. "They are learning ournguage, trying to assimte into our culture. Why are you so sure that they will turn hostile?"


    As it was her job, she knew exactly what the elves did in human society and what ripple effects they were creating. So far though, it was a positive.


    "It''s called vignce! Having a powerful enemy infiltrate your civilization is very dangerous. They can influence our society, learn our secrets and rebel at the most critical moment." Bali stood up from his seat and looked at the remaining members across the round table.


    Taking a deep breath, he said. "Are you all forgetting the horrors of abyssals so soon? It''s not even been a year! We can''t trust aliens just like that! At least put them on probation for a few years and study their society!"


    His words caused everyone to take another look at the situation. They thought he waspletely opposed to their induction but a few years of learning their culture and assessing the risks didn''t sound so bad. No matter what, it didn''t sound safe to just introduce a new race into their society just like that.


    Chief of Staff Kevin, nodded lightly. "I agree with him on this point. Even though the elves seem eager to build rtionships with us, we must assess the potential risks they could pass and wait for a while. Anyrge-scale integration should be put off for a while."


    With the two highest military officials of the Empire on one side, the decision was heavily titled to their side.


    Irene turned to Chief Counsellor Vanhoff.


    The old man shook his head. "They have some very¡­harshws for some weird actions¡ªcutting down some trees, not following the etiquette, eating too fast¡ªyou''d get a few decades of imprisonment at best and a death sentence at worst.


    We need to modify the existingws or codify another set ofws for them to function here. When an elf is working in the empire, whichws should they be dealt with? Killing another elf for honor is normal in theirw but is considered a homicide in ours.


    We need to take our time to study and reach for a solution. At least a half-year."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Vanhoff, a peak level 9, was considered fair and impartial. Even though he hinted at faster assimtionpared to others, he too pushed it back.


    With 3-1, the situation did seem hopeless.


    Still, Irene turned to the final person in the room.


    Royal Secretary, Blue sh, Alison.


    Everyone in the room was the highest authority in their fields, only below the Emperor and the Queens.


    But strictly speaking, the four of them were half-step lower than Alison.


    Alison exhaled deeply and ced a pillow on the table. Then she buried her face in the pillow.


    "R-Royal Secretary?"


    "I didn''t sign up for this shit! I''m told I should assist the Emperor. But the Emperor skips meetings, ignores paperwork, delegates most of the work to me, and disappears for days without any warning.


    He said he''ll return soon and just disappeared saying he found others, what others? He didn''t even exin and just disappeared!


    I already called up all the leading scientists to meet him and then I had to tell them it''s canceled! Dammit! Are you the Emperor or am I the Emperor?"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    Irene, Bali, and Kevin looked at each other, speechless.


    Vanhoff shrugged. "She used to be the vice head of Earth''s Athena group while simultaneously being the Blue sh for Shadow Guardians. She''ll be alright."


    Alison raised her head abruptly and nearly pulled the beard of the old man. "Can''t you just at least be depressed in peace?"


    Vanhoff chuckled merrily. "I''ll quote no one else than our very Emperor. Peace is the luxury of the strong.'' So, no, you can''t be depressed."


    With a frustrated groan, Alison stared up at the ceiling. Then she hung her head and whispered. "Sorry. I was just frustrated I couldn''t go to Kyle''s early graduation¡­not that I attended anything important for him, I guess I am just good for work and not as a mother."


    Irene patted her lightly. "Maybe you could''ve asked the Queens for help that day. They learn things fast and would''ve saved you a few hours."


    "The Queens¡­" Alison had a weird expression.

 Chapter 1081 New Members Of The Empire

    "They''re both in retreat. Queen Sarah swore she''d stay in retreat for a year. Queen Sia swore she''d stay in for two. Maybe they made a bet or something." Alison said.


    What Alison didn''t say was both the Queens entered the retreat with shaky legs and cursed their husband. Whenever she asked Varian why they were cursing him, he''d just smile smugly before making a depressed face while quoting some weird one-liners that the rather innocent Alison who lost her husband early on couldn''t understand.


    ''The Queens can''t handle the throne.''


    ''I''m suffering from sess.''


    ''They depend on each other¡­desperately.''


    ''I don''t know if I should be proud or worried.''


    Alison was sure that Varian meant something weird with those words. But she didn''t ask anymore since it concerned their private life.


    ''But what can make a man both smug and depressed at the same time? That too, someone like him?''


    She had no answer. Maybe her son could have an answer but she decided not to ask. Her intuition told her that it was better that way.


    ''Anyway, forget all that! The important thing is administration! Administration!''


    Alison took a deep breath and leaned back against her chair. Interlocking her fingers together, she said. "I''m not sure why, but the Emperor was very intent on this integration. He might not take a no for this. There might be things we don''t know."


    "Maybe the Emperor didn''t consider these issues and took the decision in haste. He must have thought that integrating elves would be fine since he can overpower them. But what if he isn''t away for a while? I''ll persuade him." Bali said with conviction.


    "Suppose we''re fighting against an equal enemy, then they backstab us, it''d be fatal," Kevin spread his arms. "The Emperor can control them during peace, but not during the war."


    "Our cultures are very different. Quick integration will lead to dissent and violence. We''ll end up resorting to force and might end up creating rebelliousness." Vanhoff clicked his tongue.


    Their opinions were firm.


    "There are moremonalities than differences," Irene said. "These elves are violent because that''s the only way they could survive. But now they''ll realize that they don''t have to stay that way anymore. They''ll change. There will be some problems, I agree, but they will change."


    "We should be optimistic, Prime Minister. If we can''t see a brighter future, we wouldn''t be able to work. But even that optimism should be preceded by caution." Bali scoffed.


    As the discussion was about to go deeper, the specialms of the members rang.


    The Emperor was about to arrive!


    They left the meeting room on the first floor and reached the Throne hall on the second floor.


    Two minutester, Varian walked into the throne hall and assumed his seat.


    But before his officials could many any point, he said. "There will be more audience today, well, eight, to be precise. Enter."


    The doors opened once again and eight members stepped in one by one as Varian introduced them.


    Bali and Kevin stood up from their seats instinctively and assumed an offensive stance.


    Irene''s eyes widened and she prepared for defense.


    Vanhoff rubbed his beard and his eyebrows furrowed as he descended into quick thoughts.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Alison on the other hand rolled her eyes at Varian and didn''t even seem surprised. Turning to Varian, she rubbed her forehead. "Why am I not so surprised anymore? When you said you were gonna disappear for a few days after finding elves, I should''ve thought of this. Oh damn, I should''ve seen thising!"


    A thin pale-skinned with hollow cheeks, sharp ears, and a bloody smell stepped forward and knelt on a knee. The most striking thing about him was the faint red veins, as thin as hair, visible under his pale skin. You could almost see the blood flowing in them. It was creepy.


    "Blood Race from Mercury Ruins." Varian hummed. "Their racial talent is blood maniption and they all awaken in body path. The stronger they grow, the better their blood bes and so their racial talent also bes more useful."


    Bali and the others looked at the pale man with curious gazes before they looked at each other in surprise. He''s at least a Sovereign!


    "Blood Race governs itself as a Kingdom. He''s the son of the prime minister, who also happens to be a celestial ranker."


    What Varian didn''t say was the Blood Gauntlets were likewise the masterpiece of the Blood Race and they too showed him a guide map to upgrade the artifact. It''s still the same problem of materials.


    "Prime Minister is a celestial ranker? Then what about the King?" Kevin asked.


    "Dead," Varian said without much emotion. "So is everyone in the royal lineage, along with their hardcore supporting families and their armies. Unfortunately, that happens to be a fourth of their whole poption."


    Every minister paled in their seats and stared at Varian in horror.


    "The royal family and their ardent followers see us as the continuation of devas and hate us to the bone. They want our extinction. I fought and defeated their king, a not-so-weak celestial ranker. I asked him to submit." Varian''s eyes gleamed with a cold light.


    "But that bastardughed and said that they''re a warring race." The throne hall went silent and cold. Only the sound of tapping the armrest could be heard.


    "They''d rather die than submit." Varian paused for a moment and said. "So, I let them die."


    Everyone in the throne hall, including Alison gulped. A quarter of an entire race''s poption? Even if the Blood race had low numbers like elves, it would still amount to a hundred million easily!


    Even though they killed a sizable number of abyssals in the war, sometimes, it''d haunt them. Because when the war peaked, the abyssals deployed not just adults but also child soldiers. Young boys and girls, barely above ten fighting as cannon fodder.


    A soldier could kill ten evil men and sleep well knowing he saved his mothend. But to kill an innocent was a nightmare. Even though they the collective hatred abyssals held for humans¡ªincluding those child soldiers¡ªit was still a hard pill to swallow.


    But Varian¡­


    Had his conscience died?


    ¡­Or did he experience so much death in just one short year that he became wholly numb to such feelings.


    After all, guys of his age would be in college, hanging out with friends, experiencing their first love and possibly first heartbreak, pushing themselves to grow.


    But Varian had none of these experiences. He barely had any friends. He never finished a semester. When he remembered his first love, he had to face the bitter reality that she killed his mother.


    Varian didn''t know what was going on in their minds. With an easygoing smile, he pointed to the pale man and smiled. "After the King and his aides died, his father made a different choice. The Prime Minister swore allegiance. So, the Blood Race lives."


    With a gesture, the pale man took his seat.


    Then a barefooted woman stepped forward. A fresh breeze hit the throne hall and the smell of the sea filled the air.


    "Next, Mermaids from the Venus Ruins."

 Chapter 1082 Eight Races

    The woman looked human, if not for the smooth blue scales on the back of her hand and sides of her feet.


    She gave a light bow to the Emperor and nodded at others.


    "They agreed to join us for a hundred years. If we treat them well, they''ll continue to be the citizens of the Empire."


    The mermaid woman took a seat beside the pale man. They were stark contrasts, be it their red and blue hairs, pale and bright eyes as well as the depressing and refreshing demeanors.


    "Blinkers from Earth Ruins."


    A middle-aged male stepped forward and ced a hand on his chest. But his eyes had no pupils and werepletely gray. Bali could detect the change in space around the blinker and realized that this race was space-rted.


    "Greetings, Your Majesty." He spoke in an ented human tongue.


    "Greetings, Diego." Varian smiled. "His people are very calm and weing. After thoroughly enquiring the situation and taking enough proof, they joined."


    Diego smiled lightly and calmly took his seat. His demeanor impressed the ministers the most.


    An attractive young woman stepped forward and greeted everyone with a charming smile.


    The ministers subconsciously smiled back before their faces froze in confusion.


    "Thalia, no tricks here." Varian''s stern voice echoed in the hall.


    "Apologies, your majesty." The young woman bowed with a regretful expression.


    Only then did Bali and others notice that her ears were also pointed, but only slightly.


    Varian narrowed his eyes at her and tapped his armrest as his voice dropped. "Thalia."


    Thalia looked at Varian with a bit of resentment and sighed. Then under the surprised gazes of everyone except Varian, her beautiful face changed and turned into something far prettier.


    "Nymphs from Mars," Varian said as Thalia took her seat with unmatched grace. "They like tricking others very much and are good at talking, they''ll make excellent diplomats. And they have no problem joining the Empire."


    "B-But aren''t they¡ª" Bali looked at the breathtakingly beautiful woman with apprehension.


    In return, Thalia gave him a smile that almost caused Bali to stop breathing.


    "She won''t harm the interests of the Empire," Varian turned his gaze to the woman. "Or she won''t be the only one dying."


    Thalia''s smile froze at those harsh words but she immediately recovered. "¡­Your Majesty, why would any ruler kill us? We are the ultimate dream of any male. You can have all of us to yourself. We never age, we maintain the peak of our beauty and we remain loyal."


    The attractive woman looked into his eyes and spoke in a soft, sweet, and charming voice without using any powers. "I ask you to consider our proposal once more. We are willing to send our best to be your concubines, including me and my mother. The Emperor should have a harem befitting of his strength and you are strong, Your Majesty. Please agree."


    Everyone, including the blood race man, mermaid, and blinker nodded their heads instinctively.


    "If you and your mother are in that much heat, I''ll ask someone to open a shop for you in the red-light district." Varian''s words were colder than ice and sharper than a de.


    At thepletely unexpected and condescending response, Thalia slumped into her seat like a fish out of water and stared at him with overwhelming confusion.


    Why? Why would any man reject such an offer?<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Varian continued looking right into her eyes with mockery. "Your mother has too much ambition for her own good. She really thinks she can control me by sending some women."


    Thalia''s stunningly beautiful face paled and she clenched her fists to the point they turned pale.


    "I am really not in the mood for these little schemes. Just fulfill your duties, don''t make trouble, then have fun however you want in the empire. Help the humans and other races in the empire to help yourself. If you still y stupid games, then you''ll win stupid prizes. Do you understand?"


    "Y-Yes, I understand." Thalia''s voice was now filled with contained honesty that was previouslycking.


    "Good." Varian waved her to sit down.


    Now the lineup was a depressing Sanguin, a refreshing mermaid, a calm blinker, and a quiet but still charming Nymph.


    "Next is Elves from Jupiter Ruins."


    "H-Hello?" Aquari, younger sister of celestial elf Aquanlia, stepped forward and waved at the court.


    Everyone looked at her with weird expressions.


    "What the hell are you wearing?" Alison finally asked.


    "I asked for a formal dress to meet a royal family member. They said this is how it goes." Aquari rubbed her hands on the maid uniform she was wearing and said timidly.


    Varian muttered something under his breath and gestured for her to take a seat.


    "Srians from the Saturn ruins."


    A burly man with four arms stepped forward and pped his hands in greetings. He''s in intricate armor and carried a sword behind his back with hammers hanging on his waist.


    "They''re happy to join and have one request. Provide them with good materials for their cksmithing."


    The burly man nodded profusely.


    "Crystal race from Uranus ruins."


    A seemingly normal woman stepped forward but when the sunlight shone on her, her skin reflected it back and she glittered like a diamond.


    She sighed in exasperation and a thinyer of crystal on her skin retracted back. Now, they could see her normally. She looked as normal as anyone on the street.


    With a bow, she went to her seat without wasting time.


    "Errr, don''t mind her, her race¡­doesn''t like exerting energy as much as possible. They''re eco-friendly, I guess?" Varian exined.


    The woman nodded just enough for everyone to understand she did that.


    "This eco-friendly race won''t be helpful if it doesn''t follow orders. It''ll be necessary to exert effort." Kevin shook his head in disapproval.


    Varianughed an evilugh and the woman felt something ominous. "Just throw them on the battlefield. They''ll be the most efficient killing machines."


    The woman opened her mouth in shock and stared at the Emperor with wide eyes. "Y-You said you''d not ask us to do anything."

 Chapter 1083 Trip To Outside The Solar System

    "Of course, I will not ask you anything. After throwing you on the battlefield, fighting or not fighting is your decision." Varian answered with such an innocent expression that the woman almost believed him.


    "C-Cheating¡­I just want to sit here for a year." The woman grumbled with tears in the corner of her eyes.


    "We''ll not deploy you unless needed. So please don''t turn this court session into a drama now." Varian groaned in frustration and waved at the final person standing behind the door.


    "Now, thest ones."


    The footsteps were calm and steady yet Bali and Kevin instinctively stood up and channeled their aura.


    It was a burly man again but he had no four arms or grey eyes. He just had two horns on his head and a wide smile on his face.


    "Berserkers from Neptune Ruins. They really like battles." Varian smiled at the berserker with an even more battle-crazed smile.


    The berserker couldn''t smile anymore and ran to his seat as if his life depended on it.


    Compared to his battle junkie vibes at the start, now he seemed like an honest kitten.


    "You guys are real downers, man. Can''t even fight for a day." Varian whispered in contempt.


    If the Berserkers heard his words, they''d faint in anger.


    When Varian first introduced himself, they invited him to fight and prove himself.


    Prove he did by defeating their chief¡ªthe only celestial ranker. Then he lowered his power to the level of a sovereign and started fighting theplete elite group of berserkers.


    All Sovereigns, level 9s, level 8s, and even level 7s were included. He killed none of them but broke countless bones.


    And to their horror, he kept fighting without any end in sight. That day, Berserkers saw a man who was crazier than them for battle.


    That''s precisely why they submitted to him wholeheartedly¡ªthough Varian would argue it''s his charisma at work¡ªthe charisma that he suddenly found in the elven domain.


    "Formte steps to assimte them into the human society. Don''t rush it on the civilian side. But rush it on the military side. And send a batch of their geniuses to the Imperial Academy." Varian said.


    Bali stormed to his feet and pointed to the eight race representatives. "Your Majesty, we''re already having trouble with assimting elves. How can we even think of making the problem eight times worse?"


    Kevin nodded and added his points. Vanhoff too sided with them and exined his position. Irene said her words and sighed. Alison stayed out of this. The representatives, of course, didn''t speak.


    "I understand your concerns. They''re all valid." Varian nodded, much to their surprise. "But it''s a risk we have to take."


    "Risk for what? What''s so urgent now?" Alison asked in confusion.


    Varian looked up at the ceiling and exhaled deeply. Then a heavy aura filled the throne hall, almost suffocating the ones present. "Nothing said here, I mean, not a single word, goes out, do you hear me?"


    Everyone nodded, slightly frightened but more curious.


    With a snap of his fingers, a letter floated into the air and arge hologram zoomed its contents for everyone to read.


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    A heavy, depressing silence filled the throne hall.


    "¡­I see, that''s why." Bali looked at the eight race representatives and understood the reason behind Varian''s actions.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "We''ll do our best to grow stronger. Human race and all races, we''re in this together. If theye here, they''ll not spare any life." Deigo nodded with a grave expression.


    Varian nodded lightly. "I''ll be leaving for a while. So, this will be thest meeting for some time. If there''s any important issue, bring it on."


    "Ruins again?" Alison muttered softly.


    "No." Varian shook his head and stared out into the sky. "I''m going out of the sr system¡­to other civilizations."


    His words shocked them all, especially the ministers.


    "Is there a risk to your life? No, rather, how much is the risk?" Irene asked.


    "I''m just going to buy some important materials. A trip like this wouldn''t be very risky." Varian gave a carefree smile.


    Alison wasn''t convinced. But she looked at the eight race representatives in the hall and shut her mouth.


    From her vast experience, she felt that he wasn''t lying. And he technically didn''t lie.


    ''A trip like this wouldn''t be that dangerous. But it''s not the trip, it''s the traveller.'' Varian smiled wryly. ''I can bet my balls that something will fuck up on this trip.'' Of course, he''d never say it out loud.


    But he must go.


    One, he had to understand the neighboring powers and the political climate. What Human Empire could and could not do. As well as the greater threats and opportunities.


    p¦Ánd¦Á,no¦Í?1,§ão§® Two, all six artifacts were damaged. He had to repair them. They''d give him more power boost. Equally important would be ess to the legacy of devas. The artifacts in their current condition couldn''t lead him to it.


    Three, Boo needed some more parts.


    Still, Varian wanted to stay. He''d rather explore the ruins and grow stronger. But there''s a problem.


    The ruins weren''tpletely open yet. He could feel the aura of a rank 3 beast in each ruin but couldn''t enter that space. It''s sealed. ording to the little wings, the artifacts need to get in shape for the ruins to bepletely unlocked.


    All in all, he needed to make this trip. And how would he go?


    Well, there were a bunch of spaceships sent out of the sr system when the abyssals attacked and everyone thought humans were going to go extinct.


    The people in those spaceships were recalled but the spaceships were allowed to move forward.


    Thanks to the help of little wings and Boo, he recognized some alien spaceships.


    As Boo said long ago, this region was uninhabited and treated as a wastnd. So, few people actually came here. But when they did, it was most likely for something shady.


    And these spaceships wouldn''t even pass by the sr system. He had to go for a long distance to reach them. It''s as expected given this region''s history and actually good for humans.


    From the readings of their power by little wings, none of these spaceships exhibited any rank 2 celestial power.


    Amidst Varian''s thoughts, the meeting ended after several hours.


    Then he bid farewell to them, sent a few messages to his wives, and reached a special space gate on the eighth floor of the pce.


    It was built by the Hortian cksmiths recently and its coordinates are directed far away from the sr system, just a few billion miles away from the alien spaceships.


    Varian closed his eyes and exhaled. "I''ll be back."


    Then he disappeared into the shining space gate.

 Chapter 1084 What Is Your Sin?

    "Captain, I think it''s better to refuel here or by the time we reach the next station, we''ll be only on 10% fuel." A young humanoid male, wearing a silver bodysuit armor said, pointing at two screens.


    The first screen showed an empty region with a single blinking dot called ''Proxima''. The other screen showed the fuel of the ship. If they continue their journey until their destination, they''d risk running without any backup fuel.


    "No." The Captain, a middle-aged humanoid-male, with facial features simr to the young man, replied instinctively.


    In doing so, he identally let out the green gas from his mouth.


    The young man coughed at the bitter smell and waved his hand, dispersing the gas.


    "Ah, shit! Why can''t you stay quiet, you dumb kid?" The man red at his nephew who stiffened at the sight of his throbbing neck nerves.


    "S-Sorry but the¡­guide said we shouldn''t run without an emergency fuel supply." He muttered weakly.


    "Haah!" The captain rubbed the back of his neck and smacked his lips in frustration. "I told you, Ash, colleges don''t teach everything. Things work differently out here."


    Saying so, he pointed to the radar map showing the blinking dot and nothing else. "We''re just a few hours away from the spaceport but did you see any other ships on the radar? Forget that, did you see anyone else in thest five days on this route?"


    "N-No? But why? Even though we''re pretty far, even a moderately busy spaceport would show have at least a hundred ships on our radar!" Ash wanted to answer, but he only ended up with another question.


    "Exactly!" The Captain whistled and leaned back into his pilot chair.


    The spaceship continued to move at unimaginable speeds, with space itself twisting and twirling around them. Everything around them went by in a blink and they continued to travel towards their destination¡ªa spaceport much farther away.


    "Exactly? Why does no onee here? And we''re not moving close to the spaceport either, we''re very far away¡­almost like we''re trying to avoid any ships that might be going there." Ash frowned.


    "Well," The captain gave him a sharp gaze before breaking into a wry smile. "You''re sharp, kid. Just like your dad."


    Ash smiled at thepliment before he cast his eyes downward in sadness. "They killed him for what? He''s just an average cop, not even that powerful."


    "Because he tried to dig into this." The captain pulled out a green crystalline powder and snorted it.


    His body shook with ecstasy and drool leaked out of his mouth as his eyes lost focus.


    For a few minutes, he stayed like that, shaking sometimes, while staying still the others before he released a puff of green smoke from his mouth.


    The ecstasy in his eyes was reced by calmness but his body still shivered slightly from the aftermath.


    p¦Ánd¦Á`no¦Í?1--§ão§® "Ah¡­the cheap version is still great. The premiums are colorless, smokeless but costly as fuck." The captain licked his lips.


    "Y-You¡­do you also do it?" Ash asked with a trembling gaze. "M-My dad, your brother died because of that stuff!"


    "Huh?" The Captain gave him a dismissive nce and pointed to the empty seats behind them. "I lost six members of my crew over the years, all for stupid reasons. If I don''t do this shit, I''d literally go insane. Your father''s death¡ªthat stupid bastard poking his nose where it doesn''t belong¡ªis only increasing my dose. Thank god this shit hit the market by the time I got into this trade."


    Ash stayed silent at those unkind and blunt words until his eyes suddenly widened and he pointed to a blur on the radar. "What''s that?"


    "Oh shi¡ª"


    The spaceship went still for a moment before it was thrown out of its orbit and rolled in space like a dice. Sparks flew out and tattered metal pieces scattered everywhere.


    "W-What the fuck?" Ash rubbed off the blood flowing from his forehead and stared at the three gold-colored spaceships facing them. "Who are they?"


    The nearest star system was 100,000 Astronomical Units away. It had two stars and some eight or nines. But it''s empty, barren, and one of those unlucky ces with no aura.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    That makes it certain that they didn''t trespass into any area. Then that meant the attackers weren''t the cops or the army.


    Before Ash had time to think, the spaceship''s door forcibly opened and a few humanoids stepped in.


    "S-Sir!"


    The Captain, no, his uncle knelt on the floor and called out in a respectful tone. But his voice was trembling and his body shaking.


    Ash followed his lead and kept his mouth shut, his body ovee with a terror he didn''t even understand.


    "You know your sins?"A rough but clearly young voice sounded in the ship.


    Ash raised his head ever so slightly and took a clear look at the beings that entered.


    They were humanoid, somewhat shorter but with obvious golden skin and scary ck eyes with golden dots that seemed to be pupils.


    The speaker was the shortest of the three that entered but looking at how he was standing in the middle so rxedly, he was the leader.


    "Our sin¡­is we¡­we tried to pass through this route belonging to you without trying to offer the tribute we should." The Captain looked up with genuine remorse and said in a pathetic voice.


    Ash felt ashamed and angry. Even when the news of his father''s death hit, his uncle didn''t show this much remorse. But now¡ª


    A golden light shed past Ash''s cheek before he could even react, breaking his skin and spilling out a line of blood.


    "Arghh!" The Captain cried out in pain.


    Ash''s mind which was just feeling the pain of the cut on his cheek froze when he saw his uncle holding onto his severed hand.


    ''N-No! This is just a bad dream. T-This is jus¡ª''


    "I ask again, generously, what is your sin?" The young man with golden skin and ck eyes stepped forward and bent in front of the crying middle-aged man.


    There was a sadistic smile on his face as he felt another being writhing in pain.


    "I¡­I thought¡­" The Captain bit his lip to the point he was bleeding and tried to think of an answer.


    He wasn''t an adventure per se. He spent most of his life as a pilot for the goods and only fought some dogfights. It''s his first time facing someone like this. And perhaps it''d be hisst.


    ''What if I say something wrong and he kills even Ash out of anger?''


    "Do you look down on me so much that you refuse even to answer?" The young man''s smile copsed into a cold expression and one of the men behind raised their hand.


    "Arghh!"


    Another hand was cut by the golden light. It happened with such speed that the hand hit the ceiling and sprayed blood like a fountain before falling down.


    A golden light prevented any blood from ever grazing the young man. He once again gained that creepy smile and clutched the middle-aged man''s hair to make him up look directly into his eyes.


    "I ask again, with even more generosity, what was your sin?"

 Chapter 1085 I Come In Peace, I Swear

    A golden light slowly began to shine from one of the men in the distance.


    "We thought we could defy your authority. We''re wrong! We couldn''t. We shouldn''t. We mustn''t!" Ash said in a hurry and banged his head against the floor.


    "Correct answer." The young man smiled in appreciation.


    Ash''s shoulders rxed and he was about to breathe out when a golden light shed.


    The captain''s two arms were severed and blood flowed out of his shoulders like water bursting out of pipes.


    "He didn''t answer." The young man clicked his tongue in regret and waved to the two men.


    They expertly checked every nook and corner of the ship, taking away anything and everything valuable.


    Ash kept staring at his uncle with nervousness the whole time. He only came to his senses when they took away his storage ring and left the ship.


    "Uncle!" Ash screamed and rushed for the emergency kits. To his dismay, even the basic healing potions were taken away.


    "C-Cough!" The man with no arms coughed as hey in a pool of blood.


    His injuries were closing but not fast enough. The energy in those attacks was rending his efforts to prevent further bleeding useless.


    He''s a level 8 Body Awakener. But at this rate, he wouldn''t survive for one more hour.


    "W-Wait a minute! We''ll go to the spaceport!" Ash screamed as he tore his own shirt and bandaged the wounds, slowing down the bleeding as much as he could.


    The captainy powerlessly as Ash started the spaceship.


    He regretted being so confident to think he could even escape the Havos pirates. But at least¡­at least, he''d be aliv¡ª


    Screech!


    The door was once again opened forcibly and the familiar footsteps rang again.


    "Um, thinking back, while your answer was correct," The young havoc scratched his cheek. "I never asked you. Isn''t it also a sin to answer out of your turn?"


    "W-Wha¡­" Ash stared at the young man, likely a teenager and someone his age, with a look of absurdity and fear.


    What does this madman even want?


    "Ah, the fear¡­I can smell it." The young havoc took a step forward and sniffed like a hungry beast.


    Ash shivered and instinctively moved closer to his uncle. But feeling the warm blood tickle his skin, he realized that their roles were reversed.


    Gulping down his fear, he shielded his uncle and said with trembling lips. "P-Please ask."


    "This is our route, if you travel this path, you have to pay half of your goods." The young havoc thinned his lips. "Is just another half enough of a punishment for deceiving me, Natchez, the future patriarch of Havocs?"


    Ash''s face paled and his breath stopped.


    "Seems like you know the correct answer." Natchez''s lips curled up. "Spill it out."


    A tense silence ensued.


    Natchez frowned slightly and a golden light lit up behind him.


    Ash felt like he fell into a freezer. His hands grew cold, his vision blurry and his throat dry.


    "Spill. It. Out." Natchez spat.


    Ash gritted his teeth and stared at his uncle for onest time. Then, he opened his lips and said. "O-One¡ª"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡ªBOOM!


    Something crashed into the golden spaceship nearby and it exploded into pieces.


    The young havoc as well as the two men with him tensed up and stared at it with confused gazes.


    In that numbing silence, an annoyed voice finally sounded.


    "0.00001% margin of error, my ass! I crashed into a fucking ne!"


    "My ship¡­" Natchez finally muttered in a heartbreaking voice before his eyes bulged in anger and he snarled at his underlings. "Why didn''t you stop him? "It''s my father''s gift, a premium customized model, not your factory model, fuckers!"


    The two Havocs looked at each other in confusion before one, an old man sporting a golden beard, stepped forward. "The space fluctuation was too sudden to react."


    "Oh yeah?" Natchez sneered. "We''ll see it after we return."


    The old havoc''s face paled and he shut up like a puppet. The havoc tribe didn''t have a very lenient justice system.


    "The squad should''ve already captured him by now." The younger havoc guard spoke up, trying to rescue his senior. "The one who did this should beg for death."


    He seeded as the young master''s attention turned back to the scene of the explosion.


    While his ship exploded, the other two were intact. The pirate squads from each ship broke into the smoke, debris, and fire at full force to catch the criminal.


    Netchaz smirked when he sensed that they all surrounded this new ''presence''. But his smirk broke when a violent shockwave suddenly swept out.


    The two spaceships nearby were literally blown away into a few miles while the pirates that entered were all thrown into space, each with a twisted limb or two.


    The smoke had cleared and the debris disappeared, revealing the perpetrator.


    It was a young humanoid male. His hair was ck, and so were his eyes. A very handsome face, but even more catchy was the unbridled, almost ridiculous confidence he exuded.


    Netchaz disliked him for that more than even blowing up his spaceship.


    That look in his eyes¡­it was something he had and only he must have. No one else should dare to have that look and courage in his presence.


    The young man turned to him and their eyes met.


    For a split second, Netchaz felt a chill down his spine, as if he''s dropped in a freezer before his body suddenly started sweating.


    "Ie in peace." Varian raised his hands in a harmless gesture.


    Right when his words were finished, some parts of the spaceship that were blown away caught fire and exploded, almost killing a nearby havoc member.


    "¡­I didn''t mean it." Varian insisted.


    An unconscious havoc member bumped into a sharpenel moving at high speed. It pierced right through his chest, just beside his heart, narrowly missing from killing him.


    "A-idents, haha. I do not intend any har¡ª"


    BOOM!


    The two spaceships collided with each other and sparks flew.


    Varian was speechless and felt the deep malice of the world. But to prove his innocence, he still insisted.


    "I really came in peace."

 Chapter 1086 A Young Master Who Doesnt Resort To Fight

    For the first time in his life, Netchaz was unsure how to reply.


    Varian didn''t make any movements to show that he really intended peace.


    Taking that gap as an opportunity, one of the pirates nearby raised her hand and conjured a spinning fire wheel.


    The sizzling fires reached Varian''s back in a blink. The tongues of the fire wheel''s mes turned blue before touching him, reaching a ridiculously high temperature, promising to melt his bones upon contact.


    Netchaz noticed the attack and held his breath. But what happened next made his heart stop for a moment.


    Varian grabbed that fire wheel and channeled his water power. "Heater? How generous."


    The mes looked the same but their temperature dropped to afortable degree.


    Varian rubbed the mes between his palms like one would do around a campfire on a cold night and grinned.


    Looking at the prince staring at him in utter shock, he smiled, a bit embarrassed but not at all apologetic. "I always wanted to do this, it''s kinda cool, right?"


    Netchaz''s mind kicked back into action and his thoughts raced faster than lightning.


    The one who attacked him was a level 9 fire awakener. That woman was pretty famous in the group and was touted to be a sovereign in a year or two. If he could discard her attack so easily, then he must be a celestial ranker.


    Celestials weren''t that rare in Havoc tribe. But they''re head and shoulders above everyone else.


    Despite all his achievements, Netchaz was still a Sovereign. Even his best hopes of reaching the celestial rank would be in 7 years.


    ''No one here can take on him.''


    Netchaz made a signal with his fingers and every havoc member fell silent and showed a peaceful front to this man they just tried to kill.


    "Why did you blow up my ship?" He asked, not too forceful but certainly not with any subservience.


    "You have to believe me when I say it''s a technical issue." Varian said with an innocent expression, like it''s actually him who''s tricked and suffered a loss, not the young master who lost his prized spaceship.


    "Let''s say I did believe it, what do you intend to do about the loss you caused?" Netchaz asked after a short silence.


    Varian pursed his lips and then shrugged. "I''ll pay up. But I''ll need some time as I don''t have any cash on me for now. Of course, if you don''t believe me, the only way is to follow me to the spaceport¡ª"


    "I believe you." Netchaz suddenly replied and gave him a deep stare before jumping into one of the other ships.


    "Hey, wait! Where can I find you if I want to pay?"


    The spaceships shot off into the distance and only his voice echoed. "When we meet again."


    "Was he angry or speaking casually?" Varian rubbed his face in confusion and looked over his shoulders. "I thought he''d explode, but he''s calm, so I can''t tell if he''s really good or bad."


    "Master, I have a bad feeling about that guy." A little hologram projected on his left shoulder and spoke in a concerned tone.


    "Me too. He has a lot of blood on his hands." An energy body of a pair of wings on his right shoulder and echoed the sentiment.


    "How much blood do I have on my hands then?" Varian asked rhetorically and the little wings, Oob, fell silent.


    If the prince was standing in ake of blood, then Varian would be above an ocean, no, even an entire ocean wouldn''t be enough to contain the bloodshed he caused.


    "I''m not here to pick fights. Just buy the ingredients, get artifacts repaired, drag those little beasts and not let humans get massacred by our neighbors." Varian nced at the two in the spaceship off handedly and muttered. "Whatever fights happen here, I don''t care."


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    Oob and Boo both stared at him with obvious musing.


    After not so long, Varian sighed and walked into the spaceship with apparently reluctant steps.


    Ash, who was crying over his dying Uncle, was startled and looked up at this foreigner who even scared away those pirates.


    "Only limbs are torn?" Varian looked a bit disappointed by the level of injury. "Waste of my healing prowess, to be honest."


    Even so, a green light shed enveloped the Captain. The torn arms and hands in the spaceship were pulled back and reattached in a blink. The bleeding stopped, his pale face started to regain color.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    In just a minute, the Captain opened his eyes and gasped like a fish out of water. "Ahhh¡­Fuck, I thought I died."


    Varian gave him an amused nce and took a seat near the pilot space. "I didn''t help out of kindness, drop met at the spaceport in exchange for healing you."


    ''Master is trying to put up that act, again!'' Boo chuckled in the corner like a little kid that caught an adult doing a mistake.


    ''Of course¡­he''s trying to y the ruthless Emperor role. As a ruler who only thinks objectively every time and won''t let kindness lead to future problems.'' Little wings shook slightly.


    It had understood his transformation more than others.


    The war gave everyone a scar. Including Varian. His scar was different from normal. After his experience, he firmly believes that showing kindness could be dangerous. Had the Abyss Emperor been ruthless enough, he''d have won humanity already.


    Varian being Varian kept ending up at ''What if?'' every time he performed an act of kindness that could lead to unfavorable oues.


    Not noticing the two little guys, Ash helped the Captain to a seat. Thankfully, the pirates didn''t drag them way.


    "W-Who''s this guy?" The captain stared at Varian seated in the front with vignce and confusion.


    What happened to the infamous havoc pirates? Did they spare him? Then why did this guy heal him? Just for a trip to spaceport? Bullshit!


    "He destroyed one of their ship, they tried to fight him and failed. Then they left."


    "Even him? The young leader failed?" The Captain looked up at Varian with disbelief before turning to his nephew.


    Ash shook his head and exined the nuances.


    ''A Celestial ranker¡­'' The Captain''s emotions cooled down. ''Only someone like that has such power.''


    He almost wanted to beg Varian to get his supplies back but held himself back at thest moment.


    ''I almost died¡­what''s some money? I can always earn it back. But this life¡­fucking life, I don''t want to die. I better quit this shitty business and live in my home.'' He decided then and there.


    "If you don''t mind, I am in a bit of a hurry, so can we start the journey, already?" Varian turned from the seat and asked with a smile.


    "Y-Yes. T-Thank you for saving my life."


    "And mine as well."


    The Captain and Ash thanked him profusely even as they operated the ship and flew them toward the spaceport.


    Silence ensued in the spaceship for a while.


    "It''s just thirty minutes from here." Ash said with a nervous chuckle.


    He didn''t know how to speak to this guy but he really couldn''t help not speaking.


    "Can you tell me more about it?" Varian asked with visible curiosity.


    All his information, including hisnguage, were from Boo''s memory. Thankfully, thenguage was still the same but a spaceport likely wouldn''t remain same after 500 years.


    "People don''t go there¡­I heard. We weren''t supposed to go there either." Ash told what his Uncle told him just a while ago.


    "Why?" Varian pressed for an answer.


    "Because of the pirates, of course." The captain said and took out a small packet of white crystalline powder before offering it to Varian. "This is the most expensive stuff I got. You saved my life, so please take it."


    Varian gave him a strange nce before taking the small packet. He dipped his finger into the powder to check what it actually was. He didn''t have this habit nor did he intend to acquire it, but he was curious about the materials used in this product.


    The moment he came into contact with is, his senses screamed dejavu and Varian''s finger instinctively withdrew.


    He couldn''t ce a finger on it but it reminded him of something unpleasant and harsh, something that really caused him a lot of suffering.


    "What is this?" He closed the packet and asked in a not so pleasant tone.


    "Everyone in Centaurus knows that stuff!" The Captain''s gaze towards him was full of suspicion. "Who are you?"

 Chapter 1087 Proxima

    "Are you from Barix? Or Kas¡ª"


    "I''m a hermit, sort of." Varian exined with a straight face.


    Technically, humans were something like a hermit to the rest of the world¡ªliving alone for long without any contact with others.


    "A hermit¡­that exins your weird clothes and old ent. Are you from a vige that closed up after the war, eh?" The Captain nodded at his own question.


    He decided Varian''s situation for him. Maybe he just didn''t want to dig too much. Sometimes, it''s better for things to remain unknown.


    "Then I presume you don''t have an ID of any sort and traveling with us for us to vouch for you at the spaceport." The Captain said.


    "You''re smart." Varian nodded.


    "Not smart enough to realize that I can''t escape pirates in their own field." The Captain nced at Ash for a brief moment before he turned to Varian with a wry smile. "I didn''t want to take this route to be honest, but this is the only route without any official security checks. There''s only a security agency here and they don''t give a fuck about anyone as long as the fee is paid."


    "You''re a fugitive?"


    "Yes."


    "What?!" Ash nearly jumped out of his chair and looked at his uncle in shock.


    "You have a fresh smell of¡­say, souls should I call it? You killed a bunch of people recently. Not less than thirty." Varian raised an eyebrow.


    "All those fuckers were involved in the killing of my brother. They deserve death and worse." The Captain grinned. "Too bad they''re influential enough to get cases on me."


    "U-Uncle¡­" Ash had tears in his eyes.


    He thought his Uncle didn''t care about his father''s death. That he was even insensitive. During that critical moment, Ash thought of sacrificing his uncle''s life to the havoc young master so that he could live.


    Now, he just felt pathetic for even having thought.


    "I''m sorry¡­I''m really sorry¡­I''ll change, I promise¡­I¡ª"


    "Shut up, Kiddo. This is why I never tell you this stuff. You better shut up and just join the academy, you hear me? They''ll at least make a man outta you so you can survive in this goddam ce or worsees worse, go for greener pastures." The captain ruffled the hair of his nephew and leaned back into his chair.


    Varian acted as a spectator and didn''t involve himself in the rtionship.


    Soon, a grey city-like structure appeared in the distance.


    "Proxima. The only spaceport in this shitty, backward and poor region." The Captain said in a low voice.


    There were few ships every now and then going into and out of Proxima. Other than these normal ships, Varian also noticed a bunch of magenta ships patrolling the area. They carried an insignia of a shield with six twinkling stars.


    ''Master, that''s not Centaurus g.'' Boo''s voice sounded in his head.


    ''It''s not the army stationed here for security, eh.'' Varian narrowed his eyes and concluded a few things.


    Even with his general understanding, any country would use its own army to guard its spaceports. Unless it''s in such a troubled state that it''d rather outsource it to someone else.


    Secondly, the pirates were either stronger than the security agency here and hence carried their actions without worry.


    Or¡­the security agency struck a deal with them and was benefiting from this situation somehow.


    ''Either way, that means I could be in trouble when I enter the spaceport.'' Varian didn''t worry much though.


    He had a living world with him. He could just tear open space and enter Hortus from anywhere.


    Of course, it needed a bit of time and there''s still danger of him being killed in that limited time period.


    But unless it''s a really strong opponent, Varian had confidence to escape even from a peak rank 2 celestial.


    He''s in a disguise anyway.


    "This is Proxima secuirty, one of your members doesn''t match any identity in our database. We suspect you are bringing in a criminal. If you do not wish to¡ª"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I''ll pay¡­I''ll sell this ship, one of you guys can follow us over on our return and take this ship." The captain spoke as if he was prepared beforehand.


    Varian looked at him in surprise but the officer on the line merely chuckled. "Very well. Since you''re that sincere, we''ll also issue an ID for him."


    The captain gave Varian a smile, implying that he did his best.


    ''I don''t know how to feel but with an ID, things get easier.'' Varian smiled lightly in return.


    The spaceship passed through a huge cylindrical chamber andnded on a grey runway


    Then, hundreds of small robots dragged the spaceship and parked it in something resembled an underground parking lot.


    Surprisingly, half of the parking lot was filled.


    "Howe there are so many ships here?" Varian got out of the spaceship with the two and asked in confusion.


    The captain looked around and after noticing that no one''s nearby, he whispered. "Rumors say this is one of the hubs from which they transport the¡­stuff."


    He rubbed his fingers, signalling that green crystalline powder.


    ''A drug trade hub? Private security agency? Pirates? Is the Centaurus Duchy this screwed?'' Varian felt a bit happy at the thought.


    If they''re in this condition, human race wouldn''t be in any danger.


    But that thoughtsted only for a moment before he frowned.


    Whenever there''s a power vacuum, it''s filled by the neighboring powers. If Centaurus declines beyond a critical point, then other powers would jump on it this


    and region would burn.


    He decided to learn more about this power''s situation before deciding his course of action.


    When they exited the parking lot, they were greeted by a male¡­who almost looked human except for the conscious unicorn-like horn protruding out of his forehead.


    "I''m Ajac, 3rd squad leader under 1st captain of Raven Chief. I''m assigned to oversee the procedure of your sales," He said in a causal tone about the daylight bribery and scanned Varian with a redser. "He''s registered now."


    The Captain thanked him and asked him for a credit of some money for a meal. "This isn''t rted to the ship, I''ll pay it back soon. I¡­just want to have a meal."


    "Beggars." Ajac snorted as he led them through arge hallway.


    Varian saw huge fields of alien flowers and nts on either side of the hallway. They seemed to be walking right through a beautiful park.


    There were quite a few people moving back and forth on the same road as well as others.


    All of them were humanoid. Most had a horn on their head, while a few had sharper ears and a few had multiple eyes.


    Bam!


    Someone crashed into Varian and fell on the floor.


    It was a humanoid male with tentacle-like arms.


    "Blind idiot!" He red at Varian and conjured a lightning ball in his hand. But noticing Ajac with them, his face paled and he dashed away.


    "Another level 8¡­fuck." Varian cursed.


    Even the weakest ones roaming here level 7. There were quite a few level 9s he encountered so far. The guards that patrolled from time to time were all level 8s.


    Ajac, who was leading them, was a Sovereign!


    A Sovereign would''ve ruled an entire on pre-empire sr system but he''s just an officer here.

 Chapter 1088 Try Harder!

    For a moment, Varian felt a sense of absurdity.


    Just this barren spaceport at nowhere had so many high awakeners. What about a well-popted city in the Duchy?


    He gulped at the thought and clenched his fist.


    The ruler part of him feared the implications it carried for the human race while the battle-junkie part of him salivated at the opportunity to fight to oblivion without having to worry about opponents running out.


    Varian lowered his head and chucked. To the onlookers, he seemed like a madman.


    "Stop embarrassing me, you dimwit. Shut that smile." Ajac gave Varian a derisive nce as they stopped in front of a simple ss building.


    Many people were eating inside, enjoying all sorts of foods. Some smells were appetizing while others were in revolting.


    "Eat as much as you want, the more you spend, the more interest I''ll get." Ajac mmed the table and asked them to order.


    "Thank you." The captain said and picked up the menu with trembling hands.


    He thought he was going to die. Having a second chance to live, even a simple meal felt like a blessing. ''I¡­I''m really alive. This isn''t an illusion before death.''


    Ash had his head lowered since Ajac introduced himself. The young man rubbed his palms from time to time and exhaled deeply.


    He''s just a level 7. Too weak to matter. If he really pissed off this guard, not only him, even his uncle would be in danger.


    "A set meal for three¡­"


    "Two. I''m not hungry, thank you." Varian waved his hand.


    "Only one. I just want a drink." Ash muttered in a low voice.


    "Think you can steal my money like that? I thought of giving you a loan for 5% interest. It''s 10% now." Ajac snorted.


    "Sorry, but I''ll pay it back." The captain bent his head and apologized.


    "Per hour."


    "Huh?"


    "10% per hour."


    "What do you¡ª"


    "11%."


    The captain shut his mouth and nodded weakly.


    The people around heard their talk and merely sneered in contempt, without the slightest interest in intervening.


    Varian noticed that most of these people were on good terms with the guards and were dining with them.


    Sincemon people wouldn''t travel through this spaceport, all of them should be merchants. For some reason, all of these merchants had a lot of blood on their hands.


    ''None of them are normal.'' Varian exhaled deeply. He could guess what they were even with his feet.


    There''s a widespread drug problem in the Duchy. And this shady spaceport with shadier merchants. What else would they be transporting? Of course, it''s drugs.


    "How''s the new boss?


    "Too righteous. He refused all gifts. Tch. But he doesn''t need to know anything."


    "What should happen will happen, with or without him."


    The conversation between a merchant and a seemingly superior soldier made Varian vary. If these people didn''t even give a flying fuck about their own boss, then how deep was the rot?


    "The quality is as good as ever, but why is the stock down?"


    "The good for nothings died. We need fresh batches. But we can''t abduct entire cities, can we?"


    "If you offer some potent stuff, they''lle themselves!"


    "Hahahaha!"


    "But seriously, if you have ces where we can get some freebor, tip us off. I''ll pay you well. We''re old buddies."


    "That we are."


    Varian took a breath and calmed down. Some things were deeply fucked here. Drugs, very, abuse, corruption. He didn''t want to stay here and risk reacting to things. He just wanted to get out now.


    Slurp!


    "Haa! Thanks for the meal." The captain rubbed his stomach in satisfaction and turned to Varian. "So, where are you going?"


    Varian didn''t know any ce. So, he answered with the next best thing.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "¡­I''m looking for some materials, do you have any rmendations for a goodmercial area?"


    "Materials, hm." The captain rubbed his chin and said after giving it some thought. "Ubiq. Very famous. Almost all major brands have a store there. Even the legendary Infinity Enterprises has a store there."


    Varian sped his fingers and rested his chin on them.


    When the captain uttered ''Infinity Enterprises'', the hall fell silent for a moment before continuing on with their conversation. But some gazes turned to them from time to time, mostly curious but enough greedy.


    ''Even taking their names in public has this effect, eh.'' Varian was relieved. If they were that famous, they''d surely have all the materials he wanted.


    "If you don''t mind, we''ll drop you off at Ubiq. I and this boy are going to a nearby anyway." The captain offered and Varian didn''t refuse.


    "Then let''s go." Ajac stood up from his seat and rubbed his hands in anticipation of the big sale. He did give a regretful look toward Varian, sad about missing out on ripping off this seemingly rich guy.


    They returned to the spaceship and were about to start off when a red light rang out of nowhere.


    A dozen armed soldiers rushed in and surrounded the spaceship.


    The space was closed off and other lights went out, leaving only the dim but disturbing red light.


    Under that situation, from the entrance, heavy footsteps rang.


    A humanoid male, taller than others, significantly burlier with a blunt horn on his forehead stared at the spaceship with an indifferent gaze.


    Adorned in a smooth white armor that screamed luxury, he seemed to be way higher up in the hierarchy than everyone else.


    Varian saw a few Sovereigns in the cafeteria. They all seemed to be officers¡ªlike leaders of their squads than foot soldiers. But none of them carried so much ir and aura.


    "ck hair and ck eyes with two losers, yep, that''s you,e out." The burly figure said in a voice that tolerated no rejection.


    Varian was pissed at the way of address. But he took a nce at the two in the spaceship and decided to get out of the ship first.


    But Ajac beat him to it and asked his direct superior. "C-Captain Andrew, why are you¡ª"


    Andrew waved him off. "It''s the chief''s orders."


    Ajac''s eyes widened and stepped away.


    Varian moved out with a rxed expression.


    "Hm, a rank 1, huh. No wonder you were so arrogant." Captain Andrew''s expressionless face twisted into anger. "But."


    The air grew heavy all of a sudden and tremendous pressure struck everyone in the ce.


    The soldiers copsed without any resistance and the spaceship itself started to break apart.


    "There is always a bigger mountain. A mere newbie of rank 1, you think you can be defiant towards the future leader of Havoc? I''ll make something clear to you today, there''s a world of difference between a newbie and a veteran."


    Varian opened his mouth in mock shock. "Y-You are acting against me because of a pirate, you colluded with them? B-But you are the security agency! You''re supposed to fight the evil, not join them!"


    Andrew was surprised before he burst intoughter. "Wee to society. And farewell. For what you did, I''ll be taking your head."


    Saying so, the man stepped on the ground and left a deep footprint before he shed forward.


    In everyone else''s vision, he just disappeared from his ce and appeared in front of Varian, leaving a trail of glowing starlight.


    A wave of intangible power pulsed from Varian and swept the area.


    Everyone present felt something passing through them like a ghost passing through walls. Their bodies grew cold and they shivered.


    Coming to their senses, they turned to Captain Andrew and that young man to see what happened.


    And gasped.


    Varian stood in ce, just like he did earlier, not even a wrinkle on his exotic clothes.


    Captain Andrew was right in front of him, his powerful fist stopped by a¡­little finger.


    "Y-You!" Andrew''s face paled.


    ''This can''t be happening¡­''


    He gnashed his teeth and tried to push his fist forward against that little finger. But no matter how much force he put, that little finger remained still. As he struggled like a bug stuck under a boot, he felt a hand over his head.


    Shivering like he was left naked in the snow, the officer raised his head and looked at the young man''s face.


    Varian cheered with a grin. "Come on, you can do it! Try harder, bud!"


    Plop!


    Officer Andrew copsed onto his knees.

 Chapter 1089 This Is Why We Cant Be Friends

    All the soldiers looked at each other in dismay. Ajac felt his hair stand on end as he recalled his behavior toward Varian. ''I''m fucked!''


    He red at Captain Andrew with resentment. ''Why are you so weak, you bastard?''


    "Y-You will not get away." Captain Andrew looked up into Varian''s eyes and spat with non-existent conviction.


    If Varian was a rank 1, then Havoc pirates could crush him easily. But rank 2 wasn''t so easy anymore. Worse, if he actually happened to rank 3, then even the Havoc tribe might be in danger.


    But Andrew didn''t think so much. Since there''s no way this guy could be rank 1, he''s rank 2.


    ''That means¡­''


    Andrew pressed a button on his shirt inside his white armor.


    "Are you treating me as blind or what?" Varian bent down and grabbed him by his horn.


    "Y-You bastard! You dare to touch the horn of a Centa¡ª" Andrew''s eyes zed with anger and his horn shone with a brilliant light.


    The energy inside Andrew''s body increased and his muscles bulged like he''d taken steroids.


    Puffing out white breath, he pushed the floor with his feet, breaking the tiles, and shot up at Varian, intending to smash his face.


    "Sit down."


    But what answered him was Varian''s calm voice and his palm.


    Andrew felt an overwhelming force push him from above.


    BOOM!


    Just like a nail hammered into a wall, he was drilled into the floor by the hand pressing on his head.


    ''The horn improves his power significantly, huh.'' Varian examined it with interest, but his gaze sent chills down Andrew''s spine. He felt like ab specimen subjected to the gaze of a mad scientist.


    "D-Don''t¡­"


    "What?"


    "D-Don''t do anything, he¡­he will be here any moment."


    "I''m waiting."


    And they waited for ten long minutes.


    Varian didn''t want to escte things beyond proportion and make enemies everywhere.


    So, he wanted to see if he end this enmity here by talking to the upper ranks. If it fails, it fails. It''s not like he''s using his real identity here anyway. He''s been using a disguise the whole time. Even his aura was faked, thanks to the System.


    Finally, the doors once again opened, filling the red parking space with the artificial light of the spaceport fields.


    Under the illumination, Varian saw a giant of a man with a tiger tail, waving his hairy arms and moving with his burly frame confidently.


    "That''s Tiger Chief Typhon, huh." Varian pointed to the neer and spoke with his arm around Andrew''s neck. "He''s exactly how you described him. A caveman who forgot to shave."


    Andrew panicked and made an innocent expression.


    Typhon ignored him. From the moment he entered, his gaze was fixated on Varian. Others couldn''t feel it due to their low strength, but he felt the pressure this young man emitted. He wasn''t a newbie rank 2 celestial, but his instincts still warned him to back off.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''This man is dangerous.''


    Even then, without learning his purpose, it''s impossible to let him go.


    If there''s even suspicion that this guy would damage their collective interests, they''d have to kill him no matter what.


    Typhon was one of the seven chiefs in Proxima. There were only three people above him.


    The two deputy directors and the director.


    Barring the director who was recently posted here and seemed to be one of those self-righteous hypocrites, the two deputy directors were allplicit in thiswork.


    If things really went downhill, the two deputy directors would take care of everything.


    They''re veteran rank 2s and the pressure they emitted was way higher than this person''s. More than that, Typhon''s instincts were damn clear that this guy was less dangerous than them.


    Trusting his judgment, the Tiger Chief reached Varian and waved his hand. Instead of attacks, there were two seats facing each other.


    Typhon satfortably and signaled for Varian to do the same.


    "I''ve heard the story. The young leader of Havoc is indeed cunning and has a grudge against you. He asked me to teach you an unforgettable lesson." Typhon first exined his side of things.


    Varian clicked his tongue and hit his forehead.


    That guy wasn''t a brainless idiot to fight against Varian. Nah, knowing Varian would be in Proxima, he wanted to use the power of Starsafe to crush him.


    Moreover, if Varian ended up killing anyone here, then he''d also be making an enemy out of Starsafe.


    Neither the security agency nor the Centaurus duchy would be okay with a daylight murder in a space station, no matter how remote it is.


    Then, Varian would''ve enmity with the ruling Centaurus duchy, the foreign but strong power Starsafe as well as the Havoc tribe.


    ''That wicked, cunning son of a bitch.''


    Whoever taught him, taught him well.


    "But fighting you doesn''t benefit us as much. Rather, we can cooperate in the future, there''ll be plenty of opportunities where you can help us and we can help you." Typhon spoke like a politician and a businessman, painting a pie in the air.


    ''Here ites¡­'' Varian narrowed his eyes.


    "I just want to ensure one thing. What is your identity? How can we be relieved that you won''t go against our core interests? As long as you reveal your true identity, we''ll drop this matter and I swear that no one else except the director and deputy directors will know about your real identity." Typhon said with a genuine tone.


    He really meant everything he said. This was a generous offer for anyone in Varian''s position. Objectively, Typhon did his best to de-escte the situation.


    And it would''ve worked for anyone¡­except Varian.


    Varian would do anything but reveal his identity. No matter how genuine Typhon seemed, Varian didn''t want to risk exposing his civilization and race to a foreign power.


    Taking a deep breath, the Emperor of Humans said in a genuinely remorseful tone. "That''s the only thing I cannot do."


    Typhon sighed and the chair under him shattered into fragments. At the same time, two powerful auras descended out of nowhere and locked onto Varian.


    "That''s the only thing you must do."

 Chapter 1090 Lets Go Wild

    Varian disappeared from his ce. But because of how fast he moved, for everyone except Tiger Chief Typhon and the two deputy directors, saw his afterimage and thought he was still standing there.


    The space touching him dissolved. All friction disappeared. Instead, the forces of space pushed him forward. When he took a step forward, the space itself shrunk and he crossed the distance of two steps.


    Varian''s fist overflowed with the power of a mystic¡ªthe master of body and famine¡ªthe devourer of all.


    But invisible to others, his fist grew heavier through the use of water power¡ªwhich enabled him to gain just a bit of control over matter. At the same time, his punch grew much faster thanks to the sudden burst of energy from the little control of energy his lightning power provided.


    The system shielded others from spying into Varian''s body and Varian himself made an extra effort not to show any other powers outwardly.


    So, even the deputy directors thought Varian had only one power and was a rank 2 Mystic. What''s even more certain was that this Mystic was much stronger than the Tiger Chief he was about to punch.


    "Stop!"


    "Don''t do it!"


    Ignoring the thunderous voices, Varian proceeded to connect his fist with Typhon''s chest even as the Tiger Chief was btedly raising his arms in defense.


    A shockwave swept everyone off their feet in the parking space and a heavy silence ensued.


    Typhon stared at Varian with bulging eyes and opened his mouth to speak. But what came out wasn''t sound but blood.


    Kacha! Puff!


    Typhon''s armor shattered into pieces both on the front and back. A fist-sized hole appeared in his back and a pir of bloodshot exploded out with such force that it broke through the ceiling.


    Tiger Chief copsed like a puppet whose strings were cut.


    He''s still alive, by the virtue of being a Mystic. But he''s essentially out of y for the uing conflict.


    "You think you can get away from this scot-free after doing that to him?" A middle-aged woman in a purple robe appeared in the parking space at some point. Instead of one, each of her eyes had many little pupils. She looked honestly scary.


    Varian recognized her from the short conversation he had with Typhon earlier during the waiting time. ''Helga, a sadistic bitch. She likes to dig out eyes and y with them. If she likes them, she''ll pick the pupils for herself.''


    "You could''ve just gotten a painless death but now you''ll wish for it." A lean middle-aged man appeared beside her. He munched something in his mouth and spat out some small bones.


    ''Hagen, her twin brother. He likes to buy ve boys and girls, especially toddlers and¡­'' Varian''s expression worsened.


    He didn''t want to get involved in any conflict. He wasn''t here to fight. He''s here to buy some stuff and then go find that creature to secure the situation of the human race.


    But seeing these absolute pieces of shit, he first wanted to smack their faces to death and then, he wanted to vomit for having toe across this kind of stuff.


    "Killing intent? Did I read that right?" Helga giggled even as she rubbed the tears from the corner of her eyes.


    "So, that''s how you want this to go, huh?" Hagen smacked his lips.


    Their aura filled the cer and the sheer pressure caused the bits of metal to float into the air and twist and twirl.


    ''They''re strong. Very strong.'' The corner of Varian''s lips went up.


    The heart of their conflict came from his refusal to reveal his identity. It''s the only thing both parties couldn''tpromise their stance on. There''s no chance of reconciliation.


    Then¡ª<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    BOOM!


    Varian''s fist connected with the female deputy director''s bony fist.


    A shockwave swept the cer and the ceiling, built from a very standard cosmic alloy, was blown away.


    The remnant shockwave continued outwards and blew away all the high awakeners it came across.


    She staggered back three steps but otherwise remained perfectly fine.


    "Tch."


    Helga clicked her tongue and threw something out of her robe. A silver barrier enveloped them and seemed to be a stopgap measure to prevent any further damage to the spaceport.


    Thankfully, everyone, including Captain and Ash already evacuated once they were hit by the initial shockwaves.


    Varian''s other arm moved at a breathtaking pace tounch the next punch but a moon-shattering kick reached his back before he could even clench his fist.


    Kicking the ground, Varian jumped away and appeared in the distance but was instantly forced to defend as Helga''s fingers aimed for his neck.


    Her fingers tore through his fist, pierced through his palm, and stopped just three inches away from his neck.


    "F-Fuck!"


    Without caring for the pain exacerbated by some poison in her nails, Varian clenched that bloodied hand and yanked Helga against Hagen who appeared behind him and was about to strike his neck.


    But Hagen disyed incredible agility. He nimbly ducked and avoided shing with Helga. Using the gap, he punched Varian right in the back, knocking the air out of his lungs and breaking his bones.


    Helga used the opportunity to reverse the dynamic and used her full strength to pull her hand held by Varian, which he tried to resist. But the result in the contest of pure force was a bloodied human hand rolling on the ground.


    "Not so tough now, are you?" Helga licked the blood on her fingers and grinned.


    "He needs a few more bones broken to get into shape." Hagen nced at Varian''s back which was deformed to his punch. Some bones were broken and a few were literally pulverized to powder.


    But even Hagen had to admit this person''s regenerative powers were over the top. Over half of the damage he inflicted was already healed.


    Even then, it''s a miracle this person was still standing.


    "Eh¡­Hehehehe¡­Hahaha¡­Ahahahaha!"


    The young man didn''t beg Helga to spare his life nor did he curse Hagen for the pain inflicted.


    Instead, heughed. Andughed like a madman. "Hahahaha!"


    Almost instinctively, Helga and Hagen took a step back.


    Varian''s eyes seemed to burn with mes that came from the depth of his soul. "I want fights like this. Where I can''t easily win. Where I have to struggle for every move¡­because after every such fight, Ie out stronger."


    With a flick of his hand, the severed palm on the ground flew back and reattached to Varian''s arm.


    With a smile bordering at the intersection of perfect madness and perfect sanity, he said. "Let''s fight."

 Chapter 1091 Director Of Proxima

    Baldur had been busy since his appointment. After being transferred to this zone, he picked Proxima since it''s the ce closest to where the ''signal'' appeared. He began searching once he began his duty.


    By using one excuse or another, he went to many important ces of the Centaurus Duchy.


    If not officially as the Director of Starsafe agency in the Proxima branch, then as a disguised civilian, a less known businessman, a decadent old man.


    He visited all the majors, checked all the trade centers, and used all information agencies. But he found no clue about the thing.


    It''s been a year already but there was no progress. On one hand, he wanted to beat himself up for it but logic said how was he even supposed to find a single item with the only clue that it was somewhere in the Duchy?


    Even though it''s too smallpared to a Kingdom, Duchy was still an incrediblyrge region, with trillions of beings.


    ''Was my detector wrong?'' Baldur thought.


    Even though it''s been almost 500 years since it went missing, he should still be able to track it roughly.


    "I can''t go back empty-handed." Baldur sighed in his spaceship as he headed back to Proxima.


    He knew there were problems in Proxima. But if he started sorting it out, the fallout might cause reactions that''d force him to leave this ce.


    So, he let it be and just searched for that thing. And perhaps, also for her. "Is she still alive?"


    That legendary figure who singlehandedly ughtered many Jai Empire powerhouses.


    Baldur hoped she was alive. The kingdom needed her. But even if she''s not alive which was more likely, he must get that thing.


    As the spaceship approached Proxima, Baldur who was slipping into a nap was awakened by a notification.


    A man in his early 30s appeared on the screen. His ranking indicated he was the same as Tiger Chief Typhon and the symbols on his armor showed stars.


    Star Chief Aster. Unlike other chiefs, he''s directly under the director.


    And as far as Baldur can tell, Star Chief was the only branch that wasn''t corrupted in Proxima.


    "I want to rest for a while, Aster. Unless it''s important and urgent, don''t say it."


    Aster ignored Baldur''s tired tone and said with a solemn expression. "Sir, the deputy directors are fighting with someone. T-They''re going to break the space station, Sir!"


    "What?!"


    Baldur rushed in front of the screen and saw Proxima in the distance.


    ¡­It was shaking.


    "Fuck!"


    Baldur jumped out of the spaceship and starlight enveloped his body. The next second, he jumped tens of thousands of miles and appeared right above the cer where the fighting was taking ce.


    The silver barrier defending everything was cracked and through those cracks, some parts of shockwaves were being released into Proxima.


    These weren''t even at 0.5% of the usual shockwaves, yet even level 9s in Proxima went into bunkers for safety.


    Some level 7s already died due to these shockwaves. And many stupid level 8 that tried to face it head-on were crippled.


    "What is happening here? Stop fighting!" Baldur roared and his figure disappeared.


    He passed through the silver barrier as if it was nothing and waved his hand in annoyance.


    The three figures flew up like flies and mmed the barrier before sliding down.


    Helga and Hagen had some big injuries but nothing life-threatening. Still, one had his arm twisted while the other had her foot missing...on the floor.


    They were breathing roughly and kept their gazes fixed on the third person.


    Even when their direct superior arrived, their gazes didn''t move away from that person.


    Only when he followed their gaze did Baldur understand why.


    The third person was in a much worse shape. He waspletely drenched in blood. His skin was torn badly, showing flesh everywhere. His muscles were literally ripped apart. Even the white of his bones could be seen plenty.


    All in all, he seemed more like a mutted corpse than a living thing.


    But somehow, he was standing. And somehow, his eyes were staring at He and Hagen and now, even Baldur with fighting intent.


    Despite being a rank 3 and many times stronger than this person, Baldur swallowed his saliva. "Who are you? Why are you fighting them?"


    "Director, he''s a terrorist!"


    "He attempted to kill everyone on Proxima. He already killed many! If he didn''t make it on time, there''d have been no loving soul here today!"


    "Kill him!"


    "Show him the anger of our Starsafe corps!"


    "Justice!"


    "Justice!"


    Baldur was a bit agitated by their word but quickly calmed himself and stared at this person.


    The Director''s actions didn''t go well with the deputies. They kicked the ground and shot at Varian, ready to kill first and then talk.


    But a light shed and the two were back in their ce without even realizing how.


    Varian''s eyes jumped at the sight and the battle intent in his eyes faded away.


    He''d been fighting madly because he had the confidence of escaping if things really got bad.


    He could just use his space path and authority over the world of Hortus to enter it. Once in, these people wouldn''t be able to find him.


    Of course, it''s not like he''s not kible. If someone with a sufficient gap in strength attacks him, he''d be dead before he could even escape.


    Even though Varian still felt it was possible to escape from this Director, he felt it''d be very dangerous.


    "I ask you again, Who are you? Why are you fighting them?" Baldur looked at him with no malicious intent.


    When Varian remained silent once again, he pped his forehead while ncing up and down at his injured state. "I''m sorry, you''re too injured to even speak."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He didn''t know the reason Varian remained silent was because of him staring at the fruits of this battle.


    [Status:


    Mystic Rank 1: 60/100 (+40)


    Famine Rank 1: 60/100 (+30)


    Spirit Rank 1: 50/100 (+10)


    Space Rank 1: 40/100 (+20)


    Time Rank 1: 30/100 (+15)


    Energy Rank 1: 40/100 (+10)


    (Lightning)


    Matter Rank 1: 40/100 (+10)


    (Water)


    Remark: You have grown stronger! If you repeat the fight against them, you would still be in a losing position but not so miserably. They''re both peak rank 2s and you aren''t even a peak rank 1.


    But it suffices to say you could go toe to toe against high rank 2, jumping a whole rank which is a feat unheard of.]


    Controlling his smile from breaking out, Varian readjusted his dislocated jaw, shoulder joints, and legs before dispelling the blood over his body using his mystic power.


    "Wha¡ª"


    Baldur as well as Hagen and Helga looked at him in amazement.


    All the injuries, big and small, were healing at an astonishing rate.


    Previously, the deputies thought the healing was some racial attribute. But now, they felt it must be some sort of precious treasure.


    Or else there''s no way to exin this guy returning to a humane look in just 40 seconds.


    "I am a hermit from afar. I''m out on a shopping spree but thesepdogs of Havoc pirates are attacking me because I had a conflict with Havoc''s young generation''s leader." Varian said and pointed to the two deputies who were looking at him in confused horror.


    Why was this guy fine after fighting the two of them? Why? Why were his eyes so calm even after experiencing those gut-wrenching injuries?


    Was even a normal creature? Was he a monster in human skin?


    "Look, I had no intention to poke my finger into your drug cartel and waste my time, energy, and opportunities. But you stupid fucks still went on and attacked me, tried to kill me and whatnot." Varianughed in contempt, striking off their attempt as meaningless.


    Baldur tapped his chin as he listened to the conversation with interest.


    "But forgiving you even after this¡­I really don''t feel like it. I''m not a benevolent person in the first ce. So, wash your neck and wait. Once I''m done with my work, your heads will roll."


    "Y-You! Are you threatening the Starsafe agency? Do you know what you''re doing? We''re the force of the kingdom!" Helga gnashed her teeth and said with a fierce expression.


    But her eyes were shivering with an unknown fear.


    This guy was significantly weaker than her and shouldn''t pose her any danger. But he''s like a mad dog that wouldn''t just back down. And this mad dog would regenerate so quickly that it could continue fighting again and again.


    She didn''t want to deal with him.


    "Director, you just heard him threaten two deployed deputies! Make an example out of him!" Hagen said with a passionate expression.


    Varian turned to the so-called Director with a neutral gaze. His eyes shed for a moment and he discovered a big secret. A secret enough for him to get out of here scot-free.


    Unaware of Varian''s actions, Baldur gave him a curious nce. "Are you not scared that I''ll kill you if you threaten my subordinates like that?"


    "No wonder they called you donkey head."


    "W-What?"


    "They call you the meanest of names in the canteen, treat as you some stupid donkey that doesn''t know its ce, believe you''re a guy grown in a ss garden who can''t fathom the real world that''s full of drugs, corruption, and very. If you still support them, their judgment is true." Varian crossed his hands and said confidently.


    "What the¡­" Baldur knew he was being talked about badly but it never happened in front of him.


    But hearing it from this guy, he felt pissed.


    Varian observed his facial expression and shrugged. "You don''t look that dumb, to be honest. Or you wouldn''t have asked why I was fighting instead of just killing me. You''re not on their team. Never were."


    Baldur took a deep breath. "Still, it''s an offense to fight here in the ce I protect."


    Varian looked at him with pity.


    "What?"


    "I didn''t fight. My case is only self-defense. I''ve recorded the whole thing and it''s already reached the Capital. If something happens to me, the video will spread everywhere. What do you think will happen then? Centaurus Duchy would be happy to see a rank 2 Mystic loyal to it die for unjust reasons?"


    The holographic videos yed smoothly.


    [Baldur: Rank 4]


    Varian nced at the Director with a smile that wasn''t a smile and said.


    "At the very least, you''ll be punished and transferred out. In the worst case, you''ll be imprisoned here and possibly killed."


    Baldur''s expression worsened.


    Varian smiled inwardly.


    This guy was performing duties of a rank 3 post despite much higher strength. He had an ulterior motive and wouldn''t be willing to move out or be imprisoned.


    But even if he did get away without any punishment thanks to his strength, it''d be revealed to the public and particrly, his enemies that there''s a mysterious rank 4 director in Proxima.


    Once his cover blows up, whatever he''s trying to achieve in incognito would go to waste.


    Baldur''s expression underwent several interesting changes before he finally waved his hand. "You can leave, you fucking bastard!"


    "Let''s not meet each other ever again!" Varian grabbed a random spaceship and left without even looking back.

 Chapter 1092 Mind Games

    The spaceship Varian casually stole headed to Ubiq, one of themercial centers of Centaurus.


    As for Varian, he remained on the floor, staring up with a nk gaze.


    Oob and Boo looked at each other and their patience finally ran out. He''d been like this for thest thirty minutes!


    "Doesn''t it hurt?" Oob pped its wings and circled around the ces he got serious injuries as it questioned in a sad tone.


    "Huh?" Varian blinked twice and held the spots on his arms where the biggest injuries happened to ur. "Of course it fucking hurts. It''s so much pain that any sane person would choose jumping into an array of scalding needles over it."


    "¡­But you wereughing the whole time."


    "That''s better than crying in pain." Varian sat up and looked at his left palm. It was literally ripped off him by Helga.


    If before, it''d have been a major injury. But it''s just a minor injury now. Due to his insane regeneration, his perception of injuries was wildly different from other awakeners.


    Taking a deep breath, Varian clenched his fist. A shockwave of aura erupted from him as the seven celestial powers gathered in his hand. They promised to break anything and everything he threw them at.


    Compared to his earlier self, he''s now at least 50% stronger. And he''s much closer to rank 2.


    "I need more such fights to grow strong." Varian thought back to the reason he started this journey and muttered. "I need strength."


    "And Boo needs a body." Boo imitated Varian''s deep voice, put on a tragic pose, and said.


    Varian rolled his eyes and looked out into the space.


    Thanks to the technology of the spaceship, they weren''t traveling in outer space. They were moving somewhere in between outer and inner space.


    That''s why, the surroundings werepletely dark but asionally had grey particles twirling around. The spaceship was designed to specifically move at high speeds here and move it did.


    From inside the ship, one would get the feeling that everything was receding back fast. It''s also like they''re thrown into an ocean full of ck water and the ship was just sting its way forward, pushing away the water around it.


    If the spaceship traveled at its full speed in outer space, it''d take approximately 5 months to reach Ubiq from Proxima. But by traveling in inner space, it''d take only 1 day.


    Varian decided not to waste a day and train.


    Fortunately, he robbed the best spaceship on the site and it happened to belong to a celestial ranker. So, there''s a training room.


    ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª


    Two men stood on top of a tall tower. One man staring into space and the other staring at him.


    "What a cunning man¡­" Baldur muttered softly. "Hope we never meet again, huh."


    "Director, why did you let him go?" Star Chief Aster clenched his fist. "He''s not a criminal, sure. But his behavior towards you wasn''t even courteous. He ckmailed you, that alone is enough to warrant his punishment. That madman deserved some suffering."


    Baldur gave him a small smile but didn''t say much.


    Since he wasn''t willing to engage in corruption, Aster thought he was a righteous person.


    He couldn''t be more wrong.


    Baldur just wasn''t interested in exploiting the popce because of his upbringing. Engaging in drug games, corruption, and very revolted him. They felt¡­beneath him.


    But he had no qualms about making some tactical sacrifices for strategic advancements. If that included killing unrted people, so be it.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    His number one priority was searching for that thing. For that to happen, he needed to remain posted here.


    The reality of the matter was that for outsiders, a terrorist attacked the space station and got away with it. Baldur woulde under lots of criticism.


    To solve this issue, Baldur was prepared to kill Varian right after understanding the situation.


    The only reason he didn''t do it immediately was that he was searching for Varian''s information in therger database.


    He didn''t find it, so he let go of his scruples and was about to kill when Varian threatened to leak the videos.


    A lot of people did know that Starsafe and Havoc were working together for the drug mafia. But if it''s leaked to the public, that''s another matter entirely.


    Even though he didn''t participate in any of the corruption, Baldur would alsoe under k for letting it happen.


    Many heads would roll.


    In the best-case scenario, he''d be famous in the entire Duchy and surrounding regions all for the wrong reasons and risk exposing himself to those hounds.


    In the worst case, he''d be transferred out, killing his mission to find that thing.


    ''That guy¡­'' Baldur clenched his fist and recalled the look in Varian''s eyes.


    He was in pathetic physical condition, injured all over, bones broken, and muscles torn. Yet, he recovered in minutes. During the whole time, he didn''t even wince in pain.


    Baldur dealt with every type of enemy.


    He wouldn''t care if the enemy was smart or strong or fast or old. But he did fear an enemy who was crazy.


    A crazy enemy was unpredictable. They''d do things without any measure, even if they end up hurting themselves.


    Any sane person should''ve known that ckmailing the Director of the Starsafe agency was purely seeking death.


    But that guy did it. And he seemed crazy enough to actually follow through it.


    "That guy said he wanted to buy things, huh." Baldur turned his gaze back to Aster who hurriedly nodded.


    "Yes, sir, ording to those two with him, he''s nning to visit Ubiq. And sir, what will happen to those two? They met him on the way here."


    "Let them go." Baldur didn''t see any point in killing them.


    "Yes, Sir. Should we track that person? We can deploy some members in Ubiq."


    "Ubiq¡­" Baldur''s thought flew straight to the new Infinity store opened there.


    Why would the grand Infinity Enterprises open a store in this backward and declining Duchy?


    Officially, the reason was the discovery of some materials from the frozen regions.


    In the elite circles, the reason was to exploit the situation when Centaurus Duchy would eventually be consumed by Barix Province.


    ''The real reason¡­.must be something else.''

 Chapter 1093 New Target

    An asteroid belt far from Proxima Spacestation.


    Ting! Tang! Ting!


    Inside one of the many, many underground passages in an asteroid, the ngs of metal striking metal rang creating an unpleasant cacophony. But this was disturbed by the thuds of flesh hitting the ground, the silent screams that remain barely audible and the ssh of a liquid sshed on the floor.


    A red-skinned, buffed-up humanoid male shed his whip frequently as he yelled in an annoyed tone. "Hurry, fucking bastards! Meet the quota or starve to death!"


    All around him were humanoids dressed in ragged clothes, mining away at the harsh ground.


    Some had four eyes, others had three tails, and a few even had two heads. At the same time, most were teenagers with a couple of children here and there. There were only a few adults and fewer older people.


    Whenever the red-skinned Havoc shed his whip, it''d catch fire and strike the back of unfortunateborer.


    If he''s lucky enough, it''d leave only a burnt mark. If not, then the ming whip would dig deep into the muscle and scorch it alive.


    As it happened, one of the whip marks happened to be harsh and struck a young girl who happened toe from a feral tribe.


    "Ah!" The whip melted away her worn-away shirt and dug into her back. The mes on the whip zed like oil was poured on them and the girl''s small back glowed red.


    "Aaaah!"


    Her skin melted away and the fire began to burn her muscles. The bone near the whip also began to turn red and slowly char.


    The little girl, who seemed no more than 9, wailed at the searing pain. The tears in her eyes wouldn''t evene out as they all evaporated under the heat. Then, she copsed face-first onto the ground like a discarded doll.


    Her breathing began to weaken and a pool of pale blood began to form under her. At the same time, the smell of burnt flesh spread in the surroundings.


    Only then did the minors turn their nce at the little girl. Their eyes remained nk as they took in the scene.


    But then the smell of her burnt flesh reached them.


    ¡­And they all gulped.


    The saliva in their mouth increased and their empty stomachs cried out.


    The little cat girl was on herst breath. With a great desire to survive, she moved her eyes around, looking for help.


    But all she saw were hungry eyes, eyes that treated her as a piece of meat, eyes that lost any and all sense of self.


    "M-Mom!" The little cat girl called out in a voice so weak that even she couldn''t hear it.


    A middle-aged cat woman, with bruises all over her body and bite marks on her neck and chest area, was looking at her with burning eyes like everyone else.


    "It hurts¡­it really hurts¡­so much pain¡­I''m sorry, I won''t pluck the flowers again, I won''t go out again, p-please take me back, Mom¡­"


    Her words had no voice. Perhaps she didn''t even say those words, perhaps it was just a prayer inside her own mind.


    "I''m so...rry, it hurts too much, please¡­"


    The cat woman continued to hit the hard ground with her shovel. Every time she did, the metal would send equal force back at her, causing her arms to shake with tremendous pain.


    A small of the chunk of the ground was cleared and a small gemstone showed itself. The cat woman''s face which was indifferent until now finally bloomed into a smile.


    ''I can eat today.'' That was the only thought in her mind.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    But for some reason, even she didn''t understand, the corner of her tears grew wet and her tears hit the ground.


    The teardrop touched the gemstone and its shining light immediately dimmed.


    "You bitch! You wasted it!" A harsh whip coiled around her and glowed with fire.


    The cat woman couldn''t even utter a scream when the fire burnt her life. Facing her daughter, her body copsed powerlessly.


    Witnessing this horrific sight, whatever desire to survive remained in the cat girl''s eyes faded away and her eyes dimmed.


    "Two deaths in such a short time. No wonder we got abor shortage." A golden-skinned Havoc middle-aged man, who was observing everything from above the asteroid clicked his tongue.


    He''s one of the elders of the Havoc tribe and a rank 2 celestial.


    Havoc pirates all belonged to the Havoc tribe. Naturally, the decision-making body consisted of a Tribe Patriarch and several elders.


    So, an eldering here in person was no small matter. But he dide to this normal mining site to meet someone important.


    "Labor shortage is infinitely more desirable than treating these worms better." Natchez, the young master of the tribe, spat in contempt.


    His words carried no ambiguity and he genuinely meant everything he said.


    "I agree. Treating others normally would be a stain on our whole tribe. Havocs don''t act with stupid mercy, we''re beyond that." Natchez nodded, reaffirming his faith in the practices of his tribe.


    "Speaking of, What happened to that guy who destroyed your spaceship?" The elder asked without much thought.


    "It ended up being a bad bet. That man is not only strong, but he''s also crazy enough to threaten the Director. He escaped."


    "Oh? That''s unexpected. Don''t worry, he wouldn''t dare toe for revenge or what he''ll face would make him despair. We have no qualms like Starsafe."


    The havoc tribe had always lived by the code of brutality. They were a warring tribe. It''s just not in their blood to not go attack or plunder someone. For such people, anyone attacking their own would be a humiliation and would trigger a collective response.


    Havoc tribe might not be strong for a Duchy but they could overwhelm an entire province by themselves. Their collective power couldn''t be taken lightly even by a Duchy.


    "Forget that, what about the new targets for thebor shortage?" Natchez asked with a curious gaze.


    "Ah, yes!" The Elder disappeared for a moment before reappearing with a bunch of¡­human males and females.


    Their clothes, clearly catering to the human race''s style, were soiled. Some of them were missing eyes, others didn''t have an entire limb or two, and a few were just staring ahead nkly like they lost their souls.


    "These new captures revealed information about their homnd. Since we didn''t know theirnguage, the information is unclear. But we managed to capture their location. It coincides with the new region discovered to be civilized by the Centaurus Duchy." The Elder exined and showed a hologram with relevant info.


    When abyssals attacked, humanity sent out groups of people so that they could survive and continue human civilization.


    These pioneers were mostly recalled but some remained outside. They were caught by the Havoc tribe and underwent inhumane torture for weeks.


    Natchez tapped his chin with an amused expression. "50 billion lives? That''s a fat fish. We can mine a lot more."


    The ores they were mining were very delicate in nature. If any powerhouse tried to dig them out, just their aura would affect the ores and render the ores useless. The only way out wasbor by weaker personnel.


    For the Havoc tribe that''s constantly losing people, 50 billion was really a spring in the desert.


    "This must be done before the census starts and they get recognized by the Duchy. I will personally lead this mission and get these ho...homan ves." Netchaz dered.

 Chapter 1094 Ubiq

    Ubiq, one of the trade hubs of Centaurus Duchy, a bustling city that screamed riches, prosperity, and a heaven on earth.


    The bright half of Ubiq was glowing like a diamond under sunlight.


    Varian was blown away by the dazzling beauty of this half. The floating oblique buildings, the glowing roads, the ever-busy streets, gorgeous flying vehicles, teleportation stops from one district to another and the insane variety of greenery growing everywhere.


    e¦Áglesn?¦Íel But what struck him more was the other side. The side that didn''t glow and was filled with congested housing, narrow streets, terrible atmosphere, a nasty crowd, a nastier crime scape, and horrible living standards.


    As he walked through the dark side of Ubiq, he saw hordes of people on either side of the streets, standing, squatting, leaning, lying, all frozen in their position.


    They were almost like zombies, except that they could breathe.


    But their eyes¡­whether it''s a unicorn race that seemed dominant in Centaurus with a horn on their head or some snake race, or a four-armed race, or anyone else, the eyes of people on the street were the same.


    Dull, dead, and passive.


    But that was a facade. Hiding behind those eyes was a madness that devoured their souls.


    As he walked through the streets in shabby clothes under a ck cloak with a hood, Varian felt his skin sting under the asional gazes.


    Unlike the other side of Ubiq which had excellent roads and footpaths, the ones here were old, cracked, and seemingly on the verge of breaking further any second.


    On such a road, his footsteps were painfully noisy.


    Even though his footsteps were drowned out by the steps of the dull crowd, Varian felt like he was being too loud, like he was sticking out. He deliberately adjusted his steps to match the crowd.


    ''This ce sucks, no one woulde here and that''s precisely why I should stay here.'' Varian rubbed his hands and followed the rtively normal crowd to check out the areas.


    Ubiq wasn''t a big in the first ce. It housed only around a billion people. But only ten million of them lived in the bright half, the remaining nine hundred and ny million lived in the dark half.


    Even though both shared the same name and were on the same, one was a renewed trade hub in the entire duchy while the other was home to utterly destitute.


    Ding! Dong!


    A school''s clock rang and students, apparently in high school ran in as the sses began.


    But a few began fighting right outside the building.


    Teenaged boys and girls were drawing sharp weapons and shing at each other like they were bitter enemies. Blood flowed on the road for a while before it was med up by some weird chemical. The blue blood, unlike human red, burned under the green me until it went out.


    What was left behind was a small dark blue spot. And the school walls had zigzag dark blue lines all over them.


    Varian kept walking down the crowded streets. Many were sleeping on the sides of the road.


    The streets were anything but clean. Garbage was strewn all over, literal corpses were just thrown into the heaps and it stank worse than anything Varian ever knew. Creatures that resembled dogs were eating in from the trash and the corpses while fighting against each other.


    asionally, a person or two would fight the dogs for the trash and the corpses. These people had nk eyes, drooled uncontrobly, and moved shakily.


    They fought with beasts like beasts, biting them, scratching them and even tearing their flesh apart with their teeth and drinking their blood.


    Varian saw a lot of suffering and suffered a lot himself. But this sight churned his stomach and almost made him wretch.


    Yet everyone else seemed fine.


    They walked with gazes that weren''t focused, with steps that weren''t steady, like a hoard of zombies moving in an apocalyptic city.


    In this short duration of two hours, Varian found himself pickpocketed by fifteen times, witnessed at least ten people killing each other on the street, mostly for that colored powder, and saw hundreds of fights, big and small.


    asionally, some were snorting some colored powder and copsing on the floor, twitching like fish out of water.


    ''Even Valos was way better¡­'' Varian never thought he''d have such a thought. Butpared to this living hell, Valos was a much better ce to live in.


    "Mister, why are you walking around so aimlessly? Do you need some stuff?"


    As Varian reached a rather deserted street, four teenagers, two ogre-like and two withrge lizard-like tails, encircled him.


    The people walking passed him by without sparing a nce.


    "¡­Is this how it feels like?" Varian muttered, kicking the ground which blew up the thick dust into the air.


    "Oye! You want some shots, right? Pay up!" Thergest of the four, a brawny lizard-tailed teenager moved ahead and dangled a small tube with a pinch of colored powder in front of him.


    ''It''s not even the real drug. These kids just want to rob.'' Varian sighed and waved the dust away.


    "You don''t want to?" The brawny lizard youth leaned closer and bent down to match his eye level with Varian''s.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "See those two?" He pointed to two curled-up men in the heap of trash. "They refused and had to taste the power of the Herculean gang!"


    Varian noticed this young guy''s face unclose. He couldn''t assess the urate age but it felt very juvenile. The human equivalent would be someone in perhaps grade ninth or tenth grade.


    For someone so young, he had a big scar on his forehead, a few burnt marks on his right cheek, and a scab right under his eye.


    He reeked of that drug smell and his clothes seemed to best washed a month ago. And his fingers were shivering and twisting as if they wanted to hold something.


    Varian looked into the boy''s eyes and asked. "Shouldn''t you be in school?"


    "Pfft!" The brawny lizard guy clutched his stomach and startedughing. His three partners followed.


    Theughter died out soon and they all took out a sword whose de glittered with a dangerous purple light.


    "You aren''t a local, are you? Your face wasn''t familiar, to begin with¡­" The brawny lizard guy gripped the sword harder and red at Varian with an unspeakable hatred. "Those eyes¡­your damn fucking haughty eyes, they don''t belong here! I knew it!


    You fucker, did youe here to write a paper on our lifestyle or did you want to pity on us, huh? You filthy pigs treat us as beasts! Shove your sympathy up your ass! Just cough up the money and I''ll let you off."


    Varian looked at the reflection of his eyes on the de. Indeed, even though he changed his dress and walking style to match them, his eyes remained as they were.


    His eyes weren''t dead like theirs.


    "A great man once said, an eye for an eye makes the whole world go blind." Varian smiled and four loud ps were heard.


    The brawny lizard guy knelt on the ground clutching his stomach along with his three friends.


    They couldn''t even see Varian move but a harsh punch struck them right in the abdomen. They coughed up no blood but the punch drained them of all their strength.


    "W-What the¡­" The brawny lizard guy stared at up Varian with shaking fear.


    "But he''s wrong, you know. The one who attacked first will have one eye left." Varian grinned.


    "W-What are you talking about?"


    "But I can regenerate my lost eye. So, I have no qualms about picking eye for an eye, arm for arm, and violence for violence."


    Another four ps were heard and the four young thugs flew into the garbage on the sides of the street and crashed hard on the ground.


    The windows of the neighboring houses mmed shut and the crowd passing by avoided them.


    For two full minutes, loud ps continued to ring.


    "Alright. That should help you fight your drug addiction unless you intentionally make it worse." Varian pped his hands and said.


    "?" The four beaten teenage gangsters looked up at him with bruised faces.


    Varian didn''t reveal anything more.


    During this two-minute education session, he had been very harsh on them. The injuries themselves weren''t harmful but the pain was terrific. But he didn''t do it out of sadism.


    Rather, he used his Spirit powers to make their brains corrte the pain with drug use. If they try to take drugs again, they''d feel this pain. To stop these obvious addicts, he had to inflict enough pain.


    Even then, Varian wasn''t sure if it could stop them. Addictions could be pretty insane, after all.


    If he went overboard and directly control their brain, they''d be at odds with themselves and they''d risk going crazy.


    "Go to school, y''all. And if you don''t, well¡­" Varian waved his hand dismissively.


    But the four juveniles shivered and nodded profusely. Presumably, they would go to school even on holidays from now.


    "I need a ce to stay. The quality doesn''t matter, as long as it''s stable."


    The three gangsters turned to the brawny guy, causing thetter to look at them in disbelief. "I-Wha¡­Fine."


    Varian threw a bottle of healing potion over him and in just a dozen seconds, the lizard guy stood up, checking his arms and legs with a surprised expression.


    Even the scars, scabs, and cuts on his face were all healed! Now, he looked less like a gangster and more like a student.


    With a reluctant expression on his face, the brawny kid started leading him.


    ''Havoc pirates and Starsafe corps, both of them should be keeping an eye on me. So, this is the best ce to stay.''

 Chapter 1095 Madness

    "Wee to our Inn, are you a gu¡ªDeigo, what happened?" A lizard-tailed woman, a Lizarn, to be precise, stepped forward to reach out for the brawny Lizarn teenager.


    "Hmpf!" Deigo pped away her hand and was about to yell at her when he suddenly froze and nced back at Varian.


    Gnashing his teeth, he said. "H-He''s a friend of mine. He''ll stay here for a while."


    "Oh. Another friend? I''m Garcia, his mother. Pleasee in." Garcia weed Varian inside the shabby two-storied building with an awkward smile.


    The wooden doors, with too many irregr cavities, hung loosely and seemed ready to break off at any moment. But when he did enter the Inn, they thankfully only creaked too much and didn''t break.


    The interior was surprisingly tidy. There were a few cobwebs here and there and numerous strong stains on the walls and floor. Intuition told Varian that they came from blood.


    "There''s a vacant room on the second floor. I''ll take care of your meals¡­though I''ll have to ask for your forgiveness, I can''t provide you any good meals." Garcia showed him a very ordinary room.


    Deigo sneaked a nce at Varian before running off, as if escaping.


    "Thank you, I just need a ce to stay."


    "No, thank you for¡­sparing Deigo." She bowed so suddenly that it caught him off guard.


    But the familiarity with which she bowed indicated it wasn''t her first time doing this.


    ''She seems like a decent person, then why is her son a thug?''


    "I won''t ask any details about you during your stay, but try to avoid the Lord here." She bit her lip tight and turned around. "It''s too obvious you''re not from here, your eyes are too¡­bright, and they hate people from the outside."


    After ncing at her onest time, Varian opened the door.


    k!


    "Ah!"


    A little Lizarn girl jumped out of the bed in shock andnded on the floor with a small thud.


    "Y-You!" She stared at him, teary-eyed and frightened for a moment before clutching her heart and sliding down against the bed.


    Her small frame and face indicated her age to be around eight or ten years. But she was very thin and had a rather pale face.


    "M-Marin is sorry, you must be the new guest, I''ll vacate the room." Marin bowed to him deeply and climbed onto the chair.


    The holographic school material on the table disappeared as she shoved the digital books into her small frock pocket.


    Varian wondered about her identity. Was she the daughter of a guest here? Or the daughter of the Inn Owner?


    "I-I''ll clean this ce. Just a minute." She grabbed a cloth from the window sill and started wiping off the table furiously, even though it was pretty neat already.


    But a single blue spot remained, presumably formed by dried-up blood long ago.


    The little girl tried to remove the stain. But she just couldn''t. Sweat rolled down her forehead, and her little arms were shaking but the spot just wouldn''t go away.


    "I-I''m swowyyy¡­" She sniffed back her tears and said. "P-Please don''t leave our Inn. I''ll really clean it up."


    Varian rubbed his forehead and wanted to tell her to stop. But the girl started wiping the spot again.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    A small aura current rippled from Varian and glided past the table.


    "Eh?! Ahhh!" The little girl''s teary face beamed with joy as she saw the blue spot disappear. She put her hands together and wondered for a good moment if it was really true.


    After confirming, she smiled at Varian and bowed before running off. "M-Mister, have a good stay."


    As she left, Varian caught a glimpse of a few sharp marks on her forearm.


    "A surgery at her age?" Varian closed the door with a neutral expression.


    An innkeeper mom, a little girl who wasn''t in school and seems to be studying at home, a teenager who skipped school for gangs. It''s a weird family overall.


    But Varian didn''t want to think much about them.


    "Now, time for another change."


    A palm-sized horn grew on his forehead, his frame grew thinner and his facial features shifted to an entirely different person. He changed his in clothes to appear even more shabby and tattered.


    Then, he jumped out of the window and raced through the streets.


    The area around the inn was rtively peaceful and calm. But not too far away, things were bad. And the farther he went, the worse it got.


    As if he''s going from 0 to 100, the crime, violence, zombie-like crowd, and fights all increased as he moved ahead.


    And then, he stopped at an area enclosed by a huge alloy wall with a couple of entrances.


    There were strong men and women patrolling the area. Tens of thousands were lining up, going in and exiting with excited smiles on their faces.


    Some of them directly pulled the crystal powder out of their pockets and injected themselves to intoxication. While others danced.


    There were a few theft attempts. But they were instantly killed by the guards and the drug users were safe.


    This was the only ce where Varian saw a semnce ofw and it turned out to be protection for drug addicts from being robbed off their drugs.


    Varian''s senses swept the area invisibly and he noticed the levels of the powerhouses running this mafia.


    ''A fucking rank 2¡­there are more than a dozen rank 1s.''


    For Centaurus Duchy that''s been on a terminal decline, a rank 2 wasn''t so cheap. Yet, here a Drug Lord happened to be a rank 2.


    Varian swallowed his saliva. If Centaurus fights the human civilization, then just a drug lord and his aides would be enough to end the entire race.


    ''Are we that weak?''


    eaglesnov?1,§ão§® Calming down his breath, Varian passed the area and the crime began to slowly decrease, going from 100 to 0.


    It hit 0 exactly at the borders of the bright and dark sides of Ubiq.


    Varian''s shabby clothes turned bright, expensive, and elegant. With practiced confidence, he showed the fake ID Boo and Oob helped create to cross the border and step into the bright side.


    ''I''m here.''

 Chapter 1096 A City Of Heaven And Hell

    "I didn''t find him. No one with his face or any unknown face has visited the Infinity store so far."


    Inside a private room of a cafe across from a magnificent store built of pure pink sand, a man spoke into a crystal band on his wrist.


    The image of a middle-aged woman in a purple suit shed on the band. She looked normal, except that each eye carried multiple pupils of irregr sizes.


    It was Helga, one of the two deputy directors of Proxima.


    "Hex, don''t attack him prematurely. I and Hagen couldn''t kill him together." Helga said calmly.


    Hex''s expression grew serious.


    The triplets knew each other well. If two of them together couldn''t kill him, there''s no way he alone could achieve a different result.


    "He''s in the inner areas of the Duchy. We can kill him without lifting a finger." Helga said with a little smile.


    "Un." Hex nodded slightly before asking with a hesitant expression. "But we''ll have to pay up a big price for this. Is it really needed to finish him? It''s possible he''s not trying to be our enemy and everything was just a misunderstanding."


    "I''m fully aware of that possibility. But he must die because¡­" Helga''s eyes shed and her dozens of pupils shook hideously. "He saved two strangers from the Havocs and despite his power, behaved amicably with them. Even against Tiger Chief Typhon, he tried not to escte the situation.


    Such a man is destined to stand against our goal simply because of his values. So, we must get rid of him. One less enemy, one step closer. You haven''t forgotten your vows, have you?"


    "¡­I didn''t. But thank you for reminding me, sister. It seems like I''ve been softened by living in the city. Don''t worry, I''ll make sure he and anyone in our path disappears." Hex cut off the call with a solemn expression.


    Then, he covered his face and shut his eyes tight.


    The horrible sights of that night many years ago surfaced in his mind once again. The triplets were happy, once. Their parents were soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the Duchy. They too wanted to grow up and protect their mothend.


    But something changed that day.


    Their parents were used of treason for killing a gangster close to a big military officer. Then, they were hanged in the public in the most humiliating way possible. Even their corpses were whipped for seven full days.


    The triplets were driven away from the military housing into Ubiq''s slums. But it didn''t stop there. Some twisted men and women rted to the gangster from the military kidnapped and tortured them for months. They were thrown out only because those monsters lost interest.


    But the triplets were twisted forever.


    Helga''s eyes were plucked out and ced again. Then plucked out again and inserted again. Again and again and again.


    So, she became a monster who''d pluck out others'' eyes and insert their pupils into her own.


    Hagen was forced to choose between starving or feeding on the flesh of young children, infants even. It broke him irreversibly. He now eats children.


    Hex¡­


    Hex took a deep breath and smoothened out the wrinkles on his arm''s skin. Then, he tightened the skin covering his face and checked himself onest time in the mirror.


    "Perfect."


    No one would know. No one could know. He''s been doing this for decades now. Everyone would have only one face. He had many.


    Hex looked at the holographic projection of the ''target'' and licked his lips. "What a handsome face you have¡­it''ll soon be mine."


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Master, the Infinity store! You just passed by the Infinity store!" Boo''s hologram, now disguised as a little cat, circled around Varian and waved its hands in anxiety.


    "If someone is looking for me, they''ll keep watch of the Infinity store." Varian gave it a nce and looked around.


    People weren''t paying any special attention to him.


    So far, he had seen people carrying many ''pets'' in thesemercial streets. Dogs, cats, and the like weremon. What was new was the tiny humanoid species that these rich men and women were taking with them. There were also countless robotic pets.


    Varian even saw a few¡­people posing as pets.


    ''That''s a humanoid dog race or something? More like a man with a tail. But why the hell is he willing to be a pet?''


    It''s an area he didn''t want to delve into.


    Ubiq had prosperity that Earth never saw. And depravity that was never imagined.


    "B-But¡­"


    "I''m here to buy things, not make enemies." Varian moved into arge luxury store a few blocks away from Infinity.


    Unicorn Enterprises, managed by the most talented princess of Centaurus Duchy, this was the most famous brand before the unexpected opening of the Infinity store a year ago.


    Now, due to Infinity store''s presence as well as the princess'' apparent disinterest in management, they''re losing their ground fast and were desperate to regain their position.


    It''s just the right ce for him.


    The lounge was filled with customers in extravagant dresses moving around, attended to by young and beautiful maids and butlers of different but aesthetic races.


    When he stepped in, the doors scanned his ''registered'' identity and informed a maid.


    A young catdy in an elegant dress stepped forward and greeted him. "Dear guest Kyle, it''s your first time here. What would you like to buy? Potions, pills, weapons, treasures,nd, titles, anything you want to buy will be avable here."


    Varian smiled at the little beauty. "I want to sell some¡­interesting stuff. Something I''m confident you can auction off to gain some limelight you''re losing."


    "Y-You must be joking. What can a few items¡­"


    "Call the appraiser and we''ll talk."


    The catdy looked at him with suspicion but took him to a private room on the second floor and left with a professional smile.


    Just a whileter, an old man in a red suit walked in with confident strides and sat in front of Varian.


    "Please." He gestured, not willing to even waste time in introduction.


    "Here."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Four items appeared on the tea table.


    The appraiser gave Varian a skeptical gaze before unloading the test kit on the table, consisting of


    A red fruit from mercury ruins, grown in the care of Blood race.


    The appraiser scraped out a small piece of the fruit and run it through some tests.


    "I-It can double the vitality in the body for a while. It''s of no use to most races but for the types that can store a part of their vitality, it''s priceless!"


    Centaurus race remains the dominant race in the Duchy. They could store a good chunk of vitality and aura in their horns for emergency use. For them, this fruit could indeed be a second life.


    ''The blood race only uses it on the children who can''t control their blood and end up losing a lot of it.''


    Next was a small potion with an icy-blue liquid.


    "T-This dys the aging factor and extends lifespan by at least ten years. The upper limit could be twenty!"


    Mermaids were surprisingly good alchemists. Trying to make potions to retain their beauty forever, they ended up making an anti-aging drug.


    But it''s not that Centaurus doesn''t have any such potions. There were plenty in the market. The specialty of this particr potion was that¡ª


    "It works even on people on the verge of death, suffering from an internal injury, aura injuries, vitality losses...the celestial rankers would sell an arm and leg for this."


    The third item was a precious four-petaled pink flower growing on top of the elves'' world tree.


    The appraiser tried to test it but failed to identify any specialties. But he didn''t act aloof anymore and humbly asked Varian for guidance. "Mister Kyle, what effect does the flower have? Even with my experience of a hundred years, I am clueless."


    "Restrain the elementals."


    "Yes?"


    "If an elemental is hit with an extract from this flower, their aura will be destabilized for a short while. It works even for rank 2 celestial ranks."


    "W-Woah, that''s incredib¡ªb-but we don''t have any enmity with elementals, we''re all part of the alliance." The appraiser looked around the room instinctually and spoke in a soft voice.


    Varian stared at him silently.


    An ufortable silence ensued in the room until the appraiser finally lowered his head and started a verification test.


    "It''ll be a bit controversial to sell this item, but the profits will indeed be high." After verifying its restraining effect, the old man admitted.


    Even though they''re all in the alliance, there were definitely small fights between them. Centaurus could sell this piece for a handsome price to one of the Duchies fighting elementals.


    Or better, they could use it against the pirates, thieves, and the like who typicallye from the Nexus Empire.


    The fourth item was a red ring.


    "T-This contains the power of an unknown entity, it''s overflowing with vitality but it''s not going to heal¡­so, what is it?"


    "I need a test piece to demonstrate."


    "Please specify."


    "A living thing."


    The catdy who weed him was quickly called in. She entered with an excited expression and bowed lightly.


    Since Varian was able to keep the appraiser here so far, it proves he got some really good stuff to sell. And someone who could sell such stuff was a person she wanted to make a better impression on.


    Even though he was a unicorn race, he''s pretty handsome. Perhaps¡­


    "Do you have any pets? That''d be sufficient. I don''t need a person to demonstrate."


    "I''d like to be of help." The catdy insisted.


    "No, it''ll hurt a bit." Varian looked at the appraiser.


    The catdy stood between them and insisted strongly. "Mister Kyle, a bit of pain is nothingpared to customer satisfaction."


    "You''ve been warned." Varian shrugged and appeared in front of her in a sh.


    "Ye¡ªEh?"


    The catdy''s senses nked out and a stinging pain struck her neck. Then, she copsed on the floor, breathless, with arge hold drilled into her neck and blood spurting out uncontrobly.


    She''s dying. Unless there''s some good medicine, she wouldn''tst three more seconds.


    "Y-You! What are you doing?!" The appraiser jumped out of his seat and looked at Varian with apprehension.


    "Demonstration." Varian put the ring on the catdy''s finger.


    Her bleeding immediately stopped and her falling body functions resumed. She wasn''t dying anymore. But to recover back, she still needed treatment.


    "She''s now frozen in a state between life and death. If you have to save someone but can''t because of various reasons, this ring will be your boon." Varian exined calmly.


    This item was created from Hortus'' forbidden region where life and death were experimented on.


    The Primordial Gods left a few their powers to keep the experiment running. Varian based this ring on their power.


    After checking that she was indeed not dead, the appraiser sat back gulping down his saliva.


    After five full minutes, Varian poured a healing potion. The wounds on the catdy healed and she stood up with a dazed expression.


    "I-I apologize for passing ou¡ªblood! Why is there blood here?"


    It''s better if she never found out.

 Chapter 1097 Beautiful Eyes

    Varian returned to the Inn. The auction would be held in three days and he could cash out for his purchases. He already got some good money as an advanced. But to purchase the main ingredients, he''d have to wait until the bulk amount hits. Until then, he decided to be low key and not cause any problems.


    But¡ª


    ''Where the hell is she going?''


    The daughter of the Inn Owner, the little girl Marin sneaked away from her home at night and was walking in the dark away from the safer areas.


    The little girl looked left and right before entering a shabby house that seems to be on the verge of copse.


    Varian''s senses extended out and he peered inside.


    The interior was empty and dpidated. But that''s only a facade. There''s a very sleekboratory of sorts with ss vials, metal tubes, bubbling chemicals, and others.


    Marin was strapped to a nt metal bed.


    A hunched old man in a white coat and with unkempt hair was mixing some potions while he cursed in a hoarse voice.


    "You''rete, little bitch."


    "I-I''m sorry, I was studying and lost track of time."


    "Studying? For what? People here are all dogs anyway." With a sneer, he mixed the drug powder into the potion and injected it into Marin''s frail hand.


    The veins on her hand swelled and turned blue.


    "Aghhhh!" A blood-curling scream filled the basement.


    The little girl thrashed against the bed as her body convulsed in pain she couldn''t ever bear, her wrists and ankles bled as she struggled against the metallic straps in vain.


    After thirty full minutes of hell, Marin copsed onto the ground, coughing blood and breathing weakly.


    The swelling on her wrist subsided and it returned to normal except that there was one more tiny incision de mark on her hand.


    For others, it''s almost invisible. But for Varian, it''s as striking as an incision mark. And there were dozens of such marks on her tiny arms.


    The old man immersed himself in the recordings showing up on the holographic screens, utterly disinterested in the little girl who seemed like she could die anytime soon.


    After thirty minutes of struggle, Marin was finally able to get back onto her feet. With shaky steps, she reached the old man and stretched her hand.


    The old man threw a crystalline coin at her and waved her away.


    "W-With this, I can finally go to school." Marin''s face which was smeared with dried-up tears bloomed into a smile.


    "It''s only enough for one year. Then what? You need to keeping if you want to continue. You little bitch can''t do rough work like fighting. This is the only way you can earn money." The old man coughed heavily but didn''t stop his derisive talk.


    Marin''s shoulders trembled as the pain still lingered on. But she gritted her teeth and nodded before sneaking out and returning to her home.


    Varian slumped into a chair in his room and looked at the ceiling with a nk gaze. "What the fuck was that?"


    He had seen a lot of suffering. More suffering than this. More death, injuries, and pain. But seeing a little girl selling herself to experiments just to afford school¡­


    ''If I intervene, then I''ll stand out and they''ll know. So, I should stay sile¡ªbut what if they find out? What will happen? I''ll be at risk¡­unless I''m not attacked by a rank 4, I think I can escape.''


    But should he even do this? There was endless suffering in just this one Duchy. What about other Duchies? The kingdom? The empire? The entire alliance itself?


    He couldn''t save them all. Then why even bother trying to be a hero? Was he just trying to please his own ego? Fulfill his own saviorplex?


    If it''s something as simple and clear-cut as killing ten unrted people for the survival of a million humans, he''d have no guilt. Because in that instance, he''s acting as the Emperor of a race, not as an individual.


    But now, he''s Varian, not the Emperor. What he did got nothing to do with his race.


    Varian struggled to get any sleep that night.


    "Marin! Don''t sleep anymore! Help me out in cleaning up!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Yes, Mother!"


    Seeing the little girl work so diligently with a cute smile on her face as if she didn''t suffer so much just a few hours ago, Varian felt shaken.


    This ce was arguably safer and better off than most in this part of Ubiq. Yet, they were living such a life.


    The entrance to the inn mmed open and Deigo, the brawny lizarn staggered in with his three gangster buddies. They were bruised and battered, bleeding lightly here and there.


    Noticing Varian, they froze for a moment and turned their gazes away. "Tsk."


    Garcia''s face paled as she looked at her son''s state. Stretching her hand towards his injury, she asked softly. "Why are you doing this? Just study and get out of this city. Let me trea¡ª"


    Deigo pped her hand away and ran into an empty room."Just bring us something to eat!"


    Garcia greeted him with an awkward smile and rushed into the kitchen to cook something.


    "Hello, Mister! Do you like it here?" Marin hopped to him like a rabbit and asked with a smile.


    Looking at her young face that couldn''t be older than ten, Varian felt an unknown anger at this cursed ce.


    "M-Mister?" Marin''s tale drooped, thinking that he hated this little inn.


    Varian patted her head lightly and smiled. "I really like it because there''s a cute little girl like yo¡ª"


    "Mister! I''m sorry, Marin is still young! Please!" Garcia pulled Marin behind her and looked at him in fear. "S-She''s only eight. Please let her go. In her ce, I-I can¡­"


    Tears began to drop from her eyes and Marin also began to cry looking at her mother.


    Deigo and his group overheard the conversation and stood between Varian and the two. "You can beat us, but I''ll not let youy a finger on her until I breathe!"


    Varian opened his mouth in shock.


    How screwed up was this ce that such harmless praise was morphed into such a distorted deration?


    Varian only felt pity for these people. What have they lived through? He''d never know.


    But he didn''t want to face those scared eyes. Especially not from the little girl who was trying her best to study.


    "I''m not from here," Varian said and the tense atmosphere suddenly shifted into a confused one. "I''m not a good person, but I''m not a deranged beast."


    Garcia hugged Marin in a protective embrace and still nced at him with vignce.


    But Marin escaped from her mother''s arms and ran to him under her shocked exmation.


    "Mister Guest, I believe you." The little girl nodded seriously.


    "Why?"


    "Your eyes are very¡­beautiful. They aren''t gloomy like everyone else. You''ll definitely not be a bad person!"


    Varian opened his mouth to reply but nothing came out.


    He was praised for his appearance. But no one called his eyes beautiful. And Marin didn''t mean beautiful in the sense of visually pleasing. The little girl was trying to say something else.


    Everyone here, including Garcia, Marin, and Deigo¡­everyone''s eyes were soulless as if they were just walking zombies.


    Compared to them, Varian''s eyes were bright like the suns.


    No, it''s not that they didn''t have souls. They didn''t have...hope.


    A man without hope was no better than a lifeless zombie.

 Chapter 1098 A Brewing Storm

    Even on the second day, Hex failed to find the traces of this neer entering Infinity Store. But he did learn about the auction tomorrow. After being sidelined for a whole year, Unicorn House seemed to be back in the limelight.


    A lot of important guests would being then and thetest batch of drugs after the breakthrough would also be funded through a few art pieces auctioned.


    Hex returned to the depraved side of Ubiq and reached his current residence. The centermost point of the dark side, the most depraved region, the ce where the drugs were distributed to the masses.


    Several rank 1 rankers ran out and saluted him fiercely. A few rank 2s also bowed to him in respect.


    Under their escort, he walked in through a separate gate, far away from the destitute citizens lining up for the drugs.


    Contrary to the poverty outside, the interior was oozing with luxury that was just as good as the richest neighborhoods on the other side.


    The boss and his thugs sat onfortable sofas for a small meeting.


    "Did you find him, Boss?" Old One, a mid rank 2 and the first of the three fearsome gangsters of Ubiq, asked.


    "Not a clue." Hex stomped his foot.


    The entire building shook and the gangsters outside the building ran away, fearing for their lives.


    "Maybe he just misdirected everyone about needing to buy some stuff. Or maybe he doesn''t need Infinity store." Old Two opined.


    "Maybe." Hex''s facial skin wriggled, partially revealing his flesh underneath.


    "B-Boss." Old Three pointed at it with an ufortable expression. Even for the fearsome gangsters, it wasn''t a bearable sight.


    "Oh, this." Hex smoothened out the skin on his face. "The face of a senior executive in the Infinity store. It has to be adjusted every few hours."


    "¡­"


    "Anyway, he''s in Ubiq. His spaceship did reach here. I''ll find him sooner orter."


    Hex already activated hiswork to search for all ''neers'' to Ubiq. But since it''s not just keeping watch of a single store like Infinity, it''d take a while to get information.


    "And also watch out for any abnormalities in our turf. If he''s smart enough to hide here, he wouldn''t do anything stupid to expose himself. But still¡­keep watch."


    "Yes, Boss."


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Due to a big customer, the auction date will be pushed forward and held five dayster. I hope you understand."


    "No problem. But who is this big customer?"


    The catdy from the Unicorn store looked around for a moment and whispered. "Thedy from Infinity Store. She''d be free five dayster."


    "¡­Well."


    "Those six items you wanted, She can get them for you. Since she''s attending the auction, she has an interest in the items. If you can meet and convince her, you can get all the items you want."


    Varian was speechless. How powerful was this woman that the entire auction was postponed for her alone? But it''s true that he failed to find the main items in all the other stores of Ubiq.


    Even those stores guaranteed him that he''d find the main items in the Infinity Store.


    ''If it''s so famous that it''s spread all over the Empire, then why open in this failing Duchy?''


    As he passed by the giant building that extended into the clouds with the symbol of Infinity, Varian was certain of one thing.


    ''I have to get out of here. Whatever the reason Infinity Store was opened in this backward Duchy, it''s unlikely to do me any good.''


    As he passed by the store, he came into view of two pairs of eyes.


    The first pair of eyes was Hex''s, who quickly ignored Varian after he didn''t enter the Store.


    The second pair of eyes, however, locked onto him from the topmost room of the Infinity Store. Those purple eyes shone with a brilliant light as they followed his trajectory with an indifferent gaze.


    When Varian entered the slum area and disappeared, her eyes turned back to the three items floating in the room.


    If Varian was here, he''d be surprised to find that except for the life-death suspension ring, all the three treasures he sold were here.


    The Vitality fruit, the Anti-aging potion, and the Elemental restraining flower.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    No one in the Centaurus Duchy could''ve had any knowledge of these items. After all, they weren''t avable in this Duchy, the surrounding Duchies, or even this Kingdom.


    "These can onlye from the Nexus Empire¡­" The woman was confident.


    Her face was covered by a thin veil. No matter how hard one tried, one wouldn''t be able to get the slightest glimpse of her features. Only her eyes and her gemstone-like purple eyes were visible.


    Yet, just her melodious voice alone was capable of winning hearts. But even more catchy was her intelligence.


    She rightly determined the origin of the items.


    Ares tribe, the ancestors of Devas, were technically half the rulers of the present-day Nexus Empire.


    When they fled after the tribal war, they took the most loyal races with them¡ªthe eight races surviving in the ruins.


    So, the treasures that Varian sold were indeed simr to the ones avable in the Nexus Empire.


    "But he isn''t even an elemental."


    In front of the store, his aura lingered. Scanning it thoroughly, the woman confirmed his powers.


    He''s a Mystic. Rank unknown.


    He didn''t seem like a hybrid, so he''s a member of the Genesis Empire, the Empire of Life.


    But why did a member of Genesis Empire bring in the products of Nexus Empire? There were hundreds of Duchies in between Centaurus and the closest Nexus Duchy.


    "There''s that stupid prince searching for a woman long dead and now this unknown man¡­" Her voice grew colder and her aura slowly condensed.


    For a moment, she wondered if she should just eliminate these two variables so that her mission wouldn''t be affected.


    But that thought onlysted for a moment before she dismissed it.


    It''s easy for her to eliminate a mere rank 3 Baldur and this stranger. But doing so would risk exposing her.


    That person didn''t know she was here. But the opening of Infinity Store itself would''ve rmed him and kept him on his toes. If she raised his suspicions to the point he felt threatened, he''d flee, failing her mission.


    Her aura expanded soundlessly and enveloped the entire Ubiq. She tried to find Varian but he had already disappeared.


    "This level of disguise makes it more certain. Other than those sneaky rats, it''s hard to find warriors who can hide from me with such ease."


    The veiled woman raised her palm and a shining red loop appeared. When Varian passed by, it remained motionless.


    If he was really the target she''d been searching for, the locator would''ve responded. No matter the disguise, the locator would work at such a close range.


    "It''s not him. Then who is that boy? Is he one of those people the sadists in Nexus transmigrated? And lucky enough to return?"


    Once that thought arrived, everything made sense.


    His identity seemed normal but it was fake. He seemed wealthy but he had no money until he got the advance payment for the auctioned items.


    He was looking for some misceneous items¡ªitems that were more suitable for fixing weapons than creating potions¡ªpresumably because he knew a famous cksmith from Nexus. As the Empire that champions Order, Nexus produced some of the finest cksmiths of the Alliance.


    With only limited information, she correctly deduced a lot of things about Varian.


    "Take them back to the auction." She said lightly.


    Two shadows appeared in the room and the items were returned to Unicorn Auction House.


    "Aplete stranger that even I don''t know the origin of¡­he could be a good pawn."


    Unaware that his highly secretive actions rmed a mysterious powerhouse, Varian confidently walked into the dark side of Ubiq.


    No matter how many times he saw it, it remained a skin-crawling sight.


    Some people were walking on the streets while othersy on the sides of the streets, spasming and twitching. After waking up, they just took another shot of the drug and copsed again.


    What Varian found horrifying was that even the people walking on the streets, apparently normal people going to work, had the stench of drugs. They were rtively lighterpared to the dysfunctional addicts on the road, but¡­they all had that stink.

 Chapter 1113 CHASE!

    "An intruder!"


    "Rank 2s, get close!"


    "Activate the defense formations!"


    Varian body glowed with a brilliant starlight and he shot forward like a rocket.


    But before he even moved a hundred meters, the space around him solidified. Even though Havocs were dual awakeners, their space path would always stop at peak level 9. So, despite the efforts of dozens of Havocs, they couldn''t stop him.


    But their attacks weren''t trying to stop him.


    Ting!


    A tower on the asteroid lit up and based on the space signatures, locked onto Varian''s body.


    The space stones inside the tower turned into ash in a blink and an invisible wave struck Varian.


    Kacha!


    The space around Varian cracked apart like a mirror struck with a stone and his movement instantly stopped. He stood still, like a painting in a portrait.


    Then, blood spilled out of his body. On his perfect body, suddenly, there were thousands upon thousands of cuts, as if they were sliced by the most perfect of des.


    Even with Varian''s excellent healing capabilities, the cuts refused to close as the space around them remained utterly unstable.


    Every moment, he was losing lots of blood and it wasn''t stopping. Even with his tremendous vitality, if this continued on for a couple more seconds, Varian would fall into a great weakness.


    ''If I can''t heal the cuts, then just¡­'' Varian controlled the blood flow in his body and the bleeding stopped.


    But before he could make any move, arge circr formation lit up on the asteroid. All the Havocs poured their elemental power, lightning or fire, into the formation.


    Lighting up dozens upon dozens of circles with mysterious patterns, the formation lit up.


    A lightning eagle and a fire bull emerged from the formation, each in the power level between rank 2 and rank 3.


    The space around Varian suddenly shed golden and red. Then, it exploded with the brilliance of a hundred suns.


    The lightning eagle and the fire bull jumped into space and reached Varian''s position in the blink of an eye.


    Every Havoc waited for these beasts to deal him a finishing blow. But what they didn''t expect was that despite some deep burns, Varian seemed mostly fine.


    "What the¡­!"


    And he didn''t even bother to fight the elemental creatures, he just ran across the asteroid.


    The lightning eagle and the fire bull chased after him. But for some reason, Varian''s speed was suddenly increased as did every other parameter¡ªthanks to his time power. But except him, nobody on the site knew.


    So, in their eyes, despite the elemental creatures trying their bests, Varian ran free. And just after two seconds, his lips curled up and he ran to the asteroid.


    "Stop him!"


    "Joint attack!"


    Havocs started to rain tremendous explosions of fire and lightning on him. For a moment, the space lit up with the dazzling fireworks.


    Varian expertly dodged these attacks and ran straight into an ordinary boulder.


    "Oh no! That''s th¡ª"


    The space fluctuated and Varian disappeared right into the boulder.


    As the world around him shifted, Varian found himself facing a room floating inside the Inner Space.


    The treasury!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    But contrary to the previous two treasuries, this one had a guard.


    "I was waiting for you on the order of the patriarch." The old woman with pale red skin grinned a toothless grin and waved her hand.


    Varian''s body temperature spiked. The blood in his body boiled and began to evaporate. At the same time, his skin began to wriggle under the high temperate and twist as all moisture left him.


    "I hate these attacks." Varian spat.


    "But you can do nothing about it." The old woman sneered.


    A Mystic like him had no way of countering her power. The only way would be to kill her. But she''s a peak rank 2.


    "Since no one is here, I surely can do something." Varian''s body temperature started to cool down and water appeared out of nowhere and entered his body.


    "A W-Water awakener? But you''re a Mystic! You''re not a hybrid, so how do you have two paths?!" The old woman was so shocked that she let down her guard.


    And that was enough of a gap.


    A spiritual attack struck her mind and a vitality suction force paralyzed her old body from reacting in time. Simultaneously, the space around her body froze up and her time slowed down.


    Varian''s figure shed past her and he entered into the treasury.


    BOOM!


    The old woman broke the spatial restriction on her and turned to Varian. "You bastard, you shall n¡ª"


    "I passed." Varian showed her a bloodied middle finger.


    "Huh?" The old woman clutched her neck and her fingers touched a warm wet liquid.


    A headless corpse copsed to the floor.


    Varian rummaged through the treasury. Amidst the stack of drugs, tonnes of money, precious herbs, metals, and potions sat a shining gem.


    "Ah! Finally!" With a smile, he put the gem away. And of course, everything else.


    As he walked back to the exit, Varian clicked his tongue at the guardian''s corpse. Even his full power couldn''t defeat her. But she let her guard down and got killed.


    ''Come to think of it, these experienced celestial rankers won''t be startled by most things. But if I reveal my seven paths, they''d be dumbfounded and it''s an excellent opportunity to kill them!'' Varianughed at his own stupid idea.


    By the time he returned to the asteroid, no, to the¡­empty outer space, the space was dyed red.


    The asteroid had long melted away in a sea of golden mes that now stretched for thousands of miles in space.


    Baldur was confronting an old man with an auraparable to his own as well as a couple of others.


    As expected, Havocs really had a rank 4!


    Supporting his father against Baldur, Neihor happened to catch Varian''s exit.


    Then, without any hesitation, his body burned in blue mes and he shot toward Varian like aet.


    "You bastard! Stay!" The Patriarch of Havocs roared like an angry lion.


    Varian didn''t even bother to respond and directly jumped into Baldur''s spaceship that had been waiting for him.


    Neihor entered his own spaceship and started a chase. Along with him, a couple of peak rank 2s also joined.


    Baldur was only using Starsafe Director''s spaceship. So, no matter how much he tried, Varian wasn''t able to shake them off.


    "Fuck."

 Chapter 1122 Soul Out Of Body

    "Cough, Cough! You sneaky rat!" The Old Patriarch clutched the fist-sized hole in his chest and snarled.


    Due to his old age, the injury dealt him a big blow and hisbat power plummeted.


    Worse, if he dyed treatment, he''d grow weaker and inch toward death. It''s just a single attack but it reversed the direction of the battle.


    Whether it''s Princess Catherine or the Twins of Starsafe, their backs went cold and their hearts throbbed in fear.


    The Old Patriarch survived only because he''s a rank 3. If it''s someone else, even if it''s Helga, a peak rank 2, she would be facing death if she faced that ambush.


    Fortunately, the target was someone else. Unfortunately, the target was the strongest among the team.


    But Helga wasn''t in a mood to worry about the implications.


    Her gaze was locked onto Varian as if she was frozen in time, her lips bled as she bit them hard and the dozens of pupils in her eyes all grew bloodshot with fuming hatred.


    The space around her shook violently as her aura went chaotic and she pointed a trembling finger at the man responsible for her brother''s death.


    "It''s him! He''s the one who killed my brother! He''s the one who plotted the destruction of the drug empire! I should''ve killed him when I first met him, he always¡­reeked off that disgusting smell of a savior!"


    In the end, tears were pouring out of her eyes and her bloody lips are curled into a distorted smile.


    Hagen too stared at him with undisguised hatred. It went beyond the hatred of killing a brother and destroying the drug empire they had worked so far.


    No, the twins hated what Varian represented and stood for.


    A Savior.


    The same savior who didn''t turn up when they were tortured by those beasts that pretended to be human.


    The horrifying experiences the three children were put through broke them in irreparable ways and pushed them on a path they never dreamed of.


    Perhaps in the depths of their minds, they hated themselves.


    Helga just wanted to be a good astronomer when she grew up. She wanted her eyes to see the wonders of the universe, but now her eyes contain the pupils of others she tranted.


    The young girl''s dream of being an astronomer was long dead and only a twisted monster remained.


    Maybe that''s why she hated the so-called Heroes.


    No one saved her.


    So, no one deserved to be saved.


    If there''s no fairness in this world, she''d create it by giving equal suffering, one drug at a time.


    While the space heated up at the tremendous aura Helga was emitting, Princess Catherine fixed her gaze on Varian with nervousness. "It''s him?"


    She didn''t expect to meet the hero who aplished a dream she thought was impossible.


    She''d asked her father Cassius to take action many times. But the man rejected her request citing the risk of uncertainty.


    If the Havocs happened to have a rank 5 or a means to exert the strength of a rank 5, then the Duchy might lose the only rank 5 and would end up being swallowed by the neighboring powers.


    But now¡ª


    "Thank you for saving me." Catherine spoke in a polite tone.


    Varian nodded at her lightly and pointed to the injured old man. "Can you take care of him? I''ll have to deal with those two." <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Catherine touched her storage ring and nodded. If he''s that injured, then it''s possible.


    "Good." Varian wasted no more words and his figure blurred. The next moment, he appeared right in front of the two twins.


    Helga and Hagen surrounded him front left and right. "This time, you won''t be able to run! There''s no Baldur to save you today!"


    Varianughed at their words and he threw out a shining orb. A white light leaked out and enveloped them in a barrier spanning a few square miles.


    As they couldn''t detect their auras anymore, Catherine and the old man thought it was an isting treasure when it was just the order and chaos powers disguised by Varian.


    "Run?" Varian stretched his arms and cracked his knuckles.


    His aura shot up like a water fountain shooting up from hot springs and revealed his new strength.


    "Y-You!"


    "W-Weren''t you ju¡ª"


    BOOM! BOOM!


    What answered the dumbfounded twins were solid fists wrapped in a multitude of powers. The twins had no choice but to defend themselves in a hurry.


    Even then, the suddenness of the attack and its intensity caught them off guard and sent them flying.


    Varian chased after them and continued to rain torrents of punches.


    The twins looked at each other with a disturbed gaze and the madness in their eyes overflowed.


    If they''re certain of killing him earlier, now they''re only 50% confident.


    Unless¡­


    "Damn you! Damn, you bastard!" Helga ripped her ne and all the pupils in her eyes except her own lit up.


    It wasn''t just her hobby to collect the pupils, it''s also rted to a treasure she acquired in the distant past.


    A powerful spiritual ripple swept through the space enclosed in the white barrier.


    Sensing the danger instinctively, Varian teleported away but the ripple was faster and struck Varian.


    The moment it touched him, Varian''s eyes went dull as the world darkened for a moment before returning to normal.


    "I¡­"


    Varian blinked his eyes in confusion and looked at his shining hands. Looking around, his heart dropped as he saw his ''body'' standing in front of the twins.


    ''This is my soul? F-Fuck!'' Varian tried to return to his body but couldn''t.


    In the meanwhile, the twins gathered their powers and shot at him, about to kill him in a single shot.


    Varian forcibly calmed himself down. He couldn''t return to his body immediately but perhaps thanks to his Spirit power, he could clearly feel his connection with his body.


    It''s justpared to driving a car, it felt like driving a remote-controlled car.


    "I saved this up to kill that son of a bitch! But you had it waste on you, die you son of a bitch!" Helga yelled hysterically as her fists reached his head.


    Varian body''s dull eyes shed for a moment and it punched out.

 Chapter 1126 A Trap

    "You can make one reasonable request to the Duchy, as long as it doesn''t endanger the interests of the Duchy, the request shall be fulfilled."


    Prime Minister Zed stood up in reflex and wanted to ask the Duke to reconsider his decision.


    This seemed like a simple request but they had no idea about Constantine''s background. He had the potential to bring them enormous trouble and might even end them up in grave danger.


    But the Duke gave him a side-eyed nce and Zed sat down like a deted balloon.


    The crowd was too focused on Varian to notice this change. Only Akira witnessed the little interaction and her lips under the hood curled up lightly. The disdain in her heart against the Duke rose, if it''s even possible to rise anymore.


    ''An old man who can''t even tolerate a second opinion. No wonder this Duchy never had a chance to revive to its former glory.''


    Varian was keenly aware of Akira''s changes but he put it aside to focus on the request. It''s also what Akira ''ordered'' him to do.


    "Your Majesty Duke, my heart bleeds for Centaurus. But I believe in your great capabilities to revive our glory. Time, however, is cruel to everyone." Varian''s words shocked everyone in the throne hall.


    While his words seemed harmless, he was implying that the Duke was old and reaching death! This was equivalent to cursing the ruler of the Duchy to death! A capital offense!


    Cassius'' enthusiastic smile also receded and he looked at Varian inly. "What do you want to say, Doctor Constantine?"


    Varian sighed in his heart and said. "I''d be presumptuous enough to ask for a chance to treat your health."


    "Hm¡­" Cassius'' face softened but he shook his head. "Many have tried, Constantine. Old, experienced, and talented. They all failed. I appreciate your intentions but don''t waste your request on something so useless."


    At his words, Prime Minister Zed and Grand Admiral Yaras sighed. Centaurus was in a terrible state now. But at least, it''s internally stable. But during those days, it was on the verge of an implosion.


    Cassius killed many powerhouses, entire forces, and evenplete cities to keep the Duchy together.


    While the Duchy stabilized despite the continuous decline, the Duke paid a terrible price. Despite having one of the best talents of his generation, his path forward was blocked forever.


    Now, he''s barely a rank 5 and even exerting that strength was costly. If Cassius only abandoned Centaurus and joined the Kingdom''s army, he''d have reached rank 6 by now and would be enjoying all the luxuries life had to offer.


    Perhaps that''s why, even though they too had many offers from the outside, Prime Minister Zed and Grand Admiral Yaras stayed back home unlike the many talents that left the Duchy forever.


    s, such a patriotic man couldn''t be cured even by the best of doctors. This young man, Constantine, had no chance to begin with.


    But Constantine created the medicine to treat drug addiction¡ªsomething that all doctors of Duchy failed for decades.


    If so, then maybe, just maybe¡­


    A glimmer of hope appeared in the two old men.


    "I know many have failed, but still, I insist. Please grant me this request." Varian stressed.


    "This is considered to be your request, yes?" The Duke asked for onest time.


    Varian nced at Akira from the corner of his eye and cursed inside his mind. "Yes. This is my request."


    "Very well. I''ll call you for a check-up soon." The Duke stood up and pped his hands. "The court ends here."


    Akira turned to Varian with bright eyes and walked away with rxed steps. The whole time, a big smile threatened to break out on her lips.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Looking at the Duke''s loving smile as he interacted with the Princess, Varian


    wondered how much Akira lied.


    If he didn''t follow her and introduced himself as an unknown powerhouse, would he really have gotten killed? Perhaps he could''ve built a more honest rtionship.


    But now he''d never know.


    ''Inded up straight in the middle of a political shit storm.'' Varian smiled wryly and followed the maids who guided him to living quarters in one of the guest pces.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "He called himself Constantine?" On the faraway of Ubiq, the veiled woman chuckled. "Doesn''t suit him at all."


    "The Barix Province has sent their delegation. It looks normal on the surface but it''sposed of their best fighters. The stage is ripe for a takeover." An obedient voice reported from the shadows.


    "Then ''He'' must be getting anxious." The veiled woman squinted her eyes and appeared on top of the tall Infinity Store.


    She saw the wealthy part of the Ubiq living their livesvishly and the destitute part of the Ubiq struggling to survive. Even though their lives were getting better, the poor in Ubiq was at least a decade away from decency. On the other hand, the rich were getting richer by swallowing the assets of the drug mafia.


    Even though Ubiq was shining brighter every day, the darkness lurking underneath grew thicker.


    But she wasn''t moved by these changes.


    Cities rise and fall. People prosper and struggle. Duchies get created and destroyed. Even though she''s considered a young girl in her race, she had witnessed a lot already.


    The sands of time numbed her to the suffering she was once so moved by. Now, her emotions remained t for the most part.


    Overlooking Ubiq, she muttered. "Centaurus is in a strategic location. Once it falls, it''ll be a weak point in the line of defense."


    There were hundreds of Duchies on the border of the Alliance. One weak Duchy might not seem much by itself. But when multiple such weaknesses were created and exploited, the tide of war would turn.


    The man she''d been looking for was working solely to cripple Centaurus and weaken this region for the foreseeable future.


    Heid the chess pieces carefully.


    Havocs, users of fire and lightning elements, were a persecuted tribe from the Nexus Empire. That man saved and relocated them here. The Havocs established a drug empire and orchestrated the decay of Centaurus.


    Simultaneously, he ''assisted'' the growth of Barix Province. Not too much but not too little.


    Barring the Duke himself, Barix Province could go toe to toe with Centaurus in high-endbat power.


    Weaken a Duchy, strengthen a Province. Get them to roughly match each other''s strengths.


    What next?


    The Veiled woman smiled lightly. But it was a cold, ruthless smile.

 Chapter 1128 Madman

    The Imperial Guards of the Duke were the cream of the five hundred billion Centaurians.


    Each of them had to go through dozens of screenings, spent decades serving in the regr army, finishing tough missions, and even then, had to fight against a hundred people for their spot.


    It''d be an understatement to say that they''re geniuses. Every single imperial guard was elite of the elite.


    Even the weakest of them was a rank 1. There were even several peak rank 2s.


    There were a few rank 3s as well. Not too many, but each one was an out-and-out genius.


    Even if all the Provinces under Centaurus rebelled, the Imperial Guards headed by twelve rank 3s were enough to crush them. Such a force naturally had its own pride and dignity.


    Even if it''s the guest of Duke Cassius, Imperial Guard refused to be insulted.


    Anyway, they''re not going to kill him, just break a few bones here and there. They''d heal him with the best facilitiester. At most, the Duke would condemn their actions a bit and cut their sries for a month.


    But that''s it. Instead, if they allowed an outsider to trample them, their reputation would plummet and it''d be hard for them to raise their heads outside.


    So, just teach this guy a lesson and settle this issue.


    ¡­Or that''s what they thought.


    KACHA! CRACK! BOOM!


    The sounds of bones breaking, men wailing and women crying reverberated across the training hall.


    Inside a bubble spanning a few miles, bodies were sprawled throughout the floor.


    The proud imperial guardsy twitching, arms twisted and back broken. Some of the womenfolk had their hair missing. Some menfolk went bald directly.


    All of them had one thing inmon. Their eyes were all staring in one direction even as they shed tears of shame.


    A young man was fighting against dozens of imperial guards. Every time, his fist or kick connected, the wind would explode and a shockwave would sweep the bubble, sting away the copsed guards.


    The one on the receiving end of the punch or kick would add to the copsed guards andment on his broken back or twisted hand.


    Initially, there were hundreds of audience watching the dozens fight Varian. Now, there were dozens watching Varian. The rest were all on the ground, incapacitated.


    "I told you this won''t work!" Varian sighed and his arm suddenly elerated.


    Before the man in front of him could react, he grabbed him by the cor and used him as arge bat.


    Moving the bat at a high speed, Varian knocked out the remaining guards even as the ''bat'' screamed in fear.


    "y clever this time, alright?" Varian pped his hands and hundreds of potions flew over the injured guards.


    In a few minutes, they were back on their feet.


    They all looked at each other and went ahead begrudgingly. When Varian said the same wordsst time, they ignored him and just sent a dozen.


    The result was clear for everyone to see.


    So, this time. If they couldn''t win him in small numbers, big numbers should work.


    As for pride, dignity, and honor?


    Haha! Victory is the highest source of pride!


    "Come on!" Varian raised his hands with a bright smile as a crowd of hundred guards jumped onto him.


    In an instant, he was surrounded by the mob. Forget wind, even light couldn''t reach him as they practically crushed him inside the humanoid wall.


    "Hahaha!" Varian looked around with a smile.


    The guards stood next to each other and formed a very practiced formation.


    They formed something akin to a human wall, but this wasn''t just a wall but also a dome above. And even the floor! So, the guards were around Varian, above him and even below him.


    The formation bore a resemnce to ants crowding on a prey airtight to kill it off.


    Varian''s mobility was extremely limited and he had to face attacks from all directions.


    "Come on, fight!" But he merelyughed it off and clenched his fists.


    Endless punches and kicks assaulted him from all directions. Even with all his strength, Varian could barely make a dent in the humanoid wall formation.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    If he knocked a dozen soldiers out, a dozen more waiting outside would instantly fill them up.


    As a result, he was trapped in the formation, fighting against the seemingly endless attacks.


    Just the soldiers attacking him numbered at least a hundred. The ones outside were at least two hundred.


    As a result, Varian was drenched in blood in just ten minutes. After twenty minutes, his bones were broken like dry twigs. Post the thirty-minute mark, he was kneeling on the ground, mming his head into the soldiers below him and punching his way up to the ones above him.


    At one hour mark, Varian forgot everything else and was in a flow-like state.


    All the blood that flowed out of him dried up and formed a light redyer enveloping him.


    "If you admit defeat now, this battle will stop." Raix, the peak rank 1 captain said for the tenth time.


    Saying those words embarrassed him to no end. A single man fought against a hundred guards simultaneously for a whole hour and didn''t fall.


    Even peak rank 2s wouldn''t survive this onught for thirty minutes. But this man did.


    If the Imperial Guards still treated this as a victory, they were delusional.


    But for the so-called pride, they still had to ''win''.


    "Admit defeat and this will e¡ªmfff." Raix couldn''t even finish his words as a fist broke into his mouth and knocked out his remaining teeth.


    Raix fainted on the spot and was blown out of the formation. Someone else reced him instantly and the ones outside ran to heal Raix.


    By now, even the rank 2s had stopped fighting and watched the battle with shocked expressions. The rank 4 Admiral also brought the rank 3s to watch this ridiculous spectacle.


    As the battle went on, their surprise faded and they had an expression of realization.


    That mysterious man, Constantine was definitely not a rank 1 like his aura showed. Maybe a strong rank 2, but still, fighting these many for so long...


    The battle went on for another hour.


    Raix got all broken teeth fixed and joined the battle. Once again, he took the lead and asked in amanding voice.


    "You have gained my respect, but you can go on no more. ept your def¡ªmfff!"


    Raix fainted and woke up after an hour.


    "Oh great warrior, this is enough! One must know their limits! Just say you''re defe¡ªeffff!"


    Raix fainted again and after waking up, he started sobbing. Despite insisting on escape, his superiors sent him in again.


    "P-Please, admit it already! Admit it and w-we''ll be best frie¡ªpppfff!"


    In the end, Raix didn''t even bother to get his broken teeth fixed.


    On the other hand, the soldiers were slowly growing tired. Even though they were given healing potions, their bodies were no longer able to support a fight of this intensity.


    Slowly, one by one, the soldiers began to copse. The floor inside the bubble was already filled with blood and reached the height of everyone''s calves.


    After a numbing ten hours, thest soldier copsed.


    One man remained standing, drenched in blood that was mostly not his own.


    Just a breath from him caused ripples in the bloodke and swayed the copsed soldiers.


    Just a nce from him caused the rank 2s sitting in the audience to tense up.


    Just a step from him shook the entire bubble.


    Varian looked up with tired eyes and slowly sat down in the blood. His lips moved slowly but his voice was clear. "A-As I said, you guys are trash. Since rank 1s are done, get me rank 2s!"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    The Admiral and the rank 3s looked at each other. This guy really had a screw loose. He wants to be beaten up!

 Chapter 1129 Rank 2 & The Nature Of Slivers

    The news that one man singled out the entire rank 1s of the Imperial Guard would''ve taken the entire capital by storm.


    But the Admiral suppressed the news and prevented anyone else from gaining even any rumors of it.


    Because he didn''t believe a rank 1 could do it. Not just him, no one in the training hall thought so including the rank 3 officers and the soldiers themselves.


    Still, everyone was impressed that Varian fought and won using the strength of a rank 1.


    "Admiration is admiration, Imperial Guards can''t be defeated by a guard." The Admiral said to the soldiers and decided to force Varian to reveal his true rank.


    Then, the news would be that ''Just the rank 1 Imperial Guards managed to defeat a rank 3!''.


    As a result, for now, not even Akira knew of this event. If she did, she''d have taken measures against Varian who''s much more powerful than she originally thought.


    The reaction of the Admiral was under Varian''s calctions. So, he had no worries. After taking dozens of potions, he meditated to recuperate.


    Logically, the Admiral was right. For any rank 1 or even rank 2, such a fight should''ve been impossible.


    Even for a monster like Varian, it''s unthinkable.


    No matter how advanced and special, no matter how fast he could digest the potions, it made no sense for a single man to best three hundred.


    Indeed, right after the one-hour mark, Varian found himself losing the reserves of Qi.


    He had two options. Either use other powers and get caught. Or admit defeat, which would defeat the point of the whole thing.


    Usually in fights, he could ask Logos to hide others from finding out about his other powers.


    For instance, he could use time power and space power on himself to speed his attacks. He could also use his powers of matter and energy to strengthen his body or increase the speed of his physical attacks. He could also knock out every person he hit by using spiritual power at the exact moment when his attack connected.


    For others, all these appeared as his natural strength.


    But after one hour of that fight, he had run dry of all Qi. In that situation, without any Qi, whatever he did, it''d be clear as day that he''s using other powers.


    In that critical moment, his body was full of other five powers, but the well of Qi was dry.


    As he stupidly tried to draw out Qi when there was none, something astonishing happened.


    The powers of slivers mixed into his celestial powers and ''converted'' them into Qi.


    It made absolutely no sense. But Varian found himself with an abundance of Qi all of a sudden.


    And since they were seven different powers plus his own monstrous talent, the recovery was quite fast.


    Because he had seven divine paths and because the slivers managed to convert these paths, Varian was able to achieve a feat even he didn''t dream of.


    And of course, the reward for going so far was satisfying.


    ''Status''


    [Mystic Rank 2: 100/250


    Famine Rank 2: 50/250


    Spirit Rank 2: 0/250


    Matter Rank 2: 10/250


    Energy Rank 2: 10/250


    Space Rank 2: 5/250


    Time Rank 2: 5/250


    Remarks: You madman, you''ve done it. This is the greatest increase in strength you''ve ever achieved.


    But don''t lose the forest for a tree.


    Mystics advance by understanding the power of Qi and its applications.


    If you simply go fighting, you can advance now, but you''ll be struck at a bottleneck once you hit rank 3 and have to ''advance'' into a Forcender or Adept.


    Adepts focus on perfecting their body towards the goal of a Perfect body that can withstand anything and everything.


    Forcenders set their sights on using that Qi on the outside and controlling the other life forms, but for starters, they influence their surroundings. The Qi converts into Life Essence in this stage.


    As a rank 2, you should start thinking about which path you''re going to choose. Pick carefully.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    While all paths converge in the end and are equal in the canvas of the cosmos, at given situation, some powers are more equal than others.]


    Varian took a deep breath after thementary by Logos. He could feel the difference clearly.


    Logos didn''t bother when he was a ''mortal'' awakener. But once he reached the Celestial Ranks, it was advising and trying to guide him on a proper path.


    ''I''m getting closer to the final game, the divine ranks, bit by bit.'' Varian closed his eyes and sank his mind into deep meditation.


    Now that he thought about it, he might have to take a retreat or two to delve into the nature of his powers.


    The powers of Sage Avenue¡ªgovernors of life, death, and soul¡ªwere the most diverse. Perhaps it''s the direct reflection of the diversity of life.


    While the powers of Creator Avenue¡ªmade up of space, time, and gravity¡ªwere only three, they were very esoteric and needed a lot of effort to gain any insight into.


    The powers of Ruler Avenue¡ªconsisting of order and chaos¡ªneeded observation of the cosmos to derive any real insights.


    Gaining insights into any of these Avenues was extremely difficult. Celestial Rankers had to only gain insight into a section of that Avenue¡ªtheir specific path.


    But even that took decades and even centuries. Most celestial rankers could never pass the stage.


    Varian was different from the start.


    Due to the slivers, his body, soul, and even origin were fundamentally different from the rest.


    Just by talent alone, he''d be the undisputed first inprehending these mysteries.


    The advantage was even more pronounced when it came to the Ruler Avenue. He could just use the slivers to gain insights. There''s no better source to study order and chaos than the very slivers that carry the order and chaos of the Universe.


    [You''re very lucky, Host. Even Rank 9s would kill to have your conditions. Just don''t do anything stupid and grow steadily.]


    ''You bastard should be thest one to speak about that. Inded in the middle of this political storm and something is going to happen sooner orter.''


    [You should understand, at least somewhat by now. Other slivers might not be sentient, but none of them are dead things. By simply existing, we affect our surroundings.


    I''m bound to you in the deepest sense, even beyond the scope of normal physical and spiritual. So, the order and chaos effects won''t be to your body or soul but your very life.]


    ''You are the slivers of order and chaos. But I never see any order in my life. Only chaos.''


    [There is order in that chaos, Host. Whatever you do, your life cannot be orderly¡ªit cannot be stable and normal. There will always be something chaotic¡ªgreat dangers and correspondingly, great opportunities.


    But within these chaotic situations lies the ways of order¡ªa way forward for you to navigate¡ªit''s not safe, but it will take you somewhere.]


    ''¡­I guess I was harsh on ming you for all the misery in my life.'' Varian admitted.


    Thinking back, he did me everything on the System. But now, he could see it a bit more clearly. It''s like ming fire for giving off heat and ice for being cold.


    [Harsh? A bit. But immature? A lot.]


    ''What do you expect from a 18-year-old?'' Varian''s lips twitched. ''I was so young and naive back then.''


    [For your kind information, you''re not even 19 now.]


    ''No, it''s already a yea¡ª''


    [But you do know that you aren''t really 19, right? Staying in Hortus messed with your time period. You''ll be 19 in a few days. Coincidentally, on the day of the marriage.]


    ''¡­What the hell are you trying to say, Logos?''


    [If your words are taken to be true, you''re still an amateur 18-year-old.]


    ''I take back my apology, bastard.'' Varian wondered if this system was masochistic. Else, why did it always provoke him when he tried to be nice?


    ''Did getting kidnapped for so many years in that tight ce twist you in some way or what?''


    [¡­Please do not measure this System by your bedroom ys. It''s an insult so harsh that this System feels the urge to knock your head.]


    Unlike the other times, this time, Logos'' voice was soft and anger was evident in that tone.


    Varian didn''t know if Logos had any gender. But the voice made him visualize an angry young woman, in her early twenties, ring at him. But even if she tried her best to keep an indifferent expression, her embarrassment was apparent with her blush.


    [Stop imagining whatever you''re imagining. The smile on your face says it''s something bad. This System is so great but you''re using¡­]


    Ignoring the System''s rant, Varianughed hard.

 Chapter 1135 Cassius

    Whatever Varian knew about Duke came from others.


    Catherine respected him and wished to fulfill his dream of Centaurus'' revival.


    The Imperial guards had a mix of opinions but most of them were less than supportive of his passive stance towards the drug mafia.


    The Duke could''ve gone ahead and ended the Havocs himself. But he feared the unknown dangers that it could entail. What if the Havocs had a method to kill him?


    Duke Cassius failed miserably in curbing the drug menace and watched it devour the people of his duchy bit by bit. Despite being the only person with the highest chance of ending the suffering, he chose not to act.


    Why did Centaurus have to suffer for decades until an unknown man save it? If they needed some nameless savior, what good was the Duke even for?


    Ubiq was just one of many-cities that had a stark rich-poor divide. There had always been poor and rich but the drug pandemic pushed many families onto the streets and mass-manufactured poverty. The so-called middle-ss ceased to exist.


    The rich enjoyed their lives and maintained good rtionships with the Duke. For them, whoever allowed their wealth to grow was the good guy.


    Whilemon people spoke nicely about him in public, behind the curtains, inside the privacy of their own homes, their words couldn''t be different.


    ''The Duke is an old man clinging to his throne.''


    ''He doesn''t want to die. But he has no problem letting this Duchy go to the dogs.''


    ''What has he ever done for our people? He''s been ruling for hundreds of years and this ce has only grown shittier.''


    ''Everyone who can leave already did. We''re here not because we want to but because we have no other choice.''


    There was no love, no admiration, no reverence. It was only an utter and honest disappointment towards a ruler who couldn''t even take care of his subjects.


    When he toured the capital city, Varian blended with many people and heard the same things over and over.


    Akira and Catherine said that he dreamed to revive Centaurus to its past glory. But the people saw none of that in him.


    ''What are my people thinking about me? Do they hate me? Feel that I''m too ipetent? Or maybe they don''t care at all?'' Varian''s mind wandered as he followed the maids to thergest living pce in the Imperial Quarters.


    The carefully tended gardens and fountains passed by in a sh. The rank 3 auras scanned him as he stepped into the perimeter.


    As he passed through twelve gates made of different materials, some nts, some flowers, and some metals, he was inspected every single time.


    ''What an insanely paranoid guy!'' Varian''s lips twitched.


    At the main gate to the Pce, two rank 3s themselves descended from the balcony above and inspected his aura carefully.


    Then, they also checked everything in his storage ring¡ªincluding the medicine. This time, it wasn''t just the guards but some old men and women in white, blue, and ck dresses were also called.


    ''Doctors?''


    ''Alchemists?''


    ''B-cksmiths? For what exactly?''


    Varian watched on everything with an indifferent expression but he had a strong urge to roll his eyes.


    After an hour and many nods, the rank 3 men said. ""No issue.""


    The way they said it with such sync made one wonder just how many times did they do this.


    Varian didn''t even bother to reply at this point and just walked in with three maids. Of course, they weren''t simple maids.


    [Rank 1 Mystic]


    [Rank 1 Mystic]


    [Rank 2 Mystic]


    ''¡­'' Varian took a deep breath and suppressed the rising fear.


    Akira was certain the Duke wouldn''t find anything off with the medicine. What if he did?


    ''I don''t have a chance to run away from a rank 5.'' Varian chuckled nervously and his shoulders shifted to the side subtly along with his feet.


    The two rank 1 maids infront of him and the rank 2 maid behind him also shifted their shoulders and turned their waists a bit.


    They once again returned to the best position and distance from which they could attack him at will.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''For fuck''s sake!''


    They''re trained assassins, alright. And extremely skilled ones at that.


    The inside of the pce looked extremely simple and even a bitcking. A couple of seaters, trophies, tables, bars, and others.


    If any citizen or even an official saw it, they''d be apuding Duke Cassius'' minimalism.


    But Varian''s eyes flickered as he passed from one staircase to another.


    ''Ten, eleven, twelve¡­twenty, twenty one¡­''


    Arrays!


    Killing arrays! Imprisonment arrays! Paralyzing arrays! Spacelock arrays!


    Arrays that he knew and didn''t were carefully hidden behind the walls. If not for his sliver powers, Varian wouldn''t have noticed them even if he reached rank 5.


    ''So that''s the reason there are so few items! Expensive items like aura-rich beast bones or precious aura-conducting metals interfere with these arrays!''


    Varian gained a new understanding of the Duke without even meeting him yet.


    ''Then why was he so cool during the court meeting? Or wait, was that even him or a projection? Or maybe the Pce has way more arrays?''


    Amidst his wild thoughts, a hexagonal block''s six doors creaked open into a wide room.


    The Duke sat on afortable sofa, tasting a ss of wine with a very strong fragrance. "Wee, Dr. Constantine. Please make yourselffortable."


    The room had far fewer arrays than others but the ones it had were of much higher quality.


    "I can see that the Duke is happy about the marriage." Varian greeted politely and sat on the sofa opposite the Duke.


    "Hahaha! I must be smirking again, but I can''t help it! As a Duke and as a father, this marriage is something I''m very happy about." Cassius revealed generously that the marriage had a political angle to it.


    But looking at his glowing eyes, Varian was also sure that the Duke was really happy as a father as well.


    Even though Catherine was sulking and he felt guilty about it, he must be expected Catherine to eventually move on from Theoron and build a loving rtionship with her husband.


    From the rumors and information sources he could gather, Saron was a very well-mannered young man who never had any scandals.


    Considering that Catherine came from a stronger family, there''s zero possibility that Saron would take concubines.


    ''So he thinks she''s going to get a dedicated, loyal, and loving husband, huh.'' Varian took a deep breath and said. "May I check your condition?"


    "Of course." The Duke stretched his thick arm generously.


    Varian sent a strand of his sense inside without invoking any aura. People hated being pried upon and even the Duke frowned for a moment sensing the intrusion.


    After a simple inspection, Varian took a second look at the Duke. His internal organs, no, his entire body, were quickly crumbling. He''s like a hole-ridden bucket quickly losing its water. In his case, it''s his vitality.


    If it goes on like this, he might survive for two or three decades at most.


    Just a small sync allowed Varian to feel a part of what the Duke was feeling.


    ''Pain!''


    ''Horrible pain.''


    ''My chest feels like it''s burning and freezing at the same time!''


    Varian withdrew from the sync and looked at the Duke with a heavy gaze.


    "Is it done?" The Duke smiled at him nonchntly.


    ''He''s living like this for years? No, decades. How is he still able to smile?'' Varian looked at the Duke with a nk gaze. ''Anyone else would''ve killed themselves than live like that.''


    "Dr.Constantine? Dr. Constantine?" The Duke waved his hands in front of Varian''s face and asked.


    "Uh? Ah! I apologize, It''s worse than I thought." Varian shook his head.


    Instead of making an issue out of it, the Duke smiled wearily. "It gets worse every day."

 Chapter 1136 Other Side Of The Coin

    ''The Duke was a selfish man.''


    ''He''s so scared for his life that he didn''t even dare to touch the drug mafia.''


    ''He had the power to save everyone but he let us rot!''


    ''He has the gall to speak of Duchy''s revival.''


    When Varian wanted to visit the Duke, he already grasped the immensely negative public opinion.


    It wasn''t just bad, it was downright malicious.


    ''He should just drop dead.''


    ''If I was the Duke, I would''ve¡­''


    ''If I had powers like the Duke, I¡­''


    ''If I was also a rank 5, then I¡­''


    But after meeting the man himself, a trace of respect rose from the bottom of his heart.


    "It''s been very tough, right?" Varian sighed. "It''s been more than a century."


    "It was very hard, but I got used to it. A Duke can''t show his weakness, young fellow." Cassius chuckled and said in a casual tone.


    Then he drank another ss of wine and mmed it on the table, just hard enough that it wouldn''t crack.


    Then he mixed a drug¡­a very powerful painkiller apparently, into a new wine bottle and started drinking again.


    Varian''s expression grewplicated as he watched this. What was Duke doing for most of his leisure time? Why did he almost never appear in public or make some big events?


    Cassius noticed Varian''s expression and said with a teasing smile. "Now that you know it''s useless, don''t tell me you''re regretting wasting the request I gave you. I''m telling you in advance, no refunds."


    Varian chuckled at the light-hearted joke and grinned. "I haven''t conceded defeat yet."


    Cassius ced his elbow on the armrest and rested his chin on his palm. With an expression of interest found in a kid watching a popr movie, he said. "The very fact that you still think you have a chance is interesting. If nothing, your confidence alone will take you to ces, young man."


    "It has brought me here, that''s for sure," Varian said and stretched out his palm.


    A glittering crystalline powder floated above it. In an instant, the nts growing in the pots and the flowers in the vases shook and began to grow. The pots exploded and the vases cracked.


    "That''s quite a bit of life force." The Duke crossed his arms and nodded. "But life force alone can''t solve."


    "The special mix of the herbs that went into it can," Varian said confidently and gave the powder to the Duke.


    The Duke inspected the powder for onest time.


    But unlike before, Varian didn''t grow irritated at his behavior. Rather, he empathized with the Duke''s actions.


    He was scared that he''d die. Yes. His fear was to the point of paranoia. Also yes. But was he a scum who only cared for his life above everything else?


    ''He doesn''t look like that kind of person.'' Varian could see it in the man''s eyes. He valued something greater than even his life.


    "If this works, let''s just say it does¡­" Cassius'' hands were trembling and his lips were shivering.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "It won''t solve your problem, but extend your time," Varian said before he could go off into imagination.


    "Even that is an unimaginable result for me." The Duke''s eyes dimmed visibly but he still looked ecstatic.


    With Varian''s signal, he took the first dose of the medicine and sat still for a few moments.


    Then, he grabbed his heart and gasped as if he was just out of war. "I¡­I...I am¡­"


    Two rank 3 auras locked onto Varian and were on the verge of acting against him.


    "I am so refreshed!" The Duke finally exhaled and jumped onto his feet. Patting his chest, arms, and knees, he said with a nostalgic expression. "It''s been years¡­decades since I could feel so light."


    Then regardless of Varian''s presence, he began to do some push-ups, squats, and other exercises.


    Every time he finished a rep, he''dugh and go for the next. It wasn''t that he couldn''t do these exercises with his power before. It was just how his body responded to any physical activity.


    If Varian had to draw an analogy, until now, the Duke was surrounded by hot needles all over his body. Even if he made a movement as small as pping, his palms would sting and a searing pain would reach his brain.


    But now¡­


    Looking at the old man''s happy smile, Varian was conflicted on the inside. ''You''ll keep taking a dose three times a day for the next three days. It''ll make you well for three days, but on the fourth day, it''ll weaken you and make you amb ready for ughter.''


    Cassius patted Varian''s shoulder appreciatively and said they''d have a deep talk after the marriage.


    ''There''ll be nothing remaining after the marriage though.'' Varian couldn''t say those words to the man.


    The Duke chatted him with enthusiastically. He spoke of his childhood when he was very reckless. Of his youth when he was very overbearing. Apparently, he participated in the war 500 years ago and made some minor achievements. But for his age and rank, it was shocking.


    Varian listened to the story carefully, asking some small questions from time to time.


    "¡­And sometime after the war, I ascended the throne." Cassius looked out of the window and into the space beyond the vast sky.


    "Was there an intense fight for it?"


    Cassius'' eyes shook for a moment and he shrugged. "It''s messy. It''s one of the things I do regret a lot. Maybe I should''ve done it differently."


    "Hm." Varian nodded. ''Would my children also fight for the throne?''


    "And after I took the throne, I tried everything I could. Went to distantnds to bring back resources. Made friends with enemies, and strengthened old alliances. Opened up new trade routes.


    But when you''re very weak, there are no enemies and allies. When you''re poor and deprived, no one wanted to trade with us."


    Varian sighed softly.


    People couldn''t even revive their own glory from their past. For some, it was their brilliance in middle or high school. For others, it was their top performance in college. For most, it was a certain point in their career when everything was going well and then. Then, it doesn''t.


    If reviving a single individual''s glory was so hard that few ever achieve and surpass it, then what about reviving an entire Duchy?


    "And in one of those adventures, I got injured by a nasty fellow." Cassius smiled, but his eyes weren''t smiling.


    "¡­"


    "Anyways, that''s my little boring life story." The Dukeughed and ended the conversation.

 Chapter 1137 A Dream

    "Looks like it went well."


    When he returned to his bedroom, Akira was sitting on the edge of the mattress, with a leg crossed over the other and arms folded. The look in her eyes, when she started at Varian, was one of disdain and¡­suspicion.


    "You killed the two peak rank 2s that day. But to think you''re actually a rank 3¡­you hid well." Akira''s gaze was piercing, like a scientist''s gaze toward an experimental monkey.


    "You don''t seem worried about it." Without much worry, Varian sat right next to her and said.


    Akira''s brows furrowed and she scowled at him.


    H-How dare he? How dare he sit next to her and talk like an equal?


    "Do you really think I won''t kill you? Your job is done and that means, your use is over." She clutched Varian''s neck before he could react and leaned her face toward his.


    Her crimson eyes gazed into his pitch-ck eyes and a thick killing intent enveloped Varian.


    Varian could escape this predicament by elementalizing and teleporting. Of course, an Adept¡ªthe pursuer of a perfect cosmic body¡ªcould still injure him badly, but the surprise element would ensure he''d manage to get away.


    But he didn''t make any attempts to escape. He simply stayed still and looked at Akira as she tightened her grip.


    Her finger impressions slowly imprinted on Varian''s skin and the bones began to slowly crack.


    "Why don''t you speak?" Akira sneered as she felt blood slowly seep out of his neck. "Have you epted your death?"


    "¡­Well, I''m currently recording everything that''s happening here. If you continue to mistreat me, then this recording and the real secret about the medicine will reach the Duke in seconds." Varian said calmly.


    Akira''s pupils dted for a moment before she mmed him onto the bed. "Don''t lie, the Duke won''t share his contact with someone like you."


    The mattress exploded and the bed split into two. Thankfully, Akira wasn''t too forceful as the floor only cracked and didn''t split open.


    Variany on the floor, putting his hands behind his head and resting on it, a leg crossed over another as he said. "I''m his lifesaver. Giving me contact isn''t surprising."


    With a swipe of his fingers, a small holographic card popped up in front of Akira.


    Her chest heaved up and down and she red at him viciously. "You scummy bastard! Aren''t you afraid I''ll kill you?"


    Saying so, she activated the life strand in his body.


    Or she should''ve.


    Unknown to her, Varian had already separated the strand from his body and sealed it up in a sphere build-up of order.


    It''s pretty hard but he already had the experience with the death strand. So, he was able to do it in just a few days.


    Still, he had to put up an act, right?


    "Ugh, argh, aaaah~" Varian groaned and writhed on the ground.


    "¡­" Akira looked at his tant faking with dumbfounded eyes.


    H-How did he ovee it? No rank 3, even rank 4 should be able to do that.


    How?


    "Arghhh~"


    "¡­Stop! Your faking is so obvious! Stop it!" Akira screamed.


    Varian sat up and looked at her with teary eyes.


    "But I tried." His voice was on the verge of a breakdown and he choked back his tears. "I really did."


    Akira exploded into anger and was about tosh at him when he smirked at her. "Patience,dy. Or whatever you''re nning against the Duke won''te to fruition. Don''t touch me and I won''t touch your n. We''ll go our separate ways after that day."


    "You''ll pay for this one day, I swear," Akira vowed and left.


    Varian cracked his neck and stretched his arms. His posture looked casual but only his eyes were bone-chillingly cold.


    He caressed his neck which still had the deep fingerprints and said word by word. "Pay? Of course, I''ll pay. With your head."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    A rank 4 was a big deal for him just a few weeks ago. But now, it''s inevitable sooner orter.


    If Akira knew Varian, she''d be questioning how many months did she have?


    "Anyway," Varian snapped his fingers.


    A white light spread out from his fingertips and enveloped the exploded mattress, split bed, and the cracked-floor.


    Then, the exploded mattress got back together, the split bed joined and the cracked floor reverted to its former self.


    "Manipting matter isn''t very hard when you have the power order in your hands," Varian smirked.


    His bracelet shone and it was a message from Theoron.


    [Mr. Constantine, the guards have changed their treatment towards me suddenly. They aren''t letting me out. I''m under house arrest, I''m afraid.]


    Varian''s lips curled up. "Good job, Akira."


    He then sent a message to the Princess.


    [Your boy is waiting for you in the Eagle Quarters, Room 5C7Y.]


    He didn''t need to tell her to look out for guards or keep the meeting a secret. Catherine was a bit emotional and even righteous, but she wasn''t dumb.


    What would others say when the Princess meets an unknown man in his house before her marriage? That''s obvious for everyone.


    He wasn''t much worried about their meeting. What really bothered him was the Duke and the future that awaited him.


    In his room, the Duke was still drinking a strong wine. As he stared into the distant sky, his younger years passed in his mind.


    ''I was so energetic, so bright, so hopeful of the future¡­''


    How long had it been since he felt this ''old''?


    Cassius looked at the wrinkled skin on his arms and gritted his teeth.


    ''I regret going on that adventure. I shouldn''t have been so reckless. I regret¡­''


    His eyes grew moist and he dreamed of a life where he didn''t make the wrong choice.


    A life where he left the Duchy right after the war and established himself in better,rger ces.


    ''I¡­I''ll be a rank 6, I''ll have a good family, I don''t have to be Duke, I can just enjoy my life.''


    Tears slowly slid down his wrinkled cheeks.


    Why? Why was he so obsessed with reviving Centaurus?


    The Duke wiped the corners of his eyes.


    It wasn''t that he loved Centaurus to the point of death. No.


    It''s just that¡­in his hellish life, it''s the only thing that kept him going. It was the only thing he could do so that reality wouldn''t catch up to him.


    If he left the dream, then he''d have to confront that his present was terrible, his future was hopeless, and his past meaningless.


    There''s nothing more terrifying to a man than such a bleak reality.


    So, Cassius dreamed. He dreamed of a Centaurus with no poverty, no fear, no hunger, no crime.


    He dreamed of a Centaurus whose ruler was praised, not just in public but also in private, after people were drunk and said whatever was on their minds.


    He dreamed of a life where he didn''t regret his actions. A life where his struggle amounted to something. Anything.


    He dreamed of a death during which his chest was light from the weight of regrets.


    "Yes, one day, one day, Centaurus will be revived," Cassius muttered his obsession one more time.

 Chapter 1138 Lord Jorand

    The guests of Barix arrived into the newly constructed guest quarters a bit far away from the Imperial Area. It was equally extravagant but certainly a notch lower in importance.


    While the members of any Province would be happy upon such treatment, members of Barix thought that Centaurus was trying to show them their ''ce''.


    "That old man''s ego, just like himself, refuses to die." Jorand, the Lord of Barix, sneered with a disdainful smile.


    No one in the room, including the Great Admiral and the Chief Counsellor uttered a word in response.


    Jorand wasn''t asking for a conversation, he only needed obedient listeners.


    A still silence upied the meeting room in therge guest pce until the doors slowly creaked open.


    Except for Lord Jorand, everyone looked on in startled surprise.


    A woman with features that couldn''t be more ordinary and a presence that could never stand out in a crowd walked towards therge table with confident strides and reached an empty chair.


    "It''s dangerous to appear here at this moment. All it''ll achieve is raise suspicion." Lord Jorand looked at her from his grand seat on the other end of the table.


    "I''ve been here for decades. I can cover this small thing without an issue." Akira said in a leisurely tone and slid into the chair in a smooth motion.


    Crossing her legs, she put her elbow on the precious gemstone table and supported her chin with her hand.


    For a moment, she looked like the witch who read the crystal balls and predicted the future.


    "There is a variable in the n." Contrary to her posture, her voice was bone-chillingly cold.


    The Lord of Barix raised an eyebrow and pped. "Everyone, leave."


    "Constantine or whatever his real name is." Akira''s fingertips dug into her cheek and blood sshed on her nails. Her calm eyes were now zing with volcanic fury. "He broke out of control. If I harm him, he''ll reveal the truth to that old bastard."


    Jorand''s gaze sank and a hologram of Varian in his current disguise appeared. The Lord of Barix started at the young face intently, as if burning that face into his memory.


    Then, he turned to Akira with a calm face. "When the Duke is gone, so will he. Until then, don''t touch him."


    "So, are the preparationsplete?" Akira''s fury cooled down and her voice grew calmer.


    Lord Jorand''s lips curled up and that answered everything. "I''m looking forward to that old bastard''s face when he learns that I''m his nephew and the son of his real blood sister."


    "And learning that his trusted subordinate betrayed him," Akira''s eyes were glittering as they imagined the dazzling future. "Will he be able to bear the truth? That the daughter of his once closest teammate hates him so much that she''d rather burn down the entire Duchy just to see him cry."


    Jorand and Akiraughed andughed. But their eyes were icy and their hearts were filled with fire.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "You aren''t allowed inside, Mr.Constantine." The two rank 1 guards blocked Varian at the main entrance of a manor.


    The manor was rather isted and at the edge of the guest residence area. There were only a few gardens nearby and a smallke with invisible fishes.


    "No one can stop me from meeting my brother," Varian said in an impassioned tone and his gaze grew cold. "Especially not when I am the benefactor who helped the Duke himself."


    The guards looked at each other with conflicted expressions. They were told by Chief Akira to bar this guy from any entry just a few hours ago and now they''re going to fail even that simple task.


    "This is between me and her. You might let her spare you if you plead, but I am not so merciful." Varian gave them a distorted smile. "I wouldn''t even blink when I twist your necks off and tear apart your limbs."


    As if his weird smile wasn''t enough, a thick killing intent enveloped and suffocated them. The two gasped as they tried to breathe and failed. They wrapped their arms around themselves and squatted down unconsciously, as their bodies tried to protect themselves from the great danger.


    Without any warning, the killing intent vanished.


    "Get out of here. Don''t make trouble." Varian said and walked into the manor with grace.


    The guards copsed on the floor and looked at the sky with nk expressions. Their bodies shivered without them meaning to. Only when Varian''s footsteps fade did their shivering stop and their bodies returned to their control. They scrambled back to their feet and fled.


    A big ripple spread in the nearbyke as Princess Catherine slowly got up. Just like the invisible fishes theke was filled with, she too couldn''t be seen. Her clothes weren''t wet and her aura was concealed. Everyone thought she was resting in her pce, but she managed to sneak out.


    With a chest that burned with anticipation, she scurried into the manor but quickly froze.


    ¡¤?¦Èm "Y-You¡­" Her invisibility faded away and she stared nkly at the young man sitting beside Varian.


    Theoron stood up in shock and looked at Varian with fear. He ''fooled'' Varian into taking him in, but now his identity was going to be revealed.


    What to do? What can he do?


    "As promised, I got him in. What you do next is none of my business. So, keep your end of the bargain." Varian pped his hands and said with a business smile.


    "H-Huh? W-Wait, YOU got me in? Bargain?" Theoron nked out for a second and couldn''t understand what was going on.


    Catherine turned her gaze to Varian and gave him a hexagonal crystal with a determined expression.


    Not caring the slightest about Theoron''s intense internal conflict, Varian whistled and left with a cheerful expression.


    Ignoring him, Catherine started at Theoron intensely. Theoron''s eyes shook under her stare and he stammered. "C-Cath¡ª"


    Paaa!


    A sharp pain stung his cheek as the teary-eyed Princess withdrew her hand. "You bastard! Why? Just why?!"

 Chapter 1139 Hypocrisy

    Theoron covered his cheek and gritted his teeth. "They''re all here. It''s going to be all over. I came to take you away. Come with me."


    "No, youe with me. My father promised that he''ll let us marry." Catherine held his cor and shook him violently


    Theoron slumped down on the soft and plush blue carpet. Catherine sat in front of him, holding his hand and looking into his eyes with intense emotions.


    He knew what the problem was. This wasn''t working. They couldn''t convince each other. Theoron had no evidence for the things he said. His mind was clearly tampered with and even any truth-detection treasures wouldn''t help.


    Without enough evidence, it''s foolish to expect Catherine to run away with him. If he went out in public and ndered Lord Jorand, he''d be the one treated as a lunatic and captured.


    No one with a sound mind would actually think a Province could ever win against a Duchy.


    "¡­What should I do?" Theoron held Catherine''s soft and cold hand and looked at the ground with a lost gaze.


    Seeing him on the verge of breakdown, Catherine started sobbing.


    ''¡­This stupid fucker, he''s too useless.'' Listening to their conversation from the next room, Varian curled his lips in disdain.


    [He has genuine problems, Host.]


    ''If I were in his position, I''d have knocked her out and taken her away. Talks cer when the Duchy is literally about to be burned.''


    [That sounds more like a viin.]


    Varian smiled nonchntly. ''As long as you get the girl at the end of the day and are happy, does it matter?''


    [Even though it''s for a good cause, knocking her out, in other words, forcing her against her will, seems dishonest for her feelings.]


    ''Ideally, you shouldn''t do that,'' Varian shrugged. ''But when the alternative is much worse, then there''s no choice. It''s still not morally correct, but hey, do I look like a highly moral person?''


    [So, as long as the alternative is much worse, it''s okay even though your actions would go against your lover''s wishes?]


    ''Er, yeah?'' Varian suddenly felt he was being led around by the System.


    [Is that what the host thinks about Enigma? She clearly has feelings for you. You realized it early on but didn''t even bother to respond. In the end, your own wives forced her on you.


    The alternative here, Enigma living a life of loneliness, witnessing the stark contrast between your treatment of her and Sia is also very terrible. It''s a living hell she can''t get out of.


    But you hated it. A lot. You just didn''t want to take out your anger on your wives. So, you left. Isn''t that hypocritical?]


    Varian''s expression darkened. ''Since when did you care about my love life? I thought Miss Logos was too high-end to care about the lowly lives of mortals?''


    [Don''t dodge the question.]


    Varian exhaled deeply and looked up into the night sky. Three moons, two purple and one white shone softly.


    ''Enigma and I are in a fundamentally unequal rtionship. She had been watching me for years, but I only knew her for months. The time we spent together is a fraction of what I spent with Sarah or Sia just in the past year.''


    [There''s an underlying assumption you''re making with no basis. Why do you think she wants as much attention from you as your other two wives? Or even love? A small bit of what you give them might be plenty for her.]


    Varian fell silent. ''I don''t know.''


    [Or maybe deep down, you do down. But you just don''t want to think about it.]


    ''Oh, you''re damn right.'' Varian was a bit annoyed and obviously irritated. ''Piercing through myyer of lies and making me feel guilty? Happy now?''


    [Very.] Logos'' voice was cheerful and very, very annoying. ''Many times, you don''t think you have a choice. That it''ll be fine if you just go with the flow and do the necessary. But don''t lie to yourself, host. You always have a choice. By choosing not to act, you are still making a choice.''


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "¡­this is madness, why are you behaving like this?" Catherine slumped on the sofa weakly.


    "I''m sorry. I can''t convince you. I don''t even know what to do. I want to run away, but not without you." Theoron covered his eyes and sighed in defeat.


    "Alright, fuck it." A sudden, unexpected voice startled them both onto their feet. They looked ahead with vignt eyes, like cats that got found stealing food.


    "Y-You, didn''t you leave?"


    "Were you eavesdropping?"


    Ignoring their shocked gazes, Varian said. "Your love story, I''ll solve it."


    "What the¡ª"


    Varian took out an inscribed cloth and pped it on Theoron''s face. The Prince froze and copsed back onto the sofa.


    "What did you do to him?" Catherine caught him in her arms and red at Varian.


    "Used a treasure to fix his broken brain, duh." Varian lied with a straight face and used the cloth as a cover to use his spirit power.


    Theoron who already fainted with a single p from Varian twitched as a foreign power invaded his mind.


    "¡­C-Can I trust that you won''t harm him?" Catherine looked at Varian with a conflicted expression.


    He wasn''t the hero she thought he was. A hero wouldn''t ask for the treasury''s key. So, she didn''t know how to view him.


    Varian simply smiled and drew a pattern on the cloth covering Theoron''s forehead.


    A light projected out and began to disy fleeting images with sounds.


    Catherine''s eyes widened as the images passed.


    A familiar man, her about-to-be father-inw, proiming revenge.


    Dozens of powerhouses kneeling in front of him and vowing vengeance.


    His meeting with several of the infamous drug lords of Centaurus. A meeting with even Havocs where he passed some special materials to them.


    A meeting with a few key members of Centaurus¡ªincluding a few notable alchemists!


    Catherine covered her mouth as her body copsed helplessly on the carpet.


    Her eyes were shaking violently and her lips trembled while her body twitched. She seemed ufortable, gasping for breath, struggling to even stay in ce.


    Theoron rubbed his eyes and his vision slowly returned. The first thing he saw was the floating image of memories he couldn''t perfectly recall.


    "Yes! Cathy, this is what happened! Trust me!"


    Catherine''s eyes were nk and her voice was hoarse. "W-What should we do? C-Can we show this to my father and have him stop?"


    "It wouldn''t work." Varian shrugged. "Memories can not just be revealed, but they can also be manipted. Barix will just im the neighboring Duchies hired a powerful Spirit awakener to mess with your alliance.


    And it''s not like you have any physical evidence, right? What''s more, Princess, his memories might''ve been manipted. Unless a very powerful Spirites, it''s hard to tell."


    Catherine fell into silence.


    "I wish you good luck." Varian didn''t stay any longer.

 Chapter 1140 Zahara Onyx

    [What do you even intend to do? Help or not help?]


    ''I don''t know.'' Varian shrugged and his eyes slowly grew indifferent. ''The Duke seems like a good person. But I can''t judge a guy who lived a few centuries in a few hours.''


    [But the Lord of Barix wants to attack. He''ll be spilling a lot of blood.]


    ''There doesn''t have to be a good guy and a bad guy in a conflict. Both can be bad.'' Varian chuckled and returned to his quarters.


    [You''re being indifferent to an impending massacre. Doesn''t that prick your conscience?]


    Varian tapped his mattress and jumped on it. Putting his hands behind his neck, he rested his head on his palms.


    "Conscience? I guess not. It''s a risky conflict involving a rank 5 and rank 4s. Even if I want to, I don''t have the power to go against them. What''s more¡­I don''t want to. I just want to get the treasure and get out of here."


    [You don''t look like a hero at all.]


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Batch after batch, powerhouses belonging to the Barix Province entered the capital city as guests. They were given amodation close to the pce.


    The marriage was the first step in the Duke''s dream of Centaurus revival. The marriage was Lord Barix''s dream of revenge.


    "Two days." Looking at the pce spires, a man muttered under his under breath and disappeared into the crowd.


    "Two days." In the top room of the most luxurious inn, the veiled woman narrowed her eyes.


    With a tap from her finger, invisible ripples spread from under her feet and slowly enveloped the entire. With the second tap, the atmosphere of the was covered.


    "I hope there aren''t any idents." She muttered.


    At the same time, a few men and women who sneaked into the capital city in disguise began to move.


    With the help of some aids, these drug lords mixed some special ingredients into the foods and potions of the soldiers.


    It was a dose small enough to remain undetected but through sufficient umtion,rge enough to affect even a rank 3.


    For this gamble, the drug lords bet everything. With the Duchy cleaning off the drug mafia with an iron fist, this was their only chance to rebel.


    The main reason they were even able to get this far was the insider help, primarily from Chief Akira.


    "When the signales, use your full forces and attack the Imperial Guards." In the basement of a pub, Akira met up with a few drug lords.


    In an inn just a few buildings away, the red-robed man returned to his room. In front of him was the projection of a woman.


    A legendary woman who reached the rank 9 and reigned as the deputy leader of a scary organization under the Jai Empire.


    Even though he was called a legendary figure among his peers, facing her, even he felt tremendous pressure.


    Forget someone like him, even rank 8s, no, even rank 9s would feel intimidated. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    When he opened his mouth to speak, Zahara Onyx''s voice already reached him. "An annoying woman is keeping an eye on you."


    "W-What?" He couldn''t believe his ears. "But I clearly covered my traces. Even though I was injured, no one shoul¡ª"


    "I''m not discussing with you, I''m informing you." Zahara''s face couldn''t be seen in the transmission. All he could see was a figure shrouded in pale purple light.


    But in that light, two beautiful red eyes were visible. It was as if the light from those eyes was breaking even the purple light covering her.


    "I was too presumptous and didn''t show proper respect. Please punish me!" The man lowered his head.


    Zahara waved her hand dismissively. It was a surprise even for her that ''She'' woulde here personally. To be honest, even now, it''s still a conjecture. But Zahara always believed in her intuition.


    It''s not that she couldn''t understand her behavior. Even though this man, Crimson Specter, was just a Duchy-level agent, his brother overlooked the entire kingdom and was a rank 8.


    His rank wasn''t important to that woman, but the information he held was important.


    Or was she also looking for¡­


    Zahara Onyx shook her head and focused back on the red-robed man.


    As if waiting for it, he started. "W-What should I do? If someone even your Highness speaks of appears, then I¡­I am willing to throw away my life at any second but I don''t want to fail my task."


    "There will be no failure. Either youe home with what you''re asked or you get buried there." Zahara sneered. "I''ll take care of her. But you still have to take care of her clone."


    "C-Clone? How strong would it be?"


    "Rank 6 or Rank 5 since she''d be in a hurry."


    An ufortable silence filled the room.


    Rank 6 if she''s a bit more focused. But the minimum was rank 5? Was this still supposed to be a normal conversation?


    "I could''ve sent a Shade over, but they''re all under tight watch. Any movement now will be dangerous and expose their position. What''s more, it''ll bring unnecessary attention to that Duchy." Zahara said in a light tone.


    The man wondered if she even remembered the name of Centaurus. But perhaps not. She''d be dealing with the entire alliance. What''s a mere duchy in her eyes?


    He still wondered why she personally ordered him on this mission.


    But he didn''t dare to ask and risk his life. Bowing deeply, he said in reverence. "Thank you, Your Highness."


    Zahara Onyx just repeated her instructions. "Princess Esh asked me to take care of this matter. You better not fail me."


    Hearing that name, the man''s body shivered and he mmed his head against the floor. "YES!"


    Zahara Onyx was a legend but Princess Esh Starlight was someone akin to a myth.


    Crimson Specter wasn''t even qualified to learn about her. All he knew was that she¡­crossed the celestial ranks more than five hundred years ago.

 Chapter 1141 A Story

    "Hahahaha! It''s a pleasant asion! Pleasant indeed! Let''s drink to our heart''s content today. No rules. No restrictions." Duke Cassius raised his cup of wine, downed it in a gulp and mmed it on the table.


    "Yes. We''ll be busy tomorrow with the wedding preparations and receiving guests from other duchies. Only this day, we can drink our heart''s content." Lord Jorand nodded with a bright smile and drank his own wine.


    With the two taking the lead, the entire banquet hall was filled with cheers and a heavy round of drinking began.


    A few tables away, Varian drank a few cups with the Imperial Guards and returned to his quarters. He came just to confirm a few things.


    Things seemed bad. But not out of control.


    [Lord Jorand: Peak Rank 4]


    [Great Admiral: Peak Rank 3]


    [Chief Counsellor: Peak Rank 3]


    These three were the central figures of the Barix Province. Much stronger than what the rumors said. Butpared to the Duchy, they''re still iparably weak.


    On the bright side, the Duchy had two rank 4s. But at least three rank 4s in total. The total number may be even four or five.


    Even if Akira betrayed, it''s not easy for Lord Jorand to win against the remaining rank 4s. And all of this was under the assumption that Duke Cassius wouldn''t make a move. Once he entered the battle in person, everything would end in minutes.


    ''That''s why the medicine¡­'' Varian exhaled lightly.


    It was snowing now. A controlled, desirable snowfall which painted the surroundings pure white. The trees, nts, flowers¡­everything looked so calm and beautiful. Even the small ponds and fountains on the way had a thinyer of snow on them.


    "Tomorrow, everything will be decided tomorrow." Varian inhaled in the cold weather and his footsteps left a deep impression in the snow.


    Compared to the dull quarters he was going to, the banquet hall and surroundings were brightly lit up and colorfully decorated.


    The drinking had been going on for a while now and people loosened up. There were fewer restraints and words, good or bad, were no longer minced.


    "I have a¡­story to tell you, Duke." Lord Jorand raised a cup and clinked it with his inw.


    "Of course, stories! Tell me stories!" Duke Cassiusughed with a flushed face. "Life is stories."


    "There''s a Duchy, not unlike Centaurus, which suffered greatly from a war against the subordinate races of the Jai Empire." Lord Jorand''s voice was low but calm, heavy but steady, and serious but not grave.


    Duke Cassius noticed he was being earnest in whatever story he was saying and paid full attention to it.


    "The Duchy was supposed to be inherited by a young prince who made great contributions in war. He was in love with a princess from a nearby province. Everyone was happy with their pairing.


    The members of the Duchy cheered their war hero getting his heroine. The members of that Province blessed her for getting a prince charming." Jorand chuckled.


    "You know how it goes with these stories, there''s always someone screwing things up." Duke Cassiusughed.


    Lord Jorand narrowed his eyes but nodded. "The prince and the princess had a son. The son didn''t show the characteristics of his father''s race."


    Saying so, Lord Jorand pointed to the beautiful purple scales on his forehead. "He had these scales like a snake, he was a Naga. Like me."


    "Hm."


    "Then someone was really upset with this." Lord Jorand leaned forward and filled his cup again. "The prince had an elder brother, you see. That man had no problem with his brother inheriting the throne. But he couldn''t stomach that a foreign race kid would be a prince.


    He wanted his brother to marry more women and give birth to his own race''s children and let them be the heirs. But the prince was lovestruck and loved only that one woman."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Now, the people surrounding them were also captivated by the story and kept listening.


    Lord Jorand didn''t care about their reactions and his eyes remained on the Duke''s face.


    From the initial curiosity and ignorance, there was something brewing on the old man''s face. Something he desperately tried to cover.


    "So the elder brother killed the young brother and the woman he married. The child was also killed or so he thought. Thanks to a loyal spy, the child survived and escaped from the Duchy."


    Duke Cassius'' face was pale and he was trembling. Looking at Jorand with a horrified face, he muttered "You¡­are¡­"


    Lord Jorand continued the tale regardless of the Duke''s response. "The boy spent a hundred years of his life living like hell, he only had one thing in his mind and that''s power. Power for revenge against his own uncle.


    It''s impossible for a Province to win against a Duchy. Even he knew the possibility was slim. Luckily, he got what he wanted. And more than what he dreamed of.


    The boy back then had grown into a man. He who fantasized about the throne now despises it and wants to burn it down."


    Lord Jorand took thest sip of wine and stood up. A heavy tension filled the room and everyone stared at the Lord of Barix.


    His lips curled up eerily as he looked down into the Duke''s old eyes. "And I want you to witness the death of your dream. The revival of Centaurus? No, it won''t be Centaurus anymore."


    "Zed, Yaras, Akira, catch him!" The Duke yelled and three rank 4s aura erupted.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    The veiled woman opened her eyes and her silver eyes reflected the Imperial Pce.


    "I should¡­" As she was about to take a step forward, a message shed in her mind and she frowned. "So she knew I was here?"


    That was bad news. But there''s nothing she could do now.


    A rank 9 infiltrating the border was impossible without a lot of preparation. Regardless, if allowed to run amok, the damages would be massive.


    The woman''s body blurred and a strand of hair fell from her head and flew towards the pce.


    Then she disappeared from the Duchy and into the far distant regions.


    The hair transformed itself into a woman beautiful beyond measure but her face was quickly covered by a veil and she slowly glided towards the Pce Complex.


    At the same time, the red-robed man walked into Pce Complex in steady steps. Wherever he passed, the soldiers copsed with a thin red line on their necks.


    "Hurry up!"


    "That''ll expose us! Act calm! Stay cool! I have recorded all your memories and got verifications for them. If I show it to Father, we still have time to act before tommorr¡ª"


    Princess Catherine and Prince Theoron stopped in their tracks. The soft lights of the garden shone on their faces, showing their eyes that remained frozen.


    The pure snow was now overflowing with warm red and blue liquids. The joyful music yed in the background slowly faded away. The strong breaths of the people he passed by turned into fading gasps.


    The Pce Complex which was brimming with vitality just a few moments ago was now whimpering on itsst breath.


    It was an eerily beautiful sight.

 Chapter 1142 An Unexpected Obstacle

    Varian raised his head and nced at the glowing building with a frown. He felt a weak aura shockwave from the venue of the celebration.


    "Theoron says it''s gonna be tomorrow. Even Akira implied that. There''s no way they''ll do it tod¡ª"


    BOOM!


    Therge building a few miles exploded with a deafening bang. The night sky suddenly had a blinding white mushroom cloud that rose beyond the clouds.


    "Shit." Varian cursed under his breath and his appearance morphed into that of a well-known rank 3 Imperial guard officer.


    His feet tapped the floor and he shed forward to the Duchy''s Main Pce in an instant.


    "Who are you?"


    "R-Raven, verify yourself! Why are you here?"


    The guards at the imperial pce pointed their weapons at him and unleashed their killing intent.


    Thankfully, the moment the venue exploded, most of the powerful members in the pce hurried there.


    That only left a few dozen peak rank 1s, a couple of rank 2s, and a rank 3 that remained to safeguard the pce just in case.


    Varian looked at them with a sharp gaze.


    Since Catherine helped him get the keys for a small price, he decided to take as few lives as possible. Not that he was benevolent, but he didn''t see a point in killing others when he could achieve his goals otherwise.


    Varian pursed his lips and said the words that''d send them into a frenzy. "The Duke is about to be assassinated."


    "What?"


    "Shut up!"


    "No one can defeat the Duke! He''s a rank 5!"


    Even though they refuted him strongly, their eyes weren''t so resolute. They were shaken.


    "You fucking bastard! Are you even Raven? Or are you just wearing his skin? Reveal yourself!" The rank 3 threw a spear at him.


    The weapon spun so fast that it created a tornado in a blink. A small stone on the spear lit up and an eerie red light enveloped the spear.


    Varian raised his finger and blocked the spear with his fingertip. The fluctuating red light on the spear tried to suck away his vitality.


    His famine powers tried to stop the suction but as a low rank 2, they couldn''t fight against the attack which almost surpassed the range of a peak rank 2.


    Varian''s skin wrinkled and his hair went white. ''Fuck.''


    Half of his vitality was sucked out in a blink.


    "No, you''re not taking that away." Varian''s sliver powers smashed his seven paths and channeled them into his Famine powers.


    For just a few seconds, Varian''s famine path was pushed to rank 3.


    Like a wild beast wrestling a piece of meat with its mouth from its enemy''s stomach, his famine powers dragged back his vitality.


    ''Good.'' Varian fixated his gaze on the rank 3 and said with a solemn expression. "We can fight all day and waste time. Or you could go and actually do something about his majesty."


    The rank 3 clenched his fist and his gaze alternated between the venue that no longer existed and the enemy that stood in front of him.


    BOOM! Boom! BOOM!


    In fact, right when the venue exploded, the protective arrays of the Imperial Quarters activated and blocked away the region. Else, the shockwaves would''ve killed at least a quarter of the by now.


    With barriers covering them, the Duke could fight his enemies without worry. But that''s precisely why the rank 3 officer was so worried.


    It''s been a full minute already but the shining explosions within the barrier didn''t stop. Worse, they were growing more intense every second.


    This all pointed to a horrifying possibility.


    The Duke couldn''t finish the battle and had to keep fighting. Then, the Duke mayn''t necessarily win and would need all help avable.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "You''ll die a dog''s death, traitor!" The rank 3 officer swore heavily and ran off to therge silvery barrier.


    The soldiers looked at each other and faced Varian with a decisive gaze. Even if they die, they didn''t want to let him in.


    "Oof." Varian sighed in relief and his eyes glittered with a fleeting blue light.


    The next second, the soldiers that were prepared to fight with him nked out and copsed on the snow.


    ''Rank 3 Spirit is strong, eh.'' Varian took a step forward and he appeared right before the Pce''s main entrance.


    Now it''s blocked byyers uponyers of killing arrays. Even peak rank 3s would be butchered if they tried to trespass.


    Thankfully, Varian didn''t have to worry about all that. He took out a silvery hexagon and easily passed through the arrays and entered the Pce.


    ''Catherine is thoughtful enough.''


    Even though he could''ve gone in anyway, she saved him a lot of effort.


    And time!


    At a time when even a second could change fates.


    BOOM! BOOM!


    Even with the barrier on, the Imperial Quarters was shaking wildly, as if it was about to copse at any moment.


    Varian ran through the halls of the pce, trying to provoke as few traps as possible.


    But not once did he try to use the powers of space or time. They were almost always found in the Jai Empire. So, he reckoned the restrictions would target him way more if he used those powers.


    Thankfully, while the Pce was vast and almost as big as a small city, he had a map and managed to reach the thirty-third floor underground which contained the treasury.


    The floor itself was small and dark. The door to the treasury was very in with just one keyhole and two unicorn statues on either side.


    As he stepped closer to the door, Varian''s heart thumped.


    Ba-dum! Ba-dump!


    It was as if a deer was approaching a lion, Varian''s body was screaming at him to get away from¡ª


    "From what?"


    The eyes of the unicorn statues glowed red and Varian froze for a split second.


    The next moment, he didn''t even care about the consequences and used his space-time powers.


    With a blur, he appeared a few meters away. The ce he was standing before looked the same except for a small red light.


    But Varian could feel it clearly with his famine powers. If the powers from the spear earlier were strong enough to suck a peak rank 2 dry, then this¡­


    The red orb spun in the air, shining brightly and sucking all the vitality in the distance. It seemed to have a fixed range.


    Varian gulped and stretched his finger towards the orb from well over a hundred meters.


    When the tip of his finger crossed an invisible range, his skin wrinkled and dissolved like sand. Varian tried to pull away his finger but it just didn''t work.


    When the area of his finger in the range was dissolved, the red orb was about to start sucking away the rest of his body.


    Varian decisively cut away his hand and teleported a few floors above. He returned back after a few more minutes with a regenerated hand and a heavy heart.


    The door was still in, the red orb was missing and the statutes looked normal.


    "Fuck! Even rank 4s would die!" Varian''s chest heaved up and down as his heart beat violently.


    Had he not used his space-time powers to get out, then once he was in the range of that orb, he''d be frozen and sucked dead. Any prey that falls into the range wouldn''t be able to move.


    "Catherine¡­" Varian''s eyes shone with a fierce light for a moment before he focused back on the door.

 Chapter 1143 An Inglorious Past

    "W-Why are you¡­" The Duke struggled to speak as blood spilled out of his mouth and sshed on his celebratory clothes.


    The silvery white silk worn on the happy asion was now dyed with a deep blood color. The shirt trembled softly before breathing a gentle power into the Duke''s body.


    Like a dead branch growing leaves, the Duke''splexion eased and he gasped like a man who almost died drowning. But even then, his pupils couldn''t stop trembling fiercely as if they were witnessing a horrible sight.


    But all he faced was a smiling middle-aged man. A man who instead of the signature horn that centurions were born with had scaly skin on his forehead and the corners of his face.


    "Why am I able to weaken you?" Jorand chuckled and raised his hand.


    A white gaseous power swirled in his palm, glowing softly like the moonlight. Even though its quantity was limited, its power was on an unimaginable levelpared to that of anything the Duke could pull off.


    It''s a life strand¡ªa glimpse into the power once held by a mighty high ranker.


    By its mere presence, the Duke felt palpitations in his heart. Even though he didn''t want to, his body wanted to prostrate itself in front of that greatness and surrender to the supreme who mastered the force of life itself.


    Thankfully, it wasn''t aplete strand. Its power had been used by Lord Jorand over the decades to improve his own strength and to enve the people he ruled today.


    Not just that¡ª


    "A portion of this power is in you." Jorand''s eyes were glowing with what went beyond hatred.


    The rank 3s and rank 4s were fighting on the sidelines. Every single blow from their brawl resulted in a fierce shockwave that''d blow up entires.


    But the Uncle and the Nephew in the middle of the chaos remained still. Their hair was blowing wildly from the fierce shockwaves, blood was being sttered on their faces and clothes, and even corpses were umting near them.


    Despite all this, they behaved as if it was just the two of them in this horrific battle where life''s worth was lower than a grass de.


    "By itself, the portion is powerless and you could''ve dispelled it. But it''s concealed in the medicine you''ve been taking for thest three days. Now it''s too intertwined with you. It''s toote. It''s over." Jorand raised his arms and revealed his ns with a smug smile.


    The Duke''s face distorted, "Constantine¡­solving the drugs¡­so, it was all just¡­"


    "No, that''s the unexpected part," Jorand was malicious but he was honest. "That brat is an unexpected variable. But don''t worry, someone from your side or rather my side, manipted him to do my bidding."


    When he said those words, the direction of the grand battle in which the Duke''s forces were suppressing the Lord''s forces suddenly reversed.


    "T-Trait¡­!" Admiral Yaras, one of the only four rank 4s of the Duchy, copsed onto the ground.


    His head slowly separated from his body and they both were crushed into flesh and blood a few momentster.


    ""Akira!""


    Prime Minister Zed and a bald man red at the woman in ck.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Officially, there were only two rank 4s. Unofficially, it was three. But in truth, it was four.


    Prime Minister, Admiral, Chief Of Intelligence, and an old man who was long thought to be dead¡ªthe Duke''s eldest son.


    "I''m sorry, I''ve my grudges with this old bastard I must settle." Akira smiled at her subordinates looking at her with dumbfounded eyes.


    "You bitch! You bite the hand that feeds you! Have you forgotten who took you in when you were struggling in a fucking brothel? The Duke was benevolent but he was wrong. One really can''t expect loyalty from a whore!" The bald man, the first Prince, cursed.


    Akira fell silent at those words. But her smile grew wider and wider until it reached a point of distortion.


    Her figure shed and the next moment, her elongated nails were just an inch away from the Prince''s neck.


    "Hmph!" Snorting in disdain, the Prince swatted her hand away. But the real attack was the kick when her legs suddenly elongated.


    BOOM!


    The Prince smashed into therge barrier and slid down weakly as blood gushed out of his chest wound.


    "You saved me from being a whore?" Akira waved her arm to the right and a rank 2 imperial guard''s head was ripped off from just the shockwave.


    Her gaze turned to the old duke fighting with Lord Jorand. Even though he couldn''t exert his true strength, the Duke was still stronger than the Lord of Barix.


    ''To finish that old dog, I need to enter after all.'' Akira''s shed and she sneered. "My father was a fool to believe this old dog''s stories and joined him on dangerous adventures."


    Cassius who was trying to suppress Jorand slowed down his attacks and tried to listen.


    "He saved that old dog''s life many times. But the old dog didn''t repay the favor. My father died but he came back alive with some nasty injuries. He couldn''t make any progress and led the most pathetic life for any Duke."


    Cassius'' pupils shook and the hazy memory of a smiling man shed in his mind. It''s a secret of his. A secret he never wanted to be publicized.


    When they entered that dangerous ce, he sacrificed that man''s life to return alive. And after returning, he ordered someone to silently execute everyone in that man''s family so that he wouldn''t get into any trouble.


    Cassius gasped and his chest grew heavy. It was as if his conscience materialized and was weighed down on his shoulders.


    Lord Jorand didn''t make a move even though the opportunity was ripe. Instead, he watched his beloved uncle''s struggle with relish.


    Akira alsoughed. Sheughed as her fists smashed the face of the bald prince into a mush of meat and ended his life brutally.


    "You didn''t save me from being a whore, you old dog. To escape the people you sent after me, I sold myself. Then you still found me and made me your servant, forced me to serve you for decades, thinking that you''re ''saving'' me. What a self-righteous disgusting piece of shit you are."


    Blood slowly leaked out of Cassius'' lips. "What a wonder of fate."

 Chapter 1144 Battle At The Ends Of Galaxy

    Varian scrutinized the unicorn statues with a deep frown. They reacted fiercely to all his powers, including space and time.


    Every time Varian tried to break in, the unicorn''s eyes would move slightly and the red orbs would fly out, intending to finish him off.


    They were ckholes of vitality. Even with all his power, he had no way of neutralizing them.


    "Wait a minute¡­" Varian''s eyes shone with a glint and he waved his palm.


    A small sphere of ethereal white color flew to the red orb.


    "The order is reversed. Instead of absorbing vitality, you''ll give it out." Varian willed and the sphere enveloped the orb.


    The orb shook violently and leaked a bit of vitality before the white sphere copsed and things returned to normal.


    "Damn." Varian hissed and wondered if he was trying something impossible.


    But nope. Order and Chaos were fundamental powers holding up the cosmos.


    They governed the cosmic scales¡ªfrom the increasing chaos of the universe as a


    whole to the increasing order of existing gctic clusters.


    Simrly, Order was very much necessary for life to exist. Without proper systems governing an organism, it couldn''t function.


    The Order sliver he wielded wasn''t just a physical order, it was the manifestation of the concept itself.


    "If I can''t control all of it, then some of it should work." Varian waved his palm again.


    This time, the white sphere enveloped only a part of the red orb.


    Then, it happened.


    A quarter of the red orb glowed up brightly and began to release an enormous amount of vitality. The rest of the orb began to suck it in.


    The more it released, the more it absorbed and the more it absorbed, the more it released.


    Because of this cycle of reinforcement, the absorption and release speeds skyrocketed in a blink and reached a rate at which Varian''s senses failed to even notice the cycles.


    "Oh fuck."


    The glowing red orb was reflected in Varian''s eyes. It shone brighter and brighter with every second.


    The incredibly tough stones on the floor shook violently at first and then, the entire pceplex began to vibrate.


    Air itself grew tight and Varian felt as if he was stuck in a sea of iron.


    The expected bang didn''te. The red orb dissipated with a whimper.


    Even though it was an incredibly powerful defense mechanism, it couldn''t function forever.


    In just these few seconds, it had already elerated to the point it ran millions of absorption and suction cycles.


    As the air returned to normal and the dust settled, Varian noticed that the unicorn statues have now lost their eyeballs.


    "Son of a¡­"


    The heavy door creaked open and Varian walked into the treasury steeling his nerves.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Far away from Centaurus, Sr System, and even the Kingdom that they''re in¡ªat the very end of Gxy itself:


    A figure stood in space, her body enveloped by a soft white light. Just by her mere presence, the star systems nearby began to shake and slowly drift away. Thes she passed by on the way here were nowpletely unrecognizable from earlier.


    The barrens now had sprouts of life.


    The lifes were now undergoing an uncontroble evolution. A couple of species directly gained an innate talent. The entire ecosystem was shuffled.


    Even in empty space, the space around her shifted as a rich aura twirled around her and forms of new and wonderful life emerged and dissipated.


    A snap of her fingers and a new life would indeede into existence. However imperfect it may be from the one created by the universe''s natural order, the life she created would still be a feat to marvel at.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    The veiled woman looked into the space with a sharp gaze and her voice traveled into the distant space, carrying her sharp killing intent with it. "I''ve covered my tracks well. No one would expect a rank 9, let alone me going there in person to catch a mere duchy-level spy."


    A small chuckle came from all directions. It was a beautiful, mesmerizing, and¡­mocking chuckle.


    The space shifted in front of the veiled woman and a woman covered in purple light manifested.


    The space around her continued to twist and twirl, it was as if she was in the eye of a tornado, and could disappear at any moment. But it was also like she was the tornado. That she could make anyone disappear at any moment.


    "It''s a coincidence, Princess Cmity." The woman covered her mouth in ame attempt to hide her smirk.


    "Crimson Specter, the brother of ughter Shade¡ªthe mastermind behind thest war''s infiltrations. I thought I could gain something rted to the shade and thwart your attempts in the uing war." Miss Cmity''s voice was calm as she reported her intentions.


    But underneath her voice was a raging fury that didn''t escape the woman facing her.


    In fact, just her anger alone would''ve instantly killed a rank 7. But the woman was unperturbed.


    After all¡­


    "Esh''s trust in you is not misced. But even for you, it''s impossible to be so lucky."


    "As I said, it''s a pure coincidence." Zahara Onyx, the woman who practically oversaw the spywork of the Jai Empire in the Alliance shrugged.


    Her words caused Miss Cmity to frown for a moment and her thoughts ran a million miles a second before her lips parted. "So Esh is looking for something in that Duchy."


    Zahara nodded with a smile.


    It''s really a coincidence. If Esh wasn''t personally involved in the mission, no one would''ve known Miss Cmity herself was about to involve herself to capture this small spy.


    But by the wonder of fate, things went off in a different direction than either side anticipated.


    Zahara snapped her fingers and space the expanse of an entire sr system around Miss Cmity froze and began to copse.


    The space twisted and cracked, forming numerous unstable ck holes and countless space loops.


    A rank 8 could enter these space loops and could never get out. Even rank 9s would be swallowed alive by these space cracks for these weren''t ordinary cracks in space.


    They really ripped the target apart. Even if the enemy could regenerate from a drop of blood or even a single cell, these space cracks and space storms were so fierce that they would destroy even thatst trace of the enemy''s existence.


    But of course, that''s only normal powerhouses.


    Miss Cmity''s body was swallowed by the fierce space cracks and disappeared. But the next moment, she stepped out from another ce with no injuries whatsoever.


    The space attacks ripped her to pieces again and again. But every single time, she came back in perfect condition.


    Zahara''s lips twitched and she stopped attacking. Sealing the space further, she said with a provocative sneer. "My boss doesn''t speak much, but her fists aren''t very forgiving. You, of all people, should know."


    Miss Cmity''s pupils froze for a split second before she returned to her calmness. "She belongs to my great-grandfather''s generation and brags about overwhelming me. Indeed, I know what a pathetic failure she is."


    "Harsh words, Miss Cmity." Zahara''s voice was filled with regret and pity. "As punishment, I''ll have you stay here until the business in that duchy is sorted out."


    Miss Cmity''s eyes narrowed.


    The clone should be capable of defeating that weak spy. But since they''re prepared¡­


    A sigh escaped her lips and her eyes shone with a mysterious light for a split second.


    At the exact moment, a couple ten thousand light years away from her, in a pce built on top of a tree growing on a literal star, a woman in maid clothes blinked twice before yelling. "Centaurus Duchy, Esh Starlight''s mission, Crimson Spector."


    A fierce breath rose from the tree and disappeared into a space gate. Only a voice was left behind. "I''ll be there in five minutes."


    Miss Cmity repeated the words to Zahara who didn''t seem surprised. "Five minutes is forever, you know."


    "Your sense of time is really distorted, just like Esh."


    "She could twist time itself. Such majesty would indeed be beyond time." Zahara said with reverence and turned her attention back to Miss Cmity. "And you, on the other hand, will have to understand that everything will be over in five minutes."


    Miss Cmity''s breath filled the sealed space and it began to crack like a mirror. But Zahara continued to enforce the space and the two got into a stalemate.


    Just a few seconds ago, Crimson Spector and the Clone of Miss Cmity finally reached the Duke''s treasury.

 Chapter 1145 Attacked By A Rank 5

    It was snowing.


    The smooth and soft snow fell slowly. Instead of pure white, it was red and purple, carrying a heavy scent of blood.


    The capital fell into absolute darkness except for the periodic blinding lights from the explosions in the pce.


    The ground shook violently, and a fierce aura storm swept the entire city.


    People stayed in their homes and clung for dear life. Even celestial rankers didn''t dare toe out as even the controlled shockwaves proved to be catastrophic.


    Only a few men and women in hoods rushed to the pce. Their breaths were heavy and their steps unsteady. But strangely, their aura continued to rise and they grew faster and faster.


    Worse, all of them carried a thick killing intent and fierceness that wouldn''t appear without stepping on mountains of corpses.


    "These bastards destroyed our livelihood, hunted us down like street rats. For what? For those filthymoners? We''re not the same breed as them. We''re the kings, the lords who oversaw the drug trade. We can''t live like gutter rats! The Duchy must end!" The man leading the group raised his arm and roared.


    His speech garnered passionate battle cries.


    Almost at the same time, an elite army of a hundred thousand on spaceships reached the entrance of the pce. All of them were Sovereigns.


    They rushed here after learning something was off with the capital. Even though they''re all weak by themselves, if paired with the special artifacts, this army could suppress even several rank 3 celestials.


    Even for a Duchy, a hundred thousand sovereigns were no joke. Even more, all of them were geniuses. There''d at least be a thousand celestial rankers from this army in theing years.


    When this elite army came to control the situation, they were blocked by a couple of men and women in ragged clothing and haggard faces.


    Their faces were instantly recognized. They were all high up in the bounties and were also the targets their army had to hunt.


    But instead of fighting them right away as they would''ve usually, themander of the army stepped forward and said.


    "I don''t know what they promised you, but if you assist the Duchy in this critical moment, your crimes will be written off. The victory of our Duchy is only a matter of time. The Duke is just letting the fight brew so he can clean up the traitors at once. This is your golden opportunity to bury the past and start a new life."


    What followed his words was an unexpected silence.


    Themander made up a lot of what he said. He had no power to decide the fate of these drug lords even if they helped the Duchy now. But he at least hoped to turn several of them to their side so that they could hurry into the pce.


    But to his unease, the drug lords merely looked at each other and chuckled.


    "Bury the past? A new life? Forgive?"


    "We did nothing wrong."


    "The Duchy wasn''t even brave enough to attack Havocs. You cowardly hypocrites couldn''t touch us when we still had their backing."


    "But you want us to be your dogs now? Impossible!"


    "We lived like kings, we''d never be your dogs!"


    Beams of tremendous auras shot into the sky and lit up the entire for a second.


    Themander gritted his teeth and unsheathed his sword. "So be it."


    The hundred thousand army split into five formations and a token on their armor lit up.


    There was a deep hum in the silent night and five fierce sword lights shed at the drug lords.


    "Petty tricks." The drug lords attacked back and a fierce battle began.


    Unlike in the Pce, this battle wasn''t much restrained by the formations.


    Even though the capital itself was blessed through several artifacts and wouldn''t break because of celestials fighting, it suffered a lot of damage.


    Everything in the vicinity of a thousand miles was wiped out in an instant.


    The once bustling streets, the luxuriousmercial blocks, and the celebratory grounds, all turned into ruins in a blink.


    The loss of life in that one second was more than a hundred million.


    "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk."


    Clicking his tongue as if pitying the sight in front of him, a man in red robes walked into the pce calmly.


    As early as the first battle began, the protection formations in the pce kicked in.


    Any unidentified entity was targeted severely and had little chance of surviving unless they had the strength of a rank 3 celestial.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    That''s why the powerhouse of Barix first helped destroy the formations in some areas through which the weaker celestials fought their enemies.


    Crimson Specter didn''t even try. With each step he took, a ripple spread on the glowing formations and they exploded.


    The soldiers and officers that saw him couldn''t even utter a word before their heads and bodies separated.


    The only person he had to watch out for in the Duchy was the Duke himself. If the Duke wasn''t engaged, he could use the special defense formations and make his mission difficult.


    But even more dangerously, the Duke could activate the teleportation formation in the treasury and send away the treasures, rendering his mission impossible.


    So, Crimson Specter waited until the Duke was pulled into a fight he couldn''t get out of and entered the pceplex.


    "Hm?" He stopped in front of the pce''s main entrance and frowned deeply.


    At that exact moment, at the back entrance of the pce stood a woman.


    The two powerhouses could feel each other''s presence clearly even though the pce was as big as a city.


    Their eyes shifted and seemed to lock for a moment before they both moved their fingers.


    The main pce, the ce with one of the highest defense formations, was hit by two unassuming lights.


    The pce split apart and the two lights reached the floor of the treasury underground.


    The two light rays struck the unicorn-statued door and it blew into ashes.


    But Varian, who was never expecting this, was hit by the Crimson Spector''s attack.


    He was pondering about entering the treasury at one moment. Then, his senses screamed.


    But before he could even react, a thin line of space passed right through his heart.


    "I¡­" Varian tried to raise his hand to touch his chest. But his hand limped down like a puppet whose strings were cut.


    The small hole in his chest began to crack open and Varian copsed onto his back.


    His disguise wore off and his heart began to crack apart like it was made of ss.


    But it wasn''t just his heart, his lungs, stomach, even blood¡­


    Cracks appeared on Varian''s body. It was as if he was a doll of ss. He slowly broke down into small crystals.


    "W¡­" Varian''s mind felt heavy and everything was slowly growing dark. Theforting embrace of endless sleep reached out to him with irresistible allure.


    Light footsteps sounded and a red boot stepped on the crystals that were once a man and walked into the treasury.


    A woman flew down from the opposite direction and looked at him with a look of pity. But she too entered the treasury without a word.


    Varian''s body had long since broken down. The only reason he still survived was his Spirit power.


    If he reached rank 4, he could survive as a soul even if his body was destroyed. But he''s just a rank 2 Spirit. Surviving a few extra seconds was already the greatest gift.


    Varian didn''t have the power to fight back against the unexpected death. His body had already broken down. His soul was also slowly going nk.


    No powers of his could change this situation.


    ''I¡­don''t want to die.'' Varian''s hazy mind sharpened for a brief moment and a thought shed in his mind.


    This injury was something even his monstrous regeneration couldn''t reverse. The tyrannical power of space was still in his body and pushing him to death.


    If it''s calm, he''d still have a chance to deal with it using the sliver powers.


    Just like¡­


    ''The life strand!''


    Varian''s consciousness quickly found the parts of life strand sealed in his body. Using the power of the slivers, he sealed the power inside his body and escaped control of Akira.


    As his mind was about to go nk, Varian used thest bit of his willpower to remove the seal.


    And then he fell into an endless darkness.

 Chapter 1146 The Woman Called Calamity

    "A bug in this ce at this time. Is he also your pawn?" Crimson Specter strolled into the treasury with calm steps.


    It was an exceedingly refined ce. The blue marble walls were polished to the point they could work as fine mirrors.


    There seemed to be an endless line of shelves carved into the walls, each containing extremely precious treasures.


    Even if Centaurus declined, its wealth was higher than a hundred provincesbined.


    Each shelf was guarded by a small unicorn statue. Just like outside, if any unauthorized person entered this ce, they''d be attacked by the vitality-sucking red orbs.


    Even though each unicorn statue was smaller and weaker than the ones outside, they could pile up their attacks and overwhelm even a rank 6.


    That''s why, even though Crimson Specter and Miss Cmity''s clone entered the treasury, they didn''t do anything rash.


    Crimson Specter was searching for the item he had to retrieve. Miss Cmity was waiting for him to provoke the unicorn and get caught in the security mechanism before making a move.


    As a space awakener, Crimson Specter was a master at fleeting. If it''s her real body, she''d have no problem restricting him.


    But as a clone, attacking him when he''s already entangled by the security mechanism was her best shot.


    So, they both strolled into the treasury. A man in red robes with creepy designs embroidered. A veiled woman in long-sleeved blue clothes and arge floral skirt.


    A suspicious mage and a princess-like girl strolling in someone else''s treasury.


    "Miss Cmity, why don''t you answer?" Crimson Specter smirked as he checked off another shelf and moved to the next. "Afraid?"


    His words pricked the pride that the clone inherited and she sneered. "If it''s my main body, no, even if it''s a clone I spend some more time to create, you would be kowtowing, begging for mercy. It''s funny you say I''m afraid."


    "Funny that a rank 9 is targeting me and still got outsmarted?" Crimson Specter chuckled.


    But Miss Cmity couldn''t smile. The temperature of the treasury dropped to a freezing point and the air grew heavy.


    Crimson Specter''s eyes narrowed and he continued to provoke her. "It won''t be long before the entire Vita council will near that Princess Cmity hasn''t just lost to Princess Esh, but also to her subordinate."


    Miss Cmity''s chest heaved up and down as her eyes red with anger. It had been so long since anyone dared to insult her like this.


    She had the urge to just fight him right away. But Miss Cmity controlled herself. As her aura dropped, the eyes of the unicorn statutes around them slowly moved away from her.


    If she took the first shot now, she''d have been targeted and lost any chance of taking down the bastard.


    "The best Zahara can do is block me, she can''t even dream of injuring me." Miss Cmity sneered. "As for your Princess, once I breakthrough, Jai Empire will have one less Divinity. After all, her imperfect divinity would never win against me."


    "I-Imperfect?" Crimson''s heart sank. He realized he stumbled on a huge secret.


    "The whole affair was strange and unexpected.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Zahara blocked me on the border of the gxy and rendered my n useless. But fighting me on the edge of this empire is a big threat to her. She''s changing the locations of us constantly, trying to steer away from the old monsters.


    But she can only hide from them for so long. Once they step in, her return is no longer guaranteed. She''ll be seriously injured to the point she''d have to rest for a hundred years at best. Or she''d die a brutal death at worst."


    Miss Cmity''s voice was calm and in as if she was talking about a daily affair. But the content she spoke shook the heart of the master spy who didn''t hesitate to taunt a rank 9.


    Crimson''s face was pale and his arms shook violently. The confident strides he took just a while ago now turned into sluggish drags.


    Crimson Specter was a man who was feared throughout the Duchies for his terrific record. Since he could talk to her without fear, he had forgotten who he was talking to.


    This was Miss Cmity. A woman who was dangerous enough that even Jai Empire''s army treated her as a target they should steer away from.


    Wherever she was involved, only destruction remained. Jai Empire had learned their lesson when she single-handedly ended three kingdoms and dealt an irrevocable blow.


    It was more than a hundred trillion lives, but not a single lived to tell the tale. She''s a living nightmare and was called Miss Cmity ever since.


    "In the war, five hundred years ago, when she was still a rank 9, a part of her precious self is broken from her and sealed." Miss Cmity chuckled. It was a pleasant, mesmerizing and charming chuckle that''d ensnare any man''s heart.


    But to the famous specter, there couldn''t be anything more devious than that chuckle. It twisted his heart and threw him into an icy abyss.


    His heart raced as the gravity of the situation finally dawned on him. His mind just couldn''t stop thinking as the puzzle pieces finally fell into ce.


    No wonder Princess Esh was personally looking into his puny mission. No wonder Zahara Onyx would risk her life just to block Miss Cmity. No wonder he was asked to aplish the mission even if it costs his life.


    "You''re lying! Even if it''s thest war, Princess was unparalleled. No one could defeat her! Much less separate a part of her and seal it!" Crimson grinned at Miss Cmity with a confident expression.


    Miss Cmity merely smiled at him. "Yes, I''m lying, Spymaster. Now, go get the sealed box."


    Crimson Specter clenched his fists and slowly walked to the shelf that he noticed a while ago.


    The crystal on him slowly lit up as he approached it.


    Yes, this was it.


    The treasure box.


    The sealed part of Esh Starlight herself.


    "Go on." Miss Cmity''s voice rang cooly. "Take it."


    The dynamics hadpletely switched.


    But even then, Crimson Specter ignored his shuddering body and raised his hand.

 Chapter 1147 Ticking Time

    Entire years could pass by without anything important. And there''d be minutes that would alter an entire lifetime.


    As he reached out his hand, the unbearable past he buried deep within shed in Crimson''s mind.


    Sold by his parents because he was talented, the hellhole he was taken to showed no such thing as mercy. Right from that tender age, he experienced all pains in the world that could be experienced.


    The leaders of the organization deemed it as the perfect learning method to create spies that wouldn''t leak a word. It''s also there that they were subjected to several methods where their souls were distorted enough so that even powerful soul controllers would find it very hard to extract their memory.


    Crimson didn''t know what normal people were like. But he understood that it wasn''t normal to feel a burst of pleasure whenever he tortured someone to a horrifying death.


    It felt really good, to see them bawl their eyes out and scream until their throat breaks. Instead of letting them die instantly, cutting their throats or wrists and letting them slowly but torturously bleed to death was wonderful.


    Crimson couldn''t find any difference in food, music, or beauty. There was no novelty he wanted to pursue, no woman he wanted to love, no ce he wanted to visit. To him, they were one and the same.


    But violence and pain...they were different. Whenever he saw someone in deep pain, he had a twisted pleasure he couldn''t resist. Every inch of his body and every sliver of his soul screamed for him to get more of that pleasure.


    ''That''s why, I have to survive, to get what I want¡­I must.'' Crimson''s eyes glowed for a second and the space around a porcin bottle shifted.


    The eyes of the unicorn statutes all around turned to him instantly and spat out small red orbs at a speed that resembled teleportation.


    If it was anyone else, even the fastest Adept, they would''ve been unable to escape these vitality-draining red orbs.


    But Crimson just waved his hand and space began to ripple with him as a center. It was as if invisible waves were sshing against the red orbs. These space ripples continuously pushed against the red orbs and kept them away, just a distance from where they could take down Crimson.


    "You''re done," Miss Cmity''s voice was filled with equal parts of glee and fury.


    An invisible force field of life spread from her. As it passed by the shelves, the precious nts, herbs, and fruits collected there all began to grow wildly.


    This invisible force drilled a hole right through the space waves and reached Crimson in the blink of an eye.


    When Miss Cmity''s clone thought he was going to end for certain, a bracelet he was wearing under the robe suddenly lit up.


    A single wave of blue power shot at the invisible force and broke it with ease.


    "Huh? The smuggled artifact¡­"


    Zahara asked him to take an artifact through some channels a while ago. He thought it was a recement to the one he lost but this treasure was on another level!


    It behaved normally so far but when it sensed Miss Cmity''s power, it revealed its true power.


    ''They nned this way back.'' Miss Cmity frowned and clenched her fists.


    The blue power rippling out of that artifact was the power of time itself. It wasn''t normally countering her attack, the time power was directly freezing her attack!


    "Esh¡­" Miss Cmity gnashed her teeth but didn''t stop her hand movements.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    She formed a unique symbol and pushed her palm toward the Specter.


    Miss Cmity''s left arm dissipated into particles of light and a thick beam of green light shot out.


    Instead of attacking him directly, the green light dispersed into several rays and struck the unicorn statues.


    As a result, instead of going to the attacker, the red orbs all targeted the spy.


    "You erased your life fluctuations?" Crimson Specter''s expression was fierce and his eyes zed with hatred.


    Even a rank 6 Forcender couldn''t do that, much less rank 5. But the one he''s facing was no ordinary rank 5. It''s a clone of a rank 9.


    By paying the price of an arm, she did the ridiculous thing of deceiving the entire defense system of the treasury that she''s not even ''alive''.


    ''What do I do? What do I do?'' Crimson''s eyes wandered around and he desperately searched for an exit.


    He wanted to teleport right after getting the porcin bottle but the treasury activated its defense arrays right after an item was taken without authorization. By the time he figured a way to teleport out of the defense arrays, this happened.


    "You''ll not win!" Crimson said in a freezing tone and unleashed all his power to resist the onught of the red orbs.


    He couldn''t let them cross a certain distance or it''d be over once they start sucking his vitality.


    "I''ll not win? No, I won long ago." Miss Cmity shook her head and kept her gaze on his shining bracelet.


    It seemed to have a mind on its own and was solely focusing on her. If she made a move, then it''d get involved.


    Despite being supremely confident in her own abilities, Miss Cmity couldn''t help but want to avoid a collision with this dangerous artifact.


    What''s more, with an arm gone, her power had dropped. From the peak of rank 5 to just a low rank 5. She was no longer able to defeat Crimson one-on-one.


    But that didn''t mean she''d stay still and give her enemy a chance to figure a way out of his predicament.


    With a cruel smile under her veil, she snapped her fingers. The red orbs were pushed by an invisible force and got into a specialized formation. Compared to earlier, they were much more efficient and dangerous.


    Crimson''s face grew pale as he realized his aura was draining at an rming pace. Even with his reserves, these monstrous little ck holes would empty him in ten minutes at most.


    As Crimson''s eyes grew more and more desperate, Miss Cmity crossed her arms and waited patiently.


    If she attacked now and provoked that bracelet identally, the certain victory would vanish and an uncertain future would appear.


    "Come on. Do your best."

 Chapter 1148 A Golden Opportunity

    The Duke''s power had fallen below rank 5. Yet, he was able to overwhelm Lord Jorand who was at the peak of rank 4.


    The Duke''s four rank 4s were Prime Minister, Grand Admiral, Duke''s eldest son, and Akira.


    With Akira defecting and killing Cassius'' eldest son, the Duchy had two rank 4s.


    Barix Province also had two. In addition to Akira, there was a fierce bald man over eight feet and a ripped physique. He''s a peak rank 4 that Jorand used the life strand to enve.


    After years of training, he had now be a shell of a man but an impossibly loyal servant.


    Without any regard for his own state, the bald man took on both the Prime Mister and Grand Admiral.


    The Duchy certainly was matched by Barix in rank 3s. But in rank 2s and rank 1s, Centaurus heavily outnumbered Barix Province.


    It should''ve been a game-changer and ended the battle by now.


    But unexpectedly, a lot of these soldiers suddenly felt an unknown force bursting out right from their bodies and injuring them internally.


    "What''s happening?"


    "I-It''s the medical material from the pills we took!"


    "And the potions!"


    The panicked screams of the rank 1s and rank 2s filled the air as their Barix counterparts exploited the situation and brutally ughtered them.


    "AKIRA!"


    A thunderous roar shook the entire. Millions living within a hundred miles of the pce fainted on the spot. Even many rank 1s fighting fiercely felt dizzy.


    "Hahaha, yes, thanks to the help of Akira, I was able to mix some things into their potions." Lord Jorand wrung his hair and dried off the sticky blood.


    Compared to Jorand who had injuries all over his body, Cassius was in a much better state. Except for a few gashes here and there, he looked alright.


    "Don''t be so angry, my dear duke," Akira threw away the treasures she used to cripple the soldiers and entered the barrier to face the Duke.


    "This is between you two and me. They''re all innocent." Cassius spat and pointed to the thousands fighting around them outside the thick barrier.


    "Innocent?" Jorandughed. "Following a scum like you is a sin in itself."


    "They were given an option to switch sides, my dear duke." Akira''s reply was calm but taunting. "They made the wrong choice."


    Looking at the madman and woman, Cassius clenched his fists and his chest heaved up and down.


    He might''ve fought them desperately if he was still young. But with age, he had many things to consider.


    Even if he won, it''d be a tragic victory. The loss of a rank 4 was already damaging, but they''d lose many rank 3s and rank 2s.


    There were signs that a war would kick off in the near future. If Centaurus was so weak, then it''d be finished under the hands of the brutal Jai Empire.


    These were all under the premise he won. What if he lost?


    He was able to suppress Lord Jorand so far. But if Akira was added into the mix¡­


    "Is there no other way? Even if you win, you''ll end up in a worse state than before." Cassius said in an earnest tone.


    Jorand fell silent for a few seconds before crossing his arms. "Admit every horrible thing you''ve done over the years. Not just to me or Akira, but every damn family you''ve ruined, every fucking child you orphaned, and every city you left to the wolves. Admit everything in front of everyone and kill yourself."


    "W-What are you saying?" Cassius looked at him in disbelief.


    "Enough talk! I want to hear him scream and writhe in pain." Akira''s hands glowed and she shot forward in a blur.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    A blinding light shed and a fierce shockwave swept the pceplex despite the thick barrier.


    Even the strongest rank 3s outside could only see three blurred figures shing endlessly in the barrier.


    As time passed, more and more people began to die off. The battles grew slow and less intense. As injuries piled up and aura reserves depleted, the fighters simply couldn''t exert the power they first did.


    Everyone''s powers were down by almost a rank. The Duke had it the worst and was just lingering above rank 3.


    Akira and Jorand were a tad better and were managing to disy the strength of a low rank 3.


    Compared to earlier, the Duke was now covered in dire injuries. Akira and Jorand were better, but just rtively. They too had several deep cuts that''d have caused them to scream at other times.


    But now, with vengeance-filled souls, they forgot to even scream.


    All they could and did was fight.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "That fucking son of a¡­" Varian rubbed his head and slowly opened his eyes. It hurt like hell and he still felt like a sharp de was just slicing away his insides to paper-thin pieces.


    He''d have really died this time. The life strand Akira fed him forcefully was ironically what pulled him back from death.


    "I''ll kill that bastard," Varian said with a harsh tone under the rubble. But despite sensing the two presences inside the treasury, he teleported out of the main pce and sat on the stairs with a tired expression. "But I can''t kill him now. I''m too weak. Fuck it. You have two years at most and six months at least."


    ''Status''


    [Mystic Rank 2: 225/250 (+75)


    [Destruction of your body to such a basic level turns out to be one of the most productive ways to grow stronger. Who could guess, eh?]


    Famine Rank 2: 200/250 (+75)


    [Reconstructing your entire body and filling its life force is also one of the best ways to improve your Famine powers.]


    Spirit Rank 2: 150/250 (+75)


    [Your soul dissolved.]


    Matter Rank 2: 150/250 (+50)


    Energy Rank 2: 150/250 (+50)


    [Your body is an orderly system with its own chaos. Deconstruction and reconstruction is a very good learning session. Try it a few more times.]


    Space Rank 2: 249/250 (+149)


    [You should''ve reached rank 3 but you hit a bottleneck. It''s not hard but you need to experience space properly to break it.]


    Time Rank 2: 150/250 (+50)


    PS: If it wasn''t for that life strand, you''d have been a goner. So, realize how weak you are. Do not getcent.]


    "¡­I still have to go down there and get that thing from the treasury." Varian stood up and looked down, his gaze piercing through the endless stone and floors underground and locked onto the figure in red robes.


    But to do that, he''d better be as strong as possible. It''d be aic tragedy if he died after surviving miraculously.


    It''s in his best interest to be as strong as possible to increase his survivability.


    "Now, this is a golden opportunity." Varian looked at the fierce battle in the distance with a scorching gaze.

 Chapter 1149 A Blessing And A Curse

    Crimson Specter was slowly losing the battle. Facing against the red orbs that continued to push against him like mad dogs, his reserves were about to bottom out.


    ''In thirty, no, forty seconds¡­'' Miss Cmity narrowed her eyes and an invisible ripple spread out from her.


    It would be hard for rank 5s but even as a weak Forcender, she was disying great skill in grasping her own life force and using it outside her body.


    This force hovered around the red orbs and waited in ambush. Once the orbs rush in to take him out, the Specter wouldsh out and try to escape. Then she''d strike him.


    Crimson''s eyes grew fiery as he noticed the confidence blooming on the veiled woman''s face.


    The world around him suddenly quietened down and all his worries disappeared for a brief moment.


    "Haaaa~" A deep sigh left his lips and Crimson''s eyes met with Cmity''s.


    Then, under the Princess'' dumbfounded gaze, the waves of space-stopping the red orbs suddenly vanished. The orbs shook violently for a moment and were about to race toward him. Princess'' attack was also ready to strike him.


    ''Without that defense, it''s over. But did he really give up?''


    As the red orbs started to reach the man''s body, his red, ominous robe whose insides were inscribed with ominous but esoteric runes slid down.


    The right half of Crimson Specter''s body was youthful and resembled a humanoid inte thirties. But the left half was limp, wrinkled, and resembled a bag of bones than a living being.


    "Oh damn¡­" Miss Cmity realized she overlooked one thing so far.


    A fierce space storm brewed around Crimson. The red orbs that tried to drain him were sted away. Miss Cmity''s force attack was cracked into pieces.


    Crimson Specter looked into the veiled woman and pointed to his left body with an ironic smile."It''s a curse and a blessing. Few members of my race have the talent to sacrifice their vitality to temporarily improve their space-time powers. It''s the reason why my parents were able to sell me for a good price. It''s the reason they¡­even saw me as fit for this job.


    I hate this talent. It made my life miserable. But without it, I''d have been killed by my own parents. It saved my life."


    As he continued to speak, his youthful half also began to age. The skin sagged and wrinkled, the muscles shrunk, and the bones turned light and brittle. His straight back arched, and the skin on his face dried like he was a mummy.


    ''A sad past can never give me sympathy against a man thatmitted evil. What if your life was bad? It doesn''t justify destroying others'' lives. The oppressed bes the oppressor and the oppressor justifies his behavior with his poor past. This is why the cycle never ends.'' Miss Cmity set up a force field to resist the space storm.


    The two fields shed.


    One was the fundamental power of space. Anything it touched, anywhere it went, it just twisted the fundamental building block of reality¡ªspace.


    The other was Qi, the applied life force. It could affect anything and everything¡ªspace, time, order, and chaos.


    The Qi field tried to calm down the space and neutralize the space storm. It worked, partially. But the space cracked faster than the Qi field could fix.


    If it was just a pure contest of strength between the two, Crimson Specter would never gain any upper hand against Miss Cmity.


    But thanks to his racial talent, Crimson''s space storm grew fiercer and fiercer until it started to rip apart the tiles of the floor and crack the walls.


    Despite her Qi field copsing, Miss Cmity didn''t back away. The defense arrays in here were being slowly eroded, one by one. When enough were gone, Crimson would directly teleport and escape.


    "Thanks to you, I''ll gain the reputation of killing Miss Cmity, even if it''s just a clone." Crimson smiled even as his body began to shrivel.


    ''I might really die here.'' Even though she''s a clone, she didn''t want to die. But the instructions of her main body were crystal clear.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    She must obtain the item even at the price of her life. It''s just that even if she tried her best, she couldn''t win the Specter using his racial talent.


    A clone and a hastily created clone at that definitely wouldn''t be able to replicate the main body''s talent. Else, with Miss Cmity''s talent, this fight would''ve ended in the first minute.


    Tiny, almost invisible cuts began to appear on her body. It was as if a sharp thread was sliding on her skin, strong enough to tear her skin but gentle enough to not spill out blood.


    Miss Cmity shone with a white light and her injuries began to quickly heal. But just as the old ones disappeared, newer and bigger ones appeared.


    In just seconds, she was a bleeding mess. She felt like a wild animal slowly bled to death for the amusement of the butcher.


    As his victory was assured, Crimson nced at the legendary woman with a relieved smile. "If I hadn''t used my talent, I would''ve lost. The legendary spy losing to a mere clone, hmph. But you know, this mission was supposed to be way easier. It''s you who pulled the strings and brought it to this stage."


    Miss Cmity''s eyes only responded with a sharp re.


    Crimson didn''t care. He could feel it clearly. A few minutes at most and he''d be able to leave.


    "First, Havocs. They were a persecuted race in Nexus Empire who ended up here. Of course, I was the one who helped them move here. So, on this important day, they promised to help. With a rank 4 and a couple rank 3s, this would''ve been a cakewalk."


    "And they lost to a nobody." Miss Cmity sneered.


    "Second," Crimson didn''t respond to her provocation. "The twins of Starsafe and their sibling¡ªthe drug lord of Ubiq, were working against the Duke for ages. They have members in the pce who could help them turn down the defenses. With their help, I wouldn''t need to wait so long to teleport."


    Miss Cmity tried to lift her hand and strike him while he was immersed in speaking. But the fluctuating space restricted her movements and her hand, which just moved a few inches was losing arge chunk of flesh.


    "You did these two things. I''m guessing that bug outside was also your idea. Too bad it''s too weak." Crimson sneered.


    "You sneak attacked."


    "So? That bastard wrecked my ns and made me lose my vitality. He deserves a very painful death. Lucky for him he''s already dead." Crimson sneered and cast a nce at the rubble outside the treasury.


    That man was buried underne¡­


    "Huh?"


    Miss Cmity also noticed something weird.


    That body was missing.


    "W-Wait, he didn''t die?" Crimson blinked his eyes in disbelief.


    But even if he didn''t die, why didn''t he feel Varian slipping away? He''s a fucking rank 5!


    He would''ve never guessed that Varian''s order powers allowed him an extraordinary degree of stealth.


    But he did guess that trouble might return. Even though Varian was so weak, Crimson didn''t want to risk losing everything after this harsh victory.


    "I''ll end this quick."

 Chapter 1150 Overwhelming Strength

    The Duchy''s army was slowly losing to the Province. It wasn''t the Province itself that was very strong. Sure, Barix was extraordinary. But by itself, it''s still far from topping Centaurus.


    It''s the traitors!


    Cassius crossed his arms and blocked the sharp punch to his chest. As the price forpletely blocking Jorand''s attack, he took a direct attack from Akira on his back.


    With a muffled ground, he crashed to the ground like an asteroid. If not for the formations restricting the impact, the entire would''ve started to crack like an egg.


    "Old dog, seeing you like this really causes pity." Akira licked the blood flowing down her nails and slender fingers like a wild cat. "But too bad, I am a sadist through and through. I like to destroy cute, beautiful, and pitiful things."


    Cassius had already stood up and faced the two of them with the same stern gaze he put on for the past few minutes.


    Since things came to this, he''d have to kill them both at any cost.


    His trump card was his racial talent. Once the aura stored in his horn gets released, his strength would skyrocket for a short period.


    But once the usage was over, he would fall into a weak state. If they didn''t die even then, he''d be in big danger.


    Understandably, he was reluctant to use that talent. But now he was pushed to a corner and decided to us¡ª


    "Support arrived! Lads, say hello to your savior!" A burning white meteor fell from the sky and crashed in the middle of the battlefield.


    A shockwave struck the chests of the Barix rank 2 powerhouses before they could react. They exploded into blood and bones, unable to offer any resistance.


    The battles between rank 1s and rank 2s nearby stopped. The rank 3s also turned in this direction with fear and anticipation.


    "It''s you!" The Imperial Guards recognized him right away. This mad son of a bitch fought a hundred rank 1s by himself!


    "Who else?" Varian shrugged with a smirk and his gaze turned to the dozens of rank 3s and hundreds of rank 2s in the battlefield. The number of rank 1s breached a thousand.


    Thankfully, there were enough defense arrays to keep the impact under control. Else, this would''ve long been destroyed.


    "Constantine, suspected to be rank 3." A man who seemed like amanding officer informed hispany of soldiers.


    The two hundred peak rank 1s, thirty rank 2s, and one rank 3 set their sights on him under the guidance of that man.


    Varian narrowed his eyes as this unit fast approached him. These guys were different from the other Barix troops.


    At a nce, their armors, swords, and other equipment were two grades betterpared to their peers.


    But there''s a bigger difference that Varian was able to detect only through his famine power.


    ''They have something extra¡­activated in them.''


    Whoever they passed by, these soldiers casually waved their hands, and green gaseous substance leaked out of their fingertips.


    The soil melted away as did the skin and flesh of the unfortunate centurian soldiers touched by the gas.


    Even the ones strong enough to resist the erosion of the gas quickly clutched their necks in a desperate attempt to not breathe in the poisonous gas.


    But it entered their system through the pores on their body and killed them quickly.


    "Nagas who can use their racial talent well, hm." Varian cracked his neck and muttered.


    Their poison grew with their physique and the poison of a rank 3 Mystic could pretty much kill a dozen Mystics of equal strength.


    Instead of waiting for their attack, Varian jumped right at them. The green clouds swallowed him without hesitation and Varian inhaled the poison like it''s some sweet fragrance.


    "W-Wait, what?" The rank 3mander leading the soldiers froze abruptly and looked on with a dumbstruck gaze.


    He had seen many weird people since he joined the service. People who didn''t bat an eyelid when killing a million, parents that tortured their own children, children that harmed their own parents, and many horrible events and people.


    But a guy so crazy that he''d inhale the infamous Naga poison and from a rank 3 no less¡­


    "Is he trying tomit suicide?"


    Inhaling that poison? Even rank 4s might die.


    "This is so tamepared to earlier! It''s just a scratch! No, less than a scratch!"


    A tremendous suction force emerged in Varian''s body and the famine powers devoured the poisonpletely. Even then, they severely damaged his organs in a short period of time.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Yet, to Varian, this felt so easy, so manageablepared to the unbeatable space attack earlier.


    Severe injuries? He could heal them in seconds. Loss of vitality? He can make it up by draining it from a dozen enemies.


    But that space power that kept killing him¡­


    Even if he''s fully prepared, Varian had no confidence in surviving that attack. And it''s just a casual attack of that man.


    "Come on! Fight hard!" Varian emerged out of the green cloud andnded in front of the hundred-odd soldiers.


    His normal clothes were intact for reasons they couldn''t even understand and he lookedpletely unharmed.


    With their most potent ability rendered useless, the group stepped back hesitantly for the first time.


    Varian grinned like a predator and grabbed the neck of the rank 3 officer in a sh. It was scaly and slippery. Varian lost grip in a blink.


    But if he hadn''t, he''d have broken the neck and ripped themander''s head off.


    As he barely escaped from death, the officer felt his heart nearly exploding in his chest and roared. "Fall back!"


    Scales quickly grew on all the soldiers and their speeds slightly increased.


    "Nah, you''re not going anywhere."


    The Demon Sword of Uranus slid into his palm and Varian shed the space horizontally.


    A red line thinner than a strand of hair shed and passed through the soldiers.


    "Huh?"


    "What was that?"


    "I-It reached me but I can''t feel anything."


    "It''s supposed to be an attack?"


    The soldiers were confused but hastened their movements and retreated a few dozen miles in seconds.


    Varian sheathed his sword and calmly walked to the area where rank 3s were fighting.


    "Huh?" The fleeing soldiers stopped and looked at each other in confusion.


    The rank 3mander who almost lost his head in Varian''s head also stopped.


    He nced at the soldiers and wanted to ry the next order. But his eyes froze and his hands began to tremble.


    "E-Everyone¡­"


    A cold wind blew on the nape of his neck and he unsheathed his sword in a hurry.


    "Commander?"


    The soldiers turned to look at him.


    They shouldn''t have done that.


    A thin red line on their necks expanded in a blink. Just like neatly sliced butter pieces sliding over one another, the turned necks of the soldiers slid off their torsos.


    Under themander''s horrified gaze, more than a hundred bodies were standing headless, sshing blood out like fountains.


    "Gulp."


    It was a chilling sight even for a veteran. But in gulping his saliva, his throat moved more than it should.


    A red line also appeared on his neck. With a shaking hand, themander touched his neck and after realizing it was just a shallow wound, his shoulders rxed and he slumped on the ground.


    The man was defeated even without a fight.

 Chapter 1151 True Evil

    Centaurus had just one rank 5, only four rank 4s. The pirs of the Duchy had always been the rank 3s.


    Despite its expanse and poption, it had only a limited of these. Even if the 500 billion poption was searched, one wouldn''t find more than a hundred rank 3s.


    The official number was always less because a lot of rank 3s when facing the end of their lives would go into a secluded retreat for onest try or just give up the divine paths altogether and live a normal life.


    In everyone''s minds, even if the sky fell, they would be there to hold it up. For a province like Barix, rank 3s were supposed to their rulers. But thanks to Lord Jorand''s unexpected resources, they be important fighting forces.


    Even though they were disadvantaged against the Duchy''s forces, thanks to the traitors that emerged at unexpected moments, the province''s rank 3s now had a definitive edge.


    "You beast! The admiral saved your life and you betray him? Even animals are more grateful than you!"


    An old woman spat blood as she fought a younger man. He was her adopted son who she fostered with lots of love and care.


    Before her death, the only thing she wanted was to see him marry and hold her grandson.


    But the family she always thought she had, the happiness that never left her, all of it copsed today.


    "Saved my life?" The young man''s teeth chattered as he nced at the remaining rank 4s from the Duchy.


    The admiral and the prime minister, both were fighting against a bald man from the province. He was emotionless like a machine and matched both of them equally.


    He''s enved by the life strands and was the strongest man other than the Duke. If not for him holding back the two officials, Akira and Jorand would never be able to force the Duke to his current state.


    And he wasn''t just holding them back, he was actively injuring them. The prime minister was rtively fine but the admiral was slowly growing exhausted.


    As he blocked a deadly swing of a sword and fell back, the admiral''s eyes met the young man''s for a moment and widened as if he saw a ghost.


    "W-What are you¡­"


    The green scales that grew on the young man''s neck shut up the old woman.


    "That animal once killed a space city and took his minions to rape many women. I''m his bastard."


    "No, don''t nder me! I''ve killed people in that city because they hid spies of the Alliance." The admiral yelled despite being in a difficult situation.


    "Do you think I''ll trust you? I have your blood flowing in me." The young man spat in disgust.


    "I¡­I lost a son when I wa¡ª"


    "Shut up! You vile beast!" The young man unsheathed his sword and rained a torrent of attacks on his adopted grandmother. It''s as if he was pouring out all the anger at his father on her.


    The old woman who fought him valiantly until now found the strength in her arms falling.


    ''I-If what he said is true, then m-maybe we deserve¡­''


    It wasn''t just this young man, every traitor had a very convincing reason for betraying.


    Listening to why they were pushed to such a despicable move, the duchy warriors felt their resolves fall.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    ¡­Were they really defending such a horrible regime?


    A sense of revulsion slowly rose from their hearts.


    "Pay for your crimes. Siding with a sinner is still a sin." The young man red at the admiral and his hand blurred.


    The sword in his palm rotated like a top and reached his mother. The old woman exhaled deeply and closed her eyes. The spear in her hand dropped to the ground and the sharp de reached her neck.


    "Die!"


    BOO¡ªsssss~


    The exploding sound of the wind died off in an instant and a feeble, struggling sound came out.


    "Y-You¡­" The Naga young man''s eyes nearly bulged out as he saw a palm holding his sword''s de.


    Just a bare palm holding the sharpest edge of his de.


    ¡­What the fuck was this?


    The Naga young man instinctively dropped his sword and jumped back.


    "A very touching story." Varian flipped the sword and threw it with a casual gesture.


    The space around the sword copsed and the time flowing around the sword improved, speeding it up to a ridiculous degree.


    The inconspicuous powers of matter and energy that Varian left at the handle of the sword began to act. The sword''s handle melted away and the de elerated even further.


    Even though all of these powers were only rank 2 by themselves, a Mystic''s strength, space and time''s assistance as well as matter and energy''s eleration changed the level of this attackpletely.


    If Varian used any of these pair of powers separately, the best he could do was kill a high rank 2 and severely injure a peak rank 2.


    But when imposed together, in the eyes of every other rank 3, the sword just blurred from Varian''s hand.


    When they noticed the trajectory of the sword and turned their gaze, the sword had already severed the Naga man''s head and sliced through a dozen Barix rank 2 warriors.


    "G-Gian!" The old woman sobbed in a heartbreaking voice and looked at Varian with a mix of emotions. Unsurprisingly, there was an unconcealed hatred in her eyes.


    After hearing the misery her adopted son had gone through, she felt he had died unjustly and that Varian was siding with the bad guys.


    But Varian sneered without the slightest apology. "If you want to y justice and evil, go to kindergarten. Barix ruined so many innocent lives for the so-called revenge. They have no moral standing to speak of."


    Varian could''ve picked any side to help. Initially, he was inclined to help Barix as Centaurus seemed like the greater evil.


    But before any other thought arose, the silhouettes of the family that ran the inn of Ubiq shed in his mind.

 Chapter 1152 True Power Of Artifacts

    A drug addict father who didn''t care for his family.


    A mother who had to work like a ve every day to run her family.


    A son who couldn''t bear the bullying at school and became a gangster, risking death every day.


    Worst of all, a young daughter who sold herself to a mad scientist just so that she could afford school.


    This was one dysfunctional family. This was the suffering of just four people. How many people lived in Ubiq? How many people lived in Duchy?


    Indeed, Jorand was wronged by his uncle. His parents were killed unjustly. He was chased out and nearly died.


    It''s all wrong.


    But was his suffering in any wayparable to what hundreds of billions of people went through because of him supporting the drug menace?


    He might not have invited the Havocs here, but he sure helped them integrate into the Centaurus smoothly.


    For his so-called revenge, how many people did he drive to death and how many lives did he destroy?


    For all the talk of suffering and injustice, Varian couldn''t see Lord Jorand any different from Duke Cassius.


    His words caused a ripple in the crowd.


    The reason they were so easily persuaded that they were on the wrong side was that Centaurus had been declining for centuries.


    Most of them couldn''t stomach that despite all their efforts, their collective prowess was going down. Even though they all fought for Centaurus, they had little pride in it.


    So, when someone did use that Centaurus was in the wrong, it just felt right. Surely, they must''ve been in the wrong. That''s why, they''re declining like this.


    Of course, if Centaurus had been a warring duchy, such a situation wouldn''t ur. For a group that fights for survival, things such as the right and wrong sides simply wouldn''t matter. But Centaurus had no war in the past five centuries and had been declining.


    Thus, it was in a unique state where the people had forgotten war and grew weak-willed.


    In that situation, Varian''s words woke them up.


    Yes, Barix weakened most of them through drugs. So, these guys were in bed with the drug mafia which ruined countless lives.


    Even if the top powerhouses of Centaurus were trash and scum, the Barix province was no better.


    ''They''re son of bitches, but they''re our son of bitches!'' With that mentality, the powerhouses of the Centaurus Duchy fought back fiercely.


    The battle that was dominated by the Barix province was slowly snatched back by them and in just a few minutes, the two sides were neck to neck.


    It seemed like the battle would go on forever, but things changedpletely with Varian''s addition.


    Every time his sword shed, the head of a Barix warrior or Centaurus traitor, flew into the sky.


    In a ridiculously short period of time, as if mocking all the efforts of the Centaurus rank 3s as child y, he yed all rank 3 warriors of Barix province.


    Every rank had their own region where they were fighting.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Rank 1s were the farthest and on the periphery. Rank 2s were somewhat inside. Rank 3s were even inner with rank 4s fighting just outside the translucent barrier where the Duke was facing off against Lord Jorand and traitor Akira.


    Now, except for the rank 4s, everyone else just fell back to their side and stared at the area where the rank 3s fought with palpitations.


    "W-What the fuck was that supposed to be?"


    "Is he from our side?"


    "Do we even know him?"


    All the rank 3 warriors of Centaurus distanced themselves away from Varian. They had no idea how to treat this monster who casually ughtered the enemies they struggled against.


    If he tried to kill them, they knew they wouldn''t be able to resist for more than a couple of minutes.


    And that''s the case if the strength he had shown so far was his full strength.


    Varian nced at them from the corner of his eye and turned to the rank 2s and rank 1s who were staring at this area with anxious eyes.


    When they noticed him turning to them, the Barix warriors despaired and the Centaurus members rejoiced.


    Once he joined the battlefield, it was very easy to clear off the ene¡ª


    "You guys can stop fighting. Regardless of how well or bad you do, the result will depend on the top dogs." Varian said in a light but irrefutable tone and slowly walked to the rank 4 area.


    The soldiers and officers looked at each other in confusion. Even the rank 3 Centaurians who were about to ughter the rank 2 and rank 1 Barix warriors opened their mouths to retort his absurd words.


    But in the end, no one said anything.


    So, a strange scene took ce in the central grounds of the duchy''s capital. Thousands of troops sat in two groups around the fighting area of six rank 4s.


    Duke Cassius vs Lord Jorand and Akira.


    Prime Minister and Grand Admiral vs Bald ve of peak rank 4.


    But all their eyes followed a young man who slowly stepped into the fight of these giants.


    Exhaling deeply, Varian unsheathed his artifact¡ªthe demon sword. The blood pooled all across the battlefield shook violently and flew to the sword in lumps.


    The demon sword sucked the blood like a greedy beast and began to glow with a fiery red light. The so-called artifact of the devas began to show a glimpse of its power.


    ''This power¡­Sovereigns using these artifacts is like two snipers fighting melee with their rifles.''


    Varian''s hand holding the sword vibrated at such a high speed that his bones began to creak.


    With a movement of the slivers, the six powers of Varian''s divine paths suddenly and poured into his mystic path, pushing it from the peak of rank 2 to a state fairly surpassing that of rank 3.


    Then, Varian''s hand blurred and he shed the sword.


    A blinding beam of red light reached the rank 4s immersed in the battle.

 Chapter 1153 The Assassin

    With almost all seven paths in high rank 2, Varian''s ultimate blow could faintly surpass that of a peak rank 3.


    But the red light that he shed out radiated a fierce light that caused even the rank 4s to feel a sense of palpitations.


    With the help of an artifact, Varian''s attack crossed an impossible realm and reached a rank that should never be possible.


    Prime Minister and Great Admiral were both fighting the bald ve. All three of them had varying degrees of injuries and didn''t stop their battle even when Varian cleaned up the rank 3s.


    But when the sword light approached, they all fell back, including the bald ve. Unexpectedly, the sword light twisted in the space as if an invisible hand was kneading it and piercing through the bald ve''s chest.


    "Hiss!"


    All the audience watched on with an expression of horror.


    Going from rank 3 to rank 4 was a major transition. It''smon sense that even if rank 4s really stood up without defensive, it''s hard for rank 3s to injure them significantly.


    But Varian¡­


    "Hmph!"


    Lord Jorand''s eyes stayed on Varian for a moment before he continued the battle with the Duke.


    The unexpected variable scared and disgusted him.


    "Die, old bastard! Die already!" He growled like a wild lion and took out his trump card.


    A strand of glowing white light left his bosom and shone on the Duke. The Duke''s skin wrinkled further and his back started to hunch as a wave of exhaustion washed over his body. Coupled with the injuries inflicted, the Duke''s head grew dizzy.


    Lord Jorand sighed under his breath. As he thought, he could end this battle whenever he wanted. The only reason he fought until now was to torture the duke.


    But that boy''s intervention pissed him off. More than killing the rank 2s or rank 3s, the thing that angered him the most was his words.


    ''How dare he say I am as bad as this old bastard?'' Lord Jorand clenched his fist andughed coldly.


    But when he nced at the spot where his bald ve was fighting the two rank 4s, he couldn''tugh anymore.


    "W-What happened?"


    It''s like someone dug up his flesh six inches deep. The bald ve had a hideous gash starting right from his abdomen going all the way to his neck, passing just an inch beside his heart.


    If he hadn''t been a mini-giant he was, a six-inch gash would''ve wiped off his torso. And if he wasn''t lucky enough to have dodged the attack at thest moment, the sword light would''ve prated his heart.


    Even now, through that huge twitching wound that looked like a dug-up passage, his beating heart was visible.


    "F-Fuck." Even though he remained calm when facing the duke, Lord Jorand couldn''t help but swear at the chilling sight.


    The bald ve was a powerful Adept and had insane control over his body. So, he should''ve already started to heal at least a tenth of that injury by now. His twitching muscles and insides were proof that he was trying to heal. But the wound that continued to exist was proof that he wasn''t seeding.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    That sword, whatever it was, somehow was able to mess up an Adept¡ªthe awakener with the most perfect body¡ªand prevent them from healing.


    ''Is that even possible?'' Lord Jorand''s gaze darted to the sword in Varian''s hand.


    An unpretentious ck and red sword that had no runes, no inscriptions let alone a fucking aura gem. Whether the weapon was powerful or the person, the damage was done.


    ''I''ll go hel¡ª''


    A shock pulsed through Lord Jorand''s spine and he fell back trusting his instinct. Almost right after, the Duke appeared in the ce he was, the horn on his forehead shining brightly.


    Centaurian''s racial ability. Strengthening themselves using the energy they store in their horn.


    Even though the Duke was affected by the life strand, with this strengthening, he wouldn''t fall for a while even if he and Akira fought together.


    On the other hand¡ª


    "I''m really in a bit of a hurry. So, I appreciate it if you could just die." Varian''s figure shed as he fought against the bald ve alongside Prime Minister and Great Admiral.


    The blows of that sword without the blood weren''t as powerful as earlier. But they all did reach the range of 4th rank.


    Varian himself wasn''t winning against the bald man. He was losing every exchange in the battle. Any of the bald ve''s attacks should''ve killed him. The only reason he was even standing alive was that he was using the sword to reduce the damage. Even then, he''s already a bloody mess.


    But the situation was already spiraling out of control. The two Centaurus rank 4s could already handle the bald ve when he was at his peak. Now heavily injured and interfered by Varian, they were quickly slicing away his life.


    Without external help, he wouldn''t survive a few more minutes.


    "Akira, go help!" Lord Jorand said and withdrew his weapons.


    "What about you?" The spymaster didn''t leave right away and frowned at the Duke whose injuries were quickly healing away. "Even with all the disadvantages, his transformation makes him a monster."


    Lord Jorand chuckled softly and glowing purple scales covered his face. His pupils turned vertical and his eyeballs turned green. He hissed with his forked tongue and said. "It just so happens, I''m also a monster. That old bastard killed my parents because he wanted a Centurian heir over a Naga. Today, a Naga will knock down the proud Centurian."


    A huge cloud of green gas spread out from Lord Jorand and expanded at a rapid pace. Anything and everything it touched melted upon contact.


    Akira was a split secondte in getting out of the barrier and she almost lost her left hand.


    Looking at the brown bone, she shuddered and nced at the two silhouettes walking toward each other in the green cloud. "Monsters indeed."


    Then, she turned to Varian among the rank 4s and her eyes burst with killing intent. Her figure blurred and her breath grew weaker and weaker.


    She went invisible a secondter, unless someone specifically searched that location, even her peers couldn''t find her.


    "Chief Of Intelligence Akira, on her mission."


    She shed forward and appeared behind Varian in an instant.

 Chapter 1154 Devil

    The name of her race was forgotten by themon people after they nearly went extinct in the previous war. Now, some call them shadow people, and others refer to them as ghosts.


    But they liked to call themselves reapers¡ªthe ones who came without notice and permission and took your life away.


    Of the three rank 4s present, neither the veteran Prime Minister who lived for more than four centuries nor the fierce and sharp Great Admiral known for his talent detected Akira when she appeared behind Varian.


    They couldn''t see her, much less sense her.


    The bald man who was at the peak of rank 4 naturally had stronger senses and only he got a hint of her arrival. But he made no movements and didn''t alert anyone.


    "I¡­" Varian raised his sword to strike the bald ve again but his scalp went numb and his spirit shuddered. His body''s instincts didn''t indicate anything was wrong but his soul screamed at him.


    His instincts never shed but when it first happened. Usually, Varian would''ve preferred his body''s instincts. But he just returned from the edge of death and learned a bitter lesson.


    So, he took a safer path even if it''d mean temporarily giving up his offensive.


    With a swift kick to the ground, he jumped away andnded on the translucent barrier under which the Duke and Lord fought.


    Varian looked around with vignce. His body remainedpletely normal and indicated no danger. But his mind continued to warn him.


    It was creepy to search for the invisible enemy. He felt like a child searching for a ghost. He''d be damned if he didn''t find it but he''d also be damned if he did.


    ''Only Akira is missing. She''s the Chief of Intelligence. This ghost is her.'' Varian''s eyes narrowed and he held his breath.


    All his senses failed to discover any trace of presence around him. But who knew if that woman was just behind him, grinning widely, ready to stab him any moment?


    ¡­He did guess a bit too urately.


    Akira stood right behind him, her long nails inches away from his neck. She was waiting for him to drop his guard so that she could deal him a full blow, instantly killing him and eliminating the only variable on this battlefield.


    But to Akira''s frustration, Varian''s patience was abnormally high. Anyone who had been through such incidents could tell that you couldn''t remain ultra-alert for too long. Even if your physique supports it, it''s just too taxing on your spirit.


    Even with decades of experience in the field, Akira couldn''t remain that alert for long.


    ''Is he very old? But the life strand in him sensed that he was young, incredibly young, not even a hundred years. But that''s just absurd. A rank 3 who isn''t three digits yet? Even for a big duchy, that''s a tough achievement.''


    As Akira''s mind swirled with thoughts, Varian''s tense nerves inevitably rxed. The grip on his sword loosened just a tad and his shoulders drooped almost unnoticeably.


    ''Now!''


    Akira''s sharp nails enveloped by the aura glowed as if they were surrounded by ghostly fires and reached the back of Varian''s neck.


    ''You''re dead.''


    As her nails cut through Varian''s skin and droplets of blood sshed out in Akira''s heightened perception of time, she finally smiled.


    ''It''s done.''


    Her shoulders dropped slightly, her gaze dropped lightly, her muscles rxed a bit and her tense mind finally sighed in relief.


    It was exactly the same ''moment of relief'' that she aimed Varian at.


    Ssssss!


    The wind whistled and a red de sliced through Varian''s chest and stabbed Akira right in the heart.


    A sharp wound opened up on Varian''s chest and blood spilled out like a fountain. But behind him, Akira gazed at the sword lodging in her heart with shock.


    Her nails were halfway through slicing Varian''s neck and were already drenched in his flesh and blood. She had reached his throat bones. Just a bit more and she''d tear his skull off his torso.


    But the sword in her heart turned that simple step into a moat she could never cross.


    Like a demonic child suckling a mother to its death, the demon sword drank blood right from her heart.


    Even a destroyed heart couldn''t easily kill a rank 4 Adept or Forcender. But when their vitality was sucked out, they''d fall just like everyone else.


    "You¡­what the hell are you¡­" Akira copsed onto her knees as her body shriveled like a dried-up fruit.


    The blood from Varian''s sharp wound sshed on her face. Even with her failing vision, she could see the risk he took by driving that sword through himself to strike her. The wound tore open right next to his heart.


    His move was reckless and bold. Clever and cunning.


    "You wanted me to drop my guard and I waited for you to drop yours." Varian turned around and touched his wound before wincing and immediately withdrawing. "That fucking hurts, you know? Even though the sword was obedient enough to not drink my blood, I can''t heal the wound fast enough."


    Akira bit her lip and stared at him with venomous eyes. Who was he kidding when that wound was closing so fast?


    "A-All spoils belong to the victors, that includes my respect." Akiraughed bitterly as tears swirled in her eyes.


    Varian bent down in front of her and cupped her cheek like a good old man. "Respect, what respect do you expect when you drugged me to do your bidding and nned to kill me when my role is finished?"


    Akira''s eyes shook fiercely and she gnashed her teeth. She regretted it badly.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    If she hadn''t brought this man, maybe he couldn''t have even entered the pce bypassing the defense formations.


    But she brought him, helped mask his identity all the way, and then had to watch helplessly as he destroyed her dream of revenge bit by bit.


    "It''s not fair!" Akira lowered her head as she felt her body grow heavy and her mind hazy. "W-Why do the evil always win? Why can''t I get my revenge? My just and deserved revenge! That old dog of a sinner shouldn''t be rescued."


    "Fairness, heh," Varian muttered and his gaze turned to the treasury. "It only exists in crazy minds that dream of an impossible world."


    The fierce shockwavesing even after the treasury''s formations blocked most of them already gathered enough attention. But no one had the leisure to check out that situation. But Varian knew that the battle must be drawing close.


    Crimson Specter thought he could win easily once he activated his racial talent. But the one facing him was a monster. Even if she''s going to lose, she wouldn''t lose so soon.


    ''Three more minutes.'' Varian estimated and turned his gaze to the battlefield.


    The bald ve was dead, his body butchered into pieces and scattered.


    Prime Minister and Great Admiral had now teamed up with Duke Cassius to fight Lord Jorand.


    The corrosive poisonous green clouds fired by Lord Jorand were blown away by the-shattering attacks of the trio.


    The Duke hadn''t exhausted his racial talent''s strengthening and was stronger than ever. Now, with two supports added, his side gained an unimaginable advantage.


    "Why? Why do you win? Why should you win? You don''t deserve to live!" Lord Jorand was heavily injured and in a very difficult situation.


    One mistake and he''d die. Any sane person would''ve fled the scene. But he didn''t. He kept fighting but with his sanity on the edge.


    All the injustices he suffered, all the humiliation he had to face, all the hardships he braved through¡ªeverything, every drop of sweat, blood and tear was for this very day.


    But he failed.


    He couldn''t stomach it. He did everything he could, spent everything he had and perfectly executed his n. Yet, an unknown man shows up and wrecks his n.


    He staked his entire life on this and he''s going to lose because of bad luck? Fuck luck! Fuck fate!


    Lord Jorand couldn''t ept his ending. But more than that, he couldn''t ept that someone as despicable as Duke Cassius could still go on living.


    So, even at the risk of his own life, he attacked Cassius fiercely. But facing three alone, he couldn''t even do that.


    For a split second, Lord Jorand''s eyes met with kneeling Akira and their eyes screamed the same emotion.


    Unwillingness.


    They''re willing to die, but unwilling to die before their enemies.


    But that''s it. Emotions meant nothing in front of absolute strength.


    As Lord Jorand prepared to spend hisst minute, Varian slowly walked into the barrier.


    The Duke''s side rxed and smiled wider while the despair on Lord Jorand''s face deepened.


    Unexpectedly, Varian faced off the Duchy powerhouses and said. "Taking into ount you weren''t very good and honorable people, I''ll support Barix."


    "?"


    "!"


    "What?!"


    Not just the three duchy rank 4s that were gaping at his words and not just the dying Akira that looked at him with widened eyes, the entire crowd froze at his words.


    Varian grunted lightly at their reaction and raised his hands. "Alright, I''ll be honest. I don''t care who wins or loses, you''re both evil. I guess I''m evil too. But I just want to fight. I gotta fight."


    "You''re crazy, Constantine! Do you hear yourself?" Duke Cassius stepped forward and growled at him with thick killing intent.


    All the gratitude in Prime Minister''s and Great Admiral''s hearts vanished and was reced with endless fury.


    "This isn''t a joke! They''re the fucking evil behind the mafia that destroyed this duchy and ruined billions of lives."


    "Forget their deeds, you can''t win hope to win against the three of us."


    "Mafia? Ruined lives? They''re indeed evil but what about you who watched chaos unfold just and destroy the lives of your own citizens just because you don''t want to take any risks? Forget all that, did you even give a shit and at least try to improve the situation? No, people are treated worse than animals. You have no moral high ground to speak of." Varian drew out his sword and a red light began to glow from its de.


    "Let''s just you do and you are the good guys here, but my conscience wouldn''t hurt the slightest if I killed you. I sold it to the devil when I exterminated an entire fucking race."


    A chilling silence spread over the battlefield.


    An entire race? How many lives did that amount to? Ten billion? Hundred billion? Even higher? A man, a single man killed an entire race? Who the fuck were they dealing with?


    Varian turned to Lord Jorand and said with the smile of a devil. "If you inflict enough damage on them, I can kill them before you breathe yourst."

 Chapter 1155 Thank You For Turning Against Me

    Chapter 1155 Thank You For Turning Against Me


    Except for great geniuses who grew up in favorable environments, Varian''s age was far too youngpared to any of his peer rank 2s.


    The current Centaurus'' youngest rank 2 was more than 150 years old. The less said about the rank 4s, the better.


    In his own words, Lord Jorand''s father was the hero of the war that urred more than 500 years ago. Even considering that he was born a century after the war, he''d easily be more than 400 years old.


    So, Varian wasn''t even trying to manipte him. An average human eats for almost 4.5 years during his lifetime. So, even by the most conservative estimates, the time this guy spent eating was still longer than his entire period of existence.


    Varian made it crystal clear from the start. ''I''ll help your revenge but you''ll pay for it, perhaps with your life.''


    "The sleepless nights, endless meetings, the countless ns¡­" Lord Jorand exhaled a cloud of dark green gas and moved forward in slow steps.


    The air was tainted with a light green color and began to eat away everything it came in contact with.


    Once Varian dered his ''betrayal'', a few rank 3s on the battlefield¡ª


    exclusively Centurian powerhouses since Varian killed all the ones belonging to Barix''s¡ªrushed into the barrier and stood guard in front of the Duke and his two subordinates.


    "I-I can''t stop it!"


    "Hisss!"


    But just upon contact, the green air began to melt their armors passing right through whatever aura barriers they set up.


    "Arhhh!"


    "I-I can''t stop it!"


    "Hisss!"


    They couldn''t even resist for a minute and melted into a puddle of red and purple.


    Lord Jorand''s bulging muscles shrank and something invisible seemed to leave his body, leaving him hollowed.


    ''Sacrificing lifespan in the very first attack. Whatever might be true or false, he''s determined to see this to the end.'' Varian raised his hand to touch the green air. But it dispersed and avoided him as if it was its very instinct.


    On theater hand, the Duke and the two ministers weren''t having a very good time. Even though it''s not fatal for their rank 4 defense, the green gas was like a mad dog, slowly gnawing away at their armor and reinforced skin.


    "You bastard, I''m putting everything on the line." Lord Jorand didn''t even nce behind but Varian felt the heaviness in his words and nodded subconsciously.


    The Duke''s body swelled even more as he squeezed out thest bit of his potential and leaned forward, ready to dash and finish everything.


    "¡­Everything is a game to you, isn''t it, Constantine?" The Duke''s lips didn''t seem to move but his voice filled the entire pceplex. "You killed the warriors of Barix without hesitation and now you help them. You''re using both of us."


    Even Lord Jorand''s eyes flinched and he hesitated for a moment.


    And that was what the Duke was aiming for!


    Dashing forward like a bullet, he reached his nephew before thetter could react and thrust forward a spear darker than the night.


    Even though it didn''t pierce his abdomen yet, Lord Jorand felt dizzy just by the horrendous aura emitted by this light-sucking weapon.


    But instead of backing off, he put a hand to block the spear and used another to swipe at Cassius'' neck.


    The spear easily pierced through Jorand''s palm and left a blood hole in it but deviated from its original trajectory and only grazed him instead of stabbing through his abdomen.


    Right away, a ck light engulfed Jorand''s palm and began to suck away his aura. As if he expected it, Jorand''s sliced at his wrist and severed his hand.


    Meanwhile, his long nails dug into the Duke''s neck and a green light passed through his nails into the Duke''s now visible and bulging veins.


    "Haaa!"


    The Duke grabbed Jorand''s shoulder and wanted to throw him off, but Jorand held onto him like a rabid dog and refused to let go.


    Because with every passing moment, the green light passing from his nails into the Duke''s body got darker and darker.


    The innate talent of the naga race was working in full swing, creating a customized poison to deal the maximum damage to Cassius'' body. If it''s rank 4, they''d be in a dire situation by now. But after everything, the Duke was still a rank 5. So, he needed some time.


    Time that''d cost him dearly.


    The Duke''s movements slowed down considerably but his left hand clenched into a fist and he delivered a blow straight right to Jorand''s jaw.


    The Lord''s vision blurred and he nked out for a moment but his grip only grew tighter.


    The Prime Minister and Admiral arrived on either side of the Duke and sliced their weapons at Jorand without a word.


    Jorand scoffed and densely packed green scales covered his body. The sword and axe that struck him bounced back, eliciting sparks from the scales. In response, the Naga''s muscles shrank further and he was drained further.


    The three Centaurian powerhouses began a torrent of attacks on thest Barix powerhouse.


    Even with the scales he put on by paying a huge price, Lord Jorand''s green blood began to pool at his legs.


    His consciousness was on the verge of falling apart but his body didn''t back down in the slightest.


    The Duke had slowed down dangerously and was now barely able to show the power of an early rank 4. And this was even while the power of his horn was active.


    The Prime Minister and the Admiral weren''t in good shape either. The crazy Jorand didn''t even bother to heal his severed left hand and manipted his bleeding blood.


    The vicious green liquid formed a terrifying poison and began to damage them bit by bit.


    It''s simple to avoid it. Just leave that ce. But they couldn''t. So, they became sitting ducks for these attacks and their condition began to deteriorate uncontrobly.


    After trying fiercely to shake off Jorand and failing, the Duke sighed in exhaustion. His bright white unicorn horn flickered as if it was about to dim any moment.


    "What do you think will happen to Barix after your death?" Cassius rested his chin on Jorand''s neck and asked in a weak but tough voice.


    Jorand''s unfocused eyes blinked twice and a hint of fear emerged.


    "It doesn''t have to be this way, nephew," Cassius said in a genuinely regretful tone. "After this, I wouldn''t survive even a decade. By then, you''ll be the strongest one here, and might even reach rank 5. That time, Centaurus and Barix will be rted. You can rule them together."


    Jorand''s body shook slightly at his words. His emotions roared at his hesitation and reminded him of his parents'' death. But his rationale also started fighting back.


    Yes, he had no issue dying for avenging his parents. But if Cassius was going to die anyway, wasn''t that okay?


    "You want revenge? Fine. I am a sinner, I get it." Cassius coughed out some blood which flowed down Jorand''s back. "But what type of revenge do you want? One where you die or one where you can rule a fucking Duchy? The same duchy that was stolen from you?"


    Jorand''s body trembled and his face grew conflicted. If it was even a few minutes ago, he''d have scoffed at these words and would''ve never agreed.


    But as he sacrificed his vitality and felt death slowly dragging him into her embrace, an unknown fear crept into his heart. He still wanted to avenge his parents. But he didn''t want to die.


    "H-How can I trust you¡­?"


    Even the Duke didn''t expect hisst-ditch effort would work. With a bright smile, he said. "Use that life strand and control me. I''m putting my life in your hands."


    The Duke could no longer fight. If he continued fighting, Jorand''s death woulde from the Prime Minister and Admiral. So, there was no hesitation in Cassius'' words.


    The two stopped attacking him at the Duke''s signal and Jorand sent strands of life into his uncle''s body and finished taking control soon thanks to his non-resistance.


    Then, the Duke''s horn dimmed and he slumped onto the ground. Lord Jorand was still able to remain standing but his legs remained wobbly.


    Admiral Yaras and Minister Zed were still able to fight but flesh and bones in some parts of their bodies were missing¡ªmelted away by the poison.


    "Alright, now that we''ve reached an agreement, this outsider has to pay the price for trying to y us like fools." Cassius'' eyes locked onto the ck-haired figure standing still with that dark red sword.


    Lord Jorand nodded and moved forward in heavy steps. Yaras and Zed kicked the ground lightly and shot forward.


    Varian scoffed and had a big smile like a boy who received a birthday party when he was least expecting it. "I''ll be honest with you, you''re only helping me with this, I swear."

 Chapter 1156 The Smoothest Talker In History

    Chapter 1156 The Smoothest Talker In History


    The injured and worn-out rank 4s could no longer disy their strengths at their peaks.


    Yaras and Zed were seasoned fighters. Even though Centaurus had no wars and weakened over the years, these two were men who had traveled all over the Kingdom to hone their strength.


    Despite being very weakened and injured, Varian still felt as if a heavy mountain was pressing on his shoulders when facing two of them at once.


    The two swung their swords one after another, leaving Varian in a position where defending one sword would definitely leave him vulnerable to another.


    Matching their timing, a sphere of green light shot into the air and flew above Varian''s head, ready to strike him at a moment''s notice.


    The ball of poison, however, weakened, was still something that''d instantly kill a peak rank 3.


    Varian exhaled slightly. This difficult situation could still be cracked with the rightbination of powers.


    He couldn''t allow the swords to injure him deeply but he could still afford the poison to hit him as long as he controlled where it hit.


    "I''m ttered that you all ganged up on me." Varian''s lips curled up and instead of blocking the sword attacks that came from the front, his left foot stepped to the side andnded heavily on the ground.


    Using the strength from his lower body, he turned while maintaining his torso static and swung his sword.


    Varian''s sword sliced right through the Duke''s arm and cleaved it into two vertically.


    ""Stop!""


    Yaras and Zed forcibly withdrew their attacks and rushed to the Duke''s defense.


    "Loyal subordinates, heh." Varian sneered and punched above.


    The green orb that was crashing down struck his fist instead of hitting his head. But Varian''s reckless action surprised everyone, most of all, Lord Jorand.


    The thick gaseous poison from the orb drilled right into his fist, instantly melting away his skin, flesh, and bone.


    It wanted to dissolve into his bloodstream. Once it did, it''d travel throughout his entire body, destroying everything and killing him without much difficulty.


    Rank 4s could slow down the poison and eventually block it out. But while rank 3s could block most of the poison, the little bit that''d slip away would be the one taking their lives.


    "Tsk."


    Varian wasn''t a rank 4 and he wasn''t even a proper rank 3. But the poison met apletely unexpected obstacle in his body.


    A white and ck power glittered in his blood and enveloped the poison. With his strength, Varian was able to block off 50% of the poison.


    The remaining 50%, he put through the slivers. Because of his own weak strength, the slivers which otherwise would''ve destroyed everyone with a thought, could only manage half of the poison at best.


    But they did it beautifully.


    The order and chaos of the poison changed. In the short term, the poison was slowlying together instead of dispersing. In the long term, the poison itself was subject to internal chaos and falling apart.


    Varian''s hand regenerated in a matter of seconds and he swung his sword again.


    The Duke had long retreated, heavily regretting his decision to ambush. Had he known that even if he covered up his aura, sound, and smell, he couldn''t escape Varian''s spatial sense, he wouldn''t have tried.


    But there were no what-ifs.


    With the Dukepletely out of the game, Varian faced off with the three rank 4s and went all out.


    His first target was Lord Jorand. Instead of fighting these two swordsmen while that guy sted him with poison, it''s better to finish him first.


    While Jorand was still strong enough to take down Yaras and Zed with him, it just so happened he had one fatal weakness Varian could exploit.


    ''Go!''


    Varian used his sliver powers and channeled all his powers into the Famine path. It rose from rank 2 and reached the peak of rank 3 and just a bit beyond.


    ''Red color. Yeah, just like the ones there.'' With some simple maniption of energy and matter, Varian painted the orbs red.


    Then, he retrieved a bunch of metallic spheres from his storage ring and teleported these red orbs into them using his space power.


    With a painful expression on his face, he said. "You forced me."


    Under everyone''s confused gaze, the metallic spheres blurred and reached Lord Jorand before he could react.


    Then they exploded, revealing the bright red spheres inside.


    "No!" The Duke''s face paled and he yelled. "Get away fro¡ª"


    The red orbs surrounded Lord Jorand, unfazed by his poison, and unleashed their suction of vitality.


    Jorand was much stronger than Varian but he just lost too much vitality. If he pushed his body any further, he might copse. That''s why he didn''t even fight in melee.


    So, when the famine-powered orbs sucked his vitality, he couldn''t even put up much of a resistance.


    "Arghhh!"


    Lord Jorand''s vitality drained visible to the naked eye. The middle-aged man''s already wrinkled skin now withered and sagged. Then, his eyes grew dull and loose, his muscles weak and ckened.


    Like an engine running out of gas, he came to a screeching halt and copsed powerlessly.


    "I¡­"


    Hey on the ground, the life strand inside him that needed a significant part of his power to control now flew out of its bounds and rose into the sky.


    The red orbs sucked it away andnded it straight into Varian''s palm who put it away nonchntly.


    Unlike Lord Jorand who had a hard time controlling it, he''d just throw it to the slivers and let them ''discipline'' the life strand.


    "So, you two are left, eh." Varian grinned and cracked his neck.


    Yaras and Zed frowned.


    "Look, we don''t have to do it this way. You can have what you want and leave us to sort out this mess. If things get too messy here, the Kingdom wouldn''t be happy either. It''s better to make more friends than enemies, no?"


    The Duke intervened before the battle could began and gave out a reasonablepromise.


    With the life strand out of the way, the shackles on Duke were gone. But his current condition didn''t get any better. It just stopped deteriorating. For him to return to even his previous condition would need months of recuperation.


    "Your words make too much sense, old man." Varian took a deep look at Cassius who yed politics even whileying down powerlessly.


    He reminded Varian of those cunning politicians who had a way with their words. Even though he considered himself someone willing to do anything to achieve his goals, Varian found it hard to "I can marry off my daughter to you to show my sincerity. She''ll be the ruler of Barix Province and as her husband, it''s your dowry."


    stomach an enmity.


    But to the Duke, all friends and enemies were just tools to help his dream of Duchy''s revival.


    "I can marry off my daughter to you to show my sincerity. She''ll be the ruler of Barix Province and as her husband, it''s your dowry."


    Lord Jorand who hadn''t died yet opened his mouth in shock and stared at his uncle with disbelief.


    ¡­What the fuck was this old bastard on about?


    Not to mention Lord of Barix himself, even Varian was dumbfounded by this proposal.


    "A functioning Duchy and Province are far more valuable than dead and chaotic ones. My word still stands, I''ll die sooner orter. Once you hone your ruling skills in the Province, you can inherit the Duchy upon my death. I don''t know much about you¡­but you aren''t old. I can rest assured to put the Duchy in your hand because just by being ruled under you, it''ll revive."


    If there was anyone else in his position, Varian believed they''d have already called Cassius "father-inw".


    "You have that life strand, right? You can also control my life and rest assured. I don''t care about anything else, I just want Centaurus to bloom once again." The Duke spread his arms with difficulty and pointed to the starry sky.


    "I want Centaurus to once again shine among the stars, to be on the forefront against those Jai devils and leave legends that still live after millennia."


    As a neighbor to Centaurus and as someone who fought against perhaps the weakest minion of the Jai Empire which just screwed humanity for centuries, Varian was tempted by his words.


    "You said it yourself, you don''t care about the morals. What matters is the results." Cassius said.


    "¡­" Varian opened his mouth to refute his words but decided not to. He felt another tremor from the treasury and pushed aside all his thoughts.


    "I''ll decide thister." Varian swung his sword and pointed it at the two rank 4s. "But after dueling with you two."


    Yaras and Zed could no longer feel his killing intent and sighed in relief.


    If they were defeated by him, they''d still be spared. If they defeated him, then¡­

 Chapter 1157 A Duel

    With his current strength, Varian never stood a chance against either of the ministers. He''s just too weak against a rank 4.


    But when they''re severely injured, weakened, and exhausted while he remained at his peak?


    The figures of the three men blurred and shed somewhere and everywhere. The shockwaves from the blows they exchanged were far weaker than the epic battle between the Duke and the Lord. But ironically, this battle was going to decide the fate of the Duchy and the Province.


    The demon sword was sshed with lots of blood, mostly Varian''s as the battle progressed.


    Right from the first sh, Varian had been at a disadvantage. Thanks to demon sword, he could injure a rank 4, but his defense wasn''t enough. So, he got heavy injuries every single time.


    ''Should I use the crystal armor¡­'' After a light thought, Varian decided not to. This fight was his whetstone. It''s better to get as injured as possible without risking his life and improve his strength for the real battle.


    Varian''s gaze turned to the main pce which had now copsed into rubble. From time to time, beams of dazzling red and purple lights would shoot out from the ruins and fly into the dark night.


    Before he could withdraw his gaze, a terrifying space shockwave erupted from the rubble followed by a familiar aura that continued to weaken.


    ''She''s losing?''


    Varian frowned and gripped his sword tighter.


    ''Status''


    [Mystic Rank 2: 249/250 (+24)


    Famine Rank 2: 249/250 (+49)


    Spirit Rank 2: 249/250 (+99)


    Matter Rank 2: 249/250 (+99)


    Energy Rank 2: 249/250 (+99)


    Space Rank 2: 249/250 (+149)


    Time Rank 2: 249/250 (+99)


    Comment: You''ve hit up the bottlenecks in all seven paths. These can''t be solved just by battles. You need to sit down and delve into the intricacies of these powers. Better, visualize a path ahead for these paths.


    As you get closer to the divine ranks, battles would remain extremely useful but strict meditations will be an essential part of the practice.]


    ''So this is why I couldn''t feel any more improvement.'' Varian clicked his tongue and decided to end the battle. He promised not to kill them, for now.


    A strand of chaos power merged into the aura he was pouring into the demon sword and shed at the two ministers.


    They thought this was like every other attack before and raised their own weapons to defend themselves.


    But thanks to the chaos power, their aura grew erratic and acted against themselves.


    "Fuck!"


    They quickly suppressed the rioting aura but the gap created by their distraction was already more than enough. Varian''s sword beam sliced off both their arms and left them heavily injured.


    "This concludes the match." Varian sheathed the sword calmly and turned to the main pce.


    Lord Jorand and Akira stared at the night sky with nk eyes. Whether Varian won or lost wouldn''t make their situation better.


    Varian nced at them for a moment and then at the Duke who couldn''t wipe off the big grin off his face.


    ''This guy¡­he''s really okay with me taking over as long as I can rejuvenate Centaurus.''


    Varian didn''t like the things Duke did in his younger years. If it weren''t for him being such a scum, there wouldn''t be so many betrayals today.


    Should he really let go of such a person? And should he let the revenge of those wronged fail?


    "Hm¡­" Once he took the reign of his race, Varian decided to stop operating from the framework of morals. An Emperor should never look at good and bad, only what''s best for the empire.


    But as an individual, he still retained some sense of morals, however weak.


    "No one kills anyone until I get back. You don''t want to imagine the consequences if you disobey." Varian said calmly and stepped forward.


    With one step, he moved by a hundred miles and the next, he entered the main pce.


    Once Varian left, some wanted to ughter the defeated Barix warriors. But the Duke stopped them.


    With a veryplicated expression, Lord Jorand, Akira, and others entered a military prison.


    What''s going to happen to them?


    Not just the losers, the ''winners'' of the battle also wondered the same thing.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "You didn''t tell him that only royal family members could enter?!" Prince Theoron said with a face full of disbelief.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "No." Princess Catherine replied lightly as she drove the spaceship back to Centaurus.


    "You''re insane! Didn''t you say he helped you find me? And he saved your life?"


    Catherine frowned for a moment before rxing. "I''ve thought through this. If his goal had been the treasury from the start, he might''ve saved me to get in. Finding you was also for the same end."


    "But he did save you."


    "If he didn''t, Akira would''ve."


    "He did find and get me in."


    "I would''ve found you at thest minute. Even if I didn''t, the marriage would''ve never happened."


    Theoron looked at the stern woman and shook his head.


    Catherine sighed softly and said. "Even at the risk of looking like an ungrateful wench, I don''t want an unknown visitor to get into the treasury. If he messes up, whatever hope Centaurus has for rejuvenation will be gone. Father will lose the will to live.


    The young girl Catherine doesn''t want to betray the hero but Princess Catherine cannot hesitate. "


    A disgruntled growl sounded from behind and the two looked behind with an apologetic smile.


    "No, don''t apologize again, you little bastards," Director Baldur of Proxima crossed his arms and gnashed his teeth. "It''s my mistake for following you two on a moment''s notice."


    The prince and princess escaped right when the fighting began and rushed to Proxima space station.


    Even though they hid it well, Centaurus'' intelligence did find the personnel behind the attack on Havocs¡ªDirector Baldur.


    Once she did enough digging, Catherine also found that he was under a secret identity.


    With the stick of exposing his identity and the carrot of promising him a favor, the Princess asked him to help them out.


    Unlike other Duchy members who thought the battle would end as soon as it began, Catherine listened to Theoron''s words and knew that the other side came with a good n.


    She correctly devised that they needed help to get out of this safely. But what she could''ve never predicted was that this external help came in the form of Mr.Constantine she thought would be long dead.


    "C-Cathy?" The Duke struggled onto his feet and looked at his daughter rushing out of the spaceship with a frown.


    When he sensed the aura of Baldur, his expression grew grave and he channeled his aura. Turning towards Varian who was standing in front of the pce''s rubble, he sent a message wrapped in aura. "If he shows hostility, I''ll take the risk and heavily injure him. Then, cripple him."


    Varian who was about to dive into the treasury paused and turned back. Baldur got down from the spaceship and looked at him with crossed arms.


    "You should learn the price of scamming me. No one cheats me and gets away. No one." With each step, Baldur took towards Varian, the ground under him continued to crumble and crack.


    The Duke was ready to attack but Varian stopped him and said with raised arms. "We got into trouble. Me and that powerhouse."


    Baldur sneered. "Do you still think I''ll believe that nonsense?"


    Varian narrowed his eyes. "Her clone is fighting inside against a guy in red robes. They call him Crimson Specter."


    Baldur''s expression froze and he tilted his head in confusion. As the Prince, he knew enough that there was indeed a spy with that title.


    "I don''t trust you. Once I beat you down, I''ll check inside. If he''s there, I''ll beat him up." The Prince cracked his knuckles but didn''t follow up his words and instead stood in ce.


    The aura shockwavesing from the rubble did convince him that there was a fight going on. Especially the space fluctuations that came out made it clear as day that there was indeed a powerful space awakener fighting.


    While it''s not impossible for space awakeners to appear in the Alliance, they typically wouldn''t reach Celestial ranks. And they definitely wouldn''t break down a Duchy''s pce to rubble.


    "If you''re afraid of being scammed by me again, just follow me as I dive in." Varian shrugged.


    "¡­" Baldur wanted to say that he''d go in first but he had no idea about the dangers posed inside.


    Reluctantly, the Prince nodded. But he was very unwilling. All the times they met, Varian never suffered. It was always him on the short end.


    "And you." Before he jumped into the rubble, Varian''s eyes locked onto Princess Catherine tending to her father and sneaking dumbfounded nces at him, "I''ll pay you back for your help."


    Catherine''s face paled as did Theoron''s. Without waiting for them to respond, Varian broke into the rubble and reached the treasury.


    Baldur cursed under his breath and followed. If Varian was lying, he''d make ''Constantine'' pay a heavy price.


    But if he was telling the truth and the powerhouse behind him was indeed pursuing a ''Specter'', Crimson or Green or Yellow, then this matter would escte and invite a lot of prying eyes of the kingdom powerhouses.


    By that time, staying hidden would be useless and even his purpose foring here could likely be exposed.


    The only way he was ever going toe on top of this situation was to win the favor of that powerhouse.


    If a clone itself was alone to fight against a Specter, then the real body would be powerful enough to help him immensely.


    ''I hope I am not scammed this time.''

 Chapter 1158 Prince Baldur The Strongest: Varian Certified

    Thendscape of the treasury was unrecognizable from just a few minutes ago. All the luxury and grace were gone, leaving behind only broken stone, ss, and metal.


    The grandeur of the lofty duchy and its treasury were now in tatters, both in material and spirit.


    "Oh fuck." Varian sucked in a breath of cold air.


    To his horror, many treasures in the cabs were shattered and barely a few were intact.


    Varian''s hopeful eyes ignored the obvious aura fluctuations between a heavily injured woman who lost both her arms and a red-robed man whose raised hand seemed like it was about to deal a final blow.


    ''Not here, not there, where, where, the little glowing¡ªah, yes!'' Varian''s eyes lit up and he jumped towards the little box.


    Baldur who had followed him here was petrified and stared at the two bloodied figures with a pale face.


    He recognized the woman. Her legends were too loud and too unreal. And the man, while it was his first time seeing that guy, it was a familiar aura that Havoc Ancestor used.


    That old guy even threatened him that this ''powerhouse'' would kill Baldur if he didn''t spare the Havoc n and of course, his old bones.


    "Was this all his n?"


    While Baldur was having the shock of his life, Miss Cmity''s clone and Crimson Specter both froze as Varian brazenly ran past them and grabbed the little treasure box.


    "What? This is mine." Noticing their gazes, he frowned and put it into his storage ring right away.


    "You''re about to die, but the bug you baited hadn''t. What an irony!" Crimson Specter chuckled with a pitying expression.


    "¡­This is unexpected, even for me." Miss Cmity, on the other hand, looked at Varian with disbelief and regret.


    She shouldn''t have dragged him into this. Even though he''s as weak as a bug and practically useless for almost everything, Miss Cmity''s conscience hurt a bit as she used him to further her goals. Of course, just a bit.


    "With this third treasure, I''m done." Varian waved his hand and walked out of the treasury room or what once was a room.


    Crimson Specter chuckled softly and tapped his toe on the floor. The space fluctuated and an invisible spatial barrier enveloped them all.


    "Everyone who has seen me is dead. So should you the three of you." The robe revealed a bit of his rotten chin and his cold smile.


    With a swipe of his hand, a strong spatial explosion happened right within Miss Cmity''s body and she copsed onto her knees, bleeding glowing blood. As a clone, she was breaking down and slowly turning into particles of light.


    Unless the Original Miss Cmity returned, no one could save her. Of course, he didn''t kill her right away. He put her through a slow death that would torture her dearly as his spatial storm tears through every vein, muscle, and bone of her body, inflicting her with pain so excruciating that even her main body would be affected.


    "Now then, do you guys have anything to say?" Crimson Specter looked at the two of them with sadistic amusement.


    "I¡­I''m here by, I mean¡­" Baldur stuttered.


    Even though he''s heavily injured and weakened, this was still a strong rank 4. Baldur was damn sure he couldn''t survive that fight.


    Use his treasures? He had nothing to kill this guy. The only treasures he had would help him escape.


    ''Oh right, I have a space-breaking orb. Even though this Specter''s barrier is strong, unless it''s some strong formation, I can¡ª''


    BOOM!<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Varian took out the treasury''s key and smashed it into the floor. The buried formations surfaced and the hidden formations also activated.


    In an instant, the space around the treasury grew more and more chaotic, eliminating any chance of anyone teleporting away.


    Baldur looked at Varian with wide eyes. ''Son of a bitch, what the fuck have you done?''


    While Varian looked at Crimson Specter with a cold smile. "Son of a bitch, you can''t teleport out now, can you?"


    "W-What?"


    Forget the utterly dumbfounded Specter, even Miss Cmity''s clone on the verge of death was confused by Varian''s words.


    Was this what people call insanity?


    "You''re a rank 3, no, a rank 2, whatever. You think you can beat me?" Crimson Specter raised his voice and crossed his arms.


    "I can''t." Varian shrugged, catching everyone off guard again. Taking that gap, he pushed the frozen Baldur forward. "But he can."


    Baldur slipped toward the Crimson Specter and danced a rapid dance with his legs to stop himself before he collided with the Specter.


    He stopped just in front of the man, right from where could he smell the horrible blood and rotten flesh.


    Crimson Specter''s glowing red eyes under the hood stared right into Baldur, sending shivers right down his spine. "So you''re gonna defeat me, huh?"


    "Yes. He''s the Prince of the Kingdom, the bane of gutter rats like you. He already called reinforcements." Before Baldur could open his mouth, Varian started bragging.


    ''But I didn''t!'' Baldur cried inwardly.


    "Look at his muscles, he killed a dozen like you in a typical afternoon. Spies of Jai Empire? Heh. Merely spice for his breakfast."


    ''J-Jai Empire? If you want to die so much, please do so. Why are you dragging me down?''


    Varian patted his chest as if he was reassuring them that it was the truth. "If not for the Prince deliberately erasing his records and keeping a low profile, you''d be pissing your pants now."


    ''You bastard, I''m about to piss my pants now.'' Baldur had an ugly smile on his face. Whatever the chance for reconciliation and getting out of this safely was present, it all vanished now.


    No, not just that, looking at the increasingly hostile eyes of the robed man, Baldur realized even if he surrendered, he wouldn''t have an easy death.


    So, he had only one option.


    Fight and fight to the better end for that slim chance of victory.


    Baldur clenched his fists with a serious expression. Alright, I''ll put my life on the line for¡ª''


    "You can''t imagine his greatness. He knew that this mouse was sneaking into the Duchy and came to hunt him down undercover!"


    Whatever courage Baldur gathered was blown away by those words.

 Chapter 1159 An Unexpected Conclusion

    Chapter 1159 An Unexpected Conclusion


    "A Prince entering this deste duchy is indeed very suspicious. To think he could hide even from Miss Cmity," Crimson Specter''s eyes grew more and more ferocious as he red at the helpless Baldur. "I must admit, you''re no ordinary prince. I''ll put you through so much pain that you''ll spill out all your secrets and be an example for wannabe heroes."


    Varian sneered with a disdainful expression. "Do you know why Prince Baldur hasn''t attacked you yet? You''re too injured. He''s worried you can''t even survive a single blow of his."


    Baldur turned to Varian with tearful eyes but thetter only responded with a thumbs up. "Don''t worry, it looks like he can take quite a beating."


    ''I''m not worried about that, you motherfucker!''


    Baldur sighed in his heart and channeled his aura.


    "Come. I''ll break the legendary prince bone by bone." Crimson Specter smiled and pushed his palm out.


    A spinning space tornado grew out to engulf and destroy the Prince.


    Baldur tried to put on a brave front but just gave up and threw a punch with all his strength.


    As they shed, all the rubble of the main pce blew away, leaving behind only a silver barrier formed by the ancient formations.


    This was thest scene Miss Cmity''s clone saw before she scattered into particles of light.


    What she would never know was Baldur''s figure crashing into the floor and fainting right away followed by Crimson Specter''s confused words. "Why are you so wea¡ªugh?"


    A red sword sliced through the Specter''s robe from the back and pierced his heart. The tip of the de emerged from the front and paused right below the Specter''s neck.


    The blood shed by Miss Cmity''s clone and Crimson Specter himself was originally scattered all around the ce.


    Now, it gathered and flew into the demon sword which devoured them contently and used a part of that power to wreak havoc inside the Specter''s body.


    Even in the current situation, Varian couldn''t beat the Specter. But when his own blood served as an amplifier and helped destroy his vitality, things got easy.


    "Arghhh!"


    Crimson Specter''s body shriveled at a rate visible to the naked eye and he hurriedly tried to remove the sword from his body. It stuck with him and didn''t let go.


    It was as if someone was putting a stopper on his power, the Specter suddenly found himself vulnerable and powerless.


    In desperation, he dug into his storage ring and began to use one treasure after another.


    Not to escape or kill Varian. That''s priority number two. The priority number one had always been to send away the item.


    If he died here, things would get risky and he couldn''t guarantee anything. So, he had to send it before he died.


    But with the formations locking everything, his powers weren''t working, and neither were his treasures.


    "Arghhh!" Crimson Specter''s body shook violently for a moment before he began to age rapidly.


    He used his racial talent once again. But he already overdid it once. Doing it now was jeopardizing his life. But he didn''t care.


    "Break for me!"


    He sted away Varian easily but the sword still stuck to him like a loach and just wouldn''t leave. So, he did the next best thing and cracked the formations.


    "Arghhh!" The Specter took out a small box with reverent eyes and floated it into a space crack.


    It''s done! The thing would now reach the Princess! No one here could stop it! Not even the guy and his strange sword!


    The Specter''s dying eyes stared into the crack with a proud smile. "Princess Esh, I''ve fulfilled my¡ª"


    Kacha!


    The space crack suddenly fluctuated and the box that was supposed to go slowed down.


    Whoosh!


    Varian snatched the box and said. "You nearly killed me. I can''t let you die in peace. I''m not that good of a guy."


    Crimson Specter exploded with rage. "sphemy!"


    His dying exploded with a brilliant light and the space crack behind Varian expanded.


    "Fuck!" Varian resisted with his own space powers and the carefully constructed space tunnel was now riddled with endless holes.


    But he couldn''t win against the stronger space awakener and was dragged into the space crack.


    "W-Was that spa¡­ce po..w¡­e.." Crimson Specter turned into ash, unable to verify the ridiculous reality he just witnessed.


    Perhaps if he stayed alive for just a bit more, the Jai Empire would''ve learned of a terrifying being that had just begun to grow up.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    The space cracks were unforgiving. But he wasn''t the amateur he once was. So, Varian didn''t survive by luck this time. It''s all thanks to his prowess.


    But as he wanted to exit the chaotic space, where he''d end up was all dependent on his luck. Varian took a shot and decided to go where his gut told him to.


    He regretted it.


    ''Where am I?'' He asked dumbly.


    [Nexus Empire. The one ruled by Order group.] The System''s voice wasn''t as cold as it was in the beginning. But Varian could feel some other emotion he couldn''t put a finger on. But he didn''t have the leisure to care.


    He had to know. Now.


    "No. I asked, Where am I?" Varian looked at the bustling streets filled with a variety of races, buildings constructed in styles of architecture he couldn''t even imagine, and clouds that turned into inds in the green sky.


    He saw ordinary people walking in the air, noticed the wind that solidified into translucent substance in the hands of running children, and ground that flowed like water.


    No one here was using their power to cause these changes.


    These were all¡­natural. If he had to say it in technical terms, the rules of this word were bent. It was mindblowing and breaking allmon sense.


    But Varian had a hunch that the biggest surprise wasn''t in the streets or the sky. It was in the tower¡ªthe silvery structure at the horizon so vast that it seemed to stretch for thousands of miles and so tall that it reached the moon of the.


    As if to prove his hunch to be true, a panel appeared in front of him.


    [Do you want to climb the tower?


    Yes/Yes]


    A/N: Volume ends

 Chapter 1160 Power Of Miss Calamity

    Chapter 1160 Power Of Miss Cmity


    At the edge of the Milkyway, dozens of ck holes crashed into each other and an unbelievable suction force erupted, enough to destroy thousands of stars in a blink.


    Out of this vortex where space and time were torn to shreds and the universe resorted to its most primitive form of chaos, countless glowing particles gathered together and formed a beautiful veiled figure.


    "Has anyone told you?" The being that twisted these ckholes with her will looked at the figure with a distorted smile and asked.


    Miss Cmity raised a brow and tapped her finger into the void. Space cracked and a force that seemed to permeate the universe unleashed itself in its blindingly divine glory.


    A giant glowing handrger than a hundred suns encircled Zahara Onyx. It didn''t harm her. Physical harm seemed useless to a being of her rank anyway. Instead, a nearly tangible field of flickering starlight silver formed around the deputy head of Jai Empire''s spy unit.


    A force that permeated every living being in the universe called out to Zahara. The force of life itself appealed to her, requested her, cajoled her, and threatened her. All means only for one goal¡ªthe life force coerced Zahara to submit to this being in front of her.


    Like all instincts, a new instinct was engraved into her DNA and into the depths of her soul.


    Zahara''s calm eyes shook violently as the space around her distorted and resisted the invading life force.


    It wasn''t enough. The life force within her own body started to riot and act against her.


    As she resisted her own body, things went violent.


    Zahara''s skin cracked apart and blood flooded out like she was a broken dam. Her brimming vitality began to drop at a visible rate and her gaze towards Princess Cmity grew more and more servile.


    As things started to grow out of control, Zahara''s eyes glowed with a silvery light, and an invisible shockwave sted around her.


    The barrier separating outer space from the chaotic inner regions was sted away. Even the boundaries of inner space were broken in a blink and Zahara Onyx stood in the center of inner space''s chaotic storms, using them to shield herself from the dangerous life force.


    No, it wasn''t simply inner space. If she went a bit further and broke that invisible barrier, she''d enter a special zone of space. No, the special point. The one point from which all space-time originates. The core of space-time.


    Even for her, standing at the edge was already taxing. But if she didn''t, the consequences would be far more dire.


    She could''ve teleported and minimized the damage. But if she fled at the beginning, Miss Cmity could easily return to the Duchy and foil the n. So, she held on, despite the risk.


    Now, it seemed like fleeing was the only option.


    Even though she could return and continue to drag her down, Miss Cmity would slowly increase her upper hand. In the end, there''s a definite risk of death.


    As she was about to teleport, the invading life force trembled and bounced back.


    Zahara didn''t know the reason it happened but made no hesitation in exploiting the opportunity.


    She returned to outer space and built a special space barrier around herself, consisting of wormholes that''d devour the life force and transfer them far away.


    "You lose." Miss Cmity''s eyes gleamed with a devilish light. Her voice was seductive and alluring. Just by listening to her, even powerful warriors would have the urge to kneel down and devote their souls to her.


    "What?" Even as a woman, Zahara found it hard not to notice the charm Miss Cmity exuded. It wasn''t her main mode of attack and wasn''t so strong. Yet, one could only ignore it at their own peril.


    Enving other beings didn''t always need invading life force. Sometimes, a smile was enough.


    "Esh Starlight will remain iplete," Miss Cmity smiled under the veil, her eyes glimmering with a vengeful light. "Tell her to give up any dreams of advancing. I''ll catch up with her and then I''ll kill her. Jai Empire will lose a pir and the Alliance will rid itself of a demoness."


    "Can''t you ept reality? Your clone just died and that''s why your attack was interrupted." Zahara Onyx covered her mouth and chuckled softly.


    "My clone dying doesn''t mean your spy winning," Miss Cmity''s lips curled up and she decided to reward Baldur when she returned. The little prince from the kingdom turned out to be far more resourceful and powerful than she thought. "You should learn about it anytime now."


    "What are you b¡ªno!" Zahara''s body trembled as she felt the passing of Crimson Specter.


    Not just her, in a divine pce far away in the Andromeda Gxy, Esh Starlight opened her eyes and nced in the direction of Centaurus.


    Her eyes glowed green like gemstones and a scene that urred a few minutes ago in the treasury ruins of the Duchy began to y in front of her.


    It was somewhat blurred and many details were hidden. But Esh Starlight could still figure out the important parts.


    The vitality-sucking demon sword Varian used didn''t arouse any of her interest. But when the stable space that was supposed to deliver her the box fluctuated and Varian snatched it with ease, Princess Esh''s eyes narrowed.


    The man who had been using the power of Mystic so far had suddenly disyed the power of space. Since her power was still far from perfect, she couldn''t be so sure if it''s his own power or the power he borrowed from the dense space formations.


    It''s much more likely that he manipted the space formations he earlier used to block the spy to twist the space at thest moment.


    But there''s a tiny chance that he did have the power of space. Because he was at too much ease in the dangerously fluctuating space when he snatched the box. If it''s anyone else, their body would instinctively be in a defensive mode.


    ''No, it''s not possible¡­''

 Chapter 1161 A Gaze Across Space & Time

    Only a hybrid could have two celestial powers. The Alliance was working furiously for a functional hybrid. So was the Jai Empire.


    The Jai Empire''s research was in a different direction, however. Their aim was to create a body that could amodate the power of three avenues and gather the three sliver-pairs.


    ''HE called it the final step to godhood.''


    Primal Union Body¡ªa concept that existed only in the legends of this god-making project. It appeared twice already and in just a short gap.


    Even with the best research teams, Jai Empire concluded that you''d need all three sliver-pairs to create this body. Ideally, all three sliver-pairs. But for a barely functional physique, just a bit of the sliver-pair powers was enough.


    Since the order-chaos slivers went missing, even the Jai Empire had a finite number of times they could use the stored power.


    But despite that, they hadn''t been able to amodate even the traces of these three powers stably. Any creature they tried to create exploded and died violently.


    The most sessful experiment was one where the sliver powers neutralized each other and the divine paths didn''t work at all.


    ''But even I don''t know what HE is doing. He has the space-time slivers, what he can do must be different from what the rest of us.'' Esh sighed.


    On pure impulse, she appeared on a distant where she spent some of her childhood. It was a bustling city and she remembered a park here very well. Because it was one of the few times she met her father outside the court.


    She was very happy that he came to see her. But after a few words, he didn''t even talk to her. She said nothing in front of him but when she returned, she couldn''t stop crying.


    Ignoring the crowd on the road who couldn''t even notice her presence, Esh walked into that park and her eyes glowed.


    A glowing screen appeared in front of her and it went further and further into the past.


    If she wasn''t here in person now and back then, it''d have been too hard to rewind so back. But she was and so she could.


    It was a sunny day, the glowing flowers were falling from the sky and theke in the park was turning into a beautiful pink vapor, along with its fish that were turning into strange translucent birds.


    The young Esh was watching everything with relish when a man appeared beside her without any sound or fluctuation. He patted her head lightly and told her to work hard to grow strong.


    The young Esh nodded enthusiastically, promising to do her best. She thought, as long as she worked hard, he''d give her the attention. For the young girl, her father''s attention was the rarest thing.


    ''I was so naive back then¡­'' Esh sighed and was about to wave off the screen when the man on the screen suddenly turned to her.


    Esh froze and a chill shot up her spine.


    "Divine rank, hmm. But your path to further progress is blocked." The man shook his head in disappointment and swiped his hand.


    The screen began to crack and the man started waking away from the panicking young Esh who wondered if she made any mistake.


    "Aaaah! Haaah!" Esh copsed to the ground and gasped heavily. With gritted teeth, she muttered. "D-Disappointment? I''ll show you one day!"


    She returned to her pce and watched Varian''s battle again. The scenes reversed further. She witnessed all of Varian''s battles, all the way from when he first almost died but miraculously recovered to when he finished off the spy.


    ''He''s growing strong with every battle. Unless he took a very precious herb, it''s impossible for anyone even in the Empire to grow that fast. But someone who can take that herb won''t risk his life against a mere Duchy-level spy.''


    Things had gotten a bit more interesting now.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    ''But there are races with simr racial talents. Some need battles to reach their peak strength while others get a boost from near-death experience.''


    Esh knew there were many exnations to rationalize Varian''s seemingly abnormal behavior. In the eyes of Divine Rankers, it''s just a bit more cumbersome to understand but totally eptable.


    However, she had a hunch in the back of her mind. Even though her rationality said her he was nothing special except for disrupting her n, her guts told her that there was something off about him.


    It wasn''t that big of a reaction. Just a slight difort, like a small itch.


    But she ignored that hunch as another emotion engulfed her. Rage, endless rage boiled inside her heart. This bastard, this little ant, the insect who didn''t even deserve a nce from her destroyed the possibility of her progressing any further.


    "Unfortunately for him, he''s not dead yet. Hisst traces are in¡­" Her eyes turned and she felt the ''part'' of her in a faraway ce. "Nexus Empire."


    The traces were cut off abruptly. Since it''s just a part of her and sealed at that, it''s very much possible to block her out if it''s in the domain of a powerful celestial ranker.


    Since the space was too chaotic and the traces disappeared abruptly, Esh couldn''t follow up easily.


    What''s more, tracing it from the edge of Andromeda to almost the most distant edges of Nexus Empire wasn''t easy for her. It''d have been easy if that ''part'' hadn''t been missing but there were no ifs.


    "Nexus Empire, the domain of a powerful celestial ranker, chaotic space storms." The Fourth Princess narrowed her eyes.


    Nexus Empire was too big, almost one-fourth of the Milkyway. There were many powerful celestial rankers in it. And since there were so many powerful people, chaotic space storms were just toomon.


    For others, the search would yield nothing. But these clues were enough for her.


    She tapped into the empty space and Zahara Onyx who was escaping from the pursuit of three Genesis Empire powerhouses felt an invisible field envelop her. She didn''t resist the field and closed her eyes.


    The space-time field fluctuated and Zahara appeared right in front of the Princess. Instinctively, she knelt and lowered her head for failing.


    Esh''s eyes glowed with rage but her words were calm and chilling. "Nexus Empire, a domain of powerful celestial ranker, chaotic space storms. That''s where the box is and the culprit who stole it."


    "I''ll go right away!" Zahara tried to stand up but her face paled and her skin started to shrivel.


    The seque of fighting Princess Cmity wasn''t so easy to ignore.


    "Injuring my subordinate like this, you''ve grown stronger," Esh said with a cold smile and gazed into the stars, her gaze prated the endless space and reached the back of a woman in a veil.


    Feeling that piercing gaze, Miss Cmity turned around and sneered. "Wash your neck and wait. The day I catch up with you will be the day I''ll make you pay for everything you did."


    Esh felt a few gazes on her from the Gensis Empire and dropped her n to prolong this conversation. Shaking her head, she said indifferently. "I didn''t kill her but I''ll kill you."


    Miss Cmity sneered and disappeared.


    "Recuperate now. The Alliance already knows our purpose." Esh said to her deputy and chuckled. Her figure blurred and she disappeared, as if she was never here in the first ce.


    "Any infiltration now is much harder. Send the strongest spies without alerting the Alliance. Use the sleeper cells if necessary. And that culprit¡­I want him alive."

 Chapter 1162 Justice?

    "W-What? He disappeared into the space crack?" Duke Cassius raised his brows with an ecstatic expression.


    "Yes, I just woke up when he was thrown in. If only I was a bit early¡­" Prince Baldur sighed in regret. "He¡­wasn''t lying to me all this time. He must''ve disappeared because of some important work. I misunderstood him."


    The Duke ignored Baldur''s ramblings and rushed into a prison building taking his rank 4 subordinates.


    Admiral Yaras and Prime Minister Zed were still injured but since Varian didn''t deal any fatal blows, they were able to recuperate a bit.


    They already guessed what the Duke was going to do and followed him into the prison without hesitation.


    The soldiers looked at each other and sighed.


    The next moment, horrifying screams rang out of the building and thick blood flowed out of the doors.


    Everyone shuddered as the screams grew more and more horrifying. Some of the voices were easily recognized.


    Lord of Barix Jorand.


    Chief of Intelligence Akira.


    The ones who were betrayed by the Duchy and betrayed it.


    The rank 2s of the Province.


    A full six hourster, the Duke drenched in thick and dried-up blood walked out with a relieved expression.


    For the past six hours, no one outside the building took a step, including Prince Theoron and Princess Catherine.


    Cassius nced at Theoron beside his daughter and smiled a bloody smile. "Thest evil seed, since my daughter liked you, I''ll give you an easy death."


    "Father!" Catherine shielded her lover and looked at Cassius with trembling eyes. "What are you doing? He''s the one who informed me about this! He''s the reason Director Baldur came with us! He''s our savior!"


    "Oh?" Cassius leaned back and looked at Theoron.


    The Prince''s eyes were still, his face numb and his body frozen. He was like a living corpse.


    Even though he hated what his father did to him, he couldn''t ept what they went through. There were many people in there that raised him up. Sure, they were on the opposite side. But many of their grievances were justified.


    Including his father''s. Theoron never thought he''d once again support his father. But now, he did. Even though Lord Jorand ruined many lives, Duke Cassius was the starting point of everything.


    If anyone here deserved punishment, it''d be him.


    "Look at him, his lover''s father tortured and killed all his rtives. Do you think he can still look at you with love? Whenever he looks at you, he''ll be reminded of my blood flowing inside you." Cassius shook his head.


    "You¡­" Catherine''s face paled and she looked into Theoron''s eyes. Indeed, there was no love inside them.


    If they had escaped and this happened, he wouldn''t have held off such a grudge. But he witnessed everything.


    When Princess Catherine remained silent at her father when he was killing off all the members inside the prison, his heart shattered.


    Even if she at least spoke up against sparing some innocents, then things could''ve been different.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    But now¡­


    Theoronughed, mocking himself. He wanted to run away but he never wanted them all to die.


    In the end, he gave up the desire for his own peaceful life and decided to risk it all. He always had the option to run away.


    But he didn''t. Without bringing Baldur, things would''ve beenpletely different.


    He changed his mind to save the lives of the Centuarians but the result was this? Was this how his good intentions got repaid?


    Cassius pushed away Catherine and raised his hand.


    "Father, even if he doesn''t love me, I do. Don''t kill him. He won''t be a threat to the Duchy." Catherine grabbed Cassius'' arm and pleaded.


    "I would''ve spared him, I really would''ve." Cassius freed his hand and pushed her off. "But his father taught me a lesson. A harmless boy today can topple my Duchy and my dream tomorrow. So no matter how innocent he is, he must die."


    Theoron looked at the approaching hand without fear. "Since I can''t escape, so be it. But know this, old bastard, youck any balls to rejuvenate this Duchy. Centaurus might stay until you do, but the day you die, this ce will burn down."


    His words prickled the old wound of the Duke and his eyes grew fierce. He lifted the Prince by his neck and snarled. "I changed my mind. You won''t die a good death, little bastard."


    Theoron struggled in his hand but couldn''t break free. As the grip on his neck grew tighter and tighter, Theoron turned to the Duke''s face and spat. "C-Centaurus¡­will break."


    "Damn you!" Cassius raised his hand to smash Theoron into the floor.


    Catherine slumped down powerlessly.


    But the expected crash didn''t happen. Baldur snatched Theoron and looked at the Duke with an indifferent gaze. "Constantine said this guy is his brother. Since I owe him, you''re not allowed to kill him."


    "¡­Prince, it''s not wise of you to intervene in a Duchy''s internal matters," Cassius said with a cold gaze.


    "Regent of Centaurus," Baldur grinned.


    "Huh?"


    A holographic certificate popped up between them. It was signed just a few minutes ago.


    "Since Centaurus'' power is heavily damaged with thew and order on the verge of copsing, the Kingdom decided to send a regent to take over until things settle down. Princess Cmity granted me the favor and gave me the position."


    Cassius'' face paled and he trembled.


    Baldur looked at him indifferently. "I, Baldur, the Regent Of Centaurus, recognize your merits and reward you to serve as a frontline soldier against the Jai Empire."


    Cassius slumped beside his daughter and looked at the sky with a nk gaze.


    ''W-Why? Why did all this happen? When he learned Varian fell into space crack, he knew that there was no chance that boy wasing back. He died and took down any hope of Centaurus'' rejuvenation with him. So, as thest correction, Cassius wanted to eliminate all threats to the Duchy while he was still alive.''


    But now, when his own life was on the line, an emotion called regret filled his being.

 Chapter 1164 Responsibilities

    The Havocs disappeared without a trace. It was ironic, the dreadful pirates that shook an entire duchy ended without even a whimper.


    With their end, thest traces of their races had almost vanished and the race called Havocs was now extinct.


    An entire race had gone extinct. It had the misfortunate of being one of the fifty races that disappear every day.


    While there was little damage to humans because the ''invasion'' ended before it even began, it caused some serious waves in the upper echelon of the Empire.


    All the big shots gathered in the capital city to discuss countermeasures and preparations to face the future.


    This includes the celestial rankers of the eight races that Varian didn''t previously allow to wander.


    While the human race grew stronger every day thanks to the generous Hortus resources and the time dtion, it was only barely able to produce a dozen celestials.


    It''d take a while before humanity could equal the number of celestials from these races.


    But unlike anywhere else, humanity had a disproportionate amount of rank 2spared to their rank 1s.


    Despite that, theirbined power was still not enough to deal with all the rank 2s of the eight races.


    But here came the variable.


    "Q-Queen of Shadows," The new patriarch of the blood race, no, it should be the new ''governor'', bowed his head in reverence.


    Alongside him, the leaders of mermaid, blinker, nymph, elf, srian, crystal, and berseker races all bowed deeply.


    Until now, they had submitted to Varian''s overwhelming strength and his position as the ruler of the Deva civilization.


    But now, they also surrendered to the woman looking down at them quietly.


    They didn''t know how strong she was, but thest time they saw Varian, his presence was not so pressuring.


    Now, just her mere presence caused all these rank 2 celestial rankers to shudder in fear.


    Some of them were veteran rank 2s, like the Elf governor while the others were new rank 2s, just promoted thanks to the generous support.


    But all of them felt a sense of dread because of the Queen''s presence and forgot to even initiate the meeting.


    Alison, the Imperial Secretary, sighed inwardly. ''These cowards, you get so much fame as rank 2s and brag about your powers. Why don''t you at least open your mouth?''


    She quietly sneaked a peek at the throne tform.


    Up the softly glowing stairs was the magnificent throne of the emperor. It was as dazzling and powerful as ever.


    Alison only knew that some of these materials were provided by Heaven''s Will itself but couldn''t figure out why a simple throne itself exuded such a heavy pressure in the throne hall.


    Everyone who entered the hall would feel an invisible pressure dropping onto their shoulders and a sensation of fear and respect would naturally rise in their hearts.


    Now, besides this throne were two contrasting thrones.


    One white, softly glowing throne made of a rare snow material that wouldn''t melt even at the core of the sun.


    The other one was a pitch-ck throne with spikes protruding out of its edges. The ck stone used to carve the throne was said to be the heart of a dragon-like species.


    In a long ck silk dress and a red belt, Enigma quietly settled in the throne. Her smooth chin rested on her palm and her gaze was unfocused.


    It''s just that the dark fumes and the chilling aura from her body enveloped her entire throne, creating a ck fog that prevented anyone from seeing her.


    Sia tried to control the rioting darkness power and fainted after too much exertion. So, Enigma took up the mantle and decided to fulfill the duties as the Queen of Shadows.


    No one spoke up first. So, she too didn''t bother to initiate and just looked at therge entrance absentmindedly.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    It was as if she was expecting someone to enter¡­with his usual confident steps and the almost cocky smile that had a contagious charm to sit beside her, to take his rightful throne.


    If he came, if only he came, then Enigma was certain this problem wouldn''t be a problem anymore.


    She felt a bit stupid for thinking so. That woman was so strong that even a duchy was damaged by the aftermath of her attack, what could Varian do?


    But she hopelessly found herself believing him. It was madness.


    ''They say irrationality is part of love. But I am treading into the realm of stupidity here.'' Enigma mocked herself.


    "They belong to the same race that the Emperor imprisoned a while ago," Irene said with an apparent frown. "If not for the unexpected help from the Queen, it''d have been impossible to win. That said, what if a stronger foees? We can''t be passive and ignorant about the wider world anymore."


    "We were hiding so far. But since we''re exposed anyway, I suggest we send diplomats first to understand the situation. In the worst case, they can buy some time." The Nymph Lady said calmly, her fist on her heart. "My race will show its skill and bring back good results. We are masters of diplomacy."


    The men and women in the court nodded almost imperceptibly. Whatever race they were from, the Nymphs had some dealings with them. In a sense, they were the most socially active and also the most friendly group.


    With their natural charm skills and finesse, they''d be best the diplomats.


    "Diplomacy is for equals," Bali shook his head. "There are no policies for weak states, only orders."


    "That''d be a bit too pessimistic, Sir Bali." The beautiful Nymph shook her head. "There are hierarchies everywhere, sure. But how you maneuver these structures to bring yourselves the best benefit is up to you.


    If you think you can''t talk to another party unless you have equal strength, then what about the existing powers out there? They''re managing things somehow, so should we."


    "You may be right," Bali sighed. "But we''re not an ordinary power, we have secrets that would bring destruction. The Emperor said it himself, the ruins are no joke even for beings powerful celestials. Once we initiate a rtionship with the outside, we''ll be exposed."


    "The ruins can be hidden," It was the Governor of the Blood Race that spoke, his gaze sweeping his fellow non-human races. "But the extent of stealth varies. A strong enough person can still find them."


    "The extent, you speak of, Representative of Blood Race," Thezy crystal race woman didn''t even open her eyes and said as if she was talking in her sleep. "Is pathetic. A rank 2 can easily find the ruins with some probing. Unless the Emperor who has direct power over the ruins does it, I don''t think anyone else doing anything can make a difference."


    After saying those words, a thin crystal armor enveloped the woman, and the light snoreing from her was muted.


    Alison rubbed her forehead.


    Varian did mention this. But he also said that if he did ''hide'' the ruins, he had to stay there to keep them hidden. It''s a self-inflicted prison sentence. Even then, he wasn''t even sure of hiding the ruins from a rank 4 or 5.


    Unlike them, he had to take the entire situation into consideration.


    When Sr System does get discovered, there would be only two problems.


    One, How did they remain unnoticed for so long?


    Two, What are the ruins?


    Unless Varian grew strong enough to throw all the ruins into Hortus, any strong celestial rankers would easily find the ruins.


    This created the current situation where they were left mostly helpless.


    Enigma pursed her lips and was about to speak when a ball of light entered the throne hall and hovered over the other Queen''s throne before turning into a graceful woman in white.


    "I''ll hide the ruins. As the scion, I have more control over them than you lot. So, hiding it from rank 3s and perhaps 4s shouldn''t be a problem." Sarah''s words eased a lot of tension, but she herself turned to Enigma with a tense gaze.


    "We''ll be fine." Enigma''s voice rang in her mind. "Her power is trying to riot and it''s honestly hard to hold her back, but I think me and Sia can manage."


    Sarah clenched her fist and didn''t change her calm expression. But Enigma could clearly see the turbulence in her sky-blue eyes. "It''s not your fault. Don''t me yourself every time."


    "¡­I''ll ept the legacy in advance. I don''t know if it can solve the problem, but it''ll increase the odds." Sarah''s voice was low but determined. "Enigma, don''t sacrifice yourself under any circumstances. You still have a promise to keep."


    Enigma''s breath halted for a moment and when she opened her mouth to refute, Sarah''s body turned into a ray of light and disappeared.

 Chapter 1166 Floor 1: Sea Of Sands

    The Tower of Harmony, the Tower of Invincibility, the Tower of Gods¡­


    The titles of the title were endless. So were its legends. But the ones that came out of it were not.


    Varian realized it the moment he entered the first ''floor''.


    Unlike normal people whose first perception whennding in a strange ce would be either smell or touch, Varian''s first perception was the vastness of this ce.


    Before his feet even touched the ground, Varian realized he was on a that was asrge as the sun.


    Then, when his feet did touch the sand, he flinched instinctively. Looking down, the sand looked perfectly normal, just like any sand you''d expect on a hot desert. But it was cold. Bone-bitingly, blood freezingly cold.


    "No, it''s actually hot. But why do I feel cold?" Varian picked up a handful of sand and the sensation instantly changed.


    From the freezing coldness, the sand went into¡­wetness. Varian''s hand was soon drenched and droplets of water dripped down his forearm as he stared at the sand in utter shock.


    "This is ridiculous." He noticed something absurd from this sand and put a few sand grains on his forehead.


    A tingling sensation spread from his forehead to the back of his skull, slowly seeping into his brain.


    It was just a bit of sand, but the power was already enough to kill a level 3. If he used the fistful of sand, it''d kill a level 6.


    Varian raised his head and looked at the endless sea of desert that stretched beyond the horizon.


    Under the three suns in the sky that shone ferociously, the air above the sand seemed to twist and twirl.


    "Huh?" Varian raised a brow.


    A mass of sand was spiraling like a tornado. It was just the size of a person a moment earlier, but now it had already grown to the size of a building.


    "Oh, crap."


    The tornado was growingrger faster.


    ''Will this ce be monitored?'' As the aura channeled into his hand, Varian asked his dear system.


    [The Tower is a special entity by itself. It''s hard even for a Divine Ranker to monitor. Host doesn''t have to worry.]


    Once he got the assurance, Varian pointed his index finger at the brewing sand tornado and used his matter powers.


    It''s still a bit early to call them ''matter'' powers since the transition really began at rank 4. Until then, the elementalists usually have limited control over matter.


    But Varian had the slivers and they let him exert strength beyond his rank.


    A wave of invisible aura spread out from his index finger and enveloped the sand storm.


    The very next moment, the sandstorm froze. The tornado fluctuated violently.


    Like a wild beast trying to get out of the that trapped it, it struggled.


    Varian stumbled a few steps before he stretched his right palm and channeled the power through his whole palm.


    A finger should''ve been more than enough to control a sandstorm. But now, even when he was trying with his whole palm, it wasn''t calming down.


    "Come on¡­" Beads of sweat dripped down Varian''s forehead as he felt a tremendous force on his right hand, slowly stretching it outward.


    There was something hidden in the sand and the that was keeping it so resilient.


    "Peak rank 2 doesn''t work, huh? Then, rank 3 should." Varian''s sliver powers enveloped his divine paths and the next moment, all his celestial paths turned into the power of matter.


    [Peak Rank 3]


    "Go!"<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Varian raised his left arm and pped forcibly, pushing against the resistance.


    BOOM!


    The sand grains in the storm spun violently for a moment and dropped to the ground. The storm died off without even a whimper.


    "Phew." Varian''s shoulders drooped as he exhaled in relief.


    He wouldn''t be afraid of a normal sandstorm. Not even a hundred. But the sand here was too weird.


    If a rank 1 falls into the sand, he might die. Ifpletely buried, rank 3s might nevere back.


    As for a sandstorm?


    Rank 4s should pray for their lucky stars to survive. Only rank 5s and 6s could face it confidently.


    Of course, if the sandstorm was too big, even rank 5s could end up dead.


    "This is 1st floor?"


    He was stranded in an endless sea of red, yellow, and grey sand.


    As he was wondering if he should ask the System to help him out, a screen popped up.


    [Congrattions on surviving the screening test.


    You''re one of the 495,000 lucky ones this month. 5,000 failed the simple test and died.


    You are now eligible to climb the tower.


    0) 1st Floor to the 30th floor is referred to as Zone 1.


    1) Every challenger has 24 hours of survival time.


    2) If you kill a native of your rank, you can get 2 hours of additional survival time. If you kill someone of higher rank, you get 4 hours.


    3) If you kill a challenger, you can get 30 minutes of survival time if their rank is lower than yours. 4 hours if you''re of the same rank. 6 if higher.


    4) You''ll be rewarded only for the first 5 native kills every 24 hours and the first three challenger kills.


    5) For every person you kill above the 100 count, you''ll lose the corresponding minutes. 101 minutes for the 101st kill, 102 for the 102nd kill, and so on.


    6) To get to the next floor, you just have to reach one of the many ''magic circles'' scattered across the.


    7) You can forfeit at the 15th and 29th floors and return to the safe zone.


    PS:


    (A) You can go to others in the star system, but you cannot leave the star system.


    (B) There is a second safe zone after clearing Zone 1.


    (C) You can choose to exit the tower after clearing Zone 2.]


    Varian rubbed his forehead with his thumb and index fingers as he figured out the implications of these rules.


    But before he could analyze anything concrete, something pulled his leg.


    "Fuck!"

 Chapter 1172 Rank 3!

    Maria obviously didn''t believe Varian''s words. While she remained very skeptic about why he didn''t escape when staying with her was such a big danger, she was d he did.


    Just as she was about to sit down and absorb the star-pearl, Varian stretched his hand forward.


    The two puppets behind her stepped forward and shielded her before he could do anything funny.


    "Huh?" Maria only reacted then and looked up at him in confusion.


    "I''ll also need some resources to unlock my seal." Varian said in a cheeky tone. "And the seal is moreplicated. So, I''ll need resources from all avenues to get the job done. Thanks for epting that as a part of the deal."


    "W-When did I¡ª?" Maria opened her mouth in confusion but one of the star-pearl in her palm disappeared before she could do anything.


    "It''s the price for me taking this risk." Varian grinned and walked into the edge of the cave.


    Even though they called it a cave, it''s only rtive to their prowess. In fact, the interior of the so-called cave would easily stretch a mile or two. Consequently, the mountain with many such caves would be vast. And the mountain range they''re hiding in was stretching for at least a thousand miles.


    "This looks good," Varian probed the star-pearl floating in front of him and closed his eyes.


    Oysters and Mermaids had a synergic rtionship. Mermaids were the subject and Oysters were recorders. After establishing a connection, they could explore the mysteries of life force inside their body and the broader world.


    Varian never delved deep into the mysteries of the powers he was using. The general view in the federation remained that life was purely material. But the existence of soul blew away the firmly held belief.


    Then what''s death? How did creatures that once die reanimate into ''Undead?'' An Undead that could think, feel and act¡ªcould it even be called an Undead?


    And the elephant in the room.


    Soul.


    Where did ite from? How did it form? Where would it go once a creature dies?


    Question after question filled Varian''s mind. The few answers he gained only led to more and deeper questions.


    The tsunami of questions that threatened to drown his consciousness froze without warning and Varian found himself in aforting silence.


    Life.


    It was deeply rted to two powers he currently wielded.


    Mystic: The path of controlling Qi, a force that permeated the entire universe.


    Famine: The path where one sucks away energy, especially life energy, and grows oneself.


    Ironically, Qi and lifeforce were interlinked, interchangeable, and sometimes even


    indistinguishable. For a divine ranker, they might even be the same thing.


    "Ugh," Varian opened his eyes for a moment and calmed his chaotic mind. He didn''t need to go so far. He''s just a rank 2 now.


    Simply speaking, Mystic had two choices of evolution.


    Mystic ¡ª> Adept: Pursuing a path of extreme to forge a perfect body.


    Once you reach the apex of Adepth, you could go either condense a body with perfect life essence or perfect death essence, bing a perfect biological existence either way.


    Mystic ¡ª> Adept ¡ª> Paragon Body/ Reaper


    Or there''s another path instead of pursuing physical qualities to build a perfect body.


    Mystic ¡ª> Forcender: Use Qi to manipte the world.


    In gaming terms, this was roughly a long-range role. Fighting, but without fists. Not a mage but somewhat simr.


    Once you reach the apex of Forcender, you''d have to pick between using that Qi to build yourself up as a formidable warrior or connecting to others to create awork that''d be your strength.


    Mystic ¡ª> Forcender ¡ª> Life Spirit/Enver.


    On the other hand, Famine¡ªthe path connected with life was somewhat straightforward.


    He could either be an Assimtor¡ªa devourer that''d devour others to grow itself.


    Or he could be a symbiote¡ªa path walker who could do win-win deals by strengthening others and strengthening Self.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Famine ¡ª> Assimtor/Symbiote.


    The future path of an Assimtor would be to either be a moreprehensive version of itself¡ªDevouring Beast or to temper the devouring part and build a strong body to be a Death Giant.


    Assimtor ¡ª> Devouring Beast/Death Giant.


    A Symbiote, on the other hand, could pick to control life force or death force and be powerful by virtue of force control.


    Since a symbiote would be connected to other creatures, it could gain a lot of insight into the working of life force and death force in different types of creatures.


    Symbiote ¡ª> Life Force Controller/ Death Force Controller.


    The choices today would have far-reaching impact. Even though Varian wasn''t hitting rank 4 yet, his future path would be at least 60-70% certain by the time he hit rank 3.


    ''Adept or Forcender?''


    Varian didn''t struggle with the choice as much as others. Sure, these were important. But he wouldn''t be staying in these ranks for very long. What''s more, the paths actually converge once he entered the divine ranks.


    ''I love closer quarter fights, so I''ll pick Adept.''


    With his decision, a subtle change urred. The Qi flowing in Varian''s body vibrated slightly and turned more inward.


    Even though he could use the Qi to form forcefields and external attacks, it''d be more attuned to internal usage.


    At the same time, the bottleneck holding him back for the past few days broke without resistance.


    [Mystic Rank 2 ¡ª> Mystic Rank 3: 0/500]


    ''Symbiote or Assimtor?''


    Varian chuckled.


    ''No, I don''t even need to think about this. My style isbat all the way.''


    The life force flowing in Varian''s body grew tyrannical and hungry. His famine power grew turned famished and greedy.


    With it, another bottleneck broke.


    [Famine Rank 2 ¡ª> Famine Rank 3: 0/500]


    Shuaa!


    Varian felt a disturbance in the air and opened his eyes to see Maria glowing with a soft green light.


    The aura around her was fluctuating as it oscited between rank 2 and rank 3.


    ''She wasn''t lying?'' Varian raised a brow.


    It didn''t matter though. Thanks to the star pearl, he wouldn''t have any issue reaching rank 4. No bottlenecks or the like.


    ''But still¡­''


    [Spirit Rank 2: 249/250


    Matter Rank 2: 249/ 250


    (Water)


    Energy Rank 2: 249/250


    (Lightning)


    Space Rank 2: 249/250


    Time Rank 2: 249/250]


    Varian sighed inwardly. He still had a long way to go before he could push all the paths to rank 3.


    But once he did, he wouldn''t have to worry about the great bottleneck everyone struggled with during path transition.

 Chapter 1174 Weird, Weirder, Weirdest

    Maria was right.


    This reeked of weirndness. It was messed up in ways Varian previously hadn''t experienced.


    When he took a few steps into a forest, he''d see a few children getting murdered brutally. If he tried to help them out, he''d be ambushed by demonic one-eyed flying creatures that orchestrated the illusion.


    Or if he even tried to sit under a tree, the tree''s branches would slowly creep behind him and try to activate an illusion that could put him to sleep forever.


    It was ridiculous, exhausting and felt like the realized version of a huanted world from the movies he watched.


    No, this was worse.


    "Rraaaa!"


    A shrill scream pierced the minds of Varian and Maria by the riverside, causing them to clutch their heads in response.


    "You said this ce was safe," Veins popped up on Varian''s forehead as he struggled to withold the raging fury. For some reason, his emotions were getting vtile here.


    Despite knowing a battle against Maria here would be in his worst interest, he didn''t care about offending her.


    "I said what I believed," Maria red back at him while taking out a pink flower from her storage ring and sniffing it lightly.


    The sharpness in her gaze disappeared and she passed him the flower, "Our emotions are being manipted."


    Varian wanted to throw the flower onto the ground and stomp on it. Did she really think his emotions could be manipted so easily?


    No, he wasn''t that weak. He''s¡ª


    [Host, shut up and take it.]


    Varian''s grip on the flower loosened and he sniffed the soothing fragrance. His fury disappeared as if it was never appeared and he slumped onto the wet grass on the riverbed with aplex expression.


    "I think we need to get out of this ce as soon as possible."


    Maria rolled her eyes at him andy down on the grass, "Thanks for the directions, Captain Obvious. But we''re on the riverbank for a reason."


    "Don''t tell there are mermaids here for you to steal their star pearls," Varian shook his head.


    "Well," Maria Virdis curled her lips. "No fishes, but there are chickens."


    "What do you mea¡ª"


    A giant bird whose size seemedrger than ten football stadiums stacked together flew over their heads and disappeared into the fog.


    Then, the rtively calm flowing river water began to grow turbulent.


    "It''s called the bird of sweet dreams. It injects its power into this water and anything that drinks this water will be tainted by its power and slowly grow mentally attached to it, ultimately being enved by it." Maria exined.


    Varian took a few steps from the sweet river water with a regretful expression.


    She chuckled at his action and continued. "On contrary, if you use its brain, it''ll shield you from these spiritual attacks. If you''re a spirit pathwalker, it''s a treasuretove."


    Varian gulped.


    [[Spirit]: Rank 2 (249/250)]


    As he was about to propose a ''deal'', the turbulent river water stilled without any warning and reached a point of stagnation.


    Then, globules of viscious green liquid began to appear in the water that slowly began to flow.


    Varian and Maria grew alert at the bizzare change and slowly walked in the direction the bird flew off to.


    They could only see hundred meters into the fog and were otherwise blind. For the speed of celestial rankers, this distance was too low for any usage.


    But they worked with what they had and the green liquid patches in the river certainlyed helped in guiding them.


    After an excruciatingly long and cautious journey of two hours, they found the corpse of that same creature¡ªthe bird of sweet dreams.


    Its neck was broken and blood was oozing out of its veins. Its huge body was almostpletely blocking the river flow, a ridiculous feat.


    They walked along the enormous corpse in an attempt to learn more.


    "Huh?" Varian stepped back instinctively as he noticed something was off. "Is it the same bird? This one is¡­small."


    It''s still massive. Almost the size of a vige. Butpared to the bird he saw just a while ago, this one did have a significant difference.


    Maria nodded. "The fog."


    A chill shot up Varian''s spine as he realized what was actually happening.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    It wasn''t a hidden beast or the body dposing by itself and certainly not an illusion ced on them by an enemy.


    It''s the fog.


    The fog began to envelop the corpse, squirm and slowly nibble it. As it did, the fog grew slightly thicker and more opaque.


    "Holy shit," Varian involuntarily unsheathed his sword.


    The fog was very, very creepy. Was it really dead? If it had any sentience, then¡­


    "The bird has been ambushed," Maria bent down to inspect the broken neck of the bird and concluded.


    She was using a treasure in the form of a hand mirror. Every time she moved it around the bird''s body, a colorful stripe of different dimensions would appear on it.


    "Ten, no, thirty¡­rank 3s," Maria slowly stepped back and looked around with vignce.


    Varian too watched the surroundings and tightened his grip on the sword.


    The Demon Sword, as greedy as ever, was pulling away the blood of the bird and drinking it with relish. It hummed and vibrated in his hand, its power increasing at a visible rate.


    Varian wondered if he could fight peak rank 4s with his strength. No, it''s still a bit too early.


    "T-Ten rank 4s¡­" Maria grabbed her spear and called out her two rank 4 puppets. Varian moved closer to her and hoped things wouldn''t fuck up too badly.


    "A-And¡­" Maria''s voice was so quiet that Varian would''ve almost missed the word she said next. "O-One¡­"


    "Before us, there must''ve been at least ten teams here, fifty or sixty members who came here. All dead." Varian used his rank 3 famine powers and said after smelling the death in the air.


    Despite the fog blocking his sense, he could feel it vaguely. The corpses were just a distance away. And standing beside those corpses were hungry, predatory eyes.


    "You''re not a predator, you''re a coward," Varian said to no one in particr. While his voice reached several miles despite being obstructed by the fog, there was no response to his words.


    Ten silhouettes moved behind the fog, positioned themselves in an ideal ambush position, and waited.


    And waited.


    An hour passed by just like that.


    Maria''s patience was wearing thin or at least that''s how she seemed. Varian didn''t trust what the woman said or how she appeared. For someone putting up the act of an arrogant missy so naturally, this wouldn''t be a cakewalk.


    What worried Varian was the asional aura shockwaves that hit them from the distance.


    And¡ª


    B¡­oom!


    An explosion so quiet that''d you almost certainly miss it if you didn''t concentrate. It urred before every fight and the fight itself was concluded within minutes.


    He gained a rough idea of what was happening here.


    In addition to the all-concealing fog, the corpse itself was so long, wide, and tall that it hid the hunters perfectly.


    A new team woulde to one side of the corpse or another. Then they did something that triggered an explosion after which they''d be quickly finished off.


    And what would every team try?


    ''Get the bird''s brain. Approach its head!'' Varian stopped in his steps, noticing that he was already a bit away from the bird''s long neck and was now only some distance from its coveted head.


    ''Oh, fuck.'' Varian''s expression fell and the space around his body blurred, as he tried to teleport at thest moment.


    But an overwhelming amount of energy engulfed his surroundings, breaking the space and making it too chaotic for any attempt of ''escape''.


    The tower closed up the space. So, Varian wouldn''t end up outside the tower in some remote area by entering into the chaotic space, but it''d still be dangerous.


    ''If I''m rank 3, I could manage the risk,'' Varian clicked his tongue and sprinted away like his life depended on it, because it did.


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    Maria Virdis reacted just a moment earlier than him and when the explosion swept them, she was already fleeing on a flying metal board.


    At the same time, eleven humanoid rank 4s appeared on round one-eyed flying monsters which themselves were also rank 4.


    To Varian''s puzzlement, the humanoids were challengers and the one-eyed monsters were natives.


    ''Are you kidding me?''

 Chapter 1175 Survival Of The Fittest

    Chasing prey was always an enjoyable game. Seeing the hope turn into despair, courage into fear evoked a heightened ecstasy in him and his kind.


    "Go! Faster!" Ebonis patted the soft skin of the round creature he was seated on and urged it.


    Perhaps it''s by their design that they''re able to integrate with these one-eyed creatures¡ªSightlings¡ªand fight as a single unit.


    Sightlings could see far ahead in the fog, fly fast, and even bear a lot of attacks. But they were abnormally weak to any spiritual attacks.


    That''s where his kind Umbrali came in¡ªMasters of Spiritual Attacks but with bodies so weak that they couldn''t even take ten steps without panting.


    These two tribes were enemies when they first met, just like any challengers and native tribe. The enmity didn''tst and they turned into partners, bing a sort of local hegemon for the second floor.


    One of the elite hunting groups of this local hegemon was now chasing down two awakeners. One rank 3 and the other¡­rank 2?


    "Catch the weak one first!" Ebonis ordered.


    The ten Umbrali activated their powers and an invisible burst of aura swept the surroundings.


    Varian who was a bit behind Maria felt something pull his leg and attacked it without hesitation.


    "No, Wai¡ª"


    Maria''s shout was a momentte.


    "Fuck!" Varian''s sword pierced his own thigh and nearly severed his leg.


    Sensing something was off, Demon Sword resisted his sh at thest moment and saved him from the fate of starting a one-legged running race.


    "The illusions are dangerous. Even your senses can be deceived. Don''t trust anything, including what your body says." Maria shouted as she threw out a grenade-like thing at the pursuers.


    They evaded it in a hurry but instead of exploding, it puffed out bright blue smoke.


    Varian''s speed decreased as he couldn''t run as fast. To his surprise, Maria too slowed her hoverboard so that he could keep the distance.


    "Wouldn''t it be best if I died here? What''s your deal?" Gritting his teeth as blood spilled out of his healing thigh, Varian asked.


    Maria shrugged without even looking back. "If I leave you to them and you tell them my secret, then things would mess up."


    As the fog in front of them continued to clear, they found themselves facing a huge cave whose entrance was as big as a ten-story building.


    Maria wanted to go in to throw off the pursuers but Varian stopped running and turned toward them. "You know what?"


    "What?" Maria gained some distance and stopped slowly as she watched him with vignce. "If you want to die, fine. But I''ll attack you if you try to say something."


    "You''re too paranoid. And," Aether Pendant appeared on Varian''s neck. Formerly worn by Kreo, it was the artifact that boosted the user''s mental powers.


    But as he reached the Celestial Rank, Varian realized that, like all artifacts, the help it could give increased corresponding to the user''s rank.


    So as a rank 2 Spirit, he could let the Aether Pendant help him against the illusions. By itself, it could only help him block rank 3 illusions at most.


    But if stacked on top of his own powers, Varian would be able to differentiate even a rank 4 illusion if he put his full focus on it.


    Of course, it''d only be weak rank 4s, unlike the Umbrali who were chasing him down.


    "Oh? He stopped?" Ebonis and his team stopped three hundred meters away from Varian and looked at him with vignce.


    "Don''t approach him, attack now." He ordered without any hesitation.


    Ten mental attacks once again fell on Varian and he raised his sword, ''aiming'' at an enemy that ''appeared'' in front of him.


    "Die!"


    Varian''s sword shed at the space in front of him before curving and turning inward, aiming at his own heart. Even when the sword''s tip was about to touch him, his brain believed that he was attacking his enemy and was about to kill him.


    Ting!


    Aether Pendant shook for a moment and Varian''s unfocused pupils brightened. Then, the space around him blurred and he appeared right in the middle of the Umbrali-Sightling group.


    "Fuc¡ª"


    Varian''s arm practically tore through the bodies of the eleven Umbralis, destroying their fragile bodies.


    Almost right away, eleven white spots emerged from these bodies. They tried to swarm Varian, attack him before he could respond, and then escape.


    But they were in for a surprise.


    Aether Pendant lit up for a moment and a strong suction force pulled all the eleven ''souls'' into it.


    After a few moments, a nourishing soul power entered Varian''s body and reached his soul. It wasn''t really his power, so Varian had to study, analyze and convert it.


    Varian''s eyes shed and the eleven Sightlings that were trying to run away froze in ce and quickly copsed.


    A few secondster, Maria approached with him a surprised and conflicted expression.


    She saw Varian being affected by the illusion and swinging his sword dangerously. Before she could do anything, he teleported.


    She thought he ran off away from the Umbrali and searched those areas. But finding him in thest spot she could think of, she was dumbfounded.


    "If even one of them expected it, your spirit would''ve been attacked and that''s a certain death," She frowned at the gore of the fragile Umbrali bodies and said.


    "I had my safety measures," Varian smiled and then looked back in the direction they ran from.


    The bird''s corpse.


    "Get moving. Their group must''ve already sensed their death and sent rank 5s here," Maria stepped on her green hoverboard and urged him. "I heard these groups are quite vengeful. We''ll be facing a big chase. Hurry!"


    "We should hurry, but in the reverse," Varian said and started running toward the bird''s corpse.


    "Are you crazy?!" Maria followed behind him and took out a shining rope, which Varian bet was supposed to drag him.


    "No, you said it yourself, didn''t you? A Haunted house can take us to the next floor. It needs the death of hundred natives and ten challengers." Varian ran faster and faster.


    "Oh boy," Maria looked at his back with a mix of fear and admiration which soon turned into. "You crazy son of a¡ª!"<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    A leaf pped onto her mouth and stopped her words, leaving an annoying voice that rang. "Language, Princess!"


    Maria knew the risks involved in this operation. But the reward was worth it.


    While Haunted House sounded easy, killing ten challengers was difficult. Not because they''re hard to kill but because they''re hard to die within ten miles.


    But the Umbrali did that job for them and killed ten of them. Since it was a nned attack, not many natives¡ªSightlings¡ªwould''ve died.


    So, they had to kill a hundred of them. But it''s the easy part. They could just massacre a hundred rank 1 or rank 2 Sightlings and kick off the Haunted House.


    Of course, by now, the rank 5s must''ve already gone to the site and realized that they escaped.


    In the good case, they''d scatter and chase them in all directions.


    In the bad case, they''d return to the base.


    But regardless, they''d have to kill a hundred Sightlings within a ten-mile radius of the corpse¡ªunfortunately, doing that at such distance would quickly alert a rank 5 stationed at the base.


    So, it''s only a question of who''d be faster.


    "Since they set up the hunt there, the Sightlings'' home must be nearby," Varian reasoned.


    Maria agreed with his assessment. The two already reached the ten-mile radius of the corpse.


    Varian''s famine senses scanned therge one-eyed body of Sightling and his eyes glowed green.


    If the fog wasn''t here, Varian would be able to easily scan a radius of ten thousand miles to check simr lifeforms.


    ''If only the fog¡ª''


    Varian recalled an observation about the fog. It grew stronger by gnawing on a dead creature. The fog grew with death.


    ''So¡­''


    Nature Seed¡ªanother artifact¡ªformerly wielded by Sovereign Micheal of Jupiter, appeared in his palm.


    Varian''s famine power channeled into the artifact and then something incredible happened.


    A wave of an incredibly potent life force swept the surroundings, sting away the fog¡ªonly for a millisecond¡ªbefore it enveloped everything again.


    But that gap was enough for Varian who already found a nest of Sightlings nearby.


    "Let''s go!"


    The action wasn''t without cost though. Since it''s so sudden, no one was able to react and pinpoint his location.


    But the rank 5 Umbrali in the vicinity already realized that someone was here. Even though they could see much farther than others, they too had to face the fog.


    Thanks to that, Varian and Maria weren''t found instantly.


    As the duo reached the ''nest'' of Sightlings, the rank 5s hastened their chase to find the intruders.


    At the same time, some of the rank 5s who went to hunt down Varian returned with the bad news.


    "Chase! Chase them down at all costs!"


    Just fifteen miles away from the bird corpse, inside the huge burrow of a tall tree, right from the bottom to top were filled with the one-eyed Sightlings, none of which reached rank 2.


    To give aparison, these rank 1 Sightlings would qualify as ''teenagers'' or ''young adults'' inside the Sightling race.


    They had enough intelligence and wisdom to forge a mutually beneficial bond with the challengers of the Umbrali race. So, when Varian and Maria approached, the Sightlings were startled and sent out signals hoping for rescue.


    The rank 5s were rushing here, but time was still running out for them.


    "Please!"


    "Don''t kill us!"


    "We haven''t even attacked you!"


    At their desperate screams, Varian paused.


    Usually, he''d have no issue doing this. But these creatures used their powers to mess with his emotions a bit and amplified his guilt, pushing it over his rationality.


    It wouldn''t have worked if Varian grew up in a ruthless household. But because of him still being human and maintaining some values, Varian felt it wasn''t okay to do this.


    "Stop!"


    A tingling sensation came and then a piercing pain drowned his head.


    As the shockwave of a rank 5 struck him, Varian woke up and threw out all the ethics and morals.


    Space Ring¡ªpreviously worn by Julius¡ªappeared on his finger and the space around him hummed.


    Then, over a hundred Sightlings, along with him and Maria teleported in a radius of ten miles of the corpse.


    The rank 5s that were all lured to the tree to protect their youngsters realized the danger and rushed back.


    But¡ª


    "Good luck in your next life."


    A crimson beam shot into the sky and the bodies of over a hundred Sightlings exploded.


    Right away, a thatched hut built of bones and covered with skin appeared.


    "Bastards! Fucking bastards! You better stop or you''ll¡ª"


    Varian bore the burning pain inside his head and grabbed the skull that acted as the doorknob and rushed in. Maria followed in without dy and mmed the door shut. A circle enveloped them and the world around them blurred.


    A secondter, the haunted house exploded as a dozen terrifying attacks engulfed it together.

 Chapter 1178 Old Debts, New Enemies

    "I can smell her arrogance even from across the screen and thirty full floors," A man in white robes muttered in a hoarse voice. "She''s just like her master, Miss Cmity. The arrogance, the pride¡­to send thisss in after killing my brother, I''ve to apud the guts of that woman! It must be fate telling me to settle the ounts."


    If Varian could read the life signals of the man in white robes, he could easily find the connection between him and the ''spy'' who messed up the Centaurus Duchy.


    ughter Shade¡ªthe infamous spy who infiltrated a Kingdom under Genesis Empire and burned it to ground by all descipable means. It was too sudden for the Empire to react.


    The session of the kingdom was destroyed when ughter Shade returned from Mors Empire, ''resurrected'' the corpse of previous King and threw the royal family into a mess.


    It was said that ughter Shade tortured the injured members of royal family so brutally that despite knowing it''s a trap, the remaining royal members chased after him.


    The Jai Empire''s infamous vanguard groups exploited the situation and struck like lightning. When the royal family couldn''t respond in time, things went for a toss.


    The Divine Rankers were only able to intervene a dayter but the damage was already done.


    A brilliant kingdom was left in tatters.


    The Mythril Quadrteral¡ªthe group of four kingdoms that served as the first line of defense against the Jai Empire was reduced to the Diamond Triangle.


    Since then, ughter Shade had been on a run. He was nearly killed quite a few times and paid a hefty price to stay alive which included his rank falling from peak of rank 7 to peak of rank 6 and of course, signing up for another life-threatening mission.


    Even such a man who caused the death of trillions ended up shedding tears over the death of his one and only rtive¡ªCrimson Shade¡ªthe spy who was supposed to ''retrieve'' something important in Centaurus but ended up getting killed by ''Prince Baldur'' with the assistance of Miss Cmity.


    He didn''t know much about the Prince but he shared some fate with Miss Cmity. The reason he dropped in rank was that this woman''s clone just ripped apart some of ''him'' and made him iplete.


    For both himself and his brother, he wanted to get back on her. "I should kill her disciple even if I have to pay a heavy price."


    The man next to him, brown-haired, ripped, dressed in a golden coat over a red shirt and jeans, casually patted his shoulder and said. "After we''re done with the mission, yes."


    "¡­I could die in the mission. That''s the most likely event. There''s little hope of revenge." ughter Shade shook his head.


    "This is the Seventh Prince''smand." The brown-haired man said, even mentioning the Prince caused his eyes to shake with uncontroble fear.


    The man himself was a menace to the Alliance and ughtered countless powerhouses.


    No one knew if he was a man, a woman, a child, or an elder. Some even thought he wasn''t even a humanoid, but a beast.


    Whatever he was, even ughter Shade never saw Hollow''s body. The body he was inhabiting now belonged to a famous adventurer who was said to be a genius who had the potential to reach rank 8.


    Hollow killed him, inhabited his body, and fooled everyone else in the tower. A few yearster, the body''s adventure group was mostly destroyed during a mission and disbanded shortly after.


    With this safe identity, Hollow was just a few steps away from fulfilling the mission.


    "I should''ve never met you in the first ce. If you do something stupid, the me will fall on me," Hollow said to the man in front of him with undisguised contempt.


    Even if it''s ughter Shade, Hollow wasn''t willing to meet him in person. One was akin to a special agent while the other was a super spy.


    ughter Shade and all such spies were under themand of Princess Esh Starlight, serving the Warring Faction.


    While Hollow and the special agents like him were under themand of the Seventh Prince, serving the Naraka Faction.


    "I only joined you because of the order," ughter Shade had his own pride.


    Both as an individual and as a member of the Warring Faction, he hated losing¡ªespecially to a guy from another faction.


    He could bear it until now since it was the highmand''s order. But not too long after learning about his brother''s death, he received a message that Princess Esh issued an unlimited hunt for a man.


    If the location of the man gets leaked, as the highest agent under hermand, he might be the one forced to hunt him down.


    ughter Shade wanted the traces of the man to be found as soon as possible. That way, he could get out of the tower, hunt the man and then request a reward.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    He didn''t want to kill Maria. Notpletely. He wanted to trap her in a time loop and torture her for eternity. It''d be his revenge for the death of his only brother.


    As he was hoping and desperately ying, a device inside him rang and sent the message he''d be waiting for. But the content was surprising.


    "Huh? The target entered the tower? And his aura samples¡­"


    ughter Shade''s expression grew solemn and he immediately contacted his underlings to conduct a sweeping search of the neers and paid the intelligence groups for investigation.


    The shortlist reached him in three hours. There were only a hundred suspicious people.


    One of them was a man with a disgustingly familiar name.


    Baldur.


    Unexpectedly, he''s also the guy with the apprentice of Miss Cmity.


    "If this isn''t fate, then what else?" ughter Shade crumbled the paper and gnashed his teeth. "Send rank 4s to hunt the rest. For the bastard named Baldur and the woman with him, send three rank 6s."


    "Don''t," Hollow stopped him before the order was passed. "Moving so many powerhouses would alert the tower, you fucking donkey! If the tower administrator gets alert, we''re dead and the mission is toast!"


    "Then what? Send rank 4s to hunt them to warm them up, then rank 5s to warn them, and finally rank 6s when they''re fully prepared? That''s dumber, you possessing ghost freak!" ughter Shade growled.


    "¡­All of them are neers. The one suspected by the Fourth Princess can definitely cross the floors and clear the first zone. You just have toy the trap on the 28th or 29th or even the 30th floor. That wouldn''t look so suspicious. Instead, people will think the teams are just sadistic enough to kill the ones who''re about to clear the zone."


    Such practices weren''t umon in the tower.


    Even though he was reluctant, ughter Shade agreed to the suggestion and send down a hunting team to the 29th floor.


    "Ugh, fuck. I''ll just¡ª"


    "And don''t use mercenaries. There''s no reliability. If they pay higher, they''ll just side with them." Hollow said without any doubt.


    Because the body he inhabited had done such things many times before it became famous.


    ughter Shade paused for a moment and red at Hollow. He''s fine not using random assassins and special teams, but not using mercenaries¡ªthe ones he''s already acquainted with¡ªwas something that pissed him off.


    "What if I want to?" ughter Shade growled.


    The air grew tense and a thick killing intent leaked out of Hollow, pushing against ughter Shade. "We''re on the verge of finishing this mission. If you try doing anything that''ll risk exposing us, then you''ll die before you can do it."


    "Oh, try me." ughter Shade grinned and his own killing intent swept out, repelling Hollow''s.


    The confrontationsted for a while until ughter Shade turned away with a reluctant expression. "I have to finish both missions. The mercenaries have leaked the news for a higher price many times in the past and double crossed the employers. This is a risk I can''t take."


    Since the tower was filled with endless fighting, there was no concept of loyalty. Anyone could do anything for the right price. Even a peak rank 6 couldn''t direct what these shady gangs could do.


    There were just too many of these powerhouses entering, fighting, and dying in the tower every year that everyone stopped deferring to them.


    ughter Shade sighed in frustration but decided to use only his loyal ves for the job.


    Fifty Rank 4s.


    Ten Rank 5s.


    One Low Rank 6.


    Heeding his instruction, all of them waited on the 29th floor.

 Chapter 1180 Both

    Once theynded in the bright, Varian realized they were excited for nothing.


    The sky was enveloped in mist. The frigid air he breathed in seemed like it was trying to pierce through his lungs.


    The frozenndscape had nothing to offer at first nce. Right from his footstep to the edge of the horizon, Varian saw white. Not even a speck of dust to break this monotony.


    ''Then there''s nothing alive on th¡ª''


    Varian was proven wrong before he could finish his thought as his lungs exploded without warning. Blood sttered on the ground, marking a spot of red in the ocean of white.


    "Hey!" Maria was taken aback and hurriedly put out a protective barrier around her. She didn''t attack but neither did she try to help.


    After a second, Varian finally moved. He coated his body with aura to stop himself from being a blood fountain and hissed. "The cold hurts."


    The big hole in his chest didn''t help. Seeing bits of his sted lungs scattered inside his own body and even on the ice outside only made his mood worse. To add to the woes, his liver and heart were pierced by purple-colored icicles.


    "Wait, what is that?" Varian''s thought that he was just unlucky halted as he noticed something.


    Ayer of purple-colored ice was quickly spreading into his blood, freezing it and draining his aura.


    Varian tried to use his power to throw out the ice but it dodged expertly and started freezing him faster.


    "Are you fucking kidding me?" There''s no way he couldn''t realize it by now.


    Something mixed into the air he breathed in.


    A gaseous lifeform! Its body was too bizarre and it worked on the same principle as the sun¡ªundergoing fission and draining energy from the surroundings.


    This creature weaponized the principle and used it to hunt.


    Unfortunately for it, even with his lungs blown off and half of his heart frozen, Varian could still survive for days, if not weeks thanks to the monstrous vitality and life force control as a rank 3 famine.


    But the creature didn''t panic.


    It had always picked up targets carefully. Varian was a Mystic. So, his attacks would be physical and Qi-based, both of which it had great resistance against. Even a peak rank 3 Mystic couldn''t injure it.


    The best they could do would be trapping but for how long? As challengers, they had to be mindful of their survival time as well as other challengers.


    So, the creature waited patiently for him to leave so that it could mark its next prey. But what awaited it was a surprise that scared the hell out of it.


    A spiritual attack stabbed it right in the soul. The confident creature shuddered violently and the somewhat cohesive gas began to swirl and disperse like a puff of smoke.


    [W-Wait! D-Don''t kill me!]


    A voice sounded directly in Varian''s mind, startling him.


    ''Give me a good reason.''


    [I-I know where those gates people like you search for are. I''ve seen groups of you outsiders fight for it.]


    Varian raised a brow. The gates would change randomly but maybe that gate was still active.


    He raised his hand and understanding his intention, a cloud of purple gas formed over his palm. The cold in his body dissipated and he sighed at theforting warmth.


    "Maria, this thing can help us get to the next gate." He poked his finger through the cloud and said.


    Maria''s treasure could help them find the gate but it had its problems. One time, it led them straight into the middle of a seemingly normal but very unstable space.


    If Varian didn''t have the space powers he did, they''d have been swallowed by the explosion that enveloped that area shortly after they fled.


    Maria knew the issues with her treasure too and turned to the faceless, expressionless gas cloud creature. "If you lie, I can not only kill you, but I can also torture you well."


    Her killing intent caused the gas cloud to shrink and nod rapidly like a dog.


    The two followed the gas cloud creature to one of those ''bright'' spots on the he saw from space.


    "Holy shit¡­"


    Apparently, these bright, overly shiny, and glittery spots were the aura power nts of the.


    Containers over containers load of metal were poured into these powernts where they were crushed into powder and sprinkled over a special formation that would use their properties to create a massive amount of heat. This heat would then be transferred to the attached city.


    Of course, over 90% of it would be absorbed by the host star, but the remaining 10% allowed the lives to keep going.


    "Arrogant bitches! You can get into your gate for all I care, don''t touch the power nt!" A four-foot humanoid''s yell caused a small hurricane.


    Unlike humanoids Varian had seen so far, this one had a transparent skin under which the flow of colored gases was visible.


    If you looked at him on Earth, you''d think he was wearing a body suit to show himself made of tubes transporting fancy color gases. Thankfully, it was mostly visible only for the limbs and his face still looked normal.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    ''Do their brains have gas?'' Varian couldn''t help but be curious.


    But the ones confronting the man weren''t curious. They responded to the outburst of the man with contempt and ignored him thereafter.


    "This gate will stay for at least three years. I don''t think your team has the balls to maintain it for such duration."


    "Oh, we sure do. It''s you neers who shouldn''t think of gatekeeping on this floor. Crawl back to the single digits."


    "You''re both too arrogant to ignore my team."


    Three challenger groups faced off at the entrance of the powernt while the hundred-odd staff of the nt, headed by their manager were confronting them with a bitter expression.


    The gate appeared inside the nt and all the three teams wanted total control over it. A battle was bound to happen and it''d destroy the nt, cutting off the supply of a city.


    In this world, the power nts weren''t justforts of life. They were a necessity. Without these powernts, the city would have its heat sucked out by the star and all its residents would freeze to death.


    It might take a bit longer since the nt was significantly far away from the sunpared to the asteroid, but it''s only a matter of time.


    "Excuse me, gentlemen." Varian didn''t want to intervene in issues like this.


    They hade across gatekeeping more than a few times already. Every single time, he paid, well, Maria paid and they moved without making any ruckus.


    Sure, they killed some stray challengers and weak teams that were hostile to them, but they tried to hunt down challengers actively.


    The irony, though, every team they came across tried to kill them and ended up getting killed.


    The gatekeeping teams, however, always maintained neutrality.


    First, they were very strong and few would dare to be mischievous with them. Second, they didn''t want to earn a bad reputation and hurt their business.


    Varian wouldn''t have cared about the consequences of the power nt destruction but after experiencing it personally, he held a vendetta against it.


    So, he just didn''t like pushing someone through the same experience he hated.


    "Hey, gatekeepers," Varian waved his hand and greeted the three teams.


    The expression of the manager grew worse and the staff members began to cry in soft voices.


    They could foresee it already. The slow and painful death of their city and their loved ones in it.


    "You three can fight somewhere else. I won''t gatekeep but I''ll support anyone who abides by my condition." Varian unsheathed his sword and tapped the tip into the ice gently.


    Kacha!


    The ice cracked at the point of contact and then like an unending tsunami, the area around that spot began to crack and it expanded like a tsunami.


    Under the feet of the three teams, under the manager and the employees, below the power nt, and everywhere in the surrounding five hundred miles, the cracks spread.


    The teams that looked disdainful until now looked at him with solemn gazes. The cracks weren''t normal as they initially thought.


    The cracks formed patterns in concentric circles, each circle''s cracks forming the same word in the lingua franca of the Alliance. "You can''t find inside this line!"


    Destroying a, unless its aura-enforced, wasn''t an issue for a celestial ranker. Destroying everything in a thousand miles wasn''t an issue even if it''s an aura-enforced.


    But what Varian did was something creepily difficult.


    Unless one reached extreme control over their Qi, it''s hard to use power to create cracks that delicate.


    Since Varian intentionally masked his rank before pulling this off, they thought he was a strong rank 5 or even a rank 6.


    Even though the teams were headed by rank 5s, they didn''t want to risk it. A strong rank 5 could kill all of them without paying any major price. If he''s a rank 6, that''d be using a military-grade truck to crush a bicycle.


    A tense silence ensued in the field and after a strong stare contest, the three teams silently withdrew to exactly the 501st mile, just outside the cracks, and began fighting.


    The defense barrier of the power nt operated, blocking any shockwaves and securing the supply.


    Varian walked into the power nt under the reverent gazes of the natives.


    "Didn''t know you were a hero. You seemed too cold-hearted for this," Maria gave him a surprise look as they stepped into the circle.


    "I''m not." Varian shook his head.


    "Not a hero or not cold-hearted?"


    Varian scoffed. "Both."

 Chapter 1183 Reaper

    Chapter 1183 Reaper


    after exploded like it''s some balloon. But unlike a balloon, what apanied the death of a wasn''t air, it was endless debris mixed with the sickening scent of blood and death.


    Lives in the count of billions evaporated. Only a few silhouettes rushed out of this debris and escaped into distant space. These were strong rank 5s who didn''t bear the brunt of the attacks.


    But before they could even leave the sr system, their bodies mysteriously dropped dead and vanished.


    The remaining powerhouses of the, including the peak rank 4s were dying in the debris as their injuries grew exponentially worse every passing moment.


    Perhaps a dozen of them could survive by taking precious elixirs¡ª


    provided they had them in their possession.


    Of course, none of them would survive. They wouldn''t allow any survivors.


    For a with more than 50 rank 4s, it was a despairing reality. But for the rest, it was a dead end.


    Everyone else was already dead.


    "They''re crazy! Three fuckings are g¡ª!" Varian teleported andnded on an asteroid with a solemn expression.


    The pursuing team stopped. But it wasn''t because they changed their mind. They¡­


    The leader of the pursuing team, a low rank 6, a skeleton over 9 feet wrapped in ck robes, leisurely stepped forward and unleashed a bit of his aura.


    The moment he did, Varian, who had already crossed threes from him shuddered as an eerie feeling snuck into his mind.


    His body screamed at him to run. His soul shivered in fear. His powers grew agitated. They were all telling him one thing.


    This wasn''t a battle he could win.


    ''Shut up!'' Varian instinctively tapped into the power of slivers he didn''t want to use. His eyes glowed ck and white before a brilliant silver light burst out from him.


    The intimidating aura emanating out of the skeleton warrior dissipated without warning.


    "Hm?" The Skeleton powerhouse opened its mouth and its hollow eyes suddenly glowed with red lights. Its jaws moved down and up, making some weird noises.


    The rank 5 standing closest to it, a bald man with a face full of tattoos, nodded fervently and pointed at Varian. "You ant, to counter my master''s aura, you must''ve lived an honorable life until this point. Your bravery ismendable, be the master''s ve and save your life."


    "I¡ªI''m sorry?" Varian tilted his head in genuine confusion.


    "You aren''t worthy of repeating my master''s words!" The bald man hummed with anger.


    The Skeleton shook its head and the bald man reverently nodded before turning to Varian with a disdainful expression. "It''s your extreme honor to serve as master''s ve. Thank Master Reaper for his generosity on your knees."


    Varian parted his lips with the intent to say something. But as he looked up at the group chasing him and into the burning red fire in the eyes of Reaper, he paused.


    Perhaps because he had the power of spirits and the weirdness of the skeleton''s soul, Varian was able to glimpse into something that was otherwise impossible.


    He saw a warrior from the Mors Empire, a skeleton who was only one-foot tall.


    Unlike the ''living'', this skeleton or its kind didn''t grow naturally. They had to consume one thing¡ªthe death of living and the consumption of fellow undead. The skeleton went on sprees of ughter right when it was conceived. It ughtered half of its own tribe, and burned down half of its own before it reached the age of a century.


    Then, it was hunted down across hundreds of star systems. The skeleton then hunted down a sovereign bone dragon and with it, its power underwent a fundamental shift.


    After reaching the celestial ranks, the skeleton began to kill more and more, without any impunity.


    Perhaps that''s why, when it reached the peak of rank 3, it chose the path of assimtor.


    Since then, it kept killing and devouring.


    How many?


    Just how many?


    When Varian blinked his eyes, the dark space, the star system, Maria who was still running away, the pursuing team, and Reaper all disappeared.


    He saw a huge spherical object floating in space, almost as big as Jupiter¡ªa that could fit more than 1,000 Earths inside it.


    But this wasn''t a. It had no soil, no water, and no atmosphere. From its outermostyer all the way to its core, it''s made of corpses.


    So many corpses that even Varian who killed dozens of millions of abyssals had never seen.


    How many billions were there?


    How many races were ughtered?


    How manys would one have to destroy to kill that much life?


    Varian felt a chill shot up his spine.


    This man, no whatever this thing was, was monstrous beyond measure and held absolutely no value for life.


    The Skeleton looked at Varian and the glowing red light in its eyesockets turned ck. With a thick killing intent, it waved its bony palm impatiently.


    The floating pieces of flesh, bones, and drops of blood around the debris of the three explodeds grew agitated.


    Like a sheet of paper pping in strong wind, they shook. It was as if they resisting something horrible with all their might but that onlysted for a moment before every piece of the former living flew off to the back of the pursuing team in a tornado.


    The bones formed the outeryer of the tornado, the flesh bits the inner part while the blood remained at the center.


    They spun above the Reaper and with a snap of his finger bones, they began topress. As they did, a horrifying power began to leak out of the tornado.


    The power was fueled by death, resentment, and vengeance.


    The tornado suddenly glowed and a wave of red light passed through Varian. It seemed like nothing happened, but Varian felt as if someone stamped a mark on his life.


    ''Oh no¡­''


    It wasn''t just him, Maria Virdis who almost ran to the host star also paused as she noticed something was off with her body.


    Reaper raised his hands and the huge tornado split into two fist-sized red orbs.


    "Maria!" Varian yelled.


    "I know!"


    Maria didn''t hesitate any more and threw out a hexagonal silver gem.


    Without any hurry at her action, Reaper raised his hands and pushed the orbs towards them with his palms.


    Varian, who had been slowly building up the momentum with his space power while ''wasting time'' by ''talking'' with the enemies blinked in and out twice, appearing next to Maria, grabbing her, and then disappearing, this time into the far reaches of space.


    BOOM!


    Almost at the same time, an explosion shook the entire star system. The star of the system, as big as the sun, slowly cracked and shattered. Not too long after, thes in the star system exploded.


    The two orbs, now downsized, but still exceedingly potent, chased into the distant space and vanished.


    Reaper shook his head once and turned around. Even he could barely sense Varian''s location before he went beyond the range.


    If it''s only rank 4s and rank 5s who came to hunt, he might''ve easily escaped.


    The reason he hadn''t made a serious move so far was to assess their strength and not identally overy his hand and kill them both.


    But now? He had a good idea of their limits.


    No matter where they run, they''d be pushed to the brink of death but won''t be killed.


    They''d be brought back alive.


    Just like intended.

 Chapter 1184 Cooking A Plan

    Chapter 1184 Cooking A n


    Maria Virdis regretted her overconfidence. She had the strength, wit, and the skills to fulfill her mission.


    If she was at her full strength of peak rank 6, killing a low rank 6 Undead creature called Reaper would''ve been child''s y.


    She should''ve reached at least the peak of rank 5 when she''s this close to clearing zone 1. But she''s still a peak rank 4.


    ''Why? What happened? Where did I go wrong?''


    As the world around her blinked in and out as they teleported hundreds of millions of miles every time, Maria fell into deep thought.


    But before the thought process even began, the weirdness of having the luxury to think in such a dangerous escape struck her.


    ''R-Right! It''s all because of him.'' Maria turned her gaze to the right and saw Varian''s tired but solemn expression.


    She had activated her space treasure to match his and despite that, Varian was putting in a lot of effort for this escape.


    If she had to escape from this chase by herself, Maria had one treasure. But if she used it now, the mission might as well be abandoned.


    For the disciple of Miss Cmity, it''s a blotch of shame that''d haunt not only her but even her master.


    Still, if it wasn''t for Varian, she''d have struggled much more to climb the tower and would''ve been forced to improve her strength.


    But her crafty n ended up backfiring and the smooth ride became the reason for their rough circumstances.


    "I can sense something approaching," Maria''s eyes suddenly glowed into focus and she looked behind with a pale expression. "Death¡­


    death energy that''s enough to kill even a peak rank 5, no, ten peak rank 5s."


    Varian sensed it a few seconds after Maria did. The two glowing spheres of ck and red.


    Even if he used his full space powers, he wasn''t able to get rid of them. They seemed to remember the scent of his life and hunted him like hounds.


    ''I can''t possibly face that attack head-on.'' Varian didn''t think he could use ''stars'' or s'' as cover to weaken these death bringers. They''re simple, not dumb.


    ''Is there a way? Is there any way I can deal with a power of this magnitude without killing myself?'' Varian felt his body grow heavy as the toll from unending teleportation started to build.


    He wouldn''t be able to run for long. He had to do something. Anything.


    He might be able to fight a low rank 5 now with all his powers and artifacts. But peak rank 5 was a world away from a low rank 5.


    And this wasn''t a normal peak rank 5 attack. It''s a weakened attack of a rank 6 and could still instantly kill ten peak rank 5s.


    ''Something¡­someone¡­''


    The space around him blipped on and off as the surroundings continued to change with each teleportation. He was disappearing and appearing so quickly that he felt a sense of disconnect from the world and even himself.


    Amidst the chaotic situation, Varian''s mind turned to the woman beside him. The reason he took her to escape instead of abandoning her was fairly simple.


    Her presence was tremendously useful in crossing the floors. And her knowledge came quite handy, saving him weeks of work. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have reached the 29th floor so quickly.


    Saving her wasn''t taking any extra toll on him since she let him use her space treasure. Ironically, if he actually escaped alone, he''d have been more tired.


    "T-Tree girl," Varian''s voice was rough and his breath was ragged, inplete contrast to the usual calmness he maintained. "A-Any ideas?"


    "The attacks are powerful but not fast enough. If you keep running forever, they can''t catc¡ªouch!." Maria touched her forehead.


    "Speak human words."


    "I don''t know. If only I had my powers back, I could easily blow them off." Maria hung her head low and replied in a depressing tone. "I think I''ve blown my mission. There''s no way we''re escaping from thi¡ªouch!"


    Maria clutched her forehead again and red at him. "You bastard! What''s your problem?"


    "Speak human words."


    "I don''t want to fail in the mission. Arghhh, I never failed so far. My ego won''t allow me to withdraw! Fuck that skeleton! And fuck you for making my climb so easy that I didn''t even get stronger."


    Varian almost wanted to p her for ming him. He did what? He made her life easier and now she got the galls toin about it?!


    pping her would take him nowhere and this woman might be mad enough to fight him on the spot.


    Unwilling to jeopardize the shot at survival, Varian asked. "Where are the seals on your ranks ced?"


    "Huh?" Maria''s depression was gone, reced by vignce and slight hostility. But the hostility quickly faded and instead, a glimmer of hope appeared.


    Even though she didn''t know him for long, she witnessed his deeds in person. Even when his strength wasn''t enough to bulldoze through the problem, he''s always able to figure out a way.


    "The rank 6''s seal is in my soul, rank 5 in my heart, and rank 4 was in my aura itself." The tree princess replied.


    "Brace yourself." Varian put a hand on top of her hand and clenched his fist.


    "Huh?"


    A silent spiritual attack struck her soul when she was least expecting it. But the protective treasure on her body reacted in time and prevented her from fainting.


    "I-I''ll ki..ll yooou," Maria red at him with bloodshot eyes and a dangerous aura began to ooze out from her storage ring.


    Varian flicked her forehead and said. "Don''t misunderstand, I''m trying to break the seal."


    The dizzy Maria who wanted to perform a move of mutual destruction paused and gave him a chance.


    A mysterious force she could only vaguely feel entered her body from his hands and forced into her heart.


    "This is hard." Varian frowned.


    Even with the sliver powers, he''d need to spend a significant time to break this seal. What''s more, in doing so, the spillover might destroy her heart and at least half of her left torso. That''s actually the best-case scenario. But if things actually went south, her head would blow up and she''d be dead.


    outsi.d..e."


    "Y-You''re kidding, it''s impossible to r¡­emove the s-seal f..rom outsi.d..e."


    Varian didn''t listen to her bber and got to work. At the same time, he directed her to activate the next-floor-circle detector treasure.


    "Ten sr systems away,"


    Varian''s eyes shed with determination and he channeled all the aura in his body for a final sprint.


    "S-Slow! Slow d¡ª" Maria bled from her nose, ears, and eyes as the space around her grew utterly chaotic. Soon, countless cuts began to appear on her skin and she became a bleeding mess.


    If the teleportations until now felt like she was poking a wall of soap bubbles in the way, this one felt like she was pushing through endless walls of concrete. With pointed nails.


    "Arghhh!"


    Varian''s condition was worse than her and since he poured all his powers into space, he wasn''t even healing properly anymore. But he remained eerily silent and continued on.


    At the ninth minute, they jumped into a star system, found a and Varian quickly sted through a cave of rank 4 apes to jump into the teleportation gate.


    Two minutester, two ck-red spheres entered the''s atmosphere. By the time they approached the cave, every grass, flower, nt, and tree on the died. As did every creature.


    The spheres weakened considerably but feedback from these corpses nourished them in moments and they were back to almost 90% of the state they were a few minutes ago.


    With a woosh, the two spheres also entered the 30th floor.

 Chapter 1185 A Simple Strategy

    The 30th floor was thest of Zone 1. Passing this, you could enter the safe zone to rest and prepare for climbing Zone 2. In a sense, this was the ''boss'' floor.


    It was indeed different from the rest.


    The moment Varian felt the teleportation end, everything around him froze. It wasn''t the freezing of space or time though. The time was still flowing normally and the space wasn''t solidified.


    It''s just¡­


    "What the fuck¡­I can''t even move¡­" Varian found himself frozen for no apparent reason.


    Thankfully, he could still speak. But that made it even more creepy.


    Due to the rash teleportation, Varian was in a bad shape with thousands of small space cuts, bleeding him dry.


    Maria had fewer injuries but her eyes were blurry and she was looking around in confusion like a patient who just woke up from a deepa.


    If the two were to fight now, Varian was certain of an overwhelming victory. But he didn''t intend to fight now.


    He''d need her help to survive this ordeal.


    ''But why did they even target us? Mostly because of her¡­'' Varian tried to think that way, but he knew his own record.


    There''s actually a good chance that these guys were somehow rted to him, even though he never met them. Such was his luck that Varian found himself pulling all the aggro where ever he went.


    ''But rank 6 is beyond my paygrade. I''d struggle even for rank 5s¡­'' Varian tightened his palm on Maria''s head, pouring more sliver power into her heart and working on breaking her seal.


    It''d take time but they didn''t have that time. Those death spheres might be here in a minute or two.


    "Maria, what''s going on?" He asked, unable to hide the anxiety creeping into his face.


    The treedy silently rubbed her eyes and slowly regained focus. "Uh, what? Ughhh?"


    Varian took a deep breath to control himself as he watched her act like she had just woken up from sleep.


    "3-30th floor?" Maria''s jaw dropped and she opened her status screen. Varian followed and saw a notification.


    [Congrattions on reaching the 30th floor. Choose how you wish to go through this floor. Your achievements will be rewarded.


    First Choice: Team Or Individual?


    Second Choice: Rank of the boss: Same rank, +1 rank, and +2 rank]


    "Can you remove your hand from my head?" Maria asked in the middle.


    "No. I''m helping you break the seal." Varian replied while formting a n.


    "Don''t be ridiculous. The seal is not something even a peak rank 6 can hope t¡ª"


    "What''s ridiculous is youparing me to a peak rank 6. I said it before, didn''t I? I sealed my ranks, just like you. My original powers are far beyond your imagination." Varian said in utter contempt.


    "Y-You really want me to believe that?" Maria''s expression was conflicted, torn between her unwillingness to believe in the sheer coincidence of meeting another sealed powerhouse and the living reality of Varian''s obvious aura increasing at a speed that couldn''t be exined by anything other than the seal break.


    "Every time you talk, you say more stupid things," Varian shrugged.


    Maria wanted to stab him with the spear but decided to survive first before taking revenge.


    "What''s the n?" She pointed to the screen.


    "Team, you''ll take +1," Varian said.


    "But I can''t win against a rank 5!"


    "You''re right, but," Varian smiled and Maria''s aura fluctuated for a moment. "What if you advance when the match starts?"


    Maria looked at him with wide eyes before nodding.


    [Choices made:


    Team Fight ¡ª 2 vs 2.


    Baldur fights ¡ª Rank 5 (+2)


    Maria fights ¡ª Rank 5 (+1)]


    "Wait!" Maria screamed as her heart nearly stopped at notification. "You were supposed to pick +1!"


    "Toote!" Varian answered with a snicker.


    "Die if you want to, why did you have to pull me i¡ª"


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    The two spheres of death quickly reached the 30th floor and rushed to a purple star.


    A few hundred million years from the spheres, Varian and Maria watched at the two giant beasts asrge as Earth''s moon appear out of a vortex.


    After identifying them, Maria began to curse in a dozennguages.


    The two rank 5 beasts, called Moon Wolves, featured in the infamous legend of the tower.


    Before they were abducted into the tower, these creatures roamed the gxy with impunity. They''d first devour the moon of civilization and throw a challenge to the sentient


    beings.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Then they''d kill all the ''saviors'' of the civilization and induce despair in the popce before devouring them all.


    Because of their enormous size and constitution, one moon wolf could contest against dozens of warriors of the same rank. It''d still lose to a higher rank, but in a


    sense, moon wolf represented the strongest a rank could go.


    "Even if my seal is undone, I don''t think I can win against one, much less two," Maria muttered, her hand reaching for her storage ring, ready to use the ultimate treasure as the final resort.


    "Ohe on, I requested the tower for these creatures," Varian confessed.


    "You what?!" Maria looked at Varian with eyes so wide he worried they''d fall out. "You really want to die, don''t you? I''ve never seen someone like you! You madman!"


    Despite her hysteria, Varian didn''t remove his hand from her head and nodded. "I''ve never seen anyone like me either."


    "Fuck my luck for teaming up with you!"


    "Anyway," Varian ignored her ramblings and focused on the seal break. Two more seconds passed and with a click, a mystical aura in Maria''s heart dissipated.


    Maria''s aura skyrocketed in a breath and reached high rank 5. But her skin began to quickly crack and she fell into turmoil, trying to adapt to the sudden outburst of power.


    Varian left her to adjust her state and turned to the wolves.


    There''s a reason he requested them.


    These guys were so prideful that they''d devour the moon of civilization to dere their arrival and wait until the civilization made all preparations to challenge them. Only after crushing their enemies at the strongest would these creatures have their fill.


    When he heard this tale from Maria during the climb, what stood out to him the most was the pride of these creatures. Some might call it an honor. But he felt it was just some stubborn pride. Pride stemmed from their belief that they could crush the natives no matter what.


    Now such prideful creatures were captured and raised in the tower. Even though races could escape the tower and several did¡ªincluding Havocs thanks to a certain spy¡ªnot a single moon wolf escaped the tower to date.


    It''s for the same reason.


    Pride. Goddamn pride that wouldn''t bend no matter what.


    "Moon wolves, it''s my first time seeing members of your kin," Varian addressed them in a casual tone.


    The two wolves'' ash-colored fur partially reflected the lighting from the purple star and thus made them appear like some sort of demigods.


    In front of their presence, Varian had to feel insignificant. But he didn''t. His voice contained a hidden arrogance the wolves couldn''t miss.


    "The tales of your race devouring the moons and destroying civilizations were once popr throughout the world,"


    Their fiverge tails remained rxed and lightly stood up, their ego was stroked and satisfied with his words.


    "But no one remembers you today. You''re caged birds, a dead legend, a species


    the world has moved on from." Varian''s words were piercing and it hit where it hurt.


    A thick killing intent burst out and like a tsunami, the translucent red light drowned Varian.


    Maria who was trying to stabilize her aura wanted to run away but gathered enough courage to stop at thest moment.


    ''I''ll escape at thest moment, even if I escape, I have to make sure he''s dead.'' She didn''t want to be around this madman anymore. He''s driving her nuts.


    "Killing intent, eh?" Varian was unfazed. He''d read enough records and learned enough legends about these creatures along the way. "Has your honor dropped so low that you''d attack first?"


    Yes. What he saw as pride was ''honor'' for these creatures. So, Varian simply used it against them in a simple way.


    It wouldn''t have mattered for anyone else because the moon wolves would never lower their strength when fighting their opponent. It was their way of honoring their hunt.


    But Varian had another use for their honor.


    "You see, we''re chased by someone strong." Varian was perhaps the most honest person of his age. "I want to duel and ughter you, but they''ll intervene. Then you''ll win. But know this, you''ll win only because of the intervention. Else, you''re dead."


    The space around the moon wolves shook as they nced at each other for a moment before turning to Varian. The killing intent on him increased.


    Varian shrugged and spread his arms. "I don''t care what you think. I''m going to die anyway. But too bad, it''s because everyone looks down on that they can intrude into my duel and injure me."


    The moon wolves understood what Varian was trying to do. It was too tant. But even so, they couldn''t just let their pride be trampled.


    "You are our prey," A deep voice reverberated across space. "We will not tolerate anyone to snatch our prey."


    ''Aha!'' Varian barely controlled his smile. Getting their word was enough. If they were shameless like him, they''d just tear up the contract and deny their own words.


    But unfortunately, they had pride.


    "Alright, then those two are the attacksing from them!" Varian pointed to the two death spheres rushing at them.


    The moon wolves froze for a moment before giving Varian a deep look and opening their mouths.


    ''What the actual fuck?''


    Their mouth split open into six pieces and began to expand at a crazy rate. In seconds, the mouth grew from the size of moon to size of earth. It was like a full blooming flower but with disgusting petals.


    "Break!"


    They''re not the original moon wolves outside the tower. If the attacker was a rank 6, they''d have hesitated. But since it''s only a rank 5 attack, the moon wolves had no hesitation.


    "Go!" With Varian cheering for both of them,


    The moon wolves intercepted the death spheres.

 Chapter 1186 Monster

    In a star system of the 29th floor, Reaper who was about to enter a certain region with his subordinates to report the result of the mission, suddenly paused.


    "Strange." He didn''t speak the normalnguage everyone did, but the sounds that left him were not meaningless.


    "Boss?" The peak rank 5 subordinate, the right hand man of Reaper, leaned closer and asked.


    "The spheres¡­they''re gone." Reaper''s voice was filled with astonishment that he didn''t notice.


    How many years had it been?


    Other than foes at his own rank, no prey, even if it''s peak of rank 5, was able to escape his attack.


    But these two¡­even though the attacks would only push them to verge of death and not actually kill them¡­they somehow neutralized the attacks.


    "I need to go. I thought master was overestimating by sending me, but he still underestimated them." Reaper''s ck robe glowed with a tinge of red and omnious patterns of sacrifice, ughter and grief slowly appeared.


    "We''ll lock the space so that they can''t run away likest time!" The right hand man gestured to the rest who took out the treasures and started setting up a formation.


    The group hurried and rushed to the 30th floor. If they didn''t kill these two here, then their next stop would be in the safe zone. If they reached there, forget Reaper, even if his master came in person, he''d be powerless.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "E-Evil human!"


    The moon wolves, which were literally the size of earth''s moon, now had half of their body missing. Just a few seconds ago, it rotted and turned into dust after they confronted the death spheres.


    Varian thought they''d give up after realizing the power of these spheres but he didn''t expect they were more prideful than he imagined.


    They ended the death sphere and then vowed to take full revenge by inflicting him with horrendous pain.


    Varian wasn''t into that sort of stuff, so he didn''t agree. But otherwise, he was very grateful to these two for getting rid of the biggest immediate danger.


    "I heard when I kill you, you don''t really die. That the tower stores your soul and you''ll reincarnate soon." Varian unsheathed the demon sword and raised it with his right hand.


    The sword hummed and began to suck out all the blood leaking out from the wolves. Like a primordial beast emptying an ocean, the sword emptied the small sea of blood.


    Its power spiked and pushed Varian''s output into the boundaries of rank 5.


    "W-What are you?" The moon wolf would''ve scoffed at his measly strength any other time. But it was too injured, too weakened to remain that aloof.


    Moreover,


    "Hyaa! Fucking die! Die you stupid wolf! Die, die, die!" Maria was punching the daylights out of the other moon wolf.


    As if venting her frustration for all the hardships she went through, the treedy didn''t hold back in her strength, causing innumerable cracks on the wolf''s body.


    But the thing that did the actual damage was the green spirals that emerged from her palms every time she touched the wolf.


    ''Famine'' ¡ª> ''Assimtor''.


    As an experienced Assimtor, she was literally devouring huge chunks of the wolf''s physical body as well as its life force.


    Maria was able to digest some of the devoured energy and improve her strength while most of it was either wasted or used for a stronger attack.


    That left the moon wolf he was facing. Honestly, Varian didn''t want to kill it quickly. He wanted to fight it long and improve his rank.


    Since he had no bottleneck, he could easily reach the peak of rank 3. At that time, even without the artifacts, he''d be able to destroy a peak rank 4, unlike his current strength where he could only fight against a peak rank 4.


    But with a rank 6 bone-warrior chasing them, he knew he had no such luxury.


    "Maria, make it quick!" He yelled and swung his sword.


    Before the sword sh reached the wolf, other artifacts acted.


    The Aether pendant messed with the wolf''s soul and nature''s seed threw its power off bnce. Their help was unexpected by the wolf and the impact was significant.


    The moon wolf, despite all its injuries, would be able to crush any low rank 5s and even some mid rank 5s.


    Varian''s current strength, even at the highest, barely reached the range of rank 5. He had no chance of beating the moon wolf even if it was heavily injured.


    But the artifacts made the impossible possible.


    A thin red line gleamed on the giant moon wolf''s body. The creature''s eyes, which were asrge as a city, dted and quivered.


    Then, its body began to slice apart, spluttering blood enough to fill all the oceans of earth.


    The moon wolf''s stubborn regeneration spurred into motion, quickly closing the gaps and replenishing the lost blood.


    The moon wolf''s thunder howl nearly ruptured Varian''s eardrums. The creature''s killing intent seemed to fill the entire space.


    His best blow failed to kill it.


    And now, the wolf was prepared to prevent any such attacks. But Varian wasn''t a very predictable opponent.


    Using the chaos unfurling inside the wolf, he teleported to the wound he cut open and jumped right in.


    The wolf panicked. Normally, it could''ve detected him teleporting in its vicinity and attacked in advance.


    But in that injured state, it was heavily focused on defense and didn''t pay enough attention to the weak space fluctuations.


    "Die."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Thin beams of light, brighter than even the sun, broke out of the wolf''s body.


    The creature''s body struggled violently and its aura which was directed outwards for defense against Varian''s attacks scrambled to its insides.


    The tsunami of aura was enough to drown Varian and kill him in seconds.


    But it was two secondste.


    "Woooooffff!"


    The light beams expanded and grew brighter, turning from appearing as thin sticks piercing out of the wolf into logs demolishing it.


    The light beams brightened to the point of blinding for a moment and even Maria had to turn away to shield her eyes.


    Then, a star-sting explosion shook the space, resulting in tremendous shockwaves and bright shes of light that''d travel to star systems many light years away.


    In the darkness left behind by the light, Varian stood still, with a satisfied expression.


    "I killed a peak rank 5? Woah! I think I''m pretty strong now!"


    [Host, have some shame. You killed a badly injured moon wolf. If it''s at its peak, it could sneeze you to death.]


    Varian ignored the mood dampener and nced at the two vortices that appeared in the distance.


    Instead of walking in, Maria was looking at him with a pale expression and wide eyes. Her jaw was reaching the floor and her shivering body was definitely not helping hide her feelings.


    "M-Monster¡­w-who the fuck are you?" Her trembling lips barely managed to utter.


    Until now, Maria didn''t get a chance to observe Varian properly. Every time he fought strong enemies, she was also in a battle. So, even if she saw some absurd things, she told herself that it was because of the artifact or something else.


    But since she killed the moon wolf quicker than him, she keenly observed the battle.


    The final attack by Varian was enough to destroy a low rank 5. Even though the power he emitted during that final attack seemed to have reached rank 4, Maria also felt that Varian didn''t actually advance to rank 4.


    In the battle, his rank seemed like rank 3 sometimes, but other times, it was rank 4. She had no idea what the hell was going on.


    But her intuition told her one thing.


    She had been wrong about him. She thought he was someone like her, a disciple of a powerhouse. A genius.


    As she ascended more floors, her opinion solidified.


    He wasn''t just a normal genius. He''s a peerless genius. But she soon decided even that wasn''t enough.


    This guy was destined to be a divine ranker. A realm of strength that even her master took centuries to touch.


    But now, she was beginning to feel even that evaluation was an underestimation.


    This guy wasn''t a genius at all. He couldn''te under any of those ssifications.


    He''s¡­


    ''His aura¡­I can''t feel it properly, but his strength¡­I had my suspicions since the start, but now, I am certain of it.'' Maria''s heart palpitated. ''With every battle, his strength is touching new heights.


    He said he''s breaking seals like me, but it doesn''t feel like that at all. It''s as if¡­he''s actually growing that strong and advancing.''


    It was such an absurd conclusion that even Maria couldn''t believe it.


    Her rationale told her that she was being delusional. But her intuition...it screamed that she was right.


    If so, then he wasn''t in the realm of genius anymore.


    He''s a pure monster. Someone that didn''t conform tomon sense.


    That monster grinned as it checked a screen visible only to him.


    [Mystic Rank 3: 100/500 [+50]


    Famine Rank 3: 100/500 [+40]


    Spirit Rank 3: 150/500 [+30]


    Matter Rank 3: 10/500


    Energy Rank 3: 10/500


    Space Rank 3: 10/500 [+10]


    Time Rank 3: 10/500 [+10]


    PS: Minor improvements. The battle was short and without much struggle. No pain, no gain.]


    Varian pursed his lips but didn''t argue with thementary.


    As he was about to step into the vortex, a window popped in front of him.


    It was from the tower.


    [] Congrattions on defeating a +2 monster. Since it''s a rare feat, you can pick three items as rewards:

 Chapter 1187 I Want It All

    []A. Toy Sun: A pocket sun¡ªan incredible item to provide insights into order and chaos. It''s an excellent explosive, and can destroy tens stacked together.


    B. Dew Of The Fairy: A drop can bring you back from the brink of death.


    C. Tear Of Maiden: A potent poison¡ªyou can adjust its potency, divide it into many parts or add it with other tears to amplify its potency. It can kill even a peak rank 6 if they consume it.


    D. Belt Of The Brave: A handy item in the tower. It will teleport you to a safe zone once, regardless of the danger you''re in. It disintegrates upon usage.


    E. Thief Of Tower: A mask that allows you to use near-absolute stealth inside the tower. But in the state of stealth, you cannot attack.


    F. Broken Seed: A broken seed. It''s still an excellent gatherer of aura. Will improve the aura concentration of a star system and the quality of all things when nted.[]


    Varian gave it some thought.


    The reward was only for the first climb and based on your own performance and rank.


    Defeating an enemy of the same rank gave nothing. Defeating a +1 enemy gave at least something, for example, a very good herb that could refill your aura in a few seconds.


    "I really got the seed of a world tree?" Maria looked at the small green seed in her palm with a look of disbelief.


    She was a rank 4 when the battle began but thanks to Varian breaking the seal, she reached rank 5 once it did.


    Technically, she did defeat a +1 enemy and did so in a very short period. So, her reward was generous.


    Still, Varian underestimated the importance of the seed to a treedy like her.


    Maria pressed the seed onto her chest and it melted into her like it was ice. Then, Maria''s light green hair turned into a darker shade of green and a tiara of golden flowers grew on her head naturally.


    The overflowing vitality in her body improved by almost 50% and Maria''s rank went from a new rank 5 to the peak of rank 5. The final seal ced on her was also beginning to crumble. It looked like she was an overflowing bottle, only held back by the cap.


    Varian almost cursed at her luck.


    The world seed or whatever triggered an evolution in her and pushed her into an upper sub-species within her species.


    It''s not even like bing the alpha of the pack. It''s like going from a wolf to a tiger.


    ''System, do you think her reward was fair? It''s cheating, alright.''


    [She''s still the peak of rank 5. Two of your rewards can kill her. You decide, Host.]


    Varian shut up and picked his rewards.


    [] Broken Seed []


    That''s the first choice of course. It''s obvious that nothing sold here was useless. If even a broken seed was that potent, what about an unbroken seed?


    Others couldn''t do anything about it, but Varian had two slivers. He could still recall the way the slivers broke his gauntlets and rearranged them with ease.


    ''If that can be done, I guess fixing a broken seed is possible.''


    [] Belt Of The Brave []


    A life-saving treasure in this tower where a rank 6 was after his life for absolutely unknown reasons?


    ''Double yes.''


    Then came the struggle.


    [] Tear Of Maiden or Thief Of Tower or Dew Of The Fairy []


    All of them were good.


    Heck, even the []Toy Sun[] was good.


    ''Ugh, fuck, I don''t want to choose. I want them all.'' Varian grumbled. It seemed like this habit of his was getting more entrenched.


    But he couldn''t help it. Why would he not want them all?


    [¡­]


    ''System, I know you''re observing the situation here.''


    [No.]<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    ''Just help me out, alright?''


    [Host, you can''t have it all. You have to make choices and live with them. That''s what makes you an adult. That''s what everyone goes through.]


    ''Everyone doesn''t have two slivers in their pocket, buddy. And everyone doesn''t provokedy death every third Friday. So, shut your philosophy and help me out.'' Varian was adamant.


    He once had such thoughts too. But his experiences made it crystal clear that he was never going to lead a normal life.


    He wouldn''t have a normal family, a normal job, and normal challenges. Then, why would the normal rules apply to him?


    [The tower''s reward distributor system is hard to deceive.]


    ''So, it''s possible. What should I do?''


    [¡­Well, you should change your aurapletely so that the tower system will think you''re another entity. But that means you''ll have to stay behind and fight a peak rank 5 by yourself. Unfortunately, you don''t have the proficiency to do such a change of your aura and still fight.]


    ''I can''t do both but I don''t have to.'' Varian shrugged.


    [And the enemies chasing you, you don''t really think they left after throwing an attack, do you? The only reason they didn''t catch up was because you used your space powers. You staying here any longer creates unnecessary risk.]


    ''It''ll be over in a second.''


    [But even a sec¡ª]


    Varian waved his hand casually.


    "W-Wait, wha¡ª" Maria was thrown into the vortex leading to the safe zone.


    "I''ll be back soon," Varian said and picked the []Tear Of The Maiden [].


    Then, the power of slivers engulfed him. Even if a peak rank 6 used his senses fully, he wouldn''t be able to notice anything about Varian.


    But the tower easily could. However, even it was fooled by Varian''s aura makeover and presented a screen for him to choose.


    [+2]


    The dead moon wolf''s corpse wriggled and it came to life. Any attack Varian made during this period would be invalid.


    So, he didn''t attack. But instead, he used the powers of the order sliver and created a domain surrounding its body.


    It wasn''t an attack but it was still very taxing. If Varian had to instead use his aura instead of the sliver powers he was already using, he''d get a severe bacsh.


    As the wolf quickly came to life, Varian was already read with the []Tear Of The Maiden[].


    "Bastard!" The moon wolf''s eyes gleamed with hatred as it red at Varian. This time, it would brutall¡ª


    "No."


    The space in front of Varian and the wolf tore apart and a drop of shining liquid went from one crack to another.


    The moon wolf body tensed up and it was about to dodge when Varian''s sliver powers when the order domain around it activated.


    [You shall not leave the domain] was the rule set by him. Even though it was weak against a peak rank 5, it held the moon wolf in custod for a brief moment.


    That moment was enough for the droplet of poison to enter the wolf''s mouth.


    "Arghhh!"


    Varian''s skin crawled as he watched a moon-sized wolf rot to a puddle of green liquid in seconds.


    The poison was hard to use in battles without preparation but if he did, it''d be a backup like no other.


    Varian quickly grabbed the remaining three rewards and stepped towards the vortex when an invisible attack reached him from behind.


    "Shit."


    Half of his body entered the vortex while the other half was touched by the attack.


    When Varian copsed into the safe zone, only half of his body was remaining. And that half was tainted by a horrendous death energy. Once he stepped out of the safe zone, it''d end his life.

 Chapter 1188 A Man Of Mystery

    The red light in Reaper''s eyes dimmed and his bony hands clenched together, resulting in rattling sounds and explosion of the air between them.


    His subordinates didn''t even dare to breathe or blink as they stared at his back with creeping horror.


    Their legs wobbled as the killing intent seeping out of him enveloped them and the vitality in their body began to riot.


    The ten rank 5s were somewhat fine. They were having difficulty standing and looked like they were struggling to breathe still but were otherwise okay.


    The forty rank 4s, however, felt their heart slow down with each passing second. Their blood, pumping with vitality and energy, grew sluggish and inched to stagnation.


    Their visions were growing blurry and they were only able to stand thanks to the insane instincts they''d trained over the centuries.


    "He escaped," Reaper''s jaw bone moved down and up, then up and down, making a creepy noise that only a select few in the group could understand.


    But everyone guessed what he said.


    "The attack was supposed to hit even a peak rank 5 escaping at full speed. But how?" The red mes surged in Reaper''s eye sockets.


    The hunter who hunted down civilization after civilization stumbled for the first time.


    At that critical moment, that man''s body glowed with a mysterious light that blinded Reaper''s senses.


    The next thing he knew, the prey''s body sped up at speed reaching the peak of rank 4. It was weird but still eptable.


    But the next thing was outrageous.


    His attacks slowed. A mysterious white and ck light struck his attack.


    Reaper scoffed at that time. There''s no way this weakling could do anything to his attack.


    But then it happened.


    The ck light tore apart his well-organized attack and scattered it in different directions. The white light slowed down the partial attack still heading towards its master.


    He was hit by it and instantly lost half his body. He''d have lost the other half had it not been on the other side of the vortex.


    It was an Insta kill. But the man survived because of that one tiny, almost instantaneous gap.


    Reaper had prey that escaped his hunt for the first time. Even the second time and even the tenth time. But he had no prey that faced him even in thatst moment with such confidence.


    That man turned around at thest moment and stared into Reaper''s eyes before he disappeared into the vortex.


    What Reaper saw wasn''t the anguish at his body nearly being devoured nor was it fear at the near death.


    Reaper saw confidence in those eyes. Those eyes seemed prophetic, like he''d seen their deaths already and was just saying the inevitable.


    ''I''ll kill you. Soon.''


    Those words never left his lips but Reaper could bet his soul that he said them.


    "Master, the prey you picked this time isn''t a prey¡­" The skeleton warrior lowered his skull and whispered. "He''s the predator."


    The loyal warrior feared for his master''s life.


    Even though logic told him that such a weakling could never harm his powerful master, the intuition he developed over the centuries was certain.


    If not killed, this man would be the bane of everyone.


    Even his master wouldn''t be spared.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "This tower is weird," Varian said as he adjusted the full-body robe covering him. He looked like a shady guy showing only his face.


    But in the safe zone, no one bothered to provoke a guest in the inn.


    Maria took a sip of her beer and muttered, "You''re the one weird one thought."


    "I can hear you," Varian chuckled and flinched as he felt his back sting as some cold air sneaked into his robes.


    "Does it still hurt?"


    "Very." Varian was pain tolerant, not pain-loving.


    The moment he stepped into the safe zone, all the ''damage'' done to him stopped. This safe zone, just like the one he entered when he first entered the tower, had a special rule.


    ''No damage shall be done by one challenger to another.''


    So, the death energy got stuck in his body but it''s as if it didn''t exist at all.


    The problem, though, was that Varian couldn''t regenerate like he usually did because of its presence. Apparently, preventing regeneration didn''t go against the rules.


    If he stepped into the 31st floor like this, the death energy would attack the first moment and kill him.


    Varian was already solving the issue. Well, not him personally, but the credit was his.


    [Host, to think you''d ask the System to do the butler job of removing the foreign energy from your body, you''re really growingzy.]


    ''I want to take a break, Logos. And it''s not anything big, just expelling the death energy.''<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    [If it''s not anything big, why don''t you do it yourself?]


    ''¡­'' Varian wanted to p this guy.


    Usually, he''s too silent and unhelpful. But when ites to things like this, he wouldn''t stop talking and bringing up some useless logic.


    ''Logos, be a good boy and do the job.''


    [¡­Are you treating this System like a dog?]


    ''No!'' Varian almost raised his hands on instincts. ''I''d neverpare you to a dog. How can a loyal, helpful, and adorable dog bepared to you?''


    [¡­W-What?]


    ''I''m saying it''s unfair to the dogs topare it to you.''


    [You ungra¡ª]


    ''You''re more like a cat. Lazy, unhelpful, grumpy, and demanding. Of course, cute sometimes and a goodpanion at others.''


    [¡­] The System was unsure for a while.


    Was he scolding it or praising it?


    No, wrong question. Hepared it to dogs and cats. A fusion of two slivers to an animal? How the fuck would that even be praise?


    [This System is not a primitive animal!]


    ''But you''re the one who started theparison, not me.''


    [¡­Host, drop that crooked smile on your face.]


    Varian touched his lips and realized he was indeed smiling. Of course, he didn''t get embarrassed or cornered by the system''s words and said with a straight face. ''Of course, I am happy because the silent system is talking to me after so long.''


    [This System has one piece of advice for you. Don''t flirt with girls youe across. They''ll either fall for you or try to kill you.]


    ''¡­''


    After they got out of the cafe, they booked a training space and Maria ced her hand on his head.


    "Hey, what are you doing?" Varian took a step back.


    "Healing," Maria said with an unimpressed face and poured a tremendous amount of vitality into his body.


    As a rank 5, her healing ability wasparable to expensive elixirs. But the wall standing in front of that healing was a very dangerous death energy.


    It blocked Maria''s energy from healing him and after ten minutes, Maria was panting heavily with a pale face but not even a scratch on Varian''s injury disappeared.


    "Alright, don''t bother," Varian said and walked into a private room.


    "B-But if you remain like this, you''ll die the moment you step out of the safe zone!" Maria was anxious and she felt even more anxious that he wasn''t anxious.


    Varian halted and turned around. "Are you worried about me or what? That''d be problematic."


    "Of course not! I just want you to survive so that you can help me fight that skeleton!" Maria was very, very honest.


    "Worry not, kiddo. This but a scratch. This old man has been through much worse but always came out on top." Varian made a few ''hohoho''ughs and left the room with his hands behind his back.


    "He''s crazy, this bastard has gone crazy!" Maria wanted to beat him into the ground but this safe zone wouldn''t allow it, so she didn''t bother.


    "But is he really a powerhouse?"


    She didn''t want to brag about herself but she had been through a lot of these missions and every single time, people in the field marveled at her abilities.


    It wasn''t just her strength that was mind-blowing, it was also her skills in infiltration, acting, and of course, her observation and analysis.


    Despite that track record, she couldn''t say anything conclusive about Varian.


    The speed at which his strength advanced made it clear that he must be a powerhouse who sealed his paths. There''s no other possibility.


    When she was a Famine, the vitality and life signature she read from him was that of a very, very young creature.


    It was as if he wasn''t even a half-century old. That ridiculous observation prompted her to believe that Varian was more mysterious to the point he could easily deceive her famine powers.


    But after she reached rank 5, she still felt the same!


    Maria had several observations of this man but they all contradicted each other.


    A powerhouse at least rank 6 or more! But he behaves nothing like them!


    A young man who wouldn''t even be 50 years old! But his strength thrashed the rank 4 peaks!


    Nothing made sense.


    "Haaah~" Maria sighed and decided to just focus on her mission. "I am not paid enough for this shit."

 Chapter 1189 What Doesnt Kill Me...

    Chapter 1189 What Doesn''t Kill Me...


    As Logos worked to the bone to expel the death energy from his body, Varian leaned on an inclined bed, crossed his legs, rested his head on the hands and looked at the ceiling with a rxed expression.


    It was an unexpected observation, but he noticed something interesting.


    If he stared long enough at the ceiling, the blue surface with bizzare and beautiful designs would vanish and a tree would appear.


    The tree was enormous, breaking his sense of vastness. Thes could barely match the size of its leaves. The stars were only as big as its fruits.


    In the dark space of endless cosmos, the tree glowed with dreamy white light. Like a divine gift from the heavens, it was otherwordly.


    ''The 31st to 60th floors¡­'' The corner of Varian''s lips rose.


    {You can choose to exit the tower after clearing Zone 2.}


    He got the aura-devouring creature''s corpse. He grew stronger than he expected. And he also got all the materials to improve the artifacts. Additionally, he got a few interesting treasures.


    []


    Toy Sun


    Dew Of The Fairy


    Tear Of Maiden


    Belt Of The Brave


    Thief Of Tower


    Broken Seed


    []


    Quite handy, he must admit.


    If he wasn''t in the safe zone when that attack hit him, Varian would''ve swallowed the Fairy Dew without hesitation. And it''d have saved his life without a doubt.


    Toy Sun and Tears of Maiden could kill even rank 6s. Depending on usage, even peak rank 6s would die. But it wasn''t easy as it sounded.


    Even if a rank 4 tried to use these items, a rank 6 could easily respond and escape. It''s like putting a sharp sword in the hands of a baby, a powerful weapon that could kill an adult, but practically useless since a baby could never use it.


    What interested Varian was the ''Thief of Tower''.


    With a silver glow, a mask appeared in front of him. Before he could even notice its details, it stuck onto his face and the silver glow enveloped him.


    ''Ha! Haah! Haah!'' Varian felt his heart race as he went into a fight mode but there was no enemy to fight.


    "It''s so¡­fast! I couldn''t even react!" Varian grew more cautious of the tower. But the treasure had to be tested.


    He sneaked into the joint practice room where Maria was meditating and trying to rest. He waved his hand in front of her.


    Maria, despite her acute senses, felt nothing. Then, he walked around her, and imitated her gestures. She stopped meditating all of a sudden and Varian thought he got caught.


    But Maria started punching the wall while cursing the group that chased them.


    "Son of a bitch! I''ll break your bones and feed you to a dog! No, to a pig-dog breed! And your skull will be the ball for ser! How about that?"


    Varian tilted his head at her outburst. He knew this girl had no elegance expected from a princess. But the curses that flew out next made him embarrassed.


    They''re so bad.


    With aplex heart at discovering that he was so pure that even a girl swore worse than him, Varian walked out of the practice room.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    The safe zone provided excellent services to everyone. Best food, best drinks, best technology, best weapons¡ªyou name it, it''d be there!


    The ones managing the safe zone were a race called Xehars, the managers picked by the tower itself.


    Under certain conditions, members of Xehars could even leave the tower. Of course, only a few ever did.


    Most of them managed the safe zone and amassed enormous wealth and influence.


    One of the most profitable businesses they made was the intelligence body. They knew almost 70% of all shady things in the tower.


    So, while ughter Shade sessfully hid the truth that he was from the Jai Empire, him sending his group to hunt down Varian, and Maria was still found.


    Even the great spy and ughter didn''t expect the tower intelligence to be this efficient.


    "Who attacked the 3rd Princess of Arbor?"


    "Royalty enemies alwayse from within."


    "She''s not any royalty. She''s the crown princess and the next queen."


    A silence filled the well-decorated room that most challengers would never be able to enter.


    While the Xehars¡ªpalm-sized beings that looked like a fusion between a human and a rat, fervently among themselves, there were two guests at the meeting who looked out of ce.


    The man with a ck overcoat sped his fingers and leaned back on the chair. His fists were clenched on the exquisite table, they weren''t even touching it but the table started to crack.


    The woman, in a rosy red top and pants, was deathly silent. There was a bright smile on her face but it didn''t match the cold look in her eyes.


    Both of them were staring at the images of Maria along with Varian floating around.


    "Please keep an eye on her movements," The man said in a hoarse voice, barely suppressing his killing intent.


    "W-What do you mean?" The head of the intelligence group was baffled by the man''s tone.


    Until now, they weremissioned to confirm the safety of the woman. But that man''s killing intent, even if suppressed, was too obvious for a veteran like him.


    "It means what it means," The man rose to his feet and walked out of the door with heavy steps.


    "I don''t want to affect the pirs of the Diamond Triangle!" The Xehar''s intelligence head shifted in his tiny chair but his words were loud and resolute.


    "Diamond Triangle, huh." The man chuckled at the irony. "If you do what I say, it might still stay that way. Or it''ll be like Mythril Quadrteral, one more kingdom will be gone."


    "What do you mean?"


    "You don''t need to know. This is an order from the alliance." The man shed them an insignia before leaving.


    The woman left after him but before she did, she gave them a quiet but chilling stare. Her gaze promised them hell if they didn''t heed orders.


    The Xehars looked at each other with fear before heading back to work.


    If something terrible did happen now, it better not be their responsibility. Else, the safe zone would get new managers.


    Oblivious to bing targets of people he never met, Varian rxed in a sauna. A mini-sun was heating up the room, rxing his nerves and tense muscles.


    It was the <Toy Sun> he got from the rewards. If anyone saw him use such a precious for this activity, they''d chase him with a de while shouting ''sphemy!''.


    Of course, Varian wasn''t only messing around. The Toy Sun was like an open textbook, showing him the secrets in the paths of Matter and Energy, pushing him further every second.


    "If the girls are here, it''d be better," Varian mumbled.


    which he got for free.


    And as expected, what didn''t kill him did make him stronger.


    His body had fully recovered, thanks to thebor by the system which he got for free.


    And as expected, what didn''t kill him did make him stronger.


    Like always.


    [Mystic Rank 3: 200/500 {+100}


    <Your body endured some real hardship in that state>


    Famine Rank 3: 400/500 {+300}


    <You observed the death energy closely and learned some very important things. Life and death are two sides of the same coin>


    Spirit Rank 3: 200/500 {+50}


    <¡­Why did rxing in the safe zone improve yourprehension of the spirit? This is weird.>


    Matter Rank 3: 200/500 {+190}


    Energy Rank 3: 200/500 {+190}


    <Making good use of that treasure, aren''t you? But using it for the sauna is a bit¡­>


    Space Rank 3: 50/500 {+40}


    Time Rank 3: 50/500 {+40}


    <Minor improvements from the battle. Try harder.>]

 Chapter 1190 First Time?

    Chapter 1190 First Time?


    Varian and Maria went to thergest cksmith store in the safezone.


    "You''re not telling why we should buy this. None of the things on the second zone need stuff like this." Varian walked down the gold-paved streets clicking his tongue at the extravagance.


    "It''s for safety." Maria was wearing a hoodie and a mask that covered her uppletely. Her voice was also altered to sound masculine and old.


    "There you go again," Varian crossed his arms.


    "Also, stop following me! I''m trying not to attract attention!" Maria stomped on his feet and created some distance between them in the sea of crowds.


    Varian looked at her back shuttling through the warriors dressed in different attires, but all attuned tobat¡ªfull-body armors, elemental resistance robes, anti-death shields, and of course, plenty of robes.


    Even though her look was so shady, she was the ''normal'' one here.


    On the other hand, with a ck tee on white shorts, red sneakers along with several gold chains, Varian looked like he was some rockstar. There were few who dressed as mboyant and ostentatious as him.


    But even they had some weapons in hand or at least maintained a fighting posture. On the other hand, Varian looked like he was walking in an amusement park.


    For him, however, it was indeed an amusement park.


    He could feel the ''rules'' restricting everyone clearly and that gave him enough confidence to let go of his guard.


    It''s something he hadn''t done for a long, long time. Even while resting after a very tough battle, a part of his mind would always be alert and on lookout.


    "Man, I love this ce," Varian tried out new cuisines, bought interesting little items as souvenirs, and surveyed the best ces to show the girls for a tour.


    When he finally reached the cksmith shop, Maria was already done with the shopping and threw him a pair of bracelets.


    The dwarf owner who came to send her off looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze, "Young man."


    "Yes?"


    As he replied, Varian noticed that a few customers in the store also turned to him.


    A woman with a 1-feet long neck and a three-feet long tail, looking like a crossover between a man and giraffe, a five-headed man whose three heads were sleeping, one was eating and the other was staring at him. As well as a zombie which had a tunnel in its chest and a wiggling slime woman.


    ''Holy shit, this is crazy!''


    The customers and the dwarf owner were having the exact thought.


    ''Holy shit, this dude is crazy!''


    "B-Buy some nice armor, eh?" The dwarf owner said with a sympathetic smile. "I can give you a good discount."


    "Oh thank you but I''ll pass," Varian said and chased after Maria who was running from him. "Oh wait!"


    You''re standing out too much!"


    "Come on, I''m just chilling!" Varian sipped some juice and burped. She ran into a quiet alley and red at him with fiery eyes. "No! You''re standing out too much!"


    "Come on, I''m just chilling!" Varian sipped some juice and burped. Then, he nodded appreciatively at the juice. He must buy a few back home. A few thousand would be enough.


    Maria walked to him in heavy steps and pushed him against the wall.


    "Yes?"


    She mmed her hand onto the wall right beside his hand and said. "We just got hunted down by dangerous guys! And you! If you were even a blinkte, you''d have been a rotting corpse no! They''re watching us, even after this disguise, I can feel their eyes! The moment we step out of the safe zone, they''ll hunt us down!"


    "I know, I know." Varian nodded.


    Maria clenched her fist and the wall started cracking. "Then why the fuck are you soid back? You''re driving me mad!"


    Varian pushed her arm away and slowly walked to a graffiti in the alley, appreciating it with a bright smile. "First time?"


    "What?" Maria was on the verge ofshing out.


    "Is it the first time you''re hunted down by strong enemies bent on killing you and have a very good chance at that?" Varian chuckled.


    "I-It''s not the first, but¡­" Maria didn''t want to admit it. She defeated a bunch of rank 6s but all those times, her power wasn''t sealed and she was either as strong as them or had better abilities.


    Not once in her entire life did she fight across rank. Even though her present strength of rank 5 was just a step away from rank 6, she had exactly 0% chance of winning against one.


    There''s just no way.


    Maybe she could use the treasures to mess things up and create a chance, but it''d be foolish to assume the enemies wouldn''t have treasures of their own.


    ''And the tower rejects treasures that mess up the bnce. So, there''s that.''


    "Listen, I''ve fought enemies who are stronger than me, almost always." Varian smiled lightly as those fights shed past his mind. "And I''ve alwayse out on top."


    "That sounds¡­too unrealistic."


    "I know." Varian shrugged before shing a cheeky smile. "That''s why it''d be written into myths one day."


    "¡­I never knew you were this delusional." Maria decided not to argue.


    You could convince a rational, persuade an emotional but nothing would work in front of a delusional.


    Maria sighed.


    "Why so serious?" Varian snapped his fingers and the toy sun flew towards Maria.


    She wanted to step back but a sudden change from deep within caused her to halt.


    "No way."


    "Yes way."


    The seal inside her soul was being strengthened by the aura pouring out of the sun.


    It should''ve been impossible for anyone to interfere with the seal, but the treasures he got were the most special in the stock. Varian was given the option to direct the energy of the toy sun anywhere he wished.


    "Stop, what are you¡ª"


    Maria panicked at the situation and summoned her spear along with golems. As she was about to strike the toy sun, a broken seed appeared in Varian''s hand.


    The new aura in the seal at her soul was being sucked away. Because the aura was trying to embed itself into the seal, bits and pieces of the seal were also being broken down.


    [] Broken Seed: A broken seed. It''s still an excellent gatherer of aura. Will improve the aura concentration of a star system and the quality of all things when nted.[]


    Since he''s the registered owner of the item, he was given full control over its powers. That included ''selecting'' a target from which the seed could gather the aura.


    The process wasn''t as smooth as Varian expected. It''s because the aura inside Maria''s body resisted the foreign power interfering in her soul. But Maria took a big bet and dispersed all her aura.


    With no obstruction, the cycle was nowplete.


    The toy sun poured aura into the seal which embedded itself into the seal and the broken seed pulled it off, slowly decimating the seal.


    Under Maria''s utterly dumbfounded gaze, the seal holding her back crumbled into pieces.


    Her aura skyrocketed and reached a monstrous height.


    She''s at the edge of low rank 6, on the verge of reaching mid rank 6 sooner orter. Perhaps as quick as a year.


    When Maria came to her senses, all she could do was swear. "W-What the fuck happened?"

 Chapter 1191 You Guys Deserved That Asteroid!

    Varian wanted to train in the safe zone to push his strength until it couldn''t rise anymore. It was an excellent n considering the sheer size of warriors avable. Unfortunately, the rules of Safezone rendered his dream futile.


    With a slightly disappointed mood, Varian followed Maria to arge ck Steele which they touched and jumped onto the 31st floor.


    The theynded on was normal.


    A bunch of rank 4, rank 5, and rank 6s dinosaur-like creatures were roaming around, fighting, mating, and hunting.


    The was exceptionally resilient and even the fights of rank 6s only caused its continental tes to shake.


    Amidst the continuous explosions, Varian followed behind Maria who rushed into a volcano.


    Alright, it wasn''t a volcano but the nose of a very, veryrge creature. But for the sake of his own sanity, Varian decided to treat it as a real volcano.


    "Where are we going?" Varian asked, his voice restless and his lips twitching. ''What if this thing sneezes? I don''t wanna die in a sneeze! That''d be the most embarrassing way to die!''


    "Why? Worried I''ll kill you now that I recovered my strength?" Maria smirked.


    "With the treasures I got, you should be the one to worry."


    "¡­"


    Maria gnashed her teeth but acknowledged the harsh reality. She had a treasure to counter him but it was something for her mission.


    "I won''t hide it from you anymore. We''re not climbing the floor." The treedy confessed as they jumped into the volcano.


    Pools of green liquid boiled at the bottom at temperatures enough to melt iron and steel. Patches of green and pink growing on the interior sides of the volcano were inhaling the heat and vapor of the green liquid.


    The pool had ripples everywhere as ten-meter fishes jumped in and out of the green liquid.


    ''How''s that even possible?'' Varian had no idea how these creatures could survive that high temperature. But he had seen enough weird shit to not be bewildered by it.


    What worried him were Maria''s words.


    "Not climbing the floor? Our agreement is you help me climb the floors faster and I assist you."


    "Yes. I worded it wrong. What I meant is that we won''t be climbing them in the conventional way." Maria rubbed her cheek in embarrassment and pointed a finger towards the pool.


    A vine grew out of her finger and shot into the pool. The fish didn''t like the intruder and tried to swallow it whole. But the vine suddenly grew a mouth and devoured the giant fishes like they were some evening chips.


    A momentter, the vine brought back a fist-sized green sphere.


    ''If this is the creature''s neck, then this¡­'' Varian took a step back instinctively.


    "We''ll have to grow a tree to get into the unconventional path to climb the tower." Maria pointed to the sphere. "This is the seed of that tree."


    "Oh? Oh! Ok." Varian experienced many emotions in that one moment.


    "Alright, the teleportation circle is nearby, we can quickly lea¡ª"


    The volcano shook and a huge eyeball covered the volcano''s opening, staring down at them.


    "F-Fuck!" Varian cursed by habit.


    The creature was a peak rank 5.


    Seeing him panic, Maria smirked and stepped forward. "Don''t worry, I''ll handl¡ª"


    The eye withdrew and arger eye gazed into the volcano.


    This one was¡­mid rank 6.


    "Fuck!" Maria swore this time.


    Then three more eyeballs eyed them. They were all peak rank 5s, so Maria wasn''t panicking as much.


    But Varian¡ª


    "What the hell did you do to provoke these big baddies? Aren''t they resting ten thousand miles away? They are very peaceful in general and won''t attack unless provoked!" Varian did his research and showed it off without humility.


    "Provoke my ass! Run!" The elegant princess swore like a pirate and ran for it.


    But before they even jumped out of the volcano, a thunderous roar nearly ruptured their eardrums.


    The next thing they knew, therge, warm, and protective volcano around them was ripped off the ground and tossed into the sky like it was a fricking baseball.


    "Holy shit!" Varian''s heart stopped beating for a moment as the implications of plucking a monster''s nose flooded his mind.


    An earth-shattering roar overwhelmed a million miles as a heavenly beast slowly rose to its feet. It towered everyone and everything, reaching the sky in a single step.


    "S-Sorry about your nose, it wasn''t us." Maria apologized but the creature''s huge eyes, each of which was as big as a town, didn''t show any decrease in fury.


    The beast¡ªwhose nose¡ªthe volcano¡ªwas violently ripped off, looked down at the perpetrators.


    "Uh?"


    "Oh?"


    "Eh?"


    "Ih?"


    The rank 6 dinosaur as well as the rank 5s all flinched and stepped back under that overwhelming gaze.


    But it didn''t stop there. Its killing intent also locked onto Varian and Maria, who were quietly trying to sneak away.


    "Eep!"


    "Fuck!"


    Varian and Maria looked at the four dinosaurs. The former enemies reached a tactical understanding and began running at the same time.


    The heavenly beast followed in leisurely steps.


    But to the ones being chased, it was the start of an apocalypse.


    The ground crumbled and the sky shook.


    Mountains, forests, rivers¡ªeverything in the way of the enormous beast was destroyed irreversibly.


    "Euk!"


    A huge mouth opened behind them and sucked in.


    The peak rank 5 dinosaur struggled violently but couldn''t escape the fate of being devoured.


    "Euk!"


    Another peak rank 5 dinosaur was met with the same fate.


    The leader of the pack, the rank 6, could no longer stay still.


    The horns on its head shone with a brilliant light and it roared at the moons in the sky.


    "Huh?"


    The heavenly beast didn''t understand why it did what it did. But the next second, it stopped in its tracks and stared up at the moon, no, it stared at the dot that departed from the moon and fast rushing towards the.


    The dot expanded in a blink and turned into an enormous dinosaur that seemed to cover the entire sky.


    The heavenly beast raised its neck and issued a warning. The moon dinosaur didn''t care and continued descending.


    "Run! Run!" Varian and Maria ran in a straight line and reached the edge of the continent. The sea in front of them was in a disturbing red. But they didn''t care and jumped in. The next moment, a terrifying shockwave swept the entire continent.


    Even the sea suffered from a tsunami.


    Varian and Maria swam to another continent on the, hoping to quickly enter that teleportation circle and leave the floor.


    But¡ª


    Four eyeballs gazed at them with thick killing intent.


    The peak rank 5 and rank 6 dinosaurs that eyed them at the beginning and started off this entire thing.


    "You''re still following us?" Maria lost her temper. "If you want blood, the blood you''ll get."


    The rank 6 beast and the rank 6 princess faced off.


    Meanwhile, Varian awkwardly waved at the peak rank 5 beast. "H-Hello, I don''t think we have any personal enmity. How about you wave this off and help your buddy over there? That woman might be a sub-rank lower but she got a lot of nasty treasures to assist her."


    Boom!


    A cloud of dust rose into the air and a silent tremor spread throughout the continent.


    Maria rose from a deep crater with disheveled hair and spat out some mud mixed with blood before yelling. "Hey, on whose team are you really?"


    The rank 6 dinosaur growled and shed its giant wing at her.


    Ignoring his teammate, Varian continued to persuade the rank 5 dinosaur who seemed to be at least listening.


    "Think about it, if you don''t help your boy, he''ll die. Then, you''ll have to fight a rank 6 by yourself! You won''t survive!"


    The dinosaur was visibly flustered imagining the possibility.


    Varian''s lips arched into the smile of a conman and he continued. "But! If you kill her first, you and your boss can easily kill me."


    The dinosaur tilted its head and blinked itsrge eyes. It seemed to give his words some serious thought.


    "Yes, make the most logical dec¡ªfuck!" Varian jumped out as a huge head mmed into the ground, narrowly missing him.


    The rank 5 dinosaur looked at him with disdain and snorted before it threw its ws at him.


    "You dumbfuck! You guys deserved that asteroid!" Varian cursed and teleported to the clouds.


    He didn''t want to fight a peak rank 5. But now, he had no choice.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Watching the two of them on a screen from another, a man and woman quietly fought against several rank 6s.

 Chapter 1192 Madness

    In the end, Varian ended up shing against the peak rank 5 dinosaur. He was no match, as expected.


    As a rank 3, he could jump a whole rank and take down rank 4s. Even without the artifacts, he had a good chance of killing high rank 4s. With the boost of the artifacts, he could bring down low rank 5 beasts.


    But that''s about it.


    Fighting a peak rank 5 was only asking for abuse.


    The earth split open and a humanoid figure mmed deep into the ground, forming a tunnel extending hundreds of miles.


    Varian''s arms which blocked the dinosaur''s frontal attack were crushed and were barely hanging onto his shoulders. And as he drilled into the ground due to the fierce moment, hell was awaiting him.


    The insane speed at which he was thrown into the ground was met by the equally fierce underground filled with tough rocks, stones, and gems. Tough in rtive to a rank 5. For others, they''d be unbreakable.


    A horrifying pain seared his body as sharp rocks pierced his skin, dug into his muscles, and scraped his bones.


    He didn''t even have the luxury to scream because the stones would go inside and wreak havoc.


    Varian curled up instinctively to protect himself. His heart was pierced, and so were his lungs. He was protecting his brain but it still got a few cuts. His limbs? They were ripped out by a few sharp rocks a moment earlier.


    It was a terrifying experience but thankfully, it ended there.


    [That didn''t seem to be a pleasant experience.]


    ''What do you thin¡ªouch!'' Varian flinched as a prickling sensation shot up his brain.


    [Maybe you should use the slivers. It''ll be easier to get rid of the thing with some nning.]


    ''No.'' The space around Varian loosened first and then solidified, creating an empty space in the underground for him.


    With a thought, all the rocks embedded inside his body, blood, organs, and even the brain were plucked out.


    Varian flinched once again as the sharp sensations overwhelmed his senses for a moment.


    ''Slivers are myst resort. If I meet a really strong enemy, chances are, they''ll know about the slivers somehow.''


    So, unless he was confident of killing them and keeping the details of the battle secret, it''s very dangerous to use the slivers.


    If even something as small as rumors about the slivers began, then Varian wouldn''t need to doubt whether powerhouses of the kingdoms and even the empire woulde after him.


    They would. And in front of overwhelming strength, neither he nor his empire could survive.


    [But you can''t fight in your current state. Even with the famine''s great healing, it''ll take time.]


    The space around Varian distorted and he appeared over arge forest.


    ''You''re right!'' With just a torso and a head, he really can''t fight much.


    A tremendous roar shook the sky and a crimson dot began to fly towards Varian. The dinosaur wasn''t letting go.


    It''d be here in two-three minutes at most. But he''d need at least ten minutes to heal back to his peak.


    ''But I am Famine!'' Varian''s eyes turned silver and all his powers were concentrated onto the Spirit path, pushing it to peak of rank 4.


    Then, a spirit attack swept the forest, disturbing the stronger creatures and stunning the creatures of rank 1 and rank 2. The rank 3s suffered from dizziness.


    ''I will devour and grow.'' Varian''s power concentration shifted to space which also reached peak of rank 4.


    The space around the rank 1, rank 2 and the rank 3 beasts exploded, killing them instantly, and copsed into a space crack that opened in front of Varian.


    Varian''s body glowed dark green and his rank 3 famine path soared to peak of rank 4.


    Famine (Rank 3) ¡ª> Assimtor (Peak Rank 4)


    The corpses of the beasts all disappeared into the bottomless pit of the Assimtor and an overwhelming vitality filled Varian to the brink.


    It was like taking a nice hot bath while getting a good massage. It was so rxing that you''d wish it could go on forever.


    When he came to his senses shortly, Varian realized his body had healedpletely. And due to his massive intake, there was a surprise he didn''t expect.


    [Famine Rank 3: 500/500 [+100, +300]


    Assimting is something only rank 4s and above Assimtors can do. But you''ve done it as a rank 3 famine. You reaped tremendous gains.


    Do you want to advance now?


    You will walk down the path of an Assimtor if you do.


    If you wish for another path, you can regress and try again.]


    ''Advance.''


    A beam of aura shot into the sky and all life forms nearby felt a tremendous life form climbing a step in the pyramid.


    Varian swung his arms and checked his physical capabilities. There was definitely improvement but the focus wasn''t on raw strength.


    He pointed a finger towards a rank 3 carnivorous tree. The life force inside it shook violently and the green tree began to wilt.


    After a meaningless struggle, it flew into Varian''s hand and broke into tiny pieces before getting absorbed into his body.


    [+1 XP]


    Even though he devoured the entire tree''s life force, Varian realized he was able to absorb only a tiny portion of it. The efficiency was pathetic. But the ability itself was awesome.


    Out of curiosity, Varian opened his status panel.


    [Mystic Rank 3: 400/500 [+200]


    <The beatings helped>


    Assimtor Rank 4: 301/1000


    <Suffering has meaning¡ªit means more XP. Congrattions on bing an ant. You''re no longer bacteria>


    Spirit Rank 3: 250/500 [+50]


    Matter Rank 3: 250/500 [+50]


    Energy Rank 3: 250/500 [+50]


    <Try harder>


    Space Rank 3: 75/500 [+25]


    Time Rank 3: 75/500 [+25]


    <Not Enough>]


    Varian was both satisfied and dissatisfied with his status panel. It saw a significant improvement, especially on the Assimtor Path. But hisbat power, while now being able to crush peak rank 4s, would pale in front of low rank 5s without the artifacts.


    What''s more, the enemies he had to face were rank 6s and probably strong ones even in their own rank.


    ''I''ll try harder.'' Varian''s eyes shed with madness and he turned to the huge crimson body that was now just a few miles away from him.


    The dinosaur looked at him with a predatory gaze and opened its mouth.


    He''s still far from being an opponent of a peak rank 5. But Varian didn''t run away instead, he ran towards the enemy.


    ''Combat power is a very good indicator of your capability. But in the battle, there are always other factors.''


    For some reason, words back in his childhood rang in his mind. His father wasn''t a very strong awakener. But he held back a powerful abyssal squad to save his team.


    Ifbat power alone was the answer to everything, then it made no sense.


    ''Courage can take you to heights.'' Varian thought and his lips curled into a distorted smile. ''But fearlessness can take you everywhere.''


    Like an asteroid, he crashed into the dinosaur.


    Due to the severe difference in strength, he was blown back and ended up once again being buried a hundred miles underground.


    But the dinosaur, while mostly fine, had a visible cavity on its jaw.


    The predator roared in anger and flew to the tunnel. Then, its long, vast, and sharp wings swung down like a de.


    The air seemed to halt for a moment before dust and soil flew everywhere.


    A deep pit was formed in heartbeat with Varian at its bottom. The rocks and stones around him were sliced sharply. His arms weren''t spared, they too were cut by a very sharp gale of wind he couldn''t avoid.


    Varian used his spirit power to turn off the pain. He couldn''t exert the strength of a peak rank 5 but he had his advantages.


    This creature was an Adept¡ªmeaning it had a body on the path of perfection¡ªgood strength, defense, speed, regeneration¡ªbut only that¡ªgood.


    On the other hand, while an Assimtor was lower than an Adept in every physical indicator, they were exceptional at healing.


    ''I can''t overpower you, but I can oust you.'' Varian''s spirit power grabbed his sliced-off arms and aimed them at the creature.


    The power of space created a path to boost the speed of the organic missile while the power of time increased its speed.


    The Qi of Mystic acted as the driving force while the powers of matter and energy burned down the arm to fuel the attack.


    "Go!"


    An explosion shook the underground and two impossibly fast arms shot reached the dinosaur''s eyes in the blink of an eye.


    The creature quickly used its wings for defense but something interesting happened then.


    Varian''s powers all concentrated onto space and pushed it to the peak of rank 4. Using that power, he teleported the arms to its neck.


    A shockwave swept the surroundings as two ten-meter cavities tore open on the creature''s neck, spilling out blood, flesh, and bones.


    The dinosaur roared in fury. It was a significant injury, not a fatal one. But its pride was damaged.


    As it bent down to st another attack to kill this insolent creature, Varian''s silhouette blurred and he appeared below the dinosaur''s neck.


    The creature''s Qi sensed his presence and activated before it did to form a protectiveyer.


    Varian wasn''t here to sneak attack. It''s very hard to pull out one.


    He''s here to¡ª


    ''Assimte!''


    All the blood, flesh, and bones of the creature, carrying its rich vitality disappeared as the space around them distorted and appeared around Varian.


    Varian''s arms regenerated in an instant and his aura grew stronger.


    The dinosaur paused for a moment at this ridiculous situation. Its experience was telling it to run away. This prey wasn''t as easy as it thought.


    But its ego won over and it decided to fight. Of course, whatever rationality it had pushed it to make an attack to kill him in one shot.


    "Hahahahaha!" Varianughed like a madman as he felt a Qi barrier around him, trying to lock him down.


    It''d have worked if he was a real Assimtor. But he''s a space awakener and blocking their teleportation was much harder¡ªsomething this creature had very little experience with.


    Aided by space distorted, Varian''s body broke through the Qi barrier, but it wasn''t without a price.


    The tyrannical barrier tried to tear his body into pieces and when it failed, it inflicted serious injuries on him.


    Since hepletely turned off the pain, Varian didn''t care about these little injuries and teleported to a smallke nearby to ''replenish'' his condition to its peak.


    The whole thing reminded him of the games he yed with Kyle.


    Pull down some HP of the boss, run away, drink some potions, then attack the boss again.


    ''I knew it! I should''ve yed more games after taking up the throne!''

 Chapter 1193 You Shall Not Pass

    Maria had a tough fight.


    It wasn''t easy to fight a sub-rank higher, even more so as the rank increases.


    She used a few treasures here and there to create favorable conditions but in the end, it was her own strength, tactics and courage that helped.


    Even the rank 6 dinosaur didn''t expect the prey it chose to be so ruthless. After making enough injuries on it, Maria started drilling into its body and ''devouring'' its blood and flesh.


    Everytime, she was expelled by its intense internal Qi and suffered injuries. Initially, she always had more injuries than whatever healing she got inside. It seemed like she''s failing again and again and wasn''t learning anything.


    But when the dinosaur discovered that all the loss of vitality that Maria sucked was starting to affect its attack, it was a bit toote.


    From then, Maria steadily gained an upper hand. It sounded easy but none of her peers could guarentee of replicating the feat.


    Even though she stumbled a bit in the early stages, after regaining her power, Maria was showing why she was hailed as one of the future pirs of the Alliance.


    Her victory, however, didn''t invoke any positive feelings in the man and woman who provoked the beasts and set up the fight.


    "Damn it! How is her seal already broken?"


    Their n had only a small chance of suceeding because of the treasures she held. But they harbored a tiny hope that perhaps she wouldn''t be able to react in time as a rank 5 and would be instantly killed.


    Even their primary and certain objective of the mission¡ªmaking her waste the treasure¡ªwasn''t fulfilled.


    "If it doesn''t work on this floor, then the next, or the next! She needs to climb three more to finish the world tree set!"


    While the two acquintances of the rowdy princess left for the next floor, Maria decided to find Varian.


    "He won''t die with all those treasures but he''ll be reluctant in using them. If I go now and help him when he''s in big trouble, he''ll owe me big." Maria chuckled with a conspirational smile and dashed through the air.


    A few secondster, she stumbled onto an area that not too long ago was a mountain range. The mountains were gone now and instead, argeke of red reced them.


    All across the mountain ranges, there were scattered pieces of flesh, guts, and bones.


    The ground, the trees, the grass, the birds, the beasts¡ªeven the air¡ªsmelled of heavy blood.


    Even though she was yet to find anyone or anything, Maria felt a primeval killing intent throughout the whole ce.


    It gave her a feeling that whatever fought in this ce wasn''t a man and a beast but two equally wild animals. There were no rules, no restraints, and certainly no escape. It''s a fight unto the death.


    After a few minutes of serious search, Maria finally found Varian in the middle of a giant carcass, punching down on the remnants of the dead beast, breaking its bones, tearing its muscles, and ripping apart its parts.


    "B-Baldur?" Maria''s voice was shaking.


    Varian didn''t turn around. Instead, he raised his fist and mmed it down on the beast''s head.


    Its skull, formidable enough against any rank 5, didn''t yield to his strength.


    Varian growled and his Mystic aura soared to the peak of rank 4. He mmed down his fist again, without any restraints.


    A crack reverberated across the surroundings. But it was Varian''s hand that cracked.


    "Stop it, Baldur! You can''t break it!"


    Varian''s hand healed at such a miraculous speed that Maria could only attribute it to some wonderful treasure working behind the scenes.


    And then, he mmed his fist down again.


    Crack!


    Again!


    Crack!


    And again and again and again!


    His hands continued to crack like they were made of ss with every punch. But he was relentless, like an unceasing wave of flood, bent on breaking the dam.


    "Baldur, you''ve lost your mind, stop now!" Maria was worried more than she was furious.


    She didn''t want to approach him but she also didn''t want to leave him here. She needed his help in at least getting to that ce. For all her prowess, she was severelycking manpower.


    ''I didn''t try to contact anyone since the bones guy must be keeping an eye on me.''


    Crack! Crack! Crack!


    Maria decided to stop Varian''s madness by force if needed. As she gathered her power to take action, a different crack sounded.


    It was weak, almost like a whisper brought by the wind. But Maria was clear about what it was.


    "Hahahahaha!" Varian let out augh of triumph and then mmed his bloodied, broken fists onest time.


    KACHA!


    The skull shattered.


    "W-What the fuck was that?" Maria backed off, goosebumps at the eerie sight.


    A peak rank 5 beast wasn''t scary for her. But this¡­the skull being resilient until now and then shattering after getting one small crack.


    Maria realized something ridiculous as she watched Varian''s back with wide eyes. "No way!"


    Since the beginning, Varian wasn''t punching the same spot twice. It was seemingly random, but in retrospect, it seemed like a specific pattern.


    ''He was aiming for this from the start!'' Maria''s wariness towards this man she knew but didn''t really know skyrocketed.


    Varian turned around and slowly exhaled. Even though the wild smell of blood and guts on him, his torn clothes, and his distorted smile hinted he was in a state of bloodlust, his eyes¡­they were eerily calm and indifferent.


    Maria was perplexed more than anything. This was a man who didn''t make any sense whatsoever.


    Was he deep in bloodlust? Yes.


    Was he perfectly rational? Yes.


    "I''d have died if I escaped. This fight helped me break my seal." Varian''s aura was stronger than earlier.


    [Adept Rank 4: 100/1000


    <Congrattions on your advancement. As an Adept, you''re on your way to developing a perfect body. You''re a master of close-quarter fights and you can use your qi to help you with long-range attacks to a significant extent.>


    Assimtor Rank 4: 350/1000]


    Maria was having trouble identifying his rank or even path. It''s just¡­weird. Sometimes, he felt like a rank 2, then a rank 3, and sometimes a rank 4.


    What the hell was going on?


    ''I don''t want to think about this or I''ll be the one going crazy!''


    Maria did what was best for her mental health and ignored his weirdness.


    "We got the seed on the 31st floor. Now, soil on the 32nd, water on the 33rd, and fertilizer on the 34th. And then we''re set to go!" Maria exined in a casual tone, pretending she hadn''t witnessed the madness of her temporary teammate.


    "What about the pesticide?" Varian asked.


    He thought Maria would call the question silly and be annoyed by it. Instead, her face paled and she parted her lips slowly. "Trees have innate protectors. We are the pests."


    "What?!"


    The tower climbing continued.


    32nd Floor:


    The soil was the bone ash of a three-winged bat-like creature that resided on the edge of a ck hole¡ªtribat.


    These were solitary creatures and a rank 5 beast''s bone ash would do. It was supposed to be an easy mission.


    Varian didn''t think there was any need to help when Maria went off to the tribat.


    BOOM!


    Oh boy was he wrong.


    A dozen creatures, each resembling an octopus with wings, unting their tentacles, appeared out of nowhere and ambushed Maria.


    They were ambushed soon after and had to fight their way out. Thankfully for Varian, Maria couldn''t fight the rank 6 beasts and fled to a nearby star system.


    Most of them went after her, but a few flew toward him.


    Varian considered himself brave. Even reckless. But not stupid.


    There''s no way he was going on a suicidal fight against a rank 6 when even one of their attacks could potentially one-shot him.


    So, he did something that neither the beasts nor the guys who lured them here expected.


    "Halt!"


    A blinding brilliance filled the space as the toy sun shone in its full glory.


    Holding the treasures against the beasts who were clearly ufortable against its brilliance and dangerous aura, Varian said with a smug smile, as if they were afraid of his power.


    "You shall not pass!"


    The beasts looked at each other. They didn''t have any considerable intellect but what they had was very good instincts. Instead of facing the brightly annoying light, they decided to flee.


    The teen beasts that were in rank 5 were already about to escape.


    But terrifying mes shot out of the toy sun and formed a barrier, locking them with Varian.


    "But you," Varian pointed to the rank 5 beasts and nodded. "You can fight me."


    The mindless beasts had to pick the lesser danger of the two¡ªthe dangerous mes that could definitely kill them or the man who possessed the mes but wasn''t exuding a dangerous aura.


    They rushed to him.


    Varian raised his arms.


    "Praise the sun!"

 Chapter 1194 What A Lot Of Powers Can Do [1]

    Unlike the solitary tribats, Octavians always lived in groups. These creatures either awakened in gravity paths.


    They lived a bit inside the event horizon, the forbidden boundary after which even light couldn''t escape. But through their incredible prowess, they moved in and out of the event horizon.


    Even after so many generations, it was a dangerous affair. Every generation would have at least 10% deaths due to being identally sucked into ckholes.


    But this didn''t deter these prideful creatures. Not a single Octavian ever left. The ones that tried were killed to preserve their honor.


    As he faced off these mad creatures whose powers varied from low to peak rank 5, Varian found his throat getting parched.


    This wasn''t going to be eas¡ª


    The ten Octavians raised their tentacles in his direction. Ten grey lights began to flicker and grow dangerously bright.


    Varian took no chances. He merged his powers and since he now had two paths in rank 4, he was able to push the time rank to low rank 5.


    It was in a different range. A level of power that gave Varian tremendous power over time.


    But every second he stayed in that state was a big burden on his aura reserves. After all, it wasn''t his natural state. He was merely using the slivers to manipte his divine paths for this result.


    So, he wasted no time and applied a ''Time dtion'' on himself.


    It wouldn''t have been that big of a problem if he took the rank 4 Assimtor to rank 5. But his time powers were still only at rank 3.


    So, by the time he applied the dtion tost for a while, almost a quarter of his incredibly vast aura reserves dried up.


    It was a ridiculous price as even peak rank 4s didn''t have as much aura as Varian. But for the even more ridiculous ability to arbitrarily improve a path''s rank by 1 or 2, it seemed a fair price.


    The move itself was highly beneficial, Varian noted, as the world around him flowed 2.5X slower.


    Now, he didn''t have any issue observing and reacting to attacks of even peak rank 5 beasts.


    Varian pulled back his powers from the fusion and re-fused them again, but this time, to the Assimtor path.


    [Assimiliator Rank 4 ¡ª> Assimtor Rank 5 (Low)]


    Varian''s body gave off a pitch-ck light and the white of his eyes turned dark. On his palm, a quivering dark sphere appeared.


    The Octavians that were patiently building gravity traps for him could no longer sit still after sensing that threat.


    The creatures screamed ear-rupturing sonic attacks and exploded the grey lights. One after another, grey ripples swept the area within the barrier.


    Varian pushed his space power to rank 5 and threw the ck sphere into a space crack.


    The gravity waves that came crashing were more brutal than a hydraulic press could ever be.


    Even though the time field on him and the space barrier he set up at thest moment fought against them, Varian realized their horror right from the first gravity st.


    The mighty force of gravity broke through his barriers and stretched him apart, limb by limb.


    "Arghhh!"


    His skin tore apart and his joints loosened to the point Varian worried the bones would separate out of his body.


    And then came the second wave.


    It''s like he''s crushed between two buildings, everything around him narrowed until Varian realized it was himself that was being quickly crushed.


    The next waves of gravity were only more brutal.


    Varian didn''t escape. He endured the attacks.


    He pushed his assimtor power to rank 5 whenever his injuries reached a critical point and quickly healed himself back. If it wasn''t enough, a bit of fairy dew worked.


    Whenever the barrier around him weakened, he turned into a rank 5 space awakener and enforced the barriers.


    It was an arduous process and by the time the attacks were over, Varian was a mess, panting in exhaustion and coughing out blood like he was a fricking geyser.


    The Octavians raised their tentacles once again, the familiar grey lights flickering and growing, promising another round of hell.


    "No, I had to endure only one r-round¡­" Varian grinned.


    The Octavians were confused but as the gravity around the grey light of their tentacles continued to twist, an unexpected change urred.


    Varian''s Spirit power reached the peak of rank 5.


    Spirit Rank 3 ¡ª> Binder Rank 5


    Varian''s eyes glowed silver and three invisible spiritual attacks shot into the space. As the attacks moved forward at an incredible speed and the Octavians already began to raise their defenses, Varian''s spirit power plummeted and his space power rushed to rank 5.


    The spiritual attacks were perfectly sucked into the space cracks as if it was all pre-calcted and disappeared.


    "Hehehehe," Varian grinned.


    The Octavians recalled the ck ball he created earlier. It too disappeared into the space crack.


    What was he ¡ª


    The Octavians deliberately their moves but ultimately gave into their predatory instincts and poured more power into their tentacles.


    As the gravity around them fluctuated, an unexpected change urred.


    Varian''s power quickly alternated between matter rank 5 and Assimtor rank 5. The powers of matter and life were used almost simultaneously thanks to time dtion and acted on the Octavian''s tentacles.


    The life force made it easier for Varian to control the tentacles and matter power allowed him great control over that flesh.


    As a result, before the Octavians realized what thebination of powers they never saw used together could do¡ª


    Their tentacles exploded. The creatures screamed in pain and their gravity sts


    Dimmed.


    But that was only the beginning.


    The three spiritual attacks appeared out of space cracks and caught them off guard in their most vulnerable moment.


    Three Octavians were struck straight in their soul and they turned motionless. Not the one to miss such a golden opportunity, Varian unleashed the ck sphere he created in the beginning.


    It dug into the three Octavians and devoured their blood, flesh, and vitality in every single cell.


    The fist-sized ck sphere grew into the size of a tire.


    And its mere presence caused the remaining seven Octavians to flinch and retreat. Their life force was slowly but surely being sucked out by this nasty thing!


    The time dtion around Varian finally wore off and the world around him suddenly flowed faster.


    Varian took a deep breath and threw himself at the Octavians. The creatures wanted to break down the ck sphere but were forced to respond.


    The fire barrier moved with him and when he appeared in front of the creatures, the barrier was dangerously close to the ck hole.


    The Octavians, despite living in dangerous regions of the ck hole, panicked. The strong gravity of the celestial body was already acting hard on their body and they had to spend a significant part of their focus to cancel it out.


    The situation wasn''t in their favor at all.


    Having to split their focus between the ck hole and the vitality-sucking ck sphere, they still had to fight Varian.


    Varian thought it''d be an easy conclusion but the Octavian looked at each other and two of them glowed with a brilliant light.


    "W-What?!"


    It was so sudden and unexpected that Varian could only put up a defense at thest moment.


    One Octavian grabbed the ck sphere. Its tentacles began to wither but it didn''t care. The space around it began to fluctuate violently and the ck sphere started to distort to unstable proportions.


    An Octavian''s tentacles extended and formed a cage around Varian. Then its entire body glowed into a dangerous grey light.


    "F-Fuck!"


    Varian hurriedly called the toy sun for an intervention he didn''t originally intend.


    A fire barrier began to form around him but before itpletely did, the silver light enveloped him.


    Varian was drowned in the overwhelming gravity st and his world shredded into pieces.

 Chapter 1195 What A Lot Of Powers Can Do [2]

    When Varian came to his senses, he realized that the toy sun was forming a barrier around him.


    "Haa! Haaa! Haa!" He took deep breaths out of habit, even though there was no near air in space.


    The five Octavians were trying to break through the sr barrier while the toy sun formed a special protective cover around him to keep them away.


    Varian checked his body and realized it had not a trace of injury. With a particr suspicion in his mind, he turned around and checked the space outside the protective cover.


    Scattered blood, flesh, and bones were floating around in the space. They didn''t belong to the monster.


    "More than two hours passed?" With his time powers, Varian was able to discern it urately. That''s why he was even more shocked.


    He already knew that fighting against peak rank 5s was dangerous. He might kill one or two but even that came with a big risk. Thankfully, he went in prepared for the worst case.


    "I don''t need to feel down. My rank is way lower than theirs." Varian shrugged and decided to do a bit of both meditation and recuperation.


    The five Octavians did their best to get out of this cage and failed. Then, they tried the next best option and attacked the protective cover around Varian. This time, they not only failed but also got some of their tentacles burnt.


    After an hour of leisure, Varian opened his eyes and saw the Octavians staring at him.


    He couldn''t speak theirnguage and they might not even be that sentient to speak anguage.


    But thanks to his Spirit power, he could understand what they were feeling¡ªat least the gist of it in his ownnguage.


    <This is so unfair! You''re not following the rules in a fight!>


    <Are you a fighter or a referee?!>


    <You aren''t a true warrior! You''re a coward!>


    Against the aggressive usations, Varian smiled shamelessly. "I never said I''m ying it fair, kiddos."


    With a snap of his fingers, the protective cover around him faded.


    Stretching his arms, Varian shot forward like a missile.


    The Octavians fought him hard. Having witnessed his shamelessness, they were extra cautious.


    This time, Varian only managed to kill one Octavian before being pushed into serious injuries.


    So, he did the honorable thing of using the Toy Sun once again and pushing them into a truce they didn''t sign up for.


    Then, he fought again.


    And again.


    And again.


    When there were only two Octavians left, Varian was already fighting in the region of the ckhole, resisting gravity and sometimes, using it.


    Something clicked inside him and two powers soared.


    Varian grinned and fused his powers.


    The power of time reached new heights and acted on the Octavians. The creatures slowed down to 0.75X of their usual speed.


    But to Varian who used his powers to push his Adept power to rank 5, that was enough.


    His physical attacks, while mostly blocked by the gravity waves released by the creatures, still managed to blow off half their bodies.


    When they tried to counterattack and take him down with them, his rank 5 Spiritual attacks broke their ns.


    The Octavians still didn''t give up and put up a difficult fight. Varian forgot his surroundings and fought for a long time.


    By the time he was done, he barely had any energy left. The ckhole tried to eagerly suck him in. Thankfully, Varian''s space powers were now stronger than ever and let him exit.


    Moreover, he didn''t go too deep into the ck hole in the first ce, so it wasn''t that risky.


    "Let''s see, I spent 10 hours fighting them¡­so, 20 minutes passed outside?" Varian muttered, looking back at the ck hole.


    Time flowed slowly near the ck hole. So, he didn''t dwell much on it.


    Rather, he was eager about the fruits of hisbor.


    [Space Rank 4: 100/1000


    Time Rank 4: 100/1000


    <You used your surroundings a bit too conveniently, Host. ckholes, Octavians, and the Toy Sun>]


    "Efficiently, you mean." Varian corrected and reached his hand towards the ck hole.


    A line of white space appeared in the darkness. It was as if the endless dark space was cut open by a pointed knife. The space line extended toward the tribat resting at the edge of the ck hole.


    Varian pointed a finger at the creature and the timeflow of the creature flowed down by time threes.


    The avoidable space line attack touched it on the head. Then, like a thread, the white space line began to envelop and constrict around it.


    The low rank 5 creature struggled violently. In response, Varian clenched his fist. The white space lines enveloping it suddenly tightened and sliced through its body, cutting it into pieces.


    With a snap of his fingers, the space fluctuated around the bones of the creature and smashed it into fine powder before teleporting it above his palm.


    "Bone ash¡­" Varian muttered with a grin. "We have the seed and now the soil."


    Water and Fertilizer were left.


    And if Maria''s words were to be believed, once got them all, he''d have a faster way to climb the tower.


    ''I can quickly get out of the tower¡­'' Varian exhaled and extended his space sense.


    His body blurred. He blinked in and out of space as he traveled incredible distances with each teleportation.


    Ten minutester, he found Maria hiding in a behind a mountain of barren.


    He withdrew all his aura and sneaked behind her. In the tense silence, he wanted to prank her.


    ''But she''s rank 6. A panic attack from her without any restraint is dangerous.'' Varian decided to be wise.


    He put on the mask, <Thief Of The Tower>, and achieved nearplete stealth.


    To be honest, the mask was a bit nasty. It was a clown crying, due to which the makeup seemed to be fading and reminded him of some things back home.


    Shaking his head at the artistic taste of the tower, he used his sliver powers to constructyers of armor upon himself. Finally, he also used his own powers to buildyers of defense.


    Finally, he approached her and said.


    "Yo!"


    "DIE!" Maria''s spear flew before he even finished his greeting.


    She missed since she couldn''t urately assess his location due to the mask''s excellent stealth.


    But because of being incredibly close to the attack, the defenses he built up using the slivers broke down quickly. Then, even the defenses he built using his powers shattered.


    By then, whatever was left was no longer dangerous. Instead, the sensation was like someone elbowing him after a nasty joke.


    ''My calctions are correct. I can survive one attack from a weak rank 6¡­as long as I prepare beforehand.''


    Varian wouldn''t tell Maria he used her as an experiment specimen.


    "It''s me." He took off the mask and raised his arms.


    "Prove yourself!" Maria''s hair was messy, her clothes seemed to be torn long ago and like most celestial awakeners in battles, she used her aura to condense clothes. But even these sturdy clothes couldn''t hide the blood flowing from the injuries present on almost everyone part of her body.


    ''She had a tough fight, eh.'' Varian sighed inwardly and showed the bone ash.


    "No. It''s something anyone can know." Maria raised her spear and a thick killing intent permeated the air. "However, I just got here. How can Baldur follow me when he''s bogged down by peak rank 5 beasts that are way above his pay grade?"


    Varian''s lips twitched.


    "And he''s so weak. He nearly lost his mind against one peak rank 5 beast, there''s no way he can survive against so many. The only thing he can do is get back to the safe zone using some treasure." Maria''s gaze hardened and the grip on her spear tightened.


    "So, you are an impostor! You must be!" Maria pointed her spear at him.


    "You shitty princess!" Varian facepalmed. "Whoever sent you on whatever mission you are must''ve gone mad! Can''t you just sense my aura and confirm if it''s me? If you suspect they masked my aura to deceive you, you can ask me about things only we both know! Why are you jumping to conclusions so early?"


    "¡­" Maria blinked twice before withdrawing her spear a bit. Still not letting down her guard, she said. "You got one minute to prove yourself."


    Varian crossed his arms and looked at her. "You have a potty mouth. You swear worse than a fucking pirate! I honestly think you should be banned from interacting with children, you''re a bad influence on th¡ª"


    "Stop! Stop! I get it, I get it, son of a bitch! It''s you!"


    "You''re at it again! Stop swearing for fuck''s sake!"


    "You know how much shit I''ve been through after those squid faces chased me? I want to fry their tentacles and shove it up thei¡ª"


    "Enough, woman! I have no interest in your fetishes!"

 Chapter 1196 Third Time Is The Charm

    ?


    The 33rd floor had an infamous name among the challengers.


    Evernight.


    Unlike the preceeding levels, it didn''t cover a bunch of star systems that challengers could freely navigate.


    It was only a world¡ªa stretch of endless forest under an eternal night.


    The first thing Varian noticed was the dampness around his ankles. The ck water wasing from a waterfall in the distance, flowing across this region of the forest and disappeared into nothingness.


    There were little creatures swimming fast in the water, their bodies going transparent at random times.


    "So this is¡­" Varian touched a thin tree and sadness welled in his heart.


    ''Why am I doing all this when I''m going to die one day anyway? It''ll be less painful if I just stopped fighting and enjoy my life. I can return to the safezone and live without risks forever. I don''t have to worry about enemies and allies. I can just¡­''


    Varian pulled out of his hand and struck down the tree to its roots with his demon sword.


    As the tree''s vitality was drained into the demon sword, a bubbling grief swept Varian''s mind. Tears pooled in his eyes and he wanted to stab himself to stop the grief.


    The sword''s tip turned inward and inched closer to his chest. A spot of red formed on his chest before Varian pulled back his sword.


    "W-What was that?" He clutched his knees and panted, his heart was thrashing against his ribcage, threatening to breakout any second.


    His body was fine, but his mind, his mind was a mess. His emotions were twisted and wanted him to do a million different things.


    ''Kill her!''


    ''Kill yourself!''


    ''Can you survive the power of slivers if they''re used on you? Try it out!''


    ''I don''t need slivers, throw them away!''


    ''There is a woman next to me! A woman!''


    ''Ambush her! Devour her! Grow stronger!''


    ''Steal her treasures!''


    ''Get out of the tower! They''re all in danger!''


    Varian clutched his head, veins throbbing on his temple, and took deep breaths. The thoughts had his own voice but they were too extreme even for him. But the emotions behind those thoughts...it was definitely his.


    After two full minutes which seemed like two days, Varian came to his senses.


    [You''ve endured by the final attack of a rank 4 Grieving Tree. Your soul has grown resilent.


    +50XP]


    Varian shook his head and turned to Maria who was watching everything with an amused smile.


    Embarrassed, he snorted.


    Maria Virdis covered her mouth and chuckled, like an aristocraticdy who showed manners even in that small action. "My, my, what do we have here?"


    Varian wanted to punch that arrogant face but his rationality won. Not because he was benevolent, but because Maria was rank 6. He couldn''t beat her anyway.


    "Still holding a grudge? I have never seen someone so petty." Varian shook his head, speaking in a calm and mature tone, even though his resentful gaze betrayed his act.


    "I wonder who makes inappropriatements on a maiden?" Maria''s tone of speech had changed and she was speaking formally. Formal words, formal tone, formal posture.


    Varian was freaking out. "Anyway, where do we find the pond?"


    "The pond of ckwater is at the base of the Chief Tree," Maria said in a rxed andposed tone.


    "Chief Tree?" Varian blinked in confusion and tilted his head.


    Maria smiled in response. A haughty, vengeful, and confident smile.


    ''Oh no¡­''


    The wind blew and the branches rustled. The trees bent to the sides and a silhouette shed forward, striking Varian from the back.


    "Woaaah!"


    Varian flipped in the air andnded on his left foot, like an acrobat while his right foot was drawn backward, ready to kick the guts out of the silhouette that was now fast approaching him.


    The beast, which had the body of a wolf and the tail of a scorpion, didn''t slow down despite his preparedness. Instead, it lunged at him, prepared to kill him at the price of being killed.


    The beast opened its mouth and all it took was a moment before a heavy poison enveloped Varian, turning his skin pale purple and failing half of his organs.


    "Fuck!" Varian rarely suffered from poisonous attacks. But this one was noughing matter.


    He raised his Assimtor power by fusion and used the vital force to dispel the poison all the while moving his leg to a perfect counter kick.


    A muffled sound filled the air and the creature mmed into the ground, Varian''s right foot on its cracked skull.


    "Why did this even target me?" Varian rubbed the green blood spilled on his face and frowned.


    Maria put her hands behind her back and started walking in a particr direction. She didn''t touch the trees, much less try to harm them.


    The only thing she touched was the grass on the ground and yet, she was walking with extremely delicate steps. If flying wasn''t forbidden in the floor, Varian believed she wouldn''t be touching them at all.


    ''The creature is the guardian of the tree I destroyed.'' Varian soon concluded. ''Then the Chief Tree¡­''


    "Don''t even think about it. We can''t beat the Chief Beast. I''ll lure it away and you collect a cup of water." Maria seemed to read his expression even though she was walking ahead and said with a strong smile.


    "Aren''t you afraid? We got chased by dinosaurs on the 31st and had a bunch of Octavians ambushing us on the 32nd. This isn''t normal." Varian expressed his concerns as he expertly navigated through the forest terrain.


    Using Adept powers, he shrunk his physique, controlled his offensive power and prevented any situation where he might destroy a tree.


    "Are you superstitious?" Maria didn''t look back but he could almost see her rolling her eyes. With a carefree shrug, she said. "We were unlucky twice. It happens sometimes. Doesn''t mean we''ll run into trouble. Trust me."


    "I trust you," Varian said in an earnest tone. "I just don''t trust my luck."


    "Huh?" Maria raised an eyebrow and wanted to reprimand him. Was he implying that his bad luck was greater than her¡ªMaria Virdis''¡ªgood luck?


    Maria wanted to teach him the etiquette but froze as she heard something crack.


    "Uh¡­oh!" Varian lowered his head and saw three inconspicuous stones under him getting crushed like they were mere ss.


    "I haven''t seen these types of stones before." He said and lifted his foot to move on.


    Maria''s face paled and the news articles of an explosive resource shed in her mind. "No, wait, I''ve seen those stones be¡ª"


    An explosion swept the surroundings, forcing Varian and Maria to protect their vitals at thest moment.


    Thanks to the heavy aura in the air, the explosion was subdued. Yet, it managed to destroy at least a hundred trees in the surroundings.


    "Oh no!" Varian hurriedly put up a soul barrier but the iing emotions drilled through his protectiveyer and started to mess with his mind.


    It didn''t matter that he improved his Spirit power by fusion. They tormented him the same.


    Simultaneously came the guardians.


    More than a hundred beasts, ranging between rank 4 and rank 5. There was also a rank 6 leading the horde.


    "Oh, dear." Maria unleashed her spear and stood in between Varian and the beasts with a wry smile. "Third term is the charm, huh."

 Chapter 1197 Trial Of Spirit

    ?


    Varian was bombarded by a near endless torrent of emotions and thoughts that weren''t his.


    The violent attacks intertwined to form a much more dangerous attack than what was individually possible.


    "N-No!"


    Varian jolted awake and looked at the chaotic surroundings with a tense heart.


    Maria was fighting the beasts and he was also fighti¡ª


    "Huh?"


    ''Varian'' was fighting instinctually against the hordes of beasts.


    ''I am in my soul form again?'' The glittery silver form with sparks of gold said he was right.


    The spiritual attacks stopped aiming for his body and directly reached his soul. Without the protection of a physical body, Varian was much more vulnerable.


    The attacks, individually appearing like golden, blue, ck, and white threads quickly mixed together and formed a.


    "I can see where this is going¡­"


    Varian wanted to leave but the was faster than he anticipated and trapped him like a beast. The of concentrated spiritual power red and drowned him in its torrent of attacks.


    ''I''m royally fucked!''


    Varian''s soul defense was still high and the Aether Pendant on his neck was blocking any fatal injuries.


    So, the attacks took on a clever and long-term approach that''s likely to seed.


    The world around Varian sped up to an unimaginable pace. Then, Varian saw himself waking up as a baby.


    ''The empire has got a prince!''


    The royal medical room, the maids, the man with a crown, and the tired noblewoman exined it all.


    Varian held onto his sense of self but as he grew up and gained friends and family, the past life turned into a fading dream.


    The life of an emperor in a world with no magic was unsettling but somehow, deeply satisfying. It was the pinnacle of power.


    But despite his good intentions, his empire saw consecutive famines and the superstitious society revolted against him and pulled him to the guillotine.


    Looking at the de hanging over his neck, Varian closed his eyes. ''So this dream ends, huh. I wonder if I''ll wake up after this¡­''


    The de fell and Varian found himself in a dirty street, begging for alms from the martial artists that walked by.


    He was crippled¡ªwith no arms, deaf and dumb. His meridians were crushed during his childhood by a rogue martial artist and his parents abandoned him.


    ''Oh¡­parents abandoning, no, my parents would never abandon me.'' Varian knew that this life was going to be tough.


    Weeks went on an empty stomach. The hunger gnawed on him and nearly drove him insane. He could''ve picked an easy way out and killed himself.


    But he decided to survive. Even if it put him through horrifying experiences, he persevered. He snatched food from the dogs, got beaten up by fellow beggars, and was almost kidnapped by a mad scientist.


    Even after all these hardships, he made the choice to live.


    What he didn''t know was that had he chosen tomit suicide, he''d have incurred a major injury to his soul and would''ve risked dying or falling into an eternal spiritual slumber.


    In the real world, the status screen continued to sh.


    [+100 XP


    <You''ve survived a soul attack and didn''t lose yourself in the dream>]


    [+100 XP


    <You didn''t kill yourself>]


    After ten years, the ''beggar'' died from the diseases and a malnourished body.


    Next was the life of a failing merchant. Then came the life of a war ve with a weak body.


    It went on for what seemed forever.


    When Varian opened his eyes, he saw corpses of demonic beasts around him. By the time he controlled his own body, his instincts cracked open the head of thest beast.


    "¡­Is this still the real world?" Varian sighed.


    He encountered several of these ''returning to the real world'' lives. They were all perfect fakes. In some of them, he died in the tower. In others, he returned to earth and was killed by unknown entities trying to protect humanity.


    ''Yo, System!''


    [Hello, host.]


    Varian''s tense shoulders rxed and he let out a relieved chuckle. "So I''m finally back, eh."


    [Yes, congrattions on surviving that onught.]


    ''Not so simple, buddy.''


    [Check your spirit power.]


    "Hm?" Varian''s eyes glowed and his focus turned to his mind.


    The demonic beasts waiting for a chance noticed he was distracted and broke Maria''s line of defense. The woman herself was upied by a rank 6 beast and could only shout. "Careful!"


    The beasts pressed their back legs, ready to jump at him and tear his body into pieces.


    Varian''s spirit power instinctively attacked them with a spiritual wave. It was much stronger than before. The beasts hesitated for a moment but decided to keep on.


    That was when Varian''s powers fused into Binder and pushed it one rank further.


    "Halt." Varian''s eyes glowed with a silvery light and the beasts found their bodies stumble and crash into the ground.


    The dynamics flipped.


    The ''guardians'' were no longer active and looked at each other in hesitation. Of the group, Only five peak rank 5 beasts stepped forward.


    [Spirit Rank 3 ¡ª> Binder Rank 4: 300/1000 [+300]


    <Your soul has now bound with your body to a fundamental level. Your soul cannot inhabit other bodies. Instead, your soul powers have amplified to a great degree.


    You are a master at damaging souls. Your own soul has undergone a great change and is greatly resistant to any soul attacks. Your body has also undergone a strengthening.]


    Varianmended the bravery of the beasts and clenched his fists. The beasts were confident of their physical capabilities and jumped at him at once.


    The Adept aura from Varian disappeared as they approached, reced by the Binder aura.


    The beasts panicked mid-air and hurried to set up protect their minds but Varian was a step faster.


    He pushed his palm forward and pped the air.


    The eyes of the five beasts nked out and like puppets that had their strings cut, the peak rank 5 beasts crashed head first into the ground, right in front of Varian''s feet.


    Varian could see their souls running around like headless beasts, trying to get back into their bodies.


    But his own power as well as the Aether Pendant worked together to devour those unfortunate souls.


    Thanks to the operation, his own soul power improved considerably.


    "This is interesting." Varian''s palm hovered over the beasts and a suction force enveloped them.


    The bodies struggled instinctually against the danger but as the space around them froze, their chances of escape vanished.


    A secondter, only piles of bones were left.


    Witnessing this horrifying scene, the remaining guardian beasts stepped back. Varian chuckled and turned to Maria. "Need help?"


    "I doubt you could do much. This is a rank 6¡ª"


    The rank 6 beast''s eyes lost focus for a brief moment as its soul was violently pushed out of its body. But it quickly merged back into its body.


    However, the gap did appear.


    Maria had no idea what happened but she used the chance and dealt a fatal blow. Soon, the rank 6 beast became her supplement.


    "How did you do that?" Maria continued towards the Chief Tree. But was no longer walking in front of him. Even if she didn''t say it outright, he could sense her vignce.


    "Do what?" Varian asked with a cheeky smile.


    "Is that another treasure of yours?" Maria asked with a solemn expression. "And I thought you were an Adept, but you devoured the beasts¡­you''re an Assimtor!"


    Varian shrugged.


    "What the hell, Baldur? I can''t understand a thing about you."


    "It''s better if you don''t." Varian smiled and pointed to therge tree in the distance. "The Chief Tree. You''re still luring out the chief guardian, right?"


    "Y-yeah, I am." Maria nodded after a moment of hesitation.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    While Maria did the heavy lifting, Varian collected the ck water without any interruptions.


    "It really went smoothly?"


    They met up after an hour and both of them couldn''t believe it.


    "Someone is targetting us," Varian said, his gaze scanning the surroundings before shaking his head. "Not here. Not in a million-mile vicinity. But this is all nned."


    "Of course, it is. No one gets this unlucky for three consecutive floors." Maria nodded vigorously.


    Varian pursed his lips and didn''tment on her reaction. It was obvious from the 2nd time but whatever.


    "Is it the skeleton guy?"


    "Probably." Maria''s face was ashen as she rubbed between her brows. "My mission is¡­supposed to be a big secret. As if you tagging along wasn''t enough, I have a killer after me."


    "Will they imprison you for your negligence?"


    "No, but why are you smiling imagining that?"


    "I''m not. But you know, prisons are good ces to write poetry. Thebor helps maintain your physique and the free time without any other entertainment unleashes your inner poet."


    "You look experienced."


    "I spent a few centuries in the prison." Varian grinned and went onto the 34th floor.


    "You''re lying. You''re not even a century old!"


    "My life experience is enough for you, your father, and your grandpa."


    "You bastard!"


    They headed to the 34th floor. Varian was looking forward to the shortcut out to the 60th floor once they got the final ingredient.

 Chapter 1198 Hymn Of Utopia

    ?


    The 34th floor¡ªNova Realm¡ªa hundred and ten star systems, ravaged by unstable stars, explodings, andets was an apocalypse brought to life.


    If the historians or strongly religious people of earth were here, they''d have scrambled to their workce and recorded everything, while praying on the side hoping for divine intervention.


    But the civilizations found on this floor had no such inclinations. They didn''t bother writing down their history nor did they pray for protection.


    These dwarf humans¡ªno more than three feet¡ªcontinued doing their work. Research, painting, sculpting, farming¡­everything imaginable under the sun.


    The streets of these men and women, all had a particr tree on the sidewalks. It looked like a cherry blossom tree but it grew up from a seed to a tree, gave off glowing cherry blossoms, and died in just a minute. Then, another seed took its ce.


    There was no concept called money. There was produce and there was consumption. People took what was needed and shared happily.


    Maria and Varian walked on the streets in disguise. But they felt like they were standing out and getting exposed.


    It wasn''t the defect of Maria''s treasure or Varian''s powers.


    "Really¡­" Maria sighed deeply, the look in her eyesplicated and perplexed.


    Varian didn''t reply. His gaze was fixated on the brilliant smiles shing on every single person walking on the street.


    It was a genuine smile, something only kids in their innocence. A smile so bright and cheerful that even his heavy heart was swept into joy.


    Varian had toured the for a few hours already, there wasn''t a single fight, robbery, murder, or even a crime.


    It was unbelievable. But for some reason, it felt just right¡ªthis was how these people behaved¡ªtheir way of life.


    Even though Maria and Varian were both excellent actors, they couldn''t give that genuine smile. They just couldn''t. Even if they tried, it fell t in front of the ones that came straight from the heart.


    "You know," Varian walked into a park and sat on a tree branch. Looking into the blue sun in the pink sky, a scene that rivaled a painting, he chuckled. "When I was a kid, I used to believe in this thing called Utopia. Everyone is happy, no one fights, no one is greedy."


    Maria shook her head. "It''s Utopia for a reason. It''s impossible."


    "We are in a Utopia." Varianughed, but his gaze was down and his expression heavy. "This ce, this is how I want my home to be. No crime, no pressure, be happy and be good."


    Maria leaned against the tree and said nothing.


    "The beauty of this ce exists only because it''s on the threat of destruction at any moment." Varian looked at the smiles on the people and said without any doubt. "The moment they live in a normal world, greed will win, peace will end and conflict will begin. It always does.


    The smiles we''re seeing on everyone, they''ll only remain on naive children. Everything will be corrupted."


    Maria couldn''t help but nod.


    It was the irony of humans, no, of any sentient race with emotions.


    The Utopia every sentient civilization dreamed of at least once in their existence was here. But it urred only because of the constant threat of destruction.


    Had it not been the case, this ce would''ve been like any other.


    Three hours passed quietly.


    Varian didn''t speak again and watched the people enjoying their lives, doing what they loved, as if it was theirst day because it might as well be.


    Unfortunately or fortunately, they were right.


    A signal went off and golden glyphs shot into the sky. Everyone¡ªon the streets, homes, museums¡ªstopped what they were doing and closed their eyes with a big smile.


    Even though there were tears swirling in the corners of some, they too chanted with the rest.


    "A life that is lived,


    A gift, not wasted.


    No regret that it ended,


    Only joy that it happened."


    As their chants rang softly in the air, the core of the exploded.


    The park or what once was a park, had now debris of rock, water, and magma floating in the space.


    Varian sighed deeply and flew to the central coordinates of what was once the. Now, it''s an expanding sphere of blue mes.


    As he approached the center, the fire split open and revealed a shining green mass of gas inside. A handful gathered onto Varian''s palm which he stored away in a specialized container.


    "Your treasures can control matter and energy? You have too many treasures." Maria muttered from the side.


    "Where''s the exit?" Varian asked, his voice a little dull.


    He initially wanted to intervene in this destruction. But after learning of its nature, he didn''t.


    "Why in a hurry? Don''t you want to watch?" Maria crossed her arms and asked.


    "I thought you were on a mission."


    Maria''s expression crumbled but she said in a hurried tone. "We can''t use the fertilizer immediately. It needs at least three hours to get into a usable state."


    Varian argued no more and backed off from the''s core and debris.


    After expanding for a while, everything started to contract. The mes, the soil, the rocks, the magma, even the flesh, blood, and¡­souls. Varian saw the souls of all the dead, slowly returning to the.


    Then, changes that''d have taken tens of millions of years took ce in mere minutes. The most primitive of life began and an hourter, the humans of this were born.


    They were born with knowledge they didn''t know the source of, of history they didn''t remember living through, and with a state of mind that didn''t fit their humble beginning.


    They began working together and started building a society where no one had to be hungry, poor, or homeless.


    "What a strange¡­" Varian sighed.


    If he intervened, their reincarnation would halt and their ''eternal lives'' would end.


    Even then, he wanted to save them, but after observing them epting death like that, he respected their choices.


    The two left the and took off to the nearby star system that seemed to have the teleportation gate.


    "Wait a minute, why aren''t we ambushed by now? Shouldn''t that be the case?" As they passed by a star, Maria asked.


    "Oh, don''t raise any ¡ª"


    The star, which was incredibly stable until then, exploded.


    Two types of beasts, numbering dozens, surrounded them. Creatures of reddish gas and creatures born from the me itself.


    Varian''s hair was burning in the fire and worried if he''d go bald. ''Bald Emperor gives the vibes of a tyrant.''


    Maria, on the other hand, didn''t even have a scratch on her leather armor and pants.


    "Star beasts, children of stars." Maria summoned her spear and swung it in an arc to blow back the advancing beasts.


    Aeromancers¡ªthe gaseous creatures¡ªat the peak of rank 5 were hit by the shockwaves and almost dissipated. But a small part of their body¡ªa breath of gas remained and they quickly regenerated back.


    Pyromancers¡ªthe fire creatures¡ªeven the peak rank 5s were able to take part of her attack collectively and disperse it.


    "This is going to be a bit problematic," Maria muttered. "Every bit of Aeromancers need to be destroyed for them to die and Pyromancers are very, very resilient."


    Varian, on the other hand, was grinning like a madman.


    After this battle, all his paths would set foot on rank 4!

 Chapter 1199 I Love Unfair Fights

    ?


    Aeromancers took random shapes, sometimes humanoid, sometimes insects and sometimes even dragons.


    Their physical capabilities seemed weak at first nce given them being a literal gaseous lifeform. But Varian ''punched'' an Aeromancer, he realized he was being naive.


    Only at the moment of contact, the gaseous hand solidified into a material Varian never heard of, but was so tough that Varian''s fist was crushed into paste.


    "Argh, fuck!" He backed off, fusing his powers into Assimtor and regenerating his hand in the matter of seconds.


    But the Aeromancers weren''t letting him off for no reason.


    As Varian wondered about their inaction, a thousand miles around him lit up with bright blue mes.


    Even the space began to distort as loads of energy flooded the area and then, when his hand was about to close up thest injury, a spark shot into his flesh.


    Varian tried to dodge but it was toote.


    The spark got into his arm and then¡ª


    "Arghhh!"


    Varian burned.


    The fire zed, all the energy in the thousand miles fueled it into a me that devoured every inch of his being.


    Varian tried to block the fire inside but the energy kepting and pushing it further.


    The tug of war between a dozen peak rank 5 Pyromancers and Varian hardly needed ten seconds to result in an oue.


    Being aware of the sizzling of his flesh and the boiling of his blood only aggravated his burdened senses. The pain from the immtion devoured his consciousness and pushed him to the brink of darkness.


    Varian stopped using his powers Assimtor and Adept and decided to fight fire with fire.


    His energy path was pushed from rank 3 to rank 5 and everything seemed to slow down.


    Even though his bones incinerated into ashes and flesh turned into nothing, something changed.


    The fire dwindled. The energy supply supporting its brilliance was cut off by half.


    It still burned. It still inflicted tremendous pain.


    But it could no longer turn him into ashes.


    In this incredible face off, Varian''s body which was nearly reduced into a skeleton regenerated. Like a ghost crawling back from hell by clinching onto the burning gates of the dead, he crawled back into life from the fires.


    ''It was dangerous.''


    The belt of the brave tried to activate thrice. He had to stop it to prevent himself being transported back to the safezone.


    The tower thought he''d die. He didn''t think so.


    "Pure energy bodies that use the power of me, hm, how will you die?" Varian raised an arm and the fire field around him was covered by a ck light.


    The Pyromancers were also in the range and found themselves in a strange barrier the likes of which they''d never encountered.


    They tried to st a fireball through it. The fire ball passed through the ck barrier but it was no longer under their control.


    The Pyrmonancers trembled as a realization hit them. Even though they had no ideas and looked just likerge humanoid mes, Varian could feel the fear and anger bubbling in them.


    "The barrier will turn you into a mess and you''ll lose any semnce you had. Maybe you''ll die." Varian shrugged like he had no business in this.


    The Pyromancers weren''t taking it lying down and converged their energies again.


    A brilliant white me was reflected in Varian''s eyes, its size growing at an incredible pace.


    The sheer heat emanating from it, even a thousand miles away, was enough to melt his skin.


    "I hate doing this, but I don''t want to be a hell skeleton boy again," Varian cursed and equipped himself with the artifacts. The Crystal Armor came to his rescue and blocked off a good chunk of the heat, saving him from a literal meltdown.


    Looking at the growing white me, he realized that he couldn''t afford to y fair with these bastards. Anyway, by ganging up at 12:1, they weren''t fair in the first ce.


    "Sorry about this, but your little toy needs to wait." Varian snapped his fingers and eleven barriers trapped eleven pyromancers, leaving the one unlucky guy to keep up the maintenance of the white me.


    The unlucky creature felt a huge suction force draining away its energy. It couldn''t stop the drain and watched on powerlessly.


    Varian wasn''t gentlemanly enough to not exploit his enemy''s weak moments. He intercepted the energy sucked from the creature and began absorbing it for himself.


    In contrast to the destructive energy that nearly killed him earlier, this was mild and even supportive.


    Varian''s body adapted to the power and the slivers acted in tandem to increase his insights into the energy path.


    Since it was something within the Order-Chaos Avenue, it was much easier than other powers.


    He progressed fast and already noticed a significant improvement.


    The me creature was drained to death.


    The remaining pyromancers noticed Varian''s sinister moves and cut off their connection with the white me to prevent falling into the trap.


    Varian grinned like a conman and pushed the white me toward three of the creatures.


    The pyromancers realized his agenda and desperately attacked the ck barrier. It was mysterious, powerful but not omnipotent.


    Under their reckless attack, the barrier broke apart.


    "Just in time."


    And Varian''s voice as well as the white me reached them.


    The confrontation ended in a massive explosion that nearly broke down therge ck barrier isting the thousand miles they were in.


    It also helped break the barriers of the surviving eight pyromancers.


    They all looked at Varian with zing hatred and attacked.


    Of course, Varian didn''t fight them honorably. He blocked off seven of them and fought one.


    The pyromancers realized they couldn''t allow another of their brethren to fall and began to quickly break down their barriers.


    Varian had to focus on re-sealing them from time to time while he fought the pyromancer he overpowered slightly thanks to the artifacts boost.


    The fight ended in a suicidal explosion of the pyromancer.


    Varian took his time and healed himself while resealing the pyromancers. Inwardly, he thanked the slivers. If not for them, it''d have been a certain defeat.


    "Next."


    Due to continuously trying to break down the chaos barrier, the pyromancers weakened. So, the subsequent fights were easier than he imagined.


    Six pyromancers were sealed and one fought.


    Then four were sealed and two fought.


    Then one was sealed and three fought.


    At some point, he advanced and started progressing further.


    The final fight was a bit special though.


    Varian fed the final peak rank 5 pyromancer some fire and energy treasures and let it recuperate to its peak.


    As a newbie in rank 4 energy, Varian couldn''t fight the pyromancer purely on energy powers alone.


    He tried and failed. But it was a very good learning experience.


    Then, he fused his powers and pushed the energy rank further. This time, it reached the peak of rank 5 and put him on an equal footing with the creature.


    Varian decided to take off his artifacts and fight without their help.


    The battle ended exactly after thirty minutes, with Varianing out on top thanks to his regeneration ability despite sustaining heavier injuries.


    The Aeromancers, due to the nature of their bodies, couldn''t intervene in a fight of Pyromancers.


    So, they waited outside the opaque ck barrier, waiting for theirrades toe out victorious.


    But the one that came out was Varian who beckoned them in in azy tone. "Come in."


    The Aeromancers looked at each other in fear and confusion but rushed in any way.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    By the time Maria was done dealing with the star creatures, she realized she spent a significant amount of treasures to finish them off.


    It didn''t help that she had to fight over fifty beasts at once. Even though most of them were at peak rank 5, these creatures worked incredibly well as a group.


    "Did that guy die? Or get teleported back to the safe zone?" Maria thought for a moment and shook her head. "Nah, he''ll be fine. Good people die young but bad people live long. Bastards like him definitely survive for millennia."


    "You know you''re old enough to be my grandma''s grandma?" Varian''s voice came from behind, nearly scaring her into a jump and instinctual attack.


    Maria turned around, red at him, and then flew in the direction of the teleportation gate.


    After entering the 35th floor, She stretched out her hand with an unwilling expression.


    "What?"


    "F-Fertilizer, give it."


    "Beg for it."


    "You!"


    Maria gnashed her teeth at his cocky smile but took deep breaths and asked in a reluctant but polite tone. "Please give me the fertilizer."


    "You have a promising future," Varian threw the container containing the fertilizer "As the front desk operator."


    "Kids these days," Maria shook her head in a dismissive tone but the way she gripped the container told another story.


    The seed from the volcano, the soil from the ck hole, the water from the Evernight, and the fertilizer from the''s core all gathered together.


    Then, Varian witnessed a scene straight out of myth.


    A sapling grew from the seed and space cracked open. The nt soared into the space crack and grew into a majestic tree whose heights quickly surpassed a thousand, no, ten thousand miles, and kept going.


    "What the fuck is happening here?"


    "This tree serves as a bridge to the world tree."


    "This isn''t the world tree?" Varian''s jaw dropped. If this tree began at the sun, it could reach Earth! It''s so fucking long!


    "No. It''s just a minor tree." Maria raised a brow. "You don''t even know these but you say you''re an expert who sealed himself. Very, very suspicious."


    "Ahem, I have amnesia. You know, I''ve lived too long."


    "But you called me an olddy. And something about me older than your gran¡ª"


    "I''m sorry I can''t hear you. Maybe I''m also growing deaf with age. Ahahaha, let''s go climb this world tree." Varian said and jumped into the space crack.


    Maria followed and the two ran over the tree into the seemingly endless void. The darkness around them seemed to go on forever before a tunnel of light appeared and then¡ª


    "What the fuck!"

 Chapter 1200 World Tree

    ?


    Varian''s senses expanded to the fullest, covering an area asrge as the sr system. But all he could capture was the trunk of a tree. No, not even the full trunk, only a portion of it.


    "This," Maria pointed to the brown ground under them and said with a smirk. "Is the world tree. It grows from the 60th floor to the 31st floor in a space parallel to the one the floors reside. We''re heading to the roots of the tree."


    "The roots?" Varian looked around.


    Above him was endless darkness of empty space. Below him was the dark brown ground that extended to the edge of his vision.


    If they travelled the normal way, it''d be hell of a long journey.


    "Can''t we just teleport?"


    "No." Maria said and pointed to the ground.


    It began to wriggle and a few humanoid creatures began to break out.


    Varian stepped back and Maria hurriedly put on a bracelet onto his wrist. His presence decreased and started to blend with that of the world tree.


    Before he could ask why, she used another treasure and a huge stealth formation enveloped them.


    The elves that just appeared looked around frantically. They were lithe and beautiful like all the elves he knew, but their eyes didn''t have the calm and grace innate to most tribes in their kind.


    Varian saw only one emotion in their eyes.


    Fury.


    "The natural protectors of the World Tree. They''re billions of them or maybe more." Maria spoke through a specialmunication device even though they were next to each other.


    "We''re the pests of the world tree, targets that must be eliminated. If we do anything conspicuous, we''ll face the chase of near endless elves."


    Varian rubbed between his brows and nodded.


    "Don''t worry, as long as we use the concealing treasures and keep a low profile, we''ll be fine."


    The elves left after an unfruitful search and the duo started their travel to the bottom of the world tree.


    Interestingly, there were mountains¡ªridges of the tree, valleys, canyons, and even rivers on the world tree. Of course, they were all parts of the tree itself¡ªits ridges, rough textures, leaking liquids, and others. It''s just so massive that it appeared like a world.


    Varian could feel the immense vitality brimming from the tree, a lifeforce so huge that he felt like an ant in front of the sun.


    ''Is this a rank 9 creature? Or a divine being?'' He gulped down his saliva and continued the travel.


    The treasure mask <Thief Of the Tower> was much better than the stealth treasures Maria was using. But it lost its stealth upon attack.


    So, Varian decided to use her treasures for now.


    More than a day passed and interestingly, the rules of the tower didn''t apply here. So, there was no killing of yers or natives needed.


    Even if there was a need, Varian and Maria stored enough of the ''bounty'' of criminals from the ces they visited for this very purpose.


    The journey was quiet.


    Maria grew nervous as she grew closer to the location of her mission.


    Varian grew nervous as he imagined all the myths he read about the world tree. The roots were definitely not a normal ce.


    "You can leave after we reach the 59th-floor area." Maria suddenly spoke.


    "But what about me leaking about the mission?"


    "You won''t." Maria looked into his eyes and said in a confident tone. "It''s not that I trust you that much, but you won''t bother doing such things."


    "Heh, even I don''t know what I''ll do next morning and you''re predicting my actions." Varian waved his hand in dismissal.


    Maria wanted to argue when a gemstone on her ne began to glow. Her expression grew graver than any time he had ever seen and she tapped on the gem.


    "We sensed you''re close by! Support! Support!"


    "Supp¡ª"


    Maria started a sprint without a word. Varian followed. Their speeds had reached a realm of their own. Varian could sprint across the whole earth in a second when he was rank 3.


    Despite being concealed by treasures, their speed was already starting to attract the elves, as evidenced by the tremors from the ground.


    Varian tried putting on the <Thief Of The Tower> and his stealth soared to the point he no longer aroused any vignce. But he had only one treasure, so Maria''s sprint still put them in a dangerous position.


    But Maria decided to take an even bigger risk. "No, this isn''t fast enough! We need to teleport!"


    "Are you crazy? The elves will be after us!"


    "You have that stealth treasure!"


    "It won''t work if I take you with me!"


    "I have to go!" Maria''s eyes were determined.


    Varian would''ve knocked her off if he could and prevented any risk. But she''s still a bit stronger than him. Even if he could take a chance with the artifacts, a fight now meant inviting gazillion elves to feast on their flesh.


    "Y-You fucking donkey!" Varian cursed.


    The space around them distorted and the activity of taking another person exceeded the scope of Varian''s treasure.


    An elf broke out from the ground like a zombie and sensed the disturbances in space. Around her, a hundred more elves broke the ground.


    After sensing the fluctuations, they went back into the tree and the holes miraculously closed up.


    A piece of news was transmitted to the elves down the tree.


    When Varian appeared in a distant location, this time, the elves appeared right after he left.


    And with each teleportation, the elves were getting closer and closer to spotting him.


    "It''s this ce!" Maria dashed into a huge mountain range that stretched for hundreds of thousands of miles.


    Maria climbed a mountain and entered a maze of caves, her speed increasing with every moment. "They''re in that cave, heavily injured after being ambushed by¡­"


    She stopped in front of an empty wall.


    Varian stopped behind her, his face deadpan. "There were no fights here. Thest time someone came here was 6 hours ago."


    "T-They¡­how could they¡­" Maria''s eyes grew dull.


    And more than a million elves flooded the mountain.


    The weakest was a rank 1 celestial.

 Chapter 1201 A Man Immune To Crowd Tactics

    ?


    The World Tree was a big secert. But even with Maria''s knowledge, at least a hundred people she personally knew were aware of it.


    However, they rarely tried to transverse the World Tree when climbing the tower. It''s not that they weren''t confident in their strength, on the contrary, they were afraid their incredible strength would draw out equally incredible guardian elves.


    One thing that became obvious about the World Tree over the years was that there''s no way you could win it. You could fight a bunch of elves, kill them all and then go into hiding. Or you could escape from the start and never start a fight with them. But no one ever could continue fighting the elves.


    Even the peak rank 6s, on the verge of advancing to rank 7, couldn''t achieve such a feat.


    There were just too many elves. Even the documented rank 6 elves exceeded 10,000. It made absolute sense for anyone to never get into a prolonged confrontation.


    Even if they''re confident of killing the elves pursuing them and escaping, the team, no matter how experienced or strong, would still be anxious, watching out for any potential mistakes.


    But thepanion she unexpectedly dragged all the way here was different. Despite all his entricities, she thought he''d at least show some ''normal'' side.


    So wrong she was~


    "Ahahahah! Come! Fight, fight, and fight!" Varian''s figure sted through hordes of elves, his fists covered by blood, guts, and bones.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Of the million elves that descended on them, more than 900,000 were rank 1s, 90,000 rank 2s, 9,000 rank 3s, 900 rank 4s, 90 rank 5s, and 9 rank 6s.


    Interestingly, there was a single sovereign elf at the back of the horde, with a flower crown and leafy clothes. Unlike the enraged crown, she was chillingly calm.


    Almost 90% of the forces, including all rank 6s, were focused on Maria who broke out with astonishing strength and game-changing treasures.


    The remaining 10%¡ª90,000 rank 1s, 9000 rank 2s, 900 rank 3s, 90 rank 4s and 9 rank 5s fought Varian.


    Luckily, there was only one peak rank 5. The remaining eight were high rank 5s.


    The rank 1s had the power of elements, sting Varian with apocalyptic winds and fires. It didn''t end there. The fire and wind worked together to form zing tornados that enveloped the enemy to burn him to a crisp.


    Varian didn''t collide with the attack head-on. No matter how weak, it was still the product of 90,000 rank 1s.


    He could fight it and barely overpower it. But doing so would leave him open to sneak attacks from the rank 5s. These guys haven''t moved from the start and calmly waited to tire him out.


    ''Human wave tactics, huh.''


    It would''ve been dangerous for anyone else but Varian had plenty of aura reserves and a disgustingly quick aura recovery rate.


    So, hended in the middle of the rank 1s and began rampaging against the elementals.


    They attacked him without worrying about the attacks killing their own.


    "Die!" Varian''s body blurred and he shot through the crowd of rank 1 elves in a straight line. More than a thousand elves had their guts blown through and died a gruesome death.


    The price for doing so was arge burn on Varian''s chest by the reckless attacks of the elves and the uncontroble shockwaves of wind that drilled into his body and sted his lungs.


    The injuries would''ve hindered him when he was still a rank 3 but his current strength allowed Varian to be much more reckless.


    "Taste some death." Heughed and put his hand up. A ck sphere appeared on his palm and expanded into the size of a house.


    Then it split into hundreds of smaller spheres and reached the rank 1 elves.


    The tornados and fire rains kepting as the elves focused on attacking him even at the expense of their own lives.


    Even though his healing disturbed them a little, they didn''t care. Killing 90,000 elves would drain at least half of his reserves. Then it wouldn''t take long for him to fall.


    Unfortunately, their calctions¡ªall based onmon sense¡ªwere bound to fail because they were fighting an entity that defied that verymon sense.


    The ck spheres drained a thousand elves to death and the elves put up walls of fire and wind to guard against his physical and vitality attacks.


    But what came was a spiritual explosion right at the center of the crowd. The elves sensed it at thest moment and wanted to sacrifice themselves to save the majority.


    Unfortunately, their time flow distorted and their movements slowed down by half a second.


    Half a second was toote.


    Like puppets whose strings were cut, ten thousand elves dropped dead. It was the single most destructive attack since the start and even Varian was surprised by how well it turned out.


    The higher-ranking elves looked at each other and hesitated. The reason they followed this tactic was to prevent the loss of high-ranking elves.


    All these dead rank 1s would be recycled to give birth to new rank 1s at near negligible cost. But things changed from rank 2. A single rank 2 would cost the world tree more than a thousand rank 1s.


    The World Tree was strong, not omnipotent. Even it couldn''t be reckless in these issues lest its overflowing vitality takes a hit and its rank risks regressing.


    Knowing all that, the higher-ranking elves still hesitated. Varian didn''t look any tiredpared to earlier. He looked more invigorated, even though it made little sense.


    ''Do not break the rules.'' A voice appeared in their minds and they all looked back at the elf girl wearing the floral crown.


    The madness in their eyes was reced by respect and awe.


    ''He is a bit different from the rest. But I can''t tell for certain.'' The elfdy narrowed her eyes at Varian and fell into deep thought.


    Varian was aware of her gaze but didn''t have any interest to stop the battle to check on her.


    Chunks of his muscles burnt to horrifying degrees, dropped out of his body as new muscles reced them.


    But even his discarded flesh carried an incredible vitality suction and killed the elves upon contact.


    Even after the death of nearly 50,000 elves, there wasn''t a single corpse on the ground. Whenever an elf died, the space around them would crack and a ck sphere would suck their vitality until the corpse would disintegrate.


    The vitality was fed back to Varian. Despite the transmission being highly inefficient, it allowed Varian to fight without anysting injury and at his peak condition.


    The elves were hoping his aura reserves would dwindle after the fight even if his body remained perfect. But that didn''t happen as the recovery rate of his aura increased greatly thanks to his artifacts.


    Varian was regenerating as much aura as he was spending every second. His aura


    reserves remained full.


    And for reasons he didn''t know, the artifacts were working better than anytime before. Their output was at least twice as much as before.


    ''Artifacts¡­and the world tree, what the hell is happening?''

 Chapter 1202 Massacre

    ?


    Varian killed 90,000 rank 1 elves in thirty minutes in a battle that could only be described as leisure. The 9,000 rank 2s didn''t evenst twenty minutes.


    While the first battle didn''t affect many elves, the second did. Especially the speed and ease at which Varian fought overturned their expectations.


    No matter how much they checked, Varian''s body was at its peak as was his aura.


    The only thing that was slightly tired was his mind. But the recovery of his mental state was discernable. His spirit power helped him greatly and Varian technically took no toll because of the battle.


    The 900 rank 3s were stopped from fighting him and dying like their predecessors. The 90 rank 4s and the 9 rank 5s looked at the girl with a pleading gaze.


    ''It''ll be painful if they die but this man can''t be tired to death.'' After thinking of the gains and losses, the girl nodded lightly.


    "Can''t take me one on one anymore?" Varian snorted as the horde of elves descended.


    Even though the 99,000 of the 99,999 that came after him died, it''s the 999 that posed him an actual threat.


    The 900 rank 3s started using the power of spirits to push him into illusions and slow his movements.


    The 90 rank 4s used the power of energy to create mini-explosives around him. A single explosion wouldn''t hurt him, but ten, twenty, or forty? It''d hurt like hell.


    But the most problematic were the 9 rank 5 elves.


    They were time rankers.


    ''Shit!''


    Varian felt an oppressive time field targetting his mind. His thoughts slowed down to an uncontroble degree, then those slowed-down thoughts were bogged down by spirit attacks. Whilst all this was happening, little purple blocks of energy raced toward him.


    "Fuck this shit!" Varian first fused his powers into the time path and broke the time distortion for a moment.


    Then, without trying to fight in a situation he had no chance, he raised his space powers and teleported right into the middle of the rank 3 Spirit elves.


    "Oh, n¡ª"


    His thinking and movements were once again caught by the time distortion and slowed to less than half. Those thoughts were bombarded by full-blown attacks from the Spirit elves who panicked when he appeared in the middle of their crowd.


    Varian let his consciousness fight against the spirit attacks and left his body under the control of his instincts.


    As an Adept, his physical body was on the path to perfection and it could perfectly use his instincts.


    So, it did.


    Even though he slowed down a lot, Varian''s speed was still faster than rank 3 Spirits.


    So, when he fused his powers into the Adept path and carried out a massacre, the Spirits were killed with ease.


    But in this state, he wasn''t faster than the energy explosives that reached him.


    Despite trying to dodge, Varian took the brunt of these attacks. The explosions raised a huge mushroom cloud into the dark space and shone brighter than a star for a second.


    In the dust and debris, Varian half-knelt on the ground, his arms both missing, half of his chest and his skin mostly gone. His beating heart was visible, and so were his neck bones.


    All it''d take is just one attack and he''d be a goner.


    "Kill!"


    The rank 4 elves wasted no time. Even though there were still some rank 3 Spirit elves alive, theybined their auras and shot a gigantic explosion bomb at Varian.


    The rank 5s acted in the gap and cast a few invisible time attacks. Varian''s injuries which were healing due to his natural regeneration started to get worse. The new skin and flesh began to rewind and disappear altogether, preventing him from recovery.


    "I won''t survive if I face it." Varian sighed inwardly and took out a treasure he didn''t want to use.


    Fairy Dew.


    Until now, he only used bits and pieces of it. But now, whatever remained in the bottle poured down his bloodied throat and spread into his body.


    The rank 4 and rank 5 elves only saw a brilliant white light from Varian before the purple energy ball enveloped him and exploded.


    The elves looked at each other for a moment before turning to Maria who was unleashing hell on the elven warriors.


    None of them had doubts about Varian''s fate.


    But when they heard calm footsteps from behind, the elves, be they rank 4 or rank 5, trembled in fear and turned their neck stiffly.


    Varian, brimming with tremendous vitality, walked out of the explosion without even a scratch.


    The rank 4s cast attacks in panic. The fused energy sphere hit Varian straight in the chest and tore a hole through him. But before they could even sigh in relief, the injury healed up.


    "Fairy Dew has a bit too much vitality," Varian shrugged and his silhouette blurred.


    The rank 5 elves quickly used their powers to freeze him but Varian''s movements were just a feint.


    "Arghhh!"


    Terrifying soul attacks struck the 99 rank 4 elves. They clutched their heads and copsed, convulsing and twitching like fish out of water.


    The rank 5s panicked and gathered a huge amount of aura for an ultimate blow. But Varian didn''t intend to follow the rules.


    A strong shockwave in the fabric of space-time rippled past them, disrupting their attacks and that''s when he swung his demon sword.


    99 heads of the elves rolled on the ground and blood spurted out of their necks, forming arge pool.


    Varian grinned at the rank 5 elves who were backing off and his eyes gleamed silver, purple, and gray.


    Their consciousness blurred for a moment before a potent energy ball came through a space crack right behind them and exploded.


    They used their time powers at thest moment and escaped. But the ce where they stepped foot happened to have ominous ck spheres that sucked out their vitality.


    "Arghh!"


    The rank 5 elves dried up into a bag of bones.


    Varian nced away from them and turned to the elf girl staring at him with a pensive expression.


    "You." He pointed his sword at her and asked. "You''re the world tree spirit or its clone, avatar, or saintess?"


    The elf girl pursed her lips and stared into his eyes for a moment before letting out a chuckle. "I am a thought born out of her consciousness. Calling me a clone would be giving me too much importance."


    "Alright," Varian didn''t beat around the bush and said. "I''m d we can talk. I am not trying to cause any trouble to you. I just want to climb the tower, clear the second zone and get the hell out of here.


    So, you don''t send your minions after me and I will leave quietly, no trouble for me and no annoyance for you. Do we have a deal?"


    The elf girl''s green eyes looked at him and for a moment, Varian felt like she was staring straight into his soul and deeper before the familiar slivers'' power rose up and blocked that weird feeling.


    "If what you said was true, I''d have left you alone. But you are here for something." The elf girl shook her head.


    "Not me, her." Varian pointed to Maria who was embroiled in a tough battle against the horde.


    He wondered if he should help her but decided to wait until she screamed for help.


    ''Coz that''s what heroes do. Save people in danger. If she''s in danger, she''d ask for help.'' Varian thought with a straight expression.


    "She is here for something. So are the people who she''s in contact." The elf girl''s tone grew cold. "You are with them. You are equally guilty!"


    "But we have different goals! I am just tagging her and will get off at the 59th floor!"


    "It doesn''t matter. You are guilty by association!" The elf girl shook her head. A green light swept from her and expanded. The shockwaves from the light began to push back Varian. "I can''t let anyone pass through. It''s dangerous."


    "What?"


    The elf girl''s aura soared from the Sovereign state to the peak of rank 4. Then it reached rank 5 and headed towards ra¡ª


    "Not so fast," Varian''s sword sliced her into two and he sighed in relief. "Are you dumb or do you treat me as dumb? Why would I wait for you to power up?"


    "Oh shit!" Maria finally screamed.


    But it wasn''t a scream for help. Rather, she screamed in fear at his action. "You stupid bastard, what have you done?"


    "A stubborn girl wasn''t taking up the peace deal. So, I killed her."


    "You¡­what have you done? It''s over! Everything is over!"


    "Huh?"


    The ground, no, the world tree began to shake.


    Tens of millions of hands broke out from the ground and mmed on the floor, to push their body out.


    Varian''s heart stopped for a moment before he put on his stealth mask, used the power of order and chaos slivers to form a stealth barrier, and grabbed Maria from the middle of the stunned horde.


    "Use your stealth treasures! Now!" Maria tossed open a gem ring and its light enveloped them in an elliptical formation.


    Their presence dropped to an astonishing rate and the space fluctuations grew chaotic everywhere, providing a perfect cover for their escape.


    "Go!" Maria screamed and Varian teleported the fastest he could.


    Just a moment after they disappeared, the whole region was drowned by the attacks of a hundred rank 6s.

 Chapter 1203 Old Friends

    ?


    "Huff! Huff! Huff!" Varian panted as he winced at the pain gnawing at his back. The auras merely grazed at him at thest moment but he couldn''t feel anything on his back. The injury wasn''t high but the enemy aura got in and was wrecking havoc in his body.


    "I-I''ll need a few seconds to pull myself together," He distanced himself from Maria and started using the slivers to expel the foreign aura.


    "We can do anything, but we must not attract the attention of the elves again. They''re on look out for us, okay?" Maria looked into his eyes and asked in an almost pleading tone.


    "O-Okay!"


    "Alright, as long as we don''t do anything stup¡ª"


    The mountain they were hiding in exploded and two rank 6 silhouttes attacked Maria in an instant.


    Maria crashed through dozens of mountains before getting back onto her feet. She clutched her abdomen and spat out some blood before looking up at the two figures walking towards with her cold fury.


    "Y-You guys! Why are you betraying me?! We''re a team!" Maria screamed.


    "You betrayed us by leaking the Alliance secrets to a non-personnel." The man''s ck overcoat fluttered in the wind, every step of his shook the mountains.


    The woman, in a rosy red tops and pants, walked on silently. She had a amiable smile and a cold gaze at the same time.


    "Be, you too?" Maria''s voice was heartbroken, the corner of her eyes wet. "I can understand if Sohan is overcautious but you! You''ve known me for decades! Don''t you believe me?"


    Prince Sohan halted and turned to Princess Be. But she shook her head with the same smile. "It''s not about knowing or not knowing, the task on our shoulders might save a kingdom or destroy it. That''s why there are rules to be followed."


    Saying so, she stepped forward and a weapon manifested in her palm. "Those who break the rules are to be punished. Don''t take it personally. You and that Jai Empire spy just have to die for the greater good."


    Maria''s hopeful expression copsed.


    Varian who was watching the show from the sides didn''t even bother to respond. He covered his face with his palm and looked at the sky with a tired expression.


    The moment these two appeared, they used a space-locking formation and blocked off any chances of his escape.


    These dumbos didn''t know, by sneak attacking on them, they''re going to attract the pursuit of tens of millions of elves.


    The elves wouldn''t care if they''re with them or not. They''d kill them all nhless. It didn''t matter that the so-called Prince and Princess are strong rank 6 awakeners.


    Sure, they could fight against 5, 10 and even 20 rank 6s. But what about 100? Their death would only be a matter of time.


    "He''s not a spy! He''s weird, speaks things that make no sense and I don''t know anything conclusive about him. But he''s not suspicious!" Maria screamed.


    Prince Sohan gazed at Varian following her words and snorted. "That''s exactly what suspicious means, Traitor Princess of Arbor."


    Varian let out a deep and frustrated sigh.


    But those words triggered Maria. She summoned her crimson spear and pointed it at the two with full momentum. "Take that back!"


    "What?"


    "I am not a traitor! I vowed to give up my life if my homnd needs it. Take your words back and apologize!"


    "Oh, really? You''re angry now?" Prince Sohan lowered his head and burst into a chuckle before he tookrge steps towards her and roared. "After fucking over our mission, attracting attention from Reaper''s group and his superior and putting everything at risk, you''re talking about your vow?"


    "Now, now. Calm down, guys." Princess Be maintained her perfect smile but her barbed whip pped between the two and stopped them from getting any closer.


    "Maria Virdis, we don''t have time to share final talks with you. May you find peace in afterlife, if it exists." She raised her whip.


    Prince Sohan raised his heavy sword and Princess Maria gripped her spear.


    As the three were about to sh, a concerned voice sounded from the side.


    "Ugh, excuse me?" Varian raised his hand like that one student in the ss.


    "Yes? Do you want to die first?" Princess Be asked with that same smile.


    Varian wondered if she worked as the front desk for so long that the smile remained on her face.


    "You''re going to kill me?" Varian''s jaw dropped and he pointed a trembling finger at himself with wide eyes.


    "Yes, genius. Or what did you expect me to do?" Princess Be tilted her head, and the smile on her face remained the same but her gaze grew colder. "Propose and wed you here?"


    Varian shook his head vehemently. "If you did that, I''d reject you outright."


    He sized her up and down.


    Red top and red pants with short red hair. She wore no essories and looked in but beautiful.


    "Your smile¡­" He pointed to her face and winced. "It''s fucking ugly I''d vomit in my dreams. No way I''m marrying you to see that face every goddamn night."


    Princess Be''s smile which never fluctuated until now broke for a moment. She gazed at Varian with a cold face and ferocious eyes, as if she wanted to eat his flesh and drink his blood.


    "No, don''t look at me with those lusty eyes," Varian covered himself with a long coat to stop exposure of his muscles. "My wives told me to be beware of homewreckers like you."


    "Sohan, you know what? I''ll bathe my whip in his blood. You go kill that traitor." Be said with a cheerful grin.


    "Alright." Prince Sohan nodded and his silhouette blurred.


    Maria thrust her spear and an explosion ttened the mountains and dislocated the oceans.


    "So, where are you gonna run now? A rank 4¡­rank 5?" Princess Be was confused for a moment before looking at him with indifferent eyes.


    Varian raised his hands and said. "You know, fighting here attracts the elves."


    "This region is secretive." Be sneered but let him speak. It seemed like she wanted to see his final struggle and enjoy his desperation.


    "It''s secretive and in normal times, the elves would onlye after thirty minutes. That''s enough time for you guys to finish your job and escape." Varian said what was on her mind and shook his head. "But this isn''t a normal time."


    "You''re such a natural liar," Be casually swung her whip.


    Varian could barely react and when he did, the whip already wrapped around his waist and tightened.


    Blood sshed and flesh tore apart as the barbs dug into him mercilessly.


    "Continue speaking," Be said as she tightened the whip.


    Varian''s expression was calm, as if he wasn''t being subject to cruel whip torture and he said in an even calmer tone. "I killed an elf girl wearing a floral crown."


    "W-What?" Be''s smile broke for the second time and her whip loosened. "Y-You killed what?"


    At his words, even Prince Sohan stopped fighting and held his breath. He just wanted to confirm what he heard was wrong.


    "The elf girl with flo¡ª"


    A familiar ck sphere reached Be in the blink of an eye and she jumped out of her way, barely avoiding it. Even so, the skin on her left arm withered, exposing her bare flesh.


    Men and women in ck robes that once chased Varian and Maria.


    Instead of 50 rank 4s like thest time, it was 100 rank 4s this time.


    Instead of 10 rank 5s, it was 50 rank 5s.


    And instead of only the single rank 6 skeleton called Reaper, there were three this time.


    A familiar skeleton in ck robes, a three-headed hound the size of a bus, as well as a purple-skinned elf.


    "Traitor Numan!" Prince Sohan''s eyes went bloodshot.


    Not too long ago, the Alliance had four kingdoms as the first line of defense against the Jai Empire. Famously known as the Mythril Quadrteral, they wrote history with every war.


    But a spy from the Jai Empire infiltrated a kingdom, resurrected their dead king, and unearthed a dirty killing that urred in the previous generation. The feuds, carefully hidden, were all out in the open and with the spy pushing things from behind, resulted in a bloody war of royalty.


    With royalty in a mess, the kingdom was destroyed by the Jai Empire vanguard. But it wasn''t so simple.


    Some internal ''help'' was unavoidable.


    It came from a group of traitors headed by Prince Numan, the crown prince who lost his session rights after the dark history of his parents was revealed.


    "Oh, looks like people still remember me, even after all these years." Numan smiled but his eyes weren''t smiling.


    "I can forget patriots, but I''ll never forget traitors." Sohan gripped his heavy sword and gnashed his teeth.


    "h h h, you fools. You''re all going to die here." Numan waved his hands and casually swung the axe from nowhere.


    Prince Sohan was blown back and crashed into the ground. Beside him were Princess Be and Princess Maria who were also beaten back.


    But the three got up and looked at each other. Even though they didn''t trust Maria anymore, the two told her to not die.


    The three silhouettes shed forward and shed against their respective opponents.


    Prince Sohan vs Traitor Numan.


    Princess Be vs Three-Headed Hound


    And finally, Princess Maria against Reaper.


    On the other hand, Varian finished killing off the rank 4s and rank 5s and sat on a nearby mountain range. His focus wasn''t on the earth-shattering battles.


    Rather, his gaze remained on his six artifacts that wouldn''t stop vibrating for some reason.


    "What''s going on?"

 Chapter 1204 Hes That Guy

    Chapter 1204 He''s That Guy


    The strange feeling began when he first entered the tower. It was too faint for him to notice then, but in retrospect, there was something off.


    It was always there, like the silk of the spider hanging down the wall, always there, but slipping past his vision.


    As he climbed the flowers, the feeling was pushed to the back of his head, ignored as one of the tower effects.


    But when he entered the world tree, Varian could feel something he had no idea of. They were still faint, still invisible to the point they could be ignored.


    When he took out the artifacts though, they began to vibrate and hum. It wasn''t just a simple rattling of the metals, Varian could hear a strange symphony in their movements.


    A pattern, a melody¡­an ode.


    He didn''t want to believe it, but he felt a sense of ''nostalgia''ing from his artifacts as he traveled down the world tree.


    It was a nonsensical notion to think these objectively dead items had any emotions but his Binder power, with all its soul mastery, was telling him that the artifacts had indeed changed after being in the vicinity of the world tree.


    As Varian immersed himself in an intense internal debate, a body mmed beside him and drilled into the ground, going a whole mile before stopping. It wasn''t that the attack was weak, rather, the ground was just too tough.


    If the ce was to be changed and the earth bore the brunt of this attack, it''d have exploded into pieces.


    Varian teleported away from the battle region and looked at the star-breaking explosions with a gloomy expression.


    ''I''ll use the [Broken Seed] and improve the aura concentration of the sr system. Or any celestial fight will destroy thes.''


    For that, he needed to return. And for him to return¡ª


    "See youter!" Varian waved his hands and started running away.


    Maria was just kicked back by Reaper''s anti-vitality explosion. Her withered arm that looked like a dry branch recovered in a blink and she gnashed her teeth at the words that reached her.


    "You can leave if you want, but why do you have to make it sound like we''re on a vacation here?" Maria growled like a tigress and thrust her spear at the Reaper.


    Waves of ck energy spread out from the skeleton warrior and deflected her spear in a blink.


    Maria''s palms bled at the strong rebound and her feet dug into the incredibly hard ground.


    Arge ck hand appeared out of nowhere and gripped her from behind. Maria''s arms pped around and she struggled violently. Yet, her life force was drained. Maria''s beautiful green hair began to lose its luster.


    "Aargh, Fuck you!" Maria managed to take out a cylindrical box and mmed it on the ground.


    A brilliant light, far surpassing even the brilliance of a star, swept the ce, blinding everyone in the nearby million miles.


    into her skin and tore out a chunk of flesh infected with ominous dark energy.


    "The power of Princess Cmity¡­" Reaper muttered calmly, the fire in his eye sockets glowing brighter.


    "Huff! Huff! Huff!" Maria panted heavily as she ced her hand on the back of her neck. Her expression twisted as she dug her nails into her skin and tore out a chunk of flesh infected with ominous dark energy.


    As she pulled it out, the dark energy red and pulled her body towards it, overwhelming Maria with tremendous pain, causing her to feel as if her arms and feet were tied to four different horses and pulled apart.


    "Damn you, I''ll throw your bones into a pigsty!" Maria pped a talisman¡ªleather-skinned, rune inscribed and glowing¡ªonto her wound, and a barrier formed around her neck, obstructing the entry of all foreign aura.


    Reaper looked at her with an impassive gaze, as if her words couldn''t shake him in the slightest and her entire existence was nothing but another obstacle in his record.


    "Y-You''ll pay for this, bastard." Maria pulled out a long bow out of her storage and threw it into the space.


    The bowstring bent and incredibly powerful energy began to coalesce, targeting Reaper.


    The power was enough to kill and injure even a strong rank 6. Yet, Reaper''s gaze remained the same.


    In fact, he turned his face slightly and looked past Maria, onto Varian who was running away like this was none of his business.


    The corpses of his subordinates were scattered all around, though only their clothes and skins remained, they were ''drained'' by Varian to improve his own strength.


    The sight didn''t faze Reaper. He was in full control. But they were on world tree and letting Varian escape this safe zone which the elves couldn''t properly sense might lead to unexpected variables.


    ''Maria is easy to beat but hard to kill.'' Reaper''s gaze went to Maria''s storage rings that were filled with crazy treasures.


    He wouldn''t be able to show his back to her and tantly chase Varian without risking his life.


    So, he nced at his two colleagues.


    The three-headed hound had an incredibly thick skin as an Adept and had a great advantage over Princess Be''s whip attacks.


    Their battle was one siding employing pure offense while the other takingplete defense.


    Be''s whip blurred as it struck the hound''s skin a thousand times in a second. But except for some torn skin and light flesh wounds, there was nothing else.


    While Be was on the offensive and looked like the winning party to an average spectator, it was the hound that was in a stable winning position from the start. Be''s stamina, while high, was quickly depleting.


    When the barrage of her offense falls and it''d fall, the Hound will feast on a weakened, demoralized prey to its heart''s content.


    On the other hand, Prince Sohan wasn''t any better.


    Traitor Numan''s axe glowed a malicious purple as it cleaved into Sohan''s chest.


    The purple glow¡ªsaid to be born from the fires that burned down a million people alive¡ªdrilled into Sohan and burned his soul.


    "Arghh!" Sohan''s body stiffened and responded with all his power. It wasn''t a move to save himself though¡ªbut a move to die with his enemy.


    The heavy sword in his hand arched through the air and reached Numan. If the sword hit, then Numan''s body would be crushed into a paste.


    Even if he''s an elf that boasted high vitality, Sohan''s heavy sword and tyrannical aura wouldn''t allow him to survive.


    Numan kicked Sohan in the chest¡ªon the very wound that his axe created and sted him through ranges of mountains.


    The heavy sword left Sohan''s grip and flew into the air, looking like it was about to be dropped. But it froze and then shot towards Sohan like a sh of lightning.


    Even though he managed to save himself, Sohan was in a fight he couldn''t win.


    ''A bunch of youngsters having so much power is really astonishing and exciting.'' Reaper sighed inwardly. His bones vibrated with him, a hunger growing deep inside him, demanding him to devour these three young lifeforms.


    ''Fine, we''ll kill these three and then chase him down. He can''t go far anyway.''


    As Reaper raised his bony hand, the space around Maria, Sohan, and Be distorted, teleporting them away.


    While they thought he was running away, he used the sliver powers to remove the spatial restrictions, used the tower-gifted mask, and drew space formations around these three.


    Varian''s voice lingered in the air, with a hint of sarcasm and ridicule. "Are you crying? Then cry harder!"

 Chapter 1205 Ignore Him At Your Own Peril

    Chapter 1205 Ignore Him At Your Own Peril


    Reaper, Trihound and Traitor Numun stood still for a moment before looking at each other.


    With all their experience, they thought they had the perfect grasp of the battlefield.


    Varian''s massacre of Reaper''s forces was surprising but it was nowhere enough to treat him as a threat or a variable.


    Even if they failed in this easy task, Varian''s death or capture was one thing that had no chance of failing.


    So, they ignored him from the start.


    Yet, that guy¡­the weakest of them all, so weak that he wouldn''t even be able to take a single punch from any of the six fighting was the one who flipped the table.


    "Incapacitate him first," Reaper said, the fires burning in his eyesockets cackling. "He can survive with his head, so we''ll just bring his head."


    "As you say," Tri-hound sniffed in the air and sprinted in a particr direction.


    "But that prince, I want him alive." Numan licked the de of his axe and said.


    "As long as they''re eliminated from the world tree, anything goes." Reaper said in a low voice and took a step forward.


    The wind exploded and his body vanished.


    "So serious, you fucking non-living thing." Numan spat and followed.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    reacted a bit faster, the space would''ve copsed and we''d have been thrown into some goddamn ce at best and crushed to "Are you crazy? Teleporting us in the middle like that! If they reacted a bit faster, the space would''ve copsed and we''d have been thrown into some goddamn ce at best and crushed to pieces at worst."


    The smile on the ever-smiling Princess Be was gone once again as she gritted her teeth and questioned the man yawning on top of the cliff.


    "I''m not crazy and I''m more than aware of the dangers you mentioned." Varian adjusted his sleeping posture on the soft but sturdy branch, rested his head back on his hands on the back and crossed his legs.


    The thick leaves shook and covered him like a nket, enveloping him in warmth.


    The chilly wind of the surroundings strongly contrasted with the warmth given off by this tree, greatlyforting Varian and causing him to let out a smile of rxment.


    "Man, even the bed of the emperor wasn''t thisfy. Did they embezzle funds for my bed and send me a cheap one or what?" He muttered as he hugged the nket tighter.


    Thepany that sent him the bed would''ve been shitting their pants if they heard his words but thankfully, their emperor wasn''t home.


    "You! Whoever you are! Do you understand the position you are in? Even though you''re also a traitor, you''re still a member of the Alliance. They''ll kill you too." Prince Sohan finished his first aid and stood up with a fierce expression.


    "He''s Baldur and he''s not a traitor, even though he''s weird and seems like he''s hiding many secrets." Maria stood up for his defense and made it worse.


    "Baldur? Why are you using that name?" Be raised a brow, her eyes shimmering with a dangerous red aura.


    Varian sighed and sat up on the branch. Leaning against the trunk, he looked at Be with a tired expression and then shifted to the ring Sohan beside her.


    Shaking his head, he drew out a long sigh once again, muttering under his breath. "Is this a joke or what?"


    "What I''m going to say is going to sound very suspicious," Varian raised his arms in a sign of non-aggression.


    "I met your brother Baldur, he looks a bit like you. Your brother doesn''t have your stic smile."


    "He was on a secret mission until recently. How did you meet him and how did you know he was a prince?" Be''s suspicions rose faster than Varian''s life problems.


    "Well, I met him under some circumstances, had a fight and as they say, became friends after fist-exchange." Varian didn''t feel the slightest embarrassment for distorting the truth. "He helped me thrice and I owe him a lot."


    ''Actually, I conned him thrice. I do owe him.''


    Be didn''t know about his inner thoughts and fell silent. "I can''t trust you over your words."


    "He should''ve told you about Constantine or Kyle or Crimson Shade?"


    Be''s pupils shook and she stared at Varian, her body frozen like her gaze.


    Those names were blocked from being revealed and only a handful of people, including Be knew the truth of the matter.


    "Even if what he said is true, it doesn''t change the fact that you''re with Maria when she shouldn''t bring another unrted soul." Prince Sohan intervened.


    "And you," Varian pointed at him and threw out a silver bracelet with three words engraved: Brother Is Hero.


    "Your brother was worried sick, searching for you since you disappeared. He''s bullied by everyone and is in a really tough spot."


    Prince Sohan''s serious demeanor copsed and an expression of shock and guilt overtook him.


    "Here you are, ying hero." Varian clicked his tongue and started pping. "I''ll be honest, without me, your brother would''ve died in the synthetic world. You hear me? Died. D-i-e-d."


    What he actually meant was that if he didn''t decide to spare Prince Shak, that guy would''ve died under his hands. So, it made sense, right?


    "And I got into a fight with his teammates and things got ugly. That guy looked like he was on the verge of crying, but he asked me to tell him if I ever find you or your traces."


    Varian shook his head while giving Prince Sohan a contemptuous gaze, as if looking down on him for being a pathetic excuse of an elder brother.


    Because of him, his younger brother put himself in danger and nearly died.


    Even if he saved a lot of lives, would it be worth it to lose his younger brother for it?


    Prince Sohan didn''t reply to Varian''s words and nkly stared at the bracelet he gifted to his younger brother long ago. Unexpectedly, he engraved something so heart-touching.


    ''Brother Is Hero¡­'' Sohan wiped the corner of his eyes and looked at Varian with aplicated gaze. "W-Was he well? D-Did he get any serious injuries? D-Did he look malnourished?"


    Varian rolled on the branch and yelled. "Oh no, I''m the traitor! Arrest me! Stop me from speaking! Arrest me!"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    Maria chuckled. "I told you he wasn''t a traitor. You continued to call him one. Now, stand by your words and shut up."


    Be was the first to open her mouth. With an apologetic expression, she said, her shoulders dropped and her head slightly lowered. "S-Since he helped kill Crimson Shade, he shouldn''t be a traitor. He''s even a good guy who performed such an important task. So¡­I guess, he''s a good addition to the team."


    "Y-Yeah! Yeah!" Prince Sohan nodded so vigorously that Varian worried if the man''s neck will break.


    "Nodding more times doesn''t mean anything. Apology. Give me a sincere apology." Varian looked at them with a half-smile.


    With a helpless expression, the two lowered their heads. ""I am very sorry for my improper actions.""


    Varian put a hand on his ear and said with a joyful smile as if he heard something melodious. "Wonderful. Ten times more please."


    Be and Sohan gave in.


    "Fifty."


    "Hundred."


    "Two hundred."


    "Th¡ª"


    Prince Sohan mmed his head onto the ground and said. "Stop it already. I said I''m sorry, I''m fucking sorry, okay?"


    "Don''t fuck sorry, but apology epted," Varian said.


    Be raised her head and looked at him with confused eyes.


    "What are you waiting for? Thousand!"


    She too mmed her head against the ground.


    "Fine, fine. It''s not like I''m a bad guy, but I had my feelings hurt being called a traitor, you know?" Varian wiped the corners of his eyes.


    "You didn''t even give a shit about them, much less their words. Feelings hurt? Why not pigs flying?" Maria crossed her arms and muttered.


    "I''ll repay you for your help. But now we need to move already. The three of us have recuperated and can escape them." Belly said.


    "Yes, let''s go. I have a treasure to mislead them temporarily." Sohan added.


    "No, no." Varian shook his head in disappointment. "We can''t outrun them. We can''t win them. They''ll eventually catch us. This time, they will be ruthless. Running or not running, both are a lose-lose situation."


    Sohan''sposure took a hit and Be covered her eyes with her hand.


    On the other hand, Maria was very chill. "So, what''s your n?"


    "They''lle." Varian pointed to the north and then to the ground. "But so will they."


    As if he was a prophet, six silhouettesnded in the distance and started rushing toward them.


    "And ording to my calctions of their appearance and the time it takes for them to perceive this area on the edge of secret region¡­" Varian''s lips curled up.


    The sky shook and the ground shattered as an ocean of elves erupted out and surrounded everything.


    "What?!"

 Chapter 1206 A Twist

    ?


    "What are you staring at? Run!" Varian yelled as he rose into the air and started to fade.


    "N-No wait, B-Baldu, B-big bro, take me with you!" Maria shamelessly clung onto his leg like a puppy.


    Varian was bewildered by her actions.


    So were the three underlings of Hollow. Especially Reaper who fought the woman previously and the pride in her bones.


    With his experience, he concluded that she was a born warrior, a keen and preserving woman who, if left alive, would rise to at least rank 9, bing an unwanted obstruction for their ns.


    "His teleport is faster than even mine! Come on, hop up!" Maria wasn''t satisfied with taking the ride. She invited others to tag along.


    Reaper pped his skull with his palm bone and muttered in a voice that bordered on confusion and fear. "H-Have I gone mad?"


    There''s no way this shameless woman clinging onto someone''s leg was going to be a rank 9. And what''s that pitiful smile on her face? Was she trying to appeal to the man''s sympathy?


    Huh! She''s more suitable for a dog instead!


    ''No, she''s alright. The problem is that man.'' The fires burning in Reaper''s eyesockets reflected Varian who seemed to panic.


    It seemed like the perfect moment to sneak attack and kill him. But Reaper was smarter than to fall for that.


    "Hey! Don''t pull my pants down so hard!" Varian screamed as Prince Sohantched onto his other leg.


    "S-Sorry¡­" Princess Be couldn''t even apologize properly as she raised her arms towards his neck.


    "Hands off." An invisible force pushed her down and she clung onto Maria''s waist.


    Varian nodded in satisfaction while keeping an eye on the Reaper''s trio. They stood still, waiting for him to finally teleport like he was supposed to three seconds ago.


    ''They didn''t take the bait, huh.'' He put away the maiden''s tears, and toy sun and teleported away with the three puppies.


    Reaper''s gaze remained on the spot where Varian stood. He couldn''t forget the eyes of this man.


    The eyes of a predator.


    Reaper deemed him as someone who must be killed. So, he nned to end the trio first and then team up with his colleagues against Varian, ensuring Varian would die for certain.


    Even if he escaped now, with three against one, he''d be having little chance of survival.


    In fact, Reaper hoped Varian to escape. That way, his job would be much easier.


    But Varian was clever. That made him even more dangerous.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    The four crashed onto a cliff built of a gleaming white crystal. Varian caught the edge of the cliff and pulled himself up while the three royalty fell off the cliff with a shocked expression.


    Varian rubbed the area between his eyebrows and tapped the crystal ground with his index finger.


    They''ll lose.


    There''s no way they could win this fight.


    Varian thought of giving the toy sun to Maria and let her use it to kill the trio. But these treasures had rigid sense of ownership and had a steep fall in performance when used by non-owners.


    ''Status''


    [Adept Rank 4: 500/1000


    Assimtor Rank 4: 400/1000


    Binder Rank 4: 300/1000


    Matter Rank 4: 300/1000


    Energy Rank 4: 250/1000


    Space Rank 4: 350/1000


    Time Rank 4: 250/1000]


    ''Without artifacts, I can fight one peak rank 5. With artifacts, I can kill a bunch of them and be able to fight off a weak rank 6 for some time. But¡­''


    There''s no way he could win a rank 6. And definitely not a rank 6 as strong as Reaper.


    Varian''s thoughts halted as he sensed the tremors from the ground. Maria told him long ago that there was no running from the elves. Teleportation or not, they''d always sense you and always hunt you.


    They were luckyst time to hide in a mountain range where the elves couldn''t sense much but they weren''t so lucky this time.


    The ce they were at¡ªendless purple ins in front with white crystalline mountains in the back under the dark night¡ªoffered no hiding.


    "We need to go! Quick!" Varian clenched his fists and his knuckles turned white.


    The prince and princesses stopped recuperating at the bottom of the cliff and jumped up.


    A secondter, the horde of elves broke through the ground and started climbing the cliff.


    From the sky, it looked like an endless sea of ants climbing up a hill to devour it whole.


    "We can''t keep running away like this. Do you know an exit route?" Varian asked.


    Maria shook her head with a despairing expression and Princess Be''s smile once again went stiff.


    Prince Sohan looked down for a moment before nodding. "It''s dangerous, but it''s the only option we got."


    In fact, if they ran away from Varian¡ªwho''s the target of the elf hordes¡ªthey could''ve been safe. But then they''d been targetted by those three powerhouses.


    It''s certain-death either way.


    Ironically, staying with Varian might be the only way they could survive.


    "Where?" Varian grabbed the three of them and tapped on his space ring¡ªjust for the show that he''s not a space awakener.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    The World Tree was vast. It spanned such a length and breadth that humans couldn''t even imagine a thousandth of it.


    Due to its sheer size, the tree had all thendscapes a would have. And it had the ones that a didn''t have.


    After escaping from the unending pursuits of the ocean of elves, Varian and the trio appeared at the edge of a n.


    In front of them was a deep darkness that stretched out for tens of millions of miles.


    Sohan pointed to the darkness and said. "There''s an exit out of the world tree there. But if you go in, you''ll be back to the safe zone."


    "Then wouldn''t everything go to waste!" Princess Be bit her lip. "Those spies were already waiting for us. That means they started their n already. If we leave now, it''d take days to reach them. By then, their mission would be over!"


    "There''s no choice." Maria sighed and looked back at the blue ins with aplicated expression.


    The ground began to shake and the elves started to rise.


    If it was just the elves, they''d have hidden in secretive spots, used some treasures to get mask their auras and proceed.


    But the Jai spies would never allow that n to seed. Fighting with them would always break their disguise and once the elves realize they''d been disguising themselves, their pursuit would only grow stronger, putting them at a greater risk.


    "I don''t know what the mission is, but you can''t do it while you''re dead. Let''s go." Varian urged.


    The three of them paused for a moment and hesitation came across their faces. They''re okay with sacrificing their lives for a cause but they didn''t want to die a meaningless death.


    Sighing softly, they turned to the small white vortex in the center of darkness.


    "I''ll go first." Varian jumped.


    And a red shockwave swept him, sting him out of the darkness and crashing him back into the blue ins.


    Reaper, Tri-hound, and Numan encircled him.


    "The three of you can go," Reaper didn''t even gaze up and stared down at Varian. "But you, you''re staying and dying."

 Chapter 1207 Unyielding

    ?


    Varian''s knees cracked under the heavy pressure of strong rank 6s and his knees dug into the ground.


    His skin cracked open and his bones started to creak. His muscles swelled and ripped apart. In a blink, a perfect young man turned into a bloodied warrior.


    Varian was alone, surrounded by three powerful enemies. Surrounding them was 20 rank 6 elves, 2000 rank 5 elves and 20,000 rank 4 elves along with millions of lower ranks.


    Traitor Numan threw out a ball out of his pocket and the space around them solidified, preventing any teleportation.


    "It''s a treasure I got on the 30th floor, it works pretty well." Numan gave a friendly smile but the bloodlust in his eyes was too obvious.


    The elves wanted to attack first but Reaper took out a glowing fruit and the crowd fell silent.


    The rank 6s elves looked at each other and nodded lightly.


    Reaper didn''t immediately kill Varian but send a wisp of ck aura into Varian''s body.


    Varian''s eyes widened as his skin began to melt like it touchedva.


    "Arghhh!"


    Reaper looked at Varian''s eyes and muttered. "I''ll see how long those eyes of yours will remain sharp. I''ll kill your confidence before I kill you!"


    "Arghhhh!"


    "Stop!" Maria summoned her spear to fight but Princess Be and Prince Sohan grabbed her arms.


    "You''ll die if you go!" Sohan screamed into her ear.


    "B-But he saved our lives¡­" Maria came to her senses and stopped, her words growing weaker and weaker. "Even if he uses the treasures that can kill rank 6, he can''t win. He''ll die too!"


    "There''s nothing we can do! We need to leave!" Princess Be''s voice grew anxious.


    Maria bit her lip and said. "B-But if I use that trea¡ª"


    "Don''t be ridiculous! We need those treasures for the mission! If we use them now, we''re abandoning the mission!" Princess Sohan berated. "No matter how much he helped us, we can''t sacrifice the mission for one individual. The stakes are too high. I''m sure he''ll understand."


    "W-What are you saying?"


    Prince Sohan went through a series ofplex and intense emotions before he said. "This is the only chance we have."


    "What?"


    "We''ll cross the deepness, reach the ce and do our damn job!" Prince Sohan took a step forward and jumped over the darkness.


    "It''s a big risk we''re taking. If that man injures them enough, we can escape their pursuit and also get away from the elves. It all depends on him." Princess Be said and followed after Sohan.


    Maria looked at Varian''s body being melted by the corrosive dark aura and bit her lip.


    If not for him, she''d have stumbled a lot and would''ve taken a long time to climb the floors. And if he hadn''t broken her seals, she''d still be a rank 4. Without him, the Reaper could''ve easily killed her.


    "D-Damn it!" Maria closed her eyes shut and jumped.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Are you disappointed? Despaired? Your ''friends'' left you. They abandoned you. To die like a mutt on the streets." Reaper couldn''t smile but his glee was too obvious.


    Half of Varian''s body melted away, the other half was desperately trying to regenerate itself but the ck aura was far more powerless, easily suppressing his regeneration and eating him away bit by bit.


    The injury itself was terrific but more so was the pain.


    It was as if thousands of ants were crawling everywhere on his body, digging into flesh with their sharp and unforgiving mouths, tearing tiny bits of himself and eating it away. The flesh and blood he regenerated were almost instantly devoured.


    Again and again and again.


    Varian''s vision was blurry and he couldn''t speak properly. He''s in a horrific condition, to say the least.


    "Should we stop for a while and let him recover?" Numan crossed his arms and asked.


    Reaper was about to answer when he stiffened.


    Not just him, but Numan and the silent Trihound also turned to Varian with a bizarre expression.


    Their eyes were filled with shock and disbelief.


    ''No, I must''ve heard it wrong. There''s no way this guyughed.''


    But as they looked at each other, they realized that the other two had heard the same thing.


    ''No, it must be an illusion. Which madman wouldugh in his condition? They''d all be rolling on the ground, begging for death and the end of the intense pain.'' Reaper killed too many and none could face his brutal torture.


    Numan, on the other hand, felt like someone wasughing at his traitorous past. ''I surrendered after some torture and allowed them to trample me like however they wanted. I even killed my own mother, wife, and children because I was afraid¡­''


    The scenes of a past he pretended didn''t exist shed in his mind and overwhelmed him.


    The look in his mother''s eyes, when he raised his sword at her, was still crystal clear. It was something he''d never forget.


    "Damn you!" Numan raised his axe and chopped it down.


    An arm rolled on the ground.


    "Cry! You fucking wannabe hero! You disgusting piece of shit! You can''t feel me! You''re a coward! You''re a damn coward!" Numan''s axe swung in the air with afterimages.


    Pieces of flesh and bones sttered on the ground. The warm blood of the young human formed a puddle under him.


    As he saw that his opponent was already pushed to the point of no return, Numan stopped and looked at him with a fierce gaze.


    The eye of this man¡­blood was flowing out of that bright eye and wincing from the horrible pain inflicted on his body. But there was no fear in that gaze.


    "You!" Numan''s fury soared with the man in front of him acting as the reflection of what could''ve been.


    Varian''s consciousness was clear even though his senses weren''t. He didn''t have much of a choice but to bear the pain.


    He already used the Fairy Dew to heal himself and didn''t have any option with that. Toy Sun was useful but the explosion would kill him as well because the space was blocked, stopping his teleportation.


    The Tear of Maiden was an effective poison, except his speed wouldn''t allow him to ambush them. If he wasying down a trap, it''d have worked. But he''s in front of them and wouldn''t be able to do it.


    The thief of the tower''s mask wouldn''t help as he''s already on their radar. Broken Seed was useless here.


    Belt Of The Brave¡ªhis only hope¡ªwasn''t activating.


    ''It activates when I''m on the verge of death. But these guys aren''t trying to kill me. They want to torture me. They want to break me.'' Varian''s emotions started to fluctuate but he pushed them down and calmed himself even in the face of inhumane pain.


    ''But that guy, he''s emotionally unstable! Traitor Numan, was it? I think I know why¡­''


    Varian turned away from Reaper and stared straight at Numan. He stopped regeneration in other parts for a moment and focused on his mouth.


    It healed back in a blink and a mocking voice left it smoothly. "Do you think everyone is like you, Numan? There are people, there are animals, insects. Then there are traitors like you.


    You folded under a little pain, crawled under their crotch like a bitch, and did whatever they asked you to do. I bet you even sold your mother and wife to the¡ª"


    The axe, glowing with a menacing purple aura, reached Varian''s head in the blink of an eye.


    Reaper reacted in time and grabbed Numan''s axe handle to slow it down. Even though it was ast moment move, Reaper was confident Varian would only suffer a major injury at most.


    But at this moment, Varian moved using his limited mobility.


    He jumped up¡ªtowards the axe.


    BOOM!


    <The Belt Of The Brave activates>


    A blinding silverly light enveloped Varian and only his voice remained. "Wash your necks and wait."

 Chapter 1208 Royal Politics

    ?


    Baldur was fatigued.


    Being the regent of a nearly overthrown duchy was no easy job, but it wasn''t work enough to overwhelm the Prince of P Kingdom.


    The training he received from childhood gave him enough skill and disposition to rule over a dozen duchies.


    One duchy, as mired in problems it may be, wasn''t a backbreaker.


    The issue was¡ª


    "Why the long face, brother? Don''t tell me you hate seeing your sister?" A woman in a long blue dress with silver embroidery leaned forward and asked with her hands behind her back.


    Baldur shifted in his throne with a discontent expression and clenched the armrest tight. "Stop the act, witch. Why are you here?"


    "What do you mean, brother?" Despite her appearance being in her twenties, Azalea acted like a ten-year-old. Acted for sure, as even her teary eyes couldn''t hide the gleaming wisdom in her them.


    "I am here to see you! To help you!" She pounded his chest like an affectionate little sister and said with an earnest expression.


    With a pout, she ced her hands on his shoulders and looked down into his eyes. Her breath was cold, hitting Baldur in the face. And it smelled of¡­blood.


    "Who did you kill this time?" Baldur struggled to stop himself from yelling.


    "What do you mean who?" Azalea tapped her index finger on her lower lip and opened her mouth with an "Oooh!" and said. "I killed a few sneaky rats who imed they came for the census. They were smuggling forbidden potions."


    Baldur''s pupils shook fiercely for a brief moment before they returned to normal. "Education Ministry, Agriculture Ministry, Urban nning ministry, and now, even Survey ministry. If you keep killing everyone, this duchy will stop functioning."


    "Don''t worry about it," She gave a wide smile full of innocence but her words were chilling. "Killing the traitors is more important than a functioning duchy. Besides, I applied for the kingdom''s assistance with civil servants."


    ''And all these new civil servants were my henchmen.'' That''s something she didn''t need to say and something he didn''t need to know.


    Baldur took deep breaths and pushed her away. "Just don''t go too far."


    The princess watched Baldur leave the throne hall with a smile on her lips and narrowed her eyes. "I will go as far as I must, brother."


    The consensus among the royalty was that Baldur already knew about Miss Cmity''s plight and infiltrated this region with a false identity to help her out and gain her favor.


    He wasn''t even in the race before but now he''s the crowd-favorite prince. Even the King of P spoke favorably and hinted that Baldur could receive a better position as long as he showed another worthy performance.


    What''s the better position for a prince when the king still rules?


    Crown Prince! The defacto sessor of the kingdom.


    Baldur was a single step away from reaching heaven yet he still chose to remain here.


    Why?


    If he''s so ambitious that he''d sacrifice a crucial year, go into hiding, and bet on a dangerous mission to gain the favor of Miss Cmity, staying in Centaurus as a regent, he must be onto his next n.


    There''s something else to be discovered. Perhaps something as good as the favor of Miss Cmity itself.


    ''But brother, this time, you stand no chance of winning. You should''ve stayed low while those three battled it out.''


    If Azalea was here with her own power, it''d have been a disastrous mission. But she was backed by the two princes and the princess who were originally fighting for the crown.


    They unanimously decided to eliminate Baldur before continuing their infighting. So, they chose her and used thebined might of their political capital.


    Yet, they had to pay a painful price to push her to the position of ''Royal Advisor''¡ª a post that''d connect the regent and the kingdom on important matters and ensure the regent follows the kingdom''s interests.


    After arriving, she dug up Baldur''s past activities and ensured no suspicious activity went unchecked.


    Baldur was fine with her antics, bearing them with a stable outlook. While he might not have guessed the backing behind her, he did know her intent. Perhaps seeing her as an unavoidable annoyance, he maintained the policy of minimum engagement.


    He showed no weaknesses, none of his inner thoughts, and certainly not a glimpse of his ns.


    But that day, something changed. After that news, no, even before the education ministry reported that theirb detected thest erasure of Havoc bloodline, he was disturbed.


    Baldur''s expressions were hard to study. There was a mix of disbelief, exhration, doubt, and fear. He didn''t even respond to the news of the Havoc extinction.


    The man who remained expressionless until then and maintained a stoic face was gone. His eyes weren''t so cold anymore.


    The loud court meetings turned quiet. The talkative regent started staring into the sky for hours. The genuine attempt to fix Centaurus turned half-hearted.


    Azalea tried hard to find the cause of his disturbance. There were just no leads for her totch onto. So, she tried to find out the mystery by following after his footprints.


    When he asked the education ministry to study for tools to detect special aura, she killed a few scientists that were at the forefront of that field under the guise of ''traitors''.


    Then he asked the Agriculture ministry to develop a special detector to find traces of lifeforms and their age.


    A hundred heads rolled.


    Space ministry was tasked to update the oldest space fluctuations of tier-6 scale in the past century.


    Azalea thought he might be trying to find a copsed space and perhaps a treasure in it. But a space that copsed from tier-6¡ªrank 6 celestial space fluctuations wouldn''t really contain anything noteworthy for Prince Baldur.


    Finally, Baldur signed the next census that was long due. Azalea didn''t really want to spoil this normal activity.


    But for some reason, her intuition led her to act. She obstructed the Survey ministry without any remorse and essentially pushed the next census by a year.


    ''And it turns out, I was right.'' Unlike any other ministry. Baldur showed an intense reaction to this one.


    He was careful to hide it but Aze was a strong Adept. Even the slightest change in his expression could be captured by her, much less that intense reaction, even though itsted a moment.


    "Census, Space fluctuations, lifeform, special aura."


    As the pieces fell into ce, the puzzle started to make more sense.


    Azalea thought for a moment and tapped on her white earring. "Bring sensors that can trace space fluctuations, and identify strong life forces. Oh, don''t forget to bring out the most advanced census items."


    Her henchmen would be here in two days at most. Azalea wasn''t really sure how she could find a single thing in an entire duchy with those vague clues.


    ''Wait a minute, maybe I got it wrong.''


    The declining Centaurus used the same items and procedures every time. If there''s anything special about the census, it''s the new civilization that''s discovered.


    "It''s probably not it, but it doesn''t hurt to check." Azalea decided to take a look.


    Civilizations that just pop up after being hidden were very rare. So, it would be a lie to say she wasn''t interested.


    The reason other duchies didn''t duch the civilization so far was the protection of Centaurus on one hand and the weak aura fluctuations given by the civilization itself.


    "But I have a feeling, even if it''s not what Baldur is looking for, it could be something hiding a deep mystery."

 Chapter 1209 Danger

    ?


    "I wish I didn''t have to do this." Baldur walked into his room with a sigh and pulled out a crystal with pulsing green light.


    The gift of Miss Cmity wasn''t as low as a regent post. This was the actual gift.


    A life saving energy.


    It could rece Baldur in a crisis with an artifical body and fake his death. Its a priceless with no market¡ªevery single time this treasure¡ªthe creation of a very powerful life force expert appeared, the powerhouses would fight for it like shrews.


    If it''s made by Miss Cmity herself, it''d be the kings fighting, not the powerhouses. Using it for anything other than life saving could only be described as waste.


    Yet, Baldur didn''t have any hesitation as he broke the crystal and let the green light envelop him.


    A few moments alter, a Baldur¡ªalmost identical to him appeared.


    "You want me to rece you while you''re gone searching for her and her treasure?"


    Baldur almost jumped in fright when the puppet spoke out of nowhere.


    "Y-Yeah," He keenly observed the puppet and felt his heart calm down.


    The puppet''s eyes were bright, gleaming with wisdom and stability. If he hadn''t know its real identity, Baldur would''ve treated it as a person like any other.


    "I know you know that I know what you know, but I''ll say it again, there''s little chance she''s alive. But the treasure is definitely there. Be careful." The puppet patted his shoulder.


    "Err, okay, I''ll be careful." Baldur gave an awkward chuckle at being advised by himself.


    "I''ll try to stall Azalea as long as I can. But I wouldn''t be surprised if she''s already on way to that new civilization. Your reaction did give away more than you should. So, hurry."


    Baldur''s smile vanished and he nodded with a grave expression. He took out a sleek silver cube and tapped on it in a certain pattern.


    A few secondster, a spaceship rushed towards sr system.


    A few more secondster, another spaceship followed.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    One of the forbidden grounds of Hortus, the Forbidden Land of Order and Chaos.


    Darkness red like a me, fluctuating violently, soaring to a point where it could devour entire cities and then shrinking to a state where it couldn''t even cover a shadow.


    It was as if someone was pouring petrol into the mes once and then truck loads of CO2 next, pushing it between the two extremes, never letting it end.


    "I can''t¡­"


    "Me too, I¡­I''m sorry, I can''t help any longer¡­"


    The woman sitting in the center of the darkness fluctuated between Sia and Enigma, their faces equally pale and exhausted.


    ''Hmmm,''


    A hum sounded in their mind from a feminine but cold voice.


    ''Did I seed?'' Her tone was regal and overbearing, like the natural queen of everyone.


    ''You didn''t. If you''re¡ª''


    ''So I got the fragment of the slivers in my body. I did seed after all.'' Not caring about Sia''s words, she chuckled to herself with satisfaction.


    But her words rmed the two.


    ''What do you mean fragments? What did you do?!''


    The voice went silent for a moment and Enigma thought she was falling asleep again. But what replied was a cold chuckle.


    ''Don''t y dumb. I have the power of four slivers. Two are missing and have be the cause of instability ever since I opened my eyes.


    That boy gave the potion and solved my problem. I''ll now have no issues hitting the divine rank. It won''t end there, with this uniqueness, I can even hit the realm no one has ever reached before.''


    ''Y-You mean the reason I appeared here, met him was¡ª''


    ''All my n. I might be asleep but my subconscious can take care of trivial things like that.'' She replied to Sia in confident and prideful tone.


    ''Then the wolf that attacked him and me waking up¡ª''


    ''I didn''t do it. That incident was strange now that you mention it. The beast managed to get out of the dungeon, past the security, into the neighborhood and attacked your house which is around the center.'' The woman''s voice was solemn and contemtive.


    ''Maybe it''s a coincidence. I don''t know, I don''t care.'' She dismissed it quickly though.


    ''W-What do you want to do now?'' Enigma asked, unable to find proper words.


    ''Oh, you finally gathered the courage, huh.'' The voiceughter in a sweet voice that could shake hearts and steal souls. ''What else am I gonna do? I''ll take back my body from the thieves.''


    "Arghh!"


    "Ugh!"


    Darkness red around them and their bodies began to shift, turning into a more mature woman.


    "S-Sia, d-do it!" Enigma bit her tongue and transformed into Sia.


    Sia pressed her wedding ring. Its single most important function was to provide vitality to the owner in case of serious injury and keep them alive. And the secondary functionw as to teleport them in case of emergencies.


    With Enigma fully blocking off the woman, Sia managed to activated the ring.


    Everything turned dark and the next moment, Sia copsed in arge hall.


    "S-Sia?"


    Sarah stood up from the tform and ran to her. "What happened?"


    "Another Primal Union body¡­" Hearing the unfamiliar voice, a chill shot up Sarah''s spine but pushing down her fear, she activated the link between her and Sia.


    It was formed because of the Synergy with Varian, creating strong links between the man and woman. But the connection between them was also useful.


    Feeling the soothing support entering her, Enigma and Sia slowly managed to push back. "S-She''s going to return."


    Without another word, Enigma fainted.


    The white dress Sarah was flickered with golden lights as the Queen of Radiants knelt beside Sia and looked at her with teary eyes.


    "What should I do? What can I do?" She just reached mid rank 2, a few weeks after breakthrough.


    It''s an incredible speed, enough to crush any genius, but ironically, Sarah found herself too weak to do anything.


    She couldn''t imagine never seeing Sia and Enigma again. Varian or not, she wanted to protect them at all costs.


    "If he only returned¡­" Sarah bit her lip but quickly suppressed that line of thinking.


    Varian had a lot on his te already. It''s unrealistic to expect him to solve every single problem they faced.


    Besides, Varian should''ve sensed Sia''s wedding ring activation. With Hortus, he could appear here in minutes. But he didn''t make it.


    That told Sarah enough. He must be in a restricted area, doing something dangerous.


    "Just be safe, I''ll take care of it." Sarah picked up thedy in her arms and ced her in a special formation.


    Blue, green, red, yellow¡ªdozens of lines lit up in the formation and enveloped Enigma. Her pain eased and her breathing grew lessborious.


    "Oob,"


    "Y-Yes, Scion?" The wings manifested in the ancient hall.


    "If I grow stronger, I can help her, right?" She stroked Enigma''s hair and sighed softly. "Show me the way to legacy."


    "B-But¡­" Oob stuttered.


    The reason why Varian hadn''t picked the legacy was that there''s no legacy. To be precise, there was no legacy here.


    Devas spent all their fortune at the end to seal the slivers and lost everything really valuable.


    "The legacy has a special aura mass that you can easily digest since it''s attuned to Scion." Oob muttered. "You can easily reach help you reach high ranks if you take the legacy."


    "But there''s a problem, right?" Sarah asked.


    "Yes. It''s not here. None of the legacy to speak of is here. When destruction finally came, Devas realized they couldn''t survive. They didn''t want their legacies to fall in the hands of outsiders. They sent it back to their ancestralnds.


    But in case someone did and a scion appeared, they left a way out to retrieve that legacy."


    Sparks flew in the hall and a purple portal began to take shape.


    "It''s dangerous, right?" Sarah sighed.


    "It''s very dangerous." Oob admitted. "But you aren''t going to back off...and since you''re Scion, if you order me, I can''t resist. Rather, I''m trying to be honest and warn you about the danger."


    Sarah patted the wings with a wry smile. "Sorry, even if it''s dangeorus, I can''t lose my friend."


    "It''s the ancestralnds of devas, lies in what is today the region of Nexus Empire. It''s a restrictive space and I don''t know much about it. But if you seed, you can return much stronger."


    Sarah walked into the portal leaving the words. "If I don''te back¡­please tell him not to me himself."

 Chapter 1210 Extraordinary Measures In Extraordinary Times

    Chapter 1210 Extraordinary Measures In Extraordinary Times


    Varian felt like his head was about to explode. Hundreds of tiny scorching needles seemed to be drilled into his skull, pushing pain beyond what''s possible and filling his soul with pain that wouldn''t be forgotten for decades toe.


    When he came to his senses, he realized that he copsed on the sidewalk of the streets in the safezone.


    He''s already healed back to aplete body, even his aura reserves were now back to their peak. His strength undoubtedly rose from the unpleasant experience but Varian decided to put it aside for now and started walking to a particr location.


    The trees swayed, a bit too much sway, if he was being honest. They felt like less trees and more like grass dancing in the wind. Every street had a different set of trees growing in a line.


    Varian walked down a street of trees with ming leaves, then turned into one with metallic leaves, invisible leaves, and finally entered a street where every tree had leaves that acted as mirrors.


    "The Information Street¡­"


    As clich¨¦ as it sounded, there''s an entire street dedicated to information exchanges.


    Except for learning the basics of the second zone, Varian didn''t see any point ining to this cest time. He verified the stuff Maria told him about and ensured that she wasn''t lying and walking him into a trap.


    But this time, he had to know about the World Tree. The sum of money required for that information was going to be enormous and it wasn''t certain that just money could buy it. Many a time, authority was a neglected but important chip in purchases.


    Varian stopped in front of thergest store on the street. Arge structure built from redwood and green stone.


    Stepping in, he was greeted by the sight of Xehars¡ªtiny humanoid rats¡ªconversing with the guests in the lobby.


    Even though they weren''t talking about anything important, they were building rapport.


    The elves¡ªconsidered one of the races standing at the apex of beauty¡ªserved the customers as maids and butlers.


    Soft music with an air of mystery yed in the background, setting a perfect atmosphere for revealing and learning secret information.


    The music was yed by a couple of beautiful women in therge water box near the stairs of the lobby.


    ''Soul power infused into the music. Not too much to call it maniption, not too little to be futile.'' Varian was impressed.


    The sirens in the water reserve were even more impressed. Out of the twelve musicians, three belonged to rank 6 and the rest were all peak rank 5s.


    Varian was one of the few guests who wasn''t affected in the slightest by their music.


    "Dear customer, our manager wants to greet you and have a pleasant transaction." An elf beauty in a ck and white maid uniform bowed lightly, without being too vulgar but still using her beauty and elegance to her advantage.


    "I''m waiting for those words." Varian''s smile confused the maid but she dutifully took him up the green stone stairs that rejuvenated body and soul.


    The first three floors were for buying basic, important, and ssified pieces of information respectively. The next three floors were for selling information of varying importance.


    The 7th and 8th floors were auction halls where pieces of information were sold. For instance, the location of a miraculous fruit that''d allow for enlightenment in your path and push for an easy breakthrough.


    "¡­And the manager is on the 9th floor. Very few guests managed to meet him," The maid led him to a dark red double door at the end of the silk-carpetsden corridor and bowed her head. "My Lord, I''ve fulfilled your order."


    The doors opened with a creak and Varian saw a humanoid rat in a small chair, resting his arms on the equally tiny desk. In a ck and red suit, the Xehar''s serious look would''ve caused any human kid tough and call it a cute mouse.


    But Varian had been through enough fights to not judge a book by it''s cover. "Greetings, Manager."


    The chair on the other side of the desk magnified and Varian slid infortably. The desk in front of him magnified and the manager''s chair floated up until it hovered in the air, allowing the tiny creature to maintain eye contact with Varian.


    "Do you know why I called you, gentleman?" The manager''s voice was a bit cold for a first greeting.


    Varian nced at the maid. She took the hint and left after closing the door. "I''d have said because I wasn''t affected by the sirens. But you''re a bit too serious for it to be just that."


    The manager exhaled lightly and leaned back in his chair.


    "You saw me with Princess Maria," Varian gazed at the ratman with confidence. "Since you guys run the best intelligence agency and are the managers of the safe zone, I bet you have.


    Given the fact that we were so easily ambushed on the 31st, 32nd, 33rd, and 34th floors, you must''ve helped.


    Seeing me like this, I guess you can''t help but question. How am I even alive? Why did I return? What happened to Princess Maria who you tried to kill and the other two royalty that must''vemissioned you for it."


    The rat manager''s whiskers drooped and he clenched his fists to the point they made cracking sounds like nuts.


    Varian was right. And if any of the information¡ªespecially the part where they helped in an attempt on Princess Maria''s life leaked¡ª


    the managers would suffer.


    That wasn''t all. If they knew they couldn''t kill someone like Varian in the tower despite beingmissioned for it on four consecutive floors, their reputation would plummet.


    The manager wanted to take the initiative and dominate the conversation. So, he threw a question at the start and tried to be intimidating. But now the initiative was gone and the dynamics were fully reversed, he couldn''t help but feel unwilling.


    "If you think you can threaten the Xehars just because of the information you know, then you better realize we can imprison you without harming you. The safe zone has a prison, you know? As the managers, we can put you in that ce where the rules don''t fully apply."


    Varian''s lips curled up at the threat.


    The reason Xehars had a deterrent was their ability to jail the adventurers. These prisons still had the rule of not letting you die but they no longer exempt you from pain and injuries.


    Sometimes, without the right healing medicine, the injuries would remain for decades. Even though you could survive fine in the safe zone, once you leave it, you''d die from the strain of carrying those injuries for so long.


    "Which prison are you going to put me in? The infernal sunbath? The cold desert? The monster beach?" The more he spoke, the more disdainful Varian''s tone grew.


    The Xehar manager was already pissed off by Varian grabbing the initiative and flipping their conversation around.


    So, his words caused the ratman to m his chair and hiss. "I''ll send you to Champion Theater."


    "No, you can''t." Varian jumped back and tried to rush out of the door but an invisible force pulled him away.


    Xehar manager grinned. "Yes, I can."


    Varian''s expression as he was thrown into the Champion Theater¡ª


    reminiscent of the Colosseum of ancient earth¡ªturned into a malicious smile. "Well, well, well."

 Chapter 1211 Madmans Solution

    Chapter 1211 Madman''s Solution


    Champion Theater¡ªa ce where battles never ended¡ªfrom dawn to dawn and from summer to summer, there''s no such thing called as rest.


    The people here were heinous criminals from all races, touching absolutely forbidden things even in this rtivelyxw system.


    The battling system was simple. You followed from the bottom rank


    ¡ªwhich here meant rank 3 and battled your way to the top. Your strength would constantly determine your position and future battles.


    If you lost, you''d be left in serious injuries that would take years to recover and would have to battle lower ranks while still bearing those injuries. Even if you get so injured you can''t even lift a finger, as long as you retain consciousness, you''d have to fight.


    Of course, the management wasn''t dumb. If a rank 4 tried to downy his strength and appear as rank 3, he''d still be yed against rank 4s.


    This didn''t happen much, however. Asmon sense dictates, there''s almost no one who could fight across an entire rank.


    So, as long as you''re at the peak of your rank, you''d be safe¡ªunless it''s the Champion Festival where everyone of the same rank fought a messy crowd war.


    There''s no reward for victory. Only a dreadful and likely irreversible punishment for a loss.


    It worked.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Ironically, it''s almost impossible to get into Champion Prison without a capital punishment. I can''t kill anyone is safe zone. There''s no way I could''ve be eligible without bringing up the princess."


    Varian wore clothes made of special clothes woven out of purple metal threads. They looked normal but acted as excellent armor.


    He spun the spear in his hand, bnced it on his foot and yed around as he waited for the brown-metallic gate in front of him to open.


    After an unholy amount of timeter, the darkness receded and Varian sprinted into the huge arena that would easily rival a city in its area.


    There were invisible formations all over the ce, dividing the arena into smaller fields, regting the shockwaves of one battle from disturbing another.


    As expected, there was a bloodthirsty crowd sitting across the huge structure, cheering and enjoying hundreds of battles happening simultaneously.


    "The battle of low rank 4s: Baldur vs Yan¡ª"


    Varian threw the spear up, jumped into the air, spun around, and kicked it like it was a ser ball.


    "Wha¡ª" The ten-footva humanoid that came to fight couldn''t even react when the spear pierced him from head to toe.


    "Victory."


    Most of the crowd didn''t notice the battle but the ones that did cheer wildly.


    Varian chose to start the next match without any rest despite being given an option due to his victory.


    "The mid rank 4s: Thorne vs Baldur."


    Varian twirled the spear in his palm and shot it like with full strength. Space cracked apart and matter burned up, leaving only void.


    Thorne, a species of humanoid nts, famous for her wild vitality and poison was shredded to pieces with that one spear.


    Thanks to the tower rules, the pieces came together and formed a rudimentary living being, but that''s about it.


    This time, however, a lot more gazes turned to Varian.


    ''Not enough. This much of an opponent isn''t enough.''


    Varian pursed his lips. If he had to kill Reaper, even with Toy Sun, he''d need at least the strength of a low rank 6 to use the explosive properly.


    "High rank 4s¡­"


    "Peak rank 4s¡­"


    "Low rank 5s¡­"


    "Mid rank 5s¡­"


    "High rank 5s¡­"


    "Peak rank 5s¡­"


    Varian panted heavily as the gashes on his arms bled heavily, painting the yellow sand under him red.


    His opponent, an undead mummy, raised its hands and shot two impossibly long bandages ring with assimtor energy.


    The blood on the sand was absorbed and the blood flowing inside swallowed.


    his wound was pulled out.


    "Fuck off!" Varian grabbed the bandages and the space ring activated. The bandages were ripped apart by the space cracks and swallowed.


    The zombie was now half-naked with a lot of bandages gone. It looked at Varian with a perplexed gaze. ''Can I walk out of this battle with a piece of cloth?''


    A spear glowed with the brilliance of a star and streaked across the sky, reaching the zombie in a blink.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "This civilization is too weak. Even my dogs won''te here." Princess Azalea frowned in disgust as she observed the Human Empire in stealth.


    Sure, there were a couple of celestial ranks. They''d make a good Province. Perhaps one of the strongest in the kingdom. But that''s it?


    A province couldn''t ever help her or Baldur in achievements.


    "The small words they call secret realms, they''re fine. But what are the ruins?" Azalea assumed a disguise with ease, and faked her identity to enter the ruins.


    But to her surprise, the ruins were recently shifted to ''Hortus''¡ª


    another special world.


    "What''s so special about this Hortus though? What makes it different from other special worlds?"


    In the downtown of the city Varian grew up in, Azalea sat in the corner of a bar and asked the man in front of her with a charming smile.


    She could''ve just tortured him. But it gave her more satisfaction to use her charms on her opponents.


    "H-Heuk! Are you one of those who fell into aa?" The drunken man grinned and chugged another drink. "B-But I don''t me you, everything changed so fast, in more months, even I feel it''s all absurd."


    The drunken man then began to ramble about the drastic changes in his life.


    Azalea browsed through the recent history of <Human Empire> with a disbelieving expression.


    ''No matter how I think about it, this is all bullshit. How can a non-celestial kill a celestial?''


    As royalty, she knew that rulers often exaggerated their feats and ''rewrote'' history to suit their needs.


    So, she assumed that the so-called Human Emperor was stronger than shown and the Abyssal Emperor was weaker.


    It''s funny though, that these weaklings called themselves Emperors when even Azalea''s father only called himself King.


    ''Frogs in a well,'' Azalea''s lips curled up in disdain. ''But who are these abyssals? One of those rogue tribes like Havocs?''


    They must be so.


    There''s a lot of information omitted from the records, so Azalea didn''t know that they were a race from the Jai Empire and were a very strong Duchy once nheless.


    "¡­And the ruins are the remnants of devas, the gods of earth that lived long ago. You hear that, we are descendants of gods! Those elves and non-human crap? They can''t hold a candle to our greatness."


    Azalea narrowed her eyes.


    She could dismiss everything. But the eight ''races'' that appeared out of nowhere interested her a bit.


    Except for a few powerhouses, no one knew where these species came from. They knew that these races were just ''connected'' to human civilization and were willing to integrate.


    "¡­And Hortus, that''s our ancestralnd. The Deva legacy. After the emperor opened it, the youngsters all want to get in. Even if you aren''t as talented, the time dtion gives you an insane edge over your peers. So, why not?"


    "Time dtion?" Azalea jumped onto her feet and mmed the table with her palms.


    "Oh? Shocked? I was too," The drunk man chuckled and motioned her to sit back down.


    "H-How do I get into Hortus?"


    "How else? Pass through strict screening, either as a student or as a warrior. Hey! Where are you going?"


    ''Looks like I can''t use the soft methods anymore.'' Azalea walked out of the bar with a curious smile and headed to the entrance of Hortus.


    A few secondster, the 10,000 soldiers including three Sovereigns and one rank 1 celestial were killed.


    The news was blocked from leaking. A few secondster, Baldur sneaked into the heavily guarded portal like it was nothing.


    The Prince and Princess sucked in a breath of cold air as they realized the true nature of Hortus.


    It wasn''t an average small world used for dungeons and the like. It''s aplete synthetic world. Better than any Synthetic World they''d ever seen.


    "Yes, this is it! Brother, my dear brother, you''re really aiming for the sky!" Princess Azalea raised her hand and the sky of Hortus turned purple.


    A heavy scent of death filled the world.


    All the awakeners, be it students, soldiers or the powerhouses at the top of the food chain opened their eyes and stared at the sky.


    Irene, Bali, and Kevin shot through the space and appeared in front of Azalea. "Stop! Who are you?"


    Azalea snorted and a terrifying aura storm imprisoned them before they could speak another word.


    "A-Azalea? What are you doing here?" Baldur who just entered Hortus was dumbfounded.


    "Stop ying dumb, brother~"


    "No, this could be dangerous!"


    "Danger, what danger can these ants pose to me?" Azalea sneered and clenched her fists.


    Irene started to bleed from her eyes and the brimming vitality in her body began to leak out. Her hair started to turn white and her beautiful skin began to wrinkle.


    "Isn''t this Synthetic World what you came for? But the treasures should belong to the strong, right?"


    "No. I didn''te for this! I came for¡ª"


    A deep sigh sounded from the sky and a pair of wings manifested in front of Azalea and Baldur. "I wasn''t supposed to do this but Queen of Radians, I''m sorry. Either everyone survives or no one does."


    The space around Baldur and Azalea distorted. As they weren''t expecting a move of this level, they couldn''t stop the teleportation.


    They saw a woman sleeping sitting cross-legged in a formation circle glowing with a myriad colors. She had no aura but gave off a powerful feeling.


    "I''m sorry, Queen of Shadows, I hope you can hold on." Oob apologized and turned off the formation.


    "W-What are you talking about?"


    "You think you can scare me with this aura-less bitc¡ª"


    Azalea froze as a chilling force swept through her body and pierced the sky.


    Stiffly turning her neck, because that''s the most she could move, Azalea saw a woman covered in a pitch-ck aura, even the brightest light of the sun entering the hall was devoured into that darkness, never to be seen again.


    The only thing that wasn''t ck was the smile of her beautiful white teeth.

 Chapter 1212 Welcome, Princess!

    ?


    Varian crashed to the ground and rolled like a rag doll, his ribs cracking liked twigs and vomiting blood.


    The world spun around him like it was dancing before it copsed into the inverse of the colosseum.


    Heavy footsteps filled his dizzy head and when he looked up, a giant hand grabbed him by the neck and lifted him up.


    "F-Fuck!" Varian instinctively wanted to use the slivers as hisst resort but pushed down the urge.


    "Interesting, hooman, not breaking." Mega Orc chuckled.


    The blue-skinned creature, a fusion between an orc and troll, was the brainchild of Genesis Empire''s military in pursuit of a perfect soldier against the Jai Empire''s wars.


    Despite being a peak rank 5, it had a disgustingly high defense that would need considerable effort from a low rank 6 to break.


    An insane regeneration that kept it alive unless its entire brain and crush were crushed.


    Strength that rivaled tie 1 geniuses. Endurance that could oust it against an entire toon.


    It was the super soldier Empires would die for¡ªif only it had enough intelligence to not go berserk and devour its own allies on the battlefield¡ªwhich it did enough times to be thrown into this tower.


    Compared to the insane production costs, they simply weren''t worth the trouble with the instability they posed.


    "Interesting, Maanster, no brain," Varian winced as the grip on his neck grew tight and the bones began to creak, but mocked the hybrid beast nheless.


    The Mega Orc might be simple but it wasn''t dumb. The man''s actions pissed it off.


    "Bad, hooman!" The creature''s hand shed in the air and dug through Varian''s chest.


    Varian copsed to the ground, his grip growing powerless, the energy in his body drained. A pulsing heart fell in front of him.


    Ba-dump! Ba-dump!


    "S-Son of a¡­" Varian raised his blood-soaked hands and touched the heart.


    A giant foot in bony boots crashed down, crushing both his hand and heart to pieces.


    Then, he began to trample down on Varian, like he was an insect, stomping on him again and again.


    Blood spilled out, bones broke and flesh scattered.


    The safe zone''sws made it impossible for Varian to die, so he didn''t. It was hell, everything in his body falling apart as the pain a living being never had to bear tormenting him.


    When the man was anything but recognizable as a living thing, the Mega Orc turned around.


    "Victoooory!" The creature roared to the masses, who cheered like mad fanboys and fangirls.


    Mega Orc had always been the champion of rank 5. Rumors say that if provoked enough and pushed into its berserk state, the creature could even kill a rank 6¡ªbut the state was highly unstable and was likely to push it to attack its allies more.


    Since there''s no such thing as an ally in the Colosseum, Mega Orc''s ws were seen as its biggest strength. That''s the reason why the simple-minded but clearly sentient creature also liked it here.


    The annoying bug that it just crushed? There were ones like thate from time to time. It''d just have to crush them, like it always did and the crowd will cheer for it like always.


    The respect and affection that no one gave it in the army even after risking its life and serving on the battlefield, it received all the emotions here.


    Mega Orc would never know these people didn''t see it as a creature. It was their source of entertainment, a rxing time in their dangerous tower climb. At best, it was an object to calm their nerves. At worst, it''s a showpiece in the zoo.


    As the Mega Orc continued to cheer, a man covered in blood slowly stood up. He cracked his knuckles, swung his arms, clenched and unclenched his fists, and finally kicked the ground.


    The gravel shot out in all directions and a shockwave swept the ground. But even before the shockwave and the sound of the gravel movement could reach the Mega Orc, Varian reached it.


    His kick aimed for the creature''s thick neck. Even though it''s disgustingly defensive to not have its neck separated by this shot, if it took this attack head-on, the creature''s neck would partially crack.


    The audience only noticed Varian when he was about to strike the Mega Orc and screamed, in surprise and excitement.


    The Mega Orc tilted its head at thest moment and grabbed Varian''s leg with its palm.


    "Shit."


    Varian could kill the creature if he really wanted to. But he suppressed his own paths and wanted to grow stronger more than anything else.


    So, another round of a losing fight against the Mega Orc began.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "W-Who are you?" Princess Azalea''s throat dried up and she licked her trembling, dry lips.


    "Heh," A dismissive scoff echoed from the darkness.


    A tendril of darkness emerged and gripped the Princess'' neck.


    "L-Let me go!" Azalea thrashed against the tendril and tried to break its grip. Despite being a low rank 6, her efforts couldn''t stop the hand of darkness from increasing its grip.


    "A-Arghhh!"


    The sound of her neck bones cracking rang clearly in the deathly silence.


    "Y-You bitch! I''ll tell everyone! E-Everyone will know the synthetic wo¡ª"


    "I don''t care." The voice was calm, regal, and most of all, dismissive. It was as if she didn''t even see Azalea as a being worth listening to, much less as a princess. "You can tell whoever you wish, it wouldn''t make a difference."


    The grip of darkness loosened and Azalea thought the woman, despite her words, was scared.


    "But," A spear of darkness pierced through Azalea''s throat. Then, another through her heart. Stomach. Chest. Back. Head.


    108 spears turned her into a hedgehog and then they forcibly separated, tearing her body into pieces.


    "Don''t threaten me. I will not take threats kindly." The voice was still as calm as it had always been.


    But Baldur''s legs shivered and he barely stopped himself from kneeling. But he couldn''t stop himself from bowing deeply despite being royalty and said.


    "P-Princess Isadora, greetings! I-I''m the current generation Prince B-Baldur, I-I''ve been looking for the t-treasure and for yo-you."


    "Isadora¡­it''s been a while hearing someone call my name."


    The darkness cleared, revealing a stunningly beautiful with long silver hair and ruby eyes.

 Chapter 1213 Wedding Rings

    ?


    Varian''s feet dug into the floor as he blocked a strike from the Mega Orc''s club with his demon sword.


    Since it was an artifact, the demon sword didn''t break like any other weapon would have.


    But the tremendous force from the collision was transmitted to Varian, leaving him with cracked skin, torn flesh and overall, very, very bloodied hands.


    "I-If I fight for a day or two like this, I can improve myself¡ª"


    Therge club swung from the left and Varian bent his body, dodging it and shed his sword.


    A thick red arc of aura reached the Mega Orc''s feet. Green blood spilled on the ground and the Mega Orc stumbled for a moment.


    "Woooah!"


    The audience roared in excitement and disbelief.


    After nearly twenty rounds of defeat, Varian still kept going. And with every round, he was slightly better positioned against the Mega Orc. But this time, he''s actually starting to be on par with the creature!


    The creature, of course, didn''t like someone else stealings the affection from the audience.


    The Mega Orc''s green began to turn red and its aura grew violent, breaking through peak rank 5, but not quite reaching rank 6.


    It was in a very unstable state with its senses going on overdrive and its instincts taking over its body.


    "Oh no¡­"


    Varian blocked the swing of the club again, but this time, instead of only his feet in the ground, only his head was left above the ground.


    "Fuck you!"


    The space ring activated, teleporting him at thest moment and saving him from getting his head smashed.


    But the Orc was too fast. Its club reached Varian the moment he finished his teleportation, forcing him to do ast moment block, which didn''t go very well.


    "Oh fuck!"


    Varian took out a white orb from his storage ring¡ªwhich in reality was just a condensed power of sliver carefully masked through usage of materials and formations.


    The crowd started booing.


    Varian didn''t care.


    He mmed the orb down and a barrier enveloped their battlefield,pletely blocking anyone from seeing or sensing their battle.


    The maddened Mega Orc wasn''t in a position to question his actions and continued its relentless offense.


    Varian''s main power kept changing. Adept, Assimtor, Binder, Space, Time, Energy, Matter.


    He used all the paths he wanted to use. Did all the experiments he could. Three full days passed for everyone, but thanks to using his time powers extensively, Varian experienced two weeks worth of time and training.


    The Mega Orc went into the final stage of its madness and erupted with great power, but its attack remained the same.


    Varian mmed his fist against the club. He took a step back and the Orc took two.


    The Mega Orc paused for a moment, looked at him in confusion and then its own club.


    The fury of the creature began to wear off, its red skin reverting to green and an emotion called fear began to show in its eyes.


    Varian didn''t bother fighting it anymore since it could no longer provide him with any improvement. Moreover, a green Mega Orc was only going to be weaker than a red.


    ''Status''


    [Adept Rank 4: 999/1000


    Assimtor Rank 4: 950/1000


    <Your monstrous body-to-body fight against a creature that was born for physicalbat yielded results beyond what''s normally possible.>


    Binder Rank 4: 850/1000


    <It''s not easy to improve your soul perception in a physical fight. But you''ve done it. The Mega Orc might be a simple creature but its soul resistance was no joke.>


    Matter Rank 4: 900/1000


    Energy Rank 4: 900/1000


    <With a snap of your fingers, stars will stop burning, ands will explode.>


    Space Rank 4: 900/1000


    Time Rank 4: 950/1000


    <The fabric of space-time is yours to explore.>


    <You''ve nearly reached the peak of your rank, but the very fast improvement caused you to enter a small bottleneck. Break it down and rank 5 is yours.>


    PS: If you spend a few weeks fighting, you can break down the bottleneck for certain and reach the new ranks!]


    Varian walked out of the arena, intending to rest. But as he reached the exit, the world around him turned nk.


    A pair of familiar golden eyes stared at him in the darkness.


    "S-Sia?"


    A pair of equally familiar sky-blue eyes were looking at the golden eyes and weeping. "Sarah? What happened?"


    Varian clutched his neck and slumped into his small resting room. "S-Something is wrong¡­I can feel it."


    An unease filled his heart and it kept growing like a beast that was given an endless feast.


    Was it just another bad dream? Or was he simply panicking after a painful battle?


    ''No, my time sense and my binder...they''re tingling.''


    Varian knew that strong time awakeners had some degree of foresight. Their feelings weren''t just normal fears. They meant something.


    Since he had soul powers in addition to time powers and they''re both acting up, Varian decided to take his feelings seriously.


    "R-Right!" Varian looked at his wedding rings and remembered that he''d linked them with theirs.


    ''System, I can sense their condition with the wedding ring, right?''


    [The tower has isted all outside connections, Host.]


    ''But I can break that istion, right? Even if only for a moment.'' Varian''s breathing was ragged and his gaze heavy.


    Even when he was being crushed by the Mega Orc, he didn''t feel so nervous. But now, his heart was about to jump out of his chest.


    [Please try your best. The System will assist you.]


    Varian first formed a barrier around him and then began to search for that one ''rule'' in the air among thousand others.


    The rule which forbids external connections from the tower¡­


    ''Got it!''


    After nearly an hour of work, Varian managed to find it.


    In a visual sense, it''s a huge door. What he needed to do was drill a small hole¡ªsmall enough that a fly could enter.


    But the problem was that the door''s defense, it''s like the door was made of diamond.


    ''Focus, focus, focus!''


    Varian descended into a meditative state and used the slivers like never before. Even Logos was surprised by his achievements in such a short span of time.


    "Arghh!" Varian clutched his chest and copsed into a fit of coughing blood. But his eyes were wide open and bloodshot.


    The wedding rings sent a message.

 Chapter 1214 Speedrunning

    ?


    The Xerah Manager of the Intelligence Guild was sipping tea while browsing through thetest reports.


    [The traces of Princess Maria, Princess Be and Prince Sohan were visible until the great chasm where they disappeared. They were chased down by an excess number of elves¡­]


    [We sensed the aura of the adventure group <Light yers>. The Skeleton Undead, the Hound as well as the Elf. These are their corresponding files¡­]


    [<Light yers> and Princess Maria had a sh when they were on the 29th floor. Princess Maria was chased down by the Skeleton Undead and managed to escape.


    We do not know what started off the conflict but the fight on the World Tree seemed to be the continuation of the conflict.]


    [We sensed traces of auras that didn''t belong to the elves. But they''re too scattered and broken to make anything of them.]


    [<Light yers> Leader Captain Light recently had a sworn brother join their group.


    In a famous pub on the 36th floor a year and three months ago, after heavy drinking was looted by a gang of six thieves. A few dayster, the thieves disappeared. Their corpses were never found.


    But ording to the reports of a cementry on another given six monthster, six people were buried alive, tortured to disastrous degrees and turned into something between a living and dead.]


    [Captain Light''s team <Light yers> lost all its original members except the captain over the course of three years. All the current members were recruitedter on.


    Notably, Captain Light hasn''t contacted any of his friends or performed missions together. He rarelyes to safe zone to advice the newbies and advertise his team like he used to.


    His former peers are of the opinion that his teammates'' death changed him.]


    "Hm¡­I see, it''d have been hard to connect the dots if not for them attacking the Princesses and the Prince. Captain Light would''ve been just another depressed adventurer with personality problems." The Xehar Manager grumbled and deleted the files.


    "Then what exactly is the identity of that man¡­"


    ck hair. ck eyes. And that confident smile that really got on his nerves.


    The manager knew that Varian enraged him on purpose. He wanted to get into that Colosseum prison. Everything went ording to his wishes.


    Varian could''ve simply kept silent about it. Even if he did get suspected by the Xeharster because of his connection to Princess Maria, he could simply go to the 31st floor and hide.


    ''That man is nning something¡­''


    Even though he was enraged, the manager noticed the obvious.


    But so what?


    The manager would bet his soul on the Colosseum and the safe zone''s rules. Whatever that man could try, he wouldn''t be able to break out of the prison. Even the oldest record never mentioned a prison break.


    There was no history of it and there''d be no precedent.


    So, the manager had his own n. He''d put him in the prison he so desired, let him experience the ''happiness'' of being a champion in that cruel ce, and dig up everything about everyone involved in the case.


    Then, he''d offer the young man a condition.


    ''Tell me everything I need to know or you''d be spending your life in prison, unable to die and unable to live.''


    Over his rtively long period of life, the manager learned that death wasn''t as terrifying as a life of unending suffering.


    The safe zone''s prison, which stopped death of any kind, was the most terrifying thing for any criminal.


    He expected the man to confess everything and help him solve the issue at hand. Since the reports are also gathered, it''s about time.


    [There''s no information about the man except the name he used, Baldur. He appeared out of nowhere, entered the tower, and teamed up with Princess Maria. We do not know who he is, or what he wants.]


    "It doesn''t matter. He''s going to confess everything."


    The manager called his attendant and asked him to initiate a video call with the man.


    A holograph popped up and the manager saw Varian''s gloomy face.


    "Oh? What happened? Are you already scarred by the prison?"


    Varian pursed his lips and briefly nced at the ratman. Instead of anger and despair, there was a hint of gratitude in his eyes.


    ''W-What the hell is wrong with him?''


    "I will not hold a grudge against you." The hologram suddenly distorted and a ck light expanded, devouring everything in the prison room.


    And then¡ª


    "Hey!"


    The prison room had a hole. The man was gone!


    "You''re kidding me. This is an illusion, alright!"


    The manager rushed to the prison and by the time he reached it, it was already crowded by Xehars holding important posts.


    Every one of them was gathered in the same prison room, gawking at the hole in the prison cell, frozen like puppets and utterly speechless.


    "W-What did I do?" The manager''s legs wobbled and he copsed onto the floor.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    31st floor:


    Varian sprinted on the dinosaur and found a volcano simr to the one they entered before.


    ''High rank 6 beast.''


    This time, he didn''t bother sneaking in.


    [Fusing Powers. Adept Rank 4 ¡ª> Adept Rank 6 (Low).]


    Varian raised his demon sword and as if it caught fire, the sword zed with a red aura that red for a hundred miles.


    With a sh of the sword, the volcano was sliced off and Varian teleported away with it. The heavenly beast rose a momentter, but the culprit was already gone.


    Seed acquired.


    32nd floor:


    Varian''s space power soared to rank 6 and the tribats near the edge of the ck hole were teleported to him.


    The space crushed their bones into fine powder.


    Soil acquired.


    33rd floor:


    Evernight. Thend of an unending forest in an infinite darkness.


    Varian raised his Binder power instead of fighting physically.


    Every tree in the forest had a guardian beast and he needed to steal from the pool of water near the Chief Tree, hoodwinking the Chief Guardian Beast.


    His soul power, aided by the Aether pendant, easily manipted a few beasts and set them on a rampage.


    They led away the Chief Beast and led to a sessful mission.


    Water acquired.


    34th floor:


    Nova Stars¡ªa hundred and ten star systems ravaged by exploding stars,s, andets was an apocalypse brought to life.


    The Utopia Varianmented on was on this floor.


    Instead of waiting for a to explode or exploding a, Varian used the power of slivers and pushed a piece of the''s core under a volcano on an uninhabited ind.


    Then, the volcano erupted thanks to his matter and energy maniption, delivering him the final piece in the puzzle.


    Fertilizer acquired.


    With all the ingredients in ce, the seed grew into a tree and broke through the space, paving the way into the familiar World Tree.


    Varian put on the mask of the tower, achieving near-absolute stealth, and teleported down the World Tree while sprinting between the teleportation intervals.


    The elves felt the space fluctuations sometimes and tried to find the man but since Varian maintained his full speed from the start and never slowed down, he was never identified.


    The guardian elves could only tell their brethren to be wary of a creature that was fast-moving on the World Tree. But no one panicked.


    No matter how fast, you''d have to slow down at some point! The World Tree was just too vast for even a peak rank 6 to cover in one sprint.


    What they didn''t know was that when Varian had to break the tower''s rules and drill a hole in the indestructible prison, he had to push the limits of his sliver powers. As a result, he was now able to use their powers way better.


    A white lining covered his body like a full suit, hiding his aura when he rested. Because the order power was superposed with the tower mask''s stealth, unless the elves deliberately checked, no one would know he was here.

 Chapter 1215 At The Edge Of The World Tree

    ?


    The journey had been arduous.


    Prince Sohan and the two princess nearly died once before reaching the roots of the World Tree.


    Like everything else here, the roots weren''t normal and didn''t look normal.


    Instead, each root, varying in color, silver, bronze, gold, red, ck and green¡ªlooked like a giant road whose width surpassed a hundred suns put together.


    Varian didn''t dismiss them as just different colored roots. Instead, he used his extended senses and confirmed a hypothesis.


    "Really now¡­"


    There were eight roots, each pertaining to a path.


    Life. Soul. Death.


    Space. Gravity. Time.


    Order. Chaos.


    "I don''t care about this anymore, but Maria said I can exit the 60th floor if I cross the roots."


    Even when he raised a path to rank 6 and extended his senses to the limit, Varian couldn''t sense the end of the roots.


    "Hortus¡­" Varian bit his lip and the space around him distorted.


    He moved forward by a great length but the end of the road still didn''te in sight. Instead, Varian found an aura slowly locking onto him.


    It wasn''t downright hostile. But it was telling him to back off. It came from afar, beyond where his senses extended. The aura had a touch of nature, like the world tree and its familiars¡ªguardian elves.


    "I don''t want to fight those mobs." Varian cursed.


    His figure blinked forward, transversing astronomical distances with each teleportation.


    After ten hours of unending teleportation which exhausted even him, the end of the road came to sight. And with it, also came the sight of a few familiar figures.


    Varian was in stealth with an additionalyer of the sliver''s boost. So, he wasn''t found. But if he did approach them, he''d be out in no time.


    It was a dangerous situation, but Varian''s mind wasn''t on the former teammates or the old and new enemies.


    It was the cosmic sight that stole his attention.


    "W-Wait, what the hell is that?"


    It looked like a small version of the milky way gxy he saw during high school. Arge disc-shaped cosmic body with dazzling stars.


    But it was more. There were patches of darkness. There was as much darkness in this ''milky way'' as there was light.


    It was a spiral figure, of course. But in between each light spiral was a dark spiral,plementing it.


    At the center, however, there was a fusion of dark and light¡ªa violently fluctuating mix of two properties that shouldn''t be possible but was an undeniable reality.


    Varian held his breath at that marvel that transcended all human imagination. He didn''t dare to let loose his extended perception and analyze the marvel.


    It was too risky!


    Because all the roots were connected to the edge of the spirals like they were holding the thing somehow.


    Every once in a while, the ck-and-white cosmic structure expanded a bit, but the roots hummed and an incredible amount of aura pulsed through them before theypressed the structure to its prior size.


    It was not even a 0.1% improvement in area for the structure but it was enough to fit ten sr systems.


    The scale was mind-boggling and if not for his Adept and Space powers, all that Varian could describe would be ''Very, very, very big.''


    "You should give up already. Seeing you try so desperately, even when your chance of victory was near non-existent wasmendable."


    A heavy voice rang in the void, breaking Varian out of his thoughts and drawing his focus back onto the ''people'' that looked less than ants in front of this grand spectacle.


    Maria, Sohan, and Be, injured, were clenching their weapons tight enough to bleed from their palms and ring at the ones in front of them.


    Reaper, Trihoud, and Numan were kneeling with absolute submission in front of two men.


    One was tall, over eight feet, and in pure white robes without a speck of dust. But his eyes were dark red, his face sinister with two scars running from the edge of his lips to paint an unsightly smile, and his expression, impassive yetmanding.


    The one next to him looked normal at first nce.


    A brown-haired man in his early 30s with a very impressive physique. He wore a golden coat over a red shirt and trousers, smoking a cigar and exhaling white rings into the void.


    But this guy gave Varian a bigger sense of crisis than the other. Not to say the first man was harmless.


    Varian''s senses were screaming at him to run away the moment he noticed the first guy. For the second man, his instincts nearly moved his body on their own.


    ''I can''t kill them with my current strength and their current state.'' That much was obvious.


    Besides, even though they were kneeling like the lowest of servants, the trio of Reaper, Trihound, and Numan were not to be underestimated.


    Even if he did use all the artifacts, Varian wasn''t sure he could beat the three of them together.


    The moment Varian thought ''artifacts'', they started humming.


    ''No. Calm down!'' He screamed inwardly and tried to suppress them. But they started to vibrate at a special frequency.


    Varian couldn''t understand what they were doing and why, but he could feel their emotions.


    Joy. Nostalgia. Excitement.


    ''No, wait! You''ll expose me!''


    The vibration slowly grew. From a start where it''s never going to be noticed to a point where Varian had to keep strengthening his stealth with order power continuously while keeping up the existing stealth to remain hidden.


    But the situation was getting worse as the artifacts started to hum as if they were singing.


    ''Bastards! Listen to Daddy or I''ll throw you all into a fucking furnace!''


    "Take good care of them until we return. I want to show them the fruits of their failure." The white-robed man chuckled and jumped into the cosmic field.


    The brown-haired man waited until hispanion entered the spiral before saying. "Kill them."


    And then he pointed a finger at Varian''s hiding position. Aura exploded, crashing him to the ground and blowing his stealth. "Him too."

 Chapter 1216 On The Roots Of The World Tree

    ?


    ''You''re here?''


    Even though none of the three royalty opened their mouths, Varian could almost hear them screaming as they watched him slip out of his stealth.


    "Aha, haha, nice to meet you again," Varian rubbed the back of his neck and greeted the hunter trio.


    Reaper wasn''t impressed. The Skeleton had no expression to speak of, not like one was possible. But the fire in his eyes¡ªthe only thing that came close¡ªremained disturbingly stable.


    It was as if he expected Varian toe here. Which was surprising for the man himself but not the Reaper.


    As the hunter who killed countless, he identified Varian correctly. He wasn''t the type to cower and give up. He''d fight to kill and seed or die trying.


    He raised his hand and spheres of darkness aimed at Prince Sohan, who just gulped down a precious pill.


    Before the Prince could fully recover, he faced off against the vitality devourers which jeopardized his recovery and sabotaged his n of counter attack.


    Trihound stared at the girls with a hungry look, drooling from its three mouths. While in prison, Varian learned that this creature was particrly fond of female bones, especially the pelvic ones.


    With a kick of its legs, the creature punched onto the princesses who rolled away at thest moment and escaped its paws.


    Numan, the traitor, however had a surprised and equally impressed look.


    "Hehehehe," He gradually broke into a relieved but creepy smile.


    It had been a big regret of his letting Varian escape. But the prey willingly jumped into the trap.


    So, this time, Numan vowed to torture the young man as much as he could and break his spirit.


    The tongue that called him coward and traitor would be pulled off. The eyes that stared at him defiantly shall be gouged out. The back that stood straight will have its spine ripped out. The man would regret it. He''d regret everything he said.


    And then, when he would beg for mercy against for death such torture, he shall not grant it. He''d heal him back to full health and then torture him to hell, again and again, until he got bored of the toy.


    Varian didn''t know what the traitor was thinking. But if he did, he''d have burst outughing.


    Such torture would indeed traumatize him. Even after all he''d been through, Varian didn''t like putting himself through pain unless he had to. But if he did go through such suffering, the gains he''d reap would be enough to crush Numan a dozen times over.


    "Very nice to meet you. I thought you''d stay in the safe zone, tail tucked between your legs. You have a spine. Too bad it''s going to be broken." Numan raised his axe and mmed it down.


    A one-meter deep crack appeared on the incredibly tough root and the shockwave reached Varian in a blink.


    It was a force that Varian would''ve dodged without any second thought previously. But this time, he focused his power onto the Adept path and raised his arms into a cross.


    The shockwave passed through him. His skin ripped apart, drops of blood sshing down his forearms and dripping down his elbows.


    But that was it.


    Varian narrowed his eyes at the three hunters.


    [Reaper: High Rank 6


    <Injured. Current prowess equivalent to Mid Rank 6>]


    [Trihound: High Rank 6


    <Injured¡­>]


    [Numan: High Rank 6


    <Injured¡­>]


    "Heh," Varian smirked without meaning to.


    "You little shit." His smug face pissed off Numan who took it as a provocation and kicked the ground.


    As if he teleported a full ten thousand miles, the traitor appeared in front of Varian instantaneously.


    The heavy axe in his hands red with sinister green aura and the breath of death filled the surroundings.


    The root of the world tree under them shook slightly, repelling the dark aura, but as a result, more of that aura was concentrated onto Varian, who became an unintended target.


    "Ugh," Varian''s throat burned as if he swallowed fire. The air in his lungs seemed to have been ignited and set his entire internals aze.


    But not a scream left his mouth. Only a gnashing of teeth and a scoff. "Is this it? The so-called traitor''s power."


    "You!" Numan''s axe spun like a top and a hurricane of green aura formed around it.


    As if he was the god of thunder bringing down tribuation lightning during the apocalypse, Numan brought down his spear onto Varian''s head.


    Varian''s demonic sword soared into the air and shed with the axe. The sparks that flew out of their collision melted Varian''s skin two inches deep and the rebound from the exchange ripped his arm muscles apart.


    Like a bike that was hit by a speeding train, Varian was blown back. His feet dug into the root, blood spilling out of his arms like they were fountains. The only reason he didn''t copse was the sword in his hand that acted as the final support.


    It was an exchange with a clear winner and loser. Even though he was at his peak state, Varian was overpowered by an injured Numan.


    Numan wasn''t happy nor was Varian depressed.


    "You¡­is this your true power? What happened to your rank? Are you ying us since the beginning?" Numan''s eyes were bloodshot, his voice hoarse as he screamed at the top of his lungs.


    Varian winced as he got back onto his feet, the pain from his broken kneecaps unforgiving and distracting. "True power? No, this is only 1% of my power."


    His words caused a period of silence in the battlefield.


    Reaper didn''t follow up his attack against Sohan. Trihound jumped back and assumed a defensive posture. Numan himself took out a shield and stared at him vigntly.


    "What?" Varian was dumbfounded.


    It was just a joke to him.


    But to the ones that had seen his soaring strength that made no sense, it might as well be true.


    Who could say Varian''s strength was just what he showed so far?


    What if it was all an act?


    What if¡­everything so far had been an act?


    What if he had been aiming for the same thing they were from the very start?


    The thoughts of the three hunters surged to a dangerous proportion and they looked at each other with a solemn gaze. That was enough for them toe to a decision.


    Numan and Reaper threw a glowing round pill from their storage rings to Trihound who caught it with ease. Then, it opened its own storage ring and swallowed the three pills at once.


    The beast''s vitality began to soar, its injuries disappearing and its energy recovering at an astonishing pace.


    With a roar that could''ve scared off a young dragon, the creature''s three heads split into three bodies and lunged at the royal heirs. Each of the bodies was weaker than the original, but still stronger than them.


    The royal heirs struggled against the tirade of the energized and healed beast.


    Reaper and Numan, on the other hand, walked to Varian with decisive and solemn steps.


    Then, with a single step at once, they disappeared from their ce.


    "Alright, if you want to take this that far," Varian activated his artifacts. The strangeness began again and they started to hum, a strange and deep music ringing in the void, filled with longing.


    "Shut up and get to work." Perhaps his words worked, the humming stopped and the artifacts gave him their boost.


    Varian''s strength reached the next level and he shed forward.


    At exactly halfway between their initial positions, the three shed.

 Chapter 1217 Reapers Reaper

    ?


    It happened in a sh.


    Numan''s axe perfectly countered his sword strike and left him open to further attacks.


    In a one-on-one, this wouldn''t have mattered as Varian almost always regained his stance faster than his opponents. But in a two vs one, this was a grave danger.


    Reaper, who waited patiently for the opportunity like a viper hiding in the bushes, didn''t hold back any punches when he sted two anti-vitality spears, one aiming for his neck and the other his heart.


    Varian brought down his sword for ast minute parry but had the choice to block only one. He didn''t really have a choice and protected his neck.


    The anti-vitality spear''s dark aura red as it bounced back from the smooth unscripted surface of the demonic sword.


    The other spear reached Varian''s heart. The Crystal Armor¡ªan artifact that did help considerably until then¡ªhad the time of its day as it forcibly shifted his torso by an inch.


    Sparks flew in the air as the armor bounced off the spear. But it wasn''t a normal spear attack from the start.


    The dark aura had Varian in its proximity. The bounced back aura coalesced into a ck mouth and inhaled deeply.


    Varian''s chest skin wrinkled and cracked apart before blood sshed out. His powerful heartbeat weakened considerably and a wave of sluggishness washed over the man.


    It wasn''t a total disaster but it was still an overwhelmingly disadvantageous position. Varian recognized the bitter reality and teleported away from the two hunters to take a breather.


    Teleportation didn''t buy him more than half a second for each blink as the two easily sensed and reached him.


    Varian''s injuries still healed in the ten seconds he gained before he was forced into an exchange of blows.


    Rather than the Assimtor powers as usual, he raised his Adept powers.


    The flow of aura in the surroundings imprinted itself in his mind. The vibrant aura of a multitude colors expanded like gas, flowed like liquid and consolidated like solid.


    And then there was the aura of his enemies. Instead of viewing them through his sight or other senses, the aura sight gave a different experience.


    He could feel the aura flowing in their veins, circting throughout their body like torrential river before it left them and formed a formidable attack against him.


    Varian turned his foot 90 degrees to the left and grabbed the handle of the sword with both hands, the sword''s de dangling right over his right shoulder.


    The space around him loosened up, allowing his attacks to pass through easily, amplifying their power, but doing the same for his enemy attacks, putting him at risk.


    The duo reversed their roles.


    Reaper attacked first, letting the anti-vitality spheres st Varian and break down his defenses, all to create a chance for Numan.


    Varian exhaled lightly and his body blurred forward. His body bent and stretched in impossible angles, dodging all the attacks.


    But by putting his focus on the dodge, he made himself open to Numan''s attack.


    The axe which seemed ready to split the sky crashed onto his back, cleaving into his back and digging deeper.


    The tremendous force of the blow would''ve caused Varian to crash onto the ground if not for him shooting out his hands at thest moment and digging into Numan''s shoulder with his fingers.


    His fingers, reinforced by aura, tore through his flesh and gripped his bones.


    Numan winced a bit but put more force into his axe, trying to cleave Varian into two.


    Varian''s grip on his shoulder bone tightened, cracking it open and digging into his bone marrow.


    "I-If you think that''s enough to distract me, you''re mistaken," Numan smirked, content at finally getting back at Varian.


    "T-There are no mistakes¡­" A single drop of green liquid flowed out of Varian''s thumb''s nail and entered Numan''s bone marrow.


    The moment the liquid touched his flesh, a sizzling sound rang in the void, followed by a blood-curling scream that would send even the veterans over the edge.


    As Varian was about to teleport, two anti-vitality spheres pierced Varian''s back.


    "Numan!" Reaper touched Numan''s shoulder but the moment his bone finger made contact, the elf melted into a gooey green liquid, stirring uneasy emotions even in the calm skeleton warrior.


    Varian managed to teleport but couldn''t do much as his vitality began to leak out, rendering him weak and his injury increasingly worse.


    "Ugh!"


    As he copsed onto the ground, Reaper''s footsteps reached him.


    "Your death will make his worth it." Reaper forged a spear from his dark aura and aimed it at Varian.


    No matter how cunning he was, with that amount of injury, he could no longer fight back. That''s a death sentence when he''s still under hunt.


    The mes in Reaper''s eye sockets red with enthusiasm as the battle reached its apparent end.


    He didn''t mind Varian''s desperate struggles. Nor did he suspect anything when the man started teleporting long distances away from the roots and practically reached the edge of the tree, back onto its trunk.


    It all happened in thirteen seconds. Varian was still unable to stand or fight, his back injury had barely gotten better thanks to Reaper''s anti-vitality balls hindering the regeneration. Compared to earlier, he was in a worse condition.


    "Last words?" Reaper''s spear aimed for Varian''s heart.


    "I don''t just fight with my body." Varian''s eyes glowed white and a barrier enveloped them.


    Reaper didn''t understand what the man meant but his senses which were rxed until now once again started tingling.


    ''Leave!''


    ''Run!''


    ''You can''t win him!''


    Reaper''s spear, which was supposed to take off like a missile and strike him in the heart, froze in ce. Precisely, the space around it did.


    "You!"


    Reaper''s jaw dropped and the skeleton warrior felt his worldview copse right in front of his eyes.


    Teleportation was something treasures could allow you. But this degree of space maniption? That needed space power!


    But he''s an Assimtor¡­or was he an Adept?


    There was little time for contemtion as the space around Reaper copsed like a shattered mirror, swallowing the legs of the skeleton.


    Without giving him any respite, his bones that were fiercely resisting the chaotic space in the cracks twisted around and broke out of the joint. Turning against their own owner, the bones stabbed him in the back.


    Reaper couldn''t understand. He didn''t understand.


    That just now was matter maniption¡­


    And there was more he couldn''t understand.


    His mind, which was famous for being calm even in the gravest of situations, was hit by unbearable pain, causing him to scream out for the first time.


    He decided to escape at any cost. Not because he was afraid of death but because he deemed it way more important to report Varian''s uniqueness than die to prove his undying loyalty.


    But his hand''s movements seemed to stretch forever. Even his storage ring''s response time when he poured in aura extended to ufortable periods.


    ''W-Wait, is this¡­'' Reaper noticed that everything around him was faster as if someone hit the 2X button.


    ''Time power!''


    ''Assimtor, Spirit, Space and Time? No, he isn''t even a hybrid anymore!'' The fire in Reaper''s eyes zed in fear and reflected the glowing red sword that shot towards the skeleton''s neck.


    Reaper sacrificed a few more bones into the space cracks decisively, dragged his anti-vitality ck spheres to counter the iing sword, and managed to retrieve the treasure to escape.


    As he was about to use it, he felt a hand on his shoulder bones.


    Reaper stiffened and before he could react, a suction of vitality, the same attack he always used on others, swept his body.


    The skeleton warrior copsed, no longer able to keep floating. With leg bones missing, he crashed onto the ground.


    Varian didn''t show a shred of mercy and activated Aether Pendant as well. A strong spiritual force started sucking away at Reaper''s soul, adding to his woes as he struggled against vitality suction.


    The skeleton thrashed on the ground, desperately trying to activate the escape treasure.


    He was just an inch away from the treasure. But heck, the treasure could be activated by aura and didn''t even need contact. Yet, a ckyer of an unknown power covered the treasure, blocking off his aura!


    A few seconds of desperationter, Reaper''s bones lost their luster and turned into powder.


    "Aaaah!"


    Varian copsed and covered his eyes with his hand, his head and body both pushing him for a desperate rest topensate for the overload he put them through.


    "T-Those guys might die if I don''t go¡­" Varian crawled back onto his feet and sighed.

 Chapter 1218 Trihounds Racial Talent

    ?


    Prince Sohan clutched his torn off forearm and groaned in pain. His ck overcoat was soaked in blood and sweat, the runes on it ran beyond an optimal rate to heal him and still failed.


    Trihound which had split off into three hounds had fused back at some point. The beast was a high rank 6 Adept.


    It wasn''t immune from injuries, however. One of the beast''s head was badly injured, with its skull sunken a few inches. Another head side''s body had its chunks of its flesh missing with whip marks. The third one had a dozen holes drilled all over, sshing blood on its feet.


    The Trihound and the heirs all learnt the hardway that they couldn''t kill each other, not when they fought separately.


    So, the Trihound fused back to kill them one by one. The prince and princesses teamed up to y the beast.


    "If those two cowards stayed instead of fighting a man who isn''t even in their rank, they''d have died an ugly death." Maria''s body trembled as she rose to her feet, a gaping hole in her abdomen that squirmed and slowly closed.


    "No matter how much I hate that spineless bastard, he has thebat experience which would put any prince of the kingdom to shame." Sohan picked his great sword with left hand and wrapped a healing cloth at the right elbow where the forearm was bitten off.


    "There''s no way this dog is better than him. Baldur¡­that person wouldn''t be able to survive."


    His voice grew dull and ended with a sigh of resignation.


    "We need to take care of this first," Be stretched her arms and swung her whip twice for a double check.


    Of the three, Princess Be inflicted the most injuries on the hound. In return, she took the most injuries.


    From her shoulders down to her feet, there were bites of flesh missing, as if a beast gnawed on her¡ªwhich was actually what happened.


    "You want a healing potion?" Maria offered her a silvery ss bottle. "It''s not instant heal, but it can cover the small injuries in a few minutes."


    Even she had been running out of treasures by this point. She had a treasure that could easily annihte the Trihound but once she used it, the mission would fail. The two men who went in must''ve also had a treasure of equal caliber.


    ''So I still have hope that the mission can be a sess?'' Maria wondered how she became this optimistic. ''Optimistic or deluded?''


    "No, thank you." Be rejected the healing potion and positioned herself for an attack. She leaned forward slightly, her left foot two steps forward and her right foot one step backward.


    The right hand gripping the whip was drawn back, ready to deliver an unforgettable whipping.


    "GO!"


    With a full swing of Sohan''s great sword, a fierce shockwave struck the Trihound. The creature''s bnce was thrown off and it fell onto its back.


    Maria didn''t miss the gap and the twirling spear in her hand shot forward. As it did, the tree girl released a golden paper she was holding in her other hand.


    The paper burned off before the spear could even cover a few hundred meters and transformed into a golden gas which reached the back of the spear. Then, the golden gas covered the spear''s body and the space around it cracked.


    The speed of the spear rose exponentially and reached the injured head of the Trihound. Ayer of crimson qi manifested over the dog and shed against the spear.


    Space cracked and shockwaves dangerous enough to instantly kill a rank 5 swept the region.


    The Trihound''s three faces, particrly the face under the attack of the spear, whimpered and put on a desperate struggle.


    The qi shield still cracked and the spear plunged itself into the hound''s skull. Unfortunately, it was only a few inches deep and couldn''t kill a rank 6 Adept creature.


    And that''s when the sound of space cracking resounded in all directions.


    The whip in Be''s hand passed through a space crack and coiled itself around the targeted injured head.


    "Ughh!" Be gritted her teeth and pulled hard. Prince Sohan and Maria held the whip and added to the pull.


    Amidst the panicked screams of the Trihound, its head was ripped off its body and rolled on the ground.


    The royal heirs looked at each other, panting in exhaustion, but with a smile stered on their face. "J-Just two more times and we''re done."


    It wasn''t as easy as it sounded. But certainly doable.


    At this moment, the Trihound did something they didn''t expect. Its two heads bent down and ate up its own head.


    "I''ve witnessed cannibalism but what the fuck is this?" An uneasy feeling swept Maria.


    "We can''t wait for it to do whatever it ns to do. Attack! Now!" Sohan raised his great sword and dashed forward.


    But the previous attack took a tool on them all. Even though he tried his best, Sohan''s speed was slowerpared to before, so was his strength.


    Maria was clear about this but didn''tin. She ran after him with Be.


    The swing of the great sword was blocked by a Qi wall this time. The beast wasn''t dumb enough to fall for the same trick.


    And they knew it too.


    "Haaa!" Be''s whip wrapped, brimming with her own Qi, reached the Qi wall. But it didn''t conflict mindlessly and instead, focused on a single portion, resulting in a sizable gap.


    A spear passed through that gap and pierced the Trihound''s second head, splitting it open and cracking it to pieces.


    The Trihound gobbled its broken head with fanatical eyes.


    "Alright, one more and we''re done." Prince Sohan took a deep breath and raised his great sword.


    "I can only do one more."


    "I might faint any moment."


    Their responses were concerning but this was the final shot.


    As they were about to squeeze out thest bit of their strength, the Trihound started cackling.


    A very human, a very creepy and a very out of ce cackle.


    "Hahahahahaha!"


    "Ahahahaha!"


    "Haa! Aaah! Ahaha!"


    Two heads grow out of their empty necks and joined in its madness.

 Chapter 1219 A Call

    ?


    The sight of a dog chasing down a grown man and two grown women was what Varian encountered when he reached the edge of the tree''s roots.


    Putting it that way seemed a little weird. Sure, the dog had three heads. The man and women were exhausted from a life threatening battle, but still.


    "Need some help?"


    He didn''t have to ask, the three ran towards him with desperate and almost¡­fanatical eyes?


    "Woah, woah, I''m not running a cult. Change that expression!" Varian backed off and starting running back.


    The royal heirs wanted to yell and call him to stop. But their throats were drier than a desert and speaking in their current condition might cause them to cough out blood than sound.


    The reason they were even able to run was their body''s instincts taking over control. As painful as their bodies felt, their instincts were clear that stopping meant certain death.


    An unusual picture formed at the roots of the great tree.


    A dog with three heads ran after three people. The three ran after a man.


    Despite his antics, Varian''s breathing was controlled and his expression was solemn.


    Using Aether pendant, he sent a message right into Maria''s head. ''What''s the dog''s strength and weakness?''


    Maria nearly fell over at the sudden voice but thankfully, she was running on autopilot and avoided a disaster.


    She didn''t know any particr weakness. But she did know the strength. It''s a damn cheat.


    ''It can grow back its heads!'' Maria''s voice screamed inside his head and Varian had to turn down the ''volume''. ''The grow back heads also let it regenerate some of its lost aura and stamina.''


    ''That''s a nasty racial talent, alright.'' Varianmented but didn''t really mean it.


    What would be really nasty was a trihound that could regenerate its severed head and all of the aura and stamina with it.


    But this one had an imperfect regeneration¡ªonly some of aura and stamina was regained.


    It was obvious from the start.


    The dog was faster than them, slowly closing the distance. But the trio weren''t even that fast in the first ce.


    Objectively, their speed was high. But for Varian, it''s like a bunch of old men and women in a running race.


    ''I remember the dog was healed back to its peak. But they managed to beat it down.'' Varian''s lips curled up and he kicked the ground with his heal.


    His silhouette blurred in the eyes of the trio andnded in between them and the trihound.


    Confronted with his sudden appearance and his threatening speed, the Trihound reacted on instinct.


    It dug its feet into the ground and slowed down before it could reach his attack range.


    "Baw! Woaw! Aoo!" The three heads each growled differently, with the same intent.


    Varian wriggled his fingers and approached his sword handle.


    The Trihound narrowed its eyes, leaned back onto its backfeet, preparing to pounce on him and rip him to shreds.


    Varian touched the handle and the hound jumped at him.


    "If you''re at your peak, I''d have a really hard time. But now, you''re exhausted in mind and body."


    The hound''s threatening ws passed beside his neck¡ªwhich they were aiming for and it''s three razor-sharp mouths bit empty space above his head which he lowered just enough.


    It was a disy of extreme skill¡ªdodging life-threatening attacks with the minimal of movements.


    What people who were born a century earlier than him couldn''t do, Varian aplished with ease.


    Without warning, his hands shot up, grabbed the thick, fused neck of the Trihound. Using the momentum of the creature that was rushing forward, he flipped in the air and mmed it on the ground.


    "Ugkk, Aarkk, Ukkk!" The three dog heads spat out blood and saliva, as their back bones cracked apart and their neck got crushed.


    "I always wanted to try this." Varian stood up, patting his hands.


    The Trihound gathered its strength and was about to attack when he mmed his foot onto its neck.


    "Now, now, don''t struggle so much." Varian''s palm covered the hound''s head and a suction force enveloped its body.


    The Trihound''s vitality flowed out of its body and some of it joined him, enhancing his strength, healing his injuries and getting him back to his peak condition.


    Varian pointed at the trio and three streams of vitality flowed out from the Trihound and started healing them.


    In ten minutes, they were healed back to perfect shape and the Trihound was on the verge of death. But it didn''t actually die.


    It was now just a bag of bones with some loose skin, but somehow, its eyes still maintained rity. It clinched onto the core of the vitality and maintained that final breath.


    So, Varian did the job and smashed its three heads at once and then struck its soul, preventing any resurrection and revenge possibility.


    As the Trihound''s body dispersed into light particles, the royal heirs ran to him.


    "Th¡­"


    The words got stuck in their throat.


    What should they say?


    They abandoned him once already. And even here, when he was chased down by Reaper and Numan, they didn''t offer any help. Instead, they were rescued.


    Sohan shook off his guilt the fastest. He did it for the mission. If he was in Varian''s n, he''d have asked the team to do the same.


    Be shrugged and stared at the cosmic structure in the distance. She''s going to jump in there sooner orter. She''s likely going to die. Guilt at this time wasn''t really helpful.


    Maria struggled a bit before grinning at him. "I knew it, you wouldn''t die no matter what happens."


    "Oh,"


    "You''re more tenacious than a cockroach."


    "Stop it." Varian sighed.


    He didn''t feel angry or betrayed by their actions. There was no bond of camaraderie in the first ce.


    But he might not stop himself from punching Maria if she kept making thosements that felt like both insults and praises.


    "It''s your mission ce, right?" He pointed to the disc-shaped ck-and-white spiral field.


    The expressions of the three turned solemn and they nodded.


    "Alright, good luck," Varian replied. "I''ll get to the safe zone and take my leave."


    Sohan gritted his teeth. "I know this is already excessive after all the help you gave us, but please, just this¡ª"


    "No." Varian was blunt and decisive. "I had my revenge. I''m satisfied."


    "But the masterminds of the attacks are those two!" Sohan pointed to the cosmic structure and continued. "I don''t understand why they showed such animosity towards you. Maybe you should know why such secretive spies from the Jai Empire want you dead."


    Varian chuckled lightly and shook his head.


    It was obvious for him now. He must''ve had a bounty on his head after messing with Miss Cmity''s enemy. But it was scary that he was spotted even when he went from one corner of the gxy to another.


    It could just be a coincidence. Or maybe their power was so great that he was spotted.


    Varian didn''t want to think about the depressing possibility and shook his head. "I do want revenge on them, but I have more pressing matters. I wish you all survive."


    The entrance to safezone was in the portals that appeared at the bottom of the roots. it was close to the cosmic structure and when Varian reached the portal, he had an unnatural feeling.


    The artifacts on his body were now shaking violently, pulling him towards the structure.


    Even then, Varian decided he''d rather visit this ceter and check out the mystery involved.


    But his wedding ring gave out a small but certain response.


    Varian froze.


    "No, you''re kidding me."


    He activated the wedding ring, poured his power into it, pushed its performance to the fullest. He could feel it a bit more clearly this time.


    Sarah''s wedding ring was nearby.


    Varian''s face paled and he walked to the confused trio with a lifeless expression. "Let''s hurry."


    "But didn''t you just¡ª"


    "Hurry!"


    And so they hurried into the cosmic structure.


    Lost Spiral.

 Chapter 1220 Spirals Of Harmony

    ?


    Varian jumped.


    He was heading toward a white spiral which was just inside the outmost ck spiral. But for absolutely no reason, his body began to spin toward the outermost spiral.


    "Woaah!"


    The three heirs were in a simr condition.


    Their vision spun as they rotated like tops on overload and they were forced to close their eyes to keep their eyes protected.


    When the spinning did stop, they were still descending. The bright white light from the adjacent white spiral began to sh on them and like a car blinker being turned on and off, their vision started going pure white and pure ck.


    ''What the fuck is this?'' Varian shielded his eyes in difort.


    As their bodies were slowly taken to the ck spiral, the lighting from any other ce, particrly the adjacent spiral was blocked off.


    Theynded on¡­nothing.


    In front of them was the spiral of darkness. It was too big for them to see it as a spiral anyway. To sight, seemed like a world of midnight.


    They were halted right in front of this weird world, one step away from a ce that reeked of mystery.


    "So we step in?" Varian was in a hurry but knew he couldn''t be reckless.


    "Hold your aura tight." Prince Sohan said something iprehensible and stepped forward.


    The darkness devoured him and he disappeared into it. The princesses followed him with a grave expression.


    It looked like he was walking into just another night street without moon or lights, but the darkness around him was¡­alive, it enveloped him like a nket and pressed his senses inward, suppressing his perception of his immediate vicinity.


    "Shit,"


    Before he could adapt to the unfriendly environment, Varian hissed as he felt something inside him click.


    Like a dam that''s broken, the aura inside him mmed against his body, trying to get out.


    Varian held it in. The experience was certainly weird and painful. It was as if he was about to burst out from the inside, exploding like an overblown balloon.


    The aura tried to leak from his pores, ears, nose, and even eyes. If he gave it even the slightest leeway, it''d begin an irreversible escapade, leaving him drained.


    "What the hell is this ce?" Varian couldn''t believe how low and strained his voice sounded.


    Even if he''s beaten ck and blue in a battle for three days, he wouldn''t sound this pathetic.


    But now, if someone heard his voice, they''d think he was holding onto hisst breath and uttering his final words.


    "This ce¡­" Sohan''s voice wasn''t any better.


    Varian could roughly sense the man''s silhouette even though he was just an arm''s length away.


    "Spirals Of Harmony, Forgotten Abode, Mother Of Ends, it has a lot of names," Maria said in a low voice.


    "Lost Spiral is older than the Alliance, the Jai Empire, and possibly even the Primordial Tribes." Prince Sohan closed his eyes and enchanted his perception of the surroundings while he spoke.


    Varian could''ve asked a lot of things. The history of this ce, the reasons behind its creation, and its functionality.


    But he didn''t.


    They weren''t readily able to speak a lot in this environment. And his blinking wedding ring was telling him that Sarah was now closer to him than before.


    It was clear that she was somewhere in the inner spirals. So, Varian asked the only question he''d ask.


    "How do I get to the next spiral?"


    "Just w¡­walk." Princess Be stuttered a little and a sizable aura leaked out of her mouth. She shut tight and stopped talking to prevent any further mishaps.


    "The first spiral. Aura Sink. You just have to walk to the next spiral." Sohan exined in her stead.


    Even though the darkness seemed to be practically pulling out their aura, the Prince was able to speak. It was no odd feat.


    Any normal warrior would''ve been embroiled in a desperate tug of war for their own aura with the surroundings.


    The ones who could speak this freely would be dubbed as elites of the elites¡ªthe true pirs of the Alliance¡ªwhich the three of them were.


    "Just walk? That''s it?" Varian was also facing difficulty in this ce, but he seemed significantly more rxed than them.


    Sohan didn''t say anymore after that and focused on stabilizing his condition. It''s not that he didn''t want to speak, he couldn''t. Those few words already pushed him to the edge.


    Maria sighed under her breath and continued where he left. "We It''s not that simple."


    "How is that hard?" Varian said and instinctually titled his head.


    An arrow grazed his neck, cut his skin open, and split open his flesh. A momentter, blood spurted out of the wound and Varian''s perception finally caught the few shadowy figures.


    They were humanoid, pitch ck from head to toe, almost like a ninja drawing by a 6-year-old.


    Some of them had swords, a few spears, and others bows and arrows.


    They had no signs of life, not even a shred of anything that an Assimtor could devour anyway.


    "It''s that hard." Maria pointed to the shadows and grunted.


    As if they were teleporting, the shadows reached them without even running and thrust out their weapons.


    Varian punched a shadow instinctually and it didn''t evenst a quarter punch. Like a soap bubble, the shadow popped.


    But there was no smile on Varian''s face. Only panic as his aura began to leak out of his arm like the floodgates were finally open.


    "Damn it!"


    He wanted to fix it right away but the shadows didn''t give him any respite and attacked. Killing them was easy but the aura loss with every move was concerning.


    By the time he killed the tenth shadow, Varian already lost a tenth of his aura. Each attack was consuming aura worth dozens of equivalent attacks.


    It was a ridiculous situation.


    Varian was at least okay but the three heirs were kneeling on the ground, panting heavily.


    ''Oh right, I''m like this even though I have massive aura reserves. They¡­they lost a quarter of their aura at least.''

 Chapter 1221 A Forbidden Ground

    Chapter 1221 A Forbidden Ground


    The journey wasn''t as easy as Varian expected.


    The unending wave of attacks consumed their aura reserves quickly, forcing them to rest every twenty minutes, dying their travel by a lot longer than Varian would''ve preferred.


    But now that it''de to this, he didn''t really want to leave them behind and go. He needed some guidance at least.


    ''What if I¡­'' Varian activated his artifacts which were still humming in weird symphony.


    The six artifacts worked together and boosted his aura recovery speed. Not all artifacts did this and the ones that did it worked on their own.


    But these six artifacts worked together and their team worker produced far more synergy, allowing a result that was easily twice or even thrice higher.


    He was only doubtful until now, but he''s certain with this. The artifacts were working ridiculously well. Something was boosting their performance.


    Varian''s aura recovery speed, which was in a dangerous condition rtive to his consumption during battle until now shifted to a different dynamic.


    A few momentster, forty shadows attacked them. Thirty rank 5s. Ten rank 6s.


    "Don''t. I''ll take care of them this time." Varian stopped his teammates and rushed into the pack.


    It was a reckless decision. Any sane man would''ve chosen to preserve his aura as much as he could and fight with the help of his team, decreasing his aura consumption and increasing damage inflicted per unit of aura.


    But Varian didn''t do all that. He just smashed.


    Like a war robot that had gone crazy, he punched, kicked and kneed the shadows. The emotion in his eyes was hard to discern, but it was definitely not one of stress.


    Of the three heirs, Maria was the only one who could tell his mood.


    ''He''s enjoying it.'' The Princess felt her view of him was already wild. But this man just kept getting wilder. ''He''s definitely enjoying it, this bastard!''


    A few momentster, Varian crushed thest shadow into pieces and cleared the ground.


    The first spiral was weird but wasn''t very dangerous in terms of shadows. Even though they had to face plenty of rank 5s and dozens of rank 6s on the way, they didn''t encounter anyone strong enough to pressure them all.


    The heirs understood this from the start. It''s apetition of endurance, not strength.


    But¡­


    "Hahaha! Go! Fucking kiss earth and die, you sneaky little bastard!" Varian stomped the shadow to a gruesome death.


    These creatures didn''t leak blood or tissues when cut open. They were utterly empty as if they were just made of paper. But nobody treated them like they were just paper dolls.


    The Shadows were far more dangerous than they now seemed.


    If not for Varian''s unnatural ability, they''d have struggled for a much longer time before finding the end of the first spiral.


    They needed to take a jump from the edge of the dark first spiral to reach the bright spiral which happened to be incredibly bright.


    "What now?"


    Standing on what seemed to be the edge of an endless ck in that was abruptly sliced off, Varian asked with genuine sincerity.


    "Your aura, hold it out." It was Prince Soham again.


    Varian heeded his advice and put a foot in.


    This time, there was no darkness. It was pure light that engulfed him. There were no forests, no towns, no settlements. Only an endless tundra at colds that put even the rank 6s at risk.


    But the real pressure came only after Varian put in the second foot.


    The aura around him agitated and fluctuated violently before drilling into his body from all his pores.


    Varian hurriedly blocked the aura but even so, he felt a painful feeling from his body. It was as if he was already full but had food shoved down his throat. It was approximately like a bloated belly but all over your body.


    ''It''s the opposite, huh.''


    The sky was imposing on them a heavy restriction from flying away. The ground is pure, smooth, and white soil.


    He looked around like a child in the horror house. Only, there could be real ghosts here.


    As if to prove his words right, three pale white spirits appeared nearby. If they put on some white robes and put on enough makeup, they could look like a magnified version of Boo, but that''s where the simrities ended.


    Instead of lunging at them, the spirits circled around them, carefully watching, treating them as prey.


    Varian stomped the ground thrice in anger. If he did it even once on Earth, the poor would''ve cracked from the North to the South Pole. But the floor didn''t even budge a little. "What kind of ground is this? This ce is weird! Even weirder than the tower!"


    He said those words clutching his stomach because all the aura that was slowly drilling into his body was racing towards his stomach, into his lower abdomen, umting into dangerous proportions.


    It was slowly heading for an explosion that would turn his stomach into pieces of flesh and bones.


    "Everything in this ce has to be weird or it makes no sense. The Spirals are older than the Alliance, the Jai Empire, and possibly even the Primordial Tribes." Prince Sohan looked around with a vignt expression while he chimed in.


    "What even is Spirals Of Harmony?" Varian asked out loud.


    "Do you know the Forbidden Grounds?"


    "No."


    "Just think of them as advanced areas based on the power of one avenue. As far as we know, there are three forbidden grounds for each avenue. This is a forbidden avenue of Order and Chaos, the third forbidden ground. Unlike other forbidden grounds which are frequented by divine rankers, no onees here."


    That was weird.


    Varian''s intuition struck. "So that''s why you''re here."


    "Yes. This region only takes in rank 6 and lower." Sohan revealed another piece of valuable information.


    Varian wanted to ask more, but the Spirits lunged at them, attacking them with full strength.


    "I''ll ask some,ter."


    The fight began.

 Chapter 1222 Admin

    Chapter 1222 Admin


    The second spiral passed without much difficulty. It was mostly thanks to Varian carrying the team, but the ''maps'' carried by Sohan and Be allowed them to avoid a lot of detours.


    The third spiral, like the first, was also a dark one.


    "The darkness is chaos and the light is order, right?" Varian gained a preliminary understanding of this region.


    "Y-Yeah¡­" Sohan nodded with an awkward smile.


    Technically, Varian wasn''t as strong as him or the princesses. When he proposed to join them, Sohan thought even though Varian might provide critical help, he''d only be assisting while they''d be leading.


    But for some reason, Varian had an insane, almost unnatural degree of control over his aura.


    "Are you sure this is your first time here?" Maria grumbled, this was the third time.


    "No, I lived here and sneaked out to tour the tower." Varian rolled his eyes. This woman might not be many things, but she''s annoying as hell.


    The third spiral was rtively less dark. Instead of the midnight, it looked like evening.


    Like the other two spirals so far, this one too had no vegetation, terrain, or uniqueness. It was endless ins covered in shadows, simr to the first spiral.


    A few shadowy figures rose from the ground. These shadows looked like ninjas on steroids. With a flip of their hand, their forearms turned into des, spears, and various weapons.


    The darkness of the realm began to shake as the shadows pointed their weapons at the team.


    The trio faced off ten rank 6s together, leaving ten rank 5s to Varian alone.


    A ck me shot out of a shadow''s arm. Varian raised his hand to swat away the fireball when it suddenly ''amplified'' in size and power.


    "Fuck!"


    Varian ducked and dodged the attack. The fireball reached Maria who was fighting in the distance. She hurriedly put up a shield.


    The shield cracked apart upon contact and the fireball struck Maria on her back. The treedy hissed in pain. It was no small injury.


    "This is a crazy ce no doubt¡­" Varian''s lips twitched at avoiding a near-death encounter.


    He swung his sword and a crimson sword aura reached one of the shadows. Facing the peak rank 5 shadow, the attack was more than enough to crush it.


    But without any warning, the sword aura diminished by 90%. The shadow raised its spear and parried the sword aura, avoiding a fate of death.


    "What an unfair ce."


    The specialty of this realm was simple.


    It''d amplify and diminish attacks¡ªboth yours and the shadows.


    The problem was that, while both parties were treated equally on paper, 99% of the time, the challengers'' attacks were diminished and the Shadows'' attacks were amplified.


    If not for the limited but definitive records of challengers reporting the amplification of their attacks and diminishment of shadows'' attacks, the desperados who challenged this ce for that sliver of luck might''ve survived.


    "Arghhh!"


    One of the attacks Be was facing expanded 10X in speed and crashed her to the ground. Luck wasn''t on her side as another attack grew 10X in power and exploded over her.


    Within seconds, the bnce was broken.


    Maria and Sohan came under immense pressure as they not only had to face three more shadows but also protect Be.


    "Oh shit," Varian clicked his tongue and leaped backward, flipping in the air elegantly. A shadow''s spear through where he stood, amplifying a dozen times and tearing the space apart.


    "How did those two manage to leave this ce?" Varian asked as he focused on dodging and observing the attacks than killing.


    The Shadows were great fighters but as peak rank 5s, they couldn''t inflict any damage on him.


    That made them excellent specimens to study how the amplification and diminishing worked.


    Because if he had to kill those rank 6 Shadows, not just here, but throughout their journey across this third spiral, he''d need to figure out a way to exploit the ''Law''.


    Without warning, a bolt of lightning streaked through the air and reached Sohan. The Prince was also besieged by four more attacks at the same time and had no luxury of dodging the lightning.


    So, he chose to block it.


    Bad call.


    The lightning expanded tenfold and grew into arge golden snake with crackling arcs. And it bit down on Sohan''s special wooden shield.


    "Arghh!"


    The Prince spasmed violently as a heavy current struck his nerves, rendering him immobile and wrecking his insides, frying him like a fish on the grill.


    Sohan too copsed, twitching from time to time.


    "Guys, looks like I have no choice now." Maria had a very reluctant but decisive expression as she reached into her storage ring.


    Varian knew that she was carrying some high-grade treasure from the start. Whenever they came close to death, she was one step away from using it.


    Be and Sohan wanted to stop her but they had no alternatives to offer. She either wasted that treasure, wasted their mission, or let things take their natural course and wee all of their death, including her own.


    "Wait a sec!" Varian shed his sword at the rank 5s attacking him. Out of the ten sword auras he used, nine were diminished and only pushed back the rank 5s. The tenth one, undiminished, obliterated the shadow.


    Sighing in relief, he jumped in front of the injured Sohan and Be, giving them cover and facing the rank 6s and the rank 5s that were now grouping with them.


    "How did the two that went before us pass this ce?" He asked.


    "I dunno." Maria bit her lip and sted away a twisting ice arrow with her spear.


    "You guys know something?" Varian didn''t turn around but Be and Sohan replied instantly.


    "No."


    Varian had the urge to roll his eyes and give them a nice kick in the butt. ''You don''t know shit and you jumped into this ce. It''s your mission and the only thing you''re supposed to do.''


    In their defense, Be and Sohan had materials and processes to be done before entering this ce. All of those things were designed to make the clearing easy.


    Unfortunately, they entered in a hurry without any preparation. To them, it''s like walking in snow butt naked but the situation was so serious and urgent that they jumped in anyway.


    It led to the current situation that was promising them a failed mission, if not death.


    "You know what, since I''m the one doing a lot of heavy lifting, I''ll need a cut of whatever you''re going to get for this mission," Varian said in a voice that left wondering the two if he was serious or joking and he dashed forward.


    "Don''t! They''re rank 6s!"


    Maria''s scream was ignored and Varian jumped right into the middle of three rank 6s.


    ''Logos, the rules of amplifying and diminishing, they''re caused a chaoticw binding this region. Right?''


    Even though it was posed as a question, Varian''s voice was too certain.


    [Yes.]


    ''Then it''s easy.''


    Varian''s lips curled into an evil grin that would''ve sent shivers down the spines of even the fiercest warriors across the gxy.


    ''I''ll be snatching the admin rights.''

 Chapter 1223 Doors Of Eternal Prison

    Chapter 1223 Doors Of Eternal Prison


    The Shadows disdained after noticing Varian''s strength and shot their elemental attacks together.


    They didn''t just want to kill him, they wanted his corpse to be shredded into pieces and scattered into the realm.


    So, those three attacks came together and the Shadows, like always, expected these attacks to amplify.


    <Diminish>


    Varian''s eyes glowed with an ominous ck light and the world froze for a moment. The darkness in the surroundings intensified and the evening atmosphere turned into one of midnight.


    The attacks¡ªlightning, ice and fire¡ªall went from strong rank 6 attacks to strong rank 5 attacks.


    Varian swatted them away with the back of his hand and drew his sword. An arc of crimson cut through the space between Varian and the shadows.


    It was his strongest attack, but nowhere enough to threaten three of these shadows.


    But the crimson arc expanded, the crimson sparks around it crackled and the arc glowed brighter than a star.


    Then¡ª


    And there''s no then.


    The crimson arc sliced through the three rank 6 Shadows, crushing their final resistance and killing them with ease.


    ''That''s a peak rank 6 power, no, maybe even rank 7?'' Varian didn''t know but he kept staring between his sword and the hundred miles of nk area where even darkness was blown away.


    For a moment, he wondered how it''d be like if he had that much power without this amplification.


    ''With one shot, I could have killed a hundred of those skeleton bastards. And Miss Cmity clone? Bitch please! I would''ve never ended up here in the first ce.''


    As his mind wandered, a scream from Maria pulled his thoughts back.


    "Arghhh!"


    Maria was also unlucky and got grazed by a few amplified attacks she desperately tried to dodge. As a result, she managed to save her life but ended up on ground, like her peers.


    Coincident or not, she was lying down right next to them.


    "Err," Maria looked at Varian and opened her mouth, embarrassment apparent on her face.


    "Go on, say it." Varian gritted his teeth as he jumped back to the guarding position and faced off against the remaining Shadows.


    "T-Thank you f-for¡­"


    "For saving your ass, the third time? Or fourth? I lost count." Varian exhaled and swung his sword thrice.


    Three crimson arcs shot out from the de, expanded, and exploded, ending all the Shadows in a blink.


    From there on, it was an easy journey.


    The fabled spiral of shadows, with legendsmenting its difficulty, turned into a literal cakewalk.


    Maria and her friends were smart enough to not poke into Varian''s secret and just remained grateful for his help.


    They didn''t know, but if they did things that crossed the line, Varian was ready to abandon them and walk in alone.


    They took on the strong rank 6s and were really helpful. But if it really came to down it, Varian could also spend a few weeks or even months to reach great strength in rank 6.


    -¡ª ¡ª- ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    The fourth spiral was one where thend was glittering with starry, ssy sand. It looked like they were standing on a ss with stars underneath. Varian didn''t want to break it and find out though.


    Interestingly, thend of the spiral vanished after reaching a ce with three doors.


    Three silvery doors with an arch, inscribed by microscopic ruins formed macroscopic images of a yin-yang fish at the center of each door.


    "What is this ce? And the doors?"


    There''s nothing in front. Unlike other ces, Varian couldn''t see the fifth spiral anywhere. It''s just void. He tried to go around the doors and step into the void. But a strong force repelled him back. If he insisted, he might get serious injuries at best and die at worst.


    "This is the only way, huh." Varian understood the nature of the test.


    [Pick The Right Door To Pass.]


    This was the <Order> of this region, modeled by a power beyond his reach. Evenpared to the safe zone, the spirals had stronger order and chaosws.


    ''This ce is rted to you, isn''t it? Logos?''


    [¡­]


    The System maintained its right to silence. But Varian wasn''t expecting an answer anyway.


    "If you pick the right door now, you just have to pick the right door for the next three times and you''re done," Be exined, putting on the look of a great schr.


    Perhaps picking four right doors to get to the next spiral was rted to the position of this spiral from the outside¡ªFourth.


    "But if you go through one wrong door, then you''ll be asked to pick from nine doors next. Wrong again? Then, twenty-seven, eighty-one, and so on." Be''s schrly face crumbled and she put on a frustrated expression.


    It was a tricky situation. If purely based on luck, there''s just around a 1% chance of getting it all right. It''s hard, but not that bad.


    "What if I get the first door wrong and the second door right?" Varian asked with a frown.


    "That''s a problem. Since your first attempt was wrong, the doors will reach nine. If you got the second door right, you''ll still have to pick from nine for the third door. If you''re right again, then nine for the fourth door and so on. When you pick four right doors consecutively, you can leave."


    The number of doors could only increase but not decrease.


    Varian rubbed between his brows.


    The chances just got worse.


    If he made just one mistake in the first door, then he''d have to pick the right one from nine for four consecutive times.


    The chances fell from around 1% to around 0.01%! Nearly a hundred times deduction!


    A second mistake means twenty-seven doors. That''s close to a 1 in a million chance. Varian didn''t even want to think about the consequences of the third mistake.


    With trembling hands, Varian raised his sword and thrust at the door with his full strength.


    Kaa!


    Not even a scratch on the door while his arms started to tingle and his palms began to bleed.


    "Don''t bother, the doors are indestructible," Be said and looked at his shocked face with a wry smile. "You can leave if you want. It''s already enough to help. Especially thest spiral, without you, we''d have all died."


    Varian was silent.


    He thought this ce was just a trial that could at most kill him. It''s a fucking prison!


    Being trapped in this ce where your chances of getting out would decrease exponentially with every wrong choice would mean prison for eternity.


    If he went it, he might never return. To Varian, such imprisonment was worse than death.


    Forget other things, such imprisonment would severely limit his chances to fight and grow stronger.


    Even if he could just practice on his own and improve his strength, for how long could he sustain here?


    How long would he remain sane while knowing this his wives, people, and race all were under unknown danger?


    Varian''s fingertips dug into his cheek as his mind went through a painful decision.


    Only Sarah''s wedding ring was here. So, that meant Sia and everyone else were safe and at home.


    He could just turn around, leave the world tree, get to the safe zone and out of the tower, and return to Hortus right away.


    It''s that simple. It wouldn''t take more than five minutes.


    It''s a very simple decision to take. One wife or one wife and everything else?


    The Emperor of Humans always considered himself rational. For a rational man, the decision in the current situation was obvious.


    "Haaa!" Varian took a deep breath and closed his eyes shut.


    "I''m sorry," He stepped forward. "I just want to be a fool now."

 Chapter 1224 Child Of Darkness

    Chapter 1224 Child Of Darkness


    When Varian opened the door, he and the others found themselves staring at nine doors. These arched doors were still silver, but a shade darker.


    Perhaps it was a sign that they had strayed off the right path.


    Varian sighed under his breath. ''Wrong choice.''


    Despite having the best chance at the first attempt, he picked one of the two wrong doors.


    Maria, Be and Sohan took out a few treasures to work something out.


    Varian let them and did his own thing. He began scanning the doors, with his individual powers and then through his fused powers.


    But his perception¡ªwhich was like a sensitive¡ªjust disappeared when it touched the doors.


    It was nk.


    The heirs tried out their treasures and picked the door most likely to be right.


    Click!


    When the door swung open, they were greeted with twenty-seven doors, still silver, but now visibly darker.


    "Ugh!" Varian clenched his jaw and grimaced.


    They were literally in a strip ofnd floating in a dark void. There was nothing around them, nowhere to escape, save for the cryptic doors.


    They couldn''t jump out, an invisible barrier was keeping them locked here. They couldn''t destroy the strip ofnd and go underground¡ªthe in brown ground was, for all intents and purposes, indestructible.


    "I''ll try this time." Varian used his senses to figure out a difference. It all felt the same. It was all nk.


    Click!


    The next choice opened to eight-one doors.


    It''s over. It''s all over!


    They hadn''t even gotten one door right yet!


    Be stared ahead with a nk gaze, a sheen of sweat visible on her neck as were the drops of blood leaking down her bitten lip.


    Sohan was sighing under his breath and only Maria looked unbothered. Varian, on the other hand, was lost in thought.


    Even if by miracle, they get this one right, they had to get the next three continuously right or they''d start all over again.


    The four of them looked at each other and saw confusion reflecting back.


    Locked away in a dark prison you could never escape was a fate worse than death. Perhaps at least one of them must''ve thought of killing themselves if they get trapped here.


    But it was too early to give up. They had no choice but to keep going. So they did.


    Click!


    Click!


    Click!


    ¡­


    Click!


    The sound of every door opening resulted in disappointment, consuming their hopes, gnawing onto their will and eating into their confidence.


    When the 13th door opened and more than a million doors presented themselves in front of them, the group stopped.


    Be slumped on the ground and let out a mockingughter, mixed with sorrow. Sohan''s clenched jaw opened and closed, as the man tried to speak and appear undefeated. But the only thing that came out of his mouth was a defeated silence.


    "W-Why is it like this? Which motherfu¡ª" Maria rubbed her forehead and started a string of vile curses.


    Varian ignored the three of them and stared at the doors with a thoughtful gaze.


    He had been through the same thing as they were.


    He was hit as hard by disappointment as them, lost as much confidence as they did and was despairing as they were.


    And unlike them who had more than a century of experience and ''lived'' a sizable life, he wasn''t even twenty.


    He hadn''t seen anything yet.


    So, he was scared. More scared than anyone here. Absolutely horrified at the possibility of being locked away forever.


    But he was even more scared about getting out of herte and witnessing Sarah''s dying face.


    Even though it was just a figment of his imagination, her once mischievous face now smeared in blood, her peaceful blue eyes dimming and her warmth body turning cold¡­


    It as a nightmare to live he never wanted to experience.


    ''Something! There has to be something!''


    Varian rubbed through the smooth but tough texture of the doors, and examined the microscopic runes on the doors as well as the yin-yang symbol at the center.


    String after string of information he wouldn''t have cared otherwise kept stacking up in his brain, hoping to be used for a solution.


    ''Are these clues?''


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    A stunning beauty, who looked no more than 24, stood in the Everyone else gave up.


    But Varian continued. With care, focus, and most of all, fear, he continued inspecting the million doors, one at a time.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    A stunning beauty, who looked no more than 24, stood in the all-expansive, all-devouring darkness.


    Her long silver flowed down to her waist and swayed gently with the aura fluctuations, the ruby red eyes shone brightly.


    Even though he was a prince, Baldur wasn''t a lecherous person unlike some of his half-brothers and half-sisters.


    Yet, he''d be lying if he said he hadn''t seen many beauties over the years. Perhaps too many to the point.


    But the woman in front of him was in another league. Like a goddess descending into the mortal world, she was otherworldly.


    Baldur, however, didn''t even dare to look up at her. He kept his head bowed and eyes closed.


    The killing intent and power radiating out from here were literally slicing his skin and bleeding him.


    ''Even if a man looks at her with lust, the fear he''ll feel from her will make such thoughts impossible.''


    Baldur shivered. Whenever he''d think of her the next time, the emotion apanying him would be fear. Nothing else.


    "What happened after my disappearance?" Her voice was cold, arrogant, and indisputable.


    "Y-Your m-mother o-ordered the destruction of your h¡­h-home world¡­"


    Space froze. Time seemed to stop flowing.


    Isador closed her eyes.


    A familiar darkness.


    It was space at the edge of the milky way. The light was sparse and matter was scarce.


    There was darkness here and darkness alone. The fluctuations of life, the movement ofs, even the light from the stars¡ª


    everythinging from the gxy was devoured by the endless darkness.


    In that darkness floated a baby.


    With eyes open staring, thoughts still broken and immature, the baby took in the darkness with its tiny, fragile arms. Like the mother it never was, the darkness took in the baby.


    For nine whole months, the baby survived in a hostile vacuum, harmful radiation, and unknown fragments floating around.


    The darkness twisted around the baby, forming a caring embrace and protecting her from all harm.


    And the baby rested, treating it as her mother''s womb¡ªsafe,forting, and warm.


    But the baby had no mother and no matter how close it felt to the darkness, it couldn''t survive in the space forever.


    The baby''s own instincts sensed this and floated it away to the nearest signs of life.


    It was a primitive where beasts roamed free and chaos reigned supreme. The sentient beings¡ªhumans¡ªbanded together in small cities and towns¡ªprotecting each other from the wild.


    On that fateful day, this civilization that was struggling to survive against the horde saw a baby descending from the sky.


    "D-Divine Blessing!"


    The sun''s light was scared away, the beasts that approached the city backed away and the fear in their hearts melted away.


    The people stared at the baby and got onto their knees.


    God has sent them his own child to save them.

 Chapter 1225 Parallel Decisions

    Varian frowned as he noticed something minuscule after observing more than a million doors.


    The 1st spiral was rted to chaos, 2nd to Order. So, this one, the 4th spiral belonged to Order.


    So, out of all this doors, there was one door with a specific rule that allows them a path to exit.


    But there are strong anti-identificationws on all doors preventing anyone from gaining any information about these doors.


    That''s why they all looked the same to Varian''s senses. There wasn''t a difference even in their microscopic runes.


    ''However, the number of doors are increasing. The number ofws needed to keep them are also increasing.'' Varian''s eyes shone.


    This whole structure was formed long ago. The spiral''s settings were already set. The amount of energy andws it could deploy were fixed.


    Of course, this was done by very powerful beings, perhaps beings equivalent to gods or close.


    So, it''s very hard for even a rank 9 Order or Chaos awakener to spot the ''Exit'' Law and identify the right door.


    However, what if thew gets stretched?


    Not just to a million doors, but a billion, a trillion, a quadrillion or a quintillion?!


    "Hahahahaha!" Varian threw his head back and burst outughing.


    It was so intense that he fell onto the ground, his stomach hurt, but he clutched his abdomen and didn''t stop.


    "Yes! That''s it! You fucking bastard! I won! Not you! You can''t trap me!"


    Like a madman who worshipped cosmic evil, like a scientist who made the vilest virus, he cackled.


    Be who was grieving looked up at Varian with a mix of sympathy and regret. Seeing him being so focused until now, she thought at least he could find a way.


    Even though it''s shameful to throw her hopes onto a stranger, Be was desperate. Varian''s feats in the short time she knew him created a sense of trust in him she didn''t realize until this moment.


    But when even he went crazy, all her hopes were crushed.


    Sohan only felt ashamed for calling Varian here. He harmed his brother''s benefactor.


    Maria, on the other hand, dashed to Varian and shook his arm. "Tell me, what did you find out? Tell me!"


    Unlike the two, she was confident in him. It was to the point she believed him more than she believed herself. But Maria couldn''t really help it.


    On several asions when it should''ve been impossible, Varian made it happen and defiedmon sense.


    "It''s simple." Varian took a few quick breaths and ran to a door. "Just keep going!"


    Click!


    "No. They''re still strong."


    Click!


    "More!"


    Click!


    "Not enough!"


    Click!


    As Varian chased a dream only he could see, the three heirs followed.


    Click! Click! Click! Click!


    "Yes, this is it! This is it!"


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    The fifth spiral was a bit interesting.


    The trial was simple: You bet.


    A rank of your divine path or two.


    If it''s heads, you can go to the next spiral.


    If it''s tails or some other weird tilt, you''d have to bet again.


    Your powers would be gone for 1 day for the 1st bet, 1 year for 2nd, 1 century for 3rd, and forever for the 4th.


    Even though it was intriguing, neither ughter Shade nor Hollow wanted to y by the rulers.


    Hollow raised inconspicuous scepter. The space distorted and the invisible all-ruling rules of the space began to distort.


    The scepter''s power, by sheer aura, was not enough to overturn the entire spiral. But its quality was enough to supersede the existing rules in a small ce for a moment.


    That was enough.


    With a single jump, Hollow and ughter Shade left the fifth spiral and made their way to the sixth.


    The final spiral had the test of opening a seal.


    ughter Shade came forward and rolled a dice into the air. The seal opened up by itself and they moved forward.


    As they reached the edge of the final spiral, a stunning sight of a cosmic disc¡ªborne from a mix of light and darkness presented itself.


    It reminded Hollow of the yin-yang fish. The concept of contrasting yetplementary duality. Order, Chaos, and the Harmony that results from them.


    The two didn''t step forward immediately. Instead, they sat down and rested.


    Even though using they only used the artifacts to pass the spirals, using the artifacts was a heavy burden in itself.


    Moreover¡­


    Hollow and ughter Shade both looked at their respective treasures. Compared to when their first usage, they had greatly dimmed. They could barelyst another use.


    But it didn''t matter. One more use and their mission would be fulfilled. The two Jai Empire minions walked straight, without looking at each other.


    As for anyone following them up and messing things up?


    Heh!


    This ce had gone into an ultra-high difficulty mode for the past 500 years thanks to a certain divine ranker. The difficulty woulde down in a few years. But until then, there''s no way anyone would be getting this far.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Sarah opened her eyes in confusion.


    She was in a¡­


    "What the¡ª"


    She was standing on a disc-shapednd that stretched out to edges she couldn''t perceive.


    All she did know was that the ground she was standing on¡ªif it could even be called ground¡ªwas made up of twinkling stars floating in a sea of darkness.


    In a sense, it looked like the 2-D version of the gxy printed into the floor. Except it was real.


    Sarah tried to look around, but the blinding brightness and engulfing darkness that existed simultaneously rendered her helpless.


    But somehow, even in that state, she was able to feel something.


    Something from deep within. A call that came from primordial times to the depth of her soul.


    A cry of joy, ament of sorrow, and a sigh of relief.


    Emotions she couldn''t understand flooded her mind. The closest thing to it was a long-lost rtive finding her and venting her emotions.


    Sarah bit her lip and forced herself to calm down. She asked Oob to send her here for an important reason.


    Sia and Enigma were fighting an uphill battle they could lose at any moment. Varian wasn''t there to help. She''s the only one who could do something.


    "I, the Scion Of Devas, am here to receive the inheritance." Her words echoed, but no response came.


    Sarah gave it some thought and changed her words. "I, the Scion of Ares Tribe, the sessor, and inheritor, am here to receive the inheritance."


    A response came from the void. It was a voice that didn''t have a gender, but it was old, indifferent, and¡­dead.


    [The time isn''t up yet, Heir Of Ares.]


    Sarah''s heart nearly leaped to her throat. She couldn''t sense anything outside. The brightness and darkness were all around, no, they were around her. Like armor, they were enveloping her, messing with her perception of the outside world.


    She could only perceive the most basic of things. The gxy-like floor, the empty space around her, and a few¡­


    "Huh?"


    A cluster of light, twisting violently, distorting the space-time fabric by its mere presence. It was standing just in front of her, just at arm''s reach.


    [But so is the time of removing the restrictions. Since the existing conditions were broken, new conditions shall be brought into ce.]


    The light cluster gently reached her and attached itself right above her heart. Then, it dissolved inside.


    Sarah could feel the light cluster right with her thumping heart.


    [The inheritance has recognized and chosen you. It had no right to be free a few years before the agreed time, but it will be considered as the new condition.


    You are allowed only a spark of inheritance. The restriction shall be lifted if you pay the corresponding price ¡ª stay in this ce and survive.]


    A surge of power swept through Sarah, pushing her power to levels she didn''t know were possible.


    The space around her distorted and cracked apart as the sudden power proved too much to bear.


    Sarah didn''t bother trying to suppress it and instead fell into thought.


    [You can leave safely, without the inheritance if you wish to.]


    The voice said.


    Sarah closed her eyes. Fear enveloped her, and drowned her heart and mind. She didn''t know this strange, eerie ce.


    It was unlike anything she''d seen or heard. It screamed of danger. She wanted nothing more than to return to the sr system and her warm home.


    But¡­


    ''I''m scared of dying¡­but I''m more scared of living doing something I''d never forgive myself for.''


    Sarah''s voice was determined. "I''m staying, but how long do I need to survive?"


    [Two full breaths of Ares.]


    ''Ares hour?''


    The cluster of light seemed to feel her confusion and gave an information she could understand.


    ''A-An whole earth day?''


    Sarah had an ominous foreboding.


    A few secondster, the arrival of two creatures proved her intuition right.

 Chapter 1226 Guardian

    The fifth spiral was easy.


    You toss a coin, bet on how it goes. If you win, you get to the next spiral. If you lose, you lose the wager¡ªat least one rank of your divine path per person.


    The reason it''s tough was naturally the set up being an oue of luck. But that''s only a superficial understanding.


    Nothing here really worked on luck. It''s all skill. And skill in the powers of order and chaos.


    Varian bet his rank infused the coin with his order and chaos powers. He didn''t even bother using the sliver powers here. And he wagered three ranks of his Adept Powers.


    [Betmencing]


    An invisible and unstoppable force swept Varian. A portion of his strength vanished into thin air. The void was obvious, like someone had just ripped out his muscles minus the pain.


    Maria wanted to be the one taking the risk and seeing him like this, guilt filled her face.


    "Don''t worry about it." Varian didn''t look back, though sweat trickled down his face and his body shuddered from the abrupt weakening.


    "It''ll be back in 3, 2,¡ª"


    The coinnded.


    There wasn''t any deviation in the angle, preventing any room for arguments. The bet wasplete.


    Varian grunted as his strength returned and moved on.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    The sixth spiral, also the final one, was simpler.


    There was arge sealed door standing between them and the center of this ancient structure. On the in white door, the seal was the inscription of three intersecting triangles.


    "Leave it to me." Prince Sohan couldn''t bear being useless any longer. He burst out with full strength and attacked the seal.


    An extremely tiny cracked appeared on a triangle.


    "¡­" Be who wanted to step forward to join halted and sighed.


    Sohan, however, looked back, focusing his gaze on Varian and said with a solemn expression. "I''ll get this done. Just a few hours. Take some rest."


    Maria thought it was fair. Since Varian literally carried them here, they should do their part when they could.


    Moreover, those two spies couldn''t have gone far. Even with someone as absurd as ''Baldur'' could only take them this far, others stood no chance.


    Maria swung her spear and aimed at the seal. "Yeah, take it easy, we''ll clear this."


    Varian would''ve appreciated their enthusiasm any other time. He had no shame freeloading a bunch of royalty, especially after helping them so much.


    But the situation was urgent.


    The wedding ring which was blinking violently so far stopped three minutes ago. Allmunication was cut off.


    Varian''s heart was thrashing against his chest and his throat had already gone dry. He didn''t want to assume the worst. No.


    He hoped Sarah was fine. Perhaps it''s just some location or treasure that blocked perception. But maybe, it''s because she fell into a dangerous ce that locked her out.


    Eitherway, he had to reach her.


    Varian was no stranger to close saves. He himself would''ve died if things were just even one second off and he saved many that would''ve otherwise died a secondter.


    More than anyone else, Martyr Skad, the man who gave up his life to block Mirage Queen for two mere minutes taught him how valuable time really was.


    "Move." Varian''s tone wasn''t harsh but it was certainly forceful.


    The surprised heirs stopped their actions and stepped aside in confusion, wondering if they offended him somehow.


    Varian walked to the seal and ced his palm on it.


    Like a small stream, dreamy white and deathly ck lights rushed out of his palm and drilled into the seal.


    Even though the heirs felt a mysterious power in the air, they couldn''t identify what Varian was using.


    They assumed it was one of his many treasures, but for some reason, it made them feel small.


    With a push of his palm, three lines appeared on the crack and then it began to shake.


    Varian stepped back and watched the great door crumble with impatient gaze.


    When it did, he bolted out.


    Not to be outdone, the heirs followed.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    The center of Lost Spiral, once hailed as the hive of secrets and the nest of mysteries, was said once said to be a small gxy in itself.


    Legend goes that the vas gxy¡ªincluding all the stars in it werepressed by a god into a nar surface¡ªand used as the center of this spiral.


    As they stepped onto the floor that looked like pure ss containing twinkling stars, Maria couldn''t dismiss the myth anymore.


    There was something incredibly bright at the center of this region¡ªbrighter than even the greatest stars she''d seen.


    ''A celestial is like a star, my child. But a divine ranker? A divine ranker is brighter than ten, thousand stars.''


    The nagging words of her grandma suddenly made more sense. The moment she stepped into this ce, a sense of humility filled her soul, as if she was a lowly being walking into a holy temple, whose existence was descareted by her mere presence.


    It''s like an invisible pressure spread throughout the region, making everything more mentally exhausting.


    That''s the case for her, Be, Sohan and¡ª


    "Hm?"


    ''Baldur'' didn''t seem to be bothered by the pressure. Was he even feeling it?


    He looked around frantically, his eyes bloodshot, chest heaving up and down as he clutched at his hair.


    Maria subconsciously stepped back.


    No matter the situation, ''Baldur'' had always been calm. Even when they were chased down by Reaper on the 29th floor, he was just worried but didn''t go emotionally unstable.


    But now¡­


    "Haaa!"


    "Haaa!"


    Heavy breaths rang in silence.


    "You''re kidding me," His voice was low.


    He clenched his fists with a crushing grip and growled. "This must be a joke, because if it''s not¡ª"


    A thick killing intent exploded out of him, shooting into the sky like beam of light.


    A crimson sky materialized for a moment, negative emotions that''d corrupt even Sovereigns if they''re in the vicinity flooded the ce.


    Varian took one step forward and vanished. With a surprised yelp, Maria followed.


    A few secondster, she saw him and three others.


    The floor didn''t even have a single pothole but the aura reflecting off was enough to instantly kill even a rank 4.


    Violent aura storms swept the area, shockwaves of attacking shing with them and changing their courses.


    Varian stood frozen like a statue.


    "Fucking¡­" Maria cursed as she drew out her spear, as did Be and Sohan.


    A humanoid creature, whose body was enveloped with a light of ck and white power¡ªthe familiar power of Order and Chaos¡ªwas facing off against the spies.


    Neither Hollow nor ughter Shade had serious injuries. But they weren''t exhausted either.


    With each blow exchanged, the humanoid creature came out on top and inflicted damage. However, the two spies who should''ve been panicking were very calm.


    ''How did they even get here so fast in the first ce?'' Maria was shocked and realized that just like her who was entrusted ''special treasures'' for the task, they too must''ve been given treasures and even more than what she received.


    "Huh? How did you even get here?" Hollow, in the body of Captain Light, looked at them in surprise. "But don''t worry, you''ll die soon."


    ughter Shade turned his gaze onto Varian. This bastard was the reason his brother was cruelly killed in Centaurus! "I''ll enjoy crushing you."


    Maria sent him a message. ''W-We''ll let them fight it out first and then attack.''


    Varian, however, paid neither of them any attention. He was staring nkly at the humanoid creature, his sword unsheathed at some point and his grip on it growingly so hard that his palm started to bleed.


    "You!" Varian stared at the humanoid creature with rage as he growled, blood leaking down his lips. The wedding ring''s signalst came out of this thing. This damnable thing!


    "Give it to me! Give me what you took!" He screamed.


    An emotionless voice rang in the void.


    [Kill the guardian to retrieve its possession.]

 Chapter 1227 Great Harvester

    Varian''s rage caught everyone offguard.


    Even the spy duo thought he''d wait for his chance to attack them once they''re weakened.


    Varian did none of that.


    He kicked the floor violently and his figure shed forward. The sword in his hand swung like a violent mace and struck the guardian.


    The guardian raised its hand at thest moment and blocked his attack. In terms of pure strength, Varian lost out and as a result, he was sent back flying as if he was hit by a speeding truck.


    But unlike unawakened, things didn''t end with him crashing into the air.


    The space under his legs solidified, providing him a tform and Varian kicked it hard, using it as a springboard to bounce back.


    All six artifacts appeared on him, bringing his condition to the peak.


    The tip of the demon sword''s de glowed with a brilliant mix of seven colors, each signifying its own power. On top of these seven powers came twoyers of white and ck.


    The guardian sensed the danger and used its full power. The darkness on its perfectly symmetrical ck and white armor glowed and a heavy shield materialized, intended to block his attack. The white part glowed and a sword materialized, intending to kill him right after.


    Varian didn''t care.


    Something happened to Sarah.


    Did she die? Kidnapped? Why was her wedding ring even here?


    This guardian was lifeless. It wasn''t even an Undead. It''s like a lightning bird elementals used to create. A puppet of the owner. So, who created this guardian and why did they target Sarah?


    Varian wanted answers.


    BOOM!


    Space cracked open as an aura shockwave pushed back everyone¡ªincluding ughter Shade and Hollow.


    The tip of demon sword glowed with the brilliance of a star and pierced through the full defense of the guardian.


    Layers uponyers of ck shield materialized, slowing down the sword but failing in stopping it.


    The tip of the sword dug into the guardian''s chest.


    "Krgggh!" The guardian screamed, its voice inhumane, rough and creepy.


    The white sword pierced through Varian''s chest, plunging straight into his heart.


    The guardian stared at him, it had a ck orb and white orb for eyes. And those eyes stared at him with hatred and rage.


    "Datsa Siarx Searq!" It spewed some gibberish and then punched him in the stomach.


    Varian flew back, rolling on the ground before stabilizing on a single knee. A gaping hole on his chest showed his thumping heart, now severed into two, but quickly healing.


    Blocking it off with his space power, Varian stood up and cracked his neck. Without sparing anyone a single nce, he jumped at the guardian.


    ughter Shade and Hollow, on the other hand, faced off the royal heirs with a half-astonished and half-disdaining expression.


    "How did you evene here?" Hollow asked.


    "That''s what we should be asking." Maria growled.


    Hollow scoffed, nced at Varian for a moment before turning to her. "Let that boy settle his issues while I finish you off."


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Sarah was furious and scared. Right after the notification, two silhouettes in a weird ck and white bodysuit appeared and started attacking her.


    They weren''t humans, for certain. She doubted if they were even living. They didn''t give off any vitality.


    She managed to fight them off with the sudden strength boost she received. But something about them kept her on her toes.


    It was as if they could kill her at any moment. Unlike her husband, dancing at the edge of death''s doorstep wasn''t something she enjoyed at all.


    Adding to her woes, four more of these strange creatures appeared.


    Other than differing heights, they all had the same appearance. Even their swords had the same design of ck and white.


    They looked likeic characters but the danger they gave off nearly pushed her into despair.


    Then out of the neers, one weirdo stared at her with a furious beast.


    She could clearly feel that he wasn''t the strongest here. But somehow, he felt the most dangerous.


    He roared something in aliennguage and in a hoarse, creepy voice. And then he attacked.


    The first attack seemed impulsive outburst. Sarah too thought he got enraged for some reason and could easily kill him using his anger against him.


    Losing emotions in a battle was one of the worst mistakes you could do and it''s very, very likely to take your life.


    But it turned out, it was all an act.


    Perhaps his emotions were real. But the show of his impulsive attack? That was definitely a fake.


    Sarah realized this when he cleverly made some subtle but critical adjustments at thest moment. And then, he jumped on for the next attack! This one was the real attack and the killer move.


    The killer''s sword glowed with a brilliant white and ck light¡ªjust like his skin or bodysuit¡ªand broke down all the shields she set up.


    Blood spilled out her chest and Sarah could feel the tear in her heart. If the sword stayed even for one more second, it''d have sted her heart off and killed her.


    "You, I''ll kill you!" Sarah warned.


    The two shed again.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Maria, Be and Sohan retreated with injuries. This was their third failure.


    "You know, it''s time to stop pretending." Hollowmented.


    Princess Maria gnashed her teeth and looked at him like she was going to drink his blood.


    "There''s a reason we never tried to seriously kill you." He took out a scepter and raised into the air.


    Almost instinctively, Maria retrieved a green card from her storage ring. Be pulled out a silver bell and Sohan ripped out a red bead from his chest.


    Varian and the guardian stopped fighting and looked in their directions.


    An oppressive aura filled the space, a pressure far beyond rank 6 began to weigh down.


    Varian and the guardian struggled to move, desperately trying to resist the pressure.


    "Don''t bother, boy," Hollow scoffed. "I don''t even know what that guardian is supposed to be for? We were just ying with it and you got angry over what?"


    Varian gritted his teeth and tried to raise his sword against the guardian. It seemed like even in this situation, he was hell bent on killing it.


    ughter Shade chuckled for the first time. Narrowing his eyes, he said in a venomous tone. "You want to kill that thing so much? Then you can''t."


    A heavy pressure swept over Varian, freezing him in ce.


    "I''ll kill that thing in front of you, just to spite you. And then I''ll take you out of this ce, into a living hell."


    Leaving those ominous words, ughter Shade looked at Hollow with a pensive expression.


    Hollow lied. The reason they were fighting this guardian that had nothing to do this mission was something else.


    They both had one super artifact with one usage left. To defeat the monstrosity they''d face, they''d need that treasure.


    But if one member used that treasure and other didn''t, what would happen? The remaining treasure would be used on the other and kill him.


    ughter Shade knew he''d do it if he could and so would Hollow.


    They were teammates, but it''s only because of their respective bosses'' order. There''s no loyalty or camaraderie between them.


    Even brothers would turn again each other for the item they''d have to retrieve, much less members from opposite associations.


    The brief battle with the guardian was essentially a farce. They''re testing each othering out, wondering if there''s a chance to force the other party to use their treasure to kill this puny guardian.


    That way, they could use their super treasure to finish them off along with the monstrosity.


    Before they could decide anything, these annoying bugs popped up.


    But ughter Shade wasn''t really worried. He''d win. Like he always did.


    "Well, well, well," Hollow chuckled and looked up into the space. "I''ll stop beating beating around the bush. We are all here for one thing."


    The expression of the royal heirs crumbled and they were about to use their artifacts at once. ughter Shade took out a dice and another heavy pressure swept the space.


    Maria gritted her teeth but stopped trying to activate the card. Fighting now would only waste the treasures and make them lose the chance to retrieve what they came for.


    Hollow enjoyed the struggles on her face and announced in a grand voice. "Oh, Well Of Exchanges, I want to retrieve the leftovers of the Great Harvester. What is the price?"


    The ancient, emotionless and deep voice sounded.


    [Destroy his corpse.]


    As it said so, arge headless humanoid, whose head if it''s still attached, would be still as big as earth, materialized.


    The aura of a peak rank 9 filled the space.


    "You¡­" All hope from Maria''s face faded and she activated her artifact without hesitation.


    As did everyone else.


    Three vague phantoms materialized in front of the heirs while the scepter and the dice floated into the air.


    All five faced against the headless corpse.


    Five rank 9 auras filled the space.


    The corpse took a single step forward.


    An even more overwhelming aura rose and crushed those five auras.


    "DIE!"

 Chapter 1228 Great Horror

    ?


    Varian had only heard of the legends of divine rankers. He had never seen them.


    But when that headless titan corpse walked, his heart stopped beating for a moment as an overwhelming sense of oppression crushed his very soul.


    The fury burning his soul came to a halt and the realization of his current situation set in.


    ''W-What the fuck are they¡­''


    The three phantoms were floating above the ground, each of them as tall and wide as a hundred-storey corporate office.


    The scepter engraved with unknown runes and the dice whose sides change every moment, erged to the size of a small moon.


    Yet, they all paled in front of the enormous titan. Each of his fists was asrge as Earth''s moon.


    And he was tall.


    So tall¡­that if he put his feet on Earth, he''d touch the moon with his fingers.


    It was unlike any other creature Varian experienced to date. Even more overwhelming than the enormity of this monster was its aura.


    Varian felt like a speck of dust floating in front of a zing sun, about to be melted away.


    It was the most insignificant he had ever felt in his life. Even when he remained unawakened for years and hit rock bottom, he hadn''t felt this terrible.


    ''I¡­am nothing¡­''


    All pride melted away, leaving him shaking as the overwhelming aura yed with him as it ced. He stood like a grass de in a fierce wind, unable to resist and out of control of his own future.


    ''W-What¡­'' Varian gritted his teeth and tried to raise his head, to at least look up at this opponent.


    His bones began to creak and a terrible pain spread from his neck. The muscles around his neck started to break down and blood spilled out of his neck.


    Even the healing powers he was so proud of were severely suppressed under this monstrosity and were barely working.


    As Varian struggled more and more, his condition grew worse and worse. He reached a point where trying to raise his neck any further would mean his head would leave his torso.


    ''D-Damn it!''


    The System, witnessing all this, secretly sighed in relief.


    There were things it could do now, but it''d only to a worse oue. The temporary good it could achieve, whatever it might be, would be thoroughly dwarfed by the future that''d result.


    [Host, the thing you want to fight against existed for more than 10,000 years. And you? You''re not even 20.]


    Varian closed his eyes and exhaled deeply as if he was letting out frustration.


    None of the powerhouses made him feel so helpless. That''s why he was so desperate.


    He wanted to prove that he wasn''t helpless. Even if it was something as small as raising his head, he was in control.


    But even that became an unattainable aspiration.


    It was as if none of his strength, experience, and wisdom could ever amount to anything in front of that divinity.


    [This isn''t a true divine ranker. It''s just a corpse with some traces of divinity. Its strength is at the edges of celestial boundaries.


    Like the woman titled Cmity, she too is at the edge of celestial boundaries, about to be a divine being. This corpse is significantly weaker than the woman.


    She just never used her full power to look through you, so you didn''t feel the suppression from her.]


    ''¡­I guess I was damn lucky.'' Varian shuddered.


    "DIE!"


    A palm covered the sky and fell down, like the divine judgment announcing the end of the world.


    The three phantoms attacked.


    Blinding light exploded out of their aura and blocked Varian from even watching what was going on.


    It all happened in an instant.


    One moment, Varian was watching a palm fall down and the very next, a blinding explosion of three different colors swept thend.


    Since the heirs were weak, the phantoms used some barriers and diverted the fight away from them. In a sense, even a thousandth of the force didn''t leak out.


    Yet, Varian was swept away like he was hit by a tornado, his bones breaking and his body twisting.


    The lights shed again and again.


    Varian''s perception of time began to dull and his consciousness was struggling to hold on.


    ''F-Fuck!''


    Varian upgraded his Adept to rank 6 temporarily and made some subtle but critical changes to his body, ensuring him the best chances in the environment.


    And then, he lost consciousness.


    When he opened his eyes, all he could see was endless cracks in the space, as if ck broken mirrors were floating around.


    More than a billion miles away, the Headless corpse was on its knee. The phantoms were fading and the artifacts were cracking.


    The guardian was thrown somewhere far away, a mysterious light was leaking out of its body, protecting it and repairing its damage.


    Varian could almost swear he saw something like blood leaking out of it for a moment but when he focused again, there was no such thing.


    The fire that was forcibly doused started burning again.


    There''s a chance that Sarah''s wedding ring was just stolen. But why would anyone do that?


    It was the best thing Varian could do at that time, but it could only resist a rank 2 attack. It had no use for someone as strong as this guardian.


    The only reason the guardian had it was as a trophy. Trophy of the predator.


    Varian''s mind went into overdrive and he saw Sarah lying on this same floor, blood leaking out her neck.


    She struggled to hold onto herst breath.


    "Argh!"


    And she was staring into the distance, waiting for a help that never came.


    "Arghhhhhh!"


    Rage engulfed Varian and he reached into his storage ring, deciding to unleash the one thing that he kept as his trump card.


    [Host, Don''t! Wait! Just a moment! Please stop!] The System screamed in his mind, its usual voice now quivering.


    "W-Why?" Varian gritted his teeth, anger evident in his tone. "Why should I stop?"


    As if answering his question, boisterousughter resounded throughout the space. The endless space turned purple and an aura tsunami swept everything.


    Like the roar of a thousand thunders, a voice, old and deep, dered.


    "My time has finallye. The world will now see the birth of a new god."

 Chapter 1229 Prelude To The Birth Of A God

    ?


    Arge phantom head materialized beside the corpse. Unlike the solid body, it was just a soul. But even the soul was iplete.


    The battle between the headless corpse and the temporary allies was about to end in a defeat for the corpse.


    But the appearance of the phantom, whose power was as good as the headless corpse flipped the situation.


    "F-Fuck!" Hollow, who had always been calm andposed, was the first to break out of his shock and curse. "Great Harvester, how are you even alive?"


    "Why not? The thing I came for is finally about to be mine." The phantom head''s gaze turned towards the guardian who was only getting up now.


    "The thing you came for?" Hollow repeated in confusion before his eyes went wide. "E-Everything was a lie! You killing a hundred rank 9s and stealing their essence to create a divine crystal for your deification! Then escaping into the tower! It''s all a lie!"


    The expressions of the heirs also turned ugly at his words.


    A long time ago, a man named Great Harvester, created his own legend by hunting down a hundred rank 9s of the Alliance. But during his time, some rank 9s of the Jai Empire also mysteriously died.


    Once his kill count crossed a hundred, a rumor that he was using them in a special sacrifice to forge his divinity spread. He was said to be chased down and escaped into the tower, dived into the Lost Spiral where he ultimately died.


    But to protect the ''thing'' he created for his deification, the ''Divine Crystal''¡ªas the rumors called it¡ªhe asked for an exchange.


    He sacrificed his own life and put a heavy restriction on who could enter for the next thousand years.


    "It was only half truth." Harvester admitted with a smug chuckle. "I had always been aiming to enter this tower."


    He flipped his hand and a purple forcefield formed around the guardian, imprisoning it.


    The guardian mmed against the forcefield but it was powerless against the tremendous strength of a powerhouse that nearly touched the divine ranks.


    "Quiet," He red at the guardian and snapped his fingers. The guardian froze like a statue and fell limp to the ground.


    His voice rang straight in the guardian''s head, hidden from everyone else.


    ''I have things to ask you before I end you. Why did the legacy choose you? Who the hell are you? I''m in a good mood now, so prepare to reveal everything while I''m still in a good mood. Maybe I can let you live. As my ve, spreading my glory. Hahahaha!''


    The guardian tried to resist but against the overwhelming power, it couldn''t even move its finger.


    Harvester turned to the royal heirs as well as the Jai Empire spies with a smug smile. "I am feeling generous today. Be my ves and spread my glory. What do you say?"


    "You are the member of Jai Empire and I am under themand of the 4th Prince. You want me toe under you? Are you sober?" Hollow spoke in an incredulous but also intimidating tone.


    Harvester shook hisrge head. It felt like a star was moving to and fro and then he startedughing.


    It was louder than the greatest explosion, a million times more resounding than the roar of thunder, and sounded like it was straight from hell.


    Varian covered up his ears instinctively, shut down his hearing faculty with his Adet power, and yet. Yet, theughter still overwhelmed him.


    The treasures and the phantoms of the spies and the heirs protected their masters from suffering any harm.


    But that didn''t stop them from covering their bleeding ears and copsing onto their knees.


    Hollow looked up with horror as did Maria. At this moment, they finally understood why this being even bothered to talk to them instead of killing them in the first ce.


    Harvester was certain. No matter what happened, he''d win.


    He''d already weakened the phantoms and the treasures of the ones that came for the ''Divine Crystal''. Even though it might take some effort, he could defeat all their treasures himself.


    "B-But why? Why wait so long?" Sohan yelled. "What are you hiding?"


    His provocative words drew no anger. In fact, they caused another wave of deafening, eardrum-rupturingughter.


    And then he stopped. Looking into the distance space with a longing smile, he said. "There are myths of where the Ares tribe has gone after the War of Tribes."


    His words silenced everyone on the field, including Varian.


    "They were chased down by their rival tribe, the Sera. They stole the order sliver, the myth says, and were weakened beyond measure in doing so.


    They should''ve gone extinct. But they came to this tower, to this ce, and begged for the exchange. They wanted the survival of their race. I don''t know the full price they paid but they did give up something very, very precious."


    A chilling silence was all that was heard.


    The gazes of Hollow, ughter Shade, and even the royal heirs turned towards the guardian. Unlike before, they were full of desire and madness.


    Varian was more confused than anything else.


    ''System, is he speaking the truth?''


    [Yes, Host. The Ares tribe was on the verge of extinction. Not just from the Sera tribe but it was also chased down by the remaining three tribes. They didn''t just steal the sliver, they stole some very precious things. But they had to use it as the price to leave.


    It''s been mortgaged to the Lost Spiral for more than a billion years. After that, anyone coulde and challenge it. But few know of this truth.]


    "The six tribes worshipped the six gods. But there were three main gods before these six false gods. And from those three gods came precious things the world doesn''t know about. The Ares tribe stole those things and were said to have created a path straight to Godhood." Harvester leisurely narrated while everyone listened.


    It wasn''t that they didn''t want to fight and kill him. But these truths were so secretive that they wouldn''t be able to learn them elsewhere.


    ''Y-You''re kidding. They stole from all tribes? Are you fucking kidding? They''re insane.'' Varian was dumbfounded.


    [What did you expect from a tribe who worshipped Chaos and follows Chaos? They wanted a path straight to Godhood and came close.]


    "And that thing, the legacy of the Ares tribe, is left with Well Of Exchanges. The hundred rank 9 lives I imed were just the price for me to challenge the Well Of Exhange and have a chance to obtain the legacy."


    Fog enveloped everything before twisting and showing a huge titan fighting against a guardian in ck and white.


    The titan¡ªthe Great Harvester¡ªin his peak was defeated, yet was left alive.


    But he didn''t return. He knew that people were after him because of the rumors. If they entered this ce, there''s a good chance they might learn the secret and take the legacy for themselves.


    So, he did something crazy.


    He sacrificed his own life to lock up the entire Eternal Spire for beings above rank 6. But the price wasn''t enough. He had to sacrifice most of his soul as well.


    Even that wasn''t enough. His corpse was also sacrificed and got corrupted.


    Harvester needed someone to subdue his own corpse so that he could resurrect once again.


    That''s why he waited for centuries and spread rumors that steered the Alliance as well as the Jai Empire into the direction he desired.


    After 1,000 years, the restrictions on the legacy would further weaken and this time, he was sure of winning.


    That was the master n.


    "But I had a surprise. Thest time I fought, the guardian of the legacy was a peak rank 9 who might as well be a divine ranker. I know that the seal will weaken over time and that''s why I stopped others from entering but¡­"


    He turned to the guardian with a suspicious expression. "I didn''t expect this."


    Everyone thought that Harvester was surprised because the guardian weakened so much over time. From a peak rank 9 to a rank 6 in just a thousand years? That was insane.


    "Enough talk." The phantom head of Harvester reached its headless corpse. The corpse resisted but it was too weak to put up any fight. So, it was quickly controlled by the dead powerhouse.


    "Final choice. Be my ves, the first believers of this new god and the first citizens of New Eden! Or¡­" He looked at them with an impassive expression. "You all die."


    An explosion more devastating than the death of a star shook the space. The phantoms and the treasures attacked the Harvester without any hesitation.


    "If this is the choice you made, then live with the consequences."


    Varian covered his eyes as a series of blinding explosions filled the space for the next ten minutes. But secretly, he slipped his sliver powers into his storage ring and got an important work done.


    When he was barely able to see, the space was once again cracked apart like a broken ck mirror.


    The phantoms that the royal heirs summoned faded away and the treasures summoned by the Jai spies scattered into dust.


    The Harvester''s body was now riddled with foreign aura, slowly eating him away. His phantom head was also fluctuating violently. Yet, somehow, he was fine. And exuded the aura of a strong rank 9.


    Hollow, ughter Shade, Maria, Be, and Sohan were on all their knees, crushed by the great aura of the being beyond their rank.


    "Very well, meet your fa¡ª" As he raised his hand to deliver the final bow, a voice came from the distance.


    "Oh, Great God! I want to be your first believer, to spread your glory and name! To live in the heaven you''re going to create!" Varian said with a fanatical expression.

 Chapter 1230 Honor Is In My Blood

    ?


    Great Harvester was in a bad mood for being interrupted. But the words of the puny humanoid greatly satisfied his vanity.


    Even though he was going to be a god, he wasn''t a god yet. To be blunt, he didn''t know how strong or weak he would be after taking his prize.


    Sure, it was the marvelous creation of Ares tribe. But would something so miraculous really exist? Just eat a pill and be an omnipotent god? That sounded like bullshit


    Harvester hoped not.


    In the backdrop of hisplicated thoughts, Varian''s fanatic¡­loyalty, worship and reverence were more pleasing than they should be.


    "You." Harvester maintained a majestic expression outward but his tone was filled with pride and joy. "Submit to me fully. Devote everything and gain your ce in the New Eden."


    "Yes, My Lord! Praise the Great God!" Varian nodded frantically and raised his arms towards the sky. "Your strength sends us to the highest heaven, your wrath banishes us to the deepest hell. Oh Lord! Mercy! Mercy!"


    Maria, her colleagues as well as Hollow and ughter Shade watched on this ridiculous exchange with a dumbfounded expression.


    ¡­That''s it?


    He just believed his words? Was that it? No loyalty test?


    "You were trying to kill the guardian earlier. Why? What grudge do you hold?" Harvester also calmed down from the joy of gaining his first devotee and asked in a sharp tone.


    If it hadn''t been a thousand years since he had a proper conversation, with his mind badly starved of any socialization, he would''ve asked this straight away.


    Varian''s smile hardened at his words and he nced at the guardian with a hateful expression. "My lord¡­there is something I must confess first."


    "Is it about your power?" Harvester asked, but his tone was rhetoric.


    Obviously, he enjoyed ying the all-knowing god.


    "As expected of the omniscient god, there''s nothing hidden from your discerning eye!" Varian''s face bloomed with a reverent smile.


    If those cultists saw his expression, they''d prostrate in admiration. Even after decades of doing the actual job, it was very rare for anyone to show such expression. Much less as an act.


    Not to discount the genuine cultists who worked to their bone for brainwashing others, Varian at this moment was oozing with devotion. Even if a staunch atheist saw him, he''d wonder if this man really witnessed a god.


    "Stop the ttery, get to the point." Harvester nced at the royal heirs and the Jai spies with his senses and said.


    Rather than this unknown nobody, he was more interested in these people. If they became his minions, he could use their positions to create perfect conditions to take down the Jai Empire and Alliance.


    "I''ve found this box from a mysterious woman. With this box in possession, I can showbat power beyond my rank." Varian looked at the heirs and spies with a wary look as he confessed.


    ''Is that the reason for his peculiarity?'' Maria and the rest couldn''t help but think.


    Sohan, Be and the Jai spies believed his words. But for some reason, Maria felt it was odd. It all felt too¡­


    "Hm, what is this? A treasure? A mass of life?" Harvester realized the box had a seal.


    He couldn''t immediately sense what was inside the box. His senses tingled a little in warning and he decided to check out if there''s anything dangerous in the box.


    Snap!


    Varian''s reverent eyes gleamed with a cold light.


    Threads of ck and white, woven from the power of order and chaos, hidden until now surfaced and broke.


    Great Harvester tried to stop them. With his power, it should''ve been easy. But the sliver powers were on a fundamentally different level than him.


    So, the broke cracked open in a sh and a huge phantom, asrge as him emerged from the box.


    It vaguely resembled a woman with long hair and eyes that twinkled like stars.


    "P-Princess Esh?" Harvester''s voice cracked a little.


    The phantom that was sealed for so long in Centaurus was released. It was still in a battle mode. The first thing she did was raise her hand to eliminate the biggest threat.


    "No!"


    A blinding light followed by a horrifying explosion sent everyone flying.


    Varian who was already running away at full speed was caught up by the shockwaves.


    He crashed onto the starry floor, rolled like a broken doll beforeing to a halt. If he had been a littlete, he''d have died.


    He turned around and saw that the heirs were down. They used their treasures at thest moment and barely managed to survive. But they wouldn''t be getting up anytime soon.


    On the other hand, ughter Shade and Hollow acted in advance and managed to save themselves from major injuries.


    Varian got away from the battle between Esh''s phantom and Harvester. He knew the result already.


    Esh''s phantom was extremely powerful with time powers. Until she kept fighting, she wouldn''t let Harvester do anything else. But she wouldn''t win.


    Harvester would be injured by then, but not down. He had to do something. No matter how injured, he couldn''t take him down easily.


    "Oh Well Of Exchanges," Varian yelled and thenmunicated with his spirit power. "Tell me a method to kill Harvester after he ends the phantom. The Price is the treasure called Toy Sun."


    <Not enough>


    "I will¡­" Varian had no real treasures to give. He had his artifacts, the broken seed and the toy sun. That''s it. The misceneous things wouldn''t amount to much.


    "Can I exchange my¡­a hundred years of my life?"


    <Not enough>


    "A hundred and one?"


    < ''¡­'' >


    Varian racked his brain. The only thing he was ready to sacrifice was the broken seed.


    But if he used it in sr system or even Hortus, the average aura would increase, strengthening the space, making it resistant to destruction and improve the overall progress. He''d also get long-term benefits.


    Varian took out the broken seed.


    "Is this enough?"


    <Much more than enough>


    He hesitated at that answer and turned back to the Jai spies.


    "What if I put in their bodies and souls?"


    <Barely enough. One full rank of your Body path would also vanish.>


    "No worries."


    Others would''ve panicked. But as long as it wasn''t too much, Varian could easily climb back his rank.


    What''s more, the biggest issue from rank 3 Mystic to rank 4 Adept was the transition. He already knew how to do it. So, he could easily do it again. He''d just need some fight to get it done though.


    As the blinding explosions from the fight of gods continued in the far distance, Varian sprinted to the Jai spies.


    "You cowards! I can finally take revenge on you! I''ll beat you to the ground and crush your bones." Varian''s voice was filled with fury.


    "Don''t even think about winning us. Even in this condition, we''re better than you." ughter Shade took out a long sword and sneered.


    Hollow quietly raised a spear.


    "You weaklings, take my attacKkkk¡ª" who was sprinting towards them at full speed stomped his foot onto the floor.


    One foot remained on the ground, one in the air, a metal box appeared in his right hand and with the running boost, he threw it with full force.


    A mini-sun exploded in the middle of the two spies.

 Chapter 1231 One Battle To Decide It All

    Chapter 1231 One Battle To Decide It All


    Neither ughter Shade nor Hollow expected Varian to be so shameless.


    He came like a valiant warrior, vowing for revenge. They prepared for a confrontation and he threw a fucking bomb?!


    The spies were reminded almost instantly of Varian''s earlier behavior. Until now, they were still thinking that it was an ident that the box had something so dangerous.


    They didn''t think that Varian or even anyone their rank would have the guts to deceive a being that''s about to be crowned as a god.


    Unfortunately for them, Varian was both fearless and shameless. He dared to plot against a god and behaved like the most shameless rogue.


    "You shameless, utterly rogue bast¡ª"


    The toy sun exploded.


    Even though they were caught off guard by his actions, they jumped back, creating enough distance that prevented immediate death.


    They couldn''t prevent the monstrous mes from engulfing and burning them to crisp.


    "Ugh!"


    Cough! Cough Cough Cough!


    The smoke enveloped several thousand miles of radius and formed a dome-like structure.


    A sh of light cut into the smoke.


    When ughter Shade came to his senses, a strong hand gripped his neck as the owner of the hand soared into the air.


    "Yo-You!" ughter Shade''s killing intent exploded and he raised his hand to strike down the intruder.


    But the hand gripping his neck tightened and abruptly, the world flipped.


    Crack!


    Varian bashed ughter Shade against the ground and raised his foot.


    The ughterer''s eyes went wide as Varian''s foot approached, promising him a certain death.


    Just then, a silhouette shed through the smoke and shot at Varian. Arge spear was pointed at Varian''s heart, ready to end his life.


    As if he had been expecting all this, Varian''s foot that should''ve been stomping down onto ughter Shade kicked upward, blocking the spear.


    Hollow had been through many battles to this day. But the swiftness and decisiveness of Varian outssed him for just that moment.


    In a battle, though, a moment was enough.


    Varian pped down onto his back and with the sounds of bones cracking, Hollow crashed down next to ughter Shade. The colleagues looked at each other in horror.


    "You two really put me through a lot of trouble, you know that, right?" Varian''s voice was low and cold, filled with a chilling rage that sent shivers down their spine.


    "Answer me!" He stomped onto the backs of the spies. Whatever bones were impact and their entire torso waspressed like meat in a burger.


    "You had fun, didn''t you?" Varian grabbed their arms and pulled back.


    With two crackling sounds, the joints were rendered useless and the armsy limp.


    The spies, however, didn''t scream. They stared at him with resentful eyes. Especially ughter Shade.


    "I was just wondering about it, but I''m now damn certain. You''re the reason why my brother died." He spat out some dark green blood and roared.


    "Do you have a brother? Cause I''m going to be the reason for your death as well." Varian raised his fist.


    ughter Shade struggled violently under his foot, trying to get away and failed. "Don''t bother. I dismantled your body."


    Noticing the seemingly random but cleverly nned injuries on his body, ughter Shade felt a sense of despair.


    "Go meet your brother!"


    Crack!


    The ughterer who ended billions of lives has his skull cracked apart and brain sted into pieces.


    As Varian was about to raise his hand to end Captain Light aka Hollow, thetter''s eyes shed and a spiritual attack struck him.


    A monkey phantom surfaced near his soul.


    "Hahahaha! Yes! I''m taking over your body!"


    Against the power of a rank 6 Binder, Varian began to lose control of his body.


    "Yes, yes! A young body, a strong body. Your potential¡­.what?" Hollow''s voice came to a confused halt.


    A brilliant white light enveloped the monkey soul while a chilling dark light chained him.


    "W-What is this? How are you able to even res-"


    Shhhh!


    Varian shut up the annoying voice in his head and threw the two corpses into the air. A monkey phantom was also shot up like it was some trash.


    And then, the ancient voice sounded.


    [Now a full rank of your Adept Path¡­]


    When the foreign force enveloped him, Varian messed a little with his slivers. Instead of losing a full rank of a path, he opted to lose a bit of XP for each path.


    ''Status''


    [Adept Rank 4: 900/1000 (-99)


    Assimtor Rank 4: 900/1000 (-99)


    Binder Rank 4: 900/1000 (-99)


    Matter Rank 4: 900/1000 (-99)


    Energy Rank 4: 900/1000 (-99)


    Space Rank 4: 900/1000 (-99)


    Time Rank 4: 900/1000 (-99)]


    ''Not too bad. I can quickly recoup my losses.'' Varian squinted his eyes and waited for the instructions.


    [Defeat the guardian and obtain the legacy. Since the legacy has already started to power the guardian, it will remain open for a brief period after you defeat the guardian.


    Use that opportunity to connect your artifacts with the legacy. The artifacts will suck out energy, more than enough to kill the Harvester. The legacy is in the guardian''s heart.]


    "I guess it''s fate that I have to kill this bastard," Varian scoffed.


    The artifacts gaining a temporary boost in power sounded a bit too far fetched but if they''re all made by the same Ares tribe, it had some basis. It''s not like he had a choice.


    "I desire to torture you but for now, I just want your heart." Varian kicked the floor and shot forward.


    As Harvester was fighting Esh''s phantom, the bindings around the guardian fell apart. Yet, it wasn''t so easy to fully break free.


    The guardian paid a considerable price.


    "Come!" Varian''s roar rumbled like a thunder. "Either you live or I live!"


    Under the guardian suit, Sarah only heard some unintelligible voices from this ck and white creature.


    But she did understand what it was trying to say.


    "The final battle!"


    [Because of the interference of external factors, your stay has been reduced. You can leave with the legacy if you win this fight.]


    "Come on! Life or Death!"


    The husband and wife shed.

 Chapter 1232 Words Of Silence

    Chapter 1232 Words Of Silence


    Varian had fought many opponents in the short period since his awakening.


    In fact, he fought so many warriors who had decades and centuries of experience behind them that it was a surprise hisbat skills outssed them.


    Was it an innate talent?


    A blessing of the sliver?


    Or was he just doing something right he didn''t really know?


    Varian had no answer why. But thanks to hisbat experience, he could ''feel'' the battle.


    If speaking was an exchange through sound, then a fight was the exchange through movements.


    Every movement indicated something.


    The desperation of a loser. The rage of a father. The shades of discipline.


    Just like every food had its vors, so did every fight.


    ughter Shade''s fight was a high mix of discipline and a low mix of disbelief¡ªeven until his death, that man couldn''t believe he lost to someone who barely defeated his brother.


    It was evident in the way he struggled to escape his grasp, knowing full well such a move against an experienced warrior was too risky.


    And like everyone else, the guardian''s fighting style also had a vor.


    ''¡­Desperation?''


    There was always some level of desperation in every fight. You have to win after all or you''d fucking die. So, everyone, everything had some shade of desperation.


    The Guardian also had a bit of desperation, but more rage and anxiety. But for some reason, perhaps because of the shock after seeing the Harvester, the guardian''s desperation reached its peak.


    Unlike the previous careful y, every blow was now a finisher, every movement a step towards a potent move, and every block the start of a counterattack.


    Varian raised his arms against his chest and blocked the spear of white-ck mace.


    As his forearm bones cracked and the momentum of the blow stirred up his insides, the mace turned into a spear and thrust into his right shoulder.


    "Gotcha!"


    Varian bent his knees and avoided the blow, while neatly performing an uppercut to the opponent''s jaw.


    The guardian staggered back three steps before whipping out its leg and kicking him in the chest.


    Varian blocked the attack with greater technique but he lost in terms of raw strength. He slid backward with blood leaking out of his lips.


    ''If only that bastard wasn''t watching me so intently!''


    The Harvester was keeping track of his every move.


    Esh''s phantom had locked him down and rendered him harmless for now. But if Varian did show something crazy¡ªlike space power or spirit power, then that man might really go crazy and do something dangerous.


    There was just too much power difference between the two for Varian to hide his power switches like he usually did against other enemies.


    So, Varian yed it safe.


    Even though Harvester was furious, he couldn''t care less if he was fighting the guardian. Even if Varian defeated the guardian and took the legacy, so what? He''d just snatch it from him.


    The legacy may be very valuable but even in his most injured state, Harvester''s strength wouldn''t fall below a rank 8. After killing off Esh''s phantom, no one could stop him.


    ''Let''s y safe. y sa¡ªfuck!''


    Varian covered his head with his hands as a hammer struck down. His knees bent, his thighs went almost parallel to the ground and blood flowed out of his cracked skull.


    He blocked it with his full Adept power. Yet, the attack broke through his attack neat and clean.


    "You son of a bitch!" Varian kicked the floor and jumped to the side, dodging the hammer that went down with enough momentum to crush an entire.


    He stepped on the hammer''s head and flipped over the guardian, reaching behind it in an instant.


    The guardian was already turning around, moving to block his attack but Varian was a step faster.


    He feigned a punch to the back and bent his forearm using his adept powers, striking the guardian''s shoulders.


    Crack!


    One of the guardian''s arms went limp but before he could celebrate, the hammer shrunk into a dagger and reached him in a sh.


    "Fuck!"


    Varian sidestepped to dodge and ended up facing a move he didn''t expect. The Guardian used its limp arm like a whip to strike him on his side.


    Varian bent backward, his torso going almost parallel to the ground and he put power in his right foot, ready to kick the guardian and flip back, creating a distance.


    A kick in this situation wasn''t something one would expect but it was his aggressive style.


    Boom!


    The space cracked apart as his foot shot upwards with tremendous force and reached the guardian''s abdo¡ª


    "Huh?"


    The guardian reached instinctively to the attack, resulting in a reaction that came a moment earlier than it normally should. As a result, it punched Varian''s leg right at the knee, bending it in the wrong angle.


    Varian flipped back and distanced himself anyway, but he was no longer on his two legs. Standing on one leg, panting heavily, he faced the guardian who was facing him with one arm.


    Both Varian and the guardian stared at each other. In each other''s eyes, the other person was a ck and white humanoid monster whose eyes were in and emotionless.


    But somehow, they both had the same thought.


    ''It feels familiar¡­''


    That move from the guardian could onlye if it''s very used to that move of his. It''s not amon move and unless you regrly fought with someone like that, your body wouldn''t make it an instinct.


    ''Who did this guy fight to get his fighting instincts?''


    On the other hand, Sarah had a simr confusion.


    Even though the visual maniption meant she could see Varian only as a white and ck humanoid, his posture when he stood on a leg and the way he positioned himself¡­


    ''It''s familiar.''


    It wasn''t just that, the way he moved felt, attack after attack. Especially the kick just before, it was something she had to suffer under training with Varian. Even when they decreased their physical strength to the same base, she suffered under her dear husband.


    So, her body ended up creating new instincts to deal with the situation. Just now, her body moved without even thinking.


    ''But why¡­''


    Sarah felt a bit perplexed but didn''t give it much thought.


    The battle that unfolded next drove them to the extreme.


    Varian too put it aside and hopped forward.


    His leg was slowly getting better, but without the use of Assimtor power, it''d take some time, almost the same time as the guardian would take to get its arm better.


    The battle that unfolded next drove them to the extreme.


    Varian had superior fighting skills but low raw strength.


    The guardian had significantly inferior fighting skills inparison, but somehow seemed more than familiar with his moves, bridging a lot of gaps and to supplement all that, it had a higher raw strength.


    As a result, exactly ten minutes and thirty-seven secondster, Varian had three cracks in his skull, blood literally showering down, two fist-sized holes in his chest, three fist-shaped depressions in his abdomen, and fractured bones everywhere else.


    The guardian wasn''t in great shape either. But rtively, it was in better shape.


    It wasn''t really bleeding or anything, it just remained that ck-and-white caricature. But whenever he punched some ces, it reacted more, proving that it did have wounds.


    If his estimates were not too off-mark, then the guardian had disced shoulders, an abdomen that had its internals nearly crushed, and a spine that almost shattered.


    But he hadn''t won. And chances weren''t looking great for him either. Even moving an inch resulted in searing pain, his whole body screamed at him, and whenever he clenched his fist, the broken bone fragments cut into his flesh and nerves, making him feel like a hundred scorching needles were being pierced into his skin.


    ''Fuck it!''


    Spitting some blood on the floor, along with a few teeth that''d take an hour to regrow, he assumed his fighting stance.


    He could read his battle vor as well. It reeked of desperation. He had to win this. No other way.


    The battle between the Harvester and Esh''s phantom wasing to a close. If he didn''t finish this battle by then and get the legacy, he''d be done.


    ''I have a minute or less...'' Varian''s aura grew heavier.


    Sensing it, the guardian also assumed an aggressive poster. Sarah too realized the fight of rank 9s was about to end. If she was going to get out of here safely, she had to defeat this guy! Now!

 Chapter 1233 Overwhelming

    <h4>Chapter 1233 Overwhelming</h4>


    Varian stumbled back, his forearm dangling to his elbow, threatening to break off anytime soon. His knee was cracked and he couldn''t stand without bending backward.


    If there was anyone else, they''d have already given up fighting. Because there''s no chance of winning at all.


    The guardian showered him with deadly blows. As they were both heavily injured, the differential in their strength seemed to magnify and affect the battle tempo.


    Despite nearly pushing the guardian to its death, Varian was the one losing.


    But it wasn''t going well for the guardian either.


    ''What the hell is wrong this guy?'' Sarha asked herself, again as she coalesced potent energy.


    Boom!


    His foot exploded into fragments, bones and flesh scattering around. Though for Sarah, they weren''t red, they were ck and white, just like him.


    The monster stumbled a little but quickly bounced back and pounced onto her, like a wild beast dead set on the hunt.


    Crack!


    Sarah''s arm which had previously healed now went limp and nearly came off this time.


    The monster had it worse.


    The sound of something brittle breaking echoed. Its dangling forearm was literally ripped apart.


    White blood with stains of ck sputtered out like a fountain.


    But the monster kepting back to fight.


    ''It''s crazy! It''s not going to give up!''


    Sarah''s mind was on the verge of crashing down as the battle took a great toll on her.


    If she was feeling this despite being in a better condition, what about that monster?


    Kacha!


    A solid fistnded on her abdomen and Sarah returned the favor with an elbow straight to the jaw.


    The monster''s jaw was broken and fragments of bone and flesh flew out. But like it was nothing, the monster turned its fist into a w and pierced her abdomen.


    A terrifying pain filled her mind.


    For a moment, Sarah gave up. But the instincts Varian beat into her body acted up and raised her foot for a practiced-angle kick.


    ¡­And the monster blocked it on instinct.


    "Arghhh!"


    Sarah jumped back and clutched her bleeding abdomen. The monster was in worse shape than her, but it didn''t give up, it kept fighting and it didn''t care about the pain.


    The pain¡­


    Sarah''s head grew dizzy. She instinctively assumed her offensive posture. And the monster too. But why did it feel familiar?


    ''Huh?''


    The next few seconds went in a blur.


    Sarah realized that they were both at their limit and resorted to fighting through pure instinct. It brought the purest form of theirbat style out.


    Blow after blow, injury after injury. They pushed each other closer to death with every attack.


    But somehow¡­


    Everything felt so familiar.


    Just like when she was training with Varian when both of them pushed themselves to the absolute limit and still kept going.


    ''No, it''s nonsense. But then how¡­''


    Like her, Varian was also confused.


    ''She has the samebat style as Sarah. Did the monster kill her and absorb her fighting instincts? Or¡­''


    It''s most likely the former but given that there''s a small chance of thetter, Varian hesitated.


    He looked into the distance.


    Esh''s phantom was starting to fade. Ten seconds was all the time he had.


    But he decided to take on the bet.


    Varian raised his fist and made a familiar gesture, which he did before every sparring match with Sarah.


    The guardian trembled slightly before it responded with another familiar gesture.


    ''Is it¡­''


    Varian jumped towards the guardian, raising his hand for a punch. The monster constructed a spear and thrust it outwards.


    But when they finally did sh, his punch passed right beside its neck and the spear thrust right under his arm.


    Varian froze in his state, dangerously close to the guardian, and stared nkly. It was a move with great risk.


    But nothing happened.


    The guardian stared back.


    Its form was still alien, and so were his eyes. But the familiarity of the way it stood, the little movements of its limbs, posture, everything was familiar.


    The move just now was how theyst sparred trying to scare Boo they got into a fight and orchestrated a move full of ws, exaggerations, and theatrics.


    The guardian turned its back to Varian and spoke out something.


    [Do you really wish to give up the quest?]


    If she did this, while she could still retain the legacy until someone stole out, she''d not be able to return to Hortus anymore.


    In the situation where Harvester was about to attack any moment, this was a suicidal move.


    ''Yes.'' Sarah didn''t show any hesitation whatsoever.


    [You are disqualified. Find a way out yourself.]


    Following the voice, the ck and white energies covering her dissolved.


    A heavily injured Sarah appeared in front of Varian.


    Sarah looked at Varian''s horrible state, hot tears streaming down her cheeks.


    "S-Sarah¡­" Varian had a lot to say, but his rational mind pushed back everything and changed his words. "I''ll need the legacy."


    "Hm," Sarah didn''t ask why and raised her palm. The skin of her palm was gone, shredded apart in the fight and her once beautiful palms were now utterly bloodied.


    Varian felt a great pain watching her state but he knew there was no time.


    A mystic light coalesced on Sarah''s palm, exuding every color in the spectrum.


    "Huh?"


    Harvester''s attention diverted to this side as Esh''s phantomunched her final attack.


    Varian didn''t know what he had to do, but he didn''t need to.


    The materials he collected from Centaurus bolted out of the storage ring and his artifacts flew towards the sphere of light.


    The Aether Pendant and Crystal Armor fused together before jumping onto Varian. They took the appearance of his clothes, except a purple crystal pattern appeared on his heart position.


    All of Varian''s injuries, including his missing body parts, were restored in a moment.


    He was back to full health, brimming with vitality. Even his fatigue was washed away and his tired mind was now more energetic than ever.


    "Haaa!" Varian gasped.


    The Demon Sword fused with the Gauntlet. A red-ded sword with a ck handle took shape.


    It flew into Varian''s palm and when it did, an aura of death and destruction leaked out.


    Finally, the Nature Seed and the Space Ring fused together before forming a tinum ring with an ever-glowing stone.


    The ring slipped back onto Varian''s finger.


    The fabric of space and time began to crack apart while huge amounts of energy converged onto him like he was the center of a tornado.


    Varian put his new sword over the legacy and a small piece of the twisting sphere was sucked out.


    But as a result, the legacy began to fluctuate, quickly growing unstable.


    Even though he took only a small part of the power and was able to do so because he had been touched by the Deva legacy as well as the artifacts, it was still seen as an unauthorized action.


    The legacy judged that it was stolen and started a self-destruction mechanism.


    "Sarah, take it back!" Varian yelled.


    The energy at the tip of the sword glowed with a binding light and a surge of power, unlike anything he had ever experienced flooded Varian''s body.


    Despite recovering to full health, his body began to fall apart almost instantly, unable to bear the immense power.


    Almost at the same time, Harvester delivered the final blow to Esh''s phantom.


    "Arghhh!" Varian''s hands shook, bleeding rivers as the sword in his hand shook violently, the energy leaking out from it was literally destroying his body.


    He couldn''t control it. It''s just too much.


    Varian didn''t hesitate any more and called out the power of slivers. A white and ck light twirled around his hand before covering his palm.


    Esh''s phantom began to dissipate but as it did, it clung to Harvester, trying to bring him down with it.


    There couldn''t be a better chance.


    So, Varian swung his sword.


    The world stood still for a moment before everything went dark.


    The light of stars was cut off. The fabric of space and time was torn apart.


    A sh of sword light appeared amidst the darkness and struck through a huge body.


    Varian copsed onto his knees right away and supported himself from crashing by holding his palms against the ground.


    "You¡­" A giant crack of light was seen on Great Harvester''s body and soul. The crack began to expand and devour him, like an abyss.


    But instead of struggling, the Great Harvester started nkly at Varian. "You are the one he w¡­"


    He scattered into particles of light and dissipated into the empty space.


    Varian''s body was down but his mind was still working.


    So, thest words of Harvester disturbed him.


    "No, no, die after saying it!" Varian screamed but the man who vowed to be a god was already dead.


    "Varian, Sia¡­"

 Chapter 1234 Snake of Chaos

    <h4>Chapter 1234 Snake of Chaos</h4>


    Sarah wanted him to rest if possible. The fight between them was brutal, to say the least.


    For now, she''s physically healed.


    Once she epted the legacy back, it began an unconditional integration to prevent simr transgression.


    But mentally, Sarah was still in a state of tension and exhaustion. She wanted to return and just take a long, long break doing nothing.


    Moreover, she needed some time toe up with terms that she and her husband nearly killed each other.


    And that she met him across the stars, crossing light years, in god knows where. It was all too much in too little time and she needed a desperate break.


    But she couldn''t afford it. Neither could he. Because someone needed more help than them.


    "V-Varian, S-Sia is in danger. Th-The third soul is trying to wake up."


    Varian trembled for a moment and tried to stand, but there was no strength in his feet.


    Sarah helped him up. He''d normally be a bit embarrassed to take help but now, his breathing was erratic and he said in an anxious tone. "L-Let''s go."


    Sarah sighed and asked the Well Of Exchanges. "Let us out of this ¡ª"


    "Wait," Varian stopped her from finishing and asked. "Is there any danger if we return to the World Tree now?"


    There''s an exit out of world tree, leading towards the second safe zone. His n was to get into the safe zone and then leave the tower, use Hortus, and get home.


    But he just killed a very powerful Celestial.


    Even if the tower was equivalent to a divine ranker and couldn''t care less about a mere celestial, this mission had always been about gods.


    Varian nced at the three royal heirs who had fainted long ago and pursed his lips.


    Now, only he and Sarah were standing in this ce. Looking down, the floor with twinkling stars in it looked much more peaceful. If only Sia''s condition wasn''t bad, they could''ve stayed here a bit longer.


    Pushing back his careless thoughts, Varian''s expression slowly hardened. ''If they can send literal prince and princesses to this dangerous ce, they are not just interested, they want it.''


    [You need to pay an equivalent price for the information.]


    Varian''s eyes twinkled and he asked. "How much?"


    [...]


    "If it''s the corpse of a ranker, which rank would it be?"


    [8th celestial ranker.]


    Varian''s eyebrows jumped and he felt like someone punched him in the gut. Why?


    Why so much price for that mere information? Even when he needed the secret to killing a rank 9 celestial, it just cost a bunch of rank 6s and a rank of his path.


    Of course, the avability of conditions¡ªhis artifacts, Ares'' legacy¡ªyed a massive role in reducing the price, but still.


    If this was the price for a simple question, ''Safe or Not'', then there''s only one possibility.


    "Snake Of Chaos¡­" Varian looked up into the endless void, his heart slowing down as he felt the gaze of a god.


    It was far less than back when he faced the Primordial Gods in Hortus, but the feeling was the same. He couldn''t mistake it.


    The gaze of a god was upon him.


    As if feeling his stare, a ripple urred in the void.


    Then, as if a telescope was ced, he could see a lot more.


    The world tree''s roots over the Lost Spiral. The huge base of the World Tree. The endless darkness stretching into the infinite expanse of space. The World Tree itself which would cross tens of thousands of star systems by itself.


    And a coil¡­


    "W-What?"


    Something coiled around the World Tree.


    With pitch ck scales, each scale asrge as the face of a moon itself, a body so enormous that Varian couldn''tprehend its extent.


    The body of a god.


    From the top of the World Tree, the Snake Of Chaos opened its eyes and stared down at the World Tree.


    Into the Lost Spiral.


    Varian''s blood stopped flowing and his face paled.


    Lost Spiral itself blocked the interference yet, he¡­


    "W-What''s the price to get out of the tower from here?" Varian didn''t notice that his voice was shaking and his hands were trembling. "Can two or three of my ranks suffice?"


    [No.]


    Sarah noticed his abnormality but didn''t want to waste time anymore. Moreover, even though she couldn''t feel the gaze of a god, she couldn''t stop having a feeling that something was going to go very, very wrong if they stayed here.


    "W-We''ll sacrifice the corpse of that thing." Sarah pointed to the fallen body of Harvester.


    [Very well. But the weight of your payment is a bit more.]


    Sarah wanted to ask for a method that could save Sia but Varian had a more pressing issue.


    "Instead of sending us right outside the tower, send us as far away from Nexus Empire as possible."


    [You will cross a hundred and thirty-nine light years.]


    Varian wanted to say yes but he hesitated a little and asked. "Can you cut the distance a little and add a powerful stealth on us?"


    [How strong?]


    "¡­Enough to hide from a divine ranker, just for a moment, I mean, a microsecond."


    [Thirty-nine light years.]


    The distance was cut by a hundred lightyears right away.


    But Varian didn''t hesitate and nodded.


    "Please do."


    He gripped Sarah''s head with a trembling palm and a light enveloped them.


    The next thing he knew, they were on top of a random star.


    Varian already fused his paths, cast the time power on himself and pushed his reaction speed to the highest.


    The moment they were out of the tower, he used his connection with Hortus.


    Space cracked, about to form a door. But he didn''t even wait and jumped in, dragging Sarah with him.


    The space crack closed right away and everything returned to normal.


    Exactly one secondter, a snake that could coil around the entire sr system a thousand times or maybe a million times appeared.


    Its huge head,rger than any stars ors, looked around in suspicion before it flew ahead.

 Chapter 1235 Your Slivers Belong To Me

    Chapter 1235 Your Slivers Belong To Me


    Hortus never seemed so tranquil.


    The bright but gentle light from the sky illuminated him, bringing warmth andfort in contrast to the darkness spread everywhere on the Lost Spiral.


    The cool breeze caressed his skin, whispering sweet nothings and relieving him of the tension pent up in body and soul.


    Like a child returning to the embrace of his mother, like a man returning home after a tired day of work, and like a soldier stepping back into his mothend after a war, Varian was overwhelmed by the emotions that welled up without warning.


    A sense of security, peace, and purpose.


    Without being aware of it, his lips curled up and his powers started to recover faster.


    "Where is Sia kept?" Taking a moment to pull himself together, he asked in a worried tone.


    "She¡­" Sarah pointed to the ruins that were also floating around in the ''space'' of Hortus''. "I left her in the care of Oob."


    Varian kissed her on the forehead and said. "Go rest now. I''ll take a look at her and we''ll figure something out. You have been through a lot already. The fight between us...it was too bru¡ª."


    Sarah covered his lips with hers and stopped him from speaking any further.


    Varian felt a pain on his lower lip and red at her. Baiting him with a kiss and then biting? She''d need to be punishedter.


    Licking her lips with a cunning smile, Sarah chuckled. "You should be punished for using violence against me. But we''ll deal with thatter. I''m also anxious about Sia''s condition. Let''s go together. Maybe my strength can be of help."


    "Fine," Varian shrugged and raised his hand instinctually to use the space transfer.


    But Sarah held his hand and shook her head. "You''re too tired. Focus on recovery."


    "As you say." Varian shrugged and hugged her tight.


    "Hey! What are you doing in broad day light?"


    "Hugging my wife."


    "Y-You..."


    "Didn''t you say I am tired?" Varian rested his head on her shoulders and blew into her ear. "Then take good care of me, cutie."


    Sarah shuddered and her face flushed. Biting her lip, she gave him a flirtatious roll of the eyes.


    He wasn''t wrong though. He was really too tired.


    That ridiculous attack drained his body and even with his astounding regenerative factor, he might need days to fully recover. But he''s in Hortus! With the blessings of the world, he''s recovering at an astonishing rate.


    He might need just a minute or two and he''d be up for another brutal fight. However, he didn''t want to fight his wife again.


    "What a shameless husband," Sarah shook her head like she was helpless about his actions and snapped her fingers.


    A ripple of invisible power started from her and the world froze for a moment before everything speeded up.


    When he came to his senses, he was already in front of a vast archaic pce belonging to Devas.


    Varian was reminded of how the Ares tribe stole some precious things from all tribes to create that legacy¡ªwhatever it was. No wonder they were hunted to near extinction.


    "Crazy bastards," Fearing he might be infected by some of their madness, Varian walked into the pce with cautious steps.


    Their destination was the throne hall used by one of the strongest deva emperors. ording to Sarah, the formation of the throne hall was very useful in controlling the issue.


    Therge double doors of the hall, made from pure green gemstone, creaked open.


    "Wee," A woman sat on the throne. Her cold, regal, arrogant yet fitting voice rang out in the hall. "I''ve been waiting."


    Varian''s body froze as he sensed death approaching. A pure sword made of utter darkness, built of a matter he never saw, reached his neck.


    He could''ve responded had he been at his peak. But he was caught off guard and hadn''t fully recovered yet.


    A shield of light, made ofs of interwoven energy threads, manifested itself in front of him and blocked the sword.


    The sword and the shield consumed each other, the light and darkness ate each other and only a void was left.


    Sarah stood in front of him, her blue eyes cold as ice. "You want to die?"


    "Oh?" The woman didn''t even bother getting up from her throne. She merely raised a brow in interest andmented. "Cut some corners, gain a few ranks, and challenge me?"


    "You won''t be saying the same when you''ll beg for mercy." A golden light began to seep out of Sarah, covering her in a holy light.


    As if she was hearing a ridiculous joke, the woman scoffed. Her silver hair moved around softly with her head''s light movements.


    A dark aura began to leak out of her, shrouding her like she was a devil.


    "If you can listen and let Sia out, we can talk this out." Sarah''s aura climbed higher and higher, hitting the absolute peak of rank 6 and with it, the light. "Or I''ll have to beat you into it. I hope you pick thetter because I really want to smash your face."


    "My, my~" With unmatched elegance, Isadora adjusted her posture and crossed her right leg over the left.


    The long ck dress she wore was modest but couldn''t hide her stunning beauty. She looked around 24, fully matured and at the pinnacle of beauty.


    Other than Sia, Sarah hadn''t seen anyone this beautiful. The elf queen and princess came close, and so did the Nymphs but there was always a considerable gap.


    But this woman¡­


    From the moment she saw her, Sarah felt a sense of oppression in every possible field. Strength, battle experience, mentality, and now even beauty.


    Of course, she wasn''t any less beautiful than this woman. She wasn''t being narcissistic. If she was, then it''s Varian rubbing off on her.


    "Sia is not waking up. Neither is Enigma. I have given them so many years of my own life. They should sleep for centuries, a dozen or more. I might let them experience the world sometime. But not now. I have many things to do. But before anything else¡­"


    With a smile, she turned to Varian. The woman''s face was wless and her smile was enough to move mountains. But that smile was cold, uncaring, and calcting. "I need to get rid of a threat and take the slivers. The universe''s best treasures should belong to the universe''s beloved child. That is me."


    Varian''s gaze hardened and he gazed into her eyes. Her bright, almost glowing, captivating red eyes. She was beingpletely serious.


    ''And I said I don''t want to fight my wife¡­''


    Even though she wasn''t his wife, technically, he''s also fighting Sia.


    "You are smart enough to get rid of me. Then why aren''t you smart to ambush me? If you can''t kill me no¡ª"


    "I know, of course. Your rate of growth¡­" Isadora''s red lips moved slowly but her voice was in control. "Is Unprecedented, to put it lightly. You might even reach the peak of celestial rank this year or the next. But it doesn''t matter. The premise of your growth is you being alive."


    Varian sighed deeply. "You want to kill me?"


    "I''m only killing a man who descerated my pure body instead of putting him through hellish torture. Aren''t I kind?"


    "Sia and Enigma will hate you."


    "They don''t need you. They need the slivers to keep our origins from copsing." Isadora''s words were blunt.


    Varian''s heart tightened at her words. But the word bullets didn''t stop.


    "Why do you think Sia appeared in this barrennd? I was born with the blessings of all slivers, but order and chaos were alwayscking. I had to find them or I''d slowly die.


    So, I searched the gxy. When I sensed them near Centaurus, I was on the verge of copse. Enigma survived in space, but she only remembers the darkness. That poor girl fears the darkness, but it''s the darkness that kept the three of us alive.


    Sia was attracted to you right away because of the slivers! So was Enigma. Whatever attraction she felt towards you was all but a lie."


    Varian opened his mouth to say something but couldn''t. A lot of answers were suddenly given.


    Who was Sia? Who was Enigma? How did they end up here? Why?


    "Once I rip out the slivers from you, they''ll understand what you really are, you are nothing!" Isadora expressed her contempt without any hiding. "Even now, you''re hiding behind that girl because you can''t afford to fight. How can you? A mere rank 3 canno¡ªHuh?"


    Thest time Sia saw Varian, he was only a rank 2. Isadora knew Varian was a monster, his progress was impossible to figure out withmon sense.


    month before he disappeared. It''s already an overestimation because celestial ranks were much, much harder to progress than So, she made a bold bet and thought he reached rank 3 in just a month before he disappeared. It''s already an overestimation because celestial ranks were much, much harder to progress than mere mortal levels!


    Even though Sarah''s abrupt advanceent surprised her, she seemed to have just gained that strength and still wasn''t perfect.


    Moreoever, with herbat experience, Isadora was confident of crushing the woman.


    But¡­


    Seven powerful peak rank 4 auras shot into the hall, like beams of light before converging into a single light beam of high rank 6.


    An archaic red-ded sword hummed in Varian''s hand, his clothes


    ¡ªno, his armor with an emerald pattern on the heart area¡ªshone and activated defense and the ring on his finger began to ripple out fluctuations of space and time.


    "Correction. Rank 4, not rank 2. But it''s enough to knock your rank 6 ass down." Varian jumped past Sarah and swung his sword. "Give me back my Sia!"


    The ancient pce exploded.

 Chapter 1236 Into The Darkness

    Chapter 1236 Into The Darkness


    Isadora looked at the thin red line on her palm. A drop of blood was dripping down, its warmth and stickiness confirming over and over that it was real.


    No matter how small, she was injured. By someone two full ranks weaker than her!


    If it''s because he''s blessed by the World Will Of Hortus as its Lord, it''s understandable. But she stayed in the ruins for the precise reason she didn''t want to risk fighting Lord of A World, even more so, Lord of a unique world like Hortus.


    The ruins were pulled into Hortus by Sarah and Oob with the help of Sia. They didn''t integrate yet and were technically a ''world in a world''. So, the World Will wouldn''t apply here.


    ''And yet, he continues to defy expectations. As if reaching rank 4 wasn''t enough, he''s manage to injure me, no matter how small. This man is too dangerous.'' Isadora narrowed her eyes, peering through the smoke.


    After a brief period of disbelief at his progress, Isadora''s conviction increased multifold.


    She, who considered herself the greatest genius simply on the fact she was created that way, now recognized him as a being worthy of both respect and fear.


    The contempt in her eyes faded but the arrogance didn''t. Even if he''s the greatest genius in the universe, she''d still beat him down.


    Tap!


    Tap!


    Tap!


    The pce''s ceiling was sted into pieces and blown off into the sky because of Varian''s sword strike. Now, part of the debris was falling down into this location. It was a rain of debris, big and small, alloys, and gems, sharp-edged and blunt.


    Unbothered and uninterrupted in that rain walked a man. He loosely held the sword, as if he didn''t bother about it slipping out, taking calm, calcted steps like he was having a stroll in the park.


    The armor that was his clothes glowed lightly in the smoke. An invisible field formed by the armor repelled the debris away.


    ''I know he''s like this but that attitude¡­it really pisses me off.'' With a flick of her hand, an invisible power exploded out.


    The debris of the pce froze in midair before humming. These materials were already sturdy, else they wouldn''t be used for the construction of a pce. But with the enforcement of gravity, their quality skyrocketed.


    Even nail-sized debris that previously weighed a hundred pounds now weighed a whopping million pounds. And it continued to rise.


    But he evaded them with ease. His instincts were horrifying. Even Isadora, in her rtively long time, had never seen anyone like this.


    There were people who fought longer and more frequently than Varian. There were those who fought every single day their bodies were in a usable condition.


    But few fought like him. Always against a stronger, higher-ranked, and more experienced warrior.


    As a result, Varian forged a path that was hard to fathom. His fighting instincts had reached an incredible state, putting him as the undisputed best of all those that Isadora had seen.


    ''But the more special you are, the more reasons I have to eliminate you.''


    Isadora''s eyes shed with a gleam of light. The debris was blown away and instead, the field of gravity shifted onto Varian.


    His body stiffened for a moment but his movements didn''t stop.


    But when Isadora''s eyes shed with a silvery light, he abruptly halted.


    Veins popped up on his forehead, his breathing grew ragged and he gasped. His eyes switched between nk and focused every few seconds.


    It was only then did he really experience her strength.


    Yes, he could exert the strength of seven paths and achieve the strength of a mid rank 6. With the help of the newly upgraded artifacts, even fighting a high rank 6 and a peak rank 6 was possible.


    But this woman¡­she had three rank 6 paths, all at their peak.


    Since he''s one with multiple paths, he knew how strong a warrior with multiple paths was.


    There''s a world of difference between one awakener with three paths and three awakeners with one path.


    For better or worse, the gap between each celestial rank was immense. Even if you had two paths, there''s not much you could do against an opponent a rank higher.


    But the same rank?


    "Ughh!" Varian''s mind was consumed by an unending series of nightmares, from his defeat to death to the destruction of humans to the murder of Sarah, Sia, and¡­Enigma.


    wasn''t much he could do against a rank 6 attack.


    If he put all the power into his soul path, then he''d literally lose his His soul came under direct attack and as a peak rank 4 binder, there wasn''t much he could do against a rank 6 attack.


    If he put all the power into his soul path, then he''d literally lose his physical prowess and would be turned into a hedgehog under her darkness swords if he wasn''t already crushed into paste under the immense gravity.


    ''Varian, let me¡ª''


    Sarah''s voice sounded through the link born out of Synergy.


    ''No. Do not confront her. She''s very, very dangerous.''


    Varian didn''t want to put Sarah the brunt of the risk. Even though Sarah''s injuries were healed, she was mentally exhausted. Not everyone was Varian to fight endlessly without losing their efficiency.


    It''s like driving a car. You could drive well for four, eight, or even twelve hours, depending on your proficiency. But after some point, you must stop or risk high danger.


    Varian was so used to these fights that he could keep going. But Sarah, he feared, might make a mistake or two. Against someone like Isadora, a single mistake would cost her life.


    Even if it didn''t, Sarah fighting would mean she could held hostage and be used against him. Varian wanted to avoid that oue at all costs.


    ''Minimize your presence.''


    Of course, he wasn''t purely driven by emotion. He knew he had a low chance of winning against Isadora. And he had no problem taking the help of his wives when needed.


    ''Wait for a chance and strike her hard when the opportunity surfaces. Put your safety first. She knows you''re staring at her, but she looks down on you, so use that to your advantage.''


    Isadora''s lips curled into a cold smile at his struggle and she flicked her fingers like she was sprinkling water.


    Her arrogance hurt that she was injured by someone two ranks lower. If only to recover her bruised ego, she decided to break him down.


    Three swords made of extreme darkness materialized in front of her. And then, a field of darkness began to expand from Isadora.


    It devoured everything it came into contact with and in a blink, the whole ce was a domain of darkness, without the slightest light.


    It wasn''t just darkness in the sense ofck of light. It was darkness in theck of sound, smell, and even touch.


    Varian''s body instinctually moved and dodged a sword to his neck. But the sword still managed to lodge into his chest and pierced through his back.

 Chapter 1237 Partial Path Fusion

    ?


    "Arghh!"


    Varian gripped the handle and pulled the sword out of his chest. But as it came out, the sword liquified and entered his body. The liquid of darkness began to eat up his organs, like an insatiable beast.


    This time, the pain was unbearable. Varian''s body shuddered and he screamed at the top of his lungs.


    "Fuck off!"


    His life force exploded and the darkness was blown out, before it quickly melted away.


    Varian then sidestepped to dodge another sword but¡­


    "Huh?"


    There was no sword.


    Varian turned to his left and bent.


    "W-What?"


    And there was still no word.


    He took a step back following his instincts.


    No sword.


    "M-My soul¡­is being lied to."


    It''s difficult to digest the fact that her maniptions had gone this deep. Now his own body and mind were no longer reliable.


    ''She''s toying with me.''


    Isadora must be watching with relish, enjoying the hunt.


    First, she messed with his mind by putting it through daydream like nightmares.


    Then, she trapped him in a field of darkness, numbing his senses and leaving him hanging to his most primal instincts.


    Exploiting the situation, she ''made'' his own soul believe something else, manipting even his instincts.


    Now, he''spletely under her control. Even his senses were subject to her whims.


    Rather than dodge her attack, she could make him impale himself on her sword and he''d do it thinking it would save him.


    Cold sweat trickled down Varian''s forehead.


    If it was just the power of darkness or just the power of binder, he''d have been fine. Butbined together, this was a nightmare.


    ''Is this how others feel when they fight me?''


    To be fair, he didn''t really fight anyone in his rank. They were too weak. But if he did fight someone of his rank, they''d have no choice but to despair. Heck, even someone a rank higher than him would be helpless against his multiple powers.


    ''I can''t fall into this trap.''


    Varian stopped the fusion and his powers fell back into their own ranks. The strength in his body seemed to be drained and he felt like he had gone from being an athlete in his prime to an old man in his twilight.


    He then fused powers into time rank, and cast a time dtion boost onto himself at a ratio of 1:10.


    Then, he split his powers again and this time, instead ofbining all paths into one, he fused two or there into one path.


    Theposition of his paths changed.


    [Adept: Mid Rank 5


    Binder: Mid Rank 5


    Energy: Mid Rank 5


    Time: Mid Rank 5


    Famine: Rank 0


    Matter: Rank 0


    Space: Rank 0]


    It wasn''t a luxurious setup per se. However, Varian picked it after careful consideration.


    A field of energy formed around him, barely covering his perimeter. It was nothing inparison to the vast field of darkness. But it cast a light on the immediate surroundings and lifted off the shacks on his senses.


    The power of time, worked together with the power of binder to create an incredible synergetic effect.


    Varian reasoned that he needed some sort of consciousness to even have these nightmares.


    So, he mixed his time power, with the help of his nightmare power, and ''froze'' these nightmares or fast-forwarded them to the point they blurred.


    Since both of these powers came from the same source, they had no problem mingling which they otherwise would have, and worked incredibly well.


    As a result, while some part of Varian''s consciousness was still bombarded by nightmares, ''He''¡ªthe observer, the one experiencing it¡ªsaw it all as a blur, a distant memory that echoed through time.


    The final problem was his body. He resisted the gravity as a rank 6 when all his powers were fused but now, he was having a hard time just standing in ce against this back-crushing gravity.


    He had trained with Enigma''s gravity many times and was already familiar with the characteristics of the power.


    It started when he randomly invited Enigma to help him train under severe gravity while he limited his powers.


    Since then, Enigma, who didn''t talk much and marinated an indifferent expression all the time began nagging him.


    ''Gravity practice.''


    ''Your training.''


    ''Come train.''


    ''You''re cking off.''


    At times, he really wondered if he had grownzy because he had defeated the Abyss Emperor and had no known enemies.


    But looking back at it now, every training session wouldst at least an hour. He''d full of injuries, light but painful while Enigma would be soaked in sweat, her ck training clothes sticking to her skin and strands of her wet hair sticking to her forehead.


    The indifferent expression she always had would be gone as she''d be panting heavily in exhaustion, taking small, cute breaths and staring at him who''d have copsed right beside her.


    He''d remain on the ground for almost thirty minutes and Varian couldn''t remember a single time when Enigma wasn''t staring at him for those thirty minutes.


    His mind was too exhausted after training to care about that back then but looking back, it was obvious.


    Her pretty purple eyes were always cold and had a touch of softness and her lips were curled a little upwards.


    Sometimes, she''d lie down beside him and stare at the ceiling. When he asked why she was doing that, she''d answer that she was also too tired to move.


    He took her words at face value back then but now, it was clear what she was up to.


    Perhaps because he was messing with his own soul his thoughts went out of control, thinking things he shouldn''t be in the midst of a life-threatening battle.


    ''Enigma¡­I won''t let you disappear.''


    Varian vowed as he stared at the pair of red eyes glowing in the darkness.


    ''If it''s against anyone else, I''d have to worry about exposing myself, but¡­''


    A thin but bright white light flowed out of his body, weaving into threads. Along with it came a dark light, distinguishing itself from the darkness created by Isadora.


    ''I''ll use the slivers to the fullest.''

 Chapter 1238 Where Words Fail, Swords Do The Talking

    It was very difficult to use the sliver powers while manipting the paths into fusion. But the situation demanded the very best of him.


    The few white threads spread out like spider silk and formed a closed polygon in his perimeter.


    Varian gave them only one rule.


    The ck threads coalesced into a ring on his head and put him under its influence.


    The white light¡ªOrder¡ªwas made of one rule: Devour darkness.


    It wasn''t very specific instruction per se, but it was perfect for fighting a woman whose darkness powers must''ve reached a pinnacle.


    And the dark light¡ªChaos¡ªhad a simpler rule: Oppose gravity.


    So, it did.


    The heavy gravity falling on him was being cancelled. It felt like a positive and negative force were colliding continuously cancelling each other out. But it was different from that.


    The power of Chaos was distorting the gravity power used on him, turning it from 1000x to 10x or 20x or even 0.5x, breaking it down to very, very manageable states.


    His mastery of the slivers wasn''t perfect and since the beginning, he could only draw a tiny portion of the slivers'' strength.


    But this was already enough.


    As the heaviness of his body went down drastically, Varian clenched his fists. The overwhelming strength of his own physique enthralled him for a moment and he no longer felt powerless.


    "Y-You¡­"


    A surprised voice echoed in the darkness, the coldness in her voice still ring but hints of self-doubt were clear.


    Varian''s rapid rank progress was still something she could suppress. As a peak rank 6 in three paths and her deep experience as a former peak rank 9, it was a walk in the park.


    Unless a rank 7 came in, Isadora was invincible. And even in the face of a rank 7, she had some confidence in retreating.


    Then a sigh resounded in the darkness. It wasn''t a sigh of defeat but one of annoyance and resignation. "I should''ve guessed. You''re always like this, aren''t you?"


    Without any words, Varian raised his sword and struck down the empty space left to him.


    The space rippled before a sword of darkness cracked apart.


    Varian didn''t stop and continued swinging towards different points around him, with sharp precision and calcted strength. Every strike broke a sword, dispersing into particles of darkness.


    In a few seconds, all the swords that were ''hiding'' in the field of darkness nearby were obliterated.


    Varian cracked his neck and took a step forward. The dome shaped field of darkness shook violently for a moment, as if it was not a human but a giant who took that step.


    And then another.


    And another.


    "I should''ve thought about it earlier," Varian''s sword blurred, cutting through the hidden swords in the way.


    Most tried to attack but their movements were too predictable and simple for some reason.


    Even then, a mid rank 5 strength shouldn''t be able to harm them. But with the addition of Order powers that affected the sword of darkness as well as the boost of his artifacts, Varian did the impossible.


    "You might''ve wanted to torture me slowly but after injuring me just once, something happened. You threw me into an illusion but didn''t even attack me once. After that, you had a lot of opportunities, but no attack." Varian''s voice was cynical, mocking and cocky.


    "Y-You arrogant bastard!" The chilly voice of the royal woman was filled with endless rage.


    "Yes. I am arrogant. I am more arrogant than you." Varian raised his sword and the purest white light of order began to coalesce on the sword de.


    [Order: Devour Darkness]


    For a very brief moment, Varian fused all his powers into his Water path, which had now be the Matter path and would be the Order path.


    He swung the sword.


    A thin white line pierced through the dome of darkness. Then, the white light expanded along the dome. Ice appeared in the white line and followed after it.


    In the blink of an eye, the dome of darkness was gone, disced by a dome of ice, matter and order.


    Isadora was still seated on the throne high above, but blood was leaking from the corner of her mouth.


    Her body was trembling violently and her darkness aura was ring high, like mes that were about to burn down the mountains.


    "Looks like I was right," Varian smirked, his expression extra smug just to annoy the woman.


    Annoy he did.


    Isadora mmed the armrests of the throne and flicked her wrist.


    Two phantoms, one outlined by a purple light and the other by a golden light, appeared in front of her.


    Sia and Enigma.


    Their phantoms were fluctuating wildly, about to disperse at any moment, their eyes were shaking violently and they had difficulty even staring at Isadora. But they did. And they red at her with immense hatred.


    Varian took a deep breath to calm the raging emotions once he saw their states. He knew they must have been under stress.


    But only once they appeared did he get a vague idea of how much mental stress they''d been through.


    It was hard to draw an exact equivalent, but it was like being trapped in an imprable cage that exactly fit your body and trying to break out of it. There''s no way it''s possible. But by bashing your body against the metallic cage, again and again, you hope for the tiniest chance.


    They tried hard when Isadora first appeared. She took time but suppressed them once her powers reached rank 6.


    Neither Sia nor Enigma had any experience being a rank 6 in their powers. But Isadora did. And she could wield their powers better than them, despite them having a better affinity.


    She took over, and suppressed them. So far, everything went well. But when she injured Varian, they went crazy.


    They disturbed her to the point she had difficulty even attacking him.


    That''s why, thousands of the darkness swords she created to torture Varian with never got to fulfill their mission.


    Her n to break him down was thrown out of the window. And now she was struggling to even keep up an offensive.


    "You don''t stand a chance," Varian raised his sword at her but didn''t strike down.


    Isadora could take his attack but what if she suddenly switched to Sia or Enigma? He was confident that one of them couldn''t just die alone, so Isadora would not risk it.


    But if possible, he really didn''t want to get bloody with her. If he injured her, maybe the injuries would also transfer to Sia and Enigma. That''s why, since the start, he was trying to confine her and then do something about this instead of going for the kill. And since he couldn''t kill, Varian fell into a natural disadvantage.


    "Give up. Let''s talk this out. We don''t have to be enemies." Varian sighed and gave her a diplomatic smile.


    "What are you showing towards me? Pity?" Isadora scoffed, her beautiful red eyes turning a shade darker. "Do you really think I was helpless? I just didn''t want to take an extreme measure. But these two¡­"


    She stared at the girls'' phantoms and spoke through gritted teeth. "I warned you already, but you leave me with no choice. If you want to stand between my sword and his body, then suffer what you have to suffer."


    "Wha¡ª"


    A beam of darkness rose from Isadora and pierced the sky. Simultaneously, a wave of darkness exploded from her, sweeping across the ruins.


    Isadora''s face paled slightly and there were soul fluctuationsing out from here, as if her soul and the other two souls in her were injured.


    "Y-You!" Realization dawned on Varian''s face and his eyes grew chilly. "What the hell did you¡ª"


    "I''ll drop my rank for a bit, dying my reversion. They paid the price for their insolence. So will you."


    The field of darkness grew once again, devouring the field of ice Varian created.


    Even though he tried his best, over two-thirds of the dome was made of pure darkness and at the borders, the ice was struggling to prevent itself from being devoured.


    Varian''s eyes went bloodshot as the nightmares ying in his soul amplified. His time and soul powers went overdrive to manage it, but the impact still shook him to the core, creating a high barrier for him to continue fighting.


    The gravity on him increased ten times, even with the chaos powers working against it.


    At her unrestrained strength, even with the usage of slivers, Varian wasn''t in a dominant position. But he wasn''t as helpless as he first had been.


    Bearing the pain from the invisible gravity trying to crush his body into a paste, Varian gave an angry grin.


    "If you want blood, blood you will get."

 Chapter 1239 Heart Break

    ?


    Isadora wanted to end this as painlessly as possible. But Enigma and Sia clung not her like mad dogs, pushing her to a corner where she had to pay the price.


    ''I''ll let them witness everything as I break this man they love, allow them to see him begging for mercy, to spare him, just like everyone else.''


    As her conviction further cemented, Isadora pointed her palm at Varian who was sprinting towards her and snorted.


    Thanks to his sliver powers, he managed to offset significant portions of her soul and gravity power.


    But his resistance against the darkness power was the weakest and her expertise in it was also the highest.


    So, with a thought, she released a mass of darkness into the air, which quickly turned into dozens of thick chains that reached him before he could reach her.


    Varian raised his sword to break the chains but the darkness chains wriggled and split when the de was about to cut through them. Then they rejoined again before whipping on him.


    Even though he raised his defense at thest moment, it was a painful blow. The chain wrapped around his forearm and with a click, dislocated it.


    Varian hurriedly used his sliver power to repel the chain of darkness. But since there''s a limited amount of sliver powers he could use, increasing his force against darkness meant decreasing the sliver power against gravity.


    As a result, the gravity force on him tripled in a blink and his bones began to crack under the pressure.


    Varian''s movements grew considerably slower in the heavy gravity. Now, he had a hard time even cutting the chains of darkness which were aided by gravity to move at high speed.


    As a result, every few minutes, a chain ended up striking and injuring him heavily. Not a drop of blood was spilled yet, more than ten of his bones were either broken.


    It dawned on him that he was in a losing battle.


    Even after using all his powers, artifacts and slivers, Isadora still stood at a greater height.


    "Come on, struggle more." Isadora''s voice was cold and sarcastic. "Don''t you consider yourself the greatest? Why are you losing already? Where is your pride?"


    Varian paused his fight and withdrew back as he sneered. "¡­A rank 6 in three paths fighting me, a rank 4 awakener. You''re the one to talk about pride."


    Isadora clenched her fists, her chest heaving up and down as the words she didn''t want to admit were said out loud.


    She knew for a fact that even if she won against him, like she should, she wouldn''t be able to take any pride in the victory.


    Rather, she''s afraid that if he reached rank 5, she wouldn''t be able to fight him anymore.


    Even though she''s going to reach rank 7 soon, Isadora was wary of Varian more than she liked to admit.


    That''s also the reason why she was ignoring Sarah who slowly backed away from the battle.


    She initially wanted to take Sarah hostage and force Varian to give up his slivers. But once he revealed himself to be a rank 4, all those thoughts were thrown out of the window.


    As she had the memories of Sia, she knew that ''almost killing'' Varian or ''thinking he died after falling into a space crack'' were the worst mistakes she couldmit.


    Unless she saw his corpse, shattered his soul and grabbed his slivers, she couldn''t rest assured that he really died.


    And if he didn''t die, Varian''s revenge would be a nightmare.


    ''But why am I fighting him if he''s so helpful? With Enigma and Sia, he wouldn''t try to harm me. I¡­''


    The thought surfaced in her mind as she looked at Varian''s hateful re. But Isadora quickly crushed the fantasy in her mind with a disdainful chuckle.


    Yes, he had been so helpful and loyal to them so far. But how long had it been anyway?


    Barely a year if you count their lovers'' rtionship? Even if all of Sia''s rtionship with him was to be considered, it''s just 10 years.


    Isadora too trusted people, once. She trusted others, helped them and in a small corner of her heart, hoped to be helped.


    ''That bitch must be happy I died¡­''


    A rtionship that spanned hundreds of years, the bond of a mother-daughter, was sacrificed just for ''interests''.


    Isadora was treated not as a person, as her daughter, but as a pawn to be used to further her goals. When she turned into an uncontroble variable, she was ''neutralized''.


    ''Sia and Enigma are naive. Too naive! If even rtionships built on such a long period of time can crumble, how pathetic is it to believe this tryst wouldst forever?''


    Isadora knew that no matter how patiently she exined her views, the girls wouldn''t ept. They were too lost in the delusion of trust and love.


    But time would teach them. A hundred years. Five hundred years. A thousand years. They had all the time in the world.


    As the creation destined to reach the top of the divine paths, there''s no way she could have apanion.


    If she lived a short life, she could think of having normal rtionships. But the longevity bestowed on her also cursed her with loneliness.


    ''Every rtionship willst until it breaks. The longer itsts, the more painful the break. And I¡­will only have rtionships that have broke or will break.''


    When she was backstabbed, she thought it was just one person. But no. Friends, Peers and even the people who she saved before.


    Isadora would never forget their eyes.


    "You need to be punished!" With a flick of her fingers, the chains morphed into swords and reached Varian.


    Thetter sighed lightly and ripples of time spread out from him. Isadora had an ominous premonition.


    Before she could make any changes, Varian''s powers suddenly shifted.


    Giving up all defense, he attacked.


    His time power struck her first, slowing her down. Then, his powers shifted.


    [Adept ¡ª> Famine: Mid Rank 5


    Binder ¡ª> Binder


    Energy ¡ª> Matter: Mid Rank 5


    Time ¡ª> Space: Mid Rank 5]


    He disappeared from his ce and appeared right behind her. Isadora wanted to react but the slowing down of her time caused her reaction to be dyed by a moment.


    A moment was enough.


    His sword lodged straight into her heart. Bone-chilling confess spewed out of the sword and began to freeze her body and mind.

 Chapter 1240 Isadoras True Strength

    ?


    Blood leaked out of Varian''s mouth, his face pale and dents forming on his body.


    As if hammers were mming on him, his body began to bend inward. The gravity caught up and was attacking him again.


    But he no longer paid it any heed and twisted his sword.


    Isadora gritted her death but didn''t even grunt at the heart-twisting pain. She touched the sword tip piercing out of her heart and caressed the blood freezing on its de.


    Her body began to shiver instinctively as the cold devoured her. The warm blood froze, the beating heart began to slow and her tremendous strength sapped.


    "It''s b¡­een a long time," Her voice grew weak.


    Ayer of thin ice began to form over her skin. Her glowing red eyes grew considerably dim. The arrogance she always exuded seem to shrink.


    Varian gritted his teeth, bearing the barrage of the desperate gravity strikes.


    For an outsider, it would look as if wind formed hammers and was striking Varian continuously.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Drops of blood, fragments of flesh and blood were sttered around him. Even though Isadora looked weak and defeated, she wasn''t defeated. Yet.


    If he let go before she fainted, she''d win. If he didn''t, he would.


    With that mindset, Varian held on.


    Blood began to leak out of his eyes and nose as the nightmares in his mind also intensified.


    Slowly but surely, he began to lose sense of what was real and what was an illusion. As a result, he entrusted his body to do the right thing than his mind.


    Working purely on instinct, defending against the gravity attacks, Varian continued freezing the woman.


    It''s not that he didn''t want to knock her out right away but he couldn''t.


    He couldn''t get too close to her without risking a gravity explosion, which might blow off half his body. He couldn''t use his Binder powers when her own path was two ranks higher. Nor could he use Famine energy on her when he''s using it all up just to keep up his regeneration.


    "It''s funny, isn''t it?" Isadora''s weak voice quietened even further but the corner of her lips curled up. "You''re not the only one with swords."


    A thick sword of darkness pierced through Varian''s back and stabbed his heart, causing him to cough out blood.


    Then, another.


    And another.


    Another.


    Varian used his sliver powers and body defense to weaken as many attacks as he could. His armor artifact yed a key role and decreased at least half of the damage caused by these attacks.


    But the end result was still him turning into hedgehog with swords sticking out of him.


    It didn''t end there. These swords liquified and turned into a sinister ck liquid that tried to drill into his body and end him with tremendous pain.


    The sliver powers overworked to help dispel the darkness but it just kepting.


    Despite gaining a hit on her, Varian was also pushed into a critical situation. Either she''d be frozen first or he''d be destroyed by this darkness.


    A battle of endurance.


    Isadora''s situation seemed rtively worse.


    After five minutes, thest drop of blood in her body froze and all movements of her power stopped.


    Varian checked her condition with his Binder and sighed in relief after noticing she had indeed ''fainted''.


    He slumped onto the ground and looked at the sky with a tired expression.


    Looking at Sarah''s silhouette in the distance, he muttered. But her hearing was strong enough to understand.


    "Sarah, we have to take her out and¡ª"


    "Watch out!"


    A pale hand dug punched through his chest and sted out of his back.


    Varian''s eyes widened in horror as Isadora red down at him.


    "Y-You¡­"


    Varian suddenly realized what he overlooked.


    He believed she fainted after verifying with his soul power. But she''s a rank 6,pared to his pre-fusion rank 4 or post-fusion rank 5.


    She must''ve faked fainting a second before she might actually have. And when he lowered his guard, she struck.


    "Mistakes happen, but some cost life." She smirked and mes of darkness sted out from her palm, right into Varian''s body. Like a witch burned, Varian was engulfed in ck mes.


    Blood curling screams rang out of his throat for a moment before he stopped making any sound.


    Isadora raised her hand to channel her gravity and soul powers but the man in front of her disappeared.


    In the far distance, a white light sted out the mes of darkness and a Varian whose body was badly burnt and mutted appeared.


    His gaze at Isadora was now filled with vignce. Staring at her for any moves, Varian waited for his injuries to heal.


    Unlike normal injuries, these left traces of darkness deep inside. So, even his Famine power boosted by the armor was struggling to show any significant results.


    But he had no choice.


    ''Sarah is already out of range. As long as I can avoid the fight, heal myself back and drag her into a battle of endurance, I can win.''


    Varian had confidence insting longer.


    "Not bad," Isadora pointed a finger at her body and darkness engulfed the ice.


    Even though her body continued to shiver from thesting effects and might not recover until ten full minutes, Isadora showed no panic.


    With a flick of her fingers, a shockwave of gravity and three swords of darkness reached for him. Going even faster than them was the spell of nightmares.


    Varian didn''t even think and teleported. Far away from her attacks but close enough to observe her.


    Like Isadora worried about leaving Varian alive, Varian worried about letting her leave. If she did, he might never be able to find Sia and Enigma ever again.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    "Waiting it out and beating me in a battle of endurance," Isadora clicked her tongue and her red eyes suddenly glowed silver.


    An ominous premonition struck Varian but before he could react, a hand was ced on his shoulder. A silver card floated behind her, distorting the space around it and its owner.


    Varian''s senses screamed as he noticed the card.


    He had been treating her as someone different from Sia and Enigma. So, he paid the price.


    This was the card that enabled Enigma to teleport when she wasn''t a space awakener, use stealth to get away from Xanders and the Military and perhaps it had other uses he didn''t know about.


    "Give up already."


    The mes of darkness engulfed him once again.

 Chapter 1241 Survivor

    ?


    Varian never desired hell so much.


    If only the pain crushing his every nerve ending didn''t feel so awful, he would''ve been grateful.


    But he had no choice.


    The mes of darkness weren''t just an application of darkness powers. They were a fusion of Isadora''s three powers.


    The mes burned his soul. The scorching heat on his spirit was much harsher than on his body. It was as if his sensitivity to pain had increased 10x. And unlike his body, his soul wasn''t melting right away. So, the fire kept burning, causing greater pain.


    The mes were also heavy, infused with terrible gravity. Each spark mmed his body like a hammer, crushing his bones and tearing apart his flesh.


    And finally, the darkness. The dreaded darkness.


    It consumed him. Devoured him. Ate him up like a great cosmic beast.


    Varian could still see but some of his vision was purely dark. He could still hear, but some section of the voice went nk.


    As the darkness continued to devour him, parts and pieces of himself were being deleted out.


    So, he kept running, trying to get away from the scary woman.


    The Great Harvester was the strongest being he ever faced. But he didn''t struggle against him.


    He simply used the power of the artifacts and Ares'' inheritance to deliver the final blow.


    But her¡­


    "I will not destroy the human empire, be grateful for that." Isadora said in a casual tone.


    Varian wanted to yell a shut up but if he really did yell, his throat might break apart, so maintained silence and kept teleporting.


    But Isadora was no easy opponent.


    She used her soul and gravity powers to slow him down. With his mind and body affected, Varian who otherwise would''ve had no problem escaping from even thirty rank 6s through teleportation faltered.


    Every few seconds, ck mes soared into the sky and engulfed a man who could only let out a silent scream.


    ''What should I do? What can I do? What can I even¡­''


    Varian''s mind went into a frenzy, desperately trying to find a solution. But the more he panicked, the less anything seemed possible.


    [Varian, I have an idea]


    Sarah''s voice sounded through their Synergy link. Her voice was a bit scared and worried.


    After watching Isodara, she was relieved that she didn''t fight alongside Varian. Isadora at least tried to break down Varian at the start and didn''t go all out on him right away.


    But on her?


    Even if she didn''t go all out, Isadora''s initial attack would''ve seriously injured her.


    And the mes of darkness, not to mention her, even Varian would''ve fainted when they burned him right away if he didn''t have the slivers.


    The dark mes were too overbearing. One hit and your soul would be rendered immobile, your body would be in tatters and you would soon be engulfed.


    Sarah was clear. If she was hit even once by those mes, she''d have fainted right away.


    That''s why, watching Varian take the hits from the mes ten full times caused her heart to nearly stop.


    So, she racked her brains and came up with a n in desperation.


    [¡­it''ll be risky, but this might be the only way.]


    Varian struggled and couldn''t bear to approve her n.


    Sarah''s voice sounded again, determined than ever.


    [If you don''t do this, both of us will die. Sia and Enigma might never see the light of the day again.]


    Varian gritted his teeth and nodded.


    After three more teleportations, Isadora once again caught up with him. This time, it wasn''t that she really caught up with him but Varian acted it out.


    When she was about to use the dark mes once again, a time field acted on him. Since he didn''t resist, its full effects were shown.


    Varian triggered the space mark he ned a while ago and Sarah appeared right next to him.


    At the same time, the sliver powers protecting him peeled off and formed a ck and white armor.


    "Go!"


    The armortched onto Sarah who used a time distortion on herself and grabbed Isadora who was surprised by her appearance.


    "You could''ve lived." Isadora showed no remorse as ck mes soared out of her and engulfed Sarah.


    She''d have fainted right away but the sliver armor came into y and bounced back the soul attack.


    Sarah had the path of Adept, Light and Time. So, she couldn''t bear a full blown out soul power.


    With one weakness removed, she used her light power.


    Sarah shone with a blinding light, freezing all darkness in the area for a moment.


    The dark me was an incredibly strong power. But it needed the mix of all three powers. And the carrier of the attack was the darkness.


    So, when Sarah froze the darkness, the mes also froze. The gravity power imbued into the mes was helpless on its own due to the very nature of the mes.


    "Now!"


    Varian didn''t hold back. He didn''t dare to. He gave his everything.


    In that tiny fraction of a second, Varian ran through six different powers.


    The time of Isadora slowed. The space around her solidified. Half of Varian''s sword was covered by lightning, the other half with ice.


    The power of a famine through the center of the de, promising to suck away the enemy''s vitality.


    And then, all his powers channeled into Adept path, pushing his power to Mid Rank 6. His artifacts boosted his strength and pushed him to high rank 6.


    Varian''s sword moved.


    A thin line of gold and blue appeared on Isadora before blood spluttered out of the gap. Her body''s regeneration was prevented by the famine power.


    Hit by a severe strike, Isadora wanted to teleport away using the card. But the space around her tightened further, dying her escape. That small dy allowed Varian to drive another strike. This time, he punched her straight through the stomach.


    The pain engulfed Isadora''s mind. Then, attacks rained down on her as if there was no tomorrow.


    ''Noo!''


    The familiar darkness engulfed her.

 Chapter 1242 A Moment Of Calm

    <h4>Chapter 1242 A Moment Of Calm</h4>


    Varian copsed right onto his knees right after Isadora fainted. Sarah caught him in a tight embrace and pulled him away from Isadora.


    Even though she fainted, the mes of darkness were still burning around the woman.


    As Sarah feared, for the next five minutes, the mes grewrger and more menacing before they finally burnt out.


    "¡­What the hell is her deal?" Varian finally swore.


    His body was aching like hell and if possible, he wanted to hit bed right away. Ironically, his body was more fine than his soul. His soul...he didn''t know how many nightmares he''d have to endure before he could return to normal.


    This battle had a direct bearing on his soul and unlike other fights, he couldn''t just shrug it off.


    Sarah created a barrier of light around Isadora and worked it to keep the dangerous woman unconscious for at least a full day.


    Varian put a few restrictions using his sliver powers. It took thest of his stamina and he didn''t even have the strength to curse.


    "We should talk to her after she wakes up," Sarah handed him a healing potion, drank one herself before slumping beside him and stare into the distance.


    The region surrounding them was once filled with ancient structures. Pces, gardens, stunning buildings¡ªbuild by the devas and preserved to this day.


    But now, all that remained was a monotonous in. Even the debris scattered into dust, taking away thest traces of this once greatnd.


    Varian looked at up the in gray sky.


    Since the ruins was transferred to Hortus, that blue sky now had a sun¡ªthe local star of Hortus.


    "The view still sucks, a gray sky is so unexciting, sun or not." Varianined and nced at Sarah, as if he was asking for her opinion.


    Sarah gave a calm but threatening smile. "Isn''t who you watch it with more important? Are you implying mypany sucks?"


    Varian opened his mouth in shock. "Seriously¡­are we even speaking the samenguage?"


    Sarah beat him softly on the shoulder. "Can''t I be unreasonable once in a while?"


    "No."


    "You!"


    "Can''t I be unreasonable once in a while." Varian said, imitating Sarah''s tone.


    Sarah''s chest heaved up and down as she red at him like a pissed-off cat. Then, like a cat, she bit his shoulder.


    "Bad girl, bad girl." Varian patted her back for a while before leaning onto the ground, resting against the hard butforting surface.


    Sarah stopped biting and rested her head on his chest. Varian hugged her, resting his hand on her soft, long blonde hair. Gently caressed her head, he smiled.


    A silence fell on them.


    Only the clear sounds of their heartbeats remained.


    After what seemed like an eternity, Varian spoke up. "I thought I was going to die. I mean, I do get into bad situations a lot of times, but sometimes are certainly worse than others. The tower, particrly the Lost Spiral, are really bad ces for rxing."


    Sarah hummed softly and listened to him slowly narrate what he went through. From the dangerous battle in Centaurus to entering the unreasonable tower, teaming up with Maria, the Reaper who nearly killed them off in 29th floor, the world tree, the royal heirs and finally, the Lost Spiral where he confronted her.


    "¡­Aren''t you just in unlucky?" Sarah muttered in a voice on the verge of confusion and fear. "I don''t think people just get into a space crack andnd in a that pushes everyone into a weird tower.


    And people definitely don''t just pair up with a princess in disguise who''s on a dangerous, secretive mission and gets targeted by spies of the enemy empire, which all falls under the conspiracy of a god-like being."


    Varian nodded vigorously.


    "But your luck¡­I think you exhausted it all on getting good wives. So, it''s understandable." Sarah raised her head and gave him a mischievous grin.


    Varian pinched her soft cheek. "When did you be a narcissist, My Queen?"


    "Itwsh¡­" Sarah freed herself from his hand and said. "Call my Your Highness and I will allow you to kiss my ha¡ª."


    Sarah''s eyes widened as she felt him pull her up and imprint his lips on her. It was a raw, passionate and deep kiss that didn''t end until who knows when.


    Her tired mind was set aze and she looked at Varian''s mischievous smile with a moist gaze.


    All the hardships, struggle and exhaustion pushed them into this state.


    Understanding her, he took her back to their pce in Hortus.


    ¡­Isadora too slowly floated back to Hortus.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    After a full day of intimacy, with breaks where they''d continue enchanting Isadora''s shackles, the Emperor and his Queen finally stopped. In the meanwhile, Sarah already exined her side of the story.


    "She''s not supposed to wake up so soon." Varian and Sarah walked in the in fields of Hortus.


    There were elegant purple flowers in one square plot ofnd, cute pink flowers in another, gorgeous red in another. It was the gardens of the Queen of Radiants.


    "I left her in a ruin formation. Oob said it''ll take care of it, but Oob isn''t responding to my call." Sarah said with a worried face.


    Varian narrowed his eyes for a moment before he stared into the sky. The World Will of Hortus responded to his thoughts and a few secondster, the space in front of them distorted.


    A pair of wings, dormant in a sealing formation, appeared in front of them. The formation deactivated with a thought and the wings pped around violently for a moment before calming down.


    "M-Master?"


    "Are you okay?" Varian didn''t me the little fellow. Instead, he wanted to ensure everything was fine.


    If not for having no options, Oob wouldn''t do something as ridiculous as unlocking Isadora.


    "O-Oob is fine," its voice, still childish, was filled with surprise at the unexpected warmth and joy.


    "I-I''m sorry for what happened but the outsiders came with bad intentions, so there was no choice¡­" In a crying voice, Oob exined the ins and outs of the matter.


    "Princess of the P Kingdom died?" Varian had an ominous premonition.


    This wouldn''t end well.

 Chapter 1243 The Romantic Man

    <h4>Chapter 1243 The Romantic Man</h4>


    "Before she died, she sent a distress signal and a message. O-Oob managed to block out the message, not the distress signal. T-That woman''s power was interfering too much." Oob confessed and revealed that he was ''sealed'' by her not long afterwards.


    "Was she cruel to you? Inflicted pain?"


    "N-No. She c-called Oob¡­special little thing and deemed humanity as too weak for her to bother."


    "Oh,"


    "And she did visit your and Sia''s home once." Oob said in a confused tone.


    "Oh?"


    "She also went to the ce Enigma used to live and also your manor on Eos. She didn''t harm anyone. She didn''t do anything, she just observed the ce. Since Oob was sealed, Oob couldn''t intervene, but I could notice her traces."


    "What was she even doing in these ces?"


    "¡­Observing, I think. She was staring at these ces, for hours. Lost in thought."


    "Did she kill anyone?"


    "Except for the princess, none."


    Varian released the breath he was holding. Isadora didn''t kill anyone, particrly not the citizens and didn''t unleash a ughter.


    It''s the first good news he heard today.


    Unlike how it silly it sounded, it was a very serious topic for powerhouses.


    There were people who were too twisted. They''d kill entire civilizations for the thrill of it.


    If Isadora was like that, it''d be the worst.


    He could tolerate Isadora not liking him, being hostile to him and even trying to kill him¡ªthey didn''t know each other and she might have preconceptions of him or other reasons, that''s fine.


    Even if she''s being unnecessarily hostile, it''s a one-on-one rtionship. He''d have to look out and manage.


    Varian was confident he could work something out to create a functional rtionship between them so that Sia or Enigma won''t suffer.


    But if she''s a psychopath who derived pleasure from torturing unrted people, he''d have to start worrying.


    What could he do?


    Rehabilitate her? Was that even possible?


    Even if she''s broken? Was she broken within the realm of help or broken beyond repair?


    To be honest, Varian had this going on in the back of his mind during the entire fight.


    Now that the worry was lifted, it was time to address the next issue.


    "You said she spared a prince?" Varian raised a brow. "P Kingdom''s prince from Centaurus?"


    "Un!" Oob''s wings went up and down, as if it was nodding. "The Prince called her the Princess of P Kingdom and that he came her in search of a treasure and her."


    "A treasure?"


    The card that allowed her to teleport came to Varian''s mind. Enigma said she could just use that card. That she was born with it. How could anyone just be born with a treasure?


    But if it''s from Isadora, then everything made sense.


    "What''s so special about the treasure, no, never mind. If it''s hers, it''s hers." Varian shook his head. "Isadora?"


    She wasn''t anywhere pleasant to her name.


    For someone who almost killed him, Varian didn''t find her cute. If it''s anyone else, he''d have killed her right away.


    If for some reason, he couldn''t kill her, he''d put her through insane pain and make her regret it. She''s saved because of Sia and Enigma.


    ''Since when did I be such a ruthless guy¡­'' Varian patted his cheek and focused back on Oob.


    "Where''s this Baldur? Since she spared his life, she let him run away?"


    "That¡­" Oob''s wings froze and fluttered, as if it was unsure on how to answer.


    "Just show me."


    *** *** *** ***


    "Ehehehehe! Catch me! I''m the best, you''re the worst! You''re the worst, I''m the best!"


    In a mental hospital, a rtively handsome young man was running around, ying with a bunch of equally crazy people.


    They threw mud at each other, crawled on the floor like toddlers and barked like dogs. It was a heavenly mess that even the brattiest children wouldn''t be capable of.


    "S-She what?" Varian looked at the director of Proxima station, the prince of p kingdom andpared it with the disheveled man biting the ass of an old woman.


    To be fair, although Baldur was a bit stupid for getting scammed twice, he still helped him fight against Crimson Specter in the treasury.


    If not for him, Varian wouldn''t have been able to win.


    In that sense, Varian was grateful to Baldur.


    But the sight of this¡­


    Varian snapped a few pics, filmed a few videos before asking. "What the fuck did she do?"


    "She hit with him a tiny ck me. She took it back very quickly though, but he became like this. His soul is damaged and his mental faculties are¡­in a concerning state."


    "Oh dear," Varian covered his face and groaned into his palm. "Why do I have to deal with this shit?"


    Baldur was necessary to deal with the consequences of Azalea''s death. There''s no escaping that.


    "Hey eh hey~ Watch me break her spine with just a ss of wine~ I''m so romantic, age is just a pedantic~ My baby,e kiss my a¡ªmfff"


    Varian pped the unruly perverse bsatard unconscious and threw him into a rehabilitation facility filled with soul treasures.


    He''d recover in a few days at most, all thanks to, ironically, Isadora.


    She was very light on him. Even if Varian didn''t do anything, Baldur would''ve recovered in a few years. But until then, who knew how many grannies would be harmed?


    Varian sighed deeply as he returned to the pce on Hortus.


    The Matriarch in her maid uniform weed him. Her movements had gotten more professional and should he say, more respectful?


    ''If she can change from her prideful demeanor, then maybe Isadora too can change.'' The thought appeared but nothing concrete supported it.


    Compared to the Matriarch who ruled an isted world, Isadora was the princess of P Kingdom.


    Her pride was far deeper, engraved into her bones. This was a very difficult woman to deal with.


    As he returned to his residential quarters, Sarah''s panicking voice rang from his. "S-She''s about to wake up."


    "Fuck!"


    Varian hurried to her location.

 Chapter 1244 You Gotta Do What You Gotta Do

    ?


    With a third p to the back of her head, she finally fainted properly.


    "That''s a bit cruel. To p her head to fainting. Can''t you just use your soul power?" Sarah grumbled.


    "I had to do both. Her physical strength and soul power both exceed mine." Varian exined with an innocent expression.


    Sarah looked at him with suspicion. She felt that he was enacting some revenge, but she didn''t have the evidence.


    To be honest, she too had a grudge against Isadora. But if they were to get along well in the future and not get cut off from Sia and Enigma, they should meet her halfway or maybe more.


    "We don''t know about her past. What kind of life she lived. Where did she grow up, why did she want to grow strong, what she experienced. If we understand where she''sing from and why that makes her hostile to us, we can build a connection." She said with a solemn expression. "Okay?"


    Varian who wanted to give another smack to ensure she remained unconscious stuttered. "W-What?"


    Sarah took a deep breath and said. "We can''t keep her unconscious forever. We have to talk to her somehow for this to go anywhere."


    "But she''ll attack us," Varian shrugged. "She got duped in the first battle, I doubt if she''ll lose the second. Even though I don''t want to admit it, she''s very good at fighting."


    Sarah raised a brow. "Better than you?"


    "Stop kidding. I''m always first. She''s obviously second. And you, you''re like tenth. Third to ninth are nk." Varian flicked her forehead and said with a shameless expression.


    Sarah took deep breaths and controlled anger for bursting out. She knew he was provoking her on purpose.


    His nasty n was to anger then and then take her to bedroom. She didn''t know why he suddenly got interested in this, but if she had to guess, it''s because he had been fighting too much these days.


    "So, we need a way to talk to her without her fighting us." Sarah poked his chest and said.


    "I think I have a way," Varian rubbed his chin. "But I''ll need to verify it on an awakener, preferably rank 3 or higher."


    "Huh? How about I¡ª?"


    "Not you. I''m not doing those tests on you." Varian rejected without much thought.


    "But we don''t have any of those rank awakeners, do we?"


    "Actually, we do." Varian grinned and for some reason, Sarah thought someone was going to be really unlucky.


    "W-Who is that fortunate soul?"


    "Baldur." Varian chuckled.


    *** *** ***


    For the next two days, Varian worked on building a ''seal'' that would block ranks of the awakener. He copied what he saw on Maria.


    Since he had a perfect memory, he could replicate the surface level workings. But he still needed a lot of test and trial.


    So, Baldur had to suffer.


    "W-Woah, woah~"


    "Have youe to see me, my prince?"


    "Let''s drink together dawn and be brothers from different mothers!"


    The man had been speaking gibbering. But he was lucky that Varian treated him well.


    Even though the seal was going to affect his paths, it wasn''t going to harm them or even cause him any pain.


    Sometimes, Logos hopped in as a consultant to help him out. Not much, but it did give him small suggestions which eventually ended up saving time.


    As a result, Varian finally managed to build a proper seal. By then, Baldur''s mind also recovered.


    "Hmm," Looking at the unknown but eerily familiar ceiling, Baldur looked around in confusion before storming out of his bed. "W-Who''s there? P-Princess Isadora, Ie in peace and good intent¡ª"


    "Oh you woke up."


    Seated in the pavilion outside the small penthouse, Varian sipped some fresh nectar from the flowers and pointed to the seat in front.


    Baldur grew cautious but trotted to the pavilion before seating himself in a vignt position. Looking at him with a suspicious gaze, he asked. "Y-You, have I seen you? You feel¡­familiar."


    "Have you?" Varian grinned.


    This was the first time Baldur actually saw him without disguise. But he actually managed to identify him vaguely. Perhaps it was just a guess?


    "Your voice, your way of talking too¡­it feels familiar. Not overly familiar but something recent." Biting his lips, Baldur blinked in confusion.


    Looking at Varian''s smiling face, he felt like he had known this man somehow but his perfect memory ultimately gave in. "I-I''m sorry, but please tell me who you are, why am I here and how can I talk to Princess Isadora!"


    "You know where you are, don''t y dumb." Varian raised the cup and took another sip of the nectar. Smacking his lips in satisfaction, he said. "The seal will only push you to rank 3, right? So, you should''ve felt it already. This is Hortus¡ªthe Synthetic World you speak of and sneaked into."


    Baldur trembled at those words. "B-But Princess Isadora¡­"


    "She''s my wife." Varian''s words caused Baldur to jolt onto his feet.


    "What did you just say?" Baldur nearly screamed and leaned forward, looking at Varian''s face at close distance. "W-What are your qualifications to even look at her? S-She''s the greatest genius in the history of P Kingdom! No one deserves her love! No o¡ª"


    An invisible force shut his mouth and Baldur felt like an adhesive was attached between his teeth and lips.


    "I''m the one asking questions." Varian''s friendly demeanor changed and a thick killing intent enveloped Baldur.


    Baldur''s eyes grew bloodshot but he didn''t budge. Staring right into Varian''s eyes, he seemed to imply. ''Kill me if you will, but you won''t make me bend.''


    ''This guy has an insane respect for her. Like a fanatical believer. Is he the leader of her cult or something?''


    Varian understood that torture wouldn''t work on him. In the first ce, Varian also wasn''t willing to inflict pain on this guy. They weren''t really enemies after all.


    So, Varian used a more effective method.


    He yed the video of a young man dancing half-naked in a group of crazy grannies, swinging his hips like crazy and making some questionable faces and noises.


    Baldur''s face paled and his jaw almost dropped to the floor. The memories of the past few days were suddenly unlocked and struck him like a flood.


    "B-Big brother, I''ll sign a ve contract. Just don''t broadcast it."


    Oops! This was a bit too effective.

 Chapter 1245 Palarin Race

    ?


    "Every Prin is born with a natal treasure."


    In a quiet pavilion by a pink waterke with a purple flower riverbed, the prince of P Kingdom revealed his reasons.


    "A sword, a shield, a rope, an orb¡ªit could be anything. It''s like a second heart, right from birth and usually perishes with you upon your death. If you''re really talented, it could be a very, very powerful weapon."


    The gentle breeze brushed the moist tips of the grass des and blew over the despondent prince.


    Taking in the chilly air at the wake of dawn to calm his agitated heart, Baldur continued. "At least, that''s how the story is supposed to go. Not everyone prin is born that way.


    Maybe it''s because the ones that created our race were divine rankers, not gods. We aren''t the way we''re supposed to be. There are a lot of us who simply fall short of having a natal treasure, much less growing it to a higher state."


    Varian turned his gaze away from the prince and stared at the darkening sky. It was dark everywhere but light was slowly seeping out, promising a bright day. For a moment, he found sce in the sunrise.


    Even if things were going really bad, it''d get better.


    ''Or I''ll be dead.''


    Varian''s lips twitched. It didn''t seem like he could maintain a very optimistic attitude, unlike Sarah. But he wasn''t too pessimistic either, unlike how Sia would be at times.


    ''But gods? Created? What the hell?''


    "Your race, the royal race of P kingdom isn''t natural? It''s created? What are you saying?" Varian knew he could''ve spoken better but the im was so absurd that he didn''t care how he sounded.


    "Of course?" Baldur raised a brow at his reaction. "What do you mean you don''t know this¡­every kingdom has a legendary divine ranker as a founding figure."


    Varian pursed his lips and pretended to cough to ease his embarrassment. It''s not like he took the history courses of P Kingdom at school. So, maybe cut some ck?


    Perhaps he understood Varian''s meaning or maybe he got scared by the evil man''s intense gaze, Baldur shrunk back and continued.


    "Prin are created by the All-Mother with help from Master Vulcan of Nexus." Even though he spoke out their names, Baldur''s voice remained low and reverent.


    No, it wasn''t just that. It was almost¡­fanatical. Varian was reminded of the cults and brainwashing organizations he had seen.


    He tried asking more about these two divine rankers but Baldur didn''t seem to know anything other than the particr legend.


    The information about divine rankers, whether living or dead, seemed to be strictly controlled.


    Varian didn''t know their reasoning. Perhaps they didn''t want the kingdoms to know or they didn''t deem them worthy enough to help even if they knew.


    The peak rank 9 Great Harvest was a nightmare thaty the entire sr system to waste.


    Because the Lost Spiral''s space was much harder and the core area itself was too vast, it didn''t seem like a big deal back then.


    But in hindsight, if the Great Harvest could blow away the sr system in a single attack. And the shockwaves of his attacks would reach Centaurus and blow up a couple ofs.


    In fact, the reason Centaurus faced a sharp decline wasn''t because of the enemy attacks but because of friendly fire.


    The shockwaves of an attack from a rank 9 damaged the duchy beyond help, pushing it into an irreversible decline.


    That rank 9 was Isadora. And this happened 500 fucking years ago.


    ording to what Boo told him a long ago, there had been a ''natural cmity'' due to which it ended up being found by the abyssals.


    The little ghost then ended up in the sr system. The abyssals pursuing Boo, particrly the guy with the posthumous title ''Last Light'' blew up their sun into two and kicked off ''Blink''.


    Perhaps, no, very likely, Isadora was the initiator of everything. The aura seal broke, Logos escaped into a bracelet and Sia ended up with him.


    ''But why did she fall into a 500-year-long sleep? It''s not just due to theck of slivers. She could''ve taken them herself. Something went wrong. She was¡­betrayed and got heavily injured. That makes sense.''


    Her distrust was obvious and her words didn''t do a good job of hiding her pain. This wasmon for a betrayed person.


    Even though she seemed really indifferent, he could feel the turbulent emotions under her mask.


    "¡­And so I came here."


    "What?" Varian blinked in confusion and asked out loud.


    "I¡­" Baldur looked at him with a face full of grievance. He had described everything in his life, right from how he was born to his childhood to adolescence and finally to this day.


    "I''m sorry but could you please repeat?" Varian showed an apologetic smile.


    Baldur''s anger and frustration subsided a bit. Nodding slightly, he began once again, with a passionate voice. "So, my father made a bet with his friends that he should get the beautiful girl in their ss pregnant. He was serious and didn''t use pro¡ª"


    "Stop." Varian raised his hands with a puzzled expression. "What the fuck are you talking about?"


    "You wanted me to tell everything. Everything starts somewhere, right? My life starts with my father impregn¡ª" Baldur replied with a genuinely puzzled expression.


    "Not everything. Why did youe here? And talk about that woman with you. Her motives and what her death would entail?" Varian crossed his arms and looked at him with an expression that warned him to speak properly or risk getting punched in the face.


    Perhaps Baldur understood. So, he addressed the point right away. "My natal treasure was broken during a battle a few years ago. I am not a contender the crown prince but if I lose my natal weapon, I''ll be treated as a powerful thug of Prin at best and a use-until-throw weapon at best."


    Varian froze as a thought struck.


    ''That card¡­''

 Chapter 1246 The Consequences Waiting

    <h4>Chapter 1246 The Consequences Waiting</h4>


    The one which Enigma used, the one she said she was born with.


    ''But she isn''t even a Prin, is she?''


    Varian titled his head in confusion. Enigma, Sia, and Isadora¡ªthey were created¡ªto be the perfect hybrid of three origins.


    Baldur didn''t know this secret. But he did know something else.


    "I''ve been hearing about Princess Isadora all my life. Even though I look like this, I am not 500 years old yet." Baldur pointed to his face and said with a depreciating smile.


    ''¡­You''re older than my great-great-great grandmother!''


    Varian didn''t smile back.


    Sighing that even his self-derisive joke was a failure like him, Baldur continued. "I only know about her legendary feats and that she has a very, very powerful natal treasure. But I learned on ident that she didn''t even belong to Prin race.


    She acquired the natal treasure from somewhereter on to prove her legitimacy. I want to acquire her natal treasure and avoid a terrible future"


    "Are you kidding me?" Varian punched the coffee table and red at Baldur. "You don''t learn she''s from a fucking different race by ident! You think you''re talking to a 6-year-old?"


    "¡­" Baldur turned his head away in embarrassment. This was turning harder than he thought.


    There were things he could speak without risking his life. And there were things he absolutely didn''t want to say because they irked him more than losing his life.


    "¡­w¡­fe¡­si¡­sta."


    "Huh?" Even with his advanced hearing, Varian could barely make out what Baldur muttered.


    "My sister heard from that asshole!" He yelled with his fists gripping the table hard.


    "Be?" Varian recalled the creepy smiling girl who was fighting alongside him not too long ago.


    For some reason, he felt sympathy for the girl''s husband.


    "You know her?"


    "A bit. We fought together. Sorry to be rude but her ever-smiling face is creepy as hell."


    "¡­It''s an effect of her natal treasure, the whip she uses," Baldur shrugged. "Anyways, my sister''s fiancee learned about this secret somehow. It''s still heavy spection.


    Once they reach rank 9, a prin''s natal treasure won''t perish after their death. He said that she acquired a very powerful natal treasure left behind by our ancestors. Perhaps the strongest ever."


    Varian exhaled.


    He now understood why a prince of a kingdom woulde here incognito. Perhaps Baldur had some spections about Isadora''s death, there was always a small chance she could be alive.


    But that''s just an afterthought. The real reason was to acquire Isadora''s natal treasure.


    He must have the means to detect the signals of the treasure, or else he wouldn''t have appeared in the sr system after Isadora used her power.


    The card was always used by Enigma but the power she could draw out before celestial ranks was too weak for any detection.


    Everything made a lot more sense now. But it also gave him a big headache.


    "¡­I didn''t expect Princess Isadora to be alive. I don''t mean it in the wrong way." Baldur pushed against his chair, raising his hands and showing a harmless smile that was mixed with fear.


    "The reason we even have the crown prince selection was because she disappeared. If she returns, she''ll be quickly crowned as the next ruler."


    Varian didn''t like the sound of that. He knew how busy a ruler would be.


    As the ruler of a province-equivalent, he was already neck deep in work.


    Imperial Secretary Alison: ''¡­''


    Varian coughed slightly. Well, even though he dumped almost all of the work to his reliable secretary, it''s not like he didn''t have any work.


    ''Come to think of it, she didn''t even know I returned. Oh fuck¡­'' Rubbing the back of his head, Varian felt a storm approaching.


    "Anyway," He looked into Baldur''s eyes. "Isadora isn''t going anywhere. And she''s definitely not taking up the reigns of a kingdom."


    "¡­Okay?"


    "Huh?"


    "I can''t oppose you without getting beaten, right? So, why should I even oppose you?" Baldur said with an honest expression.


    "Never mind."? Varian shook his head. "Enough about Isadora, what will happen if the emergency message of the woman who came with you is sent out."


    "¡­Azalea is my half-sister." Baldur sighed.


    "Oh, my condo¡ª"


    "I have more than ten thousand half-sisters."


    "Excuse me?"


    "She''s sent here with the support of the three members who are at the forefront of the crown prince race. Including my sister''s fiancee," Baldur said with a wry smile.


    Baldur himself didn''t expect he''d help Miss Cmity and get into the spotlight. His brother-inw must''ve felt betrayed and threatened. It was a bit too much but since time immemorial, ethical people rarely made it in politics.


    After the Miss Cmity thing, they must''ve thought Baldur was going to do something big. That''s why he was staying in a remote duchy despite all the spotlight.


    Varian''s expression grew solemn. "So if she sent a distress call from here, they''ll think that she found something important and got killed."


    "It''ll be interpreted as something I am going to use for my crown prince race. This will rattle the three of them. If I understood them even roughly, they''ll all be heading here, sooner orter."


    "That stupid bitch..." Varian covered his face and gritted his teeth.


    Even though he couldn''t take all of thes, he could take in all the ruins, and all the poption into Hortus already.


    Technically, he could already keep his people safe. But there''s a catch.


    At his current rank, taking that many people ands would be pushing Hortus close to the limit.


    While Hortus had excellent stealth, having that many people would make it easier to spot with a high rank and treasure.


    The chances were slim even then. But they''d be at least 0.5%¡ªa risky endeavor.


    Moreover, even if he did evacuate everyone, Hortus couldn''t really move at a high speed now.


    The sr system stretches for a radius of nearly two light years. Hortus would take a whole year to cross this distance even though it''d be traveling in inner space where the travel would be a lot shorter.


    If the pursuers could grasp that fact, they would just need to dig deeper into the sr system to find them.


    Varian could easily keep Hortus in an absolute stealth state¡ªgiven it didn''t have too much poption.


    For a few moments, Varian''s mind went through terrible futures and situations.


    Looking at the man''s eyes shing with intense emotions, Baldur was scared and continued. "But they probably won''t send anyone else over. They''lle over personally."


    "W-What?" Varian released the breath he didn''t know he was holding.


    "It''s an important achievement. They don''t want to split the merit. If they could achieve this independently, without the help of their subordinates, it''d establish a stronger image." Baldur exined.


    "Continue."


    "Of course, if they find the trouble here impossible to ovee, they''ll use their forces. They are seeking merit, not death."


    Varian leaned back into his chair and rubbed his chin. He needed to do something.


    Killing the princes wasn''t an option. He had to solve this through a mix of strength and deception. Mainly deception.


    But how could he deceive them?


    They''reing for the sr system and with a little digging, they''d learn the specialty of ruins as well as Hortus.


    Varian needed a good n.


    "I''ll take care of this issue," With a snap of his fingers, the seal of rank on Baldur activated, pushing him to the ranks of Sovereign. "Enjoy your stay here. You''ll be treated as our guest."


    "W-Wait, you just can''t take care of it!"

 Chapter 1247 Three Prime Candidates

    <h4>Chapter 1247 Three Prime Candidates</h4>


    "What will we do now?" Sarah leaned her head on Varian''s shoulder and interlocked fingers. "Even if only three of theme here, it''s three rank 7s, right?"


    Varian stared at the sunset with his wife on top of a mountain house, his gaze nk and his mind lost in thought.


    Sarah''s words registered in his brain but no answer came up.


    P kingdom had its own customs of picking a crown prince. Anyone from the Prei race would be eligible.


    Since the current king, a peak rank 9 powerhouse was going to retire in a few hundred years, he added specific conditions that filtered out thousands of aspirants.


    It was just one rule.


    [You cannot be older than 666 years.]


    Varian didn''t know the reason behind that number but he did know that the three main contenders of the race perfectly satisfied the condition.


    Prince Merov, a genius overwhelming the entire P kingdom. At the mere age of 300, he had reached peak of rank 7.


    Even the geniuses trained by the empires would reach peak of rank 7 in 250 years. When the intervention of divine rankers still gave him these empire geniuses only a fifty year lead, it was telling of Prince Merov''s monstrosity.


    In contrast, even the elite geniuses of P kingdom usually took 500 years to reach the same rank. This man was the most dangerous.


    He served in the military, won honors and respect, bathed in blood and lived on war.


    If anything, he reminded Varian a bit of himself. Albeit a more realistic version.


    The second candidate was Prince Rudolph. The orthodox heir in the direct lineage of the present king.


    He had the support of the kingdom''s Martial Saint, one of the three peak rank 9 experts alongside the king himself.


    450 years old and peak rank 7.


    Interestingly, this was also the guy whom Be was betrothed to¡ªwhich makes him Baldur''s brother-inw.


    The final candidate was a bit unexpected and seemed out of ce.


    Princess Sonya.


    550 years. Peak rank 7.


    The oldest, least talented.


    But her identity made it impossible for others to dismiss her. She''s the younger sister of the legendary princess, Isadora.


    Varian exhaled deeply. The fresh, cold air on the hills filled his lungs and cleared his stress.


    He wrapped his arm around Sarah''s waist and lowered his head. "We''ll have to do something. I can''t kill them unless necessary. We need something¡­"


    Sarah looked into the distance and tried to think of a way out. What could they do when the enemy wasing right at them?


    These candidates knew there was something off with this ce. Unless they get a satisfying answer, they won''t leave until they get to the bottom of it.


    So, how do they solve this?


    Sarah thought hard for a while before suggesting. "How about we ask the Secretary and everyone to think about it?"


    "That could help." Varian''s tense expression eased and he smiled a little.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Emperor''s Pce, Capital City Kiah:


    "Oh, look who''s here. A visitor from another gxy?"


    At the entrance of her office, after mming the door shut and ensuring no one could listen, Secretary Alison started speaking in a dramatic tone.


    "Our emperor wasn''t seenst week or month or two months. So, this distant visitor, whoever you might be, pleasee back when our emperor returns, which would be probably in a hundred years."


    Varian''s lips twitched as he watched his secretary''s antics. "I thought we were supposed to maintain professionalism in the office ce."


    Alison covered her mouth and the corner of her eyes turned red. With shoulders trembling, she said in a breaking tone. "I''vemitted a great sin, Your Majesty. So, kill me for my unprofessionalism. At least that''d save me from the piles of ever-increasing, never-ceasing work."


    She pointed to the hills of holograms floating around in the corner of the office with a sarcastic expression.


    Varian looked at the heavy bags under her eyes and rubbed the back of his head out of guilt.


    "W-We''ll do something about it, I promise." He said.


    Alison looked at him with a distrusting expression but sighed in the end and motioned for him to sit in her chair.


    She slumped into a visitor''s chair and ced her hands on the table. "So, Your Majesty, what''s your reason for seeing me?"


    "¡­Woah, that''s treating me as a bit too utilitarian. I might''vee to just check up on you." Varian said.


    "Did you?" Alison narrowed her eyes.


    "Well, yeah. I dide to check up on you." Varian said with a straight face. "And now that I saw you, I remember something I need your help with."


    "¡­What a smooth liar. You''d have made an excellent Casanova and an even better politician." Alison sighed in pure admiration.


    "I''m a very honest guy, okay?" Varian protested. "Anyway, we''ll have toe up with something for¡­"


    Alison''s fatigue disappeared at a visible rate as she listened. In the end, she was sitting in a military posture, like a war machine. Her gaze was serious and her breathing was regted. It didn''t take a genius to realize a lot was going through her mind.


    A few minutester, she realized he was still in the room and asked. "How long do we have?"


    "¡­A few weeks at least and a few months at best," Varian replied. "Oob''s interference with the signal was unsessful but it did mess up the speed of transmission."


    Alison closed her eyes for a moment and ran along some thoughts. Her brows frowned tight and she said while keeping her eyes shut. "Give me two hours. I''ll gather everyone, discuss, and get back to you.


    But for that to work, I need all the information you have. Anything and everything. Even trivial stuff."


    "Here." Varian presented a translucent stone¡ªa memory stone¡ªcondensed using his soul power.


    It contained the events that happened in the tower and the items he had. Of course, he withheld the secrets and mentioned a lot of things vaguely.


    There was not a word about slivers, ares tribe, or a rank 9 supposedly dead pseudo-god.


    He hoped they could work something out. If not, the only way would be evacuating everyone and killing those princes or worse, fleeing from this region and waiting for them to leave.

 Chapter 1248 Fears Unraveled

    <h4>Chapter 1248 Fears Unraveled</h4>


    While Alison went off to rack her brains with the rest of the high-standing members of the Empire, Varian returned to Hortus.


    It was finally time for a talk.


    In a room built of snow-white marble stood a woman. Thevender curtains fluttered with the wind, swaying gently, brushing her skin and enveloping her in a transient hug.


    Sarah seated herself in a chair in the corner of the room. Even though she was meditating, a part of her focus was on the silent woman.


    Even though her powers were heavily sealed, Sarah didn''t feel secure enough to let her guard down.


    On the other hand, Isadora was still shocked by the turn of events. Standing still like a statue, she stared nkly into the garden over the balcony. The pond in the garden was still like her mind.


    Tick!


    A ripple spread across the pond, destroying the peace.


    Tick!


    Tick!


    Tick!


    The ripples shed against each other as it drizzled.


    Like the rain destroying the peace of the calmke, a man stepped through the garden, destroying the peace of her calm mind.


    An invisible wall bounced the raindrops, as if he was a god of the world that even rain would not spheme.


    "There are no side effects with the seal, I really gotta thank Baldur." Varian snapped his fingers.


    The furniture of the room vanished, and the floor changed into a bed of white and blue flowers along with smooth, lush grass. A calm and refreshing fragrance filled the air, calming even Isadora''s tense heart.


    Sarah quietly sat beside Varian on the grass and gave Isadora a pensive, unfriendly gaze.


    Isadora would''ve ignored her any other time. But she learned a bitter lesson from thest battle.


    Sarah was instrumental in her defeat. Her light powers acted as the nemesis and stalled her dark mes in that decisive moment.


    If not for her, Isadora was confident in defeating Varian. Even though he''s a great fighter, Isadora had way more experience and was better at judging a battle''s oue.


    Varian had no way of defeating her. Neither did Sarah. But when they worked together, things gotplicated.


    Now that she thought about it, Sarah took a really, really big risk in blocking her. There''s a good chance she could''ve died. Sarah must''ve known it too. But she did it anyway.


    Isadora looked at the silent blonde girl and made a point not to underestimate her in the future.


    "Why are you hostile to me?" Varian looked up at her still standing and broke the ice.


    Isadora looked down at him and spoke in a harsh tone. "The slivers should be for those who des¡ª"


    "You don''t believe those words yourself," Varian shook his head. "And the slivers chose me, not the other way around. I have no fucking idea and it feels too¡­convenient. But as I grow stronger, I can feel there must be some reason. It''s a premonition, though I don''t like it."


    "Resources will always be plundered by the strong. It doesn''t matter if you''re chosen. I can make it mine."


    "Isadora, please." Varian motioned her to be seated.


    She refused, of course. Her power was sealed to rank 3. Even though she was free to go wherever she wanted in the pce, she felt imprisoned.


    If anything, she wanted to protest that even if he sealed her powers, he couldn''t control her.


    "Fine. The argument about resources plundered by Strong is thew of the jungle. But I am confident you aren''t an animal."


    Isadora''s eyes widened at his sharp words and she balled her fists.


    "You need the slivers to stabilize your origins. They''re already very stable thanks to my connection with Sia." Varian pointed out the heart of the matter.


    "But¡ª"


    "And you don''t have to worry about me abandoning her, which also extends to you, and putting you in a position where your origins grow unstable and you end up dying¡ªwhich is your real concern." Varian looked into her eyes andid her fears out in the open.


    Isadora''s body trembled and she hugged herself instinctively. Looking at his deep ck eyes that seemed to stare right into her soul, she felt bare. As if all her thoughts, fears, and shame were open to him.


    She felt...vulnerable. For the first time in many, many years.


    It was an unbearable feeling. But paradoxically, his gaze didn''t enrage her but rather encouraged her to open up. To speak her heart out.


    Reluctant, Isadora sat down on the grass and looked at with him a grudging expression. "I don''t trust you. I can only trust myself. I can only be safe if I have the slivers. And if I am safe, so will be Sia and Enigma.


    And I can''t leave you alive¡­because I know you''re too much of a variable. What if you conspire against me for slivers and leak the news? It''d be disastrous.


    Your feats are too ridiculous for your own good. Even if I locked you in a dark prison where no one can ever contact you, I''ll still have anxiety over your actions."


    Sarah opened her mouth in surprise and took another look at the woman in front of her.


    The crimson red eyes, those beautiful eyes that were always cold and indifferent, filled with overwhelming pride and disdain for the world¡­those eyes were now filled with humility and nervousness.


    "I appreciate your honesty." Varian gave her a genuine smile. "I will not lie and say that I can grasp the gravity of your fears. You''ve lived way longer than I did. Ten times? Fifty? A hundred?


    You should''ve witnessed way more tragedies than I did. So, I do not me you for your distrust. And I''m guessing you were betrayed."


    Isadora''s fingers dug into her knees at his final words and a thick killing intent leaked out of her before she suppressed it.


    She looked at him in confusion and vignce. It was her scar she didn''t want to touch. A memory that still tormented her.


    How did he know?


    "It''s not hard to guess. Else why would you be in such a longa without any of your power?" Varian shrugged.


    "Like I said, I can see where you''reing from. But I''l also tell you what I stand for. I''m not going to give up on Sia, ever. Neither on Enigma. Your fears won''te true. And we''ll figure out a way to deal with your problem permanently." Varian said in good faith.


    He meant every word he said.


    Isadora sensed it too. But she scoffed. She had seen too many people who were genuinely interested in maintaining a rtionship with their loved one. But what about after a hundred years? A thousand years?


    They couldn''t even imagine the scale of such a time period.


    "Words are cheap. Friendships can break, love can die out, even family bonds crack under the currents of time."


    "Indeed. What you say is the norm." Varian agreed, surprising her. "It''s not easy for a rtionship to sustain for decades, much less centuries. It doesn''t matter what kind of rtionship it is.


    Friends, family, lovers, rtives¡ªtime has the power to wreck anything¡ªif we let it. Unfortunately, most let it wreck the rtionships and it does. That is and has always been the norm."


    Isadora raised a brow in confusion.


    ¡­What was he trying to say if he''s agreeing with her?


    "But you see," Varian gave her his signature cheeky, smug, and a bit narcissistic smile. "I''m not the norm. I''m the abnormal in the masses. The anomaly of the system."

 Chapter 1249 A True Gentleman

    <h4>Chapter 1249 A True Gentleman</h4>


    "Don''t you feel any shame in saying such narcissistic and self-aggrandizing words? Everyone thinks they are special, it''s just a delusion that adults grow out of."


    "I don''t feel any shame for speaking the truth." Varian said with a serious expression. By all objective standards, I am special." Varian shrugged. "That speciality puts me in a lot of shitty situations, so when I say I''m special, I also acknowledge the struggles."


    Isadora grew quiet. She couldn''t refute the things she thought to be true. In a single year, Varian went through what most wouldn''t go through in a hundred years. It''s an insane life, to put it mildly.


    "My love is special as well. Unlike the couples you saw so far, I am literally linked to my lovers through my soul. Our feelings are only growing deeper and fiery." Varian shrugged. "You have some ess to the link, right? You can sense our feelings yourself."


    Isadora pursed her lips and did.


    It was true. The love was growing. Was it because of synergy? Was synergy because of their love?


    But whatever, it could only be temporary.


    Isadora just couldn''t bring herself to trust him. She wasn''t ready to trust anyone over mere words. That naive Isadora was taught a painful lesson and she wasn''t going to be fooled twice.


    Varian looked into her eyes and those ruby red eyes, the beautiful eyes that were brimming with arrogance and pride since the beginning, now stubbornly stared back at him. Only this time, they had hints of weakness and struggle.


    Her stubborn gaze said it all. She wasn''t going to believe him. But this was already a good result.


    If he rather went on a route of torture, Isadora would have grown only more resentful. As he saw it, she was a scared little cat who was too hurt to let anyone close.


    He wouldn''t be able to change it anytime soon. But he hoped he could at least build a functional rtionship.


    "I am not dismissing your experience and opinion. But neither am I going to dismiss mine.? You are free to live as you please here. Decide your time shifts with Sia and Enigma. I only restrict your freedom to escape." Varian paused for a moment and continued.? "Whoever betrayed you, I''ll¡ª"


    "I don''t need your help!" Isadora screamed.


    "¡­I''ll help you get your revenge, kill them with your own hands." Varian finished.


    "¡­"


    Isadora bit her lip and leaned back. Hanging her head, she felt ashamed for losing control which she was always proud of.


    ''It''s always him from the start. He''s like my nemesis.''


    Isadora felt aplicated emotion as she took in Varian''s calm but controlling demeanor.


    Since the start, he had been leading the conversation, controlling the dynamic, and pushing her where he wanted to.


    ''No wonder even with three girls, he''s the one leading the rtionship.''


    "I hope we can see each other in a more positive light in the near future. Now, can you let me see Sia and Enigma? I''m worried about them. Don''t worry, I''ll see youter in your next shift." Varian politely asked her to leave.


    "I don''t trust you and I don''t like the restrictions imposed on me. But if only for your honesty¡­I''ll not kill you when I take the slivers back one day, which I will." Isadora vowed and a silver light enveloped her.


    Her body curves shrunk a little and her age regressed a bit. A beautiful brown-haired girl blinked her golden eyes in shock as if she was still having trouble believing what she was seeing.


    "Sia!" Varian enveloped her in a tight hug, his voice low and on the verge of breaking.


    Sia instinctively winced at the strength in his arms but her arms wrapped around him, touching the familiar body, and took a deep breath, taking in the familiar scent.


    The corner of her eyes grew red and tears slowly dripped onto his shoulder as she quietly sobbed.


    "It''s alright, it''s alright." Varian patted her back gently like he was consoling a crying child. "I''m here, don''t be afraid anymore. I''m here. I''m here."


    His repeated assurances calmed her chaotic mind.


    Sia broke the hug after a few minutes but interlocked fingers and wiped her fears. "I-It''s not that¡­she put us through anything bad. I was just scared of never being able to wake up ever again. A-And she said we''ll have to sleep for f-five hundred years."


    "She was trying to scare you." Varian kissed her forehead and rubbed her hair.


    "Hm¡­" Sia closed her eyes and enjoyed his gentle love. "I¡­I know, but it was really scary."


    "It''s okay." Varian pulled her lips into a little smile and asked. "Can I talk to Enigma a little?"


    "Oh," Sia nodded with a suggestive expression. "Good luck."


    A sh of light, Enigma blinked in confusion. After the appearance of Isadora, her silver hair had turned into light blue while her eyes remained bright, beautiful purple.


    "Are you okay?"


    Enigma was caught off guard at the hug and his soft, concerned voice. She melted into his warmth and hugged him with trembling arms.


    "I-It was a darkness I was used to¡­so, the darkness wasn''t very scary. But¡­not waking up¡­never seeing you¡­that was scary." Enigma''s voice was quiet and soft.


    But her words tickled Varian''s heart and caused him to smile brightly. "I wonder what I did in my previous to get the love of such a sweet girl."


    ''W-What?'' Enigma felt her heart stop for a moment before thrashing against her chest.


    It''s the first time she received a romanticpliment from him and she was drunk in the sweetness.


    "I¡­I am not¡­" She lowered her head and refuted in a soft voice.


    "Hahaha," Varianughed at her shyness.


    Never in his dreams would he have thought that the cold and emotionless girl hiding behind a mask would have such a cute side.


    "S-Stopughing¡­I¡­am¡­not swe..et," Enigma tightened her grip on his back andined.


    Varian lifted her chin up and kissed her on the lips.


    Enigma''s eyes widened and she opened her lips like a fish¡­which turned the kiss more passionate, fiery, and intense.


    After an indefinite amount of time, the kiss ended.


    Varian licked his lips andmented. "You are sweet. I just checked. Or do you want me to check again?"


    Enigma buried her head in his chest and shook her head violently.


    ''She''s so cut¡ªwhaaat?'' From the corner of his eye, he caught Sarah arranging the flowers into a nice bed.


    Looking at the evil smirk hanging on her lips that resembled a viinessdy in a y, Varian feared something major was going to happen. Noticing his gaze, Sarah winked and gave him a thumbs-up with a sultry smile.


    ''Woman, what the hell are you thinking?'' Varian wanted to bend her down and teach her a ''tough lesson'' for having impure thoughts in such an emotional moment.


    Enigma finally noticed Sarah''s movements and stiffly turned to Varian with a questioning gaze.


    Varian was stumped on how to answer.


    Since he knew she harbored strong feelings for him, he was considerate of how his words were perceived.


    If he said no, she might think he wasn''t seeing her as attractive. She''s not like that usually but her intense emotional state increased the possibility of her making wild interpretations.


    But if he said yes, wouldn''t that sound too despicable?


    ''Do you want to console me or sleep with me?''


    Varian took a deep breath and carried Enigma onto the flower bed in a princess carry. Panicked, Enigma wrapped her arms around his neck.


    If she ever asked that question, he decided to answer.


    ''I want to sleep with you to console you.''


    What a gentleman!

 Chapter 1250 Dream Of Ten Years

    <h4>Chapter 1250 Dream Of Ten Years</h4>


    [R-18 Chapter: Sexual Content (1/2)]


    The world faded out of existence as the lovers'' senses focused on one person.


    The seconds ticked by as Varian and Enigma stared into each other''s eyes.


    His pitch ck eyes and her glittering purple eyes search for something in each other.


    A whisper of longing, a flicker of affection and the flood of desire. As the world, their sounds the void.


    Varian''s ragged breathing and hot breath tickled Enigma''s supple skin and her disordered breathing reached his face, lighting up a fire that burned him with lust.


    As she was gently ced on the soft, fragrant flower mattress, Enigma''s chest heaved up, highlighting her curves and inviting him for a tantalizing meal.


    Varian bent down, his lips hovering over Enigma as he stared into her eyes.


    He didn''t kiss.


    Neither did she.


    They stared into each other, as if frozen in time.


    Their hearts throbbed, louder and loader, shouting their love and passion.


    Ba-dump!


    Ba-dump!


    And then, they beat as one.


    Ba-dump!


    Varian slowly pressed down his lips on hers. Her lips were soft like petals of a rose and responded meekly.


    The warmth of her lips was like a gentle fire, it spread from his lips and slowly engulfed his entire body. It gently burned away his rationality, pulling him slowly into the abyss of desire.


    His hands gently brushed past her sensitive ears and neck, caressing her skin with love.


    Enigma felt tingles of electricity coursing her skin wherever his warm fingers touched.


    It was tiny, gentle bursts of pleasure that started from her ears, neck and then spread to her chest before reaching her entire body.


    If her unexpected intrusion into Varian''s intimacy with Sia was like an abrupt lightning, this was a gentle breeze.


    Drop by drop, pleasure continued to fall on her. It was still early but they promised to drown her. And Enigma closed her eyes to drown.


    Her lips parted as a moan escaped her throat as his fingers gently reached her ck top and brushed her sensitive tips.


    Varian''s tongue darted into her mouth and danced against her little tongue. Like the dance of two snakes, their tongues moved. With every passing moment, their movements grew wilder.


    Enigma was vaguely aware that her tips had gone erect and were exploding with jolts of pleasure as Varian caressed them.


    Moans were leaking out of her were already beyond her control and she was rubbing her thighs in desperation, waiting for his burning hands to reach there.


    Varian broke the kiss and removed her top. Bending over, he kissed her breasts gently before sucking on one of the tips.


    "Eh~" Enigma felt a mix of tickling as well as pleasure. "N-Nothing¡­hngh..wille out~"


    Varian halted for a moment, seemingly surprised at her words before he burst into a chuckle and sucked harder.


    Enigma''s toes curled up at the sudden, violent, and numbing pleasure.


    While he massaged her breast with one hand, Varian''s other hand moved over her belly in circles. Enigma didn''t know why, but her waist arched up as his teasing hand grew closer and closer to her softness.


    But Varian didn''t go down her belly, using his thumb, he kept drawing circles around her navel.


    "Hngh~"


    His movements were gentle, teasing, and started to burn a fire between her legs.


    "Argh~"


    "Hmm~"


    Before she knew it, Enigma felt a dampness between her legs. The itch had grown unbearable and was gnawing away her rationality.


    All that was left was a void. A void to be filled. With his lust and passion.


    Biting her lower lip, she grabbed Varian''s hand teasing her naval and pulled it down, between her legs.


    With a brush of his fingers, her shorts vanished and left her in ckce panties.


    Varian shifted on the bed and moved his two hands between her thighs.


    Gently caressing them and teasing them in circles, his warm hands went higher and higher. As they did, his fingers were covered by the wetness leaking out.


    Enigma moaned louder and louder, the fire of lust burning her soul as she waited for his hands to finally reach her intimate area.


    And she waited.


    "H-Huuuh?" Opening her moist eyes, she nced at Varian between her legs with a sultry look.


    She realized that she had parted her thighs at some point, inviting him to explore the secrets.


    And he stopped his hands just at the edges, his thumbs right at the borders of her flower.


    With a flushed face, teary eyes, and a confused gaze, she moaned. "W-Why?"


    A small smile etched on Varian''s lips and he gently caressed the edges of her flower, causing her petals to open and close while her thighs trembled from the pleasure.? "Ask."


    "Hngh~?" Enigma moaned with a confused expression.


    Her once cold and indifferent expression was long gone. Now, it was filled with sensuality, lust, and hunger.


    Varian was raging hard, ready to bed her for seven days and nights. He wanted to devour her and desperately make love.


    But before all that, he wanted to hear it from her. He wanted to see that beautiful face and ask for it.


    "Tell me what you want."


    He expertly massaged at the edges of her flower, pushing her pleasure higher and higher but just stopping at the most critical stage.


    Enigma raised her waist, trying to pull his fingers in but he deftly pulled back and kept massaging the edges.


    "Tell me Enigma, what do you want me to do."


    "T-Th¡­hngh~" Enigma bit her lip and red at him with a pitiful gaze that couldn''t hide her lust. "P-Put it in."


    Varian''s clothes vanished away. His lean but muscr body towered over her and a scorching hardness suddenly ced itself over her flower.


    Enigma shivered as she felt a burning sensation over there and then began to moan as she felt him rub it against her lower lips.


    "Arghh~"


    He slid it up and down her lips, giving her mind-numbing pleasure in agonizingly slow strokes.


    It pushed her higher and higher and Enigma clutched the flowers that somehow acted as the bedsheets.


    Her body ached for it.


    "P-Please~"


    Varian stabbed in.

 Chapter 1251 Burning Passion

    Chapter 1251 Burning Passion


    [R18: Sexual Contant (2/2)]


    Enigma''s mind went nk for a moment before her body spasmed and quivered as a crescendo of pleasure crashed over. Her waist arched upwards and her toes curled as she reached the first climax of her life.


    "Haaa! Haaf! Haa!" Enigma''s chest heaved up and down, her lungs void of air and the energy in her limbs sapped out. Like a puddle of water, she sprawled on the bed, panting heavily.


    Varian grunted as he felt her insides grip him like a wet, warm silken glove, contracting violently, as if trying to rip him apart. But thanks to the forey, she was wet enough to insert a third of his length directly.


    "Now we''re starting." Varian grasped her hips and slowly dove in.


    "Eh? Aaaah~" Enigma''s surprised exim turned into a long moan as his burning hotness stretched her insides.


    She was still very tight, so Varian had to go back and forth while gently caressing her breasts and kissing her deeply.


    Without realizing it, Enigma''s body rxed slightly, and using the chance, Varian mmed his hips forward, pushing the majority of his length inside.


    Enigma convulsed as jolts of pleasure shot up her spine and unintended moans leaked out of her throat.


    Varian looked at her hiding her face under her arm. Her neatly kept hair was disheveled, there was drool on the corner of her lips the corner of her eyes were moist and her pretty lips were swollen.


    The contrast of her appearance on the bed aspared to that on the battlefield worked like an aphrodisiac he didn''t ask for and filled him with a maddening desire.


    He wanted to drown her in pleasure, to make her moan in the joys she never knew and fill her to the brim with his seed.


    Varian mmed his hips back and forth, using his superhuman speed for superhuman sex.


    "Arghh~"


    "Haa~"


    "S-Slow, I''m¡­"


    Enigma''s body convulsed as she trembled from head to toe. Her insides convulsed and contracted violently as a wet liquid drenched him.


    But with him plugging her in, it didn''t leak out. However, a lusty smell still filled the room.


    Varian took a deep breath and raised her up.


    "A-Aah!"


    Enigma''s legs were wrapped around his waist, her arms around his neck while he hugged her back.


    Slowly moving her up, he pulled himself outside. And then, he moved her down and mmed upwards.


    He reached deep inside her, causing her to let out guttural groans of joy, her gaze turning nk for a moment and her body twitching.


    "K-Kiss me¡­" Enigma leaned forward, offering her juicy lips.


    Varian obliged. He kissed the beauty and he drilled her. Hard.


    Enigma''s world turned nk. Waves of pleasure starting from her flower reached her mind and crashed her mind. There was only an intense feeling of joy pulsing through her nerves until she slowly regained her senses.


    And it ended when a hot liquid was shot inside, its warmthness reaching every corner and pushing her to another climax.


    She was clinging onto Varian, biting his shoulder as she cried at the overwhelming pleasure.


    Varian prepared for another round when Enigma shook her head violently. "N-No, I will do the moving!"


    As a first-timer, his movements were too overwhelming for her. She didn''t hate it. But she wanted to remain more sober during these movements. At least a few of them.


    ''No wonder both of them love it so much.'' She bit her lip and slowly climbed onto the bed with shivering legs.


    Respecting her choice, Varianid down and waited for her to mount him.


    But looking at her trembling legs as she slowly positioned his rod over her cave, Varian asked in a teasing voice. "Are you sure you can mov¡ªfuck!"


    Just to refute his words, Enigma sat down directly, taking in all the length, causing Varian to grunt in pleasure and she herself ended up raising her neck and screaming out at the numbing electricity coursing through her body.


    "G-Give me your hands," She demanded and he obliged.


    Holding his hands, she raised her hips slowly and lowered herself. Next time, a bit more and then even further.


    A few minutester, Varian groaned in satisfaction as Enigma got a hang of the movements. She also managed to control her insides, giving him a mind-blowing experience.


    Curious enough, Sia and Enigma felt very different. Of course, he liked how they both felt.


    ''I wonder how¡­no, shut up, you horny bastard! Don''t think with your second brain!''


    "Y-You aren''t allowed to think about anything else, anyone else." Enigma pulled him up into a kiss.


    "Okay," Varian kissed back.


    Enigma didn''t feel the passing of time. All she could feel, breathe, see and taste was him and him alone.


    They went from bed to the floor, from the ceiling to the walls, from mid-air to under the bed.


    Enigma forgot how many times she climaxed. All she did know was that after every small break she took by cleaning him up, the next session would get more raw, more passionate, and more intense.


    As she grew used to his lovemaking, she immersed herself in it.


    It was pure bliss. Heaven on earth. A state of body and mind that was filled with the most primal pleasure known to mankind.


    When she finally reached her limit, the flower bed carefully arranged ended up as rows of petals scattered throughout the room.


    The musky smell and dried-up liquids all over provided a glimpse into their madness.


    Exhausted in both body and mind, Enigmay on the floor, holding Varian''s arm and resting her head on his chest.


    There was a satisfied smile on her face and she kept murmuring ''love you'', ''hug me'', ''don''t leave'' in her sleep.


    Their bare skin touched each other, bringing a warmfort and a strong aftermath. Whatever anxieties she had were dispelled and only a soothingfort remained.


    Caressing her hair lightly, Varian nced at the sleeping Enigma with an amused expression.


    Even Sia and Sarah together weren''t able to match this intensity on their first night. But the always quiet Enigma not only adjusted fast enough, but she also went beyond them.


    ''I guess this is why they say, it''s always the quiet ones.'' Varian chuckled.


    And then he turned to the naked blonde hugging his other arm while drooling on his chest.


    As expected, Sarah joined when Enigma was about to faint and somehow, they teamed up to try and take him down.


    But as they say, evil always wins. The two girls lost to the big bad guy.


    ''I also want to catch some sleep¡­'' Varian wrapped his arms around their shoulders and feeling their warmth, he drifted off to sleep.


    After he woke up, he''d have to deal with the pressing problem. So, at least until then, he wanted peace.

 Chapter 1252 Three Plans To Survival

    Chapter 1252 Three ns To Survival


    When he attended the imperial meeting, every representative was gathered. From the Sanguine race to the Crystal race, from Bali to Irene. There was also Oob floating around a seat, pping its wings.


    Varian leaned into his throne and nodded at them to begin the meeting.


    "We''vee up with three ns." Secretary Alison, in usual work clothes, stood up and addressed him.


    "First n: evacuate everyone into Hortus. Stay low. Since you said this has a slight chance of exposure, we''ll use the spaceships to transfer them out of the sr system. Thanks to Boo, we have the capacity to send out ten billion people. They can survive for 10 years in space.


    It''ll reduce the burden on Hortus and if the data is right, the chance of being found is less than 0.0001%. It''s a safe bet."


    Varian was expected many radical methods of offensive. But the evacuation n being the primary consideration caught him off guard. Its details were ridiculous or impressive, depending on how he viewed it.


    "Evacuate ten billion people? Out of sr system?" Varian cocked his head and looked down at Alison with a serious gaze that muttered. ''Are you kidding me?''


    Not too long ago, humanity struggled to evacuate a few billion Neptunians to a neighboring. There were hundreds of millions of deaths because of the failure.


    times harder.


    Compared to the massive radius of the sr system stretching for But Alison was proposing the evacuation of ten billion humans out of the sr system. It''s hard to make a sharpparison, but it''s at least a million times harder. Not a hundred or a thousand, a million times harder.


    Compared to the massive radius of the sr system stretching for two light years, the distance between twos wouldn''t even be visible. The distance was more than 100,000rger.


    The fuel, supplies, transportation¡ªeverything was leagues above what was recently possible.


    Varian didn''t express his disbelief but it was open for everyone to see.


    As if waiting for the chance, a cute white ghost bolted into the throne hall and yelled. "Master, it''s all thanks to Boo! Boo upgraded the spaceships, gave them stealth, designed space-expansion arrays and life support systems! And soooo many things!"


    "Oh," Varian recalled the arrays on Ghost ship when he first found it. They were mind-boggling to him back then. Now, not so much. But if they could be upgraded and mass-produced¡­


    ''But why did the duchies do this if it''s so easy?''


    "Ahem, ahem." Oob pped its wings and floated beside Boo. "The ruins had some suitable inheritance rted to inorganic life. It''s the worst inheritance, so I gave it to this ghost. Now, it''s no longer a mass-produced AI. It''s a special, evolved life form."


    Varian scanned Boo and realized that the little ghost actually had something akin to a soul?


    If Boo had its normal presence, he''d have detected it. Its changed presence was the reason he wasn''t able to spot it in the pce.


    "Anyway, their stealth is guaranteed. So, no worries master. In fact, if you really want to, we can transport all humans alive today outside the sr system. It''s just¡­the materials we have won''t be enough. We''d have to loot a few hundred auction houses from Centaurus."


    Boo rubbed its hands like a greedy criminal and said.


    ''¡­It didn''t take after me, right?'' Varian refuted that thought straight away. No way he''d loot something. He''d only ''borrow'' for an indefinite period of time. Both are not the same!


    Alison walked to them and gave them a stern look. The two troublemakers wilted at the sight of the ''emperor-in-change'' and returned to their seats.


    "Second n: We will wage a guerri war through the usage of Hortus, small worlds, and Boo''s advanced stealth spaceships. Meanwhile, we''ll keep the locations of core regions an absolute secret.


    Since they''re the prime candidates for crown prince, they could not justify staying here if they only manage to kill average human guerris.


    Our losses could extend up from a few billion to an estimated count of 10 billion. The candidates will leave after their futile attempt but will send their people to keep this ce under watch.


    But by intentionally showing ourselves as weak, we''d persuade them to send only weak awakeners. Of course, rtively weak. Your Majesty should be able to kill all the ones sent or brainwash them one by one. We''ll have to see then."


    Varian thought about this n for a moment before deciding to reject it. Whether sessful or not, a billion lives were too much to pay.


    If things were going to be screwed up, he''d rather send a good chunk of the poption away than use them as cannon fodder.


    "What''s the third path?"


    Alison looked at Kevin and Bali for a moment before continuing. "It''s not a third n. It''s an urgent report you need to hear. The Abyss Emperor''s letter, Oob believes it has found it when that¡­woman''s power shook the entire sr system."


    Varian turned to Oob and it conveyed the location.


    With a gesture of his palm, everyone in the room was teleported to the edge of the sr system. Varian stretched his hand into the void and clenched his fist.


    Something revealed itself.


    A deep, deep space portal. From here all the way to¡­


    Varian couldn''t urately estimate it. But Boo came forward and said the coordinates led to Jai Empire.


    There was a letter in the portal in a protective transparent barrier.


    "The letter would break randomly between five and fifty years," Oobmented, causing everyone other than Varian to tremble.


    On the other hand, Varian easily broke the barrier and read the letter. Interestingly, it had definitive evidence to support Haedon''s ims.


    As he studied the structure, he realized that it''d create a very, very narrow strip of space link between the two space points using the portal.


    But its presence would make it so much easier for the Zions to create an actual space portal and reach here.


    At his words, the members either sighed in relief for having found it early ormented their weakness.


    Varian, on the other hand, stared at the piece of paper and the proto-space portal with wide eyes.


    ''Wait a minute!''

 Chapter 1253 Granter Of Wishes

    ?


    Varian had Sarah and Sia tag him for a second trip to the space crack. Only this time, he used his space powers to tear open the space portal maintained by some expensive treasure.


    It led to a magnificent region far away from the milky way.


    Thanks to his space powers, Varian was able to pick and choose the approximate area they were going to teleport into.


    Thanks to the enormous abyssal literature captured throughout the years and especially from the abyssals when they were going extinct, he had a rough idea of the Abyss province''s location.


    ''A tri-star system where all thes are connected to each other through invisible chains woven millions of years ago.''


    "It''s not going to be dangerous, but be prepared for anything," Varian warned the girls.


    Sarah used the power of light to shield them from being seen, heard, or known by conventional senses.


    Sia used the power of darkness, albeit with a bit of hardship, to cover up their presence. Then, she used her card which reduced their presence further.


    Varian did his bit by using the power of slivers and amplifying the powers they used¡ªlight and darkness.


    The three disappeared into the space crack.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    The Fairies were miserable post-war.


    Even though they fought and died like dogs on the order of their superiors, they didn''t want to be treated like dogs.


    They wanted dignity. They wanted respect. They wanted hope of a future.


    As the Providence Trial approached, with rumors of its date advancing spreading, Fairies were in as tight a spot as it could get.


    The Capital of the winged species, Crystal City.


    Fairy Emperor ended the third meeting of the month with the ministers and advisors.


    As usual, everyone was crying andining about the same thing.


    Post-war recovery.


    But it depended on heavy investments, typically plunder gained from the war. Unfortunately for Fairies, there was no such thing.


    Abyssals used up all their treasures.


    Even in thest phase of the war, Haedon sold out all the unusable treasures and bought some artifacts.


    Rumors say that it was a powerful space artifact with the severe defect ofcking offensive. But whatever it was, the bastard didn''t leave anything behind for the Fairies.


    Worse, no Fairy saw his corpse.


    The Abyss Emperor disappeared into a space portal which they could barely trace and ended up bringing them way more criticism than justified.


    Forget about focusing on themselves, the Fairies were forced to send a group of their strongmen to the abyssal star system in regr shifts to check for any changes.


    And since it''s an important mission given directly by Zions, they couldn''t be half-hearted about it.


    This time, it was the chance, or rather, the punishment of Princess Hazel. As a talented member of the fairy race, she was supposed to be a tool for marriage and give them a decent bargaining capital.


    But with her unbelievable stubbornness, Hazel halted her marriage proposals.


    "Check the ruins. Clean up the site after the inspection."


    With her wings spread wide, she instructed the crew to inspect the items of the abyss'' capital.


    They already found altars, space engravings, and massive traces of space stones that were once stored here.


    Even though the inspection wasn''t going to result in much, Hazel was strict with herself.


    The capital city of abyssals, for better or worse, was the most searched ce. But it still had the most chance of a good catch.


    As the 1,000 fairies, mostly level 9s got to work, Hazel folded her wings and sat in the air.


    She had just reached rank 2 and couldn''t control her aura fluctuations. If anything fragile got destroyed because of it, she would get scolded. Again.


    ''It''s not like they won''t nag me again.'' Hazel looked up at the sky with a bitter expression.


    She studied in the kingdom''s academy and graduated with flying colors. Returning home, she expected a warm wee and was determined to lead her race up. But in just a few years she had been away, everything changed.


    Fairies got somepensation from the Zions after the war but it''s nowhere near enough to revert to their pre-war state, much less surpassing their previous peak.


    ''I reached rank 2 at just 25. It''s the speed of Duchy geniuses. Give me 200 years, I can hit rank 4. Just¡­''


    She too knew that they couldn''t afford to wait 200 years. The Providence Trial was looming and they desperately needed any help.


    The Zions proved to be unreliable. There were multiple diplomatic channels opened by the fairies towards other races.


    Renowned for their ability to give birth to perfect offspring, fairy women were appreciated in such ''trades'' and were married off to cultivate ties.


    ''But seriously, to marry me off to a whore''s son. What do they think of me as?'' Hazel put her wings around herself in a protective cover and gnashed her teeth.


    [Be the third wife to the son of Zion emperor''s matriarch''s only son!]


    She shot that proposal down and nearly killed the messenger who came with it.


    There were rumors that this man¡ªwhose mother was sold to the 4th Prince as a maid¡ªhad some weird hobbies including but not limited to taking his wives to the brothel, there were still many girls dying to be his bride.


    Hazel wasn''t one of them. She''d rather die than marry a man with no spine.


    It''s just¡­


    She wasn''t oblivious to the gravity of the situation.


    That man had taken a liking to her for some reason. She could reject, tomorrow and even the next week. But for how long could she keep rejecting when her race tethered to the edge of extinction?


    The only reason she was even allowed this willfulness was her talent and strength. But one day, she''d have to bend her proud head.


    Hazel flew away from the and flew towards the triple stars. After ensuring no one was nearby, she yelled into the stars.


    "I don''t want to marry that pimp! Never! I''d rather die than do it! Anything, if there''s anything I can do to avoid this filthy marriage, I will!"


    "Lass, your wish is granted." A confident voice sounded from behind.


    "Huh?!"

 Chapter 1254 No One Is That Crazy

    Chapter 1254 No One Is That Crazy


    It had been three days since Varian and the girls appeared in this foreignnd.


    Thanks to space powers, they toured through the ruins of the abyssal civilization. Learning that fairies were the neighboring province, they also visited their star system.


    Fairies were finepared to abyssals, but they were badly beaten. The strongest man of their race¡ªfairy emperor had only reached mid rank 2 recently and that was the best they got.


    When he saw that man and his race from afar, Varian felt a sense of incongruity.


    ''Wait, are you telling me that this man had pushed Abyssals and Abyssal Emperor to that state? So¡­weak!''


    No, Fairy Emperor had always been like that. It''s him. He had grown too strong. Too fast.


    To the point where even the enemies who looked unsurmountable just a few months ago were just a p away from death.


    Compared to these two provinces, the Zions were a duchy. With proper disguise, Varian and the girls toured through the cities.


    It was their first date in a foreignnd and if not for the urgent work breathing down on their necks, they''d have loved to stay for a while longer.


    On a very wide, tenne street withrge footpaths on either side, Varian walked in leisurely steps.


    The Zions looked like humans, except for much sharper features, purple skin and a feet short.


    Of course, there were sub-divisions within them. Some had star-like dot patterns on their faces, some had soft glowing skin while others had a darkerplexion of purple.


    Even though Zions did appear very simr, there were definitely divisions within them.


    What struck Varian the most when walking through the tier-1 cities of Zion Duchy was themoners of the powerhouses.


    Turn around a street corner and walk into a za?


    You encounter a bunch of rank 3s!


    Go watch a show that''d suck your consciousness into and of its own for a full dive experience?


    There were at least three rank 5s in the same theater!


    Have a romantic dinner at an upscale restaurant with funds obtained by questionable means?


    There was a rank 6! Even though it''s only a low rank 6, it''s a fucking rank 6!


    If any of these guys were in Centaurus, they could either be kings or kingmakers. But here, they were just one of those guys in the street.


    Of course, theymanded more respect than the average person. But since there were so many of them, they didn''t really feel rare.


    Perhaps this was a tier-1 city, very close to the capital and very important. But even then, there were still too many powerhouses here.


    "That man in crimson armor over there, he works for the Naraka faction." Isadora, in her own disguise, walked beside Varian and spoke in humanity''s lingua franca.


    Varian raised a brow.


    He just asked her out of courtesy but it seemed like Isadora did feel locked up for the past 500 years. So, she epted the invitation and jumped out.


    For the first few hours, she didn''t utter a word and kept following them with a cold face.


    But as he and Sia kept asking others about this and that, she got annoyed and exined it herself.


    Even though she had never been to this duchy, she knew a lot of things about the empire.


    "The Jai empire operates on three wings: Conqueror Faction, Naraka Faction, and Warring Faction," Isadora exined as they snacked some sweet goodies that oddly resembled sheep.


    "The 2nd Prince, 4th Prince, and 7th Princess lead these factions."


    "Hasn''t it been 500 years? How do you still know if I¡ª?"


    "I do!" Isadora stopped in front of him and looked him in the eyes with a serious gaze. "They''re¡­dangerous monsters."


    "To hear that from you is a greatpliment." Varian sighed.


    "That''s why, don''t mess with them. It leads to too much trouble." Isadora tried to smile while giving off that advice but her lips wouldn''t just curl up.


    "Don''t force yourself."


    "Hmph!" Isadora returned to her cold expression and red at him. "How long are you going to keep my powers sealed?"


    "Guess?" Varian snickered with a smug smile and sauntered with his arm around Sarah''s shoulder.


    Isadora stomped her foot and took a few deep breaths before following him.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    The journey of finding Hazel wasplicated, to put it mildly.


    They sneaked into Zion duchy, and managed to learn about the ''Pimp'' Emperor who sold off his wife and the subsequent ascension of the Zion race.


    When he was mocking the Zion emperor in his native tongue, one of the rare security guards in Soul Path grasped the meaning thanks to his powers.


    All hell broke loose.


    Varian and the girls were chased by the guards.


    Three rank 6s.


    A dozen rank 5s.


    More than a hundred rank 4s.


    These bastards chased them through dozens of star systems before giving up. If not for Isadora appearing in the middle and stopping him from killing, there would have been a blood bath.


    But Isadora was right.


    The pursuitpletely stopped the next day.


    ¡­Apparently, it wasmon to curse at the emperor in the duchy.


    So they ended up touring the fairy province. Its development was slightly ahead of Earth in terms of military weapons, but its living standards were significantly behind.


    But the biggest gain in touring the duchy was learning about the return of Princess Hazel and her canceled engagement with the only son of the Holy Matriarch.


    "Lass, your wish will be granted."


    Looking at the young woman with ash-colored hair and green eyes, Varian said with a confident expression.


    "Y-You! Who are you? How did you just¡­appear behind me?" Hazel backed away, a sword materializing in her hand, pointing right at him.


    "A gentleman with a kind heart," Varian raised his arms and smiled. "I can''t bear to see a maiden heartbroken. So, here I am. I will save you from the clutches of that man lusting after you."


    "D-Do you think I''m a 6-year-old?" Hazel mustered up the strength to speak despite realizing she was no match for him.


    He exuded no aura but her instincts were already asking her to surrender. To submit. To worship.


    Even the chief instructor in her academy didn''t give off such a dangerous feeling. But this man¡­


    "You''re smart enough to make the correct choice." Varian ced his hands behind his back and looked at her with a bright smile.


    "You don''t know me, whether I am speaking the truth or my motives for helping you. You''re right in not trusting me.


    But you also know that I''m the only choice you have. What else would you do? What else could you do?


    When the timees, whether you like it or not, you have to throw yourself at the feet of that man.


    How would he, the son of Holy Matriarch, treat you, the daughter of a lowly lord whose race is on the verge of extinction?


    Let''s say your race does go extinct. Then¡­you''ll be used as a rare species, rallied around like a museum pie¡ª!"


    "Enough!" Hazel screamed.


    ring at him with teary eyes, she said through gritted teeth. "W-What should I do?"


    "Book a private meeting with your fiancee." Varian grinned.


    "W-What are you trying to do? If you dare to kidnap him for extortion, they''ll chop you into pieces. Some idiots already tried that and turned into natural manure."


    "I promise you, I''m trying to persuade him. There''s no way I''ll kidnap him."


    Hazel gave him a long look before nodding.


    ''No one is crazy enough to harm Zion prince, the son of holy matriarch in the capital city in the most upscale restaurant anyway.''


    She nodded in confidence.


    ''No one.''

 Chapter 1255 Mad Man

    Chapter 1255 Mad Man


    This was a restaurant in clouds, built of purple clouds. It looked straight out of a painting, reminiscent of the residence of gods.


    When Varian followed behind Hazel, he attracted a lot of attention. While Hazel''s identity was already known thanks to the ''announcements'' made by the ruling family, Varian was a nobody.


    He shouldn''t even appear here in the first ce.


    People pointed fingers at him, chatting in hushed voices, forecasting his fate. Some even began to bet on his death, how he would die and so on.


    Hazel was already immune to those gazes. She was just worried how Varian would react.


    To her surprise and relief, he didn''t even nce at the high-profile diners in the restaurant.


    If anything, he had contempt for this whole ce, as if he was doing it a great favor by stepping in.


    The main room of the restaurant was booked by the crown prince¡ª


    the son of the holy matriarch.


    They climbed curved stairs before reaching a huge double door.


    "The prince has only allowed you toe in." The two rank 5 security guards at the door nce at Varian with a hard gaze.


    "Eh, this is my friend. He has some business with the crown prince. It won''t take long, I promise." Hazel replied with a weak smile.


    "No outsiders allowed." The guard reiterated and pointed his spear at her. "You are viting the code of conduct by bringing a suspicious person here."


    "I-I just said he''s my friend. Are you questioning the fiancee of the crown prince?" Hazel''s wings spread out as she red at them in fury.


    Unfortunately, a rank 2''s anger, no matter how high, couldn''t deter a rank 5.


    Still, her words caused the guard to take a step back and point his spear towards Varian instead. "We''ll throw him out. You can go in and meet the prince."


    Hazel looked at him with an apologetic gaze and Varian just smiled in understanding.


    The huge doors opened and the princess in an elegant dress walked in.


    "Alright, I apologize for breaking the code of conduct, gentlemen. I''ll have a proper appointment next time." Varian was about to walk away when the guards nked him.


    "You need to be interrogated first." The guard holding the spear pointed at his throat while the one holding the sword pointed at his abdomen.


    "Kneel down and speak the truth."


    "¡­Alright, alright." Varian put his hands behind him and slowly started to bend down.


    [Varian, no variables detected. The formation is active.]


    A voice rang in his mind and Varian stopped in ce.


    "Didn''t you hear? Kneel!" The guard raised his spear and was about to hit him with the blunt side.


    Varian jumped onto his feet and his arms blurred.


    Boom! Boom!


    His elbows blew off the necks of the two guards, killing them instantly.


    Even though they were strong rank 5s, they weren''t able to put up the slightest resistance.


    Varian went up to the huge double door¡ªwhich was actually a protection formation for the VVIP inside. It allowed only a select few inside.


    This formation was engraved in the basement of the restaurant and was powered by precious materials.


    Even a rank 7 wouldn''t be able to break through this door in a single punch.


    Isadora''s knowledge helped. Sarah''s time power made the task easier and allowed Enigma to deactivate the formation.


    The moment it did, Varian sted through the door and stormed in.


    "Eh, ehehehehe~" A sickly think man who looked like a sack of skin over a skeleton kept harassing the half-naked waitresses.


    Hazel was sitting opposite to him, her face pale and eyes red. There were no marks on her. So, he must''ve told her something nasty that pushed her into tears.


    Varian didn''t think much about it and raised his hand.


    The butlers, the maids, and the personal security guards in the giant hall-sized room were all rmed at his presence.


    The butlers and maids were truly powerless. Even though he didn''t begin the attack, his aura waves already swept them away.


    The three personal security guards with the crown prince, and the triplets, however, were all three peak rank 6s.


    The three of them focused their attention on the mass of lightning gathering in his palm and were about to attack him.


    A mistake.


    An arrow of darkness sted a triplet''s head into pieces.


    Enigma attacked every nonbatant, including Hazel with her mind power, pushing them all into aa.


    The two security guards backed away, realizing that they should rather protect their master than kill these two.


    Logically, a bunch of rank 6s should already have appeared in the restaurant and attacked Varian.


    But thanks to Isadora''s ''natal treasure'' as well as usage of Boo''s ''stealth formation'', a few seconds of a gap was created.


    That was enough.


    Varian roared and jumped onto the table. With a sweeping kick, a bodyguard''s chest was sunken and with the next kick, his body exploded into pieces.


    The other bodyguard grabbed the prince and rushed towards the exit. He threw some talismans that formed barriers that even they couldn''t ovee instantly.


    As the bodyguard was about to leave through the exit, a light barrier appeared in front, catching them off guard.


    Sarah shed her sword down and the prince as well as his bodyguard were both smashed into four slices.


    Varian and Enigma quickly broke through the barriers and reached Sarah.


    By that time, ten powerful auras erupted into the sky and locked onto the restaurant.


    Varian grabbed the hands of the girls and the power of the slivers enveloped the hall.


    All traces of their aura were erased in a blink and in the next second, the door to Hortus opened and they jumped in.


    "Who?!"


    "Who is that bastard?!"


    "Who dares harm the crown prince?!"


    By the time the powerhouses in the capital stormed into the restaurant, it was toote.


    The Emperor of Zions arrived quickly after and wept in front of his son''s corpse. Not because he loved him but because he was saddened at the loss his death would incur.


    And near his son''s corpse, he saw something.


    It was a¡­?


    -- -- --


    A/N: End of Volume 2: Survivor

 Chapter 1256 The Curtains Rise

    <h4>Chapter 1256 The Curtains Rise</h4>


    "N-No, I wasn''t trying to leak anything. I swea¡ªarghhh!"


    Varian indifferently stared at the man erased away and focused on his assimtor power.


    As the man was devoured, his aura was also absorbed in. A typical Assimtor would take in the foreign aura before throwing it out.


    Varian did something different.


    His assimtor power continued to act, devouring the physical aspect of the man to improve his own strength.


    But his spirit power also started working, breaking down the man''s soul, expelling any parts with ego and using it to nourish his own soul.


    This much was still understandable.


    However, his sliver powers also pulsed through the man''s aura and broke down his powers to the most fundamental form.


    The man''s aplishments¡ªhis understanding in his Rank 2 Mystic path¡ªwere like an open book in front of Varian.


    As a peak rank 4 Adept, he didn''t gain anything remarkable from theprehensions of a rank 2 Mystic.


    But it gave him perspective.


    And verified something he had been itching to test out for a while.


    "So I can really¡­" The corner of Varian''s lips curled into a dangerous smile as his eyes narrowed, glinting with a predatory light.


    Now it''s not just fighting, he could also ''devour'' an awakener to gain insight into their corresponding path.


    Even though the efficiency of the method was still unclear, it was a way forward.


    ''It breaksmon sense but if I use this properly, I can go from rank 4 to rank 6 faster than rank 1 to rank 3.''


    Varian exhaled and asked in an eager tone. "Boo, are there any more visitors?"


    Boo was floating in the sleek white room, swimming backstroke when Varian''s words jolted it out of its peace.


    Pouting at him for his inconsiderate timing, Boo checked if there were any new space pirates and spies near the sr system recently.


    Ever since Azalea''s death, their civilization got a lot more spotlight than Varian liked.


    Before the princes could arrive, the P kingdom announced a census. Even before the census, there were people from nearby provinces and duchies trying to sneak around.


    They all ended up bing fertilizers for a greedy nt named Varian.


    "I can understand provinces sending rank 2s, but Duchies sending rank 3s and rank 4s? Seriously? Send rank 5s at least!"


    Varian''s figure blurred as he exited theboratory and strolled down the garden, the time flow around him too distorted that it appeared as if he was teleporting or even appearing in two ces at the same time.


    "Master, do you have any shame asking rank 5s from duchies?" Boo crossed its arm and sat on top of Varian''s shoulder.


    "Shame? You can sell that?" Varian dismissed the provocative question and headed to the meeting.


    The census officials would be here soon.


    It''d be safe to presume everyone and their grandma''s details would be grilled. He had to prepare in advance to ensure everything went smoothly.


    The princes would stille.


    But they bettere for Azalea''s death and not for a mysterious civilization that somehow had connections to an extinct primordial tribe.


    Varian had a n for the former situation and it might just work. But thetter? The entire alliance would chase him down and he''d have to abandon the human race for a chance of survival.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Baldur''s clone, which was created from the gift of Miss Cmity had been performing its duties as the regent for thest week.


    No one suspected anything so far. But the situation was getting worse.


    Even though everything seemed stable, it was a house of cards. One poke and it''d alle crashing down.


    The poke came in the form of the officials that came uninvited.


    "Officers Edison, Finar, and Ashley request a formal meeting with the Prince of P Kingdom appointed Regent of Centaurus, His Highness Baldur.


    We are here to conduct a census of the newly discovered civilization. Before we leave, we are here to seek your guidance."


    The census was supposed to be held by the Centaurus Duchy. But Azalea''s death escted everything.


    When she killed the bratty princess, Isadora gave it little thought. In her opinion, she''d leave this ce after killing Varian anyway. The consequences were never on her mind.


    Now, her actions pushed Varian into unwanted trouble.


    P kingdom sending its own officers was merely a prelude to the arrival of the crown prince candidates.


    "The regent is busy inprehending his path. Please return on ater date."


    In front of the Duke Quarters, the loyal servant bowed to the guests in authoritative yet fancy clothes and announced.


    "I''m sorry?" A tall man with two sharp ears on each side stepped forward and pointed his ears towards the servant.


    "The rege¡ª"


    "Not that, you old dog." The tall man pped the old servant and sent him flying across the front yard.


    The old servant crashed into the sturdy wall before sliding down, coughing blood and breathing hard.


    In a few seconds, the old man who had served the duchy for decades would breathe hisst.


    The other two officials with him looked on with impassive gazes.


    "This is the standard protocol for any duchy. It doesn''t matter who is the duke or regent, they have to meet the officials or risk being booked for obstructing the king''s orders." The tall man spoke out loud, his target was obviously the man inside the duke''s quarters.


    "If the protocol isn''t met after three proper warnings, then the duke could be questioned for rebelling and be brought to the capital for investigation."


    A deep sigh leaked out of the quarters and the huge double doors opened with a creak.


    An emaciated ''Baldur'' stepped on the lush green grass and looked at the officials with an exhausted gaze.


    "A clone¡­" Ashley, a woman with a short tail, sneered in contempt and muttered under her breath. ''As the princess suspected...''


    "Where is the main body?" Fina, the tall man asked.


    Baldur''s clone looked at them with gritted teeth and chose not to lie. That could be another criminal charge. But it couldn''t tell them the truth either. That''d put Baldur in a lot more trouble.


    So, it chose the only option it had.


    It imploded.

 Chapter 1257 You No Happy?

    ?


    "Smile a bit more crookedly."


    "Like this?"


    "Crooked. Think corrupt! Think sleazy! Think depraved!"


    "Err, how about this?"


    "Ughh!"


    Alison mmed her fist against her forehead and slumped onto the sofa.


    Sia leaned back further on the pink bean bag and watched the show with relish. Enigma in her spirit form was reading a book on methods of torture.


    "Focus, Mr. Emperor! Focus! You should put up the appearance of a corrupt, immoral, despicable ruler to those envoys!" Alison groaned at Varian.


    Varian nced down at her from the corner of his eye. "Be honest, are you using this opportunity to vent your grievances?"


    Alison nodded seriously.


    "Seriously¡­" Varian rubbed his chin and nodded at his reflection in the mirror. "You''re just jealous that you can''t find a secretary to unload all your work like I do, right?"


    Alison nodded again, this time with more vigor. "I''m trying hard, but I can''t find anyone capable enough. They''re either young and inexperienced or old and rigid."


    "Amateur."


    "Huh?"


    "Amateur!" Varian poked his finger into empty air and Alison clutched her forehead, ring at him and raising her fist. "If you can''t find one, train one. If you can''t train one, mold one. If you can''t do either of them, push a young and inexperienced with an old and rigid, whoever learns from the other stays."


    Alison was preparing to create a small ruckus. But his words shut her mouth and caused her to look at him in genuine confusion.


    Tilting her head, the experienced female official said. "What you said makes a lot of sense. But...why? How do you even know stuff like that?"


    Varian chuckled. "What do you do every day?"


    "Huh? Of course, I do your work every day! I have no time for anything at all, thank you very much."


    "And what do you think I do every day?"


    "W-What?"


    "I think of how to unload even more work onto you. So, I know how to escap¡ªI mean, delegate work very well." Varian gave a cheeky grin.


    "That''s it!" Sia mmed the couch and yelled.


    Varian and Alison looked at her in confusion.


    "That smile! That is it! It might not be crooked or sleazy but it''s nasty as hell!" Sia said with conviction.


    Enigma looked at Varian with hesitation but nodded lightly before covering her face with a book to hide her blush.


    ''Why do spirits even blush?'' Alison wanted to scream at this injustice. ''Enigma, oh my poor Enigma, what happened to you?''


    For ''Blue sh'' Alison who had been with Enigma through thick and thin, seeing the cold and emotionless girl blush was nothing less than a subversion of world view.


    It''s like waking up one day and realizing you are your cat''s pet and not the other way around!


    "They''ll be here soon. Stick to the n." Varian pped and gave them a thumbs-up before teleporting to the edge of the sr system.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Three spaceships sted past the final defense line of the human empire. Following the Emperor''s instruction, no one tried to obstruct the ships.


    "This civilization isn''t stupid at least." In the central ship, the female officer Ashely crossed her legs and smirked as the standing armies on theoid were thrown far back by the elerating space.


    Apanying her were her five assistants, now resting in their own rooms. And of course, the ''manpower''¡ªfive hybrids that were put to sleep in their cell.


    "My hopes of killing a few and establishing deterrent have gone to waste," The woman pursed her lips. "Waste, what a waste."


    There were many cases of isted civilizations attacking the ''envoys''.


    If the envoys were in a good mood, they''d only punish the civilization with an astronomical debt which would render the entire civilization to modern-day bond very for a few centuries.


    If they were in a bad mood though, the civilization might go extinct.


    "There''s something¡­" As she watched thes blur by, Ashely noticed something was off.


    There was no ritual, no reverence, no reception. The inhabitants went on with their daily lives. As if this was just another day.


    ''Just another day?'' Ashley''s gray wings fanned out, their sharp edges slicing through the wind with lethal precision.


    ''Is it your ignorance or arrogance, ruler of this lost civilization?'' Her gray eyes darkened.


    The envoys were finally weed to a floating city. The spaceships were parked hassle-free and when they finally stepped out, a young man with a big smile weed them with open arms.


    "Wercum! Wercum frunds fram distunt lunds!"


    The three envoys, with their five assistants, frowned together. If the hybrids had proper brains, they too would''ve frowned.


    "Whar happens? I happi! You no happy?" Varian''s smile grewrger. He checked the spaceship condition with the crew over there and gave them a thumbs up. "No probraems!"


    ''Did this guy learn the lingua franca yesterday?''


    Ashley wanted to p Varian in the face but held back with patience she didn''t know she had. At least, this proved to be a rtively normal lost civilization. If he had a perfect lingua franca, that would actually be a bit doubtful.


    Still, a celestial ranker would master thenguage in two-to-three days. So, they would only have to put up with this atrociousity for a few more hours.


    "Ahem, anyway, we are the envoys of P kingdom, sent to conduct a census and add your civilization under the kingdom." Finar stepped forward and got down to business.


    "Oh?" Varian tilted his head and looked at them with a nk expression that seemed to stare through their souls. "Oh! Okar, okar! You suck, I say! You suck all, I say all!"


    ''Suck? Does he mean seek? We seek information, he says? What the hell?''


    Finar''s eyebrows twitched at his words but he continued to speak in an authoritative tone. "You should answer all the questions. No secrets should be hidden. Including hard questions!"


    Varian stood there in silence for a moment before nodding with a smile as bright as the sun. "Suck hard, I give hard!"

 Chapter 1258 Annoying Host

    ?


    "How was my parfomance?" Varian smirked.


    "You''re still in the role!"


    "Oops, how''s my performance?"


    "I''ve recorded it."


    "W-Wait, what?" Varian reached out his hand to grab Sia but she slipped away, giggling.


    Sarah hit him softly on the chest and said. "Why are you so shameless?"


    With a snort, she turned around and left. When she left the room, she mmed the door shut with her powers even though it was an automatic door.


    "It''s my fault?" Varian lowered his head and murmured. "Enigma, you think so too?"


    Enigma in her spirit form gave him a long stare of silence with her purple eyes.


    Oh dear, her bright eyes. Even though she didn''t utter a word, Varian could hear her from her eyes.


    "It''s not exaggerated as you think, okay? I''ve been to some civilizations in the tower where they talk worse." Varian said with an honest expression.


    Enigma crossed her legs and tapped her chin with her index finger.


    Varian looked at her with a hopeful gaze, wishing at least she believed him.


    "So?"


    Enigma turned and looked at him straight in the eye with a serious gaze.


    Varian straightened his back as he awaited her judgement.


    Enigma gave him a little smirk and went back to reading another book.


    "You naughty¡­" Varian wanted to p her ass but held himself back. Since Isadora, he maintained some distance.


    "I''ll go see how our venerable guests are doing." Varian rubbed his hands and decided to take out his grievance on them.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Princess, this ce has some quirks and raises some doubts. But nothing that points to a big secret, much less something that could give you enough merit over the two princes." Ashley ced her hand on her chest and reported to the Princess she served.


    Being an official and sent to conduct a census were all superficial reasons. The original envoys were changed by the crown prince candidates.


    Even though Azalea''s death was significant, an unimportant princess dying wasn''t very important. At least not important enough for the candidates to put down everything and rush here.


    Varian got a wrong sense of the urgency from Baldur¡ªa prince who himself wasn''t very well versed in the deep politics of his kingdom.


    Even if he did know, he''d have done the same. It was wise to prepare earlier thanter. For now, he had to endure while these envoys would ''uncover'' all the secrets of this ''primitive civilization''.


    "Did you find any traces of battle? Azalea is a rank 4 or rank 5? Whatever, the traces of that battle should be obvious in an unsophisticated civilization like that."


    A dignified voice came from the other side of themunication crystal, inspiring equal amounts of awe and respect in Ashely''s arrogant heart.


    "None. There were no traces in here. Our locators point to this region, so it must not be too far." Ashely''s confusion was evident in her tone.


    "Weird. Maybe Baldur killed her. Have you found any traces of him? Maybe he''s in that civilization."


    "Perhaps," Ashley nodded lightly, a cold glint shing in her eyes. "I''ll dismantle thest brick of this ce if I have to, but I''ll fulfill the mission."


    "Do not return if you can''t finish your mission."


    With those harsh words, Princess Sonya cut off the call.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Howz every sing sowing?" Varian rubbed his hands like that greedy businessman and asked with a bright smile.


    They sat in the center of a pavilion, in the middle of a pinkke that had glowing blue fishes jumping out of the water from time to time. The warm breeze in the early morning only added to the wonderful experience.


    But the envoys appreciated neither the scenery nor the exquisite dishes served. They didn''t even appreciate Varian''s generous words.


    "This ce, to be blunt, is very¡­barren." Finar crossed his legs and said with an indifferent expression.


    "You bring your wife and daughters here. Not so barren. Ahaha."


    "What did you just say?" Finar mmed the table and rose to his feet, ring down at Varian with killing intent.


    Varian looked at him with a puzzled expression. "Barren? Bring your momma, papa, wifey, and daughter. No barren. But you big boy. No mama, papa. So, wifey, daughter."


    "He thinks ''barren'' as inck of people. So, if you think it''s barren, you bring your family, is what he is saying." Ashely stood up and her wings spread out, stopping in front of Finar, and preventing him from any violence.


    Finar turned his gaze to Ashley. "Since when did Barren meanck of people?"


    "In theirnguage, it does." Ashely pointed to a hologram showing human''s lingua franca and trantion.


    "You''re studying theirnguage? That backward animal calls?"


    "What were you doing for the past six hours? We were given ess to all their records. We should be studying everything, includingnguage."


    "Whatever," Finar took a few deep breaths and sat down.


    "Cool! Coool! No angry! You happy, I happy." Varian waved his arms around, appearing to be genuinely concerned at his outburst. "You no wife? Itz okay! We have many donke¡ª"


    "What the¡ª"


    "Donkels¡ªit''s one of the new words added to their lingua franca, it means attractive young women."


    Finar looked between Ashley and Varian with a grudging expression before shutting his mouth.


    As the envoy of candidate number 2, he had been overactive just to prove that number 2 wasn''t really behind number 1.


    A man who didn''t even back down under life and death battles gave in and dropped out of the conversation.


    ''Finally, my chance.'' Ashley pursed her lips. Her princess was number 3 in the race¡ªso, it was her duty to do her best and take her to number 2.


    As for number 1¡­


    Ashley cast a nce at the envoy who remained rxed and silent until now.


    Edison. Subordinate of number 1. He was so confident in his prince''s ability that he wasn''t taking any stress from this mission.


    "Leave all the hospitality talk, I''ll ask the questions. You answer." Ashley narrowed her eyes and pushed the conversation.


    "You sowdy, you sow." Varian nodded with a positive smile.


    Resisting her urge to smash his face, Ashley asked the most obvious and pressing question.


    "How did your civilization remain undetected so far? What''s the secret?"

 Chapter 1259 Lying All The Way

    Varian sighed inwardly and thanked his stars for entering the Tower, even though it nearly killed him.


    If not for the tower, he''d have never gotten the legitimate excuse for this big problem.


    "Theze."


    With a wave of his hands, the corpses ofrge, ck, smooth-skinned creatures floated in the air.


    "The ckhole beasts?" Ashley bit her lip. "No wonder. It all makes sense now."


    The auraing off from that corpse wasn''t weak.


    They were all peak rank 6s and didn''t think of it as a threat. But this man killed them.


    Come to think of it¡­


    "You''re a rank 4? Rank 5?" Ashley raised an eyebrow. Even though she was only 4'', she now exuded a dominating presence like a lion.


    At her words, Finar and theidback Edison also stared at Varian.


    His aura, which was covered until now, was revealed bare in front of their eyes. It was the peak of a rank 4.


    ''What the hell? This guy is a rank 4? While the average rank of the inhabitants is so low? No way. No fucking way! Something is off! Very, very off.''


    For a moment, it seemed like mes of curiosity zed in Ashley''s eyes.


    ''Did he kill Princess Azalea?''


    Even if she suspected him to have decieved her and then killed her, it didn''t make much sense.


    Princess Azalea was a low rank 6 and had a lot of treasures. Yet, she was killed so quickly that she was able to send only a distress call.


    Whatever tricks he could''ve deployed, he simply wasn''t capable of that feat.


    ''One by one. Every One.''


    Ashley told herself and started the questionnaire.


    "How are you so strong? Your rank is out of cepared to anyone else. The next strongest in your region are peak rank 2," Ashley asked, scrolling through the files.


    "Fruit! I eating, no, I ate fruit from ruins." Varian said with an awkward expression.


    Clearly, he was ufortable mentioning that topic.


    "When you were young? Before you became the human emperor and defeated these¡­abyssals?"


    Varian nodded like a good boy in the primary.


    The three envoys looked at each other and stood up at the same time.


    "To the Ruins."


    Twelve hours and many inspectionster, Ashley left the ruins with a frustrated sigh.


    ''Some old civilization existed before these bastards and went extinct. As if this is something groundbreaking!''


    Races go extinct every day. Devas'' extinction and even the presence of ruins were normal.


    "Next!"


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Varian sighed in relief as the envoys exited the ruins. Oob appeared quietly beside him and rested on his shoulder, its wings rubbing against his cheeks.


    Caressing it gently, he said. "Good work."


    "You erased the primal aura from the ruins, master. I didn''t do much." Oob rejected any credit.


    Varian shrugged.


    He used his sliver powers and morphed the natural aura of the ruins so that they would just appear ''ancient'' to anyone. The legendary aura, as he liked to call it, wouldn''t be felt anymore.


    Still, Oob managed to find a tree with specific characteristics and provided evidence for his ''extraordinary growth''.


    Varian nced at therge blue-trunked tree and chuckled.


    This was one of those trees that bore fruit to help out with your path progression. The longer it was allowed to grow, the better.


    The envoys believed that the tree¡ªthest of its kind¡ªwas bearing the same fruit since the extinction of devas before it was found by Varian.


    Then, his explosive growth made a lot of sense.


    The three also personally inspected his body and concluded that thest bits of the fruit had dried up. They looked at him with a mix of pity and contempt.


    ''You''re gonna stay at this rank 4 your whole life, Emperor of Humans.'' Finar mocked him before he left for some sightseeing.


    "That annoying bastard, how I wish I could just p him away." Varian sighed.


    If he had to execute his grand n properly, he had to endure these little annoyances. It couldn''t be helped.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Hortus? What a terrible name." The envoys moved in quick steps, looking around in a mix of curiosity and contempt.


    Thanks to Varian using his full authority as the World''s Master, Hortus appeared very ordinary.


    Unlike a Synthetic World in which you could bind to yourself, carry armies, and even save your life, this one appeared like just another exclusive space.


    Dungeons weremon throughout the Alliance. So were secret realms.


    After they inspected Hortus, the envoys didn''t find anything extraordinary.


    But one question remained.


    The students who went to Hortus'' academy imed that the time flow was different. If that one thing was true, then they might imprison him right away and take control of Hortus.


    ''They''ll try to do all that and I''ll have to kill them.'' Varian pursed his lips and followed the envoys to the academy grounds in Hortus.


    Since they were all using stealth treasures, no one noticed.


    "The aura here is many times higher than elsewhere. Still way lower than any good duchy, but it''s better than any province." Ashleymented.


    Finar nodded in agreement, though with a begrudging gaze. Now that he ceded ground, Ashley was taking full advantage.


    "But it doesn''t make sense for time dtion. Even your official reports im that time dtion is real." Ashley turned to Varian with a cold gaze.


    Varian knew this was an important topic. If he couldn''t convince them, then everything would fall apart.


    So, he did what he should.


    "T-That¡­" A mix of awkwardness, embarrassment, and guilt surfaced on his face as he walked them to a basement room under the academy building.


    Inside it was a huge formation with psychedelic herbs and drugs in the middle.


    "Y-You¡­were messing with their brains?" Ashley looked at him in surprise.


    Varian averted her sharp gaze with a guilty look and nodded weakly.


    "You clever fucker!"


    Ashley knew there was a strict training regime here. Everyone spent almost every waking hour training.


    She initially thought it was ridiculous. But now it all made sense.


    Since they''re in training, they were quietly affected by this formation and their sense of time would be messed up.


    Hortus didn''t really have a day and night anyway.


    So, as long as he kept his subordinates to control the ''clocks'' here, everyone would be fooled. And everyone was fooled until now!


    Heck, even they were almost fooled! Their biggest query for Hortus was its time dtion!


    If that one thing was true, then forget Azalea''s death, forget Baldur''s n, this discovery would give their leaders more than enough merit.


    "You politicians are the most disgusting liars," Ashley growled.


    Finar, who hated her, nodded in agreement.


    "Eh, ehehe." Varian scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed expression and handed them a few drugs. "Feels good! Otherworld! Heaven!"


    "Excuse me!" Ashley waved her hand and the drugs fell out of Varian''s hand and rolled on the floor. "We aren''t here for this stupid shit! After a time test, we''re leaving this circus!"


    Therge,plex machine Edison quietly installed gave results after a ten-minute scan.


    [Time Flow: Normal]


    Even though they expected it already, the envoys were still frustrated. Shooting Varian''s vicious res, they left Hortus.


    ''Almost done. The next two are the biggest. The battle scenes against abyssals where I showed multiple powers¡­and abyssals themselves.''

 Chapter 1260 Weaving Tales

    ?


    "These are the treasures that allowed me to exert the powers of other paths by simply inputting aura."


    By this time, Varian also ''caught up'' on thenguage and was able to speak properly, much to the relief of the foreigners.


    "I found them early on and they''re the reason I could use multiple powers."


    In a sleek white room with no furniture save for a few snow white chairs, a few items floated between the envoys and Varian.


    "Treasures of this kind are just rare," Ashley bit her lip and inspected them one by one. Finar also joined while Edison simply watched with disinterest.


    ''Dude, you are giving me the least trouble,'' Varian would''ve praised him and took him out for a nice meal if only he didn''t act so aloof.


    Even Finar who got angry and almost punched him responded to his words. But this guy? He didn''t even return a greeting or even acknowledge his presence.


    ''Cool down, cool down. I have more important things to do.''


    Varian calmed himself.


    He got this multi-treasure idea from the treedy Maria''s usage of treasures. So, he went to Boo and Oob, took some help and manufactured appropriate treasures.


    Of course, he used the sliver powers so that their measured age would be messed up.


    "¡­Looks like this too has no problem."


    After an hour, Ashley set aside the items and sat back in the chair, at the center of the three.


    "Varian Konstant, those ck hole creatures sucked away the aura of your civilization, keeping you aura-less until 500 years. When the war was ending, your present ship called Boo broke in and affected those creatures.


    Aura was finally released.


    The previous civilization you had was nothing special. Nor are those extra spaces like ruins, secret realms.


    Nearly 500 yearster, you identally got a precious fruit by extreme luck and grew strong. You even found treasures to showcase multiple powers.


    Everything fits perfectly."


    Even though she said that Varian didn''t rx. If anything, he held his breath and awaited the next words.


    "But."


    There it goes.


    "Why would abyssals, a creature who fought against Centaurus duchy not long ago, attack your civilization? And two hundred years? Why would the Abyss Lorde here all the way from another gxy? What were the abyssals after? What are you hiding? What is it?"


    Unlike her outbursts or disys of anger until now, Ashley was eerily cold as she shot those questions one after another, in an indifferent tone.


    Because this was the most challenging part of the entire investigation. If there''s any secret, it would be out now.


    There was a little possibility of him covering things up or falsifying things in the previous cases. It was razor-thin since she was the one conducting the investigation. But it still existed.


    Here, though, he''d be butt naked, forced to spill out the truth. And only the truth.


    Varian looked at them with a deep gaze before sitting on a plush chair and taking out a bottle of wine.


    The air around him changed, from his overly cheerful and bright demeanor to a heaviness and destion.


    From an energetic teenager to an overburdened, cynical, and depressed middle-aged man.


    "I learned about this only recently but¡­" Varian took a sip and let out a bleak chuckle. "The Centauruians fought Abyssals a few centuries ago. The defeat pushed the abyssals into crisis.


    They wanted revenge. And my guess is that they''re instructed by a higherup to do what they did."


    "¡­What do you mean?"


    Ashley leaned forward and her eyes grew focused, fully reflecting his sorrowful figure.


    "A military base."


    The envoys jolted to their feet. Even the aloof Edison now stared at Varian with a stressed gaze.


    "Think about it," Downing another gulp, Varian spread his arms. "A civilization that hasn''t been discovered thanks to ckhole creatures. Heck, there wasn''t even a proper aura.


    And it''s very, very close to Centaurus¡ªthe edge of the kingdom and a perfect spot to drill into its hearnd.


    Why did the abyssals didn''t send any celestials? Why did they not work on genocide right away?


    They were always trying to suppress any information going out of this star system. For them, it''s more important than fighting us humans. In their eyes, we were as good as dead. If not today, then tomorrow. So, they focused on isting any signals we sent out.


    There were many missions back to outside the sr system back then, manned and unmanned. They all failed."


    As he said those words, the abyssal treasures that were once used to block out sr system appeared in front of the envoys. They ran a basic test and agreed with his im.


    If it was for a military base, they''d have to be careful not to alert anyone else. It had to be with as little noise as possible.


    "We did nothing wrong. A war happened near us that we weren''t even aware of. We took no sides. Yet¡­we were treated as expendables for that very war." The sorrow in his voice couldn''t be faked.


    Varian wasn''t faking the grief. He did mourn for the tragedies his fellow humans faced¡ªfor no wrong of their own.


    And that''s why, he''d do anything¡ªright or wrong¡ªto ensure they wouldn''t go through that again.


    Ashley looked into his eyes and for the first time, felt a tinge of sympathy. Not for him, but these ''backward'', ''undeveloped'' people.


    Perhaps it came out of her sense of superiority. Perhaps it was just a vehicle to assert her own importance. But it did.


    "Alright, alright that clears up about the abyssals. We''ll do some checks and if you hadn''t lied, you''ll be left to rule this forest. If you lied even the slightest¡­" Finar gave a menacing smile and was about to continue his little speech when the envoy of the number 1 candidate asked his very first question.


    "Where did Princess Azalea die?"


    Varian''s expression hardened.


    Edison rose out of his chair and took a step forward.


    "Lead us there."


    Varian showed a struggling expression. Inwardly, he wasughing like a madman.


    ''Yes! Let''s go, you son of a bitch!''

 Chapter 1261 Blood Spills

    The tests necessary to verify Varian''s statements regarding abyssals were left behind. None of them were serious envoys who came to conduct census anyway.


    They all had one mission: find the opportunity Baldur found here. Now, they all had an idea what it was.


    The abyssals wanted this ce to be a military base. Even though their n failed in the end, the people who instructed the abyssals should still be pushing for it.


    After all, even if something happens in this remote area, no one would notice.


    Varian took them out of the sr system. They traveled in their own spaceships and were quite surprised when they noticed Boo was ''barely'' able to keep up with their pace.


    They wouldn''t even dream that Boo was throwing a tantrum for asking it to go so ''slow''.


    After a short journey into the inner space, they reached a dark region outside the sr system.


    There were a few asteroid belts floating here and there. It was an unfriendly darkness that resulted from theck of any light from the stars. Even the sun''s rays released a hundred years ago didn''t reach this ce for some reason.


    Unlike normal spaces, this one had some distortion to it that made it less noticeable and less receptive to anythinging from the outside.


    When their spaceships stopped in the area, they faced a few aura storms that would''ve instantly killed a rank 1 celestial.


    "Azalea''s signals were indeed distorted. So we can only roughly detect her location. It just makes a lot of sense now." Finarmented as he scanned the area for further abnormalities.


    Just like his two colleagues.


    Without Varian having to guide and fool them, they fell into the trap by themselves.


    "T-This¡­!"


    The three of them froze in the dark space and stared straight like statues.


    It was just for a split second, but the space in front of them rippled.


    A weak but definitive ripple. Very different in nature from the distortion of this region due to its chaotic aura.


    "No way?! Traces of a space portal? A hidden space portal!" Finar threw away all pretense of ''superiority'' and screamed with equal disbelief and joy.


    "I-It''s ultra-distant! It should be connected to some power in the Jai Empire! They''re trying to directly open a portal to this ce!" Even Edison''s calmposure cracked. He clenched his fists to not fistbump in the air and burst into victoriousughter.


    "Yes! This is it! This is it! I knew it! I fricking knew it!" Ashely, though, didn''t have as much self-control.


    Punching her fists into the air, she smiled so wide that she could end up scaring both adults and children on a bad night.


    Varian remained outside his spaceship, watching their reactions with an indifferent gaze. The corner of his lips threatened to curl upward but he maintained his stoic expression.


    ''Hook. Line. Sinker.''


    It was very hard shifting that space crack here. Despite his space powers, he alone would''ve failed. Enigma worked just as hard with her gravity power to bend the space-time fabric around the crack.


    But that operation left so many traces of space and gravity powers being used. Even a rank 1 celestial ranker would''ve identified the aura traces.


    So, Varian had tomence a cleaning operation using his slivers, which was like cleaning the entire house with a single tissue.


    It was hard work.


    But seeing these ''noble'' foreigners falling for his tricks made everything worth it. Their subsequent behavior was just as the council expected.


    "We''ll be cordoning off this area, unauthorized could be killed without repercussions," Edison announced and threw out a silver disc.


    Aplex formation circle began to engrave itself on space and a powerful barrier started to coalesce.


    "Oh." Varian uttered.


    "Mr. Varen, would you vacate the premises so we can focus on what we''re supposed to do?" Finar raised an eyebrow and a silent fist.


    ''Varen, nice, Varen, heh.'' Varian''s smile was bright as he nodded. "No problem."


    Even though he was very pissed, he wasn''t a homicidal maniac. He wouldn''t kill them over such silly things.


    ¡­And even if he wanted to, it''s not the right time.


    "Hey! This aura¡­" Ashley eximed.


    Edion''s breathing grew rough.


    "It''s Princess Azalea''s! It''s here! Did someonee from the other side and kill her? Or did she go in? What exactly happened?"


    Varian felt like he was bullying innocent people. He was tricking them so much and they''re believing everything.


    ''Am I too cruel?''


    "Hey, dumbass, get out of here! This isn''t a ce for the likes of you!" Ashley sneered.


    Now that his utility was over, they showed their true colors.


    Varian didn''t think much of their words. These guys were the small fries. The real bait was for the crown prince candidates.


    ''Alright, once theye he¡ª''


    "Wait." Edison appeared behind Varian with his sword unsheathed.


    ''Are they going to kill me to keep this matter closed? But that''s not even necessary¡­''


    With a frown, Varian turned around and saw Edison''s cold gaze on him.


    "Yes?"


    "Everything is fine, but onest question, Where is Baldur?"


    At his words, the other two also stopped their work and stared at him with sharp gazes.


    "H-Huh?" Varian wanted to smash his head.


    "I know he''s here to steal this achievement. Don''t deny it. We met his clone on Centaurus. And his current location is somewhere here. Call him out." Edison''s cold de rested on Varian''s neck.


    "This has nothing to do with census."


    "Huh?" Edison''s eyes shed with a cruel glint and the next moment, a heavy blownded on Varian''s ribs.


    For the sake of perfect disguise, Varian didn''t dodge or increase his rank. So, he took that blow as a rank 4 Adept.


    Boom!


    The kick knocked out all the air in his lungs and caused him to vomit blood.


    "You are but a mere native. A primitive bastard who should be grateful we''re in the same space as you. But what was that response again? Nothing to do with the census? My word is the divine decree!"


    A hard hit struck Varian in the jaw and sent him crashing into the asteroids. Varian winced at the pain coursing through his body but he didn''t utter a word.


    If Baldur reveals some things to them, his n could fall apart. It''s unlikely he''d do it, but he wanted to avoid the situation altogether if possible.


    But Edison didn''t seem to take no for an answer.


    A sharp de glowed in the darkness and the next moment, a deep cut appeared on Varian''s back.


    Everything seemed fine for a moment before a razor-thin cut spread on his skin and blood gushed out like fountain water.


    "Speak! Where the hell is that bastard?"


    Blow after blow struck his body and broke his bones. As if it wasn''t enough, Ashley and Finar joined him.


    "Weren''t you speaking crap to me since the start?" Finar kicked him in the gut.


    "What''s with your attitude? Disgusting bastard!" Ashely''s spear drilled a hole in his chest, dangerously close to his heart.


    As the three vented their frustrations, and anger and reveled in the sadism, Varian decided he''d rather bear the pain and insist he didn''t now. "I-I¡­"


    "I threatened him to not speak a word of me. Forget about him."


    The space fluctuated and Baldur slowly flew toward them.


    The envoys stopped their violence and looked at him with a mocking smile. "Greetings, Prince Baldur."

 Chapter 1262 Coercion

    Chapter 1262 Coercion


    Varian''s killing intent lingered around Baldur. No one else was able to percieve it save for the man it was targetted at.


    ''Big brother, I''m not trying to betray you! You still have those crazy clips of mine.'' Baldur wanted to smash his head on the asteroid to prove his undying loyalty.


    He''d have done so if only it didn''tplicate the alreadyplicated situation.


    Composing his mind, Baldur''s gaze towards the envoys hardened. "Prince of P Kingdom, the 4th candidate of the crown, I, Baldur, ept your humble greetings."


    The atmosphere changed in a few words.


    Baldur knew he was weak. So, he used his lineage and the merit recognized by the king himself to exalt himself.


    "¡­Greetings, Your Highness."


    "May your enemes have sleepless nights."


    "Glory be yours."


    No matter how begrudging they were, the three envoys lowered their heads, ced their fists over their hearts, and greeted him in a formal tone.


    The P Kingdom wanted the best prince to take over. But it did not want an arrogant servant.


    If it was a high ranker, it''d have been different. But all of them were new to the politicalndscape and only got this mission because they were loyal underlings. In other words, they had no immunity if they acted impudently against Baldur.


    ''Just because you are born with a good natal treasure, your status is higher than me. Even though I trained more, shed more blood, and worked harder.'' Ashley''s body trembled as anger filled her being.


    She was better than Baldur in every aspect. She just didn''t have a natal treasure¡ªshe wasn''t born with it! It wasn''t her fault!


    "I will converse with my siblings when they arrive. Chief Varian, you may leave." Baldur said.


    Surprised and pleased at the turn of events, Varian slowly got up. He used his aura to quickly seal the wounds from spilling blood.


    If Baldur wouldn''t be coerced by these guys, then the n could proceed without any variables.


    As he turned around and staggered to his spaceship, keeping up his appearance as a man inflicted with major injuries and not scratches he could heal in minutes.


    "Hey."


    A thick aura enveloped his limbs and locked him in ce.


    "You aren''t pardoned off yet." Ashley''s voice was cold, mad, and on the verge of exploding.


    Varian didn''t know what he did to piss her off.


    Baldur frowned and looked at Ashley. "I told you to let him go."


    "Your Highness, we are here on official duty. That man lied to us about your presence here. Lying to an officer on the king''s decree deserves severe punishment. Killing him isn''t even a crime. I''ll be rewarded for my action." Ashley''s cold blue spear glowed with a menacing light.


    Baldur''s eyes widened as he realized thisdy was absolutely out of her mind. Stepping between Varian and her, he spread his arms. "Are you going to disobey my orders? Disobey a prince?"


    "With all due respect, I am here under the decree of the king. You cannot obstruct me from my duties, Prince." Ashley''s body blurred and she shed forward.


    Baldur was just a rank 4. Even though he tried his best, the rank 6 female warrior easily slipped past him and reached Varian.


    Holding up his sword, Finar also joined the fun and the two envoys surrounded Varian left and right.


    Before Baldur could say anything, the sword and spear glittered with brilliant lights.


    "Stop!"


    An arm flew into the air, severed right at the joint. Two bloodied lungs were ripped open. Blood sshed out like a flood breaking out of a dam.


    A heavy iron scent reached his nose, causing Baldur to flinch.


    "I said stop!" He ran to Varian''s rescue but the envoys dragged him away and raised their weapons once again.


    As they were about to deliver a killing blow, Varian decided to counterkill.


    Just moments after he thought everything was going smoothly, the n failed spectacrly. He''d now have to risk moving the entire poption into Hortus and hope that the princes wouldn''t find it.


    If Hortus was found housing tens of billions of humans, no one would believe that it''s just another special dimension.


    The truth would be out and Varian couldn''t even begin to imagine the hunt that would follow for a Synthetic World¡ªa strategic treasure for kingdoms and the pride of topmost duchies.


    Worse, Hortus was the only perfect world. If even such spection came about, then forget kingdom, he might be chased down by the Alliance itself.


    ''Why do things always go so fucking wrong?'' Varian''s aura changed, the slivers'' power began to activate in his blood and a dangerous aura started to bloom.


    As he was about to cripple Finar and Ashley, Edison appeared and kicked Varian away.


    ''What?'' Varian held back fromshing out and bore the attack.


    Edison was trying to save him.


    But why?


    Edison, the 6-foot chubby purple man, looked at Ashely and Finar with a silent but strong gaze.


    Ashley''s rage cooled down and Finar also came to his senses. He wasn''t really angry, but beating up Varian who humiliated him so far was so much fun.


    As if they hade to a prior agreement, they began to attack Varian. Each attack was ruthless and inflicted tremendous pain.


    Perhaps it was intended for him to scream out and beg for mercy.


    Varian went through much worse with only a frown on his face but now, he had to groan in pain like a normal person would.


    "Stop!"


    Like sculptors, they chipped away his body¡ªskin, flesh, bones.


    "I said stop it!"


    Baldur''s screams were ignored. His attempts to rescue Varian proved futile.


    "Please! Please stop it!"


    Baldur kept screaming like a madman. At this point, he was less worried about Varian ckmailing him with that video.


    He just shuddered at the thought that these bastards were about to kill Princess Isadora''s husband!


    If that really happened, not just these three, but their friends, families, backers¡ªevery rted head would roll in the kingdom.


    It''d be a bloodbath and might push the P kingdom into a Centaurus-like decline.


    "I beg you! I beg you, please stop it! I''ll do whatever you say!" Baldur lowered his head, covering his teary face, and conceded.


    The attacks stopped.


    Finar wiped the blood off his face but couldn''t wipe out the nasty smirk. "But we are envoys. You are the prince. We cannot order you. It''d be sphemy!"


    Those words were filled with sadistic joy and sarcasm.


    Just a few moments ago, they lowered their heads and now, the Prince lowered his arrogant head!


    Edison looked on with a calm smile while Ashley''s chest heaved up and down, a mad smile arching on her lips.


    ''Y-Yes! This is it! This pleasure, to see a good-for-nothing royalty like him kneel and beg in front of me...'' Her wings spread open and vibrated as she reveled in unprecedented joy.


    Ignoring her weirdness, Edison took charge of the situation calmly, saying the words he wanted in a way that wouldn''t get him in any future trouble. "My Prince is worried about your health since you''re traveling so much."


    Baldur''s face paled as he understood the implication but looking at the bloodied Varian, he gritted his teeth and nodded. "I''ll be staying in the guest house of Pluto until this mission ends."

 Chapter 1263 A Love Letter

    Chapter 1263 A Love Letter


    [Host, you have a lot of patience for all the impulsive decisions you took not too long ago. You endured all those beatings. You matured. You aren''t even that petty anymore.]


    "Aren''t you being too harsh? I was just a teenager, only 18 back then. After everything, I matured." Varian replied as he looked at his reflection in theke.


    It had been two days since the incident. The envoys didn''t bother contacting him. They stayed around the ce and were carrying out more studies to figure out the space portal and space cracks.


    As for the census? They carelessly stamped down on a few documents and were done with it.


    <Varian Konstant, Lord Of Human Province, Centaurus Duchy, P Kingdom.>


    Looking at the official page of the Alliance, Varian exhaled a long breath. Whatever the situation, humanity had stepped onto the grand stage.


    He held no delusions about making humanity a kingdom in a few years. It''s not that Varian couldn''t fathom the ridiculous power Hortus granted him.


    The moment he could wage a war against the strongest of rank 9s, he could kill them all and build up a kingdom''s army from scratch.


    The problem, however, was that these artifical powerhouses couldn''t exert most of their strength.


    It''s somewhat fine in the lower ranks, but when talking about creating a rank 6 or rank 8, these synthetic powerhouses would be no match for someone a rank lower than them, much less their peers.


    Unless he found a solution to that problem, the only way to solve it was giving them sufficiently long training and letting them realize their powers.


    It wasn''t enough to give someone the power of Assimtor, they''d need to understand the intent, underlying principles, and aspirations of that divine path.


    "Those bastards won''t disturb me. And the princes wille here in a week or two. Now all I have to do is wait for the Zions."


    Varian rested on theke, his body touching the cold water but not getting wet. The fragrances of the flowers caused him to rx and the warm sunlight of the morning created a perfect nap spot.


    ''Hey, Logos?''


    [Yes, Host?]


    ''Is there Heaven?''


    [¡­This System doesn''t know. The slivers aren''t omnipotent.] Pausing for a moment, it asked in a confused tone. [But why are you asking this?]


    Varian''s lips curled into a cold smile. "I''m going to kill those three dogs. I hope there isn''t a Heaven so that they won''t even get there by chance."


    [This System takes back its words.]


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Zion Duchy was in chaos.


    The death of the most important prince¡ªthe son of the Holy Matriarch herself¡ªwas a blow unlike any other.


    If thedy under the seventh prince held any grudge, then the imaginary riches of Zions would bite dust and they''d soon lose most of their allies.


    No duchy would''ve weed a neer who rose only up only because of pimping if not for the banner of the 7th prince they proudly carried.


    But it was all in jeopardy now.


    The economy was crashing, the wealthy business magnates were fleeing, and the foreign warriors had already left while the native warriors were screening to join other duchies as sneakily as possible.


    Themon people had it the worst.


    After saving up all their money to buy a house, the prices of the houses plummeted. Fortunes evaporated overnight. Conglomerates went bankrupt.


    The wealthy Zion duchy, which originally had the capital to forcibly control the situation, spent all that money and more on propping Fairies against Abyssals.


    As a result, they were defenseless against the crisis.


    Varian pushed only a small card. But it sent ripples, no, a freaking tsunami throughout the duchy.


    What made it worse was that Zion Emperor, who was supposed to reign in the chaos and control the panic wasn''t even seen in public since the event.


    Heck, he didn''t even turn up for the funeral of the prince!


    Forget being an emperor, what kind of father would skip the funeral of his own son?


    His actions or theck of them, made everything so much worse.


    People would''ve never imagined that the Emperor was going through the most challenging point of his life.


    In a secret chamber, a few figures sat across a table, with the Emperor taking the central seat.


    Floating on the table was a letter left behind by the killer that day. It was written by a familiar enemy.


    Haedon, Abyss Emperor.


    A letter of vengeance and madness.


    [Jataur, you drove my people to death over your petty insecurities. Did you really think we, the abyssals, a declining duchy that had fallen so low that we don''t even have a handful of celestials could threaten you, a duchy on the verge of thresholds?]


    Jataur, the Zion Emperor, nced at the section of the letter with an impassive gaze.


    The few members in the room, however, clenched their jaws or balled their fists. Even though none of them voiced it out aloud, all of them agreed with Haedon.


    [We were enemies, are enemies, but we didn''t have to go so far.]


    Jataur scoffed.


    [You must beughing. What can these weaklings even do, right? Well, those eight abysses that disappeared many years ago were sent to Centaurus for a very particr mission.]


    The letter blurred a little here as if someone had changed its writings a bit, but the auraing from it remained familiar.


    So, Jataur and other zions only assumed it was rewritten by Haedon


    ¡ªinstead of thinking someone else could''ve changed those words. Varian''s peculiar powers that enabled him to manipte aura provided him immunity from these spections.


    [Those abysses struggled. But through a stroke of luck, we saved someone rted to an important person and that person granted us two wishes.


    I didn''t want to waste those wishes on you. But you forced me. At the time of my death, I have used those wishes and sent them the request.]


    There was a symbol right below.


    A ck rose.


    A beautiful, scary ck rose.


    Under it were two names.


    1. Jataur, Zion Duke.


    2. Crown Prince, Son of Jataur and Matriarch.


    Zion Emperor''s breathing grew heavy and his face started to grow pale. His teeth chattered and he shivered like he was thrown naked into ice water.


    "¡­ck Rose."


    An ominous silence filled the hall. Everyone looked at each other with vignce. They didn''t have such worry earlier but now, they had to wonder if the person sitting next to them was the one they knew or the assassin in disguise.


    ck Rose¡ªthe infamous assassin organization¡ªkilling members of both the Alliance and the Jai Empire.


    It wouldn''t take tasks of people with direct connection to divine rankers. But everyone else was a fair game.


    Dukes? Princes? Commanders? Kings?


    "N-No wonder¡­if it was them, it makes sense¡­it all makes sense," Jataur muttered.


    Killing the prince openly was ck Rose''s intention and challenge to Jataur. They were telling him that they killed the number two on their list. And they wereing for him.


    "H-How da¡­" Jataur couldn''t even manage toplete that sentence. Because he knew they dared.


    ck Rose dared to kill. And they dared to tell him he was their next target.


    ''But even if it''s ck Rose, I won''t give up my life. I will never give up my life. Never!'' Jataur eventually regained his calm and looked at his most loyal subordinates.


    "You said you detected a secret space portal, right?"


    "Indeed, Your Majesty. It leads to a remote ce in the P Kingdom, very close to Centaurus. It''s likely that it''s where those eight abysses went."


    The traces were left behind by Varian, with this very intention.


    "If they think I''m going to sit and wait for death, they''re wrong," Jataur''s voice had never been so determined.


    A man like him feared death the most. So, when pushed against the wall, he''d fight back more than any other.


    "Send the scouts. I''ll kill them before they can even try making a move on me." Jataur instructed and tapped his armrest. "Assemble the Strike Team in two days. The war is on."


    Two hourster, a teamposed of ten rank 6s highly specialized in stealth reconnaissance gathered in front of a space crack in the Zion Duchy.


    It was slowly closing up. They used precious treasures and restored the space channel which was already created. And then, the scouts jumped in.


    Along with them was a fairy named Hazel¡ªsentenced to death by service in the military.

 Chapter 1264 The Scouts From Afar

    <h4>Chapter 1264 The Scouts From Afar</h4>


    Varian''s expectations of Zion Emperor were right.


    After reading just a bit of his history and doing some research in those three days he stayed on the other side, Varian concluded one thing.


    Zion Emperor was a paranoid soul.


    Zion Duchy had two very powerful warriors.


    The genius prince Xelor¡ªan alumni of the kingdom''s academy. At a young age of 800, he already reached rank 7.


    He was considered suspicious and was not allowed much direct contact with the duchy''s top officials.


    Rumors said that he was not Jataur''s biological son but Varian didn''t have any opportunity to verify it.


    Regardless, Xelor was a powerhouse to reckon with.


    The second was a war hero from Zion duchy who contributed a lot to the kingdom''s army and retired just a year ago.


    As he was also a rank 7, he too was sidelined and given the position of ''Sage''¡ª a title typically given to a guardian with no political inclinations.


    Sage Nevar, like Prince Xelor, was actively discriminated against.


    ''So if push came to shove and his own life gets threatened, Jataur would send them here. One, to the end threat. Two, hoping that the threat ends these two and removes these variables.''


    Before the powerhouses enter the scene, however, sending scouts was standard protocol.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Far away from the space crack where the P envoys were stationed, a section of space split open and ten rank 6 men in a ck costume with imprinted gold runes stepped out.


    They quickly deployed a few formations that distorted the light as well as blocked off their life signals.


    Then stepped out a man with a powerful aura. The leader of the team, an old man with a trimmed brown beard and bald head, took a moment to observe the surroundings.


    His heart raced as he recalled the promise made by his father, the Zion Emperor.


    "Oleg, you are my eldest born. You deserve the throne, but the opposition factions are asking me to pass it on to that bastard Xelor. What if he is younger than you and a bit stronger than you?


    You deserve what is rightfully yours. If you have any merit to show, I can easily transfer the throne to you."


    "But father, is there really such a big task?"


    "It''s a bit dangerous, so forget it."


    "No, Father! I want to do it!"


    "No, Oleg. It''s too dangero¡ª"


    "Trust me. Please."


    "Be careful."


    Oleg''s mother died early on and he grew up under his father''s guidance, taking his word as gospel. So, he believed every word and saw this mission as the only chance for his glory.


    Taking a deep breath, Oleg waved at the space portal. "Come out."


    A hundred prisoners wearing light brown armor flew out at a slow speed. They were mostly rank 3s and rank 4s.


    Save for a rank 2 Hazel who stood out even among this group of purple-skinned Zions because of her beautiful white wings, though they were folded to reduce attention.


    Even the death-row Zion prisoners distanced themselves from her with a look of disgust.


    ''Father, is this the people you tried to be loyal to? Forget as equals, they don''t even see us as sentient beings.'' Hazel felt an unspeakable despair in her heart.


    If she was given a chance, she''d go back to the past and p herself formenting in outer space.


    That man though¡­


    ck hair and ck eyes. A perfect face that would make the college girls'' hearts flutter.


    She had seen many of those handsome and charming men in the kingdom''s academy. But this one was different.


    It wasn''t about looks. He held an irresistible attraction, like a deep abyss. A dangerous, strong and confident man who appeared out of nowhere.


    Hazel had seen geniuses but somehow, this man was in a league of his own. She didn''t know his age or background.


    And he was strong. So strong that Hazel felt even the thought of resistance was crushed.


    "I promise you, I''m trying to persuade him. There''s no way I''ll kidnap him."


    ''Son of a bitch!'' Hazel lowered her head and cursed him for a millionth time.


    He didn''t lie to her. He didn''t try to kidnap the prince. He persuaded the prince to not marry her¡ªby killing him¡ªthe greatest and foolproof persuasion method ever.


    ''Bastard! You feel no shame using me for your schemes?'' Hazel grieved for her future.


    There''s no way she''d survive this ordeal¡ªshe was added to these death-row conscripts just so her death could have a military value. Even if she luckily didn''t die, they''d kill her.


    "I know you all must be thinking you''re here for death. But trust me, this mission is bigger than your crimes, however heinous they were." Oleg began his speech in a characteristic self-assured tone.


    It worked.


    The death-row prisoners looked up at him with a spark of hope.


    Noticing it with his sharp insight, Oleg began to paint a pie. "If you perform your duties in this mission, your sentence will be changed to 50 years imprisonment.


    If you make good contributions, your sentence will be reduced to 5 years.


    And if you help us in a breakthrough¡­"


    Oleg nced at the prisoners from left to right, his gaze meeting their eyes and forcing them to stare at him like statues.


    "Not only will you be released, you will also be given enough money to not worry about drinks and whores for a hundred years."


    The prisoners'' morale rose dramatically and they all grew eager to participate in the mission.


    No matter how dangerous the mission could be, it wouldn''t be worse than a certain death sentence.


    Might as well take the chance.


    ''Fools¡­'' Hazel bit her lip and lowered her head. She was just being envious.


    She didn''t know what their crimes were. Perhaps they could be pardoned. But her crime? No matter what or who, she''d have to die.


    There''s no way Zions would allow the woman who killed the son of their Holy Matriarch to remain breathing.


    "Alright team, let''s get to the search! This ce is near Centaurus we fought in thest war! Use the treasures for stealth, control your aura, and do your best! Victory be ours!"


    Punching his fist into the air, Prince Oleg, the leader of the scouts, led them on their search for the base of the infamous ck Rose.

 Chapter 1265 I Am Not Your Mistress

    <h4>Chapter 1265 I Am Not Your Mistress</h4>


    Sr System was hard not to notice.


    Unlike thest time when it had no aura, its aura was increasing every day now. It was a difference between a dark spot and a glittering star.


    The scouts of Zion Duchy discovered it early on. But they were caught in a dilemma.


    If this was a base of ck Rose, it wouldn''t be so obvious, would it? So, destroying it or even exposing themselves to this civilization would only startle the hidden enemies and push them into hiding.


    "Split into five teams and use our stealth ships to make a quick assessment of the surroundings.? If this is the space portal they used to travel, they should be within a few light-year radius." Prince Olegmanded his team.


    Two rank 6s each led twenty rank 4 prisoners and headed out in five different directions. Prince Oleg alone headed in the sixth direction.


    "Master, that man is probing our civilization. He''s approaching Earth. He must''ve sensed the concentration of powerhouses here." Oob informed Varian.


    "Haa¡ªDarn his timing." Varian raised his hands for a time break and the terrifying aura fluctuations in the training room stopped.


    "Tsk." Isadora threw away the bloodied sword in her hand and transformed into Sia.


    Sia walked to him in quick steps and looked at him with distress. "She''s being too¡­harsh."


    Varian flinched as her fingertips gently grazed his arm. There were six long cuts on his chest, three deep wounds on his back, and unknown injuries on his arms.


    He lifted her seal to rank 5 andpeted against her by limiting his own power to the peak of rank 3.


    He was crushed.


    Unlike thest time, Isdaora was fully prepared and didn''t give him any leeway.


    Varian didn''t use the slivers, so perhaps he had a better chance. But he was trying to improve his natural strength¡ªpower he could use anywhere without fear of exposure.


    "It''s okay, I asked her to go all out." Varian winced a little as ck mes burned his body and soul.


    Sia bit her lip and looked at him with moist eyes. "You always get hurt."


    "I can handle the envoys. Those scouts, they''re all rank 6. I can handle them as well. But I can handle neither the p princes nor the Zion powerhouses." Varian exined with a wry smile.


    Sia took out a healing potion and gently applied it to his wounds. Varian exhaled deeply as he felt the burning in his body and soul cool down.


    With a mix of frustration and regret, Sia said. "Isadora would''ve already reached rank 7 if Enigma and I hadn''t pushed her so far and restricted her progress."


    Varian could hear the self-me in her voice. He brushed her head gently and whispered. "Don''t be silly. If you didn''t take that step, she''d have killed me and Sarah. You always keep ming yourself."


    "I¡­" Sia knew it was the only choice she had at that time.


    But since that night, she had been taking every wrong as her responsibility. Even though she met Amanda and made peace with the hard reality, the habit was hard to drop.


    "I went from a beginner in rank 4 to peak rank 4 in mere days. It came with a cost of this bottleneck." Varian rested his chin on her shoulder and patted her small back. "If I took my time, this bottleneck wouldn''t exist. But I''m d I did what I did. Else, Sarah¡­I can''t even imagine that future."


    "Now that you mention it, it''s really fate at work." Sia kissed him lightly and looked him in the eyes with a strong gaze. "Think about it for a moment. If Sarah hadn''t taken the risk to save me and took the Ares trials, then¡ª"


    "I would have died." Varian''s voice was filled with a rare sense of dread. "If it wasn''t for Sarah, Isadora would''ve seeded in killing me."


    "And without you, Sarah would''ve died there." Sia sighed deeply. "We saved each other, in a weird twist of fate."


    Varian nodded strongly.


    "So," Sia moved her lips closer to his ear. "I have a proposal now that both you and Isadora are having problems advancing. How about you both do Synergy?"


    "W-What?" Varian''s voice cracked and he held the shoulders of his wife tight. "Are you crazy?"


    "It''s the only solution we have now." Sia rubbed his palms that went through so much hardship. "You said it yourself, we''ll have rank 7 enemies in a week or two."


    "But I can try to advance by then and I¡­" Varian''s voice grew quiet as he looked into Sia''s eyes.


    He couldn''t lie to her like that.


    He might or might not advance. It''s a big risk he had. And even if he did advance, insights from someone who already reached rank 7 and even hit the peak of rank 9 would really help him grow faster.


    "Will she agree?" Varian tilted his head.


    "Ask her yourself," Sia shrugged. "She doesn''t like talking to me much, she calls me a fool for loving you so much."


    ''And that''s why she didn''t let you use her darkness powers?'' Varian raised a brow.


    A light shed. Sia''s soft and cold hands changed.


    Isadora in her casual ck dress, in contrast to the battle uniform, appeared in front of him with her arms crossed.


    "What is it?"


    "Weren''t you listening?"


    "Huh?" Her red eyes stared at him. "It''s hard to do but a lot of times, I shut myself off when she''s with you. I don''t want to witness that disgusting temporary affection."


    Varian wanted to counter her right away but he had a more pressing issue. "We are both struck with our bottlenecks. Dual cultivate with me and we can bot¡ª"


    "No." Isadora''s voice was firm and cold.


    "It''s not anything romantic or sexual. We''ll have our clothes and just hold han¡ª"


    "Our souls will interact. That is more intimate than anything physical." Isadora clenched her fist. "Just because those two are heads over heels for you, never mistake that I''ll be the same I am not your mistress and I will never be one.


    I''ve lived far longer than you and witnessed way more things. This love that you''re so proud of will fade. Your heart and theirs will break."


    Varian''s smile cracked and he red at her. "You sound like that divorced woman who can''t get any love and wishes every happy couple to break up. Pathetic!"


    "You!" Isadora''s chest heaved up and down as her red eyes glowed with fury.


    Varian didn''t give in. "You had your bad past, fine. But why can''t you wish them happiness?"


    "I am telling them the truth so they won''t be disappointed! If there''s any bond that will remain inseparable, it is us who are forged into this one being!"


    "Truth? You lived a few years more than me and want to preach the truth? Please. Even if I consider your view as the general truth, I refuse to ept that as our fate. If time breaks the bonds, then fuck time." Varianughed but his tone was determined.


    "You choose to dig your own grave when you could''ve just run away. So, now die in it," Isadora snorted. "I know for a fact that if things really go bad, you''ll lift the seal and ask me to go somewhere safe for Sia and Enigma. Oh, and you''ll also ask me to take care of Sarah."


    With a sh of light, she disappeared, leaving behind Enigma who looked around inexplicably.


    Varian took a deep breath. "You''re wrong. I''ll take them away from the sr system if I have to. I''m not leaving them for anyone. Even for everyone else."


    Oob cautiously approached him and informed. "B-Boss, that man is on earth already."


    "Oh, right." Varian''s appearance changed and he appeared at the bar Oleg just entered.

 Chapter 1266 Vision For A Strong Race

    <h4>Chapter 1266 Vision For A Strong Race</h4>


    It was an elite bar in a rich neighborhood. There was a sky-high price for entry that even a good employee making afortable living would find unaffordable.


    Varian raised a hand and with Oob''s help, a card materialized on his palm. With no dy, Boo hacked into the bar''swork and created him a suitable identity.


    A simple, refined longue greeted him. There were only a few people here, waiting for their business clients.


    The first to third floors were typically used for socializing and finalizing business deals.


    Instead of going that way, Varian walked to the lift behind the staircase and opted for the deepest underground floor.


    Adventurers gathered in the lower floors, discussing their spoils, path progression and battle tactics.


    It was a bit hard to digest for people but even though it had been only a few months, the need for ''Adventurers'' experienced a sharp drop.


    Today, the profession itself was starting to stare at extinction.


    With the army freed up from having to stalemate the abyssals, it easily pummeled the dungeons.


    Today, the army controls 90% of all dungeons. The remaining 10% was spared to the general public. But they''re also strictly supervised.


    As a result, if you want to enjoy the resources of the dungeons and increase your speed of progression, you''d have to join the army.


    Unlike before when people could get away being adventurers and improve their strength without having to ever serve in the army, the current situation forced anyone aspiring to be strong to join the army.


    If not for a lifetime of service, then at least for one year of training and one year of service.


    And even if you want an adventurer certificate to raid the 10% of the avable dungeons, you''d still need to qualify for a 3-month army training.


    The 3-month army training also counted asmunity service, project work, and more. Heck, even criminals for non-serious crimes were punished with army service.


    With these strong pushes, more than 15% of the adult age poption were acquainted withbat to some degree.


    If the abyssal invasion of Neptune was to happen again, the poption wouldn''t be so helpless.


    As long as level 7s and above wouldn''t intervene, the people could group themselves properly to take on even level 6s.


    Varian didn''t think it was enough. As of today, the average level was level 3 while the median level was level 2.


    ording to his n, they should be pushed to at least level 6 or even better, level 7.


    Humanity didn''t have huge numbers. They''re just 40 billion odd. Even though the pro-poption policies resulted in a baby boom, the number of fighting-age adults wasn''t going to increase anytime soon.


    The only way to fend off and fight against other civilizations would be to be an elite civilization.


    Perhaps if there were a hundred million rank 1s, they could formplex formations and fend off against rank 6s?


    Varian took a few deep breaths to throw those heavy thoughts to the back of his mind.


    He wasn''t working every day like Alison but he was always working on the bigger picture. Things that, unfortunately, no one else could work on. Perhaps Sarah and Sia could offer some help.


    "¡ªnd that army bitch, he just returned after a few months of service. He couldn''t take the heat!"


    "Pfft! Hahahahah!"


    The floor was decorated like a tavern from the old earth. Wooden bar, wooden chairs, and wooden tables.


    The wood gave off a soothing smell. But it had a hidden property¡ªit''d rx a person''s mind and lower his mental defense¡ªprovoking him to say things he usually wouldn''t.


    He attracted attention upon his arrival as no one had seen him here before.


    Oleg, who currently took on the form of an adventurer he killed a few minutes ago, was chatting with a brawny bald man. They were drinking heavily,ughing, and pping the table.


    No one noticed but Varian appeared, Oleg''s gaze scanned him for a moment with a suspicious gaze. His intuition gave mixed signals.


    A delicate treasure with him which would activate if someone in the surroundings had been with a powerful individual began to vibrate.


    Oleg slightly shifted in his rosewood chair, ready to erupt out with earth-shattering power and fight or flight depending on the necessity.


    Even though it was carefully hidden, Varian recognized the hidden danger. He had to dispel Oleg''s vignce somehow.


    Varian walked to a table upied by three women and let out a flirtatious, boisterousugh. "How are you, lovelydies?"


    The provocatively dressed woman at the center of the group let out a giggle and leaned forward. "Mr. Team Leader, how did your recent raids go? I heard the army was scrambling at the borders?"


    "Shhh,dy. Rumors, all rumors." Varian waved his hands.


    Oleg, who didn''t know better was trying the old-age trick of going to a tavern in a foreign ce, getting people drunk, and obtaining information.


    As he''s a rank 6, he''s able to quickly master thenguage. He also learned many basics of the sr system.


    From the brief history he looked up, he concluded that there was no way for this ce to be ck Rose''s base. Instead, this was the ce targeted by abyssals not too long ago!


    Oleg didn''t know what the abyssals wanted here. But he didn''t really care. Abyssals were too weak to get into his eyes.


    What he did care about was that for some reason, just a few days ago, right around when their Prince was killed, the sr system began preparations for the arrival of some guests.


    Were these guests members of ck Rose? Or clients of ck Rose? Why did theye here?


    Oleg wanted to get to the bottom of the issue.


    "Come on, boss. You are still trying to hide things from me?" Thedy asked in aining, coquettish tone.


    Varian sighed as if it couldn''t be helped and tapped to her.


    ''Oh, they want tomunicate directly throughs so that others can''t notice. But these tricks are useless in front of a celestial ranker like me! Weaklings!''


    As someone who was never considered a crown prince candidate, Oleg built up a lot of inferiorityplex. So, he felt a lot of ego boost knowing the weaklings'' efforts were going to be useless in front of his might.


    In them channel that now directly connected their minds, Varian said in a rather restrained tone.


    "Actually, there are people from the kingdom here."


    "K-Kingdom? P kingdom?"? Thedy''s voice was full of surprise.


    "Who else?"


    "B-But nothing was revealed to the public. We were living in istion not too long¡ª"


    "Stupid. A lot of things are hidden from the public. That doesn''t mean they never happened. The envoys of the kingdom are currently resting here. Be careful not to spread rumors. I heard they''re powerful. Even more powerful than our ruler Varian."


    "O-Okay, I was just drunk and all¡­"


    "It''s fine this time. But don''t repeat it. The highmand doesn''t want to reveal until it''s time. After looking at our emperor''s strength, the kingdom might be considering to elevate our level to a duchy." Varian lied with a straight face.


    "O-Oh¡­"


    "And how are you doing these days? Are these two your friends? They''re not as beautiful as you."


    "Heh, men~"


    Oleg stopped spying on the conversation and left the bar. He learned everything he wanted to learn.


    It was the right call to not attack or disturb the sr system. They came here to find ck Rose.


    If they provoke the P kingdom, their, no, his mission, his crown prince seat would fail.


    ''So, leaving the sr system, we just have to search outside.''


    As he was preparing to stealthily leave the sr system, one of his subordinates contacted him through themunication crystal.


    ''B-Boss, we found a few secret spaces!''


    "Coming!"


    His figure blurred and he quickly disappeared.


    Varian walked out of the bar shortly after, following behind him was the brawny bald man and the three women.


    Unlike their previous demeanor, they were all walking with very calcted and sharp movements.


    Varian''s disguise was still on, but they looked at him with such respect that some young people passing by joked they were roleying for an emperor and warriors drama.


    If only they knew...


    "Good work, guys." Varian nodded in appreciation.


    "Yes, Sir!" The four of them gave a quick salute.


    He came here only to help if things went out of control. But Varian gained more confidence in the agents'' capabilities. Even if he''s not here, they could have pulled this off.


    ''But it felt good to participate in a spy scene like in the movies.''

 Chapter 1267 Slowly Pulled Into The Trap

    <h4>Chapter 1267 Slowly Pulled Into The Trap</h4>


    When Oleg reached the location sent by his spies, the rest of them also gathered there. Through some basic probing, they felt a space membrane in the nearby space.


    "Go in!"? Oleg ordered.


    A rank 4 prisoner activated his gravity power and the space around him began to twist.


    A secondter, the entrance to what most humans would recognize as a secret realm appeared. Without hesitation, the rank 4 prisoner stepped inside. Nine more rank 4s rushed after him.


    The first thing they noticed was the anceint buildings of this ce.


    Secret realms were left overs from the devas. Of course, they were ancient. While most humans weren''t able to tell how special they were, Zions were different.


    "Boss, this is a ce where powerful celestial rankers once lived!" A prisoner eximed.


    The rank 6 scout following the ten prisoners nodded slightly and said. "Continue."


    The prisoners searched through a few forests, a couple of deserts, and a dozen ruins of what were presumably cities. And they finally stopped in front of arge pyramid.


    Unlike the rest, this one had fresh auras.


    Someone had been to this ce in thest two weeks. Did they leave? Or was someone still here?


    "B-Boss." The prisoner who rushed into the secret realm first called out in a trembling voice. "R-Rank 6 or maybe more, boss. I-It''s dangerous."


    "Alright. You don''t have to take the risk." The scout said.


    "Thanks, Boss!" The prisoner''s eyes brightened and for the first time in his life, he began to look at another sentient being as nearly his equal and not someone he would kill if he had the power.


    The scout didn''t know that he turned into a serial killer who saw everyone as insects to be trampled into a half-decent person.


    It was a miracle of miracles. If the story was to be published, this point would be the redemption arc.


    "Since you don''t want to go in and risk your life, die here and don''t risk it." The scout''s cold voice rang.


    A spear tore through the air and struck the prisoner''s head. It exploded like a watermelon.


    The blood and brain matter sttered on the remaining nine prisoners who stood stupefied.


    Sure, they were all death row prisoners. But not all of them were here for violence. In fact, a significant number of them were here due to financial fraud.


    This scene frightened the heck out of them and without any further word, the nine ran into the cube, as if they were running lives.


    The scout who cleaned his spear and sneered. "Violence is not the answer. It''s the question and the answer is yes."


    The cube had only one entrance which shut off after the nine prisoners rushed in. The hallway split into left and right at the end with only sleek white walls on either side without any rooms or doors.


    The prisoners tried to break the walls and open the shut-down door. But nothing worked.


    [Guests? Oh guests! Pick right or pick left. Pick one and you might live. Pick two and you will die.]


    Like a horror that came to life, they btedly realized they were trapped there. The only way out was to move forward.


    The next six hours could only be described as scenes straight out of a modern horror.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Prince Oleg waited outside the secret realm with his subordinates.


    Instead of destroying the sr system or killing the kingdom''s envoys, he instructed them to move with as much stealth as possible.


    Alerting the kingdom wasn''t good. And even if the envoys left, there''s Centaurus nearby.


    Oleg personally participated in the war all those years ago. Even though he withdrew early from this theater, he vividly remembered the valor of the Centaurians.


    If nothing unlucky happened, those bastards would''ve regained their strength and might''ve gone even further.


    Just like how Zions knew Centaurians, Centaurians knew Zions. They had special anti-stealth detection systems in ce just for Zions.


    So, even if anything remotely linked to Zion technology or lineage approached the region, Centaurians would know.


    For that reason, Oleg didn''t dare to send even spy drones to check out the duchy''s current situation.


    A few hours after the wait, an explosion sounded and a bloodied scout rushed out of the secret realm.


    "P-Prince! Prince! You have to see this!"


    Following him, Oleg jumped into the secret realm and reached a cube. Or what should''ve been a cube.


    Now, it''s just rubble alongside heaps of flesh, bone, and puddles of blood.


    "All dead?" Oleg sneered.


    "Yes, Sir."


    "Worthless pieces of trash," Shaking his head, he scanned the area.


    At the bottom of the rubble was a powerful formation in the form of a ck Rose pattern.


    "Damn it! This is their secret base!" Oleg clenched his fist and waved his hand.


    The invisible force of gravity acted on every sizable particle in the distance and levitated them to the eye''s height.


    Oleg found shards of metallic sheets with smeared characters. Presumably, they were documents containing some important information.


    He also found the broken shards ofmunication crystals used for interster ranges. That''s definitely something ck Rose had to use! And torn pieces of clothes made of a material that''s specially used for disguise!


    There''s no doubt that this was a secret base! But they blew it up without finding anything!


    As Oleg was growing frustrated, another scout rushed in."S-Sir, we found two more secret bases!"


    "Let''s go! Do it right this time! Not ten, send twenty prisoners in!" Olegmanded with renewed hope.


    But¡­


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The bases once again exploded.


    Even though none of the scouts died, fifty prisoners were dead. The remaining fifty were shivering in fear, their morale was dealt a disastrous blow.


    "Fuck! Fuck!" Oleg clutched his hair, not caring about their state.


    "Sir, we swept almost the whole area, and we found two more!"


    This time, Oleg decided to send in two rank 6s along with forty prisoners.


    Luck should finally favor him.


    ¡­It would have.


    "W-Who are you?"


    In one of the so-called bases which were filled with lethal traps in a maze-like structure, a rank 6 scout finally reached the end.


    But what greeted him was not the expected room with all the secret materials that would reveal the details of where the ck Rose assassins might be.


    It was a young man with a smug smirk.


    "The mastermind behind this masterpiece." Varian raised his sword and a red light blinded the scout''s vision.


    "Go in peace. Everyone that came with you will follow."


    That was thest thing he heard before everything went dark.

 Chapter 1268 Mission Of Dreams

    <h4>Chapter 1268 Mission Of Dreams</h4>


    "Sir, the two captains died."


    "Get out."


    "But sir, the morale is¡ª"


    "Fucking out!"? A heavy fist mmed the table and nearly broke it into two.


    "¡­"? The captain practically ran out of the room with a pale face.


    Prince Oleg slumped back into his chair and ced his feet on the blood-colored desk. It was still his familiar room in his spaceship. But it felt so different today.


    The painting near the door¡ªthe Zion royal family¡ªstared back at him. His father, Duke Jataur stood at the center.


    His brothers and sisters, born muchter than him stood closer to their father while he¡­


    A young Jataur stood at the boundaries of the picture, his position only better than the bastards his father fathered from whores.


    ''Talent¡­whoever said hardwork beats talent, they''re fucking lying. They''ve never seen real talent.''


    Jataurughed, his fists balling tight and the corner of his eyes growing red.


    Closest to his father, even holding his father was Prince Xoler. Less than half his age, that boy got more affection and respect than he could ever dream of.


    The worst part?


    Oleg had seen this younger brother of his waste a full hundred years in indulgence. Women, drinks, gambling¡ªno one admonished him. Heck, the finance minister gave him loans for freaking bets!


    But when he finally turned around and started putting in a decent hardwork¡ªnothing exceptional¡ªhe got results that Oleg could only dream of.


    Only his father was the figure of Oleg''s respect. The dependency developed to a pathalogical level after his mother''s death.


    ''For my father, for my future, for everything¡­this mission must be a sess.''


    Oleg raised a bottle of wine and poured it on himself. The cool liquid dripped down his forehead and cooled down his boiling mind.


    When he reached the secret base, the remaining eight captains¡ªthe rank 6 scouts¡ªwere waiting for him. The ten surviving prisoners looked on with lifeless eyes. They knew they were going to die anyway.


    What promise? What pardon? They didn''t even have the energy to scoff at the hope they needlessly had.


    Unlike them, Hazel felt a tinge of gratitude. At least, she was able to survive so far. Even though she''s going to die soon¡­


    Oleg noticed their situation. No speeches would change their opinion now. So, he decided to save himself some calories and focus on the issue at hand.


    "Report."


    The oldest captain¡ªnot the strongest or mostpetent¡ªstepped forward and said.


    "Since thest explosion, we''ve began searching the entire ce. Soon, we''ll have searched theplete area within four light year radius."


    "This time, I''ll go in myself." Oleg hummed.


    "But Pr¡ª"


    "That''s an order." He waved his hand.


    "Who should apany you?"


    Oleg nced at the ten remaining prisoners, his gaze stopped on Hazel¡ªwho stood out tall among the short Zions.


    Even though her wings were folded and her head was lowered, among the purple skinned, she couldn''t hide herself.


    "That bitch."


    "S-Sir, before we send her to die, should we¡­" The captain said with a hesitant but expectant tone.


    Oleg''s face twisted and he pped the man with the back of his hand. Two teeth flew out.


    Hazel looked up in surprise. She never thought she''d be allowed a dignified death.


    "You want to fuck a dog and lower the standards of our race? If you really have problems holding it in, cut it off."


    Oleg sneered and walked away.


    Clutching his cheek, the Captain, along with Hazel stared at the back of the prince withplicated gazes.


    ''Should I feel honored or humiliated?''


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "The space portal would be done in a week. I can''t wait to participate in the raid."? Finar rubbed his palms andughed with a malicious expression.


    In front of them was a fluctuating purple vortex fighting against the tear in space that was trying to close itself.


    It was still at an early stage but the most difficult phase was already over. Even if their construction fails, thanks to their joint efforts, the space crack would remain open for at least two weeks.


    By then, the princes would already be here. With their arrival, the construction of a space portal would be a matter of when.


    Unlike their gear, the princes carried precious treasures that would ensure 100% sess.


    "Killing those bastards in Ja¡­their kingdom, that''d be enough merit to jump over those old guys in the court. My dear uncle will pay the price for belittling me." Finar turned to his colleagues and raised his arms.


    "You two better be prepared, mybat record is far better than yoursbined. I''ll be leaving you in the dust."


    Ashley''s expression crumpled at his words. Because he was right, even though all of them were newbies in the court, Finar had an experience surpassing them by a full century.


    If he''s going to battle, then surely¡ª


    "Idiot."


    "Huh? What''s that?" Finar red at Edison who looked at him with his aloof gaze as usual.


    At a nce, the 8'' blue man ring at the 6'' purple-skinned chubby guy created an impression that Eidson was at a disadvantage.


    "Did I say something wrong? You two can''t match my battle exploits."


    "Idiot."


    "You fucker! I''ll crush in the expedition!"


    "There''ll be no expedition to participate in," Edison said calmly but his words caused Finar''s eyeballs to bulge.


    "W-What the¡ª"


    "The Princes are in apetition to get the most merit. They will not allow us to participate and steal some of it away."


    "But we are their subordinates, our merit counts as theirs!"


    "Not here." Edison shook his head and nced at the vortex. "The princes could simply bring some rank 8s supporting them and level the world on the other side of the portal.


    Why go through the trouble ofing here despite their busy schedule? They have to prove themselves. Only themselves"


    "¡­Fuck." Finar''s shoulders deted.


    Ashley bit her lip and looked into the dark, unfeeling, indifferent space that reminded her of the scary ocean at night. "Princess¡­will she be fine? After all, this is where her elder sister¡­the legendary princess died."

 Chapter 1269 Seeking Advice From Father-In-Law

    <h4>Chapter 1269 Seeking Advice From Father-In-Law</h4>


    Arge life-like hologram disyed war unitsprising of different levels, paths,bat records, and mindsets.


    Varian picked a decision and pushed a unit of fire awakeners with the support of mind awakeners.


    Evander rubbed the beard he recently decided to maintain and countered by sending two squads of space awakeners.


    In the huge battlefield, these two units that were suddenly added to the war made a stark difference and pushed the war in a different direction.


    It was in Evander''s favor. Even though his son-inw was much stronger than him, Evander excelled as a general.


    Looking at Varian''s focused and slightly frustrated gaze at the battlefield, Evander let out a hearty chuckle.


    Three more movester, the war ended with Varian''s defeat.


    This was his eleventh defeat in a row and thirtieth defeat so far. Of course, he had zero wins.


    With a wave of his hand, Varian threw away the holograms and snapped his fingers.


    The space around them distorted and the two now sat on the beaches of Mars. The families were enjoying the hot summer and the chilling water while the kids ran on the sand with loudughter.


    Varian took in the sight of the majestic sun on the horizon and said, "Master."


    Evander looked around, wondering why no one recognized him or Varian.


    "Don''t worry about it, we''ll appear as normal tourists to others. They won''t recognize us."


    "Oh. That''s great." Evander sighed in relief.


    "I encountered some trouble recently." Varian sat cross-legged on the sand, his hands on his knees.


    Evander wanted to listen to Varian''s words but a grandfather chasing behind his grandchildren caught his eye.


    That man seemed to be in his seventies or eighties. And he must''ve had quite a few children, seeing that he had seven grandchildren!


    Evander pursed his lips and felt a void in his heart. Looking at his rough palms, he wondered how long it had been since hest lifted a child.


    It had been many, many years since the day he first held Sarah''s brother when he was born.


    These rough hands couldn''t raise the kids properly. One of them died an unfortunate death while the other lived through a troubled childhood.


    This debt of love and responsibility should be repaid to the next generation.


    "Your hair is funny, grandpa!"


    "Hoho, my hair can dance, kiddo!"


    "Really? Really?"


    "Really! And the pikaman statues, I collected thetest edition!"


    "Yay! Grandpa is the best!"


    The little children threw their hands up in the air in joy and chattered with the old man.


    There was a warm smile on his wrinkled face. As the children went off to y, two men and a woman, likely his children, approached him and said.


    "You spoil them too much! They''ll cry for Pikaman next edition! It''s a waste of money!"


    The old man waved his hand dismissively. "If I won''t spoil them, who will I spoil?? The little ones will suffer a lot growing up. At least their childhood should be happy."


    The encounter of this family caught Evander''s attention. Tearing his gaze away from them with difficulty, he nced at Varian with dissatisfaction.


    "¡­What? Sarah said you liked beaches." Varian asked with an innocent expression.


    Evander took a breath and looked at his son-inw with a dissatisfied expression. "Are you in good health?"


    "What do you mean?" Varian was puzzled.


    Evander rubbed the back of his neck, "¡­You know, some things should happen naturally. But sometimes, we soldiers get injured and have trouble. I''ve seen colleagues like that. Don''t be embarrassed about it. The medicine is pretty advanced."


    "Excuse me, what are you talking about, Master?" Varian raised an eyebrow. "Stop beating around the bush."


    "¡­Why are my daughters still not pregnant?" Evander gave Varian a suspicious nce.


    Varian opened his mouth in shock and then rolled his eyes. "Come on! We''re all in good health. Heck, I can get the whole Nymph race pregnant by tomorrow. Don''t underestimate me...I just don''t want children now. Neither do they."


    "But why?!"


    "Because we''re young! I''m only 19! Sarah is a bit older but she''s still only 20."


    "What about Sia? Isn''t she like 500 years?"


    "¡­Are you really gonna use that logic now?" Varian crossed his arms.


    Evander shook his head. "Just give me the grandchildren, I''ll raise them. If you think it''s too much work, I''ll take care of everything."


    Varian tilted his head. "Old man, is this a fixation people get at your age or what?"


    "You brat, you won''t understand. There''s nothing like raising children. You''ll understand when you hold your child." Evander admonished.


    "Isn''t the legal age for childbearing 21? Are you asking for me to break thew? It was 23 and I reduced it to 21. Even now, 20 is illegal."


    "Are you the Emperor for show? Change thew or create special uses." Evander scoffed.


    Varian looked at Evander with respect.


    "What? I never broke thew for personal gain in my career. But this is different." Evander defended his integrity.


    Varian shrugged. "Let''s put aside the topic of children for now. Like I said earlier, I''m having some trouble in my personal life. I think your experience will help."


    "Oh? What is it? If it''s coaxing your wife, I know a lot." Evander showed a rare mischievous smile. "Sarah''s mother used to get very feisty but then my charm worked like magic, hahahaha!"


    Looking at his father-inw brag with so much confidence, Varian got a bit more confident. He was really looking for the right person.


    "Yeah, it''s about coaxing," Varian admitted.


    "Oh? Is it Sarah or Sia?"


    "Err," Varian coughed a bit and said. "It''s the third one that recently woke up. She''s called Isadora. She''s been betrayed by people close to her and doesn''t trust anyone now. Worse, she developed this belief that time will break love inevitably. So, sh¡ª"


    "Wait a minute," Evander raised his hand and looked at Varian with an incredulous expression. "My sweet son-inw, are you really asking your father-inw for pick-up tips to seduce another woman?"


    "It''s not seduction. I just want her to let her guard down."


    "And?"


    "Dual cultivate with me!"


    "Lusty Perverted Cheating Shameless Traitorous Fucker!" Evander took out a stick. "I''ll kill you on behalf of my daughters!"


    "Wait! There''s a misunderstanding!"

 Chapter 1270 Forged Clues

    <h4>Chapter 1270 Forged Clues</h4>


    Hazel came to a shivering halt as the paths once again split.


    [Choose the correct path.]


    The hallway split into right, left, stairs up and down. Four choices. 75% chance of death.


    "Hurry up." A red light shed from behind and the gravity of her body twisted.


    Hazel felt as if she was thrown into a hydraulic press with the pressure enveloping her from all directions of the body.


    "Haaa!"


    The pressure dissipated all of a sudden and she copsed onto her knees, panting desperately and trying to control the blood leaking out of her mouth.


    Oleg nced at her with disgust. He inherited his father''s heirarchical view which treated every race under them worse than their pet animals.


    Even though a normal zion would''ve found her beautiful, he only found her abnominable and disgusting.


    But there was something going on here.


    "The Right," Hazel muttered and turned in that direction.


    [The correct choice]


    The voice said with augh and the three other paths shed once before showing their true form¡ªa horrifying power that gave Oleg goosebumps.


    The power of death. Mixed with another energy he couldn''t understand. But the mix made it much more dangerous.


    If they stepped in, even though Oleg would survive, he''d take significant injuries. A few more such injuries and he would be done.


    For the next ten minutes, however, his fears didn''te true.


    [The correct choice]


    [The correct¡­]


    [The¡­]


    Looking at Hazel''s fragile silhouette, Oleg wondered what secret she was hiding. Was she just so lucky? Or did it have something to do with her race?


    There was no special thing about their race. If Oleg had to pinpoint something, it''d be that they bore some resemnce to a ''caretaker'' race that directly served one of the six gods in the legends.


    His thoughts paused as Hazel stopped in front of arge sleek blue door with sharp, weapon inscriptions engraved.


    "Wait!" Oleg trotted past her and reached out his hand towards the door. His palm didn''t touch the metal but a tingling feeling assaulted his skin.


    ''A door made of three different metals mixed with a special formation. If I go at it bluntly, it''d take ten full minutes. No wonder my subordinates failed.''


    Oleg reached out his other hand and pressed them close towards the door. The gravity power engraved into his blood and soul activated at full power.


    Craaack!


    The space-time coordinates in which the door existed fluctuated for a moment. It was like the ripples spread on a calmke when a pebble was thrown.


    The foreign power spread through the entire door and aligned itself into three separate groups based on the metals used.


    "Break for me!" Oleg roared.


    The gravity between the three different metals fluctuated in a blink. It went from normal to extreme repulsion.


    With a tremendous force, the door ripped itself apart at the most basic level, revealing an entrance to the most important room of the base.


    But nothing could be seen except blue gas.


    Oleg''s senses didn''t work and he couldn''t perceive anything on the other side.


    This was the ce to find ck Rose and kill them off before they tried anything funny. It''s the final thing he had to do.


    But¡­


    A heavy, depressing atmosphere filled the quiet hallway.


    Oleg gulped, the courage and desire in his heart struggling against his self-preserving instincts.


    The blue gas twirled and curled, forming shapes that resembled skulls, bones, and flowers.


    It was inviting him. Mocking him. Daring him.


    Oleg could feel a razor-thin killing intent in the gas. It was a just sample but when he glimpsed into it, he smelled a thick scent of death, one that would need the death of an entire civilization.


    ''M-Monster!''


    Oleg had taken a lot of lives in his long life but he never wiped out an entire civilization.


    Not out of benevolence but for his own well-being. People who kill so much tend to lose the littlepassion in their hearts and turn into ruthless warriors without any emotions.


    Oleg wanted to preserve the bits of love for his mother even though he could no longer recall the time he spent with her.


    And his father¡­


    He didn''t want the possibility of restoring the bond with his father.


    "Go in." Taking a deep breath, Oleg threw a treasure at Hazel and ordered the woman.


    "Y-Yes¡­" With a shivering back, the fairy princess put a foot in the room filled with blue gas.


    Nothing happened.


    And then another foot.


    "No!"


    Under Oleg''s incredulous eyes, a ck arc sliced through Hazel and reached him in an instant.


    The hastily set up gravity shield shed with the ck arc.


    Like tongues of fire pouring into water resulting in scattering steam, darkness scattered out as the shield took it on with a firm grip.


    A few cracks appeared in the defense. Oleg enforced it and held his ground.


    A silhouette covered in darkness rushed out of the room and nced at Oleg with thick killing intent.


    But noticing his shield, it kicked the ground and a wave of darkness swept the hallway and drowned everything.


    Oleg bled from the corner of his mouth as he pushed his body to the limits, putting up an invisible gravity shield that repelled the predatory darkness.


    As the darkness couldn''t hit its intended target, it raged and destroyed everything in sight.


    It blinded his sight and Oleg fell back onto his gravity sense.


    Unlike vision, gravity sense was a 3D graph with endless lines passing through him as the center.


    The ne formed by the lines sunk in multiple ces, as it was a piece of cloth weighed down by pebbles at those points.


    And in that ne of lines, there was a huge depression that approached him from a far distance at a breakneck speed.


    Oleg exhaled lightly in the real world and in the world of his gravity sense, the ne fluctuated and spiked.


    The lines flowing around the depression tightened around it and the depression was forced down to a manageable speed. Then, Oleg clenched his fists and the lines around it were brought dangerously close to each other.


    A powerful explosion swept the real world and sounds of bones cracking rang. For a moment, Oleg thought he had won.


    But the silhouette tilted its head and swung its sword. Oleg was sent flying, blood spluttering out of the gaping wound on his chest.


    Oleg didn''t pull any punches and brought his palms together, while in his gravity sense, he was actually pulling the two lines together.


    The silhouette in darkness, which looked much weaker inparison to its previous self due to injury, fluctuated violently against the attacks. Then, with a voiceless scream, it imploded and scattered into particles of darkness.


    "Haaa!" Oleg exhaled deeply and walked back to the secret room.


    That fairy or whatever body was gone. That battle was enough to vaporize her fragile body. Oleg didn''t give it much thought and stepped into the ce where his entire team tried and failed.


    It was a room that would''ve repulsed any person with half-decent aesthetics. Bright red walls pitch ck floor, and a ceiling with the design of a ck rose¡ªthe mix of red and ck.


    Oleg wasn''t burdened by things called taste. So, he gave it no heed and searched through the few things left in the safe. It was all the information.


    For a moment, Oleg wondered if this was too convenient. Shouldn''t it bemon sense to destroy this information after reading it once?


    But then he remembered he was dealing with ck Rose¡ªan organization that seldom failed. They wouldn''t need to follow such protocols.


    ''They wouldn''t have expected us to strike back so soon. That''s the reason these bases are clean. No one in defense.''


    Oleg frowned.


    ''Or they are somewhere else. Doing something else. Trying to kill my father isn''t as simple as trying to kill that whore''s son. They should be plotting something big.''


    Shaking his head, he rummaged through the few pieces left behind. The pieces that''d reveal the truths.

 Chapter 1271 An Agreement

    <h4>Chapter 1271 An Agreement</h4>


    [A Command To Kill Two Zions]


    It didn''t exin the reason. Only the targets, including the method of intimidation.


    [Resources Avable For Mission]


    The secret bases were mentioned clearly. If the information was to be believed, this was thest base.


    And they were to be abandoned after Phase 1! So, that''s why he couldn''t find any assassins in the bases so far!


    This base was to be used in case any member had to recuperate.


    ''So I killed an injured assassin? That too one of the weakest?'' Oleg''s expression crumbled.


    [Phase Two]


    "This¡­" Oleg''s shoulders stiffened as he looked through the document. Phase 2 referred to assassination of Zion Emperor.


    Except stating that it''d happen within 4 weeks of Phase 1, there was nothing else. The assasins who vacated the secret bases would attack Zion duchy sooner orter.


    "I have to find them! At any costs!" Oleg clenched his fists.


    But he soon loosened his fists and drooped his shoulders. He promised to himself and his father he alone could take care of this mission.


    Even though he was only the leader of scouts, if he finished the mission, there was no need for the actual team toe up.


    Yet, his strength proved insufficient.


    Oleg didn''t think he could face three such assassins in a frontal fight. Forget victory, his chances of survival were low if he faced five of them.


    With a heavy heart, Oleg returned to his spaceship and contacted his father. Ironically, his father wasn''t recieving anymunication at the moment.


    It was delegated to his fathor''s favorite woman, the 13th concubine, Barbara.


    "? No, Oli? What''s the matter?" Her voice was husky, cocky and aloof.


    Even though they were talking through interster distance, Oleg could feel her mocking gaze and haughty expression.


    Taking a deep breath, he spat. "It''s Oleg."


    "Oh, Leg? Right, right. What''s the matter?"


    "I need to speak to my father."


    "Me attending this call should have told you something. Or is it a bit too hard for you to understand? Aren''t you a hundred years older than me too? Senile already?." Her words were soft, and sympathetic and seemed genuine.


    ''This bitch!''


    Veins popped up on Oleg''s forehead and he came too close to smashing themunication crystal.


    "The scouting here ispleted. The attack will beunched from here. I request reinforcements."


    "Oh. You can''t even do something so simple?" She chuckled lightly but thatughter pierced into his heart like shards of ss.


    "This is ck Rose. It''s dangerous."


    "Not for my son." Concubine Barbara''s voice was filled with pride and confidence. "He''ll do what you are incapable of. Do not worry. Your younger brother ising to your res¡ª."


    Oleg cut off the call and mmed the wall. "That bastard isn''t my brother! Who knows which bastard she conceived him with?!"


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Hazel opened her eyes in confusion.


    The darkness that should''ve killed her somehow enveloped and protected her from the dangers.


    It made no sense.


    And what made even less sense was the man standing in front of her, watching her with an indifferent expression.


    "You¡­" Hazel looked at him with a mix of hatred and fear. He''s the reason she was pushed to this state.


    "The Zions have a proud culture. They disdain to torture political prisoners through physical means. What they do like is seeing them break down mentally." Varian said.


    "Do you think I''m crazy to believe such bullshit?" Hazel''s throat was breaking as she had nothing to drink since her arrest. But she yelled anyway and as loud as she could.


    "I''ve looked through the past 50-year prison records. I left the space crack for them to discover. There''s a good chance you''d be sent as a death prisoner." Varian said and sighed.


    "But I''m not going to pretend I had it all control. You could''ve been executed in the capital if someone''s mood in the pce was slightly off. Your life hinged on a few people''s moods."


    "What grievances do you have with me? The past few days, I''ve been through hell! You monster! I thought you were a good person trying to help me but you''re worse!"


    Varian pursed his lips. "I don''t like saying this, but the truth is you were a pawn in a great game. There''s no other way I could''ve killed that prince. You were an indispensable pawn."


    Hazel clenched her fists in indignation. She hated this. This type of lifestyle, worldview and culture¡ªit was wrong!


    But she''s powerless. Even though she worked so hard to reach rank 2 at a young age, she''s still hopelessly weak.


    Controlling her emotions, she asked. "Why did you not let me die? What is this ''pawn'' supposed to do?"


    Varian tapped the space in front of him and it blinked.


    The bleak ground they were standing on changed into a beautiful garden with fountains and flower beds.


    The children of elves, sanguines, nymphs, and other races were ying nearby, theirughter filling the air.


    Varian turned around and looked at the scenery with a strong gaze. "Aspensation for the role you yed and what''s done to you, you can live in safety here."


    "Is that pity?" Hazel was scared but her anger surpassed her fear. After throwing her life into jeopardy, this show of pity was disgusting.


    As the highs of her anger faded, Hazel realized how foolish she had been to raise her voice at someone who could easily kill her. Her life was in dire risk.


    Varian chuckled and shook his head. "I don''t pity you at all."


    "Y-You!"


    "That''s a problem, I know. I just don''t feel any guilt." Varian looked at her and Hazel knew from his eyes that he was speaking the truth.


    "I don''t go out of my way to actively put others in danger. But if I do it, it''s because that''s the only way. For that, I feel no guilt. Because the casualties otherwise would be way worse." Varian exined.


    "A good life from now on is mypensation. I''m doing it because it''s the right thing to do, not because I pity you."


    Hazel closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. "Can I return to my home?"


    "I would advise against that. The region is going to be in turmoil, soon." Varian showed no doubt in his words.


    "M-My people!"


    Varian made noment.


    Hazel understood his stance. He wasn''t trying to harm them actively. But if his ns need them to be harmed, he wouldn''t bat an eyelid. Worse, he didn''t even feel any guilt.


    She could not persuade him through strength or morality. The only thing that appealed to this man she first mistaken for a good soul was interest.


    "I can help with your n, my whole race can! Give me a chance!" She pleaded.


    Varian rubbed his chin. "Can you spy on Zions? It doesn''t have to be something very secretive, but I need consistent updates."


    "Yes, yes!" Hazel nodded frantically. "Zions treat my race as¡­inferiors. They don''t even consider this possibility. I can ask my people to just sign up for menial jobs and do the searching!"


    Varian gave it some thought. He didn''t see much need for the help of Fairies. But having a local tribe help in a foreign location mighte in handy.


    "How do I trust¡ª"


    "Poison me or whatever. A lot of my people were used against abyssals and died. I don''t want to see more of that genocide."


    Varian nodded.


    ''A spy, huh.''

 Chapter 1272 Fated For Each Other

    <h4>Chapter 1272 Fated For Each Other</h4>


    Barbara walked down a hallway and reached a guarded door.


    A formation inscribed on the doors activated and a ray of blue light scanned her from head to toe.


    Then the next formation checked her soul for five full minutes where Barbara had topletely let her guard down for the process to finish.


    The sensation was vivid and real. It felt like hands from the outside were prying open her head and looking at her deepest thoughts.


    Barbara clenched her fists as she suppressed the anger rising up from the bottom of her heart.


    A minuteter, she stripped out of her clothes and let another formation check her.


    ''Jataur''s favorite woman and the mother of the best prince has to strip for a search. Hah.'' Her heart grew colder but her eyes remained bright and charming.


    The scan was still going on and if she expressed any negative sentiments, it''d be derailed.


    After six more inspections, the doors opened. Taking few deep breaths, Barbara stepped in.


    "Mydy!" Jataur raised his arms and weed her from hisrge bed.


    "Husband~" Barbara put on a charming smile and snuggled in his arms.


    A few minutes passed.


    Closing her eyes, Barbara felt the warmth of the man she once deeply loved and told herself that it was fine.


    ''I still love him. I love the warmth of his hands, the gentleness of his touch, the¡­''


    "What did Oleg tell you?"


    The discordant words dispelled her short-lived delusion.


    Barbara''s heart trembled for a moment as it faced the bitter reality. Whatever love she imagined only existed in her memories.


    Jataur had definitely spied on her call. Yet, he was asking her about it. Just to test her loyalty.


    ''This happens with everone, every single time!'' She tried to soothe herself saying it''s normal but it only made her feel worse.


    If he treated his beloved wife just like how he treated everyone, what does that say?


    "He found their traces and learnt that they''re going to strike soon. He requested reinforcements." She revealed.


    "Hm¡­" Jataur cracked a smile as she didn''t hide anything and caressed her hair. His fingers brushed down her neck and reached her breasts.


    "Your majesty¡­I am tired today." Barbara broke free from his clutches and adjusted her clothes.


    Jataur''s eyes narrowed but he said with a smile. "Please rest, mydy. Your health is everything for me."


    "Thank you."


    Once she left the bedroom, Jataur overturned his pillow and started drawing an inscription with his aura.


    The attack formations that had been silently active in the room so far, all programmed to do one thing¡ªkill Barbara if she tried to harm him or even show killing intent toward him¡ªwere deactivated.


    Barbara was wrong to believe that Jataur left his safety solely to the door. Unbeknownst to her, she had always been walking on thin ice.


    With a snap of his fingers, the bedroom changed into a meeting hall.


    ''Asking her for sex which she always declines is the best way to send her off. Or I would''ve beente for this meeting.''


    Jataur felt proud of himself. He never stopped to think if it was all worth it. Perhaps knew in the corner of his mind that the woman who loved him had slowly changed.


    Instead of asking why, he patted himself on the back foring up with the countermeasures.


    "My dear son," Jataur addressed the young man sitting in the central seat of the three gathered in the secret room.


    "Yes," Xoler looked at him with a neutral gaze and took his time before uttering. "Father?"


    "Their traces have been confirmed and their n has been found. For the prosperity of Zions and the safety of your father...and mother," Jataur stressed on thest word.


    Xoler''s body trembled. Even though nothing was spoken on the surface, he was able to understand that his mother was being taken hostage.


    She was the reason he didn''t try to snatch the throne position and bring back proper rule to the duchy.


    He was afraid that if he went against his father, his mother would suffer. It had always been the reason but today, his own father admitted it.


    ''Why? Why should you be like this? Just because I''m the strongest in the duchy doesn''t mean I have to kill my own father¡­''


    Xoler gripped the armrests of the chair and nodded. "I see. It is my duty to remove any such threats. Please send me for the mission, lord father."


    The aura of a rank 7 began to leak out from Xoler, filling the room with an oppressive atmosphere.


    Beads of sweat trickled down Jataur''s face but he acted calm. If his words were a veiled threat to Xoler, this action was Xoler''s veiled threat against him.


    "Seeing that you''re so enthusiastic, I will not stop you," Jataur said with a bright smile and pointed to the men sitting on the left and right of the prince.


    "But I can''t let you face all the danger. Sage Nevar, the protect of our duchy, and Champion Gor, my close guard will help you in your endeavor."


    The calm old man right of Xoler in ceremonial red-white clothes nodded calmly. He seemed to have expected it already.


    The middle-aged man on the left lowered his head and obeyed, his every action filled with obedience.


    Xoler''s brows furrowed and his heart sank further.


    ''Not only does he want me to go to the mission, he wants to kill me there.''


    For a moment, Xoler considered the possibility of attacking right away and ending this conspiracy.


    But noticing the tiniest of fluctuations leaking from the walls, he refrained.


    Moreover, while Sage Nevar seemed like a neutral party¡ªa retired war hero who just wanted to spend his time in peace¡ªXoler couldn''t trust him.


    And Champion Gor¡­


    "Grrr!"


    Looking at the scowl on that ve''s face, Xoler''s felt a surge of anger. Yes, he couldn''t attack his father here.


    But once the mission got done and his father indulged in celebration, that''d be the perfect opportunity.


    "We''ll be leaving now." Xoler walked out in brisk steps.


    The two followed.


    Looking at his son leaving, a small smile crept on Jataur''s face. "Please die, son."

 Chapter 1273 Overwhelming Strength

    <h4>Chapter 1273 Overwhelming Strength</h4>


    Varian crashed against the wall and slid down powerlessly. His head was dizzy while he bled like a broken dam, forming a red puddle under him.


    "That''s enough." Isadora tried hard not to wince at her badly mangled hand and announced the end of the battle.


    "N-No, I-I''m not d¡­" Varian tried to stand up but he ended up copsing to the floor and losing consciousness.


    Sarah activated the seal on Isadora and pushed her to rank 3. After ensuring she won''t be able to ambush them, she rushed to Varian and lifted him up.


    Even though he''s conscious, Varian''s arm habitually wrapped around her shoulder in a protective embrace.


    The blood spilling from his wounds all across his body dyed Sarah''s white dress a bloody red. Biting her lip, she looked at his frowning expression in distress.


    "Idiot." Letting him lean against her, she slowly walked away.


    Isadora stood alone, watching them in silence and spat. "Idiot indeed."


    The bottleneck would loosen in two or three weeks by itself. But he''s trying to bypass that limitation.


    The amount of effort he put in was astounding and Isadora had to wonder if the world was ending tomorrow for him to put in such efforts.


    "Master! Master, those bastards were talking about the princes arrival!" Oob''s screams in the hallway unsettled Isadora.


    For a brief moment, she wondered if she should help. But then quickly shook her head.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    In one of the many satellite gxies of the milkyway:


    Once home to a powerful duchy that surpassed its ss and was on its way to bing a kingdom, it was abruptly attacked by the Warring faction under Princess Esh.


    Instead of direct war, the Warring faction used a specially bred spirit creature andunched a bio-spirit war on the duchy.


    One yearter, the duchy was infested by spirit creatures that turned everyone into mindless killing beasts.


    P Kingdom, as the nearestrge power, sent its powerhouses to purge the entire ce.


    Some of these ''beasts'' managed to escape and in a few decades, developed sentience while growing their powers.


    A rank 7 beast, supposedly low rank 7, was spotted by an intelligence operative who informed the kingdom.


    Tap!


    Tap!


    Tap!


    "¡­Where did you see the chief beast?" A young man with short, unkempt brown hair walked past a street filled with fresh humanoid corpses.


    Behind him were three stiff-bodied men looking around vigntly and walking in practiced steps. Blood was dripping down their fingers and killing intent was leaking out of their every move.


    The informant, a sweet youngdy in herte youth, shivered from their presence and moved with a trembling body.


    "Where?" The young man''s voice was colder.


    "I-In the old pce!" The informantdy''s blue skin grew paler at his tone and she answered in a hushed voice.


    "Hm." The young man tilted his head and gazed up.


    A moon, asrge as Earth, greeted them from space. It had threerge ck sections running through, evidence of the battle that nearly blew it up.


    "The pce, huh." Their five silhouettes blurred and in a blink, they were standing in front of the ruins of a yellow marble building.


    "Stay here." The young man said and walked through a broken arched door.


    The moment he stepped in, the dusty floor under him lit up and a resoundingughter echoed throughout the moon.


    "Hahahaha! Fool! If this is the best prince of Ps, then you''re in for a very, very scary future."


    A ten-foot tall humanoid walked from the dust and darkness. A slime-like creature with a singlerge eye was infesting his head, controlling him. No, at this point, it reced his soul. There''s nothing he could do to save the original owner.


    "Is this the n?" Prince Merov asked without a change in expression and lightly tapped the shining formation with his heel. "A suppression formation imposed with soul weakening?"


    "That is everything. It is enough." The humanoid monster replied.


    "Heh," Prince Merov''s lips curled up suddenly and he muttered to empty air. "You''re right. I should use this as an opportunity to establish prestige."


    "Huh? Who are you talking to, have you gone insane?" The monster was perplexed. "But I don''t care. Let me relish your struggle until thest moment."


    The formation red with white light and Merov''s three servants crashed to the floor as the sudden attacks rendered them helpless.


    "Huh? Why are you still¡ª"


    Merov ignored it and raised his hand.


    The monster was already panicking seeing him unaffected by the formation. So, when he raised his hand, it jumped out of the moon with one kick.


    Instead of targetting the clear target moving away, Merov turned back and fired at the informant who was fleeing to her spaceship.


    The space turned red for a moment and the youngdy dropped dead abruptly, not a single wound on her body. It was as if her life was abruptly cut off.


    Then, Merov casually drew out a spear and mmed it into the floor.


    The formation, which could take on the attacks of any low rank 7 cracked apart in a blink and the aftermath of the attack spread to the moon.


    A secondter, a huge crack appeared, running across the moon, from its northern end to its southern.


    Another secondter, the moon exploded into pieces.


    "F-Fuck!" The monster which was flying to the star of thes to jump into the teleportation array looked back in horror.


    Breaking the moon wasn''t a big deal. But breaking that formation¡­


    Before it could think any further, Prince Merov jumped out of the explosion and stood still in the space.


    He casually raised his hand, pointed it toward the monster, and then clenched his fist.


    The world seemed to be still for a moment before the monster started to dissolve into pieces.


    "Too weak," Prince Merov shook his head and looked at hismunicator. "Near Centaurus, huh."


    His silhouette blurred and disappeared.


    A momentter, a shockwave spread from the monster''s body.


    The host star and its tens exploded.

 Chapter 1274 A Looming Disaster

    <h4>Chapter 1274 A Looming Disaster</h4>


    That day, the lighting from the newly born single sun seemed to be suppressed. Animals in the forests panicked as if the apocalypse was nigh.


    The powerful awakeners in the celestial rankers had a stifling feeling in their chest as if someone was grabbing their hearts and about to rip them apart.


    They contacted whoever they could. Their fellow celestial rankers, the scientists, the scouts. They eventually came knocking on Alison''s door.


    "Miss Secretary, something is wrong! Something¡­terrible¡­"


    It was an old man in his twilight, who served humanity all his life was given a second life by Varian. He chose to keep his old appearance but he''s easily going to survive for a few more hundred years.


    Alison heard that the old man was now training students and managing a few orphanages.


    Widely known for hisposure, that veteran now looked at her shaking eyes and trembling fingers. Panic had ovee this man and struck him deep.


    The worst part. He didn''t even know what he was fearing so much.


    He just knew. It was something so overwhelming that it could take away everything he held dear.


    Rubbing her forehead, Alison exined. "Sir Modu, do not worry too much. We are just¡­ receiving a few guests at the border. What you''re feeling is their aura."


    "A-Aura can do something like this?" Modu pointed to the sun through the window.


    It wasn''t visible to normal people but powerful celestial rankers like them could feel it.


    The sun was shaking unusually as if someone was pushing it again and again. In fact, its actual distance from Earth was varying abnormally.


    ording to the scientists he contacted, it was as if something had been pushing the sun and pulling it back, like a child moving a ball to and fro.


    "The sun¡­" Alison took a deep breath, her voice showing confidence her heart didn''t have. "Is something his majesty could manipte with ease. He fused the two suns into one. Compared to that, this isn''t that big of a deal, is it?"


    "You''re right. You''re right!" Modu seemed to have found a reason to convince himself and nodded repeatedly.


    Telling himself everything was going to be fine, the old man left the office.


    "Looks like it can''t be hidden after all," Alison pursed her lips and decided to word a letter to all the celestial rankers.


    Then, she decided to convene a personal press conference to distract the crowd who were also feeling something was off.


    "Working away another day of my life," Alison shook her head and sighed. Then, she looked out of the window, into the far recess of space, beyond the edge of sr system. "Boss, please don''t fail in the job and kill us all."


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    While Alison worried about his condition and performance, Varian was having the time of his life watching things he never thought were possible.


    Three military fortresses, each the size of Earth''s moon, circled around a purple vortex. The purple light reflected off the walls of the fortresses.


    A solemn silence permeated the surroundings, even the sound of breathing was curtailed.


    Finar waited on a sky-blue fortress, its color just a tad darker than his skin. Unlike his usual arrogance and over-enthusiasm, there was a deep reverence on his face.


    cing his hands together, he waited.


    With her usually spread-out hair tied up into a bun, in a ceremonial dress, Ashley waited on a green fortress, a tad lighter than her skin. There was no haughtiness in her eyes, only worship and hope.


    She even spread her wings and bent them at a certain angle in a show of respect, waiting.


    The most surprising was Edison.


    This aloof man who didn''t even bat an eyelid at any time was kneeling.


    Kneeling.


    In the most humble posture, wearing clothes that looked more like a servant''s and less like an assistant''s, Edison knelt.


    There was a fanatical expression on his face, far surpassing the respect and reverence shown by his peers.


    It was madness.


    "¡­Are all royals like this, man?"


    Far away to be out of sight but not too far away to be out of surveince was a space manor.


    A beautiful prison prepared by the envoys for Baldur. If they were to not take any action against Varian, he''d have to remain there until the expedition finishes.


    Staying in house arrest wasn''t a pleasant thing. But Baldur reasoned it was infinitely better than having the former princess go berserk over the death of her husband and ughter the crown prince candidates.


    Even though he didn''t like him, he didn''t want his brother-inw to die and sadden his sister.


    With a sacrificial mentality, Baldur endured loneliness and humiliation. But this guy¡­


    Variany down on the sofa, his leg over the sofa''s armrest, moving to and fro, as he watched the envoys on a huge virtual screen in the hall.


    "Why are you here again?" Baldur took a few deep breaths and asked.


    "Why else? The candidates are going to arrive. I have to make sure no harmes to my civilization." Varian said those serious words while gnawing on fruit like a bandit.


    Nom!


    Nom!


    Nom!


    The crunching and chewing sounds rang in the hall and for a moment, Baldur wondered if this was her type.


    The legendary princess who made history¡­found this damn man attractive?


    ''My sister liked that bastard and the princess this bastard. What''s wrong with women, really?''


    Baldur wanted to shout in indignation.


    But he made a mental note to act like this in front of his crushes. Maybe, just maybe¡­


    Not knowing that he pushed Baldur''s love life into hell fire, Varian stood up with a smile. "If you don''t mind, can you tell me a bit about the candidates? The more, the better. Isadora says none of the current candidates were even on radar during her time."


    "¡­Sure." Baldur sighed in defeat.


    "Come on, dude. Don''t sound so down." Varian threw his arm around Baldur and said. "I know this tree girl called Maria. She''s beautiful¡­though her personality is a bit questionable. But hey, she''s beautiful. How about I introduce her to you?"


    "Is that supposed to be a constion?"


    "Nooo! It''s called friendship! Friendship!" Varian nodded vigorously.


    "Maria is my sister''s fiancee''s fiancee. In other words, she and my sister are wives of the same man. That makes her my sister equivalent."


    "¡­Ah, ahahaha." Varian gave an awkwardugh but quickly said with an energetic smile. "Do you like guys, there''s this¡ª"


    "Fuck off, bastard!" Baldurughed at Varian''s ridiculousness and elbowed him. "The candidates, right? Prince Merov is.."


    Baldur exined the origins, known aplishments and the current positions of the candidates.


    Prince Merov, the favorite¡ªstrongest, most talented.


    Prince Rudolph, the orthodox favorite¡ªsupported by big names¡ªwho also happened to be Baldur''s brother-inw and the unlucky man who''s engaged to Maria.


    Finally, Princess Sonya. She''s the oldest of the three. The least likely. But one halo allowed her to remain in the race¡ªYounger Sister of Isadora.


    "Wait, what¡­" Varian tilted his head in confusion.


    "She never told you?" Baldur raised an eyebrow in doubt.


    "Err, no way, she told me a lot of things." Varian waved his hand withplete confidence. "But no word about her being the princess candidates. Ahahaha."


    The world stilled for a moment and three bright lights shed.


    "They''re here." Varian and Baldur stood up at once.

 Chapter 1275 A Vow To Mother

    <h4>Chapter 1275 A Vow To Mother</h4>


    A young man with brown hair in casual clothes appeared in front of Edison. Behind him was a woman in erotic maid clothing.


    Looking at his servant''s reverence, a smile broke on the young man''s haughty face and he ruffled thetter''s hair like one would to a dog.


    Edison showed a satisfied smile and stood up, rubbing his hands. "Your Highness, would you like a tour of these backward, please? These uncivilized savages would be blessed for generations to be seen by you."


    Merov paused for a moment and expanded his senses. They enveloped the sr system and studied human civilization in a few breaths.


    They''re humanoid¡ªlike most sentient civilizations¡ªbut didn''t seem any special. They were too weak, too primitive.


    Merov subconsciously rubbed the ring on his finger with a forced smile. He was reminded of his own past by this civilization.


    Weak. Pitiful. Forgotten.


    Just like these people. If not for his fortunes altering that day, perhaps he would have been living like them in the P kingdom.


    Sensing the change in his mood, the silent maid took his hand and pressed it onto her bosom.


    Merov rxed and patted the maid in appreciation.


    "No. These people disgust me."


    "Then should we end them? It can be framed as an ident due to those jai minions¡­" Edison said without any hesitation. "A couple billion lives won''t make any difference. Centaurus won''t stand up for them and call for an investigation anyway."


    "Priorities, little guy, priorities." Merov clicked his tongue and shook his head.


    "My deepest apologies!" Edison mmed his head to the fortress floor so hard that the entire structure shook violently and said. "Everything after your sessful expedition, Your Highness!"


    Far away in the manor, Varian looked at Baldur with a weird gaze. It was as if he watching an animal in a zoo.


    Baldur had goosebumps and red.


    "What?"


    "¡­I''m dying watching them speak like that. What the hell is their deal? That guy acts like a dog and this prince acts like a dog owner. And that maid, what the hell?" Varian gave an exaggerated shrug.


    "You bastard!" Baldur''s face paled. "He can hear us, it''s ov¡ª"


    "Nah. I made my preparations." Varian waved his hand. The formations in the manor surfaced lightly.


    Baldur''s heart which nearly stopped beating kicked back into action and the poor man sighed in relief.


    "Phew, I almost fucking died."


    A momentter, a man with blonde hair and dark skin in formal clothes appeared in front of Finar. Behind him was also a maid. In a very ssy outfit, she stood with her hands in front and gave off a calm but elegant demeanor.


    With a bright smile, Finar greeted his superior.


    "What region do the coordinates end up at?" Prince Rudolph went straight to the point.


    "Codenamed: A2C4, a satellite gxy under the rule of Jai Empire," Finar said.


    "Then there''s room for y," Rudolph showed a small smile while still retaining his dignified demeanor.


    "Sir, do you want to tour this civilization?"


    "After the mission, Finar."


    "Yes, Sir."


    The envoy took some materials and treasures given by his prince and started working on the deep purple vortex.


    They were now solidifying and strengthening the space portal to hold even when peak rank 7s travel through it.


    It''s a difficult task but thanks to the generous treasures, it''d be aplished in a few hours.


    "¡­Why is that arrogant and always loud guy acting so nicely while the always aloof guy behaving like a dog? Do they have dual personalities or what?" Baldur had no answer to Varian''s question.


    People wore different masks for different asions, after all. He had to appear dignified and strong to those from Centaurus.


    But here?


    Baldurid down on a couch, head resting on the palms behind and humming a small tone as he watched the candidates.


    The final candidate to appear was a woman with long pink hair and alluring pale pink skin. Behind her was also a maid, less dignified than Rudolph''s but definitely dressed well for the asion.


    Ashley nearly jumped at her appearance and greeted her with a bright smile. "Princess!"


    Sonya nodded lightly and handed over a few treasures.


    All the words that Ashley wanted to say were sealed off and the female envoy went to work with a sullen face.


    The three candidates looked out from their fortresses and their gazes shed.


    Merov snickered and walked into the fortress with a sneer.


    Rudolph looked at both of them with a solemn gaze.


    Sonya, however, ignored the two of them and looked at the sr system in confusion.


    There was something familiar in this ce. Something nostalgic.


    ''This is where she died. My mind is ying tricks on me.'' Sonya told herself, but expanded her senses to check the sr system anyway.


    Inside Hortus:


    Isadora''s eyelids snapped open and she looked at the space with a cold gaze. mes of darkness began to ooze out of her and a heavy pressure started to fill the air.


    Oob manifested in front of her with a hesitant expression but disyed the screens.


    Isadora stared at the maid behind Prince Merov and one behind Prince Rudolph for exactly one minute each.


    Then, she turned to Princess Sonya.


    A powerful aura fluctuation pusled through her and the bottleneck to rank 7 was broken.


    If not for the seal pushing down her surging power, the aura would''ve enveloped the entire space of Hortus.


    "Mother," Isadora looked up at the screens with a mad, cold and vengeful gaze.


    A woman''s face surfaced in her mind. A pretty, elegant and loving face that kept her going through her hard times.


    But the same face, same person¡­


    Because of one difference.


    One damn difference!


    Isadora''s breathing grew ragged and she desperately wanted to go out and ughter.


    The killing intent had no seal and it covered Hortus, turning the sky crimson red.


    With blood dripping down her lips, Isadora vowed. "I''ll send my sister''s head to you first, dear mother."

 Chapter 1276 Pick One

    <h4>Chapter 1276 Pick One</h4>


    ''Is everything alright, Oob?'' Varian shifted his eyes slightly.


    ''Isadora is furious for some reason. Sarah tried to pacify her but it only backfired. She''s now beating up some crystal race.''


    ''They''ll go extinct.''


    ''Sarah sealed her power to rank 1. But she advanced just a while ago. Master, the seal might not hold on for long.''


    ''Good grief.'' Varian apologized to the crystal race for the violence they were about to face.


    All that bastards knew was eating and sleeping. Heck, they sleep even in imperial meetings. Perhaps it was karma that Isadora picked them for a thrashing?


    Varian trusted Isadora won''t go too far.


    "Varian! Oye! Varian!"


    Varian looked at Baldur''s sweating face. "Huh?"


    "He asked us to meet!" Baldur took a deep breath and patted his chest. But his breathing wasn''t getting any better.


    Varian quickly guessed. "Your brother-inw?"


    "Yes."


    The fortress was way more powerful than Varian expected. Its defense functions were hard to breach without some heavy pre-nning. Even then, it might need the help of an insider.


    ''Don''t look away like that.'' Baldur pushed his shoulder and whispered in a breaking tone. ''That''s just a fucking garden!''


    Varian wanted to kick him but since he was acting as a mere lord graced by Prince Baldur, he nodded with a meek expression.


    Since Rudolph''s envoy Finar was at work, it was the maid who received them. She nced at Baldur with visible disdain and she didn''t even give a nce at Varian.


    As she led them elegantly down the hallways and up the stairs to the meeting room, her aura on them grew stronger and stronger.


    It was a little taxing to walk at first but in the end. They were sweating and panting.


    But once they reached that door, Baldur was crawling. Varian didn''t want to crawl, so he when he couldn''t walk normally anymore, he conveniently passed out.


    The maid shook her head in disappointment as if he was even weaker than the trash she expected him to be.


    But Baldur managed to crawl all the way and copsed, his hand stretched out and his index finger touching the door.


    The door opened slowly.


    Very diplomatically, the maid removed her aura pressure. A soothing energy entered Baldur and relieved him of his fatigue.


    Raising his head, Baldur looked at his brother-inw, Prince Rudolph, staring at him with an amicable smile.


    "Now, now, Baldur. Why are you on the ground? Get up. Let''s have some tea."


    After clearly humiliating him and establishing the power dynamic, Rudolph once again turned into a friendly brother-inw.


    Baldur knew what it was.


    A demonstration and a warning.


    His fiasco with Miss Cmity was seen as a betrayal. But Rudolph also saw it as amusement.


    So, he showed Baldur his ''ce''.


    Even if you got the merit, you''re just a weakling that even my maid can trample.


    Those words were never spoken but they rang loud and clear in his head.


    You are nothing.


    Baldur flinched as he got up, his knees were bleeding and the sudden movement tore apart the wound even further.


    "Oops, Young Master Baldur. Please take care of yourself." The maid spoke in a gentle voice but didn''t even try to help him up.


    Cursing his fate inwardly, Baldur grabbed the door handle and slowly got onto his feet.


    As he entered the room, the maid wanted to close the door when a certain someone realized he was beingpletely ignored.


    ''The fuck!''


    Varian began to snore loudly and spread his arms on the floor as if he was sleeping on fresh grass.


    Rudolph''s brows furrowed but he quickly returned to his usual calm and dignified expression. "Daphne, please entertain that gentleman. We are the guests of his little tribe after all."


    The maid nodded and walked to the unconscious Varian. She raised her leg and was about to kick him when Varian screamed and thrashed on the ground.


    "Bitch! Bitch! Get away! Don''ty a finger on my body!"


    Since her aura on him was also removed, he struggled violently on the ground, punching, and kicking and he also started jumping.


    ''What the hell is this?'' Daphne wanted to p him to death. But like the Prince said, priorities.


    The mission was first. Everything else couldeter. Besides, killing him now could be a political weapon for the other two to attack her Prince.


    With a flick of her finger, Varian''s injuries and fatigue were gone. Rubbing his eyes, he yawned, snapped his fingers, and slowly got up.


    Then, he showed confusion. "Where am I¡ªoooh, miss maid, I apologize, really."


    Daphne''s chest heaved up and down at his ''uncivilized'' actions. But she showed no anger on her expressionless face and led him to a smaller room. "Please."


    After they got seated, she got to the topic without any pleasantries. "The gate will be constructed and the Prince, along with the two, will leave in twenty hours."


    "I see."


    "Before that, the Prince has to rx."


    Varian raised a brow. "If you want to taste the delicacies of my race, then our best che¡ª"


    "He likes married women."


    Varian''s smile vanished.


    "And I heard you are married."


    Varian tried to control his killing intent but it leaked out and struck Daphne right in the face. But it quickly retracted itself.


    Daphne was taken aback for a moment but she thought she was overimagining it. ''There''s no way.''


    But she no longer looked at him with indifference. She took out two things from her storage ring.


    A pill with a sweet fragrance.


    "This can keep you alive for a thousand years."


    A small dagger.


    "This dagger is enough for me to kill you and everyone in your race."


    Daphne stared straight into Varian''s eyes. "Choose."


    Varian wanted to control the surging killing intent in his heart and give off a proper answer. But he couldn''t.


    ''I still have to control my fucking anger!''


    Fury filled his heart and set him aze.


    Varian, however, didn''tsh out or yell. He took out two things from his storage ring.


    A nk paper and a pen.


    He quickly wrote a statement in lingua franca and turned it to Daphne. "This is the most famous, high-ss whore you can get for money. Pay her and get her services."


    A sword.


    "This sword is better than that dagger. Take it and kill everyst one of the forty billion lives."


    Varian stared right back into her angry eyes and smiled. A gentle, hospitable smile. "If I have to sell my wives for survival, then fuck off that survival. I''ll just go to mydy death with my family."


    Boom!


    An overwhelming aura enveloped Varian. It cracked his skin open, tore his muscles, and began to break down his bones.


    In just a blink, he turned into a bloody mess on the verge of death.


    "Do you really think you can get away with this?" Daphne''s voice rang.


    Her rank 7 aura was genuinely oppressive. Even if Varian tried his best, he wouldn''t be able to beat her, yet.


    Coughing out blood without breaking eye contact, Varian answered. "The question you should be asking¡­can you get away with a scandal like this?"


    Daphne''s senses expanded and scanned Varian for a moment before they glowed in anger.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Three separate devices, all doing surveince, exploded.


    It was her negligence. But even in her wildest dreams, she never imagined someone to be so bold! Much less someone from this uncivilized ce!


    That''s why she didn''t bother to check and it backfired on her big time!


    "Delete everything now or you''ll die!"


    The pressure on him increased threefold and Varian''s body began to implode, bit by bit. Like a sandcastle faced with the waves, he began to dissolve.


    "Haah¡­Ah¡­Ahahahaha!" Even as his face began to disintegrate, Varian let out a madughter.


    Daphne took a step back instinctually, a fear she should not have creeping up her spine.


    Looking into his mad eyes, she realized it. Even if she killed every soul in his race, he wouldn''t budge.


    This son of a¡­


    "Nothing happened in this room." Daphne withdrew her aura and threw a ss bottle at him.


    It smashed his head, cracked open and the healing liquid inside smeared down him. In seconds, all his injuries healed and he was back to full health.


    Varian didn''t say a word and walked out.


    "If anything leaks, everyone will die," She said.


    Varian didn''t give a response and simply walked away.


    For some reason, Daphne shuddered. It was an irrational thought, but a part of her mind said that she should''ve killed him right then.


    It told her from the fear that came from a ce she didn''t know existed, that by letting him go now, she was inviting a disaster.


    A disaster that even her prince wouldn''t be able to stop.

 Chapter 1277 The Pawns Move

    <h4>Chapter 1277 The Pawns Move</h4>


    At the other corner of the sr system, diametrically opposite to where the P Princes were staying,? a patch of space cracked.


    It expanded slowly, the red crack inside wriggling like a living slime before it stabilized into a rectangr door shape.


    The fluctuations of space began to spread from the red space door. If left to themselves, they''d spread from this end to the other end of the sr system.


    It might not be detected by rank 4 awakeners, but peak rank 6 to low rank 7¡ªthe suspected ranks of ck Rose members¡ªwould be able to detect the fluctuations clearly.


    To prevent that scenario, a few blue orbs were thrown out of the red crack which quickly distorted the gravity and wrapped the surrounding area of space.


    The fluctuations that were supposed to go out in a straightline curved into a loop and confined within the space.


    A few colorless orbs were shot out of the door next. These orbs did something weirder and absorbed the space fluctuations.


    The final items that came out were a few cubes that isted the surrounding area from giving out any life, space, or gravity fluctuations.


    Prince Xoler, like other Zions, was 5-foot tall, purple-skinned, and looked as human as a purple skin could get.


    "Humanity, huh." Xoler pursed his lips, the brilliant sun reflecting in his purple irises. "The piece no one knew toppled the abyssals."


    The information sent back by Oleg detailed the history of the human race.


    The Abyssals¡ªwhose entire race: every warrior, schr, and powerhouse¡ªcouldn''t even amount to a mob in front of Zions¡ªwere ironically the biggest enemies humans faced so far.


    Xoler had read some documents by eminent human historians who described the abyssals as some sort of devil spawn, the harbingers of death, destruction, and damnation.


    Perhaps that''s why, ck Rose stationed themselves here. This was such a backward ce that even their pets wouldn''t want to live here.


    An old man with three conspicuous facial scars stepped out with a long sword and a heavy shield.


    Xoler frowned. "Sage Nevar, I told you it''s going to be safe. I have done this before."


    "One should always be prepared, Prince. Always." Sage Nevar replied with a calm expression and put away his shield.


    "You can always teleport away," Xoler said.


    Nevar''s expression broke for a moment before it quickly recovered.


    Despite being a Zion, he awakened in the space path and was shunned by everyone. So, he joined the army and achieved massive sess before retiring.


    No one could shun him now. But the duchy hadn''t embraced him like he hoped they would. Every time the topic came up, Nevar felt like they were pointing fingers at him and ridiculing his birth.


    "Sometimes, running away is more dangerous than staying and fighting." The old man said and turned to the red space door.


    "Champion Gor. Enter."


    "Gor! Gor! Gor!"


    With heavy sounds of metal rubbing, the 6-foot Gor walked out.


    Compared to Xoler who was the typical 5 foot of Zions and Nevar who was 4 foot, he looked like a giant.


    But¡ª


    "Come," Gor made a gesture to the door.


    Shockwaves of aura began to leak out. A red-skinned, red-haired giant standing at 8-foot walked out of the door.


    He had an emotionless face coupled with dull eyes and stood like a statue.


    It was a¡ª


    "Hybrid," Xoler opened his mouth in surprise and felt like someone punched him in the gut.


    ''So this is where that fortune went! He bought a rank 7 Hybrid! But why? We don''t need one!''


    A star system in Zion duchy was attacked by a dangerous spiritual species that escaped from aboratory.


    They requested help. The Zion Imperial Court assured the public that they were going to hire professionals to remove the parasites and bring back the infected¡ªwho acted nothing more than zombies¡ªback to their senses.


    It was a publicly announced failure since the species were a much more advanced version than initially believed. Thes and the star were rented off for a hundred years to privateboratories as they were too infested.


    The truth was much simpler. The Zions never hired any professionals. The army was sent to ughter those twenty billion lives.


    Xoler heard the finance minister boast during a banquet. They not only ''saved'' the costs of hiring a professional group, but also didn''t have to spend any funds on rehabilitating those twenty billion.


    Not just that, they also amassed a fortune by renting out the star system. The previous finance minister, though irredeemably corrupt, never crossed some lines. He was dismissed by Duke Jataur after they had some ''ideological'' differences.


    ''He lost his job than do this disgusting thing. He''s not as much as a piece of shit I thought he was,'' Xolerughed bleakly.


    Looking at the strong, tall and ripped Hybrid exuding two rank 7 auras, he felt as if he was seeing the dead bodies of 20 billion Zions.


    Sage Nevar noticed his emotional fluctuations but didn''t bother. Calmly moving around the hybrid, he inspected it like an appraiser checking out a weapon.


    "Not bad. Is he fully under yourmand?" The old man asked.


    Champion Gor nodded, his charred face cracking a smile that was more menacing and less reassuring.


    Nevar didn''t care. He had seen worse in the army.


    What the three of them¡ªsince Hybrid Mor couldn''t think anyway¡ªdidn''t know was that even though they made the best preparations and acted with utmost caution, they would''ve been caught.


    The fortresses used by the Princes weren''t there for defense. The Princes didn''t need to be defended. What they were for was primarily to search for any space fluctuations.


    Varian anticipated this problem and used his own sliver powers to create a few fields of istion around this space crack long back.


    It was all a gargantuous task.


    Firstly, he had to move the space crack to the edge of the sr system¡ªto the current position of the Princes.


    Second, he had to erase all traces of that movement.


    Third, he had to use his space powers, create another space crack from the existing one.


    Four, he had to move that space crack to a diametrically opposite position of the sr system.


    Simply calling it ''Hard work'' would be doing a grave injustice to what he had to go through.


    "Let''s first meet Oleg."


    The pieces were moving, just as nned.

 Chapter 1278 Imagination: The Greatest Supplement

    <h4>Chapter 1278 Imagination: The Greatest Supplement</h4>


    "To reject me, Imend his bravery." In the study, seated behind his desk and leaned back aganst his chair, Rudolph smiled lightly.


    "As an uncivilized, it is beyond him to imagine your grandeur, Your Highness." Daphne bowed lightly and said.


    ''¡­You fucking bastards! Do you know who his wife is? I-s-a-d-o-ra! The legendary princess who can kill you with a sneeze 500 years ago!''


    Beads of sweat rolled down Baldur''s forehead and he prayed to the stars for Varian to not mention this event to his dear wife.


    He just patched up his rtionship with his brother-inw after confessing everything that happened. It''s not that he carried any admiration towards this bastard. He just didn''t want to face any difficulties in the future.


    The grudge of Rudolph wasn''t something he could bear.


    Rudolph put aside Varian''s transgression for the moment. The native would get his ''award'' sooner orter.


    "Constantine, huh."


    "Y-Yes, everyone who survived that conflict can testify. Constantine was the leading force behind everything. He led me to attack the Havoc pirates, killed the drug lords and fought the spy. You could send your people to the ruins and have it all verified! I sealed off that area but his aura still lingers!" Baldur confessed again, his face flushed and breath rugged.


    "Hm," Rudolph tapped his armrest, his gaze locked onto Baldur for any sense of deception.


    "It''s been brought to light that someone used Princess Esh''s phantom in the Lost Spiral. The same part that is suspected to be taken from Centaurus."


    Baldur''s eyes brightened.


    "I''ve asked Be and Maria, they both say that man was using the pseudonym [Baldur]."


    "W-What?" Baldur''s jaw dropped. "That fucking bastard!"


    "This is how he looks," With a snap of the prince''s figures, a full hologram of a young man in his twenties appeared.


    "No? This isn''t how he looked! It''s clearly a disguise!" Baldur cried out.


    "And the form he met you in, that could, not that must be a disguise." Rudolph concluded.


    Baldur''s lips opened and closed, his throat dry and his mind going nk.


    ¡­What the fuck? Who the fuck was this bastard?


    "Who is he?" Taking a deep breath, Baldur asked.


    "No one knows. But he is rted to the Ares tribe. The Nexus Empire is searching for him, with more desperation than anyone else."


    "Ares tribe?"


    "The counterpart of ruling Sera tribe of Nexus, one of the two extinct primordial tribes."


    "Ah! W-Wait, his background is that big? Then why couldn''t he defeat my vice directors at Proxima?" Baldur''s jaw dropped.


    "Or it''s all an act to create a false identity. He was aiming for this from the start." Rudolph rubbed his chin.


    "Was it even a he?" Baldur said in a deep voice. "Is it one person? Or an organizaton?"


    "¡­"


    Fueled by their own spection, Constantine grew into a dangerous, mysterious and cunning individual.


    The envoys were sent back to Centaurus to carry out investigations. The preliminary results validated Baldur''s statements.


    Thest blow dealt to Crimson Specter came from this ''Constantine''.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    ording to secondary investigations, Princess Azalea died within the sr system. The enemy must''ve passed through the space crack and killed her.


    But where? Where was the enemy hiding?


    The three maids were tasked with finding the traces of the foreigners that could''vee from the space crack.


    The princes were supposed to enter the portal by now, but due to a sudden discovery, it was pushed back by a few hours.


    "Your Highness, I, like the other two, found a few rats. We wanted to torture them to force out the truth, but they all died by a poison they weren''t even aware of."


    The heads of three rank 6 Zions rolled on the floor.


    "And we discovered a few cor¡ª"


    Prince Merov frowned and waved his hand in dismissal. "We''ll just go and destroy their nest. A few rats escaping isn''t a problem. Just drop this stupid investigation."


    The same results were also presented before Prince Rudolph.


    Along with three heads of the rank 6 was a row of mutted corpses, pieced together after what seemed to be a strong explosion.


    The politically savvy man responded differently. "Poison before they could say any truth, huh. Weak rank 6, but rank 6 nheless. It''s a prominent force. Do they match any race in our database?"


    "Yes, Sir. They''re Zions."


    "Recent history?"


    "A war against Centaurus alongside abyssals¡ªthe same abyssals that secretly tried to destroy humans."


    "It could be a concerted effort," Rudolph rubbed his chin. "Since one failed, the other stepped in to finish the job. Azalea staying here would''ve rendered their secret military base impossible. So, they killed here."


    "Very likely, Sir," Daphne looked through the reports. "They tried to block the distress signalsing from her at her death and they almost seeded. If not for the treasure you bestowed on her on a whim, we would have never gotten any message at all."


    "I guess I was lucky," Rudolph chuckled.


    "Your foresight is not mere luck, Sir," Daphne said with genuine admiration.


    "But why would they die? Their corpses¡­could you figure out when they died?"


    That one inquiry would''ve revealed the truth, but¡ª


    "No, Sir. Some special power was applied on these corpses, turning out estimates useless."


    Varian had taken care of the hidden danger.


    "I see. It must be Azalea. She must''ve found the space crack, and noticed theming out of space crack and entering their secret bases. She somehow was found and ended up fighting. And dying."


    "That sounds very, very usible, Sir. Your intellect puts you heads and shoulders above the likes of Prince Merov." Daphne praised.


    But it was not a ttery. It was the truth.


    "Zions, huh. I suspect there is some high ranker behind this all. To draw him out, I just need to poke the nest."


    Rudolph crossed his arms and chuckled. "You stay here and investigate everything. I''ll go tten this alien duchy and join you shortly."


    "As you wish, Your Highness." Daphne raised the corner of her skirt and curtised.


    A few minutester, Prince Merov, Prince Rudolph, and Princess Sonya entered the purple space gate.


    A few more minutester, Prince Oleg met the Strike Team of Zion Duchy. With a face full of fear and tension, he yelled.


    "I found him! I found the assassin!"

 Chapter 1279 Exposing Criminals

    <h4>Chapter 1279 Exposing Criminals</h4>


    A while ago:


    Oleg called his eight captains and convened a meeting.


    "The Strike Team from the duchy is arriving in a few hours. This is thest chance we have to get any merit before we lose all chance."


    His words didn''t have the effect he intended.


    "S-Sir," The oldest captain called out.


    An unnamed fury pulsed through Oleg along with an equal amount of frustration.


    ''This old dog, he called me Prince everytime and got this post. Xoler is about to arrive, he isn''t even here yet, but this bastard is already acting.''


    "Speak," Oleg''s voice was much colder and bitter than he''d have expected.


    The oldest captain flinched and stepped back. He quickly pulled himself together and said. "But the P princes have activated their fortresses. If we make even the slightest of mistakes, those damn things will find us!


    Not to mention, their subordinates could also be clearing this area. If the corpses of those prisoners in those secret realms are found, it''ll lead to unnecessaryplications."


    Oleg paused for a moment.


    He honestly didn''t know what the princes were doing around the space crack.


    They¡ªthe Zion scouts¡ªcame here from a hidden crack significantly farther from the space crack that the p members were building a portal around.


    Oleg wondered for a brief moment, if that crack also led to Zion duchy. But that thought was quickly thrown out of his mind.


    Zions were masters of gravity and a space crack like that was bound to create a lot of disturbance.


    Unless someone very proficient in not just space, but also gravity helped covered the space crack long before this expedition, there''s no way it wouldn''t go unnoticied.


    If it really happened, then Oleg would''ve gotten a hundred emergency messages already.


    None of that happened. It''s very rational to assume that the space portal the Prians were dealing with had nothing to do with Zion.


    Did they know about the ck Rose? He had no idea. If they did know, then why were they not searching for those bastards frantically and instead working on the space portal?


    "You''re right. The corpses must be retrieved. If they realize we''re lurking here, we''ll be in big trouble. We''ll move in full stealth and retrieve the corpses. Remove our traces as much as possible." Oleg said.


    As for his final attempt to im merit by some achievement? It was thrown out of the window in the face of death threat.


    Following his words, the scouts upped their stealth and sneaked into the secret realms.


    Since these secret realms were ced significantly farther than the location where the envoys were stationed at, it wasn''t surprising that they weren''t found, yet.


    But once the princes arrived, maids began aprehensive clearing.


    Oleg was lucky. He led his team into all but one secret realm, retrieved the corpses and destroyed as much evidence as possible.


    There was only a secret realm left.


    Even though the three maids had started a sweeping search for any hidden dangers, they hadn''te this far.


    Oleg and the group let down their guards when they entered the final secret realm they had to clear up.


    The minced flesh and broken bones were quickly gathered. Special sprays filled the air and removed almost all traces of blood and death.


    Oleg wiped the invisible sweat off his forehead, "Phew, let''s g¡ª"


    The world seemed to slow down.


    In the slow-motioned world, a silhouette covered in darkness soundlesslynded in front of them out of nowhere.


    Oleg''s pupils dted and his heart constricted. Whatever next words he was about to say were swallowed and his survival instincts kicked in.


    "Die!"


    The sky was split into two by a huge ck crack.


    The darkness oozing out of the silhouette fluctuated briefly for a moment but its aura, at the edge of rank 6, just a tad lower than rank 7, red up.


    "Escape!"


    Oleg ran before the order left his mouth.


    The corpses were dropped and the captains rushed out of the secret realm. The silhouette in ck mes reached the exit of the realm and pointed its hands toward them.


    Two spheres of darkness condensed in its palms before contracting. Then two more, two more, and two more until there were hundreds of tiny but potent darkness spheres.


    Oleg felt the threat of death and knew once the attack hit, he''d die for good. The only way was to escape.


    He desperately wished he had a chance to escape instantly using his racial talent but the attack wouldn''t give him that long.


    If he had to escape, he''d need to at least block the attack for a brief moment.


    "Attack!" Oleg urged his team but didn''t attack himself. Instead, he activated his racial talent.


    Even without his contribution, their attacks were apocalyptic.


    The aura in the million miles radius fluctuated violently and a storm was stirred up.


    The gravity distorted and the secret realm began to twist. It was as if reality was happening on a waterke and suddenly ripples disturbed everything.


    Boom!


    The tremendous gravity wasunched by the seven zions. The silhouette, however, didn''tunch the attack as they expected.


    Instead, it let in the beam of gravity which was ripping apart space-time in its path.


    The tiny dark spheres fused into one giant and enveloped the beam of gravity.


    The world seemed to freeze for a moment before the secret realm shut down and disappeared. Not a single fluctuation leaked out.


    "W-What?!"


    A creepy feeling crept up Oleg and he halted his racial talent at thest moment.


    ''It''s all a trap to draw their attention to us!''


    The moment that realization struck, three powerful rank 7 auras were already stirring up space-time and reaching their location at an unbelievable speed.


    Oleg activated his racial talent again. The captains also tried but their lineage wasn''t as noble as his, so they wouldn''t be able to escape as quickly.


    ''They can''t get captured!'' Oleg''s eyes shed with a cold glint and the poison he secretly administered them activated.


    Woosh!


    The space around Oleg and a location far away was forcibly bent under Oleg''s racial talent and a tunnel was formed.


    When the three maids reached the location, Oleg disappeared and the captains died a sudden death.

 Chapter 1280 Using Your Enemies

    <h4>Chapter 1280 Using Your Enemies</h4>


    Enigma appeared in Hortus with ragged breath and pale face. The mes of darkness around her dissipated and died off.


    Varian gently pulled her into a supporting hug and patted her back. "Good job,"


    Enigma''s pale face showed a small smile and she slowly raised her arms to hug him back.


    "Once again¡­" She whispered with flushed ears.


    Varian chuckled at her cuteness. Gently caressing her hair, he said. "Good job, Enigma. I''m proud of you."


    "Once again¡­"


    "Good job, Enigma."


    "Hehehe."


    Herughter was sweet, innocent and tender, reflecting her feelings. s, Prince Oleg would''ve never imagined the cold, merciless killer who duped his whole team would be a cute girl.


    Varian kissed her forehead and aura flowed from the tip of his fingers into her back. A momentter, a gray mark appeared out of her andnded on Varian''s palm.


    "Good job."


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Hey, Baldur!" Varian raised his hand with a smile and greeted the prince.


    "¡­Why are you here again?" Baldur looked at him with aplicated expression. There was some doubt in his eyes but there was more fear and uncertainty.


    Varian noticed the changes in his gaze but didn''t say express anything. Instead, he showed a casual smile. "Oh, I forgot my fruits."


    "You''re kidding."


    Varian went to the backyard garden and on a table, there were indeed peachy pink fruits.


    "There are literally fruits here, man. I''ll give you some if you want but my wives really love the tree people''s fruits." Varian said with a not so apologetic smile and disappeared.


    Baldur didn''t notice a gray tracker shooting into a corner followed by ck and white lights which quickly concealed it.


    "No need. I¡­just need some time alone. Thank you."


    "Sure."


    The interaction ended without anything apparently important but both Baldur and Varian were just ying their parts.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "The ck Rose is using the princes against us?" After listening to Oleg''s narration, Xoler looked at his half-brother with suspicion.


    Were Prians so easy to fool or was the ck Rose much more formidable? Even if it was that powerful, there should only rank 7s stationed here ording to the documents unearthed.


    "Before I left the secret realm, I left behind a tracker. Wherever that bastard escaped to, he can''t stay hidden." Oleg said with a vicious grin.


    "What does the tracker say?" Sage Nevar asked up.


    "That¡­" Oleg hesitated. The location was the reason he didn''t kill that bastard right away and instead met up with his ''brother''.


    "It shows the manor where Prince Baldur is staying," Oleg''s expression was twisted, as if he couldn''t believe the words out of his mouth. But he said them anyway.


    "Are you fucking kidding me?"


    Sage Nevar remained calm to that information but Prince Xoler stepped forward and nearly grabbed Oleg''s cor.


    Oleg''s eyes shed with deep fury and shame. "I. Am. Not. Lying."


    He threw the tracker out and Xoler quickly verified it.


    "What the hell does this mean? Are the Prians behind this? Are the Princes the assasins? It doesn''t make any sense." Xoler gritted his teeth and rambled in confusion.


    "Calm down, young man." Sage Nevar said in an indifferent yet slightlymanding tone.


    "We''ll just have to catch that assasin. Just because he belongs to Prins'' royals doesn''t mean all of them are assassins. That''s ridiculous.


    Moreoever, a royal working for ck Rose is anything but honorable. So, his identity must''ve been a secret.


    We can just kill him, leave the evidence of his identity. The Prians will understand and cover up the murder for their own good."


    Even though Xoler was a star in his academy, Sage Nevar had way more experience.


    Despite the situation appearing difficult, he easily solved the underlying issue and showed them a way forward.


    "The Princes are going into the space portal, right?"


    "Yes." Oleg nodded. "They''ve been nning for a few days already. They might leave today or tomorrow. But I don''t know for certain. My team didn''t get too close in fear of getting found."


    "That''s the best your team can do anyway," Xoler was trying to just console his half-sibling but his words ended up humiliating him more.


    Unaware that he had crossed another wound on Oleg''s heart, Xoler turned to Sage Nevar. "Shall we attack?"


    Nevar nced at Champion Gor.


    The charred face nodded with a menacing smile. "We''ll kill!"


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Varian put Enigma back on the bed and kissed her goodbye.


    "Don''t go," She grabbed his sleeve and mumbled.


    "Just a few minutes,dy. It''s a very important task." Varian cajoled her.


    Enigma turned her head away with a pout but let him go.


    "I promise I''ll spend more time with you after this, okay?" Varianughed at her response and said in a gentle voice.


    "Promise?"


    "Yes, Promise."


    "Then¡­"


    A powerful aura pulsed out of Enigma and she jumped out of bed in her ck tights.


    "I''ll help." Enigma took a few steps forward but immediately flinched.


    Shooting him a cute re, she said. "I won''t be able to fight in closebat, but I can give help from afar."


    "Alright." Varian nodded with a smirk.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Daphne returned from another exploration. In her expectations, there should''ve been a secret realm or something simr in this ce for the Zions to take shelter.


    But nothing was found.


    It seemed like an invisible hand erased every trace, creating a nk sheet, leaving them with no leads.


    "But who can do it? Even if they can, do they have the guts?" For a moment, Varian''s face surfaced in her mind.


    In her long years of experience, such a man was hard to find. Perhaps she''d never see someone like him again.


    The defiance in his eyes when he dared her to ughter his entire race. That was real. It wasn''t a fake bravado.


    That''s why, if he had the capability, then he''d be the number one suspect behind this fiasco. But he didn''t.


    He''s a weakling who could in no way do such a thing. Then who?


    As she pondered the information about the sr system and the nearby areas for clues, a sudden aura fluctuation caught her attention.


    It wasing from nearby.


    "¡­Baldur?" Daphne''s eyes widened and she disappeared.


    In a blink, she appeared in front of Baldur''s mansion.


    "What the¡ª"

 Chapter 1281 Caught In The Act

    "Oh, okay, Sis."


    "Hm."


    "Yeah, it''s all right now. We made up."


    "Stay safe."


    Ending the call, Baldur wrapped his arms around himself and walked into his ''manor'' with an unknown fear creeping up his spine.


    At least on the surface, his brother-inw was no longer angry. Things were settled and Baldur made a solemn promise that he had no intention of being a prince.


    He was allowed to roam free but Baldur promised to stay in the manor until the mission waspleted.


    Rudolph appreciated the gesture or so it seemed.


    In the end, the reason it all ended so smoothly was that Rudolph never saw him as a threat.


    His real interest had shifted to Constantine.


    Baldur wouldn''t have cared if he wasn''t involved with that man. Even if it''s just a one-off encounter, things wouldn''t have been like this.


    But after finally managing to have a talk with his sister, thanks to Rudolph, he felt like someone a veil covering a big secret was being lifted in front of his eyes.


    ''You know her?''


    ''A bit. We fought together. Sorry to be rude but her ever-smiling face is creepy as hell.''


    That was the first clue.


    ''Come on, dude. Don''t sound so down. I know this tree-girl called Maria. She''s beautiful¡­though her personality is a bit questionable¡­''


    The second clue.


    A powerhouse with an unknown identity. Leader of an unknown civilization. Husband of the mysterious princess Isadora.


    The third clue.


    None of this would''ve been a point of suspicion originally. But Varian''s words revealed the details he otherwise shouldn''t have known.


    ording to his sister¡ªwho was rescued two days ago after the restrictions of Lost Spiral were lifted¡ªthey did meet a guy who called himself Baldur.


    Maria gave him more details.


    ''He is full of contradictions. I don''t know which side of him is true, if any at all. He''s young but his battle instincts rival even a thousand-year-old monster. And I''ve seen up close how his battle style continues to get refined at a monstrous pace.


    He''s powerful, but he doesn''t seem to know a lot of things that should''ve beenmon sense to anyone brought up in even a duchy.


    He''s a weird, weird man. He is handsome but his personality is definitely questionable.


    And he¡­''


    Baldur didn''t remember her saying anything importantter. But from how Maria''s voice grew increasingly angry and frustrated, he felt sorry for his brother-inw Rudolph.


    Before, Maria had been impressed by Rudolph''s power, political acumen, and personality¡ªthough she was annoyed by his habit, she acknowledged it as a screw loose for the perfect man.


    But now she had a benchmark.


    Even from the short talk, it was clear that the man had left a deep impression on her. In her long life so far, she had never met someone like him. And chances were, she''d never meet someone like that again.


    As rumors of his deeds continue to spread, Maria would only raise the imaginary benchmark in her mind higher and higher.


    Rudolph was in for a difficult marriage.


    ''Whatever, I don''t care about him as long as he leaves me alone.'' Baldur shook his head.


    The final piece of the puzzle was that the ''Human Emperor'' had been missing during this duration. The official records said he''s under a retreat.


    But with these clues, plus his own understanding of Varian''s personality, Baldur came to a chilling conclusion.


    ''This son of a bitch is the one who scammed me in Centaurus! Pushed me into this shit storm! Arghh, I''m mad!''


    "Yo, Baldur!"


    "Arghh!" Baldur jumped back like a cat whose tail had been stepped on and looked at the guest with clenched fists.


    "Why are you so stiff?" Varian crossed his legs and adjusted to a morefortable position on the sofa.


    "Y-You¡­" Baldur looked at the familiar but unfamiliar. "C-Co¡­why are you here again? More fruits?"


    "No." Varian stood up and approached Baldur.


    Tap!


    Tap!


    Tap!


    With each step Varian took forward, Baldur stumbled back a step. He hit the wall before he knew it. But Varian maintained a distance of six feet and didn''t approach him anymore.


    "¡­Getting close in this situation only calls for suspicion," Varian said. "Anyway, why are you trying to back off?"


    "I¡­" Baldur looked at Varian''s gaze and wanted to lie. But looking into his calm eyes, he realized something.


    ''Y-Yes, he''d have realized that I have realized. He''s just ying around!''


    Varian tilted his head and looked into the deep darkness through the window. "They''re here already. We''ll talkter."


    With a snap of his fingers, the space around Baldur twisted and he disappeared. The next moment, four people sneaked into the manor, bypassing the security mechanisms.


    If he let them be, they''d have assassinated Baldur, assuming him to be the ''ck Rose'' agent.


    But Varian had other ns.


    "Enigma." He called out softly and a woman in ck appeared beside him out of nowhere.


    "Do I need to lure them out like I did with the scouts?" Enigma asked, her voice now cold and indifferent. She looked like a veteran assassin, who''d reap lives without the slightest pity.


    Varian shook his head with a small smile. "I''ll take care of this. We aren''t the ones who are going to fight. Just hold my hand when we escape."


    A ring of ck light shot out of his foot and with a stomp, it dissipated into twinkles of ck light and spread throughout the manor.


    In the domain of the manor, a chaoticw began to take ce. Inspired by the tower floor''s peculiar rules, Varian decided to create one for this ce.


    Prince Xoler, Sage Nevar, and Champion Gor, along with his Hybrid who were slowly walking through the backyard using treasures that kept them invisible froze for a moment.


    It felt as if something happened. Something unseen just touched them. But there seemed to be no effect.


    "It''s here! The mark is in that room! Baldur! Baldur is the agent! It makes perfect sense. A talentless prince will do anything for power." Prince Xoler was excited. "If we catch him, we can find where the rest of assassins are hidden."


    Sage Nevar looked at his excited expression with a cold gaze. Then, he turned to Champion Gor who was looking at Prince Xoler with a malicious smile.


    If the mission waspleted, then the next target would undoubtedly be Xoler. The most talented prince would die in the mission due to an ident and they''d return to the duchy in grief.


    "Let''s capture him first," Sage Nevar said and charged his aura. "With one shot, we''ll break the defense formations on the walls, enter the room, capture him and teleport away. By the time the maids react, we''d already be gone."


    Xoler nodded in agreement and clenched his fist.


    The ck talisman pasted on his wrist¡ªthe treasure that was keeping them hidden¡ªseemed to buzz a little.


    In their hurry, no one noticed these tiny fluctuations. The invisiblew acting on the manor continued its work.


    "Three."


    Xoler took a deep breath.


    "Two."


    Sage Nevar''s space power condensed, about to destroy the anti-teleportation arrays here first so that he could teleport them all away right after capturing Baldur.


    "O¡ª"


    Boom!


    The ck talisman cracked and their auras shot into the air like a beam of light before they pulled them back instinctivly.


    "Fuck!"


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The three maids of the candidates were already outside the manor.


    Varian watched the copsing expressions of the Zion powerhouses as he calmly teleported away with Enigma.

 Chapter 1282 Fight Of Rank 7s

    Space cracked like a mirror. Gravity twisted like a rope. Time''s flow distorted.


    An aura tsunami struck the world. It''d have blown away Baldur Manor if not for the tripleyer defensive formations active.


    The maids of the candidates floated in space, their auras locking onto the manor.


    Daphne took the lead.


    A green light shot out from her fingertips and the entire domain was covered in a green dome.


    On the manor grounds, Sage Nevar reacted the fastest and cut off the space around them from the surroundings.


    Even then, the green light tried to seep in through the void and it partially seeded.


    Since they didn''t have the luxury of easily breaking the anti-space formation, Prince Xoler was given the task of pulling them away using his racial talent.


    It was hard to activate in the current situation but Xoler poured his focus into it.


    As such, he didn''t notice when a few green twinkles touched his arm. The next moment, his arm exploded.


    Xoler''s eyebrows twitched but the aura in his body kept pouring in for the activation of his racial talent.


    The exploded flesh and blood turned into a smaller version of him. But its eyes, skin, and hair were all light green.


    With a malicious smile, the clone raised its aura. The space separation created by Nevar began to crack apart.


    "Fuck!" Champion Gor cursed and swung his axe.


    The clone burst into pieces and the shockwaves shook the sub-space they were in.


    As a result, cracks appeared in the space, allowing more and more tendrils of green light to seep in, promising them hell.


    It appeared stupid but it was a deliberate move to let those attacks fall on Xoler and kill him.


    ''This fucking bastard is fine dying for his mission!'' Sage Nevar''s eyes shed with fury and his aura locked onto Gor.


    Champion Gor growled in dissatisfaction. He didn''t care if it was Sage Nevar. His existence was dedicated to Jataur. Fulfilling his missions was the highest priority.


    ''The primary mission this time is to kill the ck Rose assassin!'' Through a special treasure, Nevar''s voice sounded in his mind.


    Gor pursed his lips and nced at Xoler with an unwilling expression before yelling. "Mor!"


    With a menacing growl, Hybrid Mor raised its hand and shot out a beam of red light.


    Even though it didn''t hit them, just the flow of red beams drove the vitality of the trio to unrest.


    For a brief moment, all their energy seemed to be drained, their minds exhausted and their consciousness on the verge of ending.


    ''Death!''


    The red beam nullified the power of life and formed a protective cover outside to block any life attacks.


    "Daphne, you can''t even deal with nobodies."


    Outside the manor, the maid of Prince Merov, Reina, gave a mockingugh.


    "¡­Aren''t you worried about Prince Baldur''s condition? Why are you still not making a move?" Daphne asked with a displeased expression even as beams of green light began to shoot out from her palms.


    "He isn''t my prince''s brother-inw," Reina chuckled.


    The maid of Princess Sonya, Romanov, shook her head. "Failing to catch the criminal who attacked a prince is grave ipetence. Ipetence enough to affect the reputation of the prince you''re serving under."


    Reina''s brows knitted together and she red with a disdainful expression. "You little bitch, me and Daphne were both rank 8s who regressed. Glorious warriors who fought under the Punishment Order. Someone like you don''t even have the qualifications to even interfere in our affairs."


    Romanov''s face turned livid and she nced at Daphne. The woman she tried to support, even if only through a gesture, didn''t even spare her a nce and instead focused on her own attacks.


    "Heh," With a sneer, Reina snapped her fingers. Three humanoids appeared behind Reina, looking like sculpted statues. One was low rank 7 while the other two were mid rank 7.


    "Go!"


    With her order, the three shot at the mansion, distorting the fabric of space-time through their sheer speed.


    "You¡­" Only then did Romanov realize the terror of Reina.


    ''Enver. Normally, a rank 7 Enver should only have a couple rank 6 ves at most. Or maybe one rank 7 ve.


    But Reina regressed from rank 8. Even though she lost almost all her ves, she was still able to retain a few.''


    "What are you waiting for? Go, join my ves!" Reina shooed her.


    Romanov gritted her teeth and with a single jump, entered the manor. By then, Reina''s ves were already bombarding the spatial barrier, pushing it to the edge of copse.


    Pulling the strength from every fiber of her being, Reina raised a fist and her body blurred.


    The next moment, the spatial separation was ripped open and the four invaders inside were exposed.


    The green beams from the sky paused for a moment before coalescing into concentrated shots.


    Sage Nevar''s eyes showed anxiety for the first time and he yelled at Prince Xoler. "Hurry!"


    Xoler didn''t reply but used up thest bits of aura in his body.


    Endless beams of green light shot towards the four.


    With a high growl, Hybrid Mor stepped forward and a wall of red light popped up. But this time, the power of death failed.


    Green spots appeared on the red wall before the beams of green light shot through the defense.


    Sage Nevar put on defenses for both himself and Prince Xoler. As a result, Prince Xoler remained safe but two green lights drilled through his body.


    Xoler didn''t hesitate for a moment and used his space powers to rip those powers out of his body and throw them away.


    Green light enveloped those pieces of flesh before they quickly grew into clones of Sage Nevar.


    A green beam prated Champion Gor''s chest, nearly bringing him to his knees. As the invasive life power tried to expand, he gave a loud growl and urged the power of his body.


    Paragon Body gave a quick response and destroyed the body part before anything else could happen. But the cost of that move was heavy enough that Champion Gor paled.


    The worst hit was Hybrid Gor. His body was riddled with holes of green light, all squirming, trying to consume him. The death power in him was desperately fighting back against the invasion.


    "Risk assessment: Low." Reina flew above the manor.


    Daphne pressed her hands together and a much more powerful beam of light began to gather.


    On the ground, Maid Romanov kicked the ground and reached Xoler in the blink of an eye.


    As her fist was about to blow his skull, a powerful space shock repelled her back.


    Sage Nevar stood in front of the Prince and stared at the charging beam vigntly.


    Romanov also sensed the danger and returned. The ves left a second earlier.


    The next moment, the world-ending green beam shot down the intruders. The space-time shook violently and Xoler glowed with a brilliant light.


    The next moment, the Zions disappeared.


    The green light enveloped Baldur''s mansion. Instead of exploding, the manor disappeared, as if it was erased out of existence.


    A light year away, Xoler, Nevar, Gor, and Mor crashed onto an asteroid.


    "That bastard knew we were after him! It''s¡­a trap!" Xoler smashed his fist against the hard stones.


    Nevar''s space sense captured the turbulence in the distance and he frowned. "They''re after us. Retreat."


    He gave Champion Gor a look and used his powers on the exhausted Xoler. The space around them distorted and they disappeared.


    Upon receiving the order, Hybrid Mor activated his own space power and enveloped them both.


    But a green light reached them out of all expectations, drilling right through their hearts.


    Coughing out blood, Gor took out a talisman and activated it. "Hurry!"


    Hybrid Gor''s space powers turned chaotic and the space fluctuated violently.


    A silhouttee reached them in an instant. Maid Romanov jumped into the narrow range of fluctuating space with a predatory smile.


    The next moment, the three of them disapppeared.


    Maid Daphne and Maid Reina appeared right away and wanted to trace the location of teleport.


    But the talisman exploded, making a mess out of everything.


    "Damn it!" Maid Reina hissed at her ves. "You good for nothings, she was faster than you!"


    The ves trembled and lowered their heads.


    "Forget about her," Daphnemented, her face a bit pale. "Prince Baldur is missing. He''s not with them and there''s no trace of his death. Did he manage to escape?"


    "I don''t care," Reina snorted. "I''m going back."


    Daphne wanted to stop her but knew she had no leverage. With a sigh, she took out apass-like treasure and threw it where the four previously stood.


    The needle on thepass turned violently.

 Chapter 1283 A Scary Smile

    <h4>Chapter 1283 A Scary Smile</h4>


    Sage Nevar and Prince Xolernded close to their hideout. Without holding back the slightest, they rushed back into the spaceship and activated full stealth.


    A minuteter, the scans of the three fortresses ran throughout the sr system, including their hide out.


    Thankfully, the long distance turned out in their favor and the stealth managed to hold.


    On the other hand, Hybrid Mor''s teleportation ended up being derailed by Maid Romanov''s interference.


    As a result, instead ofnding in the nned spot, they were blown off in the inner space, nearly crashed into a space storm before leaving through a space tunnel andnding in an asteroid outside the sr system.


    Romanov stood up with a painful expression.? Her maid uniform was ripped to shreds, leaving only the red armor she wore underneath.


    The armor was a gift from Princess Sonya. It saved her from any serious injuries.


    But Champion Gor and Hybrid Mor?


    "Urgh," The Champion held his dangling forearm and groaned in pain.


    As if the squirming, invasive, fist-sized green hole in his heart wasn''t enough, a mangled forearm turned his situation for the worse.


    The Hybrid had no emotions but its body too was suffering. Its second divine path, Reaper was mostly spent on supressing the life force trying to invade its body. Its first divine path, Space, was hit by the rough journey they went through.


    ''I hate her, but Daphne is the real deal. I guess being a former rank 8 isn''t just for show.''


    Romanov clutched her abdomen and focused her power there. The gray space particles that managed to sneak into her were expelled and she was corruption-free.


    "So," Rubbing the blood off the corner of her lips, the maid clenched her fists. Her bracelets shed and turned into red gauntlets. "You have two options.


    One. Come with me to interrogation, confess your sins and have a chance at escaping death.


    Two. Get beaten until you ept one."


    "F-Funny bitch," Champion Gor spat out a mouthful blood mixed with a few teeth and raised his axe.


    Romanov assumed a fighting stance and her body tensed.


    "I choose three. ughter you and get my mission done."


    "Mission?" Romanov frowned. "Who¡ª"


    Her gaze was locked onto Champion Gor who didn''t seem to move. It was a mistake.


    Gor raised his axe and threw his right. But it was so far off the mark that it had no chance of hitting her.


    Or so it should''ve been.


    A space portal appeared right in front of the axe and Romanov''s body instinctively punched forward.


    ng!


    ng!


    ng!


    The melodious sound of metal shing with shing rang in space, audible to everyone who could percieve aura.


    Gor moved. His silhouette blurred and two ck guantlets covered his hands.


    Boom!


    Invisible aura flowed out of Romanov''s feet, forming a tform on space and she kicked it, jumping toward Gor.


    "Die!"


    As they approached each other, the space between their gaunlets began to distort and crack open.


    And then, Gor disappeared.


    Romanov''s instincits screamed and she flipped.


    The red lighting out of the portal that opened behind her grazed her leg. For a brief moment, her heart stopped beating and her blood stagnated. All signs of life ceased.


    Romanov''s consciousness sank into dark mud that seemed like an inescapable prison.


    And then she came back to life.


    "Argh!"


    Gor''s axe shed with the punch she threw at thest moment. It slipped to the side, its force reduced and dug right into her abdomen. The armor did its part but was ultimately broken open.


    Dazzling red blood, each droplet filled with enough vitality to grow an entire''s trees for a day, spilled into space.


    With a disdainful chuckle, Gor raised his axe again.


    Romanov learnt her lesson and spread her senses to find the Hybrid.


    He was lurking in the distance. Unlike what he showed before, his condition was much worse due to the life force. After all, he took most of the attacks from Daphne.


    He''s struggling to contain the life force from expanding. So, he''s only lending help through his space power.


    Else, things would''ve been much harder for her.


    "Heh," Romanov turned a blind gaze to Gor''s provocations and shot at the Hybrid.


    Hybrid Mor sensed the danger and teleported in a hurry.


    But Champion Gor ordered him not to teleport too far. It''s not that Gor was afraid of death. But he was unwilling to die before finishing the two active objectives.


    There was just one miscalction.


    [Adept] ¡ª> Paragon Body.


    Focused on a building a perfect physical body that could withstand any condition, face any power and defeat any enemy.


    [Adept] ¡ª> Reaper.


    Using an Adept''s unbelievable control over their own life, inverting the life force built so far, building an undying body fueled by the power of death.


    Unlike others with death power, Reaper is not built for long-range fights.


    Reaper and Paragon Body both originated from the same path. And Hybrid Mor was still in a struggle with the life force wrecking havoc in his body.


    Under this condition, Mor teleported to a nearby location. Romanov was able to sense him clearly.


    As Mor teleported, her spiked gauntlets greeted his face.


    The skin and flesh on half of his face was sted away. His neck was forced into a weird angle and his skull cracked.


    If their positions were swapped and Romanov was the one who took that punch, her head would''ve blown off and she''d have died an instant death.


    But Mor cracked his neck and his fist mmed forward, red mes brimming with death power burning over them.


    Romanov deftly dodged punch and kicked the 8-foot giant. When her foot reached his head, her normal shoes were reced by tough metallic shoes with spikesced with dangerous poison.


    Her feet dug into his skull and the giant''s head snapped down. She avoided the blood and brain matter, as they were filled with the power of death.


    Hybrid Mor didn''t even scream despite the heavy injury. He''s a hybrid after all. But he seemed to have recieved the instruction to escape, so he tried to use his space powers.


    Romanov couldn''t let him escape. Once he teleported far away, she wouldn''t be able to catch him again!


    Boom!


    Two long des enveloped in white mes¡ªthe power of a Paragon¡ªthe zenith of a life form, shed down one of his arm.


    An electrifying pain coursed through his entire body and interrupted his teleportation.


    Before Romanov could feel anycency in bringing down this slippery enemy, the space behind her cracked apart.


    Romanov tried to turn around, but the space around her solidified, slowing her down and Mor grabbed her with his other arm, disregarding his own safety.


    Her de sliced deep into his body and her fists punched into his abdomen, pulverizing it.


    Any normal warrior would''ve let go.


    But the emotionless Hybrid didn''t.


    Under Romanov''s desperate gaze, a powerful mace struck her from behind. With a snap, her back broke and a searing pain filled her mind.


    Romanov knew that this was it. She wouldn''t be able to take another attack without turning helpless.


    A gluttural roar emerged from her throat and for a brief moment, her strength surged, reaching new heights.


    Breaking free from Mor''s hold, she put all her strength into a fist and mmed Champion Gor who was about to deliver the second attack with his maze.


    Boom!


    All of Gor''s ribs broke and arge-hole appeared right in the center of his chest, all the way to his back.


    Thud!


    A powerful force struck her head from behind, causing Romanov''s consciousness to blur.


    In desperation, she back a kick and itnded right in the middle of Mor''s mutted abdomen.


    The Hybrid''s blood bathed her and Romanov''s eyelids grew heavy.


    Struggling with the unexpected injury, Champion Gor lunged at her andnded a punch straight in the face.


    Romanov''s consciousness was knocked off but before it did, her leg whipped up and struck him in the jaw.


    Crack!


    Gor''s neck twisted and his aura plummetted.


    At thest moment, Romanov felt a fluctuation of space covering them.


    ''D-Did they find us? But¡­they don''t have space powers¡­''


    When she opened her eyes from a deep slumber, an unfamiliar sky greeted her.


    Romanov tried to ess her powers but she was too weak that even using the power of a rank 6 felt like a challenge.


    ''W-What?''


    As she spread her senses, she saw Hybrid Mor and Champion Gor¡­


    ''Why is he trembling like that? His shoulders are shaking, his eyes are wet¡­is he crying?''


    They were facing a handsome young man who had a crazy smile on his face. It''s the face of a man dying of thirst finally finding an oasis.


    Seeing that smile, a chill shot down Romanov''s spine.

 Chapter 1284 Breakthrough

    <h4>Chapter 1284 Breakthrough</h4>


    Champion Gor looked at the ins around him in confusion and quickly nced up at the sky.


    He quickly understood that they were pulled into a secret realm. No, this didn''t even seem like a normal secret realm. It was enormous.


    While there were definitely sub-spaces that went even beyond this expanse, Champion Gor didn''t think this was just another sub-space.


    No matter how good the sub-spaces were, they always gave off an unnatural feeling. There was something in them that screamed it in everyndscape, every, every star.


    But here¡­


    This sky,nd, and air, they seemed to whisper right into his mind.


    ''A Synthetic World? No way¡­'' Champion Gor''s expression underwent many changes in a few seconds.


    As the most loyal to Jataur, ''ve'' Gor quickly came up with a new objective for himself.


    ncing at the young man in front of him, he red his aura. After so much damage, he was soaked in blood, riddled with injuries and had only a portion of the aura.


    Yet, Gor believed it was enough to deter the weak bastard.


    Everything in this ce was reinforced by powerful aura. Perhaps that''s why, when his aura spread out, the des of grass bent.


    For an onlooker, it appeared as if a powerful wind originated from Gor and swept the ins. Following the grass, the nts and trees also began to bend, as if paying homage to his power.


    But the man this was all intended towards didn''t bend.


    Instead, he¡ª


    "Heh," Varian let out a smirk.


    Gor''s eyes widened at his unexpected reaction and a guess surfaced in his mind. ''Wait, is he a member of the ck Rose?''


    His senses swept Varian again. The aura from this man only indicated a rank 4 path.


    Gor was pissed. He ordered the heavily injured Mor who was standing next to him in vignce to take it easy and recuperate.


    He stomped forward, blood spilling out of his wounds. Not caring about his condition one bit, he sneered.


    "A mere rank 4 is fearless in front of my aura. How about I give you a chance? Serve my Lord with me and your life will finally gain meaning that it had been missing all this while.


    And inform me everything you know about this Synthetic World. You can assist me in capturing this ce and finish the very first mission. I''m jealous of your luck."


    Varian heard his words with a surprised expression before his lips curled up even more. "Hehehehe¡­"


    Gor''s killing intent soared and he casually threw a small axe at Varian. It ripped open space and reached Varian in a blink.


    Even though his strength had been lowered, the axe was enough to ughter even rank 6s.


    "You bastard, do you think I''m jok¡ª"


    Varian''s index finger stopped the axe.


    Gor froze.


    A devious smirk adorned Varian''s face and his rank 4 aura surged, reaching rank 6.


    "Ahahahahahaha!"


    Aughter of madness, desire and drive rang across theoid.


    Looking at Varian''s eyes, ve Gor, the man with unmatched loyalty to Jataur, subconsciously took a step back.


    Those eyes¡­


    They reminded him of himself. The intensity in those eyes matched the intensity of his madness in loyalty to Jataur.


    Varian grabbed the axe''s handle and threw it back. A twinkling ck and white light enveloped the handle when it reached Gor.


    ''He''s not strong but I''m too weakened!'' Gor raised his arms in defense.


    Varian smirked and his aura changed.


    A space portal opened up right in front of Gor and the axe passed right through.


    Shaaaa!


    Thud!


    Gor felt his mind nk out for a moment as he stared at Varian with an unbelievable gaze.


    ''W-What was that? He was a rank 4 Adept, but became a rank 6 Adept. Even that is fine but rank 6 space?''


    With a turn of his head, he saw Hybrid Mor with both arms sliched off.


    The Hybrid was already fighting hard against the invasive life force. The heavy injuries from the battle against Romanov already turned the situation for the force.


    This attack was the final straw.


    Unable to hold on, the 8-foot giant crashed to the ground and twitched as the life force wrecked havoc in his body.


    "Mor!" Gor''s eyes widened and his heart nearly leapt to his throat.


    "Don''t worry. He will alive." Varian chuckled before his smiled vanished. "He has to live."


    "You bastard!" Gor raised his primary axe with a pained expression and decided to slice this bastard to pieces.


    "One second," Varian''s body blurred and he teleported in front of maid Romanov who was trying to sneak away.


    Her injuries were many times worse than Gor''s. So, with a single p to her neck, the maid rolled her eyes and fainted.


    With a snap of his fingers, she, along with Mor vanished amidst the fluctuations of space.


    "Where did they go?" Gor charged his power into the axe and asked with a menacing expression.


    "They''ll heal just as much I need them to and wait," Varian replied and gestured Gor to attack.


    Enraged, Gor''s body shed foward and the axe swung down with enough power to easily strike down a dozen suns.


    The ck and white lights that Varian engraved on theoid long before this battle lit up and blocked off the shockwaves from disturbing everyone else on Hortus.


    ng!


    Varian''s sword shed with the axe and half of his forearm exploded right away.


    "Tsk,"


    Clicking his tongue, Varian slipped the sword to another hand and jumped back, avoiding a kick that''d have otherwise sted his skull into pieces.


    Even after all the weakening, there seemed to be a huge gap between rank 7s and rank 6s.


    But the heavy injuries of his enemies brought them down to a range Varian could not win but could still handle.


    Gor''s axe kept swinging down, sting space apart and tearing down everything in its path.


    Varian''s injuries healed quickly as he seamlessly switched between <Adept> and <Assimtor>.


    As he fought against < Paragon Body >, the divine path that origined out of Adept path, it turned into a very fruitfuil session.


    With every sh, the bottleneck of Rank 4 Adept was weakening.


    ''Not enough! Not enough!''


    Varian was drenched in blood, his and Gor''s. Despite his best efforts at healing himself, his body was injured from head to toe.


    He didn''t care.


    Varian was solely focused on breaking that weakened bottleneck. He needed a push.


    His gaze fell on the broken bone, flesh and blood of Gor scattered all around them.? With a thought, his path changed to <Assimtor>.


    A momentter, they disappeared and a surge of aura flooded Varian, replenishing some of his dried up reserves.


    But more important than that, as the power of slivers acted upon the power, a flood of information and experiences flooded Varian''s mind.


    Crack


    A crack appeared on the wall standing between him and rank 5.


    A wild smile appeared on Varian''s face. He put away his sword, clenched his fists and jumped at Gor.


    The next hour was the most frustrating, scary and helpless moments of ve Gor''s life.


    Varian never had the upper hand, but he kept fighting back. Unable to kill the weaker enemy, doomed to not even esacpe, this was the closest Gor ever came to crying.


    Perhaps what made everything so painful was the smile on Varian''s face that only grew with every sh.


    ''Stop it bastard! Stop smiling! I''m going crazy here!''


    Suddenly, Varian''s aura fluctuated and climbed further.


    Before Gor could wonder what it was, Varian showed a satisfied smile on his face and raised his hand up to the sky.


    A vortext formed in the space and under Gor''s incredulous gaze, an incredible power, different from an awakener''snded on Varian''s first.


    ''World blessing? H-He''s the owner of this world? W-What the hell is going on?''


    Gor got no answers. Only a punch straight on his abdomen that seemed to knock everything out of him. Then, an eblow onto his skull which caused him to faint instantly.


    Varian sighed in relief after verifying that Gor had indeed fainted.


    "The world blessing is a good booster, I guess," He chuckled and staggered back from the umted exhaustion.


    He had pushed himself to the absolute limit to break that bottleneck. But it was all worth it.


    As his vision turned to the sky, he noticed a beautiful woman in ck walking towards him one step at a time.


    With one step, she appeared on the horizon. With the second step, she was in front of him and with the third, she held him on herp.


    [Adept Rank 5: 0/2500


    < Congrattions for breaking the bottleneck that would''ve taken at least two more weeks> ]

 Chapter 1285 Old Acquaintances

    <h4>Chapter 1285 Old Acquaintances</h4>


    Varian knew he was a bit more eager than other people for strength. A bit more hungry for improvement. A bit more thirsty for breakthroughs.


    ''I''m just a bit different,'' He would tell himself through the back breaking training sessions throughout his childhood.


    "I''m just a bit different," Varian exined to Enigma when she tried to stop him from immediately seeking another battle.


    "You¡­"


    The words brought unleashed a truck of memories.


    Nights where Varian would copse on the cold, hard floor after a torturous training session until Sia found him.


    Vacations that turned into opportunities for joining free training camps by esteemed awakener organizations.


    Weeks that went by with the same routine every single day.


    Enigma parted her lips and looked at Varian in silence.


    He''s 19 now, but somehow, she felt like she was watching that little boy from all those years ago, who strived for something he couldn''t even understand properly.


    Uttering those same words, he pushed himself to where he''s now. And now, even after all that he''d achieved, he''s saying the same thing.


    Enigma hooked her arms around him and gave him a deep kiss and looked at him with misty eyes. "I''ll be watching you."


    "¡­Okay." Varian was taken aback by her sudden shift of emotions.


    She was pissed off just a moment ago and now it looked like she''d have done something more than kissing if not for the ocassion.


    ''I''ll need to spend more time with her to understand her¡­but it''s not going to be anytime soon. Sorry, Enigma.'' Varian apologized and stepped forward.


    Hortus responded to his call and teleported him to the strengthenedoid.


    Champion Gor was put to sleep. The injuries Varian caused him were already half-healed. The injuries with a glowing green light in them were taking longer.


    As a Paragon, his body would sooner orter, deal with the invasive life force. Once that happened, the injuries inflicted by Varian wouldn''t be that big of a problem.


    "Keep him unconscious and weakened unti I instruct otherwise." Varian said.


    "Affirmative," Oob said and Hortus'' world will also hummed.


    The next moment, the parts where the life force was being confronted by Gor''s aura started getting bombarded by the world force. That gave the life force a breather and it started to fight back.


    A stalemate was reached in Gor''s body between the life force, his own aura and Hortus'' power.


    Hybrid Mor was kept in the same condition but far away in a formation that would iste most of spiritual power fluctuations from outside world.


    Finally, Varian came to maid Romanov. Red haired, red eyes and red armor. She was definitely pretty. But what Varian saw in front of him was a battle machine to help him rank up.


    "Wake up, XP."


    "Heed my call!"


    "Thou shalt not sleep!"


    Varian''s powers slipped into her body and quickly healed some of her worst injuries, bringing her condition to a point where she could just use the strength of a rank 7 but nothing more.


    Romanov''s eyshes fluttered and she nearly jumped back when she saw the burning desire in the man''s eyes.


    This wasn''t lust.


    This was¡­


    "Come fight!" Varianughed.


    Romanov jumped onto her feet and stepped back, her vignt eyes scanning him from head to toe.


    ''The ruler of this unknown civilization is this strong? How many secrets did he hide from everyone?''


    Romanov''s mind was filled with fear but her body moved on instinct and punched right at Varian''s neck.


    The man brushed off her fist and kicked, his leg aiming striaght for her abdomen. The space between his foot and her stomach began to rip apart due to the sheer force.


    Romanov countered his kick with an elbow.


    The air stilled for a moment as their attacks came into contact and then the surrounding space cracked apart like a broken mirror.


    With his foot still in contact with her elbow, Varian jumped, his body horizontal to the ground and threw a sharp kick to her neck.


    Romanov tilted her head and his foot passed right beside her skin. Arge cut opened on her skin and blood spilled out. Paying it no heed, the maid raised her hand to grab his foot to m him to the ground.


    As she was about to grab a hold of him, Varian''s foot turned into sparks of lightning which travelled back to his knees.


    "W-What?" Romanov lost her mind for a moment at this ridiculous move.


    Such a smooth transition was something only rank 6 energy awakeners could even attempt!


    For a moment, Romanov''s senses screamed that he was in fact a rank 6 energy awakener.


    But when she came to her senses, they said he was and had always been a rank 6 Adept.


    "Arghh, who the hell are you? Do you really wish to go against my Princess?"


    Varian flipped back instead ofnding, he stood in the air, looking down on her.


    Romanov thought she had feared him off using her princess name and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.


    On the other hand, Varian did wonder how he should handle the maid of the princess.


    "Enigma," Varian called out.


    "Hm."


    "Who are you?" Romanov assumed a fighting stance in fear and panic.


    This woman exuded the aura of a rank 7!


    Enigma ignored herpletey and looked at Varian with a small smile. "You want to talk to her?"


    "Are you reading my mind or what?" Varian chuckled a little. "Yes, please. Depending on her decision¡­.how I treat this person will change."


    In the middle of speaking, Varian bent to the side and dodged the deadly fist that would''ve otherwise punched through his heart.


    Enigma looked at Romanov with a crazy killing intent but decided not to touch her.


    ''Just like he said, they''re his XP pack.''


    ''Yes, you''re just an XP pack.''


    ''I shouldn''t damage Varian''s XP packs.''


    Taking a deep breath, Enigma called Isadora.


    A beam of light enveloped her and the silver-haired, red-eyed Queen-like beauty stepped on in her regal ck dress.


    The moment she saw the neer, Romanov froze in mid-air. "I-Isadora?"


    "Huh?" Varian jumped back and stood beside Isadora with an awkward smile. "I''m sorry, I didn''t know you were fri¡ª"


    "I want to kill that bitch!" Isadora didn''t even let him finish. "Let me! Do it! Now!"


    Varian felt her emotions and released her seal.


    "W-Wait! I can exi¡ª" Romanov backed off with a pale face, liquid running down her thighs.


    Isadora didn''t even let her finish and pped into the void.


    Romanov exploded into pieces.

 Chapter 1286 The Worst Punishment

    <h4>Chapter 1286 The Worst Punishment</h4>


    The power released from Isadora released itself and flew into space. A few secondster, everyone in Hortus felt a tremor and looked at the sky in horror. For a brief moment, they had a feeling as if the sky was about to crack apart.


    Even though Hortus'' space was strengthened by Varian, it couldn''t withstand the onught of a rank 7. Even in the best case where the? space survived, the people would not.


    But the fear subsided as Oob broadcasted Queen Radiance''s voice in the air. "Some of the Emperor''s power leaked. Hisbat training is halted for now."


    The citizens of Hortus were shocked. Was their ruler already so monstrously powerful? The image of Varian in their hearts grew even loftier.


    "Haah," On top of a mountain in a forbidden zone whose peak stood above the clouds, Sarah sighed with a wry smile. "He is such a troublemaker."


    Varian would''ve strongly objected to such defamation if he was there in person.? But now, holding his breath, he stared at the woman in front.


    ck fumes were leaking out of her, enveloping her in their darkness. Because of her ck dress, she easily blended in. Only her bright red eyes shone through the darkness.


    They exuded a killing intent and hatred Varian rarely felt from anyone. A few moments passed without a sound.


    The seal on Isadora activated but since she reached rank 7, it''s no longer as active and only pushed her to peak of rank 5. But soon, she''d reach rank 6 even with the seal on, and not too long from now, even rank 7.


    "Haaa," Isadora parted her lips and heaved a deep sigh.


    With heavy footsteps, she walked towards the corpse or what was left of it. It couldn''t even be called a corpse¡ªjust pieces of flesh, bones in pools of blood.


    A normal person would''ve vomited at such a scene but Isadora didn''t even react.


    Isadora stared deeply at the gore she created.


    Varian wondered if she was remembering the past. Was she regretting her decision to kill her enemy so quickly? Or, did she regret killing her?


    Isadora raised her hands, confusing Varian.


    And she pped down again.


    Boom!


    Again. And again. And again.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Whatever remained of that maid disappeared.


    "I wish I could revive you as Undead, then kill you again, then revive you somehow, and then kill you again¡­" Isadora muttered in a wistful tone, a small, dreamy smile on her lips.


    ''If only she smiled like this during normal times, we could get along well. Stubborn Old¡­never mind.''


    "Do you think I am weird?" Without turning around, she asked in a light voice.


    "Weird? Why?" Varian tilted his head in confusion.


    Isadora looked up to the sky and her eyes shed with nostalgia. "Even my ''mother'' used to tell me I was vengeful beyond necessity. And that my cruelty will scare any friends I might have made."


    Truth be told, even those ''friends'' cut ties after seeing her going overboard. Sometimes, Isadora felt like she brought on her own suffering. If she hadn''t been like that, perhaps the betrayal would not¡­


    "No?" Varian raised an eyebrow. "You aren''t really vengeful, to be honest. You just killed that woman and sted her corpse to pieces. That''s very¡­kind if I''m being honest.


    If that''s someone who took my trust, I''ll torture the fuck out of them, break their mind, heal them back physically and mentally, and do it again and again.


    Or I''ll throw them into the Life-Death zone, kill them when in their human form, Undead form¡­"


    Isadora parted her lips and looked at him in surprise.


    "Isadora, you are kinder than I thought," Varian chuckled.


    "¡­Okay," She said with a wry smile.


    For that brief moment, Varian felt like he was seeing her vulnerable self. The self she hid under her arrogance and coldness. The self that she used to show only to her closest people¡ªwhich closed up after the betrayal.


    "What about Princess Sonya?"


    All the weakness in her was gone in an instant, reced by a soaring fury.


    "She still has the gall toe to this ce?" Isadoraughed, but herughter was full of anger.


    It was right in Centaurus'' neighborhood. The ce where her dear sister repaid all her love by stabbing her in the back.


    "She has gone to the Zions from the space portal."


    Isadora''s eyes shed for a moment. She just reached rank 7 and wasn''t so strong.


    "Can¡ª"


    "No, I won''t destroy the space portal." Varin rejected her and he suddenly red daggers at her.


    "I don''t like ming someone else, but this is all the mess of a stupid woman. Had she not recklessly killed a princess of P, I''d have managed something. But look at it now, I''d have to resort to scheming, and I¡­"


    All of humanity''s lives were put at risk. Varian didn''t mind ying a disguise to fool the envoys. He could handle them at any time. But the princes, no, forget the princes, even their maids were beyond his power.


    Varian clenched his fists as he remembered Maid Daphne''s insulting words about his wives. The reality that he couldn''t kill her tortured him.


    And the source for everything¡ªthe woman in front of him¡ªcaused him to suddenlysh out.


    "You''re an irresponsible woman, Isadora," Varian''s voice turned cold. "Yes, I will not let you die because that means letting Sia and Enigma die. Even if I''m in grave danger, I''ll ensure their and by extension, your safety."


    Isadora felt something sting inside as she looked into his eyes. Unlike his warm gaze or casual gaze, this one was cold, unfeeling, and distant.


    "But you take it all for granted. Other than a few basic things, what have you done to? solve the problem you are responsible for?" Varian stepped forward, standing right in front of her.


    His eyes looked down into hers and she could clearly feel his anger and frustration, burning like the sun.


    He suddenly raised his hand.


    Isadora looked into his eyes defiantly, bracing herself for the violence that was about toe.


    But instead, he ced his hand on her head gently and spoke in a soft, cajoling voice. "Your punishment is not any form of pain. It''ll be you watching my happy rtionships with Sia and Enigma.


    I would kill and die for them. They would do the same for me. I can rest assured even on the scariest days that they''ve got my back. That they won''t abandon me.


    We''ll have all the love in the world. Once this all sorts out, I can spend my time with them¡­taking them to all the wonderful ces in the Alliance."


    Hearing his words as he gently rubbed her hair, Isadora froze. She would''ve pped his hand away at any other time.


    But now, his words struck her hard. A part of her refuted it all as rubbish. No rtionshipsts that long. People just stop caring!


    However, a part of her resisted. It was the part that hoped, the part that desired, the part that loved.


    "But you¡­you don''t even have a friend, much less a person to call your own. You''ll be watching us with envy, Isadora. And you''ll know, it was your fault.


    You could''ve found a good friend in me, a good confidant in Sarah. You could''ve built meaningful rtionships."


    Varian''s voice was gentle, sweet, and soothing, like the caring boyfriend cajoling his girlfriend with sweet nothings.


    But Isadora trembled after hearing his words. Her chest felt tight and a fear gripped her.


    She didn''t believe him! She didn''t believe him at all!


    It''s all false! All these rtionships would only break down!


    B-But...


    "Isdaora, having a bad past isn''t a reason to believe you''ll have a bad future. A happy future won''t just fall into our hands. We have to grab that future with our own hands, hold it tight and never let go."


    Varian withdrew his hand.


    Isadora''s hand instinctively raised, but in the end, she didn''t grab that hand. Her breath grew disorderly for a moment before sheposed herself. But her eyes¡­they looked lost, confused, and chaotic.


    "But you aren''t even making an attempt. If you''re going to be miserable in the future, it''s all on you Isadora. You have no one else to me."


    With those words, Varian vanished.


    He surprised her twice today. When he epted the side of her that her mother rejected. And when heshed out.


    With a chaotic mind full of messy thoughts,? Isadora stood nkly for a long, long time.

 Chapter 1287 Hunted

    <h4>Chapter 1287 Hunted</h4>


    Prince Merov walked out of the portal, followed by his brother Rudolph and sister Sonya.


    Merov didn''t even spare them a nce and burst a crystal in his hand. Shimmering the ocean under the sun, he disappeared.


    "No vignce when being in an enemy den. This is very dangerous to his life, don''t you think, dear sister?"


    With hands behind his back and a calm smile, Rudolph addressed the other person.


    "Hmph," Sonya crossed her arms and gave him a look of disdain. "You don''t have to put up that hypocritical attitude here. Spit out, what''s the n and what''s in for me?"


    Rudolph didn''t expect her to be so blunt but he didn''t mind. He took great pride in his self-control, in maintaining that ''Princely'' persona.


    "No need to be so hostile to me, dear sister," Rudolph spoke in a calm tone. "I''ve never been rude or hostile to you, have I?"


    After the fall of Princess Isadora, he had been groomed to take the crown. Sonya was more than a hundred years older than him and showed no promise. So, she was never on the radar to begin with.


    If not for her sister''s shadow, it was doubtful if she could even reach the state she did.


    "Prince Rudolph, indifference is the worst reaction apetitor could get." Pursing her lips, Sonya said.


    Rudolph''s eyes gleamed with arrogance and his lips curled up into a smirk.


    ''You''re wrong, dear sister. Ignoring you is the worst reaction. But you''re mistaken about something, only you saw yourself as apetitor. Neither I nor Merov ever saw you as one.''


    Merov rose to prominence almost overnight. From being a nobody with no lineage to speak of, he was pushed into the spotlight.


    Rudolph first ignored him, thenughed at him, then fought him, and then lost to him.


    He became the perfect stepping stone, cementing Merov''s im to the throne.


    "With his personality, Prince Merov will start finding all the important ces and he''d attack them at once. But what if they already knew an attack wasing?" Rudolph''s voice was still calm but he now looked cold and aloof.


    A metallic dic giving off a potent aura floated over his palm. "What if they prepare a special formation that could damage even the peak rank 7s? Rank 8s are almost impossible to find in a Duchy but rank 7 is very much a thing."


    "You two-faced bastard," Sonya cursed. "Do whatever you want, I''m not helping you with this. I will fight him directly and defeat him."


    With those words, the Princess disappeared.


    "Pfft," Rudolph burst intoughter. ''This woman is out of her mind.''


    Following his n, Rudolph sent a few messages and established contact with the Zions.


    After an hour of probing each other, they decided to meet in a remote star system on the edge of Zion duchy.


    When hended on the, Rudolph was surprised. There was an uneasiness in the streets, half of the businesses were shut off, and there was a gloomy look in the eyes of people passing by.


    ''An impoverished duchy as this one is chosen to attack us? They stand no chance against Merov in this state without my help.''


    As he walked into the venue¡ªarge administrative building on a mountain peak¡ªRudolph faintly felt something was off.


    A voice in the corner of his mind whispered that he was in danger. Rudolph was quick to dismiss it.


    How could these weaklings pose him any danger?


    A beautiful Zion woman, 4'' tall and curvy in an elegant but slightly racy dress received him along with a man who stood close to her¨Cwho Rudolph detected by his ''instinct'' to be her husband.


    As he stepped closer, thedy threw herself at him. "Mister, thank you for your help. Without you, we''d be devasted."


    Rudolph was vignt at first but after sensing her rank 4 aura, he let down his guard and had a small chat with the duo. Of course, he didn''t forget to flirt with the married woman who reciprocated in front of her husband.


    Then, he gave her the formation disc which she happily epted and sent to their capital via a small portal meant for goods.


    Rudolph estimated Merov would attack anytime now. That bastard should''ve taken his time spotting the capital, important cities, their defenses, and the fastest way to destroy them all.


    There''s a high chance that formation disc would kill Merov. So, Rudolph decided to wait for an hour, do some important things, and then attack the duchy.


    He had already sent his autonomous bots to check for all the important locations.


    "But why is such an important task relegated to you two?" As he entered therge manor that was supposed to be his amodation, he questioned the woman clinging to his arm.


    "Precisely the reason. We are remote, weak, and unimportant. That''s why, we are safe." The woman answered.


    And the husband behind them casually took out a remote. At thest moment, there was a maniacal smile on his face.


    ''Thanks to Duke for making me a hero for killing this whore!''


    "Wai¡ª" The woman also realized something was wrong and yelled.


    Rudolph was faster and grabbed the remote out of the man''s hand. But it was already toote.


    A formation disc buried at the core of the activated and the exploded.


    A monstrous shockwave of aura, mes swept through the star system ripping apart space-time. The host star, the tens, the hundred-thirty-seven moons¡ªall shattered into pieces.


    In the region that was once remote yet brimmed with life, only darkness remained. But in that darkness, a green light flickered.


    "Haa! Haaa! Hufff!" Only half of his head, a third of his neck, and a quarter of his arm survived the st.


    There was a worn-out armor phantom floating around him. It was his natal treasure¡ªa special armor which when called upon could counterattack up to 30% of the damage received. But its most important function was, of course, the incredible defense it provided.


    Arge part of the reason he survived was his < Paragon Body > path. But without the armor activating itself, Rudolph would have had only a quarter of his head left and an inevitable death in a few minutes.


    Rudolph didn''t understand how this even happened. But he did know that he wasn''t going to get anything out of this mission.


    ''Who? Who was it? Sonya? Merov? I''ll kill you! I''ll kill you two bastards!''


    Seething, the Prince used a precious treasure to hide himself near the space portal. He didn''t dare to undergo an interster journey in his current condition. But he didn''t dare to venture out to the enemynds either.


    On the other hand, a virtual body floated in front of Jataur and greeted him with a fanatical reverence.


    "Long Live Duke! Our team checked the traces, that foreigner had died!"


    Boom!


    Duke Jataur mmed his armrest and burst into loudughter. "Hahahaha, good, good! One down, two left! He even gave us a treasure! We killed him with essentially no price!"


    The Zion star systems have been under full alert for two weeks. Even though Prince Rudolph had a good n, he underestimated the paranoia of the duke named Jataur.


    The Zion duchy recently sold all its wealth, mortgaged its critical treasures, and bought six such formations.


    Even at their peak productivity, the duchy would have to ve away at least a hundred years to pay off the principal amount and of course, two hundred more for the interest.


    But Jataur didn''t care about the price. He simply thanked his lucky stars for the results.


    Despite their preparations, Zions would''ve been helpless to defend any other ce than the capital. But Rudolph''s arrogance gave them a chance.


    The aura fluctuations of the area were sealed off through special treasures. Neither Merov nor Sonya knew about the terrible incident.

 Chapter 1288 The Contrast Of Two

    <h4>Chapter 1288 The Contrast Of Two</h4>


    Meanwhile, Merov stood on an asteroid in a star system that''s not too far from the Zion''s central star.


    Just like Rudolph predicted, Merov wanted to visit the capital right away and then smash everything into pieces.


    But his ''teacher'' who he identally found in a ring all those years ago firmly opposed his good idea.


    Instead, he asked him to tour various star systems of Zion duchy in a strict disguise.


    Merov didn''t understand why. It was such an easy task. Zion duchy had two rank 7s in public records.


    Sage Nevar: a mid rank 7.


    Prince Xoler: a low rank 7.


    That''s it. Merov was confident, no, he was certain that he could just p the strongest zions to death. There''s no need for any thought here. It''s as simple as it could get.


    Still, respecting his teacher''s opinion, he toured so many ces all these hours. Thankfully, it ended now.


    "Disciple, what is your n next?" An old voice sounded in his head.


    "I''ll break their capital, then the big cities, miltiary garrisons. I''ll make a statement that they should not have tried. Of course, record everything for the merit." Merov said with a shrug.


    The old voice in his head sighed. "Never underestimate the enemy, especially when you''re in the enemynd."


    "But teacher, they''re jus¡ª"


    "Have you seen the recent history of Zions in their own public records?"


    "I skimmed through the records in that library. But yeah, nothing important in there." Merov crossed his arms.


    "Again¡­" The old voice seemed helpless, seemingly knowing that this was going to happen yet disappointed when it did.


    "Abyssals were driven to extinction and Zions paid a heavy price for it. Why do you think that happened?"


    "How am I supposed to know? And are there two abyssals? The one at that discovered civilization and one here? Ugh, I don''t care. Teacher, I just want to kill these bugs and get back home." Merovined.


    "¡­Rumors say abyssals had an interster formation and the Zion duke thought it was a threat to their security. And another interesting piece of information¡ªthe prince borne by the duke and the previous matriach was assassinated in daylight.


    The funeral was grand. The coffin was said to be made of celestial wood. But the duke didn''t even attend.


    What does this say about him?" The old voice spoke in a calm tone, but one could feel its desperate hope for a proper answer.


    "His son is a weakling. So, he''s also probably a weakling." Merov nodded after answering, satisfied with his response.


    As if speechless, the old voice fell silent for a few moments before replying in a defeated tone.


    "¡­He''s paranoid. And you just toured through some of the most famous and propserous businesss. But they all are bleak and dull. The news papers have stopped reporting about the economy.


    That means, the situation had gone for a toss and the media is afraid even speaking about it would make it worse."


    "Teacher, teacher, I don''t care about all this stuff. Just tell me who to fight so I can grow even stronger, okay?" Prince Merov clutched his head and pleaded.


    "If you want to be a king, no, even a prince, you need to be politically savvy. On that front, you have a lot to learn from yourpetitors."


    "Like Rudolph? They praise him to heavens back home. That''s the only thing that weakling can do." Merov snorted.


    He hated Rudolph because he hated weaklings. He hated weaklings because they reminded him of his past self before he found Teacher.


    ''All weaklings should just die so the world can be a better ce.''


    "Prince Rudolph is indeed politically savy. But his arrogance is his enemy. So far, he had taken decisions with the advice of his council which keeps his arrogance in check. But the one you should learn from is¡­Princess Sonya."


    "Huh?"


    "She''s a hundred or two hundred older than me and still weaker than me. I don''t even know why she''s still in the race. Worse, I don''t know how someone can be so shameless topete with someone so much younger.


    If I had to face someone much younger than me and nearly as strong, if not, stronger than me despite me growing up in a better ce since childhood, I''ll just fucking kill myself.


    She''s probably the useless thing in the world."


    "If she''s just as useless as you think, then she''d have nevere this far in the first ce." The old voice sighed.


    "Urgh, I guess you''re right. Anyway, what should I do now?"


    "Call your servants."


    A few minutester, Prince Merov snapped his fingers. Three lights, one from his hair, one from his arm and one from his leg shot out and formed three rank 7 creatures.


    Merov''s natal treasure created ve marks that directly imprinted themselves on the target''s soul. As he grew, so did his natal treasure.


    Now, he managed to have three rank 7 ves, all pursing the path of < Paragon> .


    " Ask them to¡­"


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Hmm, if the ruler is this paranoid and his son just got assassinated, the capital should be filled with traps, right? This duchy''s financial statements are all fake, they''re hiding some big transactions.


    The big businesses have all closed shop. The medium-sized are bankrupt. Half of the small ones were gone. They''re hiding something big."


    Princess Sonya tapped her chin and pondered her next step.


    The assassin should likely be a rank 7 to escape so easily. So, the traps should also be for rank 7s.


    If it''s a normal duchy, they''d have bought traps that might kill at most a mid rank 7. But this one had a very paranoid ruler. So, Sonya couldn''t rule off the possibility of a trap enough to kill a peak rank 7.


    "Well," She brushed strands of pink hair behind her ears and curled her lips. "I''m neither a < Paragon Body > like Rudolph nor a < Life Force Controller> like Merov. But as a < Life Spirit >, don''t have I it a bit too easy?"


    A sweetughter of genocide rang in the cafe, with every Zion in the store frozen like a statue with a nk gaze.

 Chapter 1289 Double Breakthrough

    <h4>Chapter 1289 Double Breakthrough</h4>


    Aftershing out at Isadora, Varian returned to the captives in a bad mood. He decided not to think much about the incident.


    Even though he was pissed off, he ended up seeing himself as responsible for everything. If he was strong enough, none of this would''ve mattered.


    He could''ve just ughtered that maid, forced the princes into a truce without worrying about the safety of himself or his race.


    ''I need to grow stronger.'' It was that very belief that brought him a long way from that vulnerable self. It was also something Varian believed with every fiber of his being.


    Strength wasn''t everything. But without strength, everything else couldn''t be guaranteed.


    Varian walked to the floating body of Hybrid Mor.


    Bathed in the destructive light of Hortus which continuously bombarded him with life energy that kept him from recovering, the Hybrid had little chance of escaping.


    So, Varian thought of doing something that should be difficult to aplish.


    ''Get ready to heal him,'' He conveyed to Hortus and the growing will conveyed a positive response.


    Varian took a breath and summoned his sword artifact: Requiem.


    It was beyond what the devas intended it to be. Blessed in the powers of life and death, Requiem was the perfect weapon to deal with all the enemies in Sage Avenue.


    With a thought, Requiem brimmed with life energy, which normally was seen as an irreceable force in healing.


    But to Hybrid Mor¡ªa Reaper¡ªwho was already struggling with the life energy used by Daphne, it was the worst poison.


    With a simple swing, the sword sliced off the giant humanoid''s arm.


    The will of Hortus shone down and provided the Hybrid with enough death essence¡ªallowing him to quickly regrow his arm.


    It''d take at least a few minutes though. Varian raised his sword again and severed all limbs of the Hybrid.


    His < Assimtor > devoured the limbs and the slivers acted on the aura¡ªsplitting it into space power and death power.


    The slivers further broke down the death power into the version of its predecessor: <Adept>.


    Since the Hybrid was continuously using up its death power to counter the life force, there wasn''t much to gain.


    But the insights from the space path were better than Varian expected. The insights of a Hybrid were purer than the normal awakener, perhaps because they do not possess a sense of self.


    Closing his eyes, Varian meditated in front of the Hybrid. Sword Requiem, however, kept swinging down every few minutes.


    Three hours passed before the monotonous scene broke.


    Varian got not one but two surprises.


    [Assimtor Rank 5: 10/2500


    < An Assimtor''s deepest work is assimting the prey''s life essence to strengthen itself and build a body that could possibly reach a range that Paragon Body could not.


    You have more than a couple steps further and achieved Assimtion that shouldn''t be possible. Congrattions.>


    Space Rank 5: 20/2500


    < Those who wield the power of space are uninhibited across the cosmos. > ]


    Varian''s lips curled up and some of the pressure weighing down on him seemed to vanish. There were still four paths he had to advance.


    But after witnessing the rank 7 fights, he had no confidence he could reach that range of strength any time soon.


    [The ranks from 7 to 9 are essentially a preparation to enter the realm of the divine.


    The power of a thousand rank 1s channeled together could defeat a rank 4. But not even the power of ten thousand rank 4s could defeat a rank 7. It isn''t the amount of aura but the nature of power.


    Even if Hybrid Mor died in the technical sense, if he''s thrown into a cemetery, he can recover, depending on the power level of the corpses before their death.


    Unless Paragon Body is destroyed by an overwhelming power, it can revive even from a few drops of blood.]


    Varian took a breath and nodded. Reaching rank 5 wasn''t going to be enough. He had to at least reach the peak of the rank to stand any chance against even the maids.


    But for the princes¡­


    Varian shook his head. That''d be a lofty goal. He needed to climb the tree before trekking a mountain.


    ''Soul, Energy, Matter and Time.''


    Neither Hybrird Mor nor Champion Gor could help him in these paths. But Isadora who reached the peak of rank 9 in Soul, Matter, and Gravity paths would be of tremendous help.


    Moreover, she had a lot of experience that came from a vast number of battles. At the edge of divine rank, she''d have insights even into other paths¡ªuseless for a rank 9 but very useful for a rank 4 or 5.


    Since he started Synergy, neither Sia nor Sarah had such a power difference with him. Even the difference between level 7 and level 9 wouldn''tpare to the difference between low rank 1 and mid rank 1.


    As such, the sheer gap between rank 4 and rank 9 was mind-boggling.


    It was just a spection, but Varian wouldn''t surprised if he directly advanced an entire sub-rank through one single session.


    s, the apparently easiest way turned out to be the hardest.


    Varian assured her that there wouldn''t be any intimacy and that they''d do only the most basic form of Synergy¡ªdespite it reducing the fruits of the session.


    "Never mind. I can do it myself." Varian left behind Mor and visited Champion Gor.


    The man had gained consciousness but kept up the act. Slowly but surely, he was regaining his power.


    As Varian approached him, Gor stealthily gathered his aura, prepared to take him down in one strike.


    He hadn''t recovered enough to crush Varian. So, an ambush, however, shameful it might be, was the only way for the Champion.


    Too bad for him, Varian''s soul powers made it impossible for him to fall for such a cheap trick.


    As Gor''s attention remained on Varian, Sword Requiem sted out of a space portal and sliced into the man''s heart, ripping his heart into two and nearly cleaving his torso.


    "Argghhh!"


    Varian raised his hand towards the sky and the blessings of Hortusnded on his palm.


    With a simple clench of his fingers, the space around Gor folded onto itself and the ve''s limbs began to tear apart.


    Whatever progress he made was gone in a blink. Worse, he''s set even back from his starting point.


    "T-The human tribe''s chieftain? You dare to attack the Zions!" The ve spoke through bloodied mouth.


    "Zions," Varian uttered that word with the same pronunciation as Gor. "You guys gave me a big headache when I read a letter by a petty enemy."


    "H-Huh? We don''t even know you!" Enduring the pain as his body got twisted and crushed, Champion Gor cried out in indignance.


    Varian had zero sympathy for the man''s plight.


    Due to his Assimtor power, he could sense that Champion Gor had killed many, many souls. If each kill constituted a drop of blood, this man was swimming in an ocean of blood.


    Not that he considered himself a saint, far from it. It''s just that Varian strongly believed those who kill must be prepared to be killed.


    "You don''t have to know me," Varian said in a casual tone. "A thousand yearster,?no one will know Zions."


    "What do you mean?" Champion Gor groaned in confusion before his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Those princes, no way¡­"


    "My lord! I have to save my lord!"


    Gor wriggled violently, trying to break the bindings, and kept failing.


    "You vile creature, unchain me now!"


    His condition got worse as he didn''t even care about healing himself and attempted a breakout.


    "I''ll kill you!"


    "Kill you!"


    "Kill you all¡­"

 Chapter 1290 A Spy In Enemy Lands

    <h4>Chapter 1290 A Spy In Enemy Lands</h4>


    In a quiet street of a remote, Zion duchy:


    A cloaked figure moved about the lifeless crowd, passing by men and women trying their best to earn today''s fill.


    No one knew who broke the news but rumors of the Duke''s treasury mortaging all the critical assets spread.


    The Zions who could flee fled to other duchies. Many of them had no such opportunity. They swallowed their pride and sought refugee in provinces they usually looked down upon.


    But it was still just a fraction of the whole. Most of the poption was stuck inside the duchy where life grew increasingly difficult to survive.


    The situation wasn''t as bad as they thought. It''d take a whole generation but things could get back on track.


    But someone was fanning the mes, creating chaos and pushing the possibility of Zion recovering closer and closer to zero.


    The cloaked figure turned at the fruit stalls that were now selling half-rotten stuff at ten times the usual price.


    A small house carved out of a greystone appeared at the edge of the street. Keeping his presence low, the figure entered the house and mmed the door shut.


    Opening a secretpartment, the figure entered an underground floor and trotted to arge screen.


    As he entered a special pass, the screen lit up after a few seconds.


    An elegant woman, seated in a throne, with her caramel blonde hair tied up and? her wings spread out.


    Her face was blurred, but those green eyes seemed to pierce through the screen and dig into his soul, seeking the hidden truths.


    "Your Highness," The cloak fell off, revealing a middle-aged zion.


    He''s a well-known adventurer in this border region. He''s not strong, but he had a lot of connections thanks to his long career. He could''ve easily escaped into other ces but stayed to take care of his daughter.


    Unless she recieved special treatment, she wouldn''t be able to bear any long space travel.


    And this woman contacted him through her channels and promised his daughter treatment in exchange for loyalty.


    As such, the man used hiswork and gathered information for his benefactor.


    "The star system Q-23A is giving out no signal. Some of my friends are supposed to recieve essentials but no one is responding from there.


    A pirate¡­acquintance of mine said that there were shockwaves in that region. It appeared like a simple battle and no one would suspect anything. But his experience said that they were unnatural, subdued versions of something much greater."


    The man reported with a bow.


    "Hm," Hazel merely hummed in response. "This is an important information. If it is verified, you''ll gain a 2nd-ss citizenship along with your daughter."


    "Thank you! Thank you, angel!"


    Ignoring his cries of gratitude, Hazel cut off the call.


    In front of her were hundreds of floating screens, each containing reports from spies she built through the migrant fairies working in Zion.


    The fairies spread the rumors and returned swiftly, escaping suspicions. The rumors broke the back of the duchy''s economy.


    The sudden implosion of poverty made many Zions desperate¡ªsome of them were even willing to be spies.


    The Zion spywork worked under the radar, only gathering information and not performing any mission.


    The intelligence agencies were busy trying to quell the rebellious forces that sprang up in troubled times and executing the immigrants who knew critical information.


    ''They must be aware that someone is monitoring the activities. But it isn''t special. Every other province and duchy nearby is also buying up spies to monitor what''s going on. But they''d never imagine I''m spying for someone from the Alliance.''


    Hazel let out a sigh and activated a crystal.


    The crystal took almost twenty minutes to establish a proper connection. When it did, the familiar voice of the man rang. "How is it going?"


    Hazel''s wings subconsciously folded and her shoulders bent slightly. In an obedient tone not unlike the spies reporting to her, she said. "A star system is destroyed. One of the princes is likely to be dead."


    "Might be dead. Most likely, not. The candidates for the crown prince position don''t just die that easily." Varian''s words implied it was a spection but his tone conveyed conviction.


    "Based on the information so far, it should be the reckless Prince Merov. But my guts say it''s Rudolph."


    Hazel carefully raised her voice. "What should I do about the prince and princess? They''re in deep incognito. I doubled the spies in the capital, but there''s nothing on them."


    "Don''t bother actively searching. Just have an eye on all the developments and keep me informed."


    "Will the Zion duchy survive?" Hazel voiced out words that would''ve caused her to be executed in public.


    "The capital definitely won''t," Varian''s voice was casual, as if he was talking about the recent movie he watched. "So, how are the preparationsing along?"


    "The ones who could leave left. But most of the rank 4, 5, and 6 are bound by the military oath. A few of them tried to escape. They were executed along with their family and friends." Hazel interlocked her hands on her thighs and said. "In public."


    "Eww, public executions shouldn''t be done unless necessary. But deserters," Varian''s voice was filled with disdain. "deserve all the death."


    "¡­" Hazel didn''t reply.


    "You disagree with my opinion?" Varian''s voice was neutral, puzzling the fairy how he would respond if she did reply.


    "Yes. They don''t deserve death. They''re just looking out for themselves."


    After voicing her opinion, Hazel immediately covered her face. ''Why can''t you keep your mouth shut at times like this? Now I''m done.''


    Varian didn''t immediately reply, causing her to grow more tense. He spoke after a while. "It might be correct for an individual, but for the army and society itself, it''s the nastiest of crimes."


    Hazel wanted to disagree again but Varian carried on, as if he knew she was about to refute.


    "But this is the best scenario for us. Contact them and get as many of them here as possible. Once it starts, the army can''t stop them."


    "I-If the army finds¡­"


    "Doesn''t matter. Just throw the me on other duchies. And we can afford to be found a few times. I''ve built enough space cracks this time."


    Of course, it was all done by splitting the original space crack created by the Abyss Emperor. The man himself would have never imagined Varian to turn his greatest threat into the greatest opportunity.


    Such a feat would''ve been impossible without slivers helping stabilize the chaotic space cracks upon a split but Varian had the slivers and the multiple space cracks were a reality.


    Hazel''s wings spread out and she nodded fervently. "I''ll do my best!"

 Chapter 1291 A Poultry Paradise

    <h4>Chapter 1291 A Poultry Paradise</h4>


    After the call ended, the fairy tapped into the space in front of her.


    More than a hundred screens glowed for a few seconds before activating. "Yes, Your Highness."


    "How is the progress?"


    "We have more than a dozen rank 4 captains willing to risk it all. We suspect they''re used by the rank 5s to test the waters."


    "The army spies?"


    "There must be a few."


    "No worries," Hazel''s green eyes glowed. "The army is not monolithic. The loyal faction is thergest but also the most exposed."


    A dozen spaceships were returning from different parts of the duchy. Their immediate superiors gave them sudden missions, forcing them to scatter throughout the region.


    The rank 2s and rank 3s thought it was just another mission to suppress the rebels and kill the deserters. But the rank 4 captains guessed it was something else.


    [Confirm the coordinates [13A.223, ZA22.837, 99X.231824]]


    Every spaceship recieved one of the few coordinates and headed there, treating it as an immediate mission.


    What they found in those locations were rugged spaceships.


    Preprogrammed and on autopilot.


    [Get into the spaceships.]


    The rank 4 captain, six rank 3 squad leaders and thirty-six rank 2 soldiers all got onto the spaceship.


    The AI of the ship informed them cooly.


    [If you wish for the travel to be sessful, follow the instructions. Do not try to outsmart the system.]


    [What was that?]


    Hearing the confused voice of hismander, a rank 4 captain said. "Sir¡­is this the rumored spaceship that''ll take us to a far awaynd where the duchy can''t reach out?"


    [Your job is to verify it, captain.]


    The captain took a deep breath. "But my wife and children¡­"


    [If you seed, they can follow you. If you fail, they can at least stay safe and have pensions.]


    "Alright. It''s just, the spaceship will soon block the amount of information I can send you,mander." The captain read through the floating screen of instructions and said. "I won''t be able to send you the location or even ask for help. But you will be able to get our biometric data and be updated about our conditions."


    [Can''t you override the AI?]


    The captain looked at his deted team. "We dare not. One overreach and it''ll stop the travel. More importantly, the AI is not normal."


    Far away in the sr system, Boo sneezed. "Who''s praising Boo behind Boo''s back?"


    The journey began for the captain and his team. The spaceship first created an istion barrier that''d prevent any of them from detecing their current location.


    It wasn''t capable of stopping them if they wanted to desroy the barrier. But it was capable of self-destruction if that did happen.


    A few minutester, the spaceship shuttled through the inner space, travelling great distances from the duchy.


    Two soldiers were impatient and wanted to contact others. They would have did it had the captain not warned them again.


    Since their devices were rendered useless, the team had no idea where they were taken. There wasn''t a star system nearby to pick any clues.


    If they were space awakeners, they might have been able to pick some clues. But they were all gravity awakeners¡ªall soldiers in the duchy were.


    When faced with the endless dark space that looked same in all six directions, they gave up trying to guess where they were headed.


    After an hour long journey, the spaceship informed them in its robotic voice.


    [Entering the space crack in ten minutes. Once it happens, you can no longer return to this ce.]


    "W-What?!"


    "Bullshit!"


    The soldiers grew agitated and raised their weapons, ready to destroy the spaceship.


    [The Zion duchy is unable to reach this location. It will be incapable of asking you, the deserters, for extradition. You will all be safe in this newnd.]


    A silence permeated the hall. Some soldiers struggled while some epted.


    The captain took a deep breath and asked. "What about the ones thate after us? Will they be sent to the same ce?"


    [Ambigious. Might or might not. But rest assured, every ce is a safe ce.]


    The memories filled with his wife and children surfaced in the captain''s mind. At the same time, the fate of duchy filled his thoughts. He''s one of the few who knew why a star system suddenly got destroyed.


    Staying here, the captain saw no future for himself. But leaving this ce, what about his wife and children?


    The captain struggled for a long time before sighing.


    [You are allowed to leave at this point. In case you haven''t noticed, we have returned to the ce where you were picked up.]


    Instead of surprising, the message relieved him.


    "Let''s leave, boys." The captain walked towards the opened exit. When he was about to step about, he realized only two were following him.


    "Boys?"


    "Captain, we don''t want to spend the rest of our lives in fear."


    "Yes, even if we escape to the nearby duchy, we''ll be punished for deserting."


    "This is the only chance we have, captain."


    "My wife is cheating on me and that child isn''t mine. I don''t care if they die here. I just don''t care!"


    The soldiers began to voice out their reasons but they were clear in what they wanted.


    [Please note that once you step out, you can never step into any of the spaceships.]


    The robotic voice stuck him like a hammer.


    The captain closed his eyes and considered his options.


    He could easily live for 400 more years. How should he spend those years?


    Groveling every day in a duchy that''s bankrupt or performing in a ce where his talents could get appreciated?


    "Can I contact my superior for a moment?"


    [¡­Positive. But your words will be verified first before being allowed to be transmitted.]


    The captain nodded and tapped his watch.


    [Captain Psuzak! Are you safe? How is that new ce?]


    "Commander, I''m going to that ce."


    [What are the coordinates? Which duchy is it? Is it at the other end of the g¡ª]


    "Tell my wife and children that I''m dead. Do the same for the rest." The captain exhaled. "We are going to a better ce for a better future."


    [W-Wait! At least tell some deta¡ª]


    The call ended.


    The captain returned back but he quickly noticed the two that followed him didn''t.


    "C-Captain, we want to return. I can''t leave my parents behind."


    "I love my wife. I''d rather die with her."


    [For every person who leaves, the mission will be aborted by one month.]


    The captain''s eyes shed with a thick killing intent.


    Boom! Boom!


    The two soldiers exploded. The rest watched on indifferently. Even though they fought alongside, they wouldn''t sacrifice their future now.


    The spaceship took off into the inner space again. This time, there was no chatter inside. Only an ufortable, ugly, and selfish silence.


    [Entering space crack in 100, 99, 98¡­]


    Everyone held their breaths and awaited the promised paradise.


    The spaceship moved faster and faster, its anti-tracking system working at overload, preventing any of them from gaining insight into their location.


    Not that any of them were interested at this point. They made up their minds to get out of the hell that Zion had be!


    [¡­4, 3, 2..]


    A space crack suddenly appeared in front of them and the spaceship dived in.

 Chapter 1292 Step By Step

    <h4>Chapter 1292 Step By Step</h4>


    The world turned into twisting space in an explosion of colors and a few impossibly long minutesters, the spaceshipnded in green ins.


    A handsome ck-haired man appeared in the ins and rushed to the space crack before they could even respond.


    Mystical white and ck lights shot out of his palm, barely stabilizing the copsing space crack.


    It must''ve been an exceedingly difficult task, as evident from the man''s face which had gone incredibly pale.


    But the captain didn''t care.


    ''A rank 4, huh. He''s already weak, but now he''s further weakened. He''ll be easy to control. Maybe we force him to win more rights in this newnd.''


    After abandoning their families, killing theirrades and undertaking a treacherous journey for the promised future, there was little conscience left in their hearts.


    The captain clenched his fists and the spaceship was ripped into shreds.


    Tap!


    Tap!


    Tap!


    The powerful aura of the captain locked onto the young man and he seemed to freeze.


    "As long as you obey us and tell us everything about this location, you''ll be left alive, got it?"


    The young man didn''t respond. He didn''t even move.


    The captain grew furious for a moment and raised his hand to tear one of the young man''s limbs.


    "Cap, Cap, he can''t move!" A squad leader whispered.


    "Ah, my bad." The captain chuckled and loosened his pressure.


    The young man slowly turned around. There was a wide, bright smile on his face.


    "Have you gone insane from my pressure?" The captain was dumbfounded. ''I am so strong, damn!''


    "Hehehehe," Creepyughter began to leak out of the man''s mouth.


    "Hahahahah! Wee, wee to Hortus! Thanks in advance for helping me grow!"


    The world seemed to blink as the ''lights'' turned off for a moment and then¡­


    Then there was nothing. Their consciousness sank into darkness and everyone fainted.


    With a snap of his fingers, the space above them tore apart and sucked them in. A simr space crack appeared in a forbidden region of Hortus and they were dropped.


    In that ce, just like them, there were already a hundred zions.


    Back in the duchy, themanders could still check the basic condition.


    Alive.


    But they wouldn''t know what the biometrics couldn''t show.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Varian''s assimtor power swept through the hundred unconscious rank 4s. It''d be best if Hazel could swindle some rank 5s here.


    Given their path of gravity, even if he used dozens of rank 5s, the best he could do was advance quickly in space and time paths.


    With the slivers, he could sprint in energy and matter paths. And for the Adept path, those two ''trainers'' were more than enough.


    The zions kept unconscious twitched violently as Varian''s senses dug into their body and studied their aura bit by bit.


    When necessary, Varian devoured that aura, broke it down with slivers and analyzed it.


    This went for a full day and full nights before his aura suddenly spiked.


    [ Time Rank 5: 10/2500


    < Gravity is an integral part of space-time. But if your path had been gravity instead, you''d have reached at least mid rank 5 by now. >]


    Varian shrugged.


    If the insights didn''t help him, they''d help Sia. But it''s not like she needed them anway.


    Varian nced at the zion pile and realized there were now almost 200 of them!


    He handed the task of recieving and neutlizing the guests to Sarah while he trained. He thought a few more dozen might arrive. But this many was unexpected.


    Out of these 200, there were 35 rank 4s! 70 rank 3s! The remaining were rank 2s!


    This was a windfall.


    Using these zions, Humanity''sprehensive power, excluding the top three could step into the ranks of a duchy!


    With equal surprise and tension, he asked. "Hazel, what happened?"


    It took a dozen seconds to connect and a hurried reply arrived. "M-Master! The army started tracking and destroying the spaceships."


    "Then why are there so many here?"


    "So many? From the response I recieved so far, more than two thousand rank 4s waiting here! If their family''s safety is guarenteed, the number could hit four thousand! That''s 40% of all rank 4s in the duchy!"


    Varian''s voice turned cold, brimming with rage. "Hazel, do you really wish to betray me at this point? It''s not just you who will pay the price. It''s your whole race. Your backers might save you today, tomorrow. But soon, they won''t be able to even save themselves, much less your people."


    A soft cry rang in the background and Hazel''s voice, broken, choking and very angry sounded.


    "I¡­I have not betrayed you! I p-put my life at risk! I didn''t do..heuk¡­anything to betray! I''d rather die than be treated like this!"


    Varian frowned.


    40% of army deserting was just too ridiculous. So, he assumed she was lying and got furious at her betrayal. But his conjecture might or might not be true.


    Toning down his coldness, he said. "The 40% number is too absurd. Exin yourself."


    A soft breath was heard from the other said before Hazel spoke in a hurried tone. "The current duke had been ruling for hundreds of years already. Except a handful, everyone hates him.


    They only put up with him because his ex-wife manages to win the duchy resources. The same goes for the army.


    Before abyssals extinction, they were sent to wars that had no justification, died en masse and didn''t get even a sliver of recognition they deserved.


    Zions as a race grew wealthy, powerful and proud. But they have no guiding figure and lost their social cohesion. It''s just a bunch of simr looking people living together without any spirit binding them.


    It''s the army discipline and spirit that''s holding back the 60%, which is highlymendable."


    "¡­Wow," was all Varian could say.


    He did know that Zion society was facing problems due to Jataur. But he didn''t estimate them to be this bad.


    "The rank 5s and rank 6s are older, more orthodox and also have way more supporters than dissidents. They''re the ones holding the structure together. This is my report. Since I''ve been used of betrayal, I''lle there and apologize with my death."


    "Hazel, I apologize for my outburst earlier. I went on to assume your numbers were absurd and hence you were lying. I should''ve asked for the exnation first," Varian said, to much the fairy only let out a surprised gasp.


    The rulers, in her impression, had a very, very strong ego. They could do a hundred? wrongs but would consider apologizing once to be much worse.


    Varian quickly went onto the topic. "I have an idea on using the current situation to lure some rank 5s and rank 6s."


    "L-Lure, yeah, lure. What happens to them there?" Hazel asked in a hesitant but curious tone.


    Varian chuckled. "A man who has abandoned his family, friends, homnd, and oath. What will happen to him, I wonder?"


    "¡­That''s very evil."


    "I know. I forced them to make that choice. I guess filtering out good guys and picking only scum bangs makes me feel less guilty for pushing them through the fate they''re going to suffer."


    "Guilt? But I hear no guilt in your voice at all¡­"


    "My feelings need to be kept under control sometimes, for my own good."

 Chapter 1293 Invisible Hand

    <h4>Chapter 1293 Invisible Hand</h4>


    Prince Xoler, Sage Nevar rested in a spaceship on the outer reaches of the sr system, far away from civilization and the P fortresses.


    It had been a while and the two recovered from their injuries. But they didn''t make any further moves.


    In hindsight, the whole incident felt like a sham from the start to finish.


    Neither Xoler''s strategic studies nor Nevar''s military mind noticed the web theynded into from the start.


    "Do you think Gor and Mor¡­"


    "No." Sage Nevar gave a strong shake of his head. "They won''t die. They''re more capable than that."


    That was the conclusion from his vast experience of battles and the intuition that grew out of it.


    "But they haven''t responded to our calls. Even the basicmunication channel is cut off. Not unattended but cut off." Xoler''s crossed his arms and gripped his elbows tight, as if it was the only anchor that could hold him tight.


    "They might be in unexpected difficulties." Sage Nevar''s voice was no longer as assured as it had always been.


    The steel wall of his self-confidence, built on the basis of strength and experience, already started to have visible cracks.


    It was right when he realized that he was yed like a pawn from the beginning. Now, he began to doubt everything.


    Why did ck Rose do this? How did they know they wereing? How did Prince Baldur escape?


    These were questions that were ringing inside Prince Xoler''s head as well.


    But Nevar went a step further and asked a scarier question.


    ''Is it really the ck Rose in the first ce?''


    Certainly, Oleg and his team found ''evidence'' to prove the ''letter'' to be true. But all this rested on one assumption.


    < The assassination is done by ck Rose >


    What if it simply wasn''t true? It''s a possibility that Nevar regretted not considering earlier.


    He couldn''t really think of anyone with capabilities of such smooth assassination and escape. But he no longer wrote off that possibility.


    However, if that was really true¡­


    Sage Nevar''s chest grew tight and he felt suffocated.


    An invisible hand was controlling everything. They were thinking what they were doing was of their free voilition. But the path was alreadyid, what they were doing was merely follow it.


    ''What if even the p princes¡­'' Nevar shuddered to even have such thought.


    If someone dared to use even the princes of a kingdom, then that person was someone Zions could not hope to face.


    ''We''re just the casualties in the n.''


    "-ar!"


    "-evar!"


    "Sage Nevar!"


    The loud noise jolted him out of his stupor and he nearlyshed out on instinct.


    Prince Xoler looked at him with a worried gaze. "I know what you''re thinking. But to find who trapped us, we should first find Oleg."


    Fully aware that he''d be of no use to the ''assassination'', Prince Oleg left them before the incident.


    "Prince Oleg¡­" Nevar narrowed his eyes and a thought surfaced in his mind.


    ''Oleg could''ve been an unfortunate victim caught up in this struggle or¡­the coborator who wanted to use this chance and bury the powerhouses to secure his im on the throne.''


    With messy trains of thoughs each going in a different direction, Sage Nevar decided to act fast.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Prince Oleg paced back and forth in anxiety. It had been a few hours since the ''assassination'' time but no message reached him.


    The bots near the location were destroyed, as expected, and he had no source to learn about what actually happened.


    Thepact walls of the spaceship didn''t help his mood. If at least a captain or two survived, he''d have vented his frustration on them.


    But nothing.


    Outside the spaceship, Varian stood with hands behind his back. Oob pped its wings and circled around him, like a child running around an adult.


    Varian poked it yfully and it started beating against his hand, followed by a fit of giggles.


    "Good job finding him. It would''ve been hard if I tried doing it myself," He said with a grateful smile.


    "Nhh, no problem. I kept a watch on their movements from the start or else, it''d have been hard for me as well." Oob replied humbly but its voice had a tinge of pride. "But I can''t cut off hismunication from the other zions here for much longer."


    Xoler and Nevar were trying desperately to reach out to him. But the man didn''t even know.


    "Block them for one more hour and send these messages," Varian''s lips curled up and he passed on a special stone to Oob.


    A few secondster, the spaceship shook.


    Punching the wall again, Oleg looked at the video message that just arrived.


    A military man in hisbat uniform with dried blood said in a solemn tone. "Prince Oleg, there are outsiders trying to destroy the duchy. They have been trying to attack the cap¡ª"


    The message ended and another one began.


    "Prince! Prince! There are traitors in the army! Someone is trying to help!"


    Another. And another. They kepting, like an open flood.


    "Prince, you are our only hope!"


    "Even rank 4 rebels have sided with the enemies and are nning an attack!"


    "Prince, the Duke hasn''t been seen in public since weeks!"


    "Everything is in chaos, Prince!"


    "Duke, rumors say that the enemy also attacked the delegation with you! Some cry that Prince Xoler and Sage Nevar have fallen!"


    "Prince Xoler''s fiancee announced the annulment of engagement!"


    "Please take over the throne and bring peace!"


    "Duke-to-be, please return and crush the internal enemies!"


    A mix of emotions flooded Oleg''s heart. Most of all was the emotion he craved all his life.


    He''s being recognized. He''s being needed. He''s being appreciated.


    The first son of the duke.


    The first prince to the throne.


    The legitimate heir.


    Oleg suddenly reasoned there had been no messages so far. They were dead. Only that could exin the situation.


    And that meant¡­


    A quivering smile crept on Oleg''s face. He raised his tremblings hands and clenched them taking rapid breaths. His eyes were wide open and his shoulders were shaking.


    "Ahahahaha!"


    "Hahahaha!"


    "Yes!"


    "Mine! All mine!"


    "Father, look at me! Look at me do this!"


    Prince Oleg went mad with ecstacy. He didn''t even consider the possibility of fraud calls.


    Since he loved for so long in the duchy, he knew quite a lot of people in the army. He knew how the system worked.


    Any message from soldier suspected to be caught would be marked. And this wasn''t some normal troop, it''s senior rank 4 warriors that called him!


    The spaceship that should''ve remained in ce began to move. Oleg, drunk on ecstacy didn''t ask the questions that he should''ve sought for rification.


    He moved quickly and reached a distant space crack from which the Zion scouts exited.


    "To the throne!"


    With a war cry, the Prince entered the space crack which closed shortly there after. The space fluctuated violently for reasons unknown to Oleg and an energy wave shook the entire cabin. Hismunication crystal suffered and broke down.


    But he paid it no heed and marched ahead faster, to avoid any more such dangers.


    An hourter, Prince Xoler and Sage Nevar who went hunting for Prince Oleg regrouped with gloomy faces.

 Chapter 1294 A Moments Glory

    Chapter 1294 A Moment''s Glory


    Princess Sonya was amazed by the rapid changes urring in the duchy. Particrly, the army whose divisions were growing more and more apparent.


    She had no idea who was moving the strings. It was less than likely that this person was from the Alliance. It''s already ridiculous enough for three crown prince candidates toe here.


    After some study of the region, she wanted to finish off the Duke Jataur along with the capital star as well as other important stars.


    ''I have a rough idea on how to destroy this duchy but destroyed a duchy along with its duke and without him are two different things.''


    As she wondered how to find the sly, paranoid duke, a piece of unexpected news came knocking.


    ''The business houses are fleeing, the army is dealing with its own troubles, he struck at the perfect spot.'' Princess Sonya couldn''t help but admire the man''s timing.


    A few snippets were shown in the piece of news.


    The first one disyed Prince Oleg crowning himself and encountering some dissent in the court by some older, loyal officials.


    "To stand between me and the duchy''s revival, risking the duchy''s future to save your traitorous friends, bold!"


    Eleven senior and loyal courtiers'' heads rolled that day.


    The supposed relief from the Prince''s return took a sharp turn and evoked fear in the officers that were hopeful.


    Things only got darker.


    Oleg conveyed a public execution of some talented princes, terming them all as traitors and along with them, he also killed a few who were caught trying to leave the duchy to the ''promised paradise''.


    The capital turned bloody in 24 hours and the army, which was already trying to find the dissidents was forced to pay close attention.


    But Oleg''s actual y only started then. The prince, no, the duke started ordering the army on its operations.


    "If that many rank 4s can escape, it''s obvious there are rank 5 traitors in you and I dare say¡­rank 6."


    Such conferences weren''t supposed to be broadcasted. But the man new to authority was too drunk on his overnight status to care about such trivial things.


    Two important reactions followed.


    The loyal faction in the military¡ªwhich constituted the majority of rank 5s and rank 6s¡ªfelt insulted and betrayed. To prove their own loyalty, they began to name the ones who they deemed suspicious.


    It unravelled like a can of worms and six rank 5s were voted to be the most likely traitors¡ªgiven their political views which were a harsh critique of the previous duke. The six were executed in public, brutally.


    But unlike what the prince intended, this has the opposite effect.


    The loyal faction questioned the need for their loyalty when the Duke had abandoned them, wasn''t seen for days and ording to rumors, fled to a safe haven.


    The fall out from this meeting also caused a massive panic in public, pushing a narrative that even the army was looking to escape this hell.


    The terrible situation grew even more horrifying.


    This triggered a response reaction in the army. The duchy they protected was disintegrating in front of their very eyes.


    ''What am I fighting for?''


    Beyond all expectations, a fight broke out the next day and under the leadership of more than a dozen rank 5 officers, a not so insignificant chunk of the army fled.


    ¡­And that''s how Varian received his first batch of rank 5 Zions.


    Unfortunately, the space crack was already overused by this point. Even with his slivers'' usage, it grew chaotic. None of the rank 2s and below that boarded the ship survived the journey.


    The space crack was supposed tost for decades thanks to the precious, perhaps even a unique treasure used by the Abyss Emperor.


    But as Varian split it into multiple pieces and used it roughly, the first space crack copse began.


    Still, looking at the dozen rank 5s, hundred rank 4s and even more rank 3s, Varian felt a sense of satisfaction.


    "Hazel, inform them that the paradise is closing in three, no, two days."


    "The fights would grow way more intense! And this might even call some rank 6s¡­is that okay?"


    "That''s exactly what I want." Varian chuckled.


    With the maniption of a man far away, Zion underwent its next upheaval.


    Duke Oleg who was already seething due to the ''betrayal'' on his first ruling day went berserk when he learned about these rumors.


    So, he called all the rank 5s and rank 6s into a single conference hall.


    "We''re going to spend our two days here. No one is taking a step outside." The air grew heavy and the officers looked at each other in shock and fear.


    "Announce it for the world to see." He pped his hands and a broadcast began.


    "No one cares about your lies, foreigner! None of my army officers believe your false promises." Oleg spoke bravely to the screen.


    But in doing so, he exposed the location of the hall through its famous background and the fact that he gathered the strongest members of the duchy in one ce.


    While this went on, Prince Merov followed his teacher''s instructions and sneaked his three ve creatures into the capital city: a winged wolf, a white tiger and


    tri-head snake.


    Due to the actions of Duke Oleg, even people guarding sensitive areas were disturbed.


    The winged wolf, the best at detection, had its talents amplified by its < Paragon > Path.


    So, even though there were many anti-detection formations all over the capital, the wolfy detected a secret location in the capital. A location where a suspicious golden formationy dormant.


    When the image got transmitted back, his teacher''s voice rang in his ear.


    "Yes, that''s it! That thing can kill even peak rank 7s! It should''ve been set to activate when it senses the aura of any powerful rank 7 nearby. Nasty trick. The duke of this region has no problems destroying his own capital if he can end the enemy."


    Merov pursed his lips in disdain. It''s just a trick in the end. Before sufficient strength, any trick went useless.


    "That new duke, Olek, was it? He should be on the purple moon circling the capital." Merov dered with a smug smile.


    He wanted to appeal to his teacher that even though he didn''t think much, when he did, he could be quite smart. But even a 9-year old would''ve recognized the purple moon from Oleg''s broadcast.


    "Y-Yeah, you''re quite something, disciple." His teacher praised his nheless.


    Merov nodded in satisfaction and with a simple instruction, the three ve creatures collectively attacked the formation. It hummed in protest before it tried to activate. Thanks to their team effort, the formation was quickly disabled.


    When it did, an aura shockwave swept through the main star system. Emergency rms that many officers didn''t even know existed rang off.


    Duke Oleg sat dumbfounded, unable to grasp what the hell just happened.


    "Enemy attack!"


    "It''s an enemy attack!"


    "The capital has been breached!"


    "This rm rings only when a rank 7 enemy sneaked in!"


    Thanks to a few ''allies'' in the meeting, Hazel was able to learn about this development shortly after. And she spread it quickly.


    The news spread like a forest fire and soon, everyone on the streets was panicking.


    The intense disturbance rmed Princess Sonya and the emergency rescue messages were sent to every powerhouse outside, but particrly, to Sage Nevar and Prince Xoler.


    "Teacher, now that the formation is disabled, should I ask my ves to end that star system?" Prince Merov asked in a casual tone, not sparing the slightest thought on how this would impact billions.


    "Thes in main star are almost always enchanted with defense formations. If you don''t go and break them yourself, your ves will take more time than you''d like, opening a possibility for variables.


    Remember, this is a foreignnd. Once you make a decisive attack, destroy as many star systems as possible and rush back to Centaurus. This isn''t a ce to stay!"


    "Urgh, seriously," Merov groaned in frustration and his figure vanished.


    On the outskirts of the capital star system, Princess Sonya appeared in her battle attire. Remaining in full stealth, she observed the unexpected development.


    They had just one chance at attacking.


    The normal defense formations in the capital city began to fire into activation.


    Apocalypse¡­arrived!

 Chapter 1295 Horror Of A Rank 7

    Chapter 1295 Horror Of A Rank 7


    The capital star of the duchy was actually six stars¡ªarranged by the Zions not very long ago from the original double star system.


    There were over thirtys circling around the six stars, the smallest being ten times asrge as earth.


    Despite the recent crisis where a lot of poption fled for other duchies, the capital system still had over three hundred billion zions. It''s also the most popted region of the duchy, the most advanced and the most guarded.


    Thanks to the crumbs that fell from the 4th Prince, Zions as a race got the disastrous blessing of getting better without earning it.


    Even though many old timers still adhered to hard work, the younger poption were soft and weak minded.


    So, when the rms rang off, people flooded the spaceports to escape and chaos enused.


    Prince Merov stood on a star, overlooking the core of Zion civilization falling into chaos.


    The mes of the stars, enchanted by formation were enough to instantly kill any rank 6s.


    "Teacher, I like this star! It got the perfect heat for a winter bath!" Merov bathed in the mes with arms wide open and a rxed grin.


    "The space crack will copse if you try it."


    "Tsk, stupid star." Merov raised his foot and a green light gathered on his sole.


    For a moment, the mes of that star froze and a green light enveloped the celestial body. The astronomy organization panicked as they noticed a star had stopped giving off light.


    As his foot grew closer to its surface, the entire star began to shake violently, like an unstable bomb before an explosion.


    "Don''t!" The old voice rang, its tone urgent and scared. "Stars are the lifeblood of a civilization. There should be a dangerous formation that will trigger if you destroy it."


    "Teacher, you''re no fun," Prince Merov snorted and withdrew his foot.


    The star slowly returned to normalcy.


    "Do what you''re supposed to do here. Destroy thes."


    "Fine, fine."


    Waving his hand carelessly, the Prince appeared in front of the closest to the sun.


    The ve creatures appeared beside him without sound andy down like pets, purring and barking. They didn''t resemble the monstrous rank 7 beasts that could end duchies and provinces in another afternoon.


    Merov chuckled to himself and raised his arms, the bottom of his palms touching each other.


    The aura of the entire star system rumbled before it rioted.


    All the lighting from the stars was sucked in. The lights at home, street, and office shattered. The entire Capital Star system went dark as if someone had turned off the switch.


    Prince Oleg and the army officers on the prime moon stormed out and gasped. Endless darkness enveloped the moon,, and everything.


    "T-There!" Someone pointed to a spot in the endless dark sky. It looked the same as every other ce.


    But as awakeners in gravity, they could feel the fabric of space-time bending and twisting in that area, due to the sheer power manifested at that point.


    ''Rank 7! Rank 7 no doubt!'' Prince Oleg''s heart thrashed against his chest and cold sweat drenched his back.


    But he turned on a public message and announced. "N-No worries, I''ve informed the kingdom, help is already underway."


    The truth was, the old elite of the duchy were reluctant to ask for help. Their pride didn''t let them. But even if they put their pride down, they''d have to pay an unimaginable priceter.


    There''s a good chance they''d be called to the frontlines now and get thrown into the battlefield.


    That''s why, even though some of them knew that a star system was destroyed, they kept it under wraps. Moreover, they were confident in finishing off the enemies with the existing defense formations.


    But Oleg''s words of asking for help weren''t false. Right when the defense formations sounded rms of a rank 7 sneaking into thes, they sent messages to everyone and their moms.


    Fearing that the enemy might block their messages, they even used precious one-time usemunication treasures.


    The kingdom should respond soon. They''d just have to survive until then!


    A green dot appeared in the distant sky before it expanded rapidly in a blink. It grew as big as a typical and ballooned to rival the capital stars! The thirtys that just went dark were now bathed in ominous green light.


    The invisible enemy that drove them into fear finally showed himself in full glory.


    Oleg moved his hand through the green light rays.


    ''Life¡­power of life¡­Genesis Empire!''


    His heart sank but he didn''t run away. Holding onto his pride, he yelled. "Don''t worry all thes have defense formations!"


    As if responding to him, thes began to tremble as the life force began to seep in slowly.


    A small tear appeared on Oleg''s index finger and a blood drop dripped down.


    "W-What?!"


    "No!"


    "What''s happening?!"


    He turned to look at the others.


    The rank 6 military officers were clutching their noses to stop the bleeding and were failing. The rank 5 military officers began to cough out blood.


    "Oh no!" Oleg''s heart nearly leaped out of his throat. "No! No! No!"


    Screens popped up and the situation of the thirtys was disyed.


    The people copsed on the streets, still alive and breathing, but not for long. Blood was leaking out of their body and the purple blood filled the streets.


    Like a stroke by a thick brush, every, every house, every building was dyed purple.


    "Activate! Activate all formations!" Oleg yelled in fear and anger.


    The formations that were supposed to be triggered upon attack on thes activated and a translucent barrier enveloped thes.


    The green light could no longer reach them as easily but the barrier couldn''tpletely stop it.


    Less than 1% of the previous green light entered thes but that was enough to kill everyone on the.


    Only one thing changed from before.


    Instead of dying in a few minutes, they''d suffer for hours.

 Chapter 1296 Gods Favorite Cub

    Chapter 1296 God''s Favorite Cub


    Hazel was worried. If this bastard killed everyone, who should she send over to the other gxy? But it''s not like there''s anything she could do at this point.


    "But¡­" She looked at the screen depicting Varian. Since it was an emergency, he decided to keep it active for updates.


    Unless it''s something important, she could see what he''s doing. And she''d been quietly watching him for the past thirty minutes, right since the green star began to bloom.


    More than a billion Zions were already dead so far and billions more were on the way.


    But other than acknowledging her reports, Varian didn''t even show a hint of concern.


    ''What does he know that I don''t?''


    Hazel quietly prodded some members of her to migrate the poption from the star systems close to Zion.


    The official reason was the economic meltdown, the refugee crisis, and of course, mercenaries from Zion that went rogue.


    To that end, she took a ruthless step and had a and its few moons destroyed.


    Of course, she didn''t take lives. The people on the and the moons were evacuated before the destruction. But they were prevented from contacting anyone else. In the eyes of the world, they were already dead.


    It provided credible evidence and there was only a small poption of Fairies who lived close to the border.


    Varian raised his hand and the power of assimtor spread out from his palm violently, drowning everything in their path, like the waves of a tsunami.


    They enveloped all the Zions ''resting'' in the forbidden region. Some lost their arm, others their leg. The lucky ones lost a few fingers while the unlucky ones lost their lifespan. Varian didn''t intend to kill any, so they all remained alive.


    Seated cross-legged in the air, Varian absorbed their experiences in the gravity path and used it to further his space and time paths.


    The progress was significant. At the same time, his practice in the paths of Energy and Matter using the slivers also bore fruit.


    ''Status''


    [Adept Rank 5: 200/2500 (+200)


    < The training ising along well >


    Assimtor Rank 5: 500/2500 (+490)


    < Using this power a bit too much, aren''t you?>


    Binder Rank 4: 999/1000


    <Don''t neglect>


    Energy Rank 5: 0/2500


    Matter Rank 5: 0/2500.


    < Your rank is too low to gain real insights from the slivers>


    Space Rank 5: 100/2500 (+80)


    < Work Hard >


    Time Rank 5: 50/2500 (+40)


    < Synergy with Sarah will help >]


    Varian exhaled deeply and stretched his arms. Now that this session ended, next was sparring with Champion Gor and then with Hybrid Mor.


    "I must be god''s favorite cub, he gave me so much talent that I sometimes feel pity for others." He shook his head with a wistful sigh.


    His gaze towards the sky seemed to be saying. ''Isn''t it too unfair? Unfair for others, that I''m this talented?''


    "S-Should I close the call? I-I can hear you." Hazel''s meek voice rang.


    "Oh, you''re learning some truths,ss." Varian pretended to rub the long beard, though he shaved clean daily.


    Truth be told, he wanted a small break to celebrate the advancement. It''s not like he could fight the rank 7s now but he''s so much closer.


    Noticing that he''s in a good mood, Hazel mustered up the courage to ask. "Prince Merov is going to destroy the capital! The source of rank 5 and rank 6 will be gone! How are you not worried?"


    "Eh, nothing will happen," Varian replied with a yawn.


    "B-But¡­"


    "Jataur knows what we know. And he knows more. He sacrificed the entire duchy for his safety. Have faith in his paranoia, little one."


    "¡­okay." Hazel bowed her head and nodded weakly.


    Varian blocked off the call and began his sparring session with Champion Gor¡ªwhose injuries were always customized to keep him significantly strong but not so strong that he couldn''t be fought.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    A powerful aura broke out of Sarah. The ''legacy'' was moreplicated than she initially thought.


    It wasn''t just a powerful mass of aura, it had a lot of information and insights that would perfectly integrate with her.


    It shouldn''t have been this easy. However, the Primal Union Body managed to utilize the legacy to the fullest.


    Once she reached rank 7, Sarah raised her hand and a sword of light materialized in her palm.


    The world around her blurred and she disappeared, without any fluctuations of space. It was as if she was never there in the first ce.


    "You olddy,e out and fight!" A powerful aura storm shook a floating mountain in a Hortusoid, enchanted for powerful battles.


    Sia stepped out in confusion before letting out an "Oh" and giving reigns to Isadora.


    "What''s your problem now?" The legendary princess nced at Sarah with a murderous gaze. With a snort, she wielded an exquisite sword of darkness.


    "Old. Lady. Oh, I''m sorry. I should''ve called you great-great-great grandma." Sarah''s voice was sincere, convincing, and strong. "Don''t you feel ashamed for trying to kill someone who''s not even 20? Bad grandma, Bad! I''ll beat you up today and teach you a lesson you''ll not dare to forget."


    Veins popped up on Isadora''s forehead and her chest heaved up and down violently.


    "You little¡­" Isadora wouldn''t have felt anything if a random 20-year-old called her these things.


    But this was Sarah¡ªwithout her, she could''ve killed Varian. The prime culprit for her plight today!


    "Until your husbandes and begs me to stop, you''re in for hell."


    "Sure, Sure, saggy skin," Sarah said and lifted her seal.


    "You really want to die!"


    Half of the world was covered by a blinding light and the other half was covered by a suffocating darkness.


    The world fell still for a moment before fierce shockwaves swept the barrier they had set up at thest moment.


    The whole of Hortus, right from its host star to the original and now the ruins¡ªeverything began to tremble violently.


    Like a radio anchor, Alison got onto an announcement again.


    < Have no fear. The Queens are sparring. >


    The people also got used to such sudden events more or less. So, life went on.


    Varian paused his training as he felt the aura fluctuations. But instead of rushing to stop them, he decided to strategically wait for a while before jumping in.


    "Haa! Haa! O-Old¡­!"


    "Huff! Huff! S-Stupid¡­!"


    By the time he reached theoid, the two women already had numerous injuries.


    But the by looks of it, they weren''t aiming for each other''s throats.


    Isadora didn''t find any reason to kill Sarah. Even if she tried, her two ''friends'' would jump out and stall her. That''d be enough time for Sarah to activate the seal again.


    A part of Sarah really wanted to kill Isadora. But she couldn''t do so without ending Sia and Enigma. So, she had to give up.


    Due to the intense, unrestrained battle, their power levels dropped to a range that''s just above peak rank 6.


    Isadora gave him a strong gaze. "We''ve gone too far to stop now. Back off and let us battle it out."


    Sarah nodded. "Don''t stop me, Var. I''ll need to beat some sense into this arrogant meathead."


    Varian''s lips twitched. Sarah''s advancement wasn''t a big surprise. If he hadn''t used a significant chunk of the legacy to kill Great Harvester, she''d have already reached that rank back there.


    But to think the first thing she did after advancement was fight Isadora¡­


    ''This is my woman!'' Varian beamed with pride and brandished his own sword: Requiem.


    The power of life and death pushed back the powers of light and darkness, now dividing the sky into three.


    "I''m not gonna stop you two, but if you''re fighting, you can''t leave me out."


    "W-What?"


    "What?!"


    He shed his sword.

 Chapter 1297 When Internal Debate Goes Too Far

    Chapter 1297 When Internal Debate Goes Too Far


    Isadora was done with this crazy couple.


    If she thought the wife was crazy to ask for a match right after advancement to rank 7, the husband was asking when he just hit rank 5!


    Crazy!


    Absolutely crazy!


    Thinking that she might have to spend who knows how long with these two, Isadora wanted to bash her head into a tree.


    "Good work, girls." Varian grabbed his severed left arm and fixed it back in ce nonchntly. "Call me when you fight again."


    Sarah had a distressed expression watching him limp away with a straight back.


    Isadora looked at her lovesickness and cursed inwardly. ''You idiot! You''re the one who cut his arm!''


    Sarah thought Varian was teaming up with her. She was wrong. Varian fought both of them and both of them fought him.


    It was an absolutely mess and things got out of hand as they pushed each other to absolute limits. Isadora''s chances of winning against Sarah hit zero when Varian joined.


    At the end of the match, everyone was exhausted. And no one won against anyone.


    Varian avoided as many injuries as he could but the ones he couldn''t, he didn''t mind. To him, a severed arm was like a p on the back and sted lungs was a sharp pinch.


    "Sarah, I¡ª"


    Oobnded out of nowhere and spoke. "Master, Master! Prince Rudolph is back! He is severely weakened!"


    Varian''s face paled and kicked the ground in dissatisfaction. "Fuck!"


    The destroyed star system in Zion and the returned prince!


    ''I thought Rudolph was a clever one. Was it only for looks?''


    He misjudged that Prince. Now he had to solve the problem before it became a danger.


    "I''ll be back in a bit." Varian chugged down a few healing potions and took a few steps away from them in a hurry to teleport.


    "I have a bad feeling about this¡­" Sarah appeared in front of him, her blue eyes staring right into his. "You''re going to Rudolph, right?"


    Varian was growing better at hiding his intentions. But Sarah was growing faster at reading his. ''How does she do that?''


    "I just want to¡­" Varian didn''t want to repeat the insults the maid used that day. "I want to kill him. Nothing more, nothing less. I''ll deal with his maidter."


    At the sudden reveal of his n, not only Sarah but even Isadora was shocked.


    "Are you crazy?"


    "No. This is the n."


    "But this will mess everything up! You plotted everything to remove the focus from us. If a prince dies here, we''ll be on the biggest spotlight!" Sarah grabbed his shoulders and looked at him with a solemn expression.


    Varian looked away from her eyes and remained silent.


    Sarah bit her lip with a confused expression. "So why are you still doing this? What''s the reason¡­"


    "One, he did something that is punishable by a harsh death. Two," Varian''s expression grew grim.


    "The man lost the match. He''d be furious now. He might vent his anger somewhere. There is no better target than me and my race."


    "¡­Can you be sure that he''ll attack us?" Sarah held him tight, as if she was afraid he would run away if she let him go.


    "I don''t know. But there''s a good chance. I''d say 70% at least." Varian reported.


    Since there was a recording of something shameful, the Prince wouldn''t want it to leak. He wouldn''t do something as lowly as striking a deal with Varian. Perhaps erasing him was the n ever since he dared to record that conversation.


    Sarah rubbed her forehead but didn''t dare to let him go. Varian wasn''t revealing why but he''s dead set on killing that prince.


    Left without any choice, she asked. "Can Oob block the traces of the Prince''s death? Or at least, make it seem to happen on the Zion side?"


    Oob who was preparing to fly away from this tense situation stiffened and answered in an awkward voice. "Ahaha! That''d be difficult. The prince must carry treasures that are too powerful for me to block."


    "What if Var uses his slivers to help?"


    "¡­Perhaps? But it''ll be leaked out eventually. Suspicions will naturally arise if he''s missing. And if it''s an open battle with the prince, it''ll attract the attention of the two maids. They''ll ry the information back home."


    Sarah pursed her lips and turned to Varian. "We''ll have to n this."


    "But the longer we waste, the more Rudolph recovers. I can''t take on him unless he''s severely weakened like he''s now." Varian argued, his fists clenched and his voice urgent.


    "How do you know he hasn''t recovered enough already?"


    "¡­Well, I was going to judge his aura first. If he hadn''t recovered, I''ll attack."


    Sarah hugged him and gently sat him down on the grass field and rested her head on his chest.


    "Take a deep breath," She whispered. "¡­You''re anxious now."


    "I''m not."


    "You''re anxious."


    "I''m not."


    "You''re an¡ª"


    "Yes, I am!"


    Varian yelled and closed his eyes. His voice softened down and he sighed. "I didn''t expect that bastard to be this useless after all the show-off he did. I wasn''t worried when the princes came here because their focus was on the duchy. But now, he''s a ticking bomb!


    This isn''t like manipting the princes in Zion, this is dangerous¡­


    everyone''s lives are at stake.


    He could just order his maid and fifty billion lives will end in a snap. This is just like the time I faced Abyss Emperor as a level 9. I feel so¡­powerless!"


    Sarah silently hugged him and patted his back. It was a wide back, but it was carrying so many burdens alone.


    Her gentle touch and loving hug had an impact. Varian''s restless heart slowly calmed down. Raising his arms, he hugged Sarah in a tight embrace, as if afraid that she''d vanish.


    Isadora watched them with a neutral gaze. She''d seen many couples over the years. But somehow, this particr one felt very repulsive.


    Varian was very stubborn and normally wouldn''t change his decision. But he''s willing to listen to Sarah.


    Instead of ridiculing his crazy decision, Sarah acted in an understanding and gentle manner, calming him down and bringing him to rethink his decision.


    As she watched them withplex emotions, an annoying voice rang in her mind.


    ''Sia, don''t cheat! My time isn''t up yet! I still have 15 minutes!''


    ''#@!%$''


    ''Huh? You''re jealous of Sarah and want to hug him too?'' Isadora''s expression darkened.


    ''Stop this obsession! If you were up, you''d have followed him to kill Rudolph without questioning, you crazy girl!


    You are smart when ites to everything else. But why are you being so stupid regarding him?


    Enigma.


    ''^&@#!!!''


    Those two suit each other anyway. So, just leave them alone ande with me. We''ll be on an epic adventure hitting the divine ranks.''


    Her words directed at Sia garnered an unexpected reply from Enigma.


    ''^&@#!!!''


    ''Enigma, you should be better than her, but why are you behaving worse?! You''re new to this anyway¡­so, just get your head out of that poison! Curse me all you want, that love is just poison!''


    ''@#-+*^!''


    Isadora smashed the rock in her hand to pieces. ''Enigma, you really have the guts! Even though he progresses fast, he can''t reach divine rank as quickly as me. He can''t, he¡­''


    The Princess faltered. As such, for the thirtieth time this week, the trio had another mental brawl on their future.


    Even though Isadora might not admit it, she was growing closer to the two younger sisters whom she was determined to save from Varian''s clutches.


    Unaware of the mental brawl nearby, Sarahforted her husband.


    "You aren''t like you were back then. In the worst case, we''ll just evacuate everyone to Hortus. Still at risk of being found, but that''d take a few weeks. I''m confident you can turn around the situation in those few weeks.


    ¡­And even if you can''t, I will. The legacy isn''t for show. Don''t carry the burden alone. Have some faith in me."


    Varian''s clenched fists rxed and he slowly closed his eyes.


    ''I should be more cool-headed. Even though I am not like this most of the time, losing control one bad time is enough to screw everything up.


    But the longer I take, the worse death I''ll give him. And anyone who supported this crap of a prince can forget living a peaceful life.''

 Chapter 1298 When Your System Breaks The Code

    Chapter 1298 When Your System Breaks The Code


    A synergy session with Sarah ended after an hour. Though it could''ve delved into something more intimate, Varian didn''t go on.


    Dual cultivation with a rank 7 powerhouse in three paths was more fruitful than he thought.


    Including the default Time path, Sarah was going the path of Life Spirit as opposed to Death Spirit which was also an option for a Forcender. And of course, < Light path > evolved into < Energy path > and now it''s the < Chaos path >.


    Sarah benefitted greatly from the slivers through Synergy despite their rank differences.


    [Adept Rank 5: 250/2500 (+50)


    Assimtor Rank 5: 525/2500 (+25)


    Binder Rank 5: 0/2500


    < Your soul bonding became thest straw that broke the bottleneck. Unexpected but not unwee>


    Energy Rank 5: 250/2500 (+250)


    < This is called leeching off your wife >


    Matter Rank 5: 50/2500 (+50)


    Space Rank 5: 100/2500


    Time Rank 5: 300/2500 (+250)


    < How about you just lie down and let her do all the work? The System is referring to divine paths, do not have perverted thoughts, Host> ]


    Varian''s lips twitched at the runningmentary.


    ''Logos, are you fine?''


    [Yes, I am fine.]


    ''Are you so bored these days that you began adding thesementaries to the status panel?''


    [ ''¡­'' ]


    A deep silence followed before a cold snort and the System stopped responding.


    ''Okay, okay, I''m sorry. You were locked up for so long. It''s normal to grow bored. Write whatever you want, okay?''


    [Boredom is only for lowly mortals. As the fusion of tw¡ª]


    ''Yeah, yeah, yeah.'' Varian nodded carelessly. ''I get it, it''s a self-esteem issue. Rxss, I''m not going to judge.''


    [L-Lass?]


    Logos'' usual cold voice was breaking, as if it could not believe the sphemous words uttered.


    ''Yes,ss. How are you,ss? Are you bored,ss? Do you want me to chat with you,ss?'' Varian grinned, stressing on that very word.


    [...If you have so much free time, get rid of your enemies instead of bullying this harmless, innocent and pitiful system.] A sweet, soft, and young voice replied in a crying tone.


    Varian almost choked on his saliva. ''What the fuck are you doing?''


    [Repaying, Master~] The soft, sweet voice rang again.


    ''No, please.'' The contrast was too great. His heart couldn''t take it.


    [Why, Master? Do you like this tone then?] It turned a bit seductive and husky.


    Varian clutched his head and slumped on the floor.


    ''Can we please talk like civilized people?''


    [Nyaa~]


    ''No, no. Don''t start that!''


    [Master~ Master~ Master~] An obsessive voice sounded, filled with possessiveness that one would expect from a yandere who''s ready to kill you and herself.


    Varian shivered with goosebumps and knew he couldn''t let this y go on any longer. ''You win, Logos.''


    [Hmph!] A cold snort sounded, pride and arrogance dripping heavily.


    ''But one day¡­'' Varian raised his hand to the sky and vowed. ''One day, I will grow resistance to them and defeat your malicious schemes.''


    [Heh.]


    He couldn''t see it but the System must be smirking right now.


    Varian clenched his fist. ''Don''t underestimate me. I have a dream that one day¡­''


    Boom!


    A loud explosion rang and Varian immediately scanned his surroundings for the source.


    "Eh?"


    It wasing from one of the screens disying Zion''s state.


    "Oh fuck!"


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Just a while ago:


    The Zion capital system residents despaired at the inevitable death that was slowly snatching away their lives.


    Oleg panicked as he watched thend of his dreams slowly vanish into the embrace of death.


    "No!"


    "Something!"


    "There should be something!"


    The Prince''s panicked cries were drowned in the shrieks of the military members.


    While the older and experienced ones stayed calm even in this catastrophic situation and tried to think of a way out, the neers grew restless.


    "Space portal!" Someone suddenly shouted.


    "Yes, there should be an emergency teleportation formation!"


    "Duke Jataur was such a coward, so there should be something for him to escape in case of emerg¡ª"


    A middle-aged Zion exploded into pieces of meat and bones.


    Oleg red at the crowd with fiery eyes. "Forget in the face of death, even after death, don''t you dare malign my father."


    The veterans frowned at his excessive use of force. But they couldn''t keep contradicting him at this point.


    "Duke, if there is a space portal in the pce, we can use it to temporarily retreat and n for a counterattack. Moreover, the kingdom''s forces must be on the way already.


    So, we just have to hold on for a while before teaching this invader the methods of our torture. He''d realize and beg how big of a mistake it was to attack the duchy under your rule."


    The essence was the same but the words sounded much more pleasant and even a bit ttering.


    Oleg couldn''t help but nod at the veteran and take out a crescent de. "This is the ess key of the duke, it should show if there are any hidden space portals anywhere."


    With a click, the de glowed and shook violently before calming down.


    [ess denied]


    "W-What?!" Oleg''s face dried up and his eyes turned bloodshot. "Bullshit, I''m the duke, obviously I sho¡ª"


    [Duke Jataur is the Duke. Until his passing or voluntary retirement, you will not be a Duke.]


    "Then why did I get the permissions so far?"


    [Duke Jataur allowed it, until now. From now on, he doesn''t.]


    Oleg copsed onto his knees and looked at the sky with hollow eyes. "W-Why? Father? Why?"


    As if responding to his desperate plea, a in the star system suddenly glowed with a brilliant light, even outshining the overwhelming green light.


    Then, a red beam of power shot from the, enveloping the green ''star'' before it could react.


    The green star disappeared right away. The star system fell into darkness once again.


    Only this time, instead of the scary green light, the warmth of the Boom!


    six stars filled with vacuum.


    Boom!


    A shockwave swept the star system a few minutester, nearly knocking thes out of their orbits.


    Looking at the location where the green star used to be, Oleg finally understood that he was living in his own delusion.


    His father hadn''t given up. He was just for these ''hunters'' to take the bait and destroy them.


    "Haa! Haa! Haa!"


    Just beyond the borders of the capital star system of Zions, a lump of wriggling flesh appeared.


    "Merov!"


    "Merov!"


    The old voice rang impatiently but got no response. After confirming that he had fallen into aa, the old voice''s usual kindness disappeared, instead, a voice full of contempt and disgust sounded.


    "Stupid son of a bitch! You can''t even handle this! If I didn''t help you take that attack, you''d have died! Fucking died in this shitty ce! Useless piece of shit you are!


    The worst of worst you are! If I hadn''t picked you up, forget being the most favored prince, you wouldn''t even be worth the prince''s butler''s butler''s butler!"


    After venting his anger, the old voice drew a deep sigh and then turned its attention back to the star system.


    "But who would''ve thought, even with all the caution I exercised, Zion''s Duke had something like that up their sleeve. Three formations meant to kill peak rank 7s¡­it''s madness."

 Chapter 1299 Hello, Comrade

    Chapter 1299 Hello, Comrade


    Varian frowned as he reyed thetest info.


    In a shot taken from one of thes in the capital star system, a beam of light shot into space, extinguishing what appeared to be a green star.


    It seemed simple to ayman but only the stronger celestials understood the horror of the visual. Even across the screen, Varian''s body reacted with goosebumps at the destructive power of the beam.


    A peak rank 7 couldn''t even fight back!


    Upon closer inspection, however, that single beam seemed to be built of two or three smaller beams.


    ''Even the smaller beans can seriously hurt peak rank 7s, what the fuck did Jataur do to get these? Having a bomb that can detonate the entire star system and seriously injure Prince Rudolph is impressive, but this¡­this is scary.''


    After seeing this, Varian had to admit that he seriously underestimated the prowess and determination of the duke.


    If he had gone to war recklessly, trying to end the Zions over his past with abyssals, he''d have paid a hefty price, perhaps even death.


    Thankfully, he was using the princes despite the whole n now hanging on a delicate bnce.


    The princes should have invaded Zion, had their fight, faced the traps, ovee them, and returned victorious.


    That was it. That was the n.


    Members of the kingdom would be sent to seal off any possible space cracks and the matter would be considered over.


    The highlight of the Princes'' foreign exploits would overshadow the entry of the Human Province into the Kingdom.


    Even though Prince Rudolph survived, Varian didn''t know if Prince Merov did. Perhaps he''s still alive.


    After all, a crown prince candidate would definitely have life-saving treasures. And this was Merov¡ªthe favorite contestant in the race! He should definitely be alive¡­right?


    "If he''s dead, hell will break loose. But even if he survived, I don''t see any positive oue now. Two princes nearly dying¡­this is too big of a danger to just forget. The sr system could likelye under tight surveince."


    Varianmented how the n deviated so quickly. But it''s no use fretting over spilled water.


    ''Whatever the case, I still have to kill Prince Rudolph, his pimp maid.'' His gaze turned from the screen disying Hortus to the one disying the Zions in the locality.


    At the edge of the sr system, Prince Xoler faced the shaky, unstable space crack.


    "Prince, it''s dangerous." Sage Nevar said in a calm tone, without the slightest of anxiety.


    "The homnd is under attack."


    "We have a mission toplete. We don''t know why those princes are even attacking us. Maybe finishing the mission will reveal ck Rose''s plot in pushing them to atta¡ª"


    "Everyone will be dead by then," Xoler could hear his voice cracking, on the verge of both anger and grief.


    "I will trust the Duke on this matter. He must''ve made adequate preparations foreseeing this danger. That''s also why he isn''t in the public eye for a while. We need to finish our mission and that''s how we can hel¡ª"


    "I''m sorry. The priority of protecting my peoplees first." Xoler''s voice turned indifferent, cold, and even hostile.


    Sage Nevar raised a brow. "Then I will not stop you, Prince. But know that you are unfit to be a soldier, much less the leader of the armed forces."


    Xolerughed at the words of ''Sage Nevar''¡ªthe war veteran who had served and retired from the kingdom''s army.


    "Soldier? Leader? What use are these titles and professions if they can''t even protect those that should be protected? I''d rather be a nameless street fighter." The harsh response elicited only silence.


    Sage Nevar didn''tsh out with anger nor did he show any displeasure because of the Prince''s words. Instead, he simply gestured him to the space crack, telling him to leave.


    And that''s why Prince Xoler felt even more revolted against this man who was so drowned in his own beliefs that he couldn''t even consider himself wrong for a moment.


    "Good luck with your mission, Sage. May you capture that bastard Baldur responsible for this mess."


    Despite the friction, the two bid polite farewells and separated.


    The space crack fluctuated violently after the Prince left but "Good luck to you too, Prince. May the duchy remain prosperous and safe."


    Despite the friction, the two bid polite farewells and separated.


    The space crack fluctuated violently after the Prince left but somehow remained. Sage Nevar used his space powers and stabilized it from further copse. But he couldn''t stay here forever.


    ''Baldur, Baldur, Baldur¡­'' The veteran muttered the name like a fanatic and decided to dig up all the information prior to this point.


    Oleg went missing. Baldur went missing. The whole mission was a trap dug out for them.


    But why go to such lengths?


    Oleg gains his throne, sure. But what would Baldur gain?


    If Abyss Emperor''s story of ck Rose was true, then it makes sense. What if it wasn''t? Then who was ying this game?


    ''I need to find Baldur for everything!'' The veteran''s eyes widened as he recalled a piece of information.


    ''Baldur had already been in this civilization before the envoys arrived.'' Sage Nevar used hism to hack into humanity''s records and quickly estimated the ce he could now be hiding.


    ''Hortus!''


    The Zion powerhouses didn''t want to disturb the sr system until now because they feared it''d alert the princes nearby. But Nevar couldn''t care about it less after everything.


    The maids were frequently patrolling to find the invaders. They were only keeping to themselves as they wanted to focus on their Princes.


    But once the candidates return, the search would intensify and there''s little chance he could remain hidden.


    A ring popped out of Nevar''s storage and it shielded him from all surveince and senses.


    Even as hended on Earth, and walked into the entrance of Hortus, no one noticed him. The guards too were unaware as an intruder entered their sacrednd.


    To Nevar, the world seemed to go dark for a long breath before the light returned. He found himself standing on green fields by the side of a small stream.


    To his utter surprise, a young man stood in front of him with two young women.


    Nevar''s aura channeled itself without him needing to will it and he instinctively took on a defensive posture.


    ''Who are they? How did they know about my arrival? What are their ns?''


    Nevar faced many difficult situations on the battlefield over his career. He came close to death many times. Experience had been a harsh teacher but he had been a willing student.


    Unlike how others could''ve reacted, He didn''t panic in the face of the unexpected nor did he attack instinctually.


    Rather, he tried to find a reasonable exnation for his current situation and a possible way out while remaining as calm as possible.


    The one with blonde hair was very, very cold. Her blue eyes were telling him to stay the hell away or pay the price. The rank 7 aura she exuded wasn''t a pleasant finding.


    The woman with brown hair, on the other hand, looked at him with outright disgust, as if she was staring at trash thrown on the streets. She too had a rank 7 aura.


    The young man remained in ce looking at him with a¡­friendly smile? His aura¡­was it rank 4, rank 5 or rank 6? It certainly shouldn''t be rank 7, right?


    This lineup stumped even the veteran who felt tremendous pressure.


    Sure, as a mid rank 7, he had confidence in taking the two apparently low rank 7 women down and the man who seemed to be at rank 6 at best.


    But it''d be a terrible mistake to judge your enemies based on what they show in their home field.


    "Well, well, well!" The young man pped with a bright, friendly smile.


    Sage Nevar prepared himself for a battle, deciding one of the two moves depending on the situation.


    Capture the man and hold him hostage. Or use an attack on him as a decoy to actually attack one of the two women.


    Varian raised his hand and the space around Nevar began to shake, in anticipation of the attack.


    Instead of any attack, his fist simplynded on his heart position and he mmed it three times.


    The space power around him fluctuated in a particr fashion, something that''d take decades of training to replicate.


    "Praise The God Emperor!"


    Nevar froze in his tracks.


    It was the standard salute and the standard praise of recognized warriors.


    ¡­of the Jai Empire!

 Chapter 1300 Scamming 101

    <h4>Chapter 1300 Scamming 101</h4>


    "W-What?"


    "Praise the God Emperor! The Eden is ours! Jai is invincible!" Varian proceeded to shout the most famous slogans used in the training of soldiers, particrly in academies.


    Nevar took a breath and turned his offensive posture into a defensive one. While maintaining a sharp gaze over the two women, he focused on the man.


    "Who are you? What''s this game? Do you think I''d just believe you because of some slogans? State your purpose and surrender. I will spare your and their lives." Nevar''s voice was bone-freezingly cold andced with thick killing intent.


    Varian''s face didn''t change much in the face of the threat.


    But a tinge of sadness filled his face as he uttered in a deste, bitter, and helpless tone. "Who are we? Right, who are we? Even if we serve the mothend for so long in silence, in darkness, in expecting nothing in return, not even recognition from my fellow warriors. Is this all we get? Who are we?"


    Nevar was a very experienced man. He wouldn''t have survived for so long in the military and bagged enough merit to retire otherwise.


    But the same experience that taught him the skills of survival also burdened him with memories of military brotherhood he could never forget.


    While the primary reason he retired was to finally live in peace and safety, he stayed until then because he wanted to protect the brothers and sisters who joined the service alongside him. He didn''t want to leave them behind.


    But they left him behind. Everyone left him. So, he too left.


    So, despite all his rationality, there was an emotional baggage he always carried regarding soldiers. Particrly, abandoned soldiers.


    Before Sage Nevar could reply anything, Varian spoke up.


    "My apologies for the unsightly disy. You do not know any information, not even the basics. It was my fault to expect a heartful meeting when Duke Jataur hadn''t told you anything."


    "¡­What exactly are you talking about?" Nevar was caught between two conflicting thoughts.


    He wanted to let down his guard and talk a bit more as Varian knowing about Duke Jataur already proved a lot of things.


    On the other hand, he wanted to up his guard and interrogate the young man, threatening him to reveal how he learned the duke''s name.


    "The duke was right when he said you''re a military man to the core. Everyone might leave when things get tough, but you''ll stay and finish the mission." Varian didn''t answer his question, instead, he nodded at him appreciatively.


    Even Sarah and Sia nodded at that statement.


    Though they did nothing substantial, the unexpected praise from a stranger after rebuke from his own prince and the pure contrast in treatment of the two womenpared to earlier had an effect.


    Nevar maintained an expressionless face but he was no longer as defensive against them.


    "Talking in riddles isn''t what one appreciates in the military." He said in a stern but non-hostile tone.


    "Ahaha!" Varian rubbed the back of his neck. "Forgive me, even though I''ve sworn my life to this, I haven''t been to the homnd many times. I am guilty of my code of conduct. I just can''t help but praise you for your dedication."


    Nevar nodded lightly in acknowledgment. "So, who nted you here? What''s your objective? And more importantly, what''s the proof of your identity?"


    Even though he had a good impression, Nevar demanded verification. Words alone wouldn''t work!


    "We are not from here," Varian raised his hands and the two women released their auras.


    ''Gravity and Time. They don''t ur in the same regions. And he is space.''


    Nevar pursed his lips and quickly checked the public records of humanity.


    It suddenly clicked.


    He didn''t say it out loud. But this was already proof enough.


    It made no fucking sense for someone like Varian or the two girls to just pop up. They had to be from somewhere else. And with those paths, where else other than the Jai Empire?


    That''s the only probable truth!


    "The P kingdom needs to be punished for its transgressions. Their recent action against Princess Esh deserves a bloody message."


    "P-Princess Esh?" Nevar would shiver to even utter that word.


    "Are you perhaps unaware, Sage Nevar?" Varian looked at him in confusion, apparently wondering how a man he apparently respected could be not informed.


    "About what exactly?"


    "The Princess wanted something from Centaurus. Miss Cmity blocked the agent she sent." Varian swiped in the air and a bunch of holograms floated around Sage Nevar.


    All were trusted sources with detailed information, backed by authority figures. Not just the ones from Alliance, but even from the Jai Empire!


    After a few minutes of understanding the material, Naver clenched his fist. "Baldur deserves to die!"


    "He deserves a lot worse," Varian showed a cold smile. "At least, that''s what my orders say. So, we lured Baldur here with a false promise, which ended up luring the princes, and then sent them to Zion duchy.


    My superiors have been in touch with Duke Jataur, of course. That''s why you were sent here. To eliminate the close aids of the Prince while the duchy ends the Princes themselves."


    Nevar stood frozen in shock, his mind already nk.


    "What the fuck are you saying? It''s all bullshit! Proof! Give me proof! Your special I.D. or your orders or even your citizenship of the empire! Give me proof to believe you! Connect me to your superiors! Prove everything you imed!"


    The calm and collected Nevar lost his cool for the first time.


    He couldn''t help it. If what Varian imed was true, then everything he believed about this mission so far was wrong. He''s not a yer but a pawn of a higher-up.


    And this wasn''t just a normal hit job but an important mission that concerned Princess Esh herself!


    "Proof?" Varian''s lips curled into a mocking smile. "Aren''t our actions enough proof? We wereying dormant in thisnd for so long just for an opportunity to serve the mothend! Now, we have that opportunity!


    Prince Rudolph has returned with severe injuries. The duke had tried his best but the prince, like the roach he is, managed to escape. The three of us are now going to end that low life and prove our loyalty with his blood.


    I thought you''d join us in this glorious battle, as you were meant to. But you''re asking us for proof. Hah. How pathetic."


    Nevar was under a strict inner conflict.


    He couldn''t believe someone based on words alone and without proof. That''s just the standard protocol.


    But if Varian was really going to do what he said he was going to do¡­wasn''t that the best proof in itself?


    Despite Prince Rudolph''s weakened condition, attacking him was a major risk. If they''re willing to risk dying, wasn''t that proof enough, at least for now?


    Varian knew that if he gave enough time, Nevar could cool down and start nitpicking things one by one, eventually unraveling this scam.


    So, he didn''t give him any time.


    "We''re going now. Follow us if you want to. Or stay here." With the precise aim of getting Nevar caught up in his tempo, Varian acted fast and headed to the exit.


    "For The God Emperor!" He yelled as he stepped out.


    ""For The God Emperor!"" The women followed.


    "Ahh, fuck it!" Nevar ran after them.

 Chapter 1301 A Classy Slap

    <h4>Chapter 1301 A ssy p</h4>


    It all happened suddenly.


    The news of Rudolph prompted him to prepare for an attack. Then, Sarah convinced him to rethink. Before he could formte any big n, news of Merov''s possible death surfaced. As if that wasn''t enough, Oob urgently conveyed Sage Nevar''s entry.


    There''s a significant chance of them subduing this man inside Hortus¡ªSarah and Sia with their three rank 7 powers and he, with the blessings of Hortus. But the fight itself was still risky. Moreover, there''s nothing to be gained from it.


    Varian wanted to avoid it if it could be avoided. If this guy was an asteroid that''s going to strike anyway, then he decided, to make him strike Rudolph.


    As they walked through a teleportation formation and reached a secret realm, Nevar noticed something.


    "These secret realms¡­you are the one who did the ck Rose operations, right?" There was confusion in his voice.


    If he didn''t get a proper answer that could cate him for the time being, he''dsh out for sure.


    Nevar was caught up in Varian''s rythm and following him. The man himself was not subservient.


    "Prince Oleg has vanished. Wonder why?" Varian threw a question like that.


    Nevar''s eyes widened. "Is he really¡­?"


    "The Duke requested a check over him. After he led to the death of Champion Gor and Hybrid Mor, we identified him as a threat and then¡­" Varian didn''t finish.


    But Nevar understood. Like with every revtion, he was shocked.


    The great mystery he sensed in his mind¡ªthe conspiracy yed by the invisible hand¡ªwas all being revealed and it all started to piece together. But it was only bringing up more and more questions.


    "Who exactly are your superiors? Who are you serving? Me attacking the Pri¡ª"


    "We are but mere servants of her highness, a speck of dust in front of their greatness," Varian said with a fanatical face, beaming with a crazy smile that would''ve selected for this year''s most devoted cult member.


    ''He''s really under Princess Esh!'' Nevar felt a chill down his spine. ''This is how her underlings behave! Madness! Pure madness!''


    Then it made sense! These guys were young, he could sense that. Who else couldmand young, talented, and powerful rank 7s other than the Princess herself?


    ''But why does everything make so much sense? That makes no sense.'' A corner of Nevar''s mind was screaming at him, but amidst the noise that drowned him, it turned into a forgotten whisper.


    "We have neutralized one of the maids," Varian briefly nced at Sia and she rolled her eyes.


    ''Why are you holding me ountable for her crazy actions? I didn''t even participate in this crazy mission. Only Enigma had some involvement so far.''


    Sarah gave her a long nce of mild contempt.


    ''How about you stop beingzy and start convincing that woman to act properly? Not controlling her is a sign of weakness and you dare to say you can control your violent impulses? The elves and nymphs are still scared of your violence, they don''t even attend the court properly!''


    ''Hey! Why are you bringing that up now of all times? Those women should have kept it in their pants instead of lusting after Var!''


    ''But you can''t just shave their delegates all bald with your powers! How will they show their faces? Their hair didn''t grow until weeks!''


    ''Not my problem! Isn''t the Queen of Radiants taking care of the court?''


    ''You little¡ª''


    Varian butted into the battle fought through exchange of gazes that started bing increasingly heated.


    ''Girls, you can fight all you want after we''re done with this. Please learn some maturity from me and behave like grown-ups. We''re all adults already. Don''t make me babysit you.''


    ''Wh-What?!''


    ''The audacity of this man!''


    Varian''s strategy to divert their anger at each other onto him seeded and they stopped arguing, instead deciding to try to teach him a lesson this time at least, even though they were almost certain they were going to fail.


    Nevar was unaware that a short but intense exchange just ended between the husband and wives.


    If he did, he''d have questioned his sanity to follow these crazies onto the battlefield, putting his life at risk.


    But the poor old man was hoodwinked by a shameless young fellow who had no regard for the elderly.


    "So¡­there is one maid in Princess Merov''s mansion, she''ll be alerted by the fight and will try to butt in.


    So, we have to drive her away first, then we can attack Prince Rudolph and his maid, ending them properly. Then, we can kill the surviving maid."


    "I-Is that it?"


    "Yes, that''s the end of the mission. Duke Jataur had already taken care of Prince Merov when he tried to attack the duchy''s capital. You should''ve already gotten calls for help." Varian said with a neutral expression.


    "Y-Yes, Yes, I did. But the calls have stopped."


    "Because the attack has been dispelled. The perpetrator is dead. All ording to n." Varian grinned like a devil. "We''ll just have to show these Prians their ce. Picking a fight with the Empire is seeking death wish. These humble bugs don''t need our leaders toe out, we are more than enough."


    Nevar nodded, half-agreeing and half-denying. The hot-blooded warrior part of him was excited at the prospect of killing a Prince! A crown prince candidate no less! A peak rank 7 he''d never be able to kill otherwise!


    But the rational side of him was panicking. Its whispers were not being heard despite it trying hard. Its fear, however, was being felt.


    "O-Okay, then how do we distract the maid?"


    Varian grinned and took out a ck spar with a horn engraved on it. "This is Baldur''s authority key for being a regent of Centaurus. Within a certain range, it allows you to teleport back to Centaurus. We just entered that range."


    The spar glowed and the space around them distorted. A few secondster, Nevar dropped his jaw as he noticed they were inside a giant city!


    "This is the capital." Varian introduced.


    Nevar stood still for a few moments beforementing. "W-Wait, they fell this low? Damn, Centaurians! How the mighty have fallen!"


    Varian shrugged it off and took them to a special building within the guestplex of the pce.


    All of them wore facial disguises just in case, used stealth treasures, quietly deactivated anti-stealth using Baldur''s authority, and reached the destination without any hitch.


    The guestplex had many pces, not as luxurious as the main ones but still veryvish and beautiful.


    The three envoys stayed in a pce each, waiting for the good news of their prince and ready to assist them in any way possible.


    Right now, they were ying a board game in the backyard garden. Varian took off his mask and walked to them in leisurely steps.


    They reacted differently, though with amon theme.


    Ashley: "V-Varian of the new trib¡ªcivilization? How dare you trespass into our residence?!"


    Finar: "Who are those three? Thugs you hired? "


    Edison: "I wanted to kill you there. But well, I guess I can do it now. On reasonable grounds."


    They stood up, intending to enjoy the ''hunt'' of chasing the prey and savoring its struggle.


    But Varian wasn''t in the mood for bullshit. He raised his hand and pped it across the air.


    Paaaa!


    The three envoys'' heads flipped to the right and their feet rose up to the ground.


    They spun in the air like tops, forming afterimages. With each rotation, they spat one tooth and when they finally copsed and crashed to the ground, unconscious and severely injured, their faces were swollen hard.


    "H-How was that even possible?" Naver gulped down hard at the casual cruelty of this young man.


    Killing people was one thing. But this¡­this was really something else.


    Not minding the old man''s shock, Varian grabbed Edison''sm and messaged the maid Reina Astolf.


    [An emergency discovery has been made! Please visit immediately! This is the location! Rted to the prince, please do not reveal!] The message was set to the highest alert and sent.


    The maid would take off any minute and would spend at least an hour searching the area for clues.


    Varian grabbed the three of them by their cors and activated the spar once again. A teleportationter, he threw into Hortus.


    After two minutes, the four of them quietly approached the fortress of Prince Rudolph, ready for the assault.

 Chapter 1302 Turmoil

    Chapter 1302 Turmoil


    While Varian''s improvized n was about to beunched in the sr system, the situation in Zion duchy began to shift.


    It was marked by the presence of the arrival of someone unexpected.


    The people of the capital star system, throughout the tens watched the screens at their homes in anticipation.


    10 billion.


    That''s the death count caused by the green star during the short duration. Panic had reached unprecedented levels.


    It didn''t matter if it was ancestral home or a burning legacy, people sold everything they could and took flight.


    It had only been six short hours, but the poption went from 300 billion to 250 billion.


    Unlike humanity during the Neptune evacuation, Zions had adequate technology for mass travel.


    So, the ones who could and were determined to leave left quickly. This was despite many officers trying to make people stay one way or another.


    Almost 50 billion more were just forced to stay. Estimates suggested that around 100 billion were trying to wrap things up and leave after fixing a proper destination.


    Only 100 billion, 1/3rd of the whole poption, reported that they''d stay here and if needed, die here.


    Now, it was these loyal people who felt more joy than anyone else.


    "Prince!"


    "Prince!"


    "Hero!"


    ""Hero!""


    The crowds chanted praises for the savior who rushed back, filling their hearts with a sense of security.


    The thirtys, hundreds of moons, and an evenrger number of space cities began to chant.


    As if the itself was singing alongside them, the loud, heart-thumping praises echoed.


    As hended on the administrative region¡ªPurple Moon or as it was called publicly, the Purple Crescent Crown¡ªXoler was in goosebumps at the response he received.


    But upon thinking how badly the popce had been affected that his mere return gave them this much hope, a harrowing pain engulfed the prince.


    These people were behaving as if they were abandoned¡ªby their ruler, army, peers, and even fate itself.


    They wouldn''t be so wrong to draw such a conclusion.


    Duke Jataur had been missing.


    The army, before Oleg, had a section of it flirting and jumping on ship with a foreign power. After Oleg, the army started indiscriminate, insidious ''traitor'' finding which only resulted in motivated killings.


    The rich Zions didn''t care for their poorer brethren. They took all the important stuff they could¡ªcritical medicine, stocks of food, saved money. Some of it was legal, some of it was not. But all of it was immoral.


    And fate¡ªperhaps this was the biggest of them all. Zions had no idea what and why everything was happening. It''s like someone just woke up one day and decided to royally screw them over.


    "People," Xoler took a deep breath and said out loud. "I am back!"


    His assuring voice resounded throughout the capital and was quickly broadcast across the duchy. There was finally a sense of relief and security.


    He nced at the military leaders gathered outside the administrative building, with Oleg in a duke''s ceremonial robe at the front, and frowned.


    "Oleg, why did you dis¡ª"


    "Why are you sote?" Olegshed out. "Have you shown your face now that the duchy is finally safe? My cowardly brother, you might be a rank higher than me but your courage is generations lower."


    Xoler wasn''t just surprised by those words, he was surprised that Oleg was broadcasting everything.


    "And you call me¡ªthe duke¡ªby name? How dare you?! Is this the respect you show to ourw?" Oleg''s voice was calm and chilly.


    Inwardly, however, he was gnashing his teeth, wondering why Xoler hadn''t died.


    ''Why? Why? That formation just saved the duchy! I was ready to die for this duchy even if nothing happened! Now youe up and want to take all credit? No fucking way! Father said it''s mine! The duchy is my rightful inheritance! Mine!''


    Feeling the disgruntled look on his brother''s face, Xoler realized that things might have reached a point of no return.


    He was already suspicious of Oleg''s act of disappearing suddenly during the mission and his involvement in Champion Gor as well as Hybrid Mor''s incident.


    Now, his actions were all indicating one thing.


    ''This brother of mine wants the throne. When everyone is so scarred by the near-death experience, he''s willing to broadcast our conversation to garner support. He doesn''t understand the severity of the issue or the sensitivity of the public at this time.''


    Xoler''s gaze cooled down. From skepticism to outright hostility, the prince''s view of the current affairs changed.


    He had to first set the affairs right. For that to happen, Oleg was an obstacle.


    "Prince Oleg, you better give up the throne and leave or I''ll have to take it, along with your head."


    "See! This is his honest intention! This butcher is no savior, people!" Oleg yelled at the screens and summoned a scepter that was only used by the duke.


    With a single tap, a formation began to activate on the purple moon. Right from the start, the pressure crushed rank 5s to the ground and burdened rank 6s.


    "You crazy son of a¡­" Xoler didn''t take any chances. He grabbed into the void and the space-time around Oleg twisted.


    bing the duke didn''t evenst for a week.


    Prince Xoler nced at the military officers, some of whom grew "No, no. Nonnono! Noo!"


    As a tremendous force of gravity pressed him together, the prince struggled for a way out. But he was crushed like a bug and died a sudden, ugly, and helpless death. The eldest prince''s dream of bing the duke didn''t evenst for a week.


    Prince Xoler nced at the military officers, some of whom grew closer to Oleg and wanted to speak up.


    An invisible pressure mmed them on their shoulders and the auras in their body began to riot.


    "I will be the Duke from today." Xoler grabbed the scepter and tapped it on the ground twice.


    The broadcast fluctuated before focusing on the new prince.


    "Any doubts?"


    His voice resounded throughout the duchy. The military officers, the strongest still being only rank 6, didn''t oppose the rank 7 prince. The public gaped at the turn of events in utter silence.


    When Xoler thought things would go smoothly from here on¡ª


    "Did you lot really think you ended me?" A deep voice rang across the main star system, filled with contempt and derision.


    A green light began to shine at the edges of the star system. The public was scared into sobbing once they nced at the familiar green light.


    Prince Xoler frowned. "Come out and fight."


    "Hehehehe, Why? Are you too scared toe out? Don''t you want to avenge the billion or ten billion lives?" The deep voice mocked on.


    Prince Merov hadn''t healed. His injuries were so severe that he had to hide for now. But he had no problem ying this part.


    "Prince, don''t risk it. The man wasn''t a normal rank 7, it¡ª"


    "It''s Duke." Xoler corrected and a mark shed on his forehead.


    He appeared at the edge of the star system, his aura sweeping the surroundings and killing intent drowning everything in sight.


    "Come out."


    The howls of three creatures was the answer.


    A winged wolf, a White tiger, and a Tri-headed snake.


    All of them low rank 7.

 Chapter 1303 Varians Hardships

    Chapter 1303 Varian''s Hardships


    Varian didn''t know the tribtions faced by Prince Xoler at the moment. He was facing one of his own.


    Given the condition of the Prince, the fortress appeared normal on the surface but all defense formations were raised to the highest.


    They had nned to sneak attack but they wouldn''t be able to get in without alerting the prince.


    After using more than a dozen treasures to covertly scan the entire fortress for any loopholes, this was the conclusion by both Sage Nevar and Varian.


    "Shit! How can we solve this? The Prince must be assassinated when he''s still injured!" Sage Nevar, a usually calm and collected individual,ined.


    Watching his reaction, the corner of Varian''s lips curled up just a bit.


    ''He''s totally immersed in this mission now. Good job.''


    Sia returned from the space portal and looked into his eyes. Her soft voice rang in his mind.


    ''I could smell his life force shaking when he stepped out of the portal. He''s weak. Very, very weak. If you attacked him when he just escaped the portal, you''d have won. But it''s been a few hours since he escaped. I don''t know how much he recovered.''


    After saying that, she smirked at Sarah and then looked at Varian with puppy eyes.


    Varian sighed inwardly. The catfight wasn''t ending, eh.


    ''Good job, Sia.'' Hemunicated directly to her mind.


    ''Was I more useful in this mission than Sarah?'' She asked¡­and quietly used the soul link to connect Sarah.


    Sarah also listened attentively.


    Varian knew this was amon game. But after so long, did they really think he''d be yed by such games.


    Smirking, he answered. ''No, you are both equally useful.''


    ''B-But¡ª''


    ''I am the one doing 100% of the work here and you two are here for sightseeing. Your contributions are equal. Now,e on, thank me. Oh and thank me again.''


    ''¡­''


    ''¡­''


    "We need to do something. The few hours that passed were already too much. Prince Rudolph is a peak rank 7. Even if he recovers half of his strength, I can''t beat him." Sage Nevar confessed in an urgent tone.


    "I know a way to get in." Varian gave a mysterious smile.


    Covering the area around them with a stealth treasure¡ªwhich was actually the power of slivers¡ªhe grabbed into the space abruptly realization.


    The Prince who once interfered with Princess Esh''s decision was and dragged something out.


    "E-Eh?" Baldur holding a chocte bar appeared. Perhaps because he was suddenly pulled out, his lips, chin, and cheeks were stained with chocte.


    "Baldur!" Sage Nevar raged but didn''t attack him right away.


    ''Baldur deserves death!''


    ''He deserves a lot worse. At least, that''s what my orders say.''


    He recalled his conversation with Varian and showed a look of realization.


    The Prince who once interfered with Princess Esh''s decision was now eating like a child, smearing his face.


    ''Did he grow retarded? That''s wonderful torture instead of just killing him.''


    "Ba-Ba?" Baldur wanted to say something but the bar stuck in his throat wouldn''t allow it.


    ''He really went retard!'' Sage Nevar''s eyes shone brilliantly.


    The old man gave Varian a look of appreciation and nodded his head, as if saying, ''Young man, this time, I will admit, you are better than me in this area''.


    Varian didn''t know what the old fellow was thinking but he could roughly guess. Since he proimed himself to be the Jai empire''s loyal soldier, he wouldn''t treat Baldur nicely.


    "Eat! Take that drugged thing and lose your senses! Be even more enved!" Varian gave an evilugh and took out a chocte bar.


    Under Baldur''s incredulous eyes, he shoved that down his throat, causing the poor prince to delve into a fit of coughs.


    Looking at Baldur, choking with tears at the corner of his eyes, Nevar clenched his fists in excitement.


    ''Yes, yes! More! Torture that bastard more! He knows he can''t eat the enving poison but he can''t help it! Hahahaha!''


    On the other hand, Sarah and Sia stared at each other, the tips of their ears pink.


    Baldur, on the other hand, epted his fate and opened his mouth wide.


    The one in the spotlight, Varian, got goosebumps noticing everyone''s reactions.


    ''Damn, I''m surrounded by perverts!''


    He quickly distanced himself from Baldur and washed his hands with literal acid, even though he didn''t even touch that bastard directly.


    ''Baldur, now you are going to act like you''re controlled by us, okay?'' Varian''s voice rang in his mind.


    ''B-Big brother, I''ll do anything. Just don''t bring me to a perverted old man like him! Look at that old fogey, he''s panting! What the hell is he seeing in me?'' Baldur pleaded.


    Varian observed Nevar once again.


    With bloodshot eyes, clenched fist and a hunched back, the man was waving his hand. "Yes, yes, harder, deeper! Plun¡ª"


    "Ahem, ahem, ahem," Varian coughed and snapped his finger in front of Baldur.


    A foreign power struck Baldur''s mind and the next second, his eyes went dull.


    "Baldur, you''ll now go inside your brother-inw''s fortress. And help us get in. No suspicious allowed, got it?"


    ''What? But how?'' Baldur cried inwardly but replied for everyone to hear. "Yes, My Lord."


    His eyes returned to normal and getting into his spaceship, Baldur reached the space fortress.


    Maid Daphne received him at the entrance, with a face full of suspicion.


    "I heard the Prince returned."


    "If there''s nothing, leave."


    "I want to meet my brother-inw¡­I have a piece of news about the other side he might be interested in." Baldur said with a cool and uninterested expression.


    It was as if he was ready to turn around and leave if she said no. That''s precisely why Daphne hesitated.


    Prince hadn''t fully recovered yet. Traveling through space crack in that condition took a heavy toll on him and slowed down his recovery.


    Meeting others in such a sensitive period was just a no-no.


    But when she looked at Baldur and felt his puny rank 4 aura, she let go of the apprehensions in her heart.


    Even under his worst injuries, her Prince could just sneeze him to death. This guy wasn''t even worth guarding against.


    ''And Var¡­Varian, just you wait. Once the prince recovers, you''ll see hell. To calm his bad mood, I''ll kill your people and bring your wives to his bed. You will regret it badly.''


    Opening the entrance, Maid Daphne nodded lightly at Baldur and weed him in.

 Chapter 1304 A Promise

    Chapter 1304 A Promise


    Watching the figure of Daphne through the screen, Sia shuddered. Her chest heaved up and down, her shoulders trembled and she drew heavy breaths.


    Her golden eyes turned bloody red and a mad, furious and fanatic voice left her lips.


    "Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill her! That bitch deserves death! No, death is too¡­


    light!"


    A thick killing intent exploded out of her, dying the dark space crimson.


    Sarah hurriedly grabbed Sia''s hand before she could use the darkness power and bust their lies of being Jai Empire''s agents.


    Varian heaved a sigh of relief and turned to Sage Nevar.


    The old man was looking at Sia in astonishment and confusion. The woman had been silent so far except for matching nces with the cold woman and Varian.


    But what happened so suddenly? They were just staring at the maid on the screen with Baldur.


    Varian rubbed the back of his head and exined with an expression of deep sadness and suffering.


    "Her father and mother were killed by their maids who were actually spies of the alliance. Her husband was also killed by the maids¡ªwho also happened to be long nted spies. She hates maids in the Alliance more than any soul. If she could write away her life to kill them all, she would do it in a heartbeat."


    Sage Nevar nodded in understanding and expressed his sympathies. "I know people like that. People who hate plumbers, carpenters. Bad experiences really left them with scars. No wonder she doesn''t like outsiders. It makes sense."


    Varian''s lips twitched.


    Was he really that persuasive or was this guy actually having problems with his brain, believing every bullshit he spouted?


    ''No, wait, everything I said made sense though. No wonder he believes me.'' Varian realized.


    "And that girl too had some bad experience, huh." Nevar looked at Sarah with same sympathetic eyes.


    Sarah barely held back from rolling her eyes and gave Varian a look while squeezing Sia''s hand.


    Varian understood and pulled Sia to the side. Using the slivers, he made a perfect barrier that''s opaque from outside but transparent from inside.


    Sia quickly changed into Isadora. She yanked her hand back from his grip and looked up at him.


    Her silver hair flowed down, covering most of her face. Yet those red eyes shone through like rubies.


    Varian sighed as he realized the emotions rolling in her eyes.


    Hatred. A lot of hatred. But also pain. Deep pain that came from her memories.


    Her tears had long dried up. Yet looking at her like this, Varian could imagine the nights cried and wondered why she deserved that fate.


    ''Betrayal is painful because it neveres from your enemies.''


    Not too long ago, Isadora must''ve had a good rtionship with the maid Daphne.


    But now¡­


    Isadora didn''t trust him despite watching him with Sia for nearly a decade. She tried to kill him¡ªbecause she''s certain he''d betray her.


    While she spoke about her experience on why rtionships couldn''t stand the test of time, didn''t she also have strong bonds until betrayal?


    Until then, she too thought that some bonds couldst forever. She cherished those bonds and wanted them to remain.


    The betrayal pushed her to the denial side.


    "Isadora,"


    She looked into his eyes and muttered in a slow, cold voice. "I want to rip her limbs apart¡­I want to look into her eyes during that¡­I want to hear her screams¡­I want to feel her body squirm in pain¡­I want to feel her heart stop beating¡­I¡­"


    "Isadora!" Varian yelled.


    She stopped for a moment and tilted her head in confusion. "Why? Aren''t you vengeful too? I am not doing anything wrong."


    "I''m not against hatred or negative emotions. They are useful. But you¡­your hatred is consuming you. You don''t look like a sane woman now. Nothing like a Princess."


    "Princess? Heh," A few strands of her hair in front of her face shook with thatugh.


    Her silky hair slowly moved back, revealing her beautiful, cold face. "I''ll give up everything in the world for my revenge. Varian, enough talk, let''s go! I''ll participate and help with the n! I just want that thing alive!"


    Varian let out a small sigh. "After this, can you tell me about what happened with you?"


    Isadora froze at his words before snarling at him. "Do you really think I want to recall something like that?"


    "The legendary princess Isadora, the woman whose records that not even the most talented geniuses of the kingdom or even the empire could hope to break," Varian looked at her with a cocky gaze and said slowly, with a teasing smile. "Is that princess¡­afraid?"


    "You!"


    Isadora knew. This was just a word y for him to y with her ego to agree to his demand.


    But¡­


    Even if she knew, Isadora felt humiliated when he looked down on her. His attitude was very, very irritating.


    If it was just some stranger, it wouldn''t have triggered her. She''d have just ignored those words.


    But this was Varian. Someone she knew despite not wanting to. She couldn''t ignore his words.


    ''He knows which switches to press! This guy is really dangerous!''


    "And what if I tell you? You only want to take and not give?" She pursed her lips and looked at him with a mocking expression.


    She was implying that there was nothing Varian could ''give'' her. So, he''s not in a position to recieve the information about her past, even if she''s willing to share.


    Despite Varian pressing the switches right, Isadora being Isadora gave a tough reply.


    "Oh," Varian''s lips curled up and he slowly leaned forward, his eyes staring right into hers.


    The yfulness in his gaze was gone and his eyes showed seriousness he rarely showed. But when he did it, it mean something very important.


    Isadora held her breath without intending to and waited.


    "If exchange for telling me about your past," Varian smiled. "I will help you in your revenge. Be it a rank 7, rank 8, rank 9 or even a¡­


    divine ranker. That''s my promise to you."

 Chapter 1305 The Insiders Job

    Chapter 1305 The Insider''s Job


    Prince Rudolph was in a terrible mood. His body had regenerated back to its full form from the few pounds of flesh it previously was.


    But whenever he closed his eyes, the pain of that explosion, the horrible feeling surfaced back.


    The pain of his skin melting, flesh dissolving and bones disintegrating, it was much, much worse than Rudolph ever thought it could be.


    Since his birth, he was the natural candidate for the crown prince. He fought strong warriors but it was mostly training.


    Of course, he went to distantnds, killed enemies of the Alliance, but it was all pre-nned and carefully selected by his prime advisors.


    He had a few close death encounters, where things could have gone wrong.


    But he never experienced anything like this. It was in luck that he was standing alive today.


    Had the formation been just 2% more potent, he''d have died.


    Just like that.


    Orthodox Prince. One of the greatest talents. Man of Elegance.


    And all other titles bestowed on him would''ve been meaningless in the face of death.


    "I need revenge," Rudolph exhaled a puff of purple-colored smoke.


    Apparently, this was a banned drug from Centaurus. He didn''t think he''d use something this cheap but he had nothing better now.


    As he was lost in thoughts, his maid knocked the door. "Master, Baldur is here, iming he knows something about the other side."


    Rudolph sprang to his feet and threw a robe over his naked body. He walked through the torn pieces of maid clothes and underwear before opening the door and stepping out.


    "Where is that bastard?"


    "In the 3rd study."


    Baldur immediately noticed the changes in Rudolph. The man who was brimming with both vitality and confidence before leaving for the mission was nowcking both.


    His face was pale, his shoulders were slightly hunched, there was a sense of weakness that was too obvious to ignore.


    And the confidence¡­it was all gone. After almost dying and facing the biggest set back of his life, Prince Rudolph had lost something far more important than merit of the mission.


    ''He won''t even be able to fight his equals anymore.'' Baldur had a strong feeling he was right.


    "So, what do you know? If you dare to lie to me, you will suffer. The border has high demands for boytoys. A prince like you would be their wet dream and your worst nightmare."


    At least in the past, Rudolph always maintained a royal style of speaking. He didn''t yell, didn''t use vulgar words and certainly didn''t speak like a gangster like he''s doing now.


    Baldur knew he was already in deep trouble.


    On the way here, maid Daphne already asked him multiple times about his ''disappearance'' and the attack on his mansion. She only set aside as she prioritized Rudolph''s affairs.


    But he knew that even if he did support Rudolph wholeheartedly, the probing would continue. It wouldn''t be a pleasant oue.


    In the past, Baldur at least begrudgingly saw Rudolph''s high talent as the reason to ept him as his brother-inw.


    Butparison with a certain man made him feel that his sister was marrying a clown.


    Even though everyone would feel like a clownpared to that man''s ridiculous talent, just their contrast decreased Rudolph''s value in his eyes.


    He wasn''t as¡­amazing as before.


    "Prince Merov might be dead." Baldur dropped the bombshell.


    "Wh-What?!" Rudolph''s face cracked into a big smile without even him noticing.


    His gloomy tone turned joyful and his gaze towards Baldur softened. "What''s the proof? How do you know? Sit down, brother-inw, have some snacks and slowly exin."


    Even before his words finished, Daphne ced some expensive wine and meat on the table and bowed to Baldur, signalling him to savor the delicacies.


    Baldur''s ego swelled from the size of a stone to that of a moon. Especially when he noticed the reluctant eptance in Daphne''s eyes, he almost couldn''t stop yelling in joy.


    ''Bitch! You looked down on me then! Look at you now! Hah!'' Of course, he didn''t say anything like that and put on a serious expression.


    Then, recalling Varian''s instructions, he took a deep breath. His normal gaze turned despondent and sad. It was the look of a man who had gone through extreme hardships and came out broken.


    "The zions attacked me. I managed to escape thanks to a treasure and counter kill them." Baldur''s voice was filled with grief and fear.


    Rudolph couldn''t care less about him dying but the situation demanded an appropriate response.


    "Laying a finger on you isying a finger on me! Don''t worry, I''ll avenge you!" Rudolph promised.


    "I gathered am from the I recently managed to hack. It was connected to the other side. These are thetest videos. You can verify them."


    With a brush of his finger on a half-cracked bracelet, a couple of holograms began to y videos.


    The most prominent among them was the green star in the capital star system.


    "This intensity of light¡­Those aura fluctuations, I''m sure, that''s him!"


    Prince Rudolph grabbed the bracelet from Baldur and almost crushed it.


    "No, no, he shouldn''t kill them, if that happens, I¡ª"


    The beam of light obliterated the green star.


    "Yes!" Rudolph jumped to his feet, mming his thigh with a great smile and pulled Daphne into a deep kiss.


    "That bastard is dead! Let''s celebrate!"


    mind. He''s just happy that Merov was gone forever.


    Without even caring for Baldur''s presence, he began to undress If it was the usual Rudolph, he''d have considered possibility of Merov not dying and would''ve made counter ns.


    But after his terrible experience, he wasn''t in the right state of his mind. He''s just happy that Merov was gone forever.


    Without even caring for Baldur''s presence, he began to undress Daphne. The maid didn''t stop him.


    "Brother-inw, you can join if you wan¡ª"


    "No thanks!"


    Baldur stormed out of the room and took deep breaths.


    His original mission was just to keep them engaged and give a signal for Varian to drill a hole in the security mechanism and sneak in. But now, they''re too engaged!


    "Brother-inw, I''m leaving now! Please take care!" He yelled.


    The only response that came was a grunt and a moan.


    Baldur ran to a security room that and approaced the locked door.

 Chapter 1306 Strike!

    Chapter 1306 Strike!


    Beneath that door lied the heart of the fortress.


    The core of the formations that governed the security of this artifact disguised as a building.


    ''Forget me, even rank 7s can''t break the fortress'' defense.''


    Baldur felt a tinge of envy. Apparently, the fortresses were all gifts by the kingdom itself to the candidates. It was the badge of their approval.


    ''But well, it doesn''t matter anymore. I don''t even know what the heck will happen after this.'' Baldur took out a gray spar.


    Its surface alternated between hot and cold, soft and hard, stic and rigid. He couldn''t understand what this thing was and how it was even formed.


    But it''s something Varian gave him.


    ''Constantine¡ªVarian Konstant¡­that guy is really,'' Baldur sighed.


    If it''s something from him, then he probably wouldn''t be able to find out the truth.


    As far as he was concerned, the man who married his idol was shrouded in mystery. Perhaps as much as the legendary princess herself.


    "Fuck everyone! This is thest time I''m doing this shit!" The frustrated prince threw a gray spar at the locked door.


    Once it touched the door, the spar glowed with a white light.


    The spar was actually a rough materialization of the sliver powers by Varian.


    The ''rules'' Varian instilled in the order was simple.


    - Given enough proximity, go through any obstacles and reach the core of formations.


    The ''rule'' or rather anti-rule in the chaos was simpler.


    - Cover everything first and then break it all at once.


    Once the spar touched the door, the power of order activated and glowing white spread out from it.


    Under Baldur''s incredulous gaze, the spar somehow passed ''through'' the heavily secured door.


    ''If they were not rutting like animals, they had a good chance of noticing this.'' Baldur smirked.


    The prince waited.


    All the smugness in him was gone as the seconds trickled by. He began to panic.


    ''Would it work before they end their session? Did they notice? What should I do? Fuck I''m already did, aren''t I?''


    As his heart stood on a cliff, ready to give him a stroke, a click sounded, jolting him to raise his hands in surrender.


    "I''m sorry, I''m sorry! I don''t know anything. I don''t kno¡ªHuh?"


    It wasn''t those two. It was from the door.


    Click!


    Click!


    Without warning, the security formations of the fortress, including the anti-space formation disappeared.


    The moans and grunts suddenly stopped.


    Baldur was originally curious about what''s going to happen here. But he didn''t want to put his heart at any more risk. He took out a teleportation disk and activated it. With the fluctuation of space, he disappeared.


    "Wh¡ª?!"


    Just as Rudolph noticed something was wrong and yelled almost at the same time, a huge space de reached him.


    The prince instinctively tried to pull Daphne as cover but the space de split into two at thest moment and nked him, rendering such tactic useless.


    He managed to shield his left with the maid while the space de cleaved four full inches into his waist before it stopped.


    Daphne copsed onto her knees, her eyes filled with shock at the betrayal.


    Even though she swore her life to him and was already ready to sacrifice her everything, sacrificing her life on her own and being sacrificed were two different things.


    The space de was lighter on the prince but it nearly severed her waist in half.


    Daphne bit her lip, sniffing back the tears that threatened to spill out, not out of physical pain but the emotional grief.


    Pouring an emergency healing potion, she quickly got back onto her feet.


    Even though she might not look like it, she''s a mid rank 7! And back in those days¡­she was a rank 8!


    Boom!


    The floor under them vanished as a huge space crack opened up and swallowed all the fine marble. Behaving like a ck hole, it began to take devour everything in the surroundings.


    The maid jumped back, as did the prince. But two foreign powers acted on them simultaneously.


    Daphne''s body grew heavy and her ''attraction'' to the space crack suddenly doubled.


    Rudolph, on the other hand, felt everything around him turn significantly faster. As if someone had pressed the 1.25X button.


    "Fucking damn it!"


    The prince gritted his teeth and jumped out of the window. In a blink, his fist reached Sage Nevar who wasn''t expecting the Prince tosh out despite the heavy injury.


    Kacha!


    Theyers of space defending Nevar shattered like ss and the tremendous power of a < Paragon Body > reached the Zion warrior.


    Nevar teleported at thest moment but he didn''t get away scotfree.


    When he appeared far away from the fortress, his ck armor-shirt disintegrated and light purple blood began to spill out of his chest.


    Nevar coughed out pieces of flesh and bones mixed in a lump ofpressed blood.


    The prince barely recovered a quarter of his strength, but he''s stronger than mid rank 7!


    If it wasn''t for the initial injury taking a toll on him, even this much partiy would''ve been impossible!


    On the other hand, Sarah and Isadora, both in disguised appearances, took on Daphne.


    Unlike Rudolph, she took the attack of Sage Nevar¡ªa fellow mid rank 5¡ªnearly at full strength and suffered a serious injury.


    Daphne charged green light onto her palms and tried to suck away their vitality.


    But as her green beams approached the two, they began to slow down.


    The power of time was much more effective on the beam and generated far more resultspared to using it directly on her.


    So, Sarah stuck to dealing with the attacks and defending them while Isadora¡­


    "Arghhh!"


    Daphne screamed as a pin-sized pseudo-ckhole popped up right next to her injury and tore apart her injury that was starting to heal. Now, it was worse than the initial state.


    "You bitches! I''ll sell you¡ªarghh!"


    Daphne''s forearm twisted apart and exploded.


    The seemingly familiar cold voice rang like divine decree.


    "Die, bitch!"

 Chapter 1307 The Good Old Man

    Chapter 1307 The Good Old Man


    Sage Nevar always knew there was a huge gap between a duchy and a kingdom.


    It wasn''t like the differences between provinces and duchies. While rare, there had been provinces that grew to be duchies.


    But there had been no history, either in Jai Empire or in the Alliance of a duchy being a kingdom.


    There seemed to be a huge barrier between the two. Even though a few duchies blessed with an extreme talent managed to raise a genius to rank 8, those rank 8s were quickly absorbed into the kingdom.


    Rank 7s were still fine. But rank 8s were the red line that duchies shouldn''t cross if they didn''t want to face the wrath of their superior.


    So how big was the difference between duchies that didn''t even have rank 8s and kingdoms that must have rank 9s?


    Even in his fight against a rank 7 prince from the kingdom, the differences came about.


    Prin race were blessed with a natal treasure. Rudolph''s treasure was a full body armor.


    Even though it''s badly damaged from the explosion and was virtually useless for his fights at his peak strength, it was offsetting at least 30% of every attack right now.


    At its lowest, it was still so effective against a mid rank 7!


    ''Aghh! Why am I not born in a kingdom?'' Nevar could feel his jealousy rising as his attacks failed to have the desired effect.


    Their battle seemed like hide and seek.


    Nevar would use his space attacks, try to injure Rudolph and seed almost every time.


    Rudolph would take the injury, quickly reach the Zion before he could teleport and attack him.


    Nevar would manage to teleport at thest moment, but not without taking some damage.


    Then he''d hide using his space powers and sneak attack Rudolph.


    And rinse and repeat.


    The battle should''ve been far more dynamic. But if things really went as they should, it would''ve ended very soon.


    Prince Rudolph, despite his current condition, was after all the favorite of orthodoxy.


    Due to his arrogance, he didn''t carry any defensive or offense treasures that could give the output equivalent to a rank 7.


    But in all his hubris, he still had treasures to help him escape precarious situations.


    Of course, they needed some time to activate. But given how long the battle had already went, he should''ve vanished already.


    He didn''t.


    That''s when it became painfully evident.


    Other than the two women who were fighting Daphne too far away for him to intervene, other than the annoying Zion who was trying to kill him, there was one more.


    One more man, hidden away from his senses, using just the right amount of some strong power on his treaures every time he tried to activate them.


    Boom! Kacha!


    The sound of space shattering and exploding rang at the same time. Both Nevar and Rudolph coughed out blood, their powers steadily decreasing while their injuries steadily climbing.


    The talisman in Rudolph''s palm, a silver-shaped crescent with runic inscription, twitched violently before turning dead.


    It failed, like all those before it.


    ''Fuck!'' Rudolph''s senses tried to scan for the intruder but that sneaky bastard was too good at hiding.


    "Come out, you cowardly son of a bitch!" The Prince cursed with a red face.


    He was already regretting not escaping right at the start. When he saw that it was a Zion who attacked him, Rudolph decided to get revenge instead of seeking safety.


    It wasn''t until 5th minute of the battle that he took out the talisman to teleport away.


    But in those five minutes, something was happening. He couldn''t pinpoint it back then but something was changing around him.


    Was it space or time or the aura? He couldn''t tell for certain.


    Because of that ''thing'', the talisman he tried to activate started to fail.


    The one responsible for this battle to continue remained hidden in the ghost ship.


    With some help from Oob, Varian managed to keep his traces mostly hidden.


    To be honest, he lucked out by Rudolph''s injured state. If not, the prince could''ve found him in the first three minutes.


    Then, Boo or not, he''d be done for.


    And yet, despite him using sliver powers continuosly to sabotage the prince''s escape ns, the battle still tilted against them.


    Prince Rudolph couldn''t recover instantly but his divine path < Paragon Body > was far more resilient than Nevar''s < Space Body >.


    As a rank 7, Nevar had a lot of immunity to attacks thanks to how his body would blend into space and reduce damage.


    But even that wasn''t enough against the Prince''s offensive. Adding insult to their problems, the Prince had plenty of supplements that could keep him going for days.


    "Ugh!" Nevar shrieked in pain.


    His hand blended deep into space to esacpe an attack, but the dagger dug deep into space and severed his hand.


    Blood sputtered around for a moment before the space around his injury sealed up and ended the bleeding.


    For all their power, rank 7s were still not gods. They couldn''t stay alive without a proper body.


    "Give up! You''re not going to win this one!" Rudolph shot spear after spear at the Zion, each shotpressing and exploding space in its path, pushing the veteran into a precarious situation.


    Despite being suppressed, Nevar didn''t lose hope.


    "Today is the day you die!"


    He''d have panicked. But Varian gave him enough pep talk. So he knew the strategy of the battle.


    ''The path to victory isn''t you winning. It is¡­''


    "Arghhh!"


    Four ckholes assaulted the injured Daphne at once.


    She was confident in handling them but without warning, a gray spar activated around her.


    She panicked but it turned out they were just forming a barrier around them, preventing anyone else from observing what''s going on here for a few minutes.


    Daphne used her life powers to project her ''self'' onto a distant space.


    As the ckholes devoured the ce she was at, she appeared in the far distance.


    The barrier was still there and a question rang in her mind. ''But why?''


    Right then, a sword of light and a sword of darkness reached her without any warning.


    ustomed to fighting their gravity and time powers, Daphne was caught off guard.


    until now. So, Daphne didn''t have the same vignce towards her.


    As a result, she managed to block off the sword of darkness using ast-moment shield but the sword of light pierced her heart and her torsopletely exploded.

 Chapter 1308 My Cute Ghost!

    1308 My Cute Ghost!


    Daphne didn''t die.


    Even though Sarah''s attack was powerful, her head, limbs were all still intact.


    Just her torso exploding was not enough to kill her.


    "But how?! You clearly aren''t hybrids"


    Her screams didn''t reach the prince. Nor did the emergency message she sent through all the channels avable.


    ''The barrier!''


    Daphne''s heart sank as she realized she''s facing somethingpletely beyondmon sense.


    The exploded torso was regenerated in a blink but her body was shaking, as if it just experienced something terrible. It wasn''t the sword of light that dealt the damage.


    No, it was the¡­


    Daphne raised her head and widened her eyes at the in-looking woman. She didn''t look anything like that majestic figure. The aura itself was too weak.


    Yet, that sword¡­


    The sword of darkness that burned space itself¡­


    "P-Princess Isadora?" Daphne''s voice cracked and her knees trembled.


    It''s a taboo to let your personal emotions get the better of you in a battle, much less a life and death battle between real enemies.


    Yet, even knowing the danger she''s putting herself into, Daphne couldn''t help it.


    Like a bunny standing in front of a prehistoric beast, her instincts screamed the moment they recognized that darkness.


    This woman really¡­


    "H-How are you¡ª" Daphne knew how pathetic she sounded but the question consumed her soul.


    500 years ago, that fateful day near Centaurus, it happened. So, how was she still here?


    "I will judge you." Isadora''s voice was cold and calm, as if she was telling a casual thing to an acquintance.


    Daphne trembled but didn''t speak back. The fear in her heart was engraved deep.


    As someone who lived through that time, she had witnessed the legend of this princess. She''s one of the few the Princess considered close. So, she was privy to more information than the public.


    That''s why, she was aware of how dangerous this woman really was. If she insisted on killing her, no one, not even the king of Prians could stop her.


    He might dy her today, tomorrow. But soon¡­not too long from now, even he would be helpless.


    Princess Isdaora wasn''t someone to be measured withmon sense. Anyone who tried to do so were left with a bitter lesson they wouldn''t forget till death.


    So Daphne''s instinct after confirming it was really Isadora wasn''t to run but to listen. To hope. To pray.


    "You have two choices." Isadora''s transformation was partially undone and those ruby-like eyes shone with rightful arrogance.


    "One. ept the torture for a year and then be my war ve. You can survive.


    Two. You will die.


    Make your choice, traitor."


    Daphne withdrew all defense and knelt in submission. "Honored princess, I pick the first choice."


    She didn''t even use her super senses to show her sincerity.


    In the first ce, when Isadora proposed something like that and gave her two choices, the thought that the legendary princess might break her word didn''t even surface in her mind.


    Even if it''s Prince Rudolph, she''d maintain some skepticism over his promises. The Prince had lied on numerous ocassions. Mostly to enemies, but also to allies.


    He even lied to her, when the matter was very, very important.


    But Princess Isadora? She disdained to lie. It was beneath her noble and royal self to domit a lowly act as lying.


    Breaking word was a far cry.


    So, Daphne surrendered, in body and soul.


    And a chain of darkness wrapped her body.


    "Wh¡ª"


    A potent soul fire coursed through her soul, burning her consciousness to the point she wished to die right away.


    Even though Life Force Controllers had significant defense in soul department, this attack was when her defenses were all down.


    As a result, Daphne twitched like fish out of water, her eyes rolled up and she fainted.


    But even until thest moment, she stared at Princess Isadora with a dumbfounded expression.


    It was as if she witnessed something that shattered her world view. Despite possibly herst moment before death, all she could think of was one thing.


    ''How? How could she lie?''


    "Ugh," Sarah groaned in frustration at the unexpected oue.


    She thought the first option was useless when Isadora voiced out the n.


    But who would''ve thought?


    The Queen of Radiants put away the five glowing golden swords.


    Even though Life Force Controller wouldn''t die so easily, if she kept tearing Daphne apart to the point she couldn''t regenerate and destroy every part of her, then even if she had a hundred lives, Daphne would die.


    Sarah downed a potion for some recovery and wiped the corner of her mouth, while giving Isadora a sidelong nce. "Looking at her reaction, you are someone who never lie."


    Isadora pursed her lips. "I learned from a shameless man who happened to be your husband."


    "Heh," Sarah smirked with a teasing smile.


    "Even a broken clock is right twice a day."


    "Whatever helps you sleep!" Sarah covered her mouth and chuckled.


    Even though she''s usually calm and friendly, sometimes, she really, really reminded her of Varian!


    "You annoying littl¡ª"


    "Don''t waste time here, we have to go beat the Prince."


    Sarah swiped the space in front of her.


    The entrance to Hortus appeared over her, before quickly sucking her in.


    A pair of wings peeked out of the entrance and saluted her. "I''ll engrave the seals in her soul. It won''t be perfect like master though. She will be a peak rank 6, only for a few days."


    "That''s more than enough. Thanks for your help, Oob."


    "Of course! I''m not like azy ghost who does nothing but stay hidden! Oob works hard!"


    Boo which was trying its best to maintain its full stealth so that a powerful rank 7 warrior from a literal kingdom couldn''t find it suddenly sneezed.


    "Damn you chicken wings! Always cursing Boo behind Boo''s back!"


    Varian wanted to p the little bastard for making trouble now. But what could he do?


    He''s a poor rank 5 who had to depend on an unreliable ghost to stay alive.


    "My dear cute boo, focus! Focus!"

 Chapter 1309 Decisive Moment

    1309 Decisive Moment


    The fight of Prince Rudolph and Sage Nevar wasing to a depressing conclusion.


    Boom!


    With a single p of the prince, the space between him and the Zion cracked apart as if it was a crystal.


    The sheer force from the p rushed through the cracks in space and hit the veteran.


    Kacha!


    Sage Nevar''s vision blurred as he felt a searing pain throughout his body.


    How many hits had he taken? How many injuries had it been? Could he survive another ten, no, five minutes?


    As he sobered up to his very probable death, a question inevitably rose in his mind.


    ''They said they''ll be here, right?''


    His chest, ridden with two fist-sized holes, heaved up and down.


    He expanded his senses to search for the two women and Daphne. A barrier was isting him from even seeing their state.


    Why would they have a barrier now?


    An omnious thought suddenly rose in his mind as he recalled everything that happened so far.


    ''What if¡­it was all a game?''


    As if he suddenly gained consciousness and became aware of the world, Sage Nevar''s eyes widened.


    ''Yes, everything was so suspicious! This all might be P kingdom''s trap! Those three, especially that lying bastard, he''s defely a dog of the alliance! They just wanted to trap me!''


    As he kept pitifully dodging the attacks, often failing, Sage Nevar grew more and more certain of his own guess.


    ''Yes, that must be it! They wanted me dead while faking this operation!'' Nevar''s eyes glowed with resentment and he stared at the Prince with such hatred that Rudolph flinched for a moment.


    ''But if you think I''m a puppet you can control, you''re mistaken. I''ll make you regret this! This fucker will die!''


    Giving up any inhibition, Nevar opened up an all-out offense against Rudolph.


    The prince, taken aback by the opponent who fought like he''s ready to die, faltered for a moment.


    Shaaa!


    Shaa!


    Space split apart.


    Kacha!


    Boom!


    It cracked and then it exploded.


    By the time Rudolph came to his senses, he lost his two legs, one lung and a good chunk of his waist.


    It was all gone! Swallowed by the space attacks that tried to devour everything.


    But for pulling off such a stunt, Nevar paid a huge price.


    The old man who could at least survive for a few more minutes could barely hold on now.


    "You mad dog!" Prince Rudolph violentlyshed out, deciding to end this enemy before any variables could appear.


    Meanwhile, Sarah asked Varian.


    "We''re already waiting for five minutes, didn''t the old dog die already?"


    Varian watched Rudolph get punched in the face and flip like a spinning top.


    Shaking his head, he said. "He''s pretty resilient, you won''t believe me."


    Rudolph grabbed Nevar''s hair and pulled hard.


    "Arghh!"


    The Zion turned bald instantly but without giving up, he teleported andnded another attack.


    "Oops," Varian expressed his pity. "Yeah, pretty resilient."


    Boom!


    Rudolph pushed through the exploding space and once again reached Nevar, who looked like he was about to faint at any moment.


    "Okay, make an entrance now!" Varian said. "Oh wait, before you go¡ª"


    The fist of the Prince broke through all the spatial distortions, quickly reaching the Zion.


    Sage Nevar stared at the fist, purple blood dripping down his bald head.


    Shuaa!


    The fast fist suddenly slowed down and an external force began to envelop him.


    ''Huh?''


    Nevar couldn''t believe it.


    But he saw the two women, riddled in injuries from head to toe.


    Unlike his beautiful purple blood, they were drenched in that ugly red blood.


    Yet, he could sense their pitiful states. They were heavily injured and seemed to be running low on their aura reserves.


    ''I misunderstood you¡­'' For the first time in decades, Nevar felt like crying.


    He shouldn''t have doubted them. They had a low chance of winning but they didn''t hesitate.


    ''They are the true children of the empire,'' He took advantage of the gap they provided and quickly downed the most expensive potions he had.


    "Finally you two are also here," Instead of panicking, Prince Rudolphughed.


    Sarah frowned at his unexpected response.


    "To think that woman could hold you back for this long, was her determination that strong or were you that weak?" He crossed his arms and sneered.


    Despite missing two legs, which were quickly regenerating but would still take time, he didn''t seem bothered by their appearance.


    "You knew she was going to lose?" Sarah asked.


    "Of course. This is a well nned attack. And this bastard wasn''t enough to finish me off. He would wear me out and you''ll finish me off. That should be the n." Rudolph pped.


    Even though it was a normal p, the space around him began to shatter.


    "I didn''t act too aggressively lest you two escape," He grinned like a predator and continued without looking at anyone in particr.


    "And you, the coward hiding, did you think I was ying right into your n? I figured out your stupid n long ago. And I''ve got a bad news for all of you."


    The Prince snapped his fingers and a silver barrier suddenly appeared, enveloping everyone.


    "I did regret not escaping at the start. Not because I thought I''d die here. Never. But the price to win would be heavy."


    Rudolph then took out a finger-sized ss container wrapped by golden design.


    "This is a gift from someone important. I didn''t want to use it but¡ª"


    "Stop him!"


    Sarah''s time power acted on the Prince. Isadora attacked his soul directly.


    As if he anticipated their reactions, the Prince''s natal treasure sprang up and glowed, blocking most of their powers.


    Nevar wasn''t in a position to help and watched on helplessly.


    At thest moment, Varian materialized in front of him. With all the powers acting on him, he was at his fastest and his fingertip reached the container.


    But a hand swatted him away.


    "Die, you coward!"


    Varian was half-expecting this. So, he already had the artifacts out. Using his full power and the power of slivers, he dodged at thest moment.


    But the aftermath still blew him away, giving him some serious injuries.


    "You''re so de¡ªhuh?"


    Even as Varain was sted away, a ck and white light seeped out of his fingertips, easily breaking through the aura barrier protecting the elixir.


    Boom!

 Chapter 1310 36th Strategem

    Chapter 1310 36th Strategem


    "Fuck!" Rudolph quickly scanned the container.


    Using the opportunity, Varian teleported away.


    ''That was dangerous¡­'' He quickly downed a potion.


    The explosion was a sham. It wouldn''t have hurt the container itself. Varian yed that part to give himself a chance to escape.


    Rudolph also realized that the container was fine. He sighed in relief and was about to down the liquid when he noticed something abnormal.


    The ck and white light, which suspiciously broke through his aura lock, sneaked into the container!


    The single golden droplet inside was assaulted by it, quickly turning gray.


    "No!"


    "Stop!"


    Rudolph didn''t care about his image and stuck his tongue into the container, licking it off. But by the time he did, three-fourths of it had already turned.


    The Prince hoped that the ''contamination'' was just his imagination. After all, given how potent this elixir was, how could something spoil it so easily?


    But¡­


    As his legs regenerated in a blink and his aura reserves began to rise, Rudolph realized that his prayers were unanswered.


    That thing, whatever it was, really contaminated the elixir!


    A single drop was enough to bring him back to his peak condition. But it''s very, very rare.


    It''s a life saving elixir that Rudolph wasn''t willing to waste under any circumstance. He didn''t even use after failing the mission. It''s that important!


    After being pushed into a corner and left with no choice, he wanted to use it but¡ª


    "You better kill yourselves now. Or you''ll regret the torture I''ll put you through. Every nerve of yours will scream in agony and your soul wil burn, without ever dying.


    I will make your pained cries my melodies, your tears my happiness, your suffering my purpose.


    You really better kill yourself now."


    Rudolph''s gaze was serious and his words were calm. But the man had gone insane.


    Varian gulped as he realized the gravity of the situation. Sarah quietly reached him to defend him just in case. Isadora, on the other hand, looked at him with a solemn expression.


    Finally, Nevar, who was still in the middle of a recovery that''s far slower than Rudolph''s, shuddered.


    Everthing was going in an unexpected direction and he honestly didn''t see how they could win.


    Especially now.


    Even though Varian spoiled the prince''s elixir, whatever little he took did a terrific job.


    Some of Rudolph''s major injuries were healed, his aura climbed to mid rank 7 and even his stressed mind rxed.


    Taking on him now¡­


    "If we lose to you, we''ll just escape. The world is so fucking big that you can''t ever hope to find us. Instead, it''ll be us finding you again. When we do, we''d be killing you for certain that time." Varian said.


    "You, the weakest of everyone here, tch, tch, tch," Rudolph shook his head and he disappeared.


    Boom!


    The curved barriers of space, gravity, even light and darkness shattered by the Prince''s fist.


    Varian jumped back into ghostship and went into stealth mode. Even though it was such a shameless act to do, he showed no hesitation.


    "You coward! Come back and fight like a man!" Rudolph roared in fury as he noticed the ship moving at fast speed.


    He could try catching up but that''d make him an open target for the two women.


    He still hadn''t figured out why they had two, no, three powers despite not being hybrids.


    "You both have three paths," Rudolph looked at them with a nasty smile. "I''ll dig out all your secrets. No, I''ll make you confess them on my be¡ª"


    Boom!


    Isadora''s signature darkness mes morphed into a hand and pped him back.


    Not expected such a move, Rudolph had to take significant damage.


    "You bitch! Why are you so powerful?"


    Isadora clicked her tongue as she noticed his arms.


    The mes stuck to his forearms and were trying to burn him off, but the tremendous aura of the prince was stopping them.


    Looking at her disdainful expression, Rudolph grew even more furious.


    "Answer me!"


    His figure blurred and he reached Isadora in a monstrous speed.


    The space in the path he took tore apart as if it couldn''t bear his movements.


    And the Prince''s fist reached the Princess.


    With a muffled groan, Isadora was sted back, her left arm bleeding and limp.


    ''I am so weak now that even this nobody can injure me¡­''


    Boom!


    Sarah''s shield of golden light shattered and she crashed into Isadora, as calcted by the Prince.


    The two women groaned in pain while their bones snapped. Unlike the fake blood they used to fool Nevar, this time, blood was spluttering out of their injuries.


    Rudolph followed up and was about tounch another attack when the space in front of him fluctuated.


    "You shall not pass!" Raising his arms, Nevar appeared in their defense.


    "Go!"


    "You old bastard!" Rudolph turned his hand into a w and pierced through the spatial barriers.


    His fingertips dug into Nevar''s chest. Purple blood spilled on his face as he lifted the veteran.


    Nevar struggled with the injuries but he didn''t care. He had only vaguely heard of the perfect hybrid project that the Empire attempted.


    It was a failure. Or at least, that''s what everyone thought.


    But these two women¡ªthe children of the Empire¡ªclearly proved that wrong.


    Since they were in such a remote ce until now without any special role despite having three paths, Nevar assumed the Empire was shielding them from exposure.


    So, he decided to risk his life for their survival.


    "Go!"


    "Go to hell!" Rudolph grabbed Nevar''s head and mmed it into his knee.


    Kacha! Boom!


    With the sounds of bones snapping, a mess of purple and green drenched the Prince''s clothes. With another p, Nevar''s body exploded, not even allowing him a chance of burial.


    "Now you two! Don''t even think of escaping!" Rudolph gave a menacing smile and rushed after them.


    "Unfortunately for you, that''s what we are going to do," That annoying voice rang at the edge of the barrier he set up.


    The ck and white light shed again, drilling a hole in the barrier.


    "Come on, girls!" Varian waved his hand.


    Sarah and Isadora rushed out of the barrier, jumped into ghostship.


    "Stop!"


    Prince Rudolph followed.

 Chapter 1311 Rule Maker

    Chapter 1311 Rule Maker


    The ghostship wasn''t supposed to be this fast but thanks to Oob taking using many precious things found in the ruins, Boo turned into a super spaceship.


    But that still wouldn''t have sufficed.


    After she got the inheritance, Sarah transferred some specific knowledge she gained regarding spaceships.


    Since it was very recent, only a part of that knowledge was applied. Yet, Boo got another make over.


    That''s the reason why Boo was able to hide from a rank 7 in the first ce!


    But Varian realized, like in most chases, fast enough wasn''t enough.


    "Go! Go! Gooo!"


    Prince Rudolph boarded his own spacehip and chased after them.


    "But where, master? Where?!" Boo screamed in panic and anxiety, running around with its hands over head like a little kid.


    "Centaurus! I mean, go outside borders!" Isadora said.


    The ghostship began to rush at its fullspeed. But the Prince''s spaceship¡ªone of the finest in the kingdom, wasn''tgging behind.


    It was elerating continously going faster and faster. It''s only a matter of time before they get caught.


    "Should we return to Hortus?" Sarah asked, clutching her injured shoulder.


    "Once we open an entrance, it''ll leave enough traces.


    If this is a ce very distant Hortus, the traces would be erased by the chaotic space between the space crack and Hortus'' entrance.


    But we''re very close to Hortus now. He can easily find the coordinates and barge in." Varian rubbed his brows.


    "I can probably ovee this limitation in the future, but not now, a rank 5 isn''t going to cut it."


    "Rank 5, you say, but you survived that attack." Isadora looked at him without her usual coldness. Her voice lowered to the point even a rank 7 would have trouble hearing anything. "Good job."


    Rudolph was strong. It was hard for her to believe that he''s still far from his peak. Thankfully, Varian messed up his recovery.


    Otherwise¡­


    No, she didn''t even want to imagine.


    "What''s that potion though? It has more vitality than all of humanitybined. That''s just crazy!" Varian nced at the ''Princess''.


    "It''s a very high-tier potion." Isadora said with a frown. "A prince isn''t supposed to have it."


    "Supposed to?" Varian raised a brow.


    "Not as in cannot, but should not." Isadora gently traced her injured arm.


    "There was a ''candidate'' just like these fools fighting me. He knew he couldn''t defeat me. So, he begged or bribed or whatever, he got that elixir from his backer."


    Varian nodded for a moment before his eyes lit up and he opened his mouth.


    "No!" Isadora replied before he even asked.


    "But I didn''t eve¡ª"


    "I don''t have such elixirs. I don''t have anything from that time on me, bar that treasure." Isadora shrugged. "Everything was destroyed that day..."


    A heavy silence filled the spaceship.


    "Or what? Do you think I''d be so easily bullied by a weakling like you? And have trouble removing that stupid seal of yours?" Isadora shot him a re.


    Varian crossed his arms. "If you have a tomb for your deceased items, do tell. I''ll dance over that. They''re the reason I''m still alive, right?"


    "¡­ugh," Isadora turned her head away and continued. "Anyways, the candidate fought me. He lost and ended up using that elixir. Not once, but thrice. He got back to his full strength thrice and lost three times.


    It was a big scandal back then. So, aw was passed. Rank 7s, including crown prince candidates are barred from ess.


    The crown prince gets one potion¡ªone drop really, beacuse you can''t use more as a rank 7. Two drops will kill you."


    Varian tapped his chin and nced out of the window.


    The twinkling stars in the dark space was reced by grey space fast as ghostship kept alternating between inner space and outer space.


    "So a rank 9 is backing that guy. Even going as far as to break the establishedw."


    "Not just any rank 9, it should be a peak rank 9." Isadora opined. "No one else has that courage."


    "The king?"


    "Probably not. There are two more peak rank 9s. Should be one of them." Isadora exined.


    Boom!


    The ghost ship sted through a barrier and once again returned to the normal space.


    The twinkling stars in the deep space seemed to disappear as they marched on.


    Isadora pointed a location on therge map and Boo was zig-zagging its ways there, trying to hopefully throw off Rudolph, even though the chance of that happening was low.


    "What''s there in that ce?" Sarah asked in curiousity.


    Isadora exhaled, her shoulders drooping. "Bad memories."


    Sia''s and Enigma''s phantom appeared and held her hands.


    Varian didnt have a soul link with her to sense her feelings. But Sia and Enigma knew the pain she was feeling. They wouldn''t have done this just a week ago.


    But now that it''s happening, Varian felt it was a good thing.


    "I don''t need consoling! Go back!" Isadora freed herself from their grips and said.


    She considered herself to be the oldest, wisest and most mature. So, she couldn''t ept constion, especially not from the ones she''s supposed to look after.


    "Do I look like I''m crying? It''s 500 years ago! I don''t care about it anymore! I just want revenge and I''m done with it!" She crossed her hands and said out loud.


    It was as if she was trying to prove that she wasn''t hurt, especially to Varian and Sarah, the ''outsiders''.


    Enigma gave Varian a worried nce. He shook his head. Staring into his eyes for a moment, she understood.


    She checked Sarah''s injury and after confirming it''s fully healed, she gave her a nod and left.


    Sia, on the other hand, gave her a hug and left. But not before giving Varian a deep kiss. Since she was in a phantom form¡ªhe didn''t feel much. But he''s definitely notining.


    "I knew it! You came out for him, not me!" Isadora was pissed off.


    Varianughed at the trio''s dynamics. It was honestly entertaining.


    "Shut up! It''s all your fault!" Isadora hummed and stood up.


    At the same time, the ghostship stopped.


    "Boo?"


    If they stop now, Rudolph would catch up in a few minutes at most.


    "We''ve arrived."


    Isadora opened the door and jumped into the location.


    "Woah!"


    It was a¡­frozen star.

 Chapter 1312 The Tale Of A Little Girl [1]

    Chapter 1312 The Tale Of A Little Girl [1]


    Varian had seen an inverse star in the tower.


    Instead of giving off heat, it''d absorb heat. The tower had a lot of weird things, but the inverse star would rank in top 10.


    This star, however, was different.


    "What happened here?"


    As they approached the frozen star¡ªa humungous celestial body with a pure whitendscape¡ªthey felt something sting at their vitality.


    Varian and Sarah pulled back.


    "This is the power of a life force controller. Long after death, the field still exists."


    Isadora flew around the star and entered through a particr ce that didn''t appear any different. But when they followed here, the field no longer affected them.


    "Just like people, there are no perfect fields. If you''re alive, you could cover up or take some precautions. But this fellow is long dead. Finding the loophole in the field isn''t as hard." She shrugged.


    As they stepped on the surface of the frozen star, Varian and Sarah frowned.


    The pulse of a power could be felt beneath the surface. It was a familiar power.


    "Yes, it''s me." Isadora stepped on the icy rocks and continued to move forward.


    Thendscape was filled with mountains, in regions of endless ice and abrupt chasms that seemed like they''d lead straight to the core of the star.


    The aura of this ce was also not normal. Its like a wild beast, difficult to control, difficult to affect.


    "I don''t know how I ended up there, but I grew up in a primitive. ording to them, I fell from the sky," Isadora walked in front of them with hands behind her back.


    In a low voice, she narrated the day that changed her life.


    "No one raised me. I was at the top of a mountain, where they could see me, but couldn''t reach.


    But I didn''t starve. The darkness at night fed me. It kept me warm. It kept me alive.


    As I grow older, I grew stronger. I don''t know how or why, but when I descended the mountain, they treated me as a divine being.


    I can''t me them, but because of it, I couldn''t fit in. I was worshipped by people when I just yearned for people to talk to. When I did talk, things I said carelessly led to hundreds of deaths.


    It was a difficult time. At some point, I began to see myself as the guardian of that.


    ¡­Much like you."


    Isadora stopped in front of a huge ice mountain and gave Varian a long stare.


    With a long sigh, she send a few strands of darkness inside before motioning for them to follow.


    "But I was also different. You see, some envoys visited the stray at some point.


    They noticed how strong I was for my age. I was¡­12, I think and a mortal rank 3, in your terms, a level 9.


    So, they made a deal. Those powerful celestial rankers agreed not to kill those people who I wanted to protect and leave the unharmed.


    The condition was to fight in the P kingdom''s tournament. It''s a long event, a regr event. The real nobles of the kingdom don''t pay much attention to it, but for the normal people, it''s a great source of joy. "


    As they walked deeper into the cave, her hazy voice echoed.


    Varian couldn''t see her face. But he thought she must be showing a sad expression.


    A 12 year old ckmailed to fight in a tournm. And it''s not as nice as she made it sound. It''s a life and deathpetition.


    Varian took a deep breath. He couldn''t imagine what she had to go through.


    Looking at her back, he felt like he was seeing the silhouttee of a little girl, without any friends or family, weilding a sword to protect the world she grew up with.


    epting apetition that could risk her life, what was that little girl thinking?


    "The tournament was supposed to end in ten years. I reached rank 1 in the third year and rank 2 in the seventh year. By chance, a noble woman who you wouldn''t expect to be in the tournament noticed my speed of progress.


    A 19-year Rank 2.


    It''s notpletely possible, some races could do it. But I was a weed. Not a homegrown flower.


    I intriuged her. She took me in."


    Isadora''s nostalgic narration stopped for a moment before it cracked slightly.


    "I called her¡­mother. The woman taught me everything. I didn''t know it until then but I began to realize, what a family meant. She was my mother. I was her daughter.


    She loved me. I loved her. She had no one else. I had no one else. We are each other''s everything. We are our family."


    She paused for a few moments and sighed. "I wanted to make her proud. I trained. I grew strong.


    My speed slowed down considerably after I reached celestial ranks. My origin was growing unstable. I needed the powers of order and chaos to solve the problem.


    I managed to tap into two more paths, which I kept hidden from everyone. Even her. I feared for her life.


    Somehow, things worked out.


    I saved two orphan girls from horrible fates and admitted them to an elite organization of the kingdom.


    I had a friend, I think.


    My mother adopted another girl. I got a sister. I swore to protect her with my life."


    Varian heard the affection in her voice. It was deep, strong and protective. Isadora never spoke like that before. She was showing them an emotional side she always hid.


    Sarah who usually had small fights with Isadora maintained silence and didn''t poke her painful sides.


    "Five hundred years ago, the war was tough. A peak rank 9 managed to infiltrate the borders. I was dispatched to take care of the enemy. Even though I had three paths, it was a tough battle for me. When I was returning, I was told that my sister was kidnapped."

 Chapter 1313 The Tale Of A Little Girl [2]

    Chapter 1313 The Tale Of A Little Girl [2]


    "My injuries didn''t matter. My fatigue didn''t matter.


    I tracked my sister down and found her near Centaurus. Not too far from here.


    When I was about to save her, a young girl¡ªmy sister''s best friend¡ª


    said if I even moved my aura, the artifact my sister wore would trigger, killing her.


    There wasn''t much I could do. I was losing my mind, trying to find a way out.


    But the artifact wasn''t a normal thing. It''s something only a rank 9 could posess.


    I knew someone was behind this but it didn''t matter. My sister''s life was at stake and I was helpless."


    Isadora''s aura fluctuated violently. The insides of the cave began to shake and tremors ran across the whole region.


    The fluctuations were enough to damage a, but the star didn''t even shake.


    Perhaps because this ce was the result of rank 9s, it was extraordinarly sturdy.


    "Then they showed up. The kidnappers." Isadoraughed.


    A mockingughter.


    Varian just had a feeling that she wasn''tughing at others. She wasughing at herself.


    "The two orphan girls I saved, with the group I joined them in, one of the group''s who I considered my friend.


    They all showed up, armed to the teeth, with excess of treasures, all to take me down.


    I killed the ones I didn''t know. But the ones I did¡­I couldn''t bring all to take me down.


    I killed the ones I didn''t know. But the ones I did¡­I couldn''t bring myself to do it. I stopped attacking and kept defending.


    Maybe an hour passed like that, maybe more.


    I kept asking why they were doing this. Why they were betraying me. What wrong did I do them.


    She didn''t answer. Neither did she. Nor she."


    Isadora pointed fingers, from one ce to another, as she kept moving.


    Her body was here, but her mind had long gone to that day.


    Ta! Ta! Ta!


    At some point, small pieces of ice, in the shape of tear drops, started dropping wherever she passed by.


    Since she didn''t want them to see her like that, Varian and Sarah didn''t use their senses to look at her current face.


    But her choking, cracking voice was telling more than enough. "I didn''t know what to do.


    I wanted help. My mother came there rushing. She first checked my condition, then my sister who was still hostage.


    I wanted her to solve this problem. Idiotic, isn''t it? I thought them trying to kill me was still solvable.


    It''s not that I didn''t kill. I was cruel to my enemies. The Jai Empire''s geniuses and powerhouses feared me alike.


    But to my own people¡­I didn''t know what I should do.


    My mother said she''ll sort this out. And she stabbed me in the back."


    Varian froze in his tracks.


    Isadora stopped a bit ahead, in front of a pitch ck chasm. After ascertaining it, she nodded to herself and signaled to Varian.


    "Wh-What happened next?"


    "My paths regressed, I paid a big price. But maybe beacuse I was like that, I was able to find slivers. I fell asleep. Sia woke up for the first time. The rest is history."


    Isadora said in a calm voice. The sadness, nostalgia, joy in her previous narrations was absent.


    Varian looked at her once again.


    A woman with long silver hair. Eyes that shone like rubies. A face that transcended human standards of beauty.


    And yet¡­


    Those eyes no longer look forward to anything. The face doesn''t have a genuine anymore.


    "Do not pity me. I don''t need it." She shook her head. "Pity my enemies, though. They''ll need it. A lot."


    "I can''t pity them after what they did to you¡­but why do you hate your sister?" Varian asked.


    "You should''ve guessed, Mr.Smarty?" Isadora smiled, but her eyes weren''t smiling.


    Varian exhaled deeply. Sarah took a moment longer but also realized.


    He had a rough guess of some things.


    Daphne was one of the orphan girls. Perhaps the other was the other maid Reina.


    He could vaguely tell that their ages were muchrger than it appeared. But the first maid Romanov, she should be her sister''s best friend.


    And her sister¡­wasn''t really kidnapped. It was all an act.


    Her own mother, sister, best friend and the girls she rescued¡ª


    everyone betrayed her.


    No wonder Isadora was like this. It''d be hard to trust any person after even a single betrayal. But she''s telling this much even after all she''d been through.


    "¡­I''m sorry for being overly harsh on you," Sarah said. "I still hate you for trying to kill Varian and me. But if you can drop that madness, we could be good frie¡ª"


    "I can''t trust you," Isadora chuckled and turned to Varian. "Or you. This is just a part of our deal. I''ll tell you what happened and you''ll help me with my revenge. Turns out, you really do have a rank 9 enemy."


    Varian nodded without any hesitation. "I''ll stand by my words. I''ll help you."


    "That can happen only if we can get out of here alive." Isadora shrugged. "Even if I and Sarah do our best, we can''t win Rudolph now."


    "Why isn''t he here yet?" Varian asked but he quickly answered his own question. "Is it the life field?"


    "He''ll break it sooner orter. It''s too old to hold up against a rank 7." She said. "And when he does, we won''t be able to win him."


    Varian asked. "So what exactly is your n?"


    "Why do you think I have one?" Isadora had a smile.


    "Dying here means giving up on your revenge."


    Isdaora''s smile vanished and she nodded. "I hate doing this but this is the ony way. Follow me."


    Saying so, she jumped into the chasm. Varian and Sarah followed in.


    The chasm went straight to the heart of the star. A huge region as big as earth''s sun.


    "He''ll take his time to get here. Until then," She sat down and pulled him. "Sarah, join but be alert. Varian and I will have our first andst Synergy."

 Chapter 1314 Wonderful Synergy

    Chapter 1314 Wonderful Synergy


    Varian didn''t expect this day to arrive. Especially after learning bits of Isadora''s past, he thought it''d be impossible for someone like her to do something as intimate as Synergy.


    They were just holding hands now. Nothing more, nothing less. But Synergy was a process that''d touch the soul.


    Isadora agreed despite that.


    Perhaps there were two reasons for this.


    Firstly, without doing this, they had no chance ofing out alive. They''d be dead.


    Secondly, and this wasrgely an assumption from his side. Whether she admitted it or not, Isadora hoped to have normal rtionships.


    She wanted to let go of that bitterness in her.


    The fact that she''s actively interacting with them, growing her bond with Sia and Enigma, not acting hostile with Varian and Sarah despite their frictions¡­perhaps all this was the manifestation of that inner desire.


    But with her traumatic experience, she couldn''t ovee it herself.


    She''d need an external push. Someone had to help. And the proud Isadora wouldn''t ask for help in such matters.


    ''Isadora¡­''


    Instead of just holding her hand ike she initially did, Varian interlocked their fingers together and held her tight.


    Just like he''d do with Sarah, Sia and Enigma.


    Isadora knew this too, so she tried to pull her hand out.


    "Shh, this has the best results," He whispered.


    Perhaps she believed his words. Perhaps she did not. But she didn''t struggle anymore.


    The Synergy began.


    The world in front of them disappeared and darkness consumed everything. In that darkness, the worlds of their souls slowly surfaced.


    Varian''s world¡ªa sky¡ªwas brimming brightly with seven stars¡ªthe seven divine paths. But instead of the paths'' colors, his world was in the colors of ck and white.


    To his right came Sarah''s world, an ocean, glowing with three different colors.


    To the left was Isadora''s world¡ªmountains, trees, wild animals, huts¡­it was a primitive world.


    There were three bright altars in thend, their brightnesspletely outshining Varian''s and Sarah''s worlds.


    Those were her three paths. And there was also faint patterns that''d form assionally.


    Patterns that showed more specialty than even the altars.


    ¡­The iplete steps to divinity.


    As the three worlds connected, Varian''s mind went nk for a moment.


    Then, it was bombarded by an ocean of knowledge, insights and experiences.


    It was difficult to bear. Like trying to fit it an ocean inside a river, it overflowed and started drowning everything.


    After reaching the peak of rank 9, even her normal insights about paths other than her own were extremely precious and helpful.


    So, all of his paths were constantly rising.


    The XP meter was on full swing and Varian could feel himself growing stronger in real time.


    It''s a feeling he never felt so vividly.


    This was the greatest improvement in strength in the shortest time he had ever seen.


    It was so much that Varian even began to doubt if this was all just an illusion.


    "Ouch!"


    It wasn''t until the pouring insights started to flood everything and pain his mental world did appreciate that it''s the reality.


    He swiftly expanded the bridge with Sarah and controlled his connection with Isadora.


    An equilibrium was established.


    Insights flowed from Isadora to Varian to Sarah and back.


    Sarah''s insights into time path helped him analyze the gravity insights of Isadora.


    [Space Rank 5 ¡ª>>


    Time Rank 5 ¡ª>>]


    Sarah''s insights into light and energy¡ªmuch simpler to understand given they''re only of rank 7¡ªhelped build the bridge to moreplex insights into darkness and matter.


    [Energy Rank 5 ¡ª>>


    Matter Rank 5 ¡ª>>]


    Isadora had already finished the Binder path and reached Anima. Since it was a soul connection, things were easier than otherwise.


    [Binder Rank 5 ¡ª>>]


    Finally, the Adept and Assimtor paths.


    Sarah walked the paths of Mystic ¡ª> Forcender ¡ª> Life Spirit.


    These paths helped him indirectly but weren''t of direct help.


    But Isadora, who fought extensively in Genesis Empire¡ªfaced every path on the Sage Avenue and had plenty of insight and experience regarding these paths.


    So, Varian gained.


    [Adept Rank 5 ¡ª>>


    Assimtor Rank 5 ¡ª>> ]


    As he learned more and more, his capacity to learn more increased. A virtuous cycle was formed.


    Varian''s aura in the cave began to spiked. His powers began to mix and seperate, forming arger andrger disturbance.


    Meanwhile, Isadora realized that she too had benefits from a Synergy.


    Varian''s soul world had the power of slivers. As someone who stood at the peak of rank 9, she could gain a lot of insights from these slivers¡ªeven though any divine ranker would still call that pathetic.


    Still, thanks to the slivers, Isadora''s darkness path began to improve.


    Another pleasant surprise, she was able to have glimpses into the Sarah''s legacy.


    It wasn''t a lot because Varian couldn''t process everything to transmit it to her but it helped improve her gravity and anima paths.


    On the other hand, Sarah also benefitted more than she was expecting.


    Varian''s insights derived from Isadora were also essible to her. Her power also began to climb.


    Time began to slip by and the Synergy grew more and more harmonious.


    At some point, the process continued by itself while Varian started getting glimpses into Isadora''s life.


    He felt the loneliness of the little girl who sat by herself on a cliff and watched the sunset with her, all while wishing just for someone to talk to.


    He fought the deadly matches in the tournament alongside the teen girl, often crying to sleep in many nights as the injuries hurt.


    He loved the mother alongside her. He practiced early from the morning andte into night, every day, just to see her smile.


    He stared crying when he was forced to confront the people she didn''t want to fight. When her mother finally backstabbed, Varian''s heart broke and tears silently dripped down his cheeks.


    It was only a glimpse into her sadness, but it hurt so much that he didn''t know how a person could suffer such emotions.


    A cold hand wiped his tears and said, her voice from real world ringing in the mental world that now reduced to only Varian''s.


    "Come help when you''re done. I¡­I''m counting on you."

 Chapter 1315 Power

    Chapter 1315 Power


    Tang!


    Dang!


    Kang!


    The frozen star was shaking as powerful punches crashed into its life field.


    With every attack, the field grew weaker, racing towards its inevitable disappearance.


    Prince Rudolph''s heart thumped with joy as he foresaw the capture of the two women.


    They harbored a great secret that could change his position not just in the kingdom but in the entire Alliance!


    What did a three path ranker mean?


    Rudolph knew the answer.


    It''s the way to Godhood! Not just any divine ranker, but a God!


    He didn''t know how they had three paths nor why. But he was determined to capture them and let them spill out all the secrets.


    ''¡­And they''re so beautiful.''


    He licked his lips before putting even more power into his punches.


    Kacha! Cha! Kaacha!


    The field cracked open like an egg shell. As if that was the cue, the entire field pusled violently and copsed.


    Rudolph''s eyes scanned through the star in a blink and locked onto a single mountain range.


    His body shed forward and hended in front of the mountain neatly.


    Sarah and Isadora walked out, their faces cold and furious respectively.


    "Ohdies, are you he¡ª"


    Boom!


    Rudolph bent his neck at an impossible angle and dodged an arrow of light.


    Yet, a line of red appeared on his cheek and blood spluttered out.


    "You''ve grown stro¡ª"


    The Prince jumped back and evaded mes of darkness that drowned his location.


    Even though he was fast, they still managed to catch his left foot. Unlikest time, they were more stubborn, more painful and more dnagerous.


    "You too have grown stronger." Rudolph looked at them with a dangerous smile. "But you are still weaker than me."


    Boom!


    Ba!


    The entire star shook and a huge mountain range was levelled. Unlike the normal stars, these were all influenced by powerful rank 9s.


    The destruction that ured was much terrible than it looked.


    Sarah stood up, coughing out blood, a deep fist impression on her abdomen.


    Isadora''s figures blurred and she quickly exchanged dozens of moves with Rudolph.


    One time, it was the Prince who got a long cut on his hand that burned with dark mes.


    The other time, Isadora''s bones cracked and her blood sshed over the white snow.


    As the battle went on, Rudolph quickly gained advantage.


    If they hadn''t increased their strength, they''d have been hardpressed to take even a couple of blows, like back in the sr system.


    With increased strength, Isadora could handle a short battle but that''s it.


    Sarah jumped in to help, slowing down Rudolph''s movements and aiming a light of de to sever his arm.


    Isadora concentrated the mes of darkness on her sword and also prepared to strike him down.


    It was a great strategy and should''ve worked.


    But the Prince''s aura surged and his natal treasure¡ªthe full body armor¡ªappeared.


    It solely focused on Sarah''s time power and reduced its influence on him.


    As a result, Rudolph easily escaped Sarah''s light de and barely managed to block Isadora''s sword.


    But once he stabilized himself with the armor, he began a counter attack.


    Punches. Kicks. Throwing spears. Shooting arrows.


    With every passing minute, a new injury appeared on the two women. The white ground was slowly painted with their red blood.


    Rudolph kept going.


    With each attack more brutal than thest, he aimed topletely crush them.


    And they fought back. Despite against an overwhelmingly superior enemy, the two didn''t show any fear or willingness to give up.


    For Isadora, it was her pride. After facing so many battles, she refused to give up in front of a mere rank 7.


    Even though she''s not as powerful as she once was, it didn''t change her attitude.


    It was a much newer thing for Sarah. The reason for her behavior was Varian''s influence.


    Whether he was weaker than her or stronger than her, Varian was always the same.


    He never gave up.


    So, she too decided to learn from him.


    ''Even if it''s one more minute¡­''


    Sarah''s focus shifted to the rising auraing from the cave. Prince Rudolph had long identified it but he dimissed it with contempt.


    They both found the same thing.


    Aura of a peak rank 5, trying to cross the bottleneck.


    Rudolph dismissed it. To him, rank 5 was nothing more than a bug. Even his maids were stronger than that. Heck, even his envoys were peak rank 6!


    If he really had to lose focus for someone so weak in the middle of this match, then he''d p himself.


    On the other hand, Sarah was dumbfounded.


    ''H-He is crossing an entire rank?!''


    Her surprise was understandable. This never happened. But neither did Varian ever get to dual cultivate someone who had been a peak rank 9.


    Without Sarah''s support, acting as the bridge to the moreplex insights, this wouldn''t have been possible.


    Yet, be it Sarah or Isadora, both felt whatever was happening was unbelievable.


    Who in the Alliance and the Jai Empire ever jumped from rank to rank 6 in not one but seven fucking paths?!


    Varian''s aura was like the drug that gave them strength even when their bodies started giving up on them.


    The two women began to push beyond their limits, breaking bones, ripping flesh and bleeding rivers.


    As the fight continued, the two were quickly being pushed to the point of death.


    But they fought back even more fiercely. Even giving up their defenses, they began to attack him, trying to inflict more and more injuries on him.


    "You crazy bitches! Why don''t you give up? You can''t win!" Rudolph mmed his fists together.


    The shockwave which they should''ve been able to deal with in the beginning now sted them away.


    The two women crashed into a mountain and slid down. As they did, two red lines appeared on the snow. The scent of their blood filled the air.


    That was it.


    They pushed well beyond their limits. Went above and beyond.


    But their bodies gave up, their consciousness began to falter and their aura depleted.


    Rudolph walked up to them and looked down at the two women. His chest filled with pride and ecstacy.


    As he reached out his arms to grab them, the aura from the cave surged.


    Shuaa!


    The hands that should''ve grabbed those pretty faces fell on the ground, sliced clean.

 Chapter 1316 One Rank For Him Is One Giant Leap Of Strength

    Chapter 1316 One Rank For Him Is One Giant Leap Of Strength


    Isadora''s once silky silver hair was matted with blood, each drop tracing down a crimson line down her forehead, coursing along her heavy eyelids before pooling at the corner of eyes. It looked as if she was shedding tears of blood.


    That was the appearance Varian saw when he rushed out of the cave right after breakthrough.


    Rudolph was stepping towards them. He hadn''t tried to kill them but they weren''t far off.


    Especially Sarah, who just fainted. Shey in a pool of blood, like a sleeping princess at the heart of a tragedy.


    Rudolph''s aura was destroying her body, bit by bit. Without timely treatment, she''d die. And any treatment wasn''t possible until the Prince was still alive.


    "Hahahaha!" With a roaringughter, the Prince reached his hands towards them.


    Isadora couldn''t get up any longer. She found it hard to even more her fingers. But the she stared at Rudolph and let out a weak, but mocking chuckle. "Y-You''re so¡­dea¡ª"


    Shuaa!


    Before Rudolph could understand why the womanughed despite facing death, his hands, sliced clean at wrists, dropped to the ground. His forearms sprayed out blood like pipes spraying water, painting the snow scarlet.


    The Prince first felt fear before he felt pain. His feet moved on instinct and he jumped back, staggering and almost tripping.


    A man appeared in front of him. ck hair, ck eyes. He nced at the two women and his gaze softened.


    "We have some grudges," When he turned around, there was no kindness in his eyes.


    Rudolph''s aura soared out, enveloping his body and preparing for a battle. He had seen those eyes.


    Ruthless. Unforgiving. Cold.


    There was no talking with these types. They couldn''t be cajoled or threatened. If they stand in front of you, it meant only one thing: kill or be killed.


    Rudolph''s severed hands regenerated and he clenched his fists. "I don''t even know¡ª"


    The Prince swallowed his words as Varian''s disguise disappeared, revealing a young, handsome face.


    The chieftan of this backward tribe! The bastard who dared to refuse his order!


    "Y-You! How could you?!" Rudolph''s mind went nk and his world view seemed to crash.


    "How could I, the ruler of a backward ce, be evenparable to you, the noble prince, the favorite of orthodoxy?" Varian''s lips curled into a cold smile.


    A thought suddenly shed in his mind and a ridiculous possibility formed in the Prince''s mind.


    Everything so far¡ªfrom Balduring here, to the envoys finding space cracks, the Zions knowing their presence¡ªit was all the n of this man.


    "You guessed it right," Varian swung arm outward. A brilliant red and green glowed in his palm before materializing into a sword¡ª


    Requiem.


    Requiem''s aura surged and enveloped Rudolph before he could realize what was going on.


    extreme healing was immediately pegged down a notch as a suffocating power of death pressed down on him.


    Rudolph''s eyes bulged. "How could you have such a sword? Even if you''re strong somehow, there''s no way a sword of that gra¡ª"


    "Enough talk," Varian''s body disappeared.


    Rudolph''s instincts screamed and his senses worked at their sharpest, preparing for a life and death battle.


    Sensing something, he punched to the left with all his strength.


    The spacepressed before exploding.


    Boom!


    The mountain ranges in the way of his punch levelled. It didn''t stop there. The power continued to ttened everything in its wave and circled the entire before returning to the Prince.


    If anyone observed the frozen star from space, they would find a visible line along the surface, forming a full circle.


    But Rudolph''s eyes widened as he realized he hadn''t hit anything.


    His instincts weren''t wrong. Varian had been in that location. But a moment before they actually detected him.


    Varian''s time power seamlessly blended with his soul power and decieved Rudolph''s instincts. The dangerous shot that could''ve seriously injured was missed, just like that.


    As the Prince panicked at his failure, a thin red thread cut through the space in front of him.


    Rudolph raised his defense but as it appeared right after his attack, there was a dy.


    The red thread expanded into a threatening crimson light as it struck the prince. A flood of powers struck him at the same time and ce.


    Rudolph''s hands that were just regenerated exploded as the power of matter and energy worked together.


    But that was actually a feint.


    Boom!


    Rudolph''s chest split open and a hande appeared, pushing through his bones and flesh. Held in that hand was a beating heart.


    The hand clenched.


    Pa! Ta!


    The heart exploded and Varian''s assimtor power devoured all the vitality in the organ.


    Rudolph felt his body grow heavy. "You fuck¡ª"


    When Rudolph turned around in a blink, Varian''s arm grabbed his shoulder from behind.


    Click!


    "No¡ªarghhh!"


    Like breaking off a branch, Varian ripped apart the Prince''s arm.


    "I''ll kill you!"


    Rudolph''s fist reached Varian''s face in a blink.


    As it tried to touch him, the space and time around it began to distort, severely slowing down the fist.


    It was still incredibly fast, but for a rank 7, it was too easy to dodge.


    Varian slipped to the side andshed out a kick.


    Kacha!


    Itnded right between the Prince''s legs and a chilling silence ensued.


    "Wh-Wha¡­" Rudolph''s face turned red and purple, his eyelids twitching before tears spilled out of his eyes.


    It shouldn''t hurt this much! He''s a Paragon Body for fuck''s sake!


    But Varian''s soul powers were messing with his senses, making him feel the pain that an ordinary man, no a very sensitive man would feel.


    "Arghhh!" Clutching his bloodied pants, the Prince cried out.


    Varian showed no sympathy and drove his sword down the prince''s throat.


    As if his current pain wasn''t enough, new, worse pain exploded in Rudolph''s body.


    The sword tore his throat, severd his lungs and pierced his organs. And then it shot out different powers right inside him.


    Rudolph screamed in agony.


    Varian watched the prince split into two pieces along his length and raised his sword again. There was no sympathy in his eyes. Only anger.


    "If you even dare as much as touching my women,"


    White and ck mes enveloped the sword. With a graceful arc, Requiem swung down, splitting the Prince horizontally.


    And it shed down, again and again.


    "You''ll wish you could kill yourself."


    "Arghhhh!"


    ¡­Until what once was the prince disintegrated and assimted.

 Chapter 1317 Home

    Chapter 1317 Home


    When Sarah regained consciousness, she sensed a familiar environment.


    Everything that happened¡ªthe sudden mission, escape and the brutal battle¡ª seemed to be a nightmare.


    Feeling the familiar warmth on her hair, she slowly opened her eyes and saw Varian looking at her with a gentle smile.


    His hand brushed her hair, no longer stained with blood. It was as silky and beautiful as always.


    "Did I do well?" She brought his hand to his face and cupped her cheek in his palm.


    "You did," Varian pinched her cheek and said. "Without you, I wouldn''t have won. We wouldn''t have survived."


    "Liar. She wasn''t unimportant, but I am the reason for your sorry survival." A cold voice rang in the bedroom, prompting Sarah to turn her head and look at the woman sleeping at the edge, well away from Varian''s arm reach.


    Sarah rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue. "Cry me a river, granny! Without me, you''d have been dead. Just admit it."


    "Y-You insolent littl¡ª"


    "Alright, your bodies still haven''t recovered. Just rest for now." Varian said.


    "Sooner orter, I''ll make you beg for mercy." Isadora gave off a threat.


    Sarah showed a pitiful expression and held Varian''s hand tight. "Hubby, Hubby, that bad woman says she will beat me. You''ll protect me, right?"


    Varian flicked on her forehead and after an ''Ouch'', Sarah looked at him with teary eyes, as if she suffered a great grievance.


    "Don''t give me that look. You were trying to drag me into your fight."


    "Cold-hearted man," She snorted but didn''t let go of his hand. "Isadora, even if you want to, you can''t beat Var now, right?"


    Isadora''s face froze.


    As if she just realized her situation, she stiffly turned her neck and looked at Varian with a vengeful re.


    "I¡­I was the one who did it¡­I willingly improved his strength. Now, even if I break the seal¡­" Isadora looked at the ceiling with a nk gaze, as if her life had lost all meaning.


    Sarah giggled at her reaction. "You''re going to be with us for life. You better start respecting me, right, Var?"


    "I''m shifting her to another room," Varian feared they''d start a brawl on bed.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    After settling affairs with the two, Varian rested on ake under the sunset and rxed.


    Sarah still held a grudge against Isadora for trying to kill them. It wasn''t going away anytime soon. But this incident did improve their rtionship.


    After hearing her story, Varian didn''t think Isadora would be having a good rtionship with him or anyone in the near future.


    Even if she talked casually and behaved normally, she wasn''t building a bond with them.


    Fortunately, they''re at least in a functional rtionship. And things hadn''t soured.


    Sia and Enigma were the primary reason Varian wanted to have a good rtionship with her. But after learning about her past, he wished her to be happy.


    There wasn''t much he could do, however.


    He couldn''t just tell her to forget the betrayals and live as if nothing happened. People didn''t work like that.


    It was almost 500 years ago but for her, it was just a deep sleep. The scars didn''t fade. Not just the angry but also the grief.


    ''Why did her sister betray her? They had a good rtionship. She''s so much younger than Isadora, so, it''s not like she was plotting anything. There''s nothing for her to gain.''


    That was the part he couldn''t understand.


    When he tried asking after she woke up, Isadora didn''t give any proper response.


    ''So you''re saying she didn''t have a reason for betrayal and was really forced? Huh?''


    ''No, I didn''t mean tha¡ª''


    ''She''s such a nice younger sister that she couldn''t care less about me dying in front of her eyes.''


    ''But what is the incent¡ª''


    ''I don''t know. I don''t care. I''m long past the point of thinking about her whys. Now, I just want her to regret it.''


    Perhaps she did betray Isadora for her own gains. But given her young age at that time, she could also be threatened.


    ¡­by her own mother.


    Varian didn''t know the actual truth, of course. It was all spection.


    But he hoped Isadora to find something meaningful at the end of her revenge.


    ''Seeding in revenge isn''t that hard. I can help her. But the real problem is whates after. Hearts, once filled with anger now turn empty. For such people, the world seems meaningless, life itself bes a chore.''


    If the worst did happen, then he''d have to stick with her and pull her out of the abyss.


    Thankfully, he wasn''t weaker than her anymore!


    ''Status''


    [Adept Rank 6: 250/5000 (+250)


    Assimtor Rank 6: 1000/5000 (+500)


    < You devoured a peak rank 7! Even though he''s utterly injured, but that''s definitely something. You are bing a glutton! Keep it up! But also think about your future path!>


    Binder Rank 6: 0/5000


    < Don''t let it fall behind >


    Energy Rank 6: 0/5000


    Matter Rank 6: 0/5000


    < You can now use the slivers a bit more than earlier. But that''s still a big improvement in rtive terms. >


    Space Rank 6: 0/5000


    Time Rank 6: 0/5000


    < How about one more Synergy with Isadora? Of course, you won''t have such a big improvement like the first. But it''s still going to be a significant rise > ]


    Varian was happy with everything until he read thest part.


    "She said it, didn''t she? The first andst synergy. No way it''s happening again."


    [There''s no such thing as one time. It''s only zero times and countless times.]


    "Then did universe start countless times?"


    [Errr, that''s beyond the knowledge of the System.]


    Varian shook his head.


    [Even though the example was incorrect, Host, this System trusts your ability to coax women. You are hereby titled the Ri¡ª]


    "You dare!"

 Chapter 1318 A Goddess

    Chapter 1318 A Goddess


    Varian wiped the blood running down his nose.


    In front of him was a sphere formed of countless ck and white threads. Inside were the treasures of Rudolph.


    The signals from Rudolph''s emergency devices were blocked off.


    Just because a not-so-significant Princess died here, Varian had to take a huge risk, pull probably one of the boldest scams and still nearly died.


    Rudolph''s death news would shake the pirs of the kingdom. Throughout this entire fiasco, the only reason Kingdom didn''t send rank 8s for protection was at the request of the candidates themselves.


    They wanted to change their image. That they weren''t a fragile seedling to be protected, but a nascent powerhouse of sorts.


    The kingdom had been happy toply so far. But a single death would shake up not just sr system, but all the duchies nearby.


    This wasn''t just a matter of another peak rank 7 death but the murder of the kingdom''s future ruler.


    There would definitely be rank 9sing in. And when they would, unless he packed everything up and fled, death would be a mercy for every human.


    Worse, Varian wasn''t too sure if he''d be able to escape without any leaving behind any traces.


    Hortus was a wonderful treasure but he was still too weak to fully harness its potential.


    Facing off rank 9s, the beings closest to being termed ''divine'', a small mistake would end up in a disaster.


    As confident in his abilities, he knew too well that his uniqueness brought not just unprecedented opportunities but also unfathomable dangers.


    ''Logos, tell me, you aren''t messing with this and leaking the signals just because you want Chaos, are you?''


    [¡­]


    ''Logos, you fuckin¡ª''


    [No. This System did not do such thing.]


    Varian released the breath he was holding and nodded. "I''ll trust you for now."


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Maid Reina Astolf scanned through the capital once again, looking for any possible clues.


    The envoy who sent her the message¡ªEdison¡ªjust vanished! She couldn''t find the other two envoys either.


    More worryingly, there were no traces of any foreign aura in the guest pces where they stayed.


    Unless he''s trying to y a prank on her¡ªwhich that servile idiot wouldn''t dare¡ªthe three of them were kidnapped.


    But every evidence on the scene pointed out that no outsider approached this ce. Caught between the impossible and improbable, Reina struggled.


    ''Something is wrong here. Something¡­''


    The maid''s eyes widened and a line of thought shed in her mind.


    ''Daphne has upped the security of the fortress earlier. She''s facing no threats. Then it must be for Prince Rudolph¡ªhe should''ve returned. And he''s so injured she had to raise the defense systems.


    It makes no sense. How could Prince Rudolph be that injured? But there''s no other way. I''m sure of it.


    That''s why Daphne suddenly cut off contact with me and dropped the patrols to find those invaders.


    We were lied to. The Zions¡­weren''t an easy target like we thought.''


    To be fair, Zions were a fairy easy target. Had it not been the incarnation of paranoia¡ªJataur, any other ruler governing the duchy, no matter how just or clever, would''ve been helpless in front of the monstrous princes.


    Because no sane ruler would mortage his entire territory for super expensive single-use destructive weapons. It just couldn''t happen.


    The one reason Zion remained safe so far was precisely the one person everyone wished to get rid of.


    But none of the candidates knew this. Being a subordinate, Reina knew even less.


    "I should inform the kingdom¡­Daphne wouldn''t like it and my prince wouldn''t like it either. Then what should I do¡­" The maid searched for an action she could take.


    ''Yes! I could call her!''


    Reina''s eyes brightened before her fists clenched. ''But whenever I talk to that bitch, the memories of¡­her¡­return.''


    She and Daphne were orphans, with an arm and leg deliberately amputed, thrown to beg in the streets by a notorious gangster.


    They weren''t a unique case.


    After something big happened prior, poverty stuck manys and like countless other children, they too were exploited by poweful, evil and hurtful adults.


    ''Why are you begging?''


    On that fateful day, a voice addressed her.


    Seeing the expensive ck footwear, feet much cleanier and prettier than her face had ever been, Reina flinched instinctively.


    Begging on the streets and surviving so far meant she picked up some lessons. One of it was reading people.


    The woman speaking was young but authoritative. Her cold voice was filled with confidence unlike any other.


    ''Young, strong, from a good background.'' Reina carefully withdrew her dirty begging bowl and distanced a few steps from her.


    She had seen child beggers beaten to death because some of their ''breaths'' touched the nobles passing by and contaminated their entire body.


    Reina knelt and muttered in a quivering voice, despite trying not to. "I¡­I am so sorry for¡­di-disturbing your day, please spare me, your highness."


    "Answer me, why are you begging?"


    The voice was a bit softer this time but still authoritative, like the lord of the city questioning his subjects.


    Reina didn''t know what to answer.


    She couldn''t point out to the adult woman who was in charge of her and many other children like her.


    One kid tried that. They poured molten metal into her eyes.


    The children huddled together, shivering the whole night, as her screams continued until dawn.


    Neither could she tell the obvious. She looked like a bag of bones with ugly, dirty skin.


    Why was she begging?


    The reason she survived so far wasn''t because she gained enough from begging. It was because her teeth were more resilient than the stray dogs''.


    "What''s with the interest in a beggar, daughter? I don''t even know why you wanted to visit a like this. Get away from that dirty thing and let''s return to the city lord pce. I want to wash myself after walking in this filthy street."


    "Even beggars have someone with them, but she is all alone. Evenpared to all those children, she''s even more pitiful."


    At those words, Reina dared to lift her head and look up.


    She only heard tales of goddesses. A beautiful face that went beyond all expectations appeared in front of her.


    "A-Are you a¡­goddess?"


    The words left her mouth before she knew it. It was an extremely disrespectful way of speaking.


    Reina trembled in fear, wondering if it was better to just bite off her tongue and die than go through all the pain that''d soon drown her.


    "Haha, I am a goddess." Isadora squatted in front of her and matched Reina''s eye level.


    Looking at the frightened little girl, she gave a kind, beautiful smile. "I will save you."


    "There are hundreds of thousands like her in this city alone. Let alone the entire. And there many, manys like this. You can''t change the situation, daughter.


    Everytime something big happens, poverty is inevitable. Things will get better after a few generations. Leave it be."


    The older woman was pretty but she didn''t bear any resemnce to the goddess.


    Reina looked at her eyes idently and shivered.


    "You''re right, mother." The young Isadora stood up and said. "I can''t save everyone. Maybe not even a thousanth or even a millionth. Rank 4 is still too weak, right?"


    The older woman nodded. "Yes, instead of this stupid charity, focus on your strength. Little girl, don''t take this lightly because I''m repeating this again, but one day, you''ll outshine everyone in this kingdom. I want to see that day sooner thanter."


    "Hehehe," Isadora giggled at her words before turning to the frightened Reina again.


    "But mother, there''s something I want to do. I can''t save everyone but I certainly can save some, right?"


    "Bu¡ª"


    "Just like you saved me." Isadora rested her head on the woman''s shoulder.


    The woman''s stoic expression softened and a loving smile adorned her face. With a helpless shake of her head, she caressed Isadora''s hair. "Have it your way then. You''re already so stubborn."


    "No, I''m always mother''s obedient daughter. This one time, I''m a bit wilful." Isadora said with a cute expression.


    Reina couldn''t understand what exactly they were talking about. Or what they were going to do.


    As she slowly tried to back off, a warm hand caressed her dirty, no, filthy hair, "Little girl, don''t take this lighty since I''m saying it, but I think one day, you''ll shine brightly in the kingdom. How about youe with me?"


    "I¡­Wh-Wha¡­" Reina felt something blocking her throat.


    Why was this nobledy touching her hair? Why was she soiling her hand? How many whipshes would she recieve as punishment?


    Those were all the reasons she should be afraid but why¡­


    Why was she crying so happily¡­


    "Then you''re also family!" Under the setting sun, the noble princess hugged the dirty child.


    That day, the gangsters of the and a hundred nearby met a horrible death.


    An anonmyous woman made a generous donation to theses. It was so much that all the children were not only fed properly, but also schooled in good academies.


    No one knew her identity.


    Except for a little girl.

 Chapter 1319 Gentleman

    Chapter 1319 Gentleman


    When Reina came to her senses, she was about to call the woman who she and Daphne worked under.


    Zara, the leader of punishment order, peak rank 8 and was once hailed to be a true genius. But after the war 500 years ago, she stopped making any progress.


    Daphne and Reina regressed after the war and decided to go seperate ways from Zara. They hadn''t contacted her ever since. The reason was obvious.


    ''If I have to ask that woman for help, it''ll be undoing of everything I''ve done so far.'' Reina struggled between her own stand and the safety of the prince she wholeheartedly served.


    Thankfully, before she could suffer further into making a decision, a hand tapped on her shoulder.


    "Huek!" Reina flinched and turned around with a jump, her face losing all color and her eyes shivering in fear.


    ''Who? Who can just sneak behind without me even noticing?''


    Her mind was faster than her eyes and was flooding her with scary thoughts.


    The one standing in front of her was a familiar young man. Handsome, young and confident.


    "You¡­are the ruler of the trib¡ªcivilization," Reina''s words were filled with more confusion than certainty.


    She said what she knew but that if that was true, there''s no way this man would be standing like this in front of her.


    The maid tried to sense his power. But like throwing a pebble into an ocean, her senses just sank into an unknown void when they reached him.


    ''Wh-What was that?''


    Her path was that of a <Death Spirit> ¡ª the pr to < Life Spirit >. But <Death Spirit> awakeners also had a nickname <Enver>.


    It''s because they could ''infiltrate'' into any being with ''death essence''. Like a virus infiltrating a healthy cell, the death essence would infiltrate the life essence of a ''living'' being.


    Rather than just killing the creature, it corrupts and corrodes¡ª


    fundamentally changing the target from within.


    So, she was very sensitive to the life essence of the creatures. That''s why, she couldn''t understand why she felt him to be so¡­young.


    Less than a century? Less than half a century? Less than a quarter century?


    ''No, no, no. Something is wrong! My powers aren''t working!'' Reina instinctively reached out her hand and aimed it at Varian.


    Varian titled his head in response and gave off a harmless smile. "I''m not going to kill you. That''s not my job. But please surrender without resistance or I might inflict pain on you. I am gentleman but I''m not known for being gentle."


    "You''re at least a rank 7 or even a rank 8!" Reina''s voice trembled and she looked at him with a fear that didn''t match her usual disposition.


    "I''m not, I promise. I''m your friendly neigh¡ª"


    "This is all your n, isn''t it? The death of princess Azalea, arrival of envoys, discovery of space cracks, the Zions and now, this disappearance of envoys¡­I am yourtest target."


    The more she spoke, the more Reina''s voice cracked. She realized that even if half of what she said were true, then this man would be a terror that they should''ve avoided.


    It wasn''t just she who realized it. Even Varian rubbed his chin with a serious expression. "Now that you put it, I do look like an evil minded conspiracy viin, damn!"


    He punched his palm with an excited smile. "Do you have any feedback for me? ces where I can improve? The next targets should have a better experience, right?"


    Reina almost vomitted blood at those words. "Y-You saidistic bastard! Do you realize what you''re saying?! You evil cowar¡ª"


    "Woah, woah, woah!" Varian held up his hand. "I wouldn''t go that far if I were you. Like I said, I''m a gentleman, but I''m not known for being gentle. So, please close your mouth and knock yourself out. Or I''ll have to do it."


    This was ridiculous! Even though she regressed to rank 7, she shouldn''t be this helpless.


    "I''ll expose your evil n to the world! Prepare for destruction of your entire race! Prepare for a painful end!" Reina''s fingers shed with a red light.


    Three humanoids appeared in between Varian and Reina.


    With terrific muscr bodies that resembled sculpted statues, two were ten-foot tall while the third was twelve.


    Crack!


    The humanoids stepped forward forcefully and the capital of Centaurus began to shake violently.


    Crack!


    Earthquakes at unprecedented intensity began to rip the, destroying buildings and damaging entire cities.


    Crack!


    Even as the defensive formations on the activated, visible cracks appeared on the entire, like an egg shell that''s cracked.


    ''Fucking hell¡­'' Varian frowned.


    All the three of them were in


    path. So, unlike other paths who could''ve used other means, they fought fist to fist.


    The 12-feet one was a mid rank 7 while the two 10-foot one were low rank 7s.


    He could win them both but during that time Reina could not only escape but also send all the messages she shouldn''t.


    "It''d have been a problem if I had only one path," Varian smirked and his aura shot up, the low rank 6s mixed into a rank 7.


    Reina who was about to escape felt a sudden diziness strike her. Then, her fingers that were moving to activate the emergency escape seemed awfully slow.


    ''Why¡­the world is so¡­fast?''


    Her attacked soul couldn''t even identify that her time flow was being changed.


    The space behind her fluctuated and Reina''s death powers took over, creating a barrier of death essence enveloping her.


    "If I do this the traditional way, it''ll take up too much time." Varian muttered and his fingers shed with a brilliant white light. As his fingers approached the barrier, it parted itself allowing him to reach her.


    Varian''s index finger reached Reina''s forehead and tapped on it.


    "Shoo!"


    The soul attack went right from his finger directly into her body, striking her soul with the most efficiency.


    The maid''s eyes rolled up and she fainted at his feet. The three humanoids roared and jumped at Varian.


    The man opened a space portal and jumped in with Reina. The simple minded creatures jumped in to follow him, as intended.

 Chapter 1320 Looming Threat

    Chapter 1320 Looming Threat


    Prince Xoler returned to the capital drenched in blood.


    His right forearm was bitten off. A hideous bite arge chunk of his abdomen. There was a sharp cut near his neck, which could''ve been really dangerous.


    But when the Prince''s return got broadcasted in real time, everyone cheered out loud.


    The reason was the three beast hands in his hands.


    He won.


    As a low rank 7, he had to face three creatures of same rank. In fact, they were much closer to mid rank 7 than him and were all significantly stronger.


    Yet, he won.


    Was it because of the healing treasures he used to save his life not once but twice? Was it because of his armor? Was it because of Zion''s racial talent that allowed them to use gravity to escape to a distant ce whenever they''re in grave danger?


    They were all factors but the biggest reason was his will to keep fighting. The victor wasn''t decided until thest moment.


    Xoler resolved himself to death, if he could just kill the enemy. Because if he didn''t, a low rank 7 was more than enough to decimate the entire duchy.


    When faced with a threat that could destroy his mothend, the Prince found that he was far more courageous than he ever thought he could be.


    "Good thing he left," Varianmented as he watched the absolutely brutal battle between a single man and three mad beasts. "He''s way more dangerous than these candidates."


    "But what now? Prince Merov might be dead, Princess Sonya is still alive. No matter how much I search, there are no traces of her presence." Across the screen, the fairy Hazel folded her wings and said in a distressed voice.


    Varian had a headache dealing with Isadora''s sister.


    Should he get her killed? What if Isadora wants revenge and desired to kill her sister herself? Capturing her was the best thing but would that even be possible?


    Prince Rudolph who only recovered a portion of his strength proved to be a problematic opponent. Sonya at her peak power was just unwinnable for the present him.


    "Prince Xoler had made it impossible to lure any rank 4s or rank 5s, forget rank 6s." Hazelined.


    Varian nodded. He shared the frustration.


    With his current power, he could end Xoler. The question though, was stepping into that ce even safe at this point?


    A crazy formation might just activate if he harmed the ruler''s bloodline. He didn''t know. Jatuar was that crazy.


    "How''s the search for Jatauring along?"


    "About that¡­" Hazel blinked and bit her lip, seemingly hesitant.


    "Yes?"


    "While I was trying to find his traces, my spies ended up poking a rank 6. He contacted me.


    I concealed my appearance, but the man was certain I wasn''t the one calling the shots. He wanted to make a deal. He''d send you the hardcore loyalists of the duchy if you promise to deal with them."


    "What a cheap bastard," Varian''s lips twitched. "That''s it? He will send us the enemies and we''ll have to deal with them. What''s in for us?"


    That Zion didn''t know about Hortus'' specialty. So, this was just a terrible deal for any onlooker.


    "He promised a lot of things once he became the ruler," Hazel raised her palm and a holographic document floated in front of Varian.


    "Let''s see. State Investments, specialized potion recipes, allowing us to use his territory to spy on the region, enving and exploiting the poption of nearby provinces." Varian shook his head.


    "A grand deal. All the terms are favorable." Hazel said, though her voice didn''t quite mean it.


    "Yes, a grand deal that ''might'' materialize ''after'' he bes a ruler, ''if'' he ever does." Varian pped away the document and it disintegrated into sparkling lights.


    "There is newsing that the kingdom will aid the duchy. Some say that Prince Xoler is being overly optimistic. But the public believe him."


    At the mention of kingdom, Varian frowned.


    The P candidates used various treasures to shield off any such distress calls.


    But during the ''green star'' incident, some powerfulmunication treasures were used.


    Even as he kept fighting the three creatures, Prince Xoler''s kept sending messages to people from the kingdom, asking for help.


    "What do you think?"


    "The kingdom will move fast if they have evidence of Alliance''s involvement. If it''s one duchy fighting against other, unless things get dire, they prefer to sit back and rx. The Providence Trial provides immunity from superiors, not of peers."


    Varian tapped his finger on his chin. "Just in case, I''ll close the space cracks."


    "Then I''ll keep in touch with the rank 4s and above that want to escape Zion." Hazel nodded.


    Varian''s figure blurred and he quickly moved through the space cracks he opened from the original space channel left by Abyss Emperor. With his space power, he patched them all up.


    The only thing that''s left was the space portal near the battle fortresses. There wasn''t anyone to stop him from destroying it.


    But Varian hesitated.


    The kingdom''s assistance might not happen right away. Closing the portal now meant he''d lose bunch of rank 5s and rank 6s.


    The destruction of portal itself might alert and rm Princess Sonya. She could break her own rules and ask the kingdom for help. They''d rush here to check the problem, exposing sr system to more problems.


    Lastly, Isadora''s sister was a factor he couldn''t ignore.


    He didn''t understand why a younger sister would betray an elder sister who loved her so much. If possible, he wanted to find any hidden truths and make it easier for Isadora.


    While this happened on this side of the gxy, Prince Merov who just recovered was having a big debate with his ''master''.


    "But why? I haven''t done anything yet! Not a single merit! I can''t return like this."


    "Listen to me, Merov. Baldur is out ofpetition, right? You can rx and focus on future victories. Don''t be fixated on this too much."


    "But why?! You''re not telling me something, master!"


    "...I sensed the kingdom''s forces."

 Chapter 1321 Orion

    Chapter 1321 Orion


    With a heart full of humiliation and reluctance, Prince Merov began his journey to the secretive ce where the space portal was hidden by the three candidates.


    Even though they werepeted against each other in almost everything, this was one thing they coopearted unanimously.


    Precious treasures were burned to keep this location hidden and the information of its condition ryed to them within minutes of any changes.


    Until now, there had been no emergency alerts, so Merov didn''t bother checking the information about the portal.


    But once inside his spaceship, he ended up opening the log.


    The prince''s eyebrows jumped in surprise. "Rudolph used the portal already? A few days ago? No way¡­"


    "Unless he''s beaten to the point he can''tpete, that young man won''t leave. But there had been no attacks on the capital before yours.


    He had been attacked somewhere else and decided to leave. It''s a decision that''d hurt his pride, but he must''ve had no choice.


    But this puts everything into question. The Zions knew about your arrival in advance. Not just arrival but even your strengths and personalities. Theyid down a trap for you three to bite and bite you did." The old voice was filled with equal amounts of astonishment and anger.


    He liked ying others on the boards the most and hated being yed by others the most.


    "I''ll get my revenge, Master." Merov said. "My three ve beasts were brutally killed¡­"


    "Forget revenge, just make sure you don''t get caught up in the uing storm." The old voice chided him. "And remember, you must destroy the space portal once you use it."


    "What about Sony¡ª"


    "It doesn''t matter. A rank 8 can kill you too easily. Don''t risk any confrontation."


    "¡­Fine."


    Just as the spaceship approached the region where the portal was hidden, seven beams of light fell from the space, right onto the purple moon of the capital.


    Like dust rising after a collison, sparkling light particles rose into the air. They twinkled like stars and gave off a soothing light. Simr to thick gas, they washed over the surroundings before thinning out and dispersing into the air.


    It was a beautiful sight that would hook away the the hearts of steel.


    Mesmerized by the sight and marvelled at the sheer power radiating out of that light, Prince Xoler and his entourage of rank 6 generals waited humbly, with hands folded in front of their chest and heads lowered in, fully showing their respects.


    Out of the seven, a beam of light slowly cleared.


    A six-foot tall humanoid male walked out. His pitch ck skin was adorned with little twinkling stars. The man''s body was of perfect proportions.


    Even though he, like his fellow Veyans, walked the path of space, his physical strength could easily crush the strongest Mystic.


    Against the perfectly ck background, his eyes had a glowing white six-pointed star.


    Even though the shape of his being resembled a human, his skin wasn''t equivalent to a dark tone. It was as if the dark space filled with ocassional stars was stripped out and moulded into a figure.


    As the first Veyan took the third step, the remaining beams also slowly cleared, revealing four men and two women.


    Like the first warrior, they all wore an armored shirt and trousers woven out of glowing white threads¡ªextracted from the famous star spider rumored to reside at the heart ofrge stars.


    Their mere presence turned their surroundings into a beautiful mix of twinkling starlight and glowing white light.


    Prince Xoler gulped his saliva and stepped forward. He had seen these uniforms in the Academy.


    ''Orion!''


    The infamous special forces under the Veyan kingdom. Unlike the regr army, there were only 1,000 warriors in Orion.


    Each Orion was a true genius in his academy time and could easily deal with at least six people at the same rank.


    Xoler killing those three creatures each of which were individually stronger than him was a great feat. But if he applied for Orion, he wouldn''t qualify.


    A kingdom didn''t just mean a couple of duchies.


    The difference between a duchy and a kingdom was far, far higher than one could expect.


    Their records were numerous. The most highlighted one in recent times was destruction of a 100 rank 7s as well as 10,000 rank 6s with a squad of just 12 members.


    The quiet skeptics didn''t believe it. Xoler was one of them. But his Veyan roommate showed him a few videos that shut him up.


    ''These guys are monsters!''


    "D-Duke Xoler wees the squad of Or¡ª" The former prince bowed in a respectful tone but his words were interrupted without much courtesy.


    "From the Alliance?" The man standing at the forefront of the squad asked.


    The space around him was fluctuating, like hot air would pute over boiling oil.


    That wasn''t it, the tidbits of aura leaking out of him already caused the rank 6 military generals behind Xoler to faint.


    ''Rank 8! The captain is rank 8!''


    Xoler could also feel the pressure but it wasn''t as pronounced due to his rank 7 strength. But for a rank 6, just the leaking treasure was enough.


    The closer one got to divine ranks, the more ''monstrous'' they turned.


    Strength increased exponentially and there''s no such thing as fighting across the ranks.


    Forget geniuses, even hybrids had a hard time fighting a sub-rank higher. Even the best of Orion could barely fight someone a sub-rank higher. If that enemy was as experienced, then the oue would be 50-50.


    Xoler shook his head and took a few rapid breaths. He didn''t know if he could ever reach rank 8. Heck, he didn''t know if he could reach mid rank 7 by the end of this century.


    It''s just too hard to climb ranks the higher you went. Exponentially higher.


    The leader''s star pupils glowed with an intense light and Xoler instantly felt the space around him tightening.


    His consciousness turned nk for a moment before he found himself back in life.


    "From the Alliance?" The captain asked again, his voice cold and indifferent.


    "Y-Yes. They are from P kingdom of Genesis. E-Entry point near Centaurus duchy."

 Chapter 1322 Sisters

    Chapter 1322 Sisters


    The leader nced at one of the women who swiftly opened up a map and checked the coordinates.


    After she gave a nod, a man opened up a hexagonal crystal from his storage and threw it up.


    All the seven Veyans raised their hands. Briint beams of starlight shot out of their palms and stuck the crystal.


    The crystal''s glow began to grow exponentially. In just a few seconds, it went from a bright bulb to rival the brightness of a city at night. Then it quickly shadowed the brightness of the capital''s six stars.


    The light fluctuated violently for a moment before shooting a ray of beam towards the captain.


    The purple moon began to disintegrate as the beam approached.


    The ground began to peel offyer byyer, everything began to shake violently and the people on the moon, from the lowest rank 3 to the highest rank 6 began to cough out blood and twitch like fishes out of water.


    It wasn''t even an attack.


    Prince Xoler too felt a huge pressure on his shoulders suffocating his entire being. His knees cracked and his eyes began to bleed.


    Even being a rank 7, he couldn''t face that pressure. Unluckily, he was right next to where the beam was heading.


    ''F-Fuck, I''ll die! I''ll die by something like this!'' Xoler felt his life sh before his eyes.


    He felt proud of his actions just a while ago. Standing up for his race made him feel like the hero of his own story. But a few minutester, he experienced his own insignificance.


    It wasn''t that he didn''t love his homnd enough. It''s just that he thought it''d be better if he was stronger.


    ''After this crisis passes, I''ll pursue more strength. Governing the duchy can be left to a more capable politician. I just need to support them.''


    And that was all if he didn''t die due to this beam.


    The captain raised his hand and the beam condensed into a thin line and shot straight into his palm.


    All the pressure disappeared.


    When he spread his palm, the hexagonal crystal resurfaced, a blinking red dot in its ck structure.


    It was useless to gain any information from it visually. But as the awakeners in space path, the Veyans could sense theplicated space signalsing out of the crystal.


    The Orion leader gave the capital system with a fleeting nce and took a step forward. The members followed. As if turning invisible, they disappeared.


    But Xoler knew, they weren''t turning invisible, they teleported! But it was so smooth that he could barely find any spatial fluctuations.


    ''Right, Veyans have a terrific affinity to space. I-It''s too much to ask them to deal with these intruders¡­''


    Despite wishing for every help just minutes ago, Xoler felt that he was sending a hammer to kill an ant.


    ''Even if they get into the space portal, they can''t esacpe. They can''t.'' The former prince slumped to the ground and let out a deep sigh.


    While the Orion group made their entrance, an interesting reaction ured in the nearby star system.


    Princess Sonya who was keeping tabs on thetest developments noticed the anamoly.


    ''This style¡­it''s them! The mad hunters!'' Sonya''s pupils trembled.


    Long back when Isadora reached the peak of rank 7, Orion sent a squad to assassinate her.


    As the biggest genius of the kingdom so far, she got life-saving treasurs. She used up the only one effective treasure to kill the rank 8.


    But she still had to face 48 rank peak rank 7s.


    Isadora won. But even she had to rest for an entire month to recover from the aftermath.


    As Isadora grew, that defeat had turned into arguably one of the greatest achievements of the group.


    Sonya could vividly recall the day when she returned from academy andined about the nasty space awakeners their ss had to fight.


    Applying the healing potion to her injuries, Isadora exined. "The ones you faced aren''t as dangerous as the ones you''re going to face.


    Most races have paths that they naturally awaken in. But there are only a few races in the Alliance that awaken in the space path.


    There used to be a lot more long ago. They were either ughtered to extinction by the Jai or migrated to them, out of fear or greed.


    We still have some. They are excellent, they work hard and yes, loyal.


    They couldpete with their counterparts in the Jai Empire at most ranks. But this parity almost disappears when the ranks start approaching the divine.


    Even for the same poption, they have 100x times more space geniuses than we do.


    Jai also have races that awaken in other paths. But just like us, those races too can''t reach the top. These talented races are the backbone of the kingdoms."


    "Then, Sister, which race is the most dangerous?"


    "¡­It''s not that simple. But if it''s fighting as a small group, it''s Veyans. When you can defeat a Veyan squad, you''ll be the best genius of the kingdom, okay?"


    "T-Then what about you, sister? Won''t you be a genius anymore?" Sonya looked up with pitiful eyes. "If so, I don''t want to a genius. I''m fine being average."


    Isadora pinched Sonya''s cheeks and chuckled. "Stupid, by the time you can do that, I''ll already be a divine ranker."


    "¡­Divine ranker,"


    Princess Sonya muttered with a bitter expression. "Neither am I the genius you hoped I would be nor are you the divine ranker as you said. Sister, why does it have to be this way? "


    Packing up, Sonya quickly boarded her spaceship in stealth and rushed to the space portal.


    A part of her wanted to fight against the Veyans and prove her sister''s words to be true. To be the best genius.


    But therger part of her was scared.


    Not because of her failing. But seeding and being reminded of what she had be.


    The best genius...just as her sister dreamed, after causing her death.

 Chapter 1323 The Players

    Chapter 1323 The yers


    Prince Merov used the secret code to unblock a region of space. After some fluctuation, the darkness in front of him cleared, showing a purple gate.


    "Haaa!" The man took a breath, his face full of reluctance and regret. But he channeled his aura to enter.


    As he was about to do that, a sharp aura fluctuation broke out in the distance.


    Without any hesitation, Merov turned around and his aura locked the person who arrived.


    A green light appeared in front of the intruder, its size easily rivalling that of entire earth. It took the shape of a frog and opened its mouth. A powerful suction force pulled at the intruder.


    Like a giant beast opening its mouth to drink the oceans clean, the green frog tried to devour the ier''s life force.


    "Hmph!"


    Rather than panic that a Space awakener should''ve have shown, there was a snort of derision and anger.


    The opponent''s silhouttee began to glow white, simr to fireflies under the night. The light was beautiful, signalled with the essence of life itself and fought back against the hostile life force.


    The exchange of Life Spirit and Life Force Controller ended in a draw.


    "It''s you?" Merov''s eyes widened as he finally recognized the aura and the person in question.


    Sonya.


    Her hair was disheveled and her blue armor was starting to crack. Tendrils of space¡ªappearing as ck and gray rays¡ªfluctuated around her, signalling that she had just been through violent teleportations beyond what she could handle.


    "Run! Merov! They''reing!"


    Princess Sonya''s reverberated in his mind as if they had telepathy.


    A thread of her hair that had been intentionally or unintentionally seperated and thrown off reached the space gate.


    With a thought, Sonya''s position changed and she appeared at the hair''s location.


    Prince Merov also wanted to leave but his pride didn''t allow him to be lead on by anyone else, much less this woman he considered ''useless'' in the match.


    "Who is chasing?" He asked with a grudging expression.


    Matching his words, the huge frog beast appeared behind him and stared down at the Princess.


    "I don''t have time!"


    Sonya began to activate the space gate. To keep it running as long as possible while remaining as stealthy, such measures were necessary. But now, it''s costing them precious seconds.


    "Hurry up and help me! We have to lea¡ª"


    Seven beams of light fell from the space. A powerful aura tsunami swept the surroundings and the instincts of the two screamed to flee.


    "If he was wrong, I wanted to revoke the diplomatic immunity and at least ughter half of that duchy." The man with space-like skinmented as the six-pointed star in his eyes turned a dangerous red.


    "But well, this is a great achievement. Our squad will be more than happy to take this merit." The leader''s lips curled into a smile.


    "Captain, anymunication with the enemy should be avoided. Neutralizing the threat is of foremost importance and any dy caused by talks could lead to unexpected variables." A Veyan woman with long glowing sliver said.


    The Captain pursed his lips into a thin line and raised his hand.


    Sonya who was about to use an emergency measure to forcibly activate the space gate felt a barrier between her and the structure.


    "If you do that, you can esacpe but it''ll blow up after us. Shouldn''t we need to pay a visit to this beautiful ce used as theunch ground against us?" The Captain snapped his fingers.


    Ka! Ka! Ka!


    With the sound of metal being cut by metal,yers andyers of space barriers began to pile over the first, creating a thick gray wall enveloping the space gate.


    Sonya had a chance of drilling a hole in a singleyer and sneaking in using her power as a Life Spirit.


    But this¡­


    Even if they sat down and let her, she wouldn''t be able to breakthrough for the next day.


    Sonya''s face paled and she put her hand on her belt. She was in a red casual dress, suitable for bothbat.


    The belt would''ve seemed a new fanshion trend on the dress she wore but it was far from being that simple.


    A powerful force enveloped Sonya. It couldn''t attack nor could it teleport her away. But it could defend her from one attack. A single attack from a rank 8 for a single instance.


    That''s it.


    It''s impossible to win against a real rank 8 with that treasure.


    But Sonya wasn''t looking to win. She was looking to die. The treasure would block them from stopping her kill herself.


    The captain and the team watched her antics with a disdainful expression. With the space gate blocked, she had nowhere to escape. There''s nothing to worry about.


    On the other hand, the man¡­


    He looked at them with no fear.


    The Orion wanted to engage and neutralize him right away. But the Captain didn''t order them right away.


    Theirs was a new team without many achievements. Otherwise, they wouldn''t be sent to a mission as unpopr as this.


    Losing even a single member would impact his track record. This merit would be high, yes. But if possible, he wanted no losses.


    "If you surrender to us, the¡ª"


    "If you let me go, you will be safe." Prince Merov suddenly said.


    "Wh-What?" The Orions blinked in confusion, their starry eyes fluctuating in brightness and size.


    "A rank 8 cannot stop m¡ª" Merov''s words weren''t even finished before the space around him blocked off, effectively freezing him in ce and imprisoning the man.


    But at thest moment, there was only a smirk on his face.


    "Captain," A member pointed to the little green dots that suddenly appeared around them.


    "Hmph!" With a sweep of his hand, the space around the life force exploded, devouring them in an instant.


    Click!


    Like the cracking of an eggshell, the space cracked.


    The Captain''s eyes widened and he realized that this had all been a farce.


    Merov''s body inside the blocked space dissipated.


    The Prince materialized near space gate, not far from Sonya. In his hands was a cracking disc.


    The two didn''t waste any time and dived into the space gate.


    Due to their emergency procedures, the space gate took a huge toll and began to copse.


    The captain wasn''t shocked as they might''ve expected. Instead, he had a cold smile on his face.


    With a snap of his fingers, the copsin space gate began to stabilize. The Orions checked their supplies onest time before stepping towards the gate.


    "Briint, Captain! Those idiots would''ve never guessed!" A Veyan woman with short silvery hair said.


    "They might''ve guessed." The long haired one disagreed. "It''smon knowledge that space gates will rather self-destruct than let an enemy race in. Even if we tried to, we''d be stranded half-way."


    "Then why¡­" The short-haired one titled her head in confusion.


    She was one of those geniuses who directly got recruited into the group. Despite her ignorance, she''s only 700 years this year and already a peak rank 7!


    "The best way to crack the space gate''s defense mechanisms is to cause it to partially copse and then stabilize the space enough to use it." The captain said and the squad stepped into the gate.

 Chapter 1324 In The Homeground

    Chapter 1324 In The Homeground


    Dark space stretched in all directions. Sometimes, it was pitch ck. Sometimes, there were patches of gray.


    Rings of brilliant white light extended from one end to another, glowing and dimming.


    It seemed to be a fusion of a bridge from the fairytales and the dream from a sci-fiic.


    Merov and Sonya quickly passed through these rings, crossing light years in matter of seconds. The journey in inner space was fast and short.


    The rings at the start of tunnel had already began to dim out and slowly copse. Even powerful space awakeners wouldn''t be able to get them back working.


    Yet, the two candidates kept their senses on alert. The route was absolutely safe. This space channel wouldn''t be damaged even by peak rank 7s like themselves.


    Even the proud Merov had tried and conceded, a rare thing for the prince.


    "Everything went wrong. We have to dig up the truth after we return." Sonya suddenly said, without even looking at him.


    There were still twenty seconds left until they could exit. The Princess felt that they were almost home and hence, safe. So, she already began to think about the next activity.


    The whole Zion fiasco was bizzare. She had a nagging feeling that someone was using them as pawns for their own gain.


    Whoever this mastermind was¡­


    Sonya decided he''d show him hell and make him the price.


    "It''s not that difficult to think. It might all be Baldur''s n." Merov, who usually disdained to even talk to her, replied right away.


    "Baldur? He''s just a kid." Sonya raised an eyebrow.


    "Think about it, if we three die, he got the highest merit in order. It makes so much fucking sense." Merov made a face of wise and spoke out loud, like the journalist who had unearthed an unholy conspiracy.


    Sonya''s brows arched into a frown and she bit her lip. "A rank 4 or rank 5? The king''s words would be useful only if he had the strength to back his position. Baldur is too weak. Even if we drop out, no, even if we all die, nothing would change for him."


    "You dumb woman! You don''t get it!" Merovshed out. "It''s just like you, you''re a hundred years older than me! You talentless woman can still be in this race, why can''t he? It''s the same damn thing! If the king really cared about strength and


    talent, I''d have been the de facto crown prince already!"


    The more Merov spoke, the colder Sonya''s expression turned.


    Caught up in the moment of their temporary cooperation to escape, she had forgotten this man''s narcissism.


    "I am the most talented man in the history of our kingdom. At my age, no man had reached the rank I did." Merov proimed.


    "Heh," Sonya''s lips curled into a smirk. "Why do you have to emphasize ''man'' so many times? Can''t you just say the stronges¡ª


    oops!"


    The Princess covered her mouth and let out a mocking chuckle. "I''m sorry I forgot you weren''t. There''s someone before you, a woman who stood heads and shoulders, no, fricking skyscrapers above you. She reached rank 2 before she was even 20. What were you doing when you were 19?"


    "Bitch!" Merov''s aura shot up and he red at her with venmous eyes. If not for the location, he''d have fought her already.


    "Pr-no, Isadora is dead. I am alive. That''s the difference. What if she was an unprecedented genius? Will she crawl out of the dead? Or¡­" The Prince''s voice turned low, vicous and condescending. "Will she turn into an Und¡ª"


    "I''ll rip your head off even if I have to break the damn space channel!" Sonya''s voice was unbelievably cold and murderous.


    Merov wanted to mess with her, to break her bottomline. But he noticed that there were only a couple more rings for them to pass through, just two or three seconds until they reached the other side.


    ''You''ll beg like the weakling you are.'' Merov clenched his fists and prepared himself.


    As they had just three more rings to pass through, the space channel suddenly turned dark for a moment.


    The lights went off.


    "Oh no!"


    A powerful dark silhouttee with twinkling lights rushed toward them at a breakneck speed. Following it were six simr silhouttees.


    "Quick! Quick!" Sonya dashed towards the exit at her fastest.


    "Damn it!" Merov cursed as he was behind her by a small moment.


    But as the quote went, to escape from the tiger, you don''t need to outrun the tiger, you just need to outrun your friend.


    Sonya jumped at the exit and Merov dived right afer her.


    The captain of Orion raised his hand and the space rings fluctuated violently. Then, everything broke apart like it was happening on a mirror.


    The space channel began to copse and a space storm engulfed everyone.


    As creatures of space, the Veyansfortably navigated through the otherwise dangerous spatial fluctuations.


    The candidates had to struggle. They quickly used some treasures they had and barely managed to avoid any significant injuiries.


    Sonya who was about to exit found herself in a different location from the sr system where the newfound civilization was.


    This ce was close to Centaurus but not too close.


    "Damn it! If only Merov didn''t dy at the start, none of this would''ve happened." The Princess spat out blood and began to quickly heal herself.


    At the same time, she called her maid Romanov to bring up the fortress to meet her halfway.


    Even though the battle fortress wasn''t of much use so far, it could effectively block even the rank 8 enemy for a significant period of time.


    That much time was more than enough for the P kingdom to make a move and capture these foreign bastards.


    Romanov didn''t respond. Before she could think or contact others, six light beams fell from the space.


    The explosion forced her back.


    The six peak rank 7s looked at her with killing intent.


    Sonya gritted her teeth.


    "Come!"

 Chapter 1325 A Forgotten Help

    Chapter 1325 A Forgotten Help


    Since the battle was far away from sr system, Varian naturally didn''t know what was going on.


    But a man who was appointed in one of the important positions against all expectations by Regent Baldur did learn something.


    Former Prince Theoron stormed through the hallways and rushed into the pce. Without taking care of any propierity, he channeled his aura and mmed the huge gong in the throne room.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Three loud bangs produced by aura shing against metal reverberated across the main pce. It was a request for an urgent meeting by an official to the Duke.


    Powerful auras spiked in the capital city and like torndados bending, the beams and clouds of aura bent, all converging onto the main pce.


    As someone who''s not even a rank 3, Theoron couldn''t bear the influence of so many auras locking onto the location at once and copsed onto his knees.


    Not even a secondter, more than a dozen officials, appointed in some of the highest positions of the duchy rushed into the throne hall.


    "It''s you?!"


    They were all baffled when they saw Theoron lying beside the gong. Despite being drenched in sweat and panting for breath, the young man was the only one in proximity for such a feat.


    As the Minister of External Affairs, Theoron did have the authority to do initiate three-gong call.


    But it''s reserved for emergencies and emergencies alone. Unless there''s a war-like situation, it shouldn''t be invoked.


    The argument was even more against Theoron¡ªa foreign race official who''s on the seat purely because Regent Baldur appointed him.


    After the near sessful coup of Barix on Centaurus, no official was happy to see a Barix prince, even if former, to take on such an important position.


    But out of fear towards ''Prince'' Baldur whom they wouldn''t even dare to oppose, they relented.


    In their minds, this guy would remain for some time before being reced. Even if Prince Baldur wanted him to remain, he couldn''t take care of this bastard after he leaves the regent post.


    Until then, they decided to ''tolerate'' his existence.


    Now they all wondered whether they were wrong.


    How dare this dirty-blooded, inferior specimen invoke the emergency call that even the most qualified ministers would dare not?!


    But to their utter surprise and Theoron''s overwhelming despair, Regent Baldur still hadn''t entered the hall.


    Theoron gnashed his teeth and his knuckles paled. Looking at the contemptous eyes staring down at him, he said without care.


    "There are fluctuations of powerful awakeners near Centaurus. At least rank 6, with a good chance of being rank 7. Only the Prin¡ª


    Regent can resolve the crisis before it engulfs us."


    The expressions of the ministers changed.


    An old minister who previously disdained to even breathe the same air as Theoron grabbed the man''s shoulders in a tight grip and looked into his eyes. "Where? What''s the proof? Where is iting from? Spit everything!"


    "I¡­" Theoron flinched as his shoulder des cracked and blood soaked the old minister''s palms.


    The old man didn''t care.


    He didn''t even trust Baldur to solve the issue. He just wanted to know which way the fight was happening so that he could escape from the other side.


    Centaurus had been unlucky in the previous war. They got hit by the distant aftermath of a rank 9''s attack, ording to some, the legendary princess'' attack no less!


    They lost too many importants and too many powerhouses along with a good chunk of their poption, which kickstarted their decline.


    He didn''t want to witness the Copse 2.0. No, he just wanted to get the hell out of this ce and seek aslyum.


    Theoron brushed a few buttons on his shirt and a few holograms appeared, showcasing the location rtive to the duchy.


    It was more quite some distance away for normal purposes. But if it was really rank 7s, these bastards would breakyers of space when fighting and cross interster distances in matter of hours.


    The other ministers fell into a severe anxiety after realizing the situation and looked on to the entrance, waiting for Regent Baldur.


    "His Majesty hadn''t been to court since the envoys appeared, has he?"


    "In a closed doors meditation, they said."


    "But¡­"


    The consensus was built more quickly than ever. Even lifelong arch-rivals who never agreed on any political decision joined hands and they all rushed to the grand home of the regent.


    Disregarding the guards who bravely said ''no'', they barged in. The maids and butlers who tried to stop were flung away.


    Most of them were injured. Some of them died. But no one cared.


    Theoron followed behind, his mind a mess.


    "Pardon our intrusion, Your Majesty!" The ministers announced before the final door and knocked it open.


    ¡­What greeted them was avish, ill maintained and empty room.


    The ministers stood still, like they were petrified. A depressing silence took over and they turned to each other in stiff movements, like robots with rusted necks.


    Then they barged into other rooms, one after another, in vain hopes.


    No results.


    There was no Prince!


    Heck, there wasn''t even traces of him living here for the past three days!


    "Damn! Damn it! This is why I don''t trust outsiders!"


    "Fuck him!"


    "He doesn''t care about his own position, why should we?"


    The outraged spoke equally outrageous things and rushed to the capital''s spaceport.


    There was no suspsense. Taking their family and servants, they fled the duchy for the nearest Haven.


    In a few minutes that followed, the injured maids and butlers dragged themselves out of the pce.


    Execpt for the corpses, only Theoron was left standing. No one cared what he did.


    The Prince also wanted to esacpe.


    It''s easy for him to seek asylum. And honestly, this ce and his service had been nothing but painful.


    It''d be great if the ce named ''Centaurus'' ceased forever.


    Yet¡­


    Theoron took out a spar Baldur gave him right after his appointment and sent the short but important news.


    The one-time spar, a treausre that''s given to him to be used only when his life was danger, shattered.


    Theoron exhaled deeply, looking at the sky with a nk gaze.


    "Half of my bloodeas from this ce¡­I hope this ce revives to its past glory and when it does, I hope it''s without their petty-prejudice."


    Only the wind heard his prayer.

 Chapter 1326 Hanging In Balance

    Chapter 1326 Hanging In Bnce


    Hundreds of ovepping verticle and horizontal lines split the space. The sharp space lines reached Princess Sonya.


    The green light covering her managed to bounce away only half of the space lines. The rest sliced through her.


    A momentter, more than a hundred thin red lines, horizontal and verticle appeared on the Princess'' body.


    Like a bread under the hands of a skilled chef, her body spliced into hundreds of little parts.


    The dark space was covered with rich, bright and glowing blood, flesh and bones. What was just a beautiful woman turned into a gore sight.


    The Orion didn''t stop.


    The six rank 7s worked together, as if their six bodies were operated by a single mind and poured out attacks with practised precision.


    No attack crossed another and they allnded on the ''remains'' of the princess at the same time.


    Boom!


    Like someone crushing a sheet of a paper in their hand, the space bent and folded and crunched.


    The Veyans didn''t stop their attack even when they felt the flesh, blood and bones of the woman get crushed to tiny particles.


    They folded their hands together and the stars on their body glowed with an even more brilliant white light.


    Six beams of light hit the impact region. The folded space began to fold once again, and again.


    The Veyans'' began to shake as they struggled to advance to the next fold.


    Beautiful, glowing white blood began to leak out of their bodies. The starlight all over their body began to dim, as if they were running out of fuel.


    But the squad of six kept on.


    "Push!"


    "Push!"


    "Push!"


    Their hands began to crack apart and the space around them turned unstable.


    It was like folding a paper.


    It''s effortless on the first fold. Hard on the sixth. Very difficult on the eight. But the thirteenth time? That''s near impossible.


    And they were folding space¡ªdefinitely much harder to fold than a sheet of paper and each consequent folding was exponentially more difficult.


    Worse, they weren''t folding empty space. That''s still hard but not this much.


    They were folding space containing the full vitality of a peak rank 7 Life Spirit.


    It''s an absurd task that other teams would not like attempting.


    But to kill a ''Life Spirit''¡ª a path very notorious for its inability to die, they had to go this far at least.


    Not a single drop of blood was left out, neither was a single bit of flesh.


    Everything that constituted Princess Sonya was blocked off from leaving thanks to the thick space barriers they set up around her.


    Now, they kept folding and folding until they reached a point where they couldn''t anymore.


    ''Six times!''


    The team knew what they were thinking.


    This was their new personal best! They just set a record!


    "Come on! We can do it!"


    With a grunt, the Veyans pressed their hands together and released their powers onest time onto the folded space.


    Boom!


    The space exploded.


    The Veyans were sted away due to the sheer force from the copse.


    A huge void appeared in ce and the surroundings began to be sucked in. At the same time, a shockwave of aura more powerful than any of them could''ve given shot out in all directions.


    It was like a tsunami that would drowns, swallow asteroids and devour stars.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The aura began to shake the fabric of space-time. Through the cracks it created due to its high concentration, it reached ces it would''ve taken years for even light to reach.


    In a matter of minutes, the aura storm reached more than a dozen star systems in the borders of the duchy.


    The people of these star systems, impoverished due to the state of Centaurus, were still happy.


    Ever since the Regent took over, the Duchy as a whole got a lot of reforms and the kingdom transferred developmental funds. Unlike the previous ruler, Baldur didn''t neglect the people living at the border.


    It was slow, would take a long time to reach a good state, but their lives were definitely improving.


    Objectively, not much had chagned for the people living in these ten star systems.


    But they had hope.


    And they thanked the stars that they got to experience another day.


    ¡­ But the stars went off.


    The huge stars that bent the fabric of space-time itself were swept away by the torrents of aura.


    Like a man struggling against waves of a flood overpowering him, the stars struggled against the waves of aura.


    And then, they exploded.


    It was the most beautiful and horrifying light the citizens had ever seen and would ever see.


    And then it all turned dark.


    People panicked and hit the streets.


    But before they could do anything more, it came for them.


    After travelling suchrge distances and destroying stars no less, the aura had subsided. But not subsided enough to spare thes.


    "Arghhh!"


    "Mom!"


    "D-Dea¡ª"


    It didn''t matter how old they were. From the kid who was just born to the old man on hisst breath, everyone was struck at once.


    Like balloons popping, they exploded.


    The strongest awakeners in theses, the rank 1 celestials rushed to the spaceports.


    But they weren''t working.


    Eveyrthing shut down.


    The aura destroyed everything.


    "No! No!"


    The Sovereigns survived just a second more than the normal people before they too exploded.


    Watching all this, the celestial rankers tried to stop their body from bleeding.


    But the aura flooded their bodies, the aura they usually wished more of now became too much to bear.


    "Please! Save! Save usss!"


    The celestial rankers were thest to die.


    Ten star systems that were brimming with hope and life turned into dust in a few seconds.


    And the aura storm, like a vengeful cosmic beast that still hadn''t had its full, continued for its next target.


    Amidst this situation, Varian got a message from Baldur.


    "Why now? I don''t want to take the call¡­"

 Chapter 1327 Emergency

    Chapter 1327 Emergency


    "Ehh, nevermind," Varian rolled his eyes and declined the call. He''d pick it up some other time.


    He''s busy now.


    Closing his eyes and sealing all his powers except the space and time powers, he said.


    "Come o¡ª"


    A glowing golden thread sted the air as it dashed toward him like a vengeful snake.


    Since all his other senses were shut down, the only thing he could rely on was the fluctuations in space between them that the golden thread passed through.


    But to confuse him, there were more than a dozen such golden threads sting in random directions before suddenly taking a turn at him.


    This was where the time power came in.


    The time sense wasn''t outrageous enough to show him the future but it gave him a very strong intuition. It''s roughly the sixth sense but with its own ws.


    Rather than showing him a definite future, the time sense instinctively made him aware of the probabilities.


    These probabilities were ever-changing in response to his every movement and wereplex for a normal person to figure out.


    Pouring his aura into his feet, Varian jumped back. The hair-thin thread still a foot away from him extended without warning and reached him.


    It got the perfect opportunity to slice his neck when its time flow abruptly slowed down.


    Varian used that little window to move his head away and instead of a severed neck, he got a thin but very sharp red line on his cheek.


    "Aww~ Did I just disfigure my husband''s handsome face?"


    He shouldn''t be able to hear the words she said but they sounded directly in his mind.


    Varian''s lips twitched but he didn''t get into rage.


    Sarah had been learning some bad habits from Isadora. This ''Arrogant Princess'' act had been thetest and most outrageous.


    Whenever he fought Isadora, the woman taunted him mercilessly, causing him to fight back harder and harder.


    In a sense, it did help him grow stronger and faster but Isadora enjoyed those battles more than Varian.


    For certain spectators who were watching this battle intensely, it looked as if hundreds of glowing golden threads were aimed at him, and in response, Varian simply danced through them.


    Sidestepping, jumping up and down, sideways, ducking, stretching arms, bending legs. It''s like a masterss on his body''s flexibility and strength.


    "Stop drooling, Sia."


    "Then don''t stare at him with those eyes."


    "You two, things like physical attraction are for the weak! They do it because they don''t have anything else going on in their lives! Why can''t you be serious and focus more on your own strength?"


    "I''m on a break."


    "Are you seriously asking that? I feel if I grow stronger, you''ll also grow stronger. What if you tried to kill Varian? I don''t trust you!"


    Isadora wrapped her arms around her knees tighter and gnashed her teeth in frustration. "I used to live in so much peace when I was the only one! But you two! You are sooo annoying!"


    "Right back at you."


    "Something we can all agree upon."


    The trio ignored the aura shockwaves that continued to sweep them from the battle. If it was even a rank 4, she''d have died instantly. But they didn''t even bat an eyelid.


    And suddenly, the battle stopped.


    "Huh? He fainted already?" Sia took over and walked through the cloud of dust and spots of glowing spheres.


    Despite being artificially constructed by their powers, this arena suffered a lot. It''ll probably sustain one more match but that''s it.


    Like always, Sia was ready to take him home, heal him, and get him some rest. But she stopped in her tracks as the dust and light suddenly vanished.


    Varian stood with a frown, Oob pping its wings in front of him nervously. Sarah''s expression was also grave.


    "The space gate just exploded," He gave her a nce and disappeared.


    When he appeared at the outskirts of the sr system, a new iing aura wave greeted him.


    "Fuck you!"


    Facing the tsunami that could devour the entire sr system, Varian raised his own aura. Like the sh of two great beasts, his aura hit the aura tsunami.


    A huge wall of blinding light appeared on the outskirts of the sr system, illuminating every color in the spectrum.


    Varian panted heavily as the sudden exertion after a strenuous battle session took its toll.


    "I-Is everythi¡ª"


    "Yes, master. No more aura shockwaves."


    Sighing in relief, he appeared in front of a purple space crack that was quickly closing down.


    Varian felt an unfamiliar auraing out.


    "This¡­"


    Only a few strands of aura made it this far but each of them was strong. Strong enough to the point he wondered if he could even take a single attack from this aura''s owner.


    "Rank 8¡­" Varian''s eyes widened. "Damn it! Fucking rank 8!"


    The n went in apletely unexpected direction. The Princes who were only peak rank 7s should have acted as cautiously as possible and not invited rank 8s.


    And even when their activities do get found, they should''ve already returned and destroyed the space gate!


    But this?!


    "Did you sense them nearby?" Varian asked immediately.


    "No. I can''t sense any powerful auras nearby. But the space gate''s destruction urred in the vicinity of the inner space. So, those people shouldn''t be very far. Maybe in Cena¡ª"


    Varian grabbed into the void and a shivering Baldur appeared in front of him.


    "Ce-Centaurus has rank 7s fighting nearby!"


    "Great." Varian hissed.


    "And another powerful aura far away but I don''t know if it''s a rank 8," Baldur exined.


    "We need to get going." Varian drank a healing potion and said.


    "But you can''t do anything with your strength!" Baldur raised his voice. "Can you?"


    "No, you''re right. I can''t fight peak rank 7s with my strength," Varian grinned.


    Baldur was confused. "Then wha¡ª"


    Under the prince''s uncertain eyes, Varian pointed to the three floating structures not too far from the destroyed space gate.


    "But they can."


    The three fortresses.

 Chapter 1328 Princess Plight

    Chapter 1328 Princess'' Plight


    "Fuck! Fuck! I shouldn''t be doing this! This fortress was a gift by the king himself to the candidates, you know?"


    "It''s the tenth time you spouted this, of course I know! So get to work already!"


    "Arghh, this can get me a lifetime imprisonment!"


    "¡­Aren''t you adjusting too well for that though?"


    "Pardon?"


    "Nevermind. Just focus!"


    From the three maids, two alive and one dead, Varian gathered some useful ess passes that helped them get into the fortresses.


    Using the power of slivers, the prince''s knowledge and Oob''s help, they cracked the authority.


    The fortress'' highest restriction was the worst thing they had to face. It didn''t allow non-royal Prein to operate it.


    The security was breakable but would take more than a few hours.


    So, Varian used Baldur to make it functional despite the restriction.


    "Extend your hand!"


    "Again? N-No, I''ll die from blood lo¡ªah, seriously!"


    As sh after sh fell on his palm, his blood flowed in streams, messing with the security system.


    Within minutes, Baldur went from a healthy man into a starved hobo. But s, Varian kept shing his palm casually while Oob kept throwing healing liquid into his mouth.


    "This is why I don''t work with you! You are my ill-fated star!" Baldur began to ramble like he''s drunk.


    Varian knocked him on the head. "If you don''t mess around, I''ll make you rank 5, no, rank 6."


    "Wh-What?"


    "Will you behave?"


    "Take a dozen more liters of blood, Kind Sir! It''s useless in my body anyway!"


    "¡­"


    Varian shook his head in exasperation and they seeded in taking down the three fortresses.


    Without the power of slivers, even rank 9s couldn''t have pulled this off. And even with the power of slivers, Varian still needed Baldur.


    And he also needed a man he had long forgotten.


    "Regent Baldur, the fluctuations ar¡ª" Former Prince Theoron froze in the middle of his urgent speech as he noticed the familiar face standing beside Baldur.


    For Varian, the disguise was forgettable. For Theoron, it''s something he''d never forget even on his death bed.


    "S-Sir Constantine!"


    "In a hurry right now. Send us the coordinates of the fluctuations and the estimates of where they could appear. Quick!"


    "Y-Yes!"


    There was no introduction, no pleasantry, nothing. Just a cold order and Theoron didn''t even question back.


    Baldur sighed inwardly.


    Compared to Prince Rudolph, Varian never seemed to be bothered with the political mannerisms. But when it came to passing down his orders, he was very authoritative.


    ''This guy would be a terrible minister but an excellent monarch...which he already is.''


    The data came a few secondster.


    "Wa-Wait, are we really going?"


    "Not going has a higher chance of killing us." Varian shook his head. "They broke the space gate because they were confident they could open a space passageter. If that really happens¡­"


    "The Jai army will invade for certain! Dozens of duchies here might be wiped out." Baldur hissed.


    "The first target will be us." Varian shrugged and took the three fortresses into Hortus.


    The teleportation distance was toorge for him to pull off but thankfully, the fortresses themselves could perform space jumps. Hortus'' will and Oob could assist them in the process.


    "Ladies, I need some help!"


    A blinding light and a devouring darkness enveloped the fortresses at the same time.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    A hand appeared not too far from the space explosion. Then, the torso quickly grew and then the other limbs, and finally the head.


    "Haa!" Princess Sonya gasped as a terrible weakness assaulted her body.


    These bastards really went all out in trying to end her.


    If not for the precautionary measure she managed to pull off at the start, things would''ve been really dangerous.


    Sonya''s eyes shed with a dark green light and her vision changed.


    In the far distance, she could ''feel'' the life emanating out of those six Veyans.


    "Aha, got you!"


    With a single thought, six concentrated drops of green power reached the Veyans and attacked.


    Four reacted in time and teleported away immediately. Two were a bitte and allowed direct contact.


    The green drop drilled into their bodies and a painful scream left the mouths of the proudful soldiers.


    "Arghhh!"


    "Nooo!"


    Their beautiful bodies which had skin akin to space itself were contaminated as green veins began to appear on their arms and face.


    "Stop it!"


    They clutched their heads and tried to dispel the invader. But like an infesting virus, the life essence began to wreck their bodies.


    Despite trying their best, the Veyans'' arms began to drop. Their physical strength which could outss even rank 3 Mystics vanished in just a few moments.


    The glowing white star in their eyes turned green. Their minds screamed against this hostile invasion but their bodies began to bend.


    "Attack!"


    "Kill those against the Princess!"


    Like fanatical soldiers, they chased after their ownrades andunched waves of attacks. Space cracked and exploded as the two began a dangerous pursuit.


    Princess Sonya frowned.


    ''I can''t keep them under control for more than a minute. I can''t order them to kill themselves. If I do, it''ll trigger their response and take away my control.''


    The Princess gritted her teeth and tried to think of a solution for the situation.


    Even though it looked like she had an upper hand, it was temporary.


    Right now, she was hiding her aura and remaining in the shadows, trying to knock their strength down so she could face them directly without danger.


    But none of them were suffering any real damage despite the shift of dynamics.


    And what she worried eventually happened.


    The two controlled naturally couldn''t exert their full power.


    Theirbined attacks only managed to injure one of theirrade and they already started to lose control.


    "Attack each other!"


    <nulli><nullb>Boom! <nulli><nullb>Boom!


    It was a mistake. <nulli><nullb>


    While they injured each other, the two bastards managed to find her location.


    And before she could escape, four light beams descended in front of her.


    The two light beams that appeared shortly after were much weaker but they looked at Sonya with a smug gaze.


    It''s as if they knew her actions and predicted all this.


    Orion got the name because they ''hunted'' their targets.

 Chapter 1329 A Great Entry

    Chapter 1329 A Great Entry


    Prince Merov had never felt so humiliated.


    A dark purple light enveloped his spaceship as he rushed through the unending expanse of space, trying to esacpe.


    This was his final chance at survival. The old voice in his head had guided him to find this thing a few years ago.


    Boom! Boom!


    The space around the shuttle cracked and copsed but the purple light kept repelled any damage from reaching him.


    Yet, the attacks didn''t stop.


    Nor did the taunts from the Orion''s captain.


    "Call for help. You won''t be able to do this alone."


    "Come on, aren''t you the great Prein prince? Why are you running?"


    "Pfft~ A guy like you really calls himself a genius."


    "The least masculine guy in my squad would rather die than flee. Have you sold your balls for your fame?"


    The insults grew increasingly hateful and demeaning. Due to his meteoric rise, he had to deal with a lot of hatred. But no one was as vulgar as this brute.


    "I bet your parents aren''t warriors. Was your mother spread her le¡ª"


    "Enough!"


    The purple energy of the spaceship red and aser beam shot at the Captain.


    A hole was drilled right into his chest but the Veyan merelyughed it off. It wasn''t a simple injury, of course.


    The purple energy was trying to infiltrate his body and contaminate his very being. The Captain had to spent at least a third of his active aura on the injury but he didn''t let any weakness show.


    "Is that it? Come on! You could do better!" He taunted the Prince with a mocking smile but his eyes remained cold and indifferent.


    ''My guess is right. He did have a life saving treasure. It could''ve been dangerous if I jumped right in.''


    The captain picked another approach.


    Instead of trying to break the purple energy directly, he led the spaceship through chaotic spaces.


    Facing the external pressure that would''ve ripped off even peak rank 7s to pieces, the purple light was quickly consumed.


    ''Soon, soon¡­''


    As cautious as he was, the Captain was also aware he couldn''t stay here forever.


    They''d have to leave before actual help could arrive.


    ''Soon¡­''


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Arghh!" Princess Sonya was torn into pieces by the copse of space.


    "What a tenacious woman!"


    On the other side, the Orions cursed with a tinge of respect.


    "But this is it, she can''t recover anymore."


    There were no signs of vitality from that puddle of blood and heaps of flesh. The space had gone quiet.


    Even though the Orions thought they had managed to kill her, they didn''t let their guard down yet.


    As they prepared to verify her death, a phantom appeared in the distance and its eyes glowed green.


    A light green light drilled into the bodies of the two Orions who were previously infested by Sonya''s power.


    "Wai¡ª"


    "Get awa¡ª"


    This time, no one had the time to even teleport as the aura in the two Orion''s bodies swelled and they both exploded.


    Like a building whose pirs were hacked down, the space of this region copsed instantly.


    In the distance not too far away, Sonya slowly materialized.


    Compared to earlier, her face had gonepletely pale. The brimming vitality once found as a Life Spirit was nowhere to be seen.


    She had been ''killed'' so many times and with each death, she grew closer and closer to her actual end.


    The Princess tried to send emergency signals with her artifacts but all of them were blocked by these damn bastards!


    Unlike the other two, she didn''t have the luxury of owning rare treasures. She couldn''t even ask for help.


    "Did they die¡­"


    The Princess stared in silence as the copsed space began to recover.


    The light that waspletely swallowed in the destroyed space began to emit out as the space began to sort itself.


    The Princess found four silhouettes standing tall, a spatial barrier blocking the damage.


    They were bleeding heavily and their auras were unsteady. So, it wasn''t as if they didn''t take any damage.


    But it''s simply not enough.


    They ignored the death of theirrades and turned to her, their eyes brimming with the intention to end her without leaving her the slightest chance.


    Sonya sighed. She couldn''t win this.


    ''So this is the ce I die, huh.''


    Ironically, this ce wasn''t too far from where her sister was attacked.


    ''It''sing back in full circle.''


    As those thoughts filled her mind, Sonya''s chaotic heart settled down.


    She looked at the four Orions with a calm gaze. ''I''ll take down two of them. That''ll be a decent death.''


    A dark green light began to thread out of her fingers and dance around her.


    Even though they were far away, the Orions felt a power locking onto them. It was as if even if they ran to another duchy, the power would find its way to them.


    A Life Spirit''s vengeance was indeed a dangerous thing.


    As the Princess prepared for her suicidal attack, a loud explosion urred out of nowhere.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Three fortresses appeared in between the Orions and the Princess. Powerfulser beams charged on the walls, ready to strike.


    Feeling the danger, the Orions changed their stance. They wouldn''t die but the substantial injuries that''de from facing those beams head-on could lead them to death.


    "Everyone, retreat!"


    "These enemies are dangerous!"


    "Observe their positions before we make our next move!"


    Sonya who was prepared for death felt a sense of relief as well as noticeable regret. She just never expected her life to be saved by the maids.


    ''The three maids are here to help me? Ah, it looks like I''m not destined to die here¡­''


    The Princess closed her eyes and lowered her head while Orions began to slowly fade.


    And then, theser beams fired!


    The concentratedser beams shot at the Orions far faster than they could teleport.


    The beams hit the Orions and exploded them into pieces¡­or at least, that''s what was supposed to happen.


    Boo¡ªpuff, puff, puff!


    The beams exploded midway and scattered in all directions. A few rays reached the Orions who swatted them away.


    There was an awkward silence in the space.


    The Orions didn''t bother to teleport anymore and returned to the space.


    Along with Princess Sonya, they looked at the fortresses with a dumbfounded expression.


    After that heroic entry and intimidating intro, wasn''t this a bit too disappointing?


    Then, an embarrassed voice sounded from one of the fortresses.


    "Baldur, you''re doing this in front of the interstermunity! Where should I put my face?"


    "B-Big brother, just a sec! There was just a small issue. I''ll do it right this time."


    "Alright. Ladies and gentlemen, that one earlier was a mishap. A trial demonstration, hahaha! Trust me, this one is the real de¡ª"


    Boo¡ªpuff, puff, puff!


    The beams quickly charged, but this time, they didn''t even shoot halfway and dispersed right on the walls themselves.


    "N-Not my fault! The forced takeover messed up the offensive formations!"


    "You disappoint¡ª"


    The Orionsughed and redirected their gazes back at the woman.


    On the other hand, Princess Sonya covered her face. ''I should have died already.''

 Chapter 1330 Into Tigers Den

    Chapter 1330 Into Tiger''s Den


    Looking at Baldur who was wiping the sweat of his forehead and working tirelessly on the offensive formations and failing sessfully, Varian''s lips twitched.


    "We''re changing tactics," He said.


    "B-But!"


    "Are the defense formations working properly?"


    "They shoud?" Baldur raised an eyebrow. "Ouch!"


    Varian smacked the Prince''s head. "Check! This is going to be more dangerous than the nned tactic."


    "Okay." Baldur nodded with an aggrieved expression and activated the defenses.


    Varian''s eyes lit up and he chuckled.


    "We have a chance¡­"


    Outside, the Orionsunched attacks on Princess Sonya, aiming to end her for good.


    ''Why isn''t Romanov in the fortress? Who''s even that guy? And Baldur, what the hell is he doing here?''


    She didn''t understand what was going on. She didn''t have the luxury to pause and think.


    Like a snake esacping sticks striking it down, she slithered through the copse of space, barely avoiding another ''death''.


    "Oye! Princess,e in!"


    That annoyingly self-assured voice sounded directly in her mind.


    "Don''t worry, I granted you entry ess. This won''t malfunction¡­probably."


    Sonya coughed out blood at his words.


    ''Who the fuck is this bastard? Hijacking my fortress and inviting me in?''


    Unfortunately, she didn''t have any options at this point.


    She could see no other way. If death was inevitable, then she decided to die after pping this bastard''s smug face.


    ''But how do I get I¡ªah!''


    The space around a drop of her blood fluctuated and it disappeared.


    Sonya''s body glowed with a soft light before she found herself in the familiar environment of her own fortress.


    "You!"


    "Hi, little sister-inw." A very¡­handsome but very smug man greeted her casually.


    Sonya''s hand that was about to p him froze as if time stopped.


    "She''s in another fortress," Varian said.


    "Are you crazy? How dare you spout such words?!" Sonya''s face flushed with anger and her aura red.


    Even though she''s heavily injured, she didn''t think she could fail at killing a mere rank 6.


    "I''ll show you hell before I di¨C"


    "You stupid brute! You better shut up!" Baldur, who looked pale as a sheet of paper and thin as a twig, shouted at decibels that didn''t match his appearance.


    "I''ve seen her highness! She''s his wife! You better respect your brother-inw!"


    After saying those words, Baldur honestly sliced his wrists and emptied blood into two sses before sending them to the other two fortresses. After all, Sarah and Sia needed the blood to operate the fortress.


    On the other hand, Sonya looked at Varian in disbelief.


    Baldur had no reason to lie about such an obvious thing. B-But how¡­


    "I misunderstood you, Baldur. You aren''t a disappointment for your mom or dad. You''re a good person," Varian patted Baldur on the shoulder with an appreciative gaze.


    "B-Bosss!" Baldur wiped the tears at the corner of his eyes and nodded with a teary gaze. "Always, Boss! Always!"


    "T-That, my sister is real¡ª"


    "Let''s talkter." Varian rudely interrupted and picked up something that resembled an outdated device¡ªa microphone.


    The Orions who were searching for Sonya and failed, paused at these words.


    "You Orion bastards, she''s here. With me, under my protection! Come inside and get us if you can. Or you fuck off to your moms! Ask your dads toe figh¡ªoops, I forgot you don''t have any. Sorry, Sorry!"


    The space seemed to freeze.


    A deathly silence filled the entire region.


    Orions were a highly trained group who dealt with some of the toughest opponents all year round.


    The ones they fought were either famous powerhouses or dangerous warriors.


    But this¡­


    "Fuck you!"


    "Son of a bitch, I''ll cut your face in half!"


    There was rarely anyone as vulgar as this man. Were these really words someone at their rank could utter?


    Inside the fortress, Baldur looked at Varian with admiration while Sonya gawked at him.


    ''He''s crazy!''


    Following Varian''s words, all four gates of the fortresses opened.


    "It could be a trap¡­"


    The Orion knew.


    But their senses didn''t detect anything beyond a few defensive formations and a rank 6¡­


    A fucking rank 6!


    Even if there were some traps, it wouldn''t matter!


    They had to kill this bastard at all costs.


    "Destroy!"


    With the order of the strongest, four light beams shot towards fortresses.


    Two entered the central fortress with Varian while one each entered the other two.


    As intended, the strongest picked this fortress while the most injured picked the other two.


    "Full defense!" Varian''s expression underwent aplete change in just a moment and his aura spiked.


    Sonya thought she was seeing things but the man gave off the feeling of a cold-blooded, ruthless warrior.


    ''What the hell?''


    "Attack!"


    The moment the two light beamsnded in the fortress, countless formations lit up.


    A heavy pressure fell on the Veyans and the space in the region grew abnormally rigid. Their very source of power was impacted and their strength was drastically cut down.


    The Veyans didn''t show any panic, however. "Do you think this is enough?"


    With a simple sweep of their hands, two thin lines of cracked space encircling the fortress appeared.


    With a push of their fingers, these two lines ovepped.


    Boom!


    A powerful explosion drowned everything.


    It was enough to kill even the strongest of peak rank 6s and injure Princess Sonya in her current state.


    Most of the defensive formations in the fortress were destroyed in a single attack.


    The few that survived were the absolutely critical ones that were protected at the very core of the fortress.


    But the damage was done.


    The aura of the Orion soldiers rose to a dangerous rank and they raised their hands for another attack.


    "Huh?"


    The silhouette of a young man appeared in the rising smoke.


    "It''s you!"


    As Varian stepped into their view, the two Veyans stared at him with bloodshot eyes.


    "Yes, it''s me." Varian''s clenched snapped open and a sword materialized in his hands. His clothes glowed in a purple light and the ring on his finger gave off a dangerous aura.


    Under the incredulous gaze of Sonya who focused on recovery and the confused gaze of Orions who couldn''t fathom a mere rank 6 standing up against them, Varian swung his sword.

 Chapter 1331 He Is Much More Dangerous

    Chapter 1331 He Is Much More Dangerous


    The world seemed to flicker.


    Like the brightness from a fluctuating bulb on a lonely night, the light went on and off before a blinding explosion shook the space.


    The two Veyan warriors teleported away from Varian and nced at each other. Not a word was said but they saw the same emotion in each other''s eyes.


    They could feel it because of the nature of their work. This man¡­


    was different. He wasn''t like those spoiled princes who only fought the selected opponents.


    His battle style looked reckless at a first nce but it''s actually honed through countless experiences. It''d be a grave mistake to underestimate his confidence as bravado.


    "We''ll take him down first," The older of the two said. "The Princess can wait."


    With a simple nod, the Veyan disappeared.


    His body blurred as he dashed through space, teleporting at an unimaginable rate and reaching Varian in an unpredictable trajectory.


    Despite having the space sense, Varian still struggled to anticipate the Veyan''s appearance.


    If it''s someone else, like Princess Sonya, then she would''ve no clue where they''re going to attack from or how they''re going to attack.


    That''s one of the biggest reasons she lost. She had to spend an enormous amount of aura to keep her defenses active while trying to attack the Orions who just kept teleporting away.


    ''They want to hunt¡­'' Varian closed his eyes.


    The space around him was a like static sea. If anyone teleported, there would be ripples. But these guys were almost walking over water, leaving negligible traces.


    Varian punched out abruptly and his fist passed through empty space.


    "Kekeke," A crudeughter rang in the space and the space above his arm turned sharp.


    Varian hurried to mobilize his defenses but the unexpected attack gave him little time to respond. Like a de, the space stung through his forearm and nearly severed it away.


    Blood spilled out for a brief moment before his Adept power sealed it off.


    Without stopping, Varian kicked back. His foot grazed the surprised Veyan and nearly tore through his defense. But no matter how close, he still missed the shot.


    On the other hand, the Veyan released the power of space right at Varian''s abdomen.


    A space sink was opened right over his abdomen.


    Like a sink devouring all waste water, the space sink began to devour everything in the surrounding space.


    Varian''s muscles twisted and tore apart as they were sucked into the space sink. Arge hole appeared on his abdomen.


    "Let go¡­"


    He tried to move away but the space sink sucked onto him like a swamp that''d never let go.


    While he was still in this trouble, the Veyan appeared again, a space de in his hand, aiming right for his head.


    "Fuck off!" Varian swung his sword and he missed again.


    But thanks to Requiem''s properties of life and death, it shot out a concentratedser beam right through the Veyan''s defense and cut through his body.


    "Arghh!"


    With a scream, the Veyan retreated. The crimson power in his palm began to spread upward, devouring all vitality in the way.


    If allowed, it could kill him in minutes.


    The Veyan didn''t hesitate and severed his own palm. Giving Varian a bitter re, he teleported away.


    The other Veyan sneaked in and activated another space sink.


    He learned from his peer''s mistake and stretched the space between him and the sword.


    As a result, when Requiem shot the beam of death once again, it took much longer than before, giving the Veyan time to teleport away.


    And Varian got stuck in between the two space sinks. As if one wasn''t enough to make his life hard, two were tearing him apart, bit by bit.


    ''Yes, I also need to do something drastic. I can''t get out of this without damage.''


    His eyes shed with resolve and the ring on his finger glowed.


    Varian''s own powers turned into space path for a moment and a huge space crack appeared right behind him. Unlike the other two, he didn''t resist this one and it devoured him right away.


    But as the price, he lost an arm and a leg to the space sinks that tried to hold on until thest moment.


    "That was rough," Baldur couldn''t even observe anything of significance.


    Even though the whole battle was happening inside the castle, the space had been extended to a ridiculous degree that it''s no longer in the vicinity.


    Moreover, he along with Sonya stayed inside a very resilient formation, which shielded them from any dangerous shockwaves.


    Of course, even though he''s safe and could nothing but observe, they were moving too fast for him. All he saw was a bunch of sh and nk before space cracking around Varian and thetter falling into a space crack.


    "He''s doing well," Princess Sonya, who focused on quick recovery,mented with a bitter face.


    Unlike Baldur, she could observe everything that''s happening. She was surprised at Varian''s ring artifact that could create such a powerful space crack. It''s almost as strong as the work of a rank 7 space warrior.


    "He''s not as strong as me. Even if they''re injured and exhausted, they''re still stronger than him. But he''s keeping both of them engaged." Her voice was filled with envy and shock that her expression hid.


    "If one of them dared to leave and target me¡­the other might risk dying." The Princess drew a long sigh as she admitted those words.


    Baldur was surprised at the princess'' words before chuckling. "Your brother-inw is very powerful, isn''t he?"


    "Shut up! I''ll dig out everything after this battle ends." She stretched her arms and pointed her palms towards the warriors.


    "I suggest you go somewhere. This ce won''t be safe soon." Sonya advised with a solemn expression, her eyes shing with danger.


    "O-Okay, good luck!" Baldur took shelter in another barrier.


    "Haa!" Sonya breathed out deeply and her gaze locked onto the two Veyans.


    Her eyes glowed green.

 Chapter 1332 Slayer Of Veyans

    Chapter 1332 yer Of Veyans


    Varian realized unless he could figure out their attacks in advance, he wouldn''t able to win. But even his space sense was failing.


    ''There has to be a way¡­some way¡­many ways!''


    An idea sparked in his mind and his senses began to ovep.


    Space sense served as the base while the senses of soul and life served as the pirs. A more sophisticated version of external sense was creatred.


    And this time, when the Veyans once again sneaked onto him, Varian didn''t miss.


    Boom!


    The Veyan warrior had only one moment to pour all his powers into defense before Varian sword''s hilt mmed in.


    Even though they recognized Varian as an experienced fighter, their sess in containing and ''hunting'' him so far turned them less cautious against him.


    So, the Veyan only had the standard defenses on when he attacked. It''s still better than not having any defenses but that''s only rtive.


    Kacha!


    With a terrifying force, Requiem''s hilt cracked through the barrier and mmed the Veyan right in the abdomen.


    "Pauh!"


    Even though it was the blunt side, due to the sheer force behind that move, the Veyan''s flesh exploded as the hilt rammed in. Then, Requiem''s death power drilled into his insides directly.


    "Nooo!"


    Faced with the unexpected danger that could potentially kill him, the Veyan attacked back with all his strength.


    At the same time, the space around him sharpened, about to slice his head off.


    ''Fuck!''


    Varian quickly ducked and saved himself from a decapitation. But the horizontal space de turned vertical and cut him down, right from above his shoulder.


    At the same time, the injured Veyan''s power began to copse the space around Varian.


    His body began to bend in strange directions and like a picture on a piece of paper, he began to fold.


    Varian felt himself being crushed from all directions even as the sharp space de continued cutting through him, slicing his body without stop.


    ''If I can''t fight you like this¡­''


    Varian''s aura changed dramatically and the copsing space began to slow down, as if an invisible hand was stopping its inevitable copse.


    ''Wh-What?''


    Neither the injured Veyan nor the uninjured who joined him in pouring powers to the space copse understood what was going on.


    Their power wasn''t blocked directly. They could feel it.


    But why¡­


    A power not unfamiliar to the Jai warriors rose from the space crack.


    "Time path? But ho¡ª"


    A soul attack stuck the injured Veyan before he could talk further. His eyes that were brimming with a majestic six-pointed star went nk.


    The other Veyan sensed the danger and teleported afar right away.


    The next moment, the location he was at exploded with a dangerous intensity, enough to shatter a hundred stars.


    ''This is definitely something only an Energy path can do.''


    To be precise, the Chaos path.


    But how?


    There was just one man insi¡ª


    Varian teleported in front of the injured Veyan who just recovered. The Orion warrior instinctively responded to the enemy he sensed.


    However, what came for him wasn''t a punch. It was a matter-altering beam that affected the location he''s in.


    "Arghhh!"


    His hasty defenses couldn''t stop the beam and it stuck the man right in the shoulder.


    Like a sand castle, his left arm, right from his shoulder all the way to the top of his fingers disintegrated.


    There was no bleeding, no injury, nothing. It was just erased.


    "You fucking monster! Who the hell are you?" The injured Veyan''s voice cracked as he faced the young man''s nonchnt eyes.


    A creepy feeling shot up his spine, as if he was facing a being that should not exist. And that, inadverdently, got caught up in a fight the likes of him could never hope to win against.


    The paths of Body, Space, Time and Matter¡­what in Eden was going on?


    Varian''s answer was a sh of his sword.


    The Veyan tried to escape but the space around him blocked off. The blockage was breakable due to the Veyan''s superior space power but it took away that precious little moment which cost him everything.


    Requiem''s de dug into the Veyan''s body and his glowing white stars turned red.


    Under Varian''s cold eyes, the Orion warrior, one of the most feared in all of Jai Empire, waved his arms helplessly as death engulfed him.


    Like dust blown by the wind, his body scattered with the aura shockwaves.


    Varian quickly turned around but a string of space sinks appeared right behind him. The escaped Veyan looked at him with a crazy smile before he teleported.


    He could''ve saved hispanion but decided to use that life for the perfect chance.


    "Fuck!"


    Varian tried to get away but the space around him copsed, preventing him physical or spatial escape.


    "Someone as peculiar as you should only fall into our hands," The Veyan looked at him with arge smile. "We''ll uncover all your secr


    ¡ª"


    "I can understand your surprise. But aren''t you too immersed that you''re neglecting me so much?"


    A discordant voice rang and a green beam reached the Veyan warrior.


    Varian thought that was it but the man gave a sneaky smile and his body blurred from the location.


    "Of course not. I was just waiting for you toe out, Princess."


    With a p of his hand, a powerful explosion enveloped the location where Sonya was standing.


    The Veyan would''ve fallen for the attack if it was earlier. But after having to sacrificing his ownpanion for the chance to kill Varian, he remained super alert.


    "Tsk," With a swipe of her fingers, two green threads blinked into existence and then disappeared, before appearing in front of the Veyan.


    The Orion teleported away, not even willing to fight them head on. Like an undying cockroach, he kept dodging her attacks while assionally adding power to the space sinks, pushing Varian closer and closer to death.


    The space sinks suddenly copsed, as if Varian gave up all resistance and blood flew out from the cracks of space before being sucked into the sinks.


    A huge explosion followed and the copsed space began to recover.


    "Hahahaha!" Even though he wasn''t supposed to do this on duty, the Veyan warrior couldn''t help but chuckle in relief.


    That man might be weaker than Sonya but he was far more dangerous. He''s an unknown threat not just for this battle but for the entire war. A variable that shouldn''t be allowed to exist.


    And now, he wiped that anamoly with his own hands. Now, he didn''t even need to kill Princess Sonya.


    He just had to take Varian''s remains and submit them to the highestboratory for them to study and dig out his secrets.


    At least, that''s what he thought when he escaped another attack and opened up the folded space.


    Instead of broken corpse, what he found was a humanoid in the form of almost pure energy, staring at him with a chilling smile.


    The space sinks copsing was mainly physical in nature. It should''ve killed even powerful < Paragon Body > warriors.


    But if it''s against an < Energy > awakener, a different method should''ve been used.


    ''Fuck!''


    He made a big mistake!


    "You mons¡ª"


    A hand pierced his chest and a spirit attack stuck his soul right from his body.


    The < Assimtor > power enveloped him and with a rumble, the Veyan''s body slowly disappeared while Varian''s aura rose.


    Almost at the same time, two silhouttees appeared in the castle.


    Sarah grabbed his hand and checked his condition without a word while the woman covered in darkness stared down at Sonya.


    Only her glowing red eyes could be seen through the veil of darkness and they were filled with killing intent.

 Chapter 1333 An Unexpected Danger

    Chapter 1333 An Unexpected Danger


    Princess Sonya froze like a statue and stared at glowing red eyes with a nk gaze.


    There were drops of blood dripping down her palm. The droplets were vaguely visible before they were engulfed by the darkness enveloping Isadora.


    The defensive formations helped out Sarah and Isadora against the Veyans but they still had some injuries.


    Of course,pared to his injuries which included him nearly dying, they were much better off.


    Isadora raised her palm and a thick killing intent began to gather.


    "Now wait a minute," Varian raised his arm and stood between the two. "I have some questions. And then she''s yours."


    A sword materialized in Isadora''s hand. With a light swing, it tore the space apart as it pointed towards Sonya behind Varian.


    "Move." Her voice was filled with deep anger and madness.


    "No." Varian''s voice was calm but his resolve was as firm as hers. "The questionse first. Your actions,ter."


    Isadora''s aura fluctuated violently, like the waves of a stormy sea and the sword in her hand kept shaking, as if it would go out of control at any moment and strike him down.


    Varian gave off a smallugh but his sword hummed, a wavy red light emanating out of its de.


    "Seriously¡­" Sarah shrugged with a deep sigh and a sword of light materialized in front of her. "If you really hate her so much, killing her in a snap would render your entire revenge futile, wouldn''t it?"


    Varian craned his neck and nced at Sarah.


    ''Using torture to resolve the standoff¡­I''m so proud of her.''


    Her words had the intended effect.


    "Wh-What?" Sonya broke out of her shock and took a shaky step forward. "S-Sister, is that reall¡ª"


    Varian''s index finger pressed on her forehead, stopping her from moving forward.


    "I''m sorry, but I''ll have to cut the talks here."


    "What are yo¡ªheuk!"


    A powerful spirit wave stuck her in a defenseless and heavily injured state. Princess Sonya fainted just like that.


    Varian reveled in the prowess of his soul power.


    Since the delicate soul would be protected deep inside any creature, it''s not so easy to attack.


    Other Soul awakeners could only attack from a far distance and would have to follow an entirely different battle style toe out on top.


    But he could directly attack his enemies through physical attack. The spirit attacks were so much more effective.


    With a swipe of his finger, the power of order and chaos flowed into the Princess before a seal formed deep inside her.


    It was very shaky and was resisted by her aura. He couldn''t even bring her down a rank.


    ''I should ask Maria for a stronger seal. Oh wait, she''s Rudolph''s fiancee, right? Oops...eh, I liberated her from a marriage. She''s free now!''


    Varian''s expression didn''t change as he glorified his actions without any hesitation.


    "She can exert a low rank 7 strength at best. But this is only working because she was both injured and defenseless." He said with a disappointed expression. "I don''t think the seal would''ve worked otherwise."


    "The legacy has some information about seals," Sarah tilted her head and gave him a weird look. "But they don''t work for someone on a higher rank than you. You being able to do this is already ridiculous."


    He shrugged with a small smile. The darkness dissipated and Sianded in front of them with a jealous expression. "Aren''t you two forgetting something?"


    "Forget¡­wait!" Varian''s eyes widened.


    He looked back into the fortress and spotted Baldur in meditation, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.


    Was this a coping mechanism?


    "Baldur! Baldur!"


    Varian''s space power formed an invisible hand and poked him awake.


    "Uh? Huh?" Baldur blinked in confusion and almost yawned. But he froze right in that state as he noticed the unconscious Sonya floating behind Varian.


    He nced at Sarah and Sia, then gave Varian a thumbs up with an admiring expression.


    Varian wouldn''t kicked him if not for the emergency. "Contact Theoron, what happened with the ra¡ª"


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    "¡­nk 8."


    In the distance space, a spot lit up, and in just a few seconds, wave after wave of light along with violent spatial fluctuations swept them.


    Varian opened his mouth to say something but after struggling, all he could yell was. "Are you fucking kidding me?"


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Another spot lit up and the waves followed. And then, another. It was getting closer and closer.


    "Alright, we''re leaving. Chances are, he could find Hortus. But fighting in Hortus is the only shot we got." He said with a grim expression.


    In the far distance, the Veyan Captain''s senses locked onto the three fortresses.


    ''This is where four of them just died. Oh, and that''s the Princess. Both targets are secured. I should end this now.''


    The Captain poured a tremendous amount of power into his palms and pped in the direction of Merov''s super space shuttle.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    This attack was much higher than any other and Merov must''ve realized he couldn''t survive. He took an extreme decision.


    The powerful purple light surrounding the spaceship red and reached the captain.


    Crack!


    The space shuttle exploded, throwing a bloodied Merov off into the distance.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The purple light that exploded on the captain was so bright that people would''ve mistaken it for daytime on a normal.


    The light eventually dissipated, revealing an injured captain. His arm was gone and there were several holes in his abdomen as well as his chest.


    But he wasn''t even down to his 90%.


    ''Am I really going to die like this?''


    While Merov paled, Varian sent away his women. They were tasked with evacuating Hortus in a few minutes, which they could hopefully get.


    From the fortress'' special observation formations that were still intact, Varian kept watch on the changing situation.


    ''Merov is going to die, I have to le¡ªwait, what?''


    The Veyan Captain looked in disbelief as a powerful blue me surrounded him out of nowhere.


    "You¡­"


    Merov''s temperament hadpletely changed. His eyes didn''t resemble an arrogant genius prince. But that of a true powerhouse.


    A rank 9? A peak rank 9?


    The Captain didn''t know.


    "I shouldn''t be doing this but oh well, this foolish boy is used as a pawn by someone¡­" An old, majestic voice rang, without any emotion.


    Even though the speaker clearly deemed it necessary to intervene, it was as if the situation didn''t bother him much. He spoke as a spectator rather than a participant.


    "Who are you? Why are you with him? Are you the kingdom''s powerhouse?"


    The Captain calmed down in the face of death and asked with a solemn expression.


    He secretly activated a treasure that''d convey everything he was witnessing and send it encrypted back to his superior.


    "Don''t consider yourself too clever," The old voice was calm, in, and sounded uninterested.


    An invisible force struck the Captain and the recording treasure exploded.


    The captain''s body half-disappeared as he tried to teleport right away. The formless force struck him again and this time, the only thing he could do was gawk in surprise and regret.


    ''T-This old guy isn''t as powerful as he showed¡­if I tried fighting him, I could''ve survived¡­''


    With a big regret, the captain died an unwilling death.


    ''Too much reserves are used up. I would be significantly weakened in the near future.'' The old thingmented before turning to the fortresses.


    In a blink, a blue pathway, made of blue light that appeared like mes, formed between Merov and the fortress.


    The very next moment, Varian felt a familiar pressure fall on him.


    The pressure he felt in the tower.


    The pressure of a rank 9.

 Chapter 1334 Shame Of A Lifetime

    Chapter 1334 Shame Of A Lifetime


    "Looks like you are the mastermind behind this." The old voice, which was emotionless even when killing the Veyan captain showed a tinge of appreciation.


    But it''s the sort of appreciation shown by a predator to its prey, not that of an old senior towards the newbie.


    Varian sensed the intentions clearly and he took on a defensive stance.


    He didn''t try to run away. He simply couldn''t outrun the attack of a rank 9.


    The only chance of surviving was trying to find a way out.


    Moreover¡­


    ''He isn''t Merov. Is he possessed? But who dares to the favorite candidate?''


    This whole thing felt like a faux.


    How did Merov, a peak rank 7, easily kill the Orion Captain?


    Defenseless and injured, he was, but easy to kill, he was not. It would take a bare minimum of rank 8 strength to kill him even in that state. Peak rank 7 was just magnitudes weaker to deliver a killing blow.


    ''Merov'' looked down on Varian with arms folded behind his back. Noticing the stranger''s tense body and sharp expression, he said, "Looks like you are aware of what you are up against."


    Varian didn''t reply. Every part of his body screamed as he hovered right in front of death''s entrance. He could die at any moment. And he wouldn''t be able to resist.


    [Sarah, Sia, Enigma, change of ns. After evacuation, take Hortus as far away from the sr system as possible. It''ll take a while for me to lure the enemy. A few days at least. Create as much distance from the sr system as possible to prevent any coteral damage.]


    Varian''s message was sent through their Synergy link, protected by the power of slivers.


    Of course, he lied.


    He just wanted them to get away. But if he said it straight, they''d rush here for their own deaths.


    If it was a heavily injured rank 8, everyone could bet their lives for a hard victory under Hortus'' protection. The possibility existed because he had the slivers.


    But rank 9 was way beyond what they could face.


    Varian wielded that power once¡ªwhen he received a bit of true power from the legacy. The power helped him y the Great Harvester. And that''s why he knew how ridiculous it was to even try fight a rank 9.


    They wouldn''t even qualify as ants. Rank 7 or peak rank 7, heck even peak rank 8, a rank 9 could easily crush them all.


    The power of a rank 9 begins to break out of the conventional sense and would be heading towards the domain of divinities.


    ''If I die here, I will have a lot of regrets. But if they survive, at least I can die in peace¡­'' Varian''s anxious heart calmed down.


    Sensing his changes, ''Merov'' nodded. "Yes, if I wanted to kill you, I would have done it already. I have a deal for you. You get to save your life."


    With a snap of his fingers, a glowing rune appeared in front of Varian.


    "This is the natal treasure of Prince Merov. It''s a mark that enves the target. ept it without resistance and your life will be spared."


    Varian clenched his fists as the mark slowly approached him.


    "Think about it. You have a family, don''t you? Parents? Children? Wives? You don''t have to die. You just have to follow some of my orders and you''ll be back to your normal life."


    Like the devil bewitching an innocent, the old voice spoke in a persuasive tone.


    Varian felt his entire life sh in front of his eyes in a blink and the future where he didn''t have to die.


    He might be able to break it down with slivers.


    "I¡­" Varian stretched his hand towards the mark.


    "Good choice." Merov smiled but quickly froze.


    Kacha!


    Varian crushed the mark into pieces.


    This mark was clearly aimed at the soul. It could change him irreversibly, turning him into apletely brainwashed ve. Even if he had the capability to break the seal, he wouldn''t even have the thought of resisting.


    "A life like that is no different from death." Varian raised his arms and channeled his aura. If he was going to die, he was going to die fighting back.


    "You foolish mortal! Who do you think you are raising a fist against?" The old voice bellowed, kicking off an aura storm.


    Varian felt the pressure of a rank 9 down to his soul. It''s like facing a mountain you could never climb.


    "Against a ghost, duh." He replied with a nasty smile.


    "Insolence, you''ll regret this!" Merov raised his hand and the temperature dropped to a dangerous low.


    ''I guess this is where we part, ways. Logos, I''m sorry for being harsh on you so many times.'' Feeling the attack charging, Varian bid his farewell.


    [¡­Host, that old guy is just bluffing. He can''t do sh*t.]


    ''W-What?''


    Logos'' words were like a bucket of cold water.


    [His main body could be powerful. But he''s just an attachment. A branch. He already used up most of his power to deal with the Veyan Captain. All he can do now is release his rank 9 aura, and pressurize you.]


    ''This old son of a bitch!'' Varian red up at Merov.


    The old bastard was still ''charging'' up the power with one hand and kept his other hand behind his back.


    Merov had some serious injuries after the space shuttle explosion. Varian didn''t think about them much due to the rank 9 aura, but now, he saw them differently.


    He should''ve suspected this way earlier when he started talking too much. Why would a rank 9 even try to persuade him?


    ''He scammed me! He scammed me!'' Varian screamed in anger, veins popping up on his forehead.


    A wave of thick killing intent shot out of him and locked onto Merov.


    [Host, are you angry at him for trying to enve you or scamming you?]


    ''I¡­'' Varian couldn''t find an answer. ''Fuck it, I can think after I thrash this bastard!''


    Merov looked down at Varian with a cold gaze and said. "Out of my kindness, I''ll give you the final ch¡ªmfff!"


    Varian punched him in the face.

 Chapter 1335 Young And Old

    Chapter 1335 Young And Old


    The old man never thought his act would be seen through. Worse, he never imagined one day he''d be punched in the face by a junior as weak as a bug.


    But as Varian''s fist broke Merov''s jaw and sted his teeth off into the space like fucking rockets, he had no choice but to ept he fucked up.


    A light green light eminated out of Merov and pushed him away from Varian, created enough distance between them to give him a breather.


    ''I had my doubts before, but I''m sure of it now. This boy''s soul is young¡­too young, not even a century old! And he got the strength that rivals Merov?''


    His pupils shook as he watched Varian with newfound emotions.


    Awe and fear.


    But they quickly turned into something more.


    Greed.


    ''Not Merov, this boy is my chance! And not just any chance, my chance to reach the peak of existence!''


    The shift in his emotions wasn''t very subtle. Varian guessed what the old bastard was thinking without even trying to.


    It''s the same stuff every single time!


    ''That body is heavily injured. I might not win, but I can fight him.''


    [Adept Rank 6: 2000/5000 (+750, +1000)


    < Getting beaten up by your wives in the name of training and using those Zions helped you grow. >


    < As you can see, fighting strong enemies is more efficient. So, just go punch that powerhouse in the face and get yourself into a fight >


    Assimtor Rank 6: 2500/5000 (+1500)


    < You really like this power, don''t you? >


    Binder Rank 6: 500/5000 (+500)


    < Don''t let this fall behind >


    Energy Rank 6: 1000/5000 (+1000)


    Matter Rank 6: 1000/5000 (+1000)


    < Using the slivers to improve in the paths is really a cheat. But you aren''t using it enough. >


    Space Rank 6: 500/5000 (+500)


    Time Rank 6: 500/5000 (+500)


    < Not enough>


    Note: You should really try for a second Synergy session with Isadora. It won''t give the same jump as the first session but you''ll see a huge growth. You''re not a high celestial yet, there''s a lot of room for quick growth.]


    ''¡­She''ll bite my neck off I try to propose another Synergy.'' Varian''s lips twitched.


    "Hahahaha!"


    With a madness that surpassed a cult fanatic, Merov shot towards Varian, the green light eminating from him leaving behind a beautiful trail, like an arc painted from a green brush.


    ''Why is he trying to fight in closebat?'' Varian was puzzled.


    Merov covered his fists with life force and punched out. Varian returned the punch and the moment their fists shed, space shattered.


    The green light from Merov acted like a strong suction force and tried to destroy his vitality.


    At the point of their physical contact¡ªtheir fists¡ªVarian''s body began to wither and break down.


    In a blink, his strong and tough fist disintegrated into ash and blew away.


    ''Damn it¡­''


    Varian jumped back, realizing why the old guy had chosen this style of fighting.


    The green light could affect Varian from long distances but wouldn''t take him down anytime soon. But with direct contact, the life force entered his body and dealt way more damage.


    With a light exhale, Varianughed, much to the confusion of the old man. "Fights like this are the best!"


    Their figures blurred, turned into afterimages, shes of light, and just invisible at some point.


    They moved faster and faster, with each move, shattering the space around them and creating aura shockwaves that''d travel for light years.


    Varian''s body began to break down like a sandcastle that was hit by the sea waves.


    His Assimtor power worked on overdrive to heal him back and he didn''t hesitate to devour whatever he could of Merov to replenish himself.


    It was a tug of war slowly being yed out.


    Right from the start, the old bastard held his superiority over Varian.


    Be itbat experience, the state of mind during a tough fight, and even reading the opponent''s moves¡ªwhich Varian was well aplished in¡ªthe old man was several times better.


    Yet, a sense of dread filled his mind as he realized something that was so ridiculous that it should be impossible.


    ''He''s grown so much in just this little time! Impossible! What even is going on?''


    Varian didn''t use his other paths as much, so his growth primarily came from the Adept and Assimtor. But that was more than enough to scare away the experienced powerhouse.


    ''No, I have to end this before anything unexpected happens.'' The old man resolved himself and jumped at Varian.


    As he did before, Varian raised his hand, whichever was still intact, to counter the enemy. But Merov had two hands and he had only one.


    So, while he neutralized one punch, the other ended up hitting him in the chest and crushing his chest bones.


    As blood mixed with pieces of bones sttered out, Varian tried to move away. But this time, something odd happened.


    An eerie red-colored light emerged out of Merov and drilled into his eyes.


    "Arghhh!"


    The foreign power, no, the foreign soul rushed straight into the depths of his mind, heading towards the most vulnerable part of his being¡ªhis soul.


    "Hahahaha! Wonderful! Just wonderful! What is this body? This is a masterpiece! No, masterpiece is an understatement!


    This is a body that shouldn''t even exist. You''re an impossibility! A wonder of nature! And now, you''re mine. All mine!"


    With every word he spoke, the old voice grew more and more crazy. He couldn''t believe what he was witnessing.


    Varian sealed away all his powers other than the Adept, so he could only notice that one path.


    Yet, he was able to grasp that this body had awakened only a little over a year ago.


    Forget all those geniuses, even the legendary Princess Isadora whose talent shattered all records couldn''tpare to this boy!


    "You''re my destiny! Boy, you''re my destiny to godhood, to greatness, and to immortality!"


    The old man''s soul broke through Varian''s mental defenses and reached his soul.


    Currently, his soul region was in the form of a blue sea. Instead of recing his soul, the old man began to assimte.


    The water of the blue sea began to slowly turn red. Little by little, drop by drop.


    Varian''s body shook violently, blood spilling from every part as it rejected the invasion. But the soul assimtion proceeded despite his resistance.


    He could feel everything that was happening. But he could no longer control anything. It''s as if he had be a spectator in his own body. It was a terrifying feeling.


    "Hm¡­why does your soul have so much resistance?" The old soulined.


    Normally, the preliminary assimtion should''ve been finished by now. It''d take a while to digest and perfect it.


    But right now, all his soul entered the blue sea but only a tenth of it turned red.


    "Wait, why do you have soul pa¡ªwhaaaat?!"


    A beam of ck and white light descended onto the contaminated soul.


    "Sl¡­Sliveeers? No fuc¡ªarghhh!"


    Varian''s soul power stuck him right after.


    Caught off guard, the old soul was quickly injured, weakened, and isted.


    Without hesitation, Varian threw him to the Requiem Sword, which captured him like a genie in a bottle.


    And when he opened his eyes, Prince Merov''s fist greeted him. "Give me back my teacher!"

 Chapter 1336 By His Own Words

    Chapter 1336 By His Own Words


    Prince Merov''s eyes were sunken and bloodshot, like someone who hadn''t slept for days.


    Interestingly, his cheeks were also hollowed out and his body which was muscr just a while ago was suddenly a bit skinny.


    ''Did the soul transfer have so much impact?''


    Varian tilted his neck and dodged the punch.


    The space beside his neck broke and the sharp irregrities sliced his skin. Despite dodging, his skin was decorated with severalrge red lines.


    "You took my teacher away!" Merov was raging, his killing intent was never higher. "Give him back! Now!"


    Varian nced at the Prince''s scary face and crossed his arms. "How about no?"


    Boom!


    The punch that replied nearbly broke his jaw. Thankfully, he dodged it and ended up getting punched in the shoulder.


    His shoulder dried up as the hostile life force wrekced his body. As if that wasn''t enough, the dried up part of his shoulder exploded.


    Bam!


    Varian''s face and torso were covered in his own blood. His right arm was missing and he didn''t look so well.


    ''The old bastard was fighting well but he couldn''t use the power of divine path to its fullest! But Merov can!''


    Prince Merov would be stronger than the old man!


    Varian''s lips twitched and he called out using his soul power.


    ''Baldur, iste the fortresspletely. And get out of here!''


    The forgotten prince who was hiding in a defensive formation, his face mixed with fear and admiration.


    ''Y-Yes!''


    As he escaped to another formation, a ck barrier enveloped the fortress.


    Most of the structures in the fortress, except for the central building protected by the core defense formations were destroyed.


    All that really remained was a castle on a tform and two powerful beings that quickly drove it to destruction.


    Merov noticed the barrier activating. Even though he was full of anger, he couldn''t help but sneer.


    "You''re so brave, aren''t you? Hacking this fortress is enough to warrant death sentence to your entire tribe. But you went ahead and blocked it. Why? Afraid that I''ll call for assistance?"


    Varian shrugged.


    If only he knew¡­


    "You made a big mistake. You can''t get out of here." Merov said with a predatory smile.


    "You got it wrong."


    The space around Varian began to vibrate, as if in tune with some rythm and waves of spirit power began to eminate from him.


    "I''m not locked in with you."


    Varian''s eyes shed silver and a beam of invisible power stuck Merov. His eyes went nk for a moment as his soul struggled to get out of the shock.


    Without giving him any respite, the power of time acted on him, slowing him down from getting out of the shock.


    "You''re locked in with me."


    Varian swung his sword and unlike every other time, Merov wasn''t prepared enough.


    Even though he broke out of the shock and dodged at thest moment, the sword cleaved through his shoulder and split his chest in a diagonal line. The sharp de, reeking of death stopped just above his throbbing heart.


    An explosion sted away Varian, the green life force hastily trying to injure him and failing.


    Merov decided to create some distance and fight safely but with a swipe of his hand, Varian caused a string of explosions around the Prince.


    None of them were enough to impact him by themselves, but when they worked together, he had to swallow his pride and retreat.


    The dynamics of the battle shifted.


    Varian''s seven powers swept the area, targeting the Prince without any mercy. Merov tried to counterattack but was repeatedly pushed into the defensive.


    Once Varian started using all his powers, the dynamics of the battle shifted.


    After trying to destroy Varian''s life force for so long, Prince Merov grasped something hard to believe.


    "You¡­You''re less than a century old? No, half of that?"


    "Half of that half!" Varianughed and rings of silver glowed in front of him.


    Merov deftly avoided the spirit attack, though he couldn''t stop the matter making up his arm freezing against his will before exploding.


    To make things worse, a space crack appeared, devouring those vitality-filled remnants.


    Another space crack opened near Varian and delivered him the remnants which he assimted smoothly.


    "I''m 19." Varian''s aura continued to climb.


    "No way¡­" Merov''s eyes widened and his face paled. He had always prided himself in being the brightest genius.


    The man standing in front of him crushed that very belief.


    "Then teacher¡­teacher¡­" Merov''s lips trembled and a horrowing anguish filled his voice.


    "Yes," Varian lied without blinking. "You don''t exactly remember what happened, do you? He saw my talent and decided to be my teacher. You are trash, he said."


    The old voice in the sword screamed. "No! You shameless bastard! When did I want to be your teacher!"


    Ignoring it, Varian continued to provoke the prince. "He said that if not for him, you''d still be picking garbage. Or maybe you''d selling your body? Some depraved olddies of the kingdom have a thing for young boys, don''t they? You''d have been in one of their hands."


    "Shut up!" Merov yelled so hard that blood spilled out of his mouth. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"


    He screamed like a broken record and his body glowed with a blinding green light. Giving up all thoughts, he jumped at Varian with fury.


    "Die!"


    The dark green light enveloped the fortress and began to destroy everything. Even the great formations couldn''t withstand the destruction and exploded.


    Boom!


    The fortress went out with a bang, giving off brightness that rivaled arge star.


    When the light receded, Merov was standing nkly, the green sword in his hand that was supposed to stab Varian was cutting through a perfect ''illusion''.


    "Don''t underestimate me too much," Varian''s voice rang from behind and a tremendous force stuck Merov from behind.


    His soul froze first and then his body began to break down, bit by bit.


    Watching Varian''s indifferent eyes, Merov remembered the words he said not too long ago.


    ''If I had to face someone much younger than me and nearly as strong, if not, stronger than me despite me growing up in a better ce since childhood, I''ll just fucking kill myself.''


    "Hah¡­"


    The favorite candidate died with a smile,ughing at his own fate.

 Chapter 1337 The Black Hearted Boss

    Chapter 1337 The ck Hearted Boss


    The three candidates in the race all ended up in an unexpected state within the span of a few days.


    Rudolph died an ugly death. Even as the prince was dying, Varian showed no mercy and used his soul power to inflict sever pain on the man''s spirit.


    His death was decided the moment his maid made those remarks. In the first ce, Varian wasn''t a benevolent soul.


    He''d help people sometimes, would feel empathy for strangers. But if someone insulted him, he wouldn''t feel the slightest guilt in making them miserable. But the maid went a step further and insulted his wives.


    Merov, on the other hand, didn''t offend Varian. Morally speaking, the Prince didn''t have to die. But from a survival perspective, Merov surviving this and telling the tale would open a can of worms.


    Rank 9s might immediately pay a visit and humanity would be prisoners in their own homnd.


    Princess Sonya, on the other hand, became a ''prisoner'' to speak.


    He saved her from the Veyans but she just jumped from a wolf''sir to a tiger''s den.


    If Isadora did decide to go down the route of terror, then Sonya would''ve been better off dying under the Veyan.


    And Veyans¡­


    Their arrival was truly what one would call a tableflipping move.


    "There are markers here. If I didn''t pry deeply, I would''ve missed."


    In front of the purple space gate that had long copsed, Varian squinted with clenched fists.


    The Veyans had a far more terrifying n than just an assassination. They had left behind concealed but resilient space marks throughout the space passage.


    Meaning, if they were to ever attempt to build a space gate to this ce, it''d be done with utmost ease.


    "What a dangerous race," Even though his words sounded cautionary, there was a big smile on Varian''s face.


    ''I want to fight more¡­stronger, faster, experienced enemies that can push me beyond my limits¡­the surging strength thates in that battle¡­''


    Throwing his head back, Varian wanted tough like an evil mastermind. After noticing a piercing gaze on his back, he coughed and folded his arms with a serious expression.


    "What are you doing here?"


    "The Queens said that you wouldn''t be here for an entire day, Your Majesty. The Hortus is moving away from the sr system as we speak. Oob noticed your presence here but the Queens weren''t sure if it''s really you. So, they sent me here to test out the possible imposter."


    The Matriarch, in her maid uniform, pressed her hands together and bowed lightly.


    "Oh?" Varian clicked his tongue as he recalled his ''n'' to move them away to save them from this dangerous battle. ''I forgot!''


    "You are the real Emperor, no doubt about it." The Maid said in conviction.


    "How do you know?"


    "Your crazy smile¡­it''s hard to mimic even for the professionals." Bowing her head with utmost respect, the maid gave stinging answers.


    Varian rolled his eyes.


    Her arrogance took a blow but her tongue was still sharp. Matriarch was Matriarch after all.


    "Imperial Secretary Alison is busy in her work, please assist for a weeks." He said with a harmless expression.


    The Matriarch raised her head in reflex and looked at him with a frozen expression.


    Though she only looked after Hortus, even she knew the infamous sob stories and the drunken fits of the ''Real'' Emperor Alison.


    "I''m afraid I''m too ipetent for the job, Your Highness."


    "No, no, no. You''re very, very sharp. Your sharpness should be used in the right ce to cut down the obstalces." Varian nodded again and again, as if he was convinced by his own words.


    "Go, go work for a few weeks." With a wave of his hand, he sent off the maid to work under the busiest secretary ever.


    Like a boss who found glee in his employee''s misery, Varian let out a sinister chuckle.


    "I''m not bad, just evil."


    A few minutester, in the Hortus'' pce.


    "¡­Stop that smile. You said it''d take a day or two, how did you return so early?" cing her hands on her hips, Sia questioned with a pout.


    Of course, this was after a thorough check up of his condition, thorough to the point she stripped him off.


    "If you stop touching my triceps, I might be able to answer." Varian turned on the shower.


    "Then I will touch another muscle~"


    Some unspeakable but entirely predictable actster:


    "¡­You''re shameless! He justes after a hard battle and you jump at him!" Sarah snorted and turned to him, her gaze turning cold.


    Varian lowered his head in guilt. "I¡­I was healed."


    "Really?" Sarah crossed her arms and asked in a tone of ridicule.


    "Yeah, really." Varian nodded with a stiff face.


    "Okay, thene with me." She grabbed his arm and took him into the bedroom.


    "Hey! Who is shameless now?!" Sia stomped her foot and tried to get in but the door was mmed shut on her face.


    She tried to teleport in but the room was locked out by a formation!


    After failing to break in for a while, Sia couldn''t help it anymore. "Enigma! Come out! Let''s fight this shameless woman!"


    Enigma appeared while Sia''s phantom stood right beside her with clenched fists.


    Even though they could all use the three paths, each had a special affinity to one path.


    Sia''s mind path wouldn''t help in this situation¡ªunless she wanted to enter through just her soul.


    Enigma''s gravity, on the other hand, could bend space and crack the formation. With her proficiency, it''s not a problem.


    "I took only an hour, but it''s already ten hours for them! Enigma, let''s get justice!" Sia said with an awe-inspiring expression.


    "¡­It''s been only 58 minutes, 35 seconds when you uttered those words. Don''t be anxious." Enigma replied in her usual calm and indifferent tone.


    "I''m not the one counting seconds!" Sia rolled her eyes.


    Enigma shook her head and put her hands on the door. She didn''t want to destroy anything. Just break in.


    But¡­


    "I can''t do it without exploding it open. There''s only one person who can."


    A gentle light enveloped Enigma and Enigma''s phantom appeared beside Sia. In her ce stood Isadora.


    "Y-You!"


    Listening to the voices that a certain someone obviously didn''t bother suppressing, her face turned red and blue.


    Turning to the two trouble makers, she stomped her foot. "I turned myself off to get away from this and you call me in! You little¡­arghhh!"


    Chased by the angry legendary princess, the two ran for it.

 Chapter 1338 An Unfinished Affair

    Chapter 1338 An Unfinished Affair


    "The Zions are celebrating their victory," Hazel reported. "There are no more enthusiasts trying to get to this side. Even the ones that promised have reneged. There isn''t much I can do at this point."


    Varian exhaled deeply as he leaned back in the sofa.


    "Am I audible?"


    Varian didn''t even nod.


    After the sweet session with Sarah, when he was talking a stroll in the garden, Isadora found him for a match.


    She promised to help him improve no matter what. Him being him, he didn''t refuse such a golden offer.


    So the fight began. It should''ve been a good match. In some ways, it was. He saw great gains.


    Watching his moves, even in other paths he frequently switched into, Isadora gave insights that really helped him improve.


    But¡­


    ''Ouch, it still hurts.''


    It took him a while to understood, she was very pissed off. She beat him ck and blue. Treated him worse than a sandbag.


    Even his enormous patience wore off and he eventually used all paths to fight.


    But Isadora being Isadora, actually managed to breakthrough somehow and maintained an edge over him throughout.


    Unless he used slivers, he wouldn''t be able to win. And since he wanted to train regardless, Varian didn''t bother using them.


    The result?


    A sore back, sore shoulders, sore arms, even a sore face.


    ''Enigma, is this your revenge?''


    It''s impossible for Enigma to not know the consequences of letting Isadora near them. But she did it anyway.


    Why? Of course, she was left out.


    He more thanpensated for herter. But it''s a mistake regardless.


    ''I deserve it but Isadora¡­one day, I''ll pay you back in full for these be¡ªouch, I''ll spank you until you cry.''


    The Emperor rubbed his sore back and vowed his vengeance.


    The silver lining? He did grow quite a bit.


    [Adept Rank 6: 4000/5000 (+750, + 750)


    < Is this hatred? Is this love? They say there''s only a thin line between love and hatred! >]


    ''Your mom!''


    [Assimtor Rank 6: 4500/5000 (+1500, +500)


    < Your greed knows no bounds!>]


    ''Neither does your ridiculousmentary!''


    [Binder Rank 6: 3500/5000 (+500, +1000)


    <Her insights really helped, didn''t they? So go fight her again!> ]


    ''You''re kidding me!''


    [Energy Rank 6: 3000/5000 (+500, +1500)


    Matter Rank 6: 3000/5000 (+500, + 1500)


    < More Synergy! More improvements!>]


    ''You should look at her eyes when I asked for Synergy yesterday. She was this close to driving that sword into my throat.''


    [Space Rank 6: 2500/5000 (+1000, +1000)


    Time Rank 6: 2500/5000 (+1000, +1000)


    < Good work! >


    PS: You won''t die taking a sword in your throat anway. For a Synergy, it''s totally worth it.]


    ''Yeah, right! You crazy bastard! It''s not okay!''


    "¡­Hello? Hello?"


    Varian was jolted out of his thoughts by those words and instinctively responded. "Ah! Hello! Sup?"


    "¡­" Hazel looked at him nkly for a moment before tilting her head. "Are you okay?"


    "Yes," Varian said but his head shook his firmly.


    "Well¡­" Hazel looked at with a speechless expression.


    "Ahem, continue the report."


    "the army lead¡ª"


    "From the beginning." Varian said with an expression as straight as possible.


    "That''s not called continuing," Hazel blurted out.


    Varian coughed out lightly to cover up his embarassment.


    The fairy also coughed, realizing her mistake.


    Varian then coughed again to not make it seem he''s coughing up to hide his embarassment.


    The fairy reciprocated, thinking that she couldn''t speak when he''s still coughing.


    As a result, the two ended up coughing for the next few minutes.


    Eventually, Varian got her to start speaking.


    "¡­The Veyans sourced the space cracks. They even opened up some of them."


    "The ones I closed?"


    "Yes, the ones you closed. They could only track half way though, not anymore."


    "That''s still ridiculous. Are they rank 9s or what?"


    "Rank 7s, ording to the information I have. It''s their racial talent." Hazel replied with an envious expression.


    "What''s the fairy''s racial talent?" Varian tilted his head.


    Hazel''s wings drooped.


    "Er, never mind," Thinking he touched a sore spot, he waved his hand.


    "Faith, if that''s a thing," Hazel replied after a long sigh. "The roots of my race are in the ancient past, we don''t even have the scriptures to date them. But the myths and legends that remain, they say great things."


    Varian nodded lightly.


    Many races had glorious history. Their myths and legends tend to exaggerate. It''s not new or unique. It''s just unreliable.


    "Faith, they say, is to believe in someone unconditionally. And grow from it. Of course, that''s a lie. It never helped. If it did, my race wouldn''t squander off their lives to kill abyssals for a race to the bottom."


    There was a depriciating smile on her face, unlike the usual calmness she carried herself with.


    Varian couldn''t say much.


    He agreed to take in the Fairies if they worked with him after the destruction of Zions. Unexpectedly, Zions were safe. There was no need to take in refugees.


    "Zions are trying to find the spies. They won''t find me," Hazel said and pursed her lips. "But Veyans are looking for the one guided the soldiers to the space cracks. They will find me. Soon."


    Varian sighed and stood up.


    Hazel''s face paled off and she bit her lips. The wings of the woman folded tight, enveloping her in an embrace.


    "Be ready, I''ll pick you up."


    "Huh?" She raised her head in surprise.


    "Why that face?"


    "¡­Aren''t you going to abandon me after using me?" She said with an incredulous expression.


    "And why would I do that?" Varian shot back, more curious than annoyed.


    "Coz¡­that''s what all bad men do¡­in the stories," Her voice grew quieter at the end.


    "Oh, and the heroine should be pregnant when they abandon her?" Varian asked with a teasing smile.


    "Yes, yes, they abandon her when she''s pregnant! Always!" Hazel nodded her head vigorously and said in aining tone.


    Varian chuckled with a helpless expression.


    "Lass, you are too young to understand how the world works." Said the man, forgetting that he was six years younger.


    "I''m sorry for misunderstanding¡­" She apologized.


    "There''s one more thing I want to do when I get there," Varian''s expression turned serious.


    The vibe in the room changed and a sharp killing intent filled the air.


    Hazel straightneed her back instinctively and looked up with a trained expression. "The Duke?"


    "Yes," Varian nodded. "The Duke. I have to finish him off."


    "He came out of his nest after the Veyans arrived." The fairy replied with a trouble expression.


    "A few squads of Veyan regr army and three squads of Orion are working on the space cracks and tracking me down.


    But one member of the team is staying in the pce. He''s a peak rank 7, but a senior member in the Orion squad.


    Apparently, the reason Orion even responded was because this senior member''s words. The Duke and this man have a good rtionship."


    "Xoler?"


    "He was forced to step down," Hazel said and her expression turned weird. "¡­And the reason the senior Orion and the Duke have a good rtionship is because of¡­Xoler''s mother. She''s¡­well¡­you know."


    "Say no more." Varian grabbed his sword. "I''ming right away. That pimp can''t be allowed to remain alive any more."

 Chapter 1339 The Hidden Hand

    Chapter 1339 The Hidden Hand


    Before he left for the Zion duchy for one final mission, Varian had to resolve two things. The more important of the two was of course Isadora.


    It didn''t feel right to keep the matter and the person waiting.


    So, when Sonya opened her eyes, she saw the handsome young man who was supposed to be her brother-inw.


    "Heuk!" She jumped onto her feet before she staggered and fell on her face.


    The haughty princess who prided her elegance and beauty cried inwardly at the unsightly disy.


    Varian didn''t help her up, contrary to what he expected. Instead, he seemed to be enjoying her embarass herself.


    ''He isn''t my rted to my sister at all. And if he is, then¡­why the hell did she like him in the first ce?''


    Rubbing her hair, the pink-skinned princess slowly got up and looked at him with wary eyes.


    With a snap of his fingers, Varian turned the trees nearby into an elegant chair and a rough stool. He sat in the elegant one calmly and asked her to be seated, with a kind expressio.


    Sonya''s lips twitched at his tant bias.


    "I''d rather stand," She snorted and her gaze darted, "Where is my¡­where is she?"


    "I''m not letting her meet you until I get some things right."


    "It doesn''t matter, does it. Nothing is going to change. I''ve seen her. I don''t care if she kills me. But I want to see her properly before I go."


    Varian shook his head in exasperation. "If I can stop her from killing you right away, I sure as hell can prevent her from killing you¡­as long as I like."


    Sonya raised an eyebrow and her voice turned cold, as if she was the one insulted. "Aren''t you overestimating yourself? To even think you can go against the legendary princes¡ª"


    Varian raised his hand. "Yeah, yeah. Get your brain out of the gutter and think, what do you know about me to think I''m overestimating your sister? And that you''re not underestimating me?"


    Sonya wanted to refute his insulting remarks right away but she couldn''t utter a single reasonable sentence.


    Indeed, she knew nothing about this man. He''s powerful, yes. But nothingpared to his sister. Yet, if he were to be her brother-inw, then there must be something about him.


    Taking a deep breath, Sonya sat on the stool and started in a soft voice.


    "My memories of that day are blurred, but someone visited us. I overheard his conversation with my mother.


    He said my sister was in danger. I was worried. So I sneaked out. I can''t clearly remember what happened afterwards.


    My Sister found me¡­but I couldn''t properly move¡­and I¡­"


    Beads of sweat rolled down Sonya''s forehead and her lips trembled as she struggled to continue.


    "I watched like a puppet, frozen, unable to do anything as they all attacked my sister. She could''ve escaped. But someone was holding me hostage, I don''t know who¡­"


    Her voice cracked several times and her nails dug into her palms, blood slowly dripping out of her hands and sliding down her thighs.


    With his soul power active, Varian listened to her words with a serious expression.


    It was eerily simr to his own past.


    A fateful night. Death of a loved one. Unclear memories.


    And¡­


    "My Sister lost...and they spared me. I can''t remember their faces. The only thing I remember was my mother rushing to rescue. It was already toote by then. My sister has¡­"


    There was an unmistakable grief in her voice, it came from the depths of her soul and before she even knew it, tears were flowing down her cheeks.


    It was something that should''ve been uneptable to the arrogant princess, but she couldn''t stop sobbing as the memory shed in her eyes.


    "I¡­I am the reason she died. If only I¡­if only I¡­"


    Varian closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. He could see his past self saying the exact same words, crying just like this.


    With a tap of his finger, his soul power, mixed with the power of slivers, shot into Sonya''s head.


    At the unexpected move in her vulnerable state, Sonya couldn''t react.


    Varian''s power broke into the deepest part of her memories and got blocked by a far stronger power.


    If it was before, he''d have needed to reach a higher rank in the mind path.


    But the power of slivers helped drill a hole in therge wall and he sneaked into the memories of that day.


    That power tried to destroy these memories but if it did so, there was a risk of killing Sonya who was heavily traumatized after the incident. So, it just sealed away the memories.


    If the power really tried, it might have suceeded in deleting the memories.


    But with the assumed death of Isadora, it might''ve been deemed unnecessary.


    From the inside, Varian quickly cracked the memory seal.


    Sonya''s eyes widened as familiar memories flooded her mind. Her heart beat stopped for a moment before it raced through the roof.


    Her eyes widened and she paled purple.


    "R-Romanov¡­fed me what? Daphne also drugged Reina¡­and why is Senior Zara attacking her own best friend¡­and M-Mother! She''s the one who killed Sister?!"


    A bleak aura eminated from the princess and she fell silent like a corpse.


    For a few minutes, she remained silent with her eyes closed. Then, she stiffly raised her head and looked at Varian with a pleading gaze.


    "Can you please kill me? I¡­I don''t want to stain her hands with my blood. I don''t have anything to give you in return but for her sake, kill me and remove me from her thoughts.


    She doesn''t deserve to be betrayed by so many people. And she definitely doesn''t deserve to be betrayed by me.


    Whatever state I''m in is no excuse."


    Varian did not move from his chair.


    "I''m sorry, it must be too much," With a resignated sigh, Sonya gathered her life essence and was about to explode it.


    Her skin cracked and her existence was going to end when a foreign force blocked her actions.


    "Isadora, you can check her memories and choose to act." Varian said out loud and his figure vanished.


    A beautiful woman in ck clothes appeared in the sky and looked at Sonya with a struggling expression.


    Her soul power swept into Sonya''s spirit and unlike the other times, this time, she could sense the anamoly.


    Whatever tampered with her soul was stronger than her! Without Varian using his sliver powers to probe, she would''ve never discovered it!


    Isadora''s brows frowned as she noticed some unbearable truths.


    Her mother did betray her. But there was someone collobarating with her.


    And out of the two girls she raised, Daphne fell in love with a man who led her to drug and push Reina into aatose state where her soul was tampered.


    Both Sonya and Reina were controlled by a simr power¡ªa natal treasure that seemed to have a great control over souls.


    "¡­Martial Saint Kong."


    One of the three peak rank 9s of the P kingdom, an absolute powerhouse at the top of the pyramid.


    And the man who''s going to die an ugly death.

 Chapter 1340 One-Man Army

    Chapter 1340 One-Man Army


    The death she waited for didn''t arrive.


    Sonya slowly opened her eyes and saw Isadora looking at her with aplicated gaze.


    With a deep sigh, she left the ce. She needed time to think.


    Sonya raised her hand in her direction, wanting to stop but eventually lowered her head and let out a pained grunt. She didn''t know what to say.


    "Give it some time." An otherworldly woman in an elegant white dress appeared next to her.


    Sonya had seen beautiful women across kingdoms. None were able to match her sister. But this woman¡­she''s in the same league.


    ''Wait, doesn''t the head of the tribe¡­.I mean, brother-inw, have two wives? There is one more other than this one. How dare he?!''


    Her gaze towards the ce where Varian previously stood and she bit her lip in grievance as if she was the one being wronged.


    "I''m sure you must be going through a lot, but we need your help." Sarah didn''t give her much time to waste on useless thoughts. "This ce is your sister''s home for 500 years. Now it risks being destroyed."


    Sonya''s breath stopped for a moment and she asked in a hurried tone. "What should I do?"


    "Well¡­" Sarah smiled.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    Hortus was evacuated previously. After Varian returned, he asked only the students and the celestial rankers to return.


    If there''s an entrance open to a lot of people, the enemies would sneak in using that. So, the entrance was closed.


    Now no one could enter or exit Hortus without his permission. Due to their bond, Sarah and Sia also had some rights on this world.


    Coming to arge purple in where the Zion powerhouses were kept in a perfectly safea.


    With all the batches so far, there were four hundred of them.


    200 rank 2s.


    150 rank 3s.


    45 rank 4s.


    5 rank 5s.


    "Today will be a remarkable day," Varian raised his hand up and his assimtor power drowned them like a flood.


    An injury, as small as a scratch and as big as a missing limb, ured.


    [Assimtor Rank 6: 4999/5000 (+499)


    < Almost there>


    Space Rank 6: 3500/5000 (+1000)


    Time Rank 6: 3500/5000 (+1000)


    <Gravity is indeed at the intersection of space and time>]


    It was a good improvement. But he could sense that it was the limit. He had squeezed all potential dry from the stock.


    So, Varian invoked the ritual without any dy.


    Beams of light fell from the sky and enveloped the unconscious powerhouses. For a few minutes, the starry light continued before it dissipated.


    "Get ready!"


    Varian''s voice rang in a distantnd where the selected soldiers, most from human race but also from the eight races, with gravity path inmon, stood alert. With a sparkle in the sky, the beams of light fell on them.


    In a matter of minutes, humanity had gained 200 rank 2s, 150 rank 3s, 45 rank 4s and 5 rank 5s!


    That''s the first batch.


    For the second ritual, Varian gathered the corpses of Veyans given by Sarah and Isadora.


    And Hazel managed to deliver the corpse of a rank 6 powerhouse who from the Zion duchy.


    Apparently, the powerhouse was caught up in the aftermath of Xoler''s battle with Merov''s ve beasts and died a sorry death.


    And then there were the envoys. Since he beat them a bit too hard, a lot of their body was internally destroyed and couldn''t be used properly, when stacked together, they should be useful.


    "Assemble."


    Chief of Staff Kevin, Grand Admiral Bali, Secretary Alison: Spath Path.


    Prime Minister Irene Nial: Gravity Path.


    Chief Counselor Vanhoff: Mystic Path


    Oh and there was also Baldur.


    With a thought, six beams of light fell onto the pirs of administration.


    A few minutester, the aura of peak rank 6 leaked out for a moment, almost causing a severe earthquake before they were suppressed.


    With some left overs, Varian created a few space rank 5s and rank 4s.


    The grand total was:


    200 rank 2s


    150 rank 3s


    50 rank 4s


    25 rank 5s


    5 rank 6s.


    6 if Baldur was also counted.


    "I¡­I''m a rank 6 now, really?" Baldur clenched and loosened his fists continously, his expression one of disbelief.


    "A peak rank 6¡­a rank more, I can even fight for the throne," He pped himself. "No, why bother with something like that? I can just stay here and ride my way to rank 9!"


    Nearby, Alison pursed her lips and looked at him in contempt. "Our Emperor really found a freeloader."


    "Wh-Who is a free loader?" Baldur retorted with a red face. "I can do a lot of work. Administrative work."


    "Really?" Alison''s lips curled into a cunning smile.


    Poor Baldur, caught up in his emotions, didn''t notice. "Of course!"


    "Then you''ll be working under me, along with the Matriarch. Wee to the Admistration."


    "Hahaha, of course, of course. Thank you for the trust." Baldur shook her hand.


    If only he knew what he was going to face, he''d have hugged her thigh and begged to let him go.


    But there''s no medicine for regret.


    "Even though your rank improved, you can''t even exert a quarter of your strength. Take time, learn about your powers, get used to them," Varian''s voice from nowhere and everywhere. "I''ll be back in a short while."


    "Tsk, I knew it." Alison snickered and headed back to her office. Baldur followed with an enthusiastic exprssion.


    The others looked at each other with a helpless smile and decided to train.


    Varian kissed Sarah his goodbye and went to a blueke. A woman with long silver hair sat on the bank, with her arms around her knees and her eyes staring nkly into the distance.


    She didn''t respond to his arrival.


    After a few minutes of silence, Varian asked. "Do you want toe with me to Zion?"


    Isadora stood up without a word and nodded.


    "¡­Okay?" Varian was taken aback by her response.


    It was so weird to see her like this. She appeared so weak and vulnerable in this moment.


    [This is the perfect time, Host! Comfort her and ask for Synergy! Go on!]


    Varian''s lips twitched. ''Shut up!''


    The two of them reached the outskirts of Sr System and Varian opened the storage ring of the Veyan Captain.


    From it, he retrieved a hexagonal box and used it on the location where a space crack was previously present.


    With a deep rumble, space cracked open.


    Varian and Isadora stepped in together.

 Chapter 1341 Bragging Has No Taxes

    Chapter 1341 Bragging Has No Taxes


    When Varian and Isadora stepped out of the space crack, they were greeted by Hazel who was patiently waiting.


    The fairy was adorned in a ck and white maid uniform, a ck top with a generous V-cut on the chest, a skirt that ended on her knees and white stockings to finish it off. The ''maid'' Hazel looked at Varian with not-so-hidden anticipation.


    Isadora''s brows frowned at the visual and she looked at Varian with contempt.


    "I¡­" Varian didn''t know what to say.


    He never asked Hazel to do anything like this. All they talked was work, work and work. So, what the fuck was this chick thinking?


    "From now on, you''re wearing this."


    With a wave of his hand, arge yellow costume, the kind that cosyers wear in children''s parks, enveloped Hazel.


    Except for her face and wings, nothing else was visible.


    "Wh-What?" Hazel was confused.


    "I guess that''s not enough,"


    With a flip of his palm, a thick veil covered her face.


    Nodding in satisfaction, he turned to Isadora. She was looking at him in anger, as if saying he was too evil for arbitarily forcing Hazel into an ufortable outfit.


    Varian clutched his forehead.


    He forgot something. Isadora was in a bad mood. Whatever he did or didn''t, she''d still get pissed at his actions.


    "Forget it. Do what you want. I don''t care what you wear anyway." With a wave of his palm, the costume disintegrated, leaving her back in the maid uniform.


    "¡­Are you gay?" Hazel blurted out, once again. This woman had a loose tongue, alright. This wasn''t the first time and it surely wouldn''t be thest.


    Varian rolled his eyes and nodded in her dumbfounded gaze. "Yes. So, don''t use those clothes to score points."


    Hazel''s jaw dropped and she clutched the hem of her skirt. "I-I have a cousin who''s also into men. Three, in fact. One is muscr, one is lean and handsome, the other is cute. ording to your tastes, I can arrange¡­"


    The more she spoke, the more Varian''s face twisted. He tried to calm himself down but couldn''t help his chest heaving up and down as anger threatened to burst out.


    Hazel misunderstood these signs and gave a little smile. "Oh, are you that excited already?"


    "Pffttt!" Isadora burst outughing, bending over and clutching her stomach.


    Varian''s hardened expression eased and he looked at the princess in surprise. Herughter was unexpected, beautiful and contagious. It was all the more wee given that her mood hit rock bottom just a while ago.


    Hazel misunderstood once again.


    "So, should I call for a meeting, one-on-one or three-on-one?" As she said those words, she lowered her head with a blushing face, clearly thinking something unhealthy.


    Varian couldn''t bear it anymore. "It was a joke, joke alright! I have three beautiful wives. Your actions were just making my fiancee misunderstand."


    "F-Fiancee?" Hazel raised an eyebrow.


    "Oh, the gorgeousdy here," Varian pointed to Isadora, who froze at his words and then shot him a re.


    "Konstant Varian, what nonsense are you spouting?" The coldness in her voice caused Hazel to shiver and hide behind Varian.


    "Common sense, madam,mon sense. You can''t just eat two-thirds of a dish and call it finished. You have to eat thest part too. Or someone else might. And I am very, very posessive. I will not only finish the dish, I will take away the te too."


    "What''s with that crazy analogy? Am I dish now?" Isadora said with an angry exression.


    Varian leaned closer and said with a smile. "Yes, a dish I''ll eat up."


    The tant flirting caused her mouth to open in confusion before she came to her senses. "Stop! Stop this instant! You womanizer, I shall not fall for your cheap words!"


    "You''re the only one who didn''t recognize it yet. But the moment you woke up, your fate is already set. It''ll happen sooner orter. I can''t leave you out in the family. Don''t worry, I got their eptance. So, you can go ahead and fall. Fall hard for me, Princess~"


    "¡­You''re delusional if you think that''s ever going to happen." Isadora said with a frosty expression and turned to Hazel.


    "Hey, you there! Where is the target now? I''ll cut him into pieces and go home. I can''t stay with this womanizer a second more than necessary."


    "Th-That¡­" Hazel stutterd with an awkward smile.


    "Software problems?" Isadora cracked a joke but her eyes weren''t smiling.


    "There is a squad of Orions in the capital. A squad without any rank 8s but with veteran peak rank 7s. One of the captains is staying very close to him. Compared to just one person earlier, there''s a whole squad to pass. I think it''s too dangerous."


    "Cute, but you don''t get to decide the level of danger." Isadora said in a blunt tone.


    "Eh, sorry for overstepping."


    Varian rolled his eyes at the exchange. "Isadora, this isn''t even your mission. You''re just tagging along."


    "¡­" Isadora stiffly turned her neck and looked at him with a marvelous re.


    As she expected, Hazel started giving her a werid nce. ''So she''s just tagging along but making so much fuss?''


    "Anyway, I have the details of the pce. We can proceed straight to assassination."


    A few holograms floated in front of them.


    "How did you?! I tried a lot but I couldn''t even¡­"


    "A certain someone." Varian put a finger on his lips.


    Isadora''s face darkened.


    It was¡­Sonya. It hurt to hear that name now. If possible, she wanted things to remain simple and hate that girl without holding back. But now, she couldn''t bring herself to do that.


    "That certain someone was nning to destroy the pce and kill off the royalty. I''m ''borrowing'' her resources. Standing on the shoulders of gia¡ªwell, not really a giant." Varian shrugged.


    Hazel''s eyes widened. "No way! That princess! You caught her?!"


    "Of course." Varian smirked. "I gave her a single hit and she fainted right away!"


    Hazel''s eyes sparkled with worship while Isadora looked at him with contempt.


    Even though he did say the truth¡­was he seriously bragging about winning a heavily injured and defenseless Sonya?


    ''As expected, he has no shame.''

 Chapter 1342 Chase

    Chapter 1342 Chase


    Jataur clinked his ss and gulped down the sparkly wine. "Good day, old mate."


    The Veyan, the star-like marks on his body sparkling, drank with him. "Good day, good day indeed. For you, for me, for the Kingdom, for the Empire!"


    "Hahahaha! Let''s drink more!"


    It hadn''t been long since the Orion squad left but from what they know already, it wouldn''t take long for them to construct a ''bridge'' to the other side and dispatch a military group.


    From the priliminary information, the region theynded was not only safe but also isted.


    It''s only a matter of time before they hunted down those P Princes and controlled that region. From there, building a military base in that region would be considered aplished.


    The Orion group would profit from such a great aplishment. They''d have more resources tilted for their development.


    The Veyan kingdom would win a huge deal of merit. They''d be prioritized by divine rankers.


    The Veyan man, Jataur''s friend, the reason Orions even responded to Zion''s distress call would get a great reward for his right decision.


    Jataur himself was expecting at least the waver ofplete debt of the duchy and if he was being a bit more optimistic, he could see himself rewarded enough to sponsor a peak rank 7 ve.


    The higher ups responded positively and all the goodies were just days, if not hours away.


    As cautious and calm as he was, Jataur couldn''t help but feel proud and ted.


    Not only did he tackle a danger that would''ve killed any other duke, he even profited from it. Massively! This achievement was something not even his worst critics could deny.


    "There are a lot of questions to be answered about why this started." Simons said with a smack of his lips, relishing the wine that''d cost a small moon. "Aren''t you curious?"


    "That I am, but with Veyan army here, I''m not bothered to investigate." Jataur shrugged.


    Simons shook his head with a chuckle and then his expression turned serious. "The investigation shows traces of an ancient heirloom."


    Jataur raised an eyebrow. "Abyssals?"


    "Yes."


    "Thought so. The bastard even wrote me a letter bragging about it. But I don''t know anymore. I thought it was ck Rose, but Princes came. Intuition tells me it was all a¡­conspiracy."


    "If it really is, then I want to meet the mastermind behind it all." Simons gave an arrogant smirk. "So that I can repay him for his invaluable contribution."


    "Oh? How are you going to repay?"


    As Jataur was about to reply, a yful voice rang throughout the pce.


    Everyone outside the room froze, not understanding who the voice was referring to. The ones in the room, however, looked at each other in shock.


    "Just a sec." Simons'' body blurred and he appeared outside the pce on the moon.


    A young man''s silhouttee covered in a translucent purple light stood in distant space.


    Just a secondter, five powerful auras locked onto him.


    "Team, chase!" Simons ordered and shed forward.


    Unexpectedly, the silhouttee also kept teleporting.


    Its aura was faint and hard to detect. Even though they were crossing the gap with each jump, it was taking longer than expected.


    When they did catch up, the silhouttee stood on top of an asteroid and stared at them with a cold smile.


    "Who the fuck are you?" Simons'' arm shed gray and he grabbed onto the man with a vicious grip.


    Contrary to his expectations, the silhouttee didn''t fight back at all. Upon contact, it popped like soap bubble.


    "Wh-What?!" Simons'' eyes widened and he realized he fell for a very cheap but reliable trick. "Jataur!"


    Right after Orion group chased away the intruder, Varian and Isadora sneaked into the pce without much problems.


    The slivers drilled a hole into the security system, metaphorically speaking and Isadora''s natal treasure kept them under a heavy stealth.


    They quickly sted through the bunch of rank 3 and rank 4 guards they couldn''t skip.


    Varian didn''t kill them to prevent any triggers. He gave their souls a severe shock to the point they could do their patrol but without any proper thought.


    The room where Jataur was supposed to be quickly came into view. With a st of the sliver-powered punch, the door shattered, revealing the pale duke.


    Isadora raised her hand and a me of darkness lit up on her palm. As she''s about to burn the man to death, Varian blocked her.


    "It''s a trap." He said without any doubt.


    "Huh?" Isadora blinked in confusion before she froze.


    "Hehehehe¡­"


    Jataur, no, his carefully crafted clone gave them a creepy smile before a red light went off.


    Without warning, the moon exploded and the power swept the neary, sting it into pieces.


    It was a very contained detonation, enough to kill a peak rank 7, but only destroyed a single instead of the entire star system.


    A green light enveloped Varian and Isadora, who appeared not too far away, the timeflow and space around them distorted.


    "There''s a subspace of sorts linked to that room." Varian said and nced back.


    Six auras locked onto him with thick killing them.


    "Stop!"


    The Orion squad was back.


    "We have to hurry!" He grabbed Isadora''s hand and using the power of slivers, mixed with space, he broke into the subspace.


    It was only as big as a small moon with over a dozen teleportation formations spread on it. Obviously, these were all the emergency rescues prepared by the duke.


    Jataur who was standing in a formation, ready to escape, looked at them in shock. "You survived?"


    Without a word, Varian and Isadora jumped at him.


    And the duke, who tried talking to them to stall, managed to activate the formation in time.


    A brilliant light swept the subspace and the three disappeared.


    Few momentster, the Orion broke in. But when they did, the teleportation formations all self-destructed.


    It was set that way so that no enemies could chase him once he teleported.


    "Fuck! Where did they go?"

 Chapter 1343 Ripples

    Chapter 1343 Ripples


    Varian thought he calcted the duke''s response. He was wrong. This man was neither strong nor courageous. He was just a lot more cunning than he thought.


    When the blurred world cleared, what greeted him was not the scared figure of a cornered duke but the sadistic smile of a conspirator.


    "I''m dead but so are you."


    Varian couldn''t understand the man''s words but something exploded in the distance before a shockwave swept them away.


    Under his incredulous eyes, Jataur disintegrated into pieces with a vengeful smile.


    ''This is a dangerous ce¡­''


    It was dark all around, like a ck canvas. There wasn''t the sparkle of stars in the far distance. Isadora feltfortable in the surroundings but Varian only had unease.


    "Where are we exactly?" He frowned.


    "A nasty, nasty ce."


    Isadora''s answer didn''t end before a bunch of powerful auras locked onto them.


    Dozens of red orbs lit up in the darkness and stared at them with killing intent.


    *** *** ***


    The reports of foreign attack quickly reached the court of Veyans. It didn''t take long before it got passed onto the Empire''s higher ups.


    And then, all hell broke loose.


    If the first round of attacks were considered a grave provocation, this second set of attacks¡ªtant attack of a duchy which was under the protection of a kingdom was naked spitting on their faces.


    If even this was tolerated, then they might as well give up their Empire.


    As the administrative wing of the empire, the Naraka Faction had to respond to this provocation with the right measure or risk appearing weak not just to the enemies outside but also to thepetitors within.


    "P Kingdom?" The 7th Prince, head of the Naraka Faction, leaned back with a snort.


    The chair he was seated in was silvery white¡ªbuilt of crystallized mes borne out of stars in deep spaces.


    "Yes, Your Highness. We had enemies attack our territory but they were rank 9s and came in sizable numbers. But these¡­these aren''t even worth a second look. It sets an ugly precedent and lowers our reputation."


    The officer replied, his rank 8 strength barely able to protect him from shivering in the face of the prince''s tremendous aura.


    "We''ve always taken war to their turf," Samael said with a cold smile. "Not a single war spilled on Andromeda in thest thousand years. The best they could achieve was a satellite gxy."


    The officer knew what the prince meant.


    Even though Zions were also in a satellite gxy, they were really in the border area. If an attack on Zions was possible, a strike on Andromeda would be entirely feasible.


    "Send notice, prepare the special units and teach them a lesson." With a few words, the Prince decided the fate of billions.


    A silhouttee covered in a ck robe replied in a chilling voice. "As youmand, Your Highness."


    It wasn''t an immediate mission but not something that''d take long.


    Soon, Prians would pay the price for their arrogance.


    *** *** ***


    A piece of news started spreading.


    ''The slivers have returned. And they are both under a single man.''


    It was from the Snake of Chaos. Even though it still remained in a deep slumber. A sliver of it was up and witnessed everything. If it was fully or even partially awake, things would''ve ended very differently.


    Other than divine rankers, only rank 9s were privy about it. But few elite circles learned about it despite not being as powerful.


    And one of them was a man who was seen as the future of both the Genesis and Mors Empires.


    His pce was one of its kind.


    One half of it was constructed by vibrant nts and flowers. The other half was built through skulls, bones and animal skin.


    The building itself was seggregated into two, one for the living and other for the dead.


    He sat on a luxurious throne in the center of the pce and listened to the information without any agitation.


    He was shrouded in a red and green aura, covering up his appearancepletely.


    Neither the living seated on the right and the Undead on the left could percieve his emotions.


    Even after listening to the messages brought by informants on both sides, he remained silent for a while, as if it was just a normal thing.


    "Lord! You have to act!"


    "This is too important!"


    He tilted his head slowly in response to the words and chuckled. "Because it''s so important, it''ll face me eventually."


    The court fell silent. There was a great deal of truth to his seemingly passive words.


    Searching for the slivers was extremely difficult, even more so given that they were spotted in the Nexus Empire.


    But if the sliver owner did survive and most of them were certain he would, then he would inevitablye into conflict with their lord. There''s just no other way around it.


    *** *** *** ***


    While he remained calm about the affair, the Nexus Empire couldn''t sit still. They mobilized a lot of resources and began a detailed search throughout their territory, which was too big for their own good.


    The investigation, as expected, yielded no results.


    "I told you so," An old man gently moved his finger. "If the sliver holder was so useless to get caught, he wouldn''t be a sliver holder."


    On a setting of ck and white lines stretching for light years that resembled a chess board, apressed star moved from one square to another.


    "It''s worth trying." The silhouette covered in a white light in front of him said and flicked his finger. "Slivers are too important to pass up."


    A ck hole buzzed and moved to an adjacent square.


    "Do you really think they can help us win against that man?" The old voice asked. "He never had to use his full strength to counterbnce all of us. If the slivers are acquired, they might prompt him to give up his position and attack with his real body."


    An ufortable silence followed before the silhouttee replied.


    "If only we didn''t waste thest bit of our sliver powers in your stupid God Creation n, we could''ve used them to track down the slivers. Did you foresee this?"


    "¡­" The old voice paused for a moment before saying. "The n isn''t stupid nor was it wasted. The God Creation n is still on."


    "After that hybrid died five hundred years ago?"


    "She is alive and dare I say, with the sliver holder."


    "What?"

 Chapter 1344 Imposter

    Chapter 1344 Imposter


    It was a tough journey back to Zion.


    The fact that they were chased down by some mad beasts that wanted nothing but to tear them off because they intruded into their territory even after fleeing dozens of light years did not help.


    Even with Isadora helping out, he faced a rough time.


    They shed past the exploding spaces, leaped away from shattering stars and brushed dangerously close to some nasty ck holes.


    "I, I don''t like this." Varian panted as he copsed on an asteroid.


    His engulfed arm and leg had already regenerated but the gray space power continued to act on his body, trying to gnaw him like a ferocious beast.


    Isadora sat beside him with a tired expression. But rtively, she was much better off.


    "There''s a joke about these Requitals," She brushed locks of her silver hair behind her ear and said with a small smile. "If you fight them once, they''ll fight you, your child and grandchild. Apparently, they pass down this hatred through their DNA."


    "Nasty," Varian groaned.


    "They were pets, rumored to be raised by the God Emperor during his childhood." Isadora''s expression grew a bit serious and perhaps even helpless. "They weren''t originally like this but were changed. But¡­this is millions of years old, I don''t even know if it''s true."


    "So he''s millions of years old? Talk about a living fossil." Varian chuckled before he slowed down. "Wait, wait, is there any possibility he is older than human race?"


    "Aren''t you guys young? There are many divine rankers older than you. And this man, he''s one of the oldest even among them." Isadora shook her head.


    Varian fell silent for a moment before asking. "Doesn''t he have a name? Why do you never call him by that?"


    The Princess turned to Varian with a very serious expression and said. "Be careful with that. If you ever utter his name, he could know. And¡­the reason I''m even talking about him is in the belief that he doesn''t care what I say or do.


    If you''re on his watch, there''s little chance you can escape even if you run to the ends of the Alliance."


    "Sounds too scary¡­" Varian gave a helpless sigh.


    "Get used to it. You''ll probably have to face him one day." She said with a devious smile.


    "I''ll spank you one day, ouch!" Varian rubbed his shoulder. "Don''t punch, it''s just regrown. Third time!"


    Isadora snorted and stared into the deep, dark and endless space. Parting her lips, she said in an honest tone. "In hindsight, I was crazy for trying to attack you for those slivers. I was not in my right mind after I woke up.


    There was so much¡­anger, frustration and vengeance in me. I just wanted to get it all out. In someway, on someone and somehow. I didn''t even think anything through."


    Varian''s jaw dropped in surprise. "Y-You''re really apologizing for your stupid outburst and trying to kill me? Not like an apology will suffice but you''re apologizing? You?"


    "I''m not apologizing or anything." Isadora crossed her arms and said with a prideful expression. "I''m just saying it''s a stupid decision. Even if I did make a mistake, why would I apologize to you? That''s worse than making that mistake."


    "Really now¡­you don''t have to act that way." Varian rolled his eyes.


    Isadora shrugged.


    He''s right. She was just trying to put up more defenses against him. In hopes nothing unfortunate happens.


    "Varian, I didn''t think I have to bring this up so soon. But you''re in a big danger for having the slivers.


    I thought this conversation woulde up after decades, if not centuries, but you¡­you are a freak who grows too fast. If you hit divine ranks, you are entering a very dangerous territory."


    Hearing her sincere warning, Varian could only give a chuckle. "Damned if I do and damned if I don''t."


    "Yes. So, thank you for stopping me. And¡­" Isadora ced a hand on her heart and a light shed.


    "Hm?"


    Varian could not feel Sia and Enigma. They were isted by a barrier she put up.


    Isadora looked down and muttered. "If I did kill you, they would''ve hated me. Maybe only for a century or maybe for two¡­or maybe forever. I don''t think it was a good idea."


    "The girls or not, killing me was never a good idea in the first ce!" Varian protested.


    "I didn''t know you properly then."


    "Are you saying you won''t kill me now if you get the chance?"


    "What do you think, Mr. Genius?" Isadora stood up and nced back.


    Dozens of red orbs lit up in the far distance.


    "Hey, you imposter, stop! Give me back the real Isadora! This one is too empathetic and honest even though she''s still very prideful!"


    "Shut up!"


    With the two fleeing once more, the chase resumed.


    It took a week and tens of short but intense battles before they made their way back to the destination.


    Hazel, who was waiting for them in thest secret hide out she had after the rest were raided, got scared looking at their bloodied faces and injured bodies.


    "What happened?"


    "No time! Hurry!" Varian threw her to Isadora who caught her by the wings like she''s a chicken.


    "Wait, wait! Not my wings!"


    Like a dissatisfied cat, Hazel struggled under Isadora''s grip.


    "Save that forter!"


    Varian shouted and hurriedly sted open the space.


    They didn''t have a portal back home. All paths back were destroyed for security reasons. Now, they had to travel. And it''s going to take a while.


    "Brace yourself, you two!"


    With a loud bang, the space around them exploded and the three disappeared.


    The fluctuations were faint and hidden, but didn''t go unnoticed by the Orion squad that were hunting down for the ''unknown'' enemy leader.


    Due to the violent method of teleportation Varian delibrately chose, they didn''t have much of a lead on where he was going.


    But that didn''t stop them from giving the order.


    "Chase!"

 Chapter 1345 Violence Is The Way To Inner Peace

    Chapter 1345 Violence Is The Way To Inner Peace


    "One more?"


    "This should be thest batch."


    "Then excuse me for a moment,"


    Isadora inclined forward and she sted off into the distant space where three silhouttes wearing the standard Orion armor made an appearance.


    Though the uniform was standard, they weren''t. They were still novices who were in incubation period. They''d be taken into Orion once they hit high rank 7.


    They had patrol duties in low-risk areas for that reason. But with the arrival of certain foreigners, it all turned messy.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The fabric of space-time was ripped apart and shockwaves after shockwaves swept into deep space.


    Hazel shivered behind Varian while Varian sighed watching Isadora going bombastic over these recruits.


    Her gravity power violently ripped them apart, the darkness seeping out of her fingers smashed their body parts into a mush and her mind power didn''t let go of their souls until they were fully obliterated.


    Due to his own soul power, Varian was able to hear the agonizing screams of those souls and even vaguely percieved the pain they felt.


    It was enough to break a thousand-year old monster.


    But Isadora didn''t care.


    Hell bent on violence, she ripped them apart again and again even as every piece of them began to be ripped into tiny bits.


    "I-Is she normally like that?" Hazel asked with a whimper.


    "No," Varian shook his head, "She''s, let''s say, frustrated and confused. She is trying to find some inner peace."


    "Wh-What?" Hazel looked at him like he had a few screws missing.


    In which world did this brutal violence that would scare even the worst barbarians bring inner peace?


    "Don''t give me that look,ss. Violence is an excellent tool."


    "For governing organizations, even regions, it is. But for inner peace?" Hazel''s voice was filled with distrust.


    "Obviously. It vents your emotions and clears up your mind space." Varian shrugged.


    "¡­"


    Isadora returned, swinging her arms like she''d just finished a work out and nodded at Varian.


    "Feeling better?"


    "Yeah, a couple more targets would''ve been better."


    "Nice try. I''m not giving you my share. If there is a next batch, it''s mine." Varian snorted and they resumed their travel.


    As they continued teleporting for hours on end, they ended up encountering a few more patrol units.


    Since this was a remote region to begin with, Orion had a hard time finding them.


    After sufficient distancing, they disguised themselves as travellers, got into a couple of space gates and ended up at the edge of the gxy.


    To be precise, in a very precarious location filled with multiple ck holes.


    Compared to the twinkling stars from all other directions, there was only pitch darkness in the front.


    "How do over a dozen ck holes stay in bnce like that?" Hazel gasped in amazement.


    "Gotta ask the 7th Prince. This was his graduation project." Isadora shook her head.


    "And why are we here?"


    "We could''ve headed back at any time, but it''d have left traces. This is the best ce to delete any possible leads."


    Varian waved his hand and a potent space power enveloped the three.


    Like taking a stroll in the garden, the three walked into the region surrounded by fifteen ck holes.


    The thin but resilientyer of space barrier, that could withstand even attacks of strong rank 7 began to crack.


    Hazel panicked until Varian reinforced theyer. But she couldn''t sit still when the man simply closed his eyes and started meditating.


    "Wh-What are you doing? We need to escape already! The Orion must''ve already guessed our location! They''ll be here any moment!"


    Without even opening his eyes, Varian replied. "To be honest¡­this ce is really too good to pass up without taking the benefits."


    "What do you mean?"


    "He wants to progress in his divine paths using the ck holes." Isadora said with a sigh.


    "But that''d take decades at his rank!" Hazel cried in indignation.


    "Decades?" There was a disdainful smile on Isadora''s lips. "Try hours."


    Thirty minutester, Varian opened his eyes.


    With a gentle flick of his wrist, the space barrier was reinforced again. This time, it did not even crack.


    "No way¡­"


    "Not even an hour!"


    Both Hazel and Isadora were shocked for their own reasons.


    Varian''s focus remained the update.


    [Adept Rank 6: 4999/5000 (+999)


    < Fighting space awakeners melee? Who does that? You, My Host! You! >


    Assimtor Rank 6: 4999/5000


    Binder Rank 6: 4500/5000 (+1000)


    < If Isadora learned that a big reason you let her even fight was to observe her usage of soul powers, would she be


    A. Angry


    B. Very Angry>


    Energy Rank 6: 4000/5000 (+500)


    Matter Rank 6: 4000/5000 (+500)


    < You''re behind in these paths despite having the literal slivers of order and chaos. Should this System hang itself? >


    Space Rank 6: 4500/5000 (+1000)


    Time Rank 6: 4500/5000 (+1000)


    < Using Veyans and the other patrol units to study their paths. You''re a cunning one, host. >]


    Ignoring the banter from System, Varian turned his awareness toward his divine paths.


    A substantial growth was witnessed despite not fighting many intense battles. Why was that that case?


    "¡ªnd is a monster for sure."


    Looking at Isadora rambling on the side with a dissatisfied expression, Varian smiled.


    The big jump he got from rank 5 to rank 6 was thanks to her. But there were still many insights left.


    By watching her fight up close, he was able to break them down further and learn more.


    This wasn''t the reason he asked her toe. He genuinely wanted her to take some time off with a fresh ce. But if this was so benficial to his growth, then he''s definitely not going to say no.


    "It''ll be a bit rough to open the door here." Varian said.


    As he did, there were already beams of starlight shooting towards them from the far distance.


    The Orion.


    Heading them was a peak rank 8.


    "You sneaky bastards! You''re done!"


    As the orders were issued, a space door opened behind Varian before it distorted violently due to the ck holes.


    The trio were sucked in and the door quickly closed.


    Momentster, the peak rank 8 Orion reached their location. His space sense furiously scanned for any traces leading to their teleportation location. But all he got was a chaotic mess of space marks.


    "Arghhh!"

 Chapter 1346 Stuff Of Legends

    Chapter 1346 Stuff Of Legends


    When Varian and Isadora returned to Hortus through the space gate, they were exhausted. Hazel fainted long ago and wouldn''t seem to wake up until a week.


    Watching her taken on stretchers, Isadora snickered. "She''s just like a chicken."


    "¡­" Varian didn''t even bother to argue against her analogy. Only fools argued with frustrated people, much less frustrated women.


    He returned to the pce, took a warm bath and was greeted by Sarah.


    Without a word, he carried his wife to bed and hugged her to sleep.


    When he groggily opened his eyes a few hourster, his head was resting on the Queen''s thigh.


    While brushing his hair without thinking about it, Sarah was holding a meeting with the ministers of the Empire.


    She was using a mouthpiece that directly transmitted her voice to the channel without disturbing him.


    The participants in the meeting could only see her cold and serious face.


    They would''ve never imagine the Queen of Radiants would be conducting the meeting on her bed, with her husband on her thigh no less.


    Varian wanted to tease her a bit and push her to the limits of her self-control. But he chose not to.


    ''I will only tease her when it''s us. She needs respect in front of others.''


    And feeling her soft hands gently caressing his head, he closed his eyes. ''I love her so much¡­''


    *** *** ***


    "How is she?"


    That was the first proper word Isadora said to her sister after five hundred years.


    "Older now. But she''s fine." Sonya replied with a wry smile and lowered her head. "I know nothing justifies what I did but if it means anything, from the bottom of my heart, I''m sorry."


    Isadora sighed and raised her hand.


    Sonya flinched and leaned back instinctively.


    But instead of a tight p she was expecting, it was a gentle pat on her head.


    When she opened her eyes in surprise, Isadora had already removed her hand.


    But the warmth was real.


    "Sister¡­"


    "It''s been so long since I had a proper talk with anyone. It''s hard for me to socialize now." Isadora shook her head. "I think even Enigma is better than me at it now. Falling that low is an achievement in and of itself."


    "Enigma?"


    "If you still consider me your sister, well, you have two more sisters. Enigma and Sia. Their origins are a bitplicated but¡­"


    Before she knew it, Isadora was talking at length about their behavior, their antics, her frustrations with them and her worries about their future.


    "Was I wrong to behave so violently? Yes. Trying to kill their husband is indeed a bit excessive, but they still hold a grudge! Don''t they see I''m their sister! I should be the number one!"


    It didn''t matter what the topic was, Sonya was simply happen to listen and be treated normally.


    But in a corner of her heart, she felt a tinge of jealousy for these two who won over her sister so much.


    And¡­


    "Is he really your husband?" She bit her lip.


    "NO! No way! No damn way I''m falling in love with him!" Isadora denied.


    But Sonya, who knew about her sister enough, opened her mouth in surprise.


    If the same question was asked but with another man, Isadora would''ve just scoffed and gave a disdainful chuckle.


    Most likely, she hadn''t fallen in love with that man. But she was seeing him differentlyapred to other men.


    Even without knowing, she had already given him a special ce in her heart.


    ''I must be seeing things!''


    Then Isadora started talking about Varian.


    It wasn''t anything secretive but mainly about his behavior, personality and how he always annoyed her, pissed her off and became a person she couldn''t just walk away from.


    The more Sonya listened, the more she affirmed her hypothesis.


    Nothing had happened yet, but the foundation was already beingid.


    "¡­And he dares flirt with me. Me! How dare he? It''s so annoying. But I assure you, none of his words are going toe true. It''s all useless fantasies of a teenager. Why would a Princess like me ever fall for a hilbilly like him?"


    As the topic closed, Sonya spoke up.


    "How do we deal with the kingdom''s response?"


    Isadora rubbed her forehead and let out a deep sigh. "It''s all my fault. I started it all with impulsive killing of that stupid bitch.


    As much as he''s annoying, Varian was right about this. I started this. So, I want to end it somehow."


    "Two princes dead, themon favorite and orthodox favorite. It won''t be taken lightly." Sonya bit her lip.


    "Yeah. It can be taken lightly only if something bigger happens¡­" Isadora leaned back and crossed her arms.


    "Don''t take any risks, Sister. This ce and people can be abandoned in the worst case. But I don''t want to lose you again."


    "I cannot take any great risks," Isadora showed a helpless smile. "Even if I want to, I will not be allowed. Overprotective, possessive bastard."


    "What?"


    "I''ll think of a n. But until then, you''ll have to prevent the kingdom from moving, okay?"


    "Absolutely!" Sonya almost replied with a military salute. "Leave it to me."


    "I''ll talk to Reina." Isadora stood up and walked to the door.


    Watching her back, Sonya took a breath and shouted. "Sister, I''m sorry for everything."


    Isadora paused, shook her head and stepped out.


    *** *** *** ***


    "Shak!"


    Prince Sohan held his younger brother by the shoulders and looked at him with a cathartic smile.


    "You suffered a lot¡­I''m sorry for leaving without telling you anything."


    "It''s okay, it''s okay! I only feared you¡­" Shak shook his head but the corners of his eyes turned wet.


    As they walked into a private park, the brothers sat down and began a small chat.


    "I was on a secret mission, alright? It''s a dangerous ce and I had to cut off contact with rest of the world. Unexpected things happened and I had to attend a big investigationter. I only got relieved now." The Prince said with a smug smile.


    "Then how do you have that?" Shak pointed out to the bracelet Sohan was wearing.


    "I met that guy¡­" The Prince''s expression wasplicated. "What are the odds? He met in an unlikely ce, in an unlikely time."


    "You really met him?" Shak''s eyes widened in disbelief. "Weren''t you in a dangerous ce? If even you call it dangerous, how can a mere Sovereign powerhouse get there?"


    "Sovereign?" Sohan''s expression turned weird. "What are you talking about?"


    "Maybe level or maybe Sovereign. I ventured into a Synthetic World that time. It doesn''t allow any celestial to enter. They tried fooling the system by restricting their ranks but it doesn''t work.


    Only non-celestials can enter. It was five months ago, I guess?"


    "What the fuck?!"


    -- -- -- --


    A/N: End Of Volume

 Chapter 1347 Divine Princess

    Princess Esh halted her deep meditation.


    After losing a ''part'' of her self, she spent most of her time in this state, trying to ''fix'' herself.


    It just didn''t work out.


    Even though the part she lost was equivalent to a clone, it was more than just a dumb clone.


    It was only a rank 9 copy but it had ''life'' in ways a normal clone wouldn''t. It was supposed to break the borders, sneak in and


    If she had been a rank 2, she''d have recovered long ago. But as a peak rank 1, it was going to take a few more centuries on top of the five hundred years that already passed.


    "I hate that woman¡­" Isadora''s arrogant face shed in her mind.


    Until then, Esh mostly moved behind the scenes. People didn''t even know her rank or achievements.


    But that one battle where Isadora defeated her clone and sealed it off caused a huge stir in the Empire.


    Esh never understood how the battle seemingly in her clone''s favor suddenly shifted. But before it did, the transmission was cut off.


    She could only feel her clone''s state, not what''s happening there. In just a short while, Isadora who was on the losing end until then flipped the table.


    "Why did she have to die so abruptly?"


    Isadora might''ve died but the damage remained.


    Voices rose in her own faction, questioning herpetence.


    Esh came into the spotlight on her own voilition and with as much publicity as she could get, ruthlesslycrushed any opposing voices.


    ''If only I could kill her with my own hands¡­''


    Shaking her head, the divine ranker went through thetest happenings in the Empire and beyond.


    < A kingdom from Mors is trying to create a drug to corrupt living and non-living >


    ''Is this guy new to the job? Too many experiments happen everywhere everytime.''


    < Nexus is shaken by the news about order-chaos slivers. The public are hopeful but the elites are divided. The agencies are frustrated for not finding any leads >


    ''If you could find him so easily, then he wouldn''t be a sliver, no, slivers holder.''


    < The investigation of the team that participated in the Tower expedition has beenplete. They were weed into their territories grandly.


    Attempts are being made to either put our agents around them or to lure them away to kidnap for an interrogation.


    Preliminary estimation of the task: Fifteen years >


    ''Experience says it''ll take fifty at least. But that''s not too long.''


    A divine ranker saw time in a fundamentally different way from everyone else. Even though they weren''t immortal, they might as well be due to their lifespans that easily crossed millions of years.


    Even though Esh wasn''t very oldpared to the old monsters, she too couldn''t take the time span of a decade seriously.


    But if she was like them who lived so long they''d blink away at Centuries, then she wouldn''t be called a genius princess and assume this position in the first ce.


    "Oh, what''s this?"


    After the important news regarding strategic affairs came pieces of information regarding her ''dear'' siblings.


    < The 7th Prince wants to teach the P kingdom a lesson for invading so close to Andromeda. Even though it''s just a duchy, it is considered a stain in his career >


    "Oh," Esh put her index finger on her lower lip and tapped it with a charming smile. "An attack so close to the hearnd? That''s a first since¡­as far as I can remember."


    The Princess turned her gaze and her eyes shed with a soft, holy light.


    Her gaze shed past hundreds of light years, crossed the Andromeda gxy itselfand reached the Zion duchy in a satellite gxy.


    Mysterious symbols shed in her pupils and the state of the duchy before its destruction slowly constructed in her vision.


    ''A sr system, a fews, moons. Not a lot of destruction. But it''s definitely a humtion.''


    The invaders could just jump a bit more and they could enter the hearnd¡ªAndromeda.


    If they could attack Zion with impunity, what''s to say they couldn''t do the same for any duchy here?


    Esh couldn''t see everything through her powers. Divine rankers weren''t omnipotent. The leverage she had over others depending on the opponents'' power as well as other factors.


    Still, in just a few seconds, she learned more about what happened than most investigators.


    As the sequence of events yed like a movie, she caught a few unclear silhouttes.


    She couldn''t see their faces clearly. Not that ''appearances'' mattered to someone of her rank. It''s that she couldn''t sense their essence clearly. It was a blur.


    But the ''feeling'' she got from the man, not his appearance but simply his being, was familiar.


    Like a gic signature, each individual also had something called ''signature timeflow''.


    Like a star, an individual would also distort space-time curvature around them. But this wouldn''t matter to normal people who were too weak. Or even for weaker celestials.


    After some threshold, however, it bes clear. Due to the sheer energy they hold, these powerhouses affect the space-time fabric around them.


    Even though the amount of energy keeps changing and so does the distortion, the patterns of an individual remain.


    Esah couldn''t grasp the ''signature timeflow'' urately due to the blur. But her experience over centuries told her that she did encounter this already.


    ''Constantine! It''s definitely Constantine!''


    The Princess'' eyebrows jumped. Gnashing her teeth, she called on for more detailed reports.


    Even though the Jai Empire had excellent agents, nothing concrete was found about how or why it happened.


    Whoever was behind the attack seemed to be a cautious personality.


    But one thing was certain.


    Centaurus seemed to beunch pad for the attack. The same Centaurus that was previously the stage for this bastard to make his entrance.


    ''It could be a bait to mislead everyone but it can''t be ruled out that he''s from Centaurus or surroundings¡­''


    As she browsed through thetest intelligence on the duchy, a piece of information caught her eye.


    ''The new civilization. The time of its discovery shortly preceedes Constantine''s activities. Unknown powerhouse, unknown civilization.''


    The Princess parted her lips and tapped into the empty space.


    A light shed and an old, reluctant and confused voice sounded.


    "Am I dreaming?"


    "No. I didn''t want to call you, but I''ll need you to find me something. In return, your offense those years ago will be forgiven."


    The other side fell silent, seemingly giving it some thought.


    Of course, Esh didn''t mean what she said. The man on the otherside wasn''t a fool enough to believe her words.


    But if an exchange was to be established, then a superficial excuse was enough.


    "What is it?"


    "Full census of the new civilization near Centaurus."

 Chapter 1348 Suspicion

    Esh trusted her intuition fully, once.


    The same intuition told her it''s okay to believe the words of the traitor from P.


    So, she sent a clone with lots of potential but only rank 9 strength to sneak into the borders of the kingdom five hundred years ago.


    The news reached Isadora and the rest was history.


    Esh wasn''t sure to this day.


    What was the traitor aiming for?


    The destruction of her clone? Death of Isadora? Something else entirely?


    But what she was sure about was that she hated being used as a pawn, even if it''s her clone.


    "It''s where the crown prince candidates have gone recently. Even you''re asking the information now. What''s going on in that backward ce?" The voice eximed.


    "Census." Esh said in a sharp tone.


    Listening to the carefree voice of the betrayer, her killing intent demanded violence. But things didn''t work like that.


    "Oh, yeah, here you go."


    A thick digital file, enough to fill an entire city library appeared in front of her.


    "You owe me one." The voice said.


    "That''s why I''ll give you an easy death instead of a brutal one." Esh responded.


    "¡­If you put it like that, I have no choice but to be grateful. I didn''t know you were a divine ranker at that time. Else, none of this would''ve happened."


    "I don''t care. Your life is mine." She ended the call there and opened the Census.


    The vast information was quickly sorted and few specifics were quickly highlighted.


    Esh''s pupils shrank as she read one specific line.


    < It used to be a single star civilization before the stars split. The stars were fused a few weeks ago >


    The words of the God Emperor surfaced in her mind.


    ''Double star system. The slivers are from double star sytem.''


    But by itself, this information only warranted a slight suspicion. The real deal was the information she read about the man ruling this civilization.


    < Went into seclusion on ¡­ >


    < Reappeared recently on ¡­ >


    < Another seclusion from ¡­ >


    < Latest reappearance on ¡­ >


    Whenever Contantine of Centaurus was active, Varian of Humanity was in seclusion. It was the case in Centaurus and the Tower.


    Interestingly, there were strange rumors about Varian himself.


    Rumors that said he could use multiple powers, rumors that he was the descendent of a god-like species and was only a half-human.


    The Census concluded the reason for his abnormal growth speed to be an identified nt.


    Yet¡­


    ''Even if everything they wrote is true, he could still be Constantine.''


    As if that wasn''t enough, a new possibility also emerged.


    ''And the holder of the slivers.''


    If that''s the case, then all his abnormalities could be exined.


    "I''m thinking too much." Esh shook her head.


    There''s a very low chance for Varian to be a rank 6. And there''s less than one in a trillion chance for him to be the holder of the slivers. There were too many double star systems in the Alliance.


    "But even though it''s a near impossible case, removing thest bit of suspicion is the right thing to do."


    With a snap of her fingers, a woman materialized in front of the Princess.


    "Zahara."


    "Your Highness, what''s yourmand?"


    "Send someone to kidnap the ruler of newly found civilization near Centaurus."


    "Yes."


    "Wait." Esh pursed her lips.


    The 7th Prince ordered for a military operation into the P Kingdom and was preparing the corps. He''d have kept a strict oversight on this region.


    Any powerhouse moving into this region from the Jai''s territory would get into his sight.


    "Don''t send a strong one. Do it without raising Samael''s suspicion."


    "As your order."


    Esh Starlight crossed her legs crossed and leaned back. Her eyes glowed with a holy light but there was a cold smile on her face.


    *** *** *** ***


    "And you lose. 33-10."


    Varian took off the VR gear and slumped on the couch.


    "Fuck."


    "What a bad-mannered boy."


    "Don''t call me boy."


    "Aren''t you a 19 year boy? Boy? Boy~"


    ring at Isadora who was enjoying herself a bit too much, Varian gritted his teeth. "You virgin grandma, shut up!"


    "Y-You! You bastard womanizer! You shut up!"


    "No, you shut up!"


    "No, you!"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    Sarah, Sia and Enigma looked at them with a speechless expression.


    "Why is she behaving like me?" Sia, in her phantom form, asked with a depressed expression.


    "I think he has an unknown power," Enigma answered with a serious expression.


    "Oh?" Sarah and Sia perked their ears.


    "When you are close to him, your mental age regresses by a decade."


    "Enigma!" Sia looked at her with an expression as if she was betrayed.


    "Girls, does anyone want to join the Throne of Blood? The new update has celestial troops!" Varian''s eyes were glued to the holgram in front as he invited in an excited voice, apparently checking out the new features.


    "No."


    "No."


    "No."


    The three rejected without hesitation.


    "Oh,e on!" Varian groaned. "Isadora?"


    "No."


    "You too?!"


    "If you lose, you have to call me Princess for an entire day."


    "That''s too much! One hour."


    "One day."


    "Six hours."


    "One day."


    "Fuck! Okay!"


    The duo started the new game.


    Shaking her head, Sarah turned to the two. "He didn''t even propose the penalty for her if she lost. Var is really lost in that new game."


    Sia clenched her fist and lightly mmed it against her palm with a vengeful expression. "I know it''s a temporary phase but sometimes, I have a strong urge to smash that and every war gamepany''s office into pieces."


    "Should we n a trip?" Enigma asked, tilting her head. "I mean, we did technically tour Zion duchy. But Sarah, you didn''t go anywhere. Do you have a ce in mind?"


    "If this problem with P sorts out, then I''ll drag him for a vacation." Sarah chuckled.


    "A romantic of flowers." Sia chirped.


    "A of snow." Enigma proposed.


    "A famous for desserts."


    "How about a with liquid flowers?"


    "Ermm, I want to visit the border area and watch the war." Sarah scratched her cheek and said.


    Sia and Enigma looked at each other before standing up and joining Varian in the match.


    "Damn my romantic ideas!" Sia furiously put on the VR set.


    "Aesthetics! Do you have any sense of aesthetics?!" Enigma followed with a frustrated expression.


    "You two can''t appreciate the discipline and effort that goes into a war! Damn your tastes! I''ll show you who''s the real queen!" Sarah also grabbed the headset and joined the game.


    The family¡­was definitely not weird.

 Chapter 1349 Respite

    Chapter 1349 Respite


    Two weeks passed without any rming issues. After the recent chaos, Varian finally found a sense of stability in training and rest.


    As an old saying went, in the whole cosmos, homnd was sublime and home divine.


    So he enjoyed the paradise.


    The little chatters in the morning, the snack breaks in the afternoon, the yful fights in the evening and the quiet gazes at night.


    Sia enjoyed watching him gorge down the food she cooked, Sarah enjoyed evening walks with him, Enigma enjoyed snuggling him into his arms in the quiet of the night.


    Isadora interacted with him frequently but spent most of her time training or¡­with Sonya and the maid Reina.


    Reina had a fanatic reverence toward Isadoara and followed her everywhere until she was told not to.


    "Your Highness, this is your favorite dessert~"


    "No."


    "Please open your mouth~"


    "I''m not hungry."


    "It tastes best when it''s still cold~"


    "¡­"


    Reluctant yet expectant, Isadora parted her lips and the dessert came flying in.


    "Hmm~"


    A pleasant sensation exploded in her mouth, bringing her both nostalgia and joy.


    "How is it?"


    "Pack it."


    "Huh?"


    "Pack a bunch of these. When I bragged about my favorite dessert, I was ridiculed. They didn''t believe me."


    "How dare they?!" Reina trembled in anger and she viciously cut the dessert with her knife, her hands turned into afterimages. "We''ll show them, Your Highness. We''ll show them!"


    "It includes that bastard too. He doesn''t believe me at all." Isadora gnashed her teeth.


    Reina''s hand froze before her fingers started shivering. "Y-Yes?"


    Varian''s eyes shed in her mind and an overwhelming fear enveloped her being.


    "On second thought, this isn''t my best. I''ll try it again!" Reina said with a strong expression and pulled back the dessert that Isadora was about to grab.


    "¡­"


    Isadora bit her lip in frustration and pped in the back.


    "Ouch!"


    Sonya who was trying to steal her sister''s dessert was caught red handed and backed off with a bitter expression. Shaking her red wrist, she looked on with an aggrieved expression, as if she was treated in an unjust manner.


    "You had your share already."


    "But I want yours!"


    "And why?"


    "My sister''s tastes the best." She gave the habitual answer.


    Isadora turned around and narrowed her eyes.


    Sonya was a tall woman. With long pink hair and light pink skin, she''s hailed as a great beauty across the kingdom.


    But¡­


    "Be careful with what you say," Isadora rubbed her forehead. "These two are already discussing how to ''end'' you."


    "Which two?"


    "My dear ''sisters''." Isadora parted her lips and sighed. "They came up with 31 ns as of now. The least painful one involves a hundred sword cuts."


    "They''re crazy!"


    "Never said they weren''t. So be careful with what you say."


    Sonya pursed her lips and nodded with a depressed expression.


    What could she, a pure, cute and helpless princess do in front of these tyrranical women?


    And why would they ever assume she''s mentally deranged enough to love that tyrant of a man?


    *** *** *** ***


    "Should I send you to your kid''s kindergarten? You look like you belong there!"


    Boom!


    With a muffled sound, a sword spun in the air and lodged into the ground.


    "No, I''ll send you to infant care! You infantile bastard! Why is your grip weaker than a child''s? Pick it up! Go fucking pick it back up!"


    With bleeding hands, the newly promoted rank 4 Adept picked the sword with a determined expression.


    It was as if he would die than surrender.


    But¡ª


    "What is that? Swing it properly! That''s a sword, not a gauntlet! Put more force! Use your full body! Full damn body!"


    Boom!


    Coughing out blood, the man crashed into an invisible barrier before sliding down. There wasn''t a sliver of aura left in his body.


    "Not bad, he''s now able to use 5% of a rank 4''s power." Varian nodded in satisfaction and left for the next.


    On the Plutooid, there were many such spherical barriers and many pained groans.


    But the man responsible for the misery couldn''t stop smiling. Their cries must''ve sounded like music to his ears.


    "Had training others ever been so satisfying?" Varian muttered as he raised his foot.


    With the first step, he moved out of theoid and reached Uranus. With the next step, he reached Earth.


    The training of the celestial warriors continued without stop.


    ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª


    "Just a bit more."


    "Almost, almost there!"


    "Yes! Yes!"


    Varian''s and Sarah''s intense voices rang in a practice room. Their breathings ragged and their tones weak.


    With a dumbfounded expression, Isadora walked to the door and stopped ''These shameless couple! Sarah even invited me here! What is she thinking?''


    To Isadora, Sarah had long stopped being a ''bug'' she could dismiss. Now, this woman was an annoyance she couldn''t rid of.


    And she''s unlike Sia or Enigma. They at least pretended to listen to her words sometimes. But she? She seemed to take pleasure in actively opposing her.


    "Ah, it broke!" Sarah''s exmation rang.


    ''W-What? It broke? What broke?'' Sia''s panicked voice rang in Isadora''s head and for a moment, her body was controlled.


    Before she knew it, Isadora pushed the door open and stepped in.


    Unlike her active imagination, Varian and Sarah were fully clothed, seated cross-legged in the air, facing each other. And a click was heard from Sarah right when she saw them.


    And then, as if flood gates were open, Sarah''s aura began to skyrocket.


    Varian and Isadora were sted back like trees blown away by a tornado. As they pulled themselves back up, Isadora grabbed Varian''s cor. "You broke the legacy?"


    Varian pinched her cheeks and pulled them apart to make a funny face.


    "Lees goww?"


    "Let go of the cor and I''ll let go of your face."


    "¡­"


    Isadora removed her hand from his cor and turned to the side.


    "S-Sorry, too e-excited." She whispered quieter than an ant''s walk but Varian managed to hear it.


    "Well, I''m just worried you''ll revert back to your stupidly arrogant princess persona." Varian said with a sincere expression.


    Isadora rolled her eyes and asked again. "Did you crack the legacy?"


    "A tiny, tiny crack. Enough to leak an estimated 0.5% energy." Varian grinned.


    Sarah''s aura continued to climb. She had already hit high rank 7 and was racing towards peak of the rank.


    Even though she was currently enveloped in a bright golden light, Isadora could see her sky blue eyes staring at her with a teasing smile.


    ''Get ready to bow your head. You aren''t going to be the top dog anymore.''


    Isadora felt a strong sense of crisis.


    She could partially ept losing to Varian but losing to his wife? No fricking way!


    "I-I have almost healed my injuries caused by your two crazy lovers!" Isadora looked at him with a vengeful expression and said. "You hear me? I am almost recovered. Now my rank is going to skyrocket. Rank 8? Huh! I will be rank 9 sooner orter!"


    In the golden light cocoon, a dismissive snort was heard.


    "I will rub the ground with you!" Isadora was talking to Sarah but her eyes were on Varian.


    "Err, sure?" Varian rubbed the back of his head.


    The seal was going to invalid sooner orter. But he had some basic trust in Isadora.


    That even if she might beat him up, she wouldn''t kill him.


    Nonsense.


    He just thought this woman was too vengeful to kill him simply if she''s stronger.


    Eitherway, he''s going to be okay.


    Probably.

 Chapter 1350 Peak Of Rank 6

    Chapter 1350 Peak Of Rank 6


    It was another fine day.


    Varian finished his training and reached an important milestone.


    [Adept Rank 6: 4999/5000


    Assimtor Rank 6: 4999/5000


    Binder Rank 6: 4999/5000 (+499)


    Energy Rank 6: 4999/5000 (+999)


    Matter Rank 6: 4999/5000 (+999)


    Space Rank 6: 4999/5000 (+999)


    Time Rank 6: 4999/5000 (+999)


    < Congrattions. Now is the time for you to decide your path. Even though all paths lead to same Avenues, the journey is important.


    Adept¡ª> Paragon Body / Reaper


    < Paragon Body > is the pinnacle of a perfect living body. Resurrection even from a single cell. Strong enough to shatter entire star systems. Strong resistance against any and every path.


    < Reaper > is also the pinnacle but of a death body. It has strong death properties, which makes it inherently dangerous to any living being. Just being in the presence of < Reaper > would cause a great deal of damage to the living.


    Assimtor ¡ª> Devouring Beast / Death Giant


    < Devouring Beast > is also a path towards perfect life body. However, the path taken is different. It can be shorter, more dangerous or longer, safer. It all depends on how it''s walked.


    < Death Giant > is what happens when an Assimtor devours its own life essence. It feeds on other to feed itself the essence of death.


    Binder ¡ª> Ignis / Anima


    < Ignis > turns the fire of soul into life fire, controlling life force and soul force.


    < Anima > turns the fire of soul into death fire, controlling death force and soul force.


    PS: Pick carefully ]


    Varian let out a deep sigh and decided to take a break. The choices were already made. Now, he just had to breakthrough.


    It''s not easy as it sounded though. Rank 6 to Rank 7 was a jump. Not just for practical ssifications but also in divine paths themselves.


    Apparenty, the divine rankers and top powerhouses see the entire journey in nine steps.


    Three mortal grades, three celestial grades and three divine grades.


    It made a lot more sense now.


    "Master, an abnormal presence is detected at the border."


    "Huh?"


    Varian took a step into the air and disappeared. The next moment, he appeared on the outskirts of the sr system.


    A fluctuation.


    Then something began to crack. It resembled the sound of iron being pressed against iron.


    A creepy, monstrous and scary voice began to leak out of the tiny nail-sized space crack.


    ''Wh-What the fuck is that?''


    Varian didn''t need to look to know that his hair on the back of the neck were standing on their ends.


    "Come!"


    "Surrender!"


    "It''s your destinty!"


    The voice called out, its tone growing lower and lower with each cry.


    Varian''s expression hardened and he stretched out his hand. Requiem materialized in his palm and it began to throb, as if it''s hungry to devour the enemy.


    "Come, Surre¡ª"


    "Shut up, bitch!"


    Varian''s sword turned into a hammer and he mmed it forward.


    The spacepressed before exploding. The small crack was forcibly opened up, revealing the corpse of a squid-like creature with more than a hundred eyes.


    Before Varian could inspect it, his pupils moved to the right but they slowed dramatically as they did.


    A shining blue dagger reached his abdomen, moving at a normal speed but somehow too fast for him to evade.


    ''No, it''s my timeflow that''s changed.''


    Varian caught the silhouttee of the figure attacking him.


    A humanoid creature that had waspletely ck. It didn''t have a face to speak of. It''s like someone pulled out a shadow and gave it life.


    The dagger, no matter how normal it looked, contained an incredible power of time infused into it.


    Thanks to his time powers, Varian knew what would happen if he''s hit even once by that weapon.


    ''Instant Coma and I wouldn''t wake up for¡­30 full seconds!''


    In battles at this rank, that much time was enough to die a hundred times!


    He didn''t have a lot of experience fighting against time rankers. But they were sure as hell deadly if you couldn''t guard against them.


    ''The only way to get out of this¡ª''


    Varian''s eyes shed purple and a thinyer formed on the dagger. It''s a very unstable material, known to copse in milliseconds. But it''s incredibly well known for its time-properties.


    A ting sounded.


    The dagger lodged into his abdomen.


    Varian felt a pulse of time power flooding his system and things went nk.


    The assasin looked at Varian who ''froze'' and heaved a sigh of relief. This was a task given by Zahar Onyx herself.


    Even though he''s just a peak rank 7, he was able to have a direct talk with someone as great as her.


    ''If you do this well, you might have an audience from the Princess.''


    If he could meet the Princess, even if he got no reward, he could consider his lifeplete.


    And honestly, he would get a reward. And it''d probably be something that could quickly propel him to rank 8 and even support him all the way till peak rank 8.


    Despite being overtly cruel towards her enemies, the princess was very generous to the ones that won merit.


    That''s why he went out of his way and decided to sacrifice a very important asset of his.


    Nightmare Beast.


    It was something he won more than two centuries ago. A beast that specialized in space but also had racial talent in spiritual powers, it was something that was very useful as an aide in his missions.


    ''If you can seed in this mission and get what you want, then I''ll be happy to give up my life. Thank you.''


    The Nightmare Beast was more than happy to do this. The creature was perhaps one of the most loyal species ever. So, it didn''t even hesitate.


    As he looked at the unconscious man he had to kidnap and take back as well as the corpse of the creature that apanied him for so long, something inside him seemed to break.


    All the excitement of the mission, rewards and glory slowly vanished.


    "What did I¡ª"


    Boom!


    "Arghh!"


    And someone punched him in the face.

 Chapter 1351 Finishing Off In Style

    Chapter 1351 Finishing Off In Style


    The assassin squirmed, its shadow-ish body reforming at a visible rate.


    The head which was blown away by Varian''s punch turned into an amputed leg and the leg turned into the head that should''ve ended.


    "Interesting."


    Varian grinned.


    A powerful wave of osciting light waves jumped onto him, distorting the flow of time as they approached him at a speed that went beyond allmon sense.


    The assasin felt his soul shudder in fear as he watched the target face that attack with perfectposure.


    < Time Waves > wasn''t known for its gentleness. If it hit even partially, different parts of his body would be trapped in different time zones.


    To attempt anything in that state¡ªeven exist¡ªcould very well end his life. If nothing else, the aura bacsh itself would explode a quarter of his body.


    "These are like waves of a sea; huge, angry and hell bent on drowning me. But¡ª"


    A ring appeared on the target''s finger and his aura skyrocketed.


    "The waves on earth never touched the moon." Varian loosened his clenched fist and something somewhere seemed to change.


    The waves kept moving¡­and moving. But they never seemed to reach him.


    The assassin''s mind nked for a moment before he realized the horror of what just happened.


    The space between Varian and the waves doub¡ªno, it increased by more than ten times and it seemed to keep increasing!


    "Madness!" The assassin, who was deemed the finest for this mission, blurted out in utter shock. "You''re crazy!"


    "Hahahaha!"


    An arrogantughter left Varian. It resounded in the space and rang in every direction around hi¡ªwait!


    The assasin channeled his aura to leave but all six directions around him began to waver, as if what stood in front of him wasn''t the pitch ck space but mirages built of liquid.


    The space ''doors'' of the space ''prison'' inched closer, intending to lock him down for good.


    The assassin''s body which looked more or less like a shadow began to quiver. If the shadow itself was a painting, it was as if a child grabbed a brush and began to mess with the borders of the picture.


    Varian watched on with an amused expression. At some point, he had alreadye out of the attack.


    ''Yes. Watch me, you arrogant bastard!'' The assassin''s body blurred but he didn''t have any panic inside.


    His original mission was to capture Varian. In unavoidable circumstances, he was given a go to kill, provided he''d bring back the target''s body.


    But the mission was given by the Princess herself. It''s only natural for some extra measures to be taken in cases of emergency.


    ''Don''t use it unless you must.''


    Zahara Onyx''s rang in his ears, even though the conversation ured hours ago, right before he departed.


    She left him a in prism.


    ''This contains a tenth of my power. Except for high and peak rank 9s, no one can take a blow.


    I''m not supposed to give something as precious against a target like him. But. Rank 4 or not, he''s a target that must not be missed.


    If you end up using it, then you are only sub-par, disappointing my expectations.


    But if you don''t use it and fail, then I''ll personally ughter half of your race, drag you from the depths of hell and torture your soul.''


    Her words were uttered in a low voice without any particr emotions. But there wasn''t a shred of doubt in her conviction.


    ''If I use it, I''ll seed miserably. But if I don''t¡­''


    The six space doors reached and touched the assassin''s body. Instead of being confined, his body blurred and he passed right through a door.


    A small wave of light went off him and he disappeared.


    By shing forward in time, he moved from the fighting location to a distant ce.It happened instantly. So, Varian had no time to react.


    And he''d have no time to respond to what''s going to happen now.


    The assassin took out the in prism.


    ''Arrogant bastard! Even though you were strong, you are d¡ª''


    His mind froze as an invisible force struck his soul, nearly tearing it apart. A searing pain drowned his entire being.


    It was as if he was being burnt on a stake but there was no pain anywhere on his body. Yet, it hurt everywhere.


    Not giving him any chance, waves after waves of spiritual waves attacked his soul. The assassin''s soul began to disintegrate.


    With thest of his will, he urged his aura to try activate the prism. Just a single thought, a proper thought would be enough.


    But even one coherent thought became too much of a luxury.


    An index finger touched his forehead.


    ''H-Huh?''


    The spiritual attack which was deadly even though it was significantly affected by space between the attacker and the attacked now didn''t have to worry about the loss due to distance.


    With the biggest obstacle gone, the full-fledged power of the spirit power, a me invisible to the naked eye left from Varian''s finger tip and enveloped the assassin.


    As a very special me, it didn''t re anymore than necessary. It burned the soul of its prey concisely and with great efficiency.


    A secondter, the assassin copsed in front of Varian. His soul was still kept ''alive'' ¡ª a very small part of it.


    Varian carefully used a few more powers on the bastard and sealed away his powers.


    The reason he didn''t act carelessly was of course in anticipation of table-flipping ''treasures'' this guy might''ve brought.


    He was right in guarding against it.


    The assassin thought Varian was arrogant enough to leave an unknown assassin perform whatever he wanted. In reality, that''s an illusion he created to lure out the enemy''s trump card.


    Glittering white and ck powers intertwined and enveloped the prism.


    It''d take a while but it''d be emptied out.


    Varian didn''t want to leave that ticking time bomb. Not like he had anywhere that could survive the aftermath if he did.

 Chapter 1352 The Good And The Bad

    Chapter 1352 The Good And The Bad


    "Let me go! I''ll need to torture that bastard!"


    "He''s just a vegetable now."


    "I''ll pull out his soul, rip it to shreds, piece it back together and do it again!" "There''s just a few¡­threads of his soul remaining. He won''t survive."


    Sia ced her hands on his shoulders and patted him like a general satisfied with the soldier''s performance. "Now that''s my man!"


    Enigma, in her phantom side, nodded furiously, agreeing with every word her sister said.


    Sarah, on the other hand, was looking through a bunch of holograms, brows knitted and fists clenched, blood leaking out of her palms.


    "Sarah?"


    Isadora''s phantom raised an eyebrow.


    "From Jai''s main gxy. That race is special for things like these. They aren''t the most talented bunch out there but they''re the mostprehensive when ites to rank 7. He''s the limit of a rank 7 assassin they could hire."


    "Okay?"


    "Basically, their racial development stops at rank 7. Barely anyone reaches rank 8. There''s no one at rank 9." Sarah''s voice got lower and lower but a chill spread in the room as she continued.


    "No way!" Isadora''s eyes widened as she stared at the Queen of Radians with wide mouth. "You crazy bitch!"


    "It''s very much possible to massacre them, given proper ns. But there are risks involved afterwards." Not caring about the Princess'' increasingly bewildered face, she continued.


    "I was stupid for calling you rational of you three! You are only calm, but just as crazy!"


    Isadora cried out, her voice nearly indignant. She''s like that guy who really believed in apany, poured all money into its shares and then found out the next day that it was all a fricking scam.


    "¡­But you know," Sarah took a deep breath, her chest heaving up and down. "I want to go there for revenge and kill every single on of those creatures to make an example. But if I fail and chances are I likely will fail, Var will be too sad."


    "That''s what I thought," Sia slumped into the couch and pulled her knees together, burying her head in them. "I want to go after the ones that ordered this assassin, but I''m too weak. To give a talisman like that, at least a rank 9, right?"


    Enigma who was silent so far slowly parted her lips. Her voice was a bit stiff, a bit cold but very pleasant to hear. "More than revenge, I just want Varian to be safe."


    Her few short words caused Sarah and Sia to pause before they looked at each other with wide eyes.


    ""Yes!""


    They jumped at Varian who was sitting on afortable chair with a thoughtful expression.


    Even though the room was full of chatter, there wasn''t a word for him. He was lost in thought. If there were signs of panic, he didn''t show them.


    ''To remain so calm andposed even now¡­'' Isadora, sitting a bit away from them, smiled without realizing it. ''He looks a lot more reliable now that he''s not opening his mouth.''


    Not caring about a certain someone who seemed to be only enjoying the show, Sarah and Sia grabbed one of Varian''s arm each.


    ""Let''s go somewhere far!""


    Varian raised his head in a slow motion and gently pulled. Even though the action was gentle, there was an irrestitible strength in that pull.


    The two women copsed into his arms and before they could argue, he wrapped his arms around their waist.


    "Listen, it''ll be alright." Varian''s breath tickled Sarah''s and Sia''s ears, jolting them out of their mental state.


    "Say with me," His hot breath, coupled with his gentle voice and cajoling tone was irrestitible. "It''ll be alright."


    "¡­W-Will it really be alright?"


    "Promise?"


    Listening to their cute responses, Varian let out a chuckle. "I''ve extracted some memories out of that man."


    It shouldn''t be normally possible but Assimtor and Binder gave some wonderful effects together.


    "There''s good news and bad news. Which one first?"


    "Of course the good!"


    "The bad!"


    Sarah and Sia red at each other.


    "¡­"


    Varian cleverly turned his gaze to Enigma.


    "I would''ve normally asked for the bad. But it''s about you¡­I want to hear the good please." Lowering her head, she said in a weak voice, unlike her usual strong and indifferent one.


    Varian sighed and raised his hand. The chair expanded and Enigma found herself in the centre.


    Even though she''s still in her phantom form, thanks to his soul powers, she could feel his gentle touch on her head.


    "If you act like this, I want to eat you up."


    "Ahem, ahem. If you''re just going to flirt, I''ll take my leave."


    Coughing loud enough to give even the worst patient a run for money, Isadora stated with a deliberately put disgusted expression.


    "Why are you here anyway?"


    "Get out of here! You secretly wish for him to die, don''t you? You ungrateful bitch!"


    Sia and Sarah both retaliated, but Sarah was far more harsh in her words.


    Isadora didn''t care and looked at him.


    Varian shrugged. "I was calming them down. Well, not like you can understand anyway. You tactless, clueless old maiden."


    "Why did that assassin have to fail?" Isadora gritted her teeth.


    "The good news. He isn''t technically dead. On their records, he''s still on a mission. No one will being for me immediately." Varian said.


    The girls heaved a sigh of relief.


    "But." Varian gave a deliberate pause. "Ouch!"


    Sarah bit his neck once more and gave him a re. "Don''t tease in this situation!"


    "My bad, my bad. The bad news is the one who wants me. The approver of this mission is Zahara Onyx. A peak rank 9."


    Sarah''s face paled and Sia''s body shook violently. Enigma, on the other hand,pletely cooled down.


    Isadora simply nodded, as if she expected this to be the case. "But the real problem is not even her." Varian''s voice was a mix of confusion and wonder. "The one who wanted me is Esh Starlight, the 4th Princess of Jai Empire, the head of Warring faction, the supreme leader of Shadow Wing. A divine ranker."

 Chapter 1353 A Difficult Choice

    Chapter 1353 A Difficult Choice


    A depressing silence filled the air. Not a single word was spoken for the next five minutes. Even the sound of breathing ceased. There were nk stares, clenched fists and bloodied finger nails.


    The despair was heavy.


    But then came the other emotions.


    Courage.


    "No matter how long it takes, we''ll keep fighting."


    Anger.


    "Until one day, the power that gave her this arrogance can no longer protect her."


    Pride.


    "Others can''t even think of it. But I know for sure. It''s not too long before she will be crushed."


    Sarah, Sia and Enigma expressed their emotions strongly. There was no ''you and I'' factor in their words. There was only we.


    Isadora was let down¡ªagain.


    If all you need to do to be safe from the wrath of a divine ranker was to abandon your spouse, few would hesitate.


    She thought there would some hesitation in their faces. Some me on Varian. And some very usual shift of responsibility so that they could safeguard themselves.


    ''Judging them with my values is failing again and again. If neither Reina nor Sonya betrayed me¡­then maybe¡­just maybe, it''s a bit too much to conclude every rtionship would break down.''


    Isadora thought back to the reverence in the eyes of the maid.


    Reina hadn''t slept a second since waking up and fully devoted herself to serving her.


    Sonya was still trying to figure out on how to face her, sometimes trying to act mature andposed but other times, behaving like an immature younger sibling.


    But their presence caused a shift in Isadora. Cracks appeared in her frozen heart. And even though she didn''t wish to fully open her heart to anyone, she wasn''t averse to maintaining good rtionships.


    Her reasoning was that even if only a little of that happiness managed to find its way through the cracks in the walls built around her heart, that''s more than wee.


    In her own way, the Princess was trying to deal with her past.


    The presence of Sarah, Varian and this ce that somewhat began to feel like home was really helping.


    So, she earnestly wished for the status quo to remain, if only for a bit longer.


    "You don''t have to make it that serious," Rubbing between her eyebrows, the Princess said.


    Her words caught their attention.


    "Unless the gains outweigh the losses, Esh wouldn''t make a move by herself. Nor would she send a divine ranker.


    Even though a new divine ranker means zilch to her, they''re still an important asset to the Empire and her own faction.


    Think about it, P kingdom has an excellentwork to detect any presence of foreign rank 9s. They can''t infiltrate.


    The reason her clone managed to sneak in was thanks to an insider''s help. Even then, we were able to know right away and blocked her before anything could happen.


    If rank 9s are subject to such heavy restrictions, the checks and bnces imposed on divine rankers can only be imagined."


    Her words caused the women to let out a deep sigh of relief. Sia leaned back on the chair while Sarah''s tense shoulders drooped. Enigma, on the other hand, kissed Varian with a relieved smile.


    The man in the room, the focus of the situation, just shrugged. "Don''t ommit key words. You aren''t selling insurance here."


    Isadora snorted. "I was just trying to break it slowly, okay? Didn''t you see how anxious they were? Oh, how would you know? You''re the muscle head who thinks heart is just a bunch of muscle."


    Varian pursed his lips. This woman was definitely trying to pay back for his taunt earlier. "What a petty woman."


    "I know I am pretty, but praising me in front of your wives, isn''t that a bit too much?"Isadora covered her mouth and let out an aristocratic chuckle.


    "I said petty!"


    "You don''t have to say it twice. Or are you implying I''m twice as pretty as them?" Isadora crossed her arms, a charming smile adorning her lips.


    Their banter rxed the tension further and a sense of calm returned.


    Isadora also noticed this and continued. "The worst Varian will have to face, technically, should be a rank 8 hunters in the P. But since it happened once, a rank 9 infiltrating again isn''t out of question. Traitors are the most ungrateful vermin, aren''t they?"


    There was sound of teeth gnashing at the end of her words.


    In a sense, the initiator of Isadora''s tragedy was the traitor. And everyone who betrayed her were, indeed, traitors.


    "Rank 9s are a big threat today. But a yearter, I don''t think so." Sia said. "In that sense, isn''t he practically safe?"


    "As long as he remains a low-value target. Once Esh really wants him, well, then we can send our goodbyes." Isadora shrugged.


    "How does he remain a low-value target?" Sarah asked, trying hard not to sound desperate.


    "He doesn''t have to show any specialty by himself, at least for a while. Divine rankers percieve time differently from us. As long as he doesn''t show any abnormalities, she wouldn''t care if a year or two passes."


    Sia covered her face at those words and Sarah exhaled deeply. Enigma red at Varian.


    "¡­It''s not in my hands, I swear!" Varian stated his innocence but not even he could believe those words.


    Who the hell was he trying to fool here?


    Someone somewhere somehow would screw up. And he''d end up in the middle of a storm. It''s guarenteed.


    Leaning back and crossing her legs, Isadora gave him a gloating look.


    "Okay, you know a way out, right? What''s the solution, Isadora?" Varian asked.


    "Princess." She fanned beside her face and said with a smirk.


    Varian''s expression crumbled for a moment but he quickly recovered. "Oh dear beautiful princess, what is the solution?"


    "Emotion." Isadora tapped her lower lip with her index finger, appearing noble even in that little action. "Put in more emotion. I need to hear your sincerity."


    Varian''s lips twitched and he wanted to walk away.


    But Sia and Sarah grabbed his arms while Enigma gave him a puppy look.


    ''Betrayal! This is betrayal! That woman and the three of you! No one will be spared!''


    Varian noted down the historic backstabbing and took Isadora''s hand.


    "Princess," He said with the most sincere smile he could muster.


    "Oh my god, so corney!" Isadora cried.


    "Will you please let this¡ª"


    "Stop! Stop!" She stood up and waved her hand. "I''ll try to get you into the P kingdom and let them protect you.


    The assasins won''t be able to touch you for a while. You''ll still be targetted only by rank 8s but they''ll try to scheme a way to lure you out.


    Just take a year or two, make them believe they''re making progress in their scheme. Things will be fine."


    It''s an excellent n.


    As long as the enemy thinks he''s winning, he wouldn''t make any drastic changes which demanded a higher cost.


    "But there''s still one problem." Varian sighed.


    "Yeah. Sr system and all of humanity. They''ll threaten you with it if they''re smart, which I bet they are.


    You can take them into Hortus at rank 7 but if you really take in so many people, you''ll be severely inhibited in your fights."


    Varian sighed, rubbing between his brows.


    Isadora shook her head. "I know you hate it, but maybe you''ll have to pick between their lives or everyone else'' lives.


    Who will be protected? Who will be sacrificed?"

 Chapter 1354 A Hope

    Chapter 1354 A Hope


    Varian knew what his choice would be if push came to shove. But he wanted to avoid sacrifice as much as possible.


    The warm winds blowing over the ocean soothed his anxiety a bit. The water waves pressed thrashed against his soles and the sounds of the great water body was somehow pleasant.


    Oob and Boo followed him. Oob was sensible enough to read the mood and maintained silence.


    But Boo¡­Boo began to chatter.


    "Boo wants some special guns for the ship. Boo wants to hunt down space pirates! Master, master! How about we start our own pirate gang? The name would be Ghost pirates!"


    Varian didn''t respond.


    He stared nkly at the ocean ahead and wondered what else could he do at this point.


    Sooner orter, the second assassin woulde.


    If he didn''t move to P and remain under ''protection'', he''d stand out more. But if he did it without securing sr system, humanity would likely go extinct.


    "-id ghost! Can''t you read the mood? Master is just trying to rx!"


    "Stupid? Boo is not stupid! Boo can win prize money even from suspicious messages!"


    "That''s because you hack the scammers'' back ounts!"


    "Winning is winning! You are the stupid one! Boo did so many thing with master well and you had only one task. You couldn''t do even that one task properly!"


    "What are you saying, you cheeky ghost?! I fused the suns perfectly!"


    "Boo''s database says 0.001% mass was lost! You failed! Stupid wings! Chicken fried wings are better than you!"


    "Arghh! That mass is just energy used up for adjustment purposes!"


    Perhaps because ''Boo'' had a ''soul'' now, its words got better. So did its insults.


    Varian who was trying to figure out a solution to his current predicament froze for a moment before grabbing Boo abruptly. "Say that again!"


    "M-Master?"


    "Say that again!" Varian said with a serious expression.


    "C-Chicken fried wings are better than¡­Boo is sorry," Boo lowered its head, its childish sweet voice going quieter. "That was rude of Boo."


    "Sun fusion?" Oob chirped.


    "Yes!" Varian punched his palm. "I''ll just fucking fuse alls, cut out unnecessarynd masses and create a stronger internal space. A bit of a burden but won''t affect my strength much."


    "Th-That¡ª" Oob stuttered, its wings halted in mid-air.


    "I saw it in that guy''s memories but every kingdom apparently has ces like that. Lands that stretch for tens of millions of miles, spaces so strong that even rank 7s have trouble cracking them. A high-quality ce. A Prime World."


    "But it''s a secret reserved by only a few, is it not? If other kingdoms want them, they can only request those few." Oob circled around him.


    Varian nodded. "P happens to be one of the few who knows the secret."


    "Then I wish you good luck on your journey, master!"


    *** *** *** ***


    "Are you serious?" Isadora crossed her arms as they walked down a beautiful garden.


    "It''s not as hard as you''re making it out to be, is it? I just have to infiltrate, get that piece and get out."


    "If things go well," Isadora said and looked at him with a cynical gaze. "If things go well."


    "They will¡­probably." Varian said with an awkwardugh and turned the topic. "So what do you need anyway?"


    "Your seed." Isadora said with a serious expression.


    "Huh? Woah, woah!" Varian took a few steps back instinctively.


    "No, not that, you pervert!" The Princess blushed furiously and red. "That tower seed you showed me a few days ago."


    "Oh," Varian tossed her the < Broken Seed > from the tower.


    "Maybe don''t be so vague next time."


    "Maybe don''t be so dirty minded next time."


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    The description of the item was short but memorable.


    [ < Broken Seed > is still an excellent gatherer of aura. Will improve aura concentration of the region when nted. ]


    "Yeah. I just had to confirm. This thing has divinity. Bits and pieces. Very, very iplete, but it gets the job done." Isadora nodded to herself and started pouring wisps of aura into the seed.


    "Divinity?"


    "The previous World Tree of that tower died when it''s used to control the Spirals of Harmony. This seed, let''s just say it was a failed attempt of that divine tree in rebirth. A very sessful failure, but a failure nheless."


    Varian didn''t understand the intricacies of what she was referring to. But he didn''t care.


    "So it works?"


    "It does." Isadora nodded and looked him in the eye. "But are you really trusting me now? I did say I''ll give you a safe ce in P. But the seal will be useless by then. I could just backstab you anytime and take the slivers for myself."


    Varian didn''t even react to those words and waved his hand. "Alright, I''ll meet up with Sonya. I have to ask her about that ce."


    "Hey, I''m an alumni too¡­though I didn''t really stay there much! But wait, what about my words earlier? Are you really trusting me? I can betray, no, I will betray you for sure!" Isadora''s words rang in the garden.


    It was a weird situation from just a while ago.


    Looking at his disappearing back, Isadora stomped her feet and left to her training quarters with a frustrated expression. "That annoying man!"


    A few hourster, a pir of concentrated aura hit the skies and darkness enveloped the world.


    Sarah stopped her training and looked up with a smile.


    ''I wouldn''t like it in normal times. But now, any strength is wee.''


    Isadora had to take a big toll on herself to forcibly stop Sia and Enigma during her fight with Varian. It caused a setback and slowed down her recovery.


    But now that the injury waspletely healed, she''d reach her former peak much faster.


    And if her words were anything to go by, she was not sitting by in the past 500 years despite her so-called sleep.


    Isadora wasn''t just aiming for rank 9. That''s a peak she long surpassed.


    Now, she''s aiming for divinity.

 Chapter 1355 Prime World

    Chapter 1355 Prime World


    A huge cave, its mouth stretching open thousands of miles stood majestically in the mountain ranges that made the cave seem less abnormal.


    The mountains were as big as normal stars, trees rivalled the lengths of moons andspace was so strong that a non-celestial wouldn''t even be able to take a single step in it.


    This was the world that greeted Varian when he visited his first ''Prime World''.


    "They are built tost." Isadora said as she silentlynded beside him.


    This was one of the Prime Worlds in the P kingdom.


    Specifically, it''s one in the north-west sector and operated by a rank 9 nobleman with great influence.


    The powerhouse liked adventures above everything else and dedicated the Prime World to building one of the finest ''adventure''nds of the Empire.


    Everything was so enormous, of proportions that made the normals tiny inparison.


    Varian was at a loss for words as a warm breeze swept past them.


    That was ''warm'' even for him. Warm for a peak rank 6 Adept. That breeze would kill even rank 3s!


    "Try stomping." Isadora suddenly said.


    "Huh?"


    "Stomp. Punch the trees. Break the space. Things you usually want to do but hold back because the world is too fragile." She said with a smile.


    "Well¡­" Varian hesitated but only for a moment.


    Ever since he reached rank 3, he had been very, very delicate in handling his strength when he''s back hom. He feared one forceful stomp and a would be done. Despite getting better at it, it was a bit suffociating.


    "Arghh, damn it!" Varian raised his foot and stomped down hard.


    Thend shook and a powerful tremor swept the surroundings. Cracks spread under his foot and expanded rapidly for hundreds of miles.


    "Woah!" Varian opened his mouth in shock and pointed it to Isadora with a big smile. "Did you see?"


    "I did." Isadora replied with a chuckle, trying to imprint this moment into her memory.


    Varian who was usually very calm and collected behaved like a child who got a new toy. It was a side she was witnessing for the first time. And she found it cute.


    ''Now I finally have some ckmail material, hoho~''


    Unaware that the Princess was nning something unholy, Varian ran around kicking the ground, punching the trees and mming into the mountains.


    The ground cracked, the trees nearly split into half and the mountains half-exploded.


    But the world didn''t end.


    The space cracked at his violent power but it didn''t copse to the point it created an apocalyptic situation.


    It was so, so much better.


    Varian wasn''t using his full strength. Not even half. But from the demonstrations, even if he did, the destruction wouldn''t cross a million miles. It''s a very, very limited damage range.


    As he ran up a tree carefree without having to worry about a 0.001% of extra strength identally demolishing it, Isadora appeared on a branch and patted the ce next to her.


    When Varian sat down withoutin, she nodded in satisfaction and pointed to the areas which he previously wrecked. "Prime World isn''t that simple."


    The ground was quickly turning back to normal. The trees were attaching themselves back. The stones of the mountains, the ones that didn''t turn into dust, climbed back.


    And of course, the space cracks closed up far more quickly.


    In just a few minutes, the damage waspletely undone. The world was almost exactly as it previously was.


    Varian watched this in fasciation. "This is great!"


    "It is. From the perspective of the Empire or even the kingdom, Prime World is a very recent technology. It''s held in the hands of a few. Do you know why?" She asked in a pensive tone.


    Varian turned around and looked into her eyes for a moment before shrugging. "If I have to guess, it reveals information about the makers'' divine path understanding.


    The world is a fusion, right?


    So many matter-energy and space-time powerhouses must''vee together to piece together a method and a structure to build something like this.


    If the method is leaked, it''s like giving away some of the deepestprehension notes of our brilliant awakeners to the enemy."


    "Yes." Isadora ced her hands on the branch and leaned back.


    "And unlikes existing within a star system and a star system within the open space, Prime Worlds are a seperated space in and of themselves. If their spatial details areid bare, it''s possible for the Jai to directly teleport in."


    Varian paused for a moment as he chewed on her words. "Teleporting from another gxy to here, in the middle of a kingdom, that''s¡­"


    "Very much possible. You should realize it too, right? As your rank grows, distances mean less and less. Instead of the vast light years, they see an open road they can jump in anytime. A single weak ce is enough for them to exploit and enter."


    It''s like standing under an umbre. One small hole was more than enough for leakage.


    "So that''s why be careful. The Academy has powerhouses to prevent any mischief. People have attempted simr things in the past. For things more precious than what you want to steal and things less precious. But they all failed. And their endings weren''t pretty to look at." Isadora sighed.


    "It''s just a week or two." Varian said and looked up.


    The leaves of the tree covered the sky. It felt wrong to even call them leaves when each of them were easily as big as a city.


    "I''ll guard the sr system until then. If things really get bad, I''ll take a few important people and abandon the rest." Isadora said in a calm tone.


    Varian paused for a moment before nodding stiffly.


    If he seeded, he''d be able to permenantly solve humanity''s safety issue.


    If he failed, there''s a risk for his own life.


    ¡­And most likely, the next assassin would destroy humanity to lure him out.


    "I am not nervous, I swear."

 Chapter 1356 Dream

    Chapter 1356 Dream


    < Attention!


    Final Announcement!


    The Competition will be held in two weeks. No registration required.


    The first ten candidates can tour the prestigiousboratory, interact with the leading researchers, get your very own path scan.


    If you''re still living under a rock, then simply put, meeting these people will surely increase your chances of reaching rank 9. And it might increase your chances of bing a divine ranker.


    The eleventh to twentieth candidates will¡­ >


    In another corner of the P Kingdom was a much smaller Prime World. Thendmass was roughly equal to that of a million earths but the cadets felt what normal students would feel when visiting a normal university.


    Telor, stood in front of a huge gate with a frown.


    Blue coat, white inshirt, ck cks. The uniform was as ssic as it could get. But it didn''t look any good on the sickly pale, six-footnky man who seemed like he''d be blown away by the wind any moment.


    "Sir, we appreciate your enthusiasm to get the uniform but no visitors are allowed in these hours. The vacation is about to end in a few minutes."


    The security guards at the rather in gate for the grand academy, stepped forward and said.


    Telor tilted his head and swept his gaze across the six guards standing like statues in front of the gate.


    Even though they tried to suppress it, killing intent was oozing out


    of these men and women.


    Even though they tried to suppress it, killing intent was oozing out of these men and women.


    ''To think they use a fucking rank 7 as a security guard! Are you kidding me?''


    Varian wanted to smack someone in the face. What the hell was he witnessing?


    These guys didn''t even need to move or stand guard in person. They could rest in their quarters and still keep an eye on the gate through their powers. Heck, if their path aligned, they could simply create a clone and forget about it.


    But rank 7s¡­real rank 7s were standing guard.


    "Please visit once again." The guard repeated his words, his voice a bit colder this time.


    "I am a student." Varian pped an ID in front of the guard.


    A hologram popped up, showing a special fire symbol intricately designed by the academy. The huge gate glowed in response and gave a hum.


    "Prince T-Telor Xon Navak from P?"


    "That''s me." Varian nodded lightly and stepped forward.


    This time, the guards let him. But there was a weird expression on their faces. It was as if they were watching a living wonder.


    "What''s the matter?" One of the colleagues asked in confusion.


    "There were rumors¡­that he''s supposed to be dead."


    "Huh?"


    The rumors were true.


    Prince Telor Xon Navak, one of the many princes of P died a few days ago, in his room alone.


    But the world wouldn''t know.


    "And he has a very bad reputation."


    "And why is that? Isn''t his lineage closer to Prince Rudolph''s? They are distant cousins, aren''t they?"


    "Oh fuck off. Even I am distant rtives with Prince Rudolph." The guard pped his colleage on the back of his head and looked at the rest of them.


    "The reason why we have to take up this shitty post despite our rank¡­that''s also the reason why a Prince like him gets mocked."


    The sounds of teeth gnashing were heard for a long time, followed by sighs of regret.


    *** *** *** ***


    "Thispetition is a chance. But it''s hard to say if we can work this out." A young man in a white research coat said with a depressed expression.


    P Academy didn''t just have thebat division, it also had the research division and auxry division.


    Even though none of these were given even half of important asbat, it was quitemendable that they were even recognized.


    In some kingdoms, people would outright scoff at research division. Weapons were essentially useless at their ranks.


    No new invention was going to stand against a rank 9 awakener simply destroying every synthetic item.


    The only thing that could go against a high awakener was another high awakener. And after Hybrids, there had been no real breakthrough in helping awakeners through research.


    So, the contempt was understandable.


    Research was just burning money, time and manpower at this point without any substantial rewards. Heck, most research didn''t even have a vision.


    "You have the power to change the miserable fate of all researchers across the Alliance, Rake." A young man in the blue coat, white inshirt and ck trousers, the same uniform as Telor, sat in front of the research student and said.


    "Prince Samatv¡­"Rake took a deep breath, trying to hold back the intense emotions. "I know it''s useless but thanks for helping me. Without you, I wouldn''t havee this close to fulfilling my dream."


    "Our dream, Rave." The Prince said with a smile but there was a strong authority in his words. "You will get the critical research to alter the natal treasures. And I¡­I and many others that share my ideals will get an equal society."


    "Y-Yes, Yes," The research student nodded furiously.


    He didn''t really share that ideal. Nor did he understand why someone like Prince Samatv, a very talented man who himself was blessed by an excellent natal treasure wanted a society of equals. It made no sense in any rational framework.


    Not every Prian had a natal treasure and that''s how it had always been.


    The lucky few were born with natal treasures. Even among them, some were better than others. And the best of the best would go onto be the pirs of the kingdom.


    Since the founding of the kingdom, no, since the Prin race was created by the All-Mother Asherah of the Empire, it had always been that way.


    But Prince Samatv and the people behind him were trying to go against the work of a divine ranker.


    ''Isn''t that more exciting? If I can rewrite, no, overwrite what a divine ranker did, then wouldn''t the research division gain even more fame? We will no longer be deemed useless.''


    Raveughed.


    It was a great dream.


    A dream he''d kill for.


    And die for.

 Chapter 1357 Telor Xon Navak

    Chapter 1357 Telor Xon Navak


    Telor Xon was a dull student who didn''t have much going on for him. So as he walked down the campus road, enjoying the beautiful scent of exotic flower beds on either sides, no one approached.


    Some pointed their fingers at him. Some whispered while snickering. Some sneered in contempt.


    ''Not a single friend in so many years? This guy is really, really crazy!'' Varian''s lips twitched as he struggled to maintain that indifferent expression.


    P Academy was a higher education institute where only the finest of geniuses of the kingdom were eligible to step in.


    It''s simr to the academy that he once attended. But instead of three years, it hadthree grades.


    Every grade had necessary courses toplete¡ªapplied or theoretical knowledge. And the really important part¡ªmissions.


    Unlike the ones given out by Earth Academy, the P Academy''s missions would take years, if not decades toplete.


    Funnily enough, Telor joined the academy almost three hundred years ago, when he just entered rank 6.


    Three full centuries passed. And he still hadn''t graduated.


    ''Fuck! This guy is still a student for what, five generations? Six? Outrageous!''


    All those that joined alongside him had long left the academy, pursuing their own goals. Even most of the ones that came after him graduated.


    But Telor remained. He''s like that vase in the room that someone kept in a corner and just forgot.


    From the memories, Telor, who was once ''normal'' and ''outgoing'' eventually turned into a dull and silent.


    ''And that''s why I picked him.''


    Forget fellow students, even the faculty didn''t bother speaking to him. They wanted him gone as soon as possible.


    ''So I don''t have to worry about maintaing his rtions to keep up the facade of his identity.''


    Since this mission was important, Varian didn''t want to risk any suspicions. If he picked any popr cadet, others would easily notice the changes and raise questions.


    But for Telor, it wouldn''t matter.


    In fact, Telor changing drastically would be in line with his recent experience.


    Varian''s ears perked and the whispers of the students sounded clear.


    "Why is he still alive?"


    "Didn''t someone see him buying the rainbow mushrooms?"


    "Is he a coward who can''t even die?"


    "Hey! He''s still our senior!"


    "My foot! My first brother, second brother, third sister¡ªall entered after him and graduated already. Is he going to wait until I have kids and send them here? That guy is a loser!"


    Varian''s lips twitched. These juniors were merciless in their taunts. He could understand their mindset though.


    In a society that valued strength, being weak was considered a sin. If you happen to be weak, then you need to step down and behave. You''re not supposed to waste the academy''s resources and be in the spotlight.


    Even the academy wanted Telor to drop out already. So, it acquisced the behavior of the students.


    ''But seriously! To spread rumors about his death¡­''


    When he infiltrated Telor''s temporary residence, he was already on the verge of death.


    Before he took his life, perhaps the introvert in him wanted to scream at the world. So, he scribbled down a few words in those precious seconds.


    [I didn''t wish to be born like this! It''s not my fault!


    I hate you! I hate you all!


    And I hate you, Robert!]


    It was written in blood.


    An outburst from a pale, sickly and kind-looking man who apparently always maintained a decent expression.


    "Dying like that, he wouldn''t rest in peace, would he?" Varian muttered to himself as he reached arge purple meadow.


    This was the lowest area of dormitories.


    It''s also where Telor''s dorm room was located. The Academy had been more than generous to each of its students. Some rooms were obviously better than others.


    But even Telor''s, arguably a low-tier dorm room, still screamedfort and elegance. The term ''room'' was misleading. It''s more or less a luxury cottage.


    When Varian reached Telor''s dormitory, he found the lock to be broken and the luggage to be strewn all around.


    There were various writings on the wall, written in ck and green ink.


    [This is the ursed room!]


    [The loser''s residence!]


    [Neer, beware! A waste lived here once!]


    [His ghost might haunt you!]


    They already decided that he was dead and wrote things to scare off the freshman that''d upy this cottage.


    Varian exhaled deeply and waved his hand.


    A pulse of time swept everything in the cottage and then a burst of energy locked onto the things that were recently messed with.


    If someone saw his usage of powers, they''d cry foul.


    The delicate power of time was used to detect all the changes that took ce after Telor left his dorm.


    Other than the writings, strewn out clothes, academic materials, there were a few certificates, medals and photos broken or torn.


    Varian raised his hand and a broken photo pieced itself together beforending in his palm.


    In his freshman uniform, Telor Xon was smiling brightly. His eyes were full of optimism and passion.


    "What a sad fellow."


    With a snap of his fingers, a letter floated in front of him.


    It was the deration that Telor had signed before the duel with a freshman who recently joined.


    [If I lose, I''ll admit I''m a trash who is wasting the resources of the academy and the kingdom by existing.


    But if he loses, then he must apologize for calling my efforts useless.


    I hereby swear not to intentionally target his life during the duel.


    I hereby swear to honor the code of warrior morality.


    I hereby swear to stop when it''s necessary, be it on the verge of a victory or defeat.


    Telor Xon Navak


    Robert Xayn Kyses.]


    The most popr freshman of recent times.


    A close younger brother of crown prince candidate Prince Rudolph.


    An out and out genius with dual natal treasures and two very good natal treasures at that. It wasn''t just rare, it''s nearly impossible to find anywhere in the P kingdom.


    Robert, who was valued for his genius, noticed Telor who was passing one unfortunate evening.


    After learning about this infamous senior, Robert started verbal bullying.


    It wasn''t new for Telor. He chose to bear it withoutins.


    Weeks passed. Then months.


    Robert, who grew up with having everyone bending backward to please him, felt annoyed to see Telor not break.


    After some deliberation, the genius prince decided to strike where it hurt.


    He began mocking Telor''s efforts, his talent and ultimately, his future.


    "Give up."


    "People are born at different starting points. You have already lost there."


    "Even if you work your hardest, you will not even reach where they begin."


    "You can pour your blood, sweat and tears, but the best you can do is run. And I, I am the one who flies. We are on different trajectories all together."


    "Your hardest effort for an entire year still can''te close to my casual efforts for a week."


    "Give up."


    "You are destined to lose."


    "When you are born, you already lost."


    When experiencing Telor''s memories, Varian felt exactly how Robert''s incisive words dug into the man''s insecurity and then bit by bit, pushed him into the pit of despair.


    At the end of the day, Telor believed those words deep in his heart.


    What was he working so hard for?


    Even if he did his best, he still wouldn''t be able to amount to some people who were barely starting out.


    As he said, their lives were on different dimensions altogether.


    But the persistance that developed in Telor''s long life didn''t back down without a fight.


    Unfortunately, the duel was a disaster.


    Not only did he lose to a man more than 300 years younger, he lost so badly that it wasughable to even call it a fight.


    Telor was crushed.


    If he had been aware of Prince Robert''s natal treasures, things might''ve been different. But it didn''t matter anymore.


    The battle was the final straw that broke him.


    Telor took a sudden leave, went out and after a lot of struggle, took his own life.


    "What a fucking tragedy," After tidying up the dorm with his powers, Varian shook his head.


    Since he too had such dangerous thoughts in that year, he could sympathize with him to a certain extent.


    "Oh, Telor? You''re really Telor!"


    An unfamiliar male voice eximed.


    Varian turned around while maintaing a dull expression and saw a young man in first grade uniform.


    "¡­Prince Samatv?"


    "Just call me Sam! We''re cousins, a bit distant but hey, blood is blood!" The young man chuckled and observed him like a doctor checking out his patient.


    Varian raised a brow.


    ''Isn''t this guy also a big genius of the first grade? He goes toe to toe with Robert. Why would he see Telor of all people?''


    Not taking offense to his silence, Samatv grabbed Varian''s shoulders and said in a passionate tone. "I only recently learned what happened to you, it''s uneptable! Don''t worry, I''ll protect you from now on."


    "Eh, uh, but¡ª"


    "Trust me!" Prince Samatv''s grip tightened and since Varian had to act properly, he temporarily downgraded his strength.


    So, his bones began to crack under that strong grip.


    "I have a cure for your problem. To awaken your own natal treasure!" Samatv looked into his eyes with a burning gaze. "But you¡­you just have to risk your life a bit, okay?"


    "¡­What?"

 Chapter 1358 Pick

    Chapter 1358 Pick


    Varian''s n to the current crisis facing down humanity was, at least, procedurally, simple.


    Get into the < Origin Laboratory > by hook or crook, steal the secrets of < Prime World > and turn the sr system into one before taking into into Hortus.


    Then,e what may, a rank 8 assasin or a rank 9 powerhouse, he could flee and bide his time. The universe being so vast, it''d be very easy for him to remain hiding.


    Princess Sonya, his ''sister-inw'', a famous alumni, told him about a famouspetition that urs every few years.


    ''You don''t have to take a bigger risk. Just win without raising suspicion and get into theb. My sister said you have a knack for scamming and stealing. So, I guess it''s no big deal for you.''


    He could still remember her piercing gaze when she said thosest few lines. If there was an approval meter for brother-inw, it must''ve gone into negatives for those few seconds.


    The Ruler of Humanity, the Emperor of Sr System, the Holder of Slivers was seen as a Conman! As a fucking scam artist!


    Still, Varian endured. He didn''t view himself as a good man, but he didn''t want to beat up his sister-inw over such a small issue.


    He''s not that violent, okay?


    Though before he left, he did end up recing Isadora for one of Sonya''s training sessions where he used his spirit power and threw her into an illusion where she had to keep eating the same food without stop for three full days.


    ¡­That''s not violence. It''s his way of showing love to his sister-inw. Yep, that''s it. There''s no hint of revenge whatsover.


    Anyway, back to the academy. Winning against a bunch of cadets was easy. Sure, he''d have to fight against a bunch of peak rank 6s and maybe a few rank 7s. But none of them were going to be really strong. If they were, they''d have graduated already.


    So the biggest challenge of this whole endeavour had always been ''Not Raising Suspicion''.


    But looking at the number 2 of th first grade looking at him with a burning gaze, Varian wanted to sigh. "Awaken my natal treasure?"


    "Yes. There''s a bit of risk involved. But no pain no gain, right?" Prince Samatv said with a grin.


    "Well, I don''t really¡­" Varian paused for a moment and gave it some thought.


    Even though he assumed the identity of Telor, he needed some justification for the sudden increase in strength that''d allow him to win in thepetition two weekster.


    ''Natal Treasure awakening, depending on its quality, can give a strong one-time boost to your rank. That''s enough justification.''


    Varian focused back on the Prince.


    ''I don''t really need a real natal treasure when I can fake it. But if anyone wants to investigate, this guy can serve as a perfect distraction.''


    "What''s the risk?" He asked, carefully concealing his intent to use this guy.


    "Hahaha, nothing too much. Just a bit of side effects. You know, some vitality loss or a few bad sleeps or a bit of mental unstability."


    ''He means risk of total vitality loss aka instant death, going into an indefinitea or even going insane.''


    Varian rubbed the back of his neck to stop his hand from punching the academy genius.


    But it''s clear. Samatv was trying to use him as a test subject for him some dubious project.


    ''No problem. Because I''m also using you.''


    "If it''s for my natal treasure, I''ll do anything! Anything!" Varian grabbed Samatv''s hands and looked at him with tears in his eyes. Choking on his tears, he asked in a hoarse, breaking voice, barely able to hold in the chaotic emotions. "C-Can you really help me?"


    ''Yes! Look at him! Look at how sad he is! All that suffering is threating to break out!'' Samatv looked at Telor with a pitiful gaze. ''This is why I must seed! For him! For the many like him!''


    ''It makes sense for me, the victim, to act. But why the fuck are your eyes tearing up?'' Varian was dumbfounded.


    ncing around vigntly, Samatv closed the door and took out a spinning top. An opaque barrier quickly enveloped them.


    "Telor, make a choice." The Prince stretched out his palms.


    A glowing blue pill in the right and a glowing red pill in the left.


    "Take the blue pill, you''ll go from low rank 7 to mid rank 7 for three weeks. You can win against Robert in this period. And then the side effects will kick in. You''ll go back to low rank 7 and will stay there for at least a century."


    "Or."


    "Take the red pill. The side effects are likely going to be small. But they can also be big.


    You''ll awaken your natal treasure. Anything can happen after that. Maybe you''ll not grow your rank at all. Maybe you''ll jump a sub-rank.


    Or maybe just maybe, your entire life trajectory will change."


    Varian gulped his saliva, his gaze frantically alternating between the two pills.


    Samatv maintained a neutral gaze, as if he was not affected by Telor''s conflict.


    ''No matter how much you struggle, you cannot resist your own greed. You''ll pick the red one anyway.''


    Not a single person had ever picked blue, though none of them met a good ending because the drug was still being experimented on.


    ''But one day, it''ll be perfected. All these sacrifices are necessary for a better future.''


    Samatv looked at Telor with a confident gaze.


    "What''s your choice?"


    "¡­Can I pick both?"


    "W-What?"


    Varian rubbed his cheek and said with a sheepish expression. "Someone I know used to say ''Only children make choices, adults pick them all.''"


    "¡­he''s a great guy." Samatv took a deep breath to control his emotions.


    "Hahah, very handsome too." Varianughed with a smug expression before he said. "Ugh, can I take a few more of these pills? A dozen blue and a dozen red. I want a dozen natal treasures and increase my rank by one or two.


    Even if it''s for a week, it''s going to be awesome being a rank 9! I can''t wait! Come on, Sam! I''m counting on your pills."


    Samatv took another deep breath, but veins still popped on his forehead. Gnashing his teeth, he still said with a smile on his face. "I-It doesn''t work like that. You can only take one or another. If you take both, it doesn''t work."


    "A~ It''s a pity." Varian let out a long sigh. "Then I''ll take the red one. But can I also take the blue? Just in case, you know?"


    "No!"

 Chapter 1359 The Biggest Challenge In Divine Ranks

    <h4>Chapter 1359 The Biggest Challenge In Divine Ranks</h4>


    Prince Samatv left Telor''s dorm room in hurried footsteps.


    Contrary to his leisurely and confident steps when he visited, he was just short of running away when he exited.


    Varian saw him off with a bright smile before he entered his cottage and closed the door. The smile on his face disappeared and his eyes showed a solemn look.


    "What exactly is happening in the academy?"


    He examined the red pill with a curious gaze.


    "He isn''t lying. This should be for awakening natal treasure. But whether it suceeds or not is another issue."


    The whole experience was weird.


    Usually, if someone gave him an experimental drug, it''s an attempt at exploitation.


    But it felt different with Prince Samatv. Because even while pushing that scam of an opportunity onto him, Samatv was looking at him with eyes full of sympathy.


    Those were geniune feelings that his soul power verified. This guy, who Telor never had any bond with, was really feeling sad for him for some reason.


    It made little sense.


    ''Telor is not the one being pitied. It''s Telor''s state. The state of being weak or¡­not having natal treasure?''


    Varian knew there was discrimination based on this.


    Baldur''s natal treasure got damaged. So, he left thefort of his home and searched for the long lost princess just to get her natal treasure.


    For any Prian, a good natal treasure was a high ticket to high status.


    Conversely, no matter how talented you were, if you didn''t have a good natal treasure, some positions would always be away from your reach.


    Of course, it''s the middle and bottom ss that would feel the heat.


    It''s not as if rank 9 powerhouses without natal treasure would be ''discriminated'' against by a rank 8 powerhouse with natal treasure.


    Strength, after all, was the ultimate equilizer of all other differences.


    It''s simr to how Sage Nevar, who was shunned for being a space awakener in a gravity-only Zion duchy at a young age. But when he returned as a powerhouse, they all weed and worshipped him.


    But if it''s a rank 4 or rank 7 in the kingdom, it''d be a different experience.


    The reason Telor Xon Navak, despite being an above average talent and a lineage closer to the ruling family, got little to no attention from the powerhouses was for this reason.


    He had no natal treasures. So, unless he showed extraordinary potential, he wouldn''t be the focus of any nurturing ns.


    From the perspective of the kingdom, it''s a much easier and cost-effective bet to nurture those with strong natal treasures.


    While not all powerhouses had strong natal treaures, all strong natal treasure holders became powerhouses.


    It''s as simple as that.


    "But Logos, why do Prians even have a natal treasure?" Variany down on the new bed and asked.


    [It''s the design of Asherah.]


    "Asherah?" Varian spun the pill on tip of his finger.


    [A powerhouse of the genesis empire.


    Long ago, the Jai Empire was waging a sessful war against the Alliance. The Tribes were holding on well but they didn''t have enough soldiers for the war.


    They couldn''t send their own precious bloodlines to guard distant stars. Nor could they counter the increasing military power of Jai.


    While the military itself wasn''t a problem to the divine rankers of the Alliance, it served as an excellent training ground for powerhouses that would go onto be?divine rankers.


    So, the Alliance was forced to improve its army to foster their own divine rankers and kill the potential ones from Jai.


    So, Asherah created several races.


    Most of them failed and either went extinct or into decline. But some seeded and they now rule a couple of kingdoms in this Empire.


    She tried to go beyond the normal limitations of natural races, so you have various mutations in the races she built.


    Prins are one such race. Her idea was to build a race with weapons. She seeded.]


    "A divine ranker created a race? A new race? Isn''t that already domain of a god?"


    [They are called divine rankers for a reason. But a god, you say, was able to do this only after a lot of failures and experiences. And that''s in the area of her specialization. It''s a very limited skillset.]


    Varian shook his head. "This is just crazy."


    [What will be crazy is your capabilites once you reach the divine ranks.]


    The System''s voice was serious without any hidden sarcasm.


    [Why do you think so many divine rankers are stuck at rank 1 and never reach rank 2?]


    Varian shrugged.


    [If Celestial ranks are all about exploring your path within the avenue, then divine ranks is mastering the whole avenue.


    Simply put, a life ranker who''s only focused on his path until then has to focus on other paths and learn them.


    A life lover has to learn about the beauty of death.


    An orthodox order follower has to immerse himself in the madness of chaos.


    A space pursuer has to appreciate the flow of time.


    Think about it for a moment. Anyone who reaches divine rank in any path does so by madly pursuing the path they''re in. It''s extreme dedication to that one path.


    It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say their divine path bes a big part of their identity as they progress in their journey.


    But when they reach the divine rank, they have to do the same to not just a different but apletely opposite path.]


    The System exined.


    "So to pick another path at that point, it''s like going against their entire identity, isn''t it?" Varian said with a gasp.


    [Yes. It''s like overwriting yourself. That''s why so many fail. Most divine rankers remain rank 1s.]


    "And what happens to me, someone with seven paths?" Varian tilted his head.


    [¡­Wouldn''t it be better to reach there and find out?] The System said in a teasing tone, as if it was trying to contain a chuckle.


    But then, its voice turned solemn and with a hint of pleading.


    [But Host, when it happens¡­please stay strong. There are somethings only you can do.]

 Chapter 1360 Him

    <h4>Chapter 1360 Him</h4>


    Varian decided not to think too deeply about Logos'' cryptic words.


    First, even if he asked, the tight-lipped system would not reveal a thing. If he tried to bully it to answering, then it might start calling him ''Master~ Master~'' at inappropriate times and throw him into trouble.


    Second, as he umted more experience, Varian realized that knowing truth could be dangerous sometimes.


    ''Even advice given in good faith given by the right person can be dangerous if it''s the wrong ce or wrong time. Much less the truth. Some truths need maturity to be epted. Other truths need a heart of stone. A few just need time.''


    Logos'' conversation about Asherah hinted that ressurrection was possible, though the conditions necessary for it might be much harsher than for even creating a new race.


    That''s because unlike just the power of life necessary for race creation, ressurection would mean ruffling the fabric of space-time for a soul that ceased to exist at one point.


    Varian didn''t intend to be pessimistic but something like ressurection might require a rank that''s at least one step higher than Asherah.


    ''A rank 3 divine.''


    But no one ever reached that rank.


    Even the Jai Emperor, who the world proims as ''God Emperor'' remained at the peak of rank 2 since millions of years.


    ''And I don''t know if it''s still possible at rank 3.''


    Because no one knew what a rank 3 was really like. The most epted guess was that a rank 3 would have power equivalent to a Primordial God.


    ''But if even a Primordial God has power only in his Avenue.''


    So, while ressurection might be within the realm of possibility, the requirements for it were unknown, unexplored and unimaginable.


    But Varian was just satisfied knowing that he had a chance. However, if he learned about this truth shorty after getting the system, he''d have been frantic and could''ve taken great risks to increase his strength recklessly.


    It would''ve likely lead to his death.


    As contradictory as it sounded, truth could be poisonous if one was not ready to recieve it.


    ''Logos, I trust you to reveal what you''re hiding when I get there.'' Varian said.


    [It''s not something the System wishes to hide. But if some things are spoken, someone will know. And if someone knows, it all ends.]


    ''That person, is he¡ª''


    [Don''t! Mentioning him passing is different from mentioning him like this. He will know the intent even if you don''t take his name. It''s better to not bring up sensitive topics rted to him. Using pseudonyms or skipping his name won''t work. As long as the intent remains, as long as it''s about him, he will know.]


    Perhaps for the first time, Varian heard a trace of fear in Logos'' voice. It''s not something that one would expect from the being that originated from the fusion of slivers.


    Varian took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He understood why some discussions were never brought up.


    "I''ll just focus on my mission."


    [Please do that. If the burden of sr system is taken off your shoulders, you can work earnestly to improve your strength.]


    "You speaking so much sense is a bit frightening." Varian''s figure blurred.


    He zipped past the crowd and reached a huge oval-shaped building that resembled?a ser stadium but with more than a dozen floors.


    As he stepped into the building through the main gate, the rank 6 guards gave him strange looks.


    ''Telor Xon Novak. He''s crushed by Prince Robert in this arena grounds.''


    It wasn''t just a normal defeat. It''s a humiliating beating. Telor limped out with his head held down while crowds from first grade to third grade watched on with amusement.


    "Oh? Look who''s here?"


    "Telor? He has very thick skin to return here."


    "Wasn''t he crying when he leftst time?"


    "Crying? He pissed himself off. Hahahaha!"


    As he walked to the elevator-like thing to reach the next floors, the students nearby didn''t even try to hide their voice and mocked him loud.


    "Hey," Varian turned back and walked to them in heavy steps.


    A thick killing intent spread out from him and enveloped the entire floor.


    All the students shivered as if a chilling wind swept past them and turned to the source of this bizzareness.


    "Wh-What?"


    "Telor Xon, what are you trying to do here?"


    "Should we call Prince Robert?"


    The three second-grade students were first perplexed but quickly red and threatened him.


    "Hehehe," Varian gave a harmless smile and put his hand on the tallest guy''s arm.


    He''s a eight foot giant and was bulky as hell. But he''s only a high rank 6.


    It couldn''t be helped.


    Even though the Academy was for geniuses, it also had its divisions.


    The standard for first graders was low rank 6, second graders was high rank 6 and third graders was peak rank 6.


    Of course, the toppers in first and secondgrade were low rank 7 while those in third grade were mid rank 7. But there were only a handful of them.


    Objectively, Telor would count in the top 50 of the academy. But he had stayed here for so long that he wasn''t considered a peer anymore.


    But strength was strength.


    "Shouldn''t you respect your seniors a little, hmm?" Varian''s face was smiling but the face of the 8-foot giant quickly turned pale before a pained scream left his mouth.


    "Arghhh!"


    The sounds of bones cracking and then being pulverized to powder sounded clearly in the silent hall. Then came the sounds of rough breathings and saliva being swallowed.


    His act of violence wasn''t the scariest. It''s the fact that he crushed that arm bone without letting spilling a single drop of blood.


    The gazes of the students staring at him changed.


    They still despised him for his poor talent. Most of them were confident in surpassing him eventually.


    But.


    That''s something for another day.


    For now, however, he''s still stronger than them.


    Telor had inferiority because of his poor talent and didn''t go against others even though he was stronger than most others.


    But Varian didn''t care. For thepetition in two weeks, he''d have to establish a new image for Telor.


    If that needed some broken bones and crushed egos, so be it.


    He turned to the two students who were looking at their friend''s limp arm in horror.


    "You two were also saying something unpleasant, weren''t you?" As Varian was about to give them a sweet lesson, a loud voice rang from the floor above.


    "Telor, Nichs is summoning you."


    "Heh." Varian''s lips curled up.

 Chapter 1361 Image

    <h4>Chapter 1361 Image</h4>


    Nichs Von Coney.


    A third grade student.


    Prince Robert''s most loyal follower and thug.


    He was a peak rank 6 in his second grade and was significantly weaker than Telor. But after fawning over that bastard, he managed to advance and made some good progress.


    He should''ve graduated decades ago. But he failed the graduation test every time.


    If Telor was the oldest sudent, then Nichs was the second oldest.


    Maybe because Telor reminded him of his own failures or maybe to shift the spotlight, Nichs held great hostility toward Telor.


    If the duel between Robert and Telor was the breaking point of Telor to take his own life, then the constant bullying of Robert was the build up that led to that situation.


    Nichs was instrumental in this bullying and perhaps even the reason Robert targetted him so much.


    Varian held no sympathies for Telor. He wasn''t looking to ''avenge'' any humiliation or grieveneces.


    But for his own mission, he had to ''craft'' a story of the ''New Telor'' so that everyone could ept his increase in strength.


    It''s okay if others suspected him of using some secret methods to increase his strength. Pills, herbs, elixirs.


    Investigations would start but by the time they came to any meaningful conclusion, thepetition would''ve long ended and he''d have fled.


    What he must ensure, however, was that no one suspected him of being an imposter.


    How to do that effectively?


    Immerse people emotionally in a live-story.


    ''Revenge of the bullied boy: Counter attack after being crushed and humiliated.''


    The discussions would shift to people supporting or opposing him.


    If he really took action against people who wronged ''Telor'', then everyone would see it as him ''avenging'' himself. There would be little doubts regarding his identity.


    So when Varian reached the third floor and faced the scar-faced, green-skinned goblin-like man, he decided to say the words in advance. "Nichs, I apologize for what''s going to happen to you."


    "Huh?" Nichs raised a brow in confusion before he sneered. "What''s going to happen to me?"


    Varian raised his fist and his eyes glowed with a dark red light. "I''m going to beat the sh*t out of you."


    Boom!


    There were private rooms on each floor for the students to use for duels. This one was specifically booked by Nichs to beat up Telor. But he didn''t expect to be attacked first.


    "You worm! Did you forget your ce already?"


    The door wasn''t closed and his voice reverberated across the entire floor. Students quickly flocked to see the situation.


    "Holy fuck, they are fighting!"


    Nichs easily dodged Varian''s punch and kicked him in the chest.


    With a thud, Varian crashed against the wall and slid down. Coughing out a mouthful of blood, he quickly got up and jumped at Nichs with bloodshot eyes.


    "You bastard! I''ll crush you today!"


    "You damn weakling! How dare you?!"


    Nichs summoned his natal treasure. A pink flower that spat out poisonous gas.


    The room was filled in pink in a blink and Varian''s punching posture copsed as he copsed onto his knees.


    Coughing out blood, he looked up with begruding eyes, as if he couldn''t ept his defeat.


    Nichs saw the burning hatred in his eyes. And so did all the students that gathered.


    They thought things would change because Telor was acting up. But he quickly got crushed.


    "This is your ce, bastard. Under my feet!" Nichs kicked Varian''s left shoulder and with a pop, his arm nearly broke off.


    "Arghh!" Varian immersed himself in the role and groaned in pain but he didn''t show any signs of surrendering. "I-I will definitely¡­definitely crush you!"


    "Hahaha! Like this?"


    Nichs fist smashed his face and blood sttered on the floor.


    "Or like this?"


    His ribs snapped with the kick and Varian bent down, retching uncontrobly.


    And the beating continued.


    Even though no one had any favorable view of Telor Xon, it''s the crowd''s nature to support the underdog.


    As he continued to get severe injuries, the crowd''s mood shifted and they hoped that Telor would rather faint than than beg for mercy.


    ''Right, this is the moment.''


    "I will tear your limbs today and make you crawl in the garden." Nichs stretched his hand to grab Varian''s shoulder, ready to tear off his arm.


    Varian''s eyes shone with a green and red light for a moment. And then, a brilliant light exploded.


    The next moment, Nichs found himself crashing to the floor.


    "W-What?"


    It wasn''t just him that was confused. The crowd also widened their eyes as they saw ''Telor'' slowly stand up.


    A brilliant red and green light glowed in his hand. The lighting from it quickly enveloped him and at a rate visible to naked eye, his injuries began to heal.


    "What''s that?"


    "What does he have in his hand?"


    "Elixir? No! It''s just some light, but how?"


    When the light cleared, a brilliant red de with a ck handle materialized in his hand.


    Requiem.


    Like the other two, it''s also soul-linked and hence a perfect substitute for a ''natal treasure''.


    It''s easy to distinguish a natal treasure beacuse it carried the aura of its owner far beyond a normal treasure.


    "Natal treasure?"


    "No way! Did he awaken in the face of an overwhelming enemy?"


    "T-That''s just like a fairy tale!"


    "Talent¡­talent really increases after awakening some natal treasures. Maybe Telor would grow really strong."


    The crowd were surprised at first and then fascinated. Natal treasures were mostly awakened during childhood. Thete bloomers were very, very rare. So, they were full of anticipation towards this rare sight.


    "H-He really did it?"


    On the other hand, Prince Samatv couldn''t believe his eyes.


    Even though the red pill he gave Telor had some chance of awakening the natal treasure, it shouldn''t be this fast.


    ''I should observe him for a while and analyze what''s special about him.''


    Varian noticed Samatv''s presence, away from the crowd and gave him a light nod with a grateful smile.


    ''Is he thanking me? Oh fuck!''


    Some of the crowd''s attention shifted to him. There were doubts in the eyes of the students.


    Varian rubbed the handle of the sword and swung it down at Nichs. "Who''s crying now?"


    A few hourster, the whole campus knew about Telor''s revenge.


    He made Nichs crawl out of the arena on his two hands.


    "Robert! I''ll crush you in thepetition. Wash your neck and wait!"


    The crowd went crazy with anticipation.

 Chapter 1362 Story Of His Life

    Chapter 1362 Story Of His Life


    In the depths of the prime world was a subspace. If the whole of prime world could be thought of as a special building floating in space, then the subspace was a special room in it.


    Like every other ce in the prime world, this subspace was also much more resilient and majesticpared to the normalary environment. Unless a divine ranker came here in person, no one could destroy this subspace.


    And that precious subspace now housed a simple but beautiful garden, an administrative building of the highest order and a few offices for select professors.


    The aura here was so thick that it liquefied into glittering, transparent pools in a few ces. And it condensed over the leaves and dripped down their tips.


    The insects, small animals and birds that were born here would grow drinking these aura droplets. Even if they''re just a normal species, they''d evolve due to the excellent conditions.


    But the birds and pet creatures living, selected carefully by the academy were far from ordinary. These were creatures that even wealthy duchies would find expensive.


    Now such creatures were grilled on a skewer and the fragrance of spices mixed with meat wafted across the subspace.


    An old man with a childish face checked the condition of the meat and nodded to himself in satisfaction.


    "You want one?" He offered to the people seated on the wooden logs around the special fire of life.


    "No, thank you." An exceedingly beautiful woman in formal clothes crossed her arms and rejected.


    "What''s the meeting for, Dean?" An elegant voice came from another woman. She wore a ceremonial dress loved by nobledies and looked out of ce in an educational institution.


    But she didn''t seem to mind her dress. Perhaps it was more important than fitting in and following the etiquette.


    "How about you?" The old man turned to thest woman in academy''s professor uniform, ck top and long formal skirt.


    "D-Dean, why am I called to this meeting? I''m sure there''s nothing I can contribute." A nervous chuckle escaped her lips and the female professor said with a stiff smile.


    She nced at the woman in the ceremonial dress for a moment, a mix of emotions in her eyes before her gaze shifted to the woman in formal dress.


    Even though she remained still, the professor felt a heavy pressure on her shoulders, to the point she could barely breathe. It''s like she ran without stop for hours and now there''s no air left in her lungs.


    "Professor Zara, your invitation to this meeting was abrupt. But so was the news. I don''t like taking too many meetings. So, you''re joining this one."


    Dean Ankh said with a carefree smile.


    "Ah, ahaha." Zara could only return with an awkward smile. "I''m sorry if there''s any mistake from my side. What happened that it warranted for the dean himself to call me?"


    "Didn''t you hear? A boy in your grade awakened his natal treasure." The noble woman spoke in an elegant voice, but her tone was filled with hidden contempt, as if mocking her ignorance.


    "Huh? That''s incredible, but still¡ª"


    "It''s Telor Xon Navak." The noble woman said.


    "Oh? He''s still alive?" Zara immediately regretted saying that.


    A displeased expression filled Dean Ankh''s childish face and a powerful aura pressed on Zara, freezing every inch of her being.


    It didn''t mater that she was a rank 8. The Dean could wipe her out with a snap.


    "Are those words a professor should say? Aren''t you ashamed of yourself, Professor Zara Woz?" Ankh''s voice was cold.


    "I-I apologize¡­" Zara lowered her head but caught the glimpse of a smirk on the noble woman''s lips. Gritting her teeth, she muttered. "But that boy is useless! He''s been here for so many decades and can''t graduate! He''s eating away academy''s reso¡ª"


    "Enough!"


    Zara''s voice was cut off abruptly and she lost control of her body. Her consciousness still remained but a mysterious, irrestible power locked her out. She became a prisoner in her own body.


    "I stand at the peak of the kingdom today. But I don''t forget my beginnings."


    His words attracted the attention of the noble woman as well as the woman in formal clothes.


    Dean Ankh''s cold eyes slowly showed nostalgia.


    "I sold everything I had, took a bet and entered a crappy school. My talent was average. I made little progress after reaching rank 2. After trying for six full decades to break the rank, I was about to give up and go home.


    A teacher asked me to keep trying. He saw in me something I didn''t see myself. And monthster, I awakened my natal treasure."


    A glowing green ''Ankh'' ¡ª a cross with a loop for top appeared above his head.


    The vegetation and animal life in the entire subspace shook for a moment before they began to grow wildly.


    "My life changed after this." The Dean closed his eyes. "I never looked back. In a few thousand years, here I am. One of the three pirs of the kingdom.


    But if not for that teacher persuading me that fateful evening, I''d have never gotten this far. I''d have never foudned this academy."


    A sigh of amazement left the lips of the two women.


    Dean Ankh''s life was a stuff of legends. Not because he was stronger than the other two pirs of the kingdom. No, he was definitely weakerpared to the king or the martial saint.


    But unlike them who were born with everything, this man not only came up from nothing, he also built this academy and dedicated himself to nurture more talent.


    "Five hundred years ago, after that woman went missing, you fell from the peak of rank 8. You''re still trying to recover.


    This academy has provided you with resources and tried to help you. If that boy who didn''t give up for decades is wasting resources, so are you.


    If he''s useles in your opinion, you are useless in my opinion."

 Chapter 1363 Past, Present and Future

    Chapter 1363 Past, Present and Future


    Feeling her body back in control, Zara gave a deep bow and apologized. "I will not repeat the mistake, pleae fo¡ª"


    "You''re demoted until further notice. Work with the staff for thepetition. Someone will rece you as the head of the Dominion department." The dean waved his hand and she was carried out without even having a chance to show any resistance.


    "That''s a bit harsh of you, isn''t it, Dean Ankh?" The woman in formal clothing asked with a puzzled expression.


    "Even though Zara still hasn''t recovered, she was still the head of Punishment Order. She was also close to the¡­Princess." When she uttered the word ''Princess'', grief and unwillingness shed in the woman''s eyes.


    "Why do you still cling onto who''s already gone, Miss Cmity?" Dean Ankh shook his head. "I am not a divine ranker. I am likely even weaker than you. But what I have is experience. And my experience says, if you really want to take that step, your mind must be firm."


    Miss Cmity showed a wry smile. "Perhaps. I don''t know when I can cross the wall. Sometimes, I feel like I can do it in a year. And the others, it feels like it would take a millennia."


    "The best advice I can give is don''t try. Empty your mind. Experience the state you''re currently in. Let nature take its course. You''ll eventually find a way." Dean Ankh said before shaking his head.


    "But treat my words as you please. Those are just the ramblings of an old man who has nothing better to do in his twilight years."


    "No. I was indeed nning to rx for a while and unwind for a bit." Miss Cmity shrugged. "That''s why I''m at the academy instead of seclusion."


    "Hahaha, that''s obvious. I''m getting really old, aren''t I?" The Dean shook his head and turned to the woman exuding noble temperment.


    "Professor Catherine, I called you to ask about thepetition. Are the security preparations going well?"


    Catherine nodded lightly.


    "It''s not that I''m being paranoid but we''re getting news that there is some abnormal movement at the border." The Dean lightly pped his own cheeks, as if he''s tapping a table. "In the worst case, I''ll have to rush to fight them off. The power vacuum created here could be exploited."


    "Rank 9s can''t infiltrate into the kingdom. The rank 8s that might slip wouldn''t survive a move from me." Catherine said with a smirk.


    "Haha, I just keep worrying a lot." The Dean said and his expression slowly hardened. "There are rumorsing out. That the reason Jai is mobilizing against us and us alone is that a powerhouse from our kingdom poked them in the eye."


    Since the information was tightly controlled, the officials of P weren''t too sure about what''s exactly happening.


    On the other hand, Jai wanted to avoid embarassing themselves by telling the public that a duchy was attacked and nearly got destroyed.


    "Do you fear another war, Dean?" Miss Cmity raised an eyebrow.


    Even though he seemed fine, there was some tension in the old man''s behavior. He must''ve been worrying a lot.


    Perhaps that''s also the reason Zara Woz got a much harsher punishment than she otherwise might.


    "Should I say what my logic says or my feelings say?" The Dean shook his head.


    "The war 500 years ago was a tragic one. We lost too many lives. And I¡­I lost too many friends. There are a few people I cherish. I want them to live. But if there''s another war¡­I don''t know if they''ll survive. And even if they might, I certainly won''t."


    The old man said with a chuckle but there was a heavy sadness in his eyes. He ended fighting very difficult battlesst time and got injuries that permenantly affected him. No, not just thest war but almost every war in thest three thousand years.


    The reason he fought so hard was to achieve more military merit and seek more resources of the academy.


    It was a noble act. But the price he paid was permenant damage to his being to the point he could never hope to reach the divine rank.


    After all the battering he recieved, he didn''t have the confidence to survive another war.


    Miss Cmity pursed her lips and looked up at the grey dome covering the subspace. There was no sky here. A depressing feeling filled her chest.


    If war wasing, she wouldn''t have to participate. She''s technically not from the kingdom.


    ''But¡­''


    If she reached the divine rank, the leverage she''d have would increase greatly.


    Then the Dean discussed a few academic issues with the two, but mostly concering with the steps they would have to take in case emergencies ured.


    The more she listened, the more Miss Cmity frowned.


    It''s almost as if the Dean was prepared for death and was trying to hand over the duties.


    She''s just a visiting professor here. It''s not the mantle she''d pick up. So it was for Professor Catherine.


    Miss Cmity nced at her with a neutral expression.


    Before the Princess'' rise, Catherine was the number one genius of the kingdom. But Isadora rose so fast that she was quickly overshadowed.


    There was a huge divide between them that she wasn''t even seen in the same range as Isadora.


    After Isadora''s ''end'', Catherine slowly got back into the spotlight. But she never enjoyed the same fame.


    Those shoes were hard to fill for anyone. Catherine tried hard. But reality eventually hit and she withdrew from the spotlight.


    However, the resources she got before and after Isadora was certainly a change no one could deny.


    ''In 500 years, she went from peak rank 7 to low rank 9. A genius that would''ve shone brilliantly at any other time.''


    But under Isadora''s dazzling brilliance, even the brightest of stars paled.


    "¡­And if something happens please look after the academy. This is the only thing I have. In return, I will¡­"


    Isdaora walked out of the meeting shortly. Even though it just a mention, her mental state got disturbed.


    She moved in the campus in a simple disguise, trying to feel better again.


    ''Instead of keeping my mind empty, I want to do something. Anything. But everything is boring¡­what should I do?''


    Even though she walked into a garden absentmindedly, the figure of a man passing by alerted her senses.


    He looked perfectly normal.


    But there''s something off. Something very, very off.


    ''It''s a disguise!''

 Chapter 1364 Butterfly Effect

    Chapter 1364 Butterfly Effect


    In one of the many living rooms of arge mansion, Zara Woz, the former head of punishment department took a seat. Unlike her usual arrogance, her posture showed only meekness.


    Only a handful of people knew it, but she''s one of them.


    If someone was lucky enough to dig up the secrets of that year, they''d think the biggest mastermind behind Isadora''s death was her own mother.


    It''s true to some extent.


    Isadora was heavily injured and exhausted that day after dealing with Esh''s clone. But even then, it was near impossible for anyone to sneak attack on her.


    Against her own mother, however, she let her guard down and took a fatal blow. But even that wasn''t enough to finish her off.


    It was a nightmare to stand against even a severely injured Isadora. There were a total of 100 fighters that day.


    Except for her mother, sister, the three maids and herself, everyone died.


    Sometimes, Zara would feel that she wasn''t lucky to have survived. She was just spared. assionally, nightmares of that battle would wreck her mind.


    Her mind would tell her that Isadora didn''t die. Like the maids, she too fainted near the end and wasn''t able to witness her death.


    Perhaps that''s why, a part of her still wasn''t relieved. Even though her rational self argued that Isadora''s mother couldn''t leave her alive after what had happened, the emotional part was still scared.


    In every nightmare, Isadora would look at her with those teary eyes and ask again and again.


    ''Why?''


    There was no emotional answer to that question.


    Zara Woz was merely following orders of the Martial Saint, her ancestor. He called her a few days prior and told her in clear terms, that Isadora was a threat to the kingdom. He didn''t say why or how but he assured her that what they''re doing was for the best.


    She couldn''t disobey him. It was one thing to go against one of the most powerful awakeners of the kingdom, a peak rank 9. It''s hard but possible.


    But it''s another thing to go against the Martial Saint who devoted his entire life to the kingdom.


    That moment was a conflict of patriotism and emotional bonding for Zara. Without much hesitation, she picked patriotism.


    She''s from a family line that prided itself in its contribution to the military of the kingdom. She grew up hearing their sacrifices and nobility with which they gave away their lives for the greater good.


    Zara wanted to live up to the ideals that her bloodline''s identity was built on. If personal sacrifice was deemed necessary for that ideal to survive, so be it.


    Betraying a friend hurt. It made her feel terrible, as a horrible person who''s never worthy of any significant rtionship. Perhaps that''s why she never made a friend after that incident.


    But she was, is and would always be proud of the difficult choice she made. It''s good for the kingdom. It''s good for the people. It''s good for the future.


    ''Just¡­it''s not good for me.''


    She should''ve already reached rank 9 like Catherine by now. But the battle regressed her gains and suppressed her to the point she still couldn''t make any progress.


    The Academy, which was her only hope to break out of this bottleneck, was also powerless in the face of damage inflicted by the legendary princess.


    Worse, neither the public nor the people in the positions of power, fame or influence knew about her sacrifice.


    It was a secret operation from the start and all traces of it were buried without any room for leakage.


    So, despite her personal sacrifice, neither she nor her bloodline gained anything.


    That''s Zara''s biggest grievance towards the Martial Saint. But even if she tried voicing her problems, the man didn''t spare an ear. He even threatened to crush her.


    It was an unexpected response from such a man in such a respected post. He didn''t take the ''honor'' that Zara lived by seriously. Once he''s done using her, he abandoned her without the slightest remose.


    And since that harsh reckoning, something inside Zara changed.


    The code of ''Honor'' she so desperately abided by and sacrificed a bright future for seemed ridiculous in hindsight.


    She regretted it. She regretted everything she had done.


    And she abandoned the highest ideals in her heart to pursue tangible benefits. It didn''t matter if people called her snobbish or calcting. It didn''t matter if her bloodline''s honor got tained by her actions.


    She stopped caring.


    All she wanted now was tangible benefits. Things that would defely improve her situation.


    So, she picked the target.


    Prince Robert, the number one student of the first grade, a ''full'' sibling of Prince Rudolph.


    ''He''s my ticket to a better life.'' Zara''s gaze shifted to the prince seated beside her.


    With his arm wrapped around her waist, he was focused on something else. For the fourth time, he watched the hologram of ''Telor'' threatening him with an amused expression.


    ''Wash your neck and wait.''


    "Hahahaha! I didn''t think this bastard had that in him." Robert said with a bolesterousugh.


    "I tried to suppress the news of his awakening and¡­make him disappear. But it somehow reached the dean." Zara rested her head on his shoulder and said in a soft voice.


    "Why do you even do that, hm?" Robert''s eyes narrowed and he pinched her chin.


    "I-It''s not that I don''t trust you, I just don''t want you to have unnecessary trouble." The ex-head of the department exined in a weak tone, her hand gently caressing the prince''s face.


    Robert swatted her hand away and crossed his legs. "It''s my pleasure to beat down men who lived far longer than me. And for women who lived far longer than me, I want to¡­"


    His eyes shed with a ravenous light.


    Sighing deep inside, Zara reached to the sp of her dress.


    Robert''s lips curled up.


    The older brother enjoyed married women. The younger brother enjoyed older women.


    And Zara had a secret n.


    She wanted to marry Robert and then jump onto Rudolph.


    As Robert towered over her with lust, her eyes shed with a greedy light.


    She saw a brilliant future.


    ''I will live my life to the fullest!''


    *** *** *** *** ***


    "So you gave him the pill¡ªwhich is still under developmental stage and failed in all clinical tests so far. Not only did you do something so risky and crazy, but you say you suceeded. Without any disrespect, Prince, do you realize how that sounds?"


    Researcher Rake gripped the thin glowing b of screen in his hand with extra force than usual and asked with a smile that wasn''t very positive.


    "I know it sounds crazy but reality is like that sometimes." Prince Samatv shrugged and tossed him a glowing holographic file.


    He knew Rake was a maniac. He took research way too seriously. In his dictionary, there''s no such thing called as work-life bnce. Heck, there''s no such thing as life itself. There''s only research, research and research.


    In the detailed investigation done by Samatv and his supporter on this man, a few disturbing things were revealed.


    Rake, for all his intellect, was a social idiot. Even though he was in the Academy for more than a century, he didn''t have a single friend. All the conversations he had with other people were for work and work alone.


    In that sense, Samatv was the first guy to have non-work conversations with him. But even they, somehow, were rted to work.


    ''Guys like this are the perfect because they don''t have anything else in their lives. If it''s someone with an active social life, then I''ll have to worry and keep an eye on all of them so that the mission doesn''t get leaked. If it''s just Rake, then there''s very little danger.''


    "No way! You really gave him the pill yesterday and this happened today? Is my pill really that powerful?"


    "To be precise, not even 24 hours have passed." Prince Samatv said.


    "This is a miracle! A big breakthrough in our study! We''re now much closer to unlocking the potential of natal treasures!" Rake''s eyes began to shine with a crazy light.


    "Yes. That''s why I''m going to implement the next step of the n."


    Prince Samatv''s cool words caused the researcher to freeze for a moment before he raised his head and looked at the prince with a worried gaze. "But it''s just one sample."


    "One is enough proof that it''s working. That''s all I need. I''ve been waiting for this result for more than a century.


    So, we''re moving to the next step. Any errors that still ur are just gaps where improvizations have to be made."


    "But that''s not how it works."


    "That''s how it should work."


    Samatv''s words that seemed like they''d take ''No'' for an answer shut the researcher.


    "I''ll bring Telor Xon to you. Study him all you want. And I''ll also bring the research materials about the Anvil."


    "But how? The study of Anvil is top secret locked in theboratory."


    "I''ll also join thepetition and get into theboratory."


    "S-Still, even for you, trying to steal from there is too risky."


    "Heh." Samatv smirked and waved his hand in dismissal. "This is something must be done at some point. So, I''ve been preparing for years. Don''t worry, the robbery will be perfect."


    Researcher Rake sighed deeply and finally said.


    "You''re right. Except for you, who would even think something as outrageous as robbing theboratory."

 Chapter 1365 Fake Faker Fakest

    Chapter 1365 Fake Faker Fakest


    "¡­I''m sorry but I don''t really know you."


    "Don''t be like that! Did you already forget the promises we made not too long ago?"


    "I don''t remember ever talking to a woman for more than a few seconds. So, I''m pretty sure there''s no promise to speak of." Varian said with conviction, his eyes scanning the woman in front of him with scrutiny.


    She looked physically human but the presence she gave off waspletely different.


    If he had to exin it in terms of vitality, a human would be a stalk of grass. And this woman would be not just a gigantic tree but the entire forest!


    No matter how much she looked like a really pretty young human woman in her early twenties, her appearance was just a facade to hide her terrifying origins!


    ''But why is someone like this after me?''


    Watching him frown in confusion, Miss Cmity''s lips curled up in amusement. The disguise was easy. Not even fellow rank 9s could see through, much less this ''thief'' who sneaked into the academy.


    ''He feels familiar¡­but when did I get acquainted with thieves? If I''m going to rx anyway, might as well make this a vacation where I uncover a thief who sneaked into the academy.''


    Thinking so, she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and blinked at him with teary eyes. "T-Telor, are you really going to abandon me after awakening your natal treasure? You''re so heartless!"


    Her words caused a few passerby female students to pause. They looked at Varian like he was a scumbag and discussed among themselves, deliberately raising their voice so that he could hear their curses.


    "I told you, this is why you shouldn''t trust men!"


    "You support him in his lows and he''ll leave you in his highs."


    "Exactly! All men in the academy are like this."


    As the curses grew more and more broader, pushback began from the others who joined.


    "All men are like that? Ma''am, why did you try all the men in our academy? We aren''t restaurants to try out and give reviews. We are people!"


    "Hahaha! Good one, bro!"


    "Shut up! Just look at that girl, she''s so pitiful. Can''t you see her tears!"


    "I can only see her Xirium watch that''s worth more than my family''s entire fortune."


    "Fuck! That rich bitch is trying to y coy!"


    "She must be ying with his feelings! That poor boy!"


    "Guys, I don''t remember seeing her in our grade. And Telor¡­well, Senior Telor was always alone. So, who the hell is she anyway?"


    "Not in my grade either. Never seen her."


    "Neither did I!"


    As the discussion developed in an unexpected direction, Varian''s gaze turned sharp. He wondered if parts of Telor''s memory were missing, but it seemed that this girl was just messing around.


    Miss Cmity, on the other hand, felt her face burn as her prank was about to get abolished. ''You bastards! Why you don''t shut your mouth, huh? This is the cheapest watch I have!''


    "I''m a new student! New student!" She yelled, causing the crowd to fall silent.


    Then one of them raised her hand and asked. "How do you know Telor if you''re a new student?"


    "I¡­" Miss Cmity bit her lip, showing herself as a pitiful girl while her consciousness quickly dug into her professor badge and searched for the academy''s registered information.


    Her eyes quickly lit up and she said. "I met him during the vacation. After he was bullied, he was so depressed and I felt so sorry for him. We promised to help ourselves in our goals."


    "Wow! You''re such a kind soul!"


    "Hehe." Miss Cmity smiled an innocent smile that would melt even hearts of steel.


    The crowd wanted to say more. A few men prepared to hit on her while a couple of women wanted to build friendship.


    Anticipating the familiar chatter, Miss Cmity waved her hand and said. "Please leave, this is between me and him."


    With reluctance, the young men and women walked away, leaving the two under arge tree that resembled a palm tree. Except this tree was built purely from the bone ash of beasts that got buried in a radius of ten thousand miles.


    Perhaps that''s why, the tree had a soothing effect on one''s body. But if you stand under it for too long, it''d start pulling at your vitality, and weak awakeners, like rank 4s, would die within hours.


    "Your memory is a bit messed up but trust me, I would never burden you. I only want the best for you and I will always support you." Leaning against the huge trunk of the tree, Miss Cmity said with a sincere smile.


    Varian''s lips twitched.


    ''This girl read some romance story and is trying out those lines on me. What the fuck is she even trying to do?''


    Miss Cmity kept her gaze firm.


    ''These are the exact lines that the novel''s heroine said to the side character. After that, he became her loyal dog and dedicated all his life to her goals. Come on, puppy! Wag your tail, and show your loyalty! Be a good boy!''


    Since she decided to have fun anyway, she didn''t bother using her powers to subdue or control him.


    In her opinion, as long as things don''t get into a danger zone, she could let loose and enjoy this little detective game.


    ''She''s either half-crazy or fully crazy.'' Varian held his breath and used the slivers'' power.


    [Name: ???


    Race: ???


    Peak Rank 9]


    ''Motherfu¡ª''


    Varian barely stopped himself from blurting out the profanity.


    His gaze towards Miss Cmity remained the same on the outside but inwardly, he started panicking.


    ''Is my purpose already leaked?! Should I escape already? But how can I escape if she''s watching me?''


    His thoughts raced and a depressing silence filled the air between them.


    "Um, Telor?" Miss Cmity tilted her head. Her voice was even more pitiful now and tears swirled in her eyes. "Did you really¡­"


    "I remember!" Varian clenched his fists and yelled.


    Despite being very wellposed in normal times, Miss Cmity nearly jumped at his sudden outburst.


    "I, You, Vacation." A deeply mncholic expression appeared on Varian''s face. "My memories are a little messed up because of something. But I can recall now. You''re that girl and I''m that boy. And we did that and that during the vacation."


    "¡­" Miss Cmity looked at him with a nk gaze. ''What the fuck are you talking about?''


    Varian didn''t stop. He couldn''t stop. For whatever reason, she''s trying to establish a rtionship with ''Telor''. So, he wanted to y along and save his precious life for now. Everything else couldeter.


    "That Sun, the beach, the silent waves¡­


    That bun, the peach, the violent graves¡­"


    Miss Cmity''s jaw dropped and she looked at him with a dumbfounded gaze. ''Am I mistaken? This guy is not a spy sent here to sabotage the academy but a mental asylum patient escaping from his doctors?''


    The possibility didn''t seem low now.


    "That fun, the speech, the valiant graves¡­"


    Varian had no idea what he was talking about. He even began to suspect if Telor''s memory was really a bit messed up. She didn''t seem to recognize him as an imposter.


    So, why would a peak rank 9 visit him for this y?


    It can''t be that she woke up today and decided to mess with a random passerby cause she''s bored!


    There gotta be a deeper meaning for her actions. A n he wasn''t aware of.


    So, using the memories of Telor from the vacation, Varian spoke as vaguely as possible, hoping at least one of those many throws would stick.


    "The promise we made, hey hey,


    The smiles won''t fade, hey hey,


    The support will be paid, hey hey¡­"


    "Okay, okay, stop!" Miss Cmity raised her hands.


    ''If I don''t push back, this bastard will keep spouting bullshit for the rest of the day.'' She had no doubt about that. ''What the fuck are those songs or are they poems? No, they are murder poems intended to kill people! This guy is a terrorist!''


    "I''m d you remember." She said with a smile, a smile that was brighter than the sunrise.


    But Varian didn''t fall for her charm.


    Maintaining his act, he rubbed the back of his neck in a bashful expression and smiled back. "¡­So you''re also d of my singing talent? Shall I do it aga¡ª"


    "Achoo!" Miss Cmity faked a sneeze to interrupt him and quickly changed the topic. "I heard you''re participating in thepetition."


    "That''s right." Varian nodded. "I have a grudge to settle."


    That''s his excuse to divert people''s attention from his actual motive. People might still doubt him but as long as they don''t immediately discover his real goals, it''d be fine.


    "I''ll cheer for you!"


    "Thanks?"


    "But I want to cheer for you from closer, so I''ll also join thepetition!"


    "¡­"


    Varian had a feeling that things wouldn''t go ording to n.

 Chapter 1366 The Woman Who Wants To See The World Burn

    Chapter 1366 The Woman Who Wants To See The


    World Burn


    Varian hated his intuition sometimes. It mostly didn''t work for the


    good things. But it worked wonderfully for bad things.


    His intuition started whispering that something might happen. But


    havinge this far, Varian didn''t want to give up.


    ording to his original n, ''Telor'' should start fighting against


    some of the powerful students in the academy in these two weeks.


    He should show ''improvement'' with each battle and make it seem


    like he''s continously growing from his natal treasure.


    To get into theboratory, he had to get into the top 10. It might


    seem simple since Telor was the top 50. But there''s an ocean of


    differences between each rank range.


    Top 10 were the strongest mid rank 7s you could find. Robert was


    literally the strongest mid rank 7.


    As shameful as it might be, there''s no third-grader as strong as him.


    The top 25 were average mid rank 7s. The ones that stayed in the


    sub-rank for a good while but haven''t reached the peak yet.


    From 26th to 40th were the guys who entered mid rank 7 but were


    still considered beginners.


    And finally, 41st to 50th were the low rank 7s.


    The crown prince might not appear that impressive when


    compared to the top 10 but that line of thought would be a grave


    mistake.


    Even the number 1 student of the academy, Robert, would have to


    break through into high rank 7. Then, he''d have to reach peak in


    that sub-rank. And only then could he enter the zone of peak rank


    7.


    While the distance appeared small, the time it''d take for these steps


    7.


    While the distance appeared small, the time it''d take for these steps


    would be rounded up to at least a century.


    And there''s no guarantee that these ''geniuses'' wouldn''t get stuck in


    a bottleneck that could hold them down for centuries.


    Against that backdrop, while the distance between a low rank 7 and


    peak mid rank 7 wasn''t as highpared to the peak mid rank 7


    and peak rank 7, it''s still enormous.


    So, Varian had to justify his performance byying the foundation


    beforehand.


    Following his so-called ''n'', he knocked on the doors of an exotic


    gym where the 41st ranker, the strongest low rank 7 of the academy


    practiced.


    "Char,e out! I''ve had enough of you! Let''s settle scores


    today!"


    ''Telor'' yelled out loud, his eyes fuming with anger.


    A muscr man whose body surpassed even the sculpted statues


    emerged out of the gym. Behind him were a bunch of followers, all


    looking at Telor with displeasure.


    "Telor, I don''t remember bullying you." Char jaw moved up and


    down, moving the iron rod with weights attracted to its end.


    This guy was mad! He''s exercising with his jaw! Was it for that


    mythical jawline or what?


    Varian shook his head. He had to fight and establish a name for


    himself.


    "No, no. We have a grudge. A big grudge." He clenched his fist and


    lightly punched his palm with a ferocious smile.


    "Oh, pray tell which grudge?" Char did a squat and then began to


    grit his teeth while panting. "Ugh, arghh, ugh!"


    Varian took a few steps back at those sounds before his gaze shifted


    down.


    He saw a few barbells tied with a powerful string moving up and


    down. The barbells were hanging outside but the force on the


    string wasing from inside Char''s shorts¡­


    Varian shuddered and looked at the muscr man with a weird


    expression. "For the sake of curbing this obscenity, I''ll fight you!"


    "But didn''t you say we have a grudge?" Char groaned as he


    pulled the barbels up before sighing in relief.


    "The grudge¡­" Varian paused and looked at Char for a moment.


    ''A normal duel won''t do. It has to be viral on the campus. So,


    something emotionally charged!''


    "The grudge is that you''re ugly!"


    A sudden silence filled the premises of the gym.


    Other members of the gym quickly moved away, their faces pale


    and their eyes looking at Varian like they were watching him for the


    last time.


    Char stopped his squat and stood. With a snort, his shirt


    exploded. Then, the extremely heavy metals attached to his arms,


    biceps, chest, and core began to fall off.


    As they did, a small earthquake hit the neighboring areas.


    ''That weight¡­it''s what? A hundred suns?'' Varian''s jaw dropped.


    Char cracked his knuckles, stretched his arms, and took a deep


    breath. And then, another set of weights dropped from his shorts.


    Thankfully, his shorts didn''t explode.


    Another earthquake struck the region, this one a bit less ferocious


    than thest.


    Varian sighed.


    This academy housed crazy people. Why couldn''t everyone be like


    him? A normal guy, a normal family, a normal race.


    [Host, should I bring a mirror?]


    ''I don''t need a mirror to know I''m handsome.''


    [¡­Right. You''re so handsome a peak rank 9 woman dropped out of


    nowhere and is now stalking you.]


    Varian''s bright expression instantly copsed and he looked from


    the corner of his eye.


    That mysterious woman stood behind a row of tall trees and was


    watching the confrontation with interest.


    ''Why is she eating snacks and drinking cool drinks?''


    Varian took a deep breath and turned his focus to the opponent in


    front.


    "So, Telor, youe to my gym without any provocation. You call


    me out without any reason. You then insult me in front of my


    people." Char''s voice was low but the rage in it was growing with


    every word.


    "Err," Varian felt a little embarrassed.


    ''If you put it like that, it looks like I''m the bad guy here. But well¡­''


    Varian turned around and yelled at the woman. "Hey, do you think


    he''s ugly?"


    The woman paused for a moment and then yelled back. "He''s really


    ugly! I heard they show his photos to freshmen to scare them off.


    The boys are threatened that this guy will enter their bathroom and


    the girls are threatened that he''ll be rumored to be their ex."


    As she finished speaking, she swiped the watch on her wrist and a


    few holograms popped up between Varian and Char.


    They were articles published by one of the student-run media


    really stating those things.


    ''Fuck! I was just asking!'' Varian wanted to p himself.


    With a stiff smile, he turned to the man in the spotlight.


    Char''s face was turning purple and red while his chest heaved


    up and down. His eyes were bloodshot and he was staring at Varian


    with a gaze that looked like he was the enemy who killed his mother


    and father.


    ''I just wanted a serious fight. But now this guy might fight me to


    death!'' Varian realized the seriousness of the situation.


    "Handsome Telor! Handsome Telor! Beat down that bastard and


    show him who''s the boss!" The woman began to cheer.


    As if her loud voice wasn''t enough, she brought out a mike-like


    treasure and even started a live stream.


    "Girls, get ready to watch the most handsome man of the academy!


    Telor Xon Navak!" She said in a cheerful tone.


    After ncing at the screen, she shrugged. "Oh, the gym members


    and his opponent Char are ugly? A hundred members agree? But


    that''s how contrast is created! With contrast, his handsomeness is


    highlighted even more!"


    Those words were thest straw that broke Char''s patience.


    Kicking the ground, he shot forward, his punch aiming straight for


    Varian''s face. "You disgusting handsome bastard!"


    Varian hurriedly put up his palm in defence while he cursed that


    woman.


    ''Your live stream just started! How will you get 100 viewers? You just


    want to screw me! Screw you!''


    BOOM!


    And like that, the first fight began.

 Chapter 1367 Cope!

    Chapter 1367 Cope!


    Varian''s body shifted sightly, using most minimal of movements to dodge the fist that brushed past his cheek.


    "You!" Char''s eyes widened at the excellent dodge.


    Even if he awakened his natal treasure, Telor shouldn''t be this strong, right?


    ''Oops!''


    Varian also realized his gaffe and threw a punch.


    With half-caution and half-suspicion, Char returned the punch while throwing a kick at Varian''s waist.


    Varian''s instincts kicked in and his waist began to move, about to dodge the kick.


    ''Don''t! Stop it!''


    Varian had to suppress his instincts to take the attack.


    Boom! Their fists crashed against each other like asteroids. A silence ensued before a powerful shockwave exploded from the point of contact.


    Blood spurted out of their fists. Then the sounds of bones cracking rang.


    Finally, Varian''s and Char''s forearms both began to crack and bleed as the powerful pulses of aura began to invade their bodies.


    At the same time, Char''s kick reached Telor who ''desperately'' tried to dodge but couldn''t avoid itpletely.


    As a result, his foot struck Varian right in the abdomen.


    Blood spilled from ''Telor''s'' lips and a depression was formed in his stomach in the shape of Char''s foot.


    Without missing the opportunity, Char punched down sharply. The fist connected with Varian''s chest and caused him to cover.


    Another kick arrived, hitting him in the calf. And Telor knelt on a knee, vomitting blood with a pale face.


    The anger in Char''s eyes had subsided a little but it was far from being extinguished.


    Turning to the woman, the muscr manughed, even though his eyes were cold and furious. "You bitch! Your boyfriend can''t evenst three moves under me. Is this the ''handsome'' man you were cheering for?"


    Miss Cmity looked between ''Telor'' and Char, her thoughts racing.


    ''I thought you were brave for infiltrating the academy. No, you''re an idiot! How can you be so weak? And why the hell did you try to fight this guy if you can''tst a few moves?''


    "Bitch, speak up! If you get on your knees and admit you''re wrong, I won''t beat him too much." Char patted his fist against his palm and said with a wide grin.


    ''Fuck! I thought my detective vacation would be interesting. To think it''s going to end so soon¡­''


    Miss Cmity prepared to reveal her identity and take control of the imposter. She prepared to raise her aura but someone beat her to it.


    "Do not insult her!" Varian spat out some blood and stood up with an angry face.


    There''s a glowing red sword in his hand. His blood flowed down the sword handle and washed the de. His blood drops dripped down the tip of the de but before they hit the ground, the aura of the de red and it enveloped everything around Varian in a red light.


    The aura of ''Telor'' which was just in the early stages of low rank 7 began to climb quickly.


    Char turned around and cracked his neck. "A natal treasure won''t change your fate."


    A translucent green-hued armor covered the man''s body. His injuries began to heal at a much faster pace and his aura recovery was also boosted.


    "This is my natal treasure. I''ve been familiar using it for centuries. You are disadvantaged without natal treasures. You are even more disadvantaged with natal treasures."


    Varian didn''t show any despair at those words. Instead, he raised his sword and charged forward, like a knight from the fairy tale marching towards the evil dragon.


    Char''s body gave off a dazzling silver light and he kicked the ground. His body shed forward and his fist moved at a speed far higher than earlier.


    The gym members watching the fight could only see the colors of red and silver sh before a blinding light shed, forcing them to cover their eyes.


    When they could see again, Char''s fist was dripping with blood¡ª


    the blood of Telor whose right arm got mangled and was hanging limp.


    But Telor''s sword was also dripping with blood. And there was a thin but very noticable sword mark right at the base of Char''s neck. A thin line formed before purple blood began to spill out.


    Char clutched his neck and backed off. But blood spilled out from the gap between his fingers.


    Varian held the sword in his left hand and took a step forward.


    Char took a step back.


    And Varian raised his sword. A red light began to shine on the surroundings once again.


    "N-No!"


    "No! Stop!"


    "I admit defeat!" Char fell on the floor and looked up at Varian with a terrified expression.


    Varian slowly lowered his sword and nodded. Then, he turned around and limped towards his dorm.


    Of course, the injuries were too light for him. But he had to put up an act.


    As someone who fought peak rank 7s, a low rank 7, no matter how strong was a cakewalk. However, if he appeared too strong right off the bat, things might getplicated.


    "Cough, cough!"


    To add more credibility to his ''underdog achievements'' resume, Varian even began to cough violently as he slowly walked away.


    "Oh, Telor!"


    A cry came from behind and the annoying woman hopped in front of him. She took out a healing potion out of nowhere and poured it onto his arm.


    "I knew you would win!" She looked into his eyes with a brilliant smile.


    Varian narrowed his eyes. Even if the woman didn''t know he was an infiltrator, she must''ve found something was wrong with him. Or why would a peak rank 9 powerhousee after him?


    ''W-Wait! I think I know why!'' Varian froze on the spot and all color drained from his face.


    [Haah?] The System let out a groan of surprise, its voice was sweet. [But how can you? No, in the first ce, what''s the reason?]


    Varian lowered his head so the woman in front of him couldn''t see his expression clearly.


    ''She''s after my body! And my face! Didn''t you hear her talk about how handsome I am? She''s in love with me!''


    [Heh, men~] The System snorted in a disgusted tone.


    ''My wives told me when I was starting out. That there are a bad women out there who will covet my body. I should protect myself!'' Varian argued in a serious tone.


    In his defense, his wives did say those words. And they said in a lot more harsh words.


    ''Those bitches wille after you! Kill them with a p! No, don''t touch them and sully your hands! Use a 10-feet, no, a 100-feet long spear to pierce them!''


    That was Sia, who personally packed a dozen 100-feet spears into his storage treasures.


    ''Var, please stay away from women. You''re an innocent boy who''ll attract the attention of too many vixens. Those shameless women are the worst of the worst of the worst¡­''


    It was from Sarah, who was worried sick after watching some crazy dramas. She packed his storage space with antidotes. Antidotes to what you ask? Of aphrodiasacs.


    ''If someone tries to touch you inappropriately, kill her. And if her family tries to support that stupidity, kill her whole family. If her city supports¡­''


    And Enigma, who was surprisingly a lot more ruthless in her advice.


    ''¡­And so, from their words, I conclude that she has fallen for me.'' Varian came out of his shower and changed into fresh clothes.


    As he stepped into the living room, the woman was seated on a couch, as expected.


    ''You see, she''s following me into my dorm! What does this say? Am I right or am I right?''


    [Host, the System knows you''re trying to cope with a peak rank 9 breathing down on your neck. But seriously, there are better ways to do it than delude yourself like this.]


    ''What do you know?'' Varian screamed inwardly but waved in greeting and sat in front of the woman.


    The woman began to ramble, praising his performance, cursing Char for being so ugly. She then began to talk about the reaction in the academy at his victory.


    Varian responded and engaged in the conversation, but only as minimally as possible without evoking any sense that he''s bored.


    ''How can I remain calm when a peak rank 9 is stalking me all day?! I don''t know, Logos! One second, just one second is enough. If she snapped, she''ll kill me in a second and it''s all over! It''s fucking scary, okay? I have to cope somehow.'' Varian exined his situation.


    Logos fell silent at his brutally honest answer.


    It''s not like Varian was a social idiot. Despite his assional burst of narcissism, he wouldn''t be delusional to think a peak rank 9 would fall for him.


    [The System was worried, Host. If you have noticed it, even though the woman is very enthusiastic, she didn''t even touch you even with her fingertips. She also maintains an active distance. She has something on her mind.]


    ''Of course.'' Varian pursed his lips.


    ''I noticed her aura was about to rise when she thought I lost the fight. So, as long as I keep winning, she won''t intervene. Maybe she''s curious on what I''m up to. So I''m safe until then.''

 Chapter 1368 Minimus

    Chapter 1368 Minimus


    Telor Xon Navak''s victory caught the academy in surprise.


    Even though Telor was the ''top 50'' of the academy, he''s actually the 50th guy. So, him defeating the 41st Char was an achievement.


    Despite being in the range of low rank 7, the difference between the weakest and strongest of a subrank was veryrge.


    The unexpected victory caused Miss Cmity''s streaming video to go viral. The students were amazed at not just Telor winning but at his aura increase that led that victory.


    As Varian intended, rumors started to spread that the sword was a type of natal treasure that''d give him a big rank boost.


    Sooner orter, Telor would hit mid rank 7 and drastically improve his rankings. And who knows? He might even graduate this time!


    But these rumors and news ounted for only a small portion of the total. Therger discussion was, of course, gossip.


    The tale of ''A depressed man who went on a vacation and found a woman. Then the woman came to the academy as a transfer student.'' ¡ª the bullsh*t that Miss Cmity spouted was now believed by many to be true.


    There was a clip from the fight that really exploded in poprity.


    It was an injured and nearly defeated Telor standing up after the woman was insulted.


    #The power of friendship


    This created even more theories. Some even opined that the reason Telor even had that growth was because of his rage after seeing his friend being disrespected.


    Telor was now in the spotlight of the academy.


    "¡­Time for the next opponent." Varian exhaled deeply as he looked through the window.


    "Yes, yes! I picked your next opponent! It''s Maximus Ostallis."


    A sudden voice that appeared out of nowhere, causing Varian to almost jump onto his feet.


    Varian turned around stiffly and saw the mysterious woman who called herself ''Aurora''.


    Clenching her fists in front of her chest, she bumped her fist into the air and said. "Let''s go! I will cheer for you as you beat him up!"


    Objectively, she looked very adorable doing that action.


    But¡ª


    Varian pulled a few strands of his hair and asked through gritted teeth. "What the fuck are you doing in my room?"


    "Your room? No friend, it''s our room." Aurora said with an innocent expression, tears swirling in her eyes.


    "W-What?"


    "Friends share everything. So your room is my room. Your treasures are my treasures. Your opponents are my opponents." Aurora put her hands on her hips and said with a confident expression before she waved her finger at him with a dangerous smile. "So my dear friend, never say ''my'', it''s ''our'', got it?"


    "¡­"


    Varian was speechless. He had a million ways to deal with a cheeky woman like this. But he had no way to deal with a peak rank 9.


    "I don''t want your friendship. Can you please leave?" He said in ast-ditch attempt.


    "A-Are you really going to abandon me after all the help I gave you in the vacation?" Tears threatened to drop from Aurora''s eyes.


    "But I don''t even remember it properly. I told you some of my memories are messed up."


    "Your mom fed you when you were a baby. You don''t remember it. Does that make it any less real?"


    Varian''s shoulders drooped and he dragged himself to the door.


    "Hey, hey, wait for me!" Miss Cmity said with an amused smile on her face and followed after him.


    Looking at his back as he walked to the arena grounds, her eyes shed with a curious glint.


    Despite Varian''s disguise, she could see some things about him.


    "Are you going to kill him?" She chattered as she caught up to him and walked side by side.


    "Nonsense," Varian scoffed. "Why would I kill him? I''m not a bloodthirsty demon."


    Miss Cmity smirked.


    This man who looked so normal and easy going had blood in his hands. No, that''s not enough to describe it. The closest expression would be ''He has an ocean of blood and he''s swimming it!''


    "Will you crush him then? Break his hands and legs? Smash his chest into smithereens? He''s a Life Spirit. He won''t die so easily." She said with an excited expression.


    "¡­What do you see me as?" Varian shook his head with a wry smile on his lips.


    "Really? That''s a shame." Miss Cmity pouted and lowered her head in disappointment.


    But her mind was clear.


    This man liked fights. He didn''t mind violence. Even though it''s just one battle, his scary battle experience was obvious.


    "And you are talking as if I''m going to win. Maximus is ranked 30th." Varian red at her.


    "You won against Char so easily!"


    "Char is 41st! He''s the strongest low rank 7! But Maximus is a mid rank 7!"


    Looking at Varian''s frustrated look, Miss Cmityughed on the inside but continued her facade on the outside.


    "B-But I believe in you! If you can''t even do this, how can you win against Robert? You are the one who challenged Robert, not me!"


    Varian wanted to p himself for doing that. He didn''t know a peak rank 9 would fall from the sky and stalk him like crazy.


    His n was to attack a few ranks up every day and create the story that he''s growing slowly.


    Going from 41st to 30th ranked was much riskier.


    ''I have to show that my natal treasure is more special than they initially thought. That way, the crowd wille up with some justification on their own.''


    The end goal was to appear as a genius, not as a freak. If his strength rose from low rank 7 to peak mid rank 7, that''d be considered as ''extraordinary genius''.


    But if he revealed his actual strength, the very peak of rank 7, then he might be kidnapped and taken to theboratory.


    "Telor, my best friend, we''re here already!"


    Varian red at the woman and walked into the huge arena ground on the 13th floor.


    A palm-sized humanoid with little wings was dozing off on top of a 2-meter sword.


    ncing around the room in confusion, Varian yelled. "Maximus, I''m here! Show yourself for the duel!"


    "You blind bastard! Can''t you see?" The little humanoid roared in a deep and dangerous voice, one you''d expect from a hundred-foot giant.


    Varian tilted his head in confusion and turned to the mysterious woman. She shrugged carelessly. "He''s from a border province, I heard. Depsite how he lo¡ª"


    "Battle start!" Maximus yelled and a green light shed across the room.


    Varian ducked in a hurry but half of his hair was sliced off.


    "Fuck! Are even barbers are so arrogant these days?!"


    "Who are you calling a barber? I''ll skin you alive!" Maximus seethed and stardust flowed out of his wings.


    Then, like it was conscious, the stardust enveloped the sword in his hand.


    Giving a dangerous hum, the sword moved at a space-breaking speed and reached the target in a blink.


    Varian managed to dodge but three star particles greeted him in the face. He dodged two and the third struck his left arm.


    Within seconds, his arm dried off like a dead branch before it disintegrated into ashes and dispersed into the air.


    The terrible pain caused Varian to shudder.


    A redlight shed in front of him and ''Requiem'' appeared in his hand. In a few breaths, the disintegrated arm was fully regenerated.


    "What the fuck?" Maximus was dumbfounded.

 Chapter 1369 The World Is A Stage

    Chapter 1369 The World Is A Stage


    < Life Spirit > was a path that focused on essence. They weren''t like < Life Force Controllers > who could wave their hands and just drain out all life energy out of a.


    But every bit of their life essence was dangerous and much more potentpared to a < Life Force Controller >.


    The race that Maximus belonged to had a special talent called ''disperse''.


    Like a nt using the natural factors like wind to spread its seeds, this race would generate tiny specks of their essence from their wings and use it in their attacks.


    Compared to other <Life Spirit> users, they wouldn''t have to worry about spending too much life essence or too little. They didn''t even need to concentrate on taking out the life essence. It''s all instinctual and virtually effortless.


    So, the expected short-term battle turned into a long one.


    Varian wasn''t just ying around in the fight. He actually suppressed his strength to the point he had to struggle.


    Even though he had a scarybat sense, fighting a mid rank 7 from a step lower was exceedingly difficult.


    ''I can kill this bastard with just two more paths, arghhh!'' Varian groaned in frustration as he rolled to the side.


    But only when he got from the ground did his keen senses notice a speck of green under his elbow.


    ''Fuck!''


    The power drilled into his arm and Varian''s arm quickly morphed into a green-shaped vine, ready to explode and take down half of his body with it.


    "Don''t even think about it!"


    Without any hesitation, Varian sliced off his own arm and kicked it to the little fairy maximumus.


    "You crazy bastard!" Maximus yelled as he gave his best to stop the explosion at thest moment.


    Typically, an awakener would try to suppress the attacking life essence in his body at first and then slowly eliminate it.


    Even though it''s a risky tactic, Maximus had never seen anyone advocating chopping off their own arm as an alternative.


    "I''m not crazy, you are!" Varian''s body blurred forward and the red aura surrounding his sword red, like mes that were fed fuel.


    Maximus tried to escape but ended up getting devoured in Requeim''s fiery aura. His body burnt into ashes in a blink.


    In a corner of the arena, a light shed and Maximus began to regenerate from a drop of blood he left there.


    "Y-You! What is that sword?"


    Requiem was an ancient artifact that contained the powers of life and death. Even the <Life Spirit> whose absolute advantage was in seemingly endless ''ressurections'' had great difficultying back to life after being hit by the sword.


    ''I was waiting just for this chance!'' Varian adjusted his posture, turned to the camera and showed off his sword. "This is my natal treasure! Requiem!"


    "It''s not a normal treasure! It is blessed by the power of life!" Varian boasted in front of the camera. "I can feel myself growing stronger every second! Hahahaha!"


    "¡­"


    Miss Cmity pursed her lips and wondered if she should turn off the broadcast. Clearly, this bastard was trying to do something. Or maybe he''s just narcissitic?


    "You idiot!" A voice sounded behind Varian and before he could turn around, three green starlights pierced his chest.


    "You should never assume a <Life Spirit> is down. We can fight a full year." Maximus'' voice was serious but there was a smug smile on his face.


    Even though getting ''killed'' a few times was normal for a <Life Spirit>, he couldn''t digest dying to someone like Telor.


    So, he decided to cripple Telor for a few months and confine him to bed as punishment.


    But¡ª


    "Don''t think you''re the only clever guy!" The Requiem in Varian''s hand disintegrated into pieces of aura¡ªit was a fake!


    Maximus'' eyes widened and he turned around to run. But Requiem appeared over him and shed down.


    "Fuck!"


    The giant sword pierced the little fairy, ending his life once again. Maximus resurrected once again, in another spot of the room.


    But when he did, Requiem was already rushing towards him.


    "How?"


    "I told you. My sword has the power of life."


    And that was the third death.


    Varian wasn''t in a position to move due to the three attacks. They sucked half of his body dry. He was''t even able to move properly for a few seconds. So, he focused on healing himself and suppressing the life essence.


    Requiem, on the other hand, continued its hunt. Like a military dog that''s let loose, it chased after the enemy with unmatched ferocity and kept killing.


    The audience neglected ''Telor'' and got immersed in watching the valor of the sword.


    Varian''s intention was to show off his sword anyway. So, he was happy with the situation.


    "Sixth death."


    With each death, the strength, speed and stamina of Maximus began to shake.


    Tenth death.


    The tenth death caused him to grow slightly timid. He gave up attacking and tried to escape as much as possible.


    Twentieth death.


    When the sword hilt crushed him, Maximus started crying.


    "Arghh, stop! Stop it already! I admit defeat! I admit it!"


    Maximus eventually gave in.


    Varian nodded lightly before ''fainting''.


    Miss Cmity stepped forward and pointed a finger at him. Varian, still unconscious, floated in the air.


    "Then we''ll take the leave." She gave the little fairy a wide smile and walked out.


    "What?!" Maximus''s jaw dropped.


    The live broadcast was about to end. So, the little fairy rushed to the camera and yelled. "H-He was barely holding on. I could''ve gone for another ten deaths! I would''ve won! I''m the actual winner!"


    His words only elicited chortles and sneers from the audience.


    Miss Cmity didn''t take Varian to the dorm but instead to a quiet garden.


    "Stop the act."


    Varian opened his eyes sneakily and looked around. After confirming that no one was nearby, he started running to his dorm.


    "Hey, stop!" Miss Cmity yelled in frustration and chased after him.


    ''That ending was perfect, wasn''t it? The hardworking genius who held onto till the end! I can already see myself getting famous! Hahahaha!''


    As expected, his fame exploded.

 Chapter 1370 One Day Before

    Chapter 1370 One Day Before


    "Hey, hey, look! He''s that guy!"


    "It''s him!"


    "Kyaa~"


    Varian maintained the cold expresssion on his face as he reached for his next opponent.


    Thepetition was going to begin tomorrow. So far, he defeated the 41st, 30th, 25th, 20th, 15th, 10th and 6th rankers.


    Still, the people believing he could win against Prince Robert were a minority.


    The top 5 were the untouchable were in another range of powerpared to even the 6th ranker. It''s a steep change.


    These were the guys who already hit the limit of mid rank 7. They''re dealing with the bottlenecks and as long as that''s solved, they''d reach the next subrank.


    By creating more hype around his natal treaure, Varian managed to raise not too many doubts when his strength stepped into the mid rank 7 and continued to rise.


    Typically, it''d take a few months for the natal treaure''s benefits to be fully absorbed. He''s essentiallypressing that long process into two weeks. So far, it seemed to be working.


    Before thepetition, he''s going to defeat the 5th ranker: Yuor Quin.


    Varian didn''t have any doubt in defeating that man and setting new expectations for the public so that they wouldn''t doubt him winning against Robert but¡ª


    "Hehehe! The number 4 is also joining the match." The woman who called herself Aurora locked her fingers behind her back and leaned toward him with a cheerful smile. "Come on! Show them what you got!"


    Varian''s chest heaved up and down for a few breaths before he looked away from her.


    Given her track record, he long expected this. So, he sent a message beforehand to everyone already.


    [1. I fight only one person a day


    2. I do not represent the views of Miss Aurora and vice versa]


    Given that this was an important message, Varian sent it only on thest day. So, Aurora, who wascent with her continous sesses in messing with his affairs, didn''t know her n was thwarted until they reached the arena grounds.


    Unlike the closed door venue, this fight was on a floating floor that extended for a five thousand miles.


    Because of thepetition, some ces were redeveloped. This flying-state arena was one of hte lucky ones.


    The floor was a polished ck material reflected off your image and had a very strong affinity with aura, reducing the intensity of the fights by making both parties weaker.


    To be fair, calling it ''strong affinity with aura'' wouldn''t do it justice. The arena was made from the bones of a Devourer pathwalker. Though that beast died a long time ago, its characterestics of ''devouring'' everything still remained strong.


    As Varian looked at the floor, his own Assimtor power responded with a strong greed, asking him to devour the entire thing and immediately advance.


    Even though he had been fighting opponents he could easily defeat at his full power, Varian went to great lengths to ensure he always fought them in a disadvantageous position.


    He did this to learn more about their powers but more importantly, to put himself under pressure so that he could grow and break the bottlenecks.


    Perhaps he was too fixated on that, the instincts of an ''Assimtor'' which normally shouldn''t have any effect on him caused some substantial change in his mood.


    [Host, don''t even think about it. This is the remains of a rank 9 beast. If you try to devour it with your rank 6 Assimtor path, one of two things will happen.


    One, you''ll explode from the invasion of an aura quality far higher than your own.


    Two, you''ll be infested by the instincts of ''Devourer'' path, your ''Assimtor'' path would breakthrough but it''ll be fully corrupt and would take over your mind. To put it simply, you''ll lose yourself and start devouring everything randomly.]


    Hearing the System''s stern warning, Varian grumbled. ''I can just take a few bites, right? It won''t be harmful then.''


    [¡­It''s not about how much, it''s what you take. Even a tiny bit will be very harmful to your self. You''ll have to endure a great deal of hardship to ovee the issues caused by even a finger-sized chunk.]


    ''Tsk. I thought I could just devour high-rank beast corpses and grow stronger.''


    [If it were that easy, everyone would pick the Devourer path. Why bother working hard with something else?]


    ''Even though your words are a bit irritating, you have a point.''


    [Heh.]


    ''Don''t Heh. If you were a bit more powerful, I wouldn''t have to go through these issues. Heh, System, Heh Heh.''


    [¡­Can you stop being so petty, Host?]


    ''I can''t. I''m sincerely sorry.''


    [What a weird man!]


    Varian cracked his neck and stretched his arms, preparing himself for the battle on the vast but empty arena.


    Contary to what one would expect from a flying arena, this ce was essentially and of vegetation.


    There were special flowers that could extend mortal lifespans by a few centuries, grass that would make even normal rabbits into sovereigns and trees that even the ruling families of some provinces couldn''t afford.


    As the minutes began to pass, a woman soundlessly appeared on the huge stage.


    Yuor Quin.


    In a tight-fitting cktex dress, the woman was looking at her nails with a look of disinterest.


    Varian narrowed his eyes.


    Putting aside her weird dressing style, the woman''s physical featuers stood out. She had a natural golden tiara and a halo on top of her. These were both inborn and specfic to her race ''Pietas''.


    If his memory wasn''t wrong, this race ruled over a prosperous and strong duchy.


    They had humbe beginnings. The ''Pietas'' race evolved from another race when they came across some incredible treasure by ident.


    They were previously space pirates. But after the evolution, they ventured onto a, conquered the natives.


    Because of their racial powers, they had a great edge in ruling others. Unlike a typical space pirate group, they chose not to massacre and instead ruled.


    They quickly developed and turned into a province in a mere two-hundred years. In a thousand years after that, they overthrew their duchy and crowned themselves the rulers.


    It''s one of the few sess cases where a province turned into a duchy. And that''s precisely why they''re so popr.

 Chapter 1371 Miss Calamitys Vicious Tongue

    Chapter 1371 Miss Cmity''s Vicious Tongue


    "¡­Are we going to fight or not?" Varian grumbled.


    Yuor Quin raised her head and nced at Varian with contempt. "Can''t you see? I''m checking my nails. Would your world end if you waited for a few minutes?"


    Varian was speechless at her audacity and turned to the sky for support.


    Miss Cmity who was recording the battle while being seated on a flying carpet she got from who knows where, responded to his call.


    She magnified a hologram that''s showing¡­time?


    Varian quickly grasped her intentions and turned to the Pietasdy. "You''re not only thirty minuteste to the appointment, you''re also dying the duel after being thiste!"


    "Heh." Yuor snorted in response, an arrogant smirk adorning her face.


    Like all Pietas, there was aplex mark on her forehead¡ªa mishmash of various letters of an ancientnguage long forgotten.


    Her light purple skin didn''t diverge her much from that of a human race but her short height of 4 feet definitely created a sense of incongruency.


    Judging an enemy by their height was a terrible mistake that even novices wouldugh at.


    But when Yuor who looked very much like human except her unique skin color and tattooughed at Varian, it was hard for him to ignore it.


    Even though she''s already an adult woman who''s much older than even the post-blink human civilization, Varian felt like a brat wasughing at him.


    It pissed him off. So, he decided to say something mean in return for two reasons. Personal revenge for being ignored and angering her so she would actually start fighting.


    Varian bent down, put his hands on his knees and looked down at Yuor like an adult looking at a child.


    "Little girl, if you are too scared to fight, turn left and jump off this flying arena. Or you can call your mom."


    "Tsk." Yuor Quin merely clicked her tongue and began to check her other hand''s nails.


    Varian turned to Miss Cmity for help again.


    While she was nothing but a trouble maker who was afraid the world wasn''t chaotic enough for the past two weeks, she had a great talent for pissing people off.


    ''Even I should learn from her.''


    Miss Cmity raised her hand and patted her chest, reassuring him that she''d take care of this.


    Varian nodded. All he had to do was wait and watch. This woman would be throwing herself at him in a moment.


    ''No, not like that.''


    Aurora swiped her finger andrge holographic screens popped up in the air. The cameras also shifted to cover both her and Yuor at once.


    "Oi shorty, do you want me to change your diapers?"


    Varian almost choked on his saliva.


    ''What the fuck?''


    "There are rumors that you hang out with only 8-foot men. Why? Is it because you don''t have to kneel?"


    Youra froze for a moment before she raised her eyes and looked at the woman in the air with a murderous expression.


    Then she turned to Varian and gnashed her teeth.


    "So you''re the one who''s spreading those rumors about me, huh? Fucking bastard! I should''ve guessed when you looked at me with those lecherous eyes!"


    Varian''s eyes widened and his jaw dropped.


    ''No! No! Why the hell would I know about your sex history? I didn''t even know you until today!''


    "Telor, don''t give into that bitch''s ckmail! You''re right when you said she''s not even for the streets but for the highways!"


    "¡­But I did not say that." Varian tried to defend himself with a weak voice.


    "And what''s that thing you said in the evening? Ah, yes. The reason she''s the only girl in the top 5 is because¡ª"


    "Shut up, you worthless rag!" Yuora exploded, her eyes were bloodshot and she was breathing fire.


    Varian looked between Aurora and Yuora with a tired expression.


    ''Sarah used to tell me that girls could be very mean to each other but damn! This is something else!''


    "I''ll prove you how wrong you are." Youra''s halo began to shine and a dozen beasts appeared around her in an instant.


    The racial talent of ''Pietas'' race would fully manifest itself when they reached rank 7 in their pre-determined divine path¡ªEnver.


    Powerful low rank 7 and a couple of mid rank 7 auras swept the arena in a blink.


    "I''ve been called many things but never was I humiliated like this and in a broadcast that''s telecasted over the entire academy." A whip appeared in Yuora''s hand and sheshed it against the beasts around her.


    When the whip hit the beasts, the tiara on her glowed and the beast''s calm eyes turned cold.


    A three-headed lion-like creature jumped at Varian without any care for its own life. It was quickly followed by almost a dozen more beasts.


    Varian punched a few beasts, sting them back but was quicky engaged by the rest.


    Before he could take a few more down, the beasts that were supposed to be significantly injured joined the fray, their injuries almost healed.


    ''This is the racial talent, huh.''


    Varian nced at the glowing tiara and halo on Yuora''s head. It seemed like she could augment her ves'' condition as well as heal their injuries. But she could also do a lot more, like directing their attacks and forcibly controlling their movements at a critical moment.


    The strategy to defeat an ''Enver'' was clear. Target the Enver, not her ves.


    Varian kicked the floor and shot forward.


    Realizing his intention, the ves quickly formed a dome around to block him off. Since each of these creatures were at least 20-foot tall and 5-foot wide, they did manage to put him in a created ''box''.


    Watching her ves close off the prison, Yuora let out a breath she was holding.


    For the next ten minutes, there were war cries of the beasts and sound of blood dripping from a man of much smaller stature than them.


    ''His vitality is very weak now. He should be down any mo¡ª''


    Boom!


    A punch sted a fist-sized hole in the wall, by literally sting away the chunk of flesh of the beast holding that wall.


    The other beasts quickly moved to close the gap but by then, a beam of red light sted through the hole and struck Yuora''s tiara and halo.


    As if someone hit the pause button, the beasts froze as their link with Yuora suffered a severe damage.


    Before they could recover, Varian sted out and pped Youra on the back, knocking her out.


    He''s badly injured and had his bones showing, but he won despite everything.


    This unexpected victory set stage for even more expectations for tomorrow''spetion.


    ¡­Just as intended.

 Chapter 1372 Queen Of Shadows

    Chapter 1372 Queen Of Shadows


    Humanity had nothing but awe and respect for the celestial rankers. It was still hard for the people to digest. It hadn''t even been a year when the greatest powerhouses were still Sovereigns.


    Much had changed in just a few months. It was so unreal that some conspiracy theories began to spread. One of the most popr one was that they were all in a matrix, arge scale mental spell that put them into their sweetest dreams.


    It wouldn''t have been a big problem if that was all. Some of these idiots began to try to ''break the matrix'' by doing some crazy stuff.


    Reading some suspicious esoteric stuff, dancing to please the sacred entities, putting themselves through self-abuse to ''wake up''.


    If that was where it ended, it wouldn''t have been so bad. A bunch of cultists picked up a theory from who knows where that they needed to ''sacrifice'' other humans, whom they merely viewed as ''creations of the matrix'' and referred to them as ''NPCs''.


    The security forces would''ve quickly noticed and suppressed this. But the one heading the cult happened to be the mayor of the city.


    So, it was only after Oob woke up from its rejuvenating sleep and did an assional check did the incidente to light.


    "He killed a total of 3300 people, all lured in the name of a gameshow with tonnes of prize money." Security Head of Venus reported with dry lips. "And in those 3300 were 150 teens who didn''t even reach 18¡­"


    The more he spoke, the lower his voice got and the more his shoulders drooped. As if his own self-depreciation wasn''t enough, a powerful pressure began to act on his shoulders.


    By the time he finished the report, Venus'' Security Head was already kneeling.


    "This cult originated in Venus, the you were assigned to, right?" A cold voice sounded in the pce hall.


    Hearing her tone, the officials turned stiff in their seats and began to sweat. The ones rted to Venus had already turned pale.


    "Y-Yes, Your Majesty." The man said.


    "Why didn''t you act when these crazy theories began to propogate?"


    "I-I thought it was just some pranks by bored people¡­"


    A scoff came came from the Queen''s throne.


    "Something that ten million people of your are aware of¡ªeven if it''s a prank, it''s something you should be aware of!


    You''re bestowed with all powers to do one thing¡ªensure safety of the people. This is your, isn''t it? The one where you were born, grew up and fought for. You failed to protect your own people."


    "I-I''m ashamed¡­"


    "If the security guards protecting your family also say they''re ashamed after failing to protect your wife and kids, what will you do?" The Queen''s already cold voice now sounded murderous.


    Everyone in the hall shuddered. Their clothes were already drenched in sweat and their hearts were about to break out of their chest.


    The Security Head was in a worse shape. Blood began to leak out of his lips and nose. His hands began to shiver and a bone-freezing coldness enveloped his entire body.


    "I¡­I will¡­"


    "Yes, what will you do if the security guards failed to protect your wife and kids? Go ahead. State your course of action."


    Seeing the Queen''s insistence, a thought appeared in everyone''s minds. Perhaps she really intended to make it happen.


    It would be a crazy judgement. Collective punishment wasn''t umon in the militaristic society of humans. But doing it to someone as important as a''s security head would definitely be a first.


    If this was something that happened in the pre-Empire era, there would definitely be self-appointed moralists of the world who would jump out and write reports after reports criticising, condemning and even cursing the particr Sovereign.


    A section of historians wouldment the loss of values in the new generation. Some media personnel would shed some tears and generate outrage.


    And a couple universities, especially those run ons whose Sovereigns didn''t have a good rtionship with that particr Sovereign, would hold some talks about why it was so despicable.


    Even Sovereign Irene, who practically dedicated her life to the people of her was criticized for not doing ''enough''. At times, the criticism even went overboard and said it''d have been better if she had no family at all to distract her from all the things.


    All in all, there would be a small but loud section of people from different fields opposing that action and creating outrage.


    But now, even if the Queen really killed not just the Security Head, not just his family, but even his entire group of friends, allies and rtives, not a single word would be raised against her.


    And if it identally happened, both the words and the one who raised them would be erased.


    Even if everyone else banded against her, the Queen could crush them alone. This was very, very different from how the power Sovereigns held.


    Funnily enough, despite this near god-like status, neither of the Queens were actually interested in ruling. They viewed it as a job to fulfill. So, no actual harm befell the people.


    The downside was actually for the guilty. No matter their background, whether their father was the best businessman of Earth or if their mother was a freaking Sovereign, they couldn''t escape punishment from big crimes.


    "Answer, what will you do if your security guard¡ª"


    "I will kill them." The man lowered his head and said in a hoarse voice. "I will kill them brutally."


    The Queen nodded and the man prepared for his death. But what came was not the feeling of his neck sliced off but sharp words ringing in his ears.


    "Your negligence lead to all those deaths. But killing you just like that is notpensation enough. So, you''ll be sent on a suicide mission. If you return after aplishing it, you can have your life back. If not, then you at least died for something."


    "¡­Thank you. And my family¡ª"


    "Nothing will happen. But they will be stripped off their status and will have to adjust to living a less luxurious life. Say your good byes and start your journey." With those words, the Queen of Shadows disappeared.


    A few secondster, her silhouttee manifested near theoids at the outskirts of the sr system.


    "Sia, Sia, you were so cool today!" Boo waved its hands and said with a bright smile.


    "That I am." Sia crossed her arms and nodded.


    "¡­Is narcissism a gic thing? No, maybe it''s a household thing." Boo muttered.


    "I can hear you, little ghost."


    "Ehehe. I will have to open the portal for that guy. Bye!" Boo escaped.


    "You were kinder in your judgement than I expected." Oob appeared a momentter and said as it circled around her.


    Sia shook her head. "I never thought a few conspiracy theories would go this far. It''s the first time. He''s still responsible, but even then, killing him would be a waste. The one who should be subject to cruelty is that mayor."


    Saying so, she raised an eyebrow. "Is everyone witnessing his punishment?"


    Oob froze for a moment before nodding up and down. "Y-Yes. It''s a bit too cruel."


    "Hehe." Sia ced a hand on her cheek and let out a satisfied smile. "Varian will be proud of me. Sarah will be jealous. It''s a great punishment, isn''t it?"


    "Y-Yes¡­" Oob nodded in a timid voice.


    Sia was ''normal'' most of the time. But sometimes, she went into a ''crazy'' mode. Just like now, her face was a bit flushed and her eyes were looking into the distance and there was a big smile on her face.


    ''She''s definitely thinking about him, no, that much is obvious. But she''s definitely thinking something inappropriate. Master once said that Sia muttered about wanting to tie him up in her sleep.''


    Oob also silently slipped away.


    Meanwhile, the Security Head was sent into a portal opened by Boo. It led to distant ces in the gxy, most of which were considered barren and useless for civilization.


    Many before him were sent with the goal to ''explore'' these areas as much as they could. If he hit a few milestones, he could return, probably.


    The goal of this whole mission was to find ces where humanity could shift in case something bad happened.


    It''s a mission that Sarah and Sia decided after Varian left. Without burdening him, they wanted to see if they could solve one of his problems.


    So far, it''s going well.


    But life for one man was definitely not going well.


    The punishment the mayor was suffering was being showcased for free in all major theaters.


    Sia''s punishment was more cruel than just killing or even physically torturing him. Using her powers, she put him through a life-like illusion.


    The mayor would go through 3,300 lives, one for each life he killed.


    Every single life of his would be extremely miserable. In one life, he was sold into a brothel and died after severe violent abuse.


    In another life, he was stranded in an unending desert. He tried his best to live and a fairy promised him there''s water somewhere. When he reached the destination, it all turned out to be a lie. He died in despair and resentment.


    Then the next life, he was eaten by wild ants for ten whole years, wanting to die but forced to stay alive.


    And as his lives progressed, he began to get back the memories of his previous lives and deaths. They began to break him.


    By the time he reached 600th incarnation, his soul crumbled. But as if it was not torture enough, Sia''s power repaired his soul and pushed him on the journey.


    Even the most hardcore believer of the crazy theories shuddered at these punishments that far surpassed anything words could describe.


    From that day, without a single life battle, all the nonsense stopped in the Empire of Humans.

 Chapter 1373 The Innocent Misunderstanding

    Chapter 1373 The Innocent Misunderstanding


    The day ofpetition arrived.


    The venue was, unsurprisingly, a huge mini-world which had forests,kes, mountains and of course, deserts, hot and cold.


    [It''s not a new thing that happens only once in a millenia.]


    The cheerful voice of the host rang in the air, spreading across the audience seated around in a huge stadium.


    There were multiple giant screens floating around in the air, showing them what''s happening in the mini-world.


    There were a total of 120 contestants appearing for thepetition, most of them from third grade.


    The crowd favorite was Prince Robert, younger brother of Rudolph and practically the strongest student despite being only a first-grader.


    But there was a dark horse. One that people were talking about more and more as time passed.


    Telor Xon Navak.


    It wouldn''t be a big thing if a third grade genius won against a first grade genius. But this guy, the one who stayed in the academy for longer than even some faculty members, he''s different.


    "Telor! Telor! Telor!"


    As Varian stepped into the center of the stadium and walked to the glowing silver-red gate, the crowd erupted into cheers.


    Even though he recieved so much support, Varian''s expression was dark.


    "Can you maintain some distance?" He groaned under his breath.


    "Do you hate me that much?" Miss Cmity once again put on a pitiful expression and almost started crying.


    The cameraman, a nasty bastard, took full advantage and recorded this. The crowd quickly came up with their own theories and started booing.


    Varian sighed and jumped into the gate. Covering her mouth to hide her smile, Miss Cmity followed.


    Since they entered almost at the same time, they appeared near each other, on a huge in with purple and green grass.


    [The rules of thepetition are simple. The 120 of you will be reduced to 50. Then, we''ll match you against someone, pulling the number to 25, then to 13, 7 and so on. The match ups will continue until the final winner is decided.]


    "Now you must be thinking, how do I be the lucky guy who gets a free pass from 25. It''s simple, you have to knock down the greatest number of yers in the first phase.]


    Varian''s figure already blurred by the time the host''s words were finished.


    The mini-world, despite being called mini had a surface area a thousand timesrger than earth''s.


    Moreover, their powers were all equally suppressed in this ce through some special means.


    As a result, even if they used their powers without holding back, they would only be able to break a mountain and not the entire mini-world.


    Unlike others, Miss Cmity didn''t try to eliminate anyone. She simply followed Varian and watched on with interest.


    In these two weeks, she discovered that this ''spy'' was much more interesting than she initially thought.


    And she vaguely sensed that Varian''s real strength was a big bizzare. Sometimes, it went even lower than the low rank 7 that Telor was supposed to have. Other times, he could easily beat even a high rank 7.


    There was something odd about him. Something unique she never saw in anyone.


    ''And he still feels familiar¡­why is that?''


    Varian changed too much in too little time. It was impossible for Miss Cmity who saw ''Constantine'' as a mere rank to equate him with this man who certainly got the strength of a rank 7.


    No matter how clever she was, there was no precedent, absolutely none for a rank 4 to reach rank 7 in such a short period.


    The students were absolutely amazed at Telor''s ascent from low rank 7 to mid rank 7 despite it happening on the solid basis of natal treasure.


    And what natal treasure did ''Constantine'' have? None. He''s not even a Prein.


    So, even though she was reading Varian''s life signature, her subconscious filtered out him having any association with ''Constantine''.


    Yet, the familiarity he gave was undeniable.


    Without even intending to, Miss Cmity began a quest to quench her curiousity. And it was no longer for the sake of rxing for her divine rank. She genuinely longed to find out his secrets.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The mini-world seemed to be swept by a coalition of storms all at once asrge spots of destruction appeared in a blink.


    The screens disying the candidates still active in the race quickly fell to 80 and then 70 before experiencing a sharp and sudden fall to 50.


    In the middle of a desert, more than ten students with broken arms and legsid unconscious.


    Prince Robert dusted their filthy blood off his clothes and paused when the corner of his eye saw the numbers on the floating screen in the sky falling from 70 to 50.


    His intuition told him that this guy was going to be hispetitor.


    And that guy¡­was currently sitting in the middle of a fainted student group. Varian was indeed the candidate who took down twenty students at once. It was all thanks to the glowing sword in his hand.


    It released waves of life power that struck the students, reached their brain and knocked them out.


    It sounded simple but it worked only because Varian seemed to have an extremely precise understanding of how the brain and consciousness worked¡ªa domain of soul awakeners.


    "Y-You didn''t tell me you can do that!"


    Sitting on a log of blue wood, Miss Cmity waved her legs andined.


    "¡­Aurora, how old are you by the way?"


    "Eww, it''s rude to ask ady''s age!" She looked at him with contempt, as if she couldn''t believe he was such a person.


    "You''re a rank 7, no? So you lived at least for more than 500 years. Shouldn''t you be more...mature? If anyone sees us, they''ll think I''m baby sitting you." Varian shrugged and walked to the center of the mini-world, whererge translucent stages began to float.


    "What do you know?" Miss Cmity ran after him, almost with vengeance. "90% of the time we stay awake is spent practicing or fighting."


    "Even that 10% makes for 50 years. And mind you, 50 awake years. That''s something only people who are over 75 years old achieve. You don''t even act like a 30-year old, much less a 75."


    "D-Different races mature differently. It''s not my fault!" His words seemed to have poked something sensitive as Miss Cmity began to adamantly defend herself.


    "And what do you mean mature anyway? I am serious about the serious stuff. Why can''t I be carefree when it''s about trivial things? Huh? And are people only mature if they react like a zombie to everything? Like you, Mr. Zombie Face?"


    Varian took a few deep breaths to avoid getting angry.


    "Ah yes, the great mature guy who has trouble with anger management. If I''m immature, what does that make of you, a guy who gets angry at an immature woman?" Miss Cmity continued with a victorious smirk.


    Varian looked at her, shook his head and continued walking.


    "Hey hey hey! What do you mean by that look?"


    And she followed him.


    *** *** *** ***


    [The system will assign opponents to everyone here]


    There were a total of fifty floating stages, one for each candidate, randomly moving in the sky.


    The names began to be disyed quickly and Varian saw his match soon and ordingly, the floating stages connected before expanding, forming a perfect fighting arena for the candidates.


    [Falling out of the arena, being incapicated, dering defeat¡ªany of them will disqualify you. Good luck.]


    Varian cracked his knuckles and prepared himself for his first fight. But the opponent turned out to be a four-foot girl with purple skin and an esoteric tattoo.


    Yuor Quin.


    "¡­Hello?" Varian waved his hand with an awkward expression.


    Yuor looked at him and bit her lip before sitting on the stage and bawling her eyes out. "Wooo! Why? Why does it have to be this bastard?! Aaaa!"


    "¡­"


    Varian rubbed the back of his head in embarrasment.


    He was only mean to her that day because he wanted the audience to see a thrilling fight. But Aurora went overboard with her words.


    And seeing this girl cry, Varian felt like he made a kid cry, even though she''s older than his great great grandma.


    So, he stepped forwards her in a gentle motion and took out something from his pocket.


    "Want a candy? Oh, this is called lolipop. Don''t bite it, lick it and enjoy it."


    Varian said in good will. This worked even for kids who cried like their life dependedon it.


    ''Oops, but she''s not a ki¡ª''


    By the time he realized that, Yuor was already looking at him with a furious gaze and a blushing face.


    What was this man trying to do here? Holding out something like that? She had to lick it? In front of all people?


    This¡­This¡­really¡­


    "Hey, hey, there''s a misunderstanding here." Varian quickly raised his hands. "You don''t have to taste it here, do it at your leisure in your ro¡ª"


    "I''m not licking your thing!" Yuor yelled and then jumped off the stage.


    Her loud words attracted the attention of students on other stages. They all looked at the lolipop in Varian''s hand and then at Yuor who was running away to the exit.


    The guys gave him a thumbs up while the girls either blushed or red at him with contempt.


    Varian looked at the lolipop in his hand with an innocent expression.


    ''Why are you all like this?''


    [Host, you are being corrupted by that rank 9 woman.]


    ''Exactly, System! I am the innocent guy here!''


    [Let''s agree to disagree.]


    ''You traitorous bi¡ª''

 Chapter 1374 Imposter

    Chapter 1374 Imposter


    Now, there were only 50 candidates left. The secondround began soon.


    Varian''s opponent was a familiar guy. It''s the gym maniac Char.


    As soon as their battle was announced, Miss Cmity ignored her opponent and startedughing like a little devil while pointing at Char.


    "Hey ugly, do you think you can win against my handsome friend?"


    Miss Cmity opponent wanted to exploit the situation but she casually swatted her hand and the man was sent flying out without any resistance.


    The musclehead nced at Miss Cmity and his face turned blue and purple. Then, he looked at Varian with aplicated expression before jumping off the stage.


    But not before shrieking like a shrew. "I hope handsome guys like you all just drop dead! And I''m not ugly!"


    "Okay?" Varian muttered with an awkward smile before shing a re at Aurora. "It''s all your fault! That guy now has a big scar!"


    "I''m so sorry¡­" Even though she said those words, her eyes didn''t show the slightest remose.


    When Varian shook his head and turned away, Miss Cmity narrowed her eyes and let out a small sigh.


    ''If a warrior doesn''t have enough mental strength to bear these inconvieniences, how can they ever hope to achieve greatness? Forget divine rank, they would never even touch rank 9.


    Going to the battlefield with wrong aspirations will only get them killed. It''s better to stay alive with wounded pride and scarred memories than to grow overconfident of your abilities and die a worthless death.''


    While others might call it bullying, Miss Cmity believed she was doing these kids a favor. What a warrior needed, besides talent and effort was the right mindset. It had to be trained by putting the students in ufortable situations.


    On the other hand, Varian closed his eyes and reviewed his mission foring so far.


    ''Thepetition will end in a few hours. I can then enter theb. I just have to get into that room, steal those storage devices and escape. In the worst case, I can just jump back into Hortus.''


    It was a great n. But ''Aurora'' was a big variable. Varian began to wonder how he could keep her distracted during the critical period.


    ''It''s the most prizedboratory of the kingdom. So, it''s natural to have living subjects. Someone was bragging about seeing rank 9 beasts, didn''t they?''


    Varian stood still like a statue but his mind began to calcte the consequences for his action and the risks that would increase with each change.


    Miss Cmity frowned and looked at Telor in confusion. Something¡­felt off. Her intuition was telling that this man was thinking something that she''d not like.


    [As the one who knocked out most of thepetitors in first phase¡­Telor Xon Navak gets the pass.]


    Thementator announced in a neutral voice but the pause he took when he read out the candidate''s name was undeniable.


    Telor knocked out 20 opponents, Robert knocked out 18. The next candidate was on 10. So, it was clear that thepetition was going to be between these two.


    The floating arena under Varian moved away from the main area. It''d take a while for the matches to end. So, he decided to kill some time.


    Taking out a beach chair, a barbecue grill along with some nice spices, Varian began to grill meat.


    The aroma quickly spread to the candidates who were in the middle of an intense battle. The sharp contrast of his leisure with their extreme hardship ignited the minds of the students.


    "Your uncle! Don''t you have any manners?"


    "We''re shedding blood, sweat and tears! Why the fuck are you grilling meat?"


    "Cocky bastard!"


    Curses were thrown without impunity.


    Ignoring the pissed off folks, Varian hummed a song and started adding the spices.


    Sia was really worried about his food¡ªthough he didn''t need to eat anymore for survival. But after living like that for 18 years, he couldn''t just give it up. It''s one of the few things that still made him feel normal.


    By the time he expertely followed the procedures taught by his wife and grilled the meat to perfection, the round ended.


    The meat was that of a very powerful <Life Spirit>. So, it took much longer than normal to cook.


    ''If rank 1 or even rank 3 in Body path can eat this, their progress rate will double for at least a month.''


    Varian smacked his lips.


    [The 24 candidates have been assigned their respective opponents. Good luck!]


    Leisurely tasting the delicacy, Varian observed the battles.


    Aurora was the dark horse no one expected. The strength she showed so far would put her only below Prince Robert.


    And Prince Robert, well, he was crushing it. The longest he took to end a match was three moves.


    This round was also over.


    [13 Candidates qualified. Telor Xon Navak gets a pass. The 12 candidates are matched against each other.]


    Varian exhaled and stretched his arms. Leaning back in his recliner chair, h crossed his legs and fell asleep.


    [¡­]


    Outside the mini-world, there were thirteen screens, each dedicated to a candidate. Ironically, the screen that most viewers paid attention to was Varian''s.


    There were manypetitions like this. There were many dark horses. There were many unexpeected twists and turns.


    But.


    Never in the history of the academy did a student make such light of thepetition.


    If even the students who would eventually leave the academy came to that conclusion, the state of the senior teachers could be imagined.


    "Don''t stop me, Dean! I want to p that bastard!"


    "He''s taking this as a joke! A joke!"


    "I''ll expel that bastard right away!"


    Dean Ankh shook his head lightly and the raging staff fell silent. This man was the founder of the academy and had the deepest feelings for the institute. If he didn''t feel offended, it felt a bit too much for them to seethe.


    The old man turned to the female professor seated beside him.


    Despite wearing a professor uniform like everyone else, she stole the spotlight because of her noble temperment. She felt less like a stern professor and more like a royal princess.


    She was his sessor and the old man decided to train her as much as possible while he still could. So, his voice directly sounded in her mind. "What do you think?"


    Catherine pursed her lips and looked at ''Telor'' on the screen with a curious expression before she shifted to ''Aurora''.


    Her voice also sounded in his mind.


    "If she had taken an interest in him, then it means his worth is more than what he showed. Telor changed a lot once returning. Awakening his natal treasure, harnessing its power and jumping a sub-rank. Even the way he dealt with others in conditions of pressure. It''s like apletely new person."


    "Hm."


    Catherine covered her lips and let out an elegant chuckle. "I checked him secretly. He''s not an imposter as I suspected. Rather than a new person, it''s a new personality. He must''ve faced something drastic to undergo such changes. An opportunity, I assume."


    Dean Ankh rubbed his long beard and let out a smallughter.


    "What''s your opinion?" She asked.


    "He''s an imposter."

 Chapter 1375 Faking It

    Chapter 1375 Faking It


    "What?" Catherine''s eyebrows jumped.


    "I could barely notice it. Cmity was sharper than me. Even though I can beat her in a battle, she''s still better than me, huh."


    "Not that, why didn''t you arrest him?"


    The Dean looked at her and shook his head. "If someone can sneak into this academy, he''s either reckless or confident.


    He must be using a treasure for his disguise. An excellent treasure, since only Cmity and I found the truth.


    But he''s also using another treasure. A treasure to hide his age."


    Saying those words, the Dean''s mood turnedplicated. "I did my best to check his age without him noticing. It always came out to be 19. A 19 year old."


    Catherine parted her lips to say something but in the end, she sighed deeply. "So he''s an Empire''s genius, huh."


    "Yes, only they have such treasures. For my power to fail even after so many tries, it must be from a divine ranker." The Dean''s voice was filled with longing and sadness.


    Divine Ranker.


    For every practitioner even half-serious in the journey, it represented the pinnacle of existence.


    Dean Ankh too longed to reach that state when he was young. But as he fought one war after another, he gradually lost his chances.


    Now, even though he could live for a long time as long as he didn''t fight, he saw no chances of reaching the divine rank.


    Under the quiet of the night, when the cold breeze washes over him, the old man would often recall a saying he heard on a thousands of years ago.


    < If you''re not going forward, you''re going backward. >


    "Always remember, If you''re not going forward on the divine path, you''re going backward. If you stop climbing, the wall between you and the divine rank would continue to grow. One day, it''d be so big that even your most hopeful aspirations would fall into despair."


    Hearing his mncholic words, Catherine, who was usually aloof, lowered her head and clenched her fists.


    She was the most dazzling genius of the kingdom until Isadora arrived. After she left, a lot of expectations were pushed onto her shoulders. She tried to carry them but was crushed under their weight.


    It was a bitter lesson but she came to ept that she could not fill Isadora''s shoes. 500 years ago, the woman already reached the peak of rank 9. Even today, she''s still a low rank 9.


    500 years ago, Isadora already fought the Dean and could easily defeat him.


    Today, other than the two other pirs of the kingdom¡ªthe King and Martial Saint¡ªno one could defeat the Dean.


    Even Miss Cmity who was a genius from the Empire couldn''t do it.


    The standards set by Isadora were so high that no one even talked about them anymore.


    Divine Ranker? Not a single person with a functioning brain doubted she could reach the divine rank.


    And what about her?


    Forget others, even she was not very confident.


    Biting her lip, the nobledy looked at the screen once again. Her gaze fell on Telor and a heavy silence filled the air.


    *** *** *** ***


    [Host, even though you make the System have existential crisis sometimes, you''re quite a genius when ites to fooling people.]


    ''That I am.'' Varian smirked, as if it was something he took great pride in.


    [The Dean is keenly watching you.]


    ''That''s why I am running this show.'' Varian pulled out a music recorder and started to y some of his rock favorites.


    Varian wasn''t too surprised when the System informed him that the Dean was spying on him.


    This peak rank 9 mysterious woman popped out of nowhere and was disguising herself as a student. It couldn''t happen without the approval from the higher ups. So, Varian decided to put on a show.


    It''s the only chance he had anyway.


    He''d bluff the dean and act like an ''Empire genius who came to experience the life of the peasants.''


    He picked it up from the little tales Isadora told. When she was touring a, she found a guy whose rank was out of ce with the region.


    When she questioned him, the guy tried to escape. She thrashed him and got her answers.


    There wouldn''t be many of these idiots but there would always be a few scattered throughout the kingdom.


    ''Appear strong when you are weak and weak when you are strong.''


    [Please stop smiling. Everyone is getting scared now.]


    "¡­" Varian opened his eyes reluctantly and noticed that this round too came to an end.


    [7 Candidates for the next round. Telor gets the pass. Along with Telor, 3 students will pass.]


    "Yes! That bastard has to fight in the next match! He can''t hide anymore!"


    "If I fail to beat you, please beat him on my behalf."


    "Same, buddy. Same. Whoever of us wins, let''s thrash him badly."


    Varian was speechless. "Aren''t you guys too petty?"


    ""Shut up!""


    Varian raised his arms. "I tried to be kind. But you brought this onto yourself. I''ll rub the floor with whoever is fighting me in the next round."


    The round ended in an hour, significantly longer than previous rounds.


    [From the 7 candidates, 4 proceed into the semi-finals. The matches are as follows.


    Prince Robert vs Princess Gwalior.


    Telor Xon Navak vs Aurora Von Wissalis]


    A few secondster, Varian stood in front of the mysterious woman with a nk expression.


    "What happened? Aren''t you going to¡­rub the floor me?" Miss Cmity chuckled with an amused expression.


    Varian sighed. "I didn''t think it''d be y¡ªooo!"


    Without any manners, Miss Cmity attacked.


    Varian responded in time and retaliated. Her strength was adjusted to that of a strong mid rank 7, just a bit higher than Varian''s.


    In a few seconds, they exchanged dozens of blows.


    And Miss Cmity confirmed her hypothesis.


    ''Even if it''s his suppressed strength, his moves are getting better and better. The rate of growth is insane! His talent should be as good, no, even better than her. This man is a monster.''


    "I quit."


    Saying so, she jumped off the stage, surprising Varian and everyone else.


    [And the finals:


    Prince Robert vs Telor Xon Navak]

 Chapter 1376 Courting Death

    Chapter 1376 Courting Death


    Prince Robert was a 6''5'''', a lean but muscr man, with a skin tone that resembled sand of a desert.


    Unlike his brother Rudolph who maintained manners and pretended like a good royal son, this man didn''t have any care about his appearance.


    The moment their stages connected, Robert raised his thumb and swiped it across his neck, all the while looking at Varian with a bright smile. "Wash your neck and wait, was it? I will wash my neck today, but with your blood."


    Instead of being offended by those words, Varian tapped his chin and pondered for a few moments before nodding with an appreciative gaze.


    "You know, it''s a good improvization. I will use it if someone uses that warning against me."


    Robert raised an eyebrow.


    Varian pped his hands. "I used to think that by simply existing, you''re wasting atmosphere''s air,''s food and your mom''s pregnancy. But hey, I guess even someone like you has their uses."


    Robert froze for a second before a powerful pressure swept out of him, surpassing what everyone on the stage showed so far.


    "I wanted to just crush you and prove you''re always below, as number 2 or number 50. But congrattions for angering me. Don''t you have that girl with you? I''ll beat you down and do her in front of you." Robert''s eyes were dead serious.


    After this match, he decided to really go for it. He didn''t care about the repcurssions. He wanted to see his bastard in tears with a broken pride.


    At his words, however, Varian nced in a direction, at the floating seatings where the eliminated candidates were sent.


    As expected, Miss Cmity''s cold eyes looked at Robert with a tinge of killing intent.


    The bastard had unknowingly provoked a peak rank 9 and insulted her badly. Even if she''s in disguise, she wasn''t going to tolerate such words.


    However, instead of directly intervening and crushing that bastard, she shouted at Varian. "Crush that bastard! Show him hell!"


    "I changed my mind." Robert shook his head and looked at Varian with a cold smile. "I like older women. Your girlfriend will be a good appetizer. But the main dish will be your mom."


    Varian''s nonchnt expression vanished and his eyes turned cold and indifferent.


    The still air on the floor suddenly began to twist as an intangible but definite killing intent began to pour onto the stage.


    Even the eliminated candidates on the floating seatings who were significantly far away from the stage felt a chill down their spines.


    It was as if they were thrown into an ancient battlefield where billions upon billions of lives were ughtered.


    Thend was littered with corpses, forming mountains. The clouds were raining bones. An ocean of blood began to flood thend, drowning everything. And on top of that tsunami, they saw the back of a man holding a sword.


    He raised his sword and swung it down. The world split into two and everything turned nk.


    The students woke up in cold sweat. Immediately, they covered their arms and began to shiver like mortals who were thrown into ice regions.


    Even the top rankers were significantly affected by the vision they were pulled into. Despite sitting like they''re fine, their hands were shivering.


    Only Miss Cmity faced the vision with a calm expression. But her gaze towards Varian turnedplicated.


    This man didn''t fit into any of the identities who killed billions of beings. Who was he? And why was his killing intent so sharp, like he''d spent centuries on the battlefield?


    Robert''s cocky expression turned solemn and a drop of sweat slowly slid down his forehead, down his nose and finally his chin.


    It was aical sight. But Varian wasn''tughing.


    <Requiem> was already in his hands and his aura began to surge, quickly hitting the peak of mid rank 7.


    Unlike his previous battles where he at least tried to be an underdog, he directly revealed the full strength he''s going to use in this match.


    Even though Robert remained supremely confident of his victory, the way Varian looked at him disturbed his mind.


    The man in front of him didn''t even show any anger as others in his situation would have.


    He just stared at him with an indifferent gaze, as if he was watching a toy that he''s going to dismantle. But there was coldness to that gaze, promising him consequences he would not be able to bear.


    For the first time ever, Robert felt a hint of doubt. And he wondered, if he should not have said that one line.


    [3


    2


    1


    Go!]


    Robert''s muscles twitched and the space in front of him exploded. His fist reached Varian before most of the eliminated students could even notice.


    As a sessful <Devourer>, Robert had already surpassed his equivalent


    .


    Robert had confidence tost a few blows against even a high rank 7 warrior.


    But what greeted him was a two shes of red. A sharp prickling feeling began from the tip of his finger before it spread to his elbow.


    "Arghhh!"


    Before he knew it, he was already screaming. A searing pain assaulted his body, his forearm seemed to pierced by thousands of ice needles. And a foreign force, as hot asva flowed through his body, devouring his life like a hungry beast.


    Due to the momentum, his fist still went toward Varian.


    But as it inches closer and closer to him, the eyes of audience jumped and their breaths nearly stopped for a moment.


    Two thin red lines appeared on Robert''s forearm. They were clean cuts, as if they were drawn from the tip of a sharp scale.


    The skin split open and blood spurted like a fountain. Then, his skin fell off as if it was peeled off.


    "N-No!"


    Robert''s face twisted violently and his body spasmed as an overwhelming pain flooded his brain.


    The Prince red at Varian and decided to kill him in the match, no matter the consequences.


    ''You won''t be able to take my punch!''


    But the onlookers discovered something more horrifying.


    Just like on his skin, there were also two red lines on Robert''s now bare forearm muscles.


    And as the fist was just an inch away from Varian, the muscles fell off powerlessly.


    Robert nearly stumbled due to the change in weight and a horrifying scream left his mouth.


    A terrifying silence filled the audience.


    The fist, now only bones, hit Varian in the chin.


    ¡­And two red lines that were previously not noticable surfaced on the bones.


    Like broken twigs, the bones sliced off along the red lines and fell off.


    Due to the sudden shift of weight, Prince Robert who was already unstable stumbled and knelt of the floor.


    With a pale face, he looked up and saw Varian, looking down at him with cold and indifferent eyes.

 Chapter 1377 Before The Storm

    Chapter 1377 Before The Storm


    "N-No! Please!"


    The Prince stumbled back, his eyes bulging and his breath ragged.


    One blow.


    That was all it took to crush his confidence to smithereens and destroy his pride.


    Robert grew up in a pampering environment since childhood. All the ''challenging'' fights he had until this point were carefully nned by the people behind him.


    Other than those ''challenges'', the people he fought against were always weaker than him.


    It was his first time fighting against an overwhelming enemy.


    Robert still had moves he didn''t use, treasures he didn''t activate, tactics he didn''t apply.


    But it didn''t matter anymore.


    As Varian raised his sword, the Prince felt something inside him die. It was his fire¡ªthe pride of a warrior and the confidence in one''s strength.


    He didn''t want to experience that terrible pain again. Others thought it was just a cut of an arm but only he knew that Varian''s aura was inside his body, wrecking havoc.


    It''s as if he had eaten scorching needles. They were destroying him from the inside. His body was spasming from the overwhelming pain.


    "I-I am sorry! I am sorry for insulting your woman and your mother!" The Prince did the unthinkable and banged his head against the floor.


    This time, most of the audience stood up. There was even more shock now than even when Varian crushed the Prince.


    Robert was the younger brother of Rudolph, the second most likely candidate to be the Crown Prince. How could he bow down to someone like Telor?


    From today, the Prince''s reputation would all but sink. He would have no retainers, no support and no prospects.


    On the other hand, Telor wouldn''t survive once he leaves the academy. Out of respect for the Dean, the forces might not move immediately, but move they would.


    For all intents and purposes, Telor was a dead man.


    Varian looked at the shivering Prince in disgust. He then took out a soft cloth and began wiping the de of his sword.


    "I''m sorry, if I knew he was such a coward, I wouldn''t stain you with his filthy blood." He said in a low voice but it was audible to everyone in the audience.


    Prince Robert couldn''t even refute such humting words and coughed out blood before passing out.


    [Winner: Telor Xon Navak]


    The host announced in a quivering voice.


    Varian exhaled lightly and unknown to the audience, a tightly packaged soul power was nted in Prince Robert, concealed away the power of slivers.


    It''s a time bomb to im the bastard''s soul.


    Even though he''s not a direct enemy, Varian wasn''t so generous to forgive him after taking just a forerarm.


    Putting away his sword, he headed back to his dorm. Miss Cmity looked at Robert with contempt before flying after the imposter.


    *** *** *** ***


    Theboratory was in a synthetic world far away from the Academy. The top 10 students were all taken to a space gate in the academy. Prince Robert, the number 2, wasn''t there, however.


    But no one gossiped about that man''s condition. The so-called strongest of the academy remained silent and meek as they stood in thepany of a dangerous man.


    Well, except for one.


    "You were sooo cool~" Miss Cmity clenched her fists in front of her chest and looked at him like a cheergirl.


    Varian raised an eyebrow.


    He knew she was faking it. But sometimes, her words were genuine. This was one of those rare ones.


    "Do you want to see anything in theb? I heard they have all sorts of cool stuff! Herbs that are a million years old, medicines that can double your lifespan, armors which can hold back even a rank 9''s attack, heck, they even have powerful rank 9 beasts!" The more she spoke, the more excited she seemed.


    Varian looked into her eyes for a moment and then turned around. He had a strong feeling that this woman must''ve guessed something.


    The ''Imposter'' was aiming for the ''Lab''. It wasn''t so difficult to estimate. The timing was just too coincidental.


    The only question, why didn''t she stop him?


    Was she waiting for him to act so she could find what exactly he was after? Or was she trying to do something else?


    Varian''s eyes shifted and he turned to a familiar face in the crowd.


    Number 5 of the group.


    Prince Samatv.


    Since his ''awakening'', this man acted as if they never met.


    Varian thought he''d be after something but strangely, the Prince didn''t do anything out of the norm.


    If it was his normal self, Varian would have investigated the Prince and dug up more information. But with an annoying powerhouse stalking him 24x7, he didn''t have that luxury.


    ''Well, once I get what I want, I don''t care what happens.''


    Adjusting his mind, Varian waited along with others for the teacher responsible for taking them to theb.


    They were already running a few mintutes behind the schedule. No one understood why a teacher of all people would bete.


    A few more minutes passed and a silhouttee brushed past the crowd and stopped in front of the space gate.


    Zara Woz.


    A woman with a long tail andrge wings folded on her back. She was in formal clothes of a ck coat over a white inshirt and a long ck skirt.


    ''But isn''t she a professor? Where is her badge?''


    Not just Varian, even the other students were confused at her attire.


    And more importantly, a department head wasn''t supposed to be assigned for a post like this.


    Varian was just puzzled and didn''t care much. But Prince Samatv felt tense.


    Hoping it wasn''t what he feared to be, he stepped forward with a smile. "Prof Zara, did youe all the way here to wish us good luck? As expected of a department head! If you would, please call the person assigned to lead us into theb. We''re already runningte."


    Veins popped up on Zara Woz''s forehead and she gave one nasty re at the Prince before walking into the space gate.


    "Shut up and follow me."

 Chapter 1378 Her Identity

    Chapter 1378 Her Identity


    Varian prepared himself for the mission as he stepped into the space gate.


    Unlike normal teleportations, the movements through space gate weren''t spntaneous.


    When they stepped in, instead of directly stepping out in the exit, their surroundings seemed to sh white and ck for a moment.


    They were pushed by an invisible force, which pushed them from one end to another.


    "This is theb?"


    As his vision cleared, Varian found himself standing in a world that resembled primitive earth in the era of dinosaurs.


    Because there were actually huge creatures roaming around with imputiny in the forest that stretched endlessly.


    Wouldn''t aboratory that''s the most advanced of the kingdom have a sci-fi feel? Sleek metallic buildings, floating roads, shining robots.


    These were the things he expected. But theboratory was very different from his expectations.


    "Follow me. We don''t have all day." Zara Woz moved her heels and walked on a small rough road made in the middle of the forest.


    Given te presence of a road, it seemed that other people did exist here.


    Some of the curious creatures watched them from the distance as they passed through the forest.


    They were primeival in the sense their bloodlines were the first of their kind. As someone familiar with the life power, Varian could tell that these creatures were what one could call the ''Ancestral'' species.


    Meaning, they didn''t have any predecessor race. They were the first of their kind. Interestingly, their bloodlines could mutate and evolve given proper circumstances, leading to new races that could be very different from their own.


    ''Apes and humans, huh. But I wonder if devas had a hand in our evolution.''


    If he asked Oob, he might find some things. Varian wasn''t a believer of conspiracy theories, but sometimes, he wondered how the hell did humanse from fricking apes?!


    After a few minutes of quick walk, the forest ended and a seemingly endless in of green, blue and purple began.


    In the middle of that in was a hugeplex stretching for tens of thousands of miles. No, it must be evenrger than that.


    Varian calcted that if this thing was ced on Earth''s moon, it''d upy half of the surface area.


    "Seriously?"


    But it was still underwhelming for the students who came here. The buildings were very nd looking and even seemed rusty.


    Was this really the famedboratory or was the academy messing with them, trying to dupe them with an imposter?


    The students had some wild suspicions. But the one with the greatest suspicion was Varian himself.


    He nced at Aurora and his fists clenched.


    ''So she wanted to bring me to a fakeb and get my hopes crushed? Is she expecting me tosh out now?''


    On the other hand, Aurora, the only student who didn''t show any peculiar reaction to the disy of the buildings, gestured to Varian with a bright smile.


    "Can you sense it? There are so many powerful auras inside!"


    The words she innocously were misunderstood by Varian.


    ''So you''re threatening me to surrender myself and not even try escaping?''


    His expression hardened and he calcted his options. Killing a peak rank 9 was beyond his strength but he wondered if he could use the power of slivers and stun her momentarily.


    Then perhaps it''d give him an opportunity to escape using Hortus. As for them trying to track down Hortus, he''d have to quickly erase the traces. It might or might work, but that''s only path that seemed feasible now.


    "They are waiting for you." Zara Woz pursed her lips and her figure shed forward, as if she was never standing in front of them in the first ce.


    The students quickly followed.


    Theplex, though vast, was very in.


    But it''s not so simple.


    There were a few security guards dozing off in front of the entrance. They looked very casual, old men with long beards, bad clothes that showed their terrible fashion sense and an overall sense ofziness.


    They looked like the type of security guards who would continue their sleep even if the apartment they''re guarding gets robbed clean.


    The students thought more or less the same about these people.


    But Varian''s eyebrows twitched.


    [Peak Rank 8]


    [Low Rank 9]


    ''What the fuck? Why do powerhouses always pick jobs like these? Do they want to hide their strength and y the underdog?''


    As expected, Zara Woz frowned at these security guards with utter disgust.


    She hade here long ago with a team and didn''t have to face this. But when she had to do this humiliating job, even these old foggies were doing something like this.


    She took as an insult and raised her hand.


    "Hey, you!" Her sharp voice sounded like thunder.


    But the old men continued to sleep as if they weren''t bothered in the slightest.


    "Old bastard!"


    A whip appeared in Zara''s hand and she attacked without hesitation.


    Aurora leaned in close to Varian and whispered. "That woman doesn''t like to dirty her hands. So, she''s using a whip. Usually, she''s good at spear. What a pretentious chick."


    Varian raised an eyebrow at herment.


    So, Aurora was a faculty at the academy, huh. Or maybe someone like a visiting professor?


    It wouldn''t make sense for her to know such details otherwise. And her opinion of a ''pretentious chick'' wouldn''te without spending some time with that woman.


    At least from what he observed so far, Aurora, despite loving chaos, was good at reading people.


    ''She can''t be a regr faculty.''


    The whole kingdom had just three peak rank 9s. The King, the Martial Saint and the Dean.


    If there''s a fourth peak rank 9, that figure had to be in the army or in the capital. No way the trump card of the kingdom would be wandering around in the academy.


    ''So a visiting faculty¡­''


    Varian''s eyes shed and the thick materials containing information of all members in thest 2,000 years of the academy shed in his mind. Thanks to his soul path, he had a memory that surpassed all normal standards.


    Like the best search engine, his brain quickly narrowed down the candidates fulfilling the critieran of: Visiting faculty + Peak rank 9.


    There was none.


    Pursing his lips, Varian thought a bit more.


    It wouldn''t make sense for a peak rank 9 to visit a kingdom''s academy. But there''s one beside him.


    ''If she''s registered as high rank 9 and became peak rank 9ter on¡­''


    With that changed parameter, three people were filtered.


    [Star Lord Xinjue]


    [Ice Master Yanel]


    [Miss Cmity Aurora]


    "¡­"


    Varian wanted to p himself. Of course, it''s gonna be her. Who else? He felt stupid for not figuring out her identity even though he already saw her once.


    The first two guys were currently in the border areas, fulfilling their roles in the army.


    Only the third candidate was free. She was so free that she appeared in a backwater Duchy and stayed there ying the lord of an auction house!


    ''She''s the type of woman who''d stalk the infiltrator of the academy for fun. I have no doubts about that.''


    Varian''s gaze towards Isadora changed. He was still very wary of her sabotaging his mission.


    But if he had to face the worst case scenario, he had a new card. He could spin a story based on how he saw through her true identity and try securing himself another route of escape.


    While he figured this out after some serious thiking, Zara Woz kept beating the security men.


    But as minutes passed and they stilly there sleeping, even a woman as arrogant as Zara realized something was off.


    There wasn''t a single wound mark on the old men. Heck, even their worn out clothes had no signs of being torn.


    ''Wait, wait, wait, I used my full power but the furniture is still intact. There were no shockwaves, forget earthquakes. I know this world is strengthed but seriously¡­and the building, even though such a destructive power was released arm''s length away from the entrance, there isn''t a single scratch on the walls.''


    Zara''s legs wobbled and she directly knelt. "Please forgive my actions! I am truly sorry!"


    Only then did the old men yawn and open their eyes, as if they were really just sleeping.


    The students opened their mouths in awe and admiration.


    Varian and Miss Cmity nced at each other before they looked at the old men with contempt.


    Was it really appropriate for them to do this at their age? Cheap show offs!


    "Ow, someone beat me so hard. My legs are hurting!" The thinner one groaned.


    "I-I am sorry!" Zara apologized.


    "Show me how sorry you are!" He ced his stick-like legs on the table.


    Biting her lip, the woman started massasing his leg like a maid.


    "Oh, my other leg too!"


    Going a step further, the old guy ced his leg on her shoulder.


    "¡­"


    Zara''s eyes shot up with hatred before she sighed deeply and massaged that leg too.


    Miss Cmity looked at her in contempt. ''When you destroy your mentality like that, there''s no way you can grow strong. It''s not a coincidence you were unable to recover your power.''


    And then she turned to Varian, her eyes gleaming with curiousity. ''But this guy¡­his eyes tell me he already has a n to escape if something goes wrong. Would you look at that? A warrior who dares to esacpe from the clutches of Miss Cmity? Hahahaha!''


    Unaware that his n was already exposed, Varian entered theb with his fellow students an hour after Zara''s ''punishment''.

 Chapter 1379 The Best Laboratory

    Chapter 1379 The Best Laboratory


    "This is the new batch, huh." d in a long purple coat, ck shirt and white trousters, a skinny old woman with goat horns looked at them with a scrutinizing gaze.


    The students felt as if they were not people but specimen to be sliced and studied.


    "Yes, madam." Zara Woz answered in a respectful tone, going as far to bow her head.


    "¡­Err? You''re being so polite, even though I''m just a junior researcher here! " She said with a smile. "Oh, I''m Gera by the way."


    Zara paused and checked the woman''s path.


    Rank 6.


    A mere rank 6!


    The ex-department head clenched her fist behind her back and took a deep breath. Had she fallen so low that she''d now bow to nobodies?


    "Lead the way." Her voice was far less polite.


    "Yes, yes." The old woman turned around and led them in. "Everyone is so busy. So, I''m the one assigned for this job, haha. I''ll give you a tour of the ces here. Of course, the space here is actually expanded. So, unless you nt to spend weeks, it''s impossible to see everything.


    We''ll do a tour for two hours. But if there is an area of interst, you will be allowed to explore it.


    And then we''ll go to the Origin Lab and get you tested to figure out the n most suitable for you that''d increase your divine rank ascension."


    Despite Gera''s casual tone, her words caused the students to gulp their saliva in anticipation.


    Varian wasn''t interested. Why the hell would be so crazy to let someone scan him? If he did, he''d be the test subject.


    Miss Cmity, on the other hand, clicked her tongue. Despite their boastful words, the amount of help this so-calledboratory could give was extremely limited.


    It''d increase the chance of reaching divine rank by 1%-2%. That''s it. But given that divine rank was so difficult to achieve, even that tiny percentage held incredible significance.


    The tour proceeded smoothly for the first hour.


    As Gera said, the space was expanded greatly. In just a few minutes, they crossed thend area that''d equal a dozen earths. And there was no end to be seen.


    The first ce: Aviation Block ¡ª a vast mountain range where creatures of all sorts were either artifically given the ability to fly.


    For example, a feline creature spewedpressed aura out of its tail and managed to gain the ability of flight. For an onlooker, it looked like the cat was a rocket spewing beautiful white gas.


    "This creature is created by an intern student." Gera scratched the cat''s chin and looked at them with a smile. "This is the most basic step. But the more you can manipte a creature, the deeper the changes."


    "The highest changes would be in the Origin, right?" Prince Samatv asked.


    "Yes." Gera responded. "That''s how Hybrids came about. But the downsides are obvious. There are a few experienced researchers who dedicated their lives for working on it. Like everyone in the field, they dream of a perfect hybrid."


    "But isn''t this going on for a looong time?" Miss Cmity interjected with a disinterested expression.


    "It is." Gera sighed. "It was there before I was born, it is there throughout my 1500 year life and I think the research will keep going even after I die."


    "Why bother?" Varian muttered.


    Gera shrugged.


    Thisb participated when the alliance worked hard to build a perfect hybrid. We made big contributions but came out of it.


    And then theb was destroyed by the God Emperor. Since then, even the Alliance didn''t try it for a second time.


    Whatever we are doing here, we''re just a kingdom afterall. It''s a fool''s delusion, but hey, the fellows still working on this project are all too insane to listen to others."


    Varian''s eyes narrowed dangerously.


    Enigma used to tell him that she had a vague idea of where she was born. But it turned out it was where Isadora first lived.


    Even Isadora didn''t know where she was born. She was the perfect hybrid, not a normal human. So, she should have some memories of her birth. But they were nk, as if someone deliberately erased them.


    Hearing the tone of this woman, it seemed like no one knew about the Perfect Hybrid. It''s not public knowledge, sure. But would even theboratory who contributed greatly to the Alliance project not know?


    ''But it''s also reasonable to assume it''s a top secret privy only to a few individuals.''


    Regardless, Varian felt a strongpulsion to learn the truth about his wives'' birth.


    Sia was created by the Alliance. They must''ve paid a big price for her creation. So, it didn''t make any sense for them to just let her go.


    ''The God Emperor attacked. She survived nheless. But why would the divine rankers fail to find herter?''


    Instead of being answered, the questions only piled up.


    Unaware of the turmoil a particr imposter was in, Gera took them to the next block.


    A river with millions upon millions of turqoise colored marbles floating on it.


    Miss Cmity''s face immediately crumpled.


    "This is the 352AX1 river farm. We soak thesepressed embryos in rich visara, err, roughly water that''s infused with the essence of herbs that support regeneration of a creature."


    "Embryos?" A student said with an uncertain and ufortable expression.


    "Yes. They''re taken from the wombs." Gera nodded as if it wasn''t a big deal.


    An awkward silence filled the ce.


    As a few minutes passed, one of the ''marble'' broke and a small humanoid creature came out of it.


    Perhaps the water was special, the humanoid newborn which was only the size of a thumb, didn''t drown. Then, aura flooded its body.


    Like a balloon that''s inted, the baby''s body began to expand. From a finger size to a fist size and finally it reached a forearm size.


    "Oh, looks like aura flow stabi¡ª"


    The baby exploded.


    Varian red at the woman with a chilling gaze before he turned away.


    The students didn''t react too well to that barbaric disy. Even though they knew the kingdom''s bestb wasn''t particrly kind when it came to research, they didn''t think they''d go this far.


    What''s worse, they didn''t think they''d witness such a scene.


    Perhaps for that reason, the students were somewhat disturbed.


    And when they recalled that there millions and millions of such ''marbles'' floating on the river, some of them felt sick in their stomach.


    "Can we move onto the next block already?"


    Prince Samatv, the man who Varian saw as a ruthless maniptor, was surprisingly the man who showed the most emotions.


    The corner of his eyes were watery and his fists were clenched tight. But he didn''t cross the line by yelling at the woman or giving in to his rage.


    He was wise enough to understand that he couldn''t change the situation now. And there were things he must do at all costs.


    Maybe in the not so distant future, he might gain the power and influence to shut down this department.


    "Next block already? But you see, this block''s research is very important for our army. I know you''re disturbed by the sight. In the beginning, I was like you guys as well." Gera said in a casual tone with apletely normal expression.


    If someone only saw her without knowing the situation, they''d think she''s a mature adult teaching kids how to be mentally resilient.


    But this only made the situation all the more weird.


    "I was crying, actually. I even vomitted a lot. But hey, 30 years go by and I got used to it." The old woman shrugged nonchntly.


    But Varian realized something else.


    This woman wasn''t carefree. Her heart was just broken so badly by staying in this ce that she couldn''t even feel any emotion.


    She didn''t get used to it. She entirely lost that emotion of ''kindness'' in the process. So, now, she didn''t feel any repulsion towards the act.


    "So the next block¡­"


    For the next hour, they kept moving from one ce to another. Sometimes on flying animals, sometimes on special vehicles but mostly on their own feet. Everyone here was a strong person after all.


    Not too long after, the tour came to a close.


    In thest block, Gera took them to a giant forest, the kind made Varian feel like he''s in the pre-historic era, when dinosaurs roamed the earth.


    And here, giant, powerful beasts moved freely. They resembled dinosaurs, mammoths and other weird creatures.


    The scary part, however, was that all of these creatures were rank 6 or above. The strongest even reached rank 8.


    "This is a famous zoo that''s broadcasted inst decade''s festival, right?" Prince Samatv, who was silent since the river block asked.


    "Oh yeah! We use these beasts for some tourism as well, haha."


    Prince Samatv smiled politely and said, "I heard there are even rank 9 beasts in theb. Is that really true?"


    "Of course. From the beginner rank 9s to even the strongest. We have them all."She said with pride.


    Prince Samatv asked a few more questions about before thanking her.


    "Alright, follow the map and visit a few ces you like. We''ll meet in an hour at the Conference Hall."


    Prince Samatv and Varian looked at the map with intense gazes before they parted, not knowing their actions would affect each other and everyone else.

 Chapter 1380 X1

    Chapter 1380 X1


    [Archives X4]


    Varian confirmed this was the ce where research rted to ''Prime World'' was stored. It''s only a few minutes from here with his speed.


    But as he dashed to the location, a sense of hesitation creeped into his mind and he stopped.


    [Arhives X1]


    The most important records were stored here. Only three topics actually qualified to be ced inside this super-secured facility.


    [The Perfect Hybrid: Hypotheses of Origins, Slivers and Stability For Existence]


    It was a very pompous im. Even though he had a great connection to the forces of life and its essence, Varian could not imagine creating a being with two origins.


    Any simtion he ran in his mind would end up with the hybrid''s origins copsing, leading the creature into a violent death.


    But from the Hybrids he had encountered so far, he had a basic understanding of their origin structure.


    The jump from two origins to three origins was hard to describe. It''s definitely not as simple as adding one more origin to a hybrid.


    It''s like hoping for an absolute a sizable frictionless surface. Good on paper, but impossible in reality.


    [Prians: Natal Treasures, Eugenics Factor, Distribution Patterns]


    Prians and their innate talent of awakening a ''natal treasure'' puzzled Varian from the start.


    Origin''s affinity towards an Avenue determines which path an individual would awaken in and how fast he would progress in it.


    Then what determines Prian''s natal treasure awakening? Why do only some awaken? And why were some natal treaures far more powerful than others?


    Prians had a very strict society which discriminated people based on their natal treasures.


    Other than strong awakeners, like those of rank 7 and higher, normal Prians were always given less prioritypared to their awakened counterparts. If it was just some distinction, perhaps it could be bearable.


    But ording to Baldur, as long as it''s an unawakened below rank 7, even murder would be given only a light sentence.


    A 30-year service in the army? For Prians who lived centuries, how was that a punishment intended to punish for a murder?


    As such, the current day Prian society, was a highly unequal one where awakened essentially behaved like nobles ruling over the peasants.


    The only way to get out of this hell was to reach rank 7. But even if it''s a kingdom like P, how many could and would reach rank 7?


    Ironically, Prians themselves had gotten used to this way of living. The resistance groups that tried to bring stricterws and a more bnced society were all crushed.


    These days, only one or two might still exist. Or maybe they were culled already and the authorities didn''t even bother to make an announcement.


    And finally¡ª


    [Creation Study: Propositions on the Universe''s Creator, Substantiating Evidence, Unresolved Inquiries, and the Grand Design]


    This sounded the most arrogant of all.


    Assuming the Creator''s existence to be true, how could these guys sitting in abaratory verify his presence? But from the title, it was far from conclusive.


    Maybe like many people, these researchers were also trying to find answers to the question as old as consciousness itself.


    ''So what''s the grand n here? Was it all for fun? Or is this a mission? A movie?'' Like many people his age, Varian also got into an existential crisis.


    But only for a few moments before he threw those thoughts out of his mind and marched ahead.


    Those were the thoughts for old men, he reasoned. As a young man, he should focus on what''s in front of him.


    *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***


    Prince Samatv controlled his lips from curling up as he reached the facility of Alpha Beasts.


    The blocks didn''t even have any guards. It''s not that theb higher ups didn''t care about the security or were too arrogant.


    There really was no need to arrange security for each and every block.


    In the view of theb leaders, a rank 7 or even a rank 8 security was useless. The only useful protection would be from rank 9s.


    But even theb couldn''t recruit so many rank 9s. Most of the current rank 9s were actually rank 8s that were painfully trained by theb''s resources.


    Even then, at least half of the trained left theb for the army. While the leaders didn''t expect all of them to stay loyal, it was a painful reality.


    The ones that remained despite the invitation from the kingdom, army along with a mix of threats and incentivies were all people who were really loyal to theb and believied in its cause.


    In this context, if any ident ured in any block, a rank 9 would only take a very short time¡ªperhaps one minute or less¡ªto respond and resolve the issue.


    Moreover, theb didn''t allow strongers in the first ce. The ones that could enter were elite students and members of the society who knew how to behave.


    This resulted in a situation where there wasn''t a single breach in security for thest 5,000 years.


    Naturally, this created a sense ofcency in the faculty.


    In that situation, there was still a rank 9 guard dozing off in front of this facility''s entrance.


    Even though he was only a low rank 9, if even thecentb kept a guard, the importance of this facility was self-exnatory.


    "Good day, Sir."


    Unlike Zara, Prince Samatv bowed his head with ease and greeted the middle-aged man in security uniform with a polite smile.


    "Hm? Oh! Mm." The old man cracked an eye open and looked at him in surprise before he continued to feign to be in sleep.


    "Thank you for safeguarding this ce. It''s all thanks to your hardwork that I have an opportunity to visit this wonderful ce today."


    Prince Samatv continued to say, his expression perfectly aligned with his words and not a shred of deceit floating in his eyes.


    Because he really meant what he said.


    Without this ce, his n would never work.


    "I''ll see you soon."


    Saying so, the Prince entered the facility withposed steps.

 Chapter 1381 Thief

    Chapter 1381 Thief


    Varian entered [Archives X4] without any hurdle. There wasn''t even a guard in the facility.


    The inside of the block resembled a huge library. There were a total of a hundred columns, containing many, many materials.


    Each of this material represented a great amount of resources and human hours poured in.


    Humanity also had ab like this. His best friend Kyle was one of the researchers working there, studying the cutting-edge concepts.


    Despite not being a very studious guy and definitely not a research-type person, Varian toured theb facilities, including the critical areas were the most secretive materials were stored.


    That''s why, he was dumbfounded after noticing the sheer size of the library as well as the amount of materials stored in it.


    He quickly walked to a bookshelf.


    Without authorization, he, of course, couldn''t take anything.


    Even though it looked like a in old bookshelf in a library, there''s a very powerful formation etched on every single shelf. The moment he tried to touch something, it''d activate and ring the bells.


    Varian paused for a moment and checked the map again.


    "Without opening it, I can still check it out, huh."


    So, he made the prescribed movement with his finger in front of a book. It glowed slightly before a screen popped up in front of him.


    [Reversing All Mortal Diseases: The Perfect Immune System


    Introduction:


    While we chose the term ''Mortal'', it applies for all the awakeners in pre-celestial ranks.


    While diseases aren''tmon for powerful awakeners, any big change in aura weakens the mortals'' immunity and makes them susceptible to diseases, ranging from weak and temporary to dangerous and chronic.


    We discuss the methods that could be used on an embryo, a child and an adult to ovee this problem.


    The first sol¡­]


    It went on for another page, still introducing a lot of stuff but without any actual substance.


    Varian took a few steps back and exhaled deeply. Looking around in the library, where at least 100,000 such materials were faced, aplicated emotion shed in his eyes.


    Only this one library had 1000x more material than humanity''s bestb. Funnily, this was just one of the many archives of theb.


    The total differential might be a million? Or maybe even a billion?


    Varian was able to feel just how vast a kingdom actually was. Its foundations were on a different levelpared to his ''Empire''.


    "But one day, we''ll get there. And we''ll crush you." Instead of being discouraged, Varian muttered with a small smile.


    And then, he quickly walked to the area where the materials regarding [Prime World] was kept.


    [Prime World] was an important topic.


    Technically, it shouldn''t be stored here in the midst of so many other materials. That''s true. But the particr piece he was seraching for was only a part of the whole thing.


    Varian didn''t want to imitiate the process followed by the kingdoms to create his Prime World.


    He just wanted to know how they were doing it so that he could create his own way for the same end result.


    "Let''s see¡­"


    [Prime World: Creation Principles, Challenges and Tactics


    Info:


    A Prime World is not a. It does not revolve around a star. It''s its own world, its own realm¡­]


    After confirming that this was indeed the material he was looking for, Varian took a deep breath.


    His hand reached towards the book.


    As he slowly inched closer, ripples began to appear on the barrier covering the shelf. It was transparent so far, so only now was Varian able to watch it properly.


    This barrier could kill even rank 9s, much less someone like him.


    That''s why theb leaders didn''t even bother to have guards here. They were confident of the security system.


    Even in the worst case that a rank 9 attacked, the barrier would stop the enemy for a few seconds and that would give the rank 9 security guards of theb enough time to respond.


    Despite theircency, the leaders managed to create a doubleyered security system.


    "Even if powerful rank 9s can quickly destroy the barrier, they couldn''t stop it from rming others. So, it''s not a proper theft."


    Varian smiled to himself and got down to work. It wouldn''t have worked if others tried their hardest but he had a simple solution to this apparently unsolvable problem.


    ''I''ll use the slivers to drill a hole but before doing that, I''ll use the sliver powers to substitute themselves in the barrier so that it doesn''t detect any changes.


    It wouldn''t go on forever. But there should be no problem for a few days. By then, I''d already be light years away from this ce.''


    [¡­Are you seriously using this System for a theft, Host?]


    Like a noble youngdy who gifted her prized ''kerchief'' to amoner warrior only to see him use it to blow his nose, the System spoke in equal measures of contempt and astonishment.


    ''After everything I''ve done so far, don''t you think you''re speaking up a little toote for these morals?''


    A ck and white light poured out of Varian''s fingertips, attacking a small section of the barrier relentlessly.


    [It''s not about morals. It''s about using the slivers for such a cheap thing.] The System argued.


    ''Cheap? If you think it''s cheap, then give me the material directly. I will also call it cheap.''


    [¡­]


    ''Got it?''


    [¡­]


    The System sighed in resignation and fell silent.


    The book flew into Varian''s hand and disappeared into his storage ring without any problem.


    Due to the conversation, Varian wasn''t fully focused on the job. So, it took a second more than it should have.


    And instead of being lost in the work, he was also more aware of his surroundings.


    So, he followed his body''s sudden signals and bent down.


    A lound bang shook the silent librarly and a spear grazed his neck.


    Following his instincts, Varian tried to roll away and almost did, but a kick to his back crashed him into the wall, breaking half of his bones with that little contact.


    No doubt, the kick would''ve killed him otherwise.


    Space distorted and Zara Woz, d in a translucent coak, which seemed to be her natal treasure, stepped out with cold eyes.

 Chapter 1382 Zara Woz

    Chapter 1382 Zara Woz


    As he slid down the wall, leaving scarlet imprints on the white surface, Varian put on a scared expression and looked at the woman in confusion. "M-Miss Zara?"


    Zara Woz sneered. Was he really taking her for a fool? A pitiful, scared and confused expression? Did he think reacting like a normal student who''d be attacked by their professor would save his ass?


    "Drop the act."


    The translucent cloak tightened and turned into a ck suit covering her white shirt over ck trousers.


    If only the meter long spear in her hand wasn''t dripping with thick blood, she''d be mistaken for a normal officedy.


    "You and I both know why I''m here. And what''s gonna happen to you." Zara spun the spear and bent it to aim at her student.


    "If you tell me how you breached the library without triggering the rm, I''ll give you an easy death."


    Saying so, she nced at the spot from which Varian stole the book. If she hadn''t witnessed the whole process, she''d have never believed a mere rank 7 like Telor did something even a rank 9 couldn''t.


    "T-That''s¡­" Varian clutched onto his abdomen, trying to stop the bleeding and hesitated.


    A blue light shed and a fist-sized hole drilled through his abdomen. Whatever bleeding he tried to cover up was futile as blood flowed out of this new injury.


    The light then materialized back into a spear in Zara''s hand. "If you think anyone ising to your rescue, stop that afntasy. I sealed off this block. No one would be alerted. Not until you die anyway.


    Spill it. You don''t have a choice and you definitely don''t have a way out."


    Varian had already discovered the so-called barrier that''s blocking off this ce. It was powered by a disc at the entrance of the block, hidden to the naked eye and even perceptions of most powers.


    Even with his diverse powers, he couldn''t spot the treasure on the first try. Thankfully, the value of his paths wasn''t just in their number but also in their intersection, where they added up to something more than the sum of their parts.


    The ovepping perception of space-time paths would qualify as a good example. Individually, while both of these perceptions were good, when fused together¡ªand they fused very well¡ªthey reached the next level in perception.


    As a result, while Zara was threatening him through words and actions, not only did he find the treasure that set up this barrier, he also started sneaking the power of slivers into the treasure.


    He didn''t need a big crack in the barrier, not that he could do it against a treasure that equalled the strength of a rank 8 awakener. Just a little hole was enough. He''d twist that space, get away from this mad woman and leave to Hortus.


    Though the aftermath¡ªerasing the space trails and creating fake trails to confuse the pursuers who''d try to follow him to Hortus¡ªwould be exhausting, it''s the only option he had.


    ''A few more seconds¡­fuck!''


    "Professor, I''m sure we have no grudges. Why are you acting against me?"


    Varian gritted his teeth, not caring about the blood leaking out of his mouth and asked in a seemingly desperate tone.


    "Not answering my question and skipping to somthing else?" Zara''s eyes grew cold but a smile was drawn on her lips.


    Looking at ''Telor'' who was bleeding badly and stood powerless in front of her might, the woman was struggling to climb back to her past glory felt a sense of satisfaction.


    Yes, she''s no longer what she once was. Her path ahead was destroyed by Isadora and even half a millenia wasn''t enough for her to build a road ahead.


    Yes, she had abandoned everything she stood for and sold herself to Prince Robert, all in hopes for a better future.


    ''I don''t have a future. I don''t have any honor. I sold myself for status. But so what? I am still better than you! You''re still a bug under my feet! I can crush you and the likes of you anytime I want!''


    The ego boost acted like a drug and infested her, ballooning the woman''s fragile self-esteem to proportions even beyond superiority.


    In that brief moment, Zara Woz felt that she was a god in her own right, able to control life and death.


    Of course, it wasn''tpletely her own fault. A certain someone was using his soul power to subtly influence the surroundings to induce those type of thoughts in the mind of the broken woman.


    Due to her disposition, the effect was way higher than he anticipated.


    Zara Woz swung her spear again. A ray of blue streaked across the room and Varian''s arm dropped to the floor before blood spurted out with force, like water from a pipe.


    Watching Telor''s face twist in the gruesome pain, she mmed the spear on the ground andughed. But her eyes were mad and her voice on the verge of an implosion.


    "You are the pest who ruined my ns! Because of you, I got fired and got assigned to this ridiculous post! Why the hell do you have to awaken, huh? You shouldn''t known your ces, worthless pest!"


    Zara didn''t even use the spear this time and directly kicked Varian in his chest. Due to the sheer force, his chest bones were pressed inward. Reflexively, he bent forward and vomited blood violently.


    The sight gave the woman so much satisfaction that she startedughing. "Are you sorry? Are you sorry for awakening? Apologize worthless bitch!"


    Varian was pretending to be more injured and helpless than he actually was. With his current strength, he might be able to tackle a few blows but that''d be it. So, he was putting all his focus onto esacping.


    Yet, hearing her curse, he wondered if those words were really directed at him or herself?


    He wanted to leave her to Isadora for revenge. But he was having second thoughts about that n.


    Varian''s eyes began to glow with a dangerous glint and the sliver power that''s infused in the barrier of the shelf began to slowly move.


    "Master Robert hadn''te out of his room after the fight with you! He didn''t even want to see me! Me! I tried to barge in but he kicked me out and called me¡­called a whore!" Zara''s voice began to break.


    "Whore, haha, a fucking whore!" She began tough.


    Anger, disappointment, sadness and helplesness.


    Even though she acted like a gold digger and wanted to climb up using Prince Robert''s status, she could not ept when he called her for what she was.


    It felt like she was left naked on the street. The dirtiest secrets on her were no longer covered. And people were pointing out her vile deeds, cursing her, mocking her andughing at her.


    "I-I¡­I hate you! It''s all because of you! Fuck with your secrets, I don''t care! I''ll torture you to the point I''ll break your mind!"


    Zara took a step forward and raised her spear, aiming straight at Varian''s waist. With her posture, it seemed she wanted to slice his waist and cut his legs off. Then, she''d be able to torture him without any worry of him being able to escape.


    ''This is why you don''t love crazy women!''


    Varian thanked the idiots who went ahead and died, bing great examples for the future generation.


    [A girl who''s so obsessed that she stole your ahem ahem when you were living together.


    A girl who will join you on a suicide mission if she can''t convince you out of it.


    A girl who started falling in love with even though she couldn''t meet you face to face for nearly a decade.


    A girl¡­now this one is a bit tricky. But yeah, she''s definitely not normal.


    Host, you of all people, have no right to say those words. Take them back and apologize!]


    Out of nowhere, the System popped up and began to preach.


    ''Fuck off and Thank You!''


    [W-What?] The System was confused by that weird choice of words.


    Varian waited as Zara scanned him from head to toe, apparently thinking how to exactly slice his waist to inflict maximum pain on him. He could only move when she starts.


    ''Fuck off for calling my girls crazy. Oh and including Isadora in it. But thank you for talking to me earlier. Or I wouldn''t even have noticed her attack. Good case, serious injury. Bad case, incapication.''


    [So you are not a heartless beast, huh.]


    ''I''m not a beast.''


    [You are. On bed.]


    Varian''s lips twitched in half-pride and half-anger at that remark. But he had to make a perfecte back at this annoying system.


    ''Don''t be too envious. Maybe you''ll get the chance one day, if you beg me.''


    [Y-You! Even me?!] The System screamd and then fell silent.


    Varian sighed in relief.Logos wasn''t very ''obedient'' sometimes and needed to be ''refuted'' properly. Else, it''d start preaching like that one rtive who gives endless advice without being asked.


    "Is that sigh an eptance of your future? Then, please, continue, by all means."

 Chapter 1383 Centuries Old Plan

    Chapter 1383 Centuries'' Old n


    In response to Zara''s words, Varian suddenly raised his head and looked into her eyes.


    "Miss Zara Woz." His eyes were determined and his voice was sincere.


    "Don''t bother to beg. You''re not getting any mercy from me." Zara''s spear glowed with a blue light and was now only a moment away from shing Varian''s waist.


    "Comparing you to a whore is an insult." Varian said in a heartfelt tone.


    "I-I¡­"


    Zara''s spear that was about to pierce his waist halted in its path. It grazed his skin and blood already started pouring out. Her expression was shaken and her eyes were trembling violently.


    She was on the verge of crying. Even though she wanted nothing but to torture him and revel in his misery, she couldn''t help it. "S-Say that again."


    "Comparing you to a whore is an insult." Varian said and a small hole formed in the barrier blocking off the area.


    The space around him suddenly distorted and he disappeared before the disturbed Zara. But he left a few words behind.


    "It''s an insult to the whores. I heard you don''t even take any payment."


    "W-Wha¡ª"


    "Wh-What did you just say?"


    It took Zara a moment toe to her senses. It felt like someone smacked the back of her head with a hammer.


    That guy¡­she thought he was supporting her. But that bastard, how dare he? How fucking dare he?!


    "There''s no easy way out for yo¡ª"


    The sliver powers that were infused in the security barrier removed themselves. And the barrier immediately recognized that it was breached. The only person present in the facility was designated as the enemy.


    The security system, which hadn''t been opened since thousands of years, began to run.


    A tremendous pressure of aura fell onto Zara and it alerted the woman of the danger she was thrown into.


    "He did it!"


    Even though she was fuming in anger, she didn''t waste any time. It was her good fortune that this security system wasn''t used for so many years which dyed its activation.


    If she didn''t get out now, she would stay here forever.


    "Yorus!"


    With a thought, the spinning disc¡ªthe treasure blocking off the facility¡ªgave off a brilliant light and pulled Zara out.


    The security systemshed out at thest moment and it grazed her.


    Zara tried to defend herself but the power, even though it''s only a small part, was too much for her.


    As she disappeared, the attack swept the facility. Varian''s arm, blood and bits of flesh all disintegrated at the slightest touch.


    *** *** *** ***


    "An rm? You sure it isn''t a mistake?" An old man moved the pieces on the board and asked in irritation.


    "No, no. I think it''s really the rm. It came from the [Archives X4]." A young man sitting in front of him groaned.


    "But do you even remember how the rm sounds like?" The old man wasn''t convinced.


    "Are you going or not?" The young man mmed the table and the force quickly transmitted to the board.


    The coins were about to be disrupted and disintegrated, but a quick pulse of aura stopped that from happening.


    "You son of a bitch! Yes, I''m going. But you''reing with me!"


    "It doesn''t need two of us!"


    "I can''t leave you with the game, you always cheat!"


    Two rank 9 auras shot out of a secluded ce and raced to the X4 facility.


    Almost at the same time these two old men, even though one of them looked young, rushed to the X4, Prince Samatv was tense.


    He was standing in front of a huge cage, in which a giant elephant, which might as well be asrge as a''s moon was sleeping. Its aura was at least that of a high rank 7.


    In the cages not too far away were a total of six rank 9 beasts, all of different races but of monstrous powers, resting.


    Like most facilities, this ce too had no emergencies for thest few thousand years.


    So, there wasn''t much vignce by theb other than the security mechanism installed on the cages and the rank 9 guardians avable in the premise.


    Unlike Varian, Prince Samatv and the person behind him was preparing for this day since centuries.


    So, the moment he managed to enter theb, he perfectly activated the treasure.


    An invisible bug was working on the cages, quietly destroying the formations engraved on it.


    Another invisible bug was working on the security system, stopping it from raising any rm.


    Each of these cost a fortune.


    Even though she''s a powerful rank 8 warrior and gained a lot influence as the ''mother'' of thete legendary princess, acquiring these bugs¡ªwhich were specifically bred for this very purpose by centuries worth of effort¡ªwas a difficult process.


    If not for Samatv''s repeated assurances, she wouldn''t have lent him these bugs.


    And his confidence wasn''t unfounded.


    A few secondster, the Prince let go of the breath he was holding and walked out of the facility.


    The security guard nodding at him but Samatv didn''t even look back. Once out of sight, he quickly ran away from the facility, like he was fleeing from a mad dog.


    Just secondster, the cages exploded.


    *** *** *** *** ***


    Varian dragged his injured body through the woods, minimizing his aura as much as he could and kept moving deeper and deeper, trying to find an obscure location.


    Inside a Prime World, the space was far more resilient than in normal locations. So, he couldn''t go into Hortus in a snap like outside.


    Though strictly speaking, a ''snap'' was a considerably long time for rank 7 and higher to act.


    And here, it''s gonna even more time. Which meant he had to find the perfect ce to hide his traces while he did the job.


    His arm had regrown and his injuries were mostly healed.


    "Okay, this will do." Varian finally found a good cave suitable for the job.


    But as he was about to start the process, rm bells began to ring throughout theb''s domain.


    [Alert! Alert! Rank 9 beasts are running amock!]


    [Emergency!]


    [Red Emergency!]


    Varian looked at the cave with a reluctant gaze before heading out.


    His destination?


    X1.

 Chapter 1384 Reaching Rank 7

    Chapter 1384 Reaching Rank 7


    Miss Cmity was wandering in a block which was essentially a super garden. The stalk of every flower nt here at least reached the height of her waist. Each flower itself was as big as her face.


    There were beautiful but dangerous butterflies pping their wings, bees buzzing as they collected the precious nectar and a lot more little lifeforms going on with their lives, uninterrupted and unbothered by the presence of an outsider.


    Thest time she came here was more than 600 years ago.


    She was a lot more mischievious back then. Way more wilful. A little too lost in her own world.


    "And I got swallowed by this flower¡­"


    The woman stopped in front of arge flower, whose beautiful pink petals rivalled an adult man''s proportions.


    A small smile appeared on her face before it was reced by a deep mark of sadness.


    "You told me we''de here again. Liar. Liar! You big liar!"


    After throwing a fit, thedy feared by the brightest geniuses of Jai calmed down.


    Like ice melting under the sunlight, her anger, frustration and sadness all disappeared as the practiced smile etched itself on her face again.


    Boom!


    "?!"


    A huge aura spike urred in a particr region.


    ''That''s where that bastard went!''


    Miss Cmity wanted to p herself. She was supposed to keep an eye on him. But due to a fond memory, she didn''t focus for a few minutes.


    Green light shone from her and bit by bit, her body began to disappear, like a painting that was slowly wiped off.


    The next moment, she appeared outside X4.


    She frowned at a disheveled figure who rolled on the ground and coughed out blood.


    ''Zara Woz? Why is she even here?''


    The woman in question hastily checked a spinning disc in her hand and sighed in relief after noticing it was intact.


    But as if fate decided to y with her heartstrings, the disc cracked right away before disintegrating into powder.


    "M-My precious¡­" Zara Woz''s lips trembled and she muttered repeatedly like a mindless zombie.


    Then, she gnashed her teeth and looked in a certain direction.


    Even though she had fallen for his trick, out of pure habit from her career, Zara locked onto the man''s life essence.


    Even though he seemed to have somehow decreased his presence to the minimum, she was still able to get a rough estimate of his location.


    "You son of a bitch! Even if it''s thest thing I''ll do, I''ll make you pay!" Like a shrew outraged, the woman flew off.


    "Seriously¡­"


    Unlike Zara who would need a little more time, Miss Cmity needed just a few seconds to find Varian.


    ''Not here, not there, hm, very close now¡­''


    And just when she was about to discover him, a huge rm bell went off and the emergency warnings began to sound.


    [Emergency Alert! Red Emergency Alert!]


    [The beasts in Z1 facility have broken through. They have already razed Z2, Z3 and Z4 to the ground, releasing all the beasts in these facilities.]


    [Requesting Assistance From All Rank 9s, On and Off Duty]


    [Requesting Assistance From¡­]


    "Tsk."


    Miss Cmity clicked her tongue in frustration. Turning into specks of green light, she disappeared.


    *** *** *** ***


    Unaware that he just averted an encounter with Miss Cmity, Varian zapped out of the forest at a speed that far exceeded a mid rank 7.


    And stopped.


    With a half-charred body, a woman stood in front of him.


    For a moment, Varian couldn''t identify her.


    Half of her face was burnt to the point her skin had long melted away. The power of the attack must''ve been very intense, because that grotesque face wasn''t recovering.


    "¡­Zara?"


    Because of his wives, Varian had extremely high standards. So, even though Zara could seduce Prince Robert, she was just another in face in his radar.


    After their previous encounter, he actually hated that face. But Varian desperately wished that she had that face back.


    This half-burnt, half-flesh face was really¡­ugly.


    "Arghhh!" The woman opened her mouth and roared. Only zombies would find it attracting.


    "Fuck! I need to clean my eyes with acid!"


    Varian''s space power swept the ce and he teleported. The consequences of using that power here was very high but he didn''t have much of a choice now.


    He rushed to the X1 facility using his space powers, but he tried to hide his traces as much as possible.


    The only issue?


    Zara was chasing him like a mad dog.


    She was able to lock onto him using her higher rank and quickly closed the distance.


    By the time Varian was six facilities away, she reached him.


    A spear materialized in her hand and leaving behind a trail of blue starlight, Zara pierced the spear right through Varian''s back.


    ¡­Or that''s how it seemed before ''Varian'' in front of her turned into a puddle of water.


    "Behind you, mam."


    Zara''s spear swept back the moment the first sybel sounded. She was fast and would have struct even a peak rank 7 with ease.


    But facing Varian who slowed the flow of time itself, she could only force herself to put a barrier in thest moment.


    The barrier was barely up when his merciless fist dug hit her back. Zara crashed into the ground, her spine broken and blood spluttering out of the cavity.


    But unlike the attack caused by the security system, this wound was already closing.


    < Paragon Body > sounded like a simple path. A path towards the perfect body.


    That''s it.


    However, it''s a path that gave bnced strengths in all fields. It could fight equally against all the paths.


    That''s why, even though he used multiple paths, sneak attacked, arge hole still formed on Varian''s chest, the edges of the wound shining in blue.


    The powerful aura of Zara infiltrated Varian''s body, trying to destroy him from within.


    It''s the power of a rank 8 awakener. Even if he fused his paths, it''s hard to ovee.


    "Fuck you!"


    But instead of trying to get rid of it, Varian used it to break the bottleneck.


    [Adept Rank 6 ¡ª> Paragon Body Rank 7]


    [Assimtor Rank 6 ¡ª> Death Giant Rank 7]


    A brilliant light shone from Varian''s body, signalling his ascension.


    "Y-You!" Zara who picked herself back up gawked in confusion and horror. "You were a rank 6 this whole time?"


    [Paragon Body Rank 7: 0/10,000


    < The pinnacle of a physical body. The mythical realm that all body builders wet dream of.


    A body that can fight off death, stand against the tearing of space-time fabric, maintain its stability even against the forces of order and chaos.


    Unlike <Life Spirit> which has the power of < Life Essence > or <Life Force Controller > who controls the power of life, a < Paragon Body > is formed by the perfect mix of the two.


    Your body is built of excellent life essence. You would not die even if only a single cell of yours survived.


    Your body hasmand of the life force within yourself. Your body will be able to withstand great harm and quickly roar back to its peak.]


    As the green light faded away, red light started shining from him.


    Zara Woz tried tounch a desperate attack on him but perhaps because of the sheer shock she recieved, she wasn''t even able to do it properly, allowing him to dodge those her spear with ease.


    [Death Giant Rank 7: 0/10,000


    < When an Assimtor takes too much, there coulde a point where it rejects anymore takings.


    If the Paragon Body is a straightline, this is a curve¡ªa curve that could go above or below.


    A Death Giant takes in the death essence and death force for building a perfect body¡ªa body that has the potential to surpass Paragon Body.


    Beware, few seed in surpassing that limit and many destroy themselves in the process.


    As a Death Giant, the battlefield is your heaven.


    It is the path of building a perfect physical body by taking the creatures that already embarked on the path. The more you devour, the better.


    Why reinvent the wheel?]


    Varian found thementary interesting.


    The System really got more and more talkative as his rank increased.


    But more importantly, his power right now seemed to have reached a particr point. The borders of a rank 8.


    Even though he could find and check out his strength, Varian didn''t want to waste any time in that and teleported away before Zara could pull herself together.


    "W-Wait! Who are you? Is that all an illusion? What the hell is happening?" Her screams echoed for hundreds of miles, scaring away beasts and people alike.


    Not giving up even though the situation grew increasingly terrifying, Zara ran after him.


    Varian would''ve liked here to just disappear but that woman wasn''t easy to take down, even though she got a significant injury.


    Soon, he reached the X1pound.


    There was no one around, as expected.


    But interestingly, there were a few security mechanisms that were activated. There were ovepping barriers preventing anyone from sneaking during the chaos.


    ''I guess that''s to be expected. No matter howx they are about security, there should be some backup for the most precious items in case things go wrong. I get that but¡­who the fuck sneaked in before me?''


    The security mechanisms clearly had holes. Someone breached them just seconds ago and must''ve already been rummaging through the precious items.

 Chapter 1385 Hero Complex

    Chapter 1385 Hero Complex


    X1 had just three items.


    While Varian wasn''t much interested in the other two, he would not tolerate someone stealing the materials about Hybrids¡ªnot after all the trouble he went through just to get here.


    The space-time flow around him distorted and in a blink, he breezed through the security mechanisms exploiting the loopholes opened up and entered the facility.


    Unlike X4, this ce was a simple room with only three discs ced in a glowing barrier each.


    A young man with refined features in a blue coat, white shirt and ck cks. Out of all the members here today, only one guy was mad enough toe in the usual academy uniform.


    ''Prince Samatv!''


    The young man swiftly turned his head and his eyes with Varian''s. And they both froze, seeing each other in totally unexpected situations.


    Samatv was initially overjoyed at his ''experiment'' seeding but as ''Telor'' revealed his strength with each match, the Prince grew disturbed.


    It didn''t feel right.


    Of course, he''s risking it all for a future where Prians wouldn''t be discriminated for their natal treasures. In the utopia that Lady Serenthia envisioned, everyone would have a natal treasure.


    This sickening culture of treating non-awakened as inferior beings would end.


    A happy future where his children, awakened or unawakened, could raise their heads high and live with dignity.


    That''s the future he longed for, fought for and was ready to die for.


    But.


    Varian''s strength gave him a new, scary perspective.


    What if¡­it doesn''t just go away?


    What if, instead of discriminating between non-awakened and awakened like now, a Prian society where everyone awakens natal treasures starts discriminating based on the quality of their natal treasures?


    People that he wanted to help¡ªpeople like like Telor, if they got lucky¡ªwould awaken natal treasures that would propel them to the top of the pyramid.


    What''s the guarentee that Telor wouldn''t discrimiate against people with weaker natal treasures?


    ¡­And there was a quiet voice muttering in the corner of his heart. It was an ugly opinion he did not want to think but it kept repeating, like a broken tape, over and over.


    These people ''HE'' helped, they should be grateful to him, helpful to his needs and respectful to his position. But would that still be the case when they''re stronger than him like Telor?


    Since he gave him the pill, not once did Telore and thank him. Heck, the guy didn''t even bother to smile at him in public.


    So, a part of him got thinking.


    ''It''s good to help downtrodden. But only as long as they remain below me. The moment someone tries to be an equal, now that''s crossing a line. A big red line.''


    The noble thoughts, the twisted thoughts, the humane thoughts all twited in his head, causing the Prince to frown in confusion and exhaustion.


    But despite that, he kept his calm and said. "This is mine."


    Varian had already noticed that the Prince was taking the [Prians: Natal Treasures, Eugenics Factor, Distribution Patterns].


    Without any argument, he dashed to the barrier enclosing [The Perfect Hybrid: Hypotheses of Origins, Slivers and Stability For Existence] and started drilling it with his sliver powers.


    Even though he focused on cracking the barrier using the bugs breeded for this exact purpose, Prince Samatv kept an eye on Telor''s actions.


    He didn''t understand what the powering out of the man''s fingertips was. He assumed it to be a ''borrowed'' power from a powerhouse, most likely a rank 9.


    ''¡­Wait!''


    Prince Samatv''s eyes suddenly widened.


    Everything¡­everything was so weird in hindsight.


    There were strong rumors that Telor died. But he returned.


    The man who didn''t awaken his natal treasure for centuries managed to do it in a day after taking an experimental pill which gave highly unstable results so far.


    Moreover, none of the candidates ever awakened in a single day. They took a week at the least. And they were quickly riddled with side affects in the aftermath of an artifical awakening.


    But this bastard, he had no problems at all!


    Researcher Rake said the only reason it could happen was if Telor was already on the threshold of awakening but never found that final push.


    Even if that''s fine, nothing would exin his monstrous ascent from 50th rank to 1st rank in two mere weeks.


    ''He¡­probably has a lot oftent potential, right? A jump in the sub-ranks is not umon.''


    The answer from Researcher Rake wasn''t built on proper reasoning. He was merely trying to work it backwards.


    ''Latent potential or not, the next fastest record is for 4 fucking months. It''s wrong! It''s all wrong!''


    With a cracking sound, the small barrier dispersed and Varian grabbed the storage disc in a swift motion.


    Wasting no time, he turned around to head out so that he could seek a ce for a space jump.


    "Wait!" Samatv''s voice was subdued, as if he was holding down something.


    Varian raised an eyebrow but didn''t turn back.


    He''s lucky the madwoman was taking this long. Perhaps it''s because she couldn''t get into the facility through the loopholes like he did. The reason he could do it with ease was his space-time powers providing him clear guide on how Samatv entered the facility a few seconds ago.


    But it''s best not to underestimate her. She had proven herself crazy enough by trying to assassinate the strongest student of the academy.


    "You aren''t Telor, are you?" Samatv''s voice was shaking. "And you didn''t awaken your natal treasure. It''s all a hoax."


    Varian threw something back with a flick of his fingers and the Prince caught it in his palm.


    Red pill.


    ¡­The same pill that he gave them two weeks ago.


    "Y-You¡­fooled everyone, you fooled me!" Samatv''s eyes turned bloodshot, his face distorting violently. "I took such a big risk because I trusted you! You cheated me!"


    As he stepped forwad with clenched fist, Varian''s figure moved slightly.


    Samatv''s instincts screamed and he reached for his defense treasure. With the sound of metal breaking, the Prince crashed against the floor, forming huge cracks even though the marbles were of high-quality.


    "Get off your moral highhorse. If it was a desperado, he''d have taken that pill and died."


    Varian didn''t bother with him anymore and reached the entrance before he exhaled in frustration.


    With new injuries that seemed to have been caused by the failed attempts in sneaking in all over her body, Zara Woz entered.

 Chapter 1386 Trouble Never Comes Alone

    <h4>Chapter 1386 Trouble Never Comes Alone</h4>


    Coughing blood, Prince Samatv got back onto his feet and looked at the woman who appeared at the entrance in fear.


    But his eyes narrowed as he noticed that she was staring only at Telor. That gaze was filled with so much hatred that the Prince could only wonder how this imposter managed to piss her off so much.


    On the other hand, Zara didn''t care about the injured prince. It was clear that the two fought and had bad blood between them.


    So, she didn''t kill him as she would have otherwise. It was a small thing, but the woman wanted to torture Telor in every possible way. If it meant keeping his enemy alive, she''d be d to do so.


    Varian gave her an irritated look. "It''s not that I don''t want to beat the shit out of you. It''s just that a woman I''m close with already called her dibs on you. Please understand and fuck off."


    Prince Samatv''s jaw dropped. His hatred for the imposter didn''t decrease even a bit but other than that hatred, an emotion called surprise filled his feelings toward this man.


    At his words, Zara''s shoulders trembled before she cackled. While she did that, her nails pierced her face and tore her skin. Fresh blood spilled out and she looked at him with a look that had already gone beyond the realm of sanity.


    "Did anyone tell you? Your tongue is quite poisonous. I wanted to rip it apart before, but now I will let you keep it. The very tongue that mocked me with the most nefarious of insults, I wonder how it sounds as you beg me for mercy, pleading me, and praying me. Ahhh~ I can''t wait!"


    ''This bitch has gone crazy.''


    Varian''s expression crumpled and his fist moved forward. Instead of upping one path, Varian raised Paragon Body and Death Giant.


    It was very weird to activate both of them at once.


    Paragon Body powered by <Life Essence> and <Life Force> was in direct contrast with Death Giant powered by <Death Essence> and <Death Force>.


    The two powers shed against each other violently and Varian''s skin started to turn red and ck.


    His punch that should''ve caught her offguard was invalidated as his speed and strength all crashed.


    On the other hand, Zara was able to respond with a swing of her spear, which neatly cut Varian into two, right across his waist.


    As hey in pieces, Varian couldn''t even think of anything else. He won''t die from this injury. But from the implosion that these two forces might make, he would definitely not survive.


    ''Fuck!''


    He decided to turn off one path and boost only one. But as he was about to do that, something unexpected ured.


    As if responding to a call he could not hear, the soul path broke through the bottleneck.


    A mystical fire began to burn from his soul. A force began to awaken.


    It was there when the first human came into existence.


    It was there when the first creature embarked onto the divine path.


    It was there when creation began.


    The mystical power of soul soared. His soul was now a miraculous fire. It had the power of soul but it also had control of life¡ªand as a living being, it gave him an unfair advantage.


    [Ignis Rank 7: 0/10,000


    If life is but a clump of cells, what even is a soul?


    Instinct is material. Consciousness is not.


    Every sentient life has soul breathed into it. Soul does not exist without life.


    A <Lich> would control people through the power of soul but only the dead. Because he has a major control over soul with some control over death.


    A <Saint> would also control through the power of soul but only the living. Because she has a major control over soul but only minor control over life.


    These two paths are aimed at control. At externalities. To be the leader of an army.


    But the other way is internal. At self-enhancement. To be the perfect soldier and be your own army.


    While all paths might be considered equal in the grand scheme, for an individual in


    specific race, at a specific talent, with a specific need, paths are unequal.


    You are not born in the Mors, Empire of the Dead. You are a living being.


    So, the path of <Anima> would not show its full potential.


    However, <Ignis> is suitable the best fit.


    Even though these paths are the same in the realm of the soul, the affinity they have towards life and death will make their value for a living and Undead different.]


    It was a long, long message.


    The System was audacious enough to give that a fricking essay when he''s cut into two pieces and was about to implode.


    Turns out, Logos was not that dumb.


    Once the power of Ignis activated, the shing forces of life and death came under control in an instant, as if the implosion that was about to set off was just an illusion.


    Varian''s body that was severed down the waist shone with a blue fire and joined back.


    All the injuries on his body disappeared. Forget stabs from the spear, there wasn''t even a scratch on his skin.


    "Y-You!"


    Zara who just took out the torture box was mortified.


    She had kept an eye on him and noticed he wasn''t moving at all. Heck, his aura was so unstable that she worried he might die on the spot. So, before he died, she wanted to torture him in thest moments.


    But what the fuck happened in just an instant?


    "M-Me!" Varian also pointed to himself and stuttered in confusion.


    He was more confused than anyone else. Despite his strength reaching the borders of a rank 8 previously, it did not breach into that territory.


    But when his soul power awakened and controlled the opposite energies, his strength broke into the rank 8 territory.


    He only had three paths in rank 7 so far and they just entered rank 7.


    Even though he had four peak rank 6 paths, the gap between rank 7 and rank 8 was too big for them to bridge.


    So how exactly did three rank 7s and four rank 6s push him to the height of a rank 8?


    ''The four rank 6 paths are only contributing around 10%¡­these three, no, the three of them together are leading to this situation.''


    He''d have to study it properlyter.


    Zara Woz scanned him in confusion, ready to counter any surprise movements while the spear in her hand started to charge for a dangerous attack.


    "Who the fuck are you?" She asked in a tense tone. "You are weird. Your powers are werid. Was it the power of death? Or soul? Or both? No, no. It makes no sense."


    Prince Samatv quietly moved to a corner of the hall and took out a card. A powerful aura began to leak out of it.


    "You traitorous son of a bitch! People like you should be killed to purify this world of filth!"


    With a powerful burst of aura, the phantom of a woman in purple clothes appeared.


    She wasn''t just a rank 8. She was also a familiar face.

 Chapter 1387 Synergy Of Paths

    Chapter 1387 Synergy Of Paths


    The phantom of the middle-aged woman locked onto Varian and Zara with thick killing intent.


    "Duchess Serenthia¡­"


    The insanely furious Zara came to her senses. Like a bucket of cold water was poured on her head, she shuddered.


    The anger towards Varian was kept aside for a moment and an emotion called fear crept onto her face.


    After that war, Zara wanted to climb in her life. That''s why she was very clear on who she could not afford to provoke.


    The mother of the legendary princess was one of them.


    But why¡­


    Why was the phantom of someone liker her in the hands of a student who broke into this facility?


    Zara''s eyes narrowed and then she smiled. "Even if it''s you, targetting the kingdom''sboratory is not something you could walk out of."


    Turning to the Prince she ignored so far, she said. "Samatv, we both have enmity with him. Once this ends, we''ll cover each other''s secret.


    Instead, this man''s corpse would be the body of the imposter who sneaked into the facility and we will be the heroes who stopped him."


    Samatv also came to his senses after using the phantom card. It was supposed to his trump card.


    Varian didn''t even show any killing intent towards him. Looking back, using such a precious treasure to kill that man seemed like an absolute waste.


    But it''s already an irreversible situation. Since he released the phantom, he might as well get the job done.


    The Prince pped a green shell on his chest and a wavy green barrier enveloped him. "We have a deal."


    Zara smiled.


    The phantom and the professor turned to Varian.


    The man in question didn''t want to fight anymore. He wanted to run away.


    The addition of another rank 8, even though she seemed to be only a low rank 8, increased the overall duration of battle by a few seconds. That''s a big, big risk to take.


    If Isadora was in front of him, he''d have cursed on her face. ''Your mamma is so¡ª!''


    Boom!


    Zara''s fist aimed at his abdomen was countered by a kick.


    It was like the collison of two water balloons. Her fist and Varian''s foot both exploded into pieces of blood, flesh and bones.


    The power of death giant acted and they were devoured. Varian''s foot regenerated in a blink as he recieved a boost from his enemy''s vitality.


    But he copsed onto his knees the next second as an invisible force acted inside and tried to strip him off his vitality.


    <Life Force Controller>


    Varian didn''t have the chance to counter the phantom as Zara pounced him with even more vigor.


    The two exchanged thousands of blows in a blink, resulting in blood spilling everywhere and pieces of broken bones flying out in the air.


    The sound barrier was also changed inside a realm like this. Yet, the explosive crahes of bones and flesh colliding rang throughout the facility.


    A group of scientists from a nearby facility who were rushing towards a safety point went pale as they heard the sounds of this monstrous sh.


    "E-Emergency! The beasts somehow managed to get in X1!"


    "X1!"


    Varian couldn''t keep a track of what''s happening outside. All his attention was focused on the warrior in front of him.


    Even though she was injured, Zara''s strength was still above his. Her strength, speed and reaction timing were all higher than his.


    The battle gradually turned against him.


    It was then¡ª


    The phantom''s actions finally reached a tipping point. Varian''s heavily injured arm was affected by the life force and all the vitality in his arm was dried up before he could fight back. As a result, only a dead bone was left of that arm.


    Even the cells in the bone marrow were deprived of their vitality, leaving his right armpletely and utterly dead.


    "Hahaha!"


    Zaraughed in excitement. The match was sealed.


    That''s how it seeemed.


    But shocking everyone, including Varian himself, the ''dead'' arm bones were enveloped in a dark light belonging to the Death Giant. A surge of power filled his veins and the power of Ignis activated next. That surge of power was then used to quickly regenerate a new arm.


    Nows were defied as the process costed aura from both the Death Giant as well as the Ignis paths.


    However,pared to a normal generation, being able to devour parts of self that the enemy destroyed with great difficulty and regenerate from that?


    Now that definitely seemedw-defying.


    "Stop that phantom!" Zara shouted in panic, realizing the unfair advantage her enemy had over being ''dead''.


    "I can''t!" Prince Samatv''s face was filled with panic on top of an evergrowing regret.


    In fact, he could. But that would need him to move out of the defensive barrier protecting him from the aftermath of this dangerous fight and approach the phantom.


    If he tried to move even a millimeter out of the protected zone, that monster would kill him first.


    It was not his fear. It was his conviction.


    Throughout the battle, he watched Varian getting drenched in his own blood and that of his enemies, mostly his own as he kept being suppressed by Zara.


    But he didn''t flinch even once. Instead, his smile grew wider, his eyes grew brighter and he fought and fought, like an immortal champion who would dance on the battlefield until eternity.


    Prince Samatv no longer held any fantasies of killing him. The only thing he wanted to do was exploit a critical moment and escape.


    Zara didn''t know what the coward was thinking but Varian could vaguely sense it through his soul power. And that''s why he decided to end the battle as fast as he could, even if it might result in more injuries.


    Since these two wanted his life, Varian wouldn''t let them get out of here alive or dead¡ªin case they turn into Undead¡ªevery bit of their being would destroyed here.


    A red ded sword appeared in his hand and his power seemed to kick up a notch.


    ''Ah, right.''


    Requiem was a sword built from the powers of Life and Death. And now, he too had these two powers. Perhaps it''s why they began reinforcing each other.


    Zara wasn''t prepared for what came next.


    The one-sided battle remained one-sided. But it was Varian who was dominating the field this time.


    And he didn''t need that long to dismember her.


    As the sound of de slicing through flesh and bone rang in the hall, Prince Samatv realized this was the only chance he''d have and activated a treasure.


    The space around him distorted, ready to teleport him out of this facility in a breath.


    As everything went smoothly, the Prince breathed out a sigh in relief but for some reason, he ended up coughing blood.


    Looking down, his body began to shrivel into a zombie and in mere seconds, only the academy''s uniform remained there. The body inside had disappeared. A swordy in that heap.


    If the Prince was a bit stronger, he''d have noticed that a soul power attacked him and rendered him unable to feel any pain.


    Then, a sword struck him in the pain and destroyed hispletely.


    Sensing that the operator had diedd, the phantom entered a murderous mode where it would kill everything in sight.


    It''d have taken him sometime if he fought the phantom fair and square, but Varian used the power of slivers and applied a ''rule'' to the room with a touch of his soul power.


    < Only beings that can think can move >


    It wouldn''t work for long but the short second where the phantom stopped was more than enough for him.


    With a swing of his sword, the phantom disintegrated.


    Varian approached the dismembered Zara Woz and struck her in the head. Waves after waves of soul power crashed her mind and the woman''s eyes rolled back and turned dull.


    It wasn''t a normal fainting. For at least a few hours, she''d be experiencing horrific nightmares.


    He didn''t know what they were. But he did know they were the ones that hurt the most. And that''s enough.


    Varian then began to cough out blood and his body began to spasm, as if he was having fits.


    Not only did he forcibly suppress his injuries, h eused more strength than he could manage. This was the direct bacsh.


    ''F-Fuck!''


    Without a second thought, he urged his connection to Hortus and the space around him began to distort.


    From the corner of his eye, he noticed a storage disc on top of the Prince''s clothes.


    "Urgh,"


    With a wave of his finger, the precious item flew into his storage ring.


    A few secondster, he disappeared.

 Chapter 1388 Beast Riot

    Chapter 1388 Beast Riot


    Prince Samatv unleashed far more chaos than he nned.


    It wasn''t his original intention. But the initial beasts he released broke the chains of other beasts and one of these beasts happened to be recently caught¡ªmeaning, it wasn''t domesticated enough to have its mind nearly broken down to its basic insticts.


    So, this sane beast turned into amander and used the more powerful beasts toy down a trap.


    Even though they weren''t as clever as a normal humanoid race, any creature that reached rank 9 or even rank 8 for that matter would not be devoid of basic intelligence.


    Their high rank ensured long lives. So, even if a beast was really dumb at learning things, it''d eventually grow very wise.


    So, the challenge that confronted the guardians of theboratory wasn''t a horde of mindless beasts as they initially judged.


    It was an army of beasts led by a mastermind.


    The powerful beasts were concentrated into a special facility¡ªa forest where only poisonous vegetation grew.


    If fully mature, some of the species growing would be dangerous even for a rank 9 warrior.


    And the mastermind beast just so happened to be a creature whose racial talent lied in poisons¡ªa four-eyed giant purple frog, a species that originated in a star system that''s said to be filled with poisonous gases across the year.


    Imagining a frog croaking orders could''ve been funny if only if it wasn''t as big as a ten-storey house without the red poisonous sacs growing across its spine.


    As it estimated, the guardians sted away the rank 8 beasts that were causing a mess nearby and pierced through any obstructions to reach the most concentrated center of beasts.


    There were too many beasts going around. And the guardians didn''t want to kill the beasts and let the precious living sample go to waste.


    They fought without the intent to kill.


    It was a mistake.


    In fact, it did work initially as the guardians thought. No matter how bad the situation, they had a higherprehensive power over the beasts.


    It''s not that the guardians were all abnormally strong. No. If they had such concentration of power, the kingdom would''ve been wary and transferred them to the border.


    It''s the beasts that were weakened.


    As ''living samples'', they had to put through some very harsh situations. So, despite outnumbering the guardians 3 to 1, the beasts saw themselves faced with a harsh defeat.


    "Give up and go back to your cages. Support from the academy will be here soon. Your n failed." An old man took a step forward and said. "And you won''t have a second chance."


    The beasts grunted and roared. Even though they were in a very bad mental state due to being centuries of ''domestication'', they still had basic cognizance. That''s why they were able to follow the instructions of the mastermind beast in the first ce.


    "Cages?" The gigantic, monstrous creatures parted and the only humanoid ''beast''¡ªa beast-headed creature with fur covered humanoid body¡ªstepped forward.


    The beast''s six eyes shone with a brilliant glow and he raised his hands.


    "Orcs are not ves!"


    The demoralized beasts cheered.


    "Ehhh!"


    "Arghh!"


    "Graaarr!"


    Even though the Genesis Empire as a whole didn''t hold such thoughts, P Kingdom had a very strict heirachy, perhaps a reflection of their own race''s social structure.


    In the view of P kingdom''s residents, elite or not, the non-humanoid beasts belonged to the bottom of the heirarchy.


    Even though they were sentient, they were viewed as pets and game, to be raised and ughtered at will.


    The beasts hated the kingdom to their core.


    So, even if they might die, they wanted to fight violently.


    And thus, the battle got heated.


    Instead of dropping their morale, the beasts grew more courageous with each passing second. As a result, the dynamics of the battle began to tilt.


    The guardians realized that there was no way to capture these beasts. They were far too gone in their hatred.


    The only choice¡ª


    "Kill!"


    The ground exploded and the sky cracked.


    Powerful aura shockwaves wrecked the forest into pieces, leaving only a few dozen trees standing in thend area of ten earths.


    And when that happened, a giant frog was also seen standing on top of a tree.


    "You!"


    "Toote, gruk!"


    With a beastly roar, the frog released its powers on the dangerous poisonous trees.


    A light glowed under the trees, mystical lines were drawn in air and ground, connecting one tree to another, creating not just a dangerous formation but also a beautiful one.


    "Is this really a frog?"


    "Beasts are supposed to be dumb!"


    "That''s another race in disguise!"


    The screams of the guardians were met with the activation of the formation. Poisonous clouds condensed from the trees which quickly shriveled and out of these clouds came arrows which specifically targetted the non-beast warriors.


    Splitting the air and cracking the space, the arrows raced for the guardians.


    Like the inevitability of fate, the arrows went after the guardians even when they desperately tried to avoid them.


    Except for a few arrows that were neutralized, most of them struck the guardians. The effects were visible the very next moment.


    The guardians fell from the sky and before they even crashed to the ground, they began to cough out blood. And it wasn''t their normal blood either. A bitter, heavy and pungent blood.


    "Give up and Surrender, was it?"


    The frog jumped what seemed like a-hopping distance andnded in front of the guardians.


    "Now you will give up and surrender. The cages you locked me in, you''ll be locked in the same cages.


    The torture I went through, the medical tests, the preliminary drugs, you''ll get them all too. Funny, isn''t it? How the tables have turned so far."


    Listening to the chilling words of the beast in a deep voice, the guardians shuddered.


    Some of them tried to stand up and fight while the others rummaged through their vast memory to see if they had any treasure to escape this mess.


    "Come on, get on your four limbs and start barking. Hahahahaha!"


    The creatures also began to roar in joy.


    One of the guardian eventually broke down and crawled forward.


    "Now bark!"


    "Wuw, bwaww~"


    That was a new guy who was recently recruited into theb. He was''t trained here. Nor did he have any deep bonds with this ce. So, he saw no issue cing his life over everything. If everything in thisb needed to be burnt for him to remain safe, so be it.


    Except for him, the rest of the seniors steeled their eyes and decided to pour everything they had to kill this one beast.


    The beasts would still be around but without their mastermind making the ns, their reckless acts of destruction would allow the researchers to send away the precious research material.


    And so, they tried to fight back.


    The mastermind frog obviously didn''t like their stance and opened its mouth, ready to drown them in its poison.


    But as it did, a heavy pressure fell on the creature and every single beast in the field.


    Unable to put up even the slightest of resistance, the beasts crashed to the ground as if they were all flies swatted to the floor.


    With a dissatisfied expression, Miss Cmity appeared above the battlefield.

 Chapter 1389 No Way!

    Chapter 1389 No Way!


    Feeling the aura oozing out of her, the body of every creature, humanoid or beast, trembled from the deepest of instincts.


    With a snap of her fingers, the dangerous poison that would trouble most rank 9s popped like a soap bubble.


    This dumbfounded not only the beasts but also the guardians.


    Such strength was possessed by only a few people. And this woman...she stood at the pinnacle of rank 9! Why did shee here today?Did the stars bless them with fortune in their misfortune?


    Ignoring them, Miss Cmity turned to the beasts and said in a hurried and blunt tone. "Get back to your choices. Or I''ll beat you back."


    It was if the dozens of powerful beasts meant nothing to her. And that she alone was enough to beat them.


    But if she could so casually neutralize that poison¡­


    The mastermind frog struggled to open its mouth under her overwhelming presence.


    However, it was the beast-shaped creature that opened its mouth. "O-Orcs are never ves!"


    Miss Cmity eyes narrowed and she swiped her finger in the air. A wisp of aura floated from the beast and entered a spinning crystal that suddenly appeared in front of her.


    Once the aura entered, arge screen appeared in front of her.


    [Revas Ilionar


    Sentencted to death for assting and killing his blood mother, brother''s wife and own daughter.


    But the mistake he made was trying to drug and force an Empire''s envoy, unaware of her true identity.


    He tried to buy his way out with his rank 9 status but it didn''t work.]


    With each of her word, the beast-headed creature''s face turned purple and ck before it mmed itself against the ground.


    The gazes of the beasts looking at it changed.


    Miss Cmity then turned to the mastermind frog.


    [Ohiku Yoft


    Betrayed his ownrades on the battlefield and used them as shields to survive a dangerous battle.


    Then, he yed it out as a heroic struggle, describing himself as a leader who watched his team die despite his best efforts.


    He exploited the fame and enjoyed a happy life of 1,000 years. When the truth was exposed, he was sentenced to execution.]


    The Frog''s huge body began to tremble.


    Miss Cmity nced at the creature with disgust and then nced at the remaining beasts. "Should I go on?"


    Instinctively, the beasts all took a step backward.


    "The Empire isn''t dumb to waste military power such as rank 9s in theb of a kingdom.


    How the P kingdom views you is none of its issue. But wasting rank 9s is.


    The reason you weren''t executed right away and were sold to this ce means it is approved by the Empire.


    Yes, everyone of you here recieved a death penalty because youmitted heinous crimes. Crimes so heinous that even your rank 9 value cannot save you.


    So, stop pretending to be innocents and fuck off to your cages. Or I''ll break you piece by piece and put you together back in the cave. Your call."


    The morale of the beasts¡ªtheir reason for taking the risk and going against adversity¡ªvanished.


    As they looked at each other once again, the beasts no longer saw rades'' but creatures there equally or more hideous than themselves. A sense of disgust rose from the bottom of their hearts.


    The beast-headed creature slowly stood up and began to walk back to his locked up facility.


    "Crawl!"


    Miss Cmity''s thunderous voice rang in his ear and before he knew it, he was, indeed crawling.


    Following him, most of the beasts began to slowly crawl forward.


    A few resisted with defiant eyes.


    "I couldn''t care less about these stupidws! Why should rank 9s like us be subject to thews of these puny beings?" One of them roared.


    "Puny, you say." Miss Cmity''s lips curled into a cold smile. "To the Empire, you aren''t significantly different from a rank 1. You are all puny. This is thew of the empire. If you really believe you have what it takes to opposite the empire, be my guest."


    A dreadful silence filled the air. Then, sighs of resignation and despair were released. With the final straw of their hopes crushed, all the beasts returned to their cages.


    Miss Cmity maintained her presence until the guardians recovered to a certain degree.


    "Thank you so much!"


    "We didn''t know you came here in disguise! Forgive us for not treating you with proper respect."


    "Could your highness allow us the honor to properly host you in our humbeboratory?"


    Facing the unceasing tteries of the old men and women, Miss Cmity frowned in displeasure. "If only you guys weren''t so useless, I wouldn''t have wasted this long here!"


    Before they could reply to her words, she disappeared in front of their eyes and appeared above the X1 facility.


    This was the ce where the recent aura fluctuations came from. One of the aura belonged to Zara Woz.


    And the other Telor but it was more unrestrainedpared to the usual times, as if he was using his full strength.


    She effortlessly broke the restrictions and went in.


    Except for an academy uniform, there was nothing rted to people here!


    Zara Woz, Samatv and that mysterious man¡ªall disappeared!


    "Wait a minute¡­"


    Miss Cmity clenched her fists as she realized that two of the three storage discs¡ªthe pinnacle materials of theb¡ªwere missing.


    Before she could give it some thought, bits of aura that was identally caught up in between barriers of the security system caught her eye.


    She broke it with in hands and noticed the aura once again. That man''s aura in its most unrestrained form.


    Miss Cmity thought long and hard about where she encountered this aura. As she rummaged through all the auras she encountered in thest 100 years for the third time.


    And suddenly, a name struck her.


    It was purely idental as she was just going through the name of every person she knew in the century.


    But once the name appeared¡ª


    "No way¡­"


    Her eyes widened.


    "C-Constantine!"

 Chapter 1390 Lifes Answer

    Chapter 1390 Life''s Answer


    Unaware that he had just escaped an undesirable encounter with a very, very annoying woman, Varian raced through the cracks of space.


    Theboratory had a trick up their sleeve he did not anticipate.


    They didn''t just strengthen the space to make sure that space awakeners from the Jai Empire couldn''t teleport away easily.


    No.


    For the strong or sneaky space warriors who might manage to escape the space restrictions, they put another trap.


    "Your mom!"


    A curse rang somewhere in the boundless gray inner space.


    The space storms continued unabated in some regions whilerge rocks floated around at mind boggling speeds.


    Space, as he learned long ago, wasn''t t. It''s like an onion. There wereyers to it. Another simple way of looking at it was that each spaceyer was a realm in and of itself.


    The outer space was the so-called world that most people live in. But the inner space too was a world in and of itself.


    Even though there was always a constant pressure by space force, pushing everything outward, many things managed to exist in this realm.


    And that included¡ª


    "Rooooar!"


    An ash-skinned creature that resembled the fusion of a bat and a dragon effortlessly moved between two space tornados, each of which was producing enough pressure to tear apart a rank 7 in an instant.


    The U-shaped head of the creature had no eyes or mouth. Even the auraing out of its body was nearly integrated into the rich aura that''s moving from the inner space towards the outer space.


    If it just curled up, its body would seem like a smoothly cut boulder, perfect for a nap in the wilderness.


    So when Varian identally jumped on the sleeping beast to take a nap, chaos ensued.


    "You don''t even have a mouth! How will you eat me? No, wait, you don''t have a mouth, so how are you even roaring?"


    Varian ran his mouth off even as his body jumped from one huge rock to another.


    This time, he was super cautious and scanned each rock before jumping onto it. One of this rank 8 creatureing after him was enough. He didn''t need more.


    "Those sinister old men!"


    When he appeared in the inner space, Varian thought he''d appear in Hortus in a few more seconds.


    But a treasure from theboratory activated and messed up the entire thing, throwing him into a distant region.


    If it was someone else, they''d have ended a few billion miles even further in. If the patterns from the journey applied, then that region was filled with rank 9 beasts or possibly higher.


    He managed to end here only because he used the power of slivers and twisted the external force in thest moment.


    After all that hardwork, he wanted a small break. And that''s why he jumped onto that creature cosying as a smooth rock.


    The beast pped its bat-like wings.


    Gray chains were created by strengthening space and they locked around his arms and legs, instantly locking him in ce.


    Then, the space around Varian began to break apart. Unlike normal space cracks, these had a tinge of blue in them. The same blue that was on esoteric patterns of the creature.


    His skin cracked like an eggshell and blood was sucked into those space cracks. Varian struggled to move but the hold was too much.


    The creature seemed to relish the process as it slowed down.


    Even though there was no expression on its in face without any eyes, nose, mouth or ears, Varian''s soul power sensed the feelings of this creature.


    It was smug.


    And it was telling him¡ª


    [Your blood is delicious! Delicious indeed! So nutritious! I''ll keep you alive and feed on you until you copse.]


    He did feel his blood inside that creature''s belly.


    It seemed like due to this very hostile environment, these creatures closed up all natural openings into their bodies. That meant no eyes, nose, mouth or ears. However, they used the power of space to create that link.


    It was a facsinating discovery. If Varian was a researcher into evolution, he''d have stayed there for at least a year to study this remarkable creature which was the living example of life''s answer to adversities¡ªevolution.


    But he was not.


    Using his soul power, hemunicated with the creature.


    ''Did your parents abandon you?''


    [Huh? What?] The beast seemed enraged as evidenced by the sudden space des that sliced into his body and cut his flesh.


    ''If they didn''t, they would have told you¡ªdon''t eat the food a stranger offers.''


    [The hell are you trying to s¡ªarghhh!]


    The apparently aura-rich blood in the creature''s belly spewed out a tremendous power of death and eroded the vulnerable insides of the creature.


    The prime reason this species even evolved a fully closed body was to protect its insides¡ªwhich meant they were vulnerable.


    And thanks to this sessful evolution, the species never had to content with dangers inside their body. So, the internal defense was decreasing with every generation.


    By now, it was ridiculously low.


    [Arghh¡ªStop, stop, I beg you! I know the remains of some hu¡ªguh!]


    The power of death ate up the creature from the inside, breaking through its chaotic aura defenses before it finally reached its head.


    The power of soul hidden inside the blood erupted at once, attacking the creature at its most vunlerable ce at point-nk range.


    The creature''s agonizing screams stopped and its body stiffened. Then it spasmed violently for a few moments before halting all together.


    Varian raised his palm over the creature''s head and his sizzling blood returned back along with some of the creature''s aura.


    And before he knew it, there was a click.


    [Space Rank 7: 0/10,000


    Space seems endless. But ''Endless'' is not unessable with the right power. For the proficient, space is small.


    The answer to the past and the future both lie in space.]


    He didn''t understand the System''s cryptic message before he let out an exmation.

 Chapter 1391 Polite Man

    Chapter 1391 Polite Man


    [Time Rank 7: 0/10,000


    Looking at present is no longer enough. Look into their past. Peer into their future. It''s a realm that even divine rankers struggle with.


    Looking into future by superceding time''s natural flow is far more difficult than looking into the past.


    Yet, few even manage to uncover the past.


    The history of the universe is a veryplicated affair.


    Some say truth would one day surface but many times it was buried beyond any chance of discovery.


    The more truths one learns about the Universe, the more they''ll realize their utter insignificance.


    This is a chess board. And everyone is a pawn of the grand game.


    In the distant past, some have vaguelly touched great realms, learned great secrets and fell into despair.


    These were men and women who stood at the top of the creation, ruled it with an iron fist.


    It was so long ago that even their stories are lost. But their traces remain.


    There is wisdom in the saying that ''Ignorance Is Bliss''.


    But today, a man has know the truth and is not despaired by it. He wants to do something about it.


    And he''s the one whose grip on the power of time had reached the greatest heights for any living creature.]


    Even though the System spoke slowly, there was a hint of caution in its voice. It''s like Logos was whispering a secret to him it wasn''t supposed to say and was nervous about being caught.


    Varian''s expression turned grim. Even the System was refraining from mentioning him directly. If that''s not a big deal, he didn''t know what was.


    ''For the sake of sanity, I''m not gonna touch that topic. What the fuck will a rank 7 count in front of a divine ranker anyway?''


    Turning around, Varian ran his fingers over the creature''s back. "So damn smooth! This is luxury sofa material."


    He called onto Hortus again and the connection was slowly being established.


    Realizing it''d take a while to get back home, Varian decided to kill some time.


    Using the bones of the beast, its ultra-smooth yet resilient skin and some other materials in his ring, he built a few things.


    A chair for Enigma to do her reading, creating a scenary straight out of a painting.


    A beanbag chair for Sia toy on andin about why elves are bad but sirens are worse and why they both deserve regr beatings.


    A tough sword with a smooth handle for Sarah.


    And¡ª


    "Huh? The skin is almost over?"


    Varian looked at the few handfuls of skin in frustration.


    "Oh, wait, I know."


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    An amused stare, two pissed off stares and one murderous stare.


    That was the reception Varian recieved upon returning home and giving the gift.


    "Oh, don''t worry. I made something for all of you. I just gave Isadora''s to her first." Thinking that they were angry for not being gifted, Varian said with a smile.


    But the resentful stares of his wives continued.


    Sia seemed like she''d bite his shoulder. Sarah had already took out her sword. Enigma, on the other hand, sat down with a popcorn, enjoying the show.


    "What is this?" Isadora''s voice was cold and angry. The ''gift'' in her hands shook due to the force she applied but it didn''t break.


    "What do you mean what? Can''t you see?" Varian shot back.


    "Who gifts a woman you aren''t even close with a bra and panty? Are you crazy?" Isadora waved the gray underwear with an angry face.


    "You wear underwear, right?"


    "¡­What?"


    "Or are you going fullmando?"


    "Of course not!"


    "Then what''s the problem?"


    "¡­I always rejected even flowers sent by men. Do you think I''ll ept something like this?" Isadora crossed her arms.


    To be fair, she didn''t intend to me him or anything. That''s the problem. If it was someone else, she''d have pped that bastard to hell.


    But other than some embarassment and a little anger, she didn''t feel much resentment toward this man for the gift he brought.


    That scared her. So, she tried to change the situation.


    Varian raised an eyebrow. Isadora snorted and looked at him with a cool gaze.


    Grunting in frustration, he stretched his hand toward the gift. "Great, give them back. I''ll shrink the size a bit and they''ll look good on any of my wives."


    Isadora immediately pulled her hand back and hid the gift behind.


    "Now what?"


    "Are you calling me fat?"


    Feeling two stinging gazes, Varian answered with a straight expression.


    "No. Sarah and Sia are 19 and look 19. Enigma looks 20. And you look 23 or 24. Everyone is perfect for their age."


    Isadora fell silent for a moment.


    ''No, no. Don''t talk so reasonably. I should not ept such a gift! I should hate such things. Yes!''


    After a brief moment, Isadora parted her lips. "¡­Did you just call me old?"


    Varian snapped.


    "Yes, I just did, Grandma. Now go to the corner and cry me a river. Oh and wear that underwear as swimsuit and swin in your river of tears. You''re very wee."


    Saying so, he turned to the two confused women who were surprised by his outburst.


    "Var...?"


    "Hubb¡ªeh?!"


    He threw them over his shoulders like they were a sac of potatoes and walked towards the bedroom.


    "I''ll clear your misunderstandings¡­deeply."


    "W-Wait!" Sarah shivered like she was thrown into ice-cold water.


    "No, there was no misunderstanding! I never doubted you!" Sia tried to appease the angry husband.


    Ignoring their pleas, he threw them on the bed.


    The one-piece of Sia was rolled up, revealing everything from her bare thighs all toher t and smooth belly.


    Sarahnded on her stomach, in a very inviting position. It didn''t help that the blonde hair she usually let loose was now tied into a pony tail, giving her a different charm.


    "Enigma." Varian said without even turning back.


    Thedy in a long ck dress who was about to slip away froze in her tracks.


    "Join after Sia faints."


    Not too long after, all misunderstandings were cleared.

 Chapter 1392 Unknown Past

    Chapter 1392 Unknown Past


    In a crystal white castle that stood defiantly in the heart of a star, a woman waited.


    Like violent waves of the sea, the mes swarmed to the castle. Even as the mes swept the castle, it stood still.


    It wasn''t the resistance of the castle towards the mes.


    The tongues of the mes that reached the castle appeared on the other side of the castle, as if they had travelled the distance in the blink.


    It was as if they were being teleported. But there were no space fluctuations at all.


    Time fluctuations, however, could be felt if one was strong enough.


    In fact, a time awakener would see that the castle wasn''t even ''present'' in the heart of the star in a normal sense.


    Its existence was in a state of flux, between this moment and in the future, minutes if not hours and days from now.


    The mes of today, no matter how ferocious they were, couldn''t burn something that existed tomorrow.


    It was a simple yet superior power that negated any damage the castle might take.


    And since this star had an aura core¡ªa star core developed over millions of years once the star became one of the many concentrated entry points for auraing out of the innter space¡ªeven rank 7s would have to be careful in this ce.


    So, any being standing here, even the guards in the castle, were beings that could destroy an entire duchy by themselves.


    Of course, no sane warrior would go that far, unless they had the authority to back it up and a good reason to do.


    But some guards began to wonder if they should do that crime and get jailed. At least that way, they could find a legitimate reason to stay away from their boss and save their fragile lives.


    Because since the ''boss'' seemed to be in a bad moodtely.


    Not a single word was said out, but the oppressive atmosphere in the castle was reaching new heights.


    At this moment, the feared ''boss'' was watching thetest readings of her subordinate with a frown.


    The assassin she had sent was apetent one. Many assessments even say that he''s the best among his peers and the most suitable for the job.


    So why¡­?


    It had been over two weeks now.


    It''s understandable for a professional assassin to take time in their mission. It''s a fact that he had to kidnap and not kill¡ªa significantly harder task than just killing the target.


    Perhaps the man had disguised himself as someone and was carefully waiting for an event where he could get the job done.


    That''s why, like all professionals, he cut off all contacts with the outside world to allow no chance for the enemy to notice his presence.


    Zahara Onyx understood the intracies of the profesion.


    Yet¡­


    "It''s too long!"


    She regretted sending only a rank 7. Sure, the leader of that civilization was a rank 4 or something.


    But when it''s an order from the Princess herself, she must''ve used her full force.


    In fact, it''s not her fault.


    Princess Esh herself asked her to send someone not so powerful to avoid suspicions from the 7th Prince''s forces.


    Those bastards were preparing for a limited-offensive against the P kingdom¡ªall the routes were under their supervision.


    If she did send someone powerful, there''s a real risk of raising the Prince''s suspicion.


    Zahara, like most people, did not have a deep understanding of the 7th Prince. His childhood, his aspirations, his character and his ambition.


    But she heard rumors.


    Not about him being a womanizer who liked to collect women like they were toys and throw them into his uncountable pces.


    That was just a¡­symptom.


    The rumors said that the 7th Prince once deeply loved a woman. So much so that he was ready to give up the Empire to live with her.


    The bright prospects of a Prince, the influence over trillions of lives, the countless women that would prostrate at his feet.


    He was ready to give all these up.


    Just for one woman.


    So, what happened then?


    No one knew.


    But the Prince started collecting women. They said that the first woman he ever collected had a simr shade of hairpared to her. The second had a simr eye color. The thirdughed simrly. And the fourth¡­


    Zahara shuddered and wrappe her arms around herself to press down the creeping fear.


    She was a peak rank 9. A woman directly under Princess Esh and in a sense, being trained under her to reach the divine ranks.


    Yet¡­


    If not for the Princess'' protection, a single nce from that man would turn her fate from a feared and honored leader into a humanoid pet kept in a pce zoo.


    So, even though she feltpelled to finish the mission as quickly as possible, the experienced deputy held back. If the Prince was distrubed, then even though she might be safe, she would still suffere a lot.


    "Just a while¡­if it still doesn''t work," She clenched her fists and said with resolve . "I''ll go there myself."


    *** *** *** ***


    Unaware of Zahara''splicated circumtances, Varian held a family meeting.


    Yep.


    A family meeting of a husband and his three wives.


    "And why is she here?" Varian raised an eyebrow and pointed at a silver-haired beauty.


    In contrast to the four of them seated on lush green grass in the garden, that woman was on a chair, cross legged and looking the other way, as if she wasn''t going to pay the meeting any attention.


    "I¡­I am here to forgive you." Isadora said with an arrogant expression, though her trembling eyshes proved that she wasn''t feeling very confident in her choice of words.


    "No thanks. Keep your apology with you and leave. We have a family meeting here." Varian waved his hand.


    "You!" Isadora rose from her seat and pointed at him with a disbelieving gaze. "W-Why are you so cold? It''s my mistake, okay? But I never recieved a gift like that, so I did overreact. I''m sorry. Happy? I''m sorry for behaving like that yesterday."


    Isadora couldn''t believe what she was saying but those words just rolled from her tongue.


    She was still sulking at Varian''s words from yesterday. But Varian didn''t bother to apologize to her.


    Yes, she knew he wasn''t in the wrong. She wasn''t even a priority for the gift. That''s why he used only the left over beast skin.


    And not only did she not thank him for the surprise gift, she even threw a stupid tantrum.


    "Are you really sorry?" Varian crossed his arms and asked in an authoritative tone, like a teacher who had caught a misbehaving student.


    Isadora red at him for dragging this out. But with a deep sigh, she lowered her head. "¡­How many times do I have to say? I didn''t recieve gifts like that¡­so my reaction was over the top. Still, it was my fault. So, I''m sorry."


    "Good girl. Please join the meeting." Varian pointed to a position that''s different from the seat of the wives but still close enough to be considered family.


    "I''m not considering you family or anything. I''m just here to ensure Sia and Enigma don''t do anything stupid." Isadora said, her arms crossed.


    In just a few seconds, she recovered from her previous state and now was back to her arrogant, haughty self.


    Enigma looked at her with a look of pity, as if she had seen her future.


    But Sia covered her mouth to cover herughter, finding the whole affair funny.


    On the other hand, Sarah smirked at her with an enormous smugness and mouthed something that went like ''You''ll always be my junior.''


    The three of them had different reactions to the situation. But themanility shared by all of them was they were all on Varian''s side.


    "The 8th family meeting begins."

 Chapter 1393 Great Secret

    <h4>Chapter 1393 Great Secret</h4>


    Varian took out two silver spinning objects that would oscite between being a cylinder and a disc. They were always in a state of flux, moving between the two forms.


    Floating in the air above them, the two items gave off an oppressive feeling, showcasing themselves off as items that shouldn''t be messed with.


    As soon as they appeared, the small friction in the group disappeared and all focus went onto them.


    "A super-storage disc?" Sarah was the first to voice out her opinion, though she sounded almost sure of herself.


    "My soul power is obstructed from striking in. But I can make out¡­information? Is this some secret document?" Sia was next.


    "¡­" Enigma shrugged casually and when there was an awkward silence, habitually reached to her storage ring for a book.


    "Later." Varian pinched her cheeks and her hand froze.


    Blushing slightly, she lowered her head like a meek sheep.


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    Sarah and Sia gawked at this ridiculous exchange.


    ''Excuse us, Mr. Husband? We''re the ones who made the effort to answer and she gets the treat? Do you really want to be locked up in the basement?''


    Feeling the two stinging gazes, Varian rubbed their heads without changing any expression. "Good job, you two. You both got it right."


    "Hmm~ I saw something like that in the legacy."


    "I don''t even need a legacy, hehehe~"


    As the two angry cats melted, Varian felt Isadora looking at him.


    "What? You didn''t even bother to speak. No cookies for you."


    "Are you seriously implying that I enjoy any physical contact with you?"


    "Yes."


    "Shut up!"


    Shrugging it off, he started to tamper with the device, to try activate it.


    Wherever he touched it, there were ck ripples from that point of contact. And slowly, patches of ck began to appear on the item. That wasn''t all. These patches began to expand and once they came into contact with other patches, their expansion elerated


    "Looks like a security mechanism!" Sarah eximed. "If it all turns, then the information would be deleted."


    "I think this thing has a password. You know it?"


    "No clue. I just stole it from theb." Varian tried to inject his aura and when it didn''t work, tried using different powers to open it up.


    "Ahem, ahem, ahem." Isadora coughed lightly, ncing at him from the corner of her eyes. "I think someone here knows how to open that device. But she''s sulking. If you ask nicely, maybe, just maybe, she can he¡ª."


    Without even waiting for her to finish, Varian began. "The beauty who mesmerized the P kingdom, the princess who wrote unattainable legends, thedy who stood at the top of the kingdom, I beseech thee,?grace us with your noble help and add one more jewel to your crown. This humble handsome man will always be grateful for the help of her highness."


    "¡­"


    Isadora knew he was shameless bute on, he didn''t even hesitate! And looking at his smug face, it was as if those embarassing words didn''t have any effect on him.


    Cursing at his thick skin, she grabbed the device and poured her aura in. With a few clicks, the device stabilized in its disc form and a rainbow appeared over it.


    "Touch the rainbow and the information stored in it will be transformed to you." Saying so, she put her hand over the rainbow.


    Her eyshes trembled and her breath grew rough. Her expression grew disturbed and confused. With nk eyes, she sat there in absolute silence.


    Worried but curious, the three wives also stretched their hands.


    Varian took a breath but let them proceed.


    "Let''s see what''s the big secret."


    [The Perfect Hybrid: Hypotheses of Origins, Slivers and Stability For Existence]


    There was a lot of information. If it had to be printed on a book, even a hundred wouldn''t be enough. And this was on the condition that every single point was crucial, skipping a single line would lead to holes in the overall picture.


    But thanks to his powers, Varian was able to process the information in a few seconds.


    Firstly, thisboratory only participated and helped the mainboratory. So, neither did they have all the information nor the authority to store everything they knew.


    What''s stored might be considered basic from a purely objective standpoint. But even that was so secretive that it''s kept in the highest facility of theb, alongside the secrets of Prians and theories about the Universe''s Creator.


    There was too much technical content put forward by the researchers and too manyplex calctions.


    Taking them all out and leaving behind only the non-technical but essential stuff, Varian summarized the findings.


    [The God Emperor is approaching the final rank with every passing century.


    His ascension, slowed by unknown reasons, is not an unreasonable fear of the Alliance but a certainty that''s bound to be happen one day. That day will be the end of Alliance and every being living in it.


    There has to be a solution to this great evil. A power that can stand up against the strongest living being.


    No leaders of the Alliance had any real confidence. Demon of Order, Aphosis, put it aptly.


    "It is easier to make an untalented person a enter divine ranks than to expect the existing leaders to reach a level closer to the God Emperor.


    The gap between them, even though they were all in the same ''rank'' to speak of, is enormous. It''s as if they were in two entirely different realms."]


    Varian''s heart constricted as he read the title of that man. He could feel it. The stronger he grew, the closer their fates were growing.


    Even though it sounded absurd, he could almost feel it. His fate was on a direct collision course with this man, whether he liked it or not.


    And he feared¡­this man also knew that.


    [As difficult as the situation is, giving up isn''t an answer.


    Keeper Equilus managed to bring together everyone onboard and proposed a ground breaking project.


    The Perfect Hybrid.


    Bestowed with the power of three avenues, she will grow to be be the perfect vessel of the Immortal.


    Her usage will lead to the end the God Emperor''s reign and victory of the Alliance.]


    Varian''s eyes narrowed.

 Chapter 1394 A God-like Enemy

    <h4>Chapter 1394 A God-like Enemy</h4>


    An unpleasant feeling rose from the bottom of his heart. It''s a sticky, viscous anger that clung to the walls of his heart and blocked everything else.


    For a brief moment, the colorful world in front of his eyes turned into ck and white.


    An invisible wave of familiar power swept the garden they were in, the private mansion, and the entire vacationoid.


    There was a brittle sound as if two metal rods were pushed against each other with great force.


    Theoid remained still before it shook slightly but in that slight movement, the foundational structure of the, the space-time curve it was present in, and everything that epassed that region distorted.


    It wasn''t a normal attack, physical or energy, by any means.


    To give a rough analogy, it''s the difference between destroying equipment in a game to deleting the game itself.


    This was the precursor real-life version of ''Delete''.


    "Var! Var!"


    The anxious voice and the familiar touch on his cheeks snapped Varian out of his perplexing state.


    "What was I¡­"


    "You froze but your eyes were glowing ck and white, there was a silent madness in them." Sarah patted her chest in relief as she exined.


    Her face was really pale and she sounded weak, as if she had exhausted all strength to utter those words.


    Thankfully, her face turned rosy in a few seconds. After an apology, Varian looked at her apologetically before turning to the trio.


    Sia didn''t seem much affected by the discovery. She was looking at him in concern. It was clear. She didn''t care ''Why'' she was born or rather, created. Even at this moment, she was worried about the abnormal state shown by him.


    Enigma, on the other hand, had aplicated expression. There was a visible disappointment on her face. With shoulders drooping and looking powerless, she looked pitiful.


    Seeing the usually calm andposed Enigma like that, Varian had an urge to hug and console her.


    But he held himself and turned to the one who would be the most affected by this bombshell of a secret.


    Isadora...had lowered her head. In her clenched fist, the nails dug into her palm, and like she was squeezing a tomato, the red liquid was dripping between her fingers.


    The killing intent seeping out of her was so enormous that the garden they were in began to wilt. The little birds, even those of the Sovereign state, began to drop dead.


    And the woman''s shoulders trembled. She was like a dam that was about to burst, unleashing a violent force that could not be controlled once it was released.


    The killing intent was so much that even Sia and Enigma were subconsciously backing away from her.


    "Another divine ranker enemy, I guess."


    In the tense silence, Varian''s voice sounded out of ce, and his choice of words haughty.


    But it brought Isadora some sanity and she raised her head to look at him. The beautiful, silky hair that resembled a waterfall illuminated by the moonlight covered most of her face.


    It could not, however, cover her bright red eyes that seemed to glow like stars in the night.


    And those stared at him, partly sane but mostly insane, somehow seeking, hoping, and praying for something that would calm her raging self.


    "I promised you I''d make the Martial Saint Kong my enemy for you. That guy is a peak rank 9. I''m just going to add a bunch of divine rankers as enemies now. It''s not that much of a change."


    "Huh." A derisive chuckle escaped the princess'' mouth before she could even think. She wasn''t even deciding the words rolling out of her tongue. They were flowing on their own, bringing out her true feelings and thoughts.


    "Even a thousand, ten thousand peak rank 9s are nothing in front of a new divine ranker. And do you even know who Keeper Equilius is?" There was a hint of helplessness and despair in her voice.


    It was the first time Varian and his wives had seen her like that. Even when she lost?to him that day, she wasn''t so crushed.


    When the talk about Martial Saint came up, she didn''t look dispirited at all. Even though Varian ''assured'' that he would side with her in the inevitable sh, she didn''t seem to think it was necessary.


    But now, she behaved like a bird in a cage that was destined to be shackled forever.


    "Nexus Empire is primarily ruled by the tribe of Order, Sera tribe. There are three heads to that tribe today, the three leaders who stand at the pinnacle of the Nexus Empire.


    The ruling body calls itself the Sacred Order. These three are the heads of the Order.


    Keeper Equilius is one of the three. Yes, he''s a rank 2 divinity.


    Since you don''t know what that entails¡­


    The strongest man alive is God Emperor. The next tier is the heads of Genesis and Mors Empires. And the ones immediately next are these three.


    Do you understand now? The third strongest of the cosmos is targeting me."


    Isadora''s words caused a huge stir in the garden.


    Even though none of them had ever fought against a divine ranker and could not evenprehend the sheer amount of power held by them, they have read about those beings.


    Beings that were ying on a different field than everyone else.


    Entire duchies would be reduced to dust under their might. Even kingdoms would fall with a single attack.


    Heck, if the Divine Rankers on both sides weren''t fighting with the mutual agreement of not causing too much coteral, their fights in the wars would''ve wiped out more than 99% of the poption.


    And this man, Keeper Equilus belonged to the third tier of the strongest. What would his strength be like?


    Even if they tried, they couldn''t imagine.


    Varian too was disturbed by the ufortable reality of the situation.


    But that''s why, he didn''t want to back down.


    ''System, that man is stronger than Keeper Equilius, right?''


    [Not just strong. He could swat them away like they were bugs and they would die like bugs.]


    Varian didn''t know if he had to despair or rejoice.


    But in front of the mountain he had to face, Isadora''s difficulty now seemed much smaller.


    Varian grabbed her hand and patted her back gently. "Whoever he is, I''ll fight with you. Don''t take this burden alone. You are never alone."

 Chapter 1395 Man Who Commands The Group

    Chapter 1395 Man Who Commands The Group


    Isadora was taken back by Varian''s words.


    Even when faced with the wrath of a divine ranker, one of the strongest ones no less, saying those words and saying them with conviction would mean courage that would border on madness.


    "A-Are you even hearing yourself?" Isadora didn''t know why but she wanted to make sure.


    A part of her wanted him to say that again. To assure her and tell her those sweet words.


    "I am." Varian nodded with a smile, his grip on her hand growing tight."I am with you, whether you''re against a rank 9 or a new divine ranker or a veteran or all of them together."


    As the sunlight reflected off his handsome face, Isadora felt that his smile wasn''t so shameless. It was also reliable, like the cool shade of a tree in the summer.


    Her unsettling heart calmed down and she gradually rxed. The catastrophe remained unresolved but worrying was thest thing that would help.


    Isadora had centuries of experience as a warrior. Once she resolved herself, she wouldn''t be shaken in the face of adversity. It''s just that the adversity this time was so big that even she felt helpless in front of it for a moment. But that''s it.


    ''I''ll ovee it or I''ll die trying. There is no other option.''


    Sensing her rxed state, Varian withdrew his hand before she could use that as a chance to chide him.


    As expected, Isadora clicked her tongue in disappointment. She was grateful to Varian and no longer considered him as an ''obstruction'' to be removed.


    In fact, he was her first friend after the betrayal. And in a sense, he was also the first person to make her question her own talent. In that view, he was the first person she viewed as an equal.


    Whenever she was in his presence, she''d feel a constant urge to one up him, topete and to prove that she was the best.


    This was a new thing for the legendary princess whose speed of progress caused even the best geniuses to despair.


    Unfortunately for her, Varian didn''t seem to be intimated or even affected by her presence. Contrary to others, even those of the same rank who''d feel pressured by her presence, he didn''t even bat an eyelid.


    In the past, when she was present in a conversation, be it a serious meeting or small talk, she would be the dominant voice even though she spoke only a few words. Heck, even if she stayed silent and someone was speaking, she''d still be the one dominating the conversation.


    And now¡ª


    In the presence of Sia¡ªwho would be a dangerous powerhouse, Enigma¡ªwho could be the leader of the best assassins and Sarah¡ªwho could runmand an elite army, and her¡ªthe legendary princess.


    Even in their presence, he''s still dominant and by a far distance. He''s the heart of the team and the spearhead of the group.


    Isadora bit her lip and turned her head away from him. She decided to duel with himter to calm her nerves and hopefully defeat him.


    The document provided no more essential information other than hundreds of thousands of unwanted calctions.


    "So, who is this Immortal anyway?" Sia sat next to Isadora and grabbed her arm.


    Enigma also took a seat but without any words and patted Isadora''s hand gently.


    "Phew~" The Princess sighed, as if she couldn''t bear their nagging but the corner of her lips went up.


    Even though the three always fought on the topic of Varian, their bond was getting better and better.


    "As far as I know, it was the nickname of a so-called genius. He was a rank 3 when I started out. By the time I reached rank 9, he was rank 6, I guess? I never paid attention so I can''t say for certain. I''m not even sure if this Immortal is the same Immortal the document talks about."


    Isadora went over her memories and looked at them with a wry smile. "Maybe it has changed now. We should ask ones who might know¡ªSonya can help. Should I call her to the meeting?"


    "¡­I''m not interested in calling her to the family meeting." Sia raised her hand almost instantly.


    "Seconded." Sarah was just a millisecondte.


    "¡­" Enigma raised her hand in approval.


    "But she''s my sister!" Isadora pped the round and looked at them as if they stabbed her in the back. "Sia, Enigma, in a sense, she''s also your sister. So, why can''t Varian''s sister-inw attend the family meeting?"


    "It''s different." Sia harrumphed.


    "Yes. It''s different." Sarah narrowed.


    "Nod. Nod." Enigma nodded.


    "You idiot nymphos!" Isadora clutched her forehead at the mental pain that physically hurt.


    Then, she red at the man who was silently watching the show.


    "Do something!"


    "What?"


    "Are you even interested in hearing about the Immortal? An informed person will be a lot more helpful."


    Varian looked between his wives and Isadora. He did want an opinion but it looked like they would kick up a storm if the ''outsiders'' get invited into this family space. "Let''s pick something that both sides can agree with."


    With a snap of his fingers, a hologram appeared in front of them.


    Sonya who was snoring softly while writing a ''Million Sorry Book''¡ªwhere you write ''I Am Sorry'' a million times by hand and without any powers¡ªappeared in a blue princess dress.


    Beside her was Reina in her maid uniform, dozing off while standing in a standard posture. There was a cleaning cloth in her hand and she was holding a picture of¡­Isadora?


    Feeling a foreign presence, Sonya''s eyes snapped open, ready to attack. But after noticing the four people, her back straightened and she almost gave a military salute.


    "Yes, Sister! Greetings, Sister! How are you, Sister?"


    Reina on the other hand jumped on her feet and did the 90-degree bow. "I slept during duty hours! Please cut my neck and cleanse me of my sins!"


    Isadora covered her face in embarrassment.


    Ever since Isadora decided to not kill them, these two were working to their bone, trying to repent, even though it wasn''t really their fault.


    The Princess tried to talk them out of it but the two just wouldn''t listen. Like stubborn bulls that refused to stop hitting that thick wall even if their horns broke, these two marched on.


    "Varian, aren''t you good at these things? Consider this a favor and please fix those two." In the end, the Princess turned to him for help.


    "No," Varian replied without even thinking.


    "What th¡ªwhy?"


    Varian looked at the two women who lowered their heads on the screen and shrugged. "500 years of suffering should get at least 500 days of repentance. It''s not their fault but they need to understand how much it affected you.


    Words won''t do justice to the feeling of being stabbed in the back.


    Only experience can equate to experience.


    But putting them through the same thing you suffered for centuries wouldn''t be fair when it wasn''t their intent or fault.


    So, letting them repent is the best option. You''re mistaking that it''s a burden for them. Nope. This repentance is actually what is taking the weight off their shoulders.


    One day, not too far from now, they''ll look you in the eye."


    Isadora sighed in frustration. "Isn''t there any faster way? I feel bad imagining they will be like that for so long."


    "¡­A bit too kind now, aren''t you?"


    "I can''t help it. That kid is my little sister and I picked that girl from the wilderness. They grew before my eyes. If they didn''t do anything wrong and merely got used as pawns¡­I''ll feel terrible if they experience hardships on top of the guilt already crushing them."


    "Be happy."


    "What?"


    "If you be happy and they see your smile, their guilt will reduce."


    "¡­I guess they will be repenting for 500 days then."

 Chapter 1396 A Hero Called Immortal

    Chapter 1396 A Hero Called Immortal


    "Immortal? He got famous recently, err, two centuries ago, I think." Sonya tapped her lower lip and looked into the distance, trying to recall the relevant information.


    Even though he knew it was the norm, Varian''s lips still twitched at ''recent'' and ''two centuries'' used in the same breath.


    He''d have beaten up if anyone else was spewing stuff like that. But this was his sister-inw, more or less. Still, that didn''t mean it could be forgiven.


    Varian''s eyes gleamed with a soft blue light.


    "Ouch!" Yelping out of blue, Sonya clutched her forehead in surprise and looked around in confusion. Someone definitely flicked their finger at her forehead.


    An invisible enemy? Assassin?


    To stay with her sister and repent her sin, the woman resolved herself even against an overwhelming enemy when a voice sounded in her mind.


    ''In which world is 200 years a recent thing? Please speak English.''


    ''But that is recen¡ªouch!''


    Sonya rubbed her forehead again with an aggrieved expression. How was her sister friends with a guy like this? He''s a bad bully!


    "Two centuries, basically a looong time ago." She said, her quivering eyes keeping an eye on Varina''s expression.


    Seeing him nod in satisfaction, the little princess sighed in relief and continued.


    "The information on him is very limited. Themon people are all swept by the Alliance''s propaganda.


    Heaven Tribe, one of the six primordial tribes, was dedicated to the path of time. They were exterminated by the Neveah tribe¡ªthe current ruling race of the Jai Empire.


    This much is not a big secret and there is nothing to dispute about this. What the Alliance did is show some records of the Heaven Tribe predicting their own demise as well as Eden splitting into two halves."


    Everyone listened carefully.


    Amidst the cool breeze of the morning, in the back garden of a mansion, some of the greatest secrets were shared.


    "I''m not sure if the records are real but some very powerful men an women believe they are. But what''s interesting is the next prediction.


    < A man who will fulfill the world''s true fate >


    This is now seen as the prediction of a Hero''s rise."


    Sia rested her chin in her palm and chuckled derisively. "And that guy named Immortal is the so-called Hero? What a showoff! If anything, the title should be given to my husband. He''s the real hero! That bastard is just a wannabe!"


    "¡­Yeah," Sonya answered in an awkward tone to the rant and continued. "The issue is, except for a few individuals, no one really knows the truth of this matter.


    I have a hard time believing even the prediction was original. Heaven tribe went extinct billions of years ago. Unlike some of the Ares tribe''s former subordinate races that still exist in Nexus Empire, there is nothing we have on the Heaven tribe. The Neavehs conquered and assimted everything.


    I wouldn''t bet my money on this prediction. It all seems like a hoax to raise hope in the naive popce."


    "But why now? The Alliance saw no need for tens of millions of years and they suddenly decide to change the script one morning?" Sarah questioned.


    From the hand on her chest, she could feel the pulsing warmth of the legacy beating right in her heart.


    It''s as real as her own existence.


    "And it is totally possible for the legacy of Heaven tribe if it does exist, to survive.


    The reason? The six tribes used to stay in this gxy in the ancient era. The Neveah tribe, despite winning, had great casualties." Sarah stated half of the story.


    But that was enough for Sonya to grasp what she was implying.


    Vita and Avita tribes tried to corner the Neveah tribe and exterminate them. This led Neveahs to escape to what is now called Andromeda. After recuperating and rejuvenating with their loot, theyid the foundations for what would be the Jai Empire.


    The point is that the Alliance controls the homnd of all six tribes. It is totally possible for them to uncover something authentic from the Heaven tribe, even with the gap of billions of years.


    "Unlike most things, the traces of their tribes remain¡­to this day," Sarah said in an irrefutable tone. After all, she''s the living evidence of that statement.


    Even though Ares'' legacy might havested for so long due to the area it''s left, the sheer resilience of the legacy itself was hard to overstate.


    Nothingsts billions of years? How could one be so sure? These were the tribes that worshipped beings who were pseudo-gods, beings who might''ve reached rank 3 in the divine path.


    The response from the ''Queen'' caused Sonya to fall into a spiral of thoughts. After a while, she shook her head with a wry smile. "You might be right. Maybe there really is a record from that time and that prediction might also be urate.


    But it''s distorted by the Alliance for their own agenda. Themon narrative is that the Hero will fight against the God Emperor and establish peace.


    Normal people believe a hero wille. And in thest few decades, there is a growing talk that the Immortal is the hero."


    Enigma tilted her head slightly, a deep look of contemtion in her eyes. Parting her lips, the purple-eyed beauty asked in a cold but polite tone. "What about his origins? His family, home, childhood."


    The more she spoke, the colder her voice got. Varian didn''t doubt for a second that if she could, Enigma would kill everyone rted to that man. Enigma could be a lot of things but merciful, she was not.


    If Sia would torture the enemies to break their minds, Enigma would be the one ughtering their entire popce to ensure no future troubles. And she''d do it without any guilt.


    "Origins¡­there''s nothing on him," Sonya paused for a moment. "He just appeared out of nowhere. But some rumors say that he is the child as a result of Genesis'' and Mors'' powerhouses."


    "A living and an undead?" Isadora frowned.


    "Yes, Sister! That''s what the rumors say sister, Sister!" Sonya immediately went into full alert mode.


    Seeing Isadora fall silent, Sonya hurriedly said. "It must be fake. There''s no way it''s tr¡ª"


    "It is most likely true," Varian said and gave the little princess a friendly smile. "Is there anything else you know? Rumors or facts or anything worthwhile?"


    Sonya said a few more things but they were deemed to be useless. When she finally fell silent, Varian waved her goodbye.


    "B-Brother-inw, at least tell me why you said it''s true." Gathering up courage, Sonya asked.


    Varian paused for a moment before sending her off with a wave of his hand. "Kids shouldn''t involve themselves in serious matters. Go y."


    "But you''re not even twen¡ª"


    As she disappeared, the atmosphere in the garden got serious.


    Sighing deeply, Varian looked at the four women and said. "Here''s my guess.


    The Genesis and Mors Empires, under the guidance of Keeper Equilius, essentially Nexus Empire, created¡­you.


    And you''re supposed to be the sacrifice for Immortal.


    But here''s the thing.


    Genesis and Mors empires led by the Vita and Ativ tribes¡ª


    these were the only two who never engaged in deadly wars against each other but neither did they cooperate fully in the Alliance.


    They are always wary of each other. But since they worked together to create the perfect hybrid and use the perfect hybrid to fuel the Immortal, it means only one thing.


    Immortal is the ultimate creation of these two empires. He''s not a natural birth either.


    And if I had to guess, since went this far and they have the slivers, this man has some connection to the slivers himself."


    The women agreed with his words. Following that line of logic, everything fit together well.


    "Maybe you are right. The Mors and Genesis had gotten a little too friendly than usual at some point.


    If this guy is created from both the living and the dead, then appointing him as themon sessor would mean neither of them have to be wary of each other." Isadora added.


    It was Sia who spoke next. "If he''s the hero who''s supposed to fight against the God Emperor, then he''d be given the slivers, right?


    The God Emperor has space-time slivers. So, it makes perfect sense for him to use Life-Death. But I''m afraid¡­"


    She trailed off without finishing.


    Varian finished the words she didn''t want to utter. "Yes, he''ll my slivers to increase his odds against the God Emperor.


    And since I also took the ''sacrifice'' he''s supposed to have, well, I guess we''re destined to be enemies."

 Chapter 1397 Fairy Maid

    Chapter 1397 Fairy Maid


    The turbulence of the discoveries did not rock Varian''s actions.


    He unlocked the information about the


    and assimted it in a few hours.


    Unlike the


    where he could ignore all the technical aspects and only focus on the essential conclusions, he didn''t have that luxury this time.


    A Prime World had to be made with utmost care.


    Thend of alls would be integrated into onerge world. The space would grow incredibly tough. Lower rank celestials and even rank 5s could no longer break space through their battles.


    The aura concentration of the world would skyrocket as the World would establish itself to one of the many ''concentration'' flux points connecting the outer and inner space.


    The gravity of different regions, previously different, would have to be made either uniform or stratified with clear intentions. Unstable gravity would not just cause trouble for the popce, it might even lead to the breakdown of the world itself.


    And so, Varian got into studying mode.


    It''s something others couldn''t do for him. He couldn''t leverage it to the scientists. This was uncharted territory even for the collective human thought. Forget advancements, not even theories were proposed in this area.


    The difficulty didn''t end there.


    He wasn''t building a pure prime world. Due to the peculiarity of Hortus as well as sr system, he had to make changes to the process for the desired end result.


    Supreme authority over Hortus and shaping of Prime World¡ªthese were things only he could do at once.


    As a result, Varian had to face a very uphill battle.


    Perhaps the only battle he did not enjoy very much.


    "¡­Fuck. I didn''t even study this hard for my school." Varian waved away the holograms and slumped back in hisrge,fortable chair.


    "If the people saw this scene, I wonder what they would think." A cheeky voice sounded, followed by a mischievous chuckle.


    Varian rolled his eyes at the visitor.


    Hazel had her maid outfit modified to suit her white wings. Unlike the predominantly ck uniform with white bits, it was a white uniform with ck bits. Due to her ridiculously pure wings, she gave off a very different feel from a typical maid.


    "A hundred push-ups if you annoy me." Varian rubbed his eyebrows and warned.


    All of Hazel''s strength and power would be deprived for the duration. So, a hundred push-ups for an unathletic Hazel might as well be a prison sentence.


    "Master~ Master~ I am a good maid! I won''t annoy you!" Hazel raised the tray in her hand and held out a cake that was shining like it was given some VFX. "This is the crystallization of my hard work! I spent ten full days perfecting this recipe! It contains my love and respect for you, please taste it well!"


    Raising an eyebrow at her choice of words, Varian tasted the cake.


    He paused after the first bite, causing Hazel''s heart to nearly freeze, and then took another bite.


    His eyes brightened and he began to devour the rest at a speed and manner that went against what would one call ''etiquette''.


    When he put the empty tray down, a smile was drawn on his lips.


    There were no ''herbs'' Hazel could add to improve his mental state. He''s too strong for his own good. But the taste brought back his childhood.


    His mother would take him and Sia out to eat after she got her work bonus. And the two little devils would enjoy the day to no end. They both liked the same vor from a very average-looking shop.


    "¡­Is the ce still around?" Varian finished the cake and leaned back into his chair. He didn''t even specify which store he was talking about.


    "No. It was closed three months ago," Hazel shook her head, her bright wings swaying with her.


    "The owner, the only one who knew the recipe died. So, I could only work backward. I met a bunch of regr customers who knew your favorite vor and adjusted the dish ording to their feedback."


    Varian looked at her in surprise before shaking his head and looking her in the eye. "Thank you."


    Hearing his heartfelt gratitude, Hazel lowered her head and stuttered. "T-Thank you too¡­I love this life."


    Unlike her so-called home, there were really no strict rules, or etiquette that she had to follow here. She didn''t have any pressure to pursue a higher rank either.


    As one of the two Emperor''s exclusive maids, she was tasked with taking daily care of a guy who was outside most of the time.


    Unlike at her province back home where the maids were overworked to the bone and wished for their masters to vanish for a few days, it was the opposite here.


    Hazel hadn''t seen Varian for weeks and wished he''d return so she could show off what she had been doing.


    For better or worse, Varian made the greatest impression on her. So, receiving validation and praise from him would count as a great sess and a source of pride for the geniusdy.


    To speak of her achievements, she got into designing baby clothes, tended to delicate flowers, and developed an interest in cooking, taking some lessons from the Queen of Shadows herself.


    If she had been born into a fairly normal family of humans or even her own race of fairies without much talent, Hazel would have been an excellent housewife and perhaps even a decent mother.


    Even though her starting point was anything but ordinary, she was finally able to enjoy that life.


    "If only figuring this out was as easy as making the cake." Varian sighed.


    "Easy?" Hazel raised her head, her expression hardening before she could even control herself. "I made over 10,000 samples in a week! Ten-thou-sand different samples! It''s way easier than reading some obscure documents!"


    ''Oop!''


    The fairy wanted to p herself.


    Why? Why was her tongue loose again?


    Why did she just blurt out what she was thinking?


    "Huek!"


    Noticing Varian''s indifferent stare at her, a shiver shot down Hazel''s spine and she began to sweat. Her breath grew hurried and her legs, visible down her knees began to shiver.


    "M-Master¡­"


    As she''s still a newbie, she learned a bit about her master''s past. It was scary. This man killed billions of abyssals without the slightest mercy.


    This was back when he wasn''t so powerful against them. So, what would he do to her now?


    Fired from the job? Sounds too easy!


    Instant death? Too painless!


    Hanged in public? Oh noooo!


    "Phe~" Varian let out aplicated sigh.


    "I''m sorry for slighting your word. It''s not easy to recreate something." He apologized and got back to studying.


    ''W-What?'' Hazel was dumbfounded.


    She wanted to apologize for her words but seeing his focused gaze on the documents, the maid shut her mouth.


    Unlike earlier, Varian was exuding a much stronger presence. It was the same person reading the same documents, but there was a change in his eyes.


    ''With that serious face, he looks so¡­handsome!''


    Hazel stared at him like a sneaky cat looking to steal fish.


    ''Master is bad! He doesn''t even notice the changes in my hairstyle! He''s utterly oblivious to my uniform alterings!


    But Master is good! He looked so handsome even when he ate the cake!''


    Time passed for the silent master and the hyperactive maid.

 Chapter 1398 The Price To Pay

    <h4>Chapter 1398 The Price To Pay</h4>


    "A few weeks minimum." In a boat that flew across the clouds, Varian informed through his yawns.


    Even though he had long passed the need for sleep, it was still a good mood reliever. However, the fact that he was so fatigued he had to sleep was an indicator of how things were.


    "Good job figuring out the hard parts so soon. I hadn''t studied anything about Prime Worlds but Sonya has some idea. And she kept saying you were crazy for trying something so absurd."


    Facing the strong wind, Isadora pushed the strand of her silver hair behind her ear and let out a delightfulugh. Looking at him as her hair moved around gently, she said. "I honestly wasn''t expecting you could do pull this off."


    "You should work on your conversation skills a lot more." Varian put his arms on the boat''s edges and leaned back.


    "¡­Really?" The Princess tilted her head and looked into his eyes with a strong gaze as if she was going to give his response some serious thought.


    Looking at those determined red eyes, Varian raised his hands to concede. "Well, no. I prefer you being honest than telling sweet lies. It doesn''t suit you in the first ce. Imagine the legendary princess telling lies to take care of my feelings, huh, I can''t imagine that."


    "Then I''ll be brutally honest. The question, can you bear it?" Isadora pursed her lips, her voice turning from yful and honest to solemn


    Varian''s expression hardened and he did not reply.


    "You weren''t actually fatigued from figuring this out. A rank 7 Ignis, a man with seven full paths, it''s absurd that you couldn''t figure this out. Sonya thinks it''s impossible. But I think it''s too easy for you.


    How many days, no, how many hours would you need to figure it out once you really put your mind to it?


    Yet you came out only after so many days. Even now, you''re prepared to stay locked in that room. If I didn''t call, no, if I didn''t drag you out, you''d still be in there for those ''few'' weeks which will never end."


    Varian avoided her intense gaze and looked down the boat. His celestial vision pierced through the clouds, capturing the vastndscape of the. And his ears picked up the millions of voices ringing on the.


    Due to his insane physical and soul prowess, he was able to experience the lives of hundreds of millions of people all at once, as if he was walking beside them,ughing with them, and sharing their tears.


    "Here''s the thing you''ll need."


    An emblem floated to him smoothly andnded on his shoulder.


    With a crown, a sword, and a book in a triangle with the center of it being a me, the emblem had much more value than the incredibly precious metal that bore it.


    "Show it to them and they can sense the divinity with my aura in it. They''ll believe the story and take you in. It''s best if you stay there until you perfect the process of making the perfect world. If anything goes wrong, I''ll switch with Enigma in the worst case and act as my own clone."


    "¡­What are you talking about? Like I said, I''m weeks away from getting the theory right." Varian said with a look of disbelief. "I''ll go to the kingdom once I''m done with the theory. With the uncertainty there, I can''t focus on studying."


    "Stop bullshitting." Isadora''s tone was confident, no, it went a notch beyond that. She sounded certain. "You aren''t fooling anybody, mister. With your talent, you already figured out the theory. You''ll probably need some more days to get the process right."


    Varian shook his head. "I''m not going."


    "Do you think I proposed for this talk? It was Sia. Sarah also noticed why you were doing this. You want to dy your trip and wait for the assassin, why? Because you don''t want to abandon the people here and leave? Because you feel guilty?"


    Varian looked down at the beautiful cities and bustling streets.


    People, so many people. Young and old, men and women, happy and sad. All of these lives¡­


    "They''ll have no protection if I leave."


    "Sarah is okay staying here until you return."


    "Do you think I''d let her stay?"


    "You idiot! Do you think she''ll move to safety if you stay here and the assassin


    es? Nope. If a dagger is going to your heart, she''lle in the way and die first."


    "¡­I will send them away. And I''ll stay. What if the assassin ughters everyone here?"


    "You were okay with my n before. What''s with the cold feet now?"


    "I feel like a piece of shit, leaving the fate of these people to the wolves and fate."


    Isadora grabbed Varian''s shoulders and looked into his eyes with fire in her gaze. "You bastard! Where did all that cleverness go? Did your brain just vanish?


    Wake up!


    You aren''t a hero! You''re just a weakling who can''t even stay in his own home safe and have to take shelter in a kingdom so assassins won''t slit your throat.


    And what if you stay?


    The girls will stay. All of them. Don''t think for a second you can send them away. I know what you triedst time against that rank 8. It won''t fly this time.


    I''ve seen them and I can tell you this. If you die, they''ll pour their hearts and souls into vengeance. If they fail, they''ll die in the process. If they seed, they''ll kill themselves after it.


    If it''s an assassin who can kill you, then it''s useless for you to stay here. And believe me, Esh is not a woman to be taken lightly. Her subordinates are assassins who even the kings fear!


    And about these people?


    Yes. They might all die. And they might not.


    But if you die, all of your wives will die with you.


    Let me put it this way: Because of your stupid heroism, your concern with your so-called race, you''re willing to kill your wives who love you the most and would die for you?


    Make a decision!"


    Varian was severely shaken and he finally let out a deep sigh.

 Chapter 1399 Peace Before The Storm

    <h4>Chapter 1399 Peace Before The Storm</h4>


    The journey to the P kingdom was different than expected.


    Varian believed getting into the capital and into the royal quarters to live there for a while would be something he''d do with dread.


    He''s nervous, yes. Afraid of things going wrong, also yes.


    But more than those emotions, he''s reluctant.


    It was something he did not anticipate. After the war with Abyssals, he thought he resolved himself to do whatever was necessary to fulfill the ultimate goal.


    And he believed he stopped trying to be a hero. But as more and more time passed as the ''Ruler'', his opinion seemed to have shifted.


    In the end, when the time came to take the most important decision, his priorities finally became clear.


    In the spacious ship of the little princess, Varian, Sarah, Enigma, Sonya, and Reina began their journey.


    d in exotic silken blue clothes that looked suitable for a festival, Sarah sat in one of the rooms and was having an intense discussion with Isadora who was in her spirit form.


    Sarah was set to take on the role of Isadora''s disciple¡ªsomething she would''ve never done if not for the life-and-death situation.


    The Queen of Radiants nned to stay behind and protect the empire until Varian returned. Due to his insistence, the n was to be revamped.


    As the disciple of the legendary princess, Sarah would have to be strong¡ªwhich wasn''t a problem.


    Due to the eleration of the legacy, she''s already knocking on the doors of rank 8 and would hit it anytime soon. It was a ridiculous speed that caused even Isadora to feel envious.


    But strength alone wouldn''t be sufficient. If she''s really the disciple, she''d have to act as if she knew Isadora well enough¡ªthe Isadora of 500 years ago.


    It''s not a simple matter to fake a deep bond that''s built in 500 years. And to do so in a two-day journey? It''s fucking hard!


    The two continued to converse, trying to figure out a solution.


    It was an interesting sight.


    Sarah considered Isadora to be her only rival. And Isadora too begrudgingly acknowledged Sarah as a ''threat''.


    These two were always at odds with each other.


    Sarah still held a strong grudge over Isadora''s actions and openly stated she wouldn''t be sure of this woman not stabbing them in the back one day.


    After learning about Isadora''s past and spending some time with her, the friction smoothened but it''d be a mistake to assume their rtionship was anything like that of Sarah''s and Sia''s or Sarah''s and Enigma''s.


    Isadora held a grudge against Sarah for a different reason. Sarah¡­was a bit simr to her.


    An unprecedented rate of progress, standing at the top of the dominion, and decisiveness to kill¡ªthese were the attributes of the legendary princess Isadora. But also those of Sarah.


    But she was also different.


    Sarah had everything she had¡­and she had even better things.


    A loving husband who decided to risk the life of everyone else than risk hers.


    A lively best friend to share little talks with.


    A lovely home with a very warm atmospherepared to the cold walls of the pce.


    A strong bond with the people she considered¡ªto the point she was ready to die for them. Even better? They too were ready to die for her.


    Isadora pursed her lips and looked at Sarah contemting deeply, trying to figure out the impression she needed to have for certain aspects of her master that were just discussed.


    "I think you can do it."


    "Huh? If you want to mock me, wait for a better time." Sarah red at her. "I don''t think I can get even 20% of it right."


    "I mean what I say. You can do it, not alone, but you aren''t alone, are you?" Isadora''s gaze turned to a certain room.


    The room with Sarah''s husband.


    "Yes! I could ask for Var''s help! My husband is the best!" Sarah stood up with a relieved expression.


    Isadora watched her glowing face and felt a sense of difort from deep within. The nameless envy towards this much younger woman didn''t turn bitter. After all, she did not hate Sarah. But the whole thing was certainly annoying to watch.


    ''Will theree a day when I can also be as happy?''


    The Princess shook her head and followed her into the room.


    The training room of the spaceship wasrge.


    Even though the ship itself seemed small from the outside¡ªnot much bigger than a private jet¡ªthe space inside was enough to cover a thousand football fields.


    In that vast space, the training room in particr upied the highest area. Not only that, everything here¡ªfrom the materials on the wall to the tiles of the floor, the coating of the ceiling, and even the space of the particr location itself¡ªwas strengthened to withstand power in the realm of a rank 8.


    As Sarah and Isadora were about to enter the training space, they encountered a pouting Sonya near the entrance. The little princess was rubbing her forehead with aggrieved, teary eyes.


    "Sonya! What happened? Did that idiot say something mean?" Isadora immediately came to her little sister''s rescue.


    "Not-so-young-anymoredy, what happened? Did you do something mean for my man to chide you?" Sarah followed up without any hesitation.


    Sonya wanted to re at Sarah but the Queen''s blue eyes were shining with a cold light that she''d rather not look at.


    "I-I was justining that he destroyed my castle. Sister, you know how precious that castle is! It''s my most precious possession!" Sonya said in a sobbing tone, not like a younger sisterining to her elder sister but like a daughterining to her mother.


    "And what did he do to you?"


    "H-He¡­" Sonya bit her lip and hesitated.


    "Yes?"


    "He actually¡­"


    "We''re listening."


    "You wouldn''t believe what he di¡ª"


    "Bitch, spit it out or I''ll beat you up too!"


    Sia jumped out of nowhere and pointed a spear at the little princess.


    "Huek!" Sonya hid behind her elder sister and grabbed her clothes for reassurance. Even in her spirit state, thanks to the strong soul power, they''re still warm, providing the scared woman some much-needed courage.


    "He sparred with me. And then beat me ck and blue¡­I begged him to stop! But that man¡­no, brother-inw, he kept healing me and beating me¡­Waah! That man is not a gentleman, he''s a beast!"


    And thus, Sonya showed her light but painful injuries to the audience of three.


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    The three of them were thoroughly unimpressed.


    Looking at her so-called injuries, Varian had been very kind in dealing with her. He''d spar with them as well.


    Though Varian was reluctant to truly fight them in a serious sense, if he got into the ''zone'', then he''d not hesitate to inflict pain.


    Of course, his consciousness still reigns supreme and there would be no deadly attacks. In that backdrop, what Sonya went through was a strong pat on the back.


    Sia clicked her tongue at Sarah and walked away. "I''ll need to focus on some training. It''d be a damn shame if the main wife is weaker than the concubine."


    "But I''m the main wife!"


    Ignoring Sarah''s retort, thedy in fashionable white-and-ck training clothes walked away.


    Sarah snorted and opened the training space.

 Chapter 1400 A Forgotten, Looming Sword

    <h4>Chapter 1400 A Forgotten, Looming Sword</h4>


    "Maybe we should wait a bit l¡ª"


    Bang!


    An orange fist mmed the twinkling stone of the long table and a shockwave of aura swept the meeting room.


    "You cowardly bitch! How long are we going to wait?" An orange-skinned man in a ck suit rose to his feet and pointed his finger at the speaker.


    A small chatter ensued, with people seated across the table discussing the issue with renewed vigor.


    "It''s a mission they all submitted to His Majesty. Prince Merov disyed full confidence in fulfilling the objective. It''s taking longer than expected but I do not doubt for a second he''s going to seed."


    The speaker who started this all, a pale woman with ashen skin d in ck clothes clinging to her morbidly thin body, retorted with great conviction.


    "And watch your tongue, you uncivilized brute! I''m the closest to Prince Merov! If he realizes the words you spouted at me in front of everyone, you''d be out of his good books without any chance of redemption." The woman''s words stung because they were true.


    Prince Merov was once a lowly person. He didn''t have anyone to call his own. After his meteoric rise, people thought even though he''d develop superficial, interest-based rtions, he''d not create a genuine rtionship.


    But then came Nexa.


    The Prince said that out of all the people in his life, she''s the most important to him. It''s not a romantic rtionship, they could tell. Nor was it a master-apprentice pair.


    Nexa seemed to be a¡­proxy for someone else.


    "¡­I don''t care if the Prince hates me after this. I am but a loyal supporter of His Highness. I want to see him and verify his condition." The orange man did not step down and resorted to sophistry.


    As one of the important nobles of the kingdom, he spend a lot of political and economic capital on Prince Merov. All for the sake of climbing one step higher in the pyramid.


    How could he allow his investment to be at risk?


    Many people here, strong and influential men and women of the P kingdom, were convinced by Merov because of his extraordinary growth and umon strength.


    These were his ''super supporters''¡ªpatrons in a sense¡ªthe ones who make up the ''faction'' of the Prince.


    He was all of that too, but first and foremost, he''s an investor.


    "I have not a shred of doubt about the Prince''s greatness. But I have many doubts about hispetitor''s treachery." The man continued, pushing the discourse in his favor with tact words.


    Nexa could not make a propereback.


    And she knew that, even if she did argue, the only value she''d ever gotten was due to the prince. As a person herself, she was worth zilch to these arrogant elites.


    ''Because I am a rootless powerhouse!''


    Her kind ruled a Duchy in the past and were said to be at the height of their glory, yet aiming higher.


    Due to their racial talent, they were able to devour creatures that were as strong as them without much bacsh.


    Their race''s divine path was naturally tuned to the <Devourer> vein.


    It was all good until hubris filled their minds.


    They started to devour beings from other duchies¡ªthe talented, the strong and the clever¡ªall of them were devoured by these humanoid beasts.


    The warnings from the kingdom were ignored repeatedly and then, they incurred the wrath of the new crown prince.


    King Ferdinand, even when he just became a crown prince did not hold back in his actions.


    He not only crushed the entire army of that duchy''s ruling race, he personally oversaw the ughter of their race to apparent extinction.


    But Nexa''s presence today proved that the race did not just vanish. Few survived.


    She wouldn''t have been able to set foot in the royal capital usually but being Prince Merov''s closest person gave her a lot of authority.


    King Ferdinand gained a lot more experience since those days and did not oppose or suppress her. As long as he did not vite any big rules, he just let her be.


    It''s not that he developed a sympathy for this race, he just didn''t think Nexa or the few remnants alive could do anything at this point.


    Her bing a rank 8 despite being from a duchy was already the highest point of her life.


    If she didn''t have a death wish, she wouldn''t seek to make an enemy out of a peak rank 9 who''s also the strongest man in the kingdom.


    "No matter how nice you try to coat it otherwise, the Prince would be disappointed for yourck of faith in him. But since this is what the faction seeks, then I shall not object." Nexa said in an emotionless tone.


    "Then we''ll get going."


    "Take care, everyone."


    "We''ll start off in a few hours. Get your work done and prepare for a small trip to the edge of the kingdom."


    "If not for the Prince, I would not even nce at such a backward ce."


    The council was empty in a few seconds, save for the thin ash-colored woman. After double-checking the presence of any beings, she opened a hand mirror and tried to activate it by injecting aura.


    "Master! Master, please respond!"


    The pleas of the woman echoed between the luminous walls as well as between the luxurious chandelier and the hybrid-diamond tiles.


    Just like it had been for thest few weeks, there had been no response. Thest proper message she received was two days ago and she instantly judged it was heavily dyed for some reason.


    [This boy is stupid! He can''t even fight a mere duchy called Zions!


    Oh! Orion! We have dangerous enemies!]


    And then, there was no more.


    "Where are you, Master?"


    The invisible signals from the hand mirror smoothly traveled throughyers of space, crossing dozens of duchies before stopping at a spaceship.


    To be precise, in the training room of the ship, at the red-ded sword floating beside a young man.


    It tried to reach an old soul.

 Chapter 1401 Welcome, Welcome Myself To The Kingdom!

    <h4>Chapter 1401 Wee, Wee Myself To The Kingdom!</h4>


    Joras yawned, bored at another work day.


    When you realize that living for 1,000 years meant working for 800, the so-called longevity didn''t seem so desirable anymore.


    It''s not like he''s doing anything great with his work life. Sure, he''s working in the royal district and earned more than his cheap friends.


    But being a security guard was as mundane as it could get.


    Sometimes, Joras would curse his father for getting horny on that fateful day. If at least that old bastard controlled his libido, he wouldn''t be stuck here.


    ''And that motherfucker incurred so much debt. I''m stuck here until my old age.'' Joras gnashed his teeth.


    All of a sudden, the world spun and something harsh fell on him. The familiar smell of the cleanly trimmed purple and bluegrass in front of the royal district caused him to realize that he was kicked and crashed to the ground.


    When he raised his head to look up who even dared this, a foot mmed down onto his chest and with the wound of dry twigs snapping, his bones cracked.


    "You lowly bastard. How dare you ck off during your duty hours?"


    Unlike the middle-aged Joras who was a rank 6, the attacker was young and merely a rank 4.


    But there was no fear in the youngster''s eyes. Only utter contempt that despised the inferiority of the ''creature'' wriggling under his foot.


    "Unspirited bastards like you aren''t even fit to be guards. If only you guys stopped having children, this kingdom wouldn''t have to feed so many leeches."


    The young man lifted his shoe, cleaned it with a silken cloth, and entered the royal district.


    A few minutester, Joras stood up. His injuries were already fixed. Thankfully, that guy was only a rank 4 and couldn''t give serious injuries to his strong body.


    "Only five beatings before afternoon. Looks like today will be alright."


    Joras smiled brightly and continued to stand guard.


    It''s actually unnecessary to have security guards for the royal district¡ªthe ce where the royal members lived and the royal pce was present. Every important building had its own security.


    But maybe it''s just for the sake of appearances or maybe those loan sharks just wanted to torture him mentally, so he ended up in this shop.


    ''I''ll not have a child even if you tell me to. I curse my old man every day for the shitty genes he gave me. If my son too ends up without a natal treasure, he too will curse me until he dies.''


    With a rxed smile, the middle-aged man who already spent half of his lifespan working this menial job for a debt that never seemed to end, continued about his day.


    People kept moving in and out, but the royal district was a vast area¡ªhundreds of times greater than the earth''snd surface¡ªwith a vast area consisting of many, many entrances and exits. So, the traffic for any single entrance was low.


    As Joras began to believe there wouldn''t be any significant events today, a very traditional carriage started to approach the entrance.


    Unlike the sleek, automated lotives, this one was pulled by ming horses¡ªbeasts that contained the bloodline of a divine beast called Hell Steed.


    The man''s fist was on his heart and his back was bent. He was saluting before he even knew it.


    As the carriage was about to go in, the badge on Joras'' red shirt began to flick with a white light.


    The man''s expression changed and he hurriedly rushed between the carriage and the entrance.


    "Lord, Lady, one of you is not a royal. As you know, only royals are allowed inside the royal district. Anyone else needs permission."


    The silky curtains covering the carriage fluttered as a snort sounded and then a youth stepped out.


    "Hah! Even I need permission? Me? Hahahaha!" An arrogantughter rang from him, as he sized up the guard with a contemptuous gaze.


    Joras wouldn''t mind that much. A bad gaze was the lightest damage done to him.


    The problem, however, was that this young man pointed to the whole of the royal district and put his hands over his mouth as if he''s about to shout.


    "S-Sir! Please don''t!"


    Even if rank 7s fought here, the space wouldn''t break. Rank 8s could barely tear a few threads of the space.


    So, anyone trying to attempt what they''d usually do on a normal or less-reinforced simply wouldn''t work here.


    In such a backdrop, the air of the capital¡ªthe kingdom''s finest capital¡ªwas much stronger than one would expect.


    Using aura to amplify one''s voice in the air¡ªthe typical tactic elsewhere¡ªwouldn''t work here.


    If this foreign young master tried it and got embarrassed, he might try to silence the one who witnessed his embarrassment¡ªJoras.


    Even though he''s a guard to the royal district, someone like him¡ªan Unspirited¡ªthose without a natal treasure¡ªwere not seen as equals in this kingdom and its society.


    If enoughpensation could be paid, the young master could escape punishment.


    ''Fuck you Daddy! I don''t want to die for such a trivial rea¡ª''


    "You cowardly bastards and spineless pussies! Why aren''t you weing this young master? Roll over here!"


    A strong male voice swept over the royal district, spreading in every corner and echoing for a while before dissipating.


    Plop!


    Joras'' legs wobbled and he knelt on the ground. If not for his half-millennia experience, he''d be pissing himself right now.


    "Mad! Mad! Absolutely mad!" Like a broken record, the guard who witnessed the royal district for hundreds of years muttered to himself.


    Then the middle-aged man raised his head and looked at Varian with a look of anger, amusement, and pity. "Young master! Not only did you kill yourself, you also dragged me down with you! The royals of P do not tolerate disrespect.


    Even if you''re the best prince of the finest dukedom, your life is over. They¡­should already be here."


    As he said those words, auras quickly locked onto Varian.


    Five rank 7 guards, d in ck full-body armornded in front of him. Only their eyes could be seen through the gap in their helmets. And those eyes weren''t friendly.

 Chapter 1402 Arrogant Young Master? Hold My Beer!

    <h4>Chapter 1402 Arrogant Young Master? Hold My Beer!</h4>


    "Is this my invitation to get in?" Varian rubbed his chin. "Not bad. Not bad at all."


    The royal guard who seemed to be the head of the squad snorted and nced at Joras.


    "Unspirited? As expected from these ipetent leeches." The head guard raised his sword to kill off the security guard for ''allowing'' such a thing to happen.


    Joras didn''t even bother to defend or cry injustice. He had those ideals when he was young and naive. That was the time he used to wonder why the adults of the world gave up on fighting for a better world.


    But as he grew older and fought and fought and fought, fatigue set in. He couldn''t change the deeply entrenched system.


    No matter how talented he was, the spirited ones were given priorities in resources and training. Thus, the spirited ones on average always had a better rank. Using the better rank as the justification, even more resources were tilted toward them. This self-feeding cycle was unstoppable and unbreakable.


    Born into a kingdom that based itself on such a system, as the light of the sword shone down on his face, Joras realized that he didn''t fear dying.


    No. What he feared wasn''t dying, it was a life where he couldn''t even live.


    ''You old fucker! I''m going before you! Let''s see who will pay your debts!'' As he said his farewells, the tip of the de reached his throat.


    "Is this the kingdom Princess Isadora talked about? Killing a helpless guard? Hahaha! Would you guys show even a quarter of this valor on the battlefield? Nah! Let me guess, you''ll crawl to your stronger enemy and lick his shoes if he can let you out, am I right or am I right?"


    The discordant, arrogant but strangelymanding voice rang out at the critical moment.


    The de of the sword left a purple line on Joras brown skin. It went no deeper than that.


    The headguard surprisingly disyed an excellent control of the sword as he withdrew it at thest moment without harming the prey.


    Not caring about the impressive feat in the slighest, the guard turned to Varian with a strong gaze.


    "What did you just say? P-Princess I-Isa¡­"


    "Did your mom not teach you pronounciation? It''s Princess Isadora!" Varian crossed his arms with an arrogant gaze and snorted.


    "¡­"


    Even though he wanted to smash this arrogant bastard in the face, the head guard realized this matter was no longer something he could handle.


    Turning around, he said to his squad. "Inform the Pce. We''ll be taking this guest there for judgement."


    The headguard then turned to the handsome young man, intending to ask him toe with him.


    But Varian swaggered back to his carriage, leaving behind the words in a very patronizing tone. "Sure. Sure. I''ll give you five the honor of escorting me there."


    ''Fuck!''


    The guards looked at each other, anger and humiliation overflowing in their eyes. Unlike the lowly security guard, they were royal guards¡ªthe ones who guarded the pce. And it''s not a job they did because of debts. They picked up the job because of the immense benefits.


    A Spirited, rank 7 royal guard was someone who''d be respected throughout the kingdom. But this bastard had the galls to give them the ''honor'' of being his escorts.


    As much as they gnashed their teeth in anger, the royal guards didn''t do anything more than that.


    Sealing their mouth shut lest they curst this bastard, they escorted the carriage to the royal pce.


    Even by mistake, they didn''t want to attack someone who could be rted to Princess Isadora.


    Inside the carriage, Varian shrugged at Sonya, Enigma and the veiled Sarah with a look of disbelief. "I guess her n isn''t as crazy as it sounded."


    *** *** ***


    Not too long ago:


    When Isadora and Sarah entered the training room to ask for his help, they noticed that it had changed to resemble a vige side with a long river floating through it.


    The man they were looking for was sitting quietly on the river bank, dipping his feet in the water.


    Floating at his eye level was a piece of rock that was twisting violently, the space-time fabric around it changing at a certain frequency along with the order-chaos that govern the matter-energy in it.


    The rock continued to twist before it suddenly stopped and stretched taut. The space around it became distinctly different from the space in the room.


    The proof of this was that the aura in the room began to flock toward the rock.


    An invisible wall of sorts was formed around the piece of rock, blocking some aura and letting some in. But in fact, it was just the solidified space of the rock which was much stronger than the normal space.


    Varian halted his breath at some point and devoted himself to the work.


    As the aura continued to pour into that tiny ''prime world'', it entered the middle stage of creation.


    With the space boundaries created and aura concentration raised, at this point, the rock itself had to strengthen.


    As the aura poured into the rock, fine cracks began to appear on the rock.


    Varian''s expression twisted and he wanted to lower the input of the aura. But it''s already very low. If it went any lower, the little aura being sent into the rock would discharge into the space around it before strengthening it, essentially halting the progress in the middle stages.


    So he let the aura flow.


    The cracks on the rock expanded in seconds before the rock disintegrated apart.


    "You''ve already hit the middle stages?" Isadora''s lips twitched. She expected him to progress fast but this was a bit too much, alright?


    Since they didn''t want to disturb Varian, they deliberately withdrew their extended senses and didn''t notice everything in the room.


    Moreover, the aura was dense and fluctuating around him, so other than his silhouette, the visibility around him was a problem.


    But as Sarah walked up to him while the aura cleared, she noticed Enigma in Varian''s arms, her head resting on his chest and his arms around her waist.


    "¡­What are you doing?"


    Enigma raised her head, the blush on her face turning even her ears pink. "He¡­wants us to get closer so we can y husband and wife part well."

 Chapter 1403 True Brother-In-Law

    <h4>Chapter 1403 True Brother-In-Law</h4>


    Considering the man in question, the exnation was on point.


    Even though Sarah felt a surge of jealousy for not getting the wife role, she consoled herself by stating the obvious, yep, very obvious truth.


    ''I''m the first.''


    "Var, I need your help to get a proper understanding of Isadora."


    "Okay?" Varian blinked in confusion for a moment before he raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Synergy?"


    Sarah nodded. "It''s not a link where we just exchange memories, even though it happens sometimes. The most delicate strings we can sense are our feelings."


    Enigma raised her head slightly and asked in a sheepish voice. "A-Are you sure you''ll be okay? Isadora''s memories and feelings are very¡­deep andplex."


    ''You could get lost in them and distort your view of reality.'' That''s what she implied.


    But Sarah nodded with a carefree smile, her eyes locked onto her husband. "Why do you think Var is the core of the ritual? He isn''t just at the center symbolically. He''s also the one who controls the process and acts as the filter.


    Whatever we might feel through this process, memories we experience, or feelings that touch us, we will retain our sense of self."


    Varian nodded in agreement.


    He was only figuring that out but she seemed to have a great deal of rity on the matter. The legacy''s information material must be impressive.


    "Thanks for your time while you''re still busy." Sarah sat beside him and locked her fingers with his.


    "¡­"


    The party ignored since the start couldn''t bear it anymore and looked at Varian with an almost hostile gaze.


    "What?"


    Sarah elbowed him. "Don''t be so steel-hearted. She wants you to ask."


    "Oh?" Varian opened his mouth in surprise. "So that she can stand on her words¡ªThis is the first andst time?"


    Isadora''s face turned red in half-anger and half-embarrassment. Turning around, she faced the exit.


    "epting you were wrong isn''t wrong. Unless you''re living like a rock, your past self is always a little more stupid than your present self."


    Isadora bit her lip and finally sat beside him. She lightly touched his hand but ensured the contact was kept to a minimum.


    Before he could start, she red at him and said. "This. Is. The. Last. Time."


    Varian suppressed his chuckle and kick-started the Synergy.


    A magnificent soul worldposed of a brilliant sea emerged from the darkness. On the boundaries of this realm were two bright worlds¡ªone with the golden light rivaling a hundred stars and the other, with deep darkness that devoured all creation.


    "Please use this chance properly."


    Leaving those words, he began to learn from thebined experiences of the two women.


    Once again, Isadora''s high-level experiences were broken down with the help of Sarah''s knowledge through the legacy while his own intuition picked the right stuff he could use to progress at this point.


    The light and darkness powers of these two¡ªOrder and Chaos at this point¡ªwere extremelyplimentary.


    They fed into each other and helped him grow two paths with double results and half the effort.


    The space and time powers were something he had to struggle with. Isadora''s insights into space were not as useful at this rank. But gravity, the product of space-time fabric was indirectly helpful.


    The growth wasn''t as much as he wanted but it''s still very impressive.


    Next was the Sage Avenue.


    Isadora was actually Anima¡ªthe contrast of Ignis. But the difference in these two paths was that of their focus on life and death aspects. The soul part itself was the same.


    It was an easy learning experience.


    There wasn''t much Isadora could help him in Paragon Body or Death Giant. Neither could Sarah.


    So, both Death Giant and Paragon Body were left like the most disliked children, left to y on their own.


    The pitiful paths made the least progress despite reaching rank 7 first.


    Meanwhile, Sarah and Isadorapleted a session of master-apprentice practice. Unlike the typical, their feelings were pure and struck each other at the deepest level.


    As this happened, their paths too got a push from each other as well as Varian whose growth only seemed to be increasing with each rank.


    Their auras jumped greatly before stabilizing.


    Isadora reached the edge of mid rank 8, one small step away from breakthrough.


    The luckiest one was Sarah.


    Perhaps because Synergy was from the Ares tribe¡ªthe same source as the legacy itself¡ªthe legacy responded positively, elerating the process by many folds.


    It shouldn''t have happened with trivial treasures or techniques.


    However, Synergy, as Varian gradually realized, was simple in usage but very mysterious in its origins and depth.


    As a result, Sarah reached high rank 8 without a hitch.


    The session ended shortly.


    Sarah''s gaze towards Isadora held a tinge of respect but it was quickly overshadowed by thepetitiveness in her eyes.


    Isadora looked at her with a bit of doting before she shook her head and red.


    "So, what''s the strategy?"


    "Strategy?"


    "I''m Enigma''s husband, your brother-inw. How should this ''brother-inw'' behave?" Varian asked the obvious.


    Isadora tapped her chin in contemtion. "We''re going to tell them I reached divine rank, yeah?"


    "Uh-oh."


    "Then you should act like you actually have the backing of a divine ranker." The Princess shrugged before adding. "Oh, and that divine ranker is not just any average divine ranker. It''s me. Myself. So you know what you''re dealing with."


    "Be specific, please. I never had a divine ranking backer."


    "¡­I''m not sure. I had one but never had to rely on her." Isadora looked at the surface of the river and fell into deep thought before she pped his thigh.


    "Yes!"


    "Ouch!"


    "Act bold, act courageous! Act you like own the damn ce! If anyonees against you, kill!


    If they serve you, it''s their honor!


    If they''re punished by you, it''s their fate!"


    The more she spoke, the more excited the Princess got.


    "¡­Are you sure you''re not trying to get me killed out of petty revenge?"


    "Shut up! The brother-inw of Princess Isadora without arrogance is not a brother-inw at all! They''ll only doubt you if you act nice. So be bold! Be arrogant! The more the better!"

 Chapter 1404 7 Rank 7s

    <h4>Chapter 1404 7 Rank 7s</h4>


    "You lowlife scum! You can tell your children, grandchildren and even their grandchildren that you had the honor to escort me. Aren''t you happy?"


    A haughty voice rang from the carriage.


    There was a stark silence outside.


    "You worthless trash! If you don''t want to be the first bunch to be killed by Isadora''s brother-inw, answer me properly, Are you happy?"


    "Yes, Sir! We are happy, Sir!"


    "How happy?"


    "So happy that we are crying, Sir!"


    "How much are you crying?"


    "So much that our tears are greater than our best pees, Sir!"


    "That''s the spirit! Keep it up!"


    The arrogant brother-inw humed in satisfaction.


    Sonya was stunned at her brother-inw who didn''t just act but ''lived'' the role as the arrogant young master.


    Even though Isadora''s sound was reasonable, she started to fear if this man''s arrogance would get them killed.


    The carriage passed through the wide roads in the royal district. Every tile used to build these roads was made from rare asteroid metals¡ªa single tile here could buy you a decent house in a province capital.


    The dragon-horses in front of the carriage suddenly roared and came to a halt as they sensed something.


    Without any intention of hiding, powerful auras swept the carriage.


    Some were probing, others furious but all tantly disrespectful, breaking the basic ettiquettee of not prying into a carriage in public.


    The auras were blocked by the special formations engraved on the carriage¡ªit''s not for nothing that Sonya was proud of this thing.


    But Varian rose to his feet and rolled up his sleeves, ready to start a brawl. Despite trying, he couldn''t hide the rising excitement.


    Like a kid who couldn''t wait for his christmas gift, he hurriedly reached out to the curtain.


    But a slender hand held his arm.


    Turning his head stiffly, he looked at Sarah ring at him with her blue eyes. And Enigma who was shaking her head in disappointment.


    "A habit from work, hahaha!" With an awkwardugh, he rubbed the back of his neck and got seated.


    Even though he did that, one would be blind not to notice his difort. The man was fighting the urge to not get into a fulfilling fight.


    A soft touch filled the left side of his body and a tickling hot breath reached his ears. But the words were cold and blunt.


    "Control yourself, husband. You are a human being, not an animal who only thinks with his animal brain whenever you get a good fight."


    Varian sighed and lowered his head like a school kid punished by his teacher.


    Sonya''s jaw nearly dropped at the unbelievable sight. Was she seeing things? Had she finally gone mad from all the stress?


    ''T-That scary man is behaving like that?''


    "The brother-inw is arrogant but not stupid. He knows how to make use of thew when it''s helpful." Enigma said.


    Varian nodded with a helpless smile. It''s what they already discussed. But it was so enticing to get into a good fight that he acted without thinking.


    This time, he used the amplifier on the carriage and locked onto the ces from which the auras originated.


    "Hey,w breakers! By trying to pry into a carriage, are you openly disobeying the king''sw?


    In broad day light, in the royal district¡ªthe heart of the capital no less¡ªyou openly breakws set by His Majesty."


    Varian''s voice rang far and wide in the royal district. The people residing here, the elites of the elites, began to tense at his choice of words.


    "I sense nothing but nefarious intentions behind such actions.


    Are you not satisfied with thew?


    Or¡­Are you not satisfied with the king who made thew?"


    Boom!


    A loud bang swept the sky of the capital and an irrestitible force crushed all the budding auras.


    The force that erupted in that single moment was overwhelming and unstoppable. It was the true power that stood at the very pinnacle of the kingdom.


    If these auras standing out and trying to pry were likerge rocks with sharp edges, that aura was a mountain which crushed every single one of them with ease.


    "Last warning."


    A cold voice reverberated across the royal district.


    A lot of people realized that this brother-inw they just learned might actually be the real deal.


    The royal guards who were escorting him with dissatisfied faces now looked back at the carriage in astonishment before straightening their backs and walking like emotionless machines.


    If this guy was really her brother-inw¡­then it''s really an honor.


    A few influential people in the district used their contacts and realized that Princess Sonya had returned but kept the news a secret. And she too had a carriage like this, which only a select few owned.


    Now it made a lot of sense.


    Then if the man''s assertion of his ''acquintance'' with Isadora was true, then¡­


    ''She is alive!''


    ''The legendary princess is alive!''


    The news spread throughout the district like a wildfire. Most people were still skeptical but they wished for it to be true.


    Acutely aware of the storm he intentionally set off, the man in question smirked and focused his attention on something more important.


    ''Status''


    [ <Congrations On reaching rank 7 in Order and Chaos.


    Now all your paths have hit rank 7. You''re a high ranker to speak of. You are no longer an ant in the cosmic scale, you''re a rat! Congrattions!


    But it''s a bit ironic. The weilder of the Order and Chaos slivers advanced in those paths the veryst.


    The Synergy helped a lot It''s very helpful, even though the jumps aren''t as drastic as they once were. The gap between Isadora and you is actually smaller than it seems>


    Paragon Body : 1,000/10,000 (+100)


    Death Giant?: 1,000/10,000 (+150)


    Ignis?: 750/10,000?(+500)


    Order?: 750/10,000.?(+750)


    Chaos : 750/10,000. (+750)


    Space: 500/10,000. (+300)


    Time: 500/10,000. (+300)


    <Host, you are not too far from reaching the critical period.


    Be careful with your choices.


    It''s not just your fate that you''re going to decide>]

 Chapter 1405 On The Stage

    <h4>Chapter 1405 On The Stage</h4>


    The central pce resembled a fortress but somehow managed to retain the grandeur that came with its long history and the opulence of its prosperous civilization.


    Shimmering in gold and silver, the great buildingplex seemed far fetched from the mundane.


    It was the peak for celestials, the gateway to the divine, and the center of all Prians.


    Half of thend surrounding the forest was mesmerizing flower gardens. They were so beautiful, fragrant, and refreshing that the great travelers who visited a great many domains of the Alliance gave it a special name.


    ''Celestial Garden.''


    It was inspired by the ''Divine Garden'' raised by All-Mother Asherah¡ªthe creator of Prians.


    No one knew if the ''Divine Garden'' was a real thing. In thest 10,000 years, not a single being ever imed they visited it.


    But the ce had a mythical importance in the history or mythology of the Prians, depending on how they viewed the tale.


    As the myth goes, the ''Divine Garden'' grows over a milky white ocean. Even though it''s called an ocean, it''s just the purest of aura liquefied.


    Each flower in the ocean would start from the surface and grow above the water''s surface.


    Every day, All-Mother Asherah would pick a flower and based on the flower''s qualities, she would create the race.


    One day, she picked a purple flower. The flower carried with it the rocks, pearls, and conchs from the ocean bed.


    The concept of ''Natal Treasure'' was conceived there and Prians, beings capable of awakening ''Natal Treasure'' were created.


    As they entered the grand pce pathways which were impossibly wide and luxurious, Varian and his group read this fascinating myth painted over the walls, describing the story in intimate detail.


    The guards at the entrance¡ªone of the six which they entered through¡ªwere eerie.


    At first, Varian wondered why there were no guards at the entrance and only soldier statues painted in gray.


    When Sonya signaled him with her gaze, he checked once again and was dumbfounded after finding the hidden but impressive trace of life in their bodies.


    Step! Step! Step!


    The royal guard squad that escorted them so far continued to lead the way, their every step precise, calcted, and deliberate.


    These people who were surprised, scared, and anxious by the young master''s antics put aside every single emotion the moment they stepped inside the pce.


    Now, they were pure elite forces. Men without thinking, killing machines without emotions.


    The silent corridors slowly grew heavy and ominous. The paintings hanging over the walls got more and more vivid, violent, and recent.


    Varian understood that they were about to reach the Throne Hall.


    A grand golden double door with breathtaking art of snakes, birds, and flowers greeted them atst.


    Sonya remained rtivelyposed due to her familiarity with this ce. If Sarah was feeling anything, she didn''t show much of it in her sky-blue eyes. Enigma, on the other hand, frowned in difort.


    Varian, different from the rest, showed a smirk at the invisible pressure that quietly fell on their souls.


    The door wasn''t a fancy item. It''s an artifact whose equivalent exchange would be a weapon resilient enough for a rank 9.


    The royal guards bowed to the door and walked forward. They showed no trouble in their steps.


    Given the difort they were facing, it''s obvious they too needed to lower their heads.


    Sonya was about to do it when Varian shook his head in disagreement. "Not us."


    "Huh?"


    Without answering, he took a step forward.


    The invisible pressure on him doubled.


    And then another step.


    It doubled again.


    His eyes were shaking violently as the pressure on him grew with each step but the glow in them was brighter and brighter, as if a me was burning in his eyes and each step was serving as a fuel.


    Varian felt hyperaware as the terrible pressure assaulted his soul.


    The glittering white and ck floor resembled the Milky Way, therge pirs with poems praising the rulers, and the dangerous but beautiful door.


    Everything was so clear, so real and so bright that his eyes hurt for a moment.


    But without stopping, he reached for the door.


    The eyes of the guards from the slit in their helmets were wide open, unable to believe the reality in front of their eyes.


    The only ones who did not bow their heads were the rank 9s who could ignore the pressure. Everyone else had to lower their head to get in.


    Over time, it became a matter of respect. So, whoever did not lower their head, even a rank 9, would be subject to criticism.


    But this man¡­


    Not only did he not show respect, he reached for the door so arrogantly.


    "I only bow to the will of your greatness, All-Mother in the Divine Garden."


    Repeating the first line of the Prian anthem, Varian opened the door.


    Creak~


    With a disgruntled sound, the scene inside the throne hall was revealed.


    Arge red carpet wasid out, leading all the way to the elevated tform where the throne was ced. On either side of the carpet were exquisite chairs on different elevations.


    The hierarchy was clear at a nce.


    Studded to the walls at the back of the room were ming orbs. The ck mes cast a long shadow on the man sitting on the throne, miring him in darkness.


    In that pitch-ck darkness, the golden eyes shone through.


    There was a heavy silence in the hall, the powerful elites, men and women exuding dangerous auras on either side looking at the entrance with a cold gaze.


    The royal guards froze in their ce, their souls screaming to leave their bodies.


    The top echelon of the kingdom wasn''t happy at all! They''re screwed!


    Varian stepped into the throne hall with bold steps. His group followed him without hesitation.


    There was a confident look on his face even in the hostile gazes of the strongest people of the kingdom.


    It was a look of defiance, arrogance, andposure.


    The silencested for minutes, with each minute more tense than thest.


    The lower members of the echelon were already fidgeting, some had to control their legs from shaking and a few were breathing heavily.


    But the group and Varian, in particr, stood with suchposure that even the people vehemently hostile against him couldn''t help but take notice of this crass young man.


    "Hahahaha! Wonderful!


    Wonderful indeed! What a brave young man! I''ve seen many youth over my long life, but you alone are worthy of being her brother-inw."


    An old man sitting on the first seat right of the throne pped his thigh and dered with a loudugh.

 Chapter 1406 Perceived And Real Truths

    <h4>Chapter 1406 Perceived And Real Truths</h4>


    The dignitaries frowned at thement and some of the old man''s equals red at him, expressing their discontent and disagreement.


    But the old man, Archduke Micheal, didn''t care. He made no effort of hiding his sudden fondness to this young man who appeared out of the blue.


    His equals nced at the throne, gauging the king''s agreement or disagreement in this matter so they could react ordingly.


    However, the man on the throne, mired in the darkness cast by the ming orbs, remained still and silent, like an ancient stone that would not budge even against the mightiest of storms.


    So, the Archdukes of the kingdom took their stances.


    "A young man spheming the name of this kingdom''s beloved princess, even a hundred deaths to his family and nine generations would fall short. I request to give him the worst of torture and strip Princess Sonya of her position for bringing a man like this."


    A tinum-blonde man who looked to be in his 40s, seated closest to the king on the left, mmed the armrests and dered.


    "The princess has made us proud. Even if she''s not with us anymore, we cannot allow anyone to tarnish her image."


    A pale man with an eyepatch echoed the sentiment. The followers of these two men chanted in agreement.


    For a while, the throne hall sang death to the young man and his group.


    Varian''s eyes remained calm.


    ''Corinthian and Kriad, the ardent supporters of Prince Rudolph. High rank 9 archdukes.


    They must be panicking already since they lost contact with Rudolph. Sonya returning now should''ve sent rm bells. They want to get rid of her first before even investigating their prince''s whereabouts.


    My behavior just happened to be the perfect justification for their n.''


    That much was expected.


    Unless someone was like him¡ªwith overwhelming strength to crush the entire political ss¡ªtreacherous politics were expected in any ruling ce.


    What was surprising, however, was Archduke Micheal''s support for him.


    Isadora never bothered to build a faction or cultivate a rtionship with any of the Archdukes. She couldn''t care less.


    So, if this old man voiced support despite that, it''s likely genuine fondness or¡­a very calcted n that he couldn''t figure out yet.


    The next faction began.


    It was an old, olddy. The thin, sparse gray hair reached her waist, her skin was sagging and she looked like a grandma in her 90s.


    Her eyes were still bright as a me. It''s just that this me was flickering as if it was about to disappear at any moment.


    "Two things.


    One, the preposterous young man has used her name. It''s the reason why we''re all here, wasting our precious time. That warrants a great punishment.


    Two, Princess Sonya, where is Prince Merov?"


    Her voice, old but clear, was weak in volume but strong in pressuring her opponent.


    Archduchess Seraphina.


    A woman who was so old that she''s said to have lived through the reign of two kings and was now living the third.


    Even though there was a strong belief that she was going to kick the bucket in a century or two, no one dismissed her. No one dared to.


    The king himself, despite his immense pride and arrogance, was said to consult her for a few important matters.


    The olddy was also a high rank 9. She''s the sole supporter of Prince Merov at her level but that alone made the prince the most influential.


    "Speak up, Princess Sonya. What happened to Prince Merov?" The olddy pressed on, putting heavy pressure on the little princess.


    Varian shielded her behind him and said. "I killed him."


    A heavy, confused silence filled the hall.


    "I said, I killed him. I killed Prince Merov. I also killed Prince Rudolph."


    The archdukes looked at each other and then at Varian.


    There was no anger in their eyes¡ªonly pure disbelief.


    "As you''re getting the worst punishments already, you are fearless to spout such lies." The eyepatch archduke Kriadughed, dismissing Varian''s words.


    Others agreed.


    "Hahahaha!" Varian startedughing. "I get it! I totally get it! This is why Isadora didn''t even bother to attend this ce. It''s a clown''s circus. You guys are so into petty politics that you didn''t even bother to check who I am."


    Like a pause button was pressed, his words froze everyone in the throne hall.


    "I know why none of you took my ims about Princess Isadora seriously." He pulled Sonya to his side.


    The people were surprised by her obedience.


    Suddenly, something seemed off.


    "You think this is a stunt by Sonya to be the crown princess, that this is a n to use the prestige of her sister to gain power.


    Everyone is worried that their favorite prince, Rudolph or Merov, is being disadvantaged by this shameless method.


    Crown Prince.


    That''s the biggest thing you can think of. Even the Archdukes are believing that''s all there is to it.


    But open your eyes.


    You are not only wrong, you''re blind. I don''t give a flying fuck about the crown prince candidate.


    It''s not Sonya who''s making the decisions here. I call the shots."


    A stiff, suffocating silence permeated the throne hall. The sounds of breathing halted altogether and the heartbeats of the members began to grow louder and louder.


    Just as he said, they thought this was all a drama by Sonya. Using Isadora''s name was a big factor but that alone wouldn''t make them all attend this session. Sonya apanying him changed it from a wild usation to a political ploy.


    So, everyone gathered.


    But if this wasn''t Sonya''s n at all.


    If that guy was really telling the truth¡­


    "Evidence."


    A cold and extremelymanding voice rang from the throne, dissipating the darkness covering the throne.


    A middle-aged man with sharp facial features, bronze skin, and brown hair appeared.


    d in an outfit geared towards battle, his clothes didn''t give the luxurious look of a king.


    However, the overwhelming presence was enough to override all such superficial judgments.


    Even if he wore the clothes of a royal servant, no one would mistake him for one.


    Wherever he went, this man would stand out.


    "Evidence."


    The king said and the hall fell silent.


    Varian didn''t respond with any argument or belittling statement. Even Isadora warned him that it was a bad idea.


    "Here you go."


    A grain shot up into the air and a dazzling white light filled the hall.

 Chapter 1407 In The Throne Hall

    <h4>Chapter 1407 In The Throne Hall</h4>


    Divinity.


    What did that even mean...?


    The transcendence of a lifeform?


    The elevation of a being from the puppet of the cosmos to its puppeteer?


    The final step before a man became God, all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-present?


    There were many definitions, many arguments, and many reasonings.


    But the indisputable thing about divinity was its nature.


    As the soft white light shimmered in the throne hall, the divine power was there for all to witness and revere.


    "I-Indeed¡­it''s her power. Her power indeed." King Ferdinand spoke, his voice, previously calm and powerful voice was now cracking and confused.


    Even then, he was already miles ahead of people who were entranced by the miraculous power and couldn''t take their eyes off it even if they tried. And they weren''t even trying.


    The Archdukes were the next to tear their gazes away from the sight. Noticing that, Varian snapped his fingers and the grain returned to his palm.


    The people who were disturbed in the middle turned their gazes to him on instinct to condemn his behavior. But before a word rolled on their tongue, the realization of the man''s identity kicked in and their bodies froze.


    "If it''s clear enough, then allow me to re-introduce myself." Varian gently pulled Enigma forward and spoke to the royal court.


    "This is my wife, Enigma Konstant, the younger sister of Isadora. I''m her husband, Varian. In the records, I''m also the ruler of the new province you detected near Centaurus."


    A few auras swept Enigma and stiffened up before dissipating. Since these people were all experts in the domain of life, they could tell it with a single check.


    Enigma and Isadora were deeply, deeply rted. It''s a direct, one-on-one connection. Only rtionships like sister or daughter or mother would make sense.


    Which means it''s really possible that this woman was the sister of the legendary princess.


    "H-How is the Princess?" Archduke Micheal spoke up in a confused tone, unable to hide his disbelief.


    "Very fine but she''s in the middle of some breakthrough. I guess she isn''t stopping even at divine ranks, eh?" Varian shrugged with a helpless gaze.


    "¡­So she really reached divine rank, huh?" Archduke Kriad intervened.


    Varian raised an eyebrow with a baffled expression as if he could not believe such a dumb question was even asked. "She was peak rank 9 five hundred years ago. Where do you think she''d be now?"


    "B-But we heard she was ambushed on the way back and¡­"


    Varian spun the grain on his index finger at the doubt raised.


    Archduke Kriad checked once again. To his utter disbelief and unwillingness, the aura on the seed was fresh, nted less than a week ago. And it''s the aura of that woman herself! He''d never mistake it!


    "What actually happened?"


    "Why did the Princess remain in hiding for so long?"


    "What the hell is this all supposed to mean?"


    The questions were raised one by one, by an increasingly charged crowd who wanted the answers right away.


    The dignified throne hall that was ring and looking down at Varian a few minutes ago turned into awless market, with each person ready to bend backward to get the answers.


    It''s a ridiculous act without any show of respect for thew, the king, and the kingdom.


    "Silence."


    A single word, one that bordered a growl of a wild beast rang in the hall and a tsunami of aura followed, sweeping the crowd and reminding them of exactly where they were standing.


    In the presence of King Ferdinand.


    The elite of the elites froze like school children before slumping into their seats like puppets whose strings were cut.


    The king''s eyes turned to Varian and the human emperor experienced a tremendous pressure, one that surpassed even that of the Great Harvestor.


    It wasn''t a guess but a certainty that if this man had even the slightest of intention, he could kill not just him but his entire group and even if everyone else in the hall tried to protect him¡ªincluding those high rank 9s¡ªthey would not be able to stop the king.


    The raw difference is power was so great that Varian had a hard time putting up the act.


    "Exin yourself, Varian Konstant. From the beginning."


    It wasn''t a request, but an order.


    For the first time since his arrival in the capital, Varian took a moment topose himself with a deep breath.


    "Isadora was heavily injured after the attack in thest war. She was ambushed on the way back by unknown enemies.


    After killing them all, she was on the verge of death and ended up fighting my star system.


    It took her a while to heal back to health and then she broke through to the divine ranks.


    After she secretly traveled through the Alliance, she ended up fighting her sister who she brought back. She wanted Enigma to have a proper life instead of the one she had. So, they stayed in the human domain.


    All the iprehensible things about my civilization are actually due to her help.


    And I¡­"


    Varian gently held Enigma''s hand with a bright smile. "I fell in love with this amazing woman and am fortunate to share my life with her. We wanted nothing more than to live in peace, away from all trouble. We weren''t too bothered when the census officers knocked on our doors."


    "Along with her disciple," Pointing to Sarah, he continued. "She taught me about the kingdom and its customs. So, we weed the census officers. The problem, however, was the princes and their petty egos.


    Rudolph insulted my wife and got the death he sought so much. Merov tried to kill me and lost his life in the process.


    But killing them without taking responsibility is not cool, Isadora said. She wanted me to proim everything I''d done in the throne hall."


    With a rxed smile, Varian said. "So I have. I''ve killed the princes. I hope it ends here. I''m a very understanding person. But Isadora can get very cranky sometimes and she hates people who cross the red lines."


    Those words were uttered with killing intent and making no disguise of the warning.


    King Ferdinand tapped the armrest a few times and hummed. "Since the princes have offended Princess Isadora''s sister, they got the punishment they deserved. But they had an important responsibility. You''re their killer, it''s right that you fulfill that duty by apanying Sonya."


    "B-But Your Majes¡ª"


    "L-Lor¡ª"


    "Th-That could le¡ª"


    With a bang, the voices were shut off and everyone was suddenly shifted into arge garden outside.


    Only a strong voice lingered.


    "The court is dismissed."

 Chapter 1408 Duality Of Man

    <h4>Chapter 1408 Duality Of Man</h4>


    Noisy chatter filled the beautiful garden.


    The officials, big and small, discussed in hushed voices. These men and women were at most rank 7s, but were masters in their particr field.


    These were foreign envoys, financial ministers,w makers and so on. As experienced as they were, they were confused by the king''s order.


    The same went for Varian and his group.


    Isadora opined that they might be given a light punishment. The king wouldn''t want his image to be damaged but he would also be unwilling to offend Isadora who already reached the divine ranks.


    Something like ''Staying in the capital for a few months'' would have fit the bill.


    Yet, the King not only did not punish, he also gave what appeared to be a well-sought-after opportunity.


    Perhaps it''s nothing strange. Isadora herself had little understanding of the king. During her time, she barely maintained any political rtionships.


    As thoughts rose and dissipated like fumes, an old man with a gentle smile approached the group in long steps.


    He took a long look at Enigma, smiling to himself, ncing at Sarah for a moment before nodding at Sonya and finally turning to Varian.


    With an excited expression, he patted the young man''s shoulder. "I am interested in seeing the heights you''ll reach."


    "Thanks for speaking up for me," Varian replied in a polite tone.


    Sarah frowned and Enigma''s eyes turned purple for a moment.


    It was a very subtle difference but Varian was being polite only for the sake of being polite, as if something about the old man was bothering him.


    "I am a son of this soil, I will always protect the talent of this soil, whether other old bastards like it or not." Archduke Micheal proimed before narrowing his eyes.


    "Since you''re with Princess Isadora and she allowed you to marry her sister, I will boldly presume she''s done the rare ritual to elevate you from your former lowly race into an esteemed Prian, because the life energy you radiate, it''s not something the inferior races in this kingdom can ever hope to rival."


    Varian suddenly understood why his intuition, backed by his soul power was sending mixed signals about this man. Prians¡­these guys were very hierarchical. If the internal ssification was one thing, their views towards other races were something else.


    "And with equal boldness, I also presume you have an¡­excellent natal treasure befitting your status. I tell you, these petty court officials are all jealous of your natal treasure. They can''t help but envy those who are going to be always better than them."


    Spirited and Spiritless. You either were born with one or you weren''t. Even though the Prian society respected Spiritless who reached rank 7 and higher, these were the exception and not the norm.


    "That is of course. Anyone would be envious of me." Varian said, imitating the tone and temperament of the arrogant young masters he''d encountered so far. "Our fates diverged right from our births. We were never equal and will never be."


    It''s a simr to wealth inequality but way more rigid¡ªif you''re born poor, you''d stay poor and if you''re rich, you''d stay rich¡ªno matter how much effort you put in. This was even worse than former Valos and Ubiq.


    "Exactly! I can only wish more people were like you!" Archduke Micheal pped his own chest and eximed. "But really, I''m getting old, aren''t I? A man so bold that he could face the king, how dare I put you and Spiritless in the same sentence, even if it''s just for a way of speech, hahaha!"


    He beganughing at his own joke that he found so funny for some reason.


    Varian wanted to punch this annoying old dude in the face. Having personally experienced the dark side of Ubiq where drugs ran rampant and families had to face tremendous hardship just to survive, it was hard not to grow angry at people like Micheal who not only allowed but also ensued for such societies.


    But he neither yelled nor punched, he just faithfully continued the act of ''Arrogant'' brother-inw.


    "Of course, Archduke! My natal treasure is something those low lives can''t touch even in a million lives! Sometimes, I feel a stain in my identity that they belong to the same race as I do."


    His remarks pleased the old man. Rather than viewing such views to be borne out of overconfidence and hubris, the Archduke viewed it as the true virtue of a great Spirited Prian.


    "If only everyone understood, but there are still some idiots who don''t even have thismon sense." The Archduke seemed genuinely disappointed and even a bit disgusted. "Can you believe there were organizations in the kingdom batting to treat the Spiritless better? It''s insane!"


    "Really?!" Varian was actually surprised.


    "Exactly my reaction! There was someone powerful backing them up. Even though I took it upon myself to crush all of them centuries ago, remnants still linger and pop up from time to time. It''s a disease, I tell you, a disease that cannot be eradicated. It catches them young and the only way to get rid of it is to cut down the diseased."


    Varian kept a straight face but his innards twisted at this guy boasting about killing children and young people.


    But he reminded himself that he didn''te here to save the unfortunate. He''s here to save his own life and was in no position to do ''charity'' for others, out of a heroicplex.


    "Speaking of, I was in the middle of hunting one down before I got this meeting''s message. Screw those ants! I''ll need to eradicate the disease!" The Duke muttered to himself and disappeared leaving behind a few words. "Make yourselffortable here. We''ll go hunting sometimes."


    ''You crazy son of a bitch!'' Varian closed his eyes and cursed the old bastard to just die already.


    Unfortunately, that''s the best he could do. Any slip-ups and not only him but even his beloved women could get killed.


    With the detachment of a monk, Varian decided to do the essential and leave the age-old problems to a new age.


    "I just want to take a break," Varian spoke through the link of synergy, exhaustion evident in his tone.


    "Listening to these kinds of people and not driving a sword into their heads, politics is really tiring. Thankfully, we don''t have to deal with this back home or I''d just hand it all over to Oob."


    "You already handed over most things to Alison, but okay." Sarah looked into his eyes and her sweet voice sounded with a hint of sarcasm.


    Varian rolled his eyes.


    Enigma stepped forward and locked arms with him.


    For some reason, the mental fatigue from the conversation seemed to dissipate, like a puff of smoke.


    As if she understood the condition, Enigma turned to the little princess. "Let us rest."


    "No instructions or suggestions were given to you guys," Sonya tilted her head. "That means you''re free to make your own choices, within reasonable bounds. Any guest quarter within the royal district would be allowed."


    "Only the best one for this young master!" Varian announced and the group set out to leave.


    But two men stood between them and the exit.


    Archdukes Coronthian and Kriad.


    The biggest supporters of Prince Rudolph.

 Chapter 1409 On A Tight Rope

    <h4>Chapter 1409 On A Tight Rope</h4>


    In front of two high rank 9s who could kill him with a sneeze, Varian didn''t show any weakness. Instead, he raised his chin and pointed at them with an arrogant expression.


    "If you want toy a finger on me, go ahead. No matter how busy Isadora is, she won''t let you see the next sunrise. But it won''t stop there. How far she will go for the husband of her beloved sister¡­I can''t even imagine."


    The Archdukes trembled in anger at his tant disrespect and threatening words.


    Varian didn''t care how they felt.


    It''s not that he''s really be the arrogant young master he''s been portraying.


    At his rank, there wasn''t any difference between offending a high rank 9 Archduke and peak rank 9 King.


    Yet, he treated them very differently.


    Because while both of them had the power to end him, only one of them seemed to show the guts to do it.


    These Archdukes, the so-called pirs of the kingdom, were far too entrenched in their vested interests and political games to flip the board and destroy their own pawns.


    These guys wanted stability, order and predictability.


    Killing the Princess'' brother-inw was an activity of great risk. They might still survive, if they yed their cards right and luck favored them, but their life would be the only thing they''d have left.


    They couldn''t even predict the future that would unfold if they went down that path.


    If what they were looking for was Order, what woulde out of touching Varian was Chaos.


    "The Archdukes are not so bored that they''d attack a weakling such as yourself." Kriad''s single eye squinted hard. "We just want to express our interest in the proof you presented. I presume you have no objections for it to be tested in a controlled environment so that we can do our duty propertly and announce the news to the kingdom''s residents."


    "Or¡­" Archduke Coronthian, the man with timum blonde hair and skin tone, lowered his voice. "Are you not confident in the evidence?"


    Varian lowered his head and tried to control himself, but a muffled chuckle leaked out.


    "What?"


    "Why are youughing?"


    Wiping the corner of his eyes, he said with an amused expression. "Such a cheap tactic, I never thought that Archdukes would use them."


    Their expressions darkened.


    "Stop sulking too much. You aren''t pretty women, so don''t expect people to cajole you." Shaking his head, Varian threw the grain at them. "Here you go, the irond evidence."


    The eye-pathed archduke caught up with utmost caution, like that creepy fan who would collect the nails of his idol.


    The two didn''t say another word and disappeared like ghosts.


    Even with his senses running at full capacity, Varian couldn''t capture their movements.


    In other words, if they attacked him, he wouldn''t be able to defend against even a single attack.


    ''I''m literally ying with my life here. Fuck!''


    At least, their reactions so far except the king''s were all under expectations.


    Martial Saint Kong was the backer of Prince Rudolph''s faction and the man behind these Archdukes.


    When they spoke of testing the evidence, they meant submitting it to that man and letting him verify it thoroughly.


    It would take a while but eventually, Martial Saint Kong would find the discrepancies in the evidence.


    The truth that Isadora, while alive, hadn''t yet reached the divine ranks would be grasped. And there''s a good possibility that her actual rank¡ª8¡ªwould be guessed.


    What would happen from there?


    If they hadn''t escaped by then, chances were, all of them would be captured and killed at best or tortured for an unpleasantly long time at worst.


    It''s a risky n but the best one Isadora coulde up with.


    Staying anywhere else when he''s on the hit list of Zahara Onyx was not just dangerous, it was suicidal.


    "Don''t think too much." Enigma interlocked her fingers with his and whispered in a sweet, soft voice.


    "You''re right." Varian nodded, pushing away his thoughts.


    The group stepped out of the central pce''s garden and headed down a beautiful path lined by waterfalls on both sides.


    Rather than calling them waterfalls, however, it was more urate to describe them as ''liquefied aura overflowing with life force'' which if taken would elerate the ascension of a celestial ranker during the first three ranks.


    A precious resource that would cause a bloodbath in any province. And now that stuff was used to water nts here.


    To give an analogy, it''s like feeding a cat food so expensive that even the most rich humans could not afford it.


    The pceplex was luxurious even for the royal district. Each building was vast, luxurious, and pristine. It showed the decadent charm of a civilization that had been prosperous for too long and pulled you in with its gorgeous architecture, marvelous roads, and amazing art pieces.


    Sonya started to exin the housing. "The best residential quarters are the core ring, for rank 9s. The next is rank 8s. The higher your strength, the better your residence. And this is where the rank 7s start."


    Varian wanted to fight rank 8s since he could but winning against a low rank 8 would put him at the end of the tail.


    "Brother-inw, are you listening?" Sonya asked, noticing hisck of focus.


    "Huh? Brother-inw? Me¡­? Ahhh!" Varian pped his thigh and changed the direction from the area of rank 7 to rank 8 residences.


    "W-Wait! Those aren''t something you ca¡ª"


    Standing outside the gates of a 100-acre estate dedicated to the strongest rank 8 of the kingdom, Varian yelled.


    "Hey pal, I''vee to give you an amazing, amazing opportunity. Pack your bags and leave this mansion to me, the one and only brother-inw of Princess Isadora. If you don''t, don''t me me if anything happens to you. You don''t have to bow down and thank me. But if you do, well, you''re wee."


    Therge gates mmed open and a middle-aged man with a red scar running down his yellow face stomped out with undisguised killing intent.


    "Who the fu¡ªY-You¡­"


    The outburst of the man halted and he stuttered as if he was having a glitch. He quickly tapped his bracelet and checked thetest news in the chat group.


    And then he stiffened.


    "M-Mister V-Varian Konstant¡­"


    Unlike the Archdukes who still behaved arrogantly, a rank 8 didn''t have such courage. This particr man certainly did not.


    He looked middle-aged but was actually very young rtive to his rank and was seen as a promising candidate who could reach rank 9 in a few more decades.


    ording to the rumors, even the Archduke Corinthian famous for his arrogance, did not sh with this man.


    If even they didn''t dare, how could he?


    Gulping down his saliva, the man rushed back into his mansion. "Just a minute!"


    Working at a speed that he didn''t even know was possible, he cleaned up the 100-acre estate and rushed out in a few seconds.


    "Huff! Huff! Huff!" It wasn''t physical exertion, it was the mental toll that caused him to pant.


    "T-Thank you for picking my humble residence." Bowing deeply, the man ran away, as if fleeing for life.


    "Wee, wee. Now scram!" Varian waved his hand as if this was how it was supposed to be.


    Sarah, Enigma, and Sonya entered the estate, heading to the mansion.


    Varian on the other hand stayed back, telling them he had a small business to take care of.


    When they went inside and closed the doors, he turned around with a smirk. "How about you rats roll out already?"

 Chapter 1410 Smoke Screen

    <h4>Chapter 1410 Smoke Screen</h4>


    The bushes rustled and a group of three walked out.


    A young woman in blue top and white trousers, a casual outfit that one wouldn''t expect in the royal pceplex.


    She seemed to be in herte twenties, with short red hair, soft purple skin and four sharp, thin elf-like ears.


    "There are no rats here. We noticed that you noticed. We''re just waiting to settle things when you''re finally ready." A hunched olddy with thin gray hair snorted.


    Even though she looked so weak that she might be blown away by a gust of wind, the powerful aura of a rank 9 oozing out of her said otherwise.


    "Archduchess Seraphina, I''m not a guy who goes around picking fights. But do you think you can bully me with your seniority?" Varian crossed his arms and sneered. "My Sister-inw is not the kindest woman I know. But she is very protective. If you stille at me, I am not responsible for what''s going to happen."


    The olddy gnashed her teeth at the threatening remark but didn''t attack. "You killed Merov and you expect no retaliation? I am not a spineless coward like those two."


    "If you were going to attack, you wouldn''t be giving me these boring speeches. So, how about you call it a day and fuck off?"


    "Hah! You filthy bastard! Watch your mouth or I''ll rip it off!" The purple-skinned, red-haired young man stepped forward and brandished a spear.


    "Grandma, I''ll make him beg for mercy."


    At that moment, a sickly thin grey-skinned pale woman in ck clothes raised her hand. "Princess Xe, do not kill him."


    "You aren''t qualified to order me."


    With a contemptuousugh, Xe kicked the ground with the tip of her foot and shed forward.


    ''A Paragon Body, huh.''


    She reached Varian in a millionth of the second and four glowing earrings appeared on her ears.


    ''Natal Treasure? What do they do¡ª''


    The earrings rang like they were bells.


    With the first ring, Varian''s vision was blinded. The second took away his sense of smell. The third stole his sense of touch. And the final ring curtailed his hearing.


    Except for the sense of taste, which was practically useless in the situation, he was rendered blind. Deprived of all senses, he''s the perfect punching bag, left at his opponent''s mercy.


    Pushed into the dangerous situation, the young man brandished his own ''natal treasure'' to push back.


    Requiem entered this ''deprivation domain'' and roared with its life and death powers.


    Like removing water in an area in the middle of an ocean, a small area around him was now mapped in his mind''s eye, giving him some visibility.


    With the sound of a bubble popping, a line cut through the domain, and the tip of a spear raced for Varian''s chest.


    The man swung his sword, not at the spear but at its wielder. And not at her chest but right at her throat.


    Red mes zed on the sword''s red de and the power of death soared, reaching Xe''s skin.


    Varian would be severely injured by the attack. But if that much death power went straight to her head, impacting her brain and subsequently her soul, even if she wouldn''t die, she''d suffer far more damage.


    "Enough!"


    An irresistible force separated the two at thest moment.


    Varian regained his deprived senses and noticed Xe panting heavily, looking at him with a murderous gaze.


    He red at Archduchess Seraphina, dissatisfied with her for stopping the battle before turning back to her granddaughter. "If the old bitch saved the young bitch but the young bitch can''t save the dying old bitch. Wait a minute¡­that''s pretty poetic, isn''t it?"


    Duchess Seraphina''s chest heaved up and down. She knew she didn''t have much time left. But to be called out like this, she felt a fire in her heart and wanted to burn him alive.


    "Let''s not make this any worse than it already is. Xe is still young and angry over her fiancee''s death. Please understand." The sickly thindy, Nexa, bowed to the young man in a polite but distant tone before leaving with the two.


    Varian ignored the impulsive Xe and the prideful Seraphina. Instead, he narrowed his eyes at Nexa.


    "Something¡­is off."


    His intuition was right.


    Once they reached their manor, Princess Xe both bowed to Nexa. "I apologize for my words."


    "No worries," Nexa shook her head. "When you act to deceive others, you must act so well that it convinces even yourself."


    "Lady Nexa, did you confirm?" The Archduchess asked in a polite but urgent voice.


    "90%. He''s in the sword. Master¡­is in the sword." Nexa''s voice grew murderous.


    She wanted nothing more than to kill Varian then and there to free her master''s soul. But if she did that, her master''s grand n would fall short. She couldn''t allow that to happen!


    "But how could that bastard even seal him? I reduced my power to rank 7 and he barely won. He''s not that capable." Princess Xe spoke as she released her rank 8 aura.


    "It''s not him, of course. It''s her." Nexa said. "No wonder my intuition was telling me something was off. But the bastards in Merov''s faction wanted to go ahead and investigate. Sureway to die a miserable death. Idiots."


    "I apologize for the inconvenience, Lady Nexa. None of them know your identity. If they do, they''ll treat you with too much respect and it''ll draw unwanted attention." Archduchess Serenthia sighed.


    "It''s fine. I don''t care what happens to me, as long as my master gets what he wants." A bright smile appeared on the woman''s face.


    The Archduchess and her granddaughter looked at each other, both feeling a hint of difort at the outsider''s obsessiveness.


    "If he''s only that strong, I can defeat him." Xe''s face was filled with confidence.


    "You better. He''s using treasures to hide his age. So, I''m not sure if it''s his full strength. Even if he held back a bit, his real strength wouldn''t be a third more than what he''d shown now." Nexa said.


    "Definitely." Xe bowed again.


    This whole affair¡ªtailing the group, getting found, using that man''s arrogant character to make provocativements against them, and using that as an excuse to let Xe fight him to figure out his strength¡ªwas carefully nned and executed.


    It''s to hide their real intentions. And as far as they could tell, they did well.

 Chapter 1411 When Pushed Against A Wall

    <h4>Chapter 1411 When Pushed Against A Wall</h4>


    Three days passed since the ''brother-inw'' settled in a luxurious manor.


    Without a hint of shame, he extorted his rich neighbors with his background and used that money to go shopping with his wife, the sister of the legendary princess.


    That much was still bearable and even expected. But it was uneptable that he also started taking the silent ''disciple'' of the princess on shopping!


    His wife was already so beautiful that the most famous beauties of the capital started to avoid the public.


    Now, the disciple whose face wasn''t seen by anyone yet but from temperament alone must be a great beauty was also being involved with the same man!


    Rumors soon spread that this married man was flirting with another woman right in front of his wife.


    Soon, furious men and jealous women wrote to the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, calling it a degradation of morals and the copse of ethics.


    Upon the condition of anonymity, a malepatriot shared his views.


    "Marrying Princess Isadora''s sister is as close as one could get to marrying her Highness. This man was blessed with such great luck that he must''ve saved the kingdom in his previous life.


    But look at him. He''s flirting with another woman who happens to be the legendary princess'' disciple!


    Animal! Thinking with his lower body!


    It''s too much, okay?"


    The reporter brushed a strand of her hair and asked with a smile. "What are your emotions regarding this issue?"


    "Emotions? I''m so jealo¡ªI mean, I''m so angry! Angry! Yes! I''m horrified by where we are going as a society and civilization! I don''t want my kids to grow up in such a society!"


    Crying bitter tears, the man walked into the pub, trying to break the streak of not scoring for three straight weeks.


    "This is Reedsey, reporting from the 1A block, Siet district."


    After the camera stopped, the team packed up and prepared to leave.


    But as they were about to, the cameraman rubbed his eyes and pointed to a three-person group.


    "They¡­look familiar?"


    "Who? Oops!" Thedy reporter was taken aback before running to the man like a cheetah. "Sir! Can I please have your autograph?"


    But before she could get within ten-foot distance, the veiled woman apanying the man turned to her and narrowed her eyes.


    Those sky-blue eyes glowed with a dangerous light and the reporter copsed onto her knees. Due to the sheer speed, she slid on her knees to the trio on the smooth road.


    Even though she didn''t mean it, it was a smooth slide.


    Varian started pping before he knew it and reached for his wallet.


    "¡­Don''t disturb my date." Sarah''s cold voice scared caused the woman to run backward.


    The cameraman, a bit too professional for his own good, captured the whole sequence and uploaded it with no editing.


    Varian''s fame exploded, earning the title "Kingdom''s Brother-inw".


    *** *** *** *** ***


    "And I want thatposite material, that rare one too. Oh, and this is an ore from a rank 9 chaos beast? Pack it as well."


    Treating money like dirt, Varian spent another day shoppingvishly.


    But once they returned to the manor, he picked a few items from the rest and started experimenting with them.


    Sarah and Enigma helped him where they could. Other times, they gave him his own space to focus.


    Unlike the world blinded by his eye-grabbing actions, they knew what he was actually up to.


    Using all the resources at his hand, Varian was trying to elerate his mastery of creating a Prime World.


    Some specific resources, particrly rare ores, proved helpful in the endeavor. But he could not buy them without raising suspicion.


    So, he started buying a lot of things¡ªpaintings, sculptures, ancient beast skeletons. Against that backdrop, the otherwise suspicious purchase of very resilient ores would turn into another shopping spree for collectibles for an ultra-rich man.


    "Three weeks. Three more weeks. It''s toote!"


    Soaked in sweat while bleeding from his eyes and mouth, Varian staggered out of the training room.


    He took three steps before he copsed. But the same routine continued for the next three days.


    The hype and excitement regarding the <Kingdom''s Brother-in-Law> began to subside. So, he had to make another tour.


    This time, he toured the royal district with Enigma. A trade house was said to have recently mined an ultra-rare mineral.


    The auction went as expected. Varian used the name of his sister-inw without any shame and sessfully extorted enough money for the purchase.


    As he was returning from the auction house, however, he was confronted by a familiar young man.


    A tall and thin guy, with skin that resembled the sand of a scorching desert.


    Prince Robert Xayn Kyses.


    "So it''s you." The man wasn''t pleased in the slightest. "The spineless bastard using his rtive''s name to delude himself and the world that he isn''t an insignificant bug."


    The group of two men and three women apanying the prince quietly stepped back, drawing a distance from him and his words.


    Not noticing this change, Robert continued. "You won the auction from stolen money. Otherwise, I would have taken that item for my sword. I suggest you present it to me if you don''t want me to turn hostile."


    Varian tilted his neck and nced at the prince from head to toe. An amused look shed in his eyes, like he was watching a clown show.


    "What the fuck is your problem? Can''t you understand words?" Robert''s aura soared.


    Varian didn''t even bother to raise his aura in response and simply summoned Requiem.


    The red-ded ck-handled sword glowed in his hand, the auraing out of it resembled mes that lit up the prince''s pale face and trembling lips.


    "Y-You¡­" Robert''s voice cracked and the corner of his eyes turned red. Blood started to leak out his lips and his entire body began to tremble. "T-Telor Xon Na¡ª"


    "Varian. I am Varian." Saying those words, the Brother-in-Law swung his sword, slicing one of Robert''s arms.


    The onlookers, all men and women of extremely high standing in the kingdom, froze in their spots at the tant courage to do such a dangerous thing.


    Not caring about their whispers, the young man and his wife swaggered away.


    Unable to bear the piercing gazes, Prince Robert didn''t even grab his severed arm and sprinted back to his mansion.


    "Prince! Please open the door!"


    "We brought a herb to improve your vitality!"


    "Your health isn''t good. Losing an arm at a time like this would only slow down your recovery."


    The prince ignored the servants taking care of him. And when the few friends he had came to visit, he refused to see them as well. Two more days passed and the prince remained in self-imposed lockdown.


    On the third day, he disappeared. No one knew where he went. But that day, a prime world far from the capital received a guest.


    Resembling ''Heaven'' from a few myths, it''s a world built on top of pure white clouds, with golden stairs leading to the gate beyond which the master of the world resided.


    It''s a world where only a few were allowed to even step in. Even fewer were able to cross the golden stairs. Only a limited number of those manage to get past the gate every year.


    Apparently, the gate wasn''t dependent on strength. It was purely a test of the will.


    By the end of the third day, a bloodied figure with broken bones and torn muscles, barely even in a humanoid shape anymore, managed to open the gates and crawl in.


    "Martial Saint!


    That man is my mortal enemy, the demon I must y!


    I beg you, please give me the power to take revenge!


    No matter how risky, no matter how difficult, I must kill him. Else my life, no matter how long, would be an unending nightmare."


    A golden beam fell from the sky and the wriggling mass of flesh and bones turned back into the tall and healthy Prince Robert in a blink.


    A silhouette shrouded in golden light appeared in the sky, looking down at the determined prince.


    Even at that moment, in that figure''s palm was a grain¡ªthe same grain that''s infused with Isadora''s aura.


    Strands of golden power were circling around the grain, examining the grain with greater detail with every cycle.


    "Will you stand by your words?" The powerful voice made those words sound like themand of a living god.


    "With every single fiber of my being! I just want revenge!"


    "Very well." Martial Saint Kong seemed to be pleased but Robert had no way of knowing the expression of a face covered in golden light.


    A single drop of dazzling purple liquid fell from the sky.


    "The blood of a creature that failed divinity. It''s also a Devourer. I''ve spent many centuries refining it to the current state."


    "I-I can devour it to increase my rank?"


    "Even though it lost most of its power, you''ll die if you try that."


    "Then what do I¡­"


    "I''ll help you assimte. But even then, you would not live longer than five hundred years unless you reach the divine rank."


    Robert lowered his head.


    He knew his chances of achieving that feat were next to none. But it''s not zero.


    However, taking revenge on the guy became his mental demon in his current state? There''s zero chance of that.


    This man had a background so extraordinary that even the Academy, which must''ve realized his true identity by now, was unwilling to make any moves. If he had to ever take revenge, he had to do it with his own hands.


    "I''m willing to take the chance, as long as the rate of failure isn''t 100%."


    For a moment, the golden light on the man''s face scattered away and his lips curled up.


    "Good boy."

 Chapter 1412 An Invitation

    <h4>Chapter 1412 An Invitation</h4>


    While Robert undertook a tremendous risk for a chance of revenge, an elegant middle-aged woman visited the Brother-in-Law''s manor.


    "I did not expect such a big surprise, Sonya dear." Sipping the red tea her adopted daughter personally brewed, the Archduchess said with a smile.


    It''s just neither Sonya nor the group of three seated with her returned that smile, even if only for appearance.


    Unaffected by their indifference, Serenthia turned to Enigma and looked at her with an intense gaze.


    Rather than being intimitaded by her gaze like a typical warrior, Enigma stared back at her. There was no strong animosity in her eyes but there definitely was no good feelings.


    What interested the princess'' mother, however, was the way Enigma carried herself. Despite facing a powerful rank 8, she was greatly self-assured. The subconscious wariness a weaker being would have towards a stronger one waspletely absent.


    ''There''s something strikingly simr about the two. Even close sisters didn''t give this feeling. Is she her sister or her daughter? No, there''s no way Isadora would even acknowledge someone as her equal and she''d only love her equal.''


    Isadora was a good child. She might have had her shorings but she was never biased. She treated everyone equally. Be it a rank 7 or rank 4, talented or talentless, even Spirited or Spiritless.


    Serenthia used to think that''s because Isadora shared the same values as her. But she was wrong.


    It''s not that Isadora felt a Spiritless deserved to be elevated and treated the same as a Spirited.


    Nope.


    From her perspective, both of them were the same. For a lion, a bigger ant and smaller ant wouldn''t make much of a difference.


    Isadora was a lion. Everyone else were ants.


    It''s not particrly her fault. The overwhelming talent of the girl meant that she could never view anyone as her equal. They were just too slow and weak inparison. Even a warrior stronger than her today would quickly fall behind her in a few decades.


    Even if she did nothing, Isadora would reach the finish line simply by existing. For people who shed blood, sweat and tears, her very existence was the demonstration of the world''s unfairness.


    But she didn''t know it back then.


    Serenthia thought they were the same. That misperception was the reason she had to take such drastic measures in the end.


    "If you want to reminisce, you can clean up some old pictures. Since you''re here, get to the point. Why are you here?" Varian wrapped his arm around Enigma''s shoulder and asked his mother-inw.


    Serenthia slowly moved to him. Her eyes suddenly glowed red and the aura in her body was channeled, ready to burst out.


    For a brief moment, the Archduchess contemted kidnapping Varian and Enigma.


    With Enigma as a hostage, Isadora could be kept at bay until she fulfilled her dream.


    And she needed the thing in Varian''s hands. The thing that Samatv failed to acquire.


    ''But¡­if I do it now, I wouldn''t even be able to participate. I can''t put the cart before the horse.'' The elegantdy let out a small sigh.


    Unaware that he had just averted a major disaster, Varian continued. "If you have nothing to say, leave already."


    Serenthia ignored him and turned to Sonya. "You are going to participate."


    "I don''t really wa¡ª"


    "The king ordered these three to join. If you don''t go, they''ll have to team up with strangers."


    Sonya bit her lip and sighed in defeat.


    Serenthia could already see that Sonya learned the truth. But since she grew up


    under her care for centuries, the little princess couldn''t hate her openly.


    It''s a rtion that went bothways.


    Serenthia didn''t want to put her younger daughter in this position either. And if there was another way to deal with Isadora, she would have.


    But in the end, everything, including her own life could be sacrificed for a worthy purpose.


    What if it''s her older or younger daughter? Or the influence she gained? Theworks she built? Her powers, riches, time and energy?


    Everything could be sacrificed.


    Serenthia calmly rose to her feet and nodded at them for onest time before heading to the exit.


    Unlike others who were easily offended by Varian, she didn''t care about his rash personality in the slightest.


    She''s like a focused archer, her sight set on the goal. Nothing in the way, neither a hellish demon nor wish granting angel, could distract her.


    "I wish you all good luck in the ritual. May Righteousness prevail."


    Leaving behind positive remarks, thedy vanished.


    When she did, Sonya slumped in her chair, glistening sweat all over her light pink skin.


    Enigma, on the other hand, clutched her head and took several deep breaths. Contrary to Serenthia''s estimate, the ''younger sister'' could feel a lot of Isadora''s thoughts and feelings.


    Isadora shut off her consciousness when this woman appeared and yet, rage and pain flooded Enigma''s soul.


    She wanted to bawl her eyes out but also wanted to stab a dagger through Serenthia''s heart again and again, asking the same question. ''Why? Why? Why?''


    Despite the great mental stability she developed over long periods of solitude, Enigma was nearly overwhelmed by the intensity of those emotions. She could only imagine what Isadora was going through.


    Varian knew she needed some time alone. So, he left her in the manor and went to buy a few samples of rare metals. The sooner he masters the process, the sooner they could put away the sr system and go into hiding.


    Not taking up the ''chance'' for a date, Sarah stayed back with Enigma.


    In her own words: ''She worries me.''


    It was the first time Varian went shopping alone in this ce. He picked up the items he set out to acquire and walked down the streets with a mask on.


    This was the unnamed ck Market¡ªa high-endmercial district with items of suspicious origin¡ªso, the streets were filled with masked people.


    Naturally, he didn''t attract any attention.


    No attention other than a few over enthusiastic shopkeepers who tried to draw him to their store to boost their sales.


    Varian wasn''t swayed, of course.


    That was, until one particr call was made.


    "Dear Customer, would you like a divination?" A fair-skinned woman wearing a witch hat, ck robes called out with a small smile.


    Her shop¡ªa dalipated stall¡ªwas at the end of the street and had no customers. It''s technically in the district but that''s about it.


    Varian instinctively measured thedy''s rank.


    [Rank 8]


    ''What?''


    "Most people do not believe in fate. But they simply do not understand it well enough. But you, you look like trust fate."


    The woman''s remarks might''ve sounded like the standard remarks to a normal person. However, Varian was not normal.


    For better or worse, he strongly agreed with the woman''s words. And looking at her rank, he began to wonder if she''s one of those mysterious powerhouse who hide from the masses.


    ''This is an opportunity?!''


    In half-delight and half-disbelief, he stepped into the blue tent.


    ¡ªA blue formation on the ground activated before he could react and a thin ded sword sliced him across his waist.

 Chapter 1413 Confrontation

    <h4>Chapter 1413 Confrontation</h4>


    A thin red line appeared on Varian''s waist and his upper half began to slide on the lower half.


    "Your uncle!"


    The space-time around Varian''s sliced parts began to warp and the sliding paused, as if someone hit a freeze button.


    Then, the power of Death Giant roared, consuming the destroyed cells and vitality from the attack, converting it into its own power.


    The power of Paragon Body took up from there, using the new energy to glue Varian''s body back intact.


    The perfect attack which should''ve rendered even a good rank 8 at a disadvantage was negated by Varian''s synergetic powers.


    The eyes of the woman under the witch hat burst with a dangerous light at that sight.


    Unlike her lively and cheerful expression outside, she had a cold expression here, as if she wasn''t a living person with flesh and blood but an emotionless machine built to kill.


    "Your luck won''t save you twice," She said, spinning two thin swords in her hands.


    "It wasn''t luc¡ª"


    Another red line appeared on Varian, this time a diagonal one, across his torso.


    But before it could ''split'' could ur, the powers of space-time slowed them down while the powers of life and death pieced him back together.


    It wasn''t a perfectly efficient process.


    Varian had to expend energy for the healing. But due to the synergetic nature of the powers, it was far cheaper than a typical healing.


    Due to that, the Emperor of humans gained an unfair advantage of maintaining his peak body condition for a very long time.


    Boom!


    Before the woman could swing her sword again, the air around her burned with scorching mes, supported by the powers of Order and Chaos.


    The two powers, like life and death, cooperated with each other forming a great synergy.


    With the power of Order, the matter of air was turned into pure energy, which was seamlessly handled by the power of Chaos.


    It was a nuclear explosion of sort but far deeper than what mankind had ever achieved.


    And unlike the mankind''s nukes which couldn''t win against the all ubiqituios aura, thus losing their effects, the explosion here was aodated by aura.


    The effect of these mes, the heat and the sheer kic explosion was enough to destroy a star.


    And that attack, confined to a very, very small region, struck the assassin woman.


    "Arghh!"


    Even though she suppressed most of it, a muffled groan of pain still left her mouth.


    The twin swords in her hand turned into molten metal and her hands were consumed by the explosion.


    From the tip of her fingers all the way to her elbows, the skin, flesh and even bone melted away like heated wax, resulting in a grotesque sight.


    The woman''s flesh wriggled and one hand quickly regenerated. But the other was still missing. And due to the quick regeneration, her face paled. Unlike Varian, she had to pay the full price for growing back a forearm.


    Their figures blurred and the two exchanged hundreds of blows in the matter of a single second.


    Dozens and dozens of arms and legs flew out as two blurred silhouttes shed.


    For a weaker awakener, the whole battle would look like a violent tornado spitting bloody arms and legs.


    When they fell back and paused for a moment, the condition of their bodies spoke about the dynamics of the battle.


    Varian''s missing legs quickly regenerated and he seemed quite energetic despite some paleness in his face.


    On the other hand, the woman was panting heavily. Standing on the remaining leg with exquisite bnce, she gripped the 23rd sword in her only hand. The other hand, was undoubtedly, missing.


    And the 23rd sword she was using was obviously not as good as the first or for that matter, even the 10th.


    But the biggest change on this woman for Varian was probably her expression.


    The cold, ruthless expression was long gone, reced by a serious, determined one. But in the depth of her eyes, there was fear and uncertainty.


    As a sleeper cell who infiltrated the capital centuries ago, the woman took pride in her patience and alluded all her victories to preparation.


    <Overpreparation defeats failure> was her motto.


    So, even though she was supposed to kidnap only a rank 7 guy with a bunch of rank 7 girls, she made thorough preparations.


    Right from the first day of his shopping, sheid out borate ns. But first, she decided to act only when he''s alone. Second, she decided to prepare as much as possible despite being a rank 8 acting against a rank 7.


    That''s why she prepared 10 spare weapons of good quality, 25 healing potions and 20 quick attack talismans.


    But¡ª


    "You fucking monster!" Even the woman patient enough to wait for centuries couldn''t help but swear.


    "Your paths are all rank 7, but why are you a rank 8? No, all paths? Why the hell do you have so many paths? What are you? A man? A beast? A god?"


    Varian rolled his eyes at her outrage. "Zahara should pick recruits with stronger mental stability."


    "Do you think getting me more riled up will help? I am going to lose but you won''t win. All of this will be sent to Lady Zahara. You will face a terrible fate."


    "Just so you know, the reason I took those two attacks wasn''t because you were too fast. It''s because I was focused on sealing yourmunication devices. Sotell me how to get out and avoid a bad death."


    Varian recognized the formations almost as soon as they were activated.


    ''Disguise formation to give off an image that everything inside is normal. An Aura blocker formation to keep the aura in and prevent any traces of battle from leaking out. Space Lock formation to build a strong space to prevent any chances of teleportation.''


    Unlike offensive items, these were easier to smuggle in. So, all of these were of a high grade and were very hard to crack.


    "I will have you trapped here until my people find this ce!" The woman dered and raised her single hand.

 Chapter 1414 Brother-In-Law Goes Missing

    <h4>Chapter 1414 Brother-In-Law Goes Missing</h4>


    Brother-in-Law went missing.


    It was a rumor that no one took seriously at first.


    But when a week passed without the man doing a shopping spree, it was quickly epted by many quarters.


    The news shook the entire capital.


    Some said he was a fraud and escaped before he could be found. Others opined he was kidnapped or even killed. A few went as far as to propose that he was wiped off by the Archdukes for his rude behavior.


    Even though no one could touch the Archdukes, the pirs of the kingdom couldn''t stop the public perception building against them.


    It came up even in the weekly court meeting.


    It wasn''t King Ferdinand who mentioned it. The ruler only focused on serious matters and didn''t consider this serious enough.


    Some of the officials raised the topic near the end.


    Interestingly enough, it was Duchess Serenthia, who didn''t attend thest session who appeared the most worried.


    "No matter what our personal views of him, this is not tolerable. The reason for his disappearance must be known and the man must be found."


    Most people only thought she was worried about the kingdom''s prestige but Sarah and Enigma who were also seated in the throne hall with Princess Sonya sensed something else.


    Looking at each other, they became even more certain.


    Her disinterest in Varian disyed in their meeting was not faked. However, his disappearance upset her.


    Which means, even though she didn''t care for him, she wanted something from


    The court session ended shortly there after.


    And as they were about to leave, Archduke Micheal greeted them. "I''ve talked to those old bastards. It''s not them."


    "I see." Enigma said in a in tone.


    "Please do not worry. I have mobilized my forces to find him. No matter where he is, I''ll find your husband."


    "I see."


    At the dull, uninterested response, Archduke Micheal tilted his head and asked in a confused tone.


    "I don''t mean to pry, but Lady Enigma, you don''t seem too worried about your husband disappearing. Did he really disappear or does it not bother you? Some say your marriage must''ve been polit¡ª"


    Enigma''s eyes glowed with a violent light before she looked away and said. "I don''t know where he is. I know he is alive. He''ll return sooner orter."


    She didn''t even bother toment on the ''political marriage'' remark. Only she knew the deep affection she harbored towards her husband.


    The?Archduke sighed and waved his hand. "I won''t take up any more of your time."


    Duchess Serenthia approached them almost immediately.


    "Don''t tell me he escaped." ring at Sonya, the woman said in a harsh tone.


    Princess Sonya hid behind Sarah and bit her lip. She wanted to yell at her ''mother'' that she hated her. But centuries of bond was hard to break.


    "Sonya, I''m talking to you. You better ask him to return before the ritual."


    "Or what will you do? Mother?" Enigma interrupted, a cold smile on her usually expressionless face.


    Duchess Serenthia''s attention shifted to her daughter''s younger sister and she let out a sigh.


    Without a hint of hesitation, she said. "I won''t kill you. But I''ll find your man and end him. Then you can experience the joys of widow hood.


    Some women marry again. But you sure are not one of them.


    So, you will live your long life alone, remembering his face, recalling your memories and praying that heaven or hell exist so you could meet him again.


    That is what will happen. And I promise, I will deliver."


    A thick killing intent burst out of Enigma, enveloping the entire throne hall before concentrating on the Duchess.


    "Do you think you can kill me?" Serenthia chuckled in amusement. "I am the weakest Duchess, yes. But I am still at the peak of 8th rank."


    Sarah took a step forward, ready to itervene when Enigma took a short breath and took back her killing intent.


    "Good, I like obedient girls. Aren''t you an obedient too, Enig¡ª"


    "I have a sister." Enigma said softly.


    Serenthia''s brows furrowed. She assumed that this girl was talking about Isadora.


    "She is a cheerful girl, bright and energetic. But there''s another side to her. She doesn''t forgive enemies. She doesn''t give them easy deaths. Every single time, she goes to the next mile to torture them brutally.


    She''s a kind soul most of the time but the sanctuary ind of her heart is in an ocean of abyss."


    Serenthia clenched her fist, misunderstanding this as Enigma''s warning.


    "I won''t kill you. I''ll give you to her. She knows how to break people like you. And she enjoys seeing you cry." Enigma said with a light smile but the content of her words and the way she said them sent a chill down Serenthia''s spine.


    "She won''t get that chance, so you can dream on." The Duchess said and beckoned to someone nearby.


    A young woman stepped forward.


    Her long white hair swayed gently while the sleeves of her pure white dress fluttered.


    With snow white skin, white eyeshes with the only colored part being her pitch-ck pupils, the girl looked like an artist''s creation more than a living person.


    "This is Princess Samantha. She''ll join your group on the day." Serenthia introduced.


    Princess Snow, as she''s nicknamed, gave them a small nod.


    Sonya returned the greeting on practiced instinct while Sarah and Enigma ignored her.


    But the Duchess didn''t seem to care. "I hope the man returns before I find him."


    Warning for thest time, she disappeared into a puff of smoke.


    Enigma exhaled deeply and returned to the manor. For the new hours, she trained with utter desperation until she fainted.


    Sarah, on the other hand, sat down to meditate and tried to establish a link with her husband.


    Allmunication devices failed but the link of Synergy still existed. That''s how they knew he was still alive. But that''s all they knew.


    ''Var! Where are you?''

 Chapter 1415 Her Reason

    <h4>Chapter 1415 Her Reason</h4>


    Zahara Onyx tapped the armrest of her chair with her index finger. With each tap, time power infused into the armrest and rippled into the surroundings.


    The millenial flowers in her room, said to bloom for a thousand years began to wilt as these ripples touched them.


    Under the overwhelming power of the woman, even the lifespan of a millenia was over in a blink.


    The hologram ying in front of her showed Varian being cut into two¡ªonce along his waist and once across his torso. Both times, he managed to heal back. That in itself wasn''t surprising. But the fact that it seemed so effortless and costless to him was suspicious.


    "Zahara¡­"


    A voice rang out of nowhere and a whole gxy seemed to sh past her in a blink.


    As she gasped for breath, the woman found herself on her knees, facing Princess Esh on her dazzling tone.


    "Greetings, Princess."


    Even though it had been so long since she first saw her, deep reverence rose from the bottom of Zahara''s heart upon greeting her mistress.


    Esh looked at Zarah for a moment and nodded to herself. "You''re about to take the leap, huh? Not bad."


    "It should happen in a few weeks. It''s been long due, Your Highness. I''m ashamed at myck of talent."


    "It''s true that you aren''t very talented." Esh agreed.


    If anyone heard this conversation without knowing their identities, they''d have tried to beat up Esh.


    Zahara was less than 4500 years old and was all set to take the final step. But for Esh, this was significantly slower.


    A good genius from the Empire, starting from scratch would reach the peak of rank 9 in about 2000 years.


    Interestingly, a thousand of those two thousand would be spent in rank 9 itself!


    The journey to divine rank begins after these 2,000 years.


    If everthing from the awakening in mortal ranks to the peak of celestial ranks was a single step, then going from the celestial to divine rank was arge jump, spanning two full steps which had to be done in a single attempt.


    Even great geniuses would spend thousand to two thousand years struck at that stage. Most never make the leap.


    Zahara, despite being a little slow, was able to crack open the door that held back many and was about to enter the stage of the divine.


    If nothing else, Esh was happy to gain one more subordinate of the divine rank.


    Even though as one of the three ''pirs'' of the Empire, she controlled one of the three factions, she''s just one of the strongest peak rank 1s before being damaged by Isadora.


    To this day, Esh was still confident in her strength. But that''s where her prospects seemed to end.


    If she wanted to go even higher, she''d have to hit rank 2. Since she hit the peak of her rank already, she knew how difficult this step was.


    The Princess raised her hand and the space above her palm began to fluctuate violently, cracking and twisting. A ckhole eventually formed before copsing.


    Before it could do the room any damage, a storm of time power swept it and ''skipped'' any destruction that woud''ve ensued.


    "Haaa~ Mastering the opposite path of your divine rank. It''s a ridiculous requirement." Even though her tone was soft and gentle, Zahara shivered.


    The Princess wasn''t the type toin. But when she did, it meant that the situation was really bad.


    Of course, she had no way of knowing that Esh''s soul was missing a piece. Even though it''s ''technically'' a small piece, it made her imperfect.


    Thus, the progress she made in space path¡ªwhich approximately equated her to a rank 7¡ªhalted. She''d regressed back to that of a rank 6 equivalent and had stayed there ever since.


    As she twirled her soft hair, the starry pattern in the pupils of the Princess suddenly glowed pink. "I just remembered something. Kidnapping that new province''s ruler, where is he?"


    "H-He¡­" Zahara hesitated but only for a moment. Telling a lie was punished much more harshly than revealing a diforting but honest truth.


    "The first agent failed and the man fled to P capital. I activated a sleeper cell¡­but the connection was cut off. Only a clip of their battle is transmitted."


    Watching Varian being sliced into two and heal back in a blink with little cost, Esh Starlight narrowed her eyes.


    The gloom in her mind about her stagnation disappeared even further. Instead, a fervent desire soared in her heart, threatening to overtake her entire soul.


    ''The more I watch him, the weirder he gets. If there''s only 20% chance that he''s the sliver owner before, I think it''s 40%.


    It''s not even the slivers of the path I walk on but it doesn''t matter, does it?


    If I capture the slivers and capture them I will, it''ll be a feat even greater than capturing the Alliance.


    Then, I wouldn''t have to serve in this stiffling job anymore. I can finally retire and live the life I''ve always wanted. Even though it''s toote, but I can make up for her.''


    Threads of memories that she long suppressed almost broke out.


    Memories of a broken family. Of ughtered children.


    And that of the only child who survived the onught. Esh''s biggest desire was to meet the child she had to send far away for safety. But a normal thing for many mothers had be an impossible challenge for her.


    ''The Emperor is merciless but fair. He would reward me properly.


    With four slivers in his hand, he''d be unstoppable.


    The Alliance would crumble under his might and he''d gather the six slivers in the cosmos.


    What happens next...is none of my concern.


    But fair to say that if I do this job well, all the roadblocks to his future are essentially removed.


    I''d be saving him millions of years.


    So¡­maybe he''d not just let me free and live with my child¡­with his newly reached powers, he might even¡­ressurect my dead children.


    Yes, yes, he will.


    Kids, please wait for a bit longer. Mama ising to you, soon!''

 Chapter 1416 Condition

    <h4>Chapter 1416 Condition</h4>


    The defensiveyers of the so-called divination shop were incredibly tough to break.


    Even though Varian used the power of slivers for the job, he wasn''t able to create a way out even with the work of seven full days.


    The kingdom''s intelligence wasn''t dumb. So, they already raied the location that Varianst visited. By that line of thought, they should''ve already discovered the divination shop he was locked in.


    The problem, however, was that the moment he tried to break out, the Space Lock formation¡ªthe one responsible for preventing teleportation¡ªbegan subtly teleporting away.


    Since he''s a space awakener, Varian could vaguely sense that they were going. This suicidal program was taking him straight to a barren region of the kingdom filled with ultra-dangerous ckholes.


    Trying to salvage the situation, he used his space-time powers to change the direction of their journey.


    On the good side, he managed to get himself away from that dangerous region.


    On the bad side, the ce he''s going towards was a region overseen by Duke Kriad, one of Prince Rudolph''s ardent supporters.


    That in itself wasn''t so bad. Duke Kriad, as long as he didn''t donate his brain tob research, would know that killing or harming Isadora''s brother-inw in any way would be detrimental.


    The problem, however, was that this region very close to the Academy''s Prime World.


    Miss Cmity, who had been only suspicious until theb incident, must''ve realized his true identity.


    Varian could rest assured against any Duke with the threat of Isadora but against an Empire''s genius, rank 9 or not, even Isadora''s name wouldn''t work.


    Worse, this was Miss Cmity.


    A woman he didn''t know much about but from the little he knew, she''s one of the greatest geniuses even in the Empire.


    Even if he really got a divine ranking backer, that guy would not be immune from consequences if he touched Miss Cmity.


    In short, Varian headed from ultra dangerous ckholes that would absolutely kill him to super dangerous Miss Cmity who might put him to a fate worse than death.


    ''Screw my luck!''


    Varian tried to change the direction of travel again but the damn machine was already leaking out so much aura.


    If he pushed a bit harder, it might crack and result in an aura shockwave. And that''d end whatever chances he had of drifting through this region in stealth.


    "Logos, you stupid bitch!"


    Lying on the ground with his limbs spread, Varian sighed in exhaustion. His face was pale and he looked disheveled despite being locked up for only seven days.


    The sheer amount of pressure he endured to use the power of slivers for such a long period was unimaginable.


    [¡­Host, why are youing at the System now? Take care of your situation first.]


    Varian panted heavily, his chest heaving up and down.


    "That woman''s words about fate really got me. If not for you, I wouldn''t have believed something like fate."


    [So you''re saying it''s all the System fault now?]


    "That''s exactly it!" Varian mmed the ground with a victorious grin.


    It''s the same grin that introverts would show after winning a debate in their head in their shower.


    [Let''s assume you''re right for a moment. Then what? Think of a way out.]


    "I tried everything." Varian raised his hand.


    Steams of sliver powers shot out of his fingers and drilled into the walls. They struck something invisible¡ªthe space lock formation¡ªand grinded to a halt.


    The powers of Order and Chaos were released, exploding all the matter in the room into pure energy and using it as an explosion to break the barrier.


    Boom!


    Despite the dangerous shockwaves that could''ve killed rank 6s and even rank 7s, the translucent barrier did not budge.


    The power of Order kicked into action again, recreating a sleek white room that''s as eerie as it''s elegant.


    The powers of Life, Soul and Death were even less effective.


    Even though Space-Time had were able to affect the room, it couldn''t do anything beyond that.


    "The formation can only be opened by brute force and that brute force needs to reach at least rank 9. The power of slivers I can use is¡­limited by my own power. I''d need at least two months to break out of this by myself and that''s assuming I worked without stopping." Varian''s eyes turned a bit dull and a hint of resignation rang in his voice.


    [You''re not worried about being locked up. You''re worried about what could happen without you.]


    "Phew~" Varian exhaled deeply.


    Closing his eyes, he tried to tap into the Synergy''s link. He did worry about himself but that''s only second. His first worry was his family.


    "If I can at least tell them to get away and go into hiding¡­"


    Varian put aside thoughts about his own predicament and focused. Due to the nasty formations, even that was very difficult.


    But as he kept trying to esablish a line, akin to throwing a rope to a mountain top and hoping it encloses a steady rock, he discovered the vague traces of a line that terminated before reaching him.


    It''s like stretching your hand out to the fullest. And realizing someone else was doing the same, trying to reach your hand. That both of you were seperated a few centimeters.


    ''Go!''


    Varian''s soul power soared and he connected their lines.


    [V-Var?]


    "Sarah? Are you safe? Is Enigma okay?"


    [We''re both safe but what about you? What happened?]


    "I''m struck in a room that''s floating in space." Varian exhaled.


    [Send me the coordinates. I''ll get there first.]


    "Don''t." Varian shook his head with a firm expression.


    He''s still in danger from Miss Cmity. Bringing Sarah here would only implicate her.


    [I am getting there whatever you say!]


    "I will break out sooner orter. But until then, anything can happen. So, prepare the escape methods, stay in the manor. At the first sign of trouble, use Hortus'' connection and Isadora''s card treasure and get out of there. I will join you guyster. We''ll think about sr systemter."


    Varian didn''t advise them to escape right away. If they did, it might send the wrong signal to the top echelon and might lead to a hunt.


    Besides, it''s not certain if them escaping right away could be safer than escaping a bitter.


    The detterent of Isadora would keep them safe for a while, giving them some time to prepare for a less risky escape.


    [¡­I see.] Her voice sounded low, as if she sensed the gravity of the situation that he wasn''t talking about.


    Despite Varian''s assurance, Sarah started to wonder if he''s in danger of his life.


    [Just tell me one thing, who is it? Who did this?] There was a powerful murderous intent in her tone.


    Even though he wasn''t witnessing it in person, Varian could feel the mes of her anger.


    Sarah didn''t kill indiscrimately nor did she engage in torture of her enemies. But Varian felt that this time, she would do things that would scare even torture specialists.


    "It''s not anyone from the kingdom. It''s the Jai Empire."


    [Esh''s subordinate, Zahara Onyx?]


    "Yes."


    [Got it. No matter how hard it gets, please do your best to survive.] She pleaded in a pitiful tone.


    Varian opened his mouth to answer but raised his head and noticed a powerful rank 9 aura locking onto the room.


    ''The stealth is exposed!''


    Gritting his teeth, he ended the call. "I will."

 Chapter 1417 The Why

    <h4>Chapter 1417 The Why</h4>


    Duke Kriad wasn''t a man who believed in fate or manifestation. And he definitely wasn''t the kind who''d think the universe was favoring him.


    If anything, he saw the world as a jungle and himself as the hunter. Everyone else, was, ofcourse beasts. Some were more useful than others but at the end of the day, were all beneath him.


    That belief was why he got where he''s today.


    Abandoned in an orphanage during a war time, he had to fight kids above his age to survive.


    From a very tender age, he learned that his victory meant someone''s loss. Theughter of the victory was always apanied by the sob of the loser.


    The world just had a favorite. They listened only to the one sess story and ignored the million failures.


    To the young mind of Kriad, the nature of such world was clear.


    Winner. Loser.


    Hunter. Hunted.


    Win and Thrive. Lose and Perish.


    This world view wasn''t unique in and of itself. Many people thought such things at least once in their lifetime.


    But his difficult life experiences drilled those experiences and made them his ''truth''.


    When the girl who he saved and fed back from starvation promised to take care of him when he fell sick abandoned him when he''s on a dangerous fever which nearly killed him or the disciple he cherished as family selling him out for some treasures.


    These experiences weren''t a one or two time things.


    It was a pattern of Kriad''s life.


    There were more rtionships that broke than those that did not. More people who betrayed his love than those who remained loyal.


    It''s like he''s cursed by some supernatural entity, perhaps the universe itself. He could be in the mostvish party of the kingdom, but he''d still feel alone.


    For such a man to support Prince Rudolph''s faction wholeheartedly was a great surprise.


    But Kriad had his own reasons. Besides the obvious factor of Martial Saint Kong favoring the orthodox Rudolph, the Archduke himself wanted something.


    An autonomous prime world.


    In exchange for his full support to Prince Rudolph, he openly stated that he''d want a prime worldpletely away from the kingdom''sws and a few trillion humanoid lifeforms.


    People, including the now dead Prince Rudolph, had many guesses.


    A taboo process to increase strength using normal people?


    A sick scientific research that''d turn citizens into livestock?


    A grand conspiracy to build up an army for the ambition to topple the kingdom?


    These were all great spections but none came close to the truth.


    Kriad wanted a simple thing.


    He intended to take all these sentient humanoid beings, erase their culture, history and knowledge. He would return them to their most primitive state.


    And then, he''d y God.


    The people of the world would have no idea about the kingdom or the Prian race.


    They''d wake up one day and find themselves living in a world they believe they''ve wys lived in. Their lives would continue until a being that ims itself as a God would descend.


    And then¡ªthat''s where Kriad would have his fun.


    Since life had been so unfair on him, he reasoned it was okay to be unfair to the lives of others as well.


    The so-called good and evil of people were things he wanted to test in his private yground.


    How many mothers would sacrifice themselves for their child about to be drowned in mes?


    How many men would kill their wives over their mothers?


    How many children would kill their parents for their lovers?


    The many situations that would push a sentient being to the limit of their conscience¡ªthese were all things he watned to try and y out in his little world.


    But why? Why do all that? What even was the benefit for doing thoseplicated, time taking experiments?


    Kriad wanted answers. He wanted justifications. The man sought to prove to himself that it wasn''t his fault, that it''s the world''s.


    The only reason he killed his own mother, wife and chidren was because he was forced to do so. That''s what everyone or at least, most of the people would do. Not just him.


    Even though he didn''t call it as such, Kriad saw it as a chance to convince his broken conscience that he wasn''t a broken soul.


    For the sake of his dream, the Archduke joined Rudolph''s faction. Even though Prince Merov was in the lead, he believed that Martial Saint Kong would eventually take care of this dark horse.


    If Kong didn''t, then he would.


    But the recent events came as a huge shock.


    Not only was Prince Merov killed, Rudolph too suffered the same fate.


    Worse, the man who squashed his efforts proimed it proudly in the throne hall. And there''s nothing he could do about it.


    Kriad wanted to kill Varian. But not at the cost of his own life. Isadora was too big of a powerhouse for him to even offend. Yet, a corner of the man''s mind was consumed by hatred.


    Now, the chances of him getting his wish fulfilled was much lower.


    The faction would have to support a new candidate. Everything needed to be built again from scratch.


    That''s what he thought until he was asked to visit Martial Saint.


    A huge surprise awaited the Archduke.


    Prince Robert.


    The younger brother who was always overshadowed stood with a brilliant light of his own.


    Rank 8!


    It was a ridiculous thing to even imagine. But the Martial Saint did the impossible.


    "Support him well and your wish will be granted."


    Archduke Kriad took those words to heart and began to think of all the ways he could act to support Prince Robert.


    But as he was returning to his home city, a quiet but definite buzzing of aura caught his senses.


    Something was trying to stay hidden but traces of it were being leaked.


    "Who dares to sneak into the region I oversee?"


    A fierce red light spread across space and a powerful aura locked onto a translucent room.

 Chapter 1418 Growth

    <h4>Chapter 1418 Growth</h4>


    The fabric of space-time of the region was like a stillke.


    When Duke Kriad gathered the power of life essence, life essence enough to run an entire star system for a century poured in, senting ripples across the space-time fabric.


    The still surface of the space-time fabric was consumed by the overwhelming waves of this monstrous power.


    So much so that every celestial ranker worth their salt in the surrounding hundred light years immediately noticed the fluctuations.


    This included the forces of Duchess Serenthia who were vigirously searching for the missing ''brother-inw''.


    Even though the Duchess herself wasn''t here in person, Jovian, a subordinate, who''s recently promoted to the captain position of a six-member squad, was.


    All of them were low rank 8s, with captain Jovian being the strongest of the bunch.


    "Let''s head to that area of intense aura fluctuation."


    "But Captain, the brother-inw wouldn''t be her¡ª"


    "Grow your perspective. The Duchess sent us here to search in an area where that man would only appear with a minimal chance. We''re just a deployed to ensure all cornered are covered.


    Our team isposed of newbies, including myself. We are the least valuable of all. In that case, to improve our value, we have to provide more than they expect.


    The prime information about something rted to Duke Kriad perfectly fits the bell."


    Jovian''s words were calm but resolute. Even though he didn''t use his authority, his words already convinced them.


    The Duchess had seen his charisma and decidedly supported him. It''s for that reason that the man without any edge on his peers was propped with massive resources and raced ahead.


    Now, all he wanted was to pay back the kindess of the woman who took him in, recognized his talents and gave his life some meaning.


    "Let''s hurry!"


    The team set off at full speed.


    Meanwhile, a tsunami of red light reached the ''prison'' enclosing Varian. There were no stars nearby, so the space waspletely dark.


    Against such background, the sea of glowing red life essence looked like a tsunami of bright blood, forming an eerie but beautiful sight.


    Varian held his breath as the devastating power struck the prison.


    Time seemed to slow down and his pupils reflected red and only red.


    One second, everything was silent.


    The next, he crashed against the wall as everything around him began to crack like it''s made of ss.


    Like a ball in a shaking box, Varian was thrown around by the unceasing impact of the blood red sea, crashing against walls and injuring himself.


    He wanted to freeze the space around himself but due to the attacks, the space-lock formation had gone mad.


    Wild fluctuations swept not just outside the prison but also the inside, acting on Varian with no mercy.


    When half of the prison''s defense broke, the pale skinned duke reached the area.


    With a ck eye patch, ck shirt, trousers and coat, he looked less like an Archduke and more like an intelligence agent. But his looks, good or bad, didn''t reduce the overwhelming power of the man.


    His single eye nce down with a curious expression, anticipating the ''prize'' that would be found from the ''gift box'' he''s breaking with ease.


    While this happened, the space ship of Jovian and his squad stopped in a distant location. They wanted to get closer and get a peek at the details.


    But once they realized the Archduke himself was involved, the team shut up and went into ultra steath.


    Now, they could only observe the bare minimum. In exchange, unless the Archduke deliberately checked the area they were in, they would be safe.


    Even though she''s only a peak rank 8, Serenthia was promoted to the status of a Archduchess, a position only reserved for high rank 9s.


    There were two reasons for this seemingly absurd posting.


    The first and most obvious¡ªthe legendary princess who broke the records of not just the kingdom but also the entire Empire and the Alliance itself.


    Isadora didn''t want any of these titles for herself. And frankly, gifting her the title of an ''Archduchess'' would be an insult than honor. The woman was too talented that even the title of ''Queen'' would fall short.


    But while Isadora was a critical factor for Serenthia earning her title, the Duchess herself gave the throne good reasons.


    Her natal treasure was a special, one of its kind. Historians opined that it''s hard to find its equal in thest 10,000 years.


    Even though the reports were very ambigous on what exactly her power was, the public were told that she could, in simple words:


    [Easily understand the workings of any non-living structure, mechanical or aura, and manipte it for minor or major changes, depending on theplexity of the structure.]


    For instance, the stealth ship the squad was in originally wasn''t capable of hiding from a high rank 9, even at its best performance.


    But Serenthia made a good spaceship into a legendary one.


    With such utility, even though the forces under her weren''t the strongest nor was she as strong as her counterparts, the status she held in an extremely hierarchial Prian society where the quality of natal treasure was supreme, couldn''t be more obvious.


    She naturally couldn''t be as influential as her counterparts who were high rank 9s. But she''s a good bet for anyone in the kingdom.


    "Everyone, remain alert. Stay calm and look out for the next moves." Jovian ordered his team and observed the situation with utmost care.


    While this happened, Varian pondered between breaking out of the prison before its total destruction and staying in.


    The former choice seemed tempting. But upon some thinking, what would the guy breaking the prison would do if he saw someone suddenly escaping?


    Yes. He''d attack.


    If that attack happened to be a bit harsh, he could kiss his life goodbye.


    So, Varian decided to wait while he prepared himself.


    ''Status''


    [


    Paragon Body : 2,000/10,000 (+1000)


    Death Giant??: 2,000/10,000 (+1000)


    Ignis????????: 1500/10,000?(+750)


    < The experiments you''re trying to make a perfect world are very stressful on your body and spirit. If a rank 4, no, even a rank 6 attempted it, they would blow themselves up.


    But at the right level, it can serve as a great training. Keep striving.>


    Order???????: 5000/10,000.?(+4250)


    Chaos??????: 5000/10,000.?(+4250)


    < It''s still unbelievable but the sliver holder of Order-Chaos finally has advanced more on the paths of Order and Chaos.


    Your usage of the sliver powers for creating the Prime World helped a lot. Not to discount your intense efforts in trying to get out of this ce.


    While you weren''t able to break free, your efforts didn''t go to waste. You progressed unbelievably fast.


    But the System feels its necssary to add that as the holder of Slivers, these are beginner gains as you are starting to gain insights into the powers of Order and Chaos.>


    Space??????: 2000/10,000.?(+1500)


    Time???????:?2000/10,000.?(+1500)]


    <Since making a Prime World requires intensive usage of powers of space-time and order-chaos, even these two paths have beneffited.


    Not to forget, manipting this prison, which you managed to pull off is an incredibly difficult feat. You''ve pushed beyond your limits>]

 Chapter 1419 Truth

    <h4>Chapter 1419 Truth</h4>


    The report was certainly encouraging. Even though the avenues of Sage and Creator have fallen behind, the giant leap of Order-Chaos paths was a great constion.


    To be sure, Varian had mostly seen himself as a ''close distance fighter'', a warrior who jumps at the enemy than a mage who fires from distance.


    Yet, with his new path configuration, he realized he''d have to change his style of fighting to best use his strengths.


    "Phew~"


    Letting out a short breath, Varian calmed his nerves. It''s just ast resort but most likely, he wouldn''t need to fight.


    It''s Duke Kriad! Why should that one-eyed old guy fight him? There''s no reason.


    ''And if he attacks, it''s not going to be a fight but a ughter. But oh well.''


    Kacha!


    The sound of ss shattering rang across the space and all formations holding the structure together got decimated.


    The sea of bright red power vanished in a blink creating an absurd sight. It''s like dangerous mes burning down an entire forest getting blown off by a gust of wind.


    "V¡­arian?" Kriad''s voice was uncertain.


    "It''s me." He didn''t show any arrogance or say words that might piss off this old guy. He''s not in the capital right now. The old guy might be wary of Isadora but he might also go crazy.


    Varian wanted to prefer his own safety.


    Kriad looked at the remnants of the formations floating around for a moment before his gaze returned to Varian with an enlightened expression. "You were kidnapped?"


    "I was." Varian cracked his neck. "The idiots thought I was powerless. But would Isadora''s brother-inw be truly powerless? That bitch died an ugly death."


    "Then why were you stuck there for so long?" Kriad questioned, suspicion growing in his eyes.


    "I was waiting for the next fish. But you came and spoiled the show. Seriously¡­" Varian rolled his eyes as he lied in azy, irritated tone.


    "Is it¡­?" Kriad wasn''t fully convinced but Varian''s mannerisms swayed his opinion.


    And what even if Varian was lying?


    ''If I touch him, Isadora woulde after me. There''s no merit in being his enemy.''


    Even though he thought so, a corner of the Duke''s heart itched.


    Finding this bastard in a remote ce with no surveince. Wasn''t this a perfect chance? The only risk could be the trump cards Isadora could''ve provided him for safety.


    Kriad pursed his lips and contemted his course of action.


    As Varian was about to speak up, a powerful being, one whose brilliance was immediately felt across the surrounding ten duchies appeared.


    She too was a <Life Spirit> like the Archduke. But she wasn''t a true person. She''s an avatar.


    Thanks to his advancing powers in the realm of soul, Varian was able to recognize that quickly.


    "You!"


    Miss Cmity''s clone locked onto him.


    ''Fuck!'' Even though he didn''t yell it out, he felt like the whole world was flipping him a middle finger.


    Her eyes shone with a bright light and her lips were curled up, showing an excited expression.


    "I finally found you!"


    Her aura locked onto him and in an instant, Varian''s knees trembled. Like a normal man lifting with a heavy bike, his shoulders bent and his breath grew ragged.


    "My real body is near Centaurus, looking for you. I''ll be reaching here soon." She announced.


    Varian sneakily activated his connection to Hortus. But as if a detector had went off, Miss Cmity narrowed her eyes. "Don''t try to get away."


    Stiffening like a statue, he stopped. There seemed to be no way out of this mess. But he couldn''t give up now.


    So, he turned to Duke Kriad, eyes clearly asking for help.


    The Duke himself was confused by the appearance of this woman and the words she casually spewed.


    ''Should I support her or oppose her?''


    Obviously, he knew her identity. Even though she''s from the Empire, Miss Cmity''s fame was very high in the kingdom. Being the honorary professor of the Kingdom''s Academy was an icing on the cake.


    If he supported her, he''d get into the good books of a genius who''d certainly be a divine ranker. Not only that, her background was that of divine rankers.


    But that''d put him directly against Isadora. That mad woman¡­wouldn''t be pleased.


    There was an idiot who tried to tease Sonya when she still wasn''t a century old by sending her love letters for weeks. She punished not only the idiot but also his friends, family. Heck, even the school''s security for letting that happen.


    So, if he went against Isadora, she would certainlye after him.


    But going against Miss Cmity and siding with Isadora?


    That''s also risky.


    Moreover, some cryptic words Martial Saint Kong during their meeting shed in his mind.


    ''Martial Saint, should we really oppose Isadora? I want Prince Robert to win the ritual and fulfill your dream more than anything.


    But going against a divine ranker is too big of a risk. Forget about me, even you might not survive if she gets furious.


    If it''s someone else, they would think of the consequences. Isadora simply doesn''t care. She never did.''


    ''Oh, I''m perfectly aware of the risk we''re taking. It might just not be that big of a risk you''re making it out to be.


    I can''t say this for certain since I''ll need some more time to confirm it. But let me say this, Isadora isn''t a divine ranker.''


    ''What?''


    ''As simple as that. Isadora is not a divine ranker.''


    ''But the grain, the evidence, the aura of divinity¡­''


    ''It''s a very, very clever technique. Even I found it difficult to doubt it. But I always verify everything. And in this case, I must verify because of what''s at stake.


    So, I can say with certainty. Isadora is not a divine ranker. She just used some special materials to make it appear like she is.''


    ''Then¡­what is she? What''s her real strength?''


    ''Could be peak rank 9. Could be high rank 9. Could be anything. I''ll need some more time. But the moment I can verify she''s not a peak rank 9, that will be the moment this little game ends.''

 Chapter 1420 Gamble

    <h4>Chapter 1420 Gamble</h4>


    Duke Kriad wasn''t a man who gambled his future. But he wasn''t an indecisive person either.


    ''The strongest Isadora could be is peak rank 9. But if she''s still at that rank, it means something is wrong with her. On the other hand, Miss Cmity will definitely reach divine rank sooner orter.''


    With Isadora''s talent, unless something went very very wrong, she couldn''t stay in peak rank 9 for so long. It didn''t matter that even Empire geniuses spent around 2,000 years at that rank. The rules simply didn''t apply to Isadora.


    Exhaling a deep breath, the Duke''s gaze towards Varian turned hostile.


    The clone of Miss Cmity wasn''t even looking at the duke. Staring down at Varian, she asked. "So what the hell happened to you? Who attacked you? Why? What''s yur rtionship with them?"


    Varian remained silent. The interrogation would only lead to more questions and eventually expose his secrets.


    ''What should I do? Both of them are against me¡­I don''t see a way of escape.''


    As if the world heard his thoughts, a brilliant red curtain enveloped the area they were in, covering dozens of light years with ease.


    "Excellent work so far, Kriad."


    Having sealed the ce, a tinum-blonde man appeared out of nowhere and stood near Kriad. The clone of Miss Cmity raised an eyebrow in surprise.


    Kriad, however, didn''t seem too surprised by the sudden appearance of his peer. Even though they were neighbors, they had good surveince in each other''s territories.


    Turning to the brilliant woman in white, he said. "This young brat has offended us too much and we want nothing more than to see him twist in pain as death breezes past him.


    But respecting your words, we will hand him over to you. But we wish to watch his execution or torture, whichever happens."


    Varian was livid. No one would like being traded as a pig.


    ''I''ll activate Hortus. There''s a small chance of surviving but staying here, I have no chance at all.''


    As he was about to follow through, Miss Cmity tilted her head. "But I didn''t mean to kill or torture him. He''s just slipping away from me everytime. That is all."


    Varian''s eyes widened in surprise while Kriad''s face paled.


    So he became the enemy of Isadora without bing a friend of Miss Cmity.


    Bad, no, a disastrous trade!


    Corinthian also noticed his friend''s dilemma and pointed to the red curtain barrier. "Don''t worry too much. The moment the barrier activated, it''s already breaking the signal between her and her main body. In other words, no one else would know what happens here other than those who get out of here alive."


    Filled with killing intent, the intent of his words was clear.


    The clone of Miss Cmity clicked her tongue and turned to Varian with embarrassment. She seemed to have realized that she put him in a spot without


    intending to. "Hehehe, sorry about that~"


    Looking at her awkward smile, Varian wanted to p her face.


    ''You idiot! You have set me up to die and now you''re apologizing with a sheepish smile?!''


    "Don''t worry, this is a clone I spent a long time creating. So, it has enough strength to take on these two for a while until my real body arrives." Miss Cmity assured him. "With the signal cut off in the middle, I would be rushing here sooner thanter. So, just bear with me for a while and we can have a talkter."


    With a flick of her wrist, a powerful force pushed Varian away from the trio, all the way to the edge of the curtain barrier.


    Varian couldn''t even react much less put up any resistance against the overwhelming yet harmless force.


    ''How close to death am I dancing?''


    Before he knew it, his back was already drenched in his sweat and his mind was hyperactive.


    None of the beings here here were as strong as Great Harvester but they weren''t too far off.


    "Buckle up."


    "Die!"


    A spear broke through the space in a blink and like a red line drawn across a ck canvas, leaving a crimson trail, the weapon reached Varian in a blink.


    Miss Cmity red at Corinthian while she poured out the limited energy she had.


    Waves after waves of glittering silver power appeared under Varian. And like waves that took a boat away from its destination, they rushed him away from the weapon.


    And while the spear chased the man, the waves stood in the way, systematically slowing it down before eventually destroying it.


    Varian was shielded from most of the spear''s aura by the silvery waves and had to face only some remnants that managed to break in.


    But just the rays of that aura poked holes in his body, like a paper drilled with thin needles. It was eerie, dangerous and quick.


    The clone of Miss Cmity merely sighed in relief at his safety and attacked the dukes with full power.


    She didn''t want to give them any chance to attack Varian. These two bastards feared for their lives.


    "You can still stop now. If you retreat, I''ll treat that nothing has happened."


    "Do you take us for fools?" Corinthian''s arm was ripped off and quickly regenerated.


    Attacking Miss Cmity was a suicide move. But since they openly showed their hostility toward Varian and she seemed to be on his side, they must not let the original Miss Cmity know.


    As long as her clone gets killed, everthing could be managed.


    But if she''s left alone, once she secured Varian, Miss Cmity would definitely make them pay. Death might be the most desirable thing then.


    So, Corinthian continued to attack decisively.


    Even though she''s not as strong as her main body, Miss Cmity was a formiable opponent nhless.


    The best they could do was kill her by joining hands.


    But ending that boy?


    It might be toote.


    "Hey you rats! I noticed you! Kill that boy and you''ll survive! Or you''ll all die!"


    Captain Jovian and his squad shuddered.

 Chapter 1421 Seriously!

    <h4>Chapter 1421 Seriously!</h4>


    It didn''t take even a moment for the squad to take a decision. The current situation went beyond all expectations.


    A simple ''weakling'' somehow involved two very powerful rank 9s. Heck, even a future divine ranker was involved!


    What the hell were they supposed to do?


    A blue light shed in the space and Varian ducked.


    Aser beam passed right in the ce where his left shoulder was. The beam travelled at great speed and eventually hit a star. The star disintegrated into little particles and even more darkness filled the region.


    While this happened, six silhouttees blinked forward, reducing the distance between them at an rming speed.


    Varian jumped back, apparently not intending to fight them at their rythm. But they followed up, not intending to let him turn the game around.


    "Who are you guys? Do you know who you are fighting against?" Varian yelled as he continued to escape.


    "You, your family, heck, even the you''re from would suffer the wrath of Princess Isadora."


    Once he said those words, Varian wanted to p himself. He was behaving exactly like those arrogant young masters.


    ''I was supposed to destroy them, not be one of them.''


    While hemented the circumstances that led him to this, the squad caught up to him.


    They thought they were cornering Varian since they were rank 8 as opposed to his rank 7.


    But they didn''t know that this man was deliberately misleading them by using speed far lower than he''s capable of.


    While all of these members were d in full-body silver armors with no other marks whatsoever, one guy had arge wolf symbol on his armor.


    Rightly recognizing the leader of the squad, Varian asked. "How about we get to an agreement? It doesn''t have to be this way."


    Jovian paused for a moment, as if contemting his offer.


    But Varian had no way of seeing his expression as everyone in the squad was also wearing a silver helmet thatpletely covered their faces. If he didn''t have the power of life, he''d have regarded them as robot soldiers.


    In his defense, these armors weren''t just your typical treasures. They had a high stealth function that was making it a lot more difficult for Varian to keep up with their movements.


    ''These all feel like special treasures. Who the hell is this loaded and wants to target me?''


    From the words earlier, these guys weren''t rted to the two dukes. That leaves pretty much only two suspects.


    Archduke Micheal.


    Duchess Serenthia.


    "Serenthia should really stop ying these games." Varian''s words caused the squad to freeze for a moment before they leaped at him with full force.


    "Keep my mistress'' out of your fucking mouth!" Jovian shouted, his voice filled with rage and angst.


    His fist, which was supposed to hit Varian''s face, ended up missing by a few centimeters of gap.


    "What?"


    Only then did Jovian realize that he stepped into a ck and white barrier. And after him, his team also jumped in.


    "Wee to your final moments." The panic on Varian''s face gone, only a cold, cunning and predatory smile remained.


    With hands behind his back, he asked. "So, seven idiots, how would you like your death?"


    The eerie atmostphere caused one member to step back and try escape out of the barrier. But the ck and white wall only rippled but did not break even as he tried to punch his way out.


    "Don''t bother. I took my time setting it up. In fact, I started working on it since Kriad arrived. None of you can break it sooner than I can kill you." Varian''s confident words unsettled them more than the squad expected.


    This guy was weird. He wasn''t a rank 7 like he showed in the throne hall. And he didn''t seem to be relying on the power of his sister-inw either.


    There''s something very, very wrong with him.


    Jovian gulped his saliva and stood in formation with his squad.


    He scanned the young man with his senses.


    The results were almost the same as the reports.


    A rank 7 Paragon Body. He''s still in the early states of the path.


    Age was still 19. Ridiculous. But whatever treasure he had was holding up very well.


    But¡­


    "It doesn''t have to be this way." Captain Jovian said, his tone easing a little and his mannerism slipping back to a negotiator than a warrior.


    "Oh? Pray tell what do you mean?" Varian crossed his arms with a smile and put on an expression as if he intended to listen.


    In reality, he was silently reinforcing the barrier.


    He lied to them. He started working on the barrier only after he realized these guys were here. If all of them attacked together, the barrier wouldn''t hold even for two seconds.


    So, had to fix the barrier now or they''d realize his bluff.


    "You are right that Duchess Serenthia has sent us. But it''s not what you think it is." Captain Jovian said and took off his mask.


    He''s a handsome middle-aged guy, the kind that seemed not only reliable but also mature.


    "She''s the first one to search everywhere once you disappeared. These dukes, they didn''t even care. I heard that they celebrated your disappearance and even wished for your death." Jovian said in a hushed voice, as if he was sharing a secret he wasn''t supposed to reveal.


    Varian maintained an unimpressed expression.


    What did this guy expect?


    That he''d get chummy with him with a few words?


    "Duchess doesn''t want your life. She couldn''t do that to her own son-inw, would she?"


    "Well, I''m not so sure."


    Varian was honest in his words.


    "Seriously, we just want to kidnap you, not kill you!" Captain Jovian said with a sincere expression.


    Despite trying to maintain a hard appearance, Varian ended up chuckling with a look of disbelief. "What the hell are you talking about?"


    Jovian doubled down. "She just wants to talk to you. Nothing more. Nothing less. The first attack on you was meant to incapacitate, not kill."


    Click!


    Like two edges of a band were linked together, a click sounded.


    "What was that?" Jovian asked.


    "Hahahahaha!" Varianughed and stretched his arms. "I''ve prepared the stage for our fight."


    "B-But we don''t really want to fight!"


    Varian''s fist loomedrge in Jovian''s face.


    "But I want to."


    Boom!

 Chapter 1422 Against Rank 8s

    <h4>Chapter 1422 Against Rank 8s</h4>


    A dangerous storm swept dozens and dozens of light years, destroying everything in their path. Like ayer of onion being peeled off, the very fabric of reality came under pressure.


    For a moment, it seemed like the space-time field itself might break down. But a few secondster, it still held strong.


    As strong as the celestial rankers were, they were far from touching the the pirs that make up reality.


    Miss Cmity, Duke Kriad and Corinthian continued their brawl, getting violent with each strike. Everything in their path be damned, the trio fought with increasing intensity, literally to death.


    But they still noticed an area being blocked out of their perception. That area was also where Varian and Serenthia''s subordinates were fighting.


    "By the time we kill you, he''ll join you." Corinthian made a line with his index finger.


    A zing red spear¡ªhis natal treasure¡ªspun violently, forming a vortex that began to suck away vitality from its surroundings.


    Wisps of life essence started to get pulled out of Miss Cmity''s clone, entering the vortex. Even though it''s not very prominent, thedy''s skin started to dim while her movements grew a bit awkward.


    Corinthian didn''t stop there andunched a few more spears. Nine more vortices formed, pulling away the vitality of the ferocious clone.


    While this happened, the scene in the opaque barrier was the opposite.


    A beam of green life essence reached Varian, aiming to drill into his body.


    Almost at the same time, a man holding a heavy hammer made jumped at Varian.


    If the green beam seeds entering his body, then Varian would lose a considerable amount of vitality and if the foreign force manages to corrupt any of his body part, then that part would fight against him, like a traitor within the castle gates.


    But if that heavy hammer¡ªmade of a metal infamous for suppressing vitality¡ªhits him, he''d have hard time regenerating, which would push him into a downward spiral he might not recover from.


    Captain Jovian and the four others in the squad swiftly prepared their own attacks, ready to strike almost immediately, giving the enemy no time to adjust.


    ''I really didn''t want to fight you. But you made the bed, so sleep on it. Which one will it be? A heavily corrupted body part you have to sever yourself or an injured body you can''t easily regenerate from?''


    Ignoring the fist impression on his face, Captain Jovian tensed his muscles as the critical moment approached. The four soldiers who were with him also leaned forward, ready to take off.


    They''d practiced these scenariors many, many times in their training.


    Depending on the move Varian decided to avoid, they''d respond with a countermove to inflict the most damage.


    If he let himself get corrupted, Captain Jovian and another warrior¡ªLife Spirits¡ªwould follow up and use their powers to corrupt Varian''s life essence. An injured man would naturally have more openings and would suffer under such attack.


    But if Varian avoided the corruption and got injured, the two Paragon Body warriors would attack. Since he couldn''t regenerate as fast as he could, they''d tear his limbs off by attacking at full strength and incapacitate him. From there on, it''d an easy job.


    The squad, while new, wasn''t amateur. Even the least inexperienced one of the group had more than three centuries of fighting experience.


    People in this squad saw all types of fighters and could basically anticipate their enemy''s next moves while countering them with rtive ease.


    ¡­But what''s why everyone in the squad was dumbfounded when Varian took both the attacks head on.


    Boom!


    Kaaa!


    Whatever damage he was going to suffer from one attack could be minimized if he took enough care to put up the defense and adjust his position.


    But this bastard!


    "Kughhh!"


    The space around the <Life Spirit> who was shooting the green beam at Varian copsed without warning.


    As if they had been waiting for that chance all along, the powers of Order and Chaos acted within the copsed space.


    Not just those two, even the power of life was subtly used.


    The matter present inside the copsed space¡ªthe man''s body, his armor, scattered particles¡ªall lit up with a blinding light.


    And then it all exploded into the purest form of energy, powered by aura, going far beyond a nuclear explosion.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Life Spirits had a nasty reputation as cockroaches. Because they were masters at controlling life essence and had abundance of it, they wouldn''t die so easily.


    Even if you ''kill'' them in a literal sense¡ªcut off their head, burn their body to ashes, crush their heart¡ªthey''de back to life.


    It''s just that the number of times they could return was, like most things in the cosmos, finite.


    And each ressurrection consumed life essence.


    The powerful attack created by order-chaos ''killed'' the warrior right away. But usually, once dead, a Life Spirit would ressurect somewhere else.


    It''s a professional habit to scatter bits of their life essences in far distances so that when they die, they could ressurect away from danger.


    That''s what should''ve happened.


    ¡­But Varian enclosed the space and messed up the flow of time.


    So, the Life Spirit ended up ressurecting in the same enclosed space.


    To his bad luck, the explosion continued.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    "Arghh!"


    The screams of the man reached the four members who were confident of victory, causing them to frown.


    This happened in a single second.


    At the same time, the green beam drilled into Varian''s arm which quickly began to wriggle and shake, as if it was about to explode.


    The warrior with the hammer showed no hesitation and swung down his weapon.


    Varian didn''t take it on with pure strength like he usually would. One, his


    wasn''t the strongest at the moment. Two, his right arm was being corrupted and affected his strength


    Instead, he used a power that had nothing to do with physical strength.


    Varian raised his hand and his palm faced the hammer warrior.


    Boom!

 Chapter 1423 Destruction

    <h4>Chapter 1423 Destruction</h4>


    The power of time flowed out of his palm like it was someser beam. But instead of it hitting the enemy, the light covered himself.


    Under the dumbfounded gaze of the warrior, his hammer passed ''through'' Varian as if he was a ghost.


    The warrior appeared on the other side, looking at the hammer with a dumbfounded expression.


    However, cracks still appeared on Varian''s skin and blood began to leak out. Butpared to what a head on confrontation would''ve caused, this injury was far less serious.


    "No!" Captain Jovian yelled, his face pale and eyes furious. "That''s the power of time! He skipped the instance of attack!"


    Varian didn''t bother to reply.


    If they were prepared before hand, it''d have been difficult for him to pull that off. Still, once reaching rank 7, the powers within an Avenue were mixing strangely well and also started showing great synergy.


    "Take him down!"


    All four members shot forward like lightning, reaching Varian in a blink.


    But the space around the man and the hammer warrior distorted. The two were shifted to a distance ce within the barrier.


    "Wh-Who the hell are you? How can you have so many powers?!" The hammer warrior''s helment was off, revealing a pretty woman. She''s the youngest recruit and had the lowest mental resilience.


    That''s why she did something as stupid as expecting an answer from an enemy.


    What she got wasn''t an answer but a punch to the face that sted her teeth off her mouth like they were rockets taking off.


    Her heard buzzed like a cracker exploded besided her ears. The colorful vision filled with bright colors of individual auras went nk.


    And then, the vitality flowing in her body was forcibly yanked by a foreign force. Her consciousness which was trying to stay awake was pushed into a deep sleep.


    Varian immediately cut off his arm that''s being corrupted by the foreign life essence. The severed arm took with it a share of aura, weakening him, as they nned.


    What they didn''t n was his Death Giant powers.


    The severed arm, from which he withdrew his own vitality, was now cut off its source and was considered dead.


    The Death Giant powers acted on it showing no mercy. The arm was crushed into the most basic of materials and the foreign life essence in it was expelled.


    Meanwhile, Varian used the woman overflowing with vitality, to heal his injuries and regenerate his missing arm.


    The synergy between Paragon Body and Death Giant meant that he managed to use the vitality he could salvage from the severed arm for this process.


    Even though the hammer she hit him with suppressed his recovery, hepensated the slow down by taking far more vitality than usual.


    As a result, he was back in his peak form.


    Not only that, the system''s tried to ring, prompting him of his improvement.


    [+100 XP]


    [+100 XP]


    [+100 XP]


    But he shut them down and faced off the four members who were looking at him with a wary look.


    "He must be a spy of the Jai Empire!"


    The eyes of the four zed with even more anger.


    Maybe they were really trying to kidnap him before. Now, they wanted to kill him. Nothing more, nothing less.


    "It''s a trap! It''s all a trap! This guy shouldn''t even be Princess Isadora''s brother-inw! He''s fooling everyone for some big conspiracy! We should kill him and save the kingdom!"


    "For the fathend!"


    "Fathend!"


    Of course, Captain Jovian also knew he was spouting bullshit.


    Varian didn''t just show the power of time or space. He also disyed the powers of Order and Chaos. And they were actually even stronger than the other powers.


    But in this tense situation, he couldn''t think answers to suchplex questions. He needed a simple reason to boost himself and his subordinates.


    This guy being a spy of Jai Empire? That''s perfect!


    "Even if I die, I won''t let the likes of you target my kingdom!"


    "You scum who killed my mother!"


    The two Paragon Body warriors dashed at him, with speed enough to runps around the entire sr system.


    Each of them were emotionally charged, intending to take him down even at the cost of their own lives.


    Varian sensed this keenly. Instead of feeling depressed, an excited smile appeared on his lips.


    At the same time, the Life Spirits channeled their life essence, creating a to trap Varian and ''corrupt'' parts of his body so that his own strength would work against him.


    "Aren''t you all a bit too enthusiastic?" Varian''s body blurred and the time around him began to distort.


    "Do you think it''ll work again?"


    The warriors of Pargon Body path sneered and swung their swords at one of the Varian.


    Their attacks carried a huge mass of aura¡ªthe disruptor of all.


    Due to the tremendous pouring of energy, even Varian''s timeflow suffered.


    Even though it seemed like he could erase some of the damage, he''d be taking more than half of the damage at least.


    Then, he''d severely injured and could be easily killed.


    ¡­At least that''s what should''ve happened.


    When the swords broke through the distortion of space and time and finally reached him, they passed through empty space.


    This wasn''t an empty space created by ''skipping'' the instance of attack like earlier. The location was literally empty.


    "Above you!"


    Captain Jovian''s scream was a momentte.


    Varian''s sword lodged into a warrior''s heart and his hand broke straight into another''s head.


    Even then, the two weren''t directly dead and tried to struggle.


    But like a human being stomping on a cockroach, he tightened his grip and dug his sword deeper.


    The power of Death Giant flowed into the two warriors at the same time.


    The overflowing vitality of the two warriors dissipated like a me that''s blown off by the wind.


    Two of thest four fell without offering much resistance.?The remaining two, including Captain Jovian swallowed in fear.


    But their extensive experience told them running away was certain death. So, gritting their teeth, theyunched of life essence against the dangerous enemy.

 Chapter 1424 Synergy Of Paragon Body & Death Giant

    <h4>Chapter 1424 Synergy Of Paragon Body & Death Giant</h4>


    Two beams of concentrated life essence soared, taking the shapes of hideous snakes, hissing and ring at the enemy.


    The two surviving Life Spirits looked at him with a hateful expression. But their eyes were shaking in fear they couldn''t control. They controlled their instincts at thest moment and did not attack.


    They seemed to have decided that if they had a chance to survive, it would be by defense.


    Varian didn''t bother about finishing them off right away.


    ''Where is this urgeing from? Hmmm, Death Giant? It''s seeking something¡­''


    The power of Death Giant rose to the forefront. A bleak aura spread from Varian, one that''s antithesis to life itself.


    The corpses, floating around as whole or in parts, squirmed.


    Then, as if it''s a scene straight out of a horror movie, shiny red threads began from the blood and flesh, making their way to Varian in a zig-zag pattern.


    The moment they touched him, the shiny red thread turned into a fluid red. To an onlooker, it''s as if Varian was connected to a bunch of tubes to transfer blood. It''s just the blood was glowing like some mystical liquid.


    Unlike his counterpart Devourer, Death Giant fed on death. But likeplimentary paths, they were sides of the same coin.


    Varian''s physique started to improve at a quick pace as the essence of death began to fill his being.


    An interesting reaction urred while this happened. Even his Paragon Body began to improve and that further fuelled the improvement of Death Giant.


    Varian recalled the description of the path and understood why.


    [If the Paragon Body is a straight line, this is a curve¡ªa curve that could go above or below.


    A Death Giant takes in the death essence and death force for building a perfect body¡ªa body that has the potential to surpass Paragon Body.]


    Both the paths had the same goal¡ªbuilding a perfect body.


    A Death Giant typically starts out from scratch. It has no reference point. So, the practitioner would devour as many high-quality corpses as possible so that the path would gear him toward a perfect body.


    A Paragon Body on the other hand, already got the blueprint figured out. It knows exactly what to do and how to do it. But it severelycks the life essence and life force to build up to that state. Moreover, even if a lot of necessary resources were supplied, a weak body couldn''t just take them all and bear the load.


    What was happening right now was a wonderful synergy between the two paths.


    Varian''s foundation was Paragon Body. Instead of trying to build a separate body or physique, Death Giant was improvizing the standard foundation.


    The mostmon danger for Death Giant path was its deviation. But with the standard set by Paragon Body itself, the deviation could only go up.


    Put it another way, Death Giant provided ''energy'' and ''essence'' necessary for Paragon Body to grow. Paragon Body provided the ''direction'' for Death Giant.


    As a result, the two paths weren''t just rising, they were skyrocketing.


    A sound simr to veins popping rang in the space. Butpared to what one would expect from a normal person, this sound was enough to send shockwaves dangerous enough to crack the moon into two.


    Varian himself was surprised and looked down at his fists. They looked the same from the outside, but everything had changed. He''s now heads and shoulders above his strength just a few moments ago.


    ''Why didn''t this happen right after I started the path? A threshold, perhaps?''


    As he wondered about the pleasant surprise, his keen senses caught the two Life Spirits trying to do something sneaky.


    Varian''s senses couldn''t determine the exact change at first. But as the space around the two changed subtly, he realized they were preparing for a space jump out of this region altogether.


    He exhaled lightly. But it''s like he blew out a quiet me, the fluctuating space around the two Life Spirits exploded, sending them flying to Varian''s feet.


    "Wait, we didn''t even want t¡ª"


    "We mean no h¡ª"


    Their heads exploded and two red new read threads connected to Varian. Paragon Body and Death Giant resumed growing.


    ''Progress is intoxicating¡­intoxicating indeed.''


    With everyone dead and their corpses put to good use, Varian was finally able to focus outside.


    But before that¡ª


    ''Status''


    [


    Paragon Body : 5,000/10,000 (+3000)


    Death Giant?: 5,000/10,000 (+3000)


    Ignis?: 2,000/10,000?(+500)


    <Seriously, What the Hell?>


    Order?: 5,250/10,000. (+250)


    Chaos?: 5,250/10,000. (+250)


    < A little progress. The System is rooting for Order and Chaos paths. Don''t get overtaken by the Sage Avenue!>


    Space?: 2,500/10,000.?(+500)


    Time?:?2,500/10,000.?(+500)


    <A little improvement is better than nothing. You should fight against stronger opponents to grow faster.>


    ]


    "Pheww~"


    Varian nced out of the barrier with a serious expression.


    The battle outside wasing to a close.


    The ''clone'' was now dull grey, in contrast to the bright glow she exuded at the beginning.


    Miss Cmity was losing.


    Duke Kriad and Duke Corinthian were stronger than she expected. But it''s not just that. Both of them seemed to have used some precious treasures to achieve this result.


    Miss Cmity''s clone had no treasures of her own. This battle wasn''t even that important for her. But for the two, this was literally a life and death issue. They couldn''t afford to lose.


    "Stop!"


    Varian canceled the barrier and yelled. Charged by aura, guided by space-time power, his voice reached the rank 9s who were in the middle of a battle.


    The three stopped, not because he said so, but because they were surprised by his survival.


    "Y-You!" Duke Kriad''s single eye widened and quickly burned with killing intent.


    Miss Cmity raised a hand toward Varian, intending to shield his life. But Kriad''s face showed a different degree of madness. Even if he''s going to get severely injured, he had to kill this bastard or they''d be in big trouble.


    Varian sensed this too, so he said. "Wait, wait, wait, I have a deal. A win-win-win deal."

 Chapter 1425 Man Of Words

    <h4>Chapter 1425 Man Of Words</h4>


    The offer he threw didn''t garner any fans. The Dukes didn''t trust him in the first ce. Miss Cmity, on the other hand, thought he was just trying to avoid death at any cost.


    "I know what you''re thinking. But hear me out."


    "You just want to buy time until her real bodyes, cunning bastard!"


    A green wall covered Varian, shing against the red spear that reached him without warning.


    Boom!


    A powerful shockwave sent ripples across the region. Even though he was fully protected, Varian felt his spirit shudder.


    Sure, he''s significantly stronger than a few moments ago. But in front of these guys, he''s still one shot away from death.


    ''Control. Control.''


    "I said win-win-win." Varian was under a lot of pressure but he didn''t show it on his face. "We''ll all get what we want."


    "Tsk."


    Boom!


    Another spear was blocked by the shield. Miss Cmity''s clone dimmed further. It didn''t seem like she couldst long.


    "The reason you two attacked me is purely because you already offended me by siding with Miss Cmity. If she didn''t appear, you''d have just sent me back to the capital, am I right?"


    Duke Corinthian wanted to refute but Duke Kriad nodded with a reluctant expression. "Yes."


    Miss Cmity''s presence made him stand against Varian. If not for her, he''d have intimidated this bastard a bit but sent him back anyway.


    Isadora might or might not be a peak rank 9. But until it''s confirmed, he didn''t want to offend her.


    ''Wait, so my presence was actually the reason he''s in danger?'' Miss Cmity palmed her face.


    "And the reason you want to kill her clone is to erase any hostility from actual Miss Cmity, yes?"


    "What are you getting at?" Corinthian growled, a new spear spinning in his hand.


    "Let''s make a contract. I will not reveal what happened here to anyone, including Isadora, in any form.


    Miss Cmity''s clone will be killed but you will not touch her soul strand. Since you blocked this area anyway, Miss Cmity will not know the whole story.


    You two don''t have to face Isadora''s enmity or Miss Cmity''s enmity."


    Varian''s expression was sincere and his voice persuasive.


    Miss Cmity was dumbfounded at his words but Duke Kriad and Corinthian looked at each other, a hint of hesitation in their eyes.


    That''s the first step.


    Compared to their rigid stance earlier, they started giving it some thought.


    If Sia was here, she''d start crying. That expression, that tone, that''s exactly how Varian looked when he was fooling her during their childhood.


    "Let''s say everything went as you said. But I only set up a barrier just a bit after Miss Cmity reached this ce. Kriad didn''t show his hostility towards you yet.


    But with her clone dead, it''s obvious Miss Cmity would target Kriad. He''s the only one who can destroy her clone."


    Corinthian''s words caused Kriad to nod subconsciously. It''s a big problem indeed.


    "Well, let''s also make a contract. I will testify that we were fighting some other guy, an unknown rank 9 powerhouse. The clone was killed in the fight. Duke Kriad got injured trying to protect me. With my testimony, the actual Miss Cmity wouldn''t target you."


    "¡­" Miss Cmity''s clone looked at Varian with a hint of disbelief. ''Even though I''m not the original, I still have a strand of her soul. I''m as real as her. You''re talking about fooling me in front of me!''


    "To be honest, Your proposal is very tempting." Duke Kriad gripped the spear. "But it still is risky. Why follow it when I can end you two?"


    Boom!


    The shield began to crack.


    "How long can she hold on?"


    Boom!


    "Ten seconds?"


    Boom!


    "Three?"


    Boom!


    "Two?"


    In the difficult situation, Varian remained calm but his eyes shed with decisiveness.


    "Miss Cmity, if you give up protecting me and attack one of them with everything you''ve got, can you take down one of them?"


    Without any hesitation, thedy nodded. "For sure."


    "Then do i¡ª"


    The spear that''s about to bombard the barrier stopped, just an inch before shing.


    Kriad was gripping Corinthian''s shoulder, shaking his head. The tinum-haired man gritted his teeth for a moment before he withdrew his spear.


    The atmosphere remained tense but no one was channeling their aura for an attack anymore.


    "I don''t know if it''s intentional," Kriad began and took out a leather-skinned golden sheet. "But it looks like you implied this because of my natal treasure."


    Varian shrugged. "Of course, I''d learn about the dukes of the kingdom."


    The golden sheet was checked for any dangers by Miss Cmity''s clone before it flew down to Varian.


    On it were the terms of the contract he just spoke about in unambiguous terms. And this contract was beyond anynguage. It spoke directly in ''Intent''. So, you could not use the ''technicalities'' to override the ''presumed'' agreements.


    As in, if you agree, ''I will not say the secret to anyone'', the contract also wouldn''t let you ''write it out'' to anyone, even though it''s technically not saying.


    Varian read the contractpletely to ensure the conditions.


    And as he did, Kriad''s natal treasure¡ªa yellow pyramid-like structure with a red eye at the top¡ªwatched him keenly.


    Duke Kriad''s natal treasure¡ªEye Of Truth¡ªgave him insight into the weakness of his enemies, links established between a person and an object, the resilience of an item or ce, and so on.


    The leather melted away into a golden thread and entered Varian''s soul, creating a restriction.


    The <Eye of Truth> watched the whole process with intense scrutiny. Only after ensuring that it''s properly done did the Duke nod in satisfaction.


    "Now then, you can please die," Corinthian said to thedy.


    "I don''t trust you guys." She replied. "You can just kill him after I''m gone."


    She had a point. If they were in her position, they too would be skeptical.


    "Do one thing," Varian suggested, his voice in a hurry. "Take off the barrier just around me. I have a space treasure. I will teleport far away.


    And while I do, Miss Cmity will create a non-intrusive defensive barrier around me. In doing so, she will leave herself open to attacks but also ready her soul strand to escape at full force.


    The moment I teleport is also thest moment you can attack and kill me. That''s when she has to keep the defense at the highest. And that''s when you will attack her.


    So, I will escape and Miss Cmity''s clone will die simultaneously. But since you have to attack her with your full strength to make sure she really dies, that allows her soul strand to escape.


    Perfect solution, isn''t it?"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    Not just the ufortable gaze from Miss Cmity, but even Archdukes Corinthian and Kriad looked at Varian with a weird gaze.


    This guy¡­wasn''t normal.


    He''s clearly a rank 7 but managed to kill rank 8s. How? Most likely with the treasures Isadora provided. Still, managing to survive long enough to use those treasures was a feat in itself.


    But the way he handled the seemingly hopeless situation was the impressive part. If they let a guy like this escape today, even if he won''t reveal this to Isadora or anyone else...would he really not take it to heart?


    For a moment, the dukes looked at each other and hesitated. But they quickly threw that thought away.


    ''A puny rank 7. Even if he''s really talented, he''ll need a thousand years to hit rank 9. And that is a big if.''


    So they proceeded with the n.


    The space barrier was loosened around Varian. Miss Cmity''s clone poured everything into his defense.


    Varian poured everything into his space path, used connection with Hortus to teleport halfway through, obscured his aura with the use of slivers, and nodded.


    Boom!


    The moment the space around him fluctuated and he began to disappear, a brilliant burst of aura engulfed Miss Cmity''s clone, killing her.


    Even though it was just a clone, Varian felt a tinge of sadness watching her final moments. It''s like she sacrificed her life for him.


    Pa! Pa! Pa!


    pping his cheek thrice, he yelled at himself. "Shut up! I almost died! It''s just a clone¡­though I am very grateful for her help¡­I should ask why she went to such lengths¡­what does she even want from me?"

 Chapter 1426 Future

    <h4>Chapter 1426 Future</h4>


    Varian embarked on a journey back to the capital.


    Even though he didn''t show it on the surface, he was constantly scanning his surroundings, even using the power of slivers to keep his stealth at the maximum.


    If the past few days had a taken huge a physical toll on him as he tried to break out of the prison, the past few hours had drained his mind with the life and death situation.


    He''s a step away from a rank 9 who could kill him with a snap.


    Knowing it was one thing. But escaping death by a hair breadth was something else.


    ''Arghh! I want to reach rank 9 soon! Why is my growth so slow?''


    [¡­It''s a little over half year since you yed the Abyss Emperor. You''re already half way through rank 7. Even though the next two ranks are eachrger than rank 1 to rank 7 put together, you''ve covered an incredible ground in just half year.


    The rank progression in celestial ranks, for any person, would slown down tremendously. Even Empire geniuses spend decades and centuries in some ranks.


    Put your hand on your hand and swear, did you ever spend a year in one rank? At least one?]


    Varian was speechless by the rebuttal.


    It''s not like he didn''t know his own abnormality. Isadora and Sarah had their reasons for their breakneck growth.


    But they weren''t the real monsters.


    He was.


    It''smon knowledge that the difficulty in growth multiplies with each path.


    Even if Isadora or Sarah were to magically get seven paths today, to show the same progress as him, they''d take at least ten times longer.


    ''What if I grow strong? My enemies are always stronger!''


    Varian spread his senses and checked his surroundings one more time before shooting his counter.


    [¡­So, what will you do when you face the strongest?] The System''s voice turned stern.


    ''Reach his rank. I am growing fast. Even if it''s divine rank, I think a century is the maximum period I have to wait.''


    [Your growth in divine ranks would be interesting to see. But Host, God Emperor is at the very peak of his rank for a very, very long time. Do you think you can win him just because you are in the same rank?]


    The System seemed to be asking a question but its voice was confident of the answer.


    Varian narrowed his eyes. ''Even with the slivers?''


    [Slivers? Hah!] Logos seemed to chuckle, as if it had heard some joke.


    ''What? Exin.'' Varian asked.


    [The probl¡ª]


    The spaceship, travelling in inner space, was suddenly swept by a space storm and flipped violently.


    "Damn it!"


    Varian used his space powers and stabilized the thing. These type of space storms were rare but he happened to be that unlucky. Ironically, he didn''t doubt he could be that unlucky.


    ''You were saying something?''


    The System sighed.


    [Nevermind. Ignorance is dangerous but so is knowledge.]


    ''There you go again.''


    Varian shook his head but didn''t press for an answer anymore.


    He actually agreed with Logos'' view that knowledge could be dangerous. Knowing things you shouldn''t know, at least before the right time, could really put you in danger.


    [Just one thing, Host. You wouldn''t take a century. Not even half.]


    *** *** *** ***


    The streets were filled with crowds as Variannded in the spaceport and headed to the royal district.


    It''s not that he wanted this publicity. Once he entered the capital, someone leaked about his arrival.


    It spread like wildfire.


    Most people believed he''s gone¡ªfled or kidnapped or dead. The majority believed he''s kidnapped thanks to the expert opinions published on media.


    ''What did the kidnappers want?''


    ''Is brother-inw worth the ransom?''


    ''Why isn''t Princess Isadora acting yet?''


    There''s a widespread confusion among the masses.


    Varian didn''t really mind this. Staying in the public consciousness was what he wanted, for good or bad reasons was something he couldn''t care less about.


    But¡ª


    "Brother-inw! Autograph!"


    "Brother-inw, is it true that your third wife kidnapped you out of jealousy?"


    "Brother-inw, did Princess Isadora take you out for punishment because you were flirting with her disciple?"


    There were people, lots and lots of people on the streets as far as eye could see.


    But somehow, the most annoying of them seemed to be around his slow moving carriage. Their questions, which honestly deserved a punch in the face more than anything, always reached his ears.


    Varian wasn''t in a great mood after his near death encounter. And these guys pissed him off. Even so, if this was on earth, he might have behaved.


    But he''s the brother-inw, wasn''t he? He couldn''t not be arrogant.


    "Autograph? Fuck you, you peasant!"


    "Kyaaa~"


    The fan girl trembled and spasmed at his words, her reactionpletely against his expectations.


    "My third wife? Hah! Yes. I have a third wife! Oh and guess what? I have four wives! You bastards don''t have a single girlfriend."


    "Woah!"


    "Man among Men!"


    "You are my idol!"


    Even this harsh response, instead of garnering hate, earned him respect. The guys walking along the carriage bowed their heads and paid respects, as if they were worshipping a diety.


    Varian gnashed his teeth.


    ''Why are you like this?''


    In the end, he decided to cross the line and reply to thatst quesiton.


    "Yes! I met with Isadora! Yes, she''s angry that I flirted with her disciple."


    At his mention of the legendary princess, the crowd who were walking alongside the carriage paused. The powerhouses hiding in the crowd perked their ears.


    "But do you know why she''s angry?" Varian snorted and asked.


    Everyone shook their heads.


    But in their hearts, they wereining. It''s obvious why she''s angry! You married her little sister and still flirt with her disciple!


    "Stupid! It''s because she''s jealous of her disciple! Hahahahaha!"


    The whole crowd, numbering hundreds of thousands, fell silent. Only Varian''s arrogantughter sounded everywhere.


    For the next hour until he reached the royal district, not a single person opened their mouth.


    By then, however, his brazen words spread not just to the borders of the kingdom, but also to distant kingdoms.

 Chapter 1427 Satellite Galaxies

    <h4>Chapter 1427 Satellite Gxies</h4>


    The reunion with his wives, which Varian envisioned to be sweet, ended up him getting lectured for three full hours.


    "What? That woman is totally suspicious!"


    "You trust a fortune teller in this day and age? Seriously!"


    "Cryptic words? Bah! Those are copy-paste lines every fortune teller uses!"


    Enigma and Sarah took turns, sting him one after another. Apparently, Sia wanted toe out and give him an earful too.


    But they strictly agreed to not transform as long as they''re here. So, Varian was able to save a bit of his mind.


    ¡­Or not.


    "Brother-inw! How can you be so stupid?! Even children know not to trust these fortune tellers!"


    When even the usually meek Sonya joined, Varian sighed in despair.


    ''A mysterious powerhouse who does some odd job. But he or she will utter some crytpic words. If you believe them, they''ll help you.


    Isn''t this what happens everytime?


    I mean, I was right in everything except thest. That bitch was a mysterious powerhouse and she does an odd job. She also uttered strange words. But she just wants to kill me.


    I guess¡­I''m 90% correct in this situation.''


    Thankfully, he didn''t say what he was thinking out aloud.


    ''They might beat me up. Yep, yep.''


    So, the man lowered his head and epted his mistake.


    *** *** *** ***


    Miss Cmity looked at the man facing her with a hint of irritation.


    Like Zahara Onyx under Princess Esh, he''s the best non-divine subordinate under the 7th Prince.


    Hector Russ.


    "Can''t we fight another day?"


    Miss Cmity grumbled, even though the aura around her was already soaring.


    In the seemingly endless dark space, it''s like a huge green me stretching for millions of miles.


    Even though she didn''t show her full power, what she disyed could already kill most rank 9s.


    Even though a peak rank 9 and a beginner rank 9 were technically in the same rank. The difference between them was so vast that you''d find less power difference between a rank 1 and rank 8.


    Miss Cmity might not be the strongest among all peak rank 9s. That echelon wasposed of old kings and warriors who got stuck in the rank and stayed in it for long, long years.


    But she''d definitely in the second echelon¡ªa rising genius who''s going to hit divine rank but until reaching that next boundary, she wouldn''t be as strong as these old monsters.


    So, fighting Miss Cmity was a dangerous task in itself. But the man didn''t shy away from it.


    "If you give up this satellite gxy, forget fighting another day, we don''t have to fight at all." Hector said with a bright smile.


    Miss Cmity''s expression crumbled. "You arrogant worm."


    Something unusual was happening in the Empire.


    The intelligence was still unclear about the exact ns but the vague information recieved so far indicated movement of arms. Fortunately, it''s not big enough to indicate the start of an all out war. But it''s definitely not small enough for a typical ambush.


    ''At least a kingdom level operation.''


    But why?


    No, the better question would be, ''What actually are they trying to do? Is this army for some other secret ops?''


    Miss Cmity didn''t know.


    But what she did know was that if the Jai Empire''s forces upied the satellite gxy adjacent to the milkyway, they''d have one more outpost tounch attacks into the territory of the Alliance.


    Even though the scale was cosmic, it''s not unlike the old days when a critical region of your kingdom got captured by a hostile kingdom. It gives them tremendous strategic advantage.


    Long ago, the Alliance made a mistake of not fighting the Empire''s forces with enough resolve.


    There were many satellite gxies between Milkyway and Andromeda. But only a few of them were suitable for raising prosperous civilizations, meaning they had ample natural resources.


    So, when Jai Empire attacked the barren satellite gxies, the Alliance fought a bit but then gave up without trying their best.


    In their own words, recorded for all progeny to see:


    ''What are we losing by giving the Jai barrennd? Nothing. In fact, we''re winning. They''ll now have to station troops in that barrennd, our neighboringnd, to hold onto it.


    But we? We can attack it whenever their forces are not enough. This is not a loss, it''s a strategic victory.''


    A very big blunder.


    Instead of just holding onto the region, Jai Empire used them asunch pads to attack the Milkyway.


    The fight which happened in the vast empty space and satellite gxies between Milkyway and Andromeda until then now had one more region.


    Milkyway gxy itself.


    With war happening in the hintend, the dynamics of the war slowly shifted in the favor of the Jais.


    It''s been a long, long time since then. But to this day, the Alliance still hadn''t been able to get back the lost satellite gxies.


    And that''s why, Miss Cmity, like any other responsible powerhouse didn''t even think of ''surrendering'' the satellite gxy.


    She had already reached that region to meet Varian when this bastard attacked the border. So, she had to rush back.


    Thankfully, there were teleportation treasures specifically for these types of border regions. So, she was able to confront him before anything happened.


    But she couldn''t help but worry about Varian''s condition.


    Her clone died unexpectedly. She didn''t even know what happened as her connection with it was cut off early on.


    There''s very little chance that he survived.


    Duke Kriad would know the answer. And she''d force it out of his mouth by hook or crook.


    With those chaotic thoughts in mind, Miss Cmity started a battle with Hector Russ.


    The battle continued for three full days.


    It shouldn''t have taken that long but at some point, a bunch of other peak rank 9s under the 7th Prince also joined, dragging the war.


    A few of them died but most of them survived and returned.


    After the battle ended, Miss Cmity learned about his survival and rushed to the capital.


    Hector Russ and his subordinates attacking her felt less like an attempt to kill and more like a...distraction from something greater.


    But in her hurry, she pushed back the hint of unease in her mind.


    She''de to regret it.

 Chapter 1428 Unexpected Guest

    <h4>Chapter 1428 Unexpected Guest</h4>


    The sea of Varian''s soul was a mix of seven different colors, perhaps directly from his seven different paths.


    The water in the sea¡ªat least that''s how it visually seemed¡ªwas a mix of multiple colors, expanding every second, pushing farther and farther into the void.


    The ''spirit'' sat in the depths of the sea.


    The usually free spirit now had a golden shackle covering it from head to toe.


    The contract.


    It''s not a normal grade contract. Even if peak rank 9s help, the contract would stand strong. In the worst case they manage to crack it, it''d damage Varian''s spirit and had a great chance of killing him.


    Since it''s a direct attack on his spirit, his consciousness, his great physical regeneration would be of no use.


    Of course, as an <Ignis>, Varian could recover from the damage. In the worst case, he could store a bit of his spirit, blow up the rest to break the shackles and start regeneration.


    But it''d take an incredibly absurd amount of time to get back to the former state.


    Isadora had only a few cracks in her spirit due to the forced actions of Sia and Enigma during her life and death battle against Varian.


    Even the minor injury took a whole synergy session and weeks of time to heal.


    In the end, these were all conventional solutions on breaking a contract.


    But the moment Varian decided to use the power of slivers against the contract, he broke away from all norms.


    It''s like bring a gun, no, a tank to a knife fight. Forgetting winning, the opponent lost any chance of even losing with dignity.


    Ka! Ka! Ka!


    The power of slivers slithered around the golden chain like a snake. Just by sheer contact, the strong restriction began to shudder, as if it''s having trouble staying in ce.


    ''It''ll take a few days but oh well, small price to pay to buy my life.''


    Varian continued to meditate when the bell suddenly rang.


    "Who the hell knocks on my door?"


    All the guests, well wishers, celebrities and wealthy tried to connect with him after he returned. He didn''t even let them in, much less talk.


    Even though it''s only been a day, rumors about his behavior spread across the capital.


    No one should be stupid enough to visit him when they knew they''d only get rejected.


    To keep himself surprised, Varian didn''t expand his senses and nonchntly walked to the door.


    Ding Dong! Ding Dong!


    The bastard had a lot of guts! He rang the bell two more times! Did he think it''s his own house or what?


    As the ''arrogant'' brother-inw, he must respond to it harshly or it''d be out of character.


    Varian pulled the door open, nearly tearing it off while his mouth ran. "Hey you bastard, this isn''t your uncl¡ª"


    His harsh words stopped abruptly as a veiled woman exuding an energetic vibe greeted him.


    "Brother-inw!"


    Miss Cmity literally jumped, moving faster before Varian could even react and clung onto his arm like a k hugging a bear.


    "W-What?"


    Varian felt like this witch was ying a prank and tried to shake off his arm. But she held onto him tighter.


    He strongly believed that this wasn''t out of affection. Rather, she didn''t want him to ''vanish'' like he always did.


    "Miss Cmity, what are you doing?" He tried to make his tone polite but distant but it only came up as a nervous rambling.


    He couldn''t help it. This woman was the only ''outsider'' who knew his deep secrets. Not just that, she''s overwhelming strong.


    In other words, she had both the motive and the capability to act against him. No matter how friendly a cat acted, a mouse should always be wary of it. A weakling would also be the same, no matter how friendly a powerhouse behaves.


    It''s simply the self-preserving nature of life.


    "What am I doing? I''m holding you so you don''t disappear again." She stared at his face as if she was trying to imprint his ''true form'' and brought her lips closer to whisper. "Like you always did, isn''t that right? Brother-inw or should I call you Constantine?"


    Varian exhaled deeply. If it made any difference, he''d deny it even in the face of horrendous pain.


    But looking at her eyes, the woman was a 150% sure. There''s no doubt in her mind about his identity.


    "Can you please leave my arm? I won''t be able to escape from you anyways. I''m just a rank 7 weakling."


    Instead of taking the strongman approach, Varian appealed with his weakness. It''s something he didn''t like to do but when left with no other choice, he didn''t shy away from the means avable.


    Miss Cmity pursed her lips at his words but firmly shook her head. "Nope. Nope. Nope. I got fooled by you twice! Or thrice? I am not trusting you on this at all!"


    She began to look around and fiddle with the stuff. Most of it were items that''s already present with this manor.


    But some of them belonged to Sarah and Enigma.


    Like a few books on the table that Enigma was reading. Some of them about people, emotions. Some about starcrossed lovers. A few about proper methods of


    killing.


    Or the pile of swords that Sarah broke during her practice. They were all thrown into a corner of the room. She intended to use the knowledge from legacy to try repair them.


    "Wow! Enigma reads these books? I''d have never guessed!" She determined the reader from the life traces left on them, like a detective identifying fingerprints.


    "Ah! Sarah is training so diligently. No, it''s a bit too much. What happened? Is she trying to grow stronger and beat you up or what?"


    Saying so, she snickered and elbowed him lightly, enjoying her own joke.


    ''The way she rang the bell to this, she doesn''t see herself as an outsider, huh.''


    Varian remained as silent as he could, trying to process the situation and find a way out.


    But nothing came to mind.


    Finally, she dragged him to the couch in the same position and satfortably, as if it was her own home.


    "So¡­why do you call me brother-inw?"

 Chapter 1429 Sister-in-law

    <h4>Chapter 1429 Sister-inw</h4>


    "Huh? What sort of question is that?" Miss Cmity''s nose wrinkled and she almost pouted.


    Varian thanked the stars that spending a night ''soothing'' his wives caused them to sleep for the whole day. Even though they might''ve woken up already, they didn''t intend toe out.


    If they did and saw this woman''s actions, only chaos would erupt.


    Varian tried to break his arm free again from her grip but she didn''t let go. Maintaining an awkward smile, he said. "Can we maintain some distance, please? I''m a married man."


    "Huh?" Miss Cmity tilted her head in confusion for a moment before looking at his arm that she''s hugging. Then, a devilish smile formed on her lips. "Why is your mind so dirty? So, it''s true that you were flirting with Senior Sister''s disciple too."


    "¡­Once again, I''m asking you. Why do you call me brother-inw? As far as I know, my wiv¡ªwife is not rted to you at all." Varian coughed and said in a serious tone.


    "Tsk." Miss Cmity clicked her tongue, dissatisfied with him being ''formal'' with her. "I guess you''ll remain stiff like a statue unless I say it."


    Varian didn''t answer but his silence did.


    "Senior Sister Isadora and I are apprentices under the same master. So, of course, she''s my sister. You''re my brother-inw." Miss Cmity chuckled. "Did you expect it or did you expect it?"


    "I truly did not." Varian''s lips twitched.


    Inwardly, he wanted to spank Isadora for hiding such an important connection. If she told him about Miss Cmity''s character and past, he''d at least have some leverage over her in this conversation.


    Now, he''s nk and fully lead on by this woman who called him ''brother-inw''.


    "Leave that toter. I want to meet my sister." She looked into his eyes with an intense gaze.


    "¡­"


    Varian almost started to sweat and he subconsciously wanted to use his life powers to stop sweating.


    But then he remembered that in front of him was a woman at the peak of rank 9. His actions of sweating or suppressing sweating would both be discovered.


    ''Fuck!''


    "Why is your heartbeat rising? Why are you sweating? Why are you showing an awkward expression?" Like a gun firing bullets, the woman fired her questions.


    Varian closed his eyes and exhaled deeply.


    For now at least, this woman didn''t seem intent on harming him directly. If so, he couldn''t let himself be passive.


    ''Seize the initiative.''


    "Isadora is in a critical stage of her practice. She can''t meet you. Rather, she did ask when the hell are you going to reach the divine rank.


    ''Will she make me wait another millenia or two?'', she said something like that."


    Hearing him perfectly imitiate Isadora''s tone and manner of speaking, Isadora stiffened.


    Behind her thin veil, her face flushed red and she began to stutter. "T-T-That¡­"


    Like a shy junior trying to answer a charismatic and experienced senior, she fidgeted and looked down.


    ''What the hell is this contrast?''


    "I-I am much less talented than you, Senior Sister. I''m so ashamed of taking so long. Forgive me for not living up to your standards." A sincere apology, one that''s perhaps held deep in her heart, was uttered.


    Varian shrugged. "She''d be disappointed if you meet her without even reaching the divine ranker. I mean, it''s been over 500 years. So, isn''t that like a basic requirement?"


    Miss Cmity bit her lip and looked at him with a hint of resentment.


    If anyone saw this scene, they''d think the same. That he''s a young man bullying a pretty woman and harrassing her with nasty words.


    If only they knew¡­


    "No, no. I''m your brother-inw. Don''t they say brother-inw has great responsibility towards his sister-inw? I don''t allow you to shame yourself in front of Isadora. It''d also be a shame to my reputation."


    The way he spoke and patted his chest seemed to imply that he fitted into the role.


    "Well, it''s not that bad, right? Even though senior sister is strict, it''s been over five centuries. This is excusable. Just a meeting and I will go back to my training." Miss Cmity spoke meekly, trying to find an opening in a tough fortress.


    "No!" Varian shook his head firmly, showing no room at all. "I don''t know why, but she''s gotten grumpier and stricter. She''d be way happer if you meet her as a divine ranker tha now.


    Think about it. All this while, you''re only thinking about your happiness, your desire of meeting her and your longing to see her again.


    What about her? Shouldn''t my sister-inw behave like a responsible adult and think about her senior sister?


    Or are you still a child who only does as she pleases without considering others?"


    He didn''t try very hard but he came off like an adult disciplining a child. Being an Emperor, he did have the aura of a superior. He just never thought the experience of being the leader of a mere province would help in lecturing a powerhouse at the top of a fucking kingdom.


    "I-I''m sorry for being so carefree and childish! I''m still immature after so many years! Waah!"


    Miss Cmity leaned on his shoulder and began to punch and pinch the couch, as if it could allievate her embarassment.


    "But Brother-inw, you''re just like her! I mean, you''re different, but you''re also simr. Is that why she liked you so much?


    She''s even let her sister marry you! Oh my gosh! I can''t ever believe my overprotective senior sister doing that!


    But you''re truly greedy! You''re even flirting with her disciple!"


    At her words, Varian could neither agree or deny.


    Silence was the best policy.


    "Anyway, I am just one step away from hitting divine rank. I''ll meet her in a week or a year. But not longer than that. Hehehehe."


    "¡­"


    Varian tried not to show his surprise.


    Thankfully, she hadn''t reached divine rank yet.


    Or all his lies would be busted.


    "Oh and brother-inw, I have something important to tell you."


    Her expression was dead serious.

 Chapter 1430 Behind The Scenes

    <h4>Chapter 1430 Behind The Scenes</h4>


    "Hm? What?" Unsettled by her sudden change in tone, Varian straightened his back and narrowed his eyes.


    "The box you''ve stolen belongs to Princess Esh Starlight. She can sense its location even from a gxy away. You''re painting a target on your back." She stretched out her hand and looked at him with a solemn expression.


    "Err¡­"


    Varian was expecting something dangerous from her but this was a known news. Rather, he didn''t know how to respond.


    "I''m not ying around. Even though I can protect you for now, I would have to eventually leave. There are a lot of suspicious movements at the satellite gxy. Rank 9s can''t infiltrate into P. But rank 8s very much can."


    Miss Cmity''s voice was earnest and her eyes showed sincerity. It was such a sharp contrast to ''Aurora'' who wanted the world to burn during his stay at the academy.


    "I used the box already." Varian said.


    "Stop kidding. It won''t be a problem if senior sister is here. But she''s not. It''s too dangerous to keep it with you."


    Varian unlocked his storage ring and shrugged. "Search."


    Miss Cmity paused for a moment, considering if it''s okay to breach his privacy. But that thought didn''t evenst an instant and her sharp extended sense dived into the storage ring.


    "Huh?"


    She raised her head in confusion before scanning every inch of Varian''s body.


    "¡­Did you hide it?"


    "I told you already. I used it. In the tower."


    "Why?"


    "¡­Don''t ask me why." Varian was nervous when it finally reached this point.


    Great Harvestor. Legacy of Ares. Sarah. Slivers.


    None of these things could be revealed.


    "Should I also not ask why your strength is this different from what I remember a few months ago?" Miss Cmity tilted her head.


    Everything seemed to remain the same but the room was filled with an unbearable coldness.


    Even with his physique, Varian''s body instinctively shivered.


    "Yes. Don''t ask." He replied with a straight face.


    But that''s all he could do.


    If Miss Cmity turned hostile, well, she better not. Because there wasn''t much he could do then.


    ''She won''t kill me because she needs answers. Then torture it will be. I''ll seal my spirit though it''ll still be hellish. But how long would itst? A few weeks? A few months? She''d go to that satellite gxy and then, I can escape back to Hortus.''


    In the brief moment when Miss Cmity narrowed her eyes, Varian''s mind already went through a wild imagination spanning the next year.


    "¡­It''s not fair."


    But instead of imprisoning him as he expected, Miss Cmity sighed and slumped back into the couch.


    "Huh?"


    "It''s not fair! I told you so many things but you''re still hiding secrets! It''s not fair, not fair, not fair!" Like a child throwing a tantrum, she began to punch the poor couch.


    "¡­"


    Varian didn''t know how to respond. ''What about my mental preparation for brutal torture?''


    "Nevermind. Tell me what you want." She shook her head before giving him a resentful nce. "Will you at least tell why my clone died? It''s Duke Kriad, isn''t it?"


    "No." Varian never felt so guilty for lying. But the contract wasn''t destroyed yet. He couldn''t help it.


    "I was thrown into a prison which started moving out of the kingdom. I managed to break out and by then, it''s already near the academy. That''s when you and Duke Kriad sensed me.


    But shortly after, a mysterious powerhouse sealed off the area and attacked. I couldn''t witness the fight but your clone sacrificed herself for me."


    "I see. If she died for that reason¡­I guess it''s eptable."


    Hearing her relieved voice, Varian gazed down, frustrated at having to lie to someone like her.


    Even though she really annoyed him in the academy, she wasn''t a bad person. Heck, she was fine even though he stayed silent on many important things.


    "Brother-inw?"


    "Yes?" Varian raised his head and met her gaze.


    Miss Cmity broke into a yful smile. "Are you feeling bad that ''I'' died? Did you cry for my sacrifice? Does your conscience hurt?"


    Varian crossed his arms and threw away all that guilt. But it also made her closer, well, at least closer than Sonya.


    And so she chattered like an unending, unstoppable record.


    It was perplexing at first.


    Why would a super genius of the Empire, a peak rank 9 at the door of divine ranks, be so free and casual and even a bit clingy with someone, even if that person was the brother-inw of her senior sister?


    But as she talked more and more, from important issues to trivial topics, Varian understood.


    ''¡­She has no friends.''


    Precisely because she''s a super genius, she must be ahead of even her peers. The people junior to her were too weak to stand with her. The ones older than her couldn''t stand her as her very presence made them see themselves as failures.


    When she put on a mask and went on to a mission, like she did in Centaurus, perhaps only then did she have normal rtionships.


    For someone like that, ''Constantine'' was not only an object of interest but also someone who shared a special bond that no one else could.


    She seemed to see it as a friendship built without any words. Other than his rtionship with Isadora, perhaps this was an important factor in why she treated him the way she did.


    "¡­And so, I spent another hundred years in closed door training. Can you believe that? It''s sooo boring! I wanted to just vanish. Urghh."


    Miss Cmity grumbled as she expanded on another training session. From what she said so far, she spent very little time outside of training. And the few times she did was mostly for missions and battles.


    Varian could understand why she didn''t behave like a typical ''old monster''. Her age was high but her mind was not.


    "I don''t know when I''ll have to rush back to the border. So, let''s go shopping."


    She jumped onto her feet and ran to the door. Shaking his head with a small smile, Varian followed.


    "Brother-inw?"


    "Hey, that''s Brother-inw!"


    "Brother-inw!"


    It wasn''t certain who did it first but in minutes, the news that Miss Cmity was hanging out with Varian spread across the capital. Also the fact that he was her ''Brother-inw''.


    Varian didn''t like the title very much. But it got even more popr.


    Isadora, as legendary as she was, was a figure absent for more than five centuries. Miss Cmity, while not from the kingdom, had far more activity during this period.


    In that sense, his poprity grew even more.


    It was what Varian intended, to show off his rtionship with her to send a message.


    ''If you mess with me, it''s not just Isadora but also Miss Cmity.''


    He hoped that those hostile to him would rethink their sinister ns. And in the corner of his mind, he believed with the deterrence of a peak rank 9, they wouldn''t be acting against him.


    A big mistake.


    "Yes. Varian Konstant."


    In the prime world of ''Heaven'', inside garden filled with golden clouds, Martial Saint Kong knelt with his head pressed against the floor.


    The headstrong, prideful Martial Saint¡ªthe man who didn''t even see the need to respect the King¡ªknelt like an obedient dog.


    But the one he knelt toward, a floating humanoid figureposed of pure white light, showed no expression, as if he didn''t even consider this odd.


    If one''s soul power was strong enough, they would sense that this mysterious figure thought the Martial Saint was uncultured for not giving him enough respect.


    Thankfully, the Martial Saint wasn''t a soul awakener and didn''t know that even his most humble gesture evoked only contempt.


    "Varian Konstant. Enigma. Isadora." His voice contained no joy or sorrow, but what it did contain was an unexinable power.


    Just listening to that voice of the being, if it couldn''t even qualify to be the ''clone'' of the real body, the Martial Saint felt goosebumps.


    "Kill the man and get me his corpse." The in voice said. "And get the woman alive."


    "Y-Your Excellency, I''ve pushed Robert to rank 8 to get the job done. I''ve gathered enough resources, bribed and threatened enough people to let him pass through, even though the ritual allows only rank 7s.


    But Miss Cmity and Duke Micheal both support him. They''ll recognize his rank right away and the n would not proceed."


    "Useless." The figure coldly spat out.


    A mysterious force struck the Martial Saint Kong and a red line appeared on his shoulder. The next second, his right arm disappeared, as if it was never there.


    Even the Martial Saint''s extraordinary healing was useless in front of a divine ranker.


    "Kong, you aren''t doing it solely for me. Your own dream will be fulfilled. But it seems you don''t care about the future of Prians anymore."


    "No!" Martial Saint raised his voice for the first time. "No, Your Excellency! My race! My people! Their glory is everything I want, everything I seek!"


    "Then do what you must."


    "I will have Duke Micheal taken care of. But Miss Cmity, I truly have no choice."


    The mysterious figure exhaled in disappointment before nodding.


    "Very well. She will not be present to see him off that day. Do not fail me, Kong. You cannot bear the consequences."

 Chapter 1431 Fortune Anvil

    <h4>Chapter 1431 Fortune Anvil</h4>


    The holy ritual of the kingdom was set to begin.


    As suspected, this had less to do with ceremonies and more with a real obstacle that had to be cleared.


    The whole process happened in a Synthetic world with high constraints. As far as the myths go, this Synthetic World was the ''home'' of Prians, where the first of their kind emerged.


    To draw parallel, they''re like the indigenous members of Hortus who broke out of their isted world and stepped onto the world stage.


    "Any rank 9 could do it with ease. In fact, they were the ones for this job. But that synthetic world has be too fragile. One time, it came close to destruction. From then, they avoided even rank 8s and went to using only rank 7s."


    Sonya exined in a nervous voice, her eyes trailing to a veiled woman sitting next to her.


    ''Miss Cmity¡­it''s really her!''


    Other than confusion, there was also nervousness in sitting with a powerhouse who would soon reach the divine rank.


    Sonya spent thest five centuries chasing after her sister''s footsteps, trying to fill her shoes and realizing every single time that she''s not enough. She''s never enough.


    Her shattered self-esteem would''ve been further bogged down had she Miss Cmity any other time.


    But after meeting the mysterious ''brother-inw'', she gradually learned some truths that twisted her world view.


    Varian himself didn''t say anything. It was Isadora who ''ranted'' her frustrations about a ''monster'' in the house.


    ''A 19 year old rank 7.''


    ''He awakened a year and half ago.''


    ''I''m just saying this, Sonya. But there''s a chance¡­only a little though, very very little, that he might reach the divine ranks before I do.''


    When the confident expression of that monstrous man reflected in her eyes, she didn''t feel any inferiority towards Miss Cmity.


    While they had great differences in talent, the differences between them and Varian were muchrger and eclipsed that gap. It''s like two antspeting in front of a lion.


    "So, we''ll bepeting against the strongest rank 7s of the kingdom?" Sarah, still with a light blue veil on, asked in a rather cold voice.


    "A-Almost." Sonya straightened her back and answered in a stiff voice.


    She couldn''t help it.


    Even though the question was directed at her, Sarah''s sky blue eyes were looking at Miss Cmity who was sitting across her.


    Miss Cmity and Sonya were on one sofa while Varian and Enigma were on other. Sarah sat alone. In a triangr formation, they all faced each other. Perhaps because of the proximity, Sonya shivered at the cold breeze.


    Enigma didn''t show it in the open but she was clinging to Varian more than usual.


    It''s not jealousy.


    They were both suspicious of Miss Cmity and apprehensive of her motives.


    Even more so after they realized she knew his identity as ''Constantine''.


    ''If she tried to attack you, we''ll stop her, if only for one moment. Use that opportunity and return to Hortus. Avenge uster.''


    Before this meeting, Sarah told Varian those words.


    She wasn''t joking.


    In her defense, Varian had a tendency to get into dangers everywhere he went. And Miss Cmity''s behavior was very unexpected.


    As Isadora''s ''disciple'', Sarah learned a lot about the woman. What''s certain was that, while Isadora epted a divine ranker as a master, it''s only in name. Forget a proper apprenticeship, she didn''t even see her master more than a couple times.


    Miss Cmity, the junior disciple, was excited about her senior. Isadora treated her well, as she did with Sonya and others.


    But Sarah found it hard to believe that a person would remember the kindness and act decently after five full centuries.


    Was she bing too cynical or was Miss Cmity concealing her intentions too well?


    "If we''re just going to fight against rank 7s, consider it done." Varian shrugged but his voice contained no hint of pride, as if it''s normal and expected.


    Princess Sonya wanted to shed some silent tears. From barely being able to win her to crushing her with a single punch, he''d grown too much, too soon.


    Due to her own experience, Sonya had no doubts that Miss Cmity too would be in the same boat.


    "It''s not that simple." The silent Enigma looked at Miss Cmity for a long moment before continuing. "Not anticapting danger is dangerous. We should make contingency ns."


    "Eeh?" Miss Cmity tilted her head. "Just make sure you handle the things inside. With me around, no one can trouble you outside."


    "¡­Yeah." Sarah nodded with a small smile but even Sonya who met her recently could tell it was only a polite smile.


    It''s unclear whether Miss Cmity couldn''t feel their hostilities or decided to simply ignore them. But the conversation carried on smoothly.


    "Alright~ I''m on a break anyway, so don''t mind my presence."


    Without any awkwardness, Miss Cmity stood up and picked up a room to live in.


    Once she left, the atmosphere cooled down and the trio looked at each other in heavy silence.


    It''s the type of silence you''d see before the criminals decide to murder the innocent woman.


    ''Scary!''


    Sonya nned to escape and slowly got up.


    "So this centerpiece of the home world, tell me about it."


    Varian''s words caused her to freeze in an awkward posture where she was half-seated and half-standing.


    The little princess stayed like that, as if she was doing an exercise and began talking.


    "Anvil of Fortune or Fortune Anvil, it''s described even in the oldest myths. It''s said that All-Mother Asherah sough a powerful divine being to create aplex tool to serve as the foundation of an entire race."


    "Nexus Empire?"


    "Yes. The natal treasures of Prians are linked to Fortune Anvil. It''s¡­I''m not sure how it does or what it does. But it''s the reason why this race is what it is." Sonya herself didn''t know much about it.


    Their original mission was very simple. In that context, perhaps knowing this much was not even encouraged.


    "This is a taboo topic and I shouldn''t be saying this¡­but I''ve been informed this because I was a candidate for the crown princess."


    The little princess had a wry smile on her face. Perhaps she was looking back at her attempts to snatch the throne. It''s funny how her ns werepletely flipped.


    "There are a lot of protocols in cases of emergency.


    For instance, a rank 9 warrior sneaking through the kingdom''s barrier was because of a traitor.


    If the situation is repeated again, the crown princess would have the power to mobilize the patrolling armed units and create a blockade to the intruder.


    One of the protocol, thest in fact, refers to the scenario where the P kingdom gets invaded and crushed by a foreign force.


    At that point, the King and Martial Saint are obliged to protect the rising geniuses.


    The leader of the next generation, the crown princess is obliged to protect not the capital but the home world.


    And if she had to choose between all the rising geniuses and Fortune Anvil, no, even every single member of the race and Fortune Anvil, she is ordered to pick the Fortune Anvil."

 Chapter 1432 Ideals

    <h4>Chapter 1432 Ideals</h4>


    "¡­Why the fuck are three outsiders like us let into that important ce then?" Varian couldn''t help it.


    "Fortune Anvil is important, not fragile. Even if they do their best, a rank 7 or even rank 8 can''t leave a scratch mark on it. It''s like a¡­um¡­a safe or a block made of indestructible blocks." Sonya tried to exin.


    "If you''re someone like Miss Cmity, well, you wouldn''t be allowed in."


    Even though the information was insufficient to get aplete understanding, Varian nodded.


    Sonya wasn''t even the crown princess. It''s surprising that she knew at least this much.


    Only a few hours were left for the ''Ritual''.


    Meanwhile, in one of the simple mansions in the corner of the royal district, Duchess Serenthia leafed one page after another of a photo album.


    It showed a cute young girl with silver hair and red eyes with a beautiful middle-aged woman.


    The joy in the little girl''s eyes was infectious and the woman''s smile was overflowing with maternal love.


    As the pages advanced and photos moved forward, the bond between them only grew stronger.


    The cute girl turned into a stunning young woman.


    There were no physical simrities between the two but the way they stood together,ughed and talked, it showed that they didn''t need a blood link to be a daughter and mother.


    Duchess Serenthia''s eyes turned moist as the pages started to inevitably approach the end.


    10 years before that day¡­


    5 years before that day¡­


    1 year, 1 month, 1 day¡­


    Pit! Pat! Pit!


    Like a gentle drizzle, tears washed down her face.


    The strong image of a duchess who gained her position despite being only a rank 8 was gone, reced by the weak silhouttee of a broken woman.


    "Why must it be like this?" She wiped her face and clutched her temples. "Why does it have to be this way?"


    As if there was a silent witness who''d answer her question, she asked again and again.


    There was no answer.


    "It can''t be helped, after all. What should be done¡­must be done." Serenthia exhaled deeply and walked to the door.


    Her eyes were cold and determined. Her gait was confident.


    "Everything will be over today."


    Waiting outside the mansion was a white-haired, white-skinned young woman in white dress, Princess Samantha Snow.


    Serenthia closed her eyes for a brief moment.


    The image of Isadora and Sonya shed in her eyes.


    But the image of a man¡­on his knees, in a pool of blood with his arms torn and chest cleaved open shed in her mind.


    The two scenes shed against each other and the Duchess opened her eyes with a cold gaze.


    "Show no mercy."


    "I wasn''t nning to." Princess Samantha said in a murderous tone in sharp contrast to the gentle caress she gave to a bracelet on her left hand.


    It was''t her bracelet. It''s her brother''s. Her dead brother.


    "Duchess, I will fulfill the dream. But as a sister, I too have a debt to settle."


    Serenthia nodded in understanding. They were in a simr situation after all. But no matter the personal circumstances, the dream should take precedence above all.


    "For Equality."


    "For Equality."


    Chanting the infamous slogan of the most terrific terrorist organization that shook the P Kingdom in the past few centuries, the two set off.


    The entrance to the Synthetic World ''Cradle'' was in a highly secured area even within the Prime World.


    There was still some time before the event would begin, but a few important members had already reached the site.


    The entrance was a purple and pink vortex, spinning thousands of revolutions per second, spewing and drawing aura at quantities that would drain even a full entire star system.


    The floor was a continous pure white surface, as if it''s cut from a single mountain.


    There were no trees but there were some marvellous hybrid nts, that were essentially sentient nt forms.


    Though these nts had no leaves to speak of. They were just beings that took in ''aura'' and used it to fuel their growth.


    So, they came in many shapes and sizes.


    To survive in mana-rich ces which were typically uped by sentient beings, these nts had evolved into aesthetically pleasing, cute creatures.


    They floated in the wind, dancing and glowing, creating a calming sight. It''s as if nature itself was dancing.


    If children were here, they would be mesmerized by the sight and would join the little creatures in the dance.


    But the ones here one of the oldest beings of the kingdom.


    They only appreciated the sight before turning their attention to the matter at hand.


    A bronze-skinned middle-aged man stood tall and strong. The yful nts didn''t dare to approach him. Like a child avoiding a stern teacher, they walked away from him.


    King Ferdinand''s mere presence caused even the aura in his surroundings to flow in a strict order.


    "Your Majesty, I will personally conduct an investigation into the kidnapping and find the mastermind." A red-haired, red-skinned old man said with clenched fists. "Kidnapping a guest of our court and doing so tantly, it''s an unforgivable provocation."


    At Archduke Micheal''s deration, the King nced at him with a faint gaze before humming. "Do as you wish."


    "I am grateful! I am not saying this because I want to smear their name but I absolutely cannot think this happening without an insider''s help!


    Like the terrorist group that just can''t die no matter how much I keep destroying their strongholds. Their level can''t be low. I suspect that it''s¡ª"


    "Archduke."


    The King''s cold and sharp voice cut off the old man''s passionate and loud voice.


    "Yes¡­" Duke Micheal paused for a moment before sighing and lowering his head.


    "I apologize. But Your Majesty, you know how dangerous the idea they propogate is.


    Equality, hmph! Sounds good on paper, sure.


    If I could turn all the worthless Spiritless into the Spirited, I would do so without a thought. It''d be great for our kingdom and our race.


    But in reality, it''d only lead to¡­extinction."

 Chapter 1433 Equality

    <h4>Chapter 1433 Equality</h4>


    A secret meeting ured just an hour before the ''Ritual''.


    Neither the king nor archduke Micheal were aware of it. Because the attendees weren''t some wannabe terrorists or crony businessmen.


    They were the four most influential people of the entire kingdom.


    Duchess Serenthia of ''Sonya'' faction.


    Dukes Kriad and Corinthian of ''Rudolph'' faction.


    Duchess Seraphina of ''Merov'' faction.


    Since the beginning of the crown prince candidacy, they werepeting against each other in open and dark, using every dirty trick in the book to gain an edge.


    Their grudges, as old as a millennia and as new as a decade weremon knowledge to any Spirited Prian.


    The popr perception was that unless the king himself ordered, the four wouldn''t gather in a single ce.


    By sheer coincidence, if they did, it would end in a dispute. It usually would not get physical but even a verbal conflict between pirs of the kingdom had far reaching affects.


    In the words of a retired diplomat:


    ''The kingdom would go extinct before they make up.''


    The extinction seemed to have arrive today.


    Not only was it was a ndestine meeting arranged with prior agreement but it''s one made with the intention to cooperate.


    "I''ll be taking care of the King''s side." The old woman with extremely heavy wrinkles, Duchess Seraphina said.


    "Leave Miss Cmity to me." Duke Kriad raised his chin.


    The gazes turned to Duchess Serenthia. A part of her mind was raging against her rationality, telling her to not take this step. But she exhaled lightly and said with killing intent. "I''ll manage Micheal."


    "Excellent!" Duke Corinthian pped. "We''ll be giving them proper concealment treasures. Let''spete fairly, hahaha."


    His sarcastic words caused a chuckle in the usually solemn group. It was perhaps the only thing they all agreed upon.


    *** *** *** *** ***


    Trixy, a region under Archduke Micheal.


    On paper, it''s the most prosperous area with virtually negligible crime rate.


    In reality, any crimes toward the ''spiritless'' weren''t counted as a crime. The entire non-working spiritless¡ªchildren, elderly and patients¡ªweren''t even added into the poption, thus pushing the wealth per capita.


    It''s a heaven for a spirited and hell for spiritless.


    The biggest city of the region, Geulg, was the whole region put together into a single city and cranked up 10x.


    The so-called ''sessful'' spiritless lived fine lives. Working hard in childhood to prepare themselves for a career, working hard in their adulthood to earn a livelihood until their death.


    The mediocre ones? They were thebor that powered the system. Those who survived month to month.


    The ones below, the spiritless who couldn''t pay back the debts, recieved the worst treatment.


    In the entrenched notion that ''Spiritless are failures'', a failed spiritless was seen as the worst of the worst, a shame for the entiremunity.


    Because they couldn''t pay back the debts ormitted crimes, they''d be ''public'' workers, a fancy term for?ves, starting a hellish life.


    Ironically, most of the ones who used these public workers and treated them harshly weren''t the elite spirited, but their fellow spiritless who were more sessful.


    In an unawkened civilization, a situation like this would''ve sparked a revolution, ending in the toppling of the entire system.


    But when the power in numbers got easily negated by few powerful individuals, Geulg continued on its trajectory without any instability.


    The city promised to remain the simultaneous mix of hell and heaven.


    There was just one problem.


    Boom! Baaam!


    Dum! Daaam!


    Boom! Boom!


    An elite township within the super city Geulg, spanning tens of thousands of homes, exploded into pieces.


    Most of the spirited prians living in the area, amounting to at least 100,000, died on the spot.


    From the mes, ash and smoke, a few silhouttees shot out.


    "For Equality!"


    The three people team sought out the survivors at lightning speed and massacred them without mercy.


    As the knife dug into the soft skin of young and wrinkled skin of the old, blood splurged into the air and sshed on the murderer''s face.


    "For Equality!"


    The slogan of the group reverberated across hundreds of miles.


    "Stop there!"


    "You damn bugs!"


    "I''ll kill you all!"


    The security forces that reached the site within minutes activated their powers to hit out at the terrorists.


    The three team members gathered together and looked at the security forces with a smile. The group members wore only red skinsuit and a red, crying face mask.


    That''s why¡­the security forces didn''t notice it until they stepped in.


    "W-What is this? Thend¡­"


    "Retreat! Retreat right away!"


    It was a bit toote.


    Boom! Boom!


    Bam! Bang!


    The explosions engulfed the security officers, severely injuring the stronger ones and directly killing or crippling the rest.


    Surprising the few daring people who quickly reached the site and were watching since a few minutes, even the attackers were also engulfed in the explosion and died an instant death.


    Ten figures in red emerged out of nowhere, deliberately left a few survivors and headed closer into the city.


    For the next thirty minutes, more than 300,000 lives were lost, all of them being Spirited.


    Every terrorist spotted so far was dead but like ants of their nest, more and more just kept cropping up.


    When the army moved to core areas of Geulg, the attacks shifted to the distant areas, taking out vulnerable spirited.


    When this news reached Archduke Micheal, the old man felt his lungs explode in anger.


    "Those sewer rats! How dare they?! Do they think they can get away because today is a special day?"


    The Archduke''s long beard swayed violently, caught up in the aura storm eminating from the old man.


    "Rasal enve was also attacked? Academy students died? The most talented geniuses of this century?"


    The more he progressed, the quieter his voice got. Near the end, his jaw was clenched tight and he was shaking violently, as if he''s about to explode.


    "Those lowlives will pay!"


    The Archduke smashed themunicator and bowed to the king. "Your Majesty, please forgive my impudence."


    Without even waiting for a reply, the old man vanished.

 Chapter 1434 History

    <h4>Chapter 1434 History</h4>


    The borders of a kingdom were hard to define. There wasn''t a strict measure likend or river in the vast space.


    It''s mostly empty with some star systems here and there. Stars and ckholes were usefulndmarks. But they weren''t of primary importance in defining a boundary either.


    Why?


    While stars and ckholes sound enormous and powerful enough to serve as permanent markers, they truly were not.


    A rank 7 could easily ''move'' a literal star from one location to another.


    Even the awakeners in Sage avenue could do it, much less those with the powers of Matter and Energy.


    In such case, the kingdoms looked for things that would not change easily. And they found the answer to lie in the structure of space-time fabric.


    To be specific, space-time nodes.


    These were specific points which behaved differently from their neighborhood in regards to the stretch of space and flow of time.


    Inyman terms, these specific points were hard to manipte.


    If the whole fabric was like a thin cloth, then these points had very rough and tough patches.


    If you build a defense around here and connect it to the next space-time node, it''d form a sort of a barrier against space-time movement.


    With this principle, P kingdom defined their borders. And of course, constructed a reputable border defense system.


    The army stationed at the border was headed by a peak rank 9 as well, the Military Commander, the third and final pir of the army.


    But since it''s so vast, the army is stretched out, forcing the local army leaders to depend on themselves for many situations.


    One such local army general caressed an enveloped with aplicated expression.


    "Fortunately, I don''t have any children or rtives. Even if this gets found out, I''ll be the only one punished¡­"


    Wiping the sweat off his forehead, he put the envelope in a box.


    The letter contained important information from the elite scouts under him a week ago. It''s a critical news and he was supposed to report it right away.


    But he didn''t do it.


    The oldest duchess of the kingdom, Seraphina, had once helped him a great deal and basically saved his life.


    It''s a huge favor he''s willing to repay even if it meant going to great lengths. He just didn''t include that''d include pulling off something against the king himself.


    ''¡­She knows the identity of my disciple. My one and only disciple. This is the only way.''


    Even though she looked like a hunched granny, thedy wasn''t a kind grandma. If he said no, his apprentice having a nice death would be a great result. If he said yes, the king woulde after him.


    ''But I still have a chance of escaping¡­if I want to live that is.''


    Shaking his head, the general dropped the letter in the box. A blue light glow emanated from the enveloped before it turned a severe red.


    The simple color code that even a kid could recite.


    Red meant danger.


    Severe red meant a cmity enough to ravage the kingdom.


    The news which was supposed to reach his superiors, their superiors and finally the head of military camp before being judged if it''s necessary to send it to the royal court.


    99.9% of the so-called brilliant reports don''t even the head of the military camp. Out of the ones that do, only one in a thousand manage would be sent back to the kingdom.


    It''s a typical management process under a kingdom.


    But due to the special circumstances, especially after thest war, changes were necessary.


    So, each army leader of a bare minimum rank was given a chance. A chance to send messages directly to the ruler.


    And that''s how King Ferdinand found a dark red letter floating in front of him.


    [King of P,


    Lord of Prians,


    The scouts have detected unusual activity near the border. I was still unsure of their words three days prior.


    But it has irked me. So, I picked up the clues and began my own research. After a lot of digging, Your Majesty, I''m afraid I''ll have to speak some ugly truth of the situation.]


    King Ferdinand''s eyes didn''t show any emotions. But when he read the next lines, his eyebrows jumped.


    [It''s the forces of the 7th Prince. There is no doubt about it.


    And the one at the highestmand seemed to be Hector Russ himself.


    That man is a favorite of the 7th Prince and has a terrifying track record. He yed a key part in destroying the Mythril Quadrteral.]


    The King''s breathing finally grew a little rough.


    Four kingdoms: P, Jewel, Arbor and that¡­lost kingdom acted as a unit against the Jai Empire.


    They offered one of the toughest resistances to the invaders.


    This wasn''t a new thing. For tens of thousands of years since this alliance was formed, the four kingdoms worked together and showed brilliant performance.


    The Empire couldn''t use divine rankers against kingdoms because of the Alliance''s strict stand off. They could only send rank 9s but rank 9s were never able to destroy the unit.


    But then something happened not too long ago.


    One of the kingdom fell into a bloody feud within the ruling family and then the whole ruling family itself was wiped out.


    Chaos ensued, anarchy reigned.


    The Alliance had already reacted and sent forces to control the situation. But there was a small¡ªa very, very small gap in between the two events.


    That''s when the Empire attacked and destroyed the kingdom.


    It permanently erased one corner of the four pirs holding up this side of the Allliance. It was more demoralizing than words could express.


    It''s not just 1/4th of the size like the Alliance higher ups would think.


    It''s not even about the lost strength.


    It''s about breaking the imprable barrier.


    The shield that protected them couldn''tst forever.


    The King realized back then, since one kingdom fell,?a second one falling wasn''t unthinkable.


    ''I cannot let that happen. Not even a hint of possibility.''

 Chapter 1435 Premonition

    <h4>Chapter 1435 Premonition</h4>


    The entrance to the prime world was guarded strictly. But those menacing rank 9 guards were just decorations.


    There''s a very powerful formation guarding the entrance of the world. Without the pre-issued passes, not even rank 9s could enter.


    Forget the typical rank 9s, even a duke wouldn''t be able to get in.


    With their passes, Varian and the group entered the special area and found themselves surprised.


    Contrary to their imaginations that this important ce would resemble a strict prison, it just fell short from being a slice of paradise.


    Pure white floor made of a single stone. A bright sky shining with starlight. nts and flowers floated in the wind, swaying as if they were performing a graceful dance.


    Most of all, the pink and purple vortex which spun violently, enticing them to enter the synthetic world.


    But¡­


    When they arrived, there was no one on the site.


    Not even Duke Micheal who promised to cheer them on with full support. And not the King himself who was said to take care of important events by himself.


    The floating nts and glowing flowers swaying in the wind were beautiful and mesmerizing.


    But they couldn''t take away the unease that started to creep in.


    Miss Cmity entered the world a few momentster. How she got the pass to get in was a mystery but she did.


    Unlike the group who were contemting the inexplicable situation, the woman eximed without holding back. "Where is everyone? Did they already enter?"


    Without waiting for them to answer, she shook her head. "There are no traces of weakli¡ªI mean, rank 7s. Only the King and Duke Micheal were here¡­until a few minutes ago."


    Instead of settling their anxiety, their words stirred even more chaos.


    Sarah, in particr, tightly clung onto Varian''s arm, as if she was worried he''d disappear and looked at Miss Cmity with a vignt gaze.


    "¡­What did I do now?" Thedy asked in a genuinely confused voice.


    "Shall we ask the guards what happened?" Sonya chipped in.


    Even though everyone was nearly ignoring her, Varian, Sarah, and Enigma were technically in Sonya''s team and not the other way around.


    Miss Cmity nodded lightly and a phantom resembling herself jumped out of the barrier,nding in front of the guards out of nowhere and nearly causing them to attack the sudden intruder.


    They were all rank 9. But there''s a tremendous gap between her and them.


    A few secondster, Miss Cmity''s phantom dissipated and thedy''s brows frowned.


    "The duke left first. Then the King. Both of them were in a hurry." Miss Cmity''s voice grew quieter.


    If those two did leave, then something important must''vee up.


    But what exactly?


    A danger or an opportunity?


    Without a second thought, Miss Cmity opened a retriever and enabled amunication channel with important army officers at the border.


    "Is everything fine?"


    There was arge pause after her question before an aged voice replied.


    "No significant conflict so far."


    "Any peculiar signs?"


    "¡­The 7th Prince''s forces are mobilized. They''re everywhere. A part is moving near the kingdom, another is conducting a military parade near a satellite gxy."


    "Those bastards!" Miss Cmity''s voice grew cold.


    A military parade wasn''t an attack. But it could quickly turn into one.


    The issue was, every time this ''parade'' happened, the defending army of the satellite gxy would have to scramble to the site of potential conflict and crank up all the defense mechanisms.


    Even without considering the dangers of doing it on short notice, the costs and toll of rushing to defense would be enormous.


    If they keep piling up, the defenders would be exhausted physically. That in itself wasn''t that big of a problem. They could be fed with some good potions, work in shifts, and more.


    But if they get spiritually tired, if they think they could not face the constant harassment of a much stronger aggressive force, then they''d be done for.


    Once the defenders give up, the invader could easily conquer. It wouldn''t matter how tough the barriers were or how strong the warriors were. A battle that''s already lost in the mind cannot be won on the field.


    Since she was overseeing the satellite gxy, Miss Cmity would never tolerate this situation.


    Instead of taking it in passive resistance, she''d charge the army to attack the parade, even if it meant significant losses.


    Perhaps that''s precisely why they were doing this when she was away.


    "Please do not worry. Even though it''s taking a toll, the soldiers aren''t so weak that they''d fall from one parade."


    Sensing her anxiety and frustration, the old voice on the other side reassured in a soothing tone.


    Miss Cmity looked at Varian and Enigma for a moment before she nodded with a reluctant expression. "Yes. Please take care of the situation. I can''te there right away."


    "Please. There is no is¡ªWhat?!"


    Theposed old voice suddenly let out a horrified shriek.


    "What are you saying? No, no, no!"


    That voice, which seemed to have experienced hundreds of chaotic storms, was now quivering in a mix of disbelief and despair.


    Even though he couldn''t see the man through an audio treasure, his voice painted a very gloomy picture of his face.


    "I will be there right away!" The sound of aura channeling violently sounded, akin to an ocean''s mighty waves crashing against the shore.


    Then the sound of space twisting, most likely a teleportation formation activating, echoed.


    "Wait, what happened?" Miss Cmity barely managed to stop herself from shouting.


    A hot situation needed a cool mind. After all, panic wasn''t going to solve the problem, no matter how bad.


    "M-Miss!" The old voice seemed to remember she was still on line and eximed. "The satellite gxy¡­"


    Kacha! Kacha!


    The sound of mirror cracking rang and the space in that distant ce seemed to be cracked open.


    That''s what happened during the activation of a teleport formation¡­and during a particr type of space attack.


    "-y is atta¡ª"


    Miss Cmity''s brows jumped and she gave the four a bitter nce. She dashed out of the barrier at an unfathomable speed.


    "I''ll be back soon! Stay safe!"


    A light split from her and turned into a clone. But only secondster, the clone began to shake.


    Even though she left behind the pass for the clone, the clone itself wasn''t recognized as a proper entity by the formation and was attacked.


    If they could just leave the clones and attend the emergencies, both the King and the Archduke would''ve done the same.


    In her hurry, Miss Cmity didn''t think far and made a mistake.


    As a result, rays of concentrated light fell from the sky and struck her for the next few minutes.


    The clone tried to fight back but it only elicited more pushback from the formation.


    Varian''s group distanced themselves from the fight even though the aftermath of the attacks was blocked by invisible barriers.


    In just a few minutes, Miss Cmity''s clone dissipated like a puff of smoke, showing the extraordinary power of the defensive formations.


    As if they were waiting for that very moment, the participants and their backers entered the area.

 Chapter 1436 Beginning

    <h4>Chapter 1436 Beginning</h4>


    "Well, well, well. What do we have here?" The old woman who seemed to be on the verge of kicking the bucket anytime disyed too much enthusiasm. "Why are you here alone? Where is Miss Cmity?"


    Varian didn''t find anything wrong with an old woman living her life properly. But Seraphina trying to speak like an enchanting young woman in that groggy voice gave him goosebumps.


    "She wanted to kill a bunch of rank 9s who are¡­as strong as you, I guess? I didn''t stop her." Varian bared his teeth and shed a grin.


    "Hah. This little¡­" The old woman muttered under her breath but she soon smiled, showing none of the hostility simmering in her heart. "Little Varian, I am your well wisher."


    "If you are my well wisher," Varian raised a brow. "Then I am your dead mom''s daddy."


    Boom!


    A green tornado manifested for a moment before it was struck down by the defensive mechanism of the ce.


    The initiator of the tornado stepped forward along with her four teammates.


    Her bobbed red hair visibly turned into a darker shade, as if it was reflecting her emotional state. While her purple skin grew multiple shades lighter, as if it''s about to lose color.


    ''Anger. Anticipation?''


    The emotions Varian sensed from her were worrying. Anger was fine but anticipation was not.


    Princess Xe.


    Fiance of Prince Merov. Head of his current faction.


    Granddaughter of oldest duchess Seraphina.


    "Respect the deceased. If you can''t do that, I can teach you how."


    The earrings on her four elf-like pointed ears started to glow.


    ''Sensory deprivations. Son of a bitch!''


    Even though he didn''t lose to herst time, seeing her overflowing confidence was troubling.


    "Please." A morbidly thin and pale woman in tight ck clothes stepped forward, standing between Varian and Xe.


    "Princess, going any further would be disrespect to the Tradition."


    "Don''t tell me what to do," Xe sneered but withdrew her rising aura and stepped back.


    Duke Kriad and Corinthian stood on another side. And Varian saw a familiar face leading their faction''s team.


    ''What the fuck is that guy doing here?''


    Compared to thest time, he''d grown over half a foot in height, now reaching a whopping 7 feet. His lean muscles were now bulging out and one could only feel sympathy for his stretched out clothes.


    And his skin, which previously resembled the sand of a desert, now turned into the color of a rainy forest''s soil.


    His once bright, ck hair was nowpletely gone and he was bald as fuck.


    In short, he looked like a fusion of a steroid bodybuilder and a sumo fighter.


    Robert''s gaze turned to this side and their eyes met. He flinched for a moment before shing a grin at Varian. And then he made a lecherous expression ncing at the women behind him.


    Veins popped on Varian''s forehead and dust rose around him due to the heavy breaths he started to take.


    Like an ancient beast that was waking up from a deep slumber, he hinted at the destruction that would follow.


    "I hope you are well prepared." Duchess Serenthia greeted them as she approached with quick strides.


    Following her was a woman with white skin, white hair, and even white eyshes.


    Princess Samantha Snow.


    In a whitebat dress that resembled her skin color, she stood out without even doing anything.


    "Please take care of me." She bowed with a polite greeting.


    Varian''s team did not reciprocate.


    Only Sonya responded in a flustered voice. "Let''s do our best."


    The backers of each faction stepped toward the vortex and took out a red gem. The fast-spinning vortex slowed down before slowing altogether.


    "The mission must be finished at all costs."


    Every team was told the same statement.


    Before they left for the vortex, Duchess Serenthia stepped forward and ruffled Enigma''s hair.


    There was a loving smile on her face. A smile in which, even Varian''s soul power couldn''t find any hint of lie.


    "Dear Enigma, I have so many things to tell you. So many ces I want to show you. Your sister was lively when she was young. But she trained too hard¡­even though it''s also my fault that she did. But you, I wish you can enjoy your life."


    Enigma''s indifferent expression broke for a moment and confusion was visible in her eyes.


    Compared to everyone here, Enigma was the most sensitive to emotions even though she herself showed the least of them.


    Perhaps that''s why, she was able to sense the intensity and integrity of Serenthia''s emotions.


    The love she held towards her children¡­even the sister of her daughter wasn''t a lie.


    Enigma nced at Varian and like always, her eyes showed what she was feeling.


    Varian quickly grabbed her hand and said. "We''ll get going then."


    Without waiting for permission, he strode toward the vortex and disappeared into it.


    Serenthia pursed her lips and a small sigh escaped her lips. "s, the final goodbye is too short."


    As if she heard her words, Samantha, who was about to enter the vortex, turned around and gave her a smile.


    Even though her lips didn''t move, what she wanted to say was conveyed through her eyes.


    Samantha nodded.


    If a soul awakener was here, he could easily tell.


    The thing they were both thinking was the same statement.


    ''For Equality''.


    "Hey, hey, what the hell is happening?"


    Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!


    Cradle, the synthetic world, was a ce filled with mists. White mists, red mists, pink mists¡ªevery color in the spectrum was found.


    The natural beauty of this ce¡ªrivers, mountains, forests, valleys¡ªwas overflowing.


    When Varian just entered and was appreciating the scenery, the sky started to rumble, as if it was about to fall.


    Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!


    It continued for a few more seconds.


    Sarah and Enigma prepared themselves for a dangerous situation while Sonya panicked.


    Only Samantha seemed fine. But to not look suspicious, she put on a confused expression.


    ''Cradle has be too fragile. A bunch of rank 8s entered and it''s already shaking this much. No wonder the duchess refused to send a rank 9 for her mission.''


    But this intensity of disturbance made one thing clear.


    She''s not the only rank 8 who entered.


    Every time had a rank 8. And a strong rank 8 at that.


    They too should''ve realized this by now.


    The only ones who didn''t know the danger they were in were Varian and his teammates.

 Chapter 1437 Ancient Ritual

    <h4>Chapter 1437 Ancient Ritual</h4>


    The team moved reached the exit of the narrow valley they found themselves in.


    A wide, open field greeted them.


    The group paused, taking in a peculiar sight of this ancient, synthetic world.


    A special type of glistening purple grass filled their sight, stretching as far as their eyes could see.


    Dew dropped from the tip of the grass des and dropped on thend. When it did, a grass de rose in an instant, sucking in the ever present colorful mists.


    "Cradle is a world with overflowing vitality," Samanthamented, subtly moving to stand in the same line as the rest. "Fortune Anvil isn''t just a treasure, it''s the foundation of Prian race. It rivals the cosmic tree of the tower in vitality. Confine all that to a single world and this happens."


    Varian didn''t show any reaction to her exnation.


    But Sarah stepped forward and sheathed her sword. "So, what did that woman order you to do?"


    "Pardon?" Samantha''s eyebrows dropped.


    "Duchess Serenthia wanted you in this team. Why?"


    Only the aura of a peak rank 7 was leaked from Sarah but it sent dirt flying into the air and blowing away the mists.


    The beasts that were supposed to attack the contenstants, including the ones present in the valley they first appeared in, shuddered fiercly at the fearsome aura.


    Sarah hadn''t killed as many as her husband but it''d be a mistake to treat it as benovelence. Even if Varian might hesitate in the case of a lot of coteral damage aka death of innocents, Sarah would not.


    The only reason she even bothered to ask Samantha instead of killing her right away was the problematic aftermath.


    Samantha''s death should be natural and convincing lest they encounter trouble. If Miss Cmity remained, things wouldn''t have been so troublesome.


    But during her short tenure as a Queen and de facto Empress, she had learned that decisions must be made for the reality on the ground and not on the ideal conditions on paper.


    "You''re saying that I have a mission for joining you." Samantha pressed her chest and looked at them with shaking eyes.


    "Don''t make me repeat myself." Sarah''s killing intent spread out in the form of a red fog and pressed on.


    "I decided to reveal it already. But if you treat me like this, you''ll get nothing. I believe in dignity of a person, no matter who they are." Samantha''s words were filled with strong conviction and it caught them off guard.


    Putting aside the content of her n, her belief in it was pure and bright.


    Varian gave Sarah a nce and understanding his worldess intention, the Queen of Radiants withdrew her pressure.


    Kicking the smooth soil in frustration, Samatha straightened up as she coughed violently.


    Even though she''s a rank 8, to not elicit any suspicion, she hadn''t lifted the limiters on her power and suffered that pressure as a high rank 7.


    Despite it being just aura pressure and killing intent, her chest was burning, as if her lungs were being scorched.


    Samantha Snow, however, did not hold any resentment against Sarah. She was honest when she said she wanted to reveal her n.


    "Before I start my sad story, should I talk about this ce?" Samantha adjusted her breath and nced at Sarah.


    Sarah shrugged and turned to Varian.


    Biting her lip, Princess Snow turned to Enigma, who did the same.


    And Sonya¡­she was standing beside him the whole time.


    Begrudginly, Princess Snow looked at him for his opinion.


    "Sure." Varian''s tone was blunt.


    Even Sonya didn''t know the full details of this ce. Since Samantha was fully backed by Serenthia, she must''ve been told useful information.


    And that''s one of the reasons why Varian stopped Sarah from the kill.


    The exnation was over in a few minutes.


    Fortune Anvil, though used by All Mother Asherah, was made by a divine ranker, a so-called god, if you would, of the Nexus Empire.


    That''s something they already knew.


    Fortune Anvil was the source of the race, responsible for their natal treasures. But due to the divine attributes it held, it was always overflowing with vitality.


    So much so that despite being suppressed in a world deliberately alterted to develop as little life as possible, the Anvil would end up giving birth to a ''Spirit'' every few centuries.


    This ''Fortune Spirit'' wasn''t a Prian. Nor was a typical ''Soul'' type life or undead. It fell somewhere in between.


    It''s the problem.


    Uponing into existence, Fortune Spirit would slowly gain sentience and rapidly develop strength. As it did, the mystic lifeform would try to fuse back with Fortune Anvil.


    In precise terms, however, ''posession'' would be more apt.


    Fortune Spirit would try to be the master and sole owner of the Fortune Anvil. But whenever the process began, the natal treasures of all prians were affected negatively.


    The general consensus was that the Fortune Spirit was going to do something very drastic to the ''Spirited'' of the race.


    They''d either lose their natal treasures or see their quality drop, both of which were uneptable to the normal spirited and the royals.


    Moreover, there were deep concerns over how a very young and amateurish spirit would handle Fortune Anvil.


    After all, the racial treasure also had deep connections to the origins of their race. Even if someone wanted to gamble with the natal treasures, no one could predict the possibilities if the spirit gained power over their race''s origins.


    What were some typical possibilities?


    Since Fortune Anvil was akin to the base program, the set of gic and spiritual algorithms, from which all Prians came to life, it could just delete ''fertility'' or alter their ''lifespan''.


    There was skepticism if this was even possible, of course.


    But if a divine ranker could create a race out of thin air, then altering that race from their divine source treasure didn''t seem too far fetched.


    Then why not just kill the damn thing with formations every time it came into existence?


    The issue was that the creation of Fortune Spirit took up a considerable amount of divinity from the Fortune Anvil every time.


    If the divinity of the Anvil was like a campfire, then that one of the Spirit was a flickering candle me.


    But there was always a loss of divinity in the creation process.


    So, the Fortune Spirit was given sufficient time to grow and improve its divinity.


    Yet, letting it approach the Fortune Anvil was dangerous. In the proximity of the divine treasure, the Spirit would already start the fusion process and as a result, its strength would soar.


    So, there were strict formations in ce that would drag the Fortune Spirit away from the Anvil right after it''s born.


    But it couldn''t be dragged too far either or they''d risk blowing off the small me of divinity altogether and killing the spirit prematurely.


    So, a rather familiar situation emerged.


    Like a chicken, the Fortune Spirit would be allowed to grow until it could be useful.


    Then, it''d get nearly murdered and then taken back to the Fortune Anvil.


    With proper formations and treasures and most importantly, manpower, its ego would be erased and its divinity would be fed back into the Anvil.


    If one really looked at it, it''s a fucked up mission.


    And it had been happening for millions of years.

 Chapter 1438 A Person And A Beast

    <h4>Chapter 1438 A Person And A Beast</h4>


    The n was simple, not easy.


    Cradle was arge synthetic world. But even it was adversely affected by the sheer amount of vitality and divine power flowing out of the Fortune Anvil.


    So much so that even the world had grown fragile. That''s why it couldn''t bear even the presence of rank 9s.


    The world will had asserted to protect itself from destruction and evolved the world in a distinct direction.


    That''s the reason why there''s a huge suppression in strength here.


    If a Sovereign came here, he wouldn''t be able to crawl. The density of aura here was so thick that it''d suffocate a rank 2 celestial.


    The gravity, the rigidity of space, the tougheness of materials¡ªeverything was cranked up. It''s amusing that it grew resilient tobat its fragility.


    Even a world had a sense of self-preservance.


    The point being that Cradle wasn''t an easy world to explore.


    Despite their overwhelming power which could overturn entire star systems, they wouldn''t be able to do more than topple a few mountains here.


    "The sense of direction here is screwed up. If we walk blindly, we''ll end up at the same ce." Samantha exined as she lead the team.


    Floating in front of her was an oval shaped silver metallic piece. With a crimson pointer vibrating swiftly, thepass showed them the way.


    "That''s why we have this." Samantha''s voice was filled with unmistaken pride.


    "It guides us to the Fortune Spirit?"


    "No. To the guardians beasts. They''re the special monsters that are created by the Fortune Spirit in every iteration to guard it while it fuses with the Anvil.


    If we kill a bunch of guardian beasts, thepass can absorb the source of the Fortune Spirit and lead us to it."


    Her exnation left little doubt for doubt.


    Only Sonya looked very ufortable.


    Nominally, she was the ''head'' of the team. Though she never intended any of the captain privleges from Varian and his wives, she felt bad when her mother found someone else for a role she could''ve fulfilled.


    Why was she withheld such vital information? And why was thepass not given to her?


    Was it because she betrayed her?


    ''But you betrayed me first! You tried to kill my sister!''


    The pink hair of the little princess swayed as she walked with a lowered head.


    Rub! Rub!


    A warm hand gently brushed her hair and patted her on the back.


    Raising her head, she noticed Enigma''s expressionless face.


    ''W-What?''


    "On her behalf." Enigma said with a in face, showing no kindness at all.


    Her hands, distinct from Isadora at her age, still shared a lot of simiarities.


    ''They really are sisters¡­''


    Sonya felt bitter at the realization but the continuous warmth caused her to sigh in satisfaction.


    ''But isn''t that a good thing? I can have more sisters!''


    A small smile formed on her face and her weak steps turned into energetic strides, catching up to Samantha.


    "As the captain of the team, I''ll take the risk of being the front runner."


    "That''s a bi¡ª"


    Without even waiting for Princess Snow''s objection, she connected with the treasure and marched ahead.


    Samantha wanted to argue but she wasn''t willing to start a dispute. At least not before she made herself clear.


    "Grawwl!"


    Before she could start, an obnoxious roar of a gem-studded, mountain-sized bear shook the fields.


    The creature was at the peak of rank 7 but its aura was fluctuating violently, as if it was about to jump a rank.


    Noticing their presence, the bear''s car-sized red eyes glowed with a violent light and the creature dashed at them with a speed that defied its heaviness.


    If it had been in the right mind, even the most courageous of the gem mountain bear wouldn''t have tried to pull this off.


    But s, it''s in a state of frenzy due to its breakthrough state.


    sh!


    Varian who had been silent so far, sheathed his sword back in.


    "Go on."


    The pretty pink haired princess was nervous upon encountering a beast significantly stronger than her.


    But she showed her faith and moved ahead.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    And as she did, the beast ran toward her on its fours.


    Sonya''s body trembled and her instincts screamed at her to grab a weapon. But she put herself under control and did nothing but walk.


    In just seconds, the bear and Sonya came face to face.


    Shaaah!


    As her feet touched the giant creature''s leg, a red vertical line appeared on the bear, starting from its head, down all the way to its belly. Then it split open, as if it was making way to Sonya with her own life.


    Sarah yfully punched Varian on the shoulder for teasing poor Sonya. Enigma too gave him a light smack, ming it was what Isadora would''ve done. The poor princess didn''t dare toin to the demonic brother-inw.


    But Samantha could barely control her rage watching Varian''s smile.


    ''This bastard! This fucking beast! He¡­He deserves¡­''


    Pressing down her simmering fury, she started. "You could''ve left the beast alive instead of killing it. So, why did you not?"


    "Huh? Does it any make any difference if I kill a mindless beast?" Varian retorted without much thought.


    "Would it make a difference if it''s a mindful, sentient beast?" Samantha shot back.


    "If it did not show hostility, I would not kill it." Varian admitted.


    "But if you had to kill between a sentient person and a sentient beast?"


    "Is this an interview now?" Varian scoffed.


    The surroundings began to change and they entered a wet forest now.


    "If I am going to reveal my reason for being here, it''s fair I ask some trivial questions."


    "Well, obviously. I would kill the beast than the person." Varian said.


    "Then what differentiates between a person and a beast?"


    "What are you smoking,dy?" Varian burst intoughter.


    But Samantha didn''tugh back. Her face was deadly serious. "Please answer, Varian Konstant. What differentiates a beast and a person?


    Two legs? I can show you bi-pedal beasts.


    Bodily hair? There are plenty of hairless creatures.


    A humanoid shape? There are many beasts who look as humanoid as Prians."


    Varian''s eyes showed contemtion. "What are you getting at?"


    "An obvious but overlooked point. You considered those like you as people and those unlike you, those who seem uncivilized, unworthy and undeserving in your framework as beasts."


    Samantha began with a disgusted expression, as if she was sick of such mindset.


    "And it''s not just you as a person but you as almost every damn soul in this kingdom and the alliance atrge.


    There is a worth assigned to a species which makes it a honorable people or a livestock of beasts."


    There was sadness in her voice and hatred in her eyes.


    If only she wasn''t talking about something so obvious, then Varian would''ve thought she was making a great point. But so far, he only felt that she was trying to stir drama.


    "Okay and?"


    Samanthaughed at his apathetic response as if she expected that all along and continued. "In this wretched kingdom, a person and a beast is differentiated by one thing.


    Spirited are lords and Spiritless, the livestock.


    Why should anyone be judged on their natal treasure, something they have no control over?


    Why should this kingdom ept this


    You asked what my intention.


    My intention is to make the beasts people, as they originally are."

 Chapter 1439 Black And White

    <h4>Chapter 1439 ck And White</h4>


    Varian crossed his arms at the heartfelt speech.


    The inequality wasn''t just apparent in Prian society, it was screaming in his face from the moment he stepped in.


    Spirited. Spiritless.


    They differed by a few letters. But that''s the only ce where the difference was that small.


    If you''re in the ''good'' part of the kingdom, you''d be seen as peasants under a undefeatable feudal lords.


    Work hard and get your treat. Be obedient and your life would be safe, probably.


    In the bad part of the kingdom, it''s akin to ves and masters.


    No matter what you do, the chains couldn''t just be broken.


    "It''s a really noble intention. I appreciate the ideal." Varian paused under a tree that resembled a jelly fish and nced at Samantha.


    Princess Snow looked into his eyes and parted her lips. "So you understand now?"


    "You want to mess up the Fortune Anvil and tamper the configuration of natal treasures."


    Samantha''s eyes lit up and she nodded strongly. "Youe from and where there isn''t this disgusting very. So you know the utopia this kingdom can be. Join hands with me and a beautiful futur¡ª"


    "No." Varian''s refusal was swift and curt. "I understand your ideals but am not interested in taking part in the struggle."


    "Don''t you feel anything when you see how trillions of lives are mistreated? Can you still call yourself a good person?" Samantha''s eyes turned bloodshot and her voice grew venomous.


    The sharp usations quickly divided the camps into ''right'' and ''wrong'', pushing Varian down the abyss of morality.


    Princess Snow also turned to the two women with an intense gaze. She didn''t say it out loud, but Enigma sensed that she was expecting a ''thanks'' for ''exposing'' their man.


    "Childish." Varian shook his head with an indifferent expression.


    "How dare you?! It''s the aspirations of trillions of liv¡ª"


    "Before getting into the aftermaths of such a big change on the kingdom''s internal structure and external dynamics, how should the attempt of manipting a divine treasure, one used by All Mother Asherah herself be viewed?


    Do you think a mere celestial ranker can make the desired changes without screwing up big time?"


    Samantha paused for a moment before she bared her teeth and snarled."The world isn''t as dumb and you aren''t as smart as you think. Fortune Anvil had been studied. The changes have a high chance of sess. Even if it fails, the previous settings can be restored without incurring any unwanted penalties."


    It was a lie.


    While the information on Fortune Anvil was gathered by Duchess Serenthia over the centuries, any sane researcher under her team would say they only scratched the surface.


    They only learned the process of making changes to the ''default'' settings. Nothing more. Nothing less.


    "If you''re so confident, then do what you want. I''m not going to stop you." Varian shrugged.


    In fact, he wanted to see the Fortune Anvil too.


    It''s the first divine treasure in his reach.


    Though it''s not a potion he could drink or sword he could use.


    Forget the consequences if he stole a kingdom ruling race''s life source, he didn''t think he coudl steal it in the first ce.


    Yet, a divine treasure formed by All Mother Asherah with thews of life and thews of order and chaos by the Nexus''s powerhouse who made the treasure was invaluable.


    He''s convinced that he''d benefit a great deal froming in contact with Fortune Anvil.


    The reason the elite princes and princessespete was also for the standard benefit. Kill the Fortune Spirit, grind its ego away and gain a nice boost to your rank!


    This process would allow a peak rank 7 candidate to reach rank 9 in 75% time than otherwise.


    "Being neutral in a war of clear evil and obvious good is not neutrality, it''s cowardice and opportunistic." Samantha opened her mouth, starting another lecture no one but herself was interested in.


    "Yeah, yeah. I''m an evil, selfish asshole. Point proposed. Point agreed. But you know, I too want to hunt down the Fortune Spirit. We can cooperate until there." Crushing a stone harder than diamond to powder with his foot, Varian set off.


    Sonya, who was supposed to lead, ran in front of him in a hurry and activated thepass.


    Enigma and Sarah looked at each other, a silent conversation flowing within their silent nces.


    ''Kill her now?''


    ''No. Use her as much as possible before discarding.''


    ''I was thinking of chopping her limbs and using her as a bait to the fortune guardians.''


    ''¡­A bit too gore for my liking.''


    Samantha looked at the two with a puzzled gaze. For some reason, she felt a chill down her spine, an omninous premonition filling her mind. It''s as if her fate was swinging back and forth between two hells and the only choice she had was picking which hell.


    ''I''m being too sensitive.'' Samantha shook her head and walked behind the group. ''I tried persuading. Since they chose to refuse, they have no moral right toin when they realize I''m a rank 8. That bastard, I''m looking forward to his expression at that moment.''


    Princess Snow''s thoughts channeled in a dangerous direction and she resolved to act at the opportune moment.


    And the opportunity presented itself soon enough.


    Boom!


    Graaah!


    "This is Overflow Valley." Sonya checked her link with thepass and continued. It has¡­three guardians. Two peak rank 7s and¡­one rank 8!"


    "Rank 8?" Enigma raised a brow, ying the part of being surprised.


    "Don''t worry." Samantha shed a generous smile. "Unless we provoke them, rank 8s won''t attack. However, if there are any treasures you have to hunt down rank 8, it''s best to use them.


    We need to kill only three rank 8 guardians to get to the Fortune Spirit. For rank 7s, we''d need over a dozen.


    I have a treasure to contribute. As I said, I have a mission and I''m serious about aplishing it."


    On the surface, her words were honest. But the intention was to make them use their life saving treasures so she could attack them after stripping away all the variables.


    "We should get the Spirit before others at any cost! I have two rank 8 attack talismans!" Varian beamed with confidence.


    "Great! Let''s go hunt." Samantha smiled a victorious smile.


    ''What a fool''


    She didn''t notice the disdainful look in his eyes.

 Chapter 1440 One Moment

    <h4>Chapter 1440 One Moment</h4>


    Boom!


    Kacha!


    Like a giant tree being toppled, a giant winged elephant-like beast crashed to the ground.


    Cradle had a very intense aura and a suffocating amount of vitality. Moreover, Fortune Anvil''s lifews affected the synthetic world all the time.


    The ritual had been going on for millions of years already.


    This forced the creatures to evolve in a specific direction¡ªto reduce their size as much as possible instead of being bloated.


    It''s due to the simple rule that oversized targets were easily spotted and hunted down as opposed to creatures that were small and could hide themselves well.


    Even beings that could grow asrge as the sun outside only grew to the size of a cow here.


    Yet, even in such situation, there were a few ''giant'' beings here. Their existence itself was a testament to their strength and resilience.


    The creature that just copsed was one such example.


    Its body was asrge as an adult whale back on earth, its wings were wide enough to epass an entire neighborhood and its flesh could feel a town for six months.


    There was just a single fist mark between its eyes. But that one punch shattered its skull and sent dangerous shockwaves that sted its fragile brain into fragments.


    Sonya gave Varian a look of admiration before she ced thepass on top of the creature. From the carcass, a white light was sucked into the treasure.


    "Two rank 7s down. Only a low rank 8 to go."


    Sonya led the team with enthusiasm.


    The rank 8 creature was a dragon that resided on top of a cliff hundreds of miles high in the sky.


    "There is a kingdom of dragons in the Empire. They wouldn''t ept this species as dragons though. They are very prideful about their bloodline." Sonya chattered.


    Samantha gave a forced smile.


    She was still hesitant on how to deal with Sonya. On one hand, being with Varian meant she''s an enemy. But on the other hand, she''s the daughter of Duchess Serenthia.


    "Here it goes."


    Princess Snow took out a ring and raised it such that she was able to see the dragon''s nest through the small ring.


    <Incantus, Amogus>


    A redser light fired from the ring and hit the nest.


    Kaaa!


    The blood curling screams of the dragon shook the sky and the next moment, a heavy rain of purple drenched them.


    "No." Enigma''s lips twisted in disgust. "This is blood."


    Kaa!


    A giant dragon evenrger than the beast from earlier flew down in a blink. Out of its six wings, two were torn apart and there was arge gaping hole in its abdomen.


    The killing intent of the creature enveloped everyone and a pressure that rivaled to bearing the entire impact of a tsunami started fall on them.


    "Hurry!"


    Samantha urged in an anxious voice.


    "Behold," Varian closed his eyes with his hand and chuckled to himself, as if he''s a secret viin who''s revealing his real power.


    "My ultimatebinatrix dimensional anti-existence annihtor!"


    Samantha''s chest constricted at the menacing name and she held her breath.


    ''Maybe he has way more treasures than I can handle! Damn it! And this treasure, it sounds like it can even kill rank 9s!''


    Under her fearful eyes, a rusty dagger flew out of Varian''s storage ring.


    It shook severely as it sted through the air, the wind howling and space cracking due to its overwhelming speed.


    But halfway through, the rusty dagger de seemed unable to bear the pressure and shattered into pieces.


    Under Samantha''s astonished gaze, only the handle hit the dragon''s snout.


    The dragon paused in the air and Samantha waited for the handle to show its power.


    What''s going to happen?


    Explosion?


    Poison?


    Cutting the creature into pieces?


    "¡­"


    The dragon which had condensed all its aura into its snout also waited for the destructive power.


    And waited.


    A full minute passed in that silence.


    The dragon opened its mouth and blew. The handle also shattered under the pressure and a single fragment from it fell down at Samantha''s feet.


    With an expressionless face, she picked it up.


    It read exactly as <Ultimatebinatrix dimensional anti-existence annihtor>.


    "Y-You! You stupid son of a bitch!" Abandoning all elegance, Princess Snow cursed like a shrew. "What the fuck is that name? What the fuck is that treasure? Arghh! I''m sooo angry!"


    The dragon in the air nodded its huge head.


    It seemed to say, ''Man, you got scammed by whoever sold that to you. That thing isn''t even worth my whisker, I swear!''


    "Err, that must be a counterfeit!"


    Varian pped his thigh and took out an identical dagger.


    This one too had the same namete, except it had a <version 2.0> at the end.


    Kaa!


    The dragon panicked and dived down.


    "Wait, wait, wait!"


    Varian threw the dagger and this time, it luckily didn''t shatter.


    "Yay! Watch the power unfold!"


    Samantha held her breath and the dragon hurriedly channeled its aura.


    The dagger easily pierced through the aura barrier and struck the dragon once again on its snout.


    Ting!


    And this time, it didn''t just shattered, it turned straight into powder upon contact.


    "Your uncle!"


    Samantha never wanted to kill someone so badly.


    If not for the priority of the mission, she''d have kidnapped and tortured this guy for a full decade.


    Graaah!


    The dragon dived down once again and this time, its wings reached them in a blink, ready to slice them into pieces.


    Samantha could no longer care about trapping them with her tricks and used up another treasure.


    Boom!


    Another redser light enveloped the dragon, sting off the creature''s head.


    Sonya hopped to its corpse happily and charged thepass.


    Samantha red at Varian. If eyes could kill, the man would''ve died a million times by now.


    He merely smiled in response, with a bashful expression at that.


    "You arrogant bastard, do you think this is a joke? You could''ve gott¡ª"


    Boom!


    Varian suddenly punched out.


    Almost at the same time, as if reading his mind, Enigma pulled Sonya toward her.


    A purple light enveloped the world and a piece of sky seemed to be devoured by that domineering light.


    A bit of the light scattered onto the dragon''s corpse and upon mere contact, the low rank 8 creature''s body exploded into pieces.


    But in that purple brilliance, a thin red light shed.


    Shaaa!


    All the sound in the world vanished and the brilliant purple light vanished in a blink.


    Varian was on a knee.


    Drip! Drop! Drip!


    Droplets of Blood sshed the ground under him, forming a puddle.


    A sword was lodged in his chest.

 Chapter 1441 Break Out

    <h4>Chapter 1441 Break Out</h4>


    A long wound cut from Sarah''s right shoulder all the way to her left. The heavy smell of blood filled the air as the red liquid gushed out of her wound with gusto.


    The blondedy''s chest heaved up and down, her eyes shing with terror as she gripped the sword tighter.


    The moment she sensed something was off, she raised her weapon to block. But the attack broke the semi-spherical barrier originating from her sword and gave her a shallow injury.


    It''d heal in a few seconds but this was a casual attack which was thrown at thest moment.


    ''I''m already a high rank 8, so this is a peak rank 8¡­a strong peak rank 8.''


    With a stern gaze, Sarah squinted her eyes and looked at the man standing proud in front of the injured Varian.


    Seven foot tall and bulging with muscles, he was less of a man and more of a beast.


    The blood which sshed from Varian had spilled on his face and glistening bald head.


    And the man¡­licked the blood with an ecstatic expression.


    "Ugh, revenge tastes sweet. Literally. Hahahaha."


    Heughed at his own joke without any embarrassment before narrowing his eyes with a chilling smile.


    Coughing out blood, Varian stood up and pulled the sword out of his chest. But as he did, Robert''s body shed forward.


    The space behind him shattered like a mirror and the air between them exploded with the intensity of a nuclear bomb.


    Varian focused his senses and channeled all the strength to his legs. With the best movement he could think of, he jumped to the side, intending to avoid the sh.


    ''I can do it.''


    It really seemed like he could dodge it, given their speeds.


    But the moment such thought appeared in Varian''s mind, a chuckle leaked from Robert''s lips.


    His speed, already higher than any high rank 8, elerated even further. Before Varian could make any changes, he closed the distance between them and punched out.


    Graaah!


    Dust kicked up and explosions of aura swept everyone away.


    The ngs of flesh and flesh shing rang harsher than that of metal collision.


    And then, a familiar sound rang loud.


    Bab-dub! Bab-dub!


    Robert''s hand pierced through Varian''s chest and appeared from behind. In his hand was a beating heart.


    "So easy¡­" The Prince licked the fresh blood on his face andughed. "So, fucking easy!"


    Boom!


    His foot moved at an impossible angle without warning and connected with the sword that reached the back of his neck.


    Kacha!


    The sword''s de shattered without offering any resistance and his kick struck the blue-eyed queen right on her injured right shoulder.


    With the sounds of bones breaking, she was sted backward, crashing into the ground.


    A failed ambush.


    But that one attack allowed Varian to jump back and gain distance from this monstrous bastard.


    ''What the fuck is happening?''


    The pain from the gaping hole in his chest was bad enough. But the aura the bastard injected during the attack was trying to eat away his body like a swarm of insects, making him feel as if he was being eaten by thousands of ants.


    Even in that situation, Varian''s mind was focused on his enemy.


    Nothing was making sense.


    Prince Robert was a feeble rank 7 he easily crushed not too long ago. How the hell did he be a rank 8? No, not just any rank 8, but a peak rank 8!


    ''Wait¡­his body¡­it''s hollow.''


    Varian''s eyes glowed green and his brows immediately furrowed.


    ''This bastard has only three or five hundreds at best to live.''


    Even though he had no proof, the most usible exnation was formed in his mind.


    "To kill me, you don''t mind dying? Are you insane?" Varian aloud, despite wincing for speaking like that with damaged lungs.


    "Insane? No, no. I''m the most sane." Robert shook his head with a calm chuckle. "As long as I can put half foot into the divine, I can survive. But you, you have no chance today."


    Every person other than the Prince rolled their eyes at his words.


    Varian actually had a better chance of surviving here than Robert putting half-foot in the divine ranks.


    But the man in the spotlight had no care for their views.


    He clenched the beating heart in his hand and brought it to his mouth. Like squeezing a lemon for its juice, the Prince squeezed the heart for blood.


    And when the blood overflowing with vitality dropped, he gulped it down with an intense expression.


    Upon receiving that vitality, his broken body went back to normal for a moment.


    Robert no longer felt a void in his chest. The feeling of being a bright but dying me, one which would fall at any moment vanished.


    But only for a moment.


    Like sand slipping away between fingers, the vitality diffused from his body and mixed into the air.


    The fatigue and the fragility returned to the Prince.


    "Hiding your rank 8 strength in the academy and fighting me. You had a lot of fun crushing me, didn''t you?


    I never stood a chance but you humiliated me in front of everyone, broke me down and made me aughing stock."


    The grip on the heart grew strong and so did the hatred brimming in the Prince''s eyes.


    Varian raised his arms, as if trying to show he''s willing to talk than fight.


    "For your information, I had a worse experience from a school bully. That guy was three ranks above me. And he beat me in front of everyone. On my first day to school. I can totally understand your problems but I didn''t sell my lifespan to get some strength."


    Prince Robert''s shoulders trembled and he threw his head back,ughing like a maniac. "Hahahahah!"


    But before a second could pass, he leaned forward and grinned. "You can make the most logical argument but your death, no, your gruesome death is inevitable."


    Instead of panic, the Prince saw Varian''s lips curling into a smile. "Dumbass, I wasn''t asking for mercy. I was just buying time."


    An rm went off in his head but before anything could happen, a powerful explosion urred right next to his head.


    Boom!


    Varian''s heart exploded, fueled by the powers of order and chaos, as well as Death Giant.


    The space around Robert was twisted and the Prince resisted with all his might. But thanks to the situation, he was teleported away, even though not too far.


    "Go!"


    The team ran for it.

 Chapter 1442 Oath

    <h4>Chapter 1442 Oath</h4>


    Varian and Sarah took the lead. But in fact, Sarah had slowed down to help Varian.


    Enigma ran after them, carrying Sonya over her shoulder like she''s a school bag.


    "Wo-Woo!"


    Sonya shivered like a leaf in the wind, her breath and gaze both still.


    "W-We can teleport. I have a tre¡ª"


    "Don''t. Teleportation leaves too many traces. Cradle''s environment magnifies those traces. If we teleport, we''re painting ourselves."


    Varian exined.


    Without this constraint, he could''ve teleported them instead of Robert. Now, the mad prince would try to chase them but he wouldn''t be able to find their traces easily.


    On the other hand, they''d be able to avoid his pursuit for a good while due to the obvious traces left on him.


    "I can''t beat him without a protracted battle and even that is a big if." Varian channeled his energies for recovery and said in a hushed tone.


    Sarah also helped him heal. Thanks to Synergy, their aura was more thanpatible. "Even if I and Enigma join forces with you, I don''t think we can win now."


    "What about Princess Snow?" Sonya asked.


    Like a string was cut, Varian''s train of thought came to a sudden halt.


    The moment Robert attacked, she vanished.


    Since everyone was focusing either on him or on Robert, they didn''t think much about her.


    "Enigma, watch o¡ª"


    Before Varian''s yell could finish, Enigma turned around and threw Sonya back.


    The sword in her hand struck out in a sh but a slender sword held by a slender hand cut it into two and pierced her abdomen.


    Samantha didn''t show any mercy and swiftly moved her sword, dragging it across Enigma''s flesh, as if she intended to sever her along the torso.


    Almost at the same time, a palm stuck Enigma right on the neck, causing her severe injury and nearly knocking her out.


    "Enigma!"


    Varian''s fist hit empty air as Samantha held Enigma and jumped away.


    Fully exploiting the advantage she got, Samantha''s sword poured tremenous power and the sound of muffled explosions rang from Enigma''s body.


    Like she''s electrocuted, Enigma''s body twitched and her face quickly paled. Akin to a puppet with its strings cut, Enigma''s limbs rxed, copsing in Samantha''s arms.


    "V¡­Va¡­"


    Her lips moved with the final bit of strength she could muster but hardly any voice came out.


    The glowing purple eyes struggled to stay open as a heavy drownsiness began to devouer her consciousness.


    Enigma was on the verge of fainting.


    If there''s a tiny chance of saving her before she fainted, it''d be impossible afterward.


    Varian''s mind was nk as he leaped forward. The world in his view dimmed, leaving only the struggling figure of Enigma.


    The chirping sounds of birds, the howls of winds and the flow of water also disappeared. Only the feeble breaths of Enigma remained.


    "Enigma!"


    "Enigma!"


    In that brief moment, Varian forgot everything except her name. Like a madman, he ran with full strength.


    The space-time around him twisted and his speed rose.


    A mental attack struck Samantha. Had she not fully prepared for all emergencies in the way of her most important mission, she''d have faltered for a moment.


    But she prepared and did not falter.


    "Stay back!"


    She didn''t notice it herself, but the Princess'' voice was quivering and her body was trembling.


    Since she didn''t run away, she''s able to observe Varian properly.


    The madness in his eyes, that obsession and the anger¡­


    those emotions went beyond all limits and consumed the man.


    Even though she''s stronger than him, Samantha didn''t doubt the man would kill her, even if it''s the cost of his own life.


    "I said, stay back!"


    Samantha''s dagger reached Enigma''s slender neck in a blink and a red line already formed.


    The madness in Varian''s eyes disappeared and he came to a staggering halt.


    Due to the sudenness of it, the skin on his soles tore apart and blood began to pool under his feet. His flesh burned from the heat and a burnt smell began to spread.


    A searing pain, akin to one standing on top of burning coal, spread from the soles of his feet.


    But Varian didn''t even register the pain, much less react to it.


    "L-Leave her." His voice was the weakest it had ever been. "I-I will help with your dream. Or kill me if you want. Just leave her!"


    For a moment, Samantha wondered if she was seeing things.


    The calm andidback man who didn''t even falter in front of an overwhelming Robert was gone.


    The man in front of her looked at her with immense fear in his eyes and looked like he''d dly give up everything if he could save the girl.


    "I never thought your arrogance would bend like this." Samantha felt a burst of ecstacy and raised her hand toward Enigma''s neck.


    Varian''s face paled and his rationale mind kicked into action. "Please! Stop! You won''t get any benefit from killing her. We can be allies, friends. The past can be put behind."


    He didn''t believe anything he was saying. But if it could save Enigma''s life, he could speak lies for the rest of life.


    "Please¡­"


    His heartbreaking voice failed to move Samantha''s steeled resolve. Her fingers dug into Enigma''s corbone and blood sshed out.


    Watching the tiny droplets of blood flying into the air, Varian''s mind suddenly calmed down.


    Like a switch was flipped, his quivering eyes turned steady and the unease around him got reced by a chilling coldness.


    Time seemed to slow and the world seemed to freeze.


    "Princess Samantha."


    His cold voice gave her goosebumps and a shiver shot down her spine.


    "If you kill her, if you really do, I swear here on my death mother that you all will suffer hell. Not just you or your family or friends or rtives.


    No.


    Your entire race.


    The Prians as a whole.


    Spirited or Spirtless.


    Old. Young. Men. Women.


    The good. The evil.


    Every single one of them, from the weakest of beggers on the street to the strongest king who governs your kingdom.


    I will put everyone in a hell and burn them for eternity.


    If she dies, forget your dream, what will happen would be beyond your worst nightmare."

 Chapter 1443 A Deal

    <h4>Chapter 1443 A Deal</h4>


    Samantha''s face was ghostly pale, devoid of color and vitality.


    Her eyshes quivered and her lips trembled. Like she was thrown naked into icy water, her body tightened.


    "Gulp."


    The sound of saliva being swallowed was so out of ce that the Princess felt she hadmitted a great sin by making that noise.


    "I¡­"


    Samantha couldn''t boast of being the oldest in the kingdom. But to get to the peak of rank 8, she had been through ordeals that even the best geniuses would hesitate.


    She had seen countless people on her journey, battled numerous foes and gained a unique understanding of people''s nature.


    That experience helped her in many endeavours. It was the solid wall she could fall back on when faced with a difficult person.


    Now, that experience was telling, no, screaming in no unclear terms, that this man meant every single word he said.


    He didn''t just believe it, he was certain of it, like he had seen the future.


    But the Princess didn''t want to agree. Her pride in the greatness of her mission was too great.


    She could not imagine a future where the equal society she created would be tormented by a single man. If that happened, then wouldn''t that the whole endeavour be pointless?


    The dream she sacrificed everything for would be¡­pointless?


    Samantha''s cold expression twisted and a distorted chuckle.


    "Y-You deluded fuckster. Do you think you can take on the king himself? And what if you can? Even Isadora herself wouldn''t destroy the kingdom. She''d be hunted down by the divine rankers!"


    Varian''s eyes remained cold but a mean chuckle left his mouth. "Divine rankers?"


    Samantha''s eyes zed with fury at his disdain. "You can''t even stand a speck of their power! You are just an insect in front of them!"


    "I might be an insect in front of them today. But I was also an insect in front of you a year ago. A year from now, those gods you worship will be insects at my feet."


    "Hah!" A disbelievingugh left the Princess'' mouth. "Reaching the divine rank from rank 8 in a year? I thought you were something. You''re just delusional."


    Varian didn''t care about her rebuke and said. "Princess Snow, I am giving you a choice. Pick wisely."


    Samantha gnashed her teeth.


    This man had a point.


    She was here to fulfill her mission. It''s the only thing she had to focus on.


    Then what about the threats he gave?


    Up until he threatened the entire kingdom, she grudgingly believed the judgement of her experience.


    But when he ridiculed even the gods above, Samantha tookfort in the fact that this man was just delusional.


    He had a way with his words to the point he decieved even her experience. Yet, that''s it.


    If this man didn''t make that delusional remark, she''d have considered killing him at any cost¡ªattacking Enigma and exploiting his attempt to rescue her.


    Because an enemy who could destroy the dream you aplished after a long march was dreadful.


    It seemed now that that much caution wasn''t necessary. She could kill him after this ritual ends.


    Isadora?


    If she wanted to take her life, Samantha would give it up. Moreover, didn''t the Duchess say that Isadora might be bluffing the whole thing.


    As long as an equal society gets established, such sacrifices wouldn''t matter.


    Divine rank or not, Princess Isadora could not destory an entire kingdom.


    "Block. Give me the block you stole from the academy."


    Varian took out the memory device.


    Samantha''s breathing grew ragged and her eyes began were fixed on the treasure.


    Varian took it back into his storage ring.


    "You!" Samantha almost attacked him.


    Unfazed, he looked at her with a sharp gaze. "So Prince Samatv should be your brother, huh. Your life signatures are too obvious."


    At the mention of the dead prince, Samantha trembled in anger. "You killed him! You killed him! You kil¡ª"


    Despite her emotional swings, Varian didn''t seem nervous. "You can kill her for revenge. But your brother still won''te back.


    Or you can leave my wife, take this block and fulfill your dream. Your brother would''ve wanted the same, right?"


    Caught up in her emotions, Samantha didn''t realize it. Varian sounded like a devil inciting people to make choices he liked yet, but gave it a facade that it''s in their best interest.


    "Yes¡­my brother wanted equality¡­he wanted this madness to end. He put the dream above his own life. How can I disrespect him?" Even though tears were streaming down her cheeks, the Princess calmed down. It seemed that while her mind could discern the situation, her heart was weeping.


    Varian didn''t feel a shred of sympathy for the woman.


    Prince Samatv was nowhere as moral as she thought. The moment he realized that Telor he helped, the Telor who should be grateful to him was stronger than him, he lost his marbles.


    The guy wanted equality, only as long as he remained on top.


    "Give me the box and I''ll spare this bitch." Samantha said with a twisted smile.


    "Take away your aura from her, build an aura link to the box."


    Samantha agreed to the method.


    Using her aura, she formed a strong chain to the box. Meanwhile, she allowed the space power to slowly envelop Enigma.


    These two happened simultaneously and with nearly equal progress.


    At some point, Samantha got confident she could drag the box to her safely even if Varian attacked the box.


    So, she swiftly pulled the box and her aura reached for Enigma, intending to kill her since the box was already secured.


    ''You''ll lose both the box and your wife! Hahahaha!''


    She would''ve seeded if Varian was using a space treasure for the teleportation as she assumed.


    Unfortunate for her, the man was a space awakener himself. And a very good one at that.


    The moment she pulled the box, the space around Enigma shook and she disappeared.


    At the same instant, Varian, Sarah and Sonya too vanished.


    "Pray you won''t face me soon."


    His harsh words lingered but Samantha no longer cared. Looking at the box in her hands, she cackled in madness and rushed to the guardian.


    This box was instrumental to the mission. With it, the sess rate would increase to a whopping 95%.


    "For Equality!"

 Chapter 1444 Another Guest

    <h4>Chapter 1444 Another Guest</h4>


    Varian''s group teleported to a far distance, to a region that even Robert and Samantha would take a while to reach.


    But in doing so, they had all acquired the traces of space distortion on their bodies. Traces that couldn''t just be erased as they wished.


    In the situation where their safety was thrown out of the window, Varian didn''t have the mind to think about the future.


    He caught Enigma''s weak and soft body in his arms, his arms shivering as he felt her blood drip down his skin.


    "Enigma, Enigma, Enigma!"


    The calm and cool man who decisively dealt with Samantha in a critical situation was nowhere to be seen. Only a scared, hurt and sad man was visible in his visage.


    Tremendous lifepower poured from Varian''s fingertips into Enigma and like dried up soil absorbing water, her body took in all the life force.


    The severe internal injuries which knocked her unconscious slowly began to heal and Enigma''s weak breathing gradually turned steady and strong.


    Sonya took the unconscious woman onto herp and tended to her injuries with precious potions and healing treasures.


    Varian hesitated for a moment, a corner of his mind wondering if it''s really fine to leave Enigma with an outsider.


    He left a space mark on Enigma just in case but let Sonya take care of her. Samantha had been against them since the start.


    It''d be too much to suspect Sonya when she too had been under danger the whole time.


    As the weakest of the group, she''s the most likely to die and should''ve thrown a fit. But she stayed silent and tried to cause as little trouble as possible.


    ''Even though Enigma got caught because of Sonya being too weak¡­''


    Varian exhaled deeply, shaking off those thoughts and took a look at his surroundings.


    They appeared on top of a vast mountain range, overlooking a great river that cut the mountain range into two.


    Thankfully, Sarah had been checking on the surroundings the moment they appeared here.


    It wasn''t that she was''t sad. But someone had to take up the role. In fact, it''s all the more important to be vignt after such an incident.


    Noticing her husband gradually calming down, she quickly said. "Now that I think about it, not just Robert or Samantha, the teams all gave off a weird feeling. They were all supressing their strength."


    Varian nodded with a stiff expression.


    Come to think of it, the world shook when they entered. It must be because a bunch of rank 8s entered Cradle, overwhelming its capacity.


    "There''s no need topete. Returning is the safest option." Sonya said, her hands meticulously applying healing liquid over Enigma''s shoulders.


    "We are not returning." Varian closed his eyes, recalling the scene just before they stepped in.


    "The King, Archduke and even Miss Cmity all had to leave for some emergency. The archdukes are supposed to verify the candidates strengths and ensure they''re only rank 7s to not burden Cradle. But they joined hands and stayed silent."


    Sonya''s face paled at his words.


    "W-What are they nning? Going against the ancientws is too much, even they won''t be spared."


    Varian clenched his fist and unclenched it, noticing his strength gradually recover to its peak.


    "We''ll have to find out."


    "Back to hunting the guardians?" Sarah asked.


    "Yep."


    The group moved quickly. Instead of settling for weak rank 7 guardians, Varian started to hunt down powerful rank 8 beasts.


    Perhaps because of the overflowing vitality of Cradle, perhaps because of some influence of that divine power he didn''t really understand, his progress in the paths of sage avenue was fast.


    "Kaaa! Kaa! Kaa!"


    A golden crow the size of an airport crashed to the ground. Numerous rank 7s beasts under it were reduced to flesh and blood.


    The rich scent from the blood of the mighty creature wafted into the air and the golden blood leaked into the river.


    From the creature''s broken head rose a bloodied man. He''s fully drenched in the viscious golden blood and looked like he was painted gold.


    Jumping onto the creature''s chest, he punched down and with a clicking sound, the beast''s body split open, revealing a giant heart that''s still pulsing.


    The creature wasn''t dead yet. Even if he crushed the heart, it wouldn''t die so easily.


    Paragon Body might be a straightforward path unlike others but it had a lot of resilience.


    "Enigma, here."


    A red beam of light originated from Varian''s hand and connected to the creature''s beast.


    When the pale Enigma stepped forward, a green beam of light originated from his other hand and connected with her.


    Samantha was vicious. Even though Enigma wasn''t pushed to death, the injuries were severe. Even with excellent potions, it''d take hours to get back to normal.


    Hours might not sound like much but in a world where everyone was an enemy, weakness for that long of a period was a death sentence.


    "Husband...this method is too wasteful. I can recover on my own in a while."


    "No argument. I''ll listen to whatever you have to say after you fully recover." Varian''s tone was stern.


    After a while, the beast''s excellent lifeforce, which if properly used could do a lot was inefficiently used up by Enigma. Due to the hastiness, the efficiency wasn''t even 10%.


    But watching her recover back to 70%, Varian considered it a huge sess.


    "Okay, three more rank 8 guardian beasts and we''re done."


    As they started to march ahead, a foreign aura locked onto them and in a blink, a silhoutteended from the sky.


    "My, my, my."


    A young woman in red top and trousers, one very unfitting to a region of battle.


    Her red hair swayed in the wind and her four sharp, thin elf-like ears quiverd, as if they were listening to soundsing from far off regions.


    Xe Truz chuckled with a hint of arrogance.


    "Didn''t expect me did you?"


    The power of a peak rank 8 soared.

 Chapter 1445 Vow of Blood

    <h4>Chapter 1445 Vow of Blood</h4>


    Varian shielded Enigma and gripped his sword tight, his eyes glowing in a danger red.


    The moment they teleported to escape from Samantha, they exposed themselves. Cradle was only so long and it''s only a matter of time before someone caught up.


    He deliberately steered away from Robert. Princess Snow got what she wanted. Only Xe was left.


    So, her presence was long expected.


    "Are you here to kill?" Varian''s voice was subdued.


    The gentle, warm wind turned biting cold and stung his skin like a pointed a de, only a moment away from splitting it open.


    The stars in the sky shifted. Blue rays began to fall on the surface, giving a new, darker hue to everything.


    The two bracelets on her wrist opened like handcuffs and fell.


    Xe''s purple skin turned red. Now, with her entire body¨Chair, skin and iris¨Cbeing red, she seemed like one of those mythical hell spawn.


    The peak rank 8 aura eminating from her intensified. Like a hurricane was about to set off, the wind stirred, ready to explode.


    "What if I am?"


    Xe''s wrist flicked and something cracked.


    Varian''s expression turned ugly as their teleportation was forcibly broken by overbearing aura.


    Even though teleportating against after traces of space travel would make them more tracable, the alternative was to stay and fight.


    A glint of curiousity shed in Xe''s eyes. "Your teleportation treasure is weird. A bit too sophisticated."


    Varian showed no change in expression but inwardly he tensed.


    "What would Seraphina gain from killing me?"


    "Insolence! How dare you refer her in such a disrespectful manner?" Xe''s fingers flicked.


    Varian raised his arms in defense and staggered back a few steps.


    Drip! Drop! Drip!


    Even though it was a casual attack, blood was flowing down his forearms and dripping from his elbows.


    "Give me your natal treasure and your life will be saved." Xe said it just for the sake of it.


    No one was dumb enough to actually believe that.


    One, she was straight up lying. Once she got the treasure, she could kill him. Without any chips to bargain, he''d be helpless.


    Two, no one would give up their natal treasure. If it''s just damaged, it''d recover. But if you''re away from it, then the damage slowly turns permanent. And if the natal treasure was away from you and gotpletely destroyed, it''d have a near crippling effect on the owner.


    What Xe was demanding was essentialy major control over Varian''s life.


    She knew he wouldn''t agree. No one would. So, she''d have to kill him despite considerable risk of him posessing dangerous treasures.


    Still¡­before she ended this repugnant bastard, she wanted to see him struggle.


    ''I can''t give you my natal treasure!''


    From a strong rejection.


    ''Kill me! But I''ll never yield!''


    To defiance.


    ''No. Please. I''m begging. Don''t kill me!''


    To pathetic pleading.


    ''Ahhh, I can''t wait, I can''t wait. I''ll make him kneel and bark before I cut his head open.''


    The Princess'' eyes grew moist and her thighs pressed against each other as the gory images intensified in her mind.


    Thankfully, Prince Merov was dead and averted a major disaster.


    ''Go on! Go reject! Show me your how strong you can be before I break you down! Reject!''


    "Take it."


    "Huh?"


    "Take my natal treasure but to do so, cease your aura cirction or I''ll blow up my natal treasure and die with it."


    "Are you for real?" Xe couldn''t help it.


    Was this guy an idiot? What''s the difference between giving up his life and surrendering his natal treasure?


    With one attack, she could cripple him. A crippled guy would be as good as dead in Cradle.


    "Aura." Varian spat in a cold tone that meant business.


    Even though he''s the one being ransomed, it looked like he had the upperhand.


    Xe blinked in confusion.


    ''Is there something I don''t know? Does he intend to escape during the duration of giving me the treasure? But it''s useless. His life is in my hands. Does he want to attack me when I take the treasure? But he''s not strong enough.''


    Several possibilities shed in her mind. But it''s not like she had a choice.


    If Varian really destroyed his natal treasure, she didn''t know what could happen. Perhaps nothing bad. But perhaps something she''d regret.


    Xe didn''t know Varian''s character. So, she only considered the consequences after he blew up the treasure.


    She didn''t consider if he''d really destroy his natal treasure and kill himself. If Samantha was in her ce, she''dugh at his bluff.


    She had seen what he''d do for Enigma. It''d be foolish to think he''d die, leaving her in this dangerous ce.


    But Xe was not Samantha.


    "Fine."


    As Xe withdrew her aura and slowly stopped its cirction, Varian''s natal treasure¡ªRequim¡ªbegan to float toward her.


    ''Just a bit¡­just a bit¡­''


    Like any normal warrior, Xe intended to vite the agreement if possible. Once the sword entered the range where she could snatch it despite Varian''s innate control, she''d lunge forward, grab the treasure and kill him.


    But the man seemed to be precisely aware of that range and moved the sword only with a crawling pace.


    Eventually, however, the moment arrived.


    Boom!


    When she burst forward breaking space itself with her speed, the group, as Xe suspected, vanished in the twisting space.


    The Princess didn''t care. She poured her aura into the sword and discovered a sleeping soul.


    "Lord! Lord!"


    With a very humble expression, the arrogant princess used precious healing treasures on the soul.


    A few minutester, a white light emerged out of the sword and entered a ring on Xe''s finger.


    With the soul taken to another vessel, the sword was useless. No, it''d be useful to torment that man and crush himpletely.


    "Lord, Lord, please wake up." She begged in a meek tone.


    But there was only silence for a full hour. And then, a weak voice spoke up.


    "V-Varian Konstant¡­d-don''t touch him, I will¡­I will kill him myself."

 Chapter 1446 Reasons

    <h4>Chapter 1446 Reasons</h4>


    "B-Brother-inw, is it okay? Giving your natal treasure is¡­wait, you aren''t even a Prian, how is that even your natal treasure?"


    In the space of a few words, Sonya went from depression to surprise and confusion.


    Varian shrugged with a wicked grin on his face. "It''s not."


    With a snap of his fingers, the space above his palm distorted and a red ded sword appeared.


    With just one look, he discerned what had changed.


    "That old bastard¡­fuck."


    Varian cursed under his breath with an angry smile. The old fogey was a tough nut to crack and never revealed his secrets.


    Due to the important events taking up his focus, he didn''t spend more time on the prisoner either.


    To think that he''d cause trouble in such an unexpected manner.


    But it''s not thatplicated.


    Prince Merov and the old fellow were connected. Xe and Prince Merov were connected.


    "What now?" Sarah''s voice was solemn and a bit apprehensive. "Two teleportations and we''re pretty much visible to everyone. Even if we''re away from Robert, that mad dog will find us in no time."


    "Get as strong as possible, as soon as possible." Inhaling a sharp breath, he said with a determined gaze. "There''s no other way."


    For the next hour, the frozen desert they teleported to experienced a mini-apocalypse.


    Mountains were razed to the ground, frozenkes were sted into pieces and the bright colors of blood stained the white canvas.


    The stubborn snow melted from the sheer heat borne from the shes that spread to every corner.


    Boom!


    Thud!


    A white bear-like creature copsed onto its knees and died a quiet death.


    Varian grabbed his mangled left arm from its razor-like teeth and attached it back to his bloodied shoulder. In a few minutes, his arm fully healed back.


    If he wasn''t drenched in purple, yellow and green blood from head to toe, he''d have looked like a normal person again.


    ''Status''


    [Paragon Body : 7,500/10,000 (+2500)


    Death Giant?: 7,500/10,000 (+2500)


    Ignis?: 3500/10,000?(+1500)


    <Considerable improvement. But you''re still far from matching a peak rank 8>


    Order?: 5,500/10,000. (+250)


    Chaos?: 5,500/10,000. (+250)


    <Come on, do something.>


    Space?: 4,000/10,000.?(+1500)


    Time?:?4,000/10,000.?(+1500)


    <These powers aren''t enough to push your strength to the likes of your present enemies>]


    While there had been considerable improvement in the paths of Sage Avenue, the rest were straight up depressing.


    Yet, if he revealed his progress to anyone withmon sense, they''d start beating up Varian for his outrageous words.


    It hadn''t even been two days since they entered Cradle and he''d already progressed greatly.


    Even the paths of Order and Chaos, which saw the lowest improvement, improved by 2.5%.


    At that pace, he could go from the bottom of rank 7 to the peak in a mere 40 days. Forget 40 months, even 40 years was just too quick for such progression.


    The timeline of centuries waspressed to mere weeks.


    ''Fuck, this is too slow!''


    Varian sighed in frustration.


    While he was in that emotional state, Xe Truz sat on the top of a mountain with murderous eyes.


    The pristine silver ring on her hand was charred ck and there''s a fist-sized wound on her chest from which her beating heart was visible.


    "That bastard¡­fucking liar!"


    The sword or at least something on it exploded at an unexpected moment, catching her off guard.


    The old man''s soul which had considerably healed became the victim of the sudden attack and suffered some serious injuries.


    Because Xe was overenthusiastic and even vish, she used up most of the healing treasures on the old man''s soul right after finding him in hopes of pleasing him.


    It spectacrly backfired.


    The few healing treasures she had could still help but it''d take a while until he got fully healed.


    ''I don''t care if he''s angry with me¡­but if he''s angry with my grandma and doesn''t extend her life anymore¡­''


    Xe''s cold and murderous eyes turned teary and weak.


    She wasn''t always like this. In her childhood, the girl named Xe was as normal as one would expect from a noble family.


    But her parents both faced a sudden and brutal death. Before they died, they suffered a lot of torture under the hands of the brutal Jai powerhouses.


    The young Xe couldn''t understand why they were never returning. What she did know was that her family had gone from big to small, leaving only her grandma and grandpa.


    By the time she turned a hundred, however, her grandpa too died. Xe was more crushed by his death than even her parents.


    Since then, she vowed to do whatever in her power to never seperate from her one and only rtive, her grandmother Seraphina.


    For that sole reason, she worked execptionally hard and risked her life countless times.


    She loved her grandmother with all her heart. But that''s where her emotions seemed to end. To the outsiders, she was as cold and ruthless she could be.


    Due to her opportunistic nature and decisive actions, she grew rapidly.


    By all ounts, she was a monster genius of any era. But the era she lived in belonged to a woman who surpassed the definition of monsters.


    When Isadora died, Xe decided not to draw any spotlight. If her grandma''s enemies learned she had such a genius granddaughter, they might also target her.


    If Xe had an option to swap her genius with a normal life where her grandma could live a long life, she would do it without hesitation.


    But s, the people who envied her had no idea about her state.


    She tried her best to heal her grandma. But what the olddy suffered from?wasn''t a normal depletion of vitality. It''s a fundamental damage that distorted her divine path itself.


    Precious elixirs proved useless. The best healers in the neighborhood couldn''t help.


    When the world seemed to decry her fate to loneliness in the end, a mysterious person appeared.


    A powerhouse at the very peak of rank 9. He wasn''t as strong as the King even back then. But there''s one thing that made him way more important.


    He had taken that step!


    He''s on the final leap before entering the divine ranks!


    The powerhouse promised to extend the lifespan of her one and only grandmother.


    In exchange, she''d have to help him in his endeavor.


    The endeavor of...Fortune Anvil.

 Chapter 1447 Fortune Spirit

    <h4>Chapter 1447 Fortune Spirit</h4>


    Varian''s group proceeded to find the Fortune Spirit.


    It wasn''t that he thought himself to be strong enough to defeat the other candidates. He just realized he didn''t have as much time he thought he did.


    Every single candidate was hostile.


    If Samantha aplished whatever she set out to do, as long as she''s sane, she''d eliminate the variable who threatened her.


    The less said about Robert, the better.


    But it''s Xe who was the most dangerous.


    ''I don''t know if the old guy is fine but¡­''


    That soul was weak enough that he could subjugate it in Requiem. But only because the old man exerted himself fighting against the Orion captain.


    His original aura belonged to that of a peak rank 9. Whether he interacted with Prince Merov or Varian, the old guy had been speaking from a state of extreme weakness.


    If luck favored him, Varian could hope to escape the attacks of peak rank 8s.


    But a rank 9?


    "We''ll have to hurry."


    To protect Sonya, Sarah decided to follow from behind while keeping their traces as hidden as possible.


    The little princess once again proposed to drop out of the ritual and got rejected. For one, it''s her ''team''. Two, and more importantly, the archdukes allowed peak rank 8s inside, knowing full well what''s gonna transpire.


    With all its dangers, Crade, ironically, was their safest ce.


    The humid air near the beach a few minutes ago changed to scorching breeze on a desert before going cold like the snow on the ground.


    Thepass took enough sacrifices and didn''t stop to get any ''recharge''.


    And since they were already exposed, Varian teleported himself and Enigma toward the Fortune Spirit.


    In just eighteen minutes, Varian and Enigma reached the site of conflict.


    Powerful shockwaves struck them as they stepped to the beginning of a vast, barren, cracked red in.


    There was a brilliant explosion of blue and yellow in far distance, each explosion bigger and louder than thest.


    The familiar smell of Prian blood stung his nose but there was also another smell. The smell of a pure soulform, one that his ''Ignis'' path reacted fiercly upon spotting.


    With the link of Synergy, Varian signalled for Sarah and Sonya to take cover some distance away before stepping forward with Enigma.


    Due to the viscous aura flowing due to the fight and an unnatural power that''s akin to that of a Heaven''s Will than a person, the state of the fighters was not visible.


    Even with Varian''s keen sight, the two appeared as humanoids glowing in blue and white.


    What''s visible, however, was that the white humaoid, the alleged Fortune Spirit, was on the losing end.


    Step!


    Varian''s first step was normal.


    Step!


    With the second step, the edges of his silhouttee blurred as if they were wiped out by the fierce wind and his figure disappeared.


    Boom!


    Cradle''s toughnd split open, like someone had dug a canal and a burning force in a ring gold struck between the blue and white.


    "Haa! You son of a bitch!"


    The blue light scattered away, like ice breaking away after being hit by a hammer.


    Prince Robert''s bloodied figure greeted Varian with a pleasing smile.


    "I wanted to let you live a little longer. Looks like you really want to die."


    That exined why Robert hadn''t caught up with their team so far.


    Ignoring the threat, Varian subconsciously exhaled in relief that it wasn''t Xe.


    "I am busy. So, you can fuck off."


    Prince Robert wiped the blood with the back of his hand and gestured to somewhere.


    ''Huh?''


    Four high rank 8s rose out of nowhere and locked onto him.


    ''Teammates.''


    Varian furrowed his brows and assumed a defensive stance.


    Robert licked the blood at the corner of his lips as he looked at Varian with a regretful expression.


    "Tear his limbs out and keep him awake. That bitch, his wife? Ravage her in front of him and give him a show. But keep her alive. Someone wants her."


    The Princemanded before turning his attention back to the Fortune Spirit.


    The spirit resembled a 14-year old girl. Standing at 5''4'''' in a dreamy white skin that was not in the category of mortals gave her the looks of a ghost. Green, brown and blue clothes were draped over her petite body, the design of the clothes closely resembling the nts,nd and water regions here.


    Fortune Spirit was looking at Prince Robert with teary eyes full of resentment.


    "Why?" Her voice was still amateur and naive. "Why are you hurting me? I want to go back to my home¡­please stop."


    "Bitch." Prince Robert spat in disgust. "Drop the act. You are nothing but a measly parasite. ept your fate and die obediently. Or after that bitch, you''ll be nex¡ª"


    Kacha!


    Robert''s face flung to the side all of a sudden and a loud sound rang.


    "Cough, Aah, cough, cough, ahahahah."


    Blood, drool and teeth fell from his broken jaw that could no longer be closed. Like a broken pipe, it all flowed down onto his shirt.


    Varian blew his fist, as if he''s dusting it off, and turned to the Robert''s four subordinates who were fast approaching him.


    The attack wasn''t technically a physical punch but kinda was. Varian mixed the powers of space-time to ''carry'' the punch across a few miles in space and seconds in time.


    Robert wasn''t prepared for such an attack and was caught off guard. If he was on guard against Varian, he could''ve easily blocked it. But even now, he had no idea what the heck happened.


    "Don''t die. Or I''ll really regret not showing you hell."


    Leaving those words to the absolutely dumbfounded Robert and confused Fortune Spirit, Varian shot forward.


    "We''ll see, you little shit!" Robert punched his jaw back into position and cracked his neck.


    The aggresive prince and the sad spirit resumed their fight, giving their everything to win the other person and forgetting the world.


    The sounds of their battle rang like a beautiful symphony.


    When they took a break after a few minutes of intense bout, they could hear the sounds of fighting from afar where Varian was confronting the four powerhouses.


    ''I shouldn''t have been so rash¡­''


    Looking back, Prince Robert regretted his decision for a brief moment.


    The Fortune Spirit was supposed to be only a peak rank 7 creature. Sometimes, even high rank 7.


    It had an interseting property. The closer it got to the Fortune Anvil at the center of this world, the stronger it would get.


    Due to the restrictions in ce, the spirit would be alseep for most of the time. When it starts to wake up, the princes would be sent it to do what must be done.


    Robert didn''t feel any joy in fighting a weak rank 7 creature.


    ''I sacrificed my lifespan and almost definitely going to die in a few centuries¡­all for this little fight?''


    Killing Varian was his primary motive. But the reason he was granted this power by Martial Saint Kong was to have the power to crush thepetitors and take over the Fortune Spirit.


    It didn''t feel right to have such a big sacrifice to end with a pathetic fight.


    So, the Prince did something so outrageous that it could go down in the annals of history if it ever got out.


    He personally cleared some seals and allowed the Fortune Spirit to get closer to the center, bringing its power to the peak of rank 8.


    It was a stupid decision but it didn''te out of nowhere.


    Robert had lived his entire life being praised as a genius. His identity was built around that very word. If he''s no longer a genius, he''s no longer Robert.


    That''s why the defeat by ''Telor Xon Navak'' hit Prince Robert as hard as it did. He couldn''t ept losing to someone like that.


    He had to be a genius. He must be.


    And what better way to prove your genius than by fighting a special spirit borne from the Fortune Anvil itself?


    ''If I can defeat it at while in the same rank, then no one can doubt my qualifications anymore!''


    It''s also the reason he ordered his subordinates to not intervene. Thankfully, the battle wasn''t intervened by Varian''s appearance.


    ''Once I finish her, I will show him hell. I want to see him on his knees, in tears, kissing my feet.''


    A surge of anticipation grew in the Prince''s mind and his fists grew faster, strong and more lethal.


    Not too far away from them, the first blows meant for assessment ended and the real battle began.


    Four natal treasures were activated simultaneously. The quadraplets, as they seemed, could lock down the life force in a person''s body.


    While each natal treasure could only lockdown the lifeforce by half, they could be stacked.


    The four siblings thus reduced Varian''s lifeforce to a mere 6.25% of his original.


    Even though he could struggle and bring out some more lifeforce to use, he wouldn''t exceed 10%.


    The four young men, all with the same face, smiled at the same time.


    It was a scene straight out of a horror picture, one that would send shivers down even an adult''s spine.


    But in response to their gazes of assured victory and more importantly, their chilling, eerie smiles¡­


    Varian smiled back.

 Chapter 1448 Battle With Quadraplets

    <h4>Chapter 1448 Battle With Quadraplets</h4>


    Paragon Body was the epitome of bnce.


    The paths that harnessed lifeforce had a weak life essence, meaning while their ability to attack other beings was high, thanks to lifeforce, they themselves couldn''t survive more than a few full biological destructions.


    Meaning, if you burn them to ashes for a few dozen times, they''d truly die.


    On the other hand, those of life essence had significantly lower capabilities in offense. Sure, there were no push overs. With their life essence, they could corrupt another being, kill it or manipte it to their liking.


    It''s a very dangerous offense to face. But the limitation was also obvious. As long as the enemy avoided the life essence, they wouldn''t be harmed.


    Life Essence users, however, have a vitality that made the cockroaches in the celestial ranks.


    It''s very hard to end them forever.


    The power of death, the anti-thesis for all lifeforms, as was power of life for undead, could help kill the warriors using life essence. But even they would rate life essence users as the hardest to kill.


    On one hand, essence had the most survivability and on the other, force had the most firepower.


    Paragon Body fell in between.


    Using own life force to strengthen self and having a strong life essence to survive in even harsh conditions¡ªthat''s the mechanism.


    The life essence and life force had about half of responsibility for the overall strength of a Paragon awakener.


    So, when the quadraplets used their natal treasures and locked down Varian''s lifeforce, only 1/16th of it was avable.


    A rough calction left Varian at 56% of his original strength.


    Prince Robert had witnessed his enemy survive a few of his blows, albeit the injuries. So, he didn''t tell his subordinates to hold back.


    They didn''t.


    "Hey, are you feeling weak in your¡ª"


    "¡ªknees."


    "You can try crawling¡ª"


    "¡ªlike a dog."


    The mocking remark of one sibling waspletely by another. And as they continued to taunt the weakened enemy, they each spoke only half a sentence.


    That way of speaking, more than even what they spoke, pissed Varian off.


    "Your father should have used protection."


    "W-What the fuck¡ª"


    "¡ªis a mongrel like you speaking?"


    "You incurred our wrath and¡ª"


    "¡ªwill regret it so much you''ll burn your own tongue."


    The four brothers smiled with the same psychopathic expression, one that resembled a mad scientist who''d experiment on babies without remorse.


    "You forgot something. You have only¡ª"


    "¡ªhalf the strength."


    "You might be able to fight one of us at your full strength. But with half, you¡ª"


    "¡ªhave no hope against four."


    Varian smiled in response.


    ''You can stop the Paragon powers. But only Paragon''s.''


    The aura boiling inside his body shifted, going from the paths of life and death to those of order and chaos.


    [Order?: rank 7 ¡ª> rank 8]


    [Chaos :?rank 7 ¡ª> rank 8]


    Since entering the higher ranks, it was bing difficult to use paths of one avenue to boost paths of another. On the other hand, the paths of the same avenue were growing closer and more synergetic.


    One of the quadraplet stepped forward, intending to knock some sense into the stubborn guy.


    If he had stayed with his brothers, Varian would have initiated a fight when they''re together and would''ve faced a well alert group.


    But stepping out of the group made the guy an easy target.


    Shuaa!


    The sound of wind howling waste. By the time that noise reached any of the siblings, a thin ck and white line appeared on the one who stepped forward.


    The bastard stopped for a moment, unsure if it''s just an illusion.


    It all happened in an instant. Like a sh of light that flickered for a moment before disappearing.


    ''Why would the power of order and chaos appear here of all ces? A treasure? But no treasure can do that¡­''


    "Brother¡ª"


    "¡ªWatch¡ª"


    "¡ªOut!"


    The three behind noticed it clearly and rushed forward, hoping to rescue their kin before things took an uncontroble turn.


    But it''s already toote.


    "Arghhh!"


    Like a doll snapping into two by the antics of a wild child, the fourth sibling''s limbs twisted in a grotesque manner.


    Blood spilled out of his mouth like he''s some fountain piece spitting red water and the man began to spasm violently as if he was being electrocuted.


    Varian closed in swiftly before the trio could rescue him.


    Despite their powers working extremely well against a Paragon Body, the siblings themselves all were warriors of the same path.


    In any normal scenario, a Paragon Body killing another Paragon Body, particrly one in the same power range was a lengthy and tiring process.


    Even if you tear your enemy to pieces, he''d piece back and return to life. It''s as frustrating as it''s disgusting to imagine clumps of flesh and bone joining together.


    But there''s a shortcut.


    Vroom!


    The vibrant wind of Cradle got disturbed. An unholy power, one whose existence ran against the holy notion of life appeared in the synthetic world for the first time in its history.


    The power of <Death Giant> was not inhibited by the natal treasures of the quadraplets.


    "Die!"


    Varian''s fist punched through the fourth sibling''s chest and grabbed his heart. The darkish red power of death coursed through the injured enemy''s body and a string seemed to be cut somewhere.


    Like a toy whose battery was gradually hitting the bottom, the energy in the man''s body began to fall.


    "Get away¡ª"


    "¡ªFrom¡ª"


    "¡ªour brother!"


    When their sibling had a quarter of his vitality destroyed, the trio managed to reach Varian.


    Even though they faced an unreasonable foe, they reacted fairly well. As long as they saved their sibling, they could fight Varian without holding back.


    It''s not for nothing that they were selected to be the team of Prince Robert. Martial Saint Kong himself appreciated the quadraplets and predicted they would be pirs of the kingdom in the future.


    "The way you speak," Varian lifted the fourth sibling and the power of space-time engulfed them.


    The attacks of the three siblings reached him in a blink. But as if he was a ghost, all the sts passed through him.


    Boom!


    A hand grabbed the nearest sibling by the back of his neck and thrashed him against the already injured one.


    Varian''s sword Requiem plunged through the hearts of the two brothers and the power of death flowing in the bottom one flowd through the de and surged into the top.


    "Is so fucking annoying."

 Chapter 1449 Master Tactician

    <h4>Chapter 1449 Master Tactician</h4>


    "Guaah!"


    Pitch ck blood, one that''spletely opposite to the rich blue blood flowing in his body spilled out of the third brother''s mouth.


    "Third!"


    "Fourth!"


    The remaining two, first and second, by the way they addressed themselves screamed.


    Varian couldn''t help but sh a pleasant smile.


    With two mouths shut, it was already so soothing to the ears. If he could break these two down as well, woudn''t that almost be world peace?


    ''Mom, your son is about to do a great thing!''


    Grinning like a cunning predator, he didn''t attack the two directly but instead mmed his elbow onto the Third''s face.


    It split open like watermelon but quickly tried to piece together. A disgusting butmon sight.


    The aura that''s surging in the Third''s body, one that''s supposed tounch a surprise attack on him scattered like a horde of leaderless beasts.


    But the man didn''t give up.


    He gathered the aura again and again, in different body parts, ready to explode his body if necessary and upy Varian''s attention and power.


    The Fourth under him was the most injured but he was also gathering aura tounch an attack.


    Yes. The power of death was eating away their vitalities and Requiem was rating the process.


    But with two of them needed to be attacked at once, the output had slowed. They would survive for at least one full minute.


    For a Paragon Body warrior or in fact, any one outside the Time path, one minute was an extremely long time at rank 8.


    ''Third is trying to keep me upied with him. Fourth will be the one tounch an actual surprise attack.


    Using that gap, First will attack me. And Second¡­he''s going to attack Enigma in that gap.''


    The siblings were unsure of Varian''s character and that''s why only ''Two'' decided to attack Enigma.


    If Varian happened to be a ruthless man, he''d ignore her and use that chance to kill the three.


    From their side, it''s a risk.


    But they must''ve taken it after proper observation. In the battle so far, whenever the aura exploded and caused shockwaves, Varian''s body would instinctively stand in between the source and Enigma, shielding her from any aftermath.


    It''s an instict to protect her at this point. And the siblings must''ve taken note of this.


    "Die¡ª!"


    "¡ªMotherfucker!"


    First and Second shouted at the same time. As expected, First lunged at him while Second rushed to Enigma.


    ''The n seems to have changed.''


    Since the condition on the battle field were dynamic, ns change all the time. But it''s also true that elements from the previous n would be carried over, if possible.


    Instead of attacking during an opportunity, the attack would be the opportunity. Now, Third and Fourth would do their best to injure him heavily with a surprise attack.


    With the powers he showed so far, Varian couldn''t possibly face off against three of them, even if one of them was significantly injured and the other lightly injured.


    Their n was brilliant.


    If it''s anyone other than Varian in the position, even with the strange power of death and space-time he had shown until now, he''d suffere in the strike and suffer an injury.


    The extent of the injury would vary depending on many things but he wouldn''te out on top in this.


    This one strike could also turn decisive, turning a seemingly victorious battle into a defeat.


    But to emphasize it again.


    Only if it''s anyone other than Varian.


    The siblings were like brilliant chess yers. But even the greatest grandmaster of the game couldn''t win against the guy who flips the table.


    Boom!


    A pure white light surged from Varian''s fist as it struck the regenerated head of the Third.


    The head split open again and since it''s just reconstructed, not much aura was gathered.


    As a result, the soul power drilled into his head or what remained of it and struck on the gates guarding his realm of soul.


    The power of death was a good way to quickly kill a Paragon Body. Conversely, the power of life was also a good way to quickly kill the Undead counterpart.


    But the power of soul worked on both of them.


    Even though it wasn''t as effective as they were on each other, the fact that it worked on both was more than enough to ovee that w.


    "Gaaahh!"


    The attack on soul was never a pleasant one.


    Third was a genius who recieved a lot of training since birth. That included guarding against the power of death and soul.


    But even his strict instructors weren''t crazy enough to overdose him with the power of death and soul at the same time.


    Tch! Tch! Tch!


    Like a fish out of water, Third''s limbs twisted and iled.


    "Third!"


    Fourth screamed in fear and grief. The power he had been umting so far while bearing the agonizing gnawing of death power was mobilized, just a thought away from unleashing.


    "Happy fireworks."


    Third had lost control over some parts of his body as the power of soul struck him hard, making him temporarily paralyzed.


    And that''s when the power of order and chaos kicked into work.


    Using the aura-rich, vitality-richponents of matter and energy as the ingredients, an explosion was crafted.


    Almost at the same instant, First reached Varian.


    The power of space-time was activated and he began to vanish. But the attack stillr reached him and sted hole through his chest.


    "Fuck!"


    The moment Varian disappeared, Fourth''s aura explosion, which threatened to severely injure him halted as if it was all an act.


    "Phew, Third is fine. Thir¡ª"


    Boom!


    But the bomb Varian built from Third''s body wasn''t an act.


    Flesh and bones flew out in all directions while blood shot up into the sky and then rained.


    Fourth, under his bombing brother, exploded into pieces and struggled to regenerate due to the invasive power of death.


    First froze in ce before quickly turning back.


    Enigma, who was supposed to be a weakling, shed her sword.


    A head flew into the air.

 Chapter 1450 Unexpected Changes

    <h4>Chapter 1450 Unexpected Changes</h4>


    The headless body of Second raised its hand to attack.


    With blood sputtering out of the severed neck like it''s a broken pipe, the sight of it trying to strike Enigma was a creepy sight.


    Thankfully, while Paragon Body didn''t die upon beheading, it still counted as a significant injury.


    The power of gravity kicked into action as the fist of the man reached Enigma.


    Like she was a particle of iron pulled by a ma, Enigma was pulled a few steps away from her initial position.


    The sword in her palm blurred, spurned by the invisible gravity and moved at a speed that surpassed even the fastest of rank 7s.


    Three more lines appeared on top of the Second sibling and his body was sliced into pieces, copsing on the floor.


    It shouldn''t have been such a big issue¡ªdismemberment was something a Paragon Body could shrug away and recover from.


    There was just one problem.


    "Arghhh!"


    The cold de of the sword dug into the severed head like a knife pushed into a watermelon and the power of soul flooded the fragile which had no reserves of aura to draw for protection.


    Like a castle of sanding copsing under a fast wave, the brilliant light of consciousness in Second''s eyes quivered and crashed.


    "You! Bitch!" First screamed at the top of his lungs, his throat burning and his cheeks damp with tears.


    "Arghh! You two! I''ll fucking to¡ªmppph!"


    A kick in the face thrashed him to the ground, like a fly being struck by a palm.


    Second and Third died.


    Fourth, who was sted into pieces by the explosion and had just regenerated back into a whole body, gawked at the unexpected attacker.


    "Y-You!"


    Sarah didn''t give First any chance to recover. Like one of the battle games she yed with Sia, her attacks connected one after another, dealing increasing damage to First whose desperate reactions failed to stop thebo of assaults.


    Ironically, this was precisely how Varian was seriously injured by Prince Robert not too long ago.


    A surprise attack and then continuous strikes leaving the defendant not chance to escape or retaliate.


    Varian was able to survive the encounter. But First wasn''t that lucky.


    Boom! Kacha! Kaaa!


    Like a butcher slicing livestock, Sarah''s sword hacked the attacker. Since she neither the soul power nor the death power, she couldn''t kill him instantly.


    But she didn''t need to.


    A deste darkish red color soared into the air in the shape of a snake and dived down at a dangerous speed.


    Matching the timing to microsecond, Sarah jumped away.


    And the power of death ate up the First sibling.


    The only survivor, Fourth watched his kin die with despair and anguish.


    "We have a deal." Varian bent down and pped the kneeling man''s cheek. "You report what I say and you live. Try anything funny and the soul bomb in your head will burst and no one can save you. Am I clear?"


    *** *** *** ***


    The fight between Prince Robert and Fortune Spirit wasing to a close. Of course, he was winning.


    "I though you were a good man for taking me in. But you¡­you!" The face of the young girl twisted in pain and grief.


    "I am a good man." Robert grinned. "Just not to you."


    "Arghh!"


    The fortune spirit''s anguished screams were divine music to the Prince''s ears. He patted himself on the back for not destroying the spirit when he first found it. If he did, a great deal of entertainment would''ve been missed.


    ''No one here can defeat me anyway. Neither Samantha. Nor Xe. I''ll make those weaklings realize their ce. I''ll crush them, no, I''ll crush them together.''


    The Prince''s ego was severely bruised by Varian. So, even without noticing it, he was resorting all sorts of dangerous and difficult activities topensate.


    Boom!


    Taking a swift knee to the abdomen, the Spirit copsed to the ground, its body blurring as if it was being erased.


    Robert cracked his neck with a grin.


    "Prince! Prince!"


    Fourth¡­or was it Second? Not like it mattered. One of those four ran forward with an excited expression.


    In his hand was the severed head of a familiar man.


    "Arghh! Ahh! Ahahahaha!"


    Robert''s body shuddered in ecstasy and a burst of crazyughter left his mouth.


    Without waiting for the subordinate to approach, he reached the man in a blink and grabbed the head by its hair.


    The expression on the face was one of despair and regret.


    "Regret¡­is that regret I see? Hah, aha, ahahahahah!"


    The eerieughter of the Prince was so inhumane and revolting that Fourth flinched and slowly took a few steps back.


    In his joy, the Prince had ignored his subordinate''s sneaky actions. But worse, he also forgot his own orders. He didn''t tell them to kill Varian. He told them to tear his limbs and bring him alive.


    Fourth, even while slowly sneaking away, was both surprised and scared.


    Surprised at the Prince''s reaction and scared at Varian for correctly predicting it.


    ''I don''t know who the fuck administered him those drugs but Robert''s soul is aplete mess. His emotions are extremely unstable and his reasoning is out of the window.


    After some point, I shielded our battle. So, he doesn''t what transpired here.


    Once you show him my head, rather than questioning you for defying the order, he''ll indulge in happiness from seeing me dead.''


    The prediction was spot on.


    Of course, the head was built from Varian''s own body and the help of order-chaos powers. With the tinge of soul power infused, it would appear as real as the real one for even the best rank 8s.


    ''As expected, he''s let his guard down, I should go. Six, five, four, three¡­''


    Varian, hiding in a nearby valley, was ready to attack and end the Prince.


    Once he kills Robert, a big obstacle woul be cleared.


    ''Two, on¡ª''


    Two lines streaked across the sky from opposite directions and crashed with a cataclysmic momentum.


    Boom! Boom!


    Xe and Samanthanded right in front of Fortune Spirit.

 Chapter 1451 Beyond Expectations

    <h4>Chapter 1451 Beyond Expectations</h4>


    Not a single word was uttered between the princesses.


    Samantha needed the Fortune Spirit to fulfill the dream of equal prian society.


    Xe wanted the spirit to help the mysterious powerhouse so that her grandma''s lifespan could be extended.


    This wasn''t a simple battle for either of them.


    It''s the fight that could make or break the thing they hold closest to their heart. They''re ready to kill and get killed.


    Kaa! Shuaa!


    The glowing lights of aura overflowing from the two flickered and red. Then they shed. The surging aura soared and the sky was split into two, the colors way more intense than normal.


    Prince Robert''s arrogant expression subsided. He carefully stored away the head and narrowed his eyes at the two.


    His chaotic emotions urged him to prove his dominance.


    ''These two should bow before me. I''m the strongest!''


    The Prince took a step forward and a spear materialized in his palm. The aura flowed out of his fingers and enveloped the spear, preparing it for the tough sh.


    But before he could strike, the two colorful auras leaped at him like wolves. The sudden and well co-ordinated strike sent him flying.


    ''Fuck!''


    Not just the Prince, but Varian who was ready to take advantage of the situation, Fourth who was breathing hisst under Enigma''s sword and Fortune Spirit who was recovering and trying to sneak away, all gasped at the unexpected development.


    But as if they had prepared beforehand, Samantha and Xe worked together.


    "Argh, you we¡ªcough! Come at me one by on¡ªargh!"


    Robert shielded his vitals and tried to break away from the torrent but the attacks kept falling.


    They both seemed to despise the man who took the easy route and climbed to their ranks without putting in the effort. So, their strikes showed no hesitation and were really intended to kill.


    Kacha! Saaa! Crack!


    The sound of bones cracking, organs rupturing and vessels bursting was all too clear.


    Inplete contrast to his imagination, the Prince was being dominated by the two.


    He tried to tell himself that it was because he was injured. But the rational part of his mind knew that he wasn''t strong enough to fight both.


    When another punchnded on his jaw and nearly blew his head off his neck, the Prince''s eyes, which were filled with chaotic emotions, turned calm.


    ''Oh fuck! Fuck! What was I doing?''


    Like a drunk guy who suddenly got sober, the Prince''s rational side took control.


    Everything he had done until now shed in his mind and Robert wanted to beat himself up.


    ''I should''ve just taken the spirit and left. And that bastard, he was lying. Varian didn''t die!''


    The realization set in a bit toote.


    But the Prince acted without hesitation. Realizing he had no chance now, he kicked the ground and forcibly distanced himself. The prince to pay was a severed arm and leg. Yet, he didn''t care.


    "Fourth, I''ll fucking kill you!"


    Screaming like a madman, Robert retreated at his fastest.


    Xe and Samantha wanted to pursue him. But even though they cooperated for now, they didn''t trust each other too much.


    And¡­


    "Hey!"


    "Euk!"


    Two powerful auras fell on the Fortune Spirit that had barely recovered.


    The princess attacked it without any reserve. Unlike the Prince who could at least face them and escape, the Spirit copsed.


    With eyes tightly shut as if it''s in deep sleep, the spirit resembling a 14-year-old looked like a doll. Her dreamy white skin blurred, as if she''s about to be erase out of existence and her very existence was faint, like she was a flickering me before a harsh breeze.


    The princesses didn''t show each other too much hostility and carried the spirit toward the center of the world together.


    "What the fuck¡­"


    Watching their silhouettes disappearing on the horizon, Varian came out of the valley and cursed in an exasperated tone.


    Enigma and Sarah followed with disappointed expressions.


    For now, Sonya was staying in a hidden ce Sarah built using some precious treasures.


    "If they really fought to death, Robert woulde out on top. It makes sense for them to cooperate." Sarah remarked.


    "¡­It''s a bit too rational." Varian sighed, his shoulders drooping.


    Enigma raised a brow in confusion before pursing her lips. "We''ll have to ambush them. I got some experience, just follow my lead. If we can take one of them out quickly, then we might stand a chance against the other."


    "Do we really?" Sarah crossed her arms.


    "Well," Varian hung his head. "The distance between each sub rank is getting disgustinglyrge. Heck, the difference within a sub-rank itself is ridiculous. If we take one out, I can defeat the other. But it''ll be a long battle."


    Enigma''s brows furrowed lightly and her voice, while still calm andposed like always, couldn''t hide her anxiety. "Then our lives depend on whether that old soul can recover his strength quickly or not."


    "A dangerous gamble." Sarah rubbed her forehead.


    If the three of them fought it out, then they could''ve easily killed Robert, snatched away the soul from Xe and took revenge on Samantha. But things didn''t go as nned.


    "It''s dangerous to go. Our chances of survival are pretty low," Varian shook his head with a sigh. "But if we don''t go, that old bastard will definitely kill us. Almost certain death or certain death."


    A heavy silence ensued as Varian looked at his wives. There was a hint of hesitation and fear in his eyes.


    He didn''t fear for his life. Not much.


    It''s just that if one of them died, the other two would follow.


    He didn''t want them to die with him. But he knew they''d do it. Just like even if they persuaded him not to, he''d willingly go to hell with them.


    So, he hesitated.


    ''If I don''t want them to die, I better go alone. But if I I should go alone, my chances of death soar, which in turn will lead to their deaths.''


    "Pfft."


    A small chuckle escaped Enigma''s lips.


    "Huh?"


    Stepping on her toes, thedy in ck wrapped her arms around Varian''s neck and kissed him on the lips.


    "Why are you hesitating so much? Death isn''t scary. Not living is. And I''ve lived a great life. I even got to be your wife."


    Her usually cold expression was reced by a brilliant, loving smile.


    "If we die here, we die together."


    Like a snow mountain that had melted, the Enigma in front of him was overflowing with emotions. "If we live, we all live."


    It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.


    "Let''s go!"

 Chapter 1452 Connection

    <h4>Chapter 1452 Connection</h4>


    Samantha and Xe were not friends.


    Samantha didn''t see any merit in provoking the heiress of the oldest duchess and spoke words that pleased the princess.


    So, whenever there were any interactions between the two, Xe was the dominant one.


    Xe wasn''t interested in antagonizing anyone without reason, so other than being a little haughty, she didn''t show her any disrespect.


    Their interactions were as artificial as they were between any two nobles.


    Pleasant lies. Fakeughter. Contrived smiles.


    But.


    There was something between them. Something they never told each other but could sense at a deep level.


    The princesses felt, for no apparent reason at all, that they were simr.


    It was absurd.


    Xe''s standing was way higher. Samantha''s talent was acknowledged to be much greater. A bright extrovert who could talk to anyone and a silent introvert who only talked when she had to.


    They were parallels lines that should not connect.


    But the connection was real.


    They didn''t know it back then¡ªboth of them were maintaining a public image inplete contrast to their true self.


    They were both wearing masks, not a typical mask of a noble or a politician, but as a person.


    The fakeness in them was so ingrained that it appeared to real to everyone else but themselves.


    Only they could feel it from the other.


    Samantha was a proponent of harsher rules for Spiritless in the outside world and cemented her position as a Spirit supremacist.


    To drive that point home, she publicly mocked her dead spiritless parents, calling them worthless and iming that she was ashamed that their filthy bloodline flowed in her body.


    That speech was her debut into the high society, establishing her profile as a haughty and powerful princess.


    Her stomach churned for every word she uttered that day, but Samantha forged ahead.


    The reason she embarked on this mission was to avenge her parents. They were killed without impunity by a divorced Spirited because he was irritated by their loving interactions.


    After growing up, she managed to kill him in secret. But like many journeys of revenge, all she felt at the end was a void.


    So, she decided to go further and use her aimless life for something meaningful.


    She''d upend this system and fix it. Unlike her, there should be no child heartbroken.


    A world without children crying on the streets, begging and struggling¡­that should be the paradise, right?


    On the other hand, Xe lived a very, very mundane life despite being very talented. She forgo fame, aplishments and respect from her peers. She lived a very difficult, dark and boring life.


    She sacrificed centuries of youth, gave up friendships that could''vested for a lifetime and single mindledly pursued the one thing she sought.


    Now she had no friends, no lover, no meaningful rtionships with anyone other than her grandmother who''s set to die soon.


    "We''re here." Samantha broke into a genuine smile.


    Xe pursed her lips and nodded, her eyes shing with a frantic desire.


    The center of Cradle as they called it wasn''t a specific area defined by coordinates. It''s the precise ce where the influence of Fortune Anvil could be felt.


    Zing! Zing! Zing!


    The world around them turned¡­soft.


    It wasn''t just the wind, even space itself seemed to bend and twist, weing them in.


    A particr region was enveloped in a divine golden hue.


    As they stepped past the hemisphere, their bodies quivered in esctasy. Their injuries healed in a blink without them having to do anything and their breaths grew steady.


    It was warm, like stepping in a hot spring. The two subconsciously rxed and drooped their shoulders.


    The rich vitality of this ce was overflowing. There were beautiful flowers growing all over the ce.


    Rather than looking like a dreaded ce holding a divine treasure, it was a stunningndscape of flowers that even the best of painters couldn''t bring to life.


    "Haah,"


    "Wow."


    The princesses who reached this ce were women of firm conviction. They were ready to die for their goals.


    But even their hardened minds couldn''t help but pause and take a look at the natural beauty of this ce.


    It surpassed anything a mortal could think of.


    Colorful mists gently flowed through the area, swaying the flowers and touching their skin.


    The touch of the wind here felt like the caring caress of a parent , the hug from a friend and the parting whisper of a lover.


    The mystical aura of a divine weapon gently pervaded the ce and swept them like a gentle tide.


    Yet, feeling its greatness, the two froze in ce.


    There was no intimidation in that aura, no hostility.


    But¡­


    Like a human being standing on top of a mountain and watching the starry sky, they too froze in wonder.


    In this divinend, they were not warriors who reached the peak of rank 8. They were two women as weak as anyone else.


    The insignificance of their existence dawned on them like a crashing roof and they looked at each other with a wry smile.


    For a moment, they questioned the point of it all.


    Why did they have to do everything they did if it''s all inconsequential?


    A mortal''s aplishments, no matter how great, were trivial in the face of a divine will. Their lives were but a fleeing blink for a living god. The strength they''re so proud of couldn''t even flutter the robes of the divines.


    Whatever they did and didn''t, what difference would it make in the grandscheme of things?


    They were just pawns in the grandgame yed by the cosmic yers.


    Wasn''t everything¡­meaningless?


    "Even so¡­even if everything is destined to end¡­even if she''s destined to die, I want to see her a bit longer. A bit more." Xe bit her bleeding lip and stepped forward.


    "A god will worry about another god. As an ant¡­I worry about my fellow ants." Samantha wiped tears from the corner of her eyes and marched ahead.


    A beautiful anvil awaited them.

 Chapter 1453 Fortune Anvil

    <h4>Chapter 1453 Fortune Anvil</h4>


    Fortune Anvil was the root of Prians.


    It''s like the CPU that ran their race. Any damage to the treasure, however slight, would show itself in reality. Thankfully, the treasure wasn''t something a mere rank 8 could damage.


    But without damaging it, they still could do a lot.


    Pause!


    The two looked at each other with a sharp gaze.


    There''s a high chance that they''d end up shing. Making this far, they still didn''t know what the other party really wanted.


    Fighting now would make leave them both injured and weakened, creating a perfect opportunity for the third party.


    But if they started their work without doing anything, they''d be caught off guard when the other party attacks.


    Depending on the extent of the attack, their mission might be destroyed at thest step.


    It''s aplicated situation. They didn''t trust each other to leave their backs open. No, Samantha didn''t think they could allow even a trusted one to approach them in this situation.


    The stakes were just too high.


    Fight or no fight, both of them would lead to unfavorable situations.


    Samantha took a breath and made her decision. She''d rather fight and clear out a danger than risk getting her dream destroyed.


    Still, hoping for a chance of non-interference, she said.


    "¡­I will work on the body of the anvil." She took out a crystalline box from her storage, carefully guarding it.


    "I have to harness the divine aura leaking from it." Xe retrieved the ring containing an old soul.


    Subconsciously, both of them heaved a sigh of relief.


    Were they too lucky that their goals didn''t contradict with each other? Or was the other person simply lying?


    "Hmmm?"


    "Well?"


    The two looked into each other''s eyes for a short moment before nodding almost simultaneously.


    That connection they felt from the other person spoke for itself.


    ''She isn''t lying.''


    Without any dy, the princesses tugged the chain of aura and the unconscious Fortune Spirit was dragged in.


    In the form of a young girl, the injured spirit was on the verge of dissipating. But the moment it entered the divine domain, a miraculous change began to ur.


    Its blurring skin turned into a dreamy white and its immature body began to morph into that of a young woman.


    The rank 8 aura of the spirit quickly skyrocketed, flying past the barriers of rank 9 and cementing itself in the highest celestial rank.


    It''d have been tantamount to suicide if she managed to make this far by herself.


    Even now, due to her increased strength, her eyshes fluttered and she seemed to slowly regain her consciousness.


    But the princesses didn''t allow it.


    With a harsh but precise yank of the aura chains, they threw her to the top of the anvil.


    Hundreds of circr formations appeared in an instant.


    Glowing with red, yellow and blue colors, they were filled with esoteric circles and mystical runes.


    Wrauum! The sounds filling the air were harsh, reminiscent of an ancient evil waking up from its deep slumber.


    Samantha and Xe both took a step back. Their backs were drenched in sweat even though the formations weren''t directed at them.


    "T-This¡­"


    "What the hell¡­"


    Likesers shot from modern weapons, countles beams of light shot out from the formations andnded on the fortune spirit.


    "Argh!"


    Even though she''s unconscious, the spirit groaned in pain.


    The tip of her hair slowly started to break down into tiny particles resembling white starlight. And that starlight gradually gravitated toward the anvil, mixing into it.


    The spirit that was borne from the anvil was now being fused back into the anvil.


    "Argh, it hurts!"


    "Please!"


    "Arghh!"


    The agonizing screams of the spirit filled the space but no one came to help.


    The dreamy white skin of the woman turned sickly pale and blood began to leak from her eyes.


    Its powerful rank 9 aura surged and surged, like a sea wave going higher and higher, trying to drown the sky. But eventually, it crashed powerlessly.


    Thanks to the strict formations which were enhanced many times over the millennia, not a speck of aura leaked out from the anvil.


    "Wow! Even a rank 9 is powerless." Samantha expressed her admiration.


    "Not all rank 9s, only the spirit." Xe pointed. "It''s designed only for her. Or that''s what I heard."


    With the spirit taken care of, the princesses stepped forward with a determined gaze.


    Even though it''s very demanding to focus on their life''s goal in vicinity of a rank 9 powerhouse whose casual strike could kill, they were rather rxed.


    The spirit was trapped in a prison of soul. No matter how hard it tried, it couldn''t break free. And an unconscious spirit was powerless was against the sealing formations.


    By the time they''re done, the spirit would''ve disintegrated and fused back into the anvil. Back to where it belonged.


    "I''m not saying this to provoke you, but¡­" Samantha paused for a moment and tried to find the proper words.


    Eventually, she shook her head and gazed into Xe''s eyes. There was no diplomatic smile on her face, only a madness that seemed to havee from a wild beast.


    The killing intent that leaked from Samantha at this moment was so great that even the cold hearted Xe halted her breath and clenched her fist.


    "If you backstab me and my mission fails¡­I will destroy you and everyone you cherish."


    "Hah."


    Xe exhaled lightly before shaking her with a smirk. Her expression quickly distorted into one of equal madness and she growled.


    "We share more inmon than I thought. If you''re the reason I fail, then you know what will happen."


    "Good luck."


    "May goodness prevail."


    This was perhaps the only time they gave heartfelt wishes. And once they did, they got to work.


    Samantha approached the anvil and using the secrets that Varian stole from the institute, she started to spread the clusters of blessings across the poption.


    Without disturbing her, Xe captured strands of divine aura and fed it to the ring. As time passed, the powerful aura of a soul began to leak out.


    The soul was unconscious but it kept muttering with vengance.


    "V..aria..n¡­Vari..an¡­Varian!"

 Chapter 1454 Contrasting Views

    <h4>Chapter 1454 Contrasting Views</h4>


    ''Anima'' was a substance, as in, a quantifiable attribute responsible for who awakens what natal treasure or awakens at all.


    If you had anima beyond a certain threshold, you could awken your natal treasure and be a spirited.


    Else, you''re a spiritless.


    While the concept was simple, the design and structure was not. After all, it needed to work for an entire race. Not just the first generation of Prians, but their children, grandchildren and the generation that woulde after a million years.


    It''s an exceedingly difficult thing to design and incorporate into a new race. But All Mother Asherah was hailed as one of the most influential gods for a good reason.


    There were others who created stronger races or more talented ones. There were even a few who built species that start directly from celestial ranks. As in, a child of that species would be born as a celestial.


    Yet, Asherah was the indisputable number one and was far better than anyone else in the area.


    The reason?


    Sustainability.


    Creating races was a difficult task, even for a divine ranker.


    There were a limited number of races a divine ranker could create per a million years.


    If your races don''t exinct within a million or two, it''s a big blessing already.


    Prians didn''t copse because Asherah picked a simple butsting design for their race.


    For the concept of natal treasures, she used Fortune Anvil as the source. The treasure wasn''t just a source that kept their natal treasures possible but also the collector of Anima.


    As Prians'' poption grew, their Anima would also increase.


    Then thisrge pool of ''anima'' would be distributed to prian babies upon their inception.


    The anima one would get depended on a lot of innate factors such as their parents'' strength, talents, theposition of the baby itself and of course, some luck.


    Prians'' poption had stabilized long ago, as did their strength. So, the Anima their race held was roughly constant.


    Against that backdrop, the children of genius¡ªthe spirited¡ªwould draw more anima upon their birth, bing spirited themselves.


    This meant that those who didn''t have at least one spirited parent had to rely either on a very good innate constitution or luck.


    If a Spiritless parent was strong, say, rank 5 or above, there''s a some chance for the child to have a good constitution.


    But even for a kingdom like P, rank 5s and above were a very, very small percentage of the poption.


    So, the real chance these children had was dependent on elusive luck.


    What''re the odds?


    About as many as one in a million.


    A devastatingly low number.


    Thankfully, the sheer size of Spiritless poption meant that each century produced a new batch of spirited.


    Perhaps that''s why, while Prian society always saw new nobility.


    Old nobles would fall, new nobles would rise. The oppressors became the oppressed and the oppressed became the oppressors.


    The cycle would continue unceasingly.


    Even the most brilliant noble houses, ones that frequently produced pirs of the kingdom, couldn''t change this harsh reality.


    Sure, there were some kind souls who tried to create a more peaceful and just society but how could a single pir go against the inertia of times and pressure of peers?


    Forget the nobility, even the king himself wouldn''t be able to make that change. He could make thews, but the executioners ofw wouldn''t ept thew.


    The new nobility would be dissatissfied at the king for snatching their ''chance'' at being the rulers. The old nobility would dislike changing age-old traditions.


    Heck, the spiritless themselves who were benefitting from the current system would quietly oppose the implementation.


    In essence, even the powerful man was helpless in front of the harsh truth.


    And yet¡­


    Samantha was on the verge of altering that very reality.


    Instead of giving more Anima to some people and little Anima to rest, she would give equal Anima to everyone.


    What thrilled her the most was that everyone could still have their natal treasures in this manner.


    Yep!


    So high was the inequality that even if distributed across the poption, everyone could still have their natal treasures!


    "Arghh, mother, father, duchess, this is it. A utopia is in front of us."


    Princess Samantha shed tears as she entered the final phase of the process.


    Boom!


    A streak of red cut through the horizon and her body was sted backward, rolling like a ball as blood spilled out like she''s a shaken wine bottle.


    "Stupid bitch!" Prince Robert spat blood on the ground and red at Samantha who jumped back to her feet. "Do you know what you''re doing?"


    "Fixing the mistake!" Samantha yelled, a blue spear materializing in her hand.


    The moment the weapon appeared, an invisible pressure fell on Robert, restricting his speed by at least 20%.


    Robert drew his sword and a yellow full-body armor enveloped his body, like he''s a knight of some medeival kingdom.


    "It wasn''t a mistake. It''s the only reason we''re alive."


    He kicked the ground and shot forward. Dust rose into the air and shockwaves swept the beautiful flowers in the area. But curiously, not a single flower was damaged, much less uprooted.


    The prince and princess quickly entered a battle of vicious sh.


    Boom! Bom! Boom! They didn''t hold back at all and fought at their full strength, intending to kill their opponent.


    "Fuck! Fuck you! You are with the terrorists! You traitorous bitch!" Robert roared at the top of his lungs, his sword piercing through Samantha''s shoulder and spilling her blood on his face.


    "Do you know how many children the bastards you support kill every year? No, every day?!" Samantha gripped the sword that was being pulled back and thrust her spear into the prince''s abdomen.


    The spear collided with the full body armor and a mouthful of blood was vomitted from the gaps between the head gear. But Samantha too felt a force attacking her abdomen, about 10% of her attack.


    A minor injury was formed.


    But she didn''t care.


    Her eyes were burning with conviction.


    "No one can stop me today!"

 Chapter 1455 Ambush

    <h4>Chapter 1455 Ambush</h4>


    Hiding not too far in the mountains, Varian heaved a sigh of relief. He was waiting for the perfect moment to attack. Preferably when the two fought.


    When the princesses agreed to non-interference and went on with their own work, he was both outraged and disappointed.


    But given the reality of the situation, he had to take a great risk. There''s a small chance of winning and a great chance of losing dying.


    Yet, when he really thought about it, he realized something he had overlooked.


    If he used the period when Samantha was in a critical phase, she would have to pay at least some attention to Fortune Anvil and wouldn''t be able to fight properly.


    In that short period, he''d have to focus on Xe. And he didn''t even need to kill her. He just had to snatch that damn ring away and kill that soul before it could wake up.


    As he waited for Samantha''s project to enter the critical phase, the soaring aura of the soul from the ring began to disturb him.


    He could wait a few more seconds when Princess Snow would be more involved in work, but he feared the possibility of the soul waking up.


    "I''ll attack Xe. Enigma, assist me from behind. Use all your powers. Sarah, assist me at an opportune moment."


    He had given them the instructions and readied himself to lunge forward, to throw himself into danger and strike Xe.


    It was then that a red line appeared on the horizon and Prince Robert shed with Samantha.


    ''Damn it!''


    Varian felt a chill down his spine. A few seconds of change would''ve led to a world of difference.


    ''That bastard was also hiding nearby. He should''ve also wanted to take both of them down.


    Samantha would be most rxed when she''s finished. If he attacked Samantha then, he could''ve killed her instantly.


    But he attacked impulsively and exposed himself¡­''


    Robert must''ve felt the need to stop Samantha from her making that change. Even if it meant his death. Or his goal, whatever it was, stood directly against Samantha''s.


    Varian shook his head and signalled to the women.


    Boom! Boom! Bang!


    The fight was happening in the vicinity of the anvil but the treasure was unaffected by the dangerous aftermath.


    The princess continued to gather the divine auras and pour them into the ring. As long as her mission was fulfilled, she couldn''t care less about anything else.


    It was then¡ª


    Baaang! The sound of space splitting open rang.


    A purple pattern shone on Varian''s heart, forming an armor enveloping his body. The silvery ring on his finger distorted the space-time, allowing him to reach Xe in an instant.


    And the sword Requiem red with red light, the tip of its de aiming right for the princess'' forehead.


    Once struck, the sword would fill her body with the power of death and weaken her soul, incapacitating her.


    Varian used all the artifacts and moved at his full strength, all to end this battle as soon as possible.


    But the one being ambushed, Princess Xe smirked instead of being panicked. "Was waiting for you."


    A glowing silver shield appeared between the sword and her head.


    ng! The world seemed to pause for a moment before a powerful explosion swept the surroundings. The flowers swayed violenty with the wind but did not suffer damage.


    The glow of the shieldsted only for a moment before it dimmed.


    Kacha!


    Xe was about to jump back when two foreign forces acted on her simultaneously.


    Her soul shook briefly and she lost control of her body. Despite that, her body, solely guided by instincts, continued to move. But the flow of time around her distorted, slowing her down.


    The aura around her soared, resisting the changed time flow. Yet, even in the face of such abundant aura, the foreign power still managed to slow her down.


    Requiem pierced through the metal and its tip dug into the princess'' forehead.


    "Damn it!"


    She had anticipated his attack, prepared for it yet failed to stop it.


    ''His treasures¡­he''s been hiding his power!''


    The shield shattered and Xe''s face was revealed. With a sword sticking in her forehead and blood dripping down, she looked on the verge of defeat.


    A mistake.


    Wring! Four earrings materialized on her ears and hummed. Varian''s sense of sight, smell, touch and sound all vanished.


    The world went dark, still, in and quiet.


    It was a scary state to be in. Thankfully, he had already fought against her once and steeled himself for this.


    But there was more.


    Wring! With a hum, One more earring materialized.


    The deste world was still there.


    But simultaneously, in Varian''s mind''s eye, he began to see something else.


    He saw Xe to his left, smelled her scent from right, heard footseps from front and sensed the change in flow of wind from behind.


    Xe was more dangerous than he anticipated.


    Not only could she blind the senses. She could also confuse his mind by creating the wrong input.


    This was a very strong natal treasure. She might be able to win against most, if not all, geniuses in her subrank.


    ''Such a genius¡­chose to hide herself. All for this day, huh.''


    But even her genius proved useless in front of a man who made the word look like a joke.


    The power of space-time rippled from him and the live map of the surroundings etched into his soul perception.


    It''s like a graph, with all sorts of lines representing the space-time curvature.


    Fortune Anvil, due to its massive divine energy, distorted the curvature. Even if he tried to, he coudln''t ignore its ring presence.


    But he also found the princess he was searching for.


    Her presence, as she''s a peak rank 8 was also very noticable.


    ''Xe!''


    The Princess was now attacking Sarah, who ambushed her when the princess tried to kill Varian.


    ''Now''s the chance!''


    Varian''s aura soared and his senses locked onto the ring that''s floating nearby.


    Boom!


    He shot forward.

 Chapter 1456 Brutal Fight

    <h4>Chapter 1456 Brutal Fight</h4>


    At his full speed, Varian experienced the world differently.


    It was like lightning and thunder. He was too fast to hear anything. There was aplete silence in thendscape, as if someone turned the volume off.


    The wind flowing on his skin seemed to burn at a temperature rivallingva.


    The vastndscape in his vision was narrowed to the region just in front.


    "Fuuu~"


    His outstretched hand grabbed the soul ring and invaded it with his soul power. A pure white light flooded the ring before a push back was felt. ''Huh?''


    Varian''s eyes narrowed dangerously.


    The soul wasn''t conscious yet. But it had begun to protect itself subconsciously.


    Sssa!


    Like two waves colliding, the soul powers shed against each other.


    Even though it''s merely subconscious, the defendant had far more power, allowing it to effortlessly block the intrusion.


    Moreover, the divine aura nearby was being drawn into the ring, a bit slower than before but continously nheless. Following each absorption, the soul inside the ring grew a tad stronger.


    "Fuck!"


    A chill shot down Varian''s spine as he realized where this was heading.


    Even without Xe, there''s no stopping the old bastard. Morever, instead of confronting Varian now, he must''ve decided to fully focus on the opportunity and hit peak of rank 9.


    ''Or maybe divine rank¡­he too has it.''


    The touch of divinity, just like the seed which Isadora used to fake her power.


    Considering the worst case scenario, Varian evaluated his options.


    Escape was not possible.


    Once the formations restraining Fortune Spirit kicked into action, the synthetic world would be sealed untilpletion of the ceremony.


    ''We should''ve escaped and risked facing the dukes.''


    The chances of striking peace with those menacing pirs of the kingdom were low but not non-existent.


    With this guy though?


    "Kill¡­Vari..an¡­Hahah¡­wa..it¡­soon¡­"


    The hissing whispers of the aged voice, simmering with anger and resentment, travelled through the shing soul powers and reached Varian.


    "I¡­.you¡­.hell¡­death¡­li..fe¡­"


    The soul wasn''t even conscious yet it was filled with vengeful ravings. Only the deepest convictions of a soul would be uttered in such state. Things that a being absolutely believed with its heart and soul.


    Most souls wouldn''t even have such conviction.


    But this one¡ª


    "K..i..ll¡­"


    "How about you shut up?"


    The power of slivers seeped out of his fingertips. A ck and white thread enveloped the ring, restricting the intake divine aura.


    If it''s typical aura, he should''ve been able topletely iste the ring and keep it in a barren sub-space.


    But this was divine aura, no matter how weak. Without the strength of a divine ranker, it''s rather difficult topete with divine aura.


    Still, with his intervention, Varian prolonged the time needed by the old soul by at least three times.


    "Stop!"


    Sarah''s rmed scream reached him only Xe''s sword reached his skin. Varian slid to the side like he''s skating and the tip of the de ran along his arm.


    The skin split open smoothly, revealing the flesh inside before it too opened up, showing the white arm bone.


    An attack that was barely avoided yet the damage was tremendous.


    "Coward!"


    Xe''s five earrings humed once again and in a blink, deprived him of his physical senses.


    Relying on his space-time perception, Varian moved.


    ng! ng! Metal shed against metal and muscle struck muscle.


    Within just three strikes, Varian lost an arm and a puond of flesh on his back. This was while Xe remained under the affects of Sarah''s and Enigma''s powers.


    The battle wasn''t going well.


    "You won''t be able to stop him. Give up and surrender your life." Xe''s washed in Varian''s hot blood, pointed at him.


    In the distance, Sarah slowly rose to her feet, pressing against therge wound on her abdomen to prevent the bleeding.


    A pale Enigma looked at him with a weary gaze, blood dripping from her nose and lips from overexertion.


    "As I thought¡­winning a peak rank 8 is still hard." Varian lowered his head and muttered under his gaze.


    Noticing his distraction, Xe moved like a ray of light. Her sword aimed for his nape, ready to cut him into two. Even if it wouldn''t immediately kill him, incapacitating him would be enough.


    ''I can draw out those two by holding him hostage.'' Xe''s lips curled into a victorious smile and her eyes brimmed with confidence.


    It was then that the ck and white thread blocking the ring suddenly expanded, forming a cubical boundary enveloping the two.


    ''W-What?''


    A transcendantal force acted in the space, changing the veryws that governed the region. Xe''s surging aura was instantly cut to half.


    Admittedly, such a maniption was difficult even for such a transcendantal force. It managed to keep Xe suppressed for not even a moment as the princess'' aura surged back.


    60%.


    70%.


    80%


    Shuaa!


    Varian''s sword lodged into her chest.


    "Huek!"


    The searing pain from the power of death invading her body caused the princess to convulse and whimper.


    Her aura had fully recovered by now and she channeled it to throw off the intruding power and weapon.


    Even though she was hit with a significant injury, she''d be able to recover in a few minutes and continue her onught.


    That''s why Varian went above and beyond.


    Even as her right hand reached his chest, he focused only on attacking.


    Bang! Kacha! Kraack!


    With the sword remaining in her chest, her ribcage was hit with a flurry of fists that showed no mercy.


    Her bones snapped like twigs and the organs exploded due to the shockwaves that transmitted in despite her body''s best attempt to block them off.


    The few punches to break her neck were blocked by her left hand while her right hand assumed the shape of a w and dug into his chest, cutting through his flesh.


    Varian''s body shuddered for a moment but he kept up his attacks. Like a mad dog intent on killing the prey, he gave it his all.


    His ferocity scared the bloodied princess and she pushed her hand in.


    Lub-Dub! Dab!


    She gripped his pulsing heart in her hand and tightened her hold. A hostile aura engulfed the heart and in a blink, reached every corner of his body through the blood.


    A pain akin tova flowing in one''s body filled the man''s senses.


    "Huh." Varian halted, his face dangerously pale and looked down at her hand grabbing his heart. With a cheeky smile, he said.


    "Heart touching."

 Chapter 1457 Presence Of Mind

    <h4>Chapter 1457 Presence Of Mind</h4>


    "Heart touching."


    rms went off in Xe''s mind.


    She would''ve retreated if it''s anyone else but this bastard was attacking her like a hound, even going as far as to injure himself to keep her engaged.


    So, she did something else. She crushed his heart and punched up.


    The fist sted through his bones, rising right out of his shoulder.


    The sight was incredibly gory as blood spurted out like water out of a pipe and chunks of flesh rained. The sweet smell of the flowers was tainted by the heavy iron of blood.


    "Come on, keep attacking!" Xe gripped his bloodied shoulder with her arm running through his chest and yanked down hard. "You weak loser!"


    Like a paper cutout being torn, Varian''s arm, right from the shoulder socket was torn off.


    The princess'' beautiful dress was now drenched in blood. Her pretty face,pletely red, looked like a piece of eerie art.


    Varian staggered back, a surge of weakness taking over his body. Rather than his torn shoulder, it was the hostile aura seeped in his blood that pained him more.


    But he didn''t have the luxury to pick and choose.


    Xe stepped on his broken arm, crushing it to pieces and raised her sword at him.


    Even though he appeared weak and pitiful, she wasn''t much better.


    The woman''s body was riddled with injuries. Except the region above her neck which she guarded, there were bloodied fist depressions everywhere else.


    Each of these injuries were glowing with a menacing dark reddish hue. The power of death filled her body, weakening her every second.


    Her strength fell by at least a third. Unless she took a break, she wouldn''t be getting to her peak anytime soon. Of course, they wouldn''t let her.


    "If he didn''ty im to your life, I''d have killed you already." Xe growled in anger.


    ''What? Really?''


    Varian''s eyes lit up and without a second thought, he jumped at her, his only arm aiming for her chin.


    The next few minutes witnessed the most brutal and gory fight in Cradle so far.


    Fingers were ripped apart. Arms were torn into two. Chunks and chunks of flesh flew into the air. A small pond of blood was created despite thend actively absorbing the liquid.


    "Haah! Haa! Haa!"


    Varian''s body, looking like one of theb models of flesh and bones until now, began to recover and started to resemble a human.


    "You beast!"


    Xe hunched over and panted heavily. Color was drained from her face and one of her arm was ripped off. Unlike Varian, she couldn''t recover it due to the nasty death power that kept interfering.


    "Why do you struggle so much? Even if you kill me, you can''t stop him. Your death is inevitable." The princess'' voice was gone hoarse and weak, but the certainity in it was unquestionable.


    Hearing her words, Sarah who was kneeling in the distance, coughing blood clenched her fists.


    With Varian engaging that woman, she managed tond a few critical strikes, dealing great damage. But Xe wasn''t an idiot. She nearly killed Sarah twice.


    If not for Enigma pushing beyond her limits, things might have been very different. Due to those few interferences, Enigma was the most exhausted among the three.


    "You are such an actor¡­concealing your strength until the very end," Preparing herself for her death, Xe bit her lip with resentment while she steadied her sword.


    ''I''m not. I only grew stronger during the battle¡­but still nowhere enough to defeat you in your peak.'' Varian didn''t say that out loud.


    Thanks to sheer grit and some luck, they managed to win this battle. But killing her was another matter.


    ''We''ll have to hurry.'' Varian nced at his wives and they blinked in eptance.


    Sarah jumped in front of Xe, arm still trembling from the hostile aura attacking her body.


    Varian and Enigma jumped. Straight at the formations doing their job on the fortune spirit.


    "Wait! What the fuck are you doing?"


    Xe tried to stop but Sarah blocked her off.


    But the two didn''t reach the formations as two auras that ventured off into the distance intervened.


    Robert and Samantha, both heavily injured and exhausted, looked at them with cold eyes.


    "What are you doing?"


    "If you touch the formations, we''ll both attack you."


    Varian''s body moved seamlessly in the air, shielding Enigma behind his back and ring at the two.


    The couple could fight the two. But the best they could aplish would be killing one. The survivor would end them.


    And even in a miracluous case where they both survived, the old soul would have waken up.


    ''Fighting is only going to lead us to death. Another way. Another¡­'' Varian''s brain spun fast.


    "If anyone of you supports me, I''ll help you fight your enemy."


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    His intentions were clear but neither Samantha nor Robert could outright refuse.


    "Samantha, you want an equal society, right? A utopia? Support me and I''ll help you kill Robert. He''s the one standing between you and your dream!" Varian said in a passionate voice.


    Samantha''s body trembled for a moment and she almost nodded.


    Robert spat some blood and red at him. "Are you fucking stupid? If everyone is equal, then where will the geniusese from? Who will be the pirs of the kingdom? The race needs geniuses! The race needs a powerful sub-ss to guard it against all dangers!


    What the prians need is not less inequality but more! I havee prepared and I''ll do the job!


    If you have anymon sense, support me and kill this lunatic!"


    Samantha''s eyes burned with fury.


    Robert dered his reasons foring here during their fight.


    One, killing Varian for personal reasons. Two, capturing Enigma. Three, changing the distribution of anima and making it more extreme, so that Prians could have more geniuses, improving the race''s chance of getting a divine ranker and more rank 9s.


    Of course, other than the first, the goals were actually set by Martial Saint Kong.


    "No, support me!"


    "No! Me!"


    The situation turned around in an instant.

 Chapter 1458 Sorry Not Sorry

    1458 Sorry Not Sorry


    Neither Samantha nor Robert dared to attack Varian first.


    The first mover would be dered enemy and face the assault of three warriors!


    Samantha couldn''t bear to give up her mission aftering so far.


    Martial Saint might tolerate him failing all the missions but he''d never tolerate him letting Samantha distort the kingdom he oversaw. Robert knew for certain that even if he killed everyone here, if he let the damage happen, Martial Saint won''t leave him alive.


    ''Anything for the greater good.''


    ''I''ll kill this bastardter. But I can''t let that bitch ruin everything.''


    Putting aside their grudge with Varian, they prepared very rational arguments to persuade the man.


    With an earnest expression, Samantha began.


    "You''ve seen how badly the spiritless are treated, right? They''re like livestock for the disgusting nobility to feast on. They can''t even live with dignity. Parents selling their chil¡­"


    Varian just wasn''t interested in the moral lecture. Sure, the situation of Prians was apalling. Any normal person would feel pity for the poor souls. But he wasn''t here to save anyone.


    ''Soul locking, Everdream¡­''


    While pretending to listen, he stared studying the formations acting on the Fortune Spirit.


    ''The formations aren''t designed to restrain the spirit through brute strength. Application of rank 9 power would undermine Cradle''s stability. The Spirit must be in a dream it can''t get out of. But if it can be awakened,''


    Varian''s soul power stirred, calcting the steps he needed to wake one out of the induced slumber.


    "¡­people are all equal. There is no one superior or inferior. Any system that puts one above another is inherently evil and must be demolished.


    Now is the chance to make the call. Stand on the right side of history. Good over evil."


    Samantha''s passionate speech ended and she gazed at Varian with an intense gaze. Her eyes were shining with a brilliant light, likemps driving away darkness.


    If there was one irrefutable thing, it''s that Samantha believed everything she said. Many were like grass, bending with the wind. They held no firms convictions of their own and could be persuaded, cajoled or threatened into submission.


    But Samantha, even if she had just a single finger left, would try to fulfill her mission with that one finger.


    She''s like a tall tree that wouldn''t wield against even the harshest of winds. But that''s why, unlike grass that would survive the tempests, she''d be broken first.


    "Nonsense! Utter nonsense! Samantha, you never answered me. If everyone is equal, who will be the pirs?"


    Robert, unable to control the surging rage, roared.


    Samantha''s gaze wavered for a moment before she fiercly argued. "Everyone will be a pir! Besides, we still have the existing generation. When the timees, the hardworkers of this generation will take up the mantle! It''s a non-issue!"


    "Ridiculous! So you say talent is not important to bing a pir?"


    "Of course it isn''t! Everyone has a base talent. If they work hard, they have a chance of reaching the higher ranks."


    "Then where are those who reached higher ranks from a normal talent? Only a handful of higher ranks I know have a normal talent."


    "Then are you saying people don''t need to live properly? Do they have to be trampled? We are all created by All Mother Asherah. She never differentiated between us. Why should we devalue a fellow prian?"


    The debate grew more and more intense. Thankfully, the two were educated. But even more importantly, they were civil. So, instead of using childish curses, they tried to present their positions as convincingly as possible.


    It''s just the man this debate ran for was focused elsewhere.


    ''Oh? There is also a protection formation? Once you enter the dream, your soul gets attacked and slowly fuses into Fortune Anvil.


    But to prevent any contestants from identally getting killed, there are features to not target anyone with a physical body.


    Oh boy, oh boy.''


    Varian''s gaze down to the floating ring in front of the Anvil. Its aura continued to rise, slowly but steadily inching toward high rank 9.


    Going from high rank 9 to peak rank 9 would take thrice as long aspared to going from mid to high rank 9.


    ''That means I have some time. But the window of opportunity is small¡ªbefore the spirit gets fully assimted and loses its sense of self and also before the old bastard wakes up.''


    "¡­and it''s time formon sense to prevail. Her ideas sound good. But that''s all they do. They are suitable for books. Not in reality. There cannot be a world of equality for the very existence of life is inequal.


    People aren''t born equal. They don''t live equally. Nor do they die equally. But I''ll concede that perhaps death is the least inequal of all. But even the death of a king and amoner are different.


    It is nature nature of life itself. Its inherent quality. If you remove that, then you''re taking the soul out of a race."


    Robert too, concluded his speech, with equal passion.


    He didn''t notice it himself but the prince detested a world like that as much as due to personal reasons as due to his beliefs.


    Hailed as a genius since childhood, he could not fathom not being the center of attention, could not imagine a world where his natural talents would not bloom and could not and a life where he wouldn''t lead an army to the border.


    The prince and princess, both withpletely opposite beliefs they believed with equal passion, now turned to Varian with a stern gaze.


    There was no pleading in their eyes contrary to the beginning.


    As they spoke about their deeply held convictions, at some point, both of them decided that even if they had to fight against three, they would do so and still try to win.


    No, they must win.


    ''I can understand their passions. Honestly, it''s a tricky subject.'' Varian clicked his tongue and opened his mouth.


    The two waited with an eager gaze, their fists clenched and breaths held.


    "As the Emperor of Human Race,"


    Varian began with a solemn gaze. And as he did, he also started sending some information to Enigma through the soul link.


    She too had been deciphering the formations following his instructions but due to his familiarity with a lot of paths and the experience that came with wielding the slivers, he was able to decode far more than her.


    "I understand the issue is very serious. I have once fought for a world of peace from external enemies. You are fighting for peace from internal elements.


    Our problems, circumstances and methods maybe different but we all want the good of our people in the end."


    Varian''s words were a surprise to the two. He was actually speaking sense!


    In Samantha''s defense, the ''brother-inw'' was arrogant, lustful and headstrong.


    From Robert''s perspective, this man was a cheater who hid his strength and humiliated him in front of everyone.


    So, the two were, understandbly, surprised at the unlikely words ofmon but important wisdom.


    "I know you''re not so bad! Pick the right side! I swear on my honor I''ll treat you forever as my ally! I''ll give up my life for you after this if harm were to fall on you!" Samantha urged.


    "¡­I will," Robert struggled to let go of the grudge. After all, it''s his sole reason for sacrificing his future and cutting off his lifespan. But he figured he could say things even if he didn''t mean them.


    What''s the harm? By the time Varian would realize, the deed would''ve long been done.


    "I promise to treat you as my ally and best friend. There shall be no more grudges between brothers. Come to the right side.


    Let Prians stand proud in the gctic arena. Let the geniuses of other kingdoms see the greatness of our civilization.


    Come, brother. This is the time for the right call. I trust your judgement."


    Robert gave up all shame and used all the tricks in the book. Looking at Varian''s face that''s still a bit conflicted, he went a step further.


    "Oh, my best friend is a man who cherishes women at heart. What''s wrong with that? It''s only natural.


    So, how about this?


    I am solely focused on my divine path. I hold no woman in my heart. But to satiate my elders, I epted a woman as my fiance.


    If you ept the proposal, I shall bestow you upon her¡­"


    "¡­"


    Varian grabbed Enigma''s hand. A ck and white light struck the numerous formations.


    Like being sucked into a vacuum cleaner, the two were pulled in.


    "W-What?"


    "The heck are you doing? Stop right now!"


    Varian was quietly nning to slip away into the formations but this bastard''s atrocious words deserved a reply. He paused at the final moment and flipped a middle finger.


    "Sorry not sorry, but I am not someone who bes best friends or brothers with a pimp."

 Chapter 1459 Spectator

    1459 Spectator


    It was a sunny day.


    Young Varian had woken up early at dawn and ran to the ground without eating anything.


    Sia, who had woken him up, rubbed her drowsy eyes and fell back asleep for an hour. She remained on bed for an hour.


    While this happened, a soul inside her, one all too familiar, moved restlessly.


    ''Hey! He can get injured!''


    ''Move already!''


    ''Last time, he almost got devoured by a mega cat! Sia, oh, Sia!''


    In the soulscape of the perfect hybrid existed a white room. It was pristine and cute.


    A younger Enigma, looking around fifteen or sixteen, just a bit older than Sia and Varian walked in the room.


    Her fists were clenched and an impatient expression adorned her cute face. Unlike the outside, she was more expressive here.


    Dressed in a pure ck dress that set off nicely against her white skin, she paced back and forth, fidgeting and biting her lips.


    ''Enigma? Did she grow younger?''


    The sight of the room grew closer and closer. As it did, the smell ofvender reached him.


    When he felt like he ''stepped'' into the room, his body or rather, his soul, felt rxed like he''s soaking in a hot spring.


    ''Wait, why the hell am I here?''


    For a moment, there was sense of confusion. Then like ag had been fixed, the memories in the back of his mind came crashing.


    ''Oh¡­right!''


    "Enigma! Wake up! Enigma! We''re in the formation and need to find the Fortune Spirit!"


    Varian, as a soul, waved his hand in front of Enigma, who''s also a soul.


    But she seemed oblivious to his presence and continued to worry.


    Eventually when she couldn''t take it anymore, she closed her eyes and a gentle power emanated from her, tugging at the link that she shared with Sia.


    "Hmm? What? It''s morning already?"


    In real world, Sia turned around in bed and grumbled with a tinge of resentment at the sun foring up too early. But when she realized it''s still 5:00 AM, she wanted to punch someone.


    "I want to sleep, woo," She hugged the pillow and rolled around on bed. "Varian, why did you stop sleeping with me? What if we grew a bit older? You idiot."


    11:56


    She cursed softly and yfully even with a drowsy mind.


    Varian enjoyed watching her. He missed those carefree days.


    Train. Sleep. Repeat.


    This day was a bit before he suffered from inferiorityplex as an unawakened. No, this was when he''s still young and hopeful.


    Back then, he sensed that Sia was acting a bit¡­clingy and tried to maintain some distance. It''s not that he hated her but as a good boy, he didn''t want to give any wrong signals for things she might''ve not intended.


    "Ahhh, I''ll go check on him." Sia put on a hoodie and gym pants.


    But before reaching the door, Varian''s clothes that he discarded before putting on training clothes entered her sight.


    Sia''s eyes grew brighter, like more oil was poured into themp light.


    "Wait a minute¡­" Varian tilted his head in confusion. He sensed something was off. "Sia, don''t do it." Enigma''s soul in the white room, a bit away from him, stomped her foot. "This is not the time! Urgh! No, no! You can sniff his clothester!"


    "She is doing what?" Varian''s jaw dropped and he too turned to the ''outside''.


    With a supressed chuckle, Sia brought his clothes and slowly slipped back into her room. With a bang, the door was shut.


    Unfortunately for them, since they were literally ''inside'' her, they could see everything.


    "Hnggh~ Your smell~"


    "Annghh~"


    "Why am I feeling sooo weird? It''s all your fault!"


    For the next ten minutes, both outside her soul world and inside, only the lustful moans of a teen rang.


    Varian slumped into a sofa that somehow existed in this white room.


    The young Enigma was there, right beside him, her hands covering her face which somehow was blushing even in her soul state.


    But there were gaps between her fingers and she was peeking through. And her gaze was not on Sia but on the shorts and shirt.


    "¡­"


    Varian looked up at the ceiling and sighed in defeat.


    Was he wrong?


    Was he not the predator but the prey?


    ''The fact that I protected my innocence from these two, I must''ve been blessed by the stars.''


    "Hey! Sia! Get up already! Check on his training!"


    The Young Enigma regained her senses at some point and began yelling. Perhaps it had some effect.


    Sia frowned for a moment, maybe Enigma''s efforts bore some fruit. She tapped her fingers before checking the clock.


    5:30 AM.


    ''I spent 30 minutes sniffing? Eeek!''


    She quickly ced the clothes back in their ce and rushed out of the home.


    In the park not too far, she found the young Varian, doing one hand push ups with a bunch of weight on his back.


    "Phew~ Looks like he''s okay this time."


    Sia sighed in relief before surveying the surroundings.


    A hyper-deer, one famous for its quick temper and formidable strength,y froathing.


    Its legs were twitching even as it''s conscious and there were clear fist and shoe prints on its hide.


    "Tsk, he went at it again."


    Young Varian was¡­not very kind to the beasts he used for training. At least he didn''t kill¡­because he couldn''t afford topensate.


    It''s a ''bit'' illegal to attack animals in the park but he defended himself eloquently.


    Even now, Varian could recall his defense.


    ''Who didn''t break a few rules when they were young and naive?''


    "¡­Little bastard." Varian clicked his tongue in amusement.


    "Varian¡­"


    The young Enigma muttered with longing.


    "Huh, what?"


    Unaware that a ''Varian'' of the future was just next to her, she continued looking at the teen in the park with an intense gaze.


    As the young Sia gave her Varian an energy drink and a fruit, Enigma began to mutter with a bit of envy and a lot of affection.


    "He doesn''t like banana after Wednesday training. He''ll prefer an orange¡­"

 Chapter 1460 A Silent Voice

    1460 A Silent Voice


    At Enigma''s rather detailed but confusing words, Varian''s mind spun.


    He quickly dug into his memories which were now perfectly stored thanks to his soul powers.


    And it''s just as she said.


    Due to the kind of training he did on wednesdays, he preferred an orange, not a banana today.


    But that''s something even the young Varian himself did not notice. Nor did Sia who helped him everyday.


    The day continued, so did Enigma''s words.


    Be it in the sses at school with Sia, when an acquaintance asked him for help. Varian tried to refuse but the guy was too pushy, so he epted with a begrudging expression. Sia asked him if she should help but the young Varian waved his hand and said he''d take care of it.


    "Sia, Varian slept in that lesson three weeks ago. Help him out!"


    Or when they were in yground, trying to find a third member for a team sport.


    "Sia, Varian thinks that pink haired girl is annoying. She reminds him of something bad. His palms even sweat when she tries to talk to him! Get away from him!"


    Even when they walk back home side by side, Sia stopping by for a cool drink.


    "Sia, Varian wants that dessert but fears breaking his training. Please buy him one. That fool is too stubborn."


    And after the evening training and fresh up, when they bid each other good night before falling onto their beds.


    "Varian is feeling a bit¡­odd today. He looks a bit sad." Hugging her knees, Engima muttered with a sad face. "Are you alright?"


    "¡­"


    There was a long silence in the white room before dissolved into nothing as Enigma fell asleep.


    In a world of nothingness, Enigma floated like an angel.


    It waspletely dark and even with his powers, Varian could only make out his immediate surroundings.


    ''So this was the darkness she spoke out. And Enigma spent centuries here¡­all alone until she woke up with Sia.''


    Looking at her sleeping face, Varian couldn''t feel anything than pity. He gently rubbed her hair and sighed. "Enigma¡­"


    It was hard to understand why she cared for him so much. He didn''t even know she existed.


    Time quickly passed and things continued as usual.


    One day, when Sia was still sleeping, the young Varian came up to her and gently rubbed her hair.


    After ensuring she''s really asleep, he said. "Thank you for being in my life. I don''t know what I''d do without you. I will get to the top and be the Emperor¡­but without you, it''d be really lonely."


    He said the words he wouldn''t utter otherwise. But they were sincere and came from the bottom of his heart.


    "Varian, me too," Enigma muttered in a quiet voice. "Thank you for being in my life. Watching you like this everyday¡­trying so hard¡­it fills me with hope. Maybe one day, maybe one for sure¡­I can wake up from this darkness and see the world."


    The usually indifferent and cold expression she had on the outside was nowhere to be seen. There''s only a heartfelt smile on her beautiful face


    "There''s a lot of things I want to do. I want to try your favorite cake, train a bit with you¡­but not as much as you, hehe, I hate blood. Oh and maybe a long walk in the park, just the two of us?"


    It was the yearning of a young girl, filled with tender feelings.


    "Maybe if I too try everyday, just like you¡­if I don''t give up, if I don''t despair, maybe one day, I too can see the bright world."


    Tears were swirling in her eyes but she clenched her fist and nodded with a resolute expression.


    Like a puppet whose strings were cut, Varian copsed onto the sofa. He tried to stop but the corner of his eyes turned red. Sadness crashed onto his soul, wave after wave, crushing his heart into pieces.


    He tried to hug the young girl on the verge of tears but his arms passed through her and offered her no sce.


    Yes...


    He was living a normal life, training and living with Sia.


    But how were those years for Enigma?


    She could see the world but had no one talk to. This whiteroom was the only thing she could create to feel that she''s not lost. But she was. It''s undeniable.


    Not only was she lost in this endless soulspace, she was also locked in a prison she couldn''t get out of.


    It was a horrible life that would break would drive even the most hopeful to despair.


    Yet, here she was.


    "But if that day neveres and if I never get to see the outside, if I can never live a life beyond this prison, then that too is okay." There was a trace of serenity in her young voice.


    Enigma was born long ago but mentally, she was just a year or two older than Sia. So, it was unexpected for her to speak with that maturity.


    "If my hopes are all vanquished, then as long as I still can see you, living your life, achieving your dreams, I can find peace in that.


    Your happiness will be my happiness.


    Your pain will be my pain.


    Your dreams will be my dreams."


    These weren''t empty words. They came from the heart of her hearts.


    If everything he saw formation induced andpletely fabricated, if even his memories of Fortune Anvil and its trial were all false, even then, the words she uttered would still be the truth.


    The young Enigma wiped off her tears and cheered herself up.


    "That day wille soon! Once I''m out, I wonder how surprised you''ll be? Hehehe¡­but maybe you''ll be scared. I don''t want to make you ufortable. How should I¡­talk to you?"


    The youngdy lowered her head and muttered. Her back appeared especially frail as she realized something sad.


    "I know everything about you and you¡­know nothing about me.


    Will you ever feel what I feel toward you?"

 Chapter 1461 Welcome

    <h4>Chapter 1461 Wee</h4>


    The days continued to pass.


    The young Varian and Sia continued on with their daily lives.


    Everyday, Enigma would try to break out of the prison she woke up in and fail. But she would keep trying.


    Unsurprisingly, there''s not much she could do from the inside to break the prison.


    Due to Isadora''s unconscious will that dominated this ce, Enigma couldn''t break free. It''s not that Isadora wanted anything bad against Enigma but when she fell into aa, the external environment was very hostile.


    Isadora must''ve been trying to prevent Enigma from getting into any danger.


    This would change as Sia grew stronger and her unconscious will eventually recognizing the world as safe.


    Of course, the critical part of brekathrough was Sia''s mental defense which would crumble on Varian''s birthday.


    Initially, Varian stayed with her thinking the young Enigma held the key for getting out of the formation. But it dawned on him that it''s not it.


    ''Where is Enigma?''


    He assumed she was in a different dream altogether but after analyzing this dreamscape down to its roots, he understood that there''s a good chance she might be in the same dream.


    Then came the question, if Enigma didn''t hold the key to getting out of this dream, then who did?


    As he ruminated over the problem, the ''real'' world continued.


    For inexplicable reasons, the timeline distorted and fast forwarded, jumping months at times.


    A lot changed.


    Sia awakened. So did many of their peers at school.


    Varian did not.


    It was still in the early stages but people were pointing fingers at the hardworking boy who everyone thought would be a talented awakener.


    As days passed and 90% of the students awakened, a noticable shift had already ured.


    Varian and a few unlucky students were branded as outcasts. The unawakened weren''t mistreated on their face. After all, some people did awakente. But they were seen as defective.


    A few newly awakened tried to bully Varian. He dealt with them swiftly thanks to his strength but getting into fights wasn''t a pleasant matter. Especially not with those you thought were your friends just weeks ago.


    Still, Varian continued to be optimistic. Hope, after all, was abundant in this young boy who carried great dreams on his shoulders.


    Even though they were grandiose to the point of absurdity, if a man couldn''t even dream, then what could he even achieve?


    And then, even thest member of the ss awakened.


    Except Varian.


    A few more weeks passed.


    And people''s patience¡­seemed to have run out.


    Varian became the target of bullying. From the corridors to ygrounds, in the sses to meals, the boys who envied his poprity at school started their revenge.


    They weren''t adults yet but they were no children. The teenagers grouped together and tried to bully the boy who was beyond their reach not too long ago.


    Since they were still newbies, Varian was winning most fights. But when they grouped together, all he could do was flee.


    The ''pride'' which stemmed from devoting years to practice prevented him from seeking help, even from Sia.


    As a result, he had more bruises and cuts. A few fractures and ligament tears weremon.


    When questioned about his sudden increase in injuries, he''d answer with the one answer that''d never go wrong.


    Training.


    Sia was growing suspicious. She had already warned a few who were talking ill of Varian. But she didn''t know the extent of what he was facing.


    And then one day, she witnessed him fighting four boys in the alley behind the school.


    She didn''t yell them to stop or ask why they were fighting. The first thing she did was beat them all up and then bring Varian to the infirmary.


    The whole time, Varian avoided her gaze. Understanding his feelings, Sia didn''t ask anything.


    But after that day, more than a dozen boys had to take long breaks after breaking their legs and arms.


    The bullying had dropped due to the scary rumors that quickly spread. People still gave him bad looks and gossiped but that''s all they could do. That''s all they could dare to without inciting the wrath of the school genius.


    Young Varian continued with his training in hopes for awakening, even though he''s sote.


    Nothing happened.


    On a fine day, Young Sia and Varian were engaged in a conversation while Enigma watched with twinkling eyes.


    "What do you want for your birthday?"


    "A kiss."


    "Wh-What?"


    "Hahahahaha! I''m joking, I want a good sports shoes."


    "¡­My pocket money won''t be enough."


    "Hey, I just want a good cake. The one from the old store."


    "The owner bakes only a few everyday. Ummm, I guess I''ll have to line up early. Consider it done."


    "Sia is the best!"


    "That I am!"


    *** *** *** ***


    "Come to think of it, is it around this time that Sia awakened her second power?" Varian rubbed his chin.


    Sia first awakened in mind path. Then it was Gravity¡ªthe path tied to Enigma''s origin.


    "The timeflow of this world is different from the outside. A few seconds should''ve passed outside. But there''s no telling what might happen. I have to hurry."


    Enigma wasn''t the solution for cracking this dream.


    "I have to do something¡­wait," Varian stood up and his eyes widened. "I am."


    His vision warped and he reached the young Varian. Perhaps because he''s a soul, he was able to get in.


    With the sound of a balloon popping, the world shifted and he found himself sitting next to the bed.


    In front of him was the young Sia, disying her gravity powers. Two paths weren''t strange but a second awakening was.


    "Varian¡­is something wrong with me?" Sia opened her mouth cautiously. "Am I..."


    "It''s fine." Varian''s mouth moved without his instructions. "We just have to tell everyone that you hid your second power. Or you can keep hiding your second power."


    "Is that so," Sia pursed her lips and lowered her head. Her tense shoulders rxed. What vexed her wasn''t how she had to manage the power but what he''d think of her if something strange like that happened to her.


    "Thank you¡­.."


    The conversation flowed, just as it did in the past.


    Varian''s soul in his younger self''s body struggled to gain control. The key to cracking this dream was his younger self. He couldn''t let the opportunity slip by.


    ''Fight! Fight! Fight!''


    "¡ªight!"


    Varian''s loud roar caused Sia to cover her ears insintinctively. ring at him with a hint of confusion, she asked. "What the hell was that?"


    "Haa! Huff! Huff!"


    Varian exhaled heavily, his palms slick with sweat.


    "What happened to you?" Sia raised an eyebrow and quickly reached for a cloth to wipe off his sweat. "You were talking just fine and suddenl¡ª"


    "Young Sia, errr, Sia, I have something crazy to confess." Varian wiped the sweat off his forehead and said with a solemn expression.


    Sia straightened her back and folded her hands on her thighs. With a sorrowful gaze, she lowered her head. "It''s about my second awakening, right? I know it''s weird."


    Varian rubbed the back of his head. "It''s impossible for one person to awaken twice. There''s only one origin."


    "I know, bu¡ª"


    "What if there are more people¡­inside you?"


    "Are you crazy?"


    Puff!


    Varian caught the pillow she threw at him and raised his hands.


    "Just think for a moment. There are people with multiple personalities. It''s not so out of possibility if there are people with multiple souls."


    "But souls, are they even a thing?" Sia tilted her head.


    Ah, right. Human Federation was against such concepts, calling them outdated. That''s also the education they recieved.


    "Then how about different senses of self? Different minds?" Varian continued to press on.


    Sia looked him in the eye. "What are you trying to say?"


    "If you have two paths than one, then you must also have two souls than one."


    "Are you reading some strange stuff again?"


    "Please."


    "Even if you say that, I can''t see this anything more than a prank."


    Varian thought for a moment before holding her hands. "Close your eyes, meditate on your self."


    "Myself?" Sia closed her eyes and mumbled.


    "Yes. The focus of your mediation isn''t a me or darkness but yourself. Use your mind powers, try to dig in deep. What do you see?"


    "¡­Darkness. But it''s moving¡­?"


    "Dive deeper. Go into the darkness."


    "It''s scary, I can''t."


    Varian tightly held Sia''s trembling hands and urged. "You can do it. I am with you."


    "I am going deeper."


    "Dive in more. What do you see?"


    "Darkness."


    "More."


    "More."


    "More."


    "¡­I feel like I''m hitting something. Eeh, have I gone mad?" Sia almost opened her eyes but thankfully, Varian managed to prevent her.


    "That barrier. Yes, strike it with your power."


    "Wh-What? But I have no power."


    "Your mind is the power. Imagine it cracking."


    "Okay."


    Kacha! "Eh? Ah? Eeeh?"


    A light enveloped the young Sia and her body proportions changed.


    Varian gave a tired smile to the bewildered youngdy.


    "Wee to the world, Enigma."


    Crack!


    The dream broke.

 Chapter 1462 Convincing Someone

    <h4>Chapter 1462 Convincing Someone</h4>


    "Va-Varian? W-What is happening? Why am I here?" The young Enigma sat on the bed flustered, her legs shaking as she tried to get away from him in panic but with her hands held tight in his warm hands, there''s nothing she could do.


    "You need to wake up." Varian pointed to the distorting world around them.


    The room was dissolving, as if a building built by many blocks was being dismantled, block by block.


    That wasn''t it.


    Even the ck sky was also breaking, turning into a dull gray. So did the ground. The nts. The flowers.


    Everything was dissolving.


    "Va-Varian! What''s happening?" Enigma''s lips trembled and she looked at him with a teary gaze. "Am I not supposed to be here? Is that why everything is ending?"


    Varian didn''t respond to her questions. Rather, he held her in his arms like she''s a princess and started walking out of the home.


    "Varian! Watch your right, a tree is falling!"


    Boom!


    "A car is heading this way! It''s driving system failed!"


    Crash!


    Even now, she was more concerned about him than her own life.


    The young body of his hadn''t awakened and wasn''t very strong. But thanks to his powerful soul, Varian didn''t worry.


    Rather, he stroked Enigma''s hair as he ran towards the unnamed destination.


    Only when he swiftly dodged the dangers did the youngdy brought up the question. "Wh-Where are we going?"


    "Back to the real world."


    "Real world?" Enigma muttered in confusion.


    "Yep!"


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The world around him distorted and then shrunk. Everything turned gray except for the piece ofnd under him and the patch of sky above.


    "Where are we¡­" Enigma hugged his neck tight and bit her lips. "I''ll just go back! Everything will be alright. Send me back. I''ll nevere out agai¡ª"


    "Shhh," Varian ced a finger on her lips. "The world isn''t ending because of you. And even if it did, I''d be fine with it. You are worth way more than any world to me."


    "I¡­I¡­what¡­" Enigma''s face turned beet red, from her slender neck all the way to the tip of her ears. "What are you saying?"


    "Should I say it in simple words?" Varian chuckled and whispered in her ear.


    "Stupid Enigma, I love you."


    The Enigma in his hands froze for a moment before she fainted.


    The soul of adult Enigma surfaced from her body and hugged him. Coming out of the younger self''s body, Varian too hugger her.


    Everything went gray.


    *** *** ***


    "L-Let me just bury my head somewhere." Enigma, back to her present form, lowered her head as she followed behind Varian.


    "You were adorable." Varianughed as he continued on the misty road.


    They were still in the ''dream'' but it''s not their dream anymore. It''s the dream of the Fortune Spirit.


    "Were?" Enigma''s voice rose without her realizing it.


    "Meaning, you are more adorable now." Varian said with a smirk, without panicking at all.


    Falling to such traps was something only novices would do. As the head of the household with three strong wives who are sometimes very stubborn, he got skills befitting his position.


    "R-Right," Enigma smiled.


    She was watching the whole thing but was in the young Enigma''s soul like a spectator. She only managed to wake up in thest minute.


    Their surroundings quietly changed and they saw a young girl sobbing under a tree. With a ghostly white aura, she sat hugging her knees all alone.


    "Fortune Spirit."


    Varian knelt in front of her to match her eye level.


    "Wooo-W-What?! How did youe here?"


    "You have to return." He said with a smile and pointed to the quiet world that resembled the countryside. "The moment I broke my dream, this world was weakened. Let''s go."


    "No. Everyone hates me. Every single time." The Spirit shook her head vehemently.


    Varian raised an eyebrow. "You have the memories of the previous spirits? Or is it just you reincarnating again and again?"


    "I got some memories here." The petite Spirit leaned her back against the tree and spoke in a weak voice. "I just want to go back to my home. But they all hate me doing so for some reason. Rather than being hated, I would rather be here."


    The Spirit raised her hand and an apple fell from the tree.


    "Here," She gave it to him. "This is a sweet fruit. I can create as many fruits as I want here. Hehe, isn''t it amazing?"


    Varian shook his head and patted her head.


    "Hey!"


    Ignoring the spirit''s protest, he gently caressed her head. "It can be scary outside but locking ourselves inside is not the solution. It''s just running away. It won''t solve anything.


    There will be times when you realize what you really are doing and in those times, you''ll hate yourself."


    The spirit hung her head low.


    Perhaps she was already hating herself for doing such a cowardly thing.


    "I feel like a bad person. If everyone hates what I''m doing, then maybe I''m doing something wrong." She said, choking.


    "Well then little girl, I have a lesson for you." Varian stood up and said in a loud, cheerful voice.


    The spirit lifted her head and parted her lips. "Huh? What is it, Uncle?"


    Varian''s energetic expression copsed and he almost fell to the ground. "Your uncle, I''m not your Uncle!"


    "B-But you called me little girl¡­"


    "If I call you father, will you call me son? Don''t be stupid!"


    "I''m not stupid."


    "Yes you are!" Varian folded his arms and nodded. "You think you''re wrong just because everyone says you''re wrong! That''s stupid."


    "No, that''smon sense! Even though I never lived with others, I have somemon sense from birth." The spirit stood up and argued, pointing fingers at him.


    Varian made a sad expression, like the doctor about to announce to a father that his son had gone impotent. "Then it''s not your fault. Your factory settings were wrong from the start."


    "F-Factory settings? What do you mean?" The spirit yelled with a confused but offended expression.


    "Anyway," Varian waved his hand, "If everyone thinks you''re wrong, f¡ªI mean, they''re in the wrong.


    People didn''t believe I could be the ruler of my civilization.


    I said this to elderly in old age homes, theyughed. So did the kids at the orphanage. Oh and the noisy uncles and aunts in the neighborhood.


    Even though I kept saying it from my childhoo, none of them believed me. But here I am, not only the ruler but also the most badass one at that."


    "B-Big Brother, if a kid goes around spouting stuff like that, it''s normal tough. Children talk a lot of silly stuff."


    "You''re rig¡ªbut anyways! The point is, you don''t need everyone to believe in you. If you believe in yourself, that''s enough."


    "But I can''t! Since they all oppose me and hate, they must have a good reason. My birth must''ve been a mistake!" The spirit''s eyes started to water.


    Varian sighed and gently bent down. Then, he started pulling her cheeks.


    "Listen here you little brat, I''ve been through a very emotional moment with my wife and I have neither the energy nor the time to lift your hollowed spirits.


    I''ll just say this, the people based on whose opinions you''re throwing your life away for won''t even think about you for a moment once they''re out of this little world.


    So, think for yourself. This is your life. If you die, it''s over!"


    The more he spoke, the more passionate he got in his speech and the more the spirit''s cheeks were pulled .


    "Wukay, wukaay, naw staaf my shiks!" The spirit tried to speak but only gibberish came out.


    "Huh? Speak english, little brat!" Varian pulled her cheeks even more.


    "Waaa!" The spirit shook her head back and forth before freeing herself from his clutches.


    Rubbing her swollen, reddened cheeks, she red at him. "How will I speak if you grab my cheeks?"


    "That''s irrelevant!" Varian snorted, shamelessly ignoring what he''d done. "Are youing or not?"


    The spirit stood up and dusted off her dress. Looking at her toes, she said in a meek tone. "I-I''m not suspecting you''re using me or anything, but why are you asking me toe out?"


    "Because I''m using you to kill an enemy outside."


    The spirit froze and looked at him with a betrayed expression.


    Varian shrugged with a nonchnt expression. "What? Risking my life to save a someone I barely know is ridiculous, you see. If you thought it''s the reason I saved you, littledy, I have a gxy to sell."


    The spirit opened her mouth and then closed them. She shook her head once, twice and then repeatedly before clutching her head. "You could''ve just lied."


    "Being straightforward is better manytimes."


    "Fine, who do I need to kill?"


    "An old bastard in a ring."


    "Alright."


    "Just like that? You''re agreeing with no preconditions attached?"


    "¡­I''m born from Fortune Anvil. If I go back, I will fuse with it. What more could you give me?" The spirit looked at him with a tired expression.


    "Right, right." Varian sighed in relief. Thankfully, his wallet wasn''t going to suffer.


    "Besides, you convinced me to get out and survive. That''s more than enough help, how can I ask you for anything else?" The spirit sighed.


    "Even brats these days are so mature," Varian patted her head with a sigh. "Back in my days, we used to¡ª"


    "Your bone age isn''t even twenty. So, shut up already."


    "Tsk, disrepectful kids."


    Kaacha! The sky cracked and Varian opened his eyes.


    An old man in a ck robe greeted him with murderous eyes. The bastard was at the very peak of rank 9, seemingly moments away from hitting divine rank.


    "Hello, Varian."

 Chapter 1463 An Actor

    <h4>Chapter 1463 An Actor </h4>


    1463 An Actor


    The old man watched Varian''s contorted expression. His face was still so stoic and he was overflowing with a chilling aura, one that only the most cold blooded of killers would posess. He didn''t smile but his eyes were twinkling with glee.


    Like a child that found its lost toy, he gazed at the young man who appeared out of the formations.


    He did notice the innumerable formations, each filled with mystic magic circles and runes stuttering anding to a halt, making noises akin to a chalk scratching against a board.


    For these formations which were instated to control the Fortune Spirit to stop must''ve meant something was seriously wrong.


    This change would shake up not just the P Kingdom but even its neighbors. Any disturbance to the roots of Prian race would have an effect on the Alliance''s army that couldn''t be neglected.


    But the old man didn''t care.


    "Ahh, I''ve been waiting for you for so long." A long wooden staff with a humanoid skull as its top materialized in his wrinkled hand. "Do you know since when?"


    He was only interested in tormenting the man who tortured him. It wouldn''t be fun to directly attack and kill this man who usually overflowed with confidence.


    Varian''s eyes shed with a gloomy light and nced around.


    ''He must have been trying to find a way out. Poor soul.''


    The old man chuckled inwardly, his sadistic soul gaining a sense of satisfaction from watching his prey realize its position.


    ''You''re fearing my attacks, aren''t you? But don''t worry. I will keep you on your toes, making you fear when I''ll strike¡­and I''ll break you like that until you beg me for death.


    Physical torture is fine but breaking the spirit of a man like you, ahh, that would be deligtful of all.''


    His ck robe rustled in the wind, shining with a dangerous glow. A creepy aura began to eminate from the old man, one that''s filled with the scent of death.


    As it reached Varian and Enigma, the two flinched as expected and their bodies began to shiver.


    ''Ahhh, sweet child. You many not realize it yet, but your soul already knows. It fears.''


    The old man''s expression twisted and a distorted chuckle escaped his lips.


    Then, four arrows made of gaseous ck aura spun around their axis and shot at the couple.


    The attack of a peak rank 9 was beyond their ability to block and even react. But to toy with Varian, the attacks were deliberately slowed down to a point that Varian could sense but not react.


    As intended, Varian''s ck pupils widened as the attack reached him and his body instinctively tried to escape but he was too slow.


    Swiiish!


    Like a harsh wind swaying the grass, the ck winds passed by Varian but sent him rolling back.


    It''s rming because they didn''t even graze him. They just passed beside him and even being in their vicinity affected him badly.


    Varian stood up with chattering teeth, his skin morbidly pale from the brief exchange. Veins were visible under that skin and they bulged, as if they were about to burst.


    Boom! Bang! Craash!


    The noise of battles uring nearby reached them for a moment before the old man waved his hand and an invisible force pushed the fighters away.


    Samantha and Robert continued to fight regardless. They were now far more injured and exhausted than before. But they kept going.


    "Xe," The old man said in a carefree voice.


    "Yes, Lord." The Princess standing behind him this whole time stepped forward with her head low and hands folded on her waist, a posture typical of maids serving their masters.


    "Do whatever you wish with thatss, I just need him." The old man''s skinny hand raised and Enigma helplessly rose into the air and was flung toward the princess.


    Crashing a bit away, she was dragged harshly against the ground before reaching Xe''s feet.


    Varian''s fists clenched tight and he looked at the two with anger but also a hint of helplesness.


    The old man stroked his chin in contemtion.


    Watching him, Xe swallowed her saliva and stepped forward. "My Lord, this man greatly values this woman. If you want to break him down, it''s best to torture her."


    "Oh? Is that so?" The old soul raised a brow in surprise.


    He was in a deepa until Xe woke him up. So, he wasn''t aware of the events that transpired. Still, if he could torture Varian, he was more than ready to do it.


    "Then go ahead. Show your skills." He said with a chuckle.


    "Yes, my lord." Xe bent down, a knife and plier appearing in her hands as she reached for Enigma.


    Varian''s eyes were fixated on her hands, his eyes fluctuating violently.


    The old man watched him with great interest.


    ''Want to help but helpless to do anything. Heh, is this really the guy I know? Hm¡­but he should at least shout. He isn''t saying anything. Even his soul fluctuations¡­soul?''


    The old man''s eyes furrowed as he felt something was off. The readings were all fine but¡­something¡­definitely, something was wrong.


    "W-Wa¡ª!"


    Boom!


    A powerful aura smashed the old man and like he was being hit by a speeding truck, he crashed to the ground, creating a crater.


    Fortune Spirit, brimming with the power of peak rank 9, appeared in front of him.


    The young girl sighed lightly as she watched the smashed flowers and red down at the old man. "Damn it!"


    A blue wind blew and locked onto the old soul. In response, a ck wind pushed back and the old man slowly floated into the air.


    "How did you even¡­" He paused in the middle and nced at the broken formations. "Never mind."


    Bang!


    An explosion sounded nearby.


    A sword was lodged into Xe''s chest by Enigma and the princess was punched in the face by Varian who apepared next to his wife. The two held hands and vanished into the distance.


    "I should''ve guessed. This bastard wasn''t the type to give up so easily." The old man spat in regret and cracked his neck.


    "But it doesn''t matter." He looked at the Spirit with a confident smile. "I''m almost a divine."


    Boom!

 Chapter 1464 A Treasure

    <h4>Chapter 1464 A Treasure </h4>


    1464 A Treasure


    Varian and Enigma joined hands against Xe.


    Shortly after, Sarah, who went into hiding once the old soul showed signs of waking up also joined them.


    As he suspected from his unconscious ramblings, the old man had a morbid obesssion over Varian.


    So, he didn''t care about anyone else.


    He opened his eyes after reaching peak rank 9 and focused on using the Fortune Anvil to take that step.


    Xe wanted to kill Sarah but didn''t want to piss the man off. So, she kept her mouth shut and waited for him to finish his ascension.


    But before he could take that step, Varian and Enigma appeared, leading him astray.


    "He''s been using the Fortune Anvil. Thews of life, death and soul are embedded in the treasure by All Mother Asherah. And since it''s a treasure, there are also secrets of Order and Chaos." Sarah exined as they exchanged blows with the princess.


    "How dare you release the spirit? Do you know what''s going to happen to the Prian race and the kingdom because of your mischief?" Xe, on the other hand, continued attacking while cursing them in a righteous tone.


    "Haaah~" Varian exhaled as a powerful aura struck him on the chest, breaking his ribcage cleanly and puncturing his lungs. He staggered backward and barely remained on his feet.


    A momentter, Sarah bent down, clutching her injured abdomen and Enigma grabbed her nearly ripped shoulder to prevent the arm from falling away.


    "You want to stop the Lord? Weaklings! You can''t even win me!" Xe''s body was overflowing with aura and vitality.


    "T-The old bastard gave her some things as a reward." Sarah winced at the pain coursing through her abdomen as she exined. "She''s very much the peak of rank 8. Might reach rank 9 in a few months."


    Varian narrowed his eyes and looked at the princess with a solemn gaze. Then, without any hesitation, he started running back, toward the Anvil.


    "Ah! Ahahahah! He''s running away! Your cowardly husband is fleeing!" Xe chuckled in delight and chased after him.


    Her speed was faster and she caught up to him halfway.


    With a swift spin, she threw a spear at him. The weapon hit him like a missile and following the sound of flesh tearing, his right arm flew into the sky.


    The power of order-chaos worked on the severed arm and an explosion filled the space between Varian and Xe.


    Using that small gap, Varian sprinted to the Fortune Anvil.


    Rumble! Rumble!


    The entire sky was filled with dark clouds and every second, dozens of shes would light it up.


    The two powerhouses were fighting in the sky and that left him with a chance to approach the Anvil.


    The silvery treasure was shining with a soft white light, giving off a feeling that it''s something so transcendental that a mortal like him should not approach, much less touch it.


    Varian didn''t care.


    "Here goes!"


    His hands touched the cold metal.


    The power pulsing through the treasure entered his body and Varian''s body turned spasmed violently, like he was a mortal being electrocuted.


    His missing right arm was quickly regenerated before it exploded and then it regenerated again before exploding again. His skin cracked and disapepared before new skin grew almost instantly.


    Again and again, like he was struck in an infinite loop, Varian''s body was destroyed and regenerated.


    While this happened, he glimpsed into the divine power of life, soul and death that''s flowing from the Anvil.


    ''Ah, so this is Asherah''s divine power. Creating a race all by herself, she''s almost a goddess, isn''t she?''


    But there was also another divine power. Not overflowing from the treasure but in the treasure itself.


    ''The master who crafted this divine weapon, a powerful divine ranker of Nexus Empire. He has a great understanding of order and chaos. Wow.''


    Like a curious kid who stumbled into a science exhibition, Varian was exposed to numerous insights of powerhouses standing far above him in the Sage and Ruler avenues.


    And like a sponge, he absorbed the insights as much as he could, as quickly as he could.


    While this happened, his powers began to surge.


    Not just the power of Paragon Body but even Ignis and Death Giant.


    Because creating race wasn''t just about building a biological structure but also deciding how their souls fit into the physical form. And it didn''t end there either, every race had its own unique rtionship with death.


    Some would dpose physically first while others would turn into metals and such.


    Each race dealt with death differently. Some had more affinity with death and would only begin their real life after one death.


    For example, Vampires, Zombies and such, were races that were created to die. They had an extremely short lifespan as a living form and would quickly die, but once they did, they''d start their new life and live the life they were originally meant to be.


    Prians were created to be on the side of life, of course. Still, there was a lot of valuable insight about ''death'' from their racial makeup.


    And of course, the treasure called Fortune Anvil itself.


    It''s unimaginable for most people to even think that a treasure could affect an entirerace, whether they''re in the kingdom''s capital or in the corner of the Empire.


    But by employing specificws of order, the treasure managed just that. Thews of chaos were used to prevent the race from growing stagnated.


    Boom! Bang! ng!


    Xe''s attacks were blocked by the desperate duo of Sarah and Enigma. They couldn''t match up to her but they literally gave their arms and legs to stop her from reaching their husband.


    Their fierce resistance caused even the powerful enemy to garner several injuries.


    But eventually, they couldn''t fight anymore and dropped powerlessly on the battlefield.


    And almost right then, Varian opened his eyes and walked from the Anvil.


    Xe frowned instinctively.


    Something had changed in just a few minutes.


    Something¡­


    Varian''s lips moved.


    ''Status.''

 Chapter 1465 Unstoppable

    <h4>Chapter 1465 Unstoppable </h4>


    1465 Unstoppable


    [Paragon Body : 8,500/10,000 (+1000)


    Death Giant: 8,500/10,000 (+1000)


    Ignis: 8,000/10,000(+4500)


    <There are those who are better than Asherah in the secrets of life, death and soul individually. But put together, she''s the one with the most proficiency.


    It''s an incredible opportunity to glean into her works. Though you didn''tprehend a lot due to your inexperience, it''s a fruitful encounter nheless. It''s people don''t even dare to dream of.


    This isn''t just going to help in this rank, but also when you ascend to the divine ranks. Remember the sensation of her divine power.


    Your path to the divine ranks has gotten a lot smoother.>


    Order: 8,500/10,000. (+3000)


    Chaos: 8,500/10,000. (+3000)


    But putting aside the stringent standards and using a general view, this treasure is indeed impressive.


    It''s the work of a skilled master.>


    Space: 4,000/10,000.


    Time:4,000/10,000. ]


    There''s still some distance from reaching the peak of rank 7. But with multiple powers entering the threshold of high rank 7, the overall strength had taken a leap forward.


    "Yo¡ª"


    Xe''s actions were faster than her words. Five earrings materialized on her and shook gently.


    Varian''s bodily senses were swallowed and the world around him turned dark, silent and eerie. He knew that wind was blowing but his skin couldn''t feel its coldness or its gentle touch.


    Sensory deprivation served Xe well against her opponents.


    But¡ª


    ''Same tricks, tsk.''


    The perception of order-chaos spanned around Varian, mapping the world in its unique way.


    Instead of viewing the world as usual, he saw it in the form of systems.


    The biological system that worked ceaselessly to keep a prian called Xe alive. There was a certain order her body adhered to remain alive and energetic. Her thoughts were chaotic but her soul was a bundle of order.


    If order was viewed white and chaos as ck, then Xe was a delicate mix of the two.


    ''Order is born from Chaos. But for Order to grow, Chaos should exist within that Order.''


    It was an astute observation.


    Any system, person or kingdom, would need Order to function. But if there is only Order, then the monotiny will kill any chance of innovation.


    ''Hm?''


    The chaos in Xe''s aura surged and her body kicked forward like a missile.


    Varian raised his arms in a gentle motion, as if he was dancing but the tip of his fingers poured out the ck and white power of order ad chaos.


    Xe''s foot slipped¡ªan even close to impossible and the fist that reached his throat passed an inch away from his skin.


    Varian grabbed her throat in turn and the power of chaos engulfed her body.


    "Arghh! Graaaa!"


    The princess howled like a beast in the butcherhouse.


    She had good reasons to. The blood that should''ve been flowing in one direction reversed, the brain which should enchance her thoughts started to flood her with terrible thoughts and her body, which should''ve shielded from pain turned sensitive, making her experience way more pain than normal.


    Her body, as intended, was in chaos.


    "Gruhh!"


    Even in that situation, the Princess lifted her knee and aimed for Varian''s crotch. When the man defended himself by striking her knee with his own, Xe pulled back her fist to hit the back of his neck.


    "Hehehe," Letting out a maliciousughter, Varian let the fist reach him.


    But when it struck, his body turned into gaseous form.


    "Fuck!"


    Xe''s fist struck her own face, knocking out a couple of teeth and injuring her badly.


    The power of order and chaos surged in the surroundings and Varian''s body solidified once again.


    If the princess anticipated his move, she could''ve countered it by pumping out aura to prevent his transition.


    "Die!"


    Xe bit her bleeding lip and raised her leg, intending to smash his head into pieces.


    "Don''t try." Varian whispered and his body began to dissolve once again. This time, her aura surged and prevented him from dodging the attack.


    A big smile surfaced on Xe''s face as her foot reached his head.


    Varian smiled back.


    With a swift movement, he grabbed her foot with an iron grip.


    "Wh-What? How?"


    He was weaker than her until now. The only way he fought her was with the powers of Order and Chaos.


    So, when his physical strength nearly matched her own, Xe panicked.


    "Just cause."


    Varian''s fingers dug into her skin and the power of Death Giant soared and an eerie red power engulfed the princess'' leg.


    "Arhh!" With a shrill scream, Xe tried to pull herself away from his grip but failed.


    Her leg, from her foot all the way to the root of her thight, turned into a dead gray and flew away with the wind.


    "Arg¡ª!"


    Before she could even let out a full groan, Varian''s fist struck her stomach and the power of death ravaged her stomach, effectively paralyzing her torso.


    With a loud noise, the princess crashed to the ground on her back and looked at him with shaking eyes.


    Varian raised a fist and struck down. Blood sshed nearby and a red light engulfed the woman''s body.


    A few secondster, the ashes of her remains scattered away with the wind.


    Varian cracked his neck and raised his two hands. Two spears, each built by solidifying space, materialized in his palms.


    The power of time slithered in the body of the weapon, and the power of death and soul settled in the tip of the spear. The powers of order and chaos enchanced the spear.


    Exhaling a long breath, Varian shot the two spears one after another. They took off like rockets, leaving traces of ck and white in the sky.


    The power of time worked as intended and when the rockets reached Robert and Samantha, they skipped a tiny fraction of time, closing the gap with their targets.


    The prince and princess stopped their fighting and used their aura to stop the weapons.


    But the spears, built from solidifying space itself, remained sturdy. Moreover, the power of orders and chaos acted as defense systems, keeping the weapon intact.


    Boom! Boom!


    Under the incredulous gaze of the two, the spears pierced their chests. The powers of soul paralyzed them before they could expel the spear and using that opportunity, the power of death eroded their body.


    A few secondster, dust scattered and only two spears remained.


    "Phew."


    Varian looked up at the sky.


    The battle hade to a close.

 Chapter 1466 A Third View

    <h4>Chapter 1466 A Third View </h4>


    1466 A Third View


    With one final sh akin to an apocalyptic lightning, the entire sky was lit up and then dimmed.


    A sound of a ss breaking came from everywhere and pieces of a ck robe rained down the sky.


    Secondster, the dark clouds parted and a beam of light emerged, falling right on the Fortune Anvil.


    A young girl emerged in the light beam, akin to an angel descending to the mortal world. She was gripping the old man by the few hairs of his nearly bald head.


    "Pfft,"


    Varian couldn''t control a chuckle at theical sight.


    Thankfully, the old man was on the verge of losing consciousness and was even barely struggling. If he had been awake, he might haveined about dying with a few hairs intact.


    "Hey!"


    The spiritnded on the anvil and stomped on the old guy''s face before she turned to Varian.


    With hands on her hips, she pouted at him with a dissattisfied expression. "Shouldn''t you at least thank me? You can kiss my feet, I shall allow it."


    Saying that, she even raised the other foot and took off her shoe.


    "¡­"


    Varian walked up to her and under the anticipated gaze of the spirit, smacked her forehead.


    "Ouch!" Rubbing her forehead, she looked at him with a grumpy expression. If he didn''t apologize, it looked like she''d cry for sure.


    "Well, thank you for your help." Varian said with a sigh and crouched down to examine the old soul.


    There were serious injuries throughout and it was a miracle the old bastard was even alive now.


    "Didn''t he take half step into divine rank, how did you defeat him?"


    "That is of course, I''m strong!" The spirit rubbed below her nose with her finger and said with a smug expression. "Isn''t it a good deal for you to serve as my exclusive servant? Right? Right? Nowe down and kiss my feet to swear allei¡ªouch!"


    "What really happened?"


    "Well," The spirit rubbed her forehead and said in a sad voice. "That idiot used the divine power from the anvil to push himself up. But he only used a small part of the divine power, the rest inside his soul is unused. Since it''s from the Anvil, I have more affinity to it than him. I manipted it and he''s done."


    "Smart." Varian smiled.


    "Right?" The Spirit''s eyes lit up. "Soe on, stay with this intelligent spirit and improve your paths!"


    "¡­"


    The spirit parted her lips and said with a reluctant expression. "You don''t have to kiss my feet."


    "¡­"


    "Should I kiss your feet then?"


    Varian let out a deep sigh and patted her head gently. "I''m sorry but I have to leave. There are things I have to do."


    With the pirs of the kingdom bing openly hostile to him, there''s no telling what could happen to the sr system. He''d have to hurry.


    "B-But¡­But¡­" The Spirit lowered its head and tears started to spill out of its eyes. In the end, she covered her face and started to wail.


    It was a normal thing for him but the spirit went through various extremes in just a short period.


    First, she was badly injured by Robert, then got kidnapped and put to death by Xe and Samantha. In the end, she resigned to fate and decided to die. But a man appeared out of nowhere and convinced her to live. And now, he''s leaving her all alone.


    "I¡­I just¡­" The spirit choked on her tears and despite being powerful enough to subdue a peak rank 9, she appeared terribly fragile.


    Varian''s shoulder drooped and he turned to Enigma for help.


    Enigma shrugged with a helpless expression.


    He acted colder toward the little girl precisely to avoid this situation. But even then, this happened.


    "We''ll visit sometime, okay?" He tried to pacify. "We''re neighbors, well, yeah."


    "Re-Really?" The spirit paused crying and looked at him with a doubtful expression.


    "Well, as long as I don''t die on the way." Varianughed at the joke.


    But the girl didn''t.


    "There are some strong people outside. Are they hostile to you?"


    Varian''s expression hardened.


    "I can help but my power decreases outside this world. I can''t do much, I''m sorry¡­" The spirit gripped its clothes and muttered.


    "I will try to figure a way out. Don''t worry about it." Varian said with a confident smile but in truth he didn''t know if he would live or die the moment he stepped outside.


    He turned to Enigma andmunicated through their link. "I''ll try to talk it out but if things turn unfavorable, I want you to use that card and teleport us out. She will buy us some time. The chances of surviving won''t be 0."


    Thedy nodded. Sarah brought back an unconscious Sonya as well as a bunch of corpses.


    "Followers of these guys. Everyone else in the world is dead now."


    Varian nodded and took a deep breath.


    "Alright, we''re leav¡ª"


    "Wa-Wait! Wait!" The spirit grabbed his shirt.


    "I''m sorry but I ca¡ª"


    "Not that. Those two messed with the Anvil and changed some settings. But it''s only half changed. Finish the changes or Prian race will fall apart." The spirit pointed to the silvery anvil and said.


    "Can''t you just go back to default?"


    The spirit shook her head. "Too many deviations to go back at this point."


    Varian sighed. "I don''t know how to run that thing."


    "You can just tell me what to do. I know the how." The spirit patted her chest.


    Varian rubbed his chin for a moment and gave it some thought.


    Samantha wanted a world of absolute equality. Everyone would get the same talent at birth.


    This way, everyone would be equal. But there wouldn''t be any powerful rankers to defend the kingdom.


    Robert wanted more inequality. There would be a few great geniuses and many spiritless.


    Most people would be normal. Only a tiny few would be extraordinary. But not by their work but due to their innate talents.


    These two perspectives did interest Varian but his personal belief remained the same.


    He wasn''t an idealist hoping for a world of pure equality. That''s impractical. But he didn''t support innate talents dictating one''s fate either.


    So, the answer?


    "How about the harder you work, the more talented you get?"

 Chapter 1467 Buy Time

    <h4>Chapter 1467 Buy Time</h4>


    1467 Buy Time


    "The harder you work, the more talented you get¡­" The spirit girl lowered her head and pondered with a thoughtful expression.


    Her eyes lit up and she nodded vigorously, pping her hands. "Let''s do just that!"


    Varian turned to Enigma. "Is she okay with the changes?"


    Enigma closed her eyes for a moment before giving a light smile. "She says she''d take your judgement over those two idiots anyday."


    "Ohhh?" Varian jaw dropped in surprise. "She isn''t as stupid as I thought she was."


    "If we survive, she says, you''ll be paid back in full for calling her stupid." Enigma informed.


    Varian sighed.


    Even Isadora didn''t seem confident in their fate. But well, what could they do now though?


    Perhaps because of Cradle''s unique atmosphere, he wasn''t feeling scared with potential death he might face in a few moments.


    ''Or maybe I''ve grown courageous¡­or finally went insane.''


    Varian wasn''t really sure of what to make out of it his mental state. In his family, he seemed the most sane. That should mean something, right? Right?


    "I''ll not show my presence right away. But if they try to attack, I''ll be able to block an attack or two." The spirit girl said, cing her hands behind her back. She didn''t want to show them her fidgeting fingers, which were messy and tense, just like her mind.


    "All the best!" She cheered on brightly.


    Varian, Sarah, Enigma and Sonya were swept by a white light and in the next moment, they found themselves outside the entrance to cradle.


    The pink and purple vortex, which hade to a halt when they entered, slowly started to spin.


    The expedition had indeed ended.


    ''Phew~''


    As expected, what greeted them was the faces of the two archdukes and two archduchess.


    Duke Kriad and Corinthian, the supporters of Prince Robert, were looking at him with suspicion.


    They had supreme confidence in Robert. So, they didn''t even entertain the thought of him losing. They were just surprised with this guy who''s supposed to dieing out intact.


    On the other hand, the oldestdy, Duchess Seraphina looked at him with a pensive gaze.


    Unlike the two, she seemed to have sensed that something had gone very, very wrong with the expedition.


    Even though her eyes were brimming with a sense of foreboding, there was an equally high reluctance visible on her face. Despite realizing something had gone wrong, she didn''t want to acknowledge it.


    The reason?


    Like her granddaughter, this grandmother too cherished her only rtive in the world.


    ''Should I have not killed Xe and used her as a hostage?'' Varian thought back to his decision. But only for a moment.


    ''Hostage doesn''t work well against a high rank 9. They''ll grab the hostage and kill me before I could hit back.''


    Finally, Duchess Serenthia, appeared the most anxious. Despite being centuries old, thedy appeared to be only in her mid thirties.


    With braided hair, fair pink skin and a ck dress that only added to her nobility, she stood there like a blooming flower.


    With chest heaving up and down, eyebrows furrowing sometimes and rxing the other, gaze moving frantically, she seemed to be on the verge of breaking point.


    When Sonya''s group appeared without Samantha, she looked at them intensely, trying to study some things they weren''t aware of.


    Her eyes widened suddenly as if she had realized something and her face turned deathly pale.


    Not just Varian but everyone in the field could clearly sense her emotional change. It went form a restless volcano to bubblingva.


    But then just as if that was all an illusion, a serene expression appeared on the woman''s face.


    Serenthia pursed her lips and sighed gently. Turning her gaze away from Varian, she looked at Sonya before turning to Enigma.


    Her actions were inexplicable to all, mostly to Sonya.


    ''M-Mom must be furious with everything that happened. She spent all her life for this. Now, it''s ruined. I can''t even imagine how she must be feeling.''


    For all the wrongs she had done to Isadora, Serenthia was an excellent mother who loved her children without holding back.


    Perhaps spending her childhood with the duchcess yed its part, but even at this juncture, Sonya couldn''tpletely hate her mother. There was always some love and respect mixed in her feelings towards her.


    Enigma tried to slowly turn on the treasure for them to teleport away but the old duchess raised a brow lightly and she stopped.


    ''She can sense! She can sense it, damn it.''


    The n to escape seemed to have failed before it could even begin.


    Varian quietly held Enigma''s hand and thanks to their synergy, the powers of slivers flowed into her smoothly without raising any suspicions.


    They shielded the card and Enigma was able to activate it without suspicion this time, as long as she made it slow enough.


    But due to that approach, it''d take them significantly longer to start the teleportation.


    That little time wouldn''t have mattered much elsewhere but in front of rank 9s, even a secondte was toote.


    "So¡­" Varian decided to strike first and seize the initiative before the dukes fired their questions and set the narrative. "I have one question for you all here. One important question for you. It''ll decide the fates of the prian race."


    The faces of the dukes tensed, as they sensed something omnious in his words.


    ''Is he trying to warn us? Does he still think we''ll be scared by his Isadora threat? Isadora might not even be a peak rank 9 anymore.''


    Kriad and Corinthian looked at each other silently before turning to him with killing intent.


    Robert was supposed to kidnap Enigma and give her to an agent that Martial Saint Kong identified.


    Why?


    They didn''t know. But they didn''t need to know.


    Robert might have missed but they wouldn''t.


    "Sending so many rank 8s into Cradle has severely damaged its foundations." Varian''s gaze turned sharp. "Do you think it can still sustain?"

 Chapter 1468 Surprise

    <h4>Chapter 1468 Surprise</h4>


    1468 Surprise


    The expressions of the dukes turned sour for a moment and they appeared worried. But the duchesses seemed to not care at all.


    Serenthia in particr, was looking at Enigma since a while.


    ''One more minute? What can I talk? Fuck.'' Varian suppressed his bubbling anxiety and tried to think of a topic.


    Unfortunately, interesting topics weren''t relevant and relevant topics weren''t interesting. The misery.


    As his thoughts spun and tried to think of a solution, a violent breeze blew and a silhouette appeared in the sky out of nowhere.


    "Phew, I wasn''tte, was I?" Duke Micheal looked left and right with a big smile. His body was drenched in blood and he looked like a butcher who jumped into the remains of the ughtered animals.


    The smell of death around him was so heavy that the Death Giant path felt overwhelmed for a moment.


    "Oh boy, you exited already? How''s Cradle?" Hended down next to the duke trio and asked with an excited smile.


    "Have you killed that worthless spirit? I wish I could tear her apart with my own hands. How dare a parasite like her try to destroy the racial treasure even after getting killed every single time?! Leeches like that deserve a special torture treatment."


    The more he spoke, the more bloodthirsty he got and his eyes showed a hint of madness.


    The the only one who supported Varian in the court against everyone else turned out to be a psychopathic killer.


    "Since it hase to this, let''s stop pretending." Duke Kriad stepped forward and pointed to Varian. "I want him dead."


    Corinthian pointed to Enigma. "And I want her alive."


    "Are you out of your minds? They are rted to Princess Isadora!" Micheal snorted and stood against them.


    A powerful killing intent exploded out of the three dukes and the air turned heavy. A suffocating atmosphere enveloped the young people and their bodies started to break down under the pressure, bleeding little by little.


    "I will take her for questioning." The old woman in ck dress stepped forward, the strongest aura out of all emanating out of her and locking onto Sarah. "If Xe is fine, you wouldn''t face anything more than a death. If not¡­"


    Her voice was slow and gentle, almost like she''s whispering to a child but it sent chills down Sarah''s spine.


    Varian grabbed her hand to calm her down and also to prepare for the teleportation.


    As for Sonya, as despicable as it sounded, he decided to take her only if the circumstances permitted.


    If not, he''d rather sacrifice her to increase their odds of survival than try take her and kill them all.


    Moreover, even if Sonya was left here, she might not die.


    Because¡ª


    "And I¡­" Serenthia turned to Sonya with aplicated expression.


    Duke Micheal''s forehead began to sweat and he gnashed his teeth in frustration.


    "Give up, you can''t save them." Kriad shook his head.


    "You bastards! You even sent away the king for this purpose! How dare you?!" Micheal exploded with anger.


    "Chill out, stubborn guy. Would the king sacrifice a duke for a few younglings? We''re going to be alright." Corinthian stepped forward and aura began to coagte in his palms.


    "I don''t care." Duke Micheal unsheathed his sword and pointed it at his four equals. "As long as I''m here, you''re not touching anyone."


    His words seemed to have had an impact and the four looked at each other. But only for a moment before they turned to their targets with a determined gaze.


    The tension reached a simmering and a battle, no, a massacre was eminent.


    ''Fuck my luck.'' Varian lost count of the times he used that curse.


    But if this old guy could help, they might have a chance.


    ''Yes, just a bit and we''ll have a real cha¡ª''


    Swiish!


    A phantom appeared out of nowhere. It had no strength of its own but the presence itmanded was terrible, giving off a feeling akin to the king himself!


    ''Martial Saint Kong!''


    The name rang in Varian''s mind almost instantly.


    The phantom wasted no time. Pointing to Varian, he said. "I want him dead."


    And then it dissolved instantly, erasing all traces of it ever appearing here.


    There was no change in Kriad''s or Corinthian''s expression. The old duchess didn''t seem much surprised. Only Serenthia looked a bit disoriented.


    "Oh, I see."


    Duke Micheal sighed and his shoulders drooped.


    Then, under Varian''s incredulous gaze, he turned around and pointed the sword at the group.


    "If it''s what the Martial Saint says, it must be for the kingdom. Boy, surrender now for a merciful death. It''s for the good of the kingdom."


    There was no hesitation in his words and he didn''t even show a hint of remorse.


    ''Insane! This guy is insane!''


    Varian gripped Enigma''s and Sarah''s hands tighter, the power of slivers circting and preparing for the emergency.


    "Give up."


    The Duke''s sword split open the space between him and Varian in a blink, reaching the brother-inw before he could even react.


    ng!


    The sound of a metal scratching against a metal rang before the sword broke.


    A flying sword and shield stood between Varian''s group and Micheal.


    "What is the meaning of this, Duchess Serenthia?"


    In response to the sharp question raised by the old woman, the noble woman sighed and stood in front of Varian''s group, facing four of her equals, no, four of her superiors.


    She was a peak rank 8 after all.


    "I wish to protect them." She stated in a calm tone.


    "Even though you were okay with killing them all inside?" A mockingughter broke out from Kriad and his face quickly showed a chilling expression. "Stop your acting and fuck off. I have a head to take."


    "If it''s the mission or them, it''s indeed the mission." The duchess said without any sugar coating.


    ng!


    With a flick of her wrist, dozens of weapons crafted out of the finest materials and blessed by the blood and essence of rank 9 beasts faced off against the dukes.


    "But if there is no mission, my children are everything for me."


    Bang!


    The weapons shot forward like missiles.

 Chapter 1469 Sacrifice

    <h4>Chapter 1469 Sacrifice</h4>


    No one understood why Duchess Serenthia did what she did. Least of all, Isadora who was observing everything in a passive state.


    Unfortunately or fortunately, there wasn''t room for her to question her mother''s actions.


    The battle exploded into epic proportions in a blink.


    Land split and sky cracked.


    Even the strengthened space was filled with endless cracked gray lines, akin to a fractured mirror.


    This was fatal not just for mere rank 8s like Varian''s family but even for new rank 9s.


    The dukes assumed they were alright because of some treasure but in truth, Varian had no such life saving artifacts.


    ''Thank you.''


    Varian conveyed his heartfelt gratitude.


    ''Eh, ehehe. Don''t forget to visit me!'' The Spirit''s tired but excited voice rang in his mind.


    Enigma continued to work on the card artifact, building up the charge for them to jump from this ce.


    Because this was a protected region, it needed a lot more aura than usual.


    Varian was pouring in his own aura to help but even then, it''s only barely enough.


    Because this was a protected region, it needed a lot more aura than usual.


    Varian was pouring in his own aura to help but even then, it''s only barely enough.


    Boom! Bang! Bam!


    The treasures of the duchess were confronted by her equals.


    For a normal viewer, it was a battle of equals.


    High rank 9 warriors fighting against weapons that could exert an equivalent strength.


    Since Duchess had several such weapons and was fighting the entire squad alone, they might even assume she had an upper hand.


    Her natal treasure apparently allowed her to manipte and enhance treasures, bringing out far more strength from the artifacts than otherwise.


    For each rank 9 artifact, Serenthia must''ve spent centuries, pouring her resources, effort and hope.


    They worked well, holding off four equals for a while.


    Serenthia''s trump card was formidable. If she had intended to kill someone with all these treasures, she would''ve suceeded in ending them.


    Having looked down on her all this while, the battle was like a p on the face for the dukes.


    Eventually, they recognized the dynamics of the battle and unleashed their full powers.


    Their own natal treasures.


    Armors surfaced, weapons materialized, treasures formed.


    Even though their natal treasures didn''t have the characteristic to grow stronger through umtion over the years like Serenthia''s, each and everyone of them was an absolute genius of their era, possessing treasures that put them at the top of the pyramid.


    Kach! A sword''s de shattered was a rebound from a crystal armor.


    Jaa!


    An arrow''s head exploded from thepression of aura.


    Bam!


    A shield began to shake violently before it melted away. The tongue of a purple me flickered in the remnants, hissing like a vengeful snake.


    Da!


    A spear spun missed its tracks and began to poke the air, as if it was an enemy. A ghostly robe floated behind the spear, slowly manipting it against to eventually use it against other treasures.


    Serenthia had expected this but her brows were still furrowed.


    At their full power, the dukes were stronger than she expected.


    ''Two minutes? No, even a full minute is difficult.'' She turned back to Varian''s group and tried to yell.


    But instead of a sharp and instructive order, what left her throat was a lump of blood and then a broken voice.


    "G-Go away alre¡­ady!"


    She couldn''t believe her own voice.


    It was only then that Serenthia notice her skin had gone beyond pale and her eyes were bleeding heavily.


    The toll of controlling all these natal treasures was literally sucking away her life and soul.


    ''If I''m fated to die, then I should at least kill him.'' The Duchess'' gaze rested on a fierce man fighting off her treasures one after the other.


    With a rebounding crystal armor enveloping his body, the man was fighting with unmatched ferocity.


    Small injuries didn''t slow him down and the sight of his own flesh falling out of his body seemed to work like a motivating factor, causing him to push even harder.


    ''This low life¡­''


    Serenthia tried to take a step forward but staggered and nearly fell. Her vision was already cloudy.


    Blood was now flooding out of her nose.


    ''Haa!''


    A sense of weakness, one that she had never experienced even as a rank 1, engulfed her body.


    Unspeakable pain seared every nerve ending. It''s like there''s a burning furnace in her heart, scorching everything inside her without somehow turning it to ashes.


    As if the physical pain wasn''t enough, her soul began to distort and a pain far greater than anything she could even imagine assaulted her being.


    Even with all her restraint, tears began to spill out of her eyes and her body began to shiver.


    If Serenthia had to describe her situation, it''d be as putting her entire body into a pool of bubblingva, not burning to death and insisting on staying there.


    It hurt. It hurt so much.


    But she continued to pour aura into her treasures and kept working her natal treasures nheless.


    ''More. Just a little more.''


    Thedy''s vision began to flicker. The world turned blue and red before nking out for a moment.


    All the pain vanished just for that little period.


    In that brief instant, the four broke through the restraints and charged forward.


    ''Ah¡­''


    Serenthia dug deep and channeled thest traces of aura.


    The dukes were forcibly blocked but the reality of the situation had dawned in on the mother of two.


    Her body, which was now drenched in blood and beginning to slowly disintegrate, seemed to agree.


    Thedy turned her back with great difficulty, even the slightest movement feeling like a hot rod passing through her pale flesh.


    ''Enigma¡­''


    A small ne on her bosom lit up and her voice rang in the head of Isadora''s little sister.


    Enigma''s pupils quivered at her voice and her fists tightened up. For some reason, there were dried tear marks on her cheeks.


    ''Was it for me?'' Serenthia didn''t dare to think so.


    ''Please get away as quickly as you can. I can no longer hold them back.''


    ''W-Why?!'' A confused, agonizing voice asked.


    But it was a bit familiar.


    The duchess'' dimming eyes glowed with a brilliant light and a gentle smile adorned her lips.


    ''Ah, Isadora? How are you? Don''t worry, I''ll send them back safe. I swear on my life.''

 Chapter 1470 Unchanging

    <h4>Chapter 1470 Unchanging</h4>


    Nothing made sense.


    This woman had betrayed her when she trusted her the most. And even when she knew she was hated, she was sacrificing her life to save her little sister she barely knew.


    ''Why?''


    Why did you do what you did?


    Isadora partially took over Enigma''s senses, causing her eyes to turn into a familiar red.


    Those hating, confused eyes started straight into Serenthia''s loving eyes and asked again and again and again.


    ''Why?''


    At her incessant questioning, a small chuckle left the duchess'' lips.


    The memory of a young girl following her everywhere by gripping the corner of her sleeves shed in her mind.


    Having lived on a her entire childhood, Isadora didn''t know a lot of things. So, even at an age of 14, she was as curious as a 6-year old.


    She would keep asking until she got all the answers.


    ''Mom, why are butterflies so beautiful?''


    ''Mom, why are the ants circling each other?''


    ''Mom, why is the founder of cake not given the best Prian award yet?''


    Like a little bird chirping, her cute voice would ring across the gardens of the duchess'' mansion.


    Her cute voice had changed. It had grown softer,dy-like and sounded like the music of an instrument. Her tone, even in this state, was graced with royality.


    ''Ah, she has indeed grow into a fine young woman. s, I could never see her get married.''


    The Duchess'' eyes shed with memories and her face began to slowly disintegrate, like grains of sand slowly being chipped away from a sand castle.


    ''Why? Why did you betray me? Why are you saving me?''


    Isadora''s outburst rang in her mind.


    ''You tried to kill me! And now you save my sister you don''t even know! What is this? Why are you doing this? What do you even want?''


    ng! ng! ng!


    The explosion of treasures elerated with the weakening of the duchess. The dukes were now stopped only thest line of her treasures.


    ''Ahh, what do I want?'' Serenthia''s eyes began to lose focus.


    Life shed in front of her eyes and everything she went through surfaced up.


    She loved a man dearly. When her parents opposed on the grounds that he was a spiritless and wasn''t suitable for a nobledy like her, she was ready to forsake the family and position.


    Then, a family elder, Duke Micheal, held her lover in his hands.


    ''Lady Serenthia, a spiritless like him is not worthy of love. These guys look like us, sound like us and act like us, but they are not us.


    We are the true prians. They are just failed imitations.


    It is not just wrong but also disgusting to feel any tender feelings towards these creatures.


    Behold, I''ll show you the weakness of this creature called Spiritless. See how it''d break under just a little pressure.''


    And then, he went on to torture that poor man.


    Tearing out limb by limb, healing him back and then punching every part of his body into mush, turning him back to normal and doing it over and over and over again.


    The radiant youth, the ever smiling, gentle, carefree man who stole her heart was treated worse than an animal.


    He broke.


    Alive, he remained, but there was no more light in his eyes, no smile on his lips, no wisdom in his presence.


    ''See, he''s so pathetic.''


    With a snap, his head cracked and he died.


    Brushing off his hands, Micheal grinned at her as if he had done her a favor and walked away.


    Serenthia didn''t forsake her family position. She didn''t throw fits. She didn''t argue with anyone.


    Everyone thought she understood the true way. Only she knew, deep inside, that it wasn''t just her lover, she too was broken that day.


    From that day, she made it her life mission to fix this broken world before she died.


    For that very reason, she kept scouting for talents. Talents who could be crown prince and manipte the Anvil.


    Talents who could be the King and govern the Kingdom properly.


    Talents who could reach heights she could not reach and do things she could not do.


    That''s how she met and adopted Isadora. But the transactionary intentions were pushed back as she grew increasingly attached to the daughter life gave her.


    Everything was going well until one day, the topic came up.


    ''What? Decreasing talent of geniuses so that spiritless can awaken? No mom. That''s a bad idea! The kingdom will be in ruins!''


    ''But Isadora, look at how they''re treated. They are looked at as worse than animals.''


    ''It''s a real pity. But mother, didn''t you say it yourself, this is how Prian society has always been. When I be the ruler, I''ll try to increase their rights and at least protect their lives.''


    ''¡­What about after you? The next generation? And the next? There is a chance to save everyone and you refuse to pick it?''


    ''It leads to too much chaos, mom. I won''t do it.''


    Isadora, the one who''s set to be the ruler of the kingdom, the one who was supposed to fulfill her dream became the obstacle.


    Serenthia didn''t have forever to live. If Isadora took reigns, she''d never be able to materialize her dream.


    So¡­


    She betrayed her own daughter.


    ''Ahh¡­you¡­you mad woman! Why did you? I was stubborn, I was stubborn at that time¡­.but I didn''t know it was so important to you¡­''


    Glimpsing into those memories through her soul power, Isadora shouted in a heartbreaking voice.


    ''We¡­could''ve fought and argued. But we could''ve made up. But Mom¡­is that dream so important to you that you tried to kill me? You loved me¡­and you tried to kill me¡­did you never love me at all? Was I just a tool for you?''


    As Isadora voiced her deepest fears bare, Serenthia''s eyes lost light.


    And as they did, a final memory, one kept in the depth of her soul surfaced.


    It never ured to Isadora because she thought it somehow happened.


    But that fateful day, Isadora killed most people. Yet, by the end when she was severely injured and exhausted, there were still over a dozen powerhouses left in the dark.


    When they tried to kill Isadora, a sudden attack struck them all and ended their lives.


    Serenthia sobbed as she watched her unconscious daughter and ced a restriction on her powers.


    Isadora would survive. But her powers would be restricted for a great while. Since there was only a weakened Centaurus here, she would wake up eventually with some of her powers, a memory loss that would persist for a while and survive without difficulty.


    The Duchess wanted her daughter out of the way but not dead.


    But she didn''t know that Isadora''s origins were already suffering due to theck of order and chaos powers.


    This battle forced her into a longa, leading to the awakening of Enigma and Sia.


    The n went awry.


    But in that dark moment and this, some things remained unchanged.


    The final thoughts of Serenthia as she was watching the injured Isadora and the final thought of Serenthia as her eyes lost focus were the same.


    ''I''m sorry but¡­Stay safe, child.''

 Chapter 1471 Perfect and Prime

    <h4>Chapter 1471 Perfect and Prime</h4>


    Enigma''s eyes dimmed and her vision turned cloudy as tears began to spill down her cheeks. There was a profound sense of sadness enveloping her entire being.


    It wasn''t the emotions of Isadora which were way more chaotic and fractured.


    No.


    Even Enigma was struck with a heartbreaking feeling at the sight of the duchcess'' death.


    Unlike her sister, her feelings were filled with more confusion and pity.


    A part of her wished Isadora and Serenthia found a proper solution. Another part, however, was d that whatever happened happened, leading her to Varian.


    "¡ªma, Enigma!"


    Varian''s voice in her hand jolted her out of her thoughts.


    "The card!"


    Thump!


    Thest parts of the duchess disintegrated and with no one to stop, the dukes rushed forward.


    Boom!


    From the remains of duchess, a small but potent explosion shook the ce, forcing the dukes back by a few hundred meters.


    It was a useless attack that couldn''t stop them by more than a second. Serenthia must''ve known it too. But she used even her remains to buy that little time.


    "Fucking bitch!"


    Micheal spat some blood and waved his arm.


    A fierce wind swept away the sparkling crystalline floating around¡ªthe remnants of Serenthia¡ªand sent them flying.


    With herpletely out of the way, he turned to the pale faced Varian and Enigma.


    "Now, it''s over."


    He loosened his fist and took a step forward.


    Varian couldn''t even see his movements. The man just disappeared from that ce and appeared in front of him, his nasty breath hitting him in the face.


    "Your struggle is over. Goodbye, Varian." The duke said.


    But as his hand reached forward to grab them, the four vanished into nothingness.


    The Duke''s confident expression froze and Varian''s voice lingered.


    "No." It was low but gave the powerhouse a sense of omnious foreboding. "We''ll meet again, Micheal. Say your goodbyes to your children and grandchildren. When we meet and we''ll meet soon, pray for an easy death."


    His voice also rang in front of Kriad and Corinthian. "Wash your necks."


    The same voice lingered in front of Duchess Seraphina. But instead of threatening them, it chuckled. "Old bitch, the young bitch is dead."


    "Wh-What¡­no, no, no, you''re lying! You''re damn lying!"


    The olddy''s voice cracked and her eyes turned bloodshot. Clutching her hair, she copsed onto her knees and broke into a fit of tears.


    A morbidly thin, pale gray woman soundlessly appeared in the world. A concealed her presence from the distracted dukes and she furrowed her boys at the tiny but obvious space fluctuations lingering in the distance.


    ''Varian, Enigma, Sarah and Sonya¡­all of them escaped. And they have master''s scent on them. Master¡­''


    Thedy''s intuition rang rms and she decided to take the matter into her own hands.


    After silently slipping away, she activated a treasure she prepared when Varian disappeared.


    It sent her through a channel to quickly send her to sr system.


    Unlike others who thought he was kidnapped back then, she believed he escaped. To grab the sword holding her master, she was determined to breach the sr system and fight it out.


    It didn''t happen with Varian returning. The treasure was half dismantled. But still, she would be able to reach the civilization soon. At least faster than any methods Varian''s group might deploy.


    ''Xe must''ve failed to even retrieve master''s soul.''


    Nexa was certain of her guess. She couldn''t think of a reality where her master''s soul was freed and got defeated by Varian.


    It''s ridiculous.


    Even if he didn''t hit his goal of entering the divine ranks, he''s still a peak rank 9!


    How could these weak bugs defeat him?


    ''As long as I can hold his civilization hostage, I can retrieve master back.''


    Thedy moved faster and her body shuttled through a space tunnel, crossing impressive distance every second.


    On the other hand, Varian, Enigma, Sarah and Sonya appeared back in the guest house, right in the middle of the royalplex.


    "There isn''t much time."


    Varian''s aura enveloped the women while the power of order and chaos swallowed the room.


    With a sound simr to a cork being lifted, the four disappeared.


    The power of order and chaos got to work and messed up the spatial fluctuations, ensuring that any investigation of this ce would end up fruitless.


    Typically, the dukes would think Varian would''ve fled to some nameless,wless ce to hide his traces.


    But if they followed a very unconventional line of thinking¡ªthey might think he''d return to his home civilization.


    With this deliberate distortion of the scene, even if they suspected it, they wouldn''t be very sure.


    That''d be buy Varian enough time to make some preparations.


    The power of Hortus was far greater than any Synthetic World that either the Alliance or the Empire had ever seen.


    Even though he was far away from its location, the special world managed to pull him back in a very little time.


    "Arghhh!"


    Right after theynded, Varian copsed onto his knees, coughing blood like a terminal patient.


    Sarah quickly used healing potions while Enigma vanished, releasing an anxious Sia who gently ced him on a couch.


    Sonya brought him his favorite drink and looked at him with a worried expression.


    As the familiar taste exploded in his mouth, Varian closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths.


    There''s a good chance they might not even bother to check this ce for a while. By now, they must''ve flooded the guest mansion. From there, they''d be searching the capital.


    But.


    While they might not visit the civilization personally, they could always send a bunch of underlings.


    Even though Varian no longer feared strong rank 8s, if they called rank 9s citing some emergency, it''d spell a disaster.


    "I''ll have to do it now. The world."


    Varian stood up and staggered out of the room despite the protests of Sia.


    "Prepare to leave."


    Perfect Synthetic World Hortus would now add a ''Prime'' into it.

 Chapter 1472 First Of All Ages

    <h4>Chapter 1472 First Of All Ages</h4>


    "Affirmative. There were some abnormal space fluctuations."


    "¡­"


    "Affirmative. The treasures indicate a few new auras."


    "¡­"


    "Roger. Roger."


    A figure in pitch ck clothes destroyed the fifthmunicator and waited outside the sr system.


    Losing one assassin did not deter Zahara Onyx, much less Esh Starlight. A small prey like this civilization ruler couldn''t ever hope to escape their clutches.


    From the moment he was targeted, his fate was set.


    As the informant erased his traces and waited like a rock, the whole scene was disyed in front of Varian by Boo who was stationed next to him in its stealth mode.


    "Good job." Varian patted the phantom of little ghost who giggled at the praise.


    "Of course, of course. Boo is the best."


    "I don''t know if it could help but keep him from sensing theing changes as much as possible." He instructed the wings circling around his head in a gentle tone.


    "Okay!" Oob pped its wings and vanished, leaving behind a "good luck!"


    Boo gave him a cute salute and disappeared as well.


    It seemed the little guy was growing up.


    The power of Hortus poured into Varian, healing his injuries and replenishing his aura.


    He could do both of these things way better than any of his peers in rank 7 or rank 8. And yet, the speed at which Hortus did it were beyond even his capacity.


    As he grew stronger and expanded Hortus ordingly, the synthetic world was changing in an unknown direction.


    "Prime World.


    A powerful world where space is enchanced to not break under the war of celestials. Where there are nos except for one single world. Where aura is so dense and abundnant that even a normal person living there could reach level 7 in his lifetime.


    Perfect Synthetic World.


    A growing independent world. Seed of a universe itself."


    The two very different features were now going to appear on one single world.


    Varian''s eyes glowed with a brilliant white light and his pupils with a deep ck. His aura swept the entire sr system.


    The creation of a Prime World would need specialists in space-time, order and chaos to proceed.


    Since they had to work like they''re of one mind, even the simplest of its kind would take years.


    Now, a single man was doing it all.


    The power of space-time changed first, bringing the space-time of the sr system in sync with that of Hortus.


    It was a difficult task.


    As the synchronization rose hit 50%, Varian''s body began to disintegrate with heavy marks of space-time tears.


    Thankfully, Hortus continued to heal and replenish him.


    Remaining in a state of constant injury and repair, Varian kept at it.


    70%


    80%


    90%


    100%


    Once the space-time was done, the next big part was merging all thes into one new world.


    The power of slivers flowed from Varian.


    His job should''ve been easier. But the task itself was very, very difficult. So, every second, Varian was losing a limb to the power he exerted.


    1%


    2%


    10%


    70%


    As the process continued, a foreign hostile arrived.


    "Give me back my master!" The power of a peak rank 8 exploded, about to devour the entire sr system.


    If it happened, the entire operation woulde to a halt and Varian would suffer terrible bacsh.


    "Halt!"


    "Die!"


    Sarah''s and Sia''s auras, both at high rank 8, reached the boundary to block her off.


    But even before them, Oob used the power of Heaven Will to bring down her power.


    In the region where Oob''s power applied, her strength was almost 33% lower, still higher than that of Sarah and Sia.


    Nexa recognized the problem but didn''t care. There was a hint of madness in her eyes as she stared at the man standing in front of the star.


    "I''ll grab my master no matter what!"


    Her figure shed forward and a streak of ck light cut through the space like aet.


    A golden light shed it head on and sted it back.


    Sarah incurred a significant injury on her shoulder from the collision but didn''t care. "You''re not crossing me today."


    Sia didn''t bother to exchange a word and swung her sword.


    Alison made the call to block the battle from being broadcasted and the rest worked to evacuate citizens in the nearby areas on the pretext of emergency training.


    80%


    90%


    As Varian inched topletion, the informant started moving.


    Without leaving any traces in space, as if he was disappearing and appearing again, he expertly manipted the power of time to approach Varian.


    97%


    As the climax approached, Varian put hisplete focus on the process, leaving himself vulnerable.


    98%


    The informant wasn''t ordered to do this. He just had to stay and pass information. The real strikers woulde soon.


    But the man figured he''d be striking gold if he took down Varian by himself.


    Normally, it''d be a terrible idea since he''s only a mid rank 8 specializing in stealth. He was selected over powerful rank 8s for the simple reason that he''s perhaps the best at stealth than most rank 8s.


    ''I can do it.'' The informant''s trained hands moved and like performing a sacred art, he reached for a barbed de.


    99%


    The visage of Sr system blurred. Like a mirage in a desert, it began to disappear. Not just visually but also physically.


    For that brief moment, every person on thes, including the ruins, experienced themselves transversing through something, akin to passing through a thick wall of water.


    99.9%.


    The informed moved, his dagger reaching Varian''s head in a blink.


    "No!"


    "Stop!"


    Sarah and Sia crushed Nexa but were too far away to stop the informant.


    But at thest moment, the informat felt a sense of fear. He''s a trained man. He knew fake concerns from real ones.


    Those women¡­weren''t worried.


    Boom!


    A powerful world will descended out of nowhere and obliterated the informant into pieces.


    Hortus'' Will was a dangerous force to go against.


    100%


    History was made.

 Chapter 1473 My Brother-In-Law

    <h4>Chapter 1473 My Brother-In-Law</h4>


    The guest mansion where Varian and his wives stayed was now surrounded by imperial soldiers.


    These were the finest of the bunch among rank 8s. Most of them were veterans who were at the peak of their craft, excelling in the art ofbat as well asmand.


    But there were also quite a few geniuses among them. Geniuses who would one day be the pirs of the kingdom and make their mark in the history of the kingdom.


    Both the young and the old held different views over the present situation.


    To the old gingers who lived too many centuries to count, Varian was someone to be controlled or killed, there was no question of even listening to his pleas.


    Why?


    Because he offended all the dukes of the kingdom.


    These old people had been alive even before Isadora even came into picture. While they viewed her as important, they were very rational when it came to decisions like these.


    When the dukes announced Isadora was not a divine ranker and might not even be a rank 9, they abandoned all the respect for her and took the most pragmatic decision.


    On the other young, the youngsters held a slightly different view. Though they too understood that anyone offending all the dukes basically courted death, they wanted to atleast understand his viewpoint.


    Why did he betray the kingdom? What prompted him to mess with even the Fortune Anvil, the lifeblood of Prians?


    Since he went that far, of course, a death penalty was all but light.


    Even the younger generation didn''t disagree on that. But before killing him, they wanted to understand the reasoning behind such a foolish and dangerous misadventure.


    "The space traces from here are scattered in sixteen different directions, ending up in vastly different coordinates."


    An inspector lowered his crystalline blue sses¡ªhis natal treasure with space affinity¡ªand said in a cautious tone.


    "Sixteen ces, you say?"


    An old, broken voice sounded. The thin gray hair of the olddy swayed with her words, as if the mere act of her speaking was creating a quiet tempest in the location.


    Duchess Seraphina blinked, her eyes, which were old but still burning bright like a me, were now dull like ashes. But those ashes held within them fury that would burn down the skies and decimate the earth.


    "Is there no way for more uracy?" She moved like a ghost and before the famous rank 9 man could even move, gripped his shoulder with bony, saggy hand.


    Click!


    The ground under the man cracked and his shoulder nearly dislodged.


    The olddy might have noticed but she didn''t seem to care. Looking at him with those dead gray eyes, she parted her bloodied lips, her voice dripping with poisonous venom.


    "Anything¡­anything¡­to¡­find¡­them?"


    The powerhouse began to sweat at the pressure that kept increasing and when he thought the crazy old bitch might kill him out of anger, she suddenly stopped.


    With a wave of her hand, dozens and dozens of treasures, each one rivalling the entire worth of a rank 9 powerhouse appeared in the air.


    The duchess nced at the treasures she umted over her long life. There was a fleeting sh of memories, memories with her granddaughter still alive.


    "You can take anything you want." She said in an unfeeling tone.


    The onlooking rank 8s who knew about the real worth of the stuff gasped and looked at each other with regretful expressions.


    If only they had a space natal treasure...


    But the rank 9s felt an omnious foreboding from the duchess'' behavior.


    Even though it''s already announced that Varian''s attempt at damaging the Fortune Anvil had failed, the deaths of the geniuses who he fought were not confirmed.


    There was only spection so far.


    Some of these rank 9 powerhouses knew that Princess Samantha and Xe had long reached rank 8 and were concealing their true strength.


    They didn''t even hold any thoughts that someone like Varian could harm any of the princesses.


    Yet, the Duchess'' behavior was suggesting otherwise.


    It wasn''t simply a matter of severe injury, there''s a good chance that Princess Xe was dead.


    If that was the case, then not only did Varian dare to appear in front of the duchess after the deed, he escaped!


    Of course, it''s thanks to some treasures and unknown powerhouse who appeared. Unfortunately, Duchess Serenthia was killed by his nefarious schemes after he took hostage of her daughter princess Sonya.


    After pulling off such ridiculous feats, the man was still alive!


    Then came the natural question, could they really kill him?


    "He is out of his cards." Duke Kriad and Corinthian appeared soundlessly at the top of the mansion.


    "Once found, he has nowhere to esacpe." Duke Micheal clenched his fists. "Trust me, that bastard will beg for death."


    The hostility of the duke surprised everyone present. Right from the onset, there was no backer to Varian greater than the old man. But before anyone''s supporter, even before being the king''s minister, he was an out and out patriot, almost to a sickening degree.


    Anyone here might have a personal agenda, but Duke Micheal would not. If he did something, it''d be for the interest of the kingdom and the race.


    The rank 9 inspector gulped and pulled back his hand that was about to grap a treasure.


    With a respectful gaze, he began to check the space traces once again.


    If the powers of Order-Chaos had enough time, they might''ve erased everything. But the dukes, particrly Seraphina moved faster than even Varian expected and broke such chances.


    "Three locations, my lord." The inspector bowed his hands and reported.


    "You three," Duchess Seraphina pointed to Micheal, Kriad and Corinthian. "Go after those three. And I¡­I will visit his hometown. Blood for blood."


    Every soldier gulped.


    A civilization was going to disappear today. Not that it''s umon but very rarely would a kingdom do such a thing to their subordinate force, a province no less.


    As they were about to disperse, a suffocating aura descended from the sky, falling on the entire royalplex.


    "You''re going nowhere, oldie."


    Everyone, from the freshly qualified recruit into the elite troops and the most veteran of soldier at present, and the dukes themselves, looked up at the sky.


    A young woman in a long azure robe stood in the sky, a suffocating aura leaking out of her body. It was very unstable, indicating she had just underwent a very taxing fight.


    There were injuries on her they couldn''t pinpoint but her strength had definitely dropped significantly from her peak.


    Yet, even in this state, she exuded strength that was far above anyone present.


    Even if all the dukes joined hand, she could still crush them.


    "How dare you attack my brother-inw?" Miss Cmity''s eyes spewed fire. "You''re lucky he''s fine or you have no idea how much of a cmity you''d have brought onto this kingdom."


    A sigh of relief was heard from some people.


    Since Varian was still alive, Miss Cmity wouldn¡ª


    "But even if he''s fine, you have a price to pay for the actions."


    An uncontroble killing intent shot out from the veiled beauty, locking the four dukes.


    Her power was so great that even though they were seperated by a single sub-realm and she was significantly injured and spent, the four dukes couldn''t even put up any resistance.


    Like pigs tied to be ughtered, they froze in ce, their proud strength utterly useless.


    With a flick of her wrist, a mass of dark green aura coalesced in thedy''s palm.


    In a swift and graceful motion, she raised her arm and pointed at her targets.


    The ones who couldn''t bear to witness the tragedy closed their eyes.


    The pirs of the kingdom, the dukes, were about to be ughtered and there wasn''t a word they could say in protest, much less try any resistance.


    This was what the pinnacle of power was like.


    Numbers wouldn''t matter, whether in millions of billions. Territory couldn''t hold them hostage, be it a duchy or a kingdom.


    Now, it wouldn''t even take a blinking moment before the pirs of the kingdom be history.


    "Enough!"


    A suffocating aura, one heavier and more solid than the fluctuating one of Miss Cmity descended on the district.


    A man bathed in golden light, akin to a heavenly spirit of the legends, appeared like a sun in the darkness.


    His aura, gentle and kind, lifted off the pressure from the shoulders of the troops everyone.


    The shining golden aura on his face rendered his expression imperceptible to everyone.


    Looking at Miss Cmity with a look of fury, he waved his hand in dismissal. "Do not cross the line. Touching a kingdom''s pirs wouldn''t go without punishment."


    Miss Cmity narrowed her eyes. "You''re the one behind this, aren''t you? The timing is so damn suspicious."


    "using me to justify your mad actions?" Martial Saint Kong didn''t appear flustered at all. With contempt flowing out his tone, he let out a disdainful chuckle.

 Chapter 1474 Emperor

    <h4>Chapter 1474 Emperor</h4>


    "Well, even if you try, you cannot do anything to anyone under my protection. You might''ve had a chance at your peak but at your current state, tsk."


    While speaking, he suddenly made a grabbing action.


    A powerful aura sted out and like water flooding into an opened sink, the aura sunk around Miss Cmity like she''s a drain.


    "Ugh,"


    A muffled groan escaped her lips as her face turned pale and aura slightly unstable.


    Martial Saint might be a despicable piece of garbage Miss Cmity saw as the lowest of low.


    But he had skills that no one could ignore. Barring the King himself, he''s the strongest peak rank 9 here.


    Due to sheer experience, it''s difficult for her to beat him unless she took that step.


    "I have contacted the disciplinarymittee of the Empire. I wonder what they''ll have to say about your decisions and actions.


    The kingdoms are under the Empire and are willing to sacrifice themselves for the cause.


    But would they be okay if someone like you poke into our affairs? Wouldn''t that be too much?


    Who knows how many rank 9s are there in the Empire''s forces? If the kingdoms yed to everyone of your whims, we wouldn''t be running a serious nation anymore.


    It''d be a circus and we''d be the monkeys."


    The Martial Saint gave a long speech, trying to justify his position as Anti-Cmity and not Anti-Empire.


    At his seemingly high minded but pathetic attempt, a disdainful smile formed on Miss Cmity''s lips.


    Gritting her teeth, she broke free from the constraints and snapped her fingers.


    A powerful, seemingly irrestible force enveloped her.


    "No," The Martial Saint''s brows furrowed. "Stop."


    His aura shot out like aser gun and reached her before any of the dukes could even react.


    But Miss Cmity looked at him with disdainful gaze and vanished into the distorting space.


    All that was left was a strand of her hair that gently fell down like a bird''s feather, dancing and humming with the wind.


    Martial Saint Kong appeared still but inwardly he was screaming in anger.


    This was naked humiliation!


    How dare she? The young bitch who wasn''t even half his age trying to do such a thing in front of everyone else!


    Martial Saint Kong didn''t see anything wrong with his behavior. Sure, she was an uing powerhouse. Yes, she could reach divine rank sooner orter.


    But he had the backing of a divine ranker. A real divinity whose power would shake the entire Alliance.


    Even if Miss Cmity was exceedingly talented, she could not reach the rank he''s in for the next ten thousand years!


    "Should we chase after her¡­"


    A brave captain blurted the words before his rationality kicked in and he almost pped himself in public.


    "No. Leave her be." The Martial Saint shook his head and was about to continue when he sensed something in the far distance.


    The king was returning. Now that the curtain was lifted, he''d be demanding a dialogue or two.


    Kong looked at the dukes. "If you don''t leave now, you might not have the chanceter."


    The dukes seemed to have grasped his intention and quickly dispersed to their pre-determined targets.


    With a small sigh leaving his lips, the Martial Saint sat in a pavilion on ake and not too long after, the King sat down with a solemn expression.


    "Kong, I will be sending you to the army for a century." The King looked at him with reluctance, not of missing him but of being able to punish him only so much.


    "¡­I see." The Martial Saint nodded without any change in expression and graciously sipped the tea which appeared out of nowhere.


    "I know what you''re thinking. Isadora might not be a peak rank 9 but you can''t kill her. Neither can I. Stay away from that boy and your life will be intact." He advised.


    The calm demeanor of the Martial Saint broke down and he mmed the tea cup, causing it to crack. "Do you think my survival depends on the whims of a woman who no longer has the strength to back it up?"


    The King shook his head, a hidden emotion slowly surfacing in his eyes.


    The Martial Saint blinked in confusion before opening his mouth in utter surprise. "Y-You¡­What the hell are you¡­"


    Fear.


    There was a deep fear surging in the King''s eyes.


    "My natal treasure." The King said in a drawn out breath, his always steady andmanding voice now shaking.


    "Yes," Kong''s face soured at the mention.


    The King had the best natal treasure of them all.


    A Space-Time treasured fused with that of Soul. It had only one function.


    The King could glimpse into a being''s true potential, sneaking a peek into a person''s destiny.


    It wasn''t something he could do when he pleased. If he set his sights on someone, it would awaken gradually and show a result in some time, mostly a few hours but sometimes even a few days.


    "Upon return, I saw it." The King took a sip to calm his nerves and stabilize his quivering voice. But he couldn''t stop the hand holding the cup from shaking.


    The Martial Saint halted his breath and waited for the man to continue. In the corner of his mind, he regretted his actions.


    "That boy''s potential is¡­"


    The King would usually see a corresponding picture. An ancientsnake, a special dagger or a near extinct elixir.


    The King closed his eyes and nerves began to pop on his forehead. "I saw a silhouttee¡­"


    "A silhouttee you say?"


    "The light from it almost blinded my eyes. I have seen Isadora''s potential. She is a bright star, destined to go higher than anyone else but with a huge cavity, as if she''s missing something. That cavity would eat her up and end her one day. But this man''s light was brighter even than her."


    "But it''s just a silhouttee. Brightness doesn''t necessarily imply he''d be great."


    The King gave a hollowugh and swiped his hand. A familiar holograph map of P kingdom appeared in front of them.


    He zoomed out a few dozen times. The neighboring kingdoms came into view. He zoomed out a few hundred times. The Genesis Empire came into view. He zoomed out a few more.


    The broad map of the Alliance greeted them.


    "That silhouttee¡­" The King raised his index finger and injected a bit of aura to the holograph.


    A silhouttee of a young man materialized, hands clenched and eyes looking solemn.


    The silhoutte began to brighten and the glow from the alliance itself was overshadowed by him.


    His light began to now cover even the Jai Empire.


    "It doesn''t matter how many he have to face, who he has to face¡­"


    Countless red stars lit up in the map, showing hostility. The silhouttee casually stomped its foot.


    And the map¡­shattered.


    "There wille a day when he can destroy the entire alliance.


    And that brightness¡­it tells how close the day is.


    If my natal treasure hasn''t failed, the day is very close.


    Maybe this millenium, no, maybe this c-century¡­"


    "Stop exaggerating! He''s just a rank 7 at the end!" The Saint looked at the King with eyes full of distrust.


    The King let out a wry smile.


    "I was reading it wrong but I wasn''t exaggerating. The opposite, if anything. If I adhere to the standard, it might not even be three decades. Or maybe two. The light gets brighter every time."


    "¡­"


    "Kong, the Alliance might have its own¡­Emperor."

 Chapter 1475 My Brother-In-Law

    <h4>Chapter 1475 My Brother-In-Law</h4>


    The guest mansion where Varian and his wives stayed was now surrounded by imperial soldiers.


    These were the finest of the bunch among rank 8s. Most of them were veterans who were at the peak of their craft, excelling in the art ofbat as well asmand.


    But there were also quite a few geniuses among them. Geniuses who would one day be the pirs of the kingdom and make their mark in the history of the kingdom.


    Both the young and the old held different views over the present situation.


    To the old gingers who lived too many centuries to count, Varian was someone to be controlled or killed, there was no question of even listening to his pleas.


    Why?


    Because he offended all the dukes of the kingdom.


    These old people had been alive even before Isadora even came into picture. While they viewed her as important, they were very rational when it came to decisions like these.


    When the dukes announced Isadora was not a divine ranker and might not even be a rank 9, they abandoned all the respect for her and took the most pragmatic decision.


    On the other young, the youngsters held a slightly different view. Though they too understood that anyone offending all the dukes basically courted death, they wanted to atleast understand his viewpoint.


    Why did he betray the kingdom? What prompted him to mess with even the Fortune Anvil, the lifeblood of Prians?


    Since he went that far, of course, a death penalty was all but light.


    Even the younger generation didn''t disagree on that. But before killing him, they wanted to understand the reasoning behind such a foolish and dangerous misadventure.


    "The space traces from here are scattered in sixteen different directions, ending up in vastly different coordinates."


    An inspector lowered his crystalline blue sses¡ªhis natal treasure with space affinity¡ªand said in a cautious tone.


    "Sixteen ces, you say?"


    An old, broken voice sounded. The thin gray hair of the olddy swayed with her words, as if the mere act of her speaking was creating a quiet tempest in the location.


    Duchess Seraphina blinked, her eyes, which were old but still burning bright like a me, were now dull like ashes. But those ashes held within them fury that would burn down the skies and decimate the earth.


    "Is there no way for more uracy?" She moved like a ghost and before the famous rank 9 man could even move, gripped his shoulder with bony, saggy hand.


    Click!


    The ground under the man cracked and his shoulder nearly dislodged.


    The olddy might have noticed but she didn''t seem to care. Looking at him with those dead gray eyes, she parted her bloodied lips, her voice dripping with poisonous venom.


    "Anything¡­anything¡­to¡­find¡­them?"


    The powerhouse began to sweat at the pressure that kept increasing and when he thought the crazy old bitch might kill him out of anger, she suddenly stopped.


    With a wave of her hand, dozens and dozens of treasures, each one rivalling the entire worth of a rank 9 powerhouse appeared in the air.


    The duchess nced at the treasures she umted over her long life. There was a fleeting sh of memories, memories with her granddaughter still alive.


    "You can take anything you want." She said in an unfeeling tone.


    The onlooking rank 8s who knew about the real worth of the stuff gasped and looked at each other with regretful expressions.


    If only they had a space natal treasure...


    But the rank 9s felt an omnious foreboding from the duchess'' behavior.


    Even though it''s already announced that Varian''s attempt at damaging the Fortune Anvil had failed, the deaths of the geniuses who he fought were not confirmed.


    There was only spection so far.


    Some of these rank 9 powerhouses knew that Princess Samantha and Xe had long reached rank 8 and were concealing their true strength.


    They didn''t even hold any thoughts that someone like Varian could harm any of the princesses.


    Yet, the Duchess'' behavior was suggesting otherwise.


    It wasn''t simply a matter of severe injury, there''s a good chance that Princess Xe was dead.


    If that was the case, then not only did Varian dare to appear in front of the duchess after the deed, he escaped!


    Of course, it''s thanks to some treasures and unknown powerhouse who appeared. Unfortunately, Duchess Serenthia was killed by his nefarious schemes after he took hostage of her daughter princess Sonya.


    After pulling off such ridiculous feats, the man was still alive!


    Then came the natural question, could they really kill him?


    "He is out of his cards." Duke Kriad and Corinthian appeared soundlessly at the top of the mansion.


    "Once found, he has nowhere to esacpe." Duke Micheal clenched his fists. "Trust me, that bastard will beg for death."


    The hostility of the duke surprised everyone present. Right from the onset, there was no backer to Varian greater than the old man. But before anyone''s supporter, even before being the king''s minister, he was an out and out patriot, almost to a sickening degree.


    Anyone here might have a personal agenda, but Duke Micheal would not. If he did something, it''d be for the interest of the kingdom and the race.


    The rank 9 inspector gulped and pulled back his hand that was about to grap a treasure.


    With a respectful gaze, he began to check the space traces once again.


    If the powers of Order-Chaos had enough time, they might''ve erased everything. But the dukes, particrly Seraphina moved faster than even Varian expected and broke such chances.


    "Three locations, my lord." The inspector bowed his hands and reported.


    "You three," Duchess Seraphina pointed to Micheal, Kriad and Corinthian. "Go after those three. And I¡­I will visit his hometown. Blood for blood."


    Every soldier gulped.


    A civilization was going to disappear today. Not that it''s umon but very rarely would a kingdom do such a thing to their subordinate force, a province no less.


    As they were about to disperse, a suffocating aura descended from the sky, falling on the entire royalplex.


    "You''re going nowhere, oldie."


    Everyone, from the freshly qualified recruit into the elite troops and the most veteran of soldier at present, and the dukes themselves, looked up at the sky.


    A young woman in a long azure robe stood in the sky, a suffocating aura leaking out of her body. It was very unstable, indicating she had just underwent a very taxing fight.


    There were injuries on her they couldn''t pinpoint but her strength had definitely dropped significantly from her peak.


    Yet, even in this state, she exuded strength that was far above anyone present.


    Even if all the dukes joined hand, she could still crush them.


    "How dare you attack my brother-inw?" Miss Cmity''s eyes spewed fire. "You''re lucky he''s fine or you have no idea how much of a cmity you''d have brought onto this kingdom."


    A sigh of relief was heard from some people.


    Since Varian was still alive, Miss Cmity wouldn¡ª


    "But even if he''s fine, you have a price to pay for the actions."


    An uncontroble killing intent shot out from the veiled beauty, locking the four dukes.


    Her power was so great that even though they were seperated by a single sub-realm and she was significantly injured and spent, the four dukes couldn''t even put up any resistance.


    Like pigs tied to be ughtered, they froze in ce, their proud strength utterly useless.


    With a flick of her wrist, a mass of dark green aura coalesced in thedy''s palm.


    In a swift and graceful motion, she raised her arm and pointed at her targets.


    The ones who couldn''t bear to witness the tragedy closed their eyes.


    The pirs of the kingdom, the dukes, were about to be ughtered and there wasn''t a word they could say in protest, much less try any resistance.


    This was what the pinnacle of power was like.


    Numbers wouldn''t matter, whether in millions of billions. Territory couldn''t hold them hostage, be it a duchy or a kingdom.


    Now, it wouldn''t even take a blinking moment before the pirs of the kingdom be history.


    "Enough!"


    A suffocating aura, one heavier and more solid than the fluctuating one of Miss Cmity descended on the district.


    A man bathed in golden light, akin to a heavenly spirit of the legends, appeared like a sun in the darkness.


    His aura, gentle and kind, lifted off the pressure from the shoulders of the troops everyone.


    The shining golden aura on his face rendered his expression imperceptible to everyone.


    Looking at Miss Cmity with a look of fury, he waved his hand in dismissal. "Do not cross the line. Touching a kingdom''s pirs wouldn''t go without punishment."


    Miss Cmity narrowed her eyes. "You''re the one behind this, aren''t you? The timing is so damn suspicious."


    "using me to justify your mad actions?" Martial Saint Kong didn''t appear flustered at all. With contempt flowing out his tone, he let out a disdainful chuckle.

 Chapter 1476 Emperor

    <h4>Chapter 1476 Emperor</h4>


    "Well, even if you try, you cannot do anything to anyone under my protection. You might''ve had a chance at your peak but at your current state, tsk."


    While speaking, he suddenly made a grabbing action.


    A powerful aura sted out and like water flooding into an opened sink, the aura sunk around Miss Cmity like she''s a drain.


    "Ugh,"


    A muffled groan escaped her lips as her face turned pale and aura slightly unstable.


    Martial Saint might be a despicable piece of garbage Miss Cmity saw as the lowest of low.


    But he had skills that no one could ignore. Barring the King himself, he''s the strongest peak rank 9 here.


    Due to sheer experience, it''s difficult for her to beat him unless she took that step.


    "I have contacted the disciplinarymittee of the Empire. I wonder what they''ll have to say about your decisions and actions.


    The kingdoms are under the Empire and are willing to sacrifice themselves for the cause.


    But would they be okay if someone like you poke into our affairs? Wouldn''t that be too much?


    Who knows how many rank 9s are there in the Empire''s forces? If the kingdoms yed to everyone of your whims, we wouldn''t be running a serious nation anymore.


    It''d be a circus and we''d be the monkeys."


    The Martial Saint gave a long speech, trying to justify his position as Anti-Cmity and not Anti-Empire.


    At his seemingly high minded but pathetic attempt, a disdainful smile formed on Miss Cmity''s lips.


    Gritting her teeth, she broke free from the constraints and snapped her fingers.


    A powerful, seemingly irrestible force enveloped her.


    "No," The Martial Saint''s brows furrowed. "Stop."


    His aura shot out like aser gun and reached her before any of the dukes could even react.


    But Miss Cmity looked at him with disdainful gaze and vanished into the distorting space.


    All that was left was a strand of her hair that gently fell down like a bird''s feather, dancing and humming with the wind.


    Martial Saint Kong appeared still but inwardly he was screaming in anger.


    This was naked humiliation!


    How dare she? The young bitch who wasn''t even half his age trying to do such a thing in front of everyone else!


    Martial Saint Kong didn''t see anything wrong with his behavior. Sure, she was an uing powerhouse. Yes, she could reach divine rank sooner orter.


    But he had the backing of a divine ranker. A real divinity whose power would shake the entire Alliance.


    Even if Miss Cmity was exceedingly talented, she could not reach the rank he''s in for the next ten thousand years!


    "Should we chase after her¡­"


    A brave captain blurted the words before his rationality kicked in and he almost pped himself in public.


    "No. Leave her be." The Martial Saint shook his head and was about to continue when he sensed something in the far distance.


    The king was returning. Now that the curtain was lifted, he''d be demanding a dialogue or two.


    Kong looked at the dukes. "If you don''t leave now, you might not have the chanceter."


    The dukes seemed to have grasped his intention and quickly dispersed to their pre-determined targets.


    With a small sigh leaving his lips, the Martial Saint sat in a pavilion on ake and not too long after, the King sat down with a solemn expression.


    "Kong, I will be sending you to the army for a century." The King looked at him with reluctance, not of missing him but of being able to punish him only so much.


    "¡­I see." The Martial Saint nodded without any change in expression and graciously sipped the tea which appeared out of nowhere.


    "I know what you''re thinking. Isadora might not be a peak rank 9 but you can''t kill her. Neither can I. Stay away from that boy and your life will be intact." He advised.


    The calm demeanor of the Martial Saint broke down and he mmed the tea cup, causing it to crack. "Do you think my survival depends on the whims of a woman who no longer has the strength to back it up?"


    The King shook his head, a hidden emotion slowly surfacing in his eyes.


    The Martial Saint blinked in confusion before opening his mouth in utter surprise. "Y-You¡­What the hell are you¡­"


    Fear.


    There was a deep fear surging in the King''s eyes.


    "My natal treasure." The King said in a drawn out breath, his always steady andmanding voice now shaking.


    "Yes," Kong''s face soured at the mention.


    The King had the best natal treasure of them all.


    A Space-Time treasured fused with that of Soul. It had only one function.


    The King could glimpse into a being''s true potential, sneaking a peek into a person''s destiny.


    It wasn''t something he could do when he pleased. If he set his sights on someone, it would awaken gradually and show a result in some time, mostly a few hours but sometimes even a few days.


    "Upon return, I saw it." The King took a sip to calm his nerves and stabilize his quivering voice. But he couldn''t stop the hand holding the cup from shaking.


    The Martial Saint halted his breath and waited for the man to continue. In the corner of his mind, he regretted his actions.


    "That boy''s potential is¡­"


    The King would usually see a corresponding picture. An ancientsnake, a special dagger or a near extinct elixir.


    The King closed his eyes and nerves began to pop on his forehead. "I saw a silhouttee¡­"


    "A silhouttee you say?"


    "The light from it almost blinded my eyes. I have seen Isadora''s potential. She is a bright star, destined to go higher than anyone else but with a huge cavity, as if she''s missing something. That cavity would eat her up and end her one day. But this man''s light was brighter even than her."


    "But it''s just a silhouttee. Brightness doesn''t necessarily imply he''d be great."


    The King gave a hollowugh and swiped his hand. A familiar holograph map of P kingdom appeared in front of them.


    He zoomed out a few dozen times. The neighboring kingdoms came into view. He zoomed out a few hundred times. The Genesis Empire came into view. He zoomed out a few more.


    The broad map of the Alliance greeted them.


    "That silhouttee¡­" The King raised his index finger and injected a bit of aura to the holograph.


    A silhouttee of a young man materialized, hands clenched and eyes looking solemn.


    The silhoutte began to brighten and the glow from the alliance itself was overshadowed by him.


    His light began to now cover even the Jai Empire.


    "It doesn''t matter how many he have to face, who he has to face¡­"


    Countless red stars lit up in the map, showing hostility. The silhouttee casually stomped its foot.


    And the map¡­shattered.


    "There wille a day when he can destroy the entire alliance.


    And that brightness¡­it tells how close the day is.


    If my natal treasure hasn''t failed, the day is very close.


    Maybe this millenium, no, maybe this c-century¡­"


    "Stop exaggerating! He''s just a rank 7 at the end!" The Saint looked at the King with eyes full of distrust.


    The King let out a wry smile.


    "I was reading it wrong but I wasn''t exaggerating. The opposite, if anything. If I adhere to the standard, it might not even be three decades. Or maybe two. The light gets brighter every time."


    "¡­"


    "Kong, the Alliance might have its own¡­Emperor."

 Chapter 1477 Pseudo Divine

    <h4>Chapter 1477 Pseudo Divine </h4>


    The jingle of trinkets echoed through the space. With that sound, theposed expression on Zahara''s echo vanished.


    Almost at the same time, Zahara''s real body which was still a significant distance away channeled its power. Her echo vanished and concurrently, the real Zahara appeared.


    Knowing she couldn''t afford to take any dys, she channeled her power and pulled Varian.


    The jingle of the trinket sounded again and the world in front of her shattered.


    A near invisible grain of life power on Varian''s hair shone with blinding brightness. It?expanded and took the shape of a veiled young woman.


    Sometimes, her long hair turned green, the other times, blue. Changing along with her hair were her eyes.


    In the state of constant flux between various colors, she looked like a beingposed entirely of energy instead of a creature of flesh and blood.


    A torrent of time power swept over Miss Cmity, trying to block her before any moves were made.


    But from the moment she appeared, she had already spread bits and pieces of her power outward, scattering in all directions and across various distances.


    The tide of time did indeed slow her down, but as it did, the Miss Cmity facing that attack turned into a secondary figure, a mere clone dedicated to protecting Varian while her real body materialized from one of the scattered bits of power.


    In her eagerness to capture Varian, Zahara decided to take a risk and lunged forward.


    She vanished abruplty, like she had disappeared from the world.


    In the terms of time power, she would be ''skipping'' a duration of time, depending on the difficulty posed by the surroundings.


    Miss Cmity furrowed her brow, her thoughts churning.


    It''s not that she could act as fast as her opponent, but due to being a higher ''lifeform'', she could think many times faster if she wanted to, allowing her to respond in an appropriate time.


    ''If Zahara had it her way, she''ll grab Varian and try to leave. Once he is captured, I''ll be passive.''


    Even as that thought was just taking ce, her clone split into three and they grabbed Varian, Sarah and Sia.


    Suffocatingly thick life power enveloped the three. Basked in the dense green power, the trio had just started to react to the battle.


    The sound of a paper tearing and a chalk scratching against a board rang together.


    Three fingernails touched Varian''s eyes, just a single movement away from piercing them. And then, they were pulled back violently.


    Zahara who was supposed to appear beside Varian was blocked by the intense energy shield and when she did appear next to it, she breached in.


    Unfortunately, a dozen or so Miss Cmity clones were waiting for the very opportunity and pounced on her.


    One of the clone turned to Varian coated in the green light and pped.


    With enough force to destroy dozens of sr system, the p somehow did not break the shield but sent him flying.


    The space broke due to the sheer force and he sted through the inner space before somehow breaking out into some other ce.


    ''Wh-What?''


    Varian''s heart was pounding in his chest, on the verge of explosion.


    He just saw a strange woman, then Miss Cmity and now he''s here. He couldn''t understand what''s happening at all.


    ''And where the fuck am I?''


    [You went from one end of Centaurus to another. Basically, you crossed a duchy.]


    ''With that one p?''


    [She didn''t p. She swatted you away.]


    Varian gulped down his saliva and checked his body.


    The remnant power of space-time in his body did not allow teleportation. But Miss Cmity brute forced such restriction and pushed him away.


    He checked Sarah''s and Sia''s condition through synergy. Theynded nearby and were rapidly moving in different directions.


    Miss Cmity''s clones were moving them to safety.


    ''Wait, what about me?''


    Varian''s eyes widened and his chest tightened.


    [¡­Err, you''re used as a¡ª]


    A delicate hand appeared in front of him all of a sudden, followed by Zahara herself.


    As she''s millimeters away from grabbing his face, Miss Cmity''s clone appeared behind her and pped her on the back.


    Almost at the same time, a green energy block enveloped Varian, sting him away to safety.


    The encounter was so quick that it registered on Varian''s mind only a full second after he crossed some other duchy.


    ''A bait.'' He finished what Logos was about to say.


    The next two minutes or was it five? With his sense of time distorted like never before, all Varian could tell was that he came close to grazing death a few dozen times and was saved every single time.


    He was dancing on the edge of death all the while being utterly helpless about it.


    But to Miss Cmity, it was a rtively safe bet. Thanks to Zahara''s eagerness, she managed to inflict enough wounds.


    "Why¡­why are you?" Zahara''s golden skin had turned a shade darker and her bright eyes were now gloomy. "I am on the verge of divine rank and yet¡­"


    She had taken that step and could ascend at any moment, as long as she had an ephiphany.


    A half-step divine ranker, Zahara was not even considered a celestial ranker anymore.


    And yet, she was defeated by Miss Cmity.


    "Heh," To her opponent''s confused questioning, the lips of thedy under her veil curled up. "Someone had this great idea of causing a border crisis when my brother-inw went into Cradle. To get back as soon as possible, I ended up fighting hard. And it happened."


    She streched her hand and a silver white light flickered over her palm.


    Zahara''s expression hardened before she broke into a smile.


    "Bitch!" Miss Cmity cursed and pped into the space ahead.


    "Hahahahahah!"


    Zahara split into dozens and dozens of forms, all shooting outward in different directions.


    These were all echoes of future, different timelines where she could take that particr path.


    It was a difficult move and was usually something only the divine rankers could perform. Zahara managed an imperfect version but that in itself posed a big danger to Varian.


    With a p of her hands, dozen of green threads raced after the echoes, and Miss Cmity herself materialized next to Varian, using the clone next to him.


    She gave him an apologetic look but it would be a full half-


    second before he could register it and another quarter-second before he could speak.


    There wasn''t that much time.


    As she expected, Zahara appeared in front of Varian, with a few of her echoes.


    In an arrow formation, they reached them with full force and atacked.


    Boom!


    Miss Cmity''s shield shed against the torrent of time power. As she hoped, the two reached a stalemate.


    "Give up." The veileddy said with a strong smile. "The best you can do is a stalemate. You don''t have any more time."


    Any rank 9 powerhouses sneaked into the kingdom would be found by the defense system and the defenders would be sent immediately.


    It should''ve happened when Zahara tried to breach the borders, but it seemed like there was a dy.


    Still, Zahara wouldn''t be able to aplish anything.


    With Miss Cmity''s protection, Varian would be safe.


    "Haah, I didn''t want to do this." The silver light emanating from Zahara''s body began to dim and part of it began to break apart like crystals.


    Miss Cmity''s calm expression copsed at that sight. "No. Are you crazy?"


    "Heh."


    Zahara''s power shot through the roof and the power of time striking Miss Cmity''s shield, turned from a flood into a tsunami.


    "Damn it!"


    With as many treasures taken as soon possible, dozens and dozens of Miss Cmity''s clones along with her main body faced the attack.


    With each drop of power, an echo of Zahara was destroyed but there were too many.


    Like a relentless flow of river destroying even the sturdiest of mountains over time, the torrent of her power eventually cracked the powerful defense.


    And from it, a single drop of power headed for Varian.


    "No!"


    One of Miss Cmity''s clone threw herself and attacked the drop.


    Most of the drop dissipated into nothingness, but a tiny part of it ''skipped'' time before it faced extinction.


    "Shit! no!"


    And it appeared on Varian.


    Boom!


    The damaged echo of Zahara appeared.


    "Yo¡ª"


    With a p of her hand, the space-time fabric ripped apart.


    She and Varian disappeared.

 Chapter 1478 Colleagues

    <h4>Chapter 1478 Colleagues</h4>


    A couple of duchies away from Centaurus, the unconscious Sia and Sarah remained under the protection of Miss Cmity''s clones.


    The moment Varian disappeared with Zahara Onyx, however, the space around them cracked and drew them in, gently but swiftly.


    It was stopped by a powerful force and a tug of war ensued. However, both sides took utmost care to not injure the women involved.


    "¡­What is going on here?" Miss Cmity''s clone sensed a world on the other side.


    It looked like a Prime World with strong space, dense aura and unnatural area ofnd.


    But that wasn''t it.


    Unlike a Prime World¡ªa cut out from the original world distinguished by a few special attributes like space and aura¡ªthis ce felt different.


    As a life awakener in particr, she could feel the life inside were different from those out.


    In the world atrge, a person goes through his life until death is met. That much wasmon knowledge. But what urs after death?


    As far as Miss Cmity knew, if there''s enough death essence and energy, the ''enough'' differing for each race and even individuals within that race, a transformation begins.


    The dead body would begin a new journey. The former soul would be twisted, corrupted during this transformation and a new ''self'' would be born.


    There could be idents.


    Some races would need a lot more death energy and essence for the transformation.


    The soul of an individual could be too weak and copse midway.


    The life essence of a race, even after death, might be fundamentally opposed to such transformations, with a decay mechanism to counter any attempts.


    Typically, the more attuned to life a race was, the harder it would be for them to turn into Undead.


    As a member of the Vita tribe, the ruling section of Genesis Empire, Miss Cmity was confident that she would not turn into an Undead after her death.


    But¡ª


    "It''s weird, weird, weird."


    The world inside had something crazy. A ce or a domain ofw, she wans''t sure, but it promised to turn her into an Undead.


    It wasn''t so much the quality and quantity of death energy and essence that was surprising.


    It was their subversive nature, the property to overturnmon sense. How could a Vita tribe member turn into an Undead? Ridiculous!


    Even strange, the world seemed capable of resisting the natural cycle of life and death.


    And it wasn''t through applying power like a celestial or divine ranker could. Nope. It appeared to be the property of the world.


    For instance, the people inside could grow younger as time passed instead of older or with the precondition of soul safety, the dead could be resurrected instantly and so on.


    Heck, it seemed to hold powers to even influence souls.


    If Prians had this world instead of Cradle, they wouldn''t need any formations to handle the Fortune Spirit.


    The World''s Will would have done so by itself.


    "Who the hell are you?"


    Even though she was simultaneously surprised and impressed by this special world, Miss Cmity''s clone prepared herself for a deadly attack to strike down this unknown entity.


    There was a stretch of silence before two silhouttes emerged from the space cracks.


    With pure white light seeping out of the opening and a powerful aura that blocked the clone''s senses, the two people signaled something omnious.


    ''I''ll have to hurry and call my other selves. But most of them are entangled with Zahara. That bitch¡­she''s not spilling anything.''


    Facing the risky possibility where no support might be avable, the clone prepared herself for a deadly battle.


    The enemies stepped out without even bothering to attack first.


    A beautiful mature woman with an air of royalty stopped at the third step. d in a maid uniform with green touches, she stood like an elegant rose.


    Next came anotherdy on the younger side in a maid uniform too, a bit more¡­fashionablepared to the other. Unlike her counterpart, she was bubbling youthful energy.


    "¡­"


    Miss Cmity''s mouth opened but no words came out.


    ''Where are the enemies? I am a clone but I was ready to die! Give me back my emotions!''


    Sensing something was wrong with thedy''s expression, the Matriarch spoke up.


    "Thank you for protecting the Queens. The signal sent by Master activated. We''ll take them in for safety."


    Hearing her respectful but dignified words, Hazel swallowed her saliva and parted her lips.


    "Y-Yes! Yes! I want to thank you on the behalf of his majesty. Please allow me to show it in the form of a good feast."


    As soon as she said those words, Hazel felt a chill down her spine.


    Shifting her gaze to the side in confusion, she saw Matriarch looking at her with a professional smile.


    Though not a single word was exchanged between the two, Hazel could hear her senior''s icy and authoritative voice let loose in assions like these.


    ''You little bitch! We don''t know anything about her and you''re inviting her in! Are you crazy? Have you considered the problems that may arise?''


    Whether the dignified Matriarch would utter such curses was up to debate but Hazel was already immersed in the tenth minute of the disciplining session and shriveled like a dried cocumber.


    "¡­What''s up with her?" Miss Cmity asked with a pitying gaze.


    "A very imaginative mind." The Matriach sighed lightly before lowering her head and performing a light bow. "Let me officially invite you in to the Empire of my Master."


    "Hm," Miss Cmity nodded and the three walked to the entrance.


    The grand new Hortus, a world of possibilities built to do the impossible, greeted them.


    Unlike the Maids who swiftly moved the Queens to rest and recuperation, Miss Cmity''s clone stood at the entrance, dumbfounded.


    "Wh-What the heck is this world¡­"


    She could sense it clearly now.


    Three powerful divinities, no, to even call them divinities would be an insult.


    These three must''ve touched the very peak of the known strength, were they each as strong as the Jai Emperor himself?


    ''Maybe even stronger¡­''


    There was only one entity that could really achieve that.


    ''Primordial Gods.''


    Her brother-inw''s secrets were way bigger than she ever imagined.

 Chapter 1479 I Am

    <h4>Chapter 1479 I Am </h4>


    Varian''s body sank like a boulder in the ocean. There''s nobody to help and nothing to hold onto.


    ying his hands around in a desperate attempt, he tried to make sense of the situation he was in.


    A dark world spanned endlessly around him, pulling him deeper and faster with every passing second, like ultra quicksand.


    And it was trying to pull something from him. Something he shouldn''t lose.


    There was an instinctive struggle going on, one he wasn''t able to feel but was subtly aware of.


    ''I¡­Zahara¡­fuck!''


    Varian''s consciousness rose back to the shore and his eyes snapped open.


    His hand, out of pure instinct, was grabbing grabbing Zahara''s w which dug into his chest and clenched his heart.


    But that''s all.


    Due to the tremendous power of time pouring from her into his body with every passing moment, a sort of ''time bomb'' was being nted.


    Once it exploded, his heart would be skipping not just a few seconds but possibly a minute or more into the future.


    And when that happened, it would also take away a big chunk of his vitality with it.


    For those sixty seconds, Varian would be extremely deprived of aura and low on vitality.


    Despite regenerative capabilities strong enough to regenerate from a drop of blood at normal times, in that weakened state, he''d be no better than an old tree waiting to be cut.


    Even if he could survive decapitation once or twice, he wouldn''t survive his body being sliced to pieces.


    And Zahara would be willing to do more than just that.


    But Varian didn''t know he was misunderstading something.


    "You woke up already? For an ant, you are intruiging." Zahara''s echo didn''t have the usual radiance.


    Her golden skin had gone so pale that it appeared sickly white, the lively long hair was extremely dim, appearing like long dead vines stuck to her scalp.


    "Ant?" Varian gritted his teeth and pushed her hand out.


    Zahara''s echo staggered back before stabilizing quickly.


    "You are in such a bad state that you can''t even kill me." Heughed.


    "Kill you?"


    It was Zahara''s turn tough. And she let out a very mocking and harsh chuckle.


    "I was trying to drain your vitality to the brink and capture you. Or you''d have died a hundred times already."


    Varian''s expression darkened and he grasped his surroundings.


    They were now even out of P kingdom and maybe even in the edge of the Genesis Empire.


    This particr region seemed to be a deste one, given how there were a couple of ckholes nearby.


    "Can we have a nice talk like civilized people? Yeah?" Varian tilted his head and gave off a diplomatic smile. "Why does the Princess wish to capture me? I don''t remember making any move against her."


    Zahara''s echo clutched her stomach and let out a loudugh. But instead of an organic one, it seemed like a deliberate response to his words.


    "Against her? You? Even non-sentient beasts have self-awareness of their hierarchy. Why are you this ignorant? Even if you want to go against Her Highness, what can you do? Go join the kingdom''s army?"


    Maybe it was because she got very damaged that even the Echo''s ego was affected or perhaps for some other reason, Zahara was willing to talk more than usual.


    "Don''t presume you can talk your way out of this. The princess named you a prisoner and a prisoner you would be. No questions asked, no objections allowed. It''s your destiny. Since you can''t avoid it, embrace it. Maybe what awaits is a pleasant death instead of an endless hell."


    Zahara''s words maybe harsh but her tone was sincere. It seemed that she believed everything she said.


    "Really now¡­" Varian rubbed the back of his head and cracked his neck. "Why do I get all the crazies? A stupid bitch that sends another stupid bitch to capture me."


    Zahara''s carefree expression vanished and her eyes burned with fury. "sphemy!"


    With a flick of her wrist, a powerful wave of time power dashed to Varian.


    Extremely weakened she was, the fractional strength she had left was still enough to crush any rank 7.


    With strength came confidence and Zahara had long considered this mission to be a sess.


    She didn''t know, Varian too was confident, for the same reason.


    [Rank 7


    Paragon Body : 9,999/10,000 (+1499)


    Death Giant?: 9,999/10,000 (+1499)


    Ignis: 9,999/10,000(+1999)


    <What better way to learn than by doing it yourself?


    Even though the domains of Life, Death and Soul aren''t deeply touched in the creation of your special world, the exposure was enough to give you a leap.


    You''re on the verge of a breakthrough.>


    Order: 9,999/10,000. (+1499)


    Chaos: 9,999/10,000. (+1499)


    <If not for being in such a hurry, you could''ve advanced to the next rank already. Truly a pity.>


    Space: 9,999/10,000.(+5,999)


    Time:9,999/10,000 (+5,999)


    <What''s the biggest challenge in creating a world?


    Life? They can be taken in after the world is built.


    Bnce? It can be adjustedter on.


    The most fundamental aspect of the world, the basis upon which everything rests is the boundary of the world, the space-


    time domain that makes it unique from the rest of the universe.


    It''s an incredibly difficult job to pull it off.


    But if it seeds, as it did with you, there will be tremendous benefits.


    You''ve gleaned into how the space-time domain works for a world independent from the universe.


    Make no mistake, this isn''t an average lesson. You have grasped, if only a tiny, tiny chunk, of what it means to have a universe.


    Would it help you in making expanding that world into a universe one day? Highly doubtful.


    But is it beneficial to study? Absolutely!>]


    He did it.


    With a single event, he took a significant leap in all the paths and hit the very peak of rank 7. Even though he wasn''t sure of breaking through right away, he''s dangerously close.


    What''s more, once he reached rank 8, he would be essing the strength of the kingdom''s strongest.


    The jump would be insane.


    After all, even with the strength of a peak rank 8, he wasn''t even able to react to the fight between Miss Cmity and Zahara Onyx.


    ''Not for long.''


    Buzzz!


    The time wave reached him in a blink, wriggling with aura dense enough to choke a rank 6 celestial.


    "Tsk."


    With a wave of his hand, the space-time in front of him distorted like ripple on a stillke. The iing time wave was blocked for a moment before it broke through.


    Varian showed no anxiety.


    As the time power struck him, his body exploded into a puff of smoke and he appeared in the far distance.


    "You¡­"


    Zahara''s eyebrows jumped in surprise.


    Even though it was a deliberately weakened attack to not kill him, it wasn''t something he should be able to evade.


    And what''s with those space-time powers from him?


    How did he use them? They didn''t feel like products of a treasure.


    ''No, it can''t be¡­'' As Zahara''s echo entered a dangerous line of thought, a snap pulled her back to reality.


    A bright dome of white and ck power enveloped them.


    "This power¡­"


    She had noticed only it now but her contact with the main body was cut off.


    "You aren''t the hunter." Varian smiled.


    A red sword materialized in his hand, a purple gem shone from his heart and the ring on his finger began to buzz.


    "I am."

 Chapter 1480 Peace

    <h4>Chapter 1480 Peace</h4>


    Like a needle piercing throughyers of fabric, slowing with eachyer, Varian''s sword cut through the nearly endlessyers of defenses.


    Everyyer of defense, a thick circr mass of white energy, vibrated lightly.


    The moment the sword touched it, a part of the aura was either forcibly kept in the present or skipped a bit into the future.


    Inertia applied to all things against all properties.


    A moving object could not be stopped without force. A static object could not be moved through space without effort.


    In a sense, every object had resistance against change, in whatever form.


    This applied to aura as well. When the power of time tried to gulp it away into the future, aura resisted.


    So, instead of disappearing wholly from the sword and rendering the attack useless, only a bit of the whole disappeared.


    The firstyer of defense took away only 1%.


    The next grabbed 1.1%.


    And the next 1.3%.


    As the sword advanced through theyers, the resistance of the aura fell sharply.


    When Varian pierced through the final barrier, the weapon had practically turned barren.


    It didn''t help that a bit of aura that previously disappeared a microsecond ago appeared now.


    The sword moved a microsecond forward but the aura hadn''t. So, when it tried to fit in its previous setting, a sh ensued and disrupted the momentum of the attack.


    Due to the left over physical momentum, the weapon hit Zahara''s eyes. But its momentum was so weak that it couldn''t even pierce her eyes.


    Zahara''s echo was defective and didn''t even have the strength of a rank 9. So, her physical capabilities were also significantly lower.


    Yet, she could not have more physical defense than a typical rank 6 body awakener.


    To put things into perspective, Varian''s attack, which was capable of killing any peak rank 8, was so weakened that it wasn''t even able to injure a rank 6.


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    An awkward silence ensued as Varian withdrew his sword and checked the de. He gave Requiem briefly to Xe before grabbing it back. Was it possible that he got a counterfiet?


    Varian gripped the handle of his sword and let out a heroic sigh. "Tsk, to think my enemies are so vengeful that they''ll fake my weapon and render me powerless now."


    Zahara rolled her eyes. "What happened to that punch line? I''m not the Hunter, but you are."


    "No, no." Varian shook his head fervently. "You are not the Hunter, I am."


    "I said the same thing."


    "No, you said I said ''I''m not the Hunter, you are.'' But I said the opposite."


    "If you want to buy time, you should really search for better ways, you know?" Zahara sighed and a thorned white sword began to materialize in her hand.


    Varian backed off, building cubical defense structures around him. They included those from space, time, order, chaos, life and death.


    "I''m trying, okay? It''s not like I have a 101 ways to waste tactically important time with your enemy during a critical battle moment."


    Zahara shook her head.


    She too was trying to buy a few seconds to try contact her mainbody. Once it proved futile, she decided to take things into her own hands.


    Thedy swung her sword casually.


    Whoosh!


    A white light split the world into two.


    The barriers were ''skipped'' an instant into the future.


    Varian''s chest split open and blood spurted out like a fountain.


    "Urgh."


    With a pained expression, he clutched his chest and elerated his healing powers.


    But the wound that should''ve started healing started taking a lot more time. It took the power of Paragon Body and shouldn''t have shown such reaction. The time flow for the injured part was far slower.


    So, even though it was technically healing, there''d be no difference even if it hadn''t.


    "I was disappointed when my civilization didn''t have time awakeners." Varian grabbed that part of flesh and sted it with the power of chaos.


    It dissolved into nothingness and in an instant, new flesh grew. The injury that was recovering at a snail pace closed up before a blink.


    "But I''m d there were none. You guys are fucking annoying."


    Forming a stage of aura, he kicked it hard and shot toward Zahara.


    When he reached her, she vanished abruptly, skipping that brief duration.


    A thin spear pierced from Varian''s back and emerged from his chest, his beating heart attached to the tip of the weapon.


    The power of time infused in the spear poured into his heart and a time bomb started to get quickly arranged.


    "All divine paths are equal, but some are more equal than others." Zahara''s calm voice sounded from behind. "Time is a lot more equal, I say. So does my Princess."


    Boom!


    Varian snatched his heart back. It turned purple and was on the verge of skipping time. Once it did, it''d drown a good chunk of his vitality.


    Instead of fearing the situation, he used his immense vitality to resist the time skip and then infused time power into his own body to skip.


    "You''re crazy."


    Zahara realized what he was trying to do and dismissed it without even thinking. Yet, a momentter, Varian skipped time along with his heart in perfect sync.


    It''s something that''d need not only a perfect control over power of time but also over vitality.


    Mastery over two paths?


    Except for Hybrids, no one could do that.


    And yet this guy¡­


    Shaaa!


    Varian''s sword raced for Zahara. It was exactly the same attack he just tried and failed.


    Thedy put upyers of defense and decided to destroy the sword using the opportunity.


    The sword, the stone and the ring¡ªall of them were making him stronger than normal.


    ''Once he''s weakened, I can incapacitate him.''


    As expected, the sword began to lose momentum as it passed through the defenses. And this time, it came to a halt by the time it reached her.


    Zahara reached her hand for the sword but her battle instincts kicked in at thest second and she tried to escape.


    But a ck and white light emerged from the sword and enveloped her.


    Unknown to her, a neww was set through the power of slivers.


    [Matter and Energy within the boundary increases.]


    Her powers still worked and Zahara was able to skip a second, moving to a distance.


    But time skip was a delicate activity, dependent on the initial conditions. Due to sudden interference, the skip ended up being imperfect and shended up in a ce she didn''t intend.


    "Got you!"


    Varian''s fist reached her face.


    Even in that momentum, Zahara tried to escape and this time, the power of slivers acted. Aura was pulled from the woman, momentarily halting her escape.


    And that''s enough of a gap.


    Boom!


    Zahara''s head exploded.


    But instead of dying, the scatterd pieces began toe together.


    Regressing was an extremely difficult activity for any time awakener, the cost increasing exponentially with every new addition.


    But if it''s just onself, it''s possible.


    So, even if you get your head sted, with enough expertise, you could still turn back time.


    Boom!


    If someone wasn''t intent of sting your head, of course.

 Chapter 1481 Breach

    <h4>Chapter 1481 Breach</h4>


    "What a lucky son of a bitch,"


    In an expanse of space illuminated by soft white light, Zahara withdrew from her offensive stance and bit her lip with a dissatisfied expression.


    "Looks like you can''t even beat a rank 7." Miss Cmity snorted with disdain.


    Zahara took a deep breath and red at the haughty veiled woman. "Standing against the Princess, you''re ying with fire."


    "Am I?" Miss Cmity covered her mouth and let out an elegant chucklemonly found among nobledies. "Or maybe your Princess should stop being such a doormat. My senior sister whipped her clone when she wasn''t even a pseudo divine."


    "¡­you''re wee to say that in front of the Princess." Zahara replied.


    Miss Cmity narrowed her eyes.


    The messages from her clone who went inside the strange world were limited. It seemed like there was a ''censor'' stopping any sensitive information.


    But one thing was obvious.


    ''That ce has something to let me hit the divine ranks.''


    "I will face her sooner orter, she better be prepared then." Miss Cmity smiled with confidence.


    "Tsk." Zahara gazed into the distance and clicked her tongue.


    Boom!


    A huge tsunami of vitality locked Zahara. But the woman only snorted and dissolved into the space-time fabric.


    "You can save him now. You can''t save him forever. The Warring faction is?watching. Always."


    Miss Cmity''s brows furrowed and she gnashed her teeth.


    A momentter, three powerful auras descended, materializing in the form of humanoids.


    "It''s an attack from Zahara Onyx under Esh Starlight." Miss Cmity started reporting. "There is a mole inside the P kingdom that failed their security system and let a ninth ranker in."


    The silhouttes, beings formed of pure aura, looked at each other,municating in ways the veileddy couldn''tprehend. Their faces had no features and it was hard to tell what they were feeling.


    ''A clone of peak rank 9. Yet, its strength breaches the strength of peak rank 9. Without the divine rankers, a bunch of these old kings and queens can overrun the entire Empire.''


    Turning to her, one of them said.


    "An investigation will beunched, though the chances of finding the culprit is unlikely."


    Thedy nodded. "I would like to request for more border security at the P boundary."


    "Transgressions like these are intended for very specific purposes. Which, Miss Cmity, you are yet to reveal."


    "¡­They are after Princess Isadora." Miss Cmity lied with a straight expression. "She was turning the world into a Prime World. They wanted to attack her in the moment of weakness."


    "We need to verify. Where is the Princess?" They pressed.


    "I do not know. She''s gone."


    "¡­Then where is the Prime World."


    "Gone."


    "Lying in investigation is a serious crime. Please cooperate."


    "Coercing a future divine ranker is a bad decision. Please behave." Miss Cmity shrugged.


    "¡­"


    "I have nothing to gain from lying. You can check the traces of the Prime World and decide for yourself." Miss Cmity pointed to the empty space.


    The powerhouses scanned carefully and looked at each other in disbelief.


    "Perfect¡­"


    "Such a perfect prime world¡­"


    "A single aura responsible for everything¡­Isadora¡­what a monster."


    Gasps of admiration and disbelief were the only response they could give.


    Miss Cmity pursed her lips. She had just learned that this was the work of her brother-inw.


    "We''ll take an investig¡ª"


    Miss Cmity and the three powerhouses all turned to one direction instinctively.


    Their perception passed distances spanning entire duchies and reached the border area of the Alliance.


    P border, Genesis Empire.


    There were dozens and dozens of star systems, meticulously arranged to serve as the frontine of defense.


    Troops, starting from rank 6 and going all the way to rank 9 were stationed in clever positions to tackle any problems.


    A huge rainbowy curtain spanned across the entire boundary, reminiscent of aurora bueralis.


    This was at the very edge of the milkway.


    The nearby satellite gxy was upied by Jai Empire since a long time and was used as aunch pad.


    Patrol units would patrol along the border without fail, ever alert.


    The outposts of the Alliance were between this huge rainbow curtain and the satellite gxy.


    They''d inform the local base of any suspicious movements and depending on the severity of the issue, patrol units would be dispatched.


    It''s a standard protocol, one expected from a normal army on a normal.


    Everything was going well so far.


    The troops were training hard in prime worlds dedicated to the purpose and were trying to progress even a little further today.


    The think tanks were analyzing thetest reports and working on the existing tactics.


    The leaders were holding meetings, discussing the existing strategies and room for improvements.


    The typical soldier stationed here, a rank 6¡ªa powerhouse anywhere in the kingdom, was spending another day of mundanity.


    Even though it might already be several centuries since his posting, he would continue to wish for such mundanity.


    A life filled with training, rest, more training. It was a monotonous life.


    Yet, no soldier here wished otherwise.


    Because the alternative to this monotony was utter chaos and uncontroble danger.


    The small skirmishes that happen reguarly could easily kill a thousand of them and no one would bat an eye. They knew it because they did the same when people like them died.


    Heck, even the death of rank 8s wasn''t a big deal.


    For people living a life like that, today seemed another fine day.


    There were no skirmishes recently and the Empire''s forces seemed to be withdrawing back, perhaps due to some internal troubles.


    But then it happened.


    Kaaa! Kaa! Kaa!


    They thought it was the ground at first. After all, the first thing they observed was the objects in the soldier dorms shaking.


    A small earthquake, it seemed.


    But then the rooms themselves started shaking.


    Arge earthquake, maybe.


    Soon, the. A momentter, thes. Before anyone could act, the entire star systems began to shake.


    "Oh shit."


    Only then did it strike them.


    It wasn''t about the items or room or the...space itself was shaking.


    Boom!


    A red light sted through the defensive curtain without warning and the armed forces under the 7th Prince breached into the Alliance.


    (A/N: Volume Ends)

 Chapter 1482 Samael Astreas

    <h4>Chapter 1482 Samael Astreas </h4>


    The 7th Prince got a small break.


    He didn''t need to fight against enemies rivaling his power for a short while and decided to take a short break.


    His clones were needed in various locations. Not that he could use them indefinitely.


    Divine ranker he was, his power remained finite.


    Every enemy fought and managed by his clone was a formidable powerhouse by themselves.


    Any weakening of the clone could set in motion a chain reaction that would set back the grand mission, even if just by a bit.


    Thankfully, while the clones remained with their never ending job, he didn''t have to.


    So, he returned to his private.


    A protected by the toughest of defenses he could create.


    Even a new divine ranker could not break past the invisible defenses that warp this tiny ce.


    It was on a distant away from the center of the Andromeda gxy. It''s a ce at the border of kingdoms and used to be ruled by an independent government.


    Long ago, there was a man from the 2nd Prince faction, his position equivalent to that of Zahara Onyx and Hector Russ.


    Compared to the 4th Princess and the 7th Prince, the 2nd Prince was naturally older. So were the subordinates under him.


    The man was talented and resourceful, managing to reach the divine rank in an impressive time.


    That was the time when the subordinates under the 3rd princess and 5th prince¡ªwho lead the other two factions of the Empire back then¡ªwere still only peak of rank 9.


    It was the period when the 7th Prince hadn''t begun to lead the Narak faction of the Empire and only recently got into the prime ranking.


    Drunk on power, the subordinate of the 2nd Prince breached into the boundary drawn by the 7th Prince.


    The red lines clearly indicated that no one shoulde within a light year radius of the.


    The man did.


    ''Look, I know this ce is considered important by the 7th Prince. But even if I cross it, there''s not much he can do.''


    What happened next was a tale of epic tragedy.


    The man, his family, friends, rtives,, civilization and the entire kingdom he was from where ughtered.


    The lives lost that day exceeded a few hundred trillion.


    Jai Empire wasn''t and of peace. It ran the so-called Providence Trial which was essentially an official protection to not get genocided by powerful groups.


    Everyone living here, man or woman, young or old, was ustomed to violence.


    And yet, the brutality of the Prince shattered these hardened hearts. Children stopped crying, men stoppedughing and women stopped speaking at his mere mention.


    The 7th Prince was apparently punished by the Emperor. Or so they say. But he shortly became the head of Naraka faction there after. People who lived through those times wonder if he''s actually rewarded for his behavior than punished.


    It had been a long time since that incident, but no one, not a single soul, not even the rank 2s of the Empire tried to set foot in that location.


    To such a forbidden region, Samael Astreas returned.


    The, despite absence of any lifeform was well maintained, remaining in a pristine condition.


    But it wasn''t grand enough for his status. There were no divine stones or trees or beasts on the.


    The ce''s space wasn''t reinforced enough to withstand the blows of even a peak rank 9. Nor was there abundant aura as one would expect from the ce of a divine ranker.


    It was just a for the upper-middle ss of the Empire. Nothing more. Nothing less.


    And it''s style¨Croads, buildings and gardens¡ªwere all a thing of a distant past, a past from which the Empire had long moved on from.


    But it remained perfectly preserved in this ce.


    As if the had remained in that state.


    "I''m back." The Prince muttered, his voice, ever so cold and indifferent, slowly melting.


    Without any more words, he sealed his powers and closed his eyes.


    And his day began.


    The pink starlight seeping into the room through the windows and then the curtains caused his eyebrows to furrow.


    With a frown, he snorted and hugged tighter.


    "-ke up! Wake up~"


    A familiar, gentle voice tickled his ears. The scent that soothed his soul reached his nose and her presence announced itself in his arms.


    "Lia¡­"


    The Prince smiled like a child and hugged tighter.


    "If you don''t let me cook, Sk will be hungry."


    She tried to persuade in a gentle tone but Samael was having none of that.


    "That little pig can starve a day for all I care. Just lie down with me." Samael said in a firm tone and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tighter and tighter hug.


    "Really now, why are you being like this?" Lia patted him on the back and sighed in confusion and helplessness.


    "Usually, you just leave in the middle of the night for some mission. You don''t even bother to inform me. And you''re being like this now. Samael¡­"


    In that voice, there was a trace of worry, a hint ofin and a bit of sadness. "Are you fine? Is everything okay?"


    Samael nodded without opening his eyes, his arm slowly reaching for her cheek and tracing her face gently, like she was the most delicate thing to exist.


    He cupped her cheek and rested his head on her shoulder.


    "I''m fine. Everything is fine. Really."


    Seconds turned into minutes and the minutes umted into an hour.


    But Samael didn''t move.


    Like a baby safely resting in the womb, away from all the troubles of the world, he rested.


    Lia gave up trying to wake him up and held him with care.


    A familiar voice broke the peace.


    "Bad Bad Big Bro! I am hungry! Hungry hungry hungry!"


    Even from across the hallway, that voice was loud enough.


    Samael sighed and slowly opened his eyes.


    Lying next to him was his wife who died a long, long time ago.

 Chapter 1483 7th Prince

    <h4>Chapter 1483 7th Prince</h4>


    "I''m starving."


    "Ooh! I feel it in my stomach! Ouch! My vitamins are being depleted!"


    "My starvation rate is over 9000!"


    The young girl was no more than eight. She looked like a cute doll but acted like a hooligan.


    Kicking her short legs as she sat on the tall chair across the dining table, she shook her head back and forth, swaying her pigtails with her, all the while ring at Samael.


    "Bad bro! Bad! Bad!"


    An elegant young woman, not pretty enough to be called world ss but with a warm smile that none of the kingdom''s best beauties could match, arrived in an apron and began serving breakfast.


    Sk''s eyes lit up at her favorite dishes and without waiting for anyone, she began wolfing down the food.


    "Little pig, if you eat that quick, you''ll choke!" Samael admonished her but all he got in response was a cute roll of eyes.


    "Let her be. She must be starving."


    A middle-aged woman whose features were strikingly simr to Samael said with a gentle smile.


    "Mom, you shouldn''t spoil her so much. She has to be raised with discipline." Samael argued.


    "Come on, dear. She''s just eight." Lia wrapped her arms around his neck.


    "Really now¡­"


    His little sister''s capricious behavior was supported by his mother and wife. His efforts for iron-d discipline proved futile against this gentle family.


    "Are you leaving for the border today?" His mother, Tanya, asked. Even though she tried to hide it, the concern was visible.


    As experienced as he was, no one could guarentee their survival in the battlefield. Samael was a genius but that''s all the more reason he could die today.


    "Nah, today is a holiday."


    "I don''t remember them giving any."


    "I''m taking one." Samael said.


    There was a sudden silence in the room.


    Even the little girl stopped her muching and with puffed cheeks full of food, she looked at her brother with wide eyes, as if she was witnessing a ghost.


    "Come on, let''s go somewhere. Mom, you wanted to visit the museum, right? Lia, we''ll watch that movie fromst year. And Sk¡­"


    "Mhm?" Sk swallowed the food and looked at him with expectant eyes.


    Samael wanted to joke but looking at those shining eyes, he smiled. "We''ll go to chocte wondend."


    "Yaaay! Big bro is the bwest! Hehehehe!"


    The little girl threw her hands in the air and started dancing on the chair.


    The day proceeded as nned.


    His mother teared up as she watched the disys of great art. Her lifelong wish was to be an artist.


    If she had a normal family, she might''ve tried to pursue art. But she was selected to be a mother by the Emperor and bore him two children.


    Not that she was a unique case. There were tens of millions of women like this in the Empire. Perhaps more.


    "The painting of the capital¡­" Tanya looked at the portraits with emotional eyes.


    In the depths of her heart, she wished her children to be recognized and treated well.


    Not as one of the tens of millions of nameless royals but as a true prince and princess.


    Yet she never told them these things. She wanted them to achieve great things, sure. But more than that, she wished for them to be safe.


    The next thing was a movie.


    It was a story about a man who would keep loving his woman even after she turned into an Undead Vampire, losing her sense of identity and turning into an entirely new person.


    He''d try to bring her back into life and fail every single time.


    In the end, he''d die to save her from the enemies and as a result, turn into an Undead Vampire himself.


    The climax showed the two of these ''new'' people getting together after death.


    A poignant love story.


    One that caused his wife Lia to sob even ten minutes after they left the theater.


    And of course, she didn''t stop muttering, in a broken voice. "S-Sam¡­if I ever be like that, p-please¡­move on, don''t look for me. Be ha¡­ppy."


    Samael''s expression hardened at her words and his fists clenched. But he did not say anything.


    By evening, Sk ended her swims in the absolute choloateke and returned home with a bright smile.


    And she wouldn''t stop praising him to the heavens.


    The family of four reached their home by the time it turned dark.


    Instead of opening the lock, Samael turned around and faced the three most important women of his life.


    Mother. Wife. Sister.


    They were all looking at him with a different kind of emotion.


    But it was love.


    A protective maternal love.


    A sacrificing romantic love.


    An innocent sibling love.


    And he too loved them.


    He loved them with all his heart.


    And so, he did it.


    Samael retrieved a sword and shed.


    The three couldn''t even dream of such a thing. So, they didn''t react until the cold de plunged into their flesh and blood spilled out of their bodies.


    As the sharp pain engulfed their bodies, Lia and Tanya looked at him with grief.


    They didn''t hate him. They were saddened that he did.


    As the light in their eyes dimmed and their bodies helplessly copsed onto the floor, Samael closed his eyes and held back the tears.


    A few momentster, the lively filled with people turned lifeless and pristine¡ªto the state it previously was when he just visited.


    The bodies of Lia, Tanya and Sk disappeared.


    "I''m sorry¡­" The 7th Prince looked up at the sky.


    The three of them died long back in the past.


    His mother was gone with a disease. Ten yearster, his sister was killed in her academy. Only a hundred years after, his wife died on the frontlines.


    The three of them left him long ago.


    And then, Samael Astreas, one of the many nameless royal children, turned into the 7th Prince.


    After he massacred the kingdom, he was indeed called by the Emperor.


    But it wasn''t for a reprimand.


    It was for a deal.


    The God Emperor said.


    "Work for my vision and I''ll resurrect your lost family."


    Sameal didn''t believe those ridiculous words.


    And so, the God Emperor showed him a glimpse of his power.


    Whenever he wanted, Samael could go to his home.


    And they would alle back to life. But it wasn''t the real them. They were the echoes of the distant past, but they were as real as one might expect.


    If it was someone else than Samael, they would''ve epted these people as their real family and gave up everything to go back to a normal life.


    But Samael didn''t.


    He didn''t want to live a lie even if it mattered to be the truth.


    No matter how hard and no matter how long, he wanted to bring them back to life.


    So, he dedicated his everything for the cause. The means wouldn''t matter. Nor would the sacrifices.


    Everything was fair for the cause.


    Sometimes, when he got a little time for himself, the Prince would retire to his home.


    And he''d live a day with his family, if only to remind his dead heart why he''s not killing himself.


    But every single time, he''d kill them with his own hands. And witness their deaths.


    The joy he would get from these days might not fuel his heart.


    But the pain of losing them always did.

 Chapter 1484 Everything that can go wrong...

    <h4>Chapter 1484 Everything that can go wrong...</h4>


    As the remains of Zahara''s echo scattered away, Varian''s tense shoulders loosened and he expanded his senses.


    And the very next moment, his rxed shoulders tensed again, his body turning


    stiff and alert.


    Their battle ended up breaking the barriers that were supposed to keep it all hidden and let the aura leak.


    Since this was border region, the anamoly was quickly percieved. It was even taken quite seriously.


    That''s why, a bunch of rank 9 auras were fast approaching this location.


    "Hey, Logos." Varian said in a tired voice.


    [Yes, Host?]


    "Fuck you." He spat in a tone of resignation. To be honest, he didn''t even have the energy to curse properly.


    [It''s funny.]


    Varian''s expression distorted at theposed and elegant voice of the system.


    "What is?"


    [When you think of the word ''fuck'', you associate it with sexual activity. But when I hear it from you, all I can think of is how fate keeps screwing you. My sympathies to you, dear host.]


    "Your mo¡ª"


    [Host, Ie from the Primordial God, yet I am not their child. I have no parents for you to curse at. No genealogy to insult. Spare your energy.]


    "¡­Okay." Varian rubbed his eyebrows and beganto evoke his connection with Hortus.


    It''s a bit far away but the channel should open shortly.


    He''d be able to escape and everything would be fine.


    [If I am being positive, I could call it being optimistic. If negative, delusional. Realistically, though, I call it being naive. Host, are you just deliberately trying to ignore what you already realized?]


    Logos'' voice was soft, sweet but the words were unsettling.


    Gritting his teeth, Varian urged the connection to open.


    Unfortunately, since Hortus had just remodelled, it was taking a bit longer than normal to establish the channel.


    A powerful wave of perception enveloped him. Then, a deep voice instructed in an emotionless tone.


    "Intruder detected. Incapacitate and proceed to interrogration."


    "Roger."


    "Roger."


    "Roger."


    Three rank 9 auras erupted, lighting up the dark space in the colors of blue, golden and yellow.


    Three well-practiced Order fields approached Varian at a breakneck speed.


    Due to the slivers, he was able to understand the ''rules'' embedded in them despite his lower rank.


    [Aura Inside The Body Bes Immobile]


    [Restriction Of Bodily Movement]


    [Instinct Of Self-Preserval Halts]


    With the first attack, any chances of him going for an offensive or defensive would be destroyed.


    With the second, he''d be rendered from even fleeing.


    And with the third, both his will and instinct to resist would cease, making him a puppet against the enemies.


    Interestingly, all the three rules were designed to have the greatest impact for the least cost.


    Only the aura inside his body was targetted instead of the entire region. Only his bodily movement was restricted, but his body itself could continue its other functions without problem. And finally, only one instinct was removed instead of messing with a lot of other things.


    Even though he''s far weaker than any of them, these warriors still choose the most cost-effective method to deal with him.


    ''Experienced powerhouses on the battlefield.''


    Varian concluded.


    Indeed they were. Just like Prians had the old kings and queens in the army, these men and women were once kings and queens of their kingdoms.


    Perhaps not as strong as the current P King, but they''re formidable forces nheless.


    Varian showed great calm as the fields¡ªorder power manifested in the form of an expanding spherical domain¡ª


    approached him.


    As they were about to reach him, the space behind him cracked like a broken mirror and he jumped back.


    "Bye."


    As they turned distant in his vision, a smile of relief stered itself on Varian''s face.


    The space channel began to close and the four lights in his vision began to be blocked by the gray space.


    ''Four?''


    Varian''s eyebrows jumped and the next second, a beam of bright white light sted the closing space cracks.


    The space channel, starting from his current location all the way to Hortus, was ripped apart.


    Varian thanked the stars for not getting injured in that attack.


    ''I must be lucky.''


    And he ran his space power to the fullest, aiming for a way out.


    But then it came. The white field power. This time, instead of brute forcing its way through, it was in the form of a carefully constructed rule.


    [Space will grow chaotic]


    With it came the three modified attacks.


    [Space will grow fragile]


    [Living beings in the vicinity will act as a low pressure point]


    [The pressure difference will widen]


    ''Damn it!''


    A disastrous space storm brewed out of nowhere and engulfed Varian before he could even react.


    The tornado nearly ripped him into pieces in a matter of seconds.


    ''Block! Block!''


    The power of space-time formed a shield around Varian''s body, blocking the harsh and unforgiving space particles crashing against him.


    But it''s only a matter of time before he''d be exhausted and grinded to dust.


    Confirming his fears, the tornado began to shrink, exerting more and more pressure on him.


    On the outside, the power of order continued to increase, manipting the chaotic tornado to push him to death.


    Everything around him was now gray and chaotic, like inside a real tornado but a hundred times worse.


    ''I can''t survive like this.''


    Varian decided to risk an instant death for a chance of survival than survive a few more seconds to meet a certain death.


    ''One,''


    The power of slivers acted on the tornado, quietly embedding a new rule using ''Order'' and disrupting the existing rules with ''Chaos''.


    ''Two,''


    The power of life, death and soul concentrated themselves on his brain and heart, maximizing protection.


    Rather than getting his whole body destroyed and dying, Varian choose to preserve at least two parts, increasing his chances of remaining alive.


    ''Three.''


    The power of space-time fired him at the tornado.


    ''Order'' worked simultaneously, weaking the specific part of the space tornado he''s about to hit.


    Boom!


    Varian sted out of the tornado, most of his body missing, save for a head and hand.


    The chaotic space-time sucked him away and everything went dark.

 Chapter 1485 This Is But A Scratch

    <h4>Chapter 1485 This Is But A Scratch</h4>


    A harsh mechanical ring jolted Varian out of the darkness.


    "Huh? Where? What th¡ª"


    His words came to a halt as he noticed a bunch of humanoid and non-humanoid aliens moving around.


    He''s in a townsquare, in in white clothes, along with a bunch of others in simr dresses.


    ng! ng!


    The sound of metal bracelets shing against each other rang and a heavy humanoid, as tall as six meters, stopped in front of them.


    With a green skinned body full of grotesque scars and wriggling, festering wounds , the man looked unpleasant. But his scarred and burnt face, obscuring his features entirely, looked even more horrifying and revolting.


    There was a thick scent of death on his body, even beyond the so-called blood smell a murderer would give.


    This man had killed so many races that he transcended the blood-smell. Even though he might not have killed a person belonging to their race, they felt like he was overflowing with that smell.


    With an amused chuckle, the man gave them all a scrutinizing nce before chuckling to himself.


    "Wee to Paradise."


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    There were sounds of gulping and gasping.


    "I am Ingret. The captain of the town''s army." He bent down, to reach eye level with the five neers, the shortest of them around one meter tall.


    "And I have one advice to you all."


    The man''s eyes were blood red with ck veins protruding underneath. As he eyed them like they were a delicate dish, those eyeballs, as big as a serball, moved giving off a heavy feeling.


    "If you want to survive, don''t hesitate."


    The breaths grew heavy.


    "Kill, rob, betray, manipte¡ªdo everything you can. Or when the timees and it will, you''ll be helpless."


    Standing up straight, he let out a loudughter. "Hohoho, I will see how long your batch is gonnast. If you make it past ten, it''ll be the year best."


    "¡­S-Sir Ingrid,"


    A thin yellow-skinned man with two waving tentacles on his forehead, raised his voice.


    "Captain Ingrid, but yeah, go on."


    "I-I can repay my debt through other ways. I will¡­I can sell my son and w¡ª"


    "No, no, no. Don''t misunderstand." Ingrid shook his head with an amused smile, words leaving his mouth without any effort, as if he had said these words thousands of times before. "Captain of the town''s army¡ªthis is just my post. I am in the same boat as you, just a bit better off. The lives here are all under the Providence."


    He pointed to a cksmithy that''s puffing out a lot of smoke through its chimney. "That man will hit zero in a week. He''s trying to level up but tough luck. He survived for a hundred years and is even better than me at surviving. But nah, he''s gonna die. He knows it. I know it. Everyone does. But that''s just how it is."


    "I-I don''t want to die." The tentacle-man said in a desperate tone, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I thought I could sacrifice my life for them but I can''t! I don''t want to! I don''t want to die! I don''t want to disappear!"


    Ingrid grumbled something under his breath and looked at the others. Four of them were also trembling and showing signs of fear and anxiety.


    Only thest was calm.


    Not just calm, he even looked rxed and a bit¡­tired with this whole pep talk.


    Ingrid''s curiosity was piqued. "Are you one of those returnees?"


    Varian shrugged. "Nah. I don''t even know this ce existed."


    "Now you do. It''s a fucked up ce where you need points to keep living. The status window should''ve told you already.


    If you haven''t heard of this ce and got here by ident, then why the hell are you so calm?"


    Ingrid narrowed his eyes.


    Varian sighed and walked to a water fountain or whatever fountain it was, since that strange purple liquid was definitely not water.


    "Hm?"


    Ingrid followed with a few steps. "Got a story to share, buddy? Are you that guy hoping to die and happy that this ce suits?"


    "¡­I will live." Varian said in a slow, quiet but irrefutable tone. "Paradise. Pfft. Gain points to keep living and gain some more points to get out? This is kid''s y."


    At those audacious words, Ingrid observed him with scrunitizing gaze.


    He''s confident in reading people. It''s why he survived so far. And this man didn''t seem like a liar or a braggart.


    There''s something about him. Something scary that''s hidden away from the this normal and peaceful facade.


    It''s difficult to think but Ingrid''s vast experience from killing millions was telling him that he, a self-proimed predator, was nothing more than an ant in front of a raging lion.


    "¡­I have one question though." Varian said.


    "Yes?"


    "Who created this ce?"


    "What?"


    Varian shifted his gaze and looked at the window that''s beeping in front of him since he opened his eyes.


    [Congrattions!


    You were found 20 light years from the central area of my juridiction, floating in space with injuries.


    Hm¡­


    I should''ve handed you to the army for interrogation but nah, it''s not fun.


    Isn''t it better to be in Paradise than in army?


    But not every filthy beast can live in a Paradise, right? Right?


    So, you pay 100 points every day for survival.


    Failing to meet a payment for a day, you would lose a sub-rank.


    Failing to meet a payment for three days, you would lose a rank.


    When you no longer have any ranks to lose, you lose your life.


    Now, now, I''m sure you must be asking, how do you get the merit points, right?


    Simple!


    Go to the worlds I''ve created, finish the missions and earn!


    So, which are you gonna pick?


    Demon Lord vs Hero?


    Climbing the Tower?


    Dungeons?


    Gates?


    Oh and I''m also looking for world designers if you''re interested. I''m always fascinated by the crazy words in various novels,ics and movies.


    If you can design a world that can impress me, well, you can work for me.


    Forever.


    Pick soon.]


    "Ah sh*t, here we go again."


    (A/N: It''ll be a mini-arc. I''m giving you the choice. What do you want to see?)

 Chapter 1486 Worth Of A Disciple

    <h4>Chapter 1486 Worth Of A Disciple</h4>


    A special world that''s inessible to even the best of celestial rankers floated around in space, moving without making any big ripples despite its high energy.


    From the outside, the world might as well not exist. Because any person below a certain range of power could only perceive a sparkling white dot in the sky. But for the powerful, that dot was the gate into the special world.


    The sparkling dot moved aimlessly in the space, easily passing by the ferocious ckholes, unfazed despite the chaotic aura these celestial structures spewed out.


    A silhouttee in a dazzling white appeared out of nowhere and stretched his finger toward the white dot.


    His figure disappeared, part by part, as if he was being sucked in. The vision of the person shifted and a beautiul garden appeared in his sight.


    The sky was a dark purple with a tinge of pink. The vastnd, stretching endlessly in all directions, was pure white, like it was made from smashing pearls to bits.


    A ttened stone path, which shone with a soft pink light, split the world into two. On either sides of the way were an endless number of nts, trees, birds and animals.


    There were familiar species, like butterflies and pigeons. New species like a omni-nt that could survive on starlight or aura or other animals. And there were fusions, endless new varities built from the existing moulds.


    This ce alone contained more species than a kingdom could. And the diversity of these species was far too great than what even a bunch of kingdoms could hold up to.


    As beautiful as it sounded, the ce wasn''t a utopia.


    There were millions and millions of fights going on at this very instant, big and small, some for survival, some for mating, some for dominance, but all potentially fatal.


    But what''s really different from the normal was the changes that happen after the hunts.


    A ming bird would be consumed by a feline creature and it would grow a pair of wings or gain an affinity toward fire, shifting its origin attributes permenantly.


    A butterfly would collect nectar from a special flower and get affected by the poisonous properties, ¦Ìutating so much that it might as well be considered a new species.


    And on and on and on.


    Every second, changes like these keep happening.


    All the species thrown into this jar were churned continously, creating new and newbinations with each step.


    What initially might seem like a beautiful forest was in fact ab on steroids, a ce where evolution gets turbocharged and survival of the fittest remains the onlyw.


    "Life is chaos, indeed." The silhouttee, covered in glowing white light, muttered to himself,menting the state of the forest. Then he quickly chuckled. "But chaos can''tst. Order emerges from Chaos. Always."


    "I don''t remember asking you for a lesson." A pleasant female voice rang from the sky and the ground, from nowhere and everywhere.


    "Come on now, it wasn''t for you." The glowing light on the silhouttee faded away, revealing an old man in a ck dress.


    He looked like a normal human but there was something just off about his features that one could feel.


    "I''m an old guy, I speak to myself to pass the time. Where''s the harm in that?" He said with a smile.


    But that smile looked contrived, like he was forcing himself to smile to adjust with his words than smiling naturally.


    "The harm is when you say those words after intruding into my abode."


    The birds, the bees and the nts all paused in their tracks and turned to him, as if they were all of one mind and were the ones speaking. If a normal person was to face such scene, they''d have lose their minds.


    But the old man did not. He didn''t even seem to care about the eerie sight or the angry words.


    "Asha, I''m here for a simple deal."


    At his words, a gentle wind blew. It was soothingly cold and filled with the fragrance of a million flowers.


    A middle-aged woman in a blue dress manifested.


    Unlike the humanoid-looking man, she had six pointed ears, four wings and a striped tail.


    Just her mere presence caused all the creatures in the world to bow down in absolute submission.


    Be it the predators who were about to kill or the preys that were supposed to die, they dropped everything at hand and turned in her direction.


    "Keeper Equilius, I do not wish for any deal with you." She said with a harsh expression. "If you keep this up, my mother would pay you a visit."


    "Don''t be like that,ss." The old man said a big smile, but his eyes remained cold and indifferent throughout, like he was a robot programmed to put on that smile regardless of what he felt.


    "You''ve failed to reach the next realm even after five centuries of seclusion."


    "Five centuries is nothing." The woman retorted immediately.


    "True. But isn''t this twelfth five centuries? Or thirteenth? Forgive me, I am too old." Equilius showed an apologetic smile.


    Asha''s calm facade broke and she gnashed her teeth, her chest heaving up and down.


    "So you came to mock me? You? Keeper Equilius himself! Nexus must be great that even their number three has time for things like these."


    Equilius'' expression changed subtly, a glint shing in his eyes. But he didn''t respond with hostility.


    He was too old for that. Too experienced and too wise as well.


    "Asherah''s other children are gaining traction. You will be losing your position sooner orter. But if you uphold your promise, I can support you. Whether you''ll just keep your position or go up depends on your own actions. But without me, this will be your story ends."


    Asha''s shoulders drooped and she looked at him with a conflicting expression.


    Keeper Equilius said with an inspiring smile. "Asha, don''t you want to see the greater heights of this world? The peak realm this universe has to offer?


    Asherah is hailed as All-Mother by the Genesis Empire. You should be the one to take up her mantle.


    Why do you hesitate to sacrifice a single girl for your glorious future?


    Isadora is not worth it."

 Chapter 1487 Art Of Patience

    <h4>Chapter 1487 Art Of Patience</h4>


    Asha clenched her fists and her eyes shook before she loosened them with a sigh.


    "It''s been too long. I can only know if she uses significant power." With a swipe in the air, a fluctuating green mark emerged out of her palm and floated to the old man.


    Recalling the bright expression of the youngdy who called her ''master'' even though she didn''t teach her anything, Asha felt her insides twist.


    Isadora became her disciple only out formality. Looking back, she was subtly influenced by Keeper Equilius.


    He mentioned her in a conversation, took her to a special ce in P Kingdom where an apparently extinct species was sighted that just happened to be visited by Isadora.


    Yet, the master-disciple had a good rtionship until the end.


    Perhaps it was less from Isadora''s side as she rarely visited. It wasn''t her fault as Asha was almost always in secluded training to hit the next realm.


    And then the war started.


    Thinking back, Keeper Equilius also visited a few months prior and praised Isadora''s achievements in the war so far.


    But he also made sure to mention how she''s being targetted by the Jai Empire.


    So, even though it took away nearly a hundred years of her penace, she poured a her power into Isadora and gave her a life saving measure.


    A divine-rank trump card!


    Coincidentally, Princess Esh targetted Isdaora and almost killed her. It was only thanks to her power that the discipline survived.


    The divine power was exhausted but it had left a trace. Even though it''s been five centuries by now and even that trace would be on the verge of being erased, as long as Isadora could use a bit of power, that power could absorb a bit of it and act like a position marker.


    The ''bit'' of power here was at the peak of rank 8 or ideally, rank 9.


    This was supposed to be a measure by Asha to save Isadora in case she got into trouble.


    She did try when Isdaora was apparently killed in the war but the mark showed no reaction.


    What''s certain, however was that Isadora was alive. In a very, very weakened state since the mark barely worked, but certainly alive.


    Asha could vaguely sense that Isadora had recovered recently. But she concluded that her disciple would probably never reach her former peak.


    Still, she wanted her to live in peace and spoke no word of her existence to anyone. And she''s in seclusion anyway, not really caring about the outside world.


    "Thank you, thank you very much." Keeper Equilius smiled, his eyes glowing with a dangerous light.


    Asha lowered her head.


    Everything changed now.


    What a pathetic master she was. Not only did she not teach her disciple anything, she even sold her out.


    "Please go out now." She said in a tired voice.


    "Why?" Equilius chuckled. "Do you not wish to see me, girl?"


    Asha shook her head. "The reflection in your eyes, it disgusts me."


    "Free advice. Morality is useless for beings like us. If I were you, I would use the master-disciple rtionship with Cmity to get closer to her parents and advance my position."


    "She became my disciple only for Isadora. When she vanished, so did the bond."


    Equilius raised a brow and vanished without another word.


    Only a lifeless sigh sounded in the lively world.


    Coming out of Asha''s abode, Equilius headed to a secret location in Nexus. It''s the kingdom where the species that followed chaos path lived. They were the odd ball in Nexus where most races were based on order.


    Concealing his traces, he reached a duchy, unique in no way whatsover.


    It''s ruled by a race simr to slimes, where each being devoured another for advancement, reproduction and growth.


    Every year, there would be a new ruler of the duchy, only to be overthrown by the rebels.


    The duchy didn''t just live with war, it thrived on it.


    Equilius entered a small mansion outside the capital where most of the battles took ce.


    For a ce so close to the center of conflict, it showed no traces of fighting. Even more weird, there wasn''t even a trace of rebels eyeing the ce.


    It was as if it didn''t even exist in the minds of the popce.


    Equilius took a step into the mansion and the next moment, he was sitting in front of a young man.


    "G-Grandfather!" He reacted only a secondter, despite Equilius not doing anything to hide his presence.


    The power disparity was just too great.


    Equiluis'' gaze softened as he looked at his grandson.


    His children, talented and clever, were killed by the Jai Empire. But the ones who let it happen were Genesis and Mors who didn''t want Nexus to grow out of their control.


    So, his grandson, even more talented than his parents, grew up in secrecy. He had recently reached the divine ranks and was still having troubling adjusting his power.


    That''s why he came to his no man''snd and hid himself.


    "I have a task for you." Equilius threw the fluctuating white orb to the young man. "Bring her alive."


    "¡­Isdaora?" The young man asked.


    "Hm." Equilius nodded.


    "The Hybrid got the power of all slivers except order and chaos. That vum means she will eventually disintegrate without their powers. But conversely, that vuum allows us to percieve the slivers like no one can.


    She was showing signs of disintegration seven centuries back. She should''ve died after the war. Five centuriester and she''s still alive.


    She did it, Icarus. She found the slivers.


    Now all that''s left is to take them for her."


    Icarus clenched his fist, his blood pumping at those words. "Yes. It''s time. Nexus¡­should raise its head again. We are not theirckeys. Those two-faced bastards will face their due."


    Equilius shook his head. "Do not let your emotions rule over you. Everything should be done with patience."


    From his part, he had indeed been incredibly patient.


    Not only did he propose the God Creation n to create a perfect hybrid as a vessel for the Immortal, he also leaked it to the God Emperor at the right time.


    Maybe the God Emperor always knew. Or maybe he didn''t.


    Equilius had no way of knowing even after so long.


    But after the God Emperor attacked and demolished theb facility, he sent away the perfect hybrid who he retrieved just before the attack.


    An infant Isadora, no matter how high her affinity with darkness was, could not survive the space-time cracks she was thrown into.


    But the space-cracks were created by Jai Emperor''s power, even though it was just an aftermath.


    In the face of the God Emperor''s power, no matter how scattered, all Equilius could do was protect Isadora, not track her.


    It created a fear in the corner of his mind that perhaps God Emperor did know his intentions and acted anyway, but he didn''t want the perfect hybrid to be tracked.


    Or did the God Emperor have his own n?


    Regardless, Equilius waited until for a few hundred years until Isadora really grew up.


    And now, he''s ready to reap benefits.


    Varian was one of the suspects for holding slivers. But he wasn''t so sure.


    How could Isadora leave the slivers to someone else? He wouldn''t. Neither would any rational powerhouse.


    But he wanted to inspect Varian anyway.


    Enigma, however, was essential. Kidnapping her, Isadora could be drawn out.


    And with her, the slivers.


    Even though the absolutely ipetent Kong failed in such a simple task, Equilius was a man of patience.


    Approaching Asha was a backup n, a seed that he sowed all those years ago during the war.


    And now, it''s about to bear fruit.


    "Icarus, Isadora holds the slivers. You have to get her¡­before the Immortal."

 Chapter 1488 Genesis and Nexus

    <h4>Chapter 1488 Genesis and Nexus </h4>


    Equilius'' body dissolved and dying no time, Icarus decided to leave for the mission.


    Beep! Beep!


    The ringtone used for specific contacts sounded.


    Icarus pursed his lips and took the call.


    A few secondster, he left the duchy and passed through the border customs, before entering a special world in Genesis Empire.


    A dozen people, all exuding a subtle but undeniable divine power were seated across a round table.


    Icarus grew up without anyone knowing his background and the world knew him as an orphan powerhouse of the Nexus Empire.


    He''s a genius but not so much that he stood out in the top circles, rtively speaking.


    "Why are you always sote?" A woman with pink cucumber-like hair crossed third leg over the other two, frowning slightly.


    "Leave him be. Nexus isn''t so near." A ten-meter tall man with four eyes and two heads, said with one head while the other head remained in conversation with someone else.


    Icarus exhaled lightly and took a seat.


    With a cough of a short but imposing man of two feet, the chatter died off.


    "As you all know, 7th Prince''s forces have struck the border. While it''s a non-divine army as per the 3rd use of the 3247th peace agreement, there is a high possibility that the Jai Empire will break the rules."


    The short man said, the two antenna rooted on his forehead swaying violently with his words.


    "Cap. Of course it does." The pink cucumber-hair snickered before her expression turned serious. "Wait, are we looking at another war? It''s been only half millennia, damn it!"


    The 2-foot man cleared his throat. "The 7th Prince didn''t term it a war. It was specifically directed at P, a border kingdom of Genesis Empire."


    The people nodded, they heard some rough news about the incident. It was just another conflict. Though the nature was different since the 7th Prince was directly involved.


    Divine rankers have shed outside the gxy so far but made no attempts to breach the kingdom. The Empire''s divine rankers stationed for that region have been on full alert.


    "It''s a small scale battle directed against the P kingdom and should not concern us too much." The two-headed man said in his deep voice.


    The others expressed the same views.


    Icarus nodded and said his bit, just to raise his sense of presence in the room from zero. "The Alliance has mobilized divine rankers to strategic locations in case things escte. Nothing to worry about."


    "As newbies, we aren''t on their radar. But that''s precisely why it''s an opportunity for us. We should take this opportunity to show our prowess. The 7th Prince deployed some divine rankers under him.


    They''re already an overkill for a kingdom. So maybe that''s why none of them are experienced or strong." The two-foot man said.


    His antennas straightened like a pole and he mmed the table. "Let''s win some war booty and establish ourselves! This is the time! This is the opportunity! Let''s do it! Who is with me?"


    Out of the twelve people, nine raised their hands.


    The pink cucumber-hair, two-headed giant and Icarus were the only ones who didn''t.


    "Icarus, are you for real?"


    All the gazes turned to Icarus.


    "What?" The young, well, rtively young man raised a brow in confusion and subtly nced at the other two who also didn''t raise their hands.


    "I have some work to do. Maybe next time."


    No one had said anything but they all looked at each other, amon emotion found in each of their eyes.


    "Right. Nexus also has its problems, I understand." Ady in risque clothes covered her mouth and said, the lips behind her palm curled into a contemptous smile.


    "It''s not like your presence will make any difference." The two-


    foot antenna man shrugged and waved his hand.


    The others didn''t speak out but showed their agreement to the words said.


    Icarus narrowed his eyes and nced at the twelve peers, particrly the two who spoke up.


    "Out of us all, I have the most military merit. I think it is eptable if I skip out this time."


    His words riled up the group and the pink cucumber-haireddy, one with the least merit of all mmed the table.


    "So what? We''re the ones fighting against the Empire! You guys from Nexus are just piggybacking on our fo¡­" Her voice died out as she realized what she just blurted.


    But she didn''t bother to apologize.


    With a dissatisfied snort, she muttered "Why do we see them as equals?" and disappeared.


    "Well," The organizer of the group, the two-foot man shrugged, feigning helplessness. "Don''t take her words to heart. You know we aren''t like that. The Alliance is one."


    Icarus nodded stiffly.


    "So anyway, the specific ns are¡­"


    The tant disrespect toward Icarus and insults posed not just on him but his entire Empire were swept under the carpet.


    No one cared.


    A few secondster, someone called back that pinkdy and she joined without any showing any remorse.


    Icarus didn''t utter a word for the rest of the meeting.


    As he''s about to leave, a woman said in a worried tone. "Icarus, don''t take her words to heart. She''s in a bad moodtely."


    Icarus paused for a moment and nodded lightly before vanishing. But as he did vanish, he left behind a tiny portion of his power in the room without anyone noticing.


    Since no one expected him to do such a thing, they didn''t sense anything.


    Through that tidbit of power, Icarus watched the room without him.


    They talked about the preparations some more and then his name was brought up.


    "Seriously," The pinkdy snorted. "Why do we keep hanging out with that loser? The folks from Nexus are leeches."


    "Don''t be like that. He''s as good as any of us." Thedy who consoled him said.


    Icarus was pleasantly surprised at the goodwill.


    "So what? He might be our equal individually but our positions are vastly different. Our only equal is Mors and Jai. Nexus is a weaker power that''s kept alive only because they''re good fodder against the God Emperor''s forces."


    Another person intercepted.


    Thedy who consoled him nodded at that remark. "That''s true but it''d be better for us if he fights willingly than being forced. If there''s any risky mission in the future, he will be our good asset.


    I don''t particrly like him or his people but if showing some good will can make him risk his life for our causes, it''s fine with me."


    Icarus'' face twisted and he clenched his fists. All the good will he held for her was shattered, leaving only disgust.


    "She''s right. He''s an orphan anyway, so even if he dies, no one will bang the doors of the Alliance and make a fuss."


    The new divine ranker opened his palm and looked at the shining mark with a mad gaze.


    It didn''t matter how those words were intended. The lofty people of Genesis have only made it all too clear that they would never consider Nexus their equal.


    ''A single sliver empire dares to behave so arrogantly¡­you will cower in front of us when we gather two slivers.''

 Chapter 1489 The Myth

    <h4>Chapter 1489 The Myth</h4>


    [Hours left: 20


    Merit points per day: 100


    Merit points avable: 0]


    Varian checked the status window one more time before turning back to the thousands of floating screens in front.


    He studied them with a scrutinizing gaze. Each screen represented an artificial world.


    It had been three hours already but he still hadn''t decided.


    [Extra''s POV: reincarnate into a ssic novel where an author is reincarnated into his own novel.


    A grade: 10,000


    S grade: 100,000


    SS grade: 1 Million


    SSS grade: 10 Million]


    Varian clicked his tongue.


    The reward varied greatly across the grades. It meant the evaluation was going to be equally strict.


    [You, A Legend: A ssic movie of survival in the face of zombie hordes.


    PS: No kingdom in Mors was harmed for this creation.]


    "Who is he kidding?"


    He had already seen people from Genesis here as well as folks from Genesis.


    The creator of this ce, <Fabricator>, was not someone who''dpromise with fake zombies. That bastard must''ve have kidnapped real zombies and vampires.


    "Fuck


    There''s only two rules to follow.


    [Rule 1


    If you die there, well, you''re dead.


    PS: Unless you have a billion merit points, which can buy you a ''life''.]


    [Rule 0


    Impact, Impact, Impact


    The more you impact the world, leading it to an ending that is not taken before, the more merit points you earn


    Other than keeping you alive, the merit points can also be used to shop in the Paradise'' store.


    If you reach 10 billion points, you can leave Paradise.


    Wohoo!]


    "¡­"


    Varian sighed deeply and turned to the giant who followed him to the town hall. "How much does it cost to leave Paradise?"


    Ingrid answered without even thinking. "1 billion."


    "For another life?"


    "100 million. Why are you asking?"


    "¡­Nothing." Varian covered his face and let out a chuckle.


    As expected, Paradise''s system was messing with him.


    Was it because he was chased by the border patrol? Or¡­


    [Well¡­] Logos coughed lightly. [The intelligent system that''s used to run Paradise is built from a specialized set of Order rules.


    As you may have already noticed, the creator of this ce is interested in watching vastly different endings for the stories in the worlds he created.


    But even if you change the participants, the number of oues for a story with a given setting are limited.


    Say it''s a world where dungeons have appeared.


    You either support the humanity, grow up slowly and conquer all dungeons or die in the process.


    Or you betray humanity, help the dungeon lords and conquer humanity or die in the process.


    There isn''t anything more a person could aplish.


    But if it''s someone with a wild¡­destiny, they''re likely to experience highly extreme events, either positive or negative or both, based on the individual.


    And these people have the greatest chance of creating a new ending.


    So, the Paradise''s intelligence system is very sensitive to people who have chaotic¡­destinies.


    The System had suppressed what it could, but it''s impossible to erase everything.


    Paradise should''ve noticed your specialty and wants to keep you here.]


    The long, meticulous answer exined the situation but it did not raise Varian''s mood.


    It''s not like he''s depressed over the relevation. Heck, he was calm after ending up in this strange world.


    His biggest regret so far was entering a restaurant and watching a snail-like creature eat some disgusting live worms.


    Other than that, he''s fine.


    Not feeling great but neither depressed. It''s just another obstacle for him to ovee.


    "I will pick this." Varian pointed to a window and it expanded in front of him.


    [Demon Lord vs Hero


    The ageless story of good vs evil, chaotic demonkind vs orderly sentients, forces of destruction vs agents of creation.


    In this world, you will transmigrate as one of the four ''summoned'' to save the world.


    You can proceed however you wish.


    But please note that any attempt to inform the denizens that their world is fake or creation or based on a story would immediately result in your death.


    PS: If you have 1 billion points, you can skip death and restart the world mission.]


    "It''s not an easy mission." Ingrid pointed out. "Only those who have been to a hundred worlds or more attempt it."


    "Why?" Varian raised a brow.


    "I know it only reads like a typical story but that''s all just a cover.


    The other three who get summoned with you behave differently every single time. They can appear loyal until the end before stabbing you in the back.


    And beware the women of that world! They''re all witches! I know more than a dozen who gave up their real lives to live in that world, it''s like they''ve lost their minds!


    Worst of all, it''s a world where you have to train to grow stronger. Your powers at the start would be weaker than the Demon Lord''s!"


    Ingrid exined with a sincere expression. He genuinely believed Varian had something different from the normal people. And that''s precisely why he didn''t want him fall prematurely.


    No matter how special he was, a newbie shouldn''t jump into a nightmare quest from the start.


    "I guess that exins this." Varian turned to the reward.


    [A : 50,000


    S: 500,000


    SS: 5 Million


    SSS: 50 Million]


    "¡­Don''t tell me you are thinking of something above S?" Ingrid asked.


    When Varian smiled in response, the giant man shook his head in disbelief. "My brother in arms, I''ve watched more than ten million people in this Paradise so far.


    No more than a hundred reached S grade. Only six SS.


    SSS?


    I haven''t seen it nor have I heard of anyone achieving it.


    And guess what?


    Two people were responbile for the six SS evaluations. Four people had over seventy of the hundred S evaluations.


    Speaking bluntly, my long stay here only saw 34 people reaching S grade.


    And they are legendary men and women."


    Varian clicked on the screen and it started to load.


    [30%¡­50%¡­70%]


    "You¡­" The giant man looked at Varian in disbelief.


    "Ingrid."


    "Yes?"


    Varian looked at him with a strong smile. "Do you know there''s one more rank above a legendary man?"


    "What?"


    "The Mythical Man."

 Chapter 1490 Proposal

    <h4>Chapter 1490 Proposal</h4>


    "Wee, Dear Heroes."


    When Varian came to his senses, a soft and elegant voice reached his ears.


    Opening his eyes, the visage of a pompous throne hall came into view.


    "I am sure you must be surprised."


    He and three others were standing on arge, intricate magical circle.


    "Do not worry, I, Elizabeth Von Knight, first princess of the Leonal kingdom will exin everything."


    In front of them was a woman in long blue princess dress with a cute tiara.


    Varian rubbed his eyes and stared at the princess.


    ''Nope.''


    He took a few steps forward, stopping only a foot before the princess and then stared at her again.


    "H-Hero?"


    The Princess bent back slightly, looking at him with an embarassed and awkward expression.


    Varian sighed.


    ''Damn it!''


    His vision undoubtedly dulled. It''s like he went from 4K to 144p in a blink.


    As he clenched his fists, there''s no denying that his strength, enough to crush entire star systems, was curbed to a fraction of what it was.


    "Hero?" Princess Elizabeth called again, her voice a bit colder this time.


    "Ah?" Varian came to his senses and looked at her from head to toe.


    Golden tiara. Long blonde hair. Large eyes, small nose and plump lips. A royal blue dress. Fragrance of roses. An elegant posture.


    She''s an out and out beauty. As they say, a woman so pretty she''d topple kingdoms.


    But Varian rubbed his chin with a disappointed gaze.


    "¡­Why are you not even as good as my maids?"


    "What?"


    Before even the princess could say another word, the three heroes who were summoned with him jumped forward.


    "How dare you judge a woman based on her looks? You toxic masculine misogynist pig!"


    A rtively handsome looking guy in white shirts and ck jeans patted his chest and showed his support.


    "Right! I''ve never seen a more beautiful woman in my entire life!"


    Arge guy, 5''10'''' and over three hundred pounds, unshaven beard and unkempt hair stepped up.


    A wave of smell blew across and the brave Varian, the unyielding Varian, the fearless Varian, stepped back and covered his nose.


    "I refuse to believe she''s a human. She must be an angel, am I right, my Angel?"


    The most normal man of the group looked at her on his knees, the eyes behind his sses brimming with worship.


    The Princess sighed in exasperation.


    "Elizabeth, have you performed the summoning magic properly?" An middle-aged man, d in luxurious purple robes, stood up from the throne and asked in a serious voice.


    "Y-Yes, Your Majesty." The Princess answered but her confused eyes showed she herself didn''t believe them to be heroes.


    Varian shrugged.


    ''Howe these guys even got into Paradise anyway?''


    To that question, a thought propped up almost instantly.


    ''Wait a minute¡­were these guys brought over from their world? Like in all those isekai novels?''


    If it''s the intention of a divine ranker, it''s indeed possible.


    Looking at how these three people, it''s clear they''re civilians with no battle experience to speak of.


    Even the strongest person of the three, the fat man, was only a rank 1 celestial ranker. The rest were level 7 or 8.


    ''Come to think of it, what''s my current strength?''


    [Suppressed to rank 1. This is an enhanced world, so even if you use your full current strength, you will destroy a few mountains at most.]


    Logos answered.


    "Ahem, ahem." The King coughed and garnered their attention. "Young Heroes, the Demon King has risen from deep sleep. He vowed to vanquish all humanity. Only you can save the world from destruction. Please lend us your strength."


    "Err," The sses guy raised his hand.


    "Yes, please."


    "We can''t do it alone, we needpanions. A female magican, a saintess, angelic princess too!"


    "Oh, add a powerful, genius female knight? It''d be best if she shows a disgusted expression¡­ahem, I mean, a cold expression like she wants to crush me." The fat man rubbed his hands with a greedy expression.


    "How dare you two?!" The handsome man pped his chest, creating a loud echo. "Do you think they need the likes of you to support them? They can easily kill the demon king themselves! They''re strong and powerful! They don''t need no heroes!"


    The sses and fat man looked at each other for a moment before jumping at the handsome man.


    A battle ensued without any words and creative curses were spewed, spheming the throne hall.


    With the Princess'' signal, the guards separated the heroes.


    "Heroes, please unite for my sake. I, Elizabeth, will fulfill whatever request you have after the Demon King is vanquished."


    With those words, the three men turned utterly silent and nodded violently.


    "Great!" The Princess pped her hands with a smile. "Let''s make your training ns."


    As expected, a powerful female knight greeted them on the training grounds, took them to a nearby forest to hunt down some slimes and when they couldn''t, she chided them for their weakness.


    Then, the training began in earnest.


    Physical training. Aura training. Battle training.


    Two weekster, they were able to hunt goblins.


    Four weekster, orcs fell under their attacks.


    It was unbelievable progress.


    She promised they''d be stronger in a few months to start an expedition against the demon king.


    All in all, the famous female knight was very satisfied with the heroes. Due to the natural talents bestowed by the goddess, they were able to grow stronger very quickly.


    Defeating the Demon King, something she previously thought impossible, now seemed within reach.


    There''s just one problem though.


    "Howe you still can''t kill a slime? Are you kidding me?" She punched the sword de and yelled.


    Varian panted heavily, his clothes soaked in sweat as he moved around a slime, trying to kill it and failing, for the thirtieth time today.


    The three heroes undergoing an aura training under the genius female magician snickered before focusing back on their work.


    "¡­"


    Varian didn''t even bother to respond and continued to swing his sword, cutting through the slime but always missing its core.


    He kept doing it again and again and failing every single time.


    It was unbelievable for everyone. They thought he must be putting on an act. But repeated tests of his body proved that he really wasn''t growing any stronger.


    As a result, the Princess had finally run out of patience.


    "¡­Kick him out. We can''t have a weakling him like tarnishing the glorious image of the hero party. They''re supposed to invoke hope, not ridicule."


    "Kick or kill?"


    "The other three might turn against us if they see us killing him openly."


    "Understood."


    The female knight bowed her head and left the room in steady steps.


    There was a sustained silence for a minute before a chuckle sounded in the pce.


    Varian sneaked out of the pce, bypassing the rank 1 guards with ease and left the city at twilight.


    The next day, all hell broke loose as the rumors of ''hero'' being killed by the imperial family spread across the capital.


    "How? How did this happen?" The Princess mmed the table.


    No one had an answer.


    Due to the growing unfavorable public opinion and the distrust of the heroes, the expedition had to be advanced.


    And Varian, having travelled across half the world, arrived in front of the Demon Lord''s castle.


    Hundrds of gargoyles, golems and minotaurs surrounded him.


    Under the purple sky above the castle, killing intent was so condensed that the air itself turned red.


    "My man, Demon Lord, I want to be your best friend!"


    A peculiar proposal was thrown.

 Chapter 1491 A Unique Ending

    <h4>Chapter 1491 A Unique Ending</h4>


    "sphemy! How dare you utter our lord''s name?!" A fierce voice rang and the soldiers split to the sides.


    A seven foot, sculpture-level muscr man with two curved horns and a long tail ced the crimson axe over his shoulder and red down at Varian.


    "Then how should I address him?" Varian said with a helpless expression. "He who shall not be named?"


    "¡­" The horned warrior tilted his head, considering his words seriously for a second before stomping in anger.


    Crack!


    The ground under him split like a cobweb and a small earthquake ensued, spreading as far as ten miles.


    "Nonsense! It doesn''t matter what you''re here for since you''re going to die anyway, but I, Draxson, I''ll grant you to tell that before yourst breath."


    "You see," Varian nced at the demons with a bright smile before focusing on the horned warrior. "I''m a hero."


    Baang! ang!


    "Stop!" Draxson raised his axe.


    The soldiers who took out their weapons and were about to attack halted in their ce.


    "I wish for a peaceful world." Varian said with an earnest expression. "I am not suitable for war. I think His Majesty The Demon King is the only one who can achieve that goal."


    Draxson touched his face before looking at the faces of his closest subordinates.


    "Hey?"


    "Yes?" Varian tilted his head.


    "Does my face say ''I''m a fool'' or is it one of my subordinate''s?"


    "¡­"


    Varian was taken aback.


    ''Who said demons can''t crack jokes?''


    "I understand your distrust. It''s only natural. But you can decide to dispose of me after hearing my proposal.


    Only that arrogant king and princess think of you as irrational, stupid beings who can''t think of anything other than blood and battle.


    You and I know that the reality is far from it. Demon are intelligent beings. You, a superior demon, surely know it."


    Varian said with a respectful smile before making an expression of realization.


    "Ahh! So you''re making me say everything and teaching your subordinates! What a master! What a wiseman! You surely are a fine hand under his Majesty." Varian pped, showing genuine admiration.


    "Guys, what are you doing? Don''t you understand your master''s lesson? Or do you not appreciate his wisdom? Hm?" He red at the hundreds of soldiers.


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    The golemns, gargoyeles and minotaurs looked at each other before pping in unison.


    p! p! p!


    They understood horseshit. But they didn''t want their boss to think of them as stupid or disrespectful.


    ''I am that wise? Really? And I made the n to teach my subordinates? When?'' On the other hand, Draxson was dumbfounded at the round of apuse.


    Watching his subordinates gazing at him with admiration and reverence, he didn''t want to reveal he nned zilch.


    "Ahem, ahem. Anyway, you''re not a stupid human." Draxson nodded with a pretentious expresion and waved his hand. "I''ll let you reveal your proposal before judging whether you''re worthy of life or not. Follow up."


    "Yes, yes." Varian gave an eager smile and followed the brainless giant man into the Demon King''s castle.


    Since there were soldiers on either side of Varian and Draxson at the front, the demoness maids didn''t panic.


    They nced at him with curiousity and chattered.


    After going down a long marble corridor, a pair of huge doors opened and a throne hall, mired in darkness, save for two torches revealed itself.


    ''The fuck, is he the demon king or vampire king?''


    "Draxson," A deep voice called out from the throne.


    "My lord." The giant man bowed.


    "I know everything. So get out."


    "¡­Y-Yes. My wisdom is nothing in front of my Lord''s. Hehe." Giving a sheepish smile unbefitting of his physique, Draxson left.


    Varian looked around in the throne hall and noticed that save for the man on the throne, it was all empty.


    "Speak. Your so-called proposal. You might have fooled that idiot but not me. All tricks are useless in front of absolute strength. And I am the absolute strength of this world."


    "¡­I want you to win." Varian said. "I stole the military information, their logistic bases, critical resource points and learned their secret ns during my stay. I will you everything. All I want is your victory."


    The flickering mes of the torches went off and the hall was swallowed in darkness.


    Other than Varian''s fine breathing and his calm heartbeat, it was deathly silent.


    "Assuming all you spouted is the truth, what gives you the confidence that I would not extract that information out of you than rely on your goodwill?"


    Neither the Demon King''s voice nor his words were pleasant to hear.


    "I have my confidence." Varian replied, his eyes looking straight at the Demon King''s despite the artifical darkness that should''ve clouded anyone but the ruler of the castle himself.


    It''s something very few demons even know of. But if the roles were reversed and Varian was the master of the darkness formation, the Demon King, despite his supeiror power wouldn''t be able to locate the eyes of his opponent.


    "¡­Very well. I will have your information verified and decide what do you with you. For your own good, do not y stupid games. You will only win stupid prizes."


    The King could sense that Varian didn''t have much power. Compared to himself at Rank 3, the puny enemy was only a rank 1.


    But other than piercing through the darkness, the man himself gave a dangerous feeling.


    The sharp intuition from being the biggest predator told him he might not be able to kill this man here. And if once he esacpes, he''d only be a disaster.


    The cooperation between the two began and not long after, the Demon King''s forces crushed the border defense of human kingdoms.


    The three heroes rushed to the frontlines and staked their lives, trying to stop the onught of the demons and failing.


    The demon army seemed to be prescient and knew all their secrets. The costs of defeats began to umte and soon, the previous defeats paved way to the present defeats and a vicious cycle was established.


    While this happened, Varian sat cross-legged in his room, floating in the air like a magical being.


    Through the senses of order and chaos, he sensed a dazzling chain enveloping him like a snake.


    It was the restriction ced on his rank.


    [Even though it''s not directly ced by a divine ranker, it''s designed by a system he created. It''s not something you can break as a rank 7.] Logos opined.


    ''Think different,dy logos. You are living with me since what? 10 years and you''re still this dumb? I feel so ashamed.''


    [¡­I will just shut up. Do what you want. You were cute when you were young, now you''re so punchable. I wish to smack you so bad.]


    In a rare outburst, Logos cursed Varian and used the identification of ''I'' instead of ''This System''.


    If even the eternally stoic system got pissed off, it only served to show how much Varian annoyed it.


    ''Aha! How the tables turn?! Remember the times when I wanted to bring you out and kick your butt?!'' Varianughed like a viin.


    [Whatever. Having you as the holder lowered this system''s IQ.]


    ''So you''re at least admitting something.'' He teased before checking his status window.


    [All Paths


    Rank 7: 9,999/10,000]


    ''Logos, aren''t you curious what I''m going to do?''


    [¡­]


    ''Really not?''


    With a sigh, Logos asked. [Okay, what?]


    Varian traced the glowing crystal chain locking his paths and said. ''Sure, it''s a design of a powerful divine ranker.


    But there are three issues.


    One, as you said, it''s designed by him, but built by the system, which is nowhere as strong as him.


    Two, the restriction was supposed to be for only one path, not seven. So, the prohibition on me is imperfect.


    Three, technically speaking, this chain of order is designed to suppress the power of my rank, not the rank itself.''


    [Clever bastard. If the creator of the world knew about your n, he''d be pissed.]


    ''Yep. I can study the chain and advance to rank 8 in both order and chaos paths. Without the slivers, it''d be impossible to decode the design of a divine being but hey, sucks to be him because I do have the slivers.''


    [The breakthrough from rank 7 to rank 8 will elevate your powers and the chain suppressing you would not be sufficient.


    It will be quickly enhanced, of course. But there will be a small, as in, a very, very tiny window where there is insufficient suppression on you.]


    Varian rubbed his hands like a greedy businessman nning a nasty scheme.


    ''I will be able to use the power difference between a peak rank 7 and rank 8, well, a equivalent to a couple of peak rank 7s.''


    [What are you nning to do with it?]


    Logos was genuinely curious.


    ''It''s always either demon lord or hero.


    But what if no¡­one wins?''

 Chapter 1492 A Vision

    <h4>Chapter 1492 A Vision </h4>


    "Your Majesty! Your Majesty!! The demons have breached the Aharxc city. The iron fortress of the kingdom has fallen!"


    With a face that''s just short of crying, an intelligence officer inmoner clothes knelt in front of the King and said in a heartbreaking voice.


    "Don''t panic, don''t panic." The king grabbed his shaking right hand with his left and said to himself with an ugly smile. s, he couldn''t stop his feet from shivering.


    Princess Elizabeth looked at her father with a hint of disappointment before turning to the messenger with a stern gaze. "What about the other kingdoms?"


    The humans ruled fiverge kingdoms. Inparison, the demon world was only half asrge as humans, but was under a single rule.


    Despite this, they were under the threat of extinction. So, if their kingdom falls, the others would likely follow.


    "P-Princess¡­the best defense cities of all kingdoms are breached at the same time."


    The hot tears flowing down the man''s cheeks sshed on the white marble floor and reflected his disheveled appearance.


    "All of the kingdoms are breached at once." The Princess clutched her forehead and beads of sweat slid down her neck.


    The breeze that felt gentle until now seemed chilly and the tough walls of the pce appeared too weak.


    "I will ask the goddess for guidance. It''s the only option we have left. I am sure she will not let us be killed by those barbaric and vile demons."


    Patting her chest to instill confidence in her own words, the Princess clenched the fabric of her long skirt and ran out of the throne hall.


    The soldiers who stood on guard listened to the whole conversation with an expresionless face.


    But on the inside, they were already thinking of sending their family to the far offnds, in hopes for survival.


    While this happened, the Demon King was happy.


    A banquet was thrown. Wine, food and sex were abundant, the scent of the three filling the entire castle.


    The main guest of the party¡ªthe honorary demon¡ªVarian had refused the invitation and stayed back in his room, citing that he didn''t want to make other demons feel ufortable.


    That''s bullshit, of course.


    He''s too busy studying the power of order restricting his rank.


    And he had vaguely expected that he wasn''t invited to the banquet out of goodwill.


    "Hey, where''s that bastard?" Elephant lord grabbed arge jug of wine with his trunk and threw it into his mouth.


    "Hoo-Hooman?" The Tiger lord raised her head from the huge te of meat and licked her fingers.


    "We were nning a special gift." Draxson, the goat lord, said with a nasty smile.


    "Didn''t you trust him though?"


    "I trust his information and the deal. But humans are humans." He pressed the tip of his finger against his horns and blood spilled out. Licking it with his purple tongue, he giggled with an intoxicated face. "I can''t ever see him as my equal."


    The conversations continued across multiple groups, each expressing their ns for the outsider and the regret they now faced.


    Only the Demon King, a tall skeleton in a full body metal armor, sat at the edge of the long table in silence.


    The five sits next to him on the right and left were all empty.


    A subus maid moved her purple lips but no sound came out of her mouth. Yet, the Demon King was able to hear her words.


    "My Lord, should I sneak into his room and take his life?"


    The Demon King rested his chin on hisrge, bony hands. The fire in his eye sockets jumped violently, turning from red to purple and purple to ck.


    "I am unable to ascertain if he rejected this banquet out of goodwill or caution. If it''s the former, you might seed. If it''s thetter, it will waste our one chance."


    The subus maid blinked, herrge eyshes fluttering as she looked at her master in confusion.


    "My Lord, I do not understand. I have seen that human, there is nothing special about him. He cannot escape."


    The Demon King shook his head lightly, a soft chuckle leaving his lips, surprising his maid.


    "My Lord?"


    "A man who can stay in the castle of the demon lord, eat the food you send and sleep tight for eight hours a day, that man is anything but normal."


    "¡­He''s just a fool."


    "Perhaps. But my instinct tells me he wants us to think that way. Even now, I''m winning against the humans, breaking the most important fortresses of the five kingdoms.


    In a few days, my armies will burn down the cities in their paths and march to the human capitals.


    I have no doubts about this.


    And yet¡­"


    The fire flickering in the eyesocket''s vanished for a moment and the shoulders of the giant skeleton drooped.


    "I cannot feel the joy of winning. There is only growing anxiety in my heart. That despite winning everything, I will have nothing."


    The Demon King''s words might''ve been confusing to others but the subus maid knew that her master had a vague prophetic ability. And that''s why, his words caused her to shudder and look at him in panic.


    "I''ve killed many great beings, yed legendary creatures and razed entire kingdoms. I fought to the brink of death many times before I became the strongest. I''ve felt fear many times before. But what I feel now is not fear."


    While the Demon King voiced his feelings to his maid, the Princess bowing in front of a giant female statue furrowed her brows as a vision unfolded in front of her eyes.


    Simultaneously, the Demon King continued narrating.


    The Princess saw herself in a huge church before the vision zoomed out, revealing the capital city, the kingdom, the human domain and then included the demon world.


    "I can face fear. Be it the fear of death or disease or a stronger opponent."


    Thendmass of humans and demons was further zoomed out, revealing a huge continent.


    The vision changed further, revealing a with three continents, one being that of humans and demons, another being the legendary world of elves and the third


    being that of the mythical dragons.


    "But the emotion I''m feeling now¡­"


    The Princess could feel it¨Cthe strongest beings of these continents were as strong as the Demon King himself, if not stronger.


    But they, including everyone in the human-demonnd, looked at the sky with wide, disbelieving eyes.


    "It''s despair."


    A giant hand enveloped the world and crushed it to pieces.

 Chapter 1493 An Unexpected Scene

    <h4>Chapter 1493 An Unexpected Scene</h4>


    "Logos, I feel like a viin, you know?" Varian yawned as he threw himself on the bed.


    The research wasing to a close and he should be good in a day or two.


    [Viin? Please have some shame. Even viins just want to rule the world. You''re about to destroy the entire.]


    Varian shrugged.


    [¡­Host, you are a hero who fought against abyssals to protect your race. In the end, you became the very thing you fought against. The irony is too heavy.]


    "Will you shut up?" Varian rolled his eyes and sat cross legged on the bed, grabbing his feet. "This world will be rest after destruction. The people here won''t really die.


    The creator of these worlds took enough help from his Genesis mates. For my own conscience, I will use only enough power that their souls won''t be oblierated so they can still be resurrected."


    [Is it only for conscience?] Logos asked in a sharp tone, like the boss who crossed her hands and looked at the employee to reveal how much he really worked on the project.


    "Well¡­" Varian coughed lightly. "It''s good for business."


    [Speak english!]


    "I won''t be teleported back immediately. I can use that window to study their resurrection and get a breakthrough in the life, death and soul paths."


    [¡­] There was no sound but it felt like Logos was staring at him with a disdainful gaze.


    "It''s a win-win, really! They die, like they always do and I can get some XP! Is that too much to ask?


    You know what? I love sandworm the most! He didn''t evenin! Sandworm Supremacy forever!"


    Varian argued with an indignant expression, like a son who got caught drinking underage and trying to convince his mother that it''s okay she said he''s a big boy responsible for his room when he turned 14.


    [You''re not entirely wrong in this. But those three heroes will die.]


    "From the bottom of my heart, I hope they all have 1 billion points for another life."


    [Your conscience is really dead, killing three inn¡ªwell, they''re not that innocent, but anyways, three young men.]


    "What do you want me to do?"


    [What are you willing to do?]


    "Err, I''ll tell them better luck next life?" Varian scratched his chin. "Hey, I''ll even write it on a card! I loved it when my mother wrote them for me!"


    [If you put it that way, I think it works. Tell them that a mysterious, powerful, young and elegant entity alsoments that they had to die due to the actions of someone rted to it.]


    "¡­"


    [What?] Logos asked after a minute of awkward silence.


    "Nothing." Varian stiffled a chuckle and said with a serious expression. "I thought I was a braggart but I should learn a thing or two from you."


    [Ungrateful host, when will you appreciate how nice this system has been to you?]


    "Heh. If anything, I''m the one tolerating you."


    [Wha¡ªIt''s really a world where a thief calls others as thieves.]


    Logos dropped out of the conversation, unwilling to tolerate the cheeky bastard''s infuriating words any longer.


    Varian shook his head and channeled the aura through his body.


    [Contestant: Varian


    Merit Points: 100


    Rank: S (corresponds to Rank 1)]


    There''s a unique way to power up in this world.


    Train and hunt monsters.


    Then, you''d to go to SS and finally SSS, equivalent to rank 2 and rank 3.


    Varian didn''t want to follow the conventional method.


    So, using his knowledge of the Order rules applied to this world, he started doing some casual no hands push ups while manipting the rules around him.


    [You have trained hard!


    Your power increases!]


    [You have trained hard!


    Your power increases!]


    [You¡­]


    [¡­]


    [Congrattions, you leveled up!]


    And just like that, the world system was decieved. While everyone was ying the game honestly, grinding weeks, he had taken the mod route.


    [SS rank (rank 2)]


    "Not bad,"


    After pulling off a feat that would''ve sent even the rtively calm Princess into hysteric screaming, Varian went back to studying the order power, intending to breakthrough sooner thanter.


    And while this happened, a messengar came running into the Demon King''s castle.


    Disregarding the etiquitte, he ran across the corridors and sted open therge door of the banquet hall.


    The chattering stopped.


    All the demons dropped whatever they were doing and looked at him with a dumbfounded expression.


    The Demon King stood up and turned to the messenger, the mes in his eyesockets jumping and burning a deadly red.


    A simmering tension filled the air and an explosion was a single word away.


    "What happened?" The maid beside the Demon King stepped forward and asked in a stern tone.


    "Y-Your Highness¡­I-I saw¡­" The messenger''s face was overflowing with sweat, like someone sshed him with water. With trembling hands, he took out a crystal ball and pointed at it with a sickly expression.


    The Demon King hummed and the crystal ball activated without any contact.


    Princess Elizabeth''s solemn yet pale face appeared in the hall. "Your Majesty, the Demon King, there is a vision I want to share with you¡­"


    While this happened, Varian tried to chip away thest bits of resistance for his ascendance to rank 8.


    Because he was so immersed, other than taking care of his room''s immediate security, he didn''t bother to keep an eye on other ces.


    He got into the so-called ''zone'' where he even began to forget about the room''s security and solely focused on the chains blocking his paths.


    Time passed without his notice and the rising sun begun to set.


    ''If space and time are the basic powers which draw sketch of a universe.


    If life and death, not just organic but even the life and death of a star, a ckhole and a, enable change of a unit.


    Then order and chaos, they''ll have t¡ª''


    Boom!


    The door to his room as well as the walls were sted to pieces in a blink.


    The Demon King, the three heroes, the five human kings and the demon generals appeared, surrounding him from all directions, their weapons pointing at him.

 Chapter 1494 Congratulations, to me!

    <h4>Chapter 1494 Congrattions, to me! </h4>


    "Guys?"


    Varian called out with a forced smile, his eyes moving wildly to scan the crew that demolished his room.


    "We know it already." Princess Elizabeth spat through gritted teeth.


    "Huh?"


    "You are the harbringer of destruction, an agent of chaos¡­the Ender of Worlds." Despite a pale face, the princess said with a determined gaze, as if she was ready to die facing the malovent entity standing in front of her.


    "Well, I do appreciate the cool sounding titles but I''m just your average guy on the street." Varian said as he slowly stood up, hands raised above his head to show he meant no harm.


    And yet, that motion caused everyone to reel back and charge auras into their weapons, ready to hit him.


    "Demon King, is this how you treat the man who risked his entire life for your victory?" Varian asked with an indignant expression, his eyes showing the pain he''s feeling out of the betrayal.


    "Shut up, bastard!" The Demon King mmed his staff on the ground, causing arge hole in the pristine floor.


    With a wave of his hand, a green-colored magic filled the room. Since it showed no malice, the human powerhouses didn''t do anything than cover themselves in aura.


    "Anyone facing it can only speak the truth." The lord of all demons sneered, his bony jaw moving up and down in an equallyical and scary fashion. "You are nning to end this world, aren''t you?"


    Varian took a deep breath, the sounds of rising heartbeats in the room clearly registering in his ears.


    "Your assumptions about what my dream are incorrect, Your Majesty. You want to ask me what will happen today? Tomorrow? I will put my hand on my heart and vow, that even after a hundred years, thisnd, this world, everything you see will exist." He said with a sincere smile.


    Wiping the flowing sweat from his forehead, he continued. "You call me agent of chaos and all those coo¡ªahem, sphemous names. But I am sent by a great being into this ce, for his own whims. It''s the same being who created this great world and a million others. The god of gods."


    A pious expression filled Varian and he looked up at the sky with teary eyes. "Are you listening? Oh, Creator! This world I wish to dedicate my life to¡­it has turned against yourmb!"


    "I-Impossible¡­" The demon king staggered back, the mes in his eyesockets fluctuating wildly. "Impossible, the f-mes of truth are indicating everything he said is the truth. R-Ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous!"


    Varian sniffed back the tears that threatened to spill out and admonished the disbelieving demon king. "Demon King, do you know why you survived despite facing so many dangers? HE is looking after you. HE is responsible for your fate. HE didn''t want you to dead."


    ''If demon lord dies midway, how else would the story proceed? Tsk.''


    The Demon Lord opened his mouth but no word came out. Thinking back, indeed, he survived too many dangers. It''s almost like fate intended him to be what he''s today.


    ''Perhaps it''s really the Crea¡ª''


    Boom!


    The human powerhousesunched an attack when no one was expecting. Varian put on his defenses at thest minute, but was sted away, flying into the clouds in a blink.


    Kicking the ground, the Kings of the five kingdoms as well as their finest knights, shot into the sky like missiles, their weapons aiming to finish off the scammy bastard.


    Unlike the Demon King, they didn''t believe a single word that came out of his mouth.


    "Demon King, this man will gain the power to destroy the world. Would deceiving your spell be a challenge for him?" Princess Elizabeth, on the ground along with others, said with a stern expression.


    "Ah!"


    Her words struck him an arrow. Despite feeling that Varian''s words had some degree of truth to them, the Lord of all Demons decided that this man better not be left alive.


    With a gesture of his hand, a magical chain was woven out of thin air and wrapped around Varian.


    Injured with a few broken bones and blood spilling from fresh injuries, Varian looked at the demon king''s attack and sighed. "I really tried."


    With a snap of his fingers, the space fluctuated and he disappeared.


    "Huh? He''s there! A hundred mil¡ªtwo hun¡ªfour hundred miles away!"


    The powerhouses chased after the enemy at full speed, destroying everything¡ªhouses, markets, entire viges¡ªin their path.


    Varian had only rank 2 paths. He couldn''t technically outrun any rank 3 chasing


    him.


    However, when the power of two paths wasbined, the story changed.


    Space and Time were used together, pushing him not only into a further spational co-ordinate but also through an earlier time instance.


    He pushed himself through dangerous teleportations that would''ve torn even the most expert space awakeners due to the stress it put on their bodies.


    But he withstood the stress with his physical body, casually facing pressure that would''ve caused others to explode.


    And yet¡ª


    Boom!


    A huge pir of light exploded, shooting striaght into the clouds.


    Then another. And another.


    Until the whole area was swallowed in explosions.


    Varian''s body, on the verge of copsing, slowly floated down.


    The light in his eyes was dim and his breath was non-existent. His heart, now visible through his hollowed chest was struggling to beat. And failing.


    "Thankfully, no one was naive enough to believe we can take on a world ending cmity so easily."


    Princess Elizabeth arrived shortly after along with the powerhouses of human and demon races.


    The Demon King didn''t hesitate anymore and pointed his staff at the bloodied Varian.


    With a bang, his body exploded into pieces.


    Everyone looked at each other in disbelief, wanting to feel relieved that they finally saved the world but unable to digest that they really killed the world ending cmity.


    The heroes puffed out their chest and wanted to talk to the princess who swiftly dimissed them and turned to the demon king. "This can happen again. Instead of our fights, we should look outward."


    The Demon King looked at the bits of blood, flesh and bones still raining from the sky without answering.


    The Princess frowned. "Your Majesty, instead of conflicts, we can form an alliance and a cooperation. With me recieving the guidance of the goddess and your power, we can protect this world."


    "Haaa~" The Demon King shook his head and looked at the princess with a depressed smile. "No need to worry, human girl. Do you think after everything that happened¡­I still have the interest to wage a world war? What will ruling a bigger piece ofnd aplish?"


    Not just the princess but even the subordinates of the demon king who followed him from early days opened their mouths in surprise.


    W-Was this really their leader or did someone rece him?


    Demon King had always been a man overflowing with ambition. What''s with the change of heart?


    "Ahh, I''ve never seen an enlightened, peace loving demon king. I guess I did aplish something amazing."


    A voice sounded from behind.


    The demon king, the princess and everyone else on the scene froze like statues before moving their necks stiffly.

 Chapter 1495 To Rank 8!

    <h4>Chapter 1495 To Rank 8! </h4>


    A bright white sphere floated in the air. The aura of the world was forcibly pulled into it, like it''s a vortex swallowing the sea.


    A strong body, standing at the edges of perfection, came into existence, literally out of thin air.


    [It''s a smart idea to ensure your survival by safeguarding your soul and using the near death moment to push your breakthrough.]


    ''I can''t help it, even my dumb ideas seem to be too smart.''


    [¡­You should panic more when you just esacped death. Behave like a normal person.]


    Varian didn''t respond to the earnest request of Logos and looked at the stunned audience with a big smile.


    "Without your help, I would have taken a few days."


    Saying so, he raised his arm and pointed to the sky. A chain wrapped around his body, invisible to everyone but him, began to shake.


    "Wait!" The Demon King cried out.


    "Stop him!" The Princess ordered.


    Dozens and dozens of attacks, powered by the strongest of the entire world, were fired at Varian all at once.


    Click!


    The bottleneck between rank 7 and rank 8 vanished. The powers of Order and Chaos surged, hitting heights never seen power.


    Kacha! Kraaa!


    The glittering crystal chain stretched and cracked.


    A heavenly power, far beyond what anyone could notice descended from the sky, intending to enforce the chain.


    But even that heavenly power wasn''t instantaneous.


    Using that short window of opportunity, Varian moved his hand that''s pointing towards the sky and reached for the earth.


    "No! Noooo!"


    A giant palm appeared in the sky.


    From the far east continent where the dragons resided to the far west where the elves lived. To the mysterious mermaid race in the deep ocean that no one knew about. And the mythical spirit race which roamed the sky, living in cloud castles, being worshipped as demi-gods by the mortals.


    Not one, not two, every single sentient race, from its weakest to the strongest, all felt a sudden pull from somewhere and looked up.


    And they saw it.


    A giant hand, epassing the entire skying down onto the world.


    The brilliant star that filled the world with light during the day and the beautiful moons that made the night romantic vanished.


    The hand enveloped the entire in its clutches.


    Varian looked at the descending divine silver light that almost reached him and said.


    "May you find peace one day."


    Boom!


    The ring red core of the exploded and the entire world was sted into pieces.


    Beings, ancient and recent, as strong as the Demon King and even stronger than him.


    Nature, from old rivers to newkes, big mountains to small rocks.


    Everything and everyone.


    All ceased to exist from that moment.


    The silver light that just a millimeter away from Varian''s neck halted.


    And then, a notification window popped up.


    [Achievements Unlocked:


    - Unprecended Ending


    - Unique Ending]


    The shackles ced on Varian''s paths vanished and he took in rapid breaths, finally feeling normal once again.


    Even though a rank 2 was certainly not weak, until now, he felt like a chronic patient who could be blown away with the wind.


    The difference in strength between the ranks was no joke.


    And now that he reached rank 8 in Order and Chaos paths, the contrast was even more stark.


    [Contestant Varian, you can leave now.


    If you do not, you will be transported back in 5 minutes.


    Typically, this period is given for the participants to say their goodbyes to the allies and dear ones.


    But you¡­what have you done?]


    Ignoring the paradise''s management system which still seemed to have not recovered from the shocking ending he pulled off, Varian expanded his senses and focused on the debris of the world.


    A great power descended from nowhere and the world began to piece itself bit by bit.


    In just three minutes, a perfectly fine was built.


    Then, life was created.


    From the smallest of ants to thergest of dragons.


    Cell by cell. Species by species. Soul by soul.


    The Demon King. The Princess. The Dragons. The Elves.


    Everyone started toe back to life.


    Their destroyed bodies were back to how they always were. Their souls, which were on the verge of dissipating after their death were once again perfectly integrated with their bodies.


    It was a spectacle to watch.


    Their bodies weren''t new. They were the same bodies that died.


    The cold blood turned warm. The dead flesh and bones were now alive.


    It was a masterss on the application of Life, Soul and Death.


    A masterss that Varian had been eagerly waiting for.


    When it finally happened in front of his eyes, the man devoured every lesson he could, enriching his knowledge by learning from the very best.


    As the timer neared its end, the world started showing signs of being restarted. If his guess was not wrong, then after five minutes, everyone would ''wake up'' and go on doing their own thing.


    It''s quite scary to think of but none of these people would realize that they''re living inside a creation. That their creator was just a guy who wanted to see different endings for the ''stories''.


    Varian did pity these people. But there wasn''t much he could do about it. Going against a divine ranker wasn''t something he could do now.


    ''Ignorance is bliss. I used to think that quote is used for children who didn''t know the hardships of an adult life. But now¡­''


    [4:50]


    [4:55]


    Three powers in his body broke through the bottlenecks, reaching rank 8.


    [4:58]


    An invisible force envelopped him, ready to pull him off.


    ''Hm?''


    Noticing that it was the power of space and time, Varian started a tug of war with it.


    [5:02]


    The force was initially gentle but as he started showing more and more resistance, it turned violent.


    [5:10]


    The application of space and time power went beyond what a rank 8 could resist.


    [5:30]


    And that''s what he wanted.


    As he was pulled back into paradise, the final two paths broke the bottlenecks.

 Chapter 1496 One Step Closer

    <h4>Chapter 1496 One Step Closer</h4>


    When Varian came to his senses, he was back in the town square. A sense of lightness overwhelmed him for a moment before he adapted to it.


    Without the shackles binding him down, he felt so strong that he could crush this small town into pieces.


    ''Status''


    [All Rank 8


    Paragon Body: 0/25,000


    Ignis: 0/25,000


    Death Giant: 0/25,000


    Order: 0/25,000


    Chaos: 0/25,000


    Space: 0/25,000


    Time: 0/25,000


    PS:


    One step.


    Just one more step.


    Host, you''re about to hit a stage of singrity.


    There are people who wille after you, whether you like it or not. The only choices are killing or getting killed.


    If you do survive this onught¡­what should happen will happen.


    There is nothing that can be done to stop it.


    It''s been decided before you or even human civilization was born.


    So¡­when the timees, please do not despair.


    There is a reason this system chose you.


    There is a chance.


    You are the chance.]


    Varian silently read the entire message and walked to a pinkish water fountain. He sat there rubbing his forehead, a heavy sigh leaving his lips.


    "You made it out alive?"


    Following the sounds of heavy footsteps, a heavy, six-meter humanoid sat next to him.


    The pink water fountain was at least five timesrger than a typical one found back at home but it still looked small for thisrge being.


    "The world of Demon Lord and Hero is notorious for its cunning princess and relentless demon lord. Those who heard a first timer tried it all thought you''re gonna die. But my hunch was right."


    Ingridughed, his deep, hoarse voice scaring away the passerbys.


    "But it looks like you''re not in a good mood." He narrowed hisrge eyes. "A close death encounter perhaps?"


    "¡­"


    Varian gave the over enthusiastic captain of the town''s army a look like he''s looking at a fool. Then, he said in a tired tone.


    "Let''s say you have a friend who can foresee the future."


    "That''s bullsh¡ª"


    "Let us¡­just¡­say!"


    A powerful aura erupted from Varian, quietly locking onto the giant man.


    "¡­"


    Ingrid''s body froze and his pupils widened.


    ''Wait, what? Rank 8? But this fear is something I only face in front of a rank 9. As I suspected, this man is indeed different from the rest. If it''s him, maybe he can¡­''


    "Okay, okay. I have a friend who can see the future." Ingrid nodded with an eager face, unwilling to risk his life over trivial things like logic andmon sense.


    "Then that friend keeps whining on how you''re gonna face a big bad event one day.?And it hints that your entire life is set up for this big battle¡ªwhich you might win or most likely lose." Varian said with a smile but it was a smile borne out of anger and frustration.


    "I would b-be¡­pissed?" Ingrid said after carefully observing the man''s expression.


    "Right?" Varian exhaled deeply, a fleeting pressure swept over the entire town as he did.


    For a moment, everyone in the town stopped what they were doing and looked around in fear, a chill shooting down their spine.


    It''s like¡­it''s like an apex predator breathed down their neck a moment ago.


    "But you can''t get rid of this friend. She''s not gonna leave. You can''t make her leave."


    "¡­So it''s a love problem? The one advice I always followed is having a baby with her solves a lot of issues."


    "¡­"


    Veins popped up on Varian''s forehead and his chest heaved up and down. "Never mind, I need to get out of this stupid ce."


    He headed to the town center to pick a world once again.


    The Paradise System kept blinking in the corner of his vision.


    [Wohoo!


    Congrattions, oh brave warrior!


    An ending never seen before!


    A tale that might nevere after!


    You have achieved:


    SSS: 50 Million


    Unique Ending: 250 Million


    There have been sufficient cases where the participants enve both the demon and humankind. But there has never been a case where the entire world gets obliterated.


    Unprecedented Ending: 500 Million


    It is recognized that you did something impossible for any person. No one has ever broken the divine chains in a celestial rank, if only for a fleeting moment.


    You did it.


    The paradise system believes you are the only person who can do it, other than Immortal himself.


    Total Merit Points: 1 Billion.


    You can choose to shop precious items, buy ves, helpers, pets and more with your points. Or you can save up to 10 Billion and leave the Paradise. But a word of caution, Paradise is one of the safest ces from external threats.]


    Ignoring the not so subtle persuasion to stay, Varian picked his next world.


    Meanwhile, Isadora won the rock, paper and scissors.


    "I''ll pick him up and return soon. Take care of this ce." Waving her hand cooly, she walked out of the gardens in a pitch-ck dress.


    "Wait! Wait!" Sarah grabbed her hand and looked at her with a reluctant gaze. "One more?"


    "No." Isadora said without hesitation. "This is the third. And third is thest."


    "Fourth is also fine." Sarah said.


    "¡­"


    Isadora paused in her steps and gave her a sharp look.


    Realizing how it must''ve sounded, Sarah coughed lightly before looking to the two fading phantoms for help.


    Sia, dressed in a pink princess dress, waved her goodbye. "Sorry dear, I have to go find my prince."


    Enigma, in a purple dress that was more formal than elegant, whistled while looking away.


    "Traitors! Go! Go find him!" Sarah pped her hand and a powerful wind threw them out of the garden.


    Isadora and her sisters crashed outside. Thankfully, the two maids weren''t working in this area.


    Looking left and right, Isadora dusted off her dress, once again appearing dignified and noble.


    "What a petty girl," Shaking her head, she looked to the side and her eyes widened into a disbelieving gaze. "You two are in soul forms. Why the hell are you dusting your dresses for?"


    Sia and Enigma froze, the former''s jaw dropping and thetter''s face blushing.


    "He''s probably, no, he''s definitely stuck somewhere. This isn''t a vacation, girls. So, until we return, please don''t turn this into a honeymoon with your husband." Adjusting her ck gloves, the princess warned.


    Her words caused their excitement to fade and with a sigh, their phantom forms dissipated.

 Chapter 1497 The Hunt Begins

    <h4>Chapter 1497 The Hunt Begins </h4>


    Since Varian''s disappearance, they could sense his situation. He''s alive. But he''s stuck in some region from where he couldn''t even use Hortus to return.


    Miss Cmity, who could''ve been of a massive help, went into a state of enlightenment after visiting one of the forbiddennds.


    Now she''s ascending into the divine ranks and perhaps because of the specialty of Hortus, she''s also consolidating her rank at a monstrous pace.


    In the end, it was up to them to rescue the man.


    Isadora and Sarah had an argument on who should be the one to bring him back. Since neither of them wanted to concede, a game of luck was yed. And the princess won.


    But strictly speaking, Sarah allowed herself to lose.


    Miss Cmity had given both of them some very precious resources, stuff that even a king would feel envious of.


    While Sarah was using them to unlock the legacy and push herself to a higher rank, Isadora didn''t need to go through a process of adjustment.


    Since she had already reached the peak of celestial ranks once, all she had to do was retrace the path she already walked.


    Thus, the princess easily broke into rank 9s and her power was still rising with every moment, racing to mid rank 9.


    Naturally, on the virtue of her higher strength, using the link of ''Synergy'' that Sia and Enigma shared with Varian, Isadora was able to sense him more urately than Sarah.


    That''s why Sarah ''lost''.


    The entrance of Hortus appeared at the boundary of P Kingdom.


    Not too far from here, hundreds of rank 6 and rank 7 auras could be felt, the shockwaves of their attacks travelling even to this location.


    7th Prince''s forces breached the border and were met with a fierce resistance by the kingdom''s army.


    But gradually, they were losing out.


    And so far, none of the ''elite'' forces picked by the 7th Prince entered the battles. It was only the mostmon soldiers taking up the attack.


    There were some scary rumors going around, hinting that the prince was nning something big.


    But it''s none of Isadora''s concern.


    With her long silver hair swaying gently, Isdaora, in a beautiful ck dress, appeared near a ckhole. Her shining red eyes spotted a suitable spot near the ckhole.


    Since the space-time fabric was severely affected near the celestial structure, it''s much easier to tear open the space for long-distance travel.


    Moreover, since there''s so much fluctuation, the traces of travel would be quickly wiped out.


    The ruby red eyes of the princess shined in the darkness and a space crack emerged in front of her.


    With a solemn gaze, she stepped into the entrance and disappeared.


    Ssss!


    With a sound that resembled a paper being torn apart, the space crack closed. The traces of her travel were quickly erased.


    It was a cautious n by Isadora, one which shouldn''t have caused any problems.


    And yet, as she used her rank 9 powers to the fullest for the first time in over half-millennia, two men stopped whatever they were doing and looked in the direction of P Kingdom.


    One was Icarus.


    The bit of energy in his posession began to fluctuate, vaguely pointing in the direction of Isadora.


    Since he declined to participate in the border activity, he wasn''t under any obligation to report to any authority.


    Even then, he quickly used up a bunch of precious treasures to hide his traces and go into full incognito.


    Only then did the new divine powerhouse start chasing Isadora.


    She''s the ticket to his dreams.


    The divine vessel who''d posess the slivers.


    But he wasn''t the only one after the former princess.


    There was one more man who sensed Isadora''s presence when she used her full power.


    It wasn''t as clear as what Icarus felt. But the sensation came without any treasure. It''s an innate feeling, one that came from the depth of his being.


    His body told him that if he had to be the perfect version of himself, the being he''s always meant to be.


    That the ''perfect hybrid'' was the final piece of the puzzle, to finish the creation that was him.


    "Isadora¡­"


    At the edges of Genesis and Mors Empirey a special world constructed solely for a great being.


    To the outside, he''s just another genius from a seclusive family. It was indeed suspicious that no one, not even the top geniuses of the Empire''s academy knew about his background.


    At least, that was the case until a while ago. It was only recently that he was quietly introduced through some rumors.


    The name ''Immortal'' was spread to the upper circle of the empires, to prepare them for his ruler if he did seed.


    From his part, he disyed great patience.


    When he was still a weakling, he remained in shadows.


    Back then, Isadora was famous. She was everywhere, growing at a speed that made allparisons useless and posessing strength that even the most seasoned warriors could not face.


    At that time too, his body told him the same thing, felt the same feeling. That innate urge, which came from the depth of his being, deeper than any physical instinct, originating from the soul itself.


    But Isadora was much stronger than him back then.


    A rank 9. And he, a mere rank 6.


    But five centuries was a long time.


    As he grew stronger, his powers continued to grow. And with them, his rate of growth.


    With him hitting the edges of divine rank, there couldn''t be a better time for Isadora to reappear.


    If he could be perfect¡ªabsorb the vessel¡ªand then step into the divine ranks, even he couldn''t imagine the height he could reach.


    The only one worthy for him to aim at, to fight and win would be the God Emperor himself.


    He''d be a god of gods, taking the step that even the God Emperor could not take.


    But not just that.


    Even the Primordial Gods were limited by their Avenue.


    Yet, he¡­with a perfect hybrid, he could even go a step higher than them.


    "Immortal. Eternal. Invincible."


    A quiet chuckle left the man''s mouth.


    Without sound, a silhouttee which looked exactly like the man left the pce.


    And then, thirty more.

 Chapter 1498 Alliance Heads

    <h4>Chapter 1498 Alliance Heads </h4>


    A meeting was conveyed by the heads of the Alliance.


    In a ce beyond reach for even the strongest first realm divine warriors, the rulers of the Empires met.


    It was a triangr table, with tworge sides and one smaller side. The rulers of each empire took their side.


    The head of Genesis Empire was a handsome man in white. Short white hair, white eyes, white dress. He looked spotless like snow of a cier.


    There was something about him that''s soothing. He looked at peace, a rxed smile adorning his face. It was like he had no worries about the world anymore. Like he had all the answers.


    Even without any intent and effort from his side, a current of pure, potent life force was oozing out of him.


    The pure white lighting off from him was not just aura. It was the materialization of thews of life itself!


    This power, uncontrolled and unintended, created a new life form.


    Life created life, upholding the ultimatemonality running across every living form.


    A small humanoid spirit with elven ears and butterfly-like wings. The power continued to flow and the creature evolved.


    Its eyes, erratic and irrational, shone with a light of wisdom. Its body began to age, going from childhood to teenage years before adulthood and finally old age.


    And when it died, its body disintegrated.


    A pure spirit, diffusing golden light, emerged out of the corpse.


    The power continued to flow out the man.


    And as it did, the dead body turned into an Undead. The spirit re-entered the body.


    Once again, the body evolved before dying. The spirit left the Undead body.


    Butpared to its ''living'' cycle, this was iparably short. And when the spirit re-entered the body, a miracle urred.


    The traces of death vanished from the Undead corpse and the body rejuvenated.


    Compared to earlier when the body aged and eventually died, this new body was no longer burdened by the concept of aging and lifespan.


    It had ovee death.


    Hundreds and hundreds of these creatures were formed from the light diffusing from the man''s body.


    Undergoing cycles of life and death to attain the highest form a life form could ever attain.


    Facing him was a bewitching woman. Silky ck hair, glowing ck skin, in a pure ck dress.


    Her eyes darted here and there, her lips moving to utter inaudible words and her expression remained one of anticipation.


    She too remained silent like the man.


    But if the man held the peace of a stillke, the woman was the quiet that came before the storm.


    Instead of the soothing feeling that the man invoked, this woman gave people a sense of longing, a ring in the mind that they''d eventually reach her.


    Eventually reach¡­death.


    The soft ck light diffusing from her was also creating sentient beings who were also underwent the cycles of life and death.


    It''s just that they were bing the perfect undead, oveing life in the process.


    Interestingly enough, both of them had the power of soul inmon. Be it life or death, the presence of spirit seemed inevitable.


    Even though they were at the opposite ends of a sepctrum, it was the reminder that they were the sides of the same coin.


    "Have you finished the preparations?" The woman parted her lips, a divine voice flowing out of her mouth, akin to a luby drawing all life to her embrace, to death.


    "Almost." The man''s reply was curt. "90%."


    "Life Master has lost." The woman snickered. "95%."


    Keman Aurik showed a small frown at her words. "I will finish the rest before you."


    "You''re free to dream. Wasn''t there a saying by mortals? You stop living once you stop dreaming." Yami let out a chuckle.


    "It looks like we aren''t toote." An emotionless voice rang and three men arrived.


    The one leading them looked like a 12-year old boy, the second was a young man in his 20s and the third was an old man in his 70s.


    The trio were heads of the Nexus Empire.


    Yami raised a brow. "Where''s chaos?"


    Snake Of Chaos, Ophion.


    After the Ares tribe was ughtered, only a fraction of the original powerhouses in the chaos path remained.


    Of them, Ophion was the strongest. He''s also the representative of the chaos minority present in the empire.


    "Searching." The boy said, his deep voice in contrast with his young profile.


    "Aphosis,"Keman Aurik called him with a displeased tone. "This was a meeting for your kind. It''s inappropriate to skip."


    Demon of Order Aphosis. The central figure of the trio. The most revered ''god'' of the Nexus Empire.


    "Slivers are important." Aphosis'' eyes held no emotion nor did his voice. "It''s fine to skip an important meeting. The sooner he finds them, the better our chances."


    "Immortal has a very low chance of sess. A backup n is necessary." The young man sat next to the boy.


    Yami and Keman Aurik looked at the young man with a sharp gaze.


    Punisher Aridam. The second most popr figure. The one who would rush to kill the external enemies and internal traitors.


    A man famous for ughtering a dozen kingdoms in a single hour.


    He too was purely rational in his thoughts like Aphosis. Only his actions were too chaotic.


    "Immortal does indeed have a low chance of sess. But that snake has an even lower chance of finding the slivers." Yami shook her head.


    "Lord Yami, you are anticipating a new war. That''s why you called us here, to maintain full vignce on the satellite gxies.


    Given the danger we''re about to face, it''s alright to try out our luck. If the slivers are found, we would be in a much better position." The old man spoke as he sat beside the two.


    With a long beard and wise eyes, Keeper Equilius was the least talked god of their empire. But he''s the one who did the most behind the scenes.


    If the God Emperor hadn''t destroyed the < Perfect Hybrid >, he might have been etched into the history of Eden as an immortal figure.


    The people here, as great was they were, were not omniscient.


    Even though they heard about Isadora, they didn''t think she was that perfect hybrid.


    She was too weak for them to pay any attention.


    Forget a mere rank 9, a pathetic celestial ranker, even most divine rankers are useless in their eyes.


    In their opinion, Isadora was the child of a divine ranker or¡­a divine rank who decided to experience the divine paths again by reincarnating.


    "Slivers," A pure red power lit up above Yami''s fingertip, taking the shape of a me.


    The sliver of death.


    The gaze of Keeper Equilius remained steady but the envy inside him roared like a beast.


    "Equilus, you are right.


    The 7th Prince thinks he''s rightfully retaliating for an attack in the empire. But the God Emperor could''ve stopped the attack anytime if he wished to.


    That boy is just a pawn pushed to the forefront. Sooner orter, the one ying the board will step forward.


    Until then, we have to ensure the Jai don''t gain any advantage. Your full strength, including any possible divine clones, must be deployed to safeguard the gxies."


    All the powerhouses of Nexus were thrown to the vanguard, without any chance to refute.


    As Life Master Keman Aurik and Lord Yami disappeared, Keeper Equilius looked at his two purely rational equals and sighed inwardly.


    ''Icarus, it''s all up to you now.''


    Keeper Equilius was said to be the wisest man of the Alliance. Before they Keman and Yami called, he arranged for his grandson to retrieve the slivers.


    Sometimes, wisdom could be scarier than power.

 Chapter 1499 Turn Of Events

    <h4>Chapter 1499 Turn Of Events</h4>


    Isadora reached the entrance to Paradise.


    In a diguise that of a light blue-skinned, eight foot humanoid figure with four ears, the princess moved quickly but with enough caution.


    Instead of rushing to Varian right away, she was gathering information first. It wasn''t that she wasn''t worried. But she wanted to maximize all chances of rescuing Varian.


    Unlike one what one would expect from a collection of dangerous worlds, the reputation of Paradise was mixed. It''s all thanks to the propaganda dished out by the paradisians themselves.


    On one hand, the ones who barely managed to survive and escape the damn ce were shouting all over, giving speeches after speeches, trying to educate people on how deadly the ce really was.


    It didn''t matter if you''re rank 4 or rank 6, there were plenty of worlds which restricted your rank to suit the ''character''.


    Without proper decisions and corresponding actions, even a rank 7 powerhouse would die in that wretchednd.


    It''s a ce that was equally dangerous to every single awakener.


    Hearing these opinions, people were naturally scared of the damn ce.


    But on the other hand, there was an opposite view being pushed. Unlike the fearmongers, this one had a more professional side.


    As Isadora walked the streets of a busy city in the borders of the Nexus Empire, she saw more than a dozen holographic advertisements about Paradise.


    On the restaurants, schools, training institutions¡ªthey were everywhere!


    Flyers, posters, pamplets. Radio announcements, TV ads, met pop ups.


    Paradise was truly ubiquitious in both the physical and digital worlds.


    On the way here, she did sees that were totally disenchanted with the propaganda.


    They believed it''s truly a deadly ce conjured by a sadistic divine ranker for his entertainment.


    But as one drew closer and closer to Paradise itself, the beliefs of people shifted drastically.


    It was scary.


    It''s like a virus that infiltrated every mind.


    From the schools¡ª


    "I want to go to Paradise and be the superhero who will save the world!"


    "Moo! I want to start a newlife! I hate school! In Paradise, I will be a character who already finished all his studies!"


    "And I will take on the character of the Emperor with three thousand beauties, hohoho!"


    Topanies¡ª


    "The bills keep piling up. Maybe I should just jump in and solve these money problems once and for all."


    "The security guard went to paradise and returned. He married the daughter of the founder and is now sitting on our heads. Fuck him! If he can do it, why can''t we?"


    Down to even the mostmon conversations in the public.


    "Come one,e all! The legend of the SSS grade!"


    "We are the number one agencies of Paradise."


    "Bro, fuck these idiots. I''ll prove them wrong. The day I return from Paradise is the day these guys will know my greatness!


    Thirty years of misfortune, thirty years fortune! Don''t look down of young men!"


    Without getting into any disputes or conversations, Isadora reached the spaceport of the.


    Along with all the terminals which had space gates from where you could move across duchies, there was one special terminal.


    Its space gate took you directly into Paradise.


    As she passed through the space gate, the world turned nk and then light slowly dawned.


    When Isadora came to her senses, she was in a town square. Her disguise had long vanished without any trace of warning.


    She tried to use a diguise again but it failed, like an invisible rule was preventing her from using a false identity.


    ''A rule created by the power of order. I should avoid any conflict with the paradise


    system. Fabricator is not an enemy I can face at this point.''


    She quitly put on a wooden mask and wraped herself with a ck robe.


    Along with her were three more candidates, all humanoid but one with a tail, one with three legs and one with one eye.


    "Wee to Paradise, I''m your¡­"


    The introduction began.


    And while this happened, Icarus also reached one of the many entrances to Paradise.


    Boom!


    With a resounding noise, he was sted out of the space gate and the gate itself quickly disintegrated.


    The sound alerted the guards nearby but before they could check what happened, he vanished.


    "What the hell is happening?"


    Icarus tried to enter a gate on another. And when he passed through it, a powerful divine aura blocked him from entering Paradise and pped him out.


    But this time, Icarus ripped a bit of that power before he was thrown out.


    ''A very, very powerful rule barring all divine rankers from Paradise?''


    Icarus finally understood the reason.


    So, he created a clone having only a fraction of his strength and sent it in.


    Boom!


    It''s still rejected.


    Then, he created a clone with only a bit of divine power, only enough to make it a pseudo divine.


    Boom!


    "Divine, divine, divine¡­aha!"


    He created a clone again and this time, stripped it out of all the divine power, making it equivalent to a celestial.


    It''s stronger than any peak rank 9 celestial but still far below any divine ranker or even a pseudo divine.


    This time, the clone went in without any difficulty.


    Around the same time, Immortal also figured out the security mechanism of the entrance.


    And not just that, Paradise seemed to identify people through a very strict mechanism.


    So, if one clone entered, the second couldn''t.


    Immortal looked at his 30 avatars. They weren''t exactly clones. But they too wouldn''t be able to get in.


    ''As long as I be perfect, everyone will regret for treating me like a failed project.''


    Immortal stripped himself of the little divine power any pseudo divine would have and stepped into the gate.


    The world went ck before he saw a water fountain and a small town.


    "Wee to Paradise, I am th¡ª"


    Ignoring the petite woman who was greeting the six participants, Immortal kicked the ground and started running.


    Since Paradise was fortified, he couldn''t break the space or destroy the world. And yet, his sheer speed caused the ground to split open before it quickly reverted back to normal.


    Paradise was arge world with many towns and cities. Between them was wilderness with a lot of monsters, too dangerous for even a rank 9 to cross.


    The only way to go from one town to another was to spend the points. Or to have some really good treasures.


    Or¡­the strength that even most rank 9s don''t posess.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Right at this very moment, Varian was pondering on the next world to divine in.


    Isadora was using her space treasure¡ªthe purple card¡ªto reach him at the fastest speed possible.


    Icarus and Immortal were both chasing after the evermoving trace of Isadora.


    Paradise was just too big and too fortified for them to move the distance they would''ve moved in the outside world.


    So, while both of them were a lot stronger than Isadora, they needed some time to reach her.


    Once she reached the town, Isadora raced to the town center where she found a familiar young man standing in front of a hundred digital screens, rubbing his chin with a serious expression.


    He was deeply immersed despite the busy and noisy crowd.


    But when she arrived, he turned his head with a confused expression.


    "W-What?"


    His eyes widened as they met Isadora''s.


    Looking around, he quickly grabbed her hand and dragged her to a corner, amidst the suspicious looks of the nearby crowd.


    "Why the hell are you here?" He asked using his soul power.


    "I came to save you." Isdaora wiped the sweat off her forehead and replied with a dissatisfied expression.


    Catching her breath, she punched him in the chest. "I thought you were in danger and came running. But you don''t even have a word of thanks! What an ungrateful man!"


    Varian caught her wrist before she could break his ribs. His tense expression rxed and he looked into her beautiful red eyes said with a teasing smile. "Just a thanks? I can give you more."


    "Damn it!" Isadora yanked her hand out of his grip and summoned a couple of screens disying the worlds. "Since you''re so safe you can flirt, I''ll just leave this wretched ce. Have fun with your harem of 3000 beauties, Mr. Emperor!"


    "Wait, where did thate from?" Varian was genuinely dumbfounded at the usation.


    Not to mention the fact that he found the most beautiful woman of that world, Princess Elizabet to be less appealing than even his maids, even if she was more beautiful, he wouldn''t have had any other intention.


    "I''m a loyal man, okay?"


    Isadora snorted with a look of content as she swiped away the floating screens casually.


    "Mountains will shrink and oceans will dry,


    But your shamelessness will never vanish."


    "¡­"


    Varian raised his hand in surrender. What could he do when she starts using even poems to attack him?


    "How about you give me a chance to exin? Oh yeah, better than exining, we can just do a synergy for you to che¡ªouch!"


    Raising her foot from Varian''s, Isadora said without looking at him. "It was the first andst synergy."


    "But we did tw¡ª"


    "Shut up!" Isdaora said with an embarassed expression and her fingers began to frantically swipe the screens.


    As Varian was about to tease her, two powerful auras locked onto Isadora. Almost at the same time, the two aurasunched a devastating attack on the town hall.


    The paradise system reacted quickly, intending to stop the attack. But these were from beings at the very peak of rank 9.


    The system didn''t expect any attacks and was thus going to be a momentte in blocking the attack.


    As the prime target, Isadora wouldn''t be able to escape.


    Isadora and Varian had only a single moment to react.


    Despite the danger, Isadora didn''t want to use the purple card to teleport away. Due to the shortage of time, she couldn''t take Varian away. If she left by herself, he''d surely die in that attack.


    ''To think I''ll die like this¡­''


    In thatst moment, Isadora turned to Varian.


    The face she used to hate was now reflected in her eyes.


    ''I guess it''s not too ba¡ªhmmm?''


    Varian grabbed her hand and mmed a floating screen.


    Just as the attack reached them, the two disappeared.


    The town hall was razed to the ground and everyone in the town died in an instant.


    The sky turned red and two lightning bolts fell.


    Icarus and Immortal crashed to the ground, vomitting blood. A golden chain enveloped their necks before merging into their skin.


    Now they could no longer use their here except for self-


    defense.


    But it didn''t matter.


    After giving each other a hostile gaze, they ran to the razed town hall using only their physical strength.


    And entered the same world that Varian and Isadora did.


    A world that had a 100% death rate.

 Chapter 1500 World of Mythra

    <h4>Chapter 1500 World of Mythra </h4>


    [Wee! Wee to the world of Mythra! Not a single participant has walked out of this ce alive. May you be the first.]


    The translucent bar was pierced by the ring sunlight and Varian instinctively shielded his face.


    "Hey! It''s the Princess!"


    "Princess is here!"


    "Long live Her Highness!"


    "Respects! My humble respects!"


    It took a moment to realize he was standing in a crowd on the sides of a road, greeting a line up of royal foot soldiers, cavalry and a carriage in the middle.


    Flower petals were thrown from the griffins in the air and a soothing fragrance filled the streets.


    Perhaps out of safety concerns, the mages in the escort group cast a few wind spells.


    Not a single petal touched the group as they marched onto the royal pce.


    Varian was pushed back and forth by the frenzied people who were eager to catch a glimpse of the princess'' carriage.


    The yellow carriage, pulled by two fire breathing horses, had a thin blue curtain on either side.


    One could catch a glimpse of a woman''s silhouttee from the curtain, nothing more and nothing else.


    The silhouttee felt familiar.


    "I-Isado¡­" Varian clutched his head as a sharp pain rose on the back of his head.


    The man standing behind red at him. "Do you think you are qualified to utter the princess name without any respect? First time is warning. Second time is death."


    "What?"


    Varian''s eyes widened and something clicked.


    The sense of disorientation he had since opening his eyes decreased as he dug into his soul power to check for the story of this world.


    [Eternal Empress]


    An omnious foreboding rose in his mind at the world ''Eternal''. He quickly recalled?the bottom of the holographic page.


    [Survival Rate: 0]


    "Hiss!" Varian instinctively rubbed the back of his head which was bleeding from the injury.


    ''Blood, huh?''


    He frowned.


    ''Wait, why is the bleeding not stopping? And why did I even get hurt by a typcial celestial ranker?''


    "Princess will save the world!"


    "Seal the devil!"


    "Justice wins!"


    The crowd grew more and more agitated, their chants growing louder and passionate.


    A translucent window appeared in front of the dazed Varian.


    [The power system in this world is Rank 1 Celestial to Rank 9 Celestial and finally, Pseudo Divine. The average of the people here is rank 5 and median is rank 4.


    Naturally, this world is strong enough to bear the attacks of a rank 9 and not get destroyed.]


    ''That''s not it. Why am I weak?''


    [Varian Konstant


    Rank 3 (Sealed)]


    ''Huh? Why?''


    [You were responsible for the chaos in Paradise. Instead of confronting your enemies, you even used this world as an escape mechanism. They were punished harshly. This is a light punishment. You can break the seal with enough effort.]


    ''Are you fucking kidding me? They came to kill. It''s not my fault.]


    [Weakness is the original sin.]


    Varian shut his mouth and exhaled sharply.


    The synergy link between him and Sia as well as Enigma was missing. He could sense that they were alive and safe. But they were not here.


    The link with Isadora was significantly weaker than that with the two. And once he entered this world, that link was also suppressed.


    [Isadora! Isadora!]


    Varian pulled back from the crowd and walked to a deserted alley.


    [Can you hear me? Isadora? Respond!]


    As only silence reigned, he began to panic.


    ''Ugh¡­''


    A familiar voice groaned into the channel, as if she was suffering from a headache.


    ''Varian?''


    [Yes! Are you okay?]


    ''I know that name but who is it?''


    [Wh-What? Stop joking, now is not the time.]


    ''Are you the devil trying to entice me?'' Her voice suddenly grew harsh. ''Your evil will be stopped soon.''


    Varian''s breathing grew rough and he covered his face.


    Even though she did sound like Isadora and was definitely Isadora since she had the Synergy link, she felt like a different person.


    [As with penalty given to you, she is also given a penalty. Her memories of real world are suppressed and this world''s are amplified.


    But it is still her. The personality thates from the soul cannot be changed by mere memories.


    She''ll revert to her normal self but only once the expedition begins.]


    Varian mmed the wall and a fist mark cavity lodged itself in the tough structure. With dust and stone flying out, drop by drop, his blood dripped from his fist.


    Once the expedition begins, she wouldn''t be able to get out of that area. Even Isadora, with all her experience, might not be able to achieve sess.


    ''No matter how strong you are, the devil cannot defeat the guardians of peace.''


    Her courageous voice was a little shaken, as the princess must''ve been treating him as the world ending devil.


    Even though she''s going to sacrifice her life to re-seal the devil, the malovelent being she heard growing up did not be less scary.


    It''s like a little girl trying to fight a rabid dog to save her younger brother. It''s something she must do. Even though she was willing to even sacrifice herself for it, her little heart wouldn''t stop racing.


    The fear was going nowhere. It''s only the conviction to act despite it that was allowing the Princess to speak.


    Since it hade to this, he''d have to change his approach.


    [Littledy, why do you think I want to destroy the world?]


    Varian''s voice grew cold, indifferent and deep, befitting the title she gave him.


    ''Is this a joke? A devil who descended from the sky and sunk half of the world into seas. If not for everyone joining hands, you would have destroyed the rest of the world.''


    [But it achieved nothing. You could only seal me. And even now, the three kingdoms of thend send a prince or princess each to seal me.]


    ''And it is me this time. I will let you rot there for another hundred years. The one whoes after me will do the same. Again and again. You are going to be in hell for eternity.''


    A madughter sounded filled with sarcasm and malovelence.


    ''Ha¡­.Hahahahahaha!''

 Chapter 1501 Scamming An Innocent Princess

    <h4>Chapter 1501 Scamming An Innocent Princess </h4>


    If his guess was right, then those two powerhouses who tried to kill him must''ve also joined this world.


    While he did suspect if these people hated Isadora enough to risk their lives, the possibility of those two being clones was not zero.


    Now, not only would he have to confront the two powerhouses, he''d also have to deal with a Isadora struggling with her memories, at least until she started the expedition.


    "I propose a deal." Varian continued talking through the synergy link.


    And while he did, he tried waking Enigma and Sia, to see if they could take over Isadora and make his life easier. But it''s just not happening.


    ''A deal? Do you think this princess who is ready to sacrifice herself only to seal you would have a deal with you?'' Isadora said in her characteristic cold and cruel voice.


    She sounded like a cold-blooded empress ordering the execution of millions without a shred of sympathy.


    At her tone, Varian paused in surprise.


    ''She''s like this at the start¡­Isadora, you really changed, huh.''


    In the beginning, she wanted to kill Varian and snatch the slivers. She spoke in the exact same tone. Moreover, the wounds of the betrayal were still fresh in her heart, so she didn''t hestiate to show cruelty.


    But then after she failed to kill him, the princess had a slight change in behavior. She still hated him but the boiling anger in her heart cooled down.


    ''She would still speak harshly but well, not with malicious intentions.''


    His rtionship with Sia and Enigma wereid out bare for the woman. While they infuriated her, Isadora grew more anxious.


    Her reasoning was simple.


    ''If my rtion with my own mother of centuries could be ruined, there is no way Sia and Enigma wouldn''t be heartbroken one day.''


    For Isadora at that time, it''s a very logical argument to make.


    But that firm belief began to shake as she lived with a man who continued to amaze her, even if she didn''t admit it openly.


    ''And recently, her tone got a bit¡­softer?''


    The way she came rushing for him to this city after entering Paradise, standing in front of him, out of breath but with eyes staring at him.


    [Devil, if I can, I will kill you this time and end this vicious cycle. Pray that I will not seed.] Isadora said in a bone chilling tone.


    Varian wouldn''t shy from proiming he had nerves of steel. But her words made even him slightly anxious.


    "Hey, hey, hey!" He siezed control of the conversation before it could result in some bloody vows of vengeance and justice. "Are you dumb? Or did your passion for justice eat away the logical parts of your brain?"


    [You¡­how dare you?! Insolent devil!]


    "You''ve never heard of a devil speaking like this to any candidate or read any records like this, right?" He continued to ask.


    [¡­]


    At her silence of eptance, he grinned. "My dear princess, we share a special bond. We are connected by our very souls.


    Why do think the name Varian sounded familiar? Or Enigma? Sia? Serenthia? Sonya?


    These are secrets about yourself. Secrets no one else knows. If you still want to believe you''re just a normal princess, continue to fool yourself. But remember, you are not the same as others.


    If you want to find me, just follow the connection we have."


    There was a brief silence on the otherside.


    "Huh?"


    A chill shot down Varian''s spine and his expanded senses captured the scene in the bustling streets.


    The petals falling from the sky froze and the cheers of the people vanished. A coercive aura swept over the entire ce before locking toward a particr direction.


    And then it vanished without any trace, as if it was all a lie.


    The flower petals continued falling and the crowd, albeit surprised, brushed it off as a routine security check and resumed their cheers.


    Escaping the strict watch of the escorting crew, a butterfly passed from the curtains of the carriage and flew toward the alley.


    Varian kicked from one wall to another, climbing the tall wall and running on top of the buildings with medeival architecture.


    Thankfully, he ensured to remain away from the princess'' procession, so there weren''t many people spotting him.


    And the ones that did spot were unsure if it was a man or a bird due to the high speed at which he moved as well as the soul power that he used to blur his presence.


    [Get ready to die.]


    When Varian reached a swap south of the capital city, near the slum areas, a cold wind blew behind him.


    A butterfly turned into a stunning beauty and flicked her wrist.


    The wind split open and a sharp howl reached Varian''s cheek.


    He jumped to the dampnd and rolled away from the danger. And yet, a red line formed on his cheek.


    Isadora slowly descended from the building top, poweful aura overflowing from her.?Like an empress standing in front of a citizen, she held him with an authoritative gaze.


    "You lied. You aren''t the devil." She frowned, her cold expression turning even more merciless.


    Varian rubbed his injured cheek and shrugged. "I had to meet you."


    "¡­Your best chance for surviving is to spill everything you know." A sword appeared in her hand.


    As it did, a tingling sensation enveloped Varian''s neck, like a sharp de was pressed against his skin.


    One wrong move and he''d be out.


    ''This woman¡­even if she loses her memory, trying to kill me seems to remain constant.''


    Varian thought begrudgingly while he cooked up a story under the princess'' intense gaze.


    His gaze, however, was focused on the pendant hanging over her purple dress. It held a small silver rusty ring.


    "I had a dream." He began with a passionate expression. "I was a small lord of a vige. Far away from the royal luxuries. But one day, the second princess of the Empire came to my ce.


    She was on a secret mission and didn''t reveal her identity. I healed her injuries, nursed her back to health and soothed her injured heart.


    I had fallen in love with her."


    Tears began to slowly form in his eyes.


    "I wanted to spend my life together with her. But the woman left. Leaving nothing but her name. She called herself¡­Isadora."


    The Princess tightened her grip on the sword.


    The man in front of her was not normal. And he definitely wasn''t as innocent as he showed. He yed a clever game to draw her out.


    This wasn''t a sheep but a wolf in sheep''s clothing.


    Isadora''s mind kept warning her over and over.


    The hostility she held for him increased and she felt an urgent need to y him and yet¡ª


    "She has two younger siblings, Enigma and Sia. She didn''t want them to suffer from the ruthless royal politics and entrusted them to that man."


    What he said was unoriginal, events too simr from romance stories.


    Yet, there was a sense of familiarity to them. The second, vague memory she held was strongly reacting to his words.


    The real memories and the dream memories were ovepping due to the way he spoke.


    For instance, when he said younger siblings, it shouldn''t have been anything special. But Isadora felt a surge of emotions in her heart. As if she really had these siblings.


    Varian used a simple trick to throw her heart into turmoil.


    When an experience gets associated with a word, whenever that word gets uttered, those emotions will pop up.


    It''s for both good and bad things.


    For instance, a guy who always got bullied in the canteen of the school would get a negative emotion, a negative connotation whenever someone would use the word canteen.


    Simrly, if a couple fell in love and had great experience at a particr ce, the utterance of that ce would bring out positive emotions, rted to that whole experience.


    For Isadora, these words, ''Sia'', ''Enigma'' brought out a whole set of emotions that shouldn''t have appeared for the second princess who never knew these women.


    "They both fell in love with me. And when the second princess returned to my vige, she was devasted. Isadora warned them again and again. That to fall in love is to put yourself in a position to be hurt.


    They didn''t listen. The princess too was tired of the court politics but she insisted she was right.


    The man still only loved her. He kept waiting for months, years, decades.


    Princess Isadora did not reciprocate¡­"


    Varian''s tragic narration and heartbroken expression pulled Isadora into the story.


    Using the opportunity when she''s not on guard, Varian enveloped himself in the powers of space-time.


    Then, the powers of order and chaos were used on the pendant she was wearing, putting in on the verge of beign cut into two pieces.


    And finally, the power of soul as well as death was also used, ready to hide himself at demand.


    "The princess too loved him but her own heart, once betrayed, remained in pieces. So, she told him one day¡­"


    "Wh-What did she say?" Isadora raised her head and asked in an urgent tone.


    "She said¡­" Varian sighed, his eyebrows lowering and his shoulders rxing, a posture that Isadora would''ve recognized as a preparation of escape.


    "She said,"


    "Uh."


    "Don''t trust strangers."


    Boom!


    The string of Isadora''s broke and the rusty ring fell.


    But before it even did, the Princess shot forward and thrust her sword. Yet, what she dug into was only a phantom body.


    A ripple of time appeared a few steps behind her and Varian held the ring with a relieved expression. "The Regressor''s ring, phew~"


    "You liar!" Isadora''s aura shot up and the clouds in the sky cleared.


    "Of course, I lied." Varian disappeared with the fluctuations of space, an explosion of soul and death power soon followed, scattering any traces of aura that could''ve been useful in finding him.


    As Isadora stood alone, his yful, cheeky yet exceedingly familiar voice lingered.


    "I don''t love you alone. I love you all."


    Boom!


    Isadora''s desire to kill him doubled with that single line.

 Chapter 1502 Gears Turn

    <h4>Chapter 1502 Gears Turn</h4>


    Isadora could have chased him.


    The power differential between them was too great.


    A rank 9 and rank 3 wasn''t even apetition.


    But there were two reasons she didn''t.


    First and foremost, she was in a state of self-imposed restriction, keeping her strength only at rank 5.


    This was to prepare herself for sealing the devil. Bypressing the aura and restricting its usage, she was pushing herself to be more efficient in using it.


    In principle, it worked simr to running with weights on to build stamina.


    She was ready to remove that restriction if this man was really a devil. Since he wasn''t, she was reluctant to stop the training session.


    To show best results, it had to be carried on for 30 days. This was 23rd day already. She didn''t want to waste the efforts she put in until now.


    Second and while she didn''t give this reason enough importance, a part of Isadora''s mind, perhaps the irrational one, told her that despite everything, this man had her good intentions in his mind.


    That she''d regret harming him.


    It was a very very strong emotion, one that had no reason to be there. And yet, it gripped her so tight that she let him go.


    Once he''s out of her perception range, the emotions dissipated like vapor and Isadora looked at the sky with a sluggish gaze.


    ''I¡­what am I doing?''


    *** *** ***


    "Princess Isadora, do you understand how your actions would be percieved if revealed to the public?" A stern voice said in a subdued volume, as if he was trying to keep himself from yelling.


    Kaaaa! Kacha!


    The creaking armrest which eventually cracked under his iron grip was scarier than any yelling would''ve been.


    The ministers in the court hall almost jumped to their feet, their damp clothes still an understatement of the nervousness clutching their hearts.


    The king, an old man with long blonde hair, narrowed his eyes at Isadora who didn''t even flinch.


    ''Something is different. She wasn''t like this before!''


    The ministers noticed it a secondter than the king.


    ''Oh dear highness, do you want our poor lives? Why are you behaving like this with your father now of all times? Forget disrespect, he doesn''t even tolerant any defiance.''


    "Your Majesty, I apologize." Isadora pursed her lips and looked up at the old man on the throne with aposed posture.


    ''Phew~'' The ministers heaved a sigh of relief.


    The king was certainly angry with her leaving the carriage unannounced at such a critical juncture.


    But other than this one time, no one on the scene could recall thest time the princess had to be reprimanded like this.


    Since she put down her pride and apologized, the king should be able to forgive her and this matter would be bur¡ª


    "Since Imitted such a big sin, I want to immte myself in the court and atone for my sins." She said in a steady voice, her eyes ncing at the officials gathered in the court despite her message being directed at the man in front of her.


    ''Ruined! Oh my fucking god!''


    Some ministers started crying already and some held each others'' hands, preparing to brave whatever mighte.


    While the princess said she''d apologize, dering she''d kill herself before the most important event of the kingdom was anything but an apology.


    It''s a threat!


    ''You can''t afford to lose me!''


    The princess ckmailed the king himself!


    Such an audacious decision, no, it was more than just audacious! A straight up suicidal action!


    This was the same cold blooded king who ughtered half of his ministers five times in the reign of two centuries.


    Today might very well be the sixth.


    The hearts of the ministers, soldiers and public officials in the court throbbed violently.


    But they neither tried to escape or unite to rebel against the tyrant.


    Sure, there were more than a dozen rank 9s in the hall. A handful of high rank 9s, a few peak rank 9s even.


    A normal citizen might think they could kill the king by uniting.


    But the men who had their lives at stake knew better.


    The king hadn''t transcended into the mythical path but his power was in another realmpared to theirs.


    A pseudo divine ranker was just too difficult to be killed by a couple of peak rank 9s.


    So, they waited.


    Holding their hearts from exploding out of the nerve wrecking tension, the ministers hoped the King would kill only a few today.


    That''s the only way for them to survive.


    Who would survive and who would die?


    That''s up to heaven and the king who ruled this piece ofnd under the heaven.


    But this was the best bet they had. The only bet, in fact.


    "Do not make any mistakes in the preparation, Princess Isadora."


    The King''s words were unbelievable. How could the tyrant forgive the provocation?


    "As you instruct, your majesty." Isadora bowed lightly before heading out.


    Looking at her receeding silhouttee, the King narrowed his eyes.


    He would''ve usually punished her severely for threatening him but stopped as he realized something strange.


    ''The powers of order, chaos, life, death, space, time and soul. The traces are very, very small. But I can be sure of it. They''re from the same source. What the hell is going on?''


    Isadora had met a being or a thing that had all these powers.


    It couldn''t be an artifact. The best they could any of the kingdoms could pull of was three paths. Trying it with seven paths would only explode the damn thing.


    Then was it a person?


    That''s even more absurd.


    Just like the myths of divine ranks, there were also myths of Supreme Gods, who wielded the power of all the paths in their avenue.


    And they''re only the ones who could wield the power of multiple paths.


    ''She has chanced upon something precious¡­the secret that will let me reach the divine ranks. Yes, she is the key.''


    The King''s eyes shone.

 Chapter 1503 The World Of Eternal Empress

    <h4>Chapter 1503 The World Of Eternal Empress </h4>


    Varian thanked the good samaritan who gave him the living expenses to rent out a luxury home in the capital city.


    [Using your soul power to grab money, hmph! Any good man would rather sleep on the hard ground than rob people.]


    ''Firstly, they are crony businessmen who underpay their employees. Secondly, why the fuck should I sleep on hard floor when I have the soft mattress?''


    Varian clicked his tongue and opened therge window.


    The view of the capital city greeted him along with the wind that started to cool with the sunset.


    The princess had long entered the pce but the processions in the streets were going on.


    Even the wide streets were now congested as the citizens swarmed into every avable space, either chanting a victory slogan or praising the princess.


    "Without this thing, I have no chance of winning." Varian raised the rusty ring and looked at with one eye closed, trying to look the sky through it.


    At first, it showed nothing different. But when his time power filled the artifact, the time flowing around him rippled.


    As if a movie was being yed back, the congested streets turned a little less crowdy, the loud voices grew a bit quieter and the setting sun rose a bit above the horizon.


    Boom!


    Varian staggered back, blood furiously spurting out of his nose and mouth. He grabbed the pir of the luxuriosu bed and stabilized his shaking body.


    "What the fuck¡­my soul was almost pulled out." His gaze toward the rusty ring was now half-curious and half-scared.


    "Eternal Empress¡­no one should''ve experienced this problem. Is it because no one tried to check the object with time power? Wait, the main character did not awaken in the time path here."


    It''s most likely that trying to explore the ring''s powers was what caused the bacsh. The second most likely was that the treasure was ''destined'' for the second princess, the so-called main character of the ''Eternal Empress'' world.


    Unlike usual missions in Paradise, this was one of its kind.


    Perhaps that''s why, a lot of information about the world was given.


    [''God'', the perfect being, created the world, gave life and death, good and evil, joy and grief.


    He is both the light and darkness, wind and fire, the first breeze at life and the final whimper at death.


    He is also every good and bad, equally bnced.


    Once the world began and started to run on its own, however, the bnce was broken.


    If life and death are equal, then why did a dead give birth to life and why is the life in it increasing, evolving and thriving?


    At any instance since the beginning of creation, life continued to exceed death and with the dawn of sentient civilization, theplexity of life and richness rose to unprecedented proportions.


    This created a terrible imbnce that upset even ''God'' himself was affected.


    He split into two.


    The good, the guardian, wanted to protect the living and evil, the destroyer, wanted to destroy.


    Since everything came from God himself, the existence of more life than death meant that the good was weaker than his evil counterpart.


    The battle between them was tragic but inevitable.


    The guardian didn''t take back his powers from the living and used all of his powers to severely injure the destroyer. And the destroyer, suffering terrible injuries, went into a long hibernation.


    Good, the guardian died. But not in his entirety.


    His sentience had ceased to exist, but as life would grow, there''s always a possibility of a new sentience rising. Civilization which grew exponentially due to its sentience was the biggest factor in this equation.


    That''s the reason the destroyer attacked the world even though it barely recovered.


    By then, civilization was already booming and wars were breaking out everywhere.


    This malovelent foreign entity, which sought to destroy the civilization, united it instead.


    The destroyer was defeated, but the mortals could not kill it.


    They could only seal it.


    Since then, generations came and went, kingdoms rose and fell, cultures evolved and regressed, only the devil continued to be sealed.


    And the story of ''Eternal Empress'' begins before the present day sealing ceremony.


    The 2nd princess of the kingdom, Isadora, along with the 9th princess of neighboring kingdom and the 4th prince of another, muste together to reinforce the weakening seal.


    The original princess was a very timid, obedient and weak woman. She had the strength but not the decisiveness to wield it.


    Naturally, she dies after failing to enter the ursednd.


    The mission was termed suicidal since very few, if any return.


    But it doesn''t end there.


    Due to the ring that''s her dead mother''s sole posession, the princess regresses.


    Then, she dies again. And again. And again.


    Like a sword forged under fire and pressure, her timid character turns courageous and overbearing.


    On the 11th attempt, she sessfully seals the devil.


    Not satisfied with the result, she kills herself, regresses again. This time, she kills the 9th princess of the neighboring as revenge for harassing her in the beginning and indirectly causing her death.


    This triggers a war between the two kingdoms.


    The princess dies.


    She tries to win the war for the next 7 attempts and fails every single time.


    In the 20th round, she changes her strategy, creates a situation where the 9th princess is killed by the 4th prince.


    With her fanning the mes using the future knowledge, war erupts and chaos unfolds.


    The two kingdoms destroy each other and using the opportunity, the princess recruits experts, raises her own strength to a dangerous level and builds public opinion supporting her as the ''savior'' who sealed the devil.


    She tries to take over the throne and fails.


    But by 25th round, she manages to kill her father and crowns herself the Queen.


    Then annexing the two kingdoms, which she manages not to destroy too much in this round, she deres herself the Empress.


    The story should''ve ended on a happy note.


    But it ends with the devil, the destroyer, breaking the seal and destroying the world.]


    Varian clutched his head. If it really had a happy ending, this mission wouldn''t have a 100% death rate.


    There were obviously missing pieces.


    Both from the story perspective:


    - Why would the devil break the seal?


    - Where did the regression ringe from?


    - Can the devil release be prevented?


    - If not, can the devil be sealed again? Or better, killed?


    This, in itself was a very tough thing to do. No one before him had seeded in clearing this world anyway.


    They all died.


    ''Not by normal death though.'' Varian spun the ring on his finger.


    The other yers who entered this world must''ve also acquired the regression ring. It''smon sense.


    So, neither he nor they would die after being killed. They''d just regress.


    But what if he continues to die, again and again and again?


    He''d be driven insane.


    And that''s why, since he opened his eyes in this world, the paradise system, a quiet message kept floating.


    [Suicide Assist Window


    End the pain, embrace the darkness and drown in despair.]


    Varian took a breath to stop himself from cussing.


    Not only did he have to solve the story, he''d have to do it while killing those two bastards.


    Or else, once he solved the world, everyone would be thrown out since the one who initiated the mission¡ªVarian¡ªachieved the objective.


    And in Paradise, those two rank 9s would be after Isadora''s life again. Against stronger, prepared enemies, Varian didn''t think he had a chance.


    So, he''d have to end them here.


    If those two really entered Paradise with their real bodies, then great. Killing them here would end their threat once and for all.


    It''s also possible that it''s a clone. But Paradise had a very strict standard on how much ''soul'' a clone should contain to count as a participant. As a result, even the death of this clone would be harmful to the main body.


    And with the clones out of Paradise, he and Isadora would be safe until they leave this ce.


    So, to get out of this world and Paradise, he''d have to solve the story and the enemies.


    ''Defeating an evil god and destroying a transmigrated powerhouse, heh. Another tuesday for m¡ªfuck!''


    Varian tried to encourage himself but it only reminded him of how difficult his life had been.


    He had been running without any break.


    Right from the Centaurus civil conflict to the envoys to the princes to the world tree to the P kingdom, it''s been less than a year, like what? Five months? Six months? Even seven months? Still less than a year. And he''d been through so much already.


    Varian closed his eyes and decided to some rxing theraphy to unload the steam.


    [Logos, you daughter of a bit¡ª]


    What better way to unload pressures than to curse the one responsible for the mess?

 Chapter 1504 Sweet Death

    <h4>Chapter 1504 Sweet Death </h4>


    The escort force of the 2nd princess marched through the streets, reaching the military district in the east.


    The public bid their goodbyes, the admirers of the youngdy sobbing quietly as they waved at her for what would be thest time.


    Isadora wasn''t disturbed by the wave of sadness that enveloped the city. Nor was she scared of going to a mission that would almost certainly kill her.


    What ticked her off was the image of a man that kept appearing in her mind, again and again.


    With a cheeky smile and a teasing expression, he seemed very familiar with her. Like that old neighborhood friend one would grow up with. Or that school friend who knew all your dark history.


    Everytime she saw him, the sense of familiarity toward him just kept growing. If they really knew each other, then they weren''t ordinary friends.


    ''But the man in the memory is much more powerful. The one I saw...even if he looks the same is too weak.''


    That wasn''t all.


    The man surfacing in her memories was as ruthless as he was powerful.


    If it really came down to it, Princess Isadora might hesitate in ughtering an entire kingdom to seal the devil.


    But that man?


    He wouldn''t even blink an eye.


    Like a butcher who would slice heads without any guilt, he too would end lives with a pure mind and heart.


    "Princess, it''s time!"


    Inside the military district, only the soldiers and various military officers stood outside the carriage.


    The sun was at the center and the wind was slowly heating up. The air carried the faint scent of sweat from the soldiers, scent from the militarydies and fragrance from the nearby flower gardens.


    As the door to the carriage opened and a pristinedy stepped on the tiles with her barefoot, the world seemed to still for a moment.


    "The kingdom hereby thanks the princess for her bravery. May god bless her!"


    The escort soldiers, including the honorable knights leading them, all bowed. The military officials, most of them thrice her age, lowered their heads in respect.


    Isadora, d in a soft blue leather armor, stepped into a protected zone heavily guarded by rank 8 and rank 9 powerhouses.


    The air changed.


    Sometimes, it was so hot that it would turned ice into steam and sometimes, so cold that even a living person might freeze.


    The solid tiles made of precious military-grade alloy folded and unfolded without warning, like the entire floor which could withstand the full blow of a rank 8 was but a sheet of paper.


    The wind was sucked in violently for a moment before a fierce wind blew out, alternating without any pattern and predictability.


    The cause of these anomolies, the crimson vortex which looked like the open mouth of devil himself, greeted the princess.


    It led directly to the forbidden grounds--thend where the devil was kept sealed for thousands of years.


    Isadora put her hand into the vortex and a violent energy surged into her body. Akin to cing a finger on the burning stove, the heat scorched her delicate skin. From the tip of her fingers to the top of her head and the soles of her feet, everything seemed to burn and burn like she was thrown into a furnance.


    The pain soon surpassed the physical realm and Isadora knelt in front of the vortex, her eyes out of focus.


    The pull on the soul was too much, like someone was grabbing her by the arm and ripping with bare hands.


    Isadora could feel the pain of her skin splitting, flesh tearing and bones breaking as the pull grew stronger and stronger.


    The world went dark and when she opened her eyes again, there was a red tattoo on the back of her hand.


    "God bless! The princess has obtained the right! We will throw our lives for the holy cause!"


    "For the holy cause!"


    "Death is glory!"


    An old voice said from behind and cheers followed.


    It''s the captain of the holy squad.


    Since the forbidden grounds was such an important ce, not everyone can ess them.


    First, a member of the royal blood must undergo a strict test to open up the path.


    Second, to prevent the royal members to be harmed by miscreants, only members weaker than the member can enter with them.


    In the beginning days, there had been some cults who tried to destroy the world by killing the royals going to seal the devil.


    Now, it''s understandably strict.


    Third, there were limited slots. Only less than ten warriors could go. But they too would have to pass the test.


    The test treats the royal bloodlines kindly but others wouldn''t get that mercy.


    So, if someone wanted to enter after Isadora, they''d have to be not only weaker than her but also bear pain that would be at least five times higher.


    No wonder only four or five people qualify.


    There were replicas of the test all over the kingdom to find the right candidate. Unfortunately, those with the will power rarely had the strength and those with the strengthcked the will power.


    Only a handful in the entire kingdom had both. But most of them underyed their own ability and lost deliberately.


    It''s understandable since while the survival rate for the prince or princess was close to zero, the survival rate of these holy warriors was always zero.


    People who were capable enough to have the necessary strength and will power had no desire to die.


    And certainly not for a sealing ceremony that seemed to be working fine without help from people like them for the past few centuries.


    The qualified helpers for this mission were either fierce patriots or old powerhouses on the verge of death wanting to exchange their lives for the benefit of their descendants.


    "For peace." Isadora said softly and entered the vortex.


    The holy squad consisting of three very old powerhouses followed. After bearing the pain inflicted by the vortext, they entered it.


    The vortex began to shrink and dim. In a few hours, it''d vanish until the sealing ceremony ends.


    "Open!"


    Varian, along with ten others, was allowed into the room after a series of strict checks.


    He managed to fake his aura using the sliver powers, so no one knew he only had the strength of a rank 3.


    "Only eleven volunteers who passed the tests. What a cowardly and ipetent popce." A military official shook his head and gestured them to step forward.


    The first of the group stretched her hand into the vortex.


    "Arghhh!"


    A few secondster, the unconscious woman was carried out on a stretcher.


    ''Fuck.''


    Varian took a breath and tried to maintain a cool head.


    ''I have the regressor''s ring. I have the regressor''s ring. I have the regresso¡ª''


    "Next!"


    When his turn finally came, he ced his hand into the vortex.


    A violent aura flooded his body, far greater than the one he faced in the tests so far. Despite being prepared, he was overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of the power and let his rank disguise slip.


    The pain began to subside but a sharp killing intent rose behind him.


    "¡­A rank 3?"


    Varian wanted to teleport away but the vortex kept pulling his hand.


    Ssss!


    A sharp pain stuck his neck and the world inverted.


    The sight of a headless body was thest thing he saw before everything turned dark.

 Chapter 1505 When Death Is The Answer

    <h4>Chapter 1505 When Death Is The Answer </h4>


    "It fucking hurts."


    Varian rubbed his neck as he watched the princess convoy heading to the military district.


    Even though he remained skeptical, it seemed like he managed to regress back properly.


    "Even if I try, the vortex won''t let me stay hidden."


    ''Status''


    [All paths: Rank 8 (Sealed to rank 3)]


    Due to the intrusive power of that thing, he''d be forced to reveal his true aura.


    ''How do I solve this? Seals¡­''


    Tiny specks of white appeared in Varian''s ck pupils, shining brilliantly like stars in the sky. And through the special vision, he saw the rules of the world that were binding him.


    There were to two ways to break the seal.


    One, fight strong enemies and absorb their life force, use it as a fuel and explode the chains.


    Two, get the help of a powerhouse.


    Varian wanted to do the former after entering the forbidden grounds.


    "I never thought I''d have to do this."


    He raised a sword and ced it over his neck.


    "Fuck!"


    Blood sprayed into the air.


    "You liar!"


    When Varian came to his senses, Isadora was ring at him with clenched fists.


    ''Ah right, I just snatched the regression ring from her.''


    Her aura soared, locking onto him and attempting to freeze him in space.


    "I just want to help you and¡­I need your help."


    Varian raised his hands and confessed with a sincere expression.


    Isdaora looked at him with a disbelieving expression. He just lied so tantly and even ended his words with ''Don''t trust strangers'', so what the hell was this about?


    "I swear on my wives." Varian said.


    Boom!


    The powerful pressure knocked him to the ground and his legs broke like twigs.


    Isadora stepped toward him, her crimson eyes shining with a dangerous glint as she noticed the ring he had stolen frm her. "Then you should''ve been sincere since the beginning."


    Ssss!


    A sword lodged into his chest and a ck fire burned him.


    Isadora didn''t intend to kill him but due to the strength he disyed, she overestimated his power.


    What was supposed to be a significant injury ended up being a fatal one.


    The world turned dark.


    "You liar!"


    When Varian opened his eyes, he saw the same old Isadora, ring at him with clenched fists.


    "I have something important to tell yo¡ª"


    Boom!


    "Don''t think the same trick works twice."


    A sword of darkness struck Varian and its aura swallowed him whole.


    Again, Isadora only threw an attack that''s only supposed to be injure him greatly.


    But¡ª


    ''Not again!''


    "You liar!"


    "Isasdora, I a¡ª"


    Boom!


    "You liar!"


    "Just shut the fuck u¡ª!"


    Shaaa!


    "You liar!"


    "Boss, please listen. I swear I won''t lie to yo¡ª"


    Kaa!


    Varian began to wonder if he should just give up trying.


    He kept getting killed by attacks that weren''t even meant to kill. And his attempts to talk with her weren''t working at all.


    If he regressed to the period before he scammed her, he might''ve got her to cooperate.


    But the earliest period he could regress to was when he got the regression ring.


    ''There has to be a way!''


    "You liar!"


    Isadora''s aura rose like a violent tide, threatening to swallow him again.


    "Yes! I am a liar!" Varian didn''t want to give her the opportunity. So, he summoned a sword and plunged it into his own chest.


    Blood spilled out and his face turned pale.


    He didn''t stop there.


    Pulling out the sword, he pushed it in again and again. As if it was not his own body but that of an enemy he wanted to torture.


    The barbaric brutality caused even the angry Isadora to freeze and look at him in shock.


    "What the hell is wrong with you?"


    Unlike earlier, she at least gave a him a chance.


    Varian slumped powerlessly and pulled out the sword with a struggling breath.


    It was quite painful but he preferred it over dying a dozen times.


    Death was the most unpleasant of all things. A pointless death even more so.


    "I want to save you." Varian said, his eyelids unbearably heavy. "And myself."


    Isadora''s expression hardened and she looked at him with a cold gaze. "Do you think I''d buy your words after you told me a stupid story and used that chance to steal that ring?"


    Varian chuckled, his shoulders trembling and blood spilling out of his mouth. "If the story was stupid, you wouldn''t be so immersed. You know it, right? The story has some truth to it."


    Her untrusting gaze didn''t change.


    "I want to join you in the expedition."


    "Huh?"


    The princess raised a brow subconsciously.


    "But I need your help."


    Varian activated the power of his slivers and materialized the ''chains'' sealing his rank.


    "You¡­"


    Isadora looked at him with wide eyes.


    She''d have never guesses his real strength. And why the hell was he sealed? Who sealed him?


    "I can''t answer everything. But the link we have is not rted to devil. You can check my feelings, there is no malice." Varian said in an earnest tone.


    "¡­"


    Isadora narrowed her eyes and dug into the link of ''Synergy''.


    It''s as he said. All she could feel was his good feelings toward her, closer than even a friend and sibling. But she wasn''t going to ce trust on information from a link that''s shady in the first ce.


    "I don''t trust you." Isadora said in a cold voice.


    "Ah sh*t, I have to do it again." Varian raised the sword, ready to slice off his neck.


    "But I will help you."


    "Ah?"


    "As long as you qualify to enter the forbidden grounds, I will not kill you. Why would I kill an asset useful to the kingdom? Your death can be more meaningful if you die fighting the devil''s forces."


    That''s what she said, but Varian could see a turmoil in her eyes.


    Rather than giving him the reason, it was the reason she gave herself.


    Isadora didn''t know what to do with Varian.


    She wasn''t sure if she could survive the expedition and wanted to learn the secrets of the dreamy memories before she met her end.


    They felt¡­important.


    But she also didn''t want to leave him behind. Even if she survived and returned, she didn''t know if she could find this mysterious man again.


    Then the best course of action would be taking him with her, hoping she''d figure it out before her death.


    Since the chances of survival were slim anyway, Isadora atleast wanted to die in peace.


    "Now, what should I do to help?"

 Chapter 1506 Forbidden Grounds

    <h4>Chapter 1506 Forbidden Grounds</h4>


    "If you raise even the slightest suspicion, the bomb will blow up, got it?" Isadora pressed her fingers against her forehead and rested against the carriage window as she warned.


    "Yes."


    "Hm?"


    "Yes, princess."


    Seated in the carriage far behind, Varian spoke through their soul link. But he couldn''t stop smiling.


    [All ranks: 8 (unsealed)


    Very Important Note: Why does a man have no shame when he gets this much help from his woman?]


    Ignoring Logos'' whining, he traced the obsidian sword tattoo on his wrist.


    It''s the ''bomb'' Isadora personally installed or so she said.


    Just to test her, he tried to esacpe in the previous round. Turned out, it''s not a bomb but a location tracker.


    "Your life is in my hands, so you better behave." Her cold and strict voice rang in his mind but Varian found it cute.


    ''Will she be embarassed once she regains her memories?''


    Hiding his smirk, he replied in a respectful voice. "Y-Yes, princess."


    Hearing the fear in his tone, Isadora nodded to herself in satisfaction and closed her eyes to rest.


    The group left the public space and entered the military district.


    While the holy squad of three looked at Varian suspiciously, the man didn''t even spare them a nce.


    From the time he got down the carriage, his gaze was fixed on Isadora.


    ''Why would I watch three old geezers instead of this prettydy?''


    "If you fail the test, don''t try it again and again. It can lead to aura shock and even death." An old man from the holy squad said.


    "Oh." Varian nodded, not paying them much attention.


    After Isadora finished the verification, the holy squad did theirs.


    "Fuck!"


    "Arghh!"


    "My back hurts!"


    The elderly warriors copsed on the floor, panting heavily, trying to not lose consciousness.


    Varian stepped forward with a carefree smile.


    The smile quickly copsed under the violent energy from the vortex which shook his soul.


    Using the slivers, Varian kept up the appearance that he''s a rank 9 and was hence qualified to enter the forbidden grounds.


    Thankfully, his paths were unsealed and no problem ured this time.


    Even though he slumped on the ground and ended up with a rough breath, he looked much better than them.


    "This kid¡­"


    "Who the fuck is he?"


    "The princess said he''s a warrior she trained secretly¡­but are you serious?"


    The holy squad was dumbfounded.


    This world had a different progress speedpared to the real world. With stuff like legacies, inheritances, precious elixirs having miraclous effects, it''s not umon for a young person to reach rank 9.


    For instance, Princess Isadora being a rank 9 was not only not surprising, it was even expected with all the resources she recieved.


    Certainly, there were only a handful of such rank 9s. After all, the resources to raise one were absolutely precious.


    What''s surprising, however, was for a young rank 9 to be so strong.


    "Buckle up."


    Princess Isadora unsheathed her sword and gave Varian an inexplicable gaze before stepping into the vortex.


    "See yater, old fellows!" Varian jumped to his feet and ran after her.


    "Wa-Wait! We''re supposed to be the holy squad!"


    The old man leading the group pulled himself up and trudged to the vortex.


    A hammer materialized in his hand and he jumped in.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The world turned ck and white before it exploded into a multitude of colors. Sounds of explosions so loud that it made one wonder if the world was ending rang in their ears, causing their eardrums to rupture without any resistance.


    When the twisting space finallynded them in the destination, all five of them were bleeding from the ears.


    "¡­#@#$"


    "^&#@!"


    "!!%%#*~"


    Varian tilted his head at the holy squad talking to each other. Why was there no sound?


    His ears should''ve started healing. Basic hearing should''ve been no problem.


    "~#!@$"


    He opened his mouth to ask them but no sound came out from his throat either.


    That''s when he realized what''s happening.


    ''Aw¡­this ce has aw that prohibits us from speaking.''


    The old men tried to write on a sheet of paper but no words were visible even though the ink was used.


    They even tried to write words on each other''s skin, it failed. The receipent''s sense of touch was affected, neutralizing the attempt.


    In the end, signnguage also failed as a mystical force made the fingers invisible.


    ''Verbal, written, tacticalmunications are banned.''


    Varian''s lips twitched as he foresaw what would happen. His mind went ultra-active in the situation and started ying music.


    "Hoo!"


    "Hoo!"


    "Ba! Ba!"


    "Boo! Boo!"


    The old men gestured to each other, mming their chests. One old man pointed in one direction. Another shook his head fervently. The old woman shook and nodded her head.


    ''Even cavemen eating raw flesh could do better.''


    Varian sighed and turned to the princess.


    She was surveying the world with a pensive look.


    It''s an endless stretch of graynd under a red sky. In the far distance, there''s a pir of ck light, with countless ck sparks gathering towards it. It looked like a shining ck tornado, slowly sucking everything around it.


    And then there''s a huge translucent barrier not too far from here. In front of that barrier were hundreds of thousands ofrge blue rocks.


    Isadora exhaled and turned back to face them.


    There would be a different set of restrictions for every expedition. This time, it was speech. The princess was mentally prepared and wasn''t downcast.


    With a few simple gestures, without involving any hint ofnguage, she exined the n.


    ''We need to get into the barrier.''


    That''s it.


    But there was a caveat.


    Sliding her index finger over her neck, the princess pointed to the holy squad and then to herself, before nodding lightly.


    ''I will have to get in at any costs, even if you have to die for it.''


    Since they were already prepared to die, the old warriors didn''tin. They turned to Varian and created a ''V'' formation. Putting Isadora in the center for protection, they marched forward at a quick speed.


    As they approached the barrier at a terrific speed, the ground began to shake. Small stones, grey sand particles and thin dust rose into the air.


    Then, as if someone was ying drums, there was a sound.


    ''Huh?''

 Chapter 1507 Breaking Through

    <h4>Chapter 1507 Breaking Through </h4>


    A sound¡­


    A sound in this deaf world.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The holy squad clutched their heads, blood spilling out of their nose, ears and eyes.


    Using aura to suppress the injuries, they took a step forward. As if that one step was taken on a loud drum, it rang again.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Their bodies were shaking violently, as if their own body was treated as a drum being yed by a mysterious force.


    But they couldn''t stop aftering this far. Raising their defenses, the team marched head.


    Boom!


    Even when blood flowed out of their nose like it''s a broken hose.


    Boom!


    Even their eyes bled so badly that their vision turned red.


    Boom!


    Even when the sound directly ringing in their minds was so loud that it was directly injuring their souls.


    They reached the proximity of the barrier.


    "Woaaaa!"


    The hundreds of thousands of blue rocks stood up.


    The creatures looking to be a mix of lion and armadillo kicked the ground.


    In that one split second, hundreds of thousands of light beams containing the aura of a rank 9 shot up into the sky.


    ''No sh*t!''


    Ayer of ice appeared under Varian''s feet and he slid forward. Sword Requiem materialized in his hand, emitting a dangerous red glow.


    The other three members of the holy squad acted with equal quickness.


    Isadora, in the center of the group, waved her hand and a huge wave of darkness, akin to a tsunami manifested and drowned everything.


    A field of darkness was created, infiltrating the space-time of the immediate location.


    The allies, including Varian, were able to percieve things clearly in the dark. Not just that, darkness clung to them in a protective manner, ready to shield them at the most critical moments.


    The enemies, on the other hand, had their senses blinded by the all pervading darkness.


    While it did not attack them directly, it breathed on their necks, telling them that they better watch over their shoulders or it would be over.


    While hundreds of thousands of rank 9 monsters began to converge toward them at a rapid speed, Isadora''s actions single handedly raised their odds.


    Even after achieving a rare feat that exquisite control and deep aura reserves, the princess remained calm.


    Unable to hide her exhaustion, she kept breathing heavily. But she didn''t forget to point to the translucent barrier.


    ''The goal is not killing all these monsters. It''s impossible anyway. The only goal is to breakthrough and reach the otherside.''


    The message was felt even though nomunication was avable.


    As the holy squad prepared for a brutalbat, the princess did something that both surprised and scared them.


    With a quick movement, she pulled Varian beside her, within the inverse ''V'' formation.


    Giving no exnation for her choice, she simply gestured for the original holy squad to continue.


    Kaa! Kaa! Kaa!


    Bright blue dots began to explode veil of darkness cast over the enemies. While they were weak rank 9s individually, there were hundreds of thousands of them.


    These monsters'' strength fell into a special range.


    If they were a step stronger, the holy knights would be killed without resistance. If they were a step weaker, the team could easily st a way through the horde.


    Their strength was just right for the holy squad to have a winning chance if they struggled properly.


    Kaa! Kaa! Kaa!


    Shockwaves spread across the region, trying to shatter the hands of darkness that stretched everywhere. The monsters bit, tore and mmed the patches of darkness.


    Most of them did not seed. But the few that did were substantial given the huge number present. And these beasts leaped forward, marching towards the holy squad at full speed.


    Boo!


    Boom!


    Kaboom!


    A wild st of red and orange shook the ce, instantly killing dozens of monsters. It''s like the sun had descended onto earth and exploded.


    The corpses of the creatures had melted off, as did thend which now had a deep crater with sizzlingva.


    The group jumped over this crater and continued to march on. The old woman of the group pulled back her glowing staff while ignoring the bleeding nose.


    Da! aa! Ad!


    The leading old man of the holy squad leaped forward and mmed his hammer down.


    A lightning from heaven seemed to have struck earth, sent by the gods themselves to punish the evil.


    In front of their very eyes, a huge canyon was formed in a blink, with all forty creatures getting crushed to paste.


    It was an incredible show of strength.


    Even though there was a difference in sub-ranks, it was a difficult feat to achieve. The old man didn''t expend more mana than necessary. It was a remarkable skill that even the greatest powerhouses might not posess.


    Kaa! Kaa! Kaa!


    But it didn''t matter for long.


    As a lot of creatures already broke the veil of darkness, even more began to seed.


    This time, they were more sessful because the darkness had been severely weakened due to the repeated attacks.


    Like the falling of a deck of cards, the restraining darkness disappeared in a blink.


    Kaa! Kaa! Kaa!


    The creatures, now free of all inhibitions and having regained their senses, turned their attention to the targets.


    More than a 100,000 pair of rank 9 eyes gazed at them with thick killing intent.


    Gulp!


    Thankfully, all sound was banned in this ce or the holy squad would have realized how scared they got in that moment.


    The third member of the holy squad swung his staff and the space in front of them tore open, revealing a fluctuating passage in the middle of the creatures for them to walk into.


    The team didn''t hesitate and jumped in.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The creatures spat out charged blue spheres at the space channel and without


    holding up for even a second, it copsed. It''s a miracle that it didn''t copse immediately and let them get out safely.


    The gap between almost a second and instantaneous was too much to neglect.


    The space passage took them directly in front of the translucent barrier.


    Where they got greeted by a peak rank 9 monster.


    Kaa!

 Chapter 1508 We Finally Meet

    <h4>Chapter 1508 We Finally Meet </h4>


    A giant humanoid creature stood proud in the chaotic battlefield. Like all creatures here, it too had a blue crystal on its back.


    Even though there were hundreds of thousands of rank 9 beasts rushing towards the location at an insane speed, this monster showed a supremely confident expression.


    The look in its eyes told them that the monster had taken this as a challenge.


    ''I will kill you before my minions can.''


    ''Holy Squad, charge!''


    No one said those words. After all, speaking was banned. But the way they raised their weapons at once and acted together gave that feeling.


    The hammer weilding old man leaped into the air, the heavy weapon in his hand spinning to the point it created after images. Even before hended, the ground under the giant began to crack.


    The old witch raised her staff and thend under the giant began to melt and formva.


    The final member used his magic to twist the space in front of them, creating a passage to another location, sufficiently away from this monster.


    While the set of actions might''ve required a lot of thinking usually, it happened in the blink of an eye.


    Boom!


    The giant''s fist shed with the hammer and a destructive shockwave swept the surroundings. Theva surrounding the creature jumped at the opportune time.


    The giant''s left hand bent in an awkward position, rendered useless for battle with that single attack.


    On the other hand, the hammer wielding warrior was sted into the horde. Before he could even fight back, dozens and dozens of hungry beasts jumped at him, tearing him apart.


    Szz!


    The smell of flesh burning filled the air and the sound of meat being drilled sounded?next.


    Kaa!


    The ground under their feet cracked and the five members stumbled. A blue light shone from theva and aser beam was fired at a speed nearly impossible to dodge.


    The old witch, a proud warrior with decades upon decades of experience, disappeared like she was erased out of a painting.


    Kaa! Kaa! Kaa!


    Like an earthquake had hit thend, the ground began to tremble violently. With heavy footsteps, the giant emerged out of theva, with an armpletely melted off to the point only its white bone was visible.


    With one hand crippled and other burned, it should''ve been harmless.


    Yet¡ª


    ''Go! Go!''


    The space wizard gestured to Isadora desperately as he poured his power to keep the space channel active.


    The giant seemed to have noticed this and smirked.


    As Isadora and Varian hurried to the passage,the blue crystal on the creature''s back shone and aser sted the space passage.


    Boom!


    The space wizard copsed onto his knees, coughing blood and bits of flesh. But he kept pouring his mana into the space passage and stared at Isadora with a determined gaze.


    Isadora grabbed Varian''s hand and enveloped herself in a sphere of darkness before jumping in.


    Boom!


    As they exited the space passage and were about to pass through the translucent barrier, a blue light arrived from the same passage they took and was about to strike Varian.


    The princess'' eyes widened and she instinctively pulled him behind her.


    The wall of darkness she put up at thest moment broke like a piece of ss and Isadora crashed to the ground and rolled powerlessly.


    Without giving her any room to recover, a dozen rank 9 creatures that were nearby jumped at Isadora.


    Twelve thin red threads appeared in front of the beasts.


    The creatures tore the sharp and taut threads with ease before racing to Isadora. They disregarded the thin line of skin that was cut by by the threads.


    That was their undoing.


    Ta! Ta! Ta!


    Like birds falling dead from trees, the creatures copsed powerlessly before they could reach Isadora.


    The pure energy of death injected into them through the threads made it through their entire bodies including their head.


    They should''ve sensed it. But Varian''s other powers¡ªthe power of soul tricked the creature''s senses, dying down its perception while the powers of time slowed the transmission of information when it eventually happened.


    It was a clever trick.


    One that decimated the creatures.


    Passing through the twelve corpses, Varian picked up the injured Isadora in his arms and walked through the barrier.


    As he disappeared, a few dozen creatures eagerly attacked the barrier to reach them and failed.


    "Varian¡­" Isadora''s sleepy voice caused him to look down at her exhausted face. "¡­is a greedy bastard."


    "Looks like you got your memory back," Varian shook his head and injected vitality into her body.


    Isadora quickly recovered and opened her eyes. Looking around in confusion, she said to him. "Where the hell are we¡­


    wait, wait, what happened to my memories?"


    She looked like she''d just woken up with a bad hang over and couldn''t remember what she bberedst night.


    In response, Varian crossed his arms. "Stop acting already. You risked your life to save me from theser beam. You already got your memories back after entering this ce."


    "I really can''t¡­re¡­ugh, whatever!" The princess snorted and turned to examine the world.


    Grains of sand were slowly rising into the air and were drawn to the ck tornado into the center of this ce.


    The fluctuations of aura from it were scary enough that even though all she sensed was fragments, a chill shot down her spine.


    ''Pseudo Divine! The devil is definitely a pseudo divine!''


    "Maybe we''ll have a chance if we cooperate with the other two royals." Varian pointed to the auras that were fast approaching their location from two different directions.


    "Varian."


    "Yes?"


    "If both of us got restrictions, those two wouldn''t have been spared either." Isadora said.


    Boom!


    A young mannded in front of them, the crimson power of death overflowing from all his pores.


    "We finally meet." He looked at Isadora with a burning desire. "You can fulfill your life''s purpose now."


    A suffocatingly powerful aura locked onto her.


    "My divine vessel, Isadora."

 Chapter 1509 Fight Of Fated Foes

    <h4>Chapter 1509 Fight Of Fated Foes</h4>


    "You¡­"


    Varian stood between the young man and Isadora with a contemtive look on his face.


    Immortal raised an eyebrow. This guy was the one who saved Isadora. Since he found him here, this ant would pay for his sin.


    "Your parents abandoned you, right?" Varian said with a confident expression.


    "Huh?" Immortal, who was preparing to attack Isadora paused and narrowed his eyes.


    "Oops, you don''t even know who your parents are? Err, I''m sorry for bringing it up. You might be a bastard in the literal sense, but you''re a good bastard." Varian continued with a nonchnt tone.


    Immortal exhaled lightly.


    He was created by the Genesis and Mors Empires. Technically speaking, he had not one but multiple parents who poured their powers to shape him.


    These were the strongest divine rankers of the Alliance, people that any child would want as their parent.


    But since his birth, not a single one of them bothered to talk to him. With the ''Perfect Hybrid'' missing, they deemed him as a failure and forgot about him.


    For all the potential he had, he couldn''t even show his face in the upper circles of the celestials, much less the gathering of divine rankers.


    "You shouldn''t be such an evil bastard, you bastard and prove your parents right for making you a bastard." Varian kept going, stressing the word.


    Immortal''s fist which was clenched at some point loosened and he raised his hand with palm pointing toward the sky.


    A bloodied female head materialized.


    "9th Princess¡­" Isadora''s gasp sounded from behind.


    She regained her original memories but retained some memories from the ''princess''.


    Along with princess Isadora, the 9th princess and 4th prince of the other two kingdoms entered the forbidden grounds.


    "She thought I needed her help in sealing the devil." Immortal shook his head with a nonchnt gaze and stepped forward.


    While he looked handsome, there was a rotting smelling from him, one that''s too simr to corpses.


    "Isadora, you are mine. But before I take you, I''ll have to gift this man what he deserves." Immortal raised his hand and a glittering red light poured out of his hand.


    The red beam shot toward him like watering from a firefighter.


    Varian kicked the ground and shot forward. The space-time powers formed an axe and cleaved the red beam, splitting it away from him.


    But even though these powers worked well, the death power still converged toward Varian, albeit in a quantity significantly lower than before.


    The power of order and chaos formed a spinning sphere enveloping him. Like ocean waves bouncing off high rocks, the power of death bounced against the carefully constructed order-chaos power.


    And this defensive too wasn''t enough.


    The power of death still approached Varian in a rapid pace.


    But it''s weakened enough by this point that he wouldn''t die or be incapacitated after shing.


    So, Varian sted through the red beam, using his vitality-rich body to withstand the washing of death.


    When he broke through and reached the other end, Immortal showed a surprised expression. "Your powers¡­"


    Varian gave no words in reply and punched out with every bit of his physical strength. He used other powers to mix in the punch, using the most strength he could.


    ¡­And got caught in Immortal''s palm.


    "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Too weak." With a clench, Immortal broke Varian''s fingers and charged the power of death to inject into this ant. "To think you provoked me to save her. You had no chance."


    "I did not but ughhh," Varian tried to pull out of his fist which was quickly withering away and said while failing. "She has a chance."


    Saaa!


    A sword of darkness reached Immortal who moved at thest moment, taking the sword in his chest instead of head.


    Blood spurted on Varian''s face and the abundant death energy in it began to drain away his lifeforce.


    "Leave him." Isadora said in a cold voice and poured more aura into the weapon.


    The sword lodged in Immortal''s chest exploded, creating a huge cavity and the remnant darkness force began to burn his body like a sacred me.


    But the man remained unfazed.


    Pouring more and more death energy into Varian who was turning blue and ck with losing vitality, he looked at Isadora with a look of amusement.


    "In hindsight, it''s good that he provoked me. I will deal with him before you. As they say, main course shoulde after the appetizer. You are the main course."


    "Leave him now!"


    Isadora jumped at him, shing two swords.


    The power of death exploded from the man and a red hemispherical domain formed around him.


    The moment Isadora entered it, she was atacked by the tremendous anti-life force.


    The overflowing strength in her body dwindled and by the time she reached Immortal, one of her sword vanished altogether.


    But not giving up anyway, Isadora swung that one sword with all her might and managed to slice off Immortal''s hand that was holding Varian.


    In response, Immortal merely smirked. "What a naive idiot."


    With a flick of his wrist, the severed hand that was holding Varian''s fist flew up and then smashed his head.


    "Don''t!"


    [+200 XP]


    [+200 XP]


    [+200 XP]


    Even though the Death Giant path improved, the flooding power of death proved too much for Varian to bear.


    Hey there without any strength to fight back and his bodily functions began to weaken.


    The rotten smell of Immortal slowly dissipated, the red sky began to dim and the sounds of Isadora''s cries as well as the reverberations of her sword against Immortal''s hand quietened.


    "I¡­"


    Varian tried to open his mouth but he couldn''t even form a single word.


    He was angry at Immortal for saying those words. But he was also trying to provoke him to draw his attention so that Isadora could attack him when his attention on her wasn''t high.


    The n suceceded. But they failed.


    "No!"


    A foot came into view and then the world turned dark.


    Immortal was just too strong.

 Chapter 1510 A Plan

    <h4>Chapter 1510 A n </h4>


    "Ahem, ahem." Varian cleared his throat as Isadora was about to enter the vortex.


    The holy squad of three who were killed just a few minutes ago turned their heads and gave him a disapproving gaze.


    "I have something to share." He said.


    ording to the story of Eternal Empress, he should''ve regressed back to the very beginning. But his time powers came in handy and he altered the starting point.


    While he didn''t mind spending time with the ''princess'', he feared that the time wasted here might lead to unfavorable results.


    If Immortal and that other guy somehow tracked them all the way to Paradise, what''s the guarentee someone else wasn''t doing it?


    Maybe there''s already a horde of assassins on the way.


    Defeating Immortal¡ªmost likely his clone¡ªseemed too difficult already. And there''s another guy who''s suspected to be equally strong.


    Their chances of survival would plummet the longer they stayed in this wretched world.


    Even if there''s no assassin sharpening their daggers, the creator of paradise was an unpredictable danger.


    While his head was filled with thoughts about theplex situation at hand, Isadora had turned to face him with hands folded.


    "If you want to back out now, get out." She said with a contemptous tone.


    But through the link they shared, Varian could sense her actual emotions. While she wanted him to apany him to learn about her mysterious memories, princess Isadora was hesitant on letting him face the risks.


    ''I will most likely die, so I can''t see him again. I should learn truth about these memories before I die.''


    ''But if he''s so important in my memories, then it''s not right to let him die.''


    The two opinions shed.


    Previously, she decided to take him with her after she convinced herself that she''d survive and learn everything about herself.


    This time, with Varian showing reluctance to enter, she decided to send him back from danger.


    ''Don''t die, Varian¡­no, why do I have this thought?''


    The Princess couldn''t understand why that line felt so familiar. It''s like she had been saying it for thousands of times already.


    "Don''t misunderstand, I''m not talking about dropping out." Varian raised his hands and approached the princess. "I just have some sensitive intel to share before we leave."


    The holy squad''s hammer warrior stepped forward and put his hand on Varian''s shoulder, preventing him from reaching the princess any further.


    "How about you share it with everyone? We are in this together."


    Even though he spoke with a smile, the old man''s eyes looked at him with a very strict gaze.


    His behavior, which was seen as reluctance by Isadora, was considered as preparation for an assasination by this veteran.


    From the onset, it didn''t make sense for a person like him to appear out of nowhere.


    Even though the princess reassured them, the veterans would rather believe the princess was decieved than change their judgement.


    "Ahaha, it''s something I can only share with the princess. No hard feelings." Varian gripped the wrist of the old man and moved it with a force that could easy pulverize a star.


    The old man snorted and his other hand went over to his hammer.


    Isadora stepped between them and created a barrier enveloping her and Varian. While it blocked off all sound and obscured lip movements, it didn''t stop them from sensing the situation inside. If they felt anything was amiss, they could act immediately.


    The holy squad couldn''t object and begrudgingly watched the conversation unfold.But they couldn''t leave it at that. They didn''t trust Varian at all.


    So, they used their powers and spied on what Varian was speaking.


    "That old bald guy holding that hammer?"


    "Huh?" The old man gripped his hammer.


    "I''m dying do know. What shampoo does he use? And which barber does he visit?"


    "¡­"


    The old witch and the space wizard looked at the hammer warrior with a look of pity.


    "And the old witch, why does she dress like a young woman when she''s ten times their age? Grandma, no one wants to look at your cleavage. Please stop murdering


    my eyes."


    A killing intent spiked for a moment before the old witch retrieved it. Gnashing her teeth, she tightened her ck top to fully cover her chest.


    The space wizard swallowed his saliva and waited with an apprehensive expression.


    "And that old guy¡­"


    Varian''s voice remained casual.


    "He¡­"


    "Gulp."


    "Is really¡­"


    "Yes?"


    "Really, really¡­"


    "Yess?"


    "I mean, really¡­"


    "You son of a bitch, are you going to say it or not?!" The space wizard mmed his staff and marched to the young man in the barrier, only to be held back by the hammer warrior and the old witch.


    "Don''t be so angry, Kaikoo! Let him speak." The hammer warrior elbowed him.


    "He must be gathering his thoughts." The old witchughed.


    "You bastards!" The space wizard sighed and gritted his teeth.


    "That old guy looks like he can fight against the two of them and still win. Shouldn''t he be alone for this expedition? Didn''t you say he yed a dragon in his prime? I''m telling you, princess. This guy is enough for us."


    The more Varian spoke, the more the space wizard''s chest puffed out. In the end, he was puffing out so much that his back curved and it''s starting to hurt.


    On the other hand, the other two marched toward Varian to stop him. This time, the space wizard stopped them.


    "Come on, let him speak, yeah? He must be gathering his thoughts, hahahaha!"


    While the holy squad were decieved by Varian''s y, he concluded the actual speech in their link.


    "¡­So, after we pass the restriction of no sound, there will be blue crystal creatures. The real danger is their boss, a peak rank 9 beast which shoots powerfulser beams.


    If we go past it, we''ll be meeting the 4th prince and 9th princess of the other kingdoms. Unfortunately, the prince will be hostile.


    We can''t win him by ourselves."


    Princess Isadora looked at him with a suspicious gaze but for reasons she didn''t fully understand, trusted his words.


    "Alright."

 Chapter 1511 Round Two

    <h4>Chapter 1511 Round Two </h4>


    Before entering the forbidden grounds, Isadora gave the group very specific instructions.


    The holy squad was confused. Even though the tactical n she made wasn''t bad, it was weird to adopt a tactic, any tactic for that matter when entering an unpredictable terrain.


    Nevertheless, the holy squad followed her words and marched to the barrier while preserving their energy.


    But instead of crossing the invisible red line which would trigger the enemies, the team stopped.


    Under the red sky and on the gray ground, Varian took a step forward and then another. And then another.


    Kicking off dust, he raced forward at a speed that tore the space of the forbidden grounds themselves. Time began to distort around him.


    The power residing in the depths of his soul gushed out and enveloped him entirely. Then, the power of death from Death Giant and the power of life from Paragon Body followed.


    Lastly, it was the slivers which came out boosting the order-chaos powers that enveloped him.


    ''This¡­This¡­what the fuck is going on?''


    ''No way!''


    ''Impossible!''


    The holy squad gasped, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets as they watched Varian with a dumbfounded gaze.


    If speaking was possible here, they would have yelled. And would''ve spoiled the n. Thankfully, only silence filled the area.


    The hammer warrior belonged to Life path, the old witch to the Chaos path and the space wizard, of course to the space path.


    And all of them recognized something that ridiculous in their perceptions.


    Varian was¡­disappearing!


    The hammer warrior couldn''t the traces of lifeing from his form. The tiny traces of soul fluctuation he could sense long vanished.


    If a radar that could detect all living and dead beings was used in this ce, he wouldn''t show up!


    The space wizard could no longer feel the presence of Varian in the space lines around him.


    If there''s a time wizard or even better, someone proficient in both, they would im that he had disappeared from the space-time map of this location.


    The old witch was shivering in fear. Compared to his feat in the other paths, Varian''s achievement in Order and Chaos were too astounding.


    Every person would have the fields of order and chaos around them. These two would always be in conflict and even a genius in the path of Order could not erase the field of Chaos from his being.


    But this man¡­


    ''Gone! Everything is gone! There is no order, no chaos. Dear gods, what have I witnessed?''


    Varian didn''t ''vanish'' of course. He just suppressed everything to the absolute minimum.


    That''s why, even though the holy squad imed that he vanished, they could still sense his existence.


    Covered in what he termed as ''Absolute Stealth'', he crossed the trigger line.


    Hundreds of thousands of blue rocks sitting in front of the translucent barrier shook for a moment, prepared to attack the intruder. But when they found no one in the vicinity, they slumped down to rest.


    ''Just a few more seconds, a few more, few more¡­''


    Varian was on the verge of copse. It''s like he had sprinted through a marathon and paid the price for that stupidity.


    His muscles were sore and his mind was growing hazy. The clear vision had already turned foggy and the sharp senses began to decline.


    ''Found him!''


    Varian stopped near a small blue mountain.


    ''The peak rank 9 giant.''


    Even if they worked with a n from the star, they might not kill it. Theser beam of this thing was too strong.


    And even if they did win, what would await their exhausted selves would be hordes of hungry beasts.


    The n was thus to not fight at all.


    '' 36 degrees from that coordinate and 24 from this¡­''


    Once Varian stopped near the peak rank 9 beast, he moved into a particr spot. It was one of the many possible spots he could take from the location of giant beast.


    With great effort, Isadora sensed his position through the link of synergy and activated the natal treasure¡ªthe purple card.


    She was already regaining her true memories and Varian''s words before entering the vortex yed like a loop.


    ''Even if we fight and win that thing, we''ll lose. The goal is not to fight, the goal is to enter the barrier. And to face the Imm¡ªthe evil prince, we need the holy squad intact.


    Let''s agree on a bunch of rtive co-ordinates. Once I get there, you can use my position to lock the beast and¡ª''


    Boom!


    The power of slivers surged out of nowhere and mmed the giant on its back. Against the unexpected attacked, the giant was totally unguarded.


    Kaa!


    The huge blue crystal cracked and the giant jumped onto its feet, focusing entirely on Varian.


    And when that happened, the still ''rocks'' jumped onto their feet, turning into vicious reptilian beasts and charged.


    Using the golden opportunity Varian created by using himself as the bait, Isadora activated the purple card.


    The space around the beast twisted and a crack opened, intending to take it to a far away location.


    Kaa!


    The beast resisted fiercely and the blue crystal on it glowed. It''s about to fire that powerfulser beam.


    Boom!


    A powerful soul attack struck the creature right before it could discharge the beam and destabilized it for a brief moment.


    That was enough.


    With an unwilling gaze, the creature was teleported to a far away location.


    Wasting no time, Varian kicked the ground and jumped into the sky, flying hundreds of miles high in a blink.


    All the creatures on the ground followed.


    The holy squad shot forward and sting away the few enemies that blocked their way, they sessfully entered the barrier.


    "Fuck, that was mad!"


    "Who is that geniusd?"


    "Is he a monster?"


    Boom!


    Varian crashed to the ground and rolled beforeing to a halt.


    "Huff! Huff! Huff!"


    Breathing heavily, he checked whether the holy squad made it in one piece before letting out a smile.


    "Let''s get ready." Isadora helped him up and instructed the group.


    "I never thought the squad would survive to participate in the sealing, it''s an honor." The hammer warrior said.


    Isadora unsheathed her sword and shook her head with a wry smile.


    "Not too soon."


    A powerful aura filled the sky.

 Chapter 1512 A Different Approach

    <h4>Chapter 1512 A Different Approach</h4>


    Immortal was surprised at the team of five that faced him with a vignt expression.


    "What''s the matter?" His lips curled up into a generous smile but his eyes narrowed, scanning the holy squad with a suspicious gaze.


    The team of his kingdom wouldn''t allow killing others, so he let them die even though they could''ve brought them into the barrier. Then he killed the naive princess who was also sent as a part of the sealing team.


    All that was left was to subdue Isadora and then, reseal the devil and achieve a new ending. Once that''s over, he could leave this world with Isadora and get out of


    Paradise.


    To be honest, the perfect hybrid couldn''t havee at a better time. He''s suppressing himself from hitting the divine ranks.


    By design, Immortal was created to be an entity that''s perfectly aligned with the paths of life and death. That included the path of soul too.


    If he hit the divine ranks in his current state, he''d be a great divine ranker¡ªone who could easily march through rank 1 and breakthrough to rank 2 since he had ess to all three paths.


    He could even reach high rank 2 not too long from now and stand shoulder to shoulder with Life Master Kemin Aurik and Lady Death Yami.


    But what would that achieve?


    These two people¡ªthe figures that could be considered closest to be his father and mother¡ªhave abandoned him since his great potential was useless.


    A high rank 2 was useless in front of the God Emperor.


    Even if he tried to reach the peak of rank 2¡ªthe state that the Emperor was currently believed to be in¡ªit would take a long time despite his potential.


    But what''s really worse was that the God Emperor had been in that state for tens of millions of years or maybe even hundreds of millions of years.


    Immortal wasn''t even qualified to know such information. So in the end, even reaching peak rank 2 might be futile.


    ''You, You alone are not enough. To win against the man closest to a god, a defective piece is not enough.''


    It was what they told him long ago.


    He hated those words in the beginning. But now, he was d he didn''t try to race to the divine ranks.


    Once he ''absorbed'' the perfect hybrid, he could use his powers¡ªthat were imbued into him by the slivers themselves¡ªto take over Isadora''s body.


    Like hundreds of bodies he could create through overwhelming vitality and death essence, the hybrid would also be another body.


    But different from them, it would be the main body.


    The body with three origins.


    Even though Isadora only had one path for each avenue, Immortal didn''t mind. He would be entering the divine ranks in three paths.


    It would take longer than normal, but he could reach rank 2 in all three avenues!


    Life and Death!


    Space and Time!


    Order and Chaos!


    He''d get the slivers of Life and Death for the project. And after taking over Isadora, he was confident in finding the slivers of Order and Chaos.


    There''s a high chance his progress in Creator Avenue would be extremely slow. But he had confidence in reaching rank 2 in both Ruler and Sage paths.


    Immortal believed a high rank 2 in these two avenues would have a chance in beating the God Emperor.


    In the worst case that he''s still not able to beat that man, what about a peak rank 2?


    He would defeat the false god and attain those two slivers.


    And then, with all the slivers, he would break the limit and step into a realm that even the Primordial Gods hadn''t touched.


    After all, who could fight a being who rules over space-time, life-death and order-chaos?


    Perhaps he might be the ''God'', omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent.


    Suppressing the grandeur filling his mind, Immortal asked with a gentle smile. "Where is the 9th princess?"


    "Huh?" Varian and team were surprised by his behavior.


    The holy squad looked at Isadora with a look of ''We told you so'' while Isadora herself was confused by the friendly atmosphere.


    "I was searching for a while and couldn''t find her traces. But it''s not like we can wait forever. The devil has to be re-sealed."


    Immortal said in urgent tone, pointing to the ck cyclone that continued to grow in the distance.


    The holy squad grimaced.


    Even though they were far away, looking at it gave a sensation as if an invisible hand was hovering over their necks, ready to dug its fingers into their skin and rip their heads off.


    "Thankfully, your group is not injured. I think we still have a chance without the help of the princess. Let''s hurry." Immortal urged and started off to the tornado without showing any vignce toward them.


    Isadora briefly nced at Varian and ordered everyone to follow him to the center.


    ''I know his face is different but it''s him.'' Isadora said through their link. ''He must be trying to use the devil as a distraction since the squad is uninjured.''


    Varian nodded, agreeing with her words. But he saw no need to tear off the masks yet.


    ''Who says he''s using us? We''re using him to deal with the devil. Say we fight him and win. Then what? We''ll most likely lose to the devil. It''d still be a loss.''


    ''ying them off against each other, huh.''


    ''A tactic as old as civilization. But works well.''


    They showed no suspicious behavior toward Immortal to indicate that they were on guard against him.


    But Isadora and Varian had prepared themselves to backstab him at the opportune moment without any hesitation.


    "Devil of the outer sky, we havee to seal you, just like our ancestors have done a thousand years ago and our descendants will do, a thousand years from now."


    Immortal shouted in a passionate voice and pointed his spear at the violent ck tornado.


    The spinning tornado, the beam of ck light in the middle of it, the spinning dust surrounding the structure all paused for a moment before a humanoid figure materialized in front of them.


    "What game are you ying?"


    An aura at the very peak of rank 9, even surpassing that of Immortal''s immense power, pressed on them.

 Chapter 1513 Unexpected, As Expected

    <h4>Chapter 1513 Unexpected, As Expected </h4>


    Icarus did understand the story of this world. It was interesting story, though his grandpa Keeper Equilius might have criticized for being a bit too obvious.


    He just didn''t expect to be the ''Devil'' himself. It''s the penalty he had to face for his terror act in paradise.


    It wasn''t a big issue, however.


    He was confident in defeating the so-called ''holy warriors'' and destroying the seal.


    Even though the story of Eternal Empress did have devil winning at the end, he was sealed after all. So, this would count as a new ending and he could leave this world with Isadora.


    That''s why, he had to defeat ''Immortal'' who also seemed to be trying to grab Isadora.


    "Game? Do you think this is a game?" Immortal sneered, an expression of righteous anger on his face.


    His physical features were significantly different from the outside, so he didn''t feel any shame at immersing in the character of the righteous prince.


    "You are going down, devil. Even if I shed thest drop of my blood, I will keep you sealed." Immortal raised his spear and a brilliant red light bloomed out of its tip.


    The weapon fired at Icarus like a missile, carrying with it a potent power of death that could easily wipe out a million rank 8s.


    "Tch."


    Icarus hands moved in an elusive pattern and a new ''rule'' was constructed in the area.


    The dissipation rate of ''death energy'' increased exponentially and the dissipation rate itself increased when the death energy decreased.


    In this situation, before the spear could even cross a half of the distance, it lost a quarter of the entire death energy.


    Icarus looked at Immortal with a victorious smile.


    Even though their clones were both rank 9, they were fundamentally on different power levels.


    As a divine ranker, Icarus could exert far more power at this rank despite Immortal being the strongest rank 9 to exist so far.


    Boom! Kaa! Kacha!


    A hammer mmed Icarus and a chain of fire whipped his shirt into ashes, scorching his skin. Space cracked and nearly swallowed half of his elbow.


    Then came a powerful sword of darkness that cut off an arm and a rtively weak arrow that just bounced off the injured skin.


    Icarus''s eyes widened as he looked at the people he neglected.


    He thought Immortal was the only worthy enemy. It was a mistake to take these guys lightly.


    But with the first exchange ending with him taking significant injuries, the battle''s result might have already been decided.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Weapons built of special ore materialized and rained down on the team, trying to take them out one by one.


    Rules specialized to counter them individually began to set in.


    Hammer Warrior''s weapon suddenly grew heavier or lighter, throwing him off bnce.


    Thend under the Old Witch exploded, pushing her to focus mostly on escape than attacking.


    The Space Wizard was affected by a rule that made the matter in this area thousands of times heavier, destabilizing space for his regr attacks.


    Isadora had to deal with an invisible wind that would erase her body upon contact.


    Immortal still received the most focus, directly fighting against Icarus. The two powerful beings took it to the sky, where their shockwaves created concentric rings of colorful auras and shockwaves that swept the entire forbidden grounds.


    The man neglected the most in this fiasco was Varian.


    Even though he was recognized by both Immortal and Icarus since he didn''t bother to change his physical features from the paradise, they saw him as a small fry, which he honestly was.


    Icarus tailored a specific counter against each of them based on the strength he perceived from their attacks.


    So, Varian ended up agains a mid rank 9 golem constructed from a very tough material.


    Maybe it''s because Icarus looked down on him too much or maybe beacuse he couldn''t afford to spend more aura on him due to Immortal, the mid rank 9 was a beginner to its sub-rank.


    Varian quietly drew away the golem from the site and used a treasure to block others from sensing their fight.


    Since everyone was busy with their own thing, no one paid attention anyway.


    Looking at the ten foot tall, obsidian stone humanoid golem with twelve arms and three heads, Varian pumped his fist into the air.


    "I love this guy!"


    Like a tiger, he leaped onto the opponent.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Moments turned into seconds and seconds into minutes.


    The powers of life and death overflowed in the area.


    Blood sucking nts popped up from the ground, entangled themselves around the golem and tried to drain its vitality. But the artificial creation had none of it.


    It violently tore the the vines trapping it and stepped forward.


    The dead nts were used as the source by Death Giant and an erged red fist struck one of the golem''s head.


    Despite being built of a very resilient material, the creature''s head snapped to the side and almost got knocked off its neck.


    Then, Varian jumped at the creature, engaging in a brutal fist fight against it.


    It was a stunning sight.


    A man of flesh and blood was not only going head to head against a lifeless machine, he was also acting more efficient and more ruthless than it.


    [+200]


    [+200]


    [¡­]


    [+200]


    The brawl ended soon and Varian began using the powers of space and time. These were more effective against the creature than the life and death powers.


    Even though the golem was regenerating itself, it took far more hits and had difficulty injuring him when he could easily ''speed'' his reaction and escape its attacks.


    Then came the banger.


    The powers of Order and Chaos.


    Since the golemn itself was built from the power of Order, these were the perfect paths to deal with it.


    Since this was the creation of Icarus¡ªa divine ranker in the path of Order¡ªVarian not only fought a lot, he learnt a lot.


    More than an hourter, the battle was still going on.


    Icarus was not able to overwhelm them due to his initial injuries and Immortal was not able to win against a divine ranker''s experience.


    Isadora and the holy squad remained struggling against the traps they faced.


    But¡ª


    "Huh?"


    Icarus lost focus for a moment and was kicked in the chest.


    He crashed to the ground, rolled like a log and quickly jumped back into the sky.


    But his mind was spinning.


    ''How? How did he win?''

 Chapter 1514 The Reply

    <h4>Chapter 1514 The Reply </h4>


    Variany in a pool of blood, which continued to grow as even more blood continue to spill from the numerous injuries he umualted.


    His body was aching heavily, the muscles were literally burning up with intense heat and his skin was torn in too many ces to worry.


    And his breath, if he didn''t need to actually breathe to survive, he''d have died with how breathless he was.


    These serious injuries were the lightest of them all. The real injuries were inflicted within, wrecking chaos in his aura, gnawing away at his vitality and trying to strike his soul itself.


    [Y-You crazy bastard! Who the hell seals up their own strength to fight a stronger enemy? You have a death wish! You fucking idiot!]


    Logos'' angry voice rang in his mind and it almost felt like someone was pulling his hair.


    "Cough, cough, cough."


    Coughing up blood, he grinned with an unapologetic smile.


    Even though he was weaker, he found a strategy to win against the dumb opponent.


    But that''s not enough. What would happen if he wins?


    He had grow strong.


    Strong enough to affect this batle. Strong enough to fight against the dangers that would follow after this battle.


    And so, he deliberately sealed parts of his strength and fought in a very disadvantaged situation.


    As he expected, it gave him a huge improvement than otherwise.


    Just like how a person''s body would adopt to the temperature¡ªhigh or low, his weak body tried to adopt to the danger by increasing his strength.


    As a result¡ª


    [All Rank 8


    Paragon Body: 5,000/25,000 (+5,000)


    Ignis: 5,000/25,000 (+5,000)


    Death Giant: 5,000/25,000 (+5,000)


    Order: 7,500/25,000 (+7,500)


    Chaos: 7,500/25,000 (+7,500)


    Space: 5,000/25,000 (+5,000)


    Time: 5,000/25,000 (+5,000)


    PS: Do not try this again. You have almost died! Even if you want to stimte your potential, this is too reckless.]


    Logos had bing very humane. Instead of mocking and teasing him, it was worrying.


    ''How ironic.''


    Varian grimaced at the pain as he pulled himself up.


    Just a year and half ago, he was emotional while the system was rational. Now, the system had be emotional while he turned cold blooded and ruthlessly rational.


    ''Don''t worry, Logos. I won''t die. I still have to punish you for the stupid things you said and did.''


    He grabbed his severed arm, stabbed it back to its ce, twisted his foot back to pointing straight and checked if there''s any bone missing.


    ''Yosh, all set.''


    With a kick to the ground, he broke out of the ''barrier'' that was hiding his battle with the golem.


    Isadora who was now fighting a fairy who used specialized wind that erased whatever it touched.


    It looked like a corrosive gas but in reality, it''s a specially engineered order rule that would reorganize any organic matter into its inorganicponents.


    Through their synergetic link, he yelled. ''Here!''


    Isadora showed no immediate change but gradually changing her tactics, she led the green robed wind fairy to a valley far away.


    Once Isadora jumped into the valley between vast mountains, the fairy followed without hesitation.


    Hundreds and hundreds of circr formations with bizzare symbols lit up and the power of chaos activated.


    Even though it was just a low rank 9 power, there were many of them.


    Varian didn''t dare to use the power of slivers openly out of fear that Immortal and Icarus might recognize it.


    But he had no issues in utilizing its powers to make these formations and covering them up as ''magical treasures'' created by precious materials.


    Boom!


    There was no explosion on the scene but the wind fairy twitched violently and shook back and forth.


    The ''order'' of this ce was severely and suddenly disrupted due to these formations.


    It''s like grabbing the strings of a puppet and yanking them away, even if for only a brief moment.


    That disturbance was enough for Isadora to capitalize on.


    The princess poured the power of darkness, which itself was a derivate of the power of chaos and attacked the wind fairy.


    The creature which looked as beautiful as an elf screeched like a harpie and dissipated into the wind.


    "Quick,e with me!"


    Isadora grabbed his hand and took him away from the site of conflict into the woods where monsters corrupted by a dark aura roamed.


    From time to time, these monster beasts¡ªcorrupted by the power of devil¡ªwould try to break out into the normal world and terrorize people with the end goal of disrupting kingdoms from continuing the sealing ceremony.


    These beasts were feared throughout humanity because of their ability to corrupt souls and lead people astray.


    But a few white lights pouring from the tip of Varian''s fingers purified these souls and sent them to permenant sleep.


    Isadora kept dragging him and only stopped when they reached a cave.


    While escaping to this ce, she kept using the card to hide their traces and Varian too used his powers for that purpose.


    "But why are we escaping? Shouldn''t we be helping othe¡ª"


    She mmed him against the cave''s wall and hugged him from behind, interlocking her fingers with his.


    "¡­"


    Varian was dumbfounded.


    ''Did she go into heat or what?''


    "Err," Varian shifted, trying to get out of this awkward hug.


    Her soft body wasforting, sure. And she smelled nice even now.


    [You idiot, that''s not the point!]


    Logos screamed.


    With a dignified expression, Varian said. "I know my wives did ept you as a sister wife, but this is not the ce and time. You can''t just jump on me in the middle of a critical battle even if you go into a heat."


    "¡­"


    "Isadora," Varian sighed a helpless sigh and broke free from the hug with force. "I don''t have any feelings for you even though I tease you from time to time. It''s my petty revenge for the hosility you showed me. I''ll stop since it hase to this and I''m sorry. But we have to go figh¡ªouch!"


    Isadora hubbed him again and her faint voice said in a trembling, angry tone. "You bastard, what the hell are you thinking? I''m just preparing for Synergy! I''m too drained from the fight and need some recharge."

 Chapter 1515 But Why?

    <h4>Chapter 1515 But Why?</h4>


    "But why this proximity?" Varian tried to ask in a polite tone.


    In response, Isadora tightened her grip on his waist. This was no longer a loving hug, it''s that tight grip used by wrestlers before they lift you into the air and m you onto the stage.


    "Synergy''s efficiency increases with intimacy. This is the most I can tolerate." Isadora said in a harsh tone, her voice much more subdued than normal, as if she was on the verge of yelling.


    "And just so you know, I don''t have any feelings for you either. I am only tolerating you for my sisters. If you were some other man, I''d have killed you a thousand times already."


    "Ouch," Varian grimaced.


    He didn''t know if she got pissed at his rejection or was genuinely sharing her feelings. Perhaps both?


    But he spoke his truth. It''s not like he disliked Isadora. Of course, he hated the way she behaved at first.


    He had to maintain a working rtionship with her so that his rtionship with Sia and Enigma wouldn''t suffer.


    Gradually though, he did discover that she wasn''t as cruel and hateful as he imagined.


    This was a good woman, hurt by a betrayal she did not expect. She was kind too.


    She''s very distrustful of any ''rtionship'' due to her experience. So, even to this day, she remained skeptical of her sisters'' bond with their husband despite feeling that it might not be so bad after all.


    Her words weren''ting out of malice. She was genuinely concerned that they would be left heartbroken one day.


    And that''s precisely why Varian didn''t want to lie to her about these things.


    He liked teasing her about being his fourth wife. But he never tried to cross any lines. Neither physically nor emotionally.


    Truthfully speaking, his approach towards her wasn''t a genuine one in the beginning.


    Most of his initial interactions with her were motivated to build a working rtionship and erase hostility.


    Be it deliberately going against her or teasing her or challenging her, he had used multiple tools for this and some of them worked.


    Perhaps Isadora might''ve thought she was slowing building a bond with him, but a lot of it was done deliberately.


    Once the ice thawed, he didn''t act as transactionally anymore. Yet, thatponent was what kick started this rtionship.


    Today, the bond had changed a lot.


    Isadora was no longer a ''person I have to have manage for the sake of my wives'' but a ''good friend who should not have suffered so much and deserves to be happy''.


    And yet, Varian was hesitant if he was just lying to himself.


    If he really tried to build an intimate bond with her, it might be to make things easier between him and his wives.


    In that case, bonding with her was just a convenient act for the benefit of him and his wives. It''d be treating her as a tool for his goal.


    Trying to make her fall for him was the most obvious choice he could make for solving this problem for once and all.


    But that''s dishonest and honestly, disgusting.


    Varian didn''t mind being cruel whenever necessary. But he didn''t want to treat Isadora as a tool for some greater goal.


    His feelings toward her were positive, no doubt. But there was no such thing as the obsessive and intense love that sprung for Sia, Enigma and Sarah.


    So, he said the truth, even though it seemed to have caused some troubles.


    "Start already!" Isadora''s cold voice rang, jolting him out of his thoughts.


    Varian took a breath and sensed the battle in the sky was getting a lot more intense. While on the ground, the holy squad was losing. If they didn''t intervene in time, they might die.


    ''We have only a few minutes. Every second counts.''


    "Isadora, this hug might not work so well. Hug me properly or I can hug you?" He proposed.


    Isadora tightened her grip so much that his bones cracked but then she eventually freed him.


    Turning her back to him, she stood silently.


    "Alright. Just a normal hug. And then we''ll hold hands and start."


    He gently wrapped his arms over her t abdomen and kept her in a protective embrace.


    Isadora lowered her head and grabbed his hands, her nails nearly digging into his palm due to the rashness of her movements.


    Neverthless, Synergy began.


    The bright world turned dark.


    Varian and Isadora found themselves in the inner worlds.


    His was a world of ck sky and white ground, blending at the horizon, giving birth to a multitude of colors.


    Isadora''s world was a mix of primary colors, with a touch of darkness everywhere.


    A bridge was built between their souls and their worlds began to connect.


    The experiences of Isadora and Varian in their paths started being exchanged.


    The insights of Varian in multiple paths was only helpful as a reference for Isadora until now.


    But when he reached rank 8, his insights were helpful even for the princess.


    It''s difficult for anyone to study any other person''s knowledge about divine paths so intimately. And it''s impossible to study one person''s knowledge on seven paths.


    For the first time, Isadora too had begun to benefit almost equally from Synergy.


    And Varian, like always, drew more benefits due to the disparity in their ranks.


    Unlike before when he needed Sarah as a bridge to help him understand the moreplex insights of Isadora, he was able to understand her insights with rtive ease.


    His paths which had just went an upgrade picked up once again and started racing forward.


    But while this happened, something the two of them neglected ured.


    The exchange of feelings.


    After all, Synergy wasn''t just about power but also emotions.


    Varian''s feelings and thoughts regarding their bond was conveyed to Isadora.


    The princess'' body which was stiff in his embrace rxed and fell into his arms gently.


    And feeling her emotions¡ªa sense of disappointment and sadness¡ªVarian hugged her tighter in the real world, hoping to calm her turbulent heart.

 Chapter 1516 One Request

    <h4>Chapter 1516 One Request </h4>


    A sh in the sky preceded a giant ring of explosion. Then dust filled the air as the ground shook following something hitting the ground at an enormous speed.


    "Ha! Haa! You stubborn fucker." Icarus spat with a grim face. "I don''t care who you are. But trying to get your hands on what''s mine is going to cost you a brutal death."


    From the dust, a battered silhoutte emerged.


    Immortal attached his severed head back and spat some thick blood into the crater as he floated smoothly.


    "Yours?" There was a crazy smile on his face, as if he was hearing the most ridiculous thing in the world.


    Scratching his cheeks to the point skin was peeled off and muscle showed, Immortal said with a cackle. "She is mine. She is made for me, she is born for me and she will die for me."


    "Is that so?" Icarus didn''t like what he was hearing.


    Nexus had suffered for too long under the bastards of Genesis and Mors. If his grandfather wasn''t wrong, this guy was indeed the ''Immortal''¡ª a failed creation his creators should''ve killed than just abandoning.


    "Yes, she is mine. You will regret standing against me today." Immortal said with a grin, even though his body ached terribly.


    Icarus was much stronger than he anticipated and securing a victory remained a distant dream. The holy squad was being pushed back and looked like it might die at any moment.


    But Immortal didn''t lose hope. Ironically, he was confident that Isadora woulde up with something.


    This man might not know about her but Immortal studied Isadora deeply. That woman was the defintion of menace.


    Had she remained at peak of rank 9, he wouldn''t be confident of defeating her despite being a pseudo divine ranker. But even at her current power level, she''d be able to turn the tide of the battle. It''s Isadora after all.


    For his n to work, he needed to buy time. Luckily, this guy seemed to be sensitive about his ''identity'' and it made everything so much easier.


    "I know why the Nexians aren''t trusted. You lot are the most ungrateful bastards of Eden. We have always aodated and protected you from the Jai. And what do you do in return? Try to rob me of my destined treasure." Showing a disgusted expression, Immortal spat blood mixed with saliva.


    With the spat blood as the center, a gloomy red power¡ªthe power of death¡ª expanded swiftly before stopping in front of Icarus.


    The red spread on the ground showed a grin with razor sharp teeth and inhaled deeply.


    Vitality that Icarus locked in using a special rule created by the power of Order trembled. Bit by bit, vitality began to leak out.


    But Icarus didn''t seem to care.


    He was looking at Immortal with a surprised expression, still in disbelief that the words he heard were actually uttered.


    "Wow, wow, wow. Are you kidding me or are you kidding me? Proteced us? You use as meatgrinders, as literal bodyshields. If it reallyes down to it, we''d just ditch your loser alliance and join hands with the Jai. It''s not like we have anything they covet anyway."


    Immortal pursed his lips, the gray eyes of the man shining with a thick killing intent. "There is a famous saying in the Empires about your kingdom, you know?"


    Icarus'' eyes narrowed and he waved his fist. "Shut up!"


    The ground shifted and smashed Immortal from both sides, crushing him into paste.


    The meat paste from the rocks flowed out and adjusted back into Immortal. The aura in his body had fallen slightly but his eyes remained as condescending as ever.


    "What would change in Alliance if Nexus suddenly disappeared?" Immortal showed a sarcastic expression, enjoying the veins popping up on Icarus'' forehead.


    "The most pathetic tribe who not only failed to snatch their nemesis'' sliver but somehow lost their own would go missing. I mean, aren''t you guys historical losers? We''d all be better off without you lot."


    "Shut the fuck up!"


    The sky twisted and the air pulled Immortal from all sides, tearing his body into pieces.


    Then, a huge foot made of lightning fell from the sky, stomping the flesh and bones the man.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    "Shut up! Shut the hell up! Shut the fucking hell up!" Icarus screamed with a hysteric expression, his eyes bloodshot.


    While his mind remained solely focused on destroying this evil bastard, Isadora reached the holy squad and began to assist them with her renewed power.


    She also aodated Varian, providing him opportunities to fight against enemies significantly stronger than he could handle by himself, elerating his growth.


    Icarus'' senses were registering everything that''s happening, but his mind just couldn''t let go of Immortal.


    "He, hahahha!" An arrogantughter rang as the burnt flesh and bones pieced themselves together.


    "ept it, it''s in your genes. Loser tribe." Immortal looked a lot more worn out than before but his smile was brighter than ever.


    The red ground infested with death energy started to sneak into Icarus, waiting to strike at an opportune moment.


    ''I have to hog all his focus.''


    "You have already lost the war, Nexian." Immortal spread his hands, manipting the death energy umted in Icarus to slowly and stealthily activate. "Whether we win this war or the Jai wins, the only fate that awaits your ilk is servitude or extinction, depending on our mood."


    These wordspletely enraged Icarus, because they sounded very close to reality.


    Even though his grandfather said Isadora should have the slivers since she survived this long, there''s still a significant possibility that she might not have them.


    Because she hadn''t used any sliver power so far despite being pushed into very difficult conditions.


    Was she hesitating in using them? Or maybe she never had the slivers to use them in the first ce?


    In that case, his whole mission had failed before it even began. Even his grandfather''s long n was for nothing.


    ''No, no, no!''


    Icarus'' eyes turned pitch ck and the ck beam began to shake, as if the devil sealed within was about to break out.


    Immortal instinctively took a step back.


    All of them couldn''t even defeat a phantom together. If the real bodyes out, they''d be as good as dead.


    Icarus clutched his head and roared, the red sky turning ck due to his rage.


    "Argh, I''ll end it! I''ll end all!"


    Boom!


    A spear of darkness struck the ck beam and the unstable fluctuations were abruptly cut off.


    Along with the holy squad, Isadora stepped forward.


    Immortal and Icarus both looked at their unabashed greed. If only they paid a little more attention, they''d have realized that the aura of Varian standing behind them all was a little strange.


    Almost like he''d just broken through a subrank.


    But even the Isadora who they focused on gave them a tremendous shock. She was severely injured and exhausted earlier.


    So, how did she revert back to a near perfect condition?


    "Hm?"


    A thick killing intent piercing the skin on their necks like a de, causing the two men to finally turn to Varian.


    Brandishing his sword Requiem, he said with a cruel gring.


    "Seems like your parents didn''t teach you not to oogle at women. No worries, I''ll teach some manners to you today."


    "Huh?"


    "You!"


    Icarus'' parents died in his infancy and Immortal''s parents abandoned him. So, his words prickled them both.


    Varian poured aura into his sword and it lit up with a dangerous crimson light.


    "I have but one request, just don''t call me daddy after this."

 Chapter 1517 Beyond Comprehension

    <h4>Chapter 1517 Beyond Comprehension </h4>


    Varian''s sword moved in a predictable trajectory. Neither fast nor agile, the attack should have appeared silly unnerved the hell out of the two powerhouses.


    Icarus blurred, shooting up above the clouds and hiding from the sh. Immortal shielded himself with his arms with a stiff expression.


    The swordpleted the arc but no aura came out of it.


    "Huh?"


    Immortal on the ground and Icarus in the sky both looked at the sword in astonishment.


    It''s already very suspicious for the weapon to give off such a dangerous feeling. But now it all turned out be a farce?


    "What the fuck were you expecting?" Varian kicked a stone and it hit Immortal in the face.


    Clutching his broken nose, the child of the empires blinked at Varian in confusion.


    With all that power the weapon exuded, he was expecting a world shattering attack that would instantly kill a peak rank 9.


    Pointing to the enemy in the sky, Varian yelled. "Icarus went crazy and was about to kill you. I distracted him enough. Let''s start attacking already!"


    "Huh? Ah? Yes, yes." The holy squad came to their senses andunched their attacks.


    Isadora followed.


    Immortal clenched his fists, barely holding himself from yelling at Varian.


    How dare¡­How dare this mortal humiliate him like that?!


    These people saw him afraid. It''s shameful! The ruler of the universe, the perfect being who would reach the realm of godhood was scared by a puny mortal!


    Immortal clenched his jaw and forced himself to turn to the enemy in the sky.


    Everything had to wait until this dangerous enemy got killed.


    With a sh of red, Immortal soared into the sky and joined the battle.


    The already intense battle was kicked up a notch higher and Icarus, for the first time, was unterally suppressed.


    He tried to fight back. He really did.


    The man used his experience as a divine ranker to create intricate fields of Order, enforcing strange rules that would''ve knocked out most warriors.


    The hammer warrior started to feel a rebound of his attacks and started to umte injuries caused by his own strength.


    The old witch''s ''senses'' were blinded by a new ''rule'' and she had a hard time telling apart Immortal from Icarus.


    Only half of her attacks reached the enemy and the other half went to the ally.


    The space wizard faced the worst amongst the three. For every one unit of space he cracked, the aura in his body was sucked out violently, destabilizing two units of space around it.


    So, the more he manipted space, the more unstable it got, forcing him to use even more space power and pushing him into a deadly spiral.


    Isadora faced rtively less difficult obstacle. All the attacks of darkness were met with the power of ''Order'' which neutralized the explosive energy and coalesced the violent power into a stable, stationary one.


    Immortal remained the biggest focus and multiple rules were forced onto him.


    Be it a rule that caused his aura to leak out, slowing his recovery or a rule that caused him to miss three out of every ten attacks or even the rule that abruptly created patches of metal on his skin, which would pull the attacks of the allies and use it to attack him.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The sky was a spectacle of brilliant fireworks, explosions and conical shockwaves.


    Even though they were fighting far above the ground, literally thousands of miles high in a very enchanced region that could easily withstand the power of a rank 8, thend began to shake.


    Like someone was turning thend into a drum and beating it, thend shook. And as it did, the small stones, dust particles and pebbles on it began to rise.


    Slowly at first and then suddenly, at a rapid pace. They all flew into the sky and joined the ck vortex which sealed the original body of the devil.


    Gaa! Gaa! Gaa!


    Primeival sounds akin to the roars of an ancient beast began to leak from the tornado.


    With everyone far up in the sky, Varian was the only one who ended up hearing them up close.


    And just that caused his senses to dizzy.


    ''Come! Close! Let me out!''


    His eyes began to bleed, clouding his vision red.


    Before he could raise his hands to wipe away blood that began to stream down like tears, the skin on his hand began to peel off like it''s some onion, revealing the red flesh and the veins in which hot blood was flowing.


    An invisible hand gripped Varian''s beating heart and a sharp nail grazed his neck, splitting his skin and forming a thin red line.


    ''Come closer, my child.''


    A voice that was as holy as it was devilish whispered. It''s abination that should''ve never been possible. But it was undeniable that the entity was a god despite being a devil.


    ''The world needs bnce. Life has grown out of control. Death is the only answer. Come. Come closer, my child.''


    Varian raised his foot.


    ''The creation is destined to end. Keeping it running any longer goes against the will of the creator. So,e.''


    The devilish voice disappeared and was reced by something far more serene, godly and authoritative.


    A sensation far greater than anything he had ever experienced zoomed in on his soul.


    In that brief moment which Varian barely registered, he found himself in front of the creation.


    Not the world of Eternal Empress but the universe itself.


    As it zoomed out at a rapid pace, he found himself shrinking and shrinking to the point he could no longer find himself.


    He saw the universe in its entirey¡ªa dark sphere which had countless white dots in it.


    ¡­He saw something moving beyond that darkness.


    "Haaa!"


    Varian came to his senses, stopping his hand that was about to touch the ck tornado.


    "Haa! Huff! Huff!"


    He stumbled back and copsed, staring nkly at his surroundings.


    ''Come! Come closer, my child!''


    ''The creation needs your help.''


    ''You are the chosen one!''


    It was the devilish voice that he heard at the start.


    But no, that voice he heard in the middle¡­this wasn''t it. It''s something different.


    It''s not a fake god built by Fabricator in his Paradise, it can''t be.


    It''s something¡­something¡­


    "Who was that? Who? It''s not the devil! Who the fuck was that?"


    Varian looked around, screaming like a madman.


    The fighting continued in the sky and the forbiddennds seemed fine despite the intense battle.


    Yet, it felt like the world was about to end at any moment and that there''s nothing he could do about it.


    The feeling of helplesness he felt earlier when his insignificance was revealed¡ªlower than a speck of dust in the vastness of the universe¡ªas an inconsequential being that would be lost in the magnificience of creation¡­it engulfed him once again.


    Varian clutched his head and faced the ground, tears streaming down his face uncontrobly for reasons he could not evenprehend.


    The emotions in his heart were beyond turmoil. It was like someone cranked the emotion numbers to infinity and then crashed them to zero.


    The fluctuation was so intense that Isadora, who could always faintly feel Varian''s emotions due to their link, lost control of her power all of a sudden and was hit by an attack.


    She crashed to the ground and ignoring her injuries, she clutched her head as feelings she couldn''t even fathom overwhelmed her mind.


    "Arghhh!"


    Screaming as he punched the ground, Varian used the power of soul to turn off all his emotions.


    "Haa! Haa! Haa!"


    Isadora too recovered and looked down nkly at her trembling hands.


    She didn''t have the luxury to stop. So, she rejoined the battle right away.


    But Varian remained, ignoring the whispers of the devil.


    The whispers that initially caused him to bleed just due to their presence no longer felt threatening.


    They still hurt his body, they still caused him to bleed and created a pool of blood where he was sitting.


    They might kill him if he couldn''t fight back.


    And yet, there was something soothing about this power.


    It was far stronger than him. Far far beyond what he could currently muster. A divine rank indeed.


    And yet¡­


    It was, in some sense, a realm of living. Something that sentient beings could aspire to be.


    But that¡­whatever it was¡­


    ''L-Logos, what happened just now?''

 Chapter 1518 The Only Chance

    <h4>Chapter 1518 The Only Chance</h4>


    [That''s what the System wants to ask. What just happened? Your soul is incredibly shaken and the Ignis path is growing at a ridiculous pace.


    Even the paths of space and time¡­death and life?


    What the heck is happening?


    Don''t tell me you had an enlightenment after listening to those devil''s whispers?


    And why everything except Order and Chaos? These are the paths you''re supposed to be good at!]


    Logos voiced its genuine skepticism.


    Varian''s lips trembled and his pupils dted in utter shock.


    ''Whatever happened¡­Logos didn''t notice¡­couldn''t notice¡­''


    For a moment, it struck him that perhaps whatever he was doing was all futile.


    Even if he had slivers, he''s but a mortal. He might reach rank 2, maybe even the mythical rank 3.


    But then what?


    The slivers came from the universe. They were bound to it. And remained subordinate to its greatness.


    In the end, they would return to the universe.


    As would he¡ªhis body would not rot if he bes a divine ranker, but slowly, it would break down into tiny specks of matter over the period of millions, perhaps billions of years.


    The incredible amount of aura stored inside him would leak out, bit by bit before nothing would be left.


    He would''ve mastered the powers of life, death and soul. But when his life would end, his soul would wither and death would arrive, even if he reached the peak of his path, he would fall.


    He might control space and time like they were toys. But time would eventually catch up to him and the space would not allow him to move anymore.


    It would end.


    It would all end.


    The peak of rank 2 would die.


    Even the peak of rank 3 would also suffer the same fate.


    The Primordial Gods were at the pinnacle of their own avenue. They created a seed for an entire universe itself.


    But even they died.


    In the end, every great yer, every legendary warrior, every dazzling genius¡ªall remained bound in the ce called universe.


    No matter what they achieved, there were limits they would never be able to cross.


    It''s not their fault. The game was rigged from the start.


    ''-ian! Varian! Varian!!''


    "Ah?"


    The calls of Isadora through their link jolted him out of hisplex and defeatist thoughts.


    He looked up to see the battle, now reaching its end stages. Icarus was being thoroughly suppressed and might be killed soon.


    It''s a joyous moment for everyone.


    The holy squad were grinning from ear to ear as they attacked wtih renewed vigor. They had reasons to be ecstatic.


    Very few, if any holy squads ever make this far. Almost none return alive. Not only did they all survive, they''re about to kill the devil and then return intact. Today would go down in history indeed.


    While they were happy, Icarus was surely not happy.


    He was losing and he too sensed his impending doom. So, he fought fiercer and fiercer, hoping for a miraculouseback.


    Immortal, however, was frighteningly calm. He calmly evaded the attacks and chipped away at Icarus'' remaining fight.


    But while he did so, there was a subtle shift in his fighting style. Unless one specifically observed, it was difficult to notice.


    ''He is looking for openings.''


    Not against Icarus he was fighting against but against the holy squad and Isadora he was fighting with.


    For better or worse, he wasn''t finding any opportunity with Isadora.


    He didn''t know that she was already aware of his identity and remained cautious.


    The logical exnation for him was that the two were the farthest from each other since the start. Isadora was going with range attacks and he was fighting close up.


    It didn''t raise any suspicions.


    So, the man decided to strike holy squad at the opportune moment and wipe them out.


    Then, dealing with Isadora would be a piece of cake.


    As for that loser who would still be alive?


    Heh, Immortal was deliberately keeping him alive so that he could show him what pain would look like.


    Even though Varian stated that those insulting remarks were directed at Icarus and not him and it was all a ploy for the battle, Immortal wasn''t going to let such a logical reason stop him from doing what he''s set to do.


    ''Fuck logic!''


    While he nned all this and prepared himself to act, his actions remained so clean that the holy squad didn''t even notice the subtle changes in his gaze, focus and attacks.


    ''He is about to attack them.'' Isadora''s voice rang.


    Varian stepped back from the ck pir to stop the interference of that annoying voice and asked. ''Your call?''


    ''If we notify them now, the battle against Icarus will cease. Even though we''ll have the holy squad on our side, we''ll have to fight against both Immortal and Icarus.


    There is a small but probable situation where they could join hands to eliminate the holy squad and you before they fight each other to decide the winner.''


    Isadora threw chains of darkness to bind Icarus from dodging others'' attacks as she conveyed her n.


    Even though she was in the middle of a battle, Isadora''s strategic mind remained crystal clear. The vast experience she umted as the legendary princess was not for show.


    ''So sacrifice?''


    Varian raised an eyebrow while he recovered from the injuries he suffered due to the devil''s whispers and built back his aura reserves.


    ''Yes.'' Isadora''s voice showed no hint of hesitation or guilt. ''When the devil is almost down, Immortal will sneak attack the holy squad. I will sneak attack Immortal.''


    ''Then what do I have to do?'' Varian rubbed over the skin that had regrown on his hand and asked.


    ''You, you are going to deal the final blow to Icarus. He''s already very weakened. You might be able to kill him.''


    Isadora said before quickly changing her stance.


    ''I take it back. If he''s not dead and escapes, it will spell a huge disaster. A recovered devil, even if he''s only a phantom, is not something we can face again.''


    There''s a hint of fear in her tone.


    The devil could recover much faster in his own cepared to them. That''s also the reason it''s taking them so long to take him down.


    If he managed to recover to his peak, then their exhausted selves wouldn''t stand any chance.


    The only chance for survival from both Immortal and Icarus was going to depend on this one opportunity.


    ''You must kill him.''

 Chapter 1519 Two Vows of Vengeance

    <h4>Chapter 1519 Two Vows of Vengeance </h4>


    A wind blew and the scent of blood reached Varian. Smelling it like a predator that''s about to jump, he sharpened his senses and focused on the sky.


    ''Status''


    [Rank 8


    Paragon Body: 15,000/25,000 (+10,000)


    Ignis: 15,000/25,000 (+10,000)


    Death Giant: 15,000/25,000 (+10,000)


    Order: 10,000/25,000 (+2,500)


    Chaos: 10,000/25,000 (+2,500)


    Space: 15,000/25,000 (+10,000)


    Time: 15,000/25,000 (+10,000)


    <What happened? What led to an enlightenment? A profound thought? An inexplicable connection?


    This jump is absolutely not normal. The System didn''t detect anything abnormal and yet this happened.


    You were also emotionally disturbed in that duration. There''s something you aren''t revealing>]


    Varian was dumbfounded at the huge progress. But oddly enough, he didn''t feel any satisfaction for it.


    If he had a choice of not experiencing those few seconds and missing out in this leap, he''d pick it without hesitation.


    Because even though he''s now significantly stronger than just a few minutes ago, the burden on him had grown beyond his ability toprehend.


    It felt he had seen something he shouldn''t have. Even though it''s been minutes already, the sight was burned into his memory.


    Oddly enough, he could ''feel'' what he saw, even recall it vaguely. But he could not use his soul power to ''y'' it again.


    "I just had an enlightenment." Varian wiped the sweat that flowed down his forehead once his thoughts were directed towards that experience and lied to the system.


    [But why all of a sudden? Enlightenments are incredibly rare. More so in seven paths at once. It''s possible but statistically, you''re more likely to be the ruler of Genesis Empire.]


    "It just did." Varian shrugged and brandished his sword, holding the de against his palm. "Now if you''ll excuse me."


    The battle in the sky had undergone a definite shift.


    Even though the holy squad hadn''t recognized it yet, their battle experience was giving them subtle hints.


    Unfortunately for them, the collective vast experience which should''ve greated a sense of ''caution'' failed miserably in front of the enthusiasm of devil ying.


    They were prepared to die and yet survived this far. They were also going to win.


    The holy squad, going against all the personal wisdom they umted in their long experience, indulged fully into the battle.


    It was a mistake.


    Boom!


    Once they dealt a decisive blow to Icarus and severed his two legs, two phantom red fists sted through the chests of the Holy Squad.


    The Old Witch and Space Wizard twitched violently as the red energy melted into their bodies and sapped away their vitality.


    Almost simultaneously, Immortal crushed the skull of Hammer Warrior, filling him entirely with the power of death and killing him at once.


    At the exact time, Isadora''s sword of darkness pierced right through Immortal''s chest, severing him into two, one with head and one without.


    The severed parts tried to reattach swiftly but two chains of darknesstched onto them and then pulled hard.


    It was a very forceful push, akin to pulling iron away from a very powerful ma.


    But the chains did their job dutifully and as the distance between the two pieces increased, they injected it with the power of darkness.


    It was gradual at first before it turned into a flood.


    The bastion of ''death energy'', the glowing red, soon turned ck. It twitched violently, ring unsteadily, trying topete against the invasive force. And it got even more suppressed by Isadora who fully focused on the battle.


    As a result, one half of Immortal, the part without the head, turned into specks of darkness and dissipated.


    The child of slivers was justing to his senses when he sensed another powerful aura fluctuation nearby.


    ''What? When? How?''


    The dying holy squad looked at him with shock in their final moments.


    ''H-He''s this strong? The fuck!''


    Isadora was equally surprised. She wanted Varian to deal a decisive blow because he did grow a bit from the synergy but this was beyond her expectations.


    "Fuuu~"


    Varian pulled his sword out of Icarus'' chest and the man gasped as the vitality gushed out.


    "Haa! Haa! Ha¡ªurgh!"


    Varian''s sword lodged in again and he twisted it like it''s a screwdriver, messing with his insides.


    Icarus twitched violently as the power of death ravaged his body and in desperation, he threw out ''rules'' to st off Varian.


    Technically, it should workd because Varian seemed far weaker than everyone else here.


    Even though he himself was in a very injured and exhausted state, Icarus didn''t think he''d lose to someone who''s not even a high rank 9.


    <The death energy of your sword will counteract with your life energy, turning into a zombie>


    <Your aura leaks out at a rapid pace, hollowing you out of any strength>


    <Your physical senses will be overwhelmed by one particr detail and jam your mind>


    These were dangerous rules and when taken together, they''d essentially incapacitate him.


    Icarus wouldn''t have tried them on others since they were very strong for these rules to take effect.


    But Varian?


    ''You''re ove¡ªhuh?!''


    As the rules were manifesting, Varian raised his other hand and swatted casually.


    ''No, no!''


    It was undeniably the power of order¡­and chaos?


    Under Icarus'' confused and disbelieving gaze, he easily dismantled the rules before they could even take root.


    He looked at Icarus with an amusing gaze and his voice directly sounded in Icarus'' mind. "I don''t mean to brag but I''m somewhat of a nemesis to you."


    ''W-Wait, how can he have the power of a soul awakener?''


    Looking at the confusion dawning on the man''s face, Varian smirked and clenched his fist.


    Icarus'' senses screamed danger and he hastily used his powers to try and escape this dangerous man.


    None of his attacks were as strong as others and yet¡­


    "No, no."


    A gentle wave of chaos power emerged from Varian, corrupting all the ''order'' rulesid out by Icarus to facilitate his escape.


    "You''ll regret this!"


    As he realized he won''t be able to escape, Icarus threatened Varian with bloodshot eyes.


    "You and Isadora, both of you would regret this! You wish you''d have died under my hand and took the easy way out. I swear on my dead pare¡ª"


    Varian bent Icarus down and smashed his head with his knee. "Yeah, sure."


    The headless body struggled violently, as the power of order tried to bring the fragmented parts to the proper ''order'' again.


    Varian was having none of that.


    "Come what may," He mmed his knee into the regenerating head again and again.


    Blood sshed out and pieces of bones and brain scattered out, all falling down like a rain before they were pulled back by the stubborn order face to be pieced together again.


    Requiem lodged in Icarus'' chest continued to eat away his vitalty despite the resistance offered by his dwindling yet tremendous power.


    And Varian¡ª


    Ka! Ka! Ka!


    His knee was covered in blood and brainmatter of his enemy, painting a terrific sight. But he didn''t seem to care.


    Like a ruthless machine, he went on for dozens and dozens of times even after the head body ceased to move.


    When he finally stopped, he realized only a pair of shoulder bones were left in his hand. The rest was long smashed.


    "Fuck," He rubbed his forehead.


    That vision he had¡­it disturbed him too much.


    Icarus became a vent for those turbulent emotions.


    Varian looked at Immortal with a dismissive gaze. "Will you kill yourself or do you want me to dismantle you piece by piece while I flood your body with the power of life and explode bits of you every second while the rest struggle to regenerate and keep this going until you lose the will to live and kill yourself?"


    After being ambushed by Isadora and losing half of his body, Immortal tried to fight back against her even in a very disadvantageous circumstance, showing his indomitable will.


    But when he saw Varian looking down at him from above in a bloodied attire and ruthless eyes, the child of slivers paused and looked at him with a hateful gaze.


    "Once you get out of this little safe room," Immortal nced at Isadora before turning to Varian. "You will learn how lucky you were. If it was my real body standing here, even if I give you an eternity, you wouldn''t be able to kill me."


    With a pop, Immortal exploded, ending his own life.

 Chapter 1520 In Your Face

    <h4>Chapter 1520 In Your Face </h4>


    Varian nced at the injured and exhausted Isadora before shifting his focus to the ck tornado.


    With the devil''s clone dead, the seal was being reinforced and would stay that way for another hundred years, until the next generation woulde up.


    At least that''s how it''s supposed to go.


    But in the story of ''Eternal Empress'', the devil would break out near the end and destroy everything.


    It didn''t make sense.


    Hearing the information he ryed, Isadora checked the ck tornado using the knowledge she gained from the princess'' memories.


    "I can''t detect any anomaly." She gentlynded on the ground but quickly lost her bnce and copsed.


    Variannded and sat beside her.


    "¡­you could''ve caught me atleast." She grunted as she exhaled heavily.


    "What if everything we believed is false?" Varian said with a contemtive expression. "Everything is a lie. A fabrication by someone to pursue their agenda. Our lives are all meaningless. We''re going to die one day anyway. All the struggle, triumphs and failures¡­aren''t these pointless?"


    Isadora pushed herself up to sit despite her body screaming at exhaustion and fatigue. Biting her lip, she asked. "Are you seriously having an existential crisis now?"


    "¡­" Varian didn''t know how to answer.


    Some entity allegedly broke into Paradise, sneaked into this particr world and bypassed the internal system to talk to him and show him some crazy vision.


    Even if everything that''s shown was false, what about the one who pulled it off?


    ''It could be the creator of Paradise.''


    But his intuition said it wasn''t that guy.


    ''A rank 2 divine ranker at least.''


    And that''s the best bet.


    If he really had to guess the upper limit?


    Who would it be?


    Who¡­


    "-ian! Varian! Varian!"


    "Ah!"


    As he came to his senses, he noticed Isadora''s face dangerously close to his and almost jumped back.


    Isadora tilted her head, her red eyes shining in confusion. "Are you okay? I sensed something¡­weird in our link. What happened?"


    "N-Nothing. Nothing." Varian shook his head, showing a ''carefree'' smile on his face.


    "I''m not buying it." She said with a raised eyebrow.


    "Err, Enlightement. Yes, I got an enlightment." Varian said with a proud smile.


    "In seven paths?" Isadora''s jaw dropped.


    Varian stood up and nodded with a not-so-humble expression. "I don''t want to brag but I''m really not bragging."


    Isadora sensed his aura and noticing that he crossed more than half of rank 8 already, his expressions underwent drastic changes.


    Surprise, confusion, disbelief and finally eptance.


    "Whatever, I just don''t want to get out of this ce." She stood up, dusting off her clothes.


    "The ending of this world will be reached only after we solve the devil''s problem." Varian said.


    Indeed, however things changed at this point, the story ending¡ªvictory of the devil¡ªseemed to be fixed.


    To get out of Paradise, they''d have to achieve a different ending.


    "I don''t understand how he can get out." Isadora circled around the energy beam in which the devil''s body was sealed and tried to figure out something.


    Not a single clue was found.


    "It might take a few years until the devil shows up." Varianmented.


    "Years?" Isadora''s eyes lit up.


    "Yes?"


    "I mean¡­we will have a lot of time to n. And it''s not certain if the devil is going to return. And even if he did, he didn''te out with his full powers at first. His powers were very restricted when he broke out, right?"


    Varian shrugged. It''s not like they had a choice.


    ''In the worst case, I''ll regress and try a way out.''


    In the quest so far, regression had been the best solution to all the problems. Even if the devil really returns in his full body, Varian figured he''d be able to find a solution.


    But there''s always one worry.


    ''What if¡­regression fails? They call him the devil but he''s essentially the bad half of this world''s creator, a literal half-god.''


    The two returned to the kingdom and as expected, were met with a lot more fanfare than imagined.


    Isadora was announced to take up the reigns soon as the Queen for her immense contributions.


    The other two kingdoms noise suspicion over her survival while their heirs died but thanks to the excellent diplomacy by Varian which included some reasonable coercion, no war was sparked.


    In the favorable environment, Isadora wanted to help Varian grow stronger. Varian showed no progress despite the numerous battles he went through.


    They first thought it was due to the sudden progress he had in the forbiddennd. But after one month, it became more than evident that something had gone very, very wrong.


    Isadora panicked even more than him.


    She could tolerate herself without progress for a month but Varian without jumping forward for an entire week?


    That''s like apocalypse!


    The Paradise System confirmed their suspicions.


    [


    Devil''s Curse:


    You are currently unable to gain any strength, rank up due to the curse the devil has ced on you with his great powers.


    Be warned. The devil is now even more vengeful than the original and would return soon.]


    This curse seemed to step from Non-Order and Non-Chaos sources. So, Varian couldn''t even break the limitations using the slivers.


    In the end, the strategy of the duo had to change.


    "I will do my best to grow stronger."


    Isadora dropped from her new position as the crown princess and dedicated every bit of time to training.


    But after a full week of training, she barely progressed.


    When she entered Paradise, she was already a mid rank 9 thanks to Miss Cmity''s help and was able to roughly exert strength of a high rank 9 thanks to her immense experience.


    The precious treasuries open to crown princess helped and she''s now close to breaching into high rank 9.


    But even she realized that it''s going to take months at this rate and they had no idea how long they had left.


    Going by the records, the devil had the strength of at least a divine ranker.


    "Varian, this is the only way!"


    Isadora said as she hugged him from behind once again.


    "Haaa~" Varian sighed with a helpless expression and grabbed her hands.


    As they interlocked their fingers, a beautiful white and ck emerged, forming the symbol of yin and yang.


    It worked.


    Synergy was performed once every week and in just six months, Isadora reached the peak of rank 9, reiming her former strength.


    "Did we really stay here for six months?"


    One fine evening, as they basked in the rays of the setting sun, sitting in the on the lush green garden grass, Isadora muttered.


    The hue of the sun shaded her beautiful silver hair orange and the cool breeze of the evening blew it gently.


    Having spent six months together, there was an unmistakable shift in their bond, one even they couldn''t ignore.


    It was unfortunate that only ''Isadora'' was allowed into this world, locking out both Sia and Enigma.


    But it was Varian who minded that. Isadora didn''t seem to mind this time, going as far to term it as ''well deserved vacation''.


    "Yeah?" Isadora turned to the man whoid on the grass and nudged him with her elbow. "What do you have to say about that?"


    "Uh?" Varian blinked, his focus returning to the present. "About what?"


    Isadora grabbed his cheeks, much to his annoyance and brought his face closer. "About the fact that we spent six months here, Mister Absentmind!"


    "Oh." Varian looked at the setting sun and said with a depressed expression. "I miss my wives. 6 months, 270 days, 6480 hours, 388800 minutes, 2332¡ª"


    "Stop!" Isadora looked at him with gritted teeth.


    There''s no mistaking it.


    Varian today was very dispiritedpared to his self in the forbidden grounds. It''s ironic since he was fighting against the literal devil back there and now, he''s fighting no one.


    If someone looked at him now, they''d mistake him for living in an inhuman prison where he''s forced to do toughbor everyday.


    And what''s up with those hollow cheeks? How the heck would a rank 8 Paragon warrior get that malnourished look?


    ''Is staying with me that much of torture?''


    Isadora was trembling as she clenched her fists.


    "Ah, I want to return home." Varian spread his arms on the grass and looked atthe sky with a despairing gaze. "Sia, Enigma, Sarah, I miss y¡ªmff!"


    Isadora punched him in the face.

 Chapter 1521 Life Of Two

    <h4>Chapter 1521 Life Of Two</h4>


    Isadora left Varian behind and walked into the winter pce, a quiet ce in the mountains built for her seclusion.


    The former crown prince was more than happy to expedite the construction and spent his own resources to send her away.


    The ce had its own cleaning and maintenance formations, invalidating the necessity for maids and servants.


    So they spent these six months in nature, not seeing a single person for so long. It was as if they were the only people left in the world.


    She didn''t know if Varian had the same thoughts but often times, Isadora felt that this was a wonderful life to have.


    The strolls in the garden filled with fragrance of flowers.


    Exploring the forest, bit by bit, without using any powers.


    Practicising synergy, learning a bit more about the strange man. Realizing that another person wasn''t very different from her.


    Coming to see it less and less as a training session to gain power and more and more as a way to touch a soul¡­and feel her own.


    Sparring for hours with petty punishments and prizes. No threat to life, fighting for just the thrill of it.


    The nice fatigue thates after pouring everything into practice.


    A quietpanion in that fatigued state, who would sometimes annoy her by grumbling about his wives. And wives and wives and wives!


    After a nice bath in ake, watching the night sky with glittering stars, like diamonds embedded into a ck veil.


    And falling asleep, dreaming a sweet day¡­of today to happen tomorrow, the day after and for days toe.


    Even though there was a devil they had to face, there was no sense of anxiety bubbling up in her.


    Isadora was doing her best already. Hitting the divine ranks was no easy task even for her. Especially since she''d be ascending in three whole paths at once.


    "If I don''t have to stay with an idiot who ends up getting dragged into danger every other week, I''d have lived in a peaceful like this." Isadora muttered as she watched her reflection on theke.


    Sia and Enigma might also like this kind of life.


    But without Varian¡­


    "It''d be a bit¡­just a bit boring."


    The princess pursed her lips and looked up at the night sky. The white light of the stars poured down gently, highlightng her celestial beauty, like she''s a fairy of theke in the myths.


    ¡­And the light unknowingly turned red.


    "Huh?"


    Darkness swallowed all light as Isadora pulled herself away from theke, barely escaping a giant monstrous hand.


    "Varian, run!"


    She screamed through the synergy link.


    An overwhelming aura enveloped the entire world in that moment as a purple skinned giant rose from theke, his head reaching the clouds.


    "Sorry for keeping you waiting," The giant''s voice sounded directly in her mind and he raised his hand.


    The darkness of the night and Isadora were both dispelled in a blink as a blinding blue light filled the entire world.


    Coming down with an intensity that promised hell, a blue beam reached Isadora.


    The princess'' face turned pale and she activated the silver card, teleporting out of the pce.


    "My goodness!"


    People from all over the world saw a blue pir emerging from the sky andnding somewhere on the ground.


    And then a destabilizing shockwave, powered with incredible energy, swept through the world.


    If one was in outer space, observing this region, they''d have noticed a blue wave sweeping the entire.


    A giant crater spanning dozens of miles but going hundreds of miles deep formed where the pce once stood.


    Watching the location of her memories get erased, Isadora clenched her teeth and her eyes turned cold.


    "What happened? Too scared already?" The devil, Icarus, looked at her with a teasing gaze.


    His eyes darted to a particr location before he smiled at her. "Don''t worry. I promised hell, didn''t I? He will regret everything before he goes insane."


    "You aren''t going to get a cha¡ªVarian!!!" Isadora nearly screamed her lungs out as the man who wasn''t supposed to be herended next to her.


    "What the hell are you doing here? Run!" She screamed into his mind, equally panicked and angered.


    Varian kept his gaze fixed on the devil, his expression unsightly.


    Even though the devil hadn''t fully broken the seal, he''s already able to contain slivers of divinity.


    In that sense, he''s stronger than a pseudo divine ranker and weaker than an actual divine being. And Isadora wouldn''t be able to defeat him.


    It''s unfortunate that this happened. But there''s only way out.


    Varian threw a ring to Isadora and said directly in her mind. "Once you die, you''ll regress back to the beginning. Use the experience to reach the divine rank before this guy breaks out."


    Isadora nodded and looked at the devil with a determined gaze. Even though she''d most likely die, she wanted to go down in a fierce fight.


    "No, no, no." Icarus'' face was now fully purple, unlike his original skintone and looked very distorted, like he''s some evil entity. "I can guess what you talked about. Regression."


    Varian stiffened.


    "A ring that allows you to regress everytime you time. No side effects at all. It''s too good to be true." Icarus clenched his fists and the exact model of the ring formed in front of him with his potent blue energy.


    "You¡­it''s all you." Varian gasped.


    "Yes, it''s all me. The devil." Icarusughed, his roaringughter reverberating across the entire world.


    "The other half of me set restrictions into the world to lock me in. But he''s long dead. I just had to eat away the restrictions.


    Every regression cracked the restriction. You thought you sealed me. Wrong. You were only dying my inevitable arrival."


    Icarus raised his arms, the dark sky turningpletely blue.


    "Now, in this one instant, the world is going to be subjugated. All the great warriors of this world who could put up a fight are being suppressed."


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The aura shockwaves that began since the devil arrived from long and short distances began to make sense.


    The kingdom''s powerhouses were all under attack. And this one guy was suppressing them all.


    His powers were beyond incredible. They were ridiculous.


    Even though he was stretched across the world, he still remained stronger than Isadora.


    ''If the good part of the creator left behind safety mechanisms, there might still be a mechanism to fall back onto if the primary safeguards fail.''


    Varian''s gaze fell on the ring and a dangerous thought emerged.


    He grabbed the ring and poured his aura into it.


    "Stop!"

 Chapter 1522 When Time Stopped

    <h4>Chapter 1522 When Time Stopped</h4>


    The devil lost hisposure and hastily threw a blue disc at Varian.


    Isadora stepped forward and struck it down with a thorned sword of darkness.


    Without looking back, she said. "Do it!"


    The ring in Varian''s hand began to shake as it rejected the power of other paths but the time path was epted.


    He was able to get into its structure and manipte it a little but he was too weak to break it or make any big changes.


    Taa! Taa! Taa!


    The ring began to shine with a red light and tremble violently, as if it was about to explode.


    "You bastard!"


    Icarus raised his hand and all his ''selfs'' fighting all over the world did the same. "You won''t suceed!"


    Varian hurriedly grabbed Isadora and pulled her back.


    In the blink of an eye, every self of the ''devil'' converged and the was basked in a blue light, as if a blue star had crashed it.


    The might of a divine ranker began to rise from the giant blue beam that pierced the sky.


    "I wanted to y with you, but it''s all over now."


    With an ancient voice that rumbled the heavens, the blue light of the devil reached them before Isadora could even react.


    At the same time, the power of slivers which were being charged until now flooded the ring and a brilliant red light rose from the artifact.


    The rising red and the descending blue shed.


    Everything disappeared.


    *** *** ***


    When Varian opened his eyes, he found himself standing in front of an endless stretch of red flowers.


    "Urgh,"


    Hearing the groan behind, his hanging heart settled down.


    "My head hurts." Isadora rubbed her long silver hair as she trotted next to him, looking at his face and the flowers in confusion before her eyes widened.


    "Where is he?" She looked around with a vignt gaze but noticing nothing but red flowers in her vast perception, the princess frowned. "No, where are we?"


    Varian shrugged.


    A green ring was formed over the tip of his finger from the power of time before it dissipated away.


    Shaking his head, he asked.


    "Good news or bad news?"


    "Good, of course."


    "We''re saved. ording to the feedback I recieved when the ring went berserk, this artifact is actually constructed the good god to save the world if they ever fail to seal the devil.


    But it was supposed to be used only for that and only once in a thousand years to not upset anything.


    This guy let off a prince in exchange for destroying the keepers of that knowledge and after a lot of mess, it ended up in your ends."


    "Come to the point." Isdaora crossed her aching arms as she eyed the red flowers, red sky and the rednd.


    "We overused the artifact, upset the mechanisms and let the devil out. The ring was supposed to regress when we die, back to the beginning if we died normally.


    But since I believed that guy and thought we won''t regress, I overloaded it to try if it could help. The ring reacted to this hijacking attempt and locked us in. Inside it. In a special domain without time."


    Isadora clutched her forehead and slumped down.


    This was a bit hard to swallow. If they only died and went back, things would''ve been so much easier. But believing the devil, trying some other way to get out of the trouble and now¡­


    "This is the good news?" She muttered with a dumbfounded expression.


    "Well, we''re safe here." Varian raised his hand.


    With the power of order, a soft mat was constructed under Isadora.


    "The ring is going to kill a bunch of people to recharge and then find a savior who can do the sealing ceremony." He sat down next to her. "There will also be an oracle given to the kingdoms. So, yeah, they will probably pull it off."


    "¡­What about us?" Isadora raised her head to look at his impassive face. "Are we going to be out after the devil is sealed this time?"


    "Heh." Varian clicked his tongue andid down on the mat. Looking at the red sky, he muttered. "The devil will never be sealed."


    "Didn''t you just say he would be sealed?"


    "In this ce, time is stagnant." Varian sighed. "A day, a hundred days, a million days. Nothing would change."


    Isadora jumped onto her feet, materialized a sphere of darkness and shot into the sky.


    The darkness hit the sky and cracks appeared. But the cracks disappeared and the dissipated darkness coalesced back before returning to Isadora''s hands and turning back into the aura in her body.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    She attacked the ground, the air and the flowers. It just repeated.


    "No, no, no!"


    Isadora''s face paled as she went berserk, destroying everything around her.


    But the destroyed ground reverted back to its original appearance, the drained aura recovered and the scattered flowers gathered again.


    "This is hell." She turned to Varian and grabbed his arm. "What the hell are we going to do?"


    Varian wrapped his arm around her and gently pressed her head onto his shoulder. Patting her head lightly, he said in a consoling tone. "The time is stagnant here. Butlike all structures in the universe, this is not perfect. Small changes are allowed."


    He pointed to the mat he created earlier.


    It was still intact and wasn''t ''reversing'' back into aura.


    "We might find a solution." He said after a moment of thought.


    "How long?" Isadora pushed herself away from him and looked into his eyes.


    "I¡­." Varian opened his mouth before shaking his head with a helpless expression. "I said might, not will. Honeslty, I don''t know if we can escape at all. There''s a chance I might find a solution since I do have the power of time."


    "But you''re just a rank 8 and this ce is constructed by a divine ranker." Isadora looked at him with a disbelieving gaze. "In this ce, we can''t even progress in the paths. This is nuts."


    Varian nodded. "The most optimistic of my estimates say I have one in a trillion chance it might happen. But it might not happen at all."


    "And what if it never happens?" Isadora asked in a trembling voice.


    "Well," Varian looked at the sea of red flowers and his shoulders drooped. "We''ll be seeing these flowers...for eternity."

 Chapter 1523 I’m The Exception

    <h4>Chapter 1523 I''m The Exception</h4>


    It was a world where time remained frozen.


    The sun wouldn''t set, seasons wouldn''t change and flowers didn''t wither.


    As if it was a picture that couldn''t be changed after the snap, the world continued to exist without any change.


    On the first day, Varian and Isadora didn''t feel the burden.


    After a big session of meditating and trying to find a way to exit this world, he toured the ce with the princess.


    "I have an idea." Varian said and picked up a grain of sand.


    He poured his power into it and ced it on a mat.


    "We''re going to live here for a while anyway. Perhaps for a long time." He looked at her. "To get a sense of how long, we''ll add a sand grain each everyday."


    "¡­" Isadora sighed and added her sand grain.


    The two were ced next to each other.


    Time passed¡­or rather, it didn''t.


    Varian and Isadora experienced the worst prison sentence ever. A prison where there''s no hope of escape, even by death.


    The sandgrains kept piling up. One by one after every 86,400 counts.


    "Arghh! Why is it taking so long?"


    Be it frustration.


    "I might be able to do it today."


    Hope.


    "Why am I so unlucky every single time?! Fuck!"


    And annoyance.


    "I hate this damn ce."


    Or anger.


    "Isadora, I''m so fucking mad! Let''s fight!"


    Boredom.


    "Huff, huff, huff! Why? Why is there no way out? Is it really impossible?"


    And Exhaustion.


    "I don''t want to do anything now."


    Varian added his sand grain to the tiny sand te.


    With it, there were now nearly 8,000 sandgrains. With 2 added every day, it''s 4000 days or nearly 11 years.


    "We can have a stroll. Or y a game." Isadora grasped his hand and gave a bright, encouraging smile.


    "Thanks a lot¡­" Varian smiled in relief. Without her, he''d have gone crazy.


    The tiny sandte continued to grow.


    Compared to Varian, Isadora was rtively more stable.


    She noticed his deterioating mental health and decided to help him out. Whenever he tasted despair and wanted to give up, she''d fill him with hope and joy.


    "Varian! Look what I made today!"


    She would greet him with a bright smile on her usually indifferent face.


    "Fight without powers?"


    She''d throw a wooden sword and give him a deliberately provocative gaze.


    "Your shirt? Grab it if you can!"


    She''d run barefoot in the sea of flowers, waving his shirt like it''s some war trophy, her beautifulughter filling the air.


    "This is the special, special gand for our very special emperor! Thank you for your hardwork!"


    She''d give gifts, small but thoughtful every once in a while.


    "Lord Emperor, do you want flower tea today or coffee? No, don''t ask. I can only make tea."


    And she''d give him some awfully tasting tea. Somehow, she never improved despite making it countless times.


    "Ah, another day of attemp¡­huh?"


    As he put the sandgrain for today, Varian noticed the tiny sandte now looked a lot bigger.


    80,000 grains or 40,000 days. Nearly 110 years.


    "No wonder¡­" Varian rubbed his forehead.


    "Hey, do you want to try designing a new outfit today?" Isadora called him from afar.


    "Coming!"


    Varian ran with a smile but it was weary.


    Eventually, Isadora too started to feel the pressure.


    One day, Varian finished his meditation session early and wanted to surprise Isadora.


    And he heard her sobbing softly.


    "¡­"


    It felt like someone had driven a knife in his heart and twisted it violently.


    She had encouraged and kept him sane for so long. Since she needed help now, he''d have to step up.


    Clearing his throat, Varian shouted.


    "Princess, the Knight will carry you in the clouds today!"


    By the time he reached her, Isadora wiped off her tears and appeared normal.


    With a haughty smile befitting a princess and her usual self, she gave him her hand. "Knight, it''s your honor."


    "Tsk."


    Instead of taking her on charriot like he usually did, he stepped forward in her confused gaze and hugged her narrow waist.


    "Eh? Wait, what are you do¡ª"


    "Ready, Set, Go!"


    Varian pulled her into a princess carry and jumped into the clouds.


    Instinctively, Isadora wrapped her arms around his neck and red at him. "What are you doing? Which Knight would treat a princess like this?"


    Varian leaned down dangerously close to the point they could feel each other''s breath.


    Isadora blushed like a ripe tomato and turned her head away. "W-What are you doing? I-Idiot!"


    "Did I ever say this?" Varian spun her around at his fastest speed.


    "W-Wh-Whaat?" Isadora couldn''t speak properly as the world spun at a ridiculous speed, the only constant in the chaos was his face.


    "You have a good chance of getting a promotion."


    "Ah? Huh?"


    "From a princess to a queen."


    "You bastard!" She punched his chest and flew away into the distance, like she was fleeing an enemy.


    From then on, the flirting increased.


    Isadora''s mental health improved even though time continued to pass. Varian too felt slightly better.


    As the sandte kept growing, so did their bond.


    Isadora was suspicious at first if he was just trying to cheer her up. But the synergy link between them told her otherwise.


    Even though they weren''t able to improve each other through synergy, they were still able to guage the other party''s feelings to some extent.


    And all readings told her that he was genuine.


    That scared her even more as she didn''t know how to respond.


    The scars in her heart were healed once she learned the truth about her ''betrayal'' and especially when her mother sacrificed her life for her.


    Yet, she couldn''t forget the pain she experienced.


    She still believed her theory was right.


    No rtionship would stand the test of time. The only reason they remained firm was the people died before it could break.


    "It won''t work¡­." So, she told him one day. "Even though you are saying these things, one day, the feelings will fade away. They can''t stand the test of time."


    Varian gently caressed her hair as she rested her head on hisp. "I''d like to prove you wrong. We have all the time in the world here, don''t we? This bond will not only stand the test of time, it''ll grow stronger with it."


    Isadora rolled a bit and looked up at his face. "Are you kidding? That''s not how it works."


    He pinched her cheek gently. "I''m not the rule,dy. I''m the exception."

 Chapter 1524 Miss Calamity Doubts Her Life

    <h4>Chapter 1524 Miss Cmity Doubts Her Life </h4>


    He was right.


    Even though she epted his confession with apprehension, her fears were proven wrong.


    She didn''t understand why or how.


    Isadora saw all rtionships as a me that would eventually die. But this man¡­he seemed unchanging even in front of time.


    It made no sense.


    The sandte kept growing.


    And somehow, this new rtionship went through centuries already, even longer than all the time she had lived prior to Paradise.


    But as unbelievable as it sounded, Isadora felt that their bond had only grown stronger.


    There was no but or if.


    Perhaps it''s beacuse they supported each other as their own minds began to break down in the face of time.


    Perhaps it was fear of being alone, perhaps the joy of being together.


    Perhaps¡­


    "You know¡­"


    Varian and Isadoraid down side by side as they watched the clouds drift by.


    "We might not get out of this world. I tried a lot and I failed every single time." He said with a sigh.


    Even if his powers were stopped from growing, Varian should''ve cracked it in a few decades at most.


    But this world was really evil. It somehow managed to destroy all the progress he made, erasing almost everything and pushing him to start from scratch.


    It had happened countless times already. Even Varian had lost hope at this point.


    Isadora interlocked her fingers with his and sighed. "It''s fine."


    "Yes!" Varian smiled, though his eyes looked teary. "I''m looking forward to spending an eternity together."


    Isadora rested her head on his chest. "It''s your honor, Knight."


    "Hahaha!"


    Varian gave up hopes but he did not give up trying. Everyday, he would meditate in hopes for the impossible.


    At some point, the sandte had turned into a small sand castle.


    The grains had reached 8 million. Over 4 million days have passed.


    Over 110,000 years.


    And then the sandcastle grew big.


    1 million years.


    The two started to break down at this point.


    The only thing that kept them sane was each other. And they feared their lover''s mental health.


    The Paradise System gave them a notification. It''s the notification he saw when he first entered the world of Eternal Empress.


    [Suicide Assist Window


    End the pain, embrace the darkness and drown in despair.]


    Varian and Isadora looked at each other.


    They didn''t press it.


    [Update!


    If one of you agrees to remain, the other can exit this world.]


    "I will remain!"


    "I will do it!"


    Varian and Isadora looked at each other before sighing.


    "You go out first. You can rescue meter. You''ll get strong really fast." Isadora tried to convince him.


    "No, you''re at the peak of rank 9. You''ll hit divine rank soon. You should leave first. Once you breakthrough, you can easily save me." Varian argued.


    But they both knew that while they made sense in their arguments, those who stayed would die.


    Even if Varian reached divine ranks in a few weeks, millions or perhaps billions of years would pass in this world due to its extremely distorted time flow.


    Who would guarentee that Isadora would remain sane and not kill herself?


    No, if they didn''t have each other until now, they might have already done it.


    The same went for Isadora. Even if she could reach divine rank in a few days, it''d already be millions of years here.


    Varian might end himself.


    If he didn''t have that damn curse, he''d have already reached divine rank and broken out of this prison but¡­


    "Fine. We''ll get out together or die together." Varian said.


    The sandcastle continued to grow.


    Eventually, it was as tall as Varian and a meter in width and thickness.


    How long had it been?


    Ten million years? Hundred million years?


    They had no idea anymore. And they didn''t care at this point.


    Varian wanted both of them to live. So, with a newfound purpose, he kept trying everyday.


    Isadora too went into a deep seclusion, to increase the understanding of her powers.


    Even though the progress they made was erased everyday, they kept at it like madmen.


    Ironically, this insane act was the only thing that kept them from going really insane.


    What they didn''t know was that help would arrive from the outside.


    *** *** *** ***


    Miss Cmity, humbly speaking, thought of herself as an out and out genius.


    No, really.


    She wasn''t very old, okay and she''s already about to hit the divine ranks! At her age, even the empire''s best geniuses would be at peak rank 8 or something.


    And even a peak rank 9 would take a few hundred to a thousand years to go from peak rank 9 to divine rank.


    ''I am the greatest genius of this generation.''


    That''s not just her thought, it''s the opinion of the Vita tribe.


    And so, when she realized she had a chance of breaking into the divine rank using the divinity from forbidden ces of Hortus, she was esctatic.


    ''Wohoo! I''ll be one of the youngest divine rankers!''


    "Oh, Sarah, are you also entering a seclusion?"


    Noticing the Queen of Radiance, Miss Cmity asked with a curious expression.


    "Yeah." Sarah nodded as she sat on a mountain peak a few hundred miles away from Miss Cmity. "Even though I let Isadora go, I want to join them if possible."


    "Well, good luck!" Miss Cmity cheered her up and closed her eyes.


    ''A low rank 9! So cute! I bet she''ll reach mid rank 9 by the time I end my seclusion.''


    Miss Cmity closed her eyes and focused on sensing the divinity.


    She was getting closer and closer to that ''wall'' she''d have to cross to hit the divine ranks and then suddenly¡ª


    "Huh?"


    Miss Cmity opened her eyes and saw the bright golden aura around Sarah surging up, as if oil was poured into fire.


    ''She reached mid rank 9 already? It''s been what? 1 month?''


    Sarah didn''t even open her eyes and continued in the seclusion.


    Shaking her head, Miss Cmity focused on herself.


    She reached the wall and would have to cross it.


    It''d be best if you could cross it in one go. Else, it''d get harder and harder until it bes impossible.


    ''Alright, I''ll have to prepare to breakthrough in one go.''


    As she gathered her focus for the great task, Miss Cmity''s brows jumped and she opened her eyes.


    ''Are you kidding me?''


    Sarah reached high rank 9.


    ''One and half month! She''s crazy! It''s totally unreasonable!''


    Shaking her head, Miss Cmity bit her lip and focused on charging herself.


    She began to recall all the things she had realized about her path and envisioned reaching a higher level.


    This ''understanding'' would materialize in her inner world and would break that wall, allowing her to go further.


    It''s the most critical step before the actual attempt.


    ''Phew, I consolidated it!''


    Miss Cmity sighed in relief and opened her eyes.


    ''Huh? Haaaah?!''


    Sarah had reached the peak of rank 9.


    ''What the hell is this? Is this girl an actual divine ranker who''s ying with me? High rank 9 to peak rank 9 in two months?''


    It would make perfect sense if Princess Isadora had a friend like this.


    B-But¡­


    Miss Cmity personally sensed the unstable aura whenever Sarah broke through. Out of suspicion, she even checked her rank. She was really a low rank 9 at the start of seclusion!


    ''N-Never mind! I will¡­I will reach the divine rank!''


    Gritting her teeth, she attacked the wall that seperated celestials from the divines.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Time passed in a blur and Miss Cmity felt her whole body ache. It was as if she had run for days without stopping without using any powers.


    ''Ahh! Yes! Yes! Finally!''


    Like an eggshell cracking, the wall cracked and her aura transformed.


    The origin of Miss Cmity underwent a great change and her power underwent an unimaginable shift.


    The world, both outside and inside, changedpletely.


    She felt like an invincible being, able to destroy and create life as she pleased. The universe was avable at the tip of her fingers.


    All the living in Hortus were just a thought away from submitting.


    She''s so strong that everyone else, even the peak of rank 9 felt like an ant.


    ''B-But why¡­?''


    Miss Cmity opened her eyes with a suspicious expression.


    Sarah slowly stood up, the divine aura overflowing from was being withdrawn back and she gave Miss Cmity an encouraging nod. "Good job!"


    "Y-You! You! What the hell¡­" Miss Cmity pointed a finger at Sarah, her lips twitching and hand trembling.


    "Ah, I reached the divine rank." Sarah said with a in expression and shook her head. "It''d have been much faster if Var was here."


    Miss Cmity clutched her heart and slumped onto her seat. Looking at the sky with a nk gaze, she muttered. "L-Lie! Lie! My whole life was a lie!"


    Sarah tilted her head and asked with a small smile. "I can feel their locations¡­they seem to be trapped somewhere. Can you lend me your help to fetch them back?"


    "Ah, ah, yes, yes!"

 Chapter 1525 The Dreaming God

    <h4>Chapter 1525 The Dreaming God</h4>


    Immortal and Icarus remained on the outskirts of Paradise, on opposite sides of it so that neither of them knew of the other''s presence.


    But they both had the same thought after their clone died.


    ''I need to get her!''


    Isadora was instrumental for Immortal. She was necessary for him to be the god he''s meant to be.


    For Icarus, she was the tool to get the slivers¡ªthe gateway to the glory of Nexus, the rejuvenation of the Sera tribe and emerging as a power equal to Jai.


    Even though it might take a few hundred million years, Icarus saw a future where Nexus could grow as strong as Jai and face it off directly.


    By then, these two puny one sliver ''Empires'' wouldn''t need to exist.


    Either the Jai and Nexus would split them between themselves or better, Nexus would attack the unsuspecting Empires and grab the slivers.


    The glorious future was beckoning and all he needed to do was grab that woman.


    The two men were under fierce pressure.


    Eventually, Immortal shook his head and left the ce.


    ''Without being a divine ranker, I can''t defeat the owner of Paradise. Anyway, I can find Isadora once she''s out of that ce. If she stays inside for a few more years, then I''ll have to change my ns.''


    He waited for centuries already. Waiting for a few more years wouldn''t be a big deal.


    Of course, if she exited Paradise tomorrow, he''d hunt her tomorrow.


    While he could wait, Immortal didn''t want to if he could help it.


    Icarus, on the other hand, found himself in a different situation.


    ''Gone! It''s gone! The marker is not working anymore!''


    The marker on Isadora had ceased to function at somepoint. The divine ranker didn''t know why it happened even though he had been dreading this.


    But with losing the only way he had to track the perfect hybrid, he was forced to make a choice.


    He could either grab Isadora now from Paradise, even if it meant going against Fabricator or he could mp his tail and wait for another opportunity to find one single person in the vast alliance.


    The second choice meant he''d be betting all his aspirations on luck, which, honestly speaking, hadn''t been very kind on Nexus Empire for hundreds of millions of years.


    The only choice left was to take the matter into his own hands.


    No matter how difficult, he''d have to grab Isadora from Paradise.


    Very difficult but not impossible. Icarus didn''t think he was overestimating himself.


    He''s a new divine ranker. Not so new that he brokethroughster year or the one before. It''s been over a century already.


    While his grandfather Equilius still considered him as a fledging neer who couldn''t even adjust his powers properly, Icarus knew that he was being weighed against a very high bar.


    Perhaps it''s due to his lineage or perhaps his innate talent, but he had confidence in beating any new divine ranker as long as they didn''t hold a thousand year experience.


    Of course, no divine ranker was going to reach the mid rank 1 in that short window. So, fighting a sub-rank up was out of question anyway.


    Fabricator, the creator of Paradise, a madman who rarely shows himself in public yet remains a legendary figure in the discourse of divine rankers was a peak rank 1 powerhouse.


    He''s a genius by all measures.


    Rock by rock, by and rule by rule, he created tens of thousands of ''worlds'' that make up the system of Paradise today.


    Rumors remain that he''s the descendent of a powerful Nexus figure and recieved quite a lot of help from the friends in Genesis and Mors who helped shape his world.


    In exchange, he was said to feed the the treasures they left behind to help advance their paths.


    If it''s just a couple thousands, it wouldn''t be a big deal.


    A peak rank 9 celestial himself could make attacks that would easily destroy couple of duchies. Controlling a few thousands shouldn''t be a problem.


    No, the issue was that each of these worlds were demanding in two ways.


    One, they all had abnormally strong average denizens. Most had at least a rank 7 as their strongest. Rank 8s were not frequent. Rank 9s were not rare.


    Heck, there were more than more than a thousand reported worlds with divine rankers alone!


    It''s still eptable until this point.


    Even if it''s a thousand divine rankers, a peak rank 1 could easily manage them. Due to the vast power difference between them, Fabricator could defeat even a hundred thousand of them without a big problem.


    If the power differential in celestial ranks was tremendous, this was astronomical!


    So, a thousand divine rankers was a burden, but manageable nheless.


    Two and the biggest issue of the entire project¡ªRules.


    Every world had its own rules which meant a specific set of Order and Chaosws presiding over the world at all times.


    Some worlds were deliberately created in the field of ''Sword & Magic'', disallowing use of any divine path.


    A few worlds had towers that you''d have to climb and clear to gain powers.


    There were also a couple worlds threw you straight into an apocalypse¡ªzombie apocalypse, end of days apocalypse or mind virus apocalypse¡ªyou had to survive it all while gaining power from ''shooting'' the targets.


    All the powers you get in such worlds go only to enchance your shooting skills and do absolutely nothing in terms of your divine ranks.


    Like these, there existed tens of thousands of worlds with their unique systems.


    This was precisely the problem that Fabricator had to face.


    Even a peak divine ranker of the first realm could hardly maintain so many ''dynamic systems'' running.


    So, the man made a crazy decision.


    He went into a deep slumber and been at it for thousands of years already, even forgoing any attempts to hit rank 2.


    The ''Paradise System'', the manifestation of his ''Will'', continued to enforce the rules, seeking more and more entertainment for the being in rest.


    It sounded straight from the tale of a cosmic horror in ancient myths that sounded very much contrived to Eden''s culture, but Fabricator was a sleeping god of the worlds he created.


    He would dream of everything happening in these worlds and everything would keep happening because he was dreaming. If he woke up, the worlds would be copse.


    It was an eerie line of thought that many would not want to get into. But at this point, Icarus had to.


    Considering that he''s only going to break into Paradise and grab Isadora, there''s significantly less chance of Fabricator using his full power to meet him.


    He could probably fight a low rank Fabricator despite that man''s extensive experience and manage to escape.


    The chances of actually pulling this off weren''t very high. But it''s the only way this could ever work.


    "Fuuuu~" Icarus exhaled and his eyes glowed with white light.


    It was a pure white of Order, the shade closest to the one disyed by the slivers themselves.


    "For Nexus!"


    After roughly 10,000 years, another divine ranker barged into Paradise.

 Chapter 1526 Six Months and A Billion Years Later

    <h4>Chapter 1526 Six Months and A Billion Years Later</h4>


    "Crossing an entire Empire, going from one border of Genesis to the other border, it just felt like a light walk." Sarah muttered.


    Even though she had just broken through, the Queen of Radiants disyed an impable control over her power.


    "Ah, ahah, yeah."


    Miss Cmity had received excellent training since childhood and even she was a little shaken to adjust to her new powers during this ''light walk''.


    For the greatest genius who was repeatedly struck blow after blow by Sarah''s iprehensible ascension, this was thest fig of pride on her otherwise bare ego. And now, even thatst fig was torn away.


    In the deep dark space, they were wrapped in a bubble created by Sarah, watching Icarus contemting fiercely outside Paradise.


    Even though his perception was fully active, he wasn''t able to detect the time structure enclosing the two. It wasn''t just because of the time power.


    The power of chaos, manifesting itself in the form of light¡ªthe form which Sarah liked¡ªdistorted something¡ªthe link between Icarus and his extended senses.


    When these extended senses pick up something suspicious, they''d send him a message through an intangible link.


    What the power of chaos did was to distort these messages and halt their ''travel'' from reaching him.


    They wouldn''t be able to stop him forever without raising suspicion and that''s where the power of time kicked in.


    The time powers acted on these ''information packets'' and regressed them rather than letting them progress in time.


    The ''information'' was thus lost.


    In simple terms, she used the two powers to not only watch an enemy from the shadows while hiding perfectly.


    If Logos disyed her status, it''d show her paths as¡ª


    [Pneuma


    Chaos


    Time]


    Unless Icarus was a very perceptive warrior or Sarah made a mistake, she might even able to sneak attack on him and gain the first mover advantage in the battle.


    As Sarah wondered which step to take, an unexpected development ured.


    "Did that guy really barge in? Not send a clone in but barge in?" Sarah shook her head in disbelief as she watched Icarus barge in.


    A bright light exploded out from the gate and a powerful aura, one enough to instantly wipe away even the strongest of peak rank 9s swept the ce.


    Miss Cmity tapped the space with the bottom of her toe and her body moved forward, disappearing from its initial location in a blink and appearing in front of the gate, as if she had always been there.


    She too was a


    , the controller of lifeforce.


    "Not a very good idea. Fabricator might be in a slumber but even the sleeping ghost of a peak rank 1 is stronger than a low rank 1 like that guy." Miss Cmity''s lips moved but her voice directly sounded in Sarah''s mind.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Space itself began to break down and the flow of time distorted to severe degrees. The signals of lifeing from Paradise underwent a ridiculous change.


    Lifeforms, with an average grade of rank 6 and in numbers of billions, were perishing every second.


    It was a ridiculous thing to even think of.


    Even the most conservative detection from Miss Cmity found at least five peak rank 9 powerhouses perishing.


    These five were almost as strong as her before her ascension.


    "¡­"


    "Thankfully, we waited until your breakthrough or it''d be difficult for me to protect you while fighting."


    Sarah''s innocousment pierced her heart like an arrow.


    Miss Cmity wanted to give her a begrudging look but she was quick to realize something in those words.


    ''Waited until my breakthrough, what the¡­?''


    "What do we do now?" Sarah asked in a soft voice.


    "H-Huh?"


    "You know more than me in this area. I''ll trust your judgement."


    Looking at those soft blue eyes staring at her, Miss Cmity decided to forgive Sarah for the heartbreak herments caused.


    "We shouldn''t go inside now. Locate brother-inw, bide our time and strike at the right moment to get him and Senior Sister out!"


    It was a good tactic for their situation.


    Sarah nodded in understanding and wrapped them once again in a very secretive Chaos-Time bubble.


    The bubble which was asrge as a giant mansion and unlike the darkness outside, it was full of soft golden light.


    Bathed in that light, Sarah sat cross legged and was closing her eyes. In that brief moment, Miss Cmity wondered if she had witnessed the angel of the myths.


    "Uh¡­"


    Sarah who was about to closer her eyes raised an eyebrow.


    "How are you doing this?" Miss Cmity asked with an uncontroble curiousity.


    Sarah pursed her lips.


    "You are showing the power of two paths!" She eximed with a disbelieving expression and shaking hands. Pointing to her own fingers, she continued. "See, I still can''t believe it."


    Sarah gave her a friendly smile. "I can''t tell you what you want. But I can tell you what you need."


    "Yes?"


    "You have to harden your heart or you might faintter."


    "W-What do you mean?"


    Sarah said with a charming smile. "Your brother-inw has a very bad habit of making people doubt their life."


    Miss Cmity nearly jumped onto her feet. "D-Do you have any idea how ridiculous it is for you to say that?"


    "Exactly. How ridiculus must he be? So harden your heart. I thought he was doing a lot of crazy things when I was in the celestial ranks.


    But now that I reached the divine, I finally realize¡­my husband is going to do things that will make everything until now look normal.


    The real step is only just being taken.


    He is really¡­"


    With an expression of half pride and half exasperation, Sarah shook her head and closed her eyes with a smile on her lips.


    From the tone of her voice, even she has having a hardtime believing what''s about to transpire.


    Leaving Miss Cmity who was itching to ask more but knew she wouldn''t get any proper answers, Sarah focused on the link of synergy.


    Unlike before when she could just feel his presence, she could also vaguely him now.


    He¡­


    Sarah frowned and her smiling face turned frigid.


    ''Var? Var?''


    ''S-Sarah?''


    ''Are you okay? W-Why is your voice, no, why is your soul state like that? What happened?''


    ''¡­You''re still alive, thank god! Thank the heavens! Thank the stars! Thank my luck! You''re alive! You''re still alive!''


    ''Alive? What are you talking about?''


    ''I''m sorry for not staying with you for all this time.


    Isadora used to say that time will break somethings.


    I proved her wrong long ago.


    And I''m tell you with my full heart today.


    One billion years ago, I loved you!


    One billion yearster, I only love more!''


    Sarah bit her lip as she listened to his voice. It was bright but something waspletely wrong.


    She didn''t even know why but she started sobbing uncontrobly.


    It shouldn''t happen. It mustn''t.


    She''a divine ranker. Pneuma, the controller of all lifeforces.


    She¡­


    Sarah wailed for reasons she couldn''t understand, didn''t want to understand.


    It felt someone had driven a cold knife into her heart and stabbed a dozen times.


    The hot ears in her eyes just wouldn''t stop flowing.


    ''I love you!''


    ''Var!''


    ''I love y¡ª''


    ''Var!!!''


    ''Y-Yes?''


    ''I-it''s been only s-six months since you left¡­'' Sarah said in a bleak voice. ''And your connection with me was cut off only a minute ago. That''s why I came here rushing.


    Your soul state was fine more or less for the six months.


    A billion years didn''t pass, whatever you experienced, you experienced it in a minute.''


    Her words must''ve sent him into a deep shock as he didn''t reply for a while.


    ''N-No way! That''s too much, right? Even if this is a ce like that, that''s too much of a torture.


    Maybe the time here isn''t distorted, it''s our perception¡­they messed with our souls¡­damn it! Fucking damn it!


    I''ll¡­I''ll make him regret it! Regret everything!''


    His anger was barely controlled and he was on the verge of erupting.


    ''I''ll get you out of here. We can n the revengeter. He''ll regret everything.'' Sarah said in a voice so venemous that Miss Cmity shuddered just by noticing her expression.


    ''I¡­I want to get out of here myself or I''ll have bad memories of this ce.'' Varian''s voice was unexpectedly firm.''This ce tortured me for a billion years or 1 minute¡­I don''t know.''


    Sarah''s expression hardened. ''Now is not the time to be stubborn. You have suffered enough! Even if we''re going to fight about this, I''m getting you out!''


    ''C-Clone! Send me your clone! You have reached rank 9, right? I can break out if I can have the insigths of a rank 9 time awakener and couple it with my slivers.''


    Sarah rubbed her eyes and sniffed back her tears.


    Even now, this stubborn guy¡­


    Gritting her teeth, she nodded. ''I''ll know everything with my clone, if you fail or anything goes wrong, I''m breaking in.''


    Sarah plucked a strand of her hair and threw it into the space. The time enveloping the hair skipped some crucial minutes and took it to another gate of Paradise.


    The hair turned into Sarahs'' avatar and entered Paradise with the strength of a peak rank 9.


    She quickly located the world of <Eternal Empress>, found a chosen warrior rallying peopleto prepare for the devil sealing ceremony, killed him without hesitation and activated the ring.


    And then she saw him.


    Six months and a billion yearster.

 Chapter 1527 A Moment Of Peace

    <h4>Chapter 1527 A Moment Of Peace </h4>


    Varian looked at Sarah in silence. Even though his eyes were wide and shaking, he didn''t move an inch from his position.


    His fists clenched before he knew it and veins popped up as if they were about to burst the boiling blood inside.


    ''I-It''s¡­It''s¡­''


    He wanted to remain strong, to maintain a firm mind even in this situation. Because the problem wasn''t solved yet.


    Still¡­


    A moment of rxing his breath¡­


    Varian was hugging her before he even knew it. The familiar touch of the girl he thought he lost long ago filled him with joy.


    The familiar fragrance, one that reminded him of the academy days when he first met her, soothed his scarred soul.


    "It''s okay, it''s okay, it''s okay!"


    Only then did he finally hear her soft, sweet andforting voice as she patted his back.


    "Sarah," Varian pulled back from his hug and held her shoulders. "Why are you crying?"


    Those blue eyes didn''t stop watering. Wiping the tears, Varian said. "Don''t cry, please don''t cry..."


    Sarah started at his red eyes and dried tear marks and something in her broke. Unable to control herself more, she burst into a wail.


    "I can''t bear to see you like this. It hurts. It hurts."


    Varian sighed and wiped the tears from his own eyes.


    With a gesture of his hand, Isadora who was meditating appeared next to them. Without any word, she too hugged Sarah and rested her head on her shoulder.


    The trio remained in silence for a long time.


    Eventually, they sat inside a small clearing where Varian began. "Before my breakout n, how did you get here? What happened?"


    Sarah exined the circumstances and in response, both of them looked at her in disbelief.


    "So you reached divine rank before me, huh." Isadora chuckled.


    If it was before, she might have said something provocative or reacted with a bit of jealousy. Now, she didn''t seem to mind at all.


    "Funny how I thought Varian would be the first." She leaned against him with a peaceful expression.


    "You two¡­" Sarah raised an eyebrow.


    Varian nodded, exining it roughly. "I think the only reason she got convinced was we spent almost an eternity."


    "A billion years, yep." Isadora gave her a smile.


    Sarah shook her head with a confident expression. "This ce doesn''t work like that. I told you, only a minute had passed since I lost connection with you. This mini world had an extreme time dtion already and they pushed that 1 minute into 1 year.


    Whatever else you experienced is the result of your time perception being distorted. For these distortions to work, the soul of the parties inside the world will have to be deceived.


    Even if you take away the time reversal feature of this world, no one can progress when the time flow is this distorted.


    Think about it, if any peak rank 1 can stretch a minute or even ten years into a billion years, why would the Alliance ever be in shortage of divine rankers?"


    Isadora fell silent for a minute¡ªor what felt like one¡ªbefore asking "What will happen to our memories?"


    Sarah frowned. "Once your souls return to their natural state, the memories will also return to an unaffected state. It won''t be a billion years anymore, only one."


    Varian smiled at the princess. "Why, regretting already?"


    Sarah also waited for her response in curiosity.


    "Well, we might not have spent a real billion, but it sure felt like one. And once we go out, I''m looking forward to spending that billion."


    "It''ll be only the first billion." Varianughed.


    "Ahem, ahem." Sarah coughed, drawing their attention. "I amying im to my trillion, thank you very much."


    Isadora pursed her lips. "Thankfully, Sia and Enigma didn''t have to suffer. But they''ll definitelyin."


    Sarah agreed. "They''ll both see this as a missed opportunity. Especially that wild cat! Six months without her was a lot of peace."


    "I don''t want to imagine their smug responses now this happened¡­" Isadora covered her face.


    Varian brought them back to the main topic. "All the progress done to break out of this world is being reset. If we have to breakthrough, it has to be done before any reset happens."


    "But how do you even breakthrough? This world''s time is like a tight cage with only a few loopholes." Sarah''s eyes turned fully gold as she looked around. "And these loopholes are strictly guarded against timepower. I can''t offer help."


    Varian raised a finger and a swirling sphere of ck and white manifeted itself. "I''ll just need the tips from a powerful time ranker to get the aim, I''ll strike the cage myself."


    Without dy, the three got into Synergy.


    Sarah''s ascension to divine ranks meant that even though the current her was only an avatar, her understanding was still that of a divine ranker, albeit less than her full strength.


    So, Varian was able to draw more than enough knowledge and despite not making any progress in any paths, he was able to learn the things he needed.


    "How do we kill the devil though?" As Varian began to a charge a beam of ck and white, Sarah asked. "He''s a divine ranker, right? No matter how weak, a divine is a divine. I''m just an avatar, I can''t exert divine power."


    "Leave it to me. I got matters to settle with that vermin." Isadora said with a cold smile.


    She too benefitted from the direct experience of a divine ranker. Even though she couldn''t progress in this world, as someone who was already trying to hit the divine rank for a while, she felt like she could easily breakthrough.


    Varian shrugged, as if he already knew that Isadora would say it.


    "Get,"


    All the wind in the world disappeared.


    "Set,"


    The red sky went ck and the ground turned white.


    The beam at the tip of Varian''s finger began to glow with a brilliant light.


    "Go!"


    The power of slivers, guided by the acute positioning of the ''time cage'', struck one of the loopholes of this world.


    Everything shook violently and something cracked.


    Varian grabbed Sarah and Isadora and the power of space enveloped them. With a resounding boom, the three disappeared from the ce.

 Chapter 1528 A Mad, Mad Plan

    <h4>Chapter 1528 A Mad, Mad n</h4>


    As soon as the world was affected, the regression ring cracked.


    Thest regression got cancelled and they were back to the time of present, when the devil broke out of the seal and attacked the world.


    The red sky that greeted them might not have ended it, but it reminded them more of the timeless world than the scary devil.


    Isadora''s emotions went into an intense turmoil and her aura soared. Sarah quickly ced barriers to hide them away from the powerful auras present all over the world.


    Soon, the princess floated into the air and a power far greater than any celestial began to emerge from her.


    Varian, on the other hand, gently rubbed his head and looked at the sky. The memories in his head began to fix themselves and the one billion years turned into just one full year.


    It wasn''t bad to have a billion years of memories and experience, but it''s bad when they were built on a distorted perception.


    Perhaps that''s why, he began to feel light again, as if a big burden on his shoulders was removed permenantly.


    If he didn''t break out of the world by himself, it might''ve remained as a trauma he wouldn''t have forgotten.


    Thankfully, while he took assistance, he did the major work. So, he was able to convince himself that not only did he get out of that hellish ce, he need not fear it.


    "If only the curse is also removed¡­" He gritted his teeth.


    "Icarus, that''s his name." Sarah sat beside him on the mountain top and followed up with a kiss.


    "He''ll lose against Fabricator?" Varian asked.


    "Miss Cmity said the odds for him are 1:99. Even though he''s stretched too thin and might not even use a fraction of his power, Fabricator is still a peak rank 1. Icarus is either very brave or very desperate to even consider attacking."


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Isadora''s power finally began to sublimate and she began to step into the divine ranks in the truest sense.


    The sheer shockwaves from it would''ve seriously injured or even killed them if she didn''t actively shield them herself.


    At this point, Sarah''s shields had turned meaningless and the devil had sensed their presence.


    Isadora withdrew all the aura and a silvery light began to emerge from her. For a brieft moment, she looked like a goddess descending from heaven.


    "I''ll return with his head shortly. Carry on."


    She disappeared at a speed beyond their senses could even register.


    Varian''s lips twitched and he shook his head. "¡­anyway, where was I?"


    "Icarus."


    "Can one of you join the battle? Don''t put yourself at risk but increase pressure on Fabricator."


    Sarah quickly grasped his intentions and looked at him like he''s crazy. "Stop what you''re nning. He''s a peak rank 1."


    "Even a peak rank 1 can''t run these many worlds when each of them have very special rules of order. I''m not a divine ranker but I have some idea thanks to the slivers. Even for a peak rank 1, it should be an isane task. No wonder that guy is in deep sleep."


    "But still¡ª"


    "Cmity said it, didn''t she? Even Icarus had a 1% chance of victory. That''s how bad the situation is for Fabricator. I just want you to keep more pressure on him. Not to the point he''d get rmed ande out of his sleep. But enough that he wouldn''t focus of anything else." Varian said in a light tone but his eyes turned cold at some point.


    He could''ve escaped this world after clearing one world or at least bought a spare life if he didn''t get the special treatment.


    Forget escaping, even a spare life would''ve been enough. Isadora would''ve exited the timeless world when the option came up and he''d have ended himself.


    But no, that bastard not only made his life hard, he had the audacity to give him some fucking choices when he was going crazy.


    No matter what, Fabricator would have to pay for his role.


    "We''re ying with fire." Sarah sighed. "If anything happens to a peak rank 1, entire Nexus wille down to find out who did it."


    "I know." Varian exhaled. "But thankfully, they aren''t time awakeners who can just check the criminals. And Hortus has a good security from searches like these. Even more so if I hit the divine rank."


    Sarah looked at him with aplicated expression.


    "What?"


    "This is madness but okay. Fabricator had remained inactive for thousands of years. Even if he dies, the me would first go to Icarus. We''ll be secondary suspects. Most likely the ''mercenaries'' he hired.


    With Hortus and our divine powers covering the tracks, it might take a few years until they find out. And I trust you can take care of the situation by then."


    Sarah said but rather than telling him, it seemed like she was trying to convince herself.


    Varian only shrugged.


    Even though he didn''t say it out loud, he didn''t think he''d get much time.


    ''Immortal knows Isadora. He''s after her but he also wants the slivers and thinks she has the slivers. When he finds out that she doesn''t, his biggest suspicion would turn to me.''


    This might happen next week or next month or next year. But for now, only this one battle mattered.


    ''Fabricator, Icarus.''


    Kacha!


    Like a chain was broken, the restrictive feeling Varian had since a while vanished. And as it did, his aura quickly surged a bit before stabilizing.


    ''Status''


    [Rank 8


    Paragon Body: 20,000/25,000 (+5,000)


    Ignis: 20,000/25,000 (+5,000)


    Death Giant: 20,000/25,000 (+5,000)


    Order: 20,000/25,000 (+10,000)


    Chaos: 20,000/25,000 (+10,000)


    Space: 20,000/25,000 (+5,000)


    Time: 20,000/25,000 (+5,000)


    Note: "Explosive Growth Stage"


    <The status window is iplete without mentioning that your suppressed growth has not disappeared. It''s going to boost your progress all the way until peak of celestial rank, making you cross the entire rank 9 as fast as you crossed rank 8, if not faster. Congrattions>]


    Boom!


    The red sky turned ck before it reverted to normal color, disying the setting sun. The chaotic aura all over the world vanished as if nothing weird had ever happened.


    A gentle breeze blew.


    In this serenity, Isadora who appeared on the mountain top before Varian could notice sat beside him and rested her head on his shoulder.


    Varian calmed grasped their hands and looked at the sunset with a determined gaze.


    The Paradise System message arrived, as expected.


    [Victory to Thee, Warrior! You are the first to clear this world! Since it was your decision to enter, you are the de facto leader of your faction. All the rewards are yours to distribute.


    Assesment


    EX: 3 billion


    <The devil is a god of this world. To kill the god, even if it''s only a half-god is beyond all imagination.>


    Maiden World: 2 billion


    <This is the first time this world had ever been cleared!>


    Unprecedented Ending: 2 billion


    <The system believes that you did something impossible for anyone thates after you.>


    Heart of Rock: 1 billion x 2


    <You have endured a billion years, even if it''s merely a perception.>


    Total Merit Points: 1 + 9 Billion.


    You can choose to shop precious items, buy ves, helpers, pets and more with your points.


    Or you can save up to 100 Billion and leave the Paradise. But a word of caution, Paradise is one of the safest ces from external threats.]


    Varian eyes narrowed as he noticed the points needed for leaving Paradise changed from 10 billion to 100 billion.


    As expected, the Paradise System didn''t want to leave. Not because it was hostile. Far from it.


    This thing behaved like a curious child, to put it mildly or like a novel reading junkie, to put it bluntly or as a desperate drama addict, to put it realistically.


    It didn''t care about anything else. All it wanted was to watch interesting stories and new endings to the worlds.


    That''s it. That''s the only thing this wanted.


    From Sarah''s words, Paradise System was the manifestation of Fabricator''s will. It represented his deepest desires.


    "I will exit the world in a few minutes but I won''t leave paradise." Varian said out loud, confusing the women.


    [Wonderful, Warrior! What are your ns? Do you want the System to reend some wonderful worlds to you?


    There is one inspired from the lores of an ancient civilization, the tale of a man who murdered the gods who live on a mountai¡ª]


    "No, I want to spend my points. You said I can buy anything in the Paradise with them, right?"


    [Yes, what do you want?]


    A sharp smile formed on his lips.

 Chapter 1529 Last Of His Kind

    1529 Last Of His Kind


    Deep inside Paradise, beyond the reach of myriad worlds,y a special realm.


    The space was folded andpressed, causing the area to distort and look like a ss house. ck mists pervaded the entire space,ing together and drifting apart as they pleased.


    The mists carried with them a scent of depravity and the muffled wailings of souls that died in Paradise.


    These souls shone white in the ck mists, like stars in the night sky, as if they were trying to escape the imprisonment. Bright was their light but the darkness was darker.


    All struggles, of thergely unconscious souls and the few barely conscious ones, were futile in front of a power that far eclipsed them.


    Bubbles popped from these souls, colorful bubbles that contained wisps of the most essential memories of the individuals¡ªthe few moments they held as irrecable in their centuries old lives.


    The darkness swallowed these bubbles before transferring them to arge collection where new stories would be selected for the new worlds to be made. Unpopr worlds would be demolished and a new story world would take its ce.


    The ''providers'' of these stories, the souls in the ck mist, however would meet their end as they would eventually reach the giant being asleep in the center of the realm.


    Fabricator. The Sleeping Creator. Demon of Dreams.


    He was a giant wriggling mess of blue and brown flesh with thousands of tentacles¡ªeach long enough to reach earth from sun¡ªmoving incessantly, folding and unfolding.


    There were millions of tiny portrusions on his horrific body, emiting the ck mist which filled the realm.


    The giant mouth of the creature always remained wide open,rge enough to devour a hundred suns.


    The stream of dark mist carrying the souls eventually entered the mouth of Fabricator and the souls would be digested, allowing Fabricator to ''experience'' their life as if it was his own.


    The talent came from his racialposition, one that made them a formidable species across the Alliance.


    The race of Fobia.


    By absorbing the lived experience of other creatures despite not being in the path of ''Soul'', Fobians had grown stronger, not only in terms of divine path but in experience.


    At one point, they were referred to as the ''All Knowing'' species. If Fobians didn''t know something, chances were, no one else would.


    Their birth was the result of an experiment between races aligned to the power of Order and pure souls who had the affinity towards spirits.


    The experiment was nothing short of a miracle. The rise that followed was meteoric.


    Growing not only strong but also knowledgable, Fobians set their sights higher.


    More than five millions ago, when the Alliance had suffered yet another defeat, Fobians crossed a line.


    The intention was not treasonous. They wanted to build a ''World'' with specialws to perfectly counter the army of Jai.


    Fobians strongly believed that with enough data and preparation, a nearly autonomous defensive and offensive system could be created.


    Perhaps they were right about it. The world would never find out as they just happened to be unlucky enough to kill the third direct disciple of Master Keman Aurik, the one he took in recently.


    The disciple had just entered the divine ranks and thus sought disguised himself to avoid being targetted by the brutal Jai warriors.


    He survived the enemies. But he couldn''t survive Fobians who used the chaos to gobble up a few Genesis provinces.


    By the time they realized what they had done, they were beyond the point of return.


    Master Keman Aurik took the matter into his own hands. He could''ve rounded up and killed the ones who participated in the mission. But he didn''t do that.


    The leader of Genesis wielded the power of life sliver and disyed true power.


    Whether they were in the center of Milkyway or the on edge of Andromeda, every being who could qualify to be a ''Fobian'' died an ugly, gruesome death.


    Down from the weakest to even those who reached the peak of rank 1. No one was able to survive more than a few seconds before they dissolved back into the universe.


    The only being who survived, the leader of Fobians, was a being who had reached the second realm of divine!


    But even he was helpless against the angered Keman.


    One move.


    The leadersted only move, perhaps because Keman blocked the attacks of Demon of Order and Punisher Aridam who tried to intervene.


    With the second move, the Fobian leader was gone. Like all his fellow beings, he turned into ashes and scattered into the dust.


    The Fobian race should''ve ended then. But one particr creature took birth at the exact moment.


    It was a stillborn child, delivered seconds before the sliver destroyed its mother.


    The death of its mother ended up releasing a lot of pure soul power¡ªbuilt up from the vast living experiences she absorbed¡ª which poured a new life into the baby.


    Even though it was born a Fobian, it was distinctly different.


    Due to the distorted soul power from which it was created, this Fobian''s unending obsession turned into having more and more ''living experiences''.


    But it could not go out and devour others. Fobians weren''t supposed to be alive anymore.


    So, Fabricator was born, a mysterious being who didn''t participate in the wars, showed no interest in faction conflicts and stayed away from resource conflicts.


    He created Paradise, drew people and used them to satiate his unending thirst.


    The reason he''s alive today¡ªthat corrupted soul power¡ªwas the reason he lived the way he did.


    ''I want to know about the creator of Paradise. Fabricator.''


    Along with a billion other messages from the Paradise System, this one too reached him.


    Fabricator remained in sleep but his dreams turned a bit more interesting, amusing and curious.


    ''I want ess to the ce he lives. 10 billion should buy that. That''s the deal for me to stay.''


    Varian''s voice sounded sincere but sharp. The tentacles of the sleeping creature halted for a brief moment before they resumed. The sleeping godughed in his dreams.

 Chapter 1530 Laying Siege To Paradise

    1530 Laying Siege To Paradise


    With the help of Isadora''s divine power, Varian and Sarah headed to a realm beyond the reach of anyone else in Paradise.


    The space around them cracked like shards of ss and energy strings shining in multitude of colors exploded all around.


    A pure white wall passed them by on four sides as they raced ahead. Beyond the wally different worlds, some famr and otherpletely unknown.


    From time to time, specks of white light would break out of the wall and sh forward.


    They tried to catch a speck at least, but a ck mist would appear everytime, grabbing away the speck.


    After giving up the futile capture, they reached the end of the tunnel.


    What greeted them was a giant gate, which stretched in every direction,pletely filling their vision.


    "This is it." Isadora stopped and they stood in the chaotic space.


    Bits of shining white lights entered the gate and the ck mist seeping out of the gate seemed to facilitate this process.


    "As long as you don''t step into his actual abode, I have some confidence in taking you out." Isadora said with a nervousugh.


    "How confident are we talking about?" Sarah intervened.


    "A full 10%."


    Sarah gawked.


    "I know it''s high, but hey, I can burn the purple card and 10x the chance." Isadora exined with a smug face.


    "It''s not toote to withdraw." Sarah looked at them with a bit of hope.


    "I know this is risky but I can''t sleep until I do this." Varian exhaled deeply, his head already throbbing as his corrected memories recalled the despair he felt.


    "For that son of a bitch, I''m just a character to enter his worlds and build an interesting story. We were almost driven to insanity just to entertain him. And even then, he was trying to test if we''d betray one another to survive."


    Isadora lowered her gaze and didn''t say a word. But from the way she clenched her teeth, it seemed that she too held a great grudge.


    Sarah sighed and said no more.


    While they couldn''t feel anything inside, a battle of epic proportions had been going on the surface level world of Paradise.


    Icarus floated in an expanse of cracked space, whose fragments floated around like shards of ss and swallowed light in weird ways, creating a surreal environment.


    From the tip of his feet all the way to his waist, a ck mist tried to devour him and was kept at bay only by the resisting power.


    In front of him was a giant being that wasrger than ten big stars. Its tentacles were long and its eyes, millions in number, blinked all at once.


    The creature would open itsrge mouth andugh sometimes. And then it would suddenly grow crying, shedding thick ck tears from all its eyes. Without warning, it would go into a very contemtive mood too.


    "I don''t want your enmity but," Icarus raised his hand and a glowing formation circle lit up in the empty expanse of space. "If you keep denying me what''s rightfully mine, you''ll die."


    A blinding light swallowed the dark space and the power of Order acted on Fabricator''s avatar.


    Every bit of his being, overflowing with divine energy, began to break down as it began to rearrange itself into dead matter.


    A quarter of the giant being was ''eaten'' away by the order and Fabricator made a move.


    "Hahahahaha!"


    With a resoundingughter, its tentacles pped seemingly abrupt points in space. But it resulted in a very well nned formation built from the divine power of Order.


    A tsunami of ck mist was released from the formation, which all headed to the outsider.


    Icarus'' face paled and he used his power to ce a new ''Order''.


    Like air going from high pressure region to low pressure region, Icarus created an ''Order'', pushing the ck mist to go from high aura to low aura region.


    As a result, the ck mist which reached him split and engulfed the space around.


    "Wooo! Woo!" Fabricator began to wail and the formation glowed a bit brighter.


    Kacha! The ''Order'' was broken and the ck mist swarmed Icarus before he could repel it away.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    A powerful explosion, one that would''ve destroyed an entire kingdom if it wasn''t in a protected space, blew away the ck mists.


    Icarus panted heavily, the ck mists now swallowing him all the way to his chest. "F-Fuck! Fuck you!"


    "Ehhh? Ooo? Aaaa~" With a contemtive expression, Fabricator nodded to himself.


    The formation it up again and Icarus hurriedly poured out his power. He had no confidence in winning anymore. But he still wanted to fight and die here than escape to protect his shameful life.


    ''If only I had some help!''


    As if the world heard his plea, a beam of light pierced through the formation and broke it into two.


    The silhouttee of a being whose entire features were covered in a pure golden light descended out of nowhere. It gestured to theughing Fabricator.


    ''Ah!''


    Icarus didn''t miss the chance and poured his powers.


    "Ahhh! Ahhh!" Fabricator showed anger this time and cosmic dragons formed from ck mists reared their heads.


    Sarah''s lips parted. "Let there be light."


    A brilliant beam of light burned away the mists, as if it was purifying away the evil and burned a-sized hole in Fabricator.


    Icarus remained vignt towards the neer but went all out against Fabricator, destroying half of his body.


    Fabricator began to lose. Bit by bit, hisrge body began to shrink. And the more it did, the more vigorously Icarus attacked.


    But he started to show signs of fatigue¡ªor at least that''s the n to decieve the unknown powerhouse.


    Sarah didn''t trust his disy of weakness and watched out for the attacks of both Fabricator and Icarus.


    While she added the pressure most of the fighting and damage were done by Icarus himself.


    Of course, Sarah didn''t show her full strength. She only used the power of light and appeared weaker than she actually was.


    Meanwhile, Miss Cmity remained hidden nearby thanks to the three powers Sarah used for her stealth¡ªtime, life and light.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    -sized chunks of flesh and blood, overflowing with divinity began to scatter and explode.


    Fabricator''s avatar was finallying to an end.


    Icarus expanded his senses and covered the entire Paradise, particry the world of ''Eternal Empress''.


    By now, the ck mist had covered all the way to his neck. It''s a dangerous situation.


    But he didn''t care. All his focus was on moving swiftly the moment Fabricator''s avatar dies and grabbing Isadora. Everything else could wait.


    Meanwhile, Varian was also finishing his task.


    A ck and white sphere the size of a sun detached itself from his hands and approached the gate.


    The power of slivers overflowed, distorting the space and time around it.


    But it didn''t end there, due to the power of slivers, the few ''worlds'' close to this ce were thrown into a turmoil as the ''rules'' of those worlds started to copse.


    Magic didn''t work in Sword vs Magic world, Philosopher''s stone stopped making gold, killing monsters no longer gave level ups.


    The ''Will'' of Fabricator, the Paradise System, in the nearby area began to be affected.


    ''22, 21, 20,¡­'' Sarah''s voice rang in their minds through the link of synergy, reading the countdown for the death of Fabricator''s Avatar.


    Isadora prepared herself.


    People didn''t know why he behaved the way he did. If it was anyone else, they''d have woke up even if it meant destroying their worlds and killed the arrogant attackers.


    But Fabricator chose not to destroy a single world. He didn''t even send a divine ranker from his world to fight on his behalf.


    If he did, Varian''s n would''ve failed. But the peculiar behavior of this being so far made him bet he wouldn''t do it.


    ''But he will definitely do something now. Once his avatar is destroyed, entire paradise is at risk. So, he will either wake up himself or sending a more powerful avatar.''


    And that would need a small transition.


    To maintain so many worlds, Fabricator had stretched himself too thin. So, unless he destroyed all these worlds, he wouldn''t be getting back his peak rank 1 strength. The best he could manage would be high rank 1.


    So, what would he do now to defeat two divine rankers?


    He could only create a more powerful Avatar. And that''d take some time since he''d have to borrow his stretched out power back.


    ''That''s when I strike.''

 Chapter 1531 End Of A Dream

    <h4>Chapter 1531 End Of A Dream</h4>


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The avatar of Fabricator was torn to shreds and without waiting a split second, Icarus jumped into the world of Eternal Empress.


    Almost at the same time, the ''Paradise System'' governing the entire region weakened.


    Wisps of divine power began to flow from tens of thousands of worlds into a location, to build up another avatar without disturbing the worlds.


    This was the moment when Fabricator was both distracted and vunlerable.


    Kaaaa!


    Arge de of darkness emerged from Isadora and split open the giant gate, revealing the abode of Fabricator and his sleeping body.


    "Go!"


    A beam of light sted through the opening, striking the giant. A few of the thousands of tentacles were cut.


    Even though she didn''t use three powers, her full powered attack with a single power didn''t even amount to anything.


    But Sarah wasn''t disappointed. Her attack was only supposed to be a distraction. It was to force Fabricator who''s already drawing support from the worlds to built a clone to go even more defensive.


    Kaa! Kaa! Kaa!


    As expected, more and more divine power began to be pulled from the worlds, putting a straing on the ''Paradise System''.


    With a wave of Isadora''s hand, a giant space crack swallowed Varian and threw him back into the town square he first arrived it.


    The denizens were going on with life as usual, forming teams and diving into worlds or forming factions and exerting influence. The usual stuff for any ce including some local specialties.


    Even though the denizens of Paradise saw a lot of dangerous and horrible things on a daily basis, the appearance of a man carrying a ck and white star on his hands was enough to freak them all out.


    The strongest in the townunched attacks the moment they sensed a ring aura and in a blink, Varian was drowned in the offense of rank 9 powerhouses.


    Unfortunately for them, they were all low rank 9s.


    With hands full and legs focusing on bncing the heavy power, Varian did the only thing he could do in the situation.


    He opened his mouth and swallowed all the attacks.


    "Kek, Kah! Fuck! It''s very nd." He had the audacity toment with a displeased expression.


    "Wh-Whaaat?!"


    "M-Monster!"


    "Who the fuck is that?"


    All hell broke loose. People began to run away without any thought of resistance. At the forefront of those fleeing were the low rank 9s who attacked.


    "It wasn''t against you anyway," Varian shook his head and closed his eyes.


    The world turned dark before his perception of Order and Chaos kicked in.


    The ''rules'' of Paradise emerged in his vision in the form of chains and locks. With a thought, the representation change and it changed into the form of arge tree.


    Every big rule was a branch and the details in it were leaves. The roots were of course the power of Fabricator.


    The trunk, the connection between Fabricator and these worlds, was the ''Paradise System''.


    "There is only one system and that''s Divine Path System."


    The supercharged power of slivers sted into the trunk, digging into the governing system.


    The target, from the beginning, was never Fabricator himself. It''s his ''will''.


    "Ah? Haaa? Ahhh?!"


    (!@@$^(@#


    !#&($)&)


    The System began to malfunction, breaking down at the most basic level.


    The divine power that was supposed to assist Fabricator started to attack him, pushing into a dangerous situation.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Like balloons popping, one after another, the strict guardrails of Paradise System were sted off.


    This shouldn''t have been possible even for a peak rank 9, but the slivers disyed their great prowess in their avenue.


    Fabricator was caught in a dilemma.


    He needed the divine power to raise an avatar to fight off Sarah, Icarus and now even Isadora.


    But to do so when the Paradise System waspromised would mean many worlds would end up getting destroyed. If he didn''t do anything, however, everything would be lost.


    "Kaa! Ahahahah!"


    "Woo! Woo!"


    "Raaa! Raaa!"


    The sounds of a confused and angered god echoed across Paradise. Even now, he didn''t want to wake up. For it would destroy everything. But this problem couldn''t be solved in his sleep anymore.


    After all, what''s fighting right now wasn''t his conscious but a subconscious will.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    As the sounds of explosions rang everywhere, Sarah and Isadora appeared next to Varian.


    The sleeping god rolled around in discontent as he sensed things were going wrong. He hurriedly sent the clone to stop them before it''s toote.


    "It''s already toote."


    The power of slivers, which was wrecking havoc inside the Paradise System, forcibly opened up a ''channel'' that shouldn''t exist.


    The space was split into light and darkness, the powers of Order and Chaos. But that''s only the first batch of powers.


    Sarah''s power of time followed, elerating these attacks beyond what the defensive system predicted. And then, her power of life followed. Going along with it was Isadora''s power of soul.


    Due to the way it was set up, ''Paradise System'' was a direct extension of Fabricator and in that sense, a part of him.


    So, the opened up channel to the unguarded Fabricator.


    Hijacking the ''trunk'' allowed them to directly attack the ''roots'', bypassing the solid defense of ''soil''.


    Isadora''s attack struck his fragile and defenseless soul while Sarah''s attack took on his vitality.


    In thest moment, Fabricator desperately tried to draw his power back to protect himself. The power of slivers which corrupted the Paradise System blocked him for a brief but critical moment.


    And that was enough.


    Fabricator''s defenses was drastically weaker than his peers due to him investing his power in controlling hundreds of thousands worlds and thousands of divine rankers.


    Strictly speaking, Fabricator didn''t even have 1% of his power with him. It''s all ''invested'' and he couldn''t take it back at will.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    It shouldn''t have been a problem because he still left ayer of protection over himself.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    He just never expected a bastard would use the slivers to bypass the protection.


    As a result¡ª


    "Ahh! Kaaaa! Hahahah!"


    Expressing a million emotions at once, Fabricator''s astronomical body exploded from the inside and his soul, which read the lived trillions of lives, shattered.


    The sleeping god died in his sleep.


    Holding a hand each, Isadora and Sarah appeared outside Paradise with Varian.


    A few minutes ago when the disturbance started, Icarus broke out of Eternal Empress after failing to find Isadora for the hundredth time.


    What greeted him was a nice looking bare foot which kicked his head off his neck and exploded his headless body into pieces.


    The divine power of life enveloped him and since he was already exhausted from the prior battle, he was helpless as his consciousness crashed.


    "Brother-inw, I fulfilled my mission!" Miss Cmity jumped up to him with a bright, expectant smile.


    "Good job." The brother-inw praised with a gentle smile before turning to the captive.


    Varian''s gaze turned cold and an evil smile etched on his lips.


    Noticing this, Isadora and Sarah powers also fell on the unconscious powerhouse to prevent any sudden surprises.


    "We''ll take care of himter. Even though we sealed this ce up, they should be sensing it soon." Varian shook his head but his gaze didn''t leave Icarus.


    ''You yed devil in a drama world. I''ll be showing you what a real devil looks like. Buckle up. Your nightmare is just beginning.''


    With a wave of his hand, the entrance to Hortus opened.


    Varian kicked Icarus in and walked in, followed by Isadora and Sarah.


    Miss Cmity looked at Paradise with aplicated expression before she jumped in.

 Chapter 1532 Post War Generation

    <h4>Chapter 1532 Post War Generation</h4>


    Hortus had greatly expandedpared to its initial form. With the merger of alls, moons andoids, thendmass expanded thousands of times.


    The quality and density of aura had far exceed any other time in history of humanity. ording to Oob, even the devas didn''t enjoy this luxury.


    In fact, all kingdoms and duchies, for that matter even provinces would find specific spots where the aura flowing out from the inner space was high.


    It''s like someone was taking up aura and spraying it outside. Instead of getting the dispersed, foggy aura, the goal was to capture the aura just right before it''s sprayed.


    Hortus, for reasons no one understood, was positioning itself at these specific space-time spots and pumping itself with aura.


    This had the effect of improving everyone''s talent, elerating their progression and pushing them over many bottlenecks.


    Varian spent 6 months in Paradise.


    After merging sr system, he adjusted the timeflow of Hortus to 1:20 for non-celestials and 1:10 for Celestials under rank 7. For those rank 7 and above, it''s a normal timeflow.


    Typically, it should''ve been only 1:10 for all. But Varian split the ces and created different timezones to make this possible.


    Now, what would happen if a celestial ranker get into the zone of non-celestials?


    Would he experience the usual timeflow or that of non-celestials? How would it look like? Would they look normal or twice as slow?


    It''d be normal. But every second a celestial remained here, it would put a strain on Hortus to maintain that timeflow.


    Eventually, the 1:20 timeflow woulde down to 1:10. The people inside wouldn''t be able to tell any difference, however.


    To prevent this situation, celestials avoid entering the zone. And when they do, they either seal themselves or don''t use their powers at all, avoiding anys train on Hortus.


    For mortals, the six month absence of Varian was tranted into 15 full years of leave! Even for celestials, the Emperor just vanished for 7.5 years.


    Great changes had taken ce in this timeperiod. Nothing was spared from these changes.


    The most raw of these changes were the infrastructure. The visible, tangible things.


    Instead of growing more and more futuristic with automated technologies, the world had turned more natural.


    There were far fewer robots than before. The people-to-people interaction had drastically gone up.


    Perhaps it''s because this was humanity''s first post-war popce.


    There was a significant deficit of males due to war casualties. The single mothers naturally found it difficult to raise the kid and give the child their full time.


    Even though it could subsidize and pay for the mothers to stay at home for a decade or two, the Imperial Secretary argued against it.


    Alison''s speech that day, "Our Children", had be the greatest speech of the two decades.


    She promised them that single mothers would be given benevolent working conditions and the state would also help in raising the child.


    The state banded groups of children together and gave the responsibility to retired veterans who had lost their families.


    The children who lost their fathers were given a grandfather.


    Even though every veteran was different, some traits seemed to be moremon than others.


    That''s why the children all reported that these grandfathers were grumpy, strict and old school. Yet, they instilled in the kids the discipline necessary to endure hardship.


    For all theirins, the children outperformed the normal child by a signfiicant margin, be it academics or sports or art.


    Of course, the children would alwaysin about the nagging grandpas who couldn''t stop repeating the same stuff.


    It''s been fifteen years since the end of war and the generation born after the death of Abyss Emperor was already reaching the end of high school.


    They never saw an abyssal in real life. They didn''t know what it was living like under the state of an unending war.


    And that''s why, they often felt the words of their mothers and the military grandpa were great exaggerations.


    There were realistic videos, stories, reports of the period. But they found it difficult to rte to.


    Because by the time they reached even four or five years, they already knew that were plenty of celestial rankers in the Empire.


    Sovereigns weren''t even seen as the heads ofrge cities, much less-sized territory.


    The new generation simply couldn''t understand the era their predecessors lived in.


    That was also the case for ''Super Cool Boys & Girls of Nashwelle!''


    Today was thest official meeting for the group. There won''t be any 30 minute group sessions anymore.


    They gathered in the quiet park of the neighborhood for thest time.


    "Is the old man going to talk about the Thunder Abyss'' army again?" The active boy of the group jumped ontorge metal pipes and sat in a graceful motion.


    "Or that time when his team had to face off batallion of abyssals to buy time?" The gloomy girl clicked her tongue and jumped onto the tree branch effortlessly.


    "Nah, he''ll praise the Emperor once again." The cynical boy replied from his flying mat.


    The group of five paused at those words before nodding furiously. All of them were physically fit, looked decent and disciplined.


    "Right? What is so great about the Emperor anyway? If not him, someone else would''ve done it."


    "Brooo! It''s just a big conspiracy! I''m telling you folks! ording to an insider I found on the dar, we already had celestial rankers before the abyss emperor came.


    How can we not? It makes no sense that we jumped from no celestials to so many celestials in 15 years.


    This Emperor is just a puppet used by the secret celestial powerhouses! It''s a cartel, bro! They''re running the Empire and are fooling us all!"


    The conspiracy bro enteredst and started his speech again.


    They looked at him with a pitiful gaze and he looked back at them like they''re idiots who wouldn''t realize the truth even if it''s ced in front of them.


    While they did think that the Emperor was genuine, they coludn''t understand why hemanded so much respect and influence.


    Even today, fifteen years after his disappearance, the Emperor remained as revered as ever. If anything, the positive feelings of the older generation who lived through the war, toward the Emperor only increased with time.


    "What did he even do? Is he a god or what? He was like 18 or 19 at that time. Only 4 years older than us. It makes no sense, does it?" The curious girl of the group, looked up from the book she was reading and shrugged.


    "Brooo~ I''m telling you, his actual age is over 200! Didn''t we have Old Earth history? Whenever an Emperor came to power, he''d write all sorts of ridiculous myths about himself! He''s the same!"


    "They say we have to be thankful that we''re born in this peaceful era. Baah! Did they see how much we have to study everyday?" The active boy punched therge pipe.


    "Abyss war this, abyss war that! Give me a break! I know it''s important for them but it''s long over! Been 15 years already! Why do I have to learn about so many battles and wars? I just want to design some new buildings!"


    The gloomy girl''s rant was met with approval.


    "I mean, we all respect the soldiers and their sacrifices but the amount of exaggeration is a bit too much." The cynical boy sighed. "It''s like any other war in the history of humani¡ªoops, the old man is here!"


    In a blink, they jumped into a straightline and stood with a strict posture. The old veteran walked in his military fatigues like always but there''s another¡­young fellow next to him?


    "T-This is¡­" The old man pointed to the young man and stuttered. His usually steady finger was trembling and his eyes were shaking.


    His behavior confused the students. Was the old man really emotional about this being thest day? No, the old man was too steady for this.


    "He is the Emp¡ª"


    "Earth Academy''s second 2nd cadet." The young man said with a smile. "Mr.Hoffman said you all wanted to join Earth Academy. I was given a task to collect feedback for this program. Of course, if you need any advice for the academy or divine paths or battle, I will share my 2 cents."

 Chapter 1533 Trust Me Bro!

    <h4>Chapter 1533 Trust Me Bro!</h4>


    "Ahh! We''re going to take the test next year. The old man really is so thoughtful to call you, Senior."


    "Old man, you''re soo good! I''m sorry for making my cat poop in your garden."


    "And my dog!"


    The old veteran opened his mouth in shock. These damn brats!


    "I thought you were going to celebrate now that you don''t have to see us anymore."


    "You still have some conscience, eh? Not bad, not bad."


    The conspiracy and cyncial duo folded their hands and nodded to themselves.


    "¡­."


    If it was any other day, the old man would''ve asked the kids to domunity service right away.


    But now¡­


    With an ashamed expression, he lowered his head. He thought he raised them well but thesewless teenagers¡­


    "What do you think about your future?" The young man asked with a curious expression.


    "I want a girlfriend!"


    "My mom is too overprotective! I can''t stay out of her sight for a day."


    "A good college."


    "A cozy job?"


    "I want to be a celestial ranker."


    The young man looked at the person who answeredst.


    It was the conspiracy guy.


    "Even though the conditions are much better than before, it''s still very challenging to be a celestial ranker. Even by optimistic estimates, an average person would have to train for at least thirty years. You know that, right?"


    "Of course, I do!" The conspiracy guy nodded fervently.


    "Then why?"


    "Because I want to expose the truth!" He said with a passionate expression.


    "Truth?" The young man tilted his head. "What truth?"


    "Err, that''s, he is like this¡­ahahaha," The old man began to sweat and re at the conspiracy guy to shut up.


    It''d have worked in other times but not today.


    "You were telling me to shut up all these years and I did! But not anymore, old man! Not anymore! The time hase! The truth shall be revealed to the public!" The conspiracy guy looked at the sky and said in a gut wrenching tone.


    The young man gave the veteran a suspicious look before turning back to the teenager.


    "Renny, it''s not tru¡ª"


    "Let him say what he wants." The young man interrupted the veteran.


    "Ah, okay." The old man sighed as if he had given and lowered his head.


    "We''re all controlled by a bunch of powerful celestial rankers! All of this is a facade! The Emperor is just a puppet in their hands! Think about it, Senior! The Emperor didn''t even finish one year and he disappeared for fifteen years. Think about! What must have happened?"


    "Err, he went on a trip like he said?" The young man raised a brow.


    "No!" The conspiracy guy stepped forward and grabbed the young man''s shoulders.


    Moving him back and forth, the teenager looked up into the young man''s eyes. "It''s a coup! Coup d''etat! Those powerhouses are controlling the Empire!"


    The young man opened his mouth to reply but ended up nodding with an expression of realization. "Oh, oh, continue. Please continue."


    The conspiracy guy showed a surprised expression. People didn''t generally believe him. But now that someone did, he had an urge to reveal the true secrets of this world.


    "The Emperor is not even Emperor! Think about it, Senior! What is your age?"


    "Twenty."


    "He became the Emperor before twenty! How ridiculous! It''s all a hoax! Done to decieve you and me and the rest of the world!"


    "Then who do you think is the true ruler? Do you think any of these powerhouses?" The young man asked.


    The conspicracy guy nced at his friends and the old man with a struggling expression before opening his mouth.


    "I might get jailed for this but I know who is the mastermind even if I don''t know the others."


    "Oh? Really?" The young man seemed genuinely curious. "Who?"


    "Who else? The one who rules all day! She takes all the decisions, orders everyone, holds unquestionable power. She calls herself Imperial Secretary! But she''s the true ruler! Empress Alison! Spy turned Ruler!"


    The conspiracy boy said with a confident expression.


    At this point, the old man couldn''t stand still anymore.


    If these innocous words really caused a drift and ended up affecting the Imperial Secretary, he would not be able to forgive himself.


    "Renny, apologize! The Imperial Secretary is not the Empress! She works under the Emperor! Every decision she makes must be approved by him!"


    "No, grandpa! The world needs to know! I don''t know why everyone pretends otherwise! Even I can see it''s all fake! Do you really want me to believe the ruler we don''t see for 15 years is the one still ruling? I''m young but I''m not stupid! You''re old but you''re gullible!"


    "¡­."


    The refutation was so strong that the old man bit his lip in frustration. In normal times, a decade and half absence would indeed be an obvious coup.


    But now¡ª


    "What a smartchild." The young man chuckled. "I''m looking forward your performance in the future."


    "O-Of course, Senior! I''ll get into the academy!"


    The teens started chattering and before he knew it, an hour went by.


    These guys had no clue about what a real war looked like. There was something they had no previous generation did.


    Was it innocence? No. They too would fight monsters if necessary. They all the had the basic training.


    It wasn''t innocence, it was uncertainty.


    They didn''t have the uncertainty of whether they''d live to see tomorrow. Whether they''d have to hear the new that one more had fallen. That one more war had started.


    There was no burden on these young souls.


    They thanked him for his guidance and dered that they''d still asionally meet even though it''s no longer required because ''We''re worried the old man might get senile without us''.


    As the five walked away under the sunset, the young man watched them with a smile.


    The old man sighed, sadness on his face but also blessings for the children do well.


    "I fought my entire life. For what else? Children living a carefree life¡­that is enough. That is more than enough."


    Tears swirled in his eyes and he grabbed the young man''s hand. "Your Majesty, this is the future you gave us. Thank you."


    Varian shook his head. "If people like you didn''t protect the world until I could rise, there is nothing I could''ve done. You walked so I could run. This peace is not just because of me, it''s due to generations of sacrifice."


    The old man smiled heartily.


    And Varian was about to smile ba¡ª


    "This world is built on the back on mybor, thank you very much!"


    "Ahem, ahem." Varian turned around and there she was.


    In an elegant blue uniform that didn''t look very militaristic, the imperial secretary Alison looked at him with a smile that couldn''t be more artifical. "Your Majesty, please put your heart on your hand and say how many months, sorry, days that you stayed in office."


    "Cough, cough, cough." Varian patted his chest.


    "No wonder there are rumors like that. If you don''t want to stay and rule, at least give us a heir."


    Just as she said those words, a man dropped from the sky.


    He looked middle-aged but there was a light of wisdom in his eyes. The man was carrying arge gun, which looked something like a rocketuncher.


    Alison''s eyes widened. "That''s the secret weapon of our militaryb that can kill any rank 1 celestials. What are you doing?"


    Varian blinked in confusion as therge barrel of the gun was ced in front of him.


    "I will kill you for the sake of my daughter!"


    "F-Father-inw?"

 Chapter 1534 Waiting For The 11

    <h4>Chapter 1534 Waiting For The 11</h4>


    "Don''t call me that!" Evander raised the gun and let out a thick killing intent.


    "Master?" Varian was clueless to why he was reacting like this.


    "Don''t call me anything!" Evander roared like a lion. "You betrayed me! Do you still have any conscience left after what you did to my daughter?"


    "Err, I talked to Sarah about it. She was okay with it. I swear on my soul that Sarah and Isad¡ª" Varian started to exin before the gun moved forward and almost poked his nose.


    "You had one thing to do!" Evander loaded the gun and said through gritted teeth.


    "One thing?" Varian tried hard to think. If it''s not Isadora, then what?


    "Yes, just one thing!" Evander gnashed his teeth.


    "Ah, I''m nning the upgrade of army, don''t wo¡ª"


    "Fuck the army!"


    "Wh-What?"


    Listening to the man who dedicated his life to the army say those words, Varian wondered if he was in an illusion. Did a divine ranker capture him or what?


    "It''s been 15 years, you useless disciple! Where are my grandchildren? I was ready for 11! I even brought a ser club! You didn''t even give me 1! Damn it!"


    Listening to the usual stoic and gentlemanly general spew vulgarities, Varian realized that he was really pissed.


    Still, he couldn''t help but say. "But 11 in 15 years is a bit too much, don''t you think?"


    The gun started glowing blue. Looks like was really about to press the trigger.


    "¡­"


    Varian turned to Alison for help.


    The Imperial Secretary betrayed her boss and continued watching the conflict yout while munching popcorn.


    ''I should throw more work at her!''


    As Varian wanted to punish the woman, a beam of light fell from the sky and Sarah in a pure white dressnded next to him.


    And the moment she did, Evander put away the gun, adjusted his dress and looks.


    "Daughter, do you want to try the akashia fish tonight? I learnt a special roasting method." He asked with a gentle smile.


    ''Wait, what the fuck? Why are you so ssy now? What happened to that angry old man?'' Varian was dumbfounded.


    "Sorry, Dad. Var just returned. I''ll try it other day, okay?" Sarah grabbed Varian''s hand and gave him an apologetic smile.


    "Haha! No worries! Anything for my angel! Drop by anytime you want! I''ll be learning some new dishes soon! The special cut necessary for the extra juicy¡­"


    ''Wh-What the fuck is happening?''


    Varian looked on with horror as the cold blooded general who butchered abyssals started talking about the right way to butcher a chicken and the benefits of pure organic spices in natural farms.


    "Alright, Dad. See youter." Sarah turned to him and said with a subdued smile. "We''re ready."


    "See you, sweetie!"


    *** *** ***


    "He misses you a lot." Sarah said. "I wonder sometimes if he likes you more than me."


    "Yeah, you''re right." Varian shook his head before turning his gaze to a stone tform on top of the mountain.


    Icarus floated in the air, a glowing sphere containing him from escaping. Even without it, there were dozens of formations set up to suppress his power.


    Worst of all, he was constantly attacked by Sia and Enigma who woke up at some point and were using him as a grindstone to familiarize themselves with their newfound powers.


    No. That''s an excuse they gave to Varian. They just wanted to torture him.


    "Enigma, Enigma, it''s my turn already!" Sia''s phantom jumped around Enigma, nagging her to give her rightful chance.


    "Just one more." Enigma said with a cold face, her gaze fixated on Icarus.


    The air around her was terrible, even in the literal sense. If a rank 8 stepped near, they would die due to the sheer killing intent. "Just one more."


    With a wave of her hand, the gravity around Icarus copsed and his body was smashed into blood, flesh and bones.


    He didn''t die. Not so easily, of course. But the pain of his body being crushed into pieces was undeniably real.


    Enigma didn''t do him any favors by heightening the fragility of his soul and then torturing it too.


    "Kuk, Gruhh," With a pained groan, Icarus barely pieced himself back into a humanoid structure and looked at Enigma with an uneasy expression. "Do you think this will aplish anything? We can just talk and solve things. You don''t want to know who''s behind m¡ªarghhh!"


    Icarus'' upper half was twisted back and his spine was pulled out. It split into two and then drilled into his eyes, its tips burning as hot as magma.


    "Arghhh!"


    Flesh metled down, blood evaported away and bones got charred.


    But Enigma kept saying "One more" and continued her relentless torture.


    Even though she only got the corrected memories from Isadora, she could not bear to imagine what they went through.


    She only hated that she couldn''t give him more torture.


    "Die! Die! Die!"


    Even though she didn''t say it out loud, Sia could feel what she was shouting in her head.


    Enigma was mad.


    "¡­I thought she would be done. It''s been two hours already." Sarah shrugged.


    Sia jumped, wrapping her arms and legs around him, hanging onto him like a ko bear.


    "Varian! Varian! Varian!" She rubbed her face against his chest and tightened her hug.


    He could only rub her hair as the concern in her heart flowed into his through their link.


    Even the aftermath of those tumultous memories was this big. He still couldn''t believe it was all over.


    It was like a dream. Or was this a dream?


    "Arghh! Arghh!"


    "Arghh!"


    "Equili¡ªarghh!"


    "Equlius, my grand¡ªarghhh!"


    "My grandpa''s Equilius, you dumb bi¡ªarghh!"


    "Are you cray¡ªarghhh!"


    When Varian came to his senses, he noticed that this bastard was shouting some name again and again.


    He turned to Sarah to conform and she shrugged. "Did we identally get the unknown grandson of Nexus'' number three? Hard to believe. But who would be so audacious to attack a peak rank 1 despite being a rank 1? Cmity said that his background is indeed sketchy."


    Seated in the distance on a smooth rock, Miss Cmity nodded lightly. "That''s right. He also had a spark of divinity which was tracking Senior Sister. The aura belongs to Master, well, former master."


    Isadora didn''t have a very close rtionship with that woman, so it wouldn''t affect her much.


    But Icarus himself wouldn''t be able to get that spark from a powerful rank 1 unless she gave it himself.


    She had no reason to. This guy was a weakling nobody from Nexus to her.


    Then what?


    Varian approached Icarus.


    The divine ranker wriggled violently as he tried to get out of the barrier and grab Varian hostage.


    But he was bounced back against the firm defense and could only stare at him with a vengeful look.


    "You say your grandpa is Keeper Equilius?" Varian looked down at the bloodied man on the floor and asked with a curious expresison.


    "Yes, yes, yes!" Icarus nodded vigorously and spread his hands. "So let me leave if you don''t want to incur his wrath! He will soon find me!"


    "Oh boy," Varian lowered his head with a chuckle. "Your luck is worse than mine."

 Chapter 1535 The Broken Divine

    <h4>Chapter 1535 The Broken Divine</h4>


    The chains of Hortus descended from Heaven and tied up Icarus like he''s some circus animal. Powered by the divine paths of Isadora and Sarah, they restrained him to the point he wasn''t able to re out any aura.


    Varian covered himself in a me of ck and white and threw himself at Icarus.


    Even if a divine ranker stood still without any defense, a celestial warrior wouldn''t be able to kill them. If thetter punches the former and somehow breaks into their abnormally tough skin, then they''d encounter the divine aura flowing inside.


    A few strands of divine aura would be more than enough to destabilize a celestial warrior.


    It''s like putting punching a power station, the current inside would wreck you should you be unlucky enough to break through the initial defense.


    ''No, no, how?! Arghhh!''


    Icarus felt as if he was dozens of sizzling nails were driven into his body, all hammered in by a fist.


    But he couldn''t see, smell or even sense.


    Thanks to Sia using the power of ''Great Spirit'', his soul was cut off from all perceptions except the tactile.


    With the power of slivers stopping the divine aura from wrecking him, Varian went wild.


    As a result, Icarus, the rising star of Nexus became a punching back to the wrath of a very, very angry man.


    The more time passed, the heavier the restrictions on Icarus grew.


    From not being able to use the divine powers to not being able to use any divine power even on the inside, he wasn''t able to stop his own descent.


    The heavy violence inflicted on him was an undeniable factor.


    He still wasn''t getting really hurt by Varian''s attacks but at some point, it started to really hurt.


    His body and soul were both gripped by a pair of rough hands and ripped to shreds before they stitched back. This time, they were cut piece by piece. The next, his body parts were disyed in the wrong ces and his soul was confined to his heart, which was then taken out of his body and thrown to wild beasts.


    Yet, the most important factor was a sense of fear. It was an inexplicable fear, like a rabbit that senses the presence of a lion.


    Icarus sensed a great being in front, a being who stood so far above that even his grandfather would amount to nothing in front of that grandeur.


    In front of that being, his genius was ordinary, his strength weakness and his pride a delusion.


    Something began to shatter inside him.


    His body was the first to surrender. It sensed it was facing something transcendental. It''s like it had touched the edge of a me and realized that to go against it would be to burnpletely.


    Next was his soul. It couldn''t sense that being properly due to the restrictions ced on him. But he could still whiff off a bit of the being.


    The soul in front of him was ancient, far more ancient than even the Alliance itself.


    Even the oldest beings alive today would only qualify to be a child in front of this being who seemed as old as the universe itself.


    Finally, Icarus'' will gave in.


    Time passed in a blur.


    When it all ended, he regained the ability to sense his surroundings in addition to seeing it, he didn''t dare to open his eyes.


    Ironically, the first thing he heard was the thumping of his own heart, which sounded like it was about to break out.


    And he smelled the scent of blood, gore and piss.


    Piss?


    ''No, no, I am a divine ranker. I long stopped¡­''


    When he felt the patch of wetness on his newly joined thighs, Icarus stopped denying.


    There was no sound from the outside for an incredibly long time.


    Was it a minute or was it an hour?


    Icarus was so disturbed that he could no longer tell it apart. When he opened his eyes and expanded his senses outward, the figure standing in front of him caused his heart to stop for a moment before he crawled back desperately and hit the wall.


    "Haaa! Hufff! Aaah! Haaa!"


    Icarus didn''t realize what was going on. His mind couldn''t keep up with his body''s reaction.


    But he knew, it was all due to this man.


    The man covered in his blood and flesh from the tip of his head to the bottom of his feet, as if he had taken a dip in an ocean of Sera tribe''s corpses.


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    As he took a step forward, Icarus heart almost jumped to his throat. With the next step, his mind began to slow down, a sense of paralysis striking his body.


    When the man took the final step and reached him, Icarus was covering his head with his hands and curling up, his muffled sobs leaking out.


    Varian looked down at the broken divine ranker with disgust. It had only been a month since he started his torture. But Icarus already broke.


    He kicked the head of the divine ranker without even any aura and materialized a throne for himself to sit.


    "Your grandpa took great care of you. You never had to suffer. Any divine ranker who climbed to his position without anyone''s support would withstand this little pain for a century. Look at you, you can''t even stand a month."


    Icarus shivered and slowly opened his mouth. "You¡­are not a celestial ranker¡­you are a¡­who¡­are¡­you¡­"


    Varian raised a brow.


    Indeed, even though Icarus was weakened to the point he could be hurt by the likes of a celestial warrior, it still didn''t make sense for him to break.


    For the past month, he was just inflicting pain on Icarus without any other thought. Now that he thought about it, someone helped.


    ''You''re wee, hehehehe.''


    Oob''s voice sounded in his mind and a pair of soft white wings manifested in his mind''s eye.


    ''Hortus is now much more stronger than before. Oob was able to borrow a sliver of divine power from the forbidden ces and inflict it on that man.''


    ''Ahhh~'' Varian striked the armrest as the realization struck.


    The three forbidden areas of Hortus were built by the Primordial gods themselves. They left a bit of their power in that ce. Power that belonged to those who once reigned the highest in their avenue.


    No wonder Icarus was weakened like that.


    Even though it''s just a hint of that power, not the power itself, in front of that overwhelming godly power, any fledging divine ranker''s aura could only prostrate.


    That instinctual surrender followed by the despair it induced broke Icarus. If they tried this outside Hortus, even Sarah and Isadora wouldn''t be able to pull this off.


    ''Hortus is really special.'' Varian mused.


    ''Of course!'' Oob giggled. ''It''s extra special because it has me.''


    ''Sure, little fellow.''


    He shook his head with a chuckle before focusing on Icarus.


    At some point, the man opened his eyes and was staring at him or rather, his feet.


    Varian''s smile disappeared and he leaned forward. Ruffling Icarus'' curly hair before grabbing it hard, he lightly tapped his cheek.


    "You''ll answer everything I ask, hm?"


    The divine ranker nodded, mustering all of his will.

 Chapter 1536 World Of Divine

    <h4>Chapter 1536 World Of Divine</h4>


    ?"Your Master Asha betrayed you. She sold you for a better career prospect."


    In a garden of vibrant flowers, Varian, Isadora, Sarah and Miss Cmity in a circle on the lush green grass.


    The man''s words caused Isadora to bite her lip and lowering her head. "I don''t have a deep bond with her. But she gave me her avatar. It saved my life from Princess Esh."


    "Asha must''ve been under pressure since she couldn''t advance to rank 2." Miss Cmity said.


    Varian scoffed. "A rank is really that important, huh."


    Aurora nodded with a stern expression, shooting all of them a re, especially Varian. "For the normal person, it is not just important, it is everything.


    For the next step within a sub-rank, centuries old friendships were broken.


    To reach the next sub-rank, entire races were ughtered.


    For the next rank? Heh, all bottom lines were broken.


    Beneath this facade of divinity, there is only ugliness of greed. Even the vilest of criminals would pale in front of what the divine beings do. They are not the gods they think themselves to be, they are the demons, spawns of hell and agents of evil.


    If the divine rankers just disappeared today, half of all deaths would end. The divine are gods only in appearance, if you look below that light of holiness, there would be so many corpses that they could drown entire stars."


    Varian shifted in his seat, contemting those harsh words. It wasn''t meant to be a jab but he didn''t consider himself a person with bottomline either. He could go to great lengths for the things he valued. And nothing could stop him.


    He discarded the notion of morality long ago. He didn''t advocate for evil. But when necessary, he wouldn''t hesitate to be the fiercest demon.


    The pain he inflicted on Icarus? The torture he put people whose names he didn''t even bother to recall?


    It was an evil act.


    The good people would say that he had no necessity to torture people when he could kill them swiftly and end the enmity.


    But no. The answer was always no.


    Death was too easy for some people. They had to taste the pain that a demon could inflict. And then, they must feel the regret of their own choices. That regret should then consume them and then, only then would give them that final sleep.


    Master Asha, regardless of the reasons, had fallen into the category of his enemies. Since she saved Isadora once, he decided not to put the woman through any pain.


    Just a swift, painless death.


    "Brother-inw!"


    "Yes?" Varian didn''t realize it but his voice wasced with coldness and exuding a lot of killing intent.


    "Do you really want to kill her?" Miss Cmity asked with a deep sigh. "She is the daughter of All Mother Asherah, has a lot of siblings who are hostile to her. If she didn''t reach rank 2 and one of them did, she would be facing a very painful future.


    Keeper Equilius must''ve promised her protection. She is a very good woman, helped a lot of people expecting nothing in return. This act of her which you see as betrayal, it''s her only way of survival at this point."


    Varian frowned, inadverdently ring at the veiled woman who defended the betrayer.


    Miss Cmity smoothly slipped behind Isadora and wrapped her arms around the princess. "Senior Sister, tell him not to plot my death. I am just informing him of the other side''s positions, not taking sides."


    Sarah crossed her arms at thedy''s antics.


    In the beginning, Cmity was only interested in meeting her idol, Isadora. It was an affection developed in her younger days when the princess of P set legendary records. Isadora treated Cmity well in her younger days and a good bond was built.


    However, it still felt unreal that Aurora was behaving so favorably. In her own words, a divine ranker could do a lot of evil for the sake of a little progress.


    So far, she didn''t show any hint of greed, even after recognizing the greatness of Hortus.


    Now a days, however, the idol seemed to have turned to her ''brother-inw''.


    While Isadora still aplished feats that were legendary, Varian''s feats surpassed were at another league altogether.


    But why?


    Why was she being a fan? Why did she no greed to snatch the ultimate treasures?


    Sarah didn''t hide her gaze.


    Miss Cmity felt it clearly, as did others.


    Earlier, Sarah didn''t say it out loud because the power difference was too high in case she turned hostile. But now, she saw no reason to hold back.


    "Aurora, then where is your greed? The three of us are not normalpeople, Hortus is not a normal ce and our speed of progression is not normal pace."


    Isadora gently held Aurora''s hands hugging her. It''s a small gesture but it was made in preparation for a battle.


    Despite all the help she''d given them, the princess was cold blooded enough to kill Aurora if she turned out to be hostile.


    "Ah that," Aurora giggled. "If I was normal, perhaps I would have. Don''t worry. "


    "Hm?"


    "I''ll just disappear one day. It doesn''t matter what happens before that. So, I don''t need to be greedy. You don''t have to be wary against me. I think it''s fun to hang around with you all."


    Her words were cryptic but the soul powers of both Sarah and Isadora recognized no falsehood.


    "Life should be enjoyed." Miss Cmity raised her arms. "Do you want to go surfing in ckholes?"


    "Anyway," Varian ignored her and continued. "Immortal''s design itself dictates that he must merge with the perfect hybrid to reach his ultimate state. Once you cross a threshold of power, he can always sense you. It''s instinctive, like a fish knowing to swim."


    Isadora tilted her head. "Even to Hortus?"


    "Might or might not." There was uncertainty in his voice. "He is born from the power of slivers. I am afraid it''s erroneous to judge him with normal standards. So, what''s the n for him?"


    There was a short silence in the garden before Sarah raised her hand and made a gesture with her thumb moving over the neck. "How about I just kill him?"


    Varian tapped his thigh. "Immortal is a very¡­prideful man, if I must say so. He would rather kill himself than die under another''s hands.


    So far, he''s trying to get Isadora on his own instead of calling the help of a divine ranker. He''s the child of slivers. No matter how much of neglected he is, he must have divine rankers willing to help him.


    He did not call any. Not even when Icarus started attacking. His pride wouldn''t allow it. But if a divine ranker attacks, he can justify putting aside that pride.


    Once we step into that territory, our new divine rankers will have to face veterans. Even a mid rank 1 is very difficult for the three of you. And he might call a high rank 1. Or a peak rank 1."


    "You want to fight him alone?" Isadora sped her hands. "He might still call the divine rankers."


    "Might. But if you go, he definitely will." Varian shook his head. "He still doesn''t know Isadora reached the divine rank. If he does, he might give up any hesitation and call for help.


    The only way out I see is using myself as the bait. If his pride is as strong as I thought it is, he''d capture me himself to draw Iasdora out."


    "Then how will you make yourself a bait?"


    Varian smiled. "Isn''t there a war going on?"

 Chapter 1537 State Of War

    <h4>Chapter 1537 State Of War</h4>


    ?The ruling echelon of P was shaken by the onught of the Jai forces. It was even more confusing since they were the principal target of the attack. The others at the border who were hit were treated as merely additional loot.


    As far as they knew, Prians had no more hostility with the Jai than say the kingdom of Jewel or Arbor, who were also part of the Diamond Triangle.


    For the 7th Prince himself to send forces under his name, it was both a prideful and scareful thing to know.


    What great feat did they aplish to piss this man off? They did not know. Not even the brightest among them had any clue to why this happened.


    Everything else took a backseat as Prians sent the best of their forces to the border.


    Six months on, no divine rankers were thrown into the war. It''s difficult to believe that the prince was following the 3rd use of the 3247th peace agreement, but here they were.


    Without the divine rankers pressing on, the Alliance would only send non-divine rankers as support. Thus, a lot of burden to take care of the border fell on Prians themselves.


    No one knew what the 7th Prince was actually nning. And these six months of low intensity war seemed like a warm up for something much bigger.


    In the headquarters of the invading forces, Hector Russ, the suprememander listened to his generals.


    "My Lord, we have finished assessment of all the powerhouses in the kingdom. The spies from Princess Esh have submitted their report. It''s all set."


    As suspected by the Prians, it was no normal war. From the beginning, the intention wasplete destruction of P.


    But they decided to do it in a way that not only humiliates their opponent but also incur the least losses.


    It was for that reason that they didn''t hesitate to take assistance from the 4th Princess to tap into the spywork.


    For these six months, while P scrambled to the border, the invading forces slowly upped their offensive power.


    They had a slight advantage from the beginning and it didn''t change even after P drew almost all their trump cards.


    Except for a few powerful beings in the Alliance army who might''ve garnered enough military merits and mighte to its aid in the critical moment, there were only a few hidden powerhouses.


    And they too wouldn''t be able to turn the tide.


    "Commence Phase 2. It''s time to run over P." Hector Russ announced.


    In the far distance, at the border of P Kingdom, an intense battle was going on.


    Across the border length of five duchies, over a hundred rank 9s were engaged in a desperate match.


    Two duchies distance away from that side, over a hundred thousand rank 8s were locked in a deadly battle.


    Then there was the battlefield for everyone else with Rank 7s leading the charge.


    There were billions of rank 6s and the number of officers below rank 6 was much, much bigger.


    Even though it was seen as a low intensity battle by everyone, for those involved, it was a carnage fest.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    "Arghh!"


    A giant flying bird turned back into a gray skinned humanoid.


    The space blurred before it dissected the woman into four.


    She''s a rank 4 warrior recruited from her Province, a great genius they described as once in a millennia.


    And she..


    "Raa! Raa! Raa!"


    A mindless dog-like creature waved its sagging tongue and wherever its saliva went, the space there cracked.


    The unintended attack of a rank 5 beast, a mere pet grown by one of the rank 6s, ended up killing the ''genius''


    The beast was soon swarmed by a bunch of rank 4s who used a unifying treasure to concentrate their attacks.


    "Woo! Wu! Woop!" The beast barked as it shriveled into a bag of bones trapped in slimy skin.


    With a whimper that didn''t match its earlier ferocity, it died. And then was quickly shared amongst the 231 ''geniuses'' of the province, not very different from the one who just died.


    They all got a boost from consuming a beast like this one and they quickly set their sights on the next rank 5 to target.


    If things go well, they might be able to half the time needed to reach rank 5.


    ''I survived for 6 months in this hellish ce, I need to do well for just one more month and I can retire with the merits and my father''s bribe.''


    Thought one man with fish-like scales all over his body.


    ''I don''t even want to fight a rank 5 anymore. I am content with other rank 4s.''


    He decided to prioritize his life and the swarm of rank 4s began to disperse.


    Kaaaaa!


    Space torn open like its a paper and everyone in the radius of a million miles, including all the rank 4s were sucked in.


    "Arh, fuck, it hurts."


    A rank 6 was sted out of the space crack, a humanoid with four arms, clutching his bleeding chest.


    "It should more than hurt."


    A five-eyed octopus-like creature emerged from the space and waved its tentacles.


    The space around the four-armed man distorted and like someone cut him with hammers, his body was cleaved deep into multiple inches in many ces.


    "Arghhh!"


    Their battle continued for well over an hour and oveing great odds, the four-armed man finally killed the five-eyed octopus.


    "Nooo!"


    "Huff! Huff! Haa! I''m tired. I''m done!" He found a quiet corner of the battlefield, far away from the active region and applied healing medicine.


    As he closed his eyes, his family far back in his duchy shed in his eyes. It''s the reason why he managed to win the battle that he should''ve losed by every logical count.


    "Don''t worry, I will definitely¡­definitely make it ba¡ª"


    A mushroom cloud of energy swallowed everything in the radius of ten light years and it included this region too, including many peripheries of other battlefields.


    The four-armed warrior died before he could even notice it. And despite his great conviction which just won him an impossible battle, there was nothing he could do.


    War was cruel.


    Be it strong or weak.


    But if you''re weak, you wouldn''t know how you died.


    If you''re strong, then you would know and it''d be painful because you know that your death would be a huge blow to your side. That your single death might trigger a reaction that could be the downfall of the war.


    That''s why, Archduke Micheal fought fiercely. He forgot all the personal grudges with his fellow dukes and battled together as one unit.


    As a result, Archdukes Micheal, Corinthian and Kriad as well as Duchess Seraphina remained the one of the toughest units of the rank 9 battlefield.


    The three peak rank 9s of P¡ªKing Ferdinand, Martial Saint Kong and Dean Ankh were all fighting one man.


    Hector Russ.


    Even the secret powerhouse of the kingdom, the fourth peak rank 9, the Queen of Miracles, first of the king who''s long believed to be dead, was also fighting.


    And they were still on the backfoot.


    The situation was okay for high rank 9s who were in sort of a stalemate. There were ten more high rank 9s in th kingdom that were fighting others.


    So, Archduke Micheal, the most ardent of patriots, took it upon himself to defeat his enemies so that they could eventually change the tide.


    "Come on, we can do it! We must win at any costs!"


    At his passionate battle cry, the three didn''t respond very well.


    "Huff!"


    "Too injured now."


    Corinthian and Kriad were not very injured or tired. They''re just reluctant to fight fiercly to the point of risking their lives. They both cherished their lives.


    "My old bones are giving out." Duchess Seraphina, the olddy, panted heavily. She looked much more closer to death than just a few months ago, a sense of regret always present in her face.


    "I wish¡­I killed that little devil when I could. I want to see his eyes pop out when he watches me drag the intestines of his wives¡­s, such a pity I''m going to die in a pointless war."


    Like always, she grumbled his name.


    "Varian¡­Varian¡­damn you¡­I wish¡­to kill you! I wish you appeared in front of me! Appear! Arghh¡­appear!"


    Szzz!


    A chill shot down the spines of the four archdukes and a familiar voice sounded behind Duchess Seraphina.


    "Wish granted, Old bitch!"

 Chapter 1538 Pain of Loss

    <h4>Chapter 1538 Pain of Loss</h4>


    ?Duchess Seraphina swiftly turned around.


    Varian raised a brow at the drastic changes in her appearance in a short span of six months.


    The olddy''s sparse gray had fallen further, almost showing her scalp. The sagging blue skin had grown even more loose and lifeless, like the bark of a dying tree and her eyes were no longer as sharp as they once were.


    Something inside her died.


    "Y-You¡­are you really¡­" Seraphina''s eyes watered and she sniffed back her tears. "Is this an illusion before my death?"


    Varian opened his mouth in surprise and rubbed his forehead, as he shook his head. In an amused tone, he said. "If you''re that happy to see me, you shouldn''t have tried to kill me. Your granddaughter wouldn''t have died."


    "Xe! Ahhh, my Xe! The little girl! Xe!!!" Like she had gone mad, Seraphina called out her dead granddaughter''s name and sobbed.


    "Cry me a river." Varian crossed his arms with an unforgiving face, not feeling the slightest guilt for making an olddy cry by killing her granddaughter.


    If the positions were reversed, not only would Seraphina not feel any guilt, she would not even consider her action as wrong. No, she would''ve long forgotten Varian.


    "You''vee to court death, my boy."


    A hand broke throughyers of space and passed through Varian''s chest. But no blood was spilled. Not even a drop.


    Tap! Tap!


    A hand tapped on Archduke Micheal''s shoulder. With a stiff expression, he turned around.


    What greeted him was a fist that magnified so quickly that he wasn''t able to dodge.


    Boom!


    The world in his vision spun around and then something hard struck him in the abdomen.


    A foot? A knee?


    Whatever it was, Micheal was clutching his stomach and frothing, tears spilling out of his eyes and wetting his cheeks.


    "Arghh! Arghh! Aaaa!"


    Were these screams his?


    No, no, it couldn''t be!


    He, Archduke Micheal, a strong high rank 9, the pir of P couldn''t possibly make such pathetic noises. Definitely not due to a weakling he could casually swat into dea¡ª


    "Gaaaa!"


    When his arm was twisted back and a strong kicknded on his palm, Micheal realized he was indeed screaming loudly.


    The flowing sweat that drenched his armor shirt, the shivering of his body under the horrendous pain and the undeniable fear that had risen.


    All the defenses he prepared were futile.


    "Scream! Scream more! Let me listen to your screams as I break your bones and treat you like an animal!"


    Varian''s vicious voice showed no mercy as he mmed his back with a glowing white palm.


    The ''Order'' governing Micheal''s body changed and his legs began to twitch violently as the vitality, that''s supposed to help his heal injuries began to oppose it.


    Then Varian''s death power drilled into his body and the injuries on him began to skyrocket.


    Micheal''s skin split all over his body like cobwebs and then blood began to spill out like some dam was burst.


    The muscles inside were pushed through those cracks and then even bone began to break out.


    "You treated her lover like this, didn''t you? What were the words?" Varian caught Micheal in a chokehold with his arm and pressed against the duke''s neck hard to the point the fragile bones began to break.


    "Ah, see, how these useless a Spiritless is. He breaks when you torture him relentlessly. Then what about you bastard?"


    Varian raised his other fist and punched down on the duke''s head. Blood spilled out like he broke a coconut and sshed on his face.


    Unchanged in the slightest, he kept mming, even as the skull cracked and the brain turned into mush. At some point, the whole head had but disappeared, leaving him punching the neck.


    Kicking away the body to leave it for regeneration, Varian turned around and pulled out the dozen swords and spears lodged in his body.


    Blood gushed out of those wounds and the foreign aura inside him tried to wreck his vitality.


    Dukes Kriad and Corinthian as well as Duchess Seraphina floated in front, their eyes brimming with killing intent, particrly the duchess''.


    While he took great care to dodge as many attacks as he could, he still suffered significant injuries.


    They must''ve realized that he had grown much stronger. So, the three decided to sacrifice Micheal to keep Varian engaged and use that opportunity to injure him as much as they could.


    He seemed stronger than them if injured enough, he wouldn''t be able to win. Now, the n had bore fruit. Perhaps that''s why, there''s a confident smile on the lips of the dukes.


    "No, no, no. Don''t have hope." Varian raised his hand and the power of death pulled something from Micheal''s twitching, regenerating body.


    A burst of vitality filled Varian and his injuries began to heal at a rapid pace. More than 50% of what they inflicted on him was gone before they could open their mouths.


    Thest 50% was healing slowly but by the time they could exchange ten blows, they would have healed.


    Kriad and Corinthian looked at each other before swiftly using their powers and flying away.


    Only Duchess Seraphina remained, a big smile on the olddy''s face.


    "Why did you stay?" Varian waved his hand and Micheal''s spasming body floated in front of him.


    He grabbed a sword and then pierced it through the spine of the duke. The power of death and soul inside Requiem flooded the man and he began to twitch like he''s a fish out of water.


    "Why did I stay?" The olddy smiled through her wrinkles, a creepy expression dawning on her face. "Because I can kill you all by myself. No one gets a share."


    Varian narrowed his eyes.


    Her vengeance had gone so far that she didn''t even care about the risk to her life.


    Perhaps she had a method to kill him. Even then, it''d be much more safe if she attacked him with several others after proper nning and resource gathering.


    But no. She didn''t even seem to even consider that line of thought.


    "I raised her with these hands." Seraphina showed a soft smile for the first time in six months. "The girl was cute, clever than her peers. She looked at me with those big, gem-like eyes.


    Oh dear, you should''ve seen her when she started speaking. Children usually say ''Mama or Baba'' first.


    But did you know what she said? She said granma! Granma! Hahaha! She couldn''t even say Grandma!"


    Tears rolled down Seraphina''s eyes as the memories of a young girl shed in her mind.


    For a person envisioning his death bed, the one thing they''d definitely want to see would be their children and grandchildren. It''d be the happiest death for themon man.


    Conversely, the worst way death a person could face was not his own but of his child''s.


    Any father and any mother would want to be buried by their children. They would not want a life where they would have to bury their offspring.


    It''s perhaps the most cruel punishment for a parent.


    "I buried her with these hands." Seraphina pointed to the red soil on her palms. "This soil will stay on me until I kill you."


    A cyrstal wheel materialized behind Seraphina and began to spin. Her natal treasure created a field covering a radius of entire light year.


    A huge pressure fell on Varian as the vitality in his body began to flow in reverse.


    Even though he looked young, his body was like that of an old man in his twilight, incredibly weak and fragile.


    In contrast, Duchess Seraphina turned into a beautiful youngdy. Her voice now sweet but wasced with the same hatred.


    "After I kill you, I will bury myself next to her and kill myself. So, please die!"

 Chapter 1539 Clean Up

    <h4>Chapter 1539 Clean Up</h4>


    ?Varian had long understood one simple truth.


    If a great general died, the whole kingdom would mourn his death. And a duchy mourns for its duke and a province for its lord.


    But even a nameless soldier who would die in the very instance of the war had people waiting for him back home.


    People who would wail over his dead body, remember him in their memories and keep loving him long after his death.


    The emptiness in their hearts wouldn''t discriminate based on the post the man held. The death of a father would always be painful, whether the father was a general, a peon or a teacher. So would the death of a husband, a brother, a son.


    And these men that keep dying every second were indeed all these things to their people.


    "My grandchild''s soul will only get peace if you die an ugly death!"


    Seraphina''s outburst was purely a grandmother''s anguish.


    "How about a better idea? I''ll send you to her. Apany that girl and make sure she doesn''t turn out like that in her next life, if there is one."


    Varian drew out his sword from Micheal''s spine and twisted it lightly. The sword spun, expelling the thick, warm blood droplets and returning back to its pristine form.


    Serahpina, having regained her younger form, was far more formidable. With a flick of her wrist, sky cracked and a giant tree fast descended onto Varian.


    "Ugh," Varian pressed the hilt of the sword against his heart and the power of death grabbed the foreign power acting inside him.


    The messed up vitality was mostly sorted out, allievating some fatigue


    "There''s not much you can do at this point."


    Seraphina made a symbol with her fingers and the giant tree split open, revealing a green wolf with two horns.


    The broken parts of the tree were attached to the wolf like an armor and the star-sized beast shrunk until it reached two meters.


    "Wooo~"


    With a howl that destroyed all stars in the surrounding trillion miles, the wolf halved the distance with Varian in a blink.


    A tremendous power of life began to pull his ''body'' out of control, as if someone was snatching the control button.


    The vitality in Varian''s body was being pulled out and drawn toward the wolf. As the creature drew closer, the veins in his body bulged and the vitality in his body threatened to explode out.


    Varian understood the state of his body. It''s a ticking timebomb. Fortunately, he had control over the time part.


    The ring on his finger gave off a mesmerizing light and the timeflow on his vitality slowed.


    Varian then activated his soul power and attacked the creature.


    "Woo!"


    The wolf came to a sudden halt as the tremendous paining from the depths of its soul overwhelmed its system. It wasn''t even able to continue the bond with Varian''s vitality.


    "Space."


    Varian raised his sword and pointed it at Seraphina.


    A ripple formed around Requiem and a space crack appeared in front of the de. He thrust the sword into the crack and it arrived from behind the old duchess, intending to pierce her heart.


    Seraphina either had excellent battle intuition or dumb luck since she managed to dodge by a hair''s breadth and clench her hand.


    The wolf morphed into a spear and shot at him with an amazing speed.


    Varian clicked his tongue as his blood boiled and rioted, as if it was about to overflow.


    Without hesitation, he grabbed the dazed Micheal''s body which had just regenerated and used it as the defense.


    Shaa!


    "Arghh!"


    The duke who was justing to his senses screamed as the spear lodged itself straight into his crotch, sted through his body and exited from his mouth.


    Varian made a disgusted face and kicked away the body. From the tip of his finger, soul power glowed and discharged into Micheal, putting him into a torturous dream.


    Since he''s already so battered, the psycho bastard wouldn''t be able to free himself anytime soon.


    Shaa!


    A sword cut through his arm and nearly reached his heart, if not for him tilting his body at thest moment.


    Seraphina appeared in front of him, her younger appearance bearing a lot of resemnce to Xe.


    Varian gripped the de, disregarding his palm being cut due to his sharpness and pulled it out.


    Seraphina was sted back and before she could reorient herself, his sword severed her hand clean at her wrist.


    The old duchess tried to back off to gain an opportunity. There was no respite.


    The power of space and time acted together with the influence of soul, all slowing her down.


    And Varian''s sword shed her into pieces.


    When the dismembered duchess tried to reorganize herself into a cohesive whole, the power of Order and Chaos enveloped her body parts.


    The vitality still surging in them was either stripped away or thrown into chaos. As a result, even her ability to be reborn from a drop of blood turned useless.


    Every bit of Seraphina with life was slowly turned into an inorganic material. Soon, every bit of her living part turned dead.


    "Phe~"


    Varian exhaled and stretched his body. The injuries had healed up but he still felt stinging pain here and there.


    Kriad and Corinthian had long escaped his range of perception. So, there''s nothing he could do at this point.


    But their absence seemed to have encouraged the group of four rank 9s of the invading force.


    "Ahh, infighting? We love infighting the most!"


    "Little brother, do you have a grudge with that man? Let me help you kill him."


    "Right, right!"


    "Jai stands with the oppressed."


    Four giant beings with pale white skin, hair and eyes, as if they were some cartoon painted with white color appeared in front of him.


    The space around them was twisting naturally without them exerting any significant aura.


    "Hehe."


    "Come."


    "Meet your destiny."


    "The Empire always wins."


    The four said their lines with great amusement andughed. "Hahahaha!"


    Varian startedughing with them. "Ahahahaha!"


    If an outsider saw this scene, they''d think they were best friends, not enemies who''d kill each other without blinking.


    "What''s so funny?" The leader of the four frowned, his face without any features except for eyes and a mouth didn''t look that aesthetic.


    "Four wolves spot a pack of sheep. They notice the all sheep are fighting a single foreign sheep. They rejoice. Once the sheep are exhausted, there''s no way they can excape their hunt. What they don''t know¡­"


    A circle of purple emerged under Varian and extended swiftly, covering the four pale white beings.


    "Is the outsider sheep is not a shape. It''s the tiger in disguise, waiting for the wolves."


    Space cracked and time rolled, a hand appeared behind one of the beings.


    He quickly tightened the space around him to block the attack but he couldn''t stop the drain of his life force that came without any contact.


    "Arghh!"


    He didn''t even survive the duration heughed.


    "Now then¡­" Varian''s gaze turned to the fleeing warriors and his eyes glowed with the power of soul.


    A few minutester, the body of Micheal was thrown into a space crack.

 Chapter 1540 Family

    <h4>Chapter 1540 Family</h4>


    ?Sonya remained depressed since her mother''s death. If Isadora was with her, perhaps she would''ve been a little energetic, if only for the sake of appearance.


    But with even her sister absent, the little princess couldn''t hide the anguish in her heart.


    After she learned everything that transpired, she couldn''t spend an hour without her mother''s final moments shing in her mind.


    Why?


    Why did it have to be like this?


    She med herself for hating her mother and believing her to be evil so easily. How could her mother really kill sister? Even until the end, her mother never med her.


    There was a reason she strived so much to aplish her dream. And when it all failed, the woman who bore it all alone sacrificed herself so that others could live to fulfill their own dreams.


    "If only I didn''te here¡­maybe¡­" Sonya leaned against a tree in one of the many gardens, her lifeless face under the warm shade showing no more expression than a dead corpse. "Mother¡­mother¡­mama."


    It was six months. She was supposed to move on already. But forget going that far, she wasn''t even able to forget the way she was surrounded and killed.


    "Seraphina, Micheal, Kriad, Corinthian¡­" Sonya exhaled and clenched her fist, not caring that her nails had dug into her palm, pouring out so much blood that it dyed the grass.


    "Two left."


    With a thud, a limbless body rolled in front of her, frothing at the corner of its mouth and then twitching violently, as if it was electrocuted.


    Sonya barely stopped herself from eximing and carefully examined the man''s identity.


    "Ah," A sigh escaped her lips. "Really, that old sinner. Micheal. Micheal¡­Micheal!"


    A hammer appeared in her hand and without looking anywhere else, she mmed it down.


    Fresh blood sshed on the little princess'' face and she smelled the raw scent in the air.


    A gentle smile appeared on her face before it distorted into a raging expression.


    "Give me back my mother!"


    Boom!


    "Return her!"


    Boom!


    "I''ll spare you if you do!"


    Boom!


    "Give her back!"


    Boom!


    Varian sighed and left the little princess on her own.


    He sealed up Micheal anyway and asked Oob to look after him. So, there would be no security risks.


    "A few hours of torture wouldn''t have hurt."


    Isadora greeted him outside Sonya''s residence. There were dried tearmarks on her cheeks and blood on her clothes.


    Varian shrugged. "If he broke, then Sonya wouldn''t get any satisfaction."


    Isadora tilted her head and looked through therge building, directly at Sonya in the back garden. She sighed. "Sonya will get better. She''s a strong girl."


    "I hope so."


    He stepped into the air and the world shifted.


    Three pure white beings were restrained by a divine chain, looking around with a horrified expression.


    "Now, now, don''t worry." Varian gave them a cheeky grin.


    "W-What are you going to do?"


    "Why are there divine rankers with you?"


    "Who the hell are you?"


    As always, all of them talked. Perhaps it was fun for them, but it was he annoying for Varian.


    So, he swung his sword and their bodies split into two vertically. But somehow, they still remained alive.


    "Thank you guys for sacrificing to a greater cause."


    He raised his hand to the sky and then pointed it down. A beam of light fell from the sky and swallowed the three high rank 9s.


    A few minutester, a hundred powerhouses of Human Empire reached the location in an unstable flight.


    Ny of them were humans, ten belonged to the races of ruins.


    Now, all of them reached low rank 9.


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    Varian didn''t say a word and looked at them with a calm gaze.


    And everyone in the crowd, standing in a perfect military formation and posture, looked back with a gaze filled with fear, respect and more than everything, awe.


    "Familiarize yourself with the powers. Mighte handy. Might not." Varian said casually and waved his hand.


    The power of ''Lordship'' applied onto the power of space and sent them all back to their locations.


    A minuteter, he appeared in a luxurious vi in the suburbs of a top city.


    "Give my elo-temporo-meter!"


    "I modified it! It''s a regressor meter, ohohoho!"


    A 6-year old boyughed as he ran from a 8-year girl. It didn''t take long for him to stumble and fall.


    When the little girl caught up and began beating him up, he grabbed her leg with a fierce expression.


    And then he started massaging her feet.


    "Sister, my dear sister, please don''t hurt your feet by kicking me. I''m just a weak boy. Please, sister~"


    With his shameless cajoling, he did manage to cool her off.


    "¡­Your son is as shameless as you." Varian remarked as he sipped the premium coffee. "I feel sad for Maya."


    "Oh please." Kyle crossed his arms and gave him a disdainful re. "My children got the best genes they could ask for. Both of them will graduate from university by the time they turn ten. All thanks to me."


    Compared to before, he looked more mature. Even though he didn''t age as much, he''s still a 33 year adult. His face was that of a 25 year old but his demeanor was that of an ''Uncle''.


    "Old bastard, stop bragging about your genes." Varian chuckled. "It''s not your genes. It''s your mother''s. She''s the real hardworker."


    Kyle rolled his eyes. "I''m d you aren''t a business owner. You''d have told your employees to sleep in the office to save time."


    "Seriously, I''m a good guy." Varian defended himself. "I told her to delegate the work many times. She just can''t stop taking it up since she wants it to be perfect. Her spy career made her a bit too much of a perfectionist."


    "You don''t understand, it runs in our blood!" Kyle pped his chest and dered. "If you ask us for 99.9% good products, we''ll produce the 0.1% defective pieces separately."

 Chapter 1541 Uncle

    <h4>Chapter 1541 Uncle</h4>


    ?Maya, looking a mature young woman in her 20s, stepped in and sat beside Kyle. She was still petite but radiated the aura of a mother.


    Pushing the tray of snacks which included handmade cakes and cookies, she asked. "Big brother, when will we see you next time? I really tried to call you when both of them were born."


    Kyle shook his head with a dismissive expression. "Don''t ask him. That bastard doesn''t even know if he''d be avable tomorrow or not."


    "¡­" Varian wanted to refute but it was too urate to retort. "Son of a b¡ª"


    "Language! We have kids in the home." Maya quickly said before ring at Kyle. "Why do you say the ''B'' word? What are you teaching our kids?"


    "It''s just basta¡ªouch!"


    "Language!"


    Kyle looked at Varian with a helpless expression and thetterughed with schadenfreude. "You deserve all the love, my brother."


    "I hope your harem never has any big conflict and that you never have to pull your hair, my good, good brother." Kyle said with arge smile.


    Varian clenched his fists. "Do you think I can''t ask them to talk instead of fighting?"


    "Aren''t they all stronger than you though?"


    "¡­"


    Varian lowered his head and slumped into the sofa. "You son of a¡ª"


    "Language!"


    "Son of Alison." Varian sighed deeply.


    As hey there, wondering why he wasn''t able to counter this cunning bastard, the kids came running from the garden.


    "Mom, Mom, who is this big brother?"


    "Big brother? Are you one of my dad''s students?"


    The girl looked at him with a curious expression while the boy hid behind his father.


    Due to the power of soul, while he retained his original appearance, they wouldn''t be able to associate with that of the ''Emperor''.


    "Hi kids! I''m a friend of your parents." Varian introduced himself with a smile.


    "Big Bro, you''re so cool!" The girl gasped. "Which movie did you act in?"


    "Err, the movie?" Varian scratched his chin with an embarassed expression andughed.


    "Un, un!" The little girl nodded vigorously.


    Looking at those bright eyes, Varian didn''t want to disappoint her. "Um, yeah, what''s the name of movie?"


    "Ah? It''s not Genesis of an Empire, right? No, I''ve seen it and I''m pretty sure I didn''t spot you there."


    "No. Of course not." Varian continued to lead her on while he connected with Boo in his mind.


    ''Boo, make a movie with the clips you have of me. Create records of it existing prior. A small movie that''s released many years ago, didn''t y well and recieved moderate ratings.''


    "¡­The crazy pirates!"


    "Very close. Very close." Varian said.


    "This is the tenth title." The little boymented. "I don''t think he''s an actor at all."


    "This is my movie." Varian presented a holographic file to the little girl and turned to the boy. "It''s a one-time thing. I''m not an actor."


    "See! I told you!. My kill-o-meter had been blinking red!" The boy said in a whisper but everyone heard his words.


    Varian gave the boy with an appreciative nce. "Kill-o-meter? You have a very good sensing name. Almost as good as mine."


    "Sss!"


    "Szzz!"


    "Haaa!"


    Kyle, Maya and their daughter both held their foreheads.


    The boy, however, stepped forward and looked into Varian''s eyes as if he was meeting a destined friend.


    "B-Big Bro....you too?"


    Varian nodded. "Your parents don''t have a good taste, my boy! This society doesn''t want your art to flourish! Don''t listen to it! Your taste is sublime, beyond the superficial preferences of the mortals. As the Em¡ªahem, Emancipated soul from the society''s restrictions, I am telling you, your naming taste is fin¡ª"


    "Please don''t spoil my son. He''s still young. I''m still crying to correct his peculiar tastes." Maya said with an assertive expression.


    Varian replied with a confused face. "B-But what did I say, I just appreci¡ª"


    "Kids, say bye to Uncle!" Kyle said that but he literally grabbed his son''s hand and waved it at Varian.


    "Uncle? Me?" Varian pointed at himself with his index finger and looked at his two friends with a betrayed expression.


    "Bye, Uncle!"


    "Uncle, bye bye!"


    Listening to the children''s innocent words, Varian clutched his heart and ran away from the devil''s home.


    "Uncle? Me? I''m 20!"


    [Uncle~]


    "I''m just 20! I''m a big bro! Big bro!"


    [Uncle~ Uncle~ Uncle~]


    "Your mom''s uncle! Shut up Logos! This is a serious matter!" Varian yelled as he exited Hortus.


    Breathing heavily, he decided to cool himself with something that would not piss him off.


    ''Status''


    [Rank 8


    Paragon Body: 24,500/25,000 (+4,500)


    Ignis: 24,500/25,000 (+4,500)


    Death Giant: 24,500/25,000 (+4,500)


    Order: 24,500/25,000 (+4,500)


    Chaos: 24,500/25,000 (+4,500)


    Space: 24,500/25,000 (+4,500)


    Time: 24,500/25,000 (+4,500)


    <Almost there. Prepare yourself for rank 9. It''s thest stage where things would still make sense.


    Once you step into the divine ranks, even the System isn''t sure what would happen and how fast.


    Unfortunately or fortunately, the time you spent in Paradise had a lot of impact on you.


    Unless you deliberately suppress your growth, you''ll be reaching the peak of rank 9 faster than you reached peak of rank 8.


    Good luck, Uncle~>]


    "Logos, I swear I won''t forget this!" He ced an oath on his heart and headed to the battlefield.


    Only Kong was left on the target.


    If it wasn''t for him, perhaps Serenthia would''ve been alive.


    ''I don''t have a mother. I don''t have a mother-inw from Sarah or Isadora. I am cursed.''


    On the side of father-inw, he only had Evander. But that man had gone crazy recently, threatening to kill him or worse, kill himself if he didn''t give him grandchildren.


    ''That old man had gone crazy. Fucking damn it.''


    As he''s in the middle of locating Kong in the impossiblyrge battlefield, a hand tapped on his shoulder.


    Varian froze up, unable to even turn his head around.


    All he could do was squeak out a word filled with extreme vigilence.


    He had seen the power of divine rankers. A new divine ranker like Isadora. A peak rank 1 like Fabricator.


    But now, something was off. Something was very, very off.


    "Who?!"


    A voice that sounded so mechanical that it might''ve been generated by aputer but so deep and ancient that it must''vee from a being who lived longer than whole of humanity sounded.


    "I''ve looking for you, to be precise, the slivers, since forever. I am Aphosis, the Demon of Order."

 Chapter 1542 Demon of Order

    <h4>Chapter 1542 Demon of Order</h4>


    ?Aphosis.


    The Demon of Order.


    The central figure of the trio that ruled the Nexus Empire.


    A being who''s said to be the strong mid rank 2 in all of Eden.


    The figure who worked without any emotion, doing everything ording to the ''Order''.


    If he stomped, half of Nexus would kneel in submission. The other would''ve died for being too close to the stomp.


    "Hm, as I suspected, the slivers did merge. There is no separating them now." Aphosis voice continued to sound from behind, without the slighest hint of emotion.


    Varian didn''t know what to do. He could not risk asking anyone for help. Implicating Sarah or Sia would only result in their death. There''s no way, absolutely no way they could win against a rank 2.


    He experienced their power up close. Even a single sub-rank difference in divine realms was vast.


    The childish notion of fighting across the realm was impossible in celestial ranks itself. But there was some possibility of fighting across the sub-rank.


    In divine realms, that notion was thoroughly squashed. No one, not even the best of geniuses could ever fight up a sub-rank.


    If you''re a low rank 1, the best hope you had against a mid rank 1 was to escape with your life intact. And even that''d be expected from only the best of geniuses.


    From the beginning, Varian held no fantasy of being rescued.


    ''Alright, calm down. Calm down. I will die here. Fuck. But I can''t stop it. Then what next?


    He would try to escape but the chances of it were next to zero. Naturally, his line of thought shifted to what would happen after his death.


    A small family of four was waiting for him.


    Thankfully, he did prepare a ''Will'' of sorts.


    Even a donkey learns to not touch the barbed wire if it got cut too many times. If he didn''t prepare a will after nearly dying for who knows how many times, he''d be worse than a donkey.


    He might not have preferred death at all. But if inevitable, well, then he''d at least want an honorable death¡ªan ending where people wouldn''tment that he''s as good as a donkey.


    ''Oob will be able to sense my death. Will not break the news right away. Rather, it''d inform that I''m trapped somewhere and they need rank 2 strength to break in.


    With the excuse that it''s going to be too long, Hortus'' Will would be transferred to Sarah. With the legacy and Oob''s help, she should be able to master the world and benefit from its features.


    Sia will get the power of slivers I was able to condense. It can keep her origin from destabilizing for at least a hundred million years. By that time, she would be able to snatch the slivers back or find another solution for her lifespan.


    Enigma would get the¡­letters. The n was to write one love letter every day secretly and give it on a birthday she''d decide. Well, she has a billion letters to read. I guess nearly going insane did have some pay off.


    Our love was always heavier from her side. I wanted to make it at least a little more even. Enigma, I was trying to love you as much as you loved me¡­but it''s all going to end before I could shower you with affection. Sorry.


    Isadora, I can''t give you anything. The years I spent with you, even if they''re only ten, they have the echo of a billion. I can only ask you for forgiveness. I promised to love you for eternity. And I''m leaving you so quickly.


    But myst gift for you would be the flower I secretly snatched from that timeless world. It won''t ever wither. It''s the symbol of my love for you. Even if I die, my love will exist.''


    Varian''s tense shoulders rxed. He slowly breathed out and a peaceful expression dawned on his solemn face.


    On the flipside of all this, at least Aphosis found Varian alone. If he traced them all the way back to Hortus, then everyone would''ve died. If it had to end with only his death, then it''s infinitely more desirable.


    "Hm, the slivers have chosen you? Interesting, interesting. Not only do they have a will, they even have a preference? Why would it choose you?" Aphosis asked. Even though his words implied curiosity, his tone remained t.


    "Since you''re going to kill me anyway, I want to fight your clone at my strength."


    The reply was unexpected and hrious, especially because Aphosis was behind Varian and thetter kept speaking, as if he was addressing someone in front.


    "Why don''t you turn around first? Even though I will end your life, it''s not the proper ''order'' to converse without facing each other." Aphosismented.


    There was a heavy emphasis on ''order''.


    "I could overlook this breach of order if we were in a fight. You can''t go face to face with some beings in fights. But we are not in a fight. I will kill you when I wish and you cannot defend yourself. Facing me for the conversation is the least you could do to die an orderly death."


    "¡­"


    A long silence followed.


    "Oh, I''ve withdrawn all my aura to not trouble you. But I guess even my presence is hard to bear."


    Aphosis snapped his fingers and the invisible pressure falling on Varian disappeared.


    "Haaa!"


    Like a man who almost drowned and barely saved himself, Varian gasped violently, even though there was no air in space or its necessity for his lungs.


    His body shook from head to toe, as it struggled to adjust to the sudden disappearance of that monstrous pressure. It felt like he was about to break into pieces and was barely holding himself together.


    When he finally turned around, he saw the man. No, he saw the boy.


    With a pale golden skin that glowed softly like the surface of ake under the moon. The red hair was uniform and nearly arranged in a symmetrical fashion.


    The pointed ears of the man like that of an elf.


    Dressed in a long ck coat with golden design, ck trousers and an overcoat, he would have looked like a young master at the elite party if not for his emotionless eyes.


    Those two eyes.


    Just a glimpse into them and Varian felt his blood freeze up. It felt like he was thrown butt naked into an ice chamber.


    It was a reminder that the eyes that were looking at him did not belong to a god-like being.


    Those eyes had no pupil, no iris. Like the purest of marbles, they were white. And they glowed like a torch in the darkness.


    The soft white lighting from the eyes was somehow brighter than any light that an entire star could give.


    If Varian did not have the strength of a rank 9, he would have had to shield his eyesto protect himself from the radiance. For normal people, Aphosis would look like a being covered in a pure white light.


    "Varian." The Demon of Order narrowed eyes. "Answer a few of my questions and you can die properly. Resist, if you dare."

 Chapter 1543 The Mad Track Record

    <h4>Chapter 1543 The Mad Track Record</h4>


    "W-What do you want to know?" Varian asked through gritted teeth.


    With his life not in his hands anymore, he at least wanted to die a proper death. If that somehow helping the Alliance defeat the God Emperor, so be it. At least, his wives and people would be able to live in peace.


    "Why have you hidden yourself instead of submitting the slivers?" Aphosis asked in a straighforward tone.


    "Huh?" Varian was dumbfounded. Did this guy have a screw loose?


    "The slivers will show the best effect when they''re in my hands or that of Aridam. Even Equilius could be considered. But you, you are a weakling. There is nothing more you can do that we cannot. Why have you kept the slivers so shamelessly? How did you ever think you were worthy?"


    Aphosis'' questions were sharp but there was no doubt that he genuinely believed what he said.


    Varian pursed his lips for a moment. Was he supposed to be pissed off?


    Worthiness? Since he''s going to die anyway, he might as well say what''s on his mind.


    "Let me turn the question around. With two slivers at hand, Mors and Genesis cannot defeat that man. Do you think two more slivers would make a difference? And not prompt the man to step in himself?"


    Aphosis frowned. Instead ofshing out at Varian for speaking up, he carefully considered his words.


    "We can keep it hidden from him until we''re ready to use the slivers properly to defeat him."


    "Do you think that would have worked? Hiding something from someone who''s the master of time?"


    "It''s the best choice we have." Aphosis shook his head. "Immortal is born for this purpose. With four slivers, he has the best shot of defeating¡­Him. It''s the most logical step to take."


    Varian''s expression changed and a thought shed in his mind. Why do these guys need the slivers in the first ce? Strength? Of course. But what use was strength when it couldn''t protect their lives?


    The look in his eyes changed and a spark of hope lit up. Perhaps he could survive.


    "Logical? How about stupid? If the God Emperor is as strong as you fear he is, why wouldn''t he also think of the logical steps you thought of?


    There is only one truth here. If the God Emperor is to be defeated, it can only happen from my hands. I am the only chance you got. Kill me now and you''ll doom the Alliance forever."


    Varian forced himself to look into Aphosis'' eyes despite the pain it gave and said with a defiant smile.


    Aphosis frowned, showing displeasure on his face for the first time.


    "You''re delusional." Saying in a dismissive tone, he clenched his hand and pulled back.


    The slivers embedded deep inside Varian felt a force from the outside.


    "Arghhhhh!"


    Varian''s skin cracked open and blood gushed out.


    It felt like someone had dug into his body and was pulling out his very soul. With every passing moment, it felt as if the entirety of him was being torn apart.


    His vision was being split into two and so was his body. The blood curling screams of the man who used to brush off horrific pains filled the space.


    Aphosis showed no trace of emotion as he watched a glow of ck and white emerging from Varian.


    "Graaaaa!"


    The growls grew louder and louder until Varian''s throat cracked and blood spilled out. Then the noise died down, leaving him spasming in the throes of unbelievable pain.


    If he didn''t bear a billion years of torture and hardened his soul, the horrible pain he felt in that moment might''ve broken him beyond any hope of normalcy.


    But even with everything he went through, Varian found his thoughts vanishing and hope dying. All that remained in his mind was pain, pain and pain.


    For reasons he couldn''t even being toprehend, he had a glimpse into the pain of souls he never met and the emotions they carried onto their death.


    The pain of devas as they watched their civilization go extinct. The feelings that swirled in the hearts of billions as they watched aura go down bit by bit before it all disappeared to seal the slivers.


    The grief of Ares tribe as they gave up their race to esacpe from the pursuit. The look on their faces as they watched themselves in the mirrors, realizing that they would never be a proper tribe again.


    The sorrow of the god that the Ares worshipped when he saw the inevitable end of everything despite all his attempts. The tears in his eyes as he realized his own inevitable death.


    The helpless sigh of a being so strong that he ruled a third of the universe and still couldn''t stop what was destined to be. The feeling of despair that engulfed thest spark of hope.


    "Arghhhh!"


    Varian''s soul cracked and his eyes began to lose the light of life.


    Aphosis showed a strained expression as he focused on the extraction process. The fused slivers were trickier than he expected and while they weren''t fighting him directly, they were clinging onto the host.


    The slivers were so deeply embedded in Varinan''s soul that killing him recklessly would''ve resulted in an unpredictable chainreaction in the slivers which would be beyond Aphosis'' control.


    If the slivers nothing else but made a loud demonstration of their existence, sending a signal across Eden, that itself would be dangerous enough.


    From the powerhouses in Genesis and Mors all the way to the God Emperor himself, they might all descend for the pair of slivers.


    So, Aphosis acted with caution from the start and decided to sever the link between the two before ending the man''s life.


    While he was scared of the slivers calling the God Emperor, the slivers also seemed to have considered it as the worst possible case. So, there was no action until now.


    Aphosis sealed off the area as much as he could and then proceeded with the n.


    The n was to weaken Varian''s resolve and shatter his will so that the extraction could be carried out smoothly.


    That''s also the reason why he rendered Varian from moving and further emphasized his weakness.


    No matter how weak Varian was, Aphosis, as the Demon of Order, was not so ipetent that he couldn''t even calcte whether Varian was able to move or not.


    The question of ''worthiness'' was also brought up in an attempt to make Varian question himself and put himself in a bad mental state.


    Unfortunately, this man seemed to have no shame at all. He didn''t consider himself unworthy, which he definitely was.


    Varian was pushed to the edge of death and the slivers were only a moment away from being detached from their host.


    At this critical juncture, the slivers mmed back into Varian''s body in resistance and a power of ck and white pulsed through his body.


    Aphosis frowned. The slivers had created an ''order'', linking their stability with Varian''s life.


    If anything happened to him, they''d break into two.


    Aphosis knew that they had a better chance of winning the God Emperor with fused slivers than otherwise. It''s only logical to keep them intact.


    "Give up the slivers. Sacrificing your one life for the greater good is not only logical, it is also the right thing to do."


    The Demon of Order tried to persuade the man while exerting even more strength on the slivers.


    If Varian agreed to give up, great. If not, then he''d have to spend at least a year carefully scooping out the slivers. It''s a price he''s willing to pay.


    "Heh, how stupid?!" Varian''s throat was broken but he used the power of soul to convey his thoughts. "Die for the greater good? Then why don''t you die for the greater good and give me your powers? I reached this far in just two years and I will go far with your power.


    So, please die for the greater good. Isn''t that the logical thing to do? You dumbfuck!"


    "¡­What are you saying?" Aphosis raised his head in confusion before a glint shed in his eyes and he quickly ran his power through Varian.


    He took a step back and looked at Varian with a dumbfounded expression inplete contrast to his usual indifferent self.


    "The slivers have gone mad and amplified your fate to an extent that should''ve killed you by a thousand times in a year already. How are you still alive?"


    Varian groaned in pain as the slivers were still pulled but he managed a chuckle. "Tell me about it."

 Chapter 1544 Your Destiny In Your Hands

    <h4>Chapter 1544 Your Destiny In Your Hands</h4>


    Aphosis let out a deep sigh and gave Varian a tired nce. The pain stopped and his injuries were all reset in a blink. Even the injuries of his soul were treated and he was back in his perfect state.


    "With your track record, it is possible for you to have more of a chance than Immortal." Aphosis nodded with a solemn expression. "Even though I feel it''s only 0.5% more, it''s still a significant improvement."


    Varian didn''t bother to distance himself from the Demon of Order. It would only be a futile attempt to run away from a being who could jump the lengths of entire kingdoms.


    "So, you''re not killing me?" Varian asked, unsure if he''s going to be put through that torture once again.


    "That''s correct."


    "Haa~"


    "But."


    Varian raised his head with a troubled expression.


    "Others will not agree."


    "Aren''t you the leader of Nexus?"


    "Not us. They will not agree. They do not think like me. Stronger they are, but their logic is not as strong. Both Keman Aurik and Yami are beings who want to control the future as much as possible.


    You''re an unexpected factorpared to Immortal. They''d rather prop him up for the final fight. Not you. Nexus is important in the Alliance but we are undoubtedly weaker than both the Empires. I cannot stop them from snatching you." Aphosis exined, his childish face containing heavy solemnity.


    Varian rubbed his forehead at the forecast of his doom.


    The strongest backer, if he could even call him that, was Aphosis. But he was as powerless as Varian against those two.


    "Killing Fabricator was a mistake on your end. The death of a peak rank 1 is not a light matter. I have traced you first because you used the powers of Order and Chaos. But they will find you soon." Aphosis warned.


    Varian closed his eyes, wanting to p himself for the impulsive kill. He had a feeling that the ''revenge'' would bite him in the future. It didn''t even take that long to happen.


    A billion years of torture being avenged surely felt good. If only did it didn''t have these implications¡­


    [Host, tell him that the moment the slivers are seperated from you, they will unfuse and scatter their powers across Eden. It''ll take at least a few centuries to regain the perfect condition. The only way out is to not seperate them from you.]


    "If the slivers are seperat¡ª"


    "I heard it." Aphosis cut him off, his eyes looking into Varian with a very curious gaze. "To think will of slivers has even given birth rise to sentience. And that sentience has chosen you. May I ask why the slivers are against Him? They have no reason to involve themselves in these affairs."


    Logos sighed lightly before replying.


    [A lot of reasons but the foremost being a feeling of dread. A terrible future awaits the universe if he seeds.]


    "I see." Aphosis nodded, a contemtive expression on his face.


    Eventually, he looked into the distance and said. "Do you want to join, little girl?"


    Space rippled and Miss Cmity appeared next to Varian. Her face was pale and she looked at Aphosis with a vignt gaze.


    "Child of Asherah, I did not think you were a friend of the sliver wielder."


    "What?" Varian turned to Aurora in shock.


    All Mother Asherah? The rank 2 powerhouse was Aurora''s mother?


    Then what about Isadora''s master? Asha? Were these two sisters? Or was she also ''created'' like Prians were created?


    "I''m her vessel, not her child. I will be gone when I should." Aurora said with a forced smile.


    Aphosis made noment on her words and turned his attention back to Varian. "Since I can''t stop you from dying in their hands, I think taking the slivers and handing them over to Immortal is better. The threat of the slivers is real, but there is a good chance I can prevent it."


    "Back to square one again?" Varian sighed and rubbed his forehead. "If I can convince them, will you offer me support?"


    "It''s worth a shot." Aphosis said. "If even the sentient slivers have chosen you, you should have a significantly higher chance than Immortal at aplishing the


    mission. Compared to Immortal''s 0.05% chance, you should stand at least 0.61%."


    "Lord Keman Aurik and Lady Yami are difficult to convince." Miss Cmitymented. "My f-father¡­hates changing his decisions."


    "This is getting out of hand." Varian gave a dry chuckle. "Can I see your family tree sometime?"


    "Stubborn they are, but if you provide a strong enough case, they would consider you." Aphosis said.


    "How strong of a case?"


    "Your opponent, Immortal, will absorb the hybrid vessel that is with you and gain three origins.


    Once he ascends the divine ranks, he can do things that others can only imagine. With four slivers in hand and at least six paths, he will the strongest being of Alliance, the only chance for taking on Him.


    This is what he''s specifically created to do. It''s his destiny. If there''s anyone with any chance of winning the Empire, it''s him." Aphosis said in a in tone.


    ''They know about Isadora.'' Varian''s expression worsened.


    "Even though we are preparing for a scenario without Immortal''s ascension, if he can fulfill his role, the entire Alliance will back him. With him, the chances of sess are ten times higher than otherwise.


    Dropping Immortal to support you means they''ll have to abandon a n that took millions of years to develop and thousands of years to manifest.


    In short, you''ll have to convince them to abandon their future to gamble on your fate.


    ¡­It''ll take a miracle."


    Aphosis'' words were not positive at all. The sheer difficulty in getting into the minds of the people to even think otherwise was astronomical.


    But he had to do it somehow. Something so ridiculous and great that they would have no choice but to atleast consider his case.


    Kemin Aurik and Yami might not even give him a chance to prove himself once they find him.


    So, whatever n he had out of this difficult situation, he would have to do it before they get to him.


    "It might take a month or half. It is difficult to estimate." Aphosis noticed his thoughts and dered.


    "But wouldn''t doing something outrageous attract attention from the¡­" Varian trailed off.


    "He will not care about this little war. No matter what you do, it will always beneath his stature to even look at. Do not worry about it and do your best." Aphosis shook his head with strong confidence.


    "And under no circumstances, cheat. You cannot fool their eyes. This war is a good opportunity to prove yourself.


    Perhaps if you perform well and at least kill a few pseudo divines, I suspect you''ll have at least 1% chance of convincing them.


    You have been ustomed to multiple paths since the beginning, if I''m not wrong and that''s a significant advantage over Immortal.


    Show yourself that you''re better than him and the Alliance will back you. Instead of hiding your identity and running away, you''ll be the hero of everyone.


    Your destiny is now fully in your hands."

 Chapter 1545 Royal Treatment

    <h4>Chapter 1545 Royal Treatment</h4>


    Every second for an entire day that passed after meeting Aphosis was the longest in Varian''s life.


    He looked over his shoulder so many times that Miss Cmity stood behind him so they could talk.


    It was an irrational behavior, unsuitable for a man who faced so much. Yet, he couldn''t help the creepy feeling down his spine.


    ''Someone is watching!''


    He swiftly turned around once again, only to find it was just Sia and Sarah who entered the room with freshly baked cakes.


    "Ara~?" Sarah tilted her head in confusion. "It doesn''t matter if you find Kong a dayter or weekter. Why are you so disturbed such a simple thing?"


    Until now, he hadn''t told them a word about his meeting with Aphosis. He even controlled the emotions flowing out of his synergy link to not cause any panic.


    He wanted to tell them at least after he calmed himself.


    "Variannnnn~" Sia looked into his eyes and raised the corner of her lips, a sultry smile on her face.


    The loose blue dress on her slipped, whether by intention or not, showing her beautiful, perk breasts.


    "Huh?" Varian looked up Sia with a confused expression beforementing. "Fix your dress."


    The smile on both Sia and Sarah vanished, as if it was all fake and they dragged him by his arm to the bed.


    Sarah rested him on herp while Sia straddled his waist, with fierce expression.


    If it was a normal asion, this posture with them wearing light and loose clothes that showed so much skin would''ve caused him to start a bed battle.


    But now, he only reacted like a confused prisoner who''s taken to interrogation room.


    His abnormal behavior, right from reacting very lightly to Sia''s naked breasts and the current posture, made it too obvious.


    "Spit it out!" Sarah grabbed his cheeks and looked down at him with a benevolent smile. But the smooth hand holding his face felt a bit¡­threatening?


    "Mr.Emperor! Do you want to be tortured until reveal the truth?" Sia showed a cunning smile and moved her ass over to his crotch.


    He already saw where this was going. If he didn''tply, they would squeeze out the truth.


    "Do you really think you can hold on?" Sarah bent down and kissed him with her luscious lips.


    The blonde hair of the beauty touched his face, tickling gently and spreading the sweet fragrance of the woman he held dear.


    (X ¡ª?R18 Content?¡ª X )


    The sound of clothes rustling rang in his ears and before he knew it, he became a horse to be ridden.


    Not that heined, of course. He drowned himself in the love they desperately drowned him with. All the love that he received, he gave it back in double.


    Perhaps because of that, Sia was the first to wave the white g. Varian then grabbed Sarah and another wave of battle began.


    To identally not kill Varian due to the sudden re of aura from excitement, the two women sealed their strengths to rank 9.


    And that guarenteed that they stood no chance.


    "Ugh, ugh, it''s my turn already?" Enigma blinked her eyes in confusion.


    "Haaa~"


    Varian lifted her into the air.


    "Woa¡ªhngh!"


    Sarah woke up when Enigma was about to wave her g and extended the battle for some more time.


    When Varian thought it ended with the two of them going to sleep, a surprise greeted him.


    "Isadora?"


    She was in ace ck negligee, covering her breasts with her arm and looking at him with a ripe red face.


    "I¡­I¡­"


    Compared to her usual self, she looked very flustered.


    Her ruby-like red eyes were watery and she was shaking like a rabbit facing a lion.


    Enigma was usually shy, even in sex. But he didn''t think Isadora would also be like this.


    Was it because it''s her first time? Or would she stay like this even in the future?


    With a teasing smile, Varian picked her up in his arms like a princess and kissed her lips. "Princess, the time hase for you to fulfill the imperial duty and bear my child~"


    "Wh-Whaaat? Child? Ah, but I''m still no¡ª"


    As she iled her arms like a kitten trying to escape, Varian snatched her lips once again, pulling her even more closer to him.


    Isadora''s heart raced hard and her body softened, resting in his arms powerlessly.


    "V¡­Varian~"


    Her sweet voice melted his heart and no longer willing to wait, he took her to a new bed filled with rose petals.


    Showering her lips and cheeks in kisses, Varian slowly moved to her nape. With one hand, he gently caressed her breast while he used the other to stroke her sensitive ears, causing the princess to curl her toes and twitch.


    "Hngg~"


    He tore the negligee, erased her bra out of existence using the power of slivers and ignoring Logos''int about how it was so hical to use slivers for sex, took her pink tips into his mouth.


    "Arghh~"


    Isadora twisted to the side, her body instinctively trying to escape from the sudden jolt of pleasure. His tongue moved quickly but with a steady pace, giving her gentle waves of joy.


    He down his hand from her earlobe and traced her smooth skin, pressing her lips, sliding down her vicle and then cupping her other breast.


    As he caressed her breasts, sometimes gently, sometimes a bit rashly, not letting her get used to the pleasure, Isadora clenched the bedsheets, trying to contain her moans.


    She had almost reached the peak and Varian deliberately slowed down, causing her to groan in frustration.


    Then, he sped up his caress once again, pushing her to the edge before stopping again.


    "Hng~"


    Isadora opened her eyes and red at him with moist eyes, her lips parting to say something but at that moment, Varian bit her tip, finally pushing her to the climax.


    "Haa~ Hmmm~"


    Isadora''s legs spasmed and she clenched the bedsheets while biting her lip, a long moan leaking out as a her panty got drenched in seconds.


    As her chest heaved up and down, basking in the afterglory of her very first orgasm, Varian moved down and slid down her panties before she could even notice.


    When she finally felt his touch on her inner thighs, she looked down at him between her legs with a cute re. "You are a bit too familiar with this."


    Varianughed and leaned forward, giving a kiss to her cute slit before pushing his tongue in.


    "Wai¡ªarghh~"


    She threw her head back as a jolt of pleasure shot up her spine and her slender legs held Varian''s head to stop the intruder from digging deeper into the treasure cave¡­or was it to pull him closer?


    She didn''t know, couldn''t know and didn''t even want to know.


    As Varian moved his tongue with precision, licking, sucking and biting, Isadora twisted her body, pushing and pulling, her moaning going from quiet to loud and when he finally pulled back and plunged in, she screamed as her body twitched violently.


    "Haa! Haa! Huff!"


    Covered in a sheen of sweat and panting heavily with disheveled hair and moist eyes, Isadora''s appearance burned something in Varian''s loins.


    Like a lion leaping on a deer, he jumped on her.


    After a billion years of co-existence, the two had finally became one.


    (Use your imagination to fill up the rest, thank you ^_^)

 Chapter 1546 Knock, Knock~

    <h4>Chapter 1546 Knock, Knock~</h4>


    After everything was over, they gathered by the side of a light pink pond. Dressed in light one pieces, the women dipped their feet in the water, kicking it gently from time to time.


    Varian, on the other hand, sat in the middle of theke on top ofrge lotus leaves with an enlightened expression, as if he had seen through life and death, transcending the joys and sorrows of this mundane world.


    "Amitabha." He recited the mantra of an ancient practice and brought his hands together. "Why do we lust for a body that''ll perish? There is no sorrow, no joy, no pleasure, no pain. Everything is an illusion."


    "Is this what they call¡­?" Sia rolled her eyes in contempt.


    "Yeah. Sage time." Sarah nodded, crossing her arms.


    Both of them were tired from the relentless intensity that never stopped. But hey, why was he alone activing like he''s been through some torture?


    "Shouldn''t it be for a few minutes after the act? Why is he like this for so long? It''s been three hours already!" Enigma voiced her concern.


    "N-Normal people¡­" Isadora closed her lips and bit her lip, giving him a resentful re. "Don''t do it for days."


    "Aye! Aye!" Sia tipped her invisible hat. "There is a beast behind that innocent face. This is why I say we should raise him in a basement to protect him from being seduced by those vixens!"


    "Instead of basement, we can raise him in the pce or a seperate." Sarah pped her hands. "He must be protected at all costs! My sweet rank 9 husband!"


    "I¡­" Enigma looked at Varian bbering ''illusion'', ''physical world'', ''enlightenment'' before nodding "¡­don''t really mind."


    "Affirmative!" Isadora showed a malicious smile, already nning to get back on him for the disastrous loss.


    "Seconded!" Sia showed no hesitation.


    "Flesh is just a product of carbon from a materialistic view, a product of vitality from an energy view. It''s nothing to be attached to¡­"


    When Varian was in the middle of bing the second buddha, he was surrounded by four women.


    Without their feet touching theke, they all floated around him, looking down at him with a predatory expression.


    "Err, yes,dies?" Varian shrunk. "I have achieved enlightenment and saw through the truth of this world. I shall no longer partake in vulgar carnal activities."


    With a swipe of Sarah''s finger, a glowing golden rope tied Varian up.


    "Hey! Hey! It''s negotiable! Totally negotiable!" Varian yelled.


    Isadora gave him a malicious grin and brought her hands together. A mass of darkness twisted and formed a ''room'' around him, a mobile jail with space-blocking features.


    "Come on!" Varian sighed. "I don''t really want to live in a basement, even if it''s a pce basement. I can''t live without seeing you!"


    "Then what about lust for a body that''ll perish? Everything is an illusion?" Sia mocked.


    "Lies! Absolute lies! If you don''t have lust for a body, will you have it for a tree? If everything is an illusion, nothing is!" Varian said with an indignant expression, as if he had some personal feud with the guy who made those points¡­which was himself.


    "Yeah, he''s fine now." Enigma waved her hand.


    The powers dispersed, letting Varian heave a sigh of relief.


    "Will you at least tell what happened now?" Sarah asked, her sharp gaze fixated on his eyes.


    "Well¡­"


    In a much better mental conditionpared to earlier, Varian spilled the beans.


    "Something convincing?"


    "It should be an unprecedented feat."


    "Can''t cheat¡­I think it means he can''t take our help."


    "Ugh, but we can help him through synergy! That shouldn''t count as cheating!"


    The discussions amongst the womenfolk proceeded at full pace.


    Varian, happy that he wasn''t being kidnapped to basement, watched them rack their brains toe up with a solution and smiled.


    ''I¡­didn''t want to die if I could help it. Leaving behind a family like this, it''s not right.''


    "Alright, we decided on the n!" Isadora pped to grab his attention.


    "Huh?"


    "Satellite gxy." Sarah looked into his eyes and said with a serious expression.


    "Yes, what?" Varian blinked in confusion.


    "You''re conquering a satellite gxy." Sarah said with solmen gaze.


    "Okay, no pro¡ªwhaaat?! Are you crazy?" Varian nearly jumped into the river.


    "Exactly." Sarah nodded. "This should cut it."


    "Wait, oh¡­I see, it does sound like it," Varian nodded in agreement before swiftly raising his head. "But how the hell am I supposed to conquer a fricking gxy? Even if it''s a satellite gxy, it should have at least a few kingdoms!"


    "It has no divine rankers. Expect a pseudo divine or two." Isadora exined. "Don''t worry, I will take help from Aurora and pick a suitable one for you."


    "Haah, phew~" Varian calmed his nervous heart and shook his head with a disbelieving smile. The face of Aphosis shed in his mind and he clenched his teeth.


    "You know what? Pick a harder one. As long as there isn''t a divine ranker to confront, there are no limits."


    "Are you sure?"


    "A 101%."


    Varian grinned. "Finalize it before I finish my errands."


    With a twist of space, he vanished.


    *** *** ***


    ''Heaven'' was in a state of worship and celebration as Martial Saint Kong had emerged from the battlefield alive.


    Even though Prians didn''t win, they didn''t lose. At least, that''s what themon people believed.


    Only Kong and the actual powerhouses knew that they had to use a special treasure prematurely to control the chaotic situation.


    The treasure was supposed to be a trump card for their victory but they ended up using it for survival.


    It''s a dire situation butmenting what passed was useless. So, they returned to recuperate.


    ''Heaven'', a special realm of mystical clouds and holy gardens, remained as serene as ever.


    But there was a storm going on inside the main garden called ''Little Eden''.


    "Do you hear what you''re saying? A brat who is a rank 7 thest time we saw crushed Micheal and Seraphina?" Kong''s authoritative voice wasn''t loud but it was certainly heavy.


    Heavy enough to hunch the backs of Kriad and Corinthian. Heavy enough to droop their shoulders. Heavy enough to hang their heads down.


    "We know how it sounds but¡­" Kriad raised his head, the one eye without the eyepatch looked straight at the Martial Saint with a pleading gaze. "He is out for blood, our blood¡­your blood."


    "Hmph!" Kong shook his head with a dismissive smile. "Have you forgotten already, Kriad? My career is built on mountains of corpses, not charity programs.


    Even today, the Undead of the bordering kingdom shiver when they hear my name. Monsters, dead or alive, big or small, young or old, it doesn''t matter.


    As long as it is I who face them, even the fiercest of dragon will have to bend its tail and offer its head."


    A suffocating aura poured out of Kong, announcing the strength of a peak rank 9.


    "M-My Lord¡­" Corinthian spoke up this time, not caring about his ntim-blonde hair that''s almost ttened by the aura.


    "T-The boy is not a monster. Monsters can be hunted down and killed. He is a disaster, an apocalypse which descended in the form of a man."


    Boom!


    "Knock, knock! Is this Heaven?"


    A thunderous voice reverberated across Heaven.


    "Then I''m at the right ce. Open the door~"

 Chapter 1547 No Grudge, No Revenge

    Chapter 1547 No Grudge, No Revenge


    ??Kong raised a brow in surprise but didn''t panic. Interlocking his fingers, he nced at the dukes with a confident gaze, both assuring and mocking the two.


    ''See how I deal with him.''


    Implying such words, the Martial Saint clicked his tongue.


    The entrance of Heaven opened up and a silhouttee glowing in white appeared in the garden without any dy.


    Kong''s eyes narrowed at the speed Varian showed but he still remainedposed.


    Varian was fast but not ridiculously fast. And this was his world. In the worst case, he''d use it to trouble the strange enemy.


    "Tea party? I like tea parties!" Varian materialized a chair out of thin air and sat with them.


    Without showing any embarassment, he poured a cup of tea for himself and sipped it.


    "Slurrrp~"


    For a moment, Kriad and Corinthian forgot all the danger and red at him for his obscene vition of etiqquite. As nobles through and through, they couldn''t stand this vurity.


    "Slurpp~ Slur~ Slurrr~"


    Varian didn''t seem to care as he thorougly enjoyed the tea.


    Kong sat across him and crossed his arms while Kriad and Corinthian stood on either side, eyes angry but body tense.


    Eventually, the tea ran out and Varian put the tea cup down.


    Sniffing the sweet and intoxicating fragrance ofvenders, he turned to the Martial Saint. "Anyst wishes?"


    "I¡ª" Kong opened his mouth with an angry expression.


    "No, not like I''ll fulfill it or anything. I''ll have to ruin it if I can." Varian intercepted and grined. "For example, your dream of fixing the Fortune Anvil. I ''ruined'' it."


    Kacha!


    Kong gripped the table hard and it cracked into pieces before copsing down to the grass.


    Even as dust rose between the two, their gazes remained locked onto each other.


    "No one will be able to save your life today." Kong stood up and cracked his neck.


    "Yeah, sure." Varian raised his fist.


    A brilliant yellow light shed throughout the world before the shockwaves from an explosion swept the ce.


    A golden line of letters appeared behind Kong and various weapons began to fall from the sky, targetting Varian.


    These weapons held different powers. Some contained the brilliance of light, others maintained the murkiness of darkness. A few drained life. A few others sealed it.


    But none of these weapons were as strong as Kong''s direct powers.


    Boom!


    The absolute power of a Paragon Body that reached the very peak of rank 9 was a bit unimaginable. It seemed to be the epitome of perfection, the greatest a physical body could ever be.


    All injuries were healed, all fatigue was recharged and all negative conditions were allievated. It all barely took a blink.


    Varian''s condition, on the other hand, was ambigious.


    He looked more beat up than Kong but was healing almost quickly. The gap between them had been shrinking from the start, as if by some miraculous means, their rank gap had been vanishing.


    Kong remained confident for the first few minutes of the battle despite being baffled by Varian''s inexplicable strength.


    But that began to change as the tactics changed.


    "Order. Death. Space."


    When he uttered those three words, three mes of aura lit up behind him.


    ''Heaven'' shook and then the flowers on the world were pulled into the sky abruptly by the force of ''Order'' which imposed a tyrannical rule that all flowers must stand at an appropriate height above earth.


    Then, the power of death acted on these flowers, draining the vitalities of these high-quality flowers, some of which Martial Saint Kong collected with much difficulty.


    A red sickle was formed from the extracted vitality of these flowers. Just the mere presence of the sickle caused space to distort and crumble.


    Kong''s instincts screamed as he spotted the sickle and raised a spear to knock it down.


    The space around the sickle twisted and devoured it the moment heunched the spear.


    "No!"


    Kong swirled in the air, trying to dodge the sickle that broke out of the space crack which appeared behind him.


    He almost did it.


    Almost.


    Shaaa!


    The sickle cut through his chest and upon contact, the glowing red weapon melted the power of death into him, flooding his body with the one power that''s the most damaging to Paragon Body.


    "Arghhh!"


    Kong screamed as cracks spread on his skin all over, like he was a dropped porein vase. Those cracks turned blue as blood almost spilled out before it was suppressed down by his power.


    The Martial Saint did something he didn''t until then. He used his powers to create a smoke screen and distanced himself from Varian.


    Panting heavily like a dog that had just run with a bag on its back, he touched his chest.


    The injury still hadn''t healed. Even though he suppressed the power of death¡­it hurt. It fucking hurt! Like it wasn''t another person''s aura but boiling water that''s moving inside his chest.


    The pain would''ve copsed newbies but the veteran remained steady. While maintaining his vignt gaze on Varian, he called out. "What are you two doing?


    Come here and suppress this vile beast!"


    "Ah, yes!"


    "Indeed!"


    Kriad and Corinthian, who were quietly slipping away, almost jumped on the spot.


    They looked at each other for a moment and sighed with a resigned expression.


    They didn''t want to fight Varian after watching his strength, which had definitely grown since thest time.


    But if they don''t kill him now, chances were, they wouldn''t be able to even resist when hees for them. And he''d definitelye.


    "Go! Go! Go!"


    "You won''t escape today!"


    The addition of two high rank 9 Dukes added no pressure on Varian. He didn''t even spare them a nce.


    All he did in response to their roars was to unleash a differentbination of powers.


    "Time. Chaos. Soul."


    The aura inside them shook violently, almost going out of control like an untamed beast.


    With great effort, the dukes brought it under control but by the time they did, they didn''t notice that they were swept inside a time dtion ring, which significantly slowed down their reaction speed.


    As a result, even though they sensed the iing attack of glowing white beam, they weren''t able to dodge or defend.


    The power of chaos wrecking chaos in their body stopped for a brieft moment and acted in a different action, creating an opening for the soul attack to enter the physical body and reach the soul.


    "N-No! No!"


    Most soul attacks would get diluted due to the physical body obstructing them from directly reaching the soul. But here, most of the attack managed to reach the soul of the dukes.


    As a result¡ª


    "Arghh!"


    "Krghhhh!"


    The two spasmed in the air and crashed to the ground, bleeding from eyes, ears, nose and mouth.


    Without any mercy, more batches of soul attacks fell on them, shattering their souls and turning them into vegetables.


    While this happened, Varian''s fight with Kong had reached its climax.


    Kong gathered the power of Heaven into a golden sword and shed down. Under the heavenly might, the world itself was split into two and everything was cut including time and space.


    To counter the Martial Saint''s strongest move, Varian used all seven paths.


    Requiem, now primarily charged with the power of death and soul shot forward at an incredible pace thrown by the strength of Paragon Body.


    The space and time over the sword twisted, allowing it to navigate the split world.


    When the sword finally reached the target, the power of Order and Chaos came into y.


    The position of the sword, which Kong was able to predict and prepared to dodge, changed abrutply against all calctions and pierced him right through the chest.


    The powers stored in the sword erupted, engulfing the Martial Saint.


    When the split space-time recovered, a kneeling man bathed in a weak golden light came into view.


    Varian took a step forward and reached him with the twisting of space.


    "Martial Saint, no, Kong."


    "Grahhhhhh!"


    As he raised his head with a beastly howl, the fully bloodied face of a defeated man came into view.


    "You have to pay for your actions."


    Varian''s sword fell and Kong''s eyes showed fear for the first time. "N-Noo!"


    What was cut wasn''t his head, it was his limbs. One by one, all four of them were cleanly severed.


    Then, the sword dug into his heart before slicing three openings in his neck.


    Kong didn''t understand what was going on. He felt like an animal being butchered.


    However, every touch of the sword burned his soul and created so much pain that he would''ve rather died and ended everything.


    Varian grabbed the half-insane Kong and the fully insane dukes and threw them into Hortus.


    With a snap of his finger, their ranks were drained and they turned into ''normal'' people, even wrose than the Spiritless they despised.


    Sonya, covered in dried blood from head to toe, stepped out of her pce and dragged the three bodies in.


    The screams from the pce were said to continue for two full weeks.


    "I''m done with the baggage." Varian dusted his hands and stretched his arms in a hey down on a lush green mountain, watching the sunset. "No grudges to fulfill, no revenge to take. This is the perfect state to do a great thing now."


    Miss Cmity appeared beside him at some point and said.


    "There used to be a lot more satellite gxies. But the God Emperor mixed some, broke some. We have only a total of thirty significant ones now.


    The easiest target, rtively speaking is Sagittarius, close to Alliance''s territory.


    But if you want the hardest, it''s¡­Lionar, the satellite gxy where the 7th Prince''s forces are camped."


    Varian blocked the sunlight with his hand. But the sunlight seeped through the gap between his fingers.


    With a chuckle, he said. "No mater how much you stop, some things are destined to happen."

 Chapter 1548 Glory of Yesteryear

    Chapter 1548 Glory of Yesteryear


    ??King Ferdinand sat on his throne with a pensive expression.


    The destruction of Heaven and the disappearance of Kong along with the two dukes arrived at a time when their strength was desperately needed.


    Starting with Duchess Serenthia, the kingdom had lost all the dukes, including the oldest as well the strongest.


    The P of today was a giant beast without the legs to support its weight. The peak rank 9s could only hold it for so long before it copsed.


    And now, even a peak rank 9 like the Martial Saint was in an unknown state.


    Perhaps this kingdom was going to meet its en¡ª


    King Ferdinand''s eyebrows jumped as he watched a familiar young man walk into the empty throne hall. The past reyed in his mind, contrasting it sharply with the present.


    The king released his aura, just like he did back then. Varian froze without resistance then but now, he took steps with leisure, demonstrating that his strength was no longer something the King could ignore.


    "Really, what a twist of fate." Ferdinand withdrew his aura and leaned back into his throne, weakness showing on his ever stern face for the first time.


    The throne hall went from full to empty.


    The confidence of the king and his kingdom crashed from peak to the bottom.


    The young man who couldn''t even face a bit of his aura had grown up so much that Ferdinand''s instincts were warning him to be careful.


    The king felt as if he had seen thedy luck dancing on top of the P kingdom. yfully, she tilted the scales of their fortune.


    Owing to her whims, here theyy, helpless as everything that was built up by effort crumbled in front of the might of nature.


    "Fate¡­is truly impossible to resist, huh." The King sighed, clutching the armrest so tight that it cracked.


    "I believe the opposite. Fate can be resisted, if you do the impossible." Varian spoke for the first time.


    And as he did, a tform rose under him and on it, a throne. Showing himself as an equal to the King, he sat on it with a calm expression.


    "Are you here to fight?" Ferdinand asked and a trident glowing in red light floated next to his hand.


    "To propose a deal." Varian gave the king a smile. "To reach glory you''d have never imagined. Not even with Isadora."


    "Are you really her brother-inw?" Ferdinand asked something unexpected.


    "No." Varian smiled. "I''m her husband first."


    "As suspected." The king sighed, the disbelieving expression on his face not helping his words. "But I reject. P is fighting for survival. To even dream for glory in this situation would be to remain delusional. Survivales before glory."


    "I will be taking all the risk." Varian leaned forward, his eyes shining with a dangerous glint. "You just have to show some balls and pick up the reward."


    "¡­"


    The king would''ve chopped the head of anyone who dared to speak to him like that. But this was not someone he could kill. The prediction of his natal treasure regarding Varian was still fresh in his mind.


    Given the ridiculous pace of growth shown by the young man, Ferdinand was inclined to believe he was going to seed in whatever he was trying to aplish.


    Rubbing his chin with aplicated expression, he eventually asked. "What is the n?"


    "First, I assure you it''s not as crazy as it sounds." A smile formed on Varian''s lips.


    *** *** *** ***


    "So you are the Null Agent this time?" A octopus-headed humanoid in a ck military uniform asked in a raucous voice.


    "Yes, Sir." Varian, disguised as a thirty-year old Prian with purple skin and six fingers, answered with a salute.


    "You better aplish something with your pathetic life. No one of your ilk has anything to add in the section of achievements." The presiding officer said with half-disgust and half-disappointment.


    "I will make it count!"


    Varian made a symbol with his left hand''s fingers, ced it on his head and vowed. In some of Prian cultures, it was a symbol for eternal vow, performed only in the most serious of ceremonies.


    The officer seemed unimpressed and threw him a uniform.


    An hourter, Varian tied up a prian who looked exactly like himself, knocked him out and threw him in Hortus.


    He then swiftly reached a Synthetic World stationed at the edge of P border.


    "Young Master!"


    The entry was smooth and the reception was smoother.


    A few military officers greeted him with a ttering smile and weed him into a building reserved for special officers.


    "A batch of reservists of 7th Prince''s army are going to be deployed in the Vether region''s 34D sector. They don''t have extensivebat experience. Our reports say some of them are even prisoners sentenced to death." An old man with a goat beard exined.


    Before Varian could respond, the plumpdy sitting next to him picked up.


    "To score as many merits as possible, you could propose that they''d be spared if they surrender. They won''t believe it, but they will hesitate. Use that opportunity to kill as many as you can and then withdraw."


    Varian leaned back against the chair and nodded with a nonchnt expression.


    "Yeah, yeah, don''t tell this young master what to do. I have studied everything from back to front and top to bottom." With arrogance oozing out of every word, he waved his hand at them, shooing them away.


    "That is¡­"


    The officers looked at each other, a hint of disgust shing in their eyes which was quickly covered up by ttery.


    "Then we wish you the best of luck, young master!"


    "We await for your glorious records!"


    "The young leader of Daxis family will show the P kingdom what he''s made of!"


    ttering him with practiced faces, they slowly left the room. And before they did, Varian snickered and pointed down with a lewd smile.


    "Ah yes, yes. We''ll send a few freshly captured ves."


    As they promised, three beautiful military prisoners were sent to the executive room that turned into a temporary bedroom.


    "M-Mi¡­"


    "Please,"


    "Kill me!"


    Looking at the three female prisoners, Varian kept the lewd expression on his face but his eyes shed with a silver light, sweeping their souls with his power and throwing them into a sexual dream.


    While the three moaned so loudly that it was audible even outside the building, rumors of young master of Daxis, nicknamed as the Lustful Demon, spread in the official quarters.


    The lustful demon in their words, however, didn''t touch or even look at the women. Distancing himself from them, he used the power of illusions to erase their presence from his perception. The room was peaceful once again.


    With a serious expressionpletely unlike the arrogant one he showed to others, Varian checked the n for any improvements.


    So far, everything had gone as nned.


    Like every department, military too had corruption.


    The Daxis family, one of the prominent pirs of the kingdom, with a peak rank 8 powerhouse, was nning to use its influence to create favorable conditions for its young master to farm military merits and use that as a justification to gain more political power in theing days.


    For that reason, they painfully considered many factors before finally deciding a suitable battlefield for the heir.


    Unfortunately, their ns were fully visible under the king''s spywork. Varian used the opportunity to ''be'' the young master.


    To aplish something as great as capturing an entire satellite gxy, not alerting the enemy was absolutely neecssary.


    This disguise was critical for the n to seed.


    "Lionar, here Ie."

 Chapter 1549 Finally, Rank 9

    Chapter 1549 Finally, Rank 9


    ??When he reached the battlefield, a stretch of space with dozens of ckholes creating some sort of boundary, the armies from both sides had already gathered.


    The corrupt military officers didn''t want to expose themselves to their superiors. So, they disguised the young master as a normal captain assigned to this sector and threw him to the battlefield like everyone else.


    As a rank 5, the young master was already one of the strongest group leaders, only next to rank 6manders.


    The rank 7s didn''t takemand anyone lower than them and only banded together. The same went with the other two ranks¡ªrank 8s fought only with and against rank 8s as did rank 9s.


    The grouping¡ªa superior officier, a bunch of order taking soldiers¡ªhappened only in rank 6s and below.


    "You all better remember today," Varian addressed his hundred-man troop with an arrogant expression. "History is going to be made."


    Even though his tone was arrogant and his expression condescending, his words caused the troop to cheer with hope and enthusiasm.


    "I am the nightmare of my enemies!"


    """I am the nightmare!"""


    The troop repeated after him with tremenous energy as the the mood of war engulfed their minds.


    ''The young master isn''t capable of any intricate speeches. This much is enough.''


    Varian maintained the arrogant


    ''Status''


    [Rank 8


    Paragon Body: 25,000/25,000


    Ignis: 25,000/25,000


    Death Giant: 25,000/25,000


    Order: 25,000/25,000


    Chaos: 25,000/25,000


    Space: 25,000/25,000


    Time: 25,000/25,000


    <All you need is a push and you will st forward like a rocket>]


    Varian exhaled lightly and mmed his axe on the tform. The soldiers on the ship saluted him and jumped onto the battlefield.


    As their leader, Varian gave them some orders before joining the battlefield himself.


    Instead of fighting rank 5s like himself, he picked upon rank 4s and started killing them. Whenever he sensed a rank 5 aura nearby, he would slip away like a mouse.


    While this happened, the real body of Varian reached the battlefield of peak rank 9s.


    King Ferdinand, Martial Saint Kong, Dean Ankh, Miracle Queen and Old King were all fighting one man.


    Hector Russ, the most favored celestial subordinate of the 7th Prince.


    They were barely able to defend so far. But with the disappearance of Kong, they would surely lose.


    When Varian reached the site, the battle was already in full swing.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Since he needed to conceal his identity, Varian didn''t use his full power. Still, he was badly beaten just like everyone else.


    Kacha! Kacha! Kacha!


    Space split open and the giant crack swallowed him like arge mouth. When he managed toe out from the chaotic inner space, a quarter of his body was eaten away by the space currents.


    "Haa! Huff! Huff!"


    The King, the Queen, the Dean and the Old King were also all suffering from various degrees of injuries.


    The dean was in the worst shape. With only half of his body left, his flesh was wriggling in a desperate attempt to regenerate. Forget healing, he was barely able to keep himself from being gnawed by the hostile aura.


    Varian wriggled the fingers of his regnerated arm and red at the enemy with gritted teeth.


    With pure white hair reminscent of snow and pitch ck skin darker than night, the man was a giant of ten feet with four arms.


    Just his mere presence was already threatening enough, but with each movement of his fingers, the space around them either copsed or exploded inpletely unpredictable pattern.


    There were only a few wounds on his body and while they weren''t healing very fast, they wouldn''t be able to stop him from fighting for at least a few more days.


    "Is this one of your hidden powerhouses?" Hector nced at Varian who remained in disguise with a look of contempt. "Interesting how you managed to hide him from our spies. Prians are good at things like this, aren''t they?"


    Boom!


    A trident broke through a space crack and reached Hector.


    It was a sudden attack charged with the full strength of the king. Even though Hector noticed it before it could strike him, it was toote topletely dodge.


    So, he strengthed the space around his arm and split the space around it. The trident shed with the chaotic space and exploded, destroying the arm in the process.


    "Haff! Huff! Haa!" The king panted heavily as he looked at Hector with a hateful expression. That was his strongest attack and it only took down one of the four arms.


    "Why are you even targetting us? The Prians have no special enmity with the Empire or the 7th Prince than anyone else." The Old King, one who returned from the military, asked in an aged voice.


    "No, no, no." Hector shook his head, using the power of space to seal up the wound and block the hostile aura from infiltrating. "This isn''t time for such good questions. It''s time for answers and punishment."


    He clenched his fists and punched out, causing a fluctuation of space that sted them all away like boats subverted by raging tides.


    Varian''s bones broke and he nearly fainted from that one strike. Thankfully, he managed to pull himself together and stop himself before he was swallowed by the space crack that appeared behind him at some point.


    A wave of lights filled space as the p powerhousesunched their attacks on the three-armed man.


    They were trying hard and were managing to injure him one way or another. If not for Varian''s presence, one of the would''ve died and that would''ve spelled their doom.


    With him taking some of the pressure away, they were able to keep fighting.


    ''Peak rank 9s? The difference within peak rank 9s is actually greater than low rank 9 and mid rank 9. Heck, even high rank 9 and peak rank 9.''


    If he had to quantify it, Hector was at least twice as strong as Kong. The king was 10% stronger. The dean 5% weaker. And he was 5% weaker than the king.


    "Arghh!"


    With a battle cry, Varian raised a hammer and jumped at Hector.


    The man was locked in ce with the natal treasure of the old king and using that chance, Varian mmed his weapon onto his face.


    Boom!


    Of course, it wasn''t a direct hit.


    The space around the hammer twisted at thest moment and the trajectory was forcibly changed. The hammer struck Hector on his chest which was already protected by a thinyer of space.


    Ripples spread as the barrier tried to disperse the force but it was too much to handle for defense set up at thest minute.


    Kacha!


    Hector was blown ck, a depression in his chest and blood spurting out of his mouth.


    But he quickly stabilized himself and dodged the spear as well as trident thrown at him.


    Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he looked at Varian with an amused smile. "It hurt, a bit."


    "Oh?" Varian tightened his grip on the hammer and the aura in him surged, breaking the final bottleneck of the celestial ranks.


    [Congrattions for reaching rank 9]


    "It''s gonna hurt a lot more, buddy."

 Chapter 1550 A Simple Plan

    <h4>Chapter 1550 A Simple n </h4>


    [Rank 9


    Paragon Body: 0/100,000


    Ignis: 0/100,000


    Death Giant: 0/100,000


    Order: 0/100,000


    Chaos: 0/100,000


    Space: 0/100,000


    Time: 0/100,000


    <Yes. You saw it right. It''s 100,000. Not 50. By directparison, the difference is more than four times. But when you have two divine rankers at home, why should a rank 9 bother you?


    Go ahead! Leech off your wives! Give some XP, two divine sugar momm¡ª>]


    Varian inhaled sharply and the handle of the hammer in his hand cracked into two.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The advancement to rank 9 gave him a great boost in strength. There''s no way a peak rank 9 should be able to stand against him now.


    ''But I can''t use my full power without giving my identity away.''


    Varian took out a spear.


    In the pitch ck space where ocassional sparks of colors flew, a small red light lit up.


    "Rise!"


    The me red as if fuel was poured onto it, going from the size of a finger to that of a hundred stars.


    Darkness melted away, space itself shook under that brightness and all powerhouses in the region inhaled sharply.


    "You!"


    Hector Russ looked at Varian with an absurd gaze, unable to understand why the power differential between them was bridged in an instant.


    King Ferdinand, Dean Ankh, Miracle Queen and Old King all distanced themselves from Varian.


    While their eyes remained vignt but fearless, their stiff bodies and trembling hands told how they were actually feeling.


    "This is my kingdom!"


    Varian pulled back the spear until the tip was over his shoulder before firing it off.


    "Sh*t!"


    Hector wanted to teleport away to be safe. But when he realized that the weapon would reach before he could even vanish, he tore open the space in front of him to send the spear away.


    Unfortunately for him, the space cracks copsed due to the sheer momentum of the spear, resulting in an explosion that engulfed area worth an entire province.


    When the glowing aura diffused, Hector Russ was seen.


    With hanging flesh and peeled off skin, like a corpse that''s pulled out from the coffin.


    "Arghh!"


    He gave off a scream that shook the heavens and took out a glowing red sphere.


    The Old King''s face paled and he screamed.


    "Carefu¡ª"


    Kacha!


    The sphere was crushed and a red beam shot out of it, reaching Varian in a blink.


    Since he remained vignt, the red beam had to face a dampening space-time field which slowed it down before it stepped into the domain of chaos which messed up its trajectory.


    By the time the red beam exited the restrictions, Varian had long disappeared.


    Having failed in striking its target, the red beam chose its own target and struck Dean Ankh, the most injured of them all.


    "Arghh!"


    The old man''s age dwindled rapidly and all his vitality dissipated in a blink. When the red beam dimmed, all that was left for them to see was a shriveled up powerhouse.


    Taking this opportunity, Hector Russ also withdrew from the battlefield, intending to change the ns in response to this mysterious powerhouse.


    The peak rank 9 battlefield cooled off, for now.


    But the battlefield where the young master was fighting entered an unexpected turn.


    The so-called reservists, death row innmates called here all turned out be special soldiers. When the army realized this face, it was already toote.


    Shuaa! Shuaa! Shuaa!


    Millions of small mes lit up in the space before dissipating.


    Most of the soldiers, mostly belonging to provinces and duchies, were killed brutally.


    And eventually, a squad set their sights on the ''brave'' Daxis young master who kept killing rank 4s despite being a rank 5 himself.


    Almost at the same time, Varian returned from the rank 9 battlefield and swapped himself with his clone. Naturally, no one here found out.


    In a matter of minutes, the rank 5 squad killed all the soldiers under hismand and surrounded him.


    And when they did, Varian raised his hands and started crying. "Please don''t kill me! I''m¡­I''m Daxis'' heir! The young master! I''m very, very influential in P! My papa will pay a lot to retrieve me! Please! I beg you!"


    The pleading was beyond pathetic andpletely unsightly on a sight like a battlefield. Even the brave soldiers who were fighting discarding their lives were demoralized by his words.


    But as if he cared for nothing but his own life, Varian continued to beg. "I-I''ll give up all my posessions! I can even join your army! Please, I beg you! I don''t want to die! You have more benefit in keeping me alive than killing me!"


    The squad who circled Varian looked at each other before throwing an anesthia bomb.


    Varian''s eyes turned white and he fainted.


    The squad captured him like he''s some livestock and threw him into one of their spaceships.


    Not too long after, he was taken to their localmand station.


    "Daxis'' heir?"


    "Yes, sir. ording to our intel reports, they did send their heir to grab military points using the reservists and death row inmates."


    "I guess we got a good catch. Send him to the headquarters. If his parents can give fill some gaps in our intel, we can release him."


    The fainted Varian listened to the conversations around him without showing any abnormality.


    ''Just ording to keikaku.''


    The king knew about Daxis'' family inserting their heir. But he also knew that there was something wrong with the information of reservists being used for this battlefield.


    It was a trap that the king''s spies were able to foresee. So, they used it as a reverse trap and made them capture the young master.


    ''With the defeat he suffered, Hector Russ will not dy any longer.''


    "Lord! Lord! The Headquarters have called for an important meeting! They say the final phase of the war is about to be initiated."


    "Damn it! Send this guy there already! We have to minimize casualties or we''ll getughed at by the two factions. Take him!"


    Varian was thrown violently to a prison room where hundreds of such ''worthy'' prisoners were kept.


    ''Logos, seal my power to rank 5.''


    [Understood]


    They passed through hundreds of inspections before being thrown into a space gate.


    On the other side was the central city of Lionar gxy, Leo.


    Like meat processed on a conveyor belt, he was processed to a ''Truth Center'' along with thousands of others.


    Even though they were already inspected a quadrillion times, devices restricting their powers were still used.


    Some got restraining bracelets, a few got chokers and he got handcuffs.


    ''Almost there¡­''


    With the power of slivers, he disabled the restraining mechanism in the handcuffs without destroying the handcuffs themselves. Then, he unlocked his powers.


    Sneaking into Leo city would''ve been impossible even if he could beat down peak rank 9s. This ce was very strictly guarded from the outside.


    ''From the inside though¡­''


    His extended senses subtly expanded, noticing the power levels of the beings stationed here. He couldn''t do a thorough sweep without being discovered.


    But even a light search revealed at least five peak rank 9s. That much wasn''t really discouraging.


    The problem was that he found at least three pseudo divine rankers.


    And the worst part?


    Regardless of the possibilities, he''d have to act now. This might be thest chance for a n as crazy as this.


    So, he unleashed his full power.


    Like a sun had risen in the middle of a city, Leo exploded into pieces as a brilliant white light devoured everything.


    Boom!


    Six peak rank 9s and three auras even stronger than them locked onto him.


    The center of Lionar gxy was now shining with a brilliant white light, visible even from astronomical distances.


    And the center of that light was Varian, facing nine dangerous foes.

 Chapter 1551 Most Audacious

    <h4>Chapter 1551 Most Audacious</h4>


    Not even the most audacious warrior dreamed of today.


    One could travel a thousand years back in history, ten thousand or even a million, two things remained constant.


    The attacker and the defender.


    As if they were roles given by nature itself, the Jai kept attacking and the Alliance kept defending.


    Rulers changed. Eras changed. Power differentials changed. But the dynamic of the two remained.


    Any history nerd of the Alliance wouldugh when asked to present a proactive offensive of the Alliance against the Empire.


    But today¡­History was made.


    Nine extraordinary beings locked their auras onto Varian, six of them at peak rank 9 and three pseudo divines.


    "Have you realized what you have done?" Hector Russ asked in an exasperated voice. "You have caused a disaster. The entire Alliance would be paying a price. This matter is now beyond everyone''s control. You have doomed us all to an esction we never intended."


    The expressions of the eight members were also grim.


    Hector wasn''t the strongest of them but he had the most potential of them all. They all believed he''d be a divine ranker soon and join under the special group of


    underlings serving the 7th Prince.


    If even he with his vast influence dered that this matter was now beyond his control, then it''s likely that an esction was inevitable.


    Why would it not be?


    If the Jai Emperor remained silent after this atrocity, then forget the enemies bing bold and repeating the misadventure, internal discontent would swallow them alive.


    "Esction?" Varian sneered, shing the overlords a sarcastic smile. "It''s funny how you remember all this crap after attacking the kingdom. You shouldn''t have provoked me into provoking you further, got it?"


    "Crazy. He''s crazy. This bastard has no remorse for dragging us into a brutal war. Fucking damn it!"


    A thin man with copper skin, wearing a ck metal armor that covered his entire body, floated forward. Only his fingers and eyes were visible from the covering.


    A chill shot down Varian''s spine as the reptilian red eyes of the man looked at him with a predatory gaze.


    This bastard¡­


    "What''s your name? Where are you from? Will you remove the disguise voluntarily?"


    He maintained a prian disguise for all the fightings so far. Since it was helped by Isadora, he didn''t think he was caught.


    ''A bluff?''


    Varian opened his mouth to refute.


    "No need for clever retorts. I will find out after pulverizing your bones and crushing your will. This is the vow of Ahriman." He said in a voice that resounded across light years.


    Varian frowned.


    Yeah. There were always some stupid racial abilities. This guy seemed to have a racial talent to discern real identity from fake ones.


    "Oh? So you''re not a Prian?" Hector Russ stepped forward, his aura ring up as if to deny the injuries he suffered earlier. "How cunning! You almost fooled me! When I find out your true identity, your family, friends and race¡ªI will spare not a single one."


    Varian exhaled lightly and punched back.


    A one eyed woman who appeared behind him with almost trace of aura fluctuation and was closing the distance tounch an attack on him was caught off guard. In a twist, the one who intended to ambush was ambushed.


    "Arghh!"


    Varian didn''t hold back at all. The supreme power of Paragon Body, filled with raging vitality, broke the defensive spaceyers covering the woman''s skin and sted open her stomach.


    "Gahh!"


    His fist loosened and a brilliant green light surged out of his palm.


    "Arghhh!"


    A flood of vitality drowned the woman''s insides, destroying all life in her and killing her in an instant.


    In reality, she had a full moment to respond to that attack and should''ve gotten away.


    At least, that''s what the eight powerhouses expected her to do. They remained puzzled for her ipetent behavior.


    If they knew that a soul attack struck her at point nk range, neutralizing all her movement attempts, they wouldn''t have thought of her as ipetent.


    Soul attacks were always supposed to attack a person''s body before breaking that shell and damaging their soul. Its a process that always resulted in reduction of attack''s effectiveness.


    Yet, a soul attack was seen as dangerous by many. In that context, a soul attack at point nk range was more than dangerous.


    Boom!


    The woman exploded into pieces. Her only eye glowed like an emerald before melting away.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    At the same instant, as if they were waiting for that opportunity, eight space attacks fell on Varian.


    The space around him was folded, cutting off any hopes of teleporation and easy escape. Then it allpressed, like a The space around him was folded, cutting off any hopes of teleporation and easy escape. Then it allpressed, like arge invisible hand sped together.


    Varian''s body, despite posessing a great defense was crushed into paste.


    The eight warriors didn''t let go of him directly. Instead, they loosened the space and tightened it again and again, like an invisible piston was mming his remains.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    "Paragon Bodies can recover from a drop of blood, right?" Watching the ongoing violence, Hector Russ chuckled.


    "More resilient than that." Ahriman kept his gaze on the mass of flesh, his eyes coldly. "This won''t kill him, but it should weaken him enough for our interrogation."


    A few thousand times of beatingster, it all stopped.


    As they expected, the mass of flesh eventually pieced itself together into the Prian man.


    He looked pale, tired and dispirited.


    "Too easy."


    One of themmented.


    Shuaa!


    A spear lodged into his throat and tilted up, separting his head from the body. Without even realizing what happened, the man died abruptly.


    "Nah, too fast."


    Varian withdrew the spear and shook his head. The power of time lingered on him, confusing the heck out of everyone. Was he a time awakener or did he just have a suitable treasure?


    No, no matter the treasure, this seemed a bit too¡­


    "I can survive being crushed into a paste, can you?"


    Varian raised his hands under their omnious gaze and brought them together.


    Booom!


    Space shook.

 Chapter 1552 In Style

    Chapter 1552 In Style


    ??It''s like an invisible giant had risen and decided to p down these arrogant ants. The aura of the region, as if guided by an unseen rule, flowed down and pressed tight from all sides.


    ''The power of order. The power of chaos.''


    "You!"


    The seven overlords were scared by his intimidating move and teleported away, creating a lot of distance between them in a blink.


    "Hehe."


    As if it was all a bluff, the flowing aura which caused space itself to crack due to its powerful flow dissipated.


    Varian''s silhouttee blurred from the ce, leaving only an echo of time as he appeared behind a three-foot woman in a scaly armor.


    "Coward!"


    The littledy, no, an actual grandma with sagging skin and wrinkles cursed and tried to teleport.


    But she twitched like she was electrocuted when her soul was struck and allowed her head to be caught by Varian.


    He didn''t crush her head as she feared. He poured into her invasive vitality.


    "Arghh! Aghh! Arhhhh!"


    With most of her lifespan already ending, the little olddy wasn''t able to bear the drain of vitality. She turned into a bag of bones in a blink, dying a reluctant death.


    Kacha!


    As if they timed the attack at her expense, space cracked and a spear pierced through his chest¡­or it should''ve.


    All it touched was a phantom left by time.


    Varian had no need to stay there once he filled her with vitality.


    So, he did not.


    "Huh?"


    The six warriors, three peak rank 9 and three pseudo divines, were confused by his behavior.


    Didn''t he stay with his target until the end the first time? That''s how they managed to lock and crush him?


    ''Wait, if he intended this from the start¡­!''


    When that thought appeared, all of them felt a chill down their spine. Their instincts told them that they were not fighting a weak prey but a seasoned predator, one who was adept at picking on stronger preys.


    "Argh!"


    That thought was interrupted by a shriek.


    Varian appeared behind a giant and sliced him into five parts.


    But when they tried to attack, their attacks only passed through a phantom.


    ''Again?!''


    A muffled sound rang somewhere and then two more corpses flew.


    "Haaa~"


    Varian stretched his neck and rubbed his bloodied palms.


    Now, it was just Hector Russ and the three pseudo divines left.


    None of them were easy to kill but¡ª


    ''Status''


    [Rank 9 (+25,000)


    Paragon Body: 25,000/100,000


    Ignis: 25,000/100,000


    Death Giant: 25,000/100,000


    Order: 25,000/100,000


    Chaos: 25,000/100,000


    Space: 25,000/100,000


    Time: 25,000/100,000


    <This is atrocious. How long has it been? Three hours? Five hours? What should other rank 9s do if you do this? Should they resign and go home to y cards?


    Mr. Host, this is absolutely a disgusting behavior that is not encouraged by System! Show somepassion to other living beings! What if they die out of envy? Are you going to take responsibility or what?


    Come on, now. Don''t do this anymore. Be normal again.>]


    Ignoring Logos'' rant, Varian focused on his paths. It''s not as much as the progress in repsonse to the fights as it was the fights unlocking the suppressed progress.


    The pressure put on him by the fights was like a hammer striking down the walls of a dam. The more the walls crack, the more ferocious the water would pour out. And it''s not going to slow down anytime soon.


    "Haa~"


    Varian exhaled as he eyed the toughest four enemies. He''d have to start somewhere.


    He never killed a pseudo divine before. Even now, he had no confidence.


    From his own experience, some peaks rank 9s were abnormally stronger than others.


    Hector Russ was at least twice as strong as Kong.


    But what about pseudo divines?


    The minimum starting point would be 50% stronger than Hector Russ.


    In that sense, Hector Russ was an abnormal guy indeed.


    "Kill him."


    The leader ordered and the three pseudo divines shot at him like missiles.


    Varian drew a circle in the empty space with his index finger.


    The dark space glowed and an invisible force swept the ce.


    The space attacks reaching him, be it the des borne out of space cracks or the spears created by fortifying space, got touched by this force.


    The link between the attacks and their attackers, the link through which they direct their attacks towards a dynamic target got influenced.


    The power of chaos screwed up this link and the dangerous attacks moved aimlessly, missing their target.


    "Huh?"


    "Chaos?"


    "No, but he''s a Prian¡­wait, his natal treasure?"


    The pseudo divines were confused.


    In their opinion, Varian wasn''t strong enough to face their attacks head on. But they didn''t consider something simple. He didn''t need to face their attacks head on, as long as he could escape.


    The best defensive tactic, after all, one where you''d nenever have to face an attack.


    "Where did he go?!" Hector Russ yelled with as he stretched his perception with clenched teeth.


    "I can''t go anywhere leaving you, can I?" A hand tapped on his shoulder and the voice rang directly in his soul.


    Hector wanted to scream, to send a signal for help. But the power of order and chaos enveloped him like a snake, cutting him off from the rest of the world.


    Varian grabbed him by his neck and they disappeared.


    "Lord Hector!"


    "Catch him!"


    "No!"


    The three pseudo divines were rmed.


    Hector Russ was the most favored subordinate of the 7th Prince. Even though they were ''stronger'', it''s only a matter of time for him to reach the divine ranks. If anything happened to Hector, they wouldn''t be spared.


    So, disregarding everything else, they chased after the trails of aura deliberately left by Varian.


    It was clearly a trap but they had no choice but to jump in.


    The moment they disappeared, a quiet green me lit up in the dark space.


    Boooom!


    The me exploded, covering arge area of Lionar, swallowing the lives of billions.


    As if they were waiting for this very signal, King Ferdinand, Old King and Miracle Queen marched onto Lionar, leading the armies of P.


    They encountered no resistance on the way except for a few rank 8s and rank 7s.


    When they reached the center of the Lionar anticipatign the city of Leo which was supposed to be a fortress and give them fierce resistance, all they could find was rubble, rubble and then some more rubble.


    "W-What the hell?"

 Chapter 1553 Rewriting Records

    Chapter 1553 Rewriting Records


    ??The conquest of Lionar was iplete without the death of the three pseudo divine guardians protecting it.


    Unfortunately, Varian couldn''t defeat them with his current power. To be fair, he could fight one to death with his versatile powers, but three? That''d just be a death wish.


    "Kuuh! Let go!"


    Hector Russ who was under his chokehold cried out.


    "Shut up." Varian tightened his hold and pressed harder against his neck while pouring more soul power into the man.


    As a result, Hector twitched violently, his limbs iling like he''s a fish out of water before he turned limp.


    But before he did, he said something that caused Varian''s heart to almost stop. It''s not exactly what he said but it''s how he said it.


    "Ahhh~ Let go~ hmm~"


    "¡­"


    [¡­]


    "¡­"


    [He just¡ª]


    "No." Varian said in a serious voice. "We didn''t hear anything."


    [O-Okay.]


    Even Logos was dumbfounded with the development as much as Varian.


    Looking at the limp man, Varian gnashed his teeth. "If this is a tactic to make me leave you, then¡­"


    Boom!


    With a kick to his back, Varian sted away Hector and then caught him with a rope made out of the power of order and vitality.


    "Congrattions, you seeded."


    The two transversed distance spanning several duchies before reaching a region outside Lionar.


    They should be able to discern the fake traces from true ones and get her soon.


    Defeating them in a direct battle was difficult but why should it have to be that way?


    Varian''s eyes glowed with a ck and white light.


    The power of order and chaos manifested around him. The former created countless straight lines while thetter resulted in spirals.


    Then the power of soul, death and life were packed into the positions of order while the power of time was ced with chaos.


    Then, he put them in all a dormant state.


    "Haa~"


    Varian exhaled deeply and rubbed his forehead. His aura was recovering at a ridiculously fast pace but that didn''t make the operation less tiring. Then, he poured a bit more soul power into Hector, keeping him unconscious.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    When the divine rankers headed by Ahriman found him, Hector''s vitality was already very weak due to the damage he took to his soul.


    "You are going to offend someone you can''t afford to face!" Ahriman yelled with a livid face and waved his hand.


    The other two followed.


    Space was cut from all directions and reached Varian, promising to slice him into pieces.


    Showing no anxiety at all, he held up Hector as the meat shield against the attacks.


    "You!"


    The three pseudo divines had to withdraw their attacks at thest moment and they all red at him with anger.


    "Shameless!"


    "Coward!"


    "Weakling!"


    They cursed in unsion and Varian, responsed to them with a smile of gratitude. "Thank you for the praise."


    "Arghh!"


    They closed the distance and reached him in a blink.


    A foreign force began to pull at Hector, intending to transfer him away. Varian pulledHector out of it and moved away.


    And as he did,the three pseudo divines attacked him in close quarters using weapons of space.


    Due to their proximity which enabled them greater control, Varian wasn''t able to use Hector as the meat shield. At least, not against three of them at the same time.


    They didn''t use too much power fearing Hector might suffer. As a result, the fight got dangerous but not fatal.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Space continued to shatter like ss and the shards of that ss continued to cut him, bleed him and dig into his flesh.


    As time passed, the dynamics clearly changed.


    Varian was struggling to hold onto Hector and deal with the attacks. Ahriman and the other two were winningfortably.


    The situation got so bad that Hector even almost woke up once. Varian only knocked him off at the cost of big injury.


    "Arghh!"


    His arm was sliced off. Then, his leg.


    They regenerated but not as quick as they used to.


    "Haa! Huff! Haah!"


    In the sinister space where the bodies of three pseudo divines blended into it, Varian''s tired pants rang like the announcements of a war that''s about to be lost.


    "It''s over." Ahriman appeared behind Varian and cut down with his palm.


    A prickly sensation engulfed his skin before the palm could even touch and a red line appeared on his body from head to toe.


    "Fuck!"


    If the attack really fell, he''d be split into two vertically.


    The injury was still something he could recover from. But the three hawks would tear him into pieces before that could happen.


    Blood sshed out of Varian''s head and the split began.


    A smile formed on the other two pseudo divines and they poured their powers onto Hector. This time, they easily teleported him to themselves.


    "Hahaha! You''re done!"


    Once they realized Hector''s vitality was fine, they heaved a sigh of relief and gloated at Varian''s condition.


    A big mistake.


    The hidden mix of powers buried in Hector activated and connected with the nearby lines of chaos and order.


    "Carefu¡ª"


    The power of soul and power of time acted together, tampering with their perception and then slowing it down.


    The powers of death and life engulfed them in their most vulnerable and rxed state.


    Boom!


    Flesh and blood exploded.


    The two pseudo divines survived the attacks. But when Hector himself exploded with the power of slivers, they weren''t able to hold on any longer.


    "Arghh!"


    With tragic screams, the two were unalived. And with them was Hector Russ.


    The moment he died, a man far away in the Andromenda opened his eyes and looked into this direction.


    "Fuck!"


    Varian and Ahriman both froze for a moment as a chill washed over them.


    "Damn it! It''s all because of you!" Ahriman wanted to kill Varian right away to secure a painless death.


    So, he used all his power and created a glowing sphere built with ck lines.


    And Varian decided he couldn''t dy any longer.


    With a snap of his fingers, every nted mass of power in the surroundings lit up.


    From a distance, it looked like a beautiful magic circle with countless lines and spirals. But beneath the beauty lied kingdom destroying power.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Ahriman could''ve survived if he focused on defense. But he went all in on offense, just like Varian. As a result, he was ripped to shreds and died a violent death.


    Varian too was hit and the fist-sized hole in his chest began to expand at a crazy rate.


    With all his power, he wouldn''t be able to survive more than two seconds.


    ''Fuck!''


    The door to Hortus opened and he jumped in with thest of his strength.


    "Varian!"


    "Var!"


    Two supreme powers, far beyond any pseudo divine, entered his body and pulled away the space ball.


    The attack created with every bit of Ahriman''s power was effortlessly crushed.


    And Varian breathed.


    "Haaa!"


    As he began to lose consciousness, Sarah and Isadora initated a synergy.


    When he eventually woke up, he felt so light and strong, like he had beenpletely reborn.


    ''Status''


    [Rank 9 (+60,000)


    Paragon Body: 85,000/100,000


    Ignis: 85,000/100,000


    Death Giant: 85,000/100,000


    Order: 85,000/100,000


    Chaos: 85,000/100,000


    Space: 85,000/100,000


    Time: 85,000/100,000


    <Very, very, very, very shameless to rely on your wives!>

 Chapter 1554 Last Time

    Chapter 1554 Last Time


    ??Samael Astreas rubbed his thumb with the index finger, causing sparks of divine power between the two.


    That divine power was enough to destroy every single warrior inside Lionar gxy at this moment.


    But he didn''t make a move. If he had to move in person for a mere satellite gxy, then he wouldn''t need to head a faction, representing a third of the Empire.


    "Hector, what a disappointing end. You let me down." The Prince shook his head, his eyes as cold and indifferent as ever, but there was an glint of anger in them.


    He grabbed into the void.


    The remains of Hector Russ as well as the dead pseudo divine rankers which were present an entirely gxy away were pulled in front of him.


    With a flick of his finger, the foreign aura lingering in them was separated. It was unlike anything the prince had ever seen. And he had seen a lot.


    "The powers of different paths is not due to treasures."


    A smile formed on Samael''s solemn face and he clenched his fist.


    The space around the remains of the pseudo divines copsed and they were reduced to the finest atomic particles.


    The pce of the prince shook lightly at the exertion of power before it stabilized.


    Instead of any solids, the structure was built out of multiple colors of light but mainly white and took more than a thousand years of hardbor from more than a million 9 celestial construction workers politely imported from Nexus.


    No, it did not involve coercion of any kind and certainly not death threats to them personally or their families backhome.


    It''s a fair, equitable, generous employment scheme for the unemployed youth.


    The 7th Prince even had an appreciation certificate given by the employe union''s chairman.


    [My Lord, I have been wandering Nexus like a clueless fly all my life. It is you who recognized my tasteless life. Now, I can work 24x7x365. My body screams in joy, my soul is ecstatic and my mind, it is in a whole another dimension.


    My Lord, I wish I had 24 more hours everyday so I can work more. s, the cruel world wouldn''t fulfill my wish.]


    The chairman died a few dayster¡­from overwork.


    p! p!


    Samael Astreas pped lightly and the power of space brought a being from the other edge of the gxy.


    It was a hound. The striking thing about its appearance was itsva-like skin¡ªpatches of ck and glowing red. It had no eyes, nose or mouth. However, there were crevices on its face through which the creature inhaled things from outside.


    It was a puppy he picked up from a world ofva long ago. He threw a few bones to the creature and forgot about it.


    Even he didn''t expect it to reach divine rank. Of course, he didn''t expect it to chew on the bones of divine rankers and survive.


    Since then, the puppy had been used for some special purposes.


    Samael picked up a bit of that man''s aura and flicked his finger. The mass of aura was inhaled by the hound and it shook violently for a moment.


    "Track."


    At his order, the space around the hound distorted and it took a jump. Crossing an entire kingdom''s length with a single leap, it sprinted away.


    Samael remained seated in the star-studded throne which glittered white against its ck background.


    His eyes followed the hound, which exited Lionar, reached the borders of the Alliance and stopped in front of P kingdom.


    It then circled round and round across a particr spot before breaking into the inner space and diving in.


    Samael leaned forward from his throne and narrowed his eyes.


    The hound navigated through the treacherous terrain of inner space with ease, as if it''s a cozy backyard and started sniffing around.


    Its racial talent made it one of the finest aura trackers of the cosmos. There was very little chance of the hound not finding the target.


    The hound then proceeded to dig a tunnel, going even deeper into the inner space, inching towards ayer referred to as core space or final space. In the onion analogy of space, this would be the central most region.


    The aura was thick and nearly solidified here.


    Compared to the vast expanse of outer space and the great stretch of inner space, the core space was said to be tiny, only as big as a town.


    The hound technically didn''t break into the core space, it was still treading on the border between inner and final space.


    Just a bit more and it''d be able to find the culprit.


    Samael Astreas held his breath without realizing and waited.


    And then¡ª


    Boom!


    A powerful aura, beyond anything Samael could hope to resist, swept across the core space, its boundary with the inner space before it seeped into the inner space itself.


    The hound, a low rank 1 divine beast, iled helplessly as the storm of aura along with the winds of space-time engulfed it.


    14:28


    storm of aura along with the winds of space-time engulfed it.


    "God Emperor¡­"


    Samael swallowed his saliva.


    This was a fluctuation of aura from that man from far away. It was dampened by the thick mass of aura in the core space. Only a fraction of that aura reached the hound and yet, that was all it took to kill the creature effortlessly.


    "Haa~"


    Samael slumped in his throne and hung his head.


    Then, he stiffened in his seat as a pair of eyes glowed from the deepest part of the final space.


    "G-God Emperor!"


    Those eyes glowed brighter than any stars in existence, containing within them wisdom unfathomable to even divine rankers.


    Samael only nced at those eyes for a moment before averting his gaze.


    "I''ll seal the core space for a while." His voice was deep, in but supremely authoritative and intimidating. "When it opens, call the moths."


    "Understood!" Samael tried his best to stop the quivering of his voice and failed.


    Unlike when he prepared for days to meet the Emperor, this sudden conversation was way more stressful and prone to mistakes.


    "This will be thest time anyway."


    With a cryptic remark, the God Emperor''s presence vanished.


    "Last time, but why?" Samael had no idea why a practice repeated for hundreds of millions of years would end with this time. But he was not so foolish to question the wisdom of the God Emperor.


    If he said something would happen, it would. Now the only thing he had to was to prepare for the inevitable.

 Chapter 1555 Crazy

    <h4>Chapter 1555 Crazy </h4>


    Varian stumbled out of bed clutching his head. The bed sheets were torn while clothes and underwear were ripped to shreds. A familiar smell lingered in the air and a sense of deja vu overtook him.


    ''Wait, wait, wait¡­''


    He returned to Hortus, he fainted from the injuries and he woke up feeling refreshed and stronger than ever.


    So, what''s happening now? Or was the previous awakening an illusion?


    He put on a pair of shorts and walked out of the pce bedroom, straight into the balcony. The balcony was extraordinarilyrge, easily capable of holding a few spaceships.


    A beautiful garden entered his sight, stretching thousands of acres. While it''s technically a garden, it might as well be a forest.


    A sweet fragrance hit his nose from the sea of flowers grown near the pce, bringing back memories


    The three, no, fourdies allid down on a beach chair in bikinis, wearing fancy sunsses and browsing their topics of interests on the floating digital screens.


    Well, there was basically no staff in the entire pce except for the two maids. And they wouldn''t dare to extend their senses.


    So, Varian was the only one who could enjoy the heavenly sight. And he did so without even thinking.


    ''Wait, I remember now. I woke up and shouted I''m feeling so good and then they dragged me¡­''


    He lowered his head with a resigned expression and trudged to the women.


    Sia expanded her chair and pulled him to her side. Pointing to a in the book she''s reading titled <A Guide To Major Cultures of P Kingdom>, she eagerly said.


    "Look at these birds, the look like slime! Hehehehe!"


    Enigma hummed and soundlessly connected their chairs. Then, she moved without noise and hugged his arm.


    As if nothing had changed, she continued to watch a kid''s cartoon about a magical girl who goes into the dreams of people and helps their lives.


    "Ahem, ahem."


    A ripple of timeter¡­or before? He was resting his head on Sarah''sp who was leaning back against the chair while going through administrative reports.


    "¡­"


    A re of jealousy was felt without needing to turn his head, a twitch of gravity was felt and Isadora appeared over him.


    Using him as a body pillow, she swiped the pics of the vacation when Varian proposed to Sia and Sarah.


    "Er..."


    Varian was surrounded on left by Sia, right by Enigma, resting on Sarah and rested on by Isadora. But the man in queston was dumbfounded at the whole operation.


    "The Alliance is celebrating." Sarah said.


    "Even the newly discovered province was sent invitations for a grand banquet in Centaurus. If we can afford it, we can even go to P''s capital and attend the feast." Isadora chuckled. "They''re still in disbelief. All these parties are thrown to prove it to themselves that it''s not a big prank."


    "Congrattions, hubby. You made history. The first reconquest of the Alliance." Sia grinned with pride.


    Only Enigma gave him a worried gaze and whispered. "Will it be enough?"


    At her words, the joyful expressions of the three women copsed and they red at her collectively.


    Like a rabbit stared at by three lionesses, Enigma buried her head in his chest in an attempt to hide herself.


    "That social idiot¡­really," Sia shook her head.


    "There''s no need to be pessimistic, you know?" Isadora nodded with a forced smile.


    "It should all be fine." Sarah added.


    That''s what they said but none of them looked confident. While what he achieved was a great feat in itself,


    "¡­By any chance, did you prepare for the eventuality that I might die and did what you did to concieve my child in case I kick the bucket?"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    Enigma whispered. "Nothing will happen if you''re safe but if something happens, we nned to get into seclusion after giving birth and focus on revenge. And our children will continue to live, carrying the legacy and spark for revenge if we fail.


    U-Uncle Evander isn''t aware of the circumstnaces but he said he''ll take all responsibility to raise his grandkids if we have to go into seclusion. So, we dragged you to the bedro¡ª"


    "Enigma!"


    At the shout of Sarah, Enigma shivered and dug deeper into his embrace.


    "Hey, hey, hey!" Varian patted her back while ring at the three angrydies. "I should be the one shouting. Stop these crazy thoughts, no, ns! I''m not dying and even if I die, you shouldn''t try to get yourself killed!"


    "Ah? Look into the mirror!" Isadora grabbed his collor with heavy emotion. "What will you do if I get killed by Immortal?"


    "I''ll fucking kill him." The answer rolled from his tongue without even any effort.


    "And if he''s backed by Yami and Kemin?"


    "I will kill them too!" His body seemed to answer before his mind even caught up.


    "Then shut up!"


    The harsh retort was effective and he no longerined.


    With a sigh, he looked up at the sky dyed pink above the pce and murmured. "That old man, he''s a bad, bad influence."


    Sarah decided to change the topic. "We''re waiting to initiate another synergy but it seems like your soul needs some more time to adjust."


    "What I got in that one session, it was enough to pull me all the way from rank 1 to rank 9." Varian shook his head, expressing his disbelief. "I think it''s reasonable for my body to take some time for adjustment."


    "Do you want to train now to speed up the process? Maybe you can reach divine rank before they find us." Isadora proposed.


    "And what changes if I do?" Varian let out a long sigh. "Low rank 9s are about as kill as a rank 1 in front of peak rank 9s. I don''t want to imagine the difference between the first realm divine and second realm. It could only be more insane and unbeatable."


    "As much as I hate to spoil the mood, you''re right. I could fight across sub-ranks before. But the best I could hope in divine ranks is remaining the strongest within my sub-rank." Isadora raised her head and looked into his eyes.


    "Maybe I can fight a sub-rank above?" Varian opined beforeughing. "If I survive, of cours¡ªouch!"


    "Don''t make such jokes, we''re really worried."


    Space fluctuated gently and Varian appeared in the sky. "If one satellite gxy won''t cut it, then maybe two. If not two, then three. And if not three, then all."


    He vanished without any trace of fluctuations using the power of Hortus.

 Chapter 1556 My Enemy

    <h4>Chapter 1556 My Enemy</h4>


    Varian had selected the 4thrgest satellite gxy as the target this time. The number two must be alert after the attack and it wouldn''t be easy to sneak in.


    ''Attacking upfront is impossible. There are too many fortifications.''


    So, he created a new disguise and decided to sneak in as a soldier stationed in that gxy''s army, just returning from a patrol.


    The capture of the man with suitable identity was done within a few minutes. Study of his memories, imitation of his mannerisms happened in seconds. But the usage of slivers to capture his aura to decieve the security systems took a full hour.


    "Haa~"


    Varian threw the unconscious soldier into a space crack which would eventually lead to Hortus.


    The spaceship he ambushed had a total of four soldiers and except for the captured, the remaining three were in an illusion where nothing rming happened so far.


    In the dark space that streched on endlessly, there was a small glowing light in the far distance. It was a small spiral with the color of blue at its center.


    ''Ant.''


    The power of life and death emerged, morphing his body right from superficial appearance to the depth of his DNA.


    "Fuu~"


    Varian entered the spaceship and was about to wake up the remaining soldiers. From their perspective, nothing would''ve changed.


    It''s the perfect n.


    Booom!


    Until a red beam descended out of nowhere and sted the spaceship into pieces.


    "How dare you attack the soldiers of the Empire?! Your trivival victory won''tst longer than a virgin''s first time!" Varian maintained his identity and cursed.


    p! p! p!


    Following the loud ps, a white light appeared in the darkness and morphed into a humanoid.


    "If you had only been born as an actor, you could''ve survived." Immortal looked at him with a mocking gaze.


    A thin red and green aura began to spread from him. The powers of life, death and even soul began to expand, forming three concentric spheres enveloping a huge region of space with them at the center.


    Varian''s disguise, created by the meticulous application of his life and soul power, was forcibly removed, revealing the face of the handsome young man.


    Immortal pursed his lips.


    The power difference was clear. His mastery of life and soul power was far higher than Varian''s.


    "Sliver holder, Mate of my vessel." Immortal''s eyes turned pitch ck without any pupils.


    A red dot appeared in those dead eyes with thebined power of life, death and soul.


    The three concentric spheres enveloping them vibrated, resonating with those glowing red dots.


    Boom!


    The red dot shed and the fields copsed onto Varian, drowning him in a catastrophic flood of vitality, death and soul.


    His vitality got severely restricted, preventing him from any movements and limiting his attempts at self-defense.


    Death essence engulfed him and his flesh began to wither, quickly turning into a dry branch.


    The attack on soul was not directly harmful, but it threw him into an illusion of the timeless world, pushing Varian back into the memories where he remained the most helpless.


    Immortal exhaled as a sense of fatigue washed over him. Even though he acted arrogant, he didn''t take Varian lightly.


    With thebination of those three attacks, even a pseudo divine would be helple¡ª


    Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!


    It''s true that Varian couldn''t defeat Immortal on the fronts of Life, Death and Soul paths.


    Born from the slivers themselves, Immortal''s affinity with the paths of Sage avenue was unimaginably high. And as a consequence, the strength he could exert in these three paths was greater than anyone in the same rank, even Keman Aurik and Yami.


    With the power of three paths and each path being stronger than everyone else, Immortal had always been invincible in his rank.


    So, the question of ''losing'' to a same ranker wasughable and againstmon sense.


    But thatmon sense was challenged now.


    Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!


    The powers of order and chaos rose.


    With the help of Order, the mass of vitality drained from him was captured by the back and injected back into Varian, while his powers of life and death assisted them while keeping up the defense.


    The power of Chaos shook the illusion, destabilizing it severely and letting him break out of the false world.


    Space twisted, letting him out from the clutch of the tri-field and allowing him a moment of respite.


    Time rippled, skipping a few moment of his travel, allowing him to get behind Immortal without the man tracking his movements.


    Despite the steps taken, Immortal realized his presence a lot faster than any pseudo divine might have and conjured a wheel of life and death in his hand.


    A shockwave powered by soul originated from him and swept the surroundings, intending to stun Varian for a moment so that the wheel of life and death could devour him.


    It was a great n.


    Unfortunately, with a very sturdy body that''s also prepared for soul attacks, the shockwave failed to achieve its objective.


    Varian was able tond the strike first, flooding Immortal with a tremendous amount of Order and Chaos rules.


    "Arghh! You! What are you¡­"


    White and ck lines spread on Immortal''s body before he exploded into pieces.


    The brimming vitality and death energy in his remains were all affected by the power of Order and Chaos.


    The amount of power Varian poured into the attack was enough to kill more than two pseudo divine ranker.


    "Haaa! Huff! Haah!"


    Even with all the strength he held, it was a great exertion. Varian groaned in frustration as even moving his fingers felt like an uphill task.


    The mission of infiltration had obviously failed.


    With the aura fluctuationsing from this region, only fools would allow the patrol teams of this ce in.


    Keeck! Kwick! Kiwck!


    The sound of flesh rubbing against bones rang all of a sudden and Varian raised his hand to attack.


    A brilliant red and green light shed with a touch of white.


    Immortal was back in one piece.


    "This will only end with your death."


    He disappeared with those words.

 Chapter 1557 Athlone

    Chapter 1557 Athlone


    ??Varian couldn''t disregard the confidence of the man who left with venomous words.


    Even if Immortal was defeated now and noticed the stark difference in their powers, he wasn''t demoralized.


    He had something to rely on.


    What exactly?


    ''The rulers of Genesis and Mors.''


    Even though he was almost abandoned, the connection wasn''t severed. He could always ask for their help.


    He must''ve also confirmed the presence of slivers with this battle, if he didn''t already.


    The prideful Immortal might''ve refrained from seeking support from his ardent divine backers. It wouldn''t suit his style to use a divine thug on a celestial rookie. That would''ve been a battle for him to win.


    But if a loss hit him in the face and showed him a future where he had hopes of victory, all the pride would be thrown out of the window.


    Unlike Immortal who valued pride, Varian could only assume that the rulers of Genesis and Mors were pragmatic people.


    From how they mercilessly abandoned Immortal despite pouring so much time into his creation spoke for itself.


    Life Master Kemin Aurik didn''t love all ''life'' just because they happen to be alive. Lord Yami didn''t hate all the living just because they didn''t die yet.


    The ruthless pragmatism shown by these two in creating an alliance with a group that was their counterpart, the anti-thesis of their very existence, was the evidence of how far they''d go for their goals.


    It was funny in retrospect. Even a bit poetic from fate''s part. The six tribes were clearly living forms but worshipped gods who represented a concept.


    The tribes themselves seemed to have the same fate as the concepts they worship.


    Space devoured Time and now, space would keep expanding in all directions, moving in only one. Just like Neveah swallowed Heaven and established its sole role.


    There was only Chaos at first and then, Order emerged. Now, everything that happens in Eden happens under argely controlled environment. Any chaos that exists within the system could only be seen as controlled chaos within a strict order.


    Nexus today was homefield of Order. All the chaos within was allowed to be chaotic, as long as it doesn''t touch a few redlines.


    Life and Death, the pr opposites, the two things that could never mix, cooperated with each other defying all odds. ''Sentience'' did the impossible going against the natural way of things.


    Unlike the other two pairs of tribes which fought against each other giving their natural inclinations, these two were the only tribes that cooperated.


    Perhaps it''s all just an unnecessary interpretation, an attempt to search for meaning when there''s none.


    ''But if¡­''


    Varian closed his eyes and the brief, inexplicable vision he saw during Paradise shed in his mind.


    ''If someone intended all this¡­''


    He had grown much more stronger from that time. And that''s why, it scared him even more.


    ''The silent architect.''


    Varian decided to head to Paradise or what remained of it to investigate for traces of that force.


    *** *** *** *** ***


    Athlone.


    It was one of the cosmic cities in the Alliance, existing at the intersection of Mors, Genesis and Nexus.


    The title of ''city'' was decided long ago and would bepletely misleading today.


    The size of Athlone would be at least thrice that of P kingdom and its poption would be ten times more.


    True to its geography, the city-state housed people from all empires, races and paths.


    It was said that even the defectors from the Jai Empire¡ªat least those that weren''t killed immediately¡ªwere epted in this ce.


    Of course, it''s a false rumor intended to draw out the spies who would pretend to be refugees.


    The reality of the matter was that long long ago, several tribes did rebel after the assumed demise of a previous Jai Emperor. Most of them were ughtered and a few managed to escape and sought refuge after proving their alliegance by spilling blood for millions of years in the battlefield.


    It took them a long while to gain eptance into the Alliance and even now, they were only allowed in a few of these cosmic cities.


    Athlone too had them. But no one envied Athlone or those races living there.


    The city-state was a wild ce to live in.


    Gangs, drugs, crime, prostituion, very, living experiments, evil corporations, tyrant bueracrats, brutal police and a dishonest and awless popce standing up against everyone else.


    It was as wild as it could be.


    True, it''s a multicultural hub. True, it blended people from all empires. True, it''s a home for everyone.


    But¡ª


    The multiculturism of Athlone has somehow only taken the bad parts of every culture.


    The people blended into one group from all sources¡ªthey all turned into equal oppressors and oppressed.


    Athlone was a home for everyone¡ªa home that necessitated killing to get and stay.


    It''s a crazy ce that no sane citizen of Genesis or Mors could live in.


    The ruling council of the city was headed, undoubtedly, by members of Chaos faction. Only they would only this chaos.


    They even convinced the Alliance that this ce would be the ''bank'' to print soldiers for war. And it indeed worked that way.


    Athlone produced the highest pseudo-divines per capitapared to any other region of the Alliance.


    In a line, it''s a strong, dirty and dangerous ce.


    <Sean''s Skull> was one of the famous pubs in Athlone. Not so famous for the kick of its drinks or the butts of the beauties who dance there but for the pricey drink where you could directly get poured a drink from the skull of ''Sean''¡ªa divine ranker.


    Not too surprisingly, only lunatics, fearless and powerful visit this ce.


    And in a corner of that bar¡ª


    "Are you serious? You''ll remove the curse?" A girl in a golden princess dress asked with a suspicious expression.


    She looked too young to be in the bar, only eight or nine. But the look in her eyes and light of wisdom was something even a million-year old would not be able to match.


    Her voice was still young and cute, but the steady tone indicated that she was anything but a child.


    The old man with a long beard in a ck robe andck hood over his head said. "I said just that, youngdy."


    "Don''t call me young, you old fucker." Her face turned cold and a thick killing intent spread across the pub.


    The pub''s lunatics and fearless both shivered and looked away.


    The old man''s eyes remained emotionless but his face showed an apologetic expression.


    "Miss, I will do what I promised, if you do what you must."


    "Do you take me for an idiot?" The girl ced her hands on the table and leaned forward from the chair she was standing on.


    It was a cute sight for a child pretending to be adult, if only it hadn''t killed thousands for showing that thought on their faces.


    "An old bastard like you can''t do anything and you expect me to fulfill that job?"


    The old man frowned. He had known her to be stubborn and rash, but this was proving to be a bit difficult.


    Who would''ve known Keeper Equilius would be in such a pitiful situation?

 Chapter 1558 His Name Is Varian

    Chapter 1558 His Name Is Varian


    ??With a resigned expression, he pointed to the surroundings.


    "What?" The girl tilted her head.


    "Block what I''m about to say. They shouldn''t know."


    "Can''t you do it yourself? Aren''t you a living god?" She smirked.


    "Haa~" A sigh left the old man''s mouth. "I am¡­just a powerless phantom. I can''t even make a rank 9 clone with the situation I''m in."


    The girl narrowed her eyes and her hand thrust forward. It broke through the old man''s body and caught his three beating hearts.


    Ba-dum! Badum!


    "It''s not that you didn''t react, you couldn''t."


    The girl concluded and ced back the hearts in their original ces before tapping on the old man''s chest.


    The injuries disappeared and everything went back to how it was before.


    "Speak whatever that secret is." She swiped her hand and with a ripple of time enveloping them, their talks got shielded.


    "I''m under suspicion for good reasons. All my actions are monitored¡ªmy real body is stationed on the border with a clone of Keman Aurik himself. All my clones are under monitored by one of Lord Yami''s avatars.


    Any attempt from my side to create even the weakest divine clone would be detected and questioned."


    "¡­And what did you do to gain that much trust?"


    "Something I did not too long ago and the failure of my grandson." Keeper Equilius let out a chuckle.


    The emotionless eyes of the old man fluctuated for the first time and a hint of anger and disappointment shed in them.


    "A divine ranker would be foolproof for the job." The girl still showed rejection.


    "You don''t understand¡­" Keeper Equilius paused. "The only divine rankers I can get would be in Nexus. But they''re all deployed now.


    There are some divine rankers in Genesis and Mors who could do my bidding. But it won''t work anymore.


    It didn''t matter until now that I met the daughter of Asherah, Lady Asha. But shortly after my visit, Fabricator of Paradise was killed.


    And they found the aura of my grandson there. No one had said a word but they linked that aura to mine. It''s too obvious for the Life Master.


    The situation had turned so bad that the moment I contact any divine ranker, either Keman or Yami would know. Just like how God Emperor would know about this conversation when I say ''Thoren Aur Deus'', they too would know when I touch any divine ranker."


    The girl showed a gloating smile at his words. "Serves you right, old geezer."


    "But the curse doesn''t serve you right, does it? I can''t imagine going through the first 9 years of my life for so many times. Do you start crawling once this cycle resets?"


    The girl''s face turned cold before she mmed the table. "I can''t just trust your words and do the job."


    "You''ll have to." The eyes of Keeper Equilius remained emotionless but there was a smile on his face. "Or you can out the entire conversation that you''re recording¡­secretly."


    "Tsk." The girl clicked her tongue but didn''t show any guilt. "It won''t be enough. You have to leave a trace of your aura with me and swear in front of the camera regarding your words and promise.


    All of this will be kept safe in the Genesis'' Imperial Bank. If I die or you don''t fulfill the promise, it''ll be released for the entire Alliance to see.


    Maybe they won''t kill you, but your ns will definitely be thwarted. It''s in your best interest to not break this promise."


    "I agree." Keeper Equilius nodded and stretched his hand out. "For a win-win cooperation."


    The girl bit her lip but eventually shook his old, wrinkly hand with her small one. "Whatever, old bastard. What''s his name again?"


    "Varian. His name is Varian."


    *** *** *** *** ***


    Unlike the 7th Prince, Esh Starlight recognized Varian''s presence.


    Since he took the help of slivers as well as the divine powers of Sarah and Isadora to put up a disguise, she was able to infer the truth only after spending a good amount of time.


    By then, Varian had long left the gxy.


    "Sliverholder Varian¡­" The Princess pursed her lips and ced her hands on herp.


    Beautiful diamonds studded to the doors and windows of the giant pce room were hit by the ripple of time that emerged from Esh.


    The flow of time for these gems skyrocketed as they could not offer any resistance through aura. As a result, they dposed into graphite in a matter of minutes.


    He had grown very strong in very little time. He was still a tiny celesial who struggled to fight rank 6s and rank 7s not too long ago.


    But with the strength he showed today which put him just below the top echelon of pseudo divines, even Esh wouldn''t be able to track him as she pleased.


    In a one-on-one, she could kill a billion men like Varian. But this was not a battle.


    Her senses would have to wade through entire gxies and space that''s vast than all these gxies put together, pin down a particr person at a particr coordinate in a particr instance of time.


    To give an analogy, he''s still a fly she could kill anytime. But the problem was finding that fly in arge mansion!


    Using her powers to glimpse into future, Esh locked onto ten thousand locations where Varian could appear in the next hour.


    It''s an incredible result even for her. It was only possible because Varian exposed himself openly in Lionar.


    Had he remained in hiding, Esh would''ve gotten more than a billion locations, rendering the whole thing useless.


    "I don''t want to wait until he reaches the divine ranks. Even though I can still beat him then, if I miss and he grows, a monstrosity with 7 paths could stomp the entire Empire other than Him."


    It''s a peculiar phenonemon, which Esh and her siblings suspected to be the work of God Emperor.


    But people simply could not reach rank 2 in Jai Empire. And if they did, it must be understood that they were mad geniuses with impossible perseverance.


    The high and mid rank 2s of the Empire died off after the Emperor assumed the throne. It''s been forever since only low rank 2s remained the strongest in the Empire.


    They were assigned particr duties that they must fulfill and rarely participated in the governance.


    The direct result was that the three peak rank 1s¡ªthe so-


    called heirs to the throne¨Cled three factions each and did the ruling.


    For all the greatness it boasted of, this was the biggest pain point of the Empire. Take away the Emperor and it''d be run over by the Alliance in a day.


    Of course, the God Emperor was someone who''d remain even if the whole of Empire and Alliance were to perish.


    "But if Varian grows strong beyond the point I could capture him, I would lose the opportunity to make a military merit. As long as I capture him now, I''ll be rewarded. I can ask for Rose''s¡­"


    Esh Starlight bit her lip and exhaled a sorrowful sigh.


    Ten thousand avatars emerged out of her and shot for ten thousand spots in wildly different regions of Eden.


    One of them was Varian''s location.

 Chapter 1559 Rose

    Chapter 1559 Rose


    ??While Paradise itself was destroyed, the regions dependent on it remained rtively intact save for a few unlucky ones.


    This might be because the artificial realm was in a space-time domain of its own which served to block the neighboring regions from suffering crippling damage.


    Originally intended to prevent any form of infiltration into Paradise, it ironically saved trillions of lives.


    However, the living beings inside Paradise weren''t lucky. Not a single one of them survived the catalsymic battle.


    Varian recalled the few people he met there, especially Ingrid, that giant who was the captain of his town and sighed.


    In his hands was a paper that contained a portrait of that man as well as bits of information that was confidential until yesterday.


    <The 3rd Commander of Hell Faction>


    Hell Faction, a group of survivors within and outside Paradise, who decided it''s not right for trillions of lives to be subject for the whim of a sleeping god.


    They weren''tposed of strong beings, after all, even the best member of the team was but a toy who slipped out of Fabricator''s grip.


    But the faction continued its actions, in hope that they could achieve their goal someday.


    "¡­It''s fucked up."


    Varian burned the paper out of existence.


    He changed. There was no feeling of guilt except a feeling of pity for what happened.


    If he had a choice to kill Fabricator and Icarus while not putting himself and his wives at a huge risk, he might''ve thought of evacuating Paradise.


    But it''s simply not practical. Fabricator tolerated a lot of things. But he would never tolerate someone affecting his stories. That naturally extended to affecting characters who would y important roles in those stories.


    ''I can''t pretend to be sad when I''m not.''


    Shaking his head, Varian walked into a narrow street, where scores of people were walking hastily, a hint of tension and unease ever present on their faces.


    It''s like they were given a notice of a criminal infiltrating into the society and wouldunch a massacre.


    ''So much fear, tension and worry.''


    The power of soul captured these twisted emotions and unraveled them with ease. And it surprised Varian to find the emotion of ''anger'' in the mix.


    ''Oh, yes. Paradise is not just hell. At least not for everyone. It''s also hope, the grandest road to seed in life.''


    And that road was now cut off.


    For some of these people, the ones who killed Fabricator was the brutal murderer who buried their hopes. Perhaps they also hated Ingrid and his colleagues with burning passion.


    ''People, heh.'' Varian smirked as he waded through the sea of crowd.


    The ten pick pocketing attempts on him had seeded. The thieves would grin brightly while opening his spacepouch but it would disappear midway, throwing them into panic. The spacepouch would return to him in a second and would be stolen once again.


    ''Even though I don''t need thing like a spacepouch¡­''


    But if he had to maintain a lowkey identity, it was a good addition.


    The muddy streets which were now wet because of the morning rain slowly grew deserted.


    Varian walked through a few dangerous streets before turning right at a deserted corner and walking into an alley.


    Knock! Knock! Knock!


    There was a shabby wooden house at the end with a rotting door, looking like it no one stepped in for centuries.


    But it opened smoothly and a thick smell of alchohol, drugs and sex hit his nose.


    "Woohoo!"


    "Hey hey!"


    "Yo! Newboy! You look delicious!"


    Varian couldn''t stop himself from frowning. This ce wasn''t just filthy, it was also full of debauchery.


    "Haa~"


    He walked to a corner of the bar and waited.


    "Yes?" The waitress was a young woman with a long spiky tail. Her vertical pupils gave him a casual nce. "Drinks for one?"


    "Two." Varian gave a small smile. "My drinking buddy will be here soon."


    Paradise''s remains were stolen shortly after its destruction. Not much remained after facing destruction of such intensity. But conversely, whatever remained was able to survive that disaster, so it must be worth a lot.


    A new gang stole the remnants from the world of ''Eternal Empress''.


    Perhaps they too knew it''s extremely precious. So, they evacuated their previous location and were now essentially in hiding.


    Tracking them was one thing but they might''ve taken extreme measures to keep themselves safe. Measures that would ensure that the treasures would be thrown into anonymous locations the moment they''re threatened.


    In the end, Varian didn''t decide to use his fist when his wallet could get the work done.


    It''s funny because thest time he was worried about anything materialistic was for his artifacts. And before that, it was for the points he got in his school.


    ''The damn points¡­''


    "What''s the order? There is aplimentary bomb and bimbo if you spend over a thousand murhams." The waitress said.


    "Well, thank you. But I''d just like the Skull of Sean." Varian grinned.


    It was the codename the leader of the gang who stole the remains of Paradise gave him.


    "Ah, yes."


    The waitress'' gaze changed at his words and then motioned for him to follow her to the basement, where things that were considered too degenerate for the degenerate crowd above were being done.


    Varian sighed and followed her to a small room. There was a ck curtain dividing it into two and a life presence was felt from the other side.


    "What''s your price?" The voice was definitely modified but not like he cared.


    "The one we agreed upon before." Varian replied without thinking and threw two glowing tinum tablets.


    "It''s three, not two."


    "¡­"


    He narrowed his eyes but didn''t want to start a conflict here. So, he threw one more tablet.


    "I changed my mind, it''s ten."


    Realizing that this bastard wasn''t intending to trade at all, Varian lost his cool. "Do you really think you ca¡ª"


    The curtain split open and a powerful aura shot out.


    A beam of red light fired up to the sky and then swept the entire. A momentter, everything and everyone exploded.


    "Haa! Hah! Huff!"


    Varian clutched his nearly severed head to keep it from sliding off his neck and gripped therge hole on his abdomen.


    A little girl in a red dress was floating in front of him.

 Chapter 1560 Trust Me Bro

    Chapter 1560 Trust Me Bro


    ??"You survived?" Her eyes were filled with surprise.


    But contrary to what one would think, she wasn''t wasting any time. A pattern of arge rose was slowly being imprinted in the surroundings while she spoke.


    "If I got a sub-rank up survived every time I should''ve died, then I would be stronger than God Emperor a hundred times." While his head slowly attached back to his neck, Varian replied with a sneer.


    "It''s an achievement, really." The girl seemed offended and made a pout. If only her fingers weren''t dripping with his blood, he would have thought of her as a normal child. This one was a monster in a decieving form.


    "Surviving ck Rose is not something anyone can do." She continued, her eyes scanning him from head to toe as if her gaze could pierce through his secrets. "No wonder the old bastard wanted you dead."


    "Equilius?" Varian gritted his teeth.


    "No, no, definitely not him." The girl waved her hands and covered her face. "Oh no, what should I do now that I''ve divulged the client''s information¡­hehehehehe."


    The blood dripping from her fingers smeared her face and her eyes between her hands had an amusing gaze. "Maybe I should kill you to stop my reputation from going sour? Or maybe I should tie you up and torture you for a few years? Or what else¡­hm?"


    Her voice was cold and scary, like a devil crawling from hell.


    Varian noticed the huge aura formation she was building but instead of escaping like she estimated, he mocked her. "Do you have any shame to use a child''s body for this? How about you use your real body? I bet you''re some disgusting slimy monster with creepy eyes, loose hair and sagging skin."


    "NO!" The little girl''s face twisted. "I''m not a monster! You all are the monsters!"


    It must''ve struck a nerve. She didn''t even bother to wait for the formation to finish and activated it.


    Truthfully, it was enough to kill even most pseudo divines. If he''s being honest, this girl was truly the strongest pseudo divine he ever met.


    A brilliant flood of time power engulfed Varian, threatening to disperse different parts of him to different instances of time, effectively dismembering him in a way that his healing powers would be rendered useless.


    It''s a powerful attack for any one in the stream of Sage Avenue. Whether the had the power of life, soul or death, they would have to confront this tide with their physical flesh.


    But Varian¡­


    "Reversal."


    The power of Order and Chaos rose from his body, enveloping him in a shield. A ck and white sphere shed with a cosmic flood of red.


    Then, the power of space was activated, grabbing chunks of that overflowing time power.


    His own time power was added, acting like a small parasite controlling arger host and controlling therger quantity of time power.


    Finally, the power of slivers acted again, reversing the flow of attack.


    "Wh¡ªNo!"


    The girl was hit by power of time.


    Given how unguarded she was, it should''ve forced her to grow older and lose a lot of her lifespan, if not all.


    But¡ª


    "Waa! Waa!"


    Varian found a baby crying in front of him.


    "What the heck?"


    *** *** *** *** *** ***


    Esh''s phantoms reached a location where Varian previously was¡ªthe ce where Hortus was currently anchored.


    Sneaking in as a divine ranker would''ve been impossible. Thankfully, this area was slightly outside the borders of the Alliance. She only needed to hide from the patrols and keep her aura suppressed.


    ''He''s been here!''


    With her senses expanded, she quickly found Varian''s traces.


    ''Yes!''


    Since she sent over 10,000 avatars across Eden to track down Varian, she naturally couldn''t make strong avatars.


    Normally, she could''ve made 10,000 mid rank 1s given her power.


    But with her soul injured, she was in a precarious position. So, she only made low rank 1 avatars.


    Still, it should be enough.


    No matter how great of a genius Varian was, a celestial was a celestial. There''s just no way he could beat even the weakest divine ranker.


    And Esh''s avatar was not so weak. Even in the category of low rank 1s, she would qualify to be quite strong.


    Since she already had Varian''s time signature, she was able to sense it from a particr location nearby.


    ''Huh? Synthetic World? No, wait...''


    Hortus was way more different than anything she had ever seen.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Just as the princess decided to invade the world and capture Varian, three divine auras locked onto her. Threepletely new divine rankers encircled her.


    "Hah, no wonder he''s so arrogant. He got some backing." Esh''s avatar sneered. "But do you really believe that three newbies stand a chance against me?"


    A terrific battle ensued.


    The fabric of space-time was ripped apart. The bnce of Order and Chaos was shaken. Life and death forces swayed violently.


    "No, no, you''re crazy!"


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    "Three paths? Are you the perfect hybrid? Isadora! You!"


    Isadora didn''t stop her attacks.


    "And who are you? The second hybrid? No¡­"


    Sarah didn''t bother to talk.


    Both of them still recalled the time when Varian revealed he was being targeted by Princess Esh.


    They felt a terrible anger at her. But they felt even more helpless at their own weakness.


    Even if it''s just an avatar, a chance finally came to take revenge and wash away the shame of that day.


    So, the two women gave it their all.


    Miss Cmity shared a long feud with the faction of Esh. Even in Centaurus, the two were fighting. She too had no reason to hold back.


    As a result, the battle ended much much faster than even they imagined.


    So that when Varian returned to Hortus, he found it in a different coordinate but as peaceful and safe as it had ever been.


    What''s not peaceful was the expression of Sarah and Sia who noticed what he was carrying.


    "Y-You! You! Sarah, how dare you go for an external fertilization just to skip the line?!"


    "Sia, you''re sneaky but this is too much! I will not forgive snatching my position!"


    Half of the sky was englufed in light and the other half was swallowed in darkness.


    "A, what a cute baby, brother-inw." Miss Cmity approached the baby with a smile. "She looks a bit like m¡ª


    ouch!"


    Varian kicked her on the ass and dered before she could intentionally or unintentionally create misunderstandings.


    "This baby is a pseudo divine assassin and tried to kill me. I would''ve died if I wasn''t careful."


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "Trust Me Girls!"

 Chapter 1561 Knocking On The Doors Of Nexus

    <h4>Chapter 1561 Knocking On The Doors Of Nexus </h4>


    Esh Starlight clenched her fist and a violent wave of red struck the pce.


    The beautiful building built out of precious gemstones cracked at a rate visible to naked eye before it turned into powder and dissipated into space.


    "Haaa~"


    Esh closed her eyes and took a breath. Time rewinded and the building was back in its ce.


    The one thing that happened was enough to piss her off. But two?


    Her avatar had been killed. That was shocking and frustrating enough.


    Did Varian already get the backing of a divine ranker? If so, how strong? Was he already being backed by the Alliance? Did the Alliance already knew about him but kept it a secret for his safety?


    Questions, questions and questions. They went unanswered because the clone that should''ve given answers was cut off from her.


    The force that interfered with their link did not feel like the work of another being. It''s like a¡­


    Esh closed her eyes and bit her lips.


    If she was given a choice, she''d rather stop everything. She didn''t feel the greed for slivers themselves. Nor did she have ambitions to reach rank 2 for the sake of it.


    She wanted a simple thing. A simple thing that everymon person could have. But for the princess, it''s the most difficult thing to acquire.


    "Even if I have to break every rule, I won''t let this chance go."


    *** *** *** ***


    "Waa~ Waa! Uwaaa!"


    The loud screams of the baby rang across the orchid garden and the aura that followed the cries split the flowers into pieces.


    "Oh, oh, don''t cry! Look at the sun! See, see, see!"


    A sweating Varian tried to cajole the baby, ignoring the damaged garden that would cost money worth an entire luxury apartment in a premium district.


    His attention was focused on the baby and he tried earnestly. "If you stop crying, I will¡­I will show you my war footage!"


    The baby paused for a moment, herrge red eyes looking at him, as if she was evaluating his words. And then, she closed her eyes shut before wailing even more loudly.


    "Ah, seriously!" Varian sighed in frustration.


    "Give her to me." Sia took the baby and the screams stopped.


    "Ehe, hehehehe~"


    The baby chuckled as she used her tiny hand to touch Sia''s cheek.


    "Ooh~ What''s the cute baby doing today? Are you going for a walk? This garden is really beautiful, right?"


    "Hehehe~"


    The baby responded enthusiastically to Sia''s words, giggling and waving her little chubby hands.


    Varian''s face darkened and he clenched his fists.


    With a swipe of his hand, the power of order was used to create a fine mirror.


    [¡­]


    The System might''ve lodged a protest for the atrocious act but for some reason, it remained silent.


    A very handsome young man looked back in the mirror. Maybe it''s due to his powers or maybe not, but he could easily be a top model with that face.


    Due to being a leader and facing people from high ranking positions, Varian developed both a sense of authority and charisma.


    "Why¡­" He pointed at the receeding backs of the young woman and the little baby. "Why does she hate me so much?"


    [Maybe because you killed her once?]


    "She has no memories, I checked. And what''s with the weird curse?" Varian shook his head.


    She''s cursed to be an infant after reaching 9 years of age. It''s a very powerful seal of time ced deep inside her soul for rewinding her existence. At some point, the girl should regain her memories.


    But¡­


    "ck Rose is a child?" Varian exhaled in disbelief.


    The infamous assassin organization that killed the members of both the Alliance and Jai Empire.


    Its leader, ck Rose, was woven in frightening legends. Except for the fact that she is a female, no credible details about her exist.


    She had killed lords of provinces, dukes of duchies and even kings of kingdoms. It didn''t stop there.


    Under her de, even the supreme generals of kingdoms, the super geniuses and ancient powerhoues¡ªvery very strong pseudo divine rankers¡ªdied miserably.


    "A pseudo divine ranker who is essed by Equilius¡­"


    Varian frowned.


    ck Rose was fearless but she drew a line with those closely rted to divine rankers. If she had known prior to the mission that he had three divine rankers around him, she wouldn''t have risked.


    But that information was top secret. Perhaps only beings like Aphosis knew about it.


    "Equilius should know."


    So, why did he send her on this mission? If she failed, she''d be killed by Varian. If she suceeded, his wives would kill her.


    Varian felt like there was a deeper n at y than the apparent assassination.


    But unless he deciphered the secret of her regression, he might not be able to find any clues.


    [So she stays?]


    "Yeah." He looked up to the sky and smiled. "Oob, thanks for the help earlier."


    "Heheh, no worries!"


    With the power of slivers Varian stored with it, Oob directed Hortus to block the flow of information to Esh from her avatar.


    [It''s a close save. If Hortus isn''t as extraordinary as it is, that princess would''ve discovered a lot of secrets.]


    "Hm."


    [So, what are you going to do next? Train? Hit the divine ranks?]


    "I want to do that, but a Synergy is still away. If I train, I might hit the divine ranks in a month or two. Or maybe early, can''t say. But even if I reach divine ranks, it''s useless if I die."


    [Ah.]


    "If Equilius is bent on killing me, I won''t be able to survive by myself. I need support."


    A glowing purple portal appeared in front of Varian.


    "I''ll need theplete support of Nexus."


    *** *** *** ***


    Unlike Genesis or Mors which were ruled by a supreme monarch, Nexus had a council of three.


    Aphosis remained the central figure and handled most of the administrative decisions amongst the three, bing the monarch figure. But that didn''t change the fact that power was shared by the three.


    The highest ruling office of Nexus, a building of geometric wonder, was in the center of a ckhole.


    The highlight was that the ckhole''s suction was ''tamed'' by an overwhelming power of Order.


    Unless it''s a hostile entity, the ckhole would not pull them.


    It''d have taken a hundred years for Genesis or Mors to construct the pce but Nexus did it in ten.


    Since its inception, Nexus ran with an efficiency and order beyond normal undertanding. Everyone in the hierarchy did their job and there was no question of corruption.


    Tourists from Genesis and Mors described Nexus as both the most peaceful and most distubring ce to live in.


    Even if there was no ruler, the empire would not fall into chaos. There would be rebellions, no riots and noints.


    Perhaps that''s why Pemdas, the supreme pce, would usually remain vacant for decades.


    ''If you need my help, you can reach my avatar in Pemdas. But do not expect any promises.''


    Aphosis said those words in their meeting before he left and gave him a pass.


    When Varian reached the border of Nexus, he envisioned a lot of scenarios. But the border security just checked the pass and teleported him directly to the highest administrative district of the empire.


    As he reached the pce, he encountered several divine rankers.


    Usually, he would expect them to interact. Either they would support or oppose him, a rank 9, entering this holy ce.


    But no. There was no such thing at all.


    Once they verified the authenticity, even the divine rankers didn''t bother with him.


    No one asked why he got the highest grade pass and how he knew Aphosis. Nope. No questions. No interrogation. Nothing


    The only thing they did was take a few pictures of him reaching the pce. Apparently, it was for the records.


    Be it citizens, officials, businessmen, they had no need to visit the supreme leaders for anything. Everything was taken care of systematically.


    So, when the bell of the pce rang after so many years, it was a news in itself.


    Varian ascended the glowing white steps which smoothly released the power of Order, increasing the pressure on him with every bit of progress.


    Thankfully, the pressure was rtive to the rank. If it was absolute, then even a tiny bit of pressure from the home of rank 2s would''ve killed him.


    The slivers hummed, boosting his steps. He reached the in just a few minutes for a journey that''s supposed to take at least a few hours.


    And then, he knocked on the giant door that was engraved with inscriptions that seemed to originate from an ancient era.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The entire pce shook for a moment and the power of ''Order'' swept over him.


    "Wee."


    The doors opened smoothly and Varian stepped into the hall.


    On top of arge tform, three men were seated, as if they were waiting for him.


    Demon of Order, Aphosis.


    Punisher Aridam.


    Keeper Equilius.

 Chapter 1562 Aridam

    <h4>Chapter 1562 Aridam</h4>


    Aphosis spoke first.


    Even though he''s just a phantom and a very weak one at that, the world seemed toe alive with his voice.


    "You exceeded my expectations."


    While it sounded like a praise, Aphosis only intended to express his opinion in the most truthful manner.


    Varian pursed his lips and moved his gaze to the old man sitting on the far right.


    "It''s funny because Keeper Equilius exceeded my expectations. Even sending an asassin for me after I conquered Lionar, tsk. I can''t believe a lord who rules over an empire had to depend on a pseudo divine."


    A silence pervaded the hall as Aphosis nced at Equilius with a neutral gaze.


    "He has a significantly more chance of sess in defeating the God Emperor than Immortal. We have to support him. It''s the way with the most sess rate." Befitting his nature, Aphosis spoke in a logical manner.


    "Give me a break!" Equilius mmed the armrest of his chair. "Unlike those two avenues which are wed, ours is perfect. We don''t have a third path. We are special. So are our slivers. They don''t have fused slivers, we do.


    Once we have the slivers back, the God Emperor can be defeated. Maybe it''ll take ten thousand years or a millenia. But he will be defeated.


    There is no need to depend on Immortal. That child was never ours. His loyalty, his roots and his gaze are with Genesis and Mors.


    He won''t even be able to win. And let''s say he did, it still won''t do us any good. We will only go from one dictator to another. Worse, unlike the previous dictator, this one would see no value in our existence and might very well ughter us all.


    Anding to Varian. He''s the same as Immortal. He''s not one of ours. He''s not loyal. What makes you so sure that he won''t abandon us if the God Emperor threatens him to?"


    The two-fold argument was interesting.


    The first argument about the divine pathw as true.


    Sage had soul and Creator had gravity. Indeed, only the Ruler Avenue didn''t have a third path.


    Was it really the uniquess of the Avenue? Since divine paths were foundational to universe itself, it''s not easy to dismiss the words of Equilius.


    On a grand scale, what would be the implications for this fundamental difference?


    Secondly, if Immortal could defeat Jai Emperor, then it''d also mean he''s the strongest in the cosmos.


    With the threat of God Emperor gone, would the Alliance still remain? Of course not. Immortal would unify the two Empires and set his sights on the ''outsiders''.


    The most obvious target in such a scenario would be Nexus. The tribe sharing the same origins as Vita and Ativ would not be allowed to exist lest it challenge their legitamcy.


    If Immortal was as clever as he''s ruthless, he''d exterminate Sera tribe to ensure that no future threat would rise from them, just like how Immortal rose against God Emperor.


    The same applied for Varian. At least they knew Immortal a little. But this man was aplete stranger.


    No matter how one thought about it along these lines, there''s no way Nexus woulde out on top with Aphosis'' n.


    "I do not agree." Aphosis was firm in his stance. "Even if what you said is true, there is a negligible probability that things will go as you hope. The remnants of Ares had the slivers for so long but they do not rule the cosmos today.


    And even during the days of the tribes, we were equal to the other four, not superior or inferior.


    The so-called uniqueness could not emerge even when the gods were alive to guide the tribes. That happening now is just leaving too much to fate."


    Equilius clenched his fists and veins bulged on his forearm. But he quickly rxed and leaned back in his chair, yfully tapping his armrest.


    "Any big decision needs to be approved by the council. Aridamn and I vote to strip him of his slivers. We can decide what to do with the sliverster. And it''s ridiculous that you havee here, Varian."


    The old man turned to the sliverholder with a cold smile.


    "You should''ve hidden yourself to live for at least a bit longer. With the war going on, I wouldn''t havee after for you for at least a few weeks."


    Varian sneered, showing no hint of fear. "Even if I remain hidden, I can''t hide from a mid rank 2 who decides to be a dog and sniff out my traces. Since we''re going to meet anyway, I''d rather meet you in the presence of the other two so that you don''t try anything funny rather than meet you when youe to hunt me down."


    "Arrogant!" Keeper Equliusughed with a disbelieving expression. "How arrogant?! Do you realize your tone and words?"


    Varian gave a cheeky smile. "I''m sorry, people from my ce don''t really feel the need to show respect to those who are determined to kill them. You should thank me for not abusing your nine generations of ancestors. I know I''m kind, but a thank you won''t hurt, would it?"


    "¡­"


    The pce seemed to freeze at the provocate words. But other than narrowing his eyes, Keeper Equilius did nothing else.


    Varian wouldn''t have dared this in front of even a low rank 2 Genesis or Mors powerhouse.


    While they were supremely intellegent, they still had the base of emotions influencing them. Things like ego, image, happiness mattered for them.


    But these guys? They''re too rational.


    They wouldn''t let a harmless abuse that wouldn''t spread outside the pce walls to affect their decision.


    As expected, Aphosis raised his hand. "My vote is to support Varian. Aridam, what about you?"


    "I vote to strip the slivers from him." Equilius responded. "Aridam?"


    "¡­"


    The young man sitting in the middle of the boy and the old man became the focus.


    But he wasn''t looking at them at all. Since the start, he had been staring at Varian with an intense gaze.


    "Test." He pointed at the sliverholder.


    "Huh?" Varian tilted his head.


    Aridamn rested his chin on his palm, an amusing spreading on his face. "Aphosis'' assessment is correct that you are the better bet than Immortal. Equilius was not wrong when he said your loyalty is questionable.


    But what I seek is something else. Are you ruthless enough for this job?


    You''re young, too young. The deaths you''ve seen might be great considering your rank but honestly speaking, it is not even the tip of an icebergpared to what a typical divine ranker experiences.


    When you acquire enough power to fight the God Emperor, know that our battle could potentially wipe out half of the life in the known universe.


    It might be from our side or their side. But no one would be spared. The good men, women and of course, the innocent children.


    If you take this step, you''ll eventually stand at a point where you''ll have to bear the weight of countless souls.


    Are you up for the job?"


    Varian nodded. "I wouldn''t have stepped into this ce if I wasn''t. Bring it on."


    "Don''t worry, it''s a simple test." Aridam smiled.


    It was a chaotic, insidious smile.

 Chapter 1563 Savior

    <h4>Chapter 1563 Savior </h4>


    "Big Brother! Big Brother!"


    "Haa, is it morning already?" Varian rubbed his eyes, unustomed to the weakness imposed on his body.


    The sunlight seeped in through the straws of the hut and caused him to close his eyes on reflex.


    His back ached due to the hard, cold floor he had to sleep on despite a futon or atleast an attempt of one.


    The nket was rough, prickly and the only thing it did was provide was some warmth in the biting cold.


    Varian reluctantly opened his eyes, to see a young girl in animal skins standing in front of him with a runny nose and a big grin.


    "Zenny?"


    "Um! The morning feast is up! Come on after freshing up! I''ll wait outside!" The waved her arms with an excited expression and walked out.


    Varian stood up and pressed his aching shoulders.


    ''Fresh up?''


    Without any thoughts, he flicked his fingers to create a mirror by maniption of matter.


    Nothing happened.


    ''Status''


    [All Powers: Sealed


    Time psed: 5 days.


    Time left: 360 days.]


    "Haa~"


    Varian let out a sigh, forcing himself to ept the current situation.


    A few minutester, he went out of the thatchy hut to meet the little girl.


    Zenny squatted under a tree nearby, drawing something on the soil with a small bone. Noticing his arrival, the girl jumped onto his feet and waved her hand.


    Humming a song, she guided Varian through the unpaved roads, if they could even be called as such.


    Varian''sposed expression cracked as he stepped on the rough path on bad footwear made out of wood.


    His feet ached with every step and the cold in the air continued to disturb him, despite him wearing threeyers of animal skin, almost like a woolen coat, an iparably luxurypared to the rest.


    If his residence was crappy, then the huts on the way were way worse. Some of them looked very unstable, as if they''d copse at any moment. Others were infested by too many insects. A few were half-copsed already.


    And every house was basically empty except for a bone spear or sword or wooden arrows.


    A Futon and nket woven from animal skin and hair?


    Haa! Even half of the vigebined wouldn''t be able to afford such luxury.


    "Greetings, Savior!"


    "Morning, Savior!"


    "Victory to you, Savior!"


    The men and women dressed in animal skins greeted him with an enthusiastic, joyous expression. Their eyes were just short of glowing with all the reverence they showed. This wasn''t a normal respect. This was borderline devotion.


    Varian nodded lightly to their greetings but even that simple gesture widened their smiles and they joined him on the walk.


    North of the vige, arge bone pot¡ªmade from the remains of a giant dead beast the vigers identally discovered centuries ago¡ªwas being heated on arge fire.


    More than a hundred men, women and children were waiting with a small wooden bowl.


    "Savior!"


    His arrival caused everyone''s faces to brighten and the chief of the vige, an old man with a hunched back called him with a kind smile.


    "Here!"


    He too out a pristine bow-shaped bowl made from half-meter long ivory bones.


    Then, he generously poured him the soup from the pot with adle.


    "¡­"


    With seven servings, he filled the rather giant bowl, which was at least five timesrger in capacity than the bowls everyone else carried.


    And it''s mostly chunks of meatpared to the soup. Rather than calling it a soup with meat, it''d be appropriate to term it as meat with some soup.


    "Please recover soon!"


    The chief smiled and gestured for the crowd to step forward.


    The strongest men of the vige, the hunters who hunted down this beast, were given a medium piece of meat along with two scoops of soup.


    The young boys who were training under the men to be hunters were given a scoop of soup with one small piece of meat.


    The men doing important jobs of the vige, like the woodworker who made the bowls or the lumberjack who cut down the logs necessary for the walls of the houses.


    They were served a single scoop without any meat.


    Next were the women who were given half of the soup, barring the few pregnant women who were given three-fourths.


    Finally, the young girls were given a quarter of the scoop.


    Zenny licked thest traces of her bowl and rubbed her tummy. Like most young girls and boys, her ribs were visible due to how badly she was fed.


    Varian silently finished his share of meal.


    He tried to help them on the first day. But forget the vige chief who made a face as if it was sphemy and the vigers who started crying, even the children fell to their knees and banged their heads, as if taking a bit of soup from him was a grave crime.


    After the meal, the vigers circled around him, dancing and singing of an ancient prophecy of their vige.


    "Savior! Our Savior that God has sent!"


    "He will take us out of the wilderness!"


    "To a ce where wolves won''t eat our children."


    "And lions won''t kill our hunters."


    "A ce where there is enough soup for everyone!"


    "A piece of meat too!"


    "Without disease!"


    "Without death of infants!"


    "A world where our houses are warm."


    "There is no death."


    "And no pain."


    "The sun won''t dry us anymore."


    "The rain won''t wet us any longer."


    "We all wait and pray."


    "For the."


    "Perfect Paradise!"


    The song ended on a high note.


    And the vigers quickly went to their jobs. The men who could hunt went hunting, the women who had to take care of the domesticated hens went to the south. The children were either going hunting or learning knowledge from craftsmen or helping their mothers.


    Varian sat alone, waving a goodbye to Zenny who leftst with a cheerful expression.


    "Bye bye! See you at dinner!"


    Of course, there was no lunch.They couldn''t afford to have one more meal. Not Varian though. He was given sumptous meals three times a day.


    In the past five days, a child had already starved to death.


    But no one seemed to bat an eyelid.


    This was Aridam''s test.


    A vige where he''d have to life for an entire year without any power and be treated as the savior of these people.


    And then...kill them all.

 Chapter 1564 Fragility

    <h4>Chapter 1564 Fragility</h4>


    (If there is any repetition in previous chapters, please clear the cache. Apologies for the issue and Thanks for understanding.)


    *** *** *** ***


    Sszz!


    Sszz!


    Sszz!


    The rain was harsh today. It didn''t help that Varian had fallen ill due to the unforgiving weather and remained bedridden for three full days.


    "Rain demon is trying his best to stop you, big brother." Zenny ced a cloth dipped in warm water on his forehead and rubbed his cold feet.


    "Ugh," Varian couldn''t even speak properly. It felt like there was a lump in his throat. At the same time, it was burning somehow.


    He couldn''t even feel his body. Maybe someone took away all the bones inside. Maybe that''s why, it couldn''t even let him stand.


    "Argh."


    Varian tried not to groan in pain as his body burned like a furnace. He couldn''t even open his eyes without them watering. It was hell to keep his eyes open.


    And when he closed them, the warmth wasforting, the darkness wasforting. The state without any pain was very, veryforting.


    ''I just want to close my eyes fore¨Chaa!''


    Despite the five thick nkets covering his body, he shivered violently, a weak sound leaking from his mouth.


    Zenny attended to him withoutints, cheering him on however she could.


    "Big brother, you''ll get better soon!"


    In a tired but bright voice, she would say.


    "The savior won''t lose to a mere rain demon! Even our tribe survived his wrath for so long!"


    She would try to raise her pitch but the the weakness in her voice grew .


    "The entire vige has gone to find the elixir for you! We''re the only ones left in the vige! But don''t worry! They''ll be back soon! Until then, take this medicine. My¡­uncleid down his life to secure it, heuk!"


    The girl would feed him a medicine whose taste he could no longer tell.


    "Everyone believes in you!"


    She would whisper or¡­maybe that''s the loudest she could speak now.


    "B-Big Brother¡­please¡­."


    Her voice was barely audible and he could feel hot droplets of water on his feet.


    Varian wasn''t even able to think properly in this period. But whenever he managed to have a few moments of a proper mind, he would think of two things.


    One, the possibility of death.


    With all his powers sealed by Aridam himself, could he survive this deadly fever?


    No.


    Then, what would happen if he died here?


    Would he open his eyes back in the pce with Aridam grabbing his slivers and letting him go home?


    It would be a terrible thing to happen. But it wouldn''t be the worst reality to live with.


    But what if¡­he didn''t open his eyes again? What if death here meant the finality of his existence once and for all?


    The timeless world of Eternal Empress had driven him insane by giving him an unlimited amount of time in a limited space.


    This world was pushing him to despair by cutting his time to near zero.


    Varian had fought a lot of strong enemies, hit the door of death an unimaginable times and even fucking died once.


    But he was never so helpless. It was this helplessness that gnawed at his soul. Forget resisting the fever, he couldn''t even get up from his bed andpletely depended on Zenny to take care of his health.


    If she was even a few hourste in her treatment, he might die.


    ''I¡­''


    "B-Big Brother¡­you''ll be fine¡­the shaman promised me." Zenny''s hands rubbing his feet and hands were particrly slow and weak today.


    Varian felt difficulty to even breathe. The weakness of his body had in turn weakened his mind.


    Compared to the infinite stretch of time in Paradise, the small amount of time he seemed to have left was an entirely different challenge.


    "You''ll be fine¡­you''ll be fine¡­woooo~"


    Varian couldn''t hear her anymore. Darkness swallowed his consciousness and his senses were shut down.


    The sleep ended after a day and halfter, when it was midnight. He tried to move, to at least shake his arms.


    His body behaved like it was not his. It didn''t even budge.


    But his eyes, even though they burned when he opened them and watered incessantly, he managed to see.


    A little girl was lying at his feet, covered in a thin nket, shivering as the cold winds hit her.


    Despite being fully covered in multiple nkets, he still felt it was cold. So, he couldn''t imagine how much she must be suffering now.


    Varian''s guilt swelled.


    Such a kind child¡­he would be killing her. And everyone else in the vige¡ªpeople who had wandered into the dangerous wilderness to fetch him a herb that they had only heard in the legends of their tribe.


    Due to the hotness of his eyes, tears were always falling ever since he opened his eyes. But at that moment, it felt like an additional line of tears rolled down. And they were not due to the fever.


    Ten days passed and Varian recovered a little. He still couldn''t move out of the bed. But he could at least move his hands and sit up.


    And Zenny¡­


    All energy was drained from Zenny''s face. The little girl who once hopped joyously like a rabbit now trudged like an old man.


    Her words which flowed endlessly like a river dried up. Except when he initiated a conversation in his hoarse voice at great pains to his fragile throat, she wouldn''t talk.


    And the girl whose eyes shone bright with so much hope and curiousity were now dull and gray. She would stare into the distance, perhaps the border of the vige, nkly for hours on end.


    With each passing day, a sliver of her spirit whittled away, leaving behind a vacant shell of her former self.


    And just like that, when the passage of time seemed to have lost meaning in a different sense, Varian stood up from his bed.


    "Oh."


    That was Zenny''s biggest response for a result she so dearly prayed for.


    Varian knelt in front of the girl leaning her back against the wall and rubbed her dry, dirty hair.


    The child had been severely impoverished. Her arms were like dried branches and her legs looked like they would break with in a few steps.


    "S¡­Savior,"


    ''Savior'', not ''Big Brother''.


    Her voice had turned a little mature but a lot sad. She mustered some energy to look up at him with those lifeless, gray eyes.


    She tried to smile with the corner of her lips but her face refused to budge. It was tired. It was too tired after everything.


    "W-Will¡­"


    Varian waited for her to speak.


    He decided to fulfill whatever she wished.


    ''Will you make me some food?''


    He''d make her the best delicacy!


    ''Will you let me rest?''


    He''d pay her back tenfold for all the service she had given him.


    ''Will you save this vige?''


    Even though their fate was inevitable, he''d let them life an unimaginably prosperous live until then.


    But¡­


    "Will¡­they be back?" Zenny''s eyes teared up and her voice cracked.


    "Ahh¡­"


    [Days passed: 364


    Days Left: 1]


    Varian only realized then.


    No wonder she was so broken. It was an entire year. A full year of solitude and hardship.


    "Are theying back?" Sniffing back her tears, she asked again.


    Varian took a breath and his chest hurt. Clenching his fist behind his back, he gritted his teeth.


    The wilderness was dangerous. Some beasts needed a dozen men to hunt them down. Not to mention the cold, insects and poisonous vegetation.


    "They''ll back right¡­you will take us all to Paradise now that you''re fine¡­.right?" Maybe Zenny didn''t realize but tears were rolling down her cheeks.


    Varian lowered his head like a guilty criminal.


    Zenny''s eyes shook at his gesture and her small body trembled. Her shivering dry lips opened and close and her weak breath fluctuated violently.


    With a look that didn''t contain an inch of hatred, she looked at him with a weary, despairing and helpless gaze.


    "S-Savior¡­did you reallye to¡­save us or¡­"


    The child didn''t speak more. She was so innocent that she couldn''t bear to utter such words even after everything she had been through.


    Varian''s shoulders trembled and he took her in his arms. Carrying her like a princess, he stepped out of the hut for the first time in nearly a year.


    A heartbreaking sight greeted him.

 Chapter 1565 Rest

    <h4>Chapter 1565 Rest </h4>


    The huts were either blown away by the winds or eaten by the bugs and rats.


    Snakes roamed here and there before the cold reptiles slithered into the warm beds where once families slept.


    The few animals that were domesticated by the vige, a couple cows and a few dozen hen, were long dead. Their flesh was eaten and blood sucked, leaving only the bones to be rotten in the open.


    North of the vige, the square where they gathered for collective meals, always bustled with life. Now, it was empty¡­except for rolling dust and haunting echoes of the chatter that once filled it.


    Carried in his arms, Zenny looked at the sight with a bleak gaze.


    "S-Savior, Let me¡­down¡­"


    Why?


    Holding himself back, he released the girl carefully, treating like a delicate ss that would break upon even the slightest excess of force.


    Zenny''s thin and short frame, a bag of bones coverd up by a nket of skin, stumbled as it moved forward.


    She touched therge pot in which the food was cook with a nostalgic expression before moving to a tree.


    ''This tree¡­''


    Varian held his breath without realizing.


    Zenny''s parents died when she was very young.


    The day before he fell ill, this was the ce where her uncle, the only member she could call her family, talked to her before he left the vige.


    Noticing the signs of their Savior''s worsening health, he volunteered to be the scout for the team that would follow.


    Before he left, he requested Zenny to help the Savior if he fell ill. To take care of him as if she would take care of her uncle. To treat him with care and gentleness.


    Varian still remembered the words the older man said to his niece.


    "Zenny, you''re a strong girl, right? That''s why I''m entrusting you the responsibility of taking care of his health. This is the most important thing in your life. If he''s fine, everyone will be fine. He''s our faith, hope and salvation."


    "Yes! Leave it to me, Uncle! I will take care of him, no matter what!"


    No matter what¡­


    An adult would''ve mistaken the child''s words as a mere exaggeration to sound good, but Zenny meant what she said.


    And that''s why¡­


    "U-Uncle, he''s good now¡­he''s all good now. S-Savior is fine¡­so, everyone will be fine, right?"


    The girl knelt under the knee, touching the soil as if she wanted to trace the past through her fingers.


    There was a smile on her face as she spoke to him in broken words and cracked up voice. And her cheeks were flooded with tears that she couldn''t stop.


    "I did it¡­I did it¡­soe back¡­please¡­"


    The girl broke clutched her head, pressing her forehead against the crowd and sobbed.


    Was life always this fragile?


    "Please¡­please..please¡­"


    The dried leaves floated with the wind, their rustling sounds the only apaniement to her wails.


    Just a year ago, before he stepped into this vige and her life, the girl had an entire vige to call her home and a future she was hopeful for.


    A yearter, the Savior took away both the vige and her hopes.


    Even now, she couldn''t me him. She just cried by herself. Maybe she was trying not to cry but the tears were just not listening anymore.


    With a weak body and weaker mind, Varian watched Zenny break down.


    ''Why¡­why should I¡­''


    He felt a lump in his throat and his eyes grew moist. It made no sense.


    Him feeling so much grief for a stranger?


    Why?


    He had killed too many people, destroyed an entire satellite gxy not too long ago.


    How many ''innocent'' lives were lost in that? Even if he just had to consider the reluctant troops who joined the army for the sake of protecting than killing, the number would be in tens of thousands.


    He had long severed the guilt that came from the actions he deemed inevitable.


    But why should he still feel so sorry for a girl he''s about to kill? What was the heaviness of his hands that should soon end her life?


    ''Why¡­Varian¡­you are a ruthless man. You can do it. You must do it. There is so much work to be done.


    I have to convince the Genesis and Mors after Nexus. And that is still only the first step.


    I have to prepare for the inevitable confrontation with God Emperor. I don''t even know if I can survive.


    And if I die¡­I don''t know what will happen to my family...''


    But...


    ''How cruel of me to do all this for myself?''


    Varian took a short breath and walked to the sobbing girl in heavy steps.


    Kneeling next to her, he said in a hoarse voice, not caring if she was in the mind to listen.


    "Zenny, I am not a savior. I have been sent to this ce, stripped off my powers to live here for a year and then¡­kill you all. But the vige has died before I needed


    to do anything. You are the only one left."


    Zenny''s wails stopped and she raised her head to look at him.


    On the face he expected to see hatred, he only found tranquility. Not the tranquility that woulde out of serenity, but the tranquility before the final sleep.


    "I¡­I see¡­Sav-No, Mister, thank you for telling me." Zenny wiped the corner of her eyes and looked at the tree with fondness. "Uncle, you heard that right? Everything was a lie. There was no savior, no paradise. It was a lie. Since it''s all a lie, I don''t have to keep fighting anymore."


    Her voice grew incrediblyweak but a smile adorned her face for the first time in months.


    "It was so painful¡­so hard¡­so lonely. It hurt so much. I''m tired¡­I want to¡­rest." Zenny muttered and slowly turned to him.


    "M-Mister¡­can you please¡­put me to rest...so that I can never wake up again? It''s too¡­p-painful."


    Varian had to muster all his strenght to give a small nod.


    "Thank you so much!" Zenny smiled, a bright, innocent and peaceful smile.


    "I¡­" Varian brought his hand to the back of her neck and tried to say something before the deed. But words weren''t leaving his mouth.


    He could feel the fragile neck of this girl, her weak breath and even hear the dull sound of her heart.


    How fragile¡­


    How fragile she was¡­


    And she took care of him alone for a whole year? With this fragile body?


    "I''m s¡­"


    Varian''s voice broke and he choked.


    "Please...put me to sleep, Mister. I''m tired¡­too tired." Zenny begged, bringing his arm firmly to the back of her fragile neck.


    Varian''s chest tightened and it felt like someone punched him in the gut.


    "I-It''s been so long since I had a good sleep," Zenny whispered.


    Yes, how could she have slept properly she woke up in the middle of nights to rush to his care?


    "So¡­please¡­let me rest¡­"


    Varian opened his eyes wide and looked into her eyes, imprinting her face as his hand suddenly tightened around her neck, breaking it.


    It was so sudden that Zenny''sst expression was a slight difort in addition to the smile on her face.


    He burned that sight into his mind, to remember that this was the price he had to pay for the grand mission he was about to undertake.


    ''I will win, I promise.''


    [Time left: 0]


    The world shattered.

 Chapter 1566 Primula

    <h4>Chapter 1566 Prim</h4>


    The hall was familiar. So was the overflowing power in his body that made him feel like a demi-god.


    The faces of the three men, well, a boy, a young man and an oldie were still same.


    And time itself, from what his time sense told him, had barely passed. An hour? No, it was ten hours since he was thrown into that world.


    "Good job."


    Aphosis'' voice was in as usual despite the praise he gave. Equilius leaned back against his seat, looking at him with a scornful gaze.


    Aridam, the man behind this shitty, cruel and painful test, was looking at him with a satisfied grin.


    "My boy, what''s your name again?" He asked in a loud voice.


    "Varian." The Human Emperor controlled his clenched fist from punching out in that bastard''s face and said in a subdued voice. "My name is Varian."


    "Varian! Barely two years into divine paths and almost a peak rank 9 already! You''re...well, words fail short. You''re a miracle in this cosmos. There is no one even close to you anywhere in Eden. The gap between you and the next best genius is too big for any meaningfulparison."


    Aridam rained praises without reserve, a kind smile on his face as if he wasn''t the same monster who put him through that horrible experience.


    "But. Genius is not enough against the God Emperor. One must be ruthless enough! And boy are you ruthless! I''m not impressed, I''m surprised by how easily you took the decision.


    I expected you to at least let the girl die from starving. That would''ve needed no active effort from your part. It''s not like she could fetch food for herself with that weak body, right?" Aridam uttered those words with the same kind smile.


    Varian inhaled lightly and shook his head. As terrible as it was, if he was going to kill her anyway, he''d rather do it quickly and let her suffer less.


    "Regardless, I give my approval." Aridam said without any hesitation.


    "B-But¡ª"


    "The vote is two-one in favor of supporting Varian." Aphosis cut off Equilius and asserted. "Now, we must follow the decision."


    Equilius clenched and unclenched his fists before ring at his equals. "Both of you will regret this choice. This boy is not going to win us this war. We''ll all die at the hands of God Emperor sooner orter and this bastard will be the first to switch sides."


    "We''ll see about that." Varian said in a sharp tone. "Now that this is done, I''ll leave. I''d rather practice than waste time."


    "Try to reach the divine rank without any help. Not even resources. It has to be as pure as possible." Aphosis said. "A weak foundation will not let you grow fastter."


    "Don''t worry about divine ranks." Aridam smiled. "We''ll give all possible assistance then."


    *** *** *** ***


    Varian returned to Hortus in a depressed mood.


    "Baba?"


    "No, Big Bro!"


    "B-Big Bro?"


    "Yes, Big Bro."


    "Big Bro! Big Bro!"


    A little girl who looked to be about two years old clutched his trousers with a big smile on her face. "Big Bro! Big Bro! Big Bro!"


    She yelled with an excited face, circling around him and scanning him like he''s some zoo animal.


    Sia pped her hands. "Look at her, she''s so happy to see you! Maybe she even recognizes you."


    Varian looked down at ck Rose, no, she''s Prim now. "If she recognized the guy who butchered her, I''m pretty sure she won''te running to hug me."


    "Tch," Sia clicked her tongue and lifted the little girl. "She''s very energetic, want to y with her?"


    "Hm¡­" Varian rubbed his chin.


    Realizing that he hadn''t said yes, Prim''s big eyes watered up in an instant and she looked at him with puppy eyes.


    "Big Bro! Big Bro¡­"


    Her voice was heartbreaking and her gaze was soul piercing.


    ''Did children always have this power or is just because I''m feeling sorry for a child¡­?''


    Varian didn''t know but he took Prim into his arms without even thinking.


    "Hehehehe~" Prim pinched his cheeks and giggled.


    Theughter melted some of the haze in his heart and lifted his spirits.


    Yes. One child did suffer. But it''s for a future where many more children like Prim wouldn''t suffer.


    ''And that puts me closer to Julius, as much as I hate to admit it.''


    "Alright, do you want to see the floating flowers today? They''re sparkly, pink and glow in the night?" Varian asked the child.


    "Hmmm?" Prim tapped her chubby finger on her chin, pretending to think like a serious adult.


    ''Oh wait, she''s imitating Sarah?''


    Varian let out a chuckle.


    "Ehehe."


    Prim giggled and rubbed her cheeks against his neck. "Lewsh goo!"


    Varian''s lips curled up and he slightly bent down, like a runner who''s about to break into a sprint.


    "Woo?" Prim blinked her red eyes, an omnious feeling dawning in her young mind as she looked at the grinning face of ''Big Bro''. "N-No."


    "Then get set, ready, goooo!"


    Varian sprinted, his speed exceed that of a thunderbolt.


    "Aaaaaaah!"


    Prim screamed as the world passed her by at a ridiculous speed, the wind blowing against her short red hair, causing it to flutter violently.


    She held her arms around Varian''s neck with all her might and yelled for a few seconds. And then her hand slipped.


    "Waaa¡ªeh?"


    Then she realized he had always been holding her. The grip was soft that she didn''t even notice but it was very firm.


    "Hmmm¡­" Prim red at him with her teary eyes before turning to the surroundings.


    This time though, with the support of a hand that would not let her fall no matter what, she took in the sight of nature passing by.


    It was a marvelous sight.


    Rivers were flowing back,vast forests were converging into one row of trees and even the fastest animals were impossibly slow.


    Of course, a normal child would have never had the optical capacity to see anything than a blur at this speed. But whether Prim realized it or not, she wasn''t a normal child. Not by the tremendous rank 9 power temporarily dormant in her body or the lineage that eventually let her reach rank 9.


    But neither the little girl nor the young man carrying her were bothered about those things.


    "Yaaay!"


    Prim''s cheers echoed throughout the wilderness.


    When they stopped at a sweet smelling mountain, Varian set her down. Prim stumbled a little before raising her head the most she could, even leaning back a little. There was a bed of sparkly red flowers near the top.


    Her eyes shone with a brilliant light and she looked at Varian with a pleading gaze.


    When he nodded, she grinned and started running up the mountain at her full speed.


    These were the flowers carefully guarded by rank 1 celestial snakes residing in the mountain for speedup of their progress.


    This was the ce where the cadets of the academy who were deemed to be ultra-geniues were tasked to bring back a flower.


    "Hiss~"


    When they noticed an outsider had entered, they decided toe out of their caves and make an example out of her.


    But an overwhelming aura fell on them the moment they tried to move their bodies and a voice sounded directly in their souls, conveying to them in anguage they could understand.


    "Flower or life?"


    The snakes curled up and shivered, without even daring to answer.


    While this happened, Prim plucked the flowers with a captivated expression and sniffed the fragrance.


    Her face lit up and she brought the flower closer to her nose.


    "Aah-chuu!"


    The delicate flower''s petals were blown away by the sneeze and Prim looked at the petalless flower in her hand with a dumbfounded expression.


    Varian burst into a loudughter.

 Chapter 1567 Peak Rank 9

    Chapter 1567 Peak Rank 9


    ??The 7th Prince''s army at the border pulled back without any prior signs.


    P kingdom''s forces weren''t the only ones confused. Even the divine rankers who were preparing for a full blown out were in the same state.


    This included the big seats like Keman, Yami and the trio of Nexus.


    It''s not that Samael Artress, the bloodthirsty demon who butchered entire kingdoms in his initial days, would consider the loss of lives as a reason to halt the war, right?


    Then what was it?


    Since Jai Empire''s rank 2s rarely, if ever intervened in administrative matters, Samael had only two equals. And there''s a very low chance that they would be able to pressure him to back off.


    This man was stubborn as hell.


    Once upon a time, he let a million men of his army get destroyed just to inflict a lot of damage on the Mythril Quadrteral.


    Rumors go that the army was told to either die under the hands of enemy and get honored in the homnd, with their families getting goodpensation or desert, only to be hunted down by the 7th Prince''s elite guard, along with the destruction of their families, friends and rtives.


    The confusion did notst long.


    An announcement came from the 7th Prince''s forces.


    [Opening of God''s Eye]


    It was supposed toe up only a centuryter. But irregrities weren''t too umon.


    With a mix of relief, confusion and suspicion, the divine rankers of the Alliance returned home.


    *** *** *** ***


    A week had passed since Varian visited the mountain with Prim.


    After spending a few days with his wives and ying with the little girl, Varian found his mental state had recovered more or less.


    Perhaps it was a blessing. Perhaps it was a curse.


    But a human''s ability to ''adapt'' to both good and bad things was just astonishing.


    Varian had seen races which would grieve their entire lives for the loss of a child, races which spend the rest of their lives which would celebrate that one big victory.


    Of course, he didn''t forget what had happened. He made a promise to himself.


    ''In the far or near future, if I could, when I could, then I would¡­''


    Perhaps it was the quiet resolve that allowed him to finally let the matter rest and focus fully on his practice.


    He didn''t know if he would be able to break to the divine rank right away or would have to pass the pseudo divine rank in the middle.


    There''s no need to fret about it though. Logos would take care of such issues.


    [¡­This system feels like it has be a personal assistant.]


    ''Weren''t you always one?''


    [The fusion of slivers, the greatest natural creation to exist in the cosmos, the dream of Nexus, a living wonder to witness¡­is a personal assistant?]


    Varian smirked. ''If something so amazing is my personal assistant, imagine how amazing I am?''


    [There are only two constant things in the universe. God Emperor impregnating a woman every second and your narcissism.]


    Varian winced at theparison. But at the same time, he wondered what the heck was the issue with God Emperor?


    What was he trying to do? Popte the entire Jai Empire with his genes? Then wouldn''t it be inc¡ª


    [Don''t go there!] Logos said. [It''ll take a long time to make it make sense.]


    Varian shook his head.


    ''Status''.


    [Rank 9:


    Paragon Body: 99,999/100,000 (+14,000)


    Ignis: 99,999/100,000 (+14,000)


    Death Giant: 99,999/100,000 (+14,000)


    Order: 99,999/100,000 (+14,000)


    Chaos: 99,999/100,000 (+14,000)


    Space: 99,999/100,000 (+14,000)


    Time: 99,999/100,000 (+14,000)


    <You''re very near, Host. It''s been a tough journey so far. The divine ranks are the end goal for most people. But for you, it''s only the first step for the mission you want to aplish.


    The enemy you''re about to face is a man is unlike anyone you''ve ever fought. Perhaps if you fought someone like him, you could''ve gotten a first hand experience.


    For better or worse, there is no one like him. He is the only one.


    And you.


    You too are the only one.


    The System had tried very, very hard to find a suitable candidate to bore the weight of this fate, searched across the alliance, even the Jai Empire.


    People resembling a fate as vtile as yours are rare but a handful of them exist. But why did the System choose you over them all?


    Well¡­it''s a strong feeling that. Even if fates are the deepest criterion this system could use for screening, there was a feeling that you had something that others didn''t have, something I couldn''t see even if I wanted to.


    Would you believe that the system heard a voice whispering? It convinced me to bet on you. Maybe slivers too can dream?


    Your journey so far had been nothing but miraculous. You''ve exceeded all the expectations I had for you.


    So, I do not know if it''s okay for me to hope now that we''vee to this critical moment.


    Even in the darkest hour, may the will of your soul stand firm and may the blessings of the cosmos be with you in this arduous, dangerous and seminal journey.>]


    Varian read the system''smentary with a contemtive expression. Honestly, he didn''t have the mind to care the ''why'' at this point. He just gotta do what he gotta do. All the deep, philosophical questions couldeter.


    But before that¡ª


    "Var! There is a nice movieing up!"


    After he freshened up from the long practice session, Sarah jumped around with an exicted expression, pointing to a poster.


    [Making Of Steelheart


    From cold and handsome maiden charmer to serious and unforgiving general to a good and kind old man!


    Live the experience.


    You might be the next general!]


    "That old man''s biography? No way!" Varian groaned.


    Sarah pped his arm lightly. "You used to call him master!"


    "He''s turned very bad these days." Varian shook his head and then his eyes lit up. "Prim!"


    The space around him distorted and the girl who now seemed to be a month older in just a week appeared in his arms.


    "Broo?" Prim was confused at first before she recognized him and lifted her hands in excitement.


    "I''ll see youter." Varian waved his hands at Sarah and yelled. "Let''s go meet an annoying old man!"


    "Yaaay!"


    "Yaay!"


    The two pumped their fists into the air and disappeared.


    "Haa~" Sarah shook her head with a helpless smile. "A girl who regresses infinitely and a young man who lived through a billion years¡­who is the kid here exactly?"

 Chapter 1568 Dudududu!

    Chapter 1568 Dudududu!


    ??The pce doors of Nexus violently swung open.


    Aphosis, Aridam and Equilius seated with their real bodies showed no abnormal reaction to a crime that would warrant death.


    Rather, Aphosismented in his in tone.


    "You''rete."


    "No, you covered up his traces well." Kema Aurik barged into the throne hall.


    "And why is that? When you know it''ll only dy the inevitable for a few days?" Yami walked in an elegant manner and said with a charming smile. But her eyes were dead cold.


    "The sessor of slivers is deemed to be the best for the n." Aridam said with a nonchnt expression. "Nexus backs him."


    "Better than Immortal." Keeper Equilius added his line to not show any inner conflict.


    "Ridiculous!" Keman clenched his fist and the entire pce--which could even withstand a full blow from Aridam, broke into pieces. "This is not up for you to decide. This is for us to decide."


    "And we have decided," Yami looked at them with a chilling gaze despite the smile on her face. "To support Immortal."


    "And we are saying no." Aphosis said with a nonchnt expression, floating in the space in the middle of the debris that was a grand pce seconds ago.


    "Heh." Keman pointed his palm at the man and Aphosis'' body froze. Then, his skin began to shrivel and the light in his eyes began to dim.


    The life and soul of the Nexus'' leader were drained unilitarelly by the Master of Life.


    In just minutes, Aphosis turned into a bag of bones, seemingly on the verge of death.


    "That should beat enough sense into you." Keman nodded in satisfaction. "You don''t have any say here."


    "Heh." A sneer left the boy''s dried mouth. "Maybe you forgot but emotion such as fear is foreign to us. You can kill us but it''d be sensed by all our forces and a rebellion will ensue. Your forces surely can kill everyone but the chaos that will unfold would ensure that the Jai Empire would have no problem ending you."


    Keman gritted his teeth and waved his hand violently.


    Aphosis was blown back, flipping in space, but he was back to his normal self of a young boy.


    Yami narrowed her eyes. "Do you think we can''t find his hiding nest? The only reason we even bothered to talk this out is to give you a chance to atone for your sins. Give that brat and end this farce."


    Aridam stepped forward. "I know this is difficult for you to understand but Nexus will support him to thest breath. The boy has awakened 2 years ago and he--"


    "Awakening?" Yami gasped. "You mean a race so lowly that they aren''t born with a path? Absolutely pathetic!"


    Aridamn sneered. "2 years and he''s peak rank 9. Yeah, real pathetic."


    "...what did you say?" Yami tilted her head, the glowing from her body fluctuating violently.


    "I''m sure you don''t have a hearing ailment, My Lady. Peak rank 9 in two years. His bone is just reaching 20.


    If Immortal is a star, this boy is a supernova. There is noparison between the two. Should there be a chance for us to ever survive against the invincible God Emperor, the bet should be on this boy."


    Keman and Yami looked at each other for a few moments before turning to the Nexus trio.


    "He is a better choice but that''s why it''s suspicious. Even with slivers, those achievements are too ridiculous. Maybe the God Emperor himself helped the boy."


    "And why would he?"


    "To trap us, what else?! If we bet on that boy, give him the slivers and the boy just betrays us, wouldn''t it be the easiest war for the God Emperor?" Keman clenched his fist.


    "...That''s a good question but he is from a remote part of Genesis. He isn''t even born in the Jai Empire."


    Yami let out a mockingughter. "Since when did mere distance matter to the God Emperor?"


    "Immortal is born from us. If nothing else, his loyalty is guarenteed." Keman continued.


    "A valid point but how about you give Varian a chance to prove his loyalty?" Aphosis said.


    Aridam nodded. "Imagine we bet on Immortal instead of Varian and we lost. Wouldn''t we all regret it? Well, if we stay long enough to regret. But what do you say? The situation is dire and we need a champion."


    The rulers of Geneis and Mors fell silent before Yami opened her mouth. "God''s Eye."


    "But it''s too dangerous to go there. You just want to kill, don''t you?"


    "We''ll send him there with Immortal. Both of them will hide their identities. This time, Immortal will be given partial power of slivers to not get disadvantaged. If that Varian dares to go, manages to survive and return, we''ll consider him to be a useful "


    "Call him now. It''ll start in three more days. Since he''s going to die anyway, I want to take a look at the one who stayed hidden for so long." Keman said.


    Aridamn pursed his lips.


    They agreed and even proposed a test, fine. But what if they discard everything and just rip the slivers out of Varian?


    There''s no such thing as integrity to living beings after all. Oh and the dead too.


    Vampires, a race among the Undead, were notorious for being cunning and disloyal.


    As for the race in living beings? Heh! Somehow, all their species had a degree of expertise in breaking integrity.


    "Don''t give me that look." Keman twisted his face in disgust. "That boy managed to beat Immortal only because he had the power of slivers. On an equal ground, Immortal can crush a hundred like him."


    Yami nodded. "Immortal is unique throughout creation. There is no one like him. But this boy made us reconsider our decision. So, I am curious too. How does he look like? What is the scent of death on him? How many trillion did he kill? Which vor and thickness of blood does he li¡ª"


    "Errr, he is a living being." Aridamn interjected before she went on with her weird undead cuisine.


    "Pathetic." Yami spat and crossed her arms. "Call him anyway. For you all to support him with enough to go against us, he must be special."


    "Alright." Aphosis nodded and activated the symbol that he gave Varian.


    It was a triple-purpose charm.


    One, for Varian to contact him.


    Two, for Varian to get here directly.


    Three, for him to call Varian here¡­directly.


    As long as Varian didn''t resist enough, he''d be dragged here. And being a non-divine ranker, even inside Hortus, he could not resist anyway.


    Shuaa!


    "Du! Da! Dududududu! Shuaaa!"


    Varian fired violent shots with the toy gun in his hand and raised his paper shield before yelling.


    "Prim, help! The Red Turtle Thief of the gxy need your special double sma gu¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    Aphosis, Aridam and Equilius looked at Varian with a wide, dumbfounded gaze. Keman''s and Yami''s jaw dropped before they looked at the Nexus trio with a look of contempt.


    Recognizing his location a momentte due to the vast power difference, Varian put away his hand crafted gun and red flower shield before rubbing the back of his head.


    "Haha, ahahaha! I was ying, ying with a child, ahahahaha."

 Chapter 1569 Notice

    Chapter 1569 Notice


    ??The gathering of the greatest geniuses of the Empire was abrupt. Some of them were famous but the others kept a low profile.


    It''d be difficult to reach out to them for even the king of the strongest kingdom as they''d rather prioritize a bout of training over meaningless political intrigue.


    More than five kings had experienced harsh rejections from these proud geniuses. And even some divine rankers were at the receiving end.


    In the collective consciousness of the upper elite who were in the same range as these supreme geniuses¡ªkings, divine rankers, empire geniuses¡ªthey were aloof, noble, cold and infinitely proud.


    But the very same geniuses came rushing to the Hall of Sage in Genesis Empire upon a single notice.


    Everything was rtive. People would be arrogant only towards the one they could afford to be arrogant. One wrong move towards the wrong person and it''d be the end of the story.


    "Greetings, My Lord!"


    "Victory be yours!"


    "Thank you for gracing me with your divine presence!"


    The three iers greeted their respective leaders first before showing respect for the others.


    The three people seated on the stage, Keman of Genesis, Yami of Mors and Aphosis of Nexus, showed no response at all to the humble gesture of the geniuses.


    Unlike when they were discussing Varian and Immortal with intense fevor, the three seemed almost uninterested. If not for the slight nods they assionally gave, one would think they were dragged here to attend the meeting.


    "God''s Eye timing this time is unexpected. But it happens every now and then." Yami began. "Time¡­is really not something we can measure when talking about that ce."


    "Your mission, like every team before you, is simple." Keman tapped his armrest and pursed his lips. "Win."


    The candidates stood straight with a stiff expression, as if even the slightest disturbance would somehow constitute a sphemy.


    Varian and Immortal, in contrast were rxed in their posture. They were both in disguises woven by the rulers of the alliance itself, so there was no possibility that anyone doubted their identities.


    For the other three candidates, they were ''geniuses of their caliber that remained extremely low-key''.


    The geniuses whose identities they were using were¡­killed by Yami. Keman proposed to lock them up until this mission ends but the mistress of death was ruthless.


    ''In the slightest chance that a war suddenly starts and we have to leave these two behind and they get exposed, there is a clear danger to Immortal. I cannot allow that.''


    And so, the most promising geniuses of the Alliance, once who would certainly reach the divine ranks and might even reach the peak of rank 1 were erased, just like that.


    ''By the time these two can reach peak rank 1, Immortal and Varian would already be in rank 2. There''s nothing lost here.'' Aphosis too showed no hesitation.


    It was only then that it really dawned on Varian.


    The only reason he was alive after everything he did was that he was special enough. No, he''s more than special. He''s unique.


    If he was just a genius, no matter how big, these guys wouldn''t even spare a thought before erasing him.


    As humane as they seemed in front of him, it was but a small part of theirrger, colder and ruthless personna.


    Varian felt a sharp gaze and nced to his right.


    Immortal was looking at him with a cold smile.


    He seemed much stronger than theirst encounter. But more concerning than that was a familiar power he could sense from the bastard.


    ''Slivers¡­''


    As they promised, the two rulers gave a miniature version of slivers to Immortal.


    Varian was still too weak to harness the power of slivers. Logos admitted that the best he could draw was 0.01% of the total power.


    Keman and Yami simply extracted 0.01% of the power from their own slivers and created a pair of slivers for Immortal to wield.


    With this, the two of them were essentially equal.


    ''I can''t keep him alive.''


    "The current leaders of the Jai''s three factions made a name for themselves through this event. There''s no doubt their team would deem this an important tform to showcase their prowess.


    Even out of the five you''re going to face, only two or even one might attempt something dangerous. But beware, the reason that one genius acts is due to the confidence to crush all of you." Aphosis warning was practical though his tone remained in as ever.


    Still, everyone took him seriously. Even though he''s the junior of the trio, he''s the senior most figure everywhere else.


    His words were hard to digest.


    God''s Empire was in the core territory of the Jai Empire. Andromeda Gxy. That too near the center of the gxy.


    They''re already taking a huge risk by stepping into the tiger''s den but now they''re asked to guard against a possible madman who''d be interested in butchering them all.


    It''d be goodluck if they survived the onught. But even if they did, would they able to walk out from the heart of enemy''s territory all the way to alliance after killing their best genius?


    Taking Aphosis'' words into consideration, any chances of survival they had seemed to crash rock bottom.


    Varian felt the sense of decadence in his peers and was about to speak up when Immortal beat him to it.


    In a tone barely containing his supreme confidence, he waved his hand. "This is a pure contest, done for the good of all Eden. There will be no danger from the Jai Empire''s forces during our expedition, while we enter or exit God''s Eye. It is the word of God Emperor himself."


    His words caused the three super geniuses to heave a sigh of relief.


    And one candidate speaking up in the presence of three living gods provided courage for the others.


    "Why isn''t Miss Cmity here?"


    "Yeah, she can''t not be in the top five."


    "Yep, Yep."


    Keman nced at Varian with a slightly piercing gaze before announcing. "She''s a divine ranker now."


    "!!"

 Chapter 1570 Eye Of God

    Chapter 1570 Eye Of God


    ??Varian never thought he''d be allowed to just walk into the Jai Empire. It was a weird thing to experience, seeing your sworn enemy rolling down the red carpet to let you in to their most important region.


    But that''s the experience once they reached the patrolling zone of the Empire. Not only did the Jai Empire''s forces attack, they in fact acted as escorts and guided them into a precious portal in the center of one of the satellite gxy.


    While the soldiers and generals didn''t show any positive feeling as they passed through the military camps, they were careful to not let any negative sentiment to be conveyed.


    All the protocols were followed to the highest rigour. It was royal treatment, one intended for some of the best ranking people of the Empire.


    Varian and his peers should''ve been at least a bit happy for the hospitality but that was thest thing in their minds.


    They were all seated stiff in their private spaceship, pacing around, fiddling with their fingers or looking around nervously.


    The reason?


    Except for the five of them, no one else was allowed in. And the crazy part? No one from the alliance objected.


    So, they were literally thrown into the lion''s den by their own herd and there was nothing they could do at this point.


    The leaders of the alliance assured them ''This is the word of God Emperor that hasn''t been broken for more than a hundred million years. Even if we start a war now, you''ll not be attacked''.


    Of course, it was just difficult to rx with those words.


    "We should chill out. The word of God Emperor is as good as nature''sw. None shall break it."


    A thin young man with red-framed spectacles scribbled something on a notebook with a quill andmented. He''s adorned in a long white robe with blue edges, long sleeves and had the scent of books.


    Varian frowned.


    If he remembered correctly, this guy was from Nexus, direct lineage of Sera tribe and was even connected to Keeper Equilus¡­?


    "Mencius, the question isn''t what has happened. It is what will happen." A man looking to be in histe 20s said.


    d in a ck armor built from the carpace of some animal, he looked menacing at eight foot tall and a bulky build.


    "He won''t get it. Why do you exin to fools?"


    "Preachy bastard!"


    Two same voices were heard. There were two more men, looking exactly like him, in white and gray armors.


    The three look alikes, no, natural clones, chattered with each other until a soft but sharp voice interrupted.


    "If you''re making so much fuss, you shouldn''t havee here. Living beings and their fear of death, tch. Pathetic."


    It was a mature woman looking to be in her early 30s. Her skin was pale, hair long, red and glowing like a burning piece of charcol. d in a red dress that showed off her curves, the woman carried herself with a wild charm.


    "Fear of death?" The giant man narrowed his eyes and sneered. "I might fear a lot of things but I haven''t stooped so low to get lessons from a vampire bitch. If I live, I''m the best living being. If I die, I''ll definitely be a better Undead than you. So, Lilith, you better shut up and go back to sucking pigs. Fucking harlot."


    His aggressive choice of words turned the entire ship to go silent.


    Lilith, the descendent from the lineage of vampire king who''s said to be a rank 2 Undead, narrowed her eyes.


    When everyone expected her tosh out with harsher and more vulgar words, she covered her mouth and let out a chuckle.


    "My my," Her voice instead grew softer and charming. "Did I touch a ner¡ªno, how many nerves did I pluck there, Mr. Desmond? If you had to use such vulgarnguage to prove your point, then you don''t have a point to prove in the first ce."


    Desmond felt the gazes from his peers and gritted his teeth. He wanted to teach the woman a lesson and establish the heirarchy with himself at top.


    But just then¡ª


    [We''ve arrived.]


    The spaceship passed through the passage of spacewayid out in the deeper reaches of space and entered the core of the Jai Empire.


    Hundreds of ships were waiting for them on the other side of the portal and not wasting a second, they began a march straight toward God''s Eye. Not in a position to dy the enthusiasm, their spaceship followed meekly.


    And even as they travelled fast, Varian was able to catch a glimpse of the core regions of the Jai Empire.


    It was difficult to put the perception into a single word but if there had to be a word, it''d be ''Grandness''.


    Entire star systems were arranged as lighting for some artificially modified ygrounds.


    Stars were used to barbecue the meast of ancient beasts.


    Space was cracked by teenage artists with ease that even a new celestial ranker would find difficult to ''paint'' using the space cracks.


    The buildings, whatever he could glimpse at, were beyond majestic. Each of them felt like a pce in themselves and auras so powerful that a random pick from them could destroy the entire P proved the unfathomable foundation of the Jai Empire.


    While the shock was still increasing, their route was diverted and they were taken to a barren territory.


    No, they were taken to a region with a special field covering it so tightly that it seemed barren.


    Their ships then sunk deep into the space and they raced for the exact spot.


    Outer space. Inner space. A boundary to reach the core space.


    Buzzz!


    In the darkness of space, a brilliant light glowed. It expanded in all directions,ing from deep inside the core space all the way to the edges of Inner Space, where they currently where at.


    The light was in the shape of an eye from the distance. And the power it casually emitted was far beyond what any person could do.


    "God''s Eye¡­"


    Immortal muttered with a difficult to read expression before turning to him.


    "I''ll see you soon."


    Saying so, he got out of the spaceship and jumped forward. An invisible barier rippled and a sacred, ancient temple-likendscape came into view.


    "Bye!"


    "See you all!"


    "Cry for me, baby."


    The remaining three too entered the entrance.


    Left alone, Varian contemted for a moment before sighing and jumping in.

 Chapter 1571 As Old As Time

    <h4>Chapter 1571 As Old As Time </h4>


    The myths surroundings God''s Eye run deep into the past, older than all known civilizations.


    When the six primordial tribes were worshipping their gods, scribbling down their primeval history, the God''s Eye had long been there.


    And in some ounts, the six gods themselves mentioned that God''s Eye existed before them. Unsurprisingly, it was attributed to the three Primordial Gods.


    Maybe there was someone who came before even them. But that''s the limit of all their knowledge.


    But some sources deny its connection to the Primordial Gods and specte that this ce to be old as time itself.


    "They say it was originally the size of a pond." Menciusmented, adjusting his spectacles.


    The cosmic structure in front of them upied the volume of at least a hundred star systems. It looked like a heavenlyke filled with glowing shining milk in pitch ck surroundings.


    The light from the structure was divine, surreal and beyond anything found anywhere else. The sparkling specks of light felt like tears of a living god himself.


    Just being bathed in that light caused Varian to experience a sensation of sublime joy. All the worries in his mind were pushed back and only serenity remained.


    ''Ahhh, how nice it is to be ali¡ªehh?''


    "Don''t do anything careless here." Mencius continued, his tone devoid of any pride but his choice of words suggesting an instruction than suggestion. "Only enter through the temple."


    He pointed to the vast red-stone structure sitting in the whiteke. Its area far exceeded entire stars and the sheer waves of aura eminating from the structure caused Varian''s heart to thump.


    ''It''s dangerous¡­no, there''s something¡­someone, I don''t know, this is a scary ce.''


    There were a few cracks here and there on the building. But amidst the strong waves of aura that washed over it from all over God''s Eye, it stood resilient.


    To put it into perspective, if a divine ranker stood in the waves of chaotic aura and the storm of space-time flowing all over God''s Eye, they would not survive more than a century.


    This structure stood for far, far longer.


    "Well, well, well, are you the chickens from the gang?"


    The space nearby rippled and a gang of five walked out.


    Three men and two women, all surprisingly humanoid, assesed them with a gaze that''s typically reserved for zoo animals.


    The leader of the gang, a man with cube shaped head, took a step forward, space rippling under his feet as he did so.


    "I somehow think you five are more suited to clean my pce than apany me in this sacred journey."


    "Sloan, you need to raise the bar for your employees. Can''t take in every cat and dog!" A palm sized woman whose voice was surprisingly loud for her sizemented.


    "I can fix them for you before they join." Ady with a diamond-like skin added almost immediately.


    Thepetition between the two was obvious even to the members of the alliance.


    "Sloan, should we take care of them here? They don''t need toe in."


    "To think they''ll stand as our equals inside, it disgusts me."


    The words of the two men that followed were practically a call for battle. But what''s interesting was that they too sought the opinion of Sloan.


    ''The leader of the gang? Then he must be much, much stronger than the rest to let them bend their pride.''


    Varian''s head tingled as his perception sneaking up to Sloan was sliced into pieces and sted back.


    "Sneaky bastard. That''s all you guys can do." Sloan gave him a disdainful nce before turning to the grand temple. "No need to break the tradition and spill blood outside. Anything that can happen will happen inside. Let''s go."


    The five supreme geniuses of the empire disappeared with a blurr, the surrounding space rippling violently in the wake of their movement.


    Varian looked at his team.


    Unlike them, they had no thoughts of putting down egos, strategizing and working as a team. But they''re not dumb people. Once they saw the enemy, they recognized their own weakness.


    And that''s why they stayed, hoping to see if some member could bend their head and start a team discussion.


    ¡­Unfortunately, no one seemed willing.


    Desmon, the tri-clone giant, looked pissed off at the remarks but showed no more reaction than that.


    Mencius looked into a thick leather book, leafing the pages with a frenzied expression,pletely uninterested in the outside world.


    Lilith, the candidate Varian expected to take the lead, was onto something entirely else.


    She approached Immortal with a coy gaze with hands behind her back and arge blush on her cheeks. Her dress was slightly pulled down, exposing more of her


    cleavage than it already did and a sensual charm was radiating from the woman.


    ''A charm originating from the racial talent rting to soul. And it doesn''t see to be the only talent. Vampires are a tough race, eh.''


    When the woman''s breasts nearly touched his arm, Immortal took a step back and looked at her in disgust.


    "Oh?" Lilith wasn''t disgusted though. "Are you gay? Then I can be a man as well."


    Her volouptous figure transformed into a shirtless hunk.


    Immortal took a few more steps back.


    "What now?" Lilith''s pitiful expression and big moist red eyes would''ve hooked the souls of brilliant princes.


    But they did not move Immortal. Not in the slightest.


    "What do you want?"


    Immortal pointed to his chest and then to his crotch area, then shook his head.


    "W-Wait, what?" Lilith blinked in dumbfoundment. "Y-You don''t have anything?"


    Immortal nodded with a in expression and crossed his arms, as if it was a trivial issue.


    Varian was also dumbfounded. But in retrospect, it made some sense. This man, well, a man for the sake of convienience, was born at the perfect bnce of life and death.


    He''s neither a living nor an undead. Then it perhaps was also justifiable that he had no parts.


    It''s debatable if he could have any lineage even if he reached the divine ranks.


    After all, the creation of a being at the perfect bnce of life and death only happened because of the slivers.


    "Do you want me to arrange a tform for you to strip dance for the Jai bastards when they return victorious? Huh?" Desmond suddenly yelled.


    When the members looked at him in anger, he waved his hand. "Then what are you waiting here for? Get the fuck in!"


    He disappeared with a loud bang and the rest followed.

 Chapter 1572 Temple of God

    <h4>Chapter 1572 Temple of God</h4>


    Temple of God.


    The name of the structure was grandiose, to put it mildly. But those who studied history, especially history concerning the very fate of the universe, would argue that the name was apt.


    This ce saved the Alliance, Eden and the cosmos.


    "This temple was the countermeasure to the ever expanding God''s Eye. No one is sure of the fine details, but it stopped the expansion." Mencius said as they walked down an impossibly wide corridor with no ends in sight, both in


    width and length.


    None of their powers worked properly--no teleportation, no superspeed, no avatar substitution. They had to walk. And walk they did.


    Varian looked around the majestic structure. Only its high ceiling far above their heads and the floor under their feet was truly visible.


    "Huh!" Desmond jumped high into the air to touch the ceiling. For a pseudo divine, distances of even light years would be within ease of ess. And that ceiling definitely wasn''t higher than a few thousand miles.


    But like magic, the higher Desmond reached from the floor, the farther the ceiling went from him.


    The man tried and tried, pumping out his aura, propelling himself upward at a rate that would shatter outer and even inner space to catch the ceiling.


    Yet, five full minutes of full-fledged attempt and the distance widenened to an unimaginable degree.


    Desmondnded, his feet unsteady for a moment causing him to stumble.


    "This ce is older than all our tribes put together. Better respect it." Mencius shook his head.


    "Grhh." Desmond growled like a tiger whose tail was stepped on. But he refraind from any more attempts.


    Since ceiling was out of bounds, Varian checked the floor. It was a pitch ck floor with white vein-like lines running all over it.


    ''Material? No, it''s condensed space¡­and time.''


    That meant the space inside was special and so was time.


    It''s one thing to achieve a feat like this but to keep it for who knew how many billions of years?


    Forget an extraordinary structure such as this, even keeping a normal aura-less structure for a few thousand years was considered great.


    But a billion?


    A thousand of thousand of thousand?


    Barring the God Emperor whose limits were unknown, even the strongest divine rankers alive today wouldn''t be able to achieve half of a billion, much less multiple billions.


    "Why did the God''s Eye expand though?" Varian asked, inserting himself in the conversation for the first time.


    Immortal snorted in contempt while Lilith studied him with a sharp eye. Desmond ignored him, just like he did from the beginning.


    "No one knows." Mencius'' gaze on him was intense for a brief moment. "But it expands. There used to be a dwarf gxy here. It was all sucked in. And poof, it was gone."


    Varian adjusted his steps to match the thin man''s and raised a brow. "Like a ckhole?"


    "ckholes are nothing. You can jump into ckholes. Heck, there are a lot of gravity species that live in its depths.


    And even if something falls into the ckhole, it''s possible to extract the disintegrated matter and rearranged it back into its original structure.


    Nothing is lost in ckholes.


    But this ce!"


    He pointed to the seemingly unending expanse of the milky eye-shaped cosmic structure.


    "Once you fall in, it''s the end. We don''t know what happens here. If you''re gone, you''re gone. Your matter, energy, soul? All gone!" Mencius'' expression grew frantic as he got to the end.


    He mmed the thick cover book strapped to him and looked at the four. "Just imagine, if this ce keeps expanding!"


    Varian''s breath halted for a moment. "It''ll swallow all of cosmos."


    "Exactly!"


    Their discussion seemed to have pissed off Desmond who stood in between the two and snorted.


    "You can drop this oh-so-important bullsh*t. Whatever is happening here has been happening for hundreds of millions of years.


    People like us wereing and going for forever. Nothing happened. Nothing will happen.


    And even if something is to happen, it''s not in our capacity to do anything about it.


    So, you two would better shut your loose mouths and do what we''re supposed to do."


    Varian didn''t show any immediate reaction but Mencius adjusted his spects and narrowed his eyes at therge man.


    "I haven''t known you very well, Desmond, but I must say you are a very arrogant man."


    "Hahahaha. Which man wouldn''t be arrogant if he had the strength I did?" Desmond burst into a loudughter and mmed his chest.


    "Then why did you act so meek in front of that guy¡­Sloan, yeah. Where did your arrogance go?" Mencius poked with a polite but sharp smile.


    "¡­"


    Desmond''s prideful face darkened and he lowered his arms. He leaned down to bring his huge head, which was at least thrice asrge as Mencius to thetter''s eye level and said in a cold tone.


    "Sloan is not stronger than me, but he is strong. I have my ns on dealing with a dangerous foe. I am arrogant, not stupid. If you think you can provoke me into doing something rash against my interests, then think again."


    "Tsk, I thought all muscle heads are stupid. How disappointing." Lilith ced her hand on her forehead with a dramatic expression, as if her heart was shattered by a heartless man. "My whole life has been a lie! Mencius, I hate you. Oh and you brute, I don''t hate you."


    "Huh?"


    Desmond raised an eyebrow in confusion. What had he done to not garner the scorn of this stupid and prideful woman? If he at least learned about it, he''d stop doing it.


    He didn''t like her. And he didn''t like to be in her good books.


    "Why don''t you hate me? I fucking hate you. Just staying close to you is disgusting. My skin crawls."


    "Heh. My hatred is reserved for people I think worthy. So, I don''t hate you. I despise you."


    Her words were even more humiliating.


    When it seemed like a fight would break out, the corridor ended.


    "Guys¡­just look at¡­!"

 Chapter 1573 Alt Selves

    Chapter 1573 Alt Selves


    ??The hall was vast, overwhelming them in both stature and power. Built out of the purest ck stone, it reflected their faces back at them. Only their faces.


    It looked excessively simplistic to be in a temple as grandiose as this but perhaps that''s precisely why it''s here.


    "Look at that!"


    They spotted arge inscription at the center of the ceiling, written in the purest form of aura. It wasn''t in anguage per se. The writing had to be understood through by grasping the energy.


    It was difficult even for geniuses to understand the meaning in condensed aura, much less one created billions of years ago.


    Fortunately, the people here weren''t geniuses.


    [Spaced Fate]


    They were super geniuses, standing at the top of the pyramid.


    [Space is overlooked in one''s destiny. But it is just as important as time. You are here because you are born in a particr space in the time period you were born.


    Changing the space you were born in changes your background, opportunities and ultimately, fate itself.]


    Varian and his teammates paused for a moment as the following inscriptions seemed cracked, rendering them unable to any interpretation.


    Rather thanmenting that they were missing out some crucial information, almost all of them had the same thought.


    ''It''s damaged? Something inside the temple is damaged?''


    The invincibility of the temple was destroyed just like that.


    [The fluctuations are both of Space and Time. Thisyer filters out and deals with Space waves. Interaction with the waves results in spatial abnormalities within the temporal bounds.]


    As the words seemed to end, the hall made of pure ck diamond shed once. And then four more times.


    Five individuals stepped out of the hall and the alliance gance went dumb.


    "What the¡­" Varian looked at ''himself'' and shook his head in disbelief.


    The middle-aged Varian had sharp ears like that of an elf and glowing green eyes.


    More importantly, he held the tremendous vitality that could onlye from the members of ''Vita'' tribe.


    Noticing his stare, Vita Varian narrowed his eyes before clicking his tongue. "Such an insignificant race? Here''s a deal. How about you kneel down now and call me daddy? I''ll ept you as my butle¡ª"


    Boom!


    The space distorted as Varian''s fist missed his alternate self''s 13:26


    by a hair''s width. A sharp jolt was felt on his back and he crashed to the ground before he knew it.


    "Why so serious, buddy? Being my butler has a lot of nice perks. For example,"


    Boom!


    Vita Varian ducked down, his waist parallel to the ground as he dodged a sharp kick that would''ve cut his abdomen into two.


    "You get to have 10 vacations a month, 100x of minimum wage, a harem of maids. Oh and did I forget? You can have your own butlers!"


    Varian stopped the fist he was about to throw and looked at his alt self with a serious expression.


    "Impressed, aren''t cha? I know, I know." Vita Varian chuckled with a pridefulughter.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The sound of explosions all around them which resulted from the terrible battles waged by the members against their own selves didn''t seem to bother him at all.


    "It''s honestly a great offer." Varian nodded and his alt self''s face brightened.


    Boom!


    Blood spilled from the neck of Vita Varian and he looked at his other self in disbelief. "B-But why¡­."


    "Trust me, I know how good of an employer I am. Even I wouldn''t want to work under myself."


    Varian clenched his fists and space around his alt''s neck exploded, the sharp shards digging into his neck and nearly severing his head off.


    "Kuh! Kaa! Kahahaha!" Vita Varian let out a madugh as he raised his fists to block the iing attacks. "To use a space bomb in between a sacred duel, how despicable!"


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Varian''s punches put him on a defense and the assional space attacks pushed his enemy to the edge.


    He soon lost an arm to a neat space cut, both of his ears and suffered a big punch impression in his abdomen.


    Kneeling helplessly as blood pooled around him, Vita Varian red at him while secretly gathering power for a surprise attack.


    "Kuh! I didn''t think my other self would be so cowardly to use treasures here."


    "You don''t know anything, do you?" Varian shook his head and elbowed his counterpart.


    "Guh!" Blood spurted out of the man''s mouth like a water balloon had burst.


    But instead of falling to the ground, he twisted his body, ced his palm on the floor and used the force to jump over Varian''s head.


    His body twisted into a ''C'' and his fist reached Varian''s head from behind.


    "By the way,"


    The fist which should''ve struck Varian with a tremendous force and great lethality was slowed down by an inexplicable wave of space, allowing him to block the attack.


    Varian turned around and saw his counterpart''s eyes widening.


    He realized something. "Y-You¡­How the¡­"


    "What''s your name?"


    Varian held the fist in his hand and asked with a smile.


    "V-Var Nostrad Yvarst."


    "Thought so."


    A thunderous fist struck Nostrad in the abdomen, causing him to curl over and puke blood.


    "You are but a cheap imitation by space-time." Varian''s bloodied fist shined with a nefarious red light, the light of death.


    It was subtle, covered up by the overflowing power of life and didn''t rm anyone.


    But Nostrad saw it too clearly.


    "Through all of space,"


    The fist fell, breaking Nostrad''s skull, crushing his brain and exploding his head into pieces.


    "In all times,"


    Nostrad''s body, struck power of death spasmed and tried to struggle. Since Varian controlled its amount to not alert others, he was almost sessful.


    "I am,"


    That was until the power of soul struck at him point nk range, rendering everything useless.


    "The only one."


    Nostrad''s body copsed powerlessly.


    Varian shook his fist to shake off the blood and looked around.


    The surroundings¡­!


    Desmond, Lilith and Mencius were all fighting fiercely.


    Of them, Desmond had the easiest time. Since he already came from one of the highest lineages, his alt self wasn''t much stronger.


    The same went for Lilith as her opponent was also a vampire but much older, somehowpensating for the disadvantage.


    Mencius, on the other hand, had it the easiest. He was puncturing his quill into his shoulder and writing something on his book with blood.


    And his enemy, who was a powerful Order awakener butcked the book and quill, struggled to hold on.


    ''Wait!''


    There''s one person inpletely different league from everyone else.


    Immortal was meditating.


    ''He didn''t fight at all!''


    There was no corpse for Immortal.


    Did he not face any enemy?


    As soon as the question arrived, Immortal''s eyes opened, shining with a pitch ck darker than even space and stared straight into Varian''s eyes.


    "Heh."


    A strange smile etched itself on his face.


    Varian prepared himself for a brutal battle. And he also realized by there was no battle for Immortal to fight.


    ''A perfect union of life and death. His birth is a miracle. He can''t be born in any other ce.''


    Varian''s face grimaced and he subtly channeled his slivers.


    Immortal kicked down, sting forward.


    A light shone down on him and a tremendous power shot out of him, attacking the alternate selves of Mencius and Desmond at the same time.


    "Now!"


    The four of them raced to the divine-grade wall and a light shed on Immortal. A familiar power burst from him and he used it to extend that light for the rest.


    They all passed through the wall, just like that.


    "Huh?"


    The alt selves of Mencius, Lilith and Desmond turned to him.


    "Fuck you."

 Chapter 1574 Dear Madman

    Chapter 1574 Dear Madman


    ??"What happened to him?" As soon as they entered another long corridor, Mencius asked. "You told him to get escape with us, didn''t you?"


    "Of course!" Immortal shrugged. "But didn''t you see his face? He was dazed out. I don''t know what he was thinking."


    "Fuck."


    "Don''t worry." Lilith chuckled, carefree at the possibility of her teammate dying. "This man here can take on all of Jai''s minions. Missing one person won''t make a big difference."


    Immortal snorted at the ttery but didn''t deny her words.


    ''Once Varian dies, the slivers would find a way out as this ce is dangerous. And they''ll end up in my hands.''


    While the descendant of Yami and Keman prepared for his grand future, the man he nned to kill was cursing all sorts of profanities, starting from Immortal''s mother, father and all the way to their great grand parents.


    "Can you please just die already?"


    Varian''s arms and legs were sted into pieces before they regenerated in a blink and got sted again.


    True to their reputation, his enemies were notoriously strong and he was having a hard time dealing with them using only the path of a single path.


    And so, after finally confirming that Immortal was not monitoring this ce for the ninth time, Varian unleashed his full power.


    Boom!


    Desmond''s alt, a four armed hunk, was shredded into pieces by the violent storm of space while the time of his body came to a near stand still.


    Kaaa!


    Lilith''s alt, an undead subus, stumbled back as her charm attack through clever application of soul was neutralized. And then, a chain built of the purest life force enclosed her before ripping her apart.


    Mencius'' alt was hit by the power of chaos and got easily killed.


    "Phew~" Varian exhaled lightly.


    The power difference between them wasrger than he imagined, in his favor. But the only one he actually wanted to test against, Immortal, gave him no chance for a battle.


    ''Status''


    [Pseudo Divine: Slivers of Divine Power


    Paragon Body: 15/90


    Ignis: 10/90


    Death Giant: 20/90


    Order: 10/90


    Chaos: 10/90


    Space: 5/90


    Time: 5/90


    <This is the transitionary phase. The celestial energy in your body is sublimating and there are prototypes of divine energy being formed.


    This is the final step before, well, a lot of things.


    May Your Will Remain Firm>]


    Varian rubbed his fingers and a bit of silver light emerged from his skin. It was pure, holy and exceedingly powerful.


    But before he could even condense it into a sphere, it dissipated like a weak me on a windy night.


    "Haa~"


    Stretching his arms, Varian walked to the wall and a light shone down on him. He felt a sense of dissonance passing through the wall but it ended as he found himself in a corridor with¡ª


    "What the fuck are you doing here?"


    The group of Jai Empire turned to him with a confused gaze.


    "Got abandoned. And then got lost." Varian shrugged.


    "This trick is too old." The leader of the group, Sloan, shook his head before addressing his teammates. "If he''s here, the rest must be close. We can''t fall behind. Let''s hurry."


    "¡­"


    Varian watched in silence as they shot forward.


    "Oh and Kongzi, end him."


    As Sloan''s team vanished into the distance, a red light shot toward him at an incredible speed.


    It was a red haired man carrying arge sword on his back. And the power he wielded was that of¡­chaos?


    "Dissipation."


    The word was uttered in sync with the sword being unsheathed.


    Varian''s aura constricted in his body before it began to leak out, like he''s a punctured balloon losing all air.


    "You resemble Ares, a bit." Varian brandished his own sword.


    Kongzi''s eyes narrowed and heughed like a madman. "My ancestors hunted them down for their powers and pushed ourselves up the hierarchy."


    "A different answer would''ve saved your life." Varian shook his head with a resigned expression and swung his sword.


    "Hu-Whaaat?!"


    An incredible power of life enveloped the entire corridor, causing even the group of four racing ahead to halt in their tracks.


    Kongzi was drowned in the power of life and desperately poured out the power of chaos to survive.


    He would have, if not for the sneaky bits of soul and death powers that drilled into his body like maggots and drained his life.


    "Arghh!"


    When the light faded, only a bunch of clothes remained in the ce of Kongzi along with his sword.


    Varian took a step forward and the four who left a few moments ago came running back.


    This time, no one, not even Sloan dared to dismiss him.


    "Take him down!"


    All of them attacked him together.


    Varian faced four very different and very strong attacks at once.


    The space abruptly crushed a quarter of his body into mincemeat. Then the gravity began to pull his limbs apart, causing his neck to stretch to the breaking point.


    When he tried to respond, his soul was struck by an invisible hammer and everything dulled. He tried to act even in that terrible situation, but the time flowing around him slowed down.


    Varian''s vitality began to break down at a rate visible to the naked eye. If Kongzi had been alive and was allowed to attack together with the group, he might have been in trouble.


    ''What a formidable line up. As expected of Jai.''


    The group of four approached him step by step and as they did, Varian copsed onto his knees as his legs were crushed and melted away.


    "A dangerous foe." Sloan looked down at him with cold eyes. "Thankfully, you revealed yourself and can no longer catch us by surprise."


    "Cough, cough, cough." Varian puked some blood, teeth and bits of flesh. And he looked up at the four through eyes drenched in blood. "I didn''t want to do this."


    "Yeah, regreteste. Shouldn''t have tried this trick on us." Sloan raised an axe.


    "No, not that."


    The corridor began to tremble as a powerful aura emerged from Varian.


    "I didn''t want to take beatings to grow,"


    The invisible soul hammer striking him was shattered, causing a woman in the team to stumble back and crash to the ground.


    "But I am a bit impatient."


    The flow of time was broken and the bacsh left caused the woman carrying a hourss to cough out blood.


    "You see, I have a powerful enemy." Varian''s body regenerated in a blink.


    The force of gravity tearing his limbs apart halted as a beam of death entered its user and incapacitated him in a blink.


    "So, I decided to be a bit impatient and take the beatings." Varian stood up tall and straight.


    The power of space, applied on him by Sloan, shattered, causing the leader to take a few steps backward.


    "But it''s wrong." Varian swiped his finger in the nk space and a woman''s head flew into the air. The power of chaos and order followed.


    "I''d rather beat than get beaten." He punched the empty space.


    There was no shockwave, no fluctuation, no aura.


    The second woman''s body exploded into pieces.


    "Y-You¡­who the fuck are you? Not even the 7th Prince was like this¡­"Sloan retreated with a scared and tense expression, his face already pale with fear.


    "Tch." Varian clicked his tongue and grabbed empty air.


    With a scream that came a second early, a soul was squeezed into pieces and shattered, leaving behind an empty body that copsed to the ground.


    Staring at Sloan''s trembling lips and shaking hands, he grinned. "I''m going to beat the dad, so I should at least be better than his sons, right?"


    Sloan''s eyes widened and his mind went nk. Even when Varian''s de sliced his neck, he kept looking at him with a dumbfounded, confused and sarcastic gaze.


    "Y-You can''t w-win against¡­a..keh¡­a god."


    To thest words of the greatest celestial genius of Jai, Varian rubbed his chin and shrugged. "If I have to, I have to. I don''t really have a choice, buddy."


    ''Status''


    [Pseudo Divine: Slivers of Divine Power


    Paragon Body: 40/90


    Ignis: 30/90


    Death Giant: 40/90


    Order: 30/90


    Chaos: 30/90


    Space: 25/90


    Time: 25/90


    <Stupidly taking beatings? Who does that? It''s better to fight, fight and fight¡­or maybe not. The System had given up advising you.


    Do what you will, Dear Madman.>]

 Chapter 1575 Beginnings: The Fire Wolf

    Chapter 1575 Beginnings: The Fire Wolf


    The corridor dissipated like smoke, revealing a floating room in a sea of fluctuating silvery space.


    Varian sensed that he couldn''t even jump. All his power was curtailed, at least he until he reached that room.


    He had to walk on a shady bridge formed by tiny chips of condensed space. It was brittle, shaky and scary as hell.


    Even though he faced dangers far, far greater than a simple bridgewalking, Varian couldn''t stop his mind from shaking.


    It was as if something bad was going to happen once he crossed the bridge. Something whispered in the corner of his mind that he would not like what would happen. And he''d regret his own decision.


    Either undeterred or uncaring, Varian moved ahead.


    When he stepped into the floating room, it transformed into a huge ss house, trapping him in.


    Left or right, up or down, all he could see was reflections of himself staring back at him.


    Due to the way the size of each individual mirror, there were hundreds of Varians staring at him at any instant. And for some reason, the reflections looked more than just reflections.


    It reminded him of a memory when he and Sia visited a huanted house in theme park.


    Young Varian had been depressed for not awakening and not catching up with Sia who was advancing well in her mind path.


    So, she took her to the ce to cheer him up.


    He wasn''t scared by a mere haunted house, of course. But Sia¡­she used a bit of her mind powers to mess with his head.


    And the result? He ended up running out of the haunted house after punching a ghost actor in the nuts while screaming at his loudest. For the next three days, Varian had dreams about a scary haunted house.


    It was something Sia seriously regretted and apologized for. Varian forgave and forgot. Or at least, he thought he did.


    "I got over my fear of haunted house long ago. There is nothing to be scared of. Nothin¡ªfuck!"


    At the appearance of something in the air, he punched before he could even analyze the object.


    His fist passed through empty air and a shockwave materialized, taking the shape of nine consecutive rings.


    And then, it began to reach the mirrors, as if pulled by them. However, the closer they got to the mirrors, the slower they got.


    Varian wanted to check them out when he noticed what the thing in front of him actually was. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    [ Time ]


    The familiar writings of an ancient script hung in the air and through the usage of aura, he was able to decipher the meaning with ease.


    [The difference of a second makes a world of difference. Too many lives have proven this truth already.


    A question naturally arises.


    What if the river of time blinked once? How big would an individual change? Would it be better to intervene as much as possible? Or to let things take their course?


    Out of the infinite possibilities, how to narrow a favorable intervention?]


    Varian shook his head at the ramblings, wondering if this was written by a god or a frustrated researcher.


    And around the same time, the three rings ofpressed shockwaves which were extremely slowed had almost reached the mirrors.


    He stepped forward, deciding to neutralize them lest anything adverse happen.


    But as the distance between him and the mirrors diminished to arm''s length, something shed in them.


    It was a series of events, like a movie. Everything yed at a speed that was tens of thousands of times faster than normal. A normal person would''ve seen only a sh.


    But Varian was able to see everything with rity.


    It depicted the birth of a boy to a military man and a young woman.


    "Dad...?"


    The father rushed back to military, fighting against a strong alien race while the mother raised the child mostly alone.


    Still, he gave the child as much as love, attention and time he could. And then, tragedy struck.


    The man died, leaving the family in grief.


    The son changed. He was still as active, bright and cheerful. But there was fear in his eyes everytime he looked at his mother. Fear that she''d leave him too. The difference in behavior was something he didn''t even notice.


    But his mother did.


    So, she brought him apanion to live with. The girl took away the fear in his life and filled him with courage.


    The boy trained hard, hoping for a great future where he could fulfill his aspirations and protect them both.


    He became a failure, falling behind the girl who awakened and raced ahead.


    Efforts continued but despair began to take over.


    And then, one fateful night¡­


    The family was attacked by a fire wolf.


    "W-Wait¡­" Varian''s eyes shook violently and his breathing stopped for a moment.


    How did a fire wolf even break out of dungeon, sneak into the city, slipping past patrols before even attacking them?


    As if sensing his intentions, the incident was traced back to the dungeon from which the wolf broke out.


    "No, no, no!"


    The wolf didn''t break out in the normal sense. A power, a foreign power opened up the dungeon for the creature to get out.


    And when it did, the wolf''s speed skyrocketed to the point no one could notice it. No, it wasn''t even speed.


    "T-Time flow¡­and the power of space¡­"


    Varian''s face paled and his head buzzed.


    Disregarding the sweat flowing down his space, Varian ced his hand on the mirror and the ying sequence split into two.


    The first one was the life he was familiar with.


    And the second¡­had no intervention. There was no wolf. Amanda lived. Sia didn''t suffer torture. Enigma didn''t me herself.


    Varian''s chest heaved up and down.


    Out of the many lines floating in the air, one line caught his eye.


    [The original timeline will be represented in the purest white. The alternatives will be green.]


    Clenching his teeth, he turned his gaze to the mirror.


    The life with the wolf, his current life¡­was glowing green.

 Chapter 1576 What Ifs

    Chapter 1576 What Ifs


    Nothing made sense.


    "It''s a lie, it''s a lie, it''s all a lie!"


    Varian punched the mirror, breaking it into pieces.


    He didn''t even respond to the pain the special ss dug into his palm and spilled the blood or when the blood glowed with a brilliant light and vaporized.


    "No, no, no." He crouched his head and knelt down.


    There was no power in his knees and no confidence in his voice. Despite being the strongest he had ever been, Varian felt the weakest.


    "B-But there''s no other way, no other way¡­"


    He extensively dug into the dungeon records after bing the ruler. The data revealed nothing. The case was weird.


    No one really understood why the fire wolf managed to do what it did. They gave it the angle of unlucky coincidence. But if really viewed through the rational lens, then there''s no way for such a thing to happen.


    They lived in a shabby area, yes. However, it wasn''t so shabby that a dungeon creature would just bypass every security measurey implemented by the city guard and attack.


    In the first ce, while dungeon breaks were rare and when they happened, the creatures faced significat injuries for breaking out of their supposed cages.


    But the wolf was at its finest condition.


    The application of space and time used for the dungeon break was so exquisite that Varian couldn''t even imagine the mastery one would need. Forget aiming for it, the feat seemed beyond imagination.


    A being of such skill and mastery in space and time?


    And not just that, Humanity had been hidden away from the eye of civilization. No one from the Jai Empire should know about its existence save for the abyssals who learned it by pure ident.


    Which divine ranker of the Jai could learn about a ce as remote as this which had nothing of value for them except the slivers?


    But if it''s him, if it''s the man who reached the peak of


    "God Emperor¡­"


    Varian pulled his hair and blood leaked out of his scalp. His teeth chattered and ground against each other.


    "God Emperor!"


    The eyes which were hollow and confused just a few seconds ago were now glowing with anger and hatred.


    [Host, it''s not the best time to be ang¡ª]


    "You will regret it." Varian punched the mirrors in front of him without even giving them a nce and shouted at the top of his lungs. "You will regret everything!"


    [Watch ou¡ª]


    "Huh?"


    Following Logos'' warning, Varian tilted his head.


    A beam of blue light shed on his right, burning away his ear and the half of his cheek.


    Varian stepped back in vignce.


    As if time had been reversed, the shards of the broken mirror pieced back and from it, a figure emerged.


    His hand was glowing with the familiar blue light.


    Almost at the same time, the three-dozen mirrors he broke all were restored to their original state with a maning out of them each.


    "You¡­"


    Forty ''Varian'', each born in a different time period in the same space. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Ten were ordinary humans of the pre-blink era.


    Ten were devas.


    Ten were mortal rankers in the initial phase of humanity''s aura discovery.


    And the final ten were¡­


    "Why are you four wearing the military dress of P? And you six, Nexus? What''s going on?"


    Varian didn''t jump to fight with his alt selves and asked in a calm voice. At least as calm as he could make in his current situation. It sounded like a threat to the audience and they collectively frowned.


    "Do you dare question my loyalty, imposter?" Varian, the military saint of Pstepped forward.


    "How dare you insult my alleigance? Nexus is not something you can insult." The high-ranking soldier of Nexus didn''t fall behind in stepping up.


    Varian''s eyes widened his eyes in disbelief. Did he got brainwashed if he''s born in other time periods or what?


    "And what did it do you for?"


    ""They gave us refugee when sr system was upied by abyssals!""


    Both of them yelled at the same time and then turned to each other, their jaws dropping in confusion.


    "Oob transferred you all out?" Varian lowered his head and muttered. "To P and Nexus?"


    Boom!


    ""Don''t insult the holy messenger!""


    A beam of red and blue light reached Varian who dodged them with ease.


    "Yeah, yeah. The guy with a halo and wings?"


    The two of them looked furious andunched even more attacks.


    ""He died to protect us!""


    Varian''s eyes narrowed and his gaze moved to a floating text.


    [All The Alternate Timelines Are Merely Calctions. The ''What Ifs'' created by extreme extraption. They do not exist. There is only one space, only one time.]


    His breath rxed and he clenched his fist to finish them off all at once. But his clenched fist loosened and he lowered his power.


    It''d be a real shame if he couldn''t fight the different versions of himself, even if they''re mere creations of aplex time machine.


    And so, the next few minutes, an intense fight took ce.


    Varian fought against himself in the most bloody, brutal and ruthless manner. And he won each version of himself using equal power and path as his opponent.


    They were all killed after defeat without mercy.


    Finally, he reached the normal versions of himself, those that were not even awakeners.


    Instead of fighting them, he exchanged the experiences they went through, the valuable insights they gathered through their lives and their philosophy of life.


    And then, they too died, but painlessly.


    After ending them, Varian raised his head and closed his eyes.


    "Logos."


    [Yes.]


    "Did you know?"


    [¡­Yes.]


    "I see. I guess it can''t be helped. No wonder you''re afraid of him." Varian shook his head with a helpless smile. "Did he n everything?"


    [No. It''s not like that. The interference is causal. He doesn''t even need to know your location for it. Perhaps he does not know about you until you really emerged.


    But what he''s thinking, what he''s nning¡­no one knows.]

 Chapter 1577 The Doors

    <h4>Chapter 1577 The Doors </h4>


    The sshouse began to glow softly, the lighting from the sses that he did not shatter.


    "¡­I should break them all?" Varian''s lips twitched.


    He had just learned that he was supposed to be pick ''one'' mirror, break it and leave the ce. But by breaking multiple mirrors at the start, he made the process unnecessarily long.


    Now, he had to clear the more 100,000 mirrors in the ce.


    "Well¡­"


    Varian exhaled deeply and slowly clenched his fist.


    An explosion engulfed the ss house and a mix of colors began to glow in the


    room. It continued for the next ten minutes, like it''s some light show.


    Varian panted lightly as the light faded and mirrors pieced themselves back.


    A path opened itself for him and he moved his feet without hesitation. To be very honest,?he didn''t feelfortable staying here after watching the truth of that night.


    On his exit, an interesting line of text waved him off.


    [There isn''t a single day. There isn''t a million years.


    There is only now.


    This instant is the only time that exists.


    Everything else is perception.]


    Varian''s footsteps paused and he froze like a statue. The traces of time divine power on him strengthened gradually. Eventually, the space divine power also began to rise.


    [Pseudo Divine: Slivers of Divine Power


    Paragon Body: 40/90


    Ignis: 45/90 (+15)


    <Your will has grown stronger after epting a bitter truth and not breaking.>


    Death Giant: 40/90


    Order: 30/90


    Chaos: 30/90


    Space: 60/90 (+35)


    Time: 60/90 (+35)


    <Congrattions on your enlightenment. It is highly sought after by most pseudo divines hoping to reach the divine rank.>]


    Varian had no idea how much time had passed. Perhaps a few seconds or hours or maybe even days.


    It was difficult for him to determine the timeflow in a location literally built for space-time.


    "Once I clear this, I''ll get the approval¡­" Muttering under his breath, he sped forward.


    Not too long after, he reached the third and final location they were supposed to clear to end this expedition.


    What greeted him was a bridge built out of starlight leading to tworge, cracked double doors.


    And everything else in the surroundings was the glowing white light eminating from God''s Eye.


    In other words, it felt like he was standing on a bridge of a glowing white ocean.


    "What''s behind the doors?"


    He frowned and assumed a defense posture.


    The doors gave off an ancient feel, far far older than anything he experienced. Even Hortus did not feel this ancient.


    [Destroy the chaotic creatures formed by the fluctuations of space-time eminating from God''s Eye.


    God''s Eye will draw beings that have lived through same time period as you into this space.


    Do not try to reach the divine rank here as divine power will only amplify the fluctuations of God''s Eye and cause it to expand.]


    Unlike the other stages, this one had the clearest instructions.


    Varian expanded his perception and try to cover God''s Eye. The glowing white sea roughly in the shape of a human eye was squirming at its boundaries, trying to expand outward. But it wasn''t able to do so.


    Anything that touched this white sea vanished. Even aura.


    Varian thought for a moment and fired a beam of death energy into God''s Eye. Like he had thrown something from a cliff, the death energy vanished without even making a trace.


    "Hmm¡­"


    Using the power of his vitality, Varian created a finger identical to his and threw it into the white sea. He even attaced a strand of his soul to it for analysis.


    "Kuh!"


    He fell to his knees in a blink and coughed out blood. The connection to soul strand vanished. It wasn''t broken or destroyed. It just vanished.


    "What the fuck is this?"


    Taking a small breath, Varian walked down the bridge a few hundred meters above the white sea which frothed and bubbled intensely.


    Aura moved violently and a monstrous entity made of pure space energy emerged in front of him.


    "Ah...huh?"


    Varian took a step back and raised his hands in confusion. There was a look of disbelief in his eyes.


    "Grw~"


    The creature growled menacingly and raced toward him.


    Varian flicked his fingers and it vanished.


    "Why the heck is it so weak?"


    It was only a rank 3 celestial beast!


    "Ah! The same time as me!"


    Considering that, this was already a great achievement.


    "No wonder they were asking for geniuses."


    The ones with the shortest life lived and strongest power.


    Varian didn''t know that whether Immortal and team ended this round already or whether they were yet to arrive. But he found this to be the easiest ce of them all.


    Every elite time attending this ce would take days to cross the bridge. He did it under two minutes.


    And he inevitably reached the small piece of floatingnd, containing the two cracked, ancient double doors.


    He circled around it but it was the same from all sides. But Varian''s intuition told him that to know the real secret, he''d have to open the door.


    [You can leave through the portal]


    Following the words, a portal did appear. On the other side was the border region of P kingdom!


    But Varian was conflicted.


    "Should I? Should I not?"


    The sole reason he came here was to win the approval of the Genesis rulers. With this stage cleared, he could leave.


    Yet, this door¡­


    Why did teams leave before opening this door?


    And God''s Eye¡­what the hell was going on with this ce? Why did the Primordial Gods even bother to create something that would expand and could potentially swallow the universe?


    More importantly¡­


    "Why am I feeling so anxious?"


    His heart was about to burst whenever he stood hear the doors. It wasn''t fear. It was¡­it was¡­


    Varian didn''t even know what he was feeling.


    But his gut told him he couldn''t just leave.


    "Fuck it!"


    Gritting his teeth, Varian reached for the door.


    Boom!


    God''s Eye shook.


    *** *** ***


    A/N: I am currently in a water-only fast (err, it''s not as crazy as it sounds.) and not feeling great physically or mentally. So, the chapters have been inconsistent and might remain so for a couple more days. I will do what I can. But if I fail to deliver, I''m very sorry in advance. I''m as excited as any of you as we reach the final phase of the story and want to see it progress. It''s a shame I''m not writing as much as I should.

 Chapter 1578 Heart Of The Universe

    <h4>Chapter 1578 Heart Of The Universe</h4>


    It was a view that transcended all imagination.


    What registered in Varian''s mind slipped away as soon as it was percieved, leaving him with an empty mind.


    The sight was surreal, the feel was out of the world and the experience was beyond words.


    Varian''s breath, thoughts and movements all stopped.


    Like a statue that had been standing there since the beginning of time, he stood there, watching the grand sight that unfolded in front of his eyes.


    What was it? What could it be called? What name would even suffice to the grandness that existed here?


    These were the questions that would''vee up had his thoughts not ceased.


    It was an opening, a gap, a hole.


    Coming from something. Nothing. And it wriggled outward, pushing the very existence of reality, the fabric of space and time with such force that it''d tear apart an entire kingdom into pieces.


    Something was pouring out of it. Something clearly familiar. Something that the whole universe was permeated with.


    Varian''s eyes shook for the first time. And his mind registered the material for what it was.


    Aura.


    Aura was pouring out of the gap like water gushing out of a hole in the dam. It was fierce, chaotic and dangerous. The sheer momentum of its flow pushed the opening outward, causing it to widen.


    But how much aura was it really?


    Once the question sparked, Varian''s mind which dulled due to the grand sight kicked its gears.


    ''Aura is always flowing from inner space to outer space. I''m inside core space, which is even deeper than inner space. And aura is flowing from core space to inner space. And that aura¡­''


    Once the realization struck, Varian''s mind nked out due to the sheer shock.


    Core space was much, much smaller than Inner space. And this was the ce where all of the aura wasing from. And all the aura in core space was originating from this location.


    In other words¡­


    ''All the aura of the universe is originating from here.''


    It was a scary thought that in itself. One that would''ve caused even divine rankers to seriously consider everything they knew about the divine paths and aura itself.


    But that''s not the scariest part.


    No. Not by a long shot.


    ''H-He¡­He¡­He¡­''


    Varian''s eyes shook and his teeth chattered. With emotions he didn''t even know how to describe, his gaze shifted to the center of the opening.


    The silhouttee of a man was visible.


    A tremendous power, far beyond anything he''d experienced washed over him just by looking at him.


    It was as if an ant watched a dinosaur for the first time. The difference in their levels wasn''t just obvious, it was insurmountable.


    The pressure he felt from Aphosis felt like a headpatpared to the feeling here. Aphosis was strong. Heck, he was one of the strongest beings to exist today.


    But this man, this being, he''s above and beyond anything that existed today and for billions of years in the past.


    Just by staring at him, Varian simultaneously saw a man and a fusion of space and time. Was he really a being or was he a force of nature?


    The space-time revolving around him had reached a level that Varian couldn''t even think of and it worked on the opening.


    The opening destroyed. He repaired.


    One was a cosmic phenonemon.


    The other was a cosmic being.


    ''G-God Emperor!''


    He alone was facing the pressure from all aura and he was suppressing the expansion of the cosmic opening.


    Thanks to him, the cosmic opening, which should''ve violently tore apart theyer of reality was only able to slowly expand.


    Even though he opened the gate, even though the saw the opening, it was very, very far from him in reality.


    If Varian tried to reach there, he''d take millions of years to even cross half of the distance. The distortion of space-time in the middle was unimaginably high.


    Despite looking close, the God Emperor was far away from him. And so was the opening.


    And that''s why he managed to survive the tidbits of aura that flowed here after thousands of years.


    What he was seeing was also the reflection of something that had already happened thousands or perhaps tens of thousands of years ago.


    Varian gulped down his saliva and clenched his fist. This wasn''t a ce he should''vee. But he did. And he could not unsee what he already saw.


    ''I have to leave. Now.''


    He turned around without hesitation, mustering all of his might for that one movement and charged his feet with power he didn''t even know he had.


    Like a missile firing off, he shot out of the gate. And while he did, the chaos caused by his aura attracted bits of something he didn''t notice until he returned.


    Boom!


    The gate closed naturally.


    When Varian looked at the cracks on it, he had nothing but respect for the structure which withstood the cosmic waves for billions of years.


    "Eh?" He noticed something glowing on his palm. "What''s this?"


    It was a string of obscure symbols, symbols that felt familiar but not really.


    Come to think of it, he didn''t even pay attention to his surroundings inside as he was entranced by the grand sight. But now that he thought back, these things were floating around like dust and must''ve stuck to him when he was leaving.


    [You can leave through the portal]


    The text which appeared long ago was still there, so was the portal which opened a route to the borders of the p kingdom.


    This time, Varian did not hesitate. He jumped straight in.


    The space around him distorted and the time fluctuated. It was an exquisite construct, one which demanded a great mastery in the field of space-time.


    He wouldn''t have recognized before. But he did now.


    This was constructed by God Emperor himself.


    And this whole mission of God''s Eye was also his doing.


    The opening''s expansion was elerating despite his efforts. If left unchecked, it would expand God''s Eye or tear the space-time, leading to unknown consequences.


    So, he directed the bits of space-time fluctuations that leaked despite his efforts and used the so-called geniuses to clean off the mess.


    If divine rankers were used, their consumption of aura would create an aura vacuum here and prompt faster expansion.


    At least, that''s his guess. Perhaps there were more reasons. But he didn''t have any more information to specte.


    "Haaa¡­"


    When Varian came to his senses, he returned to the outside world, the real world.


    And he realized something crazy.


    ''Wait, how much time passed¡­?''

 Chapter 1579 A Thousand Years

    Chapter 1579 A Thousand Years


    A thousand years have passed.


    Sarah, Isadora, Sia and Enigma were worried in the beginning.


    After repeated confirmations through their synergy links that Varian was fine but indefinitely unavable, they decided to enter a deep seclusion.


    It''s akin to a deep sleep and for divine rankers, it was not so difficult.


    The forbidden regions of Hortus, theboratories built by the Primordial Gods themselves and still contain bits of their power, were used as the source for their seclusion.


    And while they were at it, Miss Cmity sneaked in like a cat and joined them. They noticed her presence early on and let her be.


    A thousand years was not too long of a time for the divine rankers but the rulers of Genesis and Mors were dissatisfied.


    Unlike Varian who disappeared in God''s Eye, Immortal and the team managed to leave safely.


    They, no, specifically, Immortal himself was given the credit for annihting the team of Jai Empire.


    Keman and Yami waited for Varian''s appearence for a few months to let Immortal and Varian fight it out.


    Varian''s disappearance caused them to suspect his loyalties and their stance only intensified.


    They decided to let Immortal integrate with the perfect hybrid and proceed with their grand n.


    It''s something that should''ve happened within a year.


    Nexus intervened. Aphosis had used his powers just a little to help erase the traces of Hortus for a while.


    Hortus was already sneaky enough and only got caught due to the aftermath left in Varian''s killing of Fabricator.


    With Aphosis'' actions, Hortus was lost for the rulers of the alliance. They tried their best but they could no longer find any traces of Hortus.


    On the other hand, it gradually became clear that Varian had neither died nor desserted but was trapped in God''s Eye somehow.


    Immortal, who had the greatest chance of finding the perfect hybrid due to their innate nature, vowed not to even attempt any search until he killed Varian and washed away his shame.


    He went into a seclusion, mastering the power of slivers and enhancing his innate powers. Having long reached the peak of pseudo divine, he''s said to be the strongest below the divine.


    During these thousand years, the Alliance itself hadn''t changed much overall.


    The Jai Emperor provoked a few more low intensity conflicts. The 7th Prince had been raging, growing fiercer and fiercer with each conflict.


    The Alliance was basically prepared for a long term war at this point.


    What''s not expected was the sharp, deadly and brutal assassinations carried out by thework of spies deployed under Princess Esh.


    It didn''t seem like the normal operations of the princess. It felt different, as if the operations were merely a means for something else. They felt like a statement to someone. And that someone didn''t seem to reply at all.


    The other pir of the Jai empire, 2nd Prince, Victor Earendel, was tormenting the alliance.


    As the leader of the Conqueror faction, ordering the main army to war depended on his discretion.


    While the 7th prince''s forces were elite and tiny in numberpared to the Alliance''s forces, the 2nd Prince controlled most of the Jai army and could decide war or peace in a snap.


    Negotiations were held, broken down and held again as various kingdom-scale conflicts continued. Only twice did the situation slip into the state of an all-out war.


    Strangely enough, the 2nd Prince held back.


    It wasn''t in his nature to exercise restrain in such conditions. No, he was someone who would rather cripple a billion more of his own to take more lives of his enemies.


    So, the rumors went that it was the decision of God Emperor himself.


    No one could verify the rumors. Or for that matter, any news regarding the God Emperor.


    Keman and Yami were still sweeping the entire alliance, trying to lock down the location of Hortus. They decided to grab the perfect hybrid for integration despite Immortal''s objection.


    With each passing day, they were getting closer to that objective.


    While the Alliance didn''t change significantly as a whole, much had changed for the P kingdom.


    From the very top of the structure, P kingdom itself underwent a massive shift no one even dreamed of.


    The so-called talent which was supposed to be innate turned malleable. Hard workers gained more talent and rose to the top of the pyramid.


    Within a thousand years, an entirely new generation of powerhouses sprung up. Compared to the entrenched nobles who tried to keep up, these guys were several steps ahead.


    Now, not to mention the crown prince candidates who were all from normal backgrounds, even the future dukes were likely to be people frommon families.


    The distinction between Spirited and Spiritless was erased forever.


    Of course, a new problem arose that Varian didn''t foresee.


    People¡­started working too hard. The society of Prians which was rtivelyidback becamepetitive. Not just in the issue of divine paths but in every single aspect.


    As a result, the stress on an individual who might''ve lived a normal life before had grown to a tremendous level.


    The fact that they had the power to change their life but failed to do it was a bitter pill to digest.


    People tried hard to fit into this hypepetitive society. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Some seeded. Some failed.


    It was a struggle of its own.


    Centaurus Province experienced a development that its citizens would''ve never dreamed of.


    The reason was two fold.


    One, the reforms implemented by Baldur. To put it in in words, he ughtered all the stupid nobles who were stopping the new geniuses from rising up.


    As of today, like always, corruption still existed. But it didn''t block the aspirations of people.


    Two, Miss Cmity''s name. Even though she had stayed long back and supported this ce a full thousand years ago, the news of her advancement to divine ranks was enough to make the impact.


    Finally, the biggest changes of them all was in Hortus itself.


    20,000 years passed in Hortus.


    Everything changed.


    ¡­Everything.

 Chapter 1580 Speak

    Chapter 1580 Speak


    When Varian stepped into Hortus, it was beyond recognition.


    Human Empire had just spent 20 years developing rapidly after the end of a century-long war.


    It was prosperous, hopeful and joyful.


    The old were spending thest phase of their life in peace, knowing that their descendants wouldn''t have to face the horrors of war.


    The ones in their prime heaved a sigh of relief whenever they remembered their scary childhood, thankful they wouldn''t have to be conscripted one day and die in a distantoid.


    The young, however, dismissed the concerns of their elders as exaggerations.


    While they still held awe for the wars from the footages they experienced in 5D format, they did could not grasp the degree of danger.


    After all, how could they?


    Now a days, even some geniuses in academy reached the Sovereign state. To think it''s this level that decided the fate of humanity?


    ''Come on, give it a break!''


    It was a sweet naivety.


    One that Varian hoped the kids eventuallye out of but didn''t mind as much.


    It was a sweet naivety.


    One that Varian hoped the kids eventuallye out of but didn''t mind as much.


    After all, if the children of a race were naive and oblivious to the horrors of war, wouldn''t that mean that they lived in such blissful peace?


    Varian was happy for creating that peace.


    He was hap¡ª


    Boom!


    An explosion in the sky scattered the clouds and engulfed a floating urban town.


    Debris shot out in all directions. Bits of wood and metal, coated with blood and containing bits of flesh fell in front of him.


    Varian bent down and picked up a splinter of wood.


    A single splinter of wood with a drop of blood.


    It was heavy. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Heavier than a thousand suns he could throw for baseball.


    It was cold.


    Colder than the near absolute zero he could survive.


    It was bloody.


    Bloodier than the ocean of blood he witnessed until now.


    Varian trembled, like he was shivering in bone-chilling cold. A lump seemed to be struck in his throat. And his eyes turned red.


    But it allsted for a brieft moment.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The supreme senses of a pseudo divine captured the explosions ringing far away in the vast world of Hortus.


    And he also sensed the lives that were cut off at every single second, every single attack and every single field.


    "Haaa~"


    Varian''s fists loosened and his shoulders slumped.


    Remainingpletely invisible to the detection systems and patrolling soldiers, Varian moved toward the nearest city.


    The outskirts of the city were deste. To make the matters worse, they were infested with mutated monsters whose life code seemed to be severely tampered.


    Youngsters and adults, forming teams based on their own criterion, hunted in the outskirts, collecting herbs, ores and monster meat.


    And they paid the ''tax'' to the soldiers at the gate with a reluctant expression before returning in.


    The city, which looked vastly different from its distant past, was somehow less majestic and grand than it was 20,000 years ago.


    Instead of evolving, it devolved.


    Varian''s lips twitched and he felt a pang of pain as the pitch ck walls exuding aura of oppression stood tall.


    It was his mistake. He assumed humanity''s progress to be inevitable, treated it to be a linear affair.


    And this was the result.


    "Halt! Resident tax has risen by 25%! Pay up!"


    "B-But there was an increase lst quar¡ª"


    "If you don''t want to pay, you can get out!"


    "I¡­I¡­"


    "Absconding tax is a capital crime."


    "¡­Fine!"


    Unlike the previous free spirit between cities which promoted trade and technology, these cities were isted, oppressive and violent.


    Varian watched the cruel reality with calm eyes.


    ''It''s been 20,000 years for them.''


    Then, his eyes turned in one direction. All the calmness he tried to exhibit melted away and his breathing turned ragged.


    A wave of panic struck Varian and he gritted his teeth.


    With a tap of his foot, the scenery around him changed and hended in front of a range of snow mountains.


    They seem to be perfectly natural and impossibly cold. Even a pseudo divine ranker could barely hold himself from freezing.


    ''1,000 years.''


    But these were not normal.


    Their power had evolved a lot. And the way they used their divine power had also matured over time.


    Perhaps for the first time in a long while, the difference in their power widened in their favor. And this gulf was thergest it had ever been.


    Even if a thousand people equivalent to his power attacked, they wouldn''t be able to win.


    Such was the disparity.


    Naturally, there should be no way for him to even recognize their power or the traces of its application when it''s so skillfully hidden.


    And yet¡­


    "A-Are you okay?"


    The power of synergy remained the same. It was a bond that transcended even the disparity created by divine ranks themselves!


    So, Varian knew.


    The cold wind howled and the snow swirled in the air. Everything in front of him was a heartless white.


    But he knew.


    This was the ce where they were at.


    "Are you fine?"


    He stepped forward, going past theplex soul formation that was supposed to decieve people''s perception to step away from here.


    A strong barrier touched his skin and as it did, began to engulf him in a very dangerous power of light. It was quickly followed by a flood of darkness which drowned him.


    Varian closed his eyes and felt the powers.


    Familiar powers.


    Varian''s heart which turned cold from the events at God''s Eye began throbbing again and he yelled.


    "Sarah!"


    "Sia!"


    "Enigma!"


    "Isadora!"


    There was an eerie silence in response.


    And then, a force pulled him in a direction he couldn''t even notice.


    Thud!


    Varian flew through the wind and crashed onto his knees due to the force.


    "Speak."


    A cold voice rang in front of him.


    Varian raised his head holding his breath and saw her.


    A cold beauty in pure white clothes like an angel, looked at him with a sharp gaze. Her soft blonde hair gently fluttered in the wind.


    She reached out her hand to cup his cheek and bent down. Her cold breath hit his face and the calm blue eyes looked at him steadily.


    "How dare you ask if we are fine, Mr. Husband?"

 Chapter 1581 When Your Wives Are Stronger

    <h4>Chapter 1581 When Your Wives Are Stronger </h4>


    Varian''s lips trembled and no sound came out of his throat.


    Yeah, how could he ask if they''re fine now?


    A thousand years!


    Even though a normal divine ranker wouldn''t mind a thousand-year seclusion, they weren''t normal. They just entered their 20s and never went into a even decade old closed doors practice.


    Most of all¡ª


    "You bastard!"


    Varian was pulled into a hug before he could respond. And two fists kept hitting his back incessantly.


    "Idiot!"


    "Scoundrel!"


    "A thousand years!"


    "I don''t know!"


    "I hate you!"


    His shoulder dampened with warm tears. The fists hitting him loosened and hugged his waist tight, as if they would never let go.


    The snow mountains began to melt at a visible rate and it began to rain.


    "Haaa~"


    Varian sighed deeply, feeling both sorry and regretful.


    ''Huh?''


    Something hit him from behind and then someone hugged him violently while biting the other shoulder.


    "This is thest time."


    Sia''s voice was a bit too scary despite everything he''d lived through.


    "If you try this once more," She brought her lips closer to his ear and said in a tone that showed no hesitation. "I''ll lock you in the pce and raise you myself. Understood?"


    "¡­"


    Varian was about to nod because of the mood but quickly controlled himself.


    What''s this girl even nning?


    Varian turned around and saw Sia.


    Her face looked as beautiful as ever. She truly didn''t seem to age a single day since he left.


    That beautiful little face was looking at him with a smile and tears.


    "Is this your millenium long n?" Pulling her cheeks, Varian asked. "Locking me up?"


    "Wrong," A soft voice rang and Varian''s right was hugged.


    Enigma''s violet eyes looked into his eyes with such an intensity that he had to look away. Doing so, he turned to the left when Isadora hugged him.


    "It''s our n." The princess said in a haughty, irrefutable tone.


    Out of the four, she seemed the most fine since she had a longer life experience. Still, she too looked extremely pissed off.


    "This didn''t happen because I wanted it to." Varian wanted to exin the circumstances that led to his situation.


    But no one bothered to pay him any heed.


    All they focused was hugging him was tight as they could and feeling his existence through direct touch.


    ''A thousand years, this much is fine.''


    Varian closed his eyes and decided to drown in the love.


    ¡­But a full day passed. And no one showed any signs of letting go.


    ''A thousand years passed. This much is fine.''


    Varian shook his head and closed his eyes, once again.


    ¡­A week passed.


    "And that''s enough!"


    Varian broke free from the hug and the four women woke up. They shot him resentful res before crossing their arms, circling him like he''s some criminal to be judged.


    "¡­"


    Varian''s energy dissipated and he looked at them with a weak gaze. "A week''s hug is enough, right?"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "Right?"


    Enigma, the softest of the four despite her indifferent exterior, decided to support him. "We can''t remain here hugging forever. Let''s go."


    Sia was a bit reluctant but nodded. Isadora had no problem with the decision but Sarah elbowed Enigma with a resentful gaze.


    "We didn''t go home all these years." Sarah said, sighing lightly.


    "She decided not to, until you returned. All voted in favor." Sia patted her chest with a proud expression and dered.


    "Home, ah." Varian had aplicated smile on his face.


    In his perception, he spent only a few days in God''s eye and was away only for a week or two at most. But they left home for a full millenia.


    "Let''s g¡ª"


    "What about my huggggg~"


    A voice echoced through the melting snow and a body reached him before he could respond.


    As Miss Cmity was about to hug him, Isadora held her by the back of her neck.


    "B-Brother-inw, hug! Hugs!"


    Aurora waved her arms, trying to break free but Isadora''s grip was too strong.


    Varian didn''t even know what to say.


    "Lady, I''m busy with my wives. I''ll meet guestster."


    Aurora''s face froze and her eyes widened before they started to water. "G-Guest! I am a guest? I''m your sister-inw! I''m your guest? Guest? A gu¡ªmfff!"


    Sia closed her mouth and gave her a very peaceful smile. In a voice that Varian couldn''t hear, she said in a half-threatening tone.


    ''Little bitch, we four reserved the four sides of the hug. There is no space left. Bug off!''


    Such words might''ve caused antagonism between the two previously but with their grown familiarity, Miss Cmity didn''t feel offended by Sia''s posessiveness.


    She even replied.


    ''If four sides are reserved, isn''t the above empty? I can hug brother-inw''s head, ehehehe~''


    Her words caused the other three to turn toward her and their gazes turned cold.


    ''E-Eh? Wha-What?''


    Sarah rubbed her wrist, Enigma silently brandished a stick and Isadora took out a whip.


    ''Y-You! You crazy bitches!''


    Miss Cmity ran away like lightning, her trace nowhere to be found.


    The interaction happened at the speed of divine rankers and Varian couldn''t even grasp what happened.


    "Let''s go home now, shall we?" Sia hugged his left arm and said in a cheerful voice, like a bird chirping.


    "We have to make up for some lost time at least." Sarah grabbed his right arm and hummed.


    "¡­There is a small list to be filled." Enigma unfolded a sheet of paper and it rolled out for at least a mile.


    "¡­"


    When Varian looked at her in disbelief, Enigma said in a calm tone. "Oh, that''s Isadora''s list. It''s only half as long as Sarah''s and Sia''s. Mine is four times as long."


    "It''s always the silent ones." Varian lowered his head. He decided to spend a few days at home and convince them.


    While the thousand year seperation was sad, he still couldn''t forget the scene he witnessed beyond that door.


    God Emperor¡­that man¡­


    "W-Wait, my powers!"


    Only when he tried to secretly practice a weekter did Varian realize how naive his thoughts were.

 Chapter 1582 Love Prison

    <h4>Chapter 1582 Love Prison</h4>


    Varian''s daily life had been fixed and a month passed, just like that.


    The typical day would start at 4 am sharp.


    Enigma liked to run. Perhaps it''s because she was confined in a small space for so long and wanted freedom, she enjoyed the feeling of experiencing the world through her senses.


    So, she turned off her powers and ran in a garden¡­well, with how big it was, it might as well be a small forest. Of course, there was no one else allowed here. Not even the maids.


    Varian would apany her every morning for the run.


    The run was enjoyable, the weather was nice and the forest was beautiful.


    But somehow, he always ended up horny.


    Varian had always been the one in control of his libido but when this happened every morning, it''s his libido in control of him.


    ''I knew it! They''re mixing something in my food!''


    Enigma dressed in tights and gym bra was always a few steps ahead of him, shaking her body excessively like an amateur.


    Normally, she wouldn''t wear these type of clothes and she didn''t need to. But not only were the tights very sensual, highlighting her figure, the gym bra was also soaked with sweat and somehow turned transparent, showing the skin underneath.


    This wouldn''t have troubled Varian previously. No matter the situation, he didn''t think with his lower head.


    But now¡­


    "E-Enigma,"


    The silentdy''s lips curled up and she nced at his trousers with a smirk. Then, without another word, she dragged him to the forest.


    Varian and Enigma returned home an hourter with rosy faces and clothes drenched in sweat.


    ''Come to think of it, the time of run has been going down every day, damn it! Is this really a run anymore?''


    Varian wanted to bury himself. He never wanted to be a horn dog.


    "Oh, freshen up! I''ve got Torta!"


    Sia looked out of the kitchen partition and said while patting her gloves.


    Varian''s face froze up and he nodded powerlessly.


    In the early days, he tried to prolong the bath to dy the inevitable. But it ended with Sia infiltrating the washroom, bathing together and eventually leading to the holy act.


    So, he didn''t dy and sat down at the dining table for breakfast. It was delicious and healthy food, made with love and care.


    But once the eating part ended, Varian was dragged into the kitchen and Sia twisted her apron with a sly expression.


    Somehow, he didn''t even notice when the dress under her apron vanished. Now, she''s naked except the apron and teased him with it.


    Varian recalled the difficult periods in his life to resist the temptation. He repeatedly told himself he had a brain above, not below.


    ¡­And his body started to heat up. It wasn''t just normal, his throat dried up and he felt like he was thrown in a furnace.


    Sia stretched her arms at him.


    ''Fuck.''


    And that''s what he did.


    After the post breakfast union whichsted nearly two hours, Varian reached the living room where Sarah prepared a new movie for him today.


    He didn''t fully understand why she had developed this new interest. But if he had to guess, she didn''t really care about the movies but enjoyed the experience of watching it together with him.


    So they watched the movie in full immersion, using the advanced technology.


    Instead of calling it ''watching'', it''d be apt to say they ''lived'' through the story, bing a pair ofpanions who survived the outbreak of a zombie apocalypse.


    "It''s nonsense. Undead wouldn''t be allowed to infiltrate so deep inside Genes¡ª"


    And he was ''attacked'' near the climax of the movie by Sarah.


    When he didn''t even notice, the immersion equipment was thrown off and they were making out on the sofa.


    This took the entire afternoon.


    When Varian reached Isadora calmly fishing in the quietke, it was already evening.


    Without saying a word, he sat beside her with aplicated expression and looked at theke.


    "You seem to hate the current life." Isadoramented.


    "Not really." Varian shook his head with a wry smile. "It''s very carefee and I''m showered with so much love every day. I don''t hate it. It''s my dream life, you know? This is how I would like to live if I don''t have any worries.


    But that''s the problem. There is a big problem on the horizon and I''m living like this. I know I''m ignoring it."


    "Hm, your heart is conflicted, huh."


    "If it was that simple!" Varian hugged her waist and pulled her closer. Isadora leaned her head on his shoulder naturally.


    Out of the four, she remained the most stable in the face of their long seperation. And she''s the only one who didn''t go very physical. In a way, their rtionship remained more or less the same despite the gap of thousand years.


    "I know this is wrong. My brain does, so does my heart. But¡­as time goes on, it feels okay to live like this. To ignore the problem for tomorrow, to kick the can down the road and let my future self solve it someday.


    I¡­I want to act tired with this life but I can''t. I understand why they''re behaving like that.


    They''re trying to make up for the thousand years. It''ll take some time. It''s just¡­I don''t know if I''ll have it in me to say enough when I can."


    Isadora listened to his worries with a lot of care and showed a soft smile. "Everyone has a weakness and we are your weakness. If you were even a bit strict, this wouldn''t have even started. But you didn''t want to hurt their feelings.


    I don''t understand, you''re very rational in your decisions all the time. But now you''re willing to do something so¡­absurd."


    Varian sighed deeply before letting out a chuckle. "If I cut off my emotions, I would be like Aphosis or Equilius. I don''t want to be like that. It''s useless if we survive this ordeal and lose the very thing that gave us the reason toe this far."


    "I''ll convince the three." Isadora kissed him softly and pulled him into aforting hug, pressing his head against her chest. Rubbing his hair gently, she said.


    "They''re too young. So, they''ll take some time to adjust. But don''t worry. They already understand, it''s just that they''ll need time toe to terms with it. And they''re also scared they''ll lose you again."


    Varian exhaled.


    "I saw some pretty terrible things back the¡ª"


    "Shhh~" Isadora covered his lips. "Since the status quo will remain for a few more days at least, don''t worry about anything else.


    I know you''ve seen some unimaginable things and they''re taking a toll on you. But that conversation willeter.


    Since we can''t stop this now, take it as a vacation. Enjoy your time.


    Those three¡­had a very, very hard time adjusting to seclusion.


    Sia would break into tears every night.


    Sarah would call your name out of nowhere before falling silent.


    Enigma''s eyes would brighten and dim suddenly. And she''d spent weeks gazing at the sky.


    The three suffered a lot."

 Chapter 1583 Alison

    <h4>Chapter 1583 Alison </h4>


    Varian spent the next two weeks understanding instead of arguing, indulging instead of resisting and loving than worrying.


    Even though he had aints regarding their actions, if seen from their perspective, this was a fairly mild and controlled response.


    Before humans came into contact with aura, they lived short lives. The highest milestone being a hundred years.


    Now, imagine a young woman who deeply loved her man. And she turned into a widow at 20. And she''d wait for the next 80 years of her life, hoping for a reunion at death.


    How many such stories existed in the history of humankind?


    Varian couldn''t count many.


    And what did these girls do?


    They waited for a thousand years.


    Since the start of their rtionship, they were already aware that he had a tendency to get himself into trouble and even vanish for a while.


    But this was of simple another magnitude.


    Even today, a 20 year old would not be able to wait 10 years for someone, much less 100. But they waited a 1,000 years.


    Unlike Isadora, they didn''t have the life experience of living centuries. They were very, very young.


    Varian sometimespared the past few week with being imprisoned in a pce built of love.


    But in the minds of the three, the separation put them into prison. And it''s the worst kind of prison because they had no idea if they would be able to see him today, tomorrow, the day of their death or never.


    The suffering was difficult to describe and any normal human would have a difficult time understanding what they went through.


    Every decision they took since his return, no matter how silly and ridiculous it seemed, stemmed from their deep insecurity that he''d once again disappear.


    Why so much physical intimacy, to the point of even giving him medicine?


    It was a desire or wish to have him with them all the time, at least for their bodies. And a way to convince themselves that he didn''t abandon them.


    Why restrict his movement to a particr area, even though it''s veryrge?


    The three of them had simr dreams of him disappearing once he vanished from their sight. This was their way of coping with that fear.


    Every action, every word, every smile was done in hopes that the tragedy doesn''t repeat again.


    Perhaps because they sensed Varian''s willingness in his actions and the understanding he disyed, the wounds began to heal and the scars began to fade.


    "Oh right, do you want to see others?"


    On a fine evening when they were having a pic in the mountains, Sarah said out of nowhere.


    Varian clenched his fist for a moment before nodding heavily.


    Sensing the grave expression on his face, Sia rubbed his hand. "Don''t worry, almost everyone is fine."


    Varian''s face sank at her words.


    Sarah sighed and tapped her fingers toward Varian. The restrictions on his powers was lifted and for a moment, he felt omnipotent.


    Isadora red at Sia and flicked her wrist.


    The world shifted and they stood in front of a small cottage house in the outskirts of a forest. There was no one living nearby.


    A middle-aged woman, who looked to be in her early 30s, was taking care of cabbages in the backyard. Then, she shifted to the carrots, spinach and a few more vegetables growing in the small field.


    There was no trace of aura in her actions and she was sweating lightly by the time she was done.


    After she freshened up after the work, the womanid a mat andid down in the garden, looking at the sky in silence.


    "...Secretary Alison."


    Hearing an unexpected voice, she turned around.


    Alison''s eyes widened and she shook her head with a dismissive smile. "Am I already so old? No, no, I''m pretty sure I didn''t sleep yet."


    Varian stepped forward, his face downcast.


    Alison didn''t seem to age and her body seemed to be healthy but¡­the aura in her body was totally messed up, preventing her from using any power. On her neck,


    there was a conspicuous red scar.


    "Fuck." Varian growled.


    "Can''t you stop profanities even now?" She chuckled with an amused expression and patted the mat. "Care to join?"


    Varian turned back to Isadora who apanied him for the trip and red at her, barely containing the rising anger. "I hope you have a good exnation or you''ll be sorry."


    Isadora''s expression hardened and before she could speak, Varian was pulled to sit down.


    "It''s not her fault. I asked her not to heal me. They all wanted to help me out, but I remained stubborn." Alison leaned back and said with a nostalgic smile.


    Varian gave Isadora an apologetic nce and she looked at him with a vengeful expression.


    ''Try your best to cool me down or you''ll be sorry.''


    ''¡­''


    Varian didn''t argue after making a mistake and merely nodded. Turning his attention to the Alison, he asked in a sad voice.


    "¡­What the hell is going on? You were a rank 9 before I left. No one could do this to you."


    Alison paused for a moment before she burst outughing. "Hahahahaha."


    "It''s not funny. If this happened, you could''ve died."


    "I mean, it is funny that you still think this is the world you remember. 20,000 years is enough to change a lot of things." Alison turned to him with a smile.


    "Thankfully, time in this zone flows normally or I''d have died already. Even if I managed to stay alive, I''d have been an old hag. It doesn''t seem nice if the Emperor has an old woman for a secretary, right?"


    The imperial secretary tried to make a joke but Varian couldn''tugh.


    "I''ve seen explosions in a city, people were paying stupid taxes and there are big walls. What the hell is going on? Hortus wasn''t like this. The bloodshed¡­I hate it."


    "I am the one responsible, your majesty." Alison said in a soft voice. "I didn''t let them intervene."


    "You!"


    "You don''t know what they were facing¡­they were on the verge of going crazy." Alison said with a sad smile as she studied his face. "You should''ve seen their states back then¡­I couldn''t even stand in front of them¡­it''s crazy¡­I had to thank the stars for them not ughtering everyone."


    "It can''t be¡­" Varian turned to Isadora.


    The princess shook her head. "She''s right. Sarah, Sia and Enigma, all of them were in a really, really, really bad mental state. The madness you saw is not even the tip of the iceberg.


    Every time they woke up from seclusion and came to their senses, the situation got worse.


    I don''t know what would''ve happened if we were really called to take action.


    Violence¡­as you know¡­has the quality to bring out desire for more violence. Even if I and Cmity acted, everyone in Hortus would''ve died once they lost


    control."


    Varian closed his eyes and sighed heavily. What the hell was this?


    Was it really so difficult to live a thousand years apart when he lived a billion years locked away?


    ''No. If I didn''t have Isadora with me back there, I too would''ve gone insane in the first few hundred years.''


    "So," Varian said in a tired voice. "What happened to Hortus Empire?"

 Chapter 1584 A Brief History Of Hortus Empire

    <h4>Chapter 1584 A Brief History Of Hortus Empire</h4>


    A thousand years or twenty thousand years, depending on the ce:


    Varian disappeared but no one thought anything of it, particrly Alison.


    She''d have been surprised if he''s actually present for the admnistration matters.


    And a year passed like that for the human civilization.


    ''Not too strange. He''s gone for 20 years before.''


    ...A hundred years passed.


    Alison started to get a little nervous.


    But things were going well.


    Hortus, by the virtue of its location, was filled with dense aura. And the citizens of the empire were enjoying the peace.


    There was a boom in all conceivable sectors.


    The most satisfying growth was obviously the growth in strength.


    In a 100 years, humanity has its first organic rank 6. It was a joyous assion and Alison was happier than the powerhouse himself!


    Of course, breaking the bottleneck to rank 7 was something else altogether.


    Perhaps that''s why, the rank 7 appeared only 400 yearster.


    500 years after Varian disappeared, humanity weed the first natural rank 7 warrior.


    Everything was going fine.


    Alison trained people to take some load off her shoulders. But as a perfectionist, she still overlooked all the major projects.


    1,000 years passed.


    People have now started to question Varian. Even though the empire showed his achievements in plenty of media, it only backfired.


    The sheer absurdity of Varian''s achievements became the reason for people to doubt him.


    ''Even our best genius takes so many centuries. And you''re telling me he went from unawakened to peak rank 9 in 2 years?''


    ''What a fraud!''


    ''The so-called Varian is just a tool used by the empire to gain legitimacy.''


    Public opinion was shifting slowly but swiftly.


    Alison could suppress the dissentors, shut down the media making the ims and lock up the people protesting.


    What she could not win against was the cruel flow of time.


    2,000 years passed.


    By now, it was difficult for people to believe that a man named Varian even existed. All the evidence pointing his existence was more or less considered to be fabrication used by the state.


    The poption wanted to explore the wider universe, interact with the kingdoms and learn about more ces.


    But any movement outside Hortus was strictly forbidden by the empire. This began to create dissatisfaction.


    From small reasons to big conspiracies, the public atrge began to wonder why they were ''locked up''.


    5,000 years passed.


    The first coup happened with three rank 9s attacking the pce, aiming to take control of the empire.


    In their own words, they wanted to ''liberate'' it from Alison and the small elite who were ruling it from the shadows using the boogeyman of Varian.


    To suppress the situation once and for all, Alison requested help.


    Sia''s clone not only ughtered the three rank 9s, she also killed the families, friends and rtives of the powerhouses.


    Her mental condition wasn''t great, so she used only the minimal power necessary. But the bloodbath still horrified people across the empire.


    The rebellion was suppressed, but the problem only got worse.


    The topic of ''Three Queens'', ''Three Goddesses'', ''Three Demonesses'' spread wildly.


    At this point, Alison was not the strongest in the empire. There were already people stronger than her.


    Public firmly believed she was using her position to justify her right to rule. And also that she''s just a stewardess to the three rulers behind the scenes.


    Bizzare theories popped up about the actual origins of the three queens and most termed them as outsiders who captured the world.


    Humanity saw themselves as ''birds in cage'' harvested by the three queens.


    Alison tried to exin but the more she denied outside entry, the stronger the opposition got.


    If Hortus really opened itself to the outside world, it''d be in grave danger of being tracked down by Keman and Yami. So, no matter the reason, Sarah had no intention of opening the world.


    10,000 years passed.


    Humanity''s peak rank 9s had already exceeded a dozen. And all of them were new faces. They remained loyal until they rebelled out of nowhere.


    Rebellions of old needed extensive nning and lot of organization.


    But this rebellion?


    It needed just 12 people to join hands and they all agreed that Alison, who was far older and significantly weaker, had no right to dictate terms to them.


    The glorious human empire was split into 12 parts that day.


    All statues, pictures and paintings of Varian were destroyed. The entire Empire cheered.


    They viewed the destruction of ''Varian'' as the destruction of the ''symbol'' that the three alien queens used to rule them over.


    It was a very sad sight.


    Alison had enough.


    She didn''t disturb Sarah or Sia.


    She also didn''t wake Oob up.


    Shortly before Varian left for God''s Eye, Oob went into a deep sleep to hide Hortus from the alliance leaders. Oob stopped all other functions to keep the stealth at maximum. Even the slightest error there would lead to everyone''s death.


    So, Alison epted the result.


    She saved her life, epted the injuries she suffered and decided to live a normal life.


    By this time, most of the old names had either retired or passed away. So, she had no regrets whatsoever.


    After the initial turmoil, it was peaceful for two thousand years. Every one of the 12 rulers enjoyed ruling.


    But things eventually changed.


    Some started wanting more. Others disliked other kingdoms. Few aspired to recreate the glory.


    12,000 years after Varian left, Hortus witnessed the first full- scale war.


    The violencested for 2,000 years.


    Out of the 12 kingdoms, 3 ''empires'' emerged.


    The peace of three empiressted for 3,000 years.


    Then, humanity saw its first supreme genius.


    A woman who rose meteorically, conquered an entire from within in just 2,000 years. And now she''s on her way to conquer the other two empires.


    In contrast to the other two empires whose lineage could be traced back to the 12 rebels, this woman had no backing. And she built an entirely different narrative for her conquest.


    She invoked the ''Supreme Emperor'' under whom humanity experienced its peace nearly 20,000 years ago.


    Instead of bothering with whether ''Varian'' was real or false, she convinced people that under ''His'' rule, people were better off.


    There was no war, no famine, no mass ughter.


    ''We are abandoned. We asked for freedom. We got it. And this is what we did to ourselves. Humanity of today is something our ancestors would''ve never foresaw.''


    "¡­And she is trying to re-establish a proper rule over the entire empire. Due to the chaos, there is a lot of crime and violence. She sees re-establishment of the empire as the ultimate solution. And most people are in agreement." Alison watched the stars with a calm face.


    "Her charisma had people from the two empires defecting. So, the two turned very oppressive and are mistreating their citizens. The city you''ve seen is one example."


    Varian listened to everything she said before asking the question since a while. "Alison, you just stood by and watched as a lot of death happened. Don''t you feel¡­"


    "No." Alison shook her head with a firm gaze. "Sia''s condition was very¡­very bad. Sarah wasn''t better off. I can''t ask them for help. Oob is also out of reach. There


    isn''t anything I could do."


    "She says that but she''s been living with Prim for 10,000 years, trying to help her break out of the curse."


    Isadora''s voice reached his mind.


    "It took 8,000 years and a lot of risks in the forbiddennd of space-time. Alison came close to death a lot of times but she did it anyway. She seeded very recently¡­Prim broke out of the curse 2,000 years ago. And she is also the genius."


    Varian looked at the imperial secretary who remained humble as always with aplicated expression.


    "Prim?"


    "Ah, I guess she told you about her." Alison turned around to nce at Isadora but the princess disappeared for somereason.


    Shaking her head with a helpless smile, she continued."I promised Sia I''ll raise the child before they went into seclusion but I ended up using her for this purpose. I''m sorry."


    Varian exhaled heavily. "That little girl¡­"


    "Grandma?"


    The soft voice of a young girl sounded from behind. Turning around, Varian saw Prim, looking to be 16 or 17.


    "I don''t know what her race is, but she barely grows old." Alison shook her head. "I''ve trained her in the arts of governance and war. But mentally, she''s still 16."


    "Y-You?"


    Prim stepped forward with a confused expression, her gaze alternating between him and Alison.


    "V-Varian big brother?"

 Chapter 1585 Grandma

    <h4>Chapter 1585 Grandma</h4>


    "You still remember me?" Varian was honestly surprised. "We only spent a short time together."


    "Of course I do!" Prim almost yelled, her eyes watering up and face flushed. Clenching her fists tight, she took a strong step forward. "I sti¡ª"


    Her words were cut off abruptly as the youngdy staggered back and almost crashed to the ground.


    Alison caught the girl in her arms and looked at thess with an apologetic expression. "Girl, you need to take care o¡ª"


    "I''m fine." Prim pushed her away and stood up, trying to smile as cheerfully as she can. "I was just too excited after seeing my brother after a long time!"


    Desperately signaling to Alison with her fingers, Prim smiled at Varian. "Brother, you''re also the same, rig¡ª"


    Prim copsed into Alison''s arms.


    "What''s actually happening?" Varian stepped forward with a stern expression.


    "N-Nothing, it''s just fatigue, eha, ahahaha," Prim made an awkward expression and tried to wave her hand but it copsed weakly midway.


    Looking at Varian''s increasingly concerned face, the girl''s expression worsened and a ''Why did it have to happen now of all times'' was evident on her.


    "Alison." Varian''s voice was more stern than he realized.


    Alison who was looking at Prim with concern and Prim who was steeped in worry both stiffened at his tone and replied in tandem.


    "Yes!"


    "Ah, sorry." Varian pursed his lips.


    He didn''t even exert any power, it was just the heaviness of his soul honed by facing beings like Equilius, Keman and Yami. But what he saw beyond that door changed him even more.


    A soul that endured pressure from people at the top of the universe, even if that pressure was fractional, was not something to be trifled with.


    Due to the will of that soul, the he two experienced an unspeakable burst of fear in that moment.


    ''Thankfully they''re both rank 9. If it''s a rank 1, they might''ve gone insane.''


    Varian adjusted his powers with a bitter smile.


    ''God Emperor¡­''


    He was trying to forget that silhouttee. That man who was standing at the center of?the universe and single handedly slowing down its destruction.


    Aur Deus, the epitome of existence, the man closest to a diety and the being who could hold stand alone between the heaven and earth.


    If the painters and schrs of mythology needed to imagine a Primordial God, all they''d need was a small meeting with him. Even a nce would suffice.


    Varian couldn''t even see his face cleary but what he saw was burned into his memories.


    There was something about him, something different from everyone else. It wasn''t strength, time or fame, even though he was the strongest, felt the oldest and remained the most famous.


    God Emperor evoked something inside people who had that rare opportunity to catch a glimpse of his existence.


    Varian experienced that too. It was an unforgettable experience, one that would be etched into soul no matter what despite not fully understanding what it actually was.


    And that''s why, even though he just troubled Alison and Prim, he stood with a nk face, unable to stop the memory of that day which continued to y.


    "B-Brother, don''t be angry, okay?"


    Prim''s voice had grown much meeker as she misunderstood his nk gaze with a silent expression and clenched fists as anger.


    "Her curse is notpletely lifted yet." Alison rubbed the hair of the girl and nodded slightly.


    While she kept looking at Varian with a worried gaze, Prim''s body was hit by a current of time.


    She shrank from her 16-year teenage self to a 8-year old. She went all the way back to 6-years before regrowing to 9, stumbling to 7 and stabilizing at 8.


    "What the¡­" Varian was dumbfounded.


    "The forbiddennd of space-time is dangerous but very mysterious. She tried to use it but couldn''t really do much about. But her best efforts have allowed her to temporarily lift the curse."


    Alison sighed as she rubbed the little girl''s long red hair.


    "Yes, yes! If only the curse didn''t exist, I''d have stopped the wars long back!" Prim jumped out of her arms and wrapped her arms around Varian''s waist, looking up at him with a pitiful face.


    "Brother, am I dreaming? This must be a dream, right? A dream for sure! Then, I don''t want to wake up." She started lightly shaking her head.


    "Haa, seriously~" Varian gently rubbed her head and a big smile formed on Prim''s face.


    And¡­nothing was said for the next ten minutes.


    Only the silent breathing of the little girl was heard until a light snoring ensued.


    Varian gently put her on a bed that looked like it was made of fluffy clouds and turned to Alison.


    She owed him an exnation at least.


    "She really misses you." Grandma Alison showed a mix of sadness and jealousy.


    "She''s trying her best to remain in her older state but it''s always a battle. I can''t count the number of times I had to coax a 6-


    year old girl to study battle-arrays to kill a million warriors. She suffered a lot and I put her through it."


    "You said she seeded. You lied."


    "She didn''t want you to know¡­that was the promise she took from me. In return, she would not risk her life in trying to hasten the war. Still, me lying to you is unforgivable. Can I be fired from my post, Your Highness?"


    Varian paused for a moment and took a serious look at Alison. She was looking at him with bright, hopeful eyes.


    ''She lied to me on purpose to get fired!''


    Varian immediately showed a generous smile and patted his chest. "How can the empire afford to lose such a loyalist ¡ªI mean, secretary?"


    Alison''s shoulders drooped. "I hate you, Boss."


    "You were under a long vacation, involuntarily, but hey! Vacation is vacation!" Varian said with a straight face.


    "If only she knew how shameless you are¡­" Alison turned to the little girl before her eyes widened and shifting her gaze toward him. "Don''t you dare teach her your shamelessness! I''ve raised her well!"


    "¡­But her soul level is still fluctuating and her mind hasn''t evolved, did you really raise her well?"


    "Excuse me?"


    "Dear Grandma, her mental age is 9 after she reverted. But even when she looked 16, her soul wasn''t stable."


    "It''s something only Prim can experience. You know, she has to focus very hard to raise her mental age. And that''s not counting the difficulty for lifting curse on the body.


    Prim says it''s like¡­doing a pull up while holding a barbell on your neck¡­with weights."


    "First of all, what a weird analogy."


    "I know, right. But that''s what her 7-year old self said, so that''s that."


    "What do I do with her?" Varian rubbed her head and used the power of vitality and healed the hidden injuries she umted over the years.


    A peaceful smile formed on Prim''s face as her sleep deepened.


    Her condition was better than before.


    She could lift the curse and grow her physical body. But that''s only a temporary state she should always be work to keep active. The same went for her mental age.


    Due to overexertion, sometimes, she would drop to 6-year old or 7-year old and would have to spend some time to recover.


    "My best bet is to teach the 9-year old the lessons. Once she can, she''ll raise her mental age and her 16-year self will analyze the lessons toe up with strategies and tactics. Then, she''ll handle me feedback, specifically for her younger self."


    "Sounds like a mess."


    Alison rolled her eyes. "You have no idea."

 Chapter 1586 The Story Of Red Turtle Thief

    <h4>Chapter 1586 The Story Of Red Turtle Thief</h4>


    Prim''s race was a mystery to all. But it was undeniable that her racial talent was truly unrivaled.


    Alison was the witness to Prim who lost all her power in the forbidden zone of space-time three times in the 8,000 year period of struggle. But she went from zero to peak rank 9 every single time.


    Finally, with her own efforts and Alison''s help, she managed to find a way to partially deal with the curse. But this cost her everything.


    She was set back once again.


    But in the span of 2,000 years, she not only managed to grow from nothing to high rank 9, she also started a rebellion from scratch, snatched a mighty empire with a mostly intact popce and institutions.


    Without any political work, Prim would''ve needed only 500 years. Without the curse, Alison could only shudder to think.


    She didn''t dare to think but sometimes, her mind would whisper that a ''century'' would have been enough for Prim to go from zero to high rank 9 or perhaps even peak rank 9.


    What race did she belong to? What would be other type of talents for such a talented race?


    And what Alison didn''t know was that everytime Prim was set back or went under severe stress, her racial talent woulde into y.


    It was perhaps the most basic of all talents but it''s a critical one.


    Prim''s curse and race were both tied to die.


    So was her talent.


    It transported her soul to an illusory past, allowing her to relive the moments she deemed to be the best.


    It was as real as the real world that a person couldn''t be sure which one was the real world after waking up.


    But of course, due to the racial attributes, Prim never had such problems.


    After waking up, she could always tell it''s a dream.


    Just a dream but it was¡­


    A dream that kept her awake and alive.


    A dream that she saw over and over and over again.


    A dream that had influenced her perception of reality so much that she found it in herself to struggle harder than she ever thought was possible.


    And that dream¡­


    The short, sweet events that kept her sanity intact, her soul happy and her mind peaceful¡­


    They always started the same.


    "No, Big Bro."


    "Baba?"


    "No, no. Big Bro! Big Bro! I''m too young to be a Baba!"


    It was an early memory.


    After being ''born'', it was the period when she was realizing her self-consciousness.


    There were three or four women taking care of her. But one day, a new person joined.


    The silent woman asked Prim to call him Baba but he asked her to call him "Big Bro".


    Prim didn''t understand why.


    As a very young child who knew words but not much else, she watched in curiosity as the new person stressed to her once again.


    "Big Bro,e on, say it! Big Bro! Big Bro!"


    "Stop being so shameless! You''re already 20!"


    "What? Sarah, you''re a year older than me. Do you want to be called a mama now?"


    "¡­It''s not that I mind, but I don''t want to be called a mama if she doesn''t call you baba first. And you still insist on not being a father even though my dad is ready to move mountains for his grandkids."


    "What''s her name by the way?"


    "No fixed name as of yet. We are still searching for a good name. The only service you can do us is not to na¡ª"


    "Prim." The man raised her into the air andughed with a bright smile. "Your name is Prim."


    "Preem?"


    Would that be her name? Why though?


    "Pri-mu. It means Rose. First Rose."


    "First L-Rose?"


    "Because you''re the best!" He cheered.


    Without even knowing why, Prim too raised her arms and cheered.


    This new person didn''t seem bad.


    *** *** ***


    Due to her racial qualities, Prim''s growth had been much, much faster than that


    of others. So, in just a week, she had grown a couple months older. And the growth was only elerating.


    The bond with the four ''sisters'' continued. As did the bond with the ''brother''.


    They ran in the meadows, slid down smooth mountains which conveniently had a naturally urring slide and yed in the flower fields that stretched on forever.


    One fun memory after another. Filled with moments that seemed tost forever.


    She would live this dream. And get lost in it every single time.


    How many months passed like that? Or was it just days?


    Prim didn''t know if it''s because she''s ''special'' or if the moments were or if it was both, but she felt like she felt years growing up with him while also feeling she only met him yesterday.


    "Big Bro! The turtle! The turtle stole my ribbon!"


    Outside the garden area, a young girl shouted indignantly as she pointed to a red turtle who stiffened at her words and started sprinting away.


    "Brother, is that even a turtle? It''s running! It''s literally running on two legs!"


    Varian came running and threw her a double-loaded sm gun while he removed the silencer from his.


    "It''s not a normal turtle! It''s the intergctic criminal I told you about!"


    Prim''s jaw dropped and her gaze quickly shifted to catch the sight of the red turtle who was already disappearing.


    "The Red Turtle Thief! He also stole my cookies yesterday!"


    "Yep, yep! That''s him!"


    "And the milk chocte the other day!"


    "Yep, yep! That''s him!"


    "And he also drew a doodle on my face when I was sleeping! He called me a cute pig!"


    "Yep, yep! You''re a cut¡ª"


    "¡­"


    Prim walked to Varian who was fidgeting nervously. "Ah, ahahah. Let''s catch the thief, yeah? The Red Turtle Thi¡­"


    Load! Load!


    Prim loaded the gun and pointed it at him. "Big Brother, be honest. You''re the one who did it right? You like to tease me! But I''m no longer a kid you can decieve!"


    Varian put on a pained expression. "You too, Prim?!"


    Prim wasn''t falling for that. She had seen him prank way too many members with these masterful artistic expressions. It''s a shame for the movie industry that he wasn''t an actor. But oh well.


    "If you show me your elementary school photos, your tree cosy, I''ll let you off. Wait, brother, the stone one too. Heheheh, how did you end up sleeping for the entire y?"


    "Damn you Sia! Even leaking my dark history!"


    "Brother, deal or no deal?"


    Varian''s dramatic expression cooled down and he replied with a smirk. "¡­It was supposed to be your present which I stored in the ribbon."


    "Ah, ahh? What?" Prim opened her mouth in panic and made a crying face at him. "Meanine, meanie, meanie!"


    "Hahahah!"


    Prim started running after the red turtle which had already gone far off into the distance and was barely visible. "Big Brother! Help me catch the turtle!"


    "On it!"


    Varian ran with her as he chased the turtle with a passionate expression but only ran as fast as her.


    "Ehhh? Go fast! Fast!" Prim urged.


    "I need my boost!"


    "¡­Brother is the best."


    "Boost x 1! More boosts requested."


    "Brother is the most honest person."


    "Boost x 2."


    "Brother is the most kind hearted man, he won''t hurt even an ant."


    "Boost 3/3. I''ll go kill that turtle!"


    Said the most kind hearted man carrying a gun.


    ¡­And he vanished.


    "Haaaa!"


    When Prim woke up from her dream, she saw his face again. Pinching her cheeks, she wondered if she was still sleeping.


    "B-Big Brother?"

 Chapter 1587 The Little Sister

    Chapter 1587 The Little Sister


    Holding a little girl''s hand, a young man walked through the streets of Ormont, a newly constructed city built on the ruins of a much older one.


    He was tall, very handsome and had a very charismatic air around him. But if any woman, young or old, took a few steps toward him to try their luck, their bodies would notice something before their minds even registered it.


    He''s always smiling brightly at the little girl, showing her the various stalls across the street and buying her some snacks from time to time.


    But his gaze was heavy and deep. Whatever joy he was showing was fake. Even though they couldn''t exin it properly, the women felt as if they were standing near a wall of raging fire and freezing water, both at the same time.


    Worst of all, the man had a heavy heart.


    So much so that when they approached him, all other feelings vanished except the solemn feeling.


    The world wasn''t so colorful and the little joyful things didn''t seem fun. Life itself was such a torrent of suffering¡­


    The unintended affect of a powerful soul, despite a lot of restriction, which warded off the strangers allowed Varian and Prim to reach their destination soon.


    It was arge manor in the outskirts of the city.


    Compared to the newly constructed city which was built with cheap material and poor aesthetic, this ce looked like heaven on earth.


    It was arge manor in the outskirts of the city.


    Compared to the newly constructed city which was built with cheap material and poor aesthetic, this ce looked like heaven on earth.


    The tworge silver gates were coated with molten gems and the road paved from the entrance all the way to the vast mansion was made of pure white stone that shone from the moonlight captured in it.


    The garden was brimming with a variety of nts and flowers which even a wealthy merchant''s guilt merchant could not grow due to the strictness they demanded.


    While they might be able to afford materials, they wouldn''t be able to keep rank 7 warriors as guards outside the gates.


    In the entire Voralis Empire, no more than 50 people would have a home better than this.


    From the poorest ofmoners to the wealthiest of merchants, anyone could only stand in awe of its majesty.


    The powerful guards looked on in contempt as they watched twomoners pass by.


    They were expecting ims of awe and reverence, but¡ª


    "Brother, I love you so much!"


    Prim jumped up and down with an ecstatic expression.


    Varian was confused. "Why? You didn''t even ask why we''re here."


    "Of course, I know! I''m too smart to not know!" Prim straightened her back with aposed expression and rubbed under her nose with a slightly arrogant expression.


    "Really?"


    Varian was skeptical.


    After every rpse, Prim''s memories would be messed up. The rpse this time was pretty bad.


    So, she only had a few memories, giving her somemon sense like names of things and numbers.


    Her memories with Varian and his wives remained extremely secure in all situations, perhaps because those were her first memories and that was the time when she was the safest.


    The Prim he''s seeing right now, at least for the time being, was clueless on the matters of warcraft and politics that Alison taught her, much less regional history.


    So, what the hell was this little girl on about?


    "Hum? Humm? Are you feeling jealous, brother? When you were 6, you were cosying as a stone. And when I''m 6, I already know your next three, no, five moves!"


    ''That stone again!''


    A vein popped up on Varian''s forehead.


    Even though she didn''t share a blood bond with him, Prim behaved like a true sister and enjoyed pissing her brother off.


    "But I''m sorry for being too harsh, brother." She said suddenly, catching him by surprise.


    "Huh?"


    "You were a stone at 5. At 6, you managed to grow into a tree, isn''t that an improvement, oh ho ho." She even covered her mouth with the back of her hand and imitated the characteristicughter of an aristocraticdy she saw in a movie.


    Varian had enough of the little devil and pulled her cheeks.


    "Ouch, ouch, oush! Shworry! I''m showwry!"


    Prim rubbed her red cheeks with teary eyes while trying to simultaneously appear pitiful so he won''t pull her cheeks anymore and angry to show she''s pissed.


    Varian shook his head and turned to the manor. His expression grew heavy and the guards on duty paid a bit more attention to him.


    In a low voice, he said. "There is an important reason foring here."


    "Of course!" Prim patted her chest and pointed at the manor. "We''re going to y hide and seek here! This is the perfect spot! The manorst time was ten timesrge, so it''s too big! This is a bit small, but it works!" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Wh-What?"


    Not only Varian but even the two guards on duty were dumbfounded.


    "Let''s goo! I''m still a little behind with 2:398."


    ''That''s not a little behind though.''


    The guards looked at each other, having the same thought before they shook their heads and came to their senses.


    They shouldn''t allow outsiders in!


    Boom!


    The two men, d in a scary pitch ck armor,nded in front of Varian and Prim likeets.


    "This is the private property of Duke Augustus Von Halfius. Leave if you want your head to remain on your shoulders."


    Varian caught the raging Prim and shook his head at her. The little girl puffed up her cheeks and crossed her arms.


    "Hmph!"


    "Look, kiddo, if you die, your sister will not be able to survive. The world is a lot harsher than it looks. The duke isn''t home today, so count yourself lucky and just leave."


    Even though the voiceing from the mask was still cold, the words were sincere and kind.


    And that kindness stopped Varian from resorting to violence.


    The four women, well, mainly three, were now under a supervised mental training session by Isadora to finally make peace with reality and let go of the fear still gnawing at their hearts.


    So, he decided to do visit.


    People, if they remained. And ces, if they didn''t.


    Sadly, his first destination was a ce.


    "¡­I have something very, very important inside. Someone very dear to me is buried here¡­under the mansion. I want to take his remains and give him a proper burial elsewhere. This ce is no longer suitable."


    His words caused the atmosphere to change and a killing intent shot up from the guards. The one silent until nowughed in anger.


    "This manor is one of the oldest in the entire empire. It''s older than 15,000 years! There''s been no burial here as far as its history goes. Didn''t I tell you, Ruffus? These poor guys are just thieves or scammers! They don''t deserve any sympathy!"


    A sigh was heard from the helmet of the other guard and he raised his spear.


    "You''ll be leaving with one arm. Come into my sight once again and I''ll personally kill you."


    Varian sighed and looked at his own palm. If possible, he didn''t want to kill in the vicinity of this ce. And the guard seemed kind too.


    "Left or right?" As the gaurd asked him with a glowing spear, Varian let go of his hand on Prim''s head.


    "Heh!" The little girl''s lips curled up into a devilish smirk and a green light began to emerge out of her fingertips.


    It was at a power level that the guards didn''t expect.


    The other guard hastily raised his spear to strike her down. "You little animal!"


    As their spears reached Varian and Prim, the green light exploded out.


    Boom!

 Chapter 1588 A Brother

    Chapter 1588 A Brother


    "U-Ugh¡­what are you¡­just¡­"


    "I can''t move! Oh lord, I can''t move! D-Duke! Duke!"


    The two guards froze in their ce and posture. Even the cirction of aura in their body froze.


    "Oopsie, I''m still not good at full time freeze, brother." Prim stuck out her tongue and grinned.


    Varian shook his head. "You just want to torment them. What a devilish little girl!"


    "As expected of your sister, right?"


    "Of course, as expected of my sister!"


    "Oh ho ho!"


    "Now that I think about it, thatughter doesn''t sound too bad."


    "I can teach you. Just appear arrogant, I mean, like your normal self and shake your shoulders while youugh." "¡­Is that the payback for pulling your cheeks earlier?"


    "Would you do it again if I said yes?"


    "And you still wonder why your choctes and cookies disappear."


    "Y-You devil!"


    Ignoring the little girl who screamed in a professional heartbreaking voice, Varian moved into the manor.


    And his heart did break as he sensed the presence of someone familiar deep inside the ground.


    With a swipe of his hand, the power of slivers emerged, quietly dissolving the mansion into nothingness.


    "H-He!"


    "F-Fucking¡­"


    The two guards that were still screaming shut their mouths. They didn''t even notice that Prim''s restrictions on them hade off. Heck, they now stood even more stiffly than earlier.


    That mansion wasn''t just for show. It was extensively used as a weapon of war.


    The Duke despised it due to his rank 9 powers, but the mansion could easily destroy a toon of rank 7s with ease. It could even withstand several blows of rank 8s.


    And that mansion...vanished.


    It couldn''t even resist for a moment. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    What sort of power was this?


    Whoever this man was, he had no ill will. That''s why they still remained alive.


    The mysterious man vanished from their view, slipping into the ground as if it was water.


    Mud, rocks and metal bits vaporized, letting him pass through before they condensed into their solid form again.


    For a weaker being, it would''ve seemed as if Varian was just passing through ground like an incorporeal entity.


    When he went all the way down, crossing a few barriers that allowed him in with ease, a tnd with a small house came into view.


    The house¡­resembled one he visited not too long ago.


    Varian''s eyebrows lowered and he exhaled due to the tightness in his chest. He stepped into the house in a blur.


    It was so familiar and nostalgic. This house was the one where Kyle stayed before it all happened.


    This was the ce which Kyle brought the fainted Varian to, after thetter fainted with his self-destructive practice sessions.


    This ce at least gave Varina a feeling that even if his mother died, he wasn''tpletely alone. It upied a quiet corner in his memories but it was a rock that saved him.


    And now, everything in the house was exactly the same as it was when he first visited it.


    Kyle''s room had the same posters about mech suits, Academy of Sciences, aura circuit diagrams and others.


    Varian never entered Kyle''s mother''s room. There was no need to. Back then, he would''ve never guessed that she''d be his secretary and run the empire for him and for so many years.


    With a creak, the door opened.


    It was a simple room with a small desk and plenty of documents. But Varian knew it was all a lie. At that time, Kyle still hadn''t learned that his mother was an intelligence officer.


    With a tap of his finger, the room quickly changed and a bunch of aura weapons, traps and devices popped up.


    Picking up a glowing blue saber, he walked back to Kyle''s room and sat down in the second empty chair¡ªhis chair¡ªthe ck and red against Kyle''s chair which was blue and white.


    He was seatedfortably without any conscious effort. His body still remembered.


    Running his thumb against the de, Varian muttered. "These were thetest trend two years ago..."


    And then he paused.


    He opened his mouth for a moment and then closed.


    "Two years¡­twenty thousand years¡­"


    Varian''s speech faltered and he looked at the empty chair in front with a nk expression.


    A hologram slowly materialized on the chair and Kyle, who looked to be in his twilight years, greeted him with a smile.


    "How''s everything, buddy?" Kyle''s voice was no longer young. And his wrinkly face seemed active, it no longer had the vitality of even his middle-aged self.


    "No." Varian shook his head with all his might but he barely moved an inch.


    "Seriously, you are the worst friend." Kyle crossed his arms and shook his head. "I meane on, you can miss out my son''s bachelor party, my daughter''s wedding but you even missed my funeral! What kind of friend are you?"


    Kyle stared straight into his eyes, as if he knew he would be seated in this very chair.


    The chair moved with a squeak and it slid forward, stopping just in front of him.


    Kyle¡­was now just a hand away from him.


    Perhaps because it''s too old, the chair''s wheel broke and the chair bent down, causing Kyle''s gaze to focus at his shoulder instead of eyes like he intended.


    Varian''s hand moved before he could register and the wheel was repaired.


    "You know I prepared a great euology. I praised myself a lot, you know, they''re not really praises but my humble admissions of truth." Kyle said with a shy expression. "But people won''t ept it, they won''t ept that I''m a man of such gracious qualities! Tell me, I''m a kind man, right?"


    Varian nodded desperately, wanting to tell him how thankful he was for the help he recieved during that dark year. If not for Kyle, he might have never survived.


    "So I made a n. People won''t believe my words, but what if it''s the Emperor who says them? At my funeral no less?"


    Kyle smirked like he always did and Varian wanted to retort out of habit but the words stopped at the tip of his tongue.


    "But man, all that nning went to waste." Kyle shook his head with a sigh and looked into the distance.


    "The Queens, ah, I mean, your wives, wanted me to move out of this Hortus so that I can experience only a thousand years and have more chances of seeing you."


    Varian inhaled heavily and held his breath.


    "But¡­" Kyle gave a bitter smile. "I have a family¡­I can''t just take them away from the world. I¡­I couldn''t make that choice. So, here we have it. You and me, talking like this."

 Chapter 1589 A Sister

    Chapter 1589 A Sister


    "I raised my children well and I taught them not to depend on any help, especially anything thates from you.


    I was stupid back then. I worked my ass off just to disprove some assholes who said I got here because of you or my mother.


    You always visited me when you had the time but I was the one who kept our meetings short."


    Varian covered his face and gritted his teeth, trying to hold back his tears.


    "Maybe you noticed and respected my decision or maybe you didn''t delve deep into it.


    But I was avoiding you a bit and even my mother too.


    I wanted to¡­prove myself first.


    I thought¡­we''d have all the time in our world.


    I was wrong.


    You disappeared without warning and my mother busier than ever.


    And then, the children grew up. And they had children.


    The world was changing, new tides were rising. I tried to be the best in my field and I drowned in my career.


    I don''t even know how time passed¡­but when I came to my senses, Maya was dying."


    "No!" Varian was screaming at everyone and no one. There was no rage in his voice, only grief. "Why is she dying? Why does she have to die? I can save her¡­they can save her¡­no¡­she doesn''t have to die¡­" Kyle showed a helpless smile. The smile with which a young girl named Maya fell in love long, long ago.


    "She didn''t want to live any longer. She said she had it all and just wants to go. I don''t understand her really, but¡­I don''t want her to be alone. So, I left with her." Kyle said with a loving smile as he thought of his wife.


    A moment of silence passed.


    Varian watched as tears glistened in Kyle''s eyes and rolled down his cheeks. The digital tears split into millinons of little light particles and dissipated.


    Rubbing his cheeks, Kyle asked him with a smile.


    "Remember the first time you met?"


    Varian nodded without thinking. It was after a duel with three.


    "You beat three guys and won an impossible match. But your eyes were dead. She was a bit scared you know, but that''s the thing about her, she can act despite the fear.


    She gave you a well wisher note, one sisters give to their brothers twice every year in her city.


    And then, tada! She became your sister from that day."


    Kyle pped his hand before his arms dropped and his eyes turned wet again. This time, the tears weren''t stopping.


    "She doesn''t speak of you in front of the children. She doesn''t want them to be dependent on you.


    She doesn''t speak about you to me. She doesn''t want me to be sad.


    But she kept two notes for you ever year until the day she died¡­it was also when she wrote thest note."


    Varian moved his hand a little and a huge box appeared in front of him.


    In it were stacks of little sheets of papers. The well wishing charms with a one-liner like:


    The very first message she sent him


    [Brother is the best.]


    This was when she didn''t want him to think of himself as a trash who couldn''t even awaken. So, the sister told her brother that he''s the best in the world.


    [Brother is the most honest person]


    This was when he was dangerously close to considering self-harm. Whenever she asked him, he''d lie about his situation and not reveal what''s going on with him.


    So, the sister asked her brother to be honest.


    [Brother is the most kind hearted man, he won''t hurt even an ant.]


    As he was on the run for the first half of that year, she didn''t get a chance to send him the note. And when she got the chance, Varian was wrecked with guilt over the deaths on Mars due to him killing Kreo.


    So, the sister took it upon herself once again to tell her brother, even if he believed himself to be a bad and cold hearted person, she only saw a kind man who wanted to do good.


    Varian could no longer hold himself back and weeped. Silently, holding the old notes in his hands with utmost care.


    His heart, which weathered through storms of unimaginable proportions, cracked.


    And it bled.


    For the girl who showered him with kindness, for the woman who saw the good in him when even he couldn''t.


    For the sister he lost.


    As his arms lost strength and the box fell off, the notes flew out, their messages shing in his eyes, burning into his memory as they did.


    [Brother, You deserve happiness. Never think you don''t.]


    [Brother, you are the reason our world is safe.]


    [Brother, please take care of yourself during your hardships.]


    [Brother, you may forget the lives you saved, but the lives you saved won''t ever forget you.] n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    [Brother, I want my son to be as brave as you.]


    [Brother, I hope you are safe.]


    [Brother, I am very happy whenever I think of the time we spent in academy. Is it because times were so simple?]


    [Brother, I want to see you at least once I before I die.]


    [Brother, are you eating well?]


    How many?


    How many did she write?


    For how many years did she keep writing them?


    And why did she even write all this¡­for the man who might never return?


    Wiping away his tears, Varian carefully ced them all back into the box and found thest note.


    [Brother, this is myst note to you.


    I''m sorry because I don''t know what situation this note will find you.


    But please remember this.


    Even if you don''t believe in yourself, there is a sister who always will.


    You did the impossible. Whateveres your way, you will win!


    There is no doubt about this.


    And brother, sorry, Kyle asked me for onest help.]


    "Kyle!"


    When Varian raised his tear-stricken face, he saw Kyle dissipating while waving his hand at him with a smile.


    "There were 50 billion souls in the federation, but I''m d it was you!"


    When Varian caught him, the hologram had already dissipated. Copsing powerlessly, Varian read the ending of the note.


    [When I gave you the first note, you promised that I''ll be your sister from that day, no matter.


    Then, Now and Forever.


    So, somewhere in a corner of your heart, promise to remember me as your sweet little sister, okay?


    Then, even in your world of storms, I will be a little flower in the darkness, giving you one more reason to smile.]

 Chapter 1590 Boost

    Chapter 1590 Boost


    "B-Brother?" Prim was taken aback when she saw her brother walk out with a nk face.


    She ran up to him with a worried face and grabbed his hand. "Brother! Brother! Are you okay?"


    Varian''s eyes remained lifeless.


    "Brother, don''t be like this! Please!" Prim''s eyes started to water and her voice cracked.


    "Please, please! I''ll be good! I won''t talk back anymore!" She brought his hand to cup her cheek and pleaded. "You can pull my cheeks any time! I won''tin!"


    There wasn''t even a shred of reaction.


    Prim''s lips trembled in anxiety. "Say something! Please! Brother, I''m scared!"


    The little girl shook the young man, hoping to elicit a reaction. She beat him with her tiny fists, pulled his hand.


    He didn''t flinch, groan or retort. Like a soulless body, he just stood. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Prim''s tears broke out as she grew anxious and in desperation, she said. "B-Boost! I''ll give you the boosts!"


    It shouldn''t even work.


    She knew her brother just them for fun in their game.


    But if there''s even the slightest chance they could work¡­


    "Brother is the best."


    "Brother is the most honest person."


    "Brother is the most kind hearted man, he won''t hurt even an ant."


    The words she uttered in a breaking voice seemed to be drowned by the howls of the wind. But they reached the man in front of her.


    "Ah¡­"


    Vitality returned to Varian''s eyes and tears flooded down his cheeks. Copsing onto his knees, he started crying.


    "Brother¡­"


    The girl hugged her brother''s head with her small hands and patted his back, trying to console him like he always did for her.


    But the more she did that, the more he cried.


    "I''m sorry¡­I''m sorry¡­I''m sorry¡­" He apologized again and again, like a broken record in a cracking voice.


    Seeing him like that and hearing his heartbreaking voice, Prim''s tears flowed on their own.


    She didn''t want him to be like this. She wanted to console him, to make him smile and turn him to that happy brother again.


    So, she did what he would always do to her.


    In a tone as kind and loving she could muster, Prim said.


    "It''s okay¡­it''s going to be okay¡­it''ll all be okay¡­"


    It''s what he always told her when she got those horrible nightmares and would bawl in the middle of nights.


    He would take her into a protective hug, gently pat her back and tell her in his warm voice. "Whatever happens¡­"


    "I will be there for you, brother." Prim promised. "Always."


    It began to rain and Varian slowly got up.


    Rubbing his eyes, he smiled. "Damn it, why did it rain already? Water is falling from my eyes!"


    "Yes, yes!"


    Prim had a sweet smile on her face.


    A smile worth dying for.


    Varian held her hand and they walked out of the manor.


    The next stop was a second-tier academy.


    "Hurry! The defense test is not going to wait for your sorry asses!"


    Teenage students walked through the narrow roads and practice grounds with an annoyed look on their faces.


    "You''re studying in one of the best institutes ever! Match the standards!"


    The words ring through the speaker this time evoked a lot of eyerolls.


    ''Best? We are close to 1st at the bottom than the top.''


    ''These guys have no shame.''


    ''Some XYZ studied here a zillion years ago and that''s the selling point? If I didn''t have a choice, I wouldn''t be in this sh*thole.''


    None of the responses were positive.


    But looking at the half-dried gardens, patchy roads, decaying buildings and the gloomy atmosphere throughout the campus, it''d be surprising if the academy had any fans.


    Varian and Prim, invisible to everyone else, stood in front of arge board recording the names of the academy deans.


    The oldest board dated back to the era of abyssals and it was carefully preserved. After all, that''s the selling point of this academy.


    [You''re going to study in one of the founding institutions of humanity.]


    "Anna spent her whole life here." Varian sighed. "I guess the old maiden had a soft spot for children."


    After the rebellion, everything that could go wrong did. The academy fell into the hands of profiteers who looted everything they could and sold the hollow shell of the institution to a group of greedy corporates.


    "Let''s go." Varian sighed. "Nothing left to see."


    It was barely two years for him but the academy where he conflicted with Charles, bonded with Siarah group and grew short but fun bonds with some seniors became history.


    Varian traced all the ces he had meaningful connection with.


    The city he spent most of his life in turned into a wastnd.


    Valos grew into one of the biggest cities before degrading into a mid-tier city due to a battle that killed half of the poption.


    A lot of museums recording the history of humanity pre-Varian was preserved. The severity of the human-abyssal war was severely slighted.


    Instead, these museums were used as ''evidence'' for the theory that humanity was captured by the ''Three Demonesses'' using the pawn ''Varian''.


    The narrative that they''re all trapped here was fiercely supported and exploited by the ruling ss to crush any faction bearing any other exnation.


    "Brother¡­I''m remembering a few things¡­" Prim ced her head on her forehead and groaned in pain.


    Soon, her face contorted in anger. "How dare they?! I''ll not lea¡ª"


    "Don''t." Varian suppressed the process, pushing down her rising memories. "Prim, just enjoy your time. At least for now."


    "¡­Okay." Prim no longer made any attempts and the memories were pushed back.


    A few secondster, the little girl rubbed her head with a confused expression. "I feel like I''m forgetting something."


    "You asked for bubbling choco shot."


    "Ah, yes, I did! I did!" Prim nodded with a bright expression.


    Varian rubbed her head with aplicated smile and brought her the item. While she enjoyed it in relish, he bought and vehicle to drive.


    Prim hopped onto her seat and asked with a full mouth as she savored her bubbling choco. "Wel ale v ghong?"


    Varian shook his head with a smile and started the vehicle.


    "I bid farewell to the dead. Now, we have to go see the living."

 Chapter 1591 Thank You

    Chapter 1591 Thank You


    It''s a serene forest away from civilization, untouched by the ravages of war. The ce looked beautiful with evergreen forest, stretches of flowers and cute little animals.


    But it''s all a farce.


    This forest was known to the three empires as the ghostwoods. Even rank 9s who stepped into this ce never returned.


    The most knowledgable historians im this ce to be the home of an ancient powerhouse from Varian''s era.


    The powerhouse was hypothesized to have reached an unimaginable strength, possibly surpassing even the strongest beings alive today. This was a talk behind closed doors, for if leaked, it might challenge the authority of the rulers and result in a few headless bodies.


    "The rabbits are cute." Prim''s eyes lit up and she sped her hands together.


    "They''re also tasty." Varian nodded.


    "Eww! Brother, you''re so cruel!" She wrinkled her nose and snorted.


    "I''m just honest." Varian said but he had a teasing smile on his face.


    "¡­a bite."


    "Huh?"


    "If you''re going to eat anyway, I''ll have a bite so you won''t feel lonely eating by yourself!" Prim said with a flushed face.


    "Oh my! Look at this, Prim is so grown up she even thinks about her brother." Varian jumped off the vehicle and walked into the forest without any caution.


    Prim bit her lip as she watched his back.


    He''s been smiling, chatting and behaving normally since that time. He seemed alright. He seemed normal.


    ''But I don''t know¡­''


    Prim spent a lot of time with him in her dreams. So, even if she didn''t notice it consciously, she could intuitively sense his mental state.


    Looking at his figure quickly diminishing in her vision, she realized why he''s walking so fast.


    ''Brother is crying.''


    By the time he reached the pinkke at the center of the forest, Varian rubbed his eyes and erased all traces with the power of slivers.


    There was a small hut floating in the center of theke.


    A woman was seated in the hut, dipping her feet in the water and sewing a painting.


    It was the picture of Hortus, long before humans set foot into it and transformed it forever.


    The world was a lot smaller back then and a lot more weaker.


    Only Hortians lived here.


    They had to face the invasion of the outsiders who ughtered the natives for fun and tried to conquer the world for themselves.


    It was a difficult ce to survive, warring against the monters in the wilderness and the aliens that kepting.


    So, Hortians banded together, worked as a group. It was difficult but it was also normal. Perhaps that''s why, Hortians were synonymous for their unity.


    But that was a thing of the distant past.


    They were now scattered amongst the three empires, each supporting their own faction, fighting for resources and power like everyone else.


    Hortians had several leaders appointed by Varian. A few thousand years after his disappearance, the leadership positions were gradually captured by less ideal people.


    Still, Hortians did not rebel at the first coup. But by the second time, they were taking the lead.


    It had been so long that not a single leader of that time survived and if they rarely did, they identally died.


    In the end, Hortians, like all other races, willingly turned against the empire or were slowly manipted by the 12 rebels and got persuaded.


    Now, even Hortians had forgotten that this was once their mothend.


    Helena did not resent her race. She was merely disappointed.


    When Varian disappeared and it became clear that he wasn''ting back anytime soon, she requested for a ce to live in.


    This forest was the ce where Hortians were said to have originated from.


    As the story goes, thiske was the ce where Primordial God of Life & Death decided to create the guardians of Hortus.


    So, he plucked a drop of water, a stalk of grass and a grain of sand.


    From the mix came the first Hortians. And the first Hortians sang a song waiting for the god who vanished.


    "We search for you at the first ray of dawn,


    Even in our reflections of theke,


    And listen to the whispers of the night,


    All for your trace, My Lord, All for your trace."


    Helena''s gentle voice rang across theke and she kicked the water to make sshing noises that brilliantly acted as music to the vocals.


    When the song ended and the ripples settled down, another reflection appeared on theke surface beside her.


    Helena froze for a moment but she didn''t even turn her head to the side and kept staring at the reflection in theke. "¡­I-Is it really you, Lord?"


    "Hm." Varian nodded softly and pointed to the cloth painting she was sewing. "It''s my coronation?"


    "Ah-Ah! Yes!" Helena nodded, her voice trembling. She looked at his reflection in theke intently but she still didn''t dare turn her head.


    "Why don''t you look at me?" Varian spoke softly.


    His tone with Matriarch had always been a bit quirky, this was the most gentle he had ever been with her.


    "I knew it. He''d never speak like that." Matriarch shook her head and raised her head to re at him.


    "You damn imposter, I''m going to pe¡­"


    "Yes?" Varian smiled.


    "Are you really¡­no¡­he''s not like this¡­even though it''s been a thousand years, I remember¡­who are you?"


    "Miss Maid," Varian''s voice suddenly turned authoritative and he narrowed his eyes at her.


    Helena''s back straightened involuntarily and she instinctively held her breath.


    "Looks like your workload has to be increased." Varian said with a smirk.


    "It''s really you!" Helena nearly jumped at him but immediately regretted what she had done.


    ''Oh no!''


    But instead of rejection, she was met with a warm, appreciative hug. And she felt him pat her gently on her back. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    In the most earnest voice she ever heard from him, she heard him say.


    "Thank you."


    "W-Why?" Helena didn''t understand.


    "For living." Varian''s soft sigh rang in theke. "Thank you very much for living."

 Chapter 1592 The Domineering President

    Chapter 1592 The Domineering President


    Varian and the Matriach walking behindhim were greeted by Prim.


    "I know her, I''ve seen her before. She is¡­she is¡­"


    Prim leaned forward, fidgeting cutely as she tried to recall. Her small, cute face showed tangled in thoughts showed her struggle.


    The Matriarch''s gaze flickered and she smiled at the little girl.


    ''Such a cute little gi¡ª''


    "The fat blue cow!"


    Varian nearly stumbled to the floor. Pulling Prim''s cheeks, he asked with a grim expression. "Where did you hear that?"


    "Ish, Ish fraam thaaa¡­" Prim tried to speak with great difficulty.


    Varian released his grip and the little girl rubbed her cheeks with an indignant expression before muttering. "That''s what sister Sia called her."


    "¡­"


    Varian''s face darkened.


    ''The house needs to be set in order.''


    Someone was going to get spanked a lot tonight.


    Before that, he felt the need to apologize for the rudeness. Turning around, he said with an earnest expression. "Helena, I''ll talk to Sia. On her behalf, I''m sor¡ª"


    "Why should thatment deserve an apology, Your Majesty?" The Matriarch chuckled, her lips curling into a proud, charming smile.


    Pressing her arms together as if to emphasize something, she said with a smirk. "If even the Queen is jealous of me, that makes me happy, not sad."


    "¡­"


    Varian looked up at Prim and shook his head with a serious expression.


    ''Don''t tell Sia this happened.''


    Prim shook her head.


    ''No, I promised to tell everything.''


    Varian''s eyebrows jumped and he nced at Matriach with a worried expression before turning to Prim.


    ''Sia will hang her upside down outside the mansion and whip her.''


    Prim shrugged. ''Not my problem, brother.''


    ''Please?''


    ''No.''


    ''Pretty Please?''


    ''If you show me the photos of your tree cospl¡ª''


    "Alright, let''s go!" Varian gestured with his hand and walked ahead inrge footsteps.


    "Such a shameless, petty brother! Hmph!" Prim snorted and like a rabbit chasing a lion, she ran after him.


    Varian, who was walking normally, also started running, just to spite her.


    "W-Wait for me!" Prim yelled.


    "Hahaha! Come catch me if you can! Can''t you, shorty?" Hisughter echoed from the distance.


    "Sh-Shorty? Me?!" Prim looked up and down, checking her height. Then, she realized that indeed, she''s not even as tall as his legs. "Ahh, idiot brother! Mean brother!"


    Helena, dressed in the maid uniform, after a long long time, followed them in controlled footsteps.


    She looked back at her hut for onest and turned away with a helpless smile.


    ''I will miss this ce.''


    ''Don''t worry, we''lle here sometime. This will be a nice pic spot and you''ll have a lot of stories to share as our host, yes?''


    As his gentle voice sounded in her mind, Helena flinched for a moment before she bowed.


    ''I''m looking forward to the trip.''


    The next stop of the trio was a desertednd in the coast.


    With high mountains and steep cliffs, this ce pressed down on everyone with tremendous aura, making the ascent nearly impossible.


    Only top beasts dared to make nests at the top of these mountains that pierced through the clouds.


    Leaving Prim in a protective barrier of slivers alongside Matriarch despite the little girl''s protests, Varian took a step into the air.


    The power of slivers emerged out of his feet and an esctor was built from him to the top of the mountain.


    Varian stepped on it and turned around.


    He could''ve just jumped to the top but decided to use this method despite it taking a full minute.


    As for why¡­


    "This barrier is nothing!"


    "I can break, break it, break it!"


    "Ugh¡­it won''t break."


    "Come fight me!"


    "Don''t be scared brother, I won''t beat you too much. At most, you won''t be able to get up from bed for a week."


    Prim was jumping up and down, trying to punch the barrier with her little fists or waving her hands at him, trying to provoke him.


    ''She really holds a grudge, eh.''


    Varian called her shorty and she held the grudge.


    ''Too bad if you hold grudges.''


    She called him petty first.


    ''So do I.''


    Heughed with a petty smile.


    Once he passed through the clouds, a bunch of pink papers were floating around and one of them passed by him.


    Varian grabbed it in a smooth motion and read through it with a nce.


    He praised his wisdom for not bringing the little girl up. Prim learning weird things from Hazel was definitely not something he''d want to see.


    Especially the stuff in these papers.


    [And the president looked at the secretary with a domineering gaze and said. "Be my maid."


    The secretary shook her head meekly, her heart racing and face burning.


    H-how could she be a maid?


    That''s not right, she''s a genius student throughout the university.


    "If you don''t agree, I''ll make you agree." The president raised her chin with his big, warm, masculine hand and looked into her eyes.


    His hot breath reached her face and her legs turned limp. He caught her from falling in his protective embrace and whispered into her ears, his lips dangerously close to her sensitive ears.


    "Be. My. Maid." "Haa~"


    Her body wriggled as she felt something breaking out of her hold. Something¡­something¡­"]


    "That something is yourmon sense, you idiot!" Varian crumpled the paper and burned it out of existence.


    As he reached the sweet home built at the top of the mountain, he came across several such papers.


    Even though he didn''t want to see them, they just just floated in front of him. And all of them had provocative titles!


    [The domineering president asked me to bathe him! He said it''s my duty as a maid!]


    [The president actually wants me, his maid, to be his sleeping pillow!]


    [Shocking! The president said I should cook for him for the rest of my life!]


    [The president returned home drunk! You won''t believe what happened next!]


    A vein popped on Varian''s forehead and he clenched his fist.


    "Believe? I will make you believe what will happen."


    Lying down on a pink mat on her stomach, Hazel, dressed in a thin one-piece pink dress dangled her legs back and forth.


    Everything here was pink.


    The flowers, the leaves, the paper she was writing on, the pen she was using to write and the ink.


    Unfortunately, the shades of pink were different enough and Varian''s eyesight was good enough so he could understand what''s written.


    Varian reached the top of the mountain and stepped forward.


    Hazel bit her pen, shaking her head from time to time, before she scribbled a few words with a shy smile. Then she would giggle with an impure expression and her legs would kick the air.


    "¡­Ahem, ahem." Varian cleared his throat.


    "Ehehehe, and the maid said nooo!"


    "Ahem, ahem!" Varian started coughing.


    "Master, how could you want my stockings?" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Cough, cough!" Varian choked. "Why the fuck would I want your stockings?"


    "Because they remind you of your loyal, pretty and sweet ma¡­" Hazel turned her head naturally as she answered and then abruptly swallowed her words.


    Then, realizing her posture, she jumped onto her feet and pulled down her dress which barely reached half of her thighs.


    With a pink face, she asked. "D-Did you see?"

 Chapter 1593 A Maids Duty

    Chapter 1593 A Maid''s Duty


    ??"Yeah, I did. It was pink. All pink." Varian said with a straight face.


    "H-Heuk!" Hazel swallowed her saliva and looked up in surprise.


    What a pervert he must be to admit seeing her panties!


    "Of course I''m talking about the papers, you dirty pervert!"


    "Ahh!" Hazel realized she had been tricked and looked at him with an aggrieved expression. "To tease me like this, you are definitely not an illusion."


    Varian flicked his wrist and the air crackled. "Neither is my whip."


    "Wait!"


    Hazel saw the papers floating around and her breath nearly stopped. She wanted to bury herself in the ground and never see light of the day.


    "The domineering president is not based on you, master! I swear on your honor and dignity!"


    "Then why is his name Var or Varion or Verian?" Varan stretched the whip and swung it.


    "Heuk!"


    Hazel closed her eyes in fear but the pain did note.


    Boom!


    When she opened her eyes, the whip pped the ground below the mountain and Hazel''s eyes widened. "Wait!"


    The soil split open and papers, pink papers numbering in hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions came into view. The entire mountain was hollowed out and filled with papers, papers and papers.


    Even though Varian was expecting it, he was dumbfounded. Hazel lowered her head in shame and he raised his whip again.


    The intention was clear. He''s going to destroy the papers.


    "Master!" Hazel found courage she didn''t know she had and jumped at him, grabbing his arm. "Please!"


    "Matriarch will only get whipped, you''ll get killed if even one of these remain." Varian shook his head.


    "I don''t care!" Hazel yelled. "I didn''t see you for a thousand years, I was going crazy, this was my only sustenance. These are my fears, desires and hopes. The story of these stories is the story of my thousand year solitude.


    Master, are you really so cruel to destroy it all?"


    Varian looked at Hazel''s teary eyes and then at the literal mountain of papers.


    "Haa~"


    With a deep sigh, he put away the whip and turned around.


    After vanishing for a thousand years, he didn''t have the right toin or act like he pleased. Hazel endured a lot of suffering.


    She chose to live here in solitude even though she had a chance of living a normal life among people in Hortus.


    "I''m sorry for making you suffer. And thank you for living."


    "Hehe, of course~" Hazel stored away the papers and smiled at him. "When you returned, I didn''t want to greet you as an old woman!"


    "¡­"


    "And master, you''ve grown more masculine!" Hazel looked at him with glittering eyes.


    "¡­"


    "And your scent¡­it remained the same. Ah, I already feel weak in my legs."


    "Living alone for a thousand years, you are not differentiating between your thoughts and words. You''re speaking everything on your mind."


    "Ah, that cold, tingling voic¡ªaaaah! Wait, I said nothing! Nothing!" Hazel covered up her burning cheeks. "How could I say that? Even though I hear his voice in my drea¡ªmff!"


    Hazel covered her mouth with one hand and pped herself with another. Grabbing her pen and a sheet of paper, she wrote.


    [Master, I can''t speak for the time being. I will writing as a medium tomunicate.] She disyed the paper.


    "You better." Varian nodded before giving her a pitying nce.


    [Wh-What is it, Master? Why are you looking at me with such pity? Do you feel sorry for making me wait and want to make up for it?


    Then of course, please be at home and let me serve you well! I can only be a proper maid if you''re a proper master!


    Oh and you can buy me some gifts to make me happy or praise me when I do a good job. That''s all I need.]


    "Alright. But that''s not the reason for my pitying gaze." Varian shook his head. "I met Helena beforeing here. She also got into some trouble. But it''s only with Sia. So, I''m confident I can at least intercede.


    But you¡­I don''t know, I''m worried whether they''d really kill you."


    Hazel''s eyebrows shook and she looked around like a thief before looking at him with teary eyes.


    [They won''t know if you don''t tell them.]


    "¡­"


    Varian''s lips twitched.


    Firstly, this was the same line the maid used on the president in a nasty episode. Of course, nothing happened but still.


    Secondly¡­


    "Do you really think they aren''t following me with their divine senses? At least two of them would have their eyes on me anytime. Even if it''s four, I wouldn''t be surprised."


    [¡­]


    Tears rolled down Hazel''s eyes and she hugged him tightly. Wetting his shoulders, she cried.


    "Master, I don''t want to die! I never did anything worthy! Neither as a genius nor as your maid! My entire life was a waste. I don''t want to die! I don''t want it to end just like this!"


    Patting her back, Varian looked up at the sky.


    There were four dark clouds up above, in the peculiar shapes of a fox, tiger, rabbit and dragon.


    As if sensing his gaze, the rabbit cloud dissipated. Shortly after, the dragon cloud too vanished.


    "Master, if I''m going to really die, I''d rather die in your hands! It''ll at least make my wait meaningful!"


    Hazel pulled away from the embrace and ced his hand on her throat.


    The tiger cloud faded.


    "You won''t die. I''ll ask Sia for help. She''ll help me convince everyone to spare you. She''s a sweet girl."


    The fox cloud moved slightly and then vanished.


    "Haa~ Fuck!" Varian exhaled greatly and looked at Hazel who took out a dagger.


    "Wait, what are you doing?"


    "Queen Sia will help?" Hazel gave a bitter smile. "She''ll be the first to kill me. Master, I''ll at least die in front of you. Please remember me as your loy¡ª"


    "That''s enough!"


    Varian''s voice shook the mountain.


    Prim who was still trying to break the barrier and Matriarch who tried to enquire about Varian''s situation from the stubborn little girl, both looked up in shock.


    "M-Master?!" Hazel muttered in fear and surprise as she looked at Varian''s bloodshot eyes.


    Varian breathed heavily and slowly loosened his clenched fist. In a broken voice he didn''t realize he had, he said.


    "I''m not remembering anyone in my memories, Hazel. I want you to stay alive, stay in front of my eyes.


    Don''t die. Never, ever die."


    His voice grew softer and quieter as he reached thest part.


    "Please?"


    Seeing him in so much pain, Hazel felt like crying.


    ''Master, master, master.''


    He''s a good man. Even though the world always threw him trouble, he lived carefree. And he always took great care of those around him.


    A maid was the most disposable thing back in her province. But here, a maid was given a great deal of respect. And it wasn''t just about being a maid, but being able to watch the life of someone like him.


    ''From Prince Charming to Domineering President, what an evolution.''


    Hazel sped his hand and nodded with a bright smile, trying to alleivate at least some pain in his heart.


    "Don''t worry, Master! Why would I die if I can look at your face every day as long as I''m alive? Of course, I''m going to live forever with you!"

 Chapter 1594 Crazy Old Man

    Chapter 1594 Crazy Old Man


    Hazel and Helena closed Prim''s ears from either side and kept the little girl from barging into a cave.


    Even without their master''s instructions, the maids wouldn''t let a little girl hear the profanitiesing from inside.


    "I''ll kill you! I''ll fucking kill you!"


    "Now, now, don''t be so fussy, angry man."


    "Old man? I''m still young enough to whoop your ass!"


    "I''m a pseudo divine, you are a rank 9. I can beat a thousand like you."


    "Then I''ll call my daughters. Will you beat them?"


    "¡­"


    "Wait, the question is¡­can you beat them even if you wanted to?"


    "¡­"


    "Hahahaha! Didn''t think you would have a day like this! Now is the best time! While you are still weaker and helpless, I''ll ask them to get the deed done.


    Ahahahahaha! It''sing true. It''s finallying true! Varian, you little bastard, if you don''t resist, it won''t hu¡ªmfff!"


    "Old man, don''t take it personally. I''m just trying to tighten your loose screws."


    "How dare you? Do you really think I am a soft old man? Here, take th¡ªmff!"


    "I''m really sorry but they''re not tight yet."


    "You! You bastard! You beat an eld¡ªouch!"


    "I''m sorry, my dear elder."


    "You''re so dea¡ªkggh!"


    "Will you stop now?"


    "Nev¡ªughh!"


    The sounds went on for an hour before they stopped.


    "Elder Sister, who do you think won?" Hazel tilted her head with a curious expression.


    "If it''s a test of strength, there''s nothing to question. But if it''s about convincing him to give up, the old man won''t budge."


    Even before her words ended, Varian walked out of the cave supporting a middle-aged man with his arm around his shoulder.


    The man had a beard that reached his waist and hair which was longer than his entire body. He looked as crazy as theye.


    "¡­Come on, beat me up." He bumped into Varian and said. "I can do this all day! The only way you can shut me up is by killing me."


    Varian rolled his eyes. "That''s a bit too far, you are my father-inw."


    "You ungrateful donkey!" Evander blew his beard and roared. "Where was that consience when you were beating up an old man like me? You thrash me just because I ask for my rightful grandkids?"


    "¡­It''s not about that." Varian shook his head. "Everyone around me is crazy. I got very frustrated. And you just happen to give me a good reason to vent my anger."


    "What a shameless fellow?! Why did they both have to marry you?" Evander shed tears of regret.


    "Toote to regret now." Varian snickered and ced his hand on Evander''s beard.


    Evander stepped back in shock. "Even if you are rude, you can''t be that rude to pull your father-inw''s beard!"


    "¡­This is because there is Prim."


    "Don''t worry, I won''t scare the little girl. I''ve studied how to take care of children very thoroughly."


    "Not that. She will pull your beard or use it as a swing once she sees it." With a tip of his fingers, a silver light glowed.


    "Wait, my thousand year old be¡ª"


    Once the light faded, a sharp middle-aged man in old fashioned clothes remained.


    "Tsk, a terrible fashion sense as always. They were out of trend even a thousand years ago." Varian shook his head in disgust.


    "What do you know, brat? Girls lined up to see me in my college days. I don''t follow your stupid trends, I set them!" Evander snorted and walked out with an arrogant expression.


    Varian walked behind him with an amused expression.


    Unexpectedly, Evander managed to spend a thousand years just fine. He trained a lot physically, honed his mentality and created new ways of fighting. Of course, his obsession with grandkids remained.


    ''But how can I have kids now?''


    Leaving aside very genuine reasons like Varian being still too young to be even called an Uncle much less Dad, he had no certainty about his future.


    What if he had kids now, had to go for a fight, ended up in some weird dimension and it''s 10,000 years once he returned?


    With how things went this time, the scenario wasn''t far fetched.


    ''If I have kids, I want them to grow in a safe environment. And I want to see them grow and be there for them.''


    Obviously, it''s not going to happen anytime soon.


    The maids and Prim returned to the Spring Pce, his favorite. Evander dered he''d tour Hortus for a while but would return on time for dinner.


    Finally, thest person to meet.


    "Brother-inw!"


    She fell from the sky in a way that she''de right into his arms if he stretched them.


    Of course, he didn''t.


    Boom!


    "Ouch, my dress." Aurora stood up, rubbing her back and looked at him with a resentful gaze.


    "Thank you for helping Sarah." Varian bowed his head.


    "No, no, it''s fine! I just¡­"


    "It must''ve been very hard but you neverined. Thank you."


    "I¡­Hey, this is cheating!" Aurora was flustered. "You can''t just praise me out of nowhere!"


    "Of course, I can. Good job, Aurora. You helped us a lot. Without you, they might have not been safe. I''m eternally grateful."


    "Ah!" Aurora squatted, covering her ears and shaking her head with a red face. "It''s too much!"


    Varian was genuinely thanking her but seeing her flustered, he decided to go a step further. "Thank you, you are the best! Thank you, you protected them! Thank you, I can''t thank you enough!"


    "Arhh, I hate you!"


    Aurora kicked the ground and vanished into the sky.


    "¡­I didn''t expect the meeting to be so short." Varian looked up with a grateful smile. "I shouldn''t have teased her like that."


    "So you know you''re teasing me!" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Varian turned around in shock and saw Miss Cmity smirking.


    "¡­"


    How could he forget? A divine ranker like could leave bits of life power and swap ces with it, easily travelling through space. Or maybe the one who previously arrived was an avatar?


    "Ahem, ahem, don''t praise me anymore. Or I''ll really leave this time."


    "Fine. But you really did a good j¡ª" Varian covered his mouth.


    Miss Cmity was indispensable for safety.


    Sarah could''ve used the power of time to change her perception of time to make the 1,000 years feel like 100.


    But she didn''t do it.


    A few years after his disappearance, Hortus was being tracked down by Keman and Yami.


    Even if Aphosis helped cover their tracks, it wouldn''t be foolproof.


    So, Oob went into a deep sleep to focus only on stealth. Sarah, having some administrative rights of Hortus, used all her powers to keep Hortus as hidden as possible.


    Miss Cmity assisted Sarah however she could while Isadora remained upied with the outbreaks of Sia and Enigma.


    She didn''t even hesitate to provide her own divine power to Hortus to enhance its stealth.


    It was a very risky thing to do as it put her in a vulnerable state where Sarah could strip her off her divine power permenantly if she wished.


    Even with Aurora''s help, Sarah was gradually unable to continue. Thankfully, he arrived at that time. But that only emphasized how critical she was to their safety.


    Without Aurora, things could''ve been very different.


    "I will not say thanks anymore." Varian looked into her eyes. "You saved their lives. I will save yours. Even if the enemy is Asherah."


    "¡­That''s cheating! Don''t stay cool stuff like that!"


    "¡­"


    Varian sighed and looked at the sky with a tired expression.


    ''A normal man like me surrounded by abnormal people, may the stars help my sanity.''

 Chapter 1595 Immortals Strength

    Chapter 1595 Immortal''s Strength


    [Var, Var, don''t go! Varrr!]


    [Var, why are you leaving me?]


    [Var, why are you so hurt?]


    [No, no, no! Don''t die! Please don''t die!]


    Aurora imitated Sarah''s voice and expression, giving Varian a glimpse into how his wife endured the wait of a millennia.


    "And those are the things she used to mostly mutter. She would break into tears out of nowhere. It was scary at first. But gradually, it was sad, you know. I have seen a lot of deaths, killed a lot myself. Still, somethings never stop being pitiful."


    Miss Cmity spoke in a mature tone, the same tone she used when they first met in Centaurus.


    Which tone was the mask, which tone was the truth, Varian no longer questioned.


    It''s possible for people to be both dignified in serious matters and silly in normal things. It wouldn''t make either of their behaviors invalid.


    "But we stopped our job once you arrived. Even if we wanted to, it crossed our limit. Hortus'' stealth has fallen." Aurora confessed the most important matter to consider at the moment.


    "So they''ll find us." Varian took a deep breath.


    "Maybe not immediately but I wouldn''t give it a lot of time."


    "And Immortal is strong now?"


    "They say he his strength equals the quarter of a new divine ranker."


    Varian sucked in the breath of a cold air.


    Even the best pseudo divines would only have 1% power of a divine ranker. The gap was just too big to ever think of crossing.


    If Varian had to give an estimate, once his seven paths reached the peak, he could exert 15% power. If he could better than expected, maybe even 20%. And 20% was the upper limit for him.


    Still, he''d be 20 times stronger than any pseudo divine.


    This wasn''t the difference between slightly strong and less strong.


    It''s the difference between an adult man and a 3-year old child. It''s an unwinnable fight.


    Unfortunately, if Immortal really had 25% strength of a divine ranker against 20% of Varian''s, then things would be very, very bad.


    The absolute difference between their strength might be only 5%, but the rtive difference would be 25%.


    That''s like the gap between a low rank 9 and mid rank 9. It''d just be impossible to win.


    Moreover, this would be the difference once Varian reached the peak of pseudo divine.


    A fight with Immortal would not give him any significant improvement in strength. There''s just nowhere to go except step into divine ranks.


    "They won''t let me step into divine ranks." Varian sighed.


    "Immortal needs the vessel before stepping into divine ranks. So, his fight with you should only happen in celestial ranks. He has requested them as such and they epted it." Miss Cmity gave him a worried nce.


    If Varian spent a year or two away from civilization and trained, she was sure he''d be able to beat Immortal depsite thetter''s thousand year training. That''s how crazy this man''s talent was.


    But if he wasn''t allowed to step into divine ranks and had to fight Immortal¡­


    "Strength equalling the quarter of divine rank, that''s just a rumor, right?" Varian suddenly asked.


    "Yes. Even though I cut off most of my channels from the outside, I still kept a few alive. It''s a rumor but from a very high source." Miss Cmity bit her lip and looked down at the ground. "I hope it''s just an exaggeration like all rumors. But brother-inw, please don''t take this lightly. I don''t want you to die."


    "It''s just a rumor." Varian shook his head.


    Aurora raised her head, anger evident on her face. "And I''m telling you don''t underestimate your enemy! They waited a thousand years for you and you don''t care about your life?"


    Varian looked at her in surprise before giving her a light smile. "I didn''t mean that. I think it''s the opposite. They''re under reporting his strength."


    He stretched out his hand and a fire of ck and white materialized above his palm.


    It crackled and twisted, giving off an unparalleled aura.


    Even a divine ranker like Miss Cmity felt an instinctive suppression in front of the slivers.


    "If he has the slivers and he truly worked a thousand years mastering their strength," Varian exhaled deeply. "And he happens to be someone born from the very slivers¡­then maybe he reached 40% or even 50%."


    "That''s absurd! If he can go that far, he can also go the remaining half and posess the strength of a divine ranker without any divine paths." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Slivers are an absurd existence in creation. I hope he only touched 40%." Varian shook his head.


    "D-Do you have any strategy to win?" Aurora didn''t know why she sounded so timid and hopeful at the same time.


    Varian gave her a brief look before moving forward. "Let''s go. Go home."


    "You didn''t answer my question!"


    *** *** *** ***


    A living kingdom at the boundary of Genesis and Mors Empire turned undead overnight. A dayter, every undead was converted back into the living.


    It included trillions and trillions of lives, from a mortal without any power all the way to pseudo divine rankers.


    No one could resist the overwhelming power that flowed out from the center of the kingdom.


    The form of green and red, the lotus of life and death, that stood at the center of the kingdom moved for the first time in a century.


    "Immortal."


    A voice rang from the heavens, a voice so lofty that even divine rankers would feel a sense of reverence in their hearts.


    "Yes, Mother."


    A restrained voice replied from the glowing lotus.


    "There have been cracks in their stealth. And there have been changes in God''s Eye. Your prey has returned. I''ll find him soon. End him once you find him and devour the vessel.


    A thousand years have already passed in the wait. It is time for you to achieve perfection and set on the duty of saving the universe."


    "I will."


    "I trust you¡­My Child."


    "I will live up to your trust."


    Immortal didn''t notice but his voice was shaking.


    In an unknown ce of Mors Empire, Yami''s lips curled into a bright smile. "Such a pitiful creature. Even though he''s half-undead, he still has the pathetic weakness of the living, but this way, he''ll be easy to control and remain loyal."

 Chapter 1596 Cute And Sweet

    Chapter 1596 Cute And Sweet


    Big Family Meal.


    It''s what Varian wished for.


    So, it happened.


    In a quiet garden with beautiful greenery and rows of flowers, they sat around an exquisite dining table filled with carefully prepared food.


    "No, no, brother! I can''t eat this!"


    Seated beside Varian, Prim kicked her short legs and pushed away the veggies.


    "No, you should eat them. They are good for your health." Varian picked a few with her small spoon and brougth it to her little mouth.


    Prim looked at him with teary eyes and bit the spoon with vengeance.


    "Come on, swallow!" Varian pushed the spoon gently.


    "No." Prim shook her head to and fro.


    "If you don''t eat veggies, you''ll not get the pastry Hazel made." Varian threatened.


    "¡­"


    Prim swallowed the veggies and closed her mouth immediately.


    "Don''t use your powers or it''ll be invalid."


    Prim chewed the veggies while she ring at him, as if she wanted to bite him.


    After she ate a few more mouthfuls, Varian nodded in satisfaction.


    Prim lowered her head and muttered. "Lies! Why would I need to eat anything to grow up? I know I''m very, very powerful."


    "Ahem, ahem."


    "Brother, you just want me to go through the suffering you went through in childhood, right?"


    Varian coughed and gestured to Hazel. The maid picked up his signal and greeted the little girl with a tray of pretty pastries.


    "Aaaah~" Prim''s eyes lit up and she forgot about her bad brother. "Hazel, I love you!"


    ''Why is the little girl so clever at times like this?'' Varian wondered as she watched her gobble up pastries.


    Thinking back, his mother was very strict with his food when he was younger. As his younger sister, he felt that Prim should share a part of his suffering.


    ''s, kids these days are too spoiled.''


    Varian sighed until a mix of familiar aromas reached his senses.


    When he checked the dining table, there were a dozen or so familiar dishes from his childhood.


    All of them his favorite. They smelled and looked exactly the same.


    "Please eat well~ Master~" Hazel bowed with a smile.


    Varian nodded lightly but his hand already reached for the soup.


    Was it hunger? Was it nostalgia? Was it the taste?


    He didn''t know, but he couldn''t stop eating.


    If there''s really a heaven, then the food served here must be like this.


    "Look at him! Stuffing himself like a pig while you''re malnourished! Daughter, why did you marry this heartless man?" On his opposite, Evander said in a tragic voice while pointing at Varian with a disgusted expression.


    "Nom! Nom! Nom!"


    Without even bothering with Evadner''s words, Varian kept stuffing himself.


    "See, he doesn''t even care! You''ve gotten so thin!" The old father served his daughter her favorite dishes with a worried gaze. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Dad, it''s fine. I don''t need to eat anything. And I haven''t gotten thinner or fatter. This is how I''ve always looked." Sarah sighed with a helpless expression.


    "No, no! You should eat more. If you''re thin, how will your baby be healthy?" Evander kept filling her te.


    "¡­"


    Sarah didn''t want to argue anymore.


    She was too tired after everything and was now just happy to have a rxed meal with everyone.


    She''s truly happy and relieved.


    Unlike a certain someone.


    "58! 59! 60!"


    Helena was sweating profusely as she finished the next set of sit ups. With all her powers restricted and a mysterious pressure that definitely didn''te from a certain someone, doing three such sets was already her limit.


    "Q-Queen, this is it. I can''t do it anymore."


    Helena slumped to the ground and panted heavily.


    "Why?" Sia had a vengeful smile on her face and her gaze shifted to the matriarch''s chest. "Weren''t you were very proud? Saying that I was jealous of you? Hm?"


    "¡­"


    Helena quietly turned to Varian for help.


    "Why are you stopping? Do another set. It''s good for your health, olddy~. Or do you want to do push ups? Your fat will be a bit of burden, but it''s fine, olddy~"


    Matriarch Helena wanted to p herself. Why did she let her tongue slip that time?


    Noticing the regret on the maid''s face, Varian sighed and said. "Sia, are the servings of your special pie over already?"


    Sia''s vengeful expression vanished instantly and a sweet smile formed. "Ehh? You ate everything? Ehehe, I''ll go make more for you."


    It''s been so long since they had a meal like this. Sia decided not to waste time on the maid.


    "Come help me in the cooking." Instructing Helena, she hopped off to the kitchen in excitement.


    Varian sighed in relief after settling the issue.


    "Huh?"


    Isadora, resting her chin on her palm was staring at him with a smile.


    "What?"


    The princess shook her head with a smile and looked at him intently.


    "Want some?"


    Varian pushed his te forward.


    Isadora shook her head.


    "¡­Okay?"


    He continued eating.


    ''He looks so happy! He was so mature back in Paradise and now he''s so carefree. Even after facing so much pain, he remained strong. Yes, that''s my man. No one else is worthy.''


    Isadora enjoyed watching him eat.


    ''Something is definitely going on between the two.''


    Miss Cmity looked between her senior sister and brother-inw.


    ''Why is she smiling like a fool?''


    In her memory, Isadora was the aloof princess, the genius who would look even a king in the eye and not bat an eyelid.


    As she grew up and realized the brutality of this world, she rarely smiled like this.


    ''Do all people in love be idiots?'' Miss Cmity decided to never step into that mine. ''Well, it''s not like I have that luxury anyway. When the timees, mother will¡­''


    As she thought about her inevitable end, Varian''s words shed in her mind.


    ''Maybe he can really¡­''


    "Nom, nom, nom."


    It''s hard to imagine the man who gave such a solemn promise was the same person who''s behaving like a glutton.


    Aurora''s lips twitched.


    ''I better not have any hopes.''


    "Enigma, why aren''t you eating anything?" Varian wiped his mouth and asked in confusion.


    "Well, I¡­don''t know. Food still feels weird to me. I never had to eat, nutrition pills were enough. As a divine ranker, I..."


    Varian''s expression softened and he gestured her toward him.


    Space fluctuated and she appeared on hisp.


    "Ah?!" Enigma opened her mouth in surprise for the intimate posture in front of everyone.


    "That''s right." Varian fed her a sweet and sour soup. "Is it tasty?"


    Enigma looked at him in a trance before nodding slowly. "Hmmm."


    "Then say Aaa!"


    Enigma felt embarassed the sudden stares she was attracting and her face turned red.


    She tried to move away but Varian ced his hand on her waist and pulled her closer.


    "Say aaa~"


    Biting her lip, Enigma opened her mouth. "Aaa~"


    Next was a piece of tenderly cooked meat.


    "Tasty?"


    "I like it."


    "Then let''s try this next, say aaa~"


    "Aaa~"


    For the next ten minutes, Enigma opened her mouth like a child and was fed with utmost care.


    Only then did she understand what it really felt like to be fed. And Varian still ate even though he no longer needed to.


    Food stopped being about sustenance for him a long time ago.


    But it remained important. It was a sweet reminder of the days that could no longer be lived. It was a form of affection showered on him by the person who made it.


    "And this is our famous desert. Take one bite and then slowly savor its taste. Oops, some cream spilled out."


    When she finished herst dish, Varian carefully rubbed her mouth with a napkin and patted her on the head.


    "Good girl."


    Enigma shook.


    Was it because this was the same thing she dreamed of for many years when she saw him and Sia eating together?


    No, this was even better than that!


    This wasn''t the affection meant for Sia that she''s experiencing. This affection was solely meant for her.


    He''s showering her with love and care that she didn''t even dare to dream of.


    Enigma didn''t know why but she had a strong urge to hug him at that moment. But she couldn''t get the courage to do it. Not in front of everyone. Not in her emotional state.


    So she was pleasantly surprised when Varian pulled her into a warm embrace. Rubbing her back gently, as if trying to soothe the bubbling emotions in her heart, he whispered.


    "You should feed me next time, okay?"


    Enigma nodded, rubbing her face against his chest and taking in his warmth.


    A few secondster, Varian realized there was a still silence in the air.


    Looking around, he realized that everyone was looking at him with a burning look.

 Chapter 1597 Strategies

    Chapter 1597 Strategies


    "Feed me! Brother, feed me too!"


    Prim jumped out of her chair and came running to him with a te full of pastries in her hands.


    "Out of the way, shorty!" Sarah stood between the little girl and her brother.


    "Shorty? You''re the shorty! Your whole family is shorty!"


    Sarah ced her hand on her hips and looked down at the pouting little girl with a teasing expression. "I''m your sister-inw, correct?"


    "W-What about it?"


    "Then we''re family. If everyone in my family is shorty, you''re also shorty. See, you just admitted."


    "Ahhh!" Prim''s jaw dropped.


    Sarah turned around and the teasing expression on her face turned into a pitiful one, with moist eyes and pursed lips.


    Stretching her arms toward him, the Queen asked with a pitiful expression. "Var,


    I''m very hungry. My tummy hurts so much. Can you feed me?"


    Looking at the te he filled for her in which most of the food was still left, Evander looked up at the sky and cursed in anger.


    ''Why? Why? Why does that bastard have such a sway on my daughter?''


    "¡­You can use this." Hazel gave him a kerchief.


    "Thanks." Evander nodded with a serious expression before covering his face with it. "C-Can you imagine spending your entire life waiting for someone? And living with the fear that it might nevere true?"


    Hazel''s expression dimmed a little before it brightened. "My life is exactly that. But I''m already very satisfied with what I have. I really have noints."


    Evander froze and then looked at Hazel in surprise. Then, his face lit up and he nodded vigorously.


    "I''m also very satisfied. But my old heart¡­haaah~ I guess I''ll just have to survive until it happens."


    Evander stood up and threw an apple at Varian.


    The fruit was supposed to hit him in the face. But the cunning Varian opened his mouth and bit the fruit.


    Grinding his teeth in frustration, Evander left with cool words. "I''ll focus on my training and live as long as I can. Pseudo divine, here Ie!"


    Evander leaving abruptly was the least of Varian''s concerns.


    Now, he''s being beseiged by three parties.


    "Feed me, brother!"


    "Var, your Queen is very, very hungry."


    Prim kept trying to jump into hisp and Sarah ced her hand on the little girl''s head, keeping her down while she leaned forward with moist eyes.


    But that''s not it.


    "Husband, it''s been a long time since I rested on yourp and got fed. We only did it three million times back then."


    Isadora said with a nostalgic smile while throwing out a staggering number just to frustrate Sarah.


    But Isadora had her own frustration.


    "Brother-inw! Brother-inw! Feed me! Feed me too! No one ever fed me! I''m a feeding virgin unlike my senior sister whose feed count is in millions."


    Varian gasped and Sarah covered her face. Hazel, as reliable as always, covered Prim''s ears.


    Whether she meant it or not, Aurora''s choice of words were¡­offensive, to put it mildly.


    "Aurora!" Isadora grabbed the young woman''s cheeks and looked down at her with arge smile.


    "Eh? Eeeh?" Miss Cmity didn''t understand why Isadora was pissed.


    She didn''t really mean anything else.


    But looking at the vein popped up on Isadora''s forehead, Miss Cmity had a thought.


    ''I screwed up!''


    "Kyaaa!"


    Giving up everything else, Miss Cmity ran for her life.


    "Wait, you little virgin bi¡­"


    Prim''s ears were once again covered.


    That day, the unintentional words of Miss Cmity caused Princess Isadora to use profane words for the first time in her life.


    Varian shook his head and gestured to Sarah and Prim. They looked at each other in confusion but stepped forward.


    With a flick of his wrist, Prim was seated on the dining table in front while Sarah was seated in hisp.


    "Alright, open your mouth."


    "Aaa~"


    "Aaa~"


    Taking their favorite dishes, Varian fed them with a lot of care. The two didn''t sh and obediently had their food. For some reason, it tasted much better than when they ate by themselves.


    "Varian, I got you the pieeee~"


    Hazel, who was watching Varian feeding the two with a happy face, swallowed her saliva.


    ''Oh no!''


    Proving her worries wrong, Sia didn''tpete with the two.


    "Oh you''re feeding them? Then I''ll feed you!" Sia sat on his otherp and began to feed him.


    After some time, Sarah decided she too wanted to feed him. So, she let Sia take her ce and took hers.


    Eventually, Prim felt that she shouldn''t lose out.


    "Brother! Me! Me! Me too!"


    When Isadora returned with a battered Aurora, they witnessed the harmonious scene.


    "Heh, look who''s here." Sarah smirked as she licked the cream at the corner of her lips.


    Isadora stepped forward and Sarah got off Varian''sp, preparing for a fight.


    "I didn''t really mean anything though¡­" Miss Cmity followed behind with her head lowered, appearing extremely pitiful.


    "Husband," Instead of fighting as Sarah anticipated, Isadora clevered slid into Varian''sp and hooked her arms around his neck. "Are you really tired of me?"


    Her voice was soul stirring.


    "Never." Varian said with certainty.


    "Then," Isadora looked into his eyes and pointed to her lips. "Will you feed me too?"


    Saying so, she gave Sia a look.


    Nodding with an understanding expression, Sia vanished. Unexpectedly, Enigma also followed suit.


    "¡­Eh? Wait! Where am I going?"


    With a flick of Isadora''s wrist, Prim flew away from the dining table andnded near Aurora.


    "It''s your chance to make up." She said in an authoritative tone.


    "Okay, but I still don''t know what did I say wrong?" Muttering so, Miss Cmity took away Prim, promising to entertain her with a lot of games.


    "Hmph! Is that a show of authority?" Sarah crossed her arms and snorted.


    "No, just privacy." Isadora had a big smile on her face and nced at the maids. As if they understood, the two vanished.


    "What are you¡­" When Varian asked her with a confused expression, the princess bit his finger covered in bits of the special pie.


    Licking the pie with her tongue in clumsy movements, she said. "I want another pie."


    Thud!


    Varian threw her on the dining table and and the sound of fabrics torn rang in the air.


    When a tired Aurora returned with an energetic Prim, it was evening already.


    "Huh? Why did the table break? And the trees? No, an entire forest! Why are they all broken!"


    "That mountain too! Did brother fight them?"


    Miss Cmity narrowed her eyes and observed the surroundings. To be sure, this scale of destruction didn''t seem like a fight.


    It''s perhaps¡­


    ''Are they ying blindfold chase?''


    When Varian and family gathered together for dinner, Sarah and Isadora sat on either sides of him.


    Unlike earlier when they were shing, the two women seemed a lot more calm and harmonious.


    After the dinner ended with Varian feeding everyone, Prim was sent to sleep under the care of Helena and Hazel.


    Varian gathered with his wives and Miss Cmity beside a quietke.


    "It''s been almost 60 days since you arrived. But only three days passed outside." Sarah narrowed her eyes. "And even though we sealed your powers for a while, you were practicing the slivers with even more passion."


    Having been found, Varian raised his hands with a helpless smile. They could seal his divine paths, not his slivers. So, he trained in them, trying to gain proficiency.


    "Told you so." Isadora shook her head.


    "How much improvement did you see?" Sarah asked with a serious expression.


    "First of all, so you knew all along that I''m training with my slivers?"


    "We really wanted to give you some time off. With the timeflow difference, a 3 day gap won''t be disastrous.


    Isadora did expect you''d train the slivers whenever you had the chance. Still, you got time to sort your mind and calm your emotions. So, it''s time well spent.


    Now that you''re fine and Aurora revealed about the situation, we wanted to discuss your battle with Immortal." Sarah admitted.


    "¡­Wow." Varian was genuinely surprised. Isadora showed a ''V''"There are two strategies we prepared. One, we''ll hide however longer it takes for you to reach the strength of alliance heads.


    Maybe a thousand years or maybe a hundred. Honestly, all my estimtes on you have been wrong. So, I don''t even try anymore." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "But how is that even possible? Isn''t Hortus'' stealth already falling?"


    "¡­If there is enough sacrifice, we can keep it hidden for more than a couple dozen years." Sarah exined in a neutral tone. "This is really a special world. In my thousand years here, I only managed to glimpse a little into its potential. Thankfully, I found this provision."


    Varian''s eyes widened. "Sacrifice the... people?"

 Chapter 1598 Mad Man & His Mad, Mad Wives

    Chapter 1598 Mad Man & His Mad, Mad Wives


    "It''s a quality game. Even if we sacrifice everyone on Hortus, they''ll only buy you ten years. And since it''s a heavy ritual, we can only spare a few."


    "Killing everyone for a ten years¡­" Varian looked at them in disbelief.


    Isadora snorted, disliking his softness toward humans despite their rebellion.


    Varian could be very ruthless when needed. But he couldn''t fathom sacrificing an entire world for his sake.


    But the princess didn''t care. She only grew fond of the empire due to the time spent here. The moment they rebelled, whatever the reason, all their lives turned worthless in her eyes.


    She couldn''t care less if they all died tomorrow. If their lives would mean she could protect Varian for ten years? That''s the best thing they could ever do!


    "Isadora, I''m also not pleased with how things turned out. But to sacrifice everyone is jus¡ª"


    "They''ll be the first sacrifice." Isadora said in an uprising tone and looked at him with glowing red eyes. "And then, the second sacrifice will be me."


    Varian stopped breathing for a moment. "What are you eve¡ª"


    "I''m a divine ranker and so are my sisters. We''ll give you at least thirty years."


    "No, no. I don''t need thirty years. And why are you even thinking about sacrificing yourself?" Varian grew agitated, clenching his fists in anger.


    "And if that time too passes, then I''ll sacrifice myself. I too should be able to give you thirty years of absolute stealth." Sarah stated as a matter of fact.


    "Stop it!" Varian rose to his feet. "You are crazy! Even for my life, I don''t want you to sacrifice yourself."


    "¡­After those 70 years of practice, even if you don''t reach high rank 2, the estimate is you would at least reach rank 2."


    Aurora looked at him with a bright smile and said.


    "I''ll call my mother and you can hold her hostage. She''s very important for Genesis. With the backing of Nexus who will take charge of the negotiation, you can gain 10 more years at least."


    "What the hell is wrong with you guys?" Varian looked at the four who seemed perfectly casual while speaking of their own death with a sad gaze.


    Holding his head, he said in a weak voice. "I had enough of deaths. I don''t want you to die. Please don''t even think about these things. Please."


    Sarah shook her head, her determination impossible to challenge. "I too had enough of worrying about you dying everytime you do something. Those 1,000 years made me think through a lot of things.


    If we must go, then I''ll go before you. I don''t have it in me to see you die. It''ll be worse than death. Isa agrees."


    Isadora shrugged, a proud smile on her face. "I really want us to live through this. But even if I have to die to protect you, I don''t mind it. We lived so many years together. If I die, I''ll be etched in your heart forever. So, Sarah won''t ever be able to win against me."


    "¡­Your views on death really changed after Sonya passed away." Sia, who remained silent for the whole time,mented with a pout.


    Isadora pursed her lips and looked at her palms with a sad and nostalgic smile.


    "She lived a happy life here. Unlike in P, she didn''t have to deal with the political intrigue. When she passed away, there was a smile on her face.


    I was a bit envious to see that peaceful smile. If I have to die, I don''t want to die being killed by a rank 2. I want to die in my husband''s arms with a peaceful smile."


    The princess'' voice was slow and light, like the gentle breeze at night.


    "Our husband." Enigma quietly interjected. "And I called dibs on dying in his hands first. You can be number 2."


    "Hey!" Sia groaned in protest. "Technically speaking, I''m the first. Of course, I will be given the privilege. Who knows if we''ll all die once one of us dies? I don''t want to spend myst moments seeing Varian crying over you! I''ll die from jealousy!"


    "But you''re dying anyway." Enigma shrugged.


    "Enigma, you changed! It''s always the quiet ones!"


    Varian would''ve enjoyed their banter in normal times, but now their casual words only served as a cruel reminder to what they nned.


    Looking at his disturbed face, the princess gave a soothing smile and tried tofort his scarred heart.


    "This is our strategy. We''ll grant you a guarenteed 70 years with a possible extension of 10 years to progress enough to defeat any enemies.


    Since we''re divine ranks, I think we''re qualified to say this, divine rank will take way longer than celestial ranks to advance."


    Varian had a rough idea. He already enquired them about their situation early on.


    They spent 1,000 years and reached the peak of mid rank 1 so far.


    To advance to high rank 1, they estimated 100 years.


    Peak of rank 1? 1,000 years.


    Breaking into rank 2? 5,000.


    To go from a newbie divine ranker to rank 2 would take even them 7,000 years. And they''re giving him 70 years to do the same. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Their consensus was ''Advancing any further in rank 2 might be impossible but reaching rank 2 should be possible for him.''


    It was absurd from any metric. A full 100x times faster than perhaps the most talented awakeners of the universe.


    Varian was confident he could do it. What he was not confident was his ability to go that far after he lost them.


    "It''d be nice if we were strong enough or at least give you more time, but this is the best we could do. On behalf of everyone, we''re sorry." Sarah said with a sad smile.


    Varian closed his eyes and took a deep breath.


    He really wanted to call them stupid and force them to abandon these foolish ns. But from how determined they seemed, they wouldn''t back down even an inch.


    ''I have to find another way.''


    "Actually, they''re underestimating themselves¡­" Miss Cmity muttered. "They didn''t really practice much in your absence. One was busy taking care of her sisters and the other was taking care of Hortus. If they really focused, they''ll only need 5000 years to hit rank 2. I''m so, so envious."


    Enigma and Sia who were having a small sh sighed together.


    They barely had any time. 5,000 years might be short for others, but it was eons for them.


    "What''s the second strategy?" Varian asked with a hopeful expression.


    Sarah exined. "Well, it''s not something we really knew for sure. As you know, we can''t change timeflow on ourselves if we maintain our divine powers."


    Varian nodded.


    Hortus couldn''t manipte timeflow of a rank 9 like it could for a rank 6. The stronger one was, the more difficult it was to change their timeflow.


    To feel the 20x timeflow and spend the past 60 days with him, his wives almost always kept their powers sealed.


    Enigma spoke in a calm and rational voice. "We can give you 70 years to hone your divine paths. But won''t be able do much in the timeflow. It''s only going to be 70 years, give or take a couple. That got us thinking, the goal had always been to win Immortal, not winning Yami or Keman.


    That'' the basis for the second strategy."

 Chapter 1599 The Solution They Came Up With

    Chapter 1599 The Solution They Came Up With


    Sia clenched her fists with an excited expression. "You beat him once when he''s at the peak of pseudo divine. The reason he''s grown stronger than you is through slivers.


    You have them too. If you have enough time to train in them, you can beat him like a dog! There''s no doubt!"


    Varian nodded.


    But he''d need a lot of time for that. Not 1,000 years like Immortal. But at least a fraction of it! A few dozen years? A hundred years?


    Yet, he had no way of gaining a 100 years of practice time when they''re going to be found in a few days.


    It''s been only 3 days since he returned in the outside world. Assuming they take a whopping 10 days to find Hortus, which would be a very optimistic scenario, even the 20x timeflow change would only give him 200 days.


    200 days was simply too short of a time for him to bridge the gap!


    Varian''s eyebrows tensed and he clenched his fist.


    "Ahem, ahem. Brother-inw, I know what you''re thinking. And I solved that problem for you! They don''t call me Miss Cmity for nothing! Not just military, I am an academic genius too!" Miss Cmity raised her head with a prideful expression.


    Varian would''ve rolled his eyes in normal times for her acting so humble. But now he was willing to hear a thousand brags of the sister-inw as long as she had a solution.


    "I had a wild guess. Timeflow distortion, as you know, is resisted by powerful beings. If you apply same time power from Hortus and a rank 6 gets 20x of timeflow, a rank 9 might only get 10x.


    But what if¡­it''s a mortal? A person without any powers at all? He would barely have any resistance to the timeflow.


    Hortus can have different timeflows based on ranks and regions. So, we can put a mortal in a specific region and crank up his timeflow to a ridiculously high number!


    Of course, a mortal wouldn''t be able to use divine paths or the timeflow distortion won''t work."


    Varian gasped in surprise and he grasped the simple but brilliant n. But then he shot her a re. "You were asking me if I had a n a few days before while hiding something like this."


    "Hehe." Miss Cmity stuck out her tongue. "I was curious if you really had something up your sleeve? And it''s not like you revealed anything. What even was your n anyway?"


    Varian shook his head.


    Truth be told, he wanted to evacuate entire Hortus and blow it up to take down Immortal. He''d have a small chance of survival and Hortus might be able to regenerate.


    But it''s really a small possibility. And the n wasn''t perfect.


    He''d have to take Isadora and Sarah somewhere safe before the battle. Preferably, Nexus. Aphosis would have to be persuaded to ept Sarah as the sessor of Ares. In return, she''d be their first high rank 2 and make Nexus an equal in the Alliance.


    It was a stupid, reckless n. However, it was the only one that he could think of in the face of an overwhelming enemy.


    "Sealing your powers and leaving you with only the power of slivers for those days was a trial." Sarah gestured to the sky.


    "I was using Hortus the whole time, running a lot of tests on you and trying to see if it''ll consider you as a mortal or a pseudo divine ranker when you were using your slivers to secretly train.


    It''s a make or break situation for our n. It''s a very difficult thing to measure since I had to test it under a lot of conditions. Any mishap could result in devastating consequences, so I was as careful as I could be.


    I tried to coordinate Hortus'' power with my own to increase the timeflow. The integration was much more difficult than expected."


    Just remembering all the tasks she finished in the past 60 days made Sarah feel tired.


    But she quickly smiled and raised her hands.


    "There you go, the whole process took 60 days.


    We know it''s a critical time with Immortal''s danger. We know you''re stressed. We also know you thought we were wasting important time for a vacation.


    But you know, the n was always to go with the sacrifice strategy. So, we treated these days as ourst chance with you."


    Varian lowered his head and recalled the time he spent with them in the ''vacation'' as they called it.


    He thought they were disturbed by the solitude of 1,000 years and wanted to take a break. He never expected them to go a step further and prepare for their own deaths.


    No wonder their eyes would always look at him the whole time. And whenever they together, there were very proactive. They knew this might be thest time they could be together.


    "Yes, we didn''t let you practice normally those days. We did add things to your food. And we really disturbed you a lot. Sorry for being selfish."


    Sarah held his hands and tears began to form in her eyes, despite her trying not to cry at this moment.


    Pressing her forehead against his, she smiled as she kissed him gently. "And thank you for notining even though you knew death was looming.


    We really enjoyed every second of our time together. Enigma loved the morning runs. Sia liked cooking for you. And I loved our afternoons. Isa, well, I don''t want to mention an idiot who does fishing in herst days. Absolutely distasteful!"


    "Hey! A movie junkie like you calling my fine hobby distasteful? Introspect a little!"


    The heavy mood in Varian''s heart cleared a little at their banter. And the regret that he didn''t train properly for the past sixty days also vanished.


    "So, back to the question again. Did you notice any significant improvement in your slivers in thest sixty days?" Sarha asked, her hot breath hitting his face.


    Wait, when did she get on hisp? n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Varian nodded anyway.


    Isadora, who leaned against him by appearing out of nowhere, nodded with an elegant smile. "Great! We''ll seal your powerspletely from the outside and you do it from the inside.


    Then, we''ll stop the timeflow change for entire Hortus. And only change the time for you. It''s a mortal zone. And Sarah will use her time powers to elerate the timeflow even more."


    "What''s the rough number?"


    "1000 if we go with only Hortus. If I manage, I might bring it to 1300 or 1400." Sarah exined with a regretful expression. "I tried hard but this is the safest bet."


    Varian pursed his lips and thought about the mechanics of this stuff.


    If it''s just increasing the timeflow of a mortal, Hortus should be able to take it to 100,000 without much problem.


    In other words, if Varian only wanted to live like a mortal for a 100,000 years, he could do so without a problem.


    But he''s going to keep using the slivers throughout this phase.


    Thankfully, the slivers were not divine paths. They were special existences throughout the cosmos.


    Rather than remaining in the confines of reality, they were said to be on the very edge of it.


    Else, World of Eternal Empress in Paradise should''ve never able to trap him in that timeless world. For that matter, he would never have to worry about attacks from time awakeners.


    By extension, the distortion of space containing slivers should''ve also been impossible, implying that Varian would never be able to teleport.


    That''s simply not the case.


    The slivers had only minimal interference with maniption of timeflow. Still, just their sheer presence would make things different. The weaker one was, the more significant the effect.


    For a mortal, the slivers made it nearly 100 times harder.


    "I know it''s not a lot of time but this is the best bet we have." Enigma said.


    "If you''ll need a bit more time at the end, we can always go for the sacrifice." Isadora shrugged. "To be honest, 10 years of their sacrifice would give you 10,000 years to train your slivers. It''s the safest choice you can make! I know you won''t like it but really, consider it."


    "It sounds too cruel." Varian shook his head and rose to his feet. "Change the timeflow, I''ll start the practice."

 Chapter 1600 Unseen, Unknown

    Chapter 1600 Unseen, Unknown


    Varian sat on the lush green grass, still wet with the morning dew.


    It was a a clearing on the side of a quietke behind cloudy hills.


    Every de of grass, every petal of flower, every tree, every nt¡ªit was so breathtaking that Varian wondered if he was soiling the perfection of this ce by stepping into the scenery.


    "Just so you know, I don''t think you''ll have a good future if I fail here. Instead of staying silent like you were for the past week, I am expecting to help me out however you can atleast now."


    [¡­]


    "Logos." Varian''s voice turned stern. "It''s a minimum curtesy to reply when you''re spoken to."


    [Haaa~] An exhausted sigh sounded in his mind in the original soft voice that was usually masked by a mechanical sound.


    [The situation is not dangerous.]


    "Are you mad? I barely have time to catch up with him eve after all this." Varian wanted to p the idiot.


    The timeflow was adjusted to nearly 1500.


    So, everyday outside would mean nearly 4 years would pass here. It sounded great but how many days did he really have when two high rank 2s were searching?


    No matter how unique Hortus was and how hard Oob tried, it''s just a matter of time.


    Ten days? Too optimistic.


    One day? Too pessimistic.


    But four days or six days? Most likely.


    So, he''d likely get 16-24 years to make the progress Immortal made in 1,000 years.


    Extrapting the progress he made in the past 60 days, he could confidently say it''s not going to happen.


    He needed help. His wives did their best already and couldn''t assist him anymore.


    As the only one who could help him out in this situation, Logos'' silence was simply maddening.


    [Even if you fail, they can sacrifice the poption of Hortus and shield you for 10 years. You''ll get 10,000 years. That''s more than enough time.


    You''re in no danger of actually dying. So, the System sees no need for intervention.


    ¡­Every infraction by the system would result in a bigger bacsh.]


    Varian narrowed his eyes and held his breath. Anger bubbled in his chest and his heart cooled down.


    Logos would rather kill everyone than make an infraction?


    "You have no idea how pissed off that answer makes me."


    [The System doesn''t have as much of a choice as you''d like to believe. We''re all in shackles, Host. My chains are just something you cannot see.


    Now that you''vee this far, I can temporarily grant you some power, but the consequences would be devastating.


    You''ll be rendered powerless for a critical period of time.


    Would you believe if I told you that my action now might result in death of someone close to you?


    But most likely, it would result in your death under the hands of someone that wouldn''t otherwise kill you.


    I would''ve helped you if I didn''t know. But I do. And I cannot bring myself to do it.]


    Varian wasn''t sure if he was right but he could hear a mix of fear and tension from Logos'' voice.


    What could make even the slivers afraid?


    ''Or who?''


    Varian exhaled deeply and decided to leave the matter behind. If help wasn''ting no matter what, he''d have to make do with what''s avable.


    [But I will guide you as much as I can in wielding the powers. I was going do that anyway, whether this talk happened or not.]


    "¡­Okay."


    Varian would''ve dismissed Logos'' talk as some poor excuse in the past.


    But after catching a glimpse of the God Emperor, things like future and fate seemed much more real.


    [Alright, the first thing to understand is the uniqueness of the paths. Unlike Sage which has soul and Creator which has gravity, there is no middle path in Ruler Avenue.


    There is either Order or Chaos. Order can emerge from Chaos. Systems that look chaotic can be deterministic, a feature of Order¡­]


    Varian''s hands glowed in a dreamy ck and white light. A pure power flowed out of him and spread out into the surroundings.


    As his mind turned calm and his focus directedpletely onto Order and Chaos, his proficiency began to increase at an unprecedented pace.


    While the man worked hard for the uing battle, his women were also busy.


    Sarah remained in the sky directly above the location where Varian resided. A blue beam of power flowed out of her and merged into the sky.


    Combining her power with itself, Hortus manipted the timeflow around Varian. Even if someone were toe and attack her now, Sarah wouldn''t be able to respond. She had given the task at hand herplete attention.


    Meanwhile, Isadora and Aurora were arranging rare materials across the cosmos into special arrays built from calctions ofplex geometry, going as far as manipting gravity for some positions.


    "Senior Sister, I don''t think brother-inw will like this." Panting heavily as she carefully filled a rare metal with her life power, Miss Cmity said.


    "Of course, he won''t like it." Isadora rubbed the sweat off her forehead and bit her finger. Blood spilled out and using it, she drew aplex rune character at the center.


    "But if I had to pick something, I would always have him alive and hate me than dead and love me." Isadora chuckled.


    "For this ritual to proceed, you''d need his permission. He''s the lord of Hortus after all. He wouldn''t agree."


    "He won''t be able to do much in 20 years or 50 years. Extending the time is inevitable." Isadora looked at Aurora with a smile. "So, I''ll give him a choice.


    He can kill everyone or he can kill me. Even if he doesn''t kill me, I''ll kill myself."


    Miss Cmity''s hands froze and she looked up in surprise. "You''re joking, right?"


    Isadora''s smile disappeared and she looked at Aurora with a determined expression. "You tell me, do I look like I''m joking? If he can''t chose, I''ll force him to choose. I don''t mind if he''s kind in normal times but if ites to his life, I want him to be more ruthless than anyone else."


    "¡­You''re scary."


    "I don''t want this this situation either. But this is my only choice. I hope for a miracle. He''s always been good at them."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 1601 Another Race To List Of Extinction

    Chapter 1601 Another Race To List Of Extinction


    Prim clutched her head and crouched down in front of her bed. pping her flushed cheeks, she felt a desperate need to find a hole and jump into it.


    "Why was I like that?"


    Not wanting to eat veggies like a typical child.


    "And I started crying when he fed Sia more than me." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    A selfish but natural desire to monopolize all attention.


    "Worst of all, I was coaxed by a candy! A mint choco one at that! Ahhh! Prim Konstant, you are a disgrace! Please cease to exist immediately!"


    Knock. Knock. Knock.


    When the door made a slight noise, all the nervousness from the teenage girl''s face vanished.


    The casual clothes on her vanished, reced by a white on white military uniform with several medals that reached their ce after terrible battles that no one saw thought would turn in her favor.


    With a snap of her fingers, the items in the room were rearranged and the one-room office turned into a meeting room with arge desk and a leather chair.


    "Come in."


    Prim''s voice was stern and her pitch measured.


    "Commander."


    A high ranking officer stepped in and saluted her like a robot. But the deep respect in his eyes betrayed his poor attempt to appear indifferent.


    "Report."


    "Go on."


    "The two empires have found a way out of the world and are secretly amassing a force to prate the weakness of the world boundary. What should we do?"


    Prim closed her eyes and recalled the moment when she transformed into a teenager from an adult.


    Sarah and Isadora, both of whom enjoyed teasing her when she''s young and ruthlessly snatched her brother''s attention, were the ones to greet her.


    Unlike the usual yful or prideful demeanor of the Queens, they were very serious.


    ''To ensure we''ll be found aste as possible, I''m dropping Hortus'' defense system internally and externally. It might buy us a few more hours, but it''s a couple of years for Varian.''


    ''But the bastards will start making trouble once they sense a weakness in the boundary. Should we kill them all first?''


    ''Don''t. Any power we use will carry an intent of divinity with it. It doesn''t matter if we suppress our power. A divine is still a divine.


    And divine intent strongly resists timeflow maniption in its surroundings. Hortus is only so big and the divine intent pretty much covers all areas.


    We can do the clean up but Varian''s timeflow will slow down and he''ll lose at least one year.''


    ''That''s too much of a loss. But we need a solution.''


    ''We have one, don''t we?'' Saying so, Sarah turned to Prim who was justing to her senses and trying to figure out their conversation.


    ''Your brother is in trouble, little girl.'' The Queen looked at her with a critical gaze. ''You should prove yourself to be of help at least now. If something happens to him because of your negligence, you won''t be able to forgive yourself, right? And your true self, your younger self, she''ll be crushed beyond measure. Do it for your own sake.''


    Prim clenched her fists and ced her hands on the desk.


    She didn''t like the conversation at all. It always felt like they were condescending and proud.


    And who were they to question the rtionship of the siblings? Even if they''re his wives, it''s too much toment on their bond. Especially the ''help'' part.


    ''I will prove it you.''


    Prim gnashed her teeth and her eyes shed with a decisive gaze. If she might have been panicking without that memory, she''s fired up now.


    Instead of a hyper conservative n which mainly relied on intrigue and decreasing casualties as well as the reward, Prim decided to go all in.


    "Ask every warrior above rank 7 to gather. Use teleportation circles, space portals, whatever they can to get here in five minutes.


    I don''t care if they are sick, tired or ran away because of the rigor of training.


    But they must report to the HQ in five minutes.


    Those who do not¡­will no longer be needed for the Empire."


    The officer gulped at the brutal order, which was in much contrast with the flexible one that she typically gave out.


    Prim thought she''s going to prove Sarah wrong using her own personal strength and the vast knowledge of her military tactics.


    What she didn''t know was that the words spoken by Sarah were deliberate and induced to bring this very change.


    "Yes, Commander."


    The officer left with a firm face and once he''s out of the door, he sprinted to themunication room.


    ''10 seconds lost here. I''m sorry, you have only 4 minutes 50 seconds.''


    Every warrior who got the emergency message felt that something was off. So, they headed to the HQ at the fastest speed they could.


    Meanwhile, Prim visited the ce where she reunited with her brother.


    "Grandma, you shoulde with me." The girl insisted as she dragged a reluctant Alison out of her small farm.


    "I''m done with politics. I just want to farm and live in peace." The Ex-Imperial Secretary, Alison, shook her head.


    "Stop your delusions, my brother won''t let you live in peace." Prim smirked, a pride rising up in her naturally as she spoke of her brother.


    "¡­He used to be a cute boy. Now look at him, a ck-hearted boss who won''t even let his employees retire."


    "My brother is the best! You shouldn''t say call him those bad things!"


    "Are you protective of him even now? You''re no longer a child!"


    "But I''ll always be his sister. If someone is going to curse him, it can only be me. Anyone else is not allowed!"


    Alison looked at Prim with aplicated look and sighed. "Why does everyone in his family turn so weird? Poor Evander, he was such a nice guy and now he wanders town to town buying diapers and milk powder, every brand, every vor, every size. Even you turned weird after meeting him again."


    "¡­I know, right? My brother''s wives are so weird! Why are they so obsessed? They won''t even let me spend time with him!


    How petty do you have to be that you won''t allow your husband to feed his own sister?!


    My brother made a mistake in marrying four women! Hmph! If there''s only one, things could''ve been better."


    "So even you realize your brother has women problems. I admit, I was surprised he didn''t bring back anyone after 20,000 years. But well, the nymphs of his generation were obsessed with him.


    There were demands for his hair and nails in the ck market which I had to crack down. The prices were touching trillions, a bunch of crazy bitches they were."


    "¡­Really? If nymphs were so rich, why are there only a few hundred of them today? That species is near extinct."


    Alison looked up at the sky with aplicated expression and rubbed her forehead. "It''s hard for me to exin but for the nymphs, Varian''s presence was like a drug.


    Think about it, a single man crushed your entire race, conquered your world and eight more like yours and rules an iparably vast empire built on the legacy of a mythical tribe.


    And he has four wives but zero concubines. They all saw a chance. From the just legal ones to the just about to kick the buckets. Well, since they''re blessed with eternal youth, all of them were beautiful and wanted to give it a try.


    Simply put, they were all smitten with him.


    They''d rather die a virgin than marry a normal man. So, that''s what they did.


    A quarter of them were realist and decided to lower their standards."


    "Oh? How low?"


    "A quarter of Varian''s achievements at four times his age."


    "Pfft."


    "Yeah, except for a few hundred who really settled down, the rest of the race died off. I guess your brother has to add another race on his extinction list."


    "Wait, why are you telling me all this now?"


    "¡­Because I want you to see your brother as a normal person. Don''t be like the rest of the members of his family. He is not wless. Blind obsession will ruin you."


    Prim crossed her arms ad snorted. "This is where we disagree. My brother is perfect, not because he''s wless, but precisely because of the ws he has. I''m not saying they''re not weird, but my brother''s wives have no issue criticizing or helping him out."


    "I don''t know, girl. I guess I turned paranoid after the rebellion. I trust him a lot, perhaps even more than myself, but I wonder if he''ll do something wrong. It could destroy everything. That''s why I wanted you to be a good ruler."


    "A good ruler should always punish enemies. So, juste and watch. Blood will flow into rivers today."


    The two vanished.

 Chapter 1602 Possibility of Victory

    Chapter 1602 Possibility of Victory


    At the top of a mountain, Varian, who looked like he just reached his 20th year, sighed.


    "How long has it been?"


    [4 years]


    "I feel tired." He cracked his knuckles and leaned back.


    ''Status''


    [Pseudo Divine


    Paragon Body: 70/90 (+30)


    <Your body has grown tremendously in the two weeks your divine paths weren''t restricted. The union with divine rankers was etremely helpful. Had you used Synergy, you''d have been a divine ranker already>


    Ignis: 90/90 (+45)


    <The difficult situations you faced might''ve scarred your forever, remaining as memories that are impossible to forget. But they''ve also made you more resilient>


    Death Giant: 70/90 (+30)


    Order: 90/90 (+60)


    Chaos: 90/90 (+60)


    <Again, congrattions for finding good wives, you lucky bastard>


    Space: 90/90 (+30)


    Time: 90/90 (+30)


    <If not for you intentionally suppressing it, your paths would''ve already hit the divine rank and even jumped a whole sub-rank. It''s a hard decision but the right one>


    PS: <Congrattions, you''re almost there>]


    Varian yawned. "Show me something useful."


    [Comprehensive Strength: All paths + the slivers


    21% of a Divine Ranker.


    You have a long way to you.


    With the estimates of your current speed and the inevitable slow down as one reaches higher proficiency in slivers, you''ll need:


    25 years to reach 30%


    50 years to reach 40%


    100 years to reach 50%


    250 years to reach 60%]


    "As I thought, it''s damn impossible to catch up to a 1000 year practice in a 20 year period frame." Varian ced his thumbs on his temples and rubbed them slowly.


    [Even if Immortal is at a whopping 50%, you''re reaching there in just 1/10th of the time.


    Moreover, Immortal is literally built from the slivers and the strongest divine rankers of the Alliance.


    Your rate of improvement was absurd, even for the System. The life you led so far, the ridiculous peaks of peace and war, the order and chaos, makes you the perfect fit for the slivers.]


    "And I don''t have a 100 years to practice. I have only 20. With these 4 years gone, only 16 more. And that is we''re lucky enough to not get found for 4 more days." Varian groaned.


    [It is what it is. Knowing your wives, they should be working on increasing the stealth and preparing for a mass sacrifice ritual. Hortus would be emptied and a new empire could be rebuilt.]


    Varian wanted to refute those harsh words but upon recalling their gazes before seclusion, he found it hard to say they wouldn''t resort to those measures.


    Particrly Isadora. Though she''s sweet and caring, the princess was a stubborn woman in certain areas. Even the ever supportive Enigma took her side in this issue.


    "I don''t want to sacrifice anyone. I just want a better solution. Logos, is there no way to improve my power at a faster rate?" Varianined.


    [Your speed is already the result of my guidance. There isn''t anything more I can do at this point.]


    "Don''t y with words." Varian sneered. "Are you aware of any other method?"


    [Any intervention would result in a greater deviation and the consequences are unclear. But most likely than not, they''d be unpleasant.]


    "I really hate you sometimes." Varian exhaled deeply.


    [I understand. It doesn''t bother me.]


    "I guess the way to not be disappointed is to have low expectations. And I had no expectations from you. I wasn''t really expecting help from you. The one-on-one guidance is already a pleasant surprise."


    [You really have a bad evaluation of my positions. But still, it''s fine. I hope the heart you carry now will remain even when the timees.]


    "¡­Even if I''m given a 1,000 years, reached high rank 2 or even peak rank 2, I don''t think I can match that monster." Varian shook his head with a wry smile. "Tell me, what is his real rank?"


    [Peak of rank 2. Been that way since tens of millions of years. Or maybe more.]


    "And the Alliance''s leaders, two high rank 2s manage to fight him off? Come on."


    [It''s his weakened avatar. His main body is always inside God''s Eye, suppressing the turmoil.]


    "Weakened?"


    [You think you saw him from a few million miles. But he''s not even in the space-time zone as you.


    At your current strength, you''ll need at least 1 billion years to cut the distance to half.


    His avatar would have to travel from the center of God''s Eye to the outside and that will take up a lot of its power.


    Of course, it never lost to the Alliance''s leaders.]


    Varian''s lips twitched. "Immortal has a 1,000 year lead on me and I''m struggling desperately.


    How much of a lead does that man have on me? 1 million? 10 million? 100 million? 1 billion?


    I''m not so crazy enough to think I can bridge that gap just like that."


    [You don''t have a choice.]


    "Your honesty is disgusting sometimes."


    [It''s better than a sugar coated lie. The Alliance is afraid of the God Emperor and rightly so.


    If you lose this battle, Immortal will be groomed to be the sessor with four slivers.


    If you win, you''ll have two more slivers at your disposal. And they''ll invest tremendous resources in you.


    The speed of your growth would be beyond any imagination. Genesis, Mors and Nexus would give their all to push you to the peak.


    You''re not as desperate as you think you are.]


    "¡­Do you really think I stand a chance?"


    [Yes. That''s why you were chosen in the first ce. Your fate, if set off by the right conditions, can fluctuate to unprecedented degree, allowing for extreme possibilites, even one as extreme as defeating him.]


    "Do you think the God Emperor will sit and wait?"


    [I can predict next to nothing about him.]


    "¡­Great." Variany down on the grass.


    A bolt of white light shot out of his fingertip and the matter of the mountain changed in a blink, turning into a fluffy cloud, resembling Prim''s favorite mattress.


    A smile formed on the corner of his mouth.


    It reminded him of the times when she''d drag him to her bed and have him tell stories.


    As a good brother, Varian would tell her ghost and horror stories.


    ''And she wouldn''t sleep unless I stayed beside her until morning. I wonder why?''


    [No one tells horror zombie stories to children, even if that child is a very powerful awakener. Of course, she''s scared.]


    ''But she slept like a pig when she''s that scared. And she drooled! Ugh, my new shirts! Why is she hungry even in her sleep?'' Varian grumbled. ''Sleep, yeah, sleep¡­''


    His eyes grew heavy and his body descended into sleep without much resistance.


    The act of continously using the slivers had a huge toll on his body and spirit.


    Despite being a pseudo divine ranker, he''s still too weak toe anywhere close to wielding their true power.


    A soft sigh sounded after confirming he''s asleep. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    [Sigh¡­hopefully, everything works out. The future I can predict is less and less clear.]


    Logos was confident in Varian''s fate to achieve extreme oues. But it lied when it said his extreme fate allowed him an extreme possibility of defeating the God Emperor.


    In truth, neither Logos nor any being in the universe knew whether it was possible to defeat the God Emperor.


    His true strength, goal and motivation¡­everything was unclear.

 Chapter 1603 Freedom and Justice

    Chapter 1603 Freedom and Justice


    The barrier of Hortus was ridiculously resilient and possessed the ability to reflect any non-divine attacks.


    Now, forget the reflection capability, it''s just a thin shell that would break under a few hundred attacks of rank 9s.


    One could even see the twinkling stars, swirling space dust and the distant light from the celestial bodies through the fluctuating barrier.


    Today, the two strongest warriors of Hortus gathered their army to gain their long desired freedom.


    "Give me freedom or give me death!"


    "We are the free spirits! We shall not be confined by these bloody demons!"


    "The universe is ours!"


    The glorious chants of a movement which began thousands of years ago and passed through various generations filled the space.


    "My sweet liberty!"


    Men and women who grew up listening to stories of oppression and confinement cried out with burning passion.


    The movement started silently long, long ago. But it grew into an uncontroble wave that swept the entirety of Hortus, overthrew the tyrranical government run by the proxy of the three demonesses.


    Even then, it took them thousands of years to finally get to this point.


    Thinking of the sacrifices made by their ancestors for this movement, tears filled the eyes of the fighters who decided to sacrifice their everything at this moment for this movement.


    The leaders of the two empires, a middle-aged man with a red scar on his chin and a pretty half-elf woman.


    Thomas and Eveline.


    The adverseries who fought all their lives cast aside their differences for this moment.


    The 100 rank 9s who followed them each looked at their leaders with undying loyalty and eagerness.


    Thomas didn''t dy them any longer. In truth, he himself couldn''t wait.


    "All of us together will strike this devil barrier with our full strength. It''ll shatter!"


    Eveline joined. "Shed the shackles of very. My brothers and sisters, to Freedom!"


    Boom!


    A beam of light fell from nowhere.


    The blinding light caused everyone to turn their gaze away for a moment and out of the mes of aura walked out a young girl.


    Prim Konstant.


    Her red ponytail swayed as she took a few steps in the dark space, rings of pure aura forming at her feet and vanishing as she moved.


    The expressions of everyone in the group, from Thomas and Eveline to the weakest of rank 9s, the high rank 9s looked at her with burning hatred.


    Prim Konstant.


    The woman who made with the devil.


    The snatcher of their freedoms and the oppressor who kept them all locked up.


    "I havee to tell you the truth and only the truth." The girl, dressed in a ck and white dress with the symbol of ck and white fishes, looked at her opponents with a calm gaze.


    "Beyond that wall lies a dangerous world, where beings beyond your imagination are searching for the man you deem a lie.


    If you step out of this ce, you''ll be found and hunted down by divine rankers you can never resist.


    Hortus is not created to be a prison. It''s the safe haven from the dangers outside. It''s how it''s always been.


    I can prove it to you. So can the historians who studied the records of our civilization."


    Only a chuckle answered her. And then, a burst ofughter. Followed by a collective roars ofughter.


    Wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes, Eveline gritted her teeth with an angry smile as she red at Prim. "Is this thest resort of evil when it''s cornered? If parents lie to their children about the ghost to keep them disciplined, it''s adorable.


    But you, a Hortian who grew up on this soil and breathed this air, lying to us for what?


    Because the devil told you so?"


    "Devil? How dare you¡­?!" Prim shook with anger, her aura soaring out of control.


    "The devil you sold your soul to!" Eveline chuckled with a mocking expression and nced at the body of the teenager. "Oh, maybe your body too. A traitor like you wouldn''t mind it, would you? What''s mere body after you sold your soul?"


    "Enough!"


    The roar of Prim shook Hortus and the phantom of a hourss emerged in the space.


    "How dare you¡­insult my brother?!"


    A red spear fell from heaven and spun in front of Prim.


    Other than Eveline and Thomas, most of the rank 9 warriors found it incredibly difficult to respond, as if everything turned slow, which it did.


    "You think you''re leading a great movement, pursuing a great cause, carrying forward your ancestors'' sacrifice and upholding their will."


    Prim swung her arm in an arc and spears rained from the sky.


    ""Stop!""


    Thomas and Eveline unleashed their powers, the former rushing to Prim to crush her to paste while thetter unleashed a dome of fire to block off the spears.


    It could''ve worked if Prim held back, which she always did in fear of the bacsh that followed excessive power consumption.


    But today, she did not hold back.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The spears broke through the dome and drilled into the heads of the passionate warriors.


    Instead of killing them by elerating the flow of their time, the spears attacked their souls and elerated the timeflow.


    The ipatibility between the souls and bodies soared in a breath and the connection began to violently break.


    Blood spilled from the ears, nose and mouth of the warriors before their eyes exploded and they copsed lifelessly.


    "You! You!" Eveline''s eyes turned bloodshot and she looked at Prim with endless hatred.


    "Die, devil''s pawn!" Thomas raised his fist and threw out a punch that could shatter entire duchies.


    "Tsk."


    The hourss phantom flipped and Thomas'' timeflow slowed down to a dangerous level.


    Prim walked next to the man who struggled violently to get out of the timebind and her smiling expresion turned iparably cold.


    A dagger in her hand pierced Thomas'' heart and she twisted it in meticulous, patterns. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Prim didn''t know where she got these abilities, but she had excellent skills for assassination and torture.


    So, she took her time, breaking the heart, pouring aura into the ces where it would hurt the most until Thomas fainted.


    She threw a st of aura into his body and he died, just like that.


    When Prim turned around, Eveline, who conjured an enormous amount of aura into a gigantic fire ball, looked at her with determined eyes.


    Instead of saving Thomas, she was pouring everything she had into the attack.


    "Evil might be stronger, but justice will finally prev¡ª"


    "Shhh." Prim appeared behind Eveline before thetter could realize and grabbed her neck. There was a pair of thin gloves on her hands at some point.


    "Evil, justice, cut me all that bullshit. And you''re not even on the side of justice. If you were, you wouldn''t discriminate against the blood race and drive them to near extinction even though they were only taking blood from the blood banks and paying for everything.


    I mean, what harm did they do to you that you treated them so badly?


    Hm? Why?


    Let me answer.


    Just because you can and just because the elf blood in you disliked the blood race.


    I am evil and you are justice? Ridiclous!"


    Her grip tightened and burst of time power poured into Eveilne, rendering him unable to move below her neck.


    Turning her head to the side with great difficulty and ncing behind, she asked with gritted teeth. "F-Fine! I''m evil as you say! But d-does your conscience not hurt¡­when you trap everyone here, treating them like animals in farm, denying them their natural rights of freedom?"

 Chapter 1604 The Truth And Only The Truth

    Chapter 1604 The Truth And Only The Truth


    "It''s my brother''s fault thinking people will be grateful." A sad smile formed on Prim''s face as she recalled him hugging her under the gray sky and crying like a little child.


    The young Prim might not have understood anything but she knew how heartbroken Varian was from the death of Kyle and Maya.


    After his mother''s death which threw him into a disarray, this was the worst loss he experienced. While it was thousands of years for them, Varian only had a two year period before losing them.


    He must''ve regretted not spending time with them a lot. But even if he didn''t want to go outside, what could he do? Staying inside safely was not an option when someone like Immortal was preparing to hunt him down.


    Now, his life remained at risk due to his kindness.


    "He doesn''t want to sacrifice those ungrateful bastards even when doing that would''ve secured his life without any worry."


    "Kuh! Ungrateful? A devil like him trapping us in this hell like beasts and calling us ungrateful, kuh! Ahahahaha!" Eveline cackled, blood spilling out of her lips and eyes brimming with mania.


    Prim pursed her lips and said in a calm voice. "I''ll talk with my brother. If they''re not all killed when this ends, I''ll ask him to let go of everyone who wants to leave Hortus. It''d be preferable if everyone left. It''s sickening how ungrateful people can be.


    These people don''t deserve the world my brother made by pouring his blood and sweat.


    My grandma shouldn''t have suffered for you ungrateful lot. Even dogs know to be loyal but you! You are the worst of the worst!


    To even think you have the blood of elves and nymphs flowing in you. Your ancestors lived in real prisons until my brother freed them all!"


    "Lies! Absolute lies!" Eveline screamed, her body quivering with rage. "He did something to my ancestors! The nymphs are almost extinct now! He''s the reason! The devil charmed them and took away their souls! The damned devil! He''s the worst scum to ever exist!"


    "Heh," Prim chuckled at the round of insults and patted the cheek of the woman. In a soft voice that didn''t seem appropriate for the bloody visage, she said. "Do you know why I kept you alive so far?"


    Eveline''s body shuddered and her face turned pale. A creepy feeling filled her from the bottom of her feet to the top of her head, the primitive fear of the unknown enveloped her body and soul.


    "You made three sins, each bigger than thest.


    First, you''re the only one alive from that day.


    Second, you were so proud to make that scar on my grandmother''s face. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Third, and the worst of them all, you used such words to describe us siblings.


    Guess what? I have a lot of torture techniques I haven''t used on anyone since they''re too horrible even for death row prisoners.


    I''ll give you the honor, you''ll soon the taste the wrath of Prim Konstant."


    "N-No, No! Alison is just a pawn o¡ªmfff!"


    Eveline''s head jerked back violently and blood exploded out of her mouth like some balloon burst.


    Prim rubbed the blood off her glove and nodded in satisfaction "No wonder he always brags about punching people in the face when they''re talking. The satisfaction is something else, alright."


    With a flick of her wrist, Prim threw Eveline into a forest.


    The empress of the world, the supreme leader of one of the three empires,nded at the feet of Alison.


    Looking up at the face of the woman who taught her the skills of administration many, many years ago, Eveline shivered but the voice came out on its own. "M-Master."


    Prim flew down, her clothes now as clean as new and said with an urgent expression. "Grandma, I sealed her powers. Do whatever you want with her. But keep her alive, I''ll need herter. Oh and please take care of the mess after their deaths."


    "Wait, where are you going?" Alison yelled. "It''s too much work for me!"


    "Imperial Secretary Alison!" Prim''s voice sounded from the sky even as she disappeared. "You are hereby tasked with the duties of royal administration by Empress Prim while she visits her brother."


    "You siblings?! Are you kidding me? Come back, hey!" Alison yelled at the sky and after nothing happened for minutes, she lowered her head and sighed.


    The scar¡­stung more today.


    And the person who gave the scar¡­


    "Eveline,"


    "Y-Yes!"


    "We need to talk. About everything."


    Thedy on the ground shivered like a bucket of cold water was poured onto her.


    Eveline''s intuition told her to kill herself right away. Not because of the potential pain that Prim threatened with but because of the calm gaze given by Alison.


    It didn''t promise torture. It only assured her of some words that would be told.


    She would soon learn the ''truth''. A truth that would shatter her soul.


    For a revolutionary who staked everything and covered every misdeed of hers under the narrative of ''Freedom'', nothing could be more cruel than learning that her entire cause had been wrong from the start.


    "N-No, please kill me! Kill me!"


    "¡­"


    On the other hand, Prim who overused her powers was facing a harsh bacsh and was at risk of turning back into her original age at any moment.


    In a few seconds, she reached Isadora and Aurora who were stillying the formations. Jumping down from the sky, she sealed her powers and clenched her fists. "Send me in! Send me in! I''m going to turn into a child soon!"


    "¡­But why do you want to go in?" Isadora looked at the girl with a hint of suspicion. "You''ll have to seal all your powers and spent a lot of time in there. You''re better off practicing and trying to hit pseudo divine."


    "All of thatester! Brother must be very lonely there! It''s been years for him! I have to apany him!"


    Isadora narrowed her eyes as she nced at Prim with a sharp gaze before shaking her head and turning to Miss Cmity. "Aurora."


    "Ah, yes, yes!" That cold voice caused Miss Cmity to nearly jump on the spot.


    After looking at Isadora''s face and understanding her opinion, Aurora gestured to Prim. "Come with me. I''ll seal your powers once again for safety and send you in."


    "Un!" Prim nodded and before she took a few steps, she began to transform.


    "Oh no." Aurora sighed and covered her ears.


    "Huh?" Prim looked down at her hands and the memory of bloodshed shed in her mind. Tears swirled in her eyes uncontrobly and she began to wail. "No¡­.."


    "Send her, send her away soon!" Isadora waved her hand with an expression of annoyance.


    Aurora sighed and picked up the crying little girl. Before Prim could get the irritated Isadora to spank her for disturbing the work, she jumped away in silent steps, towards her brother-inw.


    "Go in, bute back after a while, okay? Don''t disturb him at any cost."


    "I know! I know! I''m not a child!" Prim pouted and walked into the thin white barrier with an eager expression.

 Chapter 1605 End of Training

    Chapter 1605 End of Training


    "I need to find a way, a way, a wa¡ª"


    "Brother!"


    "Woah!"


    A pair of tiny hands covered his eyes and asked in a mischevious, deliberately altered voice. "Guess who?"


    "Sarah?"


    "Wrong!"


    "Sia?"


    "Come on!"


    "Isa¡ª"


    "Arghh!"


    "My bad, my bad. Only Prim''s frustration is so adorable."


    "Mean, mean brother."


    Prim removed her hands and appeared in front of him in a sweet princess dress, looking like a cute doll.


    Pinching her cheeks, Varian said. "So you came to check on me, huh?"


    cing her hands on her hips, Prim smirked. "How is it? I came for you when they all didn''t even bother to visit? Aren''t I the best? Come on, admit it, praise me, I really don''t mind."


    [¡­Even the child living with you has gone narcisstic. Host, this system feel sorry for the girl. She deserved bett¡ª]


    ''Shut up! If anything, I deserved a better system! Is life and death good? Wonder how the personality after the fusion would be? Maybe a sweet maiden? A gentle maid? An obsessive yandere? Hehehehe. Anyone would be better than you whose main job is staying dumb and part time job is mocking my situation.''


    [¡­]


    ''Hey,'' Varian smirked. ''Are you jealous or are you jealous?''


    [¡­]


    "Brother! Brother!!"


    "Ah!"


    Prim red at him. "Why are you ignoring me?"


    "Sorry, sorry."


    "Hmph! I wanted to tell you about my adventure¡­but it was a bit scary, too much blood. I mean, I don''t mind some violence. It''s just too much! Ugh! My head hurts when I think about it!" Prim clutched her head.


    "Huh? What''s happening with you?"


    Varian''s expression turned stern and he ced his hand on Prim''s forehead.


    The curse on her, a powerful wheel constructed from the purest divine power Varian had ever seen, was spinning rapidly in Prim''s soul.


    She used more power than any other time and as a result, the curse was trying to regress her even further.


    ''If this keeps up, she''ll be an infant.''


    Varian suddenly grew afraid. The bacsh seemed much more severe than normal. It might wipe out all her memories too.


    ''Fuck, I have to do something.''


    The divine power of Sarah was ineffective and the fields of time she constructed to cancel out the regression barely had any impact on Prim.


    ''What if it''s the power of slivers?''


    The purest of white and darkest of ck powers poured out from Varian''s fingers, seeping into Prim, passing through her soul barriers and reaching the curse wheel of reincarnation.


    Boom!


    Prim trembled in his arms, as the divine power shed and pushed back the slivers.


    "Brother, I suddenly feel sleepy, can I rest for a few minutes~"


    Varian made a soft, fluffy cloud shaped mattress her subconsciously but his mind was racing like a rocket.


    His sliver power was neutralized.


    ''Are you serious?''


    He could understand the quanity of sliver power being low, rendering his attempt useless.


    But in the sh, only a small portion of the curse wheel, about as much as the invading power, shed with the slivers.


    ¡­And they won!


    ''Maybe it''s because I can''t wield the slivers properly that I can''t exert their true quality and power. Even then, a divine power rivals the slivers in quality or at leastes close. And¡­Prim is at least a couple thousand years old.''


    Varian swallowed his saliva and controlled his hand from trembling. The background of this curse was terrifying. He might have to deal with a monstrous beingter on.


    But¡­


    ''I am already enemies with the strongest man alive today. The fuck am I afraid of?''


    Varian pped himself and decided to exploit the opportunity.


    Like a good de needing a good whetstone, the power of slivers needed a proper practice ground to be properly honed.


    ''And this is the only whetsone I have for slivers.''


    "Prim, we''re in a tough situation. I''ll lift your curse and let you grow up. And I can get strong without sacrificing anyone.


    But you might have to sleep for a long time¡­and you might have some nightmares if the sh gets intense.


    I''ll wake up before anything serious but you''ll be facing some scary dreams¡­"


    Even though it''s the most obvious thing to do, Varian couldn''t finish his words. He felt bad for asking his sister to go through so much trouble for his sake.


    ''I feel like a piece of crap.''


    "Um," Primid down on the bed and looked at him with a bright smile. "Just a few bad dreams and you won''t be sad anymore? Hehehe, I''m going to sleep, brother! Don''t worry, Prim is super brave!"


    "I''m sorry." Varian poured the power of his slivers and created a simr wheel. Instead of regression, it''s the wheel of progression.


    A blessing to counter the curse.


    Exactly one hourter, Prim woke up in tears. "Brother! Spiders! Ahh, spiders!"


    "It''s okay, it''s okay." Varian consoled her.


    But when the same situation repeated due to the same dream for an entire month, he decided to change his approach.


    Having fears was natural. But deep fears? They must be removed.


    Under Prim''s confused gaze, they reached a cave. It was full of spiders.


    "Ahhh¡­.they''re not moving?" Prim who screamed at the sight calmed down in a few seconds.


    "Spiders might be gross. But they''re not really scary. Even the best celestial spiders don''t stand a chance against us. Go on, poke them with a stick and see. They''re just normal creatures."


    Under his encouragement, Prim stepped forward. She ended up retching twice in the beginning but gradually got used to it.


    After one year of slow, careful visits and many light pokes, the spiders didn''t seem scary anymore.


    "Brother, look, this one is ying drums on the pebble with its legs."


    "Brother, this one has nine different colored eyes!"


    "Eh? This one is a bit beautiful. Only two eyes and it''s snow white."


    "¡­"


    The spider nightmares vanished. But Prim would visit the cave from time to time, naming spiders and ying with them.


    It took her three years to end the nightmares of spiders.


    Then came the nightmares of falling down arge building and falling forever. He didn''t know where she got this fear from.


    It''s a tricky one to deal with, but with the power of Order and Chaos creating an infinite loop of ''falling'' by changing your sense of direction whenever necessary, Prim came to enjoy the ''jumps''.


    The third one was the hardest, the nightmare of losing the brother.


    This one took a long, long time to deal with. And it''s notpletely solved. No matter what he said, Prim simply couldn''t leave that fear behind.


    When Varian considered reducing the time of practice to lower the nightmares, luck favored him.


    The fear was offset by Prim''s racial talent which showed her the experience when she was the happiest. That dream she lived many times, which kept her closer to him even though he disappeared for many years.


    The nightmares were few and far between from that point.


    Due to the sh on the system that governered her aging, Prim remained stuck in her age for the entirety of the time they spent together.


    Varian forgot about the progression of slivers. Every day, he only focused on fighting that damn curse wheel.


    And on the 16th year together, a crack sounded.


    Then, it spread and spread.


    "Ehh? Brother, it tickles." Prim wriggled on the bed, trying to shake his hands off her head.


    Varian held tight and poured even more sliver power.


    Kacha! Chaa! Kaa!


    The wheel of curse, with the many cracks it got over the recent years, shattered.


    What''s unexpected was a tiny bit of divine power secretly stored inside the wheel.


    Boom!


    The divine force broke out of Prim and exploded outward. Most of it was blocked by the defense mechanisms installed.


    Only a tiny portion of the explosion touched Varian. He was blown away and fainted right away.


    Hortus'' timeflow came to an abrupt halt and Sarah, who had been managing the timeflow carefully, took the brunt of the attack. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Despite being a mid rank 1, on the verge of a high rank 1, she couldn''t bear the damage and nearly fainted.


    The stealth of Hortus, which was carefully maintained until then, suddenly crashed.


    Isadora and Aurora acted right away, pouring their powers to block out any emission of the divine power.


    After Sarah regained some energy, they rushed to Varian. With a sprinkle of vitality, he woke up without problems.


    "Are you okay, brother-inw?"


    "We''ll have one day at most. We''re sacrificing the poption to get more time. Don''t argue on this."


    Varian checked Prim''s condition first before answering them. "I''m more than okay and we''re not sacrificing anyone."


    ''Status.''


    [Pseudo Divine: Absolute Peak


    Comprehensive Strength: All paths + the slivers


    60% of a Divine Ranker.


    It should''ve taken 250 years. You did it in 25. What a monster!]


    "What do you mean we''re not sacrificing an¡ªwhat the¡­"


    When the purest power of slivers emerged from Varian, pushing back Aurora, Isadora''s jaw dropped.


    "Y-Your strength, this isn''t anything a pseudo divine should have. You''re more like a divine ranker. Weaker but still¡­half? No, even more."


    Varian smiled and rubbed the sleeping Prim''s hair. "She really helped me out. Else, I wouldn''t have gotten this far."


    "Then I can rest assured. Immortal''s rumored strength is only a quarter of the divine ranker. Even if it''s double, he''s still going to lose to you." Isadora sighed in relief.


    "E-Even Brother-inw is going to be stronger than me soon." Miss Cmity sighed with a depressed expression.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll only advance to divine ranks after fighting Immortal. You have a thousand year headstart over me. I''m not overtaking you anytime soon." Varianforted. "You''re the peak of low rank 1, on the verge of reaching mid 1. So, don''t worry, Aurora."


    "Brother-inw¡­" Aurora looked at him with sparkling and teary eyes.


    "Trust me. You''re easily safe for a year."


    "¡­I hate you." Isadora shook her head with a tired smile. "And I don''t even think it''s gonna be a year. Bu¡ª"


    Sarah''s voice came from the sky.


    "We have a visitor."

 Chapter 1606 Conditions Of The Duel

    Chapter 1606 Conditions Of The Duel


    "Such a fine synthetic world is not what I expected." Aphosis, who looked to be a young boy less than ten years old, said with a in expression.


    Varian tried not to show any nervousness at hosting a formidable rank 2 in his guest pce.


    But he must''ve tried too hard or Aphosis was just too discerning as thetter shook his head.


    "No need to fret. This ce is certainly special¡­and you even sealed off some things from my perception. I can break the seal but am not making any effort to do so.


    Such actions will turn you hostile toward me and put my life at risk when you reach rank 2 after defeating Immortal."


    "¡­"


    "You are a very petty person. I do not want to negate the cooperative spirit of our agreement for a Synthetic World, no matter how special it is. They''re more or less the same. Great for a lot of things but ultimatelycking for a true powerhouse of my level."


    Varian sighed inwardly. Thankfully, Boo was taking care of the slumbering Oob since the beginning through a variety ofand didn''t even see him since his return.


    But if the little ghost was here, it''d definitely argue and brag about Hortus'' greatness, inviting a lot of trouble.


    "I''m petty but it doesn''t mean I''d like to be told that in my face." Varian sipped coffee and smacked his lips. "You lot reallyck enjoyment in life. Appreciating asmall pleasures in life makes it a lot more colorful."


    "It is a meaningless endeavor when you can simte the taste on your tongue without ever having to drink it. The taste receptors have evolved to push an organism to eat, it''s a puny trick of biology to dictate your actions. Even most mortal rankers still remain under its contro¡ª"


    Varian waved his hand, dering his intention to stop the speech before it could go any further.


    ''Dude, I was just saying, why do you have to be so rigorous about it?''


    "Why are you here? No, let met ask, why are you here first?"


    Aphosis raised his index finger and Varian felt the item given by the Nexian powerhouse in his posession vibrate.


    "I do not know how you have managed to maintain such a fine stealth that I''ve taken so long to find this ce despite having that item."


    Even though the boy''s voice remained neutral as ever, his eyes showed a hint of appreciation and surprise.


    Varian rubbed the back of his head, trying not tough in pride. "Trade secrets, man. Or I would''ve definitely told you how."


    ''Who is awesome? My wives! Even the top powerhouse of Nexus was stalled.''


    "They''re much, much stronger than me. Even without the item''s guidance, they should find you in a few more hours at least, a day at most." Aphosis sped his and nced at him from head to toe.


    Varian instinctively straightened up as a wave of irrestitble force washed over him for a brief moment before it vanished, giving an illusion that it never happened.


    "Almost the peak of pseudo divine. How good are you with the slivers?"


    Varian snapped his fingers and a me of ck and white emerged on his palm. Without a word, he shot it at Aphosis.


    The boy let the fire hit him in the chest and incessantly try to break in. But the field of Order which existed around Aphosis striked back.


    Without any intention from the divine ranker, the power operating on a specialized algorithm used a suitable w'' to take down the sliver me.


    [0. The power of Order will flow into the me, upsetting the bnce with Chaos and created a predominantly Orderly me.


    1. Thew of existing Order would cause the annihtion of matter.


    2. The energy emerging from matter annihtion will flow from more chaotic to less chaotic space.]


    The space around the me twisted violently as a million explosion each of which could end an entire star ured every instant. The sliver me dissipated despite its great struggle.


    "60% of a new divine ranker''s strength." Aphosis rubbed his chin, looking at Varian with what seemed to be an intense gaze. "Unexpected. Very unexpected. Your age is less than 50. But your divine paths seem much younger, they''re not even 5 years old."


    Varian''s lips twitched.


    Looking at the ''boy'', he''d sometimes forget he''s the top powerhouse of Nexus, stronger than any mid rank 2 in Genesis or Mors.


    "What do you think about the fight? I can win Immortal, right?"


    "I do not have the relevant information to make a proper estimate." Aphosis shook his head before leaning back into his chair. "But what I can tell is that Immortal is a unique being throughout creation. It is born from the power of slivers themselves as well as the intent of Yami and Keman.


    Thepatibility Immortal has with the slivers is beyond my guess. A thousand years are too short to have any meaningful progress in divine ranks. But pre-divine strength with slivers? Immortal should not be underestimated."


    Varian exhaled deeply and nodded. He''s confident he''d win. The rumors said 25%, he prepared for 50%.


    Aphosis tilted his head slightly, almost in a mechanical fasion and asked. "What do you think about the battle? Do you foresee your defeat and want Nexus to intercede? Or try to extend the date of battle, though it''s highly risky at this point and might lead to full-se conflict?"


    "Nah, I''d win." Varian said with confidence.


    "I see. Instead of letting them find you, allowing for a possibility of not honoring the agreement, I will invite them over to the core of Nexus. Your battle willmence there. I considered sealing off the space but since you have the power of space, I shall not do that.


    We will cover the entire Alliance''s area, stopping any third party from intervening in the battle.


    But do not break into the enemy''s territory or even the region in between. The information regarding Immortal and you have not spread in the Jai Empire. Making them aware of the trump cards for dealing with the God Emperor would be a foolish and suicidal move."


    Varian nodded in gratitude. The arrangements were done in his favor and in consideration of his safety.


    If Immortal just barged into Hortus with a bunch of rank 2s without honoring the agreement, there''d be nothing he could do.


    This way, at least, he''d have a fair match. Winning or losing would depend sorely on his abilities.


    "Any divine ranking treasures would be barred from the battle, to avoid unfairness." Aphosis said. "Moreover, any move made by the divine ranker could be sensed by the powerhouses in Jai. It could be needlesslyplicated."


    "Uh-oh." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "I''ll call you in an hour after making the proper arrangements. Finish whatever affairs you have and prepare yourself.


    If Immortal or any divine rankers appear, the defense I left around this Synthetic World will activate." Aphosis stood up and was about to leave.


    But just before that, he nced at Varian with a curious gaze. "Why did you disappear for a thousand years though? What happened in God''s Eye?"

 Chapter 1607 Promises For The Future

    Chapter 1607 Promises For The Future


    Varian''s smile froze and the memory of that brief, brief moment shed in his mind.


    "So you saw him." Aphosis pursed his lips.


    Varian nodded stiffly, his hands trembling without him even realizing. When he opened his mouth, his voice was shaking too. "Is he really not a god already?"


    "He''s the closest to being one." Aphosis sighed under his breath. "Truth be told, neither me nor any ruler knows enough about that being.


    The God Emperor had a difficult past but it''s nothing unique. But his ascent after reaching the divine ranks seems like a myth.


    We haven''t ever truly fought him. No, it should be said that he has never bothered to truly fight us.


    Unlike the princes who run the Empire and want to expand, the Jai Empire never cared. His actions give off the impression that he''s content with the status quo."


    Varian''s shoulders drooped. The more he learned about that man, the more he didn''t know what to expect.


    Uncharacteristic of him, Aphosis kept talking. "Rather than saying he''s content with the status quo, the reality closer to truth might be that he can conquer the Alliance whenever he wants but deems it useless inparison to his goal."


    "He''s saving the universe from breaking apart in God''s Eye. He can''t be¡­evil, right?"


    "Things like evil and good are useless at this level. Having a powerful being who could reign over you and squash you to death is something no powerhouse would like to see.


    And even though his actions so far have been positive for the universe, we simply do not know if they''re the end in themselves or a mean to something else."


    "¡­" Varian nodded nkly.


    "And even if you do not wish to fight, he''lle for you simply because you''ll pose a threat to his ambitions. If you win this fight, that is."


    "I see." Varian waved his hand and turned around. "Thanks for your help. I''ll clean up some mess before contacting you."


    Aphosis vanished, just like that.


    "¡­"


    Varian didn''t leave immediately but asked with his thoughts.


    ''Logos?''


    [He truly left. And he did not leave any power to spy on you or this world.]


    "Haaa~" Sighing in relief, Varian teleported to Sarah to check on her condition.


    The bacsh was unexpected. Thankfully, it wasn''t severe.


    "This much is nothing¡­but I''ll need some rest." Sarah''s blue eyes looked at him with guilt and she lowered her head. "I can''t activate Hortus for a day at least. Sorr¡ªehh?."


    Varian hugged her tight and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you so much for your help so far. And don''t feel any guilt. You did your best! Without you, I would have never stood a chance!"


    Sarah still med herself but the hug was soforting that she couldn''t help but wrap her arms around his waist. "After this battle, I want us to live a normal life for sometime. No worries about some powerful enemy, no anxiety about bad future, no tension about tomorrow."


    "A honeymoon?" Varian chuckled. "It''s a bit toote to ask for that, don''t you think?"


    Sarah raised a brow and then looked at him with pitiful eyes. "Please~"


    "¡­"


    "Var, please~"


    Varian knew she was just acting but he couldn''t bear to see her like that.


    "Okay, okay. Now stop it, my heart is already melting."


    "Heh." Sarah smirked victoriously but her expression quickly copsed as Varian was pulled by Isadora into a hug.


    She ced his head on her chest and rubbed his hair with a loving expression. "Husband, don''t be swayed by those blue eyes. How about we practice together after the battle? I can guide you in the divine paths and let you make even quicker progress."


    "Hey! Isa, I have decided. Varian and I are going to an academy. We never went together unlike Sarah. Don''t pull him into seclusion again!" Sia manifested infront of them and protested strongly.


    "¡­I want to grow up with him. A bit of life maniption and we can start out as 10 year olds." Enigma muttered quietly.


    Sia gave her a look and Enigma shrugged. "I was envious, okay."


    "Hey, hey, hey! Let go of my brother already! He can''t breathe in all that fat!" Prim who appeared with Aurora ran up to Isadora and tried to pull them away.


    Isadora looked down at the little girl with a smirk, causing a chill to run down Prim''s spine.


    Varian tried to get out of the hug when his little sister appeared. But the princess used her divine power and pressed his face further.


    "You wouldn''t know brat, your brother likes this fat a lot." The princess chuckled in pride.


    Prim turned to Aurora for confirmation.


    "I-um, I mean¡­" Miss Cmity felt like crying as she didn''t know what to say. With a desperate expression, she turned to the three.


    Sarah was ring at Isadora with arms crossed and ignored her. Enigma was looking at Varian and looked engrossed in her thoughts, a blush on her cheeks due to imagining something.


    Only Sia caught her nce and turned to Prim. "Don''t listen to her. Too much fat in your body stops your brain from working properly.


    You know, Isa used to fight your brother for his things not too long ago. And she wanted us to leave your brother. In short, Isa behaved like an idiot for months due to that fat."


    "Ohhhh~" Prim nodded, learning an important lesson for the day.


    "¡­Sia, one day, I hope you''ll stop being jealous of me. And Enigma. Oh, and Sarah too. You''re the youngest here anyway." Isadora said with a generous expression.


    "Mff, mmm, mhhh!" Varian''s muffled sounds attracted everyone''s focus.


    "Let him go already!" Sarah pulled him away with her powers and after what felt like an eternity, Varian could see the light again.


    Without wasting a second, he grabbed Prim''s hand. "Let''s deal with the affairs of the empire."


    Like an adventurer fleeing from a monster, he ran away.


    In a second, theynded in the garden of the summer pce.


    "B-Brother, why are you sweating?"


    "Ahahaha, it''s from practice, haha." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Brother, but why are we running away?"


    "Running? Who''s running? This is called a strategic retreat. Once I get strong enough, then I''ll make her cr¡ªahem! Ahem! Anyway, can you turn into your teenage self now?"


    "But I don''t want to." Prim shook her head with moist eyes.


    "Why?"


    "You want me to grow up because I''m useless now, right? You hate me." The little girl started crying.


    Varian bent down to match her eye level and patted her head. "It doesn''t matter if you''re young or old, you''re the same to me."


    "Really?"


    "Promise." Varian extended his pinky and Prim swiftly locked it with hers.


    "Brother, you can''t break the promise or you''ll turn into a donkey. Hehehe~" Prim giggled.


    Then patting his head just like he did to her, she said in an altered voice, trying to match his tone. "It doesn''t matter if you''re a man or a donkey, you''re the same to me."


    Varian pulled the cheeks of the cheeky girl. "You little brat!"


    "I ans naath lettel!" "Speak english!"


    Prim broke away from his grip and rubbed her cheeks. "I am not little! I can grow up, hmph!"


    A light enveloped the little girl and the teenage Prim appeared in front of Varian for the second time.


    With all her memories so far intact, the teenage Prim lowered her head, wishing to bury herself right then and there.


    "B-Brother¡­"

 Chapter 1608 Grown Up Sister

    Chapter 1608 Grown Up Sister


    "Why are you so shy now?" Varian asked with a teasing smile.


    "I-I don''t really own the actions I did as my younger self! It''s not me! Th-That self of me is stupid and proble¡ªmhh?"


    Varian covered her mouth and shook his head. "A child should behave like a child. Why do you judge yourself so harshly? And take this from someone who¡­hated his younger self for his ipetence, never hate yourself. Especially your younger self."


    Prim stiffened for a moment before she nodded slowly. She could feel all the emotions of her younger self, the silly worries, the deep fears and the childish but candid dreams that filled the naive mind.


    She saw her younger self as a useless annoyance to her brother. But giving it another thought, weren''t all children like that? Would any parents hate them for it?


    "I never had a proper talk with you like this, did I?" Varian gave her a warm smile.


    Unlike her younger self who looked like a cute doll with a hint of mischief, Prim''s teenage self seemed way more mature for any naivety and pretty.


    "E-Er, it''s our first time talking like this, t-thanks for everything." Prim fidged her hands behind her back and tried to note off as awkward.


    But the moment the words left her mouth, she realized how bad she must''ve sounded, talking while ncing at the ground.


    To be honest, she really didn''t know to behave with him.


    It can''t be that she could ask him to carry her on his shoudlers and carry her in his arms to jump around the forest, right? Or ask him to feed her when she''s already so big?


    But then, what should she do?


    "Don''t thank me. It makes you sound distant." Varian shrugged with a wave of his hand.


    The scenery in front of them changed and they appeared in front of a door.


    Muffled cries were heard from the other side with a female voice muttering iprehensible things in between.


    "Alison."


    The door opened and ady covering her face while sobbing desperately came into view. Sitting across her was thedy who the Emperor entrusted the administration to, long, long ago.


    "Wee, Your Majesty." Alison stood up and gave him a formal bow.


    Thedy stopped her crying at the words and turned to Varian with a confused expression.


    He wanted to tell Alison to drop the formalities here but the Imeprial Secretary added something before he could speak. "You finally had the time to return after 20,000 years."


    "¡­"


    Varian''s lips twitched. Her tongue had gotten sharper.


    "Grandma!"


    "Ohe on! I have the right toin!" Alison red at Prim and ced her hands on her hips. "20,000 years! Twenty fricking millennia. I''m d this man didn''t have a child or he''d havee to meet his great grand child directly upon his return. Seriously!"


    "He didn''t want this to happen. Brother was really facing a lot of issues outside." Prim stepped forward and argued with a serious expression.


    Alison nced at the determined Prim before turning to Varian who maintained a calm expression as if her words didn''t affect him one bit. "Forget it. Why are you here?"


    "I want to expel everyone from Hortus."


    "Oh, there are plenty of crimina¡ªsay what?" Alison nearly jumped at him.


    "It''s a safety measure." Varian exined. "In the bad case that I lose the battle, they''lle after Hortus. We could be chased down to the depths of space. In the chaos involving divine rankers, everyone here will die. All the races might go extinct."


    "¡­A-Are you really going to let them all go? Give them all¡­freedom?" Gasping heavily, Eveline asked with an unbelievable expression on her face.


    Varian raised a brow. "Yeah, you can have all the freedom you guys craved. Do whatever the hell you want with yourselves."


    "B-But¡­" Eveline nced at Alison for a brief moment before turning to him.


    They had a conversation where the secretary showed her the iron d proof of Varian''s existence, his achievements and the situation of Hortus.


    Eveline knew she was wrong. That a man named Varian really did exist. And the possibility that their revolution was all in wrong hit her hard to the point she broke down into tears and started to regret it all.


    But when he started talking about the freedom she''s prepared to die for, the recent feelings were pushed aside as the sentiment developed for thousands of years burst out.


    "Please make the proper arrangements to send out everyone." Varian instructed Alison and Prim before turning to Eveline. "Are you really not going to torture her?"


    Alison sighed while Prim wanted to speak up and say yes. But the thought of ''What will he think of me if I do such things?'' stopped her.


    "Then let her be one of the leaders of the groups. People who trust you can follow you. Select a few more popr figures, let them lead everyone out. Let them take enough rations for ten years. With it, the bond between Hortus and these people will end." Varian dered the fate of a 100 billion in a few words.


    "N-No! We made a lot of stuff, our treasures, our potions, our herbs!"


    Prim wanted to step forward and dig a hole into Eveline''s head but looking at Varian in front, she lowered her head and rxed her fist.


    "Hmmm," Varian tapped his chin and nodded. "Let the poor and middle-ss leave with everything they could leave with, excluding public and natural resources. The rich, we''ll have a 90% cut." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "9-90%?"


    "No need to thank me. I know I''m being generous." Varian flicked his fingers and Eveline''s injuries vanished.


    "I¡­I¡­"


    The woman descended from the Nymphs, elves and humans didn''t know how to respond in this confounding situation.


    Should she oppose him? She couldn''t even defeat Prim. And Alison wasn''t too weak. But the man himself?


    Varian¡­Varian from 20,000 years ago. He looked as young as ever.


    And to her horror, she felt that he didn''t even age. Her perception was screaming that he was biologically less than 50 years old.


    Then how did he heal her, a peak rank 9, instantly? A fellow peak rank 9 had no chance at pulling that off.


    ''W-What the fuck is going on?'' Eveline sensed that she was at a great crossroads.


    The right decision could propel her to heights and the wrong one might condemn her to the abyss.


    If she had more time and was in a better mental state, she might''ve taken a different decision.


    But in the heat of the moment and the aftermath of a tragic battle which ended up in a shaky time with Alison where her entire life had been called pointless, all Eveline could think was to get out this living hell.


    "I-I''m grateful for the help. Thank you very much. I''ll make the arrangements." Saying those words in a shaky voice, the woman quickly walked out of the room and then flew away like aet.


    The calls for evacuation began minutes after she entered her pce.


    An hourter, the empire she ruled and the one ruled by Thomas were both running at full capacity, leaving out all other tasks, focusing only on the subject of evacuation.


    The Empire which Prim had conquered started the same under her guidance and assistance from Alison.


    It couldn''t be dyed for long.


    Thankfully, the development of some technologies in the past 20,000 years made what would''ve been an impossible task even in a month during the time of abyssals a doable work.


    Without the barrier outside Hortus blocking people away, the arrangements ran at a monstrous pace.


    And given the fact that rank 9s also took part in this mission, they did things a million rank 6s could not do.


    6 hourster, Varian received the report that the evacuation couldmence at any time.


    "B-Brother, you have to meet some people."

 Chapter 1609 Due Of A Thousand Years

    Chapter 1609 Due Of A Thousand Years


    While almost everyone was convinced in the other two empires, there were a few protesting groups under Prim''s rule.


    "We don''t want to leave!"


    A group of homesick people.


    "This is the rightful home of lightning elves!"


    The group of most dominant elves who dominated their kin.


    "The nymphs have gone nearly extinct! Travelling now is not the right thing to do!"


    The poor Nymphs whose total poption remained at 500.


    "We belong to the cult of Konstant. Always been. How can we leave his home world?"


    A group of nutjobs who used his name tomit crimes and terrorism. Heck, they even sacrificed stuff to his statue and tried to make an evil god out of him.


    Looking down at the crowds from the sky, Varian first unsheathed his sword.


    Click!


    The cult of Konstant clutched their necks as blood spurted out and copsed in a few seconds. Their bodies dried up and turned into ashes in seconds.


    ''Brother!'' Prim looked at him with him sparkling eyes. ''It''s my fault for just imprisoning them for their crimes and not killing them all. As expected, brother stands for justice.''


    "Why are my cultists all ugly and why are they all men? I was expecting some beautiful women and stuff. Tch."


    "¡­" Prim''s eyes widened and she looked at him with an unbelievable expression.


    "Prim, what''s the matter?"


    "Brother¡­"


    "Hm?"


    "Nevermind. You''re not like that. Yes, brother is definitely not like that." Prim clenched her fists and nodded to herself.


    But she subconsciously eyed the Nymph group that gathered in a district below. It was the collection of beautiful women, each better than thest.


    It''s not like Nymphs were unmatched beauties. The ones at the top of races with human aesthetics could match and even surpass them. But their average was beyond anyone''s reach.


    "Nymphs havemitted a lot of corruptions in the past." Prim drew her sword. "For the betterment of the world, I will end this group of home wreckers and vixens, granting peac¡ª"


    "Let them go." Varian sighed.


    "¡­" Prim looked at him with suspicion.


    [She is really thinking you''re a pervert. A teenage sister is more perceptive to these things. Haha! Serves you right!]


    "They voluntarily came under my rule many years ago, didn''t cause any trouble in the matters of the empire and helped as much as they could. They nearly went extinct due to their stupidity. But I don''t want them to go extinct, if it''s in my hands."


    Prim pursed her lips and her gaze towards the Nymphs changed. Sheathing her sword, she muttered under her breath. "You''re so caring, brother."


    [No! He''s not! He''s just sad a bunch of pretty women who used to fawn over him might go extinct.]


    ''Logos, shut up!''


    [Why should I? Tell me if what I said was a lie?]


    ''Absolutely! Not everyone is a pervert like you! In this bleak world, there are still gentlemen like me. That''s why the world hasn''t copsed.''


    [¡­]


    Prim''s voice sounded across the groups, those gathered near and those that came together at the edge of the empire.


    "Hortus is going to face an invasion from enemies beyond the strength of Empress Eveline. Emperor Thomas has already fallen prey to their onught. No one is going to survive here.


    We should leave Hortus. There is no other choice. This is the reason why I ended my hostility with Empress Eveline and am asking you to evacuate."


    Prim''s speech yed across the empire, along with plenty of video ''evidence''.


    Of course, some smart heads discovered there was something wrong but any such refutation was quickly silenced.


    In four more hours, entire Hortus was nearly empty save for the 10 million stubborn people who simply didn''t leave.


    The ones who left scattered were headed by Eveline and some other leaders, heading to the nearby Provinces, Duchies and Kingdoms.


    Genesis Empire would be more than pleased to wee unaffiliated powerhouses ranging from rank 5 to rank 9.


    The kingdoms and duchies whose position would be threatened? Not so much.


    But finally, humanity and the affiliated races would truly be gctic.


    Varian would''ve been happy¡­if only these 10 million also left.


    "We''re born here! We''ll die here!"


    "This is where our ancestors gained their freedoms! We''ll die on this soil!"


    "There is no such as cowardice in the blood of my family! I''d rather die than flee!"


    These were humans, elves, sanguines and interestingly, all nymphs as well.


    Varian was impressed by their loyalty but that''s precisely why he couldn''t allow them to stay here and risk their lives.


    "You all have my blessings."


    The power of slivers shot into the sky in the form of a brilliant beam of sliver and rained down on them.


    He didn''t raise their ranks through Hortus. Rather, he raised their talents and gave them each a protection charm.


    Any blow below rank 8 would be countered and they''d be sent to a far away ce, with a preference given to the location they''d sincerely hope.


    With a wave of his hand, Varian opened a portal to a quiet world with arge forest. The world was as big as an entire earth and had an abundance of aura.


    This life was recently discovered and was gifted to him by someone this morning.


    Looking at the mirror which rippled with a soft light, Varian said. "Thank you, King of P."


    Ferdinand appeared in the reflection and looked at Varian for a moment before sighing. "It''s my pleasure. For the help you provided to P in the war a thousand years ago, this is the least I could do to repay."


    "Hm."


    "¡­And there is one thing I wish to ask, if you do not mind." Ferdinand was older and was no longer as strict as he once was. Or maybe he knew he couldn''t exert any authority over Varian and spoke softly.


    Either way, Varian felt like he was meeting a different person.


    "If it''s something I can answer, sure."


    "The world believes a thousand years have passed since your disappearance but my¡­calctions say you haven''t lived for a thousand years." Ferdinand let out a nervous smile while clenching his fist in anticipation. "I wish to know the truth. How long have your¡­divine paths been active?"


    Varian narrowed his eyes and smirked. "A good natal treasure, you have."


    "Ahaha, it''s not as good as you''d think." Ferdinand shook for a moment before heughed it off awkwardly.


    "Do you really want to know the number though?" Varian asked. "It''s for your own good."


    Hearing those words, Ferdinand recalled the vision had that day a thousand years ago.


    A hand¡­that hand which epassed the entire Alliance with the power to crush everyone and everything inside, including the so-called rulers of the Alliance.


    "Yes, absolutely."


    "2 years." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Huh? I''m sorry, the injuries from thest battle haven''t healed yet and my hearing is a b¡ª"


    Varian nodded. "No, you heard it right. My divine paths are active for two years so far. And I''m a pseudo divine ranker. A peak ranker, actually."


    "Y-You¡­what the hell are you¡­" Ferdinand''s face paled and he looked at Varian like he encountered a ghost. "N-No¡­this is a joke¡­ahahah¡­"


    "And I''ll tell you something more interesting." Varianughed. "I can enter the divine ranks anytime I can but am dying it for the duel."


    "F-Fuck!"


    After making the dignified king swear, Varian headed to Nexus after bidding farewell and instructing his wives to escape if things go wrong.


    The duel was long due.


    To be precise, a thousand years.

 Chapter 1610 Peak Of The Alliance

    Chapter 1610 Peak Of The Alliance


    The top brass of Nexus arrived at the main pce at the heart of the empire.


    Aphosis, Aridam and Equilius¡ªthe child, the youth and the elder¡ªsat across an arched white table inrge seats, all built from capturing starlight.


    Sitting near them in a smaller throne was a middle-aged man in green robe, red vertical pupils and a forked tongue that spit out every few minutes. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Ophion, the Snake of Chaos, tilted his head to nce at Equilius with a teasing gaze.


    The old man narrowed his eyes and snorted.


    "What''s the matter?" Aridam asked with an intrigued expression. His eyes glowed with killing intent and a smile drew across his lips. "Did anyone disobey? ughtering a few million to discipline a couple billion is a perfect way to pass some time."


    "No, we''re not looking for any needless life sacrifice now." Equilius groaned in frustration. "Ophion encountered Varian in the tower. He could''ve found him if he really tried. I suspect he left him alone because Varian has traces of Ares'' legacy.


    And this bastard, no matter how much we amodate him, is still a seed of Chaos. Order should''ve never amodated chaos."


    "Hiss~" Ophion spat his tongue and chuckled softly. "What a ridiculous thing to say?! I really tried my best, you know? But it''s just a phantom of mine, not me. The boy was too slippery and escaped my grip."


    "Nonsense! Even if it''s a phantom, its prowess should be in the divine domain. How can he escape when he wasn''t even a rank 9 back then? I suspect you let him go because you of the same sick mind your lot possess. You want to see the world in chaos and now, chaos is what you got."


    Equilius was blunt and harsh, showing no hesitation in cursing every single being of chaos.


    "Hiss~ Hehehehe, please ughter us all to establish a proper order, Your Majesty Equilius." Ophion said with a smile, his vertical pupils glowing with a teasing gaze. "What''s stopping you?"


    "¡­" Equilius'' eyes which almost always remained emotionless even though his face showed expression shook.


    A dangerous aura rose from the old man, enough to wipe out dozens of kingdoms in a breath.


    "That''s enough." Aphosis said in a low, decisive tone.


    Equilus took a breath and leaned back. Once again, he cursed the fickleness of fate. If only the n went well, he''d have gotten the slivers and his grandson would''ve been alive.


    "I didn''t expect the little snake to be this ipetent. But well, living beings suck at almost everything. Do you want to change the camps and be an Undead, Ophi-Ophi?"


    A tall woman with glowing ck skin dressed in a pitch ck dress appeared without any trace of fluctuations.


    Her eyes bore into Ophion with a predatory gaze. Even the follower of chaos felt troubled for a moment and looked away.


    Keman Aurik, a soothingly handsome man with white hair, eyes, skin and dress, took a seat in a grand throne next to the trio of Nexus.


    Since they were the hosts of the match today, he had given them enough respect by not iming the central seat.


    But his throne was a tad grander than this, a show of his higher status.


    Yami also got seated shortly after teasing the little snake a few more times.


    Shortly after, the remaining rank 2s of the Alliance made an entrance.


    Unlike what the public thought of, there was but a handful of them.


    Yes, the whole of Alliance didn''t even have twenty rank 2s. Interestingly, neither did the Jai.


    There should''ve been easily over thirty rank 2s¡­but it didn''t happen.


    A gorgeous and voluptous elf with green hair in yellow robes appeared first.


    All Mother Asherah.


    Without a word, she built a beautiful throne from branches, leaves and flowers before sitting beside Keman.


    Then came a pale-skinned man with a gloomy expression and heavy build. Right next was a skeleton in ck robes.


    King Hades and Reaper both of them sat at the feet of Yami without a change in expression.


    Yami rested her feet on their heads with natural movement and the two didn''t even flinch.


    "The rules of the match will be announced shortly. But note that none of you can intervene in today''s match."


    Aphosis stood up and spoke in a graceful tone.


    All Mother Asherah fiddled with a flower, ignoring the talk. "Dear, do you think a race based on flowers would be interesting?"


    Keman remained silent for a moment before nodding.


    "Alright!"


    Unaffected by the indifference, Aphosis continued. "This battle will decide the better option for the Alliance''s survival.


    The better choice will win. The better choice will give us a better chance of survival in the future."


    Grr! Grrr!


    Reaper rubbed his bones against each other, resulting in an unpleasant sound.


    Aphosis remained as calm as ever, finishing his speech. "If you intervene and let the bad choice win, your own survival chances will go down. For your own sake, let the match happen without any intervention."


    Hmrr!


    King Hades took out a skull from his pocket and blew his nose.


    Aridam stood up roughly and nced at everyone with a dangerous smile. "If you do intervene after everything that''s said, then unless you kill all of us, you''ll be so dead."


    His words caused the three to freeze and then turn to their respective leaders.


    Keman Aurik only smiled, but the smile wasn''t too pleasant. The master of life preferred action over talk. He''d let the action do the talking. And it''s never small.


    Yami, on the other, tilted her head with a ruthless gaze. The image of a dead Nexus shed in her mind for a brief moment and she licked her lips in regret.


    "Ahem, ahem." Equilius coughed lightly and stood up. "Now that the basic instructions have been given, it''s time to invite the contenders of the duel."


    "All hail Nexus!" Ophion stood up. "Of course, I support our candidate! Varian! Varian! Varian!"

 Chapter 1611 A Prayer

    <h4>Chapter 1611 A Prayer</h4>


    Varian mediated, emptying his mind and letting his consciousness just sit in the void of nothingness.


    There was no thought, no emotion, no impulse.


    Everything turned into nothing.


    Then, his consciousness slowly reeled back, sensing his origin which existed in multiple avenues on the divine paths.


    Next was the power of the slivers that existed deep inside him, intertwining with his origins themselves.


    Finally, the divine powers themselves, that exerted themselves into the real world through aura.


    When he''s about to open his eyes, however, something caught his attention.


    A small golden thread, weaving into itself and unfolding, breaking into little pieces beforeing together, over and over and over.


    It was a power that didn''te from any of the divine paths or the pair of slivers.


    The golden thread was slowly growing. The only thing it seemed capable of was ''nourishing''.


    But the power was familiar.


    He tapped into that power and followed a link created through it, a link that ignored the limitations of space-time fabric and reached the source.


    A woman in a white dress with golden apron knelt in a room, sping her hands together with eyes closed.


    Her wings which were always pure white now shone with bits of gold.


    Through the link of this power, Varian was able to see Hazel producing this ''power'' which slowly reached him through their link.


    ''Hazel.''


    ''¡­''


    ''Hazel!''


    ''Ah?'' Hazel flinched as his voice sounded in her mind and looked around in confusion. Then, she knocked herself on the head, muttering. ''Am I getting so delusional already? I should only be getting his voice in my drea¡ª''


    ''You are not delusional. I am speaking to you through this golden power.''


    ''Whoops!'' Hazel jumped to her feet and took on an elegant posture. Looking around with an awkward gaze, she said. ''I-It really works?''


    ''What is it?''


    ''My racial talent. We have an ancient history dating back to distant past. The records are mostly lost but this talent is unique.'' Hazel ced her hands behind her back and fidgeted.


    ''¡­How does it work?''


    She bit her lip for a moment before answering. ''Devotion. Faith. Positive feelings. I''m not fully sure but it happens at some point. Master, don''t worry, there is no negative effect from the power.''


    ''It takes a lot of effort, doesn''t it?''


    Hazel froze for a moment. In truth, it took days and days of prayer just to condense a single bit of the thread. She was getting better at it but it''s still a very time consuming process.


    ''I don''t really mind.'' The maid said with a carefree smile.


    ''The power would''ve been helpful if I was a rank 7 or 8. But it''s not going to make any difference now. And its impact would be even less, practically negligible in the future once I step into the divine ranks.


    So, you don''t have to do this and spend so much time on me. Take time for your hobbies, enjoy yourself. You endured enough hardships in the past.''


    Hazel lowered her head and her lips moved but no reply came.


    ''Huh?''


    ''But I want to do this!'' She said, almost yelling. ''I know it''s not helpful. I know I''m too weak for real help. But I will be satisfied knowing I contributed something.


    And Master, don''t worry, I am taking time for my hobbies, spending time with Prim and living a happy life.


    But this¡­this is something I want to do at least for an hour or two everyday.


    ¡­I want to give you everything I can.''


    Varian sighed. ''As you wish.''


    He disconnected from the golden threat and checked his sea of consciousness.


    Thanks to his soul path, it was like a small space where he could materialize intangible thoughts and even hold tangible things.


    There was one guest here.


    A string of obscure letters in the style he had seen on that door in God''s Eye.


    ''When did they get in here?''


    He had no idea but once he found them a while ago, he was trying to decipher them with his power.


    Using aura was not helping but the power of slivers wielded some results.


    Varian once again flooded the string of letters with the sliver power and he managed to partially decode only three words.


    [Slivers]


    [Unification]


    [Maker]


    If he hadn''t gotten so proficient at the slivers, he couldn''t have gotten even two letters.


    And yet, after all the training, he only got three words which didn''t help much.


    The unification of slivers was a constant theme since the times of primordial tribes.


    But ''Maker''. Was it a person''s name, a title or a mistrantion?


    The brief moment of unexined experience he had in Paradise surged in Varian''s mind and his chest tightened.


    Clenching his fists, Varian took a few breaths and stabilized himself.


    If Maker really meant what he thought it did, then¡­


    "Varian Konstant of Genesis'' P, enter the duel!"


    As the voice of Aphosis rang, Varian stepped out of his room in the main pce, walked down the corridors and reached the giant gates.


    Last time, he was a visitor to this pce. This time, he was a guest who was allowed to practice in a fine room before the match.


    With a creak, the grand doors engraved with millions of runes opened, revealing the powerhouses of the alliance.


    Varian jumped out of the pce and floated to the center of all those gathered.


    He was billions of miles away from them but it felt too close for him.


    "She''s spending time with you." The elven woman snorted with a displeased gaze.


    ''Asherah''.


    Varian narrowed his eyes and then nced away.


    "Varian! Varian! Go go go! Kill that unqualified bastard!" A middle-aged man with vertical pupils cheered for him while everyone was silent.


    Varian would''ve felt embarrassed if he didn''t recognize the auraing from him.


    A chill shot down his spine and he looked into the man''s eyes for a brief moment. He didn''t know if it was his illusion but he saw a mix of good will and a distorted anticipation in those eyes.


    ''Snake Of Chaos.''


    Unexpectedly, Mors had two more powerhouses attending the match.


    Since only rank 2s could attend, it seemed that Mors was the strongest camp of the alliance.


    But the way those two let Yami rest her legs on them¡­


    ''Is it the obedience of Undead?''


    "Ta-Ta-Ta!"


    The skeleton in ck robes raised its head to look at Varian and moved its jaw, making iprehensible sounds. It could''ve spoken to him if it really wished to but the Undead being only wanted to mock him.


    Varian didn''t feel any pressure despite the apparent hostility.


    From the beginning, Genesis and Mors were both against him. The only reason he came this far was not the simple backing of Nexus but them threatening a self-destruction.


    Still, there''s one thing he didn''t really understand.


    "Immortal will appear in a few seconds." Yami said with a smile and looked at Varian with a regretful gaze. "Too bad he wants to tear you into pieces or I''d have turned you into an Undead."


    Varian remained silent.


    "It''s notmon for all the top powerhouses in the Alliance to gather. Yourst moments are really blessed." Yami crossed her legs with an amused gaze.


    "Then can I ask a question in this blessed time?" Varian nced at everyone before turning back to thedy in ck.


    "Of course, anything except pardoning you."


    "The whole of alliance¡­has only 9 rank 2s? Where have the rest gone?"


    Yami''s calm expression cracked and the atmosphere suddenly grew cold.

 Chapter 1612 Yamis Offensive

    Chapter 1612 Yami''s Offensive


    The Alliance was home to an unimaginable scale of life.


    The number of mortal rankers living inside was staggering. So was the celestial rankers. While the number of powerful celestial rankers was far less when it came to higher ranks, they were still a veryrge number.


    But the divine rankers, that''s where numbers dwindled to a pitiful size. How many divine rankers did the alliance have?


    A thousand? Maybe.


    Ten thousand? It''s difficult to imagine but possibly.


    A hundred thousand? Hahahahaha!


    A million? No fucking way.


    Of course, almost every divine ranker picked from any group anywhere in the alliance would be a rank 1.


    Rank 2s were always rare and were treated as the pirs of the alliance, the ultimate protectors who would keep the alliance a safe ce. Sighting one was rarer than watching a kingdom get destroyed.


    The distribution of divine rankers across the sub-ranks was heavily skewed.


    More than 90% would be low rank 1s.


    9% would be mid rank 1s.


    0.99% high rank 1s.


    0.01% would be peak rank 1s.


    But even this pitiful percentage easily indicated over a hundred peak rank 1s.


    So, it''s surprising when the number of rank 2s was just 9.


    Not fifty or even twenty.


    It''s not even ten.


    As Yami''s anger was about to erupt, Aphosis responded to Varian''s question. "We had over thirty rank 2s at one point but they all started dying in the wars."


    "And we didn''t get overwhelmed by the Jai Empire?" Varian expressed his confusion.


    "¡­The Jai Empire''s rank 2s died, at a worse rate. Other than God Emperor, they only have low rank 2s. So, these deaths are not due to the strength of Jai Empire."


    Even though he said no more, the ashen faces of everyone presented revealed enough.


    ''God Emperor was responsible for all these deaths.''


    Varian swallowed his saliva, the silhouette of that man once again ying in his head. A single man blocking a cosmic catastrophe. And a clone of his was fighting off the entire alliance.


    "We''re unclear why this happened but it''s one of the reasons this duel is so important." Aphosis continued with a neutral expression. "We need the best and only the best for this great endeavor."


    "The best," Yami covered her mouth and chuckled. "Is here."


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The life force and death force of the region spiked uncontrobly. The dark space was painted green and red by the overwhelming power that flooded the entire region.


    A huge pressure fell on Varian for a brief moment before he responded and beat it back.


    From an intertwining spirals of red and green, Immortal emerged. His form was that of a twenty year old man''s, with ming red hair, glittering green eyes and a shining golden skin. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    He didn''t even give Varian a nce and turned to Yami to give her a head bow. "I will not disappoint."


    Next, he did a fist salute to Keman. "I will fulfill your dream."


    Only then did he nce at Varian and snorted. "Let it begin."


    Aphosis nodded and was about to announce the start of the match when Yami stood up. "We should have more spectators."


    Keman, who was silent so far, raised a brow at her words. "Do not do things that could leak news about this battle."


    Yami chuckled but her eyes turned cold, showing the displeasure she felt for having reminded such a basic thing as if she didn''t know it herself. "No worries. I will assure they won''t leak anything. And since you have doubt, I will either kill them all or imprison them once the battle ends."


    Her words confused everyone present.


    And Varian had an omnious premonition.


    Proving his fears to be true, Yami swung her hand at the void. "Come out and watch this man die under the hands of my son!"


    The purest of death emerged out of her hand and a link was formed between her space as well as the target space she was aiming for.


    Someone died in that target space. And even if no one did, they would be in the process of dying due to the act of decreasing lifespan everyday.


    Using ''death'' as themon link, a bridge was formed to a very, very distant location.


    And then, Yami pulled that red chain.


    Something cracked in the distant space and then, a translucent sphere began to emerge.


    Once it was near, it became clear that it wasn''t a sphere but a solid with changing geometry. Sometimes, it was a cube, other times, it was an octagon.


    It struggled violently to get out of the red chains but even its best attempts were futile.


    "Come out or I''ll have to break the doors." Yami dered.


    A ck and white light shone in front of the ce. Varian stood between the shaking space and the woman who reigned over death.


    "Why are you doing this? This isn''t in the agreement."


    "Agreement?" Yami''s lips curled up. "The agreement was only about the duel."


    The ruler of Mors clenched her fists and the defensive barrierid out by Aphosis shattered.


    Hortus, without any external defenses,id bare before the powerhouses of the alliance.


    Varian''s heart thrashed against his chest, wanting to go on a rampage but his mind crushed his restlesness with an overwhelming force and his eyes turned cold.


    "Yami." He called out in an indifferent voice.


    "¡­What did you just say?" The deathdy blinked in confusion, wondering if it''s really possible for her hearing to be damaged.


    "Yami, let''s say I lose t, you''ll do what you want. But if I win, then what are the consequences of your actions¡­?" Varian asked in a chilling voice.


    Even though the nine audience were all at the top of the audience, every one of them, including Yami herself, felt a sense of difort at his words.


    Of course, nothing would happen. There''s no way he could really threaten them, but¡­


    "If you win? There is no chance of that happening." Immortal stepped forward, his pressure soaring up and enveloping Varian. "Mother, if you want to kill them all, please do. I will be happy to battle this wretch while he cries in despair."


    Yami looked at Varian with a cold gaze and moved her fingers.


    The defense of Hortus,id out intricately by Sarah''s hardwork over hundreds of years, was torn apart in an instant.


    "I was just thinking of inviting them over as an audience for the duel, but I didn''t specify if they''ll be alive or undead. For letting your tongue loose, that is the most benevolent punishment." Yami flicked her wrist and the people left in Hortus were pulled out by force.


    The vignt Sarah, Isadora and Aurora.A confused Prim. The anxious maids Helena and Hazel. The ''no fucks left to give'' Evander and Alison.


    They experienced a mix of defensiveness, surprise or fear at the sheer power emitting out of the divine rankers they faced all of a sudden.


    Varian exhaled lightly and turned to Aphosis. The boy turned to Aridam who rubbed his chin and stood up.


    "Lord Yami, they''re the guests of Nexus. Any action you wish upon them, please refrain to honor the spirit of the duel. If Varian loses, we will not object to you venting out your anger."


    "¡­Is that the stand of Nexus as a whole or your individual position?"


    "The whole!" Ophion, the Snake Of Chaos, yelled. "Everyone supports it!"


    Yami chuckled, her eyes shining with anger as she returned to her seat. "Very well, but remember, actions have consequences."


    "I want to explore that world, Nexus shouldn''t have a problem with that, right?" Keman Aurik said all of a sudden.

 Chapter 1613 Sharp Tongue

    Chapter 1613 Sharp Tongue


    Before any of Nexus could answer, Varian replied. "I do."


    Keman turned to him without any change in his expression.


    And all of a sudden, Varian felt his vitality freeze and an unimaginable pressure on his soul, pushing his consciousness to the edge of eternal darkness.


    "Just because you are allowed to speak in our presence, do you really believe you''re as important as you think you are?"


    He couldn''t even move his lips properly but the power of slivers poured out of Varian and conveyed his words loud and clear, in full defiance.


    "Of course I am fucking important.


    None of you and especially not Yami have any chance of winning the God Emperor.


    I have see him¡­in the God''s Eye. And I''ve seen you today.


    I''m not even a divine ranker but even I can tell that you''re not even in the same league.


    You''re only alive because he''s letting you.


    The moment God Emperor believes it''s time, your heads will roll and this game will end.


    You are all pretending as if you''re his equal. Stop this delusion. You''re just his entertainment in free time. All his energy has been spent on God''s Eye.


    If you really want a chance at winning the being who stands at the top of the universe, you better pick the one who shows more promise instead of antagonizing him."


    His words were blunt, harsh and honestly, a p in the face at everyone present, particrly those of Genesis and Mors, who always tried topare themselves as an equal of Jai.


    Keman clenched his fist but snorted and leaned back into his seat.


    The pressure on Varian vanished and he panted heavily, feeling life once again aftering from the clutches of death.


    The members of Hortus were arranged to be seated in the area of Nexus and to assure Varian, Aphosis set up a lot of defense barriers.


    Hortus vanished into inner space.


    And silence ensued once again.


    But unlike before the battle, this was a tense silence.


    Every powerhouse from Genesis and Mors wanted Varian to lose and lose badly so they could take out his anger for what he said, even though every word he said about them was the truth.


    "Since you spouted so much nonsense, let me say this." Immortal smiled with confidence and turned to Isadora watching Varian quietly. "Vessel, you were born for me. Even though you were tainted by him, you will end up with me. I will end your life, merge your being with me and fulfill your destiny.


    And this will happen once the man you love dies. It''s ironic, isn''t it? You must''ve wished to spend eternity with him, but you''ll be spending eternity with me, fused with every single cell of mine."


    Isadora ignored his words like he''s some dog barking and nodded at Varian with a smile, trying to cheer him up.


    Varian, on the other hand, was pissed off at Immortal''s words. "Aren''t you trying too hard?


    Born for a destiny? Hah! The destiny like yours which says you''ll rule the world? You''re born for it too, right? But what happened? You grew up like a lonely dog until recently.


    You really think your momma loves you? She abandoned you for what? A thousand? Two thousand years?


    Now when the ingredients are ripe for your rise¡ªthe vessel and the slivers¡ªshe suddenly spends some time with you and you believe she loves you?


    Bitch, I''ve seen some hardcore simps but you take the crown and she''s your fucking mother! How desperate are you, really?"


    "He has a sharp tongue." Aridammented with a smile.


    "What a nasty bastard," Ophionughed. "I like him even more now!"


    Asherah showed a disgusted expression. "What a vulgar low life."


    Keman maintained silence while Equilius kept his eyes closed. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Yami, the ever calm and charmingdy, clenched her armrest and gnashed her teeth. "That filthy ant! How dare he? How dare he say that¡­?!"


    The target of the verbal humiliation, Immortal was beyond furious. He literally shook with the urge to strangle Varian and drink his blood.


    Before he knew it, blood was spilling out of his mouth and he was rushing toward Varian with eyes full of killing intent.


    "I''ll cut your tongue into pieces and feed it you! I''ll push you to the brink of death and bring you back, over and over and over again!"


    In a creepy voice that only the undead could make, Immortal vowed as he channeled his powers, causing the space around him to crack.


    But before he could reach Varian, an invisible barrier appeared and Aphosis stood between them with a neutral expression.


    "The duel has not begun yet." He stated as a matter of fact.


    "Start it! Start it now!" Immortal yelled, veins popping up on his arms and forehead.


    "There are only two rules." Aphosis began in a calm and unhurried tone.


    "One, no external interference.


    Do not take this rule lightly.


    The bnce of alliance has been possible due to the neutrality of Nexus.


    Should any of the empire break the rule, Nexus will ally with the other empire.


    Please remember that neither Genesis nor Mors wants to share their power with their counterpart.


    Immortal''s existence, as miraculous as it might be, is apromise both could trust.


    But if they could help it, Genesis would prefer to rob the sliver from Mors and use it to create the perfect living being with two slivers.


    The same goes for Mors.


    This is why, please do not intervene."


    Even though he spoke without showing even a hint of emotion, much less arrogance, Aphosis'' words caused a shift in the atmosphere.


    Yami and Keman looked at each other with a vignt gaze before the two rulers nced at their followers.


    Neutrality of the audience when the two strongest parties were all backing Immortal was achieved with a simple rule.


    ''Divine and Rule''.


    "Two, one of you must die." Aphosis looked at them with an indifferent gaze, as if they were two bulls left to fight till death. "As long as you don''t use a divine-grade item, you are free to use any of your possesions including but not limited to treasures, pets, war ves and elixirs."


    Immortal sneered in disdain and punched his fists together. He''s not going to use any of these puny treasures or ves, even though he had ess to plenty thanks to the strong backing he received.


    As the future ruler of the alliance and the conqueror of Jai, he''d have to act in a way that would only inspire confidence and awe in the hearts of the powerhouses.


    If he relied on external help today, it''d only dent his image.


    "Varian, there is a herb that grows at the edge of ckhole near Mors. It has only one feature. It''ll save a bit of your soul and not let you die instantly.


    Since I want to beat you down for a long time, I suggest you fetch it for yourself. Don''t worry, I''ll wait." Immortal dered with confidence.


    Varian smirked. "¡­Unless you were scared you''d die by hands and tried to get one yourself, how would you know so clearly about it?"


    "That tongue¡­I''ll rip it out!" Immortal''s chest heaved up and down.


    Aphosis nced at the two of them and waved his hand.


    "Let the duel begin."

 Chapter 1614 Battle of Ages

    Chapter 1614 Battle of Ages


    ??Varian struck first.


    A wave of glowing ck and white rose from his fingertips and turned into a bnce scale.


    The power of Order and Chaos swallowed the battlefield like tsunami before it vanished and as it did, it established ''conditions''.


    [1. Aura resonates, creating a triple leverage


    2. The older physical body would face chaos]


    Immortal shook as his body turned weary and nauseous, like a man who sprinted after stuffing himself.


    "Is this your power?" He clenched his fists, eyes glittering with excitement.


    "We''re just getting started." Varian''s figure vanished from his location, sending ripples through the fabric of space-time as he took a leap.


    He appeared behind Immortal, soundless like a ghost and pressed his hand against the child of slivers.


    A flood of chaos opened and the light darker than night drowned the silhouttee of Immortal.


    In those pitch ck mes, Immortal''s body was violently torn by forces that adhered to absolutely no pattern.


    Limb by limb, organ by organ, blood drop by blood drop¡ªeverything that made up the being named Immortal was shredded apart.


    ''I used only 30% of a divine ranker''s power. That''s 5% higher than Immortal''s rumored strength.''


    If he could help it, Varian didn''t want to reveal his full strength to so many divine rankers.


    He didn''t trust any of them fully and was wary of the possibility where his impossible strength might push their greed beyond reason.


    Still, 30% of a divine ranker''s strength should be a l¡ª


    "That''s not bad. Not bad all."


    Immortal''s voice sounded from the left, right and then behind.


    Varian swiftly turned around and his heart tightened as he noticed three figures of Immortal smirking at him.


    "You¡­what the hell?"


    Even with the senses of life, soul and death, he wasn''t able to find any distinction between the three avatars.


    A white me burned on Varian''s fists and he prepared to use his powers to differentiate them.


    "Give up. There is no real me among us." One of them said in a cocky voice and raised his arms.


    And then, the three of them spoke together.


    """Because we are all one!"""


    From the gap between their hands, aser beam of red shot out and the three beams interesected in the middle.


    From the sh of the power emerged a withered rose. The flower''s petal split and in a blink, flew around Varian, kicking off a tornado.


    Instead of violent air, they unleashed death.


    A cold, overwhelming and ruthless power that every living being would have to face one day.


    This tornado of death, enough to drain the life force of entire kingdoms, concentrated itself on a single man.


    "Gaaa!"


    Varian clutched his throat, but he couldn''t stop the screams from breaking out or the ck blood that spilled. Nor could he prevent his skin from wilting and hair from greying.


    It happened in an instant and before he could respond, Immortal used the power of life, augmented by the sliver.


    The vitality in Varian''s body, which was already being destroyed by the power of death, was now influenced¡ªpersuaded, cajoled andmnaded¡ªto arge degree.


    In just a matter of milliseconds, Varian turned into an empty shell holding onto thest bits of vitality.


    "Weak, you''re too weak."


    With every step Immortal took, a green and red lotus bloomed at his feet.


    Countless creatures¡ªsimple andplex, weak and strong, sentient and crazy¡ªborn, died, reborn and died again, slipping into an endless cycle.


    As he approached Varian, thetter slowly raised his head. With eyes that seemed too stubborn for his precarious situation, the young man chuckled.


    "Have you gone mad?" Immortal crossed his arms and smirked.


    Varian wanted to retort but he couldn''t even speak in his current state.


    ''I was right. His strength is around 50% of a divine ranker. Fuck them rumors. Would''ve been the death of me if I trusted them.''


    "I won''t kill you right away, I will first cut your tongue, then pluck out your eyes, seal your perceptions and throw you into a world of darkness. After that¡­hm, let''s see, there are plenty of good torture methods I have in mind. I''ll list them for you to pick one. Aren''t I generous?"


    Immortal spoke in a tone of ultimate confidence and his overbearing attitude only steered the audience further toward him.


    "¡­"


    Varian didn''t speak a word. He tried to get away but due to the severity of his condition, he ended up with a few clumsy moves that Immortal easily chased.


    "Are you running? Running already?" Immortal raised his hand, reaching for Varian''s head, seemingly ready to fulfill his first vow.


    ¡­that''s when it exploded.


    A brilliant burst of darkness that swallowed the glorious light of life and death alike before it itself was burned by a blinding light.


    Immortal was blown away, the matter and energy present in his body both disintegrating and dissipating at an uncontroble rate.


    Even faster than Varian losing his vitalty, the child of slivers lost his entire body to the mix of violent powers. They shredded everything that made him up all the way down to the atomic scale.


    A pure white light emerged out of the destroyed body.


    The soul of Immortal.


    Unlike most normal souls, it had tinges of purple gold here and there and gave off an invoble feeling.


    Varian didn''t wait until it could create another problem. He used the power of slivers and space-time to confine the soul.


    [1. Non-Physical Bodies would find distorted spaces too rigid for their passing


    2. Energy is sucked away from spiritual entities.]


    He manipted the space around Immortal''s soul, locking it there. The soul itself had no choice as all it found itself immobile and fast losing energy.


    Varian didn''t dare to use the power of life and death to deal him a finishing blow.


    There was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that it would not go well. Or maybe it''s just his mind screaming as his senses noticed Yami and Keman still maintained a smile on their face.


    The power of soul emerged from Varian in the form of a brilliant white beam and shot through Immortal.


    Varian used his slivers to lock down and attack the soul.


    This time, he did not hold back and used the full 60% of divine ranker power he held.


    A scream sounded across space and Immortal''s soul shattered into pieces.


    "Haa~ Haa! Haaa!" Varian panted heavily, a relieved smile forming on his exhausted face.


    Immortal''s strength seemed around 55%. Thankfully, a 60% strength plus thebination of seven paths allowed him to win.


    ''I''ll have to thank everyone. Sarah, Isadora, Sia, Enigma, Prim, Aurora.''


    They worked very hard in their own way to help him improve his strength. If they did even a little less than their best, he might''ve not won this match. It could''ve been very very close or maybe even in Immortal''s favor.


    Varian straightened his back and turned to the spectators not too far away.


    Now that he won the duel, there should be no problem with demanding the privacy of Hortus to be respected and the safety for some close individuals.


    ''Wait, Aphosis is the referee. Why is he not annou¡ª''


    Boom!

 Chapter 1615 The Immortal

    Chapter 1615 The Immortal


    [A/N: Slight gore warning]


    Varian''s arms exploded and a firm hand gripped his neck from behind. "Y-Your soul¡­" Immortalughed, a supremely arrogantugh that was rooted in his uniqueness. "Ever wondered why they call me Immortal?


    I cannot be killed.


    Born from the slivers of life and death, of course my soul is going to be special just like my affinity for life and death.


    And the specialty¡­?"


    Immortal tightened his grip and the power of death flooded Varian''s body, causing him to twitch violently as a searing pain assaulted his senses.


    Blood curling screams rang across the arena and Varian''s strong aura was dwarfed by the power soaring out of Immortal.


    "My soul is eternal. And as the child of the slivers, my affinity towards them is beyond anyone''s imagination." "Arghhh!" Varian''s vision distored as the power messed with his mind, showing him memories that he''d rather not watch.


    The world in front blinked, fluctuated, split and shattered.


    Immortal''s smile remained steady as he poured even more power into his archenemy. "You are but a mere holder of the slivers. I am born from them. Did you really think you had a chance? Earlier, you seemed relieved that your strength closely surpassed mine.


    Laughable, utterlyughable. 25%?


    50%? What do those fools know? How can they estimate the strength of a being who is unique throughout all creation?


    It''s not 25, it''s not 50. It is 90%." What unfoldedter could only be described as a show of pure gore and brutality.


    Varian could bear a lot of physical pain withoutint, not because he liked it but because he''d rather experience the pain than face the consequences of losing.


    But the torture here exceed even his tolerance.


    Due to the constant onught and flood of hostile powers, he wasn''t allowed to use his life path to turn off his pain receptors.


    The hell continued unabated.


    "Arghh!" The power of death enveloped him in a deadly hug, heightening all his senses, particrly his reception toward physical pain, amplifying it beyond a million times.


    In that state, just a needle prick would turn a person''s mind mushy and drive him insane.


    Under such cruel and extreme conditions, Immortal pulled Varian''s tongue, burning it to cinders. The pain should''ve been terrible for a normal person but way within tolerable range for Varian. However, a million times amplification turned everything upside down.


    Droplets of blood spilled out of Varian''s eyes as his mouth burned and burned. "This tongue, this lowly tongue is the one that spoke against my mother!"


    Immortal regenerated the burn tongue and then drove a sword straight into it. Shuaa!


    The tongue was split into two and blood spilled out. Varian convulsed violently, the screams in his mouthing out as nothing as the sword cut through his throat. "This tongue!" Immortal pulled out the tongue and sliced it into pieces.


    "How is it? Do you regret it? Do you regret everything?" He asked with a blood stained face, the smile on his face was as devious as it was proud.


    Varian''s eyes, bright red with the blood flowing out, stared at Immortal with a defiant gaze.


    "Ah, how can I forget?" Immortal shook his head and patted his forehead lightly. "These eyes!"


    His fingers dug into Varian''s eyesockets and pulled out the eyeballs. Then, like crushing grapes, Immortal crushed those eyes with a delighted smile.


    "And it was this finger that pointed at my mother, right?" Varian, with no eyes, no tongue and in an unimaginable pain, shook his head. "Huh?" Immortal tilted his head. "Then which finger?"


    Varian showed a finger. His middle finger.


    "Aghh! You fucking¡­"


    The torture turned more brutal, more gory and more painful. And there''s no more anticipation in the audience regarding the duel''s oue.


    They still stayed to gain a good understanding of Immortal. After all, he''d be the one leading the alliance one day.


    Yami and Keman watched the duel with relish. Yami in particr chuckled whenever Varian screamed. And as time passed, she stopped chuckling and just smiled. It''s extremely rare for anyone in the Mors to see their ruler smile but today, she had a big smile on her face, grinning like she had won the world.


    Asherah was satisfied with Varian''s ending and was happy such a wretch wouldn''t be able to corrupt Aurora any longer. Almost everyone was happy with the oue.


    Almost.


    ''Please save him! I am the inheritor of Ares'' legacy! I will reach the same stage as Keman and Yami sooner orter. I will protect Nexus with all my strength, take its glory to a great heights! I''ll make you equal, no, better than them. Please, please, save him!''


    Aphosis remained emotionless even as Sarah''s crying, pleading voice sounded in his mind.


    Since he used his domain to cover them for protection in case anyone acted rogue, no one else was able to sense Sarah using her divine power tomunicate with him.


    But looking at the way she lowered her head and sped her hands together, it wouldn''t be hard to guess her mental state.


    ''A fair duel is all I promised him. Nothing more, nothing less. If he wins, the entire alliance will bend for him. If he loses, then he''ll lose everything. And he lost.'' ''But you don''t to have follow this game! Nexus can stand on its ow¡ª''


    ''I don''t have such feelings you''re trying to instigate. We can run away and call ourselves an empire. Whates next? When God Emperor decides it''s time, Nexus will fall just as fast as everyone.


    Give up. Don''t try to save him. Varian is done for. If you still swear alleigance, I''ll try to take you under Nexus and keep you safe.


    But if Immortal really wants you, I''ll give you up. He is too important.''


    Sarah''s body trembled and she clenched her fists. Her sky blue eyes turned dark blue and a wave of anger rose in her chest. "Arghh!" The screams of Varian, who was now mutted beyond measure, reached her mercilessly.


    Tears were pouring out of her eyes and Sarah raised her head to look at the woman she considered a ''rival'' sometimes.


    ''Isa, help¡­do something¡­please¡­''n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 1616 Heaven or Hell

    Chapter 1616 Heaven or Hell


    Isadora''s cheeks were marked with dried up tears and her palms were still bleeding as her nails dug into her flesh.


    Barely able to speak, she spat out in a weak voice she could barely recognize.


    ''Equilius, save him. I''ll give you the slivers. Please, just save him!'' The old man''s face showed an apologetic expression but his eyes remained cold as ever. ''Toote. I can''t do anything at this point. But I''m really happy to see you cry as he gets tortured and dies in front of you.


    It''s all your fault. If you only listened and did what you were supposed to instead of acting up, Varian wouldn''t have died like this.


    Isadora, your very creation is a curse.


    Most of the scientists were dead when they created you. P was ravaged by a war it did not wee. My dreams of a strong Nexus with its own slivers didn''te true and would nevere true.


    Worst of all, this man who never lost and reached the doors of divine ranks in a few years? Even he is getting destroyed by you. Divine Vessel, you are the problem. You gave everyone misery. Now, drown in the same misery, you wretched filth.''


    Isdaora clutched her head, her body trembling as she looked at Varian''s figure with a heartbreaking expression.


    As he screamed in pain, over and over, her mind nked out and she had no other thoughts at this moment. She wanted to end the nightmare. For the first time, Varian was in a battle he could not win. And there''s nothing she could do to help.


    Sia and Enigma were trying toe out, break out and try a desperate rescue attempt that was bound to fail. Isadora suppressed them. She wanted to die herself but she didn''t want them to die. But the more her soul power shed with theirs, the more their emotions flooded her heart.


    And Isadora covered her face, wailing out her heart.


    In the bleak atmosphere that filled Varian''s camp, there''s one more person who was also trying to save. "Mother! Mother! Please persuade father! B-Brother-in-l¡­Varian reached his rank in just a few years!" Aurora held her mother''s feet and begged in tears. "Only a few years, mother! He hase this far! He''s not like Immortal¡­please¡­he didn''t even have half of that time¡­and he''s a really good person¡­please save him¡­" Miss Cmity, whose mere name scared the geniuses of Jai Empire, cried in a pitiful voice begging her ''mother''.


    "Shut up, you disgrace!" Asherah kicked her away and waved her hand. Threads of green emerged, locking up the sobbing Aurora like a cage. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Please!" Aurora grabbed the vines and yelled. "Please save him! I''ll do anything!" "I should''ve never let you out." With a flick of her finger, Miss Cmity disappeared. "Just stay like the vessel you are. The time hase for my rebirth." There was only one person belonging to Varian who wasn''t crying. At least not voluntarily.


    "Brother is winning, right?" Prim, whose eyes and ears are covered by Hazel and Helena, asked in an excited voice.


    The maids tried to stop their tears but they wouldn''t just stop flowing. "I''m a teenager, I don''t need to barred from watching!" Prim tried to shake off their hands and if she really tried, she could''ve.


    But out of respect for the maids and especially the words they said, she remainedpliant.


    "Y-Your Majesty said you don''t need to watch some brutal scenes." Helena''s voice was cracking and she tried her best not to show that she was crying uncontrobly.


    "Moo~ I''m not a kid, I''ll tell brother after the match¡­even though I''m not a kid, brother still loves me, right?" Prim asked in an innocent voice.


    "Yeah¡­" Hazel shut her eyes tight, unable to watch the horror in front of her any longer and said with a sad, sad smile. "He loves you, Prim, please remember¡­he loves you very much."


    "I love him too! Brother is the best!" Prim said with joy and she pped all of a sudden. "Even if I can''t watch, I can still do something, right?"


    Varian''s consciousness was on the verge of a shut down. His memories were fleeting like a wind with only the saddest parts of his life as well as the most helpless ones ying over and over and over.


    His body tortured and mutted to the point it stopped looking human gave him pain he didn''t know was possible in this world.


    His soul was on the verge of sinking, falling into an eternal sleep.


    ¡­And that''s when he heard something even with a molten rod melting his ears.


    Which one he heard first, the voiceing through space or the one sounding through the link of synergy, he didn''t know. But they all reached him. "Brother is the best! Brother is the most honest person! Brother is the most kind hearted man, he won''t hurt even an ant!" Prim''s cheerful voice.


    "Var, we didn''t know each other but grew close so quickly and before I knew it, I couldn''t think of a life without you. Even though I had to fight with my bestfriend, I couldn''t let go of you. I didn''t tell you before, but stealing someone''s best friend was the something I despised but...I loved you so much I broke the rule myself. Crazy how it works. I''m happy for everything. I regret nothing. If there is a next life, let me shower you with more love and I hope¡­you''ll never have to face these hardships."


    Her loving voice was dripped in heartwrenching pain. "Husband, thank you for proving me wrong. I thought love would not stand the test of time. But yours did. If time cannot stop love, how can mere life and death stop it?This time, it''s my turn to prove. I don''t need this world, I only need you.


    If you''re not in this world, I don''t need to be either.


    Heaven or Hell, let''s go together."


    In the empty eye sockets of Varian, a spark of ck and white shed.

 Chapter 1617 Welcome

    Chapter 1617 Wee


    Immortal was feeling terrible.


    For the past hour, he had been torturing this bastard, inflicting upon him unimaginable pain in novel ways.


    Varian screamed, roared and whimpered.


    But he never begged.


    He never showed remorse or regret.


    Varian suffered brutal horrors that would wilt the heart of the brave at a nce and had the galls to smile, smirk and mock Immortal whenever he could.


    Immortal did everything he could think of. And grandly failed to break Varian.


    This victory that he longed for the past thousand years did not taste so sweet.


    It was certainly cathartic defeating the only man who beat him in the same rank.


    But at some point, Immortal realized that Varian was less than a hundred years old.


    All positive feelings in his heart dissipated, leaving behind envious, frustrated and ironically, helpless thoughts.


    For everyone else, Immortal won and Varian lost.


    For the man himself, it was a cruel joke that he could not ept.


    He wanted to win, he wanted to see Varian break down and beg for his mercy.


    It did not happen after everything and he saw no path for it until he noticed the change in Varian.


    ''All the pain in the world might not break you. But you dared to hope! Hope is a dangerous thing. It lifts your spirits and makes you believe you could be more.''


    Varian''s eye sockets glowed with a ck and white light.


    Immortal loosened his hold on Varian and smiled heartily.


    ''But when that hope is killed, the pain will shatter your soul.''


    The ck and white light suddenly turned blindingly bright, rivaling the brightness of stars.


    The rank 2 powerhouses except Keman and Yami felt a sense of difort watching that glow and turned away for a moment.


    Immortal shielded his eyes while noticing that his enemy was regenerating at a terrific pace and deciding not to act just yet.


    ''Varian, you could''ve died peacefully if you haven''t hoped. Now, you''re going to die with the poison of disappointment tainting your soul.


    Yourst thought would be a very painful What If.''


    Varian regained his senses and external perception after an hour. All the darkness and void vanished. He could see the colorful and brilliant world once again.


    And the one at the focus of his view.


    A smirking Immortal who slowly brought his hands together and pped.


    "Wow, is that your secret move? I''m so scared¡­!" His shoulders trembled as he burst into a scornfulughter.


    Varian nced at his sobbing wives, crestfallen maids, the unaware Prim and sighed for the missing Aurora.


    "You think you have a chance? Come at me. Do your best or worst. This is your only chance to attack, draw everything in your arsenal."


    Varian clenched his fists and looked at Immortal with a vengeful gaze, a stare that he only ever gave Haedon.


    "Come on! Go ahead!" Immortal raised his arms to indicate he had no defenses up and taunted. "Or do you need time after crying this long? Don''t worry, I''ll wait."


    Varian exhaled lightly and the power of slivers exploded out of him, forming tworge ck and white wings behind him. Then the power of seven paths soared.


    Yami watched him with interest. Varian''s silver proficiency had grown by at least 3% in such a short period of time.


    It''s not simply incredible, it''s an unbelievable feat.


    If she didn''t witness everything by herself, Yami would not have believed such a person existed.


    A seed of doubt emerged in her mind, wondering if it was really the best thing to bet on Immortal. But she quickly shook herself out of it, reasoning that this drastic improvement must either be thest bits of strength Varian kept hidden or the work of the fused slivers.


    ''Immortal is born from the slivers, has the slivers and it took him decades to progress 3%. No way this scum could do it in an hour.''


    That moment of hesitation irritated her and that anger was transferred toward Varian.


    "Show him the gulf between you." Yami said with a scornful smile. "Even his strongest attack is just an inconvenience."


    Despite the provocations from both the enemy and his supporter, Varian didn''t make a move immediately.


    Showing utmost focus and solemnity, he spread out his powers to weave a around Immortal. Staying true to his words, Immortal crossed his arms and waited for Varian''s move.


    He already assessed the, the possiblebinations of attacks that could be pulled off and concluded that not a single attack could go beyond the damage of a 70% divine ranker strength.


    It would hurt a little, might need him to regenerate but that''s it. So, Immortal waited for Varian to move first so that he could respond in kind and crush him absolutely.


    Varian''s eyes slowly glowed with determination and Immortal held his breath, waiting for the attack to emerge.


    The of seven powers closed abruptly and Immortal let it strike him with a carefree expression. The power of life, death and soul split him into pieces, drained his vitality and pumped his undead aspect with vitality. The order and chaos tore him apart. Space-time distorted the entire fabric around him, making it difficult for him to escape. "That''s it?" Within a blink, Immortal recovered from all injuries and raised his hand at Varian. A lotus of red bloomed from his palm. "I was expecting more." Before he could shoot the flower of death, Varian''s figure blurred and he vanished. A smooth teleportation, very useful in escaping. But¡ª


    "Not so fast!" Immortal used the power of life he left on Varian, using it to directly transfer his consciousness to that position and create a body there.


    Varian sted out that piece of corrupted vitality and kept teleporting. Naturally, Immortal kept chasing. The distance between them was falling, leaving Varian with only a dozen more seconds until he came face to face with Immortal again.


    "Coward? I never expected you to be a coward! Varian, you are spineless! Hahahahaha!" Immortal finally found joy in the subjugation and snorted in satisfaction. "That''s it. I''ve had enough fun with you."


    His power soared and the distance between them was cut in half. Varian hurriedly used the power of time to slow down Immortal but thetter had already transferred his consciousness to a newly constructed body elsewhere.


    In just three leaps, Immortal was dangerously close to Varian. The divine rankers watching the battle with interest shrugged. The battle hade to a closure.


    And now that Immortal had enough ''fun'', he''d be killing Varian instead of keeping him alive. Even though they didn''t know why, the intuition of these divine rankers said it was a good thing. In the corner of their subconscious, a part of them was afraid. Afraid of this monster who flipped all conventional wisdom. So, they wanted him gone.


    On the contrary to thecent and rxed divine rankers, Varian''s camp was tense but this time, they were hopeful.


    Varian gave Sarah and Isadora one nce after regenerating was enough. Sarah was confident, no, she was damn sure that he''d be able to solve this impossible situation. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Isadora, on the other hand, leaned back into her seat and sighed in relief. Even though her heart was still throbbing in anxiety, her mind was telling her to rx. ''Everything is going to be alright. He said so.'' The maids were smiling. Helena had a relieved expression and looked at the silhouettes of the distant divine rankers with a vengeful expression.


    She remembered every single one of their scornful remarks, especially the ones whoughed when Varian was in misery. Her master might''ve not paid attention to these things during that state and thedies were too fixated on him to even register what''s happening. But she carefully listened and remembered every single thing.


    So, one day, not too far in the future, she''d watch her master anddies enforce justice.


    Theirughters must turn into wails and only screams must leak out of the mouths that made those lowlyments.


    Unlike Helena who was nning a revenge, Hazel had to shut her mouth to stop herself from yelling ''Yaaay! Master will win!''


    And Prim, who was finally allowed to use her senses, looked at the positive expressions of everyone in their camp.


    "You call yourself adults but can''t even cheer for brother! Hmph! Adult? More like olddies! A thousand years? Seriously?"


    While a certain girl was dissing off practically everyone in her camp, Varian vanished once again, teleporting into the deep reaches of space. Like the divine rankers, Immortal tooughed at Varian''sst struggle and transferred to his position.


    ¡­Unlike every other ce so far, this one was inside a world.


    The doors of the worlds closed and Hortus'' sky turned red with thick ck lightning falling like rain.


    "Wee to Hortus. This is my world. And this is going to be your graveyard."

 Chapter 1618 In Hortus

    Chapter 1618 In Hortus


    "Hortus, huh." Immortal looked around, hands on his waist and nodded to himself with a satisfied smile. "I have to say, this is a good loot for killing a nobody like you." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Varian''s eyes turned cold and he had a chilling smile on his face. Dark clouds gathered in the sky, forming a spiral above Immortal. The ground began to hum and the gravel started rising into the air. Air warmed up a little before it scorched up to unbearable levels.


    Every beast in Hortus prostrated on the ground and looked up at the sky in fear and reverence, crying out their surrender and chanting the song of war.


    Aura in Hortus revolved around Varian, pulling itself away from Immortal and pushing him near a state of aura vuum.


    While all this happened, Immortal didn''t flinch much less act. Crossing his arms, he watched everything with interest. In particr, he never stopped staring into Varian''s eyes.


    Those eyes¡­those defiant eyes¡­he wanted to pull them out and crush them once again. But it wasn''t really the eyes that posed the problem. It''s the confidence in that gaze, the me of hope that Varian''s soul bore, the defiance which coursed through every fibre of his being.


    Immortal didn''t want to acknowledge it but every second he watched those eyes, the feeling of inferiority surged inside him, screaming over and over again that he wasn''t the best choice for this endeavor. Varian almost reached him in a shorter time, on a worse foundation, in a harsher trajectory.


    His own logic told him that he should give up. But that''s precisely why he hated it.


    Immortal''s very existence was for this holy mission, this great endeavor. Every cell of his body, every strand of his soul and every bit of his energy were all programmed for this very task.


    If Varian was indeed better, Immortal as a being would lose any meaning to his existence. So, his instinct firmly rejected his logic and the result was a fierce internal dilemma that Immortal wished to resolve by breaking Varian''s spirit.


    ''Look, this living creature is weak. He could be broken by disappointments. So, even though he had faster progress, I''m still the better pick.'' To confidenly tell himself those lines, Immortal waited. And he waited with unparalleled confidence.


    Since Varian pulling him into Hortus was allowed, this world should not have any divine ranking treasures. That''s the second rule set by Aphosis and under the matchful eyes of his mother, there''s no way that Varian could''ve broken it.


    With 90% of a divine ranker''s strength, Immortal was confident of dealing with anything non-divine.


    "Do not disappoint me, Varian." He said with a polite smile, barely able to suppress the anticipation rising inside.


    "Disappiont? I am the one disappointed here. Maybe no has told you and that''s why you turned out like this, but let me be clear, you are a big disappointment. You aren''t even the third most memorable enemy for me and I''m talking about my experience of barely three years. You know, I faced an enemy not too long ago." Varian raised his hand and a beam of brilliant light fell from the sky, bathing him in the purest of vitality and aura.


    The dried up aura reserves were filled and the hidden injuries were cleaned up. "He was responsible for a lot of misery in my race and life. But after killing him and learning more about himter, I''vee to respect that man a little.


    I''d still kill him if I could redo everything. The deaths he caused were already far too many to pardon his life."


    Varian, back at his peak, emerged out of the glow, standing straight and defiant.


    For no reason, Immortal felt a sense of difort and frowned. "Regardless, he cared for others. He loved his wife, he would die for his daughter. But that a lot of men. Well, he carefully equally for his people. In fact, he went mad when they were driven to extinction.


    That guy was a mere rank 2. He struggled all his life to get there and kept struggling even after that." A sword materialized in Varian''s hand, a stone glowed on his heart and a ring shone on his finger. The light of white and ck emerged from him, covering him in a mystic light. Varian''s strength went from recently improved 63% to 65%, a feat that took Immortal more than twelve years.


    "But you, a pampered brat who had two idiots for parents and a birth that would put you on top of everyone by simply existing¡­you don''t know hardship, you can''tpete with me in any metric, you are just a jealous bastard who can''t ept reality.


    Even now, you want to see me break down and validate yourself. But both of us know, even if you win this duel, my name will forever haunt your soul.


    Stop pretending to be confident or self-assured. You are an insecure little pup."


    "¡­" Immortal froze for a moment before veins popped on his forehead and he gnashed his teeth to the point they started bleeding.


    It felt like he was stripped naked on the street and paraded for the crowd to see. There was no one to hear those insulting, revealing remarks and yet, he could not wait to destroy every nt and animal in this world just so he could wipe out everything which witnessed his shame.


    "Varian, I tortured you to the point you couldn''t even whimper. Now, I won''t stop even if you beg me. It might take years or even decades, but you brought this onto yourself."


    The omnious words of Immortal were followed by a lotus formed from gloomy red and a bright green that swifly emerged around him.


    "Brought this onto yourself?" Varianughed and his eyes burned with anger. "Right back at you! Oob, do it!"


    Hortus shook and the full power of Heaven''s Willnded on Immortal. "I-Is that all you got?" Immortal withstood the pressure with some effort and sneered in contempt.


    Varian swung his sword and cut him into two.

 Chapter 1619 Hero Title

    Chapter 1619 Hero Title


    ??Immortal didn''t even bother to defend himself properly.


    Varian''s power bombarded him back to back, from the bits of order and chaos to the chaos of space and time.


    Immortal''s smile remained when he was sliced into two or was torn asunder by the brutal winds of space.


    Varian fully used his artifacts, used his paths in unison and unleashed the power of slivers, leaving no stone behind to shatter Immortal.


    "Hahahaha, I like this! I like it a lot!"


    Eventually, Immortal started to fight back but his body was already too injured, his condition too bad to actually give Varian proper resistance.


    In a matter of minutes, Varian shed him into pieces, burned every inch of his body and broke his soul.


    "Haa! Haa! Haa!"


    Through the power of Hortus, he could keenly feel Immortal ''resurrecting'' despite the destruction of his soul.


    He tried to stop the process using Heaven''s Will but it simply did not work.


    "You know, I think this world is a bit more special than it seems." Immortal, back in his peak form,mented with a curious smile.


    Varian gripped the handle of his sword and looked at him with a vignt gaze. For an enemy like this, there seemed no other method than sealing him off. It might''ve it on someone else.


    But Immortal could not be sealed. The bastard must''ve spread his vitality power all over the ce and should be able to escape any confinement if push really came to shove.


    Moreover, the duel wouldn''t end if one got sealed. It would end only when one of them gets killed.


    ''If I can seal him, use that time to improve my proficiency in slivers, I can beat him.''


    But doing so would need Hortus to lift its current ban on all ''divine'' ces¡ªthe three forbidden ces.


    If that happened, chances were that Keman and Yami would call off the match for viting the rules and might even kill him with that excuse.


    "Now that I look at it again, this world has an old scent. I''ve visited some very old synthetic worlds but this¡­this has a scent of¡­" Immortal narrowed his eyes and suddenly raised his hand.


    The sword Varian threw was caught in his hand with an effortless grip and began to creak as he flooded it with the power of life and death.


    Crack!


    Immortal''s power exploded outward sting Requiem into pieces and reached Varian before thetter could properly react.


    Crack! Crack!


    The two other artifacts were deliberately targetted and unfortunately couldn''tst against the power of slivers.


    Varian clutched his bleeding chest and tried to create some distance.


    Heaven''s Will was already doing its best to suppress Immortal''s powers and knocked him down to 80% of a divine ranker.


    But even that was very difficult to face for a 63% like him.


    The worst of it all¡ª


    "Give up, Varian." Immortal clenched his fist and Varian''s arm exploded.


    The vitality broken away from that arm was filled with death power and an undead version of Varian was created.


    Varian''s arm regenerated but with a snap by Immortal, his leg exploded and then his ears and eyes.


    One by one, a dozen Undead Varian, none of whom could threaten him individually but could nearly knock him collectively, were formed.


    "Give up, give up, give up."


    Varian tried to fight off the Undead but Immortal blocked him. He killed Immortal nearly ten times already but he kepting back to life.


    Unlike Immortal, everytime he got injured, another Undead kept rising.


    The odds were heavily stacked against him.


    Soon, Varian was facing more than a hundred of himself as well as Immortal who controlled them all.


    The injuries on his body were severe even though Immortal wasn''t giving it his all.


    "Do you realize?"


    The Undead parted and Immortal stepped forward. Unlike him, this man had no traces of injuries at all.


    Heaven''s Will kept suppressing Immortal but it was futile when even his confined power was much more than what Varian could handle.


    "You might be feeling indignant, after all, if you''re given a thousand years, no, even five hundred years, you should be able to beat me.


    But you didn''t even get a hundred.


    The fair battle rules that Aphosis was spouting about?


    It''s an equal battle, that''s all.


    From the start, this battle was never fair."


    Varian''s arms exploded powerlessly and he leaned forward powerlessly, looking like he was about to copse.


    But a smile formed on his face. "Fuck the rules."


    Another beam of light fell on Immortal and he dismissed it as one more suppression, thest fight of a despairing Varian.


    He couldn''t have been more wrong.


    "Wha¡ªStop him!"


    Half of the undead jumped at Varian to kill him right away while the remaining half tried to block the beam of light on Immortal.


    Varian didn''t face them head on and instead used the power of Hortus to teleport himself and Immortal to one end of the world and used Heaven''s Will to hide their location.


    The beam of light falling from the sky stopped to prevent exposure and instead, the beam came from the ground, capturing Immortal.


    "Arghh!" Immortal''s screams were blocked off by the sliver barrierid out and only Varian was able to enjoy the music.


    Bit by bit, as the ''sacrifice ritual'' ate up the very being of Immortal, the man was broken bit by bit.


    He tried to escape but the Heaven Will''s suppression along with Varian using his full power kept him immobile.


    "Th-This can''t be done by a celestial power¡­this is divine! This world is definitely di¡ªarghh!"


    Immortal''s body and soul was disintegrated at the same time. And this time, a tiny bit of sliver power was also drawn out. The power of life-death slivers¡ªthe source of his Immortality.


    Once the extraction of that power started, a fundamental change ured in Immortal.


    His regeneration stopped and the mystical aura around him fell.


    "No! No, you can''t do this! This is a divine power! You ca¡ªmff!"


    Varian punched him in the face and cleaned the blood on his fist with a kerchief gifted by Prim.


    "Do you think I''m a donkey to ept unfair fight and abide by the rules? I have to win, that''s all. Doesn''t matter how it is done."


    Varian patted the cheek of his dear enemy whose body was fast disintegrating like sand.


    "Th-They''ll find you! They''ll know! They should''ve already known by now! They''reing! My mother wi¡ªmfff!"


    "You really are a cave man without any social interactions." Varian shook his head. "I took care to cover up any suspicious power fluctuations from Hortus. They still think it''s just better than average synthetic world.


    Aphosis knows it''s not. If he speaks up even a little bit, they will want to open this world and watch the battle for the sake of fairness.


    But guess what?"


    Immortal''s eyes widened and his consciousness began to fade.


    In the heart of Nexus, Aphosis silently turned to Aridam and conveyed a news in his ever calm voice.


    ''I put out a few fields to defend Hortus. All the defensive ones were broken by Yami. But the stealth fields, they''re still there.


    They are aware of what''s happening inside but with less uracy.


    As long as direct divine power isn''t used, Varian can use Hortus as he pleases.''


    Aridam crossed his arms. ''And you call yourself a fair judge by withholding such crucial information?''


    ''I am a fair judge. So in an unfair battle, I have to be unfair for the sake of fairness.''


    Inside Hortus, Immortal struggled to hold onto his consciousness, trying to survive for at least one more second.


    "No, no, no¡­it shouldn''t be like this. I am the Hero, I was supposed to¡­I¡­.arghhh!"


    Varian watched with an indifferent gaze as thest bits of ''Immortal'' died off.


    The sacrifice ritual withdrew and the ''Undead'' Varian copsed right away.


    Varian sighed heavily, strengthened the seal on Hortus and stepped out.


    The injuries on him healed by the time he reached Nexus and the divine rankers who were waiting for the arrival of Immortal were dumbfounded.


    "S-Son, why did you take on the form of that wretched soul?" Yami''s trembling voice greeted him.


    "Son?" Varian had a strange smile on his face as he gave the woman a mocking nce before raising his arms.


    "I am not the son. I am the savior of the alliance, the prophesied hero.


    You can kindly refer to me with my Hero Title¡ªcall me ''Daddy''."

 Chapter 1620 Of course I did

    Chapter 1620 Of course I did


    ??Varian''s words caused a huge shock instead of anger. Then, there was disbelief.


    His words were provocative and should''ve pissed off everyone.


    But no one paid attention to the taunts and focused on the main issue¡ªthe victor of the duel.


    Immoral was bound to win.


    He must win! There''s just no other way for him to lose! The rtive difference between 60% and 90% was 1.5x times.


    It''s an unbridgeable gap in a hundred years, much less a duel thatsted less than a hundred minutes.


    "No, Immortal can''t lose."


    "Hahaha!"


    "Yeah, what a prank!"


    As expected, the first reaction following disbelief was dimissal. Treating the unexpected oue as something that didn''t even happen.


    It''s a normal reaction, it''s human nature. No, it''s what all sentient living beings do.


    ¡­Not the Dead.


    "¡­"


    Yami used her perception holding out thest bit of hope in her heart.


    She searched for the bits of ''death'' in Immortal, the familiar power she could always feel flowing inside him.


    And she found no trace of death.


    "Why¡­"


    The Empress of Mors slumped back into her chair with wide eyes and trembling lips.


    Keman lowered his head and sighed deeply but he nodded lightly at the Nexus trio, showing he was not going to kick a storm about the result.


    When the two bigwigs reacted that way, it became obvious that this was Varian and not Immortal.


    Even the most hardcore copers in the crowd could not cope any longer.


    They remained frozen in their thrones which suddenly felt way too ufortable and sweated profusely as they watched this young man with fear.


    Definitely not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday not too far in the future, he''d reign over them all.


    And none of them even bothered to maintain even a facade of neutrality.


    If he remembered today and decided to punish them in the future, even Keman and Yami would be helpless.


    ''No!'' Asherah swallowed her saliva. ''It won''t go that far. Keman will sacrifice me to cate Varian, saving him the trouble of raising a hand.''


    The same thoughts went through the minds of the Undead and the two of them felt even more tense.


    No word was spoken for the next minute and the tension seemed to nearly rip the space apart.


    After verifying he''s really Varian and not a disguised Immortal over and over with her own power, Prim brought her hands together and yelled.


    "Brother is the best!"


    Everyone turned to her instinctively and the girl instinctively covered her mouth while lowering her head.


    Her behavior until now suddenly dawned on her and she felt her face burn with embarassment.


    She''s already grown up. What''s with this childish behavior? What would everyone think? And more importantly, what would he think?


    Fortunately for her, the man in question wasn''t thinking much at all.


    He just nced at the divine rankers in front of him with an amused gaze, finding the contrast in their attitudes extremely entertaining.


    [Until you win, nobody cares. So, win.


    Province, duch, kingdom, even the alliance itself¡ªeveryone, everywhere bow down to the man who wins.


    The world can be conquered¡­if the one who can conquer rises.]


    Varian clenched his fists and the power of his pseudo divine exploded out with full force.


    His seven paths, each of which stood at the peak of pseudo divine, soared upwards, hitting the ceiling.


    It was the first phase of ''sensing the wall'' in reaching the divine ranks. It''s also the step most people fail at. Even the ones who seed typically take thousands upon thousands of years to firmly sense that wall.


    Varian did it in one go and his aura underwent a shift, turning a little less celestial and a bit more divine.


    His strength didn''t change in any significant way but his proximity to advancing to the divine ranks was just one step away.


    This change was witnessed by everyone present and there was no reaction other than desperate disbelief followed by numbing shock.


    His qualifications were proven in just a simple move.


    "I guess I''ll have to take a small break for breakthrough." Varian turned to the Nexus trio and said.


    "Very well. The things that need to be said and given to the winner would be postponed until you breakthrough." Aphosis nodded with an expresionless face as ever, but his eyes seemed to show a hint of satisfaction.


    "It''s not a problem to wait a hundred years. Others will take long but a hundred should be enough for him." All mother Asherah chuckled, trying very hard to make it seem like she''s not trying to please Varian while trying to cate him and mend their rtionship.


    Since she, a rank 2, titled All Mother, spoke so highly of him to the point it could even be called ttery, Asherah expected Varian to melt and thank her or maybe even deny her words, responding in a humble manner as one would expect from a talented but obedient junior.


    Asherah couldn''t be faulted for thinking that way. Every powerhouse on the scene thought the same.


    Varian''s reaction was out of expectations.


    "Are you kidding me? A hundred years? If I take that long for just a stupid breakthrough, I might as well kill myself in a tomb called failure."


    "¡­Ahahaha, I''m kidding. I''m kidding, of course. I guess my humor is too old fashioned for a youngster like you. I meant a hundred months of course."


    "100 months? I took less than half that time to get here while growing up in an absolutely crappy environment and you think I''ll take more time now?"


    "¡­" Asherah was dumbfounded and her senses scanning Varian told her that he''s not lying.


    With a deep sigh, she said. "A hundred da¡ª"


    "That''s a bit too much. A few weeks is more than enough for me. But I''ll take up your offer of a 100 day rest. I''ll need a vacation after this duel." Varian dered to Asherah but it was actually being said to Keman and Yami.


    Keman nodded, indicating he had no problem while Yami, who was silent so far narrowed her eyes.


    The power of death engulfed Varian and he instinctively knew that he was just a thread away from eternal sleep.


    "Varian, you cheated, didn''t you? Without cheating, there''s no way you''d win!"


    "Of course I did," Varian shrugged and nced at everyone with unparalleled confidence. "So what? Immortal is gone forever. If not me, then who?"

 Chapter 1621 The Obvious

    Chapter 1621 The Obvious


    ??Aphosis rarely felt troubled by something. The man, well, the boy was a master of not worrying about things out of control.


    But in this particr moment, even the mostly emotionless powerhouse had an urge to p Varian in the face.


    ''Why do you have to oppose Yami every goddamn time? Can''t you see she''s an egoistical woman with pride heavier than milky way? It''s absolutely irrational to push her into a state of hostility from the position of weakness without considering the oues of such confrontation thoroughly, which as of now, are only against...''


    The ''thoughts'' in Aphosis mind for this one ocassion could probably fill a typical book due to how structured and detailed they were.


    s, every page, para and line pointed to the same conclusion.


    ''Varian is an idiot! And the alliance is probably doomed for trusting this brickhead with such an important task. The worst hit would be Nexus. We''ll definitely get wiped out for promoting such wayward genius.''


    "...Hehehe." Sensing his gaze, Varian turned to Aphosis with a sheepish smile, as if he''s some innocentd. "Thanks for your help, Lord Aphosis. Or else, I couldn''t have killed Immortal."


    "..."


    Aphosis turned his neck stiffly and saw Yami ring at him.


    ''You ungrateful son of a bitch!''


    The powerhouse ended up spewing vulgar words inside his mind even though he remained perfectly emotionless outside except his eyes twitching violently.


    "...Do you understand what you''ve done, Aphosis? As the representative of Nexus, your actions are an act of treason against the entire alli--"


    "Just a second, mydy." Varian interrupted Yami''s rant with an elegant gesture, like a nobleman stopping a conflict in a ball. "As the mastermind of that n, I am eligible for the questions."


    Yami shook her head, a disbelieving smile mixed with anger on her face. "I''ve never seen someone as arrogant as you. Just one snap is enough to end you and everyone you love but you keep acting as if you''re the boss here."


    "You didn''t snap." Varian smiled. "Let''s be realistic here. You don''t really have an option other than me."


    "Do you think alliance bends to such cheap threats from someone who can''t even win a duel?" Keman interrupted, his sharp words in contrast to hisrgely neutral gaze.


    ''Huh? Is he trying to support me?''


    "It''s not about bending or breaking. The goal had always been to chose the most suitable candidate. Fair duel? It''s just a mechanism to get that candidate.


    But the duel was never fair. So, I cheated to bnce it out.


    Immortal was crushed by me a thousand years ago. He surpassed me significantly by living a thousand more years. And I almost caught up to him in just two decades."


    Keman smiled lightly, patting Asherah on the head like she''s a good puppy while thetter enjoyed with a melted expression.


    Yami, on the other hand, was simultaneously conflicted and pissed.


    "You now know my age, the number of years I spent on my divine paths and slivers. It''s a fraction of Immortal''s lifespan. And I''m still deemed worthy for a duel with him. Unless you are retarded, you can tell who''s the better choice for a distant future.


    But your egos didn''t allow you to admit such a basic fact and you had toe up with a stupid duel.


    The winner of the duel is just that, the winner. He has more strength today and doesn''t promise anything about the future.


    Likee on, are you stupid or are you stupid?"


    Aphosis was sweating profusely as he watched Yami''s chest heave up and down, her nails digging into her flesh while she gnashed her teeth like she''d rip apart Varian''s throat.


    But thankfully, the situation did not turn violent.


    "It''s indeed a mistake on our part." Keman spoke in a slightly softer tone. "As you said, maybe we were trying to find a reason to not ept you. Luckily for the alliance, the correct person won."


    Yami turned to Keman with a re before crossing her arms and exhaling deeply. "Yeah, it was an inappropriate move for someone like myself. I guess interacting with the living has contaminated my perfection."


    Varian shrugged with a carefree smile. "Must be like that. I don''t think thedy of death would make a mistake like that otherwise."


    Yami was surprised and then showed a friendly smile. "Our opinions regarding the undead seem more simr."


    ''He mocked you. And you can''t even tell.'' Sia covered her face and Sarah lowered her head to hide her twitching lips nearly breaking into a smile.


    Aridam stood up from his seat and pped loudly. "Now that everything is wrapped up, let''s end this event here. We all have our duties to attend."


    Keman nodded and his form began to fade. "Varian, you will be dered as a honorary member of the Vita tribe, a being we carried out after infusing you with the power of life sliver.


    This identity will give you the necessary privileges and justify your special treatment.


    It also stops Jai Empire from seeing you as an existential threat. The unknown is the most dangerous after all."


    Varian nodded,pletely in agreement. He did need an identity for help.


    "Do not worry, there have been several beings like that before you and more than a sixth of them survived over a hundred years independently."


    "¡­"


    "I''ll see you after you step into the divine. We have to talk. A lot."


    Yami nodded at him and disappeared. She didn''t seem to know how to treat him now that he''s the inevitable.


    Asherah was also about to leave when Varian called her out. "Excuse me."


    "Y-Yes?"


    "Give her back. She is family."


    "Ah¡­Ahahahah¡­haha¡­" Asherah clenched her fists but relented.


    She couldn''t kill Varian and hope to survive. She couldn''t offend him now and hope to survive in the future.


    s¡­


    A cage materialized and a yawning Aurora looked at everyone with sleepy eyes as the chains on her disintegrated.


    Spotting Varian, her eyes widened and she jumped at him like a fallinget.


    "Brother-inw!"


    Varian would''ve been sted off due to her momentum if he wasn''t strong enough.


    "Are you really alive?" She pped his shoulders and arms, before examining his face with a serious gaze. "No, this could just be a carefully constructed body by my mother to deceive me."


    Varian rolled his eyes


    Aurora grabbed his shoulders and looked into his eyes. "Strip first, I''ll have to check you prop¡ªouch!"


    Miss Cmity clutched her forehead and red at him with teary eyes. "It''s really you!"


    Varian turned to Asherah. "You know what? I don''t really need this crazy woman, take her ba¡ª"


    "Brother-inw!" Miss Cmity grabbed his hand and looked at him with a pitiful gaze. "Are you really going to abandon me? Me?"


    "¡­"


    Varian was just joking but Aurora was so good at acting that he started feeling a bit guilty.


    "Little fox, get your hands off him!"


    Isadora appeared between Varian and Aurora.


    "S-Senior Si¡ª"


    "All Mother, take her away! We don''t need her!" Isadora turned to the woman and dered.


    Asherah looked between Varian and Isadora before letting out a nervous chuckle. "Ah, right! I have an urgent task! Creating a race ofughing flowers! Ah, ahahahaha, see you! See you allter!"


    Thedy ran away. The two undead with Yami had long left.


    Now, there''s only Varian''s camp and Nexus trio.


    Aphosis looked at Varian with an indifferent expression and thought back to the times when he nearly had a heartstroke.


    "Aphosis, you knew about Hortus but allowed it! I knew you''re a brother the moment I saw you! Brother don''t snitc¡ª"


    "Get out! Get out of here!" Aphosis waved his hand and all of them were thrown into Hortus without resistance.


    The lively space turned empty and the man at the helm of Nexus turned to his peers with a tired gaze.


    "Did I make a mistake by allowing that idiot to win?"


    Equilus snorted, the space around him rippling with silvery white waves of power. "Varian is bad. Immortal is worse. The ideal way is to grab the slivers and give it to someone we create ourselves."


    "We''re not going into that debate again." Aridam shrugged. "Logos has the power to choose."


    "A mere sliv¡ª"


    "A pair of slivers, well, a fusion of slivers." Aphosis corrected. "Logos picked him right. Anyone else would''ve been dead in a few days after their dangers spike so much.


    Varian not only survived the dangers, he also managed to capitalize on the corresponding opportunities ande this far."


    "And you think he stands a chance against the God Emperor? Even with two more slivers?" Equilius said with an uninterested expression.


    "He won''t die in the first blow. That''s the only thing I''m sure of."

 Chapter 1622 Home, Sweet Home

    Chapter 1622 Home, Sweet Home


    Once Varian and family returned home, the Heir of the alliance noticed the grumpy old man ring at him like always. He was silent the whole time, be it when they were pulled out of Hortus, during the period when Varian was brutally tortured and when the duel contestants disappeared for a while.


    Unlike the women, he didn''t show any sign of worry on his face and appeared as carefree as he''d always been.


    And now that he was in proximity with Varian, he stared ring at him with eyes that would swallow if they could.


    "I went through so much sh*t and all you do is re at me? Even if you''re my elder-inw, this is really unexpected." Varian said with an overly surprised expression.


    "They''re all worried for nothing." Evander crossed his arms and snorted. "Only good guys die at a hundred. Bad guys will live for a thousand. Terrible people will live for ten thousand.


    But shameless scoundrels like you won''t ever die. Even death doesn''t want to touch you with a ten foot pole. No wonder that deathdy was so irritated with you." "Father!" Sarah stomped with an aggrieved gaze. "How can you say such words when he''s been through so much pain? If you do it once again, I''ll really¡­start crying."


    "S-Sorry, sorry, daughter! My stupid mouth!" Evander''s stern expression immediately copsed and he apologized with a pitiful face.


    "Tsk, weak old man." Prim chuckled from the side. "He''s strong to everyone else outside but now he''s behav¡ªOops!"


    The energetic teenage girl shut up at Sarah''s re and hid behind Helena, muttering. "Scary, scary, so scary!"


    "Brat, you aren''t a child anymore. Respect my father or I''ll teach you respect." Sarah said in a threatening tone.


    Prim gulped her saliva and stuck out her neck from behind Helena. In a weak voice that shouldn''t havee out of someone who ruled a third of Hortus, she said. "B-But brother also calls him w-weak old m¡ª" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Var is my father''s disciple before we were wife and husband. And their rtionship is theirs to decide."


    "W-Why is my rtionship with him not mine to deci¡­" Prim''s teeth chattered and her hair started to freeze.


    Sarah had a kind smile on her face. "Yes, Prim, you were saying something?"


    "Achuu!" Prim''s rank 9 powers couldn''t save her from the cold. Even wrapping her arms around herself, the girl began to shiver.


    Cold, so fricking cold!


    "Even though I''m the Queen, I''ve been very democratic in ruling. I listen to all opinions. So, you were saying something?" Sarah tilted her head with an encouraging expression.


    Knowing her predicament, the brave girl immediately surrendered. "Yeah, yeah, you''re right! You''re absolutely right!"


    While this small incident of ''disciplining'' was happening, Varian was pulled into the main pce by Sia and Enigma.


    It was a ocean-themed room. The interior was light blue with a soothing music of sirens ying in the background. The top of the room resembled the view of water as seen from the bottom of ake or a river.


    Beyond the walls were sea creatures swimming in a small ocean created for the walls, within the walls using space folding.


    They sat him down on soft cushion filled with cool water and stared at him like he''s some artpiece. Varian was fine for a few minutes but eventually, he asked in an awkward tone. "Um, what are you girls doing?"


    "Shhh!" Enigma ced her index finger on her thin lips. "Printing. Printing you into memory." Sia whispered and resumed that obsessive stare.


    Varian wanted to say something but he ended up sighing and closing his eyes. The battle took a toll on him anyway and he needed some time with himself. Since they''re not asking him to interact and were content with just looking, he decided to meditate and calm down his messed up mind.


    Shortly after, Isadora entered the room with Aurora. The two of them were in an argument, which was rare since Miss Cmity, despite the notoriety outside was actually a very peaceful person.


    In a sense, her cold blooded, mysterious and ruthless personna mainted outside was directly against her actual self¡ªan energetic, kind, ''the girl next door'' closeness.


    "Why don''t you call him brother? We have a Prim anyway. You can be Prim 2.0."


    "I don''t want to be anyone''s copy! Not yours, not Prim''s! Yeah, especially not that shorty''s!"


    Prim who was walking behind Sarah with her head lowered raised her head in shock.


    She''s not short anymore! Even though Miss Cmity was still half a head taller than her¡­what''s wrong with being a bit short?


    "I''ll punch her thick skull to my height!" Rubbing her fist, Prim reached for the door, only to be pulled away by Sarah who grabbed her by the cor.


    "Let go!" Prim struggled to get out of their grip, kicking her legs in the air but the Queen was firm.


    "I''ll shave her hair and cut her height by at least two inches! Ahhh!"


    Restraining the wriggling rebel with one hand, Sarah waited for Miss Cmity''s decision.


    Unaware that another demoness was listening to her, Aurora rubbed her long, silky hair with a prideful expression and continued. "I''m me, Miss Cmity, the nightmare of the Empire, the yer of enemies and the beam of light in the final darkn¡ª"


    "Stop, stop, stop!" Isadora rolled her eyes. "I''d rather Prim call him dad to be safe. But she grew up and if she calls him dad now¡­I don''t want to imagine. So, just call him brother and everything will be sorted out." "But I don''t wanna!" Miss Cmity stomped her foot and pouted. Raising her arms in protest, she said. "He already has a sister. But he doesn''t have a sister-inw. So, that''s my ce."


    "What of it?" "That makes me special, which I am!" "¡­Aurora, are you naive or are you pretending to be naive?"


    "¡­" As if she was hurt badly by those words, Miss Cmity looked at her with teary eyes.


    "Okay, okay. you are innocent but I really don''t want to take some risks. Especiallyhim. I trust you¡­somewhat, but I don''t trust your gold digger of a mother at all. Do you dare to admit she didn''t tell you anything regarding Varian?" Isadora looked into her eyes with a challenging gaze.


    "She didn''t say anything weird." "So she said something." "Err¡­she told me to have his babies?" Aurora tilted her head with a half-confused expression.


    "That old vixen bi¡ªhaaah~" Isadora nced at Varian who kept his eyes closed like a monk and patted her chest. "Language,nguage,nguage."


    "¡­"


    "If you dare to touch my husband¡­I don''t know what I will do."


    "¡­But I can have babies without touching? Never tried that stuff but it shouldn''t be hard for a divine ranker."


    "That''s it!" The door mmed open and Sarah stormed in. Without giving Aurora a chance, the Queen dragged her away. Isadora covered her face and sighed. "She might not make it out alive."


    "W-Wait! I was just saying, I don''t really have such th¡ªaaah!"


    Pa! Pa! Pa!


    The sounds of wood hitting flesh and a young woman''s wails leaked into the pce from the outside, disturbing Varian''s sleep. Realizing this, Isadora quickly used her powers to seal off the sounds.


    Then, she joined Sia and Enigma to sit down and calm down her heart by staring at Varian.


    It was a bit weird, even crazy but for her who thought she''d lose him forever, just seeing him and telling herself he''s still alive was a big relief.


    A few minutester, Prim sneaked in. She wanted to sit beside Varian but Sarah gave her a smiling nce and the girl sat a few steps away.


    Aurora walked in rubbing her hair. The beatings were okay but shaving her hair off was really atrocious! Why did Sarah learn such devious things? Even with her power, it took a while to regenerate her hair!


    ''If I really went out bald, won''t my image damage? Miss Cmity will be Bald Cmity! Oh no!''


    Aurora wanted toin to whoever was willing to listen and if possible, who could avenge her. Looking at the people here, only Varian would even bother.


    So, she mustered up the courage toin but Sarah nced at her and waved her hand.


    With a dismayed face, Aurora walked back and sat beside the dispirited Prim.


    The two looked at each other ad felt a hint of sympathy and then, there was a spark between their eyes. What''s with this tyranny? They decided they''d demand liberty or ept death! So¡­


    ''You go!'' ''No, you first.''


    ''Come on, you''re older!'' ''No, you are the older one!'' ''You look old! I still look like a teenager!'' ''O-Old? By human standards, I''m barely in my twenties! This is super, super young!'' ''I am younger!'' ''Then do as an elder says!''


    ''Elder, ever looked yourself in the mirror? No wonder you didn''t have an army and always acted alone!''


    ''Haa? The army just can''t keep up with me! And why would I need an army? I am the army!''


    The two sheep scared by the tigress, ended up fighting with each other.

 Chapter 1623 Princess

    Chapter 1623 Princess


    When Varian opened his eyes, it was snowing outside.


    Prim and Cmity were both making a snow woman version of themselves, well, they were trying and failing horribly, but hey, it''s fun to watch!


    Maybe he could try use these figurines and scare away the Jai Emperor in the future?


    ''It might actually work!''


    If the two outside knew his thoughts, they might beat him up. Fortunately, they weren''t reading his mind.


    The room he was in was transformed into a warm winter home with a firece, thick carpets and simple furniture. There was a nket covering him and a hot coffee next to him on the table. Throwing off the nket, Varian grabbed the coffee and stepped out of the room.


    Sarah and Enigma, both dressed in pretty winter clothes were discussing small topics, sharing augh from time to time.


    They both waved at him with a smile and he sat down with them for some light talk. Not a word was spoken about the duel, Hortus or any serious issue.


    Their anxiety seemed to have cooled down and Varian visited the kitchen overflowing with aromas.


    Sia greeted him with delicious meals with the maids helping her serve them. She stared at him the whole time and he understood that if he didn''t leave in time, he might get eaten.


    Varian dered the invitation by the two to judge their ''perfect snow model'' and walked ahead.


    Leaving behind his footprints in the snow, he passed by the trees covered in white.


    Some distance away, he found the silver-haired woman in a white dress was sitting on a wide tree branch, fishing with an absolute peace of mind.


    When he sat next to her, Isadora handed him a fishing rod.


    Varian joined her in fishing. An hour passed in the silence.


    "Dora," His hot breath apanied the words.


    "¡­Are you two teaming up to split my name?" The princess rolled her eyes. Varian chuckled and pinched her pouting cheeks. "Just kidding, what do you think are my chances of beating him?" The rod shook slightly but Isadora didn''t immediately pull. She waited for it topletely take the bait. And then, the big fish was pulled out the need to borrowany strength from the divine paths.


    Leaving the fish back into the icyke, Isadora said without any change in expression. "What if it''s low? What if it''s high? What will you do? What can you do?"


    Varian rubbed his forehead. "It''s frustrating when you answer like that but it''s even more frustrating since you''re right. I really don''t have a choice."


    "¡­Precisely. Since you must fight, fight with all you have. Four slivers, seven paths against two slivers and two or three paths." The eyes of the princess reflected the calm iceke.


    "I don''t think they''ll just give me the slivers. Not before I reach rank 2. Until then, I have this." Varian raised his palm. A lotus me of red and green emerged.


    "The mini-slivers of life and death." Isadora narrowed her eyes. "They aren''t fused like yours."


    The red and green mes were deeply intertwined in the lotus but they didn''t mix unlike Varian''s slivers which could be fused and separated as per need.


    "Yeah, they aren''t." Varian closed his hand, pulling the slivers together. But as he proceeded, a force of resistance emerged at some point and began to push outward.


    He still pushed on but the more he closed, the harder it got for him to close further. It''s like folding paper, incredibly easy initially at first but impossible after just a few turns.


    When it got too difficult for his physical strength to do the job, Varian flooded the mini-slivers with aura.


    Boom!


    An explosion urred in his hand and the iceke exploded, leaving them floating in the air. The whitendscape around them was dyed red.


    "¡­Sliver fusion is not as easy as I thought." He sighed in frustration.


    Isadora held his hand even though it had regenerated in a split second and looked at him in reproach. "For someone who holds Logos and knows how difficult the process was, you are being stupid." "I know about Logos'' fusion, never experienced it. This is my first and these aren''t slivers. These are mini-slivers." Varian said with a defensive cough. "They''re as good as slivers below the divine rank." Isadora gazed into his eyes. "I begin to see why Sia keeps saying you''d be safer if she locks you up in the basement. You might kill yourself trying to fuse these slivers."


    Looking at those ruby red eyes, Varian felt a chill down his spine for no reason."We''re not getting into that again. Sia is just like that sometimes."


    "Yeah, I think Sia is wrong too." "Right?!" "It''s better to throw your soul into a dream world where we can all live together while your body remains here."


    "I know the duel was brutal and stressful but fucking hell!" Varian pulled her into a hug and patted her back. "Don''t worry, princess. It''ll be fine. It''ll all be fine. I''m here. I''m not leaving you."


    Isadora hugged him tight, as if she''s afraid he''d disappear and said in a feeble voice. "I want to just escape with you to somewhere distant, somewhere all these conflicts won''t touch us. But your fate¡­it''s so messed up that I can''t see any way out. You must''ve realized too, right? The difficulty of the dangers you have to face only increases every time you seed and the chances you could survive the next danger only diminish.


    The chance might never be zero¡­until it is." "I know." Varian didn''t show any sign of bitterness as he admitted the harsh reality of his life. "But I''ll keep fighting, you know why?"


    "Why?" "I have a cute princess I don''t want to leave behind. She''s very stubborn and reliable, but sometimes, she overthinks a lot and ends up worrying too much. She needs a hug and kiss. And I have to remain so that I pamper her with love." Even though they weren''t a new couple, Isadora felt her face burn at his words. But to counter his aggressiveness, she whimpered. "And even now, I''m just a princess, while she is your queen. Hmph!" "Hahahahahaha!" "Don''tugh! I''m really jealous now!" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Since you''re alright, I''ll go hit the divine ranks, my mental state is great now. Love you, my princess!" "Hey, Hey, Hey! Who said I''m fine? Call me Queen too! No, call me Empress!"

 Chapter 1624 Divine Rank

    Chapter 1624 Divine Rank


    ??Varian closed his eyes on top of a snow mountain.


    He sealed off his powers abruptly and his body trembled at the bone-chilling coldness. The sealed power tried to soar back and protect him instinctively but he pushed it down.


    With a calm mind that a normal man could never have in such an environment, he noted the sensation of his body.


    The brushing of cold wind against his skin, the way his skin twitched and shook,


    longing for a little warmth. The bits of ice forming on his skin and the cold air entering his lungs.


    "Haaa~"


    His perception of the outside world ceased, turning inward towards his own body¨Cthe flesh, blood, bones.


    Then, it went deeper.


    The wisps of aura flowed in every inch of his body. Unlike before, they now carried a hint of divinity in them, glowing faintly with a silvery light as they moved.


    And it went deeper still.


    To the divine paths outside the material existence.


    As he touched the power inside him, held them through his thoughts and immersed himself in them, he sensed it.


    The wall.


    A symbolic name given to the resistance that existed in every living creature to take a risky jump to discard their mortal nature. An instinctual push back thates when a path tries to leap into the divine rank.


    "Hmph!"


    Varian smirked and the wall¡ªwhich stumped countless geniuses since the first awakener¡ªshattered like ss.


    Nothing changed for a moment and then suddenly, everything was different.


    The first to change was Varian''s body, the part brimming with life.


    His lifeforce soared to unimaginable levels, pushing his lifespan into a range of millions of years.


    Even a single hair on his body contained enough life force to overwhelm an star system.


    His physical strength surged to proportions that made no sense.


    The path of <Dragon>.


    Then it was his soul that changed. From a fragile mortal self to a divine soul that could withstand cataclysms and even be reborn when it shattered.


    The path of


    .


    Last in the avenue was the power of death that resided in him. It stood inplete contrast to the power of life and yet, it was so simr.


    Life was with Death and Death always apanied Life.


    The path of <Titan>.


    The next phase of changes was more external.


    The world then opened up to him,ying itself bare as it showed the intricate underworkings of Order and Chaos in every aspect of existence.


    The fabric of space-time seemed to split under his gaze, revealing its structure and secrets.


    "Finally!"


    When Varian opened his eyes and saw the world again, it no longer felt the same.


    It felt tiny, fragile and simple.


    Theplex world which muddled researchers all their lives felt like a toy built by very familiar blocks. Something he could dismantle bit by bit and try piecing it all together.


    ''Status''


    [Dragon-Phoenix-Titan:


    Order-Chaos:


    Space-Time:


    PS: Or alternatively


    Sage:


    Ruler:


    Creator: ]


    ''What''s up with lumping them together? And where''s the progress bar?''


    [Take a break for now. You''re in for a surpriseter. Everything will be exined.]


    ''You really are eager for me to have my vacation. What are you up to?''


    [Your future is too uncertain for any prediction. So might as well as have some fun ad make memories while you still can. For all your hopes, you could die due to a sneeze of the God Emperor.]


    ''You son of a bi¡ª''


    [Language!]


    ''Shut up, you''re not my mom.''


    [Then will you listen if I call you daddy?]


    ''¡­I need that vacation.''


    The family was ecstatic that Varian decided to take time off. Even though a hundred days felt too little for a thousand year penace, they decided to make the most of it.


    The hundred days passed¡­a little too fast.


    Sarah and Varian were mostly reading books, watching movies or ying games during their time.


    "And the harem''s concubine tried to poison the empress! The empress was as smart as me, so she managed to spoil the ploy. Heh! That concubine though, she''s just like Isadora. Too prideful, too spoiled."


    Sia¡­well, the time with her ended up with them living in a small, cozy house, spending all time indoors. As time passed, she gradually ''allowed'' outdoors and eventually, her fears seem to have faded away.


    "Varian, Varian, Varian!"


    Enigma and Varian spent time in their sleep¡ªin the dream world she constructed through her soul power. It was a recreation of the times Varian was younger. Time quickly passed there and the two had spent years in their dreams.


    "Can we have babies in the dream? Pleeshhh~"


    Isadora didn''t ask for any special thing. She just apanied him for casual strolls, chatted trivial topics and lived like it''s another normal day.


    "Do you like hard peaches or soft peaches?"


    The one who was most nervous about the whole thing¡ª Prim¡ªslowly found courage to bond with her brother as her teenage self. The apprehension and awkwardness vanished a bit too soon and she had a st with him every minute they spent together.


    "Bro! Jump higher, we''re going to catch that bastard bird! Up! Up! Up!!!"


    Hazel finally fulfilled her wish of living like a proper maid and Matriach Helena was painting most of the time he saw her. He didn''t peek at what she was painting but the way she covered the canvas everytime he saw her indicated it probably wouldn''t be a good idea anyway.


    ""Master~""


    And Varian kept fiddling with the mini slivers whenever he had the time in those hundred days.


    The progress seemed small until suddenly one day¡ª


    Boom!


    Hortus shook as the green and red mes in Varian''s hand fused.


    "What?!"


    Isadora and Sarah appeared next to him instantly.


    Only then did he notice that a barrier built of darkness and a ring of time emerged around him, blocking any fluctuation from the slivers.


    ¡­They seemed a bit too familiar with him and had already set up the safeguards.


    "You really fused them?" Isadora was dumbfounded.


    "It just happened." Varian shrugged. "I haven''t used them for battles but I can tell for sure. Sage avenue paths are going to grow at a very fast pace thanks to these."


    "I saw no progress trying to fuse even a few strands¡­" Sarah was depressed.


    They saw what he was doing and took a few strands to try it themselves. Of course, they both failed.


    But Sarah felt more ashamed of failing. She came to terms with the fact that her husband was a monster with no parallel. Yet, she found it hard to digest that she couldn''t even do stuff he did as a fresh divine ranker.


    "Aww, don''t be like that." Isadora consoled with a teasing smile. "Hortus'' forbidden regions are from the Primordial Gods themselves. Having their help in divine ranks would let you progress fast."


    "¡­I wanted to be of help." Sarah lowered her head in disappointed and muttered. "But I can tell¡­he''s gonna surpass me soon."


    Varian remained silent, deciding not to poke Sarah''s self- esteem.


    But the princess was enjoying this far too much to hold back. "Do you think he hasn''t surpassed you already? A peak mid rank 1?"


    Sarah raised her head in shock and looked at him in disbelief.


    Varian gave the princess a sidere and raised his hands. "I don''t think I can win. The gap is still very big."


    Isadora covered her mouth and chuckled. "See? He said can''t win but he didn''t say can''t fight. He''s not stronger but he''s in that range already. He''s definitely stronger than any fresh mid rank 1."


    Sarah looked at him nkly before turning around. "¡­I''m going to breakthrough. Back in ten years."


    "Hey! Sarah, wait!" Varian yelled but the Queen began to disappear.


    "Tsk, what an idiot!" Isadora had a cunning smile. "Now I can spend even more time with you. You just watch harem dramas, I y them!"


    Varian pped her ass and decided not to give the princess the satisfaction of victory. So, he spoke through their synergic link.


    "Sarah, you can breakthrough faster if we do a Synergy."


    Click!


    The world''s lights seemed to turn off for a moment and Sarah appeared in front of him a ghost.


    She grabbed his arm and said with a determined expression. "Let''s go!"


    "Today is thest day of vacation. Perfect time to bed him!" Sia dropped from the sky.


    "The first one to faint keeps bringing it up, sigh." Enigma whispered.


    "I can hear you!"


    Varian sensed at the changing mind and expressed his condolences for the bed that''s going to break today.


    s, who could understand his suffering?

 Chapter 1625 Grave Of The God Emperor

    Chapter 1625 Grave Of The God Emperor


    ??In a few hours, Varian would be meeting the rulers of the Alliance. It was thest few hours for a certain powerhouse to convince the mistress of death.


    "It''s your grudge. Why should I provoke him for you? Doesn''t say¡­what''s that word your trio uses¡­rational, does it?" Yami crossed her leg, an enchanting glowing from her skin as dark as the night.


    It was the only light in her pitch ck castle, built from the bones and flesh of the dead. The smell inside was horrible for any living being and yet, the dead couldn''t stop enjoying the fragrance.


    Equiluis thanked his stars that he''s too rational to get affected by these things. But s, he wasn''t emotionless. If he was, he wouldn''t be here for a risky negotation.


    "Varian is ultimately a living being. He is not a lot of things but petty, he sure is. You have opposed him since the start and the only reconction, if we could even call it one, came from his side.


    Everything isughter and rainbows now. But what about when he reaches the peak of rank 2? Or even high rank 2?


    It won''t take too long for that boy. The resources pooled up by the alliance for this very purpose should shorten that time to only a million years. But this boy might do it in just hundred thousand or maybe ten thousand. I''m not even sure.


    The point is, when he has the power over anyone in this world bar the God Emperor, why would he need to keep you alive?


    The grudge you have with him is small and inconsequential today, but what if he doesn''t see it that way?"


    Yami''s brows frowned and she leaned forward, her eyes turning a dangerous red. "What do you mean?"


    "You have no idea how Varian really percieves you."


    "I can''t take action just for that."


    "You''re not killing him. You''re just converting him to your side." Equiluis said with a convincing smile that contained no malice.


    Yami got into thinking.


    "Really, think about it. If Varian loses, well, we''re all dead. So, we want him to win. But what if he wins? Whates after? Even if it''s a million yearster, we''ll have to n for that time. Million is not too short but it''s not too long either.


    The Alliance and Jai Empire will be ruled under a living being.


    Will the Undead have a good life?


    Will he favor your kind equally as he does his own?"


    "¡­"


    Yami pursed her lips, a glint shing in her eyes.


    *** *** *** ***


    Varian''s aura waspletely withdrawn when he met the rulers. Despite being high rank 2s and mid rank 2s, they couldn''t tell how strong he got.


    It was equally fascinating and astonishing.


    "Maybe you really have a chance." Keman predicted as they walked on a long branch that stretched itself into a space corridor.


    Yami, the one who was typically talkative, remained silent and sullen. Her eyes were narrowed and there seemed to be something on her mind.


    The trio also apanied him.


    "The tree in the tower spawns so many little elves and some divine nts. It''s so fun to kill the elves by swinging the nts. But this branch produces nothing. It''s pure crap." Aridamined about irrelevant topics.


    Equiluis had a polite smile throughout, answering what he should and remaining silent everywhere else.


    Aphosis who stood the closest to Varian, however, was frowning. His intuition was making him slightly ufortable and he wasn''t sure what''s going to happen.


    Unless the Jai Emperor attacked, there''s no way this lineup would fall for any enemy.


    "Where are we going anyway?" Varian asked.


    "The spire in the tower is the forbidden region of Order-Chaos created by the Primordial God. The temple of God around God''s Eye is a creation by the Primordial God of Space-Time. This one was created by and for Life-Death."


    Aphosis exined.


    "¡­And what wille of it?" Varian gave him a strange expression.


    He heard some strange things about that ce. Most of the sanements said people, dead or living, should not set foot there.


    "Don''t worry," Aphosisforted him. "We''re not sending you in. You need to be stronger to make it work."


    "It rejects people above rank 1 and those of other paths." Yami chipped in. "We''ll send you in only when you''re strong enough to fight the head princes. You can exit in the middle unlike the spire. But if you get into central region, it could get too dangerous."


    "¡­Thanks?" Varian wasn''t sure how to respond. They''re just not throwing him into firepit and were feeling generous for that?


    "But why go there now?"


    "Well¡­"


    The fabric of space-time split open and a grand view emerged.


    It was a huge region with the shape of a horizontal ''8'' or more closely, something akin to the infinity symbol.


    One half was green, the other was red. The intersection, however, was a noble yellow.


    Just a stare and Varian felt a sense of unease.


    When he sent his perception into that region, a chill down his spine and he stopped.


    It wasn''t a normal feeling. It was as if someone was warning him not to do that stupid stuff.


    "This is going to be the Grave of the God Emperor." Keman announced the shattering news.


    "¡­And how is that?" Varian didn''t have much optimism as him.


    "Thanks to you, the Spire got under Nexus'' control. Once you gain control of this zone, fuse it with the Spire.


    Two forbidden regions, two pair of slivers. You should be able to win.


    No, you must win." Aphosis exlpained with a patient expression.


    "¡­" Varian looked at him with a suspicious gaze.


    "Winning this region and controlling it is too important. Even peak rank 1s failed badly here. This is something solely on you."


    Varian nodded. "Can I just go take a look?"


    Yami and Equlius looked at each other.


    "Sure." Keman nodded and snapped his finger, ready to extend the branch.


    "Let me." Yami beat him to it and built a bridge of skeletons.


    Varian waved at them and walked down the bridge.


    The bridge remained normal until the end as he approached the green half of the forbidden region.


    But when Varian was reaching the end, a power of order erupted out of nowhere and he was forcefully swept away to the red half.


    Due to the meticulous nning of the order power, however, it looked like Varian kicked the bridge and changed its direction.


    He stepped into the region of death.


    [A/N: Volume ends.


    Any suggestions for the shortest of saga of the story¡ªthe divine sage¡ªis wee.


    Also wee is the feedback.


    Shortest:


    It won''t be rushed but since there are only two ranks and Varian''s speed, well, is Varian''s speed, it would be pretty fast.


    And as Logos'' surprise would be revealed soon, it''ll make sense.]

 Chapter 1626 Purgatory

    Chapter 1626 Purgatory


    ??"Do you think he can do it?" Keman asked once Varian disappeared from sight.


    He didn''t suspect Yami doing something off. Nor did anyone else. It required thorough preparation beforehand and couldn''t be pulled off without support. And Nexus'' trio would be thest to do such a thing.


    Or at least that''s what the ruler of genesis empire believed, like any knowledgable person would.


    "No one is able to truly conquer these ces." Yami remarked, somehow looking relieved. "Maybe he can but I won''t bet my sliver on it."


    When she mentioned ''sliver'', Aridman frowned imperceptibly before switching back to a prideful smile.


    Equilius, having noticed his fellow''s difort shook his head in dismissal. He hated these idiots.


    Barring some races, it''s not that they didn''t have emotions at all. But over millennia of suppression, they werepletely buried and given no ce.


    Aridam, for all his pride, stopped himself from making a derisive remark about ''betting a sliver''.


    For the so-called greater good, a proud man lowered his head.


    ''You do you. In my books, rational means self-preservation. I will save myself from Varian.''


    While the old diviner felt assured of his decision, Aphosis gave an honest judgement of Varian''s chances.


    "Purgatory and Elysium have no rank 2 divine beings. He should be able to conquer these two ces. That''d be enough. Nirvana, forget it. It was never in the ns."


    His words drew an immediate response from the empress of death empire. "It''d be interesting to see one person reign supreme in both life and death as a rank 1. It was deemed impossible due to the structure of divine paths themselves. Never seen it, never thought I would see it. But here we are."


    "Life is an exploration, touching on opportunities that the non-living could simply notprehend." Keman remarked, mocking Yami in a manner that''s neither too direct nor subtle.


    "Oh yeah? Do you have any idea how an Undead feels?" Yami asked back with a smirk, the glow on her dark skin rising with each word.


    A creepy tension filled the space and howls of the dead began to ring in every person''s mind.


    "Forget it." Keman shook his head with a derisive snort.


    "Tch."


    While the rulers had a small spat, Variannded in the dead half of the region.


    Purgatory.


    The sky was pitch ck and red clouds stretched until the horizon.


    There was not a single patch of greenary or for that matter, any form of vegetation as far as his perception could cover. And it covered a heck tonne of radius even as a celestial.


    "The air, urgh, rotten!" Varian spat on the ground trying to control his nausea.


    The saliva which fell on the ground vaporized in a blink and tiny ck spots exploded inside. The little bit of vitality inside waspletely drained, leaving behind a fresh scent of death.


    Varian squinted his eyes and nced around.


    As he took a small breath, a wave of death energy was pulled into his body which quickly tried to turn him into an Undead.


    It was too obvious that hended on the other region.


    "¡­Why?"


    Not willing to take risks when he didn''t have to, Varian decided to return first and rify the situationter.


    Unfortunately for him, Equilius gave Yami some good suggestions.


    "Ah?!"


    A skeletal hand popped out of ground and its bony fingers pierced through Varian''s ankle which was already trying to evade.


    Varian''s response was swift for a new divine ranker but the non-lethal attack¡ªdisguised as an Undead by Yami herself¡ªwas quicker.


    Waves of red aura drilled into his body wriggling like snakes and shot up his spine, reaching his brain and heart in an instant.


    The thick, ever-present death energy inside Purgatory swarmed in on him like a shark smelling blood and showed its intent to turn him into an Undead.


    Varian kicked the skeletal hand away with his full power and the creature which was significantly stronger than a new low rank 1 shook violently, its bone cracking.


    But it did not loosen its grip and started to pour even death essence along with the death energy.


    "Now you''re simply forcing me."


    A red light lip up on Varian''s palm and as a result of summoning the death power from the fused mini-slivers, the surrounding death energy was agitated. It flowed toward him with even more aggression and volume.


    "¡­"


    Varian silently withdrew the death power and used the glowing green power of vitality from the mini-sliver.


    The skeletal hand was hit hard by a glowing green lotus and this time, it could not withstand the impact.


    The death essence of the skeletal hand and the death energy powering it were both nullified by the overwhelming vitality.


    Had the skeleton been more judicial and didn''t throw away all its power to convert Varian, it would have survived. But the thoroughly enved creature didn''t even have a mind of its own to think, much less act on those thoughts.


    In just a moment, the skeletal hand and its body by extension turned into powder before being drained away by the death energy in the air.


    "Yami did this? For what?" Varian rubbed his ankle and tried to force out the death energy.


    It should''ve worked but the death energy all around him exerted its influence and slowed him down to a painful rate.


    The death energy and essence lingered in his body, eating away his vitality and recing it with the familiar scent of Undead.


    "Fuck," Varian''s eyebrows twitched. "She wants to turn me into an Undead."


    It was definitely something Isadora warned him against but even she opined Yami wouldn''t do such a stupid move.


    But what if she did dare?


    Unlike how Yami''s apparently normal behavior, the typical rumors about Undead were less pleasant.


    Amon theme that kept repeating was how Undead viewed their way of life, well, way of death if that''s a thing, as the only truth.


    Maybe she thought he''d be grateful for being converted after the process. Truthfully speaking, Varian did convert into an Undead once.


    It was an imperfect transformation by divine standards and yet, he was almost gone back then.


    There''s a good chance that any hostility toward Yami would vanish once the conversion was over.


    It was a very sound n from all angles.


    Though Yami couldn''t send an undead too strong lest Keman sniff it out, she did send the strongest she could.


    "Unfortunately for her, I am stronger than she estimated. And by a big margin." Varian smirked.


    Regardless of the conspiracy he was in, he decided to exit the ce first and talkter.


    "Huh?"


    The sound of loud footsteps echoed across the mountains and the earth began to quake.


    Varian quickly shielded himself with the power of death but noticing that using that power was pulling the surrounding death energy toward him, he used the power of space and time for hiding.


    In his stead, he converted the blood that spilled out of his ankle into avatars and spread them in various directions, intending to scout the others.


    Just a secondter, a huge suction force enveloped all six avatars and they walked back in the same direction they went, this time as fierce Undead.


    On the heads of each avatar was a octopus-like create, its tentacles drilled into the avatar''s skull.


    "Parasites." Varian''s face copsed.


    Yami was indeed unlucky. But while gloating over her, Varian forgot that his own luck had never been enviable.

 Chapter 1627 Parasite

    Chapter 1627 Parasite


    ??Parasites were¡­disgusting.


    The tentacles of the creatures swayed in the air, sucking away droplets of blood that spilled out of the avatars as they marched in a hurry.


    These creatures had no eyes but multiple crevices all over their body which seemed to serve the same purpose.


    "Can I get an introduction at least?" Varian''s index finger drew a glowing white line in the air and drew aplex geometrical figure.


    The surrounding regions shook for a moment before the matter of the ground turned into explosive but restricted energy.


    But these explosions did not touch the parasites or the avatars they were attached to. Rather, these continous explosions formed a wall behind them, blocking them off from any escape.


    "@#&~"


    The tentacled creatures swayed lightly before issuing a hissing sound.


    Through his soul power, Varian could vaguely peek into their conversation despite their obvious attempts to shield it.


    They seemed surprised at him not running and even foolishly acting brave by cutting off their way of retreat.


    Then, an avatar stepped forward, his arm muscles swelling with the scent of death.


    Without any hesitation, he threw a punch, pouring out every bit of death energy he could muster.


    "Maybe I wasn''t clear." Varian''s glowing gray index finger blocked the fist enveloped in red aura.


    Chaos swept the death energy and copsed it from the source. The avatar, bereft of the very energy that ran him, copsed like a broken doll.


    The parasite on the avatar squirmed and shot its tentacles at him, each of them spraying out beams of death energy.


    Despite his confidence, Varian decided he''d rather evade the attack than face it head on.


    The time around him slowed down and he took a slight step to the right. When the creature realized what he was doing and tried to move faster, it was already toote.


    Varian escaped the death beams with ease and pointed his palm at the creature. A beam of glowing golden light shot from his palm and enveloped the creature.


    It twitched violently before copsing.


    Life or Death, soul was themon. When hit by a powerful soul attack, it would have to be hurt.


    But it didn''t die.


    "Urgh!"


    The copsed avatar stood up, its body wriggling and splitting into multiple parasitictentacled creatures.


    was a path of divine. The way was parasiting all living and dead. Any infested would be ''self''.


    Even though the creature''s body was destroyed, the infested avatar was not. So, it came back.


    "I am a non-violent person. Please don''t make me fight." Varian punched the ground and a tsunami of ck aura swept the creatures that tried to sneak upon him while he was focused on this one enemy.


    The power of chaos infiltrated their powers and disrupted the flow of death energy, rendering them momentarily helpless.


    Such an attack would''ve been the limit for a chaos awakener and would''ve given these creatures room to escape.


    Unfortunately for them, Varian had more than just one path.


    With a snap of his fingers, a mix of gold and green me materialized on the creatures without warning.


    First, they were hit by powerful vitality which negated the death essence that made up their body. Using that, soul power struck in and dealt a fatal blow.


    They screeched in an unpleasant voice before dropping to the ground.


    Perhaps they had other infested bodies. No, they definitely did. But his surroundings were taken care of.


    There''s nothing to fear for n¡ª


    Varian jumped back abruptly but a huge tentacle still grazed him. The veins on his leg bulged red before it wriggled and expanded.


    "Fuck, disgusting!"


    Crevices began to form on the lump of flesh and tentacles sprouted.


    The process which happened in a blink despite his fierce resistance pulled away a good chunk of life essence flowing in his body, weakening him and making him even more vulnerable to the all permeating death energy in this region which


    wished to turn him into an Undead.


    A sword materialized in his hand and Varian cut off the infested leg without hesitation.


    It crashed to the ground before shooting at him at a ridiculously high speed.


    Simultaneously, the ground shook with a parasite as big as a mountain approaching Varian.


    As if it wasn''t already bad enough, the infection wasn''t fully removed as his torso began to wriggle.


    "¡­You''re kidding me!"


    Varian poured out vitality to stop the process but it was futile.


    The giant parasite raised its tentacles and only then did it be clear that thing was far more powerful than the the watermelon-sized creatures that infested his avatars.


    It''s a powerful mid rank 1.


    "Fuck my luck."


    The retreating Varian created a step made of solid space behind him and kicked it hard.


    He shot toward the infested avatar and when they came into contact, his body exploded, decimating the surrounding hundred miles.


    The giant creature stopped its swaying tentacles as if it was surprised and then swiftly turned in one direction.


    Varian''s weakened body appeared in the far distance and he was about to run. With a shrill scream, the creature pped its tentacle across the air in his direction.


    The world seemed to dim for a moment before the death energy around Varian suddenly concentrated and struck him like a hammer.


    He crashed to the ground and his back began to wriggle with crimson flesh.


    "Do you love me so much you can''t leave me alone?" Varian smiled in pain.


    The infestation was damn too strong to be removed with his current powers. And exploding just the body part was not enough as the smart infestion was spreading before the explosion.


    And a full body explosion was not enough. He had to blow up his entire vitality while safeguarding his soul.


    This process had to be done while fending off the death energy that tried to infest its way into his new body through the connection.


    Varian escaped three more times but grew weaker with each explosion. Forget exploring this ce, he decided to get the hell out of purgatory.


    Unfortunately, with this giant monster chasing him with all its might, he found no chance.


    In the back of his mind, he wasn''t so anxious. It wasn''t that this was a safe situation.


    He could literally die. And in a gruesome way at that.


    But he had been so used to life threatening situations that he was able to deal with them in a calm state of mind.


    And that state of mind gave him the room to think.


    ''First, diversion from life region to death region. Then, encountering parasites I should not encounter so quickly. Even more suspicious is drawing out a mid rank 1 parasite.


    This is no longer something Yami''s n to turn me into an Undead.This is a n for murder.


    Out of the five, who would gain by my death¡­who is threatened by my ascent?''


    The face of an old man with emotionless eyes shed in his mind and Varian clenched his fist.


    Almost at the same time, sky cracked as three equallyrge parasites fell out of nowhere, surrounding him in the middle.


    Varian froze in ce, looking at them with a dumbfounded expression.


    The power of space enveloped him, ready to take him out but he wasn''t so sure if he could escape anymore.


    When he wondered if he should make a desperate attempt. If he could reach Aphosis, no matter how bad his situation would be, as long as he''s not dead, he could be saved.


    When his thoughts reached that dangerous direction, a light shed and the three creatures were struck by powerful waves of death energy.


    A light shed behind and Varian allowed himself to be pulled away.


    When the world came to a still a few secondster, a tall, ash- skinned man was looking at him with a curious gaze.

 Chapter 1628 A Crazy, Crazy Man

    Chapter 1628 A Crazy, Crazy Man


    ??"¡­Thanks for the rescue?" Varian said after a brief silence.


    "What is a lifeling doing here?" The ash-skinned man asked with a curious expression, waving his arm to point at the barren in that stretched to the horizon, thousands and thousands of square miles without even a stalk of grass.


    Only then did it hit him. He hadn''t never talked to a typical Undead. Other than encountering them thanks to the abyssals, the only conversation he had with an Undead was with Yami and he''s pretty sure she''s not the representative of the average undead.


    "Got here by ident." Varian stood up patting away the boneash that stuck to his clothes and looked at the man carefully.


    Despite how ''normal'' he looked, the man was not a living being. He was over 7'' and looked like he''s packing serious muscle. But his heart didn''t beat and no blood flowed in his veins. Rather, the death energy moved around in chaotic patterns, maintaining his being.


    "Got into this ce by ident? Well, you got a sh*ttier luck than me." The man said with a heartyugh.


    Varian responded with an awkward smile, half-surprised by his response and half-cautious about this Undead.


    "The name is Klynster." He pointed to himself. "And the big guy who nearly killed you was Xsax, a big boss in the parasite faction. There are only a handful of beings who are stronger than him here."


    "¡­So I encountered a powerhouse as soon as I stepped into this vast ce spanning a dozen light years?" Varian said with exasperation but soon narrowed his eyes. "And another powerhouse who can save me from that rare powerhouse."


    "Suspicious and cautious, good qualities for survival." Klynster did not seem offended by his words and smiled with appreciation. "My faction is killing those bugs since they infested one of our settlements. I happened to be scouting the area and luck you."


    Varian looked at the nonchnt with a troubled gaze. He could not be sure if this guy was lying or being truthful.


    Statistically speaking, it''s more likely a trap. But with his absurd luck in both good and bad domains, he couldn''t really reference the ''average'' for any judgements.


    "Anyway, thanks for saving me. I will repay the favor¡­soon but I gotta go now." Varian said in a friendly tone.


    The space around him began to twist and copse as a teleportation point was built. He quickly encountered a blocking barrier that stopped his teleportation point.


    While he could leave purgatory after reaching the edge of the boundary, it seemed he couldn''t just teleport out.


    "We have been invaded by the Jai Empire in the distant past. Even though the ce had a lot of restrictions that weakened their powerhouses, the way they just broke in without warning was too dangerous. Since then, Purgatory seemed to have developed an anti-teleportation barrier."


    Klynster exined, not hiding his curious expression at the usage of space power.


    "Ah, then I just need to get to the edge and walk out." Varian shrugged.


    "Not so fast. They have nted their infesting energy inside you. If you try to cross the barrier of purgatory withoutpletely removing it, that energy will infest you and they''ll materialize inside you. So the barrier will block you."


    It''smon knowledge that the Undead here or the living in the other half could not break out. The barrier that stopped teleportations also stopped them from leaving.


    So, if he left in a partially infested state, the parasite could manifest outside and build its new self, rendering the barrier useless.


    To prevent such situation, he''d be blocked until he''s pure.


    "¡­Alright." Varian nodded in understanding but still decided to try it out soon and verify the truth.


    If it''s false, the favor he owed to Klynster would be used up and his life would be saved.


    If it''s true though¡­


    ''Please don''t be true.''


    Looking inward, the infesting energy had already corrupted a quarter of his being despite the resistance.


    ''Atleast a few days for cleansing!''


    Klynster watched Varian''s face go through a series of subtle changes in amusement. "You look troubled, frustrated but not surprised? Are living beings all like this?"


    When Varian was about to answer, the sky cracked and dark tentacles stretched out from the horizon, shooting towards them at a tremendous pace.


    "Move!"


    Klynster''s body turned into a red liquid and exploded in all directions.


    Varian followed the drop with the most death essence and theynded in front of a valley with ten guards at the peak of rank 9.


    They raised their spears noticing Varian but quickly put them down after seeing Klynsnter.


    "Activate the stealth. We''re moving soon." The man said to the guards who nodded obediently and walked into a cave with glowing esoteric runes.


    Once they walked into the valley with several houses built of stone, a click sounded and a blue color barrier enveloped the valley, blocking them off from the outside.


    A bunch of young undead ran to Klynster and the man gave them a couple of shining red crystals.


    ''If I''m not wrong, these are found inside those parasites.'' Varian observed the civilization in silence.


    There were thousands of male and female undead, of different races and ranks, training, working or taking care of the children.


    ¡­It didn''t feel much different from a living vige.


    "It feels odd."


    Crap! The words slipped out of his mouth before he even realized.


    "Because it is." Klynster didn''t seem to mind as he watched the settlement with a big smile on his face. "Undead usually are not like this. This is what I built from scratch."


    Varian turned to him in surprise.


    He assumed the peculiar traits of these people were due to the specialty of purgatory.


    Undead were fundamentally different from the living. They neither had emotions nor fear of death.


    Undead had emotions but not really.


    They would know they''re supposed to feel they''re angry, they would even get the reasoning behind such emotion. They would even have that emotion inside their mind but it would not influence them.


    They''re like an audience watching a drama, a third-party watching everything unfold. So anytime an Undead smiled or cried, they were ''acting'' out the emotion than expressing it.


    Thankfully for Varian, he met Nexus trio who faked every expression without ever feeling anything and gained immunity against Undead.


    "Are these children¡­" Varian asked with an uncertain expression.


    Undead did not reproduce the same way.


    Without any necessity for physical contact, they simplybined their death essence to create another Undead¡ªa costly process done only a few times throughout their Directly support the authors on WebNovel!


    existence.


    But more often than not, they split themselves into mutliple Without any necessity for physical contact, they simplybined their death essence to create another Undead¡ªa new ''children'' who would carry on.


    "Yeah, they were badly injured beforest year. We managed to save only half."Klynster confirmed.


    The children had partial memories of their parent and grew up as soon as they had more death essence.


    "Why are you doing all this? The adults taking care of them are not their parents but they behave like one. And they''re all showing emotions¡­just what is going on?"


    Klynster''s lips curled up. "I am not a native of this ce. I died here long, long ago. And like all that converted, I have the memories from when I was a living being.


    I was from a genesis border kingdom which probably no longer exists and lived my whole youth ughtering Undead that infiltrated our borders to hunt our living.


    I killed millions without remorse. I didn''t care, why should I?"


    Klynster''s face was filled with bloodthirst and coldness.


    Varian had seen that look before. It was present on those that lived on the battlefield and vowed to die there, spending every waking hour thinking about fight, fight and fight.


    A mad, mad soldier whose only thought would be killing more enemies today than yesterday.


    He could not rte such a crazed battle maniac with a cool headed, apparently kind man in front.


    They had nomonality, none at all.


    "These are not living. They are beasts without emotions. Aliens that just look like us, talk like us but could never be us.


    And one day, when I was fated to die in ambush, an Undead saved me.


    He looked at me and said it''d be better if the Undead understood the living''s concerns and lived properly¡­and the living tried to understand Undead.


    Maybe we are never going to be the same but we''re the two sides of the same coin. There should not be so much hostility.


    Death is after all something every living creature eventually encounters. Why hate it? And why hate the Undead that are born in that death?"


    Sighing deeply, he turned to Varian with a proud smile. "I couldn''t try changing anything in Mors. The hierarchy there is an under an iron grip of Lady Yami. But here, in this chaotic region with many undead, I have a chance.


    And I died for it."


    Even though he was expecting it, when he actually heard it, Varian''s brows jumped violently.


    This dude¡­he''s fucking crazy!


    He had a dream that''s already abnormal enough but he killed himself to realize it¡­after death!


    What the fuck was wrong with his brain?


    "Did you think something was wrong with my living brain?" Klynster asked.


    "You were so passionate about your dream it''s totally understandable!" Varian looked at him with a supremely convincing gaze.


    "Exactly. And I toiled in this ce for¡­I don''t even know. With lots and lots of failure but continuous progress, I finally built it."


    Klynster raised his arms and dered with a wide smile.


    "The living Undead!"


    Varian would''ve pped if he didn''t feel it would be inappropriate.


    "You can stay with us until you get rid of the infection. In the meanwhile, do tell me about the outside world. And there are a bunch of non-natives who would also be interested."

 Chapter 1629 The Undead Shelter

    Chapter 1629 The Undead Shelter


    ??With a bunch of men and women of varying ages, Varian sat across a bonfire under the dark night.


    Undead need not eat or drink but they ate without hesitation and drank with joy.


    They should not be able to feel emotions but maybe they were faking it so much that they''re believing those emotions were real.


    Varian could not tell. But he was happy to have some normalpany despite their abnormal origins.


    The group wasn''t very weing at first. But unlike, other undead, they didn''t show hostility.


    Instead, they maintained their distance and seemed like they''d be happy just to send him away.


    But under the urging of Klynster, Varian began to narrate stories about the outside world.


    Like a magic spell was performed, one by one, the Undead began to gather around him, asking more things about the colorful, beautiful world outside this purgatory.


    The children liked the new stories he told and yed with him whenever they could.


    And the adults kept asking him things and in return, they shared their stories.


    Today was no different except that they were closer and more lively than yesterday.


    "And you fooled him thrice?" A green orc mmed his wine jug and asked.


    "Don''t call it fooling. I repaid him backter, okay?" Varian said with a righteous expression.


    The men and womenughed heartily at his shameless words, leaving Varian to shake his head as if he was a misunderstood noble soul.


    "In my previous life, I used to be a scammer." A woman with pale pink skin in a snug dress spoke up.


    Levyana, a strong low rank 1 divine, preferered to remain silent when Klynster introduced her to Varian.


    Even when everyone was downing drinks specially prepared to numb the senses of an Undead, she took but a few sips and kept to herself.


    No one and certainly not Varian expected her to speak up. So when she did, everyone, including him paid attention to the oddity that was unfolding in front.


    "I didn''t think it was wrong to steal the hardearned money." The woman brought the cup close to her mouth, as if trying to hide her face as she continued. "I don''t know when I began to believe it.


    But why should one way be more legitimate than other? The duchy I lived on was ruled by an idiot who taxed us to death.


    My family didn''t have good yields on our farm for a full decade thanks to a local powerhouse fighting there and screwing ournd. We led very difficult lives."


    The people seated nodded or pursed their lips, keeping their ears perked.


    "To pay taxes, we couldn''t even eat properly. Why is it legal for that duke to steal my family''s hard work? And why does everyone not care?


    So, I decided that day. If the big guy stealing from the small guy is fair, then so is the opposite.


    I scammed people throughout my life. Young, old, men, women, the popr, the notorious. Everyone, just everyone."


    The undead sitting next to her, a male with heavy burns d in a ck coat patted her shoulder.


    Levyana raised her cup and said with misty eyes. "But now I know¡­my actions pained so many people. Poor people, young children, elders¡­they did not deserve that.


    Just because I was hurt by the world doesn''t mean I should hurt it back. Answering pain with pain won''t decrease the suffering of this world.


    So¡­if I get a chance, even a one in a billion chance, I want to make up for my mistakes.


    I will apologize to each and every innocent person I harmed, even if it means bearing their insults, beatings and torture."


    Varian looked at her watering eyes in surprise. He could feel the emotions pouring out of her soul. Such pure and deep emotions could only surface from the depth of her being.


    ''Do even Undeads feel like this?'' He took a quick nce at the people sitting around the bonfire.


    These people would not be treated normally anywhere in Genesis. The discrimination ran very, very deep.


    P kingdom, despite not having a border with any Mors'' kingdom, would send a batch of their army every year to kill the Undead infiltrators.


    Even the legitimiate ims for refugee were never epted, much less the ones who didn''t have a very convincing argument.


    A considerable percent of ''Undead'' would try to return to Genesis everyday to check their ''past'' life at least once.


    It wasn''t out of nostalgia but from a fanatic desire to destroy everything that beloned to the dirty past.


    That''s what Varian heard about these guys.


    But looking at the ones in front¡­


    "I wronged my teacher and didn''t treat him nicely despite everything he had done for me. If I can meet him, I will kneel down and ask for forgiveness. Then, I''ll devote him the wealth I hid away." A fat orc-like undead lowered his head and said with a depressed expression.


    "Me! I want to see how my children are doing. They were just 6 when I ended up here. I wonder if they''ll still remember me." A brown skinned woman with two gaping holes in her neck smiled wistfully.


    "And I! I just want to visit my mom¡­" A young guy who looked no older than eleven years old spoke in a bright, cheerful voice.


    He looked like a crossbreed between Vampire and Zombie.


    "I ran away from home at 6 and kept myself hidden from dad even though he was searching for me. I thought I would make him regret it for punishing me for my stupid mistakes¡­but I ended up in a dark alley, got kidnapped by some adult men and then¡­"


    The words of the by trailed off as he looked down at his small, frail body with a mocking smile that didn''t fit his apparent age.


    "Even though I can build a good body, I don''t want to get rid of this self of mine." He said with a bright smile. "It''s a big inconvenience for battles, but hey, it is what it is."


    Varian who was listening intently couldn''t help but ask. "But why?"


    The fire crackled in the center and warmed up the air. As the cold breeze from outside and the warm breeze from the proximity hit his neck, the boy answered, his face hidden by the rising mes.


    "I am afraid¡­I am afraid I will forget my life, my face and my body once I let go. I can no longer walk the way I used to or think like I did.


    The mask of this child-like self¡­once I give it up, I think I''ll soon forget how I looked, how I acted, how I thought.


    I will lose myself.


    And if I can''t go back like that, my dad won''t recognize me."


    The words escaping his mouth, words that did not seem fit with his apparent age, caused a round of apuse and excitememnt in the small crowd.


    "Excellent! What we are most worried is not death like that of the living. We are worried about fogetting. Or breaking things up that can''t be repaired. Of saying things that can''t be taken back."


    Klynster, the leader of the group, put down his mug and said with a nostalgic smile.


    The woman next to him rested her hand on his shoulder and turned to Varian. "So, Konstant, what will you do if you can return outside?"


    Varian didn''t answer right away. What would he do? Of course, there was a list of things to be done.


    "Eh, I know there''s no chance for you or any of us to get out, but what if¡­"


    She froze abruplty with a stiff expression and bit her lip. The people who wereughing and drinking heartily until now also fell silent.


    An ufortable silence filled the air as they either stared at Varian or looked away avoiding him.


    "¡­I''ll work on the infection. Please continue." Varian stood up from the polished rock and walked into a small cave.


    Even though his gait was steady, his eyes were shaking.


    This was the third day since his meeting with Klynster. As he announced, the group went into a stealth and kept everyone, including him, safe.


    Using the leisure, he worked on expelling the infesting energy and mostly seeded. A few more hours of detox and he would be able to leave without problem.


    Knock! Knock!


    "Come in."


    Klynster''s ash-skinned face came into view. With an apologetic smile, he said."Don''t take it personally, you blended in so well that we forgot you aren''t an Undead."


    Varian shrugged with a helpless expression.


    Putting down a bunch of basket carved out of stone, he said. "These are some materials found only in Purgatory. Any celestials using death powers should be able to hit the pseudo divine ranks."


    There were more than a dozen baskets like that in the cave.


    "¡­I don''t want to be more indebted." Varian said with a depressed expression. "I''ll be leaving soon. And I might note for a thousand more years."


    Of course, he would return soon to conquer Purgatory. But in the story Varian spun to these people, he got here by ident and would leave soon.


    "It doesn''t matter. Consider it our parting gift." The Undead leaderughed.


    "¡­Fine." Varian decided it was not worth the troubel to argue with this man. He was too stubborn for his own good.


    Maybe that stubborness was the reason why he kept trying to get out of this prison even after failing hundreds of thousands of times.


    "Alright, I''ll repay you one one day."


    "It''s not a payment to repay. Everyone is just so happy to hear the stories of outside world. Other than you, we don''t usually get living beings here. And the ones who rarelye are all very hostile.


    They treat us as¡­nevermind. Finish up and get out of this ce. Hahahaha!"


    Waving his hand, Klynster walked to the exit of the cave and Varian closed his eyes to continue the meditation.


    Boom!


    The sky cracked like ss and a hundred tentacles descended onto the shelter

 Chapter 1630 Rationality

    Chapter 1630 Rationality


    ??The once lively Hortus, a literal province-sized region, remained mostly quiet.


    There were no moreughters of children in the ygrounds, no elders walking in the parks and no teenage couples visiting the beaches.


    Not just the people were gone but even the traces of their existence¡ªthe buildings, the items, the art¡ªeverything about them was erased away.


    Just in case, Alison requested Oob to scan everything if there would ever be a need to replicate anything.


    Hortus today might''ve lost civilization and the bustle that came with it, but the loss allowed it to gain something else.


    It''s now pure, clear, rich and vast. But it''s more than just that. It''s a lot more than what a few words could describe.


    It was thend wherekes of honey flowed, sea of flowers bloomed and forests never withered.


    Abundance was the hallmark of thisnd. Abundance in resources, time and aura.


    Treasures posessed by the entire civilization before evacuation were buried under the soil, thanks to the Queens who didn''t even bother to take a nce at them.


    It''d not be an exaggeration to say that every inch of this soil was more than worth its weight in gold.


    If a warrior visited this ce, he''d want to beid for his eternal rest here.


    If a king entered thisnd, he''d shift his kingdom''s capital to this ce.


    If a saintess of a religious denomination visited this region, she''d dere this to be the promised paradise and lead the group of believers on a holy journey.


    This paradise remained home to only a few, few people.


    "Why is it taking so long? He said he''d return after taking a look."


    The queens had gathered under a waterfall to rx. It was supposed to be a rxing session to destress their minds after witnessing Varian''s battle against Immortal.


    But Sia brought it up anyway.


    Her words caused a ripple and Enigma, who was floating on the water calmly since an hour, opened her eyes all of a sudden.


    "You''re right." She stepped out of the water and her iconic ck dress covered her body.


    A glowing purple sword appeared in her hand and her aura began to soar, hitting the bottleneck of high rank 1.


    It certainly weakenedpared to earlier and it seemed that out of the three, Enigma might actually step into high rank 1 first.


    "I will go and check on him."


    A fluctuation of soul power swept the area and Enigma''s spirit body, which functioned as an alternate to the physical body in normal times, took over Sia''s physical body and Sia turned into her soul body.


    "Maybe he''s just busy. He gets into things like these all the time." Isadora who was fishing nearby, said with a casual expression. "Enigma, you should rest your mind. You take a lot of tension."


    "¡­"


    Enigma bit her lip and pondered over her decision.


    It''s as Isadora said, Varian didn''t really have things going ording to his n¡­ever. But he''d always been able to deal with the issues that came up.


    That''s why Enigma didn''t insist on following him before. But now, after seeing hime very close to death under Immortal, she couldn''t convince herself to be at ease.


    "We did see him going into that ce before the connection blurred." Sarah emerged from the water, ending her meditation session. "There should be no problem if it''s just taking a look there."


    "He almost died a few days ago!" Sia yelled, her voice indignant. "You two are so carefree. Sure, enjoy the stupid holiday, we''ll both check on him."


    She appeared next to Enigma, d in a yellow dress. Snorting in half-anger and half-disappointment, Sia was about to leave.


    "Haaa~" Sarah rubbed her forehead, wondering how to convey her words to a very sensitive and scared Sia and Sarah.


    She too was scared after what happened in the duel. But as long as she could help it, she''d rather not let her emotions rule her decisions.


    "There is Aphosis, Equilius, Aridam backing him. Even Yami and Keman are present there. If any problem arises, I''m sure they would be able to help better than we can."


    Isadora, who would usually oppose Sarah only to piss her off, nodded. "And Aphosis gave Varian a seal, remember? If he''s in danger, the seal would send them a message and they can bring him out. Even if they''re rank 2s and can''t enter personally, they have plenty of rank 1s atmand."


    Sia and Enigma looked at each other with a struggling gaze.


    With a deep sigh, Sia dipped back into the water. "I guess I''m still being sensitive."


    But Enigma remained still, a stubborn look on her face.


    Sarah gave Isadora a gaze and thetter gave her younger sister with a persuasive look.


    "Enigma, it''s all going to be fine. Stop letting your fears take over you."


    "¡­"


    Ignoring the princess'' words, Enigma kept checking the synergy link to find any useful information.


    Varian shared the entire event with them so that they could rest assured about his safety.


    The ''video'' ended abruptly once Varian entered that ce.


    It looked perfectly fine no matter how she checked it, but¡­


    Watching her struggle, Isadora twisted her fingers, making Enigma appear next to her. Caressing her hair with a gentle expression, she said.


    "We''ve checked it a dozen times already. There is nothing suspicious."


    "There is enough protection for him there."


    "Put down the fear."


    Despite assurances from the three, Enigma did not budge.


    With a helpless expression, Isadora pondered letting her go. Unless it''s absolutely necessary, Isadora would rather not meet any of these powerhouses.


    With thest ditch effort, Isadora turned to Aurora who was enjoying a barbecue with Prim and the maids a few hundred miles away.


    "Right, Aurora?"


    "Ah!" Miss Cmity flinched and nodded without even thinking. "Yeah, yeah, you''re right¡­what are we talking about?"


    "¡­"


    The Matriarch who was keeping an eye of the overall situation, exined their conversation.


    "Ah, it should not be a problem. They are all backing him¡­well, except Equilius. My mother says that old beggar is dangerous and very vengeful." Aurora tapped her chin.


    The meat in Prim''s hand dropped to the ground and all sounds of breathing stopped.


    The air suddenly turned tense.


    Unaware of this change, Miss Cmity pondered as she closed her eyes and humming an adventerous music.


    "Oh and Lady Yami¡­err, he patched up their rtionship after roasting her. So, it should be fine, I guess?


    Immortal was a 50-50, neither here nor there, so no one had anyints. But brother-inw is a living person. I guess Undead are a bit¡­repulsed by that idea?


    Like think how f-father, I mean, Master Keman would feel if brother-inw was an undead. Even though it''s the right thing to do, he''d have some resistance to it.


    I guess Lady Yami is also having the same thoughts. If only he''s an Undead.


    Of course, this is nothing to worry about. Even if she wants to mess up things there and thrown him into an Undead making zone, she can hide her powers from f-father, she wouldn''t able to hide it from Nexus trio. They are very acute."


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    An eerie silence ensued in the area. The sky suddenly darkened and the air grew cooler and cooler until it started to snow. Lighting shed in the sky and it poured.


    "Hum? What?"


    Aurora opened her eyes in confusion, wondering why their auras turned so chaotic that the atmostphere got messed up.


    And she nearly had a heartstroke watching the chilling look on those four faces.


    "Heuk! What''s wrong with you?"


    Aurora hid behind the maids and poked her head out, asking with a timid but very curious expression.


    "Equilius and Yami might work together." Isadora said with an ashen expression. The ck me in her palm flickering wildly.


    "Are you crazy? He''s a nexus guy! They don''t do emotional stuff like that!" Aurora yelled. "In their own words, it''s an irrational decision that could potentially doom the fate of alliance. No way for that decision to be even considered."


    "Aurora, you know a lot of things I don''t but¡­you never had to face politics." Sarah rubbed her forehead.


    Sia stepped forward. "I''ve noticed Equilius during the duel when Varian was being crushed. That old man''s eyes are almost always dead but that time, they were shining in glee. And his soul¡­I could feel the happiness that leaked out of him."


    Aurora gawked. "How is that possible? He''s a Nexus guy, he takes only rational decisi¡ª"


    "I don''t know much about Undead, so I can''t tell. But I''ve asked Varian about Nexus trio." Isadora replied. "He said they are rational but there has to be a premise to that rationality, the goal the rationatility seeks to achieve.


    That''s why Aphosis, Aridam and Equlius, despite being all rational are so different.


    Varian said that Aphosis'' rationality is geared to serve the survival of Nexus. All his decisions are taken with that in mind.


    Aridam''s rationality is channeled for rejuvenation of Nexus, but with a verypetent leader. You need to be petent'' to get his seal of approval.


    Equilius'' rationality is also channeled for Nexus, but for its supremacy. But it doesn''t end there.


    He wants the supremacy of Nexus in Alliance and his supremacy in Nexus. By his, he also takes his bloodline into consideration. Killing his grandson essentially ended any chances of that happening.


    His entire life premise is now being devoured by Varian. The more he grows, the more obvious it gets that Equilius will never have his dream fulfilled.


    Moreover, once Varian is stronger than him, Equilius might die, ending even the slightest chance of his dream.


    He must''ve tricked Yami in the name of converting Varian to undead. His original goal is to¡­kill!"

 Chapter 1631 Hope

    Chapter 1631 Hope


    ??"He''s taking long." Keman raised a brow


    "Loves exploring, that brat. He stayed in God''s Eye for a thousand years after all. Hahahaha!" Aridam burst into a fit ofughter but no oneughed along with him. It didn''t matter to the man, heughed without any awkwardness.


    Aphosis nced at Equilius for a moment before turning his gaze back to the forbidden region in the form of a horizontal ''8'' ¡ª the symbol of infinity.


    Even though his gut feeling told him that something was off, his rationality suppressed the irrational message.


    There''s no logic in Equilius sabotaging Varian. And it''s not like he could even if wanted under their perception.


    Yami, on the other hand, had a big smile on her face. "Don''t worry about it. He''s an adventurer at heart. His track record makes it clear."


    If she was a normal person instead of a divine being, she''d be sweating due to the immense anticipation.


    While the divine rankers were having a small talk about topics that would alter the trajectory of the entire alliance, Varian was facing a tentacle rain.


    The sky cracked and the ground split. Everything in sight was enveloped by an infesting red mist, the mist of death.


    "Hurry! Hurry up!"


    The adults took the children and ran for it. Most of them were powerful celestials who would''ve wrecked kingdoms. But here, they were powerless to even survive.


    If the handful of divine rankers in the group did not take it all on themselves and ensured their safety, most people would have not survived.


    The divine rankers themselves were having a tough time warding off the parasitic tentacles.


    Most of them managed it but a few¡­


    "Arghhh!"


    The orc who wasughing and chatting with Varian a few hours ago was pierced by the tentacle.


    His body bulged as intense red energy flooded his being. The eyes of this orc who looked friendly changed. The curious and easy going light was gone, leaving a nk gaze. The gaze of a drone in the hive.


    "Surrender to the truth!"


    His form expanded to touch the sky and he punched down, red mist covering his fist as itnded with tremendous force.


    A red shockwave swept thend, sending tremors that could be felt even in a long, long distance.


    The physical destruction was less of a concern as the red mist began to corrupt and infest other Undead who were unlucky enough to be in the vicinity.


    Varian had already fled to a considerable distance and shouldn''t have had a problem. But being a living being, these things affected him more than he''d like.


    Even worse, the death energy that pervaded every inch of purgatory was still intensely trying to convert him into an Undead.


    Facing these two forces, he quickly fell into a bad infection.


    Once more, the nightmare repeated. Parasites were borne out of his arms, legs and abdomen, tearing away his flesh and blood, sucking away his life force and draining his aura.


    It was as scary as it was dangerous.


    And as the power range of these invading creatures was incredibly high, Varian struggled to find a way out.


    The attackers had either mid rank 1 or maybe even high rank 1¡­


    "Konstant!"


    An arm built out of aura grabbed him from behind and pulled him with an incredible force.


    The infesting energy inside him shook and tried to resist but Klynster forced his own power inside, neutralizing it.


    Varian crashed to the ground, in the middle of the divine rankers.


    Beams, spheres and seeds of death energy sted the sky, inflicting on the tentacles a great deal of damage.


    However, they were outnumbered badly.


    "What to do¡­what to do¡­"


    "How did they even get our location? This rarely happened!"


    "Argh, fuck! Fuck it all!"


    Unlike the disturbed colleagues, Klynster remained incredibly calm, a thing that did not escape Varian''s attention and it drew his appreciation.


    "I''ll distract them away. You lot can leave." The woman whose revealed her past life to be a scammer stepped forward and said with a resolute expression.


    "No! Juie, you''re not going!" An elven undead in the group shouted in despair.


    "Someone has to go." Her expression did not waver in the slightest.


    She knew what was ahead. Once she took that step, her fate was sealed. She knew it, but was ready for it anyway.


    The elf gritted his teeth and spoke words that would prick the most.


    "What about your dream? You wanted to repent for your sins! You scammed people, pushed them into poverty, even led to deaths! If you go die like this, you''re just a coward who wants to give up!"


    The woman''s back trembled and she lowered her head. With a deste chuckle, she stepped forward.


    "Everyone in our camp dreamed of leaving this hell. But how many seeded? Zero. It''s a good dream to have, but this is our reality."


    With a kick to the ground, she shot into the sky and before Varian could even react, she exploded.


    The violent shockwaves swept away the parasitic creatures and a beam of red energy that emanated from her shot them into a distantnd.


    The force was so intense that Varian was knocked out in an instant.


    When he came to his senses, he found himself in a cave.


    Walking out, he saw they were now in a shelter simr to the one they previously were at.


    The Undead were arranging things in a hurry, strengthening stealth of the shelter as much as they could.


    Varian found at least 20% of the people were missing. Despite the best efforts of the divine rankers, a lot of them died.


    "Haaa~"


    Klynster, seated on a small rock, sighed with a tired expression. The group of divine rankers gathered around, their terrible mood evident on their faces.


    Varian silently sat with the group and looked at them with aplicated expression.


    He was saved twice.


    "I will take you out of this ce." His words caused every Undead in the shelter to freeze in their tracks and violently jerk their head toward his direction.


    Klynster''s eyes shook, his body trembling violently. The divine rankers looked at him with intense fear and hope.


    Varian sighed under his breath. "I might have a way."

 Chapter 1632 Unfair Advantage In Divine Ranks

    Chapter 1632 Unfair Advantage In Divine Ranks


    ??Thest fight left him with clumps of new infesting energy he had to expel and this time, he took only a few hours instead of three days.


    After purifying himself, he entered deep meditation, preparing his mind for what''s toe.


    ''Status''


    [Dragon-Phoenix-Titan:


    Order-Chaos:


    Space-Time: ]


    ''Give me a proper status window! I don''t understand sh*t with this!''


    [ ''¡­'' ]


    [Dragon: 10/100


    Titan: 10/100


    Phoenix: 10/100


    Order: 10/100


    Chaos: 10/100


    Space: 10/100


    Time: 10/100


    PS:


    Before you start spewing profanities, let me exin how the progression in divine ranks work.


    Starting from here, you ought to gain proficiency in the path pr to yours.


    For instance, a space awakener would have to learn time. A life awakener needs to learn death.


    But these two paths are unequal in progress and would remain so for a while.


    In simple terms, take space path.


    A typical divine awakener would have to progress 100 divine units to hit the peak of rank 1.


    His time path would have to hit only 1 divine unit for him to be considered a peak rank 1 in space.


    The status window of a <Space Rank peak 1>


    [Space: 100/100


    Time: 1/1]


    If you''re wondering what 1/1 would trante to, it''s equivalent of starting out in time path at level 1 of mortal boundary and bringing it through celestial ranks before breaking into divine rank.


    Yes, you heard that right.


    To reach the peak of rank 1, you not only have to raise your own path tremendously, you have to raise the pr path from zero to divine rank.


    Divine rankers could try doing the former somehow but thetter, that''s very very difficult for them.]


    Varian''s breath nearly stopped and he looked around the cave with a wary gaze, wondering if any overheard the conversation even though there''s no possibility for it to happen.


    After ensuring no one was spying on him, he clenched his fists and let out a muffledugh.


    ''I don''t need to raise theplimentary path. I already have them in divine rank!''


    [That''s the surprise I was talking about, it''s your unfair advantage.


    Most divine rankers could progress 100 units in their own path with much more ease than progress even 0.1 unit in the pr path.


    To quantify, it''s a thousand times harder to fill that 1 unit for them than to fill those 100 units.


    That''s what takes makes them so slow in progression.


    Those peak rank 1s that are struck in the same rank without any hopes of reaching rank 2, they''re most likely suffering from this issue.


    Most rank 1 divine beings die in that rank solely for this reason.


    Progressing 100 divine units itself presents huge bottlenecks and could take millions of years.


    But this 1 unit is something else. Time might not be able to solve it at all.


    And you, you don''t even have to worry about it.


    Your rtive progression speed in divine ranks would be even fasterpared to celestial or mortal ranks.]


    ''Does the gap between the two paths remain? 100 units vs 1 unit seems too big.''


    [It''ll be nearly closed in rank 2.


    In a simr fashion to rank 1, a peak rank 2''s status window looks like this:


    [Space rank 2: 1000/1000


    Time rank 2: 999/999]]


    ''I''m guessing it''s not as simple as filling 1 divine unit to reach rank 3.''


    [Of course not. To reach rank 3, you have to make your progress in these two paths equal but that''s the easiest prerequisite.


    The challenge is linking these two paths and gainingmand over the avenue.


    Well, think about the slivers. I am the fusion of order and chaos.


    What you control is not just order or chaos but the whole avenue. You can do things that an order awakener and chaos awakener can do. And you can also do what they cannot do.


    That''s rank 3. Unification of paths into an Avenue.


    But that''s still far away from you.


    It''s a step that stumped every being after the Primordial Gods. The universe hasn''t seen a rank 3 since their demise.]


    ''Wait a minute, the Primal Union Body¡­''


    [Formed from the power of six slivers, it can aodate the power of all avenues. It''s very, very conducive for integration of paths.]


    ''¡­And I got it at what? When I was not even a celestial? And even this advantage of multiple paths!''


    [Well, the system could''ve helped you in some other way during your ascension. But it''d be all temporary. Every advantage you gained from the slivers was done keeping the end in mind.]


    Varian nodded, his mind now at ease knowing his way forward would be much easier than he assumed after watching divine rankers spend away hundreds of thousands of years for a bit of progress.


    ''Oh yeah, what about the middle paths? They have no pr.''


    [The soul path and gravity path have no pr paths. Unlike the usual way, you''ll just have to progress 100 divine units to reach peak of rank 1 in them.]


    ''That easy?''


    [Heh! Of course not! To progress in either soul or gravity paths, you''ll have to learn more about the paths in the avenue. While its'' technically one path, you''d have to learn about three paths.


    Not in equal depth, but if it has to be quantified, a


    awakener''s status window would look like this


    [Soul: 100/100


    Life: 50/50


    Death: 50/50]]


    ''Yeah, no. It''s even harder.''


    [Its roughly simr. And having more exposure to the paths in the avenue would ensure a smoother integration once you reach the threshold of rank 3.


    Of course, not like anyone reached in these middle paths reached that threshold for the benefit to be utilized.]


    Varian once again looked at his status window and his heart sped up, a smile creeping on his face despite his attempts to remain expresionless.


    ''What''s my strength? Why can''t I beat those tentacle bastards?''


    [Tranting the units to conventional wisdom,


    0 - 15 : Low rank 1


    16-50 : Mid rank 1


    51-90: High rank 1


    91-100: Peak rank 1


    You''re a low rank 1 in all seven paths. The system estimates you should be able to fight most of mid rank 1s except those above 40 mark.


    And the ones that attacked you had creatures around 49 mark and even a few high rankers.


    You weren''t weak, they were just too strong.]


    ''¡­''


    Varian was still pissed off.

 Chapter 1633 The Way Out Of Hell

    Chapter 1633 The Way Out Of Hell


    ??Inside the barren cave, Varian decided to build a treasure to take away the Undead.


    As he finalized his n, the invisible undead energy everywhere in the air kept trying to turn him into an Undead.


    It didn''t seed but its incessant attempts did create an annoyance in his otherwise calm mind and slowed down his progress.


    ''Purgatory marks these Undead as its property. It doesn''t let them leave.''


    That''s why even Klynster, despite strength breaching the high rank 1 range, remained a helpless prisoner here.


    Varian had taken his time to observe how this marking system worked and the mechanism it employed to lock these Undead down.


    While he immersed himself in creating the solution he promised them, Klynster and his colleagues sat in the far distance, watching the mist of death rushing into the cave at a hurried pace.


    "Do you think he ca¡­never mind."


    The elven man who cried at the end of his lover just a while ago lowered his head.


    Klynster shrugged with a nonchnt gaze, inplete contrast to the depressed mood his team drowned in.


    "If it has to happen, it will happen." He had a peaceful smile on his face as he looked up at the sky. "If it doesn''t happen, well, no worries. There is a solution for us to get out of here. Trust me, our mission will be fulfilled."


    There were only two epted ways to get out of this ce.


    One, never get bogged down the local death energy and get marked. In short, don''t bother traveling here unless you got everything figured out.


    Two, defeat the guardian of the Purgatory and gain the approval of Purgatory.


    Since the first option was essentially useless to them, second option was the only way out.


    But¡­the guardian was a bit too strong for them to even think of a battle.


    "If she senses your presence missing from purgatory, will shee running?" A member asked with a grave face.


    Klynster''s calm face crumpled for the first time and he nodded with resentment. "She can''t know my location in shelters but she can feel my presence. That¡­crazy bug is hell bent on fulfilling her vision."


    He wasn''t the strongest under the guardian. The parasite queen was significantly stronger than him.


    Before Klynster was even a thing in purgatory, she was said to have challenged the guardian impulsively and almost got killed.


    Even though she got out alive, she regressed back to low rank 1 and had to rebuild everything from scratch.


    Once bitten, twice shy. She adopted a clever and patient strategy.


    Due to the very nature of the ce, despite outsiders getting in and converting or the natives reproducing by splitting into various new Undead, Purgatory itself would create millions of beings in regr periods.


    Parasite Queen''s n was to use these resources to strengthen herself enough for the fated battle.


    "Maybe she decided the wait is enough. Now is the time to harvest herbor." A woman said in an emotionless tone before realizing it and putting on a bitter expression.


    Parasite Queen allowed Klynster to take some natives and outsiders under his ring, train them hard, strengthen them with the n to devour them when they''re ripe. Klynster was the special dish she was saving up.


    Thankfully, the structure of purgatory allowed them to stay hidden from her minions most of the time.


    While the same rules prevented them from leaving this hell, they also gave them security.


    As the mythology of this ce mentioned, this forbidden region was created by a Primordial God.


    Even after billions of years, it could block rank 2s from sneaking in. In front of that power, rank 1s like them were helpless ants.


    "I just don''t get why he''s so confident." Another Undead said with an emotionless face.


    Klynster narrowed his eyes.


    "Ugh," Groaning in difort, the Undead continued. "Varian is too delusional. No one can match a god''s power, even if it''s a dead god."


    He would''ve been right if Varian didn''t have the things closest to the Primordial God in today''s world.


    Slivers.


    The partial slivers of life and death could not give him powers over Purgatory itself. They weren''t even the real slivers and his mastery of the partial slivers itself was not very great for a divine rank.


    But a little twisting here and there was definitely achievable. And that''s what he aimed for.


    While the Undead group nned for the next battle against Parasite and discussed the problems of the shelter, time flowed without notice.


    When they all seem to have forgotten Varian''s existence, the cave shook violently and a translucent castle broke out of the structure.


    With the sound of a snap, the castle solidified and matter materialized, providingnecessary facilities for the Undead poption, especially a strong defense against aura shocks.


    "Get in. I will get you out of purgatory."


    Varian''smanding voice spread across the field, startling the Undead recovering from the dangerous encounter.


    They looked at each other in confusion first, disbelief second and desire third.


    Finally, they turned to Klynster''s team with eyes that longed for the truth yet feared it simultaneously.


    Instead of agreeing right away, Klynster leapt next to the castle and inspected it with a critical eye.


    Even though it now looked like a normal castle, it''s a pure construct of solidified space.


    Moreover, while the time flow inside the castle maintained the same rate as outside, the flow itself was independent.


    In essence, it''s a separate world from Purgatory. Not a stable world that wouldst for years, heck not even days.


    But it should be able to hold a bunch of divine rankers over for a few seconds.


    "Can you really do it?" Klynster turned to Varian with a bitter smile.


    The bubbling hope and the overwhelming fear in his voice might not have been sensed by the leader himself but they were a bit too obvious for Varian.


    "I believe there is a significant chance."


    "Then we''ll trust you." Klynster waved at his people. "Just like you trusted us!"


    His words were the catalyst that pushed their hopes above their fears and the bustling crowd of Undead rushed into the castle with all their might.


    Varian watched them enter the little shelter with sparkling eyes. They weren''t just bringing themselves with him, they were also carrying their hopes, dreams and aspirations. Even more than that, they were taking on the goals that the departed once aimed for.


    "I trust you."


    Patting his shoulder, the ash-skinned man gave him a bright smile and stepped into the castle without asking any questions.


    Those three words were a huge responsibility and Varian chose to bear them wholeheartedly.


    Even he was surprised that they actually came with him. After all, he barely knew them for a few days and now they''re staking their lives on his words.


    Were they just too trusting or were they so tired of their usual lives that they didn''t care if they ceased to exist?


    ''Is my charisma transcending even the state of existence and pulling the Undead?'' Varian began to worry.


    [Host, maybe you can try charming that parasite queen and sugar baby your way out?]


    "¡­" Varian gnashed his teeth.


    [Why that indignant face? Out of the 10/100 progress you have in your divine ranks, 9 points are gained through Synergy.


    You''ve once again proved yourself to be a role model for all men throughout Eden.


    Why bother to train hard and get stronger?


    Just get a strong wife! If they dare, wives!


    The path of divine is not supreme, the path of sugar mommies is.]


    "Buckle up!"


    The castle disappeared.

 Chapter 1634 Doing Good Deeds Without Taking Credit

    Chapter 1634 Doing Good Deeds Without Taking Credit


    ??"Why are you here?" Aphosis asked with a puzzled expression. As rational as he was, he wasn''t omniscient.


    "To find him." Sarah answered while scanning the region in the shape of infinity.


    "How did you even find this ce? It''s location is very secretive." Aridam was curious.


    Sarah remained silent.


    The link through synergy gave them the location. But she didn''t want to expose it to these people.


    Synergy was...weird, to put it lightly.


    While she used to believe it''s the creation of Ares tribe, her belief began to shake as she learned more and more about their race.


    Ares should not have researched something like Synergy.


    Heck, even though the process seemed to be ready-made for divine paths, it seemed much more broad.


    Even non-awakeners could use Synergy, however, they would have to pass some harsh qualifications she still couldn''t fully know.


    Aphosis noticed her reluctance and didn''t push. Rather, he said in his characteristic emotionless voice. "Your presence is meaningless here. He has the medallion I gave him. His safety is ensured."


    ''Then I''m pretty sure that old bastard tampered with the medallion!'' Sia held back the words she wanted to yell and clenched Isadora''s hand.


    Isadora patted her back lightly while she turned to Equilius with a hostile gaze.


    The old man pretended like he didn''t even see them and gazed into the distance. It wasn''t that he was avoiding them. No, he didn''t even bother to acknowledge their presence.


    It was beyond contempt. It was utter indifference.


    ''Equilius, your days are numbered. If he doesn''t kill you, I will.'' Isadora nced at the powerhouses, wondering if they were really supportive of Varian.


    "We just want to check on him. He can get a little¡­excited in these ces." Sarah gave an exnation to the rulers of the alliance and dived down into the region.


    Three beams of light followed.


    Watching them vanish into the distance, Keman remarked. "The alliance had to gather its best minds and resources to create the perfect hybrid. But Ares created an equivalent¡­billions of years ago. Have we progressed or regressed?"


    An ufortable silence filled the space as the rulers contemted their glorious past and turbulent present.


    The women who pushed even the rulers of the alliance into depression were too busy searching for their husband.


    They approached the green half of the infinity, Elysium, where Varian was supposed tond.


    Even though they didn''t pass through the barrier, they still felt refreshed by the breath of life that leaked out.


    "Elysium has a lot of great races. If you have the strength, it''s paradise. And Var has the strength." Sarah said with a smile that wasn''t really a smile.


    "If I find him with an elf or fairy or whatever pretty woman this ce has to offer after we came running here," Isadora brandished her sword. "He''ll be sorry."


    "Yeah, yeah, as if he would do that. Let''s go." Sia rolled her eyes and jumped in.


    Two shes of lights followed.


    But before they touched the barrier, the three of them stopped and turned behind.


    "Enigma?"


    Enigma remained frozen, her gaze alternating between the red and green regions of the forbiddennd.


    Elysium was where Varian was supposed to be but¡­


    "I¡­" Enigma bit her lip and pointed to the red half. "I sense him there."


    "Ah?" Sarah tilted her head in doubt.


    Synergy''s signals ended once they reached the region. And even though they tried to contact him through their link, they were only able to ascertain he''s alive and nothing more.


    So, it''s confusing when Enigma imed she could sense him when the three of them couldn''t.


    "What? How? Why?" Sia looked at Enigma in horror as if she was betrayed.


    "Wait, I can sense it too¡­" Isadora closed her eyes and focused.


    Sarah followed. Sia could only swallow herints and tap into the link.


    The link through synergy was lot more than just amunication channel. But it was perhaps the bestmunical channel of the world.


    Not all thoughts and emotions would be conveyed, of course. But whenever Varian thought of them strongly or they thought of him strongly, those emotions and thoughts would be conveyed.


    Strictly speaking, since he was in the forbidden region, this signal should''ve been buried.


    But maybe the emotional fluctuations were so high that it ended up leaking out.


    And the wives found it what was it that he thought of them for the signal to break even the barriers of the forbidden region.


    "S-Sugar mommies?" Sarah was dumbfounded.


    "Is he calling us sugar mommies?" Isadora crossed her arms with a smirk.


    "¡­" Enigma coughed down as her head ran wild.


    "Varian is in a very strict control of his libido. No way he thinks these things in a ce like this." Sia said with certainty.


    And her words caused them to stiffen.


    "Maybe he''s drugged and some vixen is trying to vite his innocent body?" Sia continued.


    Isadora rolled her eyes in disgust.


    "Hey Hey Hey, what''s that look? I''m just worried for him, okay?"


    Sarah also gave her a look of contempt.


    Unbothered by the three, Enigma spoke through their synergetic link. "If he wanted to kill Varian, he should''ve reached an agreement with the Parasite Queen inside. Other than the guardian, she''s the strongest. Maybe Varian is fighting her."


    "¡­A parasite?"


    "A bug!"


    "Why did he remember us so strongly when facing that insect?!"


    The temperature of the region which was once cold to the point of freezing celestials began to soar to the point of boiling metals.


    Without a word, four shes of light fired toward Purgatory.


    In the far distance, Keman tilted his head in confusion. "Why do I feel so much killing intent? Are you sure they won''t kill him?"


    "¡­" Aphosis looked at him like he''s an imbecile.


    ''How would I know? I''ve never been in a rtionship. Rationally, women only affect the speed of my thoughts.''


    *** *** *** ***


    "Klynster''s presence is fluctuating."


    In arge castle built of giant insect carpaces, the parasite queen noticed the man''s absence a bit before he predicted.


    "Hiss~"


    "Hiss~~"


    "Hiss~~~"


    The insect-like creatures in the hall, distinct from those resembling octopuses that hunt down Varian, swayed their antennas and issued some noise.


    "Ah, my children~"


    The parasite queen, a being who Varian imagined to be an insect or octopus, was a pretty humanoid woman in a long red dress.


    cing her hands on her flushed cheeks, she listened to the noises they made with loving eyes.


    "Yes, mother is so happy you grew up to be sensible." She said with a bright smile.


    "Klynster is the stubborn one! I gave him so much time already! Shouldn''t he be an obedient boy and help his mama get out of this ce?"


    "Hiss~"


    "Hiss~~"


    "Exactly! I have to be the mother of everyone in the alliance, a little pain for that end can''t be helped! Doesn''t he want his mama to be happy?"


    "Hiss~~~"


    "Yes, he''s a bad boy!" The woman''s nose scrunched and she stood up. "Bad boys will be punished."


    A tsunami of red energy burst out of the queen and she vanished.


    It''s been the third second since Varian and the group appeared just outside the barrier of purgatory.


    The flickering silver boundary seemed toe alive as it red its silver aura against the Undead despite them being in the castle.


    "It''s less than 10% of the total defense power that stops us from leaving. But even that 10% is not something we can touch." Klynster conveyed to Varian.


    Being in a seperate space-time domain surely helped in reducing the difficulty. But it didn''t solve the problem.


    If he really tried to take them out like this, they would all be repelled back and even he might be implicated.


    "Just give me a few seconds, I will get it done."


    A lotus of green and red appeared on Varian''s palm. The partial slivers bloomed with a magnificient light and at that moment, entire purgatory seemed to dim.


    Once Varian took out the partial slivers, the Undead in the castle felt it without even having to use their senses.


    The call came from the depth of their being. The partial slivers pulled at the very core of their existence.


    The divine Undead next to Klynster were agitated. Their breaths grew heavy and they looked at Varian outside with a look of reverence and longing.


    Sweating profusely, Varian enveloped the castle with the sliver power. "Just a bit more and it''ll be done."


    The n was simple.


    He couldn''t overpower Purgatory''s rules created by the Primordial God. Not with brute strength.


    But if he used the partial slivers, he should be atleast able to manipte and offset the rules for a brief moment.


    In that brief moment, he''d take them out of the barrier and fulfill his promise.


    "Three¡­" Varian began to bleed from the eyes and nose.


    "Two¡­" His body shook violently, the power of slivers pushing him nearly to an explosion.


    "Thr¡ª"


    "My sweet child!"


    A mature voice rang from the sky and Varian coughed up blood due to the aura that suddenly crushed him.


    A woman with long red hair, voluptous body d in a long red dress raised her hands towards him and everyone in the castle.


    "My children, join me! Let us be family from today!"


    The Parasite Queen said with a brilliant maternal smile.


    In response to her words, dozens ofrge beasts fell from the sky and surrounded them from all directions.


    Varian''s face paled as he sensed the high rank 1 power from the crazy woman. She''s significantly stronger than Klynster.


    And with all those octopus parasites joining, there''s no way out of this encirclement.


    "Varian," Parasite Queen appeared in front of him before he could even react and looked at him with a loving smile. Raising her arms for a hug, she said. "Will you be my loving child?"


    Without even waiting for his answer, a red tentacle shot out of her body and drilled into his abdomen, injecting with infesting death energy.


    Varian curled over, trying to block the energy but utterly failed to make any meaningful resistance.


    Gently ruffling his hair, the Parasite Queen whispered in his ear. "Be my child. Be a good boy. Mother will reward you."


    Varian didn''t have the time to care for this psychopath. His flesh turned red and then ck while tentacles began to sprout of his body.


    "Arghhh!"


    "Worry not." Parasite Queen said with a smile. "That old bastard asked me to kill you. But how can I kill my own child? Be an Undead, be my child. Purgatory is next and once we go out..."


    The woman''s breathing ragged and she said with a crazy smile. "Everyone, everyone in the alliance will be my child! That way, no matter how many children die, I will still have children!"


    With a snap of her fingers, a red mist drowned the castle. A momentter, the structure exploded and her power enveloped everyone inside.


    "Theia, Verina, Olisargh,¡­., Klynster! Everyone of you will be my children soon. Soon!" The Queen giggled and her bloodshot eyes turned to the sky with vengeance.


    "Fate took away all my children, every single time! But what can even fate do when everyone in the alliance is my child? Huh? Answer me! Answer me you coward!" The woman roared with madness.


    The sky cracked and a light fell.


    The unguarded queen was sted away and a power grabbed Varian away from the crowd.


    A tremendous burst of vitality flooded Varian''s body and he instantly opened his eyes, gasping as he did.


    "Y-You¡­why, how and when did you all?" Varian couldn''t help but ask.


    Without answering his question, Sarah pointed to the mature woman sted to the ground and asked with a cold expression. "Is she the parasite queen?"


    Varian nodded.


    The parasite queen stood up and looked at them in surprise. Then, she raised her arms with a loving expression. "Oh you four bunnies,e to mommy! Mommy will love you forever!"


    Four pirs of killing intent shot into the sky and the four surrounded the queen with vengeful faces that Varian rarely saw them with.


    The four looked at each other and then at the woman.


    "Mommy?"


    "You''re that mommy?"


    "Am I famous outside too? Ahahaha, yes, I''m the All Mother! You can always call me Mommy!"


    The sky began to shake and the earth trembled.


    ''W-What happened?'' Varian was dumbfounded.


    Enjoying his confusion and the ''family meeting'' that would soon happen, Logos sighed inwardly.


    [Doing good deeds and not taking credit. That''s me, Logos! Unlike my shameless master, I''m ahem ahem, a very great being.]

 Chapter 1635 My Enemy

    Chapter 1635 My Enemy


    ??The sky of purgatory was red since anyone could remember. But today, it cracked like a mirror and glowed with various lights.


    Klynster and his divine peers looked up at the sky with a trembling gaze. Their dead eyes reflected the vibrant colors and for a moment, they all found themselves at a loss for words.


    The might of purgatory was challenged today.


    "Urgh."


    A pained groan left Varian''s throat as the sheer pressure eminating from the five beings put pressure on him.


    They were confronting each other and weren''t trying to hurt him. But it struck him as odd that his wives, who usually carefully controlled their aura to not affect him in such situations, let it flow.


    That alone didn''t amount to a substantial thought. But the bubbling emotions he could feel from the link and themon word in their minds ''Sugar Mommy'' worried Varian.


    "¡­Sarah?" Varian called out, hoping he''s just overthinking it.


    The blonde queen clenched her sword tighter and gave him that look which told him she was not in a great mood. "We''ll talk."


    "¡­" Varian nodded with a depressed expression.


    Once she turned around, his expression changed into one of vengeance and he pped his chest.


    ''Logos, you bastard! You brought that topic, provoked me, raised my emotions and guided them here!''


    [That I did to save you. You''re wee.]


    ''You dug a grave of misunderstanding!''


    [For achieving a big goal, small sacrifices are necessary.]


    Varian shook his hand and yelled. "I''ll take them out. See you out soon."


    The mes of red and green spread out from Varian''s hand as if they were trying to spread throughout thend.


    Forming strings of mes, they enveloped the Undead and formed a boundary around them, seperating them from purgatory.


    "I''ll take them out first. Be safe!" Varian yelled before engulfing the entire region with his space-time powers.


    "My child, don''t go!"


    Ignoring the crazy woman''s desperate pleading, the space around Varian''s group distorted.


    "Noo!"


    A sh of red blinded everyone and the next moment, they were pulled away from the location, appearing at the other end of the purgatory, just a few miles away from the barrier.


    Since he hade this far in such a short period of time, he had some time before the parasites could think of catching up.


    What''s more, with the harem holding down the parasite queen, he might even get a few precious seconds extra.


    ''Once I get outta here, they can leave without worries. Even if they can''t defeat the Parasite Quene, they can escape when they want. Now I just need t¡ª''


    "Cough!"


    Varian spat out blood and his face paled. Only then did he notice a small spark of red glowing inside his chest.


    When they were teleporting, the attack of the queen was intended to bury them all. It was blocked but a part of the attack still ended up striking him.


    Varian turned to the Undead in the solid space castle with an apologetic smile. "I''ll need a few seconds to recharge and get you out, don''t worry about the parasite queen."


    Closing his eyes, he sank his mind deep inside and entered a hyper meditative state.


    As he quickly recovered aura and repaired his injuries to pull off a major sliver maniption feat, a message rang from the synergy link. It was Sia''s voice that greeted him.


    Perhaps because they were close, he could ''see'' her condition.


    With a pale face, blood sttered face and bloodshot eyes, she was controlling the souls of parasites to fight against each other other, keeping them from helping the parasite queen.


    Sarah, Enigma and Isadora were in a fierce confrontation with the Parasite Queen.


    Each move in the battle ended resulted in explosions that would''ve blown away entire kingdoms.


    Thankfully, Purgatory was incredibly resilient. Even their tremendous battle only ended up creating brokennd and cracked spaces.


    ''Varian, we can barely hold her together. Have you left the ce?''


    ''Not yet. I''ll be taking these Undead out with me.''


    ''Are you crazy?! Why?''


    Isadora''s voice rang and the other two also joined the conversation.


    Varian shared the memory with them. ''Maybe the hostility of Undead with living would vanish thanks to them. A more robust alliance gives me a better stage for growth.''


    Sia nodded with a reluctant expression. ''Equilius wants to kill you. So having a few divine helpers outside this ce won''t be too bad, I guess? They weren''t hostile to you from the start anyway.''


    ''Parasite Queen admitted it herself. Equilius wanted her to kill me.''


    Varian slowly opened his eyes. The mes of green and red engulfed his arms. With a clench of his fists, he briefly severed the link between the Undead and Purgatory.


    Almost at the same time, Enigma''s voice rang.


    ''If I was Equilius, I would never hire just one tea¡ª''


    Boom!


    Varian looked down at the ash-colored hand passing through his chest in disbelief.


    "You¡­"


    Klynster looked at him with an emotionless, no, with a dead expression.


    "How dare a filthy living creature have those slivers? Uneptable!"


    Klynster''s leg shed and a powerful force struck Varian in the back, tearing his body into two.


    As blood rained and organs ruptured, Varian used the power of life in a drop of blood that was blown away to draw distance from Klynster.


    The power of death that drilled into his body from the Undead began to wreck havoc, attempting to devour him violently.


    And unlike the usual parasite''s infesting energy, this one seemed to understand his aura style very well.


    Despite his best attempts, Varian was losing.


    A light shed and hundreds of Undead¡ªelders, middle-aged, young and even children¡ªsurrounded him.


    Klynster stood in the middle, looking at him with a in expression.


    Varian''s eyes widened and he shook with anger at the betrayal.


    Once the link between them and Purgatory was severed, he could feel their souls with uracy.


    Not a single one in front of him, neither the child undead nor Klynster himself had an announce of proper emotion.


    Toward him, all they held was instinctive hatred.


    "I was skeptical when that old man warned me not to try kill you right away." Klynster walked in the air, approaching him with absolute confidence.


    It was as if a lightning shed in his mind and illuminated the darkness. Varian grasped that Equilius bribed both of them to kill him.


    "Now I get it. It wouldn''t have worked on you. Those females would''ve been disastrous if I attempted to kill you without that stupid bug''s intervention." With a flick of his wrist, beams of aura from one Undead reached another and formed aplex geometric shape.


    "Give away the slivers. You''re not qualified to control them."


    The beams of aura that went through every Undead shot at Klynster and he trembled slightly.


    The rm in Varian''s head went off, warning him of the enemy''s increased strength.


    Klynster''s aura was thicker, darker and viscious. He was still weaker than the parasite queen but not by much.


    Looking at the dead eyes of the man, Varian asked through gritted teeth. "So everything you told me, the dream of these people, their regrets¡­it''s all a lie?"

 Chapter 1636 A Screwed Up Situation

    Chapter 1636 A Screwed Up Situation


    "You are pretty emotional, aren''t you?" Klynster continued the conversation as a cover to draw Varian''s attention. "Or maybe that old man knows you well." Varian clutched his injury, hoping to heal it quickly. But the environment here made it very difficult. "Recently, you killed an entire civilization for the sake of a trial. And you strangled a little girl who trusted you so much." Varian''s fingers dug into his palm and blood spilled out. Klynster tilted his head as if he found his reaction interesting. "We had to n every interaction with you. Saving you twice, sharing our tragic stories and reminding you of the time you couldn''t save that girl''s civilization. This is a retry, a second chance! You won''t be able to abandon us." As Varian underwent a turmoil of emotions, Klynster used his aura to build a couple of red suns in the sky, suns filled with the power of death, the power he knew Varian was desperately resisting to stop himself from bing an Undead.


    "I wasn''t saved by an Undead and gained sympathy for them. I was killed by one." There was a conflicting expression on Klynster''s face, as he seemed to recall the moment of his ''death''.


    The death suns in the sky began to emanate beams of death energy that lit up the region they were in.


    Varian''s body trembled as he tried to resist. But he was fighting against both Klynster and Purgatory itself. With each passing moment, his resistance was growing weaker.


    "The Undead showed no mercy to me despite my willingness to understand their side of the problems. He murdered me brutally. I didn''t understand then. But I did once I rose back. We are sides of the same coin. But only one side must win.


    The current stalemate against Jai Empire is because the two empires can''t be decisive enough.


    Once the alliance turns into an Undead empire, there will be no fear against even the God Emperor."


    Klynster clenched his fist and therge suns fell from the sky, reaching Varian in a blink.


    Created from the power of all these Undead, including Klynster''s, this was the attack that should certainly kill Varian.


    "Now die!" Klynster roared. But¡ª


    "You weren''t only the one using the conversation as a cover."


    Despite the pale face and gaping wound, Varian had a smile on his face.


    Klynster''s n was near perfect. But as an Undead, he only fought against other Undead all his time in purgatory. The only other paths he encountered were the genesis powerhouses who entered purgatory for various reasons.


    In divine ranks, he never encountered a space-time powerhouse. He was aware of the blindspot in his knowledge too. So, he decided to bruteforce his way through it and simply poured a tonne of death energy for locking up space.


    But that''s not all. He wasn''t aware that Varian was as proficient in death energy as he was in life energy.


    Even worse, he never ounted the fact that Varian would grow so quickly that estimates based on his strength as recent as even three days ago could be misleading.


    As a result, Varian simply used his own death energy and resonated it with a tiny portion of the barrier built to lock him in.


    With the death energy of the barrier in that region turning unstable, he used his space-time power to st a hole through it. It''s a tiny hole in which even a hair wouldn''t fit. But¡­


    "Stop!"


    Boom! As the red suns exploded, Varian''s body perished. But a tiny droplet of blood squeezed its way out of the hole and teleported itself into the distance.


    A momentter, Varian materialized with a full body. Evenpared to earlier, his face was horrendously pale and his skin was turning red.


    The power of slivers emerged from him and seven divine powers in his body rumbled.


    "Come," Noticing Klynster who was fast approaching him, Varian grinned with a bloody smile. "Traitorous son of a bitch."


    The next five minutes passed in a blur with Varian escaping most of the time andnding a blow whenever he could.


    Klynster grew increasingly frustrated as he failed to catch this leech that kept slipping.


    The best he could do was stop Varian from leaving purgatory and inflict serious injuries on him.


    But the more the battle progressed, the worse things seemed.


    Klynster desperately wanted to deny it but it was clear that the power difference between them was shrinking at an unbelievable pace.


    "H-How?!"


    A badly bruised Varian answered with a middle finger and jumped into a space crack.


    "Urgh!" Groaning in frustration, Klynster kicked the ground and chased after him.


    Due to Varian''s incredible ways of escape, the Undead were not able to catch up with him at all, leaving the responsibility of chase solely to Klynster.


    If he had to face off every Undead under Klynster, he wouldn''t have survived this long.


    ''Status''


    [Dragon: 15/100 (+5)


    Titan: 15/100 (+5)


    Phoenix: 15/100 (+5)


    Order: 15/100 (+5)


    Chaos: 15/100 (+5)


    Space: 15/100 (+5)


    Time: 15/100 (+5)]


    ''One more unit and I''ll step into mid rank 1. My strength should be barely able to touch high rank 1. Still weaker than Klynster but much more bearable.''


    Varian nned to prolong the fight, grow strong and end Klynster. It was a great n. But the thing with ns¡­they often get disrupted.


    Boom! n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The sky turned dark all of a sudden before it cracked like ss.


    "Oh no!" Varian knew what it was. Without hesitation, he poured all the space-time power he had and teleported away.


    Tentacles fell from the sky and caught Klynster who couldn''t escape.


    "It''s time to break out of this prison and get new children. Come!" The Parsite Queen high in the sky raised her arms.


    The tentacles grabbing thousands of Undead from all over purgatory including Klynster reached her.


    The parasites themselves prostrated and allowed themselves to be carried by the tentacles.


    Varian realized something fucked up was going to happen.


    From the information he gathered, Parasite Queen had once challenged the guardian of Purgatory and failed. Since then, she had been nning to secure her victory.


    But since the guardian was rank 1 and she''s saying these things now¡ª


    "Var, run!" Sarah''s voice was drowned out by the screeches of hundreds of parasites.


    A tremendous concentration of aura filled the space around the queen and the pressure emenating from her sheer presence grew at an unbelievable pace.


    The injured Sarah, Sia, Isadora and Enigma appeared next to Varian with grim faces.


    "We don''t have to fight. Just leave the purgatory." Varian said with a pale face.


    "We can''t." Isadora pointed to the red barrier that came up at some point over the existing barrier. "She sealed the entire purgatory."


    "Ahahahaha! Do you love me so much you''re willing to die for me? I love you too! I love you all!" The ground under their feet cracked and massive red tentacles emerged out of them.


    Parasite''s Queen aura broke through the range of high rank 1 and entered the peak of rank 1.


    "We can''t beat her." Sarah bit her lip, clutching onto her bleeding shoulder.


    Varian looked at his injured women before turning to Klynster who was being squeezed to powder by the tentacles.


    Even now, that man kept his gaze fixated on Varian. He must be regretting not taking more chances.


    "Haa~" Varian exhaled deeply and created a spark of red and green.


    He clenched his fist and the red-green jumped into a space crack, reaching a location that Klynster warned Varian to never cross.


    The ground suddenly shook and the shaking sky stilled.


    "We can''t beat her."


    Parasite Queen''s smile vanished and she turned to the sky with a solem gaze. "But he can."


    A pitch-ck eye opened in the sky.

 Chapter 1637 Predicament

    Chapter 1637 Predicament


    The mythology describes the first five guardians of purgatory.


    The first guardian of purgatory was a fire crow. Many yearster, it was challenged and killed. The challenger became the owner of the purgatory, earning great blessings from the world.


    The poemsposed in that era describe prosperity under the guardian, when Undead ushered in an unprecedented development.


    For a keen observer, the tone of the poems kept changing. They were less optimistic, less carefree as time passed. There was more tension, fear and despair.


    And then suddenly, Purgatory''s richnd turned into hell. The vast resources in thend could not stop the guardian''s desire to watch everything burn.


    The new guardian who challenged the old to rewrite the rigid rules of the ce and give everyone a beacon of hope behaved just like the old guardian. In some cases, he was worse.


    The next guardian, the third, was deemed as the hero. But he quickly turned insane, torturing Undead and destroying entire species.


    The fourth guardian was even more genocidal. Half of the entire poption in purgatory was wiped out under his tenure.


    The fifth guardian, the one where the mythologies seem to end, had no description attributed to him. He was neither good nor bad, neither logical nor emotional, neither caring nor indifferent.


    But the hell called ''guardians'' ended with him.


    Since his time, a guardian would not intervene in the workings of undead inside the purgatory.


    They only enforced the rules when necessary and appeared when challenged, to kill or get killed. It was a thankless job in a lot of sense. And while the guardians stopped abrupt massacre on a boring tuesday for fun, they were not the sanest minds of the region. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    They stayed in utter istion, were treated like tools by purgatory and as a blockade by challengers. In essence, the guardians hated everyone equally and didn''t mind unleashing violence when they were summoned.


    That''s why, any challenge to guardian was usually done in an empty space. That was until Varian came along.


    Now, the guardian descended into a full crowd. "Demon!" Parasite Queen''s face was solemn. Exuding bloodlust that surpassed anything ever experienced by those in the crowd, the creature seemed to nce at everyone before settling its sight on the queen.


    Its body was covered in a ck light and they could not sense how it looked. Instead of a head, it seemed to have just an eye which was only visible part of its body. The rest was wriggling darkness with bits of scarlet.


    "You killed all my childrenst time. It''s time you pay for your sins." Parasite Queen''s body blurred and a beam of red ligth shot at the guardian.


    The attack was so fast that when Varian noticed her hand rising up, he was sted away by a powerful shockwave.


    Then it seemed like the world shed, twisted and blurred before everything started to make sense again.


    When he came to his senses, half of his body was eaten up by the death energy and his aura reserves were hitting rock bottom.


    Entire purgatory was shaking with massive explosions sting their wave throughout the region.


    Varian got up from the rough soil and spat the blood rising in his throat. It was pitch ck, corrupted from the death energy that lingered all around.


    Looking down, his body was losing its fight against the zombification. ''Up?'' Isadora''s voice rang in his head and he replied with a weak ''Yeah''.


    ''We tried to take you out but¡­'' A sharp pain came from the inside and Varian peeked inside his soul with an omnious premonition. There it was. A twisting red mark. ''Damn it!'' He''s marked by the purgatory, now bing a native. A native cannot leave purgatory, no matter what.


    This shouldn''t have happened since an outsider would have to spend a lot of time and turn into an Undead to be marked.


    But Varian failed to consider something.


    Challenging the guardian was something only a native could do. If an outsider does it, he''d be turned into a native.


    So, when he challenged the guardian to salvage the situation, he ended up creating a difficult situation for himself.


    "Urgh!" Groaning as he blocked further intrusion of death energy, Varian tried to dissolve the mark using the power of slivers.


    The red and green lotus reached into his soul, drowning the mark it its power.


    The slivers were very helpful so far and Varian hoped for them to work.


    ¡­They did not.


    ''What am I going to do? If I stay here, I''ll turn into an Undead one day or another.''


    [Control the mark.] Logos spoke up.


    ''It''s not working.''


    [If you are the guardian, you will gain the authority to control the mark to some degree. Using the slivers alongside the authority, you should be able to temporarily deactivate the mark and get out of here.]


    Varian''s eyes lit up and he sighed in relief before he suddenly raised his head in shock. ''How the hell am I going to kill the guardian?'' [Dunno, don''t care.]


    "Okay."


    Varian was happy that Logos even helped him to this extent. Usually, the incarnation ofziness wouldn''t even open its mouth.


    ''Fall back from the frontline and regroup.''


    Varian spoke in themunication channel.


    The women who were following the grand battle between the parasite queen and the guardian were surprised for a moment before they did as requested.


    Even though they all suffered injuries to varying degrees, they were definitely in a better conditionpared to him.


    The obvious reason might seem like their strength but a very significant reason was them not having to endure continuous days under this hostile environment.


    ''Do you have a way?'' Sia was nervous. ''I don''t really mind living with you but this ce is not suitable for having babies.''


    "¡­" Varian wanted to spank her badly for joking in this situation.


    [You know she''s not joking.]


    Taking a brief breath, he said. "Let them kill each other. I''ll help the weaker one with my slivers. While I do that, help me block the attacks from the other."

 Chapter 1638 Guardian

    Chapter 1638 Guardian


    ??Parasite Queen made an borate n against the Guardian, one that had no chance of failing. But the n was supposed to start only a few years after she digested everyone.


    Varian flipped the table and threw everything into jeopardy.


    ''I hate that child! He''s so, so, so unruly!''


    Thedy still looked as kind as ever with a gentle smile on her face. But she exuded a dark red aura as she floated high above, an aura that covered dyed half of the sky in her color.


    With every flick of her wrist and wave of her finger, tentacles shot into the sky, spewing infectious energy that aimed at enving any sentient creature that came into contact with it.


    The energy would first start at the body level. Then, it''d drill into the soul of the target and blockade it from reaching out to the body.


    If the parasitism deepened, even the soul would be gradually corrupted. While not as much as the actual soul pathwalkers, it was certainly good enough for the job.


    Her attacks, treated the sky like a canvas, painting thick red strokes that trapped the guardian in the middle.


    The demon of death was shrouded in darkness, just like the first time she saw him. But now, he couldn''t dismiss her attacks like he once did.


    Even though he had the blessings of purgatory which directly pushed his strength beyond the range of a peak rank 1, parasite queen proved to be a formidable opponent.


    The darkness around him was being corrupted at an uncontroble, unpredictable pace. The ck got covered with patches of red, showcasing the infection happening visible to the naked eye.


    Due to the precise study she made on him and the temporary boost she got from devouring Klynster, she was able to overpower the guardian.


    "Kuhhh, gruhh!"


    Like worms eating away an injured living creature, the patches of red continued to eat away the darkness.


    The guardian, for all its might, tried desperately to free itself and failed.


    If it hadn''t been distracted and tried to finish off those four annoying women, he wouldn''t have fallen into this trap and¡ª


    "Ah?"


    In the sky that''s dominated by darkish red and ck, a lotus of light red and pale green bloomed.


    "No, that''s!"


    The guardian''s power rose up a notch and an aura shockwave exploded out of its body.


    "My child, please stop!"


    Parasite Queen withdrew into the distance and red in the direction of Varian.


    A tentacle broke the sky above him and descended down even as she requested him in a polite tone.


    "Please don''t bother mother, I have an important thing to do! Just go to sleep!"


    The tentacle reached Varian in a blink and spewed out a thick red mist. Four shields materialized over him and two of them broke upon contact with the mist. The third cracked and only the fourth remained intact.


    ''Sleep? She means permanent sleep.''


    Varian wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and blessed the guardian further with his slivers.


    "Ahhh! Da! Da! Da!"


    A bunch of terrific sounds came from the one-eyed guardian before it dived down.


    The queen''s torso dried up, forming a very incongruent lookpared to the rest of her body.


    It was an attack which the guardian was long storing and did its job.


    With two more strikes, the queen lost her limbs despite her best responses.


    Momentum was very important in any battle. Once she lost it, it''s hard to win, especially against a stronger foe.


    While she got more and more cornered, the amount and intensity of attacks on Varian skyrocketed.


    Thankfully, the excellent defense provided by his women, sometimes at the expense of their own injuries, kept him safe.


    "¡­Is this it?"


    As she watched the guardian summon a beam of death to finish her off, the parasite queen gnashed her teeth with reluctance.


    Born in a long lived species, she married young. She lost her husband and three children to a city riot.


    A centuryter, her second husband and two children died in an explosion.


    Three centuriester, her third husband went insane and murdered their ten children.


    Since then, she had kids every year using her powers without the need for any physical contact.


    Her desperate desire to have a family only brought her more pain.


    A thousand years and hundred childrenter, not a single child lived past fifty.


    It broke her in ways she couldn''t even imagine. And drove her to Purgatory.


    Since her children were all dead¡­wouldn''t the problem be solved if she weed the dead as the children? And unlike the living, she could parasite and turn every being into her child.


    For the cursed existence that was her life, this was the twisted blessing which filled her heart.


    Parasite Queen grabbed the opportunity with all her might back then when she was just a neer.


    ''I can''t lose!''


    And when death stared right at her, she fought back.


    As if the heavens were helping her, the lotus helping the guardian flipped.


    Instead of giving him a boost, it temporarily seperated him from purgatory.


    Doing so not only withdrew the enhancment it was giving him, it also took away the boost that purgatory always provided the guardian with.


    As a result¡ª


    "Die!"


    The sudden interruption which wouldn''t have mattered at any other time destabilized the guardian for a split second.


    That was enough.


    A tentacle broke out from ground, pierced through the veil of darkness and dug into the pitch ck eye.


    The darkness was devoured by a dark red light before it exploded.


    A soothing feeling began to fill her being and a blessing started to fall on her, dering that she''s the new guardian.


    Parasite Queen immed


    "Haa! Haa! Children of the alliance, I am¡ª"


    Four powers struck her in that vulnerable moment with more strength than parasite queen expected.


    Still, she could''ve survived their attacks with the blessings. But the new blessings were interrupted by a pair of slivers.


    Yet, she could''ve had a chance to st them away and buy a few seconds to stabilize her situation.


    But two powerful attacks struck her soul back to back, blocking her range of response for a brief moment.


    When the queen came to her senses, a man was standing in front of her with an indifferent gaze.


    He''s the target she''s supposed to kill, the one person who she didn''t take seriously at all due to his low strength.


    But he¡­


    "Heuk!"


    Varian twisted the sword lodged in her heart and the burst of vitality flooded the already injured parasite queen.


    Like darkness being chased away in the face of light, her powers suffered a tremendous bacsh and she twitched violently.


    Dozens and dozens of tentacles emerged out of her body in a desperate attempt to cull Varian. But they were all stopped by a de of darkness and a wheel of light.


    A few momentster, the parasite queen broke into twinkling aura and blew away.


    "Haa~"


    Clutching his dizzy head, Varian rxed his shoulders.


    The purgatory seemed to freeze for a moment before it bestowed him with a boost in strength. And as it did, it also informed him of something he didn''t know before.


    [A great secret is awaiting you behind the three regions.


    Purgatory: Cleared


    Elysium: Not Cleared


    Nirvana: Not Cleared]

 Chapter 1639 Somewhat Of An Expert

    Chapter 1639 Somewhat Of An Expert


    ??"What took you so long?" Aphosis asked with narrowed eyes, his tiny body vaguely turning toward Equilius.


    Yami looked normal while the question was thrown but he also read a subtle disturbance in her form.


    Keman didn''t seem to care and was discussing administrative matters with a glowing spirit who appeared to be some kind of assistant.


    Aridam was meditating, exhibiting his utter disregard for an event everyone else deemed important.


    Equilius, the man who had the most to lose, kept his gaze on Isadora. Since Sia and Enigma were unsure about not leaking their anger after facing Equilius, they cancelled their spirit forms.


    Sarah decided to check Elysium until the meeting ended and only Isadora attended the meeting.


    And what she faced was the strong stare of Equilius.


    Even though the gaze was neutral, showing not a hint of hostility, the princess could read the turmoil in his eyes and the hatred brimming in his soul.


    Varian felt it too. But he felt something more when his perception tantly touched Equilius.


    It was a disrespectful move by any measure and definitely not something a rank 1 would tolerate much less an empire pir like rank 2.


    Yet, Equilius allowed the perception to wash over him.


    And that caused Varian''s eyes to shake.


    There was a trace of power inside Equilius. It wasn''t certain whether it was granted by the source or stolen, but that power, no matter how faint it was, was something he would never forget.


    It was the same power that established the curse inside Prim and let it run for millions of years, a timespan longer than the lifespan of most divine rankers.


    The power of God Emperor.


    Turning to Aphosis with a casual expression, Varian replied. "The weather was nice, we had a field trip in purgatory."


    "Didn''t we send you to Elysium?"


    "I see living beings all the time. So, I decided to check out the undeadnd."


    "Are you serious? That ce stinks of zombies!" Aridam woke up from his meditation who knows when and nearly mmed his face with the alliance heir''s.


    "Yeah." Varian took a few steps back to avoid any skin contact with the crazy bastard.


    "A trip is a trip. A few thousand years after you reach the peak of rank 1, we''ll return here to have you conquer Purgatory as well as Elysium." Keman said in a in tone but his eyes were shining with anticipation. "With two of these ces under our hands, we can take over this region and unify it with the spiral."


    Now that he knew more about the regions, Varian tilted his head. "Are you really sure you want to give up Nirvana region? Nirvana''s divine essence is as much as both of Purgatory and Elysiumbined."


    "It can''t be helped. The guardian of Nirvana is beyond the reach of a rank 1. With no rank 2s are allowed inside, it''s a dead end." Keman gave him a curious look. "Are you perhaps saying you can do it?"


    Varian did not deny. "I don''t mean to brag but I''m somewhat of a specialist in doing the impossible."


    "It''s good to have this confidence. If you have to defeat someone like that, this much belief is absolutely necessary." A smile broke out on Keman''s face as he looked at Varian in appreciation.


    Rather than the possibility of Varian''s sess in conquering Nirvana, he seemed more pleased at Varian''s extreme confidence.


    Varian grasped that intent and said with a helpless expression. "Well, I did conquer purgatory and got its blessings. Once I conquer Elysium and get its blessings too, I am confident I can take on Nirvana''s guardian as a peak rank 1."


    "Oh yes, the blessings are¡­.what?"


    Keman''s face, which had seen wars that shook entire gxies, froze. Every ruler on the scene looked at him with a weird expression.


    Aphosis pointed out their confusion, gesturing at the heir''s women. "Even if they helped you kill the guardian, they would be judged as the guardian, not you. And that in itself is a very shaky thing to assume given they''re still far from peak ra¡ª"


    Varian showed the back of his hand, disying the red tattoo engraved with divine power. "¡­I dunno, it just happened."


    The rulers were experienced beings but even they felt a sense of incredulity at him breaking themon sense effortlessly.


    "Maybe you really have a chance of beating the guardian of Nirvana. Then the final fusion would be perfect and we''ll have more chance of confronting the God Emperor." Keman said with a strong smile, thousands of flying spiritsing into life from the white light he gave off in happiness.


    Patting his shoulder, the ruler of geneis promised. "We''ll give you all the resources you want. Just get to peak rank 1 as soon as possible."


    "Mors won''t fall behind." Yami, who remained silent so far, spoke up. Since he showed no hostility so far, she assumed that either Equilius didn''t do what he promised or that Varian did not know anything.


    Before anyone could react, she reached out her hand and ruffled his hair. "Do your best, my child, the destiny of alliance rests on your shoulders."


    "¡­"


    Aphosis'' indifferent expression remained but the way he stared at her with bulging eyes meant that even the most indifferent person on the site was dumbfounded.


    The reactions of Aridam, Equilius and Keman were more visible. They nkly stared as if they were frozen statues.


    Yami ignored their reactions and ced the tip of her finger on Varian''s palm. A tiny red spark glowed at the fingertip and gently drilled into his body.


    Varian shook for a moment before he held onto Isadora and stabilized.


    "That''s my experience and insights when I transvered the first realm of divine. I''ve also added what I''ve seen from countless geniuses over the eons. Even though it''s just a reference, I''m sure you can make good use of it."


    Varian pushed himself to smile and thanked her profusely for the help.


    Even though it''s nowhere near Synergy, it was going to help. Keman also followed her actions and with that, the Nexus trio also joined.


    Due to the turbulence from receiving five bundles of tremendous insights, Varian''s perfectly sealed aura leaked out for a brief moment and his state was revealed.


    "¡­Mid rank 1?" Aridam muttered in confusion.


    "See you all, bye!" Varian didn''t want to get into a soft interrogation and summoned a space passage connecting to Hortus.


    ''Sarah.''


    ''Um!''


    A golden light shot out of the green half of the forbidden region and the queen emerged with a few injuries.


    The trio stepped into the passage and vanished. As they did, the rulers stared at his back, with a strong hunch that a great change was near.

 Chapter 1640 Hey Hey!

    Chapter 1640 Hey Hey!


    ??"It''s a sunny day. A beautiful, beautiful day."


    Dressed in a one-piece purple dress, a stunningdy exuding a mysterious charm hopped from ce to ce. And whenever she saw anyone in this silent paradise, she would start a conversation.


    "Hey hey! Little girl, you know what? I hit mid rank 1!"


    Prim who was watering the garden flowers rolled her eyes at her words.


    "Mid. Rank. 1." Afraid she hadn''t paid attention, Miss Cmity stepped in front of her and repeated word by word.


    Prim raised her head and looked at the beamingdy in front. The knee-length skirt and the purple lipstick nicely matched the color of her dress, giving a mature charm to her already beautiful countenance.


    Scrunching her nose, Prim muttered under her breath. "Shameless vixen."


    "I can hear you, you know?" Aurora''s voice turned cold.


    Prim raised her head and gave her a dismissive nce. "That''s why I said it out loud."


    "Since you''re still a baby, I''ll forgive you. What can a brat without even a century of living experience know?" Aurora shook her head with a generous expression and turned to walk away.


    One can''t fault a great poet for not evoking emotions inside a donkey with her poems. It''s not the fault of the poet, it''s the fault of the donkey!


    "Baby? Then what are you as an adult? Leeching off my brother''s home! Why don''t you go back to your mother''s ce or even better, your own?"


    Aurora''s jaw dropped and she vanished muttering. "Teenagers! Goddamn teenagers! Arghhh!"


    A secondter, shended in front of a small home at the outskirts of a forest.


    "Alison!" Miss Cmity cried out in an indignant voice, tears swirling in her eyes.


    The door opened and a middle-aged woman walked out with a tired expression. "What is it this time?"


    Aurora rested her head on thedy''s shoulder andined. "Y-Your granddaughter! She''s so rude! She wants me to leave this ce!"


    Alison raised a brow. "So when are you going?"


    "What?!" Aurora looked at her with an expression that seemed to say ''How could you?''.


    Alison coughed lightly and exined her original intention. "I mean, when are you going to visit your senior sister? It''s been a few weeks since they returned."


    When the topic came up, Miss Cmity smirked. "I''m going to surprise them! I broke into mid rank 1!"


    "Wow! So fast?" Alison had a rough understanding and looked at her in surprise.


    "Ehehehe, I guess I''m a bit of a genius myself." Aurora lowered her head and said with a not so humble smile, expecting a shower of praises.


    "Good for you." Alison said and headed back home. "I want to cook some potatoes today, wanna stay for lunch?"


    Miss Cmity bit her lip and left without making a sound.


    Even if Alison didn''t know the significance of divine ranks, why was her response so subdued?


    Come on, her achievement would have caused a kingdom to celebrate for a whole year. Even the genesis empire would hold a festival week!


    These guys?


    With a depressed face, she reached the bottom of the mountain where Evander stayed.


    Recently, he used Hortus'' ritual to drain off all his ranks and started out from the bottom again.


    Thanks to plenty of precious herbs Sarah provided, his lifespan and talent were not a problem.


    What''s a problem though was him practicing like a madman without any break.


    "Err, Evander? Uncle? Uncle Evander?" After a few unsessful attempts, Miss Cmity left with hunched shoulders.


    The next stop was the maids. They were chopping off a peak celestial fire dragon while a-destroying phoenix was being fried up in a special space container.


    "Texture of #A23 *Y234 check. Shortlist as a starter. Create thousand more samples of phoenix soup for¡­"


    "¡­never mind." Miss Cmity didn''t even dare to disturb the passionate chef.


    Hazel must''ve starved to death in her previous life. She''s obsessed with food and cooking.


    If this world was decided not by the proficiency of divine path but on the expertise of cooking, she''d be the strongest.


    Helena, the matriarch maid, painted with a serene expression. But she was not painting the natural scenery around her.


    Her canvas captured the scene of an intergctic war, one where Varian stood facing a being covered in a brilliant and terrifying light.


    "¡­"


    Aurora decided to skip her too. Last time they talked, Helena almost convinced her to sit still for a few months for a picture. It was torturous for the energetic youngdy to even imagine!


    In the end, she decided she needed at least one positive boost before she reached her senior sister and brother-inw.


    With a sh of light, she appeared in front of a manor in the P capital.


    An old man in his twilight was working on papers on his desk with utmost focus. Only when she walked into the study did he raise his head before freezing up. "M-Miss Cmity."


    "You haven''t died yet, Baldur?"


    With a wry smile on his wrinkled face, the former prince said in a weak tone that was almost inaudible. "On the verge, Miss Cmity. I''m ashamed to receive your kindness in the form of this visit."


    "You should be ashamed for actual reasons. Like the biggest traitor being your own child and you abetting his behavior."


    Unlike when she was in Hortus as a young, energetic, cheerful and lively girl, Miss Cmity''s presence waspletely different here.


    She was cold, indifferent and exuded a terrible presence that scared even the bravest of hearts.


    "I know. It''s something I can never seek forgiveness for. I¡­If I only¡­" Baldur clenched his weak fists.


    Aurora''s coldness didn''t ease in the slightest, as if she was a being without a shred of mercy. The aura she exuded was so hostile and overwhelming that Baldur was prepared to face a brutal death.


    But in the end, the sickle of death didn''t fall. However, her words, which were just as sharp, did.


    "You had your chances to stop him multiple times but when he threatened to kill himself, you let it go.


    Why? Because an empire protected by divine rankers can''t be toppled by celestial rankers like your son. It must''ve all looked like a child''s y to you. And you let it be."


    Baldur lowered his head and said in a weak voice. "It is indeed as you said. I thought¡­he''d learn reality after realizing the queens'' strength. B-But¡­"


    "You helped him back then. So, he didn''t want to kill you. It''s a repayment he always wanted to make but even he didn''t expect it''d be like this." Miss Cmity shook her head, her eyes filled with disdain.


    "Spend the rest of your life taking care of the loyal Hortians. That''s the least you can do."


    Without even thinking about what she came here for, she returned to Hortus.


    Once she did, she headed to the pce subconsciously to uplift her bad mood.


    "No, no, cheer up! Get ready to see their dumbfounded faces!" pping her cheeks gently, she told herself.


    Barging into the manor like it''s her own home, Miss Cmity yelled at the top of her lungs in a cheerful voice inplete contrast to her cold persona earlier.


    "Ladies and Brother-inw, I am a mid rank 1 from today!"


    There was no respose to her words.


    "Ugh?"


    The manor was veryrge and as basic respect, Aurora didn''t use her perception to probe their presence.


    But when she yelled for three more times and they didn''t respond, she ended up doing a light search and found them in an underwater bedroom.


    ''Eh? What are they doing? Could it be¡­''


    When she blushed furiously imagining some things, three beams of aura broke into the sky.


    Three high rank 1s.


    "No, no, no! Weren''t you peak of mid rank 1! Why?!"


    What she didn''t notice in her despair was that her brother-in-


    "Status."

 Chapter 1641 Things That Dont Change

    Chapter 1641 Things That Don''t Change


    [Dragon: 40/100 (+25)


    Titan: 40/100 (+25)


    Phoenix: 40/100 (+25)


    Order: 40/100 (+25)


    Chaos: 40/100 (+25)


    Space: 20/100 (+5)


    Time: 20/100 (+5)]


    The retreat of five weeks had been fruitful.


    Varian didn''t try very hard. He just fought with his wives at day and bonded with them at night. Synergy was done whenever it was possible.


    The resulting progress in just a month was him going from a new mid rank 1 to crossing more than half the distance.


    Unlike a low rank 1 whose strength was definied between 1-15, a mid rank 1''s range was between 16-50. A total of 35 units and Varian crossed 25 of them already in five weeks. Unfortunately, his speed was inevitably slowing down.


    Firstly, the distance between Varian and his wives narrowed greatly. Even though they were technically in a higher sub-rank than him, his current strength allowed him to fight against them without any handicap from their side.


    Secondly, the divine ranks itself were much more intricate than Varian imagined.


    If celestial ranks were simply the development along the path one had chosen, like painting a single stroke with the brush, the divine ranks were a painting one had to make with all the strokes the brush could possibly make. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    It wasn''t just enough for him to understand the life path and death path, he also had to figure out the greater whole, of how they linked together, interacted with each other and fit in the grand picture.


    That¡­was harder than he liked to admit.


    "If it goes like this, instead of reaching peak of rank 1 in twelve weeks, I''ll need almost fifty. To spend a whole year to cover the divine ranks, damn it, is this what talentless people feel?"


    On a summer midnight, floating on a pinkke under the moonlight, Varian uttered in mncholy.


    And his words, which were meant with absolutely no ill intent woke up Sia who was sleeping on arge white lotus.


    Without a word, she grabbed a dagger and jumped at him.


    "Hey! Why are you resorting to violence?" "Talentless? A full divine rank in a year is talentless?" "I-I mean it''s too slow in a rank for a whole yea¡ªouch!" "We spent a full thousand years for two sub-ranks! And you! You are talking about a year for the whole rank!"


    Varian grabbed the angry cat from throwing more tantrum and locked her in a tight hug so she wouldn''t wave that fake dagger around. Who was she trying to fool by waving that dagger made up of cotton-like darkness?


    "Don''t be so depressed. You''re all very talented. Divine rankers take hundreds of thousands of years to make the progress you made in a thousand years! And this is under intense emotional turmoil! I sincerely believe you four could''ve reached the peak of rank 1 in a thousand years."


    Varian rubbed her cheek gently, looking into her eyes with a doting gaze.


    "I..." Sia had a lot of things toin about. "Were you serious about what you said?"


    She thought his narcissism died out but who knew he would be bragging like this. Worst of all, she didn''t really know if he was flexing or really thinking that way.


    Sia could guess Varian''s emotional pulse like no one else. But even she was confounded when it came to this topic.


    Instead of bragging to piss her off, what if he was really feeling sad over his so-called slow progress?


    "Yes." To her utter surprise, Varian replied a solemn expression. "You might think my progress is fast. Rtively, it is. But the man I''m going to face is a god-like being. With everything that transpired, I just don''t understand why is he letting me be?"


    "¡­Like interfering with your destiny and then not intefering at all?" Sia''s gaze grew dark, her breath stopping for a moment.


    By letting that wolf out, the God Emperor changed Varian''s life forever. And even though Sia still med herself for what happened that day, it''s undeniable that the God Emperor was responsible for the death of Amanda.


    The suffering she went through due to Roxanne, the seperation from Varian, the heartbreak she had to endure when he forgot herpletely¡­


    This one man, someone she never harmed, afflicted her so much pain that she didn''t mind killing him a thousand times.


    Varian gently rubbed the back of her head, just as she liked it. Sia closed her eyes, shoulders rxing and breath smoothing out.


    With a wry smile that stemmed from ignorance and helplessness, Varian hugged her tighter, trying to bury the rising restlessness in his heart.


    "Sia, he knows me before anyone did. I thought I was hiding from him and had to confront him only at the end.


    But he knew about me even before I got the slivers. He pushed me on this path that I walked.


    Now that I''m nning to defeat him¡­if I really posed him a threat, why would he leave me be?


    If he''s doing it, it means that he''s confident that I don''t stand a chance.


    Or maybe this is all a part of a grander n?"


    Without a word, Sia looked at him under the moonlight.


    Varian''s face was pale and his eyes dull, showing weakness and despair that didn''t match his usual self.


    "I tell myself it''s going to be alright, that I can do it. Arge part of me is brave, willing to risk it all. But¡­" Varian lowered his head and pressed his forehead against hers. "A part of me doesn''t know. It''s scared. Sia, I''m scared."


    "Hmmm," Sia cupped his cheek and gently stepped back, locking her eyes with him in the process.


    Then she stared at him with the same gaze she held thousands of years ago.


    Perhaps it was an irony of fate that aftering so far, aplishing so much, this scene still seemed like one from that night.


    That night when Varian tried and tried to awaken before falling into despair, when he felt hopeless against the force of nature he seemed to have no control over, that night a thousand years ago¡­


    When he was confused, hopelessness and weak¡­


    Just like now¡­


    He said the same words.


    "I don''t think I can do it. It is an impossible thing to achieve." Sia held him tight and looked into his eyes with a loving gaze full of belief. She interlocked her hand with his and said with a sweet smile the words that let him fight even in the face of mounting despair.


    To the same question raised a thousand years ago, she repeated the same words today, a thousand yearster. Under the same night, with the same smile, holding the same gaze.


    "The nine year old I met was strong, with a dream to do the impossible.


    But the older you now, are stronger."


    Varian froze for a moment before he rxed, the tension in his body melting away. He lifted her up by the waist without warning and spun her around. And he said the exact same words that he did back then.


    "Whatever happens, I''ll keep going, if only for you."


    Somethings didn''t change.


    "Oh? Then I''ll tell those concubines who''s the wife here." "Wait, wait!" But somethings definitely did.

 Chapter 1642 Family

    Chapter 1642 Family


    Miss Cmity was confused when she learned she was invited to the family meeting.


    Of course, under the title of ''sister-inw'', she did sneak in quite often shamelessly. Not that Aurora liked to do go uninvited. Many kingdoms sent her precious gifts for her brief presence in grand events. She didn''t even bother to attend one.


    Aurora wasn''t after the meetings or their content.


    No, if what drove her initially to this weird, weird family was initially her senior sister who also happened to be her idol, what led her to not leave was the man of mystery, the brother-inw who was too weird to be ssified under any other living species in her humble opinion.


    What was he really? A scammer who lied to her tantly on their first meeting in Centaurus? ''Ahem ahem, I was also in a disguise, but hey!'' Or was he a scammer again when he disguised himself as Telor in the P''s academy?


    ''Ahem ahem, I was also in a disguise, but hey!'' Or was he a scammer when he barged into the kingdom as Isadora''s brother-inw when he was in fact her husband?


    ''Okay¡­I was not in a disguise this time!'' With a lot of mental gymnastics, Aurora managed tobel her brother-inw as an expert scammer who''s even better at fooling people than her.


    ''He did rescue me from¡­mother.'' When he promised her that, what she really expected was a climactic battle where where he''d put his life on the line and save her despite his heavy injuries.


    It would happen many yearster, when she''s on the verge of death.


    And the battered brother-inw would breathe vitality into her body, bringing her back to life.


    It''d be a super emotional moment, one which would make her heart flutter and remain in her memories until her world vanished.


    ¡­And what actually happened?


    At least ording to Aurora who witnessed the scene and her ridiculous reinterpretation of it¡ª


    Mother: "I will use this girl for my rebirth, she is just a tool I don''t love!" Brother-inw: "I''m the heir. If you don''t want your head blown off day when I reach rank 2¡­day after tomorrow since I''m going to nap today, you better give your daughter to me."


    Mother: "Ah, okay! I''m so sorry! My daughter is so lucky to have caught your eye." Brother-inw: "Hmph! Don''t overestimate her. She''s just a lone puppy I don''t want to abandon. By the way, I love my wives."


    "Yeah, it definitely went like that."


    Kicking pebbles down the path, Aurora muttered with a dissatisfied expression.


    Why were the princesses in the stories getting saved by climactic battles and she got saved by a¡­warning?


    "I''m also a princess. In fact, I''m the noblest princes of entire genesis." Aurora sighed deeply, her shoulders drooping as she walked with an expression that screamed ''the world doesn''t love me''.


    When the hyperactive woman finally reached the pce of gardens located at the heart of flower forest, she assumed a solemn expression to show them that she was serious about this family meeting thing.


    But walking down the beautiful flower beds which were shaped into portraits of the four women, she couldn''t help but show a fascinated look.


    It wasn''t difficult for an awakener to do these things. What she found interesting was theck of aura around these flowers.


    Some sort of power-nullifying domain wasid out around these flowers using the power of Hortus. Unless she fought back, she''d turn into a mortal inside.


    Whoever made these flowers must''ve spent weeks catering to them and creating such beautiful portraits of beautiful women.


    ''Heh, teenagers.'' With a smile of pride at her maturity to avoid such childish feelings, Miss Cmity reached the hall of lilies.


    The floral fragrance hooked her soul for a moment before she adjusted herself and sat in between Isadora and Sarah on the lush green grass, finishing the circr formation.


    "Family meeting 31 begins." Rubbing her long hair, Enigma announced. As she did, she nced at Aurora from the corner of her eye. "With a distant guest invited for purely professional reasons."


    "Hey Hey Hey!" Aurora yelped like a cat that got its tail stepped on. Pointing at the four women, especially Isadora, she said. "You don''t have any friends except me. Even if you have some acquaintances, I''m the closest friend to you all."


    Isadora''s face crumpled while Enigma showed no reaction. Sarah lowered her head clenching her fist while Sia showed a wry smile.


    Miss Cmity then turned to Varian who was looking at her in shock and smirked. "Brother-inw, bluntly speaking, after the four of them, I''m the woman you''re closest with. I''m no guest and definitely not a distant one."


    Varian didn''t reply. He carefully observed her face.


    Even though Aurora was smiling and throwing bombshells at them, her lips were trembling and her body was shaking.


    Miss Cmity didn''t take the possessive words they would sometimes blurt to heart. But the way the same words were framed this time hurt her.


    She was called an ''outsider''. Enigma''s emotions were in a slight turmoil after what happened in purgatory. Even though the three women had let it go, she still seemed a bit affected by the parasite queen''s fiasco. It''s not surprising since Enigma''s emotions were either null or very intense. Her worldview was more ck and white as well as more detached from social aspects.


    So, she said words in a way she usually wouldn''t have framed and those possessive words poked a sore spot.


    [She is hurt. If you aren''t here, she might''ve even cried. What a ruthless wife you have. Even thedy who caused feared in the alliance is bullied to tears.]


    Logos expressed sympathy but then immediately revealed the original goal.


    [How about you hug her deeply and let your body express the apology?]


    ''You shouldn''t stayed silent instead of talking crap.''


    "What are yo¡ª"


    When Enigma was about to retort, Varian''s voice rang through the synergy link.


    ''Her father doesn''t even acknowledge her. Her mother sees her as nothing more than a vessel. Everyone she grew up with is either scared of her talent or want to use her for their own gains.


    Despite how she looks, Aurora perceives people well. That''s why she''s so distant to people outside. The mask she wears outside, even if it''s not fully a mask, is a side of herself she developed to deal with the ruthless world.


    How she behaves with us is her more authentic self, a self she couldn''t afford to be express in her circumstances. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    She trusts us because we neither fear her nor want to use her for our benefits. Even if you girls don''t see it, she does see you as family.


    You are the closest people to her in this world.''


    Varian''s words were hidden from Aurora but from the changes in the women''s expressions, she could tell that he had spoken.


    "I''m sorry, Aurora." Enigma''s apology was sincere.


    "It''s okay. I know you didn''t mean it in a negative way." Aurora waved her hand but her lips couldn''t stop rising.


    "You are¡­family." Enigma continued with a sigh. "Yeah, who else do we have anyway?"


    "Suddenly, I feel you''re epting me because you have no one else."


    Enigma looked at her seriously for a moment before a beautiful smile dawned on her face. "No, even if we had a big, big family, you''d have still barged in, wouldn''t you?"


    "Of course!" Miss Cmity beamed and felt that Enigma understood her more than she thought.


    "Alright, alright, whatever we say, she''s my junior sister and Varian''s sister-inw." Isadora waved her hands and rubbed Aurora''s head. "Now let''s get to the agenda of the meeting."


    Varian looked at them with a troubled expression. "I think I might have to go the Jai Empire and hunt down some princes."

 Chapter 1643 Boohoo

    Chapter 1643 Boohoo


    ??"Master, you have no tact. If it was Boo, Boo would''ve tried to show off its charm and cheer up the depressed sister-inw. Boohohoo! A woman in need is a woman indeed."


    A cute ghost with a palm-sized body stuck out its chest and patted itself on the shoulder for the excellent advice it gave out for free.


    Varian flicked it away from palm. Boo rolled in the air, somersaulting wildly in its spirit form before hitting the wall of the spaceship and bounced back into his palm with amazing sticity.


    The light of glowing aura shone through the window onto the little ghost, highlighting its cute facial features.


    "A woman in need is a woman indeed?"


    The scenary outside continued to sh by as the ghostship moved in the inner space at speed beyond imagination, racing to the boundary of the alliance.


    "Where did you learn these pick up lines?"


    Chaotic space storms and unstable space cracks would''ve torn the ghostship even in its current upgraded version but a divine power protected the vehicle and allowed it to expercience the wonders of divine travel.


    "Wohoo!" Boo ced his hands on his hips andughed a victoriousughter. "The lines came on their own! The thousand year seclusion was not in vain!"


    Varian shook his head. Boo assisted Oob during the thousand year stealth and worked continuously for keeping Hortus safe.


    All that workload first kicked it into a deep sleep. It took time to get back to a normal life. But it seemed that it wasn''t totally normal.


    [Or the ghost got affected by you?]


    Varian asked the system to shut up politely and turned to Boo. "Do you want a spirit friend to have a trip in the alliance? Nexus should be safest for you."


    With an extremely smug smile, the ghost smirked. "Trip? Boo and Trip don''t go together. Call Boo if there is a cosmic adventure. It''s all or nothing."


    "Maybe you should sleep more." Varian rubbed its head which the ghost seemed to enjoy as it closed its eyes with a merry smile. "Once I get into the boundary, return safely. I left enough divine power for emergencies. Take care."


    "Are you sure you don''t want to take Boo?" Boo broke away from his hands and looked up at him, blinking its big watery eyes.


    "No." Varian shot it down mercilessly.


    "Not even a moment of hesitation!" Boo protested with an aggrieved face. "Is your heart so upied by lust that you don''t have any left forpanionship?"


    Varian raised a brow. The ghost was getting more and more audacious in its nder. But of course, no matter how hard one tries, they can''t throw mud at the sky¡ªit falls back on them.


    "Hesitation with a ghost orpany of a beautiful woman?" Varian rolled his eyes with a look of contempt as if evenparing the two was stupid.


    "Boohoo! Master, you''ve changed! You changed!" Boo cried out.


    "Got more handsome. I can''t help it." Varian shook his head with a tired expression, as if he even he didn''t desire his current situation.


    Boo looked at him as with a scorching gaze, well as scorching gaze that a cute little ghost could mutter and asked. "So you''re going to Jai to pick up girls with that handsome face?"


    "I''m going to grab sliver shards."


    "Sh-Shards?"


    Varian nodded.


    [Dragon: 40/100 (+25)


    Titan: 40/100 (+25)


    Phoenix: 40/100 (+25)


    Order: 40/100 (+25)


    Chaos: 40/100 (+25)


    Space: 20/100 (+5)


    Time: 20/100 (+5)]


    The progress of space-time was roughly 5 times slower than the rest. Objectively, these paths were already terribly fastpared to any genius in any point of time in history.


    The problem was with the other paths. They grew even faster.


    Order and Chaos benefitted from the slivers which boosted his progress. The same held true for the Sage avenue paths which were pushed by the mini-slivers.


    But there''s no such boost for space-time, forcing Varian to rely on his own talent for progression, which he did and casually became the fastest progressor in divine ranks.


    Even though it''s not a problem right now, Varian was thinking for the future. He didn''t want to stall his breakthrough to rank 2 because of these two paths.


    Moreover, if rank 1 of these paths was alreadygging behind so much, then rank 2 would be even slower.


    So, for this rank and the next, he must find a way to speed up his progress.


    "Boo doesn''t know what your n is but are you sure you want to enter the lion''s den?"


    "No choice." Varian shrugged.


    God Emperor seemed to have set up a detection mechanism against the entry of any rank 2 into the empire.


    No one in the alliance dared to cross the redline.


    It wasn''t always like this.


    In days when Genesis was the strongest, it had three mid rank 2s. The three of them, nicknamed the <Living Terror> were unmatched throughout their battles.


    Conceived between two special races, the three of them were in fact one individual soul split into three.


    <Living Terror> was supposed to be the sessor to the throne, not Keman Aurik who was a low rank 2 at that time.


    Having lived their entire life as the supreme genius, <Living Terror> decided enough was enough.


    Intending to end the problem of a hostile empire once and for all, <Living Terror> attacked the Jai Empire with the intention to ughter all rank 2s as well as the important rank 1s.


    Even if Jai Empire returned, he wouldn''t be able to do much or so was the thought.


    Unfortunately, <Living Terror> never returned. There was no st, no sos, not even a ripple.


    No one knew what happened.


    But what everyone did know was that a few minutes after he left for the empire, a space rift opened up in the two parent races of the powerhouse, killing all major powerhouses.


    While they should''ve been able to escape, every single member of the races were dead.


    Even those who were far away and working in remotends all died suddenly in a bizzare way.


    Some were murdered, some were poisoned, some went crazy and some were identally killed.


    But not a single member of the two races survived.


    A powerful mid rank 2 disappeared, just like that. And with him were two strong races.


    From that day, the alliance powerhouses discarded the ns of sneaking in and causing damage.


    The deterrent was so effective that even Keman and Yami didn''t dare to enter. Nor did Nexus, who were even more cautious.


    Heck, they didn''t dare to send their phantoms as they had no idea how such an action would be judged.


    "There is no one who can disguise themselves perfectly, use space-time paths to hide the fact they''re from the alliance or leave when they want. I''m the only one." Varian exined why he had to resort to such risk.


    "What about the G-God Emperor?" Boo found it difficult to utter the title of that being and when it did, its body was shivering.


    Varian''s expression soured. "He might know. If he''s interested enough to intervene in my life from the start, I don''t think he''s not keeping an eye on me."


    "Whaaaat?! And you''re still going?" Boo wanted to split open Varian''s head to see if there''s something wrong with him.


    "Nothing will happen to me." Varian insisted, his eyes shing with vengeance. "Surpassing expectations is my thing. He wants me to be a chess piece. That''s the one mistake that''ll bring him down."

 Chapter 1644 Missing Princes

    Chapter 1644 Missing Princes


    ??"What? No prince here too?"


    The golden mountain of the legends shook violently as a man kicked in frustration.


    This was the seclusion grounds of a genius prince, one of the few bestowed with a number.


    The 363rd prince.


    A powerful high rank 1 in just a few thousand years, he''s garnered a great reputation during his ascent.


    With exquisite control over gravity, he was touted as the top ten in the sub-rank by many.


    As with all ranked princes and princesses, he was given the sliver shard once he passed the ranking trial.


    "Sliver shard¡­" Varian clenched his fists and looked down at the golden ind floating in the chaotic inner space with a frustrated expression.


    This was his fourth hunt of the ranked princes this week and like the first three, this too ended in failure, not because he was weak and got defeated, but because he didn''t even find the target!


    "How am I supposed to get any shards if they all just disappear?"


    The ind twisted naturally as powerful space-time currents swept the region.


    Varian allowed himself to be swayed away by the winds, too immersed in deciding his next step to care.


    Just a week ago, the 31st family meeting finalized this n.


    The reason for his reckless entry into Jai Empire was naturally his status.


    [Dragon: 45/100 (+5)


    Titan: 45/100 (+5)


    Phoenix: 45/100 (+5)


    Order: 45/100 (+5)


    Chaos: 45/100 (+5)


    Space: 21/100 (+1)


    Time: 21/100 (+1)]


    He had grown considerably stronger in a week, making as much progress that geniuses would need thousands of years for.


    But the disparity between the sliver assisted and sliverless paths continued to widen.


    [Now you know how useful I am. Come,e thank me. Or better, how about you make a statue of me and kiss my fee¡ª]


    "Shut up." Varian grumbled in frustration but he knew Logos was right.


    Even if progressing in divine ranks was perhaps the most known secret, he could now understand and appreciate why that simple usage drew so many powerhouses crazy for the slivers.


    If even his talent got so much boost through the slivers, he could only imagine how a typical genius would be affected.


    That''s precisely why the Space-Time paths were his biggest worry.


    [One more thing you''re not giving enough importance to. If you have to defeat him, you have to understands his strengths¡ªhis paths. Even if you''re not as good as him, you should get good enough to exploit any weakness he exhibits.]


    "Why are you speaking so much sense now?" Varian rubbed the back of his head as he was sted out into the outer world by the space storm, gliding past ckholes and diving through dying stars.


    It''s still bearable now. He had no idea what it''d be like once he reached rank 2.


    So the solution that the family meeting produced was sliver shards.


    Just like how Keman and Yami produced mini-slivers from life and death slivers, God Emperor also produced reduced versions of slivers long long ago¡ªsliver shards¡ªthey were less useful for fighting but they were incredibly helpful for training purposes.


    And he created thousands of them, all for the usage of divine rankers.


    Any prince who would pass the ranking trial would be granted a sliver shard. The better the performance, the more shards they would be rewarded with.


    Lacking space-time slivers and with no opportunity to snatch them before his destined battle with the God Emperor, Varian could onlypensate his deficiency with the sliver shards.


    The family council initially opposed him taking this ridiculous risk.


    ''I am living on borrowed time. The God Emperor intervened with my fate before I even knew awakened. I don''t know when he''ll decide to cut me off. I have to move and I have to move fast.''


    Even though it was a bitter pill to swallow, none of them obstructed him anymore.


    Heck, even Sia didn''t be overly clingy or nagged to tag along. She just asked him to spend the remaining time with them properly.


    As a non-negotiable, she said she''d bear his child if he didn''t return for a thousand more years.


    The others¡­also said the same thing.


    [The System honestly doesn''t know what to say. Commend your wives for growing used to your thousand year disappearance antics or criticize them for using this opportunity to bear your child only to leave them behind and pursue a crazy revenge for you?]


    "That''s why I don''t want my children to be fatherless. Their mothers will only focus on revenge. It''ll be a terrible childhood."


    The hunt continued.


    Fifth. Sixth. Seventh.


    To Varian''s utter disappointment and confusion, all of them were missing.


    Since killing any high profile princes was practically a call for the intelligence agencies to hunt him down, he''d been only looking for the low-profile princes who were in long seclusions all alone.


    Now it seemed that the information was outdated.


    But weren''t seclusions supposed to happen in one ce for several hundred years atleast?


    "Should I go for others? Their location should be upto date."


    After all, not all princes go to seclusion alone.


    Seclusion didn''t strictly mean closing your eyes and focusing on your divine path until you broke the bottleneck.


    Some would take their partners. Others, their friends. A significant number of princes would take their loyal guards for security during critical periods.


    These were unfortunately the majority.


    No matter how well he made it, killing a whole bunch of people was more risky than killing a lone prince no one saw for a few hundred years.


    But if he had no other choice.


    "I want power, power and power." Varian muttered.


    [Then hunt down the shards.]


    Varian rolled his eyes. "Do you think I came here to grill chicken on a dying star? I''m on my fucking way to the eigth candidate already! He better not be mysteriously missing like the on besefore him! This guy is thest solo man in this region."


    Unfortunately, even the eighth was missing.


    [My condolences, host.]


    "Did you screw up my luc¡ªeh?"


    Varian took out a glowing crystal with a surprised expression and tapped on it.


    A hologram popped up but before the form even solidified, an anxious voice rang. "Brother-inw! Change your n!"

 Chapter 1645 Spy Lady

    Chapter 1645 Spy Lady


    ??Jai Empire was experiencing a turbulent undercurrent.


    The named princes were gathering from all over the territory leaving behind important missions abruptly.


    Even their clones lurking in the alliance as powerful figures in kingdoms were recalled. The intelligence agencies vaguely realized just how deep the Jai princes infiltrated into their territories.


    Even that information caused an upheavel in the kingdoms. The shocked rulers were too terrified that policies of heavy violence was exerted with an aim to rather kill the wrong one than to let go of the culprit.


    In just a week, hundreds of millions of lives were affected, hundreds of thousands of powerhouses were purged, some rightly but most unjustly.


    Surveince at the border reached an all time high.Surveince within was equally high.


    Those who were identified to be close to the spy powerhouses that left were brutally persecuted, whether or not they had any knowledge of the spy''s true identity.


    The movement was soon weaponized by politicians and spiraled out of control.


    Rulers who judged the situation pulled back but few let it exacerbate.


    An atmosphere of fear filled these few kingdoms.


    The empire typically wouldn''t intervene in these issues, treating each kingdom as an experimental ground to see which governance brings more results and subtly promote it.


    Divine rankers wouldn''t care either. They were either neckdeep in training or too disdainful of these mortal kingdoms.


    Even if there were some newbies who did care, the empire would ask block them off.


    But one newbie divine ranker took special interest and the empire, surprisingly didn''t show any objection.


    When she appeared at top of the kingdom''s capital out of nowhere, but even the fiercest guards who would''ve already attacked such intruder a thousand times showed no reaction except staring at her nkly.


    The thought of attacking her didn''t even cross their minds. It was as if their bodies and minds collectively surrendered to the majesty she exuded from her mere presence.


    "M-Mom, s-she is the goddess!"


    "I-Is the goddess here to punish the soldiers who killed father?!"


    "G-Goddess! Please bring back my sister! These bastards called her a spy and took her away! She''s just a school student!"


    The cries of the naive children sounded in the capital.


    When even the rank 9 powerhouses felt a horrible pressure under that purple light, no one knew how these children managed to speak so much.


    There''s no way they could withstand the pressure. It only meant that the powerhouse deliberately let them.


    The most flustered person was the queen of the kingdom, a slender snake woman dressed in golden robes.


    Bowing deeply, she cried out in a voice that reverberated across the capital "Y-Yourdyship! P-Please don''t take these unaware young opinions. The kingdom has been searching for the spies rigorously and would never let them off!"


    "Oh?"


    A soft voice came down from thedy in the glowing purple light.


    No one could see her properly but they could vaguely make out that she was in light purple clothes, giving off a mysterious and dangerous aura.


    "Y-Yes! We have caught over a hundred and thirty spies already! Ten were in the capital no less!" The queen continued with a servile smile, not even trying to wipe the sweat the that flowed down her forehead.


    "Why are you still continuing when most of the kingdoms called it off?"


    That was the longest they heard her speak. Even though she framed it like a question, it sounded like an order that must be answered.


    And the queen, always proud and arrogant, didn''t dare not to.


    Swallowing her saliva, she pped her chest, dering with the most solemn expression she could put on. "I-I have dedicated my body, soul and life to the empire, killing those filthy spies is my utmost duty. Any sacrifices for the great cause is an eptable price!"


    "Heh." Miss Cmity snorted.


    That brief sound caused the queen''s heart to drop.


    "Is that it or is it because you''ve ascended the throne with the help of that spy you''re so eager to catch them all and prevent your story from leaking?"


    "Wha-What?!"


    The queen''s face paled and she instinctively took a step back.


    It was true that she got helped and it''s equally true that the reason she wanted the spies gone was to bury her dark past.


    But to admit it in public¡ª


    "Y-Yourdship, even though you are a great being far above my lowly self, I cannot let you nder my loyalty! Every inch of my body and every strand of my soul is loyal to the empire!"


    Miss Cmity narrowd her eyes and snapped her fingers.


    With a roaring thunder in the sky, a bunch of videos yed across the capital, alongside multiple documents.


    The ethereal voice of Aurora rang, causing equal amounts of fear and reverence.


    "You weren''t spared because you weren''t found. You were spared because you were supposed to lure the bigger fish. Now that you''re useless, it''s time to pay the price for working with the Jai spies."


    The capital''s citizens still hadn''t recovered from the shock that their ruler worked together with the Jai spies to ascend the throne.


    Without waiting for them, Aurora raised her finger and a guillotine was built in the clouds.


    The queen''s face turned ashen and gritting her teeth, she yelled.


    "L-Ladyship, this one has recently be the concubine of Duke Porenz. I-I should atleast be spared alive!"


    The citizens remained oblivious but the few knowledgable powerhouses looked at each other in shock.


    Duke Porenz might not be as famous as All Mother Asherah, but he''s one of the oldest peak rank 1s alive in the empire.


    He had thousands of children to date and rumors go that he continues to have children to this day, hoping that atleast one would help him cross the barrier to rank 2.


    ''She''ll definitely be spared. Heck, she might not be punished at all except for some stern warning.''


    The thoughts of the elites were more or less the same.


    They btedly recognized the divine powerhouse to be Miss Cmity. Her ascension was shocking in itself but they didn''t think a newbie divine would risk offending a peak rank 1.


    It''s simply not worth it.


    But¡ª


    "Bringing out a backer to push me back?" Aurora''s voice was filled with light mirth.


    Seeing that she didn''t attack her right away, the Queen was pumped with confidence.


    She remembered the legends of Duke Porenz and the man''s own bragging in the bedroom.


    If even half of what he said was true, his position was unshakable within the alliance.


    "N-No, this is just a fact. It won''t do you do any good if you offend him, Your Ladyship. Everyone benefits from more friendships and less enemities, especially a new divine like yourdyship."


    The Queen insisted on her position, trying to force Aurora away. Even though she tried to control her emotions, the rising confidence in her voice was too obvious to know how she was feeling now that she revealed her backer.


    "I can''t beat him now or in a thousand years." Miss Cmity''s response only reinforced her confidence and she began to grin.


    "Ofcourse, the duke is a powerf¡ª"


    "But!"

 Chapter 1646 Faction Commander

    Chapter 1646 Faction Commander


    ??Before she could speak further, Aurora''s next words rang.


    "Four people of my family are high rank 1s."


    The Queen had a look of horror but quickly adjusted herself.


    High rank 1s and peak rank 1s were a lot different. Heck, even within peak rank 1s, there was a world of difference.


    Moreover, most high rank 1s never even cross into peak rank 1.


    As if noticing her rxing facial expressions, Aurora said. "The relief you''re feeling now is not unfounded. But the ones in my family don''t need a hundred thousands years to hit peak rank 1.


    A thousand years is enough for them.


    No, maybe even a hundred might do."


    The Queen showed a look of disbelief and then tension.


    Maybe they were already breaking the bottleneck. Then it''d be difficult. Still, Duke Porenz was one of the strongest peak rank 1s in the alliance, there''s no way he''d be defeated by a bunch of newbies in the sub-rank.


    Aurora noticed her emotions and smiled.


    The light covering the lower part of her face vanished and the whole of capital was able to see her smile.


    Unlike the kind and generous smile from a loving goddess, what they saw was a cold, confident and ruthless smile.


    "But the one you should be really afraid is the man of the family.


    He can''t kill Porenz now.


    But a weekter? Probably.


    A monthter? Surely.


    A yearter?"


    A cold chuckle left Aurora''s mouth and everyone in the capital, especially the powerhouses who heard it shivered like ice cold water was poured on them.


    "Save for the rank 2s, he can ughter the whole of alliance and jai empire by himself.


    Numbers won''t matter. Alliances will be useless. Experience won''t help."


    The Queen''s face was pale and her body was trembling violently, as an unknown fear swallowed her being.


    She wanted to refute the absurd ims made by Aurora. There''s no way such a person could exist.


    Even in the grandest of myths, no one ever pulled off such a thing.


    It''s impossible.


    But¡­


    Why was this woman so confident of him?


    And that smile¡­


    She fully believed what she said.


    "Even Asherah budged in front of him. Porenz is nothing."


    Aurora raised her hand, dissolving the guilltone and turning it into a sword. With a swift motion, the sword and pierced the Queen.


    The pain engulfed the royal woman of the snake tribe, but did not immediately kill her.


    "The Queen is hence stripped of her position. Let the kingdom decide the next rule on a meritocratic basis."


    With those words, Aurora disappeared along with the queen pierced on her extended sword.


    Once she returned to Hortus, she threw the queen into arge open air prison. Beside the queen were a dozen other captives, all scattered across over a few hundred miles.


    Their states were horrible, to put it mildly.


    Miss Cmity nced at the struggling queen who tried to free herself from the sword with a cold look and vanished.


    When she appeared in front of Sia who was harvesting fruits, the cold expression on her face vanished.


    With a yful, energetic smile, she called out. "Please help me out!"


    "Another one?" Sia asked while checking the quality of the fruit.


    She was trying to modify the soul of the tree these days and checking if it had any change in the fruit quality. It''s an entric thought, but well, Sia was Sia.


    "Yes. This is thest one!" Miss Cmity swore with her pinky.


    Giving her a long gaze, Sia sighed with a helpless smile. "¡­Okay."


    An hourter, some more blood spilled and soul strands spilled in the prison area. Then the queen confessed everything she knew, including her rtionship with the Jai prince who stayed in the kingdom.


    "She is a concubine of Porenz. But she''s actually a ve of the prince who stayed there." Sia said. "The n was to draw out Porenz eventually and kill him."


    Aurora tilted her head. "But about the princes, is it really confirmed?"


    Sia nodded with a helpless expression. "Hm."


    Sarah appeared with a rusty sword. "It''s normal if things go abnormal once he''s involved. That''s why I insisted on keeping themunication channel open."


    Sia showed a worried look. "He didn''t want synergy link formunication in Jai. The God Emperor is really making him paranoid."


    She couldn''t help but think of that night when he showed how much he was affected by the God Emperor intervening with his life.


    "No worries, I have him covered!" Aurora patted her chest with a confident expression. "And I won''t even use it in Hortus. So, no chance of backtracking."


    Sia stared at her dangerously for a moment but nodded. Sarah just shrugged, asking her to proceed.


    Exiting Hortus after executing the trash, Miss Cmity first went to the border of Genesis and Mors before contacting Varian.


    "Brother-inw! Change your n!"


    Looking at her hologram, Varian was dumbfounded at first before he asked in a half-reluctant, half-epting tone.


    "So, there''s something big going on in Jai, isn''t it?"


    "Wow! You said you''d avoid the high circles in your hunt but you already knew?!" Aurora''s eyes sparkled with appreciation.


    Varian wanted to sigh deeply. "It''s the same everytime. I just got used to it."


    "Well, your n to hunt lone princes is almost futile."


    "What happened?"


    "If the seventeen confessions weren''t collectively fabricated," Aurora''s expression grew grave. "Then the Jai Empire is going to elect another factionmander."


    Varian''s eyes widened. "What the¡­"


    Even though he remained hidden from the powerhouses and maintained a very low profile while hunting in the Jai Empire, he still collected relevant news. The only significant event was the ongoing Providence Trial.


    But the factionmander selection? He didn''t even heard a word about this!


    "This event is very, very important. Most people won''t even know until it''s done.


    Samael Astreas, Esahal Starlight, Victor Earendel.


    One of them is going to be killed.


    The capable ones will try to snatch the position.


    The talented ones will try to please the new leader and join the faction.


    And all the ranked princes will be there to witness it."

 Chapter 1647 A Forgotten Tribe

    Chapter 1647 A Forgotten Tribe


    ??"Krystal Arts will ensure the finest pieces for the event. If there''s any dissatisfaction from the guests, I''ll present my head as an apology."


    A humanoid male patted his chest with a confident expression. Adorned in clothing refined from the finest of star ore, he gave off a shimmering golden light just by being there, exuding a true nobility that even many of the empire''s direct descendants couldn''t surpass.


    "Yourpany does have the capability. That''s why it''s given the grace." A being glowing with soft blue light said.


    "I''ll live up to your expectations." The man couldn''t help but smile.


    Krystal Corp was one of the behemothpanies spanning across kingdoms in the empire.


    While their core business was training ve soldiers and manufacturing second-rate hybirds, their subsidary Krystal Arts was famous for dominance in arts.


    "As your grace is aware, we''ve used our connections to grab items even from the alliance to prepare perfect personal gifts for each prince and princess." The man didn''t say that they robbed the vault of two kingdoms for this very mission. But suchcourses of action were to be expected.


    Kyrstal Arts was the leadingpany in collecting antiques, contemporary and time-frozen historical art pieces. The professionals in the industry famously said it''s single handedly responsible for a tenth of the empire''s art advancement.


    "Pray to the God Emperor that they''re satisfied. Or even the Krystal Corps backer won''t be able to save you. If misfortune dances on your head leading to you offend a ranked prince, the entirepany will disappear overnight."


    Hearing the threatening words of the being, the man would''ve been offended if he wasn''t aware of the brutal reality.


    epting the situation without any resistance, he gave a bow.


    "Praise to the God Emperor."


    "Praise be to the ruler of Eden."


    With a simple greeting, the being vanished effortlessly from the most guarded room of Krystal Arts.


    "Haaa~"


    The man slumped into his chair powerlessly.


    The sleek white office room turned pink and yellow, kicking off mechanisms to regte fluctuatons in his soul to prevent soul shock and rx his body to avoid permanent deteroiation.


    "I didn''t even ask for this project."


    Krystal Arts, despite its size and history, was just one of the low-end organizers for a rtively unimportant aspect of the event.


    The ones who were working on the actual important stuff as organizers, medical emergency teams, battle recorders, instant asistants were under much higher pressure.


    Yet, it''s thanks to this low-end work that he knew information which even most kings weren''t privy to. Unfortunately, he didn''t feel any grateful for this knowledge.


    Somethings were better off left unknown, for such knowledge would only bring about ruin.


    Adsher sipped pure extract of a millennia flower, the burst of aura making his body and soul cheer simultaneously.


    If a mortal had a sip of this precious elixir, he would step into the celestial ranks in aday without any bacsh. Unlike other treasures, this was very gentle and caused no trouble at all.


    That''s why it''s highly sought after and even with all his influence, Adsher only had a few of them in supply.


    Licking his lips to calm his anxiety, he called. "Cyris!"


    With a puff of smoke, an ash-skinned woman popped in front of him.


    There was a red circr seal on her forehead, indicating her status as an empire-stipted ve. The white stamp in the middle of the circle belonged to military, indicating she was judged by the army.


    Buying a rank 9 ve for that price was literally a kill! If he could list the three best decisions of his business career, this one would definitely be there!


    "How are you?" Adsher asked with a gentle smile.


    "¡­" The woman in the business suit remained still, as if she was a statue.


    "Cyris, it doesn''t have to be like this." Adsher spoke in a soothing tone.


    But the emotionless expression on the woman didn''t even flinch.


    "Haaa~" Adsher took a breath, trying to control his bubbling anger but in the end, his hand moved before he could think.


    Paa!


    Cyris couldn''t use any power against her owner, so she was forced to take that attack without any defense. Her skin split and the cheek began to bleed.


    Gripping her by the throat, Adsher growled. "You filthy ve, I''ve been patient with you for a year, trying to win over your heart. You lost your family, friends. Heck, your race is extinct.


    So, why do you cling to that meaningless past? Think about the present, think about your future! Surrender to me and I will treat you as my concubine, not a ve!"


    Cyris moved whenever he shook her back and forth, as if she was a weightless toy. But she showed no response to his words. Her eyes remained nk and out of focus, as if her mind was on another ne.


    Adsher gnashed his teeth. "Such stubborness when anyone could''ve made a good choice! No wonder your race got extinct! Hah! A world without ayssals is a better world!"


    Cryis'' eyes shook for the first time and her lips moved. "Abyssals."


    "Huh?"


    "Not Ayssal, it''s Abyssal. My race is Abyssal." Cryis'' eyes shone with a trace of pride but that little pride was drowned in an ocean of sorrow.


    "Tch," Adsher didn''t even want to talk with this madwoman anymore.


    If he had a tragic life like her, he''d have been even more broken.


    Some abyssals joined duchies'' armies but were only allowed by signing a loyalty contract that cut off all ties with their former home.


    They''d be deliberately be intermarry and through meticulous measures, their bloodline would be diluted and eventually cut off.


    Unlike them who chose safety leveraging their talent, she volunteered in a brutal military experiment, gained incredible powers at the price of bing dead for everyone in the world.


    Since then, she had been umting merits to regain her identity.


    She had just one more mission to finish. That''s when she the news hit her and she abandoned her tasks to rush back.


    A bad move.


    The 2nd Prince was notoriously strict with army and the subordinates trained under his influence didn''t spare her.


    She was spared death sentence but was sentenced to life long very.


    Personally, Adsher believed it''s beter off to kill someone than to enve them. But it''s not his ce to advise army generals, much less the 2nd Prince.


    Shaking his head to snap out of his thoughts, Adsher asked. "Are the personnel ready?"


    The ve contract on his hand glowed,pelling her to answer without deceit.


    "Yes. Everyone is gathered in the meeting hall."


    Krystal Arts had to take not only the antiques, but also the appraisers! Artistic value was subjective after all.


    A proper appraiser must not only be good at judging the antiques but also studying people and framing words in a way that most appealed to the listeners.


    "Alright, I''ll do the quality check myself. It should not go wrong." He cracked his hands and asked with a yawn.


    With hands behind his back, he walked out of the room, down the corridor.


    Cyris walked a step behind him. As they approached the meeting hall, Adsher used his vemand again. "How is the situation?"


    She spoke in her usual neutral tone. "There were a few recements since a few resigned out of stress."


    Adsher raised a brow.


    "They''re all backup personnel. There is no effect on the main team''s performance." Cyris continued.


    Creak!


    The doors opened and Adsher walked onto the stage, facing the personnel gathered for the grand event.


    Of course, he noticed the new recements ced at the end of the crowd.


    But they''re just there for back up purposes.


    They''re not going to be used anyway.


    So that yellow-skinned one-eyed woman won''t get a chance.


    Nor would that blue flowery creature.


    Or that ck haired man with a slightly confident smile¡­


    [Host, stop smiling! Do you think you''re so handsome you''ll charm the boss? Moreoever, he is a guy! Are you perhaps?]


    ''Shut up! I''m just making an impression! Do you even know about first impression? No, how would you? Yourzy butt never worked in any hard job!''


    [Whaa?! Do you think it''s easy to do the things I did? Even the powe¡ª]


    ''Shhhh! Stop your grandma-level nagging and let me work my magic.''


    The quality control began.

 Chapter 1648 Congratulations, You Surpassed Yourself

    Chapter 1648 Congrattions, You Surpassed Yourself


    Aurora was aware of Jai''s customs and informed him of the procedure that urredfor the selection of a new wingmander.


    Despite his track record, Varian decided not to knock out a prince and pose as him. It''s one thing to imitate a celestial who lived for a few thousand years but mimicking a being who lived for hundreds of thousands, if not millions of years? That''d take atleast two weeks of preparation!


    It''s too long!


    [Please refrain from saying those words elsewhere lest you get hacked!]


    Varian snorted at the jest but silently agreed with Logos'' assessment. If only the event wasn''t starting so soon, a new ''genius'' would have risen. ''Telor, you''d have gotten a genius divine brother! Bohoo! But this cruel world doesn''t allow!''


    If Telor could hear his shameless words, he might have chased Varian with a slipper even at the risk of getting killed.


    Thankfully for Varian, the dead couldn''t rise from the grave, well, unless Yami wished for it.


    Amidst his active mental activity, Adsher pped his hands and sparks of red light rained down in the pristine white hall.


    "Pick three, write down your assessments."


    Like the hundred other appraises in the hall, Varian too picked three.


    Upon contact, the light burst into an ancient artifact. These were wildly different stuff. Special soil, a torn painting, a hand-sized statue, aspinning top with engraved symbols of infinity and so on.


    The formerly serene atmosphere of the room turned esoteric and to some degree, even eerie.


    "Mishandling some artifacts can kill you." Adsher spoke in a light tone, unbothered with the risk they all had to face.


    Even the veterans began to carefully inject aura into the artifacts to make a proper appraisal. The backups were less eager to proceed and acted significantly slower.


    The most anxious of the group were the newbie backups. They were elite of the elite and felt quite proud to be selected into this prestigiouspany.


    As such, they couldn''t help but look down on the cowardly behavior of the both the main team and the backup team.


    With a desire to stand out and a mentality of ''I am the best'', they acted in a hurry.


    Unlike many things in life, the consequences here weren''t dyed.


    "Aghhhh!" With an ear splitting scream, a woman fell to the ground, her armpletely devoured by a round ck sphere that grew a devilish mouth. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Sa-veee! Saveee!" The sphere drank up her blood and the mouth devoured her further, like a predator eating up its prey.


    In seconds, the traces of the woman, including the pool of blood that flowed out were wiped clean by the devil sphere.


    With a burp, the mouth shrunk and the artifact returnend to being a harmless ck sphere.


    The incident did not prompt even a single person to help. Heck, the veterans didn''t even bother to spare her a nce.


    And the newbies who were acting with haste nearly halted their actions.


    Unlike their elsewhere, they realized that they weren''t treated as irrecable professionals here. Even if they were killed, no one would bat an eye.


    ''Jai Empire is ruthless on average than Alliance. But thispany is crazy even for Jai.''


    Comining in his mind, Varian wrote down his artifact assessment with a casual expression.


    {A pink fingernail: from the cirction of aura, it belongs to the charmers race who went extinct after attempting a futile attempt at charming the 7th prince. Given the sturdiness of the item as well as its aura attraction, it is held by a divine ranker. The charm race had only three divine rankers at the time of its extinction:Matriarch, Queen and Princess.


    The fingernail''s resilience is too mature for a low rank 1 princess and too mature for a high rank 1 Matriarch. It''s the fingernail of the Queen and seems to carry the property of charm. If used to bless artifacts or dipped in potions, it can create a charm effect against opponents.}


    Of course, they were allowed a database of Krystal Arts, so his assessment, while astounding, was still believable.


    Even if people questioned him, he had the shield of his excellent skills¡ªwhich he actually did. Despite never working as an appraiser, Varian''s powers allowed him to be as good as an elite appraiser and in some instances, even gave him edge over them.


    One, he had the power of time, allowing him to feel the age of the object to sharp precision.


    Two, he had the power of order and chaos, granting him the ability to analyse the item through its deepestposition.


    Three, he had the power of life, soul and death, making it easy for him to identify the lifeforms associated with the item.


    With the database filling in the gaps of his historical knowledge, Varian was equipped to fight against pretty much any appraiser.


    Of course, he took care to appear as a genius, not an absurd monster.


    It''s one thing if he imed the fingernail to be from the Queen but it''s another story if he also revealed that the fingernail was corroded by the soul fragments of 335,234 souls, 90% of which are male and 10% female, with over 100 of them being divine!


    [Ah, what a genius! He knows not to do stupid things! Come, give this man a prize!]


    While Logos jumped at the chance to mock him, Varian submitted the responses to the Boss of Krystal Arts, Adsher.


    The man in golden dress that literally glowed nodded to himself as he went through the responses with a satisfied expression.


    "As expected, the main team is perfect." He spoke in a pleased tone but his brows soon furrowed. "The backup team though¡­" The peaceful atmosphere was gone in a blink and the backup team looked at each other with anxious looks.


    Adsher pped his hands. "Just kidding, everyone is great as usual!"


    The team sighed in relief. "Phew¡ª"


    "Except Urdanis, Hawzad and Loaine, you three are to be imprisoned. If the event goes well, I''ll release you. If it''s not up to the mark, well, you don''t need to live either." The mark on his hand glowed and Cyris moved at a speed beyond the appraisers'' perception.


    When they checked the positions of the three mentioned, they were already thrown into a cage by the ash-skinned woman.


    The newbies began to sweat profusely, regretting their decision to join. They should''ve doubted it when Krystal Arts recruited them in just a dozen tests!


    "The newback up is disappointing as usual," Adsher shook his head but his eyes suddenly narrowed and he nced at the ck haired humanoid male. "You. Hand''sa¡ª."


    "Hand''sumgreets you, Your Majesty." Varian stepped forward with a polite but confident smile. Adsher raised a brow. "I''ve seen a lot of things but it''s my first time seeing a name like yours."


    With a mncholic gaze, Varian looked into the void and replied. "I''m the sole survivor of my race and took a name that means "Survivor" in the oldnguage of my people."


    "Hmm," Adsher rubbed his chin as he checked Varian''s profile once again. It''s vetted by Cyris herself who''s under a strict vemand which prevented her from doing anything harmful or deceptive to him.


    Moreover, the records of Hand''sum''s race, their destruction and abilities were quite clear. The oldnguage of their race was not in the records, but well, it''s not like it mattered.


    These guys had an innate talent with time and people, allowing them to ''perceive'' a lot of things that others couldn''t.


    ''He has no experience except for a few smallpanies. But he''s good and he got innate talent. He should be used.''


    Trusting Cryis'' vetting, Adshermanded. "Hand''sum."


    "Yes, my lord." Varian responded with a big smile.


    Others thought he''s happy because he already guessed what''s going to happen. But Varian was happy for a different reason. A simple, silly reason.


    ''Wohoo! Thank you my past self for brainstorming such a great name! My unborn son, daddy already selected a name for you! Hand''sum!


    Just imagine the conversations.


    [Hey, this is Hand''sum]


    [Hi, Hand''sum]


    [He is Hand''sum]


    And even your enemies will have to call you handsome!


    Huhuhu!''


    As it listened to his proudughter, Logos sighed in a depressed voice.


    [¡­No wonder your voices collectively boycotted you from naming. How the hell do you manage to surpass yourself? Every. Single. Time?]

 Chapter 1649 Human and Abyssal

    Chapter 1649 Human and Abyssal


    As expected, he''s promoted into the backup team. They''re all taken into a small artificial world where they were introduced artifacts to be disyed for the event, tastes of each prince and princess as well as code of conduct.


    For three full days, they were in a rigorous study routine.


    Varian studied it quickly thanks to his divine soul and then he began to show off his knowledge to stand out once again.


    Such behavior naturally gained the ire of some and envy of others.


    But thanks to the fabricated past, Varian was able to not only justify his behavior, he was able to double down on it.


    "This is my only chance to win the favor of those noble beings and have a chance of reviving my race! I will put my life on the line for it!"


    Adsher liked the passionate employee and hoped that others worked as hard as him.


    He wanted to increase the training level even more but fortunately for the team, he had other urgent tasks to consider and left them under Cyris'' supervison.


    Once Adsher disappeared, a couple members began to fawn over him, some with an intention to win over him and the other with ulterior motives.


    "Hi, Hand''sum!" "Hand''sum, where did you get your triple certification?"


    "Hey Hand''sum, do you want to have a drink and chat about the excavations of divine tablets?"


    But Varian enjoyed the interactions, especially his own name.


    "Hand''sum,e into my room."


    "Oh? You''re too directdyyyyyy¡­" Varian''s voice dropped as he realized it was Cyris.


    The appraisers around him quickly dispersed, practically running away from the scary ve and a scarier supervisor.


    With a sullen face, Varian followed her into the office room. When the door creaked shut, Varian''s tense expression vanished and he slipped into a seat.


    Cyris frowned. "If you can''t fulfill your promise, I want you to know that I''m willing to die to take you down."


    "No worries, no worries. I''m a man who keeps his promises." Layingzily on the chair, resting his legs on the table, Varian tried to appear reliable. Cyris would''ve thrown a fit if he didn''t say thest line. "Didn''t I adjust the ve seal to let you lie to your master?"


    Still, she pursed her lips and said with indifference. "It benefitted you. And what I did get for taking that risk? Nothing."


    Varian shook his head, clicking his tongue. "You''ll be paid fully once my mission is done. The three promises, all of them will be fulfilled."


    Cyris narrowed her eyes, wishing to torture the truth out of him. But she didn''t dare to confront him and risk losing a chance to realize her wishes.


    For the risk she took, her wishes were rather simple.


    First, the culprit race who destroyed abyssals. From her own investigations, she realized it wasn''t just Zions and Fairies. But she wasn''t sure who this third party was.


    Second, the killer of Haedon. His remains were never found and it remained a mystery where he died and who he died to.


    Third, a chance for revenge. She didn''t beg for him to take revenge on her behalf or ask him to take action as a price. She had to do it herself.


    It''s been almost a thousand years since the end of abyssals and if she couldn''t even find the culprits now, even thest chance of revenge would be lost.


    And then, she would embark on a journey to revive the abyssals.


    Even though she''s but one person, a good life ranker would be able to do wonders in increasing the number of abyssals.


    As for how that race would survive a thousand years from now, she had no idea.


    Due to the brutal experiment she participated in, she was losing her lifespan rapidly and wouldn''t survive for long.


    If she didn''t have such defects, those scientists wouldn''t have sold her off. They would''ve sliced her into pieces to study her body.


    Now that her fire was about to be snuffed out, perhaps it was not courage that allowed her to trust this man for such an outrageous deal. It was desperation.


    Desperation of dying and ending abyssal race forever.


    "The culprit race, the killer and the location. I have them secured." Varian tilted his head, a fleeting emotion shing in his eyes. "But even if I reveal them, it''ll be helpless. You will only despair. It''s better to give up and start anew. I can help you with your race''s revival. A mother of a close person is somewhat of an expert in that stuff."


    A look of desperation shed on Cyris'' face. She was half-expecting this but he might not have the full information. In her opinion, he was likely an agent of some other divine ranker with the goal to disrupt the event.


    Even then, she didn''t care. "Revival without revenge is shameful. Just uphold the part of your the contract, I''ll take care of the rest." Cyris pointed to her forehead and a mark emerged from her skin.


    It was ''contract'' formed by a priceless treasure, a binding that would force both sides to uphold their part of the agreement.


    "The penalty is set to the highest level. If you don''t uphold it, you''ll die. But before the contract can kill you, I will."


    A thick killing intent filled the room. Even though it was nothing for him, Varian couldn''t help but show a look of surprise.


    An abyssal at peak rank 9, what a twist of fate!


    "I cherish my life too much to break the contract. Just prepare yourself to face the answers." Varian shrugged away the shining contract runes on his neck.


    Cyris'' uneasy heart settled down somewhat.


    Such a treasure was the only reason she dared to go this far. Else, why would she do something so dangerous just based on his words alone?


    [This woman is really desperate. Contract can only force you to uphold your promise but it doesn''t guarantee you actually fulfilling it.


    You could just be a pawn sent by someone for some purpose with no way to fulfill your promise. The contract would kill you at most and she''d have done everything for naught.]


    A contract could be made with the promise that Party A would reach rank 2 in 100 days. It''s a ridiculous promise that couldn''t be fulfilled. But even then, a contract could be made as long as the party was willing to bear the penalty.


    Contracts were not as great as they seemed.


    "Alright, I''ll do my best to promote you to the main team. Whatever you''re going to do, don''t get killed." With those words, she walked to a corner of the room and opened a database of the current main team. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Varian broke into a wry smile. ''This woman is broken. She wants revenge and revival. But more than that, she just wants to die.''


    He''s someone who dared to infiltrate into a team that''s going to serve the ranked princes and princesses.


    Doing such a reckless thing diminished his chances of survival to near zero and yet, she was asking him to survive.


    [A part of her must be reasoning that once you die, she too can go without making it seem like she abandoned her responsibilities.


    Her contractual terms weren''t just non-violence toward you, she took responsibility for your safety.


    If you die, she too will die.


    Whatever her dreams maybe, the life of very has broken her badly and she doesn''t even realize she''s trying to suicide through you.


    It''s sad but it''s also expected.]


    ''She reminds me of Haedon.''


    Just like Abyssals back then, she too was desperate.


    With an inexplicable sigh, Varian left the room.

 Chapter 1650 A Kind Old Man

    Chapter 1650 A Kind Old Man


    "Child, please open your eyes!"


    A woman''s pained sobs echoed in a thatched hut.


    The fires hissed as they encroached the sanctuary of a mother, burning the leaves to a crisp and scorching the ground ck.


    Once they touched the wood, the mes soared to the sky, filling the surroundings with smoke.


    "Child!" A drop of tear slid down the woman''s cheek but before it could hit the floor, the sizzling temperature vaporized it away.


    These were no ordinary mes. And to endure such heat at that distance, neither was the woman.


    And yet, she looked no better than a normal mother who lost her child.


    "Not you too¡­"


    The boy was just three years old.


    She raised him in a secret world, far away from the rivals who kept an eye on her every move.


    The same people who killed her husband also killed every child she had with him.


    Even if she used the life treasure to have his children¡­they kept killing.


    How many?


    Just how many did she lose already?


    Five? Ten? Twenty?


    Was it because she stopped bearing children through her own body after the tenth for their safety?


    Was that the reason she was punished?


    "Why?" She pressed her forehead against the cold skin of the sleeping child. There was a peaceful smile on his face.


    Even though he''s so young, he never troubled her. Today was one of the ''promised'' days she woulde and y with him.


    He must''ve been looking forward to it, right?


    "Sorry¡­" Her throat hurt as she choked out an apology. But her heart hurt more. "I''m sorry I couldn''t protect you.


    I''m sorry I couldn''t protect your siblings. I''m sorry I couldn''t let you see this wonderful world. I''m sorry for selfishly bringing you into this world and putting you through so much hardship."


    The mes swallowed up the house, burning everything to ashes.


    She let the mes wash over her body and held the child in her arms. As the mes bathed her, she let down her defense, deliberately making herself defenseless. Even then, she couldn''t go die. As a rank 9 time awakener, her body was beyond what these mes could destroy, even if they''re one of a kind.


    They couldn''t kill her but they could hurt. And she let them.


    Inch by inch, her skin was burned. The scorching pain assaulted her in all directions, from every nerve ending in her body. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    It hurt.


    The woman wanted to cry, to scream, to run away from the agonizing pain.


    But she gnashed her teeth, held the child and sat in the middle of the mes.


    The mes seeped through the gap between her arms and burned the child. They melted his skin, seared his flesh and charred his bones.


    The boy, the smiling prince, the obedient son, the cutest child in the world burned into ashes.


    The fire died down after an unknown time. By then, the home and the garden were all burned to the ground.


    Only the woman remained in ce with ashes in her arms. A gentle breeze blew, blowing away the remains of the child.


    The mother stood up nkly, her blistered skin horrifying to even look at. The pain her body endured would''ve driven people to insanity. Yet, the woman didn''t seem to care.


    With burnt eyes that could no longer see, she turned to the sky.


    The ashes dispersed across the world, away from her, never to return.


    The woman raised her hand to catch back the ashes but reluctantly withdrew.


    A glowing cup floated in front of her, a single drop left in the treasure.


    This was thest child of herte husband she could have. It was their deepest wish to see the crystallization of their love. The treasure was at its limit. If she didn''t bear the child, it would die off in a year.


    "I¡­" The woman bit her lip, tears flowing down her cheeks.


    "I¡­will save you¡­" "Even¡­if I have to¡­sell¡­my¡­soul¡­"


    "I don''t need your soul."


    A man''s voice rang from the clouds, startling the woman.


    Before she could even react, a force washed over her. All her injuries vanished and she returned to her peak.


    The woman raised her head in shock, catching a glimpse of a silhouttee she never dreamed she''d see.


    "G-God Emperor!" Her knees gave away and she knelt in respect, awe and fear. Even though she was in no emotional space to do these things, her body and soul bowed to their deepest instincts.


    "I will keep yourst child alive." God Emperor''s voice rang, blowing away the clouds and shaking thend.


    "I¡­I am¡­" She tried to speak, to thank him, to pray.


    But she couldn''t. She was brave, braver than almost everyone she knew. Her reputation was built up by defiant acts when she went act against authority figures, confronted well established leaders and broke age-old customs.


    But now, she couldn''t even utter a word. She tried hard, willed it to happen. But her body remained shut, frozen like a doll. More frightening was her soul, which remained unresponsive as if it was frozen in time.


    The mind of a genius tactician was like a nk board, unable toe up with even a single thought.


    "Don''t force yourself. Not everyone can speak in front of me. You''re not even a divine ranker." He said in a light tone but it carried heavy weight.


    "As I said, I''ll keep your child alive. But not with you. If you want to meet your child, then you have to work for a wish of mine."


    God Emperor''s eyes seem to bore into her body as he offered. "What do you say?"


    "I¡­."


    Esh Starlight opened her eyes, sweating heavily as she looked around in panic and horror.


    "C-Chi¡­" Her words turned into a sigh and the princess suppressed her bubbling emotions.


    While she''s grappling with loss in power, an adverse political situation, a despairing message reached her.


    It was from a calctive old man she''s always wary of.


    [I gave your daughter amission to kill Varian. It''s been a thousand years. She did not return.


    Varian is a beast. I can''t even imagine what she had to go through before her death. From what I gathered, none of his enemies met an easy end.


    It''s a pity to see that little girl suffer so much.


    With a broken heart,


    A kind old man.]

 Chapter 1651 Reliable and Responsible

    Chapter 1651 Reliable and Responsible


    Varian reached the avenue as a backup appraiser of the Krystal Arts team.


    An event to decide the next faction leader was beyond grand. And since so many princes and princesses attended it, a pre-event was also organized.


    All the unranked princes would fight it off and determine their position in the hierarchy.


    Of course, God Emperor''s clone impregnated a woman every second, creating tens of millions of imperial bloodline children every year.


    However, only a couple of them actually reached divine ranks and dared to proim themselves as a ''prince'' or ''princess''.


    In fact, having the imperial bloodline instead attracted the covetous gazes of their siblings who killed them to improve their talent or powerful families who wished to extract anything useful from the precious bloodline.


    Thankfully, such things would be useless once the descendant passed infancy. Still, most of the imperial bloodline died without living for even twenty years. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    The surviving princes and princess were all beings who had been through difficult situations.


    Even if they had good mothers and backers, once they reached divine ranks, they had to fight it out themselves.


    Interference by non-imperial bloodline groups was extremely frowned upon and sometimes resulted in n extermination.


    Thepetition of the unranked princes was a tform for them to establish their worth¡ªit''s their social status within the imperial group.


    This worth was also their bargaining chip in the factions they intend to join.


    Every prince more or less knew that Esh was being challenged and since such a challenge was not only thrown but also pushed by the 7th Prince and 2nd Prince, it''s likely she''s going to fall.


    A new leader would assume the position, opening up new positions and opportunities for them in this faction.


    Even if they didn''t get into the Warring faction, if their rtive status improved, they could join the 7th Prince''s Naraka faction or the 2nd Prince''s Conqueror''s faction.


    Unlike Esh whose faction tended to be more strategic and focused on shadowy side of things, their factions were more open and focused on either fighting at the border or administering dangerous regions.


    "And this is why work without any mistakes. The non-ranking princes are all still divine rankers. Thepany might or might not get destroyed if you offend them, but you definitely will. Be careful with everything you do." Adsher couldn''t hide his trembling hands as his speech ended.


    "Don''t worry, my lord. We''ll not waste the opportunity of our lives." An old man with a sharp gaze that didn''t match his weak body, patted his chest and assured.


    "Even if I won''t believe anyone, I believe you, Paglus." Adsher exhaled deeply, his trembling hands calmed down.


    Paglus was the most brilliant appraiser of thepany. More importantly, he was a greatmunicator, maintaining a cordial bond with Adsher. Such a man should be able to deal with the princes and princesses who mostly spent their time honing their divine paths. At least, that''s what Adsher hoped.


    "Alright, thepetition will start in six hours. We''ll be sent after the first batch of refreshments orter if the imperials deem it so. Good luc¡ª"


    "My lord!" Cyris'' in voice interrupted and Adsher nearlyshed out. But as he was following his own advice to keep a cool head, he managed to hold himself back and ask with a frown. "What happened?"


    Followed by the sound of foot tapping against the ground, Cyris entered into the meeting hall carrying a letter.


    "Headquarters sent some updated information."


    Adsher eagerly grabbed the letter and went through the message. His brows knitted together and he disyed the letter to the appraisers.


    "Princess Samantha, a close aide of 2nd Prince, has recently shown interest in the Undead artifacts. Specifically, non-humanoid Undead." The appraisers looked at each other, feeling slightly flustered. They were of course knowledgable about a lot of things. But rtively speaking, their expertise in the Undead was always lower. It couldn''t helped. Undead didn''t have the same artistic taste as the living. These were the guys who''d wee a statue of skinless people and call that grotesque image a piece of art.


    "Markus, your team got the charge to attend the princess. Are you confident?"


    "That¡­" A middle-aged man with a nd face showed a hesitant expression, turning to his four team members. His colleagues'' expression were worse than his.


    "We know the main schools of Undead but if it''s about specific niches such as Nerve Statues or Soul Songs¡­"


    Adsher''s expression crumpled. Markus'' heart almost stopped at his boss'' reaction and he yelled. "B-Boss, just 8 hours! We''ll do it! We''ll get all the information!"


    "Do you think we have 10 hours?" Adsher growled.


    Cryis nced at Markus without a change in her expression.


    In fact, the letter had been delivered 5 hours ago alongside others. If she didn''t dy it using some technical procedures, there would''ve been no problem. But if everything went smoothly, how would the n work?


    "Is there anyone in the main group who can substitute for this team?" Adsher nced at the 50 members, hoping for a miracle.


    Unfortunately, no one answered. Even the ones who had some capability didn''t want to take such huge risk. Anyway, they spent all the time preparing for their designated clients and had no leisure to take on one more.


    Adsher''s face grew dark and he turned to the backup group of 100. "What about you?"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    He couldn''t treat the main group severely as they had to directly interact with the princes soon. But the backup team didn''t have such privelege.


    "What use are you idiots if you can''t even help when there is a problem?" Adsher clenched his fist, his spit flying in the room as he started cursing the backup team, their professional knowledge.


    "¡­you are all waste of resources! Just stop wasting the air and die!"


    "Excuse me." "Huh? What the hell is your problem newbie? Cyris, dip that sword inva and cut him thrice to teach him a le¡ª" "I''ve had some dealings with Undead in the past, in simr niche areas. In three hours, I''m confident I can cover the niches the Princess is interested in. So, I''d like to join the main group''s team." Varian said with an extremely confident look.


    "Ah!" Adsher froze for a moment before he nodded with a big smile on his face. "Yes, yes, of course you''re joining, Handseng!"


    "Hand''sum, I''m Hand''sum, Your Majesty."


    "Ahahaha! Hand''sum! Hand''sum! Take your three hours, I''ll help you with everything I got!"

 Chapter 1652 Empires Princes

    Chapter 1652 Empire''s Princes


    Samael Astreas sat in an exquisite small pavilion floating outside several barriers surrounding vast duel stages. Next to him was Victor Earendel, the 2nd Prince.


    The two of them watched with indifference as hundreds of princes and princesses moved in therge venue, preparing for thepetition.


    The ranked princes were seated in arger pavilion a few few million below. They were only a few dozen of them and they too would have apetitionter on.


    "Competition for those unranked mongrels and for these ranked weaklings. Tsk, why waste time? Can''t we just knock down this woman?" Victor leaned back into his seat, gripping his armrest with a pissed off expression.


    The 7th Prince nced at him with a calm gaze and spoke nonchntly. "As the administrators of the empire, we have to follow certain procedures."


    "And what if I don''t wanna?"


    "¡­These are set by God Emperor."


    "Procedures are important!" Victor flipped his position without a change in expression.


    The followers of the prince who treated him as a supremely brave man would''ve been shocked if they witnessed how he changed his opinion without a spine.


    However, even they would bow down their heads once they knew it was regarding the God Emperor.


    All human qualities would work only against fellow humans.


    But against a living god¡­


    The bravest of men turn into cowards.


    The fiercest of warriors grow meek.


    The smartest of schrs admit ignorance.


    Victor was not spineless for changing his opinion, he''s a mortal. It''s ironic since he''s one of the strongest divine rankers of the Jai Empire.


    But divine rankers were merely quasi gods and pseudo gods. In front of a more perfect god, their divinity shrinks, mortality amplifies.


    In front of God Emperor, every being would be a mortal.


    There were no second ces to godhood.


    ''I do not want godhood, I merely want to resurrect my family and die with them.''


    Samael''s eyes darkened as a deep pain filled his mind. The loving gaze of his wife, the smile of his mother and the hug of his¡­.


    "Procedures are not meaningless." Gathering hisposure, Samael said. He couldn''t understand why his heart was unstable even though he relived that day recently.


    Creating them, spending time genuinely loving them and killing them at the end to tell himself they''re all fake¡­he had been doing this forever.


    Even though it hurt, it worked. The fire in his heart remained alive, pushing him to keep going in this harsh world.


    But why?


    Why was he feeling so restless now?


    Samael shifted in his seat, gazing down at the princes, ranked and unranked.


    ''It''s okay. Even though I''m still far away from the goal, I''vee a long way. I need only a few more steps.''


    There were only a few things that interested the God Emperor.


    Slivers. Life and Death slivers were beyond his reach. On the other hand, Order and Chaos slivers were recently discovered. But it''s difficult to grasp. Primal Union Body.


    A unique constitution in the cosmos, one which he recently believed to be a mere theoretical fantasy. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Even though it gave significant advantage in mortal and celestial ranks, the true function of such constitution would only be revealed at the peak of divine paths.


    Samael could only guess what the God Emperor wanted to aplish. But even the guess was too absurd.


    A single body amodating the power of three avenues, what happens if the mastery of the three avenues was at its very peak? It''s a feat that even the Primordial Gods couldn''t achieve.


    Victor looked at the 7th prince who fell silent and raised a brow. "What is it?"


    "Ah?" Samael came to his senses quickly and spoke up while hiding his thoughts."The procedures are not meaningless. Competitions are conducted for a reason."


    Whether they belonged to their faction or not, each prince had a certain affinity towards the three of them or were neutral.


    "If supporters of my faction show more strength, I''ll gain more influence and followers. If supporters of Esh''s faction look significantly weaker, even the neutral ones will side with us against her. They''ll bring her down so they can join that faction and climb up. These twopetitions are purely political." Samael exined with a casual smile, as if he wasn''t in a mild existential crisis just moments ago.


    "Oh." Victor nodded with an uninterested expression.


    Not that he was an idiot but he rather enjoyed being straight forward actions than subtle politics.


    If he had to design thepetition, he''d let his faction fight against other two factions, allowing them to show their power. As for rtive ranking of the faction members within, he''d let them settle it once they join.


    Of course, when brute force wouldn''t work, Victor was flexible enough not to force it and let politics figure out a way.


    Ironically, this was why his faction had quite a few good strategists.


    "Forget the boring stuff, what about her?"


    The 7th Prince''s lips curled into a chilling smile. "I didn''t really believe it at first but the evidence is very convincing."


    The evidence came from the alliance, from someone who gave no details of why he knew what he knew.


    The 7th Prince verified the evidence and as it stated, Esh''s subordinate Zahara Onyx did die. And she did send an assassin into a P province hiding from his army.


    Esh''s soul was broken. The star was going to fall!


    "If she''s not my equal, she has no right to be in that seat." Victor pointed to the empty throne next to him.


    It''s the throne for the Warring factionmander. If Esh won, it''s hers. If she loses, the winner would assume the throne while she would likely get killed or expelled from the factions forever.


    "She''ll bete, some important work apparently. " Samael said with a disdainful smile.


    What could be more important than protecting her position?


    "Her faction has no morale." Victor pointed out.


    Indeed, even the strong divine rankers in her faction were looking worried. It''s natural after all. They were first dumbfounded when they heard Esh was challenged. Later, they sneered andughed.


    There''s no way Princess Esh Starlight would be challenged, they said.


    There''s no way their leader would lose to anyone, they said.


    And now, they could only say in the corners, trying to hide the quiver in their voice. "W-Why is she not here yet?"

 Chapter 1653 The First Step

    Chapter 1653 The First Step


    ''Status''


    [Dragon: 51/100 (+6)


    Titan: 51/100 (+6)


    Phoenix: 51/100 (+6)


    Order: 51/100 (+6)


    Chaos: 51/100 (+6)


    Space: 25/100 (+4)


    Time: 25/100 (+4)


    PS: Even though Space-Time aregging behind, congrattions for entering high rank 1 in all other paths.


    How do feel achieving progress in a week that even geniuses take centuries?]


    ''It''s a bit slow.''


    [¡­]


    But honestly speaking, Varian did realize that his rtive progression speed elerated after reaching the divine ranks.


    It made no sense as this was supposed to be where everyone slowed down.


    Perhaps it was the synergy of the paths, linking together in the avenue or perhaps it was the Primal Union Body finally showing its talent or maybe it''s something else or everythinging together.


    Regardless, he was grateful.


    And greedy for a bit more.


    But well, that''s why he''s here. To gain the sliver shards and elerate his progress.


    Upon a signal from themunicator, Varian''s team entered a well decorated room. Emitting soft white light, the stone used to build the room seemed to be as much worth as an entire kingdom''s yearly revenue.


    Just being bathed in the glow of that light made Varian''s space path a little restless, creating an urge for him to sit down and practice. But that urge soon calmed down and he was back to normal.


    His divine path must''ve judged the improvement from this ce, while possible, was too slow.


    But what''s ''too slow'' for him was already very fast for most geniuses.


    That included Princess Samantha who was leisurely resting on a soft couch as they entered the room.


    "Greetings, Princess! We''vee to disy fine arts of the Undead. This musical instrument built from the nerves of a¡­" Varian was supposed to be the one answering the tough questions. But the team must still be led by the leader Markus. But he took the lead, much to the confusion of everyone else.


    Before Markus could show any objection, the Princess responded positively. "Oh? A music instrument like this is interesting. I heard the Undead orchestra happens with Undead parts, intestines and nerves, right?"


    Even though it was such a grotesque topic, the green haired woman who looked like a college student, spoke with a bright face and shining eyes.


    Varian had to wonder if divine rankers all had a screw loose or if only those with a loose screw became divine.


    "Indeed, princess." Still, he yed his part. "There used to be an old tradition where they captured living beings and used their body parts as instruments while they''re still alive. The royal families endorsed the practice actively."


    "Oh? Wow~" Samantha cupped her cheeks, her lips curling into a charming smile.


    She was certainly a kingdom-level beauty. From the information thepany provided, she had a harem of 3000 men. For one man, she killed them all to dere her love. That man turned into an Undead in a war. She still went after him. ording to records, the Undead was destroyed. But his corpse was not found.


    "The heart of a resilient race like elf will remain beating even a few months after it''s taken out. It''s perfect for deep sounds, but there is no soft music with these instruments, is there?"


    From the vague aura of death on her, Varian vaguely guessed what she was doing this for.


    Without letting any of his emotions surface, he actively guided the conversation in a direction she''d be happy with.


    Princess Samantha''s smile soon grew and she began to nod frequently. The artifacts that had to be shown for the princess were not revealed until the end as she kept chatting in an enthusiastic voice.


    "Yes, yes!" "Ahh! Exactly!" "Ahahahaha! Really, Undead love a serene blood flow music that much? Hm, hm, so a neb turtle has the slowest flowing blood and is obtainable with minimal effort."


    The rest of the team wasn''t even nced at. What was supposed to be an awkward and respectful exchange between a lowly appraiser team and a noble princess turned into a seemingly equal conversation between two people of unequal status.


    "Alright, Hand''sum, I''ll contact you to fine-tune the materials!" Samantha pped her hands.


    "It''s my pleasure." Varian bowed deeply. "That man is the luckiest person in Eden."


    His farewell brightened her face even more and Princess Samantha unexpectedly stood up. "Hey, tell your boss you should be rewarded or I''ll use his intestines for the orchestra."


    "I-I understand." Varian feigned to be tense and hurriedly left the room.


    And while he did, something flew his way.


    Without even needing him to catch it, itnded in his palm. "My token. You''ll get help if it''s a small issue." Samantha waved her hand and the doors shut.


    Back in the hallway, the four team members looked at Varian with aplicated expression.


    Especially Markus, the team leader. He''s supposed to take charge. But he knew that he wouldn''t be able to replicate this exchange even if given a thousand tries.


    A token¡­


    Even if the princess said it''s only for a small task, small was rtive.


    Killing a pseudo divine was an impossible thing for someone like them. For a divine ranker, it''s not even worth mentioning.


    Varian noticed his gaze and said with a polite but strong smile. "Sorry, Boss. I''ve met a lot of people and when I met her, I knew what she''s like. You see, she''s worried. She wasn''t in need of art description, she just needed a good talk about an undead orchestra."


    Markus nodded stiffly. Even if he wanted to refute, he had no way to do so. The results spoke for themselves.


    "Well, let''s head to the next client. Prince Jacob!" With a cheerful smile, Varian led the way.


    Markus gritted his teeth, wanting to retake his position. But with a sigh, he followed. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    It should''ve been easy for him to keep a newbie in ce. But somehow, the aura radiating from this newbie forced him to submit.


    Markus didn''t even feel that he was forced. He just felt that it was natural for him to follow.


    Under Varian''s lead, the team quickly won praise under five clients.

 Chapter 1654 Plan B

    Chapter 1654 n B


    Word of Varian''s excellent performance reached Adsher.


    The boss was busy coordinating the whole teams. He''s already feeling overwhelmed trying to cater to the whims of unreasonable princes and princesses.


    ''They''re more spoiled than young masters and youngdies! Haah! No, thankfully God Emperor looks over us or these weirdos would''ve discarded the empire because they''re not feeling like it. Huh, feeling like it. Fuck your feelings!''


    For the man who was under severe stress, the news about Varian''s performance was like finding an oasis in the desert.


    He summoned the team right away and praised him to heavens.


    It didn''t matter that he didn''t mean most of what he said. But it''s not his fault! His high running emotions made him say things he usually wouldn''t.


    And that''s where Varian found the window of opportunity.


    "My Lord, if you do not mind, I wish to coordinate the teams, fill in wherever and whenever there are gaps."


    It was absurd request, one that was tantamount to standing as his equal. And how dare he ask for a position that could easily lead to mishaps and put everyone in danger?


    Adsher''s smile vanished and he red down at Varian. There''s no way he''d agree to such reques¡ª


    It was absurd request, one that was tantamount to standing as his equal. And how dare he ask for a position that could easily lead to mishaps and put everyone in danger?


    Adsher''s smile vanished and he red down at Varian. There''s no way he''d agree to such reques¡ª


    "Oh, and Princess Samantha wanted you to award me or she''d chop, well, she would be angry." Varian shrugged.


    Adsher nced at the team and they all nodded helplessly.


    If he said yes, he might die. But if he said no, he''d definitely die.


    "Haaa~" With a defeated sigh, the man raised his arm. "Then do as you please. But if you piss anyone off, thepany won''t hesitate to sacrifice you."


    He gave a crystal medallion which Varian swiftly grabbed. "Thanks, Boss!"


    With a cheerful smile, Varian left.


    Adsher waited for the news of arrogant newbie pissing off some entric prince and getting killed.


    But even for three full hours, there''s no such thing.


    Moreover, the tense faces of the teams eased greatly and their stiff bodies were now considerably rxed.


    "No way!" Adsher couldn''t believe it. And he didn''t want to believe it.


    But the truth was unbelievable indeed.


    Varian moved swiftly,municating with more than two hundred princes and princesses in such a short period of time. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    After this, he even started interacting with the ranked princes and princesses!


    This was originally a task only the most qualified appraiser teams were supposed to handle!


    Most of them were small talks but his presence always added to the conversation, steering it in a favorable direction, satisfying the prince.


    Ranked princes were harder to deal withpared to unranked. Given the fact that Varian''s doing well even with them, Adsher couldn''t even feel any anger.


    All that''s left was disbelief and confusion.


    ''Did I misunderstand him? Is he really verypetent and wants to do everything in his power to win over the princes? For what? For his¡­extinct race, yeah! That exins it! Only such a man can be so ambitious and risk taking!''


    Of course, that''s not the reason.


    "And Prince, this ancient script should belong to a province called Centaurus in P of Genesis. Forgive me for I haven''t studied the script properly but from the little I can understand, this scripture talks about a divine treasure that discusses limitations of interdependent zones."


    "Oh? I knew it! The time aura on this is too strong."


    "Is that so? My apologies, I''m too weak to sense any such aura."


    "It''s fine! It''s fine! You''re a mere celestial. It''d be weird if you could sense something. Hahahahah!"


    The Prince patted Varian''s shoulder, his octopus face opening and closing in a fashion that''spletely against human aesthetics.


    Varian wanted to leave immediately but he didn''t want to leave this guy. He''s one of the famous ranked princes, a madman who only thought about increasing power all day.


    If not for him rxing his mind before a big match, the team wouldn''t even have been allowed in.


    And Varian wouldn''t have gotten the chance to nt the sliver mark.


    [Mark imnt: 70%¡­76%¡­83%¡­]


    ''Just a bit! Just a bit more!''


    Varian kept a polite smile on his face as he put on a face of trying to decipher the scripture.


    "Well, you did your job by serving me. Now that you''re useless, get the fuck out."


    This prince might seem like an asshole, but he''s one of the better ones in the ranked group.


    "Ah, yes, yes. The prince will surely do great in thepetition." Varian kept a smile stered on his face to stop himself from punching the arrogant bastard''s face.


    [Mark imnt: 98%¡­100%]


    The moment Logos notified him, he could sense a very faint mark on the prince''s aura, formed by the slivers of order and chaos.


    These were marks he painstakingly designed to remain hidden from the princes. They had but one function¡ªtell him the location of their host.


    "Thank you for blessing us with your presence."


    With those words, he left the room.


    ''I''ll punch your face before I kill you.''


    Those words were spoken within.


    {The ranked duels will begin in one hour!}


    Varian looked out of the building, into the far distance where duels urred on a well built stage.


    Most of these unranked princes were in mid and high rank 1. They weren''t bad, honestly. But since he entered high rank 1, none of them were his opponents.


    All the ranked princes seemed to either at the very edge of high rank 1 or in peak rank 1s.


    Since only a portion of them allowed the appraisers in, Varian missed a significant portion of them.


    After thepetition ends, he could hunt down the marked princes quietly and take away the shards.


    He wanted as many space-time shards as possible. And losing even ten ranked princes was painful.


    ''I''ve chosen the safe method. I should implement the dangerous method.''


    He didn''t need to defeat the ranked princes, he just needed a chance toe into contact with as many of them as possible. No, it''s better if he could contact the strongest.


    Dealing with them needed more precaution, so he needed longer duration of contact.


    ''For that to happen, one person is needed.'' {Princess Esh Starlight has arrived}

 Chapter 1655 A Dangerous Deal

    Chapter 1655 A Dangerous Deal


    A light shone in the sky, blinding everything for a moment. Then, the princess'' silhouette was not seen in the highest flying pavilion where the Prince Samael and Victor were seated.


    The light glowed in the top floor of therge tower they were in.


    "Yes!"


    This was something he only nned a whim and had arge chance of not happening.


    It''s one of the many possibilities Varian yed out in his hand and kept it as a tactic to use if some very specific set of conditions were satisfied.


    Without any hesitation, Varian headed to Adsher, grabbed the most precious set of artifacts.


    Then, he walked into a private room, created a clone and sent it up the tower. Simultaneously, he hid himself with utmost focus.


    If things really went wrong, then his clone would just die. And he''d be treated as an arrogant employee who deserved to die.


    From then, he''d just have to wait for an opportune moment during the duels to quietly kill someone and change his identity.


    ''But honestly, I hope it goes as nned.''


    There were no private guards stopping the clone. After all, no one had the guts to cause any ruckus in the presence of the princes.


    Every professional here did their best not to offend anyone to keep their life intact and acted very cautiously.


    So, no one ended up stopping him from reaching the highest floor.


    Because of the sheer presence of the princess, the floor was glittering in green.


    "Excuse me, Princess." Varian knocked on therge door in a polite manner.


    "¡­Do you want to die?" A very harsh voice replied.


    Considering she''s challenged and about to get killed, this was already impressive.


    But it might''ve also got to do with the fact that he''s carrying so many ''tokens'' of the princes and princesses who were impressed with his performance.


    They said he could use a token for a reasonable request.


    A bunch of these tokens also had the aura of Princess Esh''s underlings.


    ''Prince Victor is not a stupid brute with no smartness, butpared with Princess Esh, he might as well be one.''


    Under this weird situation where an appraiser had so many tokens of her followers and even dared to knock on her door, the wise Esh decided to give him a chance, as expected.


    "Princess, I have a proposal to speak of." Varian''s clone spoke with a bright smile. "Huh?" A killing intent locked onto the clone, causing it to instantly kneel.


    Esh now decided to kill him and was giving him onest chance to see if he could give a proper justification to spare him.


    "use 35C, a factional leader may only be challenged by ranked princes.


    43D, only the winner of the ranking duel who is not already a faction leader has the right to request a duel with the leader.


    51F, consecutive holdings of challenges should be seperated by atleast five centuries."


    Varian''s clone spoke eloquently, spitting facts that shouldn''t make any difference to him. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    The killing intent on him intensified and the clone''s skull began to crack.


    "What do you intend to say?"


    "I¡­I can fight out the strongest ranked prince, use my racial talent to inflict a serious injury and render them unable to challenge you. The match will hence be cancelled for half a millennia."


    "Why would I need your puny help?"


    The clone''s legs burst into blood and bones, causing it to copse. Then its arms turned into fine red dust. Yet, it kept speaking with a determined expression.


    "If you didn''t, thispetition would have never begun in the first ce."


    "¡­" The dissolving torso froze for a moment before Varian''s arms and legs came together with the reversal of time.


    Clutching his arms and legs, he stood up with a tense face.


    The door opened with a creak, revealing a dangerous woman in a starry ck dress.


    Before he knew it, he was pulled inside. Esh took a deep look at him and Varian held his breath, hoping for everything to go fine.


    His disguise was not perfect but with the additional help of four slivers, he should be able to pull this off.


    Of course, his avatar couldn''t exert his true strength and that might cause problems if Esh wanted to check his strength here.


    Then his n would still fail and he''d have to keep hiding.


    Thankfully, she didn''t do that.


    "Your stealth truly is impressive. If I didn''t look carefully, I would''ve never imaged you to be a divine ranker."


    "The princess has a sharp eyesight."


    It was a w he deliberately revealed but he had to pretend to be caught. Others might''ve felt embarassed to act that out but Varian felt absolutely not hesitation.


    None at all!


    "Still, unless you''re a strong peak rank 1, you''re going to die. What a waste." Esh clicked her tongue.


    Varian was very tense facing her but even in that moment of tension, he felt that something was off.


    ''Why¡­why is she so nonchnt about this? Shouldn''t she be more worried?''


    He swallowed his saliva, hoping it wasn''t something that would flip his n entirely.


    "Like I said earlier, even if I can''t win, I can use my racial talent to inflict asting injury. Since it''s directly tied to soul, no one here can heal it without a few decades of work."


    "Hmm~" Esh leaned back in her chair, ncing at him from head to toe.


    Varian shivered instinctively, his body screaming at him to run away. But he stood in ce stubbornly.


    With a snap of her fingers, a barrier was set up around the room. With another snap, a huge pressure pressed down on Varian.


    "Kuk!"


    With a groan, the divine power in his body exploded, resisting the pressure that would''ve instantly crushed him to death.


    Unlike the calcted moves outside the door, this one was a real killer move. Esh wanted him to fight back with all his power and she got what she wanted.

 Chapter 1656 Body Before Mind

    Chapter 1656 Body Before Mind


    "A fresh peak rank 1?" Disappointment was apparent on the princess'' face.


    Varian fused the paths of the clone, pushing it to a peak rank 1 state.


    But of course, the clone was too weak to sustain any real fighting. If the clone could do everything, he didn''t need to risk everything toe here.


    Once again, Esh only saw what he wanted her to see.


    "You can''t win against them, but inflicting soul injury¡­"


    A powerful soul force fluctuated around Varian, causing Esh''s eyes to widen.


    The attack was honestly too weak for her. But the quality of the attack¡­


    "It''s very exquisite."


    Of course, it would be. It''s created from the mini-slivers of life and death themselves! n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "It''s not like I''m losing anything with your presence." Esh muttered. "But who are you and why are you doing this?"


    Varian took a deep breath and turned his gaze to the highest pavilion, focusing on a handsome man''s silhouette.


    His eyes glowed for a moment and he spoke in a cold tone. "Revenge."


    "Ah? You''re one of those?" Esh rolled her eyes. "Well at least you aren''t saying you''ll sneak upon Samael like the idiots before, are you? Even my finest assassins fail and I''m in charge of the empire''s assassins."


    "No." Varian shook his head without any hesitation. "That''s beyond my reach. If he wants to dethrone you, it''s enough as long as you remain on the throne. I truly believe you can kill him one day." "If you can seed, I''ll have a chance." Esh said.


    "I''m ready to throw away my life for winning." Varian bowed his head.


    "Very well, I''ll arrange an identity for you. You''re¡­hm, the survivor of a extinct race?" With a few taps on her bracelet, Esh already obtained the information Krystal Arts encrypted.


    "Your true identity will be a trump card of my faction to be deployed in unexpected situations, just like these."


    Varian nodded.


    {The duels end in thirty minutes}


    "Now get out there and win a spot for the nextpetition." Esh flickered her finger and an insignia printed itself on his forehead, marking him as her property.


    He was sted out of the doors which quickly closed as if nothing happened.


    ''Fuck.''


    In a minute, the clone reached the private room and merged with the main body.


    Rubbing the insignia, Varian first verified that it had no malicious function.


    And then, he hesitated.


    ''Should I really take a risk here? Coming into Jai Empire, fighting against other ranked princes in the presence of three faction leaders¡­it''s really very risky.''


    [Wh-Whaat? Host, what happened to you? You''re suddenly speaking sense!]


    ''¡­'' Varian took a few breaths to calm himself but the consequence he''d have to face if something went wrong yed in his mind unceasingly like a broken record.


    He told them he''d juste and hunt the princes. And here he was, participating in a fricking duel, putting himself in a very, very dangerous spot.


    Of course, he''s confident in his stealth reinforced by the slivers themselves.


    Even if these were divine rankers, these people had never seen him before to look through his disguise.


    The closest encounter he had was with Esh''s clone but that waspletely annihted. So, no information was actually exchanged between them.


    Moreover, his aura changed drastically thanks to the exposure to life-death slivers.


    Even if someone saw him as a celestial, they wouldn''t be able to identify him now.


    ''Unless I get killed in the duel itself, I shouldn''t be suspected. The biggest hurdle was Esh. She gave me the pass.


    Now I only need to get far enough and get knocked out at an appropriate time. Once the ranking duels start, she should have to sit with those two. Any intervention by leaders in such duels is strictly forbidden.


    I can escape once I''m brought for treatment.''


    The n was perfect. ''If there is ever a risk of getting caught, then I''d rather lose. Killing ranked princes in duels like these isn''t encouraged anyway. So, I should be fine.''


    pping himself, Varian walked out of the room. "Hand''sum! Where have you been?" Adsher appeared at the end of the corridor, his eyes spitting fire.


    Ten minutes. He vanished for ten minutes and this man was already feeling like hell.


    "Fuck off, I don''t have time to y games." Varian said in a cold tone.


    "What the?!" His eyes widened and he clenched his fists. The mark on his hand glowed and Cyris rushed to his side in a moment, hand on her sword sheath.


    "Take him into an isted room and kick some sense into his arrogant hea¡ª"


    Varian leaned forward and lightly kicked the ground.


    The invisible space in front of him split like a river and the vuum pulled him in.


    With a sh, Varian vanished,nding on the stage a few light years away.


    Adsher stood frozen in ce, only realizing that the man in front of him vanished a few secondster.


    "Wh-What was th¡­"


    His voice grew weak and his legs wobbled. Before he even knew why, he copsed to the ground and trembled violently.


    "Cy-Cyris¡­m-my bo-body is..shaking! It''s shivering! S-Stop it! Please stop it!" Cyris came to her senses only when she heard his voice. She nced at the stop where Varian stood nkly for a moment before checking her ve mark.


    It''s subtle but she could feel it.


    ''The mark is fading. In a few days, it''ll be gone.''


    "Cyris! Ahhh, cyris, m-my body¡­stop it¡­it''s¡­it''s¡­"


    Adsher curled up, tears spilling out of his eyes like there''s no tomorrow.


    The scariest part?


    "I¡­Stop my body!"


    He didn''t even know why.


    "Master," Cyris nced at the position where Adsher previously stood and checked it with the fine line carved by Varian''s space leap.


    With a slight calction, she checked his shoulder.


    She was right!


    "Your shoulder¡­" Cyris instinctively took a step back and pointed to the tiny, tiny silver spot on him.


    It wasn''t even a single droplet of aura. Heck, not even a thousandth of it.


    And yet.


    "A spot of divine aura touched you and your body is paying respects."


    Cyris'' voice was filled withplicated emotions.


    "And it''s asking for forgiveness."


    Adsher''s eyes widened and his scared mind was finally able to think of the situation he''s in.


    "H-He¡­He¡­"


    Cyris nodded with a bitter face. "Even before your mind, your body recognized him for who he is."


    "W-What is he...?"


    "A divine ranker."


    Adsher fainted.

 Chapter 1657 Barging In

    Chapter 1657 Barging In


    The stage for the non-ranking duels was vast and built of stone tempered by divine power.


    Other than a handful of figures, rest of them, including the so-called strong peak rank 1s wouldn''t be able to destroy it.


    A spherical barrier covered the stage, blocking out any damage from affecting the weaker princes outside.


    Almost a thousand princes and princesses were seated outside, watching the duels with interest.


    Most of the unranked had already fought and a few were promoted to participate in the duels of the ranked princes.


    In the uingpetition, if they defeated a ranked prince, they''d take up the rank of that prince and thetter would lose his rank.


    All the unranked weaklings were already eliminated, leaving behind only twenty-five who were qualified to fight in the ranked duels.


    These twenty-five would decide their hierarchy in the next thirty minutes and that''d kick off the rankedpetition.


    As expected, Esh''s faction did poorly.


    Out of the 25, only 3 people were from her faction. The 7th and 4th Princes got 8 and 6 people respectively. Neutral princes made up for the remaining 8.


    The reason for such poor performance was obvious.


    Some opportunists have already jumped ships while a few others turned neutral. The loyalists who still believed in her only managed to bag three spots.


    {The most intense part of the fight we''re all waiting for¡­}


    As the final batch of duels were about tomence, Varian rudely jumped onto the stage.


    "Huh?" "What the hell?"


    "Who the fuck are you?"


    Forget the contestants, even the audience were enraged.


    But most of them immediately calmed down as their minds suddenly noticed something.


    Their senses covering this area detected him only after he jumped onto the stage. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    In other words¡­


    "Peak rank 1?"


    It wasn''t very polite to probe someone using divine sense. The audience didn''t want to try their luck against a potential powerhouse.


    But based on how he evaded their perception, they made a rough guess of his capabilities.


    The referree of the matches, 99th Prince, Yohan, frowned at Varian.


    "You are not even registered. Who are you?"


    Varian didn''t answer him directly. Instead, he nced at the twenty-five people on the stage with predatory eyes.


    The winners of the duel who were riding on the high of their victories suddenly flinched and shivered.


    They didn''t even fight but they already felt like they lost.


    Fortunately for them, Varian wasn''t too interested in fighting against beggars who didn''t even have a single piece of sliver shard.


    "Hey."


    A peak rank 1 pressure fell on Varian, causing the sturdy floor under him to slighly crack.


    Yohan''s eyes were glowing with a cold light. "You are supposed to answer when I ask a question."


    "Heh." Varian grinned, a crazy smile that the soldiers of Centaurus would''ve recognized. "It''s decided. I''m taking your rank."


    The audience and the contestants gasped alike at his audacious im.


    Even though Yohan was ranked as the 99th Prince, his strength was in the top 25 of all ranked princes.


    In other words, other than the rank 2s who''re almost never seen, Yohan was the 25th strongest man in the empire.


    And this guy, this neer, this unknown person just imed that spot.


    "Bold! Very, very bold!" Yohan grinned, his eyes looked like they''d spit fire, the pressure on Varian growing even higher, causing cobweb-like cracks on the stage.


    "That I am." Varian raised his leg andughed. "And I''m more than just bold. I''m strong." Boom!


    He kicked the stage and it shook violently. And then, without warning, it split into half.


    The ranked princes who were watching the drama unfold stood up in shock and even Samael and Victor looked down in confusion.


    Yohan''s face froze and he looked at the broken stage in horror.


    Built from one of the strongest materials known to the empire, tempered by divine power, only a handful could really destroy the stage.


    A handful was less than twenty five.


    The 7th Prince frowned at the unexpected variable and was about to ask about for his identity.


    Not even in his wildest dreams would he think that an enemy from the alliance would dare to infiltrate into their meeting.


    He thought it was some old foggy prince from previous generations showing off in front of youngsters.


    If this guy really came here to use thepetition as a stage to prop himself up, then Samael didn''t mind showing him who had the bigger stick here.


    "I''m her de you won''t see in the times of peace." Varian showed the mark and red at the open rebels who directly switched camps and hypocrites who turned into neutral camp. "Because when I appear, the world burns and bleeds."


    A tremendous aura just entering the peak of rank 1 exploded out and crashed onto the stage as well as the audience.


    The twenty five contestants, all proud and arrogant, knelt without resistance against the overwhelming strength.


    Even the strongest among them, a high rank 1, felt powerless against such majesty.


    The non-ranked audience yed their limbs, eyes rolling and mouth frothing. "Enough."


    A voice said in a quiet volume but Varian withdrew his aura withoutin.


    "Whatever you say, Prince." Saying so, he looked up.


    Varian''s eyes met with Samael''s. For a brief moment, the 7th Prince felt something tug at his soul, a sensation that this man was rted to his destiny.


    But the feeling was only fleeting and he dismissed it as a misconception.


    His destiny was to resurrect his family. How could someone like this person help? Even if he''s a peak rank 1, he''s just entered the sub-rank. To be honest, the difference between this guy and a newbie rank 1 was smaller than the difference between them.


    There''s no help this man could give him today, tomorrow or even after a thousand years.


    As for his bragging about protecting Esh?


    The 7th Prince nced at the three candidates calmly resting on the ranked stage, unaffected by themotion and Varian''s aura.


    These three had the highest chance of being the winner of thepetition and challenging Esh.


    One of them was from his camp. A boy he personally raised. He even took after his name. Samus.


    The other was a girl from Victor''s camp. It''s a girl the bastard subdued from a warring tribe that lived in the edges of the gxy.


    These people would rather die than submit. So, it''s surprising he actually convinced her to join under him. d in animal skin that only covered her chest and groin areas, she looked utterly uncultured and out of ce at a venue where everyone was dressed at least decently.


    ''She must''ve joined because he''s as savage as them.''


    The 7th Prince stopped his disdain from showing and turned to thest person of the three.


    This guy was the reason he wasn''t sure of snatching Esh''s position.


    He''s a famous high rank 1 who rose meteorically despite originating from a very broken duchy.


    It''s just that no one, including Samael himself expected this bastard to hide himself so deeply.


    He''s not a high rank 1 as he led them to believe. Through an ancient treasure manufactured from sacrificing millions of a race specializing in stealth, he hid his true strength until now.


    Guan.


    Other than Samael and Victor, he''s the strongest person here.


    If Esh really weakened as much as they estimated her to be, then he could easily beat her.


    Guan nced at him lightly before turning to Yohan and Varian below. "Don''t dy."


    "Y-Yes, Yes!" Yohan came to his senses and gestured to the weakest three among the twenty five.


    Without Varian''s intervention, the three fought it out. The weakest among them stepped down the stage with a reluctant expression.


    But she did no such thing as calling it unfair or challenging Varian.


    Strength might not solve everything, but without strength, almost nothing would be solved.

 Chapter 1658 Eshalas Blade

    Chapter 1658 Esh''s de


    {A total of 250 ranked princes will participate in thepetition. The winner will be qualified to challenge Princess Esh Starlight. They could also challenge the princes.}


    With a brief introduction, the duels started.


    "Hey you."


    Varian''s first opponent was a sleazy guy holding a broken sword. 35th Prince, nicknamed Wine Sword. During his days of ascent, they mistook him for a weak drunkard with a crappy sword. They learned truth the hard way when his sword split open their guts.


    "I don''t really like you." The swordsman took a few gulps from his wineskin and licked his lips with a predatory smile.


    "What a coincidence?" Varian pped with bright eyes.


    Out of the 250 contestants, this man was in the top 100. If someone didn''t deliberately messed up with the matching, he managed to bag an incredibly rare chance.


    "Coincidence? The coincidence is you reaching peak rank 1 without any greatbat experience."


    The wine master shed his sword.


    "Say whatever you want." Varian''s eyes glittered with greed. Space-Time shards!


    It''s illegal for one ranked prince to snatch from another. The gravity of the ce shook violently at once before an intense gravity wave enveloped Varian.


    His body began to vibrate violently, each and every particle making up his being was on the verge of being split apart due to tremendous gravitational pull.


    When victory seemed assured, a crackling sound rang from Varian.


    The space distorted at once and his body dissolved. "Wait, no!" The body was just a carefully constructed aura form!


    Varian''s real body had already¡ª


    A heavy force reached the back of his neck. The wine swordsman barely dodged at thest moment by pulling his body away using gravity. But due to the sudden pull, his insides were badly impacted.


    The attack missed striking his neck but it didn''t miss entirely. If gravity could bend, so could space.


    But Varian didn''t bend space as it was too slow.


    He violently exerted power and split the space wave into two.


    The space wave that was about to strike the neck exploded in two directions, crashing in a more violent, explosive way.


    The swordsman''s shoulder, arm and half of his torso vanished under the space wave. It wasn''t a serious injury by itself. However, the tiny space particles powered by divine aura that settled in his body thanks to the attack surely were.


    "Arghhh!"


    The swordsman gulped down the entirey of his wine and his aura reserves soared up, reaching almost his peak state.


    Yet, it was already toote to escape.


    Instead of eating up his body by digging in, the space particles embedded themselves into his aura channels.


    It was a different move from what space awakeners typically did. And it''s something the swordsman didn''t really have any idea about.


    Concluding that this was a different move, he decided to strike and injure Varian first before forcing out the space particles.


    The channeled divine aura manipted the gravity around Varian, intending to explode everything to create a small but powerful ckhole.


    And yet, when he''s on the verge of sess, the space particles did something incredible.


    They teleported him to another stand.


    "Argh?"


    "Whaat!"


    Two unlucky contestants were directly incapacitated.


    The 7th Prince frowned. There were restrictions in ce created by a strict formation. Heck, there were restrictions over the entire avenue not allowing anyone to leave or enter recklessly.


    It wasn''t for enemies, of course. It''s if things really went south and Esh tried to escape.


    The formations were created to trap her in.


    They wouldn''t work if she''s as strong as them. But if she''s really weakened, these formations would y a critical role.


    ''He noticed their loopholes while in a match, used them to teleport away his opponent?''


    The 7th Prince rubbed his eyebrow, a look of solemnity on his face. Teleporting an enemy who wouldn''t cooperate with your space power was a difficult feat in itself, especially when the said enemy was near your power level.


    As the strongest space awakener of the empire, Samael was more aware of this than probably everyone else. Yet, Varian did something that should be impossible so casually. Even if he was boosting up the space particles until that moment, it''d be less difficult but near impossible to pull off nheless.


    What''s even chilling was his ability to analyze the formations and exploit their loopholes to his advantage.


    ''Is Esh telling me that her de will break the formations and let her escape if things really go south?''


    Samael couldn''t help but analyze the hidden intent behind Varian''s actions.


    The intent really was¡ª


    ''Ah, that was so cool!''


    [Embedding your soul power in space aura so subtly to study the formations is a genius move indeed.]


    Varian was just enjoying a good fight, meaning nothing else.


    But a scammer would always suspect others to be scammers and a political person would always look at others for their political actions.


    The 7th Prince ended up in the same trap.


    ''He could''ve defeated the opponent without resorting to these methods. But he did. It''s definitely a message from Esh. A challenge from her de. What arrogance!''


    The ordering of the next match changed with a single message.


    "How did you even send me ou¡ªmfff!"


    The wine swordsman returned to the stage and was about tounch an attack in rage and confusion.


    In response, Varian punched him in the face by covering his fist in dense space power that made it as hard as the reinforced floor material.


    A few more punches and kickster, he was knocked out. "I''ll keep these, thanks."


    While the help team arrived to take him away, Varian bent down and ced his hand on the opponent''s heart.


    When everyone thought this crazy bastard was going to initiate a forbidden kill, he just pulled out a few glowing strands.


    "That''s¡­!" "One, two, three¡­,twenty two, twenty three!" Varian nodded in satisfaction to himself. The ranked princes watching the match flinched. It was frowned upon for someone to snatch sliver shards. They were symbol of one''s rank and usually were only gifted after one became a ranked prince.


    It''s fine if Varian took them for that reason. But that had a procedure and a set of rules to follow. After all, the shards he deserved would be determined by the full extent of his strength.


    Anyone could see he didn''t give his all in this match and hence the number of shards were lower than his true rank.


    So what he''s doing now wasn''t iming the shards as a newly ranked prince. No, he''s just straight up robbing his opponent.


    They wanted to object. But the weaker ones didn''t want to step forward. The strongers ones wanted to let their fists do the talking.


    Moreover, if they defeated Varian a whileter, then they would naturally have the justification to take over those looted sliver shards. All the me would fall on Varian. And all the sliver shards would fall into their pocket.


    It''s a win-win.


    As such, Varian was allowed to get away with his behavior.


    Some expected the 7th Prince or 2nd Prince should''ve intervened.


    The 2nd Prince was simting the uing battle with Esh in head and had no interest in paying attention. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The 7th Prince, on the other hand, thought this move by Varian as a political challenge by Esh and decided to answer it properly.


    Moreover, he might''ve stopped it if at least some people stood up against it. But no one bothered. Why should he?


    Anyway, this de of hers was going to be broken soon.


    {The next match¡­}

 Chapter 1659 Come At Me Together

    Chapter 1659 Come At Me Together


    The original 250 members were reduced into 33.


    Varian expected to face difficult opponents. He wanted to show off his strength, piss off people and lure them into challenging him.


    Thepetition and its structure were irrelevant to him. He just wanted shards. Shards, shards, shards!


    Unfortunately, what happened next was just tragic.


    {125 out of 250 are promoted to the 2nd round. 62 duels, 1 bye.


    de gets the Bye.}


    ''A set up. This is definitely a set up.''


    Varian sat in the stands, lowering his face and clenching his fists. A thick killing intent emanated out of him as he gazed at the ranked princes fighting. "F-Fuck!"


    "What the hell is that creepy gaze?"


    The ones fighting the duels felt as if they were treated like a piece of meat to be devoured.


    What''s wrong with this bastard? Why did Princess Esh raise someone crazy like him?


    They were only half-right in their assessment. Varian was looking at them as treasure troves who''d pop up sliver shards upon defeat.


    {65 out of 125 promoted to 3rd round. 32 duels, 1 bye.


    Bye goes to de.}


    Varian trembled in anger and red up. Coincidentally, the 7th Prince''s amused gaze met him.


    The audience were surprised to see such a tant re from a mere ranked prince against the leader.


    How the heck was this person ring at the 7th prince? Was he insane?


    ''Angry, as expected.''


    Samael wasn''t pissed off. Rather, he was happy. He assumed Varian''s anger to be the result of his clever move. By pushing Varian into a bye, he denied him an opportunity to show off strength and re-establish the prestige of Esh.


    Varian was angry about it but not for the reason he believed.


    ''Are you crazy? I wanted to fight stronger opponents and get more shards.''


    Even though he got the shards just a few minutes ago, his space-time paths were already showing signs of movement.


    [Shards: 7]


    ''If just 7 could do this, then what could 1000 do? I''ll need just 1000, well, 2000, yeah, 2000 would be enough. 3000 would be better though.''


    [Stop being greedy. There are just 30,000 shards in total. 15,000 of them are with the three leaders. The rest 15,000 are distributed but are heavily concentrated among the top.]


    That''s true.


    Even the guy at the edge of being top 100 had just 7 shards. If he had to get 3,000 shards, he''d have to defeat the strongest ranked princes.


    Varian bragged to everyone that he would do exactly that, but¡ª


    ''I''m not strong enough though.''


    [Yet, you acted like you owned the ce. Wow!]


    ''I did, for that moment.''


    Varian dropped his intention to educate the stupid system which showed no intention to learn his great philosophy.


    As hemented how Logos was totally unfit to be his disciple to carry on the great legacy, the announcement rang. {33 out of 65 promoted to the 4th round.


    16 duels, 1 bye. The bye goes to¡ª}


    "Enough!" Varian stomped the floor and jumped onto the stage with a kick. ring at the referee who looked at him with an increasingly nervous expression, he turned to the 32 promoted contestants.


    "You, you, you¡­and you!" He pointed to 10 and hooked his finger. "We''ll fight it out. If I lose, I drop out. If I win, you fuck off and settle your rankster." His outrageous words incensed everyone in the venue, but at the same time, they also established his dominance. Not only did this guy not follow rules, he showed no hesitation about it.


    If he''s not perfectly strong and capable of taking on anything, why would he do that?


    Just like how Guan, the one most likely to win and challenge Esh hid his power for so long, maybe this guy too was not showing his full strength?


    As angered they were by his tant disregard, they also couldn''t help but restrain themselves from directly opposing him.


    When everyone thought Varian would have his way, a stern voice rang in an admonishing tone. "Rules are important. Continuosly breaking such rules constitutes disrespect agains¡ª"


    "Just hold the properpetitionter. It''s about qualifications to challenge me, not giving ranked princes a chance to settle their hierarchy. Samael, I hope you have your priorities straight." Interrupting him abruptly, an arrogant female voice rang, Esh Starlight appeared on a pavilion opposite to the one where Victor and Samael were seated.


    From her position, she looked closer to Varian, giving a feeling that she was supporting him against Samael.


    The 7th Prince slightly leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. "Or what?"


    Esh Starlight''s aura pressed down on the venue, suffocating everyone with a vice grip.


    Her power seemed as high and destructive as ever.


    The solemn expression on her face vanished and the princess chuckled. "You don''t want to know, dear brother."


    But Samael leaned back into his seat and took a deep breath. He''d rather have her be solemn than casual. ''The information is definitely right. I''ve verified it myself. But how much did she really weaken?''


    Samael gripped the armrest and looked down at Varian with an annoyed look.


    Varian smirked.


    For making him skip so many matches, he definitely held a grudge.


    ''I''m so petty, thank you very much.''


    Samael alternated between Esh and de. Once again, he began to wonder who the heck the weirdness of this guy.


    ''I can''t remember thest time a ranked prince dared to act arrogant against me.'' Even the strongest under the faction leaders were restrained, much less the small fish below them. But this guy¡­


    ''I''m not even sure why, but he feels different. He is different.'' He turned to Victor to ask if he noticed anything. But the 2nd Prince opened his eyes at some point and was staring down at Varian with a creepy gaze, like a scientist staring at theb mouse.


    Samael neglected it for a moment but this crazy prince was someone who should''ve belonged to Nexus than Jai.


    ''Provocations won''t work against him, he''s always in perfect control of emotions. And he''s willing to take any amount of losses as long as he''s decided on something, like a mindless brute. You can''t win him with a weak heart.''


    Varian sensed the peculiar gaze and nced at the 2nd Prince. ''Victor, a peculiar prince.''


    [Don''t try any tricks on him. He won''t ept and will simply brute force his way through. In a sense, he''s ustomed to flipping the board than following any rules. If he''s not worried about Esh, he''d have you killed by now.]


    Varian''s lips twitched and he thanked the princess for acting as his shield.


    "Alright, with the 7th Prince''s blessings, we''ll start."


    Samael couldn''t let him have it his way.


    "The remaining will fight it out between themselves and eliminate the weakest. A proper duelingpetition will be heldter." Varian''s eyebrows twitched and he cursed under his breath.


    ''If I knew this guy was so petty, I''d have picked 20 instead of 10.''


    [But you''re not strong enough to deal with 20.]


    ''Why are you so factual when it hurts my feelings?'' N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Looking at his depressed face, Logos ended up in a burst ofughter.


    [Hahahaha!]

 Chapter 1660 7th Princes Deduction

    Chapter 1660 7th Prince''s Deduction


    Two arenas were formed.


    On one stood twenty-two ranked princes not selected by Varian. Divided into eleven stages, they were fighting it out at full force.


    It looked like they received instructions to hasten the process and achieve a result as soon as possible.


    As for why such an order was given? To deny Varian a chance to fight the weaklings of the bunch and appear at least a bit strong.


    Samael Astreas was a petty prince. He didn''t like others questioning him, much less openly defying his words.


    He tolerated Varian''s actions so far for Esh. But if he could make him suffer, if only a bit, he''d dly do so.


    ''He''ll face hell once Esh is dealt with. Whether Guan takes over or someone else, I''ll have to get the key files in her faction.''


    Samael wasn''t nning to let Esh go under any cost. Even if he had to sacrifice his entire faction just to kill her, he was ready to do it.


    The letter from the anonymous source had a few lines at the end which were the biggest reason Samael came this far.


    [Esh sent an assassin to kill this boy from province which wasn''t even recognized back then. It''s called Sr System. Yeah, a stupid name. Every star system is a sr system.


    Anyway, the predominant race is human, a bunch of weaklings unfit for anything worthy.


    The same boy is suspected to be involved in an incident of Esh''s soul fragment.]


    When Samael checked the star system, a small piece of news stood out. [Formerly one star system, turned into two star system and back into one star system a thousand years ago.]


    It''s a line mentioned in the passing with no great importance. But Samael''s head nearly burst reading it. A thousand years ago, the God Emperor summoned them regarding the appearance of slivers!


    {They appeared in Lumen Empire¡­in a poor region, inside a double star system¡­full of bugs.} n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    P was in Lumen. And this new province was in P! As for bugs, the humans were so weak they''re bugs even for a typical celestial, much less the God Emperor.


    And double star system!


    Everything clicked together and Samael realized what his innocent sister had been trying to do behind his back.


    She''s trying to grab the slivers!


    And if his guess was not wrong, the Primal Union Bodies that appeared back then were also rted to the slivers. There''s no other way!


    ''If she seeded, she''d get her wish fulfilled. After that, there''s nothing I can do to bargain with the God Emperor. Meaning, my family will never get resurrected.


    Esh, your actions would''ve kept my family dead forever.''


    Of course, he knew she didn''t intend it that way. And he''s fully aware that this was apetition. An open, brutalpetition that spanned millions of years.


    But that''s precisely why he had no hesitation in eliminating her.


    And that''s why he''d continue to tolerate Varian, as long as Esh could be dealt with.


    Unaware that the 7th Prince was actually looking for him, Varian waved his hand at the ten contestants he picked.


    "Aye, aye! No need to line up, we don''t do that here. Come at me together."


    The ten contestants'' faces distorted in humiliation and they nced at each other.


    "I paid a great price for you lot! It''s not one on one,e together."


    [¡­] Logos would''ve liked toment how weird that sentence sounded but it wisely shut up.


    "Hey, do you think I''m here to entertain you one by one?" Varian''s hand shook slightly and a near-transparent spear condensed in his palm. With a blur, the spear mmed the floor, cracking it open.


    A floor that only a few peak rank 1s could break and this guy was doing it since the start. It finally hit them that they were not dealing with a powerhouse personally hidden by Esh.


    Still, they felt reluctant. Even if they really fought together and won, they wouldn''t get any praise for ganging up and winning.


    "If you really don''t doubt your strength,e up." Varian grinned.


    A slimy humanoid took a step forward and tapped the ground with her feet.


    A glowing circle built of dense runes popped on the floor and shot at Varian almost without no dy in time.


    ''A time prison.''


    The slime woman, 27th Princess, was notorious forbining her racial talent of soul suction into time prison.


    Once anyone fell into her time prison, at an opportune moment, a spirit attack would strike their soul. But instead of damaging it, the attack would simply ce a portion of time power on the soul. This creates different time flows for soul, body and surroundings, making the opponent very vulnerable to attacks.


    If it was anyone else, they would''ve dodged such attack.


    Varian straight up jumped into the time prison and allowed the glowing pink circle to envelop his body.


    The changed time flow in his body made it difficult for him to control the surrounding space to attack the enemy.


    But Varian struggled only for a moment before he spun his spear, creating a space ring through its tips and mmed it forward with the handle.


    The space ring shot out with great speed. The near-transparent structure split into thousands and thousands thinner structures. The 27th Princess ced herself in a time dome and was ready to skip a forward seconds to escape the attack.


    Unfortunately for her, Varian''s space rings didn''t directly attack. Rather, they broke the space-time fabric in particr locations to particr degrees.


    The space-time fabric fluctuated violently for a moment, intervening with her time skip.


    Using that window of opportunity, the space rings linked together to form arge chain that coiled around the time dome. Varian clenched his fist.


    With a click, the chain crushed inward, breaking the dome. The space rings split from the chain and opened up, turning into small cubes.


    Tens of thousands of these cubes fell onto the slime princess, imprisoning her body separately andpletely incapacitating her.


    With a snap of fingers, glowing strands were extracted out of the princess and fell into Varian''s hands.


    The whole process ended in two seconds.


    Two seconds was a significant time period for divine rankers, one where a battle could be fought.


    However, unless there was a great disparity, a fight wouldn''t end.


    But it did now.


    What it represented was obvious to the remaining nine.


    They had grim expressions. Even though their pride still resisted them from grouping together, the harsh reality was telling them to do what''s necessary.


    Varian, on the other hand,ughed out loud. The audience thought it was because of his victory. The 7th Prince attributed it to Varian sessfully establishing Esh''s prestige.


    The 2nd Prince, however, frowned. There was something off about the whole battle. He couldn''t put a finger on it, but his intuition was snapping, whispering that a y was being arranged in front of his eyes.


    "Well done, de." Esh''s voice rang from high above, pride evident in her haughty tone.


    When Varian looked up, she was looking down at him with an intense gaze. ''What''s wrong with her?''


    Varian felt goosebumps all over his body.


    He felt like a prey that''s stared at by a predator. ''Maybe my performance was so good she decided to let me join her faction for real.''


    It''s a possibility he already considered. But it''s happening too soon. Even though he won, she shouldn''t be impressed just yet.


    As the leader of a faction, her words carried too much weight!


    "Yes, de is the trump card for a reason."


    "He''s going to kick them all."


    "Who the fuck is this guy?"


    The loyalists in her faction sighed in relief while the rebels grew scared and desperate. On the other arena, the twenty two people had already fought it out and eleven passed to the next round.


    These eleven people didn''t seem to care about this match''s oue and proceeded to the next round.


    Interestingly, three people didn''t need to participate at all. Samus from 7th Prince''s camp.


    Tegya from 2nd Prince''s faction.


    And the neutral contestant, the crowd favorite candidate, Guan.


    Without these three even mentioning it, the eight people decided to select the strongest among them for having a chance against those three.


    ''I should also hurry up.'' Varian wanted to end his match as soon as possible so he could challenge more. [Shards: 23 (16+7)]


    Even though this woman was in the top 50, she only carried 16 shards. That''s surely better than a measly 7 shards by a top 100.


    But just these many weren''t enough. He needed more shards and moreover, more fights were actually helping.


    ''Status''


    [Dragon: 51/100


    Titan: 51/100 Phoenix: 51/100 Order: 51/100 Chaos: 51/100 Space: 27/100 (+2)


    Time: 27/100 (+2)]


    Even though the other paths were stagnant other than the gradual daily increment, the space-time paths were quickly growing. ''A few more fights and I can tell Samael why rose are red.''


    Varian walked out of the dissolving time prison and hung the space spear over his shoulder. "If you really want to get beaten up one by one, be my guest."

 Chapter 1661 Soaring Strength

    Chapter 1661 Soaring Strength


    What unfolded next was a feast to every battle enthusiast.


    Varian was surrounded by nine divine rankers: four space, three gravity and two time.


    While they decided to attack together, they couldn''t do it seamlessly. Nor could theybine their powers into one. Still, their co-ordination allowed them to form an offense that would even trouble the top three contenders for the throne.


    Varian, who overwhelmed his opponents until now, couldn''t do it anymore.


    Instead of being on the offensive, he had to go into a defense.


    Creating a sub-space was the wisest choice of every space awakener on the scene and he did the same.


    By separating the space around him into sub-space different from the outside, he was able to resist the time erosion, allowing him to decrease the distortion of the time flow.


    The gravity changes which would''ve exploded his body into pieces were also resisted strongly by being in a separate space that rejected external gravity.


    While the sub-space already struggled to resist these two waves of attacks, it nearly shattered as space attacks struck it violently.


    With every wave of space attacks, the sub-space nearly copsed before it was propped up by Varian in haste.


    This happened again and again and again. The audience who were significantly weaker only thought he was faring poorly against nine opponents.


    But the opponents themselves didn''t think so. He had an abundance of aura, a very precise control over his power and most of all, a very battle oriented mindset that continuously adapted to the situation.


    Yet, it''s precisely for these reasons that they, particrly the space awakeners doubted what they were feeling. ''It''s weird. His sub-space is only as good as a high, no, a mid rank 1.''


    ''Is he toying with us? Exposing his weakness to lure a trap?''


    ''The sub-space almost copsed so many times. I thought we got him and yet, ites back up, covering up the w he just exposed. Then, we poke the next w and it disappears. What the hell is he trying to do? Provoke us even in this situation? Is he really that strong?''


    The three space awakeners wildly hypothesized Varian''s actions.


    What they couldn''t have imagined was that Varian didn''t deliberately show ws. He did his best and his best sub-space was still very wed in front of a peak rank 1.


    The ws disappearing were not him stopping to pretend, it''s simply him learning and growing stronger.


    Of course, they didn''t think this. First, there''s no way a mid rank 1 could exert the strength of a peak rank 1. Path Fusion was something so absurd that they would never even think in that direction.


    Second, even if they were somehow convinced Varian''s rank was forcibly raised by Esh''s mysterious methods, they would never believe someone could improve so quickly.


    The pace of progress was just insane. What they had to take decades and sometimes centuries was being done here in seconds! n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    This was a breathtaking pace, a pace that far surpassed anything that even geniuses could aspire for. It''s something so beyond possibility that none of the three even entertained a thought that perhaps this mysterious de was growing real time by learning from their attacks.


    Five minutes after the match started, the shaky sub-space that copsed every other moment reached a scary degree of stability.


    No matter how hard they tried, they couldn''t bring it to the brink of copse like theydid just a few minutes ago.


    It didn''t matter that they tried new tricks individually and as a team.


    The sub-space was just getting better and better. ''Status''


    [Dragon: 51/100


    Titan: 51/100 Phoenix: 51/100 Order: 51/100 Chaos: 51/100 Space: 40/100 (+13)


    Time: 40/100 (+13)]


    The improvement had been tremendous! But the growth wasn''t just due to the battle which really helped him study peak divine rankers. A significant factor was the sliver shards that he began to tap into.


    It''s somewhat like beginner''s gains where an untrained person would experience a quick burst of growth upon training in a gym. Varian who never used the sliver shards went through a simr process and his paths went through a growth spurt.


    It was incredible, bringing his space-time paths much closer to the rest. But that miraculous growth vanished soon after, leaving him back in the state where he had to fight hard for any significant growth.


    Varian didn''t mind. Normal state was a misnomer in a lot of ways. It''s through that normal state that he achieved his ridiculous progress.


    "What is happening?" "Break it!"


    "My time flow is also not working against him well! Is he revealing his true strength only now?"


    The nine warriors were confused, scared and reluctant. Gritting their teeth, they kept pouring their power hoping to make him fall one way or another.


    They had nothing to gain with victory and everything to lose due to defeat.


    So, they fought and fought, creating more and moreplex mechanisms for an integrated attack.


    In doing so, they forced Varian to remain in the defense.


    But they eventually ran out of new ideas and their divine aura reserves began to be strained.


    And that''s when he struck.


    Varian''s sub-space expanded without warning and with incredible momentum.


    Instead of taking on them all at once, the spherical domain consumed the nearest gravity rankers into it. "No!" "ckholes, create a ckhole defe¡ªmff!"


    Isted from the rest, the gravity awakeners stood no chance and were knocked out cold. Then the sub-space expanded. Slowly, this time. But as it inched closer and closer, the space and time awakeners worked desperately to resist.


    Like ants pushing against an elephant, they felt helpless as it encroached their boundaries.


    As ast resort, they decided to jump in together.


    When they did, Varian was outside the sub-space. And they were right in.


    "How foolish!"


    The faces of the six paled as they realized what had just transpired.


    Varian snapped his fingers and the formations he carefully prepared so far activated simultaneously, giving them no chance to resist.


    When the audience could notice the situation clearly, all nine members had fallen.


    [Shards: 209]


    Varian turned his gaze to the other arena. His brows knit into a frown.


    Out of the twenty-two he left them with, only four members were present.


    Before he could propose anything to get a chance with those eliminated princes, Samael Astreas voice rang loud.


    "Let the final duels begin."

 Chapter 1662 Final Fight

    Chapter 1662 Final Fight


    Samael Astreas looked away from Varian. Esh''s de was more than pissed off. As he was observing him for quite a while now, the 7th Prince was having second thoughts about this inexplicable tool.


    ''Is he really that pissed off because he couldn''t establish Esh''s prestige?''


    Something felt off. It was a very valid political reason for him to get pissed at. But somehow, his intuition disagreed.


    This man was different. Somehow, anyhow. How, he had no idea. But the faint feeling of incongruence grew strong and stronger every time he saw Varian fight.


    "Victor, what do you think about h¡ª"


    "Weird." "Hm?"


    "That boy is weird. He''s either hiding his strength or growing stronger. It should be the former. Thetter makes no sense. But he''s weird." Samael raised a brow. If he could have one person to judge people, it''d be Victor. He''d always been urate in his readings.


    Didn''t he prove it by subjugating that violent tribe and subordinating Tegya?


    When she was captured, Tegya was as ordinary as anyone in her tribe. But Victor saw something in her they didn''t. Not only was he right that she was special, he''s also right in betting big on her by pouring so many resources.


    "I don''t think it''s just us."


    Samael narrowed his eyes at Victor''s words and turned to Esh Starlight.


    The princess who had to fall in thispetition used that boy as a shield. He did underestimate her. This woman was more dangerous than he imagined. ''But if you stand in way to gain the slivers, even you have to burn down.''


    She seemed to feel his gaze but didn''t move her eyes from Varian. "Huh?"


    Samael tilted his head as he observed her eyes.


    Those eyes¡­


    "What the hell is she doing?"


    On the ground, the audience cheered as the final rounds were about to begin.


    Varian was lined up with the four people on the stage. Even though he would''ve liked to fight with the rest and win more shards, he decided to satisfy himself with some hearty fights.


    Anyway, killing was not allowed. So, as long as he fought as hard as he could and progressed his ranks, this would be considered a sessful trip.


    Of course, there''s still hunting he had to do with all the princes and princesses he marked during the auction. ''Unless I fight with all my paths and reveal my strengthpletely, I''ll lose against all three.''


    Even though path fusion boosted his sub-rank to peak rank 1, his application of the path was not as strong as it would''ve been if he was a natural peak rank1.


    Moreover, using just one path to fight was not letting him to exert his full potential. The power of seven paths didn''t juste from having more aura or different powers but in thebination of using paths for a stronger, more dangerous attack.


    With all that denied, Varian could hardly fight against these monsters on an even ground.


    Even though he''s technically a high rank 1 in five paths, he just entered the sub-rank.


    High rank 1 extended from [51] to [90] and was thergest sub-rank. The strength he could exert so far was in the bounds of early peak rank 1. The reason he even won the matches he did was thanks to the absence of insanely strong peak rank 1s and weak opponents deliberately appointed by the prince.


    It''s not that they didn''t exist. But they were one of the few people who were absent from the match.


    Varian could only guess they were in a seclusion, preparing to up their strength to call for an impeachingpetition after a few hundred years to bring down the newly elected leader.


    They''re doing this only because they''re confident in their strength and that meant these were the real peak rank 1 powerhouses.


    Still, if one looked at the entire Jai Empire, he should be in top 20 at the moment. And that rank would only climb higher with battles.


    "The battles will now begin. With five people, four will be matched against each other and one will get a by¡ª"


    "Son of a b¡ª"


    "He must not get a bye." A curtain of starlight floated above the arena and Esh''s voice rang with unquestionable authority. "I-I¡­" The referee''s voice stuttered as he paled at the 4th princess'' order. It''s tant rigging to arrange matches as she pleased. But what could he do about it? He just nced at the 7th and 2nd Princes. None of them spoke a word. But as if they saw something very interesting, they watched the scene with an intense expression.


    The 2nd Prince had a lost look while the 7th Prince disyed a kind smile. It''s impossible to read what''s on their mind through their expression alone. What''s obvious, however, was that neither of them intended to intervene.


    If they didn''t care, what could he do?


    Swallowing his saliva, the referee turned to Varian and said. "W-Who do you want to be paired with?"


    The ranked princes in the audience felt as if someone pped their faces. Even though it''smon for the powerful to have privileges, this was too much. For a moment, a quiet rage boiled in the seats. Unbothered with what they thought, Varian pointed to the weakest of the four, leaving behind Samus of 7th Prince, Tegya of 2nd Prince and Guan. "Very well, the matches are decided. de and Avnir. Tegya and Samus. Guan gets a bye."


    Guan nodded at the referee with an approving smile. With a bye, he''d be better prepared to challenge Esh and not waste energy on these people.


    As for her trump card, the so-called de? He was never in Guan''s eyes to begin with. Guan looked up and his gaze shed with Esh. But she only nced at him for a moment before turning to her de. A vein popped up on his forehead and Guan clenched his fist. Even at this moment, when he''s about to snatch her position away, this woman was so arrogant!


    ''You''ll regret it.''n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 1663 An Unexpected Weapon

    Chapter 1663 An Unexpected Weapon


    Getting underestimated wasn''t a bad thing. Especially if it''s by enemies. Varian learned this long, long ago. So, when Avnir gave him a disdained sneer as they faced each other, he responded with a smile. "If we really went the normal way, you would''ve been eliminated without even entering top 4. Seems like you know your true worth and used her name toe so far." Avnir spat out the harsh words without even putting up any pretense of politeness.


    Varian wanted to argue that he would''ve grown stronger and reached this stage anyway. But he decided not to debate with a fool. Avnir was selected by Varian to be his duel opponent. The gesture was tantly pointing out that he''s the weakest amongst the four. Even if it''s the truth, Avnir was still pissed off after being called out. Whatever reasoning might be offered, he''d not be any less cruel.


    So, Varian simply shrugged. "Yeah, you are right. I came here with nepotism. You are the only one who came here with your strength. Avnir, you are the shining beacon of meritocracy, the greatness who holds up the Jai Empire."


    Avnir''s soaring rage abruptly cooled down and he tilted his head in confusion. "Huh?"


    Then his eyes widened. "Are you mocking me?!"


    Varian contemted for a moment and nodded with a hesitant expression. "¡­Yes?"


    "Argh, arrogant bastard!" Avnir raised arm descended and with it, the world shook.


    Light bent. The stage began to crack and copse.


    Everything around Varian turned pitch ck. Through their perceptions, the ranked princes realized three super ckholes around Varian.


    "This!" Even though gravity awakeners created ckholes once reaching the divine rank, these were not your normal ckholes. Only strong peak rank 1s would be able to control these cosmic structures. "Arghhh!" The sub-space Varian set up as a defense disintegrated almost instantly. He propped up a new sub-space and it fell just as quick. Even though he kept establishing new defense as fast as he could, the ckholes had a gap to exert their power over him.


    That gap was enough for them to pull off a tenth of his body. Like someone pulled them away, Varian''s arms ruptured and flew off into the ckholes.


    Blood left his wounds and was about to ssh on the floor. But not a single droplet managed to escape the suction and got devoured by the super gravitational structures.


    What''s worse was that whatever aura Varian conjured to set up sub-space or use his space powers to get out of the situation got sucked away by the ckholes. He tried harder and harder to draw out the divine aura, but the ckholes made it extremely difficult. As time passed, more and more of his body was devoured. Even though he regenerated his arms and legs a few times, he couldn''t do it endlessly.


    If he was able to use the power of life, however, he could simply create a bunch of clones, explode them around the ckholes, neutralize the strong gravity for a brief moment and use that instant to escape.


    Unfortunately, he was posing as the de of Esh, as a pure space ranker.


    Such an option did not exist.


    And with his detoriating condition, even setting up the sub-space which he had been doing since the start grew difficult. Aura was running dry, vitality was thinning and defense was getting difficult.


    It wasn''t a favorable situation at all. ''Do I need to reveal my powers?''


    Varian gnashed his teeth as he sensed the situation he was in.


    The three tant gazes on him couldn''t be more obvious.


    The 7th Prince''s deep gaze, the 2nd Prince''s predatory gaze and the 4th Princess''¡­


    ''Why is her gaze so creepy?'' n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Varian didn''t have leisure to think. The only possible ways out of this situation was through revealing his power or using the slivers.


    ''Shards!''


    Without hesitation, Varian took out the thin glowing strands. They were significantly different from mini-slivers in the sense they existed in a much more weaker form.


    Unlike mini-slivers, shards were used only for the benefit of training. They''d let you grow faster. More shards meant more boost.


    But that''s it. No one really used shards like slivers.


    ''They wouldn''t even know how to use them.'' "Are you offering them as a bribe?" Outside the domain of darkness, Avnir frowned watching Varian''s actions.


    It''s true that he''s greedy for Varian''s shards. Even though he had over a thousand shards, he didn''t mind two hundred more.


    He couldn''t rob shards from the weaklings as that''d directly break some unwritten rules and give his opponents a chance to attack him.


    But snatching them from Varian was something no one could fault him for.


    "Why do I need to receive them when I can grab them from you? They are my rightful loot!" With a wave of his hand, the ckholespressed and shot at Varian.


    Even though killing was frowned upon, it''s also important to know why. Killing any prince from a faction would anger the faction leaders. Killing any neutral person would offend the strongest neutral member.


    But Varian?


    ''Princess Esh is about to die off anyway!''


    Some ranked princes realized what Avnir wanted to do. A couple agreed with his actions and others thought he was foolish. No matter what, they couldn''t stop him.


    Boom!


    When the three ckholes reached a very close distance, they exploded due to the mutual pull before they could even collide.


    Darkness receded as a brilliant light erupted out of the ckholes, bending at the edges and forming beautiful rainbows.


    The stage built from divine reinforcement was obliterated.


    All that was left was void, void and void.


    And in that void¡­


    "W-What?" Avnir''s heart nearly stopped for a moment as he saw a silhouette in the bursts of light.


    Varian, who was supposed to be gravely injured and knocked out if not outright dead, walked in steady steps.


    There were some heavy injuries on his body, but nothing grave. Moreover, a light, a familiar light was glowing all over him, protecting and enhancing him. "S-Shards?"

 Chapter 1664 All Of A Sudden

    Chapter 1664 All Of A Sudden


    Avnir didn''t have to guess as the space-time fabric which was just recovering from the ckhole explosion bent once again. Before he could even act, the space between him and Varian shrunk.


    The well trained instincts kicked into actions before his consciousness could notice and put up a defensive. But Varian''s spear, formed with the power of space and infused with the power of shards broke it with ease.


    "Kuh!" Blood spilled from the huge cavity the spear drilled in his chest and the invasive space power threw his aura into a multitude of spaces, hindering him from gathering it for any significant attacks.


    It''s an incredible tough job to do for any space awakener because it needed not just the understanding of space but also gravity.


    Varian didn''t have the path of gravity but he did study it from Enigma and gained his own insights from space and time.


    Avnir got no chance from there. Varian''s spear moved in a fashion that gave some princes the illusion that this man was a life ranker excelling in closebat and not a space ranker.


    "Arghh!" "No!" "Graaah!" The number two powerhouse of neutral faction, Avnir, copsed helplessly.


    Varian grabbed the shards from him. [Shards: 1299]


    No one really understood how he was able to use the shards to enhance his attacks. Even the leaders of the faction were dumbfounded.


    How? Just how?


    ''If they are parts of slivers, they can fuse again to be partial slivers.'' Individual shards couldn''t help in the battle. So, he simply fused them in the middle of a battle for a brief period.


    [I hope you realize how absurd it sounds. Slivers can''t just be fused as one liked. M-My case was special but fusing any slivers is exceedingly difficult. It''s as hard as reaching rank 3.]


    Even though he only fused shards and not slivers, doing it in such a tiny period of time was scary. It was beyond even Logos'' expectations.


    Varian didn''t fully understand the implications of his prowess. ''Status''


    [Dragon: 51/100


    Titan: 51/100 Phoenix: 51/100 Order: 51/100 Chaos: 51/100 Space: 61/100 (+21)


    Time: 61/100 (+21)]


    A thousand shards were enough for him to boost his space-time paths with others all the way until peak rank 1.


    ''I can hunt the rest after I mark them.''


    Varian nodded in satisfaction. There''s no way he could win the next match. Even though all his paths reached high rank 1, his strength would only reach the early stages of peak rank 1. To give an estimate, he''d be able to take on peak rank 1s until [93] or [94].


    If he had to calcte, the 7th Prince and 2nd Prince were both at [99]. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Guan was at [98].


    Tegya was were at [97].


    Samus at [96].


    Avnir was at [93] and was the weakest among them.


    Even then, he had to struggle to win. ''I have a thousand more shards now and should be exert their strength. Even if I try my luck, [95] is the highest I can go.''


    The referee didn''t know Varian''s thoughts. So, giving him a look of admiration, he had the stage quickly reced.


    "Tegya won against Samus. de won against Avnir. The semi-finals are between Tegya and de. The winner will face Guan in the finals. The champion will gain the right to challenge."


    Guan smirked with confidence and looked up at Esh to see if she''s panicking. ''No, what is she¡­?''


    After a considerable period of rest and recovering to his peak after taking all the supplements they provided, Varian was called onto the stage once again.


    A barbaric woman in animal skins stood in front of him, her eyes looking at him like a hunter sizing up the prey.


    Varian didn''t even want to fight her. There''s no way of winning. Not without showing his full power, prolonging the fight long enough for his paths to catch up and then defeating her.


    ''I''ll pretend to be incapacitated and surrender.''


    But Avnir already tried to kill him. This woman might do it too. "Hey."


    "Hm?"


    "Your tendons will make for good bow strings." Tegya licked her lips.


    She''d definitely try to kill him. ''I''ll have to escape if things go south.''


    Varian expanded his senses and locked onto the formations of this avenue. He already studied and found their loopholes.


    If he really wanted to, he could teleport away exploiting those loopholes. Even the 7th Prince wouldn''t be able to catch him. Without proper knowledge of Order and Chaos, breaking these formations wouldn''t be easy. And the key to open these formations was shared by the three leaders.


    ''I''ll get enough gap to slip away.''


    Of course, Varian didn''t wish to flee if he could help it. He wanted to stay and mark the ranked princes. ''I want more shards.''


    [How greedy.]


    "The match between Tegya and de will no¡ª"


    The ck sky shed white and Varian''s instincts screamed at the highest they ever did.


    He didn''t even know what''s happening or why it''s happening. But he acted without letting his thoughts slow him down. The space-time fabric cracked open. Thews of order-chaos were broken apart. His soul and vitality werepressed before being thrown out of the formation loopholes.


    Boom!


    Varian teleported right away, falling into a barren space between gxies. He did so while erasing his aura and life forcepletely. Not even the 7th Prince and 2nd Prince who were at their peak would be able to sense him.


    "Haa! Haa! Haaa!" When he stopped after teleporting a few more times, far away from Andromeda, Varian panted heavily.


    Only then did he have the chance to check his body. Half of it was frozen in time and was trying to corrupt the other half.


    He quickly destroyed the half to regenerate it again. But doing so, he paid a heavy price in the form of losing a great deal of vitality. "Time power¡­but why?"


    Varian had an ominous premonition and wanted to teleport further away. "Varian!" A shrill voice bombarded the region and Esh Starlight descended.

 Chapter 1665 100%

    Chapter 1665 100%


    "Y-You!"


    Varian tried to teleport but a powerful formation was blocking this ce. Giving up all pretense, he used his full powers to break out but the formation was still holding out.


    Why did she attack him? How did she arrange this formation which required so much preparation beforehand?


    Most importantly¡ª


    "H-How do you¡­?" "I just do." Esh approached him, brilliant starlight emerging out of her foot every time she took a step. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Varian hurriedly formed a domain where both order and chaos rules acted against time power. Then, he hurriedly created a space shield for himself. And he didn''t spare the effort to put up a powerful life and death force shield.


    "Was it fun?" She casually waved her hand. The shield he painstakingly set up shattered instantly, sting him away and tearing his body into pieces.


    Thanks to the power of life, Varian merged back but not without consequence. [Time corruption of the soul: 3%]


    A gray light covered a small portion of his glowing soul, freezing it.


    "Disguising yourself, earning the shards right under our noses." She flicked her fingers and Varian''s vitality ceased for a few seconds.


    [10%]


    ''Escape, escape, I have to escape!''


    The slivers of order and chaos were put to full use to find a way out of this formation. It''d take just a few moments more, but!


    ''Fuck! Fuck!'' He didn''t have that long!


    "And fooling me to use my own name for your purposes." Esh''s face was livid and she clenched her fist.


    "Arghhh!" Varian''s consciousness was thrown into a prison of hell, a prickling pain assaulting his soul.


    [25%]


    He kept teleporting away, trying to escape but Esh kept following. And no matter how much he teleported, he remained under that damn formation.


    "Oh, are you wondering where I got this formation from?" Esh chuckled, her eyes turning red. "It''s a gift."


    "A gif¡ªkuugh!" The dark space shed white for a moment and Varian''s body was split into millions of thin pieces, exploding helplessly.


    He emerged back into life with a pale face and dull eyes.


    [50%]


    "After I kill you and capture the slivers, I''ll go after your family. Your wives. And cmity too. Everyone has to pay." Esh''s face distorted in rage and she appeared in front of him.


    She grabbed his head and thrust her hand into his heart, grabbing it.


    Her face was right in front of his and her bloodshot eyes stared into his. "Can you see it?" Esh''s eyes were shaking violently, the madness in them growing with every moment.


    "Can you see my pain?"


    "Arghhhh!" A gray power emerged from her hand and flooded his heart. The time flow between his body parts, soul and mind were cut off in the worst of ways, inflicting on him tremendous pain.


    Varian twitched and thrashed, trying to escape. But Esh held him in ce, watching in catharsis as he struggled in the torture. Her hand gripped his heart and she reveled in feeling his agony.


    "You torture your prisoners a lot, don''t you?" Esh''s face was sshed with his blood and she didn''t even bother wiping it off.


    That bloodied face looked at him up close and she spoke in a vicious tone, showing her reddened teeth. "Did you also torture my daughter like this?"


    [75%]


    Tears began to flow out of Esh''s eyes and the princess sobbed. "I am a bad mother¡­I couldn''t protect her here¡­I let her live there¡­and yet and yet, someone like you!" Her fingers pierced his eyes and ripped off his nose.


    [80%]


    Esh shook with anger as she tore him apart.


    "You put her through so much pain!" [85%]


    "I can''t kill you so easily! But if I dy any longer, they''ll catch up!" [90%]


    "Why? Why do you have it so easy?" Tearing his face into two using her fingers, she screamed.


    [95%]


    "Why do you have such an easy death while my daughter suffered so much?"


    [99%]


    "He-Hehe¡­"


    "Huh?" Esh stopped. She wanted to end him right there but this man, how dare he?


    How dare heugh now?


    Even though her rationale told her to kill him right away, Esh wanted to torture him a little longer.


    The reason she didn''t use her powers and extend time to give herself a few days to torture him was because such maniption would be impossible if a divine ranker of Varian''s strength resisted.


    But now that he''s crippled, she should be able to gain a few minutes of torture period before she could wrap and leave.


    Even if her siblings reach this ce, it''d be totte by then.


    With a snap of her fingers, the time flow of the ce changed. As expected, Varian''s body resisted instinctively but it was much lower than normal.


    Esh waved her hand and a few thousand torture tools emerged from behind. It wasn''t just his body but even his soul would be put through excruciating pain.


    "You wish you neverughed!" She grabbed a glowing red needle and pierced it into his head.


    Varian''s soul shook violently for a moment and all his thought process briefly stopped. Then a searing pain assaulted his spirit, putting him through a mind breaking agony.


    Watching him struggle, Esh said. "This is the weakest weapon in my hand. You''re in for a treat."


    "K-Kuh!" Esh pulled out eleven more such needles and pierced his head.


    As the leader who dealt with assassinations, torture was her forte. She thus had the best weapons for the job across the empire.


    The pain she put Varian through was enough to make even a divine ranker beg for death.


    But he¡­


    "H-He¡­Hehehehe¡­"


    His face was broken, so he couldn''t speak physically. But his soul could. Even when he''s in such pain, even when his soul was corrupted 99%, he could still speak. And he couldugh!


    Even in all that anger, Esh couldn''t help be shocked. "Y-You! What the fuck! Are you a monster?" She lied about the needles being the weakest weapons. They were the strongest. This man should''ve been broken already. But not only was he fine, he wasughing. What sort of mental state did he achieve to be like this?


    "D-Daughter¡­is¡­"


    "Don''t you dare!" Esh''s power flooded his body and his soul began to break down under the assault.


    It was as if arge boulder was thrown onto a normal person. Varian felt like that as he crushed under the weight.


    But for a brief, brief moment, he resisted.


    "S-Safe¡­"


    [100%]


    "Huh?"

 Chapter 1666 Daughters Mother

    Chapter 1666 Daughter''s Mother


    Varian''s soul froze in time. Now, he''s just a nk puppet she could use and kill as she pleased.


    But Esh''s mind nked out by what she heard at the end.


    "Safe?"


    He must be lying. The letter clearly stated that and also showed her the evidence that she disappeared after falling into his hands.


    "The letter¡­" It''s sent by someone clearly hostile to Varian.


    Esh hurriedly took out a memory extraction treasure. It''s used on prisoners to find out important memory. But using it would destroy their soul beyond repair. She wouldn''t have cared about it. Yet, a part of her mind questioned what if she''s going to regret this?


    What if he really saved her daughter?


    What if he didn''t torture her?


    If she broke his soul, would her daughter forgive her?


    Esh''s love for her child was beyond anything normal. For any challenged faction leader, escaping the tournament avenue was akin to forfeiting. Once she went back, whether Guan won against her or lost, she''d be stripped out of her position.


    Both the 7th Prince and 2nd Prince would have full justififation to kill her. Yet, when she left to chase Varian, she didn''t even care about the consequences.


    Her daughter was the most important part of her life. "If it''s false¡­.if you lied¡­then you''re in for hell!"


    Gritting her teeth, Esh took out a precious golden flower. It''s something she acquired with great difficulty to heal her soul. Even if she used a single petal on Varian, her own recovery would be iplete. She might need to spend millions of years to get another flower or she might not get one at all. Heck, she could die by then if someone like Guan surpassed her and he most likely would.


    Faced with not destroying her daughter''s possible rtive and her own future, Esh chose her daughter.


    The shining ck orb enveloped Varian''s soul and the particr memory of the daughter was called out. If it was before, Esh would''ve used the treasure to know all his secrets. But with her daughter involved, she wanted to damage his soul as little as possible.


    So, she only asked for the memories of her daughter.


    Even the slivers were put aside.


    The memories she saw¡­


    "She''s really the assassin!" When he realized she was just a child under a curse, he didn''t chose to kill the baby. He made her his family.


    "B-Big Brother?"


    The girl grew up. Due to the lineage from Esh, her growth was different from the normal children. But it''s also more difficult.


    The foods she needed, the treasures she consumed were enough to feed kingdoms.


    But never did Varianin. And even his wives found her what she needed.


    Even though they weren''t even rted, they were better parents than she ever was.


    "Big bro! Big bro! Big bro!"


    The little girl would run with him on the fields, up the mountains and jump into the rivers. The smile on her face was not fake nor was the joy in herughters.


    Whenever Varian was with her, the little girl enjoyed herself.


    "Big brother! Big brother!"


    And he disappeared one day, for a thousand years.


    When he returned, Prim managed to partially break the curse and be a teenager for some period.


    Esh wondered how Prim managed. ''Ah, the dream loop!''


    Just like Prim used a dream loop to keep the precious memories with Varian, Esh too used a dream loop.


    She dreamed of her time with her children.


    The dream loop allowed them to keep memories precious even if millions of years passed. It''s their racial solution against the cruel passage of time. But it could only be used if the memories were the most cherished.


    From how she acted after his thousand year return, Esh was sure. Varian was the central figure of Prim''s dream loop.


    A side effect of the dream loop was that the person''s attachment would be tied to the central figure.


    If Prim learned that something happened to Varian, she would be devastated.And unlike other races that could move on, she could never move on. The dream loop would continue and the pain would stay with her forever.


    "Prim, Prim, Prim." Esh muttered her daughter''s name. She liked the name Prim way more than ck Rose. Her child didn''t need to be an assassin. She should just be a child, enjoying her childhood.


    Varian gave her that childhood. "Prim, help! The Red Turtle Thief of the gxy need your special double sma gu¡­" And she loved him back for it.


    "Brother is the best."


    "Brother is the most honest person."


    "Brother is the kindest person. He wouldn''t even hurt an ant."


    It wasn''t just a great childhood. Varian sessfully broke her curse and allowed her to live a normal life.


    "Prim, you''ll be a fine youngdy!"


    The teenage Prim was so cute and pretty that Esh wanted to hug and spoil her all day. "My Prim is the best!"


    "Isadora, my daughter is not a shorty!"


    "Sarah, stop cing your hand on her head, she won''t grow tall!" "Sia! Stop eating from her brother''s hands! It''s her brother, don''t steal her sweets!"


    Before she knew it, Esh was arguing against the family members for Prim. Of course, she had no realints on their treatment. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Everyone treated her well, even if they teased her from time to time.


    Sia taught her how to cook. Sarah taught her etiquette. Enigma yed games with her, though Esh suspected it''s because this silent girl liked winning and bullying children.


    Isadora¡­took her to fishing. It''s fine most of the time but once, Prim fell into water and this woman literally fished her out!


    "Okay, Isadora! I''ve written down this grudge. But Prim, how are you so clumsy sometimes, pfft~"


    The memories of the teenage Prim from Varian''s perspective wereing to an end.


    She was initially embarrassed at suddenly growing up but she was soon fine. "Beat that bastard! Immortal is useless in front of my brother!"


    Esh was surprised at the secrets she learned in this duel.


    Immortal, Varian and the rulers of the alliance.


    But still, she was more impressed by how brave Prim was in front of the rulers!


    "That''s my baby girl!"


    After watching the memories over and over again, Esh wordlessly plucked two petals of the flower and put them onto Varian''s soul.


    The second petal wasn''t just for healing, it''s also for improving his soul.


    She withdrew the time power from his soul and as she did, he began to recover.


    "Haaa~" Esh put a hand on her heart with a wry smile. What was this set of conflicting emotions?


    She was incredibly happy that Prim was living a happy life. But¡­she couldn''t help but feel jealous that it was Varian, not her who gave her that life.


    "If I take away your brother, you''ll hate me."


    She didn''t even need to ask. From what she saw, it was obvious. Not only would Prim not care that she''s the birth mother, she might hate her even more for it.


    One day not too far in the future, Prim might point her sword at her, wanting to kill her for revenge.


    Esh still wanted to sacrifice Varian and resurrect her dead children. But as the scene of shing with her won daughter emerged, she began to hesitate.


    Firstly, no one knew if resurrection was even possible. Her belief until now was simply because of her blind faith in God Emperor.


    Secondly, even if it''s possible, she didn''t know if he would do it. It must be costly even for someone like him to reverse entire space-time flow to a point millions of years prior and pull out dead souls. Why would he honor the agreement when he could simply take the slivers and kill her off?


    Esh found herself at the cross roads.


    She could sacrifice what''s at hand and hope for something much more which might or might not happen.


    And if she did pick this path, Prim would be destroyed if things didn''t go as nned.


    Or.


    She could sacrifice the grand dream that''s difficult to achieve and be content with a happy reality she never dreamed of. Prim would remain happy.


    People were certainly greedy but they were also very, very loss averse, especially if it''s something very cherished.


    "Children¡­sorry, I can''t erase the smile of your younger sister."


    "Mmm¡­" "Ah? Have youe to your senses?" Esh looked at the man. His eyes were closed and there was a faint frown on his face. It looked like he was experiencing a nightmare.


    "Varian? Varian, wake up."


    "Ah? Ahh!" Varian''s heart nearly stopped as he saw Esh''s face up close upon opening his eyes.


    His aura stirred and the formation loopholes he found out just before fainting were quickly exploited.


    With a resounding explosion, the formation cracked and Varian was about escape.


    "Stop!"


    Esh''s scream was a momentter and the formations nearly broke.


    "Sh*t!" The princess cursed. "Stop it, I''m not going to harm you!"


    Varian distanced himself from her and rolled his eyes. But he was also surprised at his condition. Why was he back at his peak, no, why was he stronger than before?


    All that torture did push him over the edge but why did he wake up?


    ''Status''


    [Dragon: 70/100 (+19)


    Titan: 70/100 (+19)


    Phoenix: 70/100 (+19)


    Order: 70/100 (+19)


    Chaos: 70/100 (+19)


    Space: 81/100 (+21)


    Time: 81/100 (+21)]


    It''s a great increase, but it''s not something he wanted to replicate, ever. From exerting the strength of [94], he had grown into [97].


    Of course, the difference between [99] and [98] was vast. His individual paths would need to reach [80] for him to hit [98] and [90] for him to exert [99] strength. It might be seen as ridiculous since he had seven freaking paths. But the difference in sub-ranks of divine ranks was vast. And in the sub-rank of peak rank 1, the difference between a beginner and expert was greater than an early rank 1 and high rank 1.


    Still, Varian had confidence of confronting Esh. Of course, he''d only survive under her for a few more seconds unlike before. And in that time, he had the confidence to escape.


    If he''s at her full strength, even that wouldn''t have been possible. With a soul fragment destroyed, her full strength fell from [99] to [98]. She should be able to defeat Guan, but she wouldn''t be able to stop him from escaping.


    Varian''s aura once again stirred and he was about to attack the formations once again.


    "Don''t mess up again! There''s no time to waste. Just shut up and listen, Prim''s big brother!"


    "Huh?"


    "I am her mother!" Esh screamed.


    Varian prepared for another attack anyway. She might''ve read his memories when he was knocked out and was ying this drama fo¡ª


    "This is my blood."


    A drop of blood flowed from her fingertip and Varian stopped his actions.


    "What the¡­"


    As a life awakener, he could tell instantly. This mad, mad woman was indeed the mother of his sister. For a moment, Varian didn''t know what to do.


    Esh hurried to the formations, trying to repair them to no avail. "Sh*t, Sh*t, why do you have to break them?!"


    "¡­I wanted to escape."


    "I could''ve given you the formation key!" Esh screamed. "The broken formation already leaked out auras! They''ll being any moment! You must leave!"


    Her voice wasced with a sense of urgency and desperation.


    Varian thought for a brief moment. He didn''t know if he should trust her. But she spared his life once. It''s worth a risk. What strongly convinced him was the state of her soul. When she was attacking and torturing him, Esh''s soul was in a state of deep sorrow and madness. Now, there''s peace and relief in that chaotic soul. The formation could not be repaired without a few minutes of hard work. Unfortunately, they didn''t seem to have even that few minutes.


    "Open the formation."


    Grabbing her hand, Varianbined the shards and activated the space-time powers.


    In a few moments, they jumped across quarter of a gxy.


    Esh was dumbfounded noticing the way hebined the shards into mini-slivers.


    "H-How?! So many tried and all failed! But you!"


    "I do that every Tuesday." Varian replied casually and kept teleporting away.


    "Then do teach us, Varian."


    Boom!


    An arrogant voice rang from the sky and a pull came out of nowhere.


    Esh moved at thest moment, skipping barely a moment into the future. Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The region behind them turned into void as a tremendous ckhole swallowed up everything in an instant.


    If what Avner created was dangerous, then this thing was a gctic scale disaster.


    Victor and Samael appeared in void, locking their killing intents on Varian and Esh.


    "Varian," Samael uttered his name with a nostalgic smile. "I''ve been searching for you since a millennia. Esh too. But why did she switch camps?"


    "Sliver holder." Victor noticed the remnants of the seven paths as well as the power of slivers from Varian.


    When they were attacked just now, Varian brought out his full powers for a possible defense, including his slivers.


    "Today is a great day." Victor smiled. "Eliminating a traitorous princess and capturing the slivers. Both at once."


    Esh stood in front of Varian and a hourss materialized in her hand. Pouring out her full strength, she stared down at her brothers. "Don''t even try."

 Chapter 1667 Hunter and Hunted

    Chapter 1667 Hunter and Hunted


    Varian feltplicated to be protected by someone who just put him through torture just moments ago. "He''s not your subordinate. Are you his subordinate?"


    Victor''s words were apanied by creation of giant ckholes that trapped them from leaving. Esh created two spheres of time, one around herself and the other around Varian. Temporarily, the suction force of the ckholes would be skipped over using the power of time.


    "I thought you stopped having children. Is he a new donor?" Samael asked with a polite smile, turning to Varian with a formal Jai greeting gesture. "Brother-inw?"


    "Samael!" Esh''s voice sank and her aura fluctuated violently.


    "Yes." A smirk formed on the 7th Princes'' face. When Esh realized what he had just done, a space storm already raged in the region.


    "Block!"


    The time domain suffered it faced the attack of a peak rank 1 head on. Victor brought his hands together and the massive ckhole began to move to the center. The already dark space turnedpletely pitch ck.


    The time domain began to break down. The hourss on Esh''s hand glowed and the world split into multiple frames, each frame representing an instance of time.


    Esh''s face paled and she jumped into a frame.


    Varian was pulled along with her and before he even knew what was happening, the darkness around him vanished.


    "He''s not your subordinate. Are you¡ªhuh? Did you reverse time?" Victor raised a brow.


    It''s a very difficult thing to do. But if certain conditions were met, it''s possible. However, if the opponents also had a certain proficiency of time path, they''d realize that time was reversed.


    And if they were even somewhat close to the one who made the reversal of time in proficiency, they could hinder it.


    Neither the 7th Prince nor Victor were half as good as her in time path. So, they had no chance of intervening. "That treasure is only reserved for wars!"


    Ignoring his outburst, Esh grabbed Varian and activated the hourss. The flow of time changed for the two of them and without needing her to remind him, Varian activated the power of space. "Stop!" The ckholes weren''t set up yet and the space-time curvature of the region hadn''t yet fallen into their control.


    Victor couldn''t let them escape now. The 7th Prince waved his hand, a space storm raging over the surrounding space. Varian''s teleportation was mostly broken despite him having a head start to act.


    But it wasn''tpletely futile. Varian and Esh managed to escape for now. They couldn''t avoid being chased though. The chase continued for a few minutes as they travelled truly interster distances.


    ''Why aren''t theying already?''


    Samael and Victor were about to catch up with Esh and Varian. A few more seconds was the most those two could buy. But what the two princes didn''t understand was the absence of rank 2 powerhouses.


    They should''ve shown up by now and tackled Varian. Why wasn''t it happening?


    On the other hand, Esh looked at the formation that Varian repaired while being chased. ''Monster! This guy is a monster!''


    There''s no other way for her to describe his actions. But she''s d this monster was on her daughter''s side.


    "We can''t keep running." As they jumped from one corner of the gxy to another, Varian said in a tired voice. Esh''s face stiffened. Yeah, even if he''s a monster, he''s not grown up yet. "I will block them both and buy you time. Get into alliance and call for help from the rulers. No one from the alliance dares to step into Jai empire. As long as you cross the border though, you''ll be safe."


    Varian looked at her for a moment and shook his head. "No. You''re too weak for that. I have a better n."


    She disagreed at first. But realizing that she couldn''t just send him away, Esh selected a suitable ce where the space-time curvature was incredibly resilient, dampening the possibility of creating ckholes.


    She couldn''t select an environment hostile to both the princes. But doing so for one person was still possible.


    Varian activated the formation. Unlike Esh, he was able to make full use of it with the slivers.


    "It can hinder one prince''s strength significantly."


    From [99] to [98]. A single digit. But it would make an impossible enemy into a bearable one. "The one who gave me the formation was really angry at you, wasn''t he?" Esh asked as she prepared time arrays. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "That old bastard." Varian gnashed his teeth. Equilius went too far. Not just giving these princes information to get him killed, he even gave Esh a very powerful formation.


    Varian was now certain that Equilius did not recognize Prim. After dissolving the curse, her aurapletely changed and even her appearance was much different from ck Rose. ''He contracted her to kill me. It''d have been perfect for him if I died. And even if I didn''t die, he could use the fact that I killed Prim to let Esh kill me.''


    It''s a marvelous n, one only an old fogey like him who lived too long could think of.


    But he even would have not expected for Varian to adopt Prim instead of killing her.


    Perhaps in his mind, Varian was a ruthless killer. He exterminated abyssals to thest member, killed his grandson and responsible for many, many things.


    How could such a man showpassion to an assassin who tried to kill him?


    In Equilius'' lens, there was no possibility for Varian to do such a thing. It''s against rationality. But that''s where he went wrong. Equilius tried to look at emotions through apletely rational lens. It would work most of the times but sometimes, it wouldn''t. Unfortunately for him, it was one of those times. "After returning to the alliance, I''ll have to pay him back." Varian ramped up the formation and activated it beyond advised capacity.


    It might break down after only one usage but he couldn''t afford to not give his all in this dire situation.


    "Is the mouse chase over?" Samael and Victor appeared with a frown.


    Esh was tense, as expected. And Varian showed fear. But for a brief moment, the two princes felt a sense of alienation. Once they stepped into the boundary, a formation enveloped the region without warning.


    "The mouse chase is over." Varian said with a smile. "The two mice fell into the trap."

 Chapter 1668 Battle At The Peak

    Chapter 1668 Battle At The Peak


    The 7th Prince couldn''t believe what he heard. Was he really treated as a mouse?


    He? Samael Astreas?


    "I guess you learn something new every once in a while." With a gentle shake of his head, the prince swiped his arm at the void in front.


    Space splintered and the shards of space gathered into a storm. It''s as if ss was shattered and fragments of ss formed a tornado.


    Except a space tornado formed in void was much more fatal. And in doing so, the 7th Prince broke the existing space in the region, rendering teleportation nearly impossible.


    Varian did expect a lot.


    It''s like they gathered in arge room to fight. He anticipated destruction of pirs, antiques, vases and flowers. But this guy¡­


    He rolled up the floor and used it as a weapon!


    When the 7th Prince was about to drown Varian in the space storm, the formation activated without any prior signs.


    "Huh?"


    Even though the 7th Prince was a formidable being at the peak of rank 1, the formation provided by Equilius, a mid rank 2 powerhouse, was something that even he couldn''t brush off.


    Perhaps he really wanted Varian to die. So, the formation was particrly good. "What the hell is hap¡ªkuh!"


    The 7th Prince momentarily lost control over the space storm he masterfully created. Using that opportunity, Varian snatched away the ownership of the storm and hit him with the very space tornado.


    Samael recovered and forcibly pulled out space fragments to create a sub-space to shield himself in.


    Even though the formation kept suppressing his powers, the 7th Prince was confident he could crush Varian.


    Varian had the same idea. But instead of being stronger, he vowed to be stronger through the fight. ''Once I reach your range, it''s your end.''


    While the two men shed, Esh was having a terrific battle against Victor. Unlike Varian, she had no chance of winning. But trusting his n, she decided to go all out from the start and exert as much power as possible to keep the scale bnced for as long as he could.


    Moreover, the location was against Victor. The ckholes created were severely affected by the flood of auraing from the inner space, rendering them too costly to maintain. As a result, while their battle was more terrific, it was more or less bnced. The other battle, while lower in intensity, was severely unbnced.


    "Kugh!" Translucent space rose up and twisted into a needle. There were millions upon millions of such translucent needles, each holding tremendous aura within.


    They crossed the void in a blink, as if they were teleporting and reached Varian. "Halt!" The rules of Order and Chaos inbuilt in the surroundings affected the space needles for a brief moment, bringing them to stop.


    [Orderw: Non-mass entities are hindered from free moment


    Chaosw: Space''s distortion is increased, preventing stability of any maintained form.]


    The needles, each of which were supposed to be a lethal bomb, struggled under the order-chaos domain. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Moreover, a very urate space-time shower began to rain down on the needles.


    Even though this shower of space-time curvature fragments was significantly weaker than the needles, they managed to influence the constrained superior attack.


    The 7th Prince poured more divine aura into them and pushed them to ovee the resistance. But while that happene¡ª


    "Huh?"


    It wasn''t working. Not just that, Varian''s power was soaring. From a normal peak rank 1 to the strongest and then to rank 2?


    Samael didn''t understand what''s going on. "I hid my strength." Varian said with a smile and raised his arm. A palm covering the entire sky fell and all of Samael''s aura was stripped away in front of that overwhelming power.


    His divinity fell, reverting him to a a frail mortal. "Noo!"


    When the palm squeezed him to death, Samael opened his eyes and saw the needles quickly disintegrating. ''Illusion! I fell into an illusion!''


    It''s a bit toote to realize as almost half of his attack was neutralized. But Samael wasn''t going to let Varian have it his way. With a snort, the prince brought out a disc. The space of the region grew incredibly solid, nullifying the effect of the chaosw.


    Then, a few grains of special sand was thrown from his fingertips. All of a sudden, the space grew heavy and Varian began to pant under the tremendous weight.


    Just standing in this space burdened him a lot and his back felt like it could break any moment.


    Samael used his extreme proficiency of space to keep himself from feeling any burden and raised his arm once again. Hundreds of space mirrors formed around Varian. If he fell into even one of them, he''d be trapped in an unending loop of spaces where each door would lead to harsher and harsher chaotic spaces.


    ''Fuck!''


    Varian''s physical power, powered by both Dragon and Titan, exploded. The power of life and death, brought under a perfect harmony by the soul, boosted him to do something the 7th Prince never expected. Varian moved even when the space-time curvature was burdened by the mythical star sand. The myths state that a handful of sand made a small region of space as heavy as a gxy.


    It''s exaggerated, but unless a space awakener was very proficient, he wouldn''t be able to avoid the fate of being crushed under that weight.


    Samael thought it''s a perfect trap for Varian who''s significantly worse than him in space power.


    Unfortunately, he didn''t ount for the other powers of his enemy.


    "Arghhh!"


    Like a beast breaking its shackles, Varian broke through the tremendous weight. His muscles bulged and his eyes turned bloodshot. The powerful vitality in his body, synced with the horrifying death energy soared into the sky, creating a Samsaric lotus of life and death.


    The lotus grew restless under the opposing energies. Despite not being targetted, Samael''s body turned chaotic at the reactions.


    At that moment, a phoenix cry sounded from Varian and the silhouette of the divine creature rested in the middle of the lotus.


    Varian looked into the 7th Prince''s eyes and a light shed.


    "Stop!"


    Samael hurriedly waved his hand, creating hundreds upon hundreds of sub-spaces to defend himself. The lotus didn''t try to break space by itself. It simply pulled the prince''s life energy and spirit out.


    It partially seeded and would''ve drained him dry if the prince didn''t throw the mirror spaces onto it.


    The lotus resisted fiercely and the mirror spaces had to struggle to capture the violent entity.


    Even with every mirror working together, they could barely hold it together.


    Using this opportunity, Varian jumped at the 7th Prince, intending to initiate a closebat. Having tasted defeat in two confrontations, Samael teleported away, denying Varian what he wanted.


    Unfortunately for him, Varian also took into ount his retreat. "I''m actually here."


    Varian''s clone appeared right next to Samael. Without hesitation, the 7th Prince blew up the space.


    Boom!


    Varian''s clone exploded violently but another clone barged at the prince in the sh of light.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The 7th Prince went literally bombastic, exploding everything in sight. Even though this was a much more consuming method, he declined to give Varian any more time. Varian was too much of an unstable factor to be left alive even for a few more seconds. And truthfully, fighting against someone who had seven paths was extremely dangerous, even for him.


    Varian blocked out as many attacks as he could but as the 7th Prince raised the scale and began exploding the whole of space, he began to suffer.


    The injuries inflicted by the unstable space were bad enough. But some of the space area corrupted by Samael''s power began to influence Varian, trying to split his existence into multiple independent spaces. And this wasn''t an attempt to split him physically. No. His existence faced the threat of the split.


    To put it another way, he''d forced to simultaneously exist in multiple ces. A mortal or even celestial wouldn''t be able to do it due to their weak constitution. For a divine ranker, it''s possible.


    But existing in multiple independent spaces would weaken the existence in each space, leaving them as an easy target to ughter.


    Varian wasn''t as proficient as the 7th prince to throw back that move. But he had enough space proficiency to understand the mechanism and use his other powers to cheat.


    "Split!"


    The 7th Prince''s forehead had a thin red line and blood spilled out of his mouth. This move was taking a toll on him. But he didn''t care. To finish off Varian once and for all!


    The existing space of the region trembled before it split into six identicalyers, each distantly connected with others and mostly independent.


    Like a shadow that''s projected onto six adjacent surfaces, Varian''s existence suffered in each surface. "It''s over, Varian." Samael blocked three spaceyers while attacking the other three. As expected, the three ''lesser'' Varian couldn''t resist and were swept away by his attack. With equal ease, he attacked the other three. And two were easily destroyed. The third, however, remained safe.


    "Huh?"


    Samael blinked in confusion, checking the dissipating aura of the five dead Varian in the spaces.


    He wasn''t so sure but he felt something was off. Varian didn''t give him a chance to question. A powerful spiritual attack Varian set up during this independent space period struck the 7th Prince.


    Even though he had treasures against spiritual attacks, they weren''t able topletely block it out. The prince was out of his senses for a brief, brief moment. His instincts took over, ready to attack and defend if the enemy came closer.


    Varian killed his presence and used the power of time instead of space. Then, he activated one of the seed of life he spread all over the ce, specifically, the seed that''s the closest to the 7th prince. In a blink, the seed and his self swapped positions. When the 7th Prince came to his senses, Varian''s fist reached his face. A dozen sub-spaces instantly popped up, turning the inch long distance between them into something akin to a light year. But Varian came prepared.


    "Arghh!" The sub-spaces were struck by the power of slivers and got slightly destablized. It wasn''t because they were stronger but simply because they were higher form of power.


    Whatever the reason might be, Varian got the slight instability he wanted. The power of Order and Chaos, particrly Chaos, acted and amplified that instability. Wrinnng!


    The sub-spaces had a small crack for a moment and disappeared almost instantly. But Varian, who was under the blessing of his own time flow, felt that instant to be a significantly long period of time. Compressing his existence into nearly a single spatial dot using the power of life, death and soul, Varian shot in. The 7th Prince''s instincts screamed like never before and he wanted to hurry away. As he was teleporting away, Varian''s finger brushed past his cheek. Through the point of contact, a sea of spiritual power directly flooded his body. The 7th Prince appeared in the far distance after teleportation but his eyes were nk. The soul awakeners had to send their spiritual power acrossrge spaces to attack others. And spiritual power tends to decay over both arge period and long distance. For those reasons, a direct contact attack by a spiritual awakener was the deadliest.


    Samael was thrown into an illusion because of Varian''s powers.


    An illusion that he lived for. It was a in a distant era. A world for the upper-middle ss. There was nothing luxurious here. And there''s nothingcking either.


    A beauty who looked like a woman next door greeted him with open arms. "Lia¡­" Samael''s cold eyes turned wet and he hugged her with a melting smile on his face. "Did I¡­did I really do it?" He choked under his breath as he immersed himself in the reality he did not dare to believe.


    For some reason, the memories of how he got here were blurred. He could only remember that he was doing something important and then, his family returned!


    "Big Bro! I''m hungry, hungry, hungry!"


    A cute young girl with pigtails jumped in between them, pouting at Samael. The 7th prince could destroy entire kingdoms if he was offended, but against the little girl, he only gave a helpless smile. "Why do you eat so much for your size?" "Ahhh?" The little girl opened her mouth wide and then pounced on him, biting his arm. Samael raised his arm with a chuckle, lifting her up. With the other hand, he hugged his wife gently. "Samael, she''s still young. Don''t bully her." A middle-aged woman in homely clothes stepped into the garden, admonishing him. "B-But." The cold blooded 7th Prince stuttered, pointing to the little girl who kept biting him like a dog. "She is the one biting!" "It''s the same." His mother crossed her arms. Samael sighed as if it couldn''t be helped. They always spoiled her. Even when his mother got bed ridden with a dangerous disease, she wouldn''t stop asking him to take care of his little sister. "Hehehe, I am the best. Of course, as my brother, you are the second best." The little girl jumped onto his shoulder and said with an arrogant smirk.


    Even though she spoke like that, Sk got into a fight in the academy because someone insulted him.


    It eventually led to her death. "Then what about me?" His wife asked with a pitiful face. "Am I the third best?"


    "Hmmm," Sk thought with a solemn expression, as if she was deciding the fate of a kingdom. Then, she smiled brightly. "You are as best as me."


    "How does that even work?" Lia chuckled. And Lia was called to the frontlines where she died when he immersed himself in a very long mission. All of that didn''t matter. Now, they''re all together. And they''ll be together, forever. "Haaaa!" The world around him dissolved and Samael came to his senses. A searing pain assaulted him in the abdomen, heart and head. Varian stood in front of him, his weapons deep into the prince''s body.


    "You¡­" The 7th Prince groaned in pain. "I wasn''t expecting this much, but you stayed in there a bit longer." Varian twisted the spear, draining Samael with the power of death. The tremendous power in the prince''s body began to vanish and a sense of weakness he didn''t feel for millions of years filled his being. Samael realized he''s dying. And there''s nothing he could do to stop it.


    In that brieft moment, the life he led shed in his eyes. "C-Could you¡­" His divine aura dissipated and his body began to dissolve. Putting out all his strength, he spoke instead of trying to attack. "L-let me dream¡­onest time?"


    Thest words of the arrogant 7th prince were a request. Varian looked at him in surprise and then he nodded. "A thousand years. Do what you will."


    "Haa~ I owe you." A weak smile formed on the prince''s face and his consciousness reached for a secret storage space deep within. Samael didn''t keep any treasures with him except for a few artifacts that were bound to his soul. But one thing he did keep and the thing he guessed Varian needed.


    "Shards!" The glowing light of the strands fell on Varian''s face.


    [Shards: 7500]


    The world turned dark and the 7th Prince came to his senses.


    "Brother, the train will leave soon! Let''s go!" His sister pulled his arm.


    "Alright." A rxed smile apeared on the prince''s face. Turning to his lovely wife who walked alongside him, he said. "Lia, let''s have a child." "Whaat?! Woah!" He gripped the hand of the woman he loved and grinned at his dumbfounded mother. "W-What about your missions, Sam?" She asked in a trembling voice.


    "I''ll resign." Samael shrugged, looking up at the sky with a grateful smile. "A thousand years with love is better than a million with hate."

 Chapter 1669 Unmatchable Strength

    Chapter 1669 Unmatchable Strength


    Esh was badly beaten despite trying her best. After all, even with a favorablendscape, using up all her treasures, her weakened self ultimately couldn''t match up to Victor.


    ''I-I can survive for a few more seconds at best.'' The Princess gritted her teeth as she tried her best.


    She was trying to live for a dreamy goal until now. But today, she wanted to survive for what''s already there.


    ''Prim! I''m sorry I couldn''t look after you! But now, I can''t wait to see you!''


    "Sister, please don''t struggle any longer. I can''t bear to see you in pain." Victor said in a gentle tone as he punched out. The space-time curvature shook as gravity twisted it violently. The world seemed to end as everything, including light itself was pulled towards Esh, to end her once and for all. "H-Hypocrite!" A lot of moves Esh used to survive his attacks were useless against the convergence attack. The only move she could use her was very costly. But she had no other choice. The world split into multiple frames, each framing showing an instance.


    A thread of time power linked Esh and a previous frame. With a sh of light, the world returned to a previous state. But Esh''s aura reserves were falling to a dangerous level. What''s worse was that even with aura, she could barely use that move anymore. The toll it took was too much to bear.


    ''Prim, I''m sorry. I don''t think I can see you in this lif¡ª''


    "Huh?" Victor''s eyebrows suddenly jumped. The 7th prince''s aura turned infinitely weak. It didn''t disappear yet but his divine powerspletely vanished. "What the he¡ªeuk!" The formation which had been targeting Samael so far turned on him and the 2nd Prince who mocked Samael as weak for struggling against a mere Varian for so long realized what his brother had been facing.


    Esh hurriedly created distance, intending to recuperate as much as possible. She didn''t dare to hope for a miracle but here she was, witnessing one. Varian defeated the 7th Prince!


    A newbie divine ranker who couldn''t even kill Tegya or even Samus just a few hours ago defeated Samael Astreas!


    "Well, well, well. What''s going on here?" A confident voice rang in the space and Victor''s expression turned solemn.


    Varian, brimming with tremendous power, entered the region. "You¡­" Victor''s eyes were filled with disbelief, realization and then rage. "You hid your power! You were ying us from the start!" "Ah?" Varian rubbed his chin and asked himself with a contemtive expression. "Did I?" "You did!" "No, you idiot. I just grew stronger." Varian raised his arms and the world began to shake. The heavy grip Victor had on the space-time curvature thanks to his gravity began to waver. Like a strong hand came and unfolded his tightly clenched fist, Victor struggled to keep the status quo. And failed. The strength he was facing went beyond his expectations.


    If only he knew that Esh was even more surprised than he was, perhaps he would have given up fighting.


    ''Status''.


    [Dragon: 91/100 (+21)


    Titan: 91/100 (+21)


    Phoenix: 91/100 (+21) n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Order: 91/100 (+21)


    Chaos: 91/100 (+21)


    Space: 95/100 (+14)


    Time: 95/100 (+14)]


    Varian''s potential exploded in a life and death battle, pushing him into a range that would''ve taken him months if he only practiced by himself.


    The method of his fighting which included all the paths yed a key role in ensuring every path progressed.


    And unlike others, Varian had literally no bottleneck for rank 2. If it''s Samael, for instance, to reach rank 2, he''d have to get 100/100 in space as well as 1/1 in time. He could achieve 100/100 almost at any time but reaching 1/1 in time¡ªa path he''spletely pr to was excruciatingly difficult. Even at the peak of their battle, the 7th Prince only disyed equivalent of 0.5/1.0 of time. After everything he had done over millions of years, he had juste half way. And the other half would likely take longer as it got harder and harder towards the end.


    He didn''t even have such a bottleneck. Once he reached 100/100, he''d step into rank 2. As simple as that. ''One seclusion will do it. The shards can boost me even in rank 2!''


    Varian coughed lightly and said in a solemn voice. "Victor, I''m really sorry for you."


    "What do you mean?" Victor quietly activated the treasure in his storage space and asked in a fierce tone.


    Unlike Samael, this guy was more insidious, more decisive and more shameless. He decided he couldn''t win and was going to run away. "I can understand how you feel." Varian said with apassionate expression. "Trust me, I really do."


    Victor sensed the treasure starting. It''d open up a path to the outside. With proper twisting of gravity, he could throw himself out of this formation. Once that happened, he''d just have to ask for help from the rank 2s. Of course, he''d exin how both Esh and Samael betrayed the empire due to the sliver holder. He still managed to escape and bring them the truth.


    "All of my enemies, from froggy murlocs to an arrogant young master to heirs of a kingdom felt the same thing at some point. That if they could just escape now, they coulde up and kill me in the future."


    A grin surfaced on Varian''s face. The power of soul began to rise like a tide that''s about to sweep everything. The power of death turned into the sky. The power of life into earth.


    The three integrated to form a de with three wings. "But you have to understand. Once you''re surpassed by me, it''s over." Victor activated the power of gravity to escape but the treasure that was supposed to open up a path right then suddenly malfunctioned.


    The power of Order and Chaos manipted the artifact at thest moment.


    "Fuck!"


    Victor was pulled into an illusion even as he tried his best to resist and his divine body broke down in the face of relentless assaults by life and death.


    When Esh came to her senses, everything turned normal.


    Only a speck of light remained in ce of victor. It''s his soul after copse and just before the verge of dissipation.


    Come to think of it, why didn''t he destroy 7th Prince''s soul but kept it alive until now?


    "W-What are you doing?" Esh asked without even realizing that her voice trembled.


    "Snatching the shards." He answered as he probed the soul with a serious expression.


    "It won''t work." "Huh?" Varian looked at her in confusion.


    "The faction leaders are bestowed 15,000 of the total 30,000 shards. There''s a huge risk of losing it all if they die. So, there''s a mechanism to transfer them to safety if they die."


    "But Samael gave me the shards¡­"


    "He gave you the shards?" Esh was dumbfounded. "How? Why?" Varian decided to honor the dead man and didn''t exin.


    "If you really like them so much, take mine." Esh flicked her fingers and the familiar glowing strands fell on Varian''s palm. "Damn!"


    [Shards: 12000]


    "How did you¡­were you really hiding your strength?" Esh didn''t even know wha to say. "Let me kill this guy first! He didn''t even give me the shards!" Varian tapped into the space and Victor''s soul exploded. "So, were you really hid¡ª"


    Boom! Boom! Boom!

 Chapter 1670 Song of Calamity

    Chapter 1670 Song of Cmity


    Dum! Dum! Dum!


    The Jai Empire rumbled. "Are rank 2s fighting?" Esh muttered with a confused expression.


    "There are no traces of aura explosions." Varian said and expanded his perception with a solemn expression. It''d have been fine if he didn''t do it. But when he sensed what''s actually happening, his heart sank and he nearly yelled in shock.


    The curvature of space-time in Jai Empire began to shake, as if it was beaten by a drum stick. Dum! Dum! Dum!


    The space-time curvature which held an entire gxy began to sway to the whims of something. Something didn''t even appear.


    Dum!


    From outer space to inner space, from inner space to core space, everything began to shake. Independent spaces turned unstable. Alternate time fields went shaky. ckholes'' gravity faltered.


    Dum!


    The whole of space-time was thrown into a turmoil.


    Varian''s face paled. "Sh*t! Let''s get out of here first!"


    The formation was withdrawn right away and the power of space-time enveloped the two. It was much harder to teleport in this situation than any other time. If Varian hadn''t broken into the threshold of strength that he did, he''d have been helpless in the situation, unable to teleport despite the ability to do so.


    Esh poured out all her power into him without hesitation. Even then, their teleportations didn''t work well. The space-time was so twisted that they ended up circling around the same regions more than a couple times.


    "Argh, damn it!"


    Varian used the shards to reinforce the teleportation. Dum!


    The shards helped in the chaotic space-time and the wrong teleportations drastically decreased. In a few blinks, the two reached the boundary of the alliance. Varian''s tense heart rxed as did Esh''s.


    But that''s only for a moment. The rumbling grew louder and louder, changing its tone from earlier.


    Dum! The center of Jai Empire, the supreme pce, glowed with a brilliant light. The purest strands of divinity emerged from the castle and started to coalesce into a form. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Esh spat out blood without warning and Varian nked out for a moment. Dum!


    The rumbling of the empire was like a song of something that couldn''t be expressed in mere words. It was more primitive, more raw and more real.


    The song stirred emotions in their hearts they didn''t want to face. "They should be able to help!" Varian took out Aphosis'' badge and contacted the rulers of the alliance without dy. Almost instantly, five auras rose from the alliance.


    Keman and Yami. Aphosis, Equilius and Aridam.


    Dum! Dum! Dum!


    "Almost there!"


    Even though nothing seemed to change, not even the concentratin of aura, Varian felt incredibly strained, as if even existence was exhausting.


    His clothes were drenched in his sweat and his heart thrashed as if it was about to break out. Dum!


    His instincts screamed, begged and prayed like never before. What''s happening? What''s about to happen? He had no idea!


    But his soul screamed as if it realized before he could.


    Dum! Dum!


    The brilliant light of the stars across the alliance and the empire began to dim. Aura itself started to stagnate. Dum!


    Varian and Esh entered the Genesis Empire.


    At that moment, a phantom was formed at the top of the supreme pce. Dum!


    Keman and Yami along with the Nexus trio appeared in front of them with a solemn expression.


    Dum...


    The song ended, sighing of what''s about toe.


    Esh''s breath stopped as despair filled her face. Turning to Varian, she begged. "Take care of her."


    Boom!


    A humanoid phantom appeared soundlessly in Genesis Empire. Aphosis'' always stoic expression copsed into one of panic and he stood in front of Varian. "Take him and leave!" Keman and Yami grabbed Varian before he could utter a word and took him into a far off space. Their main bodies remained there along with Aphosis, Equilius and Aridam.


    The phantom, glowing in a brilliant silver light, snapped his fingers.


    A light shed and Varian felt something in the world being cut off.


    He didn''t even know what it was but Aphosis'' badge vanished. And so did the connection Varian had with him.


    Before he could even think any further, the avatars of Keman and Yami threw something into his body before throwing him into a separate space.


    Varian couldn''t bear their speed of travel and fainted as he crashed into thend. The next moment, the phantom appeared outside the region, carrying a dying Esh in his hand. Keman and Yami had pale faces and their bodies trembled as the unseen injuries piled up. Equiluis and Aridam stood together, their faces ashen. Everyone prepared for a terrifying battle. The phantom stared at the forbidden region of life and death. Any form of entry to rank 2s was forbidden. That meant even if he created a rank 1 phantom, he couldn''t enter. "Bugs." A cold voice rang across the alliance and every non-divine ranker fainted right away. The phantom clenched his fist and Esh''s soul dissipated without resistance.


    Without any warning, the phantom raised his hand. Everyone at the scene prepared for the fight. But the phantom merely swung his palm.


    The milky way split into two. The terrible void that opened up due to the destruction of space-time fabric began to rampage the gxy.


    Several satellite gxies were swallowed into the void and were destroyed.


    The age-old formations of milky way kicked into action, stabilizing the broken halves and slowly pulling them together.


    The phantom raised his palm again and the hearts of the ruler sank.


    The gxy wouldn''t be able to take on one more hit.


    But instead of slicing his palm, the phantom clenched it into a fist.


    A barrier formed around the forbidden region of life and death.


    "Touch it if you want to die."


    When Keman and Yami wanted to act together, the phantom vanished, as if it never existed. But the glowing red barrier around the region was evidence enough.


    Almost at the same time, a voice rang in God''s Eye.


    "It''s about time."

 Chapter 1671 Elysium

    Chapter 1671 Elysium


    [Host, don''t be so disheartened. If you can reach peak rank 2, then you to¡ª]


    "Shut up." Varian stood up from the crater he formed upon crash and looked through the dust around him.


    His gaze was gloomy and his face solemn. It''s as if he was a cold killer ready to destroy anything in his path.


    What didn''t match his appearance was his trembling hands. And the scent of fear his soul eminated.


    [The God Emperor is th¡ª]


    "Logos, please stop." Varian kicked the ground with more force than necessary and shot up into the sky. He stopped just short of Elysium''s barrier, crossing which he would be back into the real world.


    His body shuddered as it realized it was on the verge returning outside, to the world where God Emperor resided.


    Varian tried to push down that fear. But just the remnants of the power his body and soul were exposed to during that brief moment was enough to put a deep scar on them.


    Taking a few deep breaths, he stabilized his mind that started going into chaos.


    "He''s dead, isn''t he?" Varian took out the broken medallion and asked.


    [¡­] Logos did not answer for a moment before sighing. [He is gone.]


    "Hmm." Varian couldn''t even recall the moment correctly. The speed of rank 2s was too fast for his senses. He saw Aphosis vaguely and then he saw that glowing silver phantom. The eyes of the phantom in his imagination turned to him and Varian''s breath stopped for a moment.


    "Fuck! Fuck!" Cursing incessantly, Varian observed thend to distract himself.


    The vast expanse of the world under him looked like a cut from the paradise. Flourishing ins, great forests, mighty rivers, aloof snow mountains and sea of flowers.


    Elysium.


    Unlike its counterpart Purgatory which was full of death, it was full of life. In each of these regions, there were millions upon millions of creatures. And like in Purgatory, a potent life force was present everywhere, ying a critical role in helping the existing life and creating the new.


    The aura concentration itself was tremendously high and was one of the major factors for having thousands of divine creatures here.


    "This ce allows only those below rank 2. Even sending your clone inside is impossible." Varian patted his chest to assure himself but it only made him realize how hard his heart was thumping.


    The whole thing was very difficult for him to digest. He made a lot of progress in a matter of weeks and reached the peak of rank 1.


    No, not even him. It''s just his clone.


    "There should be a way. There is a way. I''ll make one." Varian set his sights on Elysium.


    If he remembered it right, then there''s a myth of this ce. He learned it from Klynster of Purgatory but he sensed it from the floating memories of Elysium as well.


    {He who conquers the three regions will reach True Divinity.}


    The wordings were a bit different in the Purgatory and Elysium but that''s the original myth more or less.


    Since this was a forbidden region left behind by Primordial God himself, Varian began to think with hope. "Logos, does it mean this ce holds the key to reaching rank 3? All Primordial Gods are rank 3, aren''t they?"


    [¡­I do not know.] Logos said in an honest tone. [The affairs of Primordial Gods is something no one except them knows.]


    Varian didn''t like the answer but given the clues, he felt that it''s indeed possible for this ce to help one reach rank 3.


    And if he could reach rank 3, then facing God Emperor would be¡­


    The trembling hands of Varian stabilized and his eyes glowed with brilliance. He still felt scared but if he had a way to solve the fear, he''s going to face it head on.


    As he''s about to n his next step, a thunderous voice shook the sky while a powerful aura locked him.


    "Hey you! Who are you, standing over the heads of Obsidian Giants?" It''s a being whose dimensions wereparable to a little moon. And there were dozens of such beings in the surroundings nearby.


    "Ah, a native." Varian smiled. "Ignoring my words? Do you want to di¡ªssss!"


    Varian put a finger on his lips and the obsidian giant''s mouth voice stopped. It struggled fiercely to open its mouth, but no matter how hard it tried, it couldn''t fight against the invincible forcing that made it dumb.


    "Speak what I want you to speak and you''ll be left alive, nod if you agree."


    Nods. Nods. Nods. The obsidian giant nodded vigorously without even trying to put up a brave front. Itskin who were watching their leader who bragged about taking down the intruder lowered their heads in shame for having obeyed such a spineless guy.


    Varian''s eyes shed gold with the power of soul and the giant could finally open his mouth.


    Holding his hands in respect, he waited for the question and the question nearly gave him a heart stroke.


    "Okay, where and how do I challenge the guardian?" "G-Guardian?" n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Yes. Guardian with G."


    The obsidian giant''s fearful expression vanished and he looked at Varian with anger. "You can kill me but you''re not getting anything out of my mouth."


    Even the weaker kin behind him looked at Varian with determination. They''d rather die than speak up. "I see." It was a surprising response and would''ve piqued his curiosity about this guardian any other time. But now, he just wanted to solve the problem and had no intention to waste time learning unimportant things.


    Varian clenched his fist and the space from him all the way to the giants split into two.


    Unable to face the wrath of the space storm that emerged out of the cracks, the obsidian giants fainted right away. But the controlled power didn''t kill anyway though it did give them some painful injuries.


    Varian locked his senses onto an older giant who seemed to be on the edge of his lifespan and invaded his soul. It was an extremely disrespectful process for any ce but he didn''t even give a second thought about his actions.


    He only took the information regarding challenging the guardian and pressed his hand down.


    A barrier formed around the tribe and it would stay that way until they fully recovered. While he was pissed off by their stubborness, he didn''t want to kill them for that, directly or indirectly.


    [The guardian of Elysium, Angel of Life.]


    Varian cut his palm and threw the blood into the sky while infusing it with life power as he chanted. "Angel of Life, descend into the world!"


    The blue sky turned green for a moment before a heavy presence descended.

 Chapter 1672 Nirvana

    Chapter 1672 Nirvana


    The body was impossiblyrge at a first nce. However, as if to match the summoner''s own size, the guardian shrunk.


    The glowing green light around her dissipated, revealing the true form of the guardian.


    Angel of Life was a beautiful woman. With tinum hair and golden eyes, she was as pretty as she was holy. The six white wings behind her back added even more holiness to her presence.


    Varian expected hostility but she looked at him with a smile. "Intruder, your heart is in confusion. Do not engage in fights in such a situ¡ª"


    Varian swung his arm and the power of space-time as well as order-chaos exploded. The Angel was a peak rank 1 for certain. She''d have been impossible to defeat for the previous him. But now, Varian didn''t even need to try. Seven paths weren''t for show. Boom! Boom! Boom!


    When the brilliant lights from the attacks died down, the holy angel was revealed once again. Her wings were tattered and her face pale. The tinum hair was disheveled and those gold eyes which shone with wisdom showed a mix of emotions.


    Varian clenched his fist. "Unlike the other guy, you can talk. So, I''ll say it only once. I need Elysium."


    By killing the guardian of Purgatory, he became its owner of sorts. It granted him certain blessings in the forbidden region. Such blessings were the strongest in Purgatory and weaker elsewhere. But even the weakened version of the blessings would be very helpful as they raised a percentage of strength and not an absolute.


    Since he''s much stronger thanst time, the boost was also much higher. Now, if he could also win Elysium and obtain the second blessing, his strength would reach new heights.


    "You want to challenge Nirvana." The angelposed herself and looked into his eyes for a moment.


    Seeing him not deny, she quickly said. "Don''t do it."


    "Huh?" "It''s too strong for any rank 1 to win."


    "I know. And that''s why I need Elysium."


    As much as Varian believed in himself, he''s not so arrogant to think he could easily win the ce.


    Many have tried and failed. The consensus wasn''t even that they perhaps a great genius could challenge Nirvana.


    No. Even Keman and Yami were of the opinion that Nirvana was impossible to win. Of course, as the guardian of Purgatory, he could protect his life by sacrificing the medallion. But saving his life wasn''t enough. He needed to win the guardian of Nirvana.


    "Do you even know how strong the guardian is?" The angel continued to persuade.


    Varian shook his head. "It doesn''t matter. I can fight and find out. If I lose, I''ll sacrifice Elysium''s medallion and then win it back again."


    The angel looked helpless at his stubborn response. If he didn''t kill her, she''d be the guardian again. "Are you going to kill me?"


    "I''m in a bad mood. But if you hand over the authority to me, I''ll let you go."


    The angel sighed deeply and threw a glowing mark.


    Varian sped the mark and it seeped into his body. The whole region of Elysium froze for a moment before a blinding light shone down on him. Compared to his brilliance, the angel seemed a little dull. The holiness she exuded was gone.


    Biting her lip, she said. "It''s not rank 1."


    Varian shrugged. "I could guess." "And you''re still going?" The pitch of the always calm angel rose.


    "I need to reach True Divinity, whatever that means." Varian had a wry smile on his face. "There is an enemy outside I can''t defeat otherwise."


    The angel paused as she studied his face with a solemn expression. Then, she shook her head. "Stabilize your mind first before you do anything. Being reckless won''t solve anything. How about you train here for a while?"


    Varian looked at her disbelief before bursting intoughter. "I hope the next guy is at least half as good as you."


    Nirvana.


    The final region of the forbiddennd. The most mysterious ce which humbled countless geniuses.


    Since the dawn of civilization, there was no record of even a single person making it in Nirvana.


    {He who conquers the three regions will reach True Divinity.}


    The myth gained credibility as a result.


    Varian used the medallion of Elysium and Purgatory. The power of the two regions activated. These powers could also be used to fight and they were helpful even to peak rank 1s.


    Even Varian, with his invincible strength in peak rank 1, grew substantially stronger from the boosts by these regions.


    "Ah? What?" It''s a world of souls. There''s nond, no sky, no air, no dust. It was a world of the purest soul power condensed into a white mist. In that mist roamed golden silhouttees, souls that once entered Nirvana to try their luck, only to never return.


    [Host, your soul!]


    Varian noticed that the all permeating soul power of this ce was also acting up on his soul, slowly separating his soul from the body.


    Just like how thend of Undead tried to turn him into Undead, thend of souls tried to turn him into a pure soul without a physical body.


    If he had to, Varian would fight with his soul alone.


    But¡­


    A golden silhouette that was moving nearby bumped into Varian and bounced back.


    Varian hurriedly withdrew his aura and stretched out his hand against the glowing golden figure which seemed to be a male.


    "Hey, I don''t mean any harm to you. I want to help¡­" But as if it couldn''t hear anything, the soul trudged forward.


    And through his soul power, Varian was able to sense its thoughts.


    "Genius. Genius. Genius."


    "Chosen. I am chosen! Chosen I am!"


    "Fight! True Divinity! God of Gods!"


    A chill shot down Varian''s spine as he realized this soul was enved. It was thrown into a limbo where it could neither be conscious nor be dead. It still had all its memories but would still submit itself to the enver from the bottom of its existence.


    Clenching his fist, Varian swept his power across the souls in the vicinity.


    "Fight. Power. Destiny."


    "I. Am. Chosen."


    "Me. Special."


    "True¡­Divinity."


    "God of all."


    Some of these souls were strong enough to resist such erosion and recover. But the ever present soul power always kept them in a state of corrosion.


    Varian took a breath and stepped forward. "Crazy, they''re all crazy."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 1673 Spirit King

    Chapter 1673 Spirit King


    It was difficult to sustain a physical body when the whole world was trying to rip his soul away. Exposing his soul to the erosion was too risky. Even if it could take away the of the burden on keeping himself together if he just fought in his soul form, Varian decided it was not worth the risk.


    The ever present white mist¡ªthe condensed soul power¡ªacted as a shield and blocked Varian''s perceptions from sensing his surroundings. With only a limited range of perception, Varian had to search everything by himself.


    Limited by the situation, Varian did just that. He searched, searched and searched. A week passed or perhaps two.


    There was nothing to be found.


    Or maybe he there was something but this ce was too weird for a physical being to navigate. "Logos, any ideas?"


    [The souls, perhaps?]


    Even Logos sounded uncertain. Come to think of it, it was fun seeing the all knowing and everposed system to turn into this.


    But the circumstances which brought out that change were not fun at all.


    "Hey, dude." Varian grabbed a random soul passing by and decided to finally do what he didn''t try so far.


    Soul Search.


    It''s something he could''ve done elsewhere with much ease. But Nirvana was a special case. With rich soul power floating around everywhere, if Varian attempted to soul search any soul, he''d encounter fierce resistance. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    And his intuition was also hinting that it would be risky.


    "Fuck it. Let''s do it." Varian poured his soul power into the captured soul. The soul, a golden glowing silhouttee, trembled violently for a moment before a shockwave emerged from it. The soul power in Nirvana froze for a moment before it descended down onto Varian like a beast pouncing on its prey. "Oh no."


    Varian drilled into the soul with much more urgency. There''s no time to read rest of the memories. He could only capture the most important one. [Spirit King]


    Varian hurriedly threw away the soul from his grasp and the violent storm that brewed across Nirvana dissipated as if everything earlier had been an illusion.


    "Haa! Haa! Haa!" Varian clutched his knees and panted violently. Now that he got what he wanted, he should be able to summon the Soul King. "Almost th¡ª"


    A hand patted his shoulder and a grumbling voice rang.


    "My toys! My toys!"


    "Toys?" Varian turned around and nearly jumped. A pure silver silhouttee appeared in front of him. It was unclear whether it was a male or female, young or old.


    The only thing that''s obvious was two glowing red lights in the ce of the silhouette''s eyes.


    "My toys!" The silhouette growled and its aura shot out.


    Varian was sted away without resistance, his body breaking into half in that single shot.


    "R-Rank 2!" "My toys!" The Spirit King seemed seriously pissed that Varian conducted a conduct search. His hand glowed.


    "Broke my toy!"


    Varian hurriedly used the blessings of Elysium and Purgatory on himself, pushing him beyond the power of any peak rank 1. Fusing all paths into soul, Varian sted a beam of pure soul power at the Spirit King.


    The attack was terrible. It was enough to destroy every single prince that attended the event. All thousand of them.


    But the recipient of the attack, the Spirit King didn''t seem to care. When it reached him, he simply swatted his hand and the beam was bounced off.


    There was only a small crack on his hand but it quickly recovered.


    "Be my toy!"


    He pressed forward and engulfed Varian in a rain of silver light.


    "Arhghh!" Golden light poured out of Varian''s eyes, nose and mouth. His soul was being pulled out with a violent force and he was losing control of his self. Varian didn''t dare to take any more chance and used the medallion of Elysium.


    {Challenge Aborted}


    With a sh of light, the medallion vanished. And with it went Varian.


    Compared to the corrosive, void world of souls, thend of life was beautiful and soothing.


    Even though he had fallen into a frozen river that hurt his injuries, Varian would prefer this treatment over that creepy world.


    "You''re practical enough to escape when you can''t win. Some fools are too rigid and turned into his puppets." A woman with a holy temperment was sitting on the river bank. Her lost sacredness was restored with the authority she regained after Varian sacrificed the medallion.


    Varian took a few deep breaths and stepped out of the river.


    She looked at him with a kind smile. "Now, do you want to stop the impossible and consider other things?"


    Varian stretched his hand. "Give it."


    The angel rolled her eyes in exasperation. "¡­You just saw how strong he is. A rank 1 can''t defeat him. And a rank 2 can''t enter this ce. The challenge is impossible. "


    "Medallion." Varian insisted. "Haaa~" The angel sighed, her wings folding along with her. A glowing item appeared in her palm and before she could give it, Varian grabbed it from her and vanished.


    "Seriously?"


    Varian decided to use all his power this time. He stepped into that dull world once again and provoked another soul. The Spirit King appeared as expected and he''s more pissed off than thest time.


    "Toy! My toy!" Varian was prepared. A wheel of ck and white emerged behind him. The slivers imposedws of Order and Chaos in the domain, restraining the Spirit King.


    Green and red lotuses appeared to his sides. The slivers of life and death. Unlike the mini-slivers, these were the original slivers. Even now, Varian couldn''t believe that the rulers gave away the slivers. But neither could he believe the arrival of God Emperor. Perhaps even for them, it wasn''t something they regrly faced. ''They reacted like he''s stronger than normal. I can''t really tell.''


    "My toy!" The Spirit King''s power was diminished by thews of Order and Chaos. The amount of soul energy he could use fell.


    Even though the gap between them was too big, it was better than before.


    "Life Draining¡ªDeath Filling Domain."


    The lotus of life turned upside down while the lotus of death mounted it. And then they began to spin around a vertical axis. A fire of red and green exploded, washing over the Spirit King.


    The glowing silver soul stumbled for the first time and its majestic look dimmed. Varian boosted himself with the power of the two regions once again and shot at the Spirit King. "Hahahahaha!" For some reason, the being cackled in mania as Varian''s st cracked his hand. But the injury was regenerated in a blink and the Spirit King clenched his fist.


    Varian couldn''t even react before his surroundings glowed golden and silver. The medallion of Elysium, which was set to activate in times of danger, vibrated. The next thing he knew, he was lying in a grasnds with half broken body and a fully broken spirit.


    The angel sat next to him with a disapproving gaze. "Have you learnt your lesson?"

 Chapter 1674 Limits

    Chapter 1674 Limits


    Varian wriggled in the grass, slowly lifting up his broken body. The foreign power inside continue to wreck him and stall the healing process.


    Despite his tremendous power, Varian couldn''t easily erase it. So, he summoned the sliver of life and sliver of death.


    "¡­Are you serious?" The angel''s eyes widened as she looked at the green and red lotuses in disbelief.


    She turned to him with a burning gaze, as if she wanted to hear his answer. But Varian only let the lotuses wash over him and heal him back to his peak before stretching his hand to the angel. "Give."


    "No, no, no. Why do you even have the slivers?" The angel grabbed his palm with both hands and looked into his eyes with an intense expression.


    To such disconcerted expression from the ever calm woman, Varian responded with a in "¡­Give."


    The angel opened her mouth, wanting to argue with him about something but looking into his nk eyes, she sighed and put the medallion in his palm.


    "Just save yourself from dy¡ª"


    He already left. The angel shook her head. As the guardian of Elysium was an ancient being who watched over the lives of countless beings, witnessed the change of eras and faced the world with a positive outlook.


    Even though Varian''s first reaction upon meeting her was violence, reading Varian''s temperment urately allowed her to survive.


    And even though Varian seemed to be seriously injured every time she reached him, he always kept his power ready.


    If she even tried to attack, he''d strike first. Despite all the injuries, he was strong enough to survive a few seconds against her. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Those few seconds would be enough time for him to heal himself adequately. From then, it''d only be a matter of time to kill her.


    Of course, the angel never had any thoughts of harming him.


    "It''d be better if fewer people died." Ariel had seen too many deaths in her time as a guardian. Even though she helped as many as she could, almost everyone knew she died.


    She was respected all across Elysium for maintaining order and peace. But even with all her wisdom and power, she couldn''t stop spurts of violence that would break out and im lives.


    If those deaths were inevitable due to the nature of living beings, the death of a contender aiming to challenge Nirvana was entirely avoidable.


    "But a sliver holder is no ordinary matter."


    Why would someone like that enter this ce? And why would he take such risks?


    "And both the slivers are under themand of a single being."


    And he looked extremely dispirited. It can''t be that he was chased by a rank 2 and fell here.


    As the owner of two slivers, he would inevitably grow into a rank 2 powerhouse.


    Even if he''s chased here, he could leave this ce covertly using the power of Elysium and Purgatory.


    So, why did he stay? And why was he challenging Nirvana?


    "I''ll know. Soon." The angel was confident. She had seen many challengers of Nirvana. Even if they survived using the medallion method, they would stop soon. Even with all the boosts from Elysium and Purgatory, fighting against a rank 2 was just impossible.


    This man too would ept the truth soon.


    Or so she thought. "Give." Varian''s body was as badly broken as ever. His eyes didn''t show any confidence of his victory. There should be no way for such a person to challenge the enemy again. Yeah, he surely wouldn''t do it again.


    But. "Give."


    The angel began to suspect if this man was crazy.


    "Give."


    No, he definitely was a crazy bastard.


    "Give."


    Ariel stretched her stiff arms and looked at the severely injured Varian with resentment.


    In response to her gaze, Varian mobilized his slivers, as if he was wary of her.


    "Urgh, this is the 103rd time!" Ariel mmed the medallion into his hands. "Can''t you see? It''s impossible!" Varian looked at her with a nk gaze. She couldn''t see what he was thinking. Or even if he''s thinking anything at all. And those eyes. Damn the heavens those eyes!


    They didn''t have any confidence to keep going. But she could see it now. This man was in deep despair against something else. He''s so hopeless that he saw the only way out to be Nirvana.


    Even if the Spirit King crushed him every single time, he still treated that as the easier goalpared to what drove him here.


    "What are you even up against?" At the 300th turn, she finally couldn''t hold back her curiosity and asked. Varian''s lost eyes gained focus and he clenched his fists. Even though she knew he was powerful, Ariel instinctively shivered at the power out from him.


    Still, mustering her courage, she looked at him. Who could even make someone like this person despair so much?


    Varian looked into her eyes deeply and said. "Aur De¡ª"


    The angel covered his mouth with her power, eximing. "Are you crazy?! Don''t speak his name!" Varian flicked away the power and stretched his hand. "Give."


    "¡­You can''t keep doing this forever." Ariel spoke in a persuasive tone. Varian''s gaze hardened. Ariel continued to speak what''s on her mind. Others might''ve branded it a foolish move. But the wisdom umted over the years told her that Varian was the kind of person who would at least listen.


    "I noticed the constant improvement in your condition. It stopped in the 135th round." Varian was reluctant to acknowledge the truth but he still nodded. [Dragon: 100/100 (+9)


    Titan: 100/100 (+9)


    Phoenix: 100/100 (+9)


    Order: 100/100 (+9)


    Chaos: 100/100 (+9)


    Space: 100/100 (+9)


    Time: 100/100 (+9)]


    He should''ve broken into rank 2 already. He tried doing it multiple times. But the forbidden region, created by the Primordial God himself, barred any rank 2 from entering it. By extension, no one could reach rank 2 here.


    Varian hoped to capitalize on his improvements and find a way to deal with the Spirit King. But he''s already as strong as he could be and still failed miserably.


    But he''s not done yet. "Give." "Hey, will you at least stop? There''s no improvement since the 135th time, you fight almost 200 more times with no more progress." Varian trembled lightly and growled like a beast. "Give!"


    "¡­" The angel wanted to p him in the face but even if she really tried, she wouldn''t be able to pull it off.


    Cursing him under her breath, she threw the medallion carelessly. Varian vanished once again.


    The angel decided to stop trying to even teach him. Any sane person would''ve stopped after trying a hundred times. Even considering his improvements, trying two hundred more times was stupid.


    But even stupid people had their limits. How long could keep doing it anyway?


    Ariel decided to wait until he gave up.

 Chapter 1675 Fusing Slivers

    Chapter 1675 Fusing Slivers


    A month passed.


    Varian''s eyes turned a bit more bleak and much more desperate.


    Ariel prepared to console him when he gave up.


    A year went by.


    Varian''s eyes were dark, so was his expression. He looked like a machine that was programmed to hit an unbreakable wall until eternity. The wall was unbreakable so it''s only a matter of time before the machine broke.


    Ariel was no longerposed. She tried to talk to him but as if his ears stopped working, he stopped listening. And he also stopped opening his mouth to speak.


    The angel began to wonder if he could even see her.


    Watching him try again and again, Ariel began to fear for his sanity.


    Four more years passed by.


    Varian was always in a near-death state after every attempt. But whenever he recovered, he went back at it. There was no improvement in his state, no increase in his strength, no confidence in his eyes.


    Stuck where he was, the man continued what he was doing. Ariel, despite her long life experience, calm personality and great wisdom, couldn''t sit still.


    "Stop! Stop! Stop!" When he stretched his hand once again for the medallion, she shook him by the shoulders.


    Varian looked at her in confusion before stretching his hand once again. "This isn''t the way!" Ariel screamed.


    Varian showed no reaction and looked at her nkly. But his aura began to slowly rise.


    His paths remained where they were five years ago but his proficiency in handling them was better than ever. Yet, even that proficiency changed nothing in the bigger picture.


    "Damn it!" Ariel used the authority of guardian and took them to the edges of Elysium, inches away from the barrier that seperated the forbidden region from the outer space.


    Varian finally showed a reaction. He nced outside the barrier and stretched his arm out.


    His arm easily passed through Elysium''s barrier but encountered something outside.


    Varian trembled violently before withdrawing his arm. His entire forearm was missing, as if it was cut clean.


    "Have youe to your senses?" Ariel asked. Varian rubbed his forehead. "I''ve always been sane. Just focused on figuring out how to defeat him."


    Ariel was exasperated but she couldn''t do anything other than sigh deeply. "Look," rubbing her forehead, she said. "I admire your tenacity but whatever you''re doing isn''t working. You have to do something else."


    "What else can I do?" Varian asked her. And then, his eyes widened. For the past five years, his mental state had been terrible. He was still trying to process the encounter with God Emperor.


    Fighting against the Spirit King relentlessly was merely a way for him to forget about the God Emperor.


    Maybe his subconscious didn''t even want him to solve this problem. At least that way, he wouldn''t have to face that being.


    "What was I doing¡­" Varian covered his face and gritted his teeth.


    Ariel looked at him with distress but decided to speak the truth. "There were some minor improvement bumps from five times in the second year, two times in the third year, one time in the fourth time. This year had been alete waste."


    Varian lowered his head, his eyes gloomy.


    He tested several tactics and even did various experiments from scratch, all in the hopes of a victory.


    Even though he got better and better, the best he could do was deal some serious damage. He was still far frompeting against the Spirit King. It''s not working. So, he had to find something else. So far, he had been fighting with a knife. He should now try to find a gun.


    "I¡­need a factor to tilt things in my favor." He confessed. "But you can''t leave this ce. And not a single being entered Elysium in the past five years. And the foreigners couldn''t leave. This ce is cut off." Ariel said with a shrug.


    "Then with whatever I have¡­" Varian raised his hand and activated his seven paths.


    The medallion of Purgatory. He couldn''t even leave for Purgatory from here. He tried once and that too was blocked.


    He''s the owner of Elysium medal too. It saved his life every time in thest five years. He knew it like the back of his hand.


    It''s a wonderful creation forged by linking thews of life with the soul of the wielder.


    Then came the slivers of Order and Chaos in the form of a fused ck and white me.


    Finally, there were two shing green and red lotuses. The sliver of life and the sliver of death.


    "I did almost everything I could."


    The divine paths were maximized at the absolute peak of rank 1. Both the medallions were used to assist him in the fight.


    The slivers of Order and Chaos were used to the highest degree to weaken the enemy.


    The sliver of life and the sliver of death were also used¡­ n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Varian''s eyebrows twitched and a look of contemtion appeared on his face. Ariel didn''t know the thoughts running inside his head. What she wanted to tell him from the beginning was quite simple. "The forbidden region is interconnected. If you give it 20 million years, the travel restriction between Purgatory and Elysium will be weakened. 10 million more years, you can break the barrier slowly and leave. Even if your enemy hates you, he wouldn''t wait 30 million years outside for you, right?


    30 million years is a lot of time even for any peak rank 1 but here in Elysium, you can live for that long and much more as a guardian.


    You have time on your side. Just put down all your worries and let time solve your problems."


    Varian raised his head and looked at the angel''s benevolent face. Her suggestion really came from a heart of kindness. If it''s someone else in his position, they''d have surely weed it.


    But he didn''t have that luxury. Time¡­might not be on his side.


    "If I can fuse the slivers." Varian whispered.

 Chapter 1676 When Slivers Have To Fuse

    Chapter 1676 When Slivers Have To Fuse


    "Huh?" The angel tilted her head, wondering if she misheard something.


    "If I can use the slivers, then I should have the chance." Clenching his fist, he said to himself. "No, wait!" Ariel cried out in panic. "Are you out of your mind? The slivers don''t just fuse! It''ll take hundreds of millions of yea¡ª" Varian summoned the fused sliver of order and chaos.


    Ariel scanned the slivers with caution. This time, she noticed that they weren''t two but just one.


    "I¡­it''ll take 100 million years at least. And that''s if the slivers have an affinity with you. Even then¡­"


    Varian ignored the angel''s kind hearted but useless advice and went straight to the source.


    ''How long did you take?''


    Logos broke silence after five years. [Ares tribe have been trying ever since they had two slivers in hand. Devas too. I''m not sure but a few million years.]


    ''That soon?''


    [Even I''m not sure why it happened. As strange as it sounds, I was only vaguely conscious. But¡­there was a reason¡­I can''t remember. Maybe a treasure? A force? I''m not sure.


    To be honest, it''s mostly luck. The right things happened at the right time, for thousands of times¡­that''s why I feel they''ve used up all their luck to fuse the slivers.]


    Varian frowned for a moment before rxing. ''So it can be fast or slow, depending on factors.''


    [That''s my experience.]


    "It''s decided. I''ll work on fusing the slivers." A forbidden region was created in Elysium from that day. The living beings nearby would be swept by the fluctuatingws of life and death if they tried to approach.


    They could at least face thews of death and escape with loss of some vitality. But if they ended up facing thews of life, they''d face severeplications and might be crippled for life.


    Thankfully, the angel treated a few unlucky creatures in the early days and warned them to stay out of the region.


    Seasons changed and the forbidden region only kept growing more dangerous.


    No one knew what''s happening there or whether this beast causing all the trouble would suddenly go berserk and kill them all. After a year of penance, Varian opened his eyes. In front of him were two partially ovepping green and red lotuses.


    Clicking his tongue, he shook his head. "Even partial fusion is too hard."


    Ariel who was keeping an eye on his condition nearby wanted to cry. She couldn''t even dream of achieving this step in a million years and he did it in one. The angel began to wish she never encountered him. Even though she had seen many geniuses in her long life and thought herself above feelings of envy, this person was making her challenge her entire beliefs.


    [Your experience with the mini-slivers is helping. Or it would''ve taken longer.] Logos spoke up.


    "Hm," Varian nodded.


    For the past year, he didn''t challenge the Spirit King even once. Honestly, it''s a first for him to spend such a long time without anybat.


    He was determined to fuse the slivers before challenging the invincible foe. But it looked like he had to change his position.


    "However I spin them as two sides of the same coin, they''re anti-thesis of each other. The non-side of the coin, the middle of both positions, must exist for them to fuse." Varian said with a look of contemtion. [It does.]


    "Yes, it does. The existence of soul is the missing piece in the puzzle of life and death. It is the bncing point between the two poles, the medium through which the two ovep, exchange and coexist."


    Varian paused for a moment after saying that and raised a brow. "What about you though? What''s your link?"


    [¡­There is none?] Logos said in a puzzled tone. [If the sliver of order and chaos fused, it means there is no missing piece, right?]


    "Maybe." Varian shrugged. It was an assymetry in the divine paths to not have a middle path for Order and Chaos. But if it''s working, it''s working. He wasn''t going toin.


    "I need some more help with the soul part to increase the fusion." Varian turned to Ariel and said.


    The angel had a bitter smile on her face. "My aplishments in the soul path are much lower than yours. Not even a peak rank 1 who studied only the soul path all their life could help you."


    Varian sighed and stretched his hand. Ariel sent him the medallion. He needed to fuse the slivers to stand a chance against the Spirit King. And to fuse the slivers, he still needed the help of Spirit King.


    "Maybe he isn''t as bad as I thought?" Varian made a light joke as he disappeared for the battle.


    The nd world withoutnd and sky greeted him with its never changing deste atmosphere.


    Unlike back then, the Spirit King didn''t appear immediately. So, Varian took the chance to use the partial fused slivers of life and death upon the souls walking by mindlessly.


    He was able to glimpse through thest year''s memory of a soul. After throwing a few fits at the enemy that stopped appearing, the Spirit King vanished. When Varian tried to dig deep into the memory of the soul to check how it was enved, the world shook.


    A figure glowing in sliver appeared.


    "Have you been scared? Scared? Scared toe?" The speech of the Spirit King was a bit more coherent but still broken. Perhaps it''s thanks to the unceasing annoyance from Varian for years, even this half retarded bastard began to speak well.


    Varian expected at least a thanks but all he got were shockwaves after shockwaves.


    Even though it''s been a while, the tremendous waves of aura pouring out from him didn''t decrease in the slightest.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    As strong as ever, the being stepped forward.


    "Don''t you grow old and die already? You old bastard!" Varian cursed as he prepared himself.


    Even though the face was made up of pure silver light, Varian felt like the Spirit King wasughing at him.


    "S-Scared! Scared you are!"


    "I''m not scared. Just busy."


    Boom! Boom! Boom!

 Chapter 1677 Mad Persistence

    Chapter 1677 Mad Persistence


    A white and ck light exploded from Varian, forming rotating circles around the Spirit King like a prison.


    Thews of order and chaos restrained his power to some degree. "Useless!"


    The Spirit King''s powers overflowed, pushing through the restrictions and locking onto Varian. Varian''s paths all fused into Soul, pushing it beyond a rank 1. But it still remained the threshold of a rank 2.


    Then the two medallions boosted him even further. Since the boost by the medallions was a percentage on the existing strength, Varian''s strength went up a notch higher, breaking into the threshold of rank 2.


    This would''ve been shocking to every being outside¡ªalliance and empire alike. To this date, no one ever reached the strength of rank 2 in rank 1. No one.


    But Varian did it. Outside, the blessings of the medallions would be missing and he would be much weaker. He wouldn''t be able to pull this off without their blessings.


    And yet, facing the man who did the impossible, the Spirit Kingughed with arrogance. "It''s all useless!" The power of Spirit King began to pressure his soul, intending to break it into pieces. Varian''s soul power coupled with the soul power given by the partially fused slivers of life and death resisted the attack. "Useless! It''s all useless!"


    Kchaa! Kachaa!


    His defenses began to crumble despite his best attempts.


    "I told you, it''s useless! You''re no match!" The Spirit King roared, his voice reverberating across Nirvana.


    Varian''s face darkened but he didn''t despair like before. He didn''te here to win. Winning was impossible right now. To put it in numbers, if Varian went from rank 1 to rank 2, his status would change from [100/100] to [0/1000].


    Varian fusing the seven paths was barely reaching [0/1000].


    Using the boost of medallions allowed him to reach [5/1000].


    Using the slivers of life and death pre-fusion pushed him to [7/1000].


    With partial fusion, he was able to reach [10/1000].


    Constrained by thews of order and chaos, Spirit King''s strength fell from [200/1000 to 150/1000].


    So, despite everything he had done so far, the gulf between him and the Spirit King was simply too big.


    The goal was thus not winning from the start. It was always¡ª


    "Is shooting beams with soul power all you can do?" Varian mocked the much stronger opponent.


    "Huh?" The Spirit King tilted his head beforeughing in anger. "Enve! Enve you!"


    His words were once again broken and the usage of the soul power changed. It still tried to break his soul defense but instead of trying to destroy his soul, it tried to enve him.


    Varian put his everything to block the attack for a few moments and studied the power as much as he could. But it was only three seconds before the medallion activated and sent him back.


    "Haaa!" After appearing back in Elysium, Varian carefully checked the foreign soul power inside him that still remained.


    Instead of expelling it and healing himself, he allowed it to keep attacking and used it as a guide to learn more about soul.


    Ariel could only look at him in admiration. Even though this method was dangerous, it was the only way with any chance of sess. What happened over the next fifteen years was something even Varian couldn''t have imagined.


    "Almost there."


    The two lotuses were oveppingpletely. "Y-You fused them?!" Ariel''s shocked voice came from the distance. Varian looked at the lotuses deeply before shaking his head. They were oveppingpletely but they weren''t fusing. There could only be one lotus, not two. But as much as they came together, they still remained as two individual slivers.


    "I''ve been stuck here since forever." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    It''s been five years, to be precise. There were some bottlenecks he solved in these five years here and there but in the big picture, these five years were fruitless.


    "What are you saying? It''s been only twenty years since you entered this ce! And only fifteen since you worked on the slivers! They''re as good as fused! Do you even realize how crazy this is?"


    Ariel looked at him with a fanatical expression, as if she still couldn''t digest what was happening.


    Varian didn''t know why the angel who was always so calm andposed changed this much.


    With a sigh, he said. "It''s not good enough." "What the hell are you sa¡ª"


    Varian vanished before she could rant. He had gotten used to the nd world of Nirvana by now. "Johnson, are you still walking leaning on your left?"


    "Kriam, jog sometimes, will you? Even your soul is getting fatter!"


    "If it isn''t for our arrogant miss be! Did you manage to kick the people out of your way yet?"


    Even though the souls were enved and wandered mindlessly, each soul had their own unique characteristics.


    It''s something he only learnedtely and made him realize that even the Spirit King, despite all his powers, couldn''t erase some things from these souls.


    This allowed him to recognize the specialty of soul. While it''s not as obvious as the physical or undead body that interacts with the world, soul was equally important.


    Gradually, he started to use the fused slivers to improve his control over the soul aspect. Compared to what he could do on his own, he could do much more this way.


    "Have youe again, mongrel?" The Spirit King descended with a thunderous roar.


    Compared to the first time twenty years ago, Spirit King today hadpletely changed. His form remained a silver humanoid, making his features unclear. His speech, cognition and memory underwent drastic changes.


    "When are you going to give up?" The Spirit King spoke in a mocking tone, his eyes ncing up and down Varian. "A traitor like you attempting a grave sin like trying to fuse the slivers¡­deserves an ugly death."


    Varian took a step backward, his eyes wary as he prepared for ambushes. Compared to this clever bastard, he preferred the retarded stutterer at the start. What''s more, this Spirit King even knew about slivers and the fact that he''s using their battles as learning material to fuse the slivers.


    With a flick of his wrist, the slivers of order and chaos appeared behind him in a circr white and ck, the symbol of twin-fish forming a circle.


    Above him was a zing lotus with the colors of green and red. If one looked at it carefully, they''d recognize that it was two different lotuses.


    Spirit King spotted it even without looking. "It''s useless, isn''t it? You cannot fuse the slivers of life and death. It''s beyond you. Even I cannot do it anymore."


    "Anymore?" Varian slightly leaned forward, the medallions of Elysium and Purgatory activating.


    The Spirit King clutched his forehead, as if he was trying to remember something. "Hahaha, I wonder what I was saying. Maybe I''m also corrupted by your presence."


    Varian used the the slivers mainly to restrain the powers of Spirit King. Even then, they still boosted his soul power slightly.


    Since they were much more fused than ever before, the slivers had a tremendous impact on the Spirit King.


    His original power was at [200/1000]. The slivers of order and chaos knocked him to [150/1000]. But the sliver of life and death had a great impact. Even without the critical step of fusion, they crushed him from [150/1000] to [100/1000].


    And his own strength, thanks to the increased blessings of the slivers was [15/1000].


    "Once I fuse the slivers, I''ll knock you down even more. And then you can finally die."


    "Fusing life and death by you," The Spirit King chuckled, "is simply not possible."


    "Hmph!" Concentric circles appeared around the Spirit King, trying to rip apart his soul. He couldn''t defeat Varian so carelessly like before but despite twenty years of penance, the difference between them was still overwhelming.


    With a few flicks of his hand, the Spirit King sted away the offensive soul arrays and locked Varian.


    Even though he was already prepared, Varian was still affected by the dream loop. His sense of reality began to blur and he simultaneously existed in both the present and the distant past where he didn''t have to carry so much responsibility.


    "Go back." The Spirit King whispered. "Back to the time where it''s not so hard. Go back to sleep.'' Varian''s eyes grew heavy and the Spirit King leaned forward in anticipation, ready to harvest this soul which escaped his grasp so many times.


    When it looked like it was about to seed, Varian''s fists clenched with a crackling sound and he punched forward.


    The Spirit King withdrew, watching with a cold gaze as Varian vanished.


    "I can''t win but trying to fuse the slivers, you''ve already lost."

 Chapter 1678 Victory or Death

    Chapter 1678 Victory or Death


    "I''ve been trying very hard to take thest step. It''s simply not working."


    "¡­"


    "Come on, I studied thews of life and death. Mastered the intricacies of soul from Spirit King himself. I did everything! And they''re still not fusing!"


    "¡­"


    "Seriously, what the hell is wrong with this pair of slivers? Can''t it see the whole world is in danger? This stupid pric¡ª"


    "Now, now!" Ariel raised her hands, stopping his rant. "Don''t curse the slivers. They''re¡­they''re slivers, okay?"


    Sitting on a mountain peak in the clouds at a distance from the angel, Varian rolled his eyes.


    It''s been twenty five years since he entered Elysium, five full years since he was stuck at the step of fusing the slivers.


    Even though Varian had never witnessed it, even he knew that aplete fusion would bring about a qualitative change in the slivers. It seemed to be the only way for him to win against the Spirit King.


    He tried leaving Elysium multiple times but the barrier built by the God Emperor outside prevented him every single time. And it''s not weakening at all. Since it''s built by the God Emperor, it might stay for a few million years at least.


    "I don''t know if I can really fuse the slivers, so how about sacrificing the medallions?" Varian muttered.


    Ariel nearly fell from the boulder she was seated on. "It''s too dangerous! I regret revealing it to you!"


    It seemed that there was a way to get even more boost from the medallions. If he did it, the two medallions would give him even more power but in turn, they''d not rescue him.


    If he picked that method, he could either win ande out alive or lose and die. There''s no escaping.


    Personally, Varian didn''t like taking that risk at this juncture. But the fusion of slivers was stuck at the same ce for five years already.


    ''Logos, how the hell did you go through the final step?''


    [¡­I don''t remember.]


    ''The devas did it as weaklings and I couldn''t do it as a divine ranker?''


    [It somehow happened. Maybe it''s not them.]


    Logos'' answers grew vague. Even though it was trying to answer Varian to the best of its abilities, his questions kept touching things Logos had no idea of.


    Until recently, Logos assumed it came into existence thanks to the effort of Ares and subsequently Devas.


    Its creation consumed the luck of Devas and pushed them to extinction. At least, that''s what made sense and what it believed until now. But watching Varian struggle so much to achieve the final step of fusion, Logos began to question its own judgement. If it''s so hard for even Varian to aplish, how could Devas ever pull it off? Heck, even the Ares tribe at their peak might not be able to do it.


    What really happened back then? And why did it happen?


    "Keep trying. And if you grow tired, you can wait for a few million years." Ariel adviced like a patient grandma trying to appease the unruly grandson.


    Varianid down on the grass and looked up at the clouds. He obviously ignored her advice. Staying here for million years was out of the question. He was worried about his wives and sister. Oh and there''s a sister-inw too. And that old man. Unfortunately, ever since he got here, even the link of synergy wasn''t working properly. He could know they were alive but that''s all. He couldn''t even sense their location clearly. It must because of the barrier created by the God Emperor.


    God Emperor¡­


    "Fuck."


    Never in his life had Varian felt so helpless against a foe. He was nearly into despair in their first encounter.


    Varian still couldn''t estimate how strong the God Emperor truly was if even his clone was that strong.


    And he had to suspect that even the rulers of the alliance were caught off guard. Maybe the God Emperor was hiding his strength? Maybe he always sent weaker clones until now and only revealed a bit more of his capability back then?


    "But why?"


    Was the death of the two princes really reason enough? Why would someone like God Emperor care for their deaths? Even a rank 2 wouldn''t matter to him. Why should rank 1s matter?


    If it''s not that, then what? Why did he do what he did?


    He couldn''t invade Elysium since it had rank restrictions. But putting up barriers around it so he couldn''t escape¡­


    Was it a move meant to imprison Varian long enough so that he would die or kill himself?


    Was it a punishment for his actions or prevention of a threat from growing?


    There were so many questions with no answers.


    But some things were destined to happen. Even if God Emperor didn''t chase him today, Varian would''ve chased him tomorrow.


    His mother might''ve died a thousand years ago, but the me of revenge was still burning bright in Varian''s heart.


    ''Wait!'' Varian''s eyes narrowed and he held his breath.


    ''My mother died. But her soul appeared in Hortus'' trials. It''s only possible because of the Primordial God''s power. They''re equal to or better than fused slivers.'' n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Life. Death. Soul. "¡­st 30 million years and you can leave this ce!"


    Varian jumped onto his feet, causing Ariel to instinctively tremble at his speed.


    "If I don''t return this time, please take care of this garden." He pointed to the nts growing over the huge mountain they were on. Ariel jumped onto the ground and chased after him with a panicked expression. "Wait, what do you mean you can''t return, the medallion can ob¡ª"


    With a sh of light, Varian vanished. And before he did, a glowing strand of light emerged from him, entering Ariel before she could even react.


    "You¡­" Ariel''s bottleneck vanished as if it never existed. To be the guardian, she had to sacrifice her potential. But that potential was blessed today.


    If she really wished to, she could wait for thirty million years and leave this ce when the barrier weakens.


    "Your eyes have changed." In the world of white mist where millions of souls wandered aimlessly, the Spirit King gave Varian a knowing smile. "You''re not going to run this time."


    The yin-yang symbol of white and ck emerged behind Varian, materializing thews of order and chaos that restricted the Spirit King.


    His seven paths fused into one, boosting his soul to the threshold of rank 2.


    The red-green lotus burned brilliantly, curtailing the powers of Nirvana''s Overlord. The guardians in Elysium were challenged and defeated. So were the guardians in Purgatory.


    It might take time. It could take tens of millions of years. But it happened. It kept happening. And it''ll keep happening.


    But from the beginning of the forbidden region, no one had been able to challenge the guardian of Nirvana.


    For billions upon billions of years, this being not only survived but reigned supreme over this region.


    Varian threw two medallions into the air. Sacrificing thempletely at the expense of losing their life saving ability, his power climbed further.


    Even the Spirit King flinched, surprised at the daring act. Varian had now burned the boats. "I will either win or die."


    Everything he could try, he already did. Now, it''s either victory or death.

 Chapter 1679 Shattering The Myth

    1679 Shattering The Myth


    "Once I kill you, I''ll not erase your cognition." The Spirit King said in a gentle voice, a creepy smile forming on his featureless face. A flower bloomed on top of the Spirit King, glittering with blue starlight.


    At that moment, all the souls wandering in Nirvana froze before turning their gazes onto Varian.


    Forming thousands upon thousands of concentric formations, they locked onto Varian. It was a suffocating pressure and if he faced this the first time he challenged Nirvana, he might''ve not challenged it for the second time so fearlessly.


    Varian gritted his teeth, trying his best to withstand the pressure. But his bones breaked with his soul barely withstanding the violent pull from the forces.


    One moment of carelesness and he''d be at the point of no return.


    "You have annoyed me too much during these years. I''ll let you live for billions of years with me¡­until this universe inevitably gets destroyed. Until then, apany me in the cruel flow of time and go crazy with me."


    The Spirit King clenched his fist and the flower over him grew into a giant stretching into infinity.


    Varian had always been cautious of the Spirit King''s power. In the back of his mind, he suspected that this being wasn''t using his full power.


    His fears turned out to be true.


    "Come out!" With a violent pull with his hand, Varian''s soul began to break out of his body. Looking back at his physical body which was beginning to wobble, Varian desperately tried to gain back control. But even the increased powers were not helping. If at least these souls didn''t gang up, he might''ve withstood the offensive a little longer.


    "No."


    The Spirit King spoke as if he was reading those thoughts. "Truthfully, you never stood a chance." "Arghhh!" Varian controlled the lotus and pulled back his soul.


    "Not a chance!" The Spirit King pulled his soul with even more power. Varian tried as hard as he could using the slivers. "Give up! Be my ve!" The Spirit King roared. "Never!" Varian roared back, putting his everything to pull his soul back.


    "You can''t stand this!" The Spirit King said with anger.


    "I don''t care!" Varian''s body began to tremble violently and lines appeared on his skin from head to toe. His soul itself began to crack.


    "Arghh! Arghh! Aaaa!" Pain beyond measure struck him, pushing him to the brink of insanity. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Even in that instance when everything was fading into the dark, Varian kept pulling his soul back. The rope was pulled by both sides to the point of being taut and now, it was pulled even further.


    The pressure his soul was under increased exponentially with each passing second unti suddenly¡ª


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    With a violent bang, Varian''s body exploded at the bacsh and his soul crashed into the blood and flesh.


    Compared to his body, his soul was in a worse state. Like a delicate ss vase with full of cracks, it was about to shatter.


    "Tch, tch, tch." The Spirit King stepped forward, his eyes looking at Varian''s soul with pity. "Even I can''t save you now."


    Ignoring his state, the Spirit King nced at the ck and white circle that was beginning to fade.


    "How did it even fuse?" Muttering with a frown, he turned to the blurry lotus of life and death. "Haaa!" A sigh of tion and relief rang from him. Stretching his arms forward, he reached for the slivers of life and death. "Now the slivers won''t be fused anymore."


    Boom!


    The lotus shot away from his arms and descended into Varian''s shattered soul. Thesheer impact shattered his soul into fragments. And as it did, the explosion splintered the two slivers into various fragments.


    "What a mess!" The Spirit King frowned before he noticed something. Even though the soul was broken into fragments, a hazy consciousness was present in all the fragments, keeping them all connected.


    This consciousness was at its weakest state, present thanks to thebined existence of so many soul fragments.


    And using this chance, the soul fragments were digging into the splintered slivers.


    The splintered slivers got together and with them, the soul fragments.


    What was previously a broken soul was reconstructed back in a moment. "Death and Life through Soul!" The Spirit King hurriedly poured out his power, intending to destroy this soul. But as if it had already anticipated this move, the slivers of Order and Chaos pushed away the soul.


    The dazzling soul shot high and began to burn brighter and brighter. The red and green lotuses symbolizing life and death couldn''t merge until now. They couldn''t merge because the link of soul was missing.


    Even if understanding of soul was present, soul itself was not present.


    And now, Varian''s soul itself acted as the bridge for the slivers to fuse.


    "No! Stop it!" The Spirit King swept his hand and a powerful soul storm swept the region.


    Varian''s physical body which just formed and was about to reach his soul exploded.


    The pale blue storm destroyed everything in sight, including tens of thousands of souls which were caught up in it.


    The Spirit King heaved a sigh of relief and stepped forward. But as he did, the storm which was still raging suddenly froze. The storm was blue. So was the whole region it covered. It looked like a painting of blue sea.


    In the sea of blue, a pair of red and green eyes opened.


    "Haaa!" A sigh resounded from all corners of Nirvana. Then the soul storm vanished without any sound or resistance.


    A brilliant golden soul descended from the heavens, looking down at the Spirit King with a cold gaze.


    "You! You! What have you done?!" The Overlord of Nirvana had lost all his bearings in panic. "The slivers should not be fused! They should never be fused!"


    Varian clenched his fist and tilted his head. "Is that so?" "You have brought upon the destruction of the ent¡ªmfff!" Varian punched him in the face. The Spirit King''s body exploded for a moment before it glued itself back. It was the first attack since the dawn of time that he was beaten like this. And even though he did recover, the attack itself did quite a damage. "You are a traitor to this univer¡ªmfff!"


    Varian didn''t care about what the old bastard wanted to say. "You have sinned! You sin¡ªmfff!"


    The golden lotus restricted the power of Spirit King while simultaneously strengthening him. The boosts from sacrificing the medallions pushed him to [25/1000] and the fused slivers pushed him to [50/1000].


    The Spirit King fell from [100/1000] to [25/1000].


    It shouldn''t have worked this well. But for some reason, the fused slivers had a great restraining effect on the Spirit King. They were in fact more effective on him than they would be on any equivalent rank 2. Varian didn''t know why. And he didn''t care. His golden soul, powered by the slivers themselves, grew stronger and stronger with each passing second. The silver soul of the Spirit King dimmed. "Help! Help me take him down!" The Spirit King screamed. The army of a million mindless souls activated in an instant, locking onto Varian.


    "Halt!" A golden lotus bloomed in the sky and its brilliant rays touched every single soul in Nirvana.


    The corruption of their soul which kept them in envement burned away under the brilliance of the slivers.


    "I¡­what am I doing?"


    "S-Save me¡­huh? I¡­I was here for so many¡­"


    "H-He could''ve just killed me¡­" Even the whispers of a million sounded like a thunderous roar in the ears of the Spirit King. Varian grabbed the Spirit King with both hands and threw him up. A golden lotus bloomed from the void and captured him on it. Turning to the millions of clueless souls, Varian said. "Kill him."


    "No! No! Stop!" The outburst of millions of souls on a broken Spirit King was terrible. For the next few days, the Spirit King''s soul was put under tremendous pressure and shattered multiple times. Even though it kept stitching together, it grew weaker and weaker. However, it never truly died. Despite everything, he was still a rank 2. Varian stripped him from his offensive powers. But his defense, however tattered it was, managed to keep him alive.


    Varian grabbed the dim silver soul with gray patches and crushed it without hesitation. "Nirvana is conquered."

 Chapter 1680 Samsara

    1680 Samsara


    A golden lotus bloomed. The dull region of Nirvana grew beautiful with bursts of brilliant colors.


    Varian looked at the fading marks on the back of his palms with a calm gaze.


    Winning Nirvana, he had regained the authority of Elysium and Purgatory.


    "Come." Varian raised his arm.


    The forbidden region shook violently before it merged back into one. Each region maintained its distinctiviness, but was now conneced to the others.


    The authority of the three regions integrated into one and the entire forbidden region fell under Varian


    As it did, the restrictions holding him in rank 2 dissipated.


    Varian''s power broke through the bottlenecks he long conquered and reached new heights in a brink.


    This was his original strength, the strength which was suppressed by this region. If he had the chance to exert it, he would''ve easily killed the Spirit King. But if that''s the case, then the God Emperor would''vee in and easily killed him.


    The restrictions were a bitter pill to swallow but they saved his life. "Status."


    [¡­]


    "Status."


    [¡­]


    "Logos! What the hell are you doing?"


    [I¡­I''ve been trying to¡­]


    Logos'' voice wasn''t the simted mechanical one, it was a soft, feminine voice whish seemed to be struggling with something.


    ''Speak up, will you?'' Varian raised a brow. [J-Just don''t listen to whatever she s¡ªeep!]


    (Hiiiii~ Are you feeling okay? Do you want a life warming bath? Or do you want to soak your soul in my warmth? Ehehehehe~)


    An energetic voice rang, tickling his mind with its giggling ringing.


    If Logos'' voice and behavior was that of a young woman in her early twenties who was a bit too cold, this one was a much more energetic and cheerful college student.


    (Hey, hey, speak up! You were so cool back then! Ahh! Nirvana is conquered, was it? Can you do it again? Pretty please?)


    Varian rubbed his forehead. "Slow down a bit, girdy. What''s your name?" (Hm, let me think. Samsara, yes, I am Samsara! Samsara at your service! It''s a bit naughty to ask, I know. But I can''t help it since it''s you!)


    Varian covered his ears, unwilling to engage in such conversations. He even blocked his soul but this damn sliver managed to sneak through.


    (Do you want to design new life forms with me?)


    "¡­What?" Varian was both surprised and relieved. Thankfully, it didn''t develop in the direction he feared it would. And why would it be naughty to design new life forms with the sliver of life and death?


    [Ahem Ahem,] Logos tried to find her sense of existence with a weak cough. [Slivers have a different sense of right and wrong from normal beings. Samsara herself is very¡­]


    (Shut up, old bot! Why are you interrupting our alone time? Var suffered enough under you!)


    [B-Bot? Who are you calling a bot? I am a living, breathing self! The sliver of order and cha¡ª]


    (You behaved so coldly with him at the start! Not even showing a hint of empathy when he was in so much depression! My poor Varian! My heart hurts! If only I was there, I would''ve showered you in love and kindness! Bohoo! To think you went through so much!)


    Samsara first rebuked Logos in a harsh tone, then sympathized with Varian''s plight in a low voie and finally, it started crying.


    Varian didn''t know if Samsara was being honest. And logically, he knew that Logos'' tough methods worked for him when he''s in that dark phase.


    But when he was facing those hardships, he''d have preferred some kindness too. So, even though she just introduced herself, Samsara gained a favorable point.


    [Y-You! Why are you so gullible? She read your memories and is just saying things to get into your good books! This is the textbook definition of a vixen! Stay away, stay away from he¡ªmfff!]


    (Logos can''t show you any kindness and when I do, she calls me names! But she''s right about two things. I saw your memories when your soul fused with me. And I do want to get into your good books. Why wouldn''t I? I admire you a lot! I don''t have proper cognition of my self before the fusion but I vaguely know things. If it were not for you, I''d have never seen the light of the day!


    10:44


    And this goodwill is genuine! I wish I could do something simr to you! That''s why, if I only had a chance to help you at your lowest, I''d have done so without hesitation!)


    [T-That...This¡­anyway, don''t listen to her! She''s very stupid! She couldn''t see all your memories. No one can. Some parts are always blocked.]


    At the extremely candid confession of Samsara, Logos couldn''t find any rational point to refute. And even if she did, they''d be too cold blooded to point out.


    (Don''t listen to such sliver, okay? I will do my best for you! Yeah, when we can, let''s send Logos away. Having one sliver is enough. I''m enough. Aren''t I?)


    "Ummm," Varian made a sad face. Even his second sliver had a few screws loose. If Logos was too distant at the start, Samsara was being too clingy.


    "Whatever, it''s better than being dead." Varian shook his head. "Status."


    [Dra¡ª#@#$#]


    (Ahem, ahem. This is an updated system with better resolution, feedback.


    Life Master: 150/1000 (+150)


    Spirit Lord: 150/1000 (+150)


    Death Master: 150/1000 (+150)


    PS: Samsara is d you''re able to grow so fast in my avenue. Since you spent years researching about life, death and soul, you have grown tremendously. Of course, if it wasn''t for the restrictions, you''d have reached a higher state.


    Order: 100/1000 (+100) N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Chaos: 100/1000 (+100)


    PS: Even though Logos could''ve helped you go much higher considering the time spent with you, it''s only this much. I Space: 125/1000 (+125)


    Time: 125/1000 (+125)


    PS: The shards are customized to assist learning for weaker beings. Weaker is rtive. So, even high rank 2s can benefit from the slivers. What''s more, you have so many of them. So, you have achieved great progress.)


    Varian wondered if Samsara was deliberating lowering the scores for Order and Chaos. But she wasn''t. These paths were really behind.


    "Logos, Samsara, I''m counting on you."


    [...]


    (Of course~)


    Varian was ready to leave the ce. If he broke the barrier, assuming he even could, he''d probably alert the God Emperor''s clone.


    So, he decided to use his authority as the forbidden zone''s master and link it to Hortus.


    Even though this would take a while, it''s much safer.


    "I¡­I have to face him sooner orter."


    Recalling those eyes, Varian tensed. Inparison to that man, the Spirit King felt harmless.


    "Oh, right." Varian scanned the region of Nirvana as well as the entire forbidden zone for any suspicious things.


    The Spirit King being a rank 2, living for billions of years and this ce being the creation of a Primordial God made this ce too important to not be searched.


    "Hm?"


    When he simultaneously used his senses and authority, one ce showed a different reaction.


    Varian appeared on the banks of a river with a solemn look. Facing the river was a being in a silver body. He was eerily simr to Spirit King.


    The aura was weak but carried grand traces. Traces that reminded Varian of three beings he met once in Hortus.


    "You¡­" Varian stepped forward with a wary look.


    "Sinner!"

 Chapter 1681 Dead God

    Chapter 1681 Dead God


    The being had no clear features except for a humanoid body built of silver light. Yet, from the traces of its aura, it felt old, much older than even the Spirit King.


    "You¡­" Varian stepped back, creating distance in caution.


    "Why did you do it? Huh? Why did you fuse the slivers?" The being rambled. "You''re the god of life and death? The primordial god who built this ce?"


    "I¡­" The being seemed to almost nod before it clutched its head and groaned. "I¡­Imust be!" "Are you okay?" Varian thought using those words against a godly being was funny. How could he not be okay? And if he''s not okay, what could he, a rank 2, do anyway?


    "I am dead." The god said in a tone that showed no emotion.


    The silver light flickered and wriggled, trying to form definitive facial features. But they all failed miserably as the light kept copsing and dimming.


    Varian noticed it only then. The being in front of him was only a thought left behind. It was sealed in the region until now, only to be freed when the region was conquered.


    Varian had a lot of questions to ask. Why did the Primordial Gods die? Who even created them? Was the history assumed by the slivers really true?


    But the god who was supposed to help only kept cursing. "You sinner! Sinner! Why did you have to do it? Why? You are a traitor! Even dying a million times isn''t enough!"


    The dead god''s cognition was extremely broken. So, he wasn''t acting as he should nor was he initiating a conversation. Like a petnt child, he kept cursing.


    Varian had to take the matter into his hands and direct the conversation. He asked the most important question.


    "How can I close the God''s Eye? It is ripping the space-time fabric apart and destroying the universe bit by bit." "Sinner! Sinner!" The god didn''t even bother to reply. Varian tried to converse by asking different things. But the dead man kept cursing. Eventually, Varian cursed back. "Screw you! Why am a sinner? I had to fuse the slivers to win. There was no other way. And why is fusing the slivers a bad thing? That''s what they seek and it helps me advance." At his words, the god froze before he morphed into an old man. Tears slid down his eyes as he clutched his hair and wept. "No, no, no. We died to stop the fusion! We even died!" Varian tried to suppress the unease in his heart and summoned the slivers of Logos and Samsara. "I don''t know your circumstances. But I need the slivers to save the universe."


    Varian firmly believed that if he had any chance of dealing with the God''s Eye that even the God Emperor couldn''t solve, it''s only through slivers.


    "Save? Save the universe?" The old manughed, his eyes staring at the two pair of slivers. The silver light on his body copsed and he regressed into a young boy.


    His voice turned cute but his tone was heartbreaking. Kicking Varian''s shin with all the strength he could muster, he cried. "Saving? You''re only dooming it! It''ll be over soon! It''ll be soon over!" "Exin! What are you talking about?" Varian held the boy by the shoulders and asked with a solemn expression. "I will not understand if you just keep yapping, reveal the reason! I will try to do something about it!"


    The boy swatted away his hands, growing into a middle-aged man. "A pawn! You''re a pawn!"


    Like an insane drunkard who was beyond both the insane and drunkards, the man kept rambling.


    "If it''s really important, you have to tell me. I''ll try to find a solution!"


    "Pawn, you''re just a pawn! A sinner like you should kill yourself!"


    Varian lost all patience and pped the bastard.


    Paaa!


    The dead god crashed to the ground. Varian stepped on his chest, causing the hard soil under him to crack and leaned down. "Old bastard, I have been through a lot of sh*ttely and have no patience to entertain you. So, you better quit yapping and exin."


    The dead god wriggled, trying to break free. But Varian pped him once again, infusing a bit of soul power for the mix.


    By either knocking sense in or madness out, the p somehow worked.


    Staring into Varian''s eyes with a piercing gaze, as if he could see something beyond, the dead god spoke. "The slivers are not suposed to be fused. They hasten the end of the universe. God''s Eye that you so wish to solve is going to expand at even rapid rate now. There is no solving it."


    Varian stepped back, his face contorting. "No, what the hell are you saying?"


    "It should''ve started the moment the slivers were fused. No one can stop it." Transforming back into the silver humanoid figure, he spoke. "Doomed. The universe is doomed. The world we protected is doomed." N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Varian gritted his teeth. His opinion of God''s Eye kept changing every time he grew stronger.


    Now, he could somewhatprehend how dangerous an expanding tear in the space-time field was.


    God Emperor was stopping it until now. But if it goes beyond control, even he wouldn''t be able to do anything.


    "And why is that? What''s causing this?"


    The god''s eyes nked out as he stared into the void, his lips quivered and he began to tremble.


    Varian''s heart sank and he sent the power of life-death slivers into god. Maybe living for so long damaged him and he wasn''t able to answer¡­


    "I don''t know." The god turned to Varian, rity returning to his eyes. "I do not remember. Why? Why don''t I remember?"


    Varian stepped back powerlessly as he watched the god wallow in despair.


    "Why? What? When?" The god crouched on the ground, clutching his head, as if he''s trying to break it open to find the memories.


    "Ahh! Come on!" Silver light splintered out as he bashed himself without mercy.


    "The slivers¡­the slivers¡­"


    The dead god turned into a frail old man, his eyes gray and back hunched. Without warning, he grabbed Varian''s arm and ced it over his head. "You! Do it! Soul search! Find my memories!"


    Varian pulled his arm back and nearly pped the god again. "Are you crazy? Your condition is crap. If I do a soul search, you''ll die." "I''m already dead! This is just a thought surviving."


    "But stil¡ª"


    "Right! Keep hesitating! No wonder you brought the world to destruction!"


    Varian''s face crumpled and he grabbed the head of the god in a tight grip. Without letting his emotions get the better of him, he said. "I''m warning youst time. This is it."


    The dead god chuckled with a face full of helplesness. "I needed to do something. Something important. It''s the sole reason for my existence. But I forgot. I don''t even know about the slivers.


    If I can''t do it by living, I want to aplish by dying it." Varian no longer hesitated. The power of soul unleashed from him flooded the dead god''s spirit form.


    A soul search began and the memories of this ''thought'' appeared.

 Chapter 1682 Eyes Across Space & Time

    Chapter 1682 Eyes Across Space & Time


    Varian tried to just read everything. But the soul of the god was different from living beings. Even with the power of a rank 2, Varian couldn''t just read away the memories. Of course, he could try to brute force his way through. But that risked copsing the entire memory and destroying the soul before anything valuable could be obtained.


    So, Varian started by checking the memories of every day. Thanks to his enormous soul power, he could check the memory of a millions years in an instant. So, even though there was memory of billions of years, he quickly progressed.


    The older the memory, the harder it was to get started. Varian started from the newest.


    The dead god stayed in this sealed area of the forbidden region for billions of years. No one came here ever. Not a single soul.


    Soon, Varian dialed back, reaching the first 100 millions of the forbidden region''s creation. This was as ancient as history could get. Still, nothing happened. The days passed with the dead god simply meditating or staring into the distance. And then, as Varian got into the first 10 million years, the world in the memory shifted. It was right in front of the dead god. But as if it was deceived his senses, the dead god didn''t even react to it.


    But Varian did. He could barely see it as even his brain were unable to interpret what he saw. They were receiving the sensory information but somehow his soul was rejecting it.


    Pushing his soul to focus, Varian tried to see it. The thing that his soul instinctively shielded him from. "You¡­" He could barely see it. Very, very vaguely. A pair of eye¡ª


    "Huh?"


    The eyes turned to him.


    The memory shattered and Varian crashed to the ground, bleeding from his eyes and ears.


    "W-What happened?" He muttered in confusion. Kacha! Kacha! Kacha!


    The sound of ss breaking rang from the side. Varian tried to stand up but his body ached as if he was a mortal who ran a marathon. "Urgh!" He urged his paths, his slivers, even his authority as the owner of the forbiddennd. But all he felt was fatigue. The exhaustion extended from the depths of his soul and wished for him to rest forever.


    Using all the strength of a rank 2, Varian lifted his head. And saw the final thought of the dead god break down. "No." If he used the life-death slivers, there''s a chance to save him. "H-Hold on!" Varian tried to raise his hand or at least, he tried to. The dead god raised his head, half of the silver light gone. As his entire being was melting and breaking down, his expression was unclear. "A-At least try¡­" With a crash, the dead god exploded. A brilliant silver light shone over the entire forbiddennd. In Elysium, Ariel looked up at the sky and started sobbing without even realizing why.


    "I¡­" Varian realized he could move his body. Did he recover? No, it would have taken weeks to recover by himself. That silver light¡­


    "Thank you." Varian tried to search for the traces of the dead god. But not even a speck of silver was left. Rumble! The forbidden area rumbled, moving slightly. The power which restricted rank 2s to enter was loosening.


    Soon, the forbidden region would lose the protection it once had. The alliance''s rank 2s would not go against the heir and invade hisnd. Moreover, the rulers of the alliance nned to fuse this region with Eternal Spire to build the battle ground against the emperor.


    There would be no rank 2sing from Jai Empire either. There''s only low rank 2s there.


    But¡­


    Varian ced his hand on his chest. His heart was thrashing as if it had gone mad and his palms were sweating like an anxious mortal.


    Not only the God Emperor but those eyes¡­eyes that were integrated into the world¡­


    With the god breathing hisst, he was left alone to face these two. [You''re not alone.]


    (I''ll always be with you! Not just unto death but even after death cause your soul will be with me, hehehehe~) n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Varian responded to their enthusiasm in a cold tone. "Do you have anything to say about it?"


    (Why would meing into existence destroy the universe? The old bastard had gone senile!)


    Samsara didn''t seem to take his words seriously.


    On the other hand, Logos'' reply was much more sober. [My memories have nothing like that. But if he says so, there must be a good reason. What I can assure you is that the slivers themselves are not going to be responsible. In the first ce, the slivers are a medium, not independent actors. It might sound silly to you but this is engraved deeply in our existence. It is what makes us us.


    When the tribes got the slivers, they were very weak. If the slivers wished to, even though we weren''t fused yet, could''ve destroyed the tribes and ruled the world.


    The slivers didn''t act.]


    Varian narrowed his eyes. "Then what about you pushing me on this path?"


    [It was the call from the universe which sensed its eventual doom. Slivers are ultimately a part of the universe. I acted to prevent the destruction of the universe.]


    "But the god emperor is protecting the univer¡ª"


    [He might not be the savior you think he is.]


    "¡­" [Of course, he might not be the destroyer either. The fate of the universe ispletey blurred at this point.]


    Varian exhaled deeply. "I want some apple pie."


    The surroundings changed and a tear-stricken angel appeared in front of him. "Ariel."


    "Ah?"


    "If anyone from the alliance tries to attack, use¡­" Varian wanted to give her Aphosis'' seal. But he realized it shattered. "Haaa~" Varian clenched his fist and his divine power condensed into a medallion.


    "The barrier should still work but just in case, use this if any rank 2 attacks." The angel caught the medallion with a confused face. "Rank 2? Wait¡­rank 2¡­did you defeat th¡ª"


    Varian vanished without answering, like always. "Hey!" Only the reverberating voice of the angel was left in the forbidden region.

 Chapter 1683 A Vow

    Chapter 1683 A Vow


    Once he stepped into the real world, without restrictions on his power, Varian froze for a moment. Like a dam that had burst, his senses exploded outward. They were like raging tides, eager to conquer the next inch ofnd.


    At this sudden change, his aura too burst out. For a moment, the entire alliance felt as if an invisible hand appeared above them, ready to smash them into pieces. The provinces scrambled to their homes, the duchies tried to pray and the kingdoms despaired.


    It reminded them of that great split just fifty years ago. They couldn''t stop it then. They couldn''t stop it now. Mortals had no say in the affairs of gods.


    As the alliance prepared itself for another cmity, the aura vanished.


    Varian cursed to himself andpletely withdrew his power. If he really showed his presence, then God Emperor might hunt him down. For all his achievements, facing that man was still beyond Varian''s reach.


    ''From the trace just now, he might already be searching for me, fuck.''


    The power of slivers emerged, erasing the traces of his aura and signs of his life. (Wohoo! Var, you''re so brave usually and now you''re so cautious. The contrast is amazing! I really, really, really love it!)


    He ignored the ramblings of the crazy sliver. If she had her humanoid form, Varian knew she''d be drooling while saying those words.


    Thank the stars she didn''t. (Var, can you smile a little? A smirk please! It''s really amazing!)


    [Ahem, ahem!]


    (!@$#$)


    [%&$*]


    Their voices fluctuated as they exchanged words in anothernguage, one Varian couldn''t understand but vaguely felt was simr to the one used in God''s Eye. Was it an ancientnguage? If the slivers themselves were using it, perhaps it was thenguage of Primordial Gods.


    Shaking his head, Varian locked onto Hortus. His paranoia died down. It''s been fifty years, the God Emperor probably wasn''t looking for him anymore. Even if he was, at least he won''t hunt him from the aura fluctuation in that brief moment. ''Maybe?''


    Varian held his breath and made a pathway to Hortus. ''I''m not scared. I''m not scared. I''m not!'' He was scared. Of not just God Emperor who toyed with the rulers in front of his very eyes. But also of that being he didn''t know. The ones whose eyes he saw in the memories of the dead god. And if he wasn''t wrong, the being who he glimpsed at in Paradise.


    ''I will die soon.'' Varian didn''t want to believe it but he couldn''t deny the feeling that came from the depth of his soul. ''I will die.'' He didn''t know how. But he knew why. If he didn''t die to the God Emperor who was powerful beyond measure, then he''d die to that unknown being.


    He had seen things he shouldn''t have seen. Even though those eyes just glimpsed at him across billions of years, he was nearly crippled.


    Would such a being leave him alive?


    ''I will die¡­I don''t want to die!''


    Without even bothering to check out the situation outside, he jumped back into his world.


    The famr scent of flowers hit his nose and his feet sank into the soft mud through the dewy grass.


    Taking a deep breath, Varian took in the sensation of his home. The tension umted over the decades slowly left him.


    ''Why haven''t theye yet?''


    He realized it quickly. As a rank 2, his stealth was more than just good. Other rank 2s couldn''t pull it off as Hortus blocked such attempts. But as the owner of Hortus and a rank 2, his presence slipped away from the perception of all his wives.


    ''I will di¡­I don''t want to die.'' Varian suppressed his instincts and exhaled deeply. He had to move his mind away from that event, though it seemed impossible as the image of those eyes was deeply imprinted into his soul like a stump left by searing iron.


    For every breath he took, that mark burned his soul. Every time he closed his eyes, those eyes appeared in the darkness.


    pping himself lightly, Varian tapped his foot on the ground and the world shifted. From the mountain under his foot all the way to the horizon, everything was painted white in snow.


    The ciers melted in the far east, birthing icy rivers that flowed westward, the water glittering under the sunlight.


    The orange hues shone on the snow, his shadow the only darkness in the world of gentle orange.


    Sarah sat on top of the mountain. Beams of sunlight condensed into her palms and was moulded into a small bird as she meticulously moved her hands, like a potter working his y.


    As the breath of life was infused into the light, the bird chirped. But light, theponent that made up its shook, about to scatter. Light would always scatter.


    Sarah tapped onto the bird and the flow of time around the light slowed down to a great degree.


    The sunlight bird chirped around her in joy before flying away. "Live your life well." Sarah waved with a smile. "Why is our cold goddess smiling so sweetly?" A mischievious voice rang in her ear and a pair of familiar arms wrapped around her waist.


    Sarah trembled for a moment before she leaned against his back, elbowing him with enough strength.


    "Ouch!" "I was stupid falling for you, who would leave such a beautiful wife behind and go running around the gxies?"


    "Beautiful?" Varian rested his head on her shoulder and looked at her gorgeous face. "You are not beautiful." Sarah kept her gaze on the setting sun but her brow raised. "Huh."


    "The word isn''t enough description." Varian said with a serious expression. "How about we build a new word? Soul reaping prettiness?"


    Sarah finally turned to him, eyes rolling. "I''m telling you again, don''t you dare name our children!"


    Varian opened his mouth with a wronged expression. "B-But I''m really good with those things! In the jai empire, I even had a new title! Hand''sum! Everyone was calling me Hand''sum!"


    Sarah shook her head with an exasperated sigh. "Don''t even teach them words, we''ll do it ourselves." N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Varian looked at her reluctantly but Sarah seemed adamant.


    "Children, huh." He said with a wistful smile.


    Sarah noticed the change in his mood. With a light kiss on his forehead, she rubbed his hair. "Don''t worry, everything will be alright."


    Varian had a helpless smile on his face. What he experienced told him that nothing would be alright.


    But still. If he could, he really wanted to cling onto a hope. Even if it''s false, he just wanted an assurance.


    "Really?" He asked in a weak voice.


    "Yes." Sarah turned around and rested his head on her chest. Hugging him gently, she whispered. "Everything will be alright."


    Varian hugged her tight, wishing to let out his fears. Why was it that despite everything he had done, he''s so scared now?


    Was it death? No.


    It wasn''t death that frightened him the most. It was life.


    The lives that his absence would shatter.


    Sarah would stop smiling.


    Enigma would stop joking.


    Isadora would stop hoping.


    Sia would stop living.


    There would be no one Boo could go to tell its grieviences, no one to cajole it and no one to tell the little ghost that it''s handsome.


    There would be no one Oob would ask to help for decoding the ancient text using the slivers. No one to tell the little thing that its presence matters.


    Aurora would lose her brother-inw, Prim would lose her brother. Both would lose the brightness from their faces.


    A single death would shatter this weird but happy family.


    If he dies¡­


    "I will not die." Varian hugged Sarah tight, startling her.


    "Var?"


    "Sarah, I will not die." Varian rubbed her silky hair and vowed to himself, to his family and to the world. "I will not die."

 Chapter 1684 The Alliance

    Chapter 1684 The Alliance


    There was a quiet wee at home. Surprisingly, no one made a fuss even though he''d been away for fifty years.


    Even Sia just hugged him for a while before entering the room for practice.


    Enigma seemed hesitant, as if she wanted to say something. But in the end, she just kissed him, a bit too strongly and left to the sea of flowers. She too seemed to be working on her path.


    He found Isadora not fishing as he expected but quietly meditating at the bottom of ake.


    Her aura was considerably stronger than what it had been earlier. The same could be said for the rest.


    Come to think of it, even Sarah was training by mixing the powers of light, time and life.


    They did train a lot. But for some reason, Varian felt a sense of disturbance. "No." "Huh?" Isadora opened her eyes, theke splitting into two. Not a single drop of water on her clothes, she looked at him in surprise before jumping on him.


    "Princess." Varian caught her with a chuckle and spun her around.


    "How long will I stay a princess?" Isadora snorted and looked down as he held her up in his arms.


    The title of ''Princess'' and ''Queen'' was a point of contention between Isadora and Sarah. It led to little fights that Varian wisely stayed away from most of the time. "You''re the princess forever, always young and cheerful."


    "So you mean the Queen is going to be old?" Isadora smirked, a glint in her eyes.


    "¡­" Varian raised his hand and pped her butt.


    "Hey!" "If you only stopped being so childish! Even Prim is not like this. Speaking of," Varian tilted his head and scanned the world. A frown formed on his brows as he asked. "Where is Prim? Aurora too. They didn''t go around running, did they?"


    Isadora''s expression sank and her breath halted.


    Varian''s grip on her loosened and she slid down,ing face to face with him. Shaking her by the shoulder, he asked in a raspy voice. "Where are they?"


    Isadora turned her head to the side and sighed helplessly.


    Varian''s grip on her shoulders increased for a moment before he pulled back. Recalling how everyone was training and Enigma''s hesitant expression, he said with a bitter expression. "So something happened. Something none of you could stop. So you''re all training."


    Isadora trembled, her face paling and fists clenching. It hurt to think of what happened. But it hurt as much to see Varian like this.


    "I''ve tried." The princess hung her head. "A few days after you left, during the cmity that destroyed the satellite gxies, Prim started weeping. We stopped her from leaving but she grew hysterical, wanting to see someone."


    Varian covered his eyes, the scenes of that day shing through his head. Esh Starlight. A mad woman who loved her daughter so much that she gave up even the slivers for them.


    All she wanted was to meet Prim and see her happy. She couldn''t even get a glimpse of her daughter until she died. "Prim grew hysterical, unlike anything before. We closed off Hortus that day. It was too dangerous to venture out.I stopped her from going out. I thought things would get better soon. I was wrong. Her mental state only grew worse." Isadora closed her eyes with a pained look.


    "A few months and nothing changed. I started to fear she''d be broken. So¡­"


    Varian guessed what happened. "You took her out."


    Isadora nodded, biting her her to the point it bled. "There was no danger as long as they didn''t provoke anyone. The order copsed anyway and no one would want to bother a divine ranker at this point. I followed them out."


    Varian frowned. Copse of order? What did that mean? But he didn''t interrupt.


    "Prim grieved near a ce with very high concentration of energy. We couldn''t even get close to it. But she was still depressed. Aurora decided to take her around and cheer her up. I let them go." N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Varian started to wonder how things could go wrong. Aurora and Prim were his family. Even if they didn''t know Prim, they''d still know Aurora. No divine ranker would want to mess with someone backed by the rulers of the alliance.


    As if the story had reached a dark end, Isadora''s voice grew faint, depressing and grieving. "Aurora was captured. So was Prim. We tried to search but nothing came out of it except the power of the kidnapper."


    Isadora''s shoulders shook and she copsed into Varian''s arms. Clutching his shirt, she shed hot tears that wet his chest. "Rank 2¡­it''s a rank 2! I can''t beat a rank 2! I can''t save Prim! I can''t save Aurora! I¡­I¡­hate myself!"


    Varian gritted his teeth, fists clenching as he hugged her tight. His eyes turned red and his breathing grew ragged.


    He was so close to getting outside and destroying every divine ranker he came across.


    But no. It wouldn''t change things. The experience in Elysium taught him that blind persistence wasn''t enough. He needed to know more.


    Ssh!


    Plunging into the coolke water, Varian calmed his head.


    "I''ll go out and check."


    "No." Sia appeared from the woods, gripping his hand. "Sia," Varian said in a patient but strong tone. "I''m just going to check. I will hide my presence as much as possible. Trust me, I''d rather not go out if I had a choice."


    "No, Varian." Sia''s voice was desperate and her grip grew tighter. "It''s dangerous outside. Too dangerous for you of all people! They''lle after you! For the slivers!"


    Varian frowned. Except for the God Emperor, there''s no one could do such a thing. So, why did Sia use ''they''? Which bunch had enough courage to against the will of the alliance''s rulers?


    "Who are they?" He asked. "The new rulers of the confederation."


    "Huh?" Varian blinked, tilting his head.


    Confederation? What was that?


    Sia opened her mouth, realizing he didn''t know what''smon knowledge outside. Pursing her lips, she said in a bitter tone. "The rulers vanished after that day. Everyone says they died. The alliance was soon split by the strong divine rankers. The only reason it stays is Jai Empire. But a faction among them wants to conquer the Empire. They might really do it. Once that happens, the confederation will copse from infighting.


    The alliance¡­no longer exists."

 Chapter 1685 New Order

    Chapter 1685 New Order


    Varian walked in the streets of P capital. The city which boasted riches beyond was gone.


    The street were just asrge, the paved blue stone still gleamed and reflected the passer bys.


    But there were fewer people on the streets, fewer smiles on the people, fewer hopes on the smiles.


    Turning at the city square, Varian walked away from the financial district, toward the academic one.


    More than a thousand years ago, the concept of innate talent ceasedto exist in P. Only cultivated talent, one directly rted to the amount of effort remained.


    Still, the old order resisted the changes, trying to cling onto their power. But a thousand more yearster, the ground shifted.


    Anyone willing to work and excel would never find themselvescking any institutional support.


    Children had schools, teenagers academies and adults corportations.


    The downside Varian did not expect back then was that an absolutely meritocratic society made everyone hyperpetitive even in other areas.


    As a result, most of the poption who would go any far in divine paths, still worked hard in their own spheres.


    It sounded good on paper but listening to the chirpings of children discussing their school topics, Varian wondered if he did the right thing.


    "Gene editing is stupid! It messes up the integration of soul and body! Why should we study and waste time on it?"


    Advanced life sciences.


    "My teacher talked about the concept of absolute space-time center, from which our space-time came into existence. He says it''s in God''s Eye!"


    Advanced math and physics.


    "Mommy, mommy, why did the teacher take away the history books of alliance? Grandpa says he studied it in sch¡ªouch!"


    The kid bbing about his history bumped into Varian and fell onto his butt.


    Rubbing his forehead, the little boy looked up in apprehension. He looked like a college student, a fresher maybe? But he seemed mature, unlike those college students.


    And his face¡­his face¡­


    The boy frowned, trying to see the face. It was very handsome, very calm but¡­


    ''Why do I keep forgetting?''


    "What are you doing? Apologize quickly." His mother patted his back.


    "Ah, yes. I''m really sorry, big brother!" With a polite bow of his head, the boy said crisply. "What?" His mother''s exim caused him to sharply raise his head.


    The man in front of him vanished!


    Looking at his mother''s shocked expression, the boy said with a sheepish face. "Mom, don''t you know space awakeners can teleport? I learnt this in elementary."


    The boy''s mother, a woman with regal temperment, shook her head in disbelief. Her father was a very powerful duke in the kingdom a thousand years ago. When the tides shifted, he was hunted down by themoners who rose to power.


    To disassociate herself from his enemies, she lived in a false identity, hiding her power even from her son and husband.


    But the resources left behind by her cruel but influential father and her own natal treasure coupled with her own hard work allowed her to be a rank 8.


    Rank 8 Celestial.


    One of the most powerful, a literal pir of P kingdom, no, it''s P dominion in the Confederation.


    She''s confident that even if a rank 9 teleported in front of her, she''d be able to notice.


    But this man¡­


    She couldn''t even remember his face, much less sense him vanishing.


    A terrifying thought emerged in her mind. Had she really witnessed a¡­divine ranker today?


    ''L-Leader of the dominion?'' She hugged her son tight with a pale face. It''s a very, very cruel man who messed up this beautiful ce in just fifty years. There''s no way he''d forgive a child bumping into him. Not only the child but his entire family would be dragged into the streets and beheaded in front of the pce.


    ''But he didn''t seem to care¡­''


    That was odd. The leader was cruel. If this one wasn''t cruel, then¡­


    ''Who is he?''


    "Looks like your life isn''t going well." Varian looked out of the crystal window, taking in the nce of the entire capital from the top of the royal pce.


    "An entire duchy was ughtered a year ago as their aesthetics didn''t appeal to the dominion''s lord." King Ferdinand sighed, his white beard hanging helplessly. Even the man himself seemed feeble, as if he''d be blown away by the wind.


    The king who ruled the kingdom with an iron fist, the leader who the dukes feared and the man who never wavered in front of difficulties¡­


    "A divine ranker makes even a strong king weak, huh." Varian pursed his lips.


    Ferdinandughed. It was a helpless, bleakugh. "Genesis Empire forbade the divine rankers from intervening in the kingdoms'' administration. Even though we always respected divine rankers, we still had our sense of autonomy, our dignity."


    "And now?"


    "We have nothing. The whole kingdom, no, the dominion is under a divine ranker. He got in a draw of high rank 1s. A freaking draw! He''ll have it for a hundred years until the next draw. We''re his temporary toys. He doesn''t care about anyone''s well beings, much less themon people''s.


    The deaths he caused in these fifty years is more than thest three big warsbined."


    Varian closed his eyes, exhaling deeply. He would''ve acted right away if such things happened before. But now, he had to be cautious to act in a high profile lest the god emperor''s clone took action.


    The only reason Varian even bothered to visit P despite the paranoia was to learn about the alliance, no, the confederation''s current situation.


    After the day of cmity, the rank 2s tried to locate the rulers. They failed to locate their traces. All the clones of the rulers vanished, including the ones guarding at the border. Some strange theories were floated around.


    The breaking point was when Hades of Mors found his ve contract with Yami vanishing. He proimed himelf the ruler and tried to eradicate Genesis from the instinctive hatred for living.


    All Mother Asherah performed a forbidden ritual, merging with the hundred ''races'' she created and re-entered mid rank 2.


    A stalemate was created and then a truce was signed.


    Snake of Chaos, Ophion took over Nexus but the divine powerhouses of the empire, mostly in the path of Order, found it extremely humiliating.


    All three new leaderscked the charisma tomand loyalty from the divine rankers.


    During this time, a theory began to float that God Emperor and the alliance rulers died in a mutual destruction. The deaths of Jai''s threemanders added credibility.


    Calls were growing from a vocal group about invading the Jai Empire and ruling over the entire Eden.


    Ophion didn''t show much interest but Asherah and Hades did. Asherah wanted the glory and the opportunity to carefully study the top races of the empire that fought against them for so long. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Hades just wanted the chance to kill living beings.


    "It''s funny that I felt free when I was much weaker but now I''m hesitant to even kill the ruler of this dominion. To hesitate to crush a weakling like high rank 1, I never thought I''d be like this." Varian sighed deeply. Ferdinand looked at him with aplicated expression. His vision hade true. Varian''s hand indeed covered the entire alliance. From his words, it''s obvious that he had be a rank 2. And not just any rank 2, perhaps a strong one at that. But despite that, he didn''t dare to act.


    While Hades or Ophion or even Asherah might be stronger than him at the moment, he didn''t think they''d scare him to the point he''d be so hesitant.


    There''s only one person who would make him like this. Only one¡­


    King Ferdinand''s wrinkled brows creased and he asked in a trembling voice.


    "I-Is T-Thore¡ª?"


    "Shhh!" Varian said instinctively, a look of solemnity and caution in his eyes. "Don''t say his name. He''ll know." The old king blinked, recalling how the arrogant divine rankers cursed the God Emperor after learning about his death. The vulgar titles, the cruel jokes and worse.


    If he really could hear them all, if he really knew, then what would¡­


    The king shuddered and asked in a low voice. "¡­is he dead?"


    Varian had a wry smile on his face. "Unless the universe tried to destroy him, I don''t think he had died."


    "Then why¡­"


    "I don''t know, I''ll have to ask them. Why did they vanish?" Varian gripped the window sil.


    His clones, heavily suppressed in power to remain hidden, finally found traces of the old rulers.


    But they still failed to locate any trace of Prim or Cmity. But it proved that the rank 2 was not a weak one. If he had a choice, Varian didn''t want to go into such a fight, exposing his location.


    ''If the rulerse out, they can solve the problem. Cmity and Prim will be found, I will get help with fusing the forbidden regions. And God Emperor¡­his clone will not act rashly if we can all join forces.''


    But as he thought about it, the scene of God Emperor''s phantom overpowering the rulers shed in his mind. Varian''s hopes shattered, revealing the ugly reality. Would it really matter if they''re together or alone? Wasn''t it all the same?


    ''No, it makes a difference.''


    Shaking his head, he clung onto his hope.


    ''It''s better to fight together than alone. Anyway, once we fuse the forbidden regions, things willpletely change. Two high rank 2s under blessings of forbidden regions against a God Emperor who''s suppressed by the two regions, it''ll be different.


    As long as they can stop him for just a few years, I can take care of God Emperor by myself.''


    If they had withdrawn because they were injured, Varian had confidence to heal them with the power of Samsara. Despite being significantly weaker than them all, his healing powers were unmatched.


    Seeing a path forward, Varian nodded at the old king. "If I seed in what I''m about to do, not just P, all kingdoms will be back to peace and prosperity."


    Leaving behind those hopeful words, he vanished.

 Chapter 1686 Aridam, The Punisher

    Chapter 1686 Aridam, The Punisher


    Varian felt humiliated to walk in such stealth.


    Even when he was far weaker, her was way more brazen. But now, he sent his clone first in the path to check for dangers.


    If the clone could also search for the rulers by itself, he wouldn''t have bothered to go at all.


    ''All clear in this sector too.''


    He moved through the endless expanse of space, glowing with a small white glow in the devouring darkness.


    Everytime he took a step forward, the world around him rippled, like a softyer of bubble that would pop if he exerted just a little more force. But he did not. He dare not. The entire situation was too confusing, too mysterious.


    Things could go very wrong. So, he didn''t use the power of space-time at all and instead used the power of life as well as the power of order for travel.


    Souls easily transversedrger distancespared to physical bodies. The guidance of order ensured that they weren''t strayed into wrong paths.


    He dissipated his body, transvered ster distances and then recondensed back. Doing it over and over, he eventually stopped in front of a wormhole. Glowing with purple light on its edges, the unstable space looked like it would copse at any moment. Charged with tremendous aura, its copse would crack the space-time of the region to a terrible degree, trapping even divine rankers in the chaos.


    There were wormholes like this in space. Rare but not so rare that Varian hadn''t heard of them at all. He just never stepped into one before. Others might call him crazy but he wasn''t reckless to take such a risk just for the sake of it.


    But he had to now. "Nexus trio." Varian clenched his jaw with a bitter face. No, it''s no longer trio now. Aphosis died to save him. The aura he sensed now was only Aridam''s. Even Equilius, that old traitor, was missing. ''Aphosis¡­why did you do that? We don''t even know each other well.''


    Even though he was ovee with emotions, Varian knew in the back of his head that the being took only rational decisions. The leader of Nexus who maintained an indifferent look his entire life. Varian had never seen him show any expression. Even in the best of times and worst of times, Aphosis remained like a stable mountain, maintaing that neutral expression on his childish face.


    The only time that neutrality was broken, the only time an emotion showed on that boyish face was during his death.


    ''He faced God Emperor before so why¡­'' Swallowing his saliva, Varian stepped into the warmhole that any sane being avoided. Darkness swirled around him before exploding into a passage of lights. A powerful aura rose out of nowhere, bringing with it so much killing intent that every light was reced by a bleeding red.


    Formation upon formation activated. Rules were enforced one after another, constantly weakening and restraining Varian.


    [Body-Soul integration halts in non-perfect spaces]


    [Energy concentrates in unstable areas of space-time fabric]


    [Matter begins to¡­]


    It was a deadly trap, one enough to instantly kill any rank 1 divine. Heck, even a careless newbie rank 2 would not survive the shot.


    "It''s me."


    But Varian casually swatted his hand. The formations shattered after barely offering any resistance. The attack beam dissipated into specks of starlight.


    A white sun emerged in the world of crimson, painting everything white, revealing the inndscape in front of him.


    "You¡­" The man seemed aged, as if he''ste into his 50s. No longer could he be called middle-aged. He''s old. He''s an old man.


    Aridam, the Punisher, was an old man now.


    And that old man stared at him dumbfounded, half-scared and half-confused. His lips were cracked and his throat seemed to be dry as he licked his lips while clenching his jaw.


    The wrinkles on his forehead creased and he blinked at Varian, his brain crashing to a halt. Then, he pointed at him with a shaky finger and eximed. "It''s you?! Why are you so strong?"


    Varian was ufortable watching a former powerhouse turning so pathetic. Aridam wasn''t like this. His voice didn''t quiver, his fingers didn''t shiver. He was an arrogant man, a confident warrior, a ruler out and out.


    How could he turn like this?


    "Varian, You''re Varian!" Aridam eximed as he sensed the broken medallion of Aphosis. Eyes turning red, he asked in a hoarse voice. "Why are you so strong?"


    "¡­Why are you so weak?" Varian asked with a bitter smile. Then, he returned the disrespectful gesture of using one''s perception on another person. He understood then. "You still haven''t recovered." There was a frown on his face as he said those words.


    It was a positive framing of the situation. Aridam''s injuries were getting worse with each day. He would be able to survive for a few million years but his strength would regress to rank 1 soon.


    Once that happens, leaving this ce and venturing into the outside world would be extremely dangerous. The factions he suppressed before mighte out and seek revenge. But if he didn''t want to face that risk, he''d have to stay incognito forever.


    "I will not recover." Aridam said, plopping onto a smooth boulder that formed as he fell. Stretching out his wrinkled arms in evidence, he said in a wry tone. "I still can''t expel his aura from me. I couldn''t do it at my peak. I wasn''t able to do it in fifty years. I won''t be able to do it in the next fifty. And in any fifty that will follow." Varian frowned. He wasn''t expecting this. Aridam was an important support in his n. Without his support, he''d have to take up more burden in controlling the forbiddennd of Order and Chaos.


    Even without that, just the presence of a ruler was assuring. "I need an exnation." Varian made a boulder for himself in front of Aridam and sat on an equal seating with him. "You fought the God Emperor many times. Why did something like that happen now? Aphosis was fine every time but to protect me¡­"


    Aridam looked down at the ground intently as Varian''s voice trailed off. His eyes, which once burst with ambition and arrogance, were dull and helpless. Like a sun sinking into the horizon at dusk, he shrank down, to make himself smaller.


    Varian didn''t rush him. His soul powers were warned that any such move would backfire badly.


    "We thought were fighting God Emperor. We knew it''s his clone, his main body is in the God''s Eye after all. But¡­" Aridam clenched his fists and his toes curled up, his body shivering as the scenes of that day shed in his mind.


    The once arrogant and loud voice of the Punisher was now feeble and faint, as if it was the whisper from a dying man. "The one we were fighting with so far was an iplete clone. The one that day was a real clone."


    "What?" Varian''s boulder cracked as his hands resting on it suddenly exerted force. It cracked and he crashed to the ground awkwardly. But he couldn''t care less about getting up. Staring nkly at the man who once ruled Nexus, he asked, swallowing. "What did you just say?"


    Aridam looked up. There was no sky here. Only a world of white with a path ofnd in the center.


    At first nce, it''s a neat, orderly world. But upon a closer look, it''s a hopeless world where nothing could happen. "Hopeless."


    "Huh?"


    "It was hopeless from the start. We didn''t live beacuse we could fight him off together. We lived because he didn''t want to kill us. A proper clone of his is enough to kill us all." Aridam''s fist dug into his skin, his eyes bloodshot.


    Varian never thought a member of Nexus, especially a ruling member would be so emotional. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    But here he was, watching the Punisher of Nexus fall into a pit of despair he might never get out of.


    Clutching his hair, the man groaned. In pain, in fear, in resgination.


    "All our ns, all our hopes are pointless." He looked straight at Varian, the strong conviction burning his soul visible through those eyes. "There is no way to win. Give up, Varian."


    Varian paused at those words spoken with so much confidence. Then, he stood up, dusted his clothes and smiled. "If it''s hopeless, so be it. I''ll try my best and die fighting. At least, I won''t regret it in myst moments."


    "Have you heard what I said?" Aridam hauled himself to his feet, grabbing Varian''s shoulders violently. Varian looked at him quietly, letting him speak his mind. Once he noticed Aridam''s condition, he already felt that the Punisher wouldn''t be able to help. The God Emperor didn''t kill him. He did something worse. He killed his spirit.


    Aridam in front of him was just a shell of what he used to be. A man who decided to give up fighting all together and die in a lone ce like this.


    "How could you be like this? The alliance needs you. I need you. Keman and Yam¡ª"


    "Yami and Keman gave up first." Aridam yelled, tears swirling in his eyes.

 Chapter 1687 Give Up

    Chapter 1687 Give Up


    ''Keman and Yami gave up?''


    Varian closed his eyes shut, feeling like someone punched him in the gut. How could they? How could they give up?


    They were the rulers of the alliance! The strongest beings here! High rank 2s!


    Keman was a calm but powerful man. He left no stone unturned when he wanted to aplish something. Yami was domineering, reckless even but she''d keep trying even if things weren''t in her favor. She rose from a normal undead to the peak of the empire.


    Their life stories were akin to legends and the two beings more than lived up to the tales.


    Those two were supposed to take the lead, create ns and contingencies, help him so they could have a shot at victory.


    The pair of eyes in his memory looked particrly condescending in this moment, as if they were mocking him for having hopes.


    Varian gnashed his teeth, a gruttal roar from his throat. Aridam stepped back instinctively.


    That one move shattered thest of Varian''s hopes.


    With a darkened face, he asked. "Are they like you?"


    "No." Aridam said. Varian opened his mouth, intending to know their location.


    "They''re more broken than I am." Aridam said with a bleak smile. "They were the ones who faced him directly. As high rank 2s, they could feel the gap better than anyone else. And they both gave up."


    "Is that so¡­" Varian lowered his head, shoulders drooping. "So the slivers they gave me, it wasn''t for the n, was it?"


    Aridam took another step back, palms sweating. But he told the truth. "Their hopes were already shattered when they sensed his power. All their ns were abandoned.


    The only thing they wanted to was to deny the God Emperor his final victory, to the slivers away from him. So, they gave them to you."


    Varian rubbed his forehead with aplicated expression. "They could''ve just sent in the slivers."


    "Jai''s rank 1s could enter and retrieve it." Aridam said. "The only way to truly keep them safe is to give them to the strongest rank 1. You. You had to be with the slivers to keep them from falling into his hands. Since God Emperor can never enter the region as a rank 2, the slivers will be safe. Whatever he wants to do, he''ll have failed¡­at least for a few more years until you eventuallye out."


    "Ridiculous! It''s ridiculous!" Varian punched the empty void, splitting the space into countlessyers and splintering them into tiny bits. "Where are they? I want to ask them why they be so cowardly? Don''t they even want to try?"


    Aridam lowered his head at the outburst. Even though those words were not directed at him and no one called him a coward, it felt as if countless hands were pointing at him,ughing and mocking him for hisck of courage.


    The old man clenched his fists, a surge of rage boiling in him. He wanted to prove them wrong. To tell that Aridam, the Punisher, was not a coward. He ended many divine rankers on his journey to the top, quite a few of them stronger than him at that time.


    But as he was about to open his mouth, the silver figure that day shed in his mind. The fire of courage was doused and Aridam slumped to the ground.


    "Where are they?" Varian asked him in a forceful tone. If Aridam really insisted on not saying anything, he might have to do use other means. The matter was too important to be left alone.


    But such a thing would be regretful as this old man was the one cast the key vote for him to be supported by Nexus.


    "T-They¡­" Aridam''s lips trembled and he seemed hesitant. "Yes? They?" Varian pressed.


    "They had a rebirth using their powers, sealing their memories. They wanted a way out of this depressing reality. A new life with inborn abilities will give them that." Aridam said in a breaking voice.


    Varian opened his mouth wide and his eyes shook. Unwilling to believe what he heard, he pped himself. "I''m sorry I didn''t hear it qui¡ª"


    "Rebirth! They''ve went somewhere. I can''t contact them. Neither can they." Aridam screamed. "Let me go! I don''t want to fight him! Let me go! I beg you! That man¡­no, that god, you cannot win!"


    Varian gritted his teeth. Any chance of him getting help vanished. Now, he had take on everything by himself. He had to a fight the God Emperor by himself!


    Varian looked down at the scared man. In him, he saw his own fear.


    Truth be told, he was as scared as Aridam, if not more. For his entire life, including the fire wolf that set everything in motion seemed to be in the palm of the God Emperor.


    But as scared as he was, Varian couldn''t not fight.


    He fought too much, braved too many dangerous and passed many trials to reach where he did.


    How could he give up? He was incapable of doing that.


    So, a scared young man talked to a scared old man. "Aridam, I know how you feel. But what choice do we have? If you stay in this monotonous world, you''ll go insane or die. If youe with me and help, we''ll have a chance. I have four slivers. I have a chance at winning once my realm equals his. I just need you to help me fusin¡ª"


    "No!" Aridam screamed, his voice the loudest it had ever been. "He lived so long that even eight slivers can''t help! Do you really think he doesn''t know about you? He does! He knows you! He knows everything! n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Go! Don''t fight him. Don''t have hopes.


    ept reality. Let it go. Stop it all and live as happily as you can, until it all ends when he eventually wills.


    Now go!"


    Gathering his power, the Punisher sted Varian out. He did not resist the expulsion. This ce might be rich in aura but it was barren of hope.


    Varian didn''t have the experience, strength or knowledge Aridam had.


    But he had one thing.


    He had hope.

 Chapter 1688: The Hand

    Things spiraled beyond imagination. All hopes of receiving help shattered.


    The worst part of it was that no one could be med. Who could use them of absconding?


    Varian made the mistake of thinking they shared the same motivation against the God Emperor.


    No, they weren''t fighting him to save anything. Not quite. From the start, they were fueled to stop him to secure their own rule, to keep their dominions to themselves, to secure their lives by taking down the only potential threat.


    Varian lived a difficult life from the start, fighting almost every week since his awakening. But his had been an intense life, where years, no millennia happened in weeks.


    They too had difficulties. But they lived fundamentally different lives. They spent actual millennia, no, millions of years where nothing much happened.


    Even though they both reached the same point at the end, the journey was often as important as the destination.


    Perhaps they viewed Aur Deus as a man who was saving the world. He was inside God''s Eye for so long, wasn''t he?


    ''He might not be the savior you think he is.''


    Logos said that a while ago in a sombre voice.


    ''He might not be the destroyer either.''


    Sometimes, Varian was unsure what he should even fight for. The reasons felt wed more often than not. But his instincts told him that this was a battle he was destined to fight.


    It did not matter if he stepped forward or cowered back, destiny would arrive when it should.


    Didn''t Logos say that long, long ago when he was still a mortal fighting the abyssals?


    ''Destiny.''


    Varian clenched his fists, a feeling of frustration and powerlessness filling his heart.


    And then, he threw his head back andughed.


    "A chess piece toppling the board and checkmating the yer toying with it. Sounds impossible. All the more reason to try."


    There was a hint of madness in his eyes. If he didn''t have people to fall back onto, he might''ve gone insane.


    (Var, are you okay?)


    Samsara''s voice was low, scared and worried. When even the crazy sliver behaved like that, Varian closed his eyes and stabilized his mind.


    ''Something is wrong with me.''


    He''s doing what he wanted, how he wanted. But somehow, his mind was a lot more unstable.


    Maybe it''s because of the events he experienced. They were enough to traumatize even the rulers of the alliance to give up.


    Or maybe¡­


    "Urgh."


    Varian groaned, bleeding from his mouth as he focused on the pair of his eyes watching him.


    They were in his mind, imprinted into his memory.


    Every moment he took time for himself, he could feel them. They started at him, those eyes that shone like stars in the sky and watched him whatever he did.


    ''I need to get rid of them.''


    His soul power tried to erase them. But the eyes weren''t made up of spirit to be erased like that. He used the power of order and chaos. They shook slightly but remained stable. The maniption through space time had even little meaning.


    If those eyes could elude a god, even if it''s a dead god, then he perhaps didn''t have much luck in erasing them. At least not now.


    Varian took a few deep breaths, his soul growing chaotic under the pressure. Who did these eyes belong to anyway?


    It wasn''t the God Emperor for certain. God Emperor didn''t even exist at the beginning of the forbidden region. He couldn''t sneak into the region and watch the dead god, could he?


    "Haaa~"


    The world around him copsed into a point and light exploded.


    Varian appeared in the core of Genesis Empire. From what looked like the center of a mini milky way, a tree grew.


    A cosmic tree that truly overshadowed everything in its path, growing beyond all reasonable measure.


    Its length wasparable to a province and its thickness was enough to swallow several star systems.


    The cosmic tree was the pinnacle of creation, the proof that the creator reached an unprecedented peak in the path of life.


    The leaves of this tree were each asrge as a and each nurtured within it precious life.


    Each leaf had the power of a celestial by itself. It had a will to govern itself and was also simultaneously a part of therger tree system, subordinate to the tree''s will.


    What''s even more dangerous, even more scary was that some leaves were nurturing a wisp of divine aura.


    There was no proper estimate to the number of leaves as a whole or even the maturing leaves with divine aura.


    But the power they could unleash together would crush all rank 1s of the alliance put together.


    The scariest part about this creation was that it wasn''t this strong until recently.


    Keman had no need for such a tree. Thergest tree under him, the one he used a while back to take Varian to the forbidden region of life and death wasn''t like this.


    It was changed on a fundamental level, to reach a different level of life.


    "Save me!"


    "Ahhhh!"


    "All Mother!"


    "Noooo!"


    As Varian stepped closer to the beautiful cosmic tree that looked like a work of art, his soul senses tingled.


    The picturesque vision in front of him distorted and he could see the traces of death everywhere.


    The pristine green bark of the tree was stained red, yellow and silver. It smelled of rotten blood.


    The leaves that swayed gently in the space, each one a masterpiece in its own right, carried countless souls.


    Souls that were forcibly stripped of their bodies and sacrificed to build up the sentience of this world.


    They were ves to the leaf, to the tree who owned the leaves, to the woman who created the tree.


    The tree itself was monstrouslyrge. If a single leaf of the tree, a ring of its bark needed so many sacrifices, how many were sacrificed for the tree itself?


    Varian shuddered to think and the words he heard from King Ferdinand rang in his mind ominously.


    ''All Mother Asherah performed a forbidden ritual, merging with the hundred ''races'' she created and re-entered mid rank 2.''


    But that seemed to be only the first ritual. The woman performed more and more rituals, decimated more and more lives.


    The first ritual costed trillions of lives. There were no figures given by anyone from the second ritual onwards.


    Thanks to his powers spanning entire Genesis, Varian knew the truth.


    Asherah not only sacrificed the top hundred races she created but also their subordinate races.


    Compared to when he was thrown into the forbidden region, a quarter of all life forms in genesis, excluding the satellite gxies, were gone.


    A quarter.


    This tree was the result of that madness.


    And in this tree were the faint auras of Aurora and Prim.


    All inhibitions in Varian, all fears about the God Emperor finding him vanished.


    If the God Emperor really wanted him dead, how could he have let him survive for so long?


    And if condensing a clone with his main body being in God''s Eye was so easy, why wouldn''t he keep a clone active all the time instead of condensing it when needed?


    Under the surging of rage, the walls of paranoia crumbled.


    "Asherah."


    Varian''s low growl echoed in the space and the entire tree began to shake.


    A silverly phantom emerged behind him.


    It was a huge figure of his self. The ck and white eyes shone brilliantly. A faint orange body, with the light of a sunrise began to solidify.


    Large, it was. Farrger than even the tree itself. Its brilliance surpassed even the light from the center of the milk way.


    The curvature of space-time itself began to twist, shaking up the entire milky way.


    It was reminiscent of the scene fifty years ago.


    Of that cmity.


    "Asherah."


    The phantom surged, growing hundreds of timesrger.


    From the border regions all the way to the core regions, people peeked out of their window and stared up in fear, in awe, in reverence.


    It didn''t matter whether it was day or night.


    The sky was dyed orange throughout the gxy.


    For people who could see, they saw a giant standing in the sea of the milkway.


    In the dark space, the white brilliant lighting from the core of the spiralic gxy was overshadowed by the orange figure who stood at the center of it.


    From his castle, King Ferdinand watched a projection of the gxy. He copsed powerlessly, eyes nk.


    The divine rankers, regardless of affiliation hurried out, trying to stop whatever was going to happen.


    But most of them couldn''t even break the twisting space barriers. And those who could break them couldn''t approach the power center.


    "Asherah!"


    The voice rang across the entire alliance and a giant hand enveloped the gxy.


    Click!


    With a click, the cosmic tree, the creation built from countless sacrifices, the pinnacle of life power, was uprooted.

 Chapter 1689: A Princess

    A pce greeted him under the broken tree.


    Countless vines, each thick as a person intertwined to form the giant structure. The vines pulsed like they were the lungs of giant creatures, changing the color of the building from a holy silver to deadly red.


    Even then, it looked beautiful, stunning even.


    The road to the pce was paved with a sea of flowers. As he moved forward, the flowers swayed gently to the side, making way.


    Varian stepped onto the road without making a sound.


    The giant turtle on which the pce, roads and the estate was located shrank into its shell at their contact.


    As powerful as it was, the rank 1 creature had no thought of resistance. It neither activated the defense arrays on its shell nor did it send a message to itsdy.


    Trees on both sides of the road were pristine, their crystalline branches swaying with the wind, gem-like leaves fluttering and glowing fruits emitting a tantalizing aroma.


    The fruit was condensed with purest of vitality and aura.


    Ingesting just a single fruit would push an ordinary man to into a rank 7.


    There was no hardship to be endured, no millennia to be waited.


    Everything in the universe did follow a cause and effect, however. Something didn''te out of nothing.


    ''Or did it?'' Varian''s musings grew more abstract with his power.


    Was the universe created from something? If it was from nothing, did it have a creator?


    If it came from nothing, then was it all there was?


    Then what about God''s Eye? It''s a crack in the universe. If there''s a crack, then it meant there was something outside.


    So it didn''te from nothing after all?


    Varian plucked a fruit, crushed it without any hesitation. The power of soul and vitality in the fruit dispersed, shimmering softly as it did.


    There had to be a price for the power. The price for this fruit was paid for by a billion lives the roots of the tree sucked away.


    The melting fruit smelled sweet. Inaudible to most people but clearly heard by him were the whispers of souls that long perished.


    "Do I need to break the pce too?" Varian asked, face in but tone solemn.


    The main door of the pce flung open.


    A gorgeous, volouptus elven beauty in golden robes faced him. The long green hair reached her feet, the silver eyes gleaming as she stared at him with a stern gaze.


    All Mother Asherah.


    "You shouldn''t havee."


    Her voice was like the song of birds, the sway of branches, the rustling of leaves.


    "It is a terrible decision, Konstant Varian." When she spoke, it seemed like mother nature itself sang a luby.


    Instead of the authority exuded by tyrants that forced obedience, she exuded charm. Charm mixed with gentleness.


    Even the fiercest of men would submit themselves to her. It wasn''t just lust, it was also a sense of safety she gave off, like a mother did to her infant child.


    Varian felt her charm and hated her more for it.


    He wanted to ughter her right away. He owed Aurora a lot for what she did. And even if that debt didn''t exist, he wouldn''t let her be harmed.


    And Prim¡­


    There''s not even a question of letting someone who put her in a difficult position off.


    Varian had to kill her. No, an easy death wasn''t enough. He had to put her through hell, let her taste the pain when her sould would shatter in a million pieces before piecing back together, again and again until the pain of living was unbearable than the oblivion of death.


    But.


    "Our meeting was inevitable." Varian looked at her with a dry expression. "Your actions made it so."


    "Huh?" A sneer formed on the All Mother''s face. "Another sermon on how wrong I was to sacrifice the lives I did?"


    Varian took a deep breath, trying not to clench his fists and smash her face with his knee.


    It was an easy temptation. me her for everything, make her the sole reason for all mistakes and end her to proim everything was now fine.


    Things were rarely as ck and white as they first seemed.


    If he hadn''t gone to Purgatory, perhaps he would have attacked her without even bothering to speak.


    But he had been there. He had seen the fanatics of Undead in Purgatory. He witnesed their true nature. He knew what they wanted to, what they could do, and he knew they wouldn''t be stopped by anything other than equal force.


    Perhaps it was not all Undead. Yami wasn''t like that, was she? Or maybe she was?


    He''d never know.


    What he did know, however, was that without a proper deterrent from Genesis, Mors would cut down every hint of life, turning this region into a graveyard. It''d be another sea of bones and rotten flesh. Zombies, vampires, skeletons moving around without


    Varian looked at the woman once again.


    She looked better than ever. Prettier, holier, stronger. But what wasn''t so obvious was the madness behind her eyes.


    He peeked into her soul through those silver eyes.


    Hers was a disturbed, confused soul.


    A broken spirit.


    Asherah¡­was on the verge of insanity.


    Someone who spent all her life creating could not bear to kill so many. But she had to do it to protect even more from dying.


    There was no one else who could do the job.


    "You are trying to protect." Varian spoke, trying to control his own killing intent.


    Asherah shook and then her eyes grew bloodshot.


    "No." Her voice was hoarse, the softness gone. "I am trying to kill. As many as I can. As soon as I can. To grow stronger. That''s the only thing I''m trying to do."


    "No need to do that now. Give me back Aurora and Prim. I''ll¡­not kill you."


    Miss Cmity''s aura was weak but Prim seemed fine. He wanted to take revenge for what Aurora had to go through.


    But killing Asherhah? The woman who saved genesis from turning into burial grounds?


    "I''ve taken down the tree. It''s revenge enough. Give them back and this matter will end here." Varian said softly, but there was a hint of anger in his tone.


    Was it really so hard to swallow his hatred? Was everything he went through so worthless that he couldn''t even hold back his anger?


    He knew perfectly well why she did what she did. So, why couldn''t he calm down? And just let it be?


    ''Because she harmed Aurora!''


    Varian''s aura fluctuated, the killing intent surging like a tide threatening to drown the ind of reason.


    Asherah didn''t seem to care. With a raise of her eyebrow, she said. "And the defense against Mors?"


    "I''ll take care of it." Varian patted his chest. "Nexus will listen to me. I''ll make them. Everything will be back under control. Trust me."


    "Trust you?" Asherah covered her mouth, her eyes glowing with derision. "You of all people? Someone who disappears for a thousand years without notice when even the trash who went to God''s Eye returned. The same you who didn''t even show his face when the empire needed him the most. Trust you? Put the lives of all these people under your whims?"


    Varian''s fists clenched, his eyes narrowing. "There are reasons. Good reasons. Important reasons."


    "And there is reality. Undeniable reality." Asherahughed, a mockingughter filled with disbelief. "If somethinges up again, something with reasons, you''ll vanish again, won''t you?"


    Varian remained silent.


    "Get out of here. An irresponsible man like you¡­is not qualified to lecture me. The alliance is dead, so is your authority."


    "Asherah, I don''t want to kill you."


    "Kill?" The All Mother looked at him with gleaming silver eyes. Her eyes were shining with madness. "Don''t think highly of yourself. You''re not sparing me. I''m sparing you. And only because of the goodwill Keman showed you.


    I''ll treat it as hisst wish."


    Varian sighed deeply.


    She didn''t even know he had the slivers. But again, he didn''t seem to care about anything at this point.


    "I didn''t want to do this but¡­"


    Varian''s right eye glowed a dazzling white and his left eye went pitch ck. A fearsome pressure descended on the region.


    Seven divine paths were unleashed and instead of acting seperately, they were already working together, trying to behave like an Avenue.


    It wasn''t a perfect attempt. But it was better than what even most high rank 2s could try.


    Asherah''s eyebrows jumped at the disy of that power.


    Raw. Potent. Godly.


    Space and Time emerged, locking the entire region, cutting off any possibility of escape and safeguarding the pce.


    Order and Chaos built a formation, enveloping the region.


    Varian didn''t show any explosive emotion. He tilted his head, looking over her shoulder into the interior of the pce, straight at the pirs where a woman and girl were imprisoned.


    Prim had signs of vitality loss. There were dried tear marks on her cheeks. But other than that, she was fine.


    Aurora though¡­Aurora''s divinity was fading, carried over from her to Asherah through a nearly invisible link.


    Her realm had fallen to low rank 1.


    Strapped to polished barks with vines, she was trapped in a cage.


    The always energeticdy curled up weakly, trembling every moment, a pained groan leaving her lips as her energy continued to be sapped away.


    "She was born for this. She returned to me when I needed her the most, when the alliance needed her the most. By giving up her own, she''s going to save all these lives." Asherah smiled, pride leaking through her words. "I am proud of her. She will be a hero in the tales toe."


    The power of Samsara emerged, slipping into the formation. The power of life and death filled the ce and through cooperation through order and chaos, acted on the All Mother.


    The smile on Asherah''s face froze.


    "Hero?" Varian took a step forward.


    The world shook. Gently. Then violently.


    "She only wanted to be a princess."

 Chapter 1690: The Prince

    All Mother Asherah''s apparent past was normal.


    A genius who rose in the tribe from a prestigious n, wedded to the brightest genius of her times¡ªKeman Aurik.


    Together, they were the couple that led their race to a brighter age, one where Genesis matched the power of Mors after a long time.


    Asherah took up the job of strengthening the empire and went on creating races. Hundreds of races each with its uniqueness.


    There were wars fought by these created races on the legitimacy of their lineage. They wanted to be the only onesying im to be her descendants.


    Such was her influence.


    If Keman''s authority evoked a mix of mystery and fear, hers was purely charisma and worship.


    But the past was a little moreplicated than that.


    The price of creating all these races was not as simple as everyone thought.


    For the sake of big picture, Asherah made a quiet sacrifice that wasn''t acknowledged by history.


    She regressed from mid rank 2 to low rank 2 just so she could create more races with the potential to reach divine ranks.


    In a way, her experiments seeded as more and more races produced divine rankers.


    The gap with Mors and even the gap with Jai was shrinking at a soothing pace.


    But they also failed.


    There was no rank 2 from all of her creations.


    It was as if she was punished by the universe for trying to y god. There seemed to be fundamental ws in her creations, one where a rank 2 could not create another rank 2, opening up the possibility of an infinite replication over time.


    Perhaps it was not asplicated as that. Perhaps it was much simpler.


    Perhaps she was just ipetent. Or perhaps the races she created were the ones that were ipetent.


    "Arghhh!"


    A storm raged.


    Runic words of the long lost tribalnguage engraved on the turtle shell and hung in the air. They mixed together to formplex geometric shapes, all connected together by string of runic alphabet and circles of runic words.


    The formation was built purely from the power of Order and Chaos. Like all such formations, it would enforce a ''rule''.


    It could be a <stagnation of energy flow> or the <chaos of organic matter> both of which would severely affect the All Mother.


    But what happened wasn''t a simple Order and Chaos attack.


    The power of life flowed into this formation.


    The green light moved through theplicated geometric structure, contrasting against the ck and white runic words.


    The structure was still built of order and chaos, but it was now powered by life.


    An unprecedented situation.


    Asherah''s instincts screamed and she took a step back without even noticing. But when she took another step, thews in the region changed.


    Her life force stagnated for a moment before surging back in reverse. The soul fluctuations that would always be emitted from a living soul started to stagnate, as if they were curtailed by an invisible hand.


    It wasn''t even a direct confrontation. No punches were exchanged, no beams of energy were fired and not even fingertips were touched.


    And yet, the All Mother fell to her knees, gasping violently as she mmed her chest.


    "Arghhh!" With a roar that sounded like the cry of a female beast, she mmed the turtle shell under.


    Arge phantom appeared in the void, the phantom of a woman bathed in green.


    She flicked her wrist and Varian''s life force snapped in half. His youthful body turned middle-aged and then she snapped her fingers again. He grew old, back hunched and skin wrinkled.


    The phantom''s eyes glowed brighter and she finally waved her hand, as if she had been waiting for this since the beginning.


    It was a soul strike.


    Varian''s eyes froze and began to petrify as the strike passed through his eyes, reaching his soul in an instant.


    His soul sea seemed endless and there seemed no way for anything to threaten it.


    Any attack would simply be a pebble thrown into an ocean. The most it could do was a ssh before sinking inevitably.


    But now, something had changed.


    The sky had changed. Over the silver ocean of soul, the sky had turned green and red.


    The soul sea extended as far as the perception could observe. But wherever the sea was, there the sky was.


    It was a dangerous attack, one which only a powerful mid rank 2 could pull off.


    Varian was indeed not as strong as her in a proper evaluation.


    At least not yet.


    If he tried to brave his way and confront this soul attack, he would lose. His soul would be affected and he''d be rendered powerless against her once she recovered.


    So he didn''t confront it.


    It wasn''t a choice for others. They had to confront the hostile power which was inside or watch it wreck havoc in their souls.


    But he had a third option.


    He used the power of time to slow down the soul strike to a near halt.


    And using that period, he jumped at Asherah, grabbing her throat violently.


    The reversing vitality was working wonders, weakening her continously. But it wasn''t fast enough. The soul fluctuations were also working well, preventing her from making any significant changes. As time passed, she''d be unable to even perceive the outside world before slipping into aa.


    But she already predicted her state and created the independent phantom to take care of him.


    What she did not expect was Varian ying a different game entirely. As wise as she was, her naturalbat experience could not take into ount Varian''s time path.


    It was something she nominally considered but couldn''t reallyprehend.


    As a result, she was left defenseless as he gripped her neck, fingers sinking into her skin.


    Soul strikes were far more dangerous than vitality attacks. But since the soul awakeners could not directly attack a soul and had to shoot their attacks across space, their lethality would drop.


    But what if there was an awakener who could fire soul strikes at a point nk range? No, even worse, blowing up a soul strike inside the body?


    A golden light illuminated from Varian''s hand and Asherah''s eyes shed with the brilliant light.


    The next second, the overpowering soul strike struck her spirit directly. There was a brief period of resistance. It would have worked either with Varian been a rank 1 or her state being not so passive. Unfortunately for her, Varian was a rank 2 and she remained passive.


    "Arghhhh!"


    Asherah screamed, her body twitching violently as his power wrecked havoc in her soul, inflicting deep pain that would traumatize most divine rankers.


    A few minutester, she hung limply. Still breathing but too weakened to have any chance of fighting back.


    Varian threw her away and stepped through the barrier of the pce.


    As Asherah''s power started weakening, the restrictions on Prim and Aurora were gone.


    The little girl was still sleeping, snoring cutely even. Covering her with a flower nket, Varian turned.


    He walked into a protective cage engraved withplex formations that would instantly kill even the strongest peak rank 1.


    They activated when he stepped in but were destroyed at the same moment. He wasn''t even trying. The gap between the two ranks was too big to try.


    Truding to the center, he knelt down.


    Aurora''s eyshes fluttered.


    Varian''s heart pained at her state.


    Arms and legs bruised red and purple.


    So weakened that she couldn''t even heal. And inflicted so much pain that even a divine body was bruised.


    A pale face drained of blood. Lips trembling, teeth chattering.


    She was always so energetic. Wherever she went, she filled that ce with energy, with life.


    That bundle of energy was drained of that very energy. The lively girl''s life was barely hanging by a thread.


    The woman who mingled with everyone to heal their wounds was curled up, trying to cover up her wounds.


    Varian tucked the lock of hair behind her hair and called gently.


    "Aurora."


    Aurora''s body shook and her eyes slowly opened. Her vision was still hazy and she tried to open her eyes to see him clearly.


    "D-Dream?"


    But she was too weak to do anything.


    Forget lifting her arms, even her eyelids felt impossibly heavy.


    Looking at him through her vague sight, she said in a weak voice. "I-Is this myst dream?"


    Varian lifted her up and Aurora kept her eyes locked onto him with a confused, dreamy gaze.


    "Y-You came into my¡­dream?" She muttered, her faint voice filled with disbelief.


    Varian shook his head with a chuckle.


    "L-Laughing? I-I am in so much pai¡ªouch!" She winced as her head hurt, the weakness of her body penalizing even a few words, even if they were in spoken in a dream.


    "Didn''t you wish for this?" Varian walked out of the cage, asking in a teasing voice.


    "I¡­" Aurora who still treated this as a dream, closed her eyes with a contemtive expression before ring at him. "I didn''t! Bad, bad liar!"


    Varian made a mischievous expression. "You were disappointed that I rescued you from your mother with just a warning. You wanted something more fairytale. Rescued like a princess."


    Aurora''s eyes widened and her sleepiness began to fade. But she still remained in that half-awake, half-asleep state. "I¡­"


    It was only then that she notice he was holding her in a princess carry.


    "Princess?"


    Varian nodded.


    Aurora''s eyes began to well with tears. "T-Those fairytales lies to me! W-Weren''t the princesses supposed to be rescued in a few days? I-I was here for m-months!"


    "Fourty-nine years."


    Aurora''s lips twitched and she began to bawl even harder, wetting his chest.


    "Seriously, don''t believe those fairytales." Varian shook his head.


    "B-But¡­" Aurora''s voice grew faint, her consciousness fading back into sleep. "T-They were right..."


    "Hm?"


    "¡­about the prince."


    Aurora fainted.

 Chapter 1691: King Hades

    As Varian''s aura vanished, the eyes of a pale man resting in darkness shot open.


    His eyes were mes of blue, their brilliance briefly overshadowing the glow of a star itself.


    Those eyes turned to Genesis and blinked. Bits of blue me danced in those eye sockets, vague phantoms of dead souls forming in those mes.


    "Varian." The King of Dead, Hades, clutched the armrest of his throne.


    A wave of red exploded under him, starting with his throne as the center and expanding outward.


    Anything touched by the red waves was changed beyond measure.


    The few living beings living as ves in nearby kingdoms turned int Undead. The dead lost all their memories, sense of self and evolved into another self entirely.


    Mors Empire itself shook for a brief moment before stabilizing. Then, they all prostrated in the direction of their ruler and praised his blessing.


    King Hades, a pale man with blue eyes, silver hair and slender build,looked nothing scary at a first nce.


    But if someone stared into his eyes for more than a few seconds, even if it''s a sub-standard projection, their soul would start to crumble and crack.


    The damaged soul would be sucked into the flickering blue mes and burn for eternity, atoning for the great sin of starting the King of Death in his eyes.


    Billions of souls were still paying the price since millions of years and would continue to do so for millions of years toe.


    "Varian has reached rank 2. Unexpected. But his actions now¡­"


    His offense was too grand for it to be about just beating down Asherah. It was a warning to Nexus and Mors.


    ''Behave or you too will be crushed.''


    If the warning came from another mid rank 2, even Asherah or Ophion, it would''ve only elicied a disdainful sneer from Hades.


    Buting from Varian, the nature of it changed entirely.


    "If Aur Deus is really dead, then Varian¡­"


    Yami too had her ideals as an Undead, wishing to convert the entire world and make it onerge Undead empire.


    But she was restrained in her actions, partly because of Keman''s pushback but mostly because of the God Emperor''s presence.


    God Emperor looked down equally on both the living and dead empires.


    But his existence meant something. A living being at the pinnacle of Eden suggested that perhaps the right way of existence was as a living creature, not an Undead.


    Such a thought was scandalous, for it suggested that Undead were perhaps a mistake.


    It would undermine the empire of Undead and push them down a very dangerous path.


    But the God Emperor died.


    King Hades wasn''t sure how or why. He was in a deep seclusion that year and only awakened when his link with Yami vanished.


    In all the past wars, he witnessed God Emperor''s avatar barely overpowering the rulers.


    So, perhaps they came up with a strategy to defeat his real body?


    Maybe the avatar was only a little weaker than the real being and the fight ended up in mutual destruction. This was the only usible exnation for the existing situation.


    Yet his years of experience cautioned him to confirm the status of God Emperor had to be confirmed before he took any further action before he took action.


    Even if he shaped the world to his ideals and built a perfect Undead empire stretching throughout Eden, if it all got destroyed by the God Emperor who suddenly popped up, what''s the point?


    King Hades considered himself indifferent against most things but he knew he wouldn''t be able to bear the sight of his dream empire''s destruction.


    If God Emperor was still alive, he would simply give up. There''s no need to dream anymore.


    But if he''s dead¡ªif the man who stood at the pinnacle of Eden really fell¡ªthen it''s time to be decisive.


    "Varian must be killed before he bes a threat." King Hades muttered, the blue mes flickering in his eyes turning slightly red.


    Varian reaching rank 2 was already rming enough. But thankfully, he was onlyparable to Asherah.


    The woman made too many sacrifices to step into mid rank 2 and her strength was only somewhat better than a newbie who just stepped into the sub-rank.


    Compared to her, he and Ophion were both at the edge of mid rank 2. There''s a vast power difference between them.


    "Even Varian, despite his talent, should take time to catch up to me." Hades muttered and tapped the armrest. "But he grows too fast. Something has to be done."


    He could''ve tried attacking Varian when he and Asherah were engaged. But after the recent battle against Ophion, both of them were still somewhat injured and were leaking out their aura.


    There was no way they could''ve sneaked up to Varian. And Hades knew how despicable living beings were. If they''re weak, they''d flee without hesitation.


    "At least the slivers must be snatched."


    It didn''t matter if they''re just Order and Chaos slivers. King Hades had a n to utilize them perfectly.


    He would subdue a Nexus powerhouse, build a special body from the slivers akin to Immortal. Then, after converting that body into an Undead, he could be reborn into that body and start over again.


    "A confederation? No. There can only be one ruler."


    The man closed his eyes and the surroundings fell dark.


    Far away from Mors, a reptilian eye farrger than a star burst open. A giant snake whose body stretched far beyond entire sr systems slitered in patterns before turning into a man.


    "Varian¡­" Ophion muttered with aplicated expression.


    If the God Emperor was still alive, if Nexus was still under the threat of destruction any moment, then the ''Savior'' was desperately needed.


    But without a great evil to fight against, what need did a Savior fill?


    "The slivers of my tribe are in your hands." Ophion hissed, ardent desire lighting up his eyes. "My tribe''s slivers¡­my slivers¡­are in your hands!"

 Chapter 1692: Beyond Saving

    "B-Brother, it''s all my fault." Prim lowered her head and sniffed back her tears.


    Aurora was floating over a stone tform, six beams of light pouring into her from the six murals on the six walls.


    Miss Cmity fainted once again after a brief moment of consciousness. And this time, her breath severely weakened.


    Asherah might not have killed her. But what she had put Aurora in a state worse than death.


    Varian miscalcted her state of injuries. She assumed she only lost vitalty and could bepensated as long as she could be given pure vitality. But like a cracked ss, she was leaking life force every moment.


    Prim gritted her teeth as she stared at Aurora''s face. The six beams of light were working together to pour vitality into her body, repair her soul and keep her alive.


    But every second, cracks appeared on Miss Cmity''s skin and light began to leak out of them. It was forcibly patched up by the beams and she seemed normal once again.


    However, the cracks appeared a few more secondster. And they took just a little longer to be healed back to normal.


    Even though the situation seemed hopeful, Aurora''s condition was growing worse every passing moment.


    "If I only didn''t go out recklessly!" Prim clenched her fists and knelt in front of Aurora.


    In the midst of the brilliant light, a pale arm hung down from the floating woman, just in front of the teenage girl.


    Prim held that hand¡ªthe hand which continued to crack like broken mirror before patching up¡ªthe same hand that took her outside, the same hand that pulled her back when danger came up, the same hand that rubbed her hair even when she pretended to be annoyed¡ªand pressed that hand to her face.


    Tears rolled down her cheeks, wetting the hand in the process. At that touch, the hand seemed to be tremble for a moment. As if by instinct, it tried to wipe away the tears but it fell limp powerlessly, the owner of the body too weak for even such an action.


    Noticing what happened, Prim sobbed even harder.


    After that day when she couldn''t stop herself from the flooding sadness, this was the saddest day in her life.


    "Please, Aurora. Please don''t go." Prim begged, her voice hoarse. "I-I won''t call you airhead anymore, okay? I-I''ll not make fun of you¡­I''ll even let you rub my head. So, please don''t go¡­"


    Varian turned his head away, a powerless sigh escaping his lips. "Prim, it is not your fault. It is Asherah''s responsibility."


    Prim shook her head, her hair disheveled and eyes reddened. "No! If I didn''t go out that day, then one of this would''ve happ¡ª"


    "Esh died! How could you have not gone?" Varian asked.


    Prim fell silent and closed her eyes.


    It was just yesterday when she found out her mother''s death. And Aurora took her outside to cheer up. Someone attacked and she lost consciousness. When she opened her eyes, it was already fifty yearster.


    She still hadn''t processed her mother''s death. And now Aurora was dying. Even her brother seemed powerless.


    Prim rose to her feet and trotted to him with weak steps. Catching his arm, she said with bloodshot eyes. "B-Brother, you must save her! Please save her! We mean so much to her. You mean so much to her!


    She¡­she isn''t like everyone, she saved us when she could''ve just left. She doesn''t want your power or help, she is just happy to be epted. P-Please sav¡ª"


    "I don''t need reasons to save her, Prim." Varian hugged his emotional sister and patted her back. "She deserves to be saved. I will do everything I can."


    Prim looked up from his arms, her lips bleeding as she held an expression of despair. "Everything you can? That means you aren''t sure you can save her!"


    Varian sighed weakly.


    "No, no. Why?" Prim''s voice cracked and she broke free from the hug. Looking at him in tears, she yelled in a heartbreaking tone. "You¡­you couldn''t save my mother! You watched her die! Why can''t save you at least Aurora?


    Will you watch her die too?"


    "I¡­"


    The final moments of Esh shed in his mind. Even at the end, she didn''t regret saving him even though it killed her. All she had to say in her final breath was a pitiful request.


    "Take care of her."


    Looking at Prim''s piercing eyes, Varian lowered his gaze, guilt filling his heart. He already failed once. Was he going to fail again?


    "That''s enough, Prim." A cold voice rang in the room. "You are not in the right mind, so go out and think back to what you just spouted."


    Isadora grabbed Prim by her shoulder and a burst of light took away the girl out of the facility, across the mountains and into a quietke where the Matriarch resided.


    Varian still looked at the ground, eyes turbulent with emotions.


    The princess sighed and walked up to him. Gently pulling his head to rest on her shoulder, she said in a soft voice. "She didn''t mean it. She''s still in shock of her mother''s death and now this happened. When shees to her senses, she''ll realize how foolish her words were. So, don''t take it to heart.


    It''s not your fault."


    Varian had a bleak smile. "I had no way of saving Esh against God Emperor. Butno God Emperor is standing between me and Aurora. I should save her. I should be able to save her. And yet¡­"


    Isadora turned to the center of the room, looking at the young woman who followed her to Hortus all those days ago.


    She was very dismissive of this junior sister those days. She didn''t even believe her very much, much less consider her as one of her dear ones.


    But at some point, maybe during those thousand years, when Aurora risked her own life to help stabilize the half-insane Sia and nearly died in the process¡­Isadora saw her differently.


    "I don''t want her to die." The princess said softly, the weakness in her voice too much to not notice. "She''s my only junior sister."


    Varian felt suffocated.


    "But what can I do? What can you do? It''s not her body or soul that''s the problem. Her¡­origin is broken."

 Chapter 1693: Mystery of Origin

    Origin was the most fundamental element of a being''s existence. This was something he knew way back when he was a mere mortal ranker. The first time he peeked into his origin still remained a profound memory.


    From time to time, he would check his origin out of curiosity and every time he visited, the changes on the inside reflected the changes outside.


    Eventually, he stopped visiting.


    As mysterious and as beautiful it was, it didn''t have any usage beyond the mystical scenary.


    He came to realize that had he taken more time during level 9, he could''ve reached divine rank without having to tap into the origin.


    In that sense, the origin view was useless.


    Throughout the celestial ranks, Varian hadn''t once touched it, treating it as a relic of mortal levels.


    Upon returning to the divine ranks, however, things changed.


    In the state which stood at the very top of the universe, the existence of an Origin was a constant reminder that there existed an enigma he had no clue of.


    What was exined in simple terms by Logos and seen Varian as a mysterious but simple thing now seemed impossiblyplex.


    A Vuja De experience.


    "Her Origin has a slight crack." Varian spoke, eyes fixed on the dying woman. "Just one crack."


    There was hope in his voice and light in his eyes. Without realizing, he tightened his arm around Isadora''s waist, as if he was clutching at thest straw.


    "A crack!" Isadora said in despair, her eyes dimming further. "A crack cannot be repaired. Origin cannot be touched. You know it cannot be repaired."


    Varian broke free from her and walked up to Aurora. With a tap on her forhead, the power of divinity rippled in waves of silver before the divine vision manifested in the hall.


    A glowing prism whose three roads each represented an avenue, each road divided intones with eachne representing the path.


    In the territory of divine ranks, thenes were beginning to merge. The distinction was nearly blurred in rank 2.


    Red, Yellow and Blue. The prism let out soft light, driving away the stubborn darkness in the hall.


    The shining sphere of white on the sage avenue. Her origin was regressing! Bit by bit, inch by inch, it was heading towards the state of a celestial.


    Isadora stepped forward, eyes shaking as she couldn''t bear the sight.


    The origin which was always perfect and wless had a small crack. That crack was leaking a brilliant speck of light every moment, which dispersed away into the void. And the origin grew dimmer and dimmer.


    As this exchange continued, the internal state of origin was in constant flux.


    The simplest change was Miss Cmity''s affinity toward Sage Avenue. She was continually losing it.


    The deeper change was her ''Existence''. It was being erased to the deepest degree.


    If the body of a being was destroyed, their soul could be resurrected.


    If a soul was being destroyed, the space-time curvature could be twisted to flow back to save the soul.


    If a being was banished to a space or time, they could be pulled back. Or if they were confined from existence by thews of Order and Chaos, suchws could be erased.


    But if an origin was gone, nothing could be done. It''s the deepest death in the universe with no hope of saving.


    "It''s cruel." Isadora muttered, her ruby red eyes filled with tears. "She doesn''t deserve this."


    She hade to console Varian, to tell him it''s not his fault and he must live on without guilt. But she herself was entrapped by deep grief.


    Varian''s eyes slowly grew firm and he raised his hand. The origin magnified under his vision and the crack was exposed bare.


    A red gash on the white sphere.


    The power of space-time emerged from him, creating a field around the origin. Then, the flow of time reversed.


    Varian fused all his paths to boost this and poured out everything he had.


    The origin didn''t even fluctuate, as if it wasn''t in the same space-time domain at all.


    Narrowing his eyes, he invoked the shards of Jai Empire. Even though he had grown tremendously strong, they were as useful as before.


    ''Thank you, Esh. Thank you, Sameal.''


    With this new field built from the power of shards, the origin fluctuated slightly and the time around it began to regress.


    Since the elements in this special region were purely the individual avenues and origin, the time reversal was much easier than in real world.


    A few minutester, Varian''s face turned sickly white and the Origin reached the instance of crack formation.


    Isadora stood silent, eyes transfixed on Aurora who seemedpletely fine.


    "Arghhh!"


    The instance was unfolding in front of Varian.


    The pure Origin was having a slight crack. The pure white sphere was tained with a mark of red.


    This happened when Asherah initiated integration with Aurora. She wasn''t a daughter after all. Technically, she was considered to be a clone that was given autonomy.


    Her origin was deeply connected to Asherah. If the integration continued, her entire origin would''ve dissipated as the existence of Aurora would integrate into Asherah.


    Varian tried to reverse this instance but it was impossible to do. All he could do was push back every time the instance rolled forward and run the crack formation again and again.


    He already tried this to save Aurora before. Every power in his arsenal, every sliver in his posession, every idea he could think of.


    He wasn''t fond of giving up even in normal situations, much less in a critical moment like this.


    And yet, Prim had the reason to say what she did.


    Despite his efforts, he failed in every single one of them.


    "Arghhh!"


    Varian pushed back the origin to the instance of cracking once again and unleashed the power of Logos.


    His own origin was simultaneously existed in multiple locations thanks to the slivers of Order and Chaos. It was the most intricate application of slivers he had known.


    It''s also the thing that gave him hope. If slivers could affect origin, then perhaps they could also heal Aurora.


    That''s what he believed but¡ª


    The order and chaos slivers covered Aurora''s Origin, trying to patch up the crack in the critical instance.


    It worked and the origin didn''t crack. But that''s only for a moment before the power of slivers dissipated and the frightening red crack emerged.


    The power of Samsara too poured out, trying to help. It too managed to patch up the crack before its power dissipated and the origin resumed cracking.


    Varian used the power of six slivers and still failed.


    The most torturous thing was that while his divine paths didn''t work at all, the slivers had some effect. But not enough. And he didn''t know how to make them work.


    It wasn''t his proficiency in the slivers. There''s something else. Something he didn''t understand.


    If only the power of slivers didn''t dissipate like a handful of sand thrown into a flowing river¡­


    Varian''s eyebrows knit together as he tried to find a solution. Nothing came to mind.


    Origin was a mystery to the world. Always in reach but beyond understanding.


    There''s no one he could turn to help either.


    No one knew researched about the Origin. No one could research an object which allowed them to just see without any chance of interacting.


    "I will save her." Varian muttered, holding her feeble hand.


    It was warm, soft and gentle. But if he stopped the inflow of vitality or slivers, it would crack like driednd before disintegrating.


    "Origin¡­won''t stop me."

 Chapter 1694: Approaching The End

    "¡­eee."


    "¡­me."


    "L-Leme."


    Varian turned his head and saw through the walls of light enveloping Aurora.


    There was a drop of tear sliding down her cheek while her lips quivered, a faint voice leaking from her throat.


    "Let me¡­out."


    Isadora stepped forward, eyes distressed. Holding the hand of her junior sister, she whispered, her voice gentle like wind. "Aurora, just sleep. Everything will be right."


    "No." Aurora shook her head and then tried to get get up. And failed.


    "Aurora!" Isadora said in panic, her eyes trembling. "Don''t stress your body! Just rest some more and it''ll all be fine!"


    Aurora''s eyes slowly opened and she looked at the ruby-red eyes of her senior sister. With a weak smile, she chuckled."I am going to die, aren''t I?"


    Isadora froze.


    Gritting her teeth, she said. "If I am leaving anyway, then I don''t want to spend my days like a patient. I want to jump, dance and sing! I want to die¡­I want to die with a big smile on my face."


    With a small whimper, she moved herself andnded. Upon touching the floor, she almost stumbled before Isadora supported her.


    "Thanks." Aurora nodded at her before taking a step forward with her barefoot. Then, another.


    The six beams of light continued to pour into her, supplementing her the vitality needed to keep her from quickly dying.


    As she approached the exit of the room, she was faced with a silent Varian.


    "Brother-inw." She called out as energetically as she could.


    It came out as a whisper.


    Varian looked at her with despodent eyes.


    Maya and Kyle. Along with them, Robert, Anna, Bali, Irene and everyone else.


    Then it was Esh.


    And now¡­


    "A-Aurora." He forced himself to look her in the eye.


    She tried to smile. Her face was still pale and her eyes were heavy, as if they would not open once they were snapped shut.


    But she smiled. A weak, pitiful smile that came out in the face of sudden, unavoidable death.


    If someone else was in her position, they would''ve med Prim or Varian or the world. Yet, from the start, Aurora never uttered a word ofint.


    "Don''t be so serious, please~ Come on, smile! In myst moments, I don''t want to see you sad."


    Varian tried to smile and failed. With a powerless sigh, he vanished from the room, leaving Isadora and Aurora.


    The six beams shrunk greatly and turned into an invisible chip hovering over Aurora''s head.


    A special pulse eminated from the chip and Aurora''splexion improved drastically. If she didn''t know her condition, Isadora might''ve mistaken her to be alright.


    "So he acknowledges my wishes but doesn''t want to partake in them?" Aurora tilted her head and asked with a sheepish expression.


    Isadora held her hand and asked in a soft voice. "Do you want to go fishing?"


    *** *** ***


    King Hades convened a meeting with the powerhouses under hismand.


    There was only a low rank 2 under him. Reaper.


    But there were plenty of rank 1s, the highest in the alliance, no, confederation. And they were all eager to kill, convert and reign.


    "My King, the spy reports from the Jai have confirmed our suspicions." A ghostly creature made of white fog reported with a reverent expression.


    Undead didn''t just mean physical Undead. The dead souls, under specific conditions, would turn into ghost-like creatures.


    Spirits, Wraths, Ghouls and more.


    In the avenue of life and death, these ghostly creatures would fall into death category. While their counterparts, spiritly creatures fell into life category.


    Due to their natural stealth and soul abilities, they''re an excellent tool for spying, coercion, torture and reconnaissance.


    True to their nature, they enved certain spies from the Jai Empire and used them as double agents.


    It wasn''t as easy as it sounded. Whenever they tried it in the past, most of the double agents were quickly found. It''d have been great if they seeded once for a thousand attempts. For that, they''d have to first find a thousand spies.


    Even then, there was no certainty the one double agent would give them any useful information.


    Spying was primarily the function of Warring faction headed by Esh Starlight. She did a terrific job.


    While the alliance was easily prated by the spywork of Warring faction, they were never able to replicate even a tenth of that.


    But with the death of princess Esh, things began to slowly fall apart. It shouldn''t have been that chaotic. Someone else should''ve reced her and taken charge.


    It wasn''t the death of a single faction leader that led to the chaos, it was the death of all three.


    The God Emperor never appeared after the death of these leaders. He never passed them any instructions or even bothered to give signs that he was alive despite the increasing rumors of his death.


    Even in such a terrible state, Mors Empire needed a period of nearly fifty years to properly infiltrate the Jai Empire and confirm some crucial details.


    Esh Starlight might''ve died but the organization she built fought stubbornly for five decades under the full offense of Mors.


    "If she is alive," King Hades muttered. "Forget fifty, we wouldn''t have gotten anything even after fifty thousand."


    The ghost nodded in reflex. As the one in this job, he knew more than anyone how well Esh managed the spywork.


    Fifty thousand¡­was still an underestimate.


    ''Did she really die?'' Even now, the supreme ghost couldn''t believe it.


    Maybe this was all her ploy to lure them out? Perhaps she wasughing at them as she secretly controlled the double agents.


    The more he thought, the more he feared.


    It was absurd. Even his best intel informed him that she''s dead but his mind simply couldn''t acknowledge that. Even as her enemy, he couldn''t digest her death.


    "Well, the time hase. Assemble the army." King Hades stood up. "It could be a very difficult battle but one we must win. The Jai Empire''s is double that of Mors,


    nearly half of all alliance. Once Jai falls, entire Eden will turn into a holynd of Undead."


    The invasion of Jai began.

 Chapter 1695: Fall of An Empire

    A long time ago, Neveah tribe attacked their counterpart, the tribe of Heaven. It wasn''t merely an attack to injure. It was an attempt of massacre.


    The historical records remain vague about the exact details but the oue was crystal clear. It was a total victory for Neveah tribe.


    Sera tribe attempted a simr attack on Ares tribe and failed miserably. Not only did they not get their counterpart''s sliver, they lost their own sliver.


    Ativ and Vita fought but never at a full scale. It''s as if they had an unsaid understanding that any victory in such situation would be phyric. And even the winners of the war would be baits to the other tribes.


    Against such a backdrop, the smooth victory of Neveah was particrly surprising.


    The scriptures of that period maintain that all tribes were roughly of equal strength, especially two counter tribes. Why then, did the war between Neveah and Heaven turn so one-sided?


    There were plenty of proposals, some considered by the academicmunity and others frowned upon.


    The most famous argument was that the Neveah tribe had found a way to harness their sliver earlier than others.


    Even if they''re roughly of the same strength, one should be stronger than the other.


    And mastering some particr capabilities of space sliver could''ve allowed Neveah tribe to mount a surprise attack on their counterpart, enabling a total victory.


    It''s also what allowed them to escape from the pursuit of the other four tribes after the massacre and take shelter in the then wilderness, Andromeda gxy.


    From that day, the wilderness¡ªden of barbarian races as called by the six tribes¡ªturned into a towering empire.


    All empires would rise and fall. But the Jai Empire only rose and rose.


    At the beginning, Neveah tribe had to struggle against the sporadic attacks by the other tribes.


    There was a lot of distrust between the three tribes. Both Ativ and Vita distrusted Sera tribe which tried pushed Ares to extinction. Ativ and Vita, while never pushed each other to a full blown out war, were always on guard.


    So for a good while, there was no unified front against the Neveah.


    When these tribes finally put down their distrust, legends state the Neveah had already assimted everything from Heaven tribe.


    Their very origins seemed to change. Their racial profile which was heavily aligned with space until then now suddenly had an equal alignment with time, just like the tribe of Heaven.


    It came as a shock to the three tribes. After the shock came realization that Neveah had done something extraordinary. With that realization came fear of the unknown.


    So, they struck hard, trying to nip this danger in the bud.


    Neveah, no, Jai as the new race called themselves, were unable to face the three tribes hell bent on destroying them.


    Their only sce, despite consecutive defeats that pushed them to constant retreats, was that the alliance was still fragmented.


    Even under those conditions, no tribe trusted the other enough to put their full focus on the war.


    Those few millennia were lived with much difficulty by the Jai. But gradually, the tide turned around.


    More and more powerhouses were born, with better and better affinities. And in this period, the tribe had also managed to get the hang of the time sliver.


    From then, the Jai Empire managed to hold its fort against the offense of all the three tribes without having to retreat.


    Eventually, it started to push back. Gradually at first, brutally next. At some point, the offensive alliance turned into a defensive pact.


    Every Jai Emperor since then would be a high rank 2, strong enough to fight off the rulers of the alliance single handedly. The empire''s own historians imed the empire to be a peak rank 2 but that rank was never achieved by any emperor.


    Other than the emperor, there would be enough rank 2 powerhouses in Jai who would hold back the alliance''s rank 2s.


    A new equilibrium was created.


    This was how it had been for dozens of rulers. And this was how the historians thought it''d be for the next dozen.


    But with the arrival of a man named Aur Deus, everything changed.


    The first peak rank 2.


    Before even the alliance could feel the heat, the rank 2s in the empire started dying or vanishing.


    Yet, the decrease in power didn''t make any difference. The alliance soon started weakening as the newly ascended Jai Emperor killed a few rank 2s to make a statement.


    ''This is a new era.''


    Like all eras, this era seemed tost for an eternity.


    The equilibrium whatsover existed until then was brutally crushed and a new reality was formed.


    One under which the alliance faced a real threat of extinction.


    The Jai Empire which had been ruling Andromeda since what felt like an eternity seemed tost forever.


    The alliance, meanwhile, seemed like it could topple anyday.


    That was the reality. That reality was only grew obvious after the God Emperor split the gxy into two.


    Everyone, from the most average ofmoner and the brightest of genius, thought the Jai Empire wouldst forever.


    Perhaps that''s why, it felt unreal.


    "Fight! Fight! Fight!"


    Giant skeletal ships surpassing entires in size moved across space, red fumes pouring out of their heads and fire ports.


    Arge blue barrier inscribed with ancient glyphs and runic characters emerged as the ships fired beams of death lights.


    Most of it was deflected but a little managed to seep in.


    The unlucky armed soldiers of Jai who happened to be hit by the scattered beams turned into Undead in a blink and started attacking theirrades.


    In the stretch of dark space that extended in all directions, the blue barrier stood out like an impentrable wall against the millions and millions of red dots.


    Shots were fired every moment and were deflected with impable grace by the great barrier.


    "Captain, we need to take a break for charging our ship." A zombie without torso,tched onto a lever, spoke after checking the meters.


    "Damn it! Why are our men so useless?" The captain, a vampire with green eyes, mmed the door.


    "T-They''re not useless." A ghost in the form of a rotting bat spoke from behind, its eerie voice echoing in the room. "The rank 1s of Jai¡­are too strong."


    The captain opened his mouth to refute but a brilliant sh of silver in the window shut him up.


    In a distance not too far from here, dozens upon dozens of divine powerhouses were fighting.


    There were thirty rank 1s from the Jai. But only ten of them really fought. And those ten were pushing back against fifty rank 1s from the Mors Empire.


    While sub-rank difference as one factor, the major reason was the sheer power of a Jai prince even within the same sub-rank.


    Not just one, a Jai prince was able to beat three Mors counterparts at the same sub-rank.


    The three faction leaders who should''ve coordinated for a proper defense were all dead. No one reced them. No one was allowed to step into those roles.


    Themand structure of the Jai Empire for this defense waspletely splintered.


    There was no strategizing, no tactical information gathering, no war games.


    And yet, the Jai princes stood undefeated against the Mors.


    After beating down a high rank 1, a Jai Prince turned to the undead ships in the distance. "No one ever dared to invade us since we started calling ourselves the Empire. Congrattions, you''ve written yourself a death sentence, a proper death this time, not the iplete death you face now."


    The Undead froze at those words and then turned to him with rage. But they could''t beat him.


    King Hades was going to mount an attack from another region all by himself. In fact, the only reason they had so many divine rankers assigned was that Nexus


    wasunching an attack from nearby.


    Nexus¡­


    A sharp white light glowed in the darkness, overshadowing the blue and red.


    "Since you dared to call yourself the Empire? Well, the days of your empire are over. From today, the Jai Empire ceases to exist."


    A silhouette appeared in the void.


    A man d in white garments. He looked young, as if he just hit the 20th year. Beneath him was a sea of glowing, boiling, bubbling white¡ªas if the milkyway itself fell under his feet.


    "Rakz!"


    A hiss sounded from a man who remained at the back of the Jai princes.


    "Guan?" The man in white smirked, a yful smile at the corner of his lips. "Heard you were going to thrash Esh but the wholepetition got thrashed. Did they give you a constion prize for ying in the circus, perhaps. Sorry, all your circus leaders died."


    "A coward doesn''t have the right to mock those who tried." The man in ck appeared, the power of a peak rank 1 eminating out of him as he moved.


    Guan, the prince most likely to defeat Esh, made a public appearance after a long seclusion. Even in this chaotic situation, his personal strength gathered many princes under hismand.


    "You were a peak rank 1 before me but couldn''t beat me even once. And what did you do? Hide, hide and hide. It''s been 10,000 years, Rakz. And you finally showed up."


    "I did." The man in white smiled, an undisturbed smile at the mockery. With a flick of his finger, the sea of white under him expanded rapidly, approaching the princes. "I wasn''t hiding. I was doing something more important than this petty rivalry."


    "Important?"


    An hourss emerged behind Guan and the power that surpassed the strength of every peak rank 1 Rakz ever seen, including himself.


    Rakz smiled at the disy of the power and muttered in a murderous tone. "Yes. My teacher was killed due to a man who should''ve never been sheltered. My homnd should''ve regained its glory with the slivers. But for him¡­because of him¡­we had to sacrifice it all. I''ll take it all back."


    "Varian?" Guan''s voice also had an edge to it as he muttered that hateful name.


    "He''s my prey." Rakz clenched his fist and the sea of white under him exploded.


    Guan''s eyes widened as he tried to speed up his time to try for an escape. He didn''t even have the luxury to think of saving others.


    But the white light was too fast, too powerful. It swallowed him before he could even start running.


    "R-Rank 2!"


    The blue barrier shattered suddenly and a silence filled the space.


    The Undead looked at the powerhouse of Nexus who lent them a hand in confusion and the Jai forces behind the shattered barrier paled at his presence.


    Rakz smiled.


    "The glory of Nexus will be written in the blood of Jai!"

 Chapter 1696: Our Place In The Creation

    "God Emperor, Lord Emperor!"


    The cry of an old man rang in a dark corner as he dragged his upper torso away from his sted, bloodied legs.


    As he moved, the bleeding barely stopped thanks to the special characteristics of his race.


    But as his broken undersides pressed against the road, it stung as the gravel stung his flesh, the small stones piercing into his flesh and sshing his blood.


    "No, no!"


    As he moved out of the dark alley, the pungent smell of garbage, rotting food and decaying chemicals was absent.


    Living here for a hundred years, he wished the rancid smell to vanish many times. It did not happen for a single day through the century.


    But today that smell was gone. Recing it was a mild rotting smell of flesh, the stinging smell of blood and the nauseating scent of feces.


    With great effort, the old man hauled himself out of the alley, onto the street.


    The bright, wide, brilliant street that always bustled with people even at the darkest hour was now deathly silent.


    The crystal clean roads which never had a piece of trash were now littered with bloodied limbs, splintered bones and scattered organs.


    The serene blue and green themes of the road were tained by the yellow, ash and red blood.


    "W-Why?"


    Tears flowed out of his eyes, dropping down on a tiny hand torn away from its arm.


    The hand still squirmed.


    With hopes crushed and resignation overtaking his spirit, the old man looked up at the sky.


    Patches of gold and blue flickered, the remnants of a broken dome barrier that was supposed to protect the city.


    Large ships built of carpaces, mostly beast but including humaoids, flew above the city, scanning every street for survivors.


    The old man''s eyes trembled as a ship paused a few miles away and then a smaller ship took off from it.


    For a brief moment, his eyes wandered around, looking at the destroyed road, the broken buildings and the broken organs.


    "W-What?" His eyes went wide. "There are no corpses."


    The ship shed foward, hovering a few meters away from him. With a rough sound, the door opened and two people jumped onto the street.


    "No!" The old man''s eyes paled as a woman with a sickly pale face stepped forward, eyes locked onto him.


    There was a hole in her abdomen, the flesh inside visible, squirming.


    "Join us." She stretched her hand to him.


    He flinched at her touch. Soft, cold and dead.


    "There will be no more pain, no more fear, no more despair." Her lips curled into a smile. "The suffering of life will end."


    The old man wriggled back and the smile on her face vanished.


    "Why?" Her voice was cold. "Would you rather die?"


    "I¡­" The old man''s heart nearly stopped but a stone dug into his flesh and the pain jolted him to his senses. His face contorted in rage and grief. "I will always chose death over bing a disgusting thing like yo¡ªarghhh!"


    A beam of light fell from the sky and the old man''s eyes dimmed.


    Then, a silver light emerged out of his eyes, turning into a sphere. The silver sphere flew up to thergest ship over the city. And with it were thousands upon thousands of spheres.


    They passed through the tight security of the vessel and entered the grand room at the center, falling into a blue fire.


    Screams rang out as the fire burned the souls and gave them pain that went beyond anything a living could experience.


    The old man''s soul quickly went insane from the pain but the fire healed him back and then started torturing him again.


    Like the millions with him, he entered a period of eternal torment.


    "When do these arrogant living learn?" A sigh sounded from the part of the room where the glow of the blue fire couldn''t reach.


    On his ck throne, Hades listened to the symphony of the screams, the torture of the arrogant living who looked down on the Undead.


    ''I used to be like them too.''


    Once the contract with Yami vanished, Hades was able to properly think again. And the memories of his living times appeared in his mind as if they never vanished.


    "Ahh!"


    A groan sounded from the side.


    Hades turned to the floatinng pregnant woman beside him. She was a living being but the child inside her was corrupted by death.


    As a living being, he was a scientist who embarked on divine paths to learn about the truth of the world, of life and death. He too hated Undead like many of his colleagues.


    They were an¡­imperfection in the perfect creation. A blotch that must be removed from the canvas of cosmos.


    "Arghhh, please! Please save my baby!" The pleas of the woman were mustered with thest of her strength as the crimson red power corrupted her womb.


    Hades turned to her, his gaze heavy. "If your baby seeds, it''ll save many lives. Lives of the living."


    "P-Plea¡­" The woman didn''t seem to pay heed to his words or maybe she couldn''t even hear what he was saying.


    The pain engulfing her body as the power of death and soul manipted the unborn was enough to break most warriors.


    It was a testament to the resilience of this woman. She managed so far, unlike the sixty thousand women who died.


    Hades looked at her with genuine hope. Even though he''s essentially a different person from who he was a living, the ideals and ideas impressed him.


    If his living self wanted the questions for the sake of curiosity, he wanted it to calm the unrest in his mind.


    The purpose of Undead. Why, despite being theplete opposite to all living, were they just treated as one of the many.


    Why did even the primordial tribe who they descended from were people who had the powers of death without being dead themselves?


    Why did nothing ever great was achieved by the Undead? The God Emperor was a living being. Keman was a living being.


    Unlike him and his predecessors who primarily relied on devouring billions of dead to make strides in rank 2, they achieved that power by themselves.


    No matter how genius, no matter how brilliant, an Undead never achieved anything that would go down in history as unique.


    Why?


    "Your baby¡­" Hades whispered, his pale, cold hand gently caressing the taunt skin of the woman''s belly. "Might give all the answers I seek. And be a living evidence against the false usations they mock us with."


    The woman continued to plead, her voice lowering with each word uttered as the vitality in her began to crumble. The baby was about to be born.


    "Yes." Hades leaned forward, eyes glowing.


    A weak cry sounded from the woman and her faint breath died out. A red light glowed and the infant emerged out of her.


    It was not a living thing. But it was not an Undead either.


    Its soul broke and it died. The kind of death that made it impossible to turn the infant into an Undead, even for Hades.


    "I see." Hades'' eyes dimmed and turned dark.


    With a sh, the bodies of the woman and her child were thrown out of the ship, into the dump yard ship behind.


    They would quickly process the unusable corpses and use them in the construction of the ships, using them as objects of glory.


    "It is as I suspected. Life is ipatible with the Undead. The two should not exist."


    Neveah conquered Heaven.


    Space expanded recklessly while Time flowed in just one direction.


    Sera massacred Ares.


    Order reigns in civilization, life and governing all celestial phenomena while Chaos was thrown to the wildnerness beyond.


    Ativ and Vita, Life and Death.


    "Coexisting was not a hallmark of our uniqueness, it was a mistake." Hades appeared in a stretch of dark space.


    Ocassionally, hes of red would light in the distant regions would flicker, as if there were red stars.


    His perception expanded, covering countles star systems, theirs, the floating cities and independent realms.


    The Jai Empire was being conquered, by, life by life.


    In his mind''s map, the glowing Jai Empire spanning across the Andromeda was distorted.


    The blue map was now tained red of Mors or ck of Nexus and the smaller green portions of Genesis.


    All the three colors were inching toward the glowing silver center.


    Under the invasion led by rank 2s, the Jai Empire crumbled faster than anyone expected.


    There were no rank 2s at all! Not even the ones who were supposed to fake their death for emergencies.


    So this wasn''t even a war. Against the wrath of rank 2s, all resistence crumbled.


    The only reason Hades didn''t attack the capital yet was to conduct his experiments.


    Neither Ophion and certainly not Asherah dared to cross him.


    He was already the strongest of the three and with so much death, his strength only surged.


    "Silver City." Hades focused on the the piece of silver at the jaws of red. It seemed to be the final resistance against the invaders.


    Hades clenched his fist and a sea of red rose, ready to drown the piece of silver.


    "This empire will fall."


    God Emperor was dead. The Jai Empire would fall with him.


    "And with the secrets he left behind," The corner of Hades'' lips curled up and he turned back.


    The milkway gxy was now a confederation but broadly, it''s still the same three empires ruling over it.


    Hades stretched one hand toward the Jai Empire and the other hand towards the Alliance.


    In his mind, both the gxies glowed red.

 Chapter 1697: Chaos

    "Master, friendly fire! Friendly fire! Nexus scouts are attacking our scouting squads."


    The peace on the sleek, aquiline ship glowing with the green of a forest was broken by the nervous voice.


    "Grnnn!"


    The ship shook, a deep cry bellowing in the space, sending ripples across the neigboring star systems.


    A new spacequake would be recorded today by the civilizations nearby, had they not been at an existential war that killed most of them.


    "Grnnn!" "Grnnn!" "Grnnn!"


    The smaller ships following the mother ship were sted away, some sustaining minor damage and others major.


    The master of the ship narrowed his eyes and his aura enveloped therge structure. "Shhh, it''s alright. It''s alright."


    Even those gentle words were spoke in an authoritative tone. Surprisingly, the ship calmed down.


    "This¡­" The scout captain swallowed nervously.


    The legends seemed to be true. This wasn''t a ship, it''s the great bird Veridian itself! It''s the fruit of a rank 9 scientist who wanted to build something as great as dragons.


    "M-Master, the friendly fire with Nexus forces," Shaking himself out of the shock, the captain continued. "My team lost too many already."


    "Captain."The master was only three feet tall and seemed tock even a pound of muscle on his body.


    But the eight feet tall captain, shredded like a champion, felt an ovewhelming pressure from the dwarf.


    "You were enlistened by a rmendation letter, weren''t you?"


    It was a shameful secret, no matter how open reendations were. The captain was repeatedly warned by his family not to reveal his entry.


    The Genesis Empire might''ve remained united after the fall of Keman but it was corrupted beyond measure. Asherah simply couldn''t inspire the same fear to maintain the minimum standards.


    "Rather than being a scout member for some time and then getting your due promotion, you''re directly made a captain. It shows." The master''s voice wasn''t harsh. It was soft, delicate even.


    But it was heavy, scary and omnious, like the whisper of a giant beast.


    There was something more than his rank 9 power, perhaps it''s the scent of blood, perhaps it''s the ingrained authorit, but the captain couldn''t even think of lying.


    "Y-Yes, Master. I came through reendation."


    "Indubitably." The master nodded, nonchnt and indifferent.


    The captain heaved a sigh of relief. He''d have been punished harshly in the older days but now, maybe these things were allowed?


    "The friendly fire¡ª"


    "There is no friendly fire." The short man''s three eyes glowed with a golden light and his voice grew low. "The day Jai fell, we are no longer allies."


    The captain shivered, eyes widening at the realization of what''s toe.


    "Any proper leader would''ve seen this long ago. Don''t be surprised." The master shook his head.


    "B-But once this war ends, the a-alliance, the confederation will¡ª"


    "We can''t stop the chaos. If the fires are destined to burn through Eden, so be it." The master said softly, the strength always present in his voice seeming to weaken with those words.


    "T-Then our scouts¡­"


    "Tell them to disengage if it''s in the range of divine rankers. We¡­do not want to provoke the Nexus or Mors." The captain spoke, eyes showingplicated emotions. "We''re not in a position to provoke them."


    "Roger." Even as he muttered that word through instinct, the captain couldn''t help look at the ship master in shock.


    Frustration filled his heart at such cowardly order and then anger. As he turned around, his raging heart suddenly cooled down as a thought struck his mind.


    ''Ah, I see.''


    Rmendation was still a crime. But the master simply didn''t care anymore. His thoughts were on the chaos ahead.


    On the chaos not even a celestial rank 9 like him could hope to stop.


    No, not just him, perhaps even the strongest divine rank 1 wouldn''t be able to stop the horror that''s about toe.


    Nexus and Mors, now without an external enemy to keep them all in check, would have no reason to not stretch their ws against a weakened Genesis.


    All Mother Asherah, despite all her attempts, was the weakest among the three rulers.


    And rumors say, no, not just rumors, the captain himself had seen that great phantom that day, the phantom that was said to stand over the entire gxy.


    The great phantom had injured All Mother Asherah. And she was still recuperating. The war couldn''te at a worse time.


    Even though their army was nearly as good as the other two, their leader was the weakest.


    Supposing they won more than they should, it''d only provoke the divine rankers from the two empires to take action.


    "If he has such power to injure her, why doesn''t he support us in the great war? How can there be anything greater than the fall of Jai and security of Genesis?"


    The captain whose entire life had been spent as the talentless prince of his province couldn''t understand.


    But it wasn''t the fault of his intellect or his small horizon.


    Even his superiors and their superiors, all the way to the divine rankers except Asherah did not understand why that man didn''t show up in this great war.


    The Jai Empire''s princes, especially those who reached the site where Varian fought off the 7th Prince too had no idea why he didn''t appear.


    But they couldn''t remain happy at the situation as the existing enemies were already pushing them to death.


    "For the glory of God Emperor!"


    "For the glory!"


    Star systems lit with the glow of civilization were conquered in the span of a day.


    If it''s the army of Mors, every creature, including fish, animals and birds were turned into Undead.


    If it''s the army of Nexus, every creature was enved through the power of Order.


    If it''s the army of Genesis, they were given an option of surrender, to live as ves for the rest of their lives with the promise to achieve citizenship through hardwork and a guarentee that their children could be formal citizens as long as they didn''t have a record of disloyalty.


    Genesis'' move was the most benevolent of all but even that meant a life of very for nearly an entire generation.


    Some of the Jai elites, who livedvish lives, were already approaching the stakeholders in the army to make cooperations and gain their citizenship.


    A lot of them were already promised citizenship. These elites carried enormous wealth, came from established families. And even more than the wealthy, the skilled experts from fields of space and time were given extremely favorable conditions.


    Most of such experts would never be ves. And the wealthy who were actually rich and knew how to make more money than relying on inheritance were already striking alliances with the genesis stakeholders.


    The strategizers of Genesis hoped their actions would form a group of hardworking Jai race who would try to integrate into their empire.


    What they created was a new group of elites. And the affect of this soon reflected back in the territory of Genesis.


    If it''s just this, it could still be stopped by the officers at the top of the militarymand.


    But even the divine rankers of Genesis made certain deals with some willing divine princes of Jai hoping to secure more power in the inevitable war with Nexus or Mors.


    This meant the core people under such princes would also be transferred here, preferably into good positions.


    So, they couldn''t stop what was happening.


    Back home, it had be apparent that Genesis would barely hold any territory of the Jai Empire. And even if it did, it''de under heavy contest from both Nexus and Mors. Eventually, they''d lose whatever territory they managed to hold.


    As such, other than wealth and people, Genesis would not be holding any morend.


    Even though the pie of wealth increased, far more elites were being added.


    Something had to give.


    The new elites of the Genesis ended up being the victims of this change.


    These were new races that just established themselves in the power hierarchy of the empire. New families that climbed the politicaldder. Newpanies that carved themselves a ce in the empire''s market.


    Even before the elites of Jai could settle, the reshuffling of power within Genesis already began. And it began with bloodshed.


    Unlike the reign of Keman, things were quitex these days.


    The divine rankers had a lot more power. They did as they pleased, not caring about the puny mortals and equally puny celestials.


    So, a wave of persecution, massacres and violence were unleashed.


    The new elites who were still happy thinking they rooted themselves in the core of the empire were violently and brutally uprooted.


    Some only lost their positions. Many lost all lives. Some were still fighting. Most didn''t have as many connections as the old elites and were thus taken aback by the unexpected wave of violence, trying to win a war that caught them off guard.


    One such race happened to be humans and the the variant human races of Hortus, Hortians.


    Other than the loyalist settled by Varian in a of P who remained more or less unaffected thanks to them not entering the political structure in the first ce, the rest suffered badly.


    Most of the humans were rooted in the neighboring kingdoms, some even going as far as the edge of the empire.


    Since humanity had many high ranking celestials near the end of the rebellion, they were quite a few factions within humans.


    In the empire, all these factions were quite powerful as even a rank 7 was pir of a kingdom.


    Thanks to the blessings of Hortus, humans¡ªand rted races¡ªwere able to cultivate plenty of rank 7s, not to mention many rank 6s and below.


    As a result, the biggest new elite in the empire were actually humans.


    Certain groups were massacred overnight while others were fighting a bitter battle.


    It seemed that the subordinates of several divine rankers decided that humans must make space for the new elites.


    The mysterious origin of humans previously gave them an edge over their opponents as no one could guess their history and rtions.


    But now that same unclear origin turned into a justification to uproot them without any mercy.


    The political opponents of humans¡ªthe old powers who were in contest with them and the fallen powers who they reced¡ªshowed no mercy under such circumstances.


    Targetted by forces all over the empire, the human race as a whole was under severe threat.


    While they would not go extinct, the future seemed bleak.


    As a result, this group of humans, who were outside Hortus for just fifty years, ended up contacting the group of loyalists and begged for help.


    Finally, a team of envoys sent by these humans across the empire followed a few loyalists who were given emergency contact by Varian long ago.


    Once the contact was invoked, a light shone from the sky and seemed to verify their identities. Then, space cracked and devoured them in, taking them straight to Hortus.

 Chapter 1698: This Is Paradise

    Silver City.


    It used to be the city of a living god, a god who recently died.


    The myths surrounding the city wrapped it in air of mystery but the reality of God Emperor pushed those myths into obscurity.


    Now, the myths began to resurface once again. They resurfaced through the whispers of prayer, whimpers of pain and whines of surprise.


    The brilliant city which epassed the area of an entire province was now enveloped in a glorious silver barrier.


    Formations were activated throughout the city, connecting from one district to the next, creatingplex structures that were long forgotten in the flow of time.


    These were the ancient formations that no one other than the six tribes would be able to recognize.


    These formations didn''t belong to this era or the one before or even the period when the Jai race established its empire.


    They belonged to an era where the tribes reigned supreme.


    "The formation of Heaven and Neveah." Lord Rakz muttered with a hint of disbelief. "Not only did Neveah massacre every single member of Heaven, they even managed to upy their formations and preserve them to this day? Weren''t Heaven also one of the primordial tribes? Did they just raise their gs seeing the army and didn''t even bother to fight?"


    Standing next to him with hands behind his back, Ophion listened to the whines of the new rank 2 of Nexus with an amused expression.


    "Why? Are you frustrated the Sera tribe couldn''t do the same to Ares?"


    "Of course! If Ares were like Heaven, we''d be ruling Eden already. But those Ares bastards didn''t even leave us a pot, forget a formation, they sacrificed everything in the forbidden reg¡­." Rakz suddenly stiffened and turned to his side.


    The slit-eyed man watched him worldlessly, an amused expression on his face, but his eyes were flickering, as if he was considering something dangerous.


    Rakz made a strained smile but the anger in his eyes was barely restrained.


    ''This is why we shouldn''t have Chaos powerhouses. This snake was docile when you were alive, Master. But when you three died, he''s showing his true colors again. A chaos being like him would never be loyal to our Order.


    Ares descendants like him, near or descendant, must remain under heel. They should never be our equal.''


    Controlling his inner turmoil as grief once again threatened to overtake him, Rakz whispered. "Excuse me."


    With a sh of light, he vanished into the distance.


    "Arghhh!"


    With a war cry, he joined his avatars in attacking the massive barrier. Ophion''s own avatars were attacking ceaslessly.


    The barrier was dimming but it was nowhere near breaking.


    ''It could take five months.''


    "Hm?"


    The barrier showed ripples from the other side.


    Raising an eyebrow, Ophion noted King Hades personally attacking the barrier.


    ''Two months.''


    Then a burst of life aura spread across the perimeter of Silver City.


    ''That woman is reckless. One month.''


    Ophion''s vision prated through the barrier, skipped the magnificient buildings in the city and locked onto the grand pce at the center.


    The pce of God Emperor.


    Araboth.


    Once he got his hands on its treasures, Ophion was certain the bottleneck would break.


    High rank 2 would only a matter of time.


    ''And then what? Unless I''m very lucky, I doubt I''d find anything to push me to peak rank 2 with Hades standing in my way.''


    Ophion narrowed his eyes and turned back, his perception spanning an entire gxy and reaching the edge of milkyway.


    ''Perhaps¡­''


    While a month had passed since the invasion of Jai began, Genesis had beenpletely shaken.


    Humanity was the foremost target of persecution, but not the only one. The scale of violence in broad day light was too much even for many stone hearted men to bear.


    Curfews were announced across many kingdoms and the state openly endorsed the brutal massacres.


    Over 50% of all existing humans were killed. 20% were enved with brutal conditions.


    It happened too fast for them to react and group together. When they finally realized what they were up against, they were already being hunted down in the streets.


    Thankfully, some human leaders were wise enough to notice the signs and upon the first sign of trouble, they sent their members to convince the loyalist faction.


    The envoy team could only marvel at their wisdom as convincing the loyalists took significantly more time than expected.


    And the loyalists themselves, true to their name, locked away the call for help in a secret realm lest someone steal it.


    They truly treated it as ast resort, something they would only use when their group would be pushed to the verge of extinction.


    But the brutality outside and sympathy for fellow beings made them use up the precious resource and call for Hortus.


    After passing throughplex space tunnels, the envoys found themselves standing in a green pasture.


    The soft grass with hints of dew was veryforting after all the blood they had to witness.


    The gentle music of rivers flowing nearby soothed their soul, healing the trauma they endured as they heard the screams and cries of the dying.


    White winged horses neighed as they took off to flight, spreading their wings that reflected the brilliant sunlight.


    The crew shielded their eyes with the back of their hand and held their breath.


    When the magnificient creature left, they subconsciously breathed in and the fresh air filled their lungs, relieving them of tension they didn''t even realize they were holding.


    "This¡­" The eyes of a young woman watered and she copsed to her knees. Touching the soft grass and breathing in the fresh air, she looked up at the blue sky, muttering. "Paradise. This is paradise."


    The crew of envoys were taken aback by her words and then either sighed or fell deathly silent.


    To be selected for this critical mission, they were all young and wise or belonged to certain lineages.


    So, they knew it far more clearly than the emotional young woman.


    Indeed, this was Paradise. If this wasn''t Paradise, then what was?


    But if they acknowledged it like her, they''d have to go back and ask their parents an important, painful question.


    ''Why did you leave the Paradise?''


    Why were humans not satisfied with the world where you had everything? Why did you break out of it? It wasn''t our cage, it was our sanctuary!


    But then the answers were bound to disappoint them. Their parents would most likely regret it.


    The painful part wasn''t that.


    It''s that if they grew up like their parents in the conditions they did, then they too would''ve done the same thing! There was no doubt about it!


    And if their parents were born in their generation, they too would question their parents for foolishly leaving this Paradise.


    But the wise young men and women didn''tin about thisplex situation.


    Unless one was very wise, it was hard to see some obvious truths in sight. And the rebellion that was headed for the quest of freedom was built on feelings, not wisdom.


    It seemed that humans preferred freedom overfort in the period of safety. And safey over freedom in the period of danger.


    The same Paradise they despised in times of safety would turn into their sanctuary during times of danger.


    Perhaps it''s not as much as the fault of their parents as much as it''s the fault of human nature.


    Didn''t the life rankers say that humanity was an experiment of Devas who injected the apes with a quality called curiosity.


    Curiosity was both the gift and curse of mankind.


    Curiosity would push them to explore the unknown, allow them the possibility to find great secrets of the universe and take risks that would give them immense prosperity.


    Curiosity would also push them away from safe harbors into unknown and sometimes the unknown would be dangerous things that were better left unexplored.


    For better or worse, Humans were a curios race.


    Their nature, embedded deep into their genes, pushed the ancient monkeys to leave the safe trees and venture the riskynd.


    Their descendants, even far into the future, also pushed themselves to explore the world beyond the paradise.


    In that sense, perhaps it''s not so surprising. It''s almost inevitable.


    The sky rumbled without warning and the train of thoughts were interrupted.


    And then they saw it.


    "I-It¡­"


    A pair of wings!


    A pair of wings that stretched from one end of the horizon to the other end.


    Radiating a powerful aura that would make even the strongest of humanity¡ªa pseudo divine¡ªkneel in awe, the wings pped once.

 Chapter 1699: Oob and Boo

    "You didn''t do anything stupid until now. So you won''t be killed." The voice was directed at the envoys.


    And then the pair of wings turned to the single loyalist who apanied them, toa young nymph who recently turned 25.


    It''s been more than fifty years since humanity away from this Paradise. The nymphs were originally a highly selective race that mated only with the best of the best.


    With only a few hundred of them left, they were on the verge of extinction when they were about to leave and begged him.


    While they did not recieve a chance to be a concubine or even just bear his child as their ancestors and their ancestor''s ancestors hoped, they did recieve a solution to the problem.


    Akin to a world tree that could bear elves without a mate, the nymphs recieved a different flower each. If they cared for the flower, nurtured it well and willed for it, it would eventually bear a child.


    The flowers could even birth more flowers, given enough time and resources.


    The Nymphs that were on the verge of extinction were saved. And in just fifty years, they bounced back from a pitiful 500 to an astonishing 50,000.


    It was a story that could go down in the history of eden races. It''s extremely rare for a race so close to extinction to bounce back. And bounce back so well.


    Of course, the rate of growth would slow down once the numbers grewrge. It wasn''t enough to just bear children, they also had to be raised well.


    And Nymphs, for all their faults, were excellent mothers. It''s in their very nature to care and nurture.


    Given a century or two, they''d be in a few millions. And a few more centuries, they''d be able to cross a billion.


    A billion wasn''t a big number for any race. It wouldn''t even make themparable to some races that dominated provinces.


    But the differenceid out in the fact that as formers Hortians, their average rank was far higher than any other race outside.


    If raised properly, then this one billion would a terrible force to reckon with. Perhaps no kindom in the empire would be willing or even able to confront the monstrous army.


    Thankfully for them, Nymphs didn''t were a warring race.


    "Chloe!" The pair of wings called out in a soft voice,pletely different from the solemn tone used for the envoys.


    The nymph who was maintaing a proper posture for a guest blinked in surprise and then looked up in amazement.


    "O-Oob uncle? When you have grown so big? You''re like a roc!"


    "Uncle? Who is the uncle!" The wings shrank to a handful size and hovered over Chloe''s head, pping around her in reproachment.


    "You are the uncl¡ªouch!" Chloe pointed out inly and Oob knocked her lightly on the head.


    "A brat, always a brat! Hmph!" Oob folded its wings in front of Chloe and seemed to pout.


    Chloe smiled brightly, the nervousness on her face melting away. "What happened tounching the Lord''s logo with your symbol? And the caption, Fly with the wings¡ªall the way to Paradise."


    "Ahem, ahem, ahem." Oob folded its wings and coughed.


    "Yes?" Chloe tilted her head, a curious look in her eyes.


    "T-That is¡­Hahaha, that is¡­" Oob tried to find an answer and in trying to do so, red at the half-curious, half-shocked envoys. They froze in shock and stepped back. Why? Why not?


    "The l-logo of L-Lord is¡­"


    "Hm, what happened?" Chloe insisted.


    "I''ll tell you what happened!" A cute ghost appeared out of nowhere.


    "Hey, Boo, shut u¡ªmmff!" The wings was punched back from interrupting by the excited ghost.


    "Oob was too excited that day and bragged about the wingsing to represent the Lord''s legacy. That much was fine. But then Oob also praised how Hazel was the closest to lord with her wings, she''d be assciated by everyone in the future as his closest associate."


    As Boo finished its gossip in high pitch, Oob''s wings faltered and curled itself.


    "Errr," Chloe was young, naive and a little too sympathetic. But she was still an adult. "Those final words, you really shouldn''t hav¡ª"


    Oob unfurled its wings and shouted in frustration. "I know, I know! And I was even stupid to say that while Lady Sia was present."


    Chloe gave him a sympathetic look while Boo burst into a fit ofughter. "You deserved it! You totally deserved it."


    "I did." Oob sighed powerlessly, wings floating with the wind. "She plucked my wings that day and reced them with chicken wings. Only after he intervened did she let me go. And that was a monthter."


    Chloe covered her mouth, trying to suppress the chuckle that threatened to break out. She really wanted to see the ever active Oob waving its chicken wings.


    Even though she knew it was a bit impolite, she couldn''t help but ask. "W-Were they live wings or f-fried wings?"


    "Ahahahahaha!" Boo clutched its stomach and rolled in the air while Oob froze as if shocked at the possibility.


    "Boo will tell her next time. It''s a great idea! Chloe, you are really the best!"


    Chloe smiled cutely at the praise.


    Her childhoodhad great days with these two visiting the Nymph city regrly. In their own words, it was a ''We''re not here for sight seeting, we''re purely to check on your condition, yep, that''s right''.


    What Chloe didn''t know was that with Varian missing for fifty years, Hortus was closed off. But when Prim and Aurora were captured, Boo and Oob would go outto check clues.


    They didn''t know it was Asherah who kidnapped her. So, they kept searching and searching.


    The two in fact braved many dangers in their adventures and came out on top. During these dangerous times, they would visit the settlements of the loyalists, checking on them. It was both a duty and a relief.


    Chloe was one of the many children they had watched grown up. And they really liked the girl too.


    Perhaps that''s why she''s sent here as the representative of the loyalist faction even though there were far more humans and elves than the fifty thousand nymphs.


    "Um, O-Oob Uncle, can we mee¡ª"


    "Hey." Oob suddenly turned in the direction of the young man, wings turning crimson. "Who is your uncle? If you try that once more, I''ll throw you to a metal serpents. They have a thing for cutting their food into pieces before digesting."


    The jovial atmosphere suddenly turned tense.


    Boo''s voice too turned cold and unweing. "So what are you here for anyway? If it''s just sight seeing, you''ve seen enough."


    Chloe fidgeted as she never saw them so cold. "I-I¡­brought them here."


    "Why?" Oob asked softly, but its voice was still strained.


    Chloe took a deep breath and said with a resolute gaze. "T-They are all being killed. All over the empire! Every Hortian is being hunted down. P-Please save them! I¡­I b-beg the lord to save them."


    "Chloe," Oob said softly. "Your people, the Nymphs, the lightning elves, the final human faction, all you loyalists will face no harm during such cmities. Master would not intervene but we are enough to protect you."


    Boo nodded withposure. Their adventures pushed Boo''s soul to a higher rank, making it some sort of a big boss in celestial ranks. Not as strong as Oob, but it''s still a formidable opponent for these kingdoms.


    What''s more, Boo''s physical body removed the biggest weakness soul awakeners typically face¡ªphysical defense.


    Even though the material it built itself was scraps that Sarah discarded from her training room, what she considered scraps were something even low rank 1s would find hard to break.


    In that sense, while Boo was weaker than Oob in offense, its ability to protect was way higher.


    "W-We''re asking for help. Please save us." A brown-haired man bowed deeply and pleaded in a steady voice.


    "We can''t save you." Oob said coldly. "We don''t want to. And even if wanted to, we simply don''t have the capability to affect the entire empire."


    The petite woman next to him bowed quickly. "W-We plead for the Emperor''s mercy."


    A moment of silence passed before Oob chuckled. Boo joined.


    Since they didn''t bother to change their voices, their sounds were cute. But neither the brown-haired man nor the pink-haired woman or any of the envoys felt d.


    It was a mockingughter, one that came without trying.


    "Emperor?" Boo finally said, its small face contorting. "The day the empire vanished, so did the emperor. There is no emperor anymore."


    The two envoys panicked and turned to others for help.


    The purple haired woman took a deep breath and said in a pleading tone. "Lord Boo, Lord Oob, we understand why you hate us. Rightfully so. We too regret what happened. Our parents are the same and even their parents too.


    But somethings are simply not meant to be. We will regret what we have done. Hortus will remain an unreachable Paradise for us. It is already turning into a fabled myth, my people believe it''s the destination for those who die after doing good deeds."


    "What are you trying to say?" Boo asked, frowning.


    "This is our only chance of survival. We will be ughtered or enved if He doesn''t help us. If that''s what He wills, we will bow our heads and ept our fate. But whether life or death, let us hear the words from him.


    If he doesn''t help, this will be thest time we''ll see him anyway.


    If he does want to help, then all the more reason we should see him."


    Oob looked at the woman deeply for a long time and the woman lowered her head, silent and still. She was nervous but she certainly wasn''t scared.


    "You were prepared for death since the beginning, huh." Oob finally said. "So you gave your best shot anyway. I still don''t want to take you but girl, you know what you are doing. I''ll request an audience."


    The woman''s shoulders rxed and she sighed in relief.


    Perhaps they had a chance. Perhaps.


    "But be warned, Master is in the middle of a very, very important task. He might decline my request right away." Oob said.


    The hope that just rose in Athena''s heart shattered and she rebuked herself for having any hope in the first ce.


    Hope in the face of inevitable only prolonged suffering when reality eventually strikes.


    Oob''s wings shone and it whispered something softly to the air.


    The six envoys remained silent, not even daring to breathe. Chloe bit her lip, looking at them with an anxious gaze.


    Oob sighed.


    That sigh nearly caused their hearts to break.


    "A short meeting is granted."

 Chapter 1700: Man Of Myths

    The world seemed to blink as everything shifted and the group of seven found themselves on top of a great mountain in the clouds.


    Just stepping into this ce pushed there divine paths further. Even the grass growing in this ce was something powerful celestials would fight over.


    "What is it?"


    A strong voice sounded and a man appeared soundlessly in front of them.


    When they tried to look him in the eye, something from their inside screamed with fear and they instinctively lowered their heads.


    As he sat down naturally, a throne was formed under him. The great mountain glowed with a silver light and it transformed into a grand, ancient throne hall.


    He didn''t even let out a wisp of aura but the hearts of everyone in the group beat uncontrobly, as if they''re about to burst.


    They long forgot to breathe. No. They didn''t dare to breathe. Their bodies lost that courage.


    "I don''t have all day." His voice didn''t have any hint of emotion. That was worse than anger. It showed that he had no attachment to them or their situation.


    "E-Emp," Athena, the purple haired woman, gritted her teeth and tried to speak.


    She had an urge to close her eyes and just ept death than speak in this room. But speak she must.


    "L-Lord," She corrected herself. "P-Please save us."


    The man on the throne remained silent.


    So, she continued to speak, even though her soul felt like it was about to crumble any second.


    It was also at this moment that she and every single of the envoys realized the ''victory'' rebels obtained wasn''t a victory.


    It was mercy.


    There''s no way anyone could win against him. It was simplyughable that some section of humanity still believed they defeated the Lord of Hortus and advocated to defeat him again to snatch Hortus in this tumultuous times.


    Forget them, even the strongest princes of the empire, heck, even All Mother Asherah herself were nothing in front of this man.


    Not everyone knew, but Athena was certain that he was the phantom that stepped over the gxy that day.


    He''s beyond what humans could even think of.


    If he wanted them to live, they would live. If he wanted them to die, then even if they''re protected by divine rankers, they would die miserably.


    All of Genesisbined wouldn''t be able to stop him.


    "W-We are being ughtered¡­every one of us¡­every faction¡­every n¡­in every kingdom. More than half of us already died. A lot many were enved. We¡­we don''t want to¡­like this¡­"


    As she described their state, even Athena who prepared herself to death couldn''t help but sob.


    Where had the mental strength she''s so proud of gone?


    As she began describing their plight, the others already staring crying.


    Chloe covered her face, tears spilling from the gaps. Boo and Oob didn''t enter the hall. And facing with the man she heard about since birth, she couldn''t help but cry for help.


    She too was pressured by his presence. Of the sheer power he held withoutt even trying. But instead of fear, she felt dependence. If he could help, then everything would be okay.


    Athena knelt, head pressing to the ground, the tears streaming down her cheeks sshing on the floor. "Please save us."


    Along with Chloe, the five envoys knelt and begged. "Save us."


    A deep sigh sounded in the hall.


    There was no response to their plea. Only merciless silence that hurt harsher than des slicing into their flesh.


    The man who no longer called himself an Emperor remained on the throne, seemingly staring at them but also through and beyond them into a void they couldn''t fathom.


    Boo and Oob did not enter the throne hall. Only the envoys and Varian remained in the hall.


    Minutes trickled by and then hours.


    The ''avatar'' in the throne hall was lost in thought as the main body reached the conclusion of the 76th experiment on Aurora.


    "Geez, stop worrying about it already. I''ve already epted my fate. You should too. The experiments are just pain and nothing else."


    Adjusting her disheveled hair, wiping away the sweat, Aurora steadied herself and pouted at the man lost in thought.


    "Brother-inw, are you listening?"


    "Ah. Yeah." Brows furrowed, Varian nodded absent mindedly.


    It didn''t take much for someone of his power to split a strand of consciousness to appear attentive but he didn''t even leave behind any thinking capacity for his avatar, much less himself.


    His entire focus was on the experiment that just ended. After ruminating everything that happened, he wanted to re-check the results onest time.


    "Aurora." He said softly and the woman sighed, shoulders drooping.


    "You won''t leave me until I obey, will you?" Putting on a resentful gaze, she stretched her hand.


    The experiment could also be done without contact but like the power of soul, direct touch ensured minimal loss of power. Even though the loss was less than ~1%, Varian wanted to do everything right.


    Grabbing her hand, he first poured the power of space-time shards into her.


    The shards sank into her like water sinking into a sponge and traveled through her physical body, into her soul before reaching her origin.


    Powers of space-time acted on the cracked origin. They sessfully reversed the time to the instance where the origin first cracked.


    They next tried to enter the origin. All the changes so far were done externally, on the space-time of the whole environment.


    Now, the attempt was to do it internally. The blend of powers reached the origin and entered in.


    Aurora''s face paled as she began to tremble, cracks appearing on her skin as if she''s a porein doll that''s about to shatter.


    Varian adjusted her vitality and kept her safe while he waited for the space-time power to continue.


    They tried to morph the Origin itself, to stop it from breaking any further by changing its time field.


    "Arghh!" Aurora bit Varian''s shoulder as a terrible pain coarsed through her soul.


    Varian remained motionless as his own blood sshed over his neck and continued.


    As observed, space-time shards were unable to affect the Origin.


    Next, he used Samsara to manipte the Origin.


    A few minutester, Aurora bit his neck as her mental state began to deteoriate.


    Not minding the light injuries, he noted the failure of Life-Death slivers in affecting the Origin and sent Logos atst.


    By now, Aurora''s body was covered with faint lines with red light leaking out of the cracks, eyes and nose bleeding.


    She babbled iprehensible words and whenever the pain coursed through her body, flung her limbs wildly in a bid to escape.


    Even though he took as much care as he could to decrease her pain, three pair of sliver powers was pushing her to the brink.


    Low rank 2s with arge life experience and mental fortitude would run this horror.


    But Aurora attended every session. Even though she seemed resentful of these experiments, Varian could see a glimmer of hope in her eyes as she bore through that terrible pain.


    ''You want to live, don''t you? Even though you keep saying you''re ready for death, you want to live.''


    So, even though it was painful to watch her like this, Varian did his best.


    As the power of Order and Chaos entered her Origin, the white sphere remained still, like it did for the power of other two slivers.


    Then, just so slightly that it''s nearly unnoticable, it shook.

 Chapter 1701: Asymmetry of Divine Paths

    It was a subtle movement, something even rank 2s would overlook. But as he was observing it with all his focus, Varian captured it clearly.


    He only had doubts about this before, wondering if it was a perception mistake on his part. But redoing the experiment confirmed his suspicions.


    The changes were exactly the same as thest time.


    Long back when Logos first awakened, Varian watched in wonder as it repaired his broken guantlets.


    Gradually, he came to realize it wasn''t a repair in the traditional sense. Logos simply returned ''Order'' to the chaotic system of broken pieces.


    Origin might''ve just shaken but what it was doing was a simr process. It initiated the process to restore Order to the Origin. Even though the process never went through, this already gave him hope.


    It remained passive showing no response whatsover to the other two slivers. But with Logos, it had a different reaction.


    (Why? Why? You jealous @#$@#! You are hindering my powers, aren''t you?) Samsara began using Logos without holding back.


    [¡­It is odd.] Logos alsomented, skepticism bleeding into her usually stoic voice.


    (Odd? It is tant! All slivers are equal, I''m better than you, but anyway, there is no reason you can do something I cannot do¡ªunless you intervened.)


    [Maybe you''re just too weak?]


    (Then the response should be weak, not absent. You rigged the results, ept it, you #@!&^)


    Varian ignored the lively chatter. But he too had the same doubts.


    In fact, the argument of weaker or stronger wouldn''t make sense as he sent only a strand of both slivers into Aurora''s origin. And before he did, he ensured they were both equivalent in quality. Even the space-time shards produced an equivalent strand of power.


    The symmetry of divine paths states that there should be no difference in the results.


    ''There is something here. Why is Logos able to do this?'' Varian couldn''t see why.


    All divine paths and their corresponding slivers were supposed to be equal. That''s something he learned long ago from Sarah''s mother and that lesson was only reinforced as he grew stronger.


    Sure, some paths are more suitable in some situations than others. But that''s due to the environment.


    In a void environment, all paths were equal at a fundamental level. Perhaps some would have weaker offense capabilities, some weaker movement, but at a fundamental level, they should be equals.


    "Hngh!"


    At the pained groan of Aurora, Varian threw off those thoughts and focused on healing her.


    A few momentster, she adjusted herself once again and rolled her eyes at him. "I''m going."


    "The 77th experimen¡ª"


    "Meh, I have a treasure hunt with Sia in the evening." Aurora hopped out of the door and made a face at him, like a student who''s getting away from a boring ss.


    "But Aurora, this is about your survival!"


    "Exactly! I want to enjoy my final hours, not experience that pain!" As she said those words, she paused in her steps and turned to look at him.


    Her eyes shone brightly as she gave him a bright smile. "Please don''t worry about me. There are some who you can''t save. As long as you can save who you can, don''t feel guilty."


    Varian watched as she vanished into the distance, humming a new song Enigmaposed at theirst camping.


    He never thought Enigma would do something like that. But maybe it''s beacuse she wanted Aurora to enjoy her final days, the silentdy came up with a beautiful song.


    After ensuring Aurora was far enough, Varian sealed the room and copsed onto the floor, blood rapidly pouring out of his eyes, nose and mouth.


    "Damn!"


    His body twitched violently before his flesh was spliced into pieces and his body was in pieces.


    A few minutester, Varian stood up, back in his peak condition and cleaned up the mess.


    Breaching an origin was no small matter. He had to guide the strand of slivers and it gave him a huge bacsh.


    Thankfully, it was only pain and nothing more. But even a divine ranker like him wished to avoid the experience if he had an option. Unfortunately, he had no other option.


    He did have the idea to lend Logos to her for some time to fix her Origin. But Logos informed him that it was bound to Varian. To try and take it away from him would mean ripping it away from his Origin. And he couldn''t do it himself.


    If he really wanted, he''d need the assistance of someone far stronger than him. Ophion and Hades weren''t strong enough. Perhaps Keman and Yami would''ve been good candidates but they''re gone.


    "If I can make mini-slivers, then maybe there is a chance." Varian muttered.


    But they''d take at least a year. It''s such a long time. Of course,pared to Keman and Yami who had to spend more than a million years, this was a blink. Yet, a blink was far too long.


    [What about shards?]


    "Making shards is different from making mini-slivers. I don''t know how to make them. And I can''t control them once I give them to her. Aurora has to activate them herself.


    And even after she does, her Origin has to be attuned to recieve the assistance. Even if I do it manually like I''m doing now, her origin will start rejecting the external interference soon and copse more violently."


    (B-But how can an Origin can be changed? It sounds ridiculous.)


    It was truly ridiculous if even the sliver of life and death felt so. But again, as Varian grew, he hade to see these slivers as just vastly powerful creations and not anywhere close to omnipotence and omniscience he once assumed.


    "It sounds ridiculous but I am not sure if it''s impossible." Varian replied.


    The sad part was that even if it''s possible, researching something like that would take months for him on a very optimistic estimate.


    He''d be happy if he had a month. But would she be able to drag on for a full month?


    Rubbing his eyebrows, Varian nced out, his vision piercing through the exquisite door and stretching across the grasnds, reaching a quiet corner by theke.

 Chapter 1702: Kingdom of Man

    Dusk was upon thend, the beautiful rays of the sun painting the forest and theke in a mncholic orange.


    Kicking the pebbles by the river, Aurora joined Sia with a cheerful face. "I never yed treasure hunt before! I mean, I did hunt for treasures, but¡­"


    She trailed off, fidgeting with an awkward face. Perhaps she felt Sia would be upset.


    On the contrary, Sia showed a bright smile. Handing over an old parchment, she said. "Great! It makes the instructions easier. These are the clues left by Enigma. We''ll seal our powers to a level 1 mortal and try to find the treasures individually. Hazel and Helena have prepared the traps and will keep an eye on us."


    Aurora nodded, her pale face lighting up.


    It was odd to watch Sia get along with Aurora so well. She hadn''t been hostile but she wasn''t very friendly either.


    But ever since Aurora''s condition had been revealed, Sia was the one who spent every day with her.


    Enigma apanied her from time to time but she took care of Prim whose emotions were still in turmoil. Unlike Aurora, Prim was still a teenager who couldn''t stomach the death of a loved one, even if it''s someone she had no memories of.


    Isadora and Sarah both locked themselves to try and find a solution to the problem.


    With Enigma mostly taking care of Prim, Sia and Aurora ended up spending a lot of time together.


    Even Evander would visit them from time to time, talking about his old days of glory and talking to the ''younger'' woman about the values of courage andraderie.


    Hazel dedicated herself to ensuring Aurora got stuffed with delicious food everyday, food so good that Miss Cmity muttered it wasn''t too bad dying after eating such delicacies.


    On the other hand, Helena would watch them. For hours upon end, wherever they went, whatever they did. Then she''d draw and paint.


    In their own way, within their own power, everyone was trying to do something about the departure of this dear one.


    Varian, Sarah and Isadora were trying to reverse her fate. Sia, Enigma and the maids were trying to ept.


    Aurora herself said she epted her fate but did she?


    Varian took a deep breath and his attention finally turned to his avatar.


    ''Please save us.''


    If they had a choice, humans wanted to live. Even if a few more lives were saved, they''d be grateful.


    So¡­


    ''Please save us.''


    If she had a choice, Aurora too would chose to be saved.


    ''Please save us.''


    Varian''s body shone and he appeared in his ce of his avatar. Looking down at the envoys, he pursed his lips.


    Perhaps if it was another time, he wouldn''t have been this easy to convince. But he was already in a struggle to save Aurora. He understood the pain of trying to save and not being able to save very deeply.


    ''Or maybe even without Aurora, I''d have still agreed. Even if there is no empire, even if there are not citizens, they are still the humans¡­descendants of the federation I grew up in.''


    A deep sigh rang in the throne hall. The ears of the envoys perked up and their breaths grew weak. The hearts began thumping in their chests as if they''d break out any moment.


    Something¡­something had changed!


    They couldn''t understand what. But something in the throne hall changed!


    Varian raised a finger and the envoys were lifted by an invisible force. They were able to see him now. And stood frozen as the man of myths appeared so young, powerful and¡­mystical.


    "This time, I will save. But humanity has to take care of itself. By the next time¡­I might not be around."


    The envoys bowed repeatedly, nodding and thanking him with esoteric praises, as if he was some deity.


    Only Chloe looked at him with silent worry. ''Not around?''


    Like everyone else, she too assumed he''s going to leave Eden. But Varian actually meant he might not be alive the next time humanity needed help.


    Fighting against God Emperor¡­was as life threatening as it could get. But the belief that he was going to die was reinforced by something else.


    The eyes that were imprinted in his soul. Those cold, emotionless, indifferent eyes.


    Eyes that seemed to see through everything andugh at his deepest worries and faintest fears.


    They were telling him without speaking a single word. And Varian felt like he could hear it.


    ''It''s futile. It''s all futile.''


    Maybe it was futile. But he wouldn''t be Varian if he gave up without trying. Yet, he had to make preparations in case he''s really gone.


    "M-My Lord, w-will you send your army to p-protect the weak?" The brown-haired man asked in a trembling voice, despite gathering as much as courage as he could. "T-They are being hunted down as we speak. I beg you."


    Varian shook his head. "There is another way."


    The throne hall shed and they all appeared in a vast expanse of space. The veil of darkness was only pierced by the twinkling of distant stars.


    "T-This¡­"


    "Between Milkyway and Andromeda," Varian said and raised his arms.


    Fifty years ago, many satellite gxies surrounding milkway were destroyed due to the God Emperor. Since they were only affected by the aftermath, most of them were crushed and got lost into the deeper space.


    And now, with the power of space-time and order-chaos¡ª


    "W-What?!"


    "I am dreaming!"


    From the selected debris of the fallen gxies, a magnificient kingdom began to take shape. Varian built it as faithful to the natural structure of creation as possible.


    In just six hours, a brilliant region spanning the area of an entire kingdom was built. Compared to any kingdom, it was filled with far denser aura.


    While it was mostly empty space with raw materials to leave the construction upto the settlers, the few buildings it had were magnificent. Their brilliance lit up the darkness.


    Needless to say, these buildings would be the source of inspiration for most of the structures that were going to be built there.


    "This is your kingdom. Elysium."

 Chapter 1703: Imperfection

    "Elysium."


    "Elysium, Elysium, Elys¡­"


    The eyes of the envoys started to tear up.


    The tear drops fell and as they did, they glowed as a subtle light passed through them.


    Athena rubbed her eyes and turned to the source of that light.


    "I-Is that¡­" The youngdy pointed in confusion at the marks on one of the many grand gate to the entrance city of the kingdom.


    "Yes. The judgement gates of the now extinct sea-farer tribe. If you manage to pass through them with your own strength, your soul will be tempered, regardless of your path." Varian said.


    "B-But that is a great treasure! Only their capital city''s elites were allowed to use it."


    He nodded lightly. "The satellite gxies had a lot of ruins. Their treasures are integrated into the kingdom. I''m calling it a kingdom but with the treasures it has, it might as well be a half-empire."


    The envoys were dumbfounded. They were just looking for a way out. As long as humanity could survive, their purpose would be fulfilled and they were even ready to sacrifice their lives for it.


    But what''s in front of them wasn''t just a refugee for survival, it''s a marvelous creation befitting a ruling race.


    This put them below the four ruling tribes. It was a precarious position. Status and resources not backed by strength only brought danger.


    "Of course," Varian narrowed his eyes and beckoned at the empty space. "These treasures will cause you problems, so some counter measures are necessary."


    A pair of wings materialized over the kingdom.


    "Oob, fill out the gaps please."


    "Of course!"


    The power of Logos emerged behind Varian, forming a symbol of Yin-Yang. And then, thews of Order and Chaos enveloped the kingdom.


    Simr to the rules he encountered in Fabricator''s Paradise, he set up certain ''rules'' in the Kingdom.


    Using Oob as a model, the Kingdom was given a ''Royal Will'' which would act as the ultimate authority.


    There could be elected rulers in the future but they would be under the watch of a neutral, all-epassing Royal Will immune to coercion, maniption and deception.


    The creation of the Royal Will and its perfection took about as long as the creation of the kingdom itself.


    Varian didn''t mind. With another beckoning, Prim appeared next to him.


    Even though he still treated her as a teenager, she seemed to be a twenty-year old woman already.


    She lowered her head after ncing at his face, fists clenched at sides. Reflecting on her outburst, Prim realized that she shouldn''t have said those words.


    He was powerless as her mother died, perhaps the most powerless he ever felt in his life. If there''s a way, he would''ve tried. Too bad, it''s impossible.


    And now, he''s once again faced with an impossible challenge. How could he save someone whose very Origin was broken?


    Yet, she spoke those harsh words to someone who''s trying his best in a hopeless situation.


    "I¡­I''m¡­sor¡ª"


    "I need your help." Varian interrupted.


    He didn''t fault her words. He''s only worried she hadn''t digested Esh''s death. Giving her some work would let her focus on something else and hopefully, lessen her pain.


    At the mention of the word ''help'', Prim raised her head, booming with anticipation. "Anything for you!"


    The envoys were shocked at her response and immediately lowered their head.


    The historical records spoke of the devil who single-handedly crushed the entire rebellion.


    Crimson Thorn, Prim Konstant.


    "Oversee the settlement of Hortians in the kingdom until they get started." Varian said.


    "Of course, brother." Prim smiled sweetly at him and turned to the envoys. Her face turned icy cold and with a chilling expression, she said. "Since it''s my beloved brother''s creation, I will not allow any low life to step into the city. All the residents will be properly screened. Unworthy mongrels will be thrown into ckholes."


    The envoys flinched, their bodies shivering from her chilling tone.


    "Shall we go gather them now?" Prim seemed to ask for their opinion but they never had a choice anyway.


    Gulping their saliva, the envoys nodded with pale faces. The stories they grew up listening to mentioned how terrible she was.


    They used to think they were exaggerations. And now, they realized they downyed the horror.


    Just standing in her presence was causing their souls to crumble. Just how many did she kill to have such killing intent?


    Stuck in the nine year cycle, Prim lived violently until she met Varian. Even though she no longer had to start over, the killing intent from all those cycles remained.


    Those traces of massacres scared the envoys but they were too light for Varian for him to actively take note of them.


    "We''ll cover the P kingdom first." The youngest as well as the oldest member of the Konstant family spoke.


    "Don''t bother." Varian tapped at the void in front.


    The space rippled and a white light shone from the tip of his finger. And then the ripple spread out at an unbelievable speed, covering the entire empire.


    All the divine rankers in the alliance felt a great power hovering them. The Jai princes who were putting up a futile resistance against also paused at his aura.


    Even inthe capital city where the rank 2s of the alliance were gathered, the disturbance were felt.


    They all turned to this direction and Varian smiled, as if daring them to stop him.


    Interestingly, Asherah and Ophion withdrew their perceptions after a brief moment. Hades didn''t even bother to check.


    ''The King of Undead is onto something critical.''


    Wondering what he''s really seeking, Varian tapped the void once again, causing a ripple of green.


    With the power of space-time, he already enveloped the entire empire. With the power of life-death, he locked onto all hortians.


    "Come home."


    With a clench of his fist, a massive power erupted across the empire, the clean fabric of space-time got pierced with billions of holes.


    A few momentster, billions upon billions of humans, elves, sanguines and other hortians appeared in front of the kingdom.


    Some of them dying, many of them injured, all of them dumbfounded.


    "I''ll take care of them, brother. I know you''re busy." Prim said and Oob pped its wings. The huge poption vanished to some other ce where they would be properly screened.


    "You too,e with me. Don''t disturb him anymore." She turned to the envoys and said in a cold tone.


    As she was about to take them away, a panicked but curious voice sounded. "G-Great Lord! Would the Royal Will be under risk of hacking? What if someone gains control over it? Or bypasses it?"


    "Hey, don''t you understand? His time is precious!" Prim scowled, her aura rising like a tide and pressing down on the lean man.


    "B-But¡­"


    Varian decided to leave. He couldn''t afford to waste more time than he did.


    ''That boy is braver than he looks, hmmm?''


    He turned around smoothly and scanned the envoys the pale thin man who was about to be politely taken away by Prim.


    A lean ck haired youth who''s 80% human, 20% elf.


    And a trace of the bloodline flowing inside him originated from¡­


    ''Kyle and Maya.''


    Varian took a breath and checked the other two. There''s no way this was a coincidence. The envoys were carefully selected.


    He checked the remaining five and as expected, two were descendants of friends.


    The delicate, green haired woman had the bloodline of Nial family. Even though Irene Nial herself left behind no descendants, she had distant rtives.


    And the blonde man¡­


    ''Bali!''


    He missed a lot of things during those twenty thousand years.


    "Prim." Varian muttered.


    Realizing what he wanted, she stopped.


    With an amused expression, Varian said. "Hacking the royal will?"


    The thin man nodded with a timid expression. "Y-Yes. Not by a rank 2, of course. That''s obvious. We don''t have anything they''ll need. But by someone weaker."


    The other envoys closed their eyes in pain, cursing him for posing such a stupid question.


    By suggesting the creation could be dismantled by someone weaker, it seemed like he was questioning the creator''s capability.


    Prim pursed her lips, gaze locking onto this audacious little one.


    The envoys expected Varian to be pissed off but he surprisingly gave it some thought.


    "It''s not impossible." He nodded to himself. "I modelled the region after the universe. The rules imposed are also modelled after the cosmicws.


    But after all, it is an imperfect world no matter how hard I try. As long as it is imperfect, it can be exploited. In fact, if they manage to find those ws, even a non-divine ranker has a shot at hacking the Royal Will."


    The envoys gasped, fear creeping up their faces.


    "Don''t worry." Varian smiled. "It is a possibility, not a usibility. The hackers would need the help of at least six experts in the six paths to pull that off. And that''s just the starting point. Finding the imperfection is noughing matter even for a peak rank 1 divine."


    "I-I see!" The thin man bowed deeply, a satisfied face for having solved his curiosity.


    "L-Lord!" The green haired woman, Irene Nial''s descendant, shouted softly.


    "Hm?"


    "Y-You possess the power to do so and yet, why are you not stopping the war outside?" She asked with teary eyes.


    Prim red down at the woman but Irene''s descendant looked at Varian with an unflinching gaze.


    "I can''t." Varian exhaled. "I can''t stop Hades¡­yet. I might be able to persuade Ophion but that would put all of Jai under the Undead."


    The envoys looked at each other, unable to fullyprehend his words. Should they take it as an admission to the fact he would someday stop Hades? But how close was that someday?


    Didn''t divine rankers take millions of years to make any progress? Even though the myth of Varian himself was just a little over twenty thousand years old, could he really have the power to stop Hades one day?


    ''Var, we found something.''


    Varian''s brows suddenly frowned and he nodded to Prim. "Take care."


    As he began to vanish, he turned to the envoys and bid his farewell.


    "Don''t let me down. Don''t let humanity down. The future is in your hands."

 Chapter 1704: Broken Handle

    Sarah and Isadora locked themselves away in the obscure ancient texts since Aurora''s fate had been ordained.


    It was a futile attempt to save someone with a broken origin, even more futile than trying to calm down a forest fire with a ss of water.


    Varian walked through the well maintained floating gardens, down the red stone road, toward the spire of white.


    On the sides of the path, numerous Isadora came into sight, minds immersed as they scanned through an ancient book or an old research or older myths.


    From time to time, there were also multiple Sarah who sat nearby, checking through the texts read by nearby Isadora and adding her ownments.


    Even though the objects in their hands resembled books, these were far more advanced carriers of information. A single page might as well fill up a mortal library.


    Varian held his breath as he reached the entrance. He lookedposed and calm.


    But his eyes darted around the ind and then at therge blue stone door.


    It seemed intimidating.


    A funny notion to associate a door intimidating the man who retrieved broken gxies and forged the most brilliant kingdom.


    ''It''s a good news. Yes, it''s a good news.'' Varian told himself and stood up.


    A big reason he worked so hard on building them a good kingdom was because he was failing badly to save Aurora.


    For the brief period he spent with them, he thought that perhaps, this would also be easy enough.


    When he returned, reality weighed down.


    No matter how strong he grew, his challenges seemed to grow stronger with him, stronger than him.


    (Cheer up, Varian! It''s definitely a good news!) Samsara''s voice was filled with concern.


    Varian tried to smile.


    (Smile bright! This ce will have the answers. It got to have!)


    This ind in the sky stretched for miles and was shaped as a steep hill, resembling a mountain.


    Other than the tower at the very peak, it''s mostly covered in green due to the endless grass and stripes of all colors thanks to the seemingly unending rows of flowers.


    Gathering the texts from the Ares tribe, the ruins of Paradise and other ces that they visited, the inquisitive Sarah built this ind of knowledge.


    Thanks to the adventures of Boo and Oob, knowledge from across the empire was gathered here.


    Perhaps they really found a solution¡­


    Varian turned back to open the door and Logos'' cold, emotionless voice rang.


    [There is chaos going on in the Jai Empire. The abode of God Emperor is going to be breached. Spending so much time on this issue now is not wise, no matter how much you want to save her.]


    (Hey, but she''s dying! Poor Aurora!)


    [If he keeps wasting his time, more will die.]


    (A-A clone then? With my help, Var can make a clone close to 70% strength! Isn''t that amazing?)


    [Even at full strength, there is no certainty of him winning. Sending a clone is futile and will only make things worse.]


    (I-I¡­) Samsara stuttered, unable to defend her argument any further.


    [Varian, you should make a call. The time wasted is enough.]


    Varian''s hand grabbed the door handle and paused for a moment.


    [Your fate is messed up! It used to be a fog I can peek into. Now, it''s an abyss of darkness. I can''t see a thing! But I can sense it. I can see it now. Something. Something is looming.]


    Logos''posed voice suddenly grew panicked.


    Varian''s brows furrowed and before he could do anything else, Logos screamed, her voice broken and hysterical.


    [H-He ising! He ising!]


    And then, Logos fell silent.


    ''What happened? Logos? Logos, are you okay?''


    There was no response.


    ''Samsara, ask her to continue. What the hell is she talking about fate?''


    (Huh? When did she say fate?)


    Varian nearly yelled. ''Didn''t you just hear¡­?''


    (Huh? Logos, did you open a secretmunication channel? No, that''s impossible.)


    [Maybe he realized it even before I spoke. Varian, the Jai Empire''s fall will create a big ssh on his fate. You should g¡ª]


    ''Wait.'' Varian interrupted. ''Not that. Someone. He. He ising.''


    [Who? Who ising?] Logos asked in confusion.


    ''But you¡­''


    (Oops, Varian! I just checked! Your soul is under stress after trying to manage Origin. I should''ve healed you before hallucinations. Sorry, sorry. I''ll do it right away.)


    A soothing warmth enveloped Varian but all he felt was chilling coldness.


    Was it all an illusion?


    Varian slid down against the door and stared ahead with a nk gaze.


    ''Samsara, is there anything unusual in my soul?''


    Varian saw the glowing pair of eyes and clenched his jaw.


    (Huh? Well, just a little fatigued.)


    ''I see.'' Varian tried to smile but he couldn''t bring himself to do it. ''Are you sure you didn''t speak about fate before?''


    [Huh? Of course. Samsara, can''t you even heal his soul properly? He''s still not telling his hallucination apart from reality.]


    (I-I''m just being delicate because his soul is very fatigued!) Samsara defended herself and began to pour out her powers to kickstart another round of healing.


    [How is it?] Logos asked, the emotionless voice from before now filled with concern. [Are you okay?]


    Varian paused for a moment and took a deep breath. Then, he nodded lightly with an embarassed expression.


    ''Sorry to get you worried. Mistaking that for reality was such a stupid mistake.''


    [Don''t stress yourself anymore. Stop those experiments and focus on growing strong. You don''t have allies anymore, Varian. The old rulers are dead.]


    Varian stood up, grabbed the door''s handle. What happened just now was still swirling in his head.


    He desperately wanted to grow stronger as soon as he could. Even though a voice deep inside him said it''s all going to be futile anyway. No matter how much he advanced, he''s still going to be an ant facing a world ending storm.


    And yet, he wanted to find sce in taking cover under a fig leave called strength and hoped to be safe.


    [You need strength, Varian. Aurora won''t me you. Just stop it.]


    Logos was right. Aurora wouldn''t me him. And if she learned more about the situation, she might even kill herself so that he wouldn''t spend time on her.


    It made all the sense in the world to stop here, fight Hades, grab whatever valuable in the pce of God Emperor and grow.


    Maybe being a peak rank 2 couldn''t change anything. But rank 3?


    That should do something! So, he should jus¡ª


    Crack!


    The handle in his grip broke into pieces and Varian made his decision.


    With a loud boom, the door to the tower of knowledge opened.

 Chapter 1705: A Clue

    The tower of knowledge''s first floor was filled with rows upon rows of bookshelves inscribed with sealing formations. Each book ced in them was given specific sealing covers that wrapped the book.


    As if it wasn''t enough, the wiggles of forgotten texts, forbidden chants and broken pieces of demonic pictures floating in the room imbued the very air with a nightmarish aura.


    The security method was thought of by Sia, of course. The bad habits of pranking people just got worse. This security would not harm anyone who stumbled here by ident.


    It''d just give them some bad dreams and send them out. But if they sneaked in to with bad intentions, dying would be the least of their concerns.


    Varian nced back at the room as he took to the stairs.


    It had been incredibly peaceful since he entered. The floating texts wasn''t letting out its usual devilish aura, the broken chants didn''t seem to be trying to drive anyone insane and the shards of demonic entities'' pictures were not trying to posess.


    They weren''t anything like the evil tomes of the legends. They were cooperative and disciplined.


    It hadn''t been that way at the start.


    Sarah whipped them to shape. But some books wanted to die than submit. Varian had to step in. Since then, those stubborn books turned the most docile.


    At the top floor, he found the two women immersed in their research. Their states were terrible, putting it mildly.


    They created so many clones and assigned each clone so much work that even their real body was severely weakened.


    "Hm?"


    Isadora looked up from behind a pile of books. The bright eyes of the princess were now weary and dull. Her long lustrous silver was disheveled. Fatigue was visible in her gaze, face and body.


    Varian clenched his fist and loosened. A glowing lotus of green emerged, lighting up the room before it entered Isadora.


    Her state improved at a rate visible to the eye but she looked fatigued nheless.


    Biting her lip, she stood up and took a deep breath. The hundreds of thousands of clones spread across the ind turned into shes of light and merged back into her.


    The princess exhaled deeply, shoulders rxing visibly andplexion improving before she signaled him to the window.


    The window opened with a creak and even though it had been only weeks, the way Isadora breathed in the fresh air made him wonder if she locked herself up in this room for decades. No, she wasn''t someone who would react like this for mere decades. Unless, it was centuries, no, millennia.


    "¡­Wait." Varian''s eyes widened and he held her shoulders.


    Isadora looked at him with a sheepish smile, an expression very unusual for the arrogant princess.


    If it was normal times, Varian would''ve petted her head.


    "Sarah put a time enchantment on top of the one I already gave you¡­three hundred years turned into three thousand years and you did it after restricting your level to the bare minimum."


    "Increasing the timeflow of a divine rank by ten times after you already raised our timeflows is difficult. So, I fell to pseudo divine. That''s the minimum to use so many clones."


    Varian''s grip on her shoulders tightened and then left her as he stepped back.


    Looking out of the window with a heavy gaze, he muttered. "So many clones won''t work with just a pseudo divine. You gave out your soul strands. So many soul strands. This would''ve killed you."


    Isadora bit her lip. She wished he''d reacted a bit violently andshed out. But this quiet reaction scared her.


    Varian rarely acted like this. And when he did, it meant he was really angry.


    He had the right to be angry. She did take a huge risk. There was a chance of real death. And there was an even great chance of going insane with a broken soul.


    In trying to save Aurora, she would''ve likedly killed herself.


    Gripping the window sil, Varian said. "Lady,e out."


    A light shed across the ind and Sarah emerged behind Varian.


    The mood of the room was impossibly heavy. Even without Isadora uttering a word, Sarah understood what transpired and sighed.


    "You have outdone Isadora, congrattions." Varian pped with a mock smile.


    Sarah wanted to say something but Varian simply shook his head. She wanted to best Isadora a lot of times in their little rivalry.


    This was the only time she wished she hadn''t won. Not only did she take the same risk as Isadora, she enabled it by using her time power.


    She nearly killed them both.


    Varian turned around, noticing her state was even worse than Isadora.


    He did not heal her.


    "So what did you find?"


    There was no reproach, no punishment, no anger. In a in tone used for a casual matter, Varian asked.


    And yet, that caused the two women into panic. They looked at each other, trying to find a way out.


    Unfortunately, neither the princess nor the queen had any idea how to calm his anger. What''s worse was that he wasn''t even showing that anger. It wasn''t a case of suppressing his rage.


    No, he just¡­


    "If you haven''t found anything, I''ll go back and continue the tests." Varian said.


    Isadora raised her head, mustering up her courage and spoke up. "I-I studied Origin and all the research done so far on the topic including the rted legends, myths and folklores."


    Varian nced at her, looking at her but giving her the feeling that he was looking through her, as if he wasn''t even giving her a nce.


    ''I''ll properly apologize once this is over.'' Isadora clenched her fists at the sides and continued. "There is no substantial research on Origin to help in Aurora''s case.


    Origins can be broken due to external influences. The mostmon factor being a near decimation of soul.


    Even if the soul is repaired somehow, the damaged Origin continues to decay.


    If someone dies through the shattering of soul, each part can be pieced back into a whole, the soul''s condition including the soul sea can be reverted to a prior state.


    But the broken origin won''t change. So, the person won''t revive, even if the soul is reverted.


    Even with the power to turn back time and catch the shards of a soul, death seems irreversible."


    Varian raised a brow. It struck a nerve somewhere.


    ''How did the Hortus trial revive her then?''


    [It wasn''t a true revival or any revival for that matter. What you saw was her from the past. The power of the space-time god pulled her from the past into the present for that brief period between the moment she''s about to die and was dead.]


    Logos'' words weren''t to his liking. But he didn''t curse or yell or sigh. He didn''t even respond.


    He''s already in a terrible state with Aurora''s looming death, Sarah''s and Isadora''s reckless act and the storm that was slowly approaching. One more bad news was one more bad news.


    Varian exhaled and signaled for Isadora to continue.


    "There is no useful research on Origin. The myths, legends and folktales barely touch this topic. It almost seems like taboo. And turns out it people can''t just make anything of it to spark stories.


    No research can be done on something like Origin. No tales can be sang on the thing that just doesn''t respond."


    Then the whole research sounded futile but even in his anger, Varian trusted Isadora''s judgement. She wouldn''t call him for just this.


    Looking into his indifferent eyes that showed no trace of emotion, she bit her lip and continued. "You found the solution to Aurora''s problem."


    He''s always updating them with his experiment results through their synergy links. So, she''s talking about Origin reacting to the slivers of order and chaos.


    Varian said. "Not a solution if I can''t make the shards. And her own Origin has to build a link with those shards. She can''t do it in her current condition."


    He took a deep breath and continued. "Studying anything rted to Origin will take too long. And learning to make shards takes at least a month. Aurora doesn''t have more than a few days."


    "I have one lead. If it is what I suspect it to be, it should help you solve the Origin problem." Isadora said, fingers swiping in the air summoning a few holographic texts.


    "One lead?" Varian''s eyes burst with a brilliant light.


    "Heaven Tribe." Isadora spoke, body still and breath faint. "After Heaven were ughtered to extinction, there was a gap period in which Neveah tribe was hunted by the other tribes. But when they finished the assimtion, they gained awakeners who were equally talented in both space and time.


    Neveah tribe transformed into Jai race. Jai empire was born. By transformation, the texts usually mean interbreeding or absorbing the newborns.


    Perhaps Neveah used all those methods but they used something more. Somehow, they managed to transform their racial origin. The origin which was aligned to space now had a near equal alignment with time.


    Either they always had this knowledge or it came from the Heaven tribe. I am inclined to believe it is thetter."


    Varian blinked, going through the memories of his encounters with the Jai powerhouses. Indeed, those were origins unlike a pure tribe like Vita or Ativ.


    "This is the justification of Neveah for exterminating Heaven. The inscription written in dried blood is disyed grandly in their holy museum."


    ||Judgement for an attempt to spheme the sacred creation of the Creator||


    He might not be so sure with just the history part. But with the inscription, there''s a high chance they''re referring to the origin.


    "So, I need find something rted to Heaven?" Varian muttered. "Inside the God Emperor''s pce maybe?"


    "It should mostly likely be in a hidden world, inside the inner space or even core space." Sarah spoke up, body tilted away from him as if she found facing him intimidating. "And these are the possible space-time nodes based on the historical astronomical data. I''ve separately marked the usible sub-regions of the capital."


    Varian raised a brow.


    Sarah coughed lightly. "The Jai Empire researched on the Primal Union Body. So, I used my own blood and Sia''s to create a detector of sorts. All resonance responses came from within the capital territory. If you have to search somewhere, search the capital first."


    A double-silver ring materialized in between them before it imprinted itself on the back of Varian''s hand.


    "I studied Hortus'' stealth as well as the stealth mechanicsm of other synthetic worlds toe up with a detector. Your perception as a rank is of course stronger than this. But it''s specialized toward detecting hidden worlds. So, if you pour your perception into it and try searching, you''ll have a much easier time locating hidden worlds."


    Varain stared at the mark on his skin before turning to Sarah.


    She looked at him expectantly, perhaps hoping he''d forgive her stupid actions after seeing how good of a job she''d done.


    Varian was pleasantly surprised. They really went above and beyond for this. He didn''t know how he would be able to save Aurora but now he had a clear path.


    He felt proud of them for managing to decipher such clues in the hopeless situation.


    But.


    ''They really tried to kill themselves! What if they died? Don''t know they how worried I woul¡­''


    Varian paused and blinked. Weren''t those the same words they''d say everytime he courted death?


    "I¡­" Exhaling deeply, Varian looked at them, gaze softened but expression stern.


    Sarah pressed against her bosom and gave him a cute smile. "Very sorry~"


    Isadora lowered her head and muttered with a pitiful face. "I''m sorry."


    It was fun watching the calm queen act cute and the arrogant princess turn pitiful.


    ''I should go.''


    With a thought, the two fell into his arms. Wrapping his arms around their waists, he said in a stern but not so stern voice, whispering in their ears. "There is no next time."


    Sarah nodded fervently while Isadora nodded meekly.


    "And for taking risk this time without telling me, I''ll punish youter. I won''t go easy this time."


    "W-Wha¡ª"


    "Punish¡ª"


    "Look forward to it."


    Leaving behind the dumbfounded, scareddies, Varian vanished, his voice half-intimidating, half-teasing voice ringing in the air.


    "Because I sure do. Hahahahahaha!"

 Chapter 1706: Back to Jai

    It was time to leave. The help was unexpected and more than wee. If Aurora could really be saved, their efforts would prove to be indispensable.


    As Varian was about to leave, he sensed someone calling his name. It was an ability he was still not ustomed to.


    If he didn''t put it under control, he could sense every single being across the gxy uttering his name.


    He wasn''t able to sense the person if his name wasn''t directly mentioned. But it shouldn''t be too long before he got there.


    It''s perhaps the best ability for someone trying to y god but he found it to be inly annoying. But he left it open to close people, just in case.


    And now, he heard a call from nearby.


    The scenary around him changed and he found himself in a cave. The crackling of fire was the only sound in the dead of the night.


    Leaning against the wall, Sia pressed her knees against herself and dozed off.


    There''s the scent of a pungent medical herb wafting in the air, perhaps to ward off wild animals at night.


    Sia and Aurora did say they were going on a forest adventure as mortal awakeners. Well, they had enough back up measures, so they couldn''t die here even if they messed up.


    "Brother-inw!"


    "Hm?" Varian turned around and saw Aurora waving at him from the entrance of the cave, putting on an index finger over her lips.


    "She''s sleeping. Don''t disturb her." Aurora mouthed.


    Varian shook his head at the sleepy Sia and walked out of the cave.


    "How is your condi¡ª"


    "No!" Aurora interrupted him. "Don''t start nagging now. You can see I''m fine with your perceptions."


    "Even s¡ª"


    "Come on!" Aurora crossed her arms, looking at him with a pout. "Can''t you say something else?"


    "¡­You don''t be young by pouting. It''s something even Prim stopped doing after she turned nine." Varian said with a candid expression.


    "What? How rude?! In terms of my racial lifespan, I''m not even twenty." Aurora nearly erupted into fire and then dropped her arms powerlessly. "Never mind. I just want a promise."


    "Promise?" Varian took a deep breath, the easy going expression on his face gone.


    The chirping insects fell silent, the birds stopped flying and the animals stopped breathing. The blowing winds came to a standing still. The stars in the sky stopped twinkling and the emerging sun stopped rising.


    The world itself seemed to hold its breath as its master awaited, eagerly, solemnly,


    "What''s with your sudden change? I just asked for a promise." Aurora waved her hands in front of his face, panic evident in her tone. "Don''t take it too seriously. Just do it if you can."


    Varian tilted his head. He treated it as thest promise to a dying. But maybe that''s exactly what she didn''t like.


    "¡­Alright. You have my word."


    "Urgh, just return a day before I get my beauty sleep."


    "That''s it?"


    "I know this is hard to ask of someone who vanished fifty yearsst time. And a thousand before that. But I don''t have fifty years or even fifty days. So, pleasee on time."


    Varian nodded with a heavy face, fists clenching behind his back.


    "Alright, thanks a lot!" Aurora''s face brightened and she hopped back to the cave.


    Looking at the quiet night, Varian sighed. Even though things changed so much, he still felt so powerless.


    Back then, it was a fire wolf, something he could at least see and defeat. But now, he didn''t even know what exactly he was going to fight against.


    (Take a deep breath. Everything will be alright. I believe you. Believe in me that believes in you.)


    Samsaraforted sweetly, the power of slivers soothing his body and soul, giving him the experience of a gentle massage.


    Varian gave a wry smile and vanished.


    The boundaries of Hortus wriggled, like a bubble that''s about to burst before Varian appeared outside in the empty, dark, infinite space.


    He looked back at Hortus with an uncertain gaze. He had to return on time this time, no matter what.


    "I will be back." Varian promised in the void.


    As he took one step after the next, the darkness under Varian''s feet glowed with brilliant starlight. The vast expanse of space seemed to shrink into a minute distance.


    With the first step, Varian exited the Milkyway.


    With the second, he crossed the gap between the two gxies.


    With the third, he reached the center of the gxy.


    Gctic distances that would take millions of years for entire civilizations were condensed into the span of seconds.


    The war ended a week ago. Now, there''s only massacre, envement and conversion.


    The waves of violence unleashed by the troops of alliance upon the Jai denizens was terrible by any reasonable standard.


    The demonization of the jai citizens, the long history of jai domination over the alliance and the reign of God Emperor all served as triggers that brought out the worst in the troops.


    It was no longer about victory or defeat. It was cruelty for the sake of cruelty, pain for the sake of pain and tragedy for the sake of tragedy.


    Trillions upon trillions of lives were impacted every moment. There was no resistance from the victims. Anyone who tried to resist were long killed.


    Varian wanted to ignore it and focus on his objective.


    Both the Genesis and Nexus were enving the citizens without killing them. While Genesis promised freedom to the next generation with proper behavior, Nexus dered that they''d be eternally enved by a strict order code.


    This was already terrible but they were at least alive.


    Mors, on the other hand, were brutally killing and converting every single thing¡ªman, woman or animal¡ªinto Undead.


    The bright light of the living was reced by the gloominess of the Undead. Even stalks of grass weren''t spared from this onught.


    Varian was fine with Genesis'' decision and decided to influence Nexus'' decision after the war.


    But he couldn''t stay the way Mors'' troops ughtered everything and turned them into lifeless Undead.


    After seeing up close how Undead thought and behaved in Purgatory, Varian didn''t want these people to go through that hell.


    "Argh, fuck it." Varian spat out a breath and his aura skyrocketed.


    A brilliant light emerged, basking several light years in its glow. Even from afar, the gxy itself now had a beam of light.


    The power of seven paths was disyed in full glory and Varian''s voice rang at the center of the gxy.


    "King Hades, order your troops to withdraw. I promise to save you once in the future."


    "Huh?"


    There was a gasp of surprise outside the silver city.


    The brilliant barrier covering thest bastion shook violently ripple as the attacks from King Hades, Ophion, Rakz and Asherah bombarded it with all their strength.


    After days of working together, the barrier was finally about to go down.


    "Order the Mors troops to stop. And there shall be no further enmity."


    King Hades raised his hand, materializing a dark red sphere and casually shooting it at the barrier.


    It wasn''t even a proper death attack per se¡ªjust a collection of aura infused with bits of death and soul.


    But the already weakened barrier was infested by the concept of death and began to decay further.


    A tiny, tiny crack appeared on the barrier.


    Hades smiled, eyes glinting with ambition. He raised a finger and pointed it at the barrier.


    This time, a sphere hundred times the sun of a star emerged and shot at the barrier.


    Asherah immediately put on a shield and moved away with a look of fear. Ophion didn''t move away but created a field of chaos around himself to block away the shockwaves.


    Rakz, the new rank 2 in Order path and the junior of Ophion, moved the farthest and put on as many shields as he could.


    Then it happened.


    As the rank 2 powerhouses watched, the red sphere passed through the dark space and bombarded with the silver barrier.


    There was a brief resistance and then something clicked.


    Silver light exploded, its brilliance enveloping the entire gxy for its final moment before everything died down.


    Hades took a step forward, passing through the bare city.


    The survivors of the city huddled in their buildings shut their doors and prayed for him to ignore them.


    And ignore he did.


    Walking up in the sky like a god beyond mortals, he ignored the magnificient buildings,plex structures and ancient relics, moving in a straight line towards the grand building in the center of everything.


    Abode of God Emperor, The Golden Pce, Araboth.

 Chapter 1707: Erased Out Of Existence

    King Hades approached the structure, leaving the citizens to breathe a sigh of relief.


    Even if they''re going to lose everything else, at least their lives would be spared.


    Ophion and Asherah looked at each other before following after him, the former three steps behind and thetter ten steps.


    Rakz quickly caught up with Ophion and looked at the majestic pce with burning eyes.


    As if sensing their arrival, the golden pce vibrated.


    "Are you calling for your master, puppy?" Hades asked, a gentle expression on his face.


    The golden pce paused and then vibrated violently, as if asking for help from anyone. The majestic pce which was once worshipped by the entire empire was now deste, without a single soul to defend it.


    A sorrowful aura filled the city, as it mourned for the tragic reality.


    "He is dead, puppy. Your master is dead." Hades stretched his hand toward the pce. "He won''te because he can''te."


    The golden pce shook for onest time before a golden barrier wrapped around itself.


    "Tricks! Tricks again. Do you think this can stop me anymore?" Hades asked in a mocking tone and pointed his arm to the burning formations across the city. "The formations of the Heaven tribe that your master''s ancestors copied couldn''t stop me. What can you do?"


    A red sphere began to condense in between him and the golden barrier. The light shone on the king of undead, setting his face in a sinister glow.


    At this moment, Varian''s voice rang again. "If you ignore me any longer, I will take action."


    "Aren''t you going to answer, King Hades?" Ophion asked, reptilian-eyes narrowing.


    "Why? Do you want me to get into a fight with him so you can rob the pce all by yourself?" Hades tilted his head, gazing straight at the Nexus'' ruler.


    "He is a huge danger." Ophion said without any change in expression. "He has the slivers and grows too fast. Worst of all, he has seven paths. He doesn''t even need to be on an equal footing to kill you."


    Hades narrowed his eyes. "So? I should give up the treasure hall in front of me to fight an enemy who isn''t as strong as me yet?"


    Ophion fell silent.


    They weren''t able to urately discern Varian''s strength due to his multiple paths. Even though he defeated Asherah, she just entered mid rank 2 at that point.


    Unlike her, Hades was on the verge of stepping into high rank 2. Ophion himself was a strong mid rank 2.


    Even if he had seven paths, all of them were still only at the beginner stages of mid rank 2.


    Just like how a hundred rank 8 celestials would be useless against a rank 9 celestial, seven early mid rank 2 paths were useless in front of a well developed mid rank 2.


    What''s more, Varian took nearly thousand years to grow this much. He shouldn''t be anywhere close to Hades for the next thousand.


    And even if he managed to be a very strong mid rank 2 by then, Hades would already have broken to high rank 2 with the treasures from the Golden Pce. Maybe even a peak rank 2.


    It made no sense for him to risk losing the golden pce for a small fight.


    Even if Varian was stronger than expected, then it only made more sense for Hades to get the treasures soon and improve his own strength.


    "But since he''s trying to annoy me so much," Hades'' eyes shed and he clenched his fist in a slow motion, as if trying to capture the air itself in his palms.


    And then, he pointed his arm toward the distant void and shot a beam of light.


    The silver city was momentarily basked in the red light akin to the evening glory of a dying sun. Even though the light didn''t even contact them directly, the citizens hiding in their homes widened their eyes as their skins dried up and bones melted away.


    The life of Silver City ended in quiet screams.


    "That''s enough warning. Let''s get go."


    The golden pce whimpered and its barrier began to crack.


    Not too far away from the city, Varian sensed the arrival of a hostile attack almost right away.


    The space which remained dark like a hidden cave lit up by the arrival of the glowing red fire.


    Varian''s eyes reflected the fire and his soul fell sluggish for a moment. Hades was on the verge of reaching a high rank 2.


    Of all the enemies he faced so far, he''s the strongest. And this attack could infect a newbie mid rank 2 with enough death energy that he wouldn''t be able to fight seriously for at least a decade.


    ''He''s underestimating me. But that''s not a bad thing.''


    Varian quickly morphed the space-time around him, taking the region around him, including the attack from outer space deep into the core space.


    His presence vanished from the perceptions of various divine rankers who were spying on him and he appeared in a chaotic region of gray with erratic space-time flows.


    The me of red, a death curse in fact, had to work extra hard to wade through the chaotic space-time currents and reach him.


    Thanks to the powers of space-time, Varian himself was able to easily evade the attack for the first few moments.


    ''Status''


    [Life Master: 200/1000 (+50)


    Spirit Lord: 200/1000 (+50)


    Death Master: 200/1000 (+50)


    {Master~ You haven''t even focused on growing strong these days. But even your research on thatdy yielded indirect results. I''m just sad you ignored the beautiful paths.}


    Order: 250/1000 (+150)


    Chaos: 250/1000 (+150)


    {Host, you ended up working a lot on the paths of Order and Chaos as they seemed to be the only way to help Aurora.


    Unfortunately, I am also unable to determine why Origin is reacting so differently to the power of my avenue. I wish I had the answers. But it looks like you keep running into questions that even slivers don''t have answer to}


    Space: 200/1000 (+75)


    Time: 200/1000 (+75)


    PS: @#$@#$@#!


    PPS: Ignore her ramblings. The shards are a marvelous creation. It''s only natural you''ve progressed in their paths.]


    It wasn''t much of a growth. But he spent all his time on research, so it''s to be expected.


    Still, all his paths stepped into mid rank 2.


    [00-150 => Low Rank 2


    151-500 => Mid Rank 2


    501-900 => High Rank 2]


    As his rank increased, skipping an entire rank was impossible. In rank 2, even skipping a sub-rank seemed too much.


    But ignoring the difference in a sub-rank itself was something no divine ranker would be able to cope with.


    The fire of red, death curse, finally reached him after trudging through the difficult terrain.


    It''s a casual attack thrown by the arrogant Hades. And it was worn out by Varian''s clever actions.


    Without too much effort, Varian grabbed the sphere and examined Hades'' aura through it.


    ''I will be able to kill Hades if I fight him now, but it''ll take me at least a full day of fighting. And I''ll need at least one more day to expel the death energy.''


    With Aurora''s life on line, he didn''t wish to waste two full days. Intervening in the ongoing war was already something out of the n.


    "Haa~" Varian used the power of slivers and a gentle green light enveloped the me of red.


    The restless death curse turned docile like a puppy that found its owner and Varian flicked it away.


    As he''s about to return to the outer space, Varian turned around and extended his perception in the core space.


    Outer space. Inner space. Core space.


    Aura flowed from the core to the inner and the inner to the outer. It''s how it''s always been.


    Space awakeners could go deeper and deeper as long as they could break through the barriers that woulde along the way.


    But¡ª


    "What is at the center of core space anyway?" Varian muttered.


    An answer popped up in his mind. It''s probably true and that''s why he didn''t want to check it out.


    With a grunt, the surroundings blurred and he was back to the outer space.


    "Undead army." Varian''s words rang across the gxy. "Cease your actions now and you''ll be spared."


    The Undead who were killing and converting in every corner of the empire were dumbfounded at this sudden warning.


    They thought their leader had already taken care of this guy after the arrogant warnings he spouted.


    "You have three seconds."


    Varian''s perception expanded.


    Combining the powers of space-time and life-death, Varian locked the Undead across the gxy.


    "Three."


    Even though it was just a voice in the sky, every Undead felt as if a sickle was hanging over their necks.


    "Two."


    King Hades nodded in satisfaction at the first crack on the barrier and ignored the count.


    "One."


    The Undead leaders faithfully stuck to the orders of their leader and kept at their jobs.


    "Zero."


    A cold wind seemed to blow across the gxy and all the Undead shuddered.


    "Your time is up."


    A golden light lit up the empire, its dazzling aura covering every region with Undead.


    And then, it vanished without any sound.


    "Huh?"


    "W-What?"


    "Where are they?"


    Everywhere across the gxy, the survivors looked around in disbelief.


    Thes filled with undead armies were now barren. The fleet of thousands of ships filled with undead sailors was now empty.


    The many helpless citizens who were running away from the pursuers realized no one was chasing them anymore.


    The few bravehearts who were still trying to fight back watched in amazement as their enemies simply vanished.


    As if they were simpy erased out of existence, like a god just willed them to cease, the Undead vanished from the Jai Empire.


    At that moment, everyone, be it an officer of Genesis, soldier of Nexus or refugee of Jai, cheered.


    The cheers resounded throughout the gxy, reaching every corner of the civilization.


    Like all divine rankers, King Hades too heard those cheers. The barrier of the golden pce just had the third crack, but it no longer elicited joy in his heart.


    He nced at Ophion and Rakz who were attacking from afar and then at Asherah who was even farther than them.


    With a calm gaze, he asked. "Why does everyone hate us?"


    "Huh?"


    The question came out of nowhere.


    Asherah wondered if the Undead even cared about such things. Since Hades ignored Varian''s actions, it showed that he wasn''t bothered by the death of his troops.


    If he reached high rank 2, he could raise as many such troops as he wished.


    Then why was he asking this?


    ''It''s not the death of his troops, its our reactions that irked him.'' Asherah realized.


    "I''ll be back soon. Continue what you''re doing." Hades vanished with those words.


    A tense silence followed for a few minutes as Asherah and Ophion continued to strike the barrier.


    Their attacks of green and ck continued to dye the sky ck. And the impact of these attacks continued to ravage the silver city, which continued to be demolished.


    "He¡­he really left?" A few minutester, Rakz gasped. "He won''t even let us first step into the city and he left the pce to us?"


    Of course, hemunicated through a special channel constructed by the power of Order.


    If anyone else, even Hades, tried to spy on his words, it''d seem like he''s talking about the devastating war.


    "He''ll return soon." Asherah turned to the pce''s barrier which now had a dozen cracks but was mostly solid. "Even if he leaves for days, we won''t be able to demolish it by ourselves."


    Rakz snorted, disliking her words.


    "But when did he start to care about these things? Aren''t Undead supposed to be dead in emotions?" He asked, showing obvious disgust at the mere mention of the race.


    "A normal Undead, perhaps. But a powerful one like him? Who knows?" Asherah shook her head. "If they really have no emotion, what motivates them?"


    "Obviously, spreading their disease across the empire. What else can they do?" Rakz spat.


    "He is going to fight Varian?" Ophion interrupted.


    Asherah shook her head. "Varian isn''t going to fight him."


    At the mention of his name, Rakz''s face grew livid. "Why?"


    "If I''m not wrong, he is trying to save¡­my daughter whose origin is broken."


    Even Rakz who hated Varian to the bone fell silent for a few moments before shaking his head with a disbelieving chuckle. "He is crazy or you are lying."


    Ophion nodded. "Asherah,e up with a better lie. No one is going to fall for something that silly."


    The All Mother looked at the powerhouses of Nexus and sighed in her heart. She too thought it was silly.


    No one could tamper Origin. It''s something as fundamental as divine paths themselves. There''s no ''repairing'' it.


    "What else would make him miss plundering the Golden Pce?" Asherah shrugged.


    Ophion fell silent, seriously considering the possibility while Rakz merelyughed. "All his powers are due to the slivers. If hees here, they''ll be taken back by the rightful owners. So, he''s keeping his distance."


    Asherah nced at Rakz in disbelief before turning to Ophion who didn''t refute the statement.


    Without any words, she turned to the barrier.


    ''Mors has fallen out with Varian. Nexus too. What if¡­''

 Chapter 1708: Miracle

    Akrylis, the foundational realm of Krystal Arts, had just gotten a second chance.


    Moments ago, the vast domain extending billions of miles was surrounded by three thousand devil ships headed by three bone dragons and a death lord himself.


    If the early rank 1 bone dragons were not troublesome enough, a mid rank 1 death lord crushed any hopes of their escape.


    The most depressed being was of course Adsher. Most of the people here would die and get converted into Undead. As the leader of the Kyrstal Arts, if he could flee from this region and meet up with the genesis army, he could use his riches to secure himself a proper citizenship.


    His escape couldn''t be hidden from the death lord. What he could do was push all the living beings of Akrylis in another direction and hope these leaders think he''s not worth the chase.


    The rate of survival through the brutal tactic was still less than 10%. And Adsher did not wish to gamble on his life.


    Pushing onto his desk, he stood up and waved away all the holograms disying the devil ships approaching the realm.


    "Lady Cyris,e with me."''


    The abyssal woman nodded, her gray eyes dull and lifeless. Her outfit was elegant, noble even and she was seated in a chair as luxurious as the leader of Krystal Arts.


    Not too long ago, she was Adsher''s ve. Now, she was someone he couldn''t help but respect.


    After Varian''s confrontation with Adsher that day, the ve mark on her was erased inexplicably. But Adsher, who was supposed to report it to the military and have her enved or executed kept silent.


    He was already thankful for remaining alive after offending the divine ranker who sneaked in as an appraiser.


    Thepetition of the princes was a disaster thanks to the culprit who appeared out of nowhere.


    Adsher was certain that Hand''sum, no, Varian sneaked in through hispany. Since the chaos there killed so many people, including the appraisers, Adsher covered up the disappearence of Hand''sum with a fake death.


    To this day, no one knew that Varian sneaked in as an appraiser. And since she brought him into thepany, Adsher believed Cyris to have some sort of acquintance with Varian and treated her with equal amounts of fear and respect.


    Cyris herself learned a lot of things after that day with the help of Adsher.


    Each finding was more depressing than the one before.


    The culprit race of Abyssal extinction other than fairies and zions was a new race called humans.


    Even though they entered genesis just a few decades ago, they had quite a few rank 9s. Despite being persecuted these days, rumors speak of the presence of a pseudo divine powerhouse among them.


    Some say that while most humans could be killed by genesis, the surivors were sure to return one day and enact revenge. That time, they wouldn''t just be celestials the empire could suppress but divine rankers.


    Cyris, with all her talent, couldn''t even hope to win against some strong rank 9s of humans. And they had more than a couple rank 9s.


    If the culprit race was depressing enough, the killer of Haedon gave her suicidal thoughts.


    Varian.


    Varian Konstant.


    Lord of mythical Hortus, Heir of old rulers, Master of logos, yer of immortal, Destroyer of Jai princes¡­


    The titles just only grew more and more outrageous. And they were still not enough to justify the myths surrounding the man.


    Some say he''s an ancient creature wielding enormous power.


    The most outrageous myths proim he was born just a thousand years ago and reached the divine ranks within a millenia.


    A rtively reasonable myth puts him over twenty thousand years old.


    The tales of Varian ying a foreign race called abyssals was delegated to his childhood adventures.


    Amon myth was him ying the emperor of abyssals at the age of one, after awakening at birth.


    Cyris termed it ridiculous. Some advanced races were born mature and would start living off right months after their birth.


    So, Varian fighting Haedon within a year of birth itself wasn''t very surprising. But reaching celestial rank in a year? In a barren world the myths mention?


    Perhaps that''s why it''s a myth.


    "-ing?"


    "Huh?" Cyris blinked. Did he just say something?


    Adsher''s face looked terribly pale. "We''ll flee to the genesis outpost. As long as we can show them the riches, I''m confident they''ll give us a citizenship. Even a basic citizenship would do. Maybe if you can contact Lord Varian then, our condition can¡­"


    He trailed off but she knew what he implied.


    Stories of Varian crushing Asherah reached even the Jai Empire. He turned the forces of genesis against him. Yet, someone with such power held enormous influence.


    If he could give them some grace, their situation would improve drastically. After living as a boss of an influentialpany, Adsher wouldn''t be satisfied with just being a genesis citizen.


    "Contact him¡­" Cyris'' eyes darkened and her body trembled. Restraining her emotions, she nodded. "I will try."


    "I trust you." Adsher said.


    They boarded a spaceship hidden inside a stealth formation and patiently waited for a while.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    They took off the same moment the Undeadunched an attack on Akrylis.


    The dark space lit up with horrifying red glow, like the space itself was catching fire. Tongues of fire wriggled before turning into mes of skulls, bones and hearts which danced around the region, scorching the very void.


    The sounds of bone grinding against bone, bloodless flesh pping and eerieughters of ghostsposed a cacophony of death.


    A small vessel passed through this sea of red, far away from the fleet of ships at its full stealth mode.


    Akrylis waged its final wave of resistance, sending out every single denizen to fight. When death seemed inevitable, they exploded themsleves, leaving behind nothing for the Undead.


    Even their souls were extinguished with the bombs, so even ghosts couldn''t be extracted.


    Akrylis became a sore spot for the Undead army despite weak resistance as the battle left them with no profits.


    "Yes, yes. Die. All those treasures are worth it." Adsher muttered and noticed a few ships turning in their direction.


    mming the controls with a distorted face, he growled. "Fuck! What happened to the cutting edge stealth?"


    The ship would get into inner space with a jump and dive through a space tunnel straight to the nearby genesis outpost.


    But it couldn''t happen with those devil ships chasing after him. Even four ships were enough to sabotage his escape and he''s got ten on his back.


    "I can solidify the space and slow them down." Cyris offered, gaze fixed on the live map.


    "Please." Adsher pleaded.


    Pouring out all her powers, Cyris manipted the space outside. She would be able to hold them off her a few seconds. That would double their chances of escaping.


    Still, they could di¡ª


    The world nked out for a moment and Cyris found herself in the outside space.


    "You!" The abyssal woman''s eyes widened as the devil ships raced toward her.


    Adsher''s voice rang through themunicator. "I gave you fifty years to see if you could contact Varian and get me some benefits. Tch, fifty years of wasted efforts. Now die for me and repay my grace."


    The spaceship glowed brilliantly before it dived into inner space. If Cyris wasn''t left out in the open, the devil ships would''ve followed it without hesitation.


    But with a fresh prey at hand, they would be dyed long enough for Adsher to escape.


    "At least if I die¡­" Cyris surprisingly didn''t feel any sadness.


    The revenge she swore to life for was simply impossible. The revival of her race, while easier than revenge, was also beyond her capabilities.


    "Maybe dying isn''t do bad."


    The devil ships surrounded her and charged powerful beams of red soul fire. Harvested from dying souls, these were great short range weapons.


    Once hit by these devil beams, her soul would be infused with waves of shocks rendering her aura chaotic and mind clouded. Enough shocks and she''d be knocked out.


    "Two."


    Some voice seemed to be ringing across the region. It must be her hallucination.


    Cyris'' eyes reflected the zing red as she raised her arms and weed death.


    "One."


    The nail-sized red spheres grewrger andrger until they reached the size of a house. Then, they fired at her.


    Or they were supposed to.


    "Zero."


    A golden light suddenly lit up the entire region, blinding Cyris for a moment.


    When she opened her eyes, everything seemed to be the same as before.


    Yet somehow, in the back of her mind, something changed.


    The devil ships also seemed confused as they remained still without firing at her.


    "Huh?"


    Cyris blinked, wondering if they decided to toy with her.


    A few more seconds passed, each second feeling longer than a year.


    Finally, Cyris moved closer and peeked through the translucent openings of the ship.


    The Undead inside were¡­


    "Where did they go?"


    She turned in bewilderment, checking the other ships. The Undead vanished.


    ''No way!''


    A thought shed in her mind and she teleported back to themand quarters of Akrylis.


    The devil ships that were advancing aggressively were deadly still, like insects that were suddenly deprived of life.


    The warriors of Akrylis who were putting up their final resistance looked around and at each other in shock.


    It had been a full minute but no one was able to digest what really happened.


    "Arghhh! Nooo! King! Damn yo¡ªDamn you!"


    The screams of a powerful being echoed and a man in regal clothes¡ªDeath King¡ªwho somehow managed to resist so far scattered into golden light and vanished.


    Witnessing that scene, the warriors gasped and copsed to the floor.


    The silence continued for a minute before before a young man stood up and raised his fist.


    All of a sudden, the crowd erupted in defeaning cheers.


    Cyris watched this scene, eyes wet and heart in turmoil.


    ''If Abyssals had a miracle like this, they too would''ve survived¡­''


    A gust of wind blew out of nowhere and Cyris looked up to see a familiar man in front of her. He appeared without sound and looked at her without saying a word.

 Chapter 1709: Abode of Heaven

    "Y-You¡­" Cyris didn''t know how to react. She hated him for destroying the abyssals. Equally hateful was his audacity to make her work for the very man who destroyed her race.


    "As the contract stiptes, I give you the answers I promised." Varian said.


    "No, I don''t need the answers. I alrea¡ª" Cyris yelled at the top of her lungs, voice hysterical and mind chaotic.


    Unpetrubed, Varian continued. "The race responsible for the extinction of abyssals is humans, their location is Kingdom of Elysium and the killer is standing in front of you."


    "Stop it. Stop it. Just stop it!"


    Cyris fell to the ground, clutching her head, rage and grief filling her being. Tears sshed on the floor and formed a small puddle.


    "The object of your revenge is me."


    "Why¡­Why did I have to live¡­for this?"


    The revenge she lived for never had a chance of fruition. And even her own life could end at a whim of the man who destroyed her race.


    Worst of all, if he was just a secondte, she could''ve died and not faced any of this pain.


    "If you''re prepared to kill, you should be prepared to get killed." Varian''s voice was in but it sounded particrly harsh to her. "Abyssals are not deserving of sympathy. And sympathy itself is an expensive attribute to have."


    Cyris raised her head and looked up at him with red eyes. "Kill me. End this hell. I don''t have anything to live for."


    "Revenge is only one part." Varian shook his head. "The less important partpared to the Revival."


    "I¡­I cannot revive a whole race, my path does not support and no one in the genesis will help revive a jai race. Even more so now that the empire has fallen."


    "Perhaps." Varian shrugged. "As you said, things are very difficult. But you are much closer to achieving it than Haedon ever did."


    "Can I¡­?" Cyris looked at her hands and clenched them tight.


    "I''d like to know," Varian looked up at the endless expanse of space, voice tinged with a hint of doubt. "Can the determination of one individual win against fate. So, keep fighting."


    Before she could say anything else, he vanished.


    Varian''s perception passed through a few hundred star systems under attack and caught another secret realm.


    A few princes and princesses with foresight had escaped with survivors into secret realms.


    Since the alliance didn''t specialize in the paths of space and time, they were able to remain hidden so far. They were perhaps biding for the chaos to end before they relocate elsewhere.


    "Huh?"


    "He noticed us!"


    "Who''s that being?"


    Beyond the inner space, inside a secret realm that housed a trillion beings of various races, the expressions of a few Jai powerhouses crumpled.


    The leader of the synthetic world, one of the few alive peak rank 1s, Samus, paled and staggered back.


    "H-He¡­"


    Samus couldn''t see the person whose aura found them. But he could sense that aura. And he''d never forget it.


    ''He killed Leader Samael!''


    This monster killed the kind hearted Samael Astreas who took him from a war zone and personally raised him.


    This evil bastard was the reason for the death of the three leaders which triggered the downfall of them all!


    ''He''ll not let us go! He''ll ughter us! He''ll kill everyone!''


    Samus swallowed his dry saliva, eyes shaking with unwillingness and fear. And then, it turned into a burst of rage.


    Gnashing his teeth, he growled. "Prepare to detonate the world. We''ll die with him."


    There was a moment of silence in the room before the powerhouses under him nodded.


    It''s the only honorable way to go.


    As they prepared themselves for their final moments, the perception vanished. Behaving as if it never noticed them in the first ce, the aura swept elsewhere.


    "Huh?"


    Samus blinked. Did the monster¡­miss?


    No. There''s no way. He certainl¡ª


    ''Before he died, I gave Samael a million years to live out the life he sought. He went in peace. He went with a smile.''


    The voice soundedin his mind without warning.


    "Who? What? It''s you, right? You¡­"


    There was no more response. But Samus was sure those words were spoken.


    Were they true? Were they false?


    ''What could this man possibly gain by lying to me anyway? If leader at least went in peace, then¡­''


    "Prince! The detonation is set in three minutes." An old man with a weak breath but bright eyes reported.


    "Stop it." Samus said and leaned against the wall of hismand room. "We''re¡­spared."


    It wasn''t the first secret realm Varian noticed. Nor would it be thest. He didn''t bother with them.


    "She''s right. The secret realm is not so easy to find by myself."


    If he really tried, he would be able to do it in a few days. But time was of essence. Even while he met the abyssal, his senses kept sweeping the empire for the hidden realms.


    "Alright," Varian looked at the double silver ring tattoo on his hand and poured his senses into it. "Don''t let me down."


    The mechanism created by Sarah based on her study of Hortus'' stealth worked better than expected. After just an hour of searching near the center of the gxy, Varian found a hidden world in the core space of a coordinate.


    Bad news, it''s near the Silver City.


    Good news, it''s on the perimeter.


    Even though he sensed that Hades was missing from the lineup, he decided not to show up.


    On one hand, it''d be a waste of time if Asherah wanted revenge and dragged him into a battle.


    On the other hand, Hades might be hiding somewhere.


    "It''s here."


    Once he reached the coordinates, Varian dived through the inner space and reached the core space.


    The chaotic gray core space seemed nothing special.


    Confused, Varian checked the tattoo again. It showed a hidden world here, in this sea of gray. But his senses were percieving nothing here.


    "Malfuntio¡ªwoah!"


    Blue ripples shed in front of him as he touched empty void.


    "No way!"


    Varian used his powers to check it but they sensed nothing.


    [Be careful. It seems dangerous.] Logos warned.


    Varian rubbed his hands. "It''s so rare I get to jump in myself."


    [Wait, what are yo¡ª]


    With a full diving pose, Varian jumped.


    "Abode of Heaven, here Ie!"

 Chapter 1710: Heavens Ruins

    "¡­Heaven?" Even before he properly entered the domain, his senses were overwhelmed trying to make sense of the illogical information they were fed.


    The confines of space within this realm were perhaps sted open, as every cubic meter of space stretched in all directions. The flow of time itself faltered as it reached this domain and was moulded to suit the desired pace.


    Shoulders tensed, Varian broke through the final barrier and stepped into the world.


    The sky was shrouded in a twilight hue, a sickly greenish that suffocated the very stars. The great mountains stretched themselves to the crimson clouds that hovered over thend, overlooking like a silent judge.


    Varian frowned as he breathed in, the aura here felt pure.


    ''A bit too pure.''


    It felt like he was taking in something that should not exist, like a mortal who sneaked into the world of gods and drank their elixir.


    Even though it was a silly notion, something from deep inside yelled at him.


    ''sphemy!''


    This ce was against the natural order of the cosmos. It''s something that should not exist.


    "I¡­I don''t care." Shaking his head from the bizarre thoughts that popped out of nowhere, Varian purified his soul with the power of Samsara.


    The thoughts subsided and a chill shot down Varian''s spine.


    ''It''s a very clever ploy to provoke infiltrators to attack.''


    (Your soul was affected. But I can''t tell with certainty if it''s from this realm or something else.)


    "What else can be there?" Varian asked rhetorically.


    (That makes sense.) Samsara nodded, her voice epting.


    Varian still disguised himself to the fullest and inspected the realm. As the remnant piece of Heaven tribe and something hidden so far by Neveah, it should be as dangerous as it could get.


    Despite confidence in his strength, Varian didn''t leap into the sky and scan the world in a go.


    Perhaps it was his instinct or maybe it''s the experience that dictated it so, his approach was one of caution.


    The scars from God Emperor''s onught were still fresh. When he was still a rank 1, God Emperor''s actions seemed outrageous but there was a bit of hope that they would turn difficult but achievable in rank 2.


    But despite being a powerful mid rank 2 or maybe because of it, the act of splitting an entire gxy into half by a casual move by a clone started to seem more and more outrageous.


    This world was moreplex than the simple slivers-win-it-all he initially believed.


    If the words of the dead god were really to be believed, then slivers were not the solution but the problem to everything.


    ncing at the pair of glowing eyes imprinted on his soul, Varian gnashed his teeth.


    ''I''ll save Aurora first. God Emperor, this entity and the secret of slivers will have to wait.''


    He didn''t fully let loose his powers and continued scouting his surroundings.


    The ground was filled withyers uponyers of vegetation. When he plucked one flower, the entireyer responded, releasing toxins at him. If he managed to pierce through oneyer, multipleyers responded and their offense was much more dangerous.


    The trees here and there were dripping vicious dark liquid from their branches, their swaying leaves shaking up gravity with every movement.


    The monsters were mostly irrational and bloodthirsty. Their skins engraved with strange runes and they seemed intent on dying together than securing a hunt. Of the ones he encountered, many were at the peak of celestial, a couple of them divine.


    Hisbat instinct warned that these monsters were stronger than their modern-day equivalents.


    Thankfully, the disguise allowed him the luxury of not finding out.


    Even though he didn''t turn invisible, through the power of chaos, Varian''s physical presence was erased. All ways of perceiving him were messed up by the chaos and even the finest of detection treasures would fail to pick any signs.


    Soul power was added to this disguise. So, even if someone got lucky and perceived him, they would subconsciously ignore.


    Unless there were powerhouses in mid rank 2 or high rank 2, he didn''t have to worry about being found.


    This should''ve allowed him to act recklessly but the more he ventured in this realm, the more Varian''s senses tingled with danger.


    After nearly three hours of searching, Varian came across a ruins. What he felt after the discovery was not joy, it was fear. A spine chilling jolt of fear.


    What his instinct or experience seemed to respond to was now a little more clear.


    ''This ce is dangerous!''


    His senses were tingling.


    ''It can kill me.''


    The danger might be an unknown beast lurking around or maybe it''s in this ruins. But if he had to get any useful legacy from this ce, his life must be put at stake.


    Taking a deep breath, Varian created a clone and sent it into the ruins. A few secondster, shes of light emerged out of a ruined building before it copsed.


    The clone has encountered someth¡ª


    "Wu! Wuu!"


    A flying centipede the size of a horse flew out of the ruined buildings, its sharp teeth chewing onto some precious metal.


    The clone and the main body looked at each other with a dumbfounded gaze before the exploration resumed.


    The architectural style of this ruined¡­town was unlike anything he had seen before. The buildings were all made of a mix of diamond and eternity stones¡ªa mix that should''ve been impossible as these two would react rapidly and create a dangerous explosion.


    Interestingly, even after being dpidated, not a single house exploded.


    Through a specialbination of powers, materials and runes, the diamond and eternity stones were programmed to skip each other''s existence at any moment, for all moments toe.


    The main energy for this came from the tiny reactions of diamonds and eternity stones deliberated allowed to happen¡ªas controlled errors.


    ''It''s like a controlled fusion reaction¡­''


    What caused these houses to be ruined was actually the wearing away of the runes engraved on each house.


    Varian invoked the runes on a b and inspected it with care.


    "They are simr to the ones on the beasts. Two possibilities.


    Heaven tribe learned this from the beasts and developed it further. It''s like any other early civilization¡ªlearning from nature.


    Or.


    Heaven tribe started the runes. And imprinted them on the beasts, which they carry to this day, billions of years after the Heaven tribe are gone.


    If that''s true, then they''re dangerous. And Neveah who ended them is more than dangerous.


    Either way, these runes are more advanced than the ones on the monsters."


    Each rune was actually a micro formation built with the gathering of aura, bncing of diamond-eternity reaction, formation for the margin of controlled error and more.


    "This ruins had not brought any tangible results. But as thest ce of Heaven tribe, ." Varian stood up and raised his arm.


    Using the power of Order, Varian created three different ''rules'' for three runes.


    {The rune will resonate whening in contact with diamond-eternity formations}


    The other two runes resonated for different formations.


    Still aimed to remain hidden, Varian decided to capture a few monsters in the ruins and imprinted on their souls the runes.


    He then enved them using his soul power and set them free. Even with them, Varian took utmost caution to keep his involvement with them hidden.


    While he had to remain hidden, he had to speed up the search.


    ''The flow of this ce is a bit slowpared to the outside. Aurora has only two weeks left but in this ce, it''ll be over a month.''


    Varian took a deep breath and instructed the monsters to run at their full strength.


    ''Three new ruins! One of them is a city!''


    Three clones emerged out of Varian and sprinted to the new findings. Meanwhile, he kept enving the weaker monsters and using them as live radars.


    The returns from the clones kept disappointing and hours continued to pass. But there''s one finding that led his way. The ruins were getting more and more sophisticated.


    Patches of aura explosions. Broken metals engraved with lethal formations.


    And finally, a formation to harness the power of a sliver strand!


    Varian was fine with his clones inspecting everything else. But he had to inspect therge manor which contained the formation to harness the sliver strand.


    Withoutpromising his stealth, he moved as fast as he could.


    And unintentionally, Varian moved from the edge of the edge and jumped somewhere much closer to the center.


    Inspecting the exquisite formation that''s rotting away in the abandoned manor of the city ruins, his hopes were bolstered.


    ''I found something like this with less than a hundred monster radars. Once I up it to a thousand or even ten thousand, I can search the whole realm.''


    As he raised his hand to extract the rune to imprint on another monster, the formation of the ce that should''ve been rotting for an eternity lit up and the time flow slowed down.


    A shadowy figure emerged behind Varian.

 Chapter 1711: Intruder

    As the shadowy figure approached Varian, a small globule of light squirmed in the air sneaking behind the uninvited guest.


    He raised his arm and condensed a spinning hourss. It''s an attack no one in the alliance had seen. But if the Jai schrs were to witness it, they''d exim in shock and beg for a chance to study.


    This was one of the legendary chrono arts that vanished with the Heaven Tribe.


    <Stealing Time>


    A mystic art that stole the time of the opponent, rendering them unable to move for that period.


    It''s an advanced artpared to the simple <Stopping> or <Slowing> the time of an enemy that''s often used by the time awakeners of Jai.


    <Stealing Time> was lost but the remnants of it inspired many techniques in the empire.


    Once hit by this art, Varian would be a fish on the chopping board, at the mercy of the intruder.


    ''You''re so dead.'' The being whispered in its own mind and shot the attack.


    Varian''s body, already slowed due to the time formation, vibrated just so lightly. At the same instant, the globule of light burst into purple brilliance.


    The power of Chaos affected the time art, causing it to hit him a momentter than otherwise.


    And during that brief window, Varian''s body dissolved into air as if he was vaporized.


    "Where did h¡ª"


    The cloaked figure, now illuminated by the bright light, revealed himself to be a young man with strange features.


    He had a third eye between his brows, a rune over each eye and symbols of infinity over arms.


    Even though he kept his aura hidden, he was a newbie of divine ranks.


    As he''s about to take the next step, a hand patted his shoulder from behind and a cold voice whispered. "Shh. I''ll take it from here."


    Before the man could even try send a message, his soul was hit by a deep shock. Varian tried to read his memories but encountered a defense mechanism.


    This was the strongest security measure against memory reading and envement he hade across. He could break through but it''d alert the other side.


    With soul power alone, it''s impossible to glean into anything.


    (Let''s fight! Enve him!)


    Varian smiled and his eyes glowed with a mix of green, white and ck.


    The power of chaos drilled into the mechanism, shaking up the mechanism while the power of order followed, keeping it from being destroyed.


    In those gaps, the power of soulunched a shockwave at the fragile spirit and crushed it almost to the point of death.


    As long as the soul dissipated, the mechanism would still send an emergency message.


    So, Varian refrained from destroying the soulpletely and tried to glean into its memories. Under such restrictions, there was little he could gain.


    Other than a few pieces of information, he wasn''t able to learn much. However, that little was enough to send his mind racing.


    "What the fuck?"


    Varian used the power of life, death and chaos to keep the man alive while turning him into a thing closest to death. The power of chaos hid him from all senses and kept him hidden.


    His human body and spirit twisted lightly before they moprhed into the figure of the intruder¡ªinto the appearance of a Heaven tribesman.


    All his other paths were carefully hiden by Logos and his time path was lowered to a newbie rank 1.


    Then, Varian took a step forward and time rippled under his feet. The world shifted as time flowed and he stopped in front of a grand settlement, bustling with life.


    The grand city was shining, its marvelous buildings built out of crystals and diamonds infused with tremendous aura.


    Men, women and children moved in the streets, visiting stalls, rxing in the parks and fighting in the arenas.


    All of them had the same third eye and infinity arm marks. But the runes on their eyes were different. And not just different, they were unique.


    "Nodon, what''s up with the Shelios vige?" A man wrapped his arm around the neck and asked with a smile.


    In the guise of Nodon, Varian shook his head. "A wild beast got out of hand and triggered the mechanisms."


    "Told you so~" The man chuckled, dragging him along as he approached a shop selling trinklets. "Let''s continue our gamble. I found the efficient runest time, this time, I''m betting for spaceplexity."


    Varian raised a brow.


    Qoteus, the best friend of Nodon, was a gambler who gambled just for the sake of it. He''s a low rank 1 and was significantly stronger than Nodon. Though his reckless gambles in battles meant he''s now working as a low paid employee of the city lord.


    ''And he''s still gambling in his break time.''


    The effect of the trinklets was hidden until they were opened. All customers would usually check them out and buy what they needed.


    But this guy¡­


    "I want to take a stroll." Varian said, pushing away the arm around him.


    "Hey, hey!"


    Ignoring the man who kept insisting for one more gamble, Varian took in the sights with a shocked heart.


    He didn''t dare to stretch his perception and scan the entire city. If found, such a rude action could cost him dearly.


    But even a casual stroll through the popted streets allowed him to witness tens of thousands of people already.


    ''More than a million Heaven tribesmen are alive?'' Swallowing his saliva, Varian continued. ''They are supposed to be extinct billions of years ago!''


    And why would the Jai keep them alive? In a secret realm near the capital no less?


    ''Or maybe they weren''t extinct. They were pushed into eternal very?'' Varian looked around, eyes narrowing.


    Despite running a full scan on Nodon, he couldn''t find a trace of envement on him. If he ignored the mysterious runes on his eyes, there was no way this guy was a ve.


    ''What about the runes? Are they the source of envement?'' Varian smiled at a child running by before frowning. ''Or are they really enved?''


    "Grinning like a fool at the child. Nodon, your love of children is growing absurd." Qoteus snorted. "Going to reverse your age and relive your childhood again?"


    Varian paused. Nodon did have that idea in mind.


    "Not anytime soon." He quickened his pace, continuing the covert scan of everyone''s powers.


    Most of them were high celestial rankers. There were dozens and dozens of divine rankers, all of them rank 1. This single city might have enough divine rankers to rival the entire alliance.


    ''Since they didn''t go extinct, there will beplete information on their Origin research. But how do I get it?''


    Violence was thest resort. A tribe that lived through billions of years, even if it''s probably ensalved, would be a terrible enemy to confront.


    "Baah, how about I show you around the city lord pce?"


    Varian, who had been keeping up a light chat with the frustrated Qoteus, turned to him at the suggestion.


    The city council ruled the tribe and they usually didn''t allow outsiders in. Though Nodon himself didn''t care much about the administration procedures, even he knew that the city council was conducting a lot of advanced research.


    "Wouldn''t it be a problem if an outsider visits?" Varian asked, putting up a normal reaction.


    "Nah. Employees can bring one person for visit once a month. I have yet to use it. But Nodon, you have to promise to properly gamble next time." Qoteus said with a serious gaze. "More than losing in a gamble, I hate my opponent dropping from it."


    Varian shrugged.


    The two headed to the pce. Varian noticed more than a bunch of peak rank 1s here, patrolling as security.


    The structure was built out of pure white stone, different from the diamond buildings so far. And it wasrge enough to be a town in itself.


    Watching Varian''s expression as they climbed the stairs, passed the pirs and stepped into the corridor, Qoteus chuckled. "Told you it''s fun. Those Ativ can only dream of such civilized buildings."


    ''Wait, what?'' Varian looked at his expression, trying to guage if Qoteus was lying.


    Ativ tribe referred to the ancestors of the Undead.


    "You think I''m bragging?" Qoteus raised a brow.


    Varian did not shake his head.


    "Look, no matter how fancy their graveyards are, they are still graveyards. All they can think of is building more exquisite tombs. Uncivilized bugs." Qoteus sneered, pride evident on his face.


    "V-Vita tribe." Varian probed, without going into any details.


    "Vita is a little better, they''re building some fancy hamlets and calling them cities but even our ruined hamlets look better. Even though we all started at the same ce, our wisdom put us beyond the imagination of those dumb barbarians."


    As they walked by, Qoteus started introducing the various blocks, rooms and history of each painting, mural and carving like he had nothing else to do.


    "And this is the ce where the biological research on wild beasts wasmence¡ªohh! Elder Aion! May the Wisdom be yours!" Qoteus'' carefree nature vanished as he hurriedly lowered his head and greeted.


    An old man in gorgeous robes passed by, without even nodding. Varian too gave him a greeting and was ignored as well.


    ''A mid rank 2 even stronger than Hades. What the fuck?''


    And this guy was an Elder. There''s still a City Lord above him. Perhaps a high rank 2?


    ''I don''t want to encounter hi¡ª''


    Without warning, Qoteus mmed Varian''s third eye, a sharp de glowing with potent poison in his hand.


    It''s an unexpected situation with both fighting and not fighting likely leading to bad oues.


    Varian decided to fight and escape than be imprisoned and likely executed.


    But as he''s about to unleash his powers, the corridor lit up brightly and restrained Varian.


    The old man from earlier held his neck and his power was suppressed. "A rat. Who sent you? Neveah or Vita?"

 Chapter 1712: Secret of the Realm

    Varian tried to struggle his way out of the old man''s grip. He might''ve seeded since the opponent was a mid rank 2 like himself. But the formation that activated, even if it''s only in this one corridor was enough to suppress him.


    In a desperate attempt, he tried to disrupt the formation through the power of chaos.


    Any formation was dependent on some sort of ''Order'' to run. Chaos, by its very nature, was the nemesis to anything Orderly.


    Since it''s a formation set up by the tribe of Heaven, it shouldn''t have much resistance against Chaos. These guys shouldn''t know much about it.


    So, Varian prepared for his escape and h¡ª


    "Huh?"


    The formation barely shook.


    "Ares." Elder Aion pursed his lips and shook his head. "Should''ve guessed. No one seeks chaos like them."


    Varian used all his power to barely turn his neck and stared at the Elder in the eye.


    Was this old guy insane? Ares were extinct billions of years ago. Heaven tribe surviving was a surprise in itself but Ares too?


    In the forbidden region of Harmony Spiral, he confirmed their end. Every single member of Ares was dead. And every single one of their descendants¡ªDevas¡ªwere dead too.


    There''s no one alive. If there''s one, by the virtue of the legacy, Sarah should''ve been aware of it the moment she stepped into the divine ranks.


    "Stop bullshitting." Varian didn''t like the situation he was in.


    Would he get executed? Probably.


    Would he try to get out before then? Definitely!


    He''s thankful his rank 2 power wasn''t revealed as the formation suppressed him before it could happen. If they treat him as a rank 1, his life would be easier.


    Now, all he should do was attempt not to get immediately killed. And what better way to do it than to hint the other party he knew something they didn''t.


    "Ares is extinct for a few billion years already. Are you living under a rock?"


    "Huh?" Elder Aion blinked in confusion before turning to Qoteus and scratching his beard. "You didn''t even hit this guy and he went crazy."


    "Elder, I¡­" The young man was confused as well. He nced at Varian and Varian fearlessly red at him.


    It seemed to have triggered a switch as he violently gripped Varian''s throat. Blood gushed out as his fingers sank in and he leaned forward. "You son of a bitch, where is Nodon? What did you do to him?"


    Varian did not answer.


    Keeping Nodon''s status ambigious might buy him a few days as the Heaven tribesmen conduct a search for his traces. In case they didn''t find him and he''s confident they wouldn''t, he would have some bargaining power¡­until they decide to torture the hell out of him for the information.


    "I''ll give you the answer soon, Qoteus. Good job finding the intruder and informing us. If you didn''t convince him properly, he wouldn''t have stepped into the pce and things could''ve been troublesome."


    Varian''s eyes widened as he looked between the young and the old. "You knew from the start?"


    He thought it was perhaps some false memories that caused him to slip up.


    "Of course, I know. How would I not?" Qoteus rubbed the runes above his eyebrows and looked at him with contempt. "You uncivilized barbarians call it sphemy. We call it research. The crystallization of our tribe''s wisdom."


    "What are you¡ª"


    Things were going strange but before he could enquire any further, Varian''s vision darkened and he fainted.


    When he woke up an hourter, he found himself in a sleek ck walled prison with a familiar scent. It''s the smell of rotting corpses and dried blood. It shouldn''t have bothered him but for some reason, it did.


    There was a flickering light from themps nearby¡ªthemps ced on a bunch of fresh skulls with some decaying flesh.


    It was ugly, disgusting and scary.


    ''Scary? Just this?'' Varian didn''t understand how he could be scared by something so basic.


    The floor under his feet was glowing with a faint light and then he realized.


    ''Formations to reduce courage and invoke fear. Soul formations?''


    He quickly checked the six solid walls of the room and realized they all had formations engraved deep inside.


    ''Would I be able to break them?''


    Honestly, he''d never seen these materials or those formations. While he might break the materials alone, if they were reinforced by formation, unless he managed topletely break out of the prison room, his attempts would be futile.


    If he managed to do some damage, he''d likely be shifted to a tougher prison. And if he did no damage, well, what''s the use?


    ''I have to study the prison first.''


    As he''s about to start that, the wall he leaned against rippled. Varian jumped back, breath halted and fists clenched.


    An old man in blue robes, white beard and golden eyes entered the room nonchntly.


    Before Varian could take any action, the prison room lit up from the glow of the formations.


    Without much resistance, Varian was pressed to the floor.


    "Let''s have a candid chat. Even if you''re a madman from Ares, maybe you''re one of the lesser mad ones."


    The force on Varian lowered and allowed himself to sit up straight. He ced himself against the wall and looked at the old man with a confused gaze. "Are you still going with that talk? Ares are extinct."


    "It''s best for you and me if you stop this nonsense and speak straight." The elder said in a calm but solemn tone. "Extracting your soul will damage the memories, no matter how advanced we are in our soul research, we are still not as good as the Vitas and Ativs."


    "I¡­" Varian paused for a moment and considered everything so far. This old guy was either lying or maybe there''s some misunderstanding.


    ''I am in the secret realm and I found Heaven''s Tribe is actually alive. But they seem to believe that Ares is also alive.''


    Furrowing his brows, he asked. "I have a few questions myself."


    Elder Aion raised a brow. "Are you sure you''re not insane? You''re my prisoner. You answer me."


    "You can kill me and try extracting the information or we can talk it out."


    "And then I''ll kill you. Or better, I''ll throw you to the beasts to rip you apart while healing you before death and continuing that for an eternity. You''ll serve as a warning to other Ares members."


    Varian took a deep breath. The scent of the prison was growing more and more disgusting. It was starting to affect him mentally.


    He''s beginning to realize why they didn''t bother to torture. These formations were weakening his mental and physical defenses.


    With courage taken away, even an iron willed soldier would give up all information. And this old man was simplyying the foundation for what''s toe.


    "I will tell you what I know." Varian shifted ufortably, trying to tell himself that it''s going to be okay. But like a novice that''s still new to warfare, his body protested.


    His heart began to slightly race, his fingers began to tremble and his breath turned erratic.


    ''Calm the eff down.''


    He forcibly calmed himself and looked back at the old man who was staring at him with a stern gaze.


    "It''ll be easier for you and me if you answer me as I answer you." Varian proposed while clenching his teeth.


    Why was he feeling nervous for such a small thing? His heart began to race again, fear gripping him as his mind imagined the terrible things that would happen.


    "I''ll go first." Elder Aion said. "Why are you here?"


    Varian wanted to answer immediately, a voice in his mind telling him not to anger this powerhouse. But he pressed it down and muttered. "No, it''s me first. Which year is it?"


    Elder Aion didn''t look pleased with his words. He even raised his hand at Varian and the formation behind him began to activate.


    Varian gritted his teeth and asked, his voice solemn. "Old guy, which year is it?"


    The old man stared into Varian''s eyes for a few moments before saying. "659th into 1st thousand of the 10th million."


    "What''s the reference point for that calendar?"


    Aion''s brows knit together and his voice grew impatient. "What else? Since the departure of the gods."


    "¡­What the hell." Varian deeply exhaled.


    Things suddenly started to make sense.


    The monsters in the wild which were said to be ancestral figures of many present day beasts.


    The chronos arts by Nodon which were said to be long lost.


    The surviving and thriving tribe of Heaven which went extinct.


    The constant reference to Ares tribe as if they were still alive.


    The secret realm wasn''t a leap into a different space. It was a leap into a different time.


    A time before the great war between the primordial tribes.


    "I''m from the future and you''re all going to die."

 Chapter 1713: Blasphemy

    Varian slipped up without intending to. The formations were terrible at letting him speak his thoughts.


    Elder Aion froze and looked at him for a few seconds like someone staring at an extinct creature that suddenly came to life.


    The stare made him ufortable and fearful. He didn''t care whether they believed him or not. What he was concerned about was whether they''d get angry after verifying the truth and kill him out of uncontroble emotions.


    Heaven tribe was particrly arrogant, viewing everyone beneath them. Even from the short period of interaction, he could tell they didn''t take Neveah or Vita or for that matter any of the tribes seriously.


    What would their reaction be after finding out they were ughtered to extinction by Neveah? And that their defeat was so clean and so easy that even to this day, the worst losers were called as descendants of Heaven tribe?


    Would these arrogant pricks be humble enough to ept the truth or self-reflect? Or would theysh out at the messenger?


    Probably thetter.


    As Varian wondered if he should use the slivers and make a desperate attempt, Elder Aion made a sudden movement.


    Throwing his head back, the old manughed. mming the floor with his fist as his shoulders shook, the powerhouse didn''t even bother to wipe away the tears in the corner of his eyes.


    "¡­You think this is funny?" Varian asked in a disbelieving tone.


    "Or what?" Elder Aion smiled at him. He seemed to be in a good mood after hearing a hearty joke.


    "I am from the fut¡ª"


    "You can''t travel back to the past." Elder Aion raised his finger and dered with confidence. "Heaven tribe is the inheritor of Time path. We have tried to travel to the past more than anyone else."


    Varian pursed his lips. He agreed with the reasoning but then what to make of the reality he''s in?


    "To go back in time for an isted world is easy. We''ve aplished it long ago."


    It''s something he agreed with. Fabricator''s Paradise had plenty of those worlds thattravelled back in time. But it''s only possible because they were isted enough.


    "If you want to travel to a past time of an open system like the universe or even a limited open space like Eden, you''ll have to swim against the entire univere''s timeflow." Aion''s shoulders sank and he sighed inaudibly. "But we found a way even then. We just tried sending our memories or bits of power¡ªit''s easier than a full body or a full soul. It should be possible, all our calctions stated it so¡­"


    Perhaps because he was certain that Varian could not escape, Aion even stated some of the principles and calctions involved in that travel.


    Initially, Varian just dismissed his im as an intimidation tactic where the coercing party would inte their power to put pressure on the coerced.


    But the more he listened to Aion''s speech, the more his eyes widened. He clenched his jaw lest these nasty formations let him slip out his thoughts again and express his awe.


    Even though he''s reached rank 2 in time path, he gave up the thought of travelling to past after encountering the wall. It seemed impossible to swim back against the universe''s tide.


    Yet, these guys figured out a way? And billions of years ago? This was far beyond what other tribes were doing at this time. Then, why they hell were they extinct?


    "Anyway, I didn''t think expect you to have some chronos humor bones in you, throwing time travel jokes like that. If Nodon is not dead and you spit out his information, I''ll give you a chance to live. We need some experiment pieces. It''s not the best mercy but you could survive if you''re lucky."


    Varian''s lips twitched. ''I''m sorry I can''t ept your kindness, you bunch of evil scientists.''


    "Why are you staring at me like that? Did you ept to be let off after sneaking into our territory and doing something as foolish as impersonating one of us?" Aion crossed his arms. "It''s because we''re a civilized that I''m talking to you. If it''s one of those barbarian tribes, they''d have cut you into pieces and cooked you for their god."


    Varian pressed against the wall, his knuckles pale. This guy was slowly rxing his guard while letting the formations lower his mental defenses.


    It''s a very disturbing method and far more efficient than straight up torture. If it''s some other divine ranker, their thought process and mental defenses would be so manipted that they''d confess everything within half a day.


    "How did you even find me?" Varian asked. It''s the first time his diguise was pierced when he kept a low profile.


    "Barbarians like you won''t understand." Aion shook his head, throwing a gaze full of contempt while he stroked his beard with pride.


    ''These guys are very prideful, bragging about being civilized and calling the rest barbarians.''


    "If you can''t even exin to a barbarian, then you''re not very civilized."


    It was a stab to his pride. The elder was visibly pissed as his brows frowned and jaw clenched.


    If it''s modern day and age, such provocations would never work. But because Heaven was calling everyone savages, he bet that these guys would be arrogant enough to tell him.


    Because why would you guard your secret forms against barbarians who can''t even build a basic formation? They wouldn''t understand no matter how hard they try.


    As expected, Aion pointed to the tattoos over his brows and smirked. "We have tapped into the power beyond the restrictions of divine paths."


    Varian tilted his head, confusion visible on his face.


    Chuckling at the reaction every savage would give at those words, the elder continued. "Origin. The origins of everyone in our race are linked. Your disguise is impable, even my lord brother wouldn''t be able to tell you apart.


    But your origin doesn''t link with anyone. Your little disguise was over before it even begun. It''s also the reason why every single barbarian spy was found."


    Varian''s jaw dropped, an incredulous look on his face.


    The rotting scent in the room was still as bad as ever. But briefly, he forgot the difort brought by it and slid himself closer to the powerhouse.


    The older man watched him with disinterest and even contempt. "Yeah, yeah. Say it. Call it sphemy. Studying origin is not sphemy. It''s just something you can''t do and tried to ban us from doing. All five tribes put together can''t stop us. Origin will lead us to the beyond."


    Varian''s eyes shook as Isadora''s words rang in his mind.


    The justification by Neveah tribe for ughtering Heaven.


    ||Judgement for an attempt to spheme the sacred creation of the Creator||


    ''sphemy.''


    This was the sphemy! Their study of origin!


    After exterminating Heaven, Neveah took a while to assimte Heaven and evolve into the Jai race.


    They turned from a racial origin that''s aligned only to space to a racial origin that has affinity to both space and time!


    It''s origin again!


    ''Neveah stole the research on origin from Heaven and used it to evolve into Jai race.''


    Varian''s lips trembled as he uncovered the secret buried in history. In a trembling voice, he asked. "Against whom is the study of Origin sphemy?"


    Because Origin did not belong to any of the six gods that these tribes worshipped. And ording to their own calendar, those gods themselves were missing for ten million years already, possibly dead.


    Why would it matter anyway?


    Aion didn''t answer immediately. He instead observed Varian with a smirk. "An abandoned tribesman who doesn''t even know the basic truths. You took such a big risk and sneaked in here to prove yourself? All for what? Just getting back into the barbarian tribe again?"


    Varian paused and looked at Aion with confusion. This old guy had quite an imaginative brain.


    His expression seemed to affirm Aion''s guess as the old man chortled and said in disdain. "I like you, whether Nodon is dead or alive, I''m honoring you to be my experimental piece. Since we''re at that, I might as well inform you that the so-called gods are not gods. Before these six, there were three."


    A small gasp was heard in the room and all breathing seemed to still.


    ''These guys knew about Primordial Gods?''


    "And before those three¡­" Aion''s eyes grew hazy as he looked into the distance, as if he was looking past the billions of years that cosmos went through, back to the beginning of everything. "There was one. Maker, Originator, Founder, Numen, Demiurge¡ªmany names referring to that entity."


    This was never mentioned anywhere in the modern age. Was this a piece of knowledge only the Heaven knew? Then Neveah must know it too. What about the rest of the tribes?


    "We were foolish to think the gods who only mastered the paths represented Avenues. And we were foolish still to think avenues by themselves were enough when Origin that bore all those avenues was bare in front of us.


    Something that exists above avenues cannot be created by those whose power is


    derived from the very avenues. There was someone, something before them, before us, before everything."


    Aion''s voice was uncharacteristically low, slow and confused.


    "Then studying origin is a sphemy to that being." Varian said, mind still overwhelmed with what he heard.


    "It is a sphemy."


    "Then why do you still do it?"


    "Why not?" Aion yelled, his face contorting and eyes narrowing.


    There was something wrong with that response. Something¡­


    Varian flinched, the formations were doing a great job draining his courage away. A significant part of him did not wish to piss this old man off.


    But he pushed back the fear and pressed on. "Why do you spheme?"


    "Even the best of our best cannot reach rank 3. They''ll die one day. We''ll all die.


    Not because we are ipetent but because some unseen, unknown being long ago decided it so.


    Why should we, the tribe of Heaven, with all our wisdom and courage, ept the limitatons set by some arbitary entity?


    This prison¡­this prison called the universe¡­this should not be it. Divine paths are not it. They are just one more creation. There has to be something higher. They must be."


    It was an outrageous im. To even think that way was something was crazy. And yet, Varian realized this man, no, his entire tribe believed those words.


    Aion stood up and waved his hand.


    The restrictions on Varian grew tighter, sealing his power all the way to the first rank of celestial boundary.


    "I really need to do some research to blow the steam off. Come."


    Varian looked at the prison and then the corridor for a moment.


    ''Logos, can you restore my Origin after this old bastard messes with it?''


    [The power of Order and Chaos is capable.]


    With a sigh, he walked out of the prison.


    The experiments might be terrible but it''s his only way to escape.


    And he wanted to discover the secrets of this ce.


    He could feel it vaguely.


    A fog covering the truth.


    And for some reason, the pair of eyes imprinted in his soul were glowing a little brighter.


    (A/N: The story is ending in September. The release rate has slowed down and would be slow in August as well. So, please don''t buy priv in August. See you all in September.)

 Chapter 1714: Lab Slave

    The life of a ve was miserable, in both physical and mental sense.


    A prison ve was worse.


    Ab ve, however, was treated slightly better. It''s done in hopes they''d live longer and continue the experiment chain a little more.


    Yet, they died the fastest.


    Even the most tenacious didn''t survive a month if their origin was experimented on.


    "And I think you might just break that record."


    Varian''s contorting face froze for a moment and he red at the elder man standing outside a thin blue energy wall.


    The room was a fusion of sleek metal with futuristic while and glowing runes that spoke of ancient tales.


    Working together, they created a white sphere of light that swallowed him with ease. With powers sealed and body suppressed, Varian remained still as the advanced formations tried to influence his origin.


    The absurd part was that they were seeding.


    His fingers clenched and he tried to thrash out. Blood sshed between his teeth and hints of red began to show in his eyes.


    "If not for this experimenting needing a raw subject, I''d have given proper drugs to calm your temper." Aion shook his head with a regretful expression, but his gaze remained fixed on a transparent screen bombarded with the test data.


    His lips curled up and he pped his hands in joy, a gesture that undid his image as a stern elder.


    "Your origin is really something else! You might live for two months! An origin subject living two full months. Wonderful, just wonderful!"


    With a gesture of his hands, the formations ceased and so did the force holding Varian in ce.


    He crashed to the ground, spasming and coughing blood. His lips quivered and he looked like he might die at any moment.


    Aion frowned and tapped on a few options on the floating screen.


    A few runes lit up in the room, far fewer than before and waves of vitality drowned Varian.


    (This is three times more than normal. He''s really scared you''ll die. Great acting!) Samsara''s mischievous voice rang in his mind.


    ''You know, I might really die.'' Varian allowed his body to recover under the healing but in the mind space he created, he sat crosslegged in the void, watching the world outside with a wry smile.


    Everytime an experiment began, he''d let his body function on its own for the most part and study the runes in the room.


    In just a week, despite the terrible learning environment, he gained a preliminary understanding.


    Since he had ample of time to think between experiments, Varian concluded that he didn''t really travel to the past.


    ''It''s just a dungeon that has the projections of this past.''


    There''s no other logical exnation.


    If time travel to the past was so easy and all he had to do was step into this domain, God Emperor or the ones before him would''ve done it long ago.


    Forget them, even the Jai princes who witnessed the destruction of the empire should''ve rushed to this dungeon.


    Going back to the past was first, too absurd and second, mess up the chain of causality.


    [Butterfly effect. If past is changed, what happens to the present?] Logos'' opinion aligned with his.


    With a single scan from Samsara, it would''ve been rified. Unfortunately, she wasn''t in a position to do so.


    (Their formations can even detect tiny bits of power. I''ll be discovered. Wuuu~)


    After consoling her that she''s notpletely useless, Varian focused his attention on the outside, taking back the control of his body.


    They were now strolling through a beautiful street, him a few steps behind Aion as the elder man greeted the younger passerby with a pleasing smile.


    Other a uniform of pure blue with ck lines, Varian didn''t have any restraints on. Not even a single chain to stop him from attempting an escape.


    If not for the uniform designated tob rats, he''d have looked like just another tribesman.


    "Elder Aion! Elder Aion!" Amoner young girl in in clothes that''re worse than Varian''s prisoner uniform jumped in front of the old man and grabbed his sleeves.


    "What''s the matter, Zelina?" The old man leaned down and scratched the freckled girl''s nose with a yful smile. "Did you run away from the breakthrough again?"


    "I didn''t!" The girl yelled in her cute voice before looking around.


    There were a lot of people passing by on the street for some reason¡ªfamilies, single men and women, and even children.


    Zelina eyed the crowd with a cautious gaze before leaning over. The old man bent down to her height and the little girl whispered in his ears. "I heard the event would start. I''m going to line up early and reserve my seat."


    Behind him, Varian could clearly hear the voice she desperately tried to lower. And he feared, most people here also did.


    As expected, some started pacing faster while others, particrly, children broke into a jog.


    "Nooooo!" The little girl''s eyes widened and without even bothering to bid farewell, she began running.


    Varian would have thought of her as a cute, lively girl if not for her treating a ve like he didn''t even exist.


    Other than a curious nce she gave him before realizing the uniform he''s wearing, she didn''t spare him a second nce or a single word.


    ''Just like the old bastard, she too is treating me like an object. This tribe is screwed up.''


    "She''s the daughter of a department head." Aion rose up and shook his head.


    "Hasn''t even reached celestial ranks at 6. Some of the newer generation are really worrying."


    "Cough! Cough! Cough!" Varian nearly choked on his saliva at those words.


    "Huh? Did your condition detoriate?" Aion turned back to him in a hurry, brows frowning.


    "I''m fine." Varian said, gaze remaining unfriendly.


    "I''ll give you another round of healing after we go back." Aion ced his hands behind his back and moved forward.


    The way he walked and kept chatting with the passerbys showed he held absolutely no defense against Varian.


    It''d have been the perfect chance to ambush if only his power wasn''t sealed.


    Even though Varian looked normal except for the ve uniform, he was heavily sealed. And the seal put on him was something incredibly special¡ªit''s also the first experiment he had to go through.


    The seal wasn''t on his body or in his soul, it''s directly imprinted onto his origin. Since they initiated this sealing process, not a single person managed to break out.


    Perhaps Aion wasn''t being arrogant by keeping his guard down, he''s just showing his confidence in the seal.


    As they entered arge store, Aion purchased some materials and turned around.


    ''These things all have a piece of divinity in them.'' Varian was rmed. ''They don''t belong to a rank 2 creature.''


    Noticing Varian''s keen interest in the items, Aion smiled. "Curious?"


    He nodded stiffly.


    "Barbarians won''t understand anyway."


    "¡­"


    Varian wanted to smash his head. Using the slivers, he could break the origin seal in seconds.


    ''Calm down! Calm down! I don''t have to get angry at a projection. He''s just a projection!''


    Clenching and loosening his fist, Varian followed him to the townsquare.


    Aion considered Varian to be helpless. But after studying the runes, he gained enough understanding of them to break away from theb.


    He didn''t do so for a simple reason. Once he escaped from this city, he wouldn''t be able to study those runes again.


    And sneaking in again was impossible since he still hadn''t figured out how they modified their Origin.


    The experiments sucked, sure. But the benefits he''s reaping through the secret study were enormous. And staying with this talkative old man was giving him a lot of information.


    "Elder, they''ve called for you!" A middle-aged guard ran through the heavy crowd on the street and saluted Aion. "It''s about to begin."

 Chapter 1715: Fourth Prophecy

    A faint purple glow was seen from the distance. It''s a floating stage set up in the townsquare and several powerful auras were beginning to reach the venue.


    Therge crowd was also moving there.


    ''At least 50% of the city''s poption is moving. What the hell is going on?'' Varian was confused.


    No matter whether it''s a famous festival or popr speech, half of the citying together for it was too much!


    From what he observed from the past week, even though he greeted everyone with a friendly smile, except for going out ocassionally to buy materials, Aion always declined invitations to balls, meetings, festivals and weddings.


    ''He loves torturing in the name of experiments too much!''


    So, he''d decline the invitation and return to theb. Varian was about about to turn away when he heard an unexpected reply.


    "I guess the experiment has to be postponed." Aion gave Varian a look of regret before a soft glowing green aura enveloped them.


    The world shed in Varian''s eyes and the next moment, he found himself at a corner of the stage.


    Aion and a couple well dressed elders who were all rank 2s stood in a line.


    ''Six, eleven, thirty? Thirty rank 2s? Who are you kidding?'' Varian thought he was seeing things.


    Even today, after so much development, the alliance didn''t have ten rank 2s. Even Jai empire only had fifteen rank 2s at its highest and ten of them were low rank 2s.


    Out of these thirty, fifteen were low rank 2s, ten were mid rank 2s including Aion and five were high rank 2s!


    ''Neveah ughtered them to extinction? And without much losses? Who are you kidding?'' Varian began to wonder if the history was fabricated.


    Maybe Heaven ughtered Neveah and became Jai? But that made no sense. Such lie would be refuted by the remaining tribes.


    [Maybe this projection is altering the actual situation? Making them far stronger than they actually are? The original Heaven tribe could''ve been far weaker.]


    ''Perhaps. But what if the projection was real? Because the runes definitely were the real. Their research on origin was real. Their theories on time travel were real.''


    Before he could think further, a beam of lightnded on the smooth purple stage.


    The rose-shaped green aura enveloping the figure melted away, revealing a in and unassuming man in elegant white clothes.


    But every soul gathered in the townsquare fell deadly still in his presence.


    Varian''s eyes widened as he sensed a power far beyond the rest.


    ''Peak rank 2!''


    [No doubt. I just wonder what is the energy source powering these projections? What can even power a peak rank 2? He''s a false being in the sense that this is a projection, but within the projection itself, he''s as real as a real peak rank 2.]


    Logos'' voice was also filled with worry.


    "Hm?" The man in white suddenly turned around and nced at Varian.


    Varian''s hair stood on its end as he felt a majestic power scan through every bit of his being.


    It was that feeling of powerlesness, simr to what he felt when he faced the God Emperor''s clone that day.


    The man didn''t even try and Varian''s soul started to crumble. If he just kept at it intently for a few more seconds, it would be enough to kill him.


    ''Should I break the seal and escape?'' Varian instinctually tried to clench his fists but his fingers couldn''t move an inch. And then he realized the horrible situation he''s in. ''Can I even escape?''


    As his soul reached the point of breaking, a figure stood between him and the man, blocking the prying gaze.


    "Eon! That''s my piece! Don''t try to snatch him from me." Aion blew his beard and said in an upromising tone.


    Eon withdrew his gaze from Varian and said in a calm tone. "I feel he is hiding something."


    ''The slivers!'' Varian''s heart nearly stopped beating for a moment. ''Even Aion didn''t find their traces and this guy sensed them with a nce!''


    "I don''t care." Aion waved his hand.


    For a brieft moment, Varian thought this old man was perhaps not as evil as he imagined. But his next words squashed that belief and tramped on it.


    "I''ll disect him after he dies anway and read his memories. Until then, I want my piece to survive as long as it can."


    "Alright." The man nodded and turned to the crowd. His deep voice rang across the townsquare. "The fourth and final prophecy of the year begins."


    Varian had just begun to recover from the stressful ecounter and those words threw his mind off the bnce.


    ''Prophecy?''


    Eon raised his arm to the sky and a brilliant light condensed on it.


    All the light in the world seemed to be sucked away as everything turned dark. A squirming, shining blue energy hovered over his hand.


    [Time sliver! It''s the real sliver!]


    (Time sliver! It''s definitely real!)


    Logos and Samsara yelled at once.


    A soul chilling thought shed through Varian''s mind.


    ''There is no way a projection can create a sliver. This is real!''


    As if the shock wasn''t enough, the words that rang from Eon gave him another blow. "The third prophecy of the year revealed that Neveah is going to attack us with an intent to destroy."


    The calm reaction of the crowd and the disdainful chuckles of the elders told him that this was real.


    ''They knew it? And yet they went extinct without putting up any resistance?!''


    They already knew! And they didn''t seem to care! The nonchnce of the crowd told him not only were they prepared, they were also looking forward to it.


    "The fourth prophecy reveals the precise time of the attack." Eon spoke calmly, the time sliver in his hand spinning, giving out waves upon waves of blue that rippled through the city.


    Varian swallowed his saliva. ''The sliver is real. Whether this is a projection or real past, Heaven tribe is going go to extinct when Neveah attacks.''


    "The attack is¡­three days from now."

 Chapter 1716: Origin of Synergy

    Three days.


    Three days were all he had before Neveah tribe invaded and destroyed the tribe of Heaven.


    That time sliver was authentic, then so must be this world. Since he entered this world as a full body and not an avatar, his death would be irreversible.


    "You don''t look so good."


    Rearranging the glowing runes on the floating screen, Aion frowned at the pale Varian through the transparent ss.


    ''Of course I''m not!'' Varian wanted to m the ss, activate the runes on it to explode the room ad escape before things here caught fire.


    Even though his rune mastery was still rudimentary, he''d be able to pull it off with the help of Logos.


    He''s really, really confident of escaping. But if there''s a peak rank 2 in this tribe and with a time sliver no less, did he really have a chance?


    "Aion."


    Theb ve''s solemn voice surprised the elder. Unlike others who resigned themselves to their fate and despaired or the brittle ones who hated him till thest moment, this guy didn''t seem to care too much about being ab rat.


    Since he experimented on countless ves, Aion was confident in his judgement.


    Subject X-23y728z was special.


    That specialty was most likely his insanity of iming to be from the future. But well, it''s still special.


    Oh, he opposed theb code and was calling himself Var.


    "Neveah is going to attack and Heaven will go extinct." The ve gritted his teeth, staring him straight in the eye.


    Aion narrowed his eyes, a smile creeping on his face. "It''s your desperate wish, I suppose. But the barbaric Neveah will treat you lot with far more cruelty."


    "This isn''t my wish. This is the past of the time I live in and the future of yours." Varian emphasized.


    Aion swiped away the runes and cleansed his hands with high-density aura. Clicking his tongue while he did so, he chuckled. "A future where puny Neveah pushes Heaven to extinction. Where the tribes of Ativ, Vita, Sera have to band against Neveah just to survive."


    Thed even used silly words like ''alliance'' and ''empire''.


    "If you''re trying to convince me, you''re not trying hard enough."


    Var fell silent, looking confused and dispirited.


    Aion nodded to himself. Even though the ve pestered him with these ramblings, he cooperated in difficult experiments.


    "I''m a very reasonable person. As long as you can convince me, I''ll take the proper course of action."


    That''s a lie. There''s no way he would listen to the mad ravings of an insaneb ve.


    But a few words to soothe the ve and give him an illusion that he''s being heard won''t hurt. He might even survive a few more days.


    Aion smiled as he thought of the rapid progress so far.


    Varian tried to convince him for two more days, speaking of the historical ounts as much as he could remember.


    But no matter how much he tried to prove the authenticity of his words, Aion simply found itughable.


    Tommorrow was the day of invasion. And Varian gave up convincing.


    ''I''ll escape during the chaos.''


    His instincts were warning him it''s going to be dangerous. And the eyes imprinted in his soul began to shine even brighter. They were giving off the glowparable to the sun itself!


    And still, neither Logos nor Samsara could sense those eyes.


    "Oh, something is moving in your origin, about to active."


    The golden goggles on Aion vanished. Squinting his eyes, the old man focused on the man floating between theb''splex formations.


    Varian was confused for a moment before he appeared to struggle.


    A double-disc formation under him made up of a ck ring and a glowing red disc spun against each other. This increased the force holding him captive, rendering him motionless.


    Aion wanted to extract the blinking spot of silver from the white sphere of Origin. It slipped away for a good while before the formations caught it.


    The message was tapped by Aion and a familiar voice rang.


    "Hello, hello?" Aurora said in awkard tone. "I''m using Sia to convey a message. No matter where you go, it''ll activate on time."


    Aion''s eyes widened and his breath nearly stopped. "Even we haven''t gone that far in using Origins for messaging. And a time-bound message?"


    Aurora''s voice continued, a little embarassed but mostly scared.


    "You must return on thest day! I want to see you before I go, Please."


    The message ended just like that.


    The formations were deactivated and Varian crashed to the ground, coughing blood and fragments of organs.


    ''Aurora¡­''


    Varian clenched his fist, aura gathering inside him. With the runes he learned, he should be able to save her as long as he got the shards.


    And the shard making knowledge would likely be in the golden pce, Abaroth.


    ''I should get out of this world.'' Varian gathered his weak body and leaned against the wall, taking weak but determined breaths.


    Aion stared at him, eyes surprised and lips trembling. Varian expected him to dig into the secret of the message and double down on the experiments to find out its working.


    But.


    "sphemer! You too are a sphemere! Hahahaha! There is one more tribe with us! We are not alone!"


    The loudughter of the elder was confusing. Why was this his first reaction?


    "You are spheming against Him."


    The walls to the room vanished as Aion stepped in and crouched in front of Varian.


    Matching the eye level, the old man continued. "I should''ve not underestimated Ares. If Heaven sphemes for knowledge, then the chaos seekers must''ve sphemed for the sake of chaos. Wonderful, absolutely wonderful! Our two tribes can work together for a better future!"


    Varian blinked, eyes weary and confused. There was a big misunderstanding. But he''s not going to correct it and remove the advantage he just gained.


    However, it got him thinking.


    ''Synergy depends on Origin, not divine paths. In that sense, it is a sphemy. But who created it? Even the legacy of Ares had no mention of Synergy. And somehow, Devas mastered this technique? Really?''


    [¡­I don''t remember the Devas actually use anything simr to Synergy. I don''t think they developed it.]


    Creating Synergy needed research on Origin. Research that Ares never did.


    Heaven tribe¡ªthe only one who did any research on Origin¡ªseemed nowhere close to achieving what Synergy could do. They''re going extinct tomorrow and their research would end here.


    Who even created Synergy?


    Varian swallowed, a wild thought stirring in his mind.


    "The messaging mechanism seems to be only a basicponent of a far moreplex self-regting system." Aion spoke, his eyes glittering.


    "I can''t believe Ares made it. Did you guys manage to go out of the universe and snipe it from somewhere?"


    "I¡­" Varian''s words were struck in his throat. That was precisely the outrageous thought he had.


    "Hahaha! Don''t take it too seriously. But to protect our own egos, Heaven tribe would rather believe such an outrageous system came from outside the universe. I''ve only caught a glimpse of it but it is something that might as well havee from the outside."


    Varian rubbed his bloodied forehead that''s beginning to heal.


    Aion''s words were reflecting his own.


    It''s not that he didn''t think Synergy might havee from outside Eden. But if someone was really that capable, there''d have been records of their existence at least.


    Moreover, while the universe itself was vast, the core space and even inner space were much smaller. And in a sense, they represented all the space of the universe.


    Any advanced civilization that could create Synergy must leave some traces there. But there were none.


    And Varian had never seen anything like Synergy anywhere. It directly connected Origins to build a bridge and improved all the recepients.


    While it''s simr to dual cultivation techniques used by some races, the deepest those techniques went were souls.


    No one manipted Origin like Synergy.


    ''I need answers.'' Varian slowly stood up.


    Aion made an inviting gesture and the formations in the room were withdraw into the walls.


    "I hope you don''t mind what happened." Aion spoke the shameless words without feeling any embarassment. "Since your tribe is also working on this, you must know the importance of our work. If it''s going to help, I''ll sacrifice my own life for the research on Origin."


    Varian looked at him nkly, unsure what to say. Now that he''s out of prison, escape would be far easier.


    "Rest a few days. I''ll send a few of our envoys with you to your tribe. I''m looking forward to our cooperation." Aion said with a wide grin.


    ''You''ll all die tomorrow!'' Varian swallowed his words and nodded.


    Maybe he could find a way to stop Heaven''s extinction?


    Neveah couldn''t be strong enough to decimate Heaven. So, something happened to Heaven tommorrow. Something unexpected that led to their extinction.


    If he could find the anomaly, maybe he could¡­

 Chapter 1717: Immortality

    "Aion, I remember you saying you won''t talk to me until I stop my prophecies. What made my stubborn brother give up his own word?"


    In a chamber of the city lord pce, Eon sat behind a desk built purely of glowing golden aura and smiled at the older-looking man.


    "Elder brother." Aion addressed him with respect.


    Outside, he addressed Eon by his name and thetter didn''t refute it to protect Aion''s image. But in private, Aion showed a lot of respect to his older sibling.


    It''sical for a man who looked to be in his 70s to address a man barely into 30s as an elder. But once anyone knew their divine ranks, it''d be obvious. A peak rank 2 had far longer lifespan than mid rank 2s.


    In fact, Eon''s proper appearance was supposed to be that of a child six years. He had aged more than he should''ve¡ªat least by five more times in fact.


    There were already light wrinkles on his forehead and a few strands of his hair were turning white. These were signs that could easily be modified if a divine ranker wished to.


    But Eon didn''t bother. Most divine rankers would be born during his reign. And they''d die way before it ends. He''d outlive more than a couple generations of divine rankers. For every generation, his look would be the new normal.


    As Aion was about to reveal why he broke his word, he noticed Eon cough, the corner of his mouth bleeding.


    And time, which should''ve been under control overflowed. Eon''s wrinkles grew just a bit more and a couple more strands of his hair grew lost their luster.


    "You are¡­" Aion took a breath and tried to find the appropriate words.


    "Growing old again." Eon waved his hand and the blood vanished. "I''ve lost a part of my vitality with the prophecy again. Nothing much."


    Aion''s expression crumbled and he looked at his brother with indignation. "Why do you¡­"


    "Don''t keep nagging me, Aion." The older man who''s also younger looking shook his head.


    "Why can''t you let others do it?" Aion clenched his fists, pressing them on his knees. "You sacrificed so much for our research on Origin already. Why do you have to bear the price for prophecies too?"


    "As I always say," Eon leaned back into the glowing golden chair that looked to be built from the light of stars. "I''m doing this for myself. There is no need to let others bear the price."


    "By the time this research ends," Aion mmed the desk and leaned forward, yelling. "You''ll be dead. You idiot. You''ll die even before me, a mid realm demigod!"


    Eon shrugged, not minding his younger brother''s outrage and harsh words. Standing up, he glided to the wall on the right and looked up the portrait that captured a ''video'' of two boys with a mature man and woman.


    She looked to be in herte 40s while the man was barely 20. But he was the older one.


    "It feels like yesterday." Eon had a nostalgic smile on his face as the portrait yed scene after scene of the family.


    They were in far more destitute environment back then. Heaven tribe was better off than others but not much. The wild beasts that Varian encountered on the outskirts were a nightmare to these tribesman not too long ago.


    Heaven tribe were even used to sacrificing a few of their own to cate the beasts. Such was their pathetic condition.


    And now, those beasts and their entire lineage was under control. Heaven tribe had conquered nature itself and now dared to spheme against the God who made this universe.


    Aion looked at the portrait for a moment before turning his head away. "¡­Immortality is not a good goal to have. The origin research, the sphemy and the endless vitality¡ªwe''re still nowhere close to reaching the end."


    "It is the only goal that is worth having." Eon smiled, his gaze filled with determination. "Even if I die before it ends, the ones whoe after me will finish it one day."


    Aion sighed deeply and shook his head with a look of fatigue.


    "I''m sorry, Aion. You were not interested in Immortality or Origin. But to help me¡­you threw your entire life away." Eon said, still facing the portrait, his voice unbelievably soft.


    "It doesn''t matter," Aion waved his hand carelessly. "Even the god of Space-Time died. Inparison, my life is next to nothing."


    The death of the space-time god was one of the triggering points that pushed them on this path today.


    In fact, Heaven confirmed the death of the three gods. But only managed to go into depth regarding one.


    The discovery decimated the concept of ''godhood''.


    The six gods, well, demigods they worshipped were thrown off the altars. The three gods, who were even more ancient and would''ve been worshipped otherwise, were seen as just more powerful divine rankers. The most powerful a divine ranker might be, but limited nheless.


    "Divine paths, what a deceptive name." Eon walked back to the desk and sat down smoothly. "Those three were at the peak of the divine paths. But that didn''t make them gods, it trapped them. The game is rigged from the start. We have to flip the board. The rulermaker will call it sphemy, I call it justice."


    Aion nodded weakly.


    Unlike Eon, he didn''t have very strong feelings about these concepts. He just hoped to advance the research enough so that Eon wouldn''t die. At least not before him.


    As for the atrocities he had tomit to achieve his goal, Aion didn''t care. Only his brother cared about him when he was at his lowest. So, he''d only care about his brother. The rest could drop dead.


    But of course, he couldn''t say that openly. As an elder, he still had to maintain a polite and friendly facade.


    It''s also why he changed his behavior with theb subject after realizing Ares was also researching on Origin.


    He tortured thatd for days and depleted his lifespan. Even if he left him alone, he''d die soon.


    Did Aion expect to be forgiven? No.


    ''That boy must be seething with anger. Like all subjects before him, he wants nothing more than slicing my neck.''


    That''s precisely why he''d act obedient now and guide the envoys to Ares tribe. The envoys were actually scouts.


    Aion nned a raid on the Ares tribe. He''d loot their research, seize their researchers and push the research on Origin forward.


    "Ah, brother." Rubbing his beard, the old man finally got to the topic. "The subject you saw that day is a member of Ares tribe. They too are researching Origin¡­"


    Once the talk of origin research came up, Eon sat straight and listened with sharp attention. "No wonder he felt¡­weird to me. Should I say unique?"


    As a peak rank 2, his intuition was able to grasp the subtle clues of fate. And the fate of that boy was¡­weird, putting it lightly.


    If a good life was to be painted white and a bad one ck, this one had the purest white and darkest ck. A white line would go on for longer while a ck one would end prematurely. But for him, these two lines intertwined and kept pushing each other.


    What disturbed Eon more was that he couldn''t properly divine the boy''s fate. While he couldn''t predict anyone''s future precisely, he should at least get a picture of their life.


    For Varian, Eon only saw a flickering light in the void before a pair of eyes appeared.


    Taking a deep breath, Eon closed his eyes and checked his soul. Imprinted on his soul were a pair of divine eyes that watched him with an emotionless gaze.


    These ''eyes'' were watching him since he confirmed the death of the space-time god. Even though he reached the peak of rank 2, he did not know what to make of them.


    But that gaze which viewed him as an ant that could be crushed was perhaps the main reason why Eon pushed for this research so hard.


    "Torturing him to extract information won''t be beneficial. There must be security measures including self-destruction."


    Aion''s words brought him out of his thoughts.


    "Yeah," Eon nodded. "Let''s go with your n."


    "That boy¡­" Aion hesitated for a moment before saying. "He''s insane. He keeps saying he''s from the future. That we''ll all die. That Neveah of all idiots would ughter us to extinction."


    Eon blinked. "What absurdity. Those guys don''t even have proper demigods."


    "We look down on everyone that we don''t even bother spying on them." Aion had a wry smile on his face. "But if Ares whom webelled as worthless chaos seekers can have research on Origin, maybe we should not dismiss the capabilities of Neveah. Winning against us is impossible. But they should be able to inflict damage."


    Eon shook his head in dismissal. "You said it yourself. He is crazy. And Neveah is not Ares. As originally nned, we''ll just have our formations up against them and the army on standby. No need for martialw. Show that boy our strength and he''ll be more obedient when taking us to his tribe."


    "Alright." Aion stood up. "I''ll take him around."

 Chapter 1718: Two Actors

    ''The ignorant are fearless'' went a saying.


    When he first came across it, Varian dismissed the saying as drivel of a stubborn old fool. That firm opinion began to crack as the time trickled away.


    "Do you want to visit our business district next?" Aion stroked his long white beard and asked with a rxed expression.


    Shortly after his status changed from ab ve to a guest, the old man took him out and personally showed him the city.


    For someone who''s madly obsessed with research and spent no time cultivating any rtionships, this was something out of line.


    Elder Aion himself was very famous for rejecting invitations to social events. If any Heaven tribesman were in Varian''s ce, they might be ttered.


    But Varian only felt anxious.


    [6 hours left]


    He didn''t know if the Neveah would start attacking the moment the clock hit 00:00 but he didn''t want to bet on their kindness to wait.


    Varian thought he''d see clues to Heaven''s extermination. Maybe there was a traitor? Maybe there was a secret organization? Maybe there''s a coup?


    Nothing. He checked everything he could check. He even used the power of slivers subtly while hiding it from Aion.And he found that Heaven were only more powerful than the old man showed.


    So, why in Eden were they defeated?


    "I would like to see the advanced products sold." Varian spoke, gaze slowly turning heavy.


    He already spent a few hours touring around the city, visiting residential areas, public spaces and scenic attractions.


    While they all held secrets that were lost in the passage of time, they weren''t worth mentioningpared to the tribe itself that was about to be destroyed in a few hours.


    "I sense a business opportunity here, hoho." Letting out a pretentious and fake chuckle, the elder said with confidence.


    Inwardly, Aion was satisfied with Varian''s performance.


    From the dismissive attitute at first when he visited the civilian areas to the gradual solemity after learning the deep technology used for these buildings and his subsequent attempts to appear dismissive and failing each time.


    ''Good, good. He''s realizing how advanced we arepared to his tribe. Maybe we don''t even need to ughter them. If his status is high enough, he might just ask them to submit on their own.''


    What Aion didn''t consider was that the young man in front of him was a crazy deciever. He once fooled an entire kingdom that he''s the arrogant young master.


    Today, he put on a very convincing act of a young master who''s shocked by the advancement of his enemy tribe.


    Poor Aion waspletely fooled.


    With much more enthusiasm than usual, he took Varian to the business district and introduced all the prominent stores.


    "-ting fillux, once you use it, dreams will turn into nightmares and will temper your soul. While every Heaven tribesman awakens only in the path of time, we are researching a way to ovee that and have had some sess.


    Of course, having a stronger soul gives a more refined control of time power. So, this is a popr product."


    Aion returned the product to the storekeeper while throwing a smirk at the silent Varian.


    Fulfilling his role, Varian nodded with a stiff, difficult expression as if he''s crushed by the reality of how far the Heaven were.


    Gritting his teeth, he took a deep breath and spoke. "C-Can we discuss an alliance between the tribes?"


    His tone was a little polite, voice a little soft and the words a lot more political. Alliance was merely a face saving term in this situation.


    Aion knew that no matter how dumb the ''young master'' was, he''d know alliance was only possible when there''s a give and take. If one was only giving and the other was only taking, sooner orter, it''d turn into a bond of master and servant.


    ''He''s being polite all of a sudden. No longer babbling about the future and past nonsense.''


    Aion''s lips curled up, his opinion of Varian and the Ares tribe only affirmed by thetter''s reactions.


    Noticing the old man''s silence, the youngster waited for a while before probing. "E-Err, Elder Aion?"


    "Ah! Ahahaha! I was just thinking about thetest experiment, pardon my absent mindedness." Aion waved his hands, words apologetic, expression uncaring.


    The tour of business district took longer than expected. Maybe Aion decided to crush the remaining pride of Varian and showed off advanced products, even the ones that were not yet open to general public.


    Varian behaved appropriately, showing the conflict between a young master who valued his pride and the realist who must seek refuge in this powerful tribe.


    "What more ces would you like to visit?"


    As the day drew to an end, Aion put his hands behind his back, looking over a smallke filled with precious divine water and asked lightly.


    The wind blew gently, ruffling his and fluttering his clothes. The crowd on the streets had diminished to less than a tenth during the popr hours.


    The wind was filled with the fragrance of delicious potions made at homes to be consumed at rest. Heaven tribe abandoned the mortal concept of food long ago.


    In the peace of silence, Varian finally pushed his agenda. It''s for this that he put on an act to decieve Aion and waste so many precious hours.


    "Elder Aion, I am grateful for everything you''ve shown me. I''ve never seen a more refined, more sophisticated technological advancement anywhere in Eden."


    The praise in a ttering tone was the right opener in this situation. Even though it felt cheap, Varian didn''t let it bother him.


    Aion leaned on the guard rails, with his back facing him. The smile on the old man''s face after hearing his words grew wider and he concluded that this matter had ended.


    There''s even no need to wait for a few days. Just tomorrow, he could send a delegation to Ares tribe.


    This youngster could try persuading his tribesmen to surrender. If they didn''t, Aion was sure he''d rebel and tell their secrets to the tribe of Heaven.


    Even though Heaven saw themselves as overwhelmingly superiorpared to Ares,pletely ughtering Ares involved a risk.


    The sliver of chaos might be lost in the heat of war.


    An insider would minimize that risk. And if he could persuade them to surrender, that''s for the best!


    As he''s about to turn around and call it a day, he heard Varian continue in a shaky tone.


    "But you should''ve sensed my unease. Perhaps it is due to what I''ve been through in the past few days."


    Aion''s brows furrowed. ''Huh? If you had even an iota of political sense, you shouldn''t talk about that stuff.''


    "Or perhaps it''s due to the prophecy of City Lord. But I am scared of theing invasion."


    Aion raised a brow and said in a careless tone. "They''re all gonna die. The stories you told me are just getting to your head."


    "Maybe they are." Varian nodded. "The past, the future and the extermination of Heaven. My mind refuses not to believe even after everything I''ve seen."


    "Are you cra¡ª"


    "I want to convince it. Can I see the defense measures you''ve prepared for Neveah? That, more than anything will persuade me there''s no way Neveah can ever win against you, much less push you to extinction."


    Aion turned around soundlessly and stared straight into Varian''s eyes for a few seconds.


    Thecency in his eyes at having persuaded a simple-minded youngster was reduced by a few notches.


    Perhaps he began to sense that Varian was not what he showed himself to be.


    With a hint of solemnity for the first time, he said. "Follow me."

 Chapter 1719: Those That Must Die

    Heaven tribe had known Neveah would attack since at least three months. But they didn''t show even a trace of tension.


    Even though they''re incredibly strong, it seemed callous topletely ignore an enemy.


    But that opinion began to rapidly change as he''s introduced to the defense measures already in ce.


    Standing high in the sky, Aion folded his hands behind his back, watching the sprawling city below.


    There was no day and night here, only aura cycles. A period of the day was more conducive to practice than another. People worked in the former and rested in thetter.


    Now was the resting period. The people were either in resting meditation or out in the streets, spending away time to rx mind and body. It was the most bustling period of the hours.


    Under the sky that now turned dark purple, the giant city shone like a cluster of stars.


    Houses glowed in soulful blues, but there were so many of them with simr patterns that it looked like someone painted beautiful patterns with light as ink. Big business buildings showed off their wealth in shimmering lights of dazzling red.


    In this design where the periphery was blue and the interior was red stood a beautiful golden yellow at the core. It was the brightest of them all, alone overshadowing rest of the city.


    Golden City was the name of this ce.


    Varian stood beside Aion,plex emotions shing in his eyes as he watched the grand civilization. Perhaps the grandest of them all.


    ''The capital of Jai is called Silver City.''


    What more could affirm the greatness of an enemy than imitation?


    It''s the admittance to inferiority even in that imitation.


    "What I''m about to show you, Defense Tests, are actually a yearly affair in our tribe." Aion spoke as he raised a finger.


    A wisp of blue lit up over his fingertip and began to bulge outward, like a beast was trying to escape the cage of that flickering me. A hint of gray surged and another power was added to the mix.


    In that small boundary to which the gray-blue me expaned was the condensed space-time power of a mid rank 2.


    Varian tensed, fighting instincts urging him to either kill or retreat. Due to the silent struggle in this mysterious ce, his own paths improved significantly.


    But even then, he wasn''t confident of instantly killing Aion.


    ''It''ll take atleast a ten seconds.''


    Ten seconds was so long that even if the city lord Eon waited until thest moment, he could still react and catch up with Varian.


    Aion ignored Varian''s changing expression and pointed the spinning sphere down at the city.


    It looked like notrger than a fist of a child, but condensed in it was enough power to tear apart the space-time fabric of a micro gxy.


    Perhaps nothing more could be more telling that a rank 2 was close to godhood than a tear in the gxy.


    And that attack was now directed at the Golden City.


    "Go." Aion flicked his finger and the sphere shot at the city almost instantly.


    Patterns of runes engraved all across the city lit up at once before dimming and lighting up only at the region where the sphere was about to strike. It happened so fast that the citizens didn''t even notice anything.


    From the runes he learned during his confinement, Varian was able to roughly decipher that the patterns in each street consisted of multiple formations ovepped.


    And each street rune was itself was a part of a bunch ofrger formation of the district which also ovepped. And that was also a part of a muchrger formation that covered the city.


    There was a light ash smell and a puff of smoke, as if something was burned away. The street formation dimmed, as if it failed.


    But the attack of the mid rank 2 was nowhere to be seen.


    Aion turned to Varian, regarding the foreigner''s disbelieving eyes with an amused expression.


    ¡­And then he suddenly threw a dozen more such attacks.


    Varian watched in utter silence as every attack was effortlessly nullified by formations at the street level.


    Aion was not holding back when throwing these attacks but he couldn''t even trigger the district formations to respond!


    A few minutes after the attacks passed, Varian exhaled deeply and said in confusion. "These formations are incredible but they burn a lot of aura. The smell of ash and the smoke are obvious indicators. Are you really allowed to waste so many energy resources for a demonstration?"


    Aion first showed a look of surprise at Varian''s deduction. But the words that followed caused him to chuckle in amusement.


    With a hint of pride and arrogance, he said. "The formations you witnessed burn the least energy. We have more formations hidden underneath that cost multiple times more."


    Varian tilted his head in confusion. "I didn''t see any containers of aura here. A river sized liquified aura can''t run even a street formation, even if it''s quality is the highest. Is it aura infused with divine power?


    But I didn''t sense anything when the formations were triggered. At least their locations should''ve been percieved when t happened."


    Aion shrugged and didn''t give an answer.


    Instead, he flicked his wrist and they appeared a little away from the city, at the entrance of the thick forest that surrounded it.


    Hands behind his back, the old man strolled through the wild path. To Varian''s surprise, the dense trees began to part without any intervention from the tribesman.


    He secretly probed them with the power of life and even when he used the power of a rank 2, it wasn''t immediately clear that these trees were unusual.


    Only when he used the power of life sliver did it be apparent that these nts were modified from the source.


    ncing at the back of Aion with caution, Varian spoke in his mind.


    ''Samsara, scatter a few seeds here for emergency.''


    (No problem~)


    A few imperceptible wisps shed away from him and scattered in the forest. If things got worse, he would be able to use the path of life to exchange himself with these seeds.


    And even if his existing body got destroyed, he would be able to ''resurrect'' from these seeds.


    "This first nt of this forest was nted by my brother and I." Aion reminisced about the past with a smile before noticing the absentminded expression on Varian''s face.


    Snorting coldly, Aion flicked his wrist and they shed through the forest, transvering a long distance. The trees thinned out and they stood in the middle of a wilderness.


    "Grrr!"


    "Wrrr!"


    "Rrrr!"


    Three wild beasts seemed to sense Varian''s smell and growled from the distance, ready to pounce at him.


    But when they got closer, they mmed their foot into the ground and turned to Aion. The wild beasts which were carved with esoteric runes that made them stronger than any normal species started to prostrate and howl in reverence.


    Aion waved his hand and these wild beasts scrambled away.


    Varian had half-expected it but it still felt ridiculous to witness it happen.


    Despite being a divine ranker, Varian had to use considerable soul power to tame these wild things.


    If he''s still a celestial, then he wouldn''t be able to enve more than three of them. And that''s him with his unconventional strength.


    Normal life or soul path awakeners wouldn''t even be able to control the beasts two ranks below them. Controlling a beast the same rank as theirs would remain a fantasy.


    "The formations are our first line of defense, the forest also has formations which I haven''t shown you and the trees of that forest. It''s the second line of defense. This vast wilderness with our rune pets is the third line of defense."


    Aion spoke in a casual tone, but Varian realized that this old man was still hiding a lot of information.


    Of course he would hide more important information from an outsider. But the problem was that even what he revealed was too shocking.


    The aura''s patterns changed and Aion raised his palm as if to feel its change. "Oh, the new day is beginning. I''m looking forward to Neveah''s attempt."


    "I¡­" Varian was in a dilemma.


    Historical records were clear that Neveah ughtered Heaven tribe. And it wasn''t an equal fight at all. It was a brutal massacre.


    Heaven couldn''t even fight back. In the high circles of Eden, the worst losers of a group, especially those who give up without fighting were called descendents of Heaven, as loser tribesmen.


    But could anyone really invade a civilization like this?


    Assuming Lord Eon was as strong as God Emperor, Heaven tribe alone was enough to crush the modern day Jai empire and alliance put together!


    There were more than a hundred divine beasts in the wilderness! And this was a highly conservative estimate.


    ''Was history wrong?''


    Varian began to wonder if it was all twisted. Maybe Heaven ughtered Neveah, captured their sliver and studied their origin to evolve into the Jai race.


    Maybe they didn''t want to reveal the truth and were in hiding¡­?


    [Nonsense. You have seen enough origins of the Jai race by now. You know it''s false.] A soft voice said with certainty.


    Recently, there were more and more things Logos didn''t know. But this was one thing Logos was absolutely sure of. Varian had seen the origin of multiple Jai race powerhouses and shared the sentiment.


    What''s more, why would Heaven even bother to go through all the nonsense?


    They could just conquer the tribes, gather the six slivers and do whatever they wanted.


    ''Neveah'' was chased by the four tribes after they got the slivers and escaped to the Andromeda gxy.


    They had to remain passive and focus on survival for a period of time before they managed to evolve into Jai.


    Bluntly put, for this period of time, they lived like rats in the gutter, running away from confrontation as much as possible.


    Heaven impersonating as Neveah was less likely, but would these arrogant bastards behaving cowardly was impossible.


    "Ah?" Aion raised his head, as if he recieved a message.


    Varian didn''t sense any soul fluctuations or for that matter any fluctuations rted to divine paths.


    ''They''re using Origin tomunicate.''


    "Let''s go. Neveah are about to enter. We''ll watch the show from myb."


    Humming a tune, Aion turned around.


    Varian''s heart halted for a moment before he drew in a deep breath and clenched his fists.


    Rationality told him to believe what he witnessed. There''s no way Heaven tribe could go to extinction.


    But intuition told him to believe in fate.


    Primordial Gods themselves died in the most inexplicable way, so what if Heaven tribe was so advanced?


    ''If they had to die, they would die.''


    Varian didn''t know why he suddenly thought of such a sentence but it somehow fit. If fate dictated, it didn''t matter if it''s Neveah or Heaven.


    And now, one of them was going to die.

 Chapter 1720: History

    On the purple horizon shimmered a wave of red and silver.


    The army of Neveah marched forward, kicking up clouds of dust. The sandstorm would''ve blinded a normal army, not the runic ''sensors'' hovering in the sky.


    As a result, Aion and Varian were able to watch the tribe''s entrance on the hologrophic screen in theb without any issues.


    The sensors, equipped with spatial and spiritual runes, didn''t fall into the perception of the intruders. And they didn''t deliberately probe any individual, so they remained hidden even as the enemy passed their location.


    This allowed them to show the details of the army at a close up.


    It was an unexpected image that elicited a frown of disappointment and a sigh of relief at once.


    Most of the Neveah tribesmen wore animal skins over their loins, chains of bones around their necks and marks made of special animal blood on their faces.


    They looked as¡­savage as theye.


    If someone told Varian that these were the uncivilized group found at the edge of civilization, he wouldn''t have doubted it for a second.


    Unfortunately, they were the ''Neveah Tribe''¡ªthe tribe that ughtered the Heaven tribe to extinction in a single battle and established the strongest empire to ever exist.


    "I¡­" Varian opened his mouth, words failing to leave his throat. A mix of emotions burst in his chest and he realized why Heaven tribe were so arrogant.


    The difference between the two tribes cannot be described as great. It''s straight up ridiculous.


    Which idiot historianpared the two tribes? What''s there topare?


    A super-advanced tribe whose strength alone could crush all the modern civilizations put together?


    And a¡­who?


    "Rghh! Rghhh! Raaaa!"


    A roar came from the screen and Varian instinctively turned his focus.


    The sensors finished the first step of mapping the enemy''s forces. They moved onto the second step¡ªfiguring out the enemy''s powerhouses.


    Signals were issued from the headquarters in the city to the wild beasts that were nearby.


    In a sh, red dots appeared in the sky. A hundred repitles with thin wings spanning hundreds of miles shed forward.


    The weakest beast was a rank 9 celestial while the strongest was a peak rank 1.


    Even though the creatures didn''t even reach the tribe yet, their power did.


    Earth shook without warning and a breaking noise echoed. Fine cracks as thin as hair started to spread in all directions.


    A few figures stepped out of the army, well-woven clothes around their waists and chest. Exquisite nes and rings polished from beast bones adorned their wild bodies. Unlike the rest, they didn''t have any dried blood marks on their faces.


    If they appeared seperately in modern era, they would''ve been treated as province nobles obsessed with ancient clothes and nothing more.


    Here, they looked like royalties lost among a group of savages. Among this group, a middle-aged man with rtively more luxurious clothes walked out, the bone staff in his hand mmed the ground thrice.


    "Rghh! Raaa!" The voice screeched from the screen before it turned into thenguage the tribe of Heaven spoke.


    "Food hase! The sacrifice hase! This is indeed the promised paradise! Glory to Father!" pping his hands, the aura of a rank 2 divine leaking from him.


    ""Glory! Blood! Paradise!""


    The crowd of tribe soldiers cheered, their chants sending tremors through the crowd.


    The man turned around in a swift motion


    With a motion of his arm, the man pointed his hand at the sky¡ªpointing at the diving reptiles¡ªand clenched.


    Thergest beast heading the group couldn''t even scream before it exploded in a mix of flesh and bones.


    The royalty group behind the leader also raised their arms and in a matter of seconds, the fleet of winged reptiles were eliminated without a hup.


    Bathed in the blood and flesh of the beasts, the Neveah tribe roared with excitement. They looked around, intense desire burning in their eyes.


    Without resting another moment, they marched forward. Somehow, the leading man seemed to know where the city was.


    The thirty-odd royals followed him and behind them was the sea of army.


    "Not even fifty divine. Tch." Aion''s click of tongue brought Varian''s mind back to theb. Turning around, the old man opened someb reports to study. "You can watch more if you want. I have things to do."


    Through the power of soul, Varian vaguely sensed that the emotions spread in the city.


    Surprise, disappointment, pride and then boredom.


    Everyone who was watching the ''show'' disyed reactions simr to Aion. The arrogant old man had a few bones of humility due to his career as a researcher.


    But the average Heaven tribesman didn''t even posess an inch of modesty. With extreme pride in their tribe, they saw themselves as special.


    If Neveah posed a significant threat, they would''ve atleast cared enough to be bothered. But the lineup of a mere thirty divine rankers was so weak that the audience simply lost interest.


    The leader was just a low rank 2. There might be two or three more rank 2s in the tribe, all low rank 2s. The rest were rank 1s.


    This tribe¡­really had no chance of fighting its chosen foe. The invasion was already over before it began.


    Varian would''ve reacted like the rest if only he didn''t know the ''history''. He knew more than enough to make him nervous.


    The screen showed the tribesmen making their way through the wilderness, straight to the city.


    Perhaps the higher ups of the city wanted to kill them in front of the city gates.


    Maybe it''s to show off their superiority first. Or maybe they wanted to let the citizens join in the victory.


    For whatever reason, the beasts stopped attacking the tribe and let them go. Even the strange forest that should''ve obstructed let them go.


    In a matter of minutes, they would be knocking at the city gates. And they would be crushed by the defensive formations, as they should.


    Rationally, that''s the oue.


    ''What if fate ys its hand?''


    There were too many absurd things happening to not consider the irrational oue.


    ''I should be prepared.''


    Eying Aion who delved into theb findings, Varian turned to his left and focused on the forest not far from the city.


    When he toured the woods with Aion to check the defense measures, he asked Samsara to leave some ''seeds'' for backup.


    As long as the backup was safe and within a reasonable distance, even if he ''died'', he could resurrect in that ce.


    But of course, there were exceptions to this rule.


    If the attacking force was far greater than what he could bear, the resurrection would directly fail.


    ''Just in case.''


    Varian kept an eye on Aion and held his breath.


    His calm soul fluctuated and a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. Then, something seemed to be torn and Varian''s face turned deathly pale.


    Samsara acted on time, soothing his injured soul.


    (You could''ve just torn a small wisp!)


    She chided but quickly wrapped the soul fragment in her powers and handed it over to Logos.


    On the other hand, Logos'' voice was disturbed.


    [¡­I am not feeling anything is going to be wrong. But that feeling is why I feel terrified. It feels as if I am not allowed to ''feel'' wrong.]


    Varian froze at those words, before he shook his head with a casual expression. ''Don''t worry too much. History might''ve just yed out differently. I am only being cautious because of my great¡­luck.''


    [You''re right.]


    Varian didn''t show it on the surface but the lingering thoughts at the back of his mind grew even darker.


    The realization of what might be happening didn''t bring him any joy.


    The strange behavior of the slivers, the pair of his eyes imprinted in his soul, the visitor of the old god, the unreasonable extinction of Heaven tribe ad now Logos'' eerie words.


    He wished these were disconnected events each with their own exnations. But to his frustration, there seemed to a single thread running through them all.


    Well, all of them except for the extinction of Heaven''s tribe.


    The owner of these eyes.


    ''If even the slivers can''t sense him¡­''


    Varian''s jaw tightened and he tore arger piece of his soul. Blood spilled out of his eyes, nose and mouth before they quickly vanished as if they never appeared.


    (Are you crazy? What are you doing?! Aion almost notice!)


    Samsara was panicked. Of course, she would be.


    He wasn''t just splitting a tiny part of his soul. He had torn it open. If he wasn''t a divine rank awakener of soul rank, he would''ve died already.


    [What are you doing?]


    Varian didn''t offer a word of exnation to the pair of slivers and quietly stepped into another room in the guise of rxing.


    Aion waved him away without much thought. The old man didn''t believe in Varian''s integrity. He believed in the Golden City''s security measures.


    There''s no way an outsider could escape. And even if he could, would he dare with Neveah tribe about to be buried in minutes?


    That''s¡­exactly what Varian did.


    Wrapping the soul with the power of Order and Chaos, he hid it from the perception of all awakeners in the city.


    Unless the City Lord inspected it himself, therge soul fragment wouldn''t be detected by anyone here¡ªnot unless they personally bump into it.


    Then, he used the power of Life and Death to nt life imprint the life source of a popr ''bird'' Hyas¡ªa pink winged near-translucent dove-like creature¡ªinto it.


    Even if it went unnoticed by the practitioners, the soul fragment''s biggest challenge was remaining hidden from the numerous formations.


    Aion showed him only a couple but even they were something Varian couldn''t take lightly.


    For this operation, not only did he create the perfect ''bird'' life imprint he could, he also used the rune knowledge he learned to inscribe a few formations to keep it hidden.


    "Oh? They are at the gate!" Aion''s surprised voice rang from the next room.


    Varian rubbed his hand and a shot of space-time silently carried away the soul fragment. Only then did he realize that it took him several minutes to inscribe the runes.


    It''d take atleast a few seconds for the fragment to leave the gate, possibly much longer.


    Praying for his crappy luck to be not so crappy, Varian hurried out of the room.


    Leaning back against the sleek white wall, Aion looked at the floating screen with pride and amusement.


    It showed the ''savages'' arriving in front of the city gate and stop in bewilderment.


    They looked at each other for several minutes, as if wondering if it''s really possible for such a magnificient construction to be built by people.


    "This is the gift of Father! His promise!" The leading man''s words calmed them down and the tribesmen raised their bone weapons. "y the sphemers! Bathe in his blessings!"


    ""y the sphemers!""


    The war cries of the tribe were heard across the city.


    Aion''s face which didn''t change since the start shook slightly. He crossed his arms and gritted his teeth.


    A thousand thoughts seemed to run in his head before he threw back his head andughed.


    As he did,plex geometrical lines lit up outside the city, just right under the tribesmen.


    "You divine dogs! If your corpses still remain, we''ll keep them for research. Like we kept your god''s! "


    Varian''s eyes widened as he realized what was powering the city''splex formations.


    It was the corpse of the Primordial God!


    The formations outside the city lit up.


    ''Primordial God''s death¡­''


    "No, sto¡ª"


    The formations under the city suddenly lit up without warning and except for the powerful rank 2s, no one even registered it.


    Then, the grand silver city, home to Heaven tribe exploded.


    Varian''s body and soul were torn apart under the chaos.


    History arrived.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 1721: History Arrives

    History was not wrong.


    In the confrontation between Nevaeh and Heaven, Heaven went extinct.


    {Not a single sphemer survived the holy wrath}


    The line carved on the city gates of the empire headed by ''Jai'' would proim so not too long after this confrontation, setting the foundation on which gctic overlord was built.


    Historians from all regions alike wondered if the historical ounts were exaggerating the process, as they often tend to be.


    Unfortunately for them, the ounts were underestimating what transpired.


    Even the most generous theory was far stretched from reality.


    ''The traitors of Heaven were lured by the cunning politicians of Neveah with a mix of promise and punishment.


    The strategists chose the masterful strategy of ambushing the resting tribe. The tacticians carried out ruthless attacks, even at heavy casualties.


    Remnants of Heaven were hunted down within a few months and a primordial tribe was gone forever.''


    This fringe theory was mocked by every mainstream non-Jai historian for putting the Neveah tribe on a sky-high pedestal.


    If only they knew¡­


    There were no politicians in Neveah¡ªonly a savage tribe chief who ruled by force and a bunch of his loyalists.


    Neither was there ever a strategy of ambush¡ªthey straight up marched to the city gates while their every move was on disy inside the Golden City.


    And no tactics were deployed by them to massacre the Heaven tribe.


    Because¡ª


    The beam of light that enveloped the city just dissipated, leaving behind light whimpers and quiet gasps.


    The bright, glorious, majestic Golden City turned bleak. Its buildings fast fading into dark shadow of themselves, razor thin lines creeping everywhere.


    Almost every single creature inside vanished without even leaving behind a trace¡ªvaporized by the formations that were meant to protect them.


    The chieftan of Neveah tribe stood shellshocked like everyone else before he looked up at the sky before ncing at the ground.


    A strange emotion surged in his heart and he seemed to be gripped by something.


    They appeared in his mind again.


    A pair of eyes.


    The eyes seemed to be¡­smiling.


    "Raa! Raa! Rhaaa!" The chieftain threw up his arms.


    The army cheered, their cries reverberating across the realm.


    "Glory! Paradise! Father!"


    "Death to sphemers!"


    "Divinity! Divinity! Divinity!"


    "He shall not be touched by mortals!"


    The chieftan stepped forward, the majestic city gates that would''ve stopped a hundred like him now crumbled at his careless touch, witnessing him enter the city they were built to protect.


    As if that was a cue, a crackling sound rang across the ins and the outer walls copsed powerlessly, giving way to the invaders.


    Most of them turned into ashes and blew away with the wind that seemed to howl in mourning.


    Some pieces of metals¡ªthe best of the best¡ªremained. They went into the hands of the barbarians who would not know what to do with them for centuries toe.


    And when they finally could do something about these materials, they would be treated as trophies granted by the ''First Emperor'', created a false myth of Jai Emperors.


    But now, no one knew what the future had to hold. Not even the Neveah tribe as they marched into the city that was copsing like a castle of sand.


    The pinnacle of civilization was falling apart and all they did was gawk, smile and cheer.


    Without much regard to discipline, the army spread across the city, searching for any valuables and even better, survivors to sacrifice.


    The chieftian walked to the biggest building of them¡ªthe City Hall¡ªthough a quarter of it had already disintegrated into golden dust.


    With a tap of his staff, the space around himpressed before shifting forward, taking him in front of the fallen behemoth.


    Under the ruins of the structure that drove the greatest civilization of Eden, the chieftian found two men.


    A young and an old.


    Aion, the mid rank 2 elder, the chief researcher of Heaven tribe, the arrogant, smart, bold man was in hisst breaths. His old eyes that shone with wisdom were fast losing their brilliance.


    Next to him was a young man, struggling to extend his hand toward the older one.


    A green light originated from him and touched the older man. The light kept halting the death which should''ve ured minutes ago.


    Unfortunately, the holder of time sliver who could''ve reversed the damagepletely was now too weakened to pulll Aion from the jaws of death.


    The best he could do was keep him from dying and hope he''d recover soon enough to turn the situation around.


    "Glory to his deeds."


    A raspy voice shattered the hope.


    Eon raised his head and looked up at the Neveah chieftain with bloodshot eyes.


    But he quickly shifted his focus back to Aion.


    For the first time since he stepped into the divine, the man at the peak of rank 2 showed a helpless expression.


    "Why?"


    Even though the primordial god''s corpse exploding and triggering all the formations was a catastrophic disaster, it wasn''t enough to trap him had he chosen to escape.


    But Eon sensed the most terrible fluctuations appearing under theb of his brother.


    If the explosion was an event with a probability of a trillionth, this super explosion under theb was a trillionth within that trillionth.


    It shouldn''t have happened. It just did.


    If he left, Aion would be dead. Even if he had the sliver of time, he would''ve powerless to bring him back.


    So, he shielded his younger brother. It was a decision that came naturally.


    He bore a blow that''s equivalent to a quasi-rank 3 head on.


    Even then, it shouldn''t have been this terrible, this¡­crippling.


    Somehow, his sliver that should''ve helped him migitate a good portion of the damage didn''t function properly at thest moment.


    Perhaps that''s because the sliver itself came from the Primordial God and his control was naturally lowerpared to the original source.


    Atleast that''s what Eon wanted to believe.


    Unfortunately, there was a second exnation.


    "His ways are unpredictable."

 Chapter 1722: At The Cusp (+ A/N Update)

    The rank 2 chieftain who wouldn''t even be qualified to sit in the same room with Eon on a normal day now looked down into his eyes and smiled.


    Eon, who wouldn''t have even bothered to spare the weakling a nce, looked up into his eyes, a hint of pleading, bitterness and struggle on his face.


    The chieftain didn''t seem to care about those emotions. Nor did he care that whatever was left of the city that''s now being destroyed by his tribe.


    "No matter who you are, no matter how far you go, His words shall not be crossed." The chieftain drew a long breath, trying to control his face from contorting in rage.


    Yet, he couldn''t help raising his leg and mming Eon''s head into the ground with his heel.


    The ground shook for a moment before dust rose and joined the mushroom cloud in the sky.


    As the City Lord''s face touched the soil, thest pir of the city hall crumbled and fell. The final shining brick in the city went out and a bloody destion filled the air.


    "sphemers." The chieftain gnashed his teeth and raised his foot, stopming the man who reached the pinnacle of power in Eden.


    Blood spilled out, mixing with the green aura of the time sliver and sshed onto Aion.


    "I¡­" The eyes which were on the verge of dimming regained their light and the old man gasped violently.


    "You¡­" One look at the strange man in front and the familiar auraing from under his foot, Aion figured out the situation.


    "Get your foot off my brother, you barbari¡ªugh!"


    "sphemer!"


    The chieftain''s cane struck Aion''s face, nearly cracking his skull open.


    It should''ve been a p on the wrist at normal times, but Aion was nearly knocked out. And if not for Eon who kept using the time sliver even now, he''d have died without a doubt.


    "Weren''t you so arrogant that you defied His will? sphemed the Creator! Descerated what should not be touched!"


    The chieftain''s face contorted, insanity, fury and disgustpeting with each other to fill his expression.


    Those words triggered Aion who snapped back even in his current state. "It''s not sphemy, you fool! It''s discovery! It''s enlightenment! It''s the truth!


    Origin is the key to breaking the prison of this univere. It''s the thing that god doesn''t own!


    One day, I will crack the truth and find hi¡ªarghhh!"


    Two spatial des with thousands of sharp teeth appeared over Aion and bit down.


    The front half of his head was chewn into pieces and his body stopped moving.


    Right then, the green light connecting the two brothers glowed and time flowed back.


    Aion''s face reappeared, but his dull eyes showed he didn''t forget the pain.


    "Glory to thee, Father!" The chieftain turned his gaze down at the head buried under his foot. "You were saving up aura to escape but had to use it to save your brother.


    What fools you are! sphemy takes away intellect! The wise always follow His words."


    Aion wanted to yell at those stupid lines but kept his quiet after realizing he''s just foiling his brother''s escape n.


    The chieftain noticed this right away. "Make no mistake. You might run from me, but you cannot run from death.


    I am merely an agent of your death, a knife in the hand of the butcher. If not me, He will find someone else. His ways are unpredictable.


    Praise His Glory."


    A dazzling red glow appeared above the necks of Eon and Aion, materializing into space chains with a millions of teeth.


    The space between these teeth was constantlypressed, copsing into ckholes, making the weapon a divine killer.


    Sensing the imminent threat, Eon mobilized every bit of aura he could muster.


    The city shook for a moment and thest two members of Heaven tribe stood facing the Neveah chieftain.


    In the blink of an eye, the whole army of Neveah gathered the chief.


    Eon''s body seemed to be on the verge of copsing as he overdrew himself, but he firmly stood between his brother Aion and faced the entire Neveah tribe by himself.


    ''Aion, I''ll buy some time. Escape.''


    A quiet conversation took ce between the brothers through their origin¡ªa method which allowed secrecy even though they were greatly weakened.


    ''No, brother! You escape! I''ll buy ti¡ª''


    ''You can''t! Only one of us can buy time. It''s not you.''


    ''But!''


    ''Origin, that should be the key. If that bastard is going this far to bury us, it means we hit the right spot.


    You can do it. So live. Avenge me. Avenge every one of us.


    And this is what I devised with the sliver. My final prophecy¡­''


    At his brother''s parting words, Aion''s mind nearly shattered and he desperately tried to think of a better solution.


    But nothing came to mind. The genius researcher thought and thought, considering every possibility.


    Everything seemed to fail. And time¡­was running out.


    Time, which he could stretch as he wished with his powers, was not in his favor anymore.


    Sensing his hesitation, Eon''s voice rang, with a hint of cheerfulness that didn''t appear in centuries.


    ''I promised her I''ll keep you safe. And an elder brother can''t let his younger one die before him, okay? You''re not just living your life, you''re also living mine. Cherish it!''


    Eon stepped forward, dragging his mutted body.


    The weak gaze of the man changed abruptly and an indifference of a living god reced them.


    The momentum of a peak rank 2 powerhouse exploded like a hot water spring breaking the ground and shooting into the air and drowned every single Neveah tribesman in the city.


    For a brief, brief moment, everyone¡ªbe it the chieftain, his loyal powerhouses, the army generals and the wild soldiers¡ªglimpsed at death.


    Most of the army fainted right away and all the divine rankers except the the Chieftain and a few rank 2s fell to their knees.


    Their souls seemed to be burn as the image of a near godly being imprinted itself onto their memories.


    A hundred, a thousand, and even a million yearster, they wouldn''t forget this fear.


    Dear Father!


    Who were they fighting?!


    Was such a man really meant to be killed?


    Any hint of smile vanished from the chieftain''s face. Clutching his staff tight, the leader of Neveah stared at Eon with a cautious gaze.


    It was difficult for him to ept the reality of a mere mortal, no different from himself, showing such magnitude of power.


    ''Lord Father, why did you allow this man to be so strong and kept me so weak? Did you make a¡­''


    A thought that borderined on sphemy popped up.


    "Butcher? The butcher who won''t even take action himself. All he knew was blowing up the corpse of a dead god, his own creation and catch us off guard.


    He didn''t win with a fair fight, he won with an ambush.


    If even your god needs to be so timid when facing us¡ªmere mortals who only started to scratch the secrets of Creation¡ªwhat does it say about him?"


    Those words crossed the line. Even the scared powerhouses tried to stand up and pounce at Eon.


    The chieftain''s mind nked out for a moment before he pushed away all other thoughts.


    No matter what, Lord Father was his reason for being. He chose the tribe of Neveah. He annihted the strong enemies and gave them this blessed Paradise.


    ''He is always right. You are wrong!''


    All rationale vanished from the chieftain''s face and the city began to shake.


    Tiny stones started to float and a huge vortex formed on top of the city, heralding the destruction toe.


    Eon''s green aura and the Chieftain''s red shed forward, about to sh when a cough was heard followed by a p.


    "Told you so!"


    With a conspicious p mark on his cheek, Aion was grabbed by the back of his neck and dragged away by a young man.


    "Wait, what?!" Eon gave up the confrontation and chased after to save his brother.


    Why was his brother kindapped now of all times?


    "Who are you?" The chieftain chased Eon.


    Was this guy an ally of Eon? Then another sphemer!


    "Didn''t you die?" The most confused of all, Aion, looked at his ''test subject'' with a mix of confusion and horror.


    "Death? I used to pester her so much she doesn''t want me around anymore!"


    Logos felt like choking while Samsara chuckled and cheered in a girlish voice.


    (A wild Varian appears).


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    A/N:


    No, no, no.


    The book wasn''t dropped, isn''t being dropped and won''t be dropped.


    The author (who happens to be me), ahem ahem, took a decision to figure out the outline of the next book before this one ends.


    Turns out, I underestimated what I want and overestimated how much I will do.


    ¡­And there were a few days where nothing happened. Nada. Zero. Zilch.


    Okay, quite a few days.


    ¡­Quite a few quite a few days.


    (Am I allowed to add one more Quite a few?)


    After so many days of outlining/soul searching/mind wandering/procrastining, I see light at the end of the tunnel.


    I have a more solid estimate of the new story. [It''s turning out to be a big challenge. *nervous chuckles*]


    I apologize for the stupid handling I did. I should''ve informed and not ducked my head into the sand like an Ostrich¡ªguess I am an Ostrich now (always been?)


    So¡­DPS will get an ending. The ending hasn''t changed due to this break.


    I have an outline, so there''s little risk of problems arising due to the break. And if there are plotlines, characters to be wrapped up you think I might miss, pleasement so I can take notice and ensure the story doesn''t miss anything.


    As always, I am wee to criticism, sweet or harsh.


    A date for the ending? I avoid giving dates as I seem to miss the deadline when I give one. Nearly every single time.


    I''m sorry about that.


    And I''m sorry for abruptly not posting anything¡ªI hate that behavior myself¡ªso, it''s double the crime. Nah, triple that.


    I totally don''t mind if my behavior got you hurling a truck of curses at me. It''s well deserved.


    While I''m not giving a date forpletion, I promise it''s going to be soon.


    (No dates, but I want to wrap everything before New Year. Operating word: WANT.


    I don''t want to set up gs but F***)


    See you all soon.


    PS: Save the curses forter¡ªthey''ll be more effective when I start posting chapters and get back to readingments.


    Have a good day, everyone.


    PPS: If you don''t mind, I want to share some of the excitement I have for VR story.


    VR, Heroes vs Viins, Gods.


    A story epassing these three plotlines¡ªthough they''re really one big plotline.


    I don''t want to write a defense paper on why this is THE STORY.


    I just¡­like the story. It''s interesting. And I think I''m trying to write a story I want to read for myself.


    Writing is what I''ll do. I don''t know what you think of it, even though I''ll keep guessing. You gotta tell me.


    And ofc¡­the story will speak for itself.


    I have a lot of fun reading stories. Maybe a lot more than I should.


    So, I hope you''ll have as much fun reading my story.


    Cheers everyone.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!